A plague called degree (2)

Tribune Online
A plague called degree (2)

This is the second part of Henry Mutebe’s piece. Enjoy!

“They don’t work because their parents cannot give them money. They work because it is a value that has been embedded in them from childhood. Once a student finishes high school, he takes on a part time job and saves money for use in the university or for travels. Few European parents will buy their child a ticket to come to Africa as a tourist. The child will have to work and save for such luxuries.

In those economies, if you want some money from your parents, you borrow and pay back. Nothing comes free. They teach you to live independently. Attending a University or having a degree is nothing new. You are not the first or the last. Serving people in a restaurant does not make anyone look less a graduate. Service is service! Work is a value added.

In those climes, most of the areas near Universities are filled with university students working as part timers. Students are encouraged to take up these part time jobs. The white people we like to imitate are doing what we consider too dirty or casual for a graduate in Africa.

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It got me thinking about students in our Universities here in Uganda (you can substitute Nigeria or any other African country). I thought about all the restaurants around university campuses and the attitude of University students and graduates about these types of jobs. I thought about the poor attitude we have in the continent towards work. I looked at the chapatti boys and girls we despise who are minting money and doing great things in their lives and for their families. I thought about the people who fear nothing, who go out and just do it while we sit back.

The more I thought about it the more I realized why it would take us longer to develop. We have a generation of young people who feel that they are too educated to do certain jobs. We have a generation of children who have been prepared for a life that doesn’t exist. We have a crop of young people who appear whiter than the whites. My time in Europe taught me that we need to get back on the drawing board and re-orient our graduates.

Our young people should be oriented to appreciate the value of work. There is no reason why a University should not employ students to clean the Library, kitchen, dining halls, hostels. It is improper that a university canteen should find external staff when it has over 30,000 students who can work in shifts and serve other students.

The ability to do such “menial” jobs without feeling squeamish makes you a true leader. When students grow up with a sense of entitlement and a higher standard of living, it translates into greed when they get into national politics. They seek privileges that make them tower above everyone because they have a sense of superiority. For them, work is about money, status and not service.

Conversely, people who are willing to serve, and not merely earn, make better leaders. A service culture raises a generation of leaders who don’t do things to be seen or be thought of as higher and more qualified, but leaders who get things done. In some firms in western societies, when they look at a CV, service experience says a lot about the attitude of a person, their humility, values and philosophy towards work.

We seem to be raising a generation of children whose only image of the West is what they watch on TV. They speak using enhanced accents, and know the latest gossip or gadget. They are ‘cool’ but they have no idea what makes the West what it is. My experience there shows me something different. People work and do ordinary jobs and that’s how things get done.

We have a big problem in our society and we have to find a way to deal with it. If we are to get good leaders, we must first change the attitude of young people about work. An inflated self-image creates bad leaders who want to further segregate themselves from the ordinary people they consider low and less qualified.

Young people despise odd jobs because they believe work is all about status and money. Taken further into their lives, it means they may likely want to maintain status and money as their pursuits when they get into leadership positions. If we must correct our leadership and governance problems, we need to do something about the attitude of our undergraduates and graduates about their philosophies and values about work.

Do not despise work, go out there and just work. The Pope was once a bouncer at a club. Today he is one of the most powerful men in the world. Imagine that you had nothing to fear, what would you do to earn a living? Imagine that you had no degree or that anyone cares, what would you do to earn a living? Imagine, that no one is going to help you find a job, what would do?

I am not saying you should go and do what you don’t like but maybe, just maybe, you may need to develop a new attitude towards work. Serve people (in whatever capacity as opportunities unfold) and be happy to have served. You can never tell what the future holds, and you may never know who you will meet at your humble place of work.

Even for you that are already employed in ‘high’ places, it would not be a bad idea to go out and find a part time job (if you have time) or volunteer services in the evening or weekend at any place where your services can be of use.

Meet people, network and just keep yourself meaningfully active. Degrees are everywhere. Literally everyone has them, so just forget about the whole hype about it and be true to yourself. Don’t despise menial jobs. Serve.”

Thank you Henry Mutebe. You have spoken well. Service is life’s only pathway to true greatness. A short cut to the top will eventually cut anyone who follows it short! If you read the biographies of great men and women regarded as society’s heroes, you will see the route they followed to get to the point where society sees them as icons. Service is the rent you pay for the space you occupy on planet earth. If you can help as many people as possible to get what they want, you will never be caught derelict or stranded on life’s journey. Greatness is never hatched on the laps of haughty insolence or indulgent arrogance. Why do you think that very brilliant people with great ideas but who bypass several rungs of connecting with the electorate – ward, Local Government, State – to run for Presidency or governorship on the platform of a new party hardly win elections? They have not served a significant number of people in a significant way to command that significant level of trust!

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

A plague called degree (2)
Tribune Online

Source: Tribune

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What Facebook, Google taught this couple about building a Chinese app that reaches 25 million users

When Cathy Hsu and Tony Hsieh wanted to build an English language app for Chinese children, they decided to follow Facebook and Google's lead.
Source: CNBC World News

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Correa Agrees To Join AC Milan

Manuele Baiocchini, speaking on Sky Italia, confirmed that AC Milan and Correa, the Argentine striker of Atletico Madrid, have reached an agreement on the personal terms.

Therefore, the ball is now in the court of the two clubs, who will have to find the right agreement. The Spanish side are looking for no less than €50m for the striker, while the Rossoneri aren’t willing to go any higher than €40m.

In the coming days, new negotiations are expected between the two sides to try and work out the deal. In the meantime, Milan have secured some funds for the deal, as Andre Silva is one step away from joining Monaco.

The Rossoneri will receive around €30m for the sale, which they can then use in the Correa negotiations, reducing the gap between their spending limit and Atletico’s demands.

The post Correa Agrees To Join AC Milan appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

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Radical Candor

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Radical Candor

Whether you’re managing people or simply interacting with them, giving and receiving feedback can often be tricky. I believe that being able to both share and receive feedback is a true skill that only few people have truly mastered.

The main premise of “Radical Candor” is that you don’t need to cuss or shout or act rude to be a great boss. In contrast, the book encourages leaders to create relationships based on trust with the people that you work with.

I really like Kim Scott’s definition of a boss’ responsibility: “bosses guide a team to achieve results.” Bosses are ultimately responsible for achieving results. Rather than doing all the work themselves, bosses rely on other people to achieve results, and will guide them accordingly.

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The point about the importance of building and maintaining “trusting relationships” is probably the crux of the book. Once a relationship of trust has been established, it becomes so much easier to practise “radical candor” on a daily basis. Unfortunately, there’s no set formula for developing trust. Scott, however, has identified two dimensions that help people move in the right direction: “Care Personally” and “Challenge Directly”.

Care personally — I was really pleased to read about Scott slashing the idea of people having two radically different personas — with people’s work persona being radically different to their private persona. Scott makes the point that you need to be your whole self to have a good personal relationship. She also talks about genuinely caring for the people who work for you as a critical prerequisite for a strong relationship.

Challenge directly — This involves telling people that their work isn’t good enough. Scott argues that challenging people “is often the best way to show them that you care when you’re the boss.” As counterintuitive as it may sound; challenging people directly can be a great way to establish a relationship. Challenging people, in a clear but constructive way, is often appreciated — despite it feeling hard initially.

“Operationalising” good guidance — The book introduces a helpful matrix, which has four quadrants to consider in light of how to best care personally and challenge directly: “Ruinous Empathy”; “Manipulative Insincerity”; “Obnoxious Aggression” and — the desired one — “Radical Candor”. Scott stresses that each quadrant refers to guidance, not to personality traits. These quadrants are not used to label people, but to learn about the types of guidance we are or should be providing to the people we interact with.

How to criticise without discouraging? — Scott mentions a number of useful tips on how to criticise people without discouraging the person. Also, it’s important to ask for criticism before giving it. As hard as it can sometimes feel, it’s important to actively and continuously ask for feedback, as a way of building a two-way relationship. Scott provides some pointers to make it easier to ask for guidance, particularly from people that report to you.

Secondly, be humble and helpful, offer guidance in person and immediately, criticise in private, and don’t personalise. Thirdly, make it clear that the problem isn’t due to some inflexible personality flaw, and share stories when you’ve been criticised for something similar.

Main learning point: Being radically candid doesn’t mean that you can just be rude and upset people. Instead, “Radical Candor” does a great job of offering readers with lots of valuable tips about how to care personally and challenge directly.

Guidance: Guidance is often called “feedback”. People dread feedback — both the praise, which can feel patronising, and especially the criticism. However, in order to solve problems or make the most of opportunities, people do need to solicit guidance from others, and encourage it between them.

Team-building: Building a cohesive team means figuring out the right people for the right roles: hiring, firing, promoting. Once you’ve got your team in place, the focus should be on engaging with your team (without micro-managing) and keep people motivated.

Results: Ultimately, it’s all about achieving results. As a boss it’s your responsibility to guide your team towards achieving key results.

Obnoxious aggression:

A word of warning: “Radical Candor” isn’t about offering bosses a blank cheque to be rude or aggressive and act like a jerk. Whilst I believe in directness over sugarcoating things , I’ve learned that 100 per cent directness doesn’t work for everyone and can easily be perceived as aggressiveness. Scott’s point about the debilitating nature of obnoxious aggression therefore really resonated with me.

Manipulative insincerity:

Manipulatively insincere guidance happens when you don’t care enough about a person to challenge directly. People give praise and criticism that’s manipulatively insincere when they are too focused on being liked or think they can gain some sort of political advantage by being fake — or when they’re just too tired to care or argue anymore. When you challenge directly, as Scott explains, you truly care about the people that you challenge. The flip side happens when you don’t care and end up simply wasting your and everybody else’s time by trying to fake it.

Radical Candor
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Source: Tribune

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Conor McGregor Wants Former Opponent Diego Brandao Back In UFC

Five years just passed since Conor McGregor fought Diego Brandao at UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin, Ireland. McGregor was still and up-and-coming featherweight at that point in time, and the first-round TKO win over Brandao helped legitimatize McGregor as a forced to be reckoned with at 145lbs in the Octagon.

On the fifth-year anniversary of their fight, McGregor took to social media to tell his former foe that he thinks he should be back in the UFC. Brandao was released by the UFC in 2016, and has been fighting for promotions such as RIZIN and Fight Nights Global ever since then.

Here’s what McGregor said to Brandao on Twitter.

“You have some phenomenal finishes in your storied career Diego, you should still be in the UFC. The lower leagues are no match! A true finisher! Happy anniversary my brother.” — Conor McGregor

Since being released by the UFC, Brandao has gone just 4-3, and he is coming off of a decision loss to Marcin Held in his last fight. However, he is still putting on entertaining fights for the most part. Keep in mind that Brandao had a solid record of 6-4 in the Octagon, and even won The Ultimate Fighter. However, it should also be noted that he tested posted for marijuana for the Ortega fight, and to make matters worse was arrested for felony battery arrest a few months later. Due to all the legal troubles, the UFC decided it was better to cut him.

As for McGregor, there’s still no word of a potential return opponent inside the Octagon. With Justin Gaethje and Donald Cerrone being booked for a fight recently, it took away two potential opponents for McGregor. At this point, it seems likely he will wait to see what happens between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier at UFC 242.

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Source: Independent

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Administration of pensions in federal judiciary

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Administration of pensions in federal judiciary

BEFORE the advent of the 2004 pension Act, pension administration in Nigeria was bedeviled with all sorts of challenges ranging from inadequate funding and misappropriation of pension funds to delays in payment of benefits, lack of authentic records/data of pensioners, existence of ghost pensioners etc. This has been a thing of the past in the judiciary as a lot has been accomplished since the taking over of this responsibility by the National Judicial Council.

 

Pension rights of federal judicial officers

In 2007, the responsibility of the administration of Pensions of Federal Judicial Officers was transferred to the National Judicial Council viz; the Pension Rights of Federal Judicial Officers (Administration of Pension) Act 2007. Since then, the National Judicial Council has been paying the Pensions of the retired Federal Judicial Officers from its Annual Budgetary Ceiling.

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Upward review of pension of federal judicial officers

In 2016, the National Judicial Council, through the Office of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission reviewed upward, the Pension of the retired Federal Judicial Officers with retrospective effect from February, 2012, and paid arrears to the affected retired Judicial Officers. The review was in line with the provisions of Section 173 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended. This exercise will be a continuous one.

 

Payment of pensions

Payment of pension (Monthly) has always been a priority to the Council and as such all payment processes gets completed not later than 25th of every month. It is also a point to note that Judicial Officers that retire from service gets their gratuity latest two weeks from the date of the submission of request for payment provided that all the required support documents are made available and verified.

 

Contributory pension scheme

With the advent of the Contributory Pension Scheme in 2004, the contribution of employer and employee were both handled by the National Pension Commission. They made remittances into the Retirement Savings Accounts of the employees of the Federal Judiciary under the Contributory Pension Scheme on the basis of 7.5 per cent for the employee and 7.5 per cent for the employer, bringing the total contribution to 15 per cent for a month.

In 2012, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) transferred impromptly the responsibility for payment of Accrued Pension Rights of the Federal Judiciary Staff to the National Judicial Council. This development prompted the Council to commence the payment from the budgetary ceiling of the Federal Judiciary, after the actuarial valuation of the Liabilities of the Federal Judiciary Staff.

 

Information technology 

In 2018, the council created a data base center for the pension department to ensure custody of the bio-metric data of all retired judicial officers and staff of the federal judiciary. The council also deploys an Easy-Pay Module to facilitate an electronic payment in the department, such as; e-Voucher, e-Vote Book, e-Expenditure Control, e-Checking and e-Mandate. This has tremendously brought progress, accuracy and speed with which payments are done in the Pension Department.

 

Verification / enrolment exercises

It is a tradition that annually, pension department embark on verification of all pensioners who are currently captured in the payroll of the council with the aim ascertaining the genuineness of their true existence so as to curb the menace of making payments to the non-existing pensioners. This is usually done periodically by taking the exercise to the door steps of all the retirees across the 36 states of the Federation including FCT, Abuja.

To further simplify the exercise, the use of Information Technology has been deployed in recent time.

 

Training and development

• Training of staff: – Pension industry has always been a dynamic industry with changes and challenges coming up by day. This affirm the fact that the industry is still evolving and that makes it necessary for the Council to always consider keeping its staff abreast with the trend and developments in the industry through special and tailored programs by well-informed professional bodies such as the ASCON, ITF, CMD etc.

In addition, the department has made series of commitment in conducting training programs annually for its staff in collaboration with National Pension Commission as well as having interactive sessions with Pension Desk officers of all Courts and Judicial Bodies.

• The pre-retirement training: The Council is very much informed and in tune with its responsibility of preparing its staff for retirement and as such a lot of efforts and resources have always been channeled toward accomplishing this task. This has helped tremendously in preparing the staff for a life after service. The program is usually a three-day program that entails lecture series, visitation to farms / SMEs and also interface with the participants’ spouses so as to tune them to empathizing with their partners upon retirement.

 

Challenges:

The successes recorded in the administration of pensions in the Federal Judiciary must not have been achieved without some challenges. Some of the challenges are highlighted as follows:

• Non-provision of special funds by the budget Office of the Federation outside the budget ceiling of the Federal Judiciary for payment of Pensions to retired Judicial Officers.
• Duplication of Retirement Savings Account Number (RSA) by some employees, thereby, causing hindrance on accurate remittance of monthly contributions.
• Late submission of required documents for the process of retirement benefits.
• Lack of financial support by PenCom to carter for the liability of paying the Accrued Pension Right of Federal Judiciary Staff upon the taking over of such responsibility from PenCom.

Aminu Safana is Assistant Director, Pension, National Judicial Council

 

 

Administration of pensions in federal judiciary
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Source: Tribune

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Asue Ighodalo: Exceptional boardroom guru at 60

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Asue Ighodalo: Exceptional boardroom guru at 60

We pass through life in stages and there is a rite of passage for each stage. We are born, reach puberty, get married, become old and eventually pass through transition. We also experience baptisms, confirmations, school graduation ceremonies and retirement parties. We pass through times which stand out as moments in which we become that little bit older, bolder and wiser. But as we grow older, we are tempted to think that our best life’s work and fun are behind us. Yet, a new report by Cigna Insurance Services (UK) has just established that life truly begins at 60 and not 40, as the American psychologist Walter Pitkin postulated in 1932.

As the Chairman of Sterling Bank Plc, Mr Asue Ighodalo, celebrates the important milestone of a new beginning in life at the age of 60 today, a significant part of this rite of passage would be messages of felicitations and congratulations from associates, family and friends across the country and beyond. If the meaning of life at any age can be defined by what is most important to most of us, for Mr Ighodalo, it will surely be his towering achievements as a boardroom guru. While many of his contemporaries may be looking forward to retirement, it is certain that Mr Ighodalo will continue to find meaning in his many commitments to corporate Nigeria at the boardroom level.

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Obviously, the highly respected former teacher of corporate governance and legal aspects of a director’s duties at the Lagos Business School could not have started his career in the boardroom. Having learned the benefits of hard work, integrity, character, strength and the fear of God from his parents at an early age, Mr Ighodalo set out to be a banker by studying Economics at the University of Ibadan, but his father had other ideas for him as a choice of profession. The elder Ighodalo prevailed on him to study law because it is a more “focused profession” and as a dutiful son, the younger Ighodalo agreed and proceeded to the London School of Economics to study after his Economics degree.

But true to what Sir Richard Branson, the British inventor, author and businessman, said that “There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions – in a way that serves the world and you.” Mr Ighodalo eventually returned to his first love and is today renowned for his exploits in the banking sector of the Nigerian economy. His core areas of practice are corporate and project finance, securities and capital markets, energy and natural resources, mergers and acquisitions and banking and securitisation.

Ighodalo is also a founding partner of Banwo & Ighodalo, a multi-disciplinary firm which provides legal advice on aspects of corporate and commercial Nigerian law.

More than anything else, Mr Ighodalo not only teaches the qualities which every director must possess to perform optimally in the boardroom, he has brought his considerable experience in corporate governance to bear on the fortunes of the companies where he serves as the chairman. The phenomenal growth of Sterling Bank in recent years and the company’s pioneering efforts in several areas of banking through the introduction of innovative products come to mind.

For instance, while many banks were unprepared for the latest directive from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) for banks, Sterling Bank is among the few ones that have surpassed the 60 per cent minimum LDR directive. The bank recorded an impressive 78.9 per cent LDR, overshooting the new threshold by N148.29 billion after lending N618 billion out of N783.26 billion deposits. The risks associated with the new regulation such as banks underwriting high-risk loans which could lead to further asset quality deterioration and destabilisation of the industry are non-existent for Sterling Bank.

It should surprise no one that Mr Ighodalo is a boardroom colossus today having undergone extensive training at the hands of some of the best and most accomplished boardroom giants in the annals of corporate Nigeria.

Starting his career under the tutelage of the cerebral and meticulous Chief Chris Ogunbanjo, who exposed him to the practice of corporate and commercial law at the highest levels, Mr Ighodalo continued his training with Dr Christopher Kolade, a great Nigerian public servant, diplomat and boardroom guru who he described as his “father” and mentor.

He was also fortunate to know and associate with Mr Felix Ohiwerei, formerly of the Nigerian Breweries and the late Chief Adeyemi Lawson, two boardroom giants. Besides, he interacted closely inside and outside the boardroom with Messrs. Fola Adeola and Aliko Dangote and learnt a lot from all of them. In his words, “Learning from the best and having excellent mentors is invaluable.”

Summarising his thoughts on the duties of company directors, Ighodalo believes that company directors need to pay attention to the risk aspects of board membership, saying they could get into trouble if they breach their duties, or are negligent in the performance of their duties or do something wrong. “Being a director is really serious business which requires diligence, dedication and continuing capacity enhancement,” he said.

Today, Mr Asue Ighodalo not only chairs the board of Sterling Bank Plc, he also sits on the boards of public and private companies and NGOs including the Christopher Kolade Foundation, University of Ibadan Advancement Board, Dangote Flour Mills Plc, FATE Foundation, Main Street Technologies Limited (sponsor of the Main One cable project), the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Union Bank (UK) Plc, Okomu Oil Palm Plc and Kakawa Discount House.

Mr Ighodalo is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and currently serves as the vice-chairman of the NBA’s section on business law. He is also a member of the International Bar Association (section on energy and natural resources law, Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, commercial law and taxation committee of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chartered Institute of Taxation, the policy and monitoring committee of the National Council on Privatisation, and the Edo State Economic Strategy Team.

As Mr Ighodalo turns 60 today, he should have a greater sense of fulfillment for having touched the lives of so many people and for being a source of inspiration to thousands of others. He learned at the feet of the masters and has mentored many others in their journey towards greatness. No greater sacrifice is expected of a truly great man. Here is wishing Mr Asue Ighodalo a long and healthy life.

 

Adewale Okoya, former Editorial Chairman of Financial St     andard Newspaper, writes from Lagos.

Asue Ighodalo: Exceptional boardroom guru at 60
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Source: Tribune

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Quality of fabrics threat to Nigeria’s fashion business —Adeyemi, CEO, DLX Designs

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Quality of fabrics threat to Nigeria’s fashion business —Adeyemi, CEO, DLX Designs

Adeleye Adeyemi is the creative director and founder of DLX Designs, Lagos. In this interview with NIYI OYEDEJI, he speaks about his voyage as an entrepreneur in the fashion industry.

 

WHAT does your business entail?

DLX Design is a fashion designing brand that aims at giving people the best of sartorial elegance they will ever cherish and as such, portray them as the cynosure of all eyes. We sew agbada, kaftans, shirts, pants, and all. When you are talking about fashion designing, DLX offers the best of a kind.

 

What inspired you to start your business?

I don’t want to go into the details of how I was born into a fashion-oriented family, but that was actually not where the inspiration emanated from. The inspiration in actual sense boils down to the fact that I find happiness in the fashion designing realm. I have always loved to have people carrying my signature all around. How would I achieve this used to be what I always thought of before the idea of fashion designing was adopted.  Whenever  I sew exquisitely for one person, and he wears and carries it around, people will see it, admire it, and keep asking me to reproduce such for them. This was actually what spurred my interest and I started seeing myself as someone who can have his signature being adopted by many people of the world. And, to the glory of God, no regret so far since I started this profession.

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What was your initial start-up capital, how were you able to raise it and how would you say your business has grown since starting ?

After I completed my training at the fashion school, all I could gather was a paltry amount that couldn’t buy me more than a manual butterfly machine. I bought the machine and placed it in a corner of my room and, against all odds, I started with the production of corporate shirts. I refined myself with the strategy of wearing shirts of any design that I sewed, snap photos wearing them, and post on social media. Orders began coming in from my close friends and family. Referrals began manifesting too. So, I started saving up for the rainy day, an action that later gave me the luxury of having enough to afford an industrial machine. With the purchase of an industrial machine, my works began to wear more exquisite look that I particularly was so proud of. Orders started coming in torrents. I cut down my expenses and increased my saving strength. By so doing, I was able to get a shop. In the spirit of advancement, I got an office where we are currently.

 

Fashion designing is one of the jobs with many practitioners, what makes you different?

Concisely, let me say the uniqueness and touches in our craft distinguish us from others. Also, we maintain two things very strictly: consistency and integrity. Our clients have actually tested us in these two areas, and, remarkably, they were not disappointed. We deliver whenever we tell you we will deliver. And, we give you the best of what you want.

 

How many employees do you have currently?

I currently have five paid staffs and many apprentices learning the craft.

 

When was your business established?

I started in 2016 after leaving the fashion school.

 

What are your expansion plans?

Inasmuch as some clients won’t bother about location, all that matters is the quality of the craft you are offering. However, for a business like fashion designing to grow, the closeness of the business to the targeted customers is very paramount, hence, we have plan to expand our tentacles to the major centres in Lagos. We want to cover Ikeja, Surulere, Lekki, and Ajah. We really want to take over Lagos. That’s the big plan. And we want to go beyond the shores of Lagos too. We want to be global.

 

What are the major challenges you have faced since you started?

I will say that the epileptic power supply, lack of quality fabrics and difficulty in accessing business-friendly loans are the major challenges I face. But all thanks to God, things are changing for better.

 

Tell us about the challenges you face and what you think Government at all levels should do to help entrepreneurs like you.

Most of the time, we employ the service of the generator to enhance the smooth running of the business because of the erratic power supply in the country. This, sadly, reduces the expected profit at the end of the month. Although, I must confess that there has been an improvement in the power supply but, we urge the government to please work harder to eradicate completely the menace of power supply.

On the lack of quality-assured fabrics, since I started practising this profession, I have come to realise that the price of fabrics does not always determine its durability. We have had cases where we make use of the most expensive fabrics in the market and still get unpleasant feedbacks from clients on its durability. So, this brings us to the fact that we must always be extremely careful when selecting fabrics for designs.

In saner climes, there are always specifications to the quality of goods coming into the country. The government of Nigeria should also set up a body to regulate and control the quality and kind of fabrics coming into the country.

Also, on the difficulty we encounter in accessing loans, it is a very sad story. We read on dailies everyday the number of loans made available for entrepreneurs by the government and other agencies but, sadly, these loans are not easily accessible to many of us.

 

Who do you look up to as role model in this business?

Of course, there are many designers to look up to as a mentor in this business. However, aside from my boss who taught me the rudiments of fashion designing, another man I look up to, having read, studied keenly and marvelled on how he transformed from a small shop operator into a big factory owner is Mr Seyi Adekunle of Vodi group, that man is a giant of inspiration.

 

What advice would you give to upcoming entrepreneurs?

My advice to them is to build their integrity and keep a good relationship with people around them, as those around them will serve as their first customers. Also, they should take note that consistency is key to sustaining any business. People will doubt you, family might forsake you, friends may not encourage you, but your ability to stand strong in the midst of these tribulations is what will make you a successful entrepreneur. And, trust me, after you worked yourself to success, foes will turn friends and those who had once forsaken you will be the ones licking your boot.

Quality of fabrics threat to Nigeria’s fashion business —Adeyemi, CEO, DLX Designs
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Source: Tribune

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James Harden Meets With Real Madrid Players

Real Madrid played against Bayern in Houston in the International Champions Cup.

This meeting was attended by the leader of the rockets James harden. After the match, the NBA star visited the locker room of the Madrid team.

MVP of the season-2017/18 talked and took pictures with the players of real Madrid

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It isn’t right to esteem people above principle (2)

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It isn’t right to esteem people above principle (2)

I ended the first instalment of this high-profile and life-changing piece by saying that we hardly can grow on the condition that we do not experience the painful consequences of our poor character choices. There are growth-lessons that one may never learn until one burns his or her fingers. Some moths back, I met with two young females and spoke to them on the need for them to become visionary and focused, so as not to get impregnated when they were not ready for it. A few days back, I saw one of them with a protruding belly. Now, she knows better. She has grown as an effect of the painful end result of her poor choice of sleeping around without being ready for pregnancy while being a teenager.

The same thing is true when a wife tries to stop her husband from disciplining the children. As the husband gets ready to punish disobedient behavior, the wife cries, “No, no, do not do that!” In standing between the children and their father, she prevents them from experiencing the consequences of their disobedient actions. Instead of learning obedience, the children learn that if they make poor choices, mom will always be there to protect them from the corresponding backlash.

Biodun Fatoyinbo: Police invite Timi Dakolo, wife for questioning over rape allegation

When parents do not take the rightful position in the disciplining of our children, consequences will step in to do it for us, by bringing the negative harvest of our children’s disobedience. If we insist on stepping in to “protect” them from their consequences, we will likely stop the very process that will ensure the transformation that they so desperately need. And if we continue to tolerate compromise and rebellion in our children, over a long period of time, we are in danger of seeing the day when they will be destroyed—without remedy.

None of us want to see our children not be up to snuff. But we must realize that they can only succeed and prosper as they learn to follow after character. It is our responsibility to teach our children what we, too, must learn: A lack of character reaps an unwanted future. There is no substitute for character—absolutely none. This is why I am terrified about the current generation of Nigerians we are raising. They are gifted and skillful, but they are terribly bankrupt in character.

We have to learn the difference between assistance (helping a person who is down) and interference (attempting to circumvent a person’s consequences). We must not stop consequences from coming to another person. If we bail him out, he will never learn or grow in character; and it won’t be long before he’s in the same jam all over again. Why is this true? Because, when we refuse to learn by instruction, consequences will readily take its place.

Furthermore, even obedience and suffering do constantly go together as five (5) and six (6) would. No one truly becomes obedient without suffering. When we were growing up, until a toddler would burn his fingers, he or she would never learn to avoid a hot lantern. Suffering and growth are as a Siamese twin! You cannot really grow without suffering. Please understand me that the breed of suffering I am talking about here has nothing to do with sicknesses and diseases. I am only speaking within the context of an unavoidable process. Remember, growth and comfort does not cohabitate.

For the umpteenth time, I am a little petrified about the current generation of Nigerians. We leaders place too much emphasis on gifts, but we rarely teach on character. Today, our people are so gifted, but they are bankrupt when it comes to character. Remember, no nation rises above the collective character of her people. If we do not want a wishy-washy nation in the days to come, then we need to radically do something that will change the trajectory of our current narrative.

A lack of character is the reason that, in years gone by, the lives of several tremendously gifted men and women ended hideously and horribly. We have often discounted the greatness of these fallen individuals because of the way their lives ended. Yet, no one can deny the exceptional accomplishments of their earlier years.

So why did their lives end the way they did? Why did they bring no fruit to maturity? Because they lacked strength of character. They refused to live their lives in a principled manner. Thus, they made themselves open game for destruction. This can all be summed up by the following principle: When our entire focus is on getting what we want, we will eventually lose what we had.

Once we start recognizing the consequences of bad character, it is easy to see why character is such an important issue in every generation. We must raise our standards high, for without them—we are as those who build houses on shifting sand. To go far in every sphere of life, you must develop rock-solid character.

Lastly, we honor people, but the truth is, we honor our principles more, because when people leave and ditch us as an effect of insubstantial and flimsy excuses and reasons, our principles would still stick with us and speak for us. This is why it is wrong to sacrifice your values to please folks. Those who compromise their values in order to please folks usually do regret it in the end. This is why it is very wrong to esteem people above your values that have taken many years to cook. Till I come your way again next week Monday, see you where rock-solid leaders are found!

It isn’t right to esteem people above principle (2)
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Leaders and employee motivation

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Leaders and employee motivation

One of the major worries of leaders and managers is how to motivate their staff for optimum performance. The reason is not shrouded in any mystery; the wellbeing of an organization (output, liquidity, stability and reputation) is consequent on the passion quotient of its workforce. A highly motivated and impassioned work force will produce an out of this world result. Conversely, the performance of a flat-footed workforce can only be pedestrian. Hence, leaders are never tired of devising means to motivate their workforce.

What holds the key to making an employee stop at nothing to get a job done? What makes a worker go beyond the expectations of the employer? What is the motivation for a star performer? What is it that makes an employee brave all the odds to get his job done? Is it more money, the environment, position or other considerations?

As employers and leaders are interested in unravelling these puzzles, so are researchers.

My wife’s lover prostrated, confessed to me he had been sleeping with my wife for 5 years —Husband

Fallacy of power of money

The general belief is that the rationale behind work is to earn money. Corroborating this, Frederick Taylor, one of the earliest researchers on the power of money on employees, in 1911, described money as the most important factor in motivating the industrial workers to achieve greater productivity. But later studies found out that the motivational influence of money is transient. At a certain point, money is no longer a motivation for work. That was the finding of a study carried out in 2010 among workers in the United States of America by Timothy A. Judge, Ronald F. Piccolo, Nathan P. Podsakoff, John C. Shaw and Bruce L. Rich.

The study, entitled The Relationship Between Pay and Job Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis of the Literature, reviewed 120 years of research and synthesized the findings from 92 quantitative studies, while studying over 15,000 individuals and 115 correlation coefficients.

The study found that there was no strong correlation between money and job satisfaction or level of performance. The researchers found that the correlation was .14, which meant that there was less than 2 per cent overlap between pay and job satisfaction levels.

The researchers went a step further to carry out group level comparison, reporting that “Employees earning salaries in the top half of our data range reported similar levels of job satisfaction to those employees earning salaries in the bottom-half of our data range.” The import of the study, which has been subjected to cross-cultural comparison, is that money is not a major source of motivation for most workers. While money may motivate shop floor staff, its influence wanes as employees move up the ladder.

 

Failure of fringe benefits

A number of organisations have tried to motivate their employees by giving them fringe benefits. Provision of staff bus, medical allowance, free or subsidized launch, education allowance, Christmas bonus etc cannot keep the verve in staff for long because after a while they lose their motivational bite as employees fail to see them as benefits but rights. A company that started a welfare scheme for members of staff will have a lot of explanation to do if all of a sudden it expresses the intention to stop it because staff members will have come to view the scheme as a right, not a reward for exceptional accomplishments.

 

Challenging and friendly atmosphere

All employees love to work in a friendly atmosphere; a place where they can be themselves, where the boss is not unnecessarily difficult, where colleagues show understanding and the system is fair. Workers always look forward to such places because they spend a good part of their lives at the workplace. So, if they do not feel happy about where they work and the people they work with, it will have a telling effect on their performance.

In the same vein, most workers love challenging environments, a place that can task their creativity and stretch their ability, a place where their best can come into manifestation.

However, after working in an environment for a while, all of these no longer matter because they are taken as normal. Instead of serving as motivation for top performance, they may at a point become a bore and turn out to be a disincentive because the human nature is always yearning for something new. Therefore, the onus is always on employers to see to it that new things are always introduced in the work place to avoid creating a humdrum which can be a drawback on performance.

 

Promotion

Moving staff to the next level is seen a boon by many of them. It keeps them happy, motivated and loyal. It is seen as a recognition of their worth and contribution by the organization. Many workers appreciate promotion not just because of the additional money that comes with it but especially because it offers them an opportunity to do more for their organizations.

But promotion can never go round even among outstanding staff members. If there are four exceptional employees and there is a vacancy, it is a given that only one of them can get it. So, what happens to the rest? How will they be motivated to continue the work at their former pace? Then, the fact that an employee gains promotion at a point in his career does not mean that he will always be promoted because promotion is not just a function of performance; rather it is a product of a number of factors including a company’s policies, organizational chart and wages, among others.

In addition to that, there is the Peter’s Principle, which states that every employee rises to his level of incompetence. So, after promoting a staff up to a point how will the employer let him know that he is unsuitable for further promotion? How will the loyalty of such staff be assured after confronting him with such fact?

 

How to consistently motivate employees

Leaders often fail to motivate their staff on a sustainable scale because they lump everyone together. No two persons are the same, so needs vary among employees. What motivates a staff member may not of necessity be a stimulus to another. Therefore, to effectively motivate staff so as to bring the best out of them, leaders must know each of them personally and find out what it is that matters more than any other thing to each of them. Motivation has to be employee-specific to be effective.

 

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

According to Abraham Maslow, human needs are categorized as physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. Of all these, the highest is self-actualization. This, according to him, is the highest aspiration of an individual. What managers and leaders are supposed to do is to help everyone who works or relate with them to accomplish this. They can only do this if at the outset they come to the understanding of what the highest aspiration of a staff member is.

 

Roger Bannister’s feat

Roger Bannister finished fourth in the 1500 meter race in the 1952 Olympics, thus missing a medal. He was disappointed in himself because everybody had thought that he would end up with a medal. But instead of comforting himself with the fact that the majority of those who participated in the games returned home without a medal, he set for himself the target of being the first human being to finish the one-mile race under four minutes. For over four thousand years, no human being had been able to achieve the feat. Many had taken tiger milk and other performance-enhancing drinks and food but the harder they tried, the more they failed. In spite of his knowledge of this, Banister, then an Oxford University medical student, resolved to accomplish the seeming daunting task.

On May 6, 1954, at Iffley Road track in Oxford, Bannister achieved his aim when he was able to finish the race in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds, becoming the first human being to complete the mile race in less than four minutes. Bannister later rose to become a distinguished neurosurgeon.

What moved Bannister to break the 4,000-year feat? Was it money, promotion or the environment? It was none of those, it was self actualization, achieving a target he had set for himself.

 

Three categories of staff

By taking time to understand what self-actualization means to every staff member, a leader will find out that there are three categories of employees. First is the category of staff whose self-actualization aligns with the company’s goals and visions. These are the employees who come to the organization with a view to building a career. They are in it for the long haul. So, they are not discomfited by temporary discomfort. They always see a silver lining in the company’s cloud. They are not interested in jumping ship because they believe in the organization. Staff members in this category are self motivated. They do not wait for any prodding; they flow naturally with the company’s tide. Belonging to the organization is enough stimulus for them. Staff in this category go the extra mile to ensure that things run smoothly in the organization.

Since these employees are already motivated, the leader has no problem raising their level of motivation.

The second category of staff is those whose aspirations are completely at variance with the goals and visions of the organization. They are in the organization because that is all they can get at the moment. Employees in this category are the first to complain when things go awry. Since they do not share the vision of the company, they are usually unwilling to make any sacrifice. They are always looking outside the organization for openings and they step out at the earliest opportunity.

Such employees are usually the ones who cause disaffection in the organization; they spin rumours and spread toxin. They are quick to pick holes in the position of the company and are the loudest complainants. They know that they have no strong attachment with the organization so they are not bothered whether it stays afloat or goes under.

Motivating employees in this category is a Herculean task. Once they are identified, the leader should not waste his time trying to make a corpse walk.

The third category of employees is made up of those without clear-cut aspirations. Because they are undecided, they are unstable. They do not know whether to stay in the organization or quit; they blow hot and cold all the time until they are able to decide what their aspiration is and if it is in alignment with the organization’s goals and visions. This eventually determines how they conduct themselves.

To carry out a good work of motivation on this category of workers, the leader must first help them to find out where they belong.

 

Dealing with the categories of staff

The best thing for a leader is to weed those whose aspirations are not in tandem with his vision right from the outset. Instead of allowing such to get into the system and spread ill-feeling, it is best to stop them from gaining access into the system.

So, apart from having the recruitment agencies or the human resources department do the preliminary work of interviewing and selecting candidates, the leader must have a session with every intending employee to have an understanding of his perspective and what drives him. Doing this will save the organization a lot of man-hours that would later be expended on employees who are with the organization physically but have their spirits elsewhere.

This is one of the secrets of the success of Richard Branson, Virgin Group chairman. There is nobody of any significance who gets employed in Virgin Group in any part of the world without being screened by Branson. With that, he has been able, to a large extent, to keep those with a different orientation away from his organization.

This is a strategy that never fails to work.

 

Last line

The best form of motivation is the one that comes from within.

Leaders and employee motivation
Tribune Online

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Barcelona Turn Down Danny Rose Move

Barcelona have reportedly rejected the chance to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Danny Rose.
The Catalan outfit’s alleged need for a new left-back in this summer’s transfer window has led to links with Augsburg’s Philipp Max and Wolfsburg’s Jerome Roussillon.

According to Sport, Barca were approached by Rose’s camp over a potential move for the England international, who has not travelled with the Tottenham squad on their pre-season tour.

However, the report claims that the Spanish champions turned down the opportunity to sign the 29-year-old as the club feel that there are better options elsewhere.

Rose, who has also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain, made 37 appearances for Mauricio Pochettino’s side during the 2018-19 campaign, including eight in the Champions League.

Spurs are said to be willing to sell the former Leeds United youngster this summer for a figure in the region of £20m.

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Yoruba question in Nigeria’s conundrum

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Yoruba question in Nigeria’s conundrum

The comprehensive letter written by the Alaafin of Oyo and Permanent Chairman, Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs,Oba (Dr) Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, to President Muhammadu Buhari, on the state of the nation.

 

Let me start since your first inauguration in 2015 as President and Commander-in-Chief of the country, I have never been timid or shy of my total support for the success of your administration to deliver the country to the Promised Land. My confidence had always been based on Your Excellency’s ability, fitness and competence in leading the country, to the Promised Land, where Law and Order prevail, individual liberty is guaranteed, economic well-being of the citizens is assured.

That my confidence in Your Excellency remains unshaken to date. In recent times however, I am worried about the security situation in the country, especially in the South-West geopolitical zone, nay the entire Yoruba-speaking area of the country, including Kwara, Kogi and Edo states.

This has to do with the incessant and increasing menace of Fulani herdsmen that have laid siege in almost all the highways of Yoruba land. Whether in Owo, Akure, Ilesa/Ife-Ibadan road or Ibarapa zone and Ijebu area of Ogun State, the story is the same.

I have held series of consultations with opinion moulders and eminent Yoruba leaders across board about the menace of these cattle herdsmen with such assault like raping of our women and on some occasions, in the presence of their husbands. That is apart from massive destruction of our agricultural lands; which ultimately points to imminent starvation.

BREAKING: Armed gang kidnap four Turkish expatriates at drinking joint in Kwara

On top of it all is the menace of professional kidnappers usually in military uniforms. What is more worrisome about the kidnapping notoriety is what looks like impunity which these kidnappers enjoy their nefarious activities. After due consultations with Yoruba leaders and as the pre-colonial head of the Yoruba nation, we are worried by the audacity of these lawless people in effecting their illegal acts in broad daylight on our usually bushy highways without any arm of security being able to do anything. Worse still is the confidence with which they demand ransoms and collect such illegal levies at designated spots without any arm of security being able to lay siege on them as it was the practice in the recent past.

Now, we cannot even talk of parading suspects, when in actual sense, no major arrests have been made in this part of the country. Without arrests, we cannot talk of their facing of the law. Unfortunately, and painfully indeed, in the face of the apparent helplessness of our security agencies, where do we go from here?

It is in the wake of this manifest frustration of our people that our people have found it unavoidable, even though reluctantly, to resort to alternative measures to safeguard their lives and properties. Suffice to say that in most parts of Yoruba land, their pre-colonial military structures have not been totally collapsed. Hence, such structures like Odua Peoples Congress (OPC), Agbekoya and other vigilante groups.

Having stated the above, and having established my premise as a stakeholder in your administration in the firm belief that we all believe in the Nigeria project, kindly permit me, Mr President, to make the following points and submissions as the Alaafin of Oyo, the King and Head of all Yoruba at home and in the diaspora and the Chief Custodian of Yoruba culture and values.

The people of Yoruba land in the traditional six states of the South-West geopolitical zone and extending to some parts of Kogi, Kwara and Edo states live in palpable fear because of the new wave of insecurity of lives and properties they now witness on a daily basis and which is alien to them. This new uncomplimentary development is not unrelated to the new wave of criminal activities usually associated with banditry, armed robbery and lately, kidnapping and rape of genuinely innocent and law abiding citizens. I remember when these nefarious activities were first noticed in the Oyo/Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, I took proactive steps to stem the tide and to amicably normalise relations between farmers and herders. Our initiative succeeded because we were dealing with genuine farmers and herders who had a commitment to Nigeria and who were interested in promoting their economic activities in a peaceful, prosperous and united Nigeria.

However, it is becoming obvious that the nature and character of banditry and kidnapping today are different from what they used to be. Today, it is not merely infraction in the course of doing business, but blatant and criminal violation of the constitutional right to life and liberty of innocent citizens of Yoruba land. A few publicly known instances will suffice.

1. Certain individuals were kidnapped along the Erio-Aromoko road, Ekiti State. They were tortured and exposed to danger in the forest for upward of two weeks. These victims included the Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikole Branch, Adeola Adebayo, whose decomposing body was eventually found after a ransom price of N4 million had been paid.
2. Two officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, both Yoruba, were picked up along the Ilesa-Akure highway. In the process of this kidnap, an unnamed individual died.

III. Musibau Adetumbi, a legal practitioner based in Ibadan was going to attend an Appeal Court session in Akure when he was kidnapped along the Ilesa-Akure highway.

1. Professor Adegbehingbe, a surgeon at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, was adopted along the Ibadan-Ile-Ife highway.
2. Dr Muslim Omoleke, the Administrative Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was kidnapped around Ilesa, Osun State.
3. Mr Ayo Oladele, an employee of Guinness Nigeria and an old student of Christ School, Ado-Ekiti, was adopted and taken away and lately,

VII. Dayo Adewole, son of a member of your 2015-2019 executive council and erstwhile Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, was kidnapped on his farm at Iroko, a village along the Ibadan-Oyo road.

There are many other instances of kidnapping, raid, rape and banditry not publicly known but which were reported to the police and other law enforcement organizations.

As ugly as the picture above seems to be, the people of Yoruba land have remained generally peaceful and have resisted concerted effort to push them into civil disobedience or adopting self-help mechanisms to protect themselves in their homeland. They have demonstrated confidence in you and in your ability to stem the tide of these criminal activities. Yoruba have been restrained from believing the new found Islamization or Fulanization theory.

I am therefore writing to you, as a concerned stakeholder in your administration, to alert you and demonstrate to you, the urgency of the need to quickly respond to these and other issues concerning Yoruba land. There is a general impression among opposition groups that you are not known to take decisive and proactive steps in many matters of national interest and that you are not usually too disturbed about the gale of insecurity in Yoruba land.

May I also share with you the outcome or product of my wide consultations in Yoruba land to let you know, beyond what official security reports will make available to you, that there is a growing feeling of frustration, disappointment and despondency among our people, which if not immediately addressed, could lead to other serious national catastrophes and security challenges. The present state of insecurity is posing enormous challenges to people’s engagements in other economic activities. The incessant and increasing menace on our highways and farms in Yoruba land is making farming and other economic activities hazardous and dangerous. I recall with sadness that the Old Oyo Empire disintegrated because the slave trade introduced insecurity that made all other economic activities which had supported and enhanced the prosperity of Oyo to decline. It is never my wish that any part of Nigeria will ever go through this harrowing experience again.

Apart from massive destruction of farms and crops planted on them, the new wave of Fulani, pretending and disguising as herders have unleashed a reign of terror on Yoruba land. They destroy crops, they kidnap men and women, violate and rape our women, right in the presence of their husbands. What this portends is definitely more than the simplistic interpretation of farmers/herders’ clash but the deliberate acts of hostility and criminality. What makes it worrisome is the fact that for reasons best known to the police establishment, they have not been apprehending or pretend to be in the defence of victims. There is always a tendency to blame the victims and demonstrate helplessness in apprehending and bringing perpetrators to book to face the full wrath of the law.

It is even said, Mr President, that these criminal pseudo herders go about their nefarious activities in broad daylight and many times in military uniform. They carry sophisticated weapons, the likes of which are only available to state actors.

There seems to be no doubt that the security apparatus of the country is both overstretched and rustic. The philosophy of policing the state, protecting lives and properties and ensuring the existence of atmosphere that is conducive to life and living in Nigeria is lost on the security personnel. In Yoruba land, we are scared and worried about the outrageous audacity and effrontery of these criminal elements in carrying out their activities and without any challenge by security operatives. In situation where money exchanged hands, the police are adequately equipped to trace every paper money issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Intelligence gathering concerning money paid as ransom should lead, finally to these criminals since they would eventually make transactions with the proceeds of their illicit and criminal activities.

As no major arrest of Fulani pseudo herdsmen has been made till date in Yoruba land, suspects cannot be paraded, let alone arraigned. They even threatened a sitting traditional ruler and asked him to comply with certain directives to go about as if they are indeed above the law and beyond arrest. It is unheard of that the state could be seemingly helpless in the face of these criminal assaults on its integrity and capacity to carry out the most sacred of its mandate; preserving life and property.

Mr President, let me assure you that the Yoruba people traditionally have what it takes to defend themselves and interests against all enemy attacks. What is of immediate concern is the possibility of these traditional self-help mechanisms of defence to conflict with legal and constitutional framework of the security organisations. This is indeed my greatest fear, recluse to the situation is fast degenerating into what could trigger complete breakdown of law and order under a constitutional state arrangement. Thus, latent frustration must be nipped in the bud to avert a breakdown of the state system in Yoruba land. I am aware that members of the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) scattered all over the world are already being mobilised to stand in the defence of their land and are ready, willing and able to raise an army of volunteers as was done in 1968 by the Agbekoya.

It is trite saying that a stitch in time saves nine. For me, and relying on ancient wisdom, the dilemma of a possible breakdown of state authority and power could still be managed and the slide to anarchy arrested. Historically, and even now, ethnic relations between the Yoruba and the Fulani had been managed adroitly through excellent statesmanship and participatory administration of inter-ethnic group relations. I have had many instances of settling farmers/herders’ disagreements in my palace to the extent of instituting workable modalities for inter communal conflict management and peace building. What is strange is the new wave of criminally-minded Fulani groups. What is again disappointing is the ease with which these criminals will leave our country should there be anarchy in the land. They have other places to return to, but Nigerians don’t have another country apart from here.

This is a serious national emergency, when Fulani herdsmen are engaged in criminality all over the country and the sitting Federal Government seems helpless and generally unperturbed by what is going on in the security organisations. There is no doubt that some leaders of these security organisations are either incompetent or bankrupt of ideas. Some are even compromised to take any decisive actions against criminals. What we are witnessing in Nigeria is an anomaly because it is inconceivable that in the 21st century, when the whole world is making appreciable progress in providing enhanced standard of living, Nigerians will be living under the fear of banditry, brigandage, rape, kidnapping and terrorism.

Insecurity is posing a direct threat and imminent danger to living in Nigeria. It is capable of de-robing the country in the comity of nations and passing it off as uncivilized and barbaric.

As more and more countries issue travel restrictions to Nigeria and parts thereof, it is just a matter of time for Nigeria to lose whatever gains it has made in repositioning itself for more decisive participation in the international system. I trust that you will not allow this to happen and will quickly and decisively take immediate steps to re-establish confidence in your government and demonstrate the capacity of the state to protect all legitimate interests.

I wish you God’s guidance, courage and wisdom to do what is right, appropriate and necessary to build the Nigeria of our dreams, where no ethnic group is oppressed or taken for granted.

While urging you to take out time to read and consider this letter as coming from a stakeholder in your administration, I wish to assure you of the warmest regards of the Royal stool.

Yoruba question in Nigeria’s conundrum
Tribune Online

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Applause, relief as Buhari drags Nigeria into AfCFTA

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Applause, relief as Buhari drags Nigeria into AfCFTA

Nigeria has joined the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with the signing of the agreement by President Muhammadu Buhari in Niamey, Niger Republic. LEON USIGBE, who witnessed the event, writes on the import of the AfCFTA. 

 

It was a moment of unbridled ovation for Nigeria at the 12th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union on launch of the Operational Phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Niamey, Niger Republic, when President Muhammadu Buhari pulled the country into the fold after initially sending mixed signals. Leaders of the continent had in March 2018 gathered in Kigali to consummate the initiative, but Buhari was non-committal towards it as he reasoned that there was the need to properly evaluate the impact on the Nigerian economy.

Not too long after the Kigali meeting, the government signaled its intention to sign the agreement but objection from the manufacturing sector and other stakeholders in the country seemed to have caused the president to have a change of heart, leading to more consultations and the setting up a Presidential Committee to Assess Impact and Readiness of Nigeria to join the free trade area. The committee recommended that it was beneficial for Nigeria to sign the accord but that the country should seek some concessions. President Buhari accepted the report and his remark at the occasion, even though cautious, was the first real indication that Nigeria would not be left behind by the free trade area train. Africa was therefore expectant that its biggest economy would indeed come on board at the Niamey summit.

My wife’s lover prostrated, confessed to me he had been sleeping with my wife for 5 years —Husband

At exactly 10.48 am on the day of the summit, President Buhari appended his signature to the document. The action came as the very first item at the opening of the Summit and as he performed the act, the hall erupted with a sustained applause, a confirmation that the continent was relieved that Nigeria had lifted the real obstruction to the coming together of the countries. Buhari affirmed that Nigeria’s commitment to trade and African integration was neither in doubt nor was it ever under threat, promising that the country would build on the event by proceeding expeditiously with the ratification of the AfCFTA. His words: ‘‘I have just had the honour of signing the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), on behalf of my country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

“This is coming over a year since the AfCFTA Agreement was opened for signature in Kigali, Rwanda, at the 10th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union, on 21st March 2018. In fact, you will recall that the treaty establishing the African Economic Community was signed in Abuja in 1991. We fully understand the potential of the AfCFTA to transform trade in Africa and contribute towards solving some of the continent’s challenges, whether security, economic or corruption. But it is also clear to us that for AfCFTA to succeed, we need the full support and buy-in of our private sector and civil society stakeholders and the public in general. It is against this background that we embarked on an extensive nationwide consultation and sensitization programme of our domestic stakeholders on the AfCFTA. Our consultations and assessments reaffirmed that the AfCFTA can be a platform for African manufacturers of goods and providers of service to construct regional value chains for made in Africa goods and services.

“It was also obvious that we have a lot of work to do to prepare our nation to achieve our vision for intra-African trade which is the free movement of ‘made in Africa goods.’ Some of the critical challenges that we identified will require our collective action as a Union and we will be presenting them for consideration at the appropriate AfCFTA fora. Examples are tackling injurious trade practices by third parties and attracting the investment we need to grow local manufacturing and service capacities.’’

President Buhari added: ‘‘Nigeria wishes to emphasize that free trade must also be fair trade. As African leaders, our attention should now focus on implementing the AfCFTA in a way that develops our economies and creates jobs for our young, dynamic and hardworking population. I wish to assure you that Nigeria shall sustain its strong leadership role in Africa in the implementation of the AfCFTA. We shall also continue to engage, constructively with all African countries to build the Africa that we want.” He further noted that Nigeria’s signing of the AfCFTA and its operational launch  was an additional major step forward on the AU’s Agenda 2063.

The host president, Mahmadou Issoufou of Niger Republic, commended Nigeria for signing and adding value to the AfCFTA agreement. The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, in her address at the occasion, observed that with the signing of Nigeria and Benin Republic, the AfCFTA will bring together almost all the African Union member states. She affirmed that AfCFTA will “create jobs and contribute to technology transfer and the development of new skills; it will improve productive capacity and diversification; and will increase African and foreign investment.”

Twenty -six countries have already ratified the AfCFTA which is expected to be the world’s largest free trade area since the formation of the World Trade Organization with a potential market of 1.2 billion people and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $2.5 trillion, across all 55 member states of the African Union.

The African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Albert M. Muchanga, had recommended to the Summit that start of trading should be 1st July 2020 so that the transitional period can be used to undertake critical preparatory activities. These activities include state parties sensitizing their business communities about the emerging market as well as producing and distributing trade documents and convening a meeting of Directors-General of Customs of state parties to share information on their readiness for the start of trading. Other activities planned before the start date are, developing a framework of collaboration between the AfCFTA secretariat and regional economic communities on facilitation of Intra-African trade, and allowing time for the businesses operating in Africa to scale up investments so that they are positioned to supply to the scale of an AfCFTA market of 1.27 billion people.

Beyond production, there will also be required investments in warehouses and other logistics infrastructure.

With the launch of the operational phase of the AfCFTA, traders in Nigeria and across Africa will be able to make use of preferential trading arrangements offered by the initiative, with the understanding that the trade transactions are among the member states that have deposited the instruments of ratification and those that conform to the provisions on rules of origin governing trade in the AfCFTA.

Applause, relief as Buhari drags Nigeria into AfCFTA
Tribune Online

Source: Tribune

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Club Record Smashed, As Striker Is Sold

Sheffield United have revealed that whilst the sale of Lys Mousset from AFC Bournemouth is officially undisclosed, the deal does smash their club record fee paid for a player.

The French forward only had one calendar year remaining on his current contract and as the 23-year-old had only made 8 Premier League starts over the past three years, a reported fee of £10million was just too good to refuse according to bournemouth.vitalfootball.co.uk.

Overall, Mousset made 71 appearances for the Cherries, netting 5 times, 3 in the league following his move from French club Le Havre in June 2016 for a reported fee of £5.5 million, choosing the Cherries over local neighbours Southampton.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder was delighted with the signing, with Mousset agreeing on a three-year deal to move to the newly-promoted club. He told their official website.

“Lys is big, quick and a different type of threat at the top of the pitch to what we already have.

“I think he will prove to be a great fit for us and the fact that he selected us above other options shows he’s hungry to do well. It is a fantastic bit of business for us in the current market and we are looking forward to him joining up with the squad.”

The post Club Record Smashed, As Striker Is Sold appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

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United Nations OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship Programme 2020

The Indigenous Fellowship Programme was launched in 1997 by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the context of the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. The aim of the programme is to give indigenous persons the opportunity to gain knowledge on the UN system and mechanisms dealing with… Read More

Source: Jobzilla

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MMIA Customs Command Arraigns Five Over Alleged Duty Evasion

Jayne Shoboiki, Comptroller in charge of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Customs Command, says the command has arraigned five suspects before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly smuggling cargo out of the port without paying duty.

Shoboiki made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

According to her, I had to make sure that they were all charged to court.

She said she could not understand how some people could go into the shed and tried to smuggle cargo out of the shed without paying duty.

“The culprits were locked up, taken to court but now they are on bail and the case comes up again in October because the judges are on annual vacation.

“I dragged them to court to serve as a deterrent to others to understand that whenever anybody do the wrong thing, the law will catch up with such a person,’’ Shoboiki said.

She noted that the command was able to generate N29.12 billion in the last six months of 2019, up from the figure recorded in the same period of 2018.

“The Federal Government’s Foreign Policy mandated any person traveling out of the country to declare any amount more than $10,000 dollars or equivalent in any other currency on Customs Currency Declaration form,’’ Shoboiki said.

She said the command also seized $50 million brought into the country without proper documentation.

The controller said the command got information that the particular money coming into the country had no proper documentation.

Shoboiki said the command had handed over the money to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for proper investigation.

The controller said that honest declaration was the key to trade facilitation, saying that the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Retired Col.  Hameed Ali, was keen about trade facilitation and revenue generation.

She noted that the CGC had compelled all officers to carry out 100 per cent examination of cargo as well as continuous sensitisation of the port users.

“In the period under review, the command seized Pangolin, Donkey skin, Elephant tusks and Cocaine imported from Pakistan which was concealed in cartons declared as household items.

“We also intercepted Cannabis which was concealed in a baby doll and handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

“The command also intercepted camouflage uniforms which were meant to be imported by armed forces and tramadol.

“The Duty Paid Value of all the seized items stood at N382.2 million,’’ she said.

Shoboiki said that NCS had been given the power to destroy seized tramadols in the presence of other agencies, while Customs would do the destruction.

She said that she was happy about the instruction concerning destruction of  drugs so that such drugs would not get into wrong hands.

Shoboiki said that tramadol was really damaging the lives of youths in the country.

The controller urged officers to be more proactive, saying that virtually all officers in her command were buying into the idea of CGC which had enabled her to get maximum cooperation from them.

She pleaded with the public to be curious in understanding the rules and regulations of traveling to avoid their goods being seized.

Shoboiki urged the public to always engage in honest declaration to facilitate trade.

The post MMIA Customs Command Arraigns Five Over Alleged Duty Evasion appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

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