By Suleiman Yakubu

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, has been awarded the prestigious title of Digital Governor of the Year 2024 by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), The Presidency.
The Deputy Governor of Niger State, Comrade Yakubu Garba, accepted the award on behalf of Governor Bago during the Nigeria GOVTECH Public Service Awards 2024, held at the Nicon Luxury Hotel in Abuja. The event, themed "Digital Innovations as a Catalyst for the Renewed Hope Agenda," celebrated advancements in digital governance.
In his acceptance speech, Deputy Governor Garba emphasized the administration's commitment to leveraging technology to enhance governance and service delivery across all sectors in Niger State. He highlighted the establishment of the Ministry of Communication Technology and Digital Economy and the Agency for Green Initiatives, both pioneering efforts at the sub-national level.
Garba outlined several key achievements in digital literacy under Governor Bago's leadership in 2024. These include training all Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, and Special Advisers in IT for improved service delivery, and collaborating with Tech4dev to enhance civil servants' IT skills. Additionally, the state has provided technology training for market traders and artisans in Hausa and Pidgin English, and educated children aged 10 to 18 in robotics, IoT, and programming.
The state has also partnered with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council to train SMEs in eCommerce, boosting exports. Journalists have been trained in Open-Source Intelligence to combat fake news, and the "TechSis" initiative has promoted women's participation in technology through various training programs.
Deputy Governor Garba expressed gratitude to the award's sponsors, development partners, and organizers for recognizing Niger State's efforts in public service reforms. He also congratulated other award recipients for their contributions to digital governance in Nigeria.

By Suleiman Yakubu

The Niger State government, in collaboration with Nigeria Health Watch (NHW), has inaugurated the cohort 1 track two of the Niger State Health Misinformation Management Fellowship programme.
In his keynote address at the inauguration on Friday at Haske Luxury Hotel, Minna, the state Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim Dangana, emphasized that a single piece of misinformation, whether intentional or unintentional, can erode decades of progress in public health.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Abdullahi Usman Imam, the Commissioner noted that health misinformation undermines the efforts of health practitioners to promote healthy communities and can even lead to fatalities. He highlighted the timeliness of the fellowship programme, given the global challenge of safeguarding public health not only from diseases but also from rapidly spreading misinformation.
The Commissioner informed the fellows that the programme aims to equip them to be defenders of the truth and to recognize where they might unintentionally contribute to the problem they are trying to solve. He expressed gratitude to Nigeria Health Watch and its team for their commitment to combating health misinformation in Niger State.
Dr. Junaidu Inuwa, Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the state ministry of primary healthcare, pointed out the numerous risks and hazards within the public health space caused by misinformation. He emphasized the reliance on the fellows to combat these issues and urged participants to engage fully in the training to apply their knowledge in their communities.
Mr. Abara Erim, the programme manager of NHW, explained that the second track of the fellowship programme targets health service providers, including doctors, nurses, midwives, traditional birth attendants, and traditional medicine vendors. The programme aims to enhance their ability to discharge their duties effectively by providing accurate information and countering misinformation.
Mr. Erim stressed that accurate information is crucial for health service providers to perform their duties effectively. He noted that misinformation hinders effective service delivery, hence the need for the training programme to address this challenge and ensure public health safety.
The goal of NHW, according to Mr. Erim, is to ensure that Nigerians have access to accurate information to make informed health decisions. This is the core mission they are working hard to achieve.
Mr. Sunday Oko, the project officer, provided an overview of the fellowship programme, sharing its vision and mission to build a network of individuals dedicated to combating health misinformation.
Mrs. Habiba Lawal, a certified Infodemic Manager and one of the facilitators, expressed her anticipation of seeing the fellows apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills to combat health misinformation in their workplaces and communities.
The 18 fellows are expected to carry out activities over the next two months to reduce the rate of health misinformation in the state, leveraging the trust of their communities and clients.