Friday 9 February 2024

‘My father died in the Columbia space shuttle – it felt like Nasa betrayed him’

The first sign was the countdown clock. On Feb 1 2003, nine-year-old Kaycee Anderson was in the crowded bleachers by Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre, watching the seconds tick down towards zero – then start climbing back up again. The perfectly blue sky seemed to highlight the absence of the Columbia space shuttle, due to return to Earth that Saturday morning with her father, Mike, and the six other astronauts on board. Instead of a sonic boom and the orbiter approaching, all of a sudden, “people were on the phone talking in urgent tones, and then they were getting in vans”, Kaycee, now 30, remembers. “That’s when I knew, this isn’t normal.”

Along with her mother, sister and the rest of the astronauts’ families, they were bundled into a van, driven to the Space Centre, and told that the worst had happened. Minutes from when they should have landed to a hero’s welcome, the shuttle had broken up at 190,000ft, sending burning metal and human remains plummeting to the ground in east Texas. The shuttle’s disintegration as it breached the planet’s barrier had been broadcast on live television as the families stood staring at the sky, among the last to know their loved ones’ fate.

Twenty-one years on from flight STS-107, it remains among the worst space disasters in history, charted in painful detail in Columbia: The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth, a three-part BBC documentary series beginning Monday (Feb 12). By the time of its 28th and final mission, Columbia – dubbed “the world’s greatest electric flying machine” – had spent more time in space than any other shuttle. All the more galling, then, that the incident could have been avoided completely.


By Charlotte Lytton.

Full story at Yahoo News.

Tuesday 6 February 2024

Exclusive: CBN targets six months for recertification of PoS terminals to fight fraud

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) plans to recertify all active POS terminals across the country, two sources familiar with the conversation told TechCabal. Part of that process will include an update to issuing terminal identification numbers (TID) — a unique eight-digit identifier — and collecting information such as BVN and tax identification numbers from POS agents.

“This means you must request TID for each merchant with their details and wait for NIBSS to generate it before they can assign a terminal to that merchant,” one person familiar with the CBN’s plans said. 

Before now, mobile money operators like Opay or Palmpay typically requested TIDs in bulk to assign terminals quickly, but recertification will mean acquirers (banks and mobile money operators) have to register each TID separately. Registration requires the provision of an address, BVN or Tax Identification Number (TIN), business name, and F1 Code of the acquiring bank. 



By Frank Eleanya.

Full story at Tech Cabal.

Monday 5 February 2024

CBN’s 7 action plan to help revive Nigeria’s economy – Cardoso

CBN governor, Olayemi Cardoso
The governor of Central Bank Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, has highlighted some action plans the apex bank wants to embark on in order to help boost the economy.

Cardoso highlighted some of the plans in his first-ever exclusive interview as CBN governor and which was done by Arise Business anchor, Boason Omofaye, on Monday, February 5, 2024.

– According to Cardoso, the eventual stability of the naira will be driven by its ability to address the fundamental issues affecting the economy, bring inflation under control, and promote the growth of Nigerian businesses so that exportation will be greater than consumption.

– Cardoso revealed that the CBN is currently planning strategies to revamp the Bureau de Change segment. He said this is imperative for enhanced efficiency and aims to streamline their numbers for better management as well as supervision.


By James Agberebi.

Full story at The Guardian NG.

Monday 29 January 2024

Takealot appoints new CEO as Amazon arrival looms

Takealot Group has announced the appointment of Frederik Zietsman as new CEO.

Takealot, the South African e-commerce group that reported $808m in revenues for 2023, has announced Frederik Zietsman as its new CEO effective from February 1, 2024. Takealot group owns the online platforms takealot.com, Superbalist, and Mr D.

Zietsman replaces Mamongae Mahlare who was CEO from October 2021. Mahlare is moving to the position of executive chair of Takealot group. Zietsman was CEO of Takealot.com from 2021.

“The streamlining of the leadership between the group and Takealot.com will reinforce resources around its flagship online retail and marketplace platform and bring stronger alignment and focus in delivering on its key growth objectives,” Takealot said in a statement.


By Ephraim Modise.

Full story at Tech Cabal.

Tuesday 12 December 2023

Bolt Nigeria opens up on ‘dispute’ with e-hailing union

Bolt also insists the union should have no power for collective bargaining

Bolt Nigeria has finally addressed the run-in it has with the Nigerian e-hailing union, describing it as a quest for clarification of the Nigerian labour laws. Bolt’s Senior Public Policy Manager for West Africa, North Africa and Central Africa, Weyinmi Aghadiuno, clarified this while fielding questions from this reporter.

According to her, there was really no quarrel with the union as the e-hailing company was never against the formation of unions by drivers. She, however, noted that the company only sought to clarify its relationship with the drivers as independent contractors in a gig economy, not workers or employees as they posited in the lead-up to their formal registration as a trade union.



By Ejike Kanife

Full story at Tech Next 24.

Tuesday 5 December 2023

Author's Update: Google Play Books Store.

Buying my books on Google Play Book Store is now easier:


1. Load any airtime equivalent to the amount my book is sold for.


2. Go to Google Play Book Store and search (Olagunju Success Taiwo).


3. Pay for the book via airtime.


4. Download the book to your phone and start reading.



All the best for your support guys:



Google Play Books Link: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Olagunju_Success_Taiwo_Making_the_CHANGE_Evident?id=J4AwDwAAQBAJ&hl=en&gl=US&pli=1