SNAPSHOT REVEALS HUGE INEQUALITIES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

A new snapshot released by Theirworld reveals that millions of children in East and Southern Africa are missing out on vital components of healthy early childhood development (ECD), in particular access to adequate nutrition and quality early learning opportunities.

Without this access, far too many children are being left behind at every developmental milestone, with the burden falling disproportionately on impoverished children.

Is A Picture Worth A Thousand Words? The Truth About Big Data And Visualisation

Data visualisation has always been a vital weapon in the arsenal of an effective analyst, enabling complex data sets to be represented efficiently and complex ideas to be communicated with clarity and brevity. And as data volumes and analytic complexity continue to increase in the era of big data and data science, visualisation has come to be regarded as an even more vital technique – with a vast and growing array of new visualisation technologies and products coming to market.

Whilst preparing for an upcoming presentation on the Art of Analytics recently, I had reason to re-visit Charles Minard’s visualisation depicting Napoleon’s disastrous Russian campaign of 1812. In case you aren’t familiar with this seminal work, it is shown below.

This visualisation has been described as “the best statistical graphic ever drawn”. And by no less an authority than Edward Tufte, author of “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information”, the standard reference on the subject for statisticians, analysts and graphic designers.

There are many reasons why Minard’s work is so revered. One reason is that he manages to represent six types of data – geography, time, temperature (more on this in a moment), the course and direction of the movement of the Grande Armée and the number of troops in the field – in only two dimensions.

A second is the clarity and economy that enables the visualisation to speak for itself with almost no additional annotation or elaboration. We can see clearly and at a glance that the Grande Armée set off from Poland with 422,000 men, but returned with only 10,000 – and this only after the “main force” was re-joined by 6,000 men who had feinted northwards, instead of joining the advance on Moscow.

And yet a third reason is that the visualisation was ground-breaking; though flow diagrams like these are named for Irish Engineer Matthew Sankey, he actually used this approach for the first time very nearly 30 years after the Minard visualisation was published. Today, Sankey diagrams are used to understand a wide variety of business phenomena where sequence is important. For example, we can use them to map how customers interact with websites so that we can learn the “golden path” most likely to lead to a high-value purchase – and equally to understand which customer journeys are likely to lead to the abandonment of purchases before checkout.

But even Minard’s model visualisation is arguably partial. Minard shows us the temperature that the Grande Armée endured during the winter retreat from Moscow – inviting us to conclude that this was a significant reason for the terrible losses incurred as the army fell back, as indeed it was.

However, the Russians themselves regarded the winter of 1812 / 1813 as unexceptional – and the conditions certainly did not stop the Cossack cavalry from harrying Napoleon’s retreating forces at every turn. Napoleon’s army was equipped only for a summer campaign – because Napoleon had believed that he could force the war to a successful conclusion before the winter began. As the explorer Sir Rannulph Fiennes has said, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”

Exceptional weather also affected the campaign’s advance, with a combination of torrential rain followed by extremely hot conditions killing many men from dysentery and heatstroke. But Minard either cannot find a way to represent this information, or chooses not to. In fact, he gives us few clues as to why the main body of Napoleon’s attacking force was reduced by a third during the first eight weeks of the invasion and before the major battle of the campaign – even though, numerically at least, this loss was greater than that suffered during the retreat the following winter.

Terrible casualties also arose from many other sources – with starvation as a result of the Russian scorched earth policy and inadequate supplies playing key roles. The state of the Lithuanian roads is regarded by historians as a key factor in this latter issue, impassable as they were to Napoleon’s heavy wagon trains both after the summer rains and during the winter. But again, Minard either cannot find a way to represent the critical issue (the tonnage of supplies reaching the front line) or its principal cause (the state of the roads) – or chooses not to.

Minard produced this work 50 years after the events it describes, at a time when many in France yearned for former Imperial glories and certainties. His purpose – at least if the author of his obituary is to be believed – seems to have been to highlight the waste of war and the futility of overweening Imperial ambition. It arguably would not have suited his narrative to articulate that Napoleon’s chances of success might have been greater had the Russia of 1812 been a more modern nation with a more modern transport infrastructure – or had Napoleon’s strategy made due allowance for the fact that it was not.

With the benefit of 20th century hindsight, today we might still conclude that the vastness of the Russian interior and the obduracy of Russian resistance would anyway have doomed a better planned and executed campaign; but that hindsight was not available in 1869, either to Minard – or to the contemporaries he sought to influence.

Did Minard’s politics affect his choice of which data to include? Or were the other data simply not available to him? Or beyond his ability to represent in a single figure? From our vantage point 150 years after the fact, it is difficult to answer these questions with certainty.

But when you are looking at a data visualisation, you certainly should attempt to understand the author’s agenda, preconceptions and bias. What is it that the author wants you to see in the data? Which data have been included? Which omitted? And why? Precisely because good data visualisations are so powerful, you should make sure that you can answer these questions before you make a decision based on a data visualisation. Because whilst a good data visualisation is worth a thousand words, it does not automatically follow that it tells the whole truth.

This post first appeared on Forbes TeradataVoice on 31/03/2016.

#Corruption is criminal, disgraceful and an 'expensive' danger - John Kerry

The United States Secretary of State has averred that the fight against corruption should be pursued as a global security priority of the first order.

John Kerry was speaking during an official visit to Nigeria where he met with the Sultan of Sokoto in the country’s north. ‘‘Corruption costs the global economy $2.6 trillion a year. It’s not just a disgrace and a crime. It’s also dangerous,’‘ Kerry said.

The top US diplomat delivered a lecture on how strong communities could contribute to counter terrorism efforts.

Still in Sokoto, Kerry spoke about how educated women could also exert positive influence in democratic societies. ‘‘When women are educated & empowered societies are more productive, more democratic, more inclusive & far more prosperous,’‘ Kerry said.

Following his meeting in Sokoto, Kerry moved to the administrative capital Abuja later in the day where he met President Muhammadu Buhari in high level meetings that bordered on the fight against insurgency, the Nigerian economy and other issues of mutual interest to both countries.

He promised to support Africa’s populous nation to ramp up military assistance to help defeat insurgent group Boko Haram who continue to threaten the peace especially in the north eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

Photos: Sokoto’s religious moderation is rich lesson to a troubled world

USA Secretary of State - John Kerry, Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar III- Sultan of Sokoto and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal - Executive Governor of Sokoto State 

By Aminu Waziri Tambuwal

Nigeria, and particularly our state, Sokoto, will this week host the Secretary of State of the USA, John Kerry, on a two day working visit. Our August visitor is an important guest whose contributions to his country’s diplomatic engagement have received praise from many quarters. His commitment, and by extension that of President Barack Obama, to international cooperation and preservation of democracy, have fostered friendship and bolstered standards across the globe.

We are honored that Secretary Kerry has not only decided to visit Sokoto, but has opted to speak to our young people on dangers posed by intolerance and violent extremism.

To start with, Nigeria’s relationship with the United States is a glorious one steeped in history and shared values. As President Muhammadu Buhari pointed out during his last trip to Washington, Nigeria values the special relationship it has with the US, and will work closely with it and other allies to develop governance initiatives whose aim is to ensure that Nigeria’s wealth benefits all its people. The election that brought the present administration to power has reaffirmed the confidence of all Nigerians in democracy as a system of government. Since coming to power in May 2015, concerted efforts have been put in place by the present administration to improve the competence and forthrightness of Nigerian institutions.

More than at any moment in our recent history, we are setting credible ground rules for public officials and recovering stolen funds. At the same time, coordinated efforts are being taken to improve healthcare delivery, build critical infrastructure and enhance national integration.

Secretary Kerry will step into Sokoto at time of renewed interest in the ideals and tenets of the pre-colonial Sokoto Caliphate. The world is now bedeviled by violent extremism whose perpetrators claim to be representing Islam; a religion universally adored for promoting virtues including sacredness of life, freedom of worship, respect for and protection of minorities, treatment of others with justice and kindness, among others. Here now come the lessons we can learn from Sokoto Caliphate. Over 200 years since the establishment of the Caliphate, our people have become known for their religious tolerance, moderation and promotion of understanding among various faiths and ethnic groups especially in Nigeria.

Apparently, such disposition did not start over night. The founders of the Caliphate made conscious efforts during their lifetimes to instill justice, peace, good neighbourliness and rule of law among its citizens. From its early years and until it evolved into a quasi-federal system of emirates with balanced responsibilities, a central function of the Caliphate leadership has been to try to mediate conflict, and ideally, preempt conflict before it undermines the integrity of the state. Huge success was achieved in that direction because the intelligence-gathering ability of those saddled with the responsibility of maintaining peace was utilized effectively.

In addition, the founder of the Caliphate, Usman Dan Fodio, his son Muhammadu Bello, brother Abdullahi (Gwandu), daughter Nana Asma’u and their key lieutenants, while known for their military skills, also promoted scholarship. Each contributed books of poetry and texts on religion, politics, and history. They encouraged scholarship among members of the society.

Women empowerment and story of Nana Asma’u

The story of Nana Asma’u will provide deep insight into the position of women in contemporary Sokoto life over two centuries ago. As a respected community mobiliser, she joined her father, the revered Sheikh Danfodio, brother and uncle, in devoting significant time to chronicle histories, writing poetry, and Islamic studies. According to Wikipedia, she was well educated in the classics of the Arab and the Classical world, and well versed in four languages (Arabic, the Fula language, Hausa and Tamacheq Tuareg), Nana Asma’u had a public reputation as a leading scholar in the most influential Muslim state in West Africa, which gave her the opportunity to correspond broadly. She witnessed many of the wars of the Fulani War and wrote about her experiences in a prose narrative Wakar Gewaye “The Journey”. As the Sokoto Caliphate began as a cultural and religious revolutionary movement, the writings of its leaders held a special place by which later generations, both rulers and ruled, could measure their society. She became a counselor to her brother when he took the Caliphate, and is recorded writing instructions to governors and debating with the scholars of foreign princes.

Among her over 60 surviving works written over 40 years, Nana Asma’u left behind a large body of poetry in Arabic, the Fula language and Hausa, all written in the Arabic script. Many of these are historical narratives, but they also include elegies, laments, and admonitions. Her poems of guidance became tools for teaching the founding principles of the Caliphate. Asma’u also collaborated closely with Sultan Bello, the second Caliph. Her works include and expand upon Danfodio’s strong emphasis on women leaders and women’s rights within the community ideals of the Sunnah and Islamic law.

Others of her surviving written works are related to Islamic education: for much of her adult life she was responsible for women’s religious education. Starting around 1830, she created a cadre of women teachers (jajis) who travelled throughout the Caliphate educating women in the students’ homes. In turn, each of these jajis in turn used Nana Asma’u’s and other Sufi scholars writings, usually through recited mnemonics and poetry, to train corps of learned women, called the ’yan-taru, or “those who congregate together, the sisterhood.” To each jaji she bestowed a malfa (a hat and traditional ceremonial symbol of office of the pagan Bori priestesses in Gobir) tied with a red turban. The jajis became, thus, symbols of the new state, the new order, and of Islamic learning even outside women’s community. In part this educational project began as a way to integrate newly conquered pagan captives into a Muslim ruling class. It expanded, though, to include the poor and rural, training teachers who traveled across the sprawling Caliphate.

Contemporary legacy

Nana Asma’u’s continued legacy rests not just on her literary work and role in defining the values of the Sokoto state. Today in Northern Nigeria, Islamic women’s organisation, schools, and meeting halls are commonly named for her. She re-entered the debate on the role of women in Islam in the 20th century, as her legacy has been carried by Islamic scholars and immigrants to Europe and its academic debates. I have highlighted her role to dismiss the notion that women are denied basic rights in this part of the world. That is far from the truth. We are the first to admit that more needs to be done to improve impact and reverse negative statistics of women participation in socio-economic activities. But Nana Asma’u’s story clearly shows that with dedication and commitment, our women can reach the pinnacle of their chosen paths. Few months ago, Justice Aishatu Dahiru retired from the Bench after serving meritoriously for twenty years as the Chief Judge of Sokoto State. Just three weeks ago, Amina Yahaya, a 400 level student of English Language, became the first President of the Students Union Government of Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, a feat so rare that women who have attained such heights in the North in the last fifty years can be counted on the finger tips.

As bequeathed to us by our founding fathers, Sokoto is committed strongly to increasing mutual understanding, keeping good relations with others, and working to keep our community and our nation safe. We believe the world can learn a lot from us in areas like communal harmony, religious understanding, and tolerance towards all faiths. To ensure continued peace in our state, our government has aggregated the needs of our citizens and zeroed down on critical sectors like education, healthcare delivery, agriculture, development of infrastructure, job creation through development of small and medium scale enterprises, women and youth empowerment, development of solid mineral sector as well as implementing community development initiatives at the grassroots level. We have declared a state of emergency in the education sector, and matched our words with action by allocating the highest percentage of funds in our 2016 budget to the sector. The 28 percent we allocated is more than the percentage recommended by UNESCO.

Through personal and community interactions, we have fostered relationships of trust not just with our citizens, but with peoples of other faiths and ethnic inclination. This level of trust helps contribute to human resource development and strengthening the foundation for nation-building. We, the political and religious leadership under the leadership of Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, have committed ourselves to contributing to the socio-economic development of our state, and to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between all Nigerians irrespective of tongue or faith.

John Kerry Meets President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, #Nigeria

SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER – IN – CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, DELIVERED BY VICE PRESIDENT PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE REVISED NATIONAL COUNTER TERRORISM STRATEGY AT CONGRESS HALL, TRANSCORP HILTON HOTEL, ABUJA ON TUESDAY, 23RD AUGUST, 2016 AT 10:00HRS

I joined the army early in life and I spent all my professional life in the armed forces of Nigeria. I and so many others were trained to accept, to believe in and to be prepared to die for the security, safety and territorial integrity of Nigeria.

And indeed many of my colleagues and friends gave their lives defending this nation and its great people. We came from every nook and cranny of Nigeria, from the South-South, South-East, South-West, North-East, North-West and North-Central. There were Moslems, Christians, and atheists in our number. It never mattered where you were from or how you worshipped, we were just Nigerian Soldiers committed to each other and to our Nation, and completely convinced in the words of our old National Anthem, "though tribe and tongue may differ in brotherhood we stand."

Indeed our Nation today was built on the sacrifices, the supreme sacrifices of many in the forces and outside it. It is, because of the memory of these men and women that we must resist with all we have any attempts by anyone or any group, under any guise to undermine the safety, security, and integrity of our dear Nation.

In the past few years our nation faced the threat of terrorism, characterised by  the mindless   killing of  innocent people, including children. The massacre of the Buni Yadi boys on their beds at night, the bombing of churches, mosques and market places, the kidnap of the Chibok girls and several many others.

The sheer recklessness of the killings, the shocking barbarity of the executions, were meant to terrorise and produce maximum fear. To further establish their reign of terror they took territory and hoisted their tattered flags in almost 27 local governments in the NE.
 
Sadly because of the disgraceful greed and wickedness of some in government and some in high office in the armed forces at the time, funds meant to equip soldiers to contain the terrorists were embezzled. Their incredible selfishness cost the nation thousands of lives, extended the reign of terror, and strengthened the enemy.

Since May 29 2015, we have committed ourselves as a government to the absolute defeat of the terrorists and to re-equipping and rebuilding the morale of our armed forces. The gallant men and women of our armed forces have in a few months freed many from Boko Haram-held territories and fatally degraded their fighting capacity. Our neighbours in the Lake Chad Basin area have also been tremendous allies in the various military engagements.

But like all evil, the vestiges of their activities and warped ideology still linger. Through personal contact, the social media, and even personal contacts, capture and intimidation,  men women and even children are induced, persuaded or forced to engage in acts of terrorism .

This is why a robust and dynamic Counterterrorism strategy is crucial in the fight against terrorism, and must be constantly reviewed for relevance to contemporary challenges.

Today we are gathered to  launch such a policy-The Revised Counterterrorism Strategy. That it is a revised strategy underscores the fact that we recognise that terrorism has numerous iterations,  it is not  static, and our response must be dynamic and versatile.

I am pleased to confirm that this policy is fit for purpose and adequately responds to the current, imminent and future challenges.

There must be an understanding that the war against terrorism is a most unconventional one. The enemy is essentially an insane nuisance because he revels in un-cowardly attacks. He does not obey the rules of warfare, kills the defenseless including prisoners, uses children as human guns and considers the killing of anyone at all as a victory.

As we think through our strategy, we must remember that to permanently win the physical battle,  we must win the battle of the minds of the often impressionable  young men who sign up to join Boko Haram. We must also educate the millions of other young men,  through the leadership of our faiths.

We must  let them know that  Islam or any other religion we know, does not endorse the slaughter of any one. That any one who kills the innocent and shouts that God is great either does not know the meaning of those words or is deranged.  We must work hard to provide opportunities for these young men and women who for years have lacked education and a real chance of doing well.

Our Social Investment Programmes and Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, our vocational and technical training for graduates and non-graduates, our Teacher Corp programme are all designed to create real opportunities for young people.

Today as hundreds are being released from Boko haram captivity, we are faced with a serious problem of malnutrition in children. Thousands are at risk. I have asked the Vice President to Chair an inter-ministerial team to quickly review the situation and work with our development partners and other CSOs to handle this particular problem.

The government is determined to ensure that the safety and security of every single Nigerian is our priority. This is why I have repeatedly ordered our law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators of violence in any shape or form are arrested and made to face the law.

The activities of armed herdsmen and host farmers, kidnappers, and criminal militants all threaten our peace, security and the stability of our nation. We will not allow any one under any guise whether it is politics, culture or religion to violate the physical person, lives or property of other citizens. This is the oath to which I swore and I will uphold it at all costs.

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, achieving success in combating the menace of terrorism is contingent on a well-articulated strategy and effective Counterterrorism coordination, with all stakeholders knowing and playing their roles well and devoid of inter - agency rivalry.

I therefore take this opportunity to commend the NSA and his team as well as other MDAs who worked tirelessly to ensure the development of this document.

In this regard, MDAs must henceforth respect and adhere to their respective roles as stipulated in the strategy and complimentary documents.

On this note, it is my honour and privilege to launch this document, the revised edition of the National Counter Terrorism Strategy.

May God Almighty continue to Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you for your attention.

Photos: UN Youth Envoy on Official Visit to #Nigeria

On Monday, August 22 the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth will begin an official visit to Nigeria where he is scheduled to meet with young people and government officials to discuss youth development and youth issues. More photos after the cut.....

The Envoy will meet with Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, as well as officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Youth and Sports; the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development; the Ministry of Labor and Productivity; the Ministry of Environment; the Ministry of Education; the Ministry of Health and the Federal Capital Territory.

The Envoy will be in Nigeria to promote coordinated United Nations support to youth development initiatives. He will particularly advocate for adequate investment in youth development interventions, with particular focus on education, employment opportunities, poverty alleviation, empowerment, health and the role of youth in peacebuilding.

Photos: Police stop BBOG members from entering Aso Rock

Security officers have barricaded the Bring Back Our Girls group from gaining access into Aso Rock. The group is marching to the State House Abuja to demand for the Federal government to expedite action towards the release of the missing Chibok school girls. The group is holding a press conference in front of the presidential villa. More photos after the cut.

Youth and Violent Extremism

WAS IT JUST A SONG?

When we were little, we used to sing- we are the leaders of tomorrow. Then, the song described our dream; and while singing it, the song brought excitement because of the Joy of that “tomorrow”. Fast-forward many years, it seems like that “tomorrow” might never show up soon.  Youths, which are meant to be in the heart of the nation, are now the ones engaged by the senior citizens or by other youth, to perpetuate social vices and cause unrest in the society. Lots of effort, therefore, needs to be put in place to encourage the re-tracing their steps towards being the “leaders of tomorrow”, as the song put it.

This is what motivated Teenz Global Foundation (TGF) to organize an online forum on twitter to discuss practical issues pertaining to youths today, August 12, 2016 in commemoration of the 2016 International Youth Day. Tagged “YOUTHS AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM”, the Lead Discussants were: Imrana Alhaji Buba and Ambassador Joy Tiku Enighe.

Imrana Alhaji Buba, the Founder/Coordinator of Youth Coalition Against Terrorism (YOCAT) and winner, 2016 Queen’s Young Leaders Awards tweeted as @BubaImrana while Joy Tiku Enighe, the Founder, Youth Power Initiative, Commonwealth Youth Council Peace Ambassador, A World at School Global Youth Ambassador tweeted as @HRH_JOY. Both discussants presented inspiring views on the topic in response to the questions asked them. The discussion which had contributors and participants tweeting with handles including: @ijeomaTGF and @gsorochy; was done using the hashtags #IYDNigeria and #TGF4Peace.

Practical questions such as what their individual thought on violent extremism was, the connection it had with youths, how it could be prevented, the roles of government and non-governmental organisations the and media in curbing violent extremism, negative impact of this violent extremism in the society were asked, to which satisfactory responses were provided.

The responses attracted the commendation of the participants in the discuss.

Other participants also participated in questioning the Lead Discussants, which questions received prompt responses.

The forum really helped to reset and set on track the lost minds of youths and also to create awareness on the vices in the society carried out mainly by youths.

So, … was it just a song? NO, I don't think so. With inspirational fora such as this, created to remind the youth of their roles and their place, I believe the words of the song will someday surely become a reality.

As part of the “Youth” celebrated today, we at TGF say “NO TO VIOLENT EXTREMISM!”

And …