[Community-Discuss] [members-discuss] AFRINIC Board Statement, 5th June 2016

Wed Jun 8 17:04:50 UTC 2016

Dear all,

For those of you who are wondering, the e-mail mentioned in this statement was a personal e-mail from me. To close the loop here, I think it is in order for me to also share with you the apologies note (below) I have sent to the AFREN mailing list were my original e-mail was accidentally posted. I’m deeply sorry for the trouble that this may have caused.

Thank you.

Adiel Akplogan (Associate member in my personal capacity).

>> Begin forwarded message:
>> 
>> From: "Adiel Akplogan (akp.com)" <adiel at akplogan.com>
>> Subject: Apologies - [Was: Re: [afren] [rpd] Board Composition]
>> Date: June 5, 2016 at 22:50:15 GMT-4
>> To: AFREN <afren at afnog.org>
>> 
>> Dear listers and friends,
>> 
>> I’m sorry that my private e-mail below ends up accidentally on this mailing list. I would like to apologize to my many friends and colleagues globally who have supported and worked with me over the past 20+ years and who may have felt targeted by its content. I truly value your support and friendship irrelevant of your origin and I hope you will not see in this private message anything malicious. Contrary to what was reported I did not accused Mike Silber particularly in my e-mail. He is someone I know well and hold a lot of respect for.
>> 
>> Even though I do not deny my frustration, I should have exercised a bit more control and not allow it to burst publicly.
>> 
>> I hope that all of you who really know me and have worked with me know that there was no ill intention behind that mail.
>> 
>> Kind regards.
>> 
>> - a.
>>> On May 3, 2016, at 13:16, Adiel Akplogan (akp.com) <adiel at akplogan.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Boubakar and all, this has always been serious and the plan has started very long ago and has deeper ramifications than just what we are seeing here. It is in fact not about a particular company trying to take over but a clear racial fight for the white to take over. They have always claim that we Black cannot run an organization like AFRINIC (too complex for our small bird brain … that was said on my face in 2005 by some of the people pulling the strings behind … they are far beyond just this guy undercover of “friendship"). Some of us have witnessed that fight at the early days of AFRINIC. I have leaved through that during my 10 years as CEO both in Africa and globally. But the reality is that our own people let this kind of thing perpetuate … sadly though no one else will fight that fight for us.
>>> 
>>> This is the same guy that was accused by Board members last year of manipulating his own election (by making companies in ZA pay for people to come and vote for him), the same guy who said in writing that Gaberonne is across the South African border and he plan to bring as many South African as Possible to vote for Mike (he said that back in October 2015 … Some in this group have seen the transcript of such conversation). The same guy who vouch to push me out of AFRINIC because I prevented him to run his IPv4 consultancy firm for Academia (by being strict on community policy interpretation) … The same guy is writing to private lists campaigning for his friends and making judgement about the community capability today …
>>> 
>>> But well the same guys will end up telling us that there is nothing dramatic about all of this and that it is normal course of democracy and we should move on .. and it will be a new start. We are in this since several centuries … :-/ when will it stop? I had to step back because at some point this was about to touch on my life … when it reaches such level and you turn back and you see no one behind you (beside the usual suspects… who’s voices are interpreted as rhetoric) it get very scary. A very sad day for me …
>>> 
>>> - a.
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> This is a _clear_ plan of a single company trying to hijack AfriNIC. <snip>
>>>> B.
>>>> 
>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>>> From: Noah <noah at neo.co.tz>
>>>> Date: Tue, May 3, 2016 at 4:25 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [rpd] Board Composition
>>>> To: Owen DeLong <owen at delong.com>
>>>> Cc: rpd List <rpd at afrinic.net>
>>>> 
>>>> +1 Delong...
>>>> 
>>>> On 3 May 2016 18:50, "Owen DeLong" <owen at delong.com> wrote:
>>>> It has come to my attention that Mike Silber is running for the independent seat that is opening on the AfriNIC board in the next election.
>>>> 
>>>> While I consider Mike to be an excellent candidate and believe he would be a true asset to the AfriNIC board, I have a concern that I must express. This concern has nothing to do with Mike himself, but rather is a concern about organizational structure.
>>>> 
>>>> There are only 8 elected members of the AfriNIC board. If Mike Silber is elected, then 25% of the elected board seats would be held by employees of Liquid Telecom. Personally, I do not feel that the board can properly represent the diversity of the AfriNIC community if we allow multiple board seats to be held by representatives from the same organization. While I do not believe that Liquid has any sort of goal of organizational capture or any nefarious intent whatsoever, the reality is that if this is allowed, then it does create the possibility for some other organization to achieve a form of organizational capture.
>>>> 
>>>> The board has tremendous authority and responsibility within the AfriNIC organization. As such, I think it is important to consider these generic structural issues seriously, no matter how much we may like and admire the candidates in question.
>>>> 
>>>> Again, this is not personal. If it were, I’d be endorsing Mike rather than calling his candidacy into question. However, from a structural perspective, I think it is important that the community at least consider the issue.
>>>> 
>>>> Owen
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/rpd
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> afren mailing list
>>> afren at afnog.org
>>> https://www.afnog.org/mailman/listinfo/afren
> 
> On Jun 6, 2016, at 04:14, sfolayan at skannet.com wrote:
> 
> Dear Community,
> 
> Our attention has been drawn to some email message containing allegations of racism within the AFRINIC Community and subsequent press coverage.
> 
> The AFRINIC Board has zero tolerance for racism and this is clearly reflected in the Code of Conduct available at http://afrinic.net/en/community/code-of-conduct
> 
> Community members are asked to be mindful of this, in their interactions either in person or online.
> 
> Best regards ...
> 
> Sunday Folayan
> Chair, AFRINIC Board
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Members-Discuss mailing list
> Members-Discuss at afrinic.net
> https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/members-discuss

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