By Funmilola Gboteku

QNET, a lifestyle and wellness focused E-commerce company, says exposure to Electro Magnetic Fields (EMF) radiation can lead to depression, anxiety and low immunity.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that EMFs  are invisible areas of energy, often referred to as radiation, that are associated with the use of electrical power and various forms of natural and man-made lighting.

The Head of Product and Training at QNet, Dr Shafi Shaik, made the disclosure during a media workshop and news conference organised by QNet in Lagos.

He also explained that exposure to EMF could also cause depleted and inconsistent energy levels, noting that one in every four workers experienced it. .

Shaik said that studies from the International Agency of Research on Cancer, a part of World Health Organisation(WHO),  in May 2011 classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans.

“According to the research this is based on an increased risk to glioma, a malignant typed of brain cancer associated with the use of wireless phone.

“There is need for us as humans to protect ourselves from these harmful energies by keeping a distance,” Shaik said.

Speaking on the company’s wellness products, he said QNet had launched the ‘Chi Pendant 4’, an innovative wearable health technology that incorporates universally appealing visual design and energy-transforming properties.

Shaik said it was also recommended for people who spend time around multiple computers and tablets; frequently using phone, tablet or gaming console and having 5G infrastructure in their local area.

He said other products were the Bio light 3 and the Bio Disc 3 among others.

Also, Prof. Abiodun Adebayo, Vice Chancellor, Covenant University, said that Wi-Fi was an important threat to human health.

He said that studies on Wi-Fi showed  that it causes oxidative stress, sperm and testicular damage.

Adebayo said that oxidative stress was an imbalance of antioxidants in the body, which could lead to cell and tissue damage.

“Exposure to EMFs emitted from Wi-Fi can cause DNA defragmentation in sperm cells and slow sperm motility, while heat emitted from laptops can even kill sperm cells outright, all of which negatively affect male fertility.

“Most of us especially men are fond of putting phones in their pockets, not knowing the excessive damage it causes to them in the area of male fertility.

“Some of us also sleep with our phones on the bed not knowing the amount of radiation that this devices generate and how dangerous they are to our health,” Adebayo said.

Adebayo, who is also a professor of biochemistry stressed that distance was important when it comes  to Wi-Fi safety.

Speaking on misinformation and negative news, Regional Manager of QNET, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Biram Fall, said the company had zero-tolerance policy for fraudulent actions and was preserving the highest ethical standards in the direct selling sector.

“We assure everyone that we are actively addressing any issues or misinformation that may have arisen and that we are dedicated to maintaining open communication with the media.

“We expect the highest ethical standards of our workers, distributors and we have instituted strict regulations with processes to safeguard customers from illegal and fraudulent behavior,” he said (NAN)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) had acquired its first functional radio telescope worth over N44 million to aid Astronomy research and studies in the country.

Dr Bonaventure Okere, Director, Centre for Basic Space Science and Astronomy (CBSSA), disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

Okere said that the concerns to get the telescope came following the desire to build critical mass of Astronomers who would play major roles in the emerging astronomy growth in Africa.

He said: “Astronomy as a science seeks to explain everything that we observe in the universe, the comets and planets in our solar system to distant galaxies and the echoes of the Big Bang.

“By studying the cosmos beyond our own planet, we can understand where we came from, where we are going, and how physics works under conditions which are impossible to recreate on Earth.

“In astronomy, the universe is our laboratory and our quest has been to be part of this universal laboratory, hence all the efforts to set up instruments to study and understand the universe in which we live in.

“The goal of setting up this Telescope is to provide a vector for socio-economic development, in addition to fostering the next generation of radio astronomers in Nigeria and across Africa.

“The effort of NASRDA has resulted in the successful acquisition and installation of the first functional 3.7m Radio Telescope in Nigeria,at the CBSSA office in Nsukka,Enugu State.”

According to Okere, the telescope costs 45,000 British Pounds.

He lamented that after the vandalism of the first 10m Radio telescope installed by a team of Engineers and Scientists at the University of Nigeria Nsukka,efforts had been there to get another.

According to him, the telescope had been installed by a team of Nigerian Engineers and Scientists and caliberated for full functionality.

“It can be used for astronomy education, astronomy research, satellite tracking, among other purposes.

“Our plan is to add three or more of the same size of telescope for interferometry,a measurement method using the phenomenon of interference of waves,” Okere said.

The Director said that they got support from collaborators which included: Global Emerging Radio Astronomy Foundation (GERAF) Canada, Dunlap Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Canada.

Others, he said, were: North West University (NWU), Potchefstroom, South Africa, African Astronomical Society (AfAS) and some individuals, including Astronomy students.(NAN)www.nannews.ng

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

The Federal Government on Friday launched the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF) to boost digital skills and export of technology.

The launch of the NDLF, was championed by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The NDLF was targeted at creating universal access to digital literacy education for all, promote diverse participation in the digital economy, bridging gender and socio-economic digital divide, among other objectives.

Dr Williams Alo, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, while launching the framework, said during the first, second, third industrial revolutions, African countries remained at the backstage of technological development.

Alo said that the 4th Industrial revolution had presented the opportunity for Africa to be at the forefront of global revolution.

“We can do so by leveraging on our human resources and innovation using of digital technologies to disrupt traditional industries and address some of the biggest global challenges.

“Nigeria, has an advantage far above many other countries, that is if we utilise our abundant human resources, able youths that constitute about 75 per cent of the population of our country.

“Digital transformation is the integration of digital technology to all areas of work and businesses which is fundamentally changing the mode of operation to deliver better value to citizens and customers’ information,” he said.

According to him, achieving digital transformation will take a collective commitment by all stakeholders to massively scale up resources dedicated to the building foundation and drive the digital economy.

He recalled that Nigeria’s digital transformation started gaining momentum over 20 years ago with the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector, which was positioned as the largest mobile market in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Alo further said that the digitalisation of key operations in Nigeria Civil Service such as the use of National Identification Number, Single Treasury Account, the Integrated Personnel Pay Information System, had enabled the Nigeria government to improve public service delivery, save costs and fight corruption.

“The Federal government is championing a paradigm shift in the country and leveraging on technology to give preference and priority to proven skills over paper qualifications,” he said.

Mr Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, recalled that India leveraged on their digital literacy framework to increase their Silicon Valley workforce to six per cent.

Inuwa said: “This document is going to be a paradigm shift in everything we do it is going to set the stage for us to review all our curriculum from the kindergarten to university.”

He said that part of the objectives included universal access to digital literacy, skills development and inclusive participation.

“To achieve this we are developing the Digital Gender inclusion strategy, to ensure that the Nigerian women are not left behind,” he said.

The director-general recalled that researches by McKinsey and Korn Ferry, respectively, projected that there would be job deficits in the digital space in the near future.

Inuwa added that it was necessary for Nigeria to position itself to bridge the gaps.

“As we position ourselves, we can capture this value and become the global talent factory because we have more competitive advantage over India in terms of our young population, the English speaking people, our geographic location, and many more,” he said.

Dr Amina Sambo-Magaji, acting Director, Digital Literacy and Capacity Building, while presenting the overview of the framework, said it was developed following the Digcomp of the EU and the UNESCO Digital Literacy Global Framework.

She said that Digcomp was an EU-wide framework for framing digital skills policy, developing and measuring digital competence.

Sambo-Magaji said that NDLF had six competence areas and 23 competences which included safety online and password protection, among others.

The director added that the framework would guide policy makers for the benefit of the citizens. (NAN) (wwwnannews.ng)

================
Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Abigael Joshua

Autolady Engineering Technology Limited is set to train 1000 technicians and non-technicians nationwide on converting petrol vehicles to gas-powered engines to mitigate climate change and rising fuel price.

This is contained in a statement issued by Ms Joyce Daser-Adams, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the firm, on Saturday in Abuja.

“The training is also a measure taken to accelerate the Federal Government’s Autogas policy aimed at achieving its 2060 Net-zero carbon reduction agenda.

“The training seeks to empower technicians with the required technical know-how on safe autogas conversion is using Compressed Natural Gas which is a more affordable in the face of rising fuel costs.

“The training will also follow workshop attachment for professional proficiency and professional certifications,” she said.

She said it is estimated that by the year 2030, cars-on-gas adoption would have significantly contributed to mitigating the impact of climate change and assisting to meet National Gas Expansion Programme targets

Daser-Adams said the series of training, which will take place nationwide, would start from Lagos for one-week intensive programme for experienced and inexperienced technicians.

She said the firm had converted vehicles for several organisations, including those belong to Nigerian Police Force, The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, and NNPC.

“We call on the National Automotive Design and Development Council as an agency for automotive sector to collaborate and support our initiative to reduce the cost of training the technicians.

“This is due to the high cost of conversion of petrol/diesel vehicles to Autogas vehicles, an issue of concern since the launch of National Gas Expansion Programme,” she said.

Autolady Engineering Technology Limited is an indigenous firm based in Abuja under the subsidiary of Autogas Nigeria.

In 2021 it collaborated with other technical partners to train over 150 technicians across the country on autogas conversion. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Uche Anunne

By Mustapha Yauri

The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), says it has built workshops across the country to assist Nigerians convert their petrol-powered vehicles to auto gas.

Dr Bayero Salih-Farah, Director-General of the institute said this at a news conference on Thursday in Zaria, Kaduna State.

He said that the institute has been working on the project for a year now, and is ready to commence the conversion in the next two to three weeks.

The D-G explained that the transport institute has been working in partnership with some manufacturers of the conversion kits which would be used at its workshops to enable Nigerians have cheaper conversion from PMS to auto gas.

“We have sensitised relevant stakeholders across the country at different fora on the need for Nigerians to migrate from the use of PMS to gas.

“Gas is very cheap than petrol, it is also cleaner and convenient; Nigerians will be able to save a lot of money when they convert their vehicles from petrol to auto gas.

“The cost of transport will come down drastically because the money required to refill a tank using an auto gas will be 40 per cent lower than the money required filling a tank using petrol,’’ he said.

Salih-Farah said the use of auto gas would also reduce environmental pollution in the country substantially, and appealed to Nigerians to take advantage of the initiative.

Meanwhile, the D-G said they would partner the National Information Technology Agency on knowledge sharing on some major projects of the institute.

He said that efforts have been intensified to make the school the leading transport and logistics institute in Africa. (NAN)

Edited by Dorcas Jobah
Controlled by Maharazu Ahmed

By Mustapha Yauri

The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), says it has built workshops across the country to assist Nigerians convert their petrol-powered vehicles to auto gas.

Dr Bayero Salih-Farah, Director-General of the institute said this at a news conference on Thursday in Zaria, Kaduna State.

He said that the institute has been working on the project for a year now, and is ready to commence the conversion in the next two to three weeks.

The D-G explained that the transport institute has been working in partnership with some manufacturers of the conversion kits which would be used at its workshops to enable Nigerians have cheaper conversion from PMS to auto gas.

“We have sensitised relevant stakeholders across the country at different fora on the need for Nigerians to migrate from the use of PMS to gas.

“Gas is very cheap than petrol, it is also cleaner and convenient; Nigerians will be able to save a lot of money when they convert their vehicles from petrol to auto gas.

“The cost of transport will come down drastically because the money required to refill a tank using an auto gas will be 40 per cent lower than the money required filling a tank using petrol,’’ he said.

Salih-Farah said the use of auto gas would also reduce environmental pollution in the country substantially, and appealed to Nigerians to take advantage of the initiative.

Meanwhile, the D-G said they would partner the National Information Technology Agency on knowledge sharing on some major projects of the institute.

He said that efforts have been intensified to make the school the leading transport and logistics institute in Africa.(NAN)

Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Maharazu Ahmed