A new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed that Nigeria and some other developing countries lack digital infrastructure for the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. 

This is despite the fact that Nigeria recently unveiled its AI strategy and also launched its first Multilingual Large Language Model (LLM) in April.  

IMF disclosed this in its new ‘AI Preparedness Index’ where it tracks 174 economies based on their digital infrastructure, human capital, labour policies, innovation, integration, and regulation. According to the report, most developing economies are lagging in the area of digital infrastructure for AI and are the least prepared for the technology. 

The interactive map for the Index shows that most African countries, except Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, have little preparedness and are marked yellow, while the countries with substantial preparedness are marked in blue.  

Global inequality 

While noting that wealthier economies tend to be better equipped for AI adoption than low-income countries, the IMF said AI may further worsen the inequality that already exists in the world.  

“Under most scenarios, AI will likely worsen overall inequality, a troubling trend that policymakers can work to prevent. To this end, the dashboard is a response to significant interest from our stakeholders in accessing the index.  

“It is a resource for policymakers, researchers, and the public to better assess the AI preparedness and, importantly, to identify the actions and design the policies needed to help ensure that the rapid gains of AI can benefit all,” the IMF said in the report. 

Highlighting the benefits of AI for economies, the IMF said AI could complement worker skills, enhance productivity and expand opportunities.  

“In advanced economies, for example, some 30% of jobs could benefit from AI integration. Workers who can harness the technology may see pay gains or greater productivity—while those who can’t, may fall behind. 

“Younger workers may find it easier to exploit opportunities, while older workers could struggle to adapt,” it added.  

Policy directions 

To be better prepared for AI, the IMF said the policy priority for emerging markets and developing economies should be to lay a strong foundation by investing in digital infrastructure and digital training for workers. 

It added that policymakers in advanced economies should expand social safety nets, invest in training workers, and prioritize AI innovation and integration.  

According to the IMF, countries globally would need to coordinate with one another to strengthen regulation to protect people from potential risks and abuses and build trust in AI.   

What you should know 

As part of its AI preparation initiatives, the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, recently organized a 4-day co-creation with over 120 ArtificiaI Intelligence experts. 

The workshop culminated in the country’s National AI Strategy. At the end of the workshop, the Communications Minister, Dr. Bosun Tijani, announced the launch of Nigeria’s first Multilingual Large Language Model (LLM). 

According to him, the AI tool was launched through a partnership between a Nigerian AI company, Awarritech, a global tech company, DataDotOrg, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR).   

[Nairametrics]

President Bola Tinubu has forwarded letters of request to the Senate seeking the confirmation of certain individuals for fresh appointments.

The President, in one of his letters, read during plenary on Thursday, urged the Senate to consider and confirm the nomination of Dr Olatunji Bello for appointment as the Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

President Tinubu also forwarded the names of three nominees for consideration and confirmation for appointment as chairman, secretary, and member of the Police Service Commission (PSC), respectively.

The nominees are the Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Hashim Argungu (chairman), Chief Onyema Uche (Secretary), and Retired DIG Taiwo Lakanu (member) of the PSC, respectively.

The letters were read on the floor during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Bello’s nomination was thereafter referred to the Senate Committee for Trade and Investment, while that of Argungu, Uche and Lankano was referred to the Senate Committee on Police Affairs for further legislative work.

The committees are to report back to the Senate in one week.

[NaijaNews]

The Guinness World Records (GWR) has recognized Nigerian woman Chidinma Modupe Okafor as the new holder of the record for the longest crocheting marathon.

According to the British reference book, Chidinma broke the previous record of 34 hours and 7 minutes set by Alessandra Hayden of the United States in 2021 by crocheting a white dinner gown constantly for an astounding 72 hours.

Chidinma had to crochet continuously for the entire marathon in order to record the longest crocheting marathon.

She would start working on the next ball of yarn as soon as she had finished the previous one. Her extraordinary passion and endurance were exhibited by her unwavering effort.

Speaking on her accomplishment, Chidinma said she wanted to draw attention to the patience and expertise needed to master the craft of crocheting.

“I aim to showcase the artistry and perseverance involved in this craft and promote awareness about crocheting and its benefits,” she said.

Chidinma also shared insights into her rigorous preparation for the marathon attempt, which included extensive training and mental conditioning.

“My preparation for the record attempt involved rigorous training and mental conditioning. It also required physical endurance and strategizing to maintain a consistent pace while minimizing fatigue,” she explained.

“Additionally, logistics such as arranging for sufficient yarn with support staff were crucial for the uninterrupted progress of the attempt.”

Chidinma is one of several Nigerians who’ve broken a world record following Hilda’s famous cook-a-thon, including Helen Williams (longest wig and widest wig), Ewa Cole (longest marathon singing Christmas songs), Clara Chizoba Kronborg (longest interviewing marathon), and Tonye Solomon (most steps climbed on a ladder while balancing a football on the head).

[OpinionNigeria]

There was a heated debate at the House of Representatives on Thursday over the request by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to extend the implementation period for the capital component of the N21.83trillion 2023 budget and those of the N2.17trillion 2023 supplementary budgets to December 2024.

Daily Trust reports that the letter to that effect was read by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen after which the executive bills requesting the extension were introduced.

However, when the Leader of the House, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, moved for the second reading of the bills, the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, raised concerns over the request for extension of the two budgets.

Chinda, while voicing opposition against the request, said it will be morally wrong for the country to running three to four budgets concurrently.

He said the 2024 budget is currently being implemented and the executive is still requesting for extension of the 2023 main budget and supplementary budget at the same time.

He said rather than extension, important projects in the supplementary budget should be moved to the main budget.

Former leader of the House, Alhassan Ado Doguwa in his contribution also supported the position of the Minority Leader, saying it will be morally wrong to have three budgets running at the same.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen while intervening, appealed to members to support the extension of the budget implementation, saying most of the items on the supplementary budget were security related issues.

Despite his pleas, majority of the lawmakers appeared not comfortable with the request for extension of the budgets as they kept on shouting “No!”No!”

Following the development, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen asked that the House go into an executive session for members to iron out issues before resuming consideration of the bills.

The House is currently in an executive session.

[DailyTrust]

Brazil legend, Ronaldo Nazario says he has quit watching football, insisting the round-leather game is boring and is not worth his time.

The former Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan star said this after Brazil’s disappointing 0-0 draw against Costa Rica to open their Copa America campaign.

Despite Dorival Junior’s side staggering 19 shots throughout the game, they could only manage a measly four on target as they never got into any kind of flow or rhythm.

Brazil sits in second place in their group which is led by Colombia following their 2-1 win over Paraguay.

Brazil will next be in action on Saturday against Paraguay but their legend seems to have seen it all.

Ronaldo had earlier claimed he is unlikely to be supporting the Brazil squad at the Copa America because he finds it ‘too boring.’

“I think I love tennis more now than football. I cannot watch football matches. I think it’s too boring,” ‘R9’ said at the Mouratoglou Annual Charity Gala.

“I can stay for 5 hours watching tennis.”

The next tennis tournament is the Wembley Open which comes up on July 1st.

[DailyPost]

Rivers state governor, Siminialayi Fubara has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has failed the state.

The governor said that Rivers was currently relying on a mass movement based on truth and consistency instead of party politics.

The governor spoke while receiving a delegation from the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, led by Senator Orji Uzo Kalu, at Government House in Port Harcourt.

He said the state would no longer be held back by party affiliation, but would instead stand firm on its own soil to defend democracy.

 Fubara said: “In our state today we are no longer doing party. We are doing a movement, so you don’t blame me if I don’t go to the side of the party too much.

“The party has failed us here, so what we are doing here is to stand with our two legs on the soil of Rivers State, so that we can defend democracy.”

An endless political war between Fubara and his estranged benefactor, Nyesom Wike, who is the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has enveloped Rivers.

The crisis escalated following the collapse of the peace deal President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, brokered for the warring parties.

The governor was reportedly disappointed at the silence of his party on the crisis.

[TheNation]

The Senate has extended the life cycle of the 2023 supplementary budget from June 30 to December 31, 2024.

The Red Chamber on Thursday suspended all its rules and gave an expeditious passage to a bill seeking the extension in less than 20 minutes.

Earlier before the passage of the bill, the lawmakers went into a closed-door session for two hours.

In December 2023, both Chambers of the National Assembly extended the implementation period for the capital component of the budget from December 31, 2023, to March 31, 2024, along with the N2.17 trillion 2023 supplementary budget passed in November 2023.

Earlier in March, following requests made by President Bola Tinubu, both the Senate and the House of Representatives extended the implementation period for the budgetary appropriations from March 31, 2024, to June 30, 2024.

With just four days remaining until the June 30, 2024, deadline for the affected 2023 budgetary appropriations, the two chambers cut short their recess to hold separate sessions for Thursday (today) to consider further extensions ahead of their previously set resumption date of July 2, 2024.

[Punch]

The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who is facing a 19-count charge, has written a letter to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, pleading to be allowed to face his trial in Kogi.

Ex-governor Bello, in the letter he wrote through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Abdulwahab Mohammed, SAN, maintained that only Lokoja Division of the high court has the territorial jurisdiction to entertain the allegations that were raised against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. 

At the resumed proceeding in the matter on Thursday, Bello, failed to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja to enter his plea to the charge against him.

However, a lawyer that announced appearance for him, Mr. Adeola Adedipe, SAN, brought the attention of trial Justice Emeka Nwite to the letter his client wrote to the CJ.

Addressing the court after the matter was called, Adedipe, SAN, said, “My lord, after the proceedings of the last adjourned date, I went back and gave a report of what happened in court to our team.

“However, I was made to understand that a letter had been written on behalf of the defendant to the honourable Chief Judge of the Federal High Court requesting in substance, that this matter be administratively transfered to the Federal High Court, Lokoja Judicial Division, which we believe have territorial jurisdiction to handle this matter.

“That letter was received at the Chief Judge’s Chambers and the office of the of honourable CJ wrote the prosecution team through Mr. Iseoluwa Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, on June 13, notifying him that administrative steps has been activated, whereof he was directed to provide a response to the request for transfer of the matter.

“My lord, as of this morning, I am not aware whether there has been a response by the prosecution team in compliance to the directive of the CJ.

“We are also not in receipt of any decision that has been made on this request by the CJ.

“I am also aware that this administrative directive of the CJ has been formally communicated to this court.

“We have filed an affidavit wherein we attached two documents referencing the details that I have just highlighted.

“My duty is first to the court. As of the moment, I am not urging anything from the court, but just to present the facts as they were,” Adedipe, SAN, added.

On his part, the EFCC, through its counsel, Mr. Kemi Pinhero, SAN, urged the court to compel the defence lawyer to explain why the defendant was not in court, despite an undertaking he made on June 13 to ensure his presence in court for arraignment.

He prayed the court to dismiss “the story of the defence lawyer as dilatory and a further attempt to treat this court with scorn.”

The EFCC counsel argued that the letter to the CJ did not discharge the undertaking that were made by the senior lawyers representing the defendant.

Pinhero, SAN, further argued that even where a petition is forwarded against a judge to the National Judicial Council, NJC, it does not stop proceedings on cases pending before the judge.

Consequently, he applied for the court to invite the two senior lawyers representing the former governor to show cause why they should not be dealt with for contemptuous conduct.

Bello, who piloted affairs of Kogi state for eight years, is facing a charge bordering on his alleged complicity in money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of about N80.2billion.

EFCC alleged that the former governor, alongside his nephew Ali Bello and two others, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu, were complicit in money laundering.

Though the ex-Kogi governor previously failed to appear before the court for his arraignment, however, he briefed lawyers to file an application to set aside an arrest warrant that was issued against him on April 17, as well as to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to try him.

The former governor maintained that the EFCC acted in breach of a subsisting judgement of a High Court in Kogi State when it entered the charge against him and also applied for a bench warrant to be issued for his arrest.

Even though the court, in a ruling it delivered on May 10, declined to vacate the arrest warrant, it, however, gave the defendant the opportunity to voluntarily present himself for arraignment.

[Vanguard]

So, what next? That was another great question after Wednesday’s presentation. Will it take another 16 years before a sequel? There’s never been a holiday between The Trial of Nuhu Ribadu and Writing for Media and Monetising It. But this work, which greatly benefited from the interviews and resources of great content creators, strongly suggests that to be more, we must challenge ourselves to do more!

It was different 16 years ago. Very different. At that time, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was relatively new and walking where angels feared to tread. That was unusual for a government institution, especially a law enforcement agency.

So unusual that one of Nigeria’s most courageous social crusaders, Gani Fawehinmi, a thorn in government’s side, joined forces with the Commission in the fight against corruption, even when the man he loved to hate, Olusegun Obasanjo, was president.

But you couldn’t blame Gani. The first decade after transitioning to civilian rule in 1999 was an “enough moment” for Nigeria. It was a time when it became clear that among the country’s many problems, corruption would either kill it or it would have to kill corruption.

Like Ribadu, Like Githongo

Nuhu Ribadu, an assistant commissioner of police from a family with a distinguished record in the security services, had the most unwanted job of being the first chairman of the EFCC. He took the job when his counterpart in Kenya, John Githongo, was famously saying the most significant threat in fighting corruption is corruption itself. It would fight back.

Githongo was right. Corruption in Kenya fought him back so furiously that it exiled him to the UK. You can read the rest of the story in Michela Wrong’s It’s Our Turn to Eat. To help Ribadu deal with his own misery back home, the press pitched in big time. It took it as its own war to the point where the Commission was often accused of media trial.

I felt obliged to document parts of that era in the book The Trial of Nuhu Ribadu: A Riveting Story of Nigeria’s Anti-corruption War, published by Spectrum Books. That was in 2008, when, as my mother would have said, the world was asleep. There was no Instagram, and Twitter was only two years old.

Mack Zuckerberg was 19, and Facebook was four. That was the era when respectable newspapers scooped one another by paying the author to be the first to serialise the book, while street rags ripped the same book for fast bucks. I know that thanks to technology, there has been a somewhat deadly mutation, but that’s not where I’m going.

Journey to a Sequel

My point is that when I wrote my first book 16 years ago, the options and opportunities for sharing – or promotions – were minimal. Of course, big-time authors sold in millions even decades ago. But newbies like me still struggled with only perhaps a cat hell’s chance of making their voices heard. Not so anymore.

The change we’re living through is relentless, a point poignantly made by Dr Reuben Abati, who reviewed the book, and the cross-generational panel of discussants chaired by Professor Abiodun Adeniyi. There is a shortage of resources, especially for young journalists, writers, and content creators, who must adapt well to the changing seasons. This book tries to fill the gap.

That’s one of the reasons why promoting my new book, Writing for Media and Monetising It, has been different. Unlike The Trial of Nuhu Ribadu, which you’ll have to scratch your head to remember if it was ever written and who the author was, this new book has been in your face from day one!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of promoting it – being in front, sharing moments with followers and readers whose feedback, sometimes hilarious, sometimes cryptic, but mostly enthusiastic, has been altogether encouraging. After seeing the promotional videos, some folks have even jokingly asked if I had not missed my career train!

Beyond Nollywood Things

Much of the impact of the promotional tour resonated during the public presentation of the book in Abuja on Wednesday, 26 June – an event that had one of the best collections of professionals and persons from all walks of life. It was conceived, developed, and executed by friends working assiduously in the background with LEADERSHIP and Premium Times Books.

You’ll have to believe me when I say Writing for Media and Monetising It is much more than the stunts and amateur videos. It’s a book written from my heart. The Trial of Nuhu Ribadu is different, not for a shortage of heart but for the nature of the narrative. It’s a snapshot of what, at the time, was an evolving history.

This new book was, to paraphrase Francis Bacon, part of the repayment of the debt to my profession. I wrote this book to give back to the craft that fostered me.

The change we’re living through is relentless, a point poignantly made by Dr Reuben Abati, who reviewed the book, and the cross-generational panel of discussants chaired by Professor Abiodun Adeniyi. There is a shortage of resources, especially for young journalists, writers, and content creators, who must adapt well to the changing seasons. This book tries to fill the gap.

As contained in the statement by PT Books when the book was released, “navigating the exciting maelstrom that the media – and its various iterations or strands of practice – have become.” I couldn’t agree more.

Clear, simple and concise writing is a craft. Writing for Media and Monetising It is not only about such writing. It is also about how to get compensation for it.

One matter that has come up repeatedly, both before and after the presentation, is whether it is possible to “make money” in the media today and, if so, whether that point is sufficiently addressed in the book. Unlike The Trial of Nuhu Ribadu, which tries to capture an evolving attempt to tackle systemic corruption and its inherent challenges, the new book examines the threats and opportunities in the media.

What’s in a Book?

The book provides a step-by-step approach, with many examples and insights on media law, writing for impact, syndication, generative AI, and managing feedback and trolls, among other things.

The unique quality of the book is that it combines the seasons that fostered my career, to borrow from Sonala Olumhense’s blurb, with a narrative of how younger writers can take advantage and be rewarded by evolving trends in the media.

This 15-chapter book also benefits hugely from interviews with some of the best, from Abimbola Adelakun, Fisayo Soyombo to Ruona Meyer, and from Farooq Kperogi, Sam Omatseye to Toyosi Ogunseye, and Pulitzer Prize winner Dele Olojede, who gave an interview for the first time in 13 years.

One matter that has come up repeatedly, both before and after the presentation, is whether it is possible to “make money” in the media today and, if so, whether that point is sufficiently addressed in the book. Unlike The Trial of Nuhu Ribadu, which tries to capture an evolving attempt to tackle systemic corruption and its inherent challenges, the new book examines the threats and opportunities in the media. Even though it focuses on journalists and journalism, its broader scope is how to get reward for literary work, especially in a convergent world.

The Heart of the Matter

The summary of the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, was that “The book significantly closes the gap between practice and entrepreneurship – a gap that has impoverished the media industry!” Of course, the media is not the only “victim” of the harsh economic tide.

But the point in Idris’ intervention, amplified by the panel comprising Kadaria Ahmed, Ahmed Shekarau and Emeke Ishiekwene, is also about adaptation and research – metrics that need not only be measured by the quantum of immediate financial gains. Scale, niche and leverage of a content creator’s cultural assets will deliver benefits, ultimately.

So, what next? That was another great question after Wednesday’s presentation. Will it take another 16 years before a sequel? There’s never been a holiday between The Trial of Nuhu Ribadu and Writing for Media and Monetising It. But this work, which greatly benefited from the interviews and resources of great content creators, strongly suggests that to be more, we must challenge ourselves to do more!

Azu Ishiekwene is the Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the new book, Writing for Media and Monetising It.

Naija News reports that the two bodies met and commenced meeting today at approximately 4:30 pm at the Education Ministry headquarters in Abuja.

After more than two hours of deliberations, both parties agreed to settle their differences in a peaceful manner to avoid a strike.

The meeting featured the presence of two Education Ministers, Prof. Tahir Mamman and Dr Yusuf Sununu, along with other senior officials from the ministry representing the government’s position.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, informed reporters following the meeting that the discussions had just started with hopes that the government would take action on the agreements reached.

“We have discussions on all the issues and we have given assignments to some people to look at and agree on the way forward,” he said.

Speaking on the two-week ultimatum issued by the union, Osodeke said they would go back and give the details of the meeting to their union members.

He said: “What is important is that we have started the process and our prayers is that we resolve it for the interest of our young men and the interest of the nation.

“The government has spent one year in office and we have not been called for any formal meeting. Today we are having the first formal meeting. There is a process we have started and we are going to set deadlines. We are going to meet to look at what has been done on those issues and we hope the process will continue.”

A Lot Of Consultation Will Continue

On his part, Mamman told journalists that consultations would commence immediately to address the lingering challenges in the education sector.

He said: “We’ve had a very good meeting and a very productive one. We’ve discussed progress on how to ensure that the system works well, and lots of the issues we talked about are those that we inherited and some that are ongoing. We discussed them all without exception and we have a consensus on the way forward.

“A lot of consultations will continue on some information we don’t have, which is beyond the scope of the ministry and which will require us to connect with our colleagues in other ministries.

“But the most important thing is that we had a very good meeting and agreed to continue with the consultations to overcome the problems bedevilling education in Nigeria.”

Naija News reports that ASUU had earlier warned that it might launch a country-wide strike due to the federal government’s inability to fulfill its promises.

The union has directed the government to fulfill all pending requests within a fortnight.

Key areas of dispute include being dropped from the IPPIS, redoing the terms of the 2009 agreement between FGN and ASUU, settling all unpaid Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) backlogs, and addressing all outstanding pay issues, among other matters.

[NaijaNews]