Bitter Truth For Guys Trying To Maintain Distant Relationships

Have you ever dipped your fingers in a pot of Melon Soup (Egusi) without heating or getting it refrigerated?  The next day, be sure that your soup will become sour!!! This is possibly what could become of your relationship and emotional feelings when 'distance' is involved, especially, when this 'distance' is not handled with enough maturity!

I personally think it is basically foolish trying to maintain distant relationships when the two persons involve do no wish to get married or are not ready to settle down as husband and wife within the shortest possible time! If your girlfriend lives in Uyo and you live in Akure, the burden and regular emotional pains that distant relationships bring could be better tamed if both of you would be tying the knot as soon as possible. On the other hand, in a situation where both of you are still confused on the future of the relationship or there are no serious plans for marriage on ground, you could both be deceiving yourselves while living in constant emotional torture!!!

'Love', no matter how fake it is, grows when the persons that are involved are physically present with each other to ignite the ingredients of romance in the relationship. When romance leaves through the door in a relationship, affection, care and attention are definitely going to leave through the windows! 'Love' would become a mirage and relationship would be recklessly abandoned and forgotten!

As partners, doing things together such as going to the cinema, shopping, strolling and holding hands in the park, watching movies together at home, cracking jokes and seeing the smiles on the faces of each other go a long way in boosting romance . On the contrary, these things are not present in distant affairs! Relationship needs physical body contact, if truth be told. That's the easiest way to reduce unnecessary tension, jealousy, accusations and counter-accusations, constant cheating and lying and all other funny things that go along with distant affairs!!!

In this world that we live in, where materialism and sex are fast becoming the foundations of most relationships, you should sincerely think about it...whether the one you romantically call 'your love' is fervently sincere with you too . I mean, phone calls and chats are just so boring and useless without physical contact!!!

I am not a misogynist and has never been but experiences and observations have clearly shown that ladies cheat more in distant relationships because they are more prone to romantic pressures from other men; some may be carried away by materialism and the pressure to have sex!!! This explains why you may be in Warri, happy that you have a loving girlfriend that lives in Lagos, not knowing that one sharp banker with slick tongue and posh car is banging her in and out! In no time, her care and attention for you would decrease; she would call and text lesser and discussions on phone would become so boring! You should know it is almost coming to an end! . If you don't have any plans of getting married soonest, don't waste your time on distant affairs! I would even suggest you use the money you spend on regular, boring and long phone calls on online betting because you cold be wasting your resources on a girl someone else is 'eating'

Distant relationship is full of pains, lies, emotional trauma, unnecessary troubles, jealousy and fear all occassioned by lack of physical presence!

How to deal with Fustrations

Frustration: a knotty situation but a reality to be experienced. We are in a society where we are being driven by a neurotic speed and force accelerated by greed and frustration of deviating from the image which we initially created for ourselves because at times, the image has no reflection of us in reality - Yoko Ono.. .. ..

Frustration, at times painful but always yields a very positive and essential part of our success, but that still doesn't change the fact that an atom of the reactant (frustration) won't be present in the outcome.. .. ..

No matter how satisfied one is on earth, he must surely cross the path of frustration coz it has been necessitated by the Creator that all living creatures must undergo series of frustrations right from their beginning till they eventually die. A classic example can be seen in the life of young children, they strive so hard to take their first step just to become mobile, and after that, they also strive for years before they master a language that would allow them to express themselves clearly and freely, but before that happens, all they do is cry and depend on a loving parent who would be able to interpret their frustrations which might be hunger, pain or any sort of uncomfortable feeling in a way that would relieve them.. .. ..

Even at adult stage, frustration is still inevitable, i can boldly say that 85% of the individuals of this nation are currently in position where frustrations led them to, and not a place where they initially wished to be. Our society is a typical example to that; a student who had completed his SSCE was about to further his education in the higher institution, he initially wished to study mechanical engineering but after the whole UTME and POST UTME, he was unfortunate to be given metallurgical engineering, then he was left in a dilemma where he was to choose between accepting the course that was given to him or decline it and may never have that kind of opportunity again. The whole scenario and frustrations derailed his life and he later ended up being a police officer. A writer once said that; "The same frustration which leads a thief into stealing is the same frustration that leads a policeman into a police job. That's why you should always at least try to be nice to them whenever they ask for weekdays/weekends pocket money coz a thief is entitled to a gun likewise a policeman, but the policeman chose to set positive possibilities with his own frustration and the pocket money he is always asking for is the atom of frustration in his success as aforesaid in the 3rd paragraph.. .. ..

Unfortunately, the whole challenges isn't our fault, but our brain and central nervous system requires much frustration and constant pressure to develop, grow and maintain dexterity. A good question to ask ourselves is:

HOW DO WE DEAL WITH OUR FRUSTRATIONS?

Do we see it as a challenge to greater places? Do we see it as an opportunity to blame someone else? Do we just sit and cry and wait for someone to help us deal with it? These are the questions that should always pop up whenever we find ourselves in frustrating moments.. .. ..

It's high time we learnt how to differentiate between our failure and frustration, failure is not the problem, but frustration certainly is. A failure that follows frustration will close the door of our mind but if we are able to ignore the failure and seek another opportunity, our situations won't be that of total failure. All we have to do is redirect the substantial energy of our frustration into something productive and turn it into positive, effective, and unstoppable determination that would help us set positive possibilities.. .. ..

Originally written by LordOfTheWeed

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE ON NIGER DELTA: SHELL’S MANIFESTLY FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT OIL POLLUTION EXPOSED, AGAIN

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PRESS RELEASE

Claims by oil giant Shell that it has cleaned up heavily polluted areas of the Niger Delta are blatantly false, Amnesty International and the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) said in a new report published today.
Clean it up: Shell’s false claims about oil spills in the Niger Delta documents ongoing contamination at four oil spill sites that Shell said it had cleaned up years ago. The report is being published to mark the 20th anniversary of the execution, on 10 November 1995, of the environmental activist and writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa, who campaigned tirelessly against the damage caused by the oil industry in the Niger Delta.

“By inadequately cleaning up the pollution from its pipelines and wells, Shell is leaving thousands of women, men and children exposed to contaminated land, water and air, in some cases for years or even decades,” said Mark Dummett, Business and Human Rights researcher at Amnesty International.
“Oil spills have a devastating impact on the fields, forests and fisheries that the people of the Niger Delta depend on for their food and livelihood. Anyone who visits these spill sites can see and smell for themselves how the pollution has spread across the land.”

The report also documents the failure of the Nigerian government to regulate the oil industry. Its watchdog, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) is under-resourced and continues to certify areas as clean that are visibly polluted with crude oil.

“As people in Nigeria and around the world remember Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight other Ogoni leaders who were executed in 1995, Shell and the government of Nigeria cannot ignore the terrible legacy of the oil industry in the Niger Delta. For many people of the region, oil has brought nothing but misery,” said Stevyn Obodoekwe, CEHRD’s Director of Programmes.
“The quality of life of people living surrounded by oil fumes, oil encrusted soil and rivers awash with crude oil is appalling, and has been for decades.”

Investigation finds visible pollution at sites Shell says it cleaned
The Niger Delta is the biggest oil-producing region in Africa. The largest international oil company there is Shell. It operates around 50 oil fields and 5,000 km of pipelines, much of them ageing and poorly-maintained. The oil giant’s own figures admit to 1,693 oil spills since 2007, though the real number is probably higher.

In 2011 the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) exposed massive levels of pollution caused by oil spills from Shell pipelines in the Ogoniland region of the Niger Delta. UNEP also exposed how the damage done to the environment and people was exacerbated by the company’s failure to clean up the spills properly. In response, Shell promised to clean up sites identified by UNEP and improve its response to future spills.
Yet in field investigations at four of the spill sites UNEP identified as highly polluted in 2011, Amnesty International and CEHRD found all four remain visibly contaminated in 2015, even though Shell says it has cleaned them. The investigation demonstrates this is due to inadequate clean-up, and not new oil spills.

At one of the locations, Shell’s Bomu Well 11, researchers found blackened soil and layers of oil on the water, 45 years after an oil spill took place – even though Shell claims to have cleaned it up twice, in 1975 and 2012. At other sites, certified as cleaned by the Nigerian regulator, researchers found soil and water contaminated by oil close to where people lived and farmed.
The investigation shows Shell has not addressed problems with its entire approach to cleaning up oil pollution in Nigeria, including how it trains and oversees the local contractors that actually conduct the work.

One contractor who had been hired by Shell told Amnesty International how half-hearted and superficial clean-up efforts fail to prevent lasting environmental damage:
“This is just a cover up. If you just dig dow n a few metres you find oil. We just excavated, then shifted the soil away, then covered it all up again.”

Communities bear the brunt of oil pollution

Communities told Amnesty International and CEHRD how lingering pollution after oil spills had contaminated the land and rivers that nearly two-thirds of the Niger Delta’s people rely on for food and livelihood. Emadee Roberts Kpai, now in his 80s, was a farmer and fisherman until the oil spill at Bomu Manifold in 2009.

“Our creeks are no more. Fishing activity is no more productive. The farm I should be farming has already been devastated by oil spills from Shell. Our crops are no longer productive. No fish in the water. We plant the crops, they grow but the harvest is poor.

“When Shell came to our community, they promised that if they find oil they’ll transform our community, and everybody will be happy… Instead we got nothing from it.”

[note: for more testimony from the community, see case study document]

Shell fails to act despite UN criticism
Shell told Amnesty International it disagreed with the organizations’ findings, without providing any details. The company directed researchers to its website, but this provides very little information about clean up. Shell also repeated its claim that most oil spills and pollution are caused by illegal activity, such as people stealing oil from pipes rather than poor maintenance.

Amnesty International and CEHRD have exposed false statements made by Shell about illegal activity and the extent of oil spills due to corroded pipes in previous reports.
In any case, Nigerian law says companies who own pipelines are responsible for cleaning up, no matter what causes a spill.
Amnesty International is calling on Shell to be more transparent about its clean-up operations. The organization also says the Nigerian government needs to strengthen its watchdog, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).

”Shell says theft is to blame for oil spills, but even if that were true it would not excuse the company’s consistent failure to clean up oil pollution. Shell’s blame game can no longer deflect attention from its broken promises and neglected infrastructure,” said Mark Dummett.
“As long as oil companies fail to live up to their commitments, the Niger Delta will remain a cautionary tale of communities promised prosperity, but left with blighted, devastated lands.”

Background: Clean It Up campaign targets Shell

The report is part of Amnesty International’s Clean It Up campaign, which calls on Shell to finally deal with the devastating impact of oil spills in Niger Delta. The campaign involves special vigils and protest actions outside Shell petrol stations ahead of the 20th anniversary of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s execution after an unfair trial on 10 November 1995.
Amnesty will be holding a press conference in Abuja to provide further analysis to this report at 10am on Tuesday 3 November.

ENDS

***************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International’s press office in Abuja on

+234 909 279 4686 or in London on +44 20 7413 5566

email: Eulette.ewart@amnesty.org.ng

twitter: @AmnestyNigeria

Sexualization Of Children: Parents Have Lost It In Parenting

As I waited in the departure lounge of a local airport, I noticed there were many children about but it was understandable since it was summer holiday. One other thing I noticed was the way most of the children were dressed. Most of them, especially the girls, were dressed in bum shorts, halter necks, cut off jeans, etc. The clothes in themselves weren't the issue per se; it was the overall look of the children that had me bothered. That was definitely not the first time I noticed it.

A few months before, I had taken my kids to a birthday party and found myself in what could easily have been a night club for kids. Scanty clothing such as tight or very short clothes, bum shorts, long weaves, etc, seemed to be the dress code. I noticed my daughter glancing around her, probably wondering, "What in God's world are these other children wearing?" Or something like that.

Not long after, the kids were called out to dance to the hit songs of the season - these songs in my opinion should be rated PG 13. 4-6 year olds trooped to the dance floor, miming the sexually explicit songs and gyrating their bodies in the most sensual manner. They could have given Beyonce a run for her money.

They ran their hands over their bodies, shook their booties hard while their parents cheered them on. The boys had their upper shirts unbuttoned and rapped along perfectly to gangsta raps while doing flawless break dance.

Those who danced like actual children where shooed off the dance floor while the lewd ones were cheered on. As I watched, my child stared out of this circle looking longingly at the others dancing. I knew it was time to leave. As we left, we went to a eatery where I bought them ice cream and gently explained to them the concept of decency and dancing with decorum.

Another time, at a game arcade for kids, I ran into a lady who had made-up her kids' faces like they were mannequins for Tara or Mac beauty products. Their skirts were so tight, that running up and down the slide was uncomfortable for them.

So the question is, why are we sexualizing our kids? Why does your 4, 6 or 9 year old girl have to look like a chick? Why does she have to be hot or sexy? Should your 8 year old son go around with a comb in his hair and his pants sagged almost to his ankles?

If your child wears bum shorts out of the house at age 3, why should she be expected to wear longer ones at 15? If she wears 2 rings and 12 bangles at 6, why won't she pierce a second ear hole at 17 and her bellybutton at 19?

Why won't your son pierce his own ear at 15? Are you setting your children up to be immodest and indecent? What trend are you starting them on? That all these are fashionable or trendy doesn't mean it's okay.

Some parents even dress their children like this to church. Church!

What are you teaching the child? What happened to children wearing dresses to church? Children can look very nice and decent, they can be well covered and still look good. In this age, when children are being abused, is it wise to make your child an object of anyone's sexual attention?

When I hear some children belt out sexually explicit lyrics, I ask myself how they became exposed to this songs! As a parent, you can't play the CD of such songs and not expect your children to pick them up; the same goes for watching Mtv Base, Channel O, etc with your children.

Studies have shown that children exposed to a high level of sexually explicit information tend to become sexually active early. Is that your goal as a parent?

Being a Parent involves sacrifice. You will need to avoid listening to such music where your children are.

Most of those lyrics demean women and teach your daughter that she's just a intimacy gadget and her body is for squeezing. It teaches the boys that money is everything and women are things to be used to satisfy their primal urges. These music introduces them to a degrading pop culture.

Our children have their lives ahead of them, let's set them on the right path by teaching them to dress decently and sing nice or age-appropriate songs. Let your children be children. Train up a child in the way that s/he should go and when s/he is old, s/he would not depart from it.

Do you agree that children are unnecessarily exposed to sexually explicit elements? Is it possible that some parents are victims themselves or is it that they don't know any better?

How A Guy Was Fired By One Of The Biggest Oil Companies In Nigeria

Someone shared this story on Twitter.

I earlier promised to share the gist of a guy fired by one of the biggest oil companies in Nigeria...

Nedu is a manager in ( we will call the company X). He was recently transferred from his dept to head a new Dept, aviation.

As a manager, Nedu earns excellent salary, with all he perks of office. Lives on the Island, official car, etc. He is married with a kid.

Nedu went to Kenya for a training/course, not unusual in the oil/gas industry. When he arrived Kenya, he got there with his wife & child.

On getting to the hotel, he was told there was no arrangement for pairs, as the company booked & made arrangement for only him.

He was told to pay for upgrade if he wants his wife and kid to be accommodated. Greedy man, he stupidly claimed he didn't come with cash.

Mistake number one was made. A call was made to the MD of CompX in Kenya, who in turn called MD CompX in Nigeria to report the issue.

When the MD in nigeria was notified, he called Nedu and asked why he had to go to Kenya with his family when he was sent alone?

Nedu claimed his family is young family blablabla. His MD was shocked. It was just a few days course not a year furlough...

Sadly the call to Nigeria triggered a hidden problem. The MD in Nigeria, an European by the way, recalled that Nedu recently had a query.

Perhaps the MD might not have recalled the query, but a foolish man would always think himself wiser than everybody...

Just paying $50 per day to upgrade his room might have helped but Nedu didn't want to pay. CompX in Kenya was asked to pay & upgrade him.

ComX in Kenya paid on the understanding that Nigeria will reimburse them since arrangements were not made for more than one person.

you would think Nedu was done with folly, naaa, the idiot had more stupidity up his sleeves... Upon returning to Nigeria after the course.

Nedu tendered receipts for taxi & other in-country cab expenses, unknown to him, his hotel escapades had made both MDs to talk about him.

The Kenya MD informed the Nigerian one that they picked Nedu up with a company car at the airport and also dropped him off when he left.

He was made to face a disciplinary panel on charges of fraud and forgery. Recall that he might have or might not have alerted his boss.

In nigeria if he had simply left his wife at home for just a few days or paid for her hotel bill, but his "smartness" exposed him.

To cut a long story short, Nedu was fired for forgery, the MD said he might have overlooked his his hotel brouhaha, but forgery is a NO.

Nedu is now at home with a wife and a daughter. His wife, by the way does not work.

May greed and over smartness not be our undoing in life...

End of story...

https://mobile.twitter.com/Ayourb/status/623215025960931332

Don't Be Brash And Over-confident: Lesson For Job Seekers

At the interview to fill the vacancy of a Field Engineer in a multinational oil company, two competent and qualified Engineers were shortlisted and the company was to decide on who to retain and who to show the red card.

They asked them If they could drive and they both answered in the affirmative. The Head of the Human Resources spearheading the interview cum pruning session then handed his car keys to them to prove their driving skills within the premises.

The over-confident applicant collected the car key, opened the car, switched on the ignition, lighted it up, sped off, swirled, swerved and made some stunts on wheels before parking the car on the same spot to the seeming rousing applause and mischievously knowing smile of the interviewers.

The other applicant collected the key all the same, opened the car, opened the bonnet, checked the engine oil level, the brake fluid level, the gear oil level and the water in the radiator level. As he closed the bonnet, the chief interviewer walked towards him and said: "Don't bother driving, you've just been hired!"

Precaution is more powerful than expertise!
The race is not for the swiftest, but to the wise!
Don't be brash and over-confident. Learn the ropes and never back off from giving your best even If you don't possess what it takes.

That someone is doing it fast doesn't mean he is doing it right! Direction is more important than speed! Exercise caution and take precaution in the journey of life- that's how to be recruited into the employment of success...

Wake Me Up When This Nightmare Is Over

Pardon the cheek.

I want to give you a quick assignment this morning. Please pick up your phone. Call at least three of your friends. Ask them to list the most urgent national issues, in their own opinion, at the moment. Let's be quick with it, please. Here we go.

One…

Two…

Three…

Are you done? Great.

Did any of them list Senate Majority Leader and Chief Whip as their priorities? What about Deputy Majority Leader?

The ones I called said the urgent issues are the falling naira, unpaid salaries, the looming fuel crisis, erratic power supply and rising insecurity, notably the renewed Boko Haram attacks and increasing armed robberies. None of them mentioned Chief Whip. My friends must be out of touch, you would say.

Reading the news, after all, they should know that the most urgent issue in Nigeria today is the politics of sharing political spoils at the National Assembly, which has become the battleground for a test-run of the 2019 presidential election — with various interests strategies to take control. The undercurrents of this proxy war will not be televised. In the absence of anything of significance happening at Aso Rock, the National Assembly is the centre of attraction. The politicians are keeping us entertained with their usual who-gets-what fiasco, while thousands of distracted Nigerians are at the ringside soaking in the fun.

I have been well lectured that we need to put the National Assembly "in order" before the new administration can take off and I must express my sincere gratitude to my teachers.

I suspect that the naira is falling because the house of representatives is yet to have its principal officers, and we should expect a better exchange rate when the reps reconvene in July and make those appointments. Armed robbers, sensing that Senate President Bukola Saraki was not the preferred candidate of the APC, have gone on the rampage. Hopefully, if Senator Ahmad Lawan is made senate president, the robbers will beat a retreat remorsefully.

Wake up, fellow Nigerians, we are in trouble. Big trouble. Saraki is the least of our problems.

Our economy has had a ghastly accident. It suffered multiple fractures and lost a lot of blood. We don't seem to know it.

I belong to the group that thinks we are in a nightmare and that it will take a long and painful process to stabilise the system. I must confess that I am not one of those praying for crude oil price to rise again. Do not blame me. I'm paranoid. In 2008, crude oil sold for as high as $147. It did not make my life better. It did not improve electricity. It did not fix the hospitals. It did not improve the quality of public schools. What I saw, instead, was profligacy. I saw state-of-the-art governor's residences being built, with designer champagne being popped at the "house-warming" ceremonies and showcased on live TV. I saw a country whose problem was not money but how to waste it.

And then crude oil prices began to crash. When the 2009 budget was being drafted in the last quarter of 2008, oil prices hovered in the vicinity of $100 per barrel. The drafters felt they were being conservative with a benchmark of $62.50. (After all, the 2008 budget was benchmarked against $59 yet oil eventually hit $147.) In no time, however, prices began to wither; the $62.50 mark was no longer realistic. The budget drafters adjusted it to $45, thinking again that it was a wise, conservative decision. But a week after the Appropriation Bill was presented to the National Assembly by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, oil was selling for $40. It ended the year at $32.

To adjust to the new reality, Yar'Adua and governors began to reduce the population and salaries of political appointees. Nigerians rejoiced. We went on a sweet-smelling campaign on how we were about to reduce reliance on crude oil and diversify the economy. Northern governors spoke deliciously about how agriculture and solid minerals were going to power the economy of the north. Southern governors spoke seductively about industrialisation and Japanisation of their own economies. If you lived in Nigeria in 2009, you would swear that we had finally overcome our genetic folly and were about to get over the oil dependency nightmare.

But crude oil prices began to recover, selling for as high as $80 in December 2009. What happened next? Normal service resumed. It was time for petrodollar carnival again. Politicians went on a spending competition with vengeance.

Agriculture, solid minerals and Japanisation became dirty words again. All tiers of government embarked on unsustainable expenditure. Civil service went on an employment festival. Minimum wage went up. The population of political appointees exploded. Recurrent spending doubled and tripled and quadrupled.

National Assembly ballooned their own overheads insanely. They did not bother about the math.

Ahead of the 2011 elections, the excess crude account (ECA), which is supposed to be our savings for days like these, came under "terrorist" attack. Governors embarked on self- serving arguments that ECA was
unconstitutional. Some of us wrote and pleaded with them to keep these savings intact and live within their means. They waved the constitution menacingly in our face, telling us that we knew nothing about the law which says every federally collected revenue should be shared. I remember asking: is there any part of the constitution that says we should not agree to save part of our income? Of course, the governors knew what they were doing.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who himself was thinking of the 2011 elections, became very vulnerable to governors asking him to share the booty. Anytime governors met in Abuja, it was always announced thereafter that they had agreed to withdraw from ECA to "cushion" the effects of global "food" crisis. Food indeed.

Jonathan, meanwhile, was paying fuel subsidy to every Jumai, Jumoke and Juliana, apparently to fund his own election. The governors soon disappeared from our radar. They started flying private jets. The only governor I ever met on a commercial flight since then was Peter Obi. Many ministers started flying "ministerial jets". That is the way we are.

So it is 2009 all over again as crude oil prices have tumbled. The population of political appointees and their pay packets are being "slashed" again. On the surface, we appear to be sober, with our tails nestling between our legs.

We are pretending to be prudent. It appears the leopard is about to change its spots. But if I know my country very well, we don't learn any lessons. We are quietly waiting and wishing for another oil boom so that normal service can quickly resume. You can bet that as soon as the salary arrears are cleared with another oil boom, we will return to senseless spending yet again. That is why I am not praying for another windfall.

If we are a country that learns lessons, this crisis presents a perfect opportunity to reform our brain. With the right policies and incentives, Abia can be the electronics manufacturing centre of Africa; Plateau and Kogi can become global tourist destinations; Jigawa can be a world leader in sesame seeds; Rivers can play host to the biggest refineries exporting petroleum products; Kwara can rival Thailand in rice export; Taraba and Adamawa can host Africa's biggest mango and orange juice-making factories. The revenue to be derived from VAT, PAYE, duties and corporate taxes as well as the associated economic activities can cut off our umbilical cord from the unstable and disruptive hydrocarbon monster. Not to talk of the accompanying millions of direct and indirect jobs.

This crippling fiscal crisis has again exposed the underbelly of our "feeding-bottle federalism", as Senator Ike Ekweremadu calls it. We are in an economic nightmare. The time has come to confront our politicians and get them to sit down and do their jobs. On a second thought, I would love to be the Chief Whip so that I can, with the help of "koboko", whip these overfed adults in the National Assembly into line. They are obstructing our progress with their pot bellies. Of course, we need a peaceful National Assembly to move forward. But the most urgent issues today can still become our priorities while these exuberant legislators try to sort themselves out.

Seven Things You Should Know Before Buying A Power Bank

For the new generation of mobile users, staying online and connected is a priority. With mobiles and tablets becoming feature heavy and app loaded, they tend to draw more juice out of the battery, draining out faster.
Portable battery backup devices are trending as the obvious solution to the problem of draining batteries.

While purchasing a portable charger is as easy as shipping it on one of the popular shopping portals, buying a correctly priced portable charger is going to take an additional research from you before you make that purchase.
Most battery backup manufacturers keep their products competitively priced, but you will find quite a few power banks that are way above their market value.

Here are 7 things you should know before buying a portable charger -

1. Power Capacity:

A battery backup bank's price primarily depends on the number of mAh capacity it holds. The price of a portable charger increases as the capacity of the unit increases. Higher capacity portable chargers of 12000 mAh or more are capable to charging tablets as well, apart from charging mobile phones multiple times. Portable power banks of capacity between 3200 mAh to 6000 mAh cost lesser, up to #5,000 per unit, and are smaller in size.

2. Batteries:

The type of battery used also determines the price. Few manufacturers use premium Li-Ion batteries that increase the lifespan and number of charge cycles. Premium batteries increase the price slightly. Other battery types like Nickel Cadmium and Nickel Metal Hydride cost lesser in comparison to Lithium Ion batteries.

3. Frame and Casing:

The pricing of portable chargers increases as the quality of the frame improves. Aluminum cases are light and easy to carry and cost more. Durable and industry grade frames increase manufacturing cost which in turn reflects on the MSRP of the power bank.

4. Add-on Features:

Additional features like current charge LCD display, LED flashlights, built in hotspot, stickiness that allows the power bank to stick to the mobile device while you are talking, etc. are good to have, but these add to the price of the portable power bank.

5. Number of output Ports:

The lower capacity battery banks have a single port. All portable chargers with 10000 mAh or more have at the least 2 output ports which allows you to charge multiple devices parallelly. The numerous ports also increase the price of a portable charger. You will notice that the price of a power bank with a single USB port is lesser than a power bank with 2 USB ports.

6. AC Adapter:

Most battery banks do not come with an AC Adapter in the kit. Manufacturers exclude the adapter to make the power bank prices more competitive. If you don't already have an AC adapter, you will need to purchase it separately.

7. Accessories:

Generally, accessories like charging cable, Apple lightning adapters and travel pouches come along with the battery banks and you will not need to spend more on these accessories.
Make a well balanced decision based on the features that you prefer the portable charger to have and it's price.

Research and compare the prices of portable chargers of similar mAh capacities before you purchase one.

Source=>> http://www.maxnaija.com/2015/05/7-things-you-should-know-before-buying.html

Distinction Between Niger Delta, South South And "Niger Delta"

Overtime people have used the term Niger Delta and South South interchangeably. I took my time to do extensive research and I consider it wise to share with the public.

Niger Delta

The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River at the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. Historically and cartographically, the Niger Delta region consist of present day Rivers and Bayelsa states and Warri in (Delta state). These areas/states collectively is sometimes called Oil Rivers, as it was then the British Oil Rivers Protectorate established in 1884. The area was called Oil Rivers Protectorate because it was a major producer of palm oil. The area would be later part of the larger Niger Coast Protectorate after it was expanded in 1893 with Calabar as administrative office.

South South

The "South South" is an artificial geo-political zone created in 1995 by Gen Sani Abacha, and consist of Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross river, Akwa Ibom and Edo states. IBB had created six zones for "effective allocation of resources"

Historically, the "South South" has never been a single administrative entity. Let me explain...

Edo and Delta states

Though Warri (previously known as Delta Province) is/was part of the Niger Delta, the British in 1939 created the Western Region as a subset of Southern Nigeria and included Benin and Delta provinces in the region. The MidWest referendum of 1963 led to the creation of MidWest which included the Benin and Delta provinces from the Western Region after years/decades of agitation started by Benin Kings Oba Iweka II(in 1924) and Oba Akenzua II, Omo-Osiagie, Dennis Osadebe, Dalton Asemota, Okotie-Eboh etc and backed by super majority of Benin-Delta people. However, agitation by the "Niger-Deltans" within Bendel state for the creation of Warri State for the Niger Deltans(old Warri province), as well as call by the ANIOMAs for the Creation of ANIOMA state from the old Benin province led to the creation of Edo and Delta states in 1991.
(IBB forced Warri and ANIOMA people into one "Delta" state)

Akwa-Ibom, Cross river, Rivers and Bayelsa states

The four states were part of the Eastern Region in 1954 along with the present day 5 South Eastern States. Rivers and Bayelsa later formed "Rivers" State in 1967, while Akwa Ibom and Cross River became South Eastern state(later renamed Cross river state in 1976). Akwa Ibom state and Bayelsa state were splitted from Cross river(1987) and Rivers (1996) respectively.

Official "Niger Delta" States
President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2000 "expanded" Niger Delta to include SW Ondo state, SE Imo and Abia states , and SS Akwa Ibom, Edo and Cross river states. Thus, official Niger Delta states are the aforementioned plus the historical and cartographical Niger Delta (Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states). All 8 states are the oil producing states in Nigeria.

Summary:

1. The Niger-Deltans in the "Real Sense" are people in the present day Rivers and Bayelsa states (old Rivers province), and Warri in the present day Delta state (old Warri/Delta province).

2. The “official” Niger Delta is an expression for the oil producing states of Ondo, Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Cross River, Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states. It is not exclusive to South South.

3. "South South" consist of 4 old Eastern states (Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross river and Akwa Ibom) and the old Midwest (Edo and Delta).

4. No single ethnic group can speak for "South South", as historical interests differs. For instance,
I) In Delta state, the Itsekiris are majorly pro-Yorubas. They majorly voted against Midwest region(preferring to be with the Yoruba Western region), and opposed the creation of Warri state. The Akoko-edos in Edo state are also pro-Yoruba and also opposed the creation of Midwest region.

III) The Binis, Esans, Ijaws, Igbos etc of Edo and Delta states have always lived harmonously since the fall of Benin Kingdom in 1897, formed alliances and supported each others interests. In fact, it was an Igboman(Anioma) Denis Osadebe that proposed Benin city to be the capital of MidWest/Bendel in 1963.

5. There is ethnic Igbo population in Delta (ANIOMA) and Rivers states. There is Ijaw ethnic population in Edo(Toru-Ibe Ijaws), Akwa Ibom (Eastern Andonis/Ibolo) and Ondo (Arogbo Ijaws) in addition to those in Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states.

6. While the term "Niger Deltans" refers to people from Rivers, Bayelsa and Warri, the term "South Southners" refers to people that falls into the six states within the South South.

I hope we find this piece educating and Informative.

God Bless Us All

References:

dailyindependentnig.com/2014/01/ethnic-groups-geo-political-regions-nigeria/

www.african-volunteer.net/niger_delta.html

www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ng_orp.html

www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/the-true-story-of-delta-state-creation-by-otobo-akpeki-tosanwumi/

http://www.waado.org/nigerdelta/ethnichistories/
EgharevbaLectures/Fifth-Omoigui.htm

How To Become Emotionally Strong

Experiencing emotions is a normal part of human living and there is nothing inherently bad about having emotions but allowing yourself to be ruled by emotions is bad. For this reason, emotional strength and maturity is essential.
Emotional maturity is the ability to control your emotions and take full responsibility for your life along with its opportunities and dramas.
Emotional maturity is something that we must develop in our lives by knowing how to respond to situations in a mature and responsible manner. It is a quality worth working towards if you aren’t already there.
No one is perfect. We are all in the process of improving ourselves.

Here are things you can practice to become more emotionally mature and strong.

1. Don’t let negativity get the best of you.
Your brain is a radio transmitter. It broadcasts thoughts, directions and vibrations into your life – you get to choose the station it’s tuned to.
Emotionally strong people understand this and tune out negativity to make room for positivity. Focus on the positives, and soon the negatives become harder to see.

2. Don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself.
Emotionally strong people don’t sit around feeling sorry about their circumstances or how others have treated them. Instead, they take responsibility for their role in life, work on changing what can be changed, and keep in mind that life isn’t always easy or fair. In the end, happiness is not the absence of problems, but simply the ability to deal well with them. So look at what you have, instead of what you have lost. Because it’s not what the world takes away from you that counts; it’s what you do with what you have left.

3. Don’t think you need more to be happy.
Know that happiness is a mindset of appreciation. In other words, happiness doesn’t start when “this, that or the other thing” is resolved. Happiness is what happens now when you appreciate what you have.

4. Don’t compare your journey to everyone else’s.
Social comparison is the thief of happiness. Do YOUR best and don’t compare your progress with that of others. They aren’t YOU. We all need our own time to travel our own distance. Emotionally strong people know this is the truth, and they live by it.

5. Don’t envy and resent other people’s success.
Learn to genuinely appreciate and celebrate other people’s success. Don’t grow envious or feel cheated when others achieve something you are trying to achieve. Instead, recognize that success comes with hard work, and be willing to work hard for your own chance at success. True confidence has no room for envy and resentment. When you know you are great, you have no reason to hate.

6. Don’t expect everything to be easy.
Don’t view failures and delays as reasons to give up. Instead, use failure as an opportunity to grow and improve. Be willing to keep trying until you get it right. Whether you are working on improving your health or getting a new business off the ground, don’t expect immediate results.
Instead, apply your efforts and skills to the best of your ability and understand that real change takes time.

7. Don’t say, “I can’t.”
As Henry Ford puts it, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.” This is true. If you really want to do something, you can and you will find a way. If you don’t, you will surely find a long list of excuses. So stop saying “I wish” and start saying “I will.” Turn your “can’ts” into “cans” and your dreams into plans.

8. Don’t let fleeting temptations distract you from your dreams.
Don’t let the temptations of today distract you from what you deserve. Stay emotionally strong. Do what you have to do now so you can do what you want to do later.

9. Don’t get impatient and settle.
Good things don’t come to those who wait. Good things come to those who are patient… while working hard for what they want most in life. If you know what you want, if you can see it, feel it and move toward it in some small way every single day… it has to happen. Be patient and keep working. That’s what emotionally strong people do.

10. Don’t make the same exact mistakes over and over again.
You can’t make the same mistake twice. Because the second time you make it, it’s no longer a mistake, it’s a choice. Accept responsibility for your behavior and learn from past mistakes. As a result, you won’t keep repeating the same mistakes over and over. Instead, you grow and move on to better decisions and new lessons.

11. Don’t resist change.
Don’t try to avoid change. Instead, welcome positive change into your life and be willing to be flexible. Understand that change is inevitable and believe in your abilities to adapt. Change happens for a reason. Roll with it! It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

12. Don’t waste time and energy on things you can’t control.
Instead, focus on what you can control in your life. And above all, recognize that sometimes the only thing you can control is your attitude. After all, inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow an uncontrollable event or person to control your emotions.

13. Don’t hang on every word other people say about you.
Emotionally strong people listen to their own heart and intuition, not the peanut gallery. So try not to take things other people say about you too personally. What they think and say is a reflection of them, not you. Ultimately, you can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react and who you choose to be around.

14. Don’t think everyone is out to get you.
Emotionally strong people choose to see the good in others. Because the truth is, the world is full of good people. Whoever says otherwise hasn’t looked around. So look around. Appreciate them. Connect and smile together. When you choose to see the good in others, you end up finding the good in yourself.

15. Don’t worry about pleasing everyone.
Recognize that you don’t need to please everyone all the time. Do not be afraid to say no or speak up when necessary. Strive to be compassionate and fair, but be able to handle other people being disappointed if you didn’t perfectly live up to their unfair expectations. The bottom line is, pleasing everyone is impossible.

16. Don’t think it’s too late to start over.
Let go of the idea that it’s too late to start over. Remember, it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than the top of the one you don’t… even if it means beginning anew. Just because some things didn’t work out as you had expected, or didn’t happen as fast as you thought they would, is no excuse to give up on yourself.
Time passes one way or the other. Do what you need to do so that, at the very least, you can look back someday and say, “I gave life my best shot.”

Now it is your turn. What is your emotional strength/maturity level? Can you see yourself in the above statements and are there areas you want to improve upon? I personally have areas I need to work upon too.
It’s never too late – whether you are 18 or 81 there are chances for you to increase your emotional maturity/strength.

Feel free to leave a comment.

Credits to Angel Chernoff for some excerpts used in this post.

NGF Crises Ends As Govs Adopt Amaechi As Winner Of 2013 Election

ABUJA- GOVERNORS under the aegis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF agreed to put behind them, crises rocking the forum as they took a resolution that governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State is the authentic Chairman of the forum having won the May 2013 election of the forum.

Vanguard gathered Monday that soon after the meeting took off, there was an apology to be absent from the Chairman of the other faction of NGF and governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang was taken, an indication that all decisions reached at the meeting would be binding to all.

According to the source, the Governors took a resolution that as part of moves to finally nip in the bud the lingering crises, they must first agree that Amaechi won the 2013 election and it as accepted by all and taken as a resolution.

The governors, made up of the All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP are presently meeting at the Lagos/ Osun Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, just as this forms the first of its kind since 2013 when they fell out.
It will be recalled that since governor of Rivers State and Chairman, Nigeria Governor’s Forum, NGF, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was re-elected as Chairman of the Forum in May 2013 where he polled 19 votes to defeat governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, the only governor who contested with him to score 16, all has not been well with the forum.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum which was established to among others, provide a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas, help strengthen and promote Nigeria’s federal system and promote understanding among governors and States, is the umbrella body of all the thirty-six state governors of the federation.

As at the time of sending this report at 10.40 pm, the governors were still inside for the meeting and the following were in attendance.

In Attendance

1. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom
2. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers
3. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo
4. Rauf Aregbosola of Osun
4. Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger
5. Ramallan Yero of Kaduna
6. Saidu Dankigari of Kebbi
7.Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta
8. Deputy governor of kano and governor- Elect, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
9. Kashim Shettima of Borno
10. Deputy governor of Kogi, Yomi Awoniyi
11. Isa Yuguda of Bauchi
12. Deputy governor of Nasarawa State
13. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo
14. Governor- Elect of Akwa Ibom, Emmanuel Udom
15. Deputy governor of Imo State

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/ngf-crises-ends-as-govs-adopt-amaechi-as-winner-of-2013-election/

Universal Concept Of Mental Arithmetic System (UCMAS

Universal Concept Of Mental Arithmetic System is a skill development program that aims at bringing out the best in every child. This program originated in Malaysia and now is spread out across more than 60 countries and over 3 million students' word wide owing to the fact that UCMAS produces tangible results in children enhancing their creativity, concentration and confidence.
In today's competitive modern day and age it is utmost necessary to create a platform for children to enhance their brain development. UCMAS abacus mental arithmetic programs are designed to mobilize the learning imitative of children to reach faster, think deeper, understand deeper and in turn assist in the retention of the lessons taught in the school. Mental Arithmetic is a form of calculation that does not involve the use of any physical or external gadgets / instruments such as a calculator or a computer. The calculations are solely done by human mind using mental power. To achieve this, UCMAS utilizes an ancient Chinese tool called the Abacus. The children are taught to calculate using the abacus by mapping the beads to numbers in their mind and the calculations are performed by moving the beads accordingly. This way, through continuous practice, the children register the numbers as images in their right brain and eventually can perform mental mathematics at exceptional speeds without the help of the abacus and their speeds are faster than that of electronic calculators.

I watched the UCMAS Quiz on TV3 today and I was amazed at the way children of between 4-10 solves complex mathematics without using any calculator. Who has heard of this before?
Its so wonderful.
see the picture of how the children solve maths with their fingers in this link. I really wish this come to Nigeria.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--y9B5vbhc--/saqlzwd8uegxhfmxh83z.gif

http://www.modernghana.com/news/270521/1/ucmas-quiz-starts-showing-on-gtv.html

More Reasons Why Visa Applications Are Refused

Be aware that the number one priority of Visa Officers is the Homeland Security, therefore, the first resort of the officers is to google-search every applicant's name and to see what comes up.

A lot of people have never google-searched their own names and therefore, are not aware that in this age of internet social networking, a simple entering of one's name and surname into a search engine will produce numerous results whether related or unrelated to the very person.

You might not yet be aware of what comes out of your name when it is google searched: most of the featured results are not of your own voluntary information.

Take a moment after reading this article and Google-search your own name and surname, and you may be surprised to see what comes up.

I know a Nigerian someone who entered Ireland through the UK to seek political asylum, his claimed was foiled by google search results that did not favour his pleaded case and as a result, he was asked to leave Ireland: the point is, this is a regular guy (who fits the profile of a nobody) who never thought that anything about him could make it to google search.
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Visa Officers are trained to look for a single reason why a visa should be refused rather than to consider it for 99 other reasons. Therefore, for those who hold the opinion that their visa applications had been unjustifiably refused for what they consider "silly" reasons such as the "three times monthly salary" issue etc.

It is true that budgeting an amount of money that is "three times your monthly income" is actually not a good reason to refuse a visa application, yet this issue usually comes into consideration when a visa applicant does not have impressive amount of money as balance. For example, if a person earns N200k monthly, and he budgets N620k for the intended trip while he presents a bank statement with a balance of N650k, he stands a very high chance to be refused for reason of the vast impact that the amount of money will have on his account as it would take him more than three salaries to recover the amount that he intends to spend for a short trip, where as, a person who earns N120k monthly with an account balance of N1.5M can easily get the visa if the application is reasonably presented.

The formula.

Before applying for a visa, look at how much you earn monthly, consider it against your account balance and compare it to the amount that you intend to spend for the trip.