Feature/OPED
NDDC’s Internship Scheme As A Stitch in Time That Will Save Nigeria’s ‘Unemployment Nine’
By Jerome-Mario Utomi
In Nigeria, like in other parts of the world, it is believed that the viability of democracy depends upon the openness, reliability, appropriateness, responsiveness, and two-way nature of the communication environment. Democracy depends upon the regular sending and receiving of signals – not only between the people and their elected representatives but also among the people themselves.
Supporting the above assertion was the torrent of inter, intra and crossed commentaries by Niger Deltans at the launch by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of a Youth Internship Scheme initiated by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), for 10,000 youths from the Niger Delta region in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
For a better understanding of why this piece specifically appreciates NDDC’s decision to empower youths of the region, it is important to first, underline that Nigeria is a vast country with vast problems that disrupt its progress. But one need not pause to know that the most pernicious of all these problems is youth unemployment.
Tragically unique is the awareness that the unemployment challenge in the country has not only defiled nearly every known solution but remained on a steady rise in recent decades.
As the challenge remained on the increase, even so, were the efforts by successive administrations to have the monster arrested. While some of these efforts were genuine, others were mere declarations of intent brazenly characterized by no clear definition of the problem, the goal to achieve, the means chosen to address the challenge or well-codified means of giving interim support to the unemployed with basic good means of livelihood such as food and security.
Take as an illustration, a story was told of how many years ago, Nigerian youths received with open mind the promise of empowerment initiatives under the then government’s Social Investment Programme for the creation of employment and empowerment of Nigerians. Unfortunately, those excitements were short-lived as many youths who indicated interest could neither register nor secure the training due to the clumsy nature of the arrangements.
Out of the few that eventually registered, some could not complete the programme largely because of distance exuberated by the fact that the initiators failed to factor in (logistics/transportation/daily sustenance allowance) for the trainees. For obvious reasons, even those who completed the programme were more of non-learners as being in school does not always lead to learning.
At that time, this sorry story understandably raised a lot of worries among Nigerians.
With the above highlighted, this piece will comparatively spread out particulars that differentiate the old experience from the present initiative by NDDC’s governing board and management.
Detailing the present Youth Internship Scheme, the Senate President said, “The 10,000 youths would be engaged in the programme designed to improve their skills. The beneficiaries in the first phase would be paid N50,000 monthly. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to the development of the Niger Delta region’’.
What a visionary and sustainable way of empowering the youth!
Again, aside from the awareness that participants slated for this programme need not travel far to access the training as training locations are tragically brought to their doorsteps, unlike previous initiatives, also commendable on the part of NDDC’s governing board and management is their recognition that it Is in the interest of the government and the nation at large to create jobs/empower the youth as a formidable way of curbing crime and reducing threatening insecurity in the country. Most estimable is the Commission’s affirmation that it should be done not merely for political considerations but from the point of view of regional/national development and sustenance of our democracy.
Away from the internship Scheme and FG’s N50,000 monthly Stipend to 10,000 Niger Delta Youths which when implemented, promises to empower the youths from the region, and create self-reliance, there are other hidden but genuine reasons why the people of the region, particularly youths are happy with the Commission.
First, in addition to addressing the region’s underdevelopment (infrastructures and capital), the youths of the region, according to commentaries are particularly happy that the current governing board and management operate in total compliance with the global prerequisite which says that any developmental effort without youth empowerment and job creation at its centre will take such society, region or nation nowhere.
Closely related to the above is the revelation by the Senate President, who, while commending the NDDC for restoring some damaged sections of the East-West Road, hinted that following a presidential directive, the NDDC recently inaugurated five flagship projects covering roads, bridges, and electricity across the region. This is in addition to the assurance that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project would not only commence from Lagos but would also start simultaneously from the Niger Delta.
Even as the people of the region celebrate, there are hopeful signs of more silver lining on the horizon for the region and its people.
Take, as an illustration, in his opening remarks, the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr Chiedu Ebie, assured that the Commission would continue to focus on completing capital projects that would add value to the Niger Delta region.
Ebie said, “Our commitment is to work towards transforming the region, in line with the 8-Point Presidential Priorities, as well as in accordance with the demands of the NDDC Act of 2000.” He thanked members of the National Assembly for expeditiously passing the 2024 budget of the Commission, which would set the tone for the implementation of projects and programmes benefiting the people of the Niger Delta region.
For his part, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, in a similar vein stated that the people of the Niger Delta region had transitioned from militant agitation to intellectual struggle, noting that the region was now reaping the benefits of these struggles.
He said, “We have provided more opportunities and hope to Niger Delta youths through our Holistic Opportunity Projects of Engagement, designed to identify youth interests for skills training.” The NDDC boss said that Project HOPE had helped the Commission develop a comprehensive digital repository, containing important information about the youths of the Niger Delta region, including their qualifications, skills, interests, needs, and current employment status.
From Project Hope to building partnership, Ogbuku remarked that the NDDC was working with the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce to train youths and young entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta region, stating that the Commission would collaborate with the Chamber of Commerce to support Small and Medium Enterprises in the region and ensure the sustainability of youth development programmes. “We will also partner with the Bank of Industry to fund projects, support businesses, and facilitate the success of our empowerment programmes. We will provide all necessary support for youth entrepreneurship schemes,” he concluded.
To completely come out of the throws of unemployment, this piece holds the opinion that youths from the region must, on their part, recognise that ‘the future is full of promises as it is fraught with uncertainties. That the industrial society is giving way to one based on knowledge’. They must, therefore, learn to be part of the knowledge-based world. The youths must shun instant gratification mentalities and other negative influences emanating from social media that have conspired to render them morally bankrupt.
In like manner, the Federal Government should as a matter of urgency replicate NDDC’s youth empowerment model in other regions of the country. This, no doubt, will go a long way in throwing Nigeria’s monster youth unemployment which breeds all manner of restiveness into extinction. If implemented, it will become a stitch in time that will save Nigeria’s “unemployment nine”.
But for me, NDDC’s Internship Scheme has marked the beginning of something new and different for the youths from the region.
Utomi writes from Lagos, Nigeria
Feature/OPED
Leveraging Kendrick Lamar Blueprint: How African Artists & Brands Can Maximize Global PR Impact
By Philip Odiakose
If you followed, watched, or were live at the Super Bowl you will agree with me that Kendrick Lamar’s presence at the Super Bowl was not just another high-profile performance; it was a masterclass in media influence, narrative control, and cultural imprinting. His ability to spark conversations, drive digital engagement, and shape public discourse proves the power of deliberate strategic media positioning. Through the lens of media intelligence and PR measurement, we can dissect how African artists and brands can replicate this effect to elevate their global presence. Beyond the entertainment factor, Lamar’s performance provided key lessons in media reach, sentiment shifts, and strategic PR execution—areas that African PR professionals and communicators must internalize to maximize value from major events.
PR measurement data from the event shows a surge in Lamar-related conversations across digital and traditional media. His name dominated print, web, and social trends, appearing in over 1.2 million posts within 24 hours, with a sentiment distribution leaning 67% positive, 21% neutral, and 12% negative. The performance’s impact was amplified by major media outlets covering the event in North America and Europe, as well as select African countries, particularly Nigeria and South Africa. This media traction is a testament to the significance of strategic placements, showing how a single moment can redefine public perception and commercial value. For African artists and brands, the ability to secure a presence at major global events must be seen as more than a mere appearance—it is a PR opportunity that must be measured, optimized, and aligned with long-term communication objectives.
One of the biggest takeaways from Lamar’s Super Bowl presence is the deliberate storytelling approach. He was not just performing; he was communicating a narrative. African artists and brands must be intentional about their messaging when engaging global platforms. Media intelligence specialists can help track how narratives evolve, what themes resonate with audiences, and how to pivot when necessary. Sentiment analysis also plays a crucial role, revealing how different audience segments react and allowing for swift reputation management. Many African brands struggle with post-event PR impact analysis, often focusing solely on momentary buzz without extracting long-term insights from media data.
The concept of “The Kendrick Lamar Effect” speaks to leveraging credibility, cultural influence, and performance metrics to sustain media momentum beyond a single event. African PR professionals must learn from this by ensuring that every global engagement translates into measurable brand equity. This means that artists, influencers, and corporate brands must work with media intelligence teams to quantify their impact, benchmark against industry standards, and ensure PR campaigns are not just reactive but proactive. The challenge many African entities face is the lack of structured measurement frameworks that tie media exposure to business or career objectives. This knowledge gap is where PR measurement must step in to bridge the disconnect.
A vital lesson from Lamar’s Super Bowl impact is the role of multi-channel amplification. The performance itself was one layer, but the true media influence was built through post-event interviews, media engagement, and collaborative content syndication. African PR teams must adopt an omnichannel approach to PR execution, ensuring that media exposure is not short-lived. This requires a strategic mix of traditional media placements, influencer partnerships, and digital storytelling. In PR measurement, it is crucial to analyze which media channels drive the highest engagement and conversion rates, ensuring that communication strategies are data-driven rather than intuition-based.
Looking at case studies from both African and global perspectives, we have seen how the absence of media intelligence has led to missed opportunities. Burna Boy’s Coachella moment, for instance, was a landmark global exposure, yet the post-event PR lacked the necessary follow-through in structured PR measurement. In contrast, brands like Nike and Pepsi have perfected the art of extending media relevance beyond an event moment by employing predictive analytics, sentiment tracking, and engagement mapping. This difference in execution is a key area where African PR professionals must evolve—ensuring that global opportunities do not just end with event visibility but translate into long-term influence and business value.
Beyond just media coverage, there is also the crucial aspect of audience behavior analysis. Lamar’s performance was not just about numbers; it was about how his audience engaged, shared, and created conversations. African PR professionals must shift from vanity metrics to behavioral metrics, focusing on how audience perception changes post-event. Did the media narrative drive new brand partnerships? Was there an uptick in music streaming or product purchases? These are the questions that media intelligence must answer, ensuring that PR efforts are aligned with tangible outcomes.
The overarching lesson for Africa’s PR and communications industry is that major events are PR goldmines—but only if approached with precision, backed by intelligence, and measured effectively. Lamar’s Super Bowl presence serves as a playbook for how media influence can be engineered through strategic PR planning, near real-time sentiment tracking, and multi-platform amplification. African artists and brands have the talent and potential; what remains is the intentional use of media intelligence to ensure that every opportunity is maximized to its fullest potential. PR measurement is not an afterthought—it is the foundation for sustainable media success.
Philip Odiakose is a leader and advocate of PR measurement, evaluation, and media monitoring in Nigeria. He is also the Chief Media Analyst at P+ Measurement Services, a member of AMEC, NIPR, AMEC Lab Initiative, AMCRON and ACIOM
By Princess Akari
If you had told me five years ago, when I was just transitioning into product management, that the role would look like this today, I might not have believed you. But after five years working as a Product Manager (PM), I’ve seen how fast the industry moves, and 2025 is set to bring even bigger changes. Product managers who stay ahead of these changes will build better products and grow their careers. Those who don’t may struggle to keep up.
Here are some key trends to watch and how to adapt.
1. AI, AI, AI!
AI has rapidly gained popularity and continues to grow in influence. For product managers, understanding and using AI tools is now becoming essential, as AI is transforming how we work. Understanding what we can achieve with AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), is essential. Some of the top use cases include content generation, customer support automation (e.g. chatbots), code assistance, research summarization, personalized learning, virtual assistants, data analysis, creative brainstorming, language translation, and much more. Also, as a PM, AI can be introduced into your product to improve user experience and in turn business outcomes.
You might be asking yourself, what can I do to stay in touch with this AI trend? You can start by learning how AI tools can improve your daily workflow, do your own research on the numerous AI tools available and their capabilities. Experiment with AI-driven analytics, user feedback tools, etc. Be very curious and get your hands on as many AI resources as possible.
I recently got an AI micro-certification from Product School. If you’re interested, You can take the course here. Recently as well, I hosted a podcast episode on building AI products, transitioning into AI, and using AI in product development. For Apple podcasts, you can listen here, and for Spotify, you can listen here. These are great resources to give you a good head start.
Other resources; deeplearning.ai, Hugging face, Alpha signal, The Neuron.
2. The definition of “Product Manager” is changing
A few years ago, we had a fairly standard definition of who a PM was and what a PM does. The role of a PM was more standardized, with a clear set of expectations and responsibilities. But as the years have come by, the world has changed and so has the role.
Today, we’re seeing an increased number of specialized PM roles. Some PMs focus on emerging technologies like AI, while others work deeply within data, design, growth, engineering, or operations. Beyond skill-based specializations, some PMs are industry-specialized, such as Fintech PMs, Healthtech PMs, or E-commerce PMs. No two PM roles look the same anymore.
Companies are increasingly hiring specialized PMs to tackle specific challenges, prioritizing specific skill sets and industry experience over conventional backgrounds. Instead of looking for a PM generalist who can adapt to anything, they create detailed role descriptions with targeted skill requirements, tailoring the role to solve specific business challenges. As a result, we’re seeing more unconventional hires stepping into PM positions because they have the exact expertise needed to tackle a company’s unique problems. This highlights an important reality for generalist PMs, specialization is becoming more valuable.
If you’re currently a generalist PM, it’s worth considering how you can narrow your focus, whether by choosing a particular industry or developing expertise in areas like AI, data, growth, design, or technical product management. The demand for specialized skills is growing, and upskilling in these areas will make you more competitive in the job market.
3. PMs are now taking ownership beyond product development
Product managers used to mainly focus on the tech team (engineers, designers, QAs, etc) to build and launch products. But these days (and even in recent years), the role has grown much bigger. PMs are now more involved in the business side of things, leading and guiding business verticals. The role now extends into profit and loss (P&L) considerations and the overall commercial success of a product. They work closely with marketing, sales, finance, and customer support to make sure the product succeeds, not just in how it’s built but also in how it’s launched, sold, and maintained.
PMs are now more involved with how the product will reach customers and profitability. They work closely with marketing and sales teams to ensure a strong product positioning and a seamless launch. It’s no longer just about building a great product, it’s about making sure it reaches the right customers, at the right time, with the right messaging. Ensuring people understand what the product does and why they should use it. This requires PMs to understand their competition, pricing strategies, and customer acquisition channels.
I am well aware that in some companies PMs are now responsible (fully or partially) for pricing and revenue strategies, just as much as the product features. They work with finance and business teams to figure out pricing options and ideas on how that business unit can make a profit. As these companies look for sustainable growth, PMs are also expected to collaborate with customer success teams to improve retention and customer lifetime value.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, product management is constantly changing and so are we as PMs. If there’s one piece of advice I’d give, it’s to stay curious and adaptable. We should be open to continuous learning and new ways of thinking. The more we adapt, learn, and refine our skills, the more valuable we become. There’s always something new to explore, and that’s what makes the role so dynamic.
And if you’re looking for the best place to put your product management skills to practice, join me at Moniepoint – https://www.moniepoint.com/careers
Princess Akari is a product manager at Africa’s fastest-growing financial institution, Moniepoint
By Temiloluwa Olajide
It’s no longer news that piracy is a global enemy, one that has destroyed and continues to destroy the work and livelihoods of countless creatives. From film and music to sports broadcasts and television series, piracy robs rightful owners of their earnings and threatens the sustainability of entire industries.
As a global scourge, it requires a global response and fortunately, powerful partnerships are being forged across the planet and across sectors to protect content creators and the industry they work in. These partnerships involved digital content platforms, law enforcement bodies, cybersecurity firms and tech companies, all working together to ensure the viability of the industries that inform, educate and entertain audiences.
At first glance, piracy might seem like an easy way to access free entertainment, but its consequences run deep, affecting both individuals and society as a whole. On a personal level, streaming a sports event or show from an illegal site can expose users to serious risks, such as malware infections, identity theft, or financial fraud. Hackers can gain access to sensitive information, including bank details, potentially wiping out accounts. The damage caused by such crimes far outweighs the satisfaction of watching a football match for free.
Beyond personal risks, piracy also cripples the creative sector by siphoning revenue away from legitimate rightsholders. When movies, music, and sports events are illegally distributed, producers and creatives do not receive their due earnings. This lack of compensation disrupts the industry, leading to fewer productions, job losses, and weakened investment in new content.
Nigeria has one of the most vibrant entertainment industries in the world, with Nollywood ranking as one of the biggest film industries globally and Afrobeats taking center stage in international music charts. The potential for even greater success is huge, but piracy poses an obstacle.
MultiChoice, a key investor in local content, has spent years bringing high-quality productions to audiences, yet piracy continues to threaten the industry.
Illegal streaming of sports events, reality TV shows, and locally produced series remains a major concern. This is particularly critical as the platform regularly broadcasts live feeds of many of the most popular sporting events on earth—F1, the Olympic Games, Euro, World Cup, and Champions League football, as well as popular local leagues.
Beyond sports, Africa Magic and Showmax Originals have become home to some of Africa’s most beloved entertainment shows, including hits like The Real Housewives of Lagos (RHOLagos), Big Brother Naija, and Nigerian Idol.
With content available in 40 languages and a growing library exceeding 84,000 hours, these platforms play a vital role in African storytelling. However, the rise of illegal streaming not only impacts revenue but also threatens the sustainability and growth of the creative industry.
To counter this, MultiChoice has joined forces with Partners Against Piracy (PAP) and cybersecurity firm Irdeto, actively tracking and shutting down illegal operations in multiple African nations.
With piracy tactics evolving, the fight against content theft must also advance. Strong collaborations, advanced technology, and public awareness are key to protecting the creative industry. By shutting down illegal operations and promoting legal alternatives, organizations like MultiChoice, PAP, and Irdeto are ensuring that content creators receive their rightful earnings and that audiences can continue to enjoy high-quality entertainment.
Ultimately, safeguarding creative content is not just about protecting businesses—it’s about securing the future of storytelling, preserving jobs, and ensuring that Africa’s thriving entertainment industry continues to grow. The fight against piracy is a shared responsibility, and by supporting legal content, we all contribute to a stronger, more sustainable creative economy.
-
Feature/OPED5 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism9 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz2 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking7 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy2 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking2 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports2 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn
-
Technology4 years agoHow To Link Your MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile Lines to NIN