The youths were overwhelmed and could not control their emotions. You could vividly see the emotions erupting from them as they waited for the Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido who was the Special Guest for this joyous occasion as the graduation ceremony was long overdue. The emotions of some of the youths were captured; CITAD Correspondent: How do you feel today? Hamza Bukar: “I am happy and proud of myself; I never thought this day would come. We have written our assessments sometimes ago waiting for this day where I would be truly certified, having learnt these ICT skills. I don’t know whether it’s a coincidence but the day this programme was flagged off, the weather was cool and it drizzled and surprisingly today we are experiencing the same type of weather, despite not having the rains for the past two months. We want to thank the Hon Member (Abbas Anas Adamu) for this empowerment gesture and also not forgetting our Trainers from Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)”.  Correspondent: How do you feel? Fatima A. Ba’gana: “Today is a joyful day for us. We want to thank the Almighty for making us see this particular day. May God bless this knowledge that has been impacted upon us. We are grateful to all those who made this possible, we have learnt a lot and have gotten exposed”, Correspondent: How do you feel being a female and one of the best participants graduating with a distinction? “I am elated, but there is nothing in being a female and being among the best. Females can compete among the best anywhere. I would like such types of empowerment to be focused on the females; it would bring the best out of them”. Correspondent: Thank you. Those were the expressions of the graduates.

The graduation ceremony of these jubilant youths took place on the 20^th of October, 2009 at the Secretariat of Birniwa Local Government in Jigawa State. The Jigawa State Governor, His Excellency Sule Lamido was the special guest and ably hosted by the  Chairman, Birniwa Local Government; Hon. Aliyu Idris Diginsa. The two months Youths empowerment programme was actualized by the supported by the Honorable Member representing Birniwa/Guri/Kirikassama Federal constituency, Rep. Abba Anas damu in collaboration with CITAD and Microsfot under the Unlimited Potential Programmes, a social corporate responsibility flagship of the software giant. So it was heartening seeing the Honorable beaming with smiles feeling like a Father seeing his first child pass his first promotion exam. The ceremony was opened by a speech from the Host, Chairman Birniwa Local Government. The Chairman thanked the Governor for coming to see his subjects at Birniwa. He expressed their happiness to the Governor while commending the efforts of the Hon. Member and the Director of CITAD for actualizing the dreams of these youths. The Director, CITAD spoke next. He expressed his no bound joy at seeing these 104 youths graduate from the empowerment programme. He said one of CITAD’s objectives was to use ICTs in development, thereby making youths employable or starting up their own ventures and in the process reducing the incidence of poverty. He also enjoined other personalities to emulate the Hon. Member by giving back to the society especially the disadvantaged people at the rural areas.

The Governor further went on to present gifts to the 19 best graduates comprising six with Distinction and 13 with Upper credit. Those with distinction were each given a complete Computer system including a printer and scanner, while those with upper credit were each given Digital cameras. All participants would be presented with their certificates. The Governor further went on to give his speech, commending the Hon. Member for his efforts in empowering the youths. He said such programmes were preparations for the future as the world was now a global village enabled by the use of ICTs. He said Youth empowerment was vital for any State which seeks development. He said apart from the revamping of the Education, Health, Agriculture sectors taking place in the State, the empowerment of the youth was what the State was focusing on. The Governor said that Jigawa State wants youth that could represent the State anywhere locally or internationally to be the best. He urged the youth to shun illicit drugs and anti-social activities.

The Hon. Member finally closed the ceremony by giving his vote of thanks. He thanked the Governor for honoring their invitation, the host; Chairman of Birniwa Local Government, the people of Birniwa, the Director of CITAD and its Trainers, the Youths and all those who contributed to the success of the programme. The Honourable Member saved the best for the last, he announced that the 19 best graduates would further be trained to make them proficient in the field of IT and be able to train others in their locality.

By Umar Farouq Uthman, Research Officer, CITAD, Kano

The ICT Awareness and Sensitization team from CITAD on the 11^th of August, 2009 proceeded to Government Girls Arabic Senior Secondary School (GGASSS), Albasu in Kano State. To an ardent Observer the trend would be that CITAD’s awareness and sensitization campaigns seemed focused on Girls Schools because from recent statistics; of the last four schools that has been visited from June till now, all had been Girl schools. The trend is not surprising, with CITAD’s resolve to promote more female participation in the ICTs especially from the young age.

The team on arriving at the school met with the Staff Officer and Teacher; Master Muhammad Nura Yusuf who organised the girls to be seated before time for the session. Master Abdulrashid Sadiq who was the presenter of the session started by livening up the girls with some lively ICT jokes before coming to the reason for being here. He said they have been waiting for the students for three hours so that they could eat and rest before the session proper. It was because of the importance of the session that they had to wait all this while just to convey the ICT message. He further went to tell them what a Computer is, its components, and their functions. He also discussed the importance of Computers to our daily lives; how they can ease processes and with them. The session was an interactive one with the students telling the stories they have heard about computers and Master Abdulrashid acknowledging some and correcting the misconceptions.

Master Abdulrashid afterwards introduced Farouq who indicated the team’s pleasure to be at the school and stated because of the pleasure derived they were going to invite the school to CITAD’s Annual National ICT quiz for Secondary Schools, he said an invitational letter would be sent to the school and they should then prepare adequately for the competition. He also urged the students who were about to graduate to study computer courses at school and for those who had other ambitions, to inculcate ICTs into whatever profession they were going into. Students were also advised to make use of their holidays by enrolling for short computer courses during such breaks. Master Abdulrashid then proceeded to the quizzes, questions were asked and the successful students were given prizes in the form of computer books and magazines

Malam Ahmed Yakasai and Rashid Sadiq addressing the participants

Participants were training on use of the internet, blogging, wiki and setting up and maintain of discussion lists. Training was facilitated by Malam Mukhar Sulaiman Umar and Malam Abdulrahid Sadiq, both of CITAD. Ten journalists from various media organization in the state benefited from the programme.

This was the second round of such training for journalists under the programme. The first training was held for journalists in Kano where 12 journalists were trained both on basic computer skills and online tools.

Isyaku Garba, Programmes Coordinator

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) as part of its Unlimited Potential Programme flagged off the ICT Youth Training in Gasau, Zamfara State on Saturday 4^th July 2009. The flag off which took place at Women Multipurpose Center, Gusau was done in partnership with Future Hope Foundation (FHF). The Unlimited Potential Programme is a social corporate responsibility offering of Microsoft which aims at driving technology into communities to

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Group picture of participants

empower them transform their lives.

Future Hope Foundation FHF, which is based in Gausa Zamfara State is the host organization for the youth training programme in the state. In the partnership developed between the two organizations, FHF was responsible for recruiting of the youth to be trained as well as providing venue for the training. Under this arrangement, 34 youth would be trained and provided with opportunity to serve internship period with some organizations in the state.

Over 63 people attended the flag off ceremony held at the Women Multipurpose Center Gusau Zamfara State. Guests at the occasion included the Special Adviser to the Zamfara State Governor on NGOs who was represented by the Director NGOs (representative of the SA. NGOs, Alhaji Sunusi Gummi), the commissioner of youth represented by Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar, Director, Ministry of Youth Development and commissioner of Women affairs represented by Director, Women Affairs, Hajia Zara’u Shehu Gusau, and the PRO Nigeria Civil Defense Corp Zamfara State command.

Executive Director of the Future hope Foundation Alhaji Adamu Abubakar Kwatarkwashi explained that the partnership to deliver this training was the contribution of the partners towards reducing youth unemployment. He said 30 youth have been selected to undergo the 40-hour programme that would be delivered in two weeks. He expressed appreciation to CITAD for opting to partner with FHF in the state and hope that this was the beginning of a long partnership and cooperation.

Training Session

In his speech, the Executive Director who was represented by Isyaku Garba (Program Coordinator), gave the objectives of the training which included the preparing the youth for the workplace by equipping them with ICT and employability skills and support them with career development opportunities he called on Zamfara State government to support the youth and embrace the application of ICT for development because of its importance and opportunities in transforming societies and economies. He thanked FHF for agreeing to partner with CITAD and promised that CITAD would roll out more ICT related programmes in the State.

An example of a good partnership

He explained that under the Unlimited Potential Programme, CITAD had already trained 98 and 103 youth in Kano and Jigawa State respectively, trained 12 journalists in Kano as well as 27 Directors of Planning, Research and Statistics of Jigawa State Local Governments. Currently the organization was training 20 members of the Kantin Kwari Market Traders Association in Kano and that it was making arrangement to train journalists as well as Director of Personnel Management in Zamfara. He called on the state government to support the initiative.

While offering his goodwill message, the Director NGO encouraged the participants make the best use of this golden opportunity which had come to them free courtesy of the three organizations involved in the partnership. He said the state needed more of these efforts to extend ICT knowledge and skills to others. He commended CITAD for undertaking the training in the State which if far from its office. Similarly, the Public Relation Officer of the Nigeria Civil Defense Corp called on the participants to utilize this opportunity, and highlighted some of the important uses of ICT in today’s economic activities such as on stock exchange services.

Isyaku Garba

By

Y. Z. Ya’u

08056180208

This week the MarArthur Foundation in conjunction with the Harvard University (yes, that same Harvard that our Governors wanted to go for capacity building) and the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) held a workshop on Enhancing Civil Society Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Nigeria… The aim of the workshop which held at the DBI Abuja campus was to sensitize NGOs in Nigeria of new ICTs tools that they could use to enhance the work they are doing.

There is no doubt that new media technologies are facilitating social activism and enhancing the effectiveness of civil society organizations in the work they do. Over the years there have been many successful examples of civil society organizing using ICTs to achieve great results. Some of the notable ones in this class include the Seattle protests against the World Trade Organization (WTO) during its 1999 ministerial meeting, the defeat of the coup against Boris Yesin in 1991 which was foiled largely due to the civil society organizations efforts at sending out numerous emails which facilitated mobilization of opposition against the coup, the ouster of Milosovic in former Yugoslavia and more recently the demonstrations that rocked Iran following its presidential election. Of course we all remember how Obama tapped into social networking using internet to raise campaign funds and drive his presidential election campaign to the grassroots to startling success.

In Nigeria, the use of ICTs for social activism is isolated and episodic, still at its infancy, and largely driven by donor organizations and not embedded in the day to day organizing, campaign and strategic engagements of the civil society organizations. The few instances that ICTs were used purposely by civil society included the 2002 boycotts of the services of GSM companies that was organized against poor GSM services, the effort by the Freedom of Information Bill (FOI) coalition that kept bombarding members of the National Assembly with email and text messages in an attempt to get them to support the bill as well as the fight against the third term project which same productive use of both internet and mobile phone.

In the main however, most civil society organizations in Nigeria use the internet only to send and receive email and hardly use the mobile technology beyond making calls and sending text messages as reminders. A few have attempted to use the internet to promote their organizational visibility while still fewer have attempted to use it as a platform for both education and advocacy.

Unlike in some African countries such as Uganda, South Africa, etc where civil society organizations are harnessing the potentials of mobile technology in their work, here in Nigeria they are yet to seize the potentials of this technology. In Uganda for example Text to Change, a civil society organization sends SMS text to the population to improve awareness of HIV Aids treatment and prevention.  It has resulted in a high level of people turning up for testing. Similarly in Rwanda, TRACNet, a mobile phone-based system that allows tracking the use of anti-AIDS drugs through text messaging is being successfully used with good results. South Africa has developed the SIMpill, which is a SIM card attached to a prescription bottle is used to remind patients to take their medication.

Why is it that our civil society organizations are yet to leverage this technology even as we have extensive history of the use of broadcast technology for public enlightenment and advocacy? Still it is ironic that Nigeria which has one of the world’s fastest growth rates of mobile phone penetration is far behind in the realization of the full potentials of mobile technology as a tool for social work.

Part of the explanation for this paradox lies in the peculiarity of the ICT industry in the country. Nigeria has one of the least reliable GSM services while at the same time we have comparatively high tariffs. Such high tariffs with lots of user frustration discourage people from experimenting and exploring the full range of what they could get from their service providers. We are content to put up with repeated failed and dropped calls and undelivered text messages. How do you hope to run an effective text-based campaign if you are not sure that the message are being delivered? This is besides the high cost of doing so.

There is also the fact that unlike in those other African country, telecommunication companies in Nigeria hardly partner with civil society organizations to support social causes. In fact in Nigeria telecommunication companies do not channel their cooperate social responsibility funds into technology initiatives that would as a matter of fact add value to their business but rather look for where media visibility would quickly be reaped. Thus they go so sports and supporting politicians in their constituency projects, the latter no doubt to ensure that their infractions of the laws are hardly given a nod. Without such partners, it would be difficult to do the necessary exploration and experimentation that would lead to the creative use of ICTs for socials activism.

That the telecommunication companies do not channel part of the social cooperate responsibility to technology causes may itself be partly due to the funding mental framework of most the civil society organizations in Nigeria. For many, they think of funding only from foreign donor organizations and not about building partnerships with various stakeholders that can contribute different inputs (not necessary money) to a project.

Whatever the case, this conference would have provided the civil society organizations not only with information and experiences on the use of ICTs for social activism but also the necessary space for them to strategize on how they would leverage new media technologies in their work. If any thing, it should spur them to join the advocacy to have holistic, participatory and inclusive review of the National Information Technology Policy which has been going on for the past six or so months within the circles of government bureaucracy and IT professionals. The pervasiveness and the centrality of ICTs in the shaping and making of today’s world is such that we can not leave discussion and decision making on its policy framework to only a few people. It is time that civil society and other stakeholders contest the content and directions of this important policy.

Mallam Yakasai addessing students of GGASS Birniwa

Once again the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has conducted a one-day Career Talk at Government Girls Arabic Senior Secondary School, Birniwa, Birniwa Local Government of Jigawa State. Mal. Ahmed A. Yakasai delivered the lecture on Tuesday, 30 June 2009, at the School Assembly Hall. The occasion was chaired by the Vice Principal Academic, Mal. Shehu Sani. Also in attendance was the Islamic Studies and Arabic Language Master, Mal. Hassan Abdullahi as well as other staff of the school.

Mal. Ahmad Yakasai stressed the importance of computer especially in our modern society, emphasizing that that it is incumbent upon each and every one of the student to learn how to use the computer and therefore get enroll actively into an IT community. Ahmad Yakasai described Nigeria as being left behind in terms of Modern Information and Communication as compared to the Western part of the world. “It is a challenge to youth, especially in the Northern Nigeria to wake-up and engage in the race of IT acquisition in what Mal Yakasai described as “Dole ne mu tashi mu farka, musamman ma mu ‘yan arewa don samun ilmin kyamfuta…”

The entire students who have the privilege of attending the lecture were educated about the significance of the IT knowledge. The event helped to raise their interest in pursuing career in ICT-related field which was apparent from the enthusiastic way the students responded to the questions asked at the end of the talk. Four out of the eighty students received gifts having answered the questions Mal. Yakasai set for them.

In his speech, the Vice Principal Academic, Mal. Shehu Sani, described the career talk as one of the most impressing and comprehensive lecture he ever witnessed. He commended Mal. Ahmad Yakasai for his excellent method of imparting knowledge to the participants, saying that “Even I myself have learned a lot from this career lecture” Additionally, the Vice Principal urged CITAD delegation to come back again for more lectures in the school so that a larger career talk comprising of more students could be organized.

The career talk has greatly benefited the entire Students and the Teachers in general. The staff of the school expressed their satisfaction with CITAD’s effort in educating their students on IT, stating that CITAD was always welcome to GGASS Birniwa for further educational activities.