The President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has emphasised the importance of collaboration in engineering education and innovation to bridge the gap between academia and industry.

Oguntala made this known in a statement issued to journalists in Lagos.

She said the society had partnered with key stakeholders to launch the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad, officially scheduled for November 20 in Abuja.

She listed the partners to include the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Renaissance Africa Energy Company Ltd., First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (First E&P), and Enactus Projects Ltd./Gte.

Oguntala said the official launch aims to inspire and showcase innovative engineering talent among Nigerian students while promoting creativity, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development.

She added that the 10-month competition would allow students across Nigeria to apply engineering principles to real-world challenges, producing scalable and impactful solutions.

The NSE president said the Olympiad would feature several stages, including regional and national contests, mentorship programmes, prototype development, and a grand finale in April 2026.

She said winning teams would receive seed grants and technical guidance to transform their innovations into viable business ventures.

Oguntala, who is expected to deliver a keynote address at the launch, said the initiative would redefine the future of engineering innovation in Nigeria.

She said: “This partnership marks a pivotal moment for engineering education and innovation in Nigeria.

“The Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO) is not only a platform to showcase the ingenuity of our students but also a bold step toward bridging the gap between academia and industry.

“Through this initiative, we hope to nurture creativity, problem-solving, and entrepreneurship among young engineers, positioning them as key contributors to sustainable national development.”

According to her, NEO represents a major milestone in advancing STEM education and strengthening collaboration among industry, academia, and government.

She added that with the commitment of partners, the Olympiad would play a transformative role in shaping Nigeria’s future engineering landscape, driving innovation, and fostering youth participation in nation-building.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has warned that human trafficking is a significant and direct threat to national security and public safety by fueling organised crimes.

NAPTIP Director-General (DG), Hajiya Binta Adamu-Bello, made the remarks in Dutse at the launch of a programme aimed at supporting and empowering women and children from Jigawa who are engaged in street begging across Nigeria.

The programme is being implemented Hamadan Kasiran Orphan, Vulnerable and Children OVC Foundation, in collaboration with the Children Education Support Initiative in Arewa (CESIA), championed by Hajiya Amina Nadami, the wife of Jigawa Governor.

The initiative seeks to provide opportunities and support to help them improve their lives and break the cycle of poverty.

”Child beggars are highly vulnerable to human trafficking, as a sizeable number of them are recruited for various forms of exploitation, organ harvesting or even used in armed conflict,” she said.

Adamu-Bello, represented by agency’s Commander in the state, Mr Abdulkadir Turajo, said NAPTIP, established in 2003, is Nigeria’s only focal agency responsible for fighting the scourge of human trafficking and other related exploitation across the country.

According to her, reports and findings indicate high prevalence of recruitment into terrorism and armed conflict among the victims of human trafficking that are daily transported from rural to urban areas and across the borders for prostitution and hazardous labour.

Adamu-Bello described human trafficking as one of the world most threat to national security and public safety.

”It fuels public sector corruption, irregular migration, undermines human capital development potentials, causes social break down and exclusion, dearth of capable manpower, human degradation, abuse of human rights, spread of diseases, tarnish national image and other associated financial crimes,” she said.

She decried that trafficking in person has re-emerged in recent times as a modern form of slavery.

She said the recruitment, transportation, within or across borders, purchase, sale, transfer and harboring of persons, involving the use of deception, coercive or debt bondage for the purpose of placing or holding a person in forced or bonded labor, prostitution or in slavery like conditions like begging, is a crime.

“The law recognises this serious violation of children rights, and under the trafficking in persons prohibition enforcement and administration Act, 2015 in Sections 13,15,19 and 20and prescribes a minimum punishment without an option of fine of not less than seven years imprisonment for offenders,” she said.

Adamu-Bello said the agency recently rescued 13 female victims in Maiduguri, who were trafficked from Babura town in Jigawa for forced labour and begging.

“NAPTIP Jigawa State Command successfully rescued and reunited 221 victims with their families since it was established in 2023,” she said.

She reiterated the agency’s commitment to working with its partners to identify and support victims while also addressing the root causes of the menace.

“I commend the Hamdan Kasiran OVC Foundation and Children Education support Initiative for their dedication to this cause. Let’s work together to ensure that children and vulnerable population are protected, empowered, and given the opportunities they deserve,” she added.

She called for more community awareness programmes on the dangers associated with begging through engagement of religious and traditional institutions in the state.

The director-general assured that the agency will remain committed toward the prevention of all forms of human degradation and exploitation through the coordinated use of the nation’s crime prevention and law enforcement resources, to stamp out human trafficking.

Earlier, the OVC Foundation and CESIA National President, Mr Sa’idu Kaptan, commended the Jigawa governor’s wife for her unwavering support, compassion, and commitment to the welfare of vulnerable women and children.

“Your leadership is a beacon of hope, and your presence is powerful remainder that change begins with empathy and action,” Kaptan said.

The representatives of Dutse and Ringim Emirate Councils, Alhaji Yusuf Turaki and Alhaji Muktar Wada, respectively, praised the foundation for its efforts in protection vulnerables in the society.

The President of the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN), Femi Fadina, has called on Nigerians in the diaspora to turn their annual festive homecomings into strategic investment opportunities that would grow and sustain the nation’s creative economy.

Speaking ahead of the 2025 Detty December celebrations, the ATPN president urged the diaspora to see their visits as a window for cultural and financial reinvestment rather than a season for fun alone.

“Every concert, every curated experience, every cultural homecoming can – and should – be a conversion funnel for investment engagement,” he said.

Fadina, who made the call in an interview on Monday in Lagos, said that in 2024, Detty December generated about N1.5 trillion in domestic spending across hospitality, logistics, nightlife, and entertainment. He regretted, however, that there was no reinvestment into the creative economy for sustainability.

“But less than 10 per cent of that was reinvested into the creative infrastructure or destination development,” he said.

According to Fadina, ATPN aims to reposition Detty December from fun to fund, as part of a broader effort to promote diaspora participation in Nigeria’s creative economy from a residual 15 per cent to an active 25 per cent investment interest.

“Don’t just come home to party. Come home to partner,” he said.

Fadina noted that a large portion of diaspora spending goes into family support, entertainment and short-term consumption.

He, however said that efforts must be made to ensure that the diaspora capital was channelled into development capital for long-term equity investments.

“The challenge isn’t the volume of spending, it’s the direction of spending.

Fadina unveiled a calendar of events for the 2025 festive season, including a Creative Capital Week, EWA Experience Series and a Cultural Economy Roundtable that would measure the economic impact of the celebrations.

He emphasised that a change of mindset toward the upcoming festivities was crucial to transforming Nigeria’s soft power into tangible growth.

“We must move from consumerism to capital formation, from temporary spectacle to sustainable structure, from cultural excitement to cultural enterprise.

“Detty December is not just a party, it’s a platform for prosperity.

“Fun must now fund the future,” he said.

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has been described as a man ordained by God to bring hope and succour to the downtrodden masses of Rivers State.

This was the declaration by the management and staff of CLEMO Schools, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, as they bestowed on the Rivers State Governor an award of Peace, Statesmanship, and Development Expert at the Founder’s Day celebration of the school in Calabar on November 5, 2025.

The CLEMO Founder’s Day is celebrated annually in honour of Mrs Lawrentia N. Effanga, proprietress of CLEMO Schools, who turned clocked 92 years on November 5, 2025.

Speaking while presenting a plaque to the governor, the chairman of the occasion, Mr Agube Paulinus said, CLEMO Schools aligns itself with the peaceful disposition of Governor Fubara and the development strides which has become the hallmark of his administration, despite political challenges and distractions.

The plaque was received on behalf of the governor by Celestine Ogolo.

Earlier, Mr Paulinus had extolled the sterling qualities of the proprietress of CLEMO Schools, Mrs Lawrentia N. Effanga. He said the giant educational feats attained by the school in recent years were products of hard work, discipline, and motherly heart, which Mrs Effanga had brought to the management of the school.

He also showered encomiums on the staff and students for exemplary conduct, which has made the school the envy of all in Cross River State.

Earlier, while welcoming guests to the Founder’s Day ceremony, which took place at the school premises along Old Odukpani Road, Ikot Ansa, in Calabar, Mrs Effanga expressed gratitude to God for sustenance of life, and the cooperation and love extended to her by parents, staff, students, and old students of the school.

“Every 5th November marks a significant milestone in my life and the entire CLEMO Schools. It is an opportunity to celebrate the gift of life and God’s innumerable blessings and faithfulness to me and the entire CLEMO Schools community.

“It is also an opportunity to recommit to the vision that inspired the birth of CLEMO Schools. What began years ago with just three pupils has grown in leaps and bounds. Today, CLEMO Schools is one of the best in Cross River State – a worthy testament that God has truly multiplied our efforts. To Him be all glory,” Mrs Effanga stated.

The proprietress commended and thanked her guests, who came from far and wide to celebrate the day. She also appreciated the continuous support of the Macpepple T. Foundation for the scholarship scheme initiated and sustained over the years to 20 former students of the school in higher institutions.

Also speaking, the chairman of the Planning Committee of the Founder’s Day celebration in 2025, Mr Ekanem said that November 5 every year is historical in the life of CLEMO Schools. He said it was not just about commemorating the founding of the school but also to reflect on “journey of growth, excellence, and the impact that has defined CLEMO Schools since its establishment.”

“We are here to honour a woman, who years ago, looked upon this very ground and saw not an empty land, but a future filled with the promise of knowledge, character, and excellence. She planted a seed with faith that it would grow into a mighty tree, and today, we are all beneficiaries of its shade.

“Over the years, our school has produced men and women who are excelling in various fields of human endeavor-education, science, leadership, arts, and technology, contributing meaningfully to the development of our nation and beyond”, Mr Ekanem said.

Also, in an emotion-laden speech presented by Master Elijah Bassey, Senior Secondary One student of the school, on behalf of scholarship beneficiaries, they lauded Mrs Effanga for her love for children and benevolence which has turned fortunes of many for good.

The 92nd birthday of Mrs Lawnentia N Effanga and the Founder’s Day Celebration of CLEMO Schools was heralded by colourful match-past by the Boys Brigade and CLEMO Schools students. Other highlights were award presentation to dignitaries, including Hon Clapton L. Ogolo, who is the Chairman, Board of Management of CLEMO Schools. Other recipients were the Clan Head of Nkonib Qua Clan, His Highness Ntoe Paul Bassey Assimita ii, Macpepple J. Foundation, His Highness Esinjo Francis Edet, Pastor Alex of Glorious Covenant Church, Riverd State, Pastor(Mrs) Grace Emerald Udoka, Rt. Rev. Nelson Ekong Adolphus, Paulinus Agube, and Bryan Etim, amongst others.

Other highlights included traditional dance displays, JETS club presentation debates by the high school students, welcome song by the nursery department, performing arts, and the crowning of the Queen and King of CLEMO Schools.

Dignitaries from all over Nigeria including Mr Baritor Kpagih, a retired Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Hon Martin Nwigbo, a former chairman of Khana LGA of Rivers State, Nnamdi Ake, a former member of the Governing Council of Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, Rivers State, Sir Kpaliku, former Chief of Protocol, Government House, Rivers State, among several others.

The celebrant and proprietress of CLEMO Schools also cut her 92nd birthday cake, amid shouts of joy and excitement.