The first time I boarded a plane was a trip from Lagos to Air Force base in Port Harcourt. My head of department, Prof SOE Ogbogu,  had sent a note to me to go in person, and decline an offer in Schlumberger Port Harcourt.  The oil industry giant had offered a job out of FUTO but I wanted to work in Victoria Island to make it easier to sneak out for a US visa interview. I had reasoned that staying in PHC would complicate that process but if in VI, it would be a lot easier. So, I left a job which was to pay better and chose the banking world.

For that first flight, the company was Aero Contractors. Today, they have suspended operations in Nigeria. I did three internships in NNPC; Aero Contractors was the deal for them to travel to Escravos. The reason for suspension? “The past few months have been very challenging for the Aviation industry and the airline operators in particular. With the  high cost of maintenance, skyrocketing fuel prices, inflation, and forex scarcity resulting in high foreign exchange rates.” Ibom Air has also parked its aircrafts.

So, what are the options now? I have an answer: camel. I know many people in Sokoto who can help. If you drive from Usman Danfodio University main gate to the campus, you will see many camels there. Those men are available for business: they can help “camel” you from Lagos to PHC now that airlines are packing up. We’re giving a 2.5% discount on all camel trips. Nigeria, a nation in motion!

(The photo: I took this picture myself on my way to Usman Danfodio University to help set up the electronics lab. It was part of life those days we traveled around Nigeria with  no fear of evil men. Not anymore.)

“This does not in any way affect the Maintenance activities of the Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) otherwise known as AeroMRO, the Approved Training Organisation (ATO) also known as Aero Training School, the Helicopter and Charter Services operations.

“This decision was carefully considered and taken due to the fact that most of our aircraft are currently undergoing maintenance, resulting in our inability to offer a seamless and efficient service to our esteemed customers.

“We are working to bring these aircraft back to service in the next few weeks, so we can continue to offer our passengers the safe, efficient, and reliable services that Aero Contractors is known for, which is the hallmark of Aero Contractors Company of Nig. Ltd.

“The past few months have been very challenging for the aviation industry and the airline operators in particular.

“With the high cost of maintenance, skyrocketing fuel prices, inflation, and forex scarcity resulting in high foreign exchange rates. These are amongst the major components of airline operations.

“In the meantime, we are working assiduously to return to service as quickly as possible, and do assure our esteemed customers and stakeholders of our determination, that our short absence will not create any major void in the market, as we are coordinating with our business partners to ensure minimum discomfort to ticket holders.

“As members of Spring Alliance (a commercial alliance with member airlines providing mutual support in the area of operations), we are liaising with our partner airlines to minimise the impact on our esteemed customers.

“Our customer service team will be working to help affected esteemed customers reach their destinations.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to our esteemed customers and promise to return to service as soon as possible.

“We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding at this time.”

Comment on Social Media Feed

Comment: I’m not happy with the way you have put up this piece. It tends to portray that you are happy with the look of things. Please, kindly know that a lot of people follow you and are always ready to read your recommendations for our political problems. We are saddened with the situation of the Country and the least we can expect is for a respectable Nigerian Professor to make jest of our situation.

My Response; “I am not happy” that our aircrafts are packing up in Nigeria. But bringing new styles, when writing, helps engage readers. Read it again, no one is happy that airlines are used for decorations in airports. Pick your English Literature secondary school book, and re-study figures of speech and communicating with sarcasm.

Hello Toronto…..it is going to be super-amazing. Thank you Royal Bank of Canada. Thank you NIPCA Immigrant Centre. I am truly honoured for your invitation to keynote eVolve Summit 2022. More details coming…this is to confirm that I have accepted to speak in this event (Aug 20) and please register  .

eVolve Summit is an annual conference for professionals in Canada to share their knowledge, learn, and empower each other.

This year’s summit which is themed “The Journey” will focus on future-readiness for professionals in their respective career paths?by driving awareness of evolving technology, and the need to elevate our platforms, methods, and resources to rise to the challenges of the future.

eVolve Summit 2022 will be presented as a hybrid of in-person & virtual. We will be creating unique experience for all those attending physically as well as streaming across eight time zones to allow more professionals participate globally.

Prof. Ndubuisi Ekekwe invented and patented a robotic system which the United States Government acquired assignee rights.

Prof. Ekekwe holds two doctoral and four master’s degrees including a PhD in engineering from Johns Hopkins University, USA. He earned an undergraduate degree from FUT Owerri where he graduated as his class best student. While in Analog Devices Corp, he co-designed an accelerometer for the iPhone.

He is a recipient of IGI Global “Book of the Year” award, a TED Fellow, IBM Global Entrepreneur, World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and Lead Faculty, Tekedia Institute.

The RBC evolve Summit is a transformational event that promises:

•  Professional networking
•  Thought leadership sessions
•  Tech industry insights
•  Job referrals & sponsorships
•  Career opportunities

Register here https://nipca.ca/evolvesummit and connect with Prof. Ekekwe at evolve Summit.

LinkedIn Summary

The Royal Bank of Canada eVolve Summit is a transformational event that promises many amazing things. Yours truly will keynote the 2022 event on Aug 20 . I invite you to join us in Toronto. I will share the American translation and the vision that anything is possible in life. Yes, a village boy from  Ovim creates a technology which the American government likes, and seeks  rights to use; I approved and gave those rights.

Why not? In their generosity, they offer you an unbounded and unconstrained future, putting you on a path to ascension. But it does not have to be only America, or Canada, or the UK. Yes, we must write of such translations in Kenya, Nigeria, Gabon and more.

I invite you to register here https://nipca.ca/evolvesummit .

When I first ventured into this unfamiliar territory of e-governance, I must admit that I hadn’t really heard about Rwanda. This adventure into the public administration space as a marketing Professor with research interests in African Entrepreneurship and its intersections with Marketing is thanks to two colleagues at the now AACSB accredited university of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

That debut article is entitled “An initial assessment of e-governance and public sector marketing in the UAE” published about 15 years ago in 2013, and yours truly, it was just that – an initial assessment! Looking back to a decade and a half, it is my intention to provide not just my readers, but also myself, some key highlights from that article prior to going into the business of the day, which is all about “e-governance in Rwanda” – excerpted below:

The 2010 UN e-Government survey described [the process] as a “citizen centric practice” – analogous to’ e-commerce’, which allows businesses to transact with each other more efficiently (B2B) and brings customers closer to businesses (B2C) [with the view to making] interactions more friendly, convenient, transparent, and inexpensive at three distinct levels, between government and citizens (G2C); government and business enterprises (G2B); and government and government (G2G) (e.g., inter-agency relationships).

“… [the key message for] public administration [is on becoming more] transparent, faster and accountable [meeting] societal needs and expectations through efficient public services and effective interaction between the people, businesses and government [i.e., through what is now generally accepted as] public sector marketing.”

The snippets from that non-African context carry on thus:

“…We can quite easily notice three key benefits [of e-government] – accessibility, convenience and cost-saving […] a ‘one-stop’ gateway, opening up government websites to the public in order to facilitate the provision of a variety of services to its citizens.”

Come in Rwanda – what’s the story?

The Irembo e-government services cover key areas from family, through identity, land administration, policing, health and education, to museums, governance, transport and museums.

In all these, however, and obviously nothing to do with rankings, but health, identity, and museums, stand out for obvious reasons. In terms of health, that sector has been acknowledged as one of the best in Africa. For identity, post the 1994 genocide and the kwibuka, no Rwandan is identified based on ethnicity.

Building on this de-ethnicisation, the Genocide Memorials dotted across the country, demonstrate the coming of age of museums management in the country. Drilling down further, the following summary might be useful those unfamiliar with what Rwanda has on offer as the acclaimed “first world” of the “developing world”.

In no particular order, the e-government services cut across:

• Family – notably certificate of residence; certificate of genocide survivors; certificate of “being single”; and certificate of “cohabitation”.
• Health – notably the Community Based Health Insurance (Mutuelle de Sante).
• Education – notably the application for equating foreign qualifications.
• Governance – notably NGO registrations.
• Land – notably e-payment services.
• Police – notably motor vehicle inspection, driving license exam results, and renewal of driving licenses.
• Immigration/Emigration – notably e-passport application processes.

• Identification – notably certificate of “full identity”, nationality, and “being alive”.

• Transport – notably transport authorisation – something that was especially demonstrated at the recent CHOGM event.

So, there you go, Irembo.Gov to the world! As we aspire to bringing the narrative of the “Africa we Want” narrative to fruition, it is my sincere hope that Africa (academics, policy-makers and other key stakeholders) are actually watching, and learning, from a well-established and articulated sibling, which also currently holds the revered office of the Commonwealth Chair-in-Office.

All said and done, it is my heartfelt hope that my peers in the “academe” begin to see the value of, not only “tasking”, but also challenging and nurturing students to “take on” this discourse to the next level through research.

Featured photo: The Direct General of Irembo on the left, Minister of ICT and Innovation, and the Minister of Local Government on the right, during the talk show with journalists at the launch programme of Irembo.

Nnamdi O. Madichie is a Professor of Marketing & Entrepreneurship, University of Kigali, Rwanda