Senator John McCain, the US Republican choice for presidential nominee, has made an ill-advised, highly political choice of vice presidential candidates in Sarah Palin. She is an incredibly under-accomplished, far-right wing, inexperienced woman whose only significant political experience is being the governor of Alaskaa and an Alaskan city of 9,000 people, Wasilla.

One might think that this woman, who only holds an undergraduate degree from Idaho State and whose policies reflect her utter lack of education and grip on reality, foreign policy, economics, defense, environment, etc, might be unelectable. Unfortunately, as the election of George W Bush before her proves, Americans are apt to vote based purely on personality, looks and lifestyle, not on qualifications, education, policy or experience.

Beyond Palin's corrupt political career, abandonment of her own home state in pursuit of national political aims (her lobbying for a $200 million bridge to connect an empty town in Alaska to a local airport, and then voting against her own bridge after it became clear the country was in uproar, as other bridges in other states collapsed and multiple fatalities resulted), her undistinguished careeer as an almost-beauty queen, her support for oil-drilling on the Alaskan coast to support her personal and family oil company financial interests, and anti-environment policies, etc, Sarah Palin is a rabid right winger against women's human rights.

Ironically, her stance against sex education in schools, and her support of abstinence-only until marriage education, has resulted in her own daughter, Bristol, becoming an unmarried pregnant teenager at 17 years old. Her boyfriend Levi vows on his since-erased MySpace page that he "doesn't want kids." Yet this week, Palin has forced her daughter into becoming engaged to her underaged boyfriend still in high school, in order to uphold her political appearance and candidacy for vice president.

Terrifyingly, McCain is the oldest potential incumbent in the United States, at 70 years old. Were McCain to pop off during the presidency, this woman would become President of the United States. Even more ironically, this woman who is the staunchest opponent to women's rights wishes to reverse the slow and painstaking progress made to gender inequality over the past 100 years. She would reverse Roe v. Wade and she opposes abortion even in the case of rape or incest.

Here's some information about how "Sarah Barracuda", a self-termed "hockey mom" and mother of five, feels about people's ability to make their own choices about their sexual and reproductive health:

Source:
[Think Progress]

Palin Is A Member Of Anti-Abortion Group Feminists For Life. Palin is a member of an “anti-abortion group called Feminists for Life.” When running for governor in 2002, she “sent an e-mail to the anti-abortion Alaska Right to Life Board saying she was as ‘pro-life as any candidate can be’ and has ‘adamantly supported our cause since I first understood, as a child, the atrocity of abortion.’”

[Anchorage Daily News, 8/6/08]

Palin Opposes Abortion Even In Cases Of Rape Or Incest. In 2006, Palin said that even if her daughter were raped, “I would choose life.” She said that she would support abortion only if the mother’s life were in danger.

[Anchorage Daily News, 11/3/06]

Palin Slashed Funding To Help Teenage Mothers. Earlier this year, Palin used a line-item veto “to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need of a place to live.” Funding for Covenant House Alaska, which provides transitional housing for teen mothers, was cut by 20 percent — from $5 million to $3.9 million.

[Washington Post,9/3/08]

Palin Supports Abstinence-Only Policies. In 2006, the Eagle Forum Alaska asked Palin whether she would “support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education.” Palin replied, “Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.”

[Politico, 9/1/08]

Palin Supports Parental Consent Laws For Minors Seeking Abortions. According to the Anchorage Daily News, Palin was “disappointed lawmakers let a bill die requiring girls under 17 to get parental consent for an abortion. ‘My belief is parents have the right to know about the health and welfare of their children,’ she said.”

[Anchorage Daily News, 8/14/08]

Paradigm Initiative Nigeria is glad to announce the call for Internet Safety, Security and Privacy Initiative for Nigeria (ISSPIN) “Ambassadors”.

The challenge of making the internet as safe as possible is often treated lightly by many individuals, corporations, governments and other establishments in developing economies like Nigeria; hence the need to raise awareness through a social campaign that involves sensitization workshops in selected schools, a one-day event and deliberate follow-up project. Through the support of Microsoft Nigeria and other partners, the social campaign will direct the spotlight to the issue of internet safety while also providing a platform for other stakeholders to work together. The expected outcomes for ISSPIN include sensitization workshops in 3 pre-selected schools across Nigeria (in Anambra, Ondo and Sokoto states); a one-day event that will draw attention to the issue of internet safety; and a follow up project that will help young people find alternative positive and lucrative use of their internet-related knowledge. More information about ISSPIN is available at www.pin.org.ng/isspin.

PIN will select twelve (12) youth to serve as 2008/9 ISSPIN “Ambassadors”. These “ambassadors” must have the following qualities:
- Strong visible interest in ICTs;
- History of committment to social good, as demonstrated by previous involvements; and
- Their association with the ISSPIN brand will add value to the nation-wide tour, event and project.

The selected ISSPIN “Ambassadors” will be expected to do the following:
- Support the initiative by spreading the word among their networks and volunteer at events held in/close to their community;
- Be available at the ISSPIN event on October 25, 2008 (IVs will be made available); and
- Willing to participate actively in the post-event project (including leading certain aspects of the project in their communities).

To qualify, applicants must send their current resume and a 200-word essay demonstrating their interest in ICTs, showcasing their work with young people and highlighting their role as a model to other young Nigerians. All essays must be received before 11:59pm on Friday, September 12 2008, and sent to info[at]pin.org.ng with the subject: “Application: ISSPIN Ambassador.” Selected ISSPIN “Ambassadors” will be announced on Thursday, September 18 2008 and (while their assignments begin immediately,) they will be decorated on the red carpet of the ISSPIN event at Planet One on October 25 2008.

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“2007 was the year online criminals showed off how smart and dangerous they can be…” – Ryan Singel in Cybercrime Stormed the Net in 2007

The concern for internet safety is a global phenomenon, especially as those who never had access are increasingly being connected through their computers, mobile phones and other devices. While the prevalence of social networking websites, online communities and internet-enabled processes should be great news for individual, corporate and government users, the concern for safety remains a major source of concern. A 2007 Internet Crime report listed Nigeria as number three on the list of the world’s top ten online crime spots; and the prevalence of cybercrime among a sizeable number of young Nigerians goes to show the need for immediate concern, especially with the recent boom in mobile service provision and online payment platforms in Nigeria.

Between 1991 and 2008, the number of internet users around the world grew from 4.4 million to 1.4 billion. The collaborative survey conducted in April 2006 by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reveals that 1.5 million Nigerians were internet users at the time, but there are reasons to believe that the present figures are astronomically higher because of the democratization of access through mobile service providers (whose services are used by about 88 million users). While this should be perceived as good news, it also shows the increased dependence on the internet for our work, life and play.

This dependence is daily exploited by those who make the internet unsafe for other users. Walking into most cybercafés in Nigeria today, one will notice clusters of young people gathering around public computers for the purpose of manipulating the powers of technology to defraud others and disturb the desired safety of the internet. With the phenomenal growth of mobile phone users and democratisation on access to the internet, the issue of internet safety then becomes a matter of global emergency because criminals then have a platform through which they can deploy their vices without the need to show up in person. Unfortunately, these online criminals get better at their vices each time we ignore the need to act fast by promoting internet safety.

The challenge of making the internet as safe as possible is often treated lightly by many individuals, corporations, governments and other establishments in developing economies like Nigeria; hence the need to raise awareness through a social campaign that involves sensitization workshops in selected schools, a one-day event and deliberate follow-up project. Through the support of Microsoft, the social campaign will direct the spotlight to the issue of internet safety while also providing a platform for other industry players to work together. The expected outcomes for the 12-month strategy include sensitization workshops in 3 pre-selected schools across Nigeria (in Anambra, Ondo and Sokoto states); a one-day event that will draw attention to the issue of internet safety while also providing a platform for stakeholders to work together and a follow up project.

The follow-up project will specifically focus on the need to reduce the number of youth that engage in activities that threaten the safety of the internet. This follow-up project will be built on lessons from best practice efforts that address social ills and it will include a 4-phase process: recruitment, training, internships and business innovation. The recruitment process will seek to idenify youth who are engaged in cyber-crime and they will then be trained to use software development tools before being attached to various software companies for 3- to 6-month internships. Based on these, the youth will then be encouraged to either seek employment within the software (or relevant) industry or work as independent software developers. The process will also include a mentorship component that allows the interns to benefit beyond technical skills.

At the centre of the 12-month strategy will be the one-day event that will be hosted in Nigeria’s month of independence, and the event will be staged to attract endless attention through partnerships and use of huge entertainment appeal. The first of its kind in Nigeria, the one-day awareness event will hold in Nigeria’s most celebrated month (October) and at the most popular events’ venue; will be hosted by one of Nigeria’s most celebrated event comperes and feature one of Nigeria’s top-rated musicians; will be on the lips of everyone because it will be consistently featured by Nigeria’s most visible TV entertainment company; among others. The huge mass appeal and goodwill that the one-day event will generate, along with the inspiring stories that will come from the follow-up project, will keep every stakeholder on their toes in relation to internet safety.

To support this initiative, please contact info[at]pin.org.ng

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I promised to post this information, especially for those who’ve been asking to join a session I’m facilitating:

Since inception, NYSC InfoTech Corps - whose main focus is creating Information and Communications Technology (ICT) awareness among under served communities with a special focus on secondary schools in Lagos State - has carried out various ICT awareness programs in form of trainings and seminars.

As part of annual activities, and in commemoration of the International Youth Day, NYSC InfoTech Corps in conjunction with Paradigm Initiative Nigeria will be holding a one-day seminar with the theme: “Information and Communications Technology in Nigeria: Optimization Strategies for National Development”. A keynote speech will be delivered by ‘Gbenga Sesan, Nigeria’s first IT Youth Ambassador and currently the African representative on the United Nation’s eLeaders Committee.

The event is expected to bring together industry experts and trainers to brainstorm on current ICT trends as well bring to the fore, the various activities of this noble group. The event will feature representatives from Microsoft, Nigeria Internet Group, TTCmobile, Nigeria Computer Society, Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria, Korea Internet Volunteers, Nigerian Professionals’ Network, etc. The seminar will also have representatives of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Youth Corps members, students and other youths.

Please see event details below:
Date: Saturday, August 16, 2008
Venue: Center for Information Technology and Systems, University of Lagos, Akoka
Time: 10am to 1pm (ICT Seminar); 2pm to 5pm (International Youth Day Networking Session)

NB:
If you’re in the following cities on the listed dates, there could be other opportunities:
August 17-20: Abuja [Register for event]
August 21-22: Ile-Ife
August 23: Ibadan
August 23-24: Ogbomoso
August 29: Ado-Ekiti

Fo more details, please contact Ugo: ugo.nwosu[at]ajegunle.org

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This will interest you… I love it when people give back!

Hi, my name is Doyin Ijiwola. I am an IT consultant with Orange Computers Ltd, a company I started with a friend in 2005 and I would like to tell you about my passion for you. At a young age I had the opportunity to learn computer skills and I have worked on projects both in Nigeria and abroad. Though I do not have a formal computer education, I only spent 2 days at a computer school I have evolved into a professional over the years. I have the privilege of working with Companies like Heidelberg Nigeria Limited, Toyota Nigeria Limited, International Press Center, World University Chess Championship (I designed the logo for the 2006 edition held in Nigeria), Supermartine Nigeria , Freedom House, House5, Planet one entertainment and many more.

Recently, my friends and I came together to give back to the society what the society has given to us, we are bring you challenge IT. ChallengeIT is a project aimed at discovering and developing the next generation of IT professionals, with our limited resource we have put together a training camp to connect aspiring IT professionals with peers and mentors. I discovered over the year that two things made me the professional I am today; peers that challenge me to learn harder and mentors that point the way to go. It is my belief that this same process will develop the next generation of IT professionals.

What is ChallengeIT?
It is an information technology camp for senior secondary school students and post secondary students who are not above eighteen years old. At the camp trainers from Europe, Asia and Nigeria will teach various aspects of Information Technology. There are several distinguished IT professionals that have promise to be at the camp to give seminars and give mentorship to students.

How do you pay?
It is my dream that no student be denied the opportunity to be at the camp because of financial consideration, hence we have gone to a great length to secure funds from corporate sponsors to cover the expenses of the camp. For every student coming to camp the bill has been paid.

If I don’t make it to camp?
As much as we love to train every interested student we do not have the resources to training everybody at the camp but we have gone a length further to provide students with an interactive CD that contain.

Every registered student is an automatic member of our virtual online training portal that we will launch after the camp. I am looking forward to seeing you at the camp.

Yours,

Doyin Ijiwola
Executive Director

Office Line: 234-1-7926150
Mobile: 07030849309, 08034543639, 08064029595,08035195873
Website: www.challengeitng.com
Email: ask@challengeitng.com

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It was 3:45pm on July 28, 2002. I was at my aunt’s place in Ibafo and all I had on my mind was just the word: waiting. It feels that way again; I’m waiting…

WAITING

Hurdles to cross
Limits to break
People to please?
One life to live.

A dark alley
Tempest in the head
Floods in the mind…
And the promise of a light.

Disappointed dependants
Excuse for expectation
One life to live…
And the promise of a light.

With hands clasped
And heads bowed
A mind shut from every noise
I listen for that little…

The dawn of a new day
Heralded by some great news
With enough potential
To clear the hurdles.

Waiting to have my head lifted
Hands spread in praise
And a clear mind…
Declaring the appearance of light.

One deed I desire
Of Him who sees the past
But knows the future…
Lead the way.

Light up my life
Let joy flow unlimited
Let expectations be brightened
And celebration unfold.

I wait to see
The day of the light
When darkness will fall
And the bubble will burst!

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Scandal in Africa
By Joshua Hammer


With his ruthless seizure of power in the June 27 runoff election in Zimbabwe, following a well-organized campaign to intimidate and murder members of the opposition, Robert Mugabe joined Myanmar's military junta at the top of the list of the world's most despised dictators. Both the Burmese generals and Mugabe's inner circle have enriched themselves while reducing their people to near starvation. They have jailed, tortured, and killed supporters of democracy, and shrugged off years of international condemnation. Moreover, unlike Myanmar's secretive regime, Mugabe and the cabal that supports him have seemed to enjoy flaunting their contempt for democracy and their easy embrace of violence.

That cabal is led by hard-line members of the Zimbabwean military and a handful of cabinet officials who served alongside Mugabe in the independence war of the 1970s. They include the commander in chief of Zimbabwe's armed forces, General Constantine Chiwenga, and Emerson Mnangagwa, an heir apparent to Mugabe who, as minister of national security in 1983, allegedly oversaw the massacre of thousands of political opponents in Matabeleland. "He is a man with the capacity to be more vicious than Mugabe," I was told by University of Zimbabwe political analyst John Makumbe.

Mnangagwa was one of the principal orchestrators of the campaign of violence and intimidation against the opposition launched in April—known as CIBD, or Coercion, Intimidation, Beating, and Displacement. (According to recent reports, over a hundred opposition supporters have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced.) And Mugabe, after initially conceding defeat in private and considering resignation or negotiation, quickly embraced the hard-liners' position. "We are not going to give up our country because of a mere X," Mugabe declared in the midst of his bloody campaign last month, rejecting any pretense of a legitimate election. "How can a ballpoint pen fight with a gun?"


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The dictator's spokesman, George Charamba, told the press that Western governments who criticized Zimbabwe's election could "go hang a thousand times. They have no basis, they have no claim on Zimbabwe politics at all." That kind of thumb-in-the-eye defiance has intensified the world's sense of impotence and prompted a hard look at the question: Is there anything that can be done now to get rid of Robert Mugabe?

The days following Mugabe's ghastly recoronation ceremony saw the first test of international resolve. Leaders from Gordon Brown of Great Britain to Kenya's new prime minister Raila Odinga assailed the state-sponsored violence that forced Morgan Tsvangirai to take refuge in the Dutch embassy and withdraw from the race, leaving Mugabe the sole candidate. "What is happening in Zimbabwe is a shame and an embarrassment to Africa in the eyes of the international community and should be denounced," Odinga said, in perhaps the strongest words of condemnation ever uttered against Mugabe by a fellow African leader.[*]

Former South African president Nelson Mandela broke with Thabo Mbeki's long and shameful silence on the issue to condemn, during a major public appearance in London, Zimbabwe's "failure of leadership." George W. Bush tightened a travel ban that already targets 250 people and companies associated with Mugabe's illegitimate regime, and forbids Americans to do business with them. Canada ordered new travel restrictions on senior Zimbabwean officials and their families and barred Zimbabwean-registered aircraft from Canadian air space. In addition, the US and Great Britain pressed the UN Security Council to freeze Mugabe's assets along with those of eleven senior Mugabe officials, ban them from traveling outside the country, and impose an international arms embargo. But the US resolution calling for sanctions was vetoed by Russia and China on July 12.

It's hard to imagine, however, that any of these initiatives would make much difference. Targeted sanctions have been in effect against the Mugabe gang for nearly a decade—when the dictator launched his violent land grab against white-owned farms and sent the economy into free fall—and, at best, they've proven a minor inconvenience. (Most existing travel bans don't include the families of Mugabe's inner circle; as a result, some of the most ruthless suppressors of democracy send their sons and daughters to elite schools in the United States and Europe.) While it's true that a Security Council–ordered asset freeze and travel ban would have hurt them more, the recent dual veto showed that getting the UN to speak in one voice against dictatorships, no matter how heinous, has almost always been nearly impossible.

As in the case of Myanmar, China had a key part as Zimbabwe's protector against the US effort to pass a Security Council resolution punishing the dictatorship. Russia led the veto of sanctions, claiming that Mugabe's election thuggery was an internal matter beyond the scope of the United Nations. But China, the biggest investor in Zimbabwe, with huge stakes in its mines and lucrative deals to provide weapons and ammunition to its military, happily followed Russia's lead. Meanwhile, South Africa under President Mbeki has provided Mugabe's regime with diplomatic cover, as well as fuel, power, and international bank accounts for his inner circle—and that shows no signs of changing now.


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The difficulty of getting the world to act together became particularly clear at the African Union Summit in Sharm el-Sheik on June 30, the day after Mugabe's swearing-in ceremony. South Africa's Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other world figures had called on African leaders to refuse to recognize Mugabe when he showed up at the meeting. But there was no such repudiation, only a tepid collective call for "dialogue" between Tsvangirai and Mugabe and for the formation of a national unity government—as if both men had a legitimate claim to victory. Ignoring the systematic murders, beatings, and displacements of thousands of supporters of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, an AU observer statement said only that "the vote fell short of the African Union's standards of democratic elections."

Again, Mugabe's chief protector, South African President Mbeki, hid his support for the dictator behind another call for African solutions, rejecting a European Union position that it would accept only a Zimbabwean government led by Tsvangirai. "The result that comes out of that process of dialogue must be a result that is agreed by the Zimbabweans," Mbeki said on the radio, ignoring the fact that a majority of Zimbabweans had already voted to remove Mugabe—only to be brutalized by a regime that had no intention of giving up power.

Not everybody views the AU conference as a bleak development. The willingness of several African leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh and elsewhere on the continent to condemn Mugabe marked a sharp break from the past, insists David Coltart, a Zimbabwean opposition leader and one of two white members of Parliament. "Even ten years ago what Mugabe has done would be a non-event," Coltart said. "Now a significant and increasing number of African leaders are embarrassed, even angry, about his behavior." Such waning in his support is unlikely to affect Mugabe or his inner circle immediately (even Mandela's criticism was brushed off last week as having been manipulated by the West). But it could, Coltart argued, eventually have a significant effect. "Mugabe has been able to keep his supporters going because of their belief that Africa is on their side and they will ultimately prevail," he told me. "The moment they realize that that is no longer the case Mugabe [or his cabal] will weaken dramatically."

But what hope is there for serious change in the short term? The chances of a Kenya-style sharing of power by Mugabe's ruling clique and the Movement for Democratic Change seem slim. Mugabe and the Joint Operations Command—the military hard-liners that surround him—see little reason to negotiate, believing, probably correctly, that there is little the world can do to stop him. There are some dissenters within the upper echelons of the ruling party: Vice President Joyce Mujuru, for example, a former independence fighter known by the nom de guerre Comrade Spillblood, reportedly expressed misgivings in cabinet meetings about the campaign of violence, as did some lower-ranking generals and colonels. Predictably, the hard-liners won out.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu last week raised the possibility of military intervention to unseat Mugabe, calling for a deployment of UN peacekeepers or AU forces. But barring a Rwanda- or Darfur-style catastrophe on the ground, that clearly won't happen. With inflation running at one thousand percent per day, and mass starvation and state-sponsored violence occurring across the country, Zimbabwe could at some point implode, and the world's powerful nations will have to reconsider what can be done. But Zimbabwe will probably fade from the headlines as world attention shifts to the next crisis. The atrocities of the last two months will be transformed into the quiet terror that Mugabe's citizens have come to expect from their government.

—July 17, 2008

I can’t hide it when I’m impressed with people’s actions – especially those that move us (as people-groups) towards becoming better. Ore Somolu’s decision to leave the private sector in pursuit of the social mission she holds dear by starting The Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre is praiseworthy. I posted my 2nd blog for the Networking for Success Project a few minutes ago and thought I should also share the same thoughts on this platform. The project, which aims to teach Nigerian women to use Web 2.0 tools and other ICTs effectively to develop and advance their work, is an initiative of The Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre.

…

I should start by thanking (and congratulating) W.TEC on the successful completion of this awesome experience. I started writing online (it wasn’t called blogging at the time) in 1999 because I was told that Africa had about 0.01% content on the internet. Though we’ve come a long way since then (thanks to FaceBook and Blogger), I believe that efforts like this exercise by W.TEC help make more (true) information about Nigeria in cyberspace. Maybe if we keep writing, less people will think that Africa is a country (in which case Nigeria would be a state/province) and that pregnant women climb banana trees in Africa

In 2006, I completed an assignment with a similar topic (Technology for Development: A Case Study on e-advocacy and Technology Use by Civil Society in Nigeria) and permit me to start by sharing some relevant thoughts from the 8th chapter (Status of Technology Use by Civil Society in Nigeria) of that voluminous report:

Some civil society organizations in Nigeria are increasingly taking advantage of the opportunities provided by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). It has enhanced productivity and increased efficiency – and majority of these civil society organizations are exposing themselves to better appreciation, acquisition and use of ICT tools. The research exercise for this case study revealed certain trends that are of interest concerning the use of ICT tools by civil society in Nigeria. All of the fifty-one organizations that responded to the questionnaire use mobile phones in their day to day operations, including those who are situated in very remote areas of the country…. 98% of respondents have eMail addresses but only 88% use eMail in their work; 58% of the organizations have websites…. The interviewed civil society organisations that have websites put these websites to various uses, including publicity, information sharing on advocacy issues, research, online interaction, and information dissemination on the organization’s activities. Even though 70% use mailing lists, only 39% of the civil society organizations have blogs, only 40% have internet access in their offices and only 40% use mobile applications (such as Short Message Service) available through their mobile phones for advocacy. 40% of the organizations have dedicated Information Technology (IT) staff and their annual budgets dedicate varying amounts to IT….

It was obvious, at the time, that much of the progress and challenges were very much related to the policy environment. See the following: “71% of respondents believe that Nigeria has a favourable atmosphere for the application of Information and Communication Technologies towards development, and an equal 71% believe that the nation’s IT and telecommunications policies have impacted positively on their work – even though only 40% know about the nation’s IT Policy, only 40% know about the Telecommunications Act, only 30% are actually aware of the IT Policy’s provision and an equal 30% are aware of the provisions of the Telecommunications Act. However, 60% of respondents know the agency responsible for IT (National Information Technology Development Agency) and 90% know about the work of the Nigerian Communications Commission, the telecommunications regulator.”

From the research exercise, I came face to face with the fact that actual ICT use in Nigeria far exceeds the impression that many reports give. We have made a lot of progress, and today’s young Nigerian even has more unique opportunities. A quick look at FaceBook reveals the huge number of people who list Nigeria as their primary network. That means we have a lot more than one may assume (noting that many people prefer to list their present location or place of work), and that is another pointer to the volume of ICT use among young Nigerians. I see many people online even at odd hours of the day: updating their profiles, announcing events, posting notes, blogging, and more! There are even people who have become celebrities thanks to online social networks. There are also Nigerian-run online social networks (e.g. Legwork.com.ng) which show a great trend. Other ICT tools — such as mobile phones — need no special mention before everyone stops to acknowledge the high rate of ICT use across the country.

Yet, there are challenges. Some are policy issues while others come with usage — such as cybercrime (one ICT’s of the most popular abuse issues). A key challenge that the telecommunication industry regulator (NCC) has taken up is the lack of identification of mobile phone users, which made it easy to date for many scammers to make calls from off-the-street SIMs. Meanwhile, I also believe that these challenges offer us the unique opportunity of growing the Nigerian ICT space better. In August, I will be sharing comprehensive thoughts about how to address the cybercrime menace at the National Conference on Cybersecurity in Abuja and I hope to post the full text on my blog since it relates directly with the issue of addressing the challenges that come with ICT usage.

All said and done, it is the responsibility of each young Nigerians to make sure that they take advantage of the many opportunities that ICTs provide so they can compete favourably in the New Economy. I should probably close this with a modification of my advice in a published article titled “Workplace 2.0: An Early Warning for Nigerian Corporations”: By the time the history of Workplace 2.0 is being written, there will be only two kinds of [young Nigerians] – those who were prepared and were able to ride the tides, and those who will be on the died-while-trying-to-survive category list. It is instructive for [young] Nigerians to note that … there is an urgent need to transform [themselves] into New Economy Intrapreneurs [through the appropriate use of ICT tools].”

And for those who may be interested, a detailed report of the various roles played by young Nigerians taking advantage of ICT opportunities can be downloaded from www.pin.org.ng/old/downloads/glocal.pdf but please note that it’s a very large file and it may be easier to download through the link at the end of the book summary page (www.pin.org.ng/old/global_process.php)

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Thanks to the support of our partners, the Ajegunle.org project is still delivering value and changing lives! We have added twenty-five new graduates during the first half of the year while we have also had to improve on our selection procedure in order to ensure that we select the young people who need help most – and who will in turn be able to pass on the baton of positive change to their colleagues and community. The training curriculum was also reviewed to include additional training on the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools while the Entrepreneurship module has also been revisited with an increased focus on helping the graduates reduce the limitations on their path towards progress. Our program faculty has also expanded as Ugo Nwosu (the program manager) was able to add more volunteers the project: thanks Oluwakorede Asuni, Obinna Ajuruchi, Nnenna Paul and Victor Gotevbe!

Our focus on relay training is producing results. We recorded a success rate of 84.8% when our first set of graduates trained a total of 106 second-level trainees and by September 2008, we expect a similar – or greater – percentage from the recent graduates. With eight (8) new corporations signing up to support the internship scheme, we now have eight interns completing between 2- and 6-month internships at Afrinvest West Africa, DHL Nigeria, London Metropolitan University (Nigeria Office) and Lornamead Africa. We are also proud to announce that one of our interns (Famous) resumed work as a member of staff at the Visa Section of the British High Commission in Abuja after he recently completed his internship at Trade & Investment, UK Deputy High Commission, Lagos (UKTI). His story, which has earned its own title (“From Ajegunle to Abuja”), continues to tell the story we shared with partners from the beginning: that positive peer pressure will help transform underserved communities, one young person at a time. We appreciate the role played by our Foundation Partner, UKTI, in ensuring that Famous’ story becomes a model for others to emulate.

The monthly reports we receive from our graduates are enlightening, ranging from those who threaten to withdraw from work after the first week of their internships (but have since learnt that the world of work is demanding for those who must climb the ladder of success) to those who have shown consistent growth in the income earned from their small businesses. Funke runs a small business that started with only N2000 and has now grown into a little above N50,000. Meanwhile, Ajegunle.org continues to enjoy recognition in both local and international events, and media mention. We recently hosted Lourival Santana, a foreign correspondent for Estado de Paolo (one of Brazil’s major dailies) who visited for the purpose of documenting the project alongside global best practices helping to change rural communities across the world. We were also visted by a representative of Ashoka (the international organization that supports leading social entrepreneurs) following the nomination of our Executive Director as a potential Ashoka Fellow. Between July 19 and August 24, 2008, the Korean Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion (KADO) will again send four Korean Internet Volunteers (KIVs) to visit PIN’s projects in Nigeria. Last year, one of the KIVs wrote to say she scored an “A” for the school report in which she documented the story of her contribution to the Ajegunle.org project!

As a social enterprise, we believe that complete dependence on external support may limit innovation; hence our quest to reach out to sustainability partners while also building in-house programs that can support our growing work; hence we look forward to the possibility of earned income through partnerships and service offerings. As part of their support for the Ajegunle.org project, Lornamead Africa has asked us to manage their On-The-Go (OTG) project. The project involves the provision of a credit line of the Tura beauty range products to young people from underserved communities that have been identified by PIN. Proceeds from the sales will be used to pay the young participants and to also support our training activities in Ajegunle. Building on requests from other non-profits, we are also glad to have trained a number of organizations through what has now become the Non-Profit Employee Motivation Program (NEMP – www.pin.org.ng/nemp). We are aware of the need for proper record-keeping, especially as we expand our work, and have reached out to KPMG Professional Services towards their support for the publication of our Annual (Audited) Report. Their positive response comes at a time when we are bringing additional support to the organizational structure.

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I am honoured to share a reflection on my experience at the 2008 Silver Bay Leadership Forum in Silver Bay, New York where they are celebrating their 90th Anniversary of a conference that explores the current and emerging state of leadership.

Last night I was one of three recipients of the Inaugural Leadership Forum Awards. As stated in the program “each of this year’s honoured recipients has been selected for his/her demonstrated ability to take bold action, provide solutions to complex leadership dilemmas, and generate tremendous followership. These leaders have also exhibited the rare ability to cross streams and address issues through commercial, governmental, social and economic channels”. We were recognized for our work in solving ‘wicked’ problems and as you might imagine, it was a very humbling and uplifting experience for me.

In accepting the award, we were each asked to make a few remarks and share our perspectives on leadership. I kicked off my comments on how leadership emerges based on your state of mind. I asked the room two questions. The first – ‘how many of you believe that every problem has a solution’? A collection of people put up their hands. I then asked ‘how many of you believe that NOT every problem has a solution’. An even larger group of people raised their hands. I then went on to share a visual diagram that came to mind while travelling to Silver Bay and reflecting on my perspective of leadership.

In the past, my perspective on leadership was somewhat simplistic and singular. Today, I see leadership in the context of trying to solve some of the world’s most complex and interconnected challenges. It is a moving and evolving target that requires constant re-alignment and mobility. In response to my questions that I posed to the room, I shared my realization that problems are interconnected – and YES – there are solutions, though we often need to invent and co-create them.

While preparing for my remarks on leadership on the plane, in addition to my diagram, I also prepared a series of reflections on what I have learned about leadership over the years:


For me, leadership has been about...

- Being aware of problems and taking an active role in being part of creating solutions
- Being called upon to reflect and represent collective and shared experiences
- Asking critical questions in order to better understand realties
- Energizing processes through taking interest, showing appreciation and participating
- Making connections between diverging ideas and different people with diverse backgrounds
- Reflecting on lessons of the past and making decisions that move towards a brighter future
- Having perspective with the ability to both focus in on a situation as well as see a bigger picture
- Taking responsibility for my actions and intentions
- Believing in ideas and possibilities
- Convening conversations across differences and differences
- Resolving conflict through deep listening, understanding and building trust
- Transforming ideas into actions and new realities
- Dancing with life and celebrating beauty in the midst of it all




While at Silver Bay, in addition to connecting with official conference delegates from various corporations and non-profit organizations, I also enjoyed spending time with the children of the delegates. They were truly delightful and took great interest in TakingITGlobal and my experiences with leadership. I enjoyed responding to their questions and learning from their own experiences. A highlight was also being able to go Kayaking & make a necklace at the Craft Shop!

It was so exciting for the TakingITGlobal team to be part of our sixth year at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) these past few days here in San Antonio, Texas! TakingITGlobal had a great presence across the conference, and I am proud to share the ways in which we were able to reach out and connect with so many educators. To start with, I’ve personally just renewed my commitment to serve on the NECC conference committee for the next two years. I see my role as helping to think about the ways in which we can best engage the next generation of educators.

Before the NECC conference kicks off on opening day (Sunday, June 29th this year), an International Reception is held at the Global Connections Lounge, to welcome attendees from around the world (over 30 countries this year!) and to provide a space to share and discuss opportunities for global connections.

This year, TakingITGlobal was an organizing sponsor of the International Reception, and my co-founder Michael Furdyk along with our US Education Program Manager Emily Kornblut, presented an overview of TakingITGlobal’s recent work and invited the attendees to collaborate with us for greater global awareness. Following the International Reception, the conference’s Opening Reception was held, and provided about a dozen poster sessions for presenters to share their work. TakingITGlobal was one of the organizations provided with this opportunity. We spoke with hundreds of attendees and were able to share our programs with many enthusiastic educators.

On the following afternoon, we had a Spotlight Session, Social Networking for Social Good, held in the Lila Cochrell Auditorium, where we discussed the opportunity for educators to incorporate TakingITGlobal programs into the classroom, and shared many stories of how young people’s use of social web tools have provided them with life-changing opportunities to engage with the issues facing our planet. For the rest of the afternoon, our booth was abuzz with discussions of classroom collaboration and opportunities for partnership with dozens of school districts and organizations.

TakingITGlobal was also featured as an example of positive youth engagement by Education Technology consultant Sara Armstrong in her session Educating Students about Online Safety. The following morning was an exciting one – two educators who have been using our TIGed tools, Mali Bickley and Jim Carleton, were invited by ISTE to give a keynote speech about the collaborations they developed with schools around the world. During their talk, they highlighted TakingITGlobal.org as a social network for social good, and also showed screenshots of the TIG homepage and their TIGed classroom space.

On the final afternoon, Steve Dembo from Discovery Education featured TakingITGlobal as a resource in his session Policies, Safety and Socialm, where he provided our website as an example of well moderated, classroom friendly, safe social networking website. The conference was closed by TakingITGlobal US Advisor Idit Caperton, who provided the conference’s closing keynote, and highlighted TakingITGlobal as a resource for positive student engagement.

We have been so pleased to work with ISTE and engage with the NECC conference on so many fronts! Our partnership with ISTE has also lead to a recent presentation in Dubai and a future event in Singapore, and we were honoured to be mentioned in ISTE’s 2008 Annual Report as one of their key institutional partners!

Special Thanks to our TakingITGlobal staff at NECC !

(below photo: from left to right)

Michael Furdyk
Jennifer Corriero
Emily Kornblut
Kirsten Jordan
Luke Walker

Her name is Hauwa and she’s a dream come true!

I have heard and read about the Abuja Technology Village like many others but a meeting with the young and dynamic manager of the project has added a huge chunk to my belief in the role Nigeria will play over the next few years — especially through the opportunities that ICTs provide. I met Hauwa through Aminu (another example of a fine young Nigerian who is strategically positioned to add value to the Nigerian project) and I now understand why he sent that first FaceBook message.

My passion for the establishment of incubators that can allow young entrepreneurial minds to focus on converting smart ICT-driven business or social ideas into successful businesses isn’t hidden. At every opportunity, I have argued that the way forward for developing economies with such limitations as ours would be to groom the many ideas that end up behind counters — and by that I refer to the many entrepreneurs who have ended up as tellers in banks. Just imagine how many potential Google owners are busy waiting for end-of-day as I write this. How many more potential Globacoms are waiting for pay checks because their attempt at entrepreneurship was finger-burning.

I know how tough it is to ride the weather — and I still am, by the way — but I also know that if there was a place where young people could walk into for the purpose of developing their ideas into businesses without the worry of huge bills (administrative, facility, and the many usual suspects), the principles of a truly free enterprise system will play out. And Nigeria will be better for it, moving from a nation that produces job-seekers to one that produces entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs (those who bring entrepreneurship dynamics to an idea that is not necessarily theirs).

After discussing the ambitious Abuja Technology Village (ATV) project, the now-running African University of Science & Technology (strategically located next to the ATV) and the role of youth in transforming Nigeria, Hauwa launched into the role ATV is playing in making my dream — and that of many others — come true. With a meticulous plan to start an incubation program that will grow from their present Central District office into their massive space close to the Abuja airport, she explained how the program will work and led a tour around the impressive facilities. Next week, the first set of “tenants” will be interviewed and I personally look forward to the first 6 weeks of this grand idea!

Hauwa is another reason why I keep telling young Nigerians that the army of New Nigerians is gaining strength. These young people who believe in Nigeria and are working hard at her growth are my dream come true! Aluta continua, victoria ascerta!

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Committed to showcasing the amazing efforts of young people and their impact on communities across Nigeria, LEAP Africa is proud to announce the 5th Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards. Funded by Nokia and supported by the International Youth Foundation, these awards will recognize outstanding young Nigerians who have initiated change projects in their communities.

The objectives of the 5th Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards are:
(i) To identify young people in Nigeria who have initiated change projects that are focused on improving the lives of others.
(ii) To encourage and support these young people in their efforts
(iii) To showcase their impact on local communities and to demonstrate that the youth can effectively serve as change leaders in Nigeria

Application Criteria
Applicants must:
a. Be between 18 and 30 years old
b. Have played a leadership role in creating positive changes in their local communities in one of the following areas: Business and Economic Development, Environment, Education, Law and Human Rights, Health, Media, Arts and Culture, and Science and Technology.
c. Be able to show tangible evidence of impact
d. Demonstrate that their initiative has potential for growth or further replication
e. Demonstrate high-levels of integrity and the willingness to serve as role models for other youth

The Award
Ten outstanding youth will be selected for recognition during a nationally publicized event that will be held on November 20th 2008 in Lagos. Winners will also receive cash awards of up to Sixty thousand Naira (N60, 000), to support their projects in local communities across the country.

Application Process
Applications can also be downloaded or completed at LEAP Africa’s website at: http://www.leapafrica.org/downloads.asp All applications should be returned to LEAP Africa office at 13 Omorinre Johnson Street, Off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lekki Peninsula, Lagos or by post to P.O. Box 75427, Victoria Island, Lagos or via email to Oje Ivagba at: oivagba@leapafrica.org before June 30th, 2008.

Please note that only finalists will be notified, and you can contact LEAP Africa for more information:

LEAP Africa
13 Omorinre Johnson Street, Off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lekki Peninsula, Lagos
P.O. Box 75427, Victoria Island, Lagos
Telephone: 234-1-2706541/2
Email: info@leapafrica.org
Website: www.leapafrica.org

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It took me — and everyone else in the car — about 2 minutes before we figured that out too! If you haven’t, I promise to reveal the fun side of road travel in a few minutes.

The team of three (Dr. Seyi Adebayo-Olubi, Femi Aladejana and I) left for Ile-Ife quite early so we could arrive in time for our 1pm meeting. The discussions for a collaboration between Paradigm Initiative Nigeria and some research centres at the university — to host a planned workshop tagged Research with Industry Relevance — ended at about 3pm and we then started on our way back to Lagos.

The journey went on well until we were about to pull over for late lunch as we entered the ancient city of Ibadan. Just ahead, in that characteristic traffic situation that has bedeviled the road that leads into Ibadan from Ife, the truck was pulling its weight and scaring everyone ahead of it in the jam. While trying to decide if I should follow my impulse to unearth the major headline being paraded by the vendor, we saw the inscription on the truck: Honbe /four Overtake.

How does one read that? “Honbe /four Overtake” read like a strange language until Dr. Seyi said, “Horn before overtake.” Even though that in itself is a terrible way to put the sentence, the truck owner’s message was clear — don’t attempt a fast one from the rear! But the problem is, by the time you probably figure out what the inscription said, you would have disobeyed the instruction. We laughed our way into the parking lot until other scenes played out in that never-boring city of countless brown roofs.

It is not uncommon to see funny messages inscribed on trucks in Nigeria, but some just stand out. I pulled out the camera and thanks to attempts by Dr. Seyi and Femi (and our driver’s cooperation), we got the shot you see above. How about this too: “Oluwa lo ni life mi, awon sisi lo ni body me” which translates to mean “God owns my life but my body belongs to the ladies.”

They come in various shades of laughter-provoking expression — from the outright language error to the type you can only laugh about alone — but whatever you do, please make sure that when driving, you “Honbe /four Overtake.”

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Original post by Ejowewe (http://temiladeagbaje.blogspot.com)

Yes, You Can! We all know now that’s a winning line . Over the past year and a half, the phrase has been sounded by a single man as a message of change, of hope rising… Last Tuesday we saw that hope begin to take on the semblance of reality, as Senator Barack Obama became the first African-American in history to lead a U.S. major-party ticket when he claimed the Presidential nomination for the Democratic Party. I’m happy for America. But this is entirely about Nigeria.

If you’re a Nigerian like me, how many times have you wished there was something you could do to change your country? Most of us are eager for change, but all too often that enthusiasm is quickly dampened by a feeling of helplessness over not being able to make a difference from where we are. Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) is a non-profit organisation that has refused to be bound by the limits and, as the name suggests, has consistently worked to create a new paradigm among Nigerians. Realising that the promise of Nigeria is in her people, PIN works with government, civil society, private institutions and international organisations to connect Nigerian youth with brighter futures via Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). For thousands of Nigerians, PIN’s work makes the difference between mediocrity and significance, between poverty and sufficiency, between destitution and hope. PIN’s objective is to change the future of Nigeria, one person at a time.

Since its days as an online network in 2001, PIN has successfully executed several projects, details of which can be found at www.pin.org.ng/old/index.php. More recently, PIN began a revolutionary project called Ajegunle.org (see www.ajegunle.org), a relay training programme in which young people from Ajegunle (yes, Ajegunle!) are empowered with ICT and entrepreneurial skills that will enable them break the cycle of poverty in which they’re enmeshed. Ajegunle.org has received tremendous media coverage and has been presented in various fora across the world (Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt, United Kingdom and Switzerland) as a case study on how ICTs can be used to aid development in under-served communities. For more insight into the success story of Ajegunle.org, please visit http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-14359 to watch a brief descriptive documentary.

You can support the awesome work PIN is doing by making a financial contribution via debit or credit card at www.pin.org.ng. With the click of a button, you can begin to change Nigeria one life at a time. You can also make donations by cheque, if that’s a more convenient means for you. Please make all cheques payable to Paradigm Initiative Nigeria. If you prefer to pay by cash, please send an email stating your intention to laxta1[at]nottingham.ac.uk, and payment details will be sent to you.

As a Friend of PIN, I have witnessed first-hand lives being transformed for good through initiatives like Ajegunle.org. Working as a volunteer with the first set of Ajegunle youth in August 2007, I had the opportunity to catch a glimpse into the hopes and dreams of those young Nigerians. Speaking with them, I discovered they all had lofty ambitions buried deep within them; ambitions their circumstances had erstwhile forbidden them to pursue. The coming of Ajegunle.org re-ignited their buried dreams, causing them to dare to hope again, to believe that they can be whatever they want to be. A certain young man on the program told me that he saw in me what he’s always wanted to be, and to this day I have the honour of being a mentor to him.

The Ajegunle.org experience made me realise that change in Nigeria against all odds is indeed possible. It made me realise that change in Nigeria against all odds depends on me. Can you be part of this change? Yes, you can. Will you be?

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