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Laptop for each Nigerian kid
REMMY NWEKE,
Tunis
NIGERIA and five
other countries have been named the first beneficiaries of the
One-Laptop-One-Child Initiative. Others are Egypt, India, Brazil, China and
Thailand.
Chairman of the initiative, Professor
Nicholas Negroponte who disclosed this in Tunis Wednesday, said the laptops
would be distributed through various governments of benefitting nations.
Also, Nigeria has redeemed its 0.5 million
Euros (aboout N87.5 million) to the Digital Solidarity Fund, President Olusegun
Obasanjo has said. He spoke in Tunis.
Meanwhile, Initial distribution of the
laptops is expected by first quarter of next year, when the Nigerian authority
is expected to buy into the idea, although interest has been shown by the
government.
Prof. Negroponte, who said he was in
Nigeria last week, also noted that dealing with governments strictly is
difficult, but the concept is because the laptops are slated for usage in
improving standard of education mostly in developing countries.
"This is because education is a public
good," he said, stressing that it does not make sense to deal with people who
are keen on making profits.
He emphasized in that open source is the
best thing that could happen to the initiative as it would boost the project
penetration.
In his remarks on the initiative,
Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Mr. Kofi Annan, said that it is
inspiring in many respects as much as it is an impressive technical achievement.
"It is impressive technical achievement,
able to do almost everything that larger, more expensive computers could do. It
holds the promise of major advances in economic and social development," he
said.
He also lauded Prof. Negroponte and his
team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States for the
initiative.
Speaking exclusively to our correspondent,
member of the board of the project in-charge of Nigeria’s phase from the Club of
Rome, Mr. Roland Burger, stated that President Olusegun Obasanjo had earlier
last Wednesday accosted him, demanding to know when the laptops would be visible
in Nigerian schools.
Mr. Burger accompanied by executive
committee member of the Club, Prof. Raoul Weiler, said due to the interest shown
by the President and his minister in Tunisia, at the second phase of World
Summit on the Information Society (WSIS-05), a meeting has been scheduled
between them and the Nigerian top government officials.
This team, he said, would comprise the
Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun and Executive Vice
Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest
Ndukwe, and would be Friday, to strengthen the drive for the computer whose mass
production is scheduled early next year.
"The President is active and has indicated
interest that he would like to have the $100 laptops as soon as possible," he
said, even as the project team is expected in Nigeria next week to further
discussion on the initiative.
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