To: The Presidency Abuja
The National Assembly Abuja
All Niger Delta Stakeholders
OPEN LETTER IN RESPONSE TO: NDDC- WHAT WE MUST DO AND THE PRESS STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GOVERNING BOARD OF NDDC
We are compelled to respond to the above subject matters as patriots and stakeholders because nefarious actors are monolithic in their structure, with no option to retrace their steps or even branch off from the solidity of the inflexible trunk, the source of their implacable power. To counter them, the kernel of their malevolent frameworks must be dismantled and completely laid bare.
The most important piece of real estate to stake a claim is the human mind. You make the claim by creating a perception. You create the perception by controlling the context. Control the context and you control the mind. Control the mind and you control reality, that’s the essence of the Veblen Effect. However, social psychologists are quick to remind us that “herd mentality” or “group think” has severe limitations when subjected to critical analysis or hesitation.
It is our opinion that the decision of the Chairman of the Governing Board of NDDC to hastily distance the Board from the MOU signed by the Commission in its quest to attract private capital for the development of the region based on emotions, sentiments, sense of judgment and propriety in order to curry public appeal, on deeper introspection is ruinous and far from right. We are not fooled by the beautiful prose of hired writers, the cobbled arguments of her procured craven supporters or the eloquence of her Marxian postulations about transparency and accountability. Her ambition of naked power grab was made obvious in the sponsored Vanguard newspaper advert published before the summit in Lagos where a fictitious group made legally deficient solicitations to President Buhari to quickly amend the law and further promote her to Executive Chairmanship of the Commission with unlimited powers even at the twilight of his administration.
We have experienced the confusion and dread of watching the least qualified people get promoted even when they lack the authenticity and influence to build strong teams because they are out of touch with the needs of the citizens. The government needs to cultivate and measure leadership potentials instead of the current system where authority over others is based on who you know and not what you know. Granting promotion without assessing a person’s capacity for leadership reduces the role to a mere transaction and this seems to be at the core of the public tantrums emanating from the Commission.
The allegations of a prevailing toxic work environment and management consideration of board members as meddlesome interlopers as contained in the Vanguard newspaper publication are not only manifestly false and frivolous but absurd and hogwash. Also, the wild allegations of illegal waivers of 3% levies granted to IOC’s and the back dating of contracts to unlawfully appropriate the Commission’s resources are the imaginations of a devious mind and patently defamatory. The prevailing sense in the region is that of satisfaction because for the very first time in a long while, the Commission has a duly constituted management team deploying its resources for common good.
The Chairman’s press statement condemning the widely hailed effort of the Commission towards transitioning to a new organization that would leverage private capital for sustainable development of the region through PPP and the subsequent signing of an MOU for preliminary processes for a rail network that would connect the nine NDDC States is both reckless and ill-conceived. Her attempt to create an imprimatur of illegality and deliberate litigation of the internal affairs of the Commission in the public space is an unprecedented embarrassment to the region and its people. No matter how cleverly disguised and presented, her grudge response is simply in furtherance of her ongoing schemes at total capture of the executive powers of the Commission not institutional bargain.
How else can any rational person explain her opposition to the transformational change and Blue-Sky thinking that led to the concept of the PPP? Is she not aware that the federal government has all but abandoned the Eastern Railway Corridor due to paucity of funds? What disadvantage would the region suffer if it secures a rail network that would connect all the states and complement the Eastern Rail Corridor if it is eventually completed? Is she not aware that the Atlanta based AGRI came recommended by the US EXIM Bank and that the US Consulate was represented at the signing ceremony? Is she ignorant of the fact that several board members were present at the event? Does she not know that the outcome of the Summit is attracting global interest to the region? What exactly are her interests? There is no rule that says her arguments must make sense but we must do away with the principalities of the past.
The Chairman seems to be suffering from the “Peter Principle” whereof she may have been promoted beyond her level of effectiveness. The region needs leaders who will allow the collective good of the people overshadow their self-aggrandizement. In view of this critical need, we hope and pray that the chairman retraces her steps and detracts from public smear and misrepresentation.
For NDDC to make progress, there is no magic bullet. What is clear is that doing nothing is not an option nor is continuing as normal the way to go. We recommend that the Board and Management should have a Shared Vision Workshop to deliberate on workable strategies and innovative ways to attract scalable development to the region. What NDDC needs is that in exchange for the greater strategic goal of developing the region, the Board and Management must embrace peace over conflict. Instead of engaging in public fits and outbursts, the board should liaise with management to rethink job creation, retool youth unemployment thereby significantly addressing insecurity and engendering the flourish of enterprise.
The people of the region are tired of living frustrated, anxious and overwhelmed. New habits can be formed. Fresh hope can be found in the Commission. The practice of gratitude and acknowledgment of good deeds by those who dare is the missing key to unlock the hope, joy and beauty around the region. It is not particularly helpful when we try to frustrate people with good intentions. Let good conscience prevail.
Joachim Dakolo Publicity Secretary.
In 2013, I launched the Screen Naija Outdoor Cinema project of my Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema (SOOAC) cosponsored by the Bank of Industry (BoI) of Nigeria at the Freedom Park on Lagos Island and attracted the IMAX Corporation of Canada to come to Nigeria to meet with me the BoI and the Amuwo Odofin Local Government with the choice of having the first IMAX Cinema in West Africa. I organized the first United Nations' International Day of the Girl Child celebrated in Nigeria with the premiere of the acclaimed documentary film, "Girl Rising" at the Silverbird Cinemas in the Silverbird Galleria on Victoria Island, Lagos. I published the first edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series, the first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry printed in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA..And I started the development of the iPost mobile video app with developers in Asia which was one of the 10 finalists of the annualu Fundfor Internet Research and Development – FIRE Africa Awards in 2014 for outstanding tech innovation.
https://www.fireafrica.org/2014-fire-awards
I am satisfied with the app, but I want it to offer more than news and entertainment to include eCommerce and fintech and also include a channel for blockchain.
iPost will be more advanced than Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. It has attracted angel investors in Silicon Valley in southern San Francisco Bay Area of California, the home of Apple, Facebook and Google and recently top NIgerian unicorn Flutterwave. iPost is already among the new most anticipated startups on AngelList which raised a $100 million Series B led by Tiger and Accomplice at a $4 billion valuation.
The preseed fundraising round of iPost Nigeria will be done by an Asian equity firm that has done successful fundraising rounds for many startups, including two Nigerian startups.
Nigeria is the capital of startups in Africa with more unicorns than in any other country on the continent. And iPost Nigeria will become one of them one fine day.
Is Nollywood Really Booming?
The sociocultural phenomenon of the guerilla filmmakers of Nollywood, the first indie film industry in Africa has been attracting global attention making news headlines of the foreign news media since the early 1990s and making the stars of the low budget movies household names across Africa. "Nollywood is booming" echoed from the street to the internet and on the popular cable TV channels called Africa Magic on DStv and GOtv of the MultiChoice Group of South Africa.
New Nigeria on Pinterest is the most popular Nigerian news blog on Pinterest with an audience of 280, 000 viewers monthly.
www.pinterest.com/nigeriansreport
New Nigeria on Pinterest is going to become bigger, greater and larger with the mobile app coming soon before the 2023 presidential election in Africa's most populous country with over 200 million people and as of 2022, Nigeria had nearly 84 million internet users.22 Aug 2022. Everyone of them can use the app to post and share news on Pinterest.
We need a New Nigeria!
Cheers!
The Next Big Thing
Since 2014 I have been developing what will become the biggest and largest digital media network in the world and I have chosen to run with the vision Almighty God has shown me.
It is the greatest idea for the digital media ecosystem.
My ultimate goal is the disruption of the e-commerce and fintech industry by total decentralization of human interactions and transactions in every part of the world from the hand of everyone with a camera phone.
- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
The CEO,
International Digital Post Network Limited,
Lagos, San Francisco, New York.
#ceo #digital #network #fintech #africa #commerce #news #lagos #sanfrancisco #newyork #communications #phones #transactions #payments
"King of Thieves", the current highest grossing Nigerian movie has not made up to US$1m in 7 weeks of showing in all the cinemas by the largest cinema chain in Nigeria and West Africa.
The current box office report from the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN) shows that #Nollywood is not among the top 10 biggest film industries in the world in box office revenues.
The fictitious stats of UNESCO on Nollywood must have been made up by those who failed to verify the current reports on the Nigerian film industry. They simply made the assumptions from their laptops in Geneva and New York City and cannot even locate Asaba on the map of Africa. By the way, Asaba presently produces more movies than Lagos and other cities in Nigeria. An actor can play major roles in ten different movies within one month in Asaba in Delta State. I doubt if any of the foreign news reporters and writers on Nollywood has been to Asaba. Most of their reports have been written in the comfort of the cozy rooms of the big hotels in Lagos and Abuja.
Now you can see why the so called "booming" second largest film industry in the world is full of hungry actors and directors who are still hustling to make ends meet.
Let us pray.
- By EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor, NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series, Lagos, Nigeria.
#film #nigeria #lagos #africa #business #movies #news
#filmindustry #filmmakers #boxoffice #Asaba #unesco #report #geneva #newyorkcity
Nigerians Report Online
Over 205, 000 pageviews in April.
Our target is to reach over 1 million pageviews monthly without buying fake Views, fake Likes and fake Followers like others on the internet.
The most advanced NIgerian owned digital news blog published by International Digital Post Network Limited currently in the advanced stage of launching the OTT streaming news, entertainment and eCommerce mobile video platform.
View it on https://angel.co/u/michael-chima-ekenyerengozi
Target is reach over 200 million users of GSM phones within 12 months.
This is the future of NIgerian news media and entertainment industry.
Nigerians Report Online
- Ekenyerengoz Michael Chima,
The CEO, International Digital Post Network Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.
Publisher/Editor
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series
247 Nigeria (@247nigeria) / Twitter
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Michael Chima Ekenyerengozi | AngelList
https://angel.co/u/michael-
I stopped working for salaries in 2000 and registered my own company, King of Kings Books International .
After working as the youngest professional script writer.in Africa for the NIgerian Television Authority (NTA) Channel 10 at 18.
Art and Features Editor for Kiddies World magazine of Hon. Babatunde Ereola at 24-25;
National Program Consultant for the UNICEF in Nigeria at 25;
IEC Field Officer for the Center for Education, Population, AIDS and Drug Abuse (CEPADA) at 32;
Production Manager of "Money Wise" on DBN TV in Lagos at 35 and left after two years to start my indie publishing company at 37.
Already a national celebrity at 13 when I won the first prize in the national essay competition on "What I Like Best About NIgeria".
Represented Nigeria at two international book fairs for children's books in Japan for my illustrations on traditional farming tools in Nigeria when I was 20 and the youngest participant and ten years later, I curated one of the most successful and sold out group art exhibitions in Nigeria on Arts against AIDS for the celebration of the World AIDS Day in 1993 organized by NNNGO of Nigeria at the National Museum in Onikan and National Arts Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos. My oil paintings, "Eruption of the Love Virus" and "Metamorphosis of the HIV in the T-Cell" were the first artworks to be sold.
Then I directed my second stage drama, "Sleepless Night" on the June 12 political crisis at the French Cultural Centre in Ikoyi in 2002 cosponsored by my United Artists for Human Development (UAHD), French Cultural Centre and Otunba Dele Momodu, Founder and Publisher of the popular OVATION lifestyle and high society magazine. Then later founded and incorporated my second company, International Digital Post Network Limited, Publisher of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series, the first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry since 2013. This digital media company is developing the most advanced mobile video app in Africa that will be for news, entertainment, eCommerce and fintech combined. My ultimate goal is for the mobile video app to be used for wealth creation and distribution for the reduction of poverty by 80 percent.
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Your support is valued and motivates me to stay focused and passionate about driving successes for the broadcast, production, tech, film and media industry in Nigeria.
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Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, a Vuulr Program Partner for global film and TV rights recently secured the biggest acquisition of a Nigerian film "Eagle Wings" by Vision Films Inc of California, USA and secured the theatrical release of "The American King" by Silverbird Group in NIgeria in January, 2022. He is NIgeria's leading film writer published by Indiewire, Black Film Maker and Shadow & Act and the Publisher/Editor of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series, the first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry since 2013.
My iPost, the revolution of the news and entertainment industry in Nigeria to be launched soon.
News by the people for the people.
iPost mobile video app was one of the 10 finalists of the annual Fund for Internet Research and Development – FIRE Africa Awards in 2014 for outstanding tech innovation.
https://www.fireafrica.org/2014-fire-awards
#nigeria #education #africa #people #children #school #women #students #news #information #education #masscommunication #communication
WOW!
HALLELUJAH!
247 Nigeria is 11 years on #Twitter
September 2010 - September 2021!
I thank Almighty God for the abundance of His infinite grace every day by day since September 2010.
@247nigeria has been one of the leading blogs for aggregation, publication and circulation of news and information on Nigeria and Nigerians and on current affairs in the world. And fully committed to the Corporate Social Responsibility for the advocacy of the education of the millions of underprivileged girls out of school in Nigeria by coorganising the Nigerian premieres of "Girl Rising" in 2013 and "He Named Me Malala" in 2015 to celebrate the annual United Nations' International Day of the Girl Child on every October 11. We rescued a secondary school girl trafficked from Nigeria to #Libya in 2016 and successfully supported her rehabilitation with professional skills acquisition in Benin of Edo State.
We will continue doing our best for public enlightenment and human development.
We need the cooperation and support of all good people, companies and organisations.
- Ekeyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor,
247 NIGERIA
Inside Documentary: A New Channel For Documentary Films with special preference for documentaries of undocumented incidents, events, people, places, wildlife, and untold stories of natural and unnatural occurrences and true life experiences on earth and in outer space.
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Only 24% of Americans Have a Six-Month Emergency Savings Cushion
The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Presented by Bank of America Celebrates Its 19th Year
PNC Announces Agreement to Buy RBC Bank (USA)
Miss California USA Crowned Miss USA 2011 During Live NBC Telecast
