Vacancy: CEO of Nigerian online fundraising platform

“234Give.com is an online fundraising platform which is the first of its kind in Africa and our vision is “to become a leading social change agent that empowers Africans through the power of giving”.

The firm focuses specifically on leveraging fundraising and charitable giving via an online platform. The major mandate of the initiative is to link non-profit organizations (NPO)/NGOs/charity organizations as well as individual fundraisers with donors, and empower them to amass funds significantly more than is possible through conventional channels for specific projects.

Since November, we have successfully raised millions of Naira for the close to 100 charities that are signed up to us. We are currently seeking to hire a Chief Executive Officer who will be responsible for the day to day activities of the firm.” 

Details HERE (pdf)

[Interview] ‘I joined Twitter because it wasn’t Facebook’

This interview of mine was conducted in January 2012, and appeared in Issue 2 of the entertainment magazine Shakara International 

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SI: When did you join twitter?

March 2009

SI: Why did you join Twitter?

Everyone was doing it. Actually, back then, not everyone. But it was becoming more prominent, and it didn’t have the clutter (wedding and baby albums and lengthy notes) of Facebook.  And it was just different from Facebook, and posed an interesting challenge: Be as interesting as possible in as few words as possible!

SI: Which is your preferred social media network and why?

Twitter. It’s a lot more focused and less cluttered than Facebook. If Facebook is a bonfire, Twitter is a powerful torchlight beam.

SI: How long do you spend on twitter daily?

Hard to tell. Hours sometimes. Once in a while I stay off for a whole day. But I have tweeted about 40,000 times in the last 3 years. Roughly 13,000 tweets per year, approximately 36 tweets per day. That’s a lot! 40,000 answers for when God asks me: “What did you do with your time on earth?”

SI: What is your most memorable campaign on twitter and why?

No idea. Everything becomes a blur after some time. The speed at which life happens on Twitter, whilst exhilarating, also diminishes its capacity for lasting significance.

SI: You recently won an award for being a ‘fighter’ on twitter; how did you receive the news and what is your reaction?

Actually, I didn’t win. I was nominated twice. Thankfully people didn’t think my thuggish credentials were strong enough.

SI: Who are your favourite personalities or handles and why?

Lots. Teju Cole (for ‘small fates’), Feyi Fawehinmi (for financial savvy), Miss Jayla (for her stories that touch the heart and other intimate places), Lumidizzle (for his ‘looling’), Andy Borowitz (for his wicked humour), Queen UK (for her stiff-upper-lipped-sarcastic-as-hell quips), and many more!

SI: Which is your favourite twitter application: Tweet deck, twitter for blackberry, twitter for iPad, mobile twitter?

Tweetdeck, followed by Twitter for web. I often use both in combination, because, like the four Gospels, they provide different perspectives of the same events. 

SI: What changes would you like to see in twitter?

An efficient way of archiving and searching through old/ancient tweets; A way to monetise tweets. 

SI: What feature do you enjoy using most on twitter: retweet, quote tweet, mentions etc

Retweet on Tweetdeck; Quote tweet on Twitter for Blackberry

SI: How many followers do you have?

13,648

SI: How many users do you follow?

833

SI: What informs your choice of people to follow?

Various things: humor, ‘crase’, a sense of the absurd, knowledge/insight, common interests, gender & geopolitical balance (kidding). And sometimes I get bullied into following.

SI: How many times, do you recall you have trended in Lagos and/or globally?

Lagos, maybe once, globally, never. As we say on Twitter, “who-are-my” to trend globally?

SI: What is your most memorable or favourite tweet-meet or conversation on twitter?

No single one. I’ve had lots of memorable ones. My exchanges with Nasir el-Rufai in 2011 will be somewhere near the top of that list.

SI: Which is your most trusted handle for confirmation of information, breaking news and updates?

@ntanewsnow. I’m kidding. It used to be @234next. Now I’m not so sure.

SI: What is the first thing and last thing you do when you sign into and sign out of twitter?

Check my mentions. Check my mentions.

SI: What is the most memorable fallacy about you on twitter?

It has been said that I am a Twitter thug. It has also been said that I begged Mallam el-Rufai for a job. Only one of the above is true.

SI: Tell us more about your twitter profile picture…

It was a Christmas 2011 gift from a follower whom I’ve never met. 

SI: How many tweets have you made since joining twitter?

Not many. 39,375, only.

Quote of the Day: Nasir el-Rufai ruffles a few more feathers

Today’s QOTD is from Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, former Privatisation Bureau Chief, former Minister of the Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, preeminent “ruffler of feathers”, and what the men in the Presidential Palace would gleefully refer to as a ‘Yesterday’s Man’.

The source: the Sunday 10 March, 2013 edition of The Nation Newspaper, quoting from an interview El-Rufai granted the Abuja-based METROPOLE magazine

“So who is [Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati] referring to as yesterday’s men? Is it [Oby Ezekwesili] that left the government and went to the World Bank and made a name for herself and came back and still has a decent job? Before Segun Aganga was offered Minister of Finance, it was Oby that was offered. President Jonathan offered her the job and I am putting it out in the public for them to deny it. It was Oby that suggested Segun Aganga and another young man in Africa Development Bank. And that was how Segun Aganga became finance minister when Jonathan became acting president. And after he was elected as president, they still followed Oby to South Africa to offer her the minister of power. Does that sound like yesterday’s men? We chose not to be in this government. I can speak for myself and Oby. It’s not because of anything, but you can’t sit back and your country is being ruined by people and you don’t say anything. And when you say something, their response is to smear you.”

Quote of the Day: Warren Buffett on News/papers in the Age of the Internet

This is from billionaire Buffett’s Annual Letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc (2012), published Friday March 1, 2013:

First, his concept of “news”:

News, to put it simply, is what people don’t know that they want to know. And people will seek their news– what’s important to them – from whatever sources provide the best combination of immediacy, ease of access, reliability, comprehensiveness and low cost. The relative importance of these factors varies with the nature of the news and the person wanting it.

And then his vision of the contemporary “newspaper”: 

“[BH Vice-Chairman] Charlie [Munger] and I believe that [news]papers delivering comprehensive and reliable information to tightly-bound communities and having a sensible Internet strategy will remain viable for a long time. We do not believe that success will come from cutting either the news content or frequency of publication. Indeed, skimpy news coverage will almost certainly lead to skimpy readership. And the less-than-daily publication that is now being tried in some large towns or cities – while it may improve profits in the short term – seems certain to diminish the papers’ relevance over time. Our goal is to keep our papers loaded with content of interest to our readers and to be paid appropriately by those who find us useful, whether the product they view is in their hands or on the Internet.”

Utterly fascinating, for me, to see a quite substantial section devoted to the newspaper industry. It sets out Buffett’s thoughts about the future of print in an internet-mediated age. Buffett announces that BH has in the past fifteen months acquired 28 daily newspapers in America, at the cost of $344 million. Interesting. He then goes on to explain why he’s done that, despite constantly telling shareholders “in these letters and at our annual meetings that the circulation, advertising and profits of the newspaper industry overall are certain to decline.”

Worth reading in full, here

RELATED: Read a previous blog of mine: #DigitalJournalism101 – lessons from the FT

Vacancy: Human Rights Watch – Nigeria Researcher (April 5 deadline)

FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY

NIGERIA RESEARCHER

Africa Division

(Abuja base preferred)

Application Deadline: April 5, 2013

 

Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) is seeking a Nigeria Researcher with its Africa Division.  The Researcher, ideally based in Abuja, will be responsible for developing and implementing a research and advocacy agenda focusing on human rights conditions in Nigeria. The position reports to the West Africa team leader in the Africa division.

 

Responsibilities:

 

1. Monitoring and documenting human rights abuses by collecting and analyzing information from a wide variety of sources including government, local media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), journalists, diplomats, security forces and others in the field;

2. Conducting fact-finding missions in Nigeria;

3. Writing and publicizing reports, briefing papers, letters, news releases, op-eds, and submissions to international bodies based on the findings of one’s research;

4. Developing and implementing local, regional, and international advocacy strategies to promote reform of abusive laws, policies, and practices in Nigeria and West Africa;

5. Responding promptly to queries from various advocacy targets as well as the media, public, and civil society colleagues;

6. Presenting human rights concerns to government officials, opinion leaders, inter-governmental agencies, and the media;

7. Working closely with colleague NGOs and local human rights organizations to engage in joint advocacy efforts and ensure that HRW’s work complements  their own work;

8. Liaising effectively with HRW staff in multiple locations throughout the world to ensure effective coordination   of activities;

9. Traveling domestically and overseas for two or more weeks at a time, several times a year; and

10. Carrying out any other duties as required.

 

Qualifications:

Education:  An advanced (graduate) degree in international relations, journalism, law, or social sciences is strongly preferred. 

Experience:  The candidate should have lived and worked in Nigeria, working on human rights issues country-wide for a minimum of 5 years. 

Location:  Ability to be based in Nigeria, either in Lagos or Abuja (preferred). 

Required Skills and Knowledge: 

1. Ability to identify, research, analyze and effectively communicate important human rights developments in Nigeria in a detailed, timely, and professional manner. 

2. Ability to develop and implement realistic and effective local and international advocacy strategies and to respond to emergency situations.

3. Demonstrated ability to think strategically about the global and local media and to use both the traditional media and new media to further advocacy goals.

4. Knowledge of Nigerian legal system, as well as familiarity with international human rights law. Knowledge of the sub-regional body ECOWAS is highly desirable.

5. Solid field research and documentation skills.

6. Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Proficiency in French is desirable.

7. Strong initiative and follow-through, the capacity to think creatively and strategically.

8. Strong interpersonal skills in order to work collaboratively within HRW as well as with local partners, government officials, diplomats and external media partners.

9. Ability to work quickly and effectively under pressure with a broad range of people and as part of a team.

10. Ability to make sound decisions consistent with vision and mission of the organization.

 

Salary and Benefits:  HRW seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and employer-paid benefits.  HRW will pay reasonable relocation expenses; citizens of all nationalities are encouraged to apply.

Contact:  Please submit a cover letter explaining your interest in and qualifications for the position, a curriculum vitae,  a brief writing sample (unedited by others), and contact information for three references to africajobs@hrw.org. Please use “Nigeria Researcher REF: AFR-13-1008-B” as the subject of your email. 

Only complete applications will be reviewed, and only qualified candidates will be contacted.

Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in its hiring practices and, in order to build the strongest possible workforce, actively seeks a diverse applicant pool.

 

Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights-related policies and practices of influential governments and international institutions.

 

VACANCY ON HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH WEBSITE, HERE | PDF, HERE

 

New work (February / March 2013)

A quick update on recently published work:

For the Art Dubai blog: Lagos in 10 Links (I’ll be speaking about Lagos, alongside artist Emeka Ogboh, in a discussion moderated by HG Masters and Bisi Silva, at the 7th Global Art Forum in Dubai later this month).

In the Guardian Africa Network: Five Nigerian campaigns you must know about (originally published on this blog)

A new weekly column with Nigerian newspaper, PUNCH.

My most recent piece, Nigeria Rice-ing, is on Nigeria and its tall ambition of transforming itself from the world’s largest importer of rice in 2013 to a zero-importer by 2015. (March 5, 2013)

Other pieces here:

The Kim-K-fication of Nigeria (Feb 25, 2013)

Eagles’ reward: Is it justifiable to so spend public funds? (Feb 18, 2013)

Social media lessons for govts and businesses (Feb 12, 2013)

The Next Generation Debate (Feb 4, 2013)

Inflight Respite

My regular humour column in the March to May 2013 Wings, the inflight magazine of Arik Air. Will be on all Arik flights, so make sure to look out for it and take a copy (yes, it’s free). Recent columns here and here.

Nigeria’s Contemporary hip-hop/rap scene

A story for The Africa Report on the business of music in Nigeria (Page 90)

Nigeria @ 100

A story for Forbes Africa on the launch of Nigeria’s year-long Centenary celebrations (Nigeria as it is today is the product of a union of two “protectorates” by British imperialist Lord Frederick Lugard, on January 1, 1914)

Quote of the Day: Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

Quote of the Day, by Nigerian Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

Remarks delivered at the Metropolitan Club, Lagos, on Tuesday 5th March, 2013

Quoted by Nigerian newspaper, THISDAY

“Fixing the financial system doesn’t fix much. How many people are employed in the financial system compared to the number of people employed and the impact you get from the agricultural sector, manufacturing? Financial services sector cannot be the engine for growth. I have had this debate over and over again about bank workers being sacked. The banking industry is not set up to create jobs within itself; it is set up to provide capital to people who create jobs. By the time your biggest employers become the banks and the government, you have a problem. The government and the banks are supposed to build the rest of the economy.”