News
Uwadia Backs Coderina, Harps on Robotics Programming Skills Test Awareness
Professor Charles Uwadia, head of Computer Science, University of Lagos (UniLag), has applauded Coderina, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) vision in promoting Science Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education in Nigeria.
Uwadia who spoke to Nigeria CommunicationsWeekduring a FIRST® LEGO® League, an exciting and fun global robotics program that ignites an enthusiasm for discovery, science, and technology in kids ages 9 to 16, said that the programme deserves support from both the Government and the Private sector, as Coderina has shown that sustainability of Science and Technology, Engineering and Education in Nigeria must not be overlooked.
Holding for the first time in Nigeria, but for the penchant interests of SAP, world leading Enterprise Application Software provider and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the number one ICT agency of the federal government led by the visionary Engr. Peter Jack; as the sponsors.
Other key allies are the University of Abuja as regional host and Dept of Computer Science Unilag,
The FIRST® LEGO® League session held during the weekend at the University of Lagos (Unilag), attracted over 300 students from different schools in the State while 140 of them competed.
With more sponsors and State Governments involvement, the Organisers said they want to take FLL as an annual event to the 36 states of the Federation.
To this end, Uwadia said, “In the area of ICT funding is either here nor there because there is nothing that is really fully funded here in the country. You can only make do with what is available. My own feeling is that even within what is available financially we can still energize our youth to get them to show interest in science and technology, mathematics and eventually take it up as a career.
“I want to thank the organisers, First Lego League for this initiative and also the management of UNILAG for agreeing to collaborate with this group for it to take place here. The programme is very important when we are talking about sustainability of Science and Technology, Engineering and Education in Nigeria.
“And you can only be able to sustain such type of programme if you catch them young, that is you address the very foundation of education.
“The choice of the University environment is to give the youth a feeling of an educational environment different from where they are coming from. Secondly, to create the environment of fun, while learning very serious things like Science, Technology and Mathematics.
“The first thing is that government cannot do it alone. Government is doing its own bit and there is need to actually get the private sector to be involved. They should approach them and lay the cards on the table for them to know what they stand to benefit and I am sure in the coming year they will get more private sector involvement into the programme.
“Well, if it is succeeding in countries like Singapore which is a very small country there is no reason why it cannot succeed here. In 2001 when I was in Australia I met a group of students who were Singapore and they were just diploma students and I was amazed at the kind of things they were doing.
“They were already using Java to write code to be able to move objects in 2001. Here we are in 2015 in Nigeria, it’s not new as this is something we ought to have been doing in Nigeria much early than this time. What is important is that we sustain it.
He added that awareness is very important and that was the reflections of the last week’s programme.
Uwadia said, “Senstization is important and we need to take it much further by allowing it to transit down to the level that even kids at home will be able to play with some robotics, creating awareness at that level to crèche, primary and secondary”.
Earlier, Mr. Olajide Ajayi, director, Coderina/FLL Nigeria, reiterated that technologies offer opportunities to stimulate growth, increase innovation and enable individuals and institutions to interact more productively within the global economy.
However, realizing the possibilities require the need to put technology at the core and also as a part of a mix of productive changes and supporting capabilities.
The Director said that matching resources by resourcefulness and combining such efforts with initiatives on the part of educators, government and the third sector in the quest to build capacity for our future creative leaders, has become even more essential.
“The tournaments”, the director said, “are a culmination of activities carried out on the World Class challenge (the theme for the 2014/2015 season). In the 2014 FLL World Class Challenge, 265,000 children from 80 countries will re-design how we gather knowledge and skills in the 21st century. Teams will teach adults about the ways that kids need and want to learn”.
FIRST® LEGO® League, he further explained, is an Educational partnership between FIRST® and the LEGO® Group.
“It is a program for a team (comprising of 2-10) of children from ages 9 to 16 with a different challenge/theme issued annually. It has three (3) components comprising of Project, Robot Game and Core Values.
“In the project, teams research a real-life issue related to the theme of the year, create or proffer a new and innovative solution, then present this information (using different presentation models and props) during a timed presentation to the judges. This is followed up by a timed question and answer period.
“The robot game deals with robot design, build and programming to complete a set of missions on a thematic table-top playing surface.
“Core Values – the FLL Core Values are the cornerstones of the FLL program. They are among the fundamental elements that distinguish FLL from other programs of its kind. By embracing the Core Values, participants learn that friendly competition and mutual gain are not separate goals and that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork.
Such values inculcated on the students were to invoke the thoughts as “We are a team. We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors. We know our coaches and mentors do not have all the answers; we learn together. We honour the spirit of friendly competition. What we discover is more important than what we win. We share our experiences with others. We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do and We have FUN!
The next session holds in Abuja on Saturday, March 21, 2015.
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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