…. Continued from Part 1.

The Legal Component:

There are two main approaches to the legal aspects of the Internet. There is the real law approach where the Internet is treated no differently from previous telecommunication technologies; hence existing legal rules can be applied to the Internet. The other is the cyber law approach based on the notion that the Internet introduces new types of social relationships in cyber space, creating a need for new laws.
The real law approach is gaining predominance because of a general thinking that a considerable part of existing legislation can be applied to the Internet while creating new ones as the need arises.
A very contentious issue in the legal aspect of Internet Governance is jurisdiction and this is due to the perceived borderless nature of the Internet. African Governments need to take this very seriously, especially those who are labeled as online scam perpetrators because in the nearest future every scammer will claim to be a Nigerian (Apologies to the good people of Nigeria).
The following questions arise when considering the issue of jurisdiction in the cyber space:
• Which court or state authority has the proper authority to try offenders?
• Which rules should be applied?
• How should court decisions be implemented?
African countries should advocate:
• The modernization of international private laws to keep up with the reality of the present Cyber society.
• Harmonization of national laws to reflect common goals by countries in eradicating crime and unwholesome behaviors.
• The use of arbitration in cases where normal law is ineffective.
• Employing technical solutions such as geo-location software for identifying the location of Internet users.

The Economic Component:

The Internet has no doubt changed the economic system of the world. Many businesses are going online and the reality of the present day economy is that soon, countries with low e-commerce penetration will be disadvantaged in the world economy. There must be a conscious effort by Africans to harness the power of e-commerce in developing its economy.
E-commerce can not be properly implemented without a functional e-payment system which requires a stable, secure and functional legal environment. The disturbing trend is that most developing countries do not have such infrastructure for now and might not reach the desired level if there are no conscious efforts made. The use of e-banking and e-money will no doubt bring a revolution to the worldwide banking system. It will reduce the cost of running banks and push the world towards a cashless society; it also has its potential loopholes in being a tool for money launderers and the menace of hackers.
To increase exports in Africa, there is a need to push more African businesses into the Internet. This will no doubt help in improving economies and provide more jobs. Essentially, the advantages of embracing e-commerce far outweighs the disadvantages and part of the NEPAD goals should be finding ways of harnessing its potentials for Africa’s development. Bearing the infrastructural disadvantages of Africa in implementing e-commerce, Africa should make a strong report to the WGIG on areas she needs help to properly get into the e-commerce loop.
Issues like consumer protection, misleading advertising, delivery of defective goods, taxation and customs which are all present in normal market situation also needs to be applied to online business. This is a challenge and we have to start thinking of ways to develop or adapt existing legislation on these matters.

The Development Component:

The Internet has brought a lot of development to the world, from education to health to agriculture, e.t.c. But it is clear that the developed countries have been able to make use of the information super-highway to change the lives of their citizens for the better. Sadly, this is not the same case for the developing nations and there are even a lot of speculations that the Internet might even cause more harms to them than good. An example is the school of thought that when the world finally moves to e-commerce; The American giants will be favored such that local firms in emerging economies would effectively frozen out since they have better access to cutting-edge technologies. I do not subscribe to this because those technologies are the same all over the world; it just depends on how we can develop our human resources to use those tools efficiently. This is a call to African leaders to encourage curriculum revision and infrastructures in their Universities to meet up with the global challenge.
The development of Telecoms and Internet facilities to provide better access to both urban and rural youths will help in evolving more informed individuals. Financial supports from International agencies as well as debt forgiveness for deserving countries should be advocated. The truth is that in bridging the digital divide, poverty must first be eradicated. Africa should push for debt forgiveness, bearing in mind that most of these debts were incurred by military regimes that were not voted in by the citizens of these countries. The Digital Solidarity Fund is also a very good initiative that could help in providing access; the only caution is for the developed countries that are fond of taking back 80% of their donations through contracts given to companies in their countries when there are qualified local personnel in the project community.
The scourge of brain drain should be addressed and a good way is by encouraging outsourcing of jobs from developed countries. ICT skills literacy and language protection should also be taken as matters of high importance.
Telecommunication policies and regulations should be developed in African countries as both private sectors and public donors are not ready to invest in countries without proper and legal environment for Internet penetration.

(To Be Continued)

This was written in 2005 but still very relevant. Internet Governance is very important for us as a nation and continent. The need to understand it is very big and as an IG advocate, I have the responsibility to share the news. Please enjoy the first part.

Africa has always been marginalized in all aspects of world economy and politics. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) was conceived by African heads of state as a development framework aimed at arresting and correcting the downward trend and put Africa firmly on a relevant position in World development agenda .

One important area that Africa needs to get involved to realize the NEPAD goals is Internet Governance. The Internet also known as the “information highway” began around 1969 as a government sponsored network called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). It was used for the sole purpose of linking government research centers with university researchers, eventually, establishing the Internet protocols TCP/IP, which we still use today.

The Internet however only exploded in terms of growth in the 1980’s, when a number of public and private networks joined in like colleges, businesses and agencies . The relevance of the Internet is no more in question. The growing awareness of the social, economic and political impact of the internet on society has brought the question of Internet Governance into sharper focus. As of early 2005, the Internet has the following statistics:
• An estimated 750 million users worldwide.
• At least $1 billion electronics commerce turnover which is projected to rise rapidly.
• The Internet has a major social impact in many fields of human endeavor including education, health, governance and others.
• Cyber crime such as fraud, gambling, pornography and ID theft.
• Misuse and abuse in the form of malicious codes and spam.

Though the Internet was a monopoly of the United States of America because it has it origins from there, but it has become a global phenomenon and Africa is still left behind in its governance. This is a very disturbing trend and African leaders need to step up their games to give Africa a relevant position in the information super highway.

Internet governance has been a very complex phenomenon, in actual fact- it has been very difficult to give it a proper definition because of its multi-stakeholder nature. The World Society on the Information Society (WSIS) proposed a number of actions including the establishment of a Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG). The WGIG is to ensure a mechanism for the full participation of governments, private sector, civil society and relevant inter-governmental organizations to investigate and make proposals for action on the governance of the Internet. The WGIG is also given the mandate to perform the following roles:

• Come up with a working definition for Internet Governance.
• Develop a common understanding of the respective roles of the respective stakeholders.
• Prepare a report of their activities in the 2005 WSIS meeting in Tunisia 2005.
If Africa wants to have a very relevant role in the governance of the most important media that has changed the face of the world, there must be a proactive effort by critically looking at all the intricacies of Internet Governance and how to push a very good position in Tunisia.

The Very Complex Nature of Internet Governance

We need to recognize that Internet Governance means different things to different people. It is like a big jigsaw puzzle; not easy to put together. The first contending issue comes from the two words “Internet and Governance”.
The word Internet seems vague to some people who believe that the term Information and Communication Technology or Information Society would have been more appropriate due to their inclusive nature, but the argument for the word “Internet” is holding grounds since it is taking over some conventional issues like telephony. Voice over IP is gradually taking over from the conventional telephone system.

Some also believe that the word governance seems to give governments the idea that they have the most important role to play than other stakeholders in governing the Internet.
There is a narrow approach to Internet Governance which focuses on the technical part, mainly infrastructure that positions ICANN as the key actor. The broad approach is beyond infrastructure but addresses other legal, economic, development and socio-cultural issues.

Basically, we should address Internet Governance using the following broad dimensions: Infrastructure and Standardization, Legal, Economic, Developmental and Socio-Cultural.
The next few pages will be focused on clarifying these dimensions and how Africa should make impact and show its needs.

Infrastructure and Standardization:

This involves issues relating to the telecommunication infrastructure through which all Internet traffic flows, technical standards and services (TCP/IP, SSL) and Content/Application Standards (HTML, XML).
The US government has a near-monopolistic grab on this area of Internet governance. Out of the 13 root servers in the world, 10 are in the United States.

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) approves changes to the root servers; hence if the US government wishes to cause chaos in the cyber space, they can easily do this. Africa should rise up to this challenge by improving its telecommunication and electricity generation; this will give us a chance to ask for an equal geographical distribution of the root servers.

As a way to encourage local contents, Africans must support the Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) and Native Language Internet Address (NLIA) systems. This will give us the opportunity to have domain names in Zulu, Hausa and other languages. China and other Asian countries are already winning this war, so why can’t we?

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and International Assigned Names Authority (IANA) though look like global entities judging from their name but they are really US government agencies. As much as we appreciate the fact that the Internet started from the US; we should also remember that it has grown to a level where one country cannot be controlling it. I believe that Africa should rise up to the challenge and push for either a new body that will be all inclusive or a regional body to take over ICANN’s role.

A paradox that is playing itself out is the fact that small and poor countries subsidize Internet system for the developed countries. This is very selfish of those countries who are always talking of helping small countries to bridge the digital divide. African countries should start thinking of using Internet Exchange Points (IXP) to reduce the cost of bandwidth.

Another very important aspect is the use of the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) in fighting cyber squatting. African countries have started using their country code top level domain names and before long, disputes will start. There should be a conscious effort to adapt the UDRP to our specific needs.

(To be continued)

I am mostly skeptical about chain emails; but if I don’t share this one, then I am not doing my friends good. Please go through the 45 lessons and there will be a point or two that will hit you hard.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written.”

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone..

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s,we’d grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”

Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.

It was TIME magazines edition of May 11 2009, a special edition to intimate us with the 100 most influential people in the World. Though it is based on parameters defined by the most famous news magazine in the world but we can never fault the integrity of the process as they have made their name.

I glanced at the names of the 100 that are shaping the destinies of our fragile world. I saw some names that were always going to be there – Obama, Oprah, Michelle, Hillary, twitter guys and other big wigs. I also saw some names for the first time – Norah al-Faiz; the first female minister in Saudi Arabia, Lang Lang, classical musician and a host of others. TIME made sure controversies arise by including the name of the villain and criminal – Bernie Madoff – I concur he deserves a mention as his deeds have thrown thousands into eternal financial damnation. Goes to show influence has two sides, positive and negative.

All that did not move me as much as a name and the citation that went with it. Rick Warren is a well respected church leader in the USA. He is also known to be courted in the corridors of power and he is highly respected. I still remember that debate he conducted for the American presidential election between Obama and McCain. He is also known as the author of the bestseller – purpose driven church. So it was a great honor seeing that this wonderful man was chosen to write the citation for one of the best influences of our time – Paul Kagame. What he wrote about Kagame moved me so much that I decided it must be echoed. Please read it in his own words as published by TIME magazines.

Paul Kagame

Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, is the face of emerging African leadership. His reconciliation strategy, management model, empowerment of women in leadership and insistence on self-reliance are transforming a failed state into one with a bright future.

Kagame, 51, is one of few leaders who have successfully modeled the transition from soldier to statesman. During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the world watched in horror but did nothing. Kagame was responsible for ending the slaughter. After the genocide, the nation was in shambles. Kagame and others began the slow process of rebuilding. That process moved into hyperdrive when he was elected President in 2000. He launched a series of reforms and reconciliation strategies that have caught the attention of investors worldwide.

Kagame’s leadership has a number of uncommon characteristics. One is his willingness to listen to and learn from those who oppose him. When journalist Stephen Kinzer was writing a biography of Kagame, the President gave him a list of his critics and suggested that Kinzer could discover what he was really like by interviewing them. Only a humble yet confident leader would do that. Then there is Kagame’s zero tolerance for corruption. Rwanda is one of the few countries where I’ve never been asked for a bribe. Any government worker caught engaging in corruption is publicly exposed and dealt with. That is a model for the entire country — and the rest of the world too.

Culled from www.time.com

If you are not impressed by this citation, then something is wrong. His leadership style is now touted as being worthy of emulation to the whole world. His listing in the TIME 100 is not the only attestation to his good works. Our own Dr. Reuben Abati was also in Rwanda recently and he confirmed the fact that the country looks no close to the one that was in genocide a few years ago. That is the hallmark of good leadership.

I am going somewhere with this and I will make it clear just now. It is shameful that the simple principles used by this leader eludes many African countries. An American mentioned that Rwanda is one of the few countries where he has never being asked for bribe. This same man of God has traveled widely to other European countries I guess. When are we going to stop making excuses for our sloppy governance? If any country should be in self pity mode, it should be Rwanda.

I am of the opinion that our leaders are a shameless bunch and I hope they read good magazines like TIME to confirm their ineffectiveness and comic dispositions. Kagame is a good breath of fresh air for those of us who believe in the African dream. At least we have a reference point and a beacon of hope to the younger generation. I challenge every young person aspiring to change the stereotype associated with Africa to have a rethink and follow the footstep of this wonderful man. History has a way of remembering everything no matter how covered. We still remember with disdain the memories of the Mobutus, Idi Amins, Abachas and all other despots who turned our continent to a looting ground.

We also remember with pride men of honor like Nkrumah, Sankara, Awolowo and all others who despite their flaws still had a good contribution to the emancipation of the black man. There is no more excuse for bad leadership and corruption – Kagame was a soldier like Obasanjo. This is the time to wake up. Rwanda has limited resources compared to what God has blessed us with. Stories like Kagame’s will go a long way in shaping our thoughts as Africans and make us to demand good deals from the so called leaders.

I must not close this without asking Kagame to remember the likes of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe who started very well but has now led his country to ruins due to the sit tight syndrome. The world will remember Kagame for good for eternity if he evolves a way to avoid this trap so common to African leaders. Then he will attain genuine greatness.

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Who Am I

It is a 3 worded question, but mostly answered inaccurately. Who are you? This innocently looking question is one of the hardest to get through not because of its complexity but as a result of our stereotype of not understanding the right way to present ourselves. Many due to years of brainwashing and bad history tend to use the wrong words and attributes to define who they are.

Most notable is the fallacy of thinking that who we are is measured by our financial state. Some refer to it as being pompous and I have seen a lot of it. You see a man asked to obey a queue in a bank and he looks at you defiantly either announcing to you vocally or by action – do you know who I am? And then he goes ahead to tell you how rich he is and how he can buy your whole family. Shame.

Some people also define themselves by the positions they hold. Hence, you see a lot of politicians misbehaving and causing chaos around because of who they think they are. The words that come out of their mouths in those forsaken periods are ignominious and reek of irresponsibility as far as I am concerned.

Another group cannot but let us know where they work as that is the definition of their lives. I used to know a lady who hung her id card on her neck even whilst driving to church on Sunday. I have also worked with colleagues in the past who cannot get over the fact that they work with a big company and use that as an assault material on young girls.

There are some who can’t wait to meet you before the horror stories begin. They describe themselves as poor, unemployed and other derogatory adjectives all in a bid to attract sympathy. Is that who you really are? I guess it is a time to start thinking and ensure a new mindset.

The above descriptions of different sets of people have one similar trait – their transient nature.
A rich man today does not neccessarily translate to riches in the future. One black swan event; he could go bankrupt. I guess a lot of examples abound of this grace to grass situations and should be a warning sign for all who gloat due to the wealth they have gathered. Those who just can’t wait to look down on the rest of God’s creations.

The highly placed politician forgets that his term or that of his boss carries a set number of years. Their misbehavior is the reason they prefer to sit tight when the time comes to take a bow; because of their misdemeanors. But they have to leave one day and then get a dose of the treatment they meted out during their stay in office.

The proud worker of a multinational also forgets the fact that he is not a shareholder in the company and he sits tight, enjoying the largess and ensuring that girls in the neighborhood are in trouble because of his hallowed position. He even thinks the jobs is for life and so there is no plan of doing his own things. But he is shocked to the bones when the call came for downsizing or lets put it in a milder way – right sizing. Companies will always do this, but when it happens to those who don’t define themselves by the company, they handle it better as their lives were never tied to the organization in the first place.

This is good time to reflect on who we really are. What our purpose in life is. Our main reason for being in this world at this time must be assessed. Using ephemeral things to define our lives only end up in sorrow and gnashing of teeth. We are too wired and precious to think that our whole life is tied to the inconsequential things of this world.

Selfishness has to evaporate and a new wave of responsibility must set in. A lot of people start their life in a good stead but end it up very bad. The essence of a man’s life should lie in service to humanity, making the world a better place. A man must also have priorities. Relationships with our family and friends surprisingly come first before all the jobs we can think of. When the die is cast, we want to run back to the people who care for us but were abandoned when we thought we were the in-thing.

As we are gradually getting halfway into the year 2009; this is a great time to do soul searching and meditate on this words. There is an urgent need to define who we really her. That might be the needed antidote for a lot of things going wrong in our lives. It is not a very simple process, but it is not complicated either. It just requires stillness, a piece of paper and a pen. You will be surprised that the things you will learn about yourself can transform you into the true achiever you are.

Thank you and I know you are on the path to self discovery and a fulfilled life.

I have been away from this medium for about two weeks now. Those who are close to me should know the reason; our beautiful princess arrived on April 16 2009 to the glory of God. That is a post for another day, we thank God that my Queen n Princess are both doing very fine.
What I am writing about today is a topic that always surfaces every time something is triggered in me. I remember it when I think about the past and the many experiences I had to go through. It also comes to me when I see some things happening in the present.
This topic is not only going to help us in our business dealings but in our love life and other decisions we will have to take in life. It is the power of recognizing potentials and also the ability to resist writing people/ideas off. One thing I have noticed about a lot of people is their tendency to be very inflexible with a stiff stand on opinions. I am going to tell some stories to illustrate my points.
Growing up as I have said through this blog was a mixed feeling. It brings back fun memories but at a stage, it smelled of acute want which bordered on the line of poverty at a point. I remember some girls back in our neighborhood liked me because they thought I was brilliant while some detest me since my dad did not have much. There was even a day some of them including guys made me the subject of discussion saying it should take just 2 seconds to count the number of clothes in my wardrobe. That could be very disheartening for a 17 year old, University 200 level student. I kept my calm and kept on reassuring myself that it would be well. Today, I need to ask myself where they are today with the nothings they had that they thought was something.
Within the University was another experience. One thing I had going for me back then was my ability to understand vividly that I should not JUMP. I knew at that point that most babes on campus will probably not see the real me but the cover that was not glamorous. I must add at this point that some saw through me and I appreciate them for that. I also behaved myself very well in fellowship and not until my final year did I have the gut to ask a babe out (Not ready for that story o lol). I am not trying to be vain but I am sure that with present circumstances; some school colleagues (both male and female) are asking why they did not know the real Ayo Oladejo in OAU. I went to visit someone in a room in Awo Hall in my 100 level. I greeted everyone in the room and just this one guy came to me asking why a Sesewa should enter their room. The room mates told him he was being sarcastic and should know I am not one. I never forgot his face and I know how much of no impact he made on that campus.
A lot of people know ‘Gbenga Sesan today and they think he always had it good from childhood. But this same young man who speaks in front of Kings and Queens had to contend with a lot of putting down whilst growing up. Someone even told him computers were not meant for his kind. It takes men of vision to see into potentials. I am using personal stories not as a means of gratification but to drive home the point in a very practical way.
Now let us talk about business. How possible is it to know that a new business idea will fly? It is very hard but knowing how to discern and act is a virtue. I remember the Coca Cola story. The original owner of the recipe sold it at a very ridiculous price because he thought there was nothing much to it. Lets also look at the Google guys, Larry and Sergey. If Sergey did not have the spirit of discernment and the ability to read into potentials, he would not agree to the crazy plan of starting Google and same goes for Larry. A lot of people have missed out on the early stage of possessing stakes in later to be big corporations because they were blind to the inner strength exhibited by the ideas. These same people might come in later to buy stakes at a very high rate or maybe never would be able to do so again. The first Venture Capitalist firm that invested in Google are very happy people today.
Our society is even more guilty of this as it encourages get rich quick lifestyles where people are only interested in buying high yield shares instead of bringing companies up. We have seen the consequence of this as the stock exchange crash and some people are already contemplating suicide. My advice today is for us all to understand the virtue called patience and know how to practice it. Never be too hasty to write off a brother or sister. 5 years down the line you might regret ever talking down on her or him. Never be too hasty to condemn a business plan – that might be your gateway to joining the Millionaire league. Even if you are not willing to put down your money as a risk averse person; there are subtle ways of handling the situation which does not necessarily have to end up in acrimony.
And to those who have been on the receiving ends of the people we have been talking about. My philosophy is simple – whatever does not kill you can only make you stronger. Sometimes we need nasty people to talk us down to actually get out of our shell and do exploits. I have been turned down by a woman before but I bless God for that because I wouldn’t have married the best woman for me if that did not happen. So before you start killing yourself for being resented; think very well and look at all the opportunities for improvement. I know a guy who was turned down and 4 years later, he married the same lady.
If your business idea was shot down by an overzealous talker – remember, he might not even have money to bankroll the project and just looking for a way to destroy your drive. Forget him/her and move on, there are many fishes in the ocean lol. The greatness of a man is not in his ability to stand always but that when he falls; he knows how to get up. I will close this by saying that we are in funny days and we need every of our imaginations and will power to survive. There is more to you and the World is waiting to discover the gold in you. One day we will examine the factors to look out for in identifying potentials.

From the beginning of the World, every wonderful thing that has happened is based on one important principle that we don’t like to practice – sacrifice. The biblical account of creation lends credence to this fact when the Omnipotent God himself worked for six straight days to create our world and only rested on the seventh day. If God himself who owns the heaven and the earth paid attention to his project and ensured everything was perfect before he rested; human beings have to start understanding the power invested in doing same. (Genesis 1-2)

That was not the end of God’s sacrifice to humankind. He demonstrated his will to sacrifice once again Millions of years after when he allowed his only begotten son to die for our sins. The first scripture that fascinated me with Christianity is John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
That is the power of sacrifice at work again. I am going to share some lessons I have learned about sacrifice and I hope it spurs someone on to make exploit.

1. Sacrifice is hard because it is sacrifice
It will not be a sacrifice if it is very easy to accomplish. Good things don’t usually come very easy but mostly have to be grounded out. Most are averse to taking the hard way and instead look for the easy way out. Those are people who make excuses and never go on to impact their generation.

2. Sacrifice can be very painful
Imagine a father who accepted to give the life of his son up to save his wayward creation? Now imagine a son who did not bail out on humanity at the last minute but went on to die like a common criminal.
Also imagine another father whom God asked to give up his son as a sweet smelling offering to him. These all happened and we know the stories of Jesus’ cruxification as well as Abraham/Isaac. Those are very painful sacrifices to make but they all braved it even though God was gracious to spare Isaac’s life as he was just testing Abraham’s faith. Many of us have been faced with the smallest of sacrifices to preserve our inheritance and future, but we mess it up because we are avoiding pain. The pains we avoid come in various forms but most times, they are just meant to teach us a lesson about life.

3. In God’s dictionary, sacrifice can be 2-ways
When Jesus died for our sins, it was not automatic for everyone to enjoy that sacrifice. The onus lies on each individual to also make a simple yet important sacrifice to enjoy the benefits. A partaker of the blessings of eternal life must believe in his son. Simple, yet very hard decision to make because we think our lives are caged when we seek to be like him. We tend to equate understanding God’s ways as not living life and so we continue with our ways whilst blocking our minds to his teachings.

4. Same applies to our worldly pursuit
There is not gain without pain. The men and women who have made our World an easier place to live in today made sacrifices in the past. The United States will never forget their patriots who fought the British to a conclusion resulting in the creation of the most powerful country in the World today. South Africa will also not suffer Amnesia; the years spent in Robben Island and other prisons by the ANC leaders will not be forgotten. Other African nationalists also fought and died for the emancipation of their countries. Great inventors, composers and artists also have something in common – they sacrifice a lot of time thinking and fabricating their thoughts to evolve masterpieces.

5. It pays to sacrifice
The joy of sacrifice is that the end results in a lasting legacy. Jesus Christ today is known everywhere and even those who don’t believe in him still discuss him. Pagans enjoy the Easter holiday in their own way and I am not sure there is a more interesting personality than him. That was the result of his sacrifice on the cross. Abraham is known as the father of faith and from him came many descendants which was a direct gain from his willingness to sacrifice. One needs to read biographies of successful men and women to understand that their success came as a result of sacrifices made throughout their lives. Sleep deprivation to read books, journals, write proposals, study for certification exams are some of the things that stand out men who are going somewhere. Women have to literarily put their lives on hold to carry a child for 9 months and thereafter nurse same. We all know the joy of bringing a child to the World but sometimes forget the sacrifice that accomplish it.

6. Pursuing righteousness is a sacrifice
We are in a perverted world where sex, corruption and other vices rule. I was not in Sodom and Gomorrah but I doubt it was this bad. It is getting increasingly difficult to stick to doing right in our times. Deciding to do what is right is the key for our World to get back on track. Having a mind to be just to all men will change a lot of bad to good. Those who are prepared to stand up and leave the urges of their skins are doing themselves and the World a favour. Saying no to 10 minutes of fun that can ruin a whole lifetime is the hallmark of great men. Saying no to the lure of illegal riches stands a man out. We need you to sacrifice to save yourself.

7. There is no better time than now to start sacrificing
We are in interesting times. A time when many are singing the tune of being cast down. The economic realities ensures that only those who understand the principles which open doors are safe. This is the time when wheat will be separated from shaft. When those who sacrifice are lifted up because of their diligence. If there are 10 people who do the same job as you, this is the time to be better than them all else you might lose out. This is also the time to give to the poor despite the fact that you think things are not too rosy to give out but know that feeding is hard for some people. Whoever understands the principle of sacrificing in difficult periods are always rewarded for their efforts.

As we just finished the holidays that signifies the highest sacrifice ever made; I pray that our eyes of understanding will open and lead us to do what is right.

For Immediate Release:

April 6 2009 Advertfarm, a mobile content network, has emerged today from private beta. This start-up is privately funded and based in Lagos, Nigeria. Advertfarm, as a stand-alone company, focuses on delivering mobile contents to users across Africa through Short Message Services (SMS). Our services include but not limited to SMS marketing, SMS Recruitment, Events Broadcasting, Sponsored Mobile Services and Mobile Alerts.

Advertfarm provides advertisers with permission-based targeted marketing. These advertisements are delivered to subscribers based on specific interests and demographics. Advertfarm only sends its network members localized subscribed mobile content that matches their interest, and gives them total control of when they want to receive it, and how frequently they want to receive it through settings available on the Advertfarm platform.

With over 200 million mobile subscribers in Africa, Advertfarm allows advertisers to target a specific base of consumers in a meaningful way while allowing them to see a much higher rate of return on their investment. The system is developed to fully ensure that advertisers do not waste money on a demographic target that is irrelevant to their goals.

The Advertfarm network has a strict privacy policy on all data collected from its members. The Advertfarm mobile content delivery solution is the first of its kind in Africa as they not only deliver permission-based content to their subscribers but also pay their subscribers for subscribing.

Meanwhile, Advertfarm rewards its subscribed members through a revenue sharing model. The income earned by members of the network is automatically sent to the ATM cards attached to their account.

Advertfarm is currently running its pilot mode only in Nigeria and will launch it 2-WAY SMS interactive system by July 2009. This system would include features such as “SMS Service Un-subscription” where subscribers to a particular service could un-subscribe for certain services without having to visit the web portal. We will be launching services in other African countries in the next quarter.

Please visit www.advertfarm.com to subscribe.

I came in contact recently with a story that fascinated me some years ago. That story made me re-evaluate my life and the kind of stuff that I allow to pass through my mind. It also taught me about the concept of fear and the way it paralyzes one’s dreams, ambition and even in the extreme cases – LIFE. Let’s look at the story:

There was a man named Nick – a strong and hardworking rail yardman. His fellow workers liked him and he was very easy to relate with. But he has a nemesis in the working place – Nick had a deep and disturbing fear that he would be locked in an isolated, refrigerated boxcar.
One day, the train crew were told they could close an hour early. As they left, Nick was accidentally locked in a refrigerated boxcar, which was in a yard for repairs. He panicked, shouted and banged on the walls until his voice went hoarse and his fists were bloody. He believed the temperature in the car was zero degrees. He thought, If I don’t get out of here I’ll freeze to death.
Shivering uncontrollably, he scrawled a message to his wife. “So cold, body’s getting numb. If I could just go to sleep…. These may be my last words.”
The next morning the crew slid open the boxcar’s heavy doors and found Nick’s body. An autopsy revealed that every physical sign indicated he had frozen to death. But the car’s refrigeration unit was broken. The temperature inside was never lower than 61 degrees. Nick’s fear became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Note: This account of the story was taken from John Hagee’s book – The Seven Secrets.

I have a reason for using this story to illustrate my point. It is so relevant to many of us especially those who think negatively all the time. These are people I try not to relate with as their unbelief and their wacked believes are detrimental to progressive growth. The bible says that “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is”. Nothing can be truer and I find this very liberating. Rich people first became rich from their mind and thinking. Same applies to poor people.

The rich people believed first that they can do it, put their minds to it and achieve the goals. Most of the battles we fight to become relevant in this world happens right inside of us. The manifestation of what we see is a product of our thought process and believe/disbelieve in our abilities. In this unique time in history, a time of bleak message being preached all over the World – we need now more than ever to control our thoughts in preparation for a glorious future. Otherwise, the story would not be too palatable. I have the following points which might help.

The emotion of fear can save our lives in the event of responding to the effects of Adrenaline when we see a Lion approaching us. But the spirit of fear can only do one thing – destroy us. In all we do – we must learn to exercise faith and be positive. God bless you as you march forward and conquer.