This document discusses the need for active participation in development through information and communication technology (ICT). It uses Singapore as an example of a former third world nation that became highly developed through committed leadership and a people's supportiveness. Some key points made include: - Singapore transformed from a tiny nation with no natural resources to a thriving metropolis through revolutionary leadership and nation building. - Individuals and organizations must arise and apply their ICT knowledge to improve lives and communities in Nigeria. - Strategies for empowerment, education, excellence, and active participation through ICT ventures are needed to drive Nigeria's development.

1. OLUSOLA AMUSAN ICT e-Empowerment Summit 201022nd and 23rd July, 2010Theodore Francis Idibiye Aud. FUTA

2. Visit http://olusolabooks.com Or call +2348182944825+2348182944825 Olusolamusan

3. There is no such thing as a FUTURE

4. Nigeria :From Third World to First world ICT AND NEED FOR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION FOR DEVELOPMENT

5. Singapore and the Used to be third world Third world nations were former colonies and with the end of imperialism many of these countries, especially the smaller ones were forced with the challenges of Nation building and institution building on their own for the first time. Due to this common background, many of these nations were for most of the 21st century, and are still today “developing” in economic terms. The only common characteristics that I have found common in them all was that their governments “demand and receive western aid” ( this I passionately oppose ). Let me tell you the story of Singapore; Few gave tiny Singapore much chance of survival when it was granted independence in 1965. It literally beckoned on another nation to absorb her, they cried out in pain of how terrible they were to handle their complexities.

6. Singapore and the Used to be third world How is it then that today the former British colonial trading post is a thriving Asian Metropolis with not only the world’s number one airline, best airport, and busiest port of trade, but also the world’s fourth highest per capita real income. Amazing, isn’t it? But critical. I965 is barely 5years after third world Nigeria got independence from British colonist. While our nation is as a blast from the past at 50! Singapore is hailed as city of the future. The change Singapore experienced came from the extraordinary revolutionary leadership of a man called Lee Kuan Yew, and the dogged supportiveness of a people.

7. Singapore and the Used to be third world This country called Singapore has no natural resources, the only thing natural in Singapore is the people of Singapore. The committed time to process of nation building, forging basic infrastructural roads through a land that consisted primarily of swamps, creating an army from a hitherto racially and ideologically divided population stamping out of the last vestiges of colonial-era corruption, providing mass public housing and establishing a natural airline and airport. The bottom line of my story is that, your knowledge of differentiation, orthogonal matrix, staphylococcus, diamond and laterite, ceramics, artificial intelligence and programming is inadequate without the desire to apply them in making Nigeria a better place to live.

8. Now let’s consider what our NATION needs N – Nation wideE – Empowerment forE – EconomicD – Development N.E.E.D

9. Activities of social enterprises like Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (initiators of “Maga no need pay” campaign) and project handler of Ajegunle.org (an initiative that connects tools and opportunities with ICT education, tools and opportunities), Maximum Ace Network (a social enterprise that connects young people with potentials with possibilities via impactful trainings, campaigns and empowerment) Visible Impact, Massive Impact and so on; are still very inadequate. More selfless individuals must arise. When people change in their paradigm and we start producing what we consume and consuming what we produce, then change is on the way. N.E.E.D

10. Your point of Action may Include: Making your own LED display boards Producing your own junction boxes Developing your own software Animating your web pages Organizing trainings that will communicate your strength in technology to others.. refuse to recycle mediocrity, circulate pure information and help others change their paradigm.

11. The S.E.E.D Procedure

12. S – synergy The quality of any nation, people or system largely depends on the unity of values, prepositions and decisions of her people. There is an additional energy that is produced by people combining efforts that surpasses the results if they were isolated. Our language must be the same “applying info-technology to better our lives and community” our language, actions, strategies, and steps must align with the change we desire.

13. Point of Action Start an invention colloquium with a friend, research on starting or creating a new product. Organise the model,contact friends abroad, red wide and maximize you’re the internet, use friends you can gather around you and take it bit by bit. Show above the hurdles of discouraging conditions like power, internet supply and access to research tools. There is something in nothing, and only synergy can get us through.

14. Embrace Excellence our society feels comfortable with mediocrity (a state of averageness or adequateness). I am not talking about excellence if it must be used, the right context must be with respect to global standards. If truly you are bright and brilliant in Nigeria, then you must be bright and brilliant in California. In our studies, our day to day tasks, personal and group projects you must be able to embrace excellence by deciding not to base your criticism, products, services and opinions on local standards

15. … Globalization has carved out into a global village and that implies that what is called ‘excellent’ In Nigeria must be excellent in Paris, U.S, U.K, U.A.E, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. If all we celebrate is state knowledge and invention then we are joking, if what turns us on is sports and entertainment then we are not ready for relevance. If what makes us excited is how many pipelines we can vandalize or how many cheat codes we can amass for browsing the internet with our mobile phones, then we are only sending our nation down the drain of poverty, social instability, chaos, calamity and eventual oblivion.

16. Point Of Action Recognize that excellence is a quality that portrays that what you are doing is of very good or high definition. Decide to go for the best books, the highest quality of information. If you sell I.T products for instance, hardware gadgets. Don’t celebrate fools because they are in military uniforms or occupying government positions (a fool is a fool) Measure every success you achieve with respect to the global standards that exist. Develop solutions that will act as dynamic catalyst for schools, hospitals, businesses and organizations to establish high performance. Go ahead and create software for schools, develop readiness for them. Never be limited.

17. Educate Others These are the words of wise man: “The aim of education should be teach us rather how to think, than what to think – rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to lead the memory with thoughts of other men” Albert Einstein Said; Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. Education is useless if it teaches us how to make a living but does not teach us how to make a life. I am saying this because, if you don’t understand what it means to educate someone, you might just be planning another tutorial, class lectures or ‘talk-me-talk’ session. Education should be exercise, it has become massage.

18. Point of Action Empower people reasonably with words as well as tools. Start campaigns for education of rural men and women on the use of technological devices. Solicit for funds from multinationals and build Solar panels (or better still ‘Plants’) that will improve the livelihood and teach them (the rural and urban dwellers) also to do the same. Unsettle the minds of the young and inflame their slumbering intellects.

19. Develop and Utilize Strategies Strategy development and subsequent utilization of the same is very important if we must play our roles right. What new invention in science and technology will you do that will bring in Billions of Dollars to the Nigerian Economy. What will be your contribution. A vision isn’t enough, you must develop a solid strategy.

20. Point of Action Set you 6 Month Goals, Set you 5 Year goals, Set your 15 Year Goals. Decide which concrete product or service will come out of you in the next one year

21. Be Active Be ACTIVE in your participation. Articulating C- Communication T- Technology and I- Information for V- Ventures that will positively affect our E- Economy