NEWS
RYD Learning Empowers over 1,000 Children on Digital Training
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
In an effort to make digital literacy accessible to all children, RYD-Learning, a virtual learning platform focused on programming education for children, has initiated a self-sustaining training programme for children.Michael Boyo, Co-founder and Managing Partner of RYD-Learning while speaking at the end of a transformative 12-Day Free Digital Literacy Programme for children aimed at evolving a digital literacy revolution recently in Lagos.
He said that in the organisation’s quest to extend the frontiers of digital Literacy and building the architects of innovation with a commitment to excellence, RYD Learning held the 12-day programme for 300 children. The programme, he said, helped to arm and equip the young minds with the essential and vital tools of the digital age – programming, interactive communication, and critical thinking.According to him, RYD-Learning, in partnership with world-class educational organizations, organized training for about 700 children between January and August, this year to ignite young minds and shape the tech titans of tomorrow.”RYD Learning is a dynamic virtual learning platform focused on empowering children and teenagers between the age range of 6-17 through hands-on digital literacy and technology education.”Our mission is to democratize tech education by providing free, accessible, and high-quality training programmes to students, particularly those from underserved communities.”Since our inception, we have successfully trained over 1,000 children globally, including in Nigeria and the diaspora, helping them build foundational skills in programming, digital literacy, and collaboration.”He said that the platform’s success in the 12-day programme was a testament to the dedication of its founders and partners, who are united in their vision to empower the next generation of tech-savvy leaders.Boyo, who shared his thoughts on the mission of the platform said: “As a Computer Science graduate from one of Nigeria’s top universities, I didn’t own a computer until my early 20s.”This experience showed me how much more advantage great inventors had by accessing computers early in life. Through RYD Learning, we aim to change this narrative for children worldwide.”Aderonke Iyiola, the Programme Lead, said she was passionate about inspiring and empowering the next generation of tech innovators through dynamic, hands-on learning in coding and digital literacy.She said that the virtual training would entail cutting-edge curricula implementation and mentorship in an inclusive environment that nurtures creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking, preparing students to excel in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.Damilola Odunaike, another co-founder, emphasized the importance of a seamless learning experience: “After graduating, I discovered a significant gap in technology education.”At RYD Learning, I ensure our engineering team builds a platform that makes connecting kids to our facilitators easy, ensuring they have a positive and impactful learning experience”, she said.Ayodele Aransiola, another co-founder, expressed his commitment to bridging the significant gap in global tech education by introducing children to the tech world early, “so they can grow into future tech leaders.”John Akadi, and Remi Odunaike, also co-founders of the platform, emphasized critical global need and demand for tech experts as they underscored the importance of nurturing young minds saying, “By setting them on the right path now, we ensure a brighter future for our world.”NEWS
Customs Intercept Contraband Worth N510.92m in Two Conths
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone C, says it intercepted contrabands with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N510.92 million between July 15th and September 15th, 2024.The zone covers the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone and the five states in the Southeast geopolitical zone.
This is contained in a statement signed by Jerry Attah, Public Relations Officer, NCS, Zone C, and made available to journalists on Wednesday. According to the statement, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, NCS, Zone C, gave the statistics while showcasing the seized contraband to relevant regulatory agencies at the Government Warehouse in Edo.Ugbagu said that the zone also recovered the sum of N25.57 million from demand notices raised based on some infractions noticed, making a cumulative sum of N536.49 million recorded within the months under review.“The DPV was derived from our seized goods, which include 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without an NAFDAC number.“1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin, 75 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing, 463 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 269 pieces of used pneumatic tires, and 56 cartons of smuggled foreign tomato paste.“More worrisome is the interception of 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without NAFDAC registration numbers.”He noted that the cough syrup with codeine and tramadol without NAFDAC registration numbers, if not intercepted, could have had adverse effects on youths.He added that the items were mostly intercepted along the Ewu-Okada/Benin expressways based on credible intelligence. (NAN)NEWS
APC Forum Decries Deplorable Condition of Federal Roads
The Forum of Stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has decried the deplorable condition of some federal roads in Nigeria. Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central Chairman of the forum, said this in an interaction with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos. Zazzaga described some of the federal roads as ”death traps”, particularly those within the north-central region.
He said that some of the deplorable roads in the region include Jos-Akwanga, Makurdi-Oturkpo-Otukpa, Makurdi-Ankpa, and Jos-Saminaka. Other roads that needed urgent attention, he said, included Suleja-Minna, Ejule-Otukpa, Ganawuri-Manchok, Lokoja-Abuja, Lapai-Agaie-Bida, Birnin-Gwari-Bokani-Mokwa, Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora. ”Currently, the north-central region has the most deplorable roads and highways in the country. ”These deplorable roads have brought severe hardship on the people and lost lives and property through preventable road traffic crashes. ”We call on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the rehabilitation of these roads because good roads are vital enablers of development,” he said. The chairman also called on governors of states within the region to reconstruct the dilapidated roads and seek refunds from the federal government. ”Though these are largely federal roads, they are located within states, and the beneficiaries are the people of these states. ”So we call on state governments to reconstruct these roads and seek refunds from the federal government,” he added. (NANNEWS
Yuan Strengthens 7. 087 Against Dollar
The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 160 pips to 7.087 against the dollar on Wednesday.This is according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.In China’s spot foreigners exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by two per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.
The central parity rate of the yuan against the dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day. (Xinhua/NAN)