The Nation Newspaper

Tag: social media

‘Social media a boost to SMEs development’

In this age and time, we are expected to process information in the super highway, at the speed of lightening. Of course, this information revolution is being accentuated by the social media. Curiously, everybody has caught the bug from individuals, corporate bodies, entrepreneurs, name it.

Taking into account the history of instant messaging, even the blind and deaf can rightly point out the evolution that has swept this technology space. The days of yahoo messenger and any other IM of that time, albeit still around, are clearly phased out with social media apps that are more engaging, more personal and definitely interesting.

One company that has since recognised the endless possibilities of the social media in terms of its sphere of influence among others is Afmobil Group.

The company which set up shop in 2009 has a soar away brand, the famous Palmchat, which is an app for social network on the web.

The current reach of Palmchat across the country is an average of five million users in Nigeria alone and over 39 million users worldwide.

With over 80,000 new users signing up daily from different mobile devices, Palmchat is fast becoming the choice social mobile platform for users around the world.

Speaking with The Nation on the potentials of the app for startups, Blessing Joe, who has responsibility for the company’s Brand Management, said there is immense potential for small businesses with Palmchat.

“As a startup, the social media is a veritable tool for networking generally, especially with little or no cost,” Joe began.

Speaking further, he said: “You can stay really social on Palmchat even with as little as 30MB data using the Palmchat voice messaging function. Just hold down the ‘Voice’ button, record your message following the prompt and send your voice recording to your friend or group of friends using the broadcast function.

“You can also share your cool pictures, music and recordings with your friends, getting in touch with them in private messaging. Yep, clever incentives are good motivators and in this age of social media frenzy; with loads of social platforms literally sprouting out from nowhere, cool incentives play a key role in building that reason-why-I-love-this-platform kind of loyalty.”

Palmchat, Joe stressed, “Is an amazing innovative mobile social app that is compactable with all mobile operating system, and downloadable from all mobile app stores: Java, Windows store, Apple store, Google play, Blackberry world-among others. It has interactive and fun custom features: Shake-Shake and Look around with other functional capabilities like the file share, instant messaging and voice recording.

“Palmchat is a unique instant messenger which is targeted at the Nigerian youths. With its unique interface, trendy and hilarious smileys and emoticons, engaging chatrooms, Palmchat is indeed the “happening instant messaging.”

“One of the most exciting unique things about Palmchat is the “shake shake “feature. Now all you have to do to find friends around is shake your phone to select who thrills your fancy and get chatting.”

Expatiating, Joe further revealed that the company has a working partnership and brand affiliation with Tecno Nigeria and Techno International, which enables perfect user interface for potential customers with smart phones.

With its wide reach, startups are assured of improved social networking at a pocket-friendly cost unlike other product offerings out there.

Palmchat as a social networking app is also a matchmaker of some sorts with happy-ever-after stories been told by users who met online using the Look-Around custom feature to connect with each other on their first date.

A unique feature of Palmchat is look-around feature that gives the users the power to avoid all the queer chatties and connect with that special one just over your shoulder.

Citing the story of Mrs. Bimpe Ajayi, a Human Resource Manager with a multinational company in Lagos, who met her hubby, Frederick, on Palmchat, Joe recalled the couple’s love story thus: “It was a very pleasant night; the first night of our honeymoon. Frederick is such a loveable person; he always has something amusing to say, quite an accommodating gentle man and slow to anger. Some people find it hard to believe me when I tell them that I met this amazing man on Palmchat.

“I didn’t just bump unto him on Palmchat-no. I wanted him, I dreamt of that special one but I just didn’t know how, where and when I will meet him until a friend introduced me to Palmchat,” Joe recounted the lovey-dovey tale of the Ajayis.

Echoing similar sentiments, Mr. Mounir Boukali, who manages a team of Public Relations specialist, managers and several high level agencies who handle TRANSSION Holdings’ brands, holds the view and very strongly too that social apps like Palmchats have limitless possibilities when it comes to user-engagements.

According to Boukali, “Now you wish social platforms don’t consume your data all-too-quickly. You are probably not on Palmchat-yep, you’re not a Palmchatter. On the Palmchat platform you will chat more for less…I mean 30MB data on your mobile device is just good enough.”

Besides, he said: “Nigerian ladies can join the world of hi-tech beauties on Palmchat; check out whose story is the most inspiring and whose selfie is making the buzz as Nigeria’s premiere beauty contest gets social as well as join the growing community of Palmchatters; sign up on Nigeria’s most trending mobile social platform with over 30000 daily sign ups. Be a Palmchatter.

“It offers really different features from those we’re already used to. You can choose to join any chat room of your choice, discussing a number of issues, from sports to romance, and even get discounts from online stores. It has become the user friendly interface and custom features usher in a new face of social interaction and bonding.”

November 2, 2014
10 things you should know about social media

The social media, which includes ( Facebook, Twitter, BBM, Whatsapp, Instagram, Google+, etc), has no doubt become the most vibrant and fastest platform for communication in modern times.

Individual, groups, corporate companies and even business organizations, all have adopted the social media as a veritable tool, in selling their image, products and services.

However, there are important things that people should know about the use of the social media as highlighted below:

1. It’s not for idle interaction, it’s rather a learning tool.

The social media should not be used for non profitable and lazy conversations, as it is usually the practice with many users (especially the youth bracket), rather it should be seen and used as a medium to learn and gain more knowledge and get vital information.

2. Offers opportunity to be a global citizen

With the use of the social media, every user has got the opportunity to reach other people in all parts of the world, just in a click. You can share and also receive information on latest developments globally, and again make your inputs suggest the ways forward on different burning issues rocking the world society, because the world, as is it said has become a “global village”. By so doing, you have made yourself an active citizen of the globe.

3. It is a work tool

The social media, again, serves as a very important work tool for people of all professions. You can easily reach out to more number of clients or customers at a time, through the social media platforms. By this doing disseminating important information about one’s business is more enhanced. It also encourages quick feedbacks, which in turn enables fast decision making and necessary changes for effective service delivery.

4. Be careful what you share on Social Media

You should be careful that you don’t do over-sharing and watch the contents of what you share on-line because you can be googled. Your name could be researched for, and everything that you have posted and shared on-line will come out. Your image will definitely be at stake, as the negative things that you have shared may give a wrong view or impression about your personality.

5. Spend quality time on-line (determine what you are going to do)

As a social media user, you need to set out goals on what to do every time that you go on-line. You should spend doing quality work and not just see everything you find available on-line necessary for you to engage in. Do what you have to do and save your time to doing other profitable things. As it is said, “time is money”, so don’t spend your time dwelling on things that will not add much to you.

6. Your on-line preference should be things that matter to you

You need to know from the on-set the things that will add value to you, and enhance your lifein the long run, and those are the things that should be your preference. Don’t engage yourself in every social media activity just because other people are there. Have a scale for the things you are looking for and know the ones you ignore, as this will help you to focus on only things (contents) that are useful to you.

7. You don’t need to be on all social media

It is actually not a must to be on all social media platform. You, as an individual person needs to choose the ones (social media platform) that will be most useful and convenient for you. If possible, delete some of those accounts (in case you are on all social media). This will help you to avoid unnecessary distractions.

8. There are many fraudsters on-line; you need to be careful about the kind of response to others.

You may need to know that fraudsters have also devised easier ways of carrying out their dubious activities, through the social media. They send fraudulent messages to people at random, and at different times. These fraudsters really do take advantage of careless and unsuspecting users, who reply them without taking their time to make enquiries and find out whom really they are chatting with, before striking a business deal with them. Many people, as a result, have ended up as victims. So once you are not sure about the identity of the person who has sent you a message, don’t reply!

9. The username you use on social media is very important

Know that the name you use on the social media is as good as the opportunities and offers that will come your ways. It also makes it easier for people searching for you to easily locate you when you use your real name. Again, you tend to be taken more serious by an intending business partner or prospective employer when they find out your on-line name to be the same as your real name. Just imagine how such people will feel if, for example your name is John Kola, and your facebook name is Jk- boy; you will not be taken seriously. By this point serious opportunities may be forfeited.

10. Don’t abuse the use of social media

It becomes an abuse of the social media if you just decide to share anything that comes your way, and comes to your mind (whether legal or not legal), without considering the moral value and effect of what you have shared.

For example, sharing of obscene pictures on –line, posting derogatory words or statements about people (especially popular people), and sharing unconfirmed rumours or news about individual or group of persons, or even organizations. All these are abusive ways of the social media use, and it could have a detrimental consequence on your personality.

October 25, 2014
Are we all journalists now?

In his new book, ‘We Are All Journalists Now – Africa in the Age of Social Media’, noted journalist, author, award winning investigative reporter, media researcher and now media adviser to former Governor of Lagos State and now foremost national opposition leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr Sunday Dare, examines the emergence, evolution and implications of the phenomenon of citizen journalism in Nigeria. Based on an academic research at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Oxford University, this stimulating work published by Visual Image, Lagos, in March his year and which covers 108 pages comprising five chapters, critically interrogates the impact of the phenomenal expansion in the mediums and use of social media platforms on the state, society and in particular the media profession in Nigeria. This offering combines the rigour of scholarly research with the accessibility of lucid prose.

What has been the implication for the practice of journalism in Nigeria of the emergence of such on-line mediums as Facebook, Twitter, text messages, You Tube that provide opportunities for millions of Nigerians to become ‘Citizen Journalists’ reporting and disseminating news, images and ideas about themselves as well as issues and events around them to a mass audience? Has this development broken what can be describes as the professional authoritarianism/dictatorship of the traditional, mainstream media, which once enjoyed the monopoly of determining what constitutes news and in what form it is disseminated? What are the implications of Citizen Journalism for the democratic process and how has it empowered the weak or impacted governance? These are some of the questions that Dare seeks answers to through an exhaustive study of the operations of the path-breaking and unorthodox on-line medium, Sahara Reporters.

After examining the research questions and objectives of the study in the first chapter, the author goes in the second to undertake a racy but informative overview of the origin and trajectory of the Nigerian media from the colonial period through the various post-independence civilian and military regimes to the present dispensation. Examining the implications within the Nigerian context of such electronic modes as mobile phones, Face Book, blogs, Wikipedia, Twitter and You Tube, he compares the present scenario to the previous one in which newspapers, magazines, periodicals, radio and television were the sole and dominant sources of news and opinions. In the preceding era, letters to the editor, opinion pieces published at the pleasure of the editor as right of reply as well as revenue-driven advert placements and commercials were the major avenues for audience participation in the media process.

Dare defines Citizen Journalism as “the kind of journalism in which the users or audience create content online rather than wait to be fed by the traditional media outlets”. It is a process whereby an individual plays “an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating news and information”. As a result of this development, he argues, millions of citizen journalists no longer constitute a passive and receptive audience. Rather, they are defining and writing ‘the first drafts of history by themselves’. Nigerians are thus part of a global process through which millions of ordinary citizens are being empowered by revolutionary technological innovations to set and communicate the news agenda.

In chapter three, Dare X-rays the evolution of social media in Nigeria from the age of emails and emailing lists to discussion fora through social media networks. He notes that from an internet penetration level of just 0.1 per cent in the late 1990s, internet usage in Nigeria had exploded to 16.1 per cent of the population. Quoting figures from the International Telecommunication Union, the author put internet figures in Nigeria at 43, 982, 200 or 28.9% as at 2010. Similarly mobile technology has become the seventh mass information medium after film, television, radio, print and sound recording. From this general overview of the growth of citizen journalism in Nigeria, Dare moves on in the next chapter to the main focus of the book, which is a detailed case study of the rise and consolidation of Sahara Reporters as posing the pioneering challenge to the hegemonic dominance of the mainstream, traditional media.

The book offers a detailed study of the conceptualisation, editorial structure, modus operandi, agenda, funding as well as business model of Sahara Reporters and its journey since inception. The medium was established in 2006 and modelled fully as a citizen journalism site. It describes as a unique organisation made up of ordinary citizens rather than professional journalists but who are committed “to seek truth and publish it without fear or favour”. One of its main aims is to aggressively seek to expose corruption through ordinary citizens who act as its reporters and foot soldiers. Seventy per cent of Sahara Reporter’s content is news, 10 per cent opinion and 20% User Generated Content.

Dare interrogates to what extent Sahara Reporters has set the agenda for political and social discourse in Nigeria and how effectively it has achieved its objective of exposing corruption and subjecting power wielders to closer scrutiny. One of its dramatic achievements was Sahara Reporter’s role in putting the Governor James Ibori corruption saga on the front burner and contributing significantly to his extradition, trial and eventual conviction in the United Kingdom. Between 2006 and 2010, Sahara Reporters produced 104 news items and investigative reports on the Ibori corruption scandal.

The last chapter in which Dare interrogates the relationship between citizen journalism and the traditional media is easily the most insightful and thought provoking. Some of the advantages of citizen journalism he points out include immediacy of reporting, speed, minimal start- up capital and its greater vigour and audacity in investigative reporting. Indeed, Sahara Reporters claims it emerged to fill an investigative void created by the conservatism of the traditional media, which OmoyeleSowore claims had itself become a power bloc. Due to citizen journalism, the world including Nigeria can now benefit from the flow of news without boundaries or frontiers.

However, the flipside Dare notes is that citizen journalism is faced with serious professional gate keeping issues including deciding news fit or unfit to publish, little concern for ethical constraints and scant regard for objectivity, fairness and accuracy in news gathering and information dissemination. In the final analysis he argues, the relationship between citizen journalism and the traditional media can be complementary rather than antagonistic. While citizen journalism can challenge the mainstream media to be more transparent, innovative and investigative, the former can learn from the traditional media’s better gatekeeping, factual checking and more matured news presentation. He submits that collaboration between the mainstream media and citizen journalism can lead to better journalism in the interest of the public good.

October 15, 2014
What you should know about social media

What should youths and other users know about social media which has become a major source of sharing and getting information?

This was the question I was asked to speak on at a lecture last Tuesday to mark the International Youth Day.

This question is very relevant considering how addicted many youths have become to social media. While there is nothing wrong in using the platforms, there are concerns that they are being misused and many are not maximising their full potential.

Here are ten things to know about the social media.

Social media are not only meant for idle social interaction like picture sharing and endless chats but should, more than ever, be used as learning tools to enhance knowledge and source information.

There is nothing wrong in being a young person – who you are, by catching some bit of fun when necessary and hanging out with your friends online, but don’t be obsessed with it.

The social media offers you an opportunity to be a global citizen and make contacts locally, nationally and internationally. It is up to you to determine how you want to utilise this opportunity. You have a choice to determine who you want to interact with.

•Social media skill is a work skill that you can fully acquire and become an expert in rendering paid-for services. Increasing deep knowledge of social media use is becoming a requirement for fresh graduates in many industries and it is an added advantage for employment by some companies.

You have to be careful about what you share on social media. Share, if you must, but avoid over sharing which has become the pastime of young people. You have to realise that you are permanently documenting your life story and how you want to be perceived each time you do anything on the social media.

It is necessary to spend quality time online instead of moving from one social account to the other and clicking all manner of links. The internet platform is like a shopping mall where you can spend the whole day window shopping if you don’t know what you want to buy and decide how long you want to spend there.

Your online preferences should be things that matter to you and can enhance your life and whatever you are doing at any particular time. Search for useful websites on your areas of studies and interests and bookmark them on your computer.

You don’t need to be on all social media. While it is necessary to be online compliant in the present age and have social media accounts, you don’t have to have too many social media accounts.

You can easily get overwhelmed with checking and responding to messages on the platforms. Don’t hesitate to delete or be dormant on accounts that are giving you nightmares.

There are many fraudsters online and you have to be careful how you respond to your mails and those you interact with. Some of the accounts online are fake and with false identities and claims.

Don’t accept every friend request you get on Facebook without checking who they truly are.

Don’t be gullible and fall for offers, invitations and messages you cannot double check.

Your user name matters. The user name you use on social media is also important. As much as possible, use your real names instead of some funny ones that are not too suitable for official purposes.

Don’t abuse the use of social media through postings that offend public sensibilities. Yes, the online platforms are still largely not regulated, but you need to mind what you share and write on the various platforms. What you share speaks a lot about who you are.

August 17, 2014
Why youths engage in online fraud

As an Internet user, you would have at different point in time come across certain posts that look so inviting that you are tempted to give it a try. Like they say, once bitten twice shy, for those who have fallen victims to the seemingly safe online business transactions where money must change hands, they would easily decipher that scammers are at work.

They consist of youths most of whom are either lazy or unemployed; using different tactics to deceive unsuspecting Internet users.

It was on this premise that the Nation sought the views of its Facebook friends and the responses were quite insightful – hundreds of fans, most of whom are youths, bared their minds on the subject matter.

Below are few of the comments:

Oduh Chidiebere Ajanto: “An idle mind they say is the Devil’s workshop” Obviously, the major thing the youths gain from engaging in these crimes is money. Also, money is the root of all evil. However, it is much more than that. It is what ultimately defines if you are alive or not. Let me explain. Firstly, those who claim to be our leaders have no feelings whatsoever for the betterment of the country. It is believed that infrastructural development is picking up gradually; nothing has been done in the area of true governance. I define true governance as the type of governance that focuses on human management.

Consequently, jobs are scarce and in most cases reserved. By reserved, I mean that jobs are exclusively kept for the children or relatives of men and women (Nigerian politicians and leaders) who have already made it in the society

The Nigerian society is built on a framework of money-defines-personality. To gain respect and relevance in this society, you must have money and sometimes, so much of it. A man without money in Nigeria is derided, spat on, and treated as a piece of trash by not only outsiders, but also by his own family. Most times, to even get a good wife, you must have money to be able to walk up to a woman and propose otherwise, it would be termed as an insult. Our very existence is firmly hinged on the supreme importance of money and all it brings. So to be ‘alive’ in Nigeria, you must make money.

Suliat H

Ibrahim: “This is not just the nation newspapers problem but the whole word, the brain behind the activity of online fraud is originated from America and Europe,” AOL and Yahoo can also be held responsible! ” it was born out of greed and corruption the whole world is currently experiencing, it will surprise you to learn that the F B I has so many agents worldwide and the fraudulent activities continues to grow day by day, believe me I am a software developer and I can tell you that the genesis of fraud should be traced to the development of viruses and VPN and other internet protocol protection applications, you will be shocked to note that computer viruses are not from heaven, it was developed by the same companies that developed and sell the antivirus softwares.

The real problems is technological advancements, so many applications for filtering and rogue security software has encouraged the identity theft and stealing of personal information as well, the deep secret of, phishing blacklisting and whitelisting.

Akorede Salam

Animasaun: “Get rich quickly syndrome” It baffles me when a youth complains about unemployment as a reason for any nefarious activities when there are lot of ways which you can make ends meet. Myself as a case study, over ten years ago I ventured into poultry and fishery rearing with just 100 broiler-chicken and 600 fish juvenile with that I started white-washing “maggot” yes (idin) and sold it to fish farmers to be able to eat, gradually I combined it with farm to farm delivery of chicken intestine which is also very stinking to the extent that wherever I go, people chase me away due to the odour. By the special grace of God, I have about 30,000 big-catfish farm capacity and big standard poultry house of 3,000 capacity, am living in my house and single handedly sponsored my sibling to Dublin, Ireland and America with the money from stinking Agric business. Please, youths should forget about government because they don’t have anything for us, is only when youths have a change in reasoning and orientation of “get rich quickly syndrome” then problem is solved.

Abdullahi Ibrahim: Without apology to anybody, this is what you get in a society where criminals are being celebrated and those who go extra mile to make the country proud are undermined. This is because, to them, it is the only way to succeed; the only way you can be celebrated .Our religious leaders and parents have failed to instill the fear of God in their children/wards. Irrespective of your tribal, religious and political affiliation, with the fear of God, the whole world is a safe place.

Olugbenga Pelumi: Well how do we eradicate fraud amongst the youth when our leaders are legends in it?

We the youth follow the paths they left for us regardless of whether it’s good or bad! When the country starts to boast of good leaders at the very top, we the youth would emulate them but since they remain tycoons in corruptions and frauds, what do you want us to do?

Another factor is unemployment, my brother finished service last year but he is yet to get a Job, All these things are depressing though it can’t justify criminality but it’s a huge factor!

Let the leaders at the very top stop their corrupt practices, let them make Nigeria a society where there is good sense of fairness, justice and love, when you live in a society where you all have equal chances of making it in life, such society won’t have much criminals but hardworking men because they know their hard work and diligence would be rewarded at the end of the day! But we live in a country where the rich get richer while the poor continue to struggle. The gap between the rich and the poor is getting ridiculous! Let us bridge these gaps and let’s see what happens. Let us get rid of corruption from our society, once this is done, the rest are minor problems!

Isenibi Simeon Baiyeri: The reasons are obvious. Low self-esteem, lack of confidence in self, lack of proactiveness and initiatives, lust for quick riches, lack of vision, laziness are some of the primary factors. The secondary factors include unemployment, inequality in wealth distribution of the country (I mean politicians work for 4 years to earn billions while civil servants work for 35 years to earn peanuts and/or dying struggling for their benefits).

Let’s face it. What do we think is the cause of Boko Haram, Niger-Delta kidnappings? Poverty and the aforementioned points. I stand to be corrected.

Chisom Ashley Okpala: Changes in a tree will always start with the roots before the stems. The youths are the roots and the leaves are the politicians. Fraud didn’t start with the adults but the youths and can only be taken away by the youths. So the best way to stop it is by encouraging youths to join the fight against it.

Yakubu Olayinka Yakson: Unemployment among the youths gives birth to daily increase in fraud and until unemployment among the youth is address Nigeria will be a leading fraudulent country. In addition, Nigeria under PDP watch since inception of Democracy in 1999 has neglected the Nigerian youths to their fate.

You can attest to the fact that at every government forum, the plight of the youth is “preventively” discussed with promises to address them. The promises aren’t new since 1999 but, fulfilling those promises is the magic that is yet to be believed. The acclaimed youth friendly government of the day who does not see or yet to find a youth that is competent to take up ministerial appointment except changing an old for another old. The pathetic aftermath of the NIS recruitment is yet to be given attention. Perhaps, attention may be given to it in their 2015 election manifestoes.

Atayero Biagogo Samuel O’Femi: Well, many may shift the blame on our leaders, but that is never a reasonable excuse for anybody to engage in fraudulent acts because he sees others doing it. We can all stand out for the right thing. In this same nation that we have bad leadership as epidemic, many are still doing fine without any bad records. I think our problem is the issue of mindset. The way we think has really affected our actions. If Nigeria will change let change the way we think. If we think right all will be right. Why we act the way we do is the reflection of the way we think, for as a man thinks so he is.

Gunn Michael: The problem of the youth is not the leaders or bad governance. The problem starts from the home, lack of parental guidance, because today leaders were ones under their parents who may have immensely influenced them in one way or the other. The fight against corruption must start from the home.

Rev’d Tim Daniels Oricha: Any nation that gives no attention to her youths is doomed. Nigeria has great numbers of unemployed graduates. An idle mind is the devils workshop. Let the government give attention to our youths welfare.

Agborie Obus James: I think the environment you found yourself go a long way to influence such a person, take for instance somebody who has no access to good life (education and financial independence) may have no choice but to carter for himself through any means possible. So my advice to authorities is to create enabling environment and giving starter pack to deserving youths which may on the long curb the menace of fraud and ill practices.

Ojuade Adesanya Emmanuel: My dear Nigerians, legal measures have been put in place in Nigeria to get rid of fraud. It is important to know that if any law fails to meet its enactment purpose, that Law is worthy of being repealed. So, fraud is criminal in Nigeria and if our Law cannot stop the menace any longer, it is the duty of the National Assembly to repeal such Law. Government should try their possible best to find solution to the problem of unemployment in Nigeria. Believe me, an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. If these youths are engaged in a better trade, the menace may be reduced. Also, our people should be sensitized about the risks associated with the internet. I mean, they should be alerted the presence of fraudsters on the internet so as not to be trapped.

Bashir Abba: It’s a reflection of how we have gone so low in moral decay forgetting spiritual life and embracing material life. It is a reflection of our society inability to provide us all with something to live up to, and our basic amenities. Fraud today in Nigeria tells how deep the feeling that the ends justifies the means…and shows how bad our habit of not caring how someone makes wealth has destroyed us

Dogara Adamu Pama: These are lazy minds tempting or setting bait for cheap minds, nothing good comes that easy especially when money is involved

Obadiah Egwuonwu Chikezie: We should go back to the old ways of training up our children. Those days we use our brains to build small cars and even homes but now we have cartoon and noodles children.

Emmanuel Akeju: More Nigerian youths have taken to fraud because perpetrators are hardly apprehended. When apprehended they are hardly prosecuted. Even when attempts are made to prosecute them, these are hardly done conscientiously. Even if prosecuted and indicted, the convicted ones soon get state pardon, which are mostly politically motivated. Even when not pardoned, the sanctions are often too light to serve as deterrent to would-be offenders. Nigeria criminal codes need be strengthened, the judiciary needs to stand firm and refuse to condole corruption and the executive develop the will to fight corruption. Overall, the society need to re-prioritize value systems. Emphasis should not be on the assets owned by individuals but more on character and real contributions to nation building.

Edu B. Etok: These youths keep doing this stuff because our society celebrates money without questions being asked about the source of the money. Also, they exist because of greedy Nigerians who patronize them! Some people are just too greedy, too desperate to get rich at all cost that they easily take the baits dangled by these fraudsters without asking questions about the veracity of the offers (often too good to be true!). Take away the patronage and the fraudsters will be out of job.

Ukpong-eyen Philip: In my opinion I think our leaders are to blame, in my school days I was taught that the youth are the leaders of tomorrow but I never see that happen in Nigeria our leaders keep jumping from one position to another leaving the youth to roam the city like sheep without shepherd.

Sometimes I asked myself either our teachers were deceiving us or TOMORROW IS YET TO COME, go round all the company in Niger Delta and see how our leaders our using foreigners to enslave citizens in our own country, they make us prisoners in style and fashion they make us slaves and refugee in our fatherland; though I don’t support fraud I want to tell you that boys are not smiling.

Prince Ephraim Ihejiene: Evil begets evil. When parents bribe to get their children pass exams and gain admissions, they legalize fraud before these children. When parents join cult to gain positions or advantage over others, the children see it as a way of life. When monarchs collect money to confer honorary titles on people of questionable characters, the youth think it is normal to acquire wealth by all means. A society where you are not a friend to the police unless you are a criminal

Tunde Famu: Moral decadence led to the situation that we are now. No more moral teaching in our schools, homes, religion places and parents lack morals and discipline too. Our political leaders lack morals and discipline- Lack of morals and discipline equal corruption. Corruption destroys growth and progress.

Click link below to read more comments

Post by The Nation Newspaper.

August 2, 2014
‘How to generate income from Social Media’

Bukola Opanuga, a digital marketing strategist, runs an agency called Modavate in Atlanta Georgia. She is helping businesses leverage the power of the internet to grow their businesses, engage and attend to stakeholders and also increase profits. Adetorera Idowu reports.

Though Bukie, as she prefers being called left Nigeria for the United States several years ago, she is visiting Nigeria to partner with Top Village to motivate women through a series of workshops in order to train them on skills and opportunities in the New Media space.

“I’m speaking on marketing of brands to the world and helping people think more from a global perspective. We are targeting not just those in media but also young enthusiasts interested in new media. Some young women have talents in speaking, writing and creating videos. I’ll be helping them take those skills to create original content, put it on the web and make a good income, or at the very least position themselves for great positions in companies they might be a part of,” she said.

Bukie’s agency Modavate, has overtime built a strong resume by helping brands like ZTE (Mobile device manufacturer from India) and the Nigerian Consulate of Atlanta to create strong digital presence.

Her aim of coming to Nigeria is to help women, especially those who are unemployed think outside the box. “We all have digital devices and sometimes you don’t realise the power of that thing in your hand, we spend a lot of time on facebook and twitter joking and having fun, but you really could have a career, if you have the interest and passion in one of these many things that you can do on new media,” Bukie explained.

Her passion for digital marketing and entrepreneurship started years ago as an engineering undergraduate. After taking a basic html class, she started designing websites for friends and family.

She later went on to get an associate in Mathematics and Bachelors in Business with a focus on entrepreneurship. To further hone her skills, she got her masters in Internet marketing. It was right after that she decided to set up her own agency and was successful at creating websites for businesses.

But her client’s growing concern with marketing and growing visibility for these websites created, inspired her to expand into digital marketing.

Commenting on the growth of the digital marketing space in Nigeria she said: “There are a lot of opportunities and there’s still a lot of room for training, education and awareness for business owners and entrepreneurs on what the possibilities are. I think if there’s a lot more awareness and people are seeing more results, they’ll be more interested in those opportunities.

“The statistics from last year is that 90percent of consumers in developed worlds make buying decisions after doing online searches, but even in Africa we are catching on very quickly as we now have websites where people can have reviews. It is growing rapidly and we are going to see quite a spike in the near future.”

She advised business owners, to try to harness the power of the internet, understand the opportunities and the fact that they exist and also employ the use of social media.

She also encouraged businesses looking to have better engagement online and a stronger digital strategy to look to serve mobile customers because a large majority of customers do not wait until they have access to their laptops or desktops to access the internet.

Bukie is not stopping, with her passion for helping women discover a career in New Media; she is using her agency, Modavate, to train businesses to create very strong digital strategy that can compete on a global space.

She encouraged women to harness the opportunities by learning programming languages and basic site development and also getting freelance jobs online, “There are market places online where you can enroll, take one or two tests and start bidding on jobs and I have had to do that in the past, when I was still freelancing. What happens in those market places is that if you do those jobs and do them well, you can get better reviews and you have more people wanting to work with you. If you’re very diligent you can buy a book, or get on websites where you can learn to code for free.

“If you want to go as far as learning php, you’ll even be hotter on the market because there are lot of sites and content management systems that are built on these languages and they are not going to go away anytime soon. If you are a designer and like to create designs in Photoshop there are a lot of projects that you can possibly get once you get those skills and the good part is that you can learn these things for free. Most agencies are not looking for a degree or certificate; they are looking for someone who can do the work.”

She advised women to take full advantage of the opportunities online by making a financial commitment to learn by going to cybercafés if they have to and soak in as much knowledge as they can.

And to those who still believe that the grass is greener on the other side; “If you want to be in New Media I think you have a lot more opportunities in Nigeria. You can acquire the skill and get freelance jobs without adding the extra cost of visa, travel and accommodation. If, you’re going there to get a job, you would have to get an education, even if you’ve already gone to school in Nigeria. There are many resources available to you with just internet connection” She concludes.

March 23, 2014
Ten tips on working social media

Make your brand seen

Writing blog posts, participating in conversations, and making your brand relevant on social media on a regular basis can make your business uppermost in the mind of potential customers.

Become a resource

While working on sharing great content is quite an effort, it pays off. People quickly recognise your business as a go-to resource for specific topics. No doubt, they’d also advocate for your business.

Get paid to speak

Thanks to social media, the more you are at the forefront, the more you appeal to people as a paid speaker.

Build online followers

By making yourself available through social media, reaching out to customers and sharing content, you can strengthen your online community and attract potential new clients.

Show your offering

On social media platforms, businesses can highlight their products and services. And even promotions available. It is great to take advantage of this.

Find new clients

The online community abounds with people. But activities like blogging attract them, especially if they find it helpful. By so doing, your brand becomes part of the story and people notice.

Don’t neglect influencers

Influencers are famous and successful people. They have the power to increase sales and reach for your business just by association. Make use of them.

Share your story

People like to conduct business with companies they know. By sharing your company’s story using social media you can create an emotional connection with fans.

Become a social mentor

People visit social media websites to network and meet people. By being resourceful and helpful with information about industry issues, people will want to meet you and learn from you.

March 9, 2014
Social media: Potentials, business mileage for SMEs

Businesses are learning that they ignore social media at their own peril. In this report, Joe Agbro Jr., writes on how small businesses are hopping on the social media train

Some years ago before the internet boomed, businesses battled to get recognition – either in terms of marketing, promotions, or generally just letting other people know they have a new product or service. In today’s world, this struggle has not changed. But, there is now social media to ease the stress.

And whether it is Nairaland, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest or any of the plethora of social media networks, they have become a veritable tool for many Nigerian businesses. And this is not restricted to the big players alone. Small businesses are now joining the bandwagon.

According to Omotayo Obe, a content producer/social media associate, “e-marketing is the future.” And with statistics revealing that as much as 80% of 18 -44 year olds spend at last one hour every day on social media, it seems that future is here now.

Also, latest reports from IDC Research which examined habits of smartphone users revealed that 79% of adult smartphone users have their phones with them for 22 hours. This romance has changed the way people view and interact with the world. It is also a goldmine for businesses with online presence.

While e-marketing in Nigeria is an emerging industry, many businesses are jumping on the fray. And while it is easy to click and post messages or images, the overall reason for engaging in e-marketing involves increasing customer satisfaction. A skill that necessarily needs honing as not everyone can really understand it. “Most people wonder ‘why should I pay you for e-marketing,’ thinking it is just to post things on social networks,” she said. “But it is more than that.”

While rules governing social media can be blurry, for businesses, they can be very clear. A business owner should separate his or her person from the business, must identify the target audience, must use the right engagement language, and learn from other businesses.

According to Titilayo Ama, co-founder of Spread Media, and author of How social is your business The social media guide for Nigerian businesses, business owners should forget about the hard sell.

‘In this day and age marketing is all about relationship building,’ Ama wrote. ‘Social marketing is now the most effective way to connect with prospects online and build healthy business relationships. When you perfect this technique, you will get more traffic, obtain real-time customer feedback and discover new information… fast!’

According to Femi Morgan of Lighthouse, a firm involved in book selling, having a business on social media is definitely good. “I think is a positive way of marketing your vision and product,” he said. “We are in book selling and we have sold books to customers in places like Uyo, Enugu. These are people we have not seen. And it would not have been possible without being on facebook and Twitter.”

Morgan says one has to dedicate time and energy towards making sure one is visible on these platforms.

He however identified the lack of physical relationship as a minus. “Social media cannot take away the social interaction of one-on-one meet-ups.”

Advocating that businesses thriving online should arrange meet-ups, Morgan says his firm, Lighthouse, organises a monthly programme, usually in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital where its customers and literary aficionados meet.

“I have been able to meet some of our clients at that forum,” Morgan said.

Morgan also said that when it comes to online, content is a key factor. “We develop the content and get a graphic designer to work on it.” According to him, this proves to be more effective in communicating the message in addition to using the information from analytics on the social media page.

“Many people are now shifting from facebook to twitter,” he said. “One must be able to know which social media works for you”

That is where analytics (the results that gives insights on the performance of web pages). One conversion of analytics is that more people get to see messages posted either first thing in the morning or at the end of the work day and on weekends. But there is no one-size-fits-all. Also, many people as well as businesses now ride on the crest of popular people or influencers to garner recommendations. It is also common practice that businesses also pay for advertisements to get them more ‘likes’, ‘retweets’, or ‘+1s’. The more the recommendations, the more credibility a business gets.

According to Danielle Cormier, social media corporate community managers at Constant Contact, Boston, Massachusetts, there are various claims on the best times to post messages but one has to discover which works well for his or her business. She advises one to ‘focus on understanding your business.’ And this includes determining who your audience is, thinking about what their day looks like, and then applying what you know.

And on www.dealdey.com, many Nigerian businesses troop there to shout out their promotions. One of such is La Mango, a posh restaurant located in GRA Ikeja, Lagos. According to Lanre Iyiola, who owns La Mango, being on the internet is all about promoting a brand.

“People respond to the promotions as long as the promotions are bringing the products within their price range,” said Iyiola. “Many times, people don’t realise the value of what you’re selling until they try it. And in order to enable them to try it, you have to bring the price down.”

According to him, that is what promotions do. “The Nigerian market today is one that is price-sensitive.”

Iyiola says La mango is also on Twitter and Facebook but the promos are largely on dealdey.com. He however said, “the downside is when you do a promotion like that and you’re offering a lot of value, you may have a lot of customers but you don’t make a lot of profit. The upside is that you give people an experience to value what you’re offering and then, they may come back another time.”

In all these, what is certain is that now is an exciting time for businesses to catch their groove online.

March 9, 2014
UBA, Journalism Clinic host social media summit for journalists

Everything Journalism – a group on the professional network, Linkedin.com – and its adjunct, The Journalism Clinic, in collaboration with United Bank for Africa (UBA) plc will on Thursday host a social media summit for journalists.

Tagged “Functional Social Networking for Nigerian journalists” the summit is to boost the capacity of Nigerian journalists to maximally use the social media for news gathering, building online communities and engaging with their audiences.

The programme will hold at the Amphitheatre, UBA House, 57 Marina, Lagos from 9am- 3pm.

“We have seen the creative disruption happening in the media space. It is important that Nigerian media professionals get a clear understanding of this process and how to take advantage of it. We hope that by hosting this high profile discussion for the media, a clear path way will be mapped for the Nigerian media industry,” said Phillips Oduoza, MD/CEO UBA Plc while explaining why the bank decided to sponsor and host the event.

Convener, Taiwo Obe, founder and moderator of the EveythingJournalism group and director of The Journalism Clinic, stated that at the end of the summit, not only would journalists “be more social-media friendly and savvy, media owners, a number of whom have indicated their participation at the summit, should also have the zeal to change their mindsets to operate more efficiently, and profitably, in the digital age.”
The four key questions to be answered by a team of media professionals and scholars are: Does One Platform Suit All? What Does It Profit Us?; What Can You Teach Me About Social Media? and Ethics: Why It Matters in Social Networking?

Does One Platform Suit All? will explore which social network is most suitable for news gathering, if such is tenable. This session has as panellists Ms Joke Kujenya, assistant editor, Investigations at The Nation and mentor of young journalists; Tolu Ogunlesi, a blogger and columnist; and Pelu Awofeso, a travel writer and travel book author. Both Awofeso and Ogunlesi are past winners of the CNN-Multichoice African Journalist of the Year awards in different categories while Kujenya is the 2013 NMMA Power Reporter of the Year. Obe is session moderator.
The panelists for “What Does It Profit Us?” are: Azubuike Ishiekwene, GMD, Leadership Newspapers and team leader of the first initiative by a Nigerian newspaper to charge its online readers; Dr Anderson Uvie-Emegbo, principal, Dymore Vision Consulting, a niche Pan African digital business management consulting firm operating in Nigeria and Kenya and Dotun Oladipo, who runs theeagleonline.com and former online editor of The Sun.

This session, which will explore how media organisations can earn more revenues as evolving technologies continue to disrupt their businesses, will be moderated by Gbenga Adefaye, editor-in-chief and General Manager of Vanguard Newspapers which online portal is ranked #1 by global web analytics firm, Alexa.com.

Have the institutions of higher learning in Nigeria offering journalism and mass communication updated their curricula to reflect the evolving technologies or any studies on the web economy? This is what the session on “What Can Teach You Me About Social Media?” will explore.

The panelists are: Lekan Otufodunrin, managing editor, online, The Nation; Wale Ajayi, head, department of mass communication, Lagos State Polytechnic and a new media/multimedia journalism specialist and Qasim Akinreti, online journalist with the Voice of Nigeria, author, media trainer and consultant on multimedia platforms will discuss “What can you teach me about social media?” Prof Emevwo Biakolo, dean of faculty of the School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University, Lagos, is the moderator.
Unlike the traditional media where there are hordes of gate-keepers whose duty is to keep off unwanted elements from publications and broadcasts, the social media is, more or less, an open field where it seems all you need is access to the Internet. This raises a lot of issues on ethics and standards. Panelists are: Dapo Olorunyomi, CEO/Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, the online newspaper and Shina Badaru, founder and editor of Technology Times and Yomi Omogbeja a trained online journalist, web designer and editor of AthleticsAfrica.
Dr Pius Onobhayedo, an experienced information technology and new media professional and head of New Media Department, School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University will do a round-up of the sessions with a view to recommending action plans for execution by the journalists and media owners. There will also be a presentation on UBA’s plc’s Advancements on e-commerce.
The event is open to pre-registered participants.

February 18, 2014
E-games/Social media: Blessing or curse?

Are e-games and social media threats to 21st century learning? This issue was fiercely debated at the 10th International Debate organised by the Supreme Education Foundation (SEF) Schools, Magodo, Lagos last Thursday.

Representatives of the 12 international private schools in attendance presented cogent reasons for or against the topic that wowed the audience when each of them had the floor. This made it difficult for the panel of judges to decide the winners.

The participating schools were: Top Grade Secondary School, Surulere; Mind Builders High School, Ikeja; Apostolic Faith Secondary School, Anthony; Mictec Secondary School, Ogudu; Cayley College, Agidingbi; Dansol High School, Agidingbi; The Vale College, Ibadan; Atlantic Hall, Epe; Dowen College, Lekki; The Bells Secondary School, Ota; Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja; and Taqwa Private School, Ikeja.

Those who supported the threat factor of the use of e-games and social media by school-aged children were more in number.

They argued that e-games/social media addictive distracts pupils from learning. Some e-games could encourage violent behaviour; social media could lead to restlessness, and lack of enthusiasm towards learning, make pupils lazy; affect their health negatively and may lead to downright dangerous consequences etc.

Some of the contestants said e-games promote learning as many educational games make learning of difficult concepts fun; gaming and interaction on social media could also promote learning and could lead to scientific breakthroughs, among others.

At the end of the stiff competition, Kessy Ejoor of Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja, earned 75 per cent to lift the trophy and won a DSTV decoder for her school. Inioluwa Oni of Cayley College, Agidingbi, came second with 72.75 per cent; while Jenrola Tomisin of The Bells Secondary School, Ota came third with 72 per cent.

The Chief Judge, Mrs Bunmi Runsewe commended the debaters for doing justice to the topic. She, however, said they should learn to maintain eye contact with their audience; be composed while speaking rather than walking up and down.

Mrs Runsewe advised the organisers to include more categories of prizes in future editions to reward various strengths of the contestants.

“Next time there should be more winners because the children really did well in different areas. They should assess them on their strengths. Some were good in appearance, while others carried the audience along very well. We should highlight the process and not just the end result,” she said.

Kessy Ejoor was happy with her victory, which she said was unexpected. She advised young people to apply discretion while using these ICT tools.

“Everything has its ups and downs. I am on Facebook; I love playing games, but it is a matter of how you use your head. I know the limit and I apply it.”

Mrs Lai Babatunde, member, Board of Governors, SEF Schools, told The Nation the pupils to be focused on their books and not get carried away playing games or chatting on the social media.

February 6, 2014