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Just in: Nigerians to Monetize their FB, Instagram Accounts from June 2024
A team from Meta, owners of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, visited Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu on Thursday and made a big announcement regarding monetisation for its photo sharing platform.
The Meta’s team, led by Sir Nick Clegg, former UK Deputy Prime Minister and Meta’s President of Global Affairs, was received by President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
Speaking during the visit, Sir Clegg thanked Tinubu for an executive order he issued, which enabled the landing of 2Africa, the Meta-backed deep-sea cable in Nigeria.
“It is an extraordinary infrastructure project. When it comes on stream in the first quarter of 2025, it will be twice as much as the capacity of all subsea cables that exist.
“We buried the cable 50 percent deeper than any other subsea cables under the seabed. It is more powerful and more extensive in terms of its geographical connectivity.
“It could yield up to 37 billion dollars worth of increase in economic activity in the next two or three years across the African continent,” he said.
Sir Clegg also said Meta will introduce in June 2024 a feature on its Instagram app that will allow Nigerian creators to monetize their content to enable them to earn a living using the app.
“We have a lot to do with Nigeria to deepen partnerships,” he added.
Welcoming the delegation President Tinubu said his administration is working to sustain investments in digital technology to enhance the sustainability of small businesses, expand opportunities across sectors, and propel Nigeria to become the lodestar of information and communications technology in Africa.
Tinubu said Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind in this age of technological advancements; hence, his administration is opening up channels of opportunities in information and communications technology, deepening capacity, and fostering partnerships.
In view of his administration’s 3MTT programme, which is training three million Nigerian youths in digital technology and essential skills before deploying them to innovation hubs across the nation, the President emphasized that Nigerian youths are the most critical asset in Nigeria’s arsenal as it moves to achieve digital economic expansion.
“For us in Nigeria, we have a vibrant, gifted and resourceful youth population. Recognizing that the future is most likely to be AI-enabled, we have to prepare our youths and make them ready to compete and participate in the global economy.
“I can assure you that Nigeria is open for business. We want to lead the African continent in digital technology. Data is valuable to our development. We are ready to cooperate on technological advancements. It is the only way to go. We need a collaboration that will be a win-win for all,” President Tinubu said.
Emphasizing the importance of technology in driving small businesses, the President said he is committed to ensuring that technology is deployed, adapted, enhanced, and used to catalyze growth across a vast majority of micro businesses, spurring mass prosperity down the line.
“What interests me is the use of technology in the development of small businesses. We need to make the business environment more conducive for you and more profitable for us as well. I hope we can collaborate and continue to promote our mutual interests,” President Tinubu told the delegation.
Meanwhile, during the visit, Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, said Meta platforms are critical platforms in Nigeria, and as such opportunities for partnerships and engagement are essential to promoting development in the digital economy sector.
“We must continue to engage to create opportunities for our people so they can also share in global prosperity. Digital technology is an opportunity to connect Africa to contribute to the development of the world,” Tijani said.
The First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, on Saturday, refuted reports that she will be leading a seven-day national prayer for Nigeria.
This followed a report last week that Mrs Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Mrs Nuhu Ribadu, will spearhead a national prayer session to tackle the country’s numerous challenges.
The reports quoted the Director-General of the National Prayer Forum, Segun Afolorunikan, announcing the event in Abuja.
Afolorunikan had said the initiative, coordinated with Christian and Muslim religious leaders, intends to seek divine intervention for the country’s socio-economic and security issues, under the theme ‘Seeking the Intervention of God in Nigeria’s Affairs.’
“Christians will meet at the National Ecumenical Centre for a week of intense prayer, with prayer warriors from various denominations focusing their efforts on the nation’s adversities,” said the convener.
However, the First Lady has denied knowing any such arrangement saying a call for prayer must be done “willingly, conscientiously and correctly.”
Mrs Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs Busola Kukoyi, conveyed this in a statement she signed Saturday titled ‘First Lady of Nigeria Oluremi Tinubu, CON refutes organising national prayer.’
It read, “This is to clarify and inform the general public that the First Lady of Nigeria is not organising a national prayer.
“The news making rounds in some conventional and social media platforms is unfounded and misleading.
“Consequently, anyone who might have come across the purported news of the joint National Prayer for Nigeria should disregard it as false.”
Kukoyi said the First Lady, a Christian and strong advocate of prayer and praying for Nigeria, believes that prayer is an act that must be done willingly, conscientiously and correctly.
“She also believes that praying for Nigeria is the responsibility of every Nigerian, irrespective of religious belief, political affiliation, tribe or tongue.
“Members of the public are advised to verify the authenticity of any news or event involving the First Lady of Nigeria or her office through official channels,” the statement concluded.
A building of 25 shops has been gutted by fire in the early hours of Saturday in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.
According to the state fire service, the incident occurred at Adeta roundabout at about 02.39 hours.
A statement in Ilorin on Saturday by the spokesman of the service, Hassan Adekunle, said the firefighters, upon arrival, found a block of about 25 shops engulfed in flames.
“Thanks to the swift action and bravery of the Kwara State fire service officers, only three shops suffered damage, including a soft drinks and alcohol shop.
“Preliminary investigations indicated that the fire was caused by a power surge,” the statement disclosed.
The Director of the State Fire Service, Prince John Falade Olumuyiwa, expressed sympathy for the affected shop owners, offering prayers for the restoration of their losses.
He also urged the public to prioritize safety and ensure all electrical appliances are unplugged when not in use.
The newly emerged terror group known as Lakurawa, is reportedly offering as much as one million naira to young men in exchange for their allegiance.
This was made known on Saturday by Zagazola Makama, a Lake Chad Basin counterterrorism and insurgency expert, in a post on his X handle.
Makama disclosed that an impeccable source informed him that Lakurawa, allegedly composed of individuals from Mali, Chad, Libya, Niger, and Burkina Faso, was actively recruiting local youths in Sokoto through substantial financial incentives.
He stated that according to witnesses’ accounts, the financial lure is part of an aggressive recruitment campaign aimed at attracting followers to their cause.
The security expert said that Lakurawa, unlike traditional criminal gangs, reportedly adhere to extremist ideologies linked to the Khawarij sect, similar to the beliefs of Boko Haram.
Makama added: “Local sources suggest that they employ a combination of financial incentives and ideological influence to gain support among vulnerable communities.
“Beyond the recruitment, the Lakurawa reportedly confront and expel bandits and confiscate their cattle in areas under their control.
Watch video below:
https://twitter.com/ZagazOlaMakama/status/1855319733282758848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
First Lady denies leading national prayer
25 Shops destroyed as fire guts building in Ilorin
New terror group Lakurawa offers N1m incentives to recruit Sokoto youths + Video
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