Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State Capital, on Saturday, May 20, 2017, played host to guests across the world during the unveiling of To-Be-Connected Nigeria at the Conference Hall of Ibom Le Meridien Hotel and Golf Resort.
To-Be-Connected Nigeria, a project and business platform that aims to mobilize the talents, innovations, research and creativity of Nigerians for collaboration and commercialization with the local and global industry, is the brainchild of a former Sokoto State Commissioner for Finance; Local Government and Community Development, Mr. Faruk Yabo.
The platform, according to Mr. Yabo, said “the traditional convention of institutions to institutions linkages by silo structures within government agencies in the continent led to a major gap that hinders research and innovations from thriving. To-Be-Connected Nigeria and its African partners will break these barriers comprehensively by connecting individuals to institutions and vice versa.”
“Apart from research and innovation, To-Be-Connected Nigeria will provide physical and virtual platforms. These will facilitate linkages for athletes, creative artists, authors, breakthrough in medicine, software development etc. this initiative will also trigger peer review of successful projects and enable cross exchange of competencies from within and outside the country for commercialization. Academic pursuits and other potentials will be designed to target the needs and requirements of industry(s), thus creating employment and economic opportunities for generally the younger generation.”
Mr. Yabo, a recipient of the Presidential National Honour, Member of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR), said the platform, which is financially independent, also promised to establish links with Nigerian Copyright Commission and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to protect and patent Nigeria’s intellectual and innovation assets, stressing “our platform with treasure of professionals from multiple disciplines from within and outside the country will facilitate an ethical transaction of ideas from the mutual benefit of the industry that requires those ideas and the authentic owners of those ideas.”
Special Guests at the event included Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; his Sokoto State counterpart, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani; Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere; former Governors of Cross River and Kaduna States, Mr. Donald Duke and Mukhtar Yero, and Senior Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Senate Matters, Senator Ita Enang.
The well attended event had Dr Pavlos Pavlou of “To-Be-Connected Europe” as keynote speaker.
Guest speakers at the event included the Director General of Nigeria First Project, Arc. Ezekiel Nya-Etok; Chief-Executive-Officer of Empower Management Company, Los Angeles, Corolann Alt; Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Youth and Students Matters, Mr. Nasir Adhama; Zamfara State Commissioner for Education and Founder of Learners Foundation, Mr. Mouktar Lugga; Director of Renewable Energy in the Department of Energy Commission of Nigeria, Professor Dioha Joseph; Director General of Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), Dr Olanrewaju Adebayo; Informatics Director, NewAD Energy Limited Center, University Campus Bradford, United Kingdom, Gregg Munton; President of ECOWAS Youth Council, Seun William, and Contact Person for Silicon Valley (USA), Alkasim Muhammad.
Other guest speakers were Founder/President of Green Heart Foundation, Munira Tanimu; Special Adviser to the Senate President on Youth and Students Matters, Obi Uchenna; Kano State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nasir Gawuna; former Super Eagles Coach, Samson Siasia; former Kano State Commissioner for Finance, Mallam Aminu Dan’amu; Chairman/Founder of Nigeria Young Professional Forum, Mr. Moses Siloko; the Chief Media Consultant of Centre for Economic and Leadership Development, Kingsley Okeke; Chief-Executive-Officer of White Diamond Medical Centre, Dr Remi Obinatu, and a member of Institute of Electrical Electronics Engineering (IEEE), Dr Bashir Sa’ad.
“TO-BE-CONNECTED NIGERIA” LINKS NIGERIA TO THE WORLD
