An Application known as ‘Facesofnaija’ has been developed to connect communities, promote socio-cultural values and norms amongst Nigerians and Africans.
This was created to help reduce the negative influence of social media on young people.
‘Facesofnaija’ is a social media App conceived and founded by a lawyer and tech enthusiast, Mr. Lawrence Agbata in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, south-south Nigeria.
Filling the Gap
Agbata, in a chat with Voice of Nigeria, said the inspiration to build ‘Facesofnaija’, which provides the same user experience like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, was more than just connecting Nigerians to their communities.
He said that the inspiration was to provide a platform that would enable Nigerians communicate in ways that would enhance appreciation for one another across ethnic, tribal and socio-cultural lines while utilising the features of already established social media platforms.
Agbata further explained, “the Nigerian social media space has been begging for a platform that embraces the tenets of convenience, integration and superb user experience as well as allows Nigerians the scope of influence experienced by their peers.
“The inspiration to build this App is to provide to our teeming young people and social media users in Nigeria what is lacking in others. Through other social media Apps, our youths have imbibed socio-cultural principles and practices alien to us as Nigerian and Africans. We have seen the impacts of foreign social media Apps on citizens and we need to enable socio-ethical reorientation.
“So, alongside other tech savvy people with like minds, we built ‘Facesofnaija’ to tell our story in positive light to the world. We will also feature local newspapers as well as use this platform to counter fake news by providing firsthand information from the communities,” he said.
Unique innovation
Speaking to Journalists after the launch of the application, the Chairman, Mr. Nzan Ogbe described Facesofnaija as a unique ICT innovation designed to be user friendly.
Ogbe said, “it provides people especially those who may have never set foot in their communities, first hand opportunities to connect with their communities. When you launch the application on your phone, it talks to you, calls your name directly and greets you.
“When we say it connects you with your community, I am saying it connect users to people of the same tribe, culture even those in the Diaspora. It gives young people opportunities to access jobs and job classifications. You can even upload your resume on Facesofnaija.
“The app has a feature that provides a new experience not available on more popular platforms. It allows users have a 3D virtual tour of events, tourists destinations and other locations with just a click. I tell you, this is Cross River to the World,” he stressed.
An entrepreneur and educationist, Sir Arthur Archibong commended those responsible for building the application, which he described as an innovation that would project the true Nigerian experience to the global community.
While commending the initiator and developers of the App, Archibong said, “this means Nigeria and Nigerians are taking more advantage of the tech market place to project the nation and its people. I hope that in no distant time, this would grow to be a global phenomenon.
“The countries of the world are embracing technology and our young people are showing themselves eager to participate effectively. Having our own social media application that is community driven is a good thing for us,” he noted.
Facesofnaija can be downloaded from Google playstore or Appstore on Android or iphone.
Confidence Okwuchi
Leave a Reply