Education
Globacom Promises To Support Women, SMEs
Leading telecommunication giant, Globacom Nigeria, says it will continue to support women empowerment and Small Medium Enterprise as well as digital transformation in the country.
The Head, Customer Care Call, Globacom, Kemi Fadipe, spoke at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Women Digital Agenda Summit and Award, 2018 in Lagos.
It was organised by Centre for Cyber Awareness Development with the theme: “Harnessing the Opportunities in the 21st Century.
Fadipe said Globacom believes that women empowerment was a necessary step if a country was to overcome the obstacles associated with poverty and development.
According to her, one way to empower women is to bring innovative Information Communication Technology (ICT) products and services within the reach of all regardless of age, tribe or gender.
“Globacom, since inception, has demonstrated that it is committed to liberalising access to telecommunication services by making them affordable to all classes of Nigerians.
“Besides, Globacom has been a pillar of support to many female entrepreneurs, assisting them with cutting-edge solutions to enable them to compete favourably and advance in their chosen fields.
“The telecommunication company is also today the greatest supporter of entertainment and entertainers, many of whom are women.
“It is our pledge that we will continue to promote gender equality and fair access to ICT in Nigeria,” she said.
Fadipe said that the potential of ICT for stimulating economic growth, socio-economic development and effective governance was well recognised.
She said it has been well established that there was a positive correlation between access to ICT and economic growth and development.
According to her, the United Nations Millennium Declaration adopted in 2000 underscored the urgency of ensuring that the benefits of new technologies were made available to all.
“Since then, the race has been on to ensure that, in accordance with this declaration, the benefits of ICT are made available to all without bias or geographical location, race, language, and especially, gender.
“Efforts to bridge the digital divide have yielded tremendous results in the last couple of decades so as efforts to bridge the gender divide.
“Particularly, over the past decade, the United Nations’ intergovernmental processes have made significant contributions to the collective efforts to identify key issues and propose strategic actions to enhance women’s empowerment through ICT.
“A lot still needs to be done to advance the cause of women empowerment in Africa and bridge the gender divide.
“We must acknowledge the efforts of individuals and corporate bodies in Nigeria, who over the years, have shown support for the cause of women empowerment.
“Nigeria’s digital transformation leader, Globacom, number highly on this list of progressive companies which is silently contributing their quotas to empowering Nigerian women,” Fadipe said.
The Tide source reports that Globacom was among the leading partners of the event.
The Acting Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, emphasised the need for students to go beyond academic achievements during the university’s 43rd Convocation ceremony.
The theme, “The University Culture In Practice, The IAUE Experience,” highlights the importance of embracing cherished traditions and intellectual values that define great universities.
Prof. Onuchuku encouraged the new graduates to work hard and persevere, noting that their convocation marks a new beginning in their careers and personal lives. He emphasised that they must prove themselves worthy of the certificates and prizes they have received.
According to him, out of 2,887 first-degree graduands, four made First Class, 403 secured Second Class Upper, 2,030 got Second Class Lower, and 450 graduated with Third Class. Additionally, 1,492 postgraduate students graduated, including 306 PhD holders.
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd), praised the university’s commitment to academic excellence and institutional maturity. He commended the Acting Vice Chancellor for achieving full accreditation for 47 academic programmes and implementing the NUC’s Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards.
The administrator urged the new graduates to uphold the positive values instilled in them by the university and strive for continuous knowledge and improvement.
By: King Onunwor
The Niger Delta Students Union Government, Rivers State Chapter (NIDSUG), has suspended its planned protest against the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) state office in Port Harcourt. The suspension followed an intervention by the state Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju.
The students had planned to protest on Thursday, citing alleged neglect by the NDDC, particularly in welfare and capacity-building programmes for students from the state. However, after the police intervention, the students agreed to participate in a roundtable discussion with the commission to address their concerns.
NIDSUG leader, Comrade Loveday Njoku, expressed dissatisfaction with the commission’s alleged exclusion of students from benefiting from its programmes. He presented a seven-point demand, including the reintroduction of scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Njoku emphasised that education is crucial for community development and urged the commission to invest in the future leaders of the state.
The students warned that if their demands are not met, they will resume the protest and occupy the state commission office until their demands are addressed. Despite previous attempts to reach out to the commission’s management team, the students claimed their efforts were unsuccessful.
By: Akujobi Amadi
As part of efforts to improve the welfare and overall quality of education for students in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the Sole Administrator, Sir (Dr.) Clifford Ndu Walter DSSRS, FCAI, JP, paid an unscheduled visit to Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi.
During the visit, Sir Walter expressed deep concern over the deplorable state of the school and its surrounding environment. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the development of the education sector, stressing its critical role in nation-building.
“I have visited the primary school in Ogbogoro, and now I’m here at the Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi. I am not satisfied with what I’ve seen,” he stated, indicating that more surprise visits to schools would follow.
To address the issues, the Sole Administrator directed the Council Engineer to commence process for rehabilitation of the school.
The visit was part of a broader initiative aimed at conducting on-the-spot assessments of educational facilities to determine the level of intervention required by the local government council.
Dr. Walter also assured the teachers of his unwavering commitment to revamp the school and improve the learning environment for both staff and students.