General News
Youth IT Empowerment: Key to Vision 2020– Shobajo
Kayode Shobajo, Chief Technopreneur/CEO, HiiT, synonymous with youth IT empowerment. He has undying passion for quality ICT education. Shobajo is a consummate technoprenuer, with panache and zeal to deliver world class and affordable training solutions particularly to youths in this technology-driven economy. Shobajo retired as a senior military officer in the Nigerian Air Force, over a decade ago, to start HiiT. He spoke with Emeka Okafor.
Quality IT Training/Education in Nigeria
HiiT began operations twelve years ago with a mission to eradicate IT illiteracy by offering world class and affordable training/education in a customer-centric manner. Today, we are still in the pursuit of our mission. Since 1996, we have graduated twenty thousand students in our Kano and Lagos centres. It may interest you to know that HiiT has recorded matchless milestones. In 2007, it produced the first and only Java Master in Nigeria. In terms of quality training we have the facilities and the human capital. We have equally upgraded our IT Proficiency curriculum, amongst others, by fusing a marriage between International Computer Driving License (ICDL) and Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) syllabi. This enables Nigerians to kill two birds with one stone. So, for us at HiiT, rendering world-class affordable services is our brand essence.
Cost of ICT Training/Education
HiiT is 100 percent Nigerian brand, so, we are stakeholders in the future of our country. In the last twelve years we have consistently delivered world-class affordable ICT training in all our centres. Empowering Nigerian youth goes beyond profit maximization. It is a call to serve, so that our nation can be liberated from both economic and digital poverty. In my perspective, I believe there should be a lot of platforms to train the youth in ICT apart from the typical Introduction to computers being taught in higher institutions. Our higher institutions are trying but ICT requires expertise and proficiency with management acumen for execution and sustained quality service delivery. We at HiiT see our role as that of intervention because ICT youth empowerment is the focal point of our development efforts. Our nation must challenge the youth with appropriate and adequate IT facilities and re-orientate them to reawake the e-spirit needed to produce IT proficient graduates, across board, as well as knowledgeable technopreneurs. This is why HiiT shall continue to render world-class affordable services to our target market.
HiiT ICT Empowerment Galleria in Tertiary Institutions
In line with our strategic growth agenda, HiiT is investing at least N2 billion within the next one year, in at least six tertiary institutions that meet our requirements. This is only the first phase of our intervention. We aim to eventually partner with all willing universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and others. We also appeal to their visitors to help facilitate this intervention for them with good speed. Our ICT Empowerment methodology is not only revolutionary but sustainable. It is also a home-grown solution based on eight years of research. This intervention is designed to first, train all tertiary institution students to become IT proficient in the use of market-relevant computer applications taking into consideration our peculiarities in Nigeria. And second, to empower all computer science students and other students with flair for IT, with current solution development platforms and appropriate certification curricula under same roof with their academics. What is more, all these will cost the students very little. This will certainly augment government efforts in realizing its ICT empowerment component of Vision 2020.
National IT Policy Review
As you also know, a purposeful and well articulated National IT policy document will form a good foundation for the Nation to leverage IT towards achieving the Government’s Vision 20: 2020. This is what most countries in our similar circumstances have done successfully. India and Malaysia are ready examples. In my opinion, the President’s 7-point agenda should be upgraded to an 8-point agenda; with the eighth point being IT. The National IT Policy Review efforts currently in progress under auspices of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), I wish, will be able to articulate something convincing enough to government in this respect. As an experienced and seasoned technopreneur, I have no doubt at all that this is our optimal path towards the actualization of Vision 20:2020
NACOSS and HiiT
As you know, NACOSS stands for National Association of Computer Science Students. It has a local chapter in most tertiary institutions that offer computer science a course, HiiT and I have been supporting NACOSS both morally and financially for many years now. Our reasons for doing this are many. First, and as I have said earlier, our principal brand essence is IT Youth empowerment. Second, we are consciously investing in building a pool of competent IT talents/workforce of the future by discovering and nurturing them from this formative stage. You should also be aware that we are an IT solution company as well. We are a bit silent in this aspect for now because the existing pool of talents to utilize in this respect in our economy is still very shallow. So you can see the synergy. At HiiT, we are building a world-class and sustainable strategic IT concern, not a petty contracting one. That is why we have to deepen our roots for our superstructure to stand firmly in the future. In today’s e-economy, competition is global; therefore, human capital development is more critical to the survival of the private sector than the public sector. We are therefore not expecting government to do too much for us, hence our strategic relationship with NACOSS, in particular and tertiary students, in general. I am happy to report that the students themselves are not only happy but excited with both the relationship and our IT empowerment intervention concept. They have so far recognized our good efforts and contributions by NACOSS bestowing on HiiT Distinguished National Award of Excellence, on one hand, and making my good self a National Patron of NACOSS, on the other hand.
Nigeria Internet Group (NIG)
As you are also aware, NIG is an NGO that was founded/supported by some public sector institutions/agencies and the likes of Engr Olawale Ige (Former Minister of Communications), Engr. Iromantu (Former CEO, NCC) Mr. Jim Ovia (MD/CEO), Zenith Bank, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem (Incumbent President, ATCON), Engr Lanre Ajayi (Incumbent President of NIG) and Engr Ernest Ndukwe (Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, NCC) and others in the mid 1990s. The aim was to use the platform as an advocacy organ to encourage the military government of that era to see the imperative of the Internet as a tool for economic development and also, to make internet access available around the country. In 2008, internet access, to a large extent, is available nationwide. We may argue about affordability to most Nigerians at the moment, but access is no longer a serious issue. To this extent, NIG can be said to have achieved its goal of widespread internet access. What is therefore next for NIG, as the incumbent Vice President, it’s my pleasure to let you know that our focus now has shifted to content on the internet by Nigerians in Nigeria. Our current theme is Internet for Jobs, I4J, for short. Our vision in this respect is to use the internet as a platform for creating a critical mass of job opportunities for Nigerians and making Nigeria a positive contributor to the emergent knowledge economy, and to be a preferred destination for the global Internet related services including outsourcing Web Application Development, e-Commerce and Software development. We have organized two public seminars on this theme in the last one year; more activities in this respect should be expected soon. My parting words: its time for Nigerians to start uploading contents of global commerce seriously not just to continue to download alone because the future of the global economy will be determined by content competitiveness, as most other factors would soon become constant.
Ugo Nwokolo, Nollywood actor, has shared a controversial opinion on internet fraud, saying it has been keeping the nation’s economy afloat amid a tougher economic climate.
Ugo Nwokolo, Nollywood Actor
Nwokolo made the assertion in a video interview currently circulating on social media.
According to the actor, the cost of living and soaring house rent have made life unbearable for legitimate income earners.
He said high rent in major cities like Lagos and Abuja has edged out those earning N50,000 and N90,000 monthly.
Nwokolo said, “Personally, I think Yahoo has helped keep the economy afloat. Do you expect a civil servant to afford house rent of N3 million or N5 million in Abuja?”
The actor maintained that only the rich, including fraudsters, could meet up with the rising cost of living.
“If you go to Lagos now, the least you’ll see for a two-bedroom apartment is about N7 million or N8 million. Who is supposed to afford it? The civil servants? Of course, it’s the fraudsters,” he stressed.
However, he argued that he was not justifying crime but merely stating fact.
“I’m not justifying crime, but yes, Yahoo is helping the economy. How do you expect people to live in this kind of economy?” he said.
Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, plans to dedicate one-third of his wealth to charity as part of his succession plan, Halima Dangote, his daughter, has revealed.
Aliko Dangote
Halima, a trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, disclosed this in an interview with Bloomberg published on Tuesday, saying the billionaire had secured the support of his family to commit 33 per cent of his estate to philanthropy.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Dangote’s net worth is estimated at $35.1 billion, meaning one-third of his current wealth would be worth about $11.7 billion if his fortune remains at that level.
Halima explained that her father views philanthropy as a key part of his legacy and has incorporated it into the family’s long-term succession plans.
She said Dangote had structured his estate to ensure that charitable giving continues across generations, particularly in areas such as healthcare and education.
“He sort of put all the structure in place whereby we focus a lot on health and education. He actually donated 25 per cent to the foundation. If you look at it, it is what we call in Sharia Code in Islam; it means he has donated 33 per cent of his whole inheritance to his foundation,” she said.
Halima added that Dangote believes giving back is central to the success of his businesses and the family’s values.
She said the billionaire asked her, her two sisters, and his mother to sign the agreement allowing 33 per cent of his inheritance to be dedicated to humanitarian causes.
The planned donation builds on Dangote’s longstanding philanthropic activities through the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which was established in 1994.
According to Halima, the foundation received an endowment of $1.25 billion about a decade ago and has since received an additional $700 million in funding.
She said about 70 per cent of the foundation’s spending goes to programmes in Nigeria, while 20 per cent supports projects across Africa, with the remaining funds directed to initiatives in other parts of the world.
The foundation’s interventions focus on healthcare, education, nutrition, and humanitarian support, including partnerships that contributed to the eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa.
Dangote’s planned charitable commitment adds to increasing global attention on billionaire philanthropy.
Although the proposed 33 per cent allocation is below the 50 per cent commitment associated with the Giving Pledge, it would rank among the largest philanthropic commitments announced by an African billionaire.
Earlier this year, Dangote was named among the world’s most influential philanthropists by TIME magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognising the impact of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which reportedly spends more than ₦50 billion annually on programmes across Africa.
Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), has said that there are plans for Nigeria to begin to generate electricity from nuclear sources.
Mr Anthony Godwin Ekedegwa, chief executive, NAEC stated this when he recently visited Mr Umar Yusuf Girei, acting managing director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA),in Abuja.
He was at NIWA’s office to solicit the support of NIWA in achieving the numerous advantages of using nuclear energy technology in the country.
According to him, the partnership of critical stakeholders in Nigeria will position the country well in developing and maintaining its nuclear power plant.
The NAEC chief said Nigeria intends to begin the generation of electricity from nuclear sources instead of fossil-based power plants and hydro-based power plants, stressing that for Nigeria to develop, there is a need for the country to diversify its energy needs.
In his remarks, Mr Girei assured NAEC of his agency’s readiness to collaborate on the advancement of a nuclear power plant in Nigeria.
He promised the full support of NAEC for the success of a nuclear power plant in the country, saying that as the organisation saddled with the responsibility of regulating and developing Nigeria Inland Waterways, his entity is strategically positioned to play a critical role in the federal government’s quest for sustainable energy through the new technology.
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