Nigerian Advocate

14/01/2025

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Ochuse Prince Edwin, Itz B Best

31/12/2024

It’s the Last Day of 2024!💃

Thank you for making this year absolutely awesome for us @ NIGERIAN ADVOCATE & OKANGA DIGEST! 🤗 It wouldn’t have been the same without you. 🥲 Your patronage and referrals have been the cornerstone of our growth, making us bigger and better! 💪

As we look ahead, here’s wishing you a prosperous and joy-filled New Year in advance!💃💃

Warm Regards,
FRED AKPOWO JACOB
Publisher
NIGERIAN ADVOCATE & OKANGA DIGEST

10/11/2024

THIS IS A CHALLENGE TO ALL SERVING MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.
IF THIS WOMAN CAN ACHIEVE THIS IN JUST ONE YEAR, THEN OTHERS ARE REALLY NOT JUSTIFYING BEING AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY REPRESENTING THEIR CONSTITUENTS.

30/10/2024

Picture of the day.

26/10/2024

Pic of the day.

10/10/2024

Pictures of the day: Motherhood from South Africa.

24/09/2024

The day I discovered the true wealth of Nigeria

__It's not all about oil!

When I first arrived in Nigeria to set up the country's first GSM mobile network, Econet Wireless Nigeria (now Airtel Nigeria), I had to serve as the company's interim CEO for about six months, until we appointed someone substantive. This meant I practically lived in Nigeria for most of that time. It was a remarkable experience, and one which will remain with me all my life. Nigeria is one of the most exciting countries in the world, and could be the next China before the turn of this century.
I just want to share with you one particular incident which led me to that conclusion: As many people know, today Nigeria has over 120m mobile phones users. To imagine that I made the first ever official GSM mobile call in Nigeria on 6th August 2001 seems almost unbelievable...
Our company Econet Wireless Nigeria was in a race with MTN Nigeria, the only other operator at the time, to meet a deadline set by the regulator for 8th of August. We beat the deadline and MTN by two days, and as Interim CEO, I had the privilege to call the regulator to tell him we were "Live"!
What a moment in my life! It's something I'll always cherish. I don't really care whether I own or don't own a mobile operator there today. My success will always be measured in terms of my small contribution in kick starting the largest mobile industry on the African continent, and it is Nigeria.
Several months before the launch deadline, I'd arrived with over 100 engineers and technicians, drawn mostly from Zimbabwe and South Africa. At the time, since Nigeria had been delayed by the military governments from acquiring GSM, it was one of the last markets without this new technology. President Obasanjo, who had just won the election two years earlier, wanted to change that and had issued three licenses, but one had been delayed.
This meant that when we started operations, Nigeria had no homegrown engineers or technicians with experience.

19/09/2024

16/09/2024

Given the current state of Nigeria's crude oil sector, Dangote Refinery still stands out positively. It represents a significant contrast to both the corrupt practices in A*o Rock and the actions of international oil companies in Nigeria
Dangote has challenged not only the corrupt Nigerian leaders and foreign interests exploiting Nigeria’s oil but also the powerful oil cartel profiting from the country. This is a clash between foreign powers and their oil companies, using our leaders as puppets, against Dangote.

They set up two traps for him: the first was Quality, and the second was Price.

For the Quality, they aimed to tarnish the refinery’s reputation by portraying its products as substandard and the refinery itself as inferior.

They planned a major propaganda campaign, starting with local media and extending internationally, to spread this negative narrative.

Dangote responded swiftly and smartly. He engaged in media appearances and, on some occasions, brought samples of his production along so Nigerians could see for themselves. By showcasing his oil’s superior quality compared to the imported ones on live television he effectively debunked the quality propaganda.

As a result, the first campaign against his refinery lost credibility and faded away.

They then activated the second trap: the price. They anticipated that Dangote’s lower fuel prices would force them to lower their own prices as well, since no one would choose a more expensive option when a cheaper one with more quality is available.

This move would also reduce their power, as they previously used to threaten pervious Nigerian government with fuel shortages if their demands weren’t met. With Dangote’s refinery in play, their ability to leverage such threats was significantly diminished.

It will also affect the Africa - European/ the west oil trading deals because most African and outside countries with devalued or weak currencies will turn to Nigeria to buy oil which will be a cheaper.