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Social Media Has Reduced Youth Unemployment – ICT Experts

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Some ICT experts have said
that the impacts of social media in the lives of the youths are more positive as many of them have been gainfully engaged thereby reducing unemployment.
The experts made this known in separate interviews with newsmen in Abuja.
President and Chief Executive Officer of High-Tech Centre for Nigerian Women and Children Mrs Omowunmi Hassan said that social media had created employment for youths in the country.
She said that social media was one of the best things that happened to the world, especially the younger generation, “who are ICT savvy”.
“In the face of the economic challenges where young people don’t really have a platform, the social media is like their office, their work space, where they could air their opinions,” she said.
She said that the social media was a platform where the youths showcased their talents and works; they make themselves known to people and connect with friends and associates from all over the world.
“This is a whole lot of attraction to young people who obviously are not always in one place.
“There are a lot of social media platform, you have the Twitter, Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram with different social importance.
“Our young people have found this platform very expressive to say what they feel and how they feel, especially in the time of democracy like this, they speak their minds freely, ” she said.
Hasan explained that the medium was also an avenue for online journalism, adding that information from the local, states and even the federal levels were shared.
She said that this had assisted in reporting what had been happening around and had created avenue for learning.
“The social media for me is a wonderful platform, though it has its lapses and disadvantages but I believe with time it will be one of those things that we will overcome, ” she added.
Mr Anietie Etuk , the Managing Director of Teencoders, an ICT training platform for teenagers said a lot of micro businesses that were coming up were conceived from the social media.
Etuk noted that these businesses were managed by the young people and this had created employment for them.
He said that social media and ICT, if properly harnessed and funded could boost economic development “in no small way”.
On her part, Ms Fatima Danjuma, another ICT expert urged the youths and other social media users to ensure security of any sites before opening them, saying unsecured sites could be identified by their addresses.
According to Danjuma, visiting social media sites has more positive values that outweigh its disadvantages.
“Social media sites are available for all, including youths, but should be visited with caution.
“Each secured site has security icon “https’ in its address, but any site that has only `http’ without the `s’ is not a secured site.
“It is therefore important for internet users, especially the youths to look out for such code before opening any site.
“The world is fast becoming internet world, where banking, buying, and other services are done online, that is the more reason for all internet users to look out for the security of any site before opening them.
“A situation where somebody gives his or her bank details or personal details to an unsecured site can be regrettable at times,” she added.
In a related development, some parents also expressed their views on the use of social media.
Mrs Yinka Bello, a parent said: “knowledge is not restricted to a source; social media is a good means of enriching ones knowledge, especially as the world has become a global village through internet.
“Students who are studying any course in Nigerian tertiary institutions can add to their knowledge through positive visits to sites that are related to their courses.
“Just like everything in life, social media also has its downside, but its good side highly outweighs its negative side,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Paul Agwu, another parent urged parents and guardians to always task their wards on likely implications of visiting social media sites that promote bad habits like pornography, homosexuality and financial fraud.
“As parents, we should always educate our youths to explore positive side of internet and shun the bad sites where bad habits are being promoted.
“Not every parent can afford those schools that teach high standard education, but through internet (social media), everyone can acquire standard knowledge,” he said.
It would be recall that losses to cybercrimes are on the increase globally, while some sites promote illicit habits to visitors.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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