It's official: ChamsCity Lagos has been officially certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest digital mall.The sprawling edifice at GRA Ikeja, which was commissioned on 30th October 2008 by the Executive Vice Chairman of the National Communications Commission, Mr. Ernest Ndukwe, is equipped with 1,000 networked Apple computers to render end-to-end digital solutions to corporate and individual patrons. Chams, a firm renowned for Identity Solutions, e-payment and transactional services plans to have 30 of such digital malls/cyber centres round the country, to provide an array of services such as e-recruitment, e-ticketing, large scale registration, bill payment, e-banking and on-line examinations, among others. We commend this initiative for the original thinking that it is, and this in a climate that has spawned a lot of grumblers who daily bemoan their lot rather than doing the needful to get things going. Those who knew Chams in those early years at Akerele Street in Surulere will be surprised to see how it has morphed into such a gargantuan conglomerate. Talk about the days of small beginnings and the power of perseverance as exhibited by the Group Managing Director, Mr. Demola Aladekomo and his crew… Mr. Aladekomo had emphasized at the Lagos Commissioning that Chams' intention is to make Nigeria a leader in many areas of ICT, with ChamsCity being the precursor to actualizing that objective. It's always a good thing when someone bucks the trend and thrives. That way, others realise it is doable and that eventually becomes the new trend. As at the time of going to press, Mr. Seyi Bickersteth, Chams Assistant General Manager, had hinted that another one will be opened in Abuja on December 10. Talk about rapid fire delivery! Don't believe the naysayers. Great things are happening in Nigeria, Chams being one good example. You ought to check it out for yourself, don't you think so?

Put cameras in the hands of
200 kids, give them amandate to capture images that best
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American Corners are partnerships between the U.S. Mission and the host Nigerian institution - in this case the Ovie Brume Youth Center - to provide resources as well as books and research materials to Nigerian students, academics, government officials, researchers, journalists, and business persons.  The Corner will also provide a collection of literature of America's best writers, as well as information on American society, culture, policies, politics, history and business, as well as videos, facts and statistics, and the Internet.  The American Corner will also contain proprietary software known as e-Granary, which places thousands of resource materials on a single server.  Assistance in using all the varied resources will be available. 

Open to all, the American Corner located at the Ovie Brume Youth Centre will be the newest in Nigeria.  The others are located in Bauchi, Ibadan, Sokoto, Kano, Abuja, Calabar, Jos, Maiduguri and Port Harcourt.  In other developments, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria also donated office equipment, computers, laptops, a digital camera, an Infocus projector and printers worth more than $12,000 to the Nigerian Police Force's (NPF) Interpol Office in Lagos to support the work of the Interpol office to effectively track and intercept criminal suspects.

And on December 11, the Ambassador was on hand in Calabar to launch an integrated measles campaign in partnership with the Governor of Cross River State, the High Commissioner of Canada and other Canadian partners. The U.S. Mission in Nigeria, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, is providing more than 116,000 nets to children under five years of age in all 18 local government areas in Cross River State.  This being the second phase of the country-wide initiative covering 17 southern and middle-belt states, Ambassador Sanders said “I am confident that through this partnership we will achieve our shared goals of protecting and improving the lives of Nigeria's most precious asset- the children."