Russia Pact; Jealousy and Lies

Russia Pact; Jealousy and Lies.

The Soviet Union had its own version of NATO called the Warsaw Pact. 

Warsaw Pact nations were invaded twice during the Cold War, each time by the Soviet Union. A third invasion was only prevented by a military coup. There were also some more minor military incursions. The Warsaw Pact remains the only military alliance to invade itself.

After that the participating countries figured they had more to fear from Moscow than NATO, which they all joined as soon as they could.

the most bizarre thing about the Warsaw Pact, was how the Soviet Union couldn’t figure out how the whole vassal state thing was supposed to work. They had the money flowing in the wrong direction, and everybody ended up going broke.

But most recently the Russians Form another Alliance called The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO;  is an intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia. CSTO consists of select post-Soviet states. The treaty had its origins in the Soviet Armed Forces, which was replaced by the United Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and then by the successor armed forces of the respective independent states. On 15 May 1992, six post-Soviet states belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States — Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—signed the Collective Security Treaty (also referred to as the Tashkent Pact or Tashkent Treaty)

Formation

14 February 1992 (as the Unified Armed Forces)

15 May 1992 (as Collective Security Treaty)

7 October 2002 (as Collective Security Treaty Organization).

Three other post-Soviet states—Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Georgia—signed in 1993 and the treaty took effect in 1994. In 1999, six of the nine—all but Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan—agreed to renew the treaty for five more years. In 2002, those six agreed to create the Collective Security Treaty Organization as a military alliance.

The CSTO charter reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force. Signatories would not be able to join other military alliances. Similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty establishes that an aggression against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all. The CSTO holds yearly military command exercises for the CSTO nations to have an opportunity to improve inter-organization cooperation.

The big difference was that NATO membership was voluntary and that countries could actually leave NATO (like France did in the 1960s).

Leaving the Warsaw Pact was considered treason my the Soviets / Russians and the countries had only limited souvereignity (under the Brezhniev doctrine), except for the Soviet Union, of course.

Dictators Putin and the Ukraine Invasion

Dictators do not think rationally or use logic. The handbook of dictators is really simple. They want to cling to power at all cost.

The decision making process in a democracy is not the same as that in a dictatorship. Yes, we have many pseudo democratic countries. 

When people start to write long winded posts to “assist” a  dictator’s  agenda, I stop reading at a point. 

Putin has only one agenda. Only one.  In his mind he is the country and the country is him. He does not care for his people.  Before the invasion, the Russian economy was struggling. Some countries around him have seen political turmoil that has led to attempts or success in removing heads of government

There is no Cold War again. The political realities of the world keep changing. China could take over Taiwan in all of two days, and it has probably stronger historical ties than Russia with Ukraine. 

We can write about Gorbachev, Stalin, Lenin, the old USSR, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Kennedy and co from here to Jerusalem. At the end, what has happened is not complicated. A dictator is making a play for a democratic country. Trying to install a puppet government in a country that is not belligerent nor shown any potential threat to Russia, having its own share of issues on some ethnic history and wishing to join the EU and NATO having that right as a sovereign state. 

This is not about USA. Or others 

Russia does not need our PR. Ukraine needs our humanity.

@Ademola

UN General Assembly Demands Russia Withdraw From Ukraine

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution that “demands” Russia “immediately” withdraw from Ukraine, in a powerful rebuke of Moscow’s invasion by a vast majority of the world’s nations.

After more than two days of extraordinary debate, which saw the Ukrainian ambassador accuse Russia of genocide, 141 out of 193 United Nations member states voted for the non-binding resolution.

China was among the 35 countries which abstained, while just five — Eritrea, North Korea, Syria, Belarus and of course Russia — voted against it.

The resolution “deplores” the invasion of Ukraine “in the strongest terms” and condemns President Vladimir Putin’s decision to put his nuclear forces on alert.

The vote had been touted by diplomats as a bellwether of democracy in a world where autocracy is on the rise, and came as Putin’s forces bear down on Kyiv while terrified Ukrainians flee.

“They have come to deprive Ukraine of the very right to exist,” Ukraine’s ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told the Assembly ahead of the vote.

“It’s already clear that the goal of Russia is not an occupation only. It is genocide.”

Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Moscow has pleaded “self-defense” under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

But that has been roundly rejected by Western countries who accuse Moscow of violating Article 2 of the Charter, requiring UN members to refrain from the threat or use of force to resolve a crisis.

The European Union’s ambassador to the UN Olof Skoog said the vote was “not just about Ukraine.”

“It is about defending an international order based on rules we all have signed up to,” he said in a statement.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the General Assembly’s message was “loud and clear.”

“End hostilities in Ukraine — now. Silence the guns — now,” he said in a statement.

“As bad as the situation is for the people in Ukraine right now, it threatens to get much, much worse. The ticking clock is a time bomb.”

– ‘Who will be next?’ –

The text of the resolution — led by European countries in coordination with Ukraine — has undergone numerous changes in recent days.

It no longer “condemns” the invasion as initially expected, but instead “deplores in the strongest terms the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine.”

Nearly every General Assembly speaker unreservedly condemned the war.

“If the United Nations has any purpose, it is to prevent war,” the US ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said during her speech on Wednesday.

She accused Russia of “preparing to increase the brutality of its campaign.”

“We’ve seen videos of Russian forces moving exceptionally lethal weaponry into Ukraine, which has no place on the battlefield. That includes cluster munitions and vacuum bombs, which are banned under the Geneva Convention,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

Russia’s ally Belarus offered a staunch defense of the invasion, however.

Ambassador Valentin Rybakov blasted sanctions imposed by the West on Russia as “the worst example of economic and financial terrorism.”

And he followed other Russian allies such as Syria in condemning the “double standards” of Western nations who have invaded countries including Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan in recent decades.

Other speakers cited fears of a domino effect should Ukraine fall to Russia. Colombia railed against any return to “empire,” while Albania wondered: “Who will be next?”

From the Arab world it was Kuwait, itself the victim of an invasion by Iraq in 1990, whose denunciation of Moscow was the most explicit.

– China, India abstain –

Japan and New Zealand led condemnation from Asia, but the continent’s giants — China, India and Pakistan — all abstained. During the debate Beijing had stressed the world had “nothing to gain” from a new Cold War.

On the meeting’s sidelines, Washington has taken aim at Russians working at the United Nations, leveling accusations of espionage and demanding expulsions.

US President Joe Biden asserted Tuesday in his State of the Union address that Putin had underestimated the response to the invasion.

“He rejected efforts at diplomacy… And, he thought he could divide us here at home,” Biden said.

“Putin was wrong. We were ready.”

AFP

Ukraine or Russia

Several people messaged me asking my opinion on the conflict in Ukraine. I lived in Ukraine for some years and watched it gradually switch from being more of a brotherly nation to Russia to what it has become today. You can say anything you like about US/NATO policies, but the fact remains that Ukraine is a sovereign nation and has the right to associate with whomever it wishes.

In my opinion, Ukraine is strongly pro-NATO/EU because every nation in Russia’s sphere of influence does not progress economically, and Putin bullies them to remain his allies or face grave consequences. Compare the former soviet states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania who are now members of NATO & EU with Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova who are not part of it and you will see what I am talking about. It will be difficult for me to imagine a truly democratic nation where people will choose Russia instead of the EU. Pro-Russian nations are usually those ruled by despots who need the military might of Russia to maintain power.

The world watched as Russia invaded Georgia which is another former soviet state in 2008, and Crimea in 2014. Just like he has done in Ukraine, Putin created 2 countries (Abkhazia & South Ossetia) in Georgia and these are still occupied by Russian troops today. This strengthened Ukraine's resolve to move away from Russia since they felt that joining NATO will protect them from such aggression.

I understand Russia's unease with the current situation, but civilized nations don’t invade other nations simply because they refused to be friends with them. Ukraine is not, and has never been a threat to Russia, and Putin knows this.

If you want to know which side to support in this conflict, think of the fact that since Putin took over power, Russia does not make anything useful to humanity in any civilian context. They produce no good cars, but great armored vehicles. No good ship, but warships. No navigation equipment, but have good guided missiles. No good planes but great warplanes. No good software, but have the best hackers. No Revolutionary pharmaceuticals, but produces the deadliest poisons (eg Novichok agent). It is a one stop shop for deadly armaments and occupies a largely empty land almost as large as Africa but still want to conquer Ukraine. That should make you wonder whether this is a man who want peace. Anyone who know all of these, and still support Putin would probably have supported Hitler in 1935.

I stand firmly with the people of Ukraine, and while I hope for a peaceful settlement, I can’t help wishing that Putin will be humbled by the valiant defenders of Ukraine.

PARIS AND EVENTS BEFORE THE ABDUCTION OF HELENA

PARIS AND EVENTS BEFORE THE ABDUCTION OF HELENA

I have often wondered why the Greek heroes followed King Menaleus to claim back Helen the abducted. Why did they do battle for over ten years on the shores of Troy just to rescue a callous woman. Who cares about her beauty? My quest for answers has made me dig deeper to the events following the abduction. Men of the present must scrutinise the inner beauty before the outer. Paris who may have become Alexander the great in a next life saw only the superficial and attracted ruin to his country because of his untamed lust.
There was a time when the entitials walked, ate and fought alongside men. Those days were sparkling and filled with joyful activities. Men stood erect, masculine and handsome infused in bravery and chivalry. The women of ancient times understood the deep feminism and their beauty were goddess like. From all ancient paths of the world the races of men were proud and noble, however darkness had infiltrated as well and men began to look ugly.
Who was Helen, the gift of Aphrodite to Paris? She was indeed the most beautiful and desirable woman in the ancient world of heroes. Helens father was King Tyndareos of Sparta installed by Heracles the powerful entitial. His wife Leda had four children namely Dioscuri, Castor, Polydeuces, Helen and Clytemestra. It is rumoured the spark of Zeus and his love for Leda made Polydeuce and Castor as powerful as Heracles (Hercules). This is why Helen was also called daughter of Zeus.
At a very young age, Helen had been abducted by Theseus to Athens.  Castor and Polydeuce were called the heavenly twins. They rescued their sister from Theseus. Castor and Polydeuce also had entitial sparks within their souls and they did great things. Did Aphrodite actually promise the hand of the most beautiful woman in the world to Paris the prince of Troy? What actually sparked the war and why did the Greek heroes fight alongside King Menaleus to rescue Helen from Paris?
When Hecuba was in birth pangs, she had a vision about the son in her womb. In the vision, she saw herself giving birth not to a human but a blazing touch, whose flames spread and consumed the whole city of Troy. She heard the cries and screams and lamentations and saw her husband, King Priam fall from the city walls. Hecuba sought out a soothsayer and was told his son Paris would bring ruin to the city. She tentatively named him Alexander not the great yet. Then she gave the child to trusted servants and was taken to the wilderness. But the gods smiled on this beautiful child and Shepherd’s rescued him. He didn’t starve to death. Paris grew up a shepherd boy. He had outstanding good looks and of noble blood…..One day while attending to his flocks, he saw a blazing light of 3 female higher entitials from Olympus. Each one came with a promise…..Hermes the messenger of Zeus calmed him down saying: Fear not! We mean you no harm. Hermes stretched an apple to him and said: Zeus our father has chosen you for a task. In this apple is inscribed “the fairest”. Each of the three entitials (goddess) thinks she deserves it. Zeus wants you to give this apple to that goddess.
Before the eyes of Paris appeared Hera the wife of Zeus. Hera radiated a woman of queenly bearing, with lilies on her hair in the glow of full womanhood. A purple bordered gown draped her majestic figure and her hair shining like mahogany: Hera said: You have been chosen with grace and if you make this apple mine, I shall grant you worldly power beyond your imaginings. You shall rule vast territories and you shall rule them securely, with no rivals to your throne.  Paris who had no clue of his noble blood was tempted. But he waited, Hermes standing by his side amused. Then Athena appeared and strode briskly forward, keen eyed warrior imbued with a contained force that was ready to be unleashed at a moment’s notice but her luminous skin and boyish leanness of purest virginity shocked the earth of blissful peace. Athena spoke: if you grant me this apple, I shall make you invincible, not just in hand to hand combat, but in all war fare against darkness. You will be the greatest general ever to lead an army. Thousands shall flock to your banner and none shall stand against you.
Was Paris to become Alexander the great in a next life time? Indeed many who are gifted in deep clairvoyance point out that both Athena and Hera crowned Paris with those gifts in subsequent earth life. It was not an accident for Hecuba to name his son Alexander when he was born.
Enter Aphrodite smiling with each lithe step tiny bells jingled from her gilded sandals with a sound like the tide flowing in and out on the shore at sunset. She peered at the handsome young shepherd through silken lashes and smiled whispering in his ears: if you choose me, you will win love of the most beautiful and desirable woman in the world: Paris thought for a while and handed over the apple from Hermes to Aphrodite. The three goddesses vanished soon after.
Indeed the promise of Aphrodite began to fulfil and one day King Priam had sent his hunters to get wild boars. Paris had followed them behind to the city of Troy. The minute Cassandra the gift from the Light saw him, she screamed: He is here!!, my brother is here, the bane of the city is here. We shall burn and I must tell father! But her voice was lost in merriment of the coming of the long lost son and Priam who loved her daughter dearly never listened until his last breath.

Helen on the other side in faraway Sparta had grown to a most beautiful woman. Indeed she had the physical looks of Aphrodite. King Tyndareos had given his daughter Clytemestra to Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae but Helen was sought after by many suitors including Odysseus of Ithaca, Menestheus of Athens, Ajax of Salamis and scores of others. But Menalaus the noble brother of Agamemnon gave the best bride price and won Helen. However Tyndareos knew that war will break out after his death and the nobles will cause trouble so he made them swear not only that they would abide by his decision without envying the successful suitor, but also that they would, if necessary, take up arms and defend the marriage.  After all Helen had been abducted before when she was a child and she had not become less desirable over the years. The suitors gave their word and the oath had triggered the Trojan War.  If Paris had simply returned Helen back to her husband and listened to Cassandra, Troy would have stood as the Light bearer of the world for a thousand years.

MUCH ADO ABOUT BLACK PANTHER

MUCH ADO ABOUT BLACK PANTHER

.......those who do not understand DC or Marvel comics are now fans overnight.....Well come, welcome there is room for all! 

I have been asked severally to make a statement on the newly released movie making waves around the world "black panther"! I have been reluctant until now, I am told to fix the puzzle of the movie with reference to Esoteric seeing of what is real or if there actually is an isolated country within earth unknown to present day humanity.
My first focus was on the producer Ryan Coogler who also produced "Creed". The producer like Peter Jackson is free spirit, nonreligious and somewhat esoteric, producing something lost deep within their souls they enjoyed hundreds of thousands of years ago.........
Let us watch closely why some of this movies like "Lords of the Ring", "Black Panther", Jurassic Park, Thor etal make waves around  the world when released. It is not so much about picture effects, fantastic flying machines or super human strength but the deep calling forth the deep. Man once stood in awe and walked with the elemental gods thousands of years ago. They talked with them, ate with them and built super human structures like the 7 wonders with these lords of the elements of fire, water, earth and air. Humanity are reminded and shown certain pictures of what they enjoyed thousands of years ago when there was still innocence...unknown to the producers the past glories of their nations. The producers themselves do not understand how they bring up these ideas.
Indeed, there was a Camelot, an Is Ra, Eldorado the lost city of Z, the Island of Hesperides, the chosen race of Sheba  etal where certain humans still connected to the Light isolated themselves from the unrushing dark currents of the fallen human race. Chosen powerful knights and beautiful maidens from the races opposing the fall and perhaps striving for Light built powerful fortresses unknown to man. There is only 1 left presently and the most highly advance human technology will never be able to find it because it is hidden by the Light....It lies in the East!
My greatest joy is the reality of the land of the ancestors displayed in Black Panther!
The kingly initiation of visiting the ancestors and dialogue with them before the commencement of ruler-ship is real.
As I stood up in Lords of the Rings clapping, in Black Panther seeing the afterlife scene of the land of the ancestors gave me delight that this directors may be teaching a brain washed religious Africans of today how beautiful it was when Light still radiated on the African lands. Well done!!! Ryan Coogler, you have thought what many false pastors and imams have no clue about.
It is also heart warming to see the lady general reject the artificial hair with disdain.....Let us take that lesson to our Brazilian hair wearing ladies from Africa who just love not to be original......Now you see true pride in original beauty.
Hercules once traveled to the Island of Hesperides far in the West. A tree which produced golden apples as a gift from Zeus and Hera to earthlings......Hercules once traveled through Africa in the Kenyan planes.....a tree protected by the dragon Ladon......Anywhere you find that sacred tree.....there is a Wakanda like land. To find it, you must see like a king......That was why the Panther came down from that tree and spoke....The tree of life that gives eternal youth!

The Strongest Reasons Why many Relationships fail

COMMUNICATION IS THE BUILDING BLOCK OF ANY LASTING RELATIONSHIP

Communication is a simple word yet very vital in the lives of every living thing.

A school of taught defined communication as an exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to another; it involves a sender transmitting an idea, information, or feeling to a receiver.

In maintaining a healthy relationship between a man and a woman, effective communication is very vital.

Many relationships fail today because there is a break down of effective communication. Effective communication occurs only if the receiver understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to transmit but anything short of this will usuallylead to disaster In the relationship.

Many courtships and marriages have broken down today because each party assumes the other person to be a mind reader or expects the other party to understand issues in a magical manner.

Have you wondered why some divorcées usually use words like "irreconcilable difference". But the truth of the matter is that it was lack of effective communication that led to the break up.

In any serious affair or marriage, two different people must merge to understand each other and this can only be done by having a no holds bar communication with each other on every aspect from the craziest issue to the most important.

Many people tend to condole behavioral patterns they are not happy with and by so doing building up resentment over the years just to explode when the other partner least expects it and by then it may be too late for both parties to repair the damage.

No matter what the case may be, don’t hold back your feelings and learn to communicate with the other party in a very serious manner and not with mediocrity hence you just might be taking for granted.

It may be the way you want to be touched or the way you want your egg fried. It may be just anything that may sound silly or unimportant but please discuss this and you will be happy at the outcome.

Nothing is too sacred to discuss...

-If you want mouth action from your spouse,discuss it
-If you dont like the way he or she snores,discuss it.
-If you hate his or hygiene,discuss it
-If he or she is too boring in bed,discuss it.
-If you feel you are not getting enough attention please discuss it and don't ever stomach or condole things that gets you mad cos a day will come when it will burst out of you and you tend to overreact so discuss it in a timely,humbly,and romantic manner and be at peace

If we all learn to communicate effectively with our partners , I bet the rate of break ups will be greatly reduced.

Divorce and broken relationship is the greatest delight of the devil because this is the only institution GOD takes so much pride in because he instituted it right from the beginning of the world so Lets learn to communicate any and every issue that bothers us with our partners and you will remain happy and also know where you are heading in your relationship in a timely manner.

Hope this helps.

Entrepreneurship Vs Self-employment

The differences between ENTREPRENEURSHIP and SELF-EMPLOYMENT

Alot of times we do hear or read about the benefits of being self employed/entrepreneur. In fact, this seems to be the best concept to wealth. But not for once have I ever knew that there is a difference between self-employment and entrepreneurship not until I started reading business articles and books, listening to great business consultants - the likes of Fela Durotoye, Kunle Soriyan, Brain Tracey (these are my most favorites and role model) and so on. Then I sat down thinking every night, am I an entrepreneur or self-employed?

Many of us never look deeply into this and we usually mistake one for the other because they seem synonymous to us. Self employment is you working for yourself probably as being a contractor, a freelancer or you owning your business. The U.S dictionary defines entrepreneurship as "the art or science of innovation and risk-taking for profit in business. With this definition, I believe we are beginning to get an insight of how different these two are. After all my thoughts, I personally decided to regard entrepreneurship as INGENUITY. Now, what is ingenuity - it is the ability to solve difficult problems, often in original, clever and inventive ways. The way Bill Gates single-handedly revolutionalize the way we use home computers is an excellent example of ingenuity and entrepreneurship.

Two distinct variations of business owners are the entrepreneurs and the self-employed. Categorically speaking, most people fall under self-employment and not entrepreneurship. One major difference I see in the two is  that one has a bigger scope and vision than the other. Let's take  a big look at them

First, being self-employed, you have people who are working for you but being an entrepreneur, you have people who are working with you and not just under you. In self-employment, you employ people to work for you while the whole mission, vision and progress of the business lies on your shoulder but for an entrepreneur, you have people working with you - you are the boss or d director or C.E.O or whatever you tag your post but you and your staffs forms a team and you work as a team, they bring you ideas and innovations.

This is why two things illuminate the differences between self-employment and entrepreneurship;

1) For the self-employed, they have to go to work all the time regardless of the amount of staffs they have. If they don't, the  business will simply stop. It might not stop on that day, but if theit absence is consistent, as days roll over, there is possibility of the business flopping. For an entrepreneur, it is not so. The business keeps going even with the absence of the boss because he has those who knows and understand his vision and can run things successfully in his absence

2) For self-employment, if the owner decides to retire, then that is the end of the business. If the owner dies, the business dies as well. For entrepreneurship, the business outruns the existence of the owner because his/her workers are working him with hence, they understand the vision, mission and value of the business but for self-employment, the workers areworking for him, hence, all they do is just to sell the products and services - they don't understand the mind of the owner.
Take for example, Apple Inc., even after the death of Steve Job, the business still moves on (and didnt change to being open source) but can you remember that there was once a newspaper called Concord in Nigeria? Where is it today? If those working with Steve Job did not know the vision of the business, will it stil be existing?

Think about this - "do you want to build a business that can sustain itself and be valuable enough to sell to others (this is the mind of an entrepreneur) or simply create work so you can pay your bills (this is the mind of self-employed)?

Secondly, entrepreneurs are Global thinkers. They see business in larger scale than the self-employed. The self-employed does not want to go beyond his/her vicinity or do something new because they are scared of taking risk, they are scared if it's going to work out or not, so they prefer to be on the safer side but Entrepreneurs are risk-takers - he knows how to manage and control risk, he deals well with his procurement and thinks massively.

An entrepreneur understands that there is money to be made and more benefits to  had when you serve others on a larger scale. They think globally and identify needs and frustrations to serve the masses and continually further their market reach so they are always seen in the international market more than the self-employed. Take for example Jumia (a Nigeria e-commerce organization) and someone who opened a shop to sell his goods. His shop is in a particular place for the reach of those around and not for those far away from his shop's location but Jumia can bring this  same goods at is being sold to you wherever you are - they are meeting the needs of those far away.
So I see Jumia as an entrepreneurial organization as theu are meeting the needs of masses and  now Jumia is known internationally. Jumia now  extend.their services to other west africa coutries like Ghana, Kenya and the likes. This Jumia and the shop owner who sells the same things have the same mission (to sell) but different vision (to reach globally)

A business can be small, but when you start to think like an entrepreneur and not just someone who owns a business but someone who runs a business, then you will have the zeal to grow and not stay at a point.

Lastly, entrepreneurship is believed to be a key determinant of the economic success of a country. Self-employment could be selfish at times when most of your thought is about just your wealth. An entrepreneur also thinks about his wealth but he creates something that will benefit others and thereby bring in wealth for him - it is mutual not selfish.

Same goes to a Nation.

A nation that invest into entrepreneurship strengthens theit economy. There is more of exportation to importation and the nation is known in the global market. Similarly, entrepreneurs in a country also enhance the country's economy. When you hear of Apple inc., you think about America. When you hear of Tecno, you think of China. When you hear of Samsung, you think of Korea and so many examples. With due respect and love, for the sake of improvement and not condemnation, when we hear of our country, Nigeria, what do we think?

It is not that entrepreneurship is not practice in Nigeria but it is done on a very small scale and this has limit our mentality and thinking. When most of we Nigerians hear about entrepreneurship, we delve our mind into soap making, shoe polish making, how to fry doughnut For sale and so on.

Please don't get me wrong, these things are very excellent but our intelligence and skills can still be broadened than these. Let's see soap making, bead making and the likes as one sector of entrepreneurship which I believe is now being thoroughly taught but can we also look at another advance section of entrepreneurship? Can the government please help to invest into our intelligence. Thanks to those Nigerians who learnt how to develop inverters and solar generators - this is a very good example. Imagine this project has being invested on, then we won't have to import any of these things. Our schooling does not matter but the education given to us, so regardless of being a graduate or not, there are people, creative people out there with high intelligence who are looking for chances to use their abilities. Government investing in this advance entrepreneurship will change the country from just having mechanics but mechanics who can make cars, computer engineers who can make mother boards, phone repairers who can make phones and their panels, textile industries that  can turn wool to clothes and not just only tailors. Imagine us importing toothpicks, cotton buds, matches and so many little things when it is not that we don't have the resources. Nigerians who have the opportunity to support this type of entrepreneurship should please do so. I so much love Innoson motors - at least we now have a company producing Nigeria made cars (entrepreneurship) and not just Nigeria companies selling cars (self-employment).

I am not condemning those selling these things but can another set of people also learn to produce these things?  There are so many other things we can still create ourselves. If the government can, we citizens can and at  the same time, we should believe in ourselves and not condemn things that we make. Encourage ourselves by buying our own things most times. Let's believe we can and yes we can!!!I believe we are now enlightened about the differences in being an entrepreneur and being self-employed. Own your business and think wide about it, take constructive risks, read business articles, learn from the successful ones.

Don't just own your business -RUN IT

Written by
Adeyemi Olumide ( a.k.a creativity)

Ten (10) Ways That Helps To Uphold Dignity In The Society

We all know that dignity is not something that comes easily. Below is some helpful tips that helps to uphold greater dignity in the society :

RESPECT: It is one of the tools that helps to uphold dignity in the society. A man of respect is a person of honor . Lerarning to respect people goes a long way in helping you to uphold dignity .

SUCCESS : A successful person will always be respected and admired in the society . Always work hard in order to achieve greater success in life as it helps to achieve dignity in the society. Work hard in order to achieve the goals which you have set for your self..

ALWAYS MAINTAIN YOUR WORD : Always try to maintain your word whether good or bad . Dont be a person of too many words. Dont lie to people . Stand by what ever you say both in the house and in public.

STINGYNESS : It is hard for a stingy person to be respected in the society . Be a giver . Always give to the poor . Helping people will make people to admire you..

TIME MANAGEMENT :Time they say is money . Try to be puntual and commited in anything you do. Dont be known as a late comer in any place you are. Always value your time in everywhere you find yourself.

GREETINGS : Greeting is one of the essential keys to uphold your virtue in life. Always try to be friendly in everywhere you find yourself . Try and greet people where ever you find your self.

CONTROL OF ANGER : Anger is one of the tools that destroys one's life. Learn to control your anger in any situation you find yourself . Dont act too furiouly .

THINK BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING : Use approprite words in any where you are . Dont speak because others are speaking. Try to filter your words before releasing them , most especially in public.

AVOID GOSSIPING : Dont mingle yourself with gossipers . Always say the truth no matter the pains involved . Avoid saying things you dont know the source . Be yourself always..

TRUST : Trust only yourself in anything you are doing . Dont put your trust in anything that is not helpful to you.

The Society And The Male Child

A MUST READ FOR ALL MEN AND WOMEN

Everyday, especially with the rise of social media, the menfolk are bashed and branded “evil”. We often make generalisations about the whole “specie” based on isolated experiences.

Recently, a Nollywood actress wrote that “all men cheat”. My intention is not to write a rejoinder to the referenced article, neither is it an attempt to repudiate the assertion. However, in my moment of solitude, I asked if truly something is wrong with us as men.

Before making my case, please permit me to share three independent events that will help connect the dots with you.

Event 1

Recently, at a party, I was having a conversation with a group of childhood girlfriends. One of them, Omolara, was deeply concerned about the posture her nine-year-old son is beginning to assume in life. According to her, he is becoming too “SWEET” for a man, (Sweetness in her dictionary is a lovey-dovey, soft, simple and good man). She was actually seeking my opinion on how to help him ‘toughen up’. As I struggled to make sense of her request, I asked why she wanted to alter the poor boy’s personality and to my utmost bewilderment, Bidemi, Shewa and Zainab, all other three ladies sitting with us attacked me with an intense “Jezebelic” venom. I left the party wondering to myself if I was some sort of a novice, probably naïve or worse still, archaic in my thinking.

Event 2

A few months ago, I got a phone call from a very dear friend. She asked if I could recommend the service of a good lawyer for her. Since she worked in my former constituency (i.e. the Nigerian banking industry), I erroneously assumed that she was about to resign her job to register and start a new business, Alas, my very good-natured, homely gentle and caring Bolanle wants to get a divorce. The reason: Bros has been cheating on her with two of his ex-es and a new kid on the block in his office.

Disturbed at the distraught sound of her voice, we agreed to meet up at a nearby restaurant on my invitation. As she walked towards me, the pain from her countenance would best be described as the percussion to the symphony of a shattered heart; in one word: BROKEN.
I watched as she broke down in tears whilst she narrated her experience. She had led a chaste and responsible life as a single chic and had been a faithful and dutiful wife. Her world was tearing apart not only because she caught Le-boo red-handed, but, because he rubbed his affairs in her face and was too prideful to show any form of remorse.
Secondly, because NOBODY was in support of her divorce. Everyone, including her darling mum and numero uno confidante, encouraged her to her stay on in the marriage and their unanimous reason is that, all over the world and particularly in Africa, philandering is in the DNA of men.

As I listened to the societal justification for her to remain in the marriage, I realised that, somehow in our social construct, we may have bought into an unconscious “conspiracy theory” that has no empirical, cognitive, scriptural, or moral validation.

Event 3

The first time I saw Iyanya’s ‘Oreo’ music video, (no disrespect to the talented dude) my first instinct was fear for the ‘boy child’. I reckoned that excessive exposure to those sort of videos in his formative years can catalyse his inclination towards a ‘vulgar’ future expressed in poor character traits such as objectifying women, multiple dating, infidelity, lack of respect for women, cheating, polygamy et al. You can then imagine the emotion I felt when I walked into a friend’s house as the video was playing on one of the music channels on DSTV and right before Daddy and Mummy, was their six-year-old son watching and singing along without parental check.

Here’s my pain:

In most cases, all through her life, the girl child was trained to be contrite, to be meek, to cook, to serve the king as a queen, she was generally prepared for life. The question is, who prepared the boy child for life? Who bothered to help him discover his theme and guide him on how to navigate his way through the tides of life? Who spent time to teach him how to care for a pregnant wife? Who counselled him on how to be a gentleman?

As a teenager, I recall listening to a conversation about the girl child losing her innocence. For the girl child it is a taboo, but in most cases, for the boy child it is acceptable. I have seen where an African mother defended her boy child in a case of fornication gone wrong, but the girl child was stigmatized for the same “crime”.
In some homes, the boy child finished eating his meals and the Mother ensured that the girl child packed up his plate and washed them. It was forbidden for him to do the dishes because he was either the only son, the last boy or the first boy (as some Yoruba mothers will say, “Baba yin ni”).

All his life, the boy child has been told that he is the champion and that it is a sign of weakness to be vulnerable. In some parts of Africa, he is the preferred gender, the one to carry on the family name (‘o ma se o’). There is nothing wrong with building up a child’s self-esteem but there must be a balanced approach to it, the sad effect of these alpha-male doctrines and masculine philosophies is that it messes up the child’s belief system and often times he loses the power of believing right.

The world tells the boy child that he is the VICTOR whereas he is actually the VICTIM.
He is the victim of a society that lied to him that he is superior to the girl child (that is probably why some men may never be able to handle a super successful, upwardly- mobile woman).
He is the victim of a system that deceived him; that it is a sign of weakness for a man to cry.
He is the victim of a system that gave him a false sense of dominance over his female counterpart.
He is the victim of a system where his own mother concurred to the sinister doctrine that polygamist tendencies is an innate trait of the masculine gender.
He is the victim of a system that had no strict boundaries for his social conduct and contriteness whereas the girl was prepared for life and marriage.
He is the victim of our cultural flaws and idiosyncrasies.
He is the victim of a faulty foundation of a failed society.

Here’s how I see it:

It is our responsibility to show him (the boy child) the masterplan of his creator.
To be strong at heart yet not afraid to admit his weaknesses and cry if need be
To be a leader yet with the humility to be a servant and have control over himself
To be courageous yet not afraid to open to his errors in the days of adversity
To be strong yet meek
To be swift yet patient
To be sweet yet wise
To be kind yet firm
To be wise, prudent, caring and focused
To be honourable in the place of chastity
To build the capacity to commit to his words and not renege on his promise of love
To respect the WOMAN, her GOD, her will and her body
To demonize feminine abuse and revere her emotions, her spirit and her essence
To own his story, his will, his calling, his purpose, his family and his life
A man who will treat all women with dignity and not exploit her vulnerabilities even when the latter so easily give in.

Let’s help develop a breed of perfect gentlemen

Let’s help the boys grow to become Men after God’s heart!

To young mothers with growing boys, teach them how to handle the needs of a woman from a woman’s perspective, it is obvious that men don’t get it as much……(Family Customer Service 101)

We may not be able to change the global stock of men, but in our little corner, with our sons, our nephews, our cousins, our protégées, our godsons, our neighbour’s sons. We can build ONE man that will affect a nation.

A sage once told me: it is easier to build up growing children than to repair broken adults..

came across this and felt I should share and post.

Feel free to share on groups. So we can start building the kind of men we hope to see.

#copied#

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.