PHOTO: L- R: Group Executive Director, Commercials ipNX, Bimpe Olaleye, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Oyo State, Barr. Olasunkanmi Olaleye, Chief of Staff to the Governor of Oyo State, Chief Bisi Ilaka, Group Executive Director, HR & Corporate Services, ipNX, Folashade Efiong-Bassey, and Special Assistant to the Governor of Oyo State On ICT & E-governance, Bayo Akande at the handover ceremony of free high-speed broadband internet connectivity to public secondary schools in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday, October 8, 2020.

The initiative is in continuation of ipNX’s broader CSR for Education Programme and Oyo State Internet Programme for Schools.

With access to high speed broadband connection from ipNX, teachers and students of Government College Ibadan and Bishop Phillips Academy, Monatan –– the first set of Oyo State schools selected for the project –– are empowered to fully appropriate the benefits of modern technology in the classroom.

The facility was handed over to the two institutions in Ibadan on Thursday October 8, 2020, at a ceremony which had in attendance Chief of Staff to the Oyo State Governor, Chief Bisi Ilaka, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Sunkanmi Olaleye, Special Adviser (SA) on ICT and E-Governance to the Governor, Mr Bayo Akande, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Alhaja Atere Aminat Bamidele,  Chief Technology Architect, ipNX Mr Seun Oluboyo, as well as Principals and students of the schools.

The schools will enjoy individual 10Mbps (Megabit per second) internet service free for five years in the first instance, and renewable thereafter.

According to Group Executive Director, HR & Corporate Services, ipNX, Folashade Efiong-Bassey, “With ipNX’s superior broadband infrastructure, we are providing Oyo state public secondary schools within our path of fibre coverage, with free high speed internet connectivity to enable thousands of students and teachers appropriate the benefits of technology in the classroom.

“We believe this will facilitate the goals of the State in improving the education, science and technology sectors, which is a vision of the administration of His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde.  Moreover, this initiative complements the recent Federal Government intention to implement Zero-rating for education websites as part of efforts to ameliorate the impact of Covid-19 on Nigeria’s education sector.”

As an organisation, a major portion of ipNX’s corporate social investment has been dedicated to education, and since 2011, the company has provided free internet service to 55 public secondary schools in Lagos state. 

As one of Nigeria’s pioneering ICT companies, and a leading Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) operator, ipNX believes that world-class connectivity and broadband access to the internet will provide more opportunities for students and teachers to find the best practices, create new solutions, connect and inspire each other, all towards the achievement of better learning outcomes. The empowerment of students in this way is pivotal to the digital transformation and socio-economic development of Nigeria.

MTN Nigeria this night announced the introduction of its new Visitor SIM specially designed for guests travelling into the country.

 The Visitor SIM comes pre-loaded with an appealing package that includes local and international call and data bundles. This package will enable people visiting from other countries to stay connected with their friends, family and business associates on MTN’s super-fast network.

According to Adekunle Adebiyi, Chief Sales and Distribution Officer, MTN Nigeria, “The new Visitor SIMs will ensure that before setting foot outside the airport, people visiting Nigeria can plug in, reconnect – to loved ones, associates, tools and information, and begin sharing their remarkable experiences, with no concern about roaming charges.”

MTN Visitor SIMs are available in the arrival halls of international airports and other ports of entry. They are valid for 14 days, which can be extended up to 30 days via MTN’s self-service menus or USSD.

For more information about this service, please visit https://www.mtnonline.com/visitors-sim-plan or dial *123*7*1# to locate the nearest MTN store.

MTN Nigeria has confirmed that on August 14, 2020, one of its staff at the Kaduna Service Centre located at 1/4 Bank Road, Abapa, Kaduna, was confirmed positive with coronavirus.

Accordingly, MTN said the Kaduna office was closed temporarily, all staff placed on self-quarantine and its premises disinfected by the Kaduna State COVID-19 response team on August 16, 2020.

 A statement by Nigeria’s largest mobile operator said as guided by the authorities, “we suggest that any customer or guest who used the facility within the last two weeks, beginning July 31 2020, should contact the Kaduna State Emergency numbers on 08035871662, 08025088304, 08032401473, 08037808191 OR NCDC on 08097000010 (toll free) for guidance if they feel unwell or require COVID-19 testing.  

“We continue to observe strict adherence to all mandated precautions across our open stores nationwide, operating reduced hours, maintaining strict hygiene, ensuring compulsory use of facemasks and adopting physical distancing measures. Although our other service centres in Kaduna remain open, our virtual services also provide a secure and convenient option.

“Customers can contact us for support 24 hours a day on MTN Livechat, myMTNapp, Whatsapp: 090330000001, tweet @MTN180, Facebook @MTNLoaded, or send us email on customercareng@mtn.com.

 “We will continue to monitor the situation and support our colleagues through this challenging time. Thank you to our people, partners and customers for their continued support, perseverance and understanding. Please stay safe. We will get through this,” it concluded.