A conference on new media and governance, organized by the Shehu Musa Yar'adua Foundation and Enough is Enough, holds today in Abuja, a statement signed by the director general of the foundation, Jacqueline Farris said.

The two-day conference organized in collaboration with international and local development partners and civil society organizations, is scheduled to hold at the Shehu Musa Yar'adua Centre between today and tomorrow under the theme 'New Media and Governance: Tools and Trends.'

"The conference will bring together government policy makers, representatives of civil society, academic institutions, the private sector and youth to explore the use of new media to enhance governance, transparency and accountability.

"Three hundred and fifty participants, including 200 civil society groups and community-based organizations, 50 university and secondary school students, 50 government policy makers and 50 corporate representatives are expected at the conference," the statement said.

New media played an important role in the Arab Spring in North Africa as well as the 2011 Nigerian elections, when thousands of Nigerians used it to report and comment on the electoral process. With an estimated 95 million active mobile phone lines and 45.9million internet users, new media is a critical tool for positive change in a democracy like Nigeria. New media technology has enabled the promotion of sustainable development, good governance, and peaceful coexistence on the African continent.

The confab "presents an important opportunity to share experiences and knowledge of tools used around the world to enhance the work of government policy makers, civil society activists, students and community-based organizers for the public good."

All Africa

Conference Presenters/Speakers

Adamolekun, 'Yemi is the Executive Director of Enough is Enough Nigeria.

Adekanbi, Nike initiated the iamLagos project that created awareness during voter registration and supported Lagos residents in monitoring the 2011elections.

Akinfolarin, Oluwaseun is the Project Lead in WANGONeT, where he manages ICT for Development projects including using mobile and social media technology for an electoral intervention in Nigeria through the www.nigeriaelections.org portal.

Akintemi, Kayode is General Manager, Operations, Channels Television.

Asuni, Judith Burdin is Founder and Executive Director of AAPeaceWorks. AA PeaceWorks has trained thousands of Niger Delta citizens in the use of social media.



Azino, Efe Paul is regarded as one of Nigeria's leading spoken word poets. He leads a generation of visionary poets in using the medium as a transformative tool for the masses.



Az-Zubair, Amina is the CEO of the Center for Policy Research and Development Solutions and an adjunct Professor at Columbia University, NY. From 2005-2011, she served three presidents as Senior Special Assistant on the Millennium Development Goals, coordinating the expenditure of Debt Relief Funds towards the achievement of MDGs in Nigeria. She serves on numerous international advisory panels and boards including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.



Best, Michael L. is associate professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology. He is also a Faculty Associate of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Best's research focuses on information and communication technologies (ICTs) for social, economic and political development.



Chukwuma, Innocent is Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, an NGO that promotes public safety, security and access to justice through empirical research, legislative advocacy, demonstration programmes and publications in partnership with government and civil society.



Damasus, Stella is an actress and Executive Director of the Stella Damusus Foundation



Idoko, Kaptin created Gidi_Traffic, an online based service using Twitter to update users on traffic, security and general information generated via crowd-sourcing.



Igbuzor, Otive is the Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development, an NGO established to build strategic leadership in Africa. He is also a member of the Police Service Commission (PSC).



Ilukwe, Gerald C. is the pioneer Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone. As an IT professional, he has made significant contributions to the Nigerian and African Information Communications and Technology industry.



Isenah, Tonye Emmanuel is the Deputy Majority Leader of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, representing Constituency 1 of Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area. He is the first member of the BYSA to have an online constituency office.



Ibrahim, Jibrin is the Director of The Centre for Democracy and Development, a non-profit research, training, advocacy and capacity building organization established to mobilize global opinion and resources for sustainable democracy and development in the West African sub-region.



Jideonwo, Chude is a journalist, media entrepreneur, new media consultant and public speaker. He is a Managing Partner of Red Media Group with a development subsidiary called The Future Project.



Keri, Yemi serves as the Executive Director of the Directorate of Information Communications and Technology (ICT) for Edo State Government responsible for the management and supervision of the centralized ICT structure and various ICT initiatives resulting in the use of ICT as critical enabler for the full delivery of e-government in Edo State.



Kuna, Mohammed J. is Professor and Technical Adviser to the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Lausten, Jonas Schwarz has established digital strategies for several Danish municipalities, which have evolved around citizen engagement and Government 2.0. Jonas is always up-to-date with the latest digital trends in Africa, in both the mobile space and on the web.


Lenz, Paul is Head of Finance and Operations for mySociety, a U.K.-based organization that builds websites to give people tangible benefits in the civic and community aspects of their lives. He project managed re-launch of the Mzalendo.com website in Kenya.



Longe, Femi is Co-founder & Director for Programmes at Co-Creation Hub Nigeria. He leads on Open Living Labs, CcHub's approach for co-creating innovative solutions to social and commercial challenges.



Musila, Jessica is the Africa Project Lead for mySociety, the UK-based organisation that created TheyWorkForYou, WhatDoTheyKnow, FixMyStreet, etc. Her role is to ensure that Mzalendo (Patriot in Swahili) has the maximum positive social impact in Kenya, overseeing social media promotion and marketing of the site and building a volunteer network to support the initiative.

Nwankpa, Amara is an I.T. professional who served as a social media strategist with the Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, R.S.V.P. campaign. He was responsible for coordinating the Social Media Tracking Centre during the April 2011 general elections.

Nwankwo, Clement is currently Executive Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) based in Abuja, Nigeria. He co-founded Nigeria's first human rights group in 1987 – the Civil Liberties Organisation. He found and led the Constitutional Rights Project (CRP) from 1990-2003.

Odinkalu, Chidi Anselm heads the Africa programme of the Open Society Justice Initiative; is a member of the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association and Co-Chairperson of the Citizenship Rights in Africa Initiative based in Kampala, Uganda. Odinkalu became Chairperson of the Governing Council of Nigeria's National Human Rights Commission in 2011.

Ojidoh, Chuks is the Deputy Project Director for Community Life Project (CLP), initiators of the ReclaimNaija project. CLP works to promote gender equality, participatory grassroots development and the inclusion of marginalized, vulnerable sub-populations in the governance process.

Onigbinde, Oluseun founded BudgIT in February 2011 based on his belief in a transparent society where every citizen within a community has equal access to information about the monetary and fiscal position of their society.

Sage, Caroline is a Senior Social Development Specialist in the World Bank Abuja Office where she manages projects that use social media and other ICT tools to promote more transparent and open governance processes. Caroline has a background in Law, Anthropology and Film and has worked on justice and governance issues in developing countries.

Saraki, Bukola is a Senator representing Kwara Central and the former Governor, Kwara State (2003 - 2011).

Sesan, Gbenga is the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), a social enterprise that connects underserved people-groups with ICT-enabled opportunities. He was Nigeria's first Information Technology Youth Ambassador and served as the Vice Chair of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa's African Technical Advisory Committee.


Shettima, Kole is Director of the John D. amd Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Nigeria.

Tijani, Bukar Honourable Minister of State, Agriculture, Fadama III Project

Tikkanen, Mari is the founder and Managing Director of M4ID. Based in Helsinki, Finland, M4ID's mission is to leverage new communication technology in support of development and health.


Were, Daudi Khamadi is a Kenyan technology, data and information strategist who supports citizens to provide solutions to problems in their communities. As Project Director at Ushahidi, Daudi works on innovative ways technology can be used to bring about positive change in communities across the world.


Yau, Y.Z., Centre for Information, Technology and Development (CITAD) employs technology as a tool to promote sustainable development, good government and peaceful coexistence. It uses ICT to empower youth and women through access to information, skills and online mentoring opportunities and utilizes platforms such as social networking, web-to-text interface and Google alert to provide information to promote peaceful coexistence.

Day One
OPENING PLENARY
9:00-11:00 am

Welcome: Conference Overview - 'Yemi Adamolekun, Enough is Enough Nigeria

Opening Address - Hon. Omobola Johnson, Minister, Communication Technology

Keynote Address - Professor Steven Livingston, Media and International Affairs, George Washington University
Session I
11:00-12:30pm Nigerian Elections and New Media: Moving Forward

Moderator: Amara Nwankpa, EiE

Discussants
• Dr. Mohammed Kuna, INEC
• Nike Adekanbi, IamLagos
• Mike Best, Georgia Institute of Technology
12:30-1:30 pm LUNCH
Session II
1:30-3:00 pm Engaging Government I
Moderator: Gerald Ilukwe, CEO,Galaxy Backbone

Discussants
• Senator Bukola Saraki
• Caroline Sage, World Bank
• Alh. Bukar Tijani Borno, Minister of State, Agriculture, Fadama III Project
3:00-4:30 pm Engaging Government II
Moderator: Chidi Odinkalu

Discussants
• Yemi Keri, Open Government Pilot Project, Edo State
• Tony Isenah, Bayelsa State House of Assembly
• Tunji Lardner, WANGONET
DINNER

Transcorp Hilton
7:30-10:00 pm

Remarks:
• H.E. Dr. KayodeFayemi, Executive Governor, Ekiti State.
• Chair: Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki



Goodwill Messages:

• Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Head of Social Innovation & Philanthropy, Twitter

• Bill Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation;
• Stephen King, Omidyar Network

ENTERTAINMENT - BankyW and eLDee

Sounds good but are we gonna make use of it!

How does this add to the value my jobless neighbor man?

mukina2:
Remarks:
• H.E. Dr. KayodeFayemi, Executive Governor, Ekiti State.
• Chair: Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki

Goodwill Messages:

• Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Head of Social Innovation & Philanthropy, Twitter

• Bill Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation;
• Stephen King, Omidyar Network

Oh yes, distinguished in the Nigerian art of stealing public and private funds.

On my way there right now. Better late tthan never

I got there pretty late but I managed to hear a couple of speeches by Hon. Farouk Lawan and some british guy from DFID

I think Seun Osewa is highly underrated in Nigeria. He should be part of these speakers as the founder of Nigeria's largest online forum, a very important social medium.

Very true. I am surprised he wasn't part of the event. I actually went there thinking I'd get tto meet the dude. For all I know he was there on the downlow

Jarus: I think Seun Osewa is highly underrated in Nigeria. He should be part of these speakers as the founder of Nigeria's largest online forum, a very important social medium.

Seun seems to be a quiet man. Which is the way brilliant and filled people always are.

I tweeted this Monday: Bunch of Sandmonkey wannabees mustered in downtown Abuja hobnobbing with the politicos. Pictures why the Occupy movement failed? #NGNewMedia

I still stand by my tweet.

Day Two
Session III
9:00-10:30 am

Naija Generation and New Media
Opening Remarks - Honourable Bolaji Abdullahi, Minister, Youth Development

Moderator: Chude Jideonwo, Direcotr, The Future Project

Discussants:

• BankyW, Director, EME and Singer

• Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Actress

• eLDee, Singer
Session IV

10:30-12:30 pm

Venue
Auditorium


Venue
Board Room


Engaging Society Using New Media
Discussion/Action Points/Recommendations



Breakout Session:
a) Governance: Transparency, Leadership, Accountability


Facilitator: Kole Shettima, Country Director, MacArthur Foundation.

Resource Persons:
• Chuks Ojidoh, Community Life Project
• Jessica Musila, My Society
• Oluseun Onigbinde, Budgit Nigeria



b) Social Trends: Driver for Progress


Facilitator: Amina az-Zubair, Centre for Development Policy Solutions

Resource Persons:
• Gbenga Sesan, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria
• Kayode Akintemi, Channels Television
• Chude Jideonwo, Director, The Future Nigeria Project



Lead Discussant: Mari Tikkanen, M4ID
12:30-1:30 pm LUNCH

1:30-3:30 pm


Venue
Auditorium


Breakout Session:
c) Capacity Building: Citizen Empowerment Strategies
Facilitator: Clement Nwankwo, PLAC

Resource Persons:
• Bosun Tijjani, CcHub
• Jonas Schwarz Lausten, Seismonaut Africa
• Seun Akinfolarin, WANGONET



Lead Discussant: Tony Bowden, My Society



d) Early Warning Systems: Citizen Protection
Facilitator: Innocent Chukwuma, CLEEN Foundation

Resource Persons:
• Daudi Were, Ushahidi
• Y.Z. Yau, Centre for InfoTech and Dev(CITAD)
• Gidi_Traffic
3:30-4:30 pm

Closing
• H.E. Ambassador Chris Cooter, Canadian High Commisioner

• Judith Burdin Asuni, AAPeaceWorks

Objectives

The key question is how do we influence governance at all levels in Nigeria using new media? Conversely, how does government pursue the goal of good governance through new media? Specific objectives of the conference are:

1. To increase awareness amongst citizens, civil society actors and policy makers for the potential of new media as a tool for public good;
2. To share experience and knowledge of tools used around the world and explore possibility for adaptation, particularly pertaining to key governance issues such as budget tracking and security;
3. To create a space for hands on learning on the use of different forms of new media for civic engagement.


Outcomes
The conference builds on the exciting work of numerous groups and individuals, primarily youth, who used new media during the recent election process to register voters, encourage turnout and protect the vote. Our challenge is to facilitate transitioning these organizations and their new media platforms to focus on issues of governance and transparency.

Consequently we believe the following outcomes will be achieved by the conference:

1. Civil society will have gained insights on useful tools for accountability and assessing government performance used by other groups in order to apply them to the Nigerian environment.
2. Government officials will have been made aware of new media tools that will allow them to communicate government activity and invite feedback from citizens;
3. An expanded network of youth organizations, including university students, will have been engaged to acquire knowledge and information of existing global tools as well as encouraged to develop applications for these tools in the Nigerian context.
4. Publicity and increased momentum will have been gained around the use of new media technologies in civic engagement and governance.

Mukina, are you attending this event?

Jarus: Mukina, are you attending this event?

Does Muki now reside in Nigeria?

Good effort, we need everything we can get to fix this country.

Samoo01: Seun seems to be a quiet man. Which is the way brilliant and filled people always are.

I tweeted this Monday: Bunch of Sandmonkey wannabees mustered in downtown Abuja hobnobbing with the politicos. Pictures why the Occupy movement failed? #NGNewMedia


I still stand by my tweet.

I understand your cynicism, and I share it to an extent. But we will need all manner of people to get a movement going. Some of those people must be able to access and influence the elite while some will be deeply connected to the grassroot.

What we do not need are people that are at the mercy of the looters of Nigeria, the so called "reformers and transformers" in power today are mostly in that category

Jarus: Mukina, are you attending this event?

Are you attending? Lead moderator of the largest Online "political" forum in Nigeria, I thought you'ld be there too.

Nigerians are stupid. Bukola Saraki is in the panel - BankyW is on the panel and you are still talking about Change and sustainable development in the same sentence? How pathetic.


Nigeria will NEVER move forward. It is a way to keep so-called activists busy.

Keep most young Nigerian activists busy with conferences and FOOD, the real work remains undone.

Kilode?!:



Are you attending? Lead moderator of the largest Online "political" forum in Nigeria, I thought you'ld be there too.

Yes o. As the man that moderates the largest and most diverse assembly of Nigerian youths, at home and abroad, I need special invitation before attending.

obowunmi: Keep most young Nigerian activists busy with conferences and FOOD, the real work remains undone.

Lol

Ibime:

Does Muki now reside in Nigeria?

Actually, with the passion she was reporting the event, it isn't far off to think se was there. She's an active 'new media person' after all. She can come and deliver Seun's speech, on Nairaland's bill.

Jarus:
Yes o. As the man that moderates the largest and most diverse assembly of Nigerian youths, at home and abroad, I need special invitation before attending.

You need no invitation. You should have gate-crashed lol

But seriously, Nairaland needs to be more proactive. You have a huge resource on your hands. The movements of today cannot use the tools of yesterday, they have to use what this generation has.

Online Forums such as this one are major stakeholders. especially for a country with a poor history of representative democracy. This is the public square of today in many ways. Egypt proved that to an extent.

I know the anonymity model of NL can be an impediment, but nevertheless, more can be done to employ the conversation and traffic on NL for major policy and public drives. What starts here can ignite the streets and force the hands of political actors. It can be done.

as someone who was one of the first early pioneer of social media... I think it is a good idea. may be I should share my experience and show you pictures of what I did... It was not an easy sector as people think. And it can be risk to your life.. It can bring you love and hate. I will likely show you pictures tomorrow.

You all see, the front end. I will show you, how the back end use to look like. it is not an easy sector to have gone too. It is more easy to teach this thing in school than do it. people can not understand the living hell to social media.. I call it a "living hell." . it is not funny... It was not easy hosting nearly 1% of the whole world web.

I will say I gain experience. Which I think I should not die with.. I will take time to write a book on it. And may be transfer my technical understand into the book.