Technology

By Uzair Adam Imam

Over two thousand people, including university lecturers and students, graduated from the Engausa Global Technology Hub.

The graduates were trained in various skills ranging from science and technology.

The founder and chairman of the technology hub, Engr. Mustapha Habu Ringim, disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Wednesday to mark this year’s United Nations World Teachers Day.

Engausa was founded in 2019 and registered in 2022 and recorded numerous successes in teaching people various scientific and technological skills to depend on themselves and become employers of labour.

Engineer Habu said English and other languages inhibit learning progress, especially in northern Nigeria.

He stated, “It doesn’t mean that we are not developed when we teach in our mother tongue. Knowledge can be taught using any language.

“Later, one can learn any other language he feels interested in, like English, Arabic or French.

“But it is not wrong to learn in your mother tongue, as many people perceive. For this reason, we, among others, admit even almajiri, who have no background in western education and are school dropouts, into Engausa Global Technology Hub and teach them in Hausa.

“Today, many such dropouts and almajiri have become teachers in Engausa. They even teach university graduates, MSc and PhD holders as well.”

We give emphasis on the practical aspect

Unlike in tertiary schools and other institutions of learning, the Engausa Global Technology Hub gives emphasis on practical aspects than theories.

This, however, enables the students to fully understand the subject matter rather than mastering theories and definitions of concepts.

Ringim added, “More than 90 per cent of what we do in Engausa is practical. The theoretical aspects do not exceed 10 per cent.”

Unemployment worsens insecurity in Nigeria

Ringim also argued that the rising insecurity in Nigeria is not unconnected with the high unemployment rate in the country.

Insecurity has been one of the ongoing challenges facing Nigeria, especially in the northern part, over the years.

He stated, “We need to know that teaching our youths some skills is one of the panaceas to the lingering security challenge in Nigeria. Therefore, society needs to welcome inventions of this sort.

Engausa is gaining global recognition and support from Federal Government and academics like Prof. Abdallah Uba Adamu, Prof. Hafizu Miko Yakasai, and Engr. Isa Musa Gumel, Prof. Idris Muhammad Bugaje, Dr Binta Usman, Dr Hauwa Muhammad Bagaje, among others.

By Aliyu Dalhatu

Journalism and politics are two distinct ways of serving the public. Know the limitation of the former and stop publishing fiction for your own interest.

Magaji Danbatta wrote in his autobiography “Pull of Fate”: “I knew that to be a good journalist, a reporter or a columnist, one must have a good command of English language, rich in general knowledge and specialization in one or more subjects which could come with wide reading. One must also be a keen observer and a clean thinker and posses the ability to mix with people easily, feeling equally at home with low, the high and the mighty” (p. 116-117).

That is not all, he also added that there are plentiful stories to be told if you are willing to be an all round journalist, such as healthcare, sports, legal matters, trade, commerce, cultural performances, entertainment, among others.

Journalism, whether we see it as a profession or craft, it deserves to be treated with high sense of accuracy, fairness, integrity and ethical judgement. Not quite long ago, I had a discussion with a one veteran journalist on the disgusting nature of the visual misrepresentation of journalism profession by guerilla journalists. One thing for sure that contributed to this journalistic ill is the emergence of Internet vis-a-vis User-Generated Content (UCG).

Though, media houses can use these new media technologies in reporting, editing, publishing and disseminating news and information to their diverse audiences, however, on the other hand, these modern technologies are now seen as the global social forces that have intensified in breeding yellow journalists on social media to disseminate and fabricate lies, disinformation, hate speech, misinform and defame the character of important personalities: politicians, traditional leaders, religious symbols and other institutions with the sole aim of seeking attention, patronage and other ethno-religious agendas.

Just recently, I attended a One-Day public lecture series organized by the Department of Mass Communication, Kano state Polytechnic.

As one of the special guests, I have learned a lot about the practice journalism profession from the Associate Professor, Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi, the Head Department of Mass Communition (BUK) who presented a paper on “The 21st Century Mass Communication Student” and the one on “Crime and Judicial Reporting” presented by the Chairman, National Union of Journalists, NUJ Kano state chapter, Comrade Abbas Ibrahim and the last one by Badamasi Aliyu Abdullahi a Bookworm, who talked on “Reading: A Pathway to Entrepreneurial Journalism.”

Such opportunity had exposed me to know that for you to be a 21st century journalist or in other words “a jack of all trades”, you should remember that the world is no longer a “global village” as coined by Marshal McLuhan but now a “global room.”

Therefore, in journalism profession, “it is better to miss the story than to mess the story” as advised by Comrade Abbas Ibrahim. Furthermore, publishing fiction is not journalism, but an act of junk journalism.

Mal. Aliyu Dalhatu writes from Kano State.

By Ishaka Mohammed

A 37-year-old man from Kogi State, Yusuf Shuaib, has launched a social media platform to bridge the gap between Nigerians and owners of social media companies.

The platform, named Ayema Social, was completed in June 2022, but the application was officially launched in September.

Yusuf holds a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies from Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU) (formerly Kogi State University), Anyigba, Kogi State. He started his technology journey during his service year in Kano in 2009 when he enrolled in an information technology diploma.

In a chat with The Daily Reality, Yusuf revealed that he wanted to do something to change the popular belief that Islamic studies graduates can only become teachers or lecturers. However, his interest in becoming a developer had barely sparked off until after observing the role of social media in the 2015 general elections. 

Concerning the number of users so far, Yusuf said Ayema Social had recorded over 260 users within its two weeks of launch. “It was made public earlier this month [September] after being subjected to a series of tests for over two months, and our target is a minimum of a million users by December, God willing,” he said.

He also revealed that the application had been endorsed by some dignitaries, including the member representing Ankpa/Olamaboro/Omala Federal Constituency, Honourable Abdullahi Ibrahim (Halims); the executive director of special projects at Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja, Mr Tijjani Baba; and a senior officer of the Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain Ishaka Yakubu.

The founder, however, disclosed that only Android phones support the application version at the moment as he is still sourcing money to work towards making it accessible to users of Apple phones and iPads.

Regarding the security of users, Yusuf told The Daily Reality that the platform, which is named after his mother, Ayema, is bound by extant law global standards for data security and confidentiality, adding that the company is also in technical support partnerships with both Rayjoh Global Resources and Logical Address Limited.

Ayema Social shares many features with Facebook, and users can opt for either the website www.ayema.ng or its Android application version available on Google Play Store.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, has announced the suspension of proposed excise duty on telecommunication services.

The minister stated this at inaugural meeting of the Presidential Committee on Excise Duty for the Digital Economy Sector.

Pantami, in a program Monday in Abuja, described the tax as overburden for the telecommunications sector.

He added that he personally rejected the policy and advised President Buhari to reject it for the effects it would have on digital economy.

Pantami, who kicked against the policy, said the National Assembly members were not even consulted.

He added, “The introduction of excise duty in the telecommunication and information and communications technology industry would jeopardise the successes already recorded within the industry.”

Pantami sabotages government efforts – Ahmed

The Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, had accused pantami of sabotaging government efforts.

She said, “Against the comments by Isa Ali Pantami, honourable minister of communication and digital economy, concerning the five percent excise duty hike on telecoms services, it is worth noting that there was a circular stating the planned hike which was addressed to the communication minister and other relevant ministries and agencies of government.

“The circular Referenced No. F. 17417/VI/286, dated 1st March 2022, and titled “Approval for Implementation of the 2022 Fiscal Policy Measures and Tariff Amendments” was addressed to different ministers, including the honourable minister, communications and digital economy and and other heads of government agencies.

“In view of the above position of Prof. Pantami, there could be the question of whether he was absent in the whole process that resulted in the Finance Act, which is a product of both the National Assembly and Federal Executive Council (FEC),” the statement reads in part.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

A Northern Nigerian digital skills learning centre, Engausa Global Tech Hub, will admit students and commence its September classes next week Monday.

This is contained in a short announcement posted on its official Facebook page Sunday.

“New Engausa Global Tech Hub classes will begin on Monday 12th November 2022 Insha Allah,” the post reads.

The classes, largely delivered in the Hausa language, focus on teaching skills like video editing, blogging, graphics design, web design and Android dev., social media literacy, and digital marketing.

Others are installations (CCTV, solar panels, electric fencing, and Intercom) and smartphone repair skills.

The training costs twenty-five thousand naira (N25,000) and lasts for a period of five weeks.

In order to register, interested applicants are advised to click www.EngausaHub.com or call any their phone numbers.

By Aliyu Nuhu

It is obvious that the Nigerian government can rescue the train victims if it seeks outside’s technology. There are many options including combat gas that could neutralize the terrorists without any harm to the captives.

Russia used Opiate Fentanyl, a non-combat gas, meant for medical use to rescue people held in a theater. There were casualties because that gas should never have been used because people will need oxygen immediately after inhaling it to be able to survive. If we want non- lethal weapons there are options and we should reach out to Israeli or United States. If we want combat operation we should use Executive Outcome of South Africa. They have the specialty and night vision for rescue operation.

No responsible government will sit down and do nothing for fear of collateral damages, allowing terrorists to dictate terms to it. The Russian rescue mission had unfortunate outcome but it at least stopped future attacks.

In Nigeria you can be sure that this is not the last abduction because of the way we are mismanaging the situation. There are nerve agents that attack people by their DNA, meaning that, in a crowd of a million people, it will only kill the target person whose DNA is locked into the nerve agent.

The drone that killed Ayman Alzawahiri was meant to kill only him without harming his family. The special missile didn’t have explosives but piercing blades. There was no damage even to the building.

The mistake FG always make is talking to the terrorists. Listen to Garba Shehu saying the terrorists asked for their children, a special plane was sent to bring them. They asked for their women and the women were promptly released…, etc. Imagine! Each time terrorists abducted people, the FG will go into negotiation frenzy, begging them, giving them money, releasing captives and even sending them hard drugs and vehicles. That is a fatal mistake. It is the reason why abductions continue to fester. The terrorists don’t fear Nigerian government. They are even threatening to abduct the president. Worst is that they are in Nigerian soil. No terrorist can hold hostage in America or Israel. No way!

The FG should learn from United States and Israel. They are terrorists’ biggest customers. When terrorists commit crimes against America or Israel, the two countries don’t talk to them. What will follow is silence. The two countries don’t negotiate or listen to any demand. Then, you will see the terrorists becoming confused and going into hiding because they know their days are numbered, that death will come anytime because the CIA and Mossad are only gathering intelligence and planning. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. One day a terrorist leader will be driving and a drone will come from the skies and in seconds he is gone. One day he will be sleeping in his well hidden abode and in faraway Pakistan and commandos will fall from the sky and he is dead. One day he will just peep through the balcony and his head is cut off by a blade carrying missile.

A certain Hamas leader who was well disguised and relaxing in a Dubai hotel received a basketball dressed operatives of Mossad in the hotel that left him dead.

If we can’t do it, there are assistance waiting for us. We should seek help. We should train our security agents on it because terrorists have come to stay unless we stop talking to them and start seeking and killing them. The only language terror understands is violence.

But in Nigeria, we have leaders that don’t think at all and I am honestly disappointed with Buhari because he is a retired infantry general.

For violent crimes we need a special military tribunals to deal with them under the security situation we find ourselves. The president has powers to declare security emergency in the country. It means due process will be set aside and violent criminals will no longer face regular courts. The judges are afraid of adjudicating cases involving terrorists and kidnappers because of attacks on them and their families. They are human beings. A judge granted bail to kidnapper in Zaria because according to him his life was threatened. Also we don’t have hangmen to carry out execution.

Cases of kidnapping, terrorism and banditry are federal crimes handled by the attorney general and minister for justice. The man is busy pursuing money and political office to even think of his most important responsibilities. He also failed to delegate his powers to the state attorney generals.

The government cannot just fold its hands and watch. It must think of something and in that case firing squad is the answer under military courts. The military have no compunction taking human lives, they are trained to kill. Boko Haram and Ansaru are committing war crimes and anywhere in the world, war crimes are for special military tribunals, but in Nigeria, the criminals stay safe!

By Kabir Musa Ringim

As a graduate of Computer Engineering and holder of MSc Information Technology, I’m sceptical to write about this topic which is quite controversial, because of the divergent views by two opposing groups of people about it. I will explain this later.

The world is currently in the information age, also known as the computer age. Although it began in the mid-20th century, characterized by a shift from a traditional industry established by the Industrial Revolution to an economy primarily based upon Information Technology, the biggest challenge now is how robots have started taking over many jobs previously meant for humans.

While the innovation of technology has dramatically improved our day-to-day activities, it has also proven that we no longer need actual human beings to help with many of today’s jobs soon, thanks to robotics.

A robot is a machine programmable by a computer capable of carrying out complex actions automatically. According to the Britannica dictionary, a robot is any automatically operated machine that replaces human effort. However, it may not resemble human beings in appearance or perform functions in a humanlike manner. By extension, robotics is the engineering discipline dealing with robot design, construction, and operation.

As the definitions above show, robots are here to replace humans in workplaces, markets, the army, etc. Though robots are still under development, the history of robots has its origins in the ancient world. During the industrial revolution, humans developed the structural engineering capability to control electricity so machines could be powered with small motors.

Already, machines and robots have started replacing humans in many workplaces like banks, industries, markets, and media houses in Nigeria. For example, automated Teller Machines (ATMs) allow banks to employ few tellers, while the internet enables them to have few customer care representatives. Nowadays, you don’t need a hardworking secretary to type your work when you can easily dictate to a computer what you want to write and get it printed.

Office workers in public and private institutions have already started feeling the heat. A robot can do a job that 20 persons can handle in a week in a day. Governments now give less priority to office workers and more priority to the health and education sectors when it comes to employment and recruitment. But it is just a matter of time before this status quo changes because the education and health sectors will soon start experiencing the tsunami of job loss.

Soon, schools don’t have to recruit many teachers when a single tutor from anywhere in the world can teach thousands of students online and have their exams and tests marked by a computer program or robot.

Health institutions will soon require the services of a few health workers, medical doctors, and consultants since a patient can get a prescription for himself by talking to a robot or chatting with a consultant that renders online services. Also, robots can soon perform surgeries. 

Security outfits will face massive job loss with the development of robot police and soldiers. A robot will be stronger, more loyal, more reliable, and more accurate than humans, in addition to it being a machine, as such, emotionless and immortal. Moreover, one robot can fight thousands of humans on a war front. Drones are now more preferred than having an air force officer flying a warplane to enemy camps.

Media houses like TV and radio stations don’t need to employ OAPs, presenters, newscasters, and language translators in a few decades to come, because machines and computer programs can handle their jobs. Instead, news editors and program managers will simply work on program contents and news and upload them into a special computer program (robot) for presentation, translation, and subsequent casting on air.

Same case with employing sales girls and sales boys at retail stores, shops, and supermarkets. Who will go shopping when people can easily order what they want to buy online and get it delivered to their doorstep? Likewise, cleaners, houseboys, office messengers, cooks, and labourers will all cease to exist because of robots.

Other jobs that robots will take away from humans include, but are not limited to, telemarketing, automated shipping services, sewer management, tax preparers, photograph processing, data entry work, librarians and library technicians, etc.

But with all that I mentioned above, I’m not trying to spell doom for the next generation of youth who will graduate from school and start looking for jobs in a few decades. As I have stated from the beginning, there’s a divergent view on the topic. Some people view robotics as a weapon to wipe out humans from industries, the military, offices, workplaces, etc. In contrast, others view it as a significant development that will improve lives, which is needed to be embraced by all.

For me, humans by nature, since time immemorial, have had survival instincts, and no technological development was able to render people jobless. If a job is no longer in existence, humans will always find themselves a better alternative. When industrial machines came into being in the 19th century and replaced millions of menial labourers, humans found a way to survive them; the same way robots will be integrated into our daily lives. By the way, remember that humans make these machines and robots, not the other way round.

Kabir Musa Ringim is HOD Computer Engineering, Binyaminu Usman Polytechnic, Hadejia, Jigawa State.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has announced the revocation of the licence of some broadcast media organizations in Nigeria.

NBC stated that the decision followed over failure to renew their broadcast licences amounting to N2.66 billion.

The affected media include AIT, Silverbird TV, Raypower FM, and Rhythm FM, amongst others.

A statement on Friday, August 19, 2022, disclosed the revocation, adding that a two-week waiver was given to them in May to do so, after which they risked the revocation of their broadcast licences.

The statement added, “Some licensees are yet to pay their outstanding debts, in contravention of the National Broadcasting Commission Act CAP N11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, particularly section 10(a) of the third schedule of the Act.

“Therefore, after due consideration, NBC hereby announces the revocation of the licenses of the…stations and gives them 24 hours to shut down their operations.

“Our offices nationwide are hereby directed to collaborate with security agencies to ensure immediate compliance.”

“The Commission also calls on all IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) and all other broadcast stations that are streaming online to register with the Commission to avoid disconnection,” it added.

“Broadcasters should note that having a DTT or FM license does not warrant a broadcaster to stream online; they are two different licences,” the statement concluded.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Department of Mass Communication, Kano State Polytechnic, organised a one-day lecture series to prepare their students about the dynamic nature of 21 century journalism.

The event Thursday had three guest speakers who discussed on the topics; The 21st Century Mass Communication Students by Associate Professor, Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi, Head of Mass Communication Department, Bayero University, Kano.

The remaining two were: Crime and Judicial Reporting by Comrade Abbas Ibrahim, Chairman Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kano and Reading: A pathway to Entrepreneurial Journalism by Mal. Badamasi Aliyu.

Speaking after the event, the convener, Malam Aisar Salihu Musa (Aisar Fagge) said, the essence of the event was to prepare students about the new skills of 21st century journalism.

He added that the event would also help the upcoming journalists develop a critical and entrepreneurial mindset which will enable them to excel in their choosen career.

In his words, Aisar stated, “The emergence of new media technologies, the ICT and the user-generated-content have transformed the way news is produced, consumed and distributed. So there is a need for our students to know about these changes in the practice of 21st century journalism.

“Not only that, there is also a need to introduce our students into entrepreneurial journalism, especially in a country where job opportunities are rare; a country with a massive unemployment problem where majority of the youths are roaming the street without job.

“So the students need to know that they can get job for themselves by learning new skills assisted by the internet. Students could be content creaters, content developers, writers, advert practitioners, copywriters, public speakers,” he stated.

In his paper: “Reading: The Pathway to Entrepreneurial Journalism,” Mal. Aliyu said, by reading, you can become whatever you want in life. You can write well, speak good because of reading good books. Knowledge and skills are buried in books. Explore them and be what you want to be. I got 4 million naira as a result of the book I read “How to write a business plan.

The event was graced by the academic and non-academic staff across the Kano Poly schools, lecturers from Bayero University, Kano, Federal University Dutsin-ma, Al-Qalam University, FCE Kano and former students among others.

The Head of Department, Mass Communication, Kano State Polytechnic, Malama Binta Muhammad Lawal, ably represented by one of the lecturers, Malam Salihu Sule Khalid, commended the event.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Users of WhatsApp, a famous messaging application, will start enjoying a feature that will allow them to exit from a group unnoticed.

This was announced by Mr Zuckerberg, the Chief Executive Officer of Meta (the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram), via his verified Facebook handle.

Another feature that will be available on the application is that users will enjoy disallowing their contacts from taking screenshots of their messages on view.

He said, “New privacy features coming to WhatsApp: exit group chats without notifying everyone, control who can see when you’re online, and prevent screenshots on view once messages.”

Assuring the company’s commitment to privacy, he said his company would keep building new ways to protect users’ messages and keep them as private and secure as one-on-one conversations.