Digital Retaliation: NYSC denies certificate to Corper Raye, for speaking out online - ITREALMS

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What began as a public grievance about bureaucratic inefficiency has escalated into a stark warning about institutional overreach, reports ITREALMS.

According to multiple reports and social media accounts, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has allegedly denied a discharge certificate to a corps member known as "iamraye" as a direct consequence of her speaking out online over Lagos smelling public outcry. 

2,659 NYSC members compete for NNPC Foundation business opportunities - ITREALMS

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A total of 2,659 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) across Nigeria have been pre-qualified for the final phase of the NNPC Foundation Business Pitching Exercise, reports ITREALMS.

According to the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd, Mr. Olufemi Soneye in a press statement available to ITREALMS, this exercise would hold from July 2nd to 10th, 2024, as an integral part of the NNPC Foundation’s Financial Literacy Program for Nigerian youths that witnessed the engagement of over 284,000 corps members, who underwent rigorous training and assessments.

NITDA, NYSC enter strategic partnership on digital literacy - ITREALMS

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has unveiled a comprehensive initiative to enhance digital literacy across the nation.

The strategic partnership which was formalised at the NYSC Secretariat in Abuja, seeks to bridge the digital divide and empower the next generation to thrive in an increasingly digital world, aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to reform the economy and deliver sustained inclusive growth by leveraging digital literacy and cultivating a pool of tech talent.

INEC's lessons for NYSC - ITREALMS

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The social media was curious recently with a session of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) handbook that prescribes ‘ransom’ payment by corps member’s families. REMMY NWEKE writes there is a lesson from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) own handbook for staff.

Primer:

A 22-year old Osa Odim, has just graduated from one of the universities in the South-South Nigeria and when his call-up for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) came for those under 30 years, he was posted to Zamfara.

CySEC hosts first NYSC inter-platoon hackathon

ITREALMS:

The Cybersecurity Challenge Nigeria (CYSEC NG) has hosted the first-ever NYSC inter-platoon hackathon, reports ITRealms.

The hackathon, ITRealms gathered is an initiative of Upgraded Era Solutions setup to identify, engage and groom the next generation of cybersecurity experts in the country, under the aegis of NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED), which is a 5–day inter-platoon hackathon competition and training which saw 10 platoons competing at the pre-hackathon.

Also, ITRealms gathered that out of the 10 platoons, 5 of the them progressed to the grand finale, witnessed by the Head, Public Affairs Directorates, EFCC Lagos Zonal office, Mrs. Olapo Adeniran; NYSC State Coordinator, Mr. Cyril Akhanemhe; NYSC Camp Director, NYSC SAED Coordinator, Mrs. Rachel Idaewor and lots of NYSC officials, and saw to carting away fantastic prizes worth over N300, 000 in cash and benefits for the winners.

Obaseki Etinosa, a computer science graduate from Benson Idahosa University and corp member from Platoon 7 emerged winner of the inter-platoon competition put together by Cybersecurity Challenge Nigeria . He went with the star cash prize and lots of benefits including free training and certification on one of the cybersecurity courses, Offer Letter and Free E-books. According to him, he came into the competition with uncertainty on his abilities but discovered his full potentials during the hackathon session.

Olabampe Olamigoke from platoon 2 and Nwosu Chisom Clara from Platoon 1 were the 1st and 2nd runner-up respectively.

The NYSC Camp Director who was around to present the prizes to the winners lauded the efforts put in by Upgraded Era Solutions to organize such event which was the first of its kind. The NYSC-SAED Coordinator who was part of the planning committee expressed her satisfaction stating that the hackathon session will be an open door to engage the youths in battling cybercrime.

Reaffirming this to ITRealms, the CEO of Upgraded Era and DG of CYSEC, Victor Idonor said that the event was organized to identify and train NYSC members interested in starting a career in cybersecurity. He emphasized the relevance of cybersecurity to the national security and called out to the Federal Government and other relevant bodies to support and partner in subsequent hackathon events.

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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FG releases funds for mobilization of 2016 Batch A, stream II corps members

ITRealms:

The Federal Government has ordered the immediate release of funds for the 2016 Batch A, Stream II service year for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), reports ITRealms.

Reacting to this development, Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Sule Kazaure noted that lack of funds had stalled the exercise if nothing was urgently done, thus excited that the FG is doing something about it.

According to the Director of Press and Public Relations, NYSC, Mrs. Abosede Aderibigbe, they are excited by the directive of the FG, saying it would afford the Corps to accommodate its members.

A press statement by Aderibigbe said that the management also wishes to use this medium to inform and assure prospective corps members, parents, guardians and the general public that the 2016 Batch A stream 11 orientation course holds as scheduled from Saturday 21st May to Monday, 6th June, 2016, while the swearing in ceremony of the 2016 Batch A stream 11 corps members holds on Monday, 23rd May, 2016.

“Prospective corps members are by this notice directed to print their call up letters online or collect from their various institutions of graduation,” she said.

Okoli Vincent/Vanguard/GEE

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NITDA awards ICT Innovation prizes to remarkable NYSC members

ITRealms:

The Office for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE), an affiliate of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has awarded prizes for ICT innovation to remarkable National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) members, reports ITRealms.

The winners who got grants for idea development are Opaluwa John and Awulona Obinna with “MyDriver”, Temiloluwa Adesina with “A School in A Box” and Gorah Ayodele and Aluko Fikunayomi with “HIV Diagnosticare” just as consolation prizes and certificates of participation were issued to 13 teams of corp members, shortlisted for the final round of the competition.

ITRealms gathered that the presentation held in Abuja saw the top five winners receiving the Idea Development Grant to produce the prototype of their ideas. 

Speaking at the occasion, Director-General, NITDA, Mr. Peter Jack stressed the importance of ICT as an enabler for creating jobs and wealth, stressing “The top two richest men in the world (Bill Gates and Carlos Slim) derived their wealth from ICT. We are committed with new zeal to accelerate IT development across the country, especially ICT innovation and entrepreneurship. To spearhead the innovation, we established the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship. We are pleased at the pace of work and programs emerging from this subsidiary.”

He expressed satisfaction at the level of collaboration between NYSC and NITDA under the leadership of the Director-General, NYSC, Brigadier-General Johnson Bamidele Olawumi.

The National Coordinator, OIIE, Mr. Bunmi Okunowo said, “OIIE will leverage on its network of incubators to monitor, support and encourage the corp members to build their ideas into prototype and then begin to build a product out of it. The programme, which kicked off in November 2015, is to attract corp members who have innovative ICT ideas or ICT-driven businesses that can become a successful business within one to two years.”

He also said that under this programme, NITDA is fostering the creation of new ICT businesses by corp members thereby reducing the high rate of unemployment amongst them. Emphasising that this is a conveyor belt-type of programme for the corp members; supporting them from an ideation to a prototype development to an earliest version of the ICT product or service. We are doing all these for them during their service year in partnership with our network of incubators, angel investors, talent developers, NYSC skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development (SAED) department of NYSC,” he said.

 

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Pix: L-R: Camp Director, FCT NYSC Orientation Camp, Mrs. Iruma Blessing, Opaluwa Ojochogwu (corps member and joint first prize winner), Deputy Director, Multi Stakeholders partnership, National Information Technology Development Agency [NITDA], John Chima, Awulonu Stephen (corps member and joint first prize winner) of N250,000 in the NITDA NYSC ICT Innovation & Entrepreneurship Programme for Corp Member, Chinyere Ekwe and National Coordinator, Office of ICT Innovation& Entrepreneurship of NITDA, Bunmi Okunowo during the presentation ceremony held at the parade ground in Abuja on Wednesday

Intel prepares NYSC members on tech entrepreneurship

L-R: Mr. Toni Oviosun,Project Manager NYSC; Mrs. Angela Okoh,

Business Development Manager NYSC; Mr. Osagie Ogunbor,

Corporate Affairs Manager Intel Corporation at the Intel-sponsored

 free Technology & Entrepreneurship Training in Lagos recently.

Committed to the development of the youth in the country, Intel West Africa has partnered the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) to train the members of the corp as its part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The session tagged Technology and Entrepreneurship, according to the Corporate Affairs Manager, Intel, Mr. Osagie Ogunbor, said that as part of its commitment to national building.

He also disclosed that the one-week free training is the first of several that will stretch across other states of the Federation with Lagos being the initial state in the pilot phase.

“The Training of Youth Corp Members is part of Intel’s Corporate Social Responsiveness to the educational needs of our society. The week long free training strives to equip youth corps members with necessary skills to cope in the 21^st Century workplace taking them through an intense technology-entrepreneurship scheme.” Said the Corporate Affairs Manager, Intel West Africa, Osagie Ogunbor in his opening address that flagged off training activities, last Tuesday.

Ogunbor noted that the initiative more than anything, was birthed out of the necessity to stimulate interest in entrepreneurship towards establishing businesses and ultimately reducing the increasing unemployment problem in Nigeria.

“The changing trends in the global economy are increasingly becoming knowledge-based being driven by advances in Information and Communication Technology and this has significantly raised the stakes in the labour market.” Ogunbor said.

Additionally, he noted that as graduates prepare to enter the labour market, the possession of technical knowledge on its own, would not suffice, but ownership of complementary life skills to deliver the highest possible value in any field of endeavor was the ultimate task.

Ogunbor informed ITRealms that Intel is working closely with the Youth Enterprise With Innovation In Nigeria (YOUWIN) to further encourage the growth of individual businesses as part of a solution to unemployment. Courtesy of YOUWIN,  the youth corpers being trained are entered into a business plan competition where they stand a chance of getting seed capital for businesses they may want to set up.

Mr. Ogunbor, this initiative is just one of several other technology/education based initiatives championed by Intel towards improving the quality of life of people around the world. 

Remmy Nweke
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