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Technology Alone Won’t Make Nigeria a Digital Leader
By Joel Popoola
New figures show that Nigeria has the highest number of internet users in all of Africa – and some of the best internet penetration in the continent, with 61.1% of our population now online.
This compares to an African average of 39.3% – and just 13.9% and 12.7% in our neighbours in Chad and Guinea, both of whom have much smaller populations to penetrate!
We’ve come so far so fast. At the turn of the millennium only 200,000 Nigerians had access to the internet – just 0.09% of the population.
This progress has allowed Nigeria to weather the COVID-19 storm better than neighbouring countries, allowing many of us to work or study from home in a way we might not have been able to if we lived in any other West African country.
We are also the African nation with second most Facebook members – behind only Egypt – thanks in part to Facebook Basic, which allows users to access the service without data charges.
As I have repeatedly called for, we need educational sites to be similarly data free in order to help the next generation of Nigerians catch up on the education the coronavirus has disrupted.
But technology alone is not enough to make Nigeria a digital leader or Africa’s first truly digital democracy.
Digital training facilitated by the UK government has shown that 57% of Nigerian small business owners were unable to identify a phishing email.
This is ironic, as our nation has an unfortunate international reputation for so-called “Nigerian Princes” being the global source of these scam emails.
But what is most alarming about that statistic is this: These were not remote farmers in my state who had never seen a compute before. These were business leaders.
This has worrying implications for our democracy. If some of our smartest and most sophisticated people are unable to tell when someone is trying to rob them, we have to assume that whole swathes of our population are vulnerable to online misinformation intended to subvert democracy.
This issue requires leadership.
At the digital democracy campaign I lead we have created a free mobile app – Rate Your Leader – to allow local leaders to provide that leadership.
Rate Your Leader puts politicians in direct contact with verified voters from the areas they serve – allowing them to better understand what matters most to the people who elect them, respond to local concerns and challenges, and to collaborate with local people to improve their communities.
It also allows them to intervene directly to correct online myths and falsehoods, and to signpost their residents towards the information they need to stay safe and to improve their lives and communities.
It can also help them better fulfil their democratic responsibilities.
Rate Your Leader also allows voters to rate the information they receive from politicians – showing the their peers and neighbours that their local leader is a source of credible, valuable information. Other social media platforms will verify accounts to confirm that you are talking to person you think you are – but only Rate Your Leader can prove that they are worth talking to!
Unlike other social media platforms, Rate Your Leader’s abuse-proof technology also makes it difficult to send impolite, aggressive, or offensive messages.
The coronavirus has acted as a catalyst for the acceleration of digital transformation across Africa, creating opportunities for innovation, increased productivity and job creation. Some analysts predict that within four years the digital economy will contribute $180 billion a year to Africa’s economy – 5.2% of the continent’s GDP.
But to achieve that we need a workforce equipped with the digital skills to harness the opportunities of the online age.
To achieve that we need leaders with the vision, drive and commitment to public service to take the decisions we need to get us to that point.
And to achieve that, we need a digitally aware electorate, with the ability to assess the vast volumes of information and misinformation being beamed directly into their homes via their phones, to elect the politicians who possess those qualities.
But as is so often the case in the age of mobile apps, the answer is in our hands.
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner and creator of the free Rate Your Leader democratic engagement app for smartphones. Follow Joel on Twitter @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
