Agric can produce one million jobs a month – Engineers

Nigerian Society of Engineers has urged the Federal Government to pay more attention to agriculture, saying the sector could generate one million jobs in one month.

The NSE President, Prof. Isaac Olorunfemi, made the remark when he led a team on a facility tour ofthe Faculty of Engineering of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti.



According to him, the standard of facilities at the faculty,instructional aids and the lecturers on the ground, is a templatefor other universities in the country to follow.

He said, “Every strong economy in the world derives their power from agriculture before they go into other areas. Agriculture is the door.
“There must be an attraction to encourage the young ones. Unless there is encouragement, agriculture will not get anywhere. Agriculture is a place where you can generate one million jobs in one month.”

Olorunfemi said the institution could serve as the industrial hub of Ekiti State by liaising with relevant industries within and outside the country to make maximal use of its training equipment.

The NSE boss, who said he was a member of the team of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria that was in the university some time ago for the accreditation of courses, gave kudos to the management for adding more equipment to what was on the ground then.

“What we saw then was even more than enough and we still have more today. The facilities here are superb and no university in the country has such. Human resources are also great. The college here will be made a template for the teaching of engineering courses by NSE and COREN,” he said.
The proprietor of the school, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), said without engineering, there would be no civilisation.

“We are setting up an industrial park and our students will match theory and practical effectively. To encourage the study of agriculture, we have reduced tuition fees for agriculture students and they can work on school farms and earn income. When they graduate, we will support them to be on their own,” he said.

Cashless Economy: Stakeholders Decry Lack of PoS at Key Institutions

Stakeholders in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector have faulted a situation where Point of Sales (PoS) terminal machines, which is one of the channels for cashless transactions, are not available at key institutions like Airports, Power Holding Companies of Nigeria (PHCN), Hospitals, among others, where the public visits regularly for payment of services.


Corporate headquarters of Central Bank of Nigeria

Although they commended the Central Bank of Nigeria and other institutions like the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), that are driving the cashless initiative in Nigeria, for the level of penetration gained so far, since it was introduced in January, 2012, the stakeholders said key institutions that offer public services that demand financial transactions for payment of services rendered must be equipped with PoS machines, if the CBN and the banks are serious in driving cashless economy, they insisted.

The stakeholders who spoke to THISDAY at different technology conferences in Lagos recently, called on CBN to consider extending cashless transactions to key institutions, in order to fully drive the initiative.

Accepting the stakeholders' point of argument as valid, Head, Corporate Communications at NIBSS, Lilian Phido, said the process of cashless economy is gradual and promised there are plans in the pipeline to introduce PoS in key institutions that are yet to commence financial transactions with PoS.

Phido who spoke at a cashless transaction event in Lagos, organised by Intermarc Consulting recently, however called on Nigerians to maximise the use of PoS and other transaction channels that exist in places like shopping mall and petrol stations, where the public also go to obtain and pay for their services. She pointed out that there are PoS machines installed in petrol stations and shopping malls, but that Nigerians do not ask to use them, blaming it on the culture and attitude of Nigerians, which she said, must change.

"A situation where people buy petrol from petrol stations as well as gas from gas plants and pay with cash, without asking for PoS machine, is about culture attitude, which I think Nigerians must change," Phido said. She explained that PoS machines have been installed in some institutions, but that merchants or sales representatives do not like using the machines for their selfish interests. She therefore advised Nigerians to always insist on using PoS machines for financial transactions, where available.

Head, Training at NIBSS, Mr. Tunde Akinwa, explained that the configuration of PoS machine is a gradual process that would soon be concluded in all key institutions, where financial transactions are carried out. According to him, PoS machines were not configured to work with airport financial transactions, but that gradually, the CBN and NIBBS are thinking in that direction and would soon address it.

In order to encourage Nigerians to use their debit and credit cards in almost all financial transactions, CBN and NIBSS are currently running a promo, where cardholders are rewarded financially for using their debit and credit cards to pay for goods and services. Just as the CBN is driving cashless initiative in the country, Nigerians should also do well to accept it by adopting it in practice, Akinwa said.

Head, Cads, Diamond Bank, Mr. Joakhin Iloemezue, who gave insight on the things that banks are doing to promote cashless economy, said the banks are currently using several software applications that would further demystify banking operations, designed to protect cashless financial transactions, while boosting the initiative.

Nigeria: Tourist Attraction - Lagos Unveils Africa's Longest Canopy Walkway

In a bid to harness the economic potentials of tourism, thereby enhancing its contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product, GDP, the Lagos State Government, LASG, has partnered with the Nigerian Conservative Foundation, NCF to construct the longest canopy walkway on the continent. It is located in the Lekki Conservation Centre, LCC, Ibeju-Lekki council area of the state.



The state government said the partnership became imperative in its determination to block the loophole in the huge revenue lost to other tourist destinations across the world.

The Features

Other features of the beautiful landscape of the giant walkway include: a Family Fun Park, situated at the degraded portion of the NCF Biodiversity Park that has fish pond with exotic fishes, sections for family games, barbecue section, gazebos, jungle gyms and many others. At the park, there is so much to do and every member of the family from the youngest to the oldest would have something to busy with.

The LCC canopy walkway, built with metal pillars, is the main attraction to the destination, which is the latest innovation to the tourism sector of the country. The aerial foot bridge is 401 metres long, 0.6 meters wide and 22.5 metres high.

According to the construction firm, like other canopy walkways, there are safety measures which must be adhered to. "It is not recommended for persons below the age of 14 years. Even for adults, it is very challenging and for those afraid of heights, they should not venture into it while, nursing mother should not back their child to climb."

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, while addressing tourism stakeholders, who attended the official unveiling of the structure, said "This is the longest skywalk in Africa and the second longest in the world. This is perhaps, the most defining thing to this environment itself. The skywalk is a lovely view. For those who are yet to visit it, they cannot understand what they are missing. I think this is one of the lovely things that I think that we can keep here."

Fashola, however, warned that the Tour-Guide should, "continue to emphasis the safety element and the rules of engagement on the facility. It was a lovely experience, when I walked on it."

The reason for the innovation, Fashola explained was aimed "to keep tourism in the country and to reduce what we spend outside the country, looking for destinations to relax and recreates by keeping those within the country. This is our contribution as a government to reduce the level of foreign exchange. If we spend the money we spend elsewhere in the country, it will help boost the country's economy."

Speaking further, he said: "Our investment in tourism is not accidental. It was a well thought out vision and it explains our investment in transportation, on a very expansive base. It is the bases for the expansion of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, for choosing the blue-line of the seven rail project that the state government will commit to.

"This was because over 60 kilometers of coastal waterfront of the Atlantic Ocean is on the Badagry axis. There will be no tourism without transportation. It is about destination and if people cannot get to the location, there will be no tourism. So the expansion of the Lekki-Epe Expressway is all for tourist based initiative," he added.

Only 20% N220b MSMEs’ fund disbursed, says CBN

Only about 20 per cent of the N220 billion Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) fund has been disbursed to beneficiaries, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said.

CBN Director, Banking Supervision, Mrs. Tokunbo Martins, said the supervisory bank was working on ways of ensuring that more funds get to the critical sectors of the economy.

Head, Relationship Management, MSME Development Finance Department, Tobin Jonathan, said CBN was jolted by the low access to the fund by operators.
CBN, he said, is worried that since the fund was launched last August only an insignificant portion has been disbursed to operators because of stringent conditions for accessing the funds.

MSME-operators, Ibrahim said, were complaining that the criteria were too difficult to meet, hence, CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele relaxed them to make the funds more accessible. He added that the CBN also addressed other complaints by participating financial institutions, including the spread of profit to cover their cost of operations.

“So, they can collect the forms at two per cent and give it out at five per cent. So they have seven per cent spread which is good enough. That has encouraged so many of them to begin to apply,” Jonathan said.

The Project Manager for Financial Infrastructure Project to the CBN, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Ubong Awah, said: “We are collaborating with the CBN to establish the National Collateral Registry which will be launched by June.”

He said it is important as part of efforts to stimulate financing to the MSME sector in Nigeria, stressing that collateral registry would provide part of the infrastructure for pushing the initiative ahead.

Theatre Thrill in May as supported by Etisalat

“Hear Word”, a theatrical performance that addresses the challenges of Nigerian women is back with its second edition. With support from the telecommunications giant, Etisalat, the drama is produced by iOpenEye, a company established in 2014 by Ifeoma Fafunwa to unravel the best of Nigerian performance art with a focus on empowering women and transforming society. It features powerful parades performances from a cast of extraordinary Nigerian actresses such as Deborah Ohiri, Lala Akindoju, Zara Udofia, Rita Edward, Ufuoma McDermott, Joke Silva, Taiwo Ajai-­Lycett, Kate Henshaw, Bimbo Akintola, Omonor, Elvina Ibru and Odenike.

Speaking at a press media briefing to announce the 2015 edition of the show, the Head, Events and Sponsorship, Etisalat Nigeria, Modupe Thani said, “Etisalat is proud to support Hear Word, an initiative, which celebrates the Arts through the creative and artistic works of women, within and beyond Nigeria. We recently supported the Woman Rising Initiative which also celebrates the creative works of women globally’’.

The stories featured in “Hear Word’’ are based on everyday realities of Nigerian women. This theatre production kicked off with a special performance at the University of Lagos on April 29 and premiered at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos on May 1. The production runs at the MUSON Centre every Friday and Saturday in May, alongside satellite performances in public spaces around Lagos.

Unilorin Vice Chancellor Applauds Etisalat Cliqfest

Nigeria’s fastest growing and most innovative telecommunications company, Etisalat Nigeria continues to receive commendations from students and academicians for its youth development, empowerment and entertainment initiative, Cliqfest.

The latest commendation came from the Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Professor AbdulGaniyu Ambali, during the Etisalat Cliqfest program held in the University’s campus.


(L-R): Analyst,Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria,Michael Nwoseh; winner of a brand new car, Adebayo Emmanuel (100 level Engineering student of Unilorin), Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali and Registrar, University of Ilorin, Obafemi Emmanuel, at the Etisalat Cliqfest, held at University of Ilorin, Kwara state.

Welcoming representatives of Etisalat to the University, Professor Ambali commended the telecommunications' company for its youth-centric initiatives across the country.

He said, ‘‘We are happy that Etisalat’s Cliqfest is holding in Unilorin for the second time. We regard the telecommunications' company as a committed organisation and we look forward to a stronger relationship with them.”

The two-day event, aimed at encouraging students to have fun while experiencing Etisalat’s youth product, Easycliq, also featured a seminar, a five-a-side novelty football match and concert headlined by the last winner of Nigerian Idol season 4, Evelle as well as hip-hop artistes, Jaywon and Skales.

The high-point of the event was a raffle draw for the ultimate prize of a brand new Hyundai car, which was won by 100-level Engineering Student, Adebayo Emmanuel. Several students also won laptops, Smartphones, recharge cards and other branded items.

Since inception, over 54 tertiary institutions have benefited from the Cliqfest initiative and it has inspired thousands of young Nigerians with its unique combination of education and entertainment activities.

NICHE CARVERS Launches Virtual Billboard Mobile Application

May 6, 2015: As part of its efforts at fulfilling its mission of carving a unique niche for brands and organizations, NICHE CARVERS Ltd. a fast rising marketing communications firm in strategic partnership with i-Works Technologies has launched VoidLocator, a Mobile application that will transform outdoor advertising in Nigeria, Africa and indeed the world. It seeks to power a closer relationship between brands and consumers.

According to the Managing Director NICHE CARVERS, Mr. Jimmy Babatunde, VoidLocator is an application compatible with all mobile phone devices. It is a GPS based application with a simplified users interface that keeps complexity in the background, which creates virtual (billboards) spots on a digital map embedded within the application, users who then pass through these virtual radius are alerted with pop up notifications, carrying picture, videos, audio, texts or all the listed formats.

Babatunde said the mobile application comes with a reward system for the application users. Such that the adverts viewed accrue monetary incentives, points and/or loyalty rewards, and via an integrated shopping module within the app called the 'Cloud mall', purchases can be made on popular e-commerce sites using their rewards.

The Lead consultant for i-Works Technologies, Mr. Femi Akande, assured users of the stability of the app, emphasizing that coordinates are synced real time within the virtual map using the unique VOID Intuition Robot Application (VIRA). VIRA ensures a simplified user interface, while delivering a service in a secure and stable environment. He also mentioned the application is available for download on the Apple store, Play store and Blackberry apps store fronts.

Jimmy Babatunde added that VOID is set to transform advertising in Nigeria because it offers a precision system that ensures the advertisers get what is paid for, as it functions on a pay as you go system. It simultaneously nurtures brand involvement, engagement and loyalty for VOID users and everyone they interact with.

Etisalat Partners Uber To Keep Customers On The Move

Etisalat Nigeria today announced a partnership with global taxi service provider, Uber to deliver premium Uber access to all Etisalat customers on the go. Etisalat will be the main data provider for Uber’s services, supporting the company’s growth in Nigeria.



The partnership which is predicated on the launch of the Uber app available on smartphones in Nigeria highlights Etisalat’s commitment to advance technological development in Nigeria while providing fast, effective and affordable services through the Uber App for all smartphones users across the country.

Speaking on the partnership, Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Francesco Angelone, reiterated that Etisalat is committed to sustainable advancement of innovation and technology-oriented initiatives that bring cutting edge solutions to customers through a speedy, reliable network and exceptional customer service.

Angelone said, “At Etisalat Nigeria, we believe that technological advancement is imminent and we are passionate about equipping our customers with innovative products and services, a passion which we share with Uber.’’

He added, ‘’Like Etisalat, Uber ensures that its customers get the best value for money and this partnership will provide an avenue for all our customers to take advantage of the Uber app for safe and reliable transportation.”

As an incentive, Uber is exclusively offering all Lagos based Etisalat customers N2500 off their first two rides To apply the offer, Etisalat customers simply need to sign up at http://uber.com/go/0809ja using the promotional code: 0809JA and receive N2500 Uber credits.

Career & Employment Fair 2015

Turbocharge your job search, and get ahead of the queue at the Career & Employment Fair 2015.

Powered by The Chosen Breed, Endive Projects and Microsoft Nigeria

Highlights Include

Learning about Advanced Job Search Techniques
CV Writing Workshop
Discussion Panel with leading HR Heads
On the Spot Job Interviews
And many more…

Date: 9th May 2015

Time: 10 am - 4 pm

Venue: House7, Plot 2/3 Kudirat Abiola Way, First Bank Bus Stop, Opposite Yard 158, Oregun, Ikeja.

Dell Introduces New Server Powerhouse to Accelerate Most Demanding Enterprise Applications

Dell has announced an expansion of its 13th generation PowerEdge servers including the PowerEdge R930, Dell’s most powerful server specifically designed for the most demanding enterprise applications such as in-memory databases, customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP). Once the domain of UNIX systems, these enterprise applications are increasingly shifting to x86 platforms for increased innovation, additional capabilities and lower total cost of ownership.

The global x86 server market has grown more than 600 percent since Dell first introduced the PowerEdge portfolio roughly 20 years ago, while the non-x86 market has been on a constant decline – shrinking 70 percent between 2000 and 2013. Even with the declines, the non-x86 market presents a $9.1 billion (USD) addressable market in 2015(1). With the PowerEdge R930, along with Dell software and services, many of these non-x86 customers can migrate from UNIX to Linux with ease and move to a more innovative, future-ready data centre.

Gan Desheng, Manager Sub-Division, Information Management, Ameco Beijing said: “As our business continued to grow, our previous system was getting slow, hard to manage and unreliable,” “We were looking for a new system to keep up with our business needs and decided to migrate from RISC to x86 servers. By moving from IBM’s P-series UNIX systems to Dell’s PowerEdge R9-series servers we were able to reduce our total cost of ownership by nearly 50 percent, achieve 99.99 percent system availability and improve our SAP ERP performance by 3.5 times.”

The PowerEdge R930 rack server can flexibly scale to optimize transactions and operations while reducing latency, enabling customers to maximize application performance with 22 percent better performance than the previous world record four-socket server on the SAP SD 2-Tier benchmark(2), and accelerate Oracle workloads with eight times more transactions per minute(3). When paired with Dell Fluid Cache for SAN, organisations can further boost transactional performance and accommodate more virtual machines and increase productivity.

This Device can flexibly scale workloads by bringing storage closer to compute and leveraging industry-leading storage scalability and a large memory footprint. The PowerEdge R930 features up to 72 processing cores of the future Intel® Xeon® E7-8800/4800 v3 family of processors, 6TB of memory in 96 DIMMs, 24 internal hard drives and support for up to eight high performance PowerEdge Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSDs.

Other functions include Protection of mission-critical and data-intensive applications with built-in reliability, availability and serviceability (RAS) features, such as Intel’s Run Sure Technology and Dell’s exclusive Fault Resilient Memory; Reduce deployment time by 99 percent; receive higher levels of automation and monitor and remediate data centre situations from a hand-held device anywhere in the world with Dell’s recently updated OpenManage systems management portfolio. IT administrators can also reduce time on maintaining compliance standards and server baseline configurations by 91 percent.

Dan Harrington, Research Director, 451 Research said “The PowerEdge R930 certainly has the power, capacity and reliability required to meet most business needs. But what’s more important is Dell’s ecosystem approach to solving customers’ pain points, not just the hardware.

“Customers are increasingly looking to purpose-built appliances that can be deployed quickly and reliably for applications such as SAP HANA. Dell’s high end x86 portfolio not only provides the solid hardware platform for this, but also the software and services ecosystem required to manage complex scenarios such as the ongoing industry migration from UNIX to Linux. In addition to this, Dell’s long standing relationships with channel partners and key system integrators” he added.

The PowerEdge M830 and FC830 servers are designed to meet the performance needs for heavy use workloads in demanding database, technical computing and virtualized environments while enabling the flexibility, scalability and manageability customers’ demand for the future-ready enterprise. The PowerEdge FC830 is a full-width, half-height four-socket server block for the PowerEdge FX architecture that helps organisations quickly configure complete workloads using modular building blocks of IT resources. The PowerEdge M830 blade server is a full height, four-socket blade server.

Both the PowerEdge FC830 and PowerEdge M830 provide up to 3TB of memory deployable in 48 DIMM slots, up to 72 processing cores of the future Intel® Xeon® E5-4600 v3 processor family and include Dell’s leading systems management capabilities. These servers provide a 56 percent performance improvement on the SAP SD benchmark compared to their previous generations.