“It’s possible to have a community radio and TV station transmitting news to Yakurr communities at home and in the diaspora, specifically on governance and development issues. And it’s possible to expand it across Cross River State and use space technology to break the monopoly of CRBC. The sad reality is that when you take these ideas to our local government leaders, they will start suspecting whether you have a political ambition.
“Our people are so messed up and blinded by politics that we fail to appreciate little ideas that can power our local economy. Maybe it’s time we start thinking in this direction. There’s a big economy trapped in space. We can use space technology to bring that economy to the common man in the village and give people a voice in development.”
–Obasesam Okoi
While in the village I discovered the average Yakurr person has no inkling what is happening at the local government due to lack of local news media. I also discovered my people get better news signals from Abakaliki and Enugu than Calabar.
This is sad because the people running our local governments have shown a lack of concern for things that will actually attract real progress.
Ugep alone is more populated than many island nations in the Carribbean or highly developed communities in Canada, USA, Australia, Germany, France and Great Britain that have more than 10 radio and TV stations.
In fact, some tourist communities I’ve visited have a population of 10,000 yet have at least 5-10 TV stations and maybe 10 radio stations. How can we innovate our local governance systems?
How can we transform the Yakurr community designated as a tourism triangle into a cosmopolitan community with access to the information economy?
How can we use communication to promote democracy? And how can these governance innovations contribute in driving local economic development?
This is one idea I will not disclose to anyone. But it’s possible to have a community radio and TV station transmitting news to Yakurr communities at home and in the diaspora, specifically on governance and development issues.
And it’s possible to expand it across Cross River State and use space technology to break the monopoly of CRBC.
The sad reality is that when you take these ideas to our local government leaders, they will start suspecting whether you have a political ambition.
Our people are so messed up and blinded by politics that we fail to appreciate little ideas that can power our local economy. Maybe it’s time we start thinking in this direction.
There’s a big economy trapped in space. We can use space technology to bring that economy to the common man in the village and give people a voice in development.
Obasesam Okoi is a Cross Riverian resident in Canada
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