Social Media tools are becoming weapons of mass destruction in the hands of youths, Associate Professor Desmond Okocha, Dean, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Bingham University, has said.

Okocha made the remark in a keynote address at a symposium to mark the UNESCO 2023 Global Media and Information Literacy Day on Wednesday in Abuja.

The symposium has the theme: “Youth, MIL, Digital Space, and Nigeria’s Transformation”.

According to Okocha, how the youths use digital media is very crucial to the future of the country.

While noting that the youths make up 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population, he said the group had become consistently vulnerable with the volume of information they get and share via social media every minute.

He said that the widening usage of digital media had come with the challenge of fake news hence the need for digital media literacy to ensure decorum in its usage.

He pointed out that social media tools such as Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook had great potential for fast national growth.

Unfortunately, he noted, the same tools could also be used to bring down a nation.

He said that digital media, if well used, could curb misinformation and become a huge pillar for national bonding and cultural rejuvenation.

He suggested that people hurling fake news be penalised to deter others from doing the same.

Okocha emphasised the need to teach youths to use their data more positively to restore hope and mobilise Nigerians to push the nation toward greatness.

In his speech, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, said that the need for media information literacy had become very important in view of the increasing role of digital media in human lives.

“Today, we live in a rapidly evolving digital age, finding ourselves in an era where information flows freely and effortlessly.

“While the advantages are enormous, the digital revolution has also given rise to an era where people are more vulnerable to misinformation and disinformation which threaten the very fabric of our society.

“The prevalence of misinformation has taken a toll on our country and continues to pose a serious threat to our collective existence as a nation.

“It also poses a threat to the smooth operation of our democratic structures and ethos.

“Disinformation has equally eroded trust in institutions and fueled social divisions.

“It leads to violence and has become a tool in the hands of desperate and unscrupulous people to determine our world while hiding under the guise of freedom of information,” he said.

The minister, who was represented by Mrs Comfort Aiiboye, Director, ICT, thanked UNESCO for recognising the dire consequences of fake news and other aspects of disinformation to the world.

He commended UNESCO for taking bold steps to commence the process of articulating a set of global guidelines for regulating digital platforms.

“This is indeed commendable and we eagerly await its finalization and eventual implementation by member states,” he said.

Idris expressed optimism that the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) holds the answer to numerous concerns of stakeholders.

He said that MIL was essential for building limitless opportunities that the internet and digital spaces provide.

“MIL teaches us to create our content and share it in a responsible and ethical way,” he said.

He urged stakeholders to work together to overcome all challenges and attain the set goal of media and information literacy for all.

Noting that Nigeria is home to one of the largest youth populations on earth, he said young people were the nation’s greatest assets.

`Clearly, harnessing their potential would unlock the nation’s vast economic and social potential,” he said.

He said that the Federal Government was working with UNESCO and other relevant partners to integrate MIL into the nation’s educational system and also train journalists and other professionals on their roles in national growth.

Earlier, Mr Osamuadiamwen David, Representative of Media and Information Literacy Coalition of Nigeria, had said that MIL was a weapon against misinformation.

“With the rapidly changing media space, we must critically assess how information content is used and unite to tackle the challenges associated with that,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

By Funmilola Gboteku

The Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd. (NIGCOMSAT) says it will further deepen broadband penetration in the rural and underserved areas of the country using satellite.

The newly appointed Managing Director of  NIGCOMSAT, Mrs Jane Egerton-Idehen, gave this assurance while addressing the media, after a tour of the organisation’s hub and office in Lagos.

Egerton-Idehen said the agency was aware of how technology was evolving and as an infrastructure provider, it would intensify efforts to reach underserved areas.

The NIGCOMSAT boss noted that the agency was poised for business and planned to remain relevant by constantly innovating ideas and technologies for the good of the country.

Egerton-Idehen added that, more than ever before, NIGCOMSAT was strategically positioned to meet the five critical pillars set by the Federal Government to build a strong digital economy.

The managing director noted that the Federal Government understood the role of NIGCOMSAT in increasing access and advancing communications capabilities for the benefits of the populace, especially the underserved and the unserved populations.

“I am optimistic about fostering partnership with the public and private sectors for strategic innovation and seeing key players in the market collaborate to help drive the industry.

“We are counting on critical stakeholders in the industry to support NIGCOMSAT, the nation’s premier communications satellite operator and one of the few in Africa,” Egerton-Idehen said.

NIGCOMSAT Ltd. owns and operates the Nigerian Communications Satellite systems.

The NigComSat-1R system is built to provide domestic and international satellite services via a 2-way satellite communications services across West, Central, South and East Africa, Europe and Asia. (NAN)

Edited by Christiana Fadare

By Jessica Dogo

The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, has called on States in Nigeria to invest in ICT parks and create economic clusters.

Toriola, who made this call in a statement was a panelist on the topic “Collaboration for Sustainable Economic Development” at the 29th Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG29) in Abuja.

The theme of the NESG29 was: “Pathway to Sustainable Economic Transformation and Inclusion”.

He said this would stimulate sub-national collaboration and accelerate advancement in the ICT sector in the country.

Speaking specifically on possibilities between the telecoms industry and states, Toriola advocated closer partnership to ensure the development of digital skills.

He said, “I am waiting for the first state to create an ICT park. It is not an ICT park where you put a few data centres.

“I am talking about a complete environment where you allow limitless fiber to be rolled out to cover those kinds of locations, and where you allow leading technologies, with power and other infrastructure

“Whether you look at it from an international level, or regional or state level, capital will always flow to where the best return is.”

He also called on the States to create clusters around agriculture, mining and policy consistency in economic development.

Toriola commended the Nigerian Communications Commission for providing a strong regulatory framework to support the growth of the telecoms industry in Nigeria.

“The success of MTN and the telecommunications industry in Nigeria can be accounted for by clarity of policy and good institution building in our primary regulator.

“However, we have also seen that at the sub-national levels, we see some level of inconsistencies of policies, multiple taxation, and inflation have become the major challenges companies are facing,” he said.

Other panelists included Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara and Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State.

They also advocated stronger collaborations between states to accelerate development in Nigeria. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The Federal Government has called for more private sector collaborations to ensure Nigeria’s participation in global technology trade for digital economic growth.

Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, made the call at the opening ceremony of the 3-day Digital Nigeria conference, exhibition and awards in Abuja.

Organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the theme of the conference was “Harnessing Digital Technologies for Job Creation, Inclusive Economic Growth and Sustainability”.

Tijani said that technology was evolving and countries that made the most out of technology were those who had progressive attitude of continuously asking questions and demanding better ways of doing things.

He reiterated that his leadership had five key pillars that would transform the technology ecosystem in the country.

Tijani listed the keys as: Knowledge sharing, focus on policy, building of infrastructure, innovation, entrepreneurship on capital and participation in the global trade economy.

“We understand that for us to continue to make gains out of technology and to continue to develop technology for good in Nigeria, we must prioritise the development of our workforce.

“We must also prioritise knowledge generation for us to become a major player globally, not just in Africa in technology, we must be part of knowledge generation and application.

“As a nation that is open to coming up with policies to support the development of technology in our ecosystem, we do so by not using policy as a way of stifling innovation.

“We use policy as an opportunity to open up our market for innovators and entrepreneurs to actually build and also while protecting society,’’ he said.

Tijani further said that in spite of the gains that had been made on infrastructure in Nigeria, to benefit from the digital economy, the nation must continue to reimagine how to invest, regulate and make infrastructure available for people.

“We reimagine the use of our satellites, ensure that we manage our spectrum more effectively, ensure that we make innovation spaces available to our people to actually innovate.

“It is our duty to ensure that the pool of patient capital available for people to innovate in Nigeria is good enough, and is robust enough to support our dreams.

“It is also our responsibility to ensure that we use policies to encourage entrepreneurs, we help the country to capture value by driving more local domiciliation of startups.

“If we do one, two, three and four effectively, now we can actually also participate in global technology trade as well,’’ he said.

The minister said the government was open to collaborations, input from the private sector, adding that our collective responsibility and investment would get us to where we desired.

Tijani commended the efforts of technology players both in government and private sector which had led to the evolution of technology in the country.

”It is easy for us to focus on what we need to build in our country or lose sight of the gains that we’ve actually made as a nation,” he added.

Tijani said that it was their efforts that gave Nigeria the backbone required to participate in the global economy.

The Director-General of NITDA, Mr Kashifu Inuwa, in his address, said that the celebration symbolised the collective aspirations to launch Nigeria at the forefront of digital innovation.

Inuwa said that technology had transformed individuals, nations, way of life and the very fabric of human identification.

He said that digital Nigeria was at the core of the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’, which included inclusive economic growth, productivity and prosperity for all.

Inuwa recalled that according to statistics, digitally transformed enterprises contributed 13.5 per cent dollars to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018.

“It is projected to contribute 53.3 trillion dollars to the global GDP this year, that means more than 50 per cent of the global GDP.

“Looking at these key activities or enablers of digitisation, we are so keen about innovation, on how we use digital to innovate and grow our economy.

“We aim to use the power of digital technology to foster job creation, ensure inclusive economic growth, and lay the foundation for the future digital economy in Nigeria,’’ he said.

Inuwa added that the conference was designed to boost networking, activate conversations around innovation and inspiration, engender policies and regulations that can provide the enabling environment to thrive as a nation.

Other objectives he mentioned included building a stronger ecosystem for global visibility, leading to economic activities, hence national prosperity.

Mrs Funke Opeke, Chief Executive Officer of MainOne Cable, while speaking on “The Role Emerging Technologies Can Play in Helping National Frog Leap’’, said, ”we need to encourage global players in Nigeria.

”We need to encourage them to trade in our technology market and domesticate technology platforms and create jobs locally.

“If we are able to put in place a strategy to bring digital technology value chain to our country, provide the right incentives and build broadband infrastructure, provide our young people with access to knowledge.

”Nigeria can be positioned in the same way as South Korea, Singapore, or as India is lifting its citizens out of poverty.
“The one million jobs we are looking to create in this administration can become five million jobs in less than 10 years and create the wealth that will turn around.\”

The conference had in attendance, tech industry leaders, government officials, tech enthusiasts, students and many other participants.

There was also an exhibition tour by the dignitaries as well. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Funmilola Gboteku

Ms Joy Basu, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of United States, Bureau of African Affairs, has described Nigeria’s young population as an asset to Africa and the world at large.

Basu made the remark during a visit to Vibranium Valley Tech City to discuss about the African economy on Saturday in Lagos.

She said it was important for the world to know that the young talents in Nigeria were incredible.

According to Basu, not only is the population of Nigeria so young but filled with youths who are very smart.

“These young talents have a history of unlocking economic prosperity through creativity and innovations.

“They see challenges in diverse perspective and are ready to delve into it to find solutions,” Basu said.

She said the young talented population were not only needed to solve Nigeria’s problems, but also Africa and the world.

Basu explained that such young assets should not be left unrefined, stressing that opportunities should be created for them to thrive for economic growth and development.

She noted that the U.S government recognises the immense potential of Nigeria’s young population and would continue to provide support through investment, partnership and trainings.

“We will continue to partner with Nigeria and Africa to build a better world,” she said

Basu stressed that talent discovery and development needed to be taken seriously.

On bridging gender gap, she said the U.S government had been doing a lot to support women by ensuring they had equal opportunities.

Basu noted that the U.S government was not only supporting women through access to funding, but also by ensuring that it reaches those in the underserved communities.

Basu said bridging the gap had been a challenge for both the U.S and Nigeria, adding that several opportunities through innovative programmes had been provided for women, to ensure they had equal rights.

Speaking on what Vibranium Valley Tech City had done to bridge employment gap, Mr Bunmi Akinyemiju, the Chief Executive Officer Venture Garden Group, said a lot of money had been spent to groom 1,500 talents in Nigeria.

Akinyemiju said for job creation, they had also built about 22 companies from the scratch.

He added that Vibranium Valley Tech City had invested in about 65 companies through their venture capital arm.

Akinyemiju said he believed that the growing of Nigeria Gross Domestic Product and Africa had to do with building bridges, noting that the bridge was between Nigeria and America.

He also noted that the U.S consulate had been an incredible partner in driving some of their goals of building talents.

Also, Mr Debo Omololu, the Chief Executive Officer, GetFundedAfrica, a tech-enabled marketplace, said Nigeria and other countries in the continent were going to be the workforce in the future.

Omololu explained that Nigeria, which had one of the youngest population in the world with 60 per cent younger than 45, needed jobs.

He said that to provide solutions to some the job challenges, GetFundedAfrica had partnered the Federal Government and one of the banks to provide opportunities for young Nigerians.

Omololu explained that the company uses technology to help aspiring business owners, existing businesses, job seekers and working professionals.

Omololu noted that leveraging on their partnership, they were able to get a bank to provide financing of up to $50 million to train every single person that registered under their organisation.

He explained that asides learning skills they were also given certificates to help them get jobs easily. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

By Jessica Dogo

The Galaxy Backbone (GBB) Limited and the Jigawa Government have enhanced collaboration to boost digital inclusion and infrastructural development in Nigeria.

The Gov. Umar Namadi of Jigawa said this when he paid a courtesy visit to GBB head office on Friday in Abuja.

Speaking with newsmen after a tour of the GBB facility, the governor said the state would continue to enhance collaboration with the agency to ensure e-governance, improved revenue generation and Information Technology development in the state.

“Well, you see, there are so many areas we need to collaborate as I said, we have started this, so it is not something new to us.

“We have so many plans that we will want to do, that will help us to improve governance, that will help us to improve our revenue, also to use ICT to improve the livelihood of our people.

“So we have so many areas that we need to collaborate, and we have those areas in detail. Let me assure them they are ready to collaborate with us and ensure we achieve it,” the governor said.

On his part, the Managing Director of GBB, Prof. Muhammad Abubakar, said the cardinal role of the agency was to build formidable digital infrastructures and connectivity for the government.

Abubakar said that GBB was committed to ensuring digital inclusion in Jigawa and 36 states across the federation.

He said GBB pledged to key into Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Dr Bosun Tijani’s agenda to train three million Nigerians on digital inclusion in four years.

“We discussed the kind of service we can render to bring about good governance, enhance revenue generation and digital inclusion in Jigawa state, and we intend to cover the 36 federation.

“We are an infrastructure company of the government, So, our major value proposition is to provide connectivity. We are ready to key into the honourable ministers’ aspiration for the industry,”he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Tijjani, unveiled his strategic blueprint for the industry in early October and disclosed plans to train three million technical talents nationwide in four years. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has called on the Federal Government and security personnel to leverage the power of emerging technologies to address security concerns in the country.

The Giri, Abuja branch of the society made the call on Wednesday at their 8th conference, annual general meeting and presentation of awards.

The theme of the conference was “Emerging Technologies: A Panacea for Tackling Insecurity in Nigeria’’

Dr Sadiq Umar, Director, Centre for Satellite Technology Development (CSTD), in his lecture, defined emerging technologies as innovative advancements, tools and scientific discoveries in early stage of development.

Umar said they had the capacity to significantly impact various aspects of the society, industry and daily life.

He said that emerging and digital technologies could enhance communication, navigation, provide remote sensing and geospatial intelligence, biometric identification, among others.

Umar identified some of the prospects of emerging technologies in national security as, smart surveillance, data analytics for predictive policing, community policing with technology, border and coastal surveillance.

He recommended that optimising emerging, digital technologies required enhanced cybersecurity capacity which would ensure investment in building cybersecurity capabilities to protect critical infrastructure and data.

“Engage in digital literacy programmes, regulatory frameworks, national, regional and international collaborations, as well as Public-Private Partnerships.

“Nigeria stands at a critical juncture in its security journey and the integration of technology is pivotal in creating a safer and more secure nation,’’ he said.

Chairman of the branch, Dr George Okpanachi, earlier in his welcome address, said science and technology had undergone significant transformations in the 21st century.

According to Okpanachi, the rapid growth of science in this century has given rise to a new type of technology known as emerging technology.

“The emerging technology is constantly evolving and is closely linked to previous technologies.

“Today, sophisticated technologies are transforming every aspect of our daily lives and technology has been helping to mitigate security threats through various ways,’’ he said.

Okpanachi listed the technologies as Cyber security, Autonomous Drone Technology, use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to interpret Satellite Images, AI Video Surveillance and Internet of Things connectivity.

Okpanachi added that security personnel do not need to be physically present to deploy most of the digital technologies.

Dr Umar Abdullahi, National Chairman of Nigerian Institution of Space Engineers (NISEng), without undermining conventional security measures, said there was need to align with global approach of addressing security issues.

Abdullahi,also a member of the branch, said that if the country implemented emerging technologies in its security approach, it would be an opportunity for engagements with stakeholders.

“There has to be an interplay of everybody leveraging this technology, we hope the players will come up.

“We hope the government will play the key role in investing in Research and Development, because in as much as we want to use emerging technologies, we want to use indigenous ones.

“When we use indigenous ones, we are growing capacity, we are keeping confidential information at home rather than abroad, the local content perspective is very key,’’ he said.

Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, lamented that the country had lots of unmanned land border areas through which foreigners gain access into the country.

Represented by Air Commodore Gowon Sule, Abubakar said that the only approach to checking those borders was through the use of AI.

According to him, installation of working cameras across cities, will also help check blind spots.

He said that the Nigerian Air Force had always capitalised on capabilities provided by technology and engineering systems to advance the course of national security of the Nigerian Airspace for enhanced protection. (NAN)www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Jessica Dogo

The Executive Vice-chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, says he will align its regulatory focus to achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda in the present administration.

Maida said this while interacting with NCC’s members of staff in Abuja on Wednesday.

He also said that he would align with the promises of President Bola Tinubu to advance the nation’s digital transformation agenda.

Maida, who spoke to the senior management team of the commission, said there was the need to ensure that the NCC strategically focused on ensuring all Nigerians’ access to affordable and reliable broadband services.

He said part of this was to ensure effective broadband infrastructure diffusion across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

The new telecom regulator paid tributes to his predecessors for their laudable roles in building a resilient telecoms industry.

The EVC said the pursuit of improved quality of service on the networks would be one of his priorities, as well as supporting the administration’s vision through the Ministry of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy.

Maida said, “Considering the fact that many people are going more digital and virtual in everything they do, the telecom infrastructure is now under much stress.

“ President Tinubu’s vision emphasises the need to build more robust broadband connectivity that will not only facilitate seamless digital transactions but also serve as the bedrock for e-governance and other socio-economic initiatives.

“As such, we would align with this aspiration to increase broadband penetration to 70 per cent and to cover 90 per cent of the population by 2025.

“Therefore, we need to build a reliable telecom industry with impressive quality of service (QoS) indicators with quality of experience (QoE) as our watchword and ultimate goal.”

He said his tenure would address a number of issues such as the Right of Way (RoW) challenge, ensuring security of telecom infrastructure, among others.

Maida said efforts must be made to significantly improve service delivery by ensuring the NCC was performance-driven.

“ Mr President has a very clear agenda from which all of us are going to take our direction. The two major areas are job creation and enabling the digital economy.

“ Where we are going in a nutshell is; everything that we do in this Commission has to align directly with the Strategic Plan of the Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy.

“ We will not entertain anything that deviates from this direction because my key performance indicators (KPIs) are fed into the Minister’s KPIs and the President KPIs come from the electorate that put him into power.”

“ The Minister has said clearly that he is ready to build a robust digital infrastructure and empower three million Nigerians digitally and we have to do our best to support him in this regard,” he said.

Maida stated that in the Strategic Plan of the Minister, there was a plan to empower three million Nigerians in digital skills and entrepreneurship.

He said this would require the commission to support Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) as a digital training institution, to be well positioned in driving the government’s agenda on youth empowerment.

The EVC also emphasised the importance of effective spectrum management and utilisation in supporting the envisioned digital connectivity agenda.

This, Maida said, was critical to service deployment to the generality of Nigerians and businesses in the country.

He appreciated his predecessors and the entire staff of the commission for the laudable role being played in digital transformation of all sectors by stimulating the deployment of baseline telecom infrastructure.

The EVC called on the commission’s members of staff to join his leadership with a sense of purpose as a team towards advancing the actualisation of the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said it recognised a thriving digital economy in achieving sustainable development and quality of life for all citizens. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Olasunkanmi Onifade

The Federal Government is to partner with stakeholders and relevant professional bodies in engineering, for the integrity testing of major bridges and buildings across the country.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, said this during the facility visit to the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) on Wednesday in Abuja.

He, however, urged NBRRI not to rest on its oars but strive more towards addressing other critical issues,begging for solutions in the road and building sectors of the Nigerian economy.

“One such challenge is addressing the growing menace of building and bridge collapse across the country.

“The collapse of buildings and bridges is not merely a matter of structural failure; it is a grave social, economic, and safety concern that demands our immediate and unwavering attention,” Nnaji said.

He said the ministry was aware of NBRRI’s challenges regarding the Institute’s Mandate, recruiting highly skilled research officers to drive the Institute, and low funding.

Nnaji said, “Regarding the Institute’s mandate, I am pleased to use my good office and every other means available to me to push for Mr President’s assent to the NBRRI Bill to enable its full use.

The minister said the ministry would take it up with relevant authorities to improve available funding levels, especially low overhead, and the expenses of the zonal offices in all the geopolitical zones.

He, however, commended the management of the Institute for their efforts toward repositioning it and making it a global research centre.

Earlier, The Director General of NBBRI, Prof. Samson Duna, said the institute sought the intervention to acquire Institutional land at the FCT to be used as NBBRI technology village for display and utilization of various research and development outputs.

He said efforts were made to acquire a land by the former FCT Minister but the institute did not get the land, saying the land would help in showcasing the institute’s research findings.

Duna also called for partnership with relevant stakeholders in terms commercialising the research and development outputs.

“Some of the research and development outputs by the institute are NBBRI Dismountable House (NDH), Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB), pozzolana which is an alternative to cement and Bamboo as reinforcement.

” Others include rubberised asphalt for road maintenance, natural bitumen mix design specification development for road construction fancy facing tiles, paving stones making machines and testing laboratories and equipment,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NBRRI is a parastatals under the ministry set up in 1978.

It was set up to build capacity, conduct applied integrated research and development development into the various aspects of roads, buildings and engineering materials of the Nigerian economy. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani