Trended And Searched! - The Top Stories That Had Nigeria “Googling” In An Action-Packed August, 2015

Enter the ‘Embers, Nigeria! September signals the start of the ‘Year’s ending’ for many but the Month that preceded Month No. 9 was certainly not lacking in incident. The following are the stories which got us closest to Google in August.

This being Nigeria, matters pertaining to her crude always make the news. So, when President Buhari appointed Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu as the new Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), those who didn’t know about the man found out the Energy, Petroleum and Investment Law specialist had been etching his footprints in the global Oil and Gas Industry for a quarter century.

Another appointment that turned heads was that of Adamawa State-born Babachir David Lawal as the SGF (Secretary to the Government of the Federation). An engineer by training, Mr. Lawal had previously done stints at the Delta Steel Company, Aladja and the Nigerian External Telecommunications Limited.

Of course, there’s much more to these ‘anointed’ men and Nigerians ‘consulted’ Google on how to find out more.

Winning gold (finally!) at the FIBA 2015 Afrobasket Championship in Tunisia were D’Tigers, Nigeria’s Senior Male Basketball Team, who beat 10-time Champs and perennial nemeses, Angola by 74-65. Well done, boys!

Not done well were Nigerian athletes led by Blessing Okagbare and sadly kept out of medal contention at the IAAF World Championship in Beijing, China but amidst all the thrills and spills, the real interest was on the explosive promise of the Usain Bolt-Justin Gatlin encounters.

A Sports loving Nigeria ‘employed’ Google Search to help keep tabs on all the joy and pain.

Another lady who must be feeling hard done by is Chelsea FC’s Chief Medic, Eva Carneiro who, together with the team physio, found herself in the global (and Google) spotlight after her altercation with Coach Jose Mourinho during the Blues’ hard-fought draw with Swansea. The good doctor got ‘relegated’ to club’s training facilities. Read the news and watch the video again and decide if justice was done.

Still on the matter of power, when Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika called for the dismissal of three of the North African nation’s security chiefs, many wondered about the decision and a mirror was held to the country’s troubled history and Ahmed Ben Bella, a guerilla leader who fought the French colonialists, became the country’s first president and eventually overstayed his welcome. A sad echo can be found in today’s Algeria and other African nations. Of course, Google Search helped to unearth the path to the past for curious thousands.

Showbiz ruled as ever in August and the release of Straight outta Compton, the movie biopic of seminal Rap group N.W.A (Dr Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy E) and Entrepreneur Dre’s accompanying Soundtrack inspired the Social Media meme event Straight Outta (CAPTION) where everybody jumped in on the craze with captions as ‘Mushin’, ‘Your Dreams’ and what’s yours?

One stunt that apparently didn’t go according to plan was the now-infamous ‘death hoax’ of Five Star Records’ act, Skiibii. The hip hop prospect’s ‘reported’ collapse and death was widely mourned on social media by Industry colleagues, only for label mate KCee to later announce him back to life. The backlash from the ‘conned’ majority was massive, something Skiibii’s latest video and single, Sampu isn’t likely to be. Thousands of Nigerians were on Google to help them connect enough knowledge that persuaded them to either defend or deride the 22-year old.

From a young man’s faked death to an aged monarch’s real passing: when the demise of the Ooni of Ife was made public, some were saddened but probably, none was more scared than the Abobaku (���He who dies with the king’, literally). So, there was some sympathy - and let’s face it, humour - stirred up when alleged rumours broke that the king’s designated escort to the afterlife had made for destinations unknown. We were soon assured Mr. Abobaku was not AWOL and was ‘ready and willing’ to fulfil his destiny - at least, that was the official statement.

And from archaic institutions to modern gadgetry as Lexus announced the imminent launch of its hoverboard, a technological marvel which sails on air. This is in contrast to the wheeled namesakes that had gotten Hip Hop rebels Wiz Khalifa and Naija’s own May D into trouble with law enforcement. Thousands in Naija looked to Google to point them toward an increased understanding of the phenomenon.

Another wonder gadget still making waves is Google’s (and Infinix Mobility’s and MTN’s and Jumia’s) Android One, a high-performance, relatively low-priced smartphone that has been described as a revolution that will empower millions across Africa and the world.

Knowledge is power, too. And if you need directions to the knowledge you seek, remember, Google is your friend.