The UN accuses Ethiopia of detaining its staff

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November 10, 2021

The Nigerian Communications Commission has warned android phone users of a new malware gaining access to smartphones and taking control of infected phones.

This was disclosed by the NCC via a statement signed by the commission’s Director, Public Affairs, Ikechukwu Adinde on Tuesday.

The NCC said the malware is called AbstractEmu and can gain access to smartphones, take complete control of infected smartphones and silently modify device settings while simultaneously taking steps to evade detection.

What NCC is saying about malware

NCC stated that this discovery was made by the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team. The commission claimed that the malware is distributed through Google Play Store and other third-party stores.

The commission said, “AbstractEmu is distributed via Google Play Store and third-party stores such as the Amazon Appstore and the Samsung Galaxy Store, as well as other lesser-known marketplaces like Aptoide and APKPure.

“The advisory stated that a total of 19 Android applications that posed as utility apps and system tools like password managers, money managers, app launchers, and data saving apps have been reported to contain the rooting functionality of the malware.

“The apps are said to have been prominently distributed via the third-party stores and the apps include All Passwords, Anti-ads Browser, Data Saver, Lite Launcher, My Phone, Night Light and Phone Plus, among others.”

According to the commission, rooting malware is very dangerous, and uses the rooting process to gain privileged access to an android operating system.

The NCC added that once installed, the attack chain is designed to leverage one of five exploits for older Android security flaws that would allow it to gain root permissions.

The NCC said the malware will take over the device, install additional malware, extract sensitive data, and transmit to a remote attack-controlled server.

The commission said, “Additionally, the malware can modify the phone settings to give app ability to reset the device password, or lock the device, through device admin; draw over other windows; install other packages; access accessibility services; ignore battery optimisation; monitor notifications; capture screenshots; record device screen; disable Google Play Protect; as well as modify permissions that grant access to contacts, call logs, Short Messaging Service (SMS), Geographic Positioning System (GPS), camera, and microphone.”

The NCC said ngCERT advises users to be wary of installing unknown or unusual apps, and look out for different behaviours as they use their phones. It added that users should reset their phones to factory settings when there is suspicion of unusual behaviours.

Okagbare was never abandoned in Tokyo, says AFN

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November 10, 2021

An official of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has described as false an allegation by Blessing Okagbare’s sister, Grace that the sprinter was abandoned soon after she was suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) over drugs issues at the Tokyo Olympics Games.

Okagbare was suspended on the eve of her semifinal in the 100m event in Tokyo.

Apart from accusing the nation of abandoning the sprinter, her sister also alleged that Blessing was being forced to accept doping charges instituted against her by the AIU.

However, an official of the AFN told correspondents that top officials of the federation as well as those in Team Nigeria nearly ‘stepped out of the boundary’ in Tokyo in their bid to show Okagbare solidarity shortly after the news of her suspension was broken.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had said that it charged Okagbare after she tested positive for human growth hormone and recombinant erythropoietin (EPO).

Daystar Power connects Seven-Up factories to solar energy

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November 10, 2021

Daystar Power is partnering with Seven-Up Bottling Company (SBC) to roll out solar power systems as a primary day-time energy source for all of its Nigerian factories over the next year, Daystar announced in Lagos, Tuesday.

Daystar Power, a leading off-grid power service provider, offering hybrid power solutions to commercial and industrial businesses in West Africa, recently installed a 990kW solar power system at the Kano factory of SBC.

This installation will bring SBC’s total installed solar power capacity to 12mw, making it Nigeria’s largest industrial player using solar energy to power its operations, according to the release.

MTN Nigeria, Airtel PSBs to create 1m direct jobs

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November 10, 2021

Following the granting of approval in principle (AIP) by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), MTN Nigeria and Airtel now have about six months to become licenced Payment Service Banks (PSBs).

Apart from helping to include 40 million adult Nigerians outside the financial services industry, the move could create over 1 million direct jobs in 2022.

MTN Nigeria and Airtel combined boast 124.6 million voice subscribers and 96.1 data subscribers. Apart from that, MTN Nigeria through its MoMo Super Agent network has amassed 230,000 agents across the country, and given its experience as the second-largest mobile money operator in Africa, after Safaricom, deploying the same service in Nigeria would not be so difficult for the telco.

The telco is expected to grow its agent network from 230,000 in order to deepen its mobile money presence across the country. Airtel would plug into its large population of airtime resellers to quickly grow its agent network. This is the same strategy it deployed in nearly all the 14 African countries where it currently operates mobile money services.

The model would also attract hundreds of young unemployed Nigerians providing the telco with over 100,000 banking agents. MTN Nigeria and Airtel could also be the push Globacom needs to launch its mobile money operations after one year of securing the licence.

The CBN wants to provide access to financial services to 95 percent of Nigerians who are not financially included by 2024. In the past, the CBN has pushed the commercial banks to lead the financial inclusion campaign and the result has not been as the apex bank expected.

Anambra guber: INEC declares Soludo winner

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November 10, 2021

The Anambra State governorship election was eventually concluded this morning as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced former Central Bank governor and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, as winner of the poll that began on Saturday.

INEC had declared the election inconclusive on Sunday after no votes were cast in Ihiala Council, hence the supplementary election.

THE governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Akachukwu Nwakpo, said he supported and voted for APGA in the supplementary election, yesterday, because the results of the election announced so far reflected the wish and mandate of the people.

A large turnout of voters was reported across all polling units in Ihiala.

The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Obinna Uzor, also expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the rerun election.

He told reporters after casting his vote at Umunnamehi community school 3, PU024 ward 1, that he was hopeful and prayed that a good leader would emerge to encourage peace and development in Anambra.

Soludo polled a total of 112,229 votes to defeat his closest rival Valentine Ozigbo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 53, 807 to emerge second.

Senator Andy Uba, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) got a total of 43,285 votes to emerge the third position.

Declaring the result at about 1: 51am Wednesday at the INEC headquarters, Awka, Prof. Florence Obi, returning officer for 2021 Anambra Governorship Election, announced, said: “Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner of the election.”

Obi said that there were 2,466,638 total registered voters; 241,523 total valid votes; 249,631 total votes cast and 8,108 rejected votes.

European Union Opens Higher Education Scholarship portal for Nigerians

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November 10, 2021

The European Union has called for applications for next year’s Erasmus+ scholarship programme in line with its commitment to expanding opportunities for quality higher education for young Nigerians even as it stated that youths remain the key to Nigeria’s development.

The EU said it is building partnerships between young Africans and their European counterparts because young people will remain critical in addressing current global challenges, including the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and making the world a better place.

At the National Youth Conference organised by the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports in Abuja, the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, said youths are not only the future, but also constitute the largest generation of young people in history.

Urpilainen said she had mandated EU Delegations across Africa to establish a Youth Sounding Board to ensure youths are mainstreamed into their decision-making processes to reflect diversity and inclusivity.

“In Nigeria, seven youths out of ten are under 30 years old. Whether it’s politics, economy, or the EU-Nigeria partnership, we need youth participation. That is why this Nigerian National Youth Conference is so important. Youth is a top priority in the EU’s partnership with Africa,” she observed.

Also speaking during a presentation, Precious Uchechi Eze, a National Youth Service Corps member and a member of the recently inaugurated European Union Youth Sounding Board in Nigeria, said the NYSC is proposing to set up a Trust Fund for corps members that will serve as a support system for the corps members facing various challenges during their service period.

Meanwhile, the EU has called for applications for next year’s Erasmus+ scholarship programme

The Erasmus+ is the EU’s flagship programme for education, training, youth and sport, offering beneficiaries scholarships to study in some of the most prestigious universities within and outside Europe. It also enables youths, students, staff and higher education institutes to attend or work with European Higher Education Institutions.

The programme equips young Nigerians with the education, skills and competences they need to thrive in a globalised economy, hence, contributing to nation-building.

This year, 134 Nigerians were awarded a prestigious Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree scholarship. This is not only a steep increase compared to previous years, but also makes Nigeria the top country of Africa with most selected students. Worldwide, Nigeria is up there together with Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Mexico and Pakistan as top six countries with most awardees.

The EU urges Nigerians and Nigerian Higher Education Institutes to take advantage of the provided opportunities for investment in knowledge, skills and competences

ASUU Calls For Collaborative Effort To Improve Education Funding

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November 10, 2021

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said successive governments have surrendered Nigeria to Europe, America and Asia since 1976, which was responsible for the “continued depletion of the economy.”

It added that others controlling Nigerians were the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, African Development Bank and World Trade Organisation.

ASUU added that policies on enhanced quality, access and affordability of education at all levels had been abandoned.

ASUU stated these in a communique issued at the end of its national summit at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, with the theme, ‘Nigeria: The state of the nation,’ organised by its Bauchi Zone.

The communique which was signed by the coordinator of ASUU (Bauchi Zone), Prof. Lawan Abubakar; and Convener, Local Organising Committee), Dr Oladimeji Lawal, was obtained by in Abuja on Monday.

The communique reads, “The summit observed that the policies on enhanced quality, full government provisioning, access and affordability of education at all levels, captured and clearly envisioned in the National Policy on Education (1976), had been systematically abandoned by successive ruling class governments (military and civilian) since the late 1970s when our “rulers” surrendered the sovereignty of our country to IMF and the World Bank.

“They also abandon the patriotic vision of the Second National Development Plan on which the 1976 NPE was pivoted. This systematic subversion of the possibilities of the said vision also underlies the equivocations and non-justiciability of the right to education and other social welfare rights codified in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“All patriots, especially the victims of the various manifestations of the current crises of Nigeria, must organise to restore the sovereignty of the masses of Nigeria’s working people – the sovereignty of our country Nigeria.

“Most of the debilitating economic and social policies of Nigeria’s governments are dictated and enforced by international economic and financial forces like IMF, World Bank, AfDB and WTO, which are controlled by foreign powers in Europe, America and Asia.”

The summit also criticised what it described as the “definitive, sad, and present situation” of the nation’s educational facilities and “the deliberate and progressive decline in the annual budgetary allocations to education in the last two decades.”

ASUU said, “The combined effect of reduced funding of public educational institutions on one hand, and the commercialisation and privatisation of education on the other, had impacted negatively on the conditions of service of all categories of workers in the education sector, especially in private schools and universities where workers are receiving slave wages.”

The summit called on workers, unions and organisations to intensify collaborative efforts towards protecting and improving both their conditions of service and improved public funding of the education sector.

Former Monarch, Sanusi Begins Studies For PhD At London University

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November 10, 2021

The immediate past Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, has returned to the classroom as a doctoral candidate at the University of London, United Kingdom.

Sanusi, who disclosed this on Monday, said he recently relocated to London for the academic programme.

Earlier in 2019, Sanusi was awarded an honorary doctorate in finance at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London.

Sanusi had in 1997 earned a second bachelor’s degree in Islamic studies and fiqh at the Africa International University in Khartoum, Sudan.

The former monarch, who in 1981 earned a degree in Economics, was also recently offered a visiting fellowship at Oxford University.

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, whose thirst for knowledge is seemingly insatiable, is arguably one of the most educated Nigerians that ever became a monarch in the country.

He said he is currently combining his academic responsibility at Oxford University with his new role as a PhD student.

About five months after his controversial dethronement in 2020, Sanusi was granted a visiting fellowship at the African Studies Centre of the University of Oxford.

Sanusi’s role, which commenced in October 2020, was for the 2020/2021 academic calendar year.

The Oxford University’s African Studies Centre is regarded as one of the world’s leading centres of African Studies, and it is reckoned to have trained graduate students now holding important positions in different spheres of social, economic and political life in Africa and the rest of the world.

With strengths in the Social Sciences and the Humanities, the centre is said to enjoy a reputation for high quality, relevant research that plays a leading role in academic debates as well as public policy.

According to report, the Centre had noted in its statement at the time that Sanusi would use the period of his affiliation with the centre to write a book on his experiences as governor of Nigeria’s central bank.

The writing was suggested to be themed: “Central Bank Response to Global Financial Crisis: A Case Study of the Central Bank of Nigeria 2009-2013.”

ABSU VC Hint Students On Possible Hike in School Fees

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November 10, 2021