25th February, 2015
Obi Asika, the newly appointed Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, said he would facilitate the setting up of social media platforms to encourage Nigerians to constructively engage the government.
Asika told NAN in Lagos that Nigeria was bigger than any single individual describing it as an important entity for the Black Race.
According to him, it is for this reason that Nigerians need to get things right by supporting individuals and groups in meaningful pursuits.
“With the creation of my office, which is a new office in government, and as we begin to set up, then if we have the opportunity, then of course we are going to setup Social Medial guidelines for the Federal Government.
“For policy, for engagement, for education, because the first thing that has to happen is internal training to use the tools to do external engagements.
“You don’t win over people by forcing them to do anything, but you do have to let them know when they don’t understand.
“I have been working for Nigeria all my life without being paid for it and I have just taken a reduction in pay to go into the government because certainly, they can’t pay me what I make in the private sector.
“It’s a sacrifice, but it’s an honour and it’s a privilege and I’m privileged and I am happy to represent my country and my people.
“And to represent this sector at this level for the first time in this country in any African country. I have to commend the president, I wasn’t lobbying for anything, I wasn’t looking for anything.
“Nigeria is bigger than any individual; Nigeria is so important for the black race; It’s so important for Africa; we have to get it right and I think we can and the first thing we can do is to protect the brand Nigeria online, to promote it online.”
According to Asika, who is also the initiator of the ongoing Social Media Week in Lagos, the event is in its third year and it seeks to connect the various brands with their clients.
It commenced on Feb. 23 at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos and would be concluded on Feb.27.
“It’s a convergence point to bring together people, who are using technology and new media in their businesses, in their lives, in governance, in whatever it is they are doing.
“New media and technology have changed the way we think. It’s how all those things are working, what they are doing and how it’s happening worldwide.
“And then also, how Africans are using this technology to change their lives and their businesses and it’s happening all over Africa – in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Uganda.
“You go across this continent and New Media is driving development; it’s driving business; it’s driving commerce; its driving governance; it’s creating openness and transparency.
“And that, the open-connected environment is the importance of Social Media Week Lagos and bringing convergence between different generations, different attitudes to have different conversations.
“We have achieved huge things. Last year, we had 140 million mentions, 200 speakers. Nothing in Nigeria has ever had that level of engagement; nobody has ever produced an event like this on this continent.”
NAN reports that the Social Media Week is a global conference set in about 32 cities across the world.
Seven cities are running concurrently this week and the Lagos version is the first of its kind in Africa.