There were four of them – extremely brilliant student innovators, and we were classmates in Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Nigeria. One left FUTO and never worked for any human for a day; he started a company and within months, he had employed dozens. That business has expanded to London; the city of Cambridge enticed him and he moved the business there!
Another runs a highly important tech business in Lagos. ‘Ekekwe, how far”, he would say as we prepare for exams. Then, today, one of the four (Oyaje Idoko) who runs a business upon which most banks in Nigeria depend, Layer3 & layer3.cloud with data centers in Abuja, has done something amazing; upgrading Nigeria’s center for disease control agency (NCDC) facilities with free bandwidth to support the fight against COVID-19.
The last one runs a big IT business in the state of Maryland, USA (he is expanding into Nigeria). In short, he took a newspaper advert last year congratulating me for an award.
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When I enter Nigeria, it is all blessings; you need to have successful entrepreneurial classmates. Big Boys who together employ over 600 people in our nation.
Congratulations to Layer 3, Layer3Cloud, and one of FUTO’s greats Oyaje Idoko for supporting Nigeria.Nigeria will never forget your kindness – more open doors ahead.
The Press Release
Layer3 has upgraded the internet bandwidth to the headquarters of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC). It says the move is aimed at raising the agency’s communication and response capacities, as it battles the current corona virus pandemic.
The upgrade, which involved doubling the internet bandwidth to the agency, has been provided free of charge. According to Oyaje Idoko, the Chief Executive Officer, “the cost-free service is part of its contribution to the ongoing fight against COVID-19 in the country.”
While it has functioned with its initial internet bandwidth for a while, the rise in cases of seasonal and novel viral infections has caused a spike in the traffic going to its websites and communication channels.
The NCDC is leading the medical response to the pandemic in Nigeria. It had to scale up its communications with its team across Nigeria, and with the country’s wider population, as public concerns over diseases, such as Lassa fever, have grown. This has been followed by an even greater demand for information from the public, occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The doubling of its bandwidth capacity by Layer3 will ensure that the quality of internet-based communication between it and the public remains in place and is not depreciated by the increasing volumes of traffic coming into its headquarters. Crucially, it will allow more Nigerians to reach the agency via its digital channels and obtain potentially life-saving information.
Responding to the gesture by Layer3, the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekewazu, said “This support will help to enhance our use of technology in the ongoing response to COVID-19 and Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria. Importantly, it will ensure the timely exchange of information.”
The NCDC provides daily updates on its efforts to combat the coronavirus in Nigeria. These updates are available on its website, ww.covid19.ncdc.gov.ng, as well as its social media pages.
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Information about public health remains key.Your quick foresight & intervention in the huge contribution is not only acknowledged but even encouraged ,looking at the level of poverty among our teaming population who are the target in the awareness to be created by the government. You have saved us another huge embarrassment in bridging the gap between the government and the governed.Dont look back nor count any losses you have saved lives more than one can imagine.
Innovation wins – we thank Layer3 team.
How is getting the internet to clients? I am kind of interest in the internet side of the business.
Kudos to layer3 team. Humanity first. FUTO’s pride