General News

Telcos Must Innovate, Stop Fighting OTTs – Nnamani

Published

9 years ago

June 12, 2017

Kindly share this post

Engineer Ikechukwu Nnamani is the President/Chief Executive Officer of Medallion Communications Limited.
With over 15 years of core telecom experience, Engr. Nnamani is very active in promoting forward looking industry policies for the growth of the telecom industry across Africa working with both regulators as well as operators to achieve this goal.
He currently acts as an Executive of the premier telecom body in Nigeria – the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) where he is responsible for coordinating the activities of the Licensed Telecommunication Operators in Nigeria under the body.
He has also promoted the establishment of Interconnect Clearinghouses in Africa, working recently with the Ghanaian Telecom Regulator (NCA) in the creation of the Interconnect Clearinghouse license in Ghana.
He is currently helping to ensure there is a successful implementation of the license in the country.
Engr. Nnamani is also the Chairman of Demadiur Systems Limited, a system integrator company, responsible for the successful deployment of fixed wireless networks in several cities in Nigeria including Enugu, Aba, Owerri, Onitsha, Abakaliki, Kano, and Abuja.
He had worked as an optical systems engineer at Luxcore Networks Inc., in Atlanta Georgia, USA, among other experiences to his credit.
Engr. Nnamani holds a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering degree from Tennessee State University, Nashville Tennessee, USA and a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering degree from University of Nigeria, Nsukka. While leading Medallion top executive courtesy call on Communication Week Media Limited, he spoke on various issues in the industry. Excerpt.

Medallion’s Locations
We plan to deploy critical infrastructure to enable interconnect, datacentre and hosting services across the six geo-political zones.
It is critical in our targets for the year. We feel the country needs economic empowerment. It is at time of economic recession that companies can deploy that will enable businesses to operate in a cost effect manner.
This is in the heart of our operations; making sure those infrastructures are available where they are needed. Sometimes, not necessarily where to make the largest amount of revenue but there are places these infrastructures are critical to drive innovation.
We look at it as part of our 10-year plan which gives us a lot of timeline to handle the finance aspect of it. Once it is needed, we are sure of doing that.
Our goal is to launch in four cities. Presently, we are in Lagos and Abuja and itching to put infrastructure in Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kano and Ibadan; from all indications, we might be adding Asaba. The datacenters and interconnect points will boost the industry to meet and interact; similar to what we have done in Lagos.
Today, Medallion infrastructure in Lagos, without controversy, is the most connected point across the sub-region in terms of operators and clientele.
The industry is benefiting from it. Without such investment, the cost of doing business would have been higher than it is today. That is value creation.
But we believe in localization of contents. To us, ensuring that South East has a datacentre is important, the same reason we are deploying in PH, Ibadan and Kano. When that is done, costs drop drastically.

Medallion’s Datacentre Certification
This is one of the areas Nigerians need education. The challenge is some companies throwing buzzwords to confuse people.
They create the notion, but in practically terms fail to handle what are expected of them. When you talk about Tier Certification of Datacentres, there are two ways to look at it.
First, there are policy documents on what is obtainable in a datacentre to be classified. A major part of it is availability; in other words, Uptime.
If you have equipment in the datacentre, there must be guarantee of power availability to certain time, yearly, monthly or weekly; it largely depends on design and resources.
For you to achieve this, for instance, power supply must be available 99.99% of the year which requires you don’t depend on a power generating set. The Institute will insist that depending on a generator denies the facility chances for redundancy. Therefore, you will be recommended as Tier I datacentre/facility.
That doesn’t mean one generator cannot guarantee steady power, especially based on your location. Tier III, which is the buzzword in this environment, requires that in a situation public power supply is interrupted, the facility should be up for 72hours/3days.
It is easier to achieve abroad where public power supply is stable. The batteries or generating sets are mere backups. But in Nigeria, by default you are a power generating company. It makes those requirements, by default, things you must have, especially in Nigeria.
Basically, the infrastructure to ensure steady power is critical in certifying the datacentre. You may wish to go through the formal process of certification. In that way, the Institute will visit you facility after going through your postmarks and issue a certificate.
To us, while the certification is important, the day-to-day operation must be reassuring. In other words, in Medallion, the way we operate could depict us as Tier III datacentre, though we have not obtained the certification. It is not different from someone who has gone through school, acquiring the knowledge but has not obtained the certificate.
In principle, it is good to have the certification, because bequeaths the facility with such a status that an independent organization has verified your processes.
Thus, for the fact we have every major player in the industry operating out of the facility, it shows, to a large extent, we have met the global standards in terms of availability of services. In addition, we offer right pricing; not compromising quality for it.

Telcos Threat to Block Over-the-Top Services (OTTs)
The simple answer to that is No. As technology evolves new services are introduced. As an advocate for technology I am against anything that will kill innovation and stifle technology advancement. I represent the quest for new technology and innovations.
I also understand that if you have invested on a particular technology you deserve to recoup your fund and make returns to your investors. That makes me align to both sides. However, there is a difference here.
You only start fighting technology only when you are not innovative or adjust business models and solutions to the new/emerging technology.
Like the OTT services, most of them run on data. Rather than fight them because they are probably affecting the traditional voice, why not find a way to also generate revenue out of it. I can assure you there are multiple ways the telecom operators can make revenue through OTT services.

Telcos’ Slide in Revenue and Impact on Interconnect
About ten year ago when we started, the industry was standardized on Time Division Multiplexing processes (TDM-SL-7) means of interconnection. Though, we still have the TDM links, but we are connected to all operators on internet protocol (IP).

Why Did the Migration Took Place on Interconnect?
That is the current status of technology. Why didn’t people choose to remain on TDM? It is simple: IP platform provides additional benefits.
That is why they implemented IP on the core of their network. Now, the issue we are talking about is subscriber’s preference to the means to call.
Same situation is playing out in the area of international traffic. And that is where the telecos are complaining bitterly, because with Skype, WhatsApp calls people can call across countries provided you are connected on the internet.
At that point, the telcos are losing the revenue from the traditional international call (voice). But what we are saying is that telecos shouldn’t fight these platforms rather move around it to generate revenue. As we speak some are generating revenue.
We at Medallion are constantly restructuring our business to be able to participate even in the emerging technologies.
Competitions are growing, but we are not afraid to compete, because we have fine-tuned our business model to enable us play in the emerging industries. You first line of action shouldn’t be ‘oh, there is a new technology, it will kill us, let’s kill it’.
The point is that even with the new technology let your businesses evolve too. We have envisaged a time companies will need to switch packets. It is a matter of time you can not hold back the OTTs any longer.

What Would Have Happened Without Interconnect Clearing Houses?
I believe the level of success the industry has benefited is still a far cry from what it ought to be and where it should be.
The interconnect clearing houses have drastically reduced the pains previously associated with establishing interconnection.
Today, a licensed operator can approach Medallion and by next week, as long as your network can connect to us, you should be ‘talking’ to every network in the country. In the past, the project takes up to two years to actualize as you must approach each operator, negotiating interconnect protocols agreement.
As a new competitor in the block, the company you are talking to feels threatened by your presence. So, the Company foot-drags, delays and engage every tactic to frustrate you. At the end, they give you a protocol which they are very sure you don’t have.
So, you have to reinvest on new equipment which are not related to your technology for access network. But we bridged those gaps. We interconnect you seamlessly.
So, we were able to bridge the gap of operators on GSM and TDM. That is a value created and huge benefit to the industry. In the area of anti-competition, we have been able to bridge the gap too as a carrier neutral operator.
We can accurately and independently enhance interconnection for efficiency. Also, for traffics that go through us, because we have independent records, billings settlements and reconciliation is more transparent and easier to handle.
However, some operators view us as detrimental to their anti-competitive strategy. They intend to make things difficult for us. But the regulator would intervene.

What Is Happening with Value Added Services?
For years, we have been pushing for value added services (VAS). Because telcos still force these people and collect what is due to them, majority are frustrated and getting out of business.
But, if they had from onset embraced channeling their services through the clearing houses, the same way we create values for telcos, and we would have helped solved the VAS operators’ problems.

Can Mobile Virtual Network Operators’ (MVNOs) Licensing Solve Some Problems
It is a sort of two-edged sword with a yes and no answer. Yes, because MVNOs is a welcome development; same time, the policies and implementation scheme will determine the success or otherwise. Example, Ghana licensed MVNOs about two years ago and it has been a challenge for them to take off.
There is a difference between operating virtually and when it is officially announced. At the time of branding the operations then people can understand how it works.
Actually, it is a matter of time before it happens. When operators realized that managing cell sites is not their core-operations, they outsourced. Even with all the problems facing interconnect today, a time will come when they will appreciate it is not something they need not to hand onto. Similar stuff will happen when MVNOs get into full force; the telcos will start to outsource some part of their operations to them.
With a good revenue sharing formula, it is a win-win for everybody. How fast and successful it will become depends largely on the policies that back it up.
Secondly, the licensing model the regulator decides to adopt. If the telcos perceive it as anti to their operations they will create bottlenecks. The big question is: what part of the challenges operators are faced with presently that MVNOs will address? You must be able to create the value proposition. If not, if we implement MVNO licenses because it has worked in the UK and other environment, we can show you over ten things that have worked elsewhere but made little headway in this environment.
Mobile Money is working very well Kenya, in Nigeria it has been a struggle. It is even more successful in Ghana than here. We need to address the why.

Why?
The operators simply refused to cooperate with them. So, if you do it here and run into similar problem, you will get similar result. A model for the implementation of the scheme is very key to its success.
We also need to appreciate that here certain factors can militate against VMOs while they are thriving in other climes. It behooves on us to critically examine why they might not succeed here and address them before licensing them.

National Roaming and the Challenges
Roaming, traditionally, is a commercial arrangement between operators that benefits even the home network than the roaming network. It implies that with XYZ operator’s sim card I can work into a city that has only ABC operating, thus, XYZ can generate revenue by my presence in the city, likewise the home network. So, it is viewed as a plus.
But the context is viewed here as a minus. It is meant to by symbiotic not parasitic relationship. Two things must happen for roaming to occur.
First, there must be an existing network that you want to roam on. So, when people argue about USPF intervening in the matter, unless it wants to invest on a network in those places and allow third parties to roam on it. If not, somebody must invest in those areas for roaming to take effect.
Allowing others access to the your network is a matter of having right agreement because it is a source of additional revenue. It is similar to interconnect.
Why would you not want interconnect when it is additional revenue, because your existing subscribers are making calls on net. You are down to revenue made via your network, but by virtue of interconnect you spread your net for more revenue.
It should be a no brainer. But people look at it as ‘oh, if that subscriber comes, then the person won’t buy my sim card’, but subscribers roam when on transit. There tends to be a lot of ignorance with regards to this; people are just fighting the wrong fight.

Why Moving to Other Cities to Invest?
Nigerians exist in these cities. What happens today is that costs of services in those cities are higher. Obviously, everything has to come back to other areas where infrastructures exist and they bear the brunt.
Aside telecoms, look at petroleum distribution. When the price was increased, Lagos had a problem moving from there it was to N145/litter, because within Lagos we had access to the tank farms and seaport, but people outside Lagos where like ‘what are you people saying.
We have been paying N200/litter as standard here, because there was additional cost of getting it to the people. The same thing is happening in telecommunications hence we want to get infrastructure to everybody and make services cheaper. We believe if the patronage will be higher and user experience will get better.

Medallion in Next 5 Years
We hope to be able to offer services across the sectors of economy across the geo-political zones in multiple cities as a foundational infrastructure provider.
Of course, every now and then we get partnerships with people that want to take services outside the country. So, we also see ourselves doing a lot of intercontinental partnerships.
We would always want to partner indigenous companies in those cities we are invited. We have cemented partnerships in Ghana, with other opportunities in Uganda where they want to take advantages of the expertise we built over the years in Nigeria.
Ultimately, in moves to grow the brand, we see ourselves been listed as public company for Nigerians to participate in what we are doing. It is very key to us as part of our five-year strategic plan.

Kindly share this post

General News

FG to Abolish JSS-SSS Separation Policy after 20m Pupils Drop Out

Published

1 day ago

July 1, 2026

Ebere Melum-Nwogbo

Kindly share this post

Federal government has announced plans to end the separation between Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) as part of efforts to improve school retention and reduce the high number of pupils dropping out before completing secondary education.

FG to Abolish JSS-SSS Separation Policy after 20m Pupils Drop Out

Tunji Alausa, minister of Education

Tunji Alausa, minister of Education, announced the proposal on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in Abuja.

Alausa said the existing “disarticulation policy,” which requires junior and senior secondary schools to operate independently with separate principals, management structures and facilities, has failed to achieve its intended objectives and has instead worsened access to education.

According to him, the Federal Government will present a proposal to abolish the policy at the next meeting of the National Council on Education (NCE), the country’s highest education policymaking body.

“We have 20 million dropouts from primary school to JSS. Where are those students?” the minister queried.

“We also found we have 80,000 public primary schools and only about 15,000 junior secondary schools. That’s a one-to-eight ratio.”

He explained that the mismatch between the number of primary and junior secondary schools has created severe bottlenecks in the education system, leading to overcrowded classrooms at the junior secondary level while many senior secondary school facilities remain underutilised.

Alausa cited Kaduna and several northern states as examples where the policy has contributed to poor transition rates between basic and secondary education.

“This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We can’t be creating positions because we want to create director-level appointments for people while we harm our education system. It’s about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” he said.

The minister said the proposed reform forms part of broader efforts by the Tinubu administration to improve access to education, increase retention rates and enhance learning outcomes across the country.

He acknowledged previous shortcomings in tackling the out-of-school children crisis but expressed confidence that the current administration would reverse the trend.

“This government will not fail. We are fixing it,” Alausa declared.

At the ceremony, the minister also inaugurated the UBEC Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, to supervise the execution of UBEC-funded Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools nationwide.

He said the committee had been tasked with ensuring that the projects are completed, handed over to state governments and opened for teaching and learning.

Although UBEC has invested in hundreds of Smart Schools and related educational projects across the country, Alausa lamented that many remain abandoned, unfinished or yet to admit pupils, describing the situation as an unacceptable waste of public resources.

He stressed that improving education requires more than constructing schools, insisting that completed facilities must become fully operational and accessible to learners.

Kindly share this post

General News

FG Mulls National Skills Database to Tackle Unemployment

Published

1 day ago

July 1, 2026

Ebere Melum-Nwogbo

Kindly share this post

Federal government has said that it plans to establish a National Skills Database as part of efforts to reduce unemployment, address the growing mismatch between available skills and industry needs, and strengthen workforce planning through data-driven policies.

FG Mulls National Skills Database to Tackle Unemployment

The proposed database, to be developed under a Nigerian Skills Observatory, is expected to provide real-time information on the supply and demand of skills across sectors, enabling better job matching, improved policy formulation and targeted investments.

The plan was unveiled at the second National Skills and Industry Alignment Roundtable Series held in Abuja with the theme, “The Role of Data in Job Creation, Coordination and Linkages.”

Delivering the keynote address, Yemi Kale, group chief economist and managing director of Research and Trade Intelligence, Afreximbank, said Nigeria’s labour market challenge was no longer the absence of data but the inability to convert existing information into actionable intelligence.

“The challenge for us as a nation is not one of data accumulation. It is one of data integration and intelligence,” Kale said.

He explained that although vast amounts of information on education, employment, wages and skills development already exist across government agencies, educational institutions and the private sector, the data remains fragmented, making effective labour market planning difficult.

“Data tells you what exists. Intelligence tells you what is happening, what is likely to happen next and what actions should be taken,” he said.

Kale lamented that while Nigeria produces thousands of graduates annually, employers in critical sectors continue to struggle to recruit qualified workers, even as millions of Nigerians remain unemployed or underemployed.

“The problem is that employers are searching, workers are searching, policymakers are searching and investors are searching independently rather than collectively. Opportunities that should be visible remain hidden because the information needed to connect them is fragmented,” he said.

According to him, the disconnect has created structural inefficiencies that discourage investment, suppress productivity and prevent Nigeria from fully leveraging its youthful population.

He added that countries that successfully transformed their economies deliberately aligned education, skills development and workforce planning with the needs of industry.

Kale urged Nigeria to view its youthful population as an economic asset by ensuring young people acquire skills demanded by modern industries.

Speaking on the proposed National Skills Database, Rimam Nuhu, special assistant to the President on Workforce Development, said the platform would serve as the foundation of the Nigerian Skills Observatory.

“At the most foundational level, the Skills Observatory is to create a database on the demand and supply of skills,” Nuhu said.

He explained that the National Council on Skills, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, would rely on data generated by the observatory to formulate evidence-based policies on workforce development.

“Skills development is an input for job creation. We have a market where there are a lot of skills mismatches. Understanding exactly where those shortages exist will help us plan better and improve workforce planning.

“Ultimately, that contributes to a more productive economy,” he added.

Nuhu acknowledged ongoing debates over whether Nigeria is facing an actual shortage of skilled workers or merely a mismatch between available skills and labour market demand, stressing that the database would provide the evidence needed to guide interventions.

Earlier, Akubo Adegbe, senior special assistant to the President on Coordination and Delivery, said the roundtable was convened to tackle the fragmentation of labour market information across government institutions and the private sector.

He noted that despite huge volumes of workforce data being generated daily, the lack of coordination often leaves policymakers without a comprehensive understanding of labour market realities.

“If our first Roundtable challenged us to better align skills with industry, this second Roundtable challenges us to better align information with action,” Adegbe said.

Also speaking, Massimo De Luca, head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said the EU would continue supporting Nigeria’s efforts to build a labour market capable of meeting investors’ needs.

“We have a shortage of skilled labour when it comes to big investment projects. On the other hand, we have a lot of untapped talent that is not adequately recognised.

“Those are realities that investors take into account,” De Luca said.

He commended the Office of the Vice President for leading reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s skills development ecosystem.

The Federal Government’s plan comes amid persistent unemployment and skills mismatch in Nigeria, where many graduates remain jobless despite employers reporting shortages of qualified workers in critical sectors.

The National Skills Database will serve as the foundation of the proposed Nigerian Skills Observatory, an initiative designed to provide real-time labour market data to guide workforce planning, skills development and evidence-based job creation policies.

Kindly share this post

General News

First Lady inaugurates IT academy, clinic, launches food bank programme in Jigawa

Published

1 day ago

July 1, 2026

Ugo Onwuaso

Kindly share this post

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Monday commissioned the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Academy, alongside a modern clinic and dialysis centre named in her honour, describing the projects as “clear evidence of the government’s commitment to improving infrastructure, expanding access to quality healthcare, and investing in the future of the young.”

First Lady inaugurates IT academy, clinic, launches food bank programme in Jigawa

The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, cuts the ceremonial ribbon to officially commission the Senator Oluremi Tinubu Clinic and Dialysis Centre in Hadejia Local Government Area of Jigawa State. She was joined by the Governor of Jigawa State, Malam Umar A. Namadi, and the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), during the commissioning ceremony.

The commissioning took place in Hadejia, Jigawa State, where Senator Tinubu emphasised that the state-of-the-art clinic would bring “relief and hope to many patients and their families in Hadejia, neighbouring communities, and beyond.”

She added that the academy represents President Tinubu’s dedication to human capital development and educational excellence, which secures “a better tomorrow” for Nigeria’s children.

In addition to the health and education projects, Senator Tinubu also launched the National Food Bank Programme, a deliberate and sustainable response to food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable households.

The initiative is designed to ensure that children under six, pregnant women, and lactating mothers have access to nutritious food, directly advancing President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security and improved health outcomes.

The programme is being implemented through a strategic partnership between the Office of the First Lady, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, and the Bank of Agriculture.

According to Senator Tinubu, the initiative will “build a stronger and more prosperous Nigeria” by safeguarding the health and future of its most vulnerable citizens.

The clinic and dialysis centre were built and fully equipped by FutureMap Foundation and eHealth Africa, in honour of the First Lady’s passion for uplifting underserved communities and vulnerable people.

The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Academy was established with the support of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), underscoring the administration’s commitment to innovation and education.

Both projects are designed to work hand in hand. The academy, with its fabrication laboratory and advanced learning facilities, will support the clinic by developing prototypes of body organs — especially kidneys — to aid research, early detection, and prevention of chronic kidney disease.

This synergy ensures that education directly fuels healthcare innovation, creating practical solutions to pressing medical challenges.

The First Lady, who expressed deep appreciation to the NITDA Director-General for the honour, re-emphasised the benefits of the academy and the clinic saying: “We are grateful for these honours done to us. Thank you.

“These projects are clear evidence of the state and federal government’s commitment to improving infrastructure, expanding access to quality healthcare, and investing in education and the future of young people.”

The First Lady further highlighted that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Academy represents the President’s commitment to human capital development and educational excellence. She added, “By investing in the education of our children today, we are securing a better tomorrow for them.”

While speaking on the National Food Bank Programme, the First Lady described it as “a deliberate and sustainable response to food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable households in Nigeria.”

She stressed that the initiative is designed to ensure that children under the age of six, pregnant women, and lactating mothers have access to nutritious food, adding that “this programme aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, advancing food security, improving healthcare outcomes, and building a stronger and more prosperous Nigeria.”

She explained that the programme is being implemented through a strategic partnership between the Office of the First Lady, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, and the Bank of Agriculture.

Recalling its rollout, she noted that, “We have launched the National Community Food Trust Fund and inaugurated the Board of Trustees in Abuja on 2 April 2026. On 27 April, we conducted the first launch in Borno State for the North-East Zone, and today, by the grace of God, we are launching the second National Community Food Bank here in Jigawa State for the North-West Zone.”

Commending the swift implementation in Borno, she observed that the programme has already enrolled 560 beneficiaries and reached 468 vulnerable children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers in less than two months. “This impressive achievement gives me confidence that Jigawa State will set even higher standards for others to follow,” she declared.

The First Lady emphasised that Jigawa’s agrarian potential makes it a strategic choice for the North-West launch and called for “sustained collaboration to build a transparent, accountable, and efficient food bank system that reaches vulnerable households across Nigeria.”

Earlier in his remarks, the Jigawa State Governor, Mallam Umar A. Namadi, expressed deep appreciation to Senator Oluremi Tinubu and all distinguished guests, noting that their presence in the state for the North-West launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme was “a strong demonstration of solidarity with families who need support and a reaffirmation of our shared duty to protect the vulnerable segment of our population.”

He emphasised that the event served as a reminder of the duty at the heart of public service — ensuring that every child’s health, survival, and development are safeguarded.

Governor Namadi described the initiative as “a timely intervention that will not only bring food resources closer to the people who need them most but will also contribute to better nutrition indices among our children.”

He acknowledged the vision and compassion of the First Lady, stressing that the food bank programme addresses both immediate needs and the long-term well-being of children.

He added that the programme provides a platform for nutrition and support to vulnerable households through partnerships with community leaders, farmers, civil society organisations, and the private sector.

Linking the initiative to constitutional responsibility, the Governor cited Section 16, Subsection 2 of Nigeria’s Constitution, which mandates the government to provide “suitable and adequate food for all citizens.”

He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for fulfilling this responsibility through national food security and food bank programmes.

He further explained that Jigawa State had already established strong policy foundations through its State Food and Nutrition Policy and State Social Protection Policy, which support targeted nutrition assistance for mothers and children.

According to him, the food bank initiative “strongly complements our existing commitments, serving as an effective mechanism for delivering direct benefits to vulnerable families.”

Highlighting progress already made, Governor Namadi pointed to Jigawa’s homegrown nutrition programme implemented across 300 communities, which screened over 240,000 children in 2024 and 382,000 in 2025.

He noted that the programme successfully transformed thousands of children from moderate acute malnutrition to healthy status, while 600 women were trained to produce locally made nutritious formulas such as Tom Brown.

He assured that North-West governors would give the food bank programme the support it deserves, pledging to provide storage and distribution facilities, strengthen food centres, and ensure transparency and accountability in reaching vulnerable households. “A nutritious meal for a pregnant woman can safeguard two lives, and nutritious food for a child can support learning and growth,” he said, calling for diligence and compassion from all stakeholders to ensure lasting impact.

The newly commissioned projects in Hadejia, especially the President Bola Ahmed Academy and the Senator Oluremi Tinubu Clinic represent a deliberate effort to integrate advanced technological innovation with critical healthcare delivery. The Academy is structured as a sustainability-oriented institution, designed to transform technical knowledge into practical community solutions.

Its infrastructure includes a fabrication laboratory and maker space for prototyping health wearables and prosthetics, an innovation lab with AI-driven tutoring, and a pitch space for start-ups and research ideas. Complementary spaces such as the atrium, auditorium, and residential hostel ensure that the academy functions not only as a training ground but also as a hub for collaboration, digital upskilling, and community engagement.

The clinic serves as the healthcare counterpart to the academy’s innovation ecosystem. It houses a dedicated dialysis centre to address the region’s burden of chronic kidney disease, alongside a fully equipped operating theatre and maternity rooms for safe maternal care. Every ward is integrated with continuous piped oxygen, ensuring readiness for respiratory emergencies, while the facility’s reliance on renewable energy systems guarantees uninterrupted power for critical medical equipment.

This design reflects a strong emphasis on resilience, sustainability, and accessibility, bringing life-saving services closer to underserved communities.

Together, the academy and clinic form a symbiotic model in which education and healthcare reinforce each other. The academy’s fabrication laboratory is expected to provide diagnostic tools and organ prototypes, while the clinic applies these innovations in real-world patient care.

This collaboration offers a pathway for early detection and prevention of chronic illnesses, particularly kidney disease, while also strengthening Nigeria’s broader health technology ecosystem.

The integration of infrastructure, innovation, and medical service delivery positions Hadejia as a potential model for how technology and healthcare can be combined to address pressing community needs.

It may be recalled that last week, the President launched the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office, a move expected to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for medical research, data-driven healthcare delivery, and the integration of technology into public health systems.

The event was attended by all seven governors from the North-West geopolitical zone and their spouses; the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hajiya Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure; the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad; and the Director-General of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Muyi Aina, who represented the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.

Also present were the NITDA Director-General Kashifu as well as other government functionaries and traditional rulers.

Kindly share this post