I came across this piece.

It sounds likes a conspiracy.

But it actually makes sense.

I cut out some pieces.

You can read the full article here

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alagbe/586489594713742

In the Beginning

China has increasingly become an important economic player in Africa. The Chinese investments in Africa span across many sectors and are not confined only to the Chinese government or state-owned companies as we are led to believe. Several private Chinese companies have also invested heavily in Africa. For example, Huawei, a leading Chinese global telecom service provider, boasts a total investment of USD1.5 billion and a teeming workforce of over 4000 workers in Africa.

The Plot

The growth of China’s interest in Africa has been driven by an appetite for Africa’s natural resources as a means of sustenance towards rapid growth. Currently, China imports one third of its oil from Africa, and some of its investments are tied to resource extraction. For instance, Angola has bartered its oil resources for infrastructure development. Nonetheless, Chinese interests in the region go beyond oil and other raw materials.

The former Chinese premier Hu Jintao pledged $US20 billion in foreign aid to African countries towards infrastructure and agriculture. However, when these altruistic promises of developmental aid were made, there were covert deals struck by the sidelines.
Sleeping with the Enemy

Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturers (Huawei, ZTE Corporation) are providing equipment for Nigerian telecoms infrastructure. They have even undertaken major projects in the Nigerian market like the Abuja CCTV project, which cost around $ 470M. . The project, which is funded through a $600 million credit facility obtained from EXIMBANK China, was awarded by the Federal Government in August 2010 and was completed in May 2011.

Upon completion, , the multi-million dollar project created a dedicated trunk system for inter-agency communication and linkages. In addition, it eradicated critical national security agencies from private network operators and service providers.

Fire on the Mountain

In February 2011, Huawei Technologies Company, the leading Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer, published an open letter to the U.S. Government denying security concerns over their company equipment and a request for a full investigation into their corporate operations.
Nigeria as a sovereign nation has to be wary of foreign aid or opportunities, which may not always, be in the country’s best interests.


Nigeria the Sleeping Giant

A researcher in security Felix Lindner, of the laboratory Recurity Labs, who expressed himself during a conference DefCon, in Las Vegas, suggested that it was potentially ideal - for attackers to reconfigure, intercept, monitor and alter all traffic that runs through Huawei routers.

Last July, the senator Jean - Mary Bockel of France in his parliamentary report on cyberdefence, openly pronounced a “ complete ban on the European territory of the “ navigators of heart of networks “ and other sensitive computer equipment of Chinese origin “.

According to reports, Huawei was prevented from participating in an invitation to tender for a vast national plan for reasons down to cybersecurity. In India, the agencies of internal security announced their concerns that ZTE should manage network 4G from Airtel to Kolkata.

Final Thoughts

This underlines a crucial scenario of a clear, present and future danger of state sponsored espionage which puts what is left of this country of ours at huge risk of being oppressed once again. As Sanusi Lamido so succinctly put “China is a major contributor to the de-industrialsation of Africa and thus African underdevelopment. Africa must recognize that China is not in Africa for African interests.”

Mr Murdah: Africa must recognize that China is not in Africa for African interests.”

Maybe so, but considering we are still unable to deal with the most major infrastructural challenges ourselves, then we must stop whining.
There are economic and developmental 'marriages of convenience" everywhere. Globalisation is encouraging it. We should learn to play the game, so we are happy partners in any union, instead of whining and playing victim always.

I don't know if u read the full report on the FB page but I don't think it's a question of not engaging the Chinese but we need to do it with caution and some intelligence to avoid the same mistakes our forefathers committed with the europeans. A lot of our african leaders are going into long term agreements whils giving away a huge amount of our resources and do not really pass on the knowledge. Sanusi's piece in the Financial Times attests to this so have a few other ppl.There is a Cyberwar going on at the moment in the world and Nigeria hasn't got a clue what's going on

Don't be caught up in the propaganda. I suggest that you read between the lines. Yes, companies like Huawei have taken over the Nigerian telecoms market to the detriment of major European and American competitors like Motorola and Nokia Siemens but the question is this- if Huawei and ZTE poses security risk, can we absolve Motorola and Nokia Siemens or even Alcatel of same? We do not presently possess the technological muscle to midwife home made telecom infrastructure, so what are our options?

How are we even sure that our Nokia phones, blackberry phones, HP laptops and other myriad internet active devices do not have scripts running on them that thoroughly compromise our privacy and confidentiality of our transactions? Are the Americans and Europeans presenting this argument against Chineese coys because they are Chineese or is the argument against using foreign telecom infrastructure? Are we sure we are not in the middle on business space struggle?

This is why i demand that we should read in between the line. Today, all our major telcos are foreign coys apart from Glo and they take business decisions daily with their eyes on cost and profitability. Why should you (in the shoes of Adenuga) reject a deal from Huawei for multi billion infrastructure at almost zero professional cost and payment regime starting from next 3 years (when you would have made your returns) and go for Nokia Siemens at double of Huawei cost (while delivering same service) and very high professional cost?

Good point...we can't totally absolve the West from the same practice. There is nothing like zero risk but u can reduce the risk. Case in point you have some sort of regulation and legislation that wud reduce these risks with companies in the West, the Chinese don't have thse restrictions to deal with ...they don't even have privacy laws. That said the US will trample on rights with legislation like FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) which allows them to pull information from any ISP in the US on foreigners. So this forum for instance I can see has it's server in the US everything on here is monitored. So that said the same level of caution should be adopted when dealing with all of them which I think is the point here.

Riroeire: I don't know if u read the full report on the FB page but I don't think it's a question of not engaging the Chinese but we need to do it with caution and some intelligence to avoid the same mistakes our forefathers committed with the europeans. A lot of our african leaders are going into long term agreements whils giving away a huge amount of our resources and do not really pass on the knowledge. Sanusi's piece in the Financial Times attests to this so have a few other ppl.There is a Cyberwar going on at the moment in the world and Nigeria hasn't got a clue what's going on

You should read what I wrote again to note our positions are not different.

We should learn to play the game, so we are happy partners in any union, instead of whining and playing victim always.

If we are not going to be up to speed developing the technological and intellectual nous to prevent us being the victims of the machinations of others, then we deserve to be dominated. Of course the world is about self-interest and the perpetual scheming that helps actualise the advantage Nations want to gain !!!! How many things in life are not about that?

Gbawe.:


Maybe so, but considering we are still unable to deal with the most major infrastructural challenges ourselves, then we must stop whining.
There are economic and developmental 'marriages of convenience" everywhere. Globalisation is encouraging it. We should learn to play the game, so we are happy partners in any union, instead of whining and playing victim always.

but if the aligations are founded then its a problem cos it would mean they use their right hand to help and the left to destroy...

Exactly @drnoel ...A thing we need to prevent....Gbawe noted that we need to help ourselves and stop whining which is basically what the report is trying to do.Note that the West are buying the same equipment from the Chinese so it's not a question of just trying to circumvent their equipment for Western companies or interests. The West is trying to protect itself and as such we should take similar steps. With the state sanctioned Cyberattacks originating from China against the West, it's just another advantage or weapon to have....So heaven forbid that we get into a diplomatic row with China....we wouldn't even be able to get to the bargaining table and they shut us down....Just a thot

.

China "resolutely opposes" U.S. curbs on IT imports: state media http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/30/us-china-us-trade-idUSBRE92T01J20130330

Frank-C:
Don't be caught up in the propaganda. I suggest that you read between the lines. Yes, companies like Huawei have taken over the Nigerian telecoms market to the detriment of major European and American competitors like Motorola and Nokia Siemens but the question is this- if Huawei and ZTE poses security risk, can we absolve Motorola and Nokia Siemens or even Alcatel of same? We do not presently possess the technological muscle to midwife home made telecom infrastructure, so what are our options?

How are we even sure that our Nokia phones, blackberry phones, HP laptops and other myriad internet active devices do not have scripts running on them that thoroughly compromise our privacy and confidentiality of our transactions? Are the Americans and Europeans presenting this argument against Chineese coys because they are Chineese or is the argument against using foreign telecom infrastructure? Are we sure we are not in the middle on business space struggle?

This is why i demand that we should read in between the line. Today, all our major telcos are foreign coys apart from Glo and they take business decisions daily with their eyes on cost and profitability. Why should you (in the shoes of Adenuga) reject a deal from Huawei for multi billion infrastructure at almost zero professional cost and payment regime starting from next 3 years (when you would have made your returns) and go for Nokia Siemens at double of Huawei cost (while delivering same service) and very high professional cost?

Thank you jare. Even BT uses HUAWEI products. As if we have options.

Ola one:
Thank you jare. Even BT uses HUAWEI products. As if we have options.

abi.... all I see is some American and European coy crying fowl because the market they dominated in the past is being taken over by the Chinese. May the coy with the best benefit cost ratio win.

The only effective enemy Nigeria has is the Nigerians themselves.