FEEDBACK FOR SERVANT HOOD

 

Feedback gives the accurate status of what message has been sent out. When one sends out messages and there is no feedback or the feedback given does not match the message that was sent out, then it is clear that there has been a breakdown in communication. If the message being sent out is worthy and of some relevance, the sender would appreciate a suitable response or feedback.

What quality of messages is being sent out to Nigerians? What quality of messages is being sent by the leaders to the people? we must continue to clamour until there is a perfect understanding that leaders are appointed to serve and not to boss, bully or intimidate the people. The leader who believes and sees himself as a servant must necessarily render account of his stewardship even while still in office and not when he is on the campaign trail for re-election.

In addition, if accounts of his stewardship are worthy and credible, then it will be worth documenting so that history will not be manipulated by unsound minds after some years must have passed.

Financial resources expended on celebrations of vanity and insanity could be spent in convening interactive sessions in which the leaders are made to brief the people on their achievements and challenges in office. The former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo made effort to hold meetings with the press on a monthly basis during his tenure in office and to an extent such short briefings showed a genuine desire to render accounts despite several factors that worked against the regular convenance of the press briefings with the president.

An interactive session will provide a much broader platform for interaction and also an opportunity for the people to speak to the leaders without too many barriers of bureaucracy. It will also serve the purpose of tracking the level of progress being made in accordance with the manifesto that the office holder campaigned when he sought the mandate of the electorate. Such briefings will provide the opportunity for genuine issues to be presented before government and will largely stem the gradually increasing tendency of Nigerians to partake in street protests.

For many reasons, many office holders would want to shy away from such sessions for many reasons and there should be a law to mandate them to attend. Many political office holders are active on social media of their own free will and have made themselves accessible to members of their constituency but it is not the same with many other office holders who are supposed to be representing the people.

Appointees should not feel too important to attend such functions where they will be confronted with their shortcomings as leaders; rather they should embrace the opportunity to willingly take part in the programme if they have the true interest of the people and progress of the land at heart.

It is always disgusting to see political office seekers going about ‘cap-in-hand’ begging for votes and even offering bribes to the electorate during their campaigns while we all know that as soon as they succeed, they create fierce barricades between their office and the same electorate that gave them the mandate to represent the people. It is a complete scam and that is not how it should be; servant hood starts on assumption of office and not that it ends on assumption of office.

THE HIGH COST OF FREEDOM

 

Freedom is the essence added to an individual which empowers the person to take certain actions or cause other people to do his bidding based on the power that has been allowed him. Being in the position to use other people to perform roles and duties on his instruction implies that the one who has been so empowered in unencumbered and free to play much more sensitive or critical roles. Freedom is not intended to be taken as more time for leisure or recreation.

Every free moment should be expended constructively in view of inevitable accountability. What many take as more time for relaxation will be accounted for at some point. This is the very reason why people must be cautious with freedom because in the end, there is no such thing as ‘free time’ or ‘spare time.’

For effective leadership, many people are empowered with authority by management, government or voters but it turns out that due to misconceptions that freedom allows more time for leisure and more authority which may never be accounted for, many people entrusted with authority tend to violate the trust and confidence that comes with the position.

There was news report of a Nigerian who was appointed a Federal Minister and he went to his hometown with a large entourage of aides blaring sirens and shooting into the air to herald his heroic arrival. It indicates that the minister did not understand that his appointment as a minister was an opportunity to serve his local community and the nation. Nigerians are still at that level where a new appointment attracts congratulatory messages in newspaper pages and loud testimonies in places of worship. Our appointees have yet to come to terms with the fact that those newspaper adverts are pervert and suggestive of bribery and corruption.

The only people who gain from such adverts are the media organizations; the community that the appoint is supposed to be serving does not benefit in any way. Rather, the appointee is subtly pressured to take note of the name of the sponsor of the advert in view of when contracts are being awarded. This is one issue that many newspapers would rather overlook but in truth, money expended on such distasteful adverts could be spent in sponsoring renovation, equipping of our schools in the name of the appointee and the sponsor.

At a time like this that Nigeria is hard hit by floods, it would indeed be completely vulgar for any appointee to be receiving or encouraging any of such displays from contractors, colleagues, subordinates or their family members.

Accepting the appointment effectively makes the appointee a servant of the state who is answerable to the people who pay him. It is progressive for people to learn to believe that authority given them is meant for them to use in serving the people and not for chastising or intimidating the people. in the end, when Nigerians to decline offers of government or political appointments, it would show that they are coming to terms with the reality of servant hood.

GOD bless Nigeria.

MAKING LIFE A LITTLE EASIER FOR THE NEXT MAN

 

The philosophy behind African culture encourages people to care for one another and show concern for the welfare of their neighbours. Religious teachings that have been imported into the Nigerian society also teach the importance of caring for one another. There has been no clear teaching that discounts the relevance of caring for one another and this makes one wonder why it is so common to see that people hardly empathize with other people.

There so little tolerance among people and it is alarming to see how easy it has become to harm other people and destroy their lives and their property. Henry Edewo, 21 and Emmanuel Isikhuime both students of Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State are presently under arrest and assisting the NPF in investigations over the kidnap, rape and murder of a female student of the same institution, Mercy Peter, 21 while a third suspect simply identified as Charles is said to be on the run. The female student was kidnapped on the 29^th of July, 2012, murdered her four days after and buried her corpse in a shallow grave somewhere in Ugbor village in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. And the young men must have quietly continued living their lives.

Nigeria is not the only country that is faced with challenges in governance and administration but Nigeria has unfortunately become host to hostile and violent terrorists and this has contributed largely in setting Nigeria back.

There seem to be a very large number of Nigerians who pray for peace and progress; these few provide the encouragement to young Nigerians that there is hope for the future. However, it is very important that Nigerians revive the culture of caring for one another. Adopting just one person at a time to show care and kindness to will come in handy in saving Nigeria and Nigerians from the strange visitors of the republic. The strange visitors are socio-cultural practices that are alien to our original African culture and as a matter of fact considered anti-social among Africans.

Love songs, motivational speakers/writers and religious teachers harp on love and kindness on a very regular basis but one wonders why their teachings have not found fertile ground to grow and yield in the hearts of modern Nigerians. Leaders of sorts boast of a large number of followers but it is becoming clear that not much good or progressive thought processing is being imparted to the followers by the leaders. This shows that the idea of having a large followership has not really served any useful purpose; infact, having a large followership turns out to be borne out of a purely selfish and bigoted motive. What young Nigerians should be asking is why they have to be part of a followership where the leaders focus more on their egoistic projects than on caring about the welfare of human beings.

A permanent secretary with Edo State was recently relieved of her appointment by the state governor. It is reported that a retired civil servant was ailing and need of his entitlement to enable him secure medical treatment but the permanent secretary was said to have insisted on his physical presence. The pensioner was taken before her, she approved his request but he died the following day. The governor visited the office of the permanent secretary the following week and promptly relieved her of her duties. The woman in question failed to care about the well being of the pensioner; one wonders if she would not have acted differently if he were her relative.

A little kindness will go a long way in salvaging Nigeria and Nigerians. Taking this kindness one man at a time will be a much more meaningful option to consider as against depending on schools and religious leaders.

GOD bless Nigeria.

CURING RECALCITRANCE AMONG TEACHERS

 

The many challenges of the Nigerian education sector are compounded by recalcitrant behavior among Nigerian school teachers. Violent protests have become the acceptable way of expressing dissatisfaction among Nigerians but it would be indeed unbecoming and unacceptable for school children to be grouping and participating violent protests over the unsatisfactory delivery of education by teachers in government institutions in Nigeria.

Many state governments pride themselves with success at increasing the number of primary and secondary schools established, refurbished and modernized in their states. While appreciating the good work of many of these states, the performance of teachers who are hired to deliver the service of education leaves much to be desired.

It is reported that teachers are now employed from the ward level depending on the political party they support. This effectively provides room for mediocre and incompetent people to be hired to educate school children.

Many teachers are known to prefer living in the state capitals and when they are transferred to rural areas, they do everything possible to change the posting to the capital city and for others who are not able to secure a change, they live in the capital and maybe once in a week travel to their station to check on activities in the school of their primary assignment. A lot of teachers are actively involved in business and a lot of the time they travel out of their station or the country leaving the school children at the mercy of equally incompetent teachers who combine several classrooms of students. This prevents thorough assessment of student performance; sometimes teachers can simply not be bothered by what atrocities the students get up to.

If only parents would pay unscheduled visits to these schools, they would not need to be told before they would make alternative arrangements for the education of their children. The governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has taken up the role of ‘chief inspector’ of activities of such teachers. He has gradually acquired the new profile among teachers in Edo State as a governor who is capable of defying every protocol of office including ‘scaling walls’ in a bid to catch erring teachers. A week ago, he paid unscheduled visits to some schools in Benin and caught several teachers in one misdemeanor or the other and he immediately sanctioned them. This caused many teachers to sit-up. Gov. Oshiomhole reported at schools in Etsako Local Government Area as early as 8.00am on Monday, 14^th October and several teachers were caught and immediately sanctioned.

For how long will teachers be chased about like the little children they are supposed to be teaching? What values are they imparting on the minds of these little children who are looking up to them?

Gone are the days when teachers were owed indefinitely; if people feel the profession is not satisfactory, why would they not honourably quit and make way for willing and capable people to fill the noble position of teachers in our society?

GOD bless Nigeria

IDLENESS AND MISMANAGEMENT OF HUMAN CAPITAL

 

On several occasions when I had reason to go into some of the side streets in Lagos, I always saw a disturbingly large number of young Nigerians hanging around doing what can at best be described as nothing. The number of young Nigerians one sees in one pursuit or the other on a daily basis would give the impression that most young Nigerians are gainfully pursuing one thing or the other.

In a particular area of Ikorodu Road in Lagos State, I always marvel at the speed with which young men assemble whenever there was a breakdown of a commercial vehicle on the road. I found it strange that they would quickly gather and make a lot of noise demanding to be settled by the driver of the vehicle without offering any form of assistance to the driver in distress.

A recent visit to Warri also showed a large number of idle Nigerian youth. I also came across a large number of idle youth in Benin. This not a good omen for government and for Nigerians. It gives reason for inquiry especially as these young people are known to have a taste for the good things of life.

A nation where much of its workforce population is idle is breeding a generation of criminals and the few decent and hardworking Nigerians will never know peace because of the growing generation of criminals. It is clear that many of these idle youth are not pleased with being idle but they believe they are helpless because of difficulty in changing their status.

Government must come to terms with the fact that if these people are constructively occupied by government, there would be further reduction in the increasing crime rate in Nigeria. There must be a way that the government can involve young Nigerians in the business part of government; many of these young people see nothing wrong in hanging around when able bodied men and women are out pursuing one venture or the other. They also see nothing wrong in taking to a life of crime; on the contrary, they feel that they are using what they have to collect what they want mostly by force. And in applying force, they feel that the society has been unfair to them and they would stop at nothing in getting back at the society.

The effort of the Lagos State government in adopting and employing many young men and women in state agencies like Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) would have been a perfect example save for the dent by the resurgence of violent armed robbery operations by a group which the police has identified as ‘one million and one boys’ of Ajegunle.

A state like Delta would do well to create agencies like what obtains in Lagos State as a way of helping many more young people to feel the impact of government in their state. All states in Nigeria that are experiencing incidence of crime would do well to embark on programmes that would directly involve and occupy young people to ensure that  they are not made to feel ‘left out.’ In addition, several calls have been made for young Nigerians to participate in reviving the prosperity of the Agricultural sector by taking to farming. Government would do well to provide every support to young Nigerians who are willing to take up farming.

Police detention facilities are bursting at the seams with the number of young people  who are being held in detention and courts that have cases brought before them are also being over-stretched.

GOD bless Nigeria.

THE WISDOM IN INVESTING IN PEOPLE

 

People need each other and successful relationships form the bedrock for effective networking. Connecting and relating with people at various levels are necessary for business survival, growth and success.

It is very important for people who seem to have succeeded in their areas of endevour to spare a thought for those around them who seem to be or are actually deprived. Not by giving charity but by lifting them to a position where they can earn something from working. By lifting people around themselves, successful people will be under less pressure to provide for such people as they too would be able to provide for themselves or there will be many more successful people to share the burden that would ordinarily have been borne by one rich man in the midst of several poor relatives. In addition, the successful one would be more at ease among his relatives as the fear of being attacked by hungry relatives would have been effectively handled.

Many preachers like to teach that ‘God loves a cheerful giver;’ however what scripture teaches is that we are asked to give so that something will be credited to our account among believers. In essence, giving puts people in a position of credit-worthiness as they are able to store something in their personal accounts by giving. A relationship with a bank or a financial institution requires opening an account which would be funded before any transactions like giving credits or loans can be considered. Ability to maintain such an account by keeping it active and well funded increases the credit-worthiness of the customer. Also, people are taught to sow what they expect to reap; invariably, sowing people would mean that the sower is growing a strong network of people. life is about growing healthy and valuable relationships with people.

A number of people have experienced disappointments in investing in people and they position to use it as a basis for not wanting to lift people anymore.   The truth is that people need each other and suffering disappointments in the hands of people should not be reason enough to stop investing in people. A lot of the time, other people witness how someone suffers in the hands of people he had invested in and to an extent, these witnesses can speak in favour of the person who had been cheated. One way or the other, the investment does not entirely go to waste.

Business can hardly thrive without a good network which is actually a good relationship with people at different levels. A good relationship would require truth and fairness to grow and satisfy the people involved in the relationship. Truthfulness has become a very rare factor in many associations today which brings about cracks and early disintegration of what could have been a rich and long lasting relationship.

Truthfulness in relationships help one to earn favour from others involved in the relationship and in many cases what would appear impossible under other circumstances can easily be achieved where there exists a good relationship.

SURVIVING NATURAL DISASTERS

In times of peril, the predatory nature of man becomes enhanced and more pronounced.

If preparedness to survive natural disasters is a measure of how developed or civilized a nation is, then it would not be out of place to class Nigeria as an uncivilized nation.

Documentary reports of how nations that have been ravaged by natural disasters make one wonder how well we would cope if we found ourselves in such perilous circumstances.

Nigeria is so blessed that the cases of natural disasters are few and far between  and even the few cases of natural disasters that Nigeria has experience are mild compared to what some developed countries of the world have had to contend with.

The recent cases of flooding experienced in many states of Nigeria shows that there has never been any measures put in place by government to help Nigerians survive any incidence of natural disaster. In the case of Nigeria, it is like natural disasters simply spell the loss of lives and property without leaving any room for survival or rehabilitation for the few who are lucky to escape with their lives.

The rains continue and flooding also continues and government as well as certain Nigerians has been making monetary donations to affected areas. Mind-boggling sums of money and relief materials are delivered to the make-shift camp sites that have been provided by the government. Affected areas are now clamouring for such donations and for the heads of governments to pay visits to them to witness what they are going through.

Sadly at a time like this, the natural tendency of people to prey on other people comes to the fore due to many reasons including the need to lash out at someone else for losses and frustrations felt at being confronted with a very bleak future. Reports from several camps provided in Benue State reveal that about 19 women have been attacked and raped.

It is very sorry that there is no blue-print that is being applied in securing and giving succor to people who have been made homeless and exposed to other people whom they would ordinarily prefer to avoid. There should have been firm arrangements for shelter, food/water, drugs, security and some level of comfort at the very least. Such cases of violence could have been avoided.

At a time like this, counseling and encouraging are very key to those who have survived but government must also protect the survivors from predatory religious organizations and NGOs who seek to use the survivors as bait for securing grants and aid from international organizations.

Also, survivors need to be encouraged not to give up on life because of their losses but hopefully approach the future with a grateful heart for surviving the calamity. They should be encouraged that there must be hope since they still have life.

GOD bless Nigeria.

THE IMPLICATION OF EDUCATING A NIGERIAN

Education means broadening one’s mind by acquiring skills and knowledge as well as changing one’s view on issues of life. Education is not limited to academic exploits and should not be restricted to reading, writing and speaking the lingua franca. It is beyond dressing in western fashion or forming a sick-sounding ‘western’ accent or being able to navigate and interact on social media. It encompasses breaking away from traditional superstitions and dogma. It requires being able to confront and question the conventional.

Many Nigerians lay claim to some level of education and in truth, many Nigerians hold certifications that are quite impressive. However, education is a long and painfully slow process that brings about a change in one’s disposition, value system and general outlook. It is not just about the acquisition of certificates.

The history of Nigeria informs us that at a time, Nigerians of the eastern regions were averse to producing twin children and many twin babies were slaughtered or thrown into the evil forest until the coming of Mary Slessor who took the pains of enlightening and educating the people; encouraging them to do away with the evil practice. It is believed that those people have since done away with the practice.

The history of Nigeria also informs us that many regions of Nigeria thrived and actively participated in the very lucrative trade of slaves until the Abolition was attained by the concerted effort of Christian Missionaries in 1833. It was believed that slavery had ended until the CNN Freedom project started making public revelations that slave trade still thrives in various forms and dimensions all over the world.

Many Nigerians are believed to have put away pagan worship and have become converted to un-Nigerian religions. There are still reports of Nigerian converts participating in pagan festivals and rituals. It is understandable that it takes time so people should stop deluding themselves that Nigerians can be easily converted to any un-Nigerian religion.

Nigerians are known to have actively participated in cannibalism although it is also believed that they have overcome the penchant for feeding on human flesh.

Many Nigerians have been caught in money and power seeking rituals that involved human sacrifice; it is to a large extent believed that Nigerians have become civilized and have put away such devilish acts.

Many Nigerians are known even in this day and age to be actively involved in criminal activities that boarder around terrorism.

Many Nigerians have been caught in pervert and nefarious activities that make one wonder if they have in any way received any form of education? It is obvious that the purpose of education in Nigeria has not been fully accomplished. The certification would amount to very little without the necessary change of mindset.

It is beginning to look like Nigerians may have had more reverence for the Supreme Being and the sanctity of human life before the coming of the Missionaries. It is now as if conversion to the un-Nigerian religion has given people reason to believe that they can get away with iniquitous acts because their instant-justice peddling deities have been relegated to the background. It looks like people prefer evil to good. Like people have no more regard for human life.

The trend shows that true education has not yet penetrated the minds of Nigerians. It is obvious that schools and religious organizations have a long way to go in educating Nigerians.

Nigerians are already plagued with the fundamental problems of barbarism, tribalism and traditional superstitions and inspite of claims to education, many Nigerians still operate at this level and they still find ways of introducing these primitive, pedestrian and retrogressive approaches to life and business.

GOD bless Nigeria.

STARTING OUT EARLY

In the past, we were encouraged to study hard and excel at studies so we will be properly positioned to secure a job that offers so much security that we will be assured of pension and gratuity when we retire.

A lot of people went into civil service with the mind that it provided security and they were assured of their pension and gratuity when they attained the age of retirement. The current trend shows that government is having a lot of challenges in providing for retired civil servants who have fulfilled their own end of the bargain by working for government and contributing to what government proposed and promised would be their pension scheme.

As is always the case with government issues, there will be grandiose ad verbiage to what in reality is looking like a ‘financial fraud.’ Where pensioners receive their entitlements it is under pitiable and sometimes hostile and inhumane circumstances because of harshness and unkindness that is shown by young men and women who are still actively in the service of government.

Pensioners feel a sentimental attachment to their entitlements and they take great pains to ensure that they collect their money inspite of the hardship that they experience. Offspring who have succeeded in one area of endeavour or the other have made futile attempts to convince their parents to abandon their entitlements with government instead of going at irregular intervals to line up under the sun and rain but for this attachment, many pensioners would have done so long ago.

Government keeps coming up with half-hearted measures to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian pensioners; half-hearted in the sense that financial experts from the USA have very quickly drawn up schemes and programmes which are being effectively used in Lagos State and it would take them very little time to draw up a payment scheme for pensioners so that they are not made to suffer unnecessarily.

It is important that young and able Nigerians who are in government service take a critical look at how much hardship pensioners are made to undergo and quickly begin to consider how they will overcome these hardships when it comes to their turn.

For this reason, people must consider other streams of income because it is not likely that government will succeed in making it easier for future pensioners to collect their entitlements. It is important that people come up with other methods of earning money after their retirement by starting the engine running now so that by the time they are due for retirement, the business will already be earning them revenue that will be sufficient for them to meet their obligations and putting them in the position to live a decent life.

GOD bless Nigeria.

THE FUTURE OF NEW BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA

 

The trend these days is that people get blamed for trusting people they have never done business with before especially when the business fails. The generation of people who did business on the basis of trust is fast fading. Sadly there is no replacement because the young people of these days have time and again given reason for people not to trust them.

They have not given a good account of themselves in that they have not shown that they place any value in decency and honour. Too many loans and transactions involving young people go bad and for these reasons, most banks and other financial institutions express reservation in doing business with young people. this is not good for business because for the few honourable ones, they are made to go through so many huddles in business and most banks out rightly refuse to do business with them.

Young Nigerians should be worried that after some time, the ‘old hands’ that have been providing cover for them in their quest for bank loans will no longer be there for them so who will be left to help new businesses in Nigeria? It is looking like what obtains in India where it is almost impossible for new businesses and entrepreneurs to enter the business world.

Creation and sustenance of new business depends on financial assistance or support in the form of loans. If banks continue and the rate they are presently going, future businesses in Nigeria may have difficulty in securing bank loans. Banks may want to justify the stringent conditions that loan seekers are compelled to fulfill before they are given loans by the fact that a lot of young Nigerian business people have shown lack of integrity in business relationships.

Securing loans in a place like Dubai where people value integrity is not as cumbersome and as mysterious as what obtains in Nigeria. The probability of securing approval for a bank loan can be predicted by one’s portfolio with the bank and status in the country but it is not the case in Nigeria. There are no known standards or guidelines for accessing one’s likelihood of receiving the approval of a loan.

It is essential that young Nigerians review their value system and consider the urgent need to develop their character as a means of ensuring a good future. It is very wrong for young people to be keen on wealth acquisition and having a taste for the good things of life while not laying the proper foundation on which to establish their claim to wealth.

It is very touching to see how easily young people secure loans in UAE and an African nation like Ghana. And one wonders why Nigerian young people refuse to develop values that will help build business that will be properly structured and positioned to outlive the founder.

GOD bless Nigeria.

SOS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA OVER OVIA RIVER

 

The bridge over River Ovia on the Lagos/Benin express has been in the news over the last few months and villages around the river and road users have been calling for help over the increasing number of fatal accidents that occur on the bridge daily. The protective railings that should shield vehicles from the river have given way totally and there is an urgent need to have them replaced.

The bridge over the River Ovia is very strategic in that it is on the Lagos/Benin expressway and an enormous number of road users pass the bride on a daily basis. The steady decline of the bridge over the last few months has reached a point that what is left of the bridge is a mere carcass and it provides no protection to vehicles and road users. There has also been a steady increase in the number of accident cases where vehicles have plunged into the river.

Many well-meaning Nigerians have lent their voices to the call to the FGN to take immediate action in replacing the Ovia Bridge and the Lagos/Benin express being a FGN road is beyond the jurisdiction of Edo State government that is currently rehabilitating roads and bridges of Edo State.

We join these well-meaning Nigerians in appealing to the FGN to urgently commence replacement of the railings to prevent further accidents and loss of lives. We are fast approaching the end of the year and knowing Nigerians of the eastern regions normally slate a lot of activities for the end of the year, many of them will be travelling that road day and night. Many of such travelers will driving on that road for the first time and it takes an experienced driver to successfully navigate that road, implying that many of these first time drivers will be exposed to a lot of danger on the highway.

In addition, highway robbers have been reported to have taken advantage of the faulty bridge to cause drivers and their vehicles full of passengers to miss the bad spot and plunge into the river. Just last week, a fully-loaded 14-seater commuter bus was being chased by robbers and missed the bad spot which caused the bus to plunge into the river and all passengers were feared to have died although six corpses could not be recovered from the river.

Nigerian road users will greatly appreciate if the FGN will immediately approve commencement of work on that bridge to guard against further loss of lives.

GOD bless Nigeria.

ENDANGERMENT OF YOUNG NIGERIAN MALES

Several failed attempts to locate the female vendor whom we normally purchase recharge card from by Mende Market revealed that she had been gruesomely stabbed by her brother and locked up in her bedroom in the pool of her own blood to die a slow and painful death. The brother was tracked, arrested and detained by NPF at Panti; it turns out that the two siblings are the only offspring of their old and widowed mother.

Violent armed robbery attacks, botched kidnap cases, assassinations, violence against women, terrorist attacks, domestic battering of workers, step-children/parents, communal clashes, religious clashes, police brutality and killings, road accidents, plane crashes, ritual killings, etc all involve shedding blood.

The bigger picture that all Nigerians must confront is that there is a lot of blood wasting in the land and at the rate people are going, it is beginning to look like Nigerian males are endangered species. Every violent attack in Nigeria cuts short young men in their prime or the law condemns guilty young Nigerian male citizens to death or life imprisonment as the case may be.

The current trend implies that wives are made widows, wives to be are denied marriage, children are made orphans, mothers and fathers are made to witness the termination of the visions and the lives of their sons and in the end there is man-shortage. It is very negative for the population of a nation to be predominantly female or the aged. This is the ultimate result of all the long stories that Nigerians have been telling. This ultimate agenda should give Nigerians reason to worry and be apprehensive. The fact that your little boy in whom you invest your youth and resources is susceptible to attack and destruction by other human beings who have become agents of untimely death should make Nigerians parents worry. The Nigerian male is no longer safe no matter his religion or philosophy towards life.

This matter should not be reduced to elements of political excuses; we cannot blame the government alone for failure to protect the Nigerian male from impending extinction. What Nigeria is faced with is the manifestation of seeds sown many years ago that have come to maturity.

Parents have effectively transferred the upbringing of their children to teachers and house helps. The art of raising children has long been discounted and reduced to the level of feeding, ensuring good academic results and providing comfort and entertainment for children. Parents who were taught to ‘love their neighbours as themselves’ have failed to impart the same culture to their children. Young Nigerians have lost touch with true African values but they have not adopted the values of western societies either. Rather, they are a pot-pourri of assortment of cultures, traditions and values making them appear alien every where they show up even in Nigeria.

Religious organizations and leaders should hide their heads in shame because many young men who perpetrate evil are known to belong to one religious organization or the other so what are they teaching there? Nigeria professes religion of all sorts and there is so much violence and death in the land; maybe government will need to review the necessity of having so many religious bodies in a land that is rife with bloodshed.

Every Nigerian male should be made aware of the fact that they are subject to an evil scheme to rob them of life and their visions. Nigerian males must learn very early that they are endangered and self-preservation is what they must aim to achieve by securing knowledge and applying wisdom and caution in all their dealings with fellow human beings.

GOD bless Nigeria

COMING OUT OF THE DARK

Nigerians believe that the amalgamation in 1914 of the north and south regions of Nigeria was an unwelcomed development. They still see it as an act of deliberate perversion of justice on the part of Lord Lugard. A lot of historians record the origins of the conflicts that resulted in the civil war of 1967 to the actions of Lord Lugard. Lord Lugard did not exactly have an easy experience with Nigerians of the southern region who as it were, were more educationally and politically exposed than the simple minded Nigerians of the northern stock. Lord Lugard did everything possible to favour the north over the south; he gave all his support to securing a stronger and more stable political and economic position for the north.

Lord Lugard was believed to have had a very sound knowledge of Africans and their ways. He went on to write the book the “Dual Mandate” which was published in 1922. In the book, he wrote on indirect rule in colonial Africa. He also gave reasons why Britain must hold on tightly to Africa which were basically economic. Some of his justifications included spreading Christianity and ending barbarism. He also saw state-sponsored colonization as a way to protect missionaries, local chiefs, and local people from each other as well as from foreign powers. Also, for Lugard, it was vital that Britain gain control of unclaimed areas before Germany, Portugal, or France claimed the land and its resources for themselves. He realized that there were vast profits to be made through the exporting of resources like rubber and through taxation of native populations, as well as importers and exporters.

In his book he also gave what he believed to be a clear description of the mentality of the native African which he rationalized to be sufficient to describe Nigerians as well and in his words, ”In character and temperament, the typical African of this race-type is a happy, thriftless, excitable person. Lacking in self control, discipline and foresight. Naturally courageous, and naturally courteous and polite, full of personal vanity, with little sense of veracity, fond of music and loving weapons as an oriental loves jewellery. His thoughts are concentrated on the events and feelings of the moment, and he suffers little from the apprehension for the future or grief for the past.

His mind is far nearer to the animal world than that of the European or Asiatic, and exhibits something of the animal’s placidity and want of desire to rise beyond the state he has reached. Through the ages the African appears to have evolved no organized religious creed, and though some tribes appear to believe in a deity, the religious sense seldom rises above pantheistic animalism and seems more often to take the form of a vague dread of the supernatural. He lacks the power of organization, and is conspicuously deficient in the management and control alike of men or business. He loves the display of power, but fails to realize its responsibility…he will work hard with a less incentive than most races. He has the courage of the fighting animal, an instinct rather than a moral virtue… In brief, the virtues and defects of this race-type are those of attractive children, whose confidence when it is won is given ungrudgingly as to an older and wiser superior and without envy… Perhaps the two traits which have impressed me as those most characteristic of the African native are his lack of apprehension and his lack of ability to visualize the future.”
{.-Lord Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, The Dual Mandate, pg.70 (1926)}

Lord Frederick Dealtry Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945)

Lord Fredrick Lugard like every other individual is entitled to his own opinion. Secondly, Nigerians of the southern region gave Lord Lugard many reasons to detest their uncompromising demand for self-rule. There were well educated professionals among them and they contributed in every way to hasten the departure of the British. Lord Lugard was biased and his loyalty and sentiments leaned heavily towards the north. He made things as difficult as he could for the south in favour of the north. Many of the seeds of discord sown by Lord Lugard have blossomed and matured into fruit-bearing plants today and their effects stare us in the face. Lastly, a man can be called any name by anyone; it is the one the man answers to that is his name. Lord Lugard has done his bit and gone the way all men born of women go. His writings are not curses, even if they were curses, 52 years together as a nation is enough to break the potency of such curses. It is time to come out of the dark and stop blaming the British or Lugard for our failure to make appreciable progress.

Nigerians are predominantly warm, laidback and very casual people in their approach to all issues. Nigerians may truly find some ideal that challenges their intellect but Nigerians will never stick out their neck enough to want to or agree to die for any cause.

At this point, I dare say that fewer Nigerians know that our national flag is made up of two and only two colours; fewer Nigerians know by heart the wordings of the national anthem and the national pledge. These three elements are common to all Nigerians, we as a people must know them just as we know our personal names.

What (where) are our values as a people? As soon as we can truthfully answer this question, we will be able to draw up a table of standards of how we approach business and life.

We will need to begin with learning and practicing small chunks of self respect as well as mutual respect as a first step towards stepping out of the dark. It is a long journey but if we get it right at the foundation stage, the rest of the journey will be a pleasure. Once again, we will need to believe that Nigeria is our country and the only home we have. Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians and not just the northerners or the westerners or the easterners. We must show Nigeria some love for her to yield her abundance to the people.

 Happy 52^nd anniversary to Nigeria and GOD bless Nigeria!

THE MARKET FOR KNOCK-OFFS

Knock-offs: one of the many names for counterfeited goods.  Counterfeiting is one form of business that came to be in the late 19^th century and has spread all over the world. It has become popular among consumers and it has gained a very solid base.

Many more companies have moved their production lines to cheaper labour markets of the third world, areas with weaker labour laws or environmental regulations; they give means of production to foreign workers.  These new producers have little or no loyalty to the original company or the product.  The motives include a wider reach, ease of access to raw materials and more consumers, lower costs of production for manufacturers, promotion as well as acquisition which amounts to more profit for the manufacturer and the marketer, cutting out cost of adverts, cutting off the middlemen and marketing directly to the consumer.

These knock off items are usually found in flea markets, school campuses, local markets, private homes and in parties.  The business of counterfeiting is booming all over the world; Europe and America are not spared the harsh effects of the production and sale of knock offs.  Products that are being counterfeited range from mobile phones, fashion items, electronics, cameras, drugs, food, beverages, designer labels, etc.  However these knock off items are never found in reputable stores but they are very present in the market.  Knock offs are very easy to find and sometimes they are less expensive but they can be spotted if one looks carefully enough.  Strangely, a lot of consumers knowingly settle for fake goods.

Counterfeiting industry has come to stay as almost all products are being counterfeited.  China is the king in the industry of counterfeiting.  Today, China is ranked among the most buoyant economies at the expense of other countries.  There is no product that is spare from counterfeiting. The counterfeiting industry accounts for 8% of China’s GDP. The Chinese government has not succeeded in confronting issues of counterfeiting; the penalties for counterfeiting in China are so modest that one would simply pay the fine and go in with production. 

China has a lot to answer for in terms of food safety; would it be wise for a third world nation like Nigeria to receive food items from China knowing the attitude of the Chinese government towards food safety issues?  This is left to the consumer to decide.

In the days before the coming of Prof. Dora Akunyili to NAFDAC, Nigeria as a nation received a lot of food, drugs, etc from other countries but now that Nigerians have been enlightened about fake products, more caution is being applied in consuming products from other countries. 

Counterfeiting is not new to the Nigerian consumer but it is news to the Nigerian consumer that it is being practiced all over the world.  China has made a lot of money and is still making a lot of money from counterfeiting.  The question now is what is the prospect of the average consumer who makes purchase only to discover that what he has paid for is not what he thought it was? It is not just about money going down the drain, there may be health issues, there may be loss of lives and the consumer is at the receiving end either ways. 

Nigeria is still faced with challenges in tracking and confirming sources of counterfeit products and the Nigerian Consumer Protection Council is definitely not able to stand alone and overcome the negatives effects of counterfeiting. The CPC requires the assistance and cooperation of members of the public in controlling what consumers spend money on which at the end of the day may result in exposing them to a lot of inconvenience as well as danger.

PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT IS THE KEY

This is what counts. Quite frankly, if we look around, we find that everyone is a target for marginalization. There are people who for their own reasons would want to marginalize other people around them, but the key thing is “if people would allow themselves to be marginalized.” Who will save you from marginalization? It is only you who has the ability and interest to save yourself from marginalization.

In too many cases, we blame other people for our misfortunes because we have not been able to see ourselves and our products or service as unique and different from a certain group or class to which we restrict ourselves. Until we rise above the contraptions of social groups or class; we will not see the need to add value to ourselves, to our products or to our services enough to make room for desirability. In the course of my development as an individual, I have come to see the critical need to add value to myself so much so that it is sufficient to add to every person I come in contact with and every environment I enter.

My parents are (first and foremost) teachers. My mother’s father was a lawyer (as well as a teacher) and my father’s father was a preacher (and a teacher). The most common trade among my kinsmen is teaching and preaching in one form or the other. I am a writer, an artist, an entrepreneur and a teacher.

My siblings are professionals in various fields but by and large they are also teachers. Simply put, teaching is a basic career in my family and in the community where I come from but we have over time, developed other skills and means of earning income. I have medical doctors, engineers, bank managers, musicians, etc in my family who have discovered ways of expressing that basic tendency to teach. It is our calling.

Now the fact that I come from a family of teachers does not mean that I should not aspire or work towards being the best teacher there ever was or being the biggest teaching entrepreneur in Nigeria. I know that I am not restricted to teaching in the classroom.

That I am a Nigerian does not limit my aspirations to be best at any field I choose. I always tell young people that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s father is not the owner of World Bank where she rose to be the President until she recently returned to Nigeria to take charge of the Ministry of Finance. She did not have to know anybody to be at the top today.

D’banj, TuFace, Genevieve Nnaji and so many other Nigerian successful artistes are pulling their weight in their chosen careers inspite of limitations

 There is nothing that cannot be achieved if one sincerely and consistently works at it. I am an African does not mean that I cannot reach the highest international height in my field. President Barack Obama, Beyonce Knowles, Oprah Winfrey are all Africans and they are still doing very well in their diverse areas of endeavour.

This is the result of their personal effort to achieve distinction and excellence. This is personal achievement. Every individual has the potential to excel if they work at it and in the same vein, every business has the potential to excel if the entrepreneur works at it. What I just want to reveal here is that it is not impossible. There are too many written material on success tips in personal relationships and in business but believing that it can be done is key and working sincerely and consistently are the major keys to personal achievement.

Where many young people are unable to cope with studying and learning within conventional methods as presented in school classrooms, they may achieve much if they are allowed to try their hands at one form of apprenticeship or the other. It is usually said that no knowledge is wasted but a lot of knowledge that is being imparted in conventional school curricula are known to have expired and have become irrelevant to people after school.

One must keep discovering new methods of learning new things that will add value to his personal value on a daily basis.

Corporate Social Responsibility A Broader View

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

The debate on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) started as far back as the 20^th century and there are still arguments over the clear definition of what CSR is and what it should entail. CSR is the duty that corporations are expected to willingly perform in the environment where their business operates; in simple terms, it is a responsible way of doing business. Corporations should not be compelled under normal situations to perform these duties however time and again many companies have shown reason why they must be put under pressure to make them take up one form of CSR or the other. Pressure is normally mounted on companies by government, the media, consumer advocacy groups and other civil societies to make corporations conduct sustainable business practices.

 

CSR is more of a morale issue which corporate organizations are expected to take on without undue pressure from government and others. Where the government has failed to enforce careful and considerate disposal of industrial waste, the people and civil societies as well as the media are left with very little power to enforce these policies. It becomes clear why it is a moral issue for corporations to actively participate in CSR.

 

Globalization has greatly empowered companies while placing developing countries in a very vulnerable position to the extent that the CSR policies which multinational companies operate in developed countries like the USA are quite different from what obtains in a country like Nigeria.  Activities of consumer interest groups, the media and the government have to a large extent checked the tendency of multinational as well a local companies to deplete and degrade the environment without any thought for development of the community or for the safe and hygienic survival of members of the community.

 

Several years ago, a certain Mr. Nana of Koko a small village near Warri was paid by unknown persons to store in his compound some drums of substances that comprehensive laboratory analysis later proved to be harmful chemical waste. Not much care was applied in the disposal of condemned chemicals or equipment that have become useless or for general industrial waste and this is a menace that most third world countries are made to endure by large corporations doing business in their communities.

 

 CSR includes performing duties such as providing safe and conducive working conditions for employees, making contributions to social groups and charities with the community, taking adequate care to protect the environment from pollution resulting from their operations, providing scholarships and education grants to deserving students and also sponsoring education awards or a chair in institutions of higher learning within their business locality. 

 

While many multinational corporations have gone as far as constructing and furnishing health centers and schools for communities, many companies have simply gone ahead with their business without any tangible contribution to the improvement of their host communities. Probing among some of these companies revealed that certain members of the communities have called to demand and have been paid in cash what should or could have been expended on the development of the community.

 

There is a particularly nauseating stench (some stale or rancid type of cooking fat) that hits one’s nostrils as an eatery, hotel or restaurant is sighted; it has become one of the quickest ways of recognizing that there is such facility in the neighbourhood. It is expected that the management of such companies would take necessary steps to rid the environment of such ugly odor that comes from their activities in the locality as a CSR initiative. 

 

A lot of human rights issues which have been arisen in corporate organizations are traced to corruption in the form of indigenes receiving cash gifts from management and to a large extent, such companies take advantage of the people.

 

CSR is an opportunity for the government and the community to secure steps in sustainable development and every care must be taken to ensure that what is being offered is meaningful without necessarily laying too much of an administrative burden on the corporations. In addition, such companies are able to establish the reputation for integrity and best practices among members of the community as well as their employees.

 

GOD bless Nigeria.

THE MANY PENDING CASES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Violence Against Women (VAW) is not an entirely new issue among people; many more protective initiatives have been established to protect the rights of women from spousal abuse and from abuse in the hands of people they are known to be closely related to. It is agonizing to note the rising frequency in which women are being brutalized and killed by men who have at one point in time been intimate with them and the fact that a lot of those cases are almost never referred to again after the initial arrest by the police. Suspects are arrested and others continue to perpetrate these crimes. The truth is that for many years, women have been at the receiving end of hostility from males and this year 2012 alone, there are already more than 12 cases of VAW culminating in the early demise of victims.

It is high time people started to worry about the increase in the rate of VAW in our society. We keep reading reports in the dailies of incidence of VAW and people always get arrested and in a few cases, we hear of prosecution like the case of Mr. Akolade Arowolo who was alleged to have murdered his wife in their matrimonial home; it is expected that judgment will soon be delivered on matter between Mr. Akolade and the state. Another case being prosecuted is the very highly celebrated case of Ms Cynthia Osokogwu who was also murdered by people she knew as ‘friends.’ It is expected that the suspects in this case will appear again in court in the first week of October, 2012.  

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) should also be bothered by the increase in the number of such pending cases. Furthermore, NPF should be worried about the case of the Ms. Wunmi Adebayo of Tai Solarin University of Education student who was reported to have been gang-raped and subsequently murdered by a man said to be her boyfriend and his friends who are reported to be members of an armed robbery gang. NPF should worry that it took traditional intervention and investigation to get the man in question to own up to the murder of the deceased student because it shows how much trust and confidence people have in the police. Ms. Ella Ukhuelegbe, a 17-year old student of the University of Lagos also died under mysterious circumstances in January, 2012 and a male family friend identified as Tokunbo was arrested as a suspect in the matter. Between then and now, no less than ten women have died in cases of VAW and the number continues to increase.

The long and short is that whatever the punitive measures being applied by the police or the judiciary, it has not in any way served as a deterrent as many more cases are being reported.

The reputation of the NPF is at stake here as many of these cases are reported not to have reached the law courts for prosecution. Murder is not an offence that can be settled out of court and it automatically becomes a case between the suspects and the state and not between the suspects and the family of the deceased.

 

IMBIBING THE CULTURE OF BUDGETING

The peculiar nature of Nigeria allows room for the government to delay making the national budget public and from implementing the budget that has been drawn up by the Ministry of Finance with the support of all the institutions that oversee allocation and management of national resources.

There is always a clamour from many quarters for the reading and subsequent implementation of the national budget because the budget forms the blueprint for spending the nation’s economic resources. Without reading or implementing the national budget, the nation is courting economic chaos. Whether or not the country is wealthy, there must be a clear plan of how its resources must be spent.

The country will normally earn the money it desires to spend. In the same way, individuals, organizations and companies in an economic system must earn and spend money.  Naturally, what we desire to acquire will surpass what we are capable of earning, having a budget at hand helps us to identify what things require priority attention and what things we can afford to knock-off the schedule of expenses.

A budget is a financial plan that shows how money that is received into the system is expended. In very simple terms, it is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending of economic resources. Budgeting is a common practice among nations as they have many more ways of earning, borrowing and spending money. Budgeting is not limited to nations; organizations and businesses including sole proprietorship that aspire to much must draw up budgets and maintain records of how far they are able to implement the plans as stated in the budget.

The norm is that budgets are drawn up annually; however, for individuals and for households, it is good practice to draw up personal and family budgets as frequently as money is received in the purse. In a situation where there is more than one breadwinner in a household, a reasonable ratio of monthly contribution is agreed upon and based on the total for the housekeeping, a monthly budget is drawn up and as much as possible the budget should be maintain to avoid disagreements and conflict.

Successful implementation of the family budget is a sure way of earning the respect and trust of contributors and it goes a long way to foster peace and harmony in the home.

As early as possible, children should be introduced to the practice of working with budgets. Too many things have been left to chance and this is one way of restoring dignity and self-reliance in young people.

Human beings generally spend money on things that they believe that they need but if for some reason, they do not have the money to spend on these things, they come to terms with the fact that they can actually do without these things.

Drawing up a budget even before we receive the money helps to discipline our ‘wants’ or else we will almost always call for an IOU. People who are always short of funds and in need are never regarded as trustworthy enough to manage economic resources of an organization. No matter how pleasant, charming, respectful or  kind a person is, once he is identified to be having issues managing his funds, there will always be that invisible ceiling over his head.

The man who fails at managing his funds at any level will always fail even if he is entrusted with large amounts of funds.

The man who excels at managing his funds will always earn the respect and admiration of his superiors and subordinates inspite of other flaws in his character.

It takes consistent practice of budgeting and records keeping to perfect the discipline of effective management of one’s finances which could be quite difficult in the earliest days but over time, it becomes easier and more meaningful.

HOUSE-HELP WANTED FOR URGENT EMPLOYMENT

Putting up an advert like the above could take a long and complicated process to fill. Reason being that there is a scarcity of people who will fill the position. In time past, it was not very difficult to secure the services of such people because not many people saw the relevance of education and acquiring skills that would help them find decent employment. Thankfully, many more people see the need for education and training in some vocation.

Among the easterners, we still find people who ‘employ’ young boys and girls for apprenticeship while also using them as house-helps. If the boys or girls are fortunate enough to complete their apprenticeship and the ‘master’ fulfils his own part of the agreement, they are likely to be established in their own trade but if they are not, they are dismissed while serving as apprentice/house-help and abandoned either in the city or they are returned to their villages. They will still have reason to be thankful especially if they are not abused, dehumanized or murdered like we have seen in news reports.

Nigerians go as far as Benin republic to acquire house-helps who most of the time, are under-aged. There have also been reports of under-aged girls hired to perform domestic chores being maltreated by their employers. Effort of many human rights initiatives have not achieved much in terms of discouraging ‘employers’ from hiring the service of under-aged children as house-helps.

The CNN Freedom project will classify this form of labour as ‘slavery’. Unpleasant as it may seem, this is the reality that we are faced with. The ‘employers’ of this type of labour would definitely not want their own children to be ‘employed’ like that. They would rather cocoon and nurture their own with so much love and affection than expose them to the harshness of leaving home at the age of eight, nine or ten years to go and earn a living for the family in a strange land that offers them no love or protection.

Middlemen who have aptly been named ‘child traffickers’ along the line of the  transaction have raised the cost of securing the service of  house-helps so much that they earn as much as twice what the child doing the work earns. The fact that so many of such child traffickers get arrested every now and then has not deterred others from trying. They keep trafficking children and they keep getting caught and they always return to the trade.

This calls for inquiry. How come they always return to the trade? What would the police have to say about this and what would our lawmakers have to say on this issue?

New laws and edicts are being enacted on a daily basis as the need arises in civilized societies like the United States of America (USA) and the Nigerian judiciary should cease to hide under the excuse that there is no law against this or that or classifying one as an offence and other as a misdemeanor. New bills, laws and edicts should be introduced if that is what it will take to stem the constant violation and abuse of the rights of children.

In 2012 alone, several cases of child abuse have been reported but how many have been successfully prosecuted and how many offenders have been punished to serve as deterrent to others?

Civilized societies shun child labour and Nigerians should begin to do away with this evil age-long practice.

There a number of organizations that provide ‘after-school’ care for children while their parents work; working mothers should be encouraged to make use of such services in the interest of their children

Also, many grandmothers are known to care for their grandchildren while the parents are at work. A lot of them travel as far as to the United Kingdom and the USA to care for their grandchildren while the parents are out making a living. This has the two-way benefit of the grandparents enjoying the pleasure of nurturing their grandchildren and also having easy access to care in a civilized society instead of being tucked away in the village and forgotten by their children.

GOD bless Nigeria.