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It’s Ridiculous, Erroneous to Assume 5G Gives Coronavirus
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By Joel Popoola
A lot of people have overtime harboured an erroneous conception that the new 5G technology is harmful, and of course capable of transmitting the dreaded Coronavirus disease.
Well, let me shock you: As one of Nigeria’s leading technology entrepreneurs, it’s imperative I tell that it is actually possible to get the coronavirus from a 5G mast.
How? If you lick it.
And even then, you will only get sick if those masts have very recently been licked by someone who has COVID-19.
So unless you, your friends and your family regularly get together to lick telephone poles, you cannot get the coronavirus from a 5G mast.
But across Nigeria this myth is taking root. And social media is where that root finds the most fertile soil.
From Ogun to Borno, in Whatsapp groups, and Twitter posts and Facebook pages, people are spreading claims that twenty-first century telecommunications are to blame for the deadly worldwide outbreak.
These claims are as dangerous as they are ridiculous.
The myths have been discredited in detail by the Nigerian Communications Commission, who have written:
“Firstly, there is no correlation between 5G Technology and COVID-19.
“Secondly, there is no deployment of 5G in Nigeria at the moment. The NCC back in November 2019 approved trial test for 5G for a period of three (3) months, and the trial has been concluded and installation decommissioned.”
To put it another way: 5G doesn’t cause the cornonavirus, and even if it did, we wouldn’t have to worry in Nigeria as our communications infrastructure isn’t good enough!
That trial, by the way, was limited to three offices in Lagos, Abuja and Calabar and finished months ago.
Still don’t believe me? Well answer this. Iran is one of the countries hit hardest by COVID-19, with 120 times more deaths than Nigeria. If that pastor on YouTube or the meme your Auntie sent you is right and 5G does give you the cornonavirus, how has that happened to a country which has never had 5G!
Improved telecommunications infrastructure is in fact the cure for the epidemics like the coronavirus, not the cause.
5G will allow Nigeria to fast-track the mass adoption of technologies that is key to our economic future, productivity and quality of life – from artificial intelligence and self-driving cars driving around smart cities to virtual reality, remote surgery and internet-connected domestic appliances.
As President Buhari stated in his televised address to the nation the lockdown is only being lifted “with aggressive reinforcement of testing and contact tracing measures while allowing the restoration of some economic and business activities in certain sectors”.
Contact tracing is one of the most effective ways of preventing the spread of infections. It means rapidly finding everyone who has come close to someone who tests positive for an infectious disease like COVID-19 straight away.
But how can you identify every single person someone has come within two metres of in the last two weeks? It’s not possible.
But it is possible if their phone can record being close to your phone. And 5G technology makes that job a lot easier.
You can also send them an alert or message encouraging them to self-isolate – within seconds.
5G won’t save Nigeria from the COVID-19. But the contact tracing it makes possible could save us from the next outbreak, whatever outbreak that is.
In the meantime, our elected leaders need to take responsibility for standing up to social media myths.
Rate Your Leader, a free app I created, allows voters to identify and connect directly with their elected representatives at the touch of a button, direct from their phone.
At a time when myths about COVID-19 are spreading on social media almost as quickly as the virus itself, and when face to face contact is impossible, this connection is even more vital.
People might tell you that they don’t trust their local politicians, but in reality they are high credibility sources with a unique power and reach to promote crucial health messages through their networks.
Platforms like Rate Your Leader have a vital role to play in allowing accurate information to be communicated unfiltered from reliable sources to the people who might otherwise be panicked into listening to less reputable advice and taking steps which might actually be dangerous or damaging to their health.
Blaming 5G is not the only epidemic idiocy out there online. At Rate Your Leader, we have seen bizarre stories circulating on social media – like how COVID-19 can be cured with sesame oil or shaving.
Local leaders must keep their people safe by rapidly rebutting these harmful fantasies.
Nigeria is not alone in these problems. The United Kingdom saw at least 20 cases of 5G masts being attacked in one weekend alone – including one mast serving a hospital treating people with the Corononavirus.
Nigeria’s telecommunications are behind the times as it is. We cannot cope if people misguidedly destroy the assets we do have, because not enough effort has been made to counter the dangerous misinformation they have been given.
By Henry Ukazu
Destiny Friends,
The word ‘love’ is very significant. This is because of its descriptive power towDearards an action or feeling directed at someone or something. However, love means many things to many people, depending on one’s side of the divide.
Love is a beautiful thing. It is a beautiful experience and feeling when one gets it right. It breaks the heart when one loves someone and he/she is not loved back. Trust me, it really hits differently when one is loved in the manner they wished to be loved.
Love cuts all barriers of life, whether we are talking about purpose, health, academic, spirituality, finance, relationships, family, and career/vocation.
Let’s take a minute to dwell on the concepts of love as it relates to loving what one does.
Purpose:
Our purpose in life is much more important than our career. It’s instructive to note your profession is what you are trained to do as an attorney, doctor, engineer, accountant; your vocation is what one is paid to do as 9-5 work or skill work; but your ministry is your calling, that’s where you find your passion, your gift/talent. Our focus in life is to align our vocation, profession and ministry together.
Health:
If we love ourselves, we’ll pay attention to our health and that entails what we eat, how we exercise, and how we pay attention to our body. When we love our health, we’ll pay attention to what we do because our health will ultimately affect all we do.
Academic:
Loving what we do also affects our academics. It’s sad to see students who read majors they have no interest in just because of the job market. If one studies a major they don’t like, it will have an impact in their personal and professional lives. Imagine reading law when one’s interest is in accountancy, engineering or even Mass communication. The level of impact and fulfilment one gets studying a major they like is different from the impact they will deliver if they one don’t like the major. So, it’s advisable for one to study a major they have a strong interest in.
Spirituality:
Our spirituality plays an important role in what we do. We can’t succeed in life without the support of God. According to Evangelist Ebuka Obi, behind every successful man, there’s a spirit working for him. I totally agree with this saying because when you love what you do, the universe has a way of coming close and conspiring to make you succeed because it’s in alignment with God’s master plan and purpose for your life.
Finance
When we love what we do, it will have an influence on our finances especially when we are good at what we do. Everyone likes the best person who can do a job and that even entails paying for a premium service. One of the reasons why most people are poor is simply because they are not solving problems, even though they are solving problems, they are not solving the right problem, or they are not solving the right problem for the right people at the right places and time.
Relationships
To succeed in life, we must pay attention to our relationships because our relationships determine our network which ultimately determines our net worth. Loving what one does also entails being intentional in the people they let into their lives.
Family,
Family is the highest influence in a child’s life. When there is love in the family, the child will learn to love other people when they go outside. According to Mr. Okechukwu Ukazu, you can choose your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, and best friend, but you can’t choose your family. We don’t have control over who becomes our family either as parents or siblings because that’s how God designed it. Do you see why family is everything?
Career/vocation
Succeeding in life entails working in a profession or vocation we like. When we like what we are doing, and what we are doing like us, we shall be successful. It’s sad to see people working in jobs they don’t like just to pay the bills. It’s instructive to note that at creation God grants us talents and gifts to succeed in life, but because of the challenges of life, some of us now settle for something else. This is why some people are victims of defective success because as they climb the corporate ladder, one day, they will realize that they have gotten to the top only to realize they were climbing the wrong ladder of success.
Have you ever wondered why some people feel frustrated and depressed in life despite having resources at their disposal? It’s simply because they don’t like what they are doing. Loving what you do has a strong correlation to one’s physical and psychological and mental success in life.
In conclusion, to succeed, endeavor to love what you do.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design, Unleash Your Destiny and The Six Pillars of Succes . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Digital solution provider, Globacom, recorded the highest Internet subscriber growth among Nigeria’s major telecom companies for the month of May.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Nigeria’s total Internet users increased to 157 million in May, up from 154.3 million in April. That is a growth of 2.67 million users in one month.
Globacom led the market by adding about 1.2 million new Internet subscribers. This means Glo was responsible for almost half of all new Internet users in May.
The company’s subscriber base grew from 15.5 million in April to 16.8 million in May. Airtel came second with 1.07 million new users, moving from 54.8 million to 55.8 million. MTN added 382,894 users to reach 83.5 million.
T2 Mobile, formerly 9mobile, recorded no growth for the second month in a row. Its subscriber base remained at 802,534. This is despite its roaming agreement with MTN, which was approved almost a year ago to help T2 customers use MTN’s network in areas with poor coverage.
Industry experts say Glo’s strong growth is due to its ongoing network upgrade. Since last year, the company has been building new base stations, expanding its fibre network, and adding thousands of new 4G sites across cities and rural areas.
The upgrades have improved voice and data quality for customers, while Globacom remain committed to providing better network experience and affordable Internet services to more Nigerians.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for 2027 general elections, Peter Obi, says that Nigerians across all walks of life are suffering under President Bola Tinubu’s administration due to worsening hunger, widespread insecurity, and systemic harassment.
Speaking with journalists at St Fintan’s Catholic Church in Onicha Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, on Friday, Obi urged citizens to stand firm and resist further hardship imposed by the country’s current leadership.
Obi was in Ebonyi State to attend the burial ceremony of Okaji Okorie, father of the NDC senatorial candidate for the Ebonyi South Zone, Linus Okorie. Responding to questions regarding the alleged harassment of NDC supporters by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Obi said that the current hardship transcends political affiliations.
“For me, every Nigerian is already being harassed, not just my supporters,” Obi said. “Hunger is harassing everybody. The worsening economic situation is affecting everyone. Go to any village, and you will see that people are suffering. It is time for Nigerians to tell those governing us that enough is enough.”
Addressing concerns over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ability to conduct free and fair elections in 2027, Obi urged citizens to focus on collective action rather than institutional trust.
“It is not really about confidence in INEC; it is about having confidence in the people. The people will determine what INEC does. If Nigerians insist that their votes must count, then their votes will count,” he asserted.
“The people should look at what is happening in Nigeria and ask themselves: What is the future of our children in this enterprise called Nigeria? Are we going to continue in this direction?”
Obi noted that advocating for real change in the current political climate requires tremendous courage.
“Anyone talking about change in Nigeria today is making the ultimate sacrifice because we cannot continue like this. Every single day, poverty is increasing; every single day, hunger is increasing,” he noted.
“The World Bank recently reported that poverty has risen to almost 79 per cent from about 51 per cent when this government came into office. But you do not even need a World Bank report to know what is happening. Go to the villages and see for yourself.”
“Millions more Nigerians are facing hunger. So, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to continue like this? No.”
Turning to his host, Obi described Okorie as a steadfast ally and dependable partner, highlighting their shared political journey across party lines.
“This is not the first time Hon. Linus Okorie and I are working together. We worked together in the Labour Party, and now we are together in the NDC. That underscores the strength of our relationship,” Obi said.
“However, we are here today to pay our last respects to his late father. We pray that God Almighty, who blessed Papa with a long and fruitful life, will grant him eternal rest in His kingdom and give the family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
