WISHFUL THINKING

 

Wishful thinking is indicative of the love for things one has neither worked for nor earned. Until some price is paid for something desiring such benefits will remain an elusive mirage. Many nations with strong economies and political structures have at some point in their existence fought bitter wars and made sacrifices in the interest of their country. It takes some advancement for people to come together as a country and make sacrifices to protect the ideals of their society. Making sacrifices without a plan or a template for proceeding is an exercise in futility because it will appear like simply groping about in the dark. Having a strategic plan worked out in the form of a template will be a guide to serve as a light in the course of the journey.

The generation of Nigerians that negotiated and contended with the colonialist for autonomy and self-rule of Nigeria by Nigerians rose beyond the level of satisfying their basic needs to attain the exalted level of nationalism and patriotism which were at the foundation of their struggles for the motherland. Many of them were imprisoned and brutalized by the government because of the stand they took against colonial rule.  Many of them were blacklisted and victimized in employment, business and in almost every other area of life in Nigeria. They maintained their stand and kept the struggle alive until self-rule was attained. Sadly however, after more than 50years of self-rule which has been plagued with religious and ethnic conflicts that culminated in the bitter civil war of 1966 to 1969 and so many other outbreaks of violence by way of militancy and insurgency, Nigeria has found it difficult to move beyond the position that it has reached as a nation.

One wonders why Nigeria has not risen above this level after so many years especially as Nigeria started out as a promising nation so much that Nigeria was tagged ‘the giant of Africa.’  It however turns out that the answer to the so many questions over this sorry situation is much simpler than the amount of thinking that went into the seeking.  Studies in development psychology especially on motivation reveal that people at the lowest rung of the table tend to be unreasonable when their expectations are not met and to a large extent they will easily sway in the direction of what seems to provide satisfaction for these needs. In essence for a pittance, someone who is entrusted with a delicate responsibility will easily compromise his authority when he is confronted with a need that is not quickly addressed by those who delegate authority to him.  Sadly the largest number of the Nigerian population exists at the level of basic physiological needs. The very few who have come close to the peak of the pyramid is an endangered species in the Nigerian society.

A typical scenario is one where Nigerian fans wish that the Nigerian National team would win a football tournament that they have not adequately prepared for and to worsen issues, the boys being entrusted with such a tedious responsibility feel no commitment to the team or the country but because Nigerians are good at praying, they believe that they are entitled to victory.

Nigerians are known to be highly intellectual and predominantly emotional; what is required at the moment is an honest confrontation of the image we see in the mirror and quit dreaming. A guide to assisting in attaining this reality is the above Maslow’s hierarchy of needs diagram; an honest study will reveal unpleasant results. If we carry out a sincere assessment and determine where Nigerians as a people stand on the ‘hierarchy of needs’ table, we will have a better understanding of the reasons why it would indeed be dangerous to make available so much power without putting in place necessary checks to control the use of such power. 

He that is empowered is not a powerful man indeed, rather he is placed in a position of authority and he is expected to render account for how he has expended the authority that has been entrusted to him.  He will do well to remember that people will ask and history must be written no matter how unpleasant the story may be.

It is of paramount importance that Nigerians start to make conscious effort to aspire to higher heights on the ‘hierarchy of needs’ table. There is a lot more to be gained by aspiring towards a noble way of living and conducting ourselves.

GOD bless Nigeria

THIS IS A MAN'S WORLD

THIS IS A MAN’S WORLD

Always approach darkness without fear! Then shalt thou find the light!
Meet sorrow with a trusting heart – so shalt thou discover an angel in disguise!
GOD thinks no evil of thee – desires no wrong towards thee – has no punishment in store for thee – give thyself into His hand and be at peace.
                                                                                                                        -.Marie Correllie

Acid bathing, honour killing, female genital mutilation, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, violence against prostitutes are some of the many names that we are familiar with; all aimed at displaying violence against women. One need not go into the logistics, psychology or “how to” details. They have been heard of and also witnessed by many.

Suzzy Idris, Victoria Johnson, Titilayo Arowolo and so many others lay dead and have become statistics in the ever-increasing incidence of violence against women in Nigeria especially by men they have been known to be intimate with. In our typical fashion, there was fanfare in most cities in Nigeria as people celebrated the International Day for Women. What is the celebration about?

Women being thought to be the weaker of the Homo sapiens specie are taken advantage of to the limit.  Ever wondered why a heated argument between men always fizzles out and ends in back-slapping and raucous laughter over some beer. It is never the case when it involves a man and a woman. The frequently sorry consequences are usually blamed on the devil, the woman or loss of control manifesting as temporary insanity.

I have always been and to date remain convinced that there is no such thing as loss of control. No one looses control when they are confronted by one who is superior by all standards.

From the days before civilization to the late 19^th century, women were largely believed to be inferior to men. Women were kept like one would acquire some item of value. Not much was expected from women in terms of intellect, opinion or common sense. The society has devised too many ways of tormenting women; sadly some of these causes were championed and promoted by women. The society has perfectly established the avenue for perpetual rancor between women; so sad that women hardly respect or admire other women and for the few who dare to express any respect or admiration for fellow-women, they are quickly blackmailed into silence with the label “lesbian.”

Evolution, technological advancement as well as change in religious perspectives have in one way or the other had great impact on this world. Why not on the society’s attitude towards women? Governments and the society have been blamed by many who have worked on this issue. The position of women will greatly determine how much the society may be willing to shift in its dogma concerning women. Women must do more than talk to secure emancipation of themselves from the shackles of mental slavery that an uncivilized and selfish male ego dominated culture has burdened them with.

Darkness and light have nothing in common. This interprets to mean that an illuminated mind which has become developed to the reality of a much broader world has nothing in common with an unenlightened mind which is so closed up and all centered on its own small world. Whatever the relationship between these two maybe, any suggestion of intimacy will terminate in tragedy.

Be not unequally yoked with an unbeliever as I understand it means that a broadened mind can hardly succeed in intimacy with a closed up mind. Suspicion and mistrust will continually trail the relationship until it will end in a fracas.

Women must believe that they are made perfect and complete enough to dwell in this world as an individual; a worthy man in the picture would be a bonus. However the need for male company should not reduce a woman to the reach of unworthy men.

As much as women seek GOD, so should they seek understanding of their heritage as women created by GOD.

Women should teach and train their sons to be kind to other people’s daughters. The end of an intimate relationship does not necessarily require for the woman’s life to come to an end. Parents are once again indicted for the negligence and proper orientation of their children and wards on how essential it is treat women with respect. Even where a woman is found not to deserve respect, it still is not enough reason to end her life. Every display of aggression or domestic violence must be strongly resisted and discouraged.

Religious leaders, neighbours, friends and relatives who get involved in resolution of cases of domestic violence should be cautious in making peace because in the event of death of the (usually) woman, you would have succeeded in hastening the death of one rather than making peace between the two.

Developed entrepreneurial instincts point to the fact that there will be a boom in training programmes, seminars, conferences arranged by capable hands on the need for a shift of society’s attitude towards women.

Finally, women will do well to stop believing that they are the weaker sex; take up some form of martial arts or self defense skills development and apply it when faced with danger of attack.

KNOCK-OFFS: MOBILE PHONES

KNOCK-OFFS: MOBILE PHONES

There is no phone that has not been counterfeited. The market for knock-offs knows no boundaries, from developing countries to the G-20 nations, there are stories of counterfeited mobile phones. Big names like Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericson, LG, etc have all been affected.

Reason for having so many fake phones in the market range from inability to differentiate fake from genuine, low price of fake phones and the deliberate desire of the consumer to patronize these fake products for personal reasons. Being an open market, it erroneously believed that no one is directly being affected by the sale of knock-off phones. Consumers suffer the loss of income in purchasing phones that would not serve on the one hand; and on the other hand, consumer also suffers health hazards due to dangerous emissions which become quite harmful with continued use of the product. There was a report of a young man who died due to massive electric current that ran through his phone which was charging while he was using it. The low price of these fake phones tightens the noose around genuine mobile phones and they are forced to take their business elsewhere because of the stiff competition and in doing so, the citizens suffer because of employment loss. The government also looses revenue in that duties and taxes are not paid.

For the Nigerian market for fake mobile phones, while hiding under the excuse of poverty and inability to afford genuine phones, consumers are cautioned to note that it is not just about the loss of income but the risk their health and further depletion of the already poor economy as well as taking jobs away from Nigerians. The Chinese government is putting in measures to stem the “Shanzai tech market” (copied or fake products) which is a money spinner but a major source of worry to the Chinese as well as the global technology sector.

United States of America and the United Kingdom are also making effort to check their activities by delisting such unrecognized phones from their national network. The Nigerian regulator, the National Communications Commission (NCC) has commenced an enforcement campaign of the NCC Act of 2003 which provides for protection of the consumer in establishing and enforcing standards for all telecommunications equipment in Nigeria with the aim of ensuring that they operate seamlessly and safely with the country’s telecommunication environment.  The NCC approved 57 mobile phones with different models for the Nigerian market effective March 14, 2011.

The implication is that all mobile phone service must receive the type approval of NCC for their equipment including customer devices like mobile phones and wireless adapters to conformity with applicable standards as mandated by NCC before bringing them into Nigeria. It has not been all talk or business as usual as the NCC came down on some mobile phones companies like Kenxinda Mobile and-Tide. Kexinda Mobile is a Chinese company that has about 17 different models of mobile phones in the Nigerian market without the NCC type approvals. The Head of Media and Public Relations of NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka explained that the company has the Standards Organization of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme certificate as well as the Sales and Installations certificate from NCC but these are different from the NCC type approval and for this reason the company was sealed.

The Head of Enforcement of NCC, Mr. Efosa Idehen confirmed that Kexinda was given enough time to regularize but failed to do so; rather the company continued business and was placing adverts in the dailies. Mr. Idehen stressed that Kexinda is just one out of the seven companies providing the service without the required approvals and in due time, they will be called upon.

Producers of genuine mobile phones owe the Nigerian consumer the duty of educating him or her on how to spot fake phones and continually stress the dangers inherent in using fake phones. It will do everyone involved a world of good if they would partner with regulators to carry out vigorous enlightenment campaigns.

The consumer will equally contribute to this campaign in being alert to spotting and avoiding fake phones. Some of the ways by which fake phones can be identified are:

i.                 Incorrect spelling of the brand name

ii.                Phone does not support English language

iii.               Phones of the same make and model come in different sizes and shapes

iv.               Instruction manuals are badly interpreted and almost meaningless to the consumer

v.                They come with no warranty

vi.               Logo is upside down or back to front

vii.             The price is too good to be true in relation to all the functions the phone is claimed to be able to achieve.

HIGHER ELECTRICITY TARRIFFS FOR NIGERIA
Along the line of rapid economic reforms planned by the Nigerian government which is aimed at the removal of the federal government subsidy on petrol, privatization of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and the Petroleum Investment Bill (PIB) which is aimed at unifying all the necessary legislation in one bill, providing a clear framework for investment in the energy sector the new Multi-Year-Tariff Order (MYTO) will be officially released by the end of February and will take effect between April and June.  The increase in electricity tariffs will range between 25 and 88% which will result in increase of up to 50% in bills.  This new tariff structure will result in consumers having to pay more the supply of electricity.  The chairman of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Mr. Sam Amadi made this known to journalists.

According to Mr. Sam Amadi, NERC has taken a lot of factors into consideration as the increase will not be a 100% increase across the board and NERC also plans to ensure that consumers are effectively carried along so that members of the public are fully enlightened of the necessity of the increase.  The MYTO is aimed at gradually increasing electricity tariff to attract private investors to invest in NIgeria.  

The Minister for Power, Engr. Barth Nnaji  is reported by FT to have said “we are making sure that the urban poor and rural dwellers be provided a subsidy so that they don’t see a significant increase in tariff.”

While welcoming the development, responses from members of the public again highlight the fact that at a steadily increasing frequency, power supply tariffs have been increasing.  Some consumers express a lack of confidence in the government especially over the shocking removal of the Federal Government’s subsidy on petrol.  Furthermore, until December, 2011, consumers using the pre-paid meter were being billed for a meter maintenance charge – a service which was not being rendered.  It was a welcome relief when NERC instructed the Power Holding Corp of Nigeria (PHCN) to immediately stop the obnoxious charge.  The normal thing in Nigeria is that once costs begin to rise, it is very rare for such costs to be reverted.  It is like removing the meter maintenance charge was in view of the increase in electricity that was in the pipeline for Nigerian consumers.

In a meeting which took place between a delegation comprising of representatives of eight power companies, other financial service provides from the United States of America headed by the United States Deputy Assistant Secretary, William Fitzgerald and the NERC at Abuja on Monday, 13^th of February, 2012, the delegation called for proper public relations campaigns that will allow for awareness and effective dissemination of information on the proposed increase in electricity tariffs to prevent public outcry or protests.

Vice Chairman of US Export-Import (EXIM) Bank, Wanda Felton called for the use of radio to inform consumers due to its wide coverage and popularity in the country.  Mr. Amadi confirmed that NERC is already thinking along those lines.   

Electricity supply in Nigeria is ranked to be among the cheapest in the world and the supply of electricity one of the poorest in the world. With vast reserves of oil and the rapid economic growth all through Africa, majority of Nigeirans barely exist on less than the world defined poverty line; as low as below $1 a day. World Bank reports that with GDP rising from $87.8bn to $193.7bn which is a growth of about 120% which cannot be compared with population growth of just 16% clearly indicative of years of inequality in poverty and income. 

FOLLOWING THE STORM

FOLLOWING THE STORM

As soon as the protests took off, virtually all Nigerians became political and economic commentators at their various levels of experience and exposure.  Quite intriguing were the interviews and discussions on the various units of the media.  While the people vented their anger and frustrations at the government of the day for taking the decision to remove the Federal Government’s fuel subsidy, a can of worms was opened which has resulted in the ongoing probe panel that has been set up to investigate allegations of mismanagement and impropriety at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNCPC).  The panel chaired by Hon. Lawan Farouk is yet to conclude probing however; revelations that have been made so far are quite disturbing.

Madame Christine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited the president Nigeria a week before the announcement of the removal of the federal government’s subsidy on petrol.  Popular opinion has it that President Jonathan’s decision to go ahead with the removal while discussions and negotiations were still going on was the result of Madame Lagarde’s visit. The IMF as well other international financial institutions like the World Bank,  and the Paris Club the London Club have been pressurizing Nigeria and other developing countries in this direction as the basis for its continued support in terms of loans and other financial handouts.  One or two nations like Brazil have in the past agreed and undergone such economic revolutions and they are benefitting from the sacrifice. China also underwent such stringent sacrifice and today China is on the same pedestal as world economic giants.  Very true, however, the magnitude of corruption in China and Brazil cannot be compared with what obtains in Nigeria.

Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on many occasions during the protests stated that Nigerians express a strong sense of distrust for the government; this is equally true, however, while Nigerians look forward to the development of Nigeria and making the required sacrifice, the issue of corruption continues to fester so it is not entirely out of place to distrust the government.  The ongoing probe is aired on national television stations most of the time and from what little gathered so far, government subsidizing petrol is not the real challenge before Nigerians rather, it has become clear that the avenues for wastage in the government of the day is colossal and by all standards, the government has turned out to be too expensive for the economy.

Mr. Olisa Agbakoba referred the panel to the audited accounts of the Federal Government of Nigeria which showed that a lot of money slips away unaccounted for and if such a wastage is cleared and properly channeled, the government would not need to be borrowing or falling at every threat of international financial institutions who fail to see that there are at least 90% of Nigerians who exist on less than $2 a day.