tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63241671365729139772024-02-21T04:46:45.588+01:00Tantiblo BlowA little bit of every-darm-thing.Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-37112757581133751802021-06-17T20:37:00.004+02:002021-06-17T20:37:56.856+02:00Introducing Special Assistant<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F110835217865621%2Fvideos%2F334304141388793%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-53264831942280926962021-05-26T14:16:00.000+02:002021-05-26T14:16:01.967+02:00Introducing your Special Assistant (SA)<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F110835217865621%2Fvideos%2F938691386963830%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-78161087744364568292020-04-28T01:21:00.001+02:002020-04-28T01:21:13.324+02:00Inexpensive Smart TV - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Okay I have been bored stiff from the Covid-19 lockdown situation in my country and need something worthwhile to keep busy. The thought of streaming vides came to mind an a new project was borne. This video plug is the second part to my initial video on what to order for the project <a href="http://tantiblo.blogspot.com/2020/04/inexpensive-smart-tv-part-1.html" target="_blank">as seen here</a>. If you haven't ordered your parts yet you can do so on eBay or <a href="http://www.hub360.com.ng/" target="_blank">www.360hub.com.ng</a><br />
<br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">We need to install a barebone operating system called LibreELEC on the Raspberry Pi, Kodi is a sophisticated media centre that will run on this Operating system and facilitate process of running and managing our smart TV. If that sounds technical, don't worry, much of the work has been done by experts and you only need to configure a few things.</span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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The first thing we will do is to burn the LidreELEC Image on the SD Card. Follow the video below and leave comments for help. Next step will be connecting the TV and starting the Raspberry Pi for the first time.<br />
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Please share and subscribe to my channel to encourage me keep this vlog open.</div>
Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-21160019023473730782020-04-24T16:34:00.000+02:002020-04-24T16:34:03.284+02:00Inexpensive Smart TV - Part 1.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Frustrated from the world-wide Covid-19 clamp down I have been unable to sleep having lost track of time. I got tired of watching TV - I hadn't paid for subscription on DSTV for so long, I am sure the might have flagged my account to be delisted. I could have been watching movies on Netflix, or my favorite documentaries from the internet if only I had a smart TV. I wanted to buy one a few years ago, but they were much too expensive for my liking...<br />
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So that's when it hit me that I could actually use Raspberry Pi to make my old TV a Smart TV. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">That sure sound like a good Covid Project.</span><br />
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I posted the above video on my Whats App status page, and my mailbox started overflowing with request on the "How Tos". The reaction was so much that I have decided to make a follow-up video to guide anyone who is interested.</div>
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So the list of things to prepare are as follows</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
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A TV with HDMI or VGA port.</div>
</li>
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A short HDMI cable OR A HDMI - VGA adaptor if your TV doesn't have a HDMI port.</div>
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A high quality SD card with at least 16Gig storage space (Nothing else on the SD it will be reformated and all files deleted)</div>
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A laptop or PC with full adminstrative privilages to allow you install on.</div>
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Full access to the Internet (Preferably high bandwidth).</div>
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2 Sided Velcro to stick our Pi to the back of the TV</div>
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Raspberry Pi - Preferably RP4, but RPi Zero, Pi 1 - 3 will still work.</div>
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</ol>
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I will be waiting patiently for you to order for these parts and we can start the simple 5 steps.</div>
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Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-46611405133192732802020-02-14T14:52:00.000+01:002020-02-14T14:52:01.869+01:00My Smart Sprinkler System Part 2.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<b>Introduction</b><br />
You might be aware that I have been frustrated about forgetting to switch off appliances before leaving home. I guess its a sign of old age, my forgetfulness is becoming fairly pronounced. but instead of grumbling, as a technological determinist, I decided to create a smart home.<br />
<br />
I have been tinkering with microcontrollers for some years, but creating a smart home got me jumping into the deep end of Internet of Things IOT. I have short listed several projects that I will need to create to have a smart home, and you can find them from looking through my blog for IOT and my smart home. here - <br />
<br />
As you can see I have a whole lot of projects to keep me busy for a long long time. but not to worry, they are all simple modular systems that latch unto each other to create a smart system. I usually, will share them here with you. you can follow the steps and recreate them for yourself if you have the basic skills of soldiering and following simple instructions. I will also share Gerber files, circuit diagrams and a whole lot of information to help you build these circuit systems on your own.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>To Sprinkle Or not to Sprinkle</b><br />
for today, I will focus on the plants in my compound. I want to be able to automatically water the lawn, plants around the compound at preset times every single day of the year without much manual intervention. Yes one can easily buy a working water sprinkler off the shelve in any hardware store. but there is no fun in that. Plus, we can build a smarter system that takes cognizance of the weather to decided if it should give the plants their usual dose of water, or not water at all if it has rained in the last 24 hours. We could also throw on a Big Bank effect that brings in the watering sequence to a crescendo as part of the Christmas Lighting experience.<br />
<br />
Examples of making of the Project Circuit Boards PCB abound on the internet. 1. Transfer a circuit trace from a Laser Printer to a paper and unto a PCB board. and 2. Rule traces manually by hand. 3. etch in an acid bath and 4. Solder on the components. etc.<br />
<br />
Feel free to look them up and choose which one to use. For the 1st step - there are basically only two methods open to you, One, to carefully draw it with your hand using a <u>permanent maker</u> like a fine point sharpie, or two, to use a purpose built application to design the circuit and print it out using a Laser printer (<u>not a bubble jet ink based printer</u>). <a href="https://tantiblo.blogspot.com/2018/03/my-smart-sprinkler-system-part-1.html" target="_blank">I have written an article on how to make a a PCB using the manual process</a>. If you don't want to use that method<b>, </b>I will explain here how to follow another more precise method.<b></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<b>Laser Heat Transfer Method</b><br />
If you desire a more professional end product, you can create professional PCB files using purpose built applications - there are a lot of applications that take away the stress of sweaty and shaky hands to deliver crisp looking products. <a href="https://www.electroschematics.com/2249/pcb-design-software/" target="_blank">See a list of the top 9 free PCB softwares</a>. I have tried my hands on a couple of these, they all have their pros and cons, but I especially like <a href="http://fritzing.org/" target="_blank">Fritzing</a> software. Its intuitive features allow you make professional looking double sided PCB. Below is the image of the PCB I designed for the water Sprinkler. Along with its Gerber files if you wish to print it out and transfer it to the board.<br />
<br />
Here are the Gerber files from my Fritzing design, for the sprinkler system. <link files="" gerber="" pdf="" to=""></link><br />
<br />
After the traces have been printed on paper, they are ironed with high heat to melt the Laser Toner onto the board. As you may have noticed, this design was done on two sides - two sided boards are very difficult to make, the main problem is ensuring that the vias (the points where current passes from one side to the other side of the board. If the vias are not precisely placed, the PCB will not work.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<u><i>Note: To esure that the vias line up, I utilize a light box to ensure that both sides of the mirrored print out match. I tape it on three sides before sliding in the measured fresh PCB. This way, when the PCB is etched and the holes are drilled, each trace matches. If the VIAS don't match point to point, all the vias will fail and your two sided board will fail.</i></u><br />
<u><i><br /></i></u>
After both sides are held in place, I iron both sides with a pressing iron until I can clearly see all the traces melted onto the board - most websites tell you to do this for about 5 mins, but I iron mine for longer periods than that. At the end you can clearly see that the traces have melted unto the PCB.<br />
<br />
After allowing the PCB to cool down, I leave it in a bowl of water to soften the paper. softly rob off paper to reveal a perfect work of art...<br />
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<i>Gloves On!!!</i><br />
<i>Handling or even inhaling chemicals is very dangerous. Please be careful with the following steps.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Choosing the etchant is very important. Boric chloride, off the shelve etchants, etc. are easily obtained in the west, but in the south, its not easy to come by. but not to worry, finding a chemical that corrodes copper is not very difficult. I use Hydrochloric Acid (easily obtained from any swimming pool shed) and Hydrogen Peroxide (From any pharmacy). One part peroxide, and two parts Hydrochloric Acid.<br />
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<etching pcb="" the=""></etching><br />
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Please note that you should not dispose of the etchant in the drain - it could potentially corrode the pipes and sink. do not also throw it out indiscriminately as it could kill plants and pollute the earth. I use mine to clean concrete of moss. and water it down afterwards.<br />
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<br />
By now the PCB is looking very good. but we need to mark the points to drill each hole. I use a carbide score to nick the points for my pilot holes. these points are important to ensure the drill doesn't "runaway" and end up in the wrong place. scoring the PCB, only to make a dent, not to make a hole. Remember each via on the topside must match its corresponding via on the bottom. After the scoring, its time to drill the holes.<br />
<link github="" heks="" page="" to=""></link><br />
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Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-10281267198677805832018-03-19T17:13:00.000+01:002019-03-20T10:28:39.790+01:00My Smart Sprinkler System Part 1.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<b>Introduction</b><br />
You might be aware that I have been frustrated about forgetting to switch off appliances before leaving home. I guess its a sign of old age, my forgetfulness is becoming fairly pronounced. but instead of grumbling, as a technological determinist, I decided to create a smart home.<br />
<br />
I have been tinkering with microcontrollers for some years, but creating a smart home got me jumping into the deep end of Internet of Things IOT. I have short listed several projects that I will need to create to have a smart home, and you can find them from looking through my blog for IOT and my smart home. here - <br />
<br />
As you can see I have a whole lot of projects to keep me busy for a long long time. but not to worry, they are all simple modular systems that latch unto each other to create a smart system. I usual, I will share them here with you. you can follow the steps and recreate them for yourself if you have the basic skills of soldiering and following simple instructions. I will also share Gerber files, circuit diagrams and a whole lot of information to help you build these systems on your own.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>To Sprinkle Or not to Sprinkle</b><br />
for today, I will focus on the plants in my compound. I want to be able to automatically water the lawn, plants around the compound at preset times every single day of the year without much manual intervention. Yes one can easily buy a working water sprinkler of the shelve in any hardware store. but there is no fun in that. Plus, we can build a smarter system that takes cognizant of the weather to decided if it should give the plants their usual dose of water, or not water at all if it has rained in the last 24 hours.<br />
<br />
<the circuit="" design="" diagram="" of="" the="" with=""></the><br />
<br />
The making of the Project Circuit Boards PCB<br />
Examples abound on the internet on how to create a PCB. <b></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
1. Transfer a circuit trace from a Laser Printer to a paper and unto a PCB board. <br />
2. Rule traces manually by hand.<br />
<br />
feel free to look them up and choose which one to use. but there are basically only two methods open to you, One, to carefully draw it with your hand using a <u>permanent maker</u> like a fine point sharpie, or two, to use a purpose built application to design the circuit and print it out using a Laser printer (<u>not a bubble jet ink based printer</u>). <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>1. Manual Trace</b><br />
I typically use the manual tracing method only when the design is simple or I don't have access to a Laser Printer and time is of the essence. Though this would typically give a rough amateurish outcome, but as usual, I put a little method to the madness. As expected, this manual process, though fast, creates a not so professional outcome. but there are a whole lot of lessons to learn from this method, so I will show you how to make a PCB using the manual writing method.<b></b><br />
<br />
1st step is to clean the PCB with steel wool and use 4 pins to sandwich the dotted project board, the two sided board against a piece of paper.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyc8cxOAwsGXyySGuncbVEzgSLjiiNWF4pLD2bcdYu5XqxETWLrj1CILAn4fIVyyjq8KIrnk6LjvSP0cQUr6BUR9jtlY0KjuyM40NVJj6UYVTyyltvlH5UPZxIgyu4CqzcTUiRQBQH6Zc/s1600/20181206_204002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyc8cxOAwsGXyySGuncbVEzgSLjiiNWF4pLD2bcdYu5XqxETWLrj1CILAn4fIVyyjq8KIrnk6LjvSP0cQUr6BUR9jtlY0KjuyM40NVJj6UYVTyyltvlH5UPZxIgyu4CqzcTUiRQBQH6Zc/s320/20181206_204002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcSifipNFtP4pgFAF9wyie0ZJdNCTwkeKAejoIqFEHuYqmUuZ5Uw7NjFeGvgPh9Hwttq2C5bpSmAvY8RzcGesLJT_7RobfkhJIfkexT9tJEBlbagc4V0eywPmYNkUQ-WpX8rsYJlLO_c/s1600/20181206_204018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcSifipNFtP4pgFAF9wyie0ZJdNCTwkeKAejoIqFEHuYqmUuZ5Uw7NjFeGvgPh9Hwttq2C5bpSmAvY8RzcGesLJT_7RobfkhJIfkexT9tJEBlbagc4V0eywPmYNkUQ-WpX8rsYJlLO_c/s320/20181206_204018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I usually pull out a dotted project PCB as a guide to help me mark the necessary points from studying my circuit on the bread board, I experiment with where each component will fit by placing them on the paper, punching a tiny hole through the doted project board.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8ryOiR6_5-X8f_TfZ-rHCnCGOJA2YTIDVMkqX4ZzxzeqvlN1q6gcigdkNH-M_8zv5MYcQ6uFucw1VOu2-ThCEpFnl7wWa6eOCpzbaniLrcPFlpzONgVLk-VrkVlUvLlSeVYcnh1Zi1A/s1600/20181206_231253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8ryOiR6_5-X8f_TfZ-rHCnCGOJA2YTIDVMkqX4ZzxzeqvlN1q6gcigdkNH-M_8zv5MYcQ6uFucw1VOu2-ThCEpFnl7wWa6eOCpzbaniLrcPFlpzONgVLk-VrkVlUvLlSeVYcnh1Zi1A/s320/20181206_231253.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
At the end I get a fair idea of where things would end up and I rule the lines on the paper.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguB0tSPGv52LaQiYe3tsL4ET4KoV9WQYBhl9kMqi3p7uub4TE3uHoz1PYkxSA2C3YFlNuDb75wYV_bGxnQuitgbwqUOt12_UBeQXwM_pkofE_H5d7PfdOVT4nXI-waQ2Z8FZguxa6nvcw/s1600/20181206_233027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguB0tSPGv52LaQiYe3tsL4ET4KoV9WQYBhl9kMqi3p7uub4TE3uHoz1PYkxSA2C3YFlNuDb75wYV_bGxnQuitgbwqUOt12_UBeQXwM_pkofE_H5d7PfdOVT4nXI-waQ2Z8FZguxa6nvcw/s320/20181206_233027.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I then manually rule the necessary traces with a sharpie (permanent marker). If I make mistakes, I wipe them off with cotton wool dipped in acetone and touchup with a fine tipped sharpie or any permanent marker after it dries. <br />
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
These markings are actually thin plastic traces protecting the copper upon which they are written. the protection prevents corrosion by the chemicals when dropped in an etching bathe. Spend all the time you need reviewing the traces, make sure there are not shorts and that each pad connects to a matching hole that way when drilled the components will easily fall in place. this is particularly important if they are surface mounted components - I avoid them cos they are very difficult to solder, but they are cheaper and also small, ideal for compact designs.<br />
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If you are able to follw these steps you will have something similar to the image above and ready for the next phase - etching the copper plate in an acid bathe. I will show you just how in another article. until then cheers.<br />
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Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-61695266393691591712018-03-01T18:40:00.000+01:002019-03-19T18:46:31.514+01:00Internet Of Things IOT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello Thinkers, Its been quite a while since I hooked up, but believe me, I have been very busy doing so many many things. I can only sum them up as my deep dive into the rave of the moment - Internet of Things (IoT). We have all had our share of that sad moment after driving hours into town only to realize that you didn't switch off the air conditioner at home. Or perhaps, there was no power when you left, but you know you left several appliances running before the power cut - meaning that you will be running (wasting) energy with no one around to enjoy them. In the 3rd world where these are scares resources, no body wants anything to go to waste. It could be anything;-<br />
<br />
you forgot to close the garage door. you forgot to switch the generator to manual to prevent it from kicking in when there is a power cut. You forgot to switch off the TV, Fan, AC, etc. depending on where you are, your problem might be different.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Problem</b><br />
My problem was how to create a smart home, that allows me the freedom of switching these things off even after I have left home. Yes! without coming home, or calling in the neighbors. Literally from anywhere I am in the world. My plan is to create a smart home, capable of doing the following;-<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Open & Close the gate (electric gate already exist)</li>
<li>Arm Electric fence</li>
<li>Let the Dogs out of their kennel </li>
<li>Monitor the weather to ascertain steps to take for air-conditioning, watering plants, letting out dogs, switching on lights, notifying the pool maintenance guy,</li>
<li>Switch off / on several equipment's</li>
<ol>
<li>Generator</li>
<li>Air Conditioners</li>
<li>Fence / Outside Lights</li>
<li>Borehole pump</li>
<li>Swimming pool pump</li>
<li>Swimming pool lights</li>
</ol>
<li>Monitor the battery level of the inverter</li>
<li>Monitor the temperature of the deep freezer</li>
<li>Water the lawn and the plants at home</li>
<li>Monitor the security alarm</li>
<li>Track motion after hours</li>
<li>etc.</li>
<ol>
</ol>
</ol>
As expected, I had to do some research, and I found several projects I could latch unto - one of the is <a href="https://www.mysensors.org/" target="_blank">My Sensors Project.</a> MySensors is an open source hardware and software community focusing on do-it-yourself home automation and Internet of Things IOT. They provide easy to follow build instructions, ready to use code examples and adaptable open source hardware designs. All of this runs on the MySensors software library for secure communication that has been battle-tested with more than 20 of the leading home automation controllers on the market.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptavl5Rn_8AyAkgSM27ttGpzIazP9Cyx_XbTAMiDhju6O8s1_2Ly0eJwYt16LG6JNBBSpNCaTNgwWVohyphenhyphenETkJb0n_tG_mh7pXoFxXCItw9zV60V0efWsyLkpBcxrybvQmL-z4PPyybcM/s1600/motion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="1200" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptavl5Rn_8AyAkgSM27ttGpzIazP9Cyx_XbTAMiDhju6O8s1_2Ly0eJwYt16LG6JNBBSpNCaTNgwWVohyphenhyphenETkJb0n_tG_mh7pXoFxXCItw9zV60V0efWsyLkpBcxrybvQmL-z4PPyybcM/s400/motion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b></b><b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></b><b>MyController?</b><br />
Controllers as the name suggests are the brain behind an IOT architecture. The controller is the unit like a CPU is to a computer, that does the processing of data fed in by sensors like temperature sensor on a node circuit tucked away somewhere in the compound. The controller uses this data to make rule based decisions (as created by me) to set switches on or off as desired. For example, I could use the rain gage data that shows that it rained today to tell the water sprinkler not to come on as scheduled every 4:00pm. In addition, the controller can tell, the node that controls the fence light to come on as soon as it gets dark, this could be set at a specific time, or just based on day light, the latter being the preferred as it will switch on the lights both in summer or winter when day light is delays or even during a storm when it could get dark even at noon.<br />
<br />
My choice of controller was stressful. I was looking for a neat easy to use (and understand) controller with an active community to help when I get stock. I settled on <a href="http://mycontroller.org/" target="_blank">MyController</a> another open source project by <a href="http://forum.mysensors.org/user/jkandasa" target="_blank">JKandasa</a>. The system is based on pure java (back end) and angularJS (front end) it can run it in any platform supporting Java SE 1.8. I liked its look and feel. and as expected JKandasa himself was readily on hand to support newbies like me. but after a <a href="https://forum.mycontroller.org/topic/372/frustrated-newbie-help-with-nodes-and-sensors/34" target="_blank">difficult start and several huddles I faced with frustration</a>, I went back to the square one to look for an alternative... my research lead me to <a href="http://www.domoticz.com/" target="_blank">Domoticz. </a><br />
<br />
Domoticz is a free/open-source Home Automation System that lets you monitor and configure various devices such as lights, switches, temperature, rain, wind, UV and meters (electric, gas, water). It appeared quite powerful and intuitive as it promised. In less than an hour after I downloaded and installed it, it had latched on to the flimsy MySensors Gateway that I had arranged on my breadboard. with that, my journey has begun. <br />
<br />
IOT here we come1<b></b><br />
<br /></div>
Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-48987072116768182882017-11-15T18:11:00.004+01:002017-11-15T18:35:32.547+01:003D Printed Fidget Spinners<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As the yuletide season approaches, you may have already started
making plans to start shopping against Santa's list; What are the exciting toys
of the season? What are all the kids looking for? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is exactly what I have been think about these past few
days. After a few minutes on Google… presto! Fidget Spinners are probably one
of the most desired toys for kids of all ages this year. But where does one
find Fidget spinners in Abuja without spending more than necessary? Well don’t even
bother.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPaOp-MGTp4iVZ8DxnLFBBbKNdy6nX4qxdX3XTFlUYSejr3yBa_epqfGLGNMvUNye4UFcCA9RxLAFl8fYe1zRUZ5SW4w-ajcfe9VExTHRLZyl9ixOyrUoZ1MJzHkH03kNWDkN_DVDXoM/s1600/107747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="812" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPaOp-MGTp4iVZ8DxnLFBBbKNdy6nX4qxdX3XTFlUYSejr3yBa_epqfGLGNMvUNye4UFcCA9RxLAFl8fYe1zRUZ5SW4w-ajcfe9VExTHRLZyl9ixOyrUoZ1MJzHkH03kNWDkN_DVDXoM/s400/107747.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wpf_qMENlcScabR6I7646PCSovKU2B8WzhRJ7KQatzQSEJ_zQpQ60k0PLlpXHzuYU9yzuIB0wZwQ8SsWSoRgsz0O2TyK-dPg7i0_yfXRf-N1V82DIWoP1745ncFK7NeFw7JZ29NvtEY/s1600/IMG-20171102-WA0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1040" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wpf_qMENlcScabR6I7646PCSovKU2B8WzhRJ7KQatzQSEJ_zQpQ60k0PLlpXHzuYU9yzuIB0wZwQ8SsWSoRgsz0O2TyK-dPg7i0_yfXRf-N1V82DIWoP1745ncFK7NeFw7JZ29NvtEY/s400/IMG-20171102-WA0006.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So out with Google and in with my Google Sketchup. I am
going to design my own working Fidget Spinner – then PRINT it on my 3D printer.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Here is what we are going to needs</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Ball Bearings – the smallest I could find were
11mm radius (22mm diameter) and they cost N400 (about $1.00c USD) and you need
only one for a fidget spinner.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VmzNi_6z4KVGj1haLkhaDWvR0H74hekFo09pI_kgzAIQVgtn7DoPg43xYnTPN0-Ia1U6roRDpLH9dC4rgMe-yIG3tLTXuI4xoaTomL6eWd2lLOI-M_9Mp5fta7fBfb95nlfx5IX4I1E/s1600/untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="228" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VmzNi_6z4KVGj1haLkhaDWvR0H74hekFo09pI_kgzAIQVgtn7DoPg43xYnTPN0-Ia1U6roRDpLH9dC4rgMe-yIG3tLTXuI4xoaTomL6eWd2lLOI-M_9Mp5fta7fBfb95nlfx5IX4I1E/s200/untitled.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Ring Washers – I calculated that I would need
about nine washers for a spinner. At N50 for one, that would be a total N450.00
(About $1.20c USD)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKEbIkeH6GX0UDJdfuc9JBoRIp9l3hHiTZ1sgTa_4IFF2UEdjw0gS2MQUwYlNYQeHPuVZWUjltmQIjiXBK_NbtF0UtAMjZnNGj98xrm1QGesVEaBMZ_AzqnhS7zkClJDkMKPt0fOV4po/s1600/imagesRGN5HKSK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKEbIkeH6GX0UDJdfuc9JBoRIp9l3hHiTZ1sgTa_4IFF2UEdjw0gS2MQUwYlNYQeHPuVZWUjltmQIjiXBK_NbtF0UtAMjZnNGj98xrm1QGesVEaBMZ_AzqnhS7zkClJDkMKPt0fOV4po/s200/imagesRGN5HKSK.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> they come in varying sizes, I just chose one that was almost 22mm in diameters.
They are needed to load the spinners. The heavier the spinning parts, the
longer it will spin. But care must be taken not to make it too heavy for the
kids.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">With caliper in hand and the above materials, work commenced
on the computer with a 3D software. 3D applications abound, every tinkerer has
a handle on one of many 3D modeling software – Blender, Solid works, Fusion
360, Maya, AutoCAD, etc. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I prefer SketchUp because its really simple and stress free.
Designing two circles in two axis is not that difficult, you can get creative
and design a complex set of gears or Ninja like three – five pointed stars. I
kept mine simple and below is a link to the final .stl file for printing.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The 2 thumb knobs</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The 6 covers for each set of washers (male and
female)</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The spinner body</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn4s89L1_41IxJHRSEXKvlVVZRvLwkUpXT2XKqBfYOXYTu9Os4NhDG3NIgginnB7u9Qn0qmGybQKg_LEzz6UdnnBkX3oWt-kgYFSYZ4m2j_PWTPUpHLqlr3T9651SMyGh-3gGQWDzs1k/s1600/107747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="812" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn4s89L1_41IxJHRSEXKvlVVZRvLwkUpXT2XKqBfYOXYTu9Os4NhDG3NIgginnB7u9Qn0qmGybQKg_LEzz6UdnnBkX3oWt-kgYFSYZ4m2j_PWTPUpHLqlr3T9651SMyGh-3gGQWDzs1k/s320/107747.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
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Presto!!!! The final result.</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dys_gcn6LWNvKtNm1pBuNXH3ufZ8q2QqEg0KJTx1QUFkEaVcD9Hi-_vXiabzff1Z7t6wREt09m4hCz-pfKOsw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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For full details, please watch video at <a href="https://youtu.be/KKfAX0huBaI">https://youtu.be/KKfAX0huBaI</a><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i9.ytimg.com/vi/KKfAX0huBaI/default.jpg?sqp=CJjzsdAF&rs=AOn4CLBGrFRFKgbEHSLmUPRuI1Q1IbvqEg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KKfAX0huBaI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-53214857204824406682014-01-27T10:35:00.000+01:002014-01-27T10:35:29.742+01:00Bountiful Harvest In Nigerian Churches<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am always baffled by the way our people behave within religious
circles. How they seem to lose their senses once the name of Jesus
Christ and God are mentioned. Leads one to wonder if they leave their
brains at home and resort to think for their ass.These has raised series
of yet unanswered questions. Questions like; How naive and gullible are
the average people on the Nigerian streets? Are Nigerians as educated
as they pride themselves to be? Nigerians have a (undeniably)
international reputation of being "Smart", How does this street smart
"Wise Man" reputation reflect on the average parishioner, How deluded
are our people? Does the average Nigerian christian read the Bible?
Finding answers to these questions compelled me to write my article in
2013 on <a href="http://www.tantiblo.blogspot.com/2013/08/true-skeptist-in-religion.html" target="_blank">"Delusions in Christian Parishes" http://www.tantiblo.blogspot.com/2013/08/true-skeptist-in-religion.html</a> to which I still receive hate mails reminding me of the impending doom if I did not repent. These threats forced me to stay quite
as topical issues of 2013 passed by - The recent declarations by the
pope putting Heaven and Hell in the proper perspective. The truth that
Adam & Eve stories like several other Bible stories were mere
allegories. Topics that could have strengthen my argument that religion is a creation of man. arguments that the generality of Nigerians don't appreciate. But hey! there is still a freedom of speech right? However, an article culled from Premium Times is instructive. The article depicts Dr. Fireman's brand of extortion and how ironically, his congregation continues to grow. I watched a documentary on Dr. Fireman on CNN. The show sought to expose how religious Nigerians were and how exploitative their pastors were. The article reads:-<br />
<br />
<strong>Mr. Fireman returns to his tricks </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong><span id="more-153262"></span></strong><br />
<br />
The elderly woman went down on her knees, tears streaming down both
corners of her eyes. Her movement was laboured, but when she opened her
mouth, the words spilled out in torrents. Her elder brother had died
last Friday. But the seemingly tragic incident provided a veritable
platform to flaunt the efficacy of “the Jesus Christ of Dr. Fireman.”<br />
<br />
“When they called me to inform me of my brother’s death, I took my
anointing oil which was blessed by Dr. Fireman and went there. When I
got there, there were pastors there, I asked everyone to leave the room.
I used my anointing oil and called the God of Fireman and he answered
me. I used the oil to anoint my brother and he sneezed and came back to
life,” the woman declared.”The moment he stood up, he requested for
food. Then he said he wants to eat apple. I told them it is the God of
Dr. Fireman.”<br />
<br />
The church erupted into claps and cheers...<br />
<br />
The supervising pastor called on the congregation to hurry and buy a
bottle of the anointing oil – selling at N500 per bottle – and bring to
the altar for “Daddy” to touch for a fresh anointing.<br />
“The one you have before will not work,” the pastor said.”If you
don’t have money, borrow from your neighbour and go and buy. When you
blow, you give him back.”<br />
<br />
Such money-spinning episodes dominated Sunday’s service at the Perfect Christianity Mission’s grounds at Surulere, Lagos.<br />
<br />
Last week was awash with news reports of the involvement of the
church’s General Overseer, Ofuche Ukoha aka Dr. Sign Fireman, in an
alleged rape and killing of a 12-year-old girl in Badagry.<br />
According to Ikechukwu Egbo, 18, who allegedly carried out the
dastardly act, Mr. Ukoha instructed him to strangle a female virgin,
obtain the faeces she would pass out in the throes of death, and bring
to him for a reward of N100,000.<br />
<br />
Sunday’s service began with an unusual absence of Mr. Ukoha. Church
members arranged themselves into groups and launched into a prayer
session that lasted an hour.<br />
“We are going to end this session with a seed. Dip your hands in your
pocket and raise it up,” the voice of one of the pastors rose across
the hall. “Everyone must participate. Raise up N1000, N500, N200, N100.
Everybody must participate,” he repeated, and then launched into a
missile against unseen enemies. “Every arrow of the enemy against my
life, my progress, my family, this ministry, by this seed I cancel it.”<br />
<br />
“I want you to pick up a seed and drop at her feet. Anybody that
wants to take your husband, life, piece of your land, your vehicle,
property. As you drop that seed, it shall come back to you,” the pastor
enjoined the congregation.<br />
<br />
A young man beside me unfolded his wallet. A single N500 note lay
with about half a dozen N20 notes. He carefully extricated a N20 note,
clenched his fist, and marched towards the altar.<br />
<br />
In another testimony, a lady said the man of God prophesied to her in
her dream and her three year job hunting came to an abrupt end last
Tuesday. Her new job also came with an accommodation. A bus driver
narrated how, on his way back to Lagos from his village in the east, he
used ordinary rope soaked in Mr. Fireman’s anointing oil as a fan belt
for his faulty vehicle. Another lady said she woke up in the middle of
the night to see a bird inside her room.<br />
<br />
“I brought out my anointing oil and said ‘In the name of Jesus of Dr. Sign Fireman.’ The bird disappeared.”<br />
<br />
More testimonies flowed, each followed by calls by the pastor to the
congregation to, with various sums of money, tap into the good fortunes
of their fellow members. Members who attempted to testify about the
miracle of Mr. Fireman’s ordeal and his surprising appearance in church
were rushed through their testimonies...<br />
<br />
“If you are here this morning and you want God to take you to a new
financial level, pick up a seed of N1,000, N2,000, and line up here. If
he (Fireman) touches you, you go back to your seat quickly,” the pastor
at the pulpit shouted. “If you don’t have N1,000 or N2,000, pick up N500
and join them at the back.” I needed to get a closer look at Fireman
and possibly scan him for torture marks. So, I joined them at the back.
Sporting a grey jacket atop a white shirt and black pants, Fireman,
looked leaner than when I first saw him seven months ago. Seated on a
white upholstered chair, he appeared withdrawn, a deviation from his
usual boisterous self.<br />
<br />
We dropped our seeds into a basket and knelt before him, he patted
our shoulders without uttering a word. His black hair glistened under
the altar lights. There were no signs he had been tortured.<br />
When it was time for him to speak, he merely stood on the pulpit and
allowed a smile that began at the corner of his mouth to travel across
his face...<br />
<br />Before Mr. Fireman introduced the day’s guest preacher, more members
came out to narrate tales of how they “sowed blindly” and then enjoyed a
bountiful harvest afterwards.<br />
<br />
One member said he, following the directive of Mr. Fireman, donated
his only vehicle which doubled as a source of income for his family to
the church. Four months later, he got a better vehicle.<br />
The pastor’s voice rang out again: “If you want to buy something and
your money is not enough, come out with a seed of N200 and Daddy will
shake you. You will meet someone who shall sell it to you at a cheap
price.”<br />
<br />
For the next person, who said he paid N2,500 for a one year rent on a
room and parlour apartment; the pastor called for a N100 seed.<br />
<br />
For more details <a href="http://premiumtimesng.com/news/153262-accused-ritual-killing-pastor-fireman-returns-heros-welcome.html">http://premiumtimesng.com/news/153262-accused-ritual-killing-pastor-fireman-returns-heros-welcome.html</a> <br />
<br />
As
I read the lengthy article, I wonder what the congregation was thinking
while the pastor frisked their pockets. Even worse, how they manage to
come back every other Sunday (These days, there is always a church
activity every week day). Whether we see it clearly or not, this is a
financial crime, in the name of God, solely aimed at defrauding gullible
Nigerians. Something needs to be done to stop it. Whats your take?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-74132314507212920262013-10-03T20:21:00.000+02:002013-10-03T20:21:33.353+02:00Money Matters!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
A very rich man once said, "If you took all the money
in the world and divided it equally among everybody, it would soon be back in
the same pockets it was before [you started]." This is only true because our
knack for finances vary. While most are extravagant even in the midst of
poverty, a few are prudent and know just how to carry on living counting their
pennies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My entire outlook in life was molded by the wise thoughts of
my late Father Chief Seth Okachi Eleonu. Like most kids, I thought he was being
too hard on me at the time, but I have recognized the fact that he was
preparing me for the difficult task of leading an honest life and earning
enough to take care of my family. He went about his life lessons in odd ways. Impacting
knowledge by making me watch & practice what I had seen, teaching me by instructions and most of all allowing me to play.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcbCG1voWxyCPvVO0ruVNzJJ9y1-WHoEpwVRTnS0rEnMgUKIfNVhXG6TNQlkATDEed9P2gmic-9vGGXAsa3dMn7ck4NaxWUTKINHbWrdK-vjOfkRWfMRB4aiB_K5AVnKWda5WoZzQgPI/s1600/FLiteracy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcbCG1voWxyCPvVO0ruVNzJJ9y1-WHoEpwVRTnS0rEnMgUKIfNVhXG6TNQlkATDEed9P2gmic-9vGGXAsa3dMn7ck4NaxWUTKINHbWrdK-vjOfkRWfMRB4aiB_K5AVnKWda5WoZzQgPI/s320/FLiteracy.jpg" width="165" /></a><b>Watching and Practice</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I learned to watch and practice the hard way. As a young school boy, I spent
most of my mid term breaks working as an artisan – as a carpenter one day,
an electrician next break, helping out with a Welder one holiday and working with
a Mechanic next one. This early exposure to professional handiwork resulted
in the “Techie Guy” most of you know today. (see what my friends think of me <a href="http://www.tantiblo.blogspot.com/2012/10/jack-of-all-trade-master-of-non.html">http://www.tantiblo.blogspot.com/2012/10/jack-of-all-trade-master-of-non.html</a>)
This post however, is not about technical stuff though, it is about another
hard lesson my Father taught me – Money Matters! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Teaching Money Matters by Play</b><br />
My Father is the most prudent man who ever lived. I often thought he was been stingy to himself as he did not care about the "Jones". He bought things based on function,
price and durability rather than form or trend as most people would. He taught
me to make a note of what I wanted and think around the issue contemplating other
possible more cost effective options. He insisted on comparing prices and never to rush into the market. Most
importantly, he taught me that it is hard to keep that which has not been
obtained through personal development and hard work. According to him,
"everything has a law controlling it. The car functions because of the law of
combustion. The aircraft fly because of lift aerofoil and boats would not
float with the law of dispersion. Money also has its own rule" – as he would put
it “Easy come, Easy go!” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These are sound advice I have imbibed and practiced
throughout my life, to the ridicule of my friends and acquaintances. In University (just as today), I was always the one friends ran
to for a small loan when times where hard. I was usually the one with change
when most would have squandered their pocket money. My friends would often say
I am financially disciplined, but what I never told them was that I learned it
through play. It is a known fact that most of us are not disciplined when it
comes to finances. We are unable to resist the urge to SPEND, PAY, BUY. Little
wonder why it is often difficult pay for ______ (type in your usual monthly
head ache) subscription, let alone pay the children school fees. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abundant literature exists on how to make money and keep it,
but theory is often very difficult to put to practice. Some clever guys have
even devised bogus opportunities that gradually impoverish the uncanny – “Make $5000
from you house over the internet”. Others have opened up workshops to teach
housewives how to make money by trading forex online, but they fall short to
tell them that they will have to part with a lot of money in the process
and end up broke (see <a href="https://www.google.com.ng/search?q=Make+money+online&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=cr&ei=xaRNUrqiI-jX0QX7p4DADg">https://www.google.com.ng/search?q=Make+money+online&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=cr&ei=xaRNUrqiI-jX0QX7p4DADg</a>).
Others less risk-averse folks have resorted to class rooms to learn the art. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Central Bank of Nigeria has drawn an inference with the financial literacy and
the high exclusion rate in Nigeria. The Bank has commenced on a new initiative
to include financial literacy in the educational system. Only recently, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi recently picked up chalk to teach school children
about financial literacy (see all the photos <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78609336@N02/sets/72157636108988423/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/78609336@N02/sets/72157636108988423/</a>).
He noted that most children nowadays struggle with ‘peer pressure’, which he
said always pushes them to making unjustifiable demands from their parents, who
also have needs and responsibilities to take care of. I am sure that many of
them will miss the mark. What they will get is the sound advice. They however still need to practice what they have heard. As they say practice makes perfect and there is no
better time to start practicing than as a youg school child.So, I have decided to let the secret out on how I practiced to
be prudent. I believe it is a better and more effective way to learn prudence. –
wait for it….</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GyBI8XzSIzvhrnYwko5_Q9VKuy8bxopBJTNhO4NCM3A3haySWkZjPA58VLw3wpW2nl4N6lSHlTfo0bvAYA4T21umUpub_Y3xN7aGWCxxI9hXor9mSO_43VUbSlzLGYAi757bcoaVH6E/s1600/monopoly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GyBI8XzSIzvhrnYwko5_Q9VKuy8bxopBJTNhO4NCM3A3haySWkZjPA58VLw3wpW2nl4N6lSHlTfo0bvAYA4T21umUpub_Y3xN7aGWCxxI9hXor9mSO_43VUbSlzLGYAi757bcoaVH6E/s320/monopoly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Play Monopoly! </b></div>
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Yes, play the board game Monopoly™. Charles
Darrow, the inventor of Monopoly couldn’t have evolved a better way to teach
most economic principles in a tidy small board. As a child I played it at every
passing spare time. We had protracted games involving all the kids in the neighborhood.
Some would act as Bankers, others as advisers to players. We spurned a “Naija
flavor” to it (there is now a Lagos edition), and changed some rules to make it even more interesting. We even
encouraged teaming up to win and Yes, some people preferred to steal money
houses, rub the bank when no one was watching, sell black market money and
deeds to get rich. Monopoly taught me the following hard lessons in life;</div>
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>all the financial terms and concepts I know
without ever studying commerce or economics (two subjects I hated with a
passion) terms like, Mortgage, Tax, Liquidation, Bankrupt, Rent, Title Deed, Remortgage,
Utility Bill, Assets, Liquid, Float, Salary, etc.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>we all start out equal but certain decisions
will impact on ones ability to “Monopolize”</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>you can only spend what you have</li>
<li>you have to guard my business – no need to let
the neighbors know what I have until…</li>
<li>bluffing is an art and it have saved many a
lives</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>spending all you have to look good is not the aim
of the game of life<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>ultimate aim is to stay on and buy important
deeds or deal out your opponents</li>
<li>Salary may not come at the end of a run (month) </li>
<li>you have to make provisions for Chance and
falling fowl of the law</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>that making the right “friends” is important</li>
<li>buying what you don’t need is like slashing your
wrist and then taking a shower</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Its all about strategy -buying “Old Kent Road”
can win the game and mortgaging “Mayfair” could be a life saver.</li>
</ul>
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As a parent, I am now struggling to impact the same values on my
children – Chisom (9) Oma (3) and Chime (well lets say for now he play the bank
robber as he is only 1yr old and does not speak any English). You may argue that it will be difficult since the days when families
gather around the TV in the sitting room are long gone. Hand held computer
games, including mobile phones and the internet have taken over the minds of
the youths, but I have painstakingly reintroduced Monopoly to my family and insisted
that Sundays is game night and everyone must play educational games. I intend to keep it up until
Chisom understands the concepts. I trust it will work for you too if you try. The CBN
Governor warned that “people could become poor when they spend more than they
earn, and would conversely, become wealthy when they spend less than they earn”.
A stitch in time saves nine. Unless You Change How You Are, You'll Always Have
What You've Got.</div>
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Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-59862238537207514952013-09-05T13:00:00.000+02:002013-09-05T13:00:16.164+02:00Baked to Death in the Sahara<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I stumbled on a video (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=691603344188871">https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=691603344188871</a>) posted on FB showing scores of dead Nigerians in the baking heat of the Sahara Desert. The eerie video was no different from a similar one on Nigerians marooned and isolated in the Sahara en route Europe aired by CNN recently. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/UB0Det0-KQM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
I once talked a GIRL from embarking on this trip in 1994. She had the list of all the safe houses and pass phrases including the fees and brief for migrats who wish to go on this journey through Benin – Togo – Ghana - Boukina Faso-Algeria – Europe. She said it was full proof and she knew many who had made it to Europe. I thank God she listened to me and is now happily married and still lives in Lagos. <br />
<br />
Emmanuel Mayah, the renowned award winning investigative journalist documented the travails of migrants in his exposé Europe by Desert: Tears of African Migrants. in a recent interview he said “Nigerians are being executed in Libya; many have perished in the Sahara while trying to cross the desert on foot; many have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea trying to cross from Morocco to Spain and hundreds of thousands of Nigerians are in prisons in different countries. Many are at a point of no return; they have no money to buy food let alone transport themselves back to Nigeria.”<br />
<br />
So from the above, it’s a known fact that Nigerians go on this trip and from various routes all across West Africa, but I am a bit worried about this video. It raises a few questions. How can all these men slump and die at the same time, within the same area? Even more worrying is the fact that the dead all seem to be bent over hiding their faces - as if they were been robbed or hiding from someone/something. Since there is no evidence of blood, I will eliminate gun shots but what about poison? Another worrisome issue is how the nationalities of the individuals were ascertained. The clothes worn by the deceased do not seem to originate from Nigeria (debatable). To me they look like those worn by our other west African neighbors.<br />
<br />
I ask these questions because from that same document I mentioned earlier, I learned that locals from the communities migrants pass through despises these migrants, especially as the local operators are usually the same people that organize other vices in these same communities - gunrunning, smuggling, armed robberies, child trafficking, name it. Similarly, the locals are also very aware of the large sums of money they carry (usually US$). In fact their handlers have been known to rob migrants and drop them off in the middle of the desert to die. This is well documented by Aljazeera, CNN, BBC, and you can watch all this on youtube… watch the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Europe+by+Desert%3A+Tears+of+African+Migrants&oq=Europe+by+Desert%3A+Tears+of+African+Migrants&gs_l=youtube.12...201058.201058.0.203161.1.1.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube." target="_blank">video</a> -<br />
<br />
While one can easily dismiss this all by saying the migrants are to blame. Why should Nigerians, especially the (Igbos including Delta and Edo states) continue to rub our name in the mud? Why do they think that they must seek greener pastures at all cost? Some have been known to “Sell all that they own to secure a bleak chance in a foreign country only to reach there and end up hawking / Hooking on the street in J’boug, Italy, Israel, Turkey, etc. These questions are debatable, but I blame the state, our leaders and the Federal Government. Nigerians are scattered all over the world, most of them struggling to earn a living in communities that loathes them. The federal government should look into these issues and ascertain or verify the events that led to the death of these people with a view to curb the trend.<br />
<br />
To my mind, if our communities are made more habitable, if there is better transparency, if our leaders are more responsive to our cries, if there is more security of lives and property, then and only then will our people stop seeking greener pastures. What is your take?<br />
</div>
Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-72913382200814085942013-08-28T16:54:00.003+02:002013-08-28T16:58:14.056+02:00Delusions in Christian Parishes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Only this morning (28th August 2013) my attention was drawn to Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo unfolding saga making rounds on Twitter and other social media channels. Ms Ese Walters had published an expose accusing the Common Wealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) of manipulating her sexually / spiritually. <br />
<br />
As usual, rather than concentrating my article on this particular event, I will look at the big picture. Let us come away from the tree and look at the forest. <br />
<br />
There are countless number of reported cases of rape that go unpunished because no victim is ready to speak up. Even when the victims speak out against their assailants, they are often slandered and even threatened. This has forced many victims to suffer undue hardship trying to pretend normalcy while the world around them continues to bask in the euphoria of our pretentious society.<br />
This would not be the case in other societies. <br />
<br />
I read Ese's story on <a href="http://esewalter.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/my-affair-with-pastor-biodun-fatoyinbo-of-coza/#comments" target="_blank">her blog - http://esewalter.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/my-affair-with-pastor-biodun-fatoyinbo-of-coza/#comments</a> and was perplexed to read what Nigerians had to say about her ordeal. Rather than empathizing with her, or investigating the matter, Nigerians had resorted to calling her names and blaming her for her ordeal. Typical you say. We (Nigerians) blamed the ABSU gang rape on the victim <a href="http://www.cknnigeria.com/2013/08/identity-of-2011-absu-gang-raped-victim.html">http://www.cknnigeria.com/2013/08/identity-of-2011-absu-gang-raped-victim.html</a> When the news broke and the video went viral the reaction of Nigerians was more about verifying the location of the crime scene and absolving their university rather than empathizing with the victim and bringing the perpetrators to book. <br />
<br />
This is further exuberant when we add religion to the mix. Ese’s present predicament is reminiscence of another Nigerian pastors escapade in 2011. I recall watching a series of BBC documentary on African demons and deliverance in the Untied Kingdom. The series focused on tackling the belief system that African parents pass onto their British born children. The documentary consisted on in-debt studies and carefully planned stings aimed at documenting evidence that may convince the people. In one of such stings, a Nigerian mother visits a particular Redeemed Christian Church in London. She complains to the resident Pastor that her teenage British born daughter is “Acting up”. Readily without prompting, the pastor assures the woman that the girl is possessed and would require spiritual deliverance. After agreeing to make a voluntary contribution to the church after the deliverance is complete, the young girl is invited to attend a bi-weekly session run by the pastor. Before long, lured by the beauty of the girl, the pastor makes advances. Armed with audio and video recordings of the stings, the producers create a short account and randomly select 10 people from the parishioners to watch the video after the Sunday service, but are surprised that not one of them is bold or inquisitive enough to watch the whole 15mins video. Shouts like “Touch not my anointed!” ring out. <br />
<br />
This same hypocrisies don’t only inhibit us as a people, but indulges perpetrators to carry on with impunity. Why can’t we look at the issues and forget about the players. Why do we avoid the truth and focus on self preservation. Why have the authorities remained silent in all this.<br />
• Unresolved cases of rape in Nigeria<br />
• Men raping their daughters<br />
• Public officials rape the nations treasury<br />
• Child marriages<br />
<br />
Work in progress...</div>
Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-48648978903433607632013-03-06T00:54:00.000+01:002013-03-06T00:58:10.794+01:00Co-operation, no be competition - By Pa Monday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yeah wondering where I have been all this while? Well the project to gracefully convert Nigerians to utilize electronic means of settlment has proved tough. For the past 12 months or so, I have been slaving away at it. first begining with the pilot in Lagos, and now planning to roll out to 6 more locations in Nigeria.<br />
<br />
I miss writting but I thout to break the silence as I read my very good friends blog which has been published on at <a href="http://premiumtimesng.com/opinion/122934-co-operation-no-be-competition-by-pa-monday.html#disqus_thread">http://premiumtimesng.com/opinion/122934-co-operation-no-be-competition-by-pa-monday.html#disqus_thread</a> he write...<br />
<br />
Even we small people dey do our own. Sotay we get generator wey we dey call ‘I better pass my neighbour’. That name alone don show how bad this spirit of competition dey. If you on your generator, connect light for your neighbour, na bad thing? Dat neighbour fit contribute to buy fuel na. Why house of 10flats go get 10generators?<br />
<br />
<br />
I have always wondered why we are in such a mad rush on several fronts, but I never really saw the parallels with other bizarre things going on around us. Kudos Pa Monday, this is a brilliant Article on our percived bad sense of competition.,. even better is the genre - pidgin sets a very clear perspective to view Nigeria from.<br />
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Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-75628587656581014182012-10-21T20:39:00.000+02:002012-10-21T22:32:00.550+02:00Jack of All Trade - Master of Non!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While several of my friends knew what their calling way back when we were toddlers - I am yet to find out where I belong. I have always thought this was due to the fact that I am multi talented. But my friend <a href="http://www.facebook.com/amalaye.oyake?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank">Amalaye Oyakes</a> comments about me on Facebook got me thinking...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEr-_D-jwOEOfxgJKIWis3PH6sfIKTRe_sMdFI4L5g_gfuI5pvgt8QwEscTSydE4G62xIZTKbLxaTGVmt9SN-Jar0xpvCmDV4ykNkMrB739nOb_1W1pvPcgGtCN0Ay9kXMBPsyX9HbjuQ/s1600/AfroGadget.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEr-_D-jwOEOfxgJKIWis3PH6sfIKTRe_sMdFI4L5g_gfuI5pvgt8QwEscTSydE4G62xIZTKbLxaTGVmt9SN-Jar0xpvCmDV4ykNkMrB739nOb_1W1pvPcgGtCN0Ay9kXMBPsyX9HbjuQ/s400/AfroGadget.png" width="376" /></a> <br />
<br />
By the way, Amalaye settled for exploring the celestial bodies ever since we left secondary school. So when I heard he was one of the big boys at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Huston, I wasnt too surprised. But, why am I so confused? Whats my calling? Why haven't I settled down yet and focused on one career path? Am I a Jack of all trade... and master...? This comment made we think about my diverse interest, and how I came to be where I am.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xgy_jssR2sgUcUqnmT5wQ9MX65S-BxN2st2FatiF9YiYpkLVJis1EyklKAhQ_lvI6uPddF9MNnt3jmY3-_OM17SOYa-75w0HtR1X2aMVEJp2qy08WR3qG3_4qJnerZVgTyrqASiHAbdd/s400/Dizzy+Gillespie+Sextet+-+Live+at+the+Jazz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>
<li>My first love is music - I am a prolific entertainer - I once lead a brass band in my secondary school. I even went as far as playing on the same stage with world renowned <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dizzy_Gillespie" target="_blank">Dizzy Gilespie</a> (twice at the Port Harcourt Jazz festivals. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femi_Kuti" target="_blank">Femi </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xgy_jssR2sgUcUqnmT5wQ9MX65S-BxN2st2FatiF9YiYpkLVJis1EyklKAhQ_lvI6uPddF9MNnt3jmY3-_OM17SOYa-75w0HtR1X2aMVEJp2qy08WR3qG3_4qJnerZVgTyrqASiHAbdd/s400/Dizzy+Gillespie+Sextet+-+Live+at+the+Jazz.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xgy_jssR2sgUcUqnmT5wQ9MX65S-BxN2st2FatiF9YiYpkLVJis1EyklKAhQ_lvI6uPddF9MNnt3jmY3-_OM17SOYa-75w0HtR1X2aMVEJp2qy08WR3qG3_4qJnerZVgTyrqASiHAbdd/s400/Dizzy+Gillespie+Sextet+-+Live+at+the+Jazz.jpg" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femi_Kuti" target="_blank">Anikulapo Kuti</a>, Eddie Okonta, Gerald Opino, etc. I was given a scholarship to study music by the Nigerian Navy, but my father would have nothing of it. The only thing that kept me away from being a musician was education. I play (well I think I still can) all brass music instruments, from the Beagle, Trumpet, Trombone, to the almighty Tuba. I also play the guitar, and most wind instruments like the Clarinet. I have written several songs, but havent mustered the courage to enter a studio... yet.</li>
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<li> I have always been an artist. I recall attempting my first drawing at five after watching my Dad draw a human head - I guess its in the blood, I picked up a pencil and tried to do just what I saw and the rest as the say is history. I exhibited my first art piece at the tender age of 15 at the United Nations sponsored art exhibition in New York. </li>
<li> Being a science student in secondary school, I applied for Electrical Engineering & Architecture when I left secondary school. I got an offer to study Electrical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology Owerri FUTO. But that was not to be, cos my family thought I could do better to study art and be my own boss - I wish I didn't listen. I went on to study Graphic Arts at University of Nigeria. I recall my name was on the notice board when I resumed - my head of department wanted to meet this "Mad man" - I must have been mad to enroll for Fine & Applied Arts with Physics, Mathematics, English & Arts. I got an A in all with Arts been the lowest score. I guess I must have made an impression as Prof. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chike_Aniakor" target="_blank">Chike Aniako</a>, Prof. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obiora_Udechukwu" target="_blank">Obiora Udechukwu</a> and Prof. Ola Oloidi would become life time mentors.</li>
<li>Computer Graphics was a budding career path by the time I left University. In advert agencies of the time, studio heads had to depend on the skills of their "glorified" secretaries to bring their art creations into the digital world. As you may have imagined, this practice did not produce the finest results. With my love for computers, an inquisitive mind and a wealth of creative ability, I thrived in Ad Agency work. After a stink at three advert agencies - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/dawn-functions-nigeria-limited/117435861630010" target="_blank">Dawn Functions</a>, New Generation & Media Plus International, I realized that I felt like I was being used, while the products I churned out (calendars, Annual reports, Desk Diaries, Product advert, etc) were sold for millions, I got stipends. So I wrote a private proposal to Banks who were the major clients in the industry and voila, <a href="http://www.mainstreetbanklimited.com/" target="_blank">Afri Bank</a> (now Main Street Bank) & <a href="http://www.sterlingbankng.com/index.aspx" target="_blank">NAL Merchant Bank Plc</a>. (now Sterling Bank) took the bait. That's how I went to work as the in house Graphic Artist for NAL Merchant Bank. </li>
<li>One little known secret is that Graphic Artist helped make the internet what it is today. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee" target="_blank">After Sir Tim Bernes Lee</a> created the hyper-text protocol in 1993 (the http:// you find before the www web url) that changed the aparnet (as it used to be known) to what we now call the internet, Graphic artist were the first group of professionals to apply their visual creations... I consider myself one of Nigeria pioneers having built my first website in 1994.I also designed <a href="http://www.sterlingbankng.com/index.aspx" target="_blank">NALs website</a> in the early 1990s when very few Nigerians knew what the internet was.</li>
<li>As the internet grew in complexity, I grew with it. My simple HTML pages designed with WYSIWYG applications gave way to more mature web programming languages like ASP.net, SharePoint, etc. With several web development and other professional certifications under my belt, I gracefully transited to being called a web developer. Even went on to design the nations <a href="http://www.cbn.gov.ng/" target="_blank">Central Bank of Nigeria internet</a>, intranet and extranet websites. </li>
<li>As you can imagine, web development is not a core function for banking - so the promotions were not coming as fast, and after 10 years of creating the web communications office and administering an army of content managers, one think stuck out like a sore thumb. "But... you are an artist" was becoming a derogatory statement I couldn't bear anymore. and so even-though I really wanted to study Human Computer Interaction HCI to prepare myself to join the now thriving Nollywood movie industry, I was forced to study Information Systems in Manchester University, United Kingdom.</li>
<li>On my return from studies, along with my Project Management PM skills and certification, I jumped into the deep end of project management pool. The PM skills was to see me working on the banks Cashless Nigeria initiative. I had reinvented myself once more.</li>
</ul>
So while I am sitting here thinking I have derailed a million times already - Amalayes comments clearly shows that my electronics and inventing talents has taken a back seat. If the climate was right, I should be an industrialist and inventor.Its always reassuring to hear your friends describe you in ways you never imagined. I recalled Amalaye near fatal electrocution at my house in the late 1980's when he tried to test my Door Zapper! a device I put in place to detar buglars who had hit my room a few weeks prior to his visit. His recent visit to Nigeria last month may have well Zapped me back to life - I should make plans to attend the exhibition, perhaps, this time, I may have finally settled down cos a rolling stone gathers no moss.<br />
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Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-68336750606321016082012-09-27T01:41:00.000+02:002012-10-21T01:43:39.852+02:00A Presidents OK should stand for something!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Two days ago, the President of the federal republic asked the Central Bank of Nigeria to stay action on the proposed restructuring of the nations currency - the Naira. While his action may have put to rest, the widespread uproar in the polity fueled by what I can only describe as MIS informed "Ojuolegba" economist. Though I'm not a subject matter expert, I have listened to erudite economist on the same topic. Much so that the Presidents actions angered me... For a knew this policy was aimed at more gain than pain.<br />
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Aigboguns article "<a href="http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/analysis/columnists/44823-a-presidents-ok-must-stand-for-something" target="_blank">The Presidents OK should stand for something</a>" caught my eyes in BusinessDay of the 21st Sept. Read on....<br />
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This is a very sad day for Nigeria. " President Goodluck Jonathan has collectively made every Nigerian look small by his capitulation. By withdrawing his approval to the Central Bank to introduce the N5000 notes, the president set a very dangerous precedent, regardless of the argument for or against the policy. And by this his singular act, he has unwittingly reduced the office he swore to protect and given the world cause to doubt if they can do business with his government.
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It is not for nothing that the state governors insist on using a red ink pen in their official communication. And it is also not for nothing that the president uses green to write. It is because of their exalted offices. It is because it is expected that the president's approval will stand for something.<br />
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Presidents must at all times listen to their people but a leader must also be able to make up his mind and be ready to defend his position. That is the covenant he has with those he has to lead. It will be unthinkable that the president's U-turn should meet with the approval of serious Nigerians.
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What should the world now think of us? That our president cannot sign a bilateral agreement with other leaders of the world and hope to keep the bargain? Who on earth will take Nigeria serious if this were to be the case?
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At the time of their choosing, the people will always have their say, and by the constitution' also have their way at least once every four years. Presumably, this president consults before coming to a decision, and one Just hope that he did just that before consenting to the apex bank's recommendation to proceed with the N5000 note.
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After this, the people can chose to have their say. And the president should not have to play to gallery all the time, especially because economic policies do not always have to be based on popular opinion. And it is why Spain, Greece and even the United Kingdom are all pursuing austerity policies today, to the chagrin of their people.
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This is so because governments and those privileged to lead them do not just have to think about what the people will say today. They must focus more on their place in history because what is public good can sometimes appear blurred in the midst of an unorganized debate. It is in this light that I held a different view on the petroleum subsidy withdrawal debate. Which is that any subsidy on consumption rather than production, any subsidy which exports jobs elsewhere is bad, no matter what it is called by.<br />
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It is also for this reason that I took exception to the opposition to the decision by President Obasanjo and Okonjo Iweala to invest $12bn or so in the landmark deal to end Nigeria's excruciating foreign debt. It is for this same reason in the early nineties when I was secretary of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, I sought to get my colleagues to dialogue with leaders of the private sector who were at the time canvassing a government policy permitting entry or participation of the private sector in Nigeria's telecommunications sector. Today editors who virulently opposed that policy are carrying one or two and in some cases three phones in their pockets.
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It is for this reason that I respect my mentor and bene¬factor Professor Pat Utomi who in the heat of that debate had maintained that if the only way to get the private sector in meant allowing Abacha to allocate all the GSM licenses to his family he will vote for it, knowing that as he rightly said, a time will come when Abacha's children or grandchildren will be forced to sell some or all the licenses to other Nigerian investors. It is also for this reason that I yet cannot find common ground with my friend Joe Ajaero who worked with me many years ago at the Vanguard but is now eading the electricity workers union to oppose the privatization of the moribund state ppwer company, PHCN.
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In Nigeria of 160 million people, everyone is a Central Bank Governor and every one seeks to have a view on government policy, regardless of how uninformed he or she might be. The road transport workers union leaders weighed in to be heard on the N5000 note issue. Even the okada riders also wanted to be heard. Unfortunately, many who should know, sought to side track the truth while the debate lasted just to be seen to oppose the policy simply wanted to be heard or because they have become, members of the opposition. Or perhaps as was the case of the legislators, it had to do with Sanusi who had the courage to say they did not have to bleed the national treasury dry by insatiable quest for higher pay in a nation where millions wallow in abject poverty.
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In all of the debate, one thing is clear. There is no respected body of opinion to suggest the view that the introduction of N5000 notes will bring' about the doom some said it was capable of causing. I am led by common sense, which teaches me that it is more cost effective to print one N5000 note instead of printing five NIOOO notes, as is the case today. It will also be cheaper to transport, store and use one N5000 instead of five N1000 notes. And what is more, I do not have to use or carry a N5000 note if it does not serve my purpose.
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Central banks around the world will not get into a debate of what currency notes to issue. They just go on to print it and announce its introduction when it is ready. Sanusi should have done exactly this and it is a pity he did not.
After this, one must hope that we all accept that good leaders and those that Nigerians need, are not leaders who just pander to public opinion but those who are capable of reaching out with the clarity of their vision and the power of their thought to that future which the people may not yet see today' .
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Aigbogun is Publisher of BusinessDay and it is his second ever opinion piece submitted to a newspaper since entering
journalism in 1982.
That our president cannot sign a bilateral agreement with other leaders of the world and hope to keep the bargain? Who on earth will take Nigeria serious if this were to be the case?
</div>
Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-87468215233954257892012-07-04T18:08:00.001+02:002012-07-04T18:26:36.867+02:00How to Cold Cast a plastic Part in Your Kitchen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Part 1 – Making the Wax Mold</b></div>
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Have you every cried over throwing away a functional device
or toy just because you lost or broke one small plastic part? </div>
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<b><show broken="" parts="" plastic=""></show></b></div>
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I recently visited my mechanic to find out what was wrong
with my AC, and in the process, they broke one
of the plastic slide for the air vent. The knob is a one off part, not something one can order a replacement part for – there are only two possible ways to find
another – 1) Visit the local junk yard and hope to God that you will find a
matching part from an accidented vehicle. 2) Make one. Yes make another one in
my kitchen.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9vSgBDVhPG2wTPcrQUb6o3BoT43zl30LO1uUy0hOjzz-wfC79RUnfPZf0izKUwccyosu4bOo2Q1j6tXxXGfrww0NeNUnf4jNHIg8XnqevkJTDzLoQqFPIhWwbYssx1ZUhAqTCmTbw1w/s1600/1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9vSgBDVhPG2wTPcrQUb6o3BoT43zl30LO1uUy0hOjzz-wfC79RUnfPZf0izKUwccyosu4bOo2Q1j6tXxXGfrww0NeNUnf4jNHIg8XnqevkJTDzLoQqFPIhWwbYssx1ZUhAqTCmTbw1w/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I know any wise guy would have chosen the easy way out, but
trust me, I rather stay indoors and engage myself in a small DIY project than to
venture out doors – with planes falling out of the skies, and Boko Haram
incessant bombings, I have made the tough choice of making it myself. I took the one weekend out to make a replacement part for
the AC vent and the account below is how I went about it.</div>
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What do you need for this project?</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Candles</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Paper
Box</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Sticky
Tape</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Large
syringe</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Empty tin
can</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Epoxy</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Spz7PR5MLXqCs13MzhwsV3KPIX48bdHtRoG8MPq1s-8J_cI-RXDJuYr3HFqQOGWR49D8O8myxmVBFxVwnVbdLpKF4R34LQCEWJeQdpMIi8oc0f9ZIuhrecby_RuN0YC8xQHdW_gVhuM/s1600/2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Spz7PR5MLXqCs13MzhwsV3KPIX48bdHtRoG8MPq1s-8J_cI-RXDJuYr3HFqQOGWR49D8O8myxmVBFxVwnVbdLpKF4R34LQCEWJeQdpMIi8oc0f9ZIuhrecby_RuN0YC8xQHdW_gVhuM/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b> Steps</b></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Depending on
size of the item to be replaced, find an appropriate box that will hold the
mold</li>
<li>Make sure the
box is big enough to hold the item and still leave enough space on the edge. The
space will ensure that the wax does not break off. The rule of thumb is making
sure that the item will sit in about 50% of the space.</li>
<li>Decide the part
of to cast. From experience, it is better to cast in two parts – top and bottom,
is a way that allows you to remove both molds without breaking the molds as
such. It is often easy to make this choice by looking at the lines on the
original piece to be cast – most plastic objects bear the tell tail sign of how
they were cast – often in two parts. – we will call that line the “Cast Line”.
</li>
<li>Cut up the
candles and put it in the tin can and set the can on low heat on the cooker.
</li>
<li>The following
process might be very messy, so make sure you are wearing gloves and mask off
the working area to prevent greasy stains.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EEKlee67rDs47asDnqyEVWi8_FcMgLwnRMUmLk0N4gvyeFHFuU41V2720MwDQAWdLaRWmYD1NHgJ8c8DPUgLN3r-cFTjKLMLJiX0Z-VzKhEWvYJeL9xq3PRjAFcxN27B7OG3Z0OnmWk/s1600/3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EEKlee67rDs47asDnqyEVWi8_FcMgLwnRMUmLk0N4gvyeFHFuU41V2720MwDQAWdLaRWmYD1NHgJ8c8DPUgLN3r-cFTjKLMLJiX0Z-VzKhEWvYJeL9xq3PRjAFcxN27B7OG3Z0OnmWk/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>After the wax
melts… pour the wax into the box and allow it to cool off. From experience, I
noticed that the very first time I poured wax into a box, the wax leaked out (of
course, it is liquid). I found it quite handy to tape the entire corners of the
box with cello tape (sticky tape) to prevent any leakages. </li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1CU2F8I09EcfvE0FC-vAyyjMkqBDa7zuweNfhPfIH-5lRx09zPmyol0HuSFycsPIw36y4m3yo4tSx3jl60nLFuqaOXi8pvJNf7sj8OHOzuuaOZnBf5j7C3-kyocXPyI1xcQLnWe757M/s1600/4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1CU2F8I09EcfvE0FC-vAyyjMkqBDa7zuweNfhPfIH-5lRx09zPmyol0HuSFycsPIw36y4m3yo4tSx3jl60nLFuqaOXi8pvJNf7sj8OHOzuuaOZnBf5j7C3-kyocXPyI1xcQLnWe757M/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBY41WrlFJWzvsIwxigk7kDcCSDyUA_L3I81bMMYt1L5yFCStZuD5lTwHpHWv1jJ56bMXk-Zl2WxKd6zZW82zxMgPBiw1YO3gStIXra628DsysKLyDZ_k7WAgSeOYuKZydit9WFsIbck/s1600/5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBY41WrlFJWzvsIwxigk7kDcCSDyUA_L3I81bMMYt1L5yFCStZuD5lTwHpHWv1jJ56bMXk-Zl2WxKd6zZW82zxMgPBiw1YO3gStIXra628DsysKLyDZ_k7WAgSeOYuKZydit9WFsIbck/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Wait until it is
cool enough to leave your finger prints on. Not too hot, not too cold. After a
few experiments you will know when the time is right. </li>
<li>With a steady
hand push the part into the molten wax to get the first mold. Don’t be tempted
to pull it out or jiggle it. Just let it sit deep, allow the wax to rise above
the Cast Line where you would like the second mold to start from.</li>
</ul>
Post picture of the two replicas sitting in the molten wax <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZteJdB6y8yO7MwmSLaxCspUbRPp6z0fS2iYTkfIqzltDx88frHlDjRZV11FYQUHYFnaHQKtmmqQ6P6E39d0ZCH_3cth7KOI21xK4anWl84dXmgcCOCZ_2hOgZGu1Xe_3tkusiIAOLbU/s1600/6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZteJdB6y8yO7MwmSLaxCspUbRPp6z0fS2iYTkfIqzltDx88frHlDjRZV11FYQUHYFnaHQKtmmqQ6P6E39d0ZCH_3cth7KOI21xK4anWl84dXmgcCOCZ_2hOgZGu1Xe_3tkusiIAOLbU/s320/6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Wait for the wax
to solidify – To speed things up, I placed the mold in the freezer, and then the
fridge, but it always resulted in cracks, as the wax cooled too fast. It is best
to allow the mold to cool at room temperature.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLSo0lWLVi-AQYrHPJJLkg5aq1wKMbaIfT7XAamCnN8POot05V-fS1wcLd7KlpfG7omGMRFm8sUYKajHy65TaCAhf9JWFNXf5tChYPJ26WnlUa1OR6nt4S2QCid5SQIq7dCKQua3vgT4/s1600/8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLSo0lWLVi-AQYrHPJJLkg5aq1wKMbaIfT7XAamCnN8POot05V-fS1wcLd7KlpfG7omGMRFm8sUYKajHy65TaCAhf9JWFNXf5tChYPJ26WnlUa1OR6nt4S2QCid5SQIq7dCKQua3vgT4/s320/8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>With the original
piece still in place and using a sharp blade, carve out the Cast line – make the
surface of the mold flat. Enough angle to ensure that the 1<sup>st</sup> and
second molds will meet on a some worth flat surface. Drill out holes to ensure
that there will be no air pockets when both molds meet.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrXbm9UAKzYsm3LqFDfxtac-U6PEmmY1qtvZ7CIoHbYTt7lLwO0UC5-QqeQlBaWgZkt4xjOJyAf1oYtrgwCLxO5f0q6HbJaxVW2l-lcEtLstGY8Ee0qQDYpM3cbc3q14UJG1Zm5l8ZbY/s1600/9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrXbm9UAKzYsm3LqFDfxtac-U6PEmmY1qtvZ7CIoHbYTt7lLwO0UC5-QqeQlBaWgZkt4xjOJyAf1oYtrgwCLxO5f0q6HbJaxVW2l-lcEtLstGY8Ee0qQDYpM3cbc3q14UJG1Zm5l8ZbY/s320/9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Set the first mold
aside and prepare the box for 2<sup>nd</sup> mold – follow steps 1 – 4 above.
</li>
<li>When the second
mold has reached the right temperature, slowly lower mold 1 into the second
mold, press hard until wax is dripping out of the drilled holes in mold 1</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEI02_rDnfGZNMf-ZmKHbT8TDcx7IfqWKQhfnekzz90-9WiHCKfFiKbcxKPWowq-xEuv7RI-TROr3LuZYz_oYEE9e3ZIXSppcan_izdPiCUdau6W0gtMK0XweES_CuNRPk0p7MH9b5bI/s1600/10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEI02_rDnfGZNMf-ZmKHbT8TDcx7IfqWKQhfnekzz90-9WiHCKfFiKbcxKPWowq-xEuv7RI-TROr3LuZYz_oYEE9e3ZIXSppcan_izdPiCUdau6W0gtMK0XweES_CuNRPk0p7MH9b5bI/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Leave it to harden
overnight. Don’t be afraid that they will bind together, Wax is actually has its
own oils, as long as two drops are not the same temperature, chances are that
they will come apart with a minimal effort.</li>
<li>Make sure to wait
for the wax in the middle of the mold to set before continuing this procedure
</li>
<li>Make guide marks
across the two sides of the mold – this will help you align the two parts
properly. From experience, I put a scratch mark on all sides of the mold. Magic
marker lines will eventually rub off so avoid them, unless you have already
secured a masking tape.</li>
<li>Pry the two parts
apart, make sure you are gentle and avoid breaking the mold</li>
<li>Slowly bring out
the original part from the two molds. If the mold breaks, it is just a temporary
setback, just cutup the wax and smelt it down again. From experience, some waxy
residue remain on the original part after each attempt. Washing it off or
cleaning it off did not work – The best way to get rid of the extra wax was
dipping the part in Hot water (you risk melting the part if you dip it into Very
hot water).</li>
<li>Examine the two
molds. You should notice every small detail; even part numbers will show up
clearly in a good mold. </li>
<li>If you successfully get to this part without any problems, Shout
Hurray! – you are half way there.</li>
</ul>
</div>
Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-79920988051329392912012-06-09T11:47:00.001+02:002012-06-09T11:50:51.235+02:00Nine ways to for Nigeria - Adaeze AdophyI read with relish and utter satisfaction an article written by my long time friend Ada Adophy. Without doubt, it was a nice read, but even better was the fact that it was Great news from a great lady who is dying for change in Nigeria.
In the midst of hopelessness in every area of our Nationhood, while many have given up all hope and sold their conscience, there are still a few fires burning - gleamers of hope that one day, soon, Nigeria will take her rightful place in the league of nations. Since we can't all die nine times, perhaps we could well die twice and be born again. below are Adophys nine ways to die for Nigeria.
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I have been pondering on the question ‘Who is willing to die for Nigeria?’ since it was posed as a solution to getting Nigeria back on track in a recent discussion. Like the lady summed it up, “unless someone is ready to die for this country, nothing will change”. My initial reaction was to raise the usual arguments that ask “Why who? Why not you?” but somehow a different scenario flashed in my head that got me thinking. So moving away from the obvious argument why should we expect someone or a group of people to exclusively sacrifice to get Nigeria moving forward. My thoughts took on the path to question, must dying for Nigeria be in the physical lifeless death of the body? In my opinion, I think not! We have lost too many lives in this nation to demand or expect that unless ‘someone dies’ for Nigeria we cannot move forward. But I agree that unless we are willing to die for Nigeria, lives will continue to be demanded and wasted.
As much as we are want not to explore the concept of death or dying, events around us are daily being punctuated by death, evidence of death, news of death and rumours of death. Every day, Nigerians continue to give up their lives in diverse violent manners highlighting the collapse and decay in our Nation. With the countless heart wrenching pointless deaths being recorded every day, I found myself exploring the concept “dying for Nigeria” as a solution.
History the world over is filled with accounts and legends of men and women who ‘laid down’ their lives for their country. Not all of them died in the physical sense of the word but it is important to note that they all died in some form or the other; some died to self or died to sacrifice while others died in dedication of themselves, their resources and time for their country etc. So instead of looking from the limiting view (physical death) I began to explore the ways we can choose to die and commit to doing so willingly.
DIE... To Self
Dying to self is one sure way to commit to dying effectively. What this means is putting the needs of Nigeria before our own personal gains. Always looking at the bigger picture and asking how our decisions, actions etc will affect the total wellbeing of the Nation. In carrying out our duties or going about our daily lives, we must put away the self centred attitude of thinking how this or that will affect us or whether it will pay us. When we learn not to consult our own ease, comfort, advantage or interest for the greater good of Nigeria, then are we ready to move this Nation forward.
DIE... An Example
Set yourself an example of the change you want to see. Remember, you don’t need a title to lead or become a leader. Leadership is the ability to accept responsibility to bring about a desired change or result. Lead and be seen to exemplify by your actions the way things should be done or the proper way to act. Become accountable by your actions, decisions and attitude. Die an example at work, on the road, in your interaction with others. Die an example for a better Nigeria.
DIE... To Serve
How can you effectively serve Nigeria?
What sector of the economy can you dedicate yourself in good service?
Teach and organise workshops to help improve our diverse sectors
Join or set up a targeted pressure/ interest group to monitor/observe within any sector.
DIE... In Accountability
There is a need to imbibe the mindset of accountability. We must determine to do things at the right time and in the right ways. In our various areas, we must showcase and expect from ourselves the character to be found accountable. Accountability is not a negative quality. An accountable individual is a person of sterling quality, a trustworthy individual. It is more beneficial to die in accountability than to pass on or conceal a fault.
DIE... In Obedience
We are a nation governed by rules and regulations. We must die in obedience upholding our constitution. When we don’t obey the basic laws and rules within our society, we create a chaotic environment for ourselves. Obey traffic rules. Queues are for order; they help get things done quickly. Quit the ‘do you know who I am’ attitude, whoever you are doesn’t exempt you from obedience. Do you demand obedience and respect from others? Then challenge yourself in obedience and respect for your country. Die in obedience to the rule of law.
<b>DIE... To Sacrifice</b>
Where can you help?
Who can you help?
Can you identify a need you can sacrifice to meet outside of yourself?
Can you help a family send a child to school? Or feed for a month?
How about putting the cost of yet another leisure trip towards empowering someone else?
Instead of buying that designer item in what ways can you put the money towards making a difference to someone’s life?
Who can your resources help?
<b>DIE... To Solution</b>
What needs to be done?
What problems can you solve?
Where can you lend your expertise?
Do you know someone who can be a solution and needs a door you can open?
Do you have the resources to help bring about a solution or solutions?
Become known as an effective solution for change.
<b>DIE... Vocal</b>
Dying vocal calls on us to speak up! To use our voices and make them heard. Technology has armed us with effective tools of communication. What is the point of a “Blackberry” broadcast coming a day later than it should have gone viral? Why do we keep quiet when we see things going wrong only to cry and moan when we experience the devastating effect of turning a blind eye? What difference it will make if people who see evil learn to speak up against it. Speak up! Send out a broadcast, tweet, tell someone, don’t keep quiet it can come back to bite you in the face. Die vocal based on truth!
<b>DIE... Efficient</b>
We must begin to inculcate the spirit of excellence in whatever we do. In our places of work as we carry out our duties, we should strive to die in the place of efficiency. How can you improve your influence areas? In what better ways can you work? Stop cutting corners; it takes away our right to die willingly. Use the right tools; don’t compromise on quality, keep to approved standards. Apply all checks; nothing should be left to chance. Inefficiency is a destructive attitude that erodes the life line of our Nation.
<b>When we choose to die to self,
We take on the power to live against Corruption
When we choose to die an example,
We take on the power to live with Dignity
When we choose to die to serve,
We take on the power to live in Excellence
When we choose to die in accountability
We take on the power to live for Posterity
When we choose to die in obedience,
We take on the power to live for Greatness
When we choose to die to sacrifice,
We take on the power to live against Greed
When we choose to die to solution,
We take on the power to live in Prosperity
When we choose to die vocal,
We take on the power to live against Oppression
When we choose to die efficient,
We take on the power to live in Progress.</b>
We are at a crucial stage in our nation where “dying to save Nigeria” should be the norm, embraced with understanding and commitment, not a concept to be feared, viewed with contempt or treated with cynicism.
When we demand of ourselves to die willingly,
We take on our powers to live as citizens of a great Nation.
In Memory of Adobi Thelma Mojekwu (46), Ijeoma Onyiuke (39) and the countless lives needlessly lost as our Nation groans for our manifestation!
Rest In Peace... your memories hold us accountable.
SPICY 4Change June 2012Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-76886703493184461412012-04-13T19:19:00.002+02:002012-04-13T19:19:23.488+02:00Luci! Stoned in Port Harcourt!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
I was sad to hear the sad news (or is it stale already) that Luciano was stoned in Port Harcourt. I had to revert to the Oracle - "Holy Google" to point me in the right direction and voila - it was true... <a href="http://www.nairaland.com/830114/jamaican-reggae-star-luciano-stoned/2" target="_blank">Jamaican Reggae Star- Luciano, Stoned in Port Harcourt http://www.nairaland.com/830114/jamaican-reggae-star-luciano-stoned/2</a> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElC19x_TaVRlKH44XZVbvRi_GHk60kh8oiZ_9Hwttpd7jip9gOaDwp2pgjschrpDHgJAo-gbhJFtafI5KZhoUkxApj_vlCV7U0Ay-74-oMbolV2FUPGN1BMECFZRli0RBm4fj-CG06Hc/s1600/luciano_comforter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElC19x_TaVRlKH44XZVbvRi_GHk60kh8oiZ_9Hwttpd7jip9gOaDwp2pgjschrpDHgJAo-gbhJFtafI5KZhoUkxApj_vlCV7U0Ay-74-oMbolV2FUPGN1BMECFZRli0RBm4fj-CG06Hc/s1600/luciano_comforter.jpg" /></a></div>
Before I start ranting, let me establish that I am a serious lover of reggae music. I have followed it from the 70's... during the Ska days with early Bands like Justin Hughs & The Domino, The Wailing Wailers, Mighty Diamonds, The Pioneers, Toots & The Maytals, etc. Even when early exponents pushed the envelope and wents solo - Eric Donaldson, Bob Marley, Eddy Grant, Jimmy Cliff, etc. So when my mates were "break dancing" and "electric shocking", I was listening to artiste like Denis Brown, Gregory Issac, Don Carlos, Lovingdeer, Tiger, Tippa, UB40, Third World, Yellow Man, et el... and as reggae music evolved from "drum and Bass" to Ragga, and Lovers rock, I was there. My life was shaped and characterized by these small but mighty bands. By the 1980s ragga had caught on and I was sold. In 1988 after a short spell in the UK, I threw my comb away and turned Natty! I kept my dreadlocks until 1994 when I finally succumbed to societal pressure and cut it.<br />
<br />
All along, mot people around me could not understand why I loved this flavor of music - largely because they could not understand a word of what was been said. I lost a lot of girl friends who could not get rid of the "Ilapa lapa" cranking of my stereo. I called it exotic music because it was rare, one had to travel to get the Tapes, besides heavy weights whose hits had broken into main stream, there was no way to buy or hear authentic reggae in Nigeria. So real reggae was only known to a few - I remember my friends thought "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsHPc0jbHZQ&feature=fvst" target="_blank">House Call" (by Shabba Ranks featuring Maxi Priest</a>) was trash until it became a party anthem.<br />
<br />
Reggae has always appealed to me not just because it sounds good but like someone eloquently put it "they s[a]ng conscious tunes - songs that appeals to man's conscience". So much like Jazz, and Soul music it had a certain mood that is hard to explain - even allowing some artist to sing outside the musical scale, exploring the boundaries of their creativity, away from anything other genre could offer - take Papa <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVrwvCwK7gs" target="_blank">San's Maddy Maddy Cry </a>for instance. (if you don't laugh at this at some point, you are not normal!).<br />
<br />
The Jamaicans had invented a sound that appealed to the conscious man across the world. Considering that they are descendants of slaved Africans, they often look unto Africa as home - Mama Africa's calling, has brought several African/Caribbean/Americans to our shores thinking they are welcome. But their euphoria is often greeted with a surprise... lets go back memory lane.<br />
<br />
Jimmy Cliff came how to Nigeria and kissed the tar mark only to be thrown in Jail - on his return he sang a not so popular "Have you heard the news" and the popular "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGE4dnrPPZQ" target="_blank">The Harder they come</a>" expressing his disgust with the military government of Nigeria. Third World visited Nigeria in the early 80s and even after recording "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKRJlmqXPVY" target="_blank">Lagos Jump</a>" in Nigeria but they had a rough time during their tour of the country. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGQTRpoB0Cs&feature=fvst" target="_blank">Brand Nubian</a> came to Nigeria in the early 90's and was booed out of stage... several other musicians have come here only to be disgraced... 50 Cents, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUPrnu3BEU8&ob=av2e" target="_blank">Ashanti</a>, etc.<br />
<br />
So why all this nonsense you ask? Well I guess it might be that the average Nigerian has a sweet tooth for a unique kind of music, but their promoters have yet to key into it. I don't agree with that notion - even though it took a while for us to enter the scene with our own blend of music. Our so-called African-Hip-Hop is classified as Dancehall/reggae music (The same music Jamaicans are known for) and Nigerian artiste who are true to themselves like 2Face, Majek, etc will tell you their inspiration is Reggae.(This is not to say that there are no Rap or R&B Naija artiste). <br />
<br />
The big names in Nigeria who play our flavour are not known internationally. In fact CNN recently published a list of top African acts, and only 3 Nigerians made the list...<br />
<a href="http://9jabeats.com/ranking.php?mode=blog&message_id=685&row_template=news_page.tpl">http://9jabeats.com/ranking.php?mode=blog&message_id=685&row_template=news_page.tpl</a>. If the hundreds of Nigerian musicians who cater to this flavour are not known internationally, why then do event promoters keep bringing their foreign counterparts here? Our fans do not understand that by participating at such shows with big names, they are opening doors for the Nigerian artist. Tracy Chapman's fast climb to fame can be traced to her performance as an opening act for Tina Turner.<br />
<br />
I hear the Port Harcourt fans wanted the likes of Ras Kimono, Daddy Shokey, and Peter & Paul to play tunes they were used to, They could not understand what Luciano was saying... so they booed Luciano Out. Hear <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t4hz61VyVE&feature=related" target="_blank">Luciano - Poor Simple</a> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t4hz61VyVE&feature=related <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I know, l know... and you should know,<br /> It is better to be poor and simple, and your conscience set you free,<br /> than to be rich and living in agony,<br /> It is better to be poor and simple, and your mind is free, <br /> than to sell your souls for vanity,<br />
some all they want is silver and gold, diamonds and pearl the things of this world,<br /> they will do anything, they say anything, just to live the life of a king" - Luciano<br /> Some will say to be is a crime, but its better to be poor than rich with a filthy mind,<br /> becos of their crave and lust for vanity, they have no time and love for humanity...<br /> They are blind and can not see, what is ... when they are face to face with destiny<br />
but its better to be poor and simple... " - Luciano</blockquote>
Luciano is one of Jamaica greatest, he mellow gospel-reggae genre is not
that kind of music Nigerians, let alone the Port Harcourt crowd listen
to. Its like calling El Klugh to play at an Ajegunle show. Which Nigerian wants to hear things like that? What morals has this Christifarian got to preach to them on stage. They may be right though, in a society where money is worshiped, and evil and immoral people hold sway, why should they allow someone they paid to entertain them to preach to them - because preaching is what Luciano does. All his songs are gospel ragga. So I put the blame on the promoters and his manager - why should a promoter arrange such a gig and carry it to the masses. <br />
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In conclusion, Nigerians have to open up and look towards globalization - always doing things the Naija was does not work out well in the long run. Our ambassadors often disgrace us out there because they feel the world thinks with a "Naija" brain, they often can't communicate because they speak Naija English, we cant eat their food because it has no taste, we cant drive abroad because there is a whole set of International standards we are not aware of. While other nations think about practical ways of solving problems, we rely on gods and deities to rise and tackle our problems. I wrote a two part article about these wrong applications of standards in <a href="http://tantiblo.blogspot.com/2010/12/naija-majoring-minor-2.html" target="_blank">Nigeria - I titled it Nigeria, Majoring the minor.</a> I believe these problems are all hinged on misconceptions, miscommunication, wrong applications of theories and they all lend their small quota to making Nigeria financially and socially unattractive to the rest of the world.</div>Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-22549933497202213712012-04-02T14:05:00.000+02:002012-04-02T14:05:42.253+02:00Government Institutions VS the Cloud<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Executive Summary</b><br />Cloud computing is the new buzz word on the internet and seen as the key to the future of IT services. Because it is still an emerging trend, its definition is still a bit hazy, however the cloud is simply a virtual data center shared by several organizations. Cloud applications involve multiple customers sharing application, even though they only have access to their own data.<br /><br />No doubt, there are several business intelligence advantages derivable from operating in the cloud that allows for powerful combination of high-assurance remote serve integrity and cryptographic protocols that are consistent with policies, whether within the enterprise or in the cloud. To the most part, they mostly lend themselves to small and medium scale corporations who want to save money and infrastructure. Yet these advantages do not at this point in the maturity matrix of cloud sourcing, out-weight the inherent dangers of adopting such an emerging trend for public regulatory institutions such as Central Banks.<br /><br />These inherent dangers underscore the well documented fear of being at the “Bleeding Edge” of technology. Complications experienced by early adopters of emerging trends in IT are well documented. Cloud computing has unique attributes that are fraught with security risks, smart customers should err on the side of caution and reappraise their dream of being on the Cloud.<br /><br />This paper explains in simple terms, the idea of the Cloud sourcing, the advantages accruable to implementing it, against the backdrop of recent developments and Federal Governments desire to adopt a portal service hosted on the cloud. It also details the pit falls and explains why other public and government institutions have shied away from doing the same. <br /><br />Cloud computing has unique attributes that require risk assessment in areas such as data integrity, At the forefront of this challenges is that of the security of sensitive data and information stored in countries where we have no legal jurisdiction on how these data is used or managed.<br /><br />There is no better cautionary statement to set the tone like <br /><br />“I am nervous to host corporate information on someone else’s server? Yes, even if its Google” – Shukry Tiab. There are several reasons experts’ advice caution in moving to “cloudosphere”. Some identified risks include;<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Loss of service if your provider has downtime or goes out of business.</li>
<li>Regulatory problems when critical data is stored internationally.</li>
<li>Security concerns when users lose control of how their data is protected.</li>
<li>One-sided service agreements that give clients little redress in the event of a calamity, acquisitions, etc.</li>
<li>Lock-in dependency on proprietary cloud applications.</li>
</ul>
Early on in the evolution of any new technology, there are concern about how it will be used. These concerns are what is termed “Privacy Hump” – they represent a barrier to the acceptance and adoption of a potentially intrusive technology… if the business case for the technology is strong, the hump may fade over time – that time has not come yet for Cloud sourcing and the Government Institutions.<br /><br /><b>Preamble</b><br />In furtherance of its mandate to provide support to the Board of an apex regulator through the monitoring of the decisions of the Board and assurance of the highest level of oversight for internal and public complaints and managing, (from creation to archival), all their documents. The Department that manages the Board recently launched a portal service for the Board.<br /><br />This portal designed by messers Digital Board Book Limited is accessible via the internet to all members and accords them the ease of collaborating with other members regardless of where they are in the world. <br /><br />While these may be laudable objectives, we are of the opinion the regulator may have inadvertently by coerced into approving the deployment of sensitive Board decisions to the Cloud. The paper tries to draw the attention of the regulator to the huge risk associated with the cloud and government sensitive information. More especially as the President of the federation has recently directed that a similar portal be developed for the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the Government.<br /><br /><b>Introduction</b><br />What is the Cloud? <br />Ostensibly, most people think the cloud is the same as the internet. The name cloud is inspired by the cloud symbol often used to represent the internet in diagrams and workflow, but that is where the similarity ends… it is more complicated than that. <br /><br />The definition of the cloud is still hazy, but the Guardian defined it as “a means of putting more of your materials out ‘there’ and the less on you PC or Server” while the US National Institute of Standards and Technology defined it as “a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction”.<br /><br />These services are broadly divided into three categories; <br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Infrastructure-As-a-Service (IaaS),</li>
<li>Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and</li>
<li>Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)</li>
</ul>
Early on in the life of any technology, there are concern about how these technologies will be used. These concerns are what is termed “Privacy Hump” – they represent a barrier to the acceptance and adoption of a potentially intrusive technology… if the business case for the technology is strong, the hump may fade over time – that time has not come yet for Cloud sourcing and the Government Institutions.<br /><br /><b>Who is the Cloud meant for?</b><br />It is perhaps too easy to start using a cloud service – that’s exactly how it is designed to be. It is easier to setup a Yahoo, Gmail, or American Online account than installing and running an exchange server. However, while the later is more expensive to maintain, it can be easily controlled to protect sensitive data for an enterprise. – Cloud sourcing easily lends itself to small, medium companies who do not wish to incur, waste or underutilize resources, be it monetary or otherwise. <br /><br />Presently cloud computing is been embraced by private businesses as a means of saving cost on computer hardware. Cost saving has been identified as the single most important factor for cloud computing services. Most public institutions are slow in embracing the technology as there has to be a strong case of cost savings aligned to security of sensitive data. <br /><br /><b>What is preventing its early adoption?</b><br />Security of sensitive data remains the major concern for public institutions the world over. One myth that cloud computing is sold on is that though it is a shared service, it can be implementation independent. But in reality, due to the “Openness of the Internet” and its inscribed transparency, industry regulatory compliance is another kettle of fish. The following section summarizes the challenges of adopting Cloud sourcing.<br /><br /><b>Current Concerns</b><br />The question is, can multi-tenant services ever be as secure as your own server? Concerns are beginning to grow about just how safe an environment the cloud is for holding sensitive data and information. Analysts warn that the cloud is becoming particularly attractive to cyber crooks. Reformed hacker, Michael Calce agrees that trouble looms ahead if companies fail to apply the right security measures. <br /><br /><b>Standards & Regulations</b><br />There are No Regulations and Standards when using or implementing cloud computing due to lack of long-term experience. This exposes other unique challenges such as follows:-<br /><br /><b>Privileged User Access.</b><br />Sensitive data that is processed outside the enterprise brings with it an inherent risk that it may fall into the “wrong Hands”. The most prominent issue in cloud services is security of user data as the user has no control over its business data files containing valuable information. This is because a proper security model for cloud computing has not yet been developed. <br /><br /><b>Contractual Obligations</b><br />Managing problems with another companies infrastructure is not practical due to a mis-alignment of interests. I cite Amazons “Non-Assertion” terms of reference. Other contractual gaps are:-<br /><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Dependency:<br />Cloud services make the user totally dependent on the Cloud Service Provider. The user is denied control on quality and maintenance issues and plays no role in back up and disaster recovery activities. They level of dependency is so high that the user existence is tied to the financial health of the cloud service provider. If the CSP goes under, the user’s business goes with it. This lack of control means that if a user decides to terminate his contract with the service provider, there is no way the user will ensure the provider does not retain his data in his database.<br /></li>
<li>Data/Information Location<br />Another security issue is that physical location of hardware and software is unknown making site inspections and audits difficult.<br /></li>
<li>Cost and Flexibility:<br />There is presently no customization of product as the whole essence is for many businesses to store data within the same environment. There is also the likelihood of hidden cost such as compliancy regulations, backup, restore, disaster recovery and problem solving costs been introduced by the CSP.<br /></li>
<li>Legislation:<br />Users of cloud services don't know where their information is held which raises the question of loyalty by the Cloud Service Provider. The danger this poses can be highlighted by considering the America laws such as the US Patriot Act which empowers government and other agencies to access information including that belonging to companies as long as this information is held by companies operating within the United States. A subpoena or legal action can compel a cloud provider to give up sensitive information/data. This is further exuberated by the widespread use of freedom of information acts in the west.<br /><br />It also entails that critical information could be moved across boundaries without the knowledge of the user. Legal implications of data and applications being held by a third party are complex and not clearly understood. Potential risk of giving up sensitive data due to transparency.<br /><br />Contractual commitments to obey local privacy requirements across international jurisdiction is a burning issue for providers of sensitive information.<br /></li>
<li>Long-term Viability:<br />Moose law suggests the fast pace of technological development, with cloud in its infancy, and there are little known information about the requirements and conditions for implementing and managing service level agreements contracts with CSPs. This hands the advantage to CSPs and exposes the user in case of disagreements in SLA. chances are that CSP will increase, small providers maybe bought over by new ones, leaving clients with few options.<br /></li>
<li>Provider Espionage:<br />Espionage may not seem like a threat to a public regulatory institution, But it is however expedient that confidentiality and availability of the data and information be assured at all times. <br />Data in the cloud is typically in a shared environment with other customers. Enforcing encryption across such a complex terrain is impractical considering that other customer may want avoid it due to its disruptive nature.<br /><br />Auditability of a distributed and dynamic application spread all over the globe is not practical and may not satisfy auditors that data is properly isolated and cannot be viewed by the wrong persons. One popular audit guideline is tha SAS 70 – it defines guidelines for the assess internal controls over processing of sensitive information. Other guidelines like the SOX and HIPAA. US government agencies are mandated to follow these guidelines.<br /><br />There have been well publicized accounts of cloud outages, down time of critical applications and services. When compared to traditional forms of investigative support, forensics in the cloud face huge difficulties if even possible. The scale of the cloud and the rate at which data is overwritten is of concern due to the logging and data for multiple customers often co-located and spread across an ever changing set of host and data centers.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Suggestions on The way forward:</b><br />The Board Book Portal Project has come a long way, a compelling business need that justifies its creation are well noted, however it is clear that the proper project initialization processes have not been followed leading to the unwitty decision to host on a public cloud. It is therefore expedient that a more detailed look is taken at the portal to ensure that sensitive board decisions are protected. This is even more crucial as the Presidency has muted its desire to adopt the same portal service for the Federal Executive Council of Nigeria.<br /><br />We therefore recommend as follows: The legal and IT departments of the regulator conduct a due diligent exercises; Read and fully understand the legislation, reasonability and terms of both providers and users in case of loss of sensitive data.<br /><br /><b>Create Internal/Private Clouds or utilities:</b><br />The quest to use the Cloud is on for several public institutions, Most countries opt for a private cloud with more consistent and controlled governance to mitigate the identified risk enumerated above. <br /><br />The UK government is setting up its own cloud to make savings of up to £3.2bn – a 20% reduction in costs. The UK government is working to build its own secured cloud called GCloud while the US government is working to build its own cloud called GovCloud. Both governments are avoiding the commercial environments primarily because of security concerns. Both governments have also identified savings of over $3b in computer hardware and software purchases over the next few years.<br /><br />According to the analyst Gartner – the first step before committing to cloud source is to Seek security assessment from a neutral third party to assess the security risks associated with the present CSP. An external IT audit may signal how secure these cloud providers facilities are, and will no doubt suggest how trivial information should be published on the portal.<br /><br />Proper project initiation processes be followed for all strategic projects such as this. This will ensure that all stakeholders are carried along and properly enrolled, as it has a significant impact on the quality of the project execution.<br /><br />Government should determine security and privacy requirements, develop standards, gather data, and benchmark costs and performance against risks and trust.<br /><br /><b>Conclusion:</b><br />Cloud computing technologies have not reached maturity. Users are at the mercy of their cloud service providers for the availability and integrity of their data. Presently cloud computing is been used mostly by private firms, while public sector explores creating private Cloudscapes to protect sensitive government information.<br /><br />In order for government institutions to embrace cloud technology, there is need to determine the business needs and benefits of cloud services and its fit with our policies, processes and legislation. <br /><br />Thank You.</div>
</div>Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-14872355290251636142012-03-23T11:14:00.000+01:002012-03-23T11:27:02.095+01:00The Harmonization of Salaries in the Federal Civil Service<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I have always maintained. Democracy, as practiced in the world today,
is too expensive. Lets join the rest of the progressive world who are
seriously trying to apply technology to bring government closer to their
people - Direct Governance.<br />
<br />
You may recall that on December 20th 2010, on the heels of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor
of the Central bank revelation that the National
Assembly appropriates over 25% of the national budget. I published an
article titled <a href="http://tantiblo.blogspot.com/2010/12/who-let-dogs-out.html">Who Let The Dogs Out</a> and <a href="http://tantiblo.blogspot.com/2010/12/say-no-to-looting-of-nigeria.html" target="_blank">Say No to looting of Nigeria</a>. Both articles addressed the gulf between the rich and the poor and reflected on my view on "<a href="http://tantiblo.blogspot.com/2010/11/promise-is-comfort-to-fool.html">A Promise is comfort to a fool..</a>"
which focused on Labors strike on minimum wage. In those articles, I suggested that labor should go a step
further and ask a downward review of the "Maximum Wage".<br />
<br />
A lot has happened since then, Nigerians have become increasingly aware of what is going on. In deed, this awareness has had a rob-on-effect on the business as usual in all three arms of Government. A cursory look at news today, tells you of all sorts of public hearing into very elaborate in-your-face corruption. From the NNPC, Central Bank of Nigeria, Security and Exchange Commission, to the Nigerian Police Force. These are all welcomed developments and attest to the fact that we can change if we really want to. As long as prosecution of those found guilty is not swept under the carpet, the slow and sure journey towards state building has begun.<br />
<br />
I was therefore happy to read in the dailies that <a href="http://africanspotlight.com/2012/03/nigeria-fed-govt-to-reduce-salaries-of-public-servants/" target="_blank">a committee has been setup to review "Downwards" the salaries of public servants. (http://africanspotlight.com/2012/03/nigeria-fed-govt-to-reduce-salaries-of-public-servants/) </a>The harmonization of salaries in the federal civil service is expected to reduce the strain of recurrent expenditure and produce an acceptable public salary structure. Hopefully the state governments will borrow a leaf and do the same.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-41653930902346224952012-03-16T13:16:00.001+01:002012-03-16T13:35:56.085+01:00What the F*#!# is Kony 2012?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The tweets and pings all over "Social Networkdom" went crazy this week about the Invincible Children's viral video on YouTube (With over 76million views). The on video was about Joseph Kony - a renegade war lord in East Africa and leader of the "Lord Resistance Army" (LRA).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciSKS4uPTCQcmEF0MDpRTDWaeRqauciOuMnGhBZIbb3o8h91WY8GuRpQzrTqStaChXQ0vNnbwWRSQlN7SRhP2TlBhGv_IcdZgbUktqWdriYqO9gFYZBa2ai0lu0Toadhx5tMBeQiFTI8/s1600/Kony2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciSKS4uPTCQcmEF0MDpRTDWaeRqauciOuMnGhBZIbb3o8h91WY8GuRpQzrTqStaChXQ0vNnbwWRSQlN7SRhP2TlBhGv_IcdZgbUktqWdriYqO9gFYZBa2ai0lu0Toadhx5tMBeQiFTI8/s320/Kony2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I learned about Kony in a documentary on "Child Soldiers" several years ago and was appalled to learn that something as bad as that was happening in our time. <br />
<br />
War is a bad enterprise and history tells us that many a nations were built on prosecuting war. History also tells us that child conscription has always been a tool in the war lords hands - from Hitlers Youths, to LRA child soldiers. Little wonder why the International Court for Criminal Justice was set up to haunt down and prosecute the like of Kony. Ten years on, the ICC has only recently prosecuted its first suspect.<br />
<br />
Not wanting to be left behind, I watched the viral video and couldn't help but notice the well scripted dialogue and the powerful effects that surly have helped it attain the status of the most viral video on earth (so far). These are the hallmarks of a well funded program. - As my people say, "Better Soup, na money kill am". There was no doubt in my mind that I had to be part of this cause. That I had to lend my little quota to ensure the success of this dream. Only thing that held me back was the fact that I could not pay with my Nigerian debit card. <br />
<br />
A casual research into the Kony 2012 over the internet threw up counter claims on the matter both from within Africa/Uganda (See <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ8q1fEqYIM&feature=relmfu" target="_blank">Kony 2012 is Bullshit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ8q1fEqYIM&feature=relmfu</a> ) and in the United States (see KONY 2012 ~ <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J2P4Diu-TM&feature=related" target="_blank">A Powerful SCAM? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J2P4Diu-TM&feature=related</a>). While it is clear that LRA perpetrated criminal acts in the past
by abducting, raping and conscripting children into war, what is not clear is
weather it is a scam for the Vincible Children.<br />
<a href="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/science/kony2012-wide.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/science/kony2012-wide.png" width="320" /></a><br />
Typical of me, I choose not to dwell on
the above issue but rather consider other matters relating to it. One interesting thing that is coming out of all this is that this is a ploy for AFRICOM (The African command of the US military) to invade Africa. See <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv4UwyGFKks&feature=related" target="_blank">Infowars.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv4UwyGFKks&feature=related</a>. Yet another take on it is the discovery of oil in Uganda, and like moth to a flame - US goes where the Oil rigs go. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xYL5bPIVmg&feature=related" target="_blank">See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xYL5bPIVmg&feature=related</a>) The concluding part of the Koni 2012 video bears it all for those who have eyes and ears to see (or hear) - They give you 3 choices, 3 choices that ensure that the money comes to the Invincible Children. The emotional burden to make the right choice is heavy but there you have it, the choice is yours. What do you believe?<br />
<br />
What I see clearly is that the instability of erstwhile peaceful countries is fast eroding. From Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Libya, Algeria, Egypt, to Nigeria... I see a reoccurring decimile in all these stories coming out of Africa - AFRICOMs and the US governments ploy to gain a foothold is repeating itself in every minor conflict in Africa. <br />
<br />
I know that there is no smoke without fire, so does the romour that the US strategy to kick China out of Africa be destabilizing all would-be trade partners hold any water? Is there really a concerted efforts by the western nations to destabilize Africa? Is the present chaotic religious and social upheavals in Nigeria connected in anyway to all of these? Those are the thought on my mind this hour, what are you thinking?</div>Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-10152939559387036992012-01-26T09:41:00.000+01:002012-01-27T15:00:25.277+01:00Sucker Punch! What a big laugh it would be when...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is a follow up article from one I started a few days ago and published as “<a href="http://www.tantiblo.blogspot.com/2012/01/sucker-punch-what-big-laugh-it-would-be.html">Sucker Punch! What a big laugh it would be if...</a> “ (<a href="http://tantiblo.blogspot.com/2012/01/sucker-punch-what-big-laugh-it-would-be.html">http://tantiblo.blogspot.com/2012/01/sucker-punch-what-big-laugh-it-would-be.html</a>) Its like everything is now on hyper-drive and I am finding it difficult to keep up with the unfolding events. Only this weekend (13th – 15th January 2012) several accounts of the link between Boko Haram, American involvement and the Oil Subsidy wahala has come to light. But lets start from where I stopped, describing the five conspiracy theories.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Conspiracy Theory No. 1 – Divine Intervention; The invincible hand of God.</b></u><br />
Nigerians are a super spiritual society, be it Islam, Christianity or otherwise. We believe the almighty is forever working in our favor even when we are doing wrong. Little wonder why many people will tell you that as far as the oil subsidy is concerned “… all things worketh for good for those who trust God”. For those who think along this line, I say, there-in lies the problem of Old Nigeria, and we will put this to type of thinking to rest. I say Old because, for the first time in living memory, we are not calling for 2 weeks dry fasting and endless, pointless and fruitless prayers for our corrupt leaders.<br />
<br />
In support of this theory, I would say that though I am not a man of faith like most, it is very plausible that a divine intervention of some sort is at play, considering the manner through which our leaders have come and gone these few years. Some have stepped aside, mounted, dropped dead or dismounted is peculiar circumstances. To the uninitiated - unfaithful coincidence orchestrated by the hidden hand of the “Cabal” and their foreign Frenemies (Friend + Enemy), but to the average pious Nigerian it is evidence of Gods ultimate plan at work. So when on that faithful Thursday May 6th 2010 when Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was sworn in as president, Nigerians from all works of life saw the ‘Messiah’, the one who would finally set things a right. It must have been a premonition to have named the son of a canoe carver - a boy without shoes “Goodluck”. This leave one wondering why then are we not satisfied with the messiahs approach. The second conspiracy theory clarifies why.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Conspiracy Theory 2 – Honest Truth; The Government is broke.</b></u><br />
The second school of thought is the one the executive arm of government wants us to believe. That after groping in the dark and implementing several self-servicing policies, government is now serious and desirous of a better life for the masses. However, they have therefore come up with a strategy to shore up the much needed funds by cutting off an unnecessary burden that has limited government’s efforts to provide basic infrastructure for Nigerians over the years. - The PMS subsidy. <br />
<br />
In support of this theory - The subsidy issue must be sincere, little wonder why several attempts by previous administrations have been made to remove it. The Obasanjo administration made several attempts and succeeded in the removal of all tolls on federal roads and a partial removal disguised as a petroleum tax. The Yar’ Adua Administration tightened the noose another notch through further deregulation. This is the reason why the Jonathan administration is hell bent on actualizing it and unwittingly plunging the masses into untold hardship. They tell us it is the only way out. In fact by implication the CBN governor says Nigeria will have no future unless this subsidy is removed. Several countries are already implementing this - Guinea, Chad, and just recently Ghana.<br />
<br />
But wait a moment you ask, Who’s idea is all this. Isn’t the IMF behind all this? Is Mrs. Okonjo Iweala doing the bidding of her primary constituency? I just saw an account that says IMF ordered the removal of subsidy. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqtzh206ymA&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqtzh206ymA&feature=youtu.be</a>) …but Lamido Sanusi is his poignant interviews seems to take responsibility for the subsidy removal. “… Subsidies have been paid, but we couldn’t see the money either as product in tank farms or in fuel stations or credit sales. So I became obsessed with trying to understand how the industry operated, the more I looked the more hated it and I started the war against subsidies…” Still another article suggests that Deizani Ordered the subsidy removal (http://www.punchng.com/news/diezani-ordered-subsidy-removal-investigation/ ). So within movement circles it is quite difficult to understand the true source of this policy. Any observant listener can see and hear this incoherent logic on the face and voices of all the supporters of this policy. One point worth mentioning is the fact that several countries in the region are presently implementing this policy tells anyone that this directive is coming from one source – IMF.<br />
<br />
It is pertinent to state here that the “Cabal” is multi-faceted and made up of nameless, faceless individuals. The Power mongers – those that think the country belongs to them - the king makers. The Economic Monopolists, – those who corner the market to enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. The oil subsidy issue has more to do with the economic monopolist than anyone else, the “Lambs” the stay quiet like hawks with a keen eye on the prize, they control electric power, transportation, commodity market, and oil product importation. They are the forces that control the trajectory of FG policies in these areas. For example, Dangote has always had the special legal reserve to import every item the Government doesn’t want others to. From rice, sugar, salt, to cement. One thing I have not been able to understand is the fact that they claim that they want to deliver better infrastructure and strangle this “Cabal” when on the same token, the so called “Cabal” stands to gain from an increased pump price of fuel. This is the singular reason why the 20 companies licensed to build private refineries have refused to build their private refineries several years after being licensed. While the size of this clandestine outfit may be small, there are several wanna-be members of the Cabal who offer their services for free with a hope that they be counted among the powers that be. For convenience in this article, I will refer to all as the “Cabal”.<br />
<br />
Besides what they are telling us, and all the facts that are coming to light, there is no clear evidence that this is clearly a genuine case – that the government means well, especially when you match all these against the back drop that for obvious reasons, no World Bank, IMF initiated policies have work in Nigeria (or elsewhere for that matter). If you are wondering what the original concept of these international financial institutions, I refer you to YouTube.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Conspiracy Theory No. 3 – The Usual Suspects; Politicians want to “Share the money”.</b></u><br />
That leave us with the obvious - corruption. The history of Nigeria is fraught with unkept promises from the ruling class – military or civil. So it is no surprise why people are skeptical whenever government makes overtures. Neither the politicians nor their enforcers keep to their promise. Even worse, our brown envelope chasing media, do not manage the issues well by effectively reminding them of what they said in the past. Nigerians are angry because of mismanagement of our commonwealth. The gap between the rich and the poor is so wide. Government is keenly aware of this as Mrs Okonjo Iweala puts it “We want Nigerians to give us a chance. We know there is lack of confidence in government. We need to rebuild the trust. Even those of us in government are tired of complaining. We can’t succeed without you. Give us chance to perform and see if we can make that change”.<br />
<br />
Ostensibly, with the increasing number of people speaking up in favor of this one would come away with the idea that this is for real, but from my own observation, most of these people have not facts and have failed to look back at history to prove their point, Leopards don’t change their spots. The Jonathan government is a continuation of the same old people who have robbed this country blind. “Problems cannot be solved by the same level of understanding that created them.” Even more interesting is the fact that some people seem to support the policy because they believe that it makes them look smarter than the next man, no doubt the issues has created more beer parlor discus than one can imagine with everybody trying hard to make sense of the nonsense. Even the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) has hurriedly put up several debates in a bid to drum up support, but the die has already been cast and the increasing numbers at the protest grounds is an indicator that their ploy is not working. So for me, theory No 3 has no basis or yardstick to judge by. <br />
<br />
If the government is not sincere, and the politicians are not looking to make fat, What other forces could be at work? <br />
<br />
<u><b>Conspiracy Theory No. 4 – The Bear & the Eagle; Uncle Sam is at it again.</b></u><br />
Not too long ago a retired diplomat predicted that the country Nigeria will seize to exist by the year 2015. He was only making public what has been an inside secret, known to only a few before then - among the United States security agencies. If you know anything about western history and how the world affairs have been run since the dawn of time, the ideas behind this theory are not farfetched. Evidence of the activities of countries, and sometimes individuals in the downfall of several third-world nations abound. In 2004 we heard how Margaret Thatcher’s son had orchestrated a bloody coup in our back yard, if he had succeeded, all the lucrative oil deals would go his way while a puppet sits in the presidential villa, with the nod of Washington and Downing Street.<br />
<br />
The series of events that preceded this "Occupy Nigeria" all support of the theory.<br />
<br />
Love it or hate it, the West is a war mongering society built on the blood of other ‘backward’ societies. What matters most to them is the glory of being victorious at what seemingly many cannot clearly see. Despite the failure, the two gulf wars and present Iraq and Afghan campaign created jobs for teeming American men & women. The payment of war receipts continues to fuel their economy while the host country suffers…and Billions of foreign exchange for the country, all these ensures that the corporate America functions.<br />
<br />
One account has it that Boko Haram has become a tool for secret agents who wish to ferment trouble in Nigeria. All its leaders have been carefully eliminated, and remaining field foot soldiers rendered impotent. The UN bombing in August 2011 could well be a deliberate attempt to make the security problem in Nigeria am international one, thus opening up the door for NATO and the United States African Command (AFRICOM). Little wonder why until recently, there have been little or no inroads towards apprehending the culprits. AFRICOM has gained a foothold in Africa. They have already carried out military exercise to test how they would react to the Nigerian disintegration amidst civil war. Their plan is to defend their interest in the south-south with over 20,000 troops. So every wrong move will give them the pretext they need to come in.<br />
<br />
The following is an excerpt from the summary of the war games “There is clearly no real interest to control the activities of Boko Haram because of vested interest of certain foreign government in collision with their agents in the present administration and the country. Most Nigerians are cowards, anyway kill a few Nigerians Christians and make it look like Christianity against Islam to provoke a reaction from Nigerians. If you get no reaction, kill a few more or go after a prime target to grab headlines.” <br />
<br />
If this scenario sounds too absurd, then you should read further...(<a href="http://www.nilebowie.blogspot.com/">http://www.nilebowie.blogspot.com</a>). Think about it, they plan ahead, and Nigeria has been targeted for a long time. In such a short time, Nigeria has crept into the guild of terrorist nation where people blow up themselves in the streets. Gradually Nigeria has become a lexicon for extreme religious fundamentalists. Take time out to read the bombshell Bombshell: Nigeria: Targeted for Destruction – (<a href="http://www.google.com.ng/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=Nigeria+targeted+for+destruction&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.africanoutlookonline.com%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D3269%3Abombshell-nigeria-targeted-for-destruction%26catid%3D99%3Aoutlookscroller&ei=_iATT-uGG5SA8gPZuNzpAw&usg=AFQjCNHdEs5HR1bs1GNJzjilZQE509cbtQ" target="_blank">Read Here</a>) and you understand why everything seems to be skewed towards actualizing 2015. How will they achieve this you ask? Well they have everything at their disposal. The IMF and World Bank (through their Hit ‘Wo’men) to implement a contractor policy that will impoverish the people, A renegade fundamentalist group through which chaos can be created and the religious bodies and their blotted leadership to aggravate hostilities or in the case of the Christian cow them into submission and finally a weak leadership that allows itself to do the bidding of foreign powers. This theory is very plausible. Nigeria may well be the next theater for American warfare. <br />
<br />
I would have rested here if I didn’t have this hope that Nigeria will be great again. Something inside me is not quite settled on the account of the President. I have watched with embarrassment how Patience and her husband conduct themselves and wondered why anyone would humiliate themselves in such a manner. Eventually I drew my conclusion and came up with theory no. 5. <br />
<br />
<u><b>Conspiracy Theory 5 – Sucker Punch! Jonah is no fool after all.</b></u><br />
This conspiracy is not so much a conspiracy as it is a prayer. Much like a careful but deliberate act that will take advantage of the whole gamut of issues in the present situation and ensure that theory 1 and 2 come true. What is this theory? <br />
<br />
Contrary to what many people think, Jonathan like any right thinking Nigerian knows that unraveling corruption in Nigeria is not a simple matter. The unseen hand of the cabal that pulls the string of the Federal Government stretches from security and law enforcement agencies, through the judiciary and all the way to foreign government. It is not something any single person can tackle; it is not an easy fix.<br />
<br />
Secondly, Jonathan is an outsider, and only found himself at the helm due to circumstances plus his docile and unassuming persona. By now he should have also discovered that if he is serious about fighting corruption, the forces he has to destroy are one and the same forces that brought to… or allowed him to ascend to the highest office of the land. <br />
<br />
Since he cannot bite the finger(s) that feed him, he has decided that this fight will not be his own, but that of the masses. That is why he has seemingly made all the wrong moves that will ensure that the people are angry enough to come out on the street and assert their right. Accounts have it that he even refuses to attend the meeting whit the NLC. BY so doing, the people will ask for the right thing and the government will have no option but to heed to their call. <br />
<br />
Now there is a down side to all this, when will the other parties realize that this is what is going on? And how will they react? If the government does not renege on its stand tonight (as I expect) then we can say that this theory will surely be allowed to play out to its full extent. And we must go out there and demand for all the fixes we have always wanted. From obvious things like investigation and prosecution of the Cabal to the Sovereign National conference. Nigerians all over the world are ready to lend thie voice. We will push the envelope further. I am not alone, a few other people also think like this (even if unconsciously) hear Okay Ndibe wrote “We, the people of Nigeria, ought to seize this moment to define the terms of the debate. Let's not waste this opportunity to roll back the organized fraud in Nigeria that enables the president, governors, ministers, legislators, local government chairmen/councilors to live like emperors--at the expense of the rest of us. Labor leaders and workers as well as professional associations ought to insist on removal of the scams called security vote and constituency allowance; that Jonathan sell off the planes in the presidential fleet (bloody hell, Nigerian officials ought to travel commercial!); drastically reduce ministerial portfolios; ban foreign medical trips for Nigerian officials (if they're "transforming" Nigeria, as they claim, they must enjoy the same medical services as other Nigerians); remove the immunity clause that protects criminals in office; institute part time legislatures (where law makers are paid allowances for the days they sit); identify, prosecute and jail the fuel marketers (and their bureaucratic enablers) who have defrauded Nigerians through inflated fuel subsidy claims etc, etc.” (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=322763301088939&id=100000658158424">http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=322763301088939&id=100000658158424</a>)<br />
<br />
In support of the theory, this explains why GEJ has acted accordingly… Notice how he waited until the supreme court ruled in his favor for all hell to break loose? Oblivious of the security threats of Boko Haram, and even declaring that they had infiltrated the security ranks. He was silent of the fact that agents of international financial institutions (Iweala, Aganga, Sanusi) have also closed in. So do not be surprised if GEJ does not heed the call of the people, or send out the hounds after them. Do not be surprised that he takes a hard stand. Let us leverage this opportunity to wrestle our freedom out of the hands of a few.</div>Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-33909109176768856802012-01-15T17:11:00.001+01:002012-01-15T17:12:30.885+01:00Sucker Punch! What a big laugh it would be if...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
2012 did not come with the pomp and pageantry that marks
every new year. I have been quite for the past few months, but I have watched
with keen interest, the gradual but imminent revolution that is seizing my
nation – Nigeria. At last we can say for certain that today the 14<sup>th</sup>
January 2012 we stand at the door post of our revolution and history beckons.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is very important that we stand back and assess what has
transpired in the past few weeks. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Christmas day bombing of a Catholic Church in Madala,
Suleja (near Abuja) marked the beginning of a series of events that will shake
the foundations of this country leading to a reawaking of the masses to assert
their fundamental rights and demand [for the first time in Nigeria’s history]
that their leaders be accountable to the Masses, the people. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will not bore you with the details of the events that
brought us here, because several interesting articles of have been writing
about them. The national debate on why Nigerians should support governments move
to remove the oil subsidy (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7mFz6dlqug&sns=fb">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7mFz6dlqug&sns=fb</a>).
The passage of the 2012 fiscal budget.
The Christmas day bombing and subsequent sporadic killings in Northern
and Southern Nigeria (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zye0qajNTLc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zye0qajNTLc</a>). The declaration of
a state of emergency in several local government areas in the North East. The
“Surprise” removal of Oil Subsidy on the eve of the New Year and its attendant
direct effects on the livelihood of common masses. And the subsequent on-going
strike action called by the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union
Congress (TUC).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I scroll through the interesting SMS’s, blogs and tweets
of friends and family, it is very clear that the masses are tired of the same
stories all over again. From where I
seat, the motivations are diverse; whose story are you buying? The governments
story; as eloquently expounded by Central Bank Governor Mallam Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi and IMFs “Economic Hit Woman” and Nigeria's’ Hon. Minister for Finance, Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala? Or, are you on the masses side - with civil society, activists
and the labor who demand the subsidy reinstatement? Perhaps there is yet another
set of people who do not care about subsidy but would love to see a more concerted
effort towards changing the way Nigeria is governed (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAoLBCmB_Ms&sns=fb">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAoLBCmB_Ms&sns=fb</a>).
Regardless of what group you belong to, we can all agree that what we want is
to see progress, for ourselves and for the nation and our children yet unborn. However, what is not clear is the motivation,
why are some on the street, while others declare an electronic crusade in
support of the government? I have not yet read any article that clearly sorts
out the various schools of thought that abound concerning the situation in the
country yet if you read in between the lines of our leaders are doing, one
might make an inference and that is exactly what this piece will try to
address. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Being such a paranoid mind, I have decided to briefly
examine all these conspiracy theories in a bid to make sense of the situation –
Some are clear and straight forward, while others are mere blue sky thinking - I
have made sure to take every aspect of our present problem into consideration;
The Islamic fundamentalist sect - Boko Haram, Removal of the PMS subsidy, the
plight of the Nigerian masses, The existence of the so called “Cabal”, the
silence of the lambs, and the passion with which some government officials
speak about the issue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>
Conspiracy Theory No. 1 – Divine Intervention; The
invincible hand of God.</li>
<li>
Conspiracy Theory 2 – Honest Truth; The Government is broke.</li>
<li>
Conspiracy Theory No. 3 – The Usual Suspects; Politicians
want to “Share the money”.</li>
<li>
Conspiracy Theory No. 4 – The Bear & the Eagle; Uncle
Sam is at it again.</li>
<li>
Conspiracy Theory 5 – Sucker Punch! Jonah is no fool after
all.</li>
</ol>
... to be completed tomorrow </div>Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-10747429993268041972011-08-01T15:23:00.006+02:002011-08-01T16:37:55.251+02:00Mobile Digital Inclusion; a Paradox of Poverty & Technological Determinism<blockquote>"...the Future Is Already Her! It’s Just Not Very Evenly Distributed!!”<br />— Richard Heeks</blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Preamble</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mpape Top-up</span><br />For all it is worth, one thing that has always baffled me as a young Nigerian, has been the tenacity and ingenuity displayed by my fellow countrymen. As a student in the early 90s, I wondered why all the petty traders sold the same seasonal fruits. Like a “seasonal harvest-sales culture” When it was the orange season, all the women would sell oranges, and when it was the cashew season, all of them would sell same. I couldn’t imagine how not one thought to create a niche market, by going solo to do something different.<br /><br />Now as before, almost 2 decades on, I wondered why he was sitting there, in front of me. His wares cast to one side like he really didn’t care about them. He held in one hand, his head - aching... and in the other, he rubbed his leg – tired from walking the hot dusty streets of Abuja. One glance at his foot told me all there was to this drama. He had bruised his toes. I took pity on him, he couldn’t have been more than 13 years old, yet out of the dare need to feed, he had taken this “noble” cause to bring a top-up service to my phone. I felt sorry – and enquired how much it would cost to buy up all he had to sell, to enable him return home to nurse his busted toes. N5000 [1] he responded – I paid, he walked. I hoped he would rest, at least for today. But shocked I was, to learn he had limped off only to reappear with yet another batch – to continue in his toil to make ends meet on the sidewalks of Mpape[2].<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Introduction</span><br />Changes in society as a result of increased international trade and cultural exchange, often called globalisation, have always had a significant impact on organisations and their Information Systems (IS). These changes are beginning to reopen research concerns in the area of development. These changes are contingent on the rapid inundation of IT in to less developing world. – leading to Development 2.0.<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"...belle first[3]”<br />— An Africa Urban Cliche </blockquote> Recent studies of the role of ICT in development exist (D´ıaz A & Urquhart (2009); (Hunt, 2001); Kanungo (2003); Salvador et al (2005). They all show the power of local knowledge and commitment to develop one’s community at play.<br /><br />These early research have all too often been one sided, like the horse and its bilkers – they have focused on the marginal benefits derivable from ICT4D or Development 2.0, unwittingly neglecting the negatives. This has encouraged more and more research and foreign aid, As William Eastly succinctly put it, “The big problem with foreign aid and other western efforts to transform the Rest is that [the]people paying the bills are rich people who have very little knowledge of poor people.” (Eastly, W. (2006). Without prejudice, this paper seeks to throw more light in this dark area to help researcher gain inside knowledge of the bitter realities that plague the so called “4th World”.<br /><br />This paper is divided into 4; the first part reflects on literature and outlines development 2.0. The second part seeks to trace the origins and motivation of development 2.0. part three focuses the issue on digital inclusion as practiced in Nigeria, delineating all its flavours in rich detail. Part four critically analysis these initiatives against the global-world economy and the disenfranchised in Africa. Finally part six concludes and makes recommendations.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Definitions</span><br />We turn to Richard Heeks as an authority in the area of eGovernment and Development in the developing world. He contends that at last “we can celebrate the fact that the foundations and assumptions of international development are changing. The tools for a digital economy are now—and will increasingly be—in the hands of the world’s poor. (Heeks. R. B. 2010). This change has reshaped the world of development by underpinning the importance of technology as a change driver.<br /><br />“In 1998, less than one out of every 100 inhabitants in developing countries was an Internet user. By 2008, that figure had risen to 22 out of every 100. In 1998, two out of every 100 inhabitants in developing countries was a mobile phone subscriber. By 2008, that figure was 55 out of every 100”. (ITU. 2009)."<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">...a critical aspect of industrial competitiveness will be the ability to adapt quickly to rapid technological developments and constantly changing market conditions”<br />— Nikerson</blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3.1. Development 2.0</span><br />“Development 2.0” is defined as the new IT-enabled models that can transform the processes and structures of development. – (Heeks, R. B. 2010)<br /><br />Development 2.0 deals mainly with the role of ICT in development. Richard Heeks categorises it in the following three loose genres. Breaking away from traditional norms, these include -<br /><br />a) New Relationships<br /><ul><li>Connecting the excluded – bringing the digitally excluded within the digital fold</li><li>Dis-intermediating – removing the middle man, constraining eGovernent service to fight corruption.</li></ul>b) New Roles<br /><ul><li>Digital Production – the connected poor now have access to unique jobs/services which were lacking hitherto.</li><li>Digital innovation – appropriating IT for other means, creating jobs.</li></ul>c) New Models<br /><ul><li>Collective Power – crowd sourcing – text-in eParticipation</li><li>Social Enterprise-</li></ul><br />Nowhere is this more evident, than in the area of mobile phones, where the poor, disenfranchised and excluded have evolved new unique ways to appropriate technology. The speed at which ICTs are diffusing has taken many observers by surprise. This is in no small part thanks to the mobile revolution. “With 4 billion mobile subscribers in the world” (United Nations, 2009 p. XI.) Mobile phones have emerged as the most widespread ICT in the developing world. (ibid. p.XIV) “An estimated two-thirds of the population [in Africa] now has access to a mobile phone. “Heeks, R.B. (2009).<br /><br />African countries are pioneering mobile banking and electronic transactions services, like the m-Pesa service by Safaricom in Tanzania, and Airteks m-Chek and Odopay in India. (United Nations, 2009 p39 - 41). Research in this area abound for further reading (Rangaswamy, N. 2007); (D´ıaz A & Urquhart (2009); (Hunt, 2001); Kanungo (2003); Salvador et al (2005).<br /><br />Mobile phones can also be a source of small enterprises. As argued by Madon S. Et al (2007) it supports development as they all share something in common, in that they are;-<br /><ul><li>getting symbolic acceptance by the community;</li><li>stimulating valuable social activity in relevant social groups; generating linkage to viable revenue streams; and</li><li>enrolling government support.</li></ul>The concept of Development 2.0, even in Africa alone, is beyond the scope of this single paper. We shall therefore narrow it down to digital inclusion via mobile phones and be country specific by looking through the lens of the poor in Nigeria.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Nigerian Innovations</span><br />Nigeria is better known as the most populous black nation and for her misappropriation of ICT with SPAM than for ICT4D. But the ingenuity of the poor people shine through in the innovative ways they utilize technology - Especially with the mobile phone. In their bid to make ends meet and as a conduit to socio-economic development, the incidence of “low level of political awareness has resulted in meager resources being devoted to promoting” infrastructure in less developed nations (Brown et al, 200). This has informed the peculiarities observed in every Development 2.0 projects around the world. A few Nigerian Examples are described below. <br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"...The secret of economic growth lies in institutional innovations that are country specific, and that come out of local knowledge and experimentation.”</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">— Rodik</span></blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">4.1. The “Umbrella People”</span><br />For lack of a better name, the ‘umbrella people.’ are the new merchants on the streets or at vantage points allover Nigeria, easily accessible to deliver phone services for a token fee. They sell air time top-up cards and also double as telephone centers, where customers can make and something receive calls. This phone posts serve a central role in the small villages as the operators are a hub of information dissemination drawing all comers towards it.<br /><br /><br />Figure 1: “Umbrella People” Sitting in the shade waiting for the next customer<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4.2. Trade & Commerce Sales – GSM Village</span><br />The streets of urban Nigeria is awash with mobile vendors. Their typical merchandise range from cheap 1st generation mobile phones, universal chargers (one size fits all), phone pouches, batteries and their phone accessories.<br /><br /><br />Figure 2: “Mobile” Phone Shop. Source of Photo AP<br /><br />Perhaps their most sold items are the casings[4] of all makes of phone –Some more elaborate models around the same commercial activity exist for more buoyant entrepreneurs. Like the one in the picture below.<br /><br />Figure 3: A small phone shop Source of Photo AP<br /><br /><br />ICT Research & Development specifically adheres to Northern markets constructs – where technology is designed to be disposable. But here in a Southern example, old phones are repacked in a new casing to make them appear brand new – the culture of not throwing things away is determined by poverty.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4.3. Fix Shops</span><br />Interestingly, the most technical outcome of the mobile phone phenomenon is the mobile fix shop, where technicians[5] repair, maintain and unblock network-bound phones. More recently, with the Nigerian music industry on the rise, and the abundance of cheap flash memory and sophisticated phones with media capabilities, Fix shops now upload and manage musical playlist for customers that are not so good at operating their phones.<br /><br />Figure 4: A technician repairing phones from scrape. Source of Photo AP<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4.4. Mobile Print Shops</span><br />With upwards of 5 mega pixel cameras at the finger tips of many mobile phone owners, the art of Photography is been redefined. People can now take photos or all kinds at a moments notice - from the bizarre to mundane. The problem however is that most poor people do not have access to quality print shops where they can print these photographs - Enter the Mobile Printer.<br /><br /><br />Figure 5: Photographers mingle with tourist.<br /><br />Mobile printers[6] can be seen in public leisure parks, tourist area and any social event. By means of a universal flash adapter, Bluetooth or infrared connection, they transfer pictures from a costumer’s phone to their printers for a fee.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4.5. Mobile Chargers</span><br />“Only 15 percent of rural households in Sub-Saharan Africa have access to electricity” (Heeks, R.B. 2008 p. 28). With frequent power cuts that last days on end, poor rural mobile phone users rely on mobile phone chargers to power their phones.<br /><br /><br />Figure 6: A Charging Station Source of Photo Self.<br /><br /><br />The operators of this service use fossil fuel power generators and charge a fee based on how long the batteries is charged. Notice there are hardly any phones being charged? That is because most rural people have multiple batteries to ensure that they can still be on air while their alternate batteries are under charge.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4.6. Other Innovations</span><br />Other unique innovative ways the poor have used mobile technology include<br /><ul><li>Free calls<br />Mobile service providers offer promotions and freebies to retain existing customers and entice new ones. One such service targets the young by allowing free calls to numbers on the same network from 11pm – 5am. This has seen the poor react in a unique ways. Though African traditions forbid normal activities at night – night is for sleeping. Most poor choose to converse with loved ones, or transact all business deals late to avoid spending money.</li><li>‘Flashing’<br />Amongst the poor in Nigeria, it is common place to beep and drop before the call is answered. This is termed “Flashing” and is typically used by a subordinate to initiate a call to a superior – by so doing saving money to the subordinate. It is also spurning a new opportunity for traders, especially the airtime top-up vendors who store the names of their customers and send a voucher by text or render a home call to sell the top-up vouchers when they receive a “Flash” from their customers – the memorandum of understanding being not to answer the call, but promptly react by providing the Top-up voucher.<br /></li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Gainers & Losers</span><br />Not surprisingly, there are some technological determinist like Heeks who may celebrate every little progress made, as long as it has a technological bearing, while on the flip side there are critics like Willlam Eastly who don’t quite see the connection of struggling poor people with development.<br /><br />In Heeks view, one “can start to migrate: from seeing [the poor] as victims to seeing them first as consumers, then producers, then innovators of a digital age. And, as we do so, changing our views on the processes and structures of socioeconomic development: from Development 1.0 to Development 2.0.” Heeks. R. B. (2010)<br /><br />But much like Eastly, Madon et al (2007) I agree with the argument that “there is a significant gap between the original espoused social development goals... and actual usage patterns. As may be observed in the Nigerian cases presented above, challenges to techno-economic globalization come from peoples search for communal or collective identity. – in this wise, the poor are driven by hunger and deprivation to seek novel ways to make a living. The outcomes of these opportunities challenges the norm concerning the barriers to development, vis-à-vis the poor and the digital world-economy. And as such should not be termed as development.<br /><br />One other point is the expressions being used. for the advocates, there seems to be a blur between the “information poor” and the “financially poor” – a distinction that William Eastly clearly suggest in his epic book “The White Man’s Burden”. Castells also argues’ in his 3rd Vol. that “the rising occasion of the digital divide that widen the gulf of inequalities, may well make way for the emergence of the “4th world”. What has been the value of these projects? What are the evaluation of the costs and benefits of this forms of inclusion? Who is benefiting from it and in what way? All these concerns underpin the spirit of questioning and reassessment of ICT4D [that] is becoming more and more evident. I will elaborate on the many contradictions within these changes bellow.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"The big problem with foreign aid and other western efforts to transform the ‘Rest’ is that people paying the bills are rich people who have verylittle knowledge of poor people.”</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">— William Eastly</span></blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">5.1. “Belle First”</span><br />Much like my token of mercy in the Mpape Top-up story at the beginning of this paper, the immediate benefit derived by this menial work is insignificant. Hunger for food, not information, seems to be the driving force behind all this. This argument is echoed by Eastly in his book “The Burden of the White Man” – where he concluded that the aid money spent by the West on the “Rest” was not enough to bring her out of poverty. So in simple terms, these changes are a desperate measure by desperate people trying to make ends meet. – this further punctuates the development concerns.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5.2. Urban Migration</span><br />The rural – urban divide is important for development in any setting. For developing nations, the impact of ICT in the form of mobile phones is a two edged sword, as it empowers the farmers to expand markets and reduce cost (FARA. 2009) on one hand, while encouraging more and more unskilled youths to leave the urban farms for an opportunity to engage in the “mobile service” on the other.<br /><br />In the Nigerian examples mentioned earlier most of the Umbrella People around large towns have migrated from the rural areas to urban centres where they can easily setup shop – afterall, all that is needed is a few Naira[7] in the pocket, a large umbrella and a stool. Unwittingly depriving the nation of useful human resources who could benefit the nation in other regards – and the other sector suffers. Mobile services and this type of practice is yet another nail in the coffin for agriculture in Nigeria – this trend is fast spreading to other countries in the western coast of Africa.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5.3. Free Trade</span><br />Though it has been argued that “the neoliberal assumption that enabling market access in the global world economy by free trade, or the enactment of intellectual property rights will lead to development” (Gallagher, K. 2004, p5) it is all dependent on several factors. As Rodrik suggests, “The secret of economic growth lies in institutional innovations that are country specific, and that come out of local knowledge and experimentation”. – Unfortunately, this is not what we see in the Nigerian example. The innovations are of an adaptive type rather than creative type.<br /><br />Easterly's argument is that if motivations for change is imposed by outsiders ”almost nothing works -- in either the economic or political sphere.” It's no accident, he argues that,<br /><br />“the great East Asian economic success stories of recent decades -- Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand -- all took place in countries that were never successfully colonized by the West. These nations evolved their own cultures, rules and disciplines and built an indigenous foundation for rapid economic growth. The region's laggard is the one nation that was colonized: the Philippines”. (Easterly W., 2007)<br /><br />This no doubt is at a macro level of nations and states, but we can still make the inference by looking observing its instabilities from a micro level and see how outside money will affect it. “It is unclear where [these] current instabilities might lead, but it is not unreasonable to argue that a questioning of neoliberal political and economic policies and the rise of certain forms of development management are helpful in understanding future roles for ICTs in development.” (Silva & Westrup 2009)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5.4. Inscription</span><br />Globalised world or not, IS and its constructs are grounded in the needs of the northern nations and as such do not have the cultural values of the south inscribed within their processes. This brings to question the needs like the furtherance of the Neo capitalist ideals that exploit the poor and fatten the rich – (corporations and individuals alike). There is no evidence in this area, and these are just an echo of the small cynic in me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5.5. Capitalism & Multinationals</span><br />Another such factors is the role of local, (regional and national) authorities mediating and regulating markets. Manuel Castell’s 3 volume study on The Information Age: “Economy, Society and Culture” suggests that a new “network society is emerging from current process of change that is both capitalist and informational”... it goes ahead to say that firms (large or small) seek “to sell wherever they can throughout the world, either directly or via their linkage with networks that operate in the world market (Vol. 1 p. 27).<br /><br />If we observe the above Nigerian initiatives with this lens, it clearly shows that the big multinationals are feasting large, at the expense of the poor. Mobile service providers like MTN, Vodacom, Vain, Globacom, and recently Etisalat to mention but a few. It is even more complicated when one considers that these services locks lock their users in, with poor subscribers spending as much as 50% of their earning on maintaining their phone.<br /><br />We have already seen how ICT R&D adheres to Northern markets constructs – where technology is designed to be replaced (hidden under the guise of improvements, Designers continue to manufacture newer and newer models and target anywhere where they can make money.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5.6. Institutionalization</span><br />Let us returning to Madons et al (2007) criteria for technologies that support development outline earlier - 1) they should be getting symbolic acceptance by the community; 2) stimulating valuable social activity in relevant social groups; 3) generating linkage to viable revenue streams; and 4) enrolling government support. From the forgoing, we can say that for our Nigerian initiatives described above, it is a resounding yes to the first two criteria, whereas, the last two are clearly not evident.<br /><br />Even though social inclusion is a good thing, the support needed to move things forward are not normally in place - institutionalisation of digital Inclusion (Harris et al (2003); Madon et al (2007). While most “projects are started with funding from local or central government, aid agencies or NGOs” Madon et al (2007), the initiatives described here are financed mostly by individuals or thrifts societies at best. Their argument for institutionalizing them by involving Government, NGOs and Multinational may well lead to their extinction and usher in Castell’s so called “4th World” of the super poor.<br /><br />Figure 7: An MTN Sponsored Kiosk.<br /><br />Though this projects are largely backed by the service providers for whom the poor aid by distributing the top-up cards, and as a means of cheap publicity the service providers brand, (see image above) there is largely no evidence of enrolling local, regional or national government support. Or any form of NGO support as evident in Telecenters and other ICT initiatives.<br /><br />Typical model of these projects is a mediation between the mobile service provider and a go-between (mostly connected rich individuals) who buys in airtime in bulk and pays stipends for the poor to hawk or sell at their stands.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Conclusion</span><br />“As mobile phones have presented a way to bridge the connectivity gap without expanding the networks of fixed lines, they are likely to have a great impact on economic growth than in developed countries, where fixed lines were widely available when mobile phones were introduced.” (United Nations, 2009)<br /><br />But we don’t need to look far to see who’s gaining and who’s losing – my central argument here has been that though the capitalist and their advocates see signs of development in these peculiar inclusive interactions, the fact remains that it’s the multinationals and their neo capitalist objectives that seem to enjoy it all. A glimpse on any African street from Egypt to the cape will reveal the lure – a bait set to catch the poor, hook, line and sinker (See figure 8 below). Furthermore, this puts to question the overall aim of the veal that the West want to help the Rest. As Eastly has cited in his work “The Burden of the White Man” real development comes from within – every other intervention may have its own motives and interest. He says if ‘change motivation’ is “imposed from the outside, almost nothing works!<br /><br />Figure 8: A Sidewalk in Abuja Source of Photo Self.<br /><br />Though these activities give a false sense of an inclusion in the global world society - the activities that Westerners often point to as inclusive are actually driven by poverty. People congregating like the “seasonal harvest sales culture”[8] to sell collectively. People selling top-up cards on the street, patronizing mobile chargers for lack of electricity at home, People standing under umbrellas and wasting away in the name of a few hundred Naira at the end of the day only to waste almost all of it on accessories or staying connected, people buying phone casing just because they want to keep their old phones looking brand new, etc cannot be termed as “Developing”. All these are informed by poverty and not mobile inclusion. <br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">" ... if ‘change motivation’ is “imposed from the outside, almost nothing works! in either the economic or political sphere… It's no accident that the great East Asian economic success stories of recent decades - Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand - all took place in countries that were never successfully colonized by the West. These nations evolved their own cultures, rules and disciplines and built an indigenous foundation for rapid economic growth.<br />— William Eastly</blockquote>Critics may consider this article a narrow one, and rightly so - judging from the breadth of Development 2.0, it nonetheless throws more light on the resourcefulness of a largely unregulated budding industry of the so-called disenfranchised and poor. “This constellation of mixed media happens within a strictly commercial and entrepreneurial framework of very small businesses with little interest in promoting ICT for development,” Rangaswamy Nimmi (2007)<br /><br />With some African nations (Nigeria inclusive) now set to connect to submarine optic fiber optic cables soon, there may still be an opening of the black box of African ingenuity as they explore new options with high bandwidth, video and voice capabilities. It will also be nice to feel what a better infrastructure and environments portends for the poor. If electricity distribution improves, will the Multinational Service providers install and run their own vending machines? and plunge the poor back to poverty? If electricity services improve, will the mobile charger stands disappear altogether? If there is no more easy jobs in the urban centers and Government clamps taxes on the “Umbrella People”, will there be another exodus back to the villages? Can they return to farming after tasting the sweet life of the cities?<br /><br />This paper, though narrow in its scope has traced development through its ICT4D 1.0 – Development 2.0 by focusing on digital inclusion in a country specific setting. It has been able to illustrate how driven by sheer need to survive, the financially poor are seeking a better life by exploiting mobile technologies. The paper tried to debunk the technological imperative, and pointed more to poverty and the need to stay alive as its main driving force. It is our hope that this may help to promote interest in the negative impacts of digital inclusion in the global world economy. Further research may look into case studies or an ethnographic immersion into these innovative projects, with a view to finding how to connect with NGO and government bodies. And perhaps answer some of the questions posed above. I hope that researchers would find it useful.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. References</span><br />Avgerou, C. (2002) Information Systems and Global Diversity, Oxford University Press, Oxford.<br /><br />Appadurai, A. (1996) Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalisation, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. IN Geoff Walsham, (2001) “Making a World of Difference: IT in a global context” Wiley<br /><br />Brown et al () “Is Social Inclusion Always a Good Idea” JoDD Vol 14 Mo. 2 http://www.docstoc.com/docs/20364345/Is-Social-Inclusion-Always-a-Good-Idea/ Assessed 20 April 2010.<br /><br />Castells, M. (1996, 1997, 1998) Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. Blackwell, Oxford IN Geoff Walsham, (2001) “Making a World of Difference: IT in a global context” Wiley<br /><br />Diaz Antonio Eduardo Andrade, Cathy Urquhart (2009) “ICTs as a Tool for Cultural Dominance: Prospects for a Two-Way Street” The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries Vol 37, No 2. http://www.ejisdc.org/ojs2/index.php/ejisdc/article/view/536/275 Assessed 19th April 2010.<br /><br />Easterly, William. (2006) “The White Mans Burden; Why the wests effort to aid the rest have done so much ill and so little good.” New York, N.Y. ; London : Penguin Press.<br /><br />FARA (Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa) (2009). Inventory of Innovation Farmer Advisory Services. Http://www.iicd.org/files/innovative-Farmer-Advosory-Systems-Fed09.pdf IN United nations, (2009) “Information Economy Report 2009; Trends and Outlook in Turbulent Times”. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.<br /><br />Gallagher, K. (2005). Globalization and the nation-state: Reasserting policy autonomy for development. IN K. Gallagher (Ed.), Putting development first: The importance of policy space in the WTO and international financial institutions (pp. 1–15). London: Zed Books. IN Leiser Silva and Chris Westrup (2009) “Development and the Promise of Technological Change” Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). Information Technology for Development, Vol. 15 (2) 59–65.<br /><br />Heeks, R.B. (2008) “ICT4D 2.0: The Next Phase of Applying ICT for International Development” Published by the IEEE Computer Society. Vol. 0018-9162<br /><br />Heeks, R.B. (2009) Beyond Subscriptions: Actual Ownership, Use and Non-Use of Mobiles in Developing Countries. ICT 4D blog, 2009; http://ict4dblog.wordpress.com<br /><br />Heeks , R. B. (2010) “Development 2.0: The IT-Enabled Transformation of International Development” Viewpoints; Communications of the ACM, April 2010. Vol 53 No. 4.<br /><br />Hunt, P. (2001) ‘True stories: telecentres in Latin America and the Caribbean’, Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 4(5), 1-17. IN Madon S., Reinhard, N., Roode, D. and Walsham, G. (2007) “Digital Inclusion Projects In Developing Countries: Processes Of Institutionalisation” Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries, São Paulo, Brazil, http://www.ifipwg94.org.br/fullpapers/R0040-1.pdf Accessed 1 may 2010.<br /><br />ITU. ICT Statistics Database, International Telecommunications Union, Geneva, 2009; http://www.itu.int/IT U-D/icteye/Indicators/Indicators.aspx) IN Richard Heeks, (2010) “Development 2.0: The IT-Enabled Transformation of International Development” Viewpoints; Communications of the ACM, April 2010. Vol 53 No. 4.<br /><br />Kanungo, S. (2003) ‘Information village: bridging the digital divide in rural India’, in The Digital Challenge: Information Technology in the Development Context, S. Krishna and S. Madon (eds), Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot, 103-123. IN Madon S., Reinhard, N., Roode, D. and Walsham, G. (2007) “Digital Inclusion Projects In Developing Countries: Processes Of Institutionalisation” Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries, São Paulo, Brazil. http://www.ifipwg94.org.br/fullpapers/R0040-1.pdf Accessed 1 may 2010.<br /><br />Leiser Silva and Chris Westrup (2009) “Development and the Promise of Technological Change” Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). Information Technology for Development, Vol. 15 (2) 59–65.<br /><br />Madon S., Reinhard, N., Roode, D. and Walsham, G. (2007) “Digital Inclusion Projects In Developing Countries: Processes Of Institutionalisation” Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries, São Paulo, Brazil, http://www.ifipwg94.org.br/fullpapers/R0040-1.pdf Accessed 1 may 2010.<br /><br />Nickerson, R. S. (1995). Emerging Needs and Opportunities for Human Factors Research. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.<br /><br />Rangaswamy Nimmi (2007) “ICT for development and commerce: A case study of internet cafés in India” Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries, São Paulo, Brazil, May 2007 http://www.ifipwg94.org.br/fullpapers/R0071-1.pdf Assessed 22 April, 2010<br /><br />Rodrik, D. (2004). How to make the trade regime work for development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. IN Leiser Silva and Chris Westrup (2009) “Development and the Promise of Technological Change” Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). Information Technology for Development, Vol. 15 (2) 59–65.<br /><br />Salvador, T., Sherry, J.W. and Urrutia, A.E. (2005) ‘Less cyber, more café; enhancing existing small businesses across the digital divide with ICTs’, Information Technology for Development, 11(1), 77-95.<br /><br />Sachs, D. Jeffery (2005) “The End of Poverty; Economic Possibilities for Our Time” Penguin Press; 1st edition<br /><br />Silva and Westrup (2009) “Development and the Promise of Technological Change ”Information Technology for Development DOI: 10.1002/itdj<br /><br />United nations, (2009) “Information Economy Report 2009; Trends and Outlook in Turbulent Times”. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.<br /><br />Walsham, Geoff (2001) “Making a World of Difference: IT in a global context” Wiley<br /><br />[1] About £50 Sterling<br /><br />[2] Mpape is a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, Nigeria.<br /><br />[3] Belle is a pidgin English word for Stomach, Tummy or Food. “Belle First” means is another way of saying nothing is worth doing until one fulfills the first obligation to self – feeding.<br /><br />[4] The outer shell of the phone with its buttons, but without the circuits and internal components.<br /><br />[5] Mostly with no formal training, they may have acquired their skills by apprenticeship.<br /><br />[6] They also take pictures if you don’t have a camera<br /><br />[7] The Naira is the name of the Nigerian legal tender, it exchanged for N2 - £1 in the early 80s but now exchanges for N242 – £1 . source – www.cenbank.org<br /><br />[8] Like the Mpape Top-up story at the beginning of this paper, I noticed the similarities with collective harvest time sales practiced by farmers with the urban mobile craze practiced by the poor.Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6324167136572913977.post-33992364330806788342011-03-29T12:16:00.002+02:002011-03-29T12:22:16.631+02:00Peter Odili & Abubakar Atiku Featured In US Hgher Education's Dirty Little Secret ..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/page_images/news/2011/peter_odili2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 305px;" src="http://www.saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/page_images/news/2011/peter_odili2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>As a Rivers Man, I just couldn't resist this one... An article written by Arvind Ganesan and curlled from <a href="http://www.saharareporters.com/news-and-reports">Sahara Reporters</a>. just thought I should share.<br /><br /><div>Libya's <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_13">human rights crisis</span> shined a much-needed spotlight on the relationship between universities and their more problematic funders. In this case, the <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_14">London School of Economics</span> (LSE) agreed to take about $2.4 million from the foundation controlled by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, a son of the Libyan strongman, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_15">Muammar Gaddafi</span>.<br /><br /></div><div>LSE is not alone. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_16">American University</span> in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_17">Washington</span> agreed to help a former Nigerian vice-president, <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_18">Atiku Abubakar</span>, and his wife, Jennifer Douglas, set up a university in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_19">Nigeria</span>, despite persistent allegations of corruption against him. In return, American University received about $14 million in "consulting fees" between 2003 and 2007 for its work on this project. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_20">American University officials</span> told U.S. Senate investigators that their <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_21">due diligence</span> on Abubakar uncovered some rumors of corruption, but they ultimately decided to proceed.<br /><br /></div><div>Later, the <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_22">Securities and Exchange Commission</span> disclosed that Ms. Douglas received about $2 million in bribes from Siemens AG, the German conglomerate, on behalf of her husband. Siemens paid a record $1.6 billion fine since this was part of a global bribery scandal, but the Abubakars were both abroad and outside U.S. jurisdiction.<br /><br /></div><div>Another case in point is <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_23">Lincoln University</span>, the oldest historically black college in the United States, which has an interesting relationship with Peter Odili, governor of Nigeria's oil-rich <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_24">Rivers State</span> from 1999 to 2007.<br /><br /></div><div><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_25">Human Rights Watch</span> documented how Odili's administration, with a budget of about $1.3 billion in 2006, provided little money for primary schools or other basic services that state and local governments are supposed to provide. Instead, Odili channeled enormous sums directly to the governor's office -- tens of millions of dollars earmarked for entertainment, gifts, and the purchase of jet aircraft. Travel must have been important since he also allocated $65,000 a day to his office for travel and transportation. We concluded that a huge portion of the state's funds were lost to extravagance, waste and corruption.<br /><br /></div><div>In contrast to primary schools in Rivers State, Lincoln benefited greatly from Odili's generosity. By the end of 2006, he had become one of the school's largest donors, with at least $1.64 million in donations. During that year, it gave him an <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_26">honorary degree</span>, held a luncheon in his honor, and named a building after him. Nigeria's federal anticorruption agency, the <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_27">Economic and Financial Crimes Commission</span>, says it has a strong enough case to prosecute Odili. But in 2007 Odili somehow managed to secure an outrageous court injunction -- widely condemned as a mockery of the judicial process -- that permanently barred the agency from investigating, let alone prosecuting him.<br /><br /></div><div>A year later, though, the commission said it had completed its investigation into Odili's "wanton looting of the treasury of Rivers State" and was ready to arraign him on corruption charges. The judge reaffirmed his injunction and nothing has happened since. In April 2008, Odili began a four-year term on Lincoln's Board of Trustees.<br /><br /></div><div>In the London School of Economics case, the donations from Gaddafi's son came in 2008, a year after the school awarded him a Phd. The university had also agreed to accept about $3 million in other donations from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_28">Libya</span>. This scandal cost Sir Howard Davies his job as director of the university. The school disclosed that it had received about $500,000 from Saif's pledge that it would use for scholarships. It also said it will no longer accept Libyan funds, inevitable anyway since the British government had frozen any U.K.-based assets that belonged to Gaddafi and his family a few days earlier.<br /><br /></div><div>Universities are undoubtedly under pressure to find financial support and to maintain high standards, especially as government funding becomes scarcer. But that does not mean they should allow abusive and corrupt officials or their families to launder their images in exchange for money.<br /><br /></div><div>There should be better rules to keep this from happening. After all, the London School of Economics did not act until Saif's father literally began to kill his own people in a brutal attempt to cling to power. American and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_29">Lincoln universities</span> have not fully explained their relationships with Abubakar or Odili. And schools in the U.S. have no legal obligation to investigate whether funds they might take are tainted by corruption.<br /><br /></div><div>One modest step would be to make universities investigate whether donors are implicated in abuses or corruption before accepting their money. If they do decide to go ahead, those donations should be disclosed and the information easily accessible to the public. There may be good reasons to keep some donations anonymous, but that rule should not apply to money from rulers or their family members who are implicated in abuses or pose a risk for corruption. Those relationships cannot be good for a school's reputation -- as the London School of Economics just learned.<br /><br /></div><div>Fortunately, governments can step in to ensure that schools are more transparent. Last November, the G-20 group of governments announced an anti-corruption initiative that includes a commitment to prevent corrupt officials from spending their funds abroad. They should include enhanced due diligence for universities as part of their efforts. That might give officials an incentive to spend money on their country's schools instead of using that money to get a building named after them abroad.</div><em><strong><br />Arvind Ganesan is director of the business and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301392522_30">human rights program</span> for Human Rights Watch.</strong></em>Shakabulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13165176625564558173noreply@blogger.com0