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OGHOGHO OBAYU

December 12, 2003

Nigeria in space. Nigeria launched black Africa's first satellite (Nigersat 1) into orbit a few months ago.

Talking exclusively to Daily Summit in his Mandarin hotel room, Nigeria's Minister of Science and Technology, Turner Isoun, had some exciting news. Nigeria now plans to launch its first communications satellite. More
Oghogho Obayu @ 12:49 PM | Comment (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 11, 2003

Giving ICT a human face. Civil Society today delivered a counter-declaration to the World Summit, so Daily Summit talked to some leading civil society members about what they are unhappy about and why.

"Yes, WSIS has come up with certain things, but we are suspicious that a plan of action may not be able to match up our expectations," Kay Raseroka told us. "We also fear that at the end of the day market values are going to be imposed on people and this will definitely be a different kind of imperialism of ICT. This we can already see with the cell phone." More
Oghogho Obayu @ 09:59 PM | Comment (2) | TrackBack (0)
Our space is open. At last, after a long search, Daily Summit tracked down Polymedia, renegade media outfit, evicted from their first home, but now resident in a Genevan cinema/theatre.

Harassed, harangued, haunted, but happy at last! And (there's no better way one can put it) these guys are weird... More
Oghogho Obayu @ 09:34 PM | Comment (2) | TrackBack (0)

December 10, 2003

Africa's dicey situation. Africa fears being left behind as the world rushes into a high tech future, with a stunned audience hearing from the secretary-general of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) this evening, that New York has more telephone lines than the whole of Africa!

The Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo puts it bluntly. "We are still struggling to provide the basic necessities of life... While faced with these challenges, we are also confronted with the digital revolution. We are, therefore, placed in a dicey situation." More
Oghogho Obayu @ 08:12 PM | Comment (3) | TrackBack (0)
The blind address the world. With hands on the braille and an unsteady voice, Mrs. Kicki Nordstrom, the president of the World Blind Union, sought to draw the sympathy of the world leaders at WSIS today.

Nordstrom praised what she called an "open attitude" among governments to incorporate the disabled into the mainstream of information society. More
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December 09, 2003

Radio Ga-ga (2). We've talked about the role of radio at WSIS, but now we've discovered that Africa can expect a radio invasion, of sorts. More
Oghogho Obayu @ 06:34 PM | Comment (0)

December 05, 2003

McKinnon talks the talk. Commonwealth secretary-general, Don McKinnon made some populist statements at the opening of CHOGM this morning. "To bring sustainable peace and security to our peoples," he said. "We must address the imbalances of wealth and power and ensure that more people are part of more decisions."

But can he walk the walk?
Oghogho Obayu @ 09:55 PM | Comment (2) | TrackBack (0)
Good governance comes to the fore at people's forum. Delegates to the Commonwealth People's Forum were yesterday asked to consider drastic measures to institutionalise good governance and develop the role of women in government in the developing world.

Speaking in Abuja at the conference of civil society organisations that is running in parallel with CHOGM, two female participants spoke up in favour of the use of sanctions and affirmative action to hasten change. More
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December 03, 2003

McKinnon rejects Mugabe's criticism. Commonwealth secretary-general Mr. Don McKinnon reacted fiercely today to Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe's claim that the UK, Australia and New Zealand have formed an unholy alliance against his country.

McKinnon was terse in his response: "I have not met with Mr. Mugabe for 18 months. I have tried to raise a team to hold talks with him, they were denied visas. Within the last six months, I have talked at least once with every Commonwealth leader." Intrigued, Daily Summit pushed him further... More
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Enter the Queen. The Queen of England, Elizabeth II, arrives in Abuja today, with the little children who presented flowers to Her Majesty when she first stepped her feet on Nigerian soil now grandmothers themselves.

The Queen will be kept away from the nitty gritty of CHOGM's politics, but will be kept busy all the same. She will get the chance to see a few of the rustic villages just outside the city, including the settlement of Karu, whose orphanage is under the patronage of the wife of the late dictator, general Sani Abacha. More
Oghogho Obayu @ 04:33 PM | Comment (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 02, 2003

Never be afraid of being lost. Abuja, federal capital city of Nigeria, is wearing a new look as it prepares to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which kicks off in earnest in a three days.

And why shouldn't it? 54 world leaders are expected - head of countries where 30% of the world's population live. Many who live in the satellite settlements of Kubwa, Nyaya, Karu, and Gwagwa may be apathetic, as they have been ever since the government became addicted to hosting lavish international meetings. But for the army of unemployed, CHOGM spells one thing - opportunity. More
Oghogho Obayu @ 04:51 PM | Comment (0) | TrackBack (0)
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