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Check out amazing reviews of Kwese TV: Beyond TV

https://buzznigeria.com/kwese-tv/

Mods kindly get this info to front page to enlighten people of other options in pay TV. cc @UjSizzle @prof800 @lalasticlala

Breaking News: Another amazing new service from Kwesé TV
__Your time, your content, your choice... #BeyondTV !

I've written here before about identifying a human need and then working to solve it with your own entrepreneurship and innovation. Sometimes you may also identify a "human want," for example, to have more choice, convenience, speed, better prices, and a greater selection of inspiring, interesting and educational ways to spend your time...

# Have you always wanted to access the best global content for both you and your children, without struggling to find an international credit card to pay for it?

# Have you always wanted to build your own TV bouquet, and only pay for what you watch?

# Are you tired of repeats, and want so much content at your fingertips that you are always spoilt for choice?

My team thought about all the things you need, and the answer is our new service, Kwesé Play... which we launched today in partnership with Netflix, the giant US Internet streaming entertainment company.

Custom-built and powered by our partner Roku®, the Kwesé Play "streaming box" has more entertainment content than any broadcaster in Africa and is the first set-top box in Africa to officially include Netflix service.

This is a #GameChanger!

Here's how it works: Traditional subscription service (or Pay TV) relies on a decoder connected to a satellite dish. The challenge of satellite technology is that it's inflexible and rigid, limiting the things you can do. It's actually quite an old technology.
Kwesé Play uses the most advanced decoder in the world (an Internet "streaming box" connected by fibre optic cable. The high speed fibre (internet) connection allows us to provide the most intelligent TV service possible.

# Our "streaming box" is the one used mostly in the US. It's a called Roku®, and is only available in Africa from Kwesé Play and its distributors! (This Roku-powered™ streaming box was custom-built for and in partnership with Kwesé).

# Netflix is provided through what we call an Internet "streaming app" which allows you to open and search for thousands of movies. This "video on demand" service means you can access the content as and when you wish to watch!

# Kwesé Play customers in South Africa get an exclusive, three-month FREE gift subscription to Netflix. (This is a launch special.)

Our partnership with Netflix covers the whole of sub Saharan Africa. When the service rolls out to your country in the next several months, you will not need a credit card and foreign exchange. You can pay your Netflix subscription with your country's own currency!

# Kwesé TV's own "TV Everywhere App," which we have just launched, is also on the platform so you can just open it and watch all our channels, including, of course, Kwesé Inc!

# Netflix is not the only "streaming app" on Kwesé Play. There are already 100 apps and we will increase them as we progress. Many Netflix originals will be released in Africa at the same time as everywhere in the world, including new seasons of global hits such as Stranger Things, Narcos, Luke Cage and The Crown, stand-up comedies like Trevor Noah, Afraid of the Dark, and Netflix.

# Netflix members in Africa will also be able to see some shows that are not available to Netflix members in the US, such as hit series Designated Survivor and the new Star Trek: Discovery series.

# In addition to Netflix and Kwesé TV, our launch Kwesé Play launch package includes TED, RedBull TV, iflix, Revolt, YouTube and HappyKids2.

There is more!!!

There are 100x streaming channel apps, but you can build your own bouquet. You choose the channels you like and build your own TV network. You pay ONLY for those channels you want.

There is more!!!

70% of the streaming apps are FREE! You pay for Netflix and Kwesé Play, and a few others... the rest are free!

There is more!!!

You have free access to the Kwesé TV "Everywhere App" for use on your phone, once you subscribe to Kwesé Play. This app has 75+ channels by end October.

Kwesé Play works with a normal TV or a laptop. It takes a few minutes to install if you have fibre in your house. You don't need a technician and you don't have to remove any other Pay TV service in your house.

#Beyond TV... Choose when, where and what you like!

Image credit: Netflix co-founder, Mr Reed Hasting and I in Barcelona earlier this year.

End.



Dr Strive Masiyiwa
CEO Econet

austinereds:
are they showing premier league and champions league?

Hi Austinereds, yes for English Premier League. The rights to air Champions League will be acquired soon.

KWESE SPORTS TO END SUPER SPORTS MONOPOLY

There is palpable excitement in the sport television market following the announcement of the 2018 FIFA World Cup media rights for Sub-Saharan Africa last week. Alongside the usual suspects SuperSport, newcomers Kwese TV and StarTimes have acquired various rights to screen the 2017 Confederations Cup, the junior men’s tournaments as well as the women’s tournaments.


While SuperSport has held the African pay television market by the scruff of the neck for several years, new players Kwese and StarTimes are flexing their muscles and challenging the monopoly of the South African behemoth.


StarTimes has been puffing for a while now and saw an increase in sales of digital decoders and antennas when it won rights to the 2015 Fifa tournaments (Women’s World Cup and men’s U17 & U20) for sub-Saharan Africa. Like many eager football fans, I acquired my StarTimes decoder during that period. 2015 was a good year for the Chinese company as they bit into the SuperSport market share and also took over the German Bundesliga rights. But as soon as the tournaments were over, it was difficult to sustain interest in their other offerings. So I abandoned my set top box.


The most exciting entrant into the market is Kwese Sports owned by Econet Media. Apart from the pay TV rights to the World Cup, Kwese Sports got the free-to-air package for the whole of sub-Saharan Africa except South Africa. This means that the ambitious company can enter into alliances with domestic broadcasters across the continent like the NTA, AIT and others, to broadcast the World Cup. This will bring them brand leverage that could be turned into a massive market for their pay TV roll out.


On the surface it all seems like the higher the competition for media rights, the better it is for customers. In truth, customers get to pay more on the long run in acquiring different decoders and paying subscriptions across several platforms in order to access their many different offerings. But it is FIFA that has actually made more profit in this bidding round.


Despite the recent corruption problems faced by FIFA, the organization seems to have weathered it very well and its most important product, the World Cup, continues to be a big draw. It is an extremely coveted property that every broadcaster wants to have.


According to Callum McCarthy of Sport Business, FIFA’s profits went up almost 95 per cent this year from all the jostling for media rights for sub-Saharan Africa. SuperSport paid around $11million for the 2014 rights (exclusive pay TV across Africa), they slightly increased their payment this year to $14m (non-exclusive pay TV rights) while Kwese Sports acquired their free-to-air and pay-TV rights for almost $34m. Let us assume that StarTimes got their deal for around $10-12m. This round of rights sales has put a decent $56-58m in FIFA’s pockets from sub-Saharan Africa.


Sport has always been a major incentive for the purchase of cable TV subscription. In the United States, ESPN continues to be the most expensive channel to watch. Unlike movies and other programing, sport is unpredictable so it draws large audiences. And because live sport is consumed as it is produced, it has a higher premium than any other kind of TV content. The 2014 World Cup had a cumulative audience of 3.2billion with 98,087 hours of broadcast (FIFA TV Audience Report).


Nigerians love live sport and regularly pack viewing centres and bars in order to watch European football. As the NTA (with average viewership of 16.7m for Brazil 2014) and other national broadcasters have become unable to compete for global sports rights, SuperSport has been the benefactor of the crave for global sport.


While StarTimes’ offering has not been up to the same quality one has come to expect of cable TV, Kwese Free Sports seems to have an ace up its sleeve. It has introduced one free English Premier League game via its mobile app every weekend and is set to expand its reach across the continent through the Confederations Cup and World Cup. From a marketing perspective, it has an opportunity to grow its brand to become an important voice in the African media market.



While SuperSport has established itself as a leader in the industry, the new kids on the block have an opportunity to create product differentiation by producing memorable programming around the World Cup in order to gain considerable audience share. Will they be able to offer behind the scenes, road to Russia and exclusive African national teams’ footage that would be memorable?


For advertisers, it is most likely SuperSport would remain the first option with StarTimes and Kwese Sports hoping to take a significant bite of that money. Still, the World Cup advertising market in Nigeria depends very much on the Super Eagles qualifying for Russia 2018. If they do, there would be a windfall like Brazil 2014 where brands fell over themselves to run campaigns in the frenzy of the tournament. With more broadcast rights owners, would top brands spread the money around or remain with their trusted ally?


Kwese Sports’ survival will depend on how much they are able to commercialize their new property. The next several months would confirm if our new found excitement about changes in the sport television market has been worth it.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/guardian.ng/sport/kwese-sports-startimes-to-end-supersports-monopoly/amp

Kwese Update:
We are launching service in 7x countries additional countries this month (September):

#Zimbabwe (NOW available through Econet Shops, and approved dealers);

# South Africa (available from Thursday next week, as Kwese Play only);

#Kenya (in two weeks through Safaricom, Airtel, and e-dealers);

#Nigeria (in two weeks through MTN and Airtel Shops, and e-dealers).

#Botswana (ALREADY UP, through dealers, big retail outlets, and MNOs);

#Swaziland (end of the month, through dealers, and MTN);

#Malawi (end of the month, through dealers and Airtel).

...October will see more countries, including Uganda and Tanzania.

Thanks for the support.
Please enjoy!

God bless.

Apparently, Chinese women are also flocking the US for child birth. The number has risen from 600 in 2007 to more than 80,000 in 2016.

With a minimum budget of US$29,048, this special group of Chinese travelers has fed a multi-billion dollar industry in Los Angeles, the la la land of birth tourism. $29k is on the high side though!


California is the preferred destination due to the warm weather. This brings me to my question: will Nigerians patronise consultancy service for birth tourism?


See article on Business Insider on it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-wealthy-chinese-women-are-flocking-to-la-to-give-birth-2017-9

You can watch the live match via the App. All you need to do is download the app and follow thses quick and easy steps:

1. Sign up on the app (see pictures below).
2. Once you are in, you can now watch free entertainment and sports channels!

Pause: Kwesé update

__Our journey to bring you the stars!

My youngest daughter is only 14 years old. She watches a lot of television, but never on a TV set. She watches everything on her computer. Africa has about 60m TVs, but already there are more than 200m smartphones and tablets on the continent. I hope you now understand why I was inspired to call our new venture, Kwesé… which means "everywhere!"

It’s now been almost a year since we launched Kwesé TV, so as promised, here’s my latest update on our progress. We’re entering an exciting phase where we’ll now begin to launch our services.

One of the first things I shared with you about this venture was the importance of doing proper research to make sure you fully understand the business you’re going into. We researched this venture for more than three years before deciding to go into it.

One of the first lessons we learnt is that “content” is THE most important thing in the television business. A TV network operator must first buy high quality content that people are prepared to pay for.

When a broadcaster acquires content for you to watch on TV, it’s called buying "rights." Before Kwesé can air live sport events or a movie, for instance, we must own the "rights" to do so. Those rights can be very expensive, particularly when they’re "exclusive" and can’t be shown by another network. Can you guess what are some of the most expensive broadcasting rights to acquire?

We've spent the last 12 months fighting for such rights. My team and I have travelled all over the world, and met suppliers of content, including major international studios and sports organizations.

This has really been a journey to bring you the stars, and we can't wait to share with you...

# Kwesé (via Econet Media) has now acquired rights to broadcast some of the most important content in the world of sports and entertainment!

# Some of our rights have never been aired in Africa before.

# We have also commissioned African film producers to develop our own programming.

We aren't simply copying what others have done. That wouldn’t be very smart. We have our own strategy. You, too, must always have your own strategy.

By now you will have noticed that we’re not building a “normal” TV business. Our work is still underway so I won't share too much just yet, but I’m happy to tell you (a little):

1. Kwesé Free Sports

We started with just one sports channel, Kwesé Free Sports, which we first launched in Kenya. It's now growing throughout the continent. So far the response has been remarkable! That channel and its content, is now available in 16 countries, and growing. It will be a fully 24 hour free sports channel in most African countries within three years.

To learn more about Kwese Free Sports (including the countries where you can find it now) go to Kwesesports.com or our Facebook page.

2. KweseSports.com

As I’ve told you before, any modern business must have a website. In our case, we did more than that. Our website is "a business within a business," and we’re working together with the world’s largest TV sports broadcaster, ESPN, to make KweseSports.com the HOME OF GLOBAL SPORT IN AFRICA!

Africans and people of African descent are some of the world's greatest sportsmen and women. KweseSports.com is the place to follow them!

3. Kwesé App

If you have a smartphone, tablet or computer, by simply downloading the Kwesé App you can already watch some of the rights and TV channels we’ve acquired.

I suggest you download the App, and follow its progression over the next few weeks. You will see that it is not all about sport, eventually. Access to the content is free, until we have populated the site with all the content. Kwesé Free Sports is always free!

For all of you young entrepreneurs, Kwesé will soon have a wonderful surprise for you, too..."Shhh!" (Wait for it).

To be continued. . .

Dr Strive Masiyiwa
CEO Econet

This is a live thread about Kwese TV and all it offers in Africa.

Kwesé TV is the redefinition of broadcasting in Africa, taking audiences Beyond TV.

Kwesé is a distinctly African entertainment company, disrupting the industry by breaking through the confines of traditional approaches to broadcasting. We aim to meet the needs of an increasingly dynamic and globally connected African viewer by providing affordable, premium content to audiences across the continent.

Kwese is a brand of Econet Media Limited, the media arm of Econet, one of Africa’s leading Telecoms, Media & Technology groups.


In addition to great content and its multi-platform, Kwesé offers a ‘pay-as-you-watch’ service that enables viewers to purchase three or seven day passes to its full programming bouquet so they never have to miss out on trending sports or entertainment programming. (See picture below for pricing in Nigeria).


To know more visit the website: www.kwese.com

You can also download the App to watch live sports and some Kwese stations for free. Hurry now amd go to Playstore and App store to get the Kwese App.

You can find a dealer around you from the link below:
https://www.kwese.com/StoreDirectory

Mmasomma:
Same with me. My email is Tessy4link@yahoo.com.

@Mmasomma and damkage, if you can't get affordable airbnb homes close to the hospital. Try using InTown suites - I45 North (ZHN) Extended Stay. It is minutes away from the Hospital.

Tsam1959:
Sir be patient, to what mail address did you send your complain ?

I am patient. I just want an acknowledgment of receipt of the mail or status update of my request. I sent the request to support@npvn.desk-mail.com with supporting docs: marriage cert, affidavit, newspaper publication, account details and BVN. Isn't it the correct email?

npowerng:
Did you receive a mail . Saying your issue has been resolved or rectified ?

No response at all. I have sent several reminders. Kindly assist so my profile is updated and stipend payment unaffected.

npowerng:
When did you send your new bank details and proofs to the helpdesk mail.

Thanks for your swift response. I sent it on the 11th August, 2017 at 2pm.

npowerng:
Dear Existing Beneficiaries,
Some of you have payment issues and don't know what to do.
Please read carefully and ask follow up questions below.
#NPowerNG

Changed my bank account name and bvn details. Sent proofs for the name change to the support team via emails but yet no response.

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), operator of the NNPC/Shell/Total/Agip Joint Venture (SPDC JV) announces the commencement of the 2017 SPDC JV Regional LiveWIRE Programme.

Livewire is a youth enterprise development programme supported by the SPDC JV. The programme aims to inspire, encourage and support young people aged 18-35 with training and finance to start their own businesses.

The LiveWIRE programme objectives are:

Enable youths to establish businesses by exposing them to business planning and management skills through the ‘Become a Successful Business Owner Course’.
Provide business start-up grants for candidates with the best business plans.
Link successful candidates to third parties like financial institutions and non-government organisations (NGOs).
Provide a volunteer mentoring programme for successful candidates.
Programme content:

Pre-start up: - Value and Organise Yourself (VOY)
Bright Ideas workshop (BI)
Become a Successful Business Owner (Business Planning & Management)
Value Chain workshop
Business Start-up (How to access finance & technology)
Post start up (Mentoring and Market linkages)
Applications eligibility:

Male and female applicants from the region (South-South).
Must possess a University degree or HND in any discipline.
Must have completed NYSC if within mandatory bracket.
Must be resident in their states of origin.
Must not be in paid employment.
Must have an innovative business idea.
Must desire to own and manage a business.

Application period:

Monday August 7 – Monday August 21, 2017

Click link below to Apply Now!

https://www.livewire-nigeria.org/application-form



You may also apply by sending an email to info@livewire-nigeria.org stating:


*Full name; *state of origin; *community; *LGA; *date of birth; *email; *marital status; *telephone no; *residential address; *educational qualification; *subject area; *type of business; *description of business; *years of experience; *disability if any; *business name; *CAC registration if any; *business address; *Name of Referee; *telephone no; and *address.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted via email or sms.

NaijainTexas:
Got your message, but have been dealing with a lot of stuff these past few weeks. I will email you back.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Hello @miczyn @coolcathy and others using HNWMC, DH and I will be in Houston next month (August). However, we are yet to firm up accommodation. Any suggestions of affordable suites close to the hospital will be appreciated. We've tried airbnb but still on the high side.

And has anyone found a way to ensure the pediatric bill is commensurate with what is charged elsewhere (less than $500)?


Thanks for your understanding and swift response.


Any Houston bound mum in August can hit me up too.

mizcyn:
Hi. Anyone currently in houston northwest region and using hnwmc. Please pm . Bored and just wanna chat

I.T.S.

Shell Nigeria is looking for graduates who have studied the following courses:

- Social Sciences
- Law
- Finance
- Petroleum Engineering
- Mech Engr
- Chem Engr
- Civil Engr
- Met Engr
- Geology
- Mathematics
- Statistics

To apply, please visit www.shell.com.ng/careers or www.shell.com/careers. Application portal opens 1st of June, 2017 and closes 14th June, 2017. See attached for more details.

Hello, I am a venture capitalist looking for tech startups to support and fund. If you have a great idea that is impactful and worth sharing with the world, send me a message so we can materialise it. What am I looking for?: solution to a local or global challenge; ideas that can be monetized; and simplicity.

Niceeee

cc: Lalasticlala, mynd44, ishilove, Seun

Thanks and Amen.

Benjom:
That's quite generous of her. May God replenish her.

Dear @Seun and @Lalasticlala, Thanks for all the usual support, kindly accord this Rural2Rural Education Initiative the necessary attention it deserves by moving it to FP. Many thanks in anticipation. More pictures coming up.

Pix 1: Picture with excited students
Pix 2: From another angle

I would say today is one of my best days and all thanks goes to God. Initially I didn't want to talk about my service year but I've decided to share this. Little did I know things would turn out this way when I came to the community. Love and giving walk side by side. I loved them and gave all I had. In return see what I succeeded in making them do; they learnt the act of giving/appreciation/self development . No matter how small always remember to reach out. To my family, friends and sponsor I say a big thank you for making this happen. I have decided to continue with Rural 2 Rural Education Programme. JOIN ME!

Pix 1: POP
Pix 2: Gifts from students and teachers
Pix 3: Letter of appreciation and gift
Pix 4: Send forth party

Remember the story of a corps member that changed lives in Abia https://www.nairaland.com/2985776/how-corper-changing-lives-abia; so here's another bigger event from her. A second edition called "Rural 2 Rural Education Programme" was held in the same community and this time took a different turn. Free Summer School was organised for children in the entire community for a period of six weeks. Free textbooks, notebooks and stationaries were provided for the kids in attendance. A new curriculum was drafted from the scratch to close the identified gaps in the students’ academic state. Some of them, though in advanced class, still lack the basic foundational knowledge in core secondary school subjects.
This is a plight suffered by students who attend rural primary schools where the educational system is poor. After the classes, we conducted an assessment and observed remarkable improvement in their performance. For that reason an award ceremony was held on 24th August, 2016 with so much joy as various gift items were awarded to the students ranging from scholarships, notebooks, school bags and stationaries. We are very grateful to sponsors that supported us to impact lives and this has given birth to the initiative. Let's all work together to ensure that rural education is improved.


Attached picture shows a group picture of awardees, corps members and school management.

The travel alert by the United States of America to its citizens, over some states in Nigeria, penultimate week, meant different things to different people. To the American citizens living in the country or intending a visit, it was a clear warning on where to avoid.

Until some years ago, Anambra would have featured prominently on the list. That would have not been for nothing. Then, the state was literally a jungle of sort. With petty criminals, kidnappers and other armed gangs virtually holding various communities of the state to ransom, life in Anambra was hellish.

In the process, insecurity became the order of the day. The immediate result was that many businesses went under as prominent residents and citizens of the state, relocated to other parts of the country. Even with spirited efforts of the government of the day to rid the state of crime, the situation was hardly encouraging. It was under that state of uncertainty that a former governor of the state, Peter Obi, raised the poser; “Is Anambra State cursed or are we (indigenes) the cause of our problem”.

That was the ugly state of affairs when Dr. Willie Obiano was inaugurated the governor on March 17, 2014. With a wholly civilian background, many were apprehensive over whether the governor has all it takes to weather the storm of insecurity in the state. But today, the story is different, hence the omission of the state among those declared unsafe by the US Department of State.

This feat however did not come on a platter. Obiano from the onset mapped out a clear agenda to make Anambra crime-free, if his vision of making the state first choice investment destination and a hub for industrialization and commercial activities, was to be realised.

What added weight to this thinking was that since the end of the Civil War, the State had been the theatre of crime and criminality in the South Eastern part of the country.

Obiano spoke it all. “I figured out that there could be no meaningful progress in this state without a successful attack against crime. I knew that no investor would go to a crime-ridden environment. So, we launched an all-out war against kidnappers, armed robbers, drug-dealers and child-traffickers.

“We smashed crime syndicates and pulled down the warehouses used for keeping kidnap victims. We donated smart cars to the police, a gunboat to the Navy and last Christmas, we launched police helicopters to watch over our skies.

“And so, for the first time since the creation of this great state, we made sure that Anambra was effectively covered on the land, in the waters and in the sky! With that effort, we achieved 360 degrees security coverage of the state”, he said.

The result is that Anambra currently ranks among the safest states in the land. Aside Awka, the state capital, other major cities and towns in the state, attest to the new lease of life in Anambra. Even Onitsha that motorists and other road users dreaded both day and night, holds out a different story currently. With traffic lights at strategic sections and well-equipped security officials on watch, criminality in the commercial town has been considerably degraded.

Aside the strategic investment on security and allied engagements, what also seems to be driving the crime rate low in the state, is the unprecedented involvement of the government in capacity building among the citizens. Education, for instance, has been receiving unparalleled attention from the state. Statistics indicate that in the last two years over 1000 units of 10-classroom blocks have been renovated across the 21 local government areas in the state.

It was also gathered that N733 million was expended on renovation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) mission schools. Scholarships, it was also learnt, had been awarded to over 200 students at all levels of education, including children and victims of insurgency in the country. The effect is that the state has consistently remained tops in overall performance in West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) in recent years.

Anakwe Onuorah, Nnewi-based civil engineer, identified the government’s human capital development effort as one that will put the state ahead of its peers, in due course. According to him, the principled investment in education by the current administration and its predecessor, is all that the state needs to harness the latent entrepreneurial energy among its citizens.

“I can attest to the beauty of what the government is doing (investment in education) because I am a beneficiary of the goodness of education. An average Anambra man or woman, is by nature, adventurous and industrious. We dare where others fear. What the state is doing in education now, may not be readily seen by an ordinary eye. But by the time the efforts begin to yield fruits, we shall be the envy of others”, he enthused.

Mrs. Cecilia Okeke, who runs fruit supermarket on Eke Market, Awka, agrees with Onuorah on the silent revolution taking place in the state. “My children are proud beneficiaries of the qualitative education in the state. Unlike before when being indigenes of Anambra attracted jeers to us, we now sing it from the roof tops that we are truly the Light of the Nation, she stated.

Analysts locate the enticing revolution in the state on continuity of the good efforts of the previous government by the Obiano administration. In this instance, even the harshest critics of the administration give it to it that it has not abandoned any of the road projects initiated by the immediate past Peter Obi administration.

If anything, it is rather consolidating on those projects while forging ahead. The three flyovers in Awka speak eloquently of the government’s ambition to transform Anambra with world class infrastructure. It has also built two bridges and a Five-Cell Culvert in Awgbu-Ndiukwuenu-Awa-Ufuma axis. Within the same period, the administration has asphalted over 102 roads.

The applause coming on the way of Anambra on account of its re-engineering process, transcends its shores. In fact, while the state glows, it elicits joy in other parts of Igboland. And this is not without cause.

Among the Igbo, there is a strong attachment to Anambra State. It has not been easy explaining why the essentially internal affairs of the state attract attention of even non-indigenes.

Despite the apparent failure in identifying why Anambra remains dear to the entire Igbo people, the state has always provided the barometer for measuring the tempo of activities in the South East.

In the build up to Nigeria’s flag independence in 1960 for example, apart from a handful of individuals from other neighbouring states, most of the personalities that called the shots from the eastern flank sprang from the present Anambra. There were for instance, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Akwaeke Nwafor-Orizu, both at different times, President of the country and Senate President, respectively. They had younger contemporaries in the late M.C.K Ajuluchukwu, Mbazulike Amaechi (The Boy is good), Igwe Osita Agwuna and Dr. Okechukwu Ikejiani. These at the time, sustained the fire for Nigeria’s nationalism.

Even after independence, when the ship of the Nigerian state left no room for the Igbo, the task of charting the path for self-actualization of the people through the instrumentality of the Peoples Republic of Biafra, fell on General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, again form the state. At the height of the civil war, when the federal authorities were looking for an administrator for the East Central State, they settled for late Ukpabi Asika, from Onitsha.

When the Second Republic was being inaugurated and the position of Vice President was zoned to the South East by the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Dr. Alex Ekwueme, from Oko, readily became the choice. While Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, also from the state, emerged the Speaker of the House of Representatives. During General Ibrahim Babangida’s political transition exercise, Agunwa Anaekwe, had emerged Speaker of the House of Representatives from the state.

In the current political dispensation, late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, from Ogbunike, had held the Senate Presidency for the zone at a time.

As eminent Igbo representatives have risen in politics from Anambra, so have they in other fields. In the state, as the saying goes, nothing good lacks.

Incidentally, despite the pleasant array of stars from different fields in the state, Anambra before now, not made serious efforts locating its correct bearing.

It was in this regard that Obi, shortly on assumption of office, had rhetorically asked “Is Anambra cursed or are we the cause?”

But with the turn of events, 25 years after its creation, Anambra appears to be locating its pride of place in Igbo land and Nigeria, at large.

The massive church auditorium of a popular Pentecostal church in Utako area of Abuja, buzzed with activities, recently. Curiously, it was not essentially, a religious gathering. The crowd, which comprised youths and women, sat in groups of about 50 each. With pronounced concentration, they engaged themselves in various tasks that underscored the value they attached to the programme.

The event was a one-month Skill Acquisition Programme, organized by the church to impact the lives of this category of its members and others in the environ. Participants received trainings in different fields, such as: hat making, decoration and event management, catering, bead making, soap making, make-up artistry, photography and cinematography, phone repair, electrical installation, barbing, among others. Lectures were also given on entrepreneurship, as part of the package.

The training cost was written off by the church, apparently, as part of its social responsibility, because they might have reasoned that it was not enough for a pastor to continue telling the congregation “it is well with you”, when many of them bore the brunt of hunger and unemployment.

Although a number of the participants had university education, some had only basic education. But in this era of crippling unemployment, it was rightly considered that acquiring skills in any of the fields, coupled with entrepreneurial knowledge, would open opportunities for the participants to either become small business owners, or even become employable in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector of the economy.

A similar programme, with remarkable success, had been implemented a few years ago, by a non-governmental organization promoted by Hon. Victor Ogene, in Ogbaru Federal Constituency, of Anambra state. Ogene represented Ogbaru at the House of Representatives, in the last assembly. Over 350 youths benefited from the skill acquisition and grassroots job creation scheme.

I was privileged to be part of the team that designed the programme. The enthusiasm exhibited by the participants in course of the exercise and the feedback, were simply, amazing.

It is in fact, gratifying to learn that many of the beneficiaries are currently doing well in their chosen fields. For instance, a young lady, who received catering training at the programme is now a valued caterer in her locality. She currently has three employees in her outfit.

An encounter with a proud beneficiary of a similar skill acquisition by another private organization, was not only revealing but insightful. Boldly written on a sign post in front of his office in a popular shopping complex in Abuja, is: “Engineer Amos Phone Repairs”. The stream of clients waiting for his service, was only indicative of his mastery of the phone repair business.

In one of the sessions, a young micro finance marketer showed up and Amos effortlessly handed over the sum of N4, 000 to her – a daily savings contribution, as was later understood. That was most likely only a part of his daily earnings. Two young boys, also work under him.

Such profitable skills would no doubt be vital tools for addressing youth unemployment in the nation.

It has therefore been rightly argued that if private organizations are adding value to the lives of the youths through skill acquisition schemes, government should be in the driving seat for such job creation initiative.

This is the more reason it is always disheartening to many, when some political office holders do not think beyond distribution of okada (motor cycles) or Keke (tricycle), when they embark on “youth empowerment”. Some even donate snooker boards to youths in their communities in the name of youth empowerment.

Many have argued that for youth empowerment to be meaningful, it should essentially add value to the wellbeing of the beneficiaries, who will in turn, be useful to the society. An idle, snooker-playing youth, with no identifiable skill or visible means of livelihood, will most likely become vulnerable to negative tendencies and may constitute a threat to the society.

This reinforces the argument that job creation is pivotal to the success of any government that has the agenda of wealth creation, social security for its citizens and importantly, the internal security of the nation.

Such engagement, it has been rightly noted, serves as a proactive means of addressing insurgency, militancy and other forms of restiveness among the citizenry, especially the youth population.

A careful survey would certainly reveal that perpetrators of terrorism in the Northeast, militancy in the Niger Delta region, kidnapping and arm robbery across the nation, are mostly youths.

Such disturbing realization, makes it incumbent on government to adopt practical, creative ways of ensuring that the youth population are positively engaged in activities that would insulate them from vulnerability to crime and other social vices.

Realistically, not everybody would benefit from government employment, as such opportunities are scarce and expectedly, competitive. But it is the right of every citizen to sustainably earn a living in a country of his nationality.

In the absence of any social welfare programme in Nigeria, or the ambiguous proposed N5,000 monthly palliative package to the very poor, by the federal government coming handy, a short term skill acquisition programme, would no doubt be more profitable to both the beneficiaries and the government. The self-reliance and the value chain gains of this programme, in the overall peace and prosperity of the nation, cannot be quantified in monetary terms.

But the problem with government in handling such a programme, is often the usual frustrating bottlenecks of government bureaucracy. Bogus budgeting, over centralization and the general absence of transparency are also factors that could hinder a smooth nation-wide implementation.

However, if a relevant government agency such as the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), is given a marching order, with the necessary budgetary backing, using the 774 local government areas as units for the training programme, the possibility of success would be high.

For instance, if 2000 youths are trained in 774 local government areas in Nigeria in one year, in four years of consistent implementation of this programme, over five million jobs would have been created. The multiplier effect of that on the economy can only be imagined.

While people in some quarters might argue that funding would be a challenge for the implementation of a wide-spread project like that, it should be noted that the proposed N500b for palliative would go a long way. Even relevant international donor agencies would most likely buy into the programme. All that these donor agencies need, is transparency that would ensure that their money is not diverted to other non-people-oriented projects.

By Edward T. Dibiana is a journalist and creative writer.

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In the scorching sun and draining heat of a sweltering afternoon, at a building construction site recently in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), some artisans tangoed vociferously in a heated debate.

The debate, expectedly, centered on the current touchy hardship in the country, occasioned by lingering economic challenges, that engineer diminishing faith by the citizenry in the political leadership of the country. The argument was specifically on who to blame between the immediate past Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government or the current All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, for the wide-spread difficulty in the land.

In the encounter, coloured with passion, anger and disappointment, but undiminished logic, one of the artisans, shouting at the top of his voice (while performing the job that brought him to the site), said: ” Make una no dey give me headache, abeg. The only president I know is this Site Engineer. Na only him dey remember me. My only governor na this Oga Foreman. Na only them two dey carry me come work make hunger no kill my family. Government no dey remember me. Dem no know me sef. APC no know me, PDP no know me. For election APC go give you T-shirt, PDP go give you T-shirt. Na shirt go feed your family? Politicians na the same for my village, for Abuja, for Kano and for everywhere.

“Politicians no care about us. We suffer for our money. We suffer everyday for here. Last election, I vote under sun. Next election, never…never…”, the sweaty and visibly livid construction hand added, before he went into a less audible monologue in a local language, with obvious sad tune, laced with resentment, as he continued with his task, under a largely unfriendly weather condition.

While this construction assistant might not have acquired formal education, not many can fault his logic and understanding of the concept of true leadership and loyalty, which is far from the charade being exhibited by some members of the political class that are insensitive, banal, self-serving and deceptive.

This simple political analysis that informed the realistic opinion of this uneducated and probably unskilled construction hand, shows that he and many people of his ilk are not fooled by the rhetoric of political campaigns that are usually oiled with bogus promises and inanities that add no actual value to the well-being of the ordinary man. Neither are they perturbed by the showmanship or self-adulation of political leaders and their agents, who often forget that they are essentially in positions of authority to serve the people and not to be served.

These set of people might have the misfortune of being far from the plundering ground of the common wealth of the nation or the proverbial national cake, but are obviously far from being ignorant of happenings in the society. They are obviously more politically informed than the political class would want to accede to them. They understand that current economic crisis is a direct consequence of failure of leadership by integrity-challenged political class that constitutes successive administrations in the nation.

They are not particularly unaware that the current difficulties are not necessarily the making of the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, or that of the PDP or APC, as political parties, but that of the political class in positions of authority at all levels, who failed to provide genuine people-oriented leadership that could improve the well-being of the people and guarantee the security of the citizenry, which ought to be the core responsibility of every government.

When for instance, a local government chairman turns to a “king of kings” in his domain and becomes richer than his local government by converting the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) that should accrue to the LGA to his private income but allows government facilities that ought to be maintained rot away through neglect, the people take note. And perceptions are formed about his quality of leadership because leadership is like a mirror; what is presented is what is reflected.

When half of the Nigeria Senators abandon their legislative duties to accompany the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, every time to attend his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), in Abuja, where he is facing charges, the ordinary man wonders if such anomaly would have been tolerated in a private sector establishment, where official hours are not wasted for unofficial activities. People observe these occurrences and query the morality and sensitivity of such actions and the leadership credentials of these leaders.

These category of ordinary Nigerians are also bemused when they go through the endless list of who-is-who in the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) ongoing probe. Many of the alleged looters are members of top echelon of the military and other government agencies. Beyond being amazed by the sheer magnitude of corruption going on in the system, ordinary Nigerians who sweat for their daily bread under difficult conditions, are further dazed by the volume of money maniacally looted by these supposed leaders. When things like that continue to take place in the society, perceptions are formed, leading to further gulf between the leaders and the led.

When some middle-range civil servants buy several houses in exclusive areas of Abuja, where such properties cost N500m and above and send all their children abroad to school or enroll them in expensive private schools where each child pays about N2m and above per term, the common man wonders if such civil servants inherited such fortunes from aliens! Or they are citizens of another planet.

Another May 29 is here and governments at all levels are rolling out drums to celebrate yet another Democracy Day. But what is there for the ordinary man to celebrate? What is the value of democracy when quality of life and living is increasingly diminishing? To the common man across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria, life is a nightmare: Poor healthcare, poor electricity, high cost of living, unemployment, horrible roads, high rate of infant and maternal mortality. Yet they are told that democracy is the answer to most societal problems.

Such people are unlikely to be hoodwinked by the thumbing grandstanding of the current divided Nigerian labour leadership, whose schism mirrors the larger challenge of ever compromised process of leadership selection that ultimately leads to questionable leadership in Nigeria. Are these labour leaders in a position to command the respect, solidarity and belief of the ordinary man, when there is an obvious suspicion that they are not entirely different from the government they are supposed to hold accountable? A recent Internet viral image of a latest Toyota Land-cruiser SUV, with a number plate, “NLC 1″, which is allegedly the official vehicle of one of the labour leaders, estimated at over N25m, sends instant message to the public that such leadership might serve all but the genuine interest of the ordinary Nigerian workers. How can they in all honesty rationalize such display of crass ostentation in the face of the plight of the ordinary worker who is still taking home a monthly pay package of N18,000?

These ordinary Nigerians are everywhere – in every state, every community and every neighborhood. They are the real people. They constitute the greater percentage of the population of our nation. Sadly, they feel neglected and forgotten by a political leadership that has alienated itself from the true source of its power: The people.

Although the responsibility for change or transformation is not only that of the occupants of the presidential villa or government houses, they no doubt will take the front role in changing negative public perception by consciously taking steps that would genuinely and positively impact the lives of the ordinary man, thereby winning the trust and belief of the citizenry.

Beyond that, people in leadership positions at all levels, whether elected or appointed, should in the interest democracy and its survival, inspire hope and faith in the people by not only their actions, conducts and lifestyles, but also the genuineness of interest in the overall well-being of the people under their leadership. The public mirror for leadership remains unbroken. Just as it is applicable in elementary literature, you analyze a character by “what he says what he does and what people say about him”.

No democracy can survive without the patriotic support of the people. And the people cannot realistically continue to support a system that tramples on their welfare. Democracy would only be nurtured where there is genuine peace among the people. This informs the maxim that no meaningful development can take place in a society characterised by rancour and crisis. Democracy that neglects the interests of the people is unwittingly inviting crisis.

Therefore, as governments across the nation (irrespective of political parties) are celebrating Democracy Day, they should be weary of the growing negative vibes and tension in the land, which are symptoms of trauma inflicted on the people by leadership failings of successive governments. The people are keenly watching.

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