Untethered - the torrid state of Nigeria's Communications System Infrastructure

http://www.safe-sat3.co.za/HomePage/SAT3_WASC_SAFE_Home.asp

Two weeks ago while looking for some information for a project I was working on at I work I decided to digress a little bit and search for some news on Nigeria.

The pages of some sites I visited took ages to load and in many cases did not load at all. I also noticed that most of my friends and colleagues from back home only had access to the internet while at work but never at home.

The exorbitant cost of provisioning broadband services in Nigeria where they exists means that basic services such as internet access are affordable only by the rich.

Everyone is familiar with the ITT scandal where a famous Nigerian imported substandard and antiquated equipment which effectively put NITEL and IT services in the comatose state that it is in today.

Moving forward, the Nigerian government has to realise sooner than later the importance of deploying an IT development strategy that will make use of existing technologies such as SAT 3 and ADSL 2+ (Asynchronous Sigital Subscriber Line better known as broadband) to accelerate economic development and growth.

The advantages of an IT based economy is evident when you look at countries like Korea and other East Asian Tigers (Malayasia, Thailand etc). Korea has been able to build an IT infrastructure thats second to none which has helped transform its economy making it one of the biggest in the world.

The benefits of IT are well known and the technologies are ubiquitous and simple to deploy. Nigerian Engineers and IT specialists are plentiful and a lack of expertise is not an issue. It is time for NCC, the Government and the Senate to set up a panel that will draw up a blueprint to transform and speed up IT infrastructure development and deployment.

Anyone who has any idea of telecoms/networking would know that the fact that we do not have digital telephone exchanges (essential for ADSL deployment) in every part of the country should not be an issue in developing out IT infrastructure as there are other access methods. Laws should be passed by the house of reps that would regulate the industry and provide a fair and competitive playing field for would be investors.

Nigerias GDP would rise substantially with a good IT infrastruture in place by attracting direct foreign investments such as outsourcing and call centres while lowering the operating costs of providing a communication backbone needed to link global corporations. It would also improve our academic instituitions by giving good students the much needed access to educational material and a wealth of knowledge that is needed to drive any economy.

However Nigeria's IT phobic ruling class complete with technological ignorance would fail to see this link between rapid economic growth and the enabling IT environment.

A real shame but I guess like John Mayer said in his song "I am waiting for the world to change". For these generation of leaders to go and be replaced by a more dynamic set of young and bright technocrats who understand the fundamentals and challenges of the modern world we live in today. My 2 pence....

US firm settles Nigerian bribe charge

William E. Chiles - CEO Bristow Helicopters

http://odili.net/news/source/2007/sep/27/422.html

http://www.bristowgroup.com/values/our_values.php

Its common knowledge that foreign companies operating in Nigeria routinely bribe government officials in order to win and keep inflated government contracts.

This unpatriotic act of corruption and collusion with foreigners not only denigrates Nigerians in general but also leads to the theft of millions of dollars that could have been better used in addressing the suffering of over 70 million Nigerians who live on less than a dollar a day.

This practice not only stunts Nigeria's economy and hampers sociocioenomic growth, it also creates an unfair playing field which in turn discourages the influx of much needed foreign investment that we need to create a stable and vibrant economy.

President Umar Yaradua and his government including the Senate and the House must and should pass a bill where the penalty for financial crime is death by hanging. Any public official and indeed any Nigerian Citizen who gets his hands dirty should pay the ultimate price as is being paid by millions of Nigerians who live in abject poverty and squalor.

No amount of lip service nor talk by the EFCC or the government will rid Nigeria of this evil scourge that has deprived Nigeria from taking it rightful place amongst prosperous and developed countries of the world.

Despite anticorruption crusade, still no change in perception

http://odili.net/news/source/2007/sep/27/206.html

Despite the drive of Obasanjos government and the government of Musa Yaradua, Nigeria still languishes in the doldrums of Transparency's Internationals current ranking.

A score of 2.2 out of a possible 10 makes Nigeria the 32nd most corrupt country out 180 surveyed.

I can only shake my head and hope that Musa Yaradua is reading this article. The sooner the Nigerian government declares a state of Emmergency against corruption the better for millions of Nigeria. He also needs to change the law to stop criminals from using it to protect themselves.

Hundreds if not thousands of Nigerians are dying everyday as a direct result of this terrible scourge. A scourge encouraged by the Nigerian masses who pay lip service to these criminals.

UK returns stolen cash to Nigeria

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7015765.stm

It is commendable that the British government have agreed to return the loot stolen by former Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye.

No doubt that these co called politicians, who should set an example are the ones tarnishing our image. It is also pathetic that these same people are being allowed back into public life and no doubt shows you the current stock of our peolpe.

Criminals like these should be shunned. Wherever they go, they must be made to feel like society's outcast which they are instead of hailing them as was the case with Alams during Remi's burial in Benin.

Nigeria is ranked 37th in Good Governance amongst Countries in Africa

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7010846.stm

First I would like to commend Mo Ibrahim for this initiative. It is more than welcomed in a continent that has been beseiged by corrupt and evil leadership for decades.

What is sad about this league table is that instead of Nigeria leading the way, they are propping up the rest from the rear. It breaks my heart every time I read all these articles and I am not sure how I can help or if I should even bother anymore.

Nigeria needs to know that as the wealthiest country in Africa and the largest black nation, the future of Africans and the black race rests squarely on the shoulders of our leaders. If Nigeria succeeds, then Africa will succeeed as a whole.

Giant of Africa... more like minows of Africa

http://odili.net/news/source/2007/sep/24/316.html

Imagine this, in a country of 150 million Nigerians with vast human and natural resources. 14 Hospitals were unable to diagnose an underlying problem with the little girl in the above article.

Nigeria and Nigerians should be ashamed that even in the 20th Century, we cannot and have not moved ahead with the times. Liver transplants and all other major surgeries which are routine in other countried can not be carried out in our hospitals due to the state that they are in.

We like to walk the walk and talk the talk, in the end the ineptitude of our leaders is killing us all.

AGF Appointment... Despite being linked to trials of ex public officials.

http://nigeriaworld.com/columnist/ajayi/091207.html

Femi Ajayi's article (see link above) gave some very good insight into the standoff between the AGF and the EFCC.

It was shocking for me to learn that the AGF's law practice had handled the anti-corruption trial of George Akume (now a member of the House) and also was a counsel to Atiku Abubakar indicted by a panel for mismanaging the PTDF. In spite of the obvious conflict of interests, he was appointed AGF by this government.

My previous post talked about the integrity of Yaradua. Having read the article above, I am not quite sure again. Mr President cannot be seen to make appointments that include people with vested interests in corrupt officials. This not only taints the administration but makes a mockery of its fight against corruption.

Yaradua... A man of integrity

http://odili.net/news/source/2007/sep/12/5.html

Nigeria has had a total of at least 8 military dictators and 4 democratically elected leader in its 47 years of Independence. Musa Yaradua is the first leader of the lot with a University Degree. Until he started his political career he was a lecturer of Chemistry.

Although it would be ridiculuous for me to suggest that having a degree automatically makes you a smart person, but a science degree develops a logical and analytical approach to problem solving.

Everyday that goes by, we are beginning to see the difference between this patriot of a man and the nicompoos that came before him. I'm optimistic about the future of Nigeria but am also conscious of the difficult road ahead for him.

It is my hope that Mr President can sanitize a rotten system and remove the putrid stench that clouds Nigeria's political and socio-economic system today.

Citizens Diplomacy... or a load of BULL?

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=89077

After reading the article by Ojo Madueke I am a bit baffled. I do not understand what he means by "retaliatory" in his statement.

If nationals in a certain country are more prone to commit fraud or smuggle drugs than other nationals, it is human nature to label nationals of the offending country as criminal.

If it is open knowledge that Government officials are corrupt then why should we get vexed when people say that we are corrupt. It is not enough to say that because 90% of the population (and I doubt if it is that high) are honest law abiding citizens, the 10% bad eggs should not be allowed to destroy the image of the rest.

Corruption permeates every single aspect of Nigerian life. Police takes bribe, government officials loot and clerks in Instituitions all over want bribe before they do what they are paid to do.

I understand and can relate with him when he says that "corruption has a black face" but I do not sympathise with him. Until the government is seen to fight all forms of corruption no matter your station in life, I am afraid that Nigerians including myself would continue to be stigmatised and labelled by the same brush.

EFCC and AGF clashes in the fight against corruption

http://odili.net/news/source/2007/sep/11/431.html

The Attorney General of Nigeria, Michael Aondoakaa is set on a collision course with the head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu. After reading several articles on this matter I am still lost for words as to what the whole point is.

The reason for my confusion has to do with three things;

1. When the EFCC started prosecuting the case months ago, why didn't the AGF get involved right at the start.

2. How can the AGF send the DPP to a trial which has already commenced without informing the EFCC, this action shows how comtemptous they are towards the EFCC.

3. Why is it that with any issue of note happening in Nigeria, personalities and egos always have to clash. No one is bigger than Nigeria.

I think its high time that the constituition was changed and the EFCC and ICPC are given the autonomy and indepence it needs to properly prosecute corrupt individuals and public office holders.

The EFCC has never arrested nor imprisoned anyone whose hands have not been soiled by corruption. By making it independent and solely answerable to the Senate and not the AGF as is the case would remove any conflicts of interest that may arise. Also any amendments to the EFCC bill should be made in the public domain, allowing citizens to either participate or have access in the dialogue.

In my opinion and that of alot of Nigerians you speak to, EFCC has and is doing a good job although I would like to see them probe past administrations that have ruled Nigeria in the last 47 years. We need to know the $400 Billion dollars that has been misappropriated, embezzled or stolen by previous administrations and which governments/official where responsible. They need to be named and shamed as an example to current and future governments.

So dear AGF and your crew... LEAVE EFCC ALONE.

Alooting continua... the case of renovating a brand new house for $5m

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6981561.stm

In Nigeria there is a saying that goes... "The fear of the EFCC is the beginning of wisdom", if we are to go by the recent happenings in the House, it appears that the speaker may not only lack wisdom but is indignant and callous.

Barely a few months after being made the speaker of the house, this lady has gone ahead and in the true mould of Nigerian Politicians of the past 4 decades gotten her hands dirty. The case of spending an equivalent of $5million dollars to refurbish the quarters of the Speaker of the house and the the deputy. Houses that where built only a few years ago (some papers say 2 years) and has been barely lived in.

Lets assume for one second that she followed the right protocol in awarding the contract, the question is couldn't this $5 Million dollars have been netter spent in providing/building a healthcare facility or Schools in her Local Government where she was elected. Instead this so called Speaker of the House (thankfully its not my house) felt it was more important to renovate her brand new quarters with said sum and ALL THIS SHORTLY AFTER SHE THREW A BIRTHDAY PARTY IN THE US.

This continued apathy of the ruling class towards the suffering masses cannot and should not continue. This woman (lets assume she is innocent) is not only unpatriotic but undeserving to hold elected office in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You may ask why I say she is unpatriotic? The mere fact that she even decides to have a birthday party in a foreign country, thousands of miles away from her constituency shows you the calibre of person that she is, complete with "colonial mentality".

The only thing and the right thing for her to do is to step down as Speaker and also vacate her seat. However knowing how much she has spent on her election campaign and the need to recoup these "investments", I think we would have to put up with this "cowboy" and her cohorts for a little while longer.

Nigeria demands treasures back...

No one has heard anymore on the return of artifacts stolen by the British during the colonial era. Our legislators demanded that the Government of Olusegun Obasanjo demand that this artifacts be returned in 2002.

Unfortunately, that incompetent government and the legislators in it just paid lip service while young Nigerians are deprived of their proud heritage. They have to learn about these artifacts if at all from Western Historians. If they need to see and touch them, they have to either make do with sub standard replicas or travel all the way to Europe.

This singular act (some might call it trivial considering Nigerias numerous problems) shows how unpatriotic our leaders have been. They are not interested in fighting for or bringing back an important piece of our cultural heritage. They are more interested in looting the treasury and running Nigeria into the ground.

I hope Yaraduas government realises the symbolic importance of all these Nigerian artifacts lying in museums all over the world to building and enhancing our identity and culture as a people. Me for one am tired of having to pay while standing in long queues to see great works of my ancestors in a foreign land.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6988918.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/1779236.stm

Okada banned in Owerri....

http://odili.net/news/source/2007/sep/10/601.html

Okada is finally taken off the streets of a Nigerian city... Yay. I am not sure how the government of Governor Ikedi Ohakim would manage the crisis that would no doubt arise from this action. How would hundreds, if not thousands of people whose major source of income was from operating these Okadas? How much would it cost to manage and operate 1500 taxis acquired by the state? What long term plans are in place to ensure the continued success of the new initiative? Why were taxis which seat only 4 - 5 people at a time acquired instead of mini-buses if this was to address the mass-transit of people? How would success of the program be measured over time?

The above questions need to be answered by Governor Ikedi Ohakim government. The current decision to acquire these taxis without conducting a proper analysis of Okada as a means of transport and the impact it will have on the residents of the state is a knee jerk reaction by the government.

In my opinion, no proper thought or planning has gone into the proposed solution of acquiring 1500 taxis. Instead, the government of Imo state is not only being reactionary in solving the problem of mass transit but also myopic.

Also the issue of providing adequate transport within the City would no doubt depend of other factors such as condition of roads, cost of fuel, affordability, security, personal safety, licensing and other factors including who would run and operate the service (individuals, state or a corporation partly owned by the government).

Governments should look, look again before they jump otherwise serious social and public development exercises needed by the community would end up like most Nigerian projects where money is thrown at a problem without carefully analysing all possible solutions.

Nigeria Union Boss protests over SA officials comments on Nigerians

The article below (follow the link) had me rolling with laughter after I read it. The story goes... A local newspaper, ``Polokwane Observer,'' on Wednesday quoted the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Mr Rudolph Rhala, as referring to Nigerians as ``corrupt people''. http://odili.net/news/source/2007/sep/8/551.html

Apparently this statement made by a South African Civil Servant in which he warned South Africans to be wary of the evil of corruption and rightly pointed out that if they failed to heed the warning, they risked pulling their economy down the same way Nigerian leaders of the past had.

As expected, 2 top Nigerian leaders in South Africa have now reacted fiercely to these remarks and are demanding an immediate apology from Rudolph Rhala. In the interest of truth and freedom of speech and as a patriotic Nigerian, I pray Rudolph sticks by his guns and refuses to retract his statement. His speech not only epitomises what the whole international community think of Nigerians in general but also says what psychophants in the Nigerian political elite have failed to say all these years. Maybe it is because 99% of them are involved in some form or the other in the looting of Nigeria by its so called leaders.

Unfortunately, Nigerians as a people have been afflicted with this disorder for at least 4 decades now. It permeates every single aspect of everyday life. A country where nothing can be done without 'egunje'. In government parastatals and establishments, bribery has become a way of life; take for example the Ikeja passport office where you go and there are 2 rates to obtain a Nigerian International passport. One is the official standard rate and the other is the unofficial rate rate imposed by civil servants (usually 10 times the official charge).

If you go through the official route, you risk waiting for months to have your passport made whereas by paying the illegal rate you could walk out with an International passport in hours regardless of whether you qualify to hold one or not (As CBS 60 minutes proved a few years ago).

Another good example is the issuing of driving license; Nigeria may be the only country where the government of the day plays dice with peoples life. In Nigeria you can obtain a full driving license without taking a single theory or practical test. In essence people who have not completed or bothered to read the Highway code and have not met the prescribed requirements are allowed to drive on our roads and maim innocent lives on a daily basis.

What is even more ironic about this collective decay of the system is that every Nigerian in one way or the other contributes to the ongoing system of corruption either by being/or supporting corruption in any of its forms. Also, the press and media have just sat still (with the exception of a few) while the looting of public funds by government officials continues unchecked.

Another good example is the state of NTA today or NEPA (Power Holding Company of Nigeria as it is now known). My view is that for this terrible disease of the polity and its people to be eradicated, some drastic steps have to be taken. Note that I am not calling for a repeat of what happened in Ghana 3 decades ago as that would be so crude today and would not solve the problem. What Nigeria needs is an exercise of public cleansing. A full national audit of the Nigerian Civil Service and its parastatals over the last 47 years by an independent body of competent forensic accountants (we have many). All major governments (elected officials, appointed officials and retired Military officials) alive and dead be investigated.

This process should be modelled in the same vein as the Oputa Panel on the Truth and Reconcillation Panel (South Africa) where all findings are made public. Indicted officials may be given suspended custodial sentences and their ill gotten wealth confiscated by the government.

A new bill be passed by both the lower and upper house that allows for the death penalty in clearcut cases of corruption, economic crime and advanced fee fraud. The reasoning being that for every blemish on the name Nigeria or Nigerians, a Nigerian dies (indirectly due to a lack of facilities or public services) from loss of revenue as a result of lost direct foreign investment or inadequate or non-existent of social infrastructure for the citizens of Nigeria as a result of the looting of public funds.

Until then, am afraid that Nigerians and Nigeria in general would always be seen in the same light; as corrupt and dishonest individuals with criminality inbred in their veins.

I am not holding my breadth, as you look at the corridors of power in Nigeria today, alot of people in high office or politics are the same people who have orchestrated the looting and dismemberment of a once proud and rich nation.

Our fathers generation has failed us...

As young educated thirty something born in the days of Nigeria's Oil boom, then Nigeria was ranked as one of the worlds richest Nations with a thriving Agricultural sector and a buoyant economy. A time when huge amounts of money was being spent to develop our natural resources especially oil and very few Nigerians then went to bed hungry.


I remember growing up as a kid, my parents would chastise me when they thought I was not working hard enough. They would say how as kids they had to study using "Uli Mmu" - a locally made lantern. They would complain about how my generation is extremely lazy, undisciplined and without foresight.

Well I guess it's my generations turn to reverse the tables on them. Our fathers' generation has failed us! Nigeria today is one of the poorest nations in the world with a Human Development Index of 0.448 and ranked 159th in the world. In this league table, Nigeria lags behind nations like Eritrea (157), Rwanda (158), Haiti (154), Sudan (141), Bangladesh (137) and the Congo (140). Eritrea, Rwanda, Sudan and Congo have been ravaged by war for several years and yet they have a HDI much higher than Nigeria's.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to determine and indicate whether a country is a developed, developing, or underdeveloped country and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life.

These statistics were provided by the UN for the year 2006 and tells a shocking story. Nigeria despite being the sixth largest exporter of crude oil and without having had a war in the last 37 years still lags behind war torn countries like Sudan and Congo Democratic Republic. This alone is a damming indication that our government and our leaders have failed us.

We have leaders who are half-baked politicians and to top that up, semi-illiterates whose sole intentions are not to make the lot of Nigerians better but to rob and squander public coffers while their people live in destitution and abject poverty.

Nigerians all over the country now look outwards instead of inwards; a good example would be the number of young Nigerians looking for a way out of poverty. They apply in their millions every year for visas to visit Europe and America. For the very few that make it here, life is a continuous struggle. A huge proportion of them have to survive by doing all sorts of menial jobs. A very few of us have managed to get decent jobs building the economy here instead of contributing to our nations economy - this saddens me - but what choice do we have? The other day I heard a story about a medical doctor who left Nigeria and now works as a cleaner/security guard. Apparently he is now able to provide a better standard of living for his family still in Nigeria than he could when he worked as a doctor in Nigeria.

In the west, Nigerian immigrants are looked at with disdain and labelled as illegal immigrants and in some cases looked at as fraudsters. Illegal immigrants from Nigeria have no rights; they have no access to public services like healthcare while paying taxes on their meagre income to the governments of the country that they find themselves in.

While back at home you read stories about incompetent and corrupt politicians who have been in power for so long still fighting to remain in power. The sad story is that these so called politicians have no track record, they have no achievements instead they have become millionaires while hundreds of Nigerians die needlessly from hunger and disease. It is very shameful that Nigeria, a country with a high calibre of professionals both at home and abroad is still ruled by these half-wits.

The average Nigerian complains about everything from NEPA, traffic jams, lack of basic public services and they have being doing this for such a long time. I now say its time to move forward and change the status quo by voting sensibly in the May elections.

Nigerians must reject bad leadership and take a stand to change it where ever it may be. Our Governors, Senators, Lawmakers and President are appointed by the people and hence can be removed by the people. It is time to remove the crooks amongst us, to use people power to demand for a better deal.

It is time the youth rise up and say enough is enough. We want a change in leadership come this May. We want leaders who can and will produce a strategic plan to develop Nigeria before our finite resources run out. We need to demand en masse that this continued neglect and irresponsible government our people stop. We need to rise up and elect responsible leaders who have a vision, who can sit down, think and proffer solutions to our problems. We do not want recycled politicians whom have had years to turn things around but instead have looted the public purse and caused untold hardship for millions of Nigerians.

The truth is simply this; we can no longer be complacent, the world is moving on and if we do not start working strategically in terms of utilising our resources to lift out people out of poverty, Nigeria will be left behind.

Enough is enough, its time we changed things, after all democracy is "Government by the people and for the people". Say no to the criminals come this May.