AFTER 93 DAYS OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, INTERNET SERVICES RESTORED IN CAMEROON

Internet services have resumed in two English speaking regions of Cameroon after a 93 day blackout. President Paul Biya ordered the restoration of internet services yesterday April 20. 

The internet was cut off in January in the north-western and south-western regions, following protest from English speaking community against alleged discrimination by Cameroon's French-speaking majority. The government had alleged that social media was being used to spread false information. The government pressured mobile operators like MTN to shut down the internet by including suspension of internet connectivity as part of their license conditions. No prior notice was given before the internet shut down

Various regional internet and digital rights groups like Internet Sans Frontiers and Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) canvassed for a restoration of internet services in Cameroon using such hashtags like #bringbackourinternet and #keepiton. Top UN officials viewed it as a rights violation.

Sadly, African leaders are increasingly embracing internet shutdowns as tools to stifle spread of information on social media. Countries like Gambia, Congo, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe have all shut down the internet in their countries previously. Even though neighbouring Ghana did not shut down the internet during elections, its Police Chief advocated for it. According to reports, the internet in African countries was shut more than 50 times in 2016. This has spurred proposals to punish African governments if they shut down access to the internet

It is hoped that Nigeria would not join this negative trend

WHY PORT-HARCOURT NEEDS CAMEROUN’S RECENTLY LAUNCHED TRAVELER APP

Arnold Niji a 27 year old Engineer launched the Traveler mobile application in October. The App uses data, GPS and motion sensor technology to improve passenger safety, monitor driver speeds and emergency responses. According to its founder, the App is a response to the high number of accidents and the inability to control the drivers and to contact hospitals and families of victims.  More than 20,000 people died on Cameroon's roads between 2010 and 2015. Passengers can use the app to report passenger overcrowding, road issues and traffic incidents. All information is sent to a central database. For bus passengers, at the onset of their journey, they enter the company name, vehicle number plate and destination. In the event of an accident, if a user indicates it in the App, the App then notifies all emergency contacts of people travelling on the same bus and also automatically alerts hospitals of their location. Like Cameroon, we face similar problems in Nigeria. Port-Harcourt is no exception. According to statistics from the Federal Road Safety Corporation (FRSC), an average of 15 people died daily in road accidents across Nigeria in 2015. 5,440 Nigerians lost their lives in road accidents across the country in 2015. The good news is that with such an App, the death toll can be reduced. Here are reasons why we need an App like that in PH. Terrible road infrastructure- Yes, the Governor should be commended for working on some roads but fact is the roads could be better. Lives are still lost regularly via road accidents. Pot-Holes, ditches, un-tarred roads, flooded roads and bumpy roads are common things we have to deal with on a daily basis. Over-speeding is common- Nigerians are notorious for over-speeding perhaps partly because there are no checks for it. The recent effort by the FRSC to introduce speed limiters is facing numerous challenges, some of them of the Agencies making. Drivers still drive recklessly with little or no penalties. If you have ever driven in Port-Harcourt or had to undergo a journey in this town, you will understand what i mean. Prayer seems to be the temporary solution- Ever entered a bus and a Pastor or passenger gets up to pray for the safety of the journey, even when you didn’t ask or don’t feel like? Sound familiar? I suspect it’s not entirely because of how religious we are as a country but also because almost every Nigerian knows that to survive a road trip in the country is a function of God’s grace. From bad roads, to defective vehicles, to driver’s recklessness and over-speeding, journeying from one place to another in Nigeria is definitely a herculean task Tardy emergency responses- No one needs to remind us of how essentially non-existent our emergency response units are. Save for Lagos state, where the emergency units response tries somewhat, most other cities include Port-Harcourt have zilch emergency response time. The App will be able to notify them of any road accidents and hopefully they will be able to get ont he road in time to rescue victims.