Day: December 3, 2023

Nigeria at COP28: Separating the facts from fiction By Temitope Ajayi

Emporium Reporters

The number of delegates from Nigeria attending the ongoing Climate Summit in Dubai otherwise called COP28 has generated a lot of controversies and strong social media conversations in the last 24 hours. It is important to set the record straight and provide some clarity. To begin with, the Summit is tagged COP which means Convention of Parties. The ongoing Summit in Dubai with over 97,000 delegates from more than 100 countries around the world is the 28th in the series since the issue of climate change and action took preeminent…

Osoba, Ajasin and reporters of death By Festus Adedayo

Emporium Reporters

Last week, in the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo State, two bedfellows, journalism and history, became objects of attraction. The duo have always existed in Siamese matrimony. As a way of emphasizing this liaison, some scholars have defined journalism as history in a hurry. So, this day, Thursday, November 30 to be exact, inside one of the halls of the University of Ibadan, everyone gathered waited for the arrival of Chief Olusegun Osoba, former governor of Ogun State. It was akin to waiting for history and journalism entrapped in the…

POST-SERVICE: NITDA, NYSC partner to establish dedicated CDS Group

Emporium Reporters

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in collaboration with the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), through its subsidiary, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics NCAIR are set to establish a dedicated Community Development Service (CDS) group to enhance post-service employability, infusing emerging tech into SAED, and fostering a comprehensive learning experience. The National Director NCAIR, Eng Garba Ya’u, who was ably represented by Mr. Yusuf Abubakar gave this hit while delivering a speech during the launch of the NITDA-NYSC Emerging Tech for All (ET4ALL) programme at the…

Adedipe: Still space at the top By Festus Adedayo

Emporium Reporters

In 1995 when I joined the Tribune newspaper and “squatted” with a friend in Odo-Ona, one of Ibadan’s slums, I met one young boy in whom I took interest. His mother was a dedicated teacher and a devout Christian. His father then lived in the northern part of the country. He was a second year student of Government College, Ibadan. He was precocious, inquisitive and held promise of a tomorrow. In decades to come when we met, he reminded me that he was then a science student and that, perhaps…

Extrapolating Gen Musa’s No-Holds-Barred at the National Assembly By Chidi Omeje

Emporium Reporters

On that fateful Tuesday of the penultimate week, Gen Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, led Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police into the hallowed Chambers of Nigeria’s House of Representatives in Abuja. Their mission was to honour the much-hyped invitation to appear at the ‘Sectoral Debate’ organized by the lower chamber of the National Assembly.   The parley, as it was made known, was a platform of interaction for key operators of the security/defence sector and members of parliament to dissect Nigeria’s security situation and the…

Police officers arrested for abducting man and demanding N1m ransom in Rivers

Emporium Reporters

A yet-to-be-ascertained number of police officers have been arrested for abducting a staff of a hotel and demanding N1 million ransom to free him in Rivers state.   The victim of the abduction, a staff of a hotel was arrested in Port Harcourt on his way to work at about 8 pm on Friday by the rogue police officers.   According to sources in the Rivers Police Command who spoke with PM News Nigeria, said that the criminally minded police officers intercepted their victim on his way to work, searched…

SERAP asks Senate President to reject Wike’s plan to spend N15bn on ‘a befitting residence’ for VP Shettima

Emporium Reporters

The Nigerian Senate President Godswill Akpabio has been urged not to approve an alleged plan by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to build a ‘befitting residence’ for the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima.     The request was made by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in the letter dated 2 December 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare.   SERAP urged him to “assert Senate’s authority and constitutional oversight roles to reject the N2.8 billion on publicity for the FCTA and other proposed wasteful and unnecessary…

Senate,Reps to hold joint sitting for 2024 budget defence

Emporium Reporters

Members of the National Assembly will hold joint sittings for the consideration of the 2024 budget proposal submitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.   The Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Adeola Olamilekan made this known to newsmen.   While responding to questions from newsmen after the closed door session with chairmen of Senate standing committees, Olamilekan said that the lawmakers would work on Saturdays and Sundays to meet up with the deadline.   He therefore dispelled media reports that there was no breakdown of the budget, disclosing that the…

IHATCH: DG NITDA asks Japan Govt to leverage Nigeria’s youthful population

Emporium Reporters

The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa has called on the government of Japan to leverage on the youthful population through strategic talent partnership that will nurture and build a workforce that can be exported. DG NITDA made this call at the IHATCH Start-up Incubation programme 2nd cohort demo day and 3rd cohort opening ceremony organised by the subsidiary of the agency, Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), in partnership with Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) in Abuja. Inuwa noted that the IHATCH 5-month free intensive…