Justice Mohammed Tukur of the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kaduna has convicted and sentenced Babuwa Christopher, a student of Quantity Survey, Kaduna State Polytechnic, to five years imprisonment for fraud.
The defendant was convicted after he pleaded guilty to an amended one count criminal charge.
The charge reads,” that you Babuwa Christopher of No. 3 Maha Close, Barnawa, Kaduna sometime in July, 2020 in Kaduna within the judicial Division of this Honourable Court with intent to commit an offence, had in your possession documents containing false pretence to wit; Union Bank Visa Card bearing Maduka M.O, Union Bank Visa Card with name Peter, Union Bank Visa Card of Jatau Richard, United Bank of Africa( UBA) debit card bearing the name ThankGod and Diamond Bank Master Card with unidentifiable name and you thereby committed an offence of attempt to commit cheating contrary to Section 57 of the Penal Code Law, 2017 of Kaduna State and punishable under section 307 of the same Law”.
In view of his plea, prosecuting counsel, Y.J. Matiyak prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly. But defence counsel, Abdulsalam Nurudeen, counsel asked the Court to temper justice with mercy as the defendant is a first time offender.
Justice Tukur, convicted and sentenced Christopher to five years imprisonment with an option of One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000) fine.
The convict was arrested at a lodge in Barnawa, Kaduna based on intelligence on his involvement in cyber crime.
At the point of arrest, fraudulent documents including Debit Cards of several tier one banks in Nigeria, bearing different names were recovered from him.
The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) (AWIEForum.org), a leading pan-African entrepreneurship and innovation non-profit, has announced the top finalists for the 2020 edition of its AWIEF Awards.
The annual AWIEF Awards, through a nomination process, identifies and celebrates the best female entrepreneurs across multiple industries in Africa.
Promoting and supporting excellence in entrepreneurship and innovation amongst women-owned businesses in all sectors and across all 54 African countries, is the aim of AWIEF which hosts the sixth edition of its prestigious and benchmarking annual Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum Conference, this year as a virtual event, on 2nd and 3rd December 2020.
24 women founders and entrepreneurs, driving economic growth and development for Africa, have been selected as finalists for 2020 AWIEF Awards, from different African countries, across 8 different categories.
According to Irene Ochem, AWIEF founder and chief executive officer, “this year more than ever, it is vital to acknowledge and celebrate women entrepreneurs in Africa for their leadership and innovation. The impact of the global pandemic has been disproportionate and devastating, and women are showing exceptional resilience.”
Conference
The 2020 AWIEF Awards winners will be announced on 3rd December at the awards ceremony following on from the two-day AWIEF2020 Virtual Conference. The theme this year is: ‘Reimagining business and rebuilding better’.
Finalists
The finalists for the 2020 AWIEF Awards are:
The 2020 AWIEF Awards winners will be announced on 3rd December at the awards ceremony following on from the two-day AWIEF2020 Virtual Conference
Young Entrepreneur Award Sazia Souza, Managing Partner, Technoplus (Mozambique) Hannah Lavery, Founder, Hannah Lavery (South Africa) Olajumoke Odumola, Founder and CEO, KJK Online Communications (Nigeria) Asomaniwaa Owusu-Ansah, Founder and Chief Pharmacist, Erith Health Services (Ghana)
Tech Entrepreneur Award Claudette Akinpaye, Founder and Managing Director, Agrizilla (Rwanda) Marlize Holtzhausen, Founder and CEO, Response24 (South Africa) Abimbola Adebakin, CEO, Advantage Health (Nigeria)
Social Entrepreneur Award Rita Stryker, CEO, Willette Safehouse (Liberia) Adenike Akinsemola, Founder and Director, The Green Institute (Nigeria) Doris Mollel, Founder and Executive Director, Doris Mollel Foundation (Tanzania) Mariam Mell’Osiime Mpaata, Founder and CEO, Junior Stars Youth Development Programme (Kenya)
Agri Entrepreneur Award Victoria Mwafulirwa, Managing Director, Homes Industries (Malawi) Jacqueline Mukashyaka, Chief Executive Officer, Champion Grocers (Rwanda) Armelle Sidje Tamo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, PRA (Product Related to Agricultural Sector (Cameroun)
Creative Industry Award Hannellie Coetzee, Visual Artist, Wild Wall Tiles/Hannelie Coetzee (South Africa) Ayanfe Olarinde, Lulu Arts and UnEarthical (Nigeria) Alice Muyambo, Visual Artist, Fortitude Arts Gallery (Zambia)
Energy Entrepreneur Award Enoyonam Mosia, Co-founder, Easy Solar (Sierra Leone) Amma Serwah Boateng, Co-founder, Destra Energy Group (Ghana)
Empowerment Award Porcho Marguerite Sogoba, CEO, MUSODEV (Mali) Nasreen Aleey, Founder and CEO, Afrikapu (Kenya) Qabale Duba, Founder and CEO, Qabale Duba Foundation (Kenya)
Lifetime Achievement Award Robyn de Villiers, Chairman and CEO, BCW Africa (South Africa) Daisy Molefhi, Founder and Executive Director, ABM University College (Botswana)
Avila Naturalle recently birthed the Avilan Naturalle Foods and Supplements, a sister company that is dedicated to providing the highest quality 100% natural, healthy and nutritious food products to Nigerians and Africans at large. The company is committed to enriching lives through natural, healthy, safe and affordable foods products that are necessary for a better quality of life.
According to PLEASURES MAGAZINE (PleasuresMagazine.com.ng), Avila has over a thousand distributors of different cadre across Nigeria and other African countries like Ghana, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Republic of Benin and Zambia as well as in the United Kingdom and United States of America. The company hopes to expand its distribution channels to more countries like the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Sweden, Middle East, European Countries and other countries in Africa.
CORE VALUES
Quality: All our products are manufactured under very stringent rules and with the highest standard procedures and processes that conform to global best practices to deliver the best quality to our customers.
Passion: We are passionate about what we stand for and that is – “being purely natural.” We are passionate about excellence in our products and service delivery. Our commitment to adding value to the lives of Nigerians is unflinching.
Innovation: We don’t rest on our oars. We strive to create or seek new ways to add value to our customers, and when we do, we don’t stop there. We think of how to make it better, for the good of all.
Integrity: All our products are manufactured under a very stringent and highest standard procedure and processes that conform with global best practice to deliver the best quality to our customers.
Customer-Centric: We understand the peculiarities of customers’ demands and are committed to providing the right support and satisfaction to all our customers, all through their journey and experience with us.
The African Development Bank (AfDB.org) has signed a grant agreement with the Ministry of ICT and Innovation in Rwanda to support the Rwanda Coding Academy, set up to develop top technology talent to drive a booming, innovation-driven digital economy in the East African nation.
The Rwanda Coding Academy was set up as a proof-of-concept model school for developing ICT and other 21st century skills for high school level students who want to pursue a career in coding and computer science. The Academy selects high performing students and trains them in advanced software programing and cyber security skills to facilitate their emergence as world-class programmers.
The grant funding of $150,000, from the Rockefeller Trust Fund which the Bank administers, will be directed to the implementation of activities, including acquisition of computers and furniture equipment for an ultra-modern innovation center of excellence, internet connectivity, teacher training and organization of job career orientation events.
The Rwanda Coding Academy is part of our broader vision to grow a local pool of highly talented Pan-African workforce in science, technology and innovation
The Academy’s learning approach aims to strengthen the school-to-work transition by focusing on competency-based learning and providing technical skills as well as soft skills, such as agile learning, critical thinking and self-leadership.
Rwandan Minister for ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, said her government welcomed the partnership with the African Development Bank. “The Rwanda Coding Academy is part of our broader vision to grow a local pool of highly talented Pan-African workforce in science, technology and innovation,” she said adding that the Academy’s learning model requires robust digital infrastructure and a dynamic teaching approach from the instructors
The grant will also be used to finance on-job training for teachers and equipping the school with the necessary tools to facilitate the learning experience of students.
“This collaboration between the Bank and the Government of Rwanda aims to demonstrate that empowering African youth with demand-driven skills and providing them with opportunities to be part of the ICT ecosystem as early as possible, will enable them to claim their space in the digital sector and be equal drivers of innovative ideas that are shaping the present and the future of Africa and the globe,” said Nnenna Nwabufo, Acting Director General for the African Development Bank’s Eastern Region.
“This proof-of-concept has profound implications on how the education sector can adapt an effective response to the persistent skills mismatches in the labour market, not only in Rwandan but in Africa at large,” she added.
The Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE said that NITDA is actively accelerating digital inclusion in Nigeria by taking advantage of the spread of existing infrastructure across the country, focusing on skills rather than degrees; and progressively increasing the contribution of digital technologies to the economy. The DG said this while delivering a remark at the Digital PayExpo 2020 1st Virtual Edition of the conference to mark its 20th Anniversary with the theme “Emerging Technologies and the National Digital Economy Plan”.
Digital PayExpo is a conference in the digital payments space in Africa where hundreds of C-Suite executives – bankers, investors, start-ups, policy-makers, and development professionals converge to discuss and explore innovative solutions to emerging themes in the financial inclusion space every year.
He said the conference is coming at the right time the country needs it the most, because technology is taking the lead in everything since the emergence of COVID 19 in the country.
“Technology is the way forward in communications and other activities like meetings, prescriptions by doctors, conferences and other related activities which has aid the implementations of policies and strategies for the growth and development of our country.
“It is the next oil, simply because of its rise in the nation’s Gross Domestic Product which has paved way for the creations of jobs directly or indirectly and also an avenue for flow of revenue to the country. Everything is evolving around technology and with technology work and activities are done at ease and reduces the cost of implementation at the end of the day, he said.
According to him, the Agency since the implementation of its IT roadmap has prepared Nigeria and created ways for the adoption of the 4th industrial revolution which will serve as the yard stick for the digitalisation of the country’s mode of operation and the economy at large. He added that the impact of technology has gradually yield positive result, through skills acquisition, job creation, promotion of government service, capacity building carried out by the Agency at the different geopolitical zones in the country which has deepened the penetration of IT in Nigeria.
The Commandant, Kaduna State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), Nuradeen Abdullahi on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 pledged the corps’ support to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in its fight against corruption in the country.
He made the pledge during a courtesy visit to the Head, Kaduna Zonal Office of the EFCC, Sanusi Abdullahi.
The new NSCDC boss in the state disclosed that he was in the Commission to acquaint himself with the activities of the EFCC and to extend his good wishes to the Commission.
While noting that there already exists a good working relationship between the two agencies of government, he expressed hope that both agencies will further strengthen their collaboration, especially in the areas of intelligence sharing, and securing of forfeited assets.
In his response, Abdullahi assured his guests of EFCC’s commitment to strengthening the existing ties between the two agencies, noting that the NSCDC is a critical stakeholder in the anti-corruption fight.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has said that government is putting greater emphasis on continuous engagement of different stakeholders to secure their buy-in towards achieving the targets of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025.
Danbatta stated this at the first stakeholder consultation with telecommunication industry players on the implementation of the new national broadband plan held at the NCC’s Communications & Digital Economy Complex in Abuja on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Represented by NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services and Chairman, Broadband Implementation Steering Committee (BISC), Engr. Ubale Maska, Danbatta said the Ministry and its agencies, as well as the industry must work together towards the attainment of the set goals.
At the event, which is the second of the multi-stakeholder consultation process by the BISC, Danbatta noted that the 30 percent broadband targets set in the previous NNBP 2013-2018 were met and surpassed due to “our collective efforts, policy direction, regulation and financial commitment by industry players.”
He said there were, however, some targets that were not met in the previous plan because of various challenges that are presently being addressed.
“The NNBP 2020-2025 has, once again, identified initiatives to be implemented by different stakeholders in order to achieve the set objectives of the plan. The importance of broadband to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), socio-economic development, and especially the digital economy, cannot be over-emphasized,” he said.
In his welcome address, the Vice Chairman of BISC, Dr. Usman Abdullahi, said the forum was to avail the industry players and representatives of government a veritable platform to collaborate, and discuss ways to accelerate broadband implementation for sustainable development of the telecommunications sector and advancement of the digital economy. Project Director, BISC, Abubakar Maina, made a presentation providing information to stakeholders on previous and new targets, timelines, milestones, strategic pillars, initiatives in the pillars, as well as governance structure in the new broadband plan.
The forum was well attended by industry operators, especially the Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) both physically and virtually, who gave useful inputs for steering the course of implementation of the new broadband plan to success.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the new broadband plan on March 19 2020, following the development of the plan by a committee, set up by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami on December 16, 2019.
As a follow-up, on July 9, 2020, the Minister, inaugurated the BISC, which is primarily saddled with the responsibility of ensuring effective monitoring of the implementation of the new broadband plan.
“The NNBP 2020-2025 has, once again, identified initiatives to be implemented by different stakeholders in order to achieve the set objectives of the plan. The importance of broadband to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), socio-economic development, and especially the digital economy, cannot be over-emphasized,”
Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has urged youths in the country to learn to support the evolution of future leaders.
Bagudu spoke on Sunday, in Birnin Kebbi,at a Public Lecture organized by a Coalition of Youths Groups in the state, to commemorate the 2020 National Youths Day.
The Lecture had as it’s theme,” Youths Development and Mentorship: The Role of Nothern Elites,” and it was delivered by the former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shattima.
According to Bagudu :” Mentorship involves a lot of risks. its one thing to mentor and succeed, while its another one to mentor and fail.
” The youths must hear this ,as risk taking is an element of mentorship. This is imperative for them to support the process .”
Bagudu further averred that, good leaders must focus on mentoring future leaders that will be better than them and not like them. The Kebbi Governor also noted that, this was the only way the society could thrive and get better.
He extolled Shattima for sharing his vast experience in mentoring one of Nigeria’s finest leaders, Prof. Babagana Zulum.
” He was however silent on the formidable risks he took in doing so,although he mildly alluded to that,” Bagudu, added.
Presenting a paper at the event, on Youth Development and Mentorship, the Role of Northern Elites, Distingushed Senator Kasim Shettima, urged Nigerian youth to embrace education, for brighter future, to build a solid, united and prosperous Nigeria.
Senator Shettima, representing APC Borno Central Senatorial District, commended the League of Kebbi Progressive Groups, who organised the first National Youth Day, held in Birnin Kebbi, in collaboration with Nigerian Youth Parliament.
The former Governor of Borno State, while commending Kebbi youths for their hard work and maturity, emphatically charged them to embrace education as a key to future development.
He stressed the need for the youth to be committed in the pursuit of education, to comfortably drive the country to the promise land. Shettima advocated for a grassroots socio-economic empowerment to propel national growth and development of the entire country.
Specifically on mentorship, Shettima observed that, there was nothing more dangerous than to entrust power to intellectually incompetent persons. The former governor advised leaders to realise that leadership was a trust from God Almighty, adding that, it should be seen as a temporal session that one must account for in the hereafter.
He explained that he crossed a number of hurdles to eventually arrive at choosing his successor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, whom he described as a trustworthy politician. Shettima said the choice of Zulum was not for personal reasons, but in the best interest of the state, confessing that, Zulum was better than him in all ramifications .
“As leaders, we must put a sense of mentorship, train the youth to the best of our ability, bearing in mind that we cannot live forever,” he advised.
He also lamented that majority of Youths lacked education or skills for entrepreneurship.
However,Senator Kashim Shetima was emphatic that, late Ahmadu Bello Sardauna and Premier of Northern Region, as well as late Sir Kashim Ibrahim , former Governor General of the North, provided the platform, through mentorship, for young northerners to excel in the Civil Service and other fields of endeavor.
The Senator reminded the audience that, the legacy of educational excellence entrenched by the renowned Islamic Scholar , Sheikh Abdullahi Ibn Fodio, served as catalyst to the development of youths and societal progress..
He commended President Muhammdu Buhari for declaring 1st of November, annually for the celebration of National Youth Day, as well as various programs, with financial packages, to promote youths development.
Senator Shatima equally poured encomiums on Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, for sustaining youth development through financial and material support to the youth, to make them employed and productive.
In his goodwill message, Senator Dr. Yahaya Abdullahi, Senate Leader, expressed profound gratitude to the League of Kebbi Progressive Groups for organizing the lecture. ‘ Your desire to unite , mobilize and sensitize the youths for the attainment of political and economic advancement of our state is worthy of commendation ‘ , he said.
Earlier, the former Head of Service, Kebbi State, Alhaji Udu Idris, had described Distingushed Senator Kashim Shetima , the former Governor of Borno State, as one of the most respected leaders and politicians in Nigeria.
He stressed the need for the youths to be mentored , as they will in the near future, replace the crop of present leaders of the country.
The Commissioner, Ministry for Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Aliyu Gidado Kaliel, in his closing remarks, reiterated the commitment of his Ministry to support all youth organizations in the state that have clear sense of direction, towards complimenting government efforts to providing succour to the citizenry.
Kaliel opined also that, the state government under the able leadership of Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has directed his Ministry to create an enabling environment for youths in the state.
This is to harness their potentials , sensitize and mobilise them to take advantage of the various state and federal government interventions and opportunities, through skills acquisition, empowerment, entrepreneurship and financial grants to begin and promote SMEs .
Airbus presents its Tactilon Agnet 500 critical collaboration platform tailored to Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) during CCWeek, the digital version of Critical Communications World 2020.
The Airbus collaboration platform’ Tactilon Agnet is a state-of-the-art Mission-Critical communication Service (MCS) for business and mission-critical users, based on the mobile telecommunications standard of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). For MNOs, Tactilon Agnet 500 gives smooth access to customers in the critical communications markets. As an end-to-end service, it is easy to integrate into operators’ infrastructures and to their sales funnels hence strengthening their enterprise and public sector portfolios.
As a futureproof modern, easy-to-use, flexible and scalable solution Tactilon Agnet 500 can acquire and transmit data, video and voice to all relevant bodies at once – securely and reliably. In other words, it allows radio-device, smartphone, tablet, and laptop users to communicate individually, or in a group. In addition to this, it also has an interface for Third party integrations.
The subscription-based collaboration service complements the Tactilon Agnet family on top of Tactilon Agnet 800 and 900. It includes service availability, compatibility, security, hosting, helpdesk, integrations, software upgrades, configuration and distribution, and is based on a pay-per-use principle which offers additional flexibility and optimizes costs.
Companies that need secure collaboration means can embrace technological evolution in a cost-efficient manner thanks to this tailored service. No large hardware investments are needed as the service can be accessed on the various smart devices through the Agnet Work app from Google Play or the App Store and on a browser. The service can also be integrated with other artificial intelligence applications and IoT platforms.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai was at Command Engineering Depot, kaduna on Friday the 30th of October 2020 on a working tour, where he inspected 5 pieces of additional newly manufactured Nigerian Army (NA) constructed Mines Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) and to assess the ongoing production of new ones. He was conducted round the Depot by the Commander, Major General Sunday Araoye and Director General Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria, Major General Victor Ezugwu, where he also inspected the repairs of damaged/malfunctioned and backloaded Armoured Personnel Carriers, troops carrying vehicles and other combat vehicles. Both the new and the repaired MRAPs, Armoured Personnel Careers, as well as the repaired troops’ carrying vehicles were test driven and have proven to be in good working condition.
While briefing the Chief of Army Staff at the Depot’s Smart Factory, the Commandant said that a state of the art 3D printing machine for vehicles’ parts and medical implants has been installed. “We have also manufactured a surveillance vehicle with drone attached to it to enhance NA’s operations”, he said.
After the tour of the facility, members of the press were briefed by the Acting Director of the Nigerian Army Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa who said that the construction and repairs of the MRAPs, troops’ carrying vehicles and other combat equipment as well as the manufacturing of 12.6mm anti aircraft guns and repairs of backloaded ones by the Depot has proven to be impactful and combat multipliers for the ongoing war against insurgency and anti banditry operations in the north east and north western parts of Nigeria.
Sagir said “The initiative and efforts of the NA in this regard, has proven to be a force multiplier and very effective in the various theatres of Operations in the fight against terrorism in the north east and anti banditry operations in the north west”. “The effort of the NA in this regard has so far saved Nigeria billions of Naira that could have been used for the procurement of these military hardware and equipment” he further said.
The Army Chief has expressed satisfaction with the level of progress made so far. He enjoined officers, soldiers and civilian staff of the Depot to upscale the level of achievements recorded, Sagir added.
