News
Our Youth and the Protests, Looking Beyond End SARS
By Austin Okere
The youth are not our enemies; let us remember this before we do anything rash such as using brute force to quell their protests. They are our children that have come of age.
Their flaws are our failings as parents. All over the world, the youth have broken ranks with the earlier generation when they feel that their future is being mortgaged, mostly through excessive greed of the “elders”.
The wind of change has been blowing for quite a while. After the global financial crisis in 2008 there was the Occupy Wall Street protests in the America. Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest movement against economic inequality that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City’s Wall Street financial district, in September 2011. It gave rise to the wider Occupy movement in the United States and other countries.
Thereafter came the Extinction Rebellion, a global environmental movement with the stated aim of using non-violent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse.
Young Greta Thunberg, a Swedish environmental activist gained international recognition as the face of the protests for promoting the view that humanity is facing an existential crisis arising from climate change.
Quite recently, there was the Black Lives Matter protests which started in America and gained momentum, after a white policeman brutally murdered a black man, George Floyd, by kneeling on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. The #BlackLivesMatter movement is a Global Network that builds power to bring justice, healing, and freedom to Black people across the globe.
The Arab Spring, closer to home is indelibly etched in our minds. It was sparked by the first protests that occurred in Tunisia on 18 December 2010 in Sidi Bouzid, following Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation in protest of Police Corruption and ill treatment. It escalated into a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab World in the early 2010s.
The past two years have indeed been years of discontent, with protests demanding the removal of corrupt governments, better living standards, greater freedoms and more rights, toppling leaders from Bolivia to Sudan, with the latest being the forced resignation of the President of Kyrgyzstan after weeks of mass protests. The leaders of Bolivia, Algeria, Lebanon, Iraq and Sudan have been pushed out as a consequence.
Youth Protests across the world aiming to take back their future is like a moving train. Stand in front of it and it will crush you. Remain on the platform and it will leave you behind; or you can hop on it for a ride into a future of social Justice and good governance.
Truth be told Nigeria’s case is not very different, even though in fairness, it did not start with this regime. It is an endemic problem that has assumed exponential proportions. SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) and the injustice they perpetuate with characteristic impunity is a microcosm of the Nigerian situation.
In June 2018, CNN announced that Nigeria had overtaken India as the country with the largest number of people living in extreme poverty, with an estimated 87 million Nigerians, or around half of the country’s population, thought to be living on less than $1.90 a day.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics reveals that Nigeria’s unemployment rate as at the second quarter of 2020 was 27.1%, indicating that about 21.7 million Nigerians remain unemployed. The data also reveals that the worst-hit are Nigerian Youths (between the ages of 15 and 25 years) with over 13.9 million currently unemployed.
With the largest economy in Africa (GDP of $447b in 2019 compared to South Africa $359b and Egypt $303b), and despite her abundant natural resources and huge revenue from oil and gas exports of $32.6 billion in 2018 (according to eiti.org) it seems that Nigeria is experiencing growth without shared prosperity.
The gap between the rich and poor is ever increasing, as is the gap between the “in Crowd” and those left behind. Treasury looting and stashing hoards abroad has not helped the deficit in infrastructure and the enabling environment for creating Jobs. According to TRT World, Every year, Africa loses more than $88b due to illicit capital flight, amounting to 3.7 percent of the continent’s GDP of $2.6trillion.
Our youth are forced to take to immigration – legal and illegal, sometimes risking dangerous trails in the Sahara desert and across the Mediterranean Sea in rickety rafts in pursuit of survival. Nigeria has been a “country of huge potential” since independence 60 years ago. When will this giant wake up from her slumber?
It is good that our youth have found Purpose behind a common goal. The strategy, conduct and prosecution of the peaceful protests has so far been remarkable. Unlike previous ones, this Youth Movement has not been punctured by tribalism, religion nor compromised by “leaders”.
The youth have stood as one, behind a vision of a better country with shared prosperity and social justice. The youth have finally proved that they are not lazy, clueless and entitled. To buttress this, PayStack, a Fintech company founded in 2016 by Nigerian Youths Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi has been acquired by global fintech giant Stripe, in the biggest M&A deal in Nigerian corporate history.
Just recently, Interswtich, another Youthful Nigerian Company reached unicorn status after Visa acquired a minority equity stake in the firm, making her one of the most valuable African fintech businesses with a valuation of $1 billion,”.
CWG Plc’s significant contribution to Financial Inclusion is another example. Diamond bank (now acquired by Access Bank) with 7m customer accounts after 23 years was able to add an additional 6m customers, mostly from the Bottom of the Pyramid in just one year after the launch of the Diamond Yello Account, Powered by CWG and MTN.
It is about time that the youth invite themselves to the political table, because it is about their future. It is imperative to get involved in politics right from the grassroots, where the impact is most felt. It is through such initiatives that we can ensure quality and inclusive education and healthcare for the masses while create an enabling environment to attract businesses and create jobs.
It is from here that they can ensure that the voice of democracy rings out loud throughout the land (and not one political godfather installing his stooges and milking the state treasury). #EndSARS was just a catalyst, it is imperative to now look #BeyondEndSARS and focus on the broader goals of social justice and equity.
The Youth have drunk deep of this cup of knowledge and empowerment, and there is no turning back. Even though the protests end in the streets, they will be carried deep in their hearts. This movement is by no means to a destination but rather a journey of sustainable nation building. They will begin to ensure that the demand side of governance is deeply entrenched and that the voice of democracy will always be heard loud and clear at every ballot.
Gone will be the days when they were used as thugs during elections and dumped soon after, and the days when they disenfranchised themselves from apathy to the pollical process and the attendant requirement of probity from elected officials. This is just the beginning; the best of the Nigerian Youth is yet to come – Finally there is hope for our dear country.
Austin Okere is the Founder of CWG Plc, the largest security in the technology sector of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at CBS, New York. Austin also serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Business School Network based in Washington, and on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Innovation and Intrapreneurship. Austin is a Non-Executive Director at Globus Bank and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Risk Management Association of Nigeria (RIMAN). Austin now runs the Ausso Leadership Academy focused on Business and Entrepreneurial Mentorship.
The World Bank Group has announced the 31-month debarments of United Aviation Services Limited (UNASEL), a transportation services company based in Nigeria, and Air Vice Marshal Alkali Mamu, its owner and president, “in connection with fraudulent practices under the Enhancing Niger Northeastern Connectivity Project,” according to a press release issued by the multilateral development bank.
The statement said that the project aims to enhance connectivity and road safety along the Zinder-Agadez Road section and improve access to basic socioeconomic infrastructure for selected communities in that road section.
However, according to the statement: “UNASEL and Mr. Mamu presented false experience documents in a prequalification application to qualify for a contract under the project. This was a fraudulent practice under the World Bank’s sanctions framework.”
“The debarments make UNASEL and Mr. Mamu ineligible to participate in projects and operations financed by Bank Group institutions. The debarments are part of two settlement agreements under which UNASEL and Mr. Mamu admit culpability for the underlying sanctionable practices,” it added.
The statement further said: “Per the Bank Group Sanctioning Guidelines, the settlement agreements provide for a reduced period of debarment in light of UNASEL and Mr. Mamu’s cooperation.
As a condition for release from sanction under the terms of the settlement agreements, UNASEL and Mr. Mamu commit to developing and implementing integrity compliance measures that reflect the relevant principles set out in the Bank Group Integrity Compliance Guidelines, and Mr. Mamu further agrees to complete corporate ethics training.
UNASEL and Mr. Mamu also commit to continue to fully cooperate with the Bank Group’s Integrity Vice Presidency.
“The debarments of UNA SEL and Mr. Mamu qualify for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions that was signed on April 9, 2010.”
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, has approved the allocation of a parcel of land in Enugu, the state capital, for the establishment of a state-of-the-art Digital Fabrication Centre by the Industrial Training Fund.
Mbah announced this while receiving a delegation from the Industrial Training Fund on a courtesy visit to the Government House, Enugu.
The ITF disclosed this on Friday in a statement signed by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Thomas Ngor.
According to the statement, Mbah described the proposed project as timely and aligned with his administration’s vision of transforming Enugu into a leading destination for investment, innovation and technology-driven industrial development.
He noted that the future of economic prosperity lies in deliberate investments in human capital and emerging technologies, adding that the state has continued to create an enabling environment for innovation, enterprise and sustainable growth.
The governor explained that his administration has made technical education compulsory in the state’s basic education system, with emphasis on digital literacy, robotics and mechatronics to prepare learners for the future of work.
According to him, many traditional trades are now driven by digital technologies, making it imperative to equip young people with relevant technical competencies that will enable them to compete globally and contribute meaningfully to economic development.
Governor Mbah further disclosed that his administration has built smart schools across the state, equipped with robotics centres, mechatronics laboratories and other modern learning facilities, to prepare youths for the evolving global economy.
He noted that artificial intelligence is expected to contribute about $20tn to the global economy in the coming years.
He therefore stressed that the state must be intentional about upskilling its citizens, adding that the establishment of the ITF Digital Fabrication Centre will significantly strengthen the state’s drive to build a knowledge-based economy, foster innovation, promote local manufacturing and create employment opportunities for its growing youthful population.
Earlier, Afiz Ogun, the Director-General of the ITF, who led the delegation, said that upon his appointment by President Bola Tinubu, he was mandated to upskill Nigerian artisans to international standards.
He explained that the Fund subsequently repositioned its technical and vocational skills development efforts through strategic initiatives, including the Skill-Up Artisans Programme, which is designed to train, certify and license Nigerian artisans to international standards.
Ogun disclosed that the Fund had already established a Digital Fabrication Centre in Ikeja, Lagos, with the capacity to produce more than 400 different products. He therefore requested the allocation of land in Enugu State to establish a similar centre with the same production capacity.
According to him, the initiative is aimed at promoting industrialisation, reducing dependence on imports and preparing Nigerians for opportunities in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He also reaffirmed the Fund’s readiness to enter into public-private partnerships that will transform Nigeria’s artisanal ecosystem.
Ogun further noted that digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics and computer-aided manufacturing, are rapidly transforming the global economy, making it imperative for Nigeria to deliberately invest in upskilling its workforce to remain globally competitive.
The ITF delegation was later conducted on a guided tour of facilities at one of the smart schools established by the Enugu State Government.
Glovo, a multi-category tech company, has announced its integration into the generative AI ecosystem with the launch of its “Shopping Assistant” for ChatGPT and Claude. Users can now discover retail products, compare prices, and seamlessly order any item using natural conversational language with the AI systems.
The Glovo experience inside such platforms introduces a conversational commerce model that shifts from a search-based web to an intent-based web. Rather than navigating traditional app menus and filters, users can express needs, such as asking for a “last-minute gift for a coffee lover under ₦50,000”, and the assistant handles semantic search, location validation, and product curation.
A Seamless, Concierge-Like Experience
Once both platforms have been connected through either ChatGPT or Claude apps, the user will be able to have a multi-turn dialogue where the assistant remembers context and constraints, such as budget caps. Users receive a visual carousel of up to five highly customised product options available at local stores. Each product displays its image, name, store details and ratings, and price. While the search and discovery experience takes place directly on the Generative AI platforms, selecting a product via the “view on Glovo” button takes the user to the Glovo mobile or web app, where the payment and final purchase are exclusively completed.
Strategic Focus on Retail and Growth
Glovo is prioritising the retail and grocery sectors for this initial launch, capturing the established habit of using AI for product research. Generative AI has driven a significant jump in retail traffic globally, so this first-mover advantage aims to meet customers where they are meeting Gen AI daily, and ensure it captures high-intent organic traffic as search behaviours evolve.
“We’re always looking for ways to meet our customers where they already are. Being available on Claude and ChatGPT means people can discover what Glovo has to offer as part of a natural conversation, with no friction. Glovo has always been about being the everyday app that provides choice and convenience, and this is another step in that direction”, said Shiro Theuri, Chief Technology Officer at Glovo.
How to look for products in the Glovo app through ChatGPT or Claude
- The user must sync ChatGPT or Claude with the Glovo app with the plug-in.
- Once synced, the user must type in @glovo followed by their request.
- The AI platform displays a carousel with 5 available options for the user.
- If the user wants to purchase any of the products or continue searching within the Glovo app, they must click “View on Glovo”, which will redirect the user to the Glovo app or website.
- After the order is confirmed, the store will prepare the item(s) and the courier will head up to the pick-up location. The user will receive the order in minutes.
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