Akunyili: Minister of Disinformation and Collaboration?

Professor Dora Nkem Akunyili courtesy Icheoku

Dora the Explorer
Dora the Explorer is a heroic TV cartoon character and international brand e.g. toys, clothes, shoes, books and flasks etc., but Professor Dora Akunyili was Nigeria’s real Dora the Explorer with a track record that sanitised the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry and chased the fake drugs cartel out of Nigeria at the risk of her life while she was the Director-General of NAFDAC.
Nevertheless, the excesses of Professor Dora Akunyili, the current Minister of Information and Communications who temporarily turned herself to a Minister of Disinformation and Collaboration may ‘affect’ the telecom sector if she is not cautioned, redeployed or sacked. It is a pity that most Nigerians are yet to cultivate the dignified culture of resignation like Europeans in order to save the nation from chaos and further embarrassment.
It was surprising how a professor of pharmacology could be selected by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and cleared by the senate to head the Information Ministry without experience or even a day job in the telecom, media, information or communication sector. Rebranding Nigeria is a fantastic project although it was most probably hatched to hide her flaws in the Information Ministry.
Collaboration
Akunyili flared up and cancelled the auction of 2.3 GHz frequency band licenses by telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) because Galaxy Wireless was not among the four winners of the bid. If NCC had used a mode of competition called ‘Beauty Contest’ where the best bidder would easily win could Galaxy Wireless have won? The answer is a capital NO. Akunyili collaborated with Yar’Adua to order the arrest and interrogation of NCC vice-chairman, Dr Ernest Ndukwe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. It must be emphasized that the only sector that works in the Yar’Adua administration apart from oil and gas is telecommunications which was liberalized during the Obasanjo administration. Well, Zain is up for sale and if the bid is successful nothing stops other telecom companies from doing other same. 75 per cent of NITEL was sold to Transcorp in 2006 and revoked this year. Nitel is ‘still’ on offer and some Nigerians have expressed their wish for Globacom to buy NITEL because it has a good track record in the telecommunications industry.
Disinformation
Rather than get to know the problems telecom operators were facing in Nigeria e.g. constant electricity failure; low infrastructure which can affect cables and satellite masts Akunyili wants the tariff to go down without considering the 4th Protocol to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). She accused Ndukwe of frustrating her aim to lower tariffs which was disinformation…
Akunyili for Governor Posters were found in Abuja and Anambra States but she refuted the rumours. People did not believe the allegations made by late politician Chief Lamidi Adedibu who had a squabble with her and accused her of gunning for a ministerial post until she became a minister. The allegation was ‘refreshed’ by AC Publicity Secretary, Chief Lai Mohammed after the controversial Ekiti election rerun saga where Akunyili was accused of influencing Mrs Ayoka Adebayo, the resident INEC commissioner to declare the false result she earlier refused to declare.
The allegation by Akunyili that NCC did not allow enough time for operators to look for funds was baseless because if you allow companies without enough money to enter the sector consumers will suffer in the long run. The regulator should be vigilant in order to spot competitors with selfish interest. Akunyili and her cohorts want to plunge Nigeria backward not forward. Enough is enough but most consumers are unaware of the truth and Ndukwe’s effort to protect them.
Why they want Ernest Ndukwe out at all costs?
Ndukwe is 'obstructing' a political mafia who want their protégé to take over before the end of his tenure in order to ‘change’ and control the regulatory framework. After the failed sponsored motion in the House of Representatives to oust Ndukwe they mapped out a strategy for Akunyili to do the hatchet job. Akunyili is now close to Honourable Dino Melaye who moved the motion and he was on Akunyil’s entourage to Bauchi State. According to City People magazine, Melaye is a stooge of impeached House of Representatives Speaker, Patricia Etteh who was involved in a 628 million Naira scam. By university education Melaye is a qualified propagandist. His latest victim is the chief whip, Emeka Ihedioha whom he intends to impeach with the aid of some members of the House of Representatives on June 23 according to NEXT.
President Yar’Adua has never liked Ndukwe because the regulator refused to grant his request to give NIGCOMSAT a multiple license in 2007. If Yar’Adua (Mr Rule of Lure) truly believed in the rule of law as he claimed he would not have threatened Ndukwe to illegally license NIGCOMSAT. Ndukwe is a strong hearted man who has being humiliated, ‘blackmailed’ and blacklisted by the presidency and legislature.

10 things Dora Akunyili could do…

• 1) Attend International Telecom and ICT conferences instead of ‘fighting’ NCC. Africa is scantly represented at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. Africa is more or less voiceless there, so why can’t Akunyili negotiate or exercise her trumpeting voice there in boxer shorts et al?
• 2) Upgrade the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) so that it can churn out more services e.g. money transfer, banking – post office saving acounts, broadband and telephone services since NITEL is about to be up for sale again. These are services offered in the UK and several European countries. Ensure that a new independent regulatory agency takes over the Courier Regulatory Department (CRD) which is part of NIPOST because CRD is not independent.
• 3) Consult telecom companies and encourage them to fund telecom courses in Nigerian universities especially at postgraduate level because it would lower tuition fees. Before such courses are available the Ministry of Information and Communications should sponsor some of its employees on foreign courses. I was highly embarrassed the day I discovered that the Ministry of Communications of a small African country (near South Africa) 'sponsored’ a course in a British university. Shouldn’t Nigerians be ashamed since Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the world? There is a sole regulatory parastatal ‘under’ the Ministry but it is not as independent as it should be.
• 4) Work with the Ministry of Education to ensure that ICT is taught in all primary and secondary schools and donate computers to public schools.
• 5) Open a corporate affairs factory (after a fundraising event) where 'Rebranding Nigeria' products will be produced e.g. clothes, badges, wristbands, tee-shirts and jumpers of every state etc. Make sure they are available on-line for sale and invite wholesalers.
• 6) Compile selected articles on ‘rebranding Nigeria’ and turn it into a book with the consent of chosen writers. Also introduce an annual web design competition. It must be emphasized that Akunyili told BEN TV that the Ministry of Information did not have a website when she became a Minister. What a shame!
• 7) Allow subordinates to brief the media on presidential and national issues while she carries out other duties in the background.
• 8) Teach President Yar’Adua how to answer questions from foreign journalists e.g. during the Gordon Brown and Yar’Adua press briefing in London last year, Mr Yar’Adua allowed Mr Brown to avoid questions by telling journalists to ask Yar’Adua instead. The questions were not directed at him so he did not have to answer them but he did. It was highly embarrassing to the Nigerian community in the UK.
• 9) Hold national and international seminars. At national level; hold seminars for Journalists, Press Secretaries, PR Executives, Lecturers, Computer Analysts, Cybercafé entrepreneurs and State Governors etc. Telecom companies can sometimes sponsor such events e.g. the 9th Edition of Global Messaging 2009 will be held in London on 23rd – 24th June and Telsis, COMVERSE, TEKELEC, mcTel, ERICSSON and Syniverse will sponsor the event.
• 10)Empower the masses with free accredited on-line courses (via e-learning) as long as beneficiaries are resident in Nigeria. A Federal Institute of Information and Communications could be established to ensure the continuity of the project because of political instability.

Postscript…

Cyber-terrorism Allegations against NCC Boss

The Battle to run the executive vice-chairman of the NCC, Ernest Ndukwe out of office is waxing stronger… If the man has done anything wrong what stops them from taking legal action against him? Seek legal redress or leave the man alone. Dora Akunyili described herself as the Chief Image Maker of Nigeria on TV recently but her unbecoming behaviour depicts a Chief Image Marauder.
In a letter to the President, Akunyil accused Ndukwe of cyber-terrorism and cyber terrorists are cyber criminals according to a dictionary definition. Well, what more could one expect from a Chief Image Terrorist (CIT)? But what of commentators, bloggers and journalists who have never met Ndukwe, are they cyber terrorists because of their opinion? Moreover, Nigeria is no longer under military rule where freedom of expression was a crime. When two elephants fight it is the grass who suffers. May consumers and telecom operators not ‘suffer’ from what will come out of the imbroglio? It is now obvious that there may be no peace unless Akunyili or Ndukwe leaves office but who will finally bow? The battle has just begun! Aluta Continua!
Dora the Explorer probably expects everybody to be on her side until telecom operators 'flee' Nigeria. Virgin is pulling out of Virgin Nigeria Airways next month. Is it fair to 'use' companies and frustrate them out of Nigeria? An online commentator said that maybe Nigerians have quickly forgotten how hard it was to make local and International calls before the liberalization of telecoms during the Obasanjo administration. Engineer Ernest Ndukwe did a lot of hard work, now they want to boot him out. Is Nigeria a nation of users and dumpers?
Akunyili’s predecessor, John Odey is probably laughing behind closed doors and enjoying himself as the Environment Minister. His problem was his inability to disclose President Yar'Adua's kidney ailment and explain the reason for Yar'Adua's absence from office while he was the Information Minister. According to NEXT:

The letter also states that Mr. Ndukwe "sponsored news publications and made press releases targeted at my person and aimed at rubbishing the office of the Minister for Information and Communication." She also accused the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC "cyber-terrorism." "There are many other internet publications targeted at my person and office," Mrs. Akunyili said, in the letter. "The latest publication was that concerning the Anambra State governorship election, which appeared in the Vanguard of 28th May 2009."

Akunyili has no power to void NCC licences —Aondoakaa
Govt gets ultimatum over NCC’s telecom spectrum bidding
Democracy: Let's celebrate telephony
House crisis: Dino escapes hammer, Ihedioha laughs last