News
You Need to Know What Your Mother Is Sharing on Whatsapp, Don’t Mute Her
By Joel Popoola
To many Nigerians, WhatsApp is the internet. 85% of Nigeria’s 24 million internet users – over 17 million people – use the application to keep in touch with friends and family. Increasingly, it is their main source of news too.
Less affected by unreliable internet connections than other platforms and not needing users to create profiles or remember passwords, it’s particularly popular with older Nigerians. And having not grown up with the internet like younger generations, some users have yet to learn that they cannot trust everything they read.
Current “news” being shared on WhatsApp by well-meaning Nigerians includes Russian President Putin releasing lions onto the streets to enforce his country’s own coronavirus lockdown.
One Nigerian woman’s tweet about her mother placing an onion in the corner of every room to “absorb toxins” after being forwarded the “advice” from “the WhatsApp mother’s cult” was retweeted almost 50,000 times, with a worrying number of Nigerians admitting their mothers had done the same thing.
Some Nigerians have reported being so bored of their mothers sending them advice about which underpants apparently give you cancer that they are muting them.
This is the wrong thing to do.
Think about the COVID-19 crisis. Thanks to WhatsApp, some Nigerians are – as we speak – sharing a video of the coronavirus leaving the Earth in the form of a giant flying dragon.
It may sound silly, but we all know older people are the most at risk from the deadly disease. If they don’t take the necessary steps to keep themselves safe because they believe this crisis is over as COVID-19 has taken the form of an enormous winged reptile and flown off into space, this nonsense could even become a matter of life and death.
Another COVID-19 myth doing the rounds on African social media was the story of Chinese-owned businesses being destroyed across Nigeria. The video in question actually showed a street market in Ibadan on fire, but the video was viewed over a million times before Twitter removed it.
Younger generations of Nigerians are more digitally literate than their parents and grandparents. Instead of tuning out, they have a responsibility to educate and enlighten their relatives – as infuriating as it is.
Or, they could direct them to more reliable information.
I am the founder of the Digital Democracy project, created to use technology to bring people and politics closer together. One of our initiatives is the Rate Your Leader app. Using the free app, users are put in direct person-to-person contact with their local politicians. That way they can get information straight from the people who really know what they are talking about.
Of course, we are not so naive to believe that all politicians will give you good information.
America’s President Trump has recommended fighting the coronavirus by drinking bleach, whilst Tanzanian President John Magufuli has recommended inhaling steam to kill off the virus. Despite coming from world leaders both these pieces of information were wrong and potentially dangerous.
So this is where the rating comes in. If a politician gives out wrong information, voters can rate them badly. That way, their neighbours can objectively see if this source of information is a reliable one.
As our nation celebrates Democracy Day this week is it important not just to celebrate the restoration of democracy to Nigerian but to think about its future. A future where Nigeria is Africa’s first truly digital democracy.
For the first time in our nation’s history, digital technology gives everyone the same access to information, and literally puts it in the palm of their hand.
But this information must be the right information.
Information which comes unfiltered from our political leaders and institutions, delivered in the spirit of transparency and accountability, carries the watermark of credibility that no alternative source can match.
And if people publically endorse those sources of information, it creates a virtuous circle of improved trust in those leaders and institutions, and wider democratic engagement.
To some, this might sound a daunting challenge. But it is better than having your mother put an onion in the corner of every room.
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner and creator of the free Rate Your Leader app. Contact us via Joel@rateyourleader.com
Armed policemen have taken over the Wadata Plaza headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, as tension continues to mount over the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which is expected to hold today.
Channels Television quoted an unnamed party official, who alleged that the police were deployed to stop the proposed NEC Expanded Caucus meeting.
Though some staff members of the party were initially allowed to go into the premises of the secretariat without any resistance from the police, they were later sent out.
Journalists were also been asked to leave the premises of the secretariat.
Some policemen were seen cordoning off Dalaba Street, which is the road leading to Wadata Plaza.
The Presidency has said there has been no change in the position of Senator George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“There has been no change in the status of His Excellency, Senator George Akume, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement made available to journalists.
The statement is titled ‘Akume Remains SGF.’
This followed multiple reports which quoted Presidency sources saying Tinubu had named his Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, to serve as the new SGF.
Onanuga said, “President Bola Tinubu, currently in Saint Lucia, has not made any new appointments.
“The information circulating about Akume’s replacement is untrue. Agents of mischief fabricated it.
“The Presidency advises Nigerians to disregard the fake news.”
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
It is everybody’s desire to be successful in whatever field of endeavour he finds himself. It can be in career, family life, business endeavors or personal development. But there’s absolutely nothing good that comes easy. Everything in life involves a lot of hard work, smart work, dedication, discipline, network, sacrifice, prayers, and determination among a whole lot if one is intentional to succeed.
Of a truth, success is not for the faint-hearted. In all honesty, everyone wants to be ahead of everyone, especially contemporaries and funnily enough, the average human being sometimes have a bit of ill- feeling when competitors arise or seem to outsmart them either with better quality or price. The good thing about this however, is that it makes one sit up.
Now, this brings us to the essence of today’s article. For anyone to be ahead of their competitors, they must fly like the eagle. Eagles are known for their powerful build, sharp vision, and fearless nature. They are highflyers, capable of soaring to great heights, and gliding for extended periods. Eagles are also known for their tenacity, using storms to their advantage to gain altitude. Other notable characteristics include their strong talons and beaks, used for hunting, and their protective nature towards their young. These are some of the qualities that make it unique.
The eagle is not regarded as the king of the sky for fun, no. The eagle flies so high because that’s where it gets a chunk of its strength. This ability enables the eagle to take its prey and predators alike to it’s abode where it will have enough emotional and physical strength to dismantle them.
I will be sharing characteristics of an eagle to enable us know why we ought to be like the eagle if we want to soar.
VISION
The eagle has a sharp vision. Their vision is so precise. They can see farther than any animal. They possess exceptional eyesight, allowing them to spot prey from great distances. As human beings, we must have eagle eyes to know what we really want, and what we don’t want. Vision allows us to go for what we desire and deserve. When we have vision, we won’t wait for anyone to tell us when to strike. We flow through the wind despite the waves and heavy current and associated challenges. When our vision is precise, it will give people clarity to understand how they can assist us.
Let’s take a closer look at great leaders of this world who have come and gone. There are many great leaders that came and went but one characteristic that is common in all is “Vision”.
Vision is a successful leadership characteristic
You must have a vision that guides and leads your team towards the organizations or societal goals. The vision must be big and focused. A big, focused vision will produce big results
FLIGHT
Eagles are known for their ability to soar and glide, using their large wings to their advantage. Eagles can fly up to an altitude of 10,000 feet, but they are able to swiftly land on the ground. At 10, 000 feet, you will never find another bird. If you find another bird, it must be an eagle.
An eagle doesn’t mingle around with the pigeons. It was Dr. Myles Munroe who said that. Pigeons scavenge on the ground and grumble and complain all day long. Eagles are not. They fly and make less noise waiting for opportunities to strike their next prey or glide with the current of the storm.
Great leaders are problem solvers. They don’t complain like the pigeons do. They love to take challenges as the eagle does when the storm comes. As human beings, we all have our strengths and weaknesses.
It’s always good for one to take any fight to their home ground where it will give them advantage over their predators. For instance, a fish is stronger in water, but weak on land, a lion is stronger on land, but weak in water, a monkey is strong on trees but weak on air. Just like an eagle is strong on air and weak on water and land. That’s why it always takes its prey to the sky where they have greater advantage to shine.
As human beings, we also must know what we are naturally good at, the ability to know this will enable us to maximize our strength and work on our weakness. We can only do this when we know ourselves and what we are naturally good at. Our ability to focus on our expertise and what we are naturally good at will make us unique and ahead of our contemporaries.
TENACITY
The eagles are known for their ability to withstand storms and use them to their advantage, rising above the challenges. Watch an eagle when a storm comes. When other birds fly away from the storm with fear, an eagle spreads its mighty wings and uses the current to soar to greater heights. The eagle takes advantage of the very storm that lesser birds fear and head for cover.
Challenges in the life of a leader are many. These are the storms we must face as leaders to rise to greater heights. Like an eagle, a leader can only rise to greater heights if he takes up the challenges head on without running away from it. This is yet another leadership characteristic.
As humans, we all will experience challenges and setbacks, however, the ability to apply strength will go a long way to show how determined we are to overcome the hurdles that pose as challenges.
FEARLESS
An eagle will never surrender to the size or strength of its prey. It will always give a fight to win its prey or regain its territory.
Successful leaders are fearless, so we are expected to fear no man, but respect all men. They face problems head on. We are supposed to have the eagle fearless mindset regardless of how big the problem may appear. Confront your fear and rise or face your fear and run. The choice is yours.
VITALITY NATURE
One of the strongest characteristics of an eagle is their vitality. Eagles are full of life and are visionary, but they find time to look back at their life and re-energize themselves. This happens at about the age of 30. What happens is that when the eagles reach the age of 30, their physical body condition deteriorates fast making it difficult for them to survive.
What is interesting is that the eagle never gives up living, instead it retreats to a mountaintop and over a five-month period goes through a metamorphosis. As humans, we are expected to reexamine ourselves, retreat to a safe zone. We can do this by fasting as Christians, we can also do this by learning new skills, volunteering our time and seeking for mentors who can hold us by the hand to show us how the appearance of life is not the reality of life.
In conclusion, as human beings, we are encouraged to be like an eagle if we want to scale through life.
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 and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
