Truths and Deeds!

Welcome to the era of 3D innovation where computers are making a significant impact on human beings. And we now have several evolutionary and realistic types of technology, including 3D Robotics and 3D Design and Printing. Countries are investing big. Between 2013 to the present, China has invested millions of dollars in 3D printing innovation alone. Manufacturers are using the technology to create, brand and differentiate their products. And the increased demand for customizable accessories has further pushed the relevance of 3D printing. It is an excellent way to translate ideas into parts. And it is safe to consider this, the ultimate evolution in prototyping and smart fabrication. As a result, there are products built with fewer issues. In games and graphic designs, simulators and 3D imaging tool kits have been introduced to create realistic experiences. And as we may have noticed, the 3-Dimensional technology is now driving the proliferation in movie production. The same has b...

Can you do it alone or do you need to enlist others to help you? How you answer will help you focus on how and how soon it can be done. Every day brings us face to face with schedules and tasks, be it at home, the workspace or someplace else. And the most effective way to be on top of the situation is to remain alert and act quickly so that we can move on to other things. Sticking to a flexible routine that allows you to think on your feet, stay relaxed and confident in your ability to handle anything that is thrown at you is very important, especially under pressure. What we must strive to do independently, even when no one is looking, is to get better at handling assignments and working through responsibilities. However, we must set our expectations high enough to stay motivated. And without being told, be encouraged to explore new trends outside our immediate individual spaces. Think of yourself as a niche that must be mastered. Invest in your capacity to grow outside the boundaries...

Creating a universal front for literacy is one of the fundamental drives of the World Literacy Foundation (WLF). And becoming an Ambassador for the same reason means access to targeted information, information that could be used as a tool to inspire action. Based on the statistics reported by the WLF, there are up to 250 million children around the world who are struggling to gain basic reading and writing skills. I have also learned that 750 million of the world’s population are illiterate and that nearly 2 thirds of them are women. This number is clearly at a disadvantage because Illiterate people earn on average of 35% less than literate people. This makes those of us who can already literate a privileged population. This year’s Ambassador Program is focused on Columbia. We are being tasked with the goal to help children in the region to gain basic literacy skills. Why is this necessary you may ask? I now understand that the Internal Conflict in Colombia has negatively impacte...

It has been a few decades since  Microsoft  came into Africa to encourage digital competencies, internet connectivity and innovation . I would say they have pretty much, kept to this mission. Africa is clearly on the verge of being completely transformed through the innovation in Technology, and with the fourth industrial revolution looming ever larger in the background, the significance of sustaining a chain reaction with a series of activities is the key. For over seven years, Microsoft has been running its 4Afrika Initiative on the continent by investing in start-ups, small-to-medium enterprises, partners, governments and youth while maintaining the focus to delivering affordable access to the internet, developing skilled workforces and investing in local technology solutions. Launched in 2013, the   75 million USD project is running across African countries including, Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. In 2019, Microsoft launched ...

Historically, the institution of knighthood, and the female equivalent, damehood, stems from the holy orders that the Catholic Church established in the Middle Ages. The institution was transformed when the French bourgeoisie began to reward members of the Third Estate, first for distinguished service on the field of battle and later for civilian achievements. In my mind, the confinement of knighthood on the self differs. I think of it as the reward you receive by divine right and in total readiness to serve yourself and then others. In this interpretation, you do not need anyone's approval to become knighted. You are the Knight maker, not the head of state, the king or queen. And it starts with an affirmation: I am the knight. You must also recognize the place of the conscious, subconscious and superconscious (God Mind), and how they are connected. What you think and say consciously is immediately imprinted into your subconscious and is acted upon by the superconscious. Not being ...

The training models at Learning Point and TBA have always dealt with digital solutions, automation, and open source systems. Sessions have covered skill-sets and the 4th industrial revolution. We had anticipated that between 2015 and 2025 a significant shift in workforce mobilization would have occurred. What the Covid-19 era has done is put the pressure on people to innovate halfway through. The idea of remote work, virtual meetings, exhibition, and learning has caught on in all industries; with companies and institutions leading the charge. Principal Officers have realized the need to build great online platforms for their organizations, businesses, and schools. This has potentially increased web visibility and traffic. Those with existing set-ups have latched on to get work done from home. Previously, working from home had been grossly undervalued. Of course, computational skills are required to work with any digital platform or interactive interface, and the motivati...

The need to evolve in today’s skill-based world is a continuous process; as such people must slip into as many roles as possible and take advantage of the hands-on support and open-source platforms that are placing a premium on new responsibilities. Until recently, my writing has been tied mostly to business ideation, narratives, and commentaries. Now, however, that role has expanded into a more technical field dealing with scripting, sequencing, and content formatting for video and virtual projects. As the Team lead for developing the  Tech-Bridges Associates’  SeeDoo TV Travel Guide; a mini-docu series and a virtual based project, I had the opportunity to latch on to technical writing and build relevant competency in the field. Three years prior (2017), I made my entry debut in the field of Robotics; working with RoboRAVE International through the country’s directorate,  RoboRAVE Nigeria  (with support from the U.S Consulate, Lagos) as a Certified Train...

Many have been moved to wonder why Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases are still relatively low in Africa. Of the 54 African countries, over 432 cases have been reported in 35 countries as of 20 th March 2020. We are still in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and many more cases are being anticipated within the coming weeks, however, there are factors that may have been responsible for the low number of reported cases in Africa including ineffective border screening and travel restrictions, local climate effects, a lack of screening or a lack of adequate reporting. The fear here is that many of us are not confident with the measures in place to fight the pandemic in most African countries in the event of a higher number of cases. The expectation is that African governments must act quickly; impose travel restrictions and beef up accessible COVID-19 Screening, Quarantine and Treatment Centres across cities. The public also has a huge part to play because precautionary measu...

The path through 2020 is not going to be different from the one we took in 2019 or before, unless a whole new version of us emerges. Understand that control could just as easily become an illusion without clarity of purpose. Just because you want something to be is not going to make it so, for the simple reason that more is expected. It is only in continually exploring alternative strategies that will allow us...or anyone, the opportunity to build contingencies. As people, we have options. Most often, these options determine a particular choice for doing anything. There are those of us who have not realized that a lot can change with access to a wide range of information about why and how. We fail to grasp that expectations come with all sorts of strings. And this is the very nature of life in itself; hence, we must align our efforts with the things we need to achieve. 2019 for some turned out exactly how they hoped. For others, it marked the beginning or turning ...

Getting started Creative Strategy and the lack of it has contributed to what we now understand as unemployment. In the corporate world, finding a job is often not about the size of your C.V but what you can offer.  There is this popular notion that to get a job you must have connections to one or two influential people or bribe your way through. This has made many young people reluctant to go in search of jobs, especially in Nigeria. Our society has grown beyond the point where people should get stuck in the crowd all because they do not have an income. There is the constant roar of ‘no jobs’. Most people blame the government; some blame other people, who they feel should have given them jobs through their own connections. For others, superstition and outrageous beliefs stand in the way. Dwelling on the above will certainly not give you a job. You need to make the conscious effort to look inwards, and attempt to eliminate some external factors or internal c...

Passion and strategy make for the most sophisticated combination. And for the many who are seeking to make something out of life, one of the things to note is that, no matter what has been conceived, without the strategy to drive the same, everyone might as well call off their attempts and go home. I have come to realize that moving forward is all about strategic thinking and the approach. Many of the times, we fail in a particular venture, campaign, pursuit or other because we do not plan for the long term that is backed up by firm submissions and clarity. A good plan minimizes the risk of failure, irrespective of the odds. It is not enough to play forward an idea, and simply expect same to catch on because it is great on paper. Eventually, it always come down to how you plan to nurture and sustain that idea through the stages of growth and maturity. It so happens that many of us are big on ideas but not on strategy. The HOW to maneuver through hoops with available resource...

I have had cause to reflect as Nigeria clocks 59. The foremost question that has taken hold of my mind is: where are we as a country? There are grim indications that we have failed to realize that we make up the most resilient people in the world, especially because those who mount the Nation's public offices seem completely blind to the light, hence their frail attempts to beam it on the stage where growth resides. Nigeria is one of the richest countries in Africa with the potential to scale to heights imagined, but amidst the most glaring issues of insecurity, accountability and an unfair judicial system. It is as though we are moving everywhere the wind blows. The darkened corners that hold terrifying truths have remained unlighted, and as a result the Nigerian people are living in the shadow of uncertainty. I am loot to think that we cannot wriggle out of the hangman’s noose that we have managed to wrap about our necks, but it will take a serious commitment p...

The bus they boarded had slowed to a crawl w hen they saw him.  Bode was rough and lean. His bones were visibly poking out through his skin, a total picture of suffering. The Marina Exit was crowded with slow-moving cars too, as the man ran beside the moving bus. He had just been released from the Kirikiri prison after 25 years. He had no home, a wife, a child or a job. Bode had been in jail, forgotten by the same system that put him there. Although he was now a free man, actual freedom was only an idea. The passengers, each occupied with their daily schedules, listened passively to the plea for help. Compassion for Bode's situation may have struck a code in their hearts, but none could actually help the man in the true sense that he needed. The system had committed no resources to engage him and the others who had just been set free. Traffic began to pick up pace, and Bode still ran, besides the bus, breathless by this time, begging for a little bit to buy food. ...

When he stepped out into the streets, they converged around him like Vultures swooping over their prey. The sun had sunk into the horizon an hour earlier; but the women kept vigil by the Senatorial Seat – seeking out-going Governor. If he could not perform in eight years, what exactly was he going to the National Assembly for? I wondered to myself. After hours under the sun, they stayed, and were now pouring accolades on this politician who cared less for their well being. The Governorship primaries scheduled during the day, and for which school children were told to stay home, had been cancelled. The overblown budget, weeks of planning and manpower went to waste because the leadership of the party was prevailed upon, for whatever selfish agenda, by a faceless cabal. The plight of the people, a section of which have elected to become unpaid praise singers, and who cued, to cast their votes, in a process that was anything but free and fair, meant nothing, like every other pol...

As the world celebrates Nelson Mandela 100 days, I join the global community of young people to celebrate and work together to rekindle hope for our generation and to stand alongside others for the dignity, equality and justice for all. I would like to use this occasion to beam the light on the security challenges in Nigeria and by so doing recommend the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) otherwise known as Drones in curbing the menace posed by Terrorists in Nigeria today. Given the security issues in Nigeria, where terrorists have found the space to operate at will; one would expect that everything will be done to put a stop to the present situation before it drives the country into civil war. Nigerians have seen and felt terror, in its dehumanizing ripeness, enough to expect the leadership in place to not keep still and let the taking of lives continue. We are in an era where the Drone Technology is helping the Military and Security Agencies around the world to car...

A while back, I had this dream. I was at a Mall where I saw my sister who had passed on two years ago. I had called to her but she didn’t respond, so I started after her, climbing over stuff in the process and broke a few security rules in my haste. This had caused two Mall Guards to stop me. One of them asked me to go back the way I had come. I pleaded with them to let me continue the chase, but they wouldn’t have it. I made to go back, but the way back had changed. So one of the guards told me to use the winding stairs. I tried to but found that I was going about in circles. Twice I returned to where I had started. The Security guard noted my dilemma and approached. He then invited me to come and answer a riddle. He told me about an Army Engineer who had joined the Army, not because he wanted to but simply because the opportunity had presented itself. At this point, he asked if the man was a real Army Officer. My reply was no. He nodded and added that: Indeed, until a man b...

For a long time now, the Benue Valley has been in the news. Reports of killings have continued. Whole communities have been burnt down; in their place, charred remains of what was. Strange men have simply invaded communities without the fear of reprisal and the helm has decided to wear the regalia of indifference, even as tears and blood sip into the sands. Machetes have left deep slash marks, and bullets, holes, on lifeless bodies. The gory details of the role of killer Herdsmen, the new Terrorists on the block, and for some reason, the Military, are still running in the National Dailies. And we are left with one question: How did we get here? The Nigerian Government cannot continue to drag her feet in issues of national security. Killer Herdsmen, whether they are from the Sahel and were trained by the Late Gaddafi or not, should be sorted out, arrested and prosecuted accordingly.  The Right to Life is a Constitutional provision, yet lives are being lost. In Benue alone, t...

"Let us narrow our focus to  Benue State , the middle belt and home to the  Tiv ,  Idoma ,  Igede , and Etulo people." It really does seem like these groups are not doing enough in showcase their unique cultural heritage.  As it is, not very many people living outside this geographical region know a lot about the Benue people or their culture. The simple explanation for this is that we have not done enough in the way of showcasing what makes us different. There aren't enough literary materials the portray the many features common to the Benue people either. When you access the internet, only a few references are made." Read the full Article via the link bellow:   http://www.iambenue.com/why-silence-the-indeginious-cultural-values-of-the-benue-people/

I have grown to see education more as being aware, not just as a resource for classroom knowledge. This is appealing because the outlook allows me to broaden my world view and to relate same to all aspects of human endeavor, for example the economy which i see as the reflection of the socio-cultural well being of a people and through which development is measured and appraised. I would summit that, it is important for young people to understand the role of awareness in issues of good governance, the politics of leadership, the law of averages and growth, human dignity and the rule of law in a given society. Clearly, the problem for young people is hinged on what i call the scale of information (knowledge, and from which civic participation and leadership, political will and the need to act in a certain impact-oriented way can be noted, and acted upon. Simply put, without adequate information, our response and performance will fall beyond expectation in matters that affect us ...

The world is gradually gravitating towards Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the only way Africa can prepare for this certain future is to embrace computational thinking and skill. Sadly, our educational  institutions are not doing nearly enough to prepare young people in this regard. RoboRAVE International, with support from the US Consulate General, Lagos, has officially commissioned the RoboRAVE Nigeria Team to tackle this challenge. The objective is to champion the integration of Robotics education and competition into the classroom. The goal is to train African kids/Students and adults/Teachers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) through Robotics. We know for a fact that Africa has the same opportunity as the rest of the world, to achieve the transition from the third industrial revolution; the IT Era/Computer Age, which China and South Korea have tapped into to become world powers. Artificial Intelligence is the next industrial revolution, a...