BusinessDay 01 Apr 2018

C002D5556
Sunday 01 April 2018
10BDSUNDAY
News
Akwa Ibom seeks partnership with
Chinese firm over ICT development
ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo
Governor Udom Emmanuel
of Akwa
Ibom State has solicited
partnership with
of a Chinese firm in
the deployment of Information
and Communication Technology
(ICT) in field of education, health,
governance and entrepreneurship.
Speaking during a meeting in
Uyo, the state capital, Udom said
the state government is interested
in the use of ICT which he
described as a major driver of development
the world over.
He said when the firm came to
Nigeria, its main focus was on the
telecommunications sector, and
cited his role in the company’s
success with major financial institutions
in the country.
“I am happy you said you can
discuss areas of Education, Health,
Governance and Enterprise. Today,
once you look at the 10 richest
human beings on Planet earth, at
least 60-70percent of them will be
ICT related.
I am a businessman, I go where
money is, so I follow money to
where money is, if money is in ICT,
I follow money into ICT so that
nobody leaves me behind,’’ the
governor said.
He expressed belief that the
strategic partnership will be of immense
value to the youths who are
embracing the youths.
He maintained that the state
has an E-library with thousands
of e-learning processes, and the
necessary infrastructure to actually
develop ICT platform here and
for me a launch out to the rest of
Africa. “So if you can make Akwa
Ibom an ICT hub, I’m sure you have
the right partner where we can
actually make that happen.
This is an opportunity for me
to also see a whole lot because
once you give me a fibre, I can do a
whole lot, Housing Estate, Education,
E-Governance, everything
runs on communication and ICT,
so it’s a good development.”
Team leader and Managing
Director, Partners Business unit of
Huawei Technologies Company,
Ken Zhao Wenjun said Huawei
came to seek strategic partnership
with Akwa Ibom State Government,
looking into different
sectors.
He maintained that Huawei is
already number one in the telecom
areas and is ranked the third best
in the world in phones and tablets
production. He said their enterprise
unit has succeeded through
their collaboration with thousands
of Partners.
Build capacity in your community through backward integration - Minister of Niger Delta
MIKE ABANG, Calabar
Usani Uguru Usani,
minister of Niger
Delta Affairs, has
charged beneficiaries
of the ministry’s empowerment
scheme to build capacities
in their communities
through backward integration
and run profitable enterprise
that will engage other women
and youths in their localities.
The Minister gave the challenge
weekend at the convocation
ceremony of trainees for
capacity building and empowerment
in Agriculture, Poultry,
fisheries, and other value chain
in Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa,
Cross River, Delta, Ondo, and
Rivers state held at the Senate
Chambers of the University of
Calabar.
“My challenge to you today is
to practise what you have learnt
and contribute to the food security
of the region and nation, at
large,” Usani said.
The minister further said that
the training and empowerment
programme was a continuous
exercise and that those who
have been agitating for inclusion
should be reassured that their
voice have been heard, noting
that they will be considered in
subsequent batches.
“Therefore, I have no doubt
Udom
that you were exposed to the
finest resource persons and facilitators
during this programme;
you were equally provided with
conducive learning environment
at the University of Calabar,” he
said.
The minister, who was represented
by a deputy direc-
the major focus of his leadership.
Governor Emmanuel said his
government has done a lot in exposing
the youths to ICT and urged
that the programmes of the Huawei
team should gear towards
tor in the Ministry, Ndiomu
Ebiogeh Philip, further said:
“My greatest hope and desire
that no sooner than we can
imagine, you too will become
established enough to contribute
towards the training
of other Niger Deltans for the
enhancement of their value
chain, thereby making them
more useful in the region.
It would be recalled that over
180 women and youths have
been trained at the Institute of
Oceanography, University of
Calabar, with additional 90 in the
first and second batches by the
Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
President Muhammadu Buhari with model Naomi Cambel when the president visited the Eko Atlantic city in
Lagos on Friday.
Be creative and stay off
drugs, NGO counsels youths
SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin
Grace Aliyu, a pharmacist
and director of Livingstream
Foundation, has
encouraged youths in
the country to explore their creative
abilities by engaging in arts as
against taking to social vices.
Briefing journalists in Ilorin, at the
Foundation’s first art exhibition for
youths in tertiary institutions with
the theme ‘Engaging children and
adolescents to end drug abuse’
Aliyu said what informed the decision
to embark on the project was
to distract
people’s attention from drug
abuse.
According to her, the NGO focuses
on drug abuse prevention and
girl-child empowerment, saying,
“The concept is basically to sensitise
youths and create alternative
to drug abuse and that is why we
decided to look into arts.
“An art is something that helps
you to bring out your creative thinking.
It could be in form of painting,
drawing or scripture. So we want to
encourage people to channel their
energy into arts because
they have the energy and it must
be used productively.”
Aliyu, who is passionate about
creating a drug-free world using
innovative method to reach out
to different sets of people and
educate them, said: “We need to
join hands together, government
is trying, but they cannot do it
alone, we need parents, NGOs,
institutions to key into the advocacy
of ensuring good future for
our youths.”
She disclosed that, “about 40
percent of youths in Nigeria are
into drug abuse and if 40 percent
of over 108 million populations are
into drug abuse, the implication will
be dangerous for the nation which
definitely means that the trend
must be curtailed.
Aliyu urged the youths to use their
lives positively, be productive members
of their various communities
and stay off drugs.
In his submission, Bakau Aliyu,
chairman of Pharmaceutical Society
of Nigeria (PSN), Kwara State
Chapter, expressed dismay over the
increased cases of drug abuse
in the country, saying that women
now abuse drugs to escape depression
and other life challenges.
Aliyu charged all and sundry to
engage youths in the area of creativity
and using their talents, be it
in sports, art work and some other
recreational activities to occupy
their time in fruitful
ventures.
Binta Suleiman, a lecturer in the
Department of Fine Arts, Kwara
State University (KWASU), Malate,
noted that everyone was blessed
with skills and it must be effectively
utilised for one to be self-reliant.
While explaining the importance
of arts in human life she said: “Without
Arts, nothing will happen because
everything we do in life is
work of arts. There are opportunities
in graphics, industrial lay out,
printing, textile, posters. So, every
aspect of life has to do with art.