World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated annually on 5 June and is the United Nations‘ principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment. First held in 1974, it has been a platform for raising awareness on environmental issue such as marine pollution, human overpopulation, global warming, sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. World Environment Day was established in 1972 by the United Nations at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment (June 5-16, 1972) that had resulted from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. Two years later, in 1974 the first WED was held with the theme “Only One Earth”. 

Also, as part of its efforts to help in safeguarding the environment the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD has for many years been organizing different kind of activities ranging from public lectures, town hall meetings, road walks, twitter chats and radio programs in order to enlighten the public about the importance of keeping their environment safe and clean in order to protect it from disaster, erosion, pollution and rising global warming and also to warn them about the danger to polluting it. This year, like every other year the Centre organized a roundtable discussion with its Executive Director, Engineer Yunusa Zakari Ya’u as the discussant and Malam Aminu Aliyu of the Department of Economics, Bayero University, Kano as the moderator. The tittle of this year’s lecture was Circular Economy in the ICT Sector. 

In his welcome remarks which served as the opening of the discussion, Engr. Ya’u focused his discussion about the importance of a circular economy and why Nigeria and Nigerians should adopt it in order to generate more jobs and avoid societal pollution. Part of the advantages of the circular economy as identified to Malam Ya’u are, the circular economy helps to improve resources’ performance and fight the volatility that climate change might bring to businesses. It has benefits that are operational as well as strategic and brings together a huge potential for value creation within the economical, business, environmental and societal spheres. However, during the discussion, Ya’u also lamented that over the years Nigeria has become a dumping ground of second hand ICT goods whether be it is electronics; refrigerators, televisions, radios, handsets, and also plastics waste which littered every corner of our environment.  Which according him is not healthy for the country. Going further, Malam Ya’u said experts are looking at this in three dimensions: a. Environmental Hazard: which health experts considered as harmful to environment; b. Job Creation: in many instance the waste is generating a lot of jobs and new business opportunities to teeming employed people who are going round to pick those waste and sale it to recyclers and the third dimension that is the Development Partners who see environment as part of the sustainable development goal, these category of people see waste as challenge to creating a sustainable development environment. In concluding his remarks, Engineer Ya’u identified two major challenges of creating circular economy in the country as lack of infrastructures and awareness he also called on the authorities to ensure the speedy passage of favorable policies for recycling in the country.

While making contributions, some of the participants at the roundtable discussion believe that with proper awareness creation and favorable policies circular economy especially in the ICT sector will boost the country’s economy, save the environment and reduce waste pollution. Also another contributor highlighted that recycling of ICT waste in Nigeria which are normally done in either China, Europe or America will create millions of jobs to Nigerians if government pay more attention to it and ensure a favorable environment where it can be done here.

At the end of the discussion there were unanimous agreements that awareness creation and intensive advocacy to relevant agencies and engagements with government need to be intensified in other to preserve, sustain and save our environment. 

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) on Wednesday, 9th June, 2021, held career talk on the computer profession for students of secondary schools.

The career talk which held at Government Girls Secondary School (GSS), Sani Mai Nagge, Gwale Local Government of Kano State is part of the ongoing programme of CITAD to enlighten school communities on the importance of ICTs as well as sensitize students to take career in the computer profession.

The event held at the school computer laboratory Hall. The key presentation was made by Muktar Sulaiman who in his speech stressed the need for girls to make effort to acquire ICT knowledge.

He said given the current educational backwardness of the north, only by embracing ICTs would we be able to bridge the gap. It is necessary for each and every one of you to acquire ICTs knowledge” Mukhtar Suleiman added.

On his part the Training Officer of Centre, Malam Kamilu Isa encouraging the secondary school girls to pursue ICT related careers and this will expose them to new trends in technologies that can be applied in various industry sectors.

He added that the application of ICT in learning enables girls and women to have equal quality education, which leads to personal development, allowing them to manage their lives.  There is the need to instill confidence among girls so that they can be as good as men in both using and improving technology.

The human resources of the Centre Halima, Sa’idu Nayaya, said that without doubt, the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), sector remains a fast growing area with limitless possibilities for national and international development, and the sector offers enormous empowerment opportunities to diverse people across the globe.

He added that it is sad to note that despite the boundless opportunities it presents, fewer girls and young women are actually getting involved in the sector.

He also encouraged girls to take to careers in ICT, because it would help solve lots of socio – economic problems.

Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has presented hate speech books to journalists in Adamawa State to raise awareness on hate speech and corruption.

CITAD senior programme officer, Isa Garba, said the best way to tackle hate speech and corruption is for the society not to support the perpetrators.

The presentation of the two books: “Context and content in hate speech discourse in Nigeria” and “The compromised state, how corruption sustains insecurity in Nigeria” is in line with CITAD’s culture of documentation of development.

Garba lauded the role journalists play in advocacy and urged them to pass the message to the general public in a simplified manner.

He expessed worry that hate speech has been identified as major cause of religious and ethnic crisis especially among politicians regardless of its consequences on the society.

Garba noted that in order to guard against the intergenerational transfer of hate speech, CITAD adopted a system that crowd source what is perceived as hate speech which is analysed using hate speech monitors.

He said CITAD is championing sensitisation of the public on the effect of such negative tendencies, while urging NBC to intensify efforts and ensure punitive measure on defaulters.