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NITDA donates N30M ICT centre to Foundation

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NITDA donates N30M ICT centre to Foundation

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), on Saturday donated a N30 million ICT centre to the Richard George Foundation (RGF).

The Director- General, NITDA, Mr Kashifu Abdullahi made the donation at the formal inauguration of Gala/ Fund raising of RGF in Abuja.

Abdullahi explained that part of the agency intervention programme, which was also part of President Bola Tinubu ‘s “Renewed Hope” agenda was to provide infrastructure that could be used to promote innovation and entrepreneurship for people.

“We call it digital economy centre. We provide such centres to schools and communities.

“The centre comes with computers, furnitures, internet connectivity, printers, photo copiers, air conditioners, solar power, generators, and all necessary equipment needed for a centre to function,” he said.

The NITDA boss also said that the three strategic pillars of the foundation, which included education, skills and entrepreneurship,connected with his life story.

”I was born and raised in Jigawa, in a community full of artisans. But most of the people don’t go to school.

”But I was opportuned to go to school because my parents, especially my father insisted that we must finish university before we start anything.

”So I was brought up with two core values, which were my home core values, and my community ‘s core values, ” he said.

Abdullahi said that his father instilled that in him the core values, and that in all sincerity, the RGF strategic pillars connected and aligned with that value.

He narrated how he was inspired to become a computer scientist.

“The education I got in school is what gave me the knowledge, and I turned that knowledge into skill.

“But on that skill I needed to stand out and get noticed to become an entrepreneur, and so I did my first job, which was to design a web.

“I gave out the web for free, which eventually led to the people inviting me to design a similar web for them, and I was paid N1.5 million,” he said.

The NITDA boss said that money should not always be the main focus but skills acquisition.

”Try and develop skills, and with skills, money will come naturally.

“My story is to inspire the young people, that its not about the morning all the time, but about the skills, and its not about just education, but also the skill.

“When you have education, you need to have the skills to validate the education, without the skill, you cannot validate.

“And also to be an entrepreneur, you need to have that spirit to start and do something,” the NITDA boss said.

Earlier, Mr Richard George, Founder, RGF, said that the event of the day marked a milestone in his life because it birthed a dream.

According to him, the dream is to give back to his community through mentoring young and talented African graduates with a vision “To Raise Africa’s Change Makers”.

He said that the RGF summarized his humble beginnings.

Meanwhile one of the mentee, Mrs Ibigotemieari Adebiyi, described her journey with RGF as one of self-discovery and transformation.

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Breaking: Governor Yusuf Reshuffles Cabinet

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano state has reshuffled his cabinet. The spokesperson to the Governor Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa stated this on his verified Facebook page .

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Tax reform: Coalition of Northern Groups advocates for equitable tax system

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The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), a youth organisation, has called for a more equitable tax system in Nigeria, urging policymakers to implement reforms that will ensure fairness across all regions.

The group’s Kano State Coordinator, Mr. Sani Yusuf, made the call during a news conference on Friday in Kano.

Yusuf expressed concern that the proposed reforms, if implemented in their current form, would have severe and disproportionate consequences for Kano State, its institutions, and its people.

“Our position is based on key observations that directly impact Kano’s economic, educational, and technological sectors. Immediate attention must be given to these issues,” Yusuf said.

According to him, contentious aspect of the tax reforms is the introduction of a 60 percent derivation formula for VAT revenue allocation.

“In the absence of transparent data justifying this shift, it is unclear how states like Kano, where consumption is high, will be affected by the new system,” Yusuf said.

He further expressed concern about the lack of publicly available data detailing how these changes will impact each state, particularly Kano.

The coalition also urged the government to release this data and provide justification for the fairness of the new formula, especially if it is claimed that non-Lagos states, including Kano, would benefit.

He said that the troubling element of the reforms was the proposed incremental increase in VAT rates, potentially reaching 15 percent by 2030.

“In a country already grappling with high poverty levels and widespread economic hardship, any increase in VAT will only worsen the challenges faced by ordinary Nigerians.

“The coalition strongly opposes these proposed VAT hikes and we called on the government to explore alternative revenue sources that do not further burden the people of Kano and the rest of the country,” the coordinator said.

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Yusuf submits list of 6 commissioner-nominees to Kano Assembly

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Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf of Kano State has submitted a list of six commissioner-nominees to the House of Assembly for approval.

Speaker of the assembly, Alhaji Jibrin Falgore, announced this while reading a letter from the governor during Monday’s plenary.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the nominees include: former Chief of Staff to the Governor, Shehu Sagagi, Dr Dahiru Hashim, Ibrahim Waiya, Dr Isma’il Dan- Maraya, Gaddafi Shehu and Abdulkadir AbdulSalam.

NAN also reports that the nominations followed the cabinet reshuffle announced by the governor last week which saw the office of chief of staff abolished and five commissioners removed.

The reshuffle also saw the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Baffa Bichi, relieved of his duties for health reasons.

The speaker directed the commissioner-nominees to appear before the assembly for screening on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m..

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