Opinion
David Mark @ 76: A further reappraisal of my perspectives…, By Sufuyan Ojeifo
The news headline projected the infrequent, the unexpected. The totality of it appeared from the blue. Read it: “Mark in Delta State for burial of Paul Mumeh’s mum…offers scholarship to nine-year-old boy… says CPS Mumeh most loyal person.” Mark in Delta State!? Yes, he was there, as people are wont to say in our part of the world, “live and direct.” Against expectations, Mark had hauled himself and his beautiful wife, Helen, from Abuja to Igbogili, Abavo in Ika South Local Government of Delta State for the burial ceremony of the mother of his Chief Pess Secretary, Paul Mumeh. Mark could have given some excuses to be absent at the event. In fact, there are a thousand and one excuses he could have given. He might even have, as well, told Paul that he would not be able to make it and that would be it.
But an appreciative Mark took the opportunity of the occasion to show fidelity to unwavering followership and loyalty, which Paul aggregates and exemplifies. From 2007 to 2015 when Mark stepped in the saddle as Senate President through 2019 as Benue South Senator until now, Paul has tended to the media needs of the Idoma-born politician, discharging the responsibility with commitment and sharp focus. Paul could have moved on to other things after the tour of duty in the Senate, but for reasons best known to him, he chose to stand with Mark. Today, beyond the master-servant relationship, Paul has become an integral part of Mark’s family, yes, a “son” in whom Mark is well pleased. So, the appearance by Mark and wife, Helen, at the burial ceremony of Paul’s mother was, exempli gratia, a demonstration of a kindred spirit anchored on a consummated “family” relationship.
For those who had always harboured a parochial view of Mark, that should provide a departure of sorts from the mundane, routine and jaded prisms through which he is mischievously appreciated or viewed. David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark, retired brigadier general, former military administrator, former minister, and former senate president -the trajectory is quite phenomenal- who turns 76 years old today, is a great leader and defender of the interests of those he leads as long as they are nested in and in pari materia with his overarching interests. This is a component of his corporeal personality that through a further review of my perspectives of him I have chosen to celebrate as family members and associates identify with him on this occasion.
Ordinarily, there should be pomp and circumstance, but one is not sure Mark will go that route. But one thing I am sure he would do is to have a special morning mass at his residence in Apo Legislative Quarters to thank the Almighty God for His faithfulness and mercies upon him over the years. Other considerations can kick in thereafter.
But, as I wrote in my tributes to him on his birthday in 2022 and 2023, and it bears repeating, “David Mark significantly presents avant-garde perspectives to writers who indulge in the enterprise of questioning and contextualizing the essence(s) or quintessence(s) of grandees.”
The assertion supra and those infra are, in this celebratory piece, subjected to further reappraisal, of sorts, to explore the labyrinth of existential perceptions and perspectives of his identity or individuality, and the subsequent obligatory validations. I will give a verdict of sorts at the end of this tribute.
But as I posited in my two previous tributes (I have been involved in this enterprise since 2009), “For writers, it is an enterprise in which the subject matter becomes a captive of their imagination, and they are at liberty to either build or dismantle primordial prejudices; or to somewhat deconstruct or even reconstruct the persona of the subject through editorial interrogation.”
In my previous outings, I had made a silhouette, something close to Mr Lely’s portraiture of Oliver Cromwell, a politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. It is, therefore, my essential perception, add to it perspectives, that I have reappraised today within the context of his Igbogili-Abavo visitation in October last year in celebration of Mark at 76. It is important to state this now to provide a background understanding of this enterprise, lest many think the enterprise amounts to mere regurgitation of views once expressed about the celebrator.
Perceptions have always assumed free reins in the appreciation of personalities, and that is the tragedy, so to speak, of grandees. They are subjected to the whims of characterizations that most times encapsulate both the sublime and the outlandish; the profound and the jejune; the profane and the sacred, just anything and everything as long as it provides new and experimental contexts.
Read my summation as asserted last year: “Inevitably, Mark is on the occasion of his natal day a captive of this obligatory enterprise, which many crave and which many others loathe. There is always the existential fear about the possible boomerang effects or unintended consequences of media exposures. The fear is real and grisly. Yet, it could be salutary, somewhat, for introspective self-assessment of how well one has fared whether rightly or wrongly in the eyes of the community and in the realm of public perception, especially for those in public offices and those who have taken their places in the pantheon of all-time greats, who must, in any case, be taken through the critical appraisal indices. It is in this context that the essential David Mark cannot escape essential consideration.”
Mark means different things to different people. To some, he remains a gentleman officer even in retirement; to others, he is an astute politician and strategist with a rare legerdemain; some more see him as a benefactor with capacity for cornucopian eleemosynary acts while some relate to his persona as a passionate golfer. Those are not all to the varied perspectives. To boot, some see him as a great aficionado of the Catholic faith, while others see the part of him that warmly embraces tradition. They validate this with his acceptance of the traditional title of Okpokpowulu K’Idoma (transliterated as the leader of war or the bulldozer of Idoma) from the Och’Idoma IV of Idomaland, in 2009 or thereabout, in recognition of his numerous contributions to the development of Idoma land.
Read what I penned last year on his 75th birthday: “Permit me to, at this intersection, reflect a simple event and/or an encounter that continues to define my perspective of this influential politician, a man whose entirety evokes, at once, multiple perspectives by admirers and traducers alike. I could have adapted the summative one-liner of the French philosopher, Rene Descartes’ ‘cogito ergo sum’ meaning ‘I think therefore I am’ when he was asked who man is, to answer the question as to who David Mark is.
“I am consensus ad idem with the adumbrated characterizations supra as much as I am on all fours with those elucidated infra. I could settle for one of the perspectives in a quick riposte. But on the occasion of his 75th birthday, there is nothing more to hold back excepting if one decides to do just that.
“Therefore, to answer the question, I would say that Mark is a fitting exemplifier or embodiment of all the perspectives here and elsewhere, which makes his exemplar quite remarkable. Given my significant encounter with him, he is simply quintessential! I take the opportunity of his birthday, just as I had done in the past, to celebrate a man who chose, at a critical intersection in my coverage of the Senate as THISDAY politics editor in Abuja, to bring me close to him by force of appreciation of my “intellectual capital”.
“My reportage of the politicking for the race for the senate presidency in 2007 had been misconstrued as opposition to Mark’s senate presidency and that disposition had preponderated ‘reportorial interactions’ with his media office until 2009 when Mark turned 61. The then Deputy Editor of THISDAY on Sunday, Mr Collins Edomaruse, had asked me to do a tribute on him (Mark) about the close of production on Friday night, which I did under 40 minutes.
“I did not even take time to proofread the piece for errors. I pressed the ‘send’ key on my computer. It was after the piece entitled: “Pomp, as Mark Turns 61 in the Saddle” was published in The Gavel-to-Gavel page that I read through and felt I had done a pretty good job. I later realised I had done a magnum opus on Mark when the then deputy minority leader, Senator Mohammed Mana from Adamawa state, called to commend me for what he called “a beautiful and brilliant piece.”
“I had to go back to read through myself. By Thursday of that week, I got a message through an AIT cameraman that the senate president said he would like to see me. I went to see him in the office in company with his Chief of Staff and his Special Adviser Media. Mark said to me that he read through my piece and decided to call to commend me for it.
“It was a particularly fulfilling encounter for me. His words were soothing. If I remember vividly, he said: ‘You are a brilliant writer. You are not like some journalists who write sentences without verbs. I read you always in THISDAY and I agree with many of the issues you have interrogated except for one or two, which we will discuss later.’ We never got to discuss them, though.
“That was how we struck a relationship that has endured so far. When I was redeployed by THISDAY from Senate to assume a new position as State House Bureau Chief, I had the privilege of being hosted to a dinner at the Apo Mansion, the official residence of the senate president. Since then, he has not broken the line of communication between us. Given my kind of person, who does not like causing irritations to my influential friends (and, so in trying to keep fidelity to that attitude, I maintain minimal, dignifying contacts with them). Therefore, any time I decide to get in touch, he always jokingly charges me with having ‘abandoned’ him.
“That, for me, is the essence of the intercourse between greatness and humility. Mark is a great man. He is also a humble man, regardless of his visage and poise, contoured by his disciplined military background, which tend to be misconstrued for meanness and arrogance. Regardless, Mark remains one of the most influential politicians around. He has earned that badge for which history will not forget him, and posterity will judge him positively. This remains my verdict. It is a message of reappraisal of my perceptions and perspectives of who he is in his life and times…. The verdict is constant, consistent with the previous acts.
As I did last year, I round off with Edward J. Stieglitz, an author and doctor, who once rationalized thus: “And in the end, it is not the years in your life that count; it is the life in your years.” As a medical doctor, Stieglitz understands what he was talking about-having a bubbly life. But as I wish the quintessential David A.B. Mark, a great golfer, many happy returns in long life and good health, I sincerely pray that the Almighty God will continue to bless both the years in his life and the life in his years. Happy birthday, Sir!
● Mr Ojeifo is publisher of THE CONCLAVE. {ojwonderngr@yahoo.com}
By Sonny Aragba-Akpore
With Mobile technologies and services now generating around 5.8% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) a contribution that amounts to about $6.5 trillion of economic value, there are strong projections that by 2030, this figure will rise to almost $11 trillion, or 8.4% of GDP.
Global System of Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) says much of this will be driven by countries around the world increasingly benefiting from the improvements in productivity and efficiency brought about by the increased take-up of mobile services and digital technologies, including 5G, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The GSMA recently introduced the 5G Connectivity Index to provide insights into 5G performance in 39 markets in order to encourage informed decision-making.
In terms of Economic Impact,
the GSMA emphasizes the economic benefits of mobile technologies and services, including 5G, projecting that they will contribute significantly to GDP growth by 2030.
“The GSMA provides specific reports and analyses on 5G in different regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia ,Middle East among others highlighting the progress and challenges of 5G deployment in specific areas.”
In Sub Saharan Africa for instance with particular attention on Nigeria,South Africa,Egypt,Kenya and Botswana among others some measure of progress in deployment has been recorded.
The rollout of 5G has brought immense benefits across multiple industry sectors, particularly those involving internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications in which the real-time transfer of data is crucial.
More broadly, the adoption of 5G is expected to accompany increased data use across the globe, with forecasts anticipating mobile data traffic of over 300 exabytes per month by 2030, more than twice the volume consumed in 2024 according to Statista.
And with a third of global population expected to be covered by this fifth generation (5G) networks ,a technology that has defined new ways of communication by 2025 ,GSMA
says the technology has surpassed growth projections of all times.
“5G subscriptions increased by 163 million during the third quarter 2024 to total 2.1 billion. 5G subscriptions reached close to 2.3 billion by the end of 2024 accounting for more than 25 percent of all global mobile subscriptions.
“4G subscriptions continue to decline as subscribers migrate to 5G” according to GSMA.
As of the first quarter of 2024, there were nearly two billion 5G connections worldwide, with 185 million new additions. This is expected to grow to 7.7 billion by 2028.”
Statistics show that 5G is the fastest-growing mobile broadband technology, reaching 1.5 billion connections by the end of 2023.
It only took four years to reach this number, compared to 10 years for 3G and more than five years for 4G.
“5G is more than a new generation of technologies; it denotes a new era in which connectivity will become increasingly fluid and flexible.5G Networks will adapt to applications and performance will be tailored precisely to the needs of the user” GSMA submits.
By covering one-third of the world’s population , impact on the mobile industry and its customers will be profound according to GSMA.
To deepen the spread of 5G ,GSMA is working closely with the mobile operators pioneering 5G, “by engaging with governments, vertical industries including automotive, financial services, healthcare providers, transport operators, utilities and other industry sectors to develop business cases for 5G.”
And In order to accelerate the growth and spread, many operators are said to be deploying
AI technology as part of an integral part of telecoms operators’ strategic and operational plans.
“Operators are making important advancements in the deployment of AI technology, which is serving as a transformative force shaping the telecoms industry. By deploying autonomous AI-based systems, operators can enhance operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and security, while also creating new revenue opportunities”.
China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States are the leading countries with robust 5G coverage in the world.
Since the first commercial launches of the fifth generation of mobile networks in late 2018, these five countries have emerged as leaders because multiple companies in these countries have deployed networks and are selling compatible devices. Countries including Switzerland and Finland are up and comers in 5G development, though they have limited deployment.
In China there are three Companies leading in deployment.
The world’s largest 5G network was launched by the three largest Chinese network operators Oct 31, 2019, according to the state-run news agency Xinhua. These are China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom which all activated their networks in less than five months after they were issued 5G licenses.
Each of the network operators offered their 5G services at $18 per month in 50 Chinese cities at the beginning of the launch.
GSMA expects 36% of China’s mobile users to be using 5G by 2025. That’s about 600 million subscribers, who would also make up 40% of the entire global 5G market by this year.
This is all despite efforts made by the United States government to hamper the progress of Chinese vendors, though those efforts may affect how Chinese companies may expand into the global market.
In South Korea,SK Telecom and Korea Telecom run as the main competitors for the South Korean 5G market.
SK Telecom acquired spectrum in the 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz frequencies to prepare for deploying 5G.
In April of 2019, the Enterprise claimed to be the first mobile carrier in the world to launch 5G services to work on 5G smartphones. SK Telecom asserted an edge over rival Verizon, as the former launched 5G services available at the same time as Samsung Galaxy S10 5G smartphone launched in South Korea. Verizon launched mobile 5G services in the U.S. before a 5G enabled smartphone was available to U.S. consumers.
SK Telecom also conducted tests with a 5G Standalone (SA) Core (a core not reliant on the 4G network) for their 5G network in cooperation with Samsung Electronics.
The world’s largest 5G network was launched by the three largest Chinese network operators Oct 31, 2019, according to the state-run news agency Xinhua. These are China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom which all activated their networks in less than five months after they were issued 5G licenses. Each of the network operators offered their 5G services at $18 per month in 50 Chinese cities at the beginning of the launch.
“What we are seeing is a concerted effort by the Chinese — the operators, vendors, and government regulators — to deploy 5G as quickly as possible,” Chris Nicoll, principal analyst at ACG Research, pointed this out in a November 1, 2019 SDxCentral article.
With all of these players working together, the three network operators had collectively deployed nearly 86,000 5G base stations peaked over 130,000 by the end of 2019. The latter number breaks down into China Unicom and China telecom, with each planning to install 40,000 base stations, and the market leader China Mobile to install 50,000.This was the projection by 2019 but they have since overshot this by the beginning of 2024.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), says 5G coverage reached 40% of the world’s population in 2023 with an uneven coverage and distribution with developed countries having more coverage than low-income countries:
In Europe ,68% of the population is covered and
Americas had 59% of the population covered while
Asia-Pacific has 42% of the population covered as at 2023.
Arab States have 12% of the population covered.
Commonwealth Independent of States (CIS) had 8% of the population covered.
ITU figures show Africa,s coverage rose to 10 % of the population by 2023 .
The ITU also notes that 90% of the world’s population is covered by 4G, but 55% of people without access to 4G live in low-income countries because In low-income countries, 3G is often the only technology available to connect to the Internet.
The ITU develops and adopts international regulations and global standards to enable the harmonization and implementation of broadband mobile networks.
In Africa, around a dozen nations have launched services including Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Madagascar, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Zimbabwe, and Zambia but Africa is a patchwork of 54 countries.
And penetration is predicted to be slow.
By 2027, Ericsson predicts that 80 percent of phone users in Europe will have 5G service.
At the same time, 5G subscriptions in Africa, home to 1.4 billion people, May stagnate at a little over 10 percent. Why will so few people in Africa get access to 5G services?
China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States remain the leading countries with robust 5G coverage in the world.
While many countries are already providing robust services,Africa remains on the outskirts of 5G services.
The countries in Africa that have launched 5G networks, include South Africa with its roll out
In March 2022, when the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) sold spectrum across several bands.
In Nigeria,MTN rolled out commercial 5G services in Lagos in 2022, with other roll out in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri among others.
MTN Congo announced that it was the first country in Central Africa to deploy 5G.
In Botswana Orange deployed 5G technology to provide new services in the Gaborone and Francistown regions.
Other countries in Africa that have launched 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services include: Angola, Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Analysts say “5G’s potential is growing due to its ability to deliver fiber-like speeds. However, there are still challenges in the region, such as:
Urban areas are reaching their maximum capacity whereas a large portion of the population lives in rural areas.
This explains why 5G adoption in the sub-Saharan region is currently below six percent “
Analysts report that 5G deployment in Africa faces many challenges, including Spectrum assignment,regulatory issues,infrastructure,security,financial resources among others.
“Spectrum is a limited resource that is already in use by other services, such as TV broadcasters and satellite operators. Governments need to open up frequencies and grant 5G licenses at reasonable prices. “
Infrastructure is another major challenge.
“5G networks require a large initial investment, including expensive devices, antennas, and Radio Access Network (RAN) hardware. The infrastructure needs to be fiberized to support 5G services.
Regulatory conditions also serve as challenges to deployment.
For instance “regulatory authorities may not have started the process for licensing and granting frequencies in the right portion “
“Most of the equipment and devices required for 5G deployment need to be imported.”
There are also security challenges that make
5G technology vulnerable to cyber security threats, such as tracking calls and exposing user locations.
The recent declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers State has triggered diverse commentaries from a wide range of Nigerians.
Almost everyone hailed the presidential proclamation because of the visible threat to law and order in the state at the time the action was taken. Of course, there were a few naysayers who read political meanings into an otherwise sincere and prompt intervention.
One such negative interpretation is the position taken by the Editorial Board of The Punch newspaper. In one of its editorials published on the matter, the national daily claimed that the entire crisis was caused by what it described as “the needless meddlesomeness in the governance of the state by its former governor and Tinubu’s Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike….” It is unfortunate that this narrative and others like it have become commonplace in the media space.
How did the Editorial Board of a reputable newspaper arrive at such a conclusion? Their claim that the Sole Administrator, Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (rtd), has been acting a script purportedly written by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is also faulty and has no iota of truth.
They also faulted the sacking of all political appointees who served in Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration, insinuating that their replacements were drawn from Wike’s political camp. Again, nothing can be further from the truth.
Since his appointment as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas has been running the state with the abundant human resources available in the state and has not imported anybody from outside the state. Did the Editors of The Punch really expect him to run the administration with the politicians loyal to the suspended governor?
Do they not know that the crop of political appointees who served Fubara would have found it difficult to work with the Sole Administrator?
Certainly, they know the truth, but they have chosen to stoke the fire to generate more tensions in Rivers State.
Certain interests might have commissioned this editorial to cast aspersions on the Sole Administrator and raise doubts about his capacity to run the state.
It may also have been the handiwork of Wike’s political detractors, the man whom many politicians love to hate for no other reason than envy and jealousy.
We urge the Punch newspapers to seek a better mode of intervention in the political situation and not dwell on innuendos and unsubstantiated allegations against certain political actors in order to blackmail them.
Dr Ike Odogwu
In a life of achievement, Chief Ekuogbe Akpodiete popularly called the Duke by his contemporaries in the UK was an assessment clerk, post office clerk, a court interpreter, an educationist, a business man, a political party chieftain, a Barrister and Solicitor, a Magistrate, the Otota (the Prime Minister) of Ughelli kingdom which is the highest traditional chieftaincy office that underpin the royal office of the Ovie of Ughelli Kingdom.
He was a trail blazer, a strict disciplinarian, a lover of people, and a philantropist. He saw to it that people lived in peace and happiness.
Born on the 4th of April, 1924, to parents cut from an industrious mould, Chief Ekuogbe Rowland Gregory Akpodiete took zealously to education that neither his mother Ughweriaka who was a trader, nor his father Akpodiete who was a farmer had.
He attended the Native Authority Primary School, Ughelli, and Enitona High School, Port Harcourt, for his secondary school education.
He thereafter had a brief teaching career in primary schools in Ofuoma near Ughelli, he worked as a process clerk in the then Sapele Township Department between 1950 and 1953, serving at the same time as an interpreter in the local courts.
He proceeded to the United Kingdom to seek the proverbial Golden Fleece where he worked and paid his way through, studying Law. He was admitted into the Honourable society of Gray’s Inn, England, in 1965, and shortly after, he returned home to Nigeria and attended the Nigerian Law School. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1966. He immediately started practice in Lagos. However, his practice in Lagos was regrettably abridged by the Nigerian Civil War, which drove him to his hometown Ughelli in 1967, where he continued to practise among his kith and kin as the first Legal Practitioner.
Chief Ekuogbe Akpodiete established himself in Ughelli. After the civil war, he served in the now defunct Mid-western State Judiciary from 1972 to 1975 as a Magistrate.
He was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Urhukperovie of Ughelli kingdom (the light of the King) by the then reigning Ovie of Ughelli, His Royal Highness Oharisi II of blessed memory in 1977.
In the quest for more knowledge, he went back to England for his Master’s degree in law (LL.M) and later a Ph.D. at the University of Warwick.
He was awarded an honourary doctorate degree (Ph.D) by Tenesse Christian University from the United States of America in 1991.
He became the Otota (the Prime Minister) of Ughelli Kingdom in 1986, an office he occupied until his demise on 9th April 1995.
Chief Ekuogbe Akpodiete was also politically involved. In the heady days of the Awolowo-led Unity Party of Nigeria, he was the party’s legal adviser in Ughelli and was on hand to assist during Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s campaign hosting in Ughelli and its environs.
In view of his love for people and entertainment, he established a popular cinema house, one of the first in Ughelli, known as REGA cinema, coined from his names, alongside an entertainment place called Unutakunu (people talk to people).
Chief Ekuogbe Akpodiete was blessed with wives and many children, grandchildren, and great grand children.
Mr. Olotu Akpodiete, PhD
Executive Director
Olotu & Ekuogbe Rowland Akpodiete foundation
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