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Nigeria Must Beware of “Backdoor Colonialism”
By Joel Popoola
More than 60 years after our independence, Nigeria once again, must be wary of colonialism – this time in a very different shape.
At the end of August, Nigeria and Russia signed a military cooperation deal involving the supply of equipment, the training of troops and “technology transfer”.
Given our need to tackle the simultaneously insurgencies of both Islamists and Separatists, there is no doubting that Nigeria needs this sort of support, not least with historic allies such as the United States currently unwilling to sell military supplies to our nation due to concerns over human rights abuses.
But there is also no doubt that this also increases our dependency on a foreign power, whose interests are not always going to be aligned with our own. The phrase “technology transfer” could mean anything – from the sale of hardware to allowing another country access to our national security infrastructure.
Then there’s the growing influence of China on our growing technology sector.
Again, the need for their involvement is unquestionable. But their motivations are not.
The Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei already operates more than 70% of Africa’s telecommunications network – even though concerns about its links with the Chinese government have led to countries like Britain and the United States banning it from their mobile and internet networks.
Their concern is that Huawei’s dominance could allow the Chinese government to use state-sponsored hackers to spy on Nigeria or disrupt communications – something only likely to become more important as we move towards the era of self-driving cars and virtual domestic technology assistants such as Alexa and Siri.
The Wall Street Journal has already alleged that Huawei has helped Ugandan and Zambian authorities spy on political opponents.
A report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies even claimed that Huawei’s activities could “provide Chinese authorities with intelligence and even coercive leverage.”
This may not be the traditional form of colonialism, which arrived on our shores baring weapons but a new sort of colonialism baring investment in vital infrastructure, but at it is heart it remains remarkably similar – an overseas power with undue influence on our way of life.
This form of international interconnectivity is inevitable in the twenty-first century, and I am no nativist or economic nationalist – and it is of course unrealistic at the present time for Nigeria to develop an independent cloud infrastructure, for example, not least when it is exactly what we need to maximise the potential of our booming fintech sector.
We can also not allow foreign dominion over our emerging digital sector. According to one report, no less than 14 of the 20 most exciting tech start up are Nigerian – and the entire top 10! We must ensure that the benefit of this ingenuity and innovation is felt at home.
Huawei has also announced plans to train up to 3 million young Africans in digital skills, including artificial intelligence. Make no mistake; we need this – not least because as a nation we have failed to provide this for ourselves.
But we also need to be cautious of becoming over-reliant on overseas powers.
The first step towards achieving this is to built a more united Nigeria, and in particular we must bridge the divide between our people and our political class. And ironically, it is technology that can deliver that.
At the digital democracy campaign I lead, we are also working to bring electors and elected closer together.
We’ve created a free smartphone app – Rate Your Leader – to use mobile technology to let elected officials to interact directly with confirmed voters in the divisions they serve – in a way where insults are impossible and dishonesty is undesirable.
This way politicians and people can use Rate Your Leader to connect person-to-person, understanding each other’s needs and positions. This way, leaders immediately ascertain what matters most to the people who vote for them, and join forces to tackle those topics. And voters can even rate local leaders for transparency and accessibility.
And that in turn fosters trust, sadly lacking in so much of our political process. .
Opening up our economy to the rest of the globe is unavoidable, and opens up Nigeria to a world of potential. But we must face the inevitable risks and challenges as a united nation.
To create that united nation we need greater co-operation and communication between people and the political class, both of which can be delivered at the touch of a button.
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner and creator of the Rate Your Leader app. He can be reached via @JOPopoola
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the winner of the just concluded Ondo State governorship election, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.
Governor Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.
“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.
The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.
The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
There is no gainsaying the fact that everyone desirous of making impact in life must live a life of purpose. This is where knowledge and information come to play. It is these knowledge and information that will set an individual apart from his contemporaries.
I strongly believe, if one is not informed, they are ill-informed, and when they are ill-informed, they can’t perform well in any given endeavour. This is because information leads to reformation and transformation. We can therefore, confidently say that information leads to formation because everyone is a product of what they know.
Knowledge acquisition is one of the best things that can happen to anyone. People with knowledge are revered, and highly respected. Having knowledge is like having money. People from all walks of life will seek you.
There are different kinds of knowledge, and they include Revealed Knowledge, which comes from those who wrote the Bible and Intuitive Knowledge, which comes from the mind. It is the ability to gain knowledge without conscious reason or explanation.
Others are Empirical Knowledge, which is information gained through observation, experimentation, and direct experience, rather than through theoretical reason or intuition; Authoritative Knowledge, which is the knowledge a man has because of his expertise in a particular field; and finally but not the least, Rational Knowledge, which is a form of knowledge that uses reasoning and philosophy to understand the world.
From this illustration, a decisive mind can see that knowledge is priceless. Knowledge is like education. It can provide security and access. Even the Book of life says in Proverbs 4:13, “your education is your life, guard it very well”; and in Hosea 4:6 that “my people perish for lack of knowledge”.
From my personal experience in life, apart from death, one of the greatest levelers of all time is education. This is because the child of a certified pauper can become a man of means tomorrow if properly educated. That explains why children from humble backgrounds ought to take their education very seriously, especially if they don’t have affluence.
On a personal note, I come from a very humble background, my late parents didn’t have the opportunity of acquiring a decent education, but they knew the value of education and endeavored to give me and my siblings a decent education. In retrospect, when I look back and see some of my contemporaries whose parents couldn’t give them a decent education, I bless my late parents because education has exposed me to lots of opportunities in the United States, and the global world in addition to granting me an audience with the high and mighty in society.
Sometimes, when I look at my modest achievement, I’m deeply humbled because I know it is the grace of God. Who am I to author two amazing trailblazers’ books, get featured and profiled by the New York Times, engage in high level conversation with leaders of thought and captains of industries. Apart from the grace of God, intentional seeking of knowledge, and wise counsel from mentors and strategically positioning myself have been some of the cornerstone to my success.
Imagine if my late parents didn’t give me a decent education and opportunity of travelling to the United States, most of these opportunities and exposure wouldn’t have been readily available.
When one is decently enlightened, educated and informed about life, their level of reasoning and understanding differ from an ordinary man. If one desires to go far in life, one must seek knowledge.
It is your knowledge that sets you apart from others.
According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, an accomplished Ghostwriter, “If you are a man of great knowledge, people will have great respect for you. If you are a man of great wisdom, people will have great reverence for you. And if you are a man of both, great knowledge and great wisdom, you will be the most eminent of men. But in real terms, people don’t care how much you know, or how much wisdom you have, unless they know how much you care.”
The moral of this quote is that despite the knowledge and information at one’s disposal, if one lacks empathy, their knowledge, experience and whatever they have mean nothing.
The importance of knowledge cannot be overemphasized. In our contemporary society, a fast way of attracting opportunities is by showcasing the knowledge at one’s disposal. It is so sad that many people don’t take time to read, research and learn new trends applicable in their industry, and in the world generally and as such, they find it difficult to fit in and grow.
It is instructive to note that when you seek knowledge, opportunities will seek for you. A major reason people are poor is simply because they are not solving problems and to solve problems, one ought to have understanding. Do you know that if you don’t have money, the reason is often because you are not solving a problem, or you are not solving enough problems, or you are not solving the right problem or you are not solving problems for the right people. Generally, we make money because we have something unique to offer to the world. Therefore, to solve problems, one must have knowledge and information.
We currently live in an age of technological, where skills, talent and creativity are in high demand. Any progressive being that desires to go far must be intentional in seeking knowledge. Successful acquisition of knowledge, information and understanding can lead to discernment and wisdom.
In conclusion, as you journey towards life, if you want to make an impact, seek opportunities, and earn more money, do yourself a favour by endeavoring to seek knowledge, wisdom, and information. You can’t get these by sitting on your sofa or staying in your comfort zone.
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 Your and Unleash Your Destiny. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House).
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced this in a statement, on Thursday.
A former aide of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Bwala worked actively for his former principal who lost to Tinubu.
However, after the elections, he worked his way into the camp of Tinubu, sparking controversy.
Onanuga also announced the appointments of three directors-general of various agencies.
They are:
(1) Mr. Olawale Olopade — Director-General, National Sports Commission
(2) Dr. Abisoye Fagade — Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism
(3) Dr. Adebowale Adedokun — Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement
Olopade, the new Director-General of the National Sports Commission, is a sports administrator with many years of experience in the sector.
He served as commissioner of youth and sports in Ogun state and was chairman of the local organising committee of the 2024 National Sports Festival.
The new Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Abisoye Fagade is a marketing communication professional. He is the founder and managing director of Sodium Brand Solutions.
Adedokun, the new helmsman of the Bureau of Public Procurement, was the director of Research/Training and Strategic Planning at the bureau before his appointment.
Daily Trust
