Tenacity is critical in business because without it, any mission could be lost. In business, I have come to understand that one of the most important skills is the capacity to do the best possible job at the shortest time possible on something with the highest impact.

Yes, everything must be bounded by time because without that time consciousness you will not make progress. The world will not wait for you – you have to fit into the world as defined by 24 hours in a day.

Good People, if you master your time, you will WIN your FUTURE. Show me a man who is in charge of his time, and I will show you a man who can predict his future. But show me someone whose time defines him, there you have someone who will be unable to create his future.

The greatest victory in a career is winning your TIME. Time the time, and rise to the mountaintop.

First, I do not believe that it would be fully executed: “Presidency Meets With China’s Cyber Regulator to Build Nigerian Internet Firewall”. (I think this certainly not true, >90% fake news.) Yet, sure, there is a possibility that Nigeria can explore how to build Nigeria’s version of the Great Firewall of China, making sure that Nigeria’s internet is disconnected from other parts of the world. And by doing that, the government of Nigeria will regulate, control and rule over the Nigerian web.

On Saturday morning between 11 am and 12 pm, as Nigerians woke up to the reality of a Twitter ban, and downloading Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access Twitter, the Nigerian government, through the office of the Presidency, reached out to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) to discuss plans to build an internet firewall, FIJ has learnt.

The government officials present at the meeting include Ibrahim Gambari, the Chief of Staff to the President, and Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture.

The internet firewall is a way of having a separate network for the Nigerian Internet that will give the government control over social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. This is similar to the internet filtering system China operates, called the Great Firewall.

The reason why China’s Great Firewall works is not because it has the best technology. The reason is simple: it has a market that global technology companies want access to, and are open to do all things necessary to remain in the good books of China. Apple will remove VPN software when asked because it wants to do business in China. The same goes for the Android Play Store for China. If Apple does not see Nigeria as a market, it may not help the government. And if that is the case, a Nigerian firewall system will fail.

More so, unlike Nigeria, no lawbreaker goes free in China. Today, Nigeria negotiates with bandits and allows them to continue to operate. So, what would be different if people break the firewall rules?

For Nigeria to emulate and mimic China, it has to think beyond technology to effective prosecutorial power while deepening its market depth so that makers of technology systems will comply when they are asked to fall in line.

People break laws in Nigeria and nothing happens. In America, all the policemen will be ready to die rather than allow a criminal to have a field day. But in Nigeria, we know the forests where bad guys are, and we have done nothing! Buying Chinese technology will not change that suboptimal legal and law enforcement playbook. 

I will be watching this redesign, and depending on how it goes, I will organize a webinar on Nigeria Great Firewall and the Opportunities for Digital Startups. Yes, if Nigeria decides to block some foreign companies, some local ones will emerge. While that would be a bad idea, expect opportunities. My job is to find how to live and do business in anything my environment throws at me. If it is a bidirectional ban (allow Nigeria but block the world), expect massive shifts in local opportunities. Then, if that is the case, I will update this Harvard article – “Can African Tech Startups Succeed in a World Dominated by Facebook and Google?” Because Google and Facebook will not dominate anymore in Nigeria!

Update: The presidency has said that this is not true. But I will leave the analysis nonetheless. I never believed that it was true but wanted to use it to pass some tech perspectives.

“The story is absolutely fake, It’s a figment of the reporter’s imagination,” the Presidency said in a statement.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is making his first venture to space. Bezos announced his decision to embark on a space trip with his brother Mark Bezos on his Instagram page. The flight is scheduled for July 15.

“Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space,” Bezos, 57, said in a Monday morning Instagram post. “On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend.”

Tesla’s boss, Elon Musk is ahead of Bezos in the space business, having conducted successful space trips with his company, SpaceX. But Bezos is the first among the billionaire-space enthusiasts to take on a space trip.

He is set to resign on July 5th as CEO of Amazon, creating more time for himself for the space adventure. Since 2000, the world richest man has pumped millions into Blue Origin, his space aeronautics company that has conducted more than a dozen test flights with no one on board at Blue Origin’s facilities in rural Texas.

Blue Origin capsule called New Shepard was secretly tested for six years. In May, the company announced that it was preparing to put the first passengers in the New Shepard capsule.

Since the past 10 years, the goal of developing commercial space aircrafts has gained momentum, with many billionaires putting in resources to make it happen. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic is also planning on conducting flights to suborbital space for ultra-wealthy thrill seekers, putting up competition with Blue Origin and SpaceX. Like Bezos, the British billionaire said he would be among the first to ride on Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered plane which is expected to fly later this year.

Blue Origin is a six-seater capsule and 59-foot rocket, it’s crew will tear the rocket toward the edge of space on a 11-minute flight that’ll reach more than 60 miles above Earth.

Both Musk and Bezos are yet to open the space travels to the general public, but the success of many-member-crew trips signals that commercial services will soon be open to everyone who can afford it. Blue Origin didn’t say how much the seats will cost, but said one seat will be given to the winner of a month-long auction that’s currently in progress. The bidding, which has drawn out more than 5,200 bidders from 136 countries, had reached $2.8 million as of Monday morning and will conclude with a live auction on June 12.

Bezos will remain with Amazon, a company he has grown from an online book store to an empire of goods and services, as the executive chairman. However, his position means he will dedicate more time for the Blue Origin projects, to foster his long nurtured passion for space.

“I’m interested in space because I’m passionate about it,” Bezos, who also made a cameo in 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond,” said during an interview with Mathias Döpfner, the CEO of Axel Springer. “I’ve been studying it and thinking about it since I was a five year old boy — but that is not why I’m pursuing this work. I’m pursuing this work because I believe if we don’t, we will eventually end up with a civilization of stasis, which I find very demoralizing.”

Blue Origin has been competing for NASA contracts with SpaceX. Currently, the government is working on a deal to create a contract for the company under the Endless Frontier Act. It is a sort of compensation for Blue Origin for being sidelined in NASA’s prestigious contract to put astronauts to the moon in 2024, which was awarded to SpaceX.

The success of Blue Origin’s New Shepard flight will mean increased opportunity for Bezos in the space business, especially when it comes to federal contracts.

Tekedia CollegeBoost is honoured to welcome many students from East African universities. These students are already well prepared by their schools; our contribution at the Institute is to deepen their understanding of the mechanics of market systems. 

Our partner, Corporate Career Academy (CCA), has one mission – link academia and industry – and we are excited that Tekedia will help bridge that gap. I want to welcome all of you to the Institute.

Next week, a new course on Workplace, Productivity and Automation will be added. And we are working with more global and local partners to make sure that as you transition from schools to companies, you would be ready.

We are very excited to host everyone, and thanks for coming. For more on Tekedia CollegeBoost, click here.

Nigeria has told TV and radio stations to disconnect from Twitter: “Consequent on the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government over the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining the corporate existence of Nigeria, the National Broadcasting Commission directs all Broadcasting Stations in Nigeria to suspend the patronage of Twitter immediately. In Compliance to the above directive, Broadcasting Stations are hereby advised to de- install twitter handles and desist from using twitter as a source (UGC) of information gathering for News and programmes Presentation especially Phone-in”.

This comes after the Nigerian government banned Twitter in the nation.

Read full statement below

June 6, 2021

SUSPEND TWITTER HANDLES
Consequent on the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government over the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining the corporate existence of Nigeria, the National Broadcasting Commission directs all Broadcasting Stations in Nigeria to suspend the patronage of Twitter immediately.

In Compliance to the above directive, Broadcasting Stations are hereby advised to de- install twitter handles and desist from using twitter as a source (UGC) of information gathering for News and programmes Presentation especially Phone-in.

Section 2(1) r of the NBC Act entrusts the Commission with responsibility to ensure strict adherence to the national laws, rules and regulations. Also, section 3.11.2 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code provides that “the broadcaster shall ensure that law enforcement is upheld at all times in a matter depicting that law and order are socially superior to or more desirable than Crime and Anarchy.

Attention is also drawn to section 5.6.3 of The Code which requires Broadcasters to be mindful of materials that may cause disaffection, incite to panic or rift in the society in the use of a user generated Content (UGC).

Note that it will be unpatriotic for any broadcaster in Nigeria to continue to patronise the suspended Twitter as a source of its information therefore strict compliance is enjoined.

Prof Armstrong Idachaba