As Boko Haram now deploys sophisticated drones to fight Nigerian military, I am calling the Service Chiefs (Army, Navy and Air Force) to seek help from the Nigerian technology community. For men who despise education to have adopted drones indicates a new parallel challenge has arisen. The Army needs to convene immediately a military-tech focused conference with local elements where our technologists would come to strategize how to win this war. This is a pivotal moment now that the Army has confirmed what many had mooted that Boko Haram has above-optimal intelligence, after looking at the precision it has battled our warriors recently.

A sudden rise in Boko Haram attacks over the last three months has forced the Nigerian military to fine-tune its counter-insurgency operations in the war-ravaged North-east, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai said on Wednesday.

The army chief also said the terrorists now use drones and foreign fighters in their operations.

Mr Buratai described the exploits of the jihadists as “daring,” saying it threatened to erode the previously recorded achievements in the counter-terrorism efforts.

Boko Haram has carried out successful, back-to-back attacks on Nigerian military bases since July, leaving heavy personnel and equipment losses in their wake.

Mr Buratai lamented the recent attack on Nigerian Army 157 Task Force Battalion in Metele, Borno State, on November 18. At least 118 soldiers, includingthe battalion’s commander, were killed in the attack, PREMIUM TIMES learnt from top military sources, who also confirmed at least 153 missing in action. Mr Buratai, however, says only 23 soldiers were killed in the Metele attack.

The army chief said the attacks have put the military’s resolve to test, but assured the insurgency would be uprooted before long.

We need to improve our intelligence – the tech community in the nation can assist our military on making that possible. Yes, this is now transitioning into a tech war with Boko Haram using drones. The Army needs to seek help from the tech community which has truly advanced in many ways, and can provide local capabilities necessary to help the nation overcome the challenge.

Update:Let me quote this post where Microsoft just won a major contract from the U.S. military to help soldiers in battle.

Microsoft  is readying its HoloLens augmented reality tech for combat. The company just won a $480 million military contract with the U.S. government to bring AR headset tech into the weapons repertoire of American soldiers.

The two-year contract may result in follow-on orders of more than 100,000 headsets according to documentation describing the bidding process. One of the contract’s tag lines for the AR tech seems to be its ability to enable “25 bloodless battles before the 1st battle,” suggesting that actual combat training is going to be an essential aspect of the AR headset capabilities.

[Please do not see this post as political: I know many see all from politics. This is simply an intellectual conversation on a very serious national issue.]

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Many things about the war against Boko Haram in the north east remain fuzzy; but what is now clear is that those terrorists aren’t depleting; they are very much alive, as potent and deadly as you can imagine.

And we cannot live in denials forever, or wishing the war away; a change in strategy is needed, and not the normal, traditional military strategizing and re-strategezing, an infusion and incorporation of something unconventional this time.

If Boko Haram whose training regiment is questionable could deploy technology, with the level of sophistication and precision on the intended targets; I do not expect anything less from the Nigerian military and its allies.

Again, it’s difficult to discuss the successes and failures of this prolonged war campaign without dabbling into politics; of course there are many things that cannot be said here, and some of them remain unexplained.

There are conflicting issues and competing interests here and there, but we can no longer run this campaign like a secret cult, a national buy in and ownership is not negotiable anymore.

The casualties are too many, both the accounted and unaccounted ones; time to bring in everyone who has something to contribute, in order to end this carnage.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange Main-Board Index has lost about 18% of its value this year. Largely, most investors in the Nigerian Stock Exchange lost money. Yet, there are solid alternatives in this game. Besides the different ideas I have shared before, I want to bring attention to one new model: financing mobility/logistics business assets. Yes, here trucks and motorbikes. KoboWIN (from Kobo, Nigeria’s leading digital trucking firm) and Gokada (e-bike hailing firm) make it possible for people to invest in trucks and motorbikes respectively. So, Kobo pools money to buy trucks while Gokada does same for motorbikes.

KoboWIN is a Kobo360 product that allows members of the public (individual investor or pool of investors) to invest in a reliable truck with a seed investment of N14m per truck.

Looking at the numbers from their prospectus, they promised to return at least 21% per year (guaranteed). There is risk all over this world but leaving money in the NSE may not be smart as we move into the election paralysis.

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How You Can Invest N10 Million in Nigeria Right Now

If you have solid numbers from some of the emerging startups which are hitting the public for asset financing, please share with my community manager. We want to understand their rates and how they compare with Treasury Bills and Fixed Deposit. This is a new investment class and I want to have clarity what is going on there.

Take a Challenge: think deep through the week and by Monday conclude on three things you know you do well. Ask 10 of your families, friends or associates to independently rank how they see you on those capabilities (rank from 1 to 3 with “1” best and “3” least).

The skill/ability/capability with the least combined score (you really do well therein) is what would unlock great future for you. It would anchor many things including your career and relationships.

Then, when you have known that ability which people have also validated, invest to be better on it. Yes, refine and improve. That skill is the promise. As you refine it, scale the message to the world.

For me, I knew I could talk; many confirmed it. But I needed to refine that skill. Then, for a long time, I decided to teach in the Church or fellowships. Yes, every Sunday, I had an opportunity to test how far, making sure no one slept while I was teaching. As a Sunday school teacher in RCCG in PHC, I figured out that energy was always higher when Bible was mixed with some history: then, I spent time learning history from  end of old testament to AD 70.

Do this challenge and find an easy way to improve on the skill. You can volunteer to improve, and as you get better, plot how to monetize that skill. There is a great gift in you: unlock it and be rewarded by your community.

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In other words, do a critical self-examination, think deeply, and reflect; and then come up with your top three, the things you can do without breaking sweat. But they must be valuable, else it becomes a pleasure trip…

The challenge? Being able to think in an untainted or unadulterated way, so that you do not end up compromising the thought process, only to come up with ‘feel good’ things, which do not add value to humanity.

To help purify the outcomes your deep thinking would throw up, you must be willing to answer the ‘whys’ in a credible manner.

And when seeking out for those to help you rank the qualities therein, do not focus only on people who always to tell you what you want to hear, for them, the ‘friendship’ is more important than your future; so make sure you also approach those who tell it as it is.

And after that stage, then make a business out of it; with passion, discipline and commitment to excellence, glory awaits.

Note: The suffering, disappointment and all the things that would make you want to run away, are all embedded; do not expect anyone to write them down.

To your success!