Stories by Olabisi Olaleye
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Nigeria is over-dependent on oil as revenue and several attempts by previous and current administrations to chart another way to increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country is being met with brickwalls.
In the next few years, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the knowledge economy will make oil insignificant, especially with the global ICT trend.
Just like the defunct Bank PHB’s advert, ‘One day, cars will run on water’, that was predicted years ago, today, a new technology is assisting cars to run on either sugarcane ethanol or biofuel (organic and digestable waste), not necessarily oil.
Stakeholders in the ICT industry said though Nigeria is currently the fastest growing telecoms market in the world but if she didn’t brace up to happenings around her, the fate of the dinosaur may await her.
They noted during the third Nigeria Digital Agenda Breakfast forum, themed: ‘Beyond oil-ICT a veritable alternative’, that Nigeria should leverage more on smart ways of doing things and harness the benefits of the industry rather than its over-dependence on oil.
Managing Director, Teledom Group, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, disclosed that slavery, colonialism and new colonialism are economic constraints to the Nigerian ecosystem and that government should be emphatic on local production.
In his words: “There can’t be innovation without knowledge, we need to re-engineer our education system, and a situation where there is 70 per cent against 30 per cent science students is not acceptable. There should be need to train our children in mathematics and in another 15 to 20 years, Nigeria begins to benefit.”
Ekuwem noted that Nigeria had huge potentials and great talents but lamented that Nigerians don’t patronise themselves but believe more in expatriate, which shouldn’t be.
Buttressing Ekuwem’s point, Co-Founder/CEO, Hotsauce Ltd, Mr. Dayo Adefila, added that there was need for the implementation of science and technology across board.
“There is an incredible growth in e-commerce, which is an element of adaptation and being able to do something differently. We can’t wait for government all the time. We need to use ICT tools to turn around the economy for good,” he said.
In his own words, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Lanre Ajayi, reiterated that with appropriate government policies, things could change and as a matter of urgency, government should deregulate the oil and gas sector.
“With deregulation, the miracle in the telecoms sector will be duplicated in the oil and gas sector. If the sector is deregulated, Nigerians can fix their own prices and the country will be better for it.”
President of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Rev. Sunday Afolayan also noted that Small and Medium Enterprises should be given opportunity to showcase what they are doing, saying, “Policy is derived from effective information and there is need for data to be taken quite seriously, analyse and plan.”
Development beyond oil forum holds today
With a glide from the third generation (3G) to 4 Generation technology, Samsung Electronics West Africa has introduced the most advanced smartphones, the Galaxy S7 Edge and S7 to the Nigerian market.
According to the Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Paul Lee, Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge highlight the most refined phone experience ever by combining the latest technology that users expect from Samsung’s Galaxy series.
Lee reiterated the company’s commitment to fulfilling its brand promise of inspiring the world and the future by bringing new and outstanding innovations to the doorstep of consumers. “Our innovative technology has adequately captured customers’ aspirations and desires,” he said.
The Galaxy S7 has a 5.1-inch display screen, while the Galaxy S7 Edge has a 5.5-inch screen. They both feature Super AMOLED display, allowing for clearer videos and images with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 (Quad HD).
Both devices have 200GB expendable memory augmenting their 32GB of internal storage. The devices also feature IP68 water and dust resistance, which prevent the devices from damage when submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes at a time. The S7’s waterproofing includes sealed ports.