Five new things you can do with Google

Google specifically builds its platforms and products to be globally relevant. Users in Nigeria also have access to these products, which will help them access information with ease. Here are 5 cool things you can do with Google that you probably didn’t know about.

1. Chat or send SMS in any language…including in Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa
2.                                                            If you are like most Nigerians, then you probably have a grandma, uncle or family member that prefers to read messages in either Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa. Did you know that Google can help you communicate with them in these languages and more? The next time you need to type a message on SMS, Whatsapp or any other messaging app, simply click on the Google  logo on your keyboard, and click on the translate icon and let Gboard do the translation for you.
   Gboard is a new keyboard from Google for your Android or iPhone and It has all the things you would expect from a great keyboard — GIFs, emojis, and Glide Typing — plus Google Search built in. No more app switching; just search and send, right from your keyboard.
   If Gboard isn’t installed on your phone, you can download it from the Apple store or the Android Play store.
   Find information on Health Condition
   
   Remember the last time you searched on Google for health information? Maybe a co-worker shook your hand and later found out she had pink eye, so you looked up “pink eye” to see whether it’s contagious. Or maybe you were worried about a loved one down with malaria. By simply typing in ‘Malaria’, Google will show you health panels with information on malaria symptoms and treatments. Google has health knowledge panels available for over 800 common diseases and ailments. This is now accessible to Nigerians and Google has partnered with the University of Ibadan to ensure that answers are reviewed by Nigerian doctors.
   Get a list and times for movies showing at the cinema near you
   
   When it’s Friday and you want to spend the evening watching a movie with that special someone. Challenge is you don’t know what movies are showing at the cinema. No problem. Just ask Google. How? Just type ‘what movies are showing at the Ikeja mall’ into Google, and Google will give a list of movies showing at Ikeja mall, plus the times those movies are showing. And if you are in Ikeja, simple check for the movies showing at the cinema close to you. It works the same way. But hey, don’t take my word for it, try it out yourself!
   Find information on Nollywood movies
   
   Interested in finding out information about that Nollywood movies? No problem with that. Make Google do the selection for you, type the name of the ‘nollywood movie into search and let Google give you all the information, including the actors. Easy peasy!
   Get more details on what your favourite musician, movie or sport star is up to
   
   With Posts on Google, entertainers and businesses can share visible updates directly to Google. This means you get your favourite star’s live update alongside your search results when you Google them.

   Google announced the availability of Google Posts in Nigeria at Google for Nigeria, on 27 July.

   Posts makes it possible for musicians, entertainers and other public figures to share updates, images and videos directly on Google, for people to see while they explore on the web. Nigeria is the third country where we’ve made this feature available and some of the country’s popular musicians are already using it.

   Posts has been available for limited use since January 2016, initially only for US Presidents, then for some businesses, and, from March 2017, for all businesses that use Google My Business (except hotels & B&Bs), public figures, celebrities and things like movies, museums and sports teams. It is available in the US, Brazil and Nigeria.

   Google Posts allow businesses and individuals to create posts that show up in the knowledge panel on Google Search and Google Maps. So, for example, if you search for the Nigerian music star Bez, you may see something like the image attached beneath this subheader.

   NOTE: Posts expire after a week, unless they are event-based, in which case they expire after the event date.

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Yoruba language bill: Lagos schools risk fine, closure for non-compliance

The Lagos State House of Assembly is proposing a fine of N500, 000 or closure of any school that flouts its proposed law on compulsory teaching and learning of Yoruba Language, when passed.

“A Bill for a Law To Provide for the Preservation and Promotion of the Use of Yoruba Language and for Connected Purposes’’ before the House seeks to make Yoruba language a core subject in schools.

Presenting a report on the bill on Thursday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Mr Lanre Ogunyemi, said that it would enhance the preservation of the language.

According to him, the bill also recommends the translation of all the laws in the state into Yoruba language in order to get to its target.

The Assembly had previously made moves to make teaching and learning of Yoruba Language compulsory in both public and private schools in the state.

The House said that such step had become imperative to meet its target of preserving and promoting the indigenous language of the South West from going into extinction.

The bill states further that all state- owned tertiary institutions should incorporate the use of Yoruba Language in the General Studies (GNS) curriculum.

It reads in part: “The use of Yoruba Language shall be an acceptable means of communication between individuals, establishment, corporate entities and government in the state if so desired by the concerned.

“Any school that fails to comply with the provisions of Section 2 of the law commits an offence and is liable on first violation to issuance of warning and on subsequent violation be closed down and also pay a fine of N500, 000.”

Ogunyemi later told newsmen that the committee might amend a provision in the bill which recommended that it should take effect after two years of its passage

According to him, most of the lawmakers want the bill to become effective immediately after it is signed into law by Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode.

The lawmaker added that the Assembly was passionate about Yoruba Language which necessitated its adoption for parliamentary debate on Thursdays.

“The National Policy on Education provides that the language of an environment should be spoken in schools, which is why Yoruba Language is being adopted for Lagos schools.

“After the passage of the bill into law, it would become compelling for schools to speak Yoruba Language. We want to preserve the language for generations yet unborn,’’ he said.

On compliance by private schools after passage, the lawmaker said that schools owners were part of the bill and that they were at meetings the committee held across the education districts in the state.

He added that private schools owners would have no choice than to key into the project as they have been properly mobilised, adding that the state Ministry of Education would ensure compliance.

On the translation of the laws into Yoruba Language, Ogunyemi said that this was to ensure that those that are literate in Yoruba language were carried along in the scheme of things in the state.

The Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, commended the committee, noting that the bill should take effect once signed into law by the state governor.

The House accepted the report as its resolution as the bill awaits third reading.

NAN

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Corp member empower colleagues

A youth corp member Obasi Sixtus Nnamdi has organized a skill acquisition training programme for corp members of Mushin/Odiolowo local government Area, zone B Lagos.

The exercise, which was centred on solar panel and inverter installation, was sponsored by Sixtus Engineering Services and powered by White Soul Motors Limited.

The training began in the month of August and ended on Friday, September 29, 2017 with a competition.

Corp Member training colleagues

Speaking at the wrap-up of the competition, which took place at the local government auditorium, Sixtus, explained that the free entrepreneurship training exercise was organized in order to reduce levels of unemployment and poverty among youths.

At the end of the competition, winners emerged from the Friday Community Development Service (CDS) group and a giveaway price of ten thousand naira was presented to them by the Zonal Inspector, Mrs Ariola Oluwaseki.

The Zonal inspector presenting the prize to winners

Sixtus expressed appreciation to the management and staff of NYSC for giving approval for the program to hold. He also appreciated the Youth corp members of Mushin/Odiolowo local government Area for their active participation throughout the training period and during the competition.

The programme ended with the commissioning of installed solar panel/inverter and DSTV decoder which was presented to the local government by Sixtus Engineering Services.

In attendance were officials from the National Youth Service such as the Zonal Inspector Mrs Oluwaseki Ariola, Public Relations Officer NYSC, assistant local government inspector Mrs Ayoola Amzat, Local Government inspector Mrs Anne Eduoku and Youth Corp members Mushin/Odiolowo local government Area.

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Former NANS president dies 5 minutes before reaching Indian hospital for treatment

Dauda Mohammed left Abuja on Saturday on a medical trip sponsored by Niger state government to treat liver cirrhosis but died before landing in Indian Airport.

The National Association of Nigerian Students has announced the death of its former president, Dauda Mohammed, who died on his way to Indian hospital for treatment.

Mohammed died on Sunday, October 1, en route Indian Artemis Group of Hospitals, Delhi following Niger State Government's release of N14 million to foot the medical bill.

The 38-year-old former student of the University of Jos left Abuja on Saturday, September 30 to receive treatment for liver cirrhosis.

NAN's president, Comrade Chinonso Obasi while speaking with newsmen over the death of his predecessor said the hospital sent him a mail that Mohammed died five minutes before landing at Delhi Airport.

He also added that the hospital said it would conduct an autopsy on Tuesday, October 3, before releasing his remains for transportation back to Nigeria.

Obasi However called on Nigerian government to be proactive on issues pertaining to its citizens' health

“We declare on month mourning and national action against cancer as we pray God to console his family.

“We also declare a national action against cancer and appeal the governments at all levels to be more proactive on issues pertaining to the health of citizens.

“Medical facilities in Nigeria should be standardized to enable our medical personnel handle complex forms of sicknesses,’’

Mohammed was the president of the National Association of Nigerian Students from 2011 to 2012.

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How Nigerians were educated in 60/70s compared to now

Getting jobs before graduation was a thing in the 70s, but today, the new graduates are at the mercy of who they know to get a job.


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