Hundred Youth to Get Interest-free Loans as DIF Launches Free Digital Skill Training in Uyo

 

…Registration for training to last throughout Jan. 2024

 Priscilla Akpanettot

No fewer than a hundred participants who attended the inauguration of the Digital Innovative Forum (DIF) on Sunday, December 24, 2023 will benefit first-hand from the interest-free loans the organization will roll-out in no time, the Chief Executive Officer of DIF, Prince Godwin Tommy has said.

Tommy who spoke shortly after the inauguration held at Vinpy Event Centre in Uyo informed that DIF will soon be partnering with international organizations for support and sponsorship. “When the loan is approved, the participants here will be the first batch of people who will benefit from it and it will be interest-free”, he said.

The Digital Innovative Forum is a three-fold package which includes training on digital communication skills, study-and-work-abroad programme (anchored by ProU Education, India) as well as affordable real estate and land banking schemes.

According to Mr. Tommy, registration for the skills will last throughout the month of January, 2024, while the training will commence in February and last for four months.

He said the skills to be learnt for free are Web 3.0, Content creation and Plagiarism checks, while those to be paid for are Artificial Intelligence, Digital Marketing, UIUX, Cloud Computing, Web Design and Development, Graphics and Design, Animation, Data Analysis as well as Digital Publishing and Printing.

He urged members of the public to see the DIF opportunity as a platform to up their skills and position themselves for relevance in the global workspace in order not to cut-off from digital realities.

“The training will be done online and only few people will be taken after a qualifying test has been conducted. It is open to everyone but you must pass the test. We’ll send a link to people on our WhatsApp group to register for the test”, he explained, adding that the link will be dropped on their Facebook page @Digital Innovative Forum to accommodate those who could not attend the inauguration.

Appraising the DIF, a Corporate Communications expert and PR luminary, Mr. Umoh Joshua described digital communication as one of the biggest emerging industries of the 21st century which offers lots of opportunity for the Nigerian youth population.

“From digital marketing to data science, web development, app building, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, animation, digital publishing and printing; there are plenty opportunities that today’s youths can utilize to gain employment or provide employment for themselves”, he expressed.  

“Through digital communications, lots of innovative solutions to real life problems are offered online for fees…people who are able to offer innovative solutions to other people’s problem get handsomely rewarded and digital communication is making it very easy for those with problems to meet those with solutions to their problems. Metaphorically speaking, digitally engineered innovative solution is the new hydrocarbon reservoir or the 21st century oil well”, he posited.

For this, he charged participants to key into the offerings of the DIF to amass wealth for themselves. “The only two things separating you that is not making any money from those who are making money via the machination of digital communication are skills and opportunities. Those two missing links are what Digital Innovative Forum (DIF) has come to offer”, he enthused.

Umoh who was the inaugural lecturer at the event was speaking on “Digital Communications and Innovative Solutions to the Double Jeopardy of Poverty and Almajirism in Nigeria: The DIF Paradigm”. He stressed that the switch to digital skills was one way in which people can move out of what he termed ‘almajirism’; a pattern of Islamic education colloquially used to describe a system that supports alms-giving which he noted to be a major challenge in Akwa Ibom State. Thus, he gave credence to the Initiator's standpoint on self-dependency. 

It would be recalled that Prince Godwin Tommy had in his brief prior to the event said the initiative was meant to empower and position the youth for handsome financial take-homes.

"We’re trying to ensure that youths of the State and University students are empowered by our digital skills where they can work remotely and earn in dollars while they are still studying. My main goal is to bring digital skills to every young Akwa Ibomite and to help them say no to urgent 2k and ‘my leader, my leader’ attitude”, he stated.

“We are also doing this in support of Governor Umo Eno’s administration to help curb unemployment and poverty among youths in the State. We want to see a way of helping them acquire highly demanded, saleable and highly sought-after digital skills that would make them self-reliant and independent”, he stressed.

Tommy who spoke extensively on the DIF furthered that it was a three-fold package which includes the study-and-work-abroad program; a package that aids students secure admission, obtain a visa and combine work and schooling overseas, while offering them loans payable within 5-10 years after study.

The third package of the Digital Innovative Forum according to the progenitor is the real estate innovation which allows a person to acquire a 100sqm sized portion of land at the rate of N100,000 with yearly Return on Investment of 30% after it has appreciated.

He therefore encouraged members of the public to take advantage of it's offerings on grounds that they were legitimate and certified by the Akwa Ibom State Government as a Cooperative and by Corporate Affairs Commission as a Non-Governmental Organisation.

Earlier, the Chairman on the occasion, Pst. AB Isong threw his weight behind the initiative and prayed for it's progress, while calling on participants to support it by spreading the message.

An offshoot of GT Technology, DIF is in partnership with ProU Education (India) and has an NGO arm christened Ephafresh Foundation.

The event featured the unveiling of the DIF inauguration plague, award presentation to deserving key players and a Paper presentation by Eduek Bassey on "The Impact of Technological Development on Access to Justice".

Prince Godwin Tommy can be reached via: +234 906 000 8331 or digitalinnovativeforum@gmail.com for further information.

Digital Innovative Forum Begins Digital Skill Training, Sunday 24

 

Priscilla Akpanettot

An initiative to help Akwa Ibom youths acquire relevant and highly-demanded digital skills is set to be launched this Sunday, December 24, 2023 at Vinpy Event Centre, Udoudoma Avenue in Uyo by 2:00pm.

The initiative is the Digital Innovative Forum, founded by the Managing Director of GT Technologies, Prince Godwin Tommy.

Co-sponsored by Ephafresh Foundation, the Digital Innovative Forum is aimed at building a robust and digitally driven economy for people of the State.

Briefing newsmen in Uyo on Friday, December 21, 2023, Prince Godwin Tommy explained that the Digital Innovative Forum is a consortium established to train Nigerian youths in creative, contemporary and highly sought digital skills such as Artificial Intelligence, Digital Marketing, UIUX, Cloud Computing, Web Design and Development, Graphics and Design, Animation, Data Analysis as well as Digital Publishing and Printing.

“We’re trying to ensure that youths of the State and University students are empowered by our digital skills where they can work remotely and earn in dollars while they are still studying. My main goal is to bring digital skills to every young Akwa Ibomite and to help them say no to urgent 2k and ‘my leader, my leader’ attitude”, he stated.

“We are also doing this in support of Governor Umo Eno’s administration to help curb unemployment and poverty among youths in the State. We want to see a way of helping them acquire highly demanded, saleable and highly sought-after digital skills that would make them self-reliant and independent”, he stressed.

Tommy who spoke extensively on the Forum furthered that it was a three-fold package which includes the study-and-work-abroad program; a package that aids students secure admission, obtain a visa and combine work and schooling overseas, while offering them loans payable within 5-10 years after study.

The third package of the Digital Innovative Forum according to the progenitor is the real estate innovation which allows a person to acquire a 100sqm sized portion of land at the rate of N100,000 with yearly Return on Investment of 30% after it has appreciated.

He encouraged members of the public to take advantage of the Sunday inauguration to improve their lives, while dispelling fears that the program would be cut-short with time.

“Digital Innovative Forum is an offshoot of GT Technologies Limited. Over the years, the organisation (GT Technologies) has successfully and freely trained, mentored and assisted more than five hundred youths in Akwa Ibom State in diverse fields of information technology, digital printing and publishing. To the glory of God, testimonies from the beneficiaries have been awe-inspiring and encouraging”.

“So the Digital Innovative Forum won’t be short-lived because it is certified by the Akwa Ibom State Government as a Cooperative and Corporate Affairs Commission as a Non-Governmental Organisation”, he said.

Energy Transition not a walk in the Park - Aniekan Umana

 

…Says so much has to be  put in place before transition occurs

Priscilla Akpanettot

Against frantic calls by stakeholders in the energy sector for States to migrate to clean energy, the Honorary Special Adviser to Governor Umo Eno, Hon. Aniekan Umana has averred that energy transition cannot be achieved on the spur of the moment.

He said this when he was hosted by members of the Conference of Online Publishers in Akwa Ibom State (COOPA) on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, during a live interview on Premium FM.

The former Information Commissioner and immediate past member representing Abak/Ika/Etim Ekpo Federal Constituency made the assertion on grounds that the process of transiting to clean energy was expensive, technically demanding and rigorous.

Umana who relayed the resolution of COP 15 which he attended 10 years ago, said that many country attendees of the Conference are still struggling to come to terms with what was unanimously agreed upon, due to the lack of modalities to switch. He therefore sued that fossil fuel be used alongside clean sources of energy until the former is completely phased-out.

“There’s no transition that can happen in a jiffy. There cannot be just one quick break. It’s going to be a process where we’ll remain side by side until we transit fully into clean energy. We’ll also look at the sustainability models that will allow it work and sustain the kind of power requirement that the system needs. Today, we are still benchmarking our economic development in the country on oil prices and production quota. What is still giving us money today is fossil fuel and that is crude oil. So we cannot completely say that we’re detaching... It would sound eutopic to think that because of the clamour for clean energy, we get up and say we’re transiting then we abandon our energy capability and what we can offer to the world. If we do that, how would we get 13% derivation? How would we get money to develop the State? Even in those countries that are proposing it, there’s no magical transition. What should matter to us as a country now is to make sure that our refineries work so that we reduce our importation of finished products”, he said.  

Speaking on other sectors of the ARISE Agenda, the Special Adviser informed that 

 Agricultural Revolution, Rural Development, Infrastructural Development, Security and Education Management were components of Pastor Umo Eno's blueprint, making up the ARISE Agenda.

"The ARISE Agenda has five cardinal points and 18 sub-units under these cardinal points which the current administration lays its foundation. What Pastor Umo Eno has done is to transit the ARISE Agenda from being his document, to being a political party's document and now, to becoming a state document and the compass with which the ship of his administration would be navigating through the seas of development".

"Governor Umo Eno wants to undertake the ruralisation of governance and he is not hiding his passion. He doesn't hate urbanisation, but he says there is an inequitable distribution of infrastructure between the urban and the rural areas. So, development will be rural community-centric. It is now time to connect the rural areas to the urban areas", he noted.

For these, he applauded the State Governor for looking deep into the developmental gaps of the society and filling them with his Agenda. He further commended the Governor for keeping to his campaign promises of making his impact felt across all sectors of the State, through various human empowerment including the recent appointment of 600 aides; payment of gratuities, refurbishment of Christ the King Primary School along Wellington Bassey Way, among others.

On why he accepted the offer to be one of the Honourary Special Advisers to Governor Eno, Hon. Umana posited that he agreed to the appointment because he is in full support of the Governor, his governance of Akwa Ibom State and the ARISE Agenda. “I cannot be bigger than the government. If I am invited to participate in the governance process in any capacity that the Governor deems fit, I have a duty to honour him”, he stated.

“The role we’re privileged to play is advisory. I’m asked to play that role and I know I’m competent to offer such advise and knowledgeable enough to operate in that ecosystem”, he expressed.

He therefore promised to bring to bare his wealth of experience in his advisory role, while ensuring that strategies such as media intelligence, reputation mapping and tracking which requires indepth knowledge and contact across ecosystems within the country are effectively utilized.

In his response to why Governor Umo Eno was yet to execute a major project since the commencement of his administration, the aide explained that the Governor came into office and inherited the budget of the immediate past government, and will soon have his budget passed into Law. 

"The first time the Governor is going to have his own budget and project clearly outlined and mapped out is in the 2024 Appropriation. It will come because it can only come through the instrumentality of the Law which is the Appropriation Act, the Bill will  become law by 2024. So, Akwa Ibom people should exercise patience", he said.

Journalists Donate Sanitary Items to 50 School Girls

  ...advocate against SGBV

Priscilla Akpanettot

A group of Journalists in Akwa Ibom State were part of advocates joining the global campaign against Sexual and Gender based Violence.

The group known as The Pen Girls visited Methodist Girls Secondary School, Utu/Ikpe (jointly owned by Essien Udim and Ikot Ekpene Local Government Areas) on Thursday, December 7, 2023, being the 13th day of the global advocacy.

Speaking at the visit, leader of the Pen Girls, Comrade Priscilla Akpanettot explained that the advocacy was necessary to raise awareness on the spate of violence perpetrated against women and girls by those who should protect them. 

copies of the VAAP Law and Training Manual on GBV for Schools

She reminded the school girls of their dreams and career prospects, and charged them to guard those ambitions tenaciously by protecting their bodies from defilers and reporting any threat to life to relevant authorities.

Corroborating Akpanettot’s position, Comrade Mary Ekere urged the girls to break the culture of silence if and when molested or threatened. She told them that that the dangers of a closed mouth could include depression, mental illness, emotional withdrawal, loss of concentration and eventual death. She then listed a number of contacts the girls could call in cases of emergency, while assuring them of a swift response.

Speaking on the various forms of gender-based violence, Comrade Ekemini Akpan pointed at a number of offences committed against women, such as rape, genital mutilation, incest and the likes. She exposed the school girls to the ways in which the violations can occur, and advised them to be vigilant and wise with those they share the same physical space with.

Leader of the Pen Girls, Comrade Priscilla Akpanettot

She however warned them to desist from indecent dressing, stressing that like uncovered food, an uncovered body attracts flies.  

Lastly, Comrade Amadie Udoakpan told the girls of the Laws jurisdicting gender-based violence. “The fine for rape is 14 years in prison. Genital mutilation is 4 years imprisonment with a fine of N200,000. Stalking is 2 years in prison and a fine of N500,000, so do not keep quiet and allow the culprit go scot-free. Report them to the authorities and protect your right to a bright promising future”, she admonished.

Copies of the Simplified VAPP Law, Referral Pathway booklets and GBV training manual were given to the School for the girls’ use, while 50 bag packs containing sanitary items were distributed to the girls.

Comrade Akpanettot presenting a copy of the VAAP Law to the Principal, Mrs. Affiong Inua

Responding to the gesture, the visibly elated Principal, Mrs. Affiong Inua commended the Pen Girls for bringing the advocacy to her school. She remarked that it has been ages the School had such visits and requested for subsequent visits. She also promised to ensure that what was taught the girls and contents of the educational materials will be incorporated into their academics.

Earlier in her address of welcome, she informed that Methodist Girls Secondary School founded in 1956 by the Women Fellowship of Methodist Church Nigeria, Ikot Ekpene; was established to groom the girl-child beyond the widely held belief back then that a woman’s place lies in the kitchen.

“The School has produced many prominent women who have proven that there’s no profession a woman cannot attempt”. She therefore called on members of the public make the School their choice, saying it is open to girls from any religion and denomination.

The Head Girl giving a vote of thanks

The Head Girl in her vote of thanks prayed God to bless The Pen Girls, and assured that they will uphold what they have been taught.

The 16 Days advocacy against SGBV which began on November 25, 2023 and ended on Sunday, December 10, 2023 was themed “Unite! Invest to Prevent Gender Based Violence Against Women and Girls.”