Going from the title of this post; I am sure you would think it is another bashing for Big Brother and other reality TV shows. But I am about to shock you because contrary to what you might think; there is really a good lesson that Africa can learn from these shows if we are ready to look inwards.
When I was growing up in Ibadan, there were various game shows on the first Television station in Africa- NTA Ibadan. The most popular of them was anchored by Yemi Ogunyemi, a very nice show called Embalaya (Eni ba laya) which literarily means Who Has The Guts? People came from far and wide to participate in this game show and won various gifts. What made the show stand out were the ingenuity and the wit of the presenter who also sometimes acted in various plays including the masterpiece from NTA Ibadan that made network service – KOKO CLOSE.
The kiddies were not left out of game shows even back then. I have forgotten the name of one presented by Toyin Adegbola (now known as ashewo to re Mecca). It was showing on BCOS Ibadan and I remember she was still married to the late sports presenter also with BCOS – Tony Adegbola. Other shows evolved later including one for the inner-city Ibadan people (Some call them razz, I don’t) called O’n rosy ni galaxy. Gboyega Lawal still presents this show on Galaxy TV in Ibadan (Touted as the first private TV in Nigeria). Yemi Ogunyemi went on to anchor Royco Ladun many years after Embalaya was rested.

Recently, the popular game shows in Nigeria are mostly those imported from other climes but that does not take the fun away from them. Today is not a bash on the dearth of local content even though I am tempted to go that route but that will be the theme for another day. Hence we have shows like Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, Don’t forget the lyrics, etc. The success of these games shows and the rise of the telecommunication industry in Africa prompted the owners of the brands of reality TV shows and some shrewd business people to focus on Africa. And thus, the Big Brother phenomenon, Idols, Dancing with the Stars, etc were all brought to Africa thanks mostly to MNET Africa.

You still don’t know where I am headed with this, but please relax and enjoy the ride. We all know that we are not a very inspired continent with the ways our political and economic climate remains far from being perfect. Reality TV shows have helped to douse tensions. One finishes and another starts. We are even clamouring for Season 2 of West African Idols. Many of us watch American Idols, South African and all other Idols from all over the world. Now I am about to get to the point.

The organisers of the shows make money from various means including adverts, endorsements and SMS revenues. I am interested in the last part and the reason for this post. Take Big Brother as a good example. The housemates nominate their fellow mates for eviction every week. The nominees are then left in the hands of the voting public to determine if they get evicted or remain in the house. I have been in the Telecoms industry for some time and it is mind boggling the amount of votes weekly from these shows. That is in one network alone meaning that the cumulative votes cast weekly in Nigeria only is massive. We are talking about several Millions of votes. Someone in just one network in Nigeria just reported making 20 Million dollars (not naira) in just 100 days from these premium SMS.

The revenue generated is not my main reason for this post but the massive amounts of votes cast. I am wondering if no one has linked this to our election system in Nigeria and other African countries. How would you feel if I tell you that more votes are cast weekly for big brother housemates in Nigeria than for our national elections? That is the bitter truth and the reality on ground. People find it easier to pick their phones and burn between 50-75 naira several times to save their favourite housemates. In fact, MNET was so pleased with the level of participation from Nigeria that it gave 3 slots to Nigeria for the current season. And it is a fact that the three of them are still in the house while other countries with 2 housemates have lost one or both housemates. Shows we are really keen on saving our compatriots, hmmmm. And we also even save people from other countries when our people are not up for eviction.

Two questions arise here. Is it that Nigerians think it is better to save our Big Brother housemates than in saving Nigeria? Or is this an indication that our electoral system has to wake up and embrace technology in voting? I guess it is for all of us to ponder and think about it. We can no longer sit down and think a miracle can save us. It is time to think and move forward by answering those two questions. The right to vote and be voted for are a fundamental right of human beings. Many died for that right in America and today, a black man is on top of the affairs in the White House. We have that right in Nigeria already but we don’t use it citing violence during elections, rigging etc as our excuses. But we all know that even when we don’t go out to vote, the nonentities are elected, they loot our treasuries and indirectly murder us via our bad roads, health facilities etc.
Out technology elite must also collaborate with the political minded ones to bring innovation to the voting process and push for legislations backing such. But meanwhile, the voters registration would soon commence and I hope you will not be found wanting.
God bless Nigeria, God bless Africa.

Like most autobiographical work, ‘Gbenga Sesan begins his third book from the beginning – becoming chairman of his university’s Electronic Club in final year, and getting the opportunity through that to contact the revered ‘father of the Internet’, Philip Emeagwali.

The book’s format is simple: speeches and papers he has delivered, but with an introductory two-pager on where he was at the time in his career or life when the specific paper was written or delivered, giving context and soul to the nuggets he is presenting. Very remarkably, most of the work is as relevant in the contemporary as they were in the years – as far as 7 years ago – that he wrote them.

But ‘Gbenga also has no patience for ceremony, and so from the beginning he begins to outline his world view: right from page 2, he tells you that resource control should not be about the resources beneath the soil, but those above it – “intellectual capital”.

The strength of this book comes from the fact that every principle and every point of view that ‘Gbenga espouses is followed by a practical life experience – in essence, ‘Gbenga stands as the physical proof of all that he has written: giving the book immense authority and credibility. When he says in page 35 that “the boundaries that mark the locations of nations are fast blurring as technological innovations turn the whole into a global village,” it is easy to see it because ‘Gbenga’s life and work have managed to defy space, time or place.

Some weeks ago, this reviewer spoke at a conference where ‘Gbenga was also a speaker, and an offhand statement he made in a question to me was striking. “I am cynical about seminars – I know that is strange for some like me to say,” he confessed, “But sometimes it’s like we keep saying the same old things and there is no new impact.”

Indeed, for the cynical, those whom ‘Gbenga reserves unusual derision towards the end of the book (“the Hopeless” he calls them), a man who has travelled to tens of countries, from Switzerland to Morocco, Sri Lanka to Burkina Faso, Austria to the United States, for assorted seminars and conferences has no moral right to say this, but in this one case, Mr. Sesan can, because the crux of his life’s trajectory has been a transformation from gaining knowledge as Nigeria’s youngest IT ambassador to applying that knowledge practically and sharing it strategically to cause verifiable impact. Ajegunle.org and Paradigm Initiative Nigeria are the most visible examples of these. ‘Gbenga’s work, like his ideas, is consistently outcome oriented.

Following that tradition, “In My Own Words” gives practical, well-researched advice on every single issue that the 32-year-old raises. Indeed, right from the first chapter, he begins to submit his ‘key points’ for how Nigeria can harness its e-commerce potentials on every level – from schools to the organised private sector.

‘Gbenga’s case on the urgency of ICT development in Africa is best presented on page 27: “While it took telephony technology 75 years to reach 50 million users worldwide,” he says, “it has taken the World Wide Web only 4 years to hit the same target.”

However, the author mostly answers his questions by bypassing government, constantly choosing to speak in a global context. When he does speak of the Nigerian government for instance, it is to draw a parallel. But one wonders about how effective the concept of a global village really is in local contexts? There is a loud question about how far international engagement can translate into practical international progress, and one wonders why ‘Gbenga doesn’t dwell more on the problems of corruption, the volatility of African politic systems and the direct link of this sum total to poverty and resultant underdevelopment. Only once did the 32 year old refer to the “ill-equipped, ego-centric leaders” (pg. 108). Still, you might disagree with him, but he yet makes a compelling case.

Constantly also, like with the chapter on the digital divide, ‘Gbenga displays an admirable knack for correctly identifying gaps, analysing them – again crisply – and then suggests solutions. He does the same in identifying why it is in the interest of developed nations to give the developing world a fair chance to participate in the New Economy. “Establishing dynamic e-working relations between developing and developed nations,” he says, “would reduce the expense incurred by developed nations on travel, logistics and training.”

Indeed, it is remarkable what the initial workings of this highly talented yet rookie mind was bale to come up with in 2001, when he was only 24. ‘Gbenga was born, like Chinua Achebe said of another writer, almost ready made. Indeed, one can ask how a 32 year old happens to have penned an autobiography, but Mr. Sesan is not one of those you can define with obsolete standards like age.

One gets a glimpse into the young man’s essence in an anecdote in chapter 3, on ‘The Nigerian Youth’s Dream’, of his very first visit to the Senate Committee on Science and Technology. As everyone assumed he would be nervous and tried to calm him down, ‘Gbenga told himself: “If only they knew ho prepared I was; after many years of experience, addressing imaginary audiences behind closed doors. This is the Senate of the Federal Republic of one nation! I have hardly even started.”

‘Gbenga’s initial life disadvantages colour positively his views and his opinions, leading to a convincing thesis on the problems that hinder the continent’s technology growth. “Technology continues to expand exponentially,” he notes with palpable worry on page 37, “but then these people (poor citizens of developing countries) have no access to the basic tools of this dynamic revolution. Unfortunately (and here he stresses the bottom line), they still have to compete in the same global market as the 3G generation from developed nations.” On page 56, he almost screams with agony: “Some young Africans have never touched a computer!”
What is truly remarkable however is that, many years after writing this, ‘Gbenga kept true to his vision and translated work into action when he established Ajegunle.org, for young people from disadvantaged communities.

Gossip can also be gleaned from the book by those who have always wondered how ‘Gbenga came to be one of the most widely travelled professionals in his generation. It evidently started with a May 2002 presentation at the World Summit on the Information Society, put together by the United Nations. It turns out ‘Gbenga wasn’t always this confident; always having the right words. He reveals instead that he was battling a serious inferiority complex, having to watch and learn the protocols and processes that he now commands with enviable ease.

And for those inevitable few who are quick to put it all to fortune, ‘Gbenga has something in response: “When preparation meets opportunity, what follows may look a lot like luck – it is not.”

He has no patience for young people who refuse to be driven. To those who act like they alone face challenges, he says; “what young people need to understand is that they are not alone in the battle against mediocrity and it is in their best interest to fight”, to those who are waiting for things to get better first, he says; “A baby will never walk on its mother’s back” and for those who will say things like “I have no email address”, he reserves scorn: “You are not a valid citizen of the world we live in today!”

There is a special category though that he calls “The Hopeless”. Rather than divide Nigeria along tribal or class lines, the author thinks Nigeria should in fact be categorised in four ways only: the Relieved, the Hopeless, the Returnee and the Strategically Positioned. Those he calls ‘Hopeless’ are those who only see history as an archive of mistakes and are quick to criticise change agents; calling them unrealistic time wasters. The Strategically Positioned, a group to which ‘Gbenga aligns himself, are the ones that effect change, sticking to what they believe – while the rest of the world tags them lucky, or dismiss them as having friends in high places. Again, ‘Gbenga’s life stands to put a lie to this.

He takes the reader on a journey into the mindset with which he began the climb to the top of the food chain. At the age of 14, he says in the chapter on his IT Youth Ambassadorship Service Report, he began to question his existence; ending up with a promise to himself that his purpose in life wouldn’t end at going to school, getting a job, building a family and dying unsung. Though the process to acclaim would not begin until 8 years later, he decided then, sitting at a church meeting listening to a sermon about the bible’s David, that the search for true meaning lies in serving one’s generation.

How to do this? He again uses his personal example. In Chapter 8, whilst he says that “it is impossible to tell you the one ‘secret’ of my transformation,” in the typical ‘Gbenga-esque way, he still tries to help, eventually sharing what he calls the three circles that should define your work: passion, skills and economic value.
The chapters ‘Where do you Stand?’ and ‘I have No Excuse’ deepen the effect of this message, and are ‘Gbenga at his best; eloquently challenging his generation to get up and do something – and from student level to NYSC level, he practically indicated his suggestions for snapping out of lethargy and defeatism. He asks: beyond complaining, “have you stopped for a second to find a way to stand out of the maddening crowd”? If only 1 in 10 University graduates will get jobs, why haven’t you sought for an alternative? “We have no excuse,” he says, “and we need to keep reminding ourselves of this blunt truth.” Every young person should read these homilies.

In terms of structure, this is a 12 chapter book, broken in the middle by pictures. It has a foreword by Prof. Pat Utomi, the author’s personal mission statement written like a poem and a compelling introduction titled, ‘Why I do What I do’.

Now does this book have any weaknesses? Thankfully, it does, proving that ‘Gbenga is after all human. Some of the titles could have been edited further to become book-friendly, as an autobiographical work should be a flowing narrative: ‘The Nigerian Youths’ Dream’ for instance could have been better and more engagingly constructed by an editor.

Also, like many biographies, the author succumbs to the temptation to give ‘votes of thanks’ at every opportunity, something that really couldn’t be helped since these presentations were made at different times. Still, a creative editor could have found a way around it without watering the work’s integrity. For one, the all too frequent, though deserved, references to Philip Emeagwali, could have been minimised, for their deadening repetitiveness. The creative license to deal with one’s original work is after all a wide one.

Another weakness would be a pervading presence of clichés and platitudes every now and then: forgivable since ‘Gbenga is not primarily a writer. Even then, he understands the problem with these, as he sometimes begins his sentences with “I will not waste my time stating the obvious”, even though he goes ahead and does so. But, as anyone who has dealt with international development agencies will tell you, stating the obvious comes with the job description.

Still, phrases like “most populous black nation”, “there’s no nation that can progress without its youth”, “1 minus 2 is impossible until you know the answer”, “lessons of life”, “today is a snapshot, tomorrow is the full length movie”, “water will find its level” and others will grate the nerves of the anal retentive, no matter how necessary they are.

Fortunately, one notices remarkable improvement in ‘Gbenga’s language as he progresses from paper to paper over the years: and as he finally masters the lingo of civil society, he is able to apply his own unique flair to great effect as the last two chapters show.

Also, whatever points knocked off for predictable language are more than balanced out by the crisp, clear language that he employs. ‘Gbenga’s book says what he means, and at the risk of using a cliché, thankfully also means what it says.

And it all boils down to one question, asked in the last chapter: “can our generation inspire visible and sustainable change through leadership?”

However, one can only see the question as rhetoric; because ‘Gbenga not only answers it “in his own words”, but also with his own life.

On page 64, Mr. Sesan repeats his popular story of the first time he stood to make a comment at a public ICT forum. A man sitting beside him promptly advised him to sit down because, according to him, “young men do not know much more than girls and music”. The continent’s experience has shown clearly though that it is men like that who have kept Africa so far behind in the digital race. It is time for people like ‘Gbenga to take over Nigeria.

Ayo’s Note:
A very objective review of a wonderful book. I guess it is not a question of how relevant this book is. So please visit www.gbengasesanspeaks.com to order a copy.

The Socio-Cultural Component:
This is a very interesting component of Internet Governance. There are a lot of discrepancies in the way different stakeholders see issues relating to the socio-cultural aspect of the Internet. The two major contenders in this area are the Government and Civil Society. The recurring subject is content control. Government is very passionate about controlling the kind of contents on websites in their countries. An example is a country like France where Nazi materials are banned, the only setback is that the civil society is not wholly comfortable with that and usually emphasizes freedom of expression.

However, there are some contents that are mutually agreed upon by all stakeholders as being illegal such as child pornography, e.t.c. Almost every developed nation has a form of content control or the other, but it is still a dream for most African countries. If the fight against scam and cyber crime will be effective in Africa, then our Governments should realize that there is a need for appropriate legal framework for content control.
Content control will be effectively done if a multi-stakeholder approach is employed at enforcing it. This will require –

• Government filtering of contents using appropriate legislation.
• Private filtering of contents e.g. through embedded scripts in Internet browsers.
• The use of Geo-location software to track users of the Internet and catch offenders.
• Internet service providers can filter contents for their customers.
• Search engines like Google should only bring out accepted output when a search is done. Example is Google in France where if you type Nazi, you will not get any result.

Multilingualism and Cultural Diversity: This is a very important socio-cultural topic in Africa and the rest of the world. There must be a conscious effort to bridge language and cultural barriers in such a way that the issue of Anglophone and Francophone will be forgotten. The division is always very obvious during international meetings and all sorts of misunderstanding ensue in such meetings. If Africa wants to present a common agenda in Tunis 2005, a very proactive solution must be put in place to erase any sentiment and only give Africa its rightful place in world politics.

Local Content: Most Africans are Illiterates and 85% of contents on the Internet are in English, almost the remaining are in French, Portuguese, Arabic and Chinese. That spells a doom for majority of Africans who can at best read and write their native language. We must start developing local contents to help this people and to also show that we are original. If Prof. Phillip Emeagwali is right at the end of the day, then in a few centuries – “Human beings start having IP address and constitute the Internet and not computers anymore; hence emails will cease to exist, but telepathic mails” . This looks a bit crazy, but coming from a man of his reputation, we need to take him seriously. The goal of African governments should be to find ways to get the poorest farmer in a village to appreciate the Internet using his local language.

Education/E-learning: The information superhighway has brought the whole world closer together. It is now very easy to be in touch with a friend in China when you are in Abidjan in a matter of seconds. This has also helped in education dissemination. We now have access to quality teaching materials from leading institutions all over the world and the concept of virtual universities is now a reality. This is an area in which African leaders could leverage on to ensure the development of its citizenry. The concept of e-learning is very important to the development of Africa.

Conclusion:
While the debate for the governance of the Internet is still going on and Africa is clearly not contributing in a very effective manner due to the low level of understanding of the whole concept by its representatives at meetings. It is also very clear that such meetings where Internet Governance is discussed are very costly and cannot be afforded by many Africans. There is no doubt that the Internet is a tool that Africa can use to leap frog (I prefer to use the term Cheetah Pole-Vaulting) its development and relevance in the world economy and politics.
We do not have any excuse to be left out of Internet Governance because it is a clear way to achieve that equality we have always wanted. African Governments must start developing experts in Internet Governance who can successfully ask for positions that will favor our continent on the pathway to continental rebirth.

References
1. Internet Governance: Issues, Actors and Divides by Eduardo Gelbstein and Jovan Kurbalija
2. A summary of NEPAD action plans: NEPAD Secretariat 2004.
3. My search for the holy grail of immortality by Prof. Phillip Emegwali
4. A paper by Meyer & Baber, 1995, p. 248

…. 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)

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.

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No representation or under-representation

There are many UN agencies and the common trend is that some parts of the world are always marginalized, either through under-representation or by no representation. The UN Security Council is one of the most important organs of the United Nations, but it is a sad fact that Africa has no permanent member. When a very important security matter affecting the world is discussed in that forum, Africa which has a strategic role to play (12% of the total world population) is left out, making no contribution to the subject matter.

It will be good if an African country becomes a permanent member. The United Nations should also make a conscious effort to involve young people in decision making. There is no doubt that the young generation has more energy and ideas in them to make the world a better place. And to prevent a generational gap, the older generation should work with young people in matters that will affect them now and later. Gender issues are also very important. The United Nations should make it a point of duty to involve more women, especially from third-world countries in its programmes.

Hence, all UN development-focused conferences and programme should be all encompassing with relevant global stakeholders duly represented and given a chance to contribute. It will also be good if the UN adopts current trends in technology in getting feedback from all over the world i.e not all conferences should be physical. Using the powers of the Internet can bring down costs and also allow more participants contribute to discussions, this will ensure that people who would not have been able to participate will be given a chance to do so though email, newsgroups and e-groups.

Information and Communication Technology for Development.

The United Nations has recognized ICT as a veritable tool for development. ICT has made the world to become a true global village. The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is meant to discuss ways to harness the potentials of ICT in developing the world. ICT ensures many channels of information dissemination, through mobile phones, emails, the World Wide Web, News groups, e.t.c.
Many developing countries have abundance of natural resources like petroleum, diamond and gold, yet they are very poor and the citizens languish in poverty.

The reason is very simple; the wealth of a country can no longer be measured by the abundance of its natural resources but by the quality of its citizenry. An absolute way of getting access to Information is the Internet which is still a luxury in most under-developed countries. For the under-developed world to start thinking of reaching the height of their developed counterparts, they need to embrace the power and wonder of Information and Communications Technologies. I am positive that ICT will transform the physical and psychological well-being of the under-developed worlds and bring them up-to-speed with the developed world.

ICT has helped in various fields of human endeavors like Agriculture (GIS), education (e-learning), health and in providing job opportunities for citizens. . Access to these ICT tools is very small in underdeveloped countries and the United Nations will do well to find ways of correcting this. Beyond WSIS and other UN programs to promote the use of ICT, I will like the UN to think of helping rural people have access to ICT since there are more under-developed countries than developed ones. The UN should also encourage countries to adopt and implement a national ICT policy that will help them in harnessing ICT potentials.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that many lives have been touched by the noble aims and objectives of the United Nations. In closing, I wish to make the following recommendations-
• All countries must have ICT parks where young people are taught basic and advanced ICT skills.
• The scum of Internet scam must be taken seriously by the UN. A good way of fighting this trend is by disseminating information on truthful ways of making money on the Internet.
• The UN should advocate that Youths in all countries of the world go through a form of citizenship and leadership training before or after their tertiary education.
• The UN and religious groups should work closely on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other health-related problems because the latter have strong influence over their congregations.
There is no greater goal than craving a world that is united and peaceful. Long live the United Nations and may its goals be achieved.

The End.

Hello People. I was just digging through my archives and discovered this paper I wrote in 2005. It is really amusing as it brought back memories and confirmed my stand on matters then are still relevant today. It was the year the UN became 60 years old and I made some salient points including the Iraq war. This is the first part. Happy reading!

“Your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions” .

I am not being religious by quoting from the bible, but that is the unavoidable reality on ground. It is very easy to see that young people have a great deposit of ideas and activity embedded in them through a very natural process that is not easy to explain. But we live in a world where the voice of the youth is not respected because of a fixed and archaic perception of the older generation. I remember a friend who attended a conference and wanted to make a very important contribution. A man sitting beside him advised him to keep quiet, reminding him that – “Young people know nothing apart from sex and women”.

It is interesting to discover that two years after this incidence, this same young man is a consultant to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). But this young man is just one out of billions of other young people all over the world. Governments, United Nations and other organizations have always found it difficult to integrate youth into their decision making process. There is a particular saying that goes thus – “Youths are the future of a nation”. I totally disagree with this notion by saying that Youths are the deciding present factor of a nation. A cursory look at any society shows that the most productive sector of the population is the young people and if a country is in chaos, youth restiveness is often found to be a contributing factor. It is unjust to leave young people out when deciding matters that will determine the present and the future.

As a young person, I am not wholly happy with the structure and operation of the United Nations. No doubt, the UN in its 60 years of existence has been able to achieve some of its aims and objectives but I believe more could have been done. The United Nations is supposed to be the umbrella under which all countries in the world meets and have a brotherly union. The world has seen its fair share of wars and genocides.

Is the UN really powerful enough?

Sometimes I look at the UN as a powerless giant. This is hard to say but someone has to say it. I believe that the charter that established the UN gave it influence to mediate and advise any country that is trying to go into unreasonable wars and other ill-fated projects like Nuclear weapons. To protect the sanctity of the UN, no country should be perceived as above the law, but this is not the case. There are at least two countries as at now, who at various times made decisions without considering the stand of the United Nations.
A very vivid example is the second gulf war on Iraq by the United States of America. The United Nations was still in the process of inspecting Iraq for evidence of weapons of mass destruction and was imploring the US to wait for the outcome. We all know that the US got impatient and together with the United Kingdom invaded Iraq against the will of the UN. It is still unclear if that war was successful because of the high number of civilian and coalition forces casualties recorded.
If the United Nations is really respected, the US would not have gone ahead with that invasion; that leaves us to ask that if Switzerland wants to invade Senegal because of the same accusations levied against Iraq, would the United Nations have been able to persuade Switzerland to change its mind. I am sure the answer will be yes, thus we live in an animal farm with the rule changed to “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” . If the United Nations wants the kind of relevance that it merits, there has to be a conscious effort by the so-called world powers to respect her, after all, the UN is their initiative.

All talks and documents, little action:

I have attended a few United Nations organized conferences and must say that I always marvel at the kind of intellectual discourse that emanate from such deliberations. Very inspiring documents are also written after the end of the meetings that contains the resolutions. Delegates are accommodated at good hotels, paid daily subsistence allowance and even per diems. These conferences are aimed at finding solutions to a lot of abnormalities like poverty, HIV/AIDS, wars, illiteracy, e.t.c.
The sad thing is that after spending so much money to bring all these intellectuals together to forge a way forward, little is heard about the contents of the resolutions. Most of these things are never implemented; rather they are put away in archives. An example is the UN World Program of Action for Youth document. This document contains so much hope for young people but we have not really seen the effects. We all know that more than any other part of the world, developing countries need actions from these documents because these countries have the big share of all health and socio-economic problems.
The United Nations should endeavor to make sure that as they poll resources together and proffer solutions to these societal menaces, they should also find ways of implementing these policies and most importantly make sure the grassroots’ communities benefits.

Will the Rich continue getting Richer and the Poor get poorer?

One sure way of making the world truly united is closing the economic gap between the developed countries of the world and the undeveloped countries. There is so much poverty in most of these underdeveloped countries and with poverty come a lot of other problems. It is also a fact that most disaster and volatile countries of the world are underdeveloped. If we truly want a peaceful world, the United Nations should be more practical in helping these countries to develop. We are not talking about giving fish to them, but rather teaching them to fish. Hence all these temporary aids and loans will not help but further aggravate their problems.
Most developed countries are making a lot of money from debt servicing by poor countries. While we might claim bad leadership as the greatest dearth to development in these countries, the other very important factor is their indebtedness to the developed countries and the World Bank. If the UN is really sincere and willing to help these countries out of their shackles, it will be to seek debt forgiveness for them but tied to certain conditions which the countries must fulfill.
They must have proper democratic system of government, abide with the UN anti-corruption and transparency stance, and have a thorough budgeting and auditing systems, a viable economic empowerment scheme as well as a good track record of human rights system. Two major problems would have been solved – Bad leadership and poverty. Any attempt to deviate from these norms should lead to revoking the debt forgiveness.
It is by implementing these kinds of radical policies that the economical gap will start reducing and the United Nations would assume its proper place as the truly unifying umbrella of the world.

(To be Continued)

Today – I am happy to present a young man with a large heart to you. He is a man of high integrity, drive and a very passionate one at that. He is my very good friend and a confidant – one of those people I can vouch for no matter what. We share very similar ideals about values, family, career and giving back. He is a lesson in sacrifice and many can attest to the fact that he has contributed to their lives. His career has been a very interesting one – having worked his way from obscure companies to the big ones. Presently he is the manager in charge of planning ZAIN Nigeria’s Value Added Services as well as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) from the Technical perspective as well as business justifications. My friend is married to my friend (figure it out) and they are a testimony to the fact that not all marriages suck. Bayodele can only go one way —- UP! Happy reading!

Hello Mr Olotu. Can we meet you?

My name is Bayodele Abimbola Olotu, born in the mid-late seventies at Ikere-Ekiti in what was then Ondo State. My parents were/are teachers and I have what can best be called a lower middle class background. I am happily married to Temitope, who I have clearly identified as the main proof of the fact that God is rather partial to me. I have a lovely baby daughter – Darasimi.

Thank you. I know you grew up in Akure but please let us into your years growing up. From Primary to Secondary School.

I attended St Peters Primary School, FUTA Staff School and Federal Government College, Idoani.

What about University and courses/certifications thereafter?

I am an alumnus of OAU, Ile-Ife. I am Microsoft Certified and a PMP among other things.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned about education from primary till date?

There is always something new to learn. I learnt to read wide and converse with those who are ahead. This broadens your scope and enriches your vision. However, you have to define what you will focus on and build expertise in – when push comes to shove no one needs a General Practitioner/Counsel/Manager.

Some people tend to think University is only for books. Can you share with us the effect of extra-curricular activities in Ife on your personal growth?

My dad, who is practically my wisest counselor, told me that in the olden days the Yorubas pray for your head, feet and chest. Your head symbolizes destiny; your feet will take you there, and your chest determines your friends/associations. I knew of the firt two but the third was new – and so true.
In Ife I met and thankfully chose good friends. I attended the ECU and served in various capacities including Drama, Organising, Small Business Management, etc. I also served as PRO of my Departmental Association.
These taught me faster than any lecture room about the challenges of life and the place of personal drive and innovation. I also learnt to give and assist others. Today, I happily support others’ vision and derive joy in being a positive influence. I have lost count of the number of ‘small jobs’ that I got through friends – and my last 2 main jobs were via same.

You studied Mechanical Engineering in the University, how come you always wanted a career in ICT?

Well…did I always? I wanted to attend Ife and study Engineering …the tougher the better as I had a knack for not reading much but doing well in Idoani. Ife cut me to size – First I came in for Chemistry and 100L cut me to size, and after changing to Mech I enjoyed life better but had to play catch up. I am very practical so lots of the ‘forces’, ‘moments’, ‘torque’ that was only on paper nearly did me in. I stuck to it but was more interested in Drama and later, computing. These were more real to me at the time.

You managed Shekinah Ventures in OAU and did it very well- what lessons came from that experience?

Shekinah was into computing, internet services and photography. From part IV to my extra semester, this small cubicle shaped my life. There, I learnt computing, ran a business, cut my first deals, understood coordination and how to manage employees, etc.
I learnt to take opportunities as they don’t last forever. I learnt to believe God to grow a business. I learnt that ideas actually ruled the world. I also learnt a bitter one – that businesses don’t exist in a vacuum and when in a tough position, having a great Christian in authority who doesn’t understand people and politics can be a total liability.

What is the importance of starting something in life no matter how small?

I cannot over-emphasize it. You don’t know yourself until you face the odds and DO SOMETHING.

We will love to hear about your first post-NYSC job in Lagos

Ah! Datasphir. Midway into NYSC I started buying Guardian. I didn’t have Lagos connections and could not stand to be unemployed, so my applications flew fast and furious. One day I got called for a test – I’d applied as a Linux Admin and instead got taken as a web apps developer. This was where I saw Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP in action and learnt advocacy with the Nigerian Linux Users Group, rolling into UNILAG, LASU, NTA etc. I moved on after a year, but this was the real school that I attended.
Salary wasn’t great but did I learn a lot? Definitely!

Tell us about your Huawei days including how you got the job

Sheriff and I worked together in Datasphir before he moved to Huawei as a Software & Solutions [IN&VAS] Engineer. He told me when the next batch came out; I applied and got in.
There I learnt SS7, NGN and Telecomms from scratch. It was a puzzling, funny, tough, paradoxical, fantastic experience. I mean, these guys literally throw the book at you. I think if they paid more and kept their guys happier, fewer guys would exchange the jump-about work of an equipment vendor for a static desk in some telco.

What does your present job in ZAIN entail?

I am involved in Technical Planning for Value Added Services & GPRS. It involves quite some platforms and services and interfaces with Switching, BSCs, Charging, Mediation etc, so I have to know about those. As a business it also involves product development/management, contracts, financial processes, security etc. So I know something about those too. Full deets are at www.linkedin.com/pub/2/b26/669

Interesting – please share with us the necessary ingredients for a successful Telecoms career

I would say curiosity and the willingness to learn new things and not repeat mistakes. A relevant degree is a big plus as well, but this is dependent on what you want to do. There are PR/sales/marketing/etc functions in telecoms, and in the next few years these would be the majority.

As a man with many talents – highly technical and an array of skills ranging from product and project management to processes; how can one get to learn all these?

Keep reading, keep improving, keep learning. No one is too small to learn from. A book or two to ground you on telecoms end to end [yep even the aspects that aren’t your specialty] would surely help.

Some people are interested in Project Management – can you describe the job of a Project Manager to them?

I think www.pmi.org will do a better job.
However suffice to say that Project Management is a coordinating activity that requires a variety of competencies which are necessary in order to deliver time-bound objectives at the right cost/quality.

You are one of those who practically learned ICT skills on their own – how can one do this?

I think all that is required is access to a computer. You start from what is closest to you and take it from there. After getting a general understanding you choose what looks best to you to pursue, and give it all you have. ICT is fun; you shouldn’t have to be bored doing it. A small employment could accelerate things too. I agree with Segun that schools are for those who don’t have access to computers constantly.

Some people would look at you and think your parents must have known people in high places for you to be where you are. Any advice for them?

My parents know the Lord – for which reason I am blessed. They have also helped lots of folks and I attribute much of the grace that their children enjoy to this. As per people in high places, nah.

What is your favorite quote?
Dem plenty. But I particularly like these two – ‘God hasn’t failed in 6000 years; He’s not about to start now’, and ‘The sky is big enough for every bird to fly’.

What are the values that guide your life?

Hardwork, Fairness, a fun-loving nature and Personal Responsibility.

You are married with a daughter. Does that slow your career growth?

No. in fact a smile from her is good for erasing the pressures of the day. I now think a little bit more responsibly and take slightly fewer risks though – I think.

What kind of books do you read?

I read novels to relax, technical books and nowadays, business/strategy/project books.

What do you do for leisure?

I read, browse the ‘Net, visit and spend time with my two girlfriends [Tope & Dara]. Lately I have been doing some community service via free CAPM Trainings in my church.

A young person is in a Secondary school and she wants an ICT career. Please give her a candid advice on the way forward.

First she needs to get her Maths and Physics right. Then she should work on getting computer literate – holiday classes are great for that.

Final advice to young people who don’t understand that anyone can reach their goals.

Go and read ‘The Audacity of Hope’, and every back-issue of the New York Times that you can find online. If a man who would have been a slave free of charge 200yrs ago, whose father didn’t even wait to bring up, who lived in Indonesia and Hawaii, who was the only black man in the Senate, whose opponents all discounted because of every reason you care to name, who has no family tree/landmark legislation/foundation/illustrious relative to boast of, can rule America and inspire the whole world, then your dream to be a success isn’t too great, is it?

Thank you very much sir

Same to you.

Once upon a time in Vmobile Nigeria (Now ZAIN Nigeria); three young men resumed at a particular department in Technical and were referred to as the 3 Musketeers. Yes – 3 musketeers because they all came from IT backgrounds but in a short period became very successful at their new Telecom jobs and rose to be the team leaders of their respective units at a record time. Today – I interviewed one of the 3 musketeers who is a Messaging Specialist and one with a very great story. This young man exudes confidence and has successfully proved bookmakers wrong by conquering the Telecoms industry from a Biochemistry background. His story once again confirm that we can do anything if we put our minds to it. Happy reading!

Profile

Oluwasegun is a Prince from the Kosoko royal house of Lagos. He is a graduate of Biochemistry from the Lagos State University, Ojo. From biochemistry Segun diversified into ICT in the early 2000 (a step I call an ordination of God) and started his first job as a graduate trainee with Crystal Network and later became Ag Head of support. In Crystal Netwok, I learned all the basis of ICT, networking, wireless, windows and unix server adminstration etc.. Since then he has moved to become a telecoms professional with specialties in messaging systems. Currently he works as an Integration Engineer with Airwide Solutions a reknowed global messaging telecoms vendor in the UK operation. Before now he has worked with Zain Nigeria as an Interactive and Messaging Support Specialist and Negris group as System and Network Administrator. Currently I am also writing out my mine as regards careers in a blog called Career Clinic (http://segun-kosoko.blogspot.com/). Segun loves the art or Arts&Entertainment and he has being privileged to perform in some stage plays. He has also written some plays which have being performed. I am a lover of God and have a great passion for his work. I am married to a pretty darmsel called Oluwaseyi. I have three sisters and my parents are still very much alive.

Can we meet you sir?

My name is Oluwasegun Olojo-Kosoko. I am a Nigerian married to a beautiful, young and intelligent lady – Oluwaseyi. I am from Lagos State.

Please describe your educational journey from Primary to Tertiary

Primary was Tunwase Nursery/Primary School, Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja. Set ’90
Secondary was Loyola College, Ibadan. set ’96
Tertiary was The Leading African State University, some people call it Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo. set ’02
Also have one small certificate from Wits Buisness School of Witwatersrand University in south Africa. Set YTP ’07

Any lessons from your Loyola College days?

Hmmmm….Loyola College. I would say I learned life in Loyola. I say this because my Christian walk started out while I was in Loyola (I got born again in Loyola). Loyola also taught me how to be independent.

What about your University days, are there impacts from then that gave you directions for today?

Major impact I would say was shaping my destiny and being able to impact my world. Being a student of LASU to me meant being able to face life realities on your own. With a course like Biochemistry and a bleak career future. Then all you had to leave on was just the word and promises of God. Learning this early in life gave me directions for my today

Were you involved in any developmental activities in your University days?

Yes. First was representing my level in the Internet committee for Biochemistry department (then I was in year 2), Was also vice-chairman electoral committee for my departments in 2000/2001, was member Student union editorial committee at a point. I was responsible for the building of the animal research lab for biochemistry.

Tell us about your volunteer experience in University

The most interesting was the animal research lab. At a point when people who were doing projects required to use the animal house or the research lab they would come and get the keys from me, so one day someone came to meet me asking for Mr Segun (as if I was a lecturer or graduate assistant) and I was with my friends. Everyone started laughing and making jest that I would be retained as a lecturer. But in fairness, at every point it was interesting, because it’s good to serve. I get happy when I see people get satisfied or when they get what they are looking for.

Did you choose to study Biochemistry and why?

I did and I did not. I said I did because I filled it in. I did not because I actually wanted to study medicine. The reason I did was because its the closest to Medicine. Even though I don’t think I remember a cycle again… I don’t think I choose wrongly.

Describe your first contact with a computer

First contact was in primary school, which is the normal computer class… like 5 people to one computer … you eventually don’t do anything. . But then it was not really a contact. The next I can remember again was in a friend’s house in 1997. He had a computer with internet in his house …. it was a Compaq 386 window 98 OS……I was looking fascinated about his speed of typing and then the internet. Same day I opened an email address, Then I used to leave Alagbado to Surulere then to use his computer in his house. Now we both lol about it. Then my major contact with a computer system was when I started my first job in 2002. I opened up the case and started guessing which was the hard drive, memory and then processor.

When did you decide that ICT was the way for you?

I can’t say vividly. I would just say God ordered my steps. I can’t remember asking myself if I wanted to do ICT. It started with a passion for the internet and things of ICT. Then also from a brother who kind of mentored me at that time. Then he was serving with an ICT company and I was doing my IT in LUTH. We go to work together and return together. While I wait for him in his office I hear lots of stuff and then get excited with the kind of job he was doing. Then, with time God ordered my step and here I am today in ICT. All this was between 1999 and 2002

Share your experience at your first job with us – your learning curve, experiences, salary, etc

ISSUES. This interview will not contain it o. Well it started out in Crystal Network in 2002, 5months after my final exams as a Biochemist. I applied in January to an ICT company since I knew my set was not going to meet the National Youth Service Corp camp in February, I was called to resume in July with a salary pack of N6,000/month. I was excited and started. I was living in Iba estate and the office was in Ikeja, It cost me on a monthly basis N5,000 for transportation. It was not easy but I had to put through. I remember my 1st month salary was sowed/given as a seed in my church. Three months after it got increased to N16,000. .. yes…its a testimony. That is for the salary part.
The learning curve was painful. Sleepless night in the office and running errands for my superiors. I had a notebook (I wish I can still find it) I always write anything my superiors do in my presence. When alone, I try them and master them. I can remember running errands from Lagos to Abeokuta. All I went to do was give my senior colleagues a connector which they forgot in the office. Or when I go to site with any of them, I carry the tools and then they use it and give back to me. Then if you ask a question it was as if you wanted to know too much or too fast. So I always made sure I was watching and did not care about what they said. I remember my HOD saying to me while configuring a router that I should shut up that I came here to learn. It was said in a Nigerian language called Yoruba. “daka sebi o wa ko ise ni”.
The experience was fantastic. It’s the basis of all I know now. If I had not had to opportunity to install or configure a Linux server then, I would have probably not being able to do anything today.

Has your Biochemistry degree ever put you at disadvantage in the ICT industry?

NO, people hardly believe I studied Biochemistry. In fact I say it has always being an advantage.

What about your second job, any lessons from that for us?

My Second job was with an Oil and gas company as a Network/System Administrator. I got fed up of it under 4months. Reason being there were no major challenges. There were some battles with Exchange server and Active directory but I was able to surmount them as the network was not a very large one, about 200 users. I got fed up because there was nothing and nobody challenging me.

I believe your foray into Telecoms was a turning point in your ICT career. Can you describe how you got the job?

I will like to say at this point that relationship matters a lot. Never burn a bridge or break one, for you might need that path someday. My foray to telecoms was just another step God ordered and thinking back am so grateful to him. it started by a friend telling me to send my CV to one of his friend who works with then vmobile that they are looking for a Linux administrator (he could not apply because he does not know Linux… same Linux I learnt from a N6,000 job I would have declined). A friend I initially did not want to warm up.
I did as he said, then the meticulous friend of his sent me back a reply that my CV is not standard (a CV I use to pride in). I edited and sent back to him and did not even blink. Weeks after i got a call for an interview. At the interview I was the 14th and last person for that day. It was the most difficult interview I ever attended. In the interview was Segun Ajayi, Adebayo Juba and Ibidapo Ilawo (Stone). Months after I got a call for my letter of employment. Why I was chosen, I don’t know. I wish to find out someday. I thought I was coming into an IT department to support Linux servers like I know them, not knowing I was coming into telecoms. Like I said earlier… my life course as being ordered by God… I know nothing about it.

Tell us about the Certifications you hold?

E neva plenty, MCP, ITIL, PRINCE2. I failed my CCNA and did not try it again. If we should list that of Telecom vendors, that one plenty small. From, Ericsson to Airwide, ATOS to CaTs.

Are certifications very necessary for a successful ICT career?

No I would say, what matters most is experiential knowledge. Certifications can just be an added advantage to stand as an edge during selections process. But what sells you is your experience and not your Certificate. I have attended so many interviews in Nigeria and also I would say globally, I have not being asked which certificate do you have. The most important question is can you do this? Have you done it before? How do you do it in a scenario such as this? etc… The answers are from experience and not from ‘pali’.

About your degree again – did you have to attend computer schools to get to this level?

No o! Computer school ke? No computer school can give you all I said above. In fairness I consider it a waste of time for a graduate. But please if you don’t have access to a computer, try find a computer school. You only find computer schools in developing countries… I say it’s a disease of the illiterate. Forgive my language am not being derogatory here.

So what do you do presently?

I work for a Telecoms vendor in the UK as a Delivery Engineer. In layman terms as an Integration Engineer. Delivery in the sense of Project Delivery. (we all don’t like the name)..lol

What are your values?

My values are simple;
Do to others what you want others to do to you for What a man sow, that he shall reap
Faith and positive thinking
Love
Respect man
Fear God
In these 5 you would find grace to live.
Tell us about your believes and God?
Wow!!… Am a strong believer of God and in the resurrection power of his son which is unto mankind’s salvation for them that believe…….and in his second coming.
I see myself as worshiper of God and I consciously live it.

What is your opinion about nurturing relationships and the effect on career progression?

Your relationship would make or destroy you. Never burn a bridge. Every relationship should be nurtured because it can be a potential assistance for your career path. You need only one person to get you through your choice of career. If that relationship is being destroyed, you will remain un-fulfilled for a long time or for life if care is not taken.

How can a young person interested in following this career path with a seemingly non-ICT related degree start her/his journey?
Determination and Passion is the word.

You run a blog aimed at helping young people to represent themselves well on their CV. Please tell us about it and the URL
http://segun-kosoko.blogspot.com/

Parting words to our audience
Leave things that can’t be changed and focus on things that can be changed.
Don’t dwell on Yesterday for its gone forever, Today is here make use of it, for your Tomorrow which is coming.
Be the change you want to see in the world.