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Night Airtel Touched the Lives of Mrs. Osinbajo, Adeosun, Dalong, Others
“To be a great person, you must be a good person. By extrapolation, to be a great organization, an organization must first be a good one. And that’s what is driving our passion for and commitment to touching the lives of less privileged Nigerian.”
This is how Segun Ogunsanya, the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria sums up the company’s innovative social investment initiative eponymously called Touching Lives, which seeks to provide empowerment and succor to the needy in Nigeria.
It captures the essence of the Telco’s Corporate Social Responsibility philosophy, which derives essentially from the spirit of GIVING, a salient part of the DNA of Airtel people.
So, to the gathering of political and business heavyweights, last week, at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp-Hilton Hotel, Abuja, at the Premiere of the television series, Airtel Touching Lives, Mr. Ogunsanya was sharing a story that not only touches the lives of those Airtel has supported but that which should ultimately touch the heart of the audience to aspire for greatness through doing good.
From the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo; the Honorable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and her counterpart of the Ministry of Youths and Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalong; Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, and other dignitaries in attendance, not one person left the exciting yet emotion-laden evening the same way they came.
Not a few shed a tear or two in appreciation of God’s blessings upon their lives in contrast with the challenges of the less privileged, which were poignantly highlighted during the course of the evening.
Let me explain Airtel Touching Lives in a nutshell. As a third pillar of its social intervention plan, in addition to its Adopt-A-School initiative (through which the Nigerian company adopts primary schools located in disadvantaged areas across Nigeria) and Employee Volunteer Scheme (a voluntary movement through which employees pool resources of time, talent and cash to help the needy), Airtel Nigeria two years launched a scheme, which in simple terms, seeks to identify people in great need and help them to deal with it.
Nigerians are, therefore, encouraged to submit via text messages, emails and voice calls requests for support of personal or community problems or causes.
These requests, which come in their thousands, expectedly, are reviewed by a committee and the most pressing shortlisted.
Then, a crew comprising journalists, television producers, social workers and Airtel employees go to the field to verify and investigate the requests and identify those affected or concerned.
The stark realities are filmed and the key actors invited to the studio, where their plights are highlighted and the support announced.
All these are recorded and then broadcast on national television, not for publicity or marketing, but to highlight the enormity of challenges facing the less privileged and encourage the haves to support the have-nots, thereby promoting the culture of giving.
The event of Thursday, January 14th had the trappings of a charity show minus a fundraiser. The audience was clearly moved.
Their feelings were aptly captured in the emotional speech made by the Second Lady, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, who called for people to reach out and help not only the physically challenged, but also the emotionally troubled.
She took a somber trip back to her visit earlier in the day to one of the camps for Internally Displaced People in Borno. Hear her:
“I am speechless and dumbfounded whenever I think about the need of Nigeria. I just left the IDP camp in Maiduguri some few hours ago. It is emotionally devastating and very painful to see mothers without children, fathers without wives and children without parents. I couldn’t find the tears. After leaving the IDP camp, I visited the palace of the Shehu of Borno. The palace was beautiful, marbled floors, chandeliers, kingly sofas…but the Shehu was downhearted; his countenance was completely down because we have people whose lives need to be touched.
“We have people in homes, orphanages and shelters. They cannot afford to feed, clothe or to be educated. There are those who are in homes, yes they do live in homes.
“I watched the first season of touching lives; I watched the story of the Chime’s family, the children who had challenges. We are told today, over and over again that the colour of love is red. And we all know the emblem of the red heart that symbolizes love. You can always tell when some of my children are at home, that is when they make me…when they are not at home I think I look a bit more down. The color of love is red, we are told today. And all around me I see red. But the red of the heart needs to stop the river of red, the river of blood that flows through this land.
“My prayer is for Nigeria, even as I choose to touch lives, and I pray we all choose to touch lives in any way we can. Not only to help physically, but sometimes even to help emotionally. My prayer is that the Lord will repair Nigeria, He will restore Nigeria and he will direct Nigeria.”
That short speech brought people to their feet as they acknowledged the sense, essence and passion it exuded infectiously.
The unintended highpoint of the evening was the live appearance on stage of one of the beneficiaries of the 2016 Airtel Touching Lives, David Anyaele, a social support activist, whose hands were amputated by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in 1999 while on a business trip to Sierra Leone during the Civil War.
With the aid of prosthesis and the support of family and friends, he recovered quickly to only carry on the burden of life and living, but also to canvass for the support of the less privileged. He brought quite a few in the audience to tears with his moving story, but expressed utmost appreciation to God for sparing his life and to Airtel Nigeria, for donating laptops, printers, desks, photocopiers and other office equipment to enable him do his work of mercy and faith.
The presence of the Explicit Dancers, the Ibadan-based choreography group, also added spice to the evening and indeed extended the frontiers of giving to the less privileged.
The story was told of how the group, made of over 80 young boys and girls mainly street kids was put together by David Abraham, who taught them how to dance to make a living and go to school.
Today, over 26 of the kids are university graduates, and recently one of them got married to ace Comedian and Airtel Brand Ambassador, Akpororo.
It was indeed an evening of double paroxysm of style, class and elegance mixed with powerful emotions driven by a passion to support the less privileged in our society.
Patience Okala, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office has urged African countries to stop exporting raw materials and instead focus on adding value to its natural resources if it is to fully harness the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
She stated this on Thursday at the Streamsowers & Köhn 20th Anniversary Business Forum, where she stressed that value addition and beneficiation are essential to Africa’s industrialisation and long-term economic growth.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, she said the AfCFTA goes beyond the elimination of tariffs, serving as a framework for industrialisation, value addition, and job creation across the continent.
“AfCFTA is not only about tariffs; it is also about value addition. Africa has to stop exporting raw materials. We need to add value and ensure that beneficiation is done on the continent,” she said.
Okala also said Africa’s economic transformation would depend on the effective implementation of the AfCFTA rather than on the signing of trade agreements alone.
“We have moved beyond negotiations. The success of AfCFTA will be measured by the extent to which businesses can access new markets, trade seamlessly across borders, and benefit from the opportunities created by the agreement,” she said.
She noted that Nigeria had intensified efforts to implement the agreement under the leadership of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, including the development of simplified AfCFTA guides in six languages to help businesses understand and take advantage of opportunities under the trade pact.
Okala called for stronger collaboration among governments, regulators, and the private sector to eliminate barriers to trade and investment and build a truly integrated African market.
“As we move from policy to implementation, our collective responsibility is to ensure that the opportunities created by AfCFTA become practical realities for businesses, particularly MSMEs, women-owned enterprises, and young entrepreneurs across the continent,” she said.
Cisco is exploring artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions to support smallholder farmers in Nigeria, as part of efforts to expand digital inclusion and technology adoption.
The initiative focuses on improving agricultural productivity through accessible, data-driven tools.
The move aligns with growing collaboration between Nigeria and the United States under the Commercial and Investment Partnership, which prioritises the digital economy, agriculture and infrastructure.
Speaking at the 2026 World Business Chicago, Brian Tippens, chief social impact and inclusion Officer at Cisco, said the company is assessing practical AI applications to help farmers combine local knowledge with data insights.
He said Cisco is exploring tools such as AI-enabled WhatsApp communities, geospatial mapping and weather intelligence to support day-to-day farming decisions.
The approach reflects a shift towards low-cost, mobile-first solutions suited to rural environments.
Tippens added that the Cisco Foundation is investing in early-stage startups developing technologies for local agricultural challenges.
Industry analysts note that AI adoption in emerging markets depends on locally relevant solutions, rather than large-scale enterprise deployments alone.
Beyond agriculture, Cisco plans to expand digital skills development in Nigeria through programmes such as the Cisco Networking Academy’s One Million Learners initiative.
Tippens said the programme also supports partnerships with organisations working with persons with disabilities, including those developing tools for people with visual impairments.
He added that Cisco’s social impact strategy aims to improve access to technology and promote inclusion, including in conflict-affected regions such as Borno State.
Cisco’s initiatives form part of broader efforts to link digital skills, connectivity and AI adoption to economic development in Nigeria.
Federal Government has launched a nationwide Artificial Intelligence (AI) capacity-building programme for teachers in Federal Unity Colleges, with about 11,700 educators set to acquire digital skills aimed at improving classroom instruction and preparing students for a technology-driven future.
The initiative advanced with the signing of the Terms of Reference (ToR) between the Federal Ministry of Education and ICEDT Consult Limited, paving the way for the nationwide implementation of the AI Teacher Capacity Development Programme.
The programme, to be implemented through the ministry’s Education Support Services Department, is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to modernise Nigeria’s education sector, strengthen teacher professionalism and equip students with skills required in the digital economy under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking during the signing ceremony in Abuja, the Director of the Education Support Services Department, Gabriel Amudipe, described the initiative as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s teaching workforce and the future of education.
He said the nationwide rollout followed the successful completion of a pilot phase conducted in selected Federal Unity Colleges.
According to him, the implementation model developed by ICEDT Consult Limited will ensure effective coordination and quality delivery of the programme across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Amudipe urged officials responsible for monitoring the project to ensure strict compliance with the implementation guidelines and maintain the standards achieved during the pilot phase.
“The ministry remains committed to supporting innovative initiatives that strengthen teacher professionalism, improve learning outcomes and promote the responsible integration of emerging technologies into education,” he said.
Earlier, the Deputy Director of the Education Support Services Department, Oladele Fapohunda, described the programme as a strategic intervention designed to deepen digital innovation across Federal Unity Colleges.
He stressed that collaboration among all stakeholders would be essential to achieving the objectives of the initiative nationwide.
Also speaking, the Head of Strategic Partnerships and Learning Scientist at ICEDT Consult Limited, Dr Abdulrahman Orosanya, said the Federal Government approved the national rollout after the successful pilot implementation in six Federal Unity Colleges representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
According to Orosanya, the pilot demonstrated the potential of Artificial Intelligence to improve lesson planning, classroom delivery, assessment methods and teachers’ productivity.
He said the nationwide implementation would strengthen teachers’ digital competencies, improve instructional delivery and support the government’s vision of building a technology-driven education system capable of producing globally competitive graduates equipped with 21st-century skills.
The ceremony ended with the formal signing of the Terms of Reference by officials of the Federal Ministry of Education and ICEDT Consult Limited, signalling the commencement of preparations for full implementation across all Federal Unity Colleges.
The ministry said the programme would directly train about 11,700 teachers, while thousands of students across the country’s Federal Unity Colleges are expected to benefit through improved classroom instruction, increased digital innovation and the responsible application of Artificial Intelligence in teaching and learning.
It reaffirmed its commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to modernise Nigeria’s education system, improve teacher quality and deliver inclusive, equitable and future-ready education nationwide.
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