News
Atiku to Launch Aaron’s Book: Nigeria Drivers of Digital Prosperity

Nigeria’s former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (Waziri Adamawa), will this Thursday, 7th July 2022 lead a pack of eminent Nigerians to the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos for the launch and public presentation of the book: Nigeria DRIVERS OF DIGITAL PROSPERITY, The Trajectories Of The Digital Evolution, Sector Analysis And Players’ Contributions, authored by Aaron Ukodie, Nigeria’s pioneer ICT and Technology Journalist.
The 472-page page hardcover book, printed in glossy colours, is an experiential chronicle of Nigeria’s sojourn through the backwaters of IT and Telecoms to the revolution which inspires the present global reference of its institutions, corporate entities/brands, and the individual skills sets. Other high-profile techies expected to grace the occasion among others include Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, the Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government and a former President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) who has been a dogged advocate of ubiquitous broadband connectivity across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
The book’s public presentation will be preceded by the eWorld Forum 2022 themed: 4G, 5G Broadband connectivity and the Economy. The paper presentation session by the current Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Danbatta would be chaired by Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, Chairman MTN Nigeria who was the EVC/CEO of NCC when Nigeria recorded the landmark success with the award of the GSM licenses.
Atiku who is the Presidential flag bearer of Nigeria’s main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), was the head of the nation’s Economy management team during the two-term regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007 and he supervised the telecom deregulation and liberalisation process. It was the regime that birthed the celebrated accolades recorded with the Digital Mobile Licensing (DML) which introduced the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) technology to the nation’s telephone network.
As recorded in the book, for the posterity’s sake, Atiku also played a key role in subverting the surreptitious plot by high-ranking government officials who attempted to throw spanners in the works in order to scuttle the GSM auction processes when President Obasanjo was out of the country. Details of the plot that could have denied Nigeria the globally acclaimed integrity and epoch-making mobile revolution and how Atiku filled the leadership gap in the absence of his boss have been intricately narrated in the book.
The veteran journalists also gave incisive details of how and why it took Nigeria about a decade to successfully issue globally benchmark GSM licenses. Details of the interests of the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, and the connections of the Chagouri family were also lucidly narrated in the new book.
Also profiled in the book are the contributions of the celebrated and unsung Nigerians and corporate entities who sacrificed sweat and blood to endure the uncharted pathways to Nigeria’s noble contributions to the national and global IT, Telecoms and computing ecospheres. The role of the Surulere, the sprawling Lagos Mainland community in computerised Nigeria is also revisited in the new book.
The book segmented into five sections avails Nigerians of the tricks and trials that the pioneer players in the Technology, Telecoms, and Computing business environment endured translating to the powerful statements in the fintech, Creative Hubs, telecoms, technology, robotics, and other generational expertise and milestones that Nigeria is now showcasing to the world.
The book, the first of its kind to articulate Nigeria’s roadmap from the pre-independence analogue era to the present-day digital connectivity will be useful not only to industry enthusiasts, scholars, academia, researchers, and students; avid readers will also find it very interesting as a worthy collection.
News
CAC Flags Three Companies, Warns Nigerians

Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has warned Nigerians against transacting with three fake Nigerian firms, citing fraudulent incorporation documents and registration numbers not issued by the commission.
According to the CAC, these companies are using fake certificates of incorporation with two different RC numbers each, none of which exist in the commission’s official records.
The affected companies are SPEF Cooperative Society Ltd with RC Numbers 1265884 and 512862, UPIL Staff Cooperative Society Ltd with RC Numbers 1265837 and 553220, and PREM Staff Cooperative Society Ltd with RC Numbers 1265844 and 545901.
The CAC warns that any Nigerian conducting business with these entities does so at their own risk.
“Anyone that transacts any business with the above-mentioned companies does so at their own risk,” the commission warned.
The commission further advised potential partners and investors to verify registration details directly through its official portal before signing contracts or making payments.
Similarly, the CAC, in a bid to enhance its services, introduced an AI-powered business registration platform on July 3, designed to streamline incorporations.
This new system offers instant name reservations, automated business-name suggestions, and same-day registration using a National Identification Number (NIN).
Additionally, the commission plans to review its service fees starting August 1, aiming to make its services more efficient and cost-effective.
News
AfDB to Introduce Systems Reforms to Prioritize Investing in Africa’s Youth

The African Development Bank, in partnership with the International Labour Organization, has launched a transformative system to mainstream youth employment, skills development, and entrepreneurship across its investments.
The approach, called the Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System, is aligned with the Bank’s latest Ten-Year Strategy, which places Africa’s young people at the center of development efforts to maximize the impact of every dollar invested, turning demographics into a dividend.
The Marker System ensures that Bank projects spanning diverse sectors, such as agriculture, transport, energy, water, and education, systematically incorporate components that enhance youth employability, foster entrepreneurship, and build market-relevant skills.
“The Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System is about ensuring Africa’s young people have a real say and active role in building sustainable economies and creating jobs – not as passive recipients of youth programs,” said Dr. Beth Dunford, the Bank’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development. “This transformation of Bank practices and systems is a step toward making sure our investments have a positive impact on Africa’s young women and men.”
The integrated system has three focus areas:
Youth: Supporting youth-led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises through targeted investments and operational integration.
Skills: Expanding access to practical, market-driven training and apprenticeships to enhance career prospects.
Jobs: Ensuring Bank-funded projects create sustainable job opportunities, particularly by developing youth skills for employability and the promotion of youth-led businesses in priority value chains.
Each year, around 10 to 12 million young Africans enter the labor market, which offers only three million formal jobs annually. The Bank will prioritize youth entrepreneurship and mobilize private sector partnerships to strengthen industry-oriented skills training as well as job creation over the coming decade.
“[This initiative] is very important because it allows us to significantly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #8 that includes decent work for all,” said Peter van Rooij, Director of Multilateral Partnerships and Development Cooperation at the International Labour Organization. “It also allows the International Labour Organization to influence the Bank’s work, to support their lending that is more geared toward more job creation and better jobs in a sustainable way.”
The Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System is modeled on the success of the Bank’s Gender Marker System and its online dashboard, which categorize Bank projects based on their contribution to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Similarly, the new system will feature an online platform enabling Bank staff and consultants to access real-time data for preparing country strategy papers, mid-term reviews, annual reports, project supervision, and reporting on youth-related skills, businesses and jobs outcomes.
The Bank has just launched a pilot version of the Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System in readiness for the full implementation in 2026. This system will enhance data tracking, improve estimates of youth skills attainment and employment, strengthen labor market information systems, and support policymakers in making evidence-based decisions that drive meaningful change.
The International Labour Organization provided technical support for the system’s development with financial support from the Bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System is the first deliberate action of its kind developed by a development finance institution worldwide.
News
SEC Probes Ponzi Scheme Linked to FF Tiffany

The Securities and Exchange Commission has revealed plans to commence investigation into the activities of an entity operating under FF Tiffany, allegedly running a fraudulent investment scheme that has defrauded citizens.
A statement by the SEC on Tuesday in Abuja said preliminary information revealed that the scheme, which promised investors unusually high and unrealistic returns, had resulted in the loss of several billions of naira.
The SEC said it viewed the activity as a threat to investor confidence and the overall integrity of the financial system.
The commission assured the public that it was working closely with law enforcement agencies and other relevant bodies to bring everyone involved in the unlawful operation to justice.
According to SEC, those found culpable will be prosecuted in accordance with the Investment and Securities Act and regulatory provisions.
SEC reiterated its earlier warnings to the general public to desist from engaging in Ponzi or unregistered investment schemes that promised guaranteed or exaggerated returns.
“These schemes are not registered with the SEC and do not offer investor protection under the law.
“The commission is currently investigating 79 schemes and will make a statement on its findings at the conclusion of the investigation,” the SEC said.
The commission encouraged investors to conduct due diligence and verify the registration status of any investment firm or product by visiting the SEC website or contacting the commission directly through official channels.
SEC said it remained committed to its mandate of protecting investors, ensuring fair practices, and maintaining confidence in Nigeria’s capital market.
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