On June 3, 2023 Naija Cyberlawyer blog turned 10. The very first blog post on the blog was posted on June 3, 2013. The blog initially started
as cyberlawmusings.blogspot.com but after some time I decided to change the name
to naijacyberlawyer.
I had wanted
to study for an LLM in International Law but along the line, I lost interest in
International Law because the more closely I followed happenings in the field,
the more it was dawning on me that International Law was more of politics than
law, as many a times, nations that were stronger economically, politically and
militarily would break International law and get away with it.
My interest
then shifted to issues bothering on the intersection of law and technology such
as electronic or computer generated evidence, cybercrime, etc. I started
reading up blogs and websites by people in that field of law. My interest grew
to a point that I wanted to study for an LLM in any course featuring a
convergence or intersection of law and technology and probably end up as a tech
policy analyst or a cyberlaw or techlaw guru.
I applied to
some universities like the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland for the
LLM in Internet Law and Policy and I was offered admission in 2012 and 2014 but
was unable to go for studies due to lack of finances. I also applied to
University of Tartu, Estonia in 2018 but was not offered admission.
In the
course of researching and reading up blogs and websites relating to tech law
policy and related issues, and following people who were already in the field
on social media, Twitter to be specific, I came across one Adam Thierer and his
post: “So You Want to Be an Internet Policy Analyst?”.
In the post he advised that:
“Start a blog or start blogging with others: If you’re already doing so,
that’s great. But kick it up a notch. Just find anything that interests you —
an academic paper, a news report, another blog post — and write about it. Even
if you just summarize that other piece and add a line or two of commentary,
that’s something. It’ll help get your name out there and help you develop your
own brand…”
The above advice gave me the inspiration or motivation to start my own blog so that I could
put out my thoughts on tech law matters and maybe, sell myself.
While trying to set up the blog, I also stumbled upon a similar blog by
Chukwuyere Ebere Izuogu; a Nigerian lawyer who had obtained an LLM degree in
Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law from foreign universities.
A friend; Victor Dibia, a computer science graduate, whom I met
during the National Youth Service in 2009, and who was somewhat fascinated by
my interest and knowledge of basic computer usage, introduced Chukwuyere's blog
to me in 2012 or thereabouts.
I also came across a blog by US based, Ms Uduak Udouk, a laywer
specializing in fashion and entertainment law, while trying to start my blog.
Those two blogs helped me in designing the outlook and layout of my blog.
As earlier stated by Adam Thierer that a blog will help get your name
out there and help you develop your own brand, I can rightly say that the
blog has helped to get my name out there. I have received several emails from
strangers who got to know about me from my blog posts, soliciting for tech law
related advice. I have also been approached by professional colleagues seeking
for advice on tech law related issues.
Furthermore, I have also held a Whatsapp group chat on the topic: “Laws
on Cyberbullying and Protection of Personal Information on the Cyberspace in
Nigeria”, with law undergraduates from Bowen University. A student
from the university read one of the posts on my blog, got my email from the
blog and then contacted me via email. We then set up a Whatsapp chat with the
law students.
On the whole, I can say that blogging about tech law and related issues,
has been a worthwhile venture. However, I think that with more commitment and
better focus, I would have done much better in the tech law field in Nigeria.
Below are the top five read blog posts from the past 10 years:
1) The Dangers of the Internet of Things(IoT)
2) LAWYER SUES FCMB & UBA OVER N8, 000.00 WRONGFULLY
DEBITED FROM HIS ACCOUNT, CLAIMS
N10M DAMAGES
3) THE TAKING OF WITNESS EVIDENCE THROUGH VIDEO
CONFERENCING
UNDER NIGERIAN LAW
4) A GREAT DAY FOR ATM USERS IN NIGERIA
5) Freedom of Expression and the Blogger under Nigerian Law