Half of the ten richest men in the United States made their money from computer related-industries. Bill Gates, a 42-year-old computer entrepreneur, is worth $40 billion. In fact, Mr. Gates has enough money to cover 1996 Nigeria�s national budget twenty times over!

The United States has hundreds of unknown computer programmers who are wealthier than Moshood Abiola. Sanjiv Sidhu, a 39-year-old Indian immigrant computer entrepreneur, is worth $716 million and employs many Indian computer programmers earning a $65,000-a-year salary.

How can Nigerians at home and abroad make a living in the computer field? We must make 20-, 50-, and even 100-year-plans. It is impossible to get rich overnight in this field.

First, since we do not have the money to properly educate our children to compete in a modern high-technology world, we must implement a disciplined family planning that advocates and encourages each family to have only one child. An only child will receive far better education than a child with five brothers and sisters.

The Abuja Technology Village was first conceived by Philip Emeagwali in this 40-page speech delivered in August 1997 in New York City. Emeagwali named it the "African Cyber Corridor" and envisioned it as a 300-square-mile African Silicon Valley. [Image: Masterplan of ATV]

Second, we must overhaul our universities and polytechnics to enable them to produce 200,000 well-trained scientists and engineers each year. These engineers should be hired by NEPA to bring us constant electricity, NITEL to bring us reliable telephone services, and NNPC to discover and recover more oil.

Third, the computer industry rewards creativity and penalizes conformity. We must encourage creativity and produce an entrepreneurial work force. Nigerian culture encourages conformity, deference and respect for elders, teachers, and leaders. Outspoken journalists have been imprisoned for expressing their political beliefs. As a result, Nigerian editors are afraid to write the truth for the people. Nigerian politicians lack the courage and conviction of Nelson Mandela and are afraid to probe military officers for corruption. Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang: �Awa people dey fear too much. We dey fear for dey thin we no see.�

Fourth, we must have a technological Cyber Corridor, an approximately 300-square-mile region allocated for information industry workers such as computer programmers, video-games designers, and Web-site developers. Nigeria should collaborate with OAU and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in developing the proposed Cyber Corridor.

We should entice the big multinational infotech companies such as Microsoft, Netscape, IBM, Sun Microsystems, British Telecom, Motorola and Sony to Cyber Corridor by developing the infrastructure such as fiber-optic cables, good roads, safe water, constant electricity, reliable telephones, good schools, modern hospitals, quality housing, leisure and entertainment facilities. In addition, we should permit foreign information technology companies to operate tax-free, bring in highly trained foreign workers, liberalize our laws to allow foreign investors to repatriate some of their profits with less protocol, assure the personal safety of both indigenes and foreigners, rectify our image as the most corrupt nation on earth, ensure political stability by eliminating coups d�etat, and train the workforce for the new Information Age.

The Cyber Corridor could become the Hollywood of Africa, where information technology is used to produce educational and entertainment shows. Today, most movies, television game shows, documentaries and dramas shown in Africa are produced in Hollywood or Beverly Hills. They do not reflect African tastes, values and culture. Information technology will enable African producers to enrich our lives by weaving our glorious history, legend and folklore into movies.

The African Cyber Corridor could be the technological capital of the continent, the regional headquarters of major infotech companies, and a source of cheap labor that could draw jobs away from California�s Silicon Valley. Other nations want to want to build their technological city. India has built its Information Technology Park. Egypt is building its Pyramid Technology Park. Israel, Taiwan and many other nations are planning to build their technology cities.

The Abuja Technology Village was first conceived by Philip Emeagwali in this 40-page speech delivered in August 1997 to "become the Hollywood of Africa," now renamed "Nollywood." [Photo: MUNICIPALITY BUILDING of Abuja Technology Village]

We must connect major cities to the Internet with at least a 10-gigabyte digital optical fiber backbone which would simultaneously allow us to place more reliable telephone calls and avoid Nigeria�s unreliable telephone system. Ten gigabytes would allow us to e-mail a copy of the Nigerian national anthem to every African by the time you say �Arise, O compatriots.�

The list of things to do is actually longer. I have discussed a few that Vision 2010 did not address adequately. These should be included in the proposed Vision 2020.

Again, we Africans were the first to enter the Agricultural Age. The first to build in stones. The first to pioneer in technology. The Greeks learned our technology and taught it to the western world. Two thousand years later, the West is leaving us behind as it prepares to enter the Information Age and the third millenium. We must hurry to enter the Information Age.

Let us not be the last country to live in the Agricultural Age and poverty. We must soar with the wind of good fortune, like the eagle, to where the real wealth of nations is. We must adopt a quantum-leap strategy to catch up with Europe.

Vision 2010 should be more than an economic blueprint. The lesson we learned from the 1970s and the 1980s is that a massive inflow of petrodollars will not bring an economic prosperity that will spread and permeate to all levels of our society. Vision 2020 should include those intangible but precious elements that will enable a Nigerian to live a satisfying life. Thus, we must grow along several dimensions.

One, we must grow politically by eliminating the army and coups d�etat while empowering the people to choose their leaders.

Two, we must grow democratically by creating a society in which the emphasis will not be on individuals or leaders but on building and developing our communities.

Three, we must grow psychologically by restoring the faith and confidence of the Nigerian people in our leaders.

Four, we must grow spiritually by having a society in which African traditionalists, Christians and Moslems can practise their religions with mutual respect for each other�s.

Five, we must grow socially by reducing crime and corruption, creating a new Nigeria in which government officials do not demand bribes from citizens.

Six, we must grow morally by encouraging honesty and not singing praises to embezzlers.

Seven, we must grow artistically by leaving a legacy comparable to the carvings from the Benin Empire, the terra cotta sculptures of the Nok culture, and the bronze vessels of the Igbo-Ukwu civilization.

Eight, we must grow culturally by creating a less repressive society in which women are encouraged and empowered in all areas of education and society.

Ladies and gentlemen, we must ensure that Nigerian children are properly educated. When we invest in our children, we will find that our standard of living grows, too. We should invest in education and technology not because it is easy, but because our children will be the beneficiaries tomorrow of the decisions, we adults, make today. Investing in education and technology will be our legacy to our children; because it will bring the best out of them as well as all Nigerians and enable us to reach our potential as individuals, as communities, as a nation.

Thank you very much.