News
Obiano Offers 2018 Technovation Challenge Winners Scholarship & N1m Each
Chief Willie Obiano, Executive Governor of Anambra State, has offered scholarships to the young girls from Regina Pacis Model Secondary School Onitsha, Anambra State who won the Gold Medal at the World Technovation Challenge 2018 which took place in the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, USA.
A statement released by Mr James Eze, Special Adviser Media to the governor stated that the champions were also given a cash prize of N1m each and decorated with the Crest of Anambra State and issued a Certificate of Merit in recognition of the honour they had brought Anambra State, to Nigeria and to Africa.
Speaking at a colourful reception organised in honour of the girls at the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia on Monday, Governor Obiano informed the parents of the Golden Girls of Nigeria that the Government of Anambra State had taken over the responsibility of their education up to the Bachelor’s Degree level.
Observing that the formal reception of the girls had fittingly coincided with the marking of the 27th anniversary of the creation of Anambra State, Governor Obiano declared that it was a double celebration for Ndi Anambra all over the world.
“Today, we celebrate our beloved state. And we celebrate our Golden Girls. Ndi Anambra, it is a double celebration for us all. We celebrate Adaeze Onuigbo, Vivian Okoye, Promise Nnalue, Nwabuaku Ossai, Jessica Osita and Miracle Igboka. And above all, we celebrate Mrs Uchenna Onwuamaegbu-Ugwu who moulded them into world-beaters. We celebrate you all,” Governor Obiano declared.
Describing them as “a group of amazing girls who recently dazzled the world with their talent,” Governor Obiano observed that “they have, therefore, turned this special day into Gold. They did it with their outstanding brilliance, their quest for knowledge and their search for a happier world. And I am immensely proud of them.”
Situating the actual significance of the feat achieved by the Golden Girls, Governor Obiano declared; “Ndi Anambra, our precious daughters have broken old stereotypes that have often shown black people as excelling mostly in football, athletics, music and the arts at the global state. Our girls have announced to the world that given the right environment and motivation, we can also contribute to science and innovation. In doing this, they have shown that Anambra is not a state with a Single Story. Indeed our stories are many and varied. Our stories are colourful!”
Speaking further, Governor Obiano maintained that any keen observer of Anambra State under his watch would have noticed the steady progress the state had recorded so far. “Our students have maintained a consistently excellent performance in all external examinations these past four years. In 2015, a group of five students that were randomly selected from public schools across Anambra State had won the Bronze Medal at the World Schools Debate Championship in Singapore.
“One year later, another set of students had also defeated the debate team of Katong Convent School in Singapore in a Mock Debate Contest. The golden performance of our girls at the World Technovation Challenge in San Francisco, USA is, therefore, a fitting climax to a narrative of excellence. It brings the relentless quest for high achievement by our children to a resounding success,” he stated.
Explaining that Anambra had stepped into a great moment in history, Governor Obiano further opined that “this moment is made special by the energy and zeal of our people and the outstanding talent that has started to find expression under my watch. My administration has resolved to reward hard-work and exceptional talent in order to encourage productivity and excellence. And we shall start with our Golden Girls today.”
He assured the girls that the State would continue to support them to ensure that they all bloom into different professions of their choice.
Also speaking, the mentor and coach of the girls, Uche Onwuamaegbu-Ugwu declared that she was not content with winning just once. Said she: “Winning for me is a vocation. When we repeat this feat next year and two years from now, that is winning for me. We cannot win just once. But we need a lot of support to keep winning. I love the celebration that has gone on across the world but in my head, I am thinking, how do we duplicate this? How do we reach other girls?
We can be champions forever. We cannot be champion today and it stops here.”
In his own words, the Senator representing Anambra Central Constituency, Senator Victor Umeh observed that the victory recorded by the girls at the 2018 World Technovation Challenge had put a seal on the claims that Governor Obiano’s campaign team made on education during the last gubernatorial election in the state.
Said he: “When news broke out on the day the girls won, it coincided with the day the governor gave out the sum of N350m again to mission schools. So, it is fair to say that the girls won because of the efforts of the governor of Anambra State.
Pointing out that Anambra was moving at a considerable speed, Senator Umeh argued that beating over 130 countries in a technological contest was not a mean achievement as it showed that in no distant time the state would be making all kinds of things.
Oladipupo Adebutu, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, has alleged that all state governors in Nigeria are benefiting from and misappropriating local government allocations.
Oladipupo Adebutu
Adebutu made the remarks at the Ake Palace in Abeokuta during a meeting with the Egba Traditional Council, where he sought the support and blessings of traditional rulers for his governorship ambition.
He was accompanied by his running mate, Lateefat Sowunmi-Kolapo; the PDP senatorial candidate for Ogun Central, Iyabo Obasanjo; the Ogun State PDP Chairman, Abayomi Tella; and other party leaders and candidates.
Addressing the traditional rulers, Adebutu declared that granting full financial autonomy to local governments would be one of the defining policies of his administration.
“I will do something that will stun this nation and put us in the right direction. Local governments shall get their own money,” he said.
He added: “We must make sure we get local government autonomy. I have been reiterating to you that I, Oladipupo Olatunde, son of Adebutu, was at the National Assembly twice, and I can boast that I didn’t embezzle public funds. How many politicians can say this?”
Adebutu accused governors across party lines of diverting local government funds.
“It’s not a party thing. Both APC and PDP, all the governors are embezzling local government allocations. It’s not a secret,” he said.
He argued that local councils were able to deliver more development when they had greater control over their finances.
On infrastructure financing, Adebutu said governments must adopt new approaches rather than relying on borrowing.
“You don’t borrow money for infrastructure anymore,” he said, while promising to construct roads that would improve connectivity between Ogun State and Lagos.
In his remarks, Abayomi Tella, State Chairman of the PDP, lamented that the local government system in the state is in a state of collapse, recalling that as a former council chairman, he received N200 million as an allocation and used it to construct four roads within his local government.
He expressed concern that the current local government chairmen cannot point to any project of similar impact, attributing the situation to a lack of financial autonomy.
The PDP chairman said he strongly believes in Adebutu’s advocacy for local government autonomy, stressing that Adebutu is prepared and ready to lead the development of Ogun State.
Sowunmi-Kolapo, deputy governorship candidate, called on her kinsmen to support her political aspiration, noting that she has continued to support the development of Egbaland.
Also speaking, Iyabo Obasanjo, PDP candidate for Ogun Central Senatorial District, said that after leaving the APC following her unsuccessful governorship bid, she came to believe that Adebutu has the vision and political will to actualise her aspirations and manifesto for the people.
Obasanjo further noted that no political party has a more formidable team in Egbaland than the PDP, urging Egba monarchs to throw their weight behind the party in the interest of the people.
In his welcome address, the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, described Adebutu as “trustworthy and reliable,” declaring his support for the party’s flag bearer ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The Alake recalled his long-standing relationship with Adebutu’s father and expressed confidence in Adebutu’s character and leadership qualities.
“The son of a lion must resemble the lion. In fact, he is an even better version of his father,” Oba Gbadebo said.
Federal high court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of N941,994,079.86 linked to suspected ghost workers uncovered in the integrated payroll and personnel information system (IPPIS) to the federal government.
IPPIS is a centralised payroll system the federal government introduced to manage the salaries of federal public sector employees.
Binta Nyako, presiding judge, gave the order following an application filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
“That an Order is hereby made for the Final Forfeiture to the Federal Republic of Nigeria the Sum of N941,994,079.86 seized during investigation into the IPPIS Payroll scam in the year 2024,” Nyako ruled.
Okor Odey, ICPC spokesperson, announced the forfeiture in a statement issued at the weekend.
The ICPC spokesperson said investigations by the commission uncovered “large-scale payroll fraud involving hundreds of non-existent public servants, with a total sum of N941,994,079.86 traced to accounts linked to the scheme”.
Odey said a review of the IPPIS conducted in 2023 revealed the “existence of numerous “ghost workers” embedded within the payrolls of several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)”.
According to him, following the findings, President Bola Tinubu approved a “comprehensive audit” of the IPPIS.
He added that a joint investigation between the ICPC and the office of the accountant-general of the federation in April 2025 led to the discovery of 587 suspected ghost workers on the IPPIS platform.
“Investigations revealed that fictitious IPPIS identities had been created for non-existent personnel across multiple MDAs, with salaries paid over extended periods into accounts belonging to individuals and companies,” Odey said.
“In many cases, the account names did not correspond with those of the purported employees, while some accounts received multiple salary payments simultaneously.”
The ICPC spokesperson said the agency placed post no debit (PND) restrictions on all identified accounts to freeze the funds suspected to be proceeds of fraud.
He said the affected MDAs include the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), federal ministries of defence, education, agriculture and rural development, works, water resources, and interior.
Others are National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Benin, University of Calabar, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Maiduguri, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the office of the accountant-general of the federation.
The ICPC spokesperson said 120 civil servants were cleared after their identities and employment status were confirmed following a verification exercise in 2025.
He added that 467 bank accounts remain linked to unverified individuals with holders yet to be identified.
He noted that the N941.9 million currently frozen in the 467 bank accounts has been forfeited to the federal government.
He disclosed that the agency published the names of the 910 individuals suspected to have benefited from the purported fraud in two national dailies on March 18, 2026.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has introduced the Blue Economy Accelerator Programme, a strategic initiative designed to identify, nurture, and accelerate innovative startups that will contribute to the sustainable growth of Nigeria’s marine and blue economy.
The Blue Economy Accelerator Programme is aimed at attracting young, vibrant minds with innovative ideas capable of transforming Nigeria’s maritime ecosystem.
Dr. Dayo Mobereola, Director-General of NIMASA, said that through the initiative, participants will receive structured business development support, industry mentorship, and technical guidance to convert promising concepts into viable ventures that address critical challenges and opportunities within the blue economy.
“The programme reflects NIMASA’s commitment to supporting the implementation of the vision of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in unlocking the immense potential of the blue economy by empowering young innovators, entrepreneurs, and technology-driven enterprises. We at NIMASA want to provide a platform for investors to identify young talents and invest in them”.
Mobereola, who commended the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola for codifying the Marine and Blue Economy Policy as a clear roadmap for the sector’s development, urged young Nigerians to embrace the programme which has the potential to transform raw talents into big investments in the maritime sector.
Applications are open to startups and innovators developing solutions across several strategic sectors, including marine waste management and the blue circular economy; aquaculture and sustainable fisheries; maritime technology and logistics innovation; ocean energy including wave, tidal, and offshore renewable energy; marine tourism and coastal recreation; marine biotechnology such as, ocean data and analytics; green shipping, including vessel decarbonization; smart port solutions; autonomous marine vehicles; biofouling prevention technologies; and coastal resilience through nature-based coastal defencesolutions.
The first phase of the programme is expected to attract a minimum of 150 high-quality applications from within and outside the country provided they are Nigerian citizens.
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