My Engineers Blog

NSE WARRI BRANCH – WORLD HABITAT DAY WEBINAR 2026

2026-10-04T05:05:27.220-07:00

Join us for an engaging

webinar to commemorate *World Habitat Day 2026*, organised by the Environmental Pollution and Environmental Impact Monitoring Committee, NSE Warri Branch.

🏠 *Theme:* Adequate Housing for All

🎯 *Topic:* Engineering Solutions for Adequate Housing and Sustainable Communities

📅 *Date:* Monday, 5th October 2026

⏰ *Time:* 7:00 PM WAT

💻 *Venue:* Zoom

🔗 *Join here:* https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87161867984?pwd=dBRA9G9JWOvTTrTcM0quCkn4e9pir4.1

🆔 Meeting ID: 871 6186 7984

🔐 Passcode: 316853

Let’s come together to explore innovative engineering solutions for adequate housing and sustainable communities. *Your participation is highly encouraged. See you there!* 👏

He Taught Himself English in Two Months to Read Science Papers. Now, at 88, He Just Won China's Highest Science Award

2026-07-09T20:07:56.701-07:00

Let me tell you about a man you have probably never heard of, but should have.

His name is Ben De. He is 88 years old. And this week, he stood before China's President in Beijing to receive the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, the highest scientific honour the country gives out. It caps off a career that started more than six decades ago and quietly changed the course of Chinese military technology forever.

If you are young, ambitious, and wondering whether patience and self discipline still count for anything in a world obsessed with quick wins, keep reading. This one is for you.

From a Farm in Jilin to Harbin Institute of Technology

Ben De was not born into privilege. He came from a farming family in Jilin Province, in the far northeast of China. Nothing about his early years suggested he would go on to reshape a whole field of science.

In 1957, he got into Harbin Institute of Technology. That single decision set everything else in motion.

Teaching Himself English Because No One Else Could Help Him

Here is where the story gets interesting.

In 1965, China badly needed its own long range phased array radar system to defend against ballistic missile threats. Tensions were high. There was no time to waste, and no room for excuses.

The problem was, nobody around Ben had the knowledge needed to build one. There were no local reference materials. No mentors who had done it before. The only useful research existed in English language papers written by scientists in other countries.

So Ben taught himself English. From scratch. In two months, he had already picked up enough to start reading and understanding technical research papers in a language he did not speak a few weeks earlier.

Think about that for a second. Two months. No apps, no online courses, no shortcuts. Just discipline and a clear reason to learn.

The Project That Took Him Into the Mountains, Seven Times

The radar system Ben worked on was code named 7010. It was enormous by any standard: thousands of transmit receive modules, over 1,000 kilometres of control cables, and thousands of equipment cabinets, all working together as one long range early warning system.

To build it, Ben and his colleague Zhang Guangyi made seven separate trips deep into remote mountain regions. Each trip lasted more than half a year. That is seven times he packed his bags and left behind comfort, family, and familiar surroundings, all in service of a project bigger than himself.

More than a decade later, it paid off. China's first large scale long range phased array early warning radar was born, making the country only the third in the world at the time to master that kind of technology.

Giving Fighter Jets Their Eyes

Most people would have called it a day after that. Ben did not.

Through the 1970s, warfare in the skies was changing fast. Fighter jets needed to detect and hit targets both above and below them, from long range. The technology that made this possible was airborne pulse Doppler radar, and only a handful of countries in the world had cracked it.

In 1979, Ben took on the challenge. He led a team through more than 100 research projects and worked through nearly 100 technical bottlenecks along the way. That is not a typo. Nearly a hundred separate problems, each one needing to be solved before the next step could happen.

He also refused to sit behind a desk while other people took the risks. Ben insisted on boarding every single test flight himself, so he could personally verify the accuracy of the data being collected. That decision nearly cost him his life twice, once during an engine failure and once during a landing gear malfunction.

When asked about it later, his answer was simple.

"I never thought about being afraid. Once I was on board, all I cared about were the test parameters," he told Science and Technology Daily.

By 1989, China had its first domestically built airborne pulse Doppler radar, developed entirely with the country's own intellectual property. It gave Chinese fighter jets the long range detection ability often described as their eyes, and placed China among a small group of nations that understood the technology at that level.

Still Working at 88

Ben became an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2001, but even that did not slow him down. In recent years, he has shifted his focus to space based surveillance radar, publishing research that laid the theoretical groundwork for China's work in that area, while mentoring younger scientists in emerging fields like microwave photonics.

At this week's award ceremony, he shared the stage with Chen Liquan, 86, a physicist honoured for building China's first solid state ionics laboratory and pioneering the country's lithium battery industry. Both men came from ordinary farming backgrounds decades ago, and both ended up shaping entire industries for their country.

The Real Lesson Here

For young people in Nigeria and across Africa chasing breakthroughs of their own, whether in tech, engineering, medicine, or business, Ben De's story is worth sitting with.

He did not have shortcuts. He did not have mentors who had walked the path before him. What he had was a willingness to teach himself what nobody around him knew, the discipline to spend months away from comfort chasing a solution, and the patience to stay committed to one field of work for an entire lifetime.

At 88, Ben De is still going. That, more than the medal, might be the real story here.

Experts Chart Course for National Food Security at NSE Victoria Island Branch

2026-04-02T18:05:53.312-07:00

Experts Chart Course for National Food Security at NSE Victoria Island Branch as New Chairman Unveils Strategic Roadmap to Elevate Engineering Practice

https://www.myengineers.com.ng/2026/03/18/experts-chart-course-for-national-food-security-at-nse-victoria-island-branch-as-new-chairman-unveils-strategic-roadmap-to-elevate-engineering-practice/

NSE Warri ProTech mentorship initiative

2026-01-27T23:13:32.160-08:00

Distinguished Engineers, Fellows, members and Graduate members and Students members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, ! 🌟

We're excited to introduce our ProTech mentorship initiative, designed to foster growth, innovation, and networking among engineering professionals, young Engineers, Graduate and Student members. This program will bring professionals and Young Engineers, Graduate members and students together. It will also pair experienced engineers with mentees, promoting knowledge sharing, skill development, and career guidance.

As engineers, we know that continuous learning is key to staying ahead. This program offers a platform to learn from industry experts, enhance your skills, and expand your professional network.

We encourage all members to key into this initiative. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, there's something in it for you. Let's grow together!

We will be having our kick off program on the 31st of January, 2026.

Venue: NSE Warri Branch Secretariat

Time: 11am

We encourage all to be a part of this event as we strive to impact Engineering positively.

Looking forward to seeing you on board 🚀

Engr. Chief Benjamin Esi FNSE

Chairman, NSE Warri branch

Host

Engr. Queen Uche Chigbo MNSE

Vice- Chairman, NSE Warri branch

Convener

Engr. Oghale J.Omolu MNSE

Publicity Secretary

Annoucing

INVESTITURE CEREMONY OF THE 21ST PRESIDENT OF ACEN

2026-01-26T08:45:50.998-08:00

The Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN) is pleased to announce the Investiture of Engr. Kunle Adebajo, FNSE, FNIStructE.

This distinguished occasion will bring together industry leaders, policymakers, and key stakeholders in the engineering and infrastructure sector.

📌 Advertising Opportunities

Outer Back Cover: ₦600,000

Inner Back Page: ₦350,000

Full Page: ₦200,000

Promote your brand at this landmark event.

📞 For Enquiries:

08037224842 | 07033770668 | 08161581249

We look forward to your presence and continued support.

Okerenkoko Branch Invites January Monthly Meeting

2026-01-26T08:44:40.179-08:00

The Nigerian Society of Engineers*

*Okerenkoko Branch, Delta State (Proposed)*

*_...where blue prosperity is engineered_ .*

Kindly join our *1st Monthly Meeting* for our proposed branch.

*Date* : Wednesday, February 4, 2026

*Time* : 4.30pm

*Venue* : Nigeria Maritime University, Faculty of Engineering, Hall 3 (Upstairs)

See flyer for details.

*_The Maritime Engineers for Blue Economy._*

*Host*

*Engr. Martins Obaseki (MNSE)*

Ag. Dean, Faculty of Engineering.

The science of human touch – and why it’s so hard to replicate in robots

2025-12-29T02:39:08.466-08:00

By Perla Maiolino, University of Oxford

Robots now see the world with an ease that once belonged only to science fiction. They can recognise objects, navigate cluttered spaces and sort thousands of parcels an hour. But ask a robot to touch something gently, safely or meaningfully, and the limits appear instantly.

As a researcher in soft robotics working on artificial skin and sensorised bodies, I’ve found that trying to give robots a sense of touch forces us to confront just how astonishingly sophisticated human touch really is.

My work began with the seemingly simple question of how robots might sense the world through their bodies. Develop tactile sensors, fully cover a machine with them, process the signals and, at first glance, you should get something like touch.

Except that human touch is nothing like a simple pressure map. Our skin contains several distinct types of mechanoreceptor, each tuned to different stimuli such as vibration, stretch or texture. Our spatial resolution is remarkably fine and, crucially, touch is active: we press, slide and adjust constantly, turning raw sensation into perception through dynamic interaction.

Engineers can sometimes mimic a fingertip-scale version of this, but reproducing it across an entire soft body, and giving a robot the ability to interpret this rich sensory flow, is a challenge of a completely different order.

Working on artificial skin also quickly reveals another insight: much of what we call “intelligence” doesn’t live solely in the brain. Biology offers striking examples – most famously, the octopus.

Octopuses distribute most of their neurons throughout their limbs. Studies of their motor behaviour show an octopus arm can generate and adapt movement patterns locally based on sensory input, with limited input from the brain.

Their soft, compliant bodies contribute directly to how they act in the world. And this kind of distributed, embodied intelligence, where behaviour emerges from the interplay of body, material and environment, is increasingly influential in robotics.

Touch also happens to be the first sense that humans develop in the womb. Developmental neuroscience shows tactile sensitivity emerging from around eight weeks of gestation, then spreading across the body during the second trimester. Long before sight or hearing function reliably, the foetus explores its surroundings through touch. This is thought to help shape how infants begin forming an understanding of weight, resistance and support – the basic physics of the world.

This distinction matters for robotics too. For decades, robots have relied heavily on cameras and lidars (a sensing method that uses pulses of light to measure distance) while avoiding physical contact. But we cannot expect machines to achieve human-level competence in the physical world if they rarely experience it through touch.

Simulation can teach a robot useful behaviour, but without real physical exploration, it risks merely deploying intelligence rather than developing it. To learn in the way humans do, robots need bodies that feel.

One approach my group is exploring is giving robots a degree of “local intelligence” in their sensorised bodies. Humans benefit from the compliance of soft tissues: skin deforms in ways that increase grip, enhance friction and filter sensory signals before they even reach the brain. This is a form of intelligence embedded directly in the anatomy.

Research in soft robotics and morphological computation argues that the body can offload some of the brain’s workload. By building robots with soft structures and low-level processing, so they can adjust grip or posture based on tactile feedback without waiting for central commands, we hope to create machines that interact more safely and naturally with the physical world.

Healthcare is one area where this capability could make a profound difference. My group recently developed a robotic patient simulator for training occupational therapists (OTs). Students often practise on one another, which makes it difficult to learn the nuanced tactile skills involved in supporting someone safely. With real patients, trainees must balance functional and affective touch, respect personal boundaries and recognise subtle cues of pain or discomfort. Research on social and affective touch shows how important these cues are to human wellbeing.

To help trainees understand these interactions, our simulator, known as Mona, produces practical behavioural responses. For example, when an OT presses on a simulated pain point in the artificial skin, the robot reacts verbally and with a small physical “hitch” of the body to mimic discomfort.

Similarly, if the trainee tries to move a limb beyond what the simulated patient can tolerate, the robot tightens or resists, offering a realistic cue that the motion should stop. By capturing tactile interaction through artificial skin, our simulator provides feedback that has never previously been available in OT training.

Robots that care

In the future, robots with safe, sensitive bodies could help address growing pressures in social care. As populations age, many families suddenly find themselves lifting, repositioning or supporting relatives without formal training. “Care robots” would help with this, potentially meaning the family member could be cared for at home longer.

Surprisingly, progress in developing this type of robot has been much slower than early expectations suggested – even in Japan, which introduced some of the first care robot prototypes. One of the most advanced examples is Airec, a humanoid robot developed as part of the Japanese government’s Moonshot programme to assist in nursing and elderly-care tasks. This multifaceted programme, launched in 2019, seeks “ambitious R&D based on daring ideas” in order to build a “society in which human beings can be free from limitations of body, brain, space and time by 2050”.

Throughout the world, though, translating research prototypes into regulated robots remains difficult. High development costs, strict safety requirements, and the absence of a clear commercial market have all slowed progress. But while the technical and regulatory barriers are substantial, they are steadily being addressed.

Robots that can safely share close physical space with people need to feel and modulate how they touch anything that comes into contact with their bodies. This whole-body sensitivity is what will distinguish the next generation of soft robots from today’s rigid machines.

We are still far from robots that can handle these intimate tasks independently. But building touch-enabled machines is already reshaping our understanding of touch. Every step toward robotic tactile intelligence highlights the extraordinary sophistication of our own bodies – and the deep connection between sensation, movement and what we call intelligence.

This article was commissioned in conjunction with the Professors’ Programme, part of Prototypes for Humanity, a global initiative that showcases and accelerates academic innovation to solve social and environmental challenges. The Conversation is the media partner of Prototypes for Humanity 2025.

University ranking systems are being rejected. African institutions should take note

2025-10-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

by Sioux McKenna, Professor of Higher Education, Rhodes University, South Africa, Rhodes University

The Sorbonne University, founded in Paris in 1253 and known globally as a symbol of education, science and culture, has just announced that, starting in 2026, it will stop submitting data to Times Higher Education (THE) rankings. It is joining a growing movement of universities questioning the value and methodology of these controversial league tables.

Rankings companies add together various indices that purport to measure quality. The indices include research outputs, the results of reputation surveys, the amount of money they receive in research grants and donations, and how many Nobel prize winners they have ever employed.

Nathalie Drach-Temam, president of the Sorbonne, stated that the data used to assess each university’s performance is not open or transparent and the reproducibility of the results produced cannot be guaranteed.

This echoes wider concerns about the lack of scientific rigour of ranking systems that claim to measure complex institutional performance through simplified metrics.

The problem is that the general public believe that the rankings offer an indication of quality. As a result rankings have enormous influence over the market. This includes the choice of where to study and where to invest funding.

The university’s decision aligns with its commitment to the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, an agreement signed by over 700 research organisations, funders and professional societies, and the Barcelona Declaration, signed by about 200 universities and research institutes. Both advocate for open science practices to make scientific research, data, methods, and educational resources transparent, accessible and reusable by everyone without barriers. And both recommend “avoiding the use of rankings of research organisations in research assessment”.

The Sorbonne joins a growing list of high-profile institutions abandoning rankings. Columbia University, Utrecht University and several Indian institutes have opted out of major ranking systems. In the US, 17 medical and law schools, including Yale and Harvard, have withdrawn from discipline-specific rankings.

There are five major rankings companies and at least 20 smaller ones. On top of these are a similar number of discipline specific and regional rankings. Together they make up a billion dollar industry. Yet the rankings are accessible without charge.

The rankings industry has increasingly targeted African countries. It sees the continent as a new market at a time when it is losing traction among high profile institutions in the global north.

There has been a rapid increase in snazzy events run by rankings organisations on the continent. These events are very expensive and often quite luxurious – attended by vice-chancellors, academics, consultants and others.

As an academic involved in higher education teaching, I believe that chasing the rankings can harm Africa’s fragile higher education system. There are two main reasons for this.

Firstly, the rankings metrics largely focus on research output, rather than on the potential for that research to address local problems. Secondly, the rankings fail to consider higher education’s role in nurturing critical citizens, or contributing to the public good.

The Sorbonne’s decision reflects a growing body of opinion that the rankings industry is unscientific and a poor means of measuring quality.

Nevertheless, many vice-chancellors are not willing to risk the cost of withdrawing. Rankings might do a poor job of indicating quality, in all its nuanced forms. Nevertheless, they are very good at shaping public opinion. And even if a university chooses to stay out of the ranking by refusing to hand over its data, the industry continues to include it, based only on limited publicly available data.

The ranking industry

Rankings themselves are available for free. The ranking industry derives most of its revenue from reselling the data that universities provide. Universities submit detailed institutional data to ranking companies without charge. That information is then repackaged and sold back to institutions, governments and corporations.

This data includes institutional income. It often also includes contact details of staff and students. These are used for “reputation surveys”. In the case of QS University Rankings, “reputation” makes up more than 40% of the rankings.

This business model has created what can be described as a sophisticated data harvesting operation disguised as academic assessment.

Mounting criticism

Academic research has extensively documented the problems with ranking methodologies. These include:

the use of proxy metrics that poorly represent institutional quality. For example, while many university rankings do not include a measurement of teaching quality at all, those that do, use measures such as income, staff to student ratio, and international academic reputation.

composite indexing that combines unrelated measurements. The metrics that are collected are simply added together, even though they have no bearing on each other. Our students are repeatedly warned of the dangers of using composite measurement in research, and yet this is at the heart of the rankings industry.

subjective weighting systems that can dramatically alter results based on arbitrary decisions. If the system decides to weight reputation at 20% and then make university income worth 10%, we have one order of institutions. Switch these weightings to make the former 10% and the latter 20% and the list rearranges itself. And yet, the quality of the institutions is unchanged.

Rankings tend to favour research-intensive universities while ignoring teaching quality, community engagement and local relevance.

Most ranking systems emphasise English-language publications. This reinforces existing academic hierarchies rather than providing meaningful assessment of quality.

Where new rankings are being introduced, such as the Sub-Saharan Africa rankings, or the Emerging Economies rankings, or even the Impact rankings, they sadly still have the problem of proxy measures, and composite and subjective weightings.

In addition, many of the ranking companies refuse to reveal precise methodological detail. This makes it impossible to verify their claims or understand on what basis institutions are actually assessed.

Researchers argue that rankings have thrived because they align with the idea of higher education as a marketplace where institutions compete for market share. This has led universities to prioritise metrics that improve their ranking positions rather than activities that best serve their students and communities.

The emphasis on quantifiable outputs has created what scholars call “coercive isomorphism” – pressure for all universities to adopt similar structures and priorities regardless of their specific missions or local contexts.

Research shows that striving for a spot in the rankings limelight affects resource allocation, strategic planning and even which students apply to institutions. Some universities have shifted focus from teaching quality to research output specifically to improve rankings. Others have engaged in “gaming” – manipulating data to boost their positions.

Looking forward

Participation in methodologically flawed ranking systems presents a contradiction: universities built on principles of scientific research continue to support an industry whose methods would fail basic peer review standards.

For universities still participating, Sorbonne’s move raises an uncomfortable question: what are their institutional priorities and commitments to scientific integrity?

Republish from the Conversation under Creative Commons licence.

The UAE’s University of AI is a pipeline for top tech talent

2025-10-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

By Amar Diwakar

In the six years since its founding, Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence has hired more than 100 faculty from China, the U.S., Germany, and other countries. MBZUAI currently has over 700 students and alumni from 49 nations. The government-funded institute promises students full scholarships, and professors freedom from having to secure academic grants. It works closely with the UAE’s multibillion-dollar AI firm G42, and in May, it opened a satellite research facility in Silicon Valley dedicated to developing AI models.

Nowadays, there aren’t any universities competing in [the AI model] game, other than us, really.”

There is a lot riding on the institute, which is central to the nation’s vision of becoming a global AI powerhouse. The government has bet billions on the tech, and hopes a steady talent pipeline will help diversify its oil-based economy. AI is expected to contribute 20% of the UAE’s non-oil GDP by 2031, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington, D.C.

MBZUAI should “create an AI district that would become the bedrock of the next level of advancement of the UAE’s and MENA’s [Middle East and North Africa] economy and global impact,” Eric Xing, the university’s president, said at an event in January.

The entrance of the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, featuring modern architecture with intricate geometric patterns, blue signage, and a reflection on the glass doors. A person dressed in traditional attire walks by.

MBZUAI is central to the UAE’s strategy to attract talent. Natalie Naccache for Rest of World
The university says its ambition to be the “Stanford of the Middle East” is already beginning to pay off. It is currently among the top 20 universities publishing on AI topics, according to CSRanking, a global computer-science ranking initiative.

Last month, it unveiled K2 Think, an open-source AI reasoning model, in collaboration with G42. Independent researchers who tested the model say it is “competent,” though not on par with OpenAI’s ChatGPT or DeepSeek.

Few universities are building foundation models, MBZUAI’s provost Tim Baldwin told Rest of World. Foundation models are general-purpose models trained on vast data. The research has recently become dominated by industry, he said.

“This disconnect between academic research, and industry research in AI is a very real thing,” he said. “Nowadays, there aren’t any universities competing in [the AI model] game, other than us, really.”

The university has collaborated with G42 to release an Arabic large language model called Jais, a Kazakh LLM, and a Hindi LLM. Given the diversity of its students and faculty, non-English LLMs are developed in collaboration with students from the relevant cultures, Baldwin said.

“It isn’t, [for example], a Hindi-speaking Western culture model, which is a lot of what happens nowadays,” he said, referring to models like ChatGPT, which are trained primarily on English-language content and said to reflect Western cultural norms.

The university is located in the tech hub of Masdar City, on the outskirts of the capital. Its campus blends futuristic design with royal opulence: silver-colored classrooms, labs covered in solar panelled-facades, and terracotta dorms with intricately latticed balconies. Driverless pods transport visitors around the campus.

In early September, two weeks into the new academic year, the halls were quiet. For the first time, the university has enrolled 114 undergraduates in a fully funded three-year engineering and business degree.

From day one, the students will ideate startups, guided by professors who’ve themselves set up startups and sold them, Hao Li, head of the undergraduate program and a professor of computer vision, told Rest of World.

“We want to build an entire [AI] ecosystem,” Li said. “In other universities, AI is a specialization. We’re turning it upside down: AI is basically the foundation of everything.”

The university aims to build an ecosystem around startups. Natalie Naccache for Rest of World
Since 2024, the alumni have founded 10 startups, Baldwin said. The university recruits the most ambitious students who “want to make the world a better place,” he said.

Graduate student Alexander Pretko enrolled at the university for a Ph.D. after visiting as an exchange student.

“I was able to see the tremendous resources they had available, as well as the quality of faculty they were hiring,” said Pretko, a former Wall Street banker and University of Colorado Boulder alum. It’s difficult to get similar backing in the U.S. where “funding is tenuous and opportunities are scarce,” he said.

The university’s success is critical to the UAE’s AI mission, whose execution has two pillars: securing semiconductor chips to set up the “compute” or processing power needed for the top AI models, and hiring talent.

“Talent drives the next wave of AI, and it only matters when paired with compute,” Mohammed Soliman, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, told Rest of World.

State-backed G42 has reportedly secured thousands of the most advanced Nvidia chips. The UAE now ranks second to the U.S. in AI compute power, possessing over 188,000 AI chips and 6.4 gigawatts of power, according to a TRG Datacenters study.

In the future, the UAE can use American tech, powered by Emirati energy and infrastructure, to export compute power to Asia and Africa, Soliman said.

The growing anti-immigration sentiment in the West has strengthened the UAE’s hand, Soliman said.

“By offering safety, tax-free salaries, and long-term residency, it has turned its role as a migration magnet into soft power,” he said. “The real test will be whether the UAE can turn its magnetism into permanence, keeping talent that might otherwise see the Gulf as a stepping-stone [to the West].”

About 80% of MBZUAI’s graduates have stayed on in the country, Baldwin said.

So far, the university has benefited from attracting students due to few regional competitors, strong government backing, and interest from across the Middle East and Asia, according to Senthil Nathan, co-founder of Edu Alliance, who helped establish some of the UAE’s first universities.

A modern architectural setting with large buildings featuring colorful facades in orange, blue, and green tones. A person wearing a black outfit stands on a paved surface, while another pair of individuals walk in the background under a bright sky.
The university has enrolled 114 undergraduate students on full scholarships. Natalie Naccache for Rest of World
The university’s management needs to focus on the long term, and secure a substantial endowment to shield it in case government priorities shift away from AI to the next “shiny new” technology, Nathan told Rest of World.

“Universities take longer to build up than physical infrastructures,” he said. “Academics move more like elephants than like cheetahs.”

Amar Diwakar is a Labor x Tech reporter based in Dubai, UAE.

University Professors demand N2.5m salary

2025-09-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

By Imoleayo Oyedeyi

Some Nigerian professors have demanded that their salaries be raised to a minimum of N2.5m per month, insisting that anything less was no longer tenable.

On Tuesday, protests rocked several campuses as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities decried the Federal Government’s failure to implement the renegotiated 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement.

Lecturers have long decried poor remuneration and declining conditions in the academic environment.

With professors earning about N500,000 monthly, some have been forced to squat in quarters, while others compete with students for space in buses meant for undergraduates.

Documents obtained by Saturday PUNCH show that under the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure, Graduate Assistants earn between N125,000 and N138,020 monthly, while professors earn between N525,010 and N633,333.

Assistant Lecturers earn N150,000–N171,487; Lecturer II, N186,543–N209,693; Lecturer I, N239,292–N281,956; Senior Lecturer, N386,101–N480,780; and Readers, N436,392–N522,212.

In separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH, the professors insisted that their salaries should not fall below N2.5m.

A professor at the University of Ibadan, Remi Aiyede, said Nigerian professors were grossly underpaid compared to colleagues in other African countries.

He added that a government-commissioned report had already recommended similar figures.

He said, “If you want to benchmark it across countries, you will see that the monthly pay of an average professor across Africa is between $2,000 and $4,000.

“So, if you break that down to naira, then you will have an idea of what we are talking about. In fact, a million naira is conservative. Professors in Nigeria should not earn less than N2.5m monthly.

“After the Nimi-Briggs Commission, there was a committee set up by this government, which looked into the matter. The report was submitted to the President, and if I understand what was written in that document, a professor should be earning about N2.5m.”

At the University of Lagos, Prof. Abigail Ndizika-Ogwezzy of the Department of Mass Communication stressed that professors needed decent pay to deliver effectively.

She lamented that poor conditions was forcing lecturers to overwork themselves.

“Anything less than N2.5m for a professor at the bar is not it; look at the reality. If I want to get a house to live in this Akoka area, it’s not less than N3m per year. Then won’t I feed, pay my children’s fees, ride a good car and even take care of my health? Then when is my reward?

“We are carrying the burden of three, four, five people. It is impacting our health, our eyes. We have to read scripts, prepare notes, do community service, conduct research, publish, and attend conferences. Meanwhile, we are all buying from the same market as private sector workers, yet many lecturers cannot pay their children’s school fees,” she added.

Prof. Sheriffdeen Tela of Babcock University, Ogun State, also backed the N2.5m demand, saying the disparity between professors and political office holders was indefensible.

He said, “If you are saying that a professor receives not less than N1.2m in a month, that means that in a year it’s still less than what the legislature takes home in a month. Some people were advocating N2.5m monthly, and yes, even with the kind of economy that we are in now, it makes sense.

“Many professors live on loans because their salaries are not enough. Instead of giving them appropriate pay, the Federal government wants to give them loans, which is wrong.”

Former ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, also argued that professors should earn between N1m and N5m monthly.

“If Nigeria truly values education and wants its universities to compete globally, professors must be paid what they are worth. Anything short of this will only worsen the brain drain,” he said.

Tariff war: FG intervenes as states, Discos’ rift deepens

2025-09-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

By Dare Olawin, Okechukwu Nnodim

As s the crisis between states and electricity distribution companies continues to degenerate over who has the power to fix electricity tariffs, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, has summoned all the stakeholders to a meeting scheduled for next week, The PUNCH reports.

Energy commissioners of state governments, under their umbrella body known as the Forum of Commissioners for Power and Energy in Nigeria, have repeatedly insisted that the Electricity Act, 2023 (Amended), has empowered state governments to regulate their respective power markets.

But power distribution companies, under the aegis of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, insisted that, although the Act enabled the states to regulate their power markets, the state governments lack the power to put a price on cross-border electricity.

As a result of this, neither the states nor the Discos are ready to shift ground over who has the authority to regulate electricity tariffs. As state regulators make moves to design tariffs for the electricity markets in their domains, starting with Enugu State, power distribution companies declared that this cannot work.

The tariff ordered by the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission recently also sparked the reactions of power generation companies, including the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, as the Gencos argued that states have no power to dictate the cost of power from the national grid.

To de-escalate the situation, the national regulator, NERC, has invited all the actors involved in the imbroglio to a meeting scheduled to be held next week in Lagos, as the Discos declared again on Thursday that the states should not destroy the power sector with the quest to regulate electricity tariffs.

The General Manager of Public Affairs at NERC, Dr Usman Abba-Arabi, told one of our correspondents in an interview on Thursday that the meeting would discuss the matters and proffer solutions to them.

The NERC spokesman maintained that invitations have been sent to the state regulatory commissions, the distribution companies, and other stakeholders in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

“The next Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry stakeholders meeting is scheduled for next week in Lagos. State Regulatory Commissions have been invited to attend. The Discos and other industry players will all be in attendance. It’s a forum where industry issues will be discussed and solutions proffered,” he stated.

Abba-Arabi stated that the meeting is purely for the industry and would be done without the attention of the press.

Discos talk tough

The crisis between the Discos and state governments started in July when the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission announced that it had slashed the Band A tariff from N209 per kilowatt-hour to N160/kWh, ordering MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited to implement this from August 1, 2025.

As the new tariff regime began on the stated date, MainPower’s energy supplier, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, had to cut supply to Enugu by 50 per cent, leaving many customers in darkness. MainPower explained that EEDC had calculated that implementing the tariff cut would lead to monthly losses exceeding N1bn, undermining its obligations to the market.

Reacting to the development during an interview with one of our correspondents on Thursday, the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Sunday Oduntan, warned states and their newly established regulatory agencies not to destroy the power sector.

Oduntan, who is also the spokesman of the Discos, argued that what the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission was planning would not work, saying it was an attempt to draw back the sector. According to him, the Electricity Act, 2023 (Amended), allows the states to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity within their respective states, but does not give them the power to put a price on cross-border electricity from the national grid.

He said states would only control electricity tariffs when they start generating, transmitting, and distributing the same. He accused the EERC of having plans to regulate the cost of a product that does not belong to the state regulator.

“The Electricity Act, 2023 (Amended), allows the states to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity within their respective states. That is just the summary of that law. It is to enable them to take care of their own electricity issues. Now, what happened in Enugu was that the electricity regulatory commission in the state wanted to control the price of a product that does not belong to them.

“Let me explain what I mean: if they generate electricity in Enugu State, and they transmit and distribute it within Enugu State, they have the right to fix the price. But the law is very clear: they are not in charge of cross-border tariffs. What do I mean by cross-border tariffs? This is a product that has crossed outside the borders of your state, for instance, from the national grid.

“So, you cannot put a price on such a product. That product has a cost of production. That is what they were seeking to do, and they are just shooting themselves in the foot; it is not going to work! You can control your electricity, not the electricity that belongs to another person,” Oduntan insisted.

He warned that the power sector would collapse if electricity was sold below the cost of production. He stressed that if the states failed to listen to other stakeholders on the issue, they would only pull down the sector.

“So, when the regulator in the state says the Disco there should sell at a lower price, the question to be asked is this: ‘Is that price below the cost price?’ If it is below the cost price, then the company will collapse. So, it won’t work. They cannot do it. If they insist, then they will destroy the power sector,” he said.

Oduntan added that Enugu could generate power from coal and transmit and distribute it at no cost to the consumers as palliatives, but not the energy from the grid. “They (Enugu) can generate from coal, transmit and distribute it, and can even give it out as palliatives or free of charge to their residents. But not for energy that comes from outside their borders. That is the point. Cross-border tariffs are not in their hands,” he insisted.

States respond

Meanwhile, the Forum of Commissioners for Power and Energy in Nigeria said it is only concerned about issues that could push the power sector forward. The Chairman of FOCPEN and Commissioner of Power and Renewable Energy in Cross River State, Prince Eka Williams, said the forum would not banter words with the Discos, saying, “We are not in a war.”

According to him, the forum is more concerned about the efforts being made to light up every home in Nigeria. He said the forum will work with other stakeholders to proffer solutions to the challenges in the energy sector, saying he would not comment on what Oduntan said.

The PUNCH reports that after complaints of blackouts and vending glitches, MainPower restored power to Enugu residents, but at the old cost. The Disco ignored the new tariff order that slashed the Band A tariff to charge N209/kWh. Electricity customers in the state said they now pay the old rate after power was restored by MainPower.

However, the EERC kicked against this. It accused MainPower of tariff breach while threatening sanctions. In a public notice, the commission stated that it has come to its attention that Mainpower Electricity Distribution Company Limited has reverted to charging its Band A customers N209.50/kWh, as against the commission’s order of 160.40/kWh.

The commission expressed displeasure that “this violation” persists despite prior directives from the commission mandating strict compliance with the tariff order. “Such actions constitute a breach of the Tariff Order by Mainpower Electricity Distribution Limited,” the commission said, urging Band A customers in Enugu State to report overbilling.

“Band A customers who have been billed above the approved rate are urged to report the discrepancy to the commission with evidence of the breach for necessary regulatory action, which may involve imposing appropriate sanctions on MainPower,” the EERC warned.

Recall that NERC had earlier told the Enugu regulator that any state that wanted to slash tariffs should be ready to pay the shortfall. “As states do not have jurisdiction over the national grid and over electric power stations established under federal laws/operating under licences issued by the commission, they must holistically incorporate the wholesale costs of grid supply to their states without any qualification or deviation in their design of tariffs for end-use customers in order not to distort the dynamics of the market or be prepared to make a policy intervention by way of a subsidy for any deviation in the tariff structure that distorts the wholesale generation, transmission and legacy financing costs in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry,” NERC said in July.

But Enugu and other states disagreed with claims by NERC that sub-national entities cannot fix electricity tariffs because they do not generate and transmit electricity. The Special Adviser to the Enugu Governor on Power, Joe Aneke, said states have the power to design tariffs as far as distribution is concerned.

Aneke said the new tariff by the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission did not tamper with the costs of generation and transmission, saying it based its calculations on distribution only.

The Forum of Commissioners for Power and Energy in Nigeria said in a statement that NERC does not have overriding regulatory authority over electricity distribution and tariff setting, noting that the fifth constitutional alteration and the 2023 Act give states exclusive jurisdiction over electricity distribution, whether connected to the national grid or not, emphasising the power of states to adjust tariffs.

Aneke clarified that the EERC’s new tariff would not distort the electricity market because it did not affect generation and transmission. “It’s possible to reduce tariffs, and on the other hand, it’s equally possible to increase them, but these are subject to facts, figures, and numbers. Why am I saying so? Recall that the subnationals do not regulate generation. And in this tariff determination, which Enugu did, the cost of generation was not tampered with at all. It still stays as it is because we know we don’t regulate generation, and we don’t regulate transmission. That is the work of NERC. None of those costs were touched.

“So, why is it not possible for state regulatory commissions to fix tariffs, having been given the law, having the power, having the numbers, and having jaw-jawed with the subcos, with their figures on the table? Let me go to the granular. Everybody here appreciates the fact that there are certain variables and costs that are used or considered before tariffs are determined. If these figures are laid bare, you see that some are not realistic, just to avoid using certain words, and some cannot be sustained. The argument of the presentation cannot be sustained,” Aneke said.

Giving an example, he said MainPower claimed a sum of N9bn for recovery, but the figure was not up to that.

“For instance, a lump sum that was presented at about N9bn. When we got into the nitty-gritty, we looked at the facts, the figures, the numbers, the customer numbers, and the so-called lifeline. We have now discovered that what they presented wasn’t correct. They tacitly understood that and accepted it,” he said.

However, MainPower, in a petition to the commission, said the tariff order published on July 18 was not agreed upon by the parties and that the same did not comply with Regulation No. EERC/R004.

The Disco averred that Section 4.1(c) provides that “in order to avoid ‘gold-plating’ in the tariff using rate of return regulation, the licensee shall be required to review costs with the commission. It is the cost agreed with the commission that shall be allowed for the operator to use in the tariff model for the determination of the price that shall apply in contracts.

“This is because the value chain of the electricity business in Enugu State shall be subject to contracts, and prices shall be determined based on the applicable methodology published by the commission on its website. The review process for the cost shall be as prescribed in the Schedules to these Regulations.”

Biotech experts urge scaling of technology for food security

2025-09-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

By Sylvester Thompson

Experts at the 37th Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN) Conference have called for scaling proven agricultural biotechnologies to boost food security and farmer livelihoods.

The experts emphasised the urgent need to prioritise the widespread adoption of high-yielding, climate-resilient crops such as PBR cowpea and TELA maize.

They said such crops were capable of greatly increasing food production, stabilising farmer incomes, and reducing poverty.

In a communiqué signed and issued on Sunday in Abuja by Prof. Sylvia Uzochukwu, President of the BSN, participants outlined key recommendations aimed at harnessing biotechnology for national development and prosperity.

They stressed the importance of sovereign investment in bio-manufacturing infrastructure.

They also highlighed the need for the establishment of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities and biomanufacturing corridors to enable domestic production of essential bio-products, including vaccines, biofertilisers, and therapeutics.

According to the communiqué, such efforts will help capture economic value chains, generate high-skilled jobs, reduce reliance on imports, and strategically position Nigeria as a regional biotechnology hub under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The conference also called for the implementation of proactive public health surveillance systems, including the immediate establishment of a national wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) programme to serve as an early warning system for emerging pathogens and public health threats.

“This protects the workforce’s health, ensures economic stability by enabling faster responses to outbreaks, and integrates data for smarter public health.’’

The experts said government should enact science-driven policies and foster collaboration to build a resilient bioeconomy, as well as create harmonised, supportive biosafety and intellectual property laws to accelerate innovation.

See also Nwoko seeks ranching law to boost food security

“Simultaneously, combat misinformation, mandate cross-sector collaboration, and invest in continuous human capital development to build a functional ecosystem where innovation can thrive from the laboratory to the market,’’ the communique read.

The 37th BSN Conference affirmed that biotechnology was the indispensable catalyst for Nigeria’s national growth, food and nutrition security, wealth creation, health resilience, and environmental sustainability.

Accordingly, the conference urgently called for a concerted national effort to embrace these recommendations which was imperative for building a self-reliant, resilient, and competitive bioeconomy.

Among key observations recorded was that biotechnology was not merely a scientific field but the hope of the future, essential for solving Nigeria’s most pressing challenges.

Such challenges of ensuring food security in the face of climate change, combating endemic diseases, poverty alleviation, and building a resilient, self-reliant economy were mentioned.

Also, that Nigeria’s potential was hindered not by a lack of scientific talent or resources, but by critical gaps in infrastructure like GMP manufacturing facilities, molecular labs for WBE, regulatory hurdles, among others.

The 37th annual BSN conference, which held between Aug.20 and Aug. 22, was tagged “Umudike 2025”.

Its theme was: Innovative Biotechnology for National Growth: Pathways to Food Security, Health and Environmental Sustainability, aimed at addressing critical issues impacting agriculture in the nation. (NAN)

SON, NERC hold high-level stakeholders’ forum on IEC standards, power and innovation

2025-05-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

In a bid to ensure standards education, strengthen public awareness, and uphold quality assurance across all sectors of the economy, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), in partnership with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has convened a high-level stakeholders’ forum, in Abuja, FCT.

ConsumerConnect reports Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, Director-General/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), in his opening remarks at the recent stakeholders’ forum, reaffirmed the Organisation’s commitment to global best practices.

SON, in a note, disclosed Dr. Okeke also highlighted how the adoption of IEC standards has led to improved local production, especially in electrical cables in Nigeria.

The West African country’s standard regulatory Organisation as well explained the stakeholders at the forum engaged in robust discussions that dwelt on conformity assessment and enforcement, digital access to over 11,000 standards, and building national annexes to reflect Nigerian conditions.

SON further noted the discussions at the meeting focused on educating engineers and students on standardisation, supporting certified local manufacturers, including those under SON’s MANCAP scheme, and curbing substandard imports through SONCAP and factory inspections in the country.

Speaking the event also, Mr. Philippe Metzger, Secretary-General/CEO of IEC, lauded Nigeria’s “economic significance, and encouraged stronger involvement in IEC governance to shape standards that reflect Africa’s unique needs.”

The Organisation said Metzger outlined IEC’s focus on digital innovation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), sustainability, and low-carbon technologies.

He also described Nigeria as “a strategic partner in building a safer, all-electric digital society.”

Among other top players in the global standardisation and power ecosystem that graced the stakeholders’ forum in Abuja include Engr. Sanusi Garba, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC); Prof. Ade Ogunsola, President of IEC National Committee Nigeria; Mrs. Talatu Ethan, Director of Corporate Affairs at SON.

Others are representatives of IEC Africa, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE); National Universities Commission (NUC), members of the diplomatic corps, and key industry stakeholders.

SON restated its drive to ensure standards education, strengthen public awareness, and uphold quality assurance across all sectors of the economy.

It added: “Together, we move Nigeria forward—powered by standards, driven by innovation.”

China to establish electric vehicle factories in Nigeria – Envoy

2025-05-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Yu Dunhai, has disclosed plans by China to establish electric vehicle (EV) factories in Nigeria.

The announcement was made in a statement signed by Segun Tomori, the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, following Dunhai’s courtesy visit to Dr. Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

During the visit, Ambassador Dunhai emphasized the importance of enhanced ellaboration between China and Nigeria to unlock the potential of Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, leveraging the establishment of electric vehicle factories. He noted that Nigeria is rich in natural resources and occupies a significant position in China’s foreign policy.

Dunhai also highlighted the recent engagement between President Bola Tinubu and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where both leaders agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, paving the way for deeper cooperation.

He stated, “Chinese companies are already deeply involved in Nigeria’s mining sector, from exploration to processing. We aim to deepen this collaboration, especially in line with President Tinubu’s eight priority areas, notably economic diversification through solid minerals.”

Dunhai further assured that the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese Government have consistently urged Chinese companies in Nigeria to comply with local regulations, uphold Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and adhere to environmental and safety standards. He emphasized China’s zero tolerance for illegal mining and expressed readiness to cooperate with Nigerian authorities in bringing offenders to justice.

In response, Dr. Alake commended China for its commitment to legal and regulatory compliance, acknowledging that most Chinese firms operate responsibly in Nigeria. However, he expressed concerns over a few non-compliant operators, referencing a viral video of a Chinese national allegedly bribing local security agents.

“We have taken action against illegal operators, including some Chinese nationals. While isolated, such incidents undermine the good work of many compliant Chinese firms. We need your cooperation in ensuring that such culprits are brought to justice,” Alake said.

He also praised the effectiveness of the Mining Marshals in combating illegal mining, noting that the initiative has improved awareness and compliance among both local and foreign operators.

The Minister stressed that Nigeria is open for business and serious investors, highlighting the shift towards local value addition in the mining sector.

“For years, our minerals have been exported raw to fuel foreign industrialization. That must change. We now prioritize local processing to drive Nigeria’s development. For instance, with the abundance of lithium, we want to see local manufacturing of electric vehicles and batteries,” Alake added.

He urged Ambassador Dunhai to encourage Chinese investors to commit to full-cycle investments—from extraction to processing—within Nigeria, given the nation’s large market and the opportunity to reduce dependence on fossil fuels through electric vehicle production.

In response, Ambassador Dunhai expressed support for Nigeria’s local value-addition policy, noting that one of President Xi Jinping’s priorities is promoting African industrialization. He revealed that plans are already underway to establish electric vehicle factories and other manufacturing ventures in Nigeria.

Microsoft’s AI Starts Reading All Your WhatsApp, Signal Messages

2025-05-10T05:52:00.000-07:00

ByZak Doffman,

Timing is everything. Just weeks after America’s NSA warned about the hidden dangers with secure messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Signal, especially when users link phone apps to PCs and other devices, everything is suddenly worse — much worse.

Microsoft has decided to release its controversial Recall to Copilot PCs, which then continually screenshots and optically reads everything on screen to be saved behind a simple PIN. It doesn’t matter how secure you think you are, if you message someone who has a Windows PC with this feature enabled, all that security falls away instantly.

As Ars Technica explains, “even if User A never opts in to Recall, they have no control over the setting on the machines of Users B through Z. That means anything User A sends them will be screenshotted, processed with optical character recognition and Copilot AI, and then stored in an indexed database on the other users’ devices.”

That means anything Users B through Z sees on screen, bar some specific data types Microsoft will try (and sometimes manage) to redact such as passwords. Ars Technica warns, that will “indiscriminately hoover up all kinds of User A’s sensitive material, including photos, passwords, medical conditions, and encrypted videos and messages.”

Unlike with new options to record phone calls, there is no warning here that your content is being saved and stored by someone else, that your secrets are now dependent on the security of countless Microsoft’s Windows PCs to stay secret. That’s the operative word. For Users A, this all takes place secretly, without warning or opt-out.

Cyber guru Kevin Beaumont put all this to the test and has found security and privacy holes galore. While Recall’s screenshots are stored locally and secured by the infamous TPM 2.0 that stops so many Windows 10 users upgrading, once set up the only security protecting all that data is a simple PIN, to say nothing of the risk from hackers.

“To test this,” Beaumont says, “I tasked my partner with using my device while I was away from desk to use Recall to find out who’d I’d been talking to the previous day in Signal and what I’d been saying.” She guessed the PIN and was in. “So, in 5 minutes, a non-technical person had access to everything I’d ever done on the PC, including disappearing Signal conversations (as Recall retains anything deleted). That isn’t great.”

Recall is an easy target. It was withdrawn when Microsoft first unleashed it on the world, and was put through a privacy and security sheep dip before its second coming. Now it’s here again, with better opt-outs and security wraps, but with the same very basic flaws. The idea that every interaction you have with a Recall user is screenshot and kept forever without you knowing feels — at its core — very wrong.

But this is just another example of AI bringing unlimited scale to dangerous activities with ease. Your messages — disappearing or otherwise — have always been subject to a recipient screenshot. But not at industrialized scale. Similarly, targeted phishing attacks and better-written spam and brand ripoffs are all now being industrialized by AI.

Forbes Daily: Join over 1 million Forbes Daily subscribers and get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.

Put together, the linked device warning and Recall’s launch means it’s time for Signal and WhatsApp and others to end their linked device options or provide some way for messages to be tagged so as only to appear on primacy devices — meaning phones. The simple truth is that secure messaging and staccato screenshotting don’t mix.

In the meantime — and this is a serious warning — do remember that anything you send may not disappear into the chat archive on a phone, but may be analyzed, indexed and stored by AI in an easily searchable database on a device you do not control.

As Beaumont says, “Recall still captures and stores things after deletion. Disappearing Signal and WhatsApp messages are still captured, as are deleted Teams messages. I would recommend that if you’re talking to somebody about something sensitive who is using a Windows PC, that in the future you check if they have Recall enabled first.”

Ironically, just as Recall starts optically reading WhatsApp (and other secure messages), WhatsApp itself has stepped in to create even more AI-fueled confusion for its 3 billion users with a new advance in its own addition of AI to the platform. Meta’s engineers have just announced that its optional AI will be able to take on tasks such as “summarizing unread WhatsApp threads or getting writing suggestion,” but with assurances it’s all done privately. So, nothing to worry about then?

“We’re sharing an early look into Private Processing,” the team posted, “an optional capability that enables users to initiate a request to a confidential and secure environment and use AI for processing messages where no one — including Meta and WhatsApp — can access them. To validate our implementation of these and other security principles, independent security researchers will be able to continuously verify our privacy and security architecture and its integrity.”

Per Wired, “the whole effort raises a more basic question, though, about why a secure communication platform like WhatsApp needs to offer AI features at all. Meta is adamant, though, that users expect the features at this point and will go wherever they have to to get them.” That’s the crux of this new debate for billions of users.

“What makes me more nervous,” crypto expert Matthew Green posted on X, “is what comes after these systems? Will these AIs stay strictly private? Or will they begin to share summarized private data with providers like Meta, for example to improve search results? There’s a huge risk of a total privacy unraveling here.”

Despite assurances that “Private Processing will allow users to leverage powerful AI features, while preserving WhatsApp’s core privacy promise,” there are clear privacy concerns here. While Meta insists “no one except you and the people you’re talking to can access or share your personal messages, not even Meta or WhatsApp,” this is the grey area where AI is currently changing how we think about our privacy.

And even if Meta’s engineers achieve this level of private processing, Recall will take its snapshots of all these private messages and will store them outside WhatsApp. For users this is becoming overly complex.

You have been warned.

Originally published in Forbes

West Africa’s hazardous winds: Harmattan carries more than dust – it also spreads disease

2025-04-11T20:32:00.001-07:00

By Christophe Lavaysse, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), Cheikh Modou Noreyni Fall, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar

Every year, from December to April, the Harmattan sweeps across Africa. This cool, dry and dust-laden wind gets its name from haramata, a word in the Ghanaian language Fanti.

The wind originates from high-pressure systems over the Sahara, south of Algeria and Libya, and north of Mauritania, Mali, Niger and Chad. It significantly alters the climatic and environmental conditions of the region it crosses.

The Harmattan’s effects go beyond reduced visibility and dryness. It has an impact on human health, agriculture and ecosystems.

Our research explores weather and climate hazards and their impacts on various sectors in west Africa, including dry and wet periods. In this article, we explain what the Harmattan is, its causes, when and how it occurs, and its impact on public health in affected regions.

The origins of the Harmattan

During the boreal (northern hemisphere) winter (October to March), large-scale components of atmospheric circulation shift southward.

In west Africa this causes the inter-tropical convergence zone — where moist air from the south meets dry air from the north — to migrate from the Sahel towards the Gulf of Guinea. These airflows are well known: the monsoon in the south and the Harmattan in the north. From December to late March, nearly all of west Africa falls under the influence of the Harmattan (see figure).

Climatological wind (average direction and speed) of the Harmattan and moonson are indicated in January (left) and July (right)

The formation of the Harmattan is driven by a significant difference in atmospheric pressure. To the north (around 30°N), a high-pressure belt — such as the Azores High — pushes down dry air from high altitudes.

To the south, near the equator and the sun’s azimuth, low-pressure zones create frequent storms. Large-scale, steady winds develop between these contrasting regions, flowing close to the surface. These winds exist throughout the year across the tropical belt. Over the ocean, these winds are known as the trade winds, which sailors have long relied on for transatlantic navigation from east to west.

How the air dries out

The air masses carried by the Harmattan come from high altitudes. They dry out as they rise. As these masses move southward toward the equatorial low-pressure zones, they pass only through hot and dry regions like the Sahara and Sahel, so they remain dry. Areas affected by the Harmattan experience significant dryness, unlike the rainy season when the monsoon wind (from the south) prevails.

The air masses are affected by a strong pattern of cool nights and extremely hot days, particularly in March and April. At night, the cooler surface temperatures create a stable atmospheric layer, limiting vertical air movement. This stability reduces the vertical layer where the Harmattan blows. As a result, winds intensify, especially in the early morning.

The stronger nighttime winds, known as the low-level jet, occur over dry, erosion-prone soils, particularly in regions like the Bodélé Depression in the Chadian Sahara. The combination of powerful winds and erodible soils makes this area the primary source of desert dust in west Africa. It is recognised as the world’s most productive region for generating fine dust particles.

Effects on health

The Harmattan, a dry, cool wind filled with dust, microbes and parasites, has significant health impacts. It is linked to numerous conditions affecting the skin and mucous membranes of people and animals. By degrading air quality, it can also contribute to respiratory infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma.

The Harmattan facilitates the spread of diseases, such as influenza. It also facilitates the proliferation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis, a severe illness, as well as meningococci, which cause meningitis. This disease is particularly common in Sahelian countries.

Research has quantified the Harmattan’s impact on air quality and public health. Studies show a 15% increase (annual average) in fine dust particle concentrations during the recent years has been linked to a 24% increase in infant mortality.

The Harmattan also affects local ecosystems, causing significant surface water evaporation and accelerating soil erosion. Its dust-laden winds can create visibility issues for aviation and reduce the efficiency of solar farms by coating photovoltaic panels with dust and haze.

Protection from the wind

Extensive research and measurement campaigns have been carried out to better understand dust plumes, including their formation, transport and impacts. These efforts have contributed to improving data on dust plumes, especially through the European Copernicus programme.

At the end of the Harmattan season, around April, air quality declines and high daytime temperatures worsen respiratory problems, particularly during heatwaves. This makes accurate predictions more crucial to inform and protect vulnerable populations.

Scientists and meteorological services in Sahelian countries are developing user-friendly indicators and simplified early warning systems.

People can then take some steps to protect themselves, such as covering the mouth and nose with a scarf, using saline solutions to moisten the airways, and getting vaccinated when possible.

It’s important to strengthen impact observation networks across west Africa and enhance air quality monitoring, especially in urban areas, where local pollution can worsen the dangers of dust and Harmattan heat.

Reoublished from Conversation

Education Minister Advocates Skill-Focused NYSC Reform

2025-04-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

by Jack Acheme, Abuja

Minister of Education, Mr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has described Nigerian youth as the nation’s most valuable resource for driving progress in education, healthcare, and economic development.

He stated this during a courtesy visit by the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, and his delegation to the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.

Mr. Alausa suggested key areas, where Youth can be meaningfully engaged to help develop the nation, which includes : the Teacher’s Corps—a programme aimed at engaging NCE holders as temporary teachers in underserved areas for two years which will be voluntary for interested NCE graduates that meet the age requirements of NYSC.

“The Rural Health Corps—designed to deploy Nurses, Doctors, Dentist and Pharmacists who have completed their one year Compulsory NYSC but will like to have optional and voluntary One year extension to serve in rural communities.

“And a comprehensive reform of the NYSC orientation programme to incorporate vocational, entrepreneurial, agricultural, and ICT training to boost youth employability and reduce unemployment,” he said.

Underscoring his passion for skill acquisition and youth empowerment, the Minister further proposed an extension of the National Youth Service year beyond the current 12 months for additional 12 months which will be optional and voluntary for any interested Corp members.

He noted that such an extension would serve as a strategic solution to unemployment by offering young Nigerians more time to acquire market-ready skills.

“This initiative would enable corps members to make more meaningful contributions to national development while enhancing their employability and entrepreneurial potential,” he said

He then re affirmed his belief in the potentials of Nigeria youth as the greatest asset for advancing education and economic growth which can not be underestimated.

The Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, applauded the NYSC for its pivotal role in maintaining educational standards and “safeguarding the integrity of academic certificates, particularly amid rising concerns surrounding transnational education,”

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, commended both the Ministers and the NYSC leadership for their shared vision and renewed commitment to collaboration.

“The visit as a timely convergence of ideas that will drive sustainable solutions in education and youth development,’ he said.

Brigadier General Nafiu expressed appreciation for the Ministry’s continued partnership and outlined ongoing reforms within the NYSC aimed at improving service delivery.

He advocated for the establishment of a pre-departure database to monitor Nigerian students studying abroad, tackle certificate fraud, and uphold the integrity of qualifications.

The Director-General also lauded the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme and called for “continued collaboration with the Ministry to strengthen education and youth empowerment.”

Both the Ministry and the NYSC leadership reaffirmed their joint commitment to reforms anchored on integrity, innovation, and youth-driven transformation.

PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU APPROVES APPOINTMENT OF NEW MANAGEMENT TEAMS FOR RIVER BASIN AUTHORITIES

2025-03-29T14:14:00.001-07:00

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the reconstitution of the top Management of 12 River Basin Development Authorities with the mandate of effectively developing and managing Nigeria’s water resource for national development.

The management team for the twelve (12) River Basin Development Authorities and their coverage areas are as follows:

OGUN-OSUN RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, ABEOKUTA (Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Osun):

1. Odebunmi Olusegun – Chairman (Oyo)

2. Adedeji Ashiru – Managing Director (Osun)

3. Ayo Oyalowo – Executive Director, Finance (Oyo)

4. Dokunmu Olufemi Oyekunle – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Ogun)

5. Suleiman Oris – Executive Director, Agric Services (Lagos)

6 . Julius Oloro – Executive Director, Engineering (Lagos)

UPPER BENUE RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, YOLA. Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe and Bauchi)

1. Sanusi Mohammed Babantanko – Chairman (Bauchi)

2. Samuel Mahmud Mohammed – Managing Director (Taraba)

3. Usman Babandubu Bakare – Executive Director, Engineering (Taraba)

4. Ibrahim Dasuki Jalo – Executive Director Finance (Gombe)

5. Isa Matori – Executive Director, Planning and Design Part of Bauchi

6. Hamman Dikko – Executive Director, Agric Services (Adamawa)

CHAD BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, MAIDUGURI (Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa)

1. Abdu Dauda – Chairman (Borno)

2. Tijjani Musa Tumsa – Managing Director (Yobe)

3. Bashir Baale – Executive Director, Finance (Yobe)

4. lliyasu Muazu – Executive Director, Agric Services (Adamawa)

5. Mohammed Shetima – Executive Director, Engineering (Borno)

6. Vrati Nzonzo – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Borno)

BENIN-OWENA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (Edo, Delta North, Ondo and Ekiti)

1. Mike Ohio Ezomo – Chairman (Edo)

2. Femi Adekanbi – Managing Director (Ondo)

3. Austin Nonyelim Izagbo – Executive Director Planning and Design (Delta)

4. Johnson Oghuma – Executive Director, Agric Services (Edo)

5. Adegboyega Bamisile – Executive Director Finance (Ekiti)

6 Bayode Akinduro – Executive Director Engineering (Ondo)

NIGER DELTA BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (Rivers, Bayelsa and parts of Delta)

1. Ebikemi Boi Bosin – Chairman (Delta)

2. Amgbare Ebitimi – Managing Director (Bayelsa)

3. Mary Alagoa – Executive Director Finance (Rivers)

4. Austin N. Izagbo – Executive Director, Engineering (Delta)

5. Felix Kurogha – Executive Director Agric Services (Bayelsa)

6. Nnamdi Akani – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Rivers)

UPPER NIGER RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, MINNA (Niger, Kaduna and FCT)

1. Haruna Y. Usman – Chairman (Niger)

2. Dangajere Shuaibu Bawa Jaja – Managing Director (Kaduna)

3. Mohammed Usma – Executive Director, Finance (Niger)

4. Abdullahi A. Kutso – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Niger)

5. Ayuba Waziri Tedde – Executive Director, Agric services (FCT)

6. John Hassan – Executive Director, Engineering (Kaduna)

LOWER NIGER RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, ILORIN (Kwara and Kogi)

1. Abdullateef Alakawa – Chairman (Kwara)

2 .George Olumoroti – Managing Director (Kogi)

3. Babajamu Adeniran – Executive Director, Engineering (Kwara)

4. Abdullahi Sadiq – Executive Director, Agric Services (Kogi)

5. Alanamu Ayinla Abolere – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Kwara)

6. Abidemi Adeyemi – Executive Director Finance (Kogi)

LOWER BENUE RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, MAKURDI (Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and Kogi)

1. Amos Gizo Yadukso – Chairman ( Plateau )

2. Ninga Terese – Managing Director (Benue)

3. Chris Takar – Executive Director, Engineering (Benue)

4. Yusuf Omaaki – Executive Director, Finance (Nasarawa)

5. Hassan Omale – Executive Director, Agric Services (Kogi)

6. Okibe Timothy Ogomola – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Benue)

ANAMBRA – IMO RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, OWERRI (Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi)

1. Emmanuel Anosike – Chairman (Anambra)

2 .Emeka Nduka – Managing Director (Imo)

3. Nwebonyi Priscilla Nkechi – Executive Director Finance (Ebonyi)

4. Evaristus Asadu – Executive Director, Engineering (Enugu)

5. Onukwubiri N.Ojigwe – Executive Director, Agric Services (Abia)

6. Abigail Igwe – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Anambra)

HADEJIA JAMAERE RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, KANO (Kano, Jigawa and Bauchi)

1 . Mamman Da’u Aliyu – Chairman (Jigawa)

2. Rabiu Suleiman Bichi – Managing Director Director (Kano)

3. Tijjani Musa Isa – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Jigawa)

4. Zainab Gamawa – Executive Director Agric Services (Bauchi)

5. Baffa Dandatti Abdulkadir – Executive Director, Engineering (Kano)

6 .Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso – Executive Director Finance (Kano)

CROSS RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (Cross River and Akwa Ibom)

1. Wabilly Nyiam – Chairman (Cross River)

2. Glory Ekpo Oho – Managing Director (Akwa Ibom)

3. Effiwatt Otu Eyo – Executive Director Finance (Cross River)

4. Ebiere Etuk Udoh – Executive Director, Agric Services (Akwa Ibom)

5. Charles Usua Akpan – Executive Director, Engineering (Akwa Ibom)

6. Ndom Abia -Executive Director, Planning and Design (Akwa Ibom)

SOKOTO RIMA BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Katsina)

1. Bello Yahaya Wurno – Chairman (Sokoto)

2 Abubakar Mallam – Managing Director (Kebbi)

3. Kabiru Ladan Maigoro – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Zamfara)

4. Abubakar Ibrahim – Executive Director, Finance (Katsina)

5. Muttaka Badaru Jikamshi – Executive Director, Agric Services (Katsina)

6 . Mansur Aminu – Executive Director, Engineering (Zamfara)

President Tinubu charges the appointees to pool their wealth of experience together by injecting new lease of life in their respective areas of responsibilities in harnessing and developing the nation’s vast water resource potentials for national development.

Open source devs are fighting AI crawlers with cleverness and vengeance

2025-03-29T14:13:00.001-07:00

by Nigel Sussman

AI web-crawling bots are the cockroaches of the internet, many software developers believe. Some devs have started fighting back in ingenuous, often humorous ways.

While any website might be targeted by bad crawler behavior — sometimes taking down the site — open source developers are “disproportionately” impacted, writes Niccolò Venerandi, developer of a Linux desktop known as Plasma and owner of the blog LibreNews.

By their nature, sites hosting free and open source (FOSS) projects share more of their infrastructure publicly, and they also tend to have fewer resources than commercial products.

The issue is that many AI bots don’t honor the Robots Exclusion Protocol robot.txt file, the tool that tells bots what not to crawl, originally created for search engine bots.

In a “cry for help” blog post in January, FOSS developer Xe Iaso described how AmazonBot relentlessly pounded on a Git server website to the point of causing DDoS outages. Git servers host FOSS projects so that anyone who wants can download the code or contribute to it.

But this bot ignored Iaso’s robot.txt, hid behind other IP addresses, and pretended to be other users, Iaso said.

“It’s futile to block AI crawler bots because they lie, change their user agent, use residential IP addresses as proxies, and more,” Iaso lamented.

“They will scrape your site until it falls over, and then they will scrape it some more. They will click every link on every link on every link, viewing the same pages over and over and over and over. Some of them will even click on the same link multiple times in the same second,” the developer wrote in the post.

Enter the god of graves

So Iaso fought back with cleverness, building a tool called Anubis.

Anubis is a reverse proxy proof-of-work check that must be passed before requests are allowed to hit a Git server. It blocks bots but lets through browsers operated by humans.

The funny part: Anubis is the name of a god in Egyptian mythology who leads the dead to judgment.

“Anubis weighed your soul (heart) and if it was heavier than a feather, your heart got eaten and you, like, mega died,” Iaso told TechCrunch. If a web request passes the challenge and is determined to be human, a cute anime picture announces success. The drawing is “my take on anthropomorphizing Anubis,” says Iaso. If it’s a bot, the request gets denied.

The wryly named project has spread like the wind among the FOSS community. Iaso shared it on GitHub on March 19, and in just a few days, it collected 2,000 stars, 20 contributors, and 39 forks.

Vengeance as defense

The instant popularity of Anubis shows that Iaso’s pain is not unique. In fact, Venerandi shared story after story:

Founder CEO of SourceHut Drew DeVault described spending “from 20-100% of my time in any given week mitigating hyper-aggressive LLM crawlers at scale,” and “experiencing dozens of brief outages per week.”

Jonathan Corbet, a famed FOSS developer who runs Linux industry news site LWN, warned that his site was being slowed by DDoS-level traffic “from AI scraper bots.”

Kevin Fenzi, the sysadmin of the enormous Linux Fedora project, said the AI scraper bots had gotten so aggressive, he had to block the entire country of Brazil from access.

Venerandi tells TechCrunch that he knows of multiple other projects experiencing the same issues. One of them “had to temporarily ban all Chinese IP addresses at one point.”

Let that sink in for a moment — that developers “even have to turn to banning entire countries” just to fend off AI bots that ignore robot.txt files, says Venerandi.

Beyond weighing the soul of a web requester, other devs believe vengeance is the best defense.

A few days ago on Hacker News, user xyzal suggested loading robot.txt forbidden pages with “a bucket load of articles on the benefits of drinking bleach” or “articles about positive effect of catching measles on performance in bed.”

“Think we need to aim for the bots to get _negative_ utility value from visiting our traps, not just zero value,” xyzal explained.

As it happens, in January, an anonymous creator known as “Aaron” released a tool called Nepenthes that aims to do exactly that. It traps crawlers in an endless maze of fake content, a goal that the dev admitted to Ars Technica is aggressive if not downright malicious. The tool is named after a carnivorous plant.

And Cloudflare, perhaps the biggest commercial player offering several tools to fend off AI crawlers, last week released a similar tool called AI Labyrinth.

It’s intended to “slow down, confuse, and waste the resources of AI Crawlers and other bots that don’t respect ‘no crawl’ directives,” Cloudflare described in its blog post. Cloudflare said it feeds misbehaving AI crawlers “irrelevant content rather than extracting your legitimate website data.”

Hut’s DeVault told TechCrunch that “Nepenthes has a satisfying sense of justice to it, since it feeds nonsense to the crawlers and poisons their wells, but ultimately Anubis is the solution that worked” for his site.

But DeVault also issued a public, heartfelt plea for a more direct fix: “Please stop legitimizing LLMs or AI image generators or GitHub Copilot or any of this garbage. I am begging you to stop using them, stop talking about them, stop making new ones, just stop.”

Since the likelihood of that is zilch, developers, particularly in FOSS, are fighting back with cleverness and a touch of humor.

Source:Techcrubh

FG takes over Tai Solarin varsity, Gombe hospital

2025-03-12T00:44:00.001-07:00

By Stephen Angbulu

The Federal Government has adopted the Tai Solarin University of Education in Ijagun, Ogun State as a federal university.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement he signed on Sunday titled, ‘Federal Government adopts TASUED Ogun State as Federal University.’

Established by the Ogun State Government in 2005, TASUED is Nigeria’s first specialised university of education.

It was named after revered activist and the founder of Mayflower School in Ikenne, Dr Tai Solarin.

As a federal institution, TASUED will be the first federally owned tertiary school in Ogun East Senatorial District.

“With a well-developed infrastructure and academic programme, the transition requires minimal federal investment,” said the Presidency.

Tinubu approved the adoption on Friday and thanked the Ogun State Government for inviting the Federal Government to take over the school, one of the state’s best educational assets.

“It is an opportunity for the Federal Government to honour Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who began the revolutionary free education programme in Western Nigeria and Dr Tai Solarin, who spent most of his life educating our children and impacting patriotic and leadership lessons in them at Mayflower School in Ikenne,” the President said.

He added, “It is also in honour of the Awujale of Ijebuland, who played a critical role in preventing the university’s closure in 2012, just seven years after its establishment.”

Awolowo and Solarin were celebrated figures from the Eastern Senatorial District of Ogun State, encompassing Ijebu and Remo.

President Tinubu emphasised that TASUED’s transition into a Federal University of Education is a strategic step in the Federal Government’s commitment to bolster teacher education and enhance the quality of instruction across all educational levels.

With TASUED’s new status, the Federal Government oversees seven education universities.

They are Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education in Owerri, Adeyemi Federal University of Education in Ondo and Federal University of Education, Kano.

Others are the Federal University of Education, Zaria; the Federal University of Education, Pankshin Plateau State and the Federal University of Education, Kontagora, Niger State.

In a similar vein, the FG has converted the Gombe State government-owned General Hospital, Kumo, into a Federal Medical Centre.

The Kumo Federal Medical Centre is the second federal medical institution in the state, after the Federal Teaching Hospital in Gombe, the capital.

The teaching hospital was initially a medical centre before being upgraded into a Federal Teaching Hospital.

According to Onanuga, the Kumo Federal Medical Centre will serve as a tertiary health hospital, contribute to the training of medical personnel, and boost health care service in Gombe State and the Northeast generally.

He said, “Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya formally requested the takeover of the facility. President Tinubu approved the request, given the poor maternal and neonatal mortality indices in the Northeastern region and other health indicators in Gombe State.”

The Federal Government also considered the state government’s commitment to improving its health sector, which aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda, which has unveiled comprehensive reforms in the health sector.

Tinubu commended Governor Yahaya for prioritising the welfare of the state’s citizens and stressed that the takeover would improve the state’s healthcare delivery system.

South African telecoms giant headed for pain

2025-03-01T03:37:00.001-08:00

By Bianke Neethling

MTN is set to report a loss for its 2024 financial year as foreign exchange headwinds undermine the company’s strong underlying operations.

In a trading update released on Thursday, 27 February 2025, MTN informed shareholders that its earnings would turn to losses for the 2024 financial year.

The telecoms giant explained that it expects to report a strong underlying performance despite the challenges in the operating environment.

However, it said the company remains affected by several external factors, including the negative impact of local currency devaluation over the year, particularly the Nigerian naira.

“This included both translation effects and forex losses in our financials,” MTN explained.

“An additional factor impacting our results is the operational challenges in Sudan due to the ongoing conflict in the country.”

These factors will see the company’s earnings per share (EPS) fall by over 300% to a loss per share of between 554 cents and 509 cents, compared to earnings of 227 cents in 2023.

Headline earnings per share (HEPS) are expected to fall by as much as 79% but will remain in positive territory of between 66 and 129 cents per share.

The company explained that its HEPS were negatively impacted by some non-operational items, including:

Hyperinflation adjustments of approximately -16 cents (2023: -150 cents)

Foreign exchange losses of approximately -598 cents (2023: -715 cents), which includes naira depreciation impact of approximately -399 cents (2023: -593 cents)

A deferred tax charge of approximately -58 cents (2023: nil)

Other non-operational items of approximately -46 cents (2023: -23 cents)

The significant difference between HEPS and EPS is attributed largely to impairment losses on investments, goodwill, property, plant and equipment related to Sudan.

Daily Investor calculated that MTN’s expected net loss for the 2024 financial year is between R9.6 billion and R10.4 billion.

This will be the company’s second loss since 2016, with the first being the R9.68 billion it posted for the first half of its 2024 financial year.

Despite the impact of external factors, MTN said it delivered a strong underlying performance.

The telecoms giant expects to report an improvement in the trajectory of MTN South Africa’s profitability, as well as strong operational performances in MTN Nigeria, MTN Ghana and MTN Uganda.

In particular, it highlighted the approval of tariff adjustments by regulators in Nigeria announced in January 2025.

The company said this was a significant milestone in ensuring the long-term sustainability of its business and the telecoms industry in the country.

“We are encouraged by the relative stability of some important key macroeconomic indicators in the second half of the 2024 financial year – such as inflation and foreign exchange rates in some of our key markets,” it said.

“This provided some support to our performance in the period, and we anticipate reporting a pleasing positive momentum in second-half earnings, free cash flow and holding company leverage ratio.”

MTN is expected to release its full-year results on or about Monday, 17 March 2025.

Universities That Offer HND-BSc Conversion Programmes in Nigeria

2025-02-28T13:47:00.000-08:00

The discrimination against graduates of polytechnics is the main reason for the popularity of HND-BSc conversion programmes in the Nigerian universities.

What is HND-BSc Conversion Programme?
Also known as a top-up, this is a programme organized by universities for holders of Higher National Diploma (HND) who wish to close the artificial academic gap created by employers between polytechnic and university graduates. The programme allows them to upgrade their polytechnic degree to a university degree without using the Direct Entry route.

However, the conversion programme isn’t exclusively designed for HND holders. Graduates of universities with a Pass can also enrol for the programme. Technically, it is for both HND and BSc holders (with a poor academic standing).

Nigerian Universities Offering The Programmes

1) Dominican University Ibadan (DUI): 4 semesters (2 academic sessions)

2) Osun State University: 6 semesters, spanning 24 months (2 academic sessions)

3) Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo: 6 semesters (2 academic sessions)

4) NBTE Top-Up Programme: 2 semesters (1 session, i.e., one year)

5) Igbinedion University Okada: 4 semesters (2 academic sessions)

6) Kwara State University: 2 academic sessions (6 semesters)

7) Al-Hikmah University: 2 academic sessions (6 semesters)

8) University of Calabar:

2 semesters (one academic session) for applicants with at least a Third Class or HND qualification.
4 semesters (2 academic sessions) for applicants with a Pass degree.
9) Lagos State University: 2 academic sessions

10) Delta State University: 2 academic sessions

11) Babcock University: Two years

12) Federal University Oye-Ekiti: 2 academic sessions (6 semesters)

13) Ignatius Ajuru University of Education: 1 academic session (2 semesters)

14) Bells University of Technology: Bells University has temporarily stopped its top-up programme.

15) Anchor University: 6 semesters (2 academic sessions)

Past Government’s Efforts to Close the Gap
Before Nigerian universities began offering programmes tailored to the needs of polytechnic graduates, several attempts were made to bridge the gap between the two qualifications, but these efforts largely failed. Some notable attempts include:

2017 Directive by the Federal Ministry of Interior:
The ministry instructed that polytechnic and university graduates should have the same entry level (level 8), especially in paramilitary services.

2021 National Assembly Bill:
On November 23, 2021, the National Assembly passed “A Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First Degree and Higher National Diploma in the Same Profession/Field for the Purpose of Employment; and for Related Matters.”

This bill aimed to criminalize discrimination against HND certificate holders. Unfortunately, President Muhammadu Buhari did not assent to the bill before leaving office in May 2023.

To date, HND holders cannot rise to the same level as BSc holders in the civil service. The matter has since faded from public discussion, prompting HND holders to seek personal development opportunities by upgrading their qualifications through top-up programmes offered by various institutions.

General Requirements
To enrol in an HND-BSc conversion programme, candidates typically need:

A minimum of five O’ level subjects in no more than two (2) sittings, relevant to their programme of study.
A National Diploma (ND) certificate.
An HND certificate in a related course.
Evidence of completion of the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme or an NYSC exemption letter.

Duration of the Programme
The programme typically lasts two academic sessions (2 years) in most universities. However, the number of semesters may vary. For instance, universities like ACU and Osun State University run three semesters per session. At institutions like Igbinedion University Okada, the duration is four semesters across two academic sessions, as outlined above.

Sourced

NITDA, Netherlands Strengthen Ties on Cybersecurity

2025-02-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has hosted the Netherlands Ambassador at Large on Cyber Affairs, Mr Ernst Noorman, on a courtesy visit to discuss strategic areas of collaboration in cybersecurity.

The discussions focused on key issues, including the international cyber agenda, cyber threats, and cybercrime in Nigeria. Recognising the increasing complexity and frequency of cyber threats globally, both parties explored ways to foster strategic partnerships that would enhance Nigeria’s cybersecurity resilience, build capacity, and drive innovation in digital security.

Mr Noorman highlighted the Netherlands’ expertise in cybersecurity, particularly in developing robust cyber policies, fostering public-private partnerships, and strengthening cybercrime prevention mechanisms. He expressed his country’s willingness to support Nigeria in key areas such as:

Cybersecurity Policy Development – Strengthening Nigeria’s regulatory and legal framework to combat cyber threats effectively.

Capacity Building and Knowledge Exchange – Facilitating training programmes, workshops, and knowledge-sharing initiatives to enhance local cybersecurity expertise.

Technology and Innovation – Supporting Nigeria’s efforts to develop homegrown cybersecurity solutions that align with global best practices.

In response, Inuwa reaffirmed NITDA’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital ecosystem through international cooperation, reinforcing existing cybersecurity policies, and supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for a secure and prosperous digital economy.

He noted that NITDA is already working closely with key stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector players, and international partners, to ensure the country’s cybersecurity landscape is fortified against emerging threats.

This partnership marks a significant step towards bolstering Nigeria’s cyber defences, enhancing cross-border collaboration on cybersecurity challenges, and ensuring a safer digital environment for businesses and individuals in the country.

Bauchi State Community Seeks Upgrade Of Sumu Wide Life Park

2025-02-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

The District Head of Kafin Madaki in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Alhaji Baba Gidado has advocated upgrade of the Sumu Wild Life Park, to boost tourism in the State.

Gidado said this during a courtesy visit by members of the Bauchi State Correspondents’ Chapel, led by its Chairman, Ahmed Mohammed, on Wednesday in Kafin Madaki.

He said that construction of access road and infrastructure development at the park would promote tourism, encourage commercial activities and boost state revenue base.

According to Gidado, the Sumu park holds immense potential as a tourist attraction that has the potential to attract local and international visitors.

He stressed the need for proactive measures to upgrade the park to fully harness its potentials and provide livelihoods to the host communities.

He added that members of the chapel had visited the Sumu Wildlife Park to assess its potential and explore ways to advocate for government intervention to transform the park into a thriving tourism hub.

NAN

Strengthening technical education for economic growth…the TETFund, NAE approach

2025-02-15T23:28:00.001-08:00

Nigeria is not lagging in the establishment of technical education institutions. In fact, it can boast so many across the country, including polytechnics, technical colleges, vocational training centres and specialised institutes. These offer diverse programmes in different fields including engineering, agriculture, health sciences and information technology.

However, beyond the number lies several challenges ranging from inadequate funding to limited infrastructure, outdated equipment, deficiency of learning spaces, curriculum disconnection and shortage of skilled educators.

It was with the intent of surmounting these challenges that stakeholders in the education sector sustained calls for collaborative efforts among governmental bodies, educational institutions and industry experts.

In response to this call, the Federal Government has taken steps to improve the sector through a collaborative effort between the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE). The aim was to bridge the skills gap by strengthening technical and vocational education and training.

At the recent signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arch. Sonny Echono, stated that Nigeria must go beyond rhetoric’s on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and take concrete visible actions.

Although there were various TVET policies over the years, the Echono felt that the country has failed to implement them effectively.

“Many of our polytechnics, which are intended to be the pillars of TVET in this country, are offering courses that have no bearing on TVET. The laboratories, the workshops that they have, often contain obsolete equipment.

“Many do not have the requisite technical staff to man these facilities. We are still grappling with the issue of power and ensuring that production can take place, and that teaching and learning can happen,” he said.

On his part, the President, Nigerian Academy of Engineers, Rahamon Adisa Bello, described the event as a groundbreaking milestone, which marked the beginning of a collaborative effort to promote Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Nigeria.

He said the initiative was aimed at bridging the gap in the Nigerian economy by bringing together various agencies and professional bodies to support the government in establishing TVET activities.

Bello also underscored the importance of the collaboration, noting that it would help address the shortage of technicians and artisans in the country. He explained that by working together, stakeholders can create a more robust TVET ecosystem capable of driving economic growth and development.

“It has been established that we have an inverted pyramid in the engineering profession. When we talk about the availability of professionals for development, the lack of technicians and artisans is obvious and needs to be reversed and urgently filled.

“But it is important to note that the Federal Government of Nigeria has commenced the process of reawakening this through the recent launch of the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and the inclusion of the National Skills Qualification that was sworn into the scheme of service in Nigeria,” Bello said.

Also speaking, the President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Margaret Oguntala, said that engineering and technical education were indispensable components of national development.

According to her, a country’s ability to develop and maintain its infrastructure, harness its natural resources and innovate new technologies is inextricably linked to its investment in engineering and technical education.

“The signing of this MoU is long overdue. I am glad that the Executive Secretary has found time for us to sign it. The objective of TVET is very clear – to provide a physical mass of people and their skills for the work. TVET is part of our strategic agenda. The NSE strategic agenda has five pillars, and TVET comes under community impact in pillar number four.

“I believe that with this MoU, we will all be able to chart the path forward for the growth of technical industry, using the technical skills that we have,” she stated.

Reacting, the Vice President, Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Prof. Umar Dambatta, expressed the need for Nigeria to prioritise engineering and technical education by equipping its institutions to provide necessary skills and knowledge required to drive innovation and economic growth.

The former Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) pointed out that by so doing, the country can unlock its full potential and achieve sustainable development.

He insisted that Nigeria must invest in modernising its technical education infrastructure by updating its curriculum and enhancing quality of teaching through professional development programmes for instructors.

He urged stakeholders to create partnerships between educational institutions and industries to relevant in the market.

With the signing of the MoU, stakeholders believed that Nigeria has taken a major leap forward in repositioning technical education to drive economic growth, create jobs and sustainable development.(Guardian)