Why I Wept in
“A Documentary on the Enviable Contribution of ICT to Nigeria’s Economic Development”
This story began with a damn good journalist who brought it up, …well…again!
While it is not the full story, the aspect covered reflects a time in the past, but an important time though. The rest of the story, as seen from my observatory, is laid out in my Memoire, which is now completed, and should see the light of day, even if I pass on today.
Although I had,at that time, dissociated from advocacy and interviews, the journalist, who I referred to as FIFA*, (his real name is Don Pedro Aganbi), is not someone I can say ‘No’ to, as I have a lot of respect for what he has done with information.
A few days ago, he sent me a link to a documentary he just mounted on YouTube several years after its original use, and followed it with a question: “But, FIFA, why did you break down during that interview?”
Here is the short answer:
Shortly before that interview, I came in possession of information that gave reasons for the limited stride we made in the industry over the years as unbridled corruption. Given the amount of work, toil, and sacrifice of people in the industry, the development attained was just a pittance. Corruption, greed, avarice, constituted a cog in the wheel of our progress, both as an industrial sector, and as a country. And this was why I broke down with the weight of information I have had of the industry vis-à-vis the state of development of the industry up to that time.
Please do not get me wrong. I have not said the industry did not grow phenomenally. I have just said we got less than we worked for.
The documentary is available at: https://youtu.be/TD5Fsc2h6tA
FIFA* – The sobriquet was my recognition of that journalist’s work. That is to say: If reporting our industry via TV interviews were football, he would be FIFA. We threw it at each other.
Don Padron Aganbi’s name was missing in action! Though as producer/director he humbly excused his name as a distinguished ICT Hero, but he truly deserves a mention among the great ICT Heroes of Nigeria and indeed Africa.. Thank you Don for an excellent documentary. God bless your work.