By Dipo Olowookere
The N5 million business grant set aside by the Seyi Tinubu Empowerment Project (STEP) has been won by Staff Bus Nigeria, a tech startup solving the challenges commuters face daily in Lagos.
Staff Bus Nigeria emerged winner of the pitch at an event held on Tuesday in Lagos.
Co-Founder of Staff Bus Nigeria, Mr Oludayo Olujekun, said the STEP initiative was already changing the game in the tech sector by providing a strong support for tech startups who solve real life problems through technology in Nigeria.
“I feel excited for the future of Nigeria through STEP because young tech entrepreneurs now know the need for using technology for development. This is a wake-up call for tech entrepreneurs and millenials to use this opportunity,” he said.
Mr Olujekun further expressed his gratitude to the Noella Foundation for the initiative and said the foundation is giving hope to Nigerian communities through its programs.
Business Post reports that in addition to the grant is a free LCD advertising display of the brand in the Lekki Toll Admiralty Plaza, Lagos and a free office space for six months at ENOV8 Solutions, an African IT company focusing on innovative research and promoting strong relationships operating in Lekki, Lagos Nigeria.
Staff Bus Nigeria commutes residents in Lagos from home to work and back every day, hassle free. It solves the challenges of daily commuters in the city of Lagos.
Other winners were DriversNG (2nd Runner Up) and Meat World (1st Runner Up), both tech startups solving challenges in their operations through technology.
The two startups would also get a free LCD advertising display of their brands in the Lekki Toll Admiralty Plaza, Lagos, while Meat World would get a free office space for six months at ENOV8 Solutions in Lekki, Lagos.
Speaking at the event, Co-Founder of Noella Foundation, Mrs Layal Jade Tinubu, explained that the goal of the foundation was to give back by empowering communities, entrepreneurial youths and millennials in Nigeria.
“We feel it is time for our generation to start giving the younger generation a fair chance to excel in their endeavors via making positive societal changes in Nigeria,” she said.
On the STEP initiative, Co-Founder of Noella Foundation, Mr Seyi Tinubu, revealed his passion for the tech sector and said that the right technology, carefully employed is changing the world positively.
“Technology is making the world a better place today and this is why the STEP initiative of the foundation focuses on tech entrepreneurs who solve real life issues through their tech innovation,” he said.
He further revealed that there would be other initiatives for empowering other sectors under the foundation in the near future.
Noella Foundation provides a platform to empower and encourage youths to become change-makers in society by helping them to identify and use their passion to create solutions that empower Nigerian communities and drive greater economic growth.
Through the STEP program, millennials receive business mentorship and networking opportunities to become part of a community of like-minded pioneers in Nigeria’s tech space.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale