Posted by Toju Ogbe

Ogunsanya Fuhad Adetoro 4.78

Ogunsanya Fuhad Adetoro who studied Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences at the Lagos State University (LASU) has emerged the best graduating student in the 2016/2017 academic session with a CGPA of 4.78 at the convocation ceremony held at the Auditorium Complex of the University in Ojo.

While delivering his valedictory speech, Ogunsanya Fuhad Adetoro had said his academic pursuit was almost frustrated by a health challenge – cataract, which affected his eyes.

According to Ogunsanya Fuhad Adetoro:

“My Parents helped me to seek medical help but the first operation I had was not successful.

When my first WAEC and NECO came out, it was dotted with F9s, so I left home and went to stay with my uncle and his wife.

My uncle and his wife also helped me to seek medical treatment at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and the operation was successful.”

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode at Lagos State University’s 22nd Convocation ceremony, adopted Ogunsanya Fuhad Adetoro and also granted him scholarship and ₦5million cash reward.

The Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode while responding to the student’s request to study abroad for his master’s programme, said:

“In response to the best graduating student’s request, Lagos State Government does not generally give scholarship anymore but only bursary. So, I adopt him.

His story is too compelling and it reflects on my own story. So, any university he wants to go, I will do it personally; I will be responsible.

In addition to that, because he is the best graduating student, I [give] him ₦5million.”

Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, therefore, said university convocations deserved necessary attentions as the future of any nation can only be guaranteed when the youths, who form the majority of the population are educated enough to contribute to the economy.

Risk Trading Engine, mTransfers & Social Lender Win $165,000 VentureClash 2018 Grant

Three technology startups – Risk Trading Engine, mTransfers and Social Lender have secured a $165,000 grant at the inaugural pitching event themed VentureClash 2018 organised by Connecticut Innovations, USA, in Lagos.

The startups: Risk Trading Engine, founded by Alexandre Aquereburu; mTransfers, by Segun Adeyemi and Maxwell Obi and Social Lender, by Faith Adesomowo and Mudiaga Ogboru have also got an opportunity to pitch for more investments at a larger event in Connecticut, USA later in the year.

Connecticut Innovations is a strategic investing arm for innovative growing companies.

12 Nigerian startups pitched in the competition before the emergence of the three.

The programme tagged: ‘VentureClash 2018’, began in March [2018] with the first round of applications. It will be concluded at a finalist pitch competition scheduled for October 18, in the USA.

VentureClash is Connecticut’s global ventures’ challenge for early-stage companies. It involves players in digital health, financial technology (fintech), the Internet of Things (IoT), and insurance technology (insurtech).

The Chief Executive Officer, etouches, Oni Chukwu, said the first-place winner would receive an investment award of $1.5 million. The remaining pool will be awarded to other finalists based on judges’ input. He added that winners would also receive mentoring and other assistance.

VentureClash is supported by Connecticut through its $5 million Global Venture Challenge for early-stage companies.

Chukwu, a tech investor with interest in startups, facilitated the programme in Nigeria.

Other competing startups at the VentureClash event were Solynta Mobile, Sattrak Services Limited, Kangpe Inc, Advancio Interactive, Beeptool Comm. & Integrated Services Limited.

Also included were Virtual Farm, SBSC, eMed Diaries, Peach Water Consulting, and FINT.

PUNCH Newspaper Emerge NLN Most Compliant Legal Depositor For 2017

The PUNCH Newspaper has won the National Library of Nigeria (NLN) award for the Most Compliant Legal Depositor for 2017.

The award was conferred on PUNCH newspaper during the National Library of Nigeria’s Annual Readership Promotion Campaign, which held at the National Library, Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos.

Receiving the award on behalf of the PUNCH, the Deputy Manager, Punch Information Centre, Mrs. Modupe Komolafe, said the recognition would spur the newspaper on to do more.

The programme, with the theme, “Sustaining life-long reading for positive change,” had the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, as the Special Guest of Honour, while the Deputy Director, Ministry of Education, Education District VI, Oshodi, Lagos, Alhaji Tijani Adebisi, was chairman on the occasion.

In his remarks, the governor, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Yetunde Odejayi, lauded the National Library of Nigeria for its commitment to the promotion of knowledge acquisition for national development.

He urged all Nigerians to embrace the culture of reading, saying it was the key to national development and growth.

The Governor stated:

“I urge all Nigerians, especially our youths, to apply yourselves to reading as a tool for empowerment because knowledge is power.

If we are desirous of a change in our circumstances, then we have to adopt a new attitude to reading books and other materials for self development and national growth.”

FMC Yola Successfully Separate Four-Month-Old Conjoined Female Twins [2018]

The Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yola, Adamawa State capital, with a team of surgeons led by the Chief Medical Director of the Centre, Professor Auwal Abubakar, successfully separate four-month-old conjoined female twins.

Professor Auwal, a Professor of Paediatric Surgery, said that the team of professionals that were deployed for the surgery included surgeons, anaesthetics, radiologists, laboratory scientists, preoperative nurses, and cleaners.

He stated:

“We have a successful separation of conjoined female twins (Omphilopagus). This development was recorded following a team work by different medical units.

The surgery was conducted on May 14, and the chances of survival of the twins are excellent.”

Professor Auwal said it took his team four hours to perform the operation, which was the second of its kind in the hospital.

To this end, Auwal said Nigeria had medical personnel that could compete with their counterparts in developed countries.

FUTMINNA Researchers Develop Prototypes Of SIMless Multiple Operator & Mobile Communications-enabled Walking Stick

Some researchers at the Federal University of Technology Minna (FUTMINNA), Niger state have developed prototypes of SIMless multiple operator and mobile communications-enable walking stick.

The two innovations which were funded by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) are expected to solve problem of drop calls associated with bad quality network among the telecom operating companies in the country, and could reduce domestic accidents among the aged people who often live alone, according to the researchers.

The lead researcher, Professor Abiodun Musa Abinu, a mechatronics engineer said the SIMless data and voice connection over multiple operator-enabled SIM card will enable Nigerians to have just one SIM card that can automatically have access to all the telecom operators’ networks.

In his words:

“We are talking about you having one SIM card for all networks or having one mobile phone with one SIM card for all networks we are talking about applying this thing to all available network.

We are talking about disrupting the eco-system in the telecommunication industry in the sense that with just one SIM card you can access the available network without porting or buying multiple SIMS.

People carry a lot of phones or SIMs as a result of quality of service and you are not certain of the network strength of an area. So using basic engineering and the technology behind Mobile phone we infused in it artificial intelligence system to be able to take intelligent decision on behalf of the user to switch from the network with poor quality of service to another with better quality service what this means is that subscribers are now the king and can enjoy quality of service even without having more than one phone and the product will soon hit the market.’’

The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Professor Umar Garuba Danbatta said the SIMless card innovation by the researchers at FUTMINNA is in keeping with the consideration for national roaming that is being promoted now by the commission.

Professor Danbatta who was represented by the NCC’s Executive Commissioner Technical Services, Engineer Ubale Maska said the commission was pleased with the results shown by the researchers because it showed:

“[That] they have been able to accomplish every single thing with the grants given by the NCC.

They are visionary enough to look beyond what we expect them to do, and they are determined to take it to the next level.

You notice today there are phones that have multiple SIM cards you have to consciously choose the SIM you want but their project on super SIM card can automatically select the SIM with the available network based on pre-determined instructions so it is very relevant.

The industry is very dynamic and this certainly looks at the future of a device that selects any network that is available is something that all the network operators will accept and it is in keeping with the consideration for national roaming that is being promoted now by the commission.

The fund is about ₦4 million. We had hoped they would do it within a year so that they will get more but it has taken the last three years but we are happy because normally work like this is usually on-going all the time.

We will encourage them to get investors who will continue to explore their possibility; it is something that is keeping to the mandate of the commission, the eight point agenda of the current leadership.”