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Popoola Urges Telcoms to Support Learning for Indigent Students with Free Internet Access
Leading Techpreneur and Founder, Rate Your Leader app, Mr Joel Popoola, has advised telecommunication operators to provide free internet access to indigent Nigerian students to as to keep abreast of academic status as schools remain on lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This, he said, taking cognisance of the seeming inequities in the education sector with special attention to primary and secondary school pupils in Nigeria.
Making the appeal in a statement, Popoola, said this is the best period for telecoms operators to make learning easy for indigent pupils by providing free internet access on learning resources.
Popoola, who stated that the pandemic has forced schools globally to switch to online learning, lamented that millions of children in Nigeria have been left behind “because they have no access to remote-learning,” adding that telecoms operators should urgently bridge the digital-divide.
He added further that: “That is why we are pleading with the Minister of Communications, Dr. Isa Patami, to compel both indigenous and non-indigenous telecommunication providers to play their part, support millions of helpless children and their parents, think creatively and ensure the digital-divide is breached at this unprecedented time.
Popoola, who is the creator of the leading Digital Democracy Project-Rate Your Leader app, said Nigeria’s already appalling position as the headquarters of the world’s out-of-school children may exacerbate during and after the school lockdown except the government and telecoms operators come to the aid of the disadvantaged young people.
According to him in the statement, “no doubt, the coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected all aspects of humanity. But it is disheartening that the educational system in Nigeria has been worst hit and children from poor families are bearing the brunt of what can be largely fixed.
“The pandemic is widening educational gaps and indigent students are now being disadvantaged. Wealthier Nigerian families have access to the internet, and schools in affluent areas enjoy seamless right of entry to educational resources.
“On the contrary, we have millions of homes which can’t receive home lessons, teaching and follow government’s learning portal because they don’t have means of purchasing data to access internet.”
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
President Bola Tinubu has said Nigeria is ready to work with other nations to build a resilient, equitable, and sustainable world for all.
Tinubu spoke in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on the second day of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
The president spoke on the topic, “From Climate Imperatives into Economic Prosperity: Bridging Africa with the Global Energy Future.”
He declared that no single nation could walk the road to sustainability alone, stressing that global interconnectedness demand collective action, knowledge sharing, and mutual support.
According to Tinubu, “The fight against climate change is not merely an environmental necessity but a global economic opportunity to reshape the trajectory of our continent and the global energy landscape.
“As leaders, stakeholders and citizens of our planet, we stand at a critical juncture in human history. To succeed, we must innovate, collaborate and act decisively as one global community.”
Reiterating his administration’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions, Tinubu assured the audience that the Nigerian government had developed actionable programmes in line with global expectations, bearing in mind Nigeria’s economic and political expectations.
He said, “We have embraced a vision of sustainability that aligns with global aspirations while addressing local realities. Our efforts are anchored on three pillars: Energy Transition, Climate Resilience, and Sustainable Development.
“My administration recognises the importance of reducing carbon emissions and a just transition to clean and renewable energy, promoting environmental sustainability and economic growth.
