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Minister Advocates Improved School Safety Through Science, Technology
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, has called for increased partnership in harnessing science and technology to improve the safety of children in schools.
The minister made the call when Amb. Emenike Eme, the National Coordinator, Partnership Action for Safe Schooling (PASS), paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, recently.
Onu said that the priority of the Buhari-led administration was to ensure that children had all the necessary protection needed for their safety.
According to him, the importance of children, being the most vulnerable, cannot be over-emphasised, hence the need for their protection, security and provision of their needs.
The minister assured the Environmental Safety Corps of the ministry’s partnership in support and in the development of children.
He further said that Nigerian scientists were working hard through their researches to make drugs from herbs and plants that could cure ravaging diseases.
He added that deforestation was very dangerous, emphasising that the cutting down of trees without replacement could be harmful to economic development.
“We are in working with the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment towards finding a lasting solution to deforestation in Nigeria,” Onu said.
Meanwhile, Eme had earlier said that the purpose of his visit was to seek partnership in harnessing the enormous wealth of science and technology, particularly towards improving school safety.
Eme expressed concern at the increased rate of insecurity around the school across the country which he said could be detrimental to the educational sector.
He pledged his support, especially in the area of effective policy formulation and implementation in line with its mandate.
“I will ensure that both human and material resources are mobilised to realise NASRDA’s basic objectives for the overall benefit of Nigerians.”
The Director-General of NASRDA, Dr Halilu Shaba, made a presentation on the current status of Nigeria Sat-2 which, he said, needed to be replaced because it had outlived its designed lifespan.
Shaba, however, said the satellite was still functioning effectively and supplying relevant data.
He updated the meeting on the progress made on building and plans to launch two very important satellites, the Synthetic Aperture Radar, Nigeria SAR -1 and Nigeria Sat-3, an optical earth observation satellite.
According to him, the satellites will go a long way in providing relevant data on mapping and geospatial information for decision makers in addressing issues of urgent national importance like security and economy growth.
Shaba also appealed for intensified funding of the agency’s activities in order to actualise its set objectives for the technological advancement of the country.
Ict/Telecom
Nigeria Set To Host International Conference On Biotechnology
The Director-General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof Abdullahi Mustapha, has disclosed that Nigeria will be hosting International Conference on Biotechnology in June.
Mustapha, who made the disclosure recently in an interview with The Tide’s source in Abuja, said the conference would take place in June, adding that the agency was determined to introduce new things for the benefit of Nigerians.
“That is why we are organising this international conference where people across the globe will showcase what they are doing in their various countries in biotechnology. NABDA will also showcase what we are doing and had been doing to engage all our people in the country”, he said.
According to him, the conference would offer a platform where industries, private organisations, universities and others would have the opportunity to showcase their works.
The Director-General said the conference would be tailored around environment, industry, agriculture, genomics and bioinformatics as well as health.
Mustapha disclosed that he had inaugurated a committee toward organising the conference, adding that it had started work.
“The Nigerian policy on biotechnology was prepared in 2000, and I have seen that its about time to effect a change.
“This is imperative because the world is moving fast from what was regarded as the norm to a certain level of precision and accuracy in terms of investigations and deliverables”, he added.
He continued that Nigeria could meet up with advanced countries’ biotechnology as it could boast of scientists and experts.
“Whatever document we are going to produce is going to look at Nigeria and its projects in the next five to 20 years. This policy is what will drive Nigeria’s biotechnology to success”, he said.
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Expert Tasks Female Journalists On Content Creation
A digital media expert, Mr. Chimodo Paul, has charged female journalists in Rivers State to generate good contents in order to carve a niche for themselves in journalism.
He gave the charge at a one-day capacity building workshop held last Thursday, at the NUJ Press Center, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
The workshop, tagged, “Maximizing New Media Platforms: Upscaling Digital, Entrepreneur Skills of Journalists”, was organised by the Step-up for Women in Journalism Initiative (SWIJ), with support from Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Rivers State Council.
Paul urged the women to upscale their digital skills in order to enable them improve their career prospects and earning potentials.
He expressed dismay that ego had prevented some veteran journalists from upscaling their digital skills, which, he said, had deprived them from reaching their full potentials and becoming visible in the present new media era.
He also urged those stucked in old fashion media to start maximizing the social media tools.
The women was further challenged to invest in themselves by acquiring good digital gadgets, subscribe to online trainings, sponsor their good contents on social media platforms.
“Most journalists do not know how to maximize the new media platforms yet. Ego and pride is not allowing them to learn digital tools. This is the major reason they are where they are and it’s not helping to build and improve professional competence in this new media era”, he said.
He insisted that journalists must identify the social media tools that aligns with their line of job and build presence on it to gain from opportunities that abound from such tools.
“Social media has made it easier for journalists to collaborate on stories with other journalists, photographers, and videographers. Collaborations can help journalists reach a wider audience, tell more complex stories”, he stated.
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Expert Wants Telcos To Prioritise Improved QoS
A Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy Advisor, Mr. Jide Awe, has urged telecommunication operators to give priority to improving Quality of Services (QoS).
Awe, who is also the Founder of Jidaw.com, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Lagos State, recently.
He said it was necessary to improve the current poor QoS using strategic investment in infrastructure to support current and future needs.
Awe said the future needs included increased number of users and increased traffic volumes of transactions among others.
“Customer journey has evolved significantly over the years, largely influenced by the advancements in telecommunications technology.
“Customers now expect seamless and uninterrupted connectivity across multiple touchpoints, be it through their smartphones, laptops, or Internet of Things (IoT) devices”, he said.
Awe also noted that the telecoms industry was plagued with right-of-way charges, multiple taxation, and insecurity of telecoms infrastructure.
According to him, addressing these challenges is essential for consumer protection to ensure QoS standards are met, and that consumers receive the promised level of service quality.
The policy advisor added that solving the issues would also help in promoting affordable broadband services.
On the role of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) as a regulator, he said the NCC needed to adopt an innovative, supportive, and visionary regulation approach that appreciated the importance of innovation and expansion.
“As new technologies continue to emerge, regulation cannot afford to be static. NCC should inculcate a spirit of innovation and growth in the sector.
“Innovative regulation helps to cultivate an environment that attracts investment to propel sectoral growth. Investor-friendly initiatives, simplification of regulations, strategic and disruptive thinking/approaches are crucial”, he said.
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