By Kayode Emola
In all of humanity’s interaction with the earth and outer space, we have always left a trail in any activity that we carried out. In the olden days, these trails were transmitted orally, which most times resulted in mistranslation over a long period of time.
In our modern world of technology, it is making the age of digital technology a little more transparent for folks who would have been none the wiser. Allowing the vast population to scrutinise local and global events in real time.
Last week, the US Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) travelled on a secret mission to Moscow on what appeared to be a diplomatic meetup. Within hours, news of his travel had been announced to the entire world via media outlets, making the secret visit not so secret in the end.
This event alone forced the US and Russia’s government to make a statement on the travel, even though the real reason of the travel was not publicly shared. The secret travelling is not my concern, but the fact that the whole world picked up the anomaly hours after Director Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow.
If this is a level of accountability to the people, then technology is making the whole world a smaller marketplace than we all realise. For most of us who use mobile or digital devices in one way or another, I hope we do not know how much a breadcrumb of information we leave behind when we engage our devices.
Technology may not be a bad thing, but if it brings intense scrutiny at a time when we least expect it, then I do hope we are prepared for it. The same goes for countries that are trying to hide their nefarious activities. They should know that with advancing technology, the playing field is becoming more level.
The real issue now is whether African countries, and especially Nigeria, are prepared for this technological age. In the past, elections have been rigged freely by the incumbent politicians even when technology had been deployed. With more demand for transparency and accountability in all facets of our lives, it is only a matter of time before the whole shady activities of our politicians unravel.
I do hope that the Yoruba and indeed the African people will wake up to their responsibilities of demanding accountability from their leaders. Rather than waiting for their corrupt leaders to hand them information on a platter of silver.
The fact that technology is here to stay should make every citizen more technologically aware. We should know that technology itself does not bring about the information that we require. There must be dedicated people ready to do the heavy lifting to get the information where it needs to go.
Every facet of our society must be ready to contribute its own quota if we must build a viable society. Otherwise, we may not be fully ready to enjoy the real benefits of technology in Yorubaland and indeed Africa in this modern age.
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