Saying ”No” is never a sign of weakness.

I used to have problems with the word – ”NO”.

Perhaps, I don’t want to be seen as a bad man. In short, I am a people pleaser.

In the end, it took me nowhere in life. Instead, I was living my life for others when I’m supposed to be living for myself. I got trapped into doing things I couldn’t even do for myself.

If I may ask, do you have any trouble saying no to someone without feeling guilty?

Have you formed a habit of saying yes to everyone and have led you to feel trapped in doing things you do not want to do?

Listen, if you find it hard to say no to others or you feel guilty anytime you say no, then you seem to be putting others ahead of you, or you seem to care more about others needs over yours.

For how long will you continue to live that way?

Why would you even do that?

After all, life is too short.

Before you say yes, here’s what you need to ask yourself:

• Am I saying yes for the fear of disappointing?
• Am I scared of being judged by others?
• Is it because I do not want to be disliked?
• Or I don’t want the person to feel rejected?

If this is what you think or how it feels anytime you say yes, then it is time to learn how to take responsibility for your actions or words.

Ever since I’ve been living, I have never seen a perfect being. Neither have I seen anyone who has pleased everyone. Stop being too hard on yourself. You are not created to be a saviour or everyone’s Messiah. Your burden is enough for you to bear.

Of course, care for others, but not at your own detriment. You need a happy ”you” to make others happy. You need to be successful before you can think of being the people’s Messiah.

According to Russell Crowe, ”you must learn to live with your mistakes. And you must be able to say ’no’ once in a while. It’s important in life, and it’s important for any career you want to pursue.”

Here are 5 school-of-thought that backs your ability to say ”No” more often without regrets:

• Saying no has got nothing to do with selfishness.
• You can’t please everyone in life, don’t even try.
• You also need to enjoy your own life, so to say no means you are giving yourself the time to enjoy your numbered days in life.
• Saying no will not hurt your relationships with people who truly care. Those who have problems with your ’no’ are mostly takers.
• Saying no shows you are a human and not a Superhuman or Batman.

If you know where you are heading in life, you should not have a problem with saying no sometimes. You don’t need to explain to everyone every time, just do your own thing. Your destination will answer them in the long run.

Say ”No” and be happy. At least, you stood your ground for the first time in your life.

When the news that about 5 students of Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) were shot dead by the police during a peaceful protest, most Nigerians were not surprised. The students were protesting about the epileptic power supply in the Oye Ekiti community. The report said the First Lady of Ekiti State was passing by from a function she attended and the students saw it as an opportunity to invite her into the issue of protest. One thing led to another and without warning, her security aides went trigger happy.

But that’s about the sixth killing of protesters by the police in the year. A situation that has been seen as a norm. Dissenting voices believe that the Ekiti State Government and the Nigerian Police inability to make any statement about the ugly incident is an evidence that protests in Nigeria have become a high risk adventure.

On Tuesday, members of the Shiite group claimed that 3 of their members were fatally shot by the police as they embarked on another peaceful protest in Kaduna State. That was a sequel to what happened back in July in Abuja, where over 13 people were killed during a protest by the Shiites over the prolonged detention of their leader El-zakzaky.

It’s about 21 deaths in two months for the crime of protesting. And there is concern that the number will add on in another given time.

Over a year ago, Amnesty International reported that over 150 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were massacred in cold blood by Nigerian security forces. A trend that has set a bloody footprints in Nigerian sands. But there are always excuses justifying the free flow of protesters blood.

In 2015, when about 400 Shiite members were killed in Kaduna by the Nigerian Army, the justification was that they blocked the way for the Chief of Army Staff. President Buhari, in addressing the issue said that the Shiites deserved what they got for provoking the Army, by tapping the chest of an army general, the Chief of Army Staff for that matter.

In Oye-Ekiti, the news that was aired after the killings was that the First Lady only ordered her security details to disperse the protesting students, she didn’t order the killing. And however they did that was none of her business. After all, she was on her way home before the students tried to involve her in their protest.

In many cases of such killings, the victims have always been blamed, and whoever happened to be part of the protest will face the full wrath of the police. Even the remains of the victims will be seized by the police.

El-zakzaky and his wife were arrested and locked up after the killing of his 400 loyalists, who included his own children. And he has been incarcerated ever since then.

The survivors of the Federal University students of Oye-Ekiti’s mayhem were not spared either: the police went after them, locking up as much as their cell can contain. They have provoked the police to their own harm and will face further consequences.

While the Ekiti State Government is yet to utter a word on the matter, the school authorities have proscribed the student union and asked the students to go home. The act of proscription seems to have become a cliché stemming from Federal Government’s approach to IPOB’s protests. The government has proscribed them as a terrorist organization and banned them from holding peaceful protests. Shiites were also proscribed by the Government, and it appears that schools are learning to do the same.

In Nigeria, it’s illegal to hold protests without police permission. A situation human rights activists are concerned it would eventually deteriorate to totalitarianism. Segun Awosanya, the convener of #EndSars didn’t hide his disappointment over the Ekiti saga. He said:

“You know your country is ruined when the wife of a sitting governor’s convoy murdered 4 human beings (students/future of Nigeria) and all she could do was to pay press to play victim without uttering a single condemnation towards the use of force against unarmed peaceful protesters.

“The victims of the murderous convoy have parents who are currently grieving and the unelected and presumed mother, who claimed to be on an empowerment program is justifying the murders by the slimy attempt to save her face by playing victim.”

Amnesty International and Human Right Watch (HRW), had echoed the “victimhood” sentiment in their reports on Government’s use of brute force to clamp down on peaceful protesters. “There is always a reason to justify the killings.”

The report also noted that the only protests allowed by the police are government sponsored protests. The alibi to deny permission has always been that it will disrupts public peace. And if you dare to protest, it’s at your own risk.

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), three days ago, reminded the governments that it is against the constitution to kill or lock people up for using their freedom of expression. They cited among others, the case of Sowore, the convener of #RevolutionNow who was locked up for organizing a protest, as an example of government’s determination to muzzle dissenting voices.

Civil right groups also noted that government’s oppressive approach to peaceful protests is the reason Nigerians find it difficult to hit the streets whenever there is such a need. The cost of life in Nigeria depends on who is asking, and protests seem to be an easy way to die.

At the recent ITU Telecom World 2019, in Budapest, Hungary, the Executive Vice Chair of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Danbatta, mentioned that African countries will quickly subscribe to the enhanced mobile broadband, out of the three 5G use cases.

A quick summary, ITU describes 5G in terms of three use cases:

• Enhanced mobile broadband (emBB),
• Ultra-reliable and low latency 
• Internet of Things type communications.

It is anticipated that emBB use case will cover applications such as ubiquitous and high speed connectivity for consumers, support augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices, gaming consoles, immersive experience, fixed wireless access etc. In Africa, it would take time for some of these technologies to mature due to the high cost of 5G phones, AR and VR devices, immersive TV, gaming consoles etc. Besides, consumers are not necessarily willing to pay more for faster speed as they are yet to reap the full benefits of 4G networks.

For the emBB use case, GSMA believes that fixed wireless access will be the biggest 5G use case, citing the low household fixed broadband penetration as 2% across Africa. This is debatable, given the low disposable income of households across Africa. However, this is very true for enterprises looking for alternative connectivity options, as cited by GSMA.

The ultra-reliable and low latency use case will cover applications such as connected and autonomous cars, remote or robotic surgery etc. These applications will also take a long time to come to fruition in Africa, as road infrastructures are not there yet to allow for the use of such cars. These cars also need to be tested on highways in Africa, as Lagos roads are very different from New York or London Roads. Road regulations and policies etc. also need to be adapted before autonomous cars can be deployed. How would these cars function, when given instructions from LATSMA, traffic wardens, police officers etc., manning our roads? How many hospitals in Africa are currently ready to use remote/robotic surgery to deliver health care services? Furthermore, the 1ms delay, anticipated for this use case, is yet from being realized.

The last use case, the Internet of Things (IoT) application, looks at the use of machine type communications, for digitizing and automating industrial processes across sectors such as oil and gas, mining, agriculture, homes, energy, transportation, logistics, health care, education, real estate etc. Besides, IoT devices could be deployed using the existing communication networks.

IoT, for me, is the use case which presents the fastest route to market in Africa. It presents a unique market opportunity for telcos looking to maximize their dwindling revenues, depending on how well they position themselves within the value chain. As connectivity accounts for less than 5% of the accruable revenue from the IoT value chain; telcos may need to establish strong partnerships or merge and acquire new companies, outside their traditional business of connectivity, in order to compete favourably within this space.

GSMA, in their Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) outlook report , suggested that IoT connections within Africa, will approximately triple by 2025. It predicts that there will be 332 million IoT connections within the region by 2025. From my estimate and using the data from the World Bank and IMF, IoT would lead to an industry worth $14.61 billion, approximately 0.83% of Sub Saharan Africa’s current GDP.

Despite this market value, the IoT industry in Africa is in a nascent state (except for South Africa). This is because of the enormous challenges and barriers in existence, hindering the rate of adoption of these devices, within the continent. I am therefore of the opinion that African countries should adopt policies and regulations which would help address the existing challenges, so that their economies can significantly benefit from the $14.61 billion industry.