By Jude Michael
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Anambra ICT Agency, Mr Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, has urged Information Communication Technology experts to use the power of the internet to tell positive stories of the state.
Agbata who addressed members of the Wikimedia Anambra Network during an event to mark the first year of the group, described Wikimedia; an online encyclopedia, as a huge source of information for people seeking answers on diverse topics on the internet.
He said: ‘I want to urge you to seize the opportunity of ICT to tell your own story because if you do not, someone else will tell it, and you may not like how it is told.
‘Sometimes, some of my friends in Lagos who know that I have relocated to Anambra will call me and ask if I was fine. They read all the stories of insecurity in the state and they think we have all died.
‘But those stories are not true. I tell them we are fine in Anambra, but they find it hard to believe.
‘But with a platform like Wikimedia, you will be able to tell very beautiful stories of Anambra, the businesses of our people, the food, hospitality and many others.
‘The editors of Wikipedia may be in Sweden and they know nothing about Anambra, but it is you who will tell your story in a positive light.
‘Also, the Wikipedia team in Lagos would not know about Anambra and if this team here failed to tell our stories. If you don’t, what we will be seeing in Anambra is history and not something new and positive.
‘It is important that we tell our story. Anambra Governor is doing a lot in Anambra today. There is a lot to write about Anambra. There is more to Anambra than what we see online. Sometimes people pity you when they hear you have relocated to Anambra.
‘There is insecurity everywhere, but it is about being able to tell the right stories. There are places you will go to in Lagos and you will have your phone stolen, but you will not see that in the media.
‘I have the support of the governor to support things like this. We need to talk about the people, their businesses, accomplished men and women. We should be proud of who we are and what we do.’
Earlier, the President of Wikimedia User Group, Anambra Network, Dr. Ngozi Osuchukwu, explained that Wikimedia focused on digital literacy, skills and digital information management, empowering individuals to contribute to open knowledge in a progressive manner.
‘Over the past year, the Anambra Network has executed over 22 projects in Anambra State and beyond, with six of them being community-based initiatives, covering health, governance, politics, community information and open knowledge
‘Recently, the Network formed a partnership with the Anambra State ICT Agency in recognition of its pivotal role as the Agency mandated to drive the “Everything Technology and Technology Everywhere” vision of Governor Soludo.
‘We are celebrating our successes today and it’s worth mentioning that the Anambra Network won the award for the highest participation in July’s ‘’Naija Office Hour’’.
‘Our members have also been selected to attend Wikimedia international conferences, with one member sponsored to Singapore last month for a Wikimedia activity. In the upcoming month, another member will travel to Morocco for a Wiki activity, and yet another will visit India,’ she said.
