An Open Letter To The Ministry Of Information & Media Stakeholders

The eye is the window of the soul and our ears also compliment the eyes which is why whatever gets into our brains ought to be adequately 'filtered' as they possess the capacity of building us up or destroying us.
Taking a close look at the bulk of information Nigerians are exposed to, one gets to wonder less at the increasing rate of unpatriotic attitudes and moral decadence in our society.
The media has been saddled with the responsibility of dispersing information to humanity and they ought to be commended for the good job thus far. However, let truth be told that 'destructive information' and lies have dominated the media, almost eliminating constructive ones.
When was the last time you ever watched the network news and got inspired or even smiled? We mostly encounter stories that make us feel bad about our country, stories we pray against, stories that make us feel weak, stories that render us unproductive. It's only when you are aware of specific information sources that you get to listen to or read exactly what's good for you.
In Nigeria, we complain about so many things (our media is chiefly responsible for this), how President Buhari and his government are deceiving Nigerians, how Dasuki did this and that, how robbers now operate, how people die mysteriously, how we pay tax and see no dividends, how electricity tariffs are so high, how bad our roads are, how this, how that making everyone feel as though Nigeria is a hub of catastrophic quagmires.
Only a microscopic few see this country in a different light. The transformational programs on ground, essay competitions, poetry and art exhibitions, quiz competitions, spelling bees, sporting activities (other than football), NGO/GO health and community programmes, agricultural programmes, youth empowerment programmes, scholarships and grants, technological advancements, etcetera. Such are not properly propagated and ignorant Nigerians would swear blindly that Nigeria does not do this, Nigeria does not do that, and these could be things already in existence for decades!  Worthy feats our media personnel consider uninteresting.
I challenge the ministry of information to look seriously into this issue. The things we hear and read have a compounding effect of either building or destroying an entire generation. Our citizens need to be encouraged and motivated. Lying to citizens in whatever guise is childish and unprofessional.
God Bless Nigeria.

Nigerians and the 'Sharp-Sharp' Mentality

There is nothing as uplifting as a positive mindset just as there is nothing as destructive as a negative one. We are always in a hurry to acquire everything only to miss out on the ultimate.
Imagine being asked to transfer water from a filled drum to an empty one using a tea cup! Of course it's only logical to assume that such a task would take several hours to accomplish, but no; we want it done in ten minutes! The question is: How?
That's the challenge we face in almost every facet of life today. The problem is not that things being done in a better and faster way is condemned, but our ability to figure out what things to be done with speed and those needing time to be nurtured is the issue here. An understanding of Jeff Olsen's slight edge principle can help illumine our minds on the subject matter.
This principle postulates that every result is born out of the accumulation of several little actions over time. It also asserts that each result is directly proportional to the time spent for its actualization. That is the larger a result (goal) the longer the time spent for its realization, and the smaller a goal, the shorter the time required for its realization.
For example, looking at the life of Jesus Christ, he began his public ministry at the age of 30 and died at the age of 33. We may ask, why did he wait until he was 30? What had he been doing with his life all the while? The answer is that he spent those 30 years preparing himself, and we all can testify to the immortal fruitfulness of his 3yr old ministry!
We seem not to be understanding the nothing-good-comes-easy phrase. When you dream of achieving anything momentous, you must have to give it enough time, else you will overburden yourself and risk chickening out too soon.
I did not write this article to address individual needs for humans are quite diverse, but I wrote this to speak on how such issues affect our politics as a nation.
If a Chairman/Governor/President /etc will come out and address the people that he/she wants to transform his/her area of jurisdiction within four to eight years, then he/she plans to grow weeds not trees.
One feasible way of moving a society forward is the development of a sustainable plan/blueprint of such a society to be agreed upon by majority of the relevant stakeholders. Such plans of course would be categorised into several actionable phases and all that would be required of the leaders and their subsequent successors is working on the laid out plans and making adjustments where applicable. Shikena.
I get disturbed when one government promises to work on industrial development, they are yet to complete this, and another opposing government is campaigning to work on electricity. The next one promises education and then another says good roads are a necessity..... No plan. And the end result is a tray filled with half baked bread.
Everyone is eager to do something 'quick' within four years so as to earn security for a second term in office and such quick projects seldom stand the test of time. We now prefer snacks over meals, and when the body accumulates more snacks than 'real food' over time, it begins to feel weak and sick.
This wrong phenomenon is exhibited by both the leaders and the led. President Buhari promised change for Nigeria, and upon assumption into office a few months ago, people are already agitating and shouting "where is the change?"
The truth is that if Nigerians truly understand the magnitude of change this country needs, we would know that it can never be achieved in Buhari's lifetime.
If I were to be the president, I would focus on laying out a road map that Nigeria needs to travel upon to the promised land and educate Nigerians on this blueprint and act on the actionable phases my limited time in office will grant me.
We all ought to support our leaders in the actualization of a better country. Throwing stones and raising dust at our leaders is like tickling the driver of a vehicle in motion. If he loses focus and crashes, you too might not be spared.
God bless Nigeria.  

Palm Oil or Pam Oyel?

I came back home yesterday evening and settled down to 'whack'  my ona g'ishkapa (tuwon shinkafa) with alakpa (gbegiri) meal. On swallowing the first ball, i felt a sharp slap on my jaws, that wrong-palm-oil kind of slap and my evening was ruined. I just had to eat because of the fish, pepper, beans etc plus the time and effort my younger sister Joy had put into the cooking, but I was vexed in spirit.
What heightened my vexation was the fact that this palm oil was bought from our neighbour who came to advertise that she now sells good palm oil. "Mummy I dey sell original palm oil now" she said, but as it turns out, she either knows not what she is selling or she simply is hungry to earn a bad reputation.
Let me iterate the experience of this 'original palm oil' in question.
Upon opening the 5 litre gallon of original palm oil, mum saw that it had congealed which made her to doubt its 'originality' but felt she should give it a try.
Mararaba district in Nasarawa state happens to be quite hot in the afternoons, hot enough to melt an exposed candle stick, but that same afternoon when Joy was preparing the soup, the oil, unlike liquids had taken its own shape inside the gallon. Placing the gallon over raw flame to melt the oil was time wasting since the gallon was filled, so she had to squeeze, shake and hit the gallon held upside down before lumps of palm oil dropped into the steaming pot of soup constituents like animal droppings which still took time and stirring to dissolve completely! Palm oil!
I then inquired on how such a bad product was processed and was alarmed to discover that the ideal palm oil is being mixed with akamu (pap) in order to boost its volume and thickness. Akamu! For some of us who believe we've never taken pap in our lives well..... I believe in miracles.....
Is it that our palm oil producers cannot process enough palm oil to satisfy the customers and hence resort to this 'health threatening' alternative or is it simply an act of greedy wickedness?
The Golden Rule asserts that everyone should be treated in equality and fairness but this rule is being observed mostly by none, myself included. These producers actually produce two brands of Palm oil. The 'family and friends' brand and the market brand. This family and friends brand was what Adam actually named 'palm oil', the market brand can and should be named something else. Like 'pam oyel'
There are certain things that manufacturers ought not to adulterate. I am okay with wristwatches, jewelry, shoes, bags and the likes being adulterated but never what is ingested into the human body. Things like food, drugs and drinks should be off limits inasmuch as adulteration is concerned. Affordability should not even be debated upon here.
As for the consumers of pam oyel, I advice you guys to stop patronizing such products at the detriment of your health. I am not an expert in the palm oil business but I hope those who are would help drop a comment or two. Here are a few tips I would like to share though :

• Never buy palm oil that feels like butter. The cold weather is not responsible but the akamu inside is. 
• Never buy oil from a boiling drum/pot at any distribution/retail outlet. It's not a post manufacturing nor a purification process but rather a technique used in keeping the oil in the second state of matter i.e. liquid. 

Confirm palm oil no dey sleep even for Jos, and the scent alone dey cure some sickness.
Let's work together and get bad palm oil out of our markets. 

God bless Nigeria. 

Kerosene Price Update

About six days ago, Nigerian oil tycoon, Femi Otedola the chairman of Forte Oil company, announced that Forte Oil would commence the sale of kerosene at 50 naira per litre in all her branches nationwide. 

I shared this with a woman who began to exclaim; "praisssssssse the Lord!" This got me scared and I decided to carry out some survey in my locality so as to ascertain the reality of my statement. 

I visited ten filling stations to inquire about the current price since Otedola had challenged his colleagues. Of these ten stations, only two had kerosene, Forte Oil and AYM Shafa (all at Mararaba, Karu LGA Nasarawa State) Forte Oil sold at 110 naira per litre while AYM Shafa sold at 105 naira per litre. For the rest who had no kerosene, i inquired about their normal prices. Oando settled for 125 naira per litre (the branch at Aso) only NNPC stood at 50 naira per litre, although they are ceaselessly out of stock which many perceive as a corrupt gesture. 

During my research, I met an attendant at Total filling station (the one close to the Orange market junction) and asked her ;

"How much una dey sell kerosene for here? "

She replied;

" I no know oo, I no dey there, na gas I dey use". 

As for Otedola, we want to believe that the tankers conveying Kerosene to Forte Oil branches nationwide are en-route. 

Burn The Thief!!!

It's no longer news in this part of the globe whereby jungle justice is being meted out on citizens of the underworld by angry mobs on apprehension.

We were in a discussion in our Church yesterday morning and experiences of this sort were shared due to its prevalence in the community. The topic being "What do you do with a thief if you catch one".  

The officiating priest Rev. Fr. Bitrus Wazamda, admonished his parishioners to frown at taking the law into their hands owing to the fact that human life is sacred and that all of us are guilty of similar sins in the past which never led to us being cremated alive or permanently maimed. After his lengthy advice, many hands were raised in objection after he summarized that thieves should be handed over to the police.  

Some were in support of the nefarious act (jungle justice) owing to the despicable disregard for the law in the country by the very ones who are supposed to uphold it. Someone said "when you take these people to the police, they will put them in the cell, and after one hour, they will be released instead of charging them to court, and you will be in grave danger of the thief's retaliation, so the best thing to do is to kill them so that their colleagues will be scared". 

Another said; "There are different categories of thieves, if it they were just to sneak into your house and carry your belongings, no problem. But someone would come and meet you inside your own house, armed with guns, machetes and all those things with two intentions of robbing and harming you.... Kai Fr". 

Others lamented on the destruction and disruption of families born from the depravity of this wicked sect.... 

One cause of this barbaric phenomenon is lawlessness!!! Integrity and justice has lost its bloom and bounce which has turned many civilians to barbarians. I share my experience:

During my service year in Gombe, seven of us got robbed in our lodge. We were beaten, wounded and our valuables were carted away which when summed up amounted to about five hundred thousand naira (damages inclusive). We managed to run some investigations and reported to the SSS  for assistance, they did nothing. We went to the police who were able to arrest two persons in possession of our stolen items and we began to rejoice that our items would be recovered. Something led to something and these boys were charged to court. After so many idle months and countless series of hearings, these boys were pronounced guilty of a two count charge of six months each which equated to a year jail term and were given an alternative to pay a fine of five thousand naira! To add salt to injury, they were asked to pay us a compensation of fifty thousand naira only! Which they never did. How then do I take someone tomorrow to the police? 

I'm not in any way promoting the evil we do in the name of justice. Killing your fellow human being is wrong, we're not animals. "Thou shall not kill, saith the Lord" and vengeance belongs to Him alone. Burning a thief alive is a worse thing to do than stealing. 

I use this medium to call upon the government to strengthen our judiciary and for our judiciary to uphold her integrity and for the police to give the people hope. 

Posterity will not forgive me if I fail to mention that we ourselves are the architects of our destruction. Why do many young and bright minds resort to violence and crime? God in His wisdom made provision for all, but the injustice of man to man has shut many from the bounty of His creation. One family do not know where to obtain their next meal from, another do not know where next to stash currency. Even if you honestly toiled to earn such money, it still isn't yours to keep for it has been entrusted to you by God for the use of others. (1 Peter 4:10)

How do you feel when your neighbours have light and you don't?  How then do you expect the hungry to feel when they are not invited to a feast hosted by their neighbours? Be your brother's keeper and the nation will be better. 

God bless Nigeria. 

President Buhari Gives 7day Ultimatum For The Payment Of Workers Salaries

The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) has directed that all arrears of salaries and allowances of Nigerian workers must be compiled within seven days for them to be paid “immediately”, The Nation reports.

Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) Secretary-General Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, who broke the news in a statement released in Abuja yesterday, praised President Muhammadu Buhari for bringing hope to thousands of public service employees who are being owed arrears of salaries and allowances for years.

The Presidency identified the outstanding benefits as: salary arrears, promotion arrears, 1st 28 days allowance on transfer from post, repatriation allowance, burial expenses, death benefits and mandatory training of OHCSF in 2010.

The Presidency directed the MDAs to ensure that each unpaid entitlement is accurate, verifiable, with the name, designation, status (serving or retired) and amount due to each officer.

“The correct information should reach the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation on or before Monday September 21, 2015,” the circular, dated September 14 stressed.
Source... Metro news

Armed Forces Collision With Traders At Mararaba

It was no nonsense today at Sharp Corner Mararaba  when about fifteen Hilux and some few trucks with cranes manned by soldiers, police, VIO's, civil defense and road safety officers stormed the area and looted the items of traders selling close to the highway.
It can be recalled that about two weeks ago  during the visit of the state governor, Alh. Tanko Almakura, a warning was made to these traders to vacate the said premises of which many of them likened it to mere propaganda until this morning when they were taken aback by the Nigerian military and paramilitary forces.
Although we may miss some of the vendors occupying the region, it reminds Nigerians to learn obedience to authorities.

NCC Warning on Counterfeit Phones

From the info tech column of the Punch newspaper today, the acting executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta said between 15% and 20% of mobile devices in the Nigerian market are fake.
He also went further to iterate on the economic problem that results from our patronage of these devices, the health dangers they pose, their threat on our privacy et cetera.
What the NCC however fail to recognize is the fact that most of us do not really know the differences between fake and genuine electronic products, hence what effect will this warning have on us? I tag it as a mere propaganda.
If the NCC is really out to deal with the so called menace, they should take on proactive and result oriented measures. How do these fake products come into the country? Who certified that so and so product is okay for consumption by Nigerians? Who took the time to educate Nigerians on the dangers associated with using this device or that?
Some of us prefer Nigerians to remain gullible so as to enrich ourselves via their ignorance. If some agency were to deliver such public warning, I want to believe the National Orientation Agency should handle it.
NCC should focus on improving communication services that would better the living standard of Nigerians and not this.
God bless Nigeria.

Refuse Dumps On Highways

This picture above is taken at Mararaba, the most populous district in Nasarawa State bordering the Fct.
About two weeks ago, the state governor Alh. Tanko Almakura, visited this district which many believe was due to the promptings of President Buhari, during which he ordered marketers trading on the road side to evacuate the region as they where a major obstacle to smooth traffic flow.
I now ask this question... Traders and refuse, which one do we prefer to have on our highways?
This particular dump site has been in existence for years and i wonder if this too does not obstruct traffic. All we've witnessed the government do is to evacuate this pollution in bits not whole which poses a serious threat to health as well as reduce patronage to business operations within the vicinity.
Nasarawa State environmental protection board, protect our environment.
God bless Nigeria.

Buhari and his appointments

Following the announcement of the Presidential electoral results in April, many Nigerians sang praises of victory, trekking from one part of the country to another in extolment, throwing parties here and there and killing themselves in jubilation. Few weeks after the president’s inception into office, many were quite satisfied with his methodology of combating corruption, the reawakening of sleeping agencies/parastatals and the likes.
Now, many tongues seem to have gone sour due to the recent appointments of his Excellency; “Federal Character” they scream and I begin to ponder….
This federal character of a thing has been in existence all this while but where is the benefit? What landmark achievement have we obtained from federal character? In my humble opinion, federal character has done and is still doing more harm than good to this nation, a root cause of division and disunity.
Go to our nursery and primary schools and see how the pupils relate. They know no difference between ethnicity or religion, but as they grow up, society/parent tells them “this is where you belong to”, hence the beginning of the problem and we are busy offering lip service in proclaiming ‘One Nigeria’.
What is the primary assignment of these so called offices that we clamour for the even distribution of the officers to the six geo-political zones? Let’s say you own a business and want to employ six staff to run the business. You got ten applicants, four from the north, three from the east, and three from the west and this business has no location/language barrier. If you give these applicants a simple test and all four applicants from the north could barely express themselves unlike their counterparts from the east and west who performed exceptionally brilliant, who are you going to employ to run your business?
Let us be reminded that the fundamental reason for the existence of federal character is for carrying all citizens from every part of the country along in national issues which is why we have the national assembly, the summit of federal character, comprising of both the senate and house of reps which supposedly carries the voice of every Nigerian, but due to her laxity, many Nigerians fail to understand her significance.
What’s our interest as a nation? Results or adherence to ‘federal character’? if the easterners, westerners and southerners feel sidelined, let them wait for the cat to jump out of the bag before firing their arsenal. As far as I’m concerned, we are only showcasing our level of disunity. Where is that solidarity? Where is that unity? If we were to be Americans, Obama would not even dream of serving the nation.
This government is for four years and after that, we have the choice to decide if they are to continue the race or hand over the baton. Even before their tenure elapses, there’s always room for impeachment should we find any fault backed with concrete evidence.
Some persons prefer reading in the library, others prefer their rooms, some their offices, others under a tree. We all have different tastes and our environment sometimes determine the level of our productivity. We should allow Mr President choose whatever environment suits him to work in inasmuch as he delivers the goods. If we are having issues with his appointments, let it not be based on federal character. God bless Nigeria.

Nigerians.....Go Green

Have you been walking on a street lately and wished you had an umbrella? Sure bet I guess; I haven’t met someone who savors the intense heat but that depends on the nature of the street anyway. And have you wondered why this heat has been on the increase over the years? Maybe you have an idea.
These are but a few of the effects of the rays and heat from the sun on our planet earth. This is being referred to as the Greenhouse effect resulting to global warming.

When we look closely at the diagrammatic representation of this heat cycle, we notice that the heat from the sun is primarily absorbed by the earth’s surface which heats up the surrounding air closer to the ground which then rises and makes life uncomfortable for us.
Generations past loathed this phenomenon which led to the invention of electric fans. This was not comforting in certain circumstances and air conditioning was birthed which was a much welcomed idea. What they however failed to recognize then was that increased patronization of this technology meant increased use of refrigerants which meant more release of CFC’s to the atmosphere which wasn’t friendly to the ozone layer. Although improvements have been made to address the CFC issue but running a functioning air conditioning device doesn’t come cheap.
With little incomes, how do we then go about this sun/heat issue? Should we design portable umbrella’s we can always carry along? Should the government subsidize the cost of purchasing fans and air conditioners as well as reduce the per unit rate of electricity consumption? These manner of approaches can be likened to someone in his or her room who is uncomfortable with the loud music precipitating from his/her boom box and resorts to burying his/her head under a pillow to mitigate the noise level instead of simply turning down the volume.
How about we try the fire fighting approach? At least we understand that this heat source is the sun and its receptor is the earth’s surface. How about shielding the earth’s surface from this heat, more like an umbrella above us that we need not hold with our hands or heads when moving about? How about we plant some trees?
I’m not suggesting we eliminate this heat source, for it is very much needed by us for our survival, but the God who made it also made enough trees available to consume its excesses. This created balance in our ecosystem but we ourselves caused imbalance by destroying these trees, thus making the heat to become excessive.
Yes we need trees and plenty of them at that. Our country was once filled with them which was as the creator designed to create balance but as ‘development’ ensued, these trees were felled insouciantly and no one paid any attention. Today, trees like the iroko and mahogany are now meant for tales and have been replaced in the wood industry by gmelina.
These trees absorb the heat from the sun and utilize it for the benefit of all. They also help in purifying our polluted air by ingesting the poisonous oxides we emit and vomiting oxygen which is essential for our survival. My thoughts on this purification process met the conclusion that the creator was indeed good in redox reaction. These trees also serve as windbreaks which comes handy in a windstorm, they beautify our environment, provide food, income and shelter to some animals, fast track the healing process of the sick, provides jobs and income, absorbs dust and other particles, enriches our top soil for planting, prevents soil erosion et cetera. These benefits have rendered some of the disadvantages of having trees around negligible, but all the same, simple precautions should be adhered to when planting them in our houses and on the streets.
We would be doing ourselves and our environment a great deal of good by planting a tree. I have joined the crusade by planting mine as shown below.

Let’s go green and clothe our ‘nakeding’ environment. God bless Nigeria. 

Redundancy

There’s this common saying that “Nobody wan die, but everybody wan go heaven” which is gradually getting obsolete, but a closer look at this aged phrase suggests it still holds water when we use it to examine our lifestyles.
You earn two hundred thousand naira every month of which you put in a lot of useful work that is beneficial to you, your community, your family, the nation et cetera and we all appreciate you for it. Suddenly you discovered that your backyard housed enough gold deposit, so bountiful you could harvest two hundred million naira daily for the next three years, all this without breaking a sweat and the next thing we know; you start preparing your resignation letter even though retirement is still residing out of sight.
This is what will happen to many Nigerian workers today (could even happen to me too) because we are after the money. We crave the pay not the work, and any opportunity that promises a better pay eventually sends us packing, never considering our impact on those who really need our services. This is the one major cause of unproductivity in our lives and subsequently our dear nation. Some persons can even shamelessly declare; “anything for the money.” Really? How about me paying you a million naira every month for sleeping? If you can successfully pull this off for a year then truly, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for money and I will have to revisit the dictionary definition of the word ‘slavery’.
Nigeria as a country once exhibited this phenomenon. We once were dogged farmers, but with the discovery of crude oil, our farm boots got hanged. We as humans so much crave “the easy and luxurious life” that we completely lost sense of our purposes in life. The media/society has successfully convinced so many that happiness and fulfillment in life is directly proportional to your bank statement, and we get to watch movies and listen to so many testimonies buttressing the idea that only those with enough money could live in the best of houses, drive the best of cars, wear the best of clothes, marry whomever they desired, take vacations/tourism at will, eat and drink whatever they pleased…… and many of us be like “wow, this is the life”.  And we eventually disconnect ourselves from our duty post and end up fantasizing.
One thing I begin to see is that our love for pleasure might make us stop working altogether in future should we keep up this trend of not wanting to sweat. We now term it as “working smart not hard”, but someone has got to do that hard work lest the ‘ecosystem’ will lose her balance.
Talking about smart working, our smartphones now possess so many applications that can get so many things done. I recently attended a programme at a retreat, and when it got to the time of refreshments,  soft drinks were being served and there were no ‘openers’ available to disengage the corks from the bottles and a young man asked hilariously, “abeg who get android phone make e open opener app….”. Trust me, some of these apps do come in handy, but we should be wary of the fact that even marijuana is a vegetable; it all depends on how you cook it.
The excessive/unwise use of these software is gradually creeping into our lifestyles such that a little drop of sweat is considered distasteful unless we were exercising, of which some of us still prefer to stand on one Chinese mat to obtain the equivalent of a road walk or one electronic massager to help run so many errands.
Though I’m not a medical practitioner, but I do know that what we do not regularly make use of, dies gradually. Even our brain works in like manner for it develops mostly in areas we allow it to access. Get to allow your organs and muscles to perform their designated functions and not completely rely on some external machine/substance to do their work for them. Trust me, you are not ready to part with them on the long run…..
God bless Nigeria
   

Is WASSCE Still Relevant?

No, big time; I think it is now irrelevant. Once upon a time, WASSCE was a venerated hurdle to be crossed in the acquisition of the O’level certificate, a time when students had reduced priorities, when libraries ran short of oxygen during the day and the classrooms warmed by candles and lanterns at night, when books were better safeguarded than money. But that’s just what it was; once upon a time…
WASSCE has lost a great deal of her bloom and bounce as regards her indirect coercion of students to work/study harder and has now paved a gateway for laziness and corruption to thrive. It has gotten so ugly that even our school management now term malpractice as ‘aid’ to students….. What a shame.
Why do I seem lost in my flow of thoughts? The trend now in vogue gives me headache so much that I find it difficult to congratulate a successful WASSCE candidate. Let’s observe the following:
Our higher institutions clearly stipulate that without possessing a minimum of five credits in WASSCE etal (English and Mathematics inclusive) we don’t get to see their school gates, but we have undergraduates and graduates who find it difficult to spell their own names! Check their WAEC result, English is B2! In mathematics, the simplest of simplified problems in simultaneous equations may not even be understood by an A1 carrier not to talk of making an attempt to solve it. On and on it goes and I beg the government to question, what’s the essence?
The annoying chapter that gets to me is the manner WAEC is now painting its empty vessel of an examination with gold. The fees are ever soaring at a rate indirectly proportional to the substance WASSCE now bears and I wonder why everyone is cool with it. Of course the standard of the exams isn’t the issue here, and we also know that not everyone cheats in the examinations. But what’s the ratio of the ideal to reality?
When Nigerians pay billions of naira annually to obtain one nicely printed paper that adds no value to the nation, then I see no better definition of waste. Imagine, WAEC is even recently threatening not to release the no-longer-credible result in some states owing four billion naira!
Part of my bewilderment now is the demand for certification in the first place. Back then when certificates were certificates, everyone knew what it meant and took to acquire one. But now, nobody gives a bloody damn to whatever you hold in your hands. I mean, if certification were to be what it is, I wouldn’t have to be superfluously interviewed, interrogated, whipped, bathed and everything when applying for a job. A careful look at my certificate should have spoken enough.
Since we now live in a country where many certificates are no longer regarded irrespective of their high demand due to lack of trust in the credibility of the issuer and the handler, why then waste so much in acquiring them when the fact remains that our knowledge on the subject matter will be our saving grace in the long run?
It is true there are still a few certificates that beg no question whenever they are being brought to table, but for something like WASSCE, I move for the motion that it be completely scraped out of our curriculum or overhauled.
If you were to ask me what the economic importance of WASSCE in Nigeria is now, I will say that it provides job for many of her citizens as well as indirectly assist laziness and corruption to bloom. Many students without focus are no longer motivated to study knowing well that on the day of atonement, mercy will triumph over judgment. Why would they stress themselves in acquiring the required sacrificial items when the dibia has made provision for a simpler alternative?
I’m not saying that WAEC is solely responsible for the current decay in our educational system; I’m only trying to bring to her notice the need to collaborate with the ministry of education to resuscitate her dying glory.
It’s high time we begin questioning why we do certain things in this country especially when the intended results are no longer forthcoming. God bless Nigeria.

Massive Graduate Employment At Jabosca International

Jabosca International, a multi-billion dollar company spread across all continents and located in over 52 countries plans on establishing its regional base in West Africa with Nigeria to serve as its regional headquarter, requires the services of qualified hardworking Nigerian graduates in diverse disciplines to fill the following positions…..

Hold it right there and try not to hiss or close this page for this is not a job advert, it just resembles one of those many things that millions of Nigerian unemployed graduates are ceaselessly hoping and praying for. Some have been at it for years, others for months, others for weeks – like myself -  while for some, they’re just starting; this post might even be their first attempt.

In any case, from my resume above, I appear not to be adequately experienced in the ‘hustling game’ to be talking to the pro’s, but something struck me like an epiphany and I felt that necessity to share.

In those days, (speaking about the mid 70’s) we hear stories of how securing a job in our dear nation was more of ‘posting’ than ‘application’. That is to say after your youth service, you don’t just get to collect your discharge certificate alone but with your appointment letter as well asking you to report to duty with immediate effect. The story is all different now……why?

Dealing with the negative trend or x-raying the ambiguity associated with securing a job is not my priority here but showing you the right boat you need to surf the current tide in is.

You may think or say you do not have a job. I say you’re wrong; you already have a job! Yes, you already have a job only that you did not receive an appointment letter to get it or a monthly pay check assurance. You’re busy searching the tree and neglecting the bird in your hands! Let me elucidate…

After applying for over twenty jobs online, the first response I ever got was a scam, thanks to nairaland for the enlightenment, and this led me to hard thinking; I longed to receive an appointment letter with a sizeable monthly pay check attached, wanted to live in my own house, drive my own car, get married pretty soon…..all these and many more were responsible for sending me to overdrive on the job hunt until I finally realized that I was wasting my time.

I had some skills/talents idling away which were worth billions and I was busy searching for jobs online, jobs that may not even be existing (scams if I may put it that way), jobs that even if I did get might make me feel worse, jobs that required the services of only the experienced/experts in my field. The issue I was now having was converting these skills into its monetary equivalent which I think is your problem too.

Think about it, were you created as an empty vessel with the ability to do nothing? If you’re not catching my drift let me give you a clue. Pick up your CV and go to the hobbies section and bingo! There you have some of it…Yes your hobby…. that is if they’re truly yours.

Those things you have a natural liking for are more or less your ‘appointment letter bearers’. The beautiful part of these hobbies is that we experience intense joy and happiness anytime we do them. Remember that jobs are not all about the amount of money we are been paid to do them, but the comfort and happiness, that sense of contribution we derive while doing them is what really matters.

How can you enjoy cooking and be applying for a banking job? You know how to make hair but submit countless CV’s in marketing firms. Because an ostrich and a dove are both birds doesn’t entail that they can both fly. Look for a credible and experienced counselor/friend to enlighten you on how to channel your skills and talents into a means of livelihood and see the impact it will have in your life. Yes, enough time has been wasted, but enough of the hurry.

I’m in no way implying that you stop applying for jobs, pls do, for myself is still on the lookout, but focus more on improving these skills/talents of yours which can tremendously fast track your hunt or evolve into a cool business. Think about the time you’ve spent surfing the web for a job opening and the money you spent moving from office to office with your brown file. If you had invested these on yourself, where would you have been by now? Once your skill has been harnessed maximally, it sends out a message and before you know it, you will be sought after.

For our upcoming generation, the root cause of this bedeviling phenomenon ought to be curbed from the roots, which I place some of the blame on the guidance and counseling unit department in our secondary schools. These counselors are meant to be expert career guides who are supposed to aid students in linking their skills/abilities to suit their career pursuit, but no; this sensitive duty is being left in the hands of the inexperienced students to make themselves or by some unenlightened parent. Some students spend six years in school and cannot tell you the meaning or significance of G&C.

Next is our tertiary institutions where a medicine candidate seeking admission is transferred to chemistry department, or someone seeking architecture is made to study fishery…destiny manipulators…. In some cases, candidates thwart their own destinies themselves by applying for less competitive courses all in the bid for securing admission, “na the kpali matter” they say to themselves or by others to them.

Let the guidance and counseling units in our schools be revived, and let our tertiary institutions respect the choices of candidates seeking admission. Changing departments for candidates in the name of ‘helping them’ is not the best of decisions. Let our talents be harnessed in every ramification of our lives and let us witness a tremendous improvement in productivity and decline in redundancy in our nation. God bless Nigeria.

Corruption In Our Agencies

I applied for my driver’s license on the 28th April, 2015 at the Gombe State Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) 0ffice. In the process (which consumed three days of my life), I had to go to Specialist Hospital Gombe for a certificate of medical fitness, presented some documents, Visited the Vehicle Inspection Officer’s (VIO) office for endorsement, Standard IBTC Bank for payment of the license fee, paid another fine in the FRSC’s office for a six month learners permit (Even if I had no car at the time) before my temporary driver’s license was processed and issued to me (with errors on my details) which was to expire in the next three month.
I went back to the FRSC office after three months to collect my permanent driver’s license. The officer in charge rummaged through the new arrivals of the permanent driver’s licenses, and mine wasn’t found and I was asked to come back later without a fixed date. I began complaining and one man standing next to me at the office asked me what date I applied.
“Since April” I told him.
“Last year or this year”
“This year” I responded.
“April this year and you’re complaining: my younger brother applied since December last year and up till now his own is yet to arrive...”
“So I have to be going about with this expired temporary license or what”
“That’s how they’ve been using it. Na normal thing, nobody will disturb you” 
What the man said so much irritated me for whatever situation many label to be the “trend in vogue” sometimes get me bored to tears. This happened during my youth service, and on travelling back home, I learnt of a guy who paid way below what I spent (a difference of about four thousand naira) to an FRSC officer and was issued his driver’s license in three days!
As we talk about positive change in our country, some systems/agencies ought to be retrained on how to be proactive in carrying out their responsibilities, devoid of the ‘African time’ mentality so that responsible citizens of our dear nation are not made to appear foolish where the “smart guys” get the standing ovation.
Why would a driving license not be ready after three good months in a computer age? Why are many government agencies aiding and abetting corruption by frustrating those who ‘knock at the front door’ and welcome those who come in through the back door with a ‘peace offering’?
The government should as well realize that this wicked phenomenon bedeviling our public and even private agencies is carting away billions of naira annually which should have gone into the government purse as revenue. The earlier this ugly trend is being curbed, the better, else patriotic Nigerians who have been driven up the wall may begin to make bullshit of every due process. Even I, have already boycotted some in recent and distant past.
God Bless Nigeria.

Making Money From Pineapple Processing

I have seen so many posts of people telling you how a particular business is highly profitable without revealing to you the crux or secrets embedded therein.
I was delighted to see someone freely share such a million naira idea which I think is pretty commendable.
You will surely agree with me that most fruit stores around your neighbourhood frequently accommodate piles of unsold spoiling/spoilt fruits which eventually end up in waste bins/bags, and when in large volumes, could be insouciantly disposed to pollute the environment.
This article presents to you how you can process excessive fruit supplies into a nutritive and preservative-free/marketable end product with emphasis on pineapple. Click on the link below to get the full gist.....

://m.successdigestonline.com/articles/view/8-simple-products-from-pineapple-that-can-make-you-rich

Annoying Advertisement on Social Media

I came out of my room on a Wednesday afternoon to stretch my legs and my aunt called my attention….
 “Which kain post you dey share for facebook these days?” she asked.
“Which one” I replied.
“Em, ‘The woman with the most expensive body’ abi na wetin again.....”
“Which day dat one happen?” I inquired.
“Three hours ago” she added
“E don reach four days wey I enter facebook last”
“Ah ah, na your timeline I see am na….wait make I show you” she said, picking up her smartphone and connecting to the World Wide Web, the domain; facebook. “See am na” she added, showing me my timeline. Lo and behold,   I saw plenty of posts that were not synonymous to my personality which were of course defaming my rectitude and I went online immediately.
I tried undoing the vile shares on my timeline but met no success, I tried reporting the abuse but there was no defendant, I was still thinking of an appropriate way of handling the situation when my timeline got updated with another sordid share! I then had to hide it, as well as its preceding versions.
I continued brainstorming on how to end this pesty intrusion…..someone must have access to my account I thought……password!, yes password…. I immediately changed my password and that was it. It never happened again. Why am I sharing this?
How can you for your selfish interest use someone else’s profile to post whatsoever you feel like without seeking his/her consent or hire others to do so on your behalf? You don’t even have the time to sit and think about the devastating aftermath of your actions. I will not be surprised to start hearing one or two reports of individuals who lost one thing or the other as a result of a wounded reputation birthed by such infamous act.
If you want to promote your web contents and don’t know how to do so, then I suggest you hire experts in the field. There are many promoters out there who understand the secrets of online advertisement, and would be very glad to render their professional services at an affordable fee. Intruding into people’s privacy is unprofessional and disgusting, plus your website/blog will forever be held in contempt in the minds of your victims, that is if you don’t get sued!
Out of professional courtesy, I choose not to mention the names of this rebarbative sites/blogs, but you know your practices yourself and are advised to change your approach before Thor’s hammer rests on your head. A word is enough for the wise…..
That’s for the bloggers anyway, but how about you guys out there, the ‘bloggees’? You can as well get so careless. How?
You visit a site to view an info, they refer you to another site which requires you register with them before gaining access to the info, you so much want to view this post so you register without even glimpsing through its TERMS AND CONDITIONS which may clearly highlight something like “by agreeing to this T & C, you allow us to make posts for you on facebook….”
Even for those that do read this, check properly for some of this web designers are smart enough to make use of smaller fonts or dull colours in order to conceal sensitive information or make the terms bulky so as to discourage you from going through.
In summary, bloggees, be wary of all “I agree” checkboxes/links you see before clicking.