Economy
Kwara: First Lady Inaugurates NITDA/RHI ICT Centre
Kwara: First Lady Inaugurates NITDA/RHI ICT Centre
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has launched the National Information Technology Development Agency Community ICT Centre in collaboration with the Renewed Hope Initiative.
The Renewed Hope Initiative is Mrs Tinubu’s project introduced to transform lives across the country through various programmes in health, education, agriculture, social investment, and economic empowerment.
During the commissioning of the ICT centre at the Kwara State College of Education on Tuesday, the first lady congratulated the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, and his team for working closely with RHI to bridge the digital gap nationwide.
She said the construction and equipment provided were in furtherance of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to accelerate economic diversification through industrialisation and digitalisation.
She added that the knowledge of ICT serves as a vital tool for empowering communities, especially women, enabling them to break traditional barriers and access new opportunities.
He stated, “In this collaboration with NITDA, on March 12, 2024, we commissioned the first-ever ICT community centre constructed by NITDA, named the Zainab Bulkachuwa Community ICT Centre in Bauchi State.
“NITDA has constructed four community ICT centres so far.
The centre we are commissioning today is the second, while Benue and Oyo centres are ready to be commissioned soon. Therefore, today’s commissioning presents us with another opportunity under the mandate of the Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy to further expand digital access for our citizens by providing communities with the resources they require to develop ICT skills.’’
According to Mrs Tinubu, Digital Economy Centres in five states and the Federal Capital Territory have also been fully equipped with computers and other ICT materials.
The five states include Jigawa, Ebonyi, Cross River, Oyo, Niger, and the FCT
She said 10 additional centres in Abia, Edo, Delta, Ondo, Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Nasarawa, Yobe, and Zamfara are being fully equipped and will be ready for commissioning soon.
She stated, “I have been informed that these centres have greatly benefitted our youth, especially women and girls, by providing invaluable opportunities for growth and empowerment. I am glad to hear about the success stories and the opportunities these centres are offering members of these various communities that have benefitted from this intervention.
“By equipping themselves with ICT skills, women and girls can enhance their educational prospects, be self-reliant, participate in the global economy, and support their families.
“I urge the community members to take full ownership of this centre. The success of this centre depends on their active participation and utilisation of the resources available.’’
The first lady, under the RHI Economic Empowerment scope, presented a grant of N50 million naira to Olufolake Abdulrazaq, the wife of the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
Mrs Abdulrazaq is also the state coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative.
The money, according to Mrs Tinubu, is to support another set of 1,000 women petty traders with the sum of N50,000 each to enable them to recapitalise their existing businesses in addition to the earlier empowerment of 1,000 women in the state in 2024.
Under the RHI Social Investment Programme, 250 elderly citizens were given a grant of N200,000 each in December 2024 to enable them to celebrate Christmas.
In addition, RHI, under its education programme, is working closely with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to build an alternative high school for girls in Kwara State.
Responding, the director general of NITDA said the centre was equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for robust learning.
Mr Abdulrazaq and his wife praised Mrs Tinubu and NITDA for providing the centre.

First Lady
He urged stakeholders in a better Nigeria to do more for society, saying, “It is important to invest in the future of the youth. This project is not just an investment in infrastructure; it makes a powerful statement about the essential role of technology in our survival and progress in this era.”
He expressed gratitude to the federal government and the RHI for contributing to innovation in the state.
The centre is named Amina Ndalolo Community ICT Centre.
Economy
Deepwater Development on the Cards as GCEO NNPC Limited Meets NAE MD
Deepwater Development on the Cards as GCEO NNPC Limited Meets NAE MD
Group CEO of NNPC Limited, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, received in audience the Vice Chairman/Managing Director of Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAE), Mr. Maurizio Pinna, in Abuja recently.
Eereporter.com
Discussions centred on deepwater development with a focus on the work underway on the acreage held by the two companies as well as expected production.

NNPC, NAE
NAE operates the licences converted from OPL 245 together with NNPC Limited and SNEPCo. The acreage holds the Zabazaba and Etan deepwater fields, estimated at 500 MMbbl of reserves.
Eereporter.com
Economy
NNPC, EITI Strengthen Cooperation on Deeper Disclosures, Global Standards
NNPC, EITI Strengthen Cooperation on Deeper Disclosures, Global Standards
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) have pledged to deepen their cooperation towards deeper disclosures, transparent reporting, and compliance with global EITI standards.
Eereporter.com
The pledge came on the heels of a visit by the EITI Africa Country Director, Gilbert Makore, to the NNPC Towers recently. The visit forms part of the ongoing validation of Nigeria against the 2023 EITI Standard.
Makore particularly commended NNPC Limited’s measurable progress on outstanding validation requirements and with disclosures that now track EITI expectations more closely.
Group CEO of NNPC Limited, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, who described the EITI as a useful platform for attracting investment and building stakeholder confidence, said it allows the company to show its governance and transparency records.

NNPC
Makore was accompanied on the visit by the EITI Validation Lead, Riley Zecca; the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Director, Policy, Planning and Strategy, Dieter Bassi; Director, Technical, Sa’ad Balarabe; and Director, Communications and Stakeholder Management, Obiageli Onuorah.
Technical sessions with the NNPC’s Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Division were held to review the work done to close identified validation gaps.
Eereporter.com
Crime
EFCC Commences Investigations of Suspect, $73,000, £15,957 & 827,800 SAR Intercepted at Kano Airport
EFCC Commences Investigations of Suspect, $73,000, £15,957 & 827,800 SAR Intercepted at Kano Airport
The Kano Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigation of a suspect, Haruna Yusuf and multiple undeclared foreign currencies, , $73,000( Seventy Three United States Dollar) £15,957 ( Fifteen Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Seven Pound Sterling) & 827,800 Saudi Riyal intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, MAKIA.
Eereporter.com
The investigation commenced after the handover of the suspect and the undeclared currencies by the Acting Customs Area Comptroller of the Kano/Jigawa Command, Deputy Comptroller U. U. Adamu at the Customs Area Command in Kano.
The intercepted currencies, which exceeded the legally permitted threshold, were discovered during routine primary and secondary screenings of arriving passengers between August 8 and August 12, 2026.
The Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC, Kano Directorate, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE1 Friday S. Ebelo, received the suspect and the recovered funds on behalf of the Commission.
According to Adamu, the Customs made two separate interceptions.
On August 8, 2026, “at approximately 14:20 hours, officers conducting passenger screening at the baggage seat of MAKIA intercepted an unaccompanied Saudi Air luggage containing 827,800 Saudi Riyals and $53,300 The currencies were found concealed inside a footwear.” Adamu stated.
Similarly, on August 12, 2026 “at approximately 13:50 hours, officers of the Nigerian Custom Service also flagged a luggage belonging to one Mr. Haruna Yusuf, who arrived at MAKIA on board Ethiopian Airlines flight ET941. During secondary screening using Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology, $20,000 USD and £15,957 were found concealed inside sportswear shoes”, he said.
Adamu thereafter formally handed over the suspect, Mr. Haruna Yusuf, alongside all recovered exhibits to Ebelo for further investigation and prosecution. He noted that the handover was in accordance with Section 4(f) of the NCS Act 2023, which empowers the Service to collaborate with other border regulatory agencies.
Adamu further explained that, “these interceptions demonstrate the readiness and vigilance of our officers in detecting cross-border movement of undeclared foreign currencies above the allowed threshold. The Command will continue to deploy technology, professional expertise, and intelligence-driven measures, including inter-agency collaboration to strengthen border controls and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s financial systems.”
Receiving the suspect and exhibits on behalf of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, Ebelo expressed profound gratitude to the Customs Service for its professionalism and cooperation with EFCC officers recently deployed to the airport.
“We must sustain this vigilance at all our entry points to counter the illegal movement of currency. The failure to declare large sums of currency and its equivalent is a violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022,” he said.
He urged the public to comply with the law, emphasizing that declaring currency attracts no penalty, only the source of undeclared funds may raise legal concerns.
“Once more, we call on the general public: as much as we are Nigerians and we encourage trade in and out of the country, people must adhere to the laws of the land. You must declare the currency you are carrying. If you declare it, nobody will seize your currency,” he said.

EFCC
Ebelo reaffirmed the EFCC’s commitment to thorough investigations and prosecution, stating that the Commission would continue to follow the law diligently
Both Ebelo and Adamu applauded the longstanding synergy between the EFCC and NCS which has been critical to combating financial crimes and illegal cash movement across Nigeria’s borders.
Eereporter.com
-
Crime1 year agoKogi Assembly Considers Law To Regulate Rent, Establish Control Board: Tenancy Law
-
News1 year agoAtiku Reveals Why He Failed To Pick Wike As Running Mate In 2023
-
Akwa Ibom2 years agoThe Apostolic Church Gets New Territorial Chairman, Exco
-
Crime2 years agoFederal High Court Jails 2 For Vandalizing Transformer, Telecom Mast In Kogi
-
News2 years agoThe Apostolic Church Gets New National President, Executive
-
Akwa Ibom2 years agoUmo Eno Commences Payment Of 80,000 Naira Minimum Wage With Arrears
-
News1 year agoSenator Natasha Returns To Senate With Husband Amid Seat Dispute
-
Economy1 year agoKiyosaki: Is Tinubu’s Government Afraid Of Ibrahim Traore?
