Telecom
FG Applauds NCC’s Commitment to Enhancing Digital Skill in Youths
The Federal Government has applauded the commitment and dedication of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) towards enhancing digital skills development among youths, through implementation of various Information and Communication Technology skill acquisition programmes.
L-R: Iyabode Solanke, Director, Projects, NCC; Prof. Adeolu Akande, Chairman, Board of Commissioners, NCC; Hon. Rauf Aregbesola, Minister for Interior, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, minister of Interior, and Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, gave the commendation during the inauguration of a Digital Nigeria Centre (DNC), a project executed by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), an arm of NCC, at the Ijesa Muslim Grammar School, Ilesa, Osun State recently.
Representing President Muhamadu Buhari at the event, Aregbesola commended the NCC for timely and thorough implementation of the project, saying he was confident that the project will promote the connection of public secondary schools to broadband internet in Ilesa community and ultimately equip beneficiaries with 21st century skills.
“I would like to thank my very good friend and brother, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, for assenting to our request to have the first of this remodeled project in Osun State sited in Ilesa.
“I will also like to thank the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta and the entire Management and staff of NCC and the USPF, as well as their technical partners for a timely and successful completion of this laudable project,” he said.
On the sideline of the commissioning, Aregbesola also announced the establishment of President Muhammadu Buhari N100 million Technology Fund for Youth Empowerment, to nudge the emergence of world class technology experts.
The Minister of Interior stated that the Fund targets 2,000 youths in the next two years, who will be provided with devices for training in different areas such as software development and design, amongst others.
Adegboyega Oyetola, Governor of Osun State, who was represented by the State’s Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Babatunde Olawale, expressed the gratitude of the State Government to the Federal Government, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Communications Commission, for initiative and particularly for inaugurating the pioneer remodeled DNC project in Osun State.
Oyetola also informed the enthusiastic gathering that Osun State Government was willing and ready to collaborate with NCC to replicate the project in other parts of the State.
Speaking in the same vein, Pantami, who was represented at the event by the Chairman, Board of Commissioners of NCC, Prof. Adeolu Akande, also commended the NCC and USPF on the delivery of the DNC project on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He declared that the project and similarly instituted ones were initiated by government to give expression to its vision to effectively digitise the nation’s economy for increased prosperity for all Nigerians.
Pantami stated that the Federal Government is focused on promoting digital economy across the country and that this had informed the renaming of the Ministry of Communications to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
On the heels of the re-christening, Pantami recalled that the Federal Government emplaced Digital Nigeria-oriented policies to reinforce the focus of existing policies in order to accelerate the delivery of derivable benefits of digital economy to Nigerians, regardless of their locations and circumstances.
Very central among the policies is the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, a 10-year, eight-pillar focused blueprint for actualising Federal Government’s digital economy agenda unveiled in November, 2019.
Pantami asserted that the DNC inaugurated at Ilesa was a concrete implementation of the Digital Literacy and Skills, the second pillar of NDEPS.
According to Pantami, the overarching objective of the DNC project is to facilitate adoption of digital lifestyle in the schools as well as in the school communities.
The Minister averred that the project’s significance cannot be under-estimated, considering its ability to improve digital skill for the youths and subsequently make them globally competitive.
Pantami said the Nigerian government is determined to arm the youths with digital skills, strong literacy and numeracy skills, critical and innovative thinking skills, complex problem solving aptitude, the ability to collaborate, and deploy socio-emotional skills, which they require to transform their lives and build the economy.
“We have already made a number of giant strides in the development of our digital economy culture and the deployment of initiatives such as the Digital Nigeria Centre eloquently demonstrates the current administration’s commitment to connecting all Nigerians,” Pantami said as he equally expressed Federal Government’s commitment to its tripartite agenda of improving the economy, curbing corruption and enhancing national security through effective deployment of ICT in all nooks and crannies of the country.
In his remark, Danbatta, who was represented at the event by the Commission’s Director of Projects, Iyabode Solanke, said all the regulatory activities, initiatives and programmes that the Commission had undertaken since 2019, in collaboration with its critical stakeholders, including its arm, the USPF, have been targeted at giving concrete expression to Nigeria’s deliberate policy to migrate to a full digital economy.
He said the Commission achieves this by consistently committing itself to expansion of appropriate infrastructure to enhance digital literacy and skills in view of the economic and social impact of digitization on all sectors.
The NCC Chief Executive restated the Commission’s commitment to the overall objective of bridging the digital divide through the provision of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as well as broadband access to the unserved and underserved institutions and communities in the country.
Earlier, the Principal of Ijesa Muslim Grammar School, Ramota Ilesanmi, thanked the President Buhari-led Federal Government for the project, saying that it will go a long way in meeting the ICT needs of students and residents of the city.
The DNC, formerly known as School Knowledge Centre (SKC), is one of the projects in the Access Programme framework of the USPF, conceptualized to promote the availability and utilisation of ICT and resources of the Internet in teaching and learning in public schools in underserved, unserved and rural areas.
Specific objectives of DNC are to increase ICT literacy among school teachers and students; provide a platform for accessing online educational resources; equip students with ICT skills; facilitate ICT adoption in teaching and learning; as well as increase pass rate in Mathematics, English language and other science subjects.
Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) hosted its annual Made of Africa (MOA) 2025 Awards on Monday, February 4, 2026. The event, held during the NGX year-end celebrations, brought together regulators, listed companies, and market operators such as MTN, BUA, Dangote, Transcorp, to celebrate achievements in compliance, sustainability, and market performance.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Umaru Kwairanga, the Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Limited, said “Excellence in compliance, sustainability, and several other categories recognises the fact that capital market operators and quoted companies must be standards not only in terms of the size of their operations but also adherence to regulations and best practices of corporate social responsibilities.”
He emphasised that the awards serve as a benchmark for excellence. He noted that the 2025 honourees demonstrated significant improvements in branding, customer service, and operational standards despite a challenging economic environment in Nigeria.
Among the evening’s significant winners was MTN Nigeria, which was honoured for its commitment to corporate transparency. The technology giant received the award for Leadership in Sustainability Reporting, emerging as the winner in a category that included Seplat Energy, BUA Cement, and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria PLC.
The award recognised the brand’s adherence to both national and global reporting standards, reflecting its role in advancing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices within the Nigerian corporate space.
Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services & Sustainability Officer, MTN Nigeria, said “This recognition for Leadership in Sustainability Reporting underscores our commitment to transparency and aligning with global best practices.
“As the capital market moves toward greater accountability, MTN Nigeria remains dedicated to demonstrating resilience and faith in the Nigerian economy through comprehensive and standard-compliant reporting.”
The ceremony saw several other major players in the financial sector secure multiple accolades. Chapel Hill Denham emerged as one of the night’s most successful firms, winning in categories including Fund Manager with the Largest Listed Fund Size and Market Operator with the Highest Value of Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) Transactions.
Other notable winners included: Cardinal Stone Securities Limited, named Broker of the Year and Equity Trader of the Year, Dangote Cement was awarded Best Issuer in terms of Fixed Income Listings, BUA Cement PLC was recognised as the Most Compliant Listed Company, and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) PLC received special recognition for Capital Market Excellence in Equity.
Mr. Jude Chiemeka, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Exchange Limited, congratulated the recipients, noting that the market saw a 51% close in the All-Share Index last year, making it the second-best performing market globally. He urged winners and nominees alike to continue striving for excellence to further the aspiration of a $1 trillion Nigerian economy.
Chief Information Officer of MTN Nigeria, and recently appointed Executive, IT Core Design for MTN Group, Shoyinka Shodunke says Africa has a rare opportunity to lead and participate in the ongoing fourth digital revolution, provided it overcomes hesitation, legacy mindsets, and weak leadership.
Shoyinka Shodunke
The call was made known on Friday, at Tech Revolution Africa 2.0, during a keynote session titled “The Digital Economy Forecast for 2026.”
The conference, sponsored by, alongside David Ogebe, Chief Executive Officer of HOH, was designed to connect the full value chain of technology across the continent. It brought together talents, innovators, policymakers, startups, investors, and industry leaders to network, collaborate, discuss the future of technology, and drive innovation across Africa.
Speaking at the event, Shoyinkareferenced Africa’s historical experience with past industrial revolutions, the MTN CIO warned against repeating old mistakes.“Africa was completely missing from the first industrial revolution. In the second, we were only providers of raw materials, and in the third, we were merely consumers.
“Revolutions punish hesitation. When Africa hesitated in the first, second, and third revolutions, we lost out, and history punished us”, he said.
Shodunke stressed that the fourth digital revolution presents a different reality, driven by data, cloud computing, and talent rather than heavy capital investments.
“The inputs today are data, cloud, and talent. The factory now sits in the cloud. For the very first time, Africa has an opportunity not just to participate, but to lead, because the playing field has changed.” He stated.
He identified leadership, rather than capital or talent, as the biggest challenge facing Africa’s digital future. “Our biggest risk is not lack of capital or talent; it is leadership.”
Shodunke said: “This is not a time for comfort or committee meetings. It is a time for bold leadership that is willing to disrupt legacy products, legacy revenues, and even itself.”
Using MTN Nigeria as a case study, he noted that the company has moved beyond basic connectivity into cloud services, fintech, and artificial intelligence.
According to him, connectivity and data have become commodities, and the real value is in building intelligence on top of those commodities, where winners in this digital era would emerge.
He therefore urged African youths and innovators to act decisively.
His words: “History does not reward those who wait to be convinced. The time to act is now. Africa must not be left behind again; this time, we can set the trend for the fourth digital generation.”
While noting the visible growth of the platform, the transformation and revolution that have been carried out within a year, Shodunke commended the conference conveners for building a strong ecosystem for technology conversations in Africa.
Following his keynote session, the MTN CIO was honoured with the Pan-African Technology Leader of the Year award, in recognition of his impact and outstanding contributions to technology development across Africa and his consistent leadership in advancing the continent’s digital ecosystem.
Microblogging platform X has suffered widespread outage, leaving millions of users across multiple countries unable to access tweets.
Elon Musk
The disruption began with users in the UK initially reporting issues. Then, in Nigeria, after 1pm, Nigerians also noticed issues accessing X.
In the United States, over 42,000 users flagged similar problems, while more than 45,000 outage reports were recorded in Japan. Users in Canada, Australia, France and Germany also reported difficulties.
Many users said the website became stuck on the X logo or displayed an error message reading: “Something went wrong. Try reloading.” On the mobile app, feeds either failed to load or appeared blank, though prompts to subscribe to X Premium were still visible.
The platform, owned by Elon Musk, has not issued an official explanation.
Unlike other major social media networks, X does not operate a public system status page. Its developers’ platform, however, indicated that “all systems are operational”.
The outage marks the latest in a series of disruptions in recent months. Similar incidents occurred last month and late last year, including one linked to network issues at Cloudflare, which affected multiple websites globally.
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