2015: Jonathan, Buhari in Titanic 2-Horse Race

President Goodluck Jonathan, stole into the Nigerian political scene with a deceptive, cool but calculating ambiance. His 2011 campaign theme: A breathe of fresh air,' was all over the place as majority of people were feeling the burden of 50 years of independent nationhood of stagnation and reverse motion.
Nigerians thought rightly too that they could really do with some 'breathe of fresh air', but how wrong we all were. Almost four years into his tenure, and six years on the saddle as president of the most populous nation with African population, he has failed to live up to the people's expectation. But curiously, he still expects a return to power via the people's mandate in 2015.
But what were Nigerians expectation of the Jonathan presidency?
No much! Nigerians are easy going folks. They expect their governments to provide them basic necessities of life...minimum 16-hour daily power supply, good roads, affordable automobiles, clean urban/rural transportation infrastructure, affordable housing, jobs, availability of food, a genial business environment for SME operation, less corruption, a secured society, good public schools, affordable and functional health facilities,
Unfortunately, the president has failed in all the indices of minimal living for Nigerians. He has also reneged on his promise not to run for the 2015 elections. Among other promises, he did also promise that four years was long enough time for any one to fix the lingering power crisis in Nigeria.
"If I'm voted into power, within the next four years, the issue of power will become a thing of the past. Four years is enough for anyone in power to make significant improvement, and if I can't fix power, it then means I cannot do anything even if I am there for the next four years."
This week, the media and social media platforms are awash with President Jonathan's famous quote as reminder of his blunder in agreeing to flattering calls to contest in 2015 by the army of sycophants also called Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN).
However, in fairness to the president, while he is lagging in almost every other areas including integrity, his administration has fared well in locomotive transportation. With massive funds injection and Chinese technical assistance, the rail system which went moribund since the 1980s have come to live once more.
President Jonathan, luckily is not the only one in the political news, as Major General Mohammadu Buhari's declaration at the Abuja Eagles Square to contest the Presidential election, his third attempt has also generated much heat.
Respected Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, reminded the retired General and former military Head of State, to withdraw his candidacy to avoid dire consequences. Sheikh Gumi, reminded Buhari that there would be bloodbath again should he lose in the 2015 Presidential election. The Islamic scholar whose popular father, the late Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, also warned the General against contesting the previous elections, noted that Buhari is now too old to run the country.
But just like President Jonathan, Buhari is made up and there is now "no retreat, no surrender" as the 1986 American martial arts film, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, suggests.
Although both candidates have not been officially confirmed by their respective political parties, President Jonathan has an head start after his ruling People's Democratic Party, (PDP) has publicly made it known it is up to the president to accept or reject his candidacy. Meaning, there will be no party primary elections for the presidential slot until he says No! which is unlikely.
Buhari, on the other hand faces serious challenges from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Kano Governor Rabiu Kwakwaso and a horde of others who may join in the fray in the coming days. The former Head of State however, appear to have tactical backing of strong party faithfuls from the South West region and Northern mass following.
But whatever the outcome of both party primaries, it will be a two-horse-race between the president and the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, (APC) in the 2015 elections.

How ICT Implementation Help Nigeria's Ebola Fight

 

 

Dr. Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communication Technology has disclosed that a combination of the use of an Android app, Facebook and twitter were instrumental in Nigeria’s fight to contain the Ebola virus.

Dr Johnson disclosed this in a Policy statement delivered Monday at the ongoing International Telecommunications Union, (ITU) 2014 Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-14) in Busan, Republic of Korea. Johnson who informed delegates made up of Ministers and senior officials from across the globe, that with Ebola time is very important added that "the phone app helped in reducing reporting times of infections by seventy-five percent: test results were scanned to tablets and uploaded to emergency databases and field teams got text message alerts on their phones informing them of the results."

According to Efem Ekanga, Special Assistant to the Minister on Media & Public Affairs, Johnson reiterated that the combination of the internet and mobile cellular phones has opened up tremendous opportunities for countries like Nigeria.

The steep increase in mobile use, according to Johnson is driven by a number of factors, particularly, the additional ways in which mobile phones are being used in Nigeria. She added that beyond conducting voice conversations, mobile phones are often the preferred channel for receiving data and for conducting transactions in Nigeria – making phones an indispensable tool  used as-cameras, wallets, shops, music players, movie screens, and information or service centres of Nigerians.

"Nigeria’s policy focus," Johnson noted, "is in step with the reality of the mobile internet revolution spreading across the globe; thus, the Ministry of Communication Technology is looking to create a viable environment for the proliferation of lower priced devices, increased investment in network infrastructure, and increased availability of spectrum for mobile broadband, in the knowledge that these will further drive growth in the nation’s ICT sector."

Johnson also disclosed that through the implementation of the National ICT Policy, National Broadband Roadmap, and Guidelines for Nigerian Content in ICT, the Ministry is bringing greater clarity and predictability to the Nigerian ICT industry sector.

Nigeria has seen mobile subscription increase from 87 million active Sim cards to over 131 million and mobile internet subscription stood at 67 million as at June 2014, over the last four years.

The Ministry’s policy framework, Johnson added is in line with the ITU’s Strategic Plan for 2016-2019, particularly its identified goals and targets of Growth, Inclusiveness, Sustainability, and Innovation and Partnership.

The ICT sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP is growing and was about ten and a half percent (10.44%) in 2013. The sector also indirectly impacts GDP through its influence on other key sectors; for example, in the 2013, ICTs were responsible for twelve percent (12.05%) of the value added by the Finance and Insurance sector to GDP. In terms of social growth, ICTs are helping Government to meet health objectives, and are amplifying benefits in the education and agriculture sectors.

The ITU’s growth priority of enabling and fostering access to and increased use of telecommunications/ICTs according to Johnson, therefore, resonates with Nigeria, both economically and socially.

Nigeria is also using telecommunications and ICT infrastructure to build a more inclusive society. The Broadband initiative which Nigeria is currently implementing across technologies and at various levels of governance, are in line with the ITU's priority of bridging the digital divide and providing broadband for all. 

Furthermore, these initiatives, Johnson reiterated  are cognisant of the needs of women and girls, as well as other marginalised groups of the Nigerian society.

Dr Johnson ended the Policy statement by calling on all delegates to support Nigeria’s quest to serve as the Deputy Secretary General of the ITU. President Goodluck Jonathan, she disclosed has approved the presentation of Mr. Shola Taylor, as Nigeria’s candidate for the post of Deputy Secretary General.

Calling on the support of the delegates, she said that Nigeria has valuable experience to share, and the nation is imbibing best practices from other countries.

Taylor is versed in the operation of the ITU and has held several full-time and part-time positions within the Union- having worked in the telecommunications industry in both developed and developing economies.

By Miebi Senge,additional information by efem ekanga.

Time to Call Jacob Zuma's Bluff!

IF there was any time the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, needed to amass public opinion and mobilise the population behind it, I think that time has offered itself in a platter diamond via the Nigeria-South Africa arms impasse.
This will not be the first time South Africa will spat on Nigeria's pride and sensibility while aligning with the West against its major benefactor during the liberation struggles. Nigeria used all its resources to fight the big powers of the West, just to ensure that ALL nations of the Southern Africa region were decolonised - Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa...now even Robert Mugabe, insults Nigerians.
Interestingly, one after the other, all these nations have turned their backs against Nigeria, the one nation that stood and mortgaged its economy and the future of its generations  for their sake. The late General Murtala Mohammed, nationalised major multinational corporations like Coca Cola, Shell & co; to give them hope and the major beneficiary from that was Apartheid South Africa. Today's South Africa is a manifestation of the West's aligning with the Apartheid regime in investing heavily in arms production, automobiles, heavy technology (which they would not share with Black Africa), etc.
In 1976 Nigeria also boycotted the Montreal Summer Olympics and some of our finest athletes ever assembled for the global fiesta remained disappointed to this day because our fathers loved our brothers (more than themselves and their children, and their children).

Fast track 2014 arms deal

Arms trade globally has transcended economic benefits to political alignments. The history of Nigeria's colonialism and the decolonisation struggles are well documented. Nigeria's decolonisation struggle was essentially an academic exercise unlike several other nations where arms struggle was involved. But all along, it was clear what direction the colonial authorities favoured on who it would hand power. The British colonial administration at No. 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace had never hidden their distastes for the hawkish anti-colonial champions of the South.
They had loved the feudal North from where it first experimented the indirect rule regime to perfection. They loved the North's subservient altitude which never threatened their economy strangle hold on the colony. In contrast, they were getting all manner of knocks from Southern intellectuals like Herbert Macaulay. Southern Kings like Jaja of Opobo, Oba Ovonramwen of Benin Kingdom, Oba Kosoko of Lagos paid for daring colonial rule. They were banished for daring the imperial authorities.
With the West and Northern Nigerian elites standing against full military operation against the Boko Haram insurgents, Nigerian military authorities had to look southward for more friendly markets to buy arms.
South Africa was chosen over and above Brazil as a mark of African brotherhood. As it has been revealed from the office of the Nigeria national security adviser, the South African federal authorities were fully in the know of the arms purchase deal, but only blocked the deal to pacify Western allies and spite Nigeria.
In 2009, South Africa had also blocked some Nigerian investors from investing where it felt they would be challenging local firms. The government of late President Umar Yar'Adua, tried to make it a diplomatic issue, but the president's ill-health didn't give him the full grasp of the situation. Till this date, South Africans remain hostile to Nigerians and their investments, while they make huge profits from investments here from oil & gas, telecommunications, hotels, farms and retail sales.
President Jonathan, like late General Sani Abacha (in 1996) can exploit the current impasse to the nation's benefit and increase our share of diplomatic leverage. Gen. Abacha sacrificed the defense of that year's AFCON hosted by South Africa in defiance of Nelson Mandela's alignment with the West against his regime.
How do you know your friends? Your friends stand by you in times of trouble, not those who turn against you in crisis times and only return when all is calm. South Africa leaders and their citizens have shown over and over again that they are no friends of Nigeria. Now is time for Nigeria to go for broke and call-off this Zuma bluff!!!

Welcome to my world!

October is Nigeria's independence month. What does independence mean to an average Nigerian?   For millions of Nigerians, they don't even have faith in Nigeria. Nigeria to them is abstract. Yet, to millions of others, Nigeria is homeland.
I belong to the later group!
I love this country. It is my fatherland. I am proudly Nigerian! I'll be writing on contemporary issues -general news, politics, religion, relationships, technology, sports, etc.
I will need your feedback too, just in your own way. It doesn't matter how you express yourselves, just avoid curse and swear words.
Thanks for being patient with me...Welcome to my world!