Up Naira

Interesting questions

2012-02-13T01:04:00.000-08:00

A decent pay level has been set for public officials by RMAFC. When you add about 1000% in allowances (a thousand percent), this pay may even seem more-than-just-decent.

Is it possible for an elected or appointed or staff official to increase personal take-home pay beyond legal level (say, by stealing or dealing?) In particular, it is often repeated that constituency allowances, security votes, and lax accounting allow public money to unfairly enter private pockets. Can you confirm this?

What steps have you taken to keep the level of take home pay fair and thus free up funds for the enjoyment of Nigerian society as a whole?

Here is one place where one can seek answers: a relevant Senate Committee (Establishment). Here are contacts for all the Committees of the Nigerian Senate.

Too big to jail?

2012-01-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

It appears that in Nigeria some thieves are too big to jail. Even if prison terms can not be set in direct proportion to the amount stolen, we need to at least entrench a mo' money mo' problems policy, as in, the more money you steal, the more punishment you receive.

Everyday in the newspapers, you find minor headlines such as these two from Page 10 of yesterday's BusinessDay:
"2 bag one year in jail for robbery" - how much? N10,700 during the strike free-for-all and also a motorcycle valued at N120,000, plus possession of a cutlass.
"Man sentenced to 2 months imprisonment for theft" - he stole clothing worth N45,000, he is also required to pay back N45,000 to complainant or face one additional month in jail.

On the other hand, for grand theft in the millions, we have witnessed several "probes" to nowhere, that is, zero jail time.

What if jail time was measured out in Direct proportion to the amount stolen? Here's the math:
N45k --> 2 months + "payback" and N130,700 + "cutlass" --> 12 months means that* a month in jail is the punishment for something like N10k to N20k, or $100, of theft.
In this model, if you happen to be found guilty of stealing N1 million ($6000), you've got 60 months in jail, that is five years. For stealing N100 million naira, you're in jail for 500years, or your whole life.

For those who find this too harsh, another option is to make a more gradual, say logarithmic increase in jail time. It may look something like this: under N20,000 --> 1 month or less
around N200k --> 1 year
N400k --> 2 years
N800k --> 3 years
thus, stealing N100 million gets 10 years
while stealing $100 million gets the offender 17 years out of circulation

It's about time there were rules from pickpocket level all the way to large chunks of the GDP. Everybody must understand that if you try to take a shortcut, you will get caught and you will have a large penalty to pay. For now, how many do you know popping champagne about town who properly ought to be in prison?

* - assuming reasonable monetary equivalents for payback and cutlass , set N45k fine at value of 1-3 months of freedom and cutlass possession at value of additional N10k - N100k of theft. Note, at present $1 is about N165

Hug a capitalist today

2012-01-14T03:51:00.000-08:00

From The Economist

...Scorn for moneymen has a long pedigree. Jesus expelled the moneychangers from the Temple. Timothy tells us that “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Muhammad banned usury. The Jews referred to interest as neshek—a bite. The Catholic church banned it in 1311. Dante consigned moneylenders to the seventh circle of hell—the one also populated by the inhabitants of Sodom and “other practisers of unnatural vice”.

...This prejudice has proven dangerous. Without money to grease them, the wheels of commerce turn slowly or not at all. Civilisations that have eased the ban on moneylending have grown rich. Those that have retained it have stagnated.

...Prejudice against financiers can cause non-economic damage, too. Throughout history, moneylenders have been persecuted. Ethnic minorities—most obviously the Jews in Europe and America but also the Chinese in Asia—have clustered in the financial sector first because they were barred from more “respectable” pursuits and later because success begets success. At times, anti-banking prejudice has acquired a strong tinge of ethnic hatred.

...In medieval Europe Jews were persecuted not only because they were not Christians but also because killing them was a quick way to expunge debts...The crisis of 2008 showed that global finance requires tough medicine...but demonising bankers will not solve these problems—and may well, if unchecked, bring a lot of ancient ugliness back to life. (...Read more)

How many people are anti-Igbo (among Nigerians), hate Ijebus (among Yorubas), feel mad at Nigerians (in Africa), abhor Jews, or maybe believe that Wall Street "casinos" are evil? Read The dangers of demonology to appreciate the long history of banker-hate and its dangers.

Engaging the Propaganda

2012-01-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

A thousand and one lies indeed start appearing to be true, unless tackled. Been watching the Channels debates lately as the subsidy protests take over the nation, and here are the delicate under bellies of the government's half truths:

1. Deregulation is good in telecoms, Banking etc. It will be good in Petroleum Too – By NESG Chairman, Fred Nweke (Former Information Minister) & Others

Response: Well, not exactly. Deregulating the marketing of petroleum (which is usually money losing) and not the upstream production (where the easy money is) is analogous to government owning MTN and Globacom, but privatizing sale of recharge cards! Our right to subsidized petroleum is a derivative of government’s insistence on managing that asset directly in trust for the people: who demand it cheaply. Moreover, in developed countries (like the US) where the price at the pump is deregulated, if you find oil in your backyard you also own it. In these countries as well, important resources like food are subsidized. What has the Nigerian government done for you lately?

2. Subsidy breeds corruption and the cabal benefits – By Governor Sanusi

Response: This argument is basically saying the government cannot deal with corruption or is not willing to confront their buddies that are the “cabal”. Was Femi Otedola (the Diesel Prince) not the biggest sponsor of the President’s ambition in 2011? What happened to prosecution, forensic accounting, investigations, trial of these cabal for anti-market tactics, fraud, forgery, tax evasion and perhaps treason? Guess the President does not take his Chief Security Officer role very seriously!

3. Oil is lower in surrounding markets and if lower in Nigeria it will lead to leakage – Minister Okonjo-Iweala

Response: This argument is preposterous. If this were true, then refined oil prices will be the same around the world except for islands! Think about it, every nation have a border and oil prices vary widely across them because those borders are monitored for smuggling. If the government cannot do its job, with simple technology, why should the people pay? Moreover with 75% spent on overhead, we still cannot find people to guard that border to avoid seepage? Moreover, these surrounding countries don’t produce oil. Cameroon that produces mere 85,000 barrels per day, subsidizes petroleum with up to $100 million per year.

4. Only the Middle & Upper Class benefit– Governor Sanusi & Minister Okonjo-Iweala

Response: This argument is bogus. The price of energy affects everything in every economy and more so in Nigeria. In the US, for every 15 naira rise in energy price at the pump, the GDP is reduced by 0.5%. In Nigeria it will be worse since we are not just poorer (by many thousands) but also depend on it not just for transport but power and cooking because our government is inept! The price of everything, on everybody is going up.

5. We are borrowing money to pay subsidy – President Jonathan & Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala

Response: This is a big fat lie. The NNPC pays money for the current subsidies from sale of crude oil directly to PPRA before the balance is deposited in the Federation Account. Albeit illegal, this is what the Senate found out. How then can it be said to be borrowed? If Nigeria is borrowing, it is only because our political class of less than 10,000 people arrogates 30% percent of the budget for itself, allocates 45% for its work force (of about 350,000) and asks the rest of us (149.5 million) to make do with 25% of the budget which never gets to us!

6. The money saved by subsidy will be spent on job creation and infrastructure – President & Ministers

Response: Again, the previous point they make is the answer to this. Where will this be saved if the money is borrowed? See, we received the 2012 budget and they did not indicate any subhead as SURE Projects or whatever that is called. Fact is the SURE Initiative was an afterthought. Evidence is slowly emerging that document was put together hurriedly by his spin doctors, in the last few weeks to the end of the year before GEJ sprung us a surprise of the year. By the way, how can a government with 4.3 trillion and no evidence of good spending convince 1.3 trillion will make a difference? Or a government that cannot even organize a medal ceremony be trusted with huge infrastructure projects? The best way to restore the economy is to increase the buying powers of the people not reduce it by 1.3 trillion naira that will go into foreign accounts! Tax cuts not increases!

7. 25% cut in salaries of political officers is sharing the pain- President Goodluck Jonathan

Response: For one, let us be clear here: basic salaries amounts to nothing to political officers. They make more from security votes and allowances than anything else. They get enough freebies from us including free fuel and house helps; they basically dash away their salaries. Also, the President has no such powers to reduce salaries of political officers. They are set by the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) which sends it to the National Assembly for approval. The President also did not reflect this reduction in his budget. Nice!

8. The protests are sponsored and being used to discredit the government – Reuben Abati & the Statehouse Press Folks

Response: No, it is the policy that is sponsored: by World Bank and IMF types. The protesters need no sponsors like the President and his cabinet does; we have our minds. Being an opposition politician does not disqualify anyone from voicing their opinion against arrant policies especially popularly unpopular ones (emphasis mine). What is the point of being in opposition anyway?

Truth be told - 2012 game planning

2011-12-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

Truth be told, the open discussion on TV about the fuel subsidy removal is better government than I'm used to seeing in Nigeria. Goodbye to that particular avenue for wasting our resources.
Now let's also tackle jumbo pay. The same day the subsidy officially ends, there should be a 20% cut in recurrent expenditure, mostly from ending jumbo pay. After all, there has long been an outcry to curb spending on those perks - free cars, food, clothing, shelter, travel, "contracts", "security votes", "constituency allowances", I mean, what is all that rubbish?
I actually think the National Assembly should be conducted by email or video conferencing on most days, to meet in Abuja monthly. My Senator should not necessarily drive a car. I want to share a keke / bus ride with the woman. Otherwise, what are you representing in the Nat.Ass.? Your husband? Your pocket?

THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY IN 2012
The economic priority for 2012 ought to be the following: getting a breakthrough in the drive to get 100 billion USD worth of investment over the next 3-4 years. This means at a minimum we want $10billion worth of investments in the Electric Power sector and another $10bn in refining, manufacturing, and services, for a total of $20bn in 2011-2012. How is the Ministry of Trade and Investments doing, as this is their mandate?
In setting this investment target, I remember that the stated mission of the Finance Minister Okonjo-Iweala (and the IMF president Lagarde) is to create jobs. Well, getting investment from large companies, from the Chinese and Indians and Americans and Europeans, ought to create jobs. I also will not forget that as I write there's no electricity in the house (so I'm rushing this post). $10 billion invested in electric power is verifiably about 10,000MW added to the available power (or 3X the current capacity). I also see that the moves to clean up the port processes, restructure government spending towards investment, and institute a managed Sovereign Wealth Fund, are part of what we need for financial health. I'm pretty impatient to see some of these changes.

NIGERIAN SOCIETY IN 2012

1. Internet everywhere.
2. Lower birthrate (MAGIC NUMBER THREE)
3. Cool agric. For example, where are the ads in the Tuesday Guardian newspaper calling graduates to market agric commodities or work in food processing? Where are the Agric Chic fashion shows? We do have a few cool things - the agric loan guarantees, the role models in agric-related business...we just need more sexiness around agric in general.

Pics: AGRIC CHIC Sketches

POLITICAL
Jail Jail Jail - self-explanatory. Gangsters abound because there seems to be no punishment.
Cut cut cut - end the jumbo pay. make politics just a normal-paid job.
Local government - Every Nigerian 12 years and up should answer two questions: where is my local government? Do we have a monthly Local Government meeting?

THE NEXT DIVERSION
Naturally, the Presidency will revive the debate on tenure elongation. No, Mr. President, you can not extend your own tenure. A simple fact, really, but you can waste time trying. Let's fix electric power and MAYBE talk re-election. Otherwise, 1245 days to go. You can do it!

The tech bubble is not a bubble

2011-12-18T03:55:00.000-08:00

by James Altucher for TechCrunch.com
There’s no bubble 2.0.
And while I’m at it: there was never a bubble 1.0.
Let me explain.
A bubble occurs when an asset moves up today only because it moved up yesterday. Think about it. I’m not going to define it more than that.

The Internet went up in 1999 because now, 12 years later, everyone on the planet uses the Internet. And many Internet 1.0 companies: Ebay, Amazon, let’s throw in Apple, lets even throw in Google although it was late to the game, and a slew of others, are at all-time highs in value and create tens of billions in earnings. Because they are real.

Why are they at all-time highs? Because everyone was right about the Internet. Everyone did eventually start using it. It did make commerce easier throughout the world. It did make corporate IT easier. It did allow companies to fire parts of their workforce because they are now replaced by easy to use technology (the real reason for the now probably permanent 8-9% unemployment we have: every corporation used 2008-9 as an excuse to fire the dead weight the Internet created in their workforce. I’ve had Fortune 100 CEOs admit this to me: “well, everyone was firing people. So finally we were able to.”) Just like when cars appeared we were able to fire all the people who rode horses.

Internet usage went from 30 million people to 2 billion people worldwide. That’s not a bubble. Groupon, no matter what you read about their stock, their moat, their people, their competition, their model (“its a coupon business”), is the fastest growing company in revenues in world history and it started in November, 2008.
Zynga is another one of the fastest growing companies in world history.
Facebook has 800 million users and is slowly but surely figuring out how to extract $2-$3 a year from every customer (which will give it a value of about $100 billion).
Facebook is a mini-Internet. It’s an organized Internet. We’ve all moved our “home pages” to be our “Facebook pages”. Companies flash their Facebook page on their commercials now instead of their own websites.

So imagine the value of the entire Internet. Discount it just a little. That’s Facebook. Or maybe Facebook + Twitter + Google. And then everyone who builds tools to service those behemoths. That’s dot-com 2.0. It’s not a bubble.
So why does everyone call dot-com 1.0 a bubble? Wasn’t it? Wasn’t there pets.com? And a sock puppet?

A venture capitalist might invest in 20 companies. 10 might be zeros. 5 might be losses. 3 might be small wins. One or two might be home runs. That’s different from the normal everyday investor portfolio where everyone expects all of their stocks to go up.
In 1999-2000, the public was given the chance to have a venture capitalist-style portfolio. It didn’t work. And in anger it was called a “bubble” and then a “bust”. Tulips! they said. Tulips don’t have $80 billion of cash in the bank like Apple does. Tulips never had $43 billion in revenues like Amazon does.

Venture capitalists will wait five to ten years for their payoff. The average investing public will wait five to ten minutes or it’s a bubble. Again: the dream came true: the Internet actually did bloom to billions of users. That’s not a tulip garden.

Read the entire article: Facebook Shareholders Suck…(Or, Why This Is Not Bubble 2.0) by James Altucher for Techcrunch.com

23401 is the zip code for Lagos State in Nigeria

2011-12-08T00:10:00.000-08:00

My debit card did not work online until I used 23401 as my zip code. That's like an electronic/credit card; it's labelled Visa, but issued by a Nigerian bank.

Previously, the specialized customer care from the bank had suggested many reasons why my address wasn't working, but yesterday I found out that Lagos indeed has a five-digit zip code or postcode. Presumably, other cities/states in the country have 234-something-something too, but good luck finding those since the NIPOST utility at nigeriapostcodes.com is down (domain name expired).

This postal code issue has confused many Nigerian people, and I suffered so much trying to use my very super special card online until I had to beg my sister and my mother and transfer money just before deadline.
Then I found out this new secret zipcode, and I have just made a purchase online with it, no problem at all.

Although they couldn't get the zip code right, the customer service (phone number at the back of your card) helped me figure out which of my many possible addresses (work, shack, parents', other job, ...) I had entered. I will inform them about this blind spot of theirs. If you have trouble with your own card, phone the number; for once customer service in Nigeria really tried to be helpful.

Welcome to the late 20th century, brethren.

ADDITIONAL POSTCODES
Lagos State 23401
Oyo State 23402
FCT (Abuja) 23409
Maybe the last two digits are from the telephone area code? (See Nigeria local area codes here)

Six Questions with Chude Jideonwo

2011-12-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

Chude Jideonwo is very young. He attended Nigerian Law School, and has become an important entrepreneur in media and related services. Some of the things he has been involved in: writing for magazines, hosting TV shows, running a media company, being a part of EnoughisEnough, using facebook then twitter A LOT, co-founding The Future Nigeria awards, speaking up at the Goodluck Jonathan youth lunch, running a serious PR firm, publishing Y! one of my top-two magazines, being an employer, writing newspaper editorials, marching on Abuja with the youth in March 2010, organizing workshops on social media, ... I admire the guy. Soooo...

I asked him a few questions in my first interview ever:

Where do you see yourself five years from now?
CJ: Honestly in 5 years, I expect to have built a business to be proud of. I look at people like Aliko Dangote and Fola Adeola and I just keep going. These are iconic men so I am by no means comparing myself with them; I am simply inspired by them.
The urgent need to create value, and a brand that will change the way Nigerians access the media – to provoke thought and to inspire action and growth – drives me daily. I am resolutely convinced that the more entrepreneurs our country has, the more its capacity to regenerate itself.
In 5 years, I’d have reached my 30 mark, build a system that can grow and survive outside of me, and move on to the next stage of value creation.

2. Tell upnaira readers four things that make you indescribably happy (PG version o!)
CJ:
A woman I love.
To produce a magazine edition that wows.
Great food!
Great, over-achieving staff.

3. Describe your business philosophy in three words
CJ: Humaneness. Relentlessness. Integrity.

4. Name your two biggest crushes ever :)
CJ: I can’t even lie 0 – I have a crush on Studio 53 presenter Eku Edewor (and there’s a line of people who will roll their eyes when they see this!).
And Angelina Jolie – I can look at her for days!: )

5. Where did you learn to take the initiative and "just do it?"
CJ: I honestly don’t know – I think some people are made that way. In my 5 years or so of being a manager or employer I have seen people who are amazing and competent but who are just not driven and don’t take initiative by themselves – as staff, partners etc. And I don’t take too much offense, because no one taught me. I just knew to achieve the things I want to achieve there’s no choice. Recently I have begun to read biographies, and to find out that its really the spirit that drives any kind of leap.

6. How can more Africans learn to be problem-solvers?
CJ: Tosin honestly I have no idea. But I will hazard a guess. We need more Aliko Dangotes and Mo Ibrahims. People who show Africans the way the Henry Fords and the Rockerfellers showed the Americans it is possible. That way we learn that we have the capacity to do great things. We sorely need inspiration – practical examples.

You're welcome.

From Chude's profile at RED:
A lawyer and award-winning journalist, Chude has, for more than ten years, garnered key experience in all forms of traditional and new media and has worked as a communication professional with blue chips including the Nigeria LNG, Virgin Nigeria and Bank PHB’s The Apprentice Africa.
Also known as a development expert especially with regard to the youth demographic, in 2007, he was selected as one of 101 Young African Leaders by the African Business Forum; in 2009, he was selected for the US Government’s International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP); in May 2010, he was selected for the Nigeria Leadership Initiative’s (NLI) Future Leaders Fellowship. In May 2011 he was appointed a member of the awards committee for the Ford Foundation Jubilee Transparency Award, alongside distinguished Nigerians like Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte and Rev. Fr. Matthew Kukah.
He was member of the Editorial Board of NEXT Newspapers, is the youngest recipient of the Nigeria Media Merit Award, and is concluding a Masters programme in Media and Communication at the prestigious Pan-African University, Lagos.
He is Managing Partner at RED, and oversees Creative, Content and Communication.

What an asshole!

2011-11-30T06:24:00.000-08:00

I can't stand assholes. Steve Jobs was said to be a monumental asshole. The times I worked with assholes, basically I felt they created more trouble than whatever positives they had. Being an asshole is really not worth it. Everybody hopes you die.

Tom McNichol writes for TheAtlantic,

So many people advanced Steve Jobs as evidence that asshole CEOs build better companies that Sutton somewhat reluctantly included a chapter in his book on "The Virtues of Assholes," with Steve Jobs as Exhibit A. There is some evidence that "status displays" by aggressive bosses can motivate workers and give slackers a kick in the pants. And effective jerk bosses usually aren't assholes all the time, they're able to turn on the charm when the situation demands it, something Steve Jobs, by most accounts, was very good at doing. And it helps for companies to have skilled subordinate executives that are good at cleaning up after the Asshole-in-Chief, much like the sad-faced men carrying shovels who walk behind circus elephants.

But Sutton's book makes clear that for the most part, assholes are bad for the bottom line, to say nothing of the human toll they exact. There are plenty of very successful companies that aren't led by assholes - Google, Virgin Atlantic, Procter & Gamble and Southwest Airlines among them. Likewise, there are legions of assholes who lead companies that aren't successful, in part due to their own bad behavior.

You should totally read the full article titled Be a Jerk: The Worst Business Lesson from the Steve Jobs Biography

Optimism due to Aunt Ngozi

2011-11-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is On a mission to:

make the budget right and set it back again on a reasonable path;
make the business environment better by cleaning out our ports;
launch reforms that will give our youth more jobs

She hopes we can do these few simple things. Read more at ft.com and see her unusual pic too

Personal Values Checklist

2011-11-10T05:48:00.000-08:00

From this list of values (both work and personal), select the ten that are most important to you-as guides for how to behave, or as components of a valued way of life.

___Achievement

___Advancement & promotion

___Adventure

___Affection (love and caring)

___Arts

___Challenging problems

___Change and variety

___Close relationships

___Community

___Competence

___Competition

___Cooperation

___Country

___Creativity

___Decisiveness

___Democracy

___Ecological awareness

___Economic security

___Effectiveness

___Efficiency

___Ethical practice

___Excellence

___Excitement

___Expertise

___Fame

___Fast living

___Fast-paced work

___Financial gain

___Freedom

___Friendships

___Growth

___Having a family

___Helping other people

___Helping society

___Honesty

___Independence

___Influencing others

___Inner harmony

___Integrity

___Intellectual status

___Involvement

___Job tranquility

___Knowledge

___Leadership

___Location

___Loyalty

___Market position

___Meaningful work

___Merit

___Money

___Nature

___Being around others who are open and honest

___Order (tranquility, stability, conformity)

___Personal development (living up to the fullest use of my potential)

___Physical challenge

___Pleasure

___Power & authority

___Privacy

___Public service

___Purity

___Quality of what I take part in

___Quality relationships

___Recognition (respect from others, status)

___Religion

___Reputation

___Responsibility & Accountability

___Security

___Self-respect

___Serenity

___Sophistication

___Stability

___Status

___Supervising others

___Time freedom

___Truth

___Wealth

___Wisdom

___Work under pressure

___Work with others

___Working alone

Now that you have identified ten, imagine that you are only permitted to have five values. Which five would you give up? Cross them off. Tell us your five important personal values.

When I did this exercise (2008), I used a scale and then picked the highest-ranked. I find that my top five values are super-important to me, and where they are not, I am not, if that makes any sense. (I'll tell mine if you tell yours)

Sources: selfcounseling.com , kon.org

GEJ: Instead of removing subsidy...Do This

2011-10-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

This talk of deregulation is nonsense in so far as the President’s aides keep missing the larger point. That the cause of the corruption in the subsidy scheme they’re purportedly scrapping is not the subsidy itself, but the very essence that an importation cabal has held the nation hostage. It is this cabal that has determined to ensure they skim off the top of the nation woes, while ensuring that a better system to replace what we have now never emerges.

Just like PHCN and our electric grid is in the grip of the generator mafia, the petroleum import leeches have essential declared war on our capability to refine locally, and they were the sponsors of the President at the last election!

Take for instance, in the fiscal year 2011 the total budget for petroleum subsidy was 240 billion naira, roughly $1.70 billion. To date, 931 billion naira have already been spent! Yes, you read that right: Nigeria have expended $6 billion on the economic hit that have been let loose on our nation. They live in sleek palaces across the country, smiling to the banks while the rest of us exist in absolute penury. These are the President’s men, and now they want us not the government to line their pockets.

NOTE: Nations subsidize products that are deemed essential to the national economy. In the United States, gas and food are heavily subsidized to ensure folks can ride out winter, and keep poverty to the minimum. Billions are spent in the capital of capitalism on ethanol subsidy to keep the midwest economy humming. Read, unlike you've been indoctrinated: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH SUBSIDIES. Targeted subsidies are in fact a smart way to run and win in an inter-capitalistic world where you're going against heavily subsidized Chinese and American players. Petroleum is essential in the Nigerian economy where it cooks our food (Kerosene), powers our industries (thanks to PHCN) and drives our vehicles. If the price goes up, inflation will nearly triple imposing invisible taxes on production and ensuring the economy crashes.

Nigeria is a low-income earning country that happens to be blessed with oil. Our citizens should not be paying the same price as an American. For one, they cannot afford it. This obsession by the PDP government with deregulation will destroy our local economy and companies already groaning under the weight of fueling vehicles and generators, it will be the last straw to break their back when the government should rather be stimulating the economy. America, China and Europe are stimulating theirs, why should we be killing ours? This policy will destroy employment, threaten our social fabric, lead to spiraling inflation and could very well lead to a revolution. The President is playing with fire.

I cannot believe the President is simply clueless (or maybe I can); clearly this man cannot be possibly impotent in the face of the cabal (or maybe he is). The solution to the corruption in the subsidy system cannot possibly be transferring the burden of paying that subsidy to the pockets of long suffering Nigerians from the coffers of their ever-leaking non-existent government! Pray tell, how many new refineries can be build with the subsidy the government of Goodluck Jonathan have paid to his sponsors in 2011 only?

Here are few policy steps, just in case his advisors are reading that can take Nigeria from almost 6 billion dollars paid to charlatans to total self-sufficiency in three years, by the end of his term:

Commercialize the existing four refineries as separate companies. This will basically involve cleaning shop on management level (hire HR firms to do this), while taking them public (offering 49% control at the IPO, devoting the raised capital to capital expansion to increase production)
Continue the practice of selling crude oil to the refineries at below international market rate i.e. indirect subsidy, which allows the refinery turn profit; while putting a lid on the domestic pump price through a regulated system of tariffs similar to electricity.
Allocate excess refine products demand to the four operators: allowing them to organize importers to meet this demand beyond what they produce, while disbursing subsidy directly to them to meet the regulated pump price.
At the same time, the new regulatory regime should not allow these operators to import directly or through any subsidiary or joint venture, rather they’re to source their imports from the open market, paying market price for such while bridging this with government paid subsidy.

This system essentially means that as a commercial operator, they’re giving up certain margins to the middlemen importers in so far they don’t produce domestically; encouraging them to eliminate these middlemen quickly. Also, the fewer players feeding at the government trough of subsidies will also mean less corruption. As public companies responsible to shareholders, these companies will only act in self interest to continue to expand production to meet local demand and eliminate the middle men.

At the same time, government incentives for new refinery builders including tax holidays, a capital expansion fund that provide up to 51% equity funding or loan guarantees to these builders at the Central Bank will be a more efficient way to spend $6billion than giving it to the President’s buddies. Of course one of these incentives might be a bite at the juicy oil blocs that the majors always want: no refinery no, crude oil concession, no deal. It is called negotiation.

Stop being a coward Mr. President. Where is the Petroleum Industry Bill when we need it anyway?

Money News that is just a bit new: YouWIN, the misunderstood subsidy, Naira to strengthen, and the World bank cares.

2011-10-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

YouWIN
At least the administration is listening. There is a government plan to tackle unemployment through entrepreneurial development. It has a name: YouWIN - Youth Enterprise With Innovation In Nigeria.
Will it have teeth? I need money now, actually like 6 months ago for my "business" - my new book. How can I WIN?

I've witnessed a business plan program similar to the one proposed by YouWIN - it featured a week of all-day classes at a Lagos Business School affiliate, then a business plan competition. It was tastefully sponsored by people of NLI. They kept it simple, and awarded capital - yeah baby - to three top business plans. (all about the NLI Business Plan Competition here)

Since the best academic writers don't always have the most business sense, a program like YouWIN may not reliably create strong businesses directly from the winning business plans.
However, it will indirectly create a culture of enterprise: as ideas meet, good people partner, add focused training, serve seed money to help people TRY. Yes, they will likely, and crucially, fail. But it is still very good to spend money in this way - people will start devoting their time and energy to good business, and this builds their business/entrepreneurship muscles.
The secret of Stanford (a university and frequent high-tech incubator) is not more than that.

My advice on YouWIN: Keep it simple. Use good people (like me; pay me so I can make small money to produce my new book) not people who will mess up the whole thing by being backward and greedy. Also keep this as the big book version but let us create the "illiterate" version that can reach more people. Oya, let me go and apply.

The Petroleum Subsidy Brouhaha
The reason to remove the subsidy is to remove the perverse incentive to import and deal in oil; and hopefully to create incentives to produce and trade in better things.
The subsidy will be removed if we must move forward. This is not to trivialize what a political minefield it is to suddenly raise living costs on the majority of people. Such would be bad for society and the economy as well. What is the plan to
1. cushion any shocks and unintended consequences e.g. high food, fuel, and transport prices
2. communicate love and care to the masses who will feel cheated and abandoned?

Clearly, the idea of shaping the incentive function (I'm an engineer/math person) is not one that the masses would easily wrap their minds around. Nduka Obiagbena and Wale Tinubu, among the business leaders supporting the removal of the subsidy, support it for the wrong reason because they are not very analytical. Aliko Dangote, who also supports removing the subsidy, shows why he is more intelligent than many business leaders in Nigeria. He understands that it is not the spending on subsidy that is the problem, but the system this creates.

In the grand scheme of things, the amount spent on the subsidy is paltry. James Ibori alone could pay it for a few years from his loot, not voluntarily of course. The subsidy should go, but not because of the money spent on it, not even because of the alternative uses that money could be spent on, but because it entrenches a system of importing oil products. When you subsidize something, it means you are trying to make more of it. When you subsidize oil imports, it means you are assisting the business of oil importers to make it stronger. This is why we can not have electricity (we need generators to continue to consume the diesel) and why we can not have trains (we need more cars to continue to burn petrol.)

My advice on petroleum subsidy: Understand if/why the subsidy must be removed. Explain this to people. Devote ten times more money to another new people-oriented program and communicate what the disappeared subsidy money was spent on. Proceed with caution, even if you think you are right.

Sanusi believes the Naira will strengthen
In other news, the Naira still manages to weaken against the US dollar. How is it possible that even with the US in recession and crisis, their currency is still beating ours up?

Money for Power
The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation are to organize an Alternative Energy Expo to find a way forward for energy/electricity in Nigeria. This is new. I'd never heard of our electricity being "their" problem before.
What this forum - Lighting Africa - is doing is to try and make the latest lighting technology accessible to the hundreds of millions in Africa's un-electrified rural communities and replace kerosene as a lighting source by solar and other clean sources."
Abeg, come and invest.

What is cooler than a career fair?

2011-10-10T04:53:00.000-07:00

The Wharton Africa Business Forum. November 4-6, at U.Penn, in Philadelphia, PA.

Check out the speakers: financiers and fund managers, experts in infrastucture and agribusiness and telecomms and microbanking from Africa and elsewhere.
Discounted registration available for students, who can also learn how to apply to Wharton.
Go! And let me know how it goes.

Apply Now

2011-09-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

The British Council supported by Bank of Industry presents:
Business training for Creative entrepreneurs
taking place in Abuja and Lagos this October.

Download and complete the application form to apply.

Deadline: September 30th so apply immediately.
Cost: Free of charge.

Ginger's Gist

2011-09-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Do you think banking is "where the money at"?
First read this hilarious account of the real deal in three parts:
So you want to be a banker? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

The girl can gossip!
Know your KPI.
August 2011 on Ginger's blog at www.mak2chi.com

Fresh air and hard work

2011-09-07T21:05:00.001-07:00

I feel the breath of fresh air promised by the campaign of Jonathan - well, not the peace and prosperity itself, but that we are turned towards it in our journey as a country. The way I see things, Nigerians have learned to apply pressure on the leadership, this is coupled with the fact that Jonathan has chosen to plug in and be guided by the wishes of Nigerians.

So for instance, in about two months, the Electric Power Reform efforts have gone from lost at sea, to somewhat more free: in the news are a few Independent Power Projects of 10MW and up, and a bulk trader has been set up. This is the right direction, especially if we quickly move up to 100MW projects and above. Bear in mind that demand is at least 10x, but closer to 20x, above current output of 3000MW, that is, for this country of 150million inhabitants to move from 20W per capita to about 200W per capita.

Give us electric power and we can forgive other wrongs.

I feel confident that there is committed economic leadership, for a change. A Ministry to raise investment in the trillions of Naira ($100bn) over the next few years, a Central Bank that has insisted on lowered corruption in banking - including sanitizing balance sheets and imposing cash withdrawal limits - and that is also driving hard to promote lending to the real sector, a deregulation team that self-criticized the massive corruption in privatization deals, and as mentioned before, the way anti-corruption and popular demand have just recently reshaped the pronouncements of the Electric Power team.

It is also fantastic to see that Jonathan did something, anything, about the appallingly rotten legal/judicial profession. In today's top Nigeria news, his predecessor, President Yar'adua could not sack former Chief Justice Aondoakaa even though he knew he was disastrously corrupt. Other top Nigeria news for today is, refreshingly, about the economy:
1. CNN interviews Hajara Adeola, MD of Lotus capital, for an explanation of Islamic banking, as Islamic finance spreads in Nigeria.
2. Bloomberg has the Central Bank predicting that the yuan will appreciate given the strength of China’s economy. Nigeria plans to reach a target of holding 10 percent of its foreign-exchange reserves in yuan; will start holding the Chinese currency next quarter. The $32 billion in Nigerian reserves are now 79% held in U.S. dollars, with the rest largely in euros, Swiss francs and British pounds.
3. We can't get away from corruption: Reuters has a story on Nigerian politicians, and even the Joint Task Force against oil-bunkering, actually "benefiting from" oil theft. "Some observers compared the relationship between the JTF and major militant groups to arrangements between rival gangs in U.S. urban areas; generally each JTF unit and militant band had its own territory in which they operated and from which they derived their illicit incomes," it said.

Jobs, we need jobs. Without the reforms in all the aforementioned areas: access to capital, electric power, anti-looting policy, the incentive to do honest work would remain weak.
But now that the government has started to move the major obstacles away, it is time for us to bring out all our best work:
we need to export agric farm products and arts and crafts, not just oil.
We need to make our own computers and steelworks, not just import.
We need employment in building rail networks and expanding power systems.
We need our historians and scientists and shopkeepers and town planners.
We need to kill this corruption beast - if you're still giving or taking bribes, what's your excuse?
We need intelligence and police to fight organized crime (including corruption rackets)
We need Arabic and Islamic scholarship to combat Boko Haram with the clear message that Boko (Western Education) is Halal (Permitted by Islam).
The Ministry of Finance has (correctly) stated that job creation will be its focus. Nobody can perform such a huge miracle alone. Time to stop blaming and start working.

Diaspora Internship Opportunity at Pioneer Angel Network Org

2011-09-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

LoftyInc Angel Network Internship Opportunity in Nigeria

Overview

As a volunteer intern, you will provide crucial contributions to LoftyInc's social impact investing activities, especially through the newly formed LoftyInc Angel Network (LAN).

The LoftyInc Angel Network (LAN) is a network of Nigerian angel investors (registration in progress) organized by, but independent of LoftyInc to offer seed and expansion capital to businesses incubated by LoftyInc Allied Partners Limited.

As an intern, you will augment LAN staff and investor members by tackling projects such as sector or regional analysis, case studies, due diligence support and/or investor support.

Responsibilities

The volunteer intern role provides crucial additional capacity to the LAN team. Responsibilities include one or more of the following, depending on your experience and interests:

Sector and Regional Analysis:

Learn about the most attractive emerging investment areas by performing analysis on target investment sectors (such as clean technology, education, mobile technology, mobile payments, or fair trade).
Perform market, segment, trend and company analysis to identify what's hot in impact capital and in social enterprise in these areas, identify potential deal flow partners and make recommendations. We plan to use this analysis to guide future investment decisions.

Case Studies:

Learn how social impact investments are made by studying investments we've made and writing up detailed case studies on how the investment was identified, researched and structured and the potential for exits. We plan to feature these case studies on our website and in our public relations activities to demonstrate our impact and success.

Due Diligence Support:

Learn how investors perform due diligence on prospective investments by preparing pre-meeting investor briefs and recording highlights of investor conversations with social enterprises. We plan to use this input to help us better assess investment opportunities.

Investment Meeting Secretary:

· Be a proverbial fly on the wall for our member investment meetings where we discuss investments and other top issues.

· Record meeting minutes and distribute to the team. This is a unique opportunity to form relationships with the industry’s leading impact investors in an otherwise closed-doors meeting. A great way as well to get to hear how investors evaluate projects in real time.

LAN MD Support:

Work with the MD of the LoftyInc Angel Network to identify potential members of the network, and follow up as required.
Represent the MD as required.

Other: We sometimes consider other projects which leverage unique capabilities of our volunteer interns.

Experience, Education and Training

The ideal candidate will be highly analytical; detail oriented and possess a strong interest in social enterprise and impact investing.
Experience in social enterprise, developing countries, public policy and/or investing desired but not required.
Must be a current student or recent grad living in Nigeria.

Time Commitment

Time commitment is quite flexible. We would ask for a minimum of 4-6 hours per week or more (depending on your project) for approximately 10 to 12 weeks, though by combining several projects, can also take full-time interns. We sometimes consider other time periods and time commitments depending on your situation.

Reporting and Compensation

Interns report to the LAN MD and each is mentored, as appropriate, by a LAN member investor. While this is a volunteer position with no monetary compensation at the moment, we make every effort to assure your experience is valuable.

Next Steps

Send resume and cover e-mail with subject heading- “Attention LoftyInc Angel Network” to solution@loftyincltd.biz on or before September 30, 2011

About LoftyInc

LoftyInc Allied Partners Ltd. is a business development company founded in 2008 to specifically focus on supporting innovative entrepreneurs and businesses. LoftyInc specializes in start-up business and project incubation in West Africa. LoftyInc unique business incubation model is implemented on a platform jointly initiated with the Africa Leadership Forum: the Wennovation Hub. LoftyInc supports over half a dozen domestic start-ups and three early stage projects sponsored by domestic and international clients. www.loftyincltd.biz www.wennovationhub.com

Plot C, Obasa Road, off Oba Akran Road, Ikeja Lagos

Teaching Analysis

2011-08-28T04:22:00.000-07:00

The quality of journalism has risen in Nigeria, yet, financial reporting receives a poor grade from me.

Because they do not understand some mathematical concepts, journalists confuse increase with decrease, gain with loss, speed with acceleration, and so forth.

I should like to teach a 10-hour course for financial analysts to clear these things up. As you can imagine, when an article opens with such errors, I run far away from it :( Yet, it's not so difficult when you know how.

Maybe someone else will teach the class? Lagos Business School? Uddin? Bismarck-Rewane? Totally needed.

Analyse the global economic crisis

2011-08-17T22:03:00.001-07:00

The third monthly WikiLeaks Central Essay Competition 2011 solicits an answer to the question: What are the root causes of the global economic crisis?

The winning essay will be selected based on newsworthiness; supporting research; organization and writing style; and also the essay's capacity to engender online discourse in the form of comments and retweets.

Winner will be published and paid a few bucks. Interested? Visit the Wikileaks Blog.

How to make 500,000 Naira in three easy steps

2011-07-30T02:29:00.000-07:00

1. Request information from a Nigerian government agency under the Freedom of Information Law.

2. If an official asks you why you need to know, reply: "because Y has a long tail and two branches"

3. SUE for denial of access.

That's why it's called a RIGHT.

Here is one history of the FOI bill: "It began late in 1993, few would have been willing then to give what ultimately became the FoI movement a snowball’s chance in hell of making it into the law books. General Sani Abacha was in power and transparent government was not his thing. To drive the point home, he spotted trademark sunshades, even at night..." (by Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, for ThisDay)

And here is an explanation of the law: "You have the right to request for information, whether written or otherwise from a public institution. You don’t have to explain why you need the information and you can even go to court to compel the institution to comply..." (by Funmilayo Akinosi, for NigeriansTalk)
Meanwhile, Ghana is fighting for their FOI law. (Nigeria - 1 , Ghana - 0)

How can I get my dollars direct?

2011-07-25T04:55:00.000-07:00

I noticed that there is a gap of over 10% between the official exchange rate and current black-market rate. While the official rate crashed around July 1st to 150naira per US Dollar, your mallam will sell to you not at 153 (for a typical 2% spread) but around 166 (a very atypical 11% difference).
It makes sense that the official rate is low; the dollar is so poorly that no currency has a right to do worse, but how do you explain the high dollar price on the streets? The newspaper (ThisDay) is reporting that this is due to a shortage of dollars created by a Central Bank policy pegging dollar supply to Bureaus Des Change.

If only we could automatically change currency at the points of use, like I used to do with my U.S. Visa debit card. It basically got you any currency - even Naira, at local ATMs - at the best possible exchange rate. But now I have a Nigerian visa card that accomplishes much less. The bank offers a "dual-currency" debit card as well, but the processing time for that application is about four months. They assured me they were not kidding about the length of time, no, it's not a joke. Four month wait for two currencies. Four week wait for 100 currencies --> Let's just say America has a more developed financial services sector than Nigeria.
Meanwhile, with the same currency selling for 150 one way and 166 another way, there is arbitrage, or what my brotha Mr. Bismarck-Rewane termed "a round-tripping paradise."

Can My__ Make It?

2011-07-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

The site formerly known as MySpace has fallen so far in traffic rankings that it's now neck-to-neck with the NewYorkTimes (each being around the 85th most visited site in the world)

MySpace is trying to rediscover its "cool", refocusing on artistes (rather than generic social networking).

Can this company pull off the turnaround?
Thoughts: What can they do to be more popular in Nigeria?
How can this work for you?

Good tidbits on grassroots investment

2011-07-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

We want a wealthier society, in which even the poorest (or at least the median earners) have a dignified lifestyle. Here are some newsbits from around the web that give one hope.

Photo: Smiling Farmer from worldisround.com

1. "We have to go out and get investments and get that money into the country." - Olusegun Aganga, explaining the focus of the Ministry of Trade and Investments. Source: Daily Trust

2. Ndidi Nwuneli, a successful serial NGO founder, has turned her focus to Agriculture. She writes for Business Day every Tuesday on Agriculture, including Eating Beyond Our Means last week, and Transforming Our Farmers into Entrepreneurs on July 13th.

3. EFInA, a Nigerian NGO funded largely by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, religiously tracks Access to Banking/Capital/Finance. As most Nigerians remain outside the formal banking sector, and too many are unbanked (formally or informally), EFInA funds ideas that increase financial innovation and access - e.g. through its s-weet Innovation Fund
By the way, here is the EFInA report on the Financial Services Landscape in Nigeria (2010).

4. (Source: Business Day - CBN and small enterprise funding)
The Central bank has earmarked funds for grassroots lending/investment, which include since 2009:

N200 billion Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CASS) Fund being channeled to farmers: through state governments to farmers’ cooperatives and unions within their constituencies, and also through private promoters/projects.
N200 billion guarantee scheme for new loans to SMEs to be provided at bank’s prime lending rate
N500 billion manufacturing and infrastructure (power and airline) intervention fund
CBN also set up Entrepreneurship Development Centers, EDCs, to train citizens in locations around the country (see ALF-EDC); as well as a Nigerian Incentive-based risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), to reduce banks’ perception of agriculture as ‘highly risky’ and consequently expand bank lending to the agricultural sector from the current 2% to at least 10% within the next five years.

Should you avoid office politics?

2011-07-14T23:36:00.000-07:00

If organizational conflict is inevitable, and you cannot avoid it because it often involves important questions, you need to understand how it typically gets resolved [...] organizational conflicts are resolved through influence. The groups with bosses that have influence will get what they need. Those groups whose bosses lack influence will not.

To be an effective boss, you must influence others -- people and groups over whom you have no formal control -- to get what your group needs and to work for what you believe is best and right. Your own people count on you to do this because they cannot do their work well otherwise. Your organization depends on voices like yours to keep it on the right track.

The best way to build influence is to create ongoing relationships for mutual advantage. There's no reason you cannot do this while holding yourself to high standards of openness, honesty, fairness, and respect.

"Playing politics" and wielding influence in a political environment aren't the same. Ironically, the way to cope with dysfunctional "politics" is to engage others, not avoid them. Hunkering down will only make you less influential and so less effective.

Engage those around you -- not to play political games but to build real bridges -- if you hope to accomplish the work that you believe needs doing. (Read more...)

Source: Why avoiding office conflict is not an option

by Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback for Fortune Magazine

Borrow Borrow

2011-07-14T04:45:00.000-07:00

People keep asking you for small "loans" of money (that they will never pay back), what do you do - A, B, C, or D - which is your favourite answer, and why?

A - Tell them now is not a good time for us to be lending money. We are saving for the kids' college, retirement, or the like. But I am happy to help you get a bank loan or figure out a budget.

B - If the amount is small, I ask what they can do for me. Perhaps they can house-sit and take care of the family pet when you're away, or help paint the house, clean the basement, or build a deck? Sweat labor can pay you back as well.

C - I would tell my sibling that I won't be his or her finance company anymore, but that each of the previous loans is now a gift and that I don't expect repayment.

D - If I can afford to help (a family member), I feel it is my responsibility to do so. But rather than continue to get nickel-and-dimed, I would sit down with them and look at giving a lump sum for the year with no other asks allowed during that period.

Source: Lending money to family members, at CNN Money Magazine:

15 TRILLION Naira target

2011-07-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

Mr. Olusegun Aganga just resumed his new job as Nigeria's Minister for Commerce and Investment. He was Minister of Finance before being returned to this new (post-election) cabinet.

According to him, the mandate of the Ministry is to contribute to the financing of the Nigerian economy by raising N15 trillion naira from the private sector. I think the job description fits his background, and thus I expect a resounding success.

There have been other ideal appointments to the cabinet as well, notably the return of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to head the Ministry of Finance. It's not just hype, she will be a good shepherd of the Nigerian economy (I don't mean taking us to the slaughter though :)

The mood

2011-07-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

On the one hand, people are working hard and innovating. There is a lot of motion in the streets. There is a lot of "starting up" and a lot of competition.

A painting (unknown title) depicting workers, by Olumide Oresegun

On the other hand, many people have no money - they are unemployed, or they have worked and not received pay. Wondering if we will get there - will Nigeria be wealthy in the near future? I have a good feeling...

The Broke Habit

2011-06-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Glory Edozien writes at BellaNaija.com :

Personally, I have learnt the hard way to live within my means. Days of over spending on credit cards only to find that Loui and Gucci cannot pay my food and light bill. So, today, if I see something I cannot afford, I just say to myself “one day, Glory, one day” and move along. But this was not a lesson I learnt easily. Not at all. There was a time when I would spend all my weekly earning in three days and live the remaining four days feeling miserable, vowing to be smarter the following week only to repeat the same mistake in record time!

(Read more more more...)

Another friend of mine recently threw her 30th birthday dinner at a popular location on the Island. Endless bottles of champagne and food for all! She must have had over 30 people present and she kept asking everyone to order as they wished on her. I thought nothing of it at the time, after all not all fingers are equal. Two days after the party, this same friend called and asked for a rather huge loan, which she would payback in monthly installments. I assumed she must have bankrupted herself after her lavish party and willing obliged her without asking many questions. Only to later learn that she had borrowed similar amounts from mutual friends’ months before and was yet to repay.

When I approached her on the issue, she explained that she was trying to gather shopping money for her regular summer trip overseas and would repay all debts on her return. To say I was perplexed, would be an understatement. This is a girl, who has what I imagine to be a well paid job, and constantly has some designer gear straddled on her limbs. I couldn’t understand why she would need to live a life that was clearly well beyond her means.

(Source is BellaNaija.com: Young, Fabulous and FLAT BROKE! )

Analysis: Do I have a broke habit?

African Development Bank wants you!

2011-06-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

For the internship programme, an opportunity to acquire professional and practical experience at the African Development Bank, apply here from July 2011.

Older folk should apply for the Ibrahim Foundation Leadership Fellowship position at the bank.

More AfDB jobs.

Africa's trading partners: traditional and emerging

2011-06-07T03:17:00.000-07:00

China overtook the United States as Africa’s number one trading partner in 2009. Africa’s trade volumes with its emerging partners have doubled in nominal value over the decade and now amount to 37% of Africa´s total trade. Africa’s top five emerging trade partners are now China (38 percent), India (14 percent), Korea (7.2 percent), Brazil (7.1 percent) and Turkey (6.5 percent). (Source: AfDB)

Europe and North America's trade share has quickly eroded, but they still account for more than half of Africa’s trade and foreign investment stock, and their economic health remains key to Africa’s growth performance.

Nevertheless, Africa’s rebalancing act turns the page on 50 years of over-reliance on the West, a period sometimes dubbed the post-colonial era. Links with the traditional partners face profound changes. (More about Africa's emerging partners in African Economic Outlook 2011)

New gig, wish us luck

2011-06-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

Sample ad: Clearing and shipping in Nigerian ports

Realbubbler.blogspot.com covers Nigerian Lifestyle A-Z: Arts, Books, Cuisine, Directions, Entertainment, Fashion, Gigs, Heritage, Innovation, Jindadi, Koko, Love, Music, Nollywood, Opinions, Painting, Quality, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Vintage, Women, x2, Youth, Zen. Try it.

To advertise, contact femi.bubbler@gmail.com

Hajiya Murjanatu employs 120 selling kunu and zobo

2011-06-06T05:09:00.000-07:00

'I engage 120 northern boys to keep them off the street'

The business she started over eight years ago with little or no capital by making kunu (a special northern drink made from corn) and zobo drink, has turned her to an employer of labour, thus contributing to the growth of the Nigerian economy in her own way.

“I started this business out of frustration when my husband stopped me from working. My husband stopped me from work in order to take care of the children while he goes out to work. I thought of how I would be sitting down without doing nothing and that was how I started making kunu, zobo and frying doughnuts, puff-puff and giving them to the boys to sell for me and gradually I started buying beverages in little quantities and later I graduated into buying from the company and today I am a major distributor for some of these companies" (...Read more at dailytrust.com)

What do you think about this entrepreneurship story? And how about the restriction on her movement?

Treasures from DLA

2011-05-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

Sometime in March this year I was opportune to attend the Daystar Leadership Academy (DLA). It was the Basic Leadership Class. I had a fulfilling experience I must confess. Firstly, I had always wanted to do this, so having it ticked off my goal list was very satisfying and secondly because of the knowledge gained and the enriching networking opportunities.

As fulfilling as it was, it was a stretch program. There were rules to be followed, tests to be written and most especially mindsets to be changed. It took me incorporating early attendance (which was mandatory) with my regular morning school runs. We were taken on courses like Personal Transformation, Success Habits, Excellence Oriented Organization, Organisational Growth, Project Management, Systems Development, Family Success, Delegation Strategies amongst others.

An article would not be adequate to do justice to all I’ve learnt, but I would share some key ones in this post. I also encourage as many as can attend this Leadership/Management Program to do as well or any other recommended ones. If not for the certificate, it would be an opportunity to gather so much knowledge in a short time on leading people or an organization.

The first lesson that dawned on me at the beginning of the program was the essence of leadership. I learnt that there are many misconceptions about it which has somewhat resulted in the abuse of it over time and in many settings, from homes to organizations and the government.

It is not about titles, but about the tasks performed
It is not about status, but about service
It is not about consumption, but about contribution
It is not about cohesion, but ensuring cooperation
It is not about intimidation, but about inspiration
It is not about manipulation, but about motivation
It is not about lording over people, but loving people
It is not about being a celebrity, but a role of responsibility

In other words, if you are performing relevant/key tasks, serving sincerely, contributing valuably, enhancing cooperation in a team and inspiring or motivating some person other than yourself, if you never knew it before, you have been leading. I for one, used to think (while I worked) that since the organization’s organogram didn’t place me in a “specific - titled” role, then I wasn’t being challenged to develop my leadership potentials and couldn’t give so much as a leader. However, I discovered that in the capacity with which I had somewhat influenced individuals, junior colleagues, peers and teams towards the achievement of a goal, I had served as a leader.

Another lesson I took away from the program, is that SUCCESS IS WHO YOU ARE. In essence, your nature determines the success that can be achieved. It is not merely in the doing but in being. That is why sometimes we see some people whose status or achievement we covet, and the first thing we try to do to succeed like they have is just copy exactly what they do. This often leads to frustration in the long term because we are somewhat working against our nature.

To do something you have never done before, you must become someone you have never being before. The first point of call is changing or developing your person, and then the doing will automatically follow. More often than not, your person is tied to your mindsets; for the journey from grass to grace is an Internal Trip. The challenge here is to so work on your inside, challenge and correct those wrong or limiting mindsets, discover truths, develop your mind, that your outside would be struggling to catch up with it. Even if the outside isn’t changing in the short term, in good time, it will align.

The last but definitely not the least of all my take-aways is the bit on Self Improvement under the Success Habit Course. I am a freak, fanatic, stickler (what other vocabulary is there?) for personal development. I believe in becoming a better you and not settling for the status quo, challenging yourself continually. So it was quite interesting to learn more on this. One of the major activities on self improvement is reading /studying. Earl Nightingale said many years ago that “one hour per day of study in your chosen field was all it takes. One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within three years. Within five years you’ll be a national authority. In seven years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do”. The tasks with this are to identify that area you want to be good at and then develop the staying power to keep at it. I study an average of 7hours/week now, but on different interests. However, I intend to pick my area of passion and make sure, I top up on it regularly.

On a final note, to gather information is great, but to do with what-you-know is greater. I have tried to instill a practice of noting down action points from every book I read and training program I attend. The fewer they are the better and with deadlines. That way I can experience immediate value from a learning. I encourage you on this, as well as the pearls I have shared. On our own we may not be able, but definitely with God we can.

Indonesia, USA, Canada...and Nigeria tops Entrepreneur Favorable Survey

2011-05-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

Quite a bit of interesting news here and good one too on Nigeria & Entrepreneurship. A recent survey of countries concluded Indonesia is perceived best by her people to be favorable for starting business. According to the BBC, "there were also plenty of developing economies that came out as pro-entrepreneur - India, China and Nigeria were also perceived by their own people as relatively favourable places for new businesses"

Nice to know...perhaps we need to start believing more in ourselves and sharing this bit of optimism internally!

Site visitors can say thank you

2011-05-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Most of you blog for the sake of sharing your thoughts and opinions, however a little side income is like an unexpected gift.
Google has just released a new gadget that allows readers to directly contribute to your blog. Setup is only five simple steps and should only take a few minutes of your time

Add a virtual tip jar like this to your blog
Originally posted to Blogger Buzz by Peng Ying, Developer Programs Engineer

OOPLF Art Contest

2011-05-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

Click here to download the flyer

Legislative Internship Programme

2011-05-18T05:04:00.001-07:00

www.africaleadership.org

Visit africaleadership.org for legislative internships with State Houses of Assembly and possibly National Assembly. This is how I got the 2010 internship at Ekiti State House of Assembly. Stop whining, start trying.

Buying Vintage

2011-05-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Penny wise, pound foolish.
Went shoe-shopping at Yaba Tejuosho market this week. Bought some really quirky, nice, earthy and comfortable shoes at 1/10 the "Island" price. One's red, one cream, one brown. So I may actually give my favourite pair (black sandals, bought at the same location) a bit of a holiday - or not.
For clothes too, I like the Yaba area - inside Unilag, near Unilag front gate, and at Sabo Ecenter - 1/3 of Island price.
I found some blouses in a stall at Ojota one morning. I think they were China, not okrika. Who can tell the difference? Who cares? They are just lovely.

Glossary:
China ~ cheaply manufactured
okrika ~ second-hand

Bigz Girlz is broke (or was)

2011-05-07T05:51:00.001-07:00

I used to work for the government where the favourite sport was waiting for the paycheck starting in the late teens of the month, by the twenties the money would be there. Granted the first paycheck didn't arrive until three months after I started work but hey.

Then I moved to a private gig and rounder monthly pay. I buckled down to work knowing that I was paid enough to cover expenses: long phone call with site manager to get details just right, or cab fare to and fro before I moved down the street from work? All justified because hey just get the job done.

Then last week (uh oh) I found that I was out of cash. Ok, I'd been warned about the industry with its nice paychecks and missed paydays but was still blindsided. Not sure if the purpose of delaying pay is to piss off the staff and degrade the product, but that is how it plays out.

Yesterday I was stuck eating peanut butter and avocado. (Ok that seems ajebo but have you ever eaten plain avocado pear?) Downgraded right quick from boss water to pure water. Just begged the ATM again for 1,000 and it said insufficient funds. So I said how about 500 and it said I had to specify multiples of 1000.

Moving on... a friend is going to raise me some cash this evening. At that point, the cash will become pretty useless since as everyone knows money is most useful when you don't have it. The tyranny of money.

AMCON is hiring

2011-04-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) was formed to mop up bad credit in the banking sector and revitalize the economy. The company is hiring in fields that range from Investment Banking and Finance to support areas like IT, HR, and Legal.
Graduate Trainees (post-NYSC) and experienced staff are sought. Apply at www.HCDClimited.com in the coming week.

My sister

2011-04-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

I like bragging about my siblings, and when it comes to Kunmi, I start her story with "she's been an artist since the day she was born."
Kunmi, the design queen, the multi-artist, Barcelona girl, is now doing Minku.

Beautiful bags, cases and purses.

Managing Partner Joins IBM Mentor Program

2011-04-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

Dr. Wole Odetayo, LoftyInc's Managing Partner have been nominated and has joined the IBM Enterprise Challenge 100 Days. The IBM seeks to connect highly visible mentors in participating countries globally with professionals that can help the achieve specific, measurable and realistic goals in their entrepreneurship endeavor within 100 days.

Wole has been paired with Sebastine Nzeadibe, a Project Manager at Zain Nigeria. Wole's goal is to reach recruit 10 entrepreneurs and raise =N=5 million (naira) within 100 days for the Wennovation Hub Project as part of LoftyInc's Joint Initiative with Africa Leadership Forum- the I-3 (Innovation Incubation Initiative).

Dr. Odetayo at SME Toolkit Conference 2010

Do you know...

That the Wennovation Hub just launched a free consulting service for start-up entrepreneurs at the hub facility every friday between 9 and 3 pm? Schedule an appointment today at ideaslab@loftyincltd.biz and speak with our world class management consultants!
That LoftyInc is now a member of the World Bank's iDisc.net

New Job

2011-03-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy that I lost some of my manners. I send too many emails everyday, and I forgot the simple courtesy of the greeting - Dear xyz - before firing on about what I need them to do for me. I do say thank you a lot though. And I can't count the number of times I write "please" weekly. I'm in the middle of the second month, life is good. That first month was brutal.

Someone asked me if I was making sure that my team members respect me. I wasn't certain of the answer to that (the answer is yes) but I replied, "I respect them."

Naija 7 Wonders

2011-02-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

African Travel Quarterly recently launched a search for the Seven Wonders of Nigeria. They now have a shortlist of twenty-five attractions. I wish I could visit all of them.
Vote for your winners by SMS CODE to 33120 or on the Seven Wonders facebook page

SMS Code - Establishment
Naija7*1 - National War Museum, Abia State
Naija7*2 - Sukur Kingdom, Adamawa State
Naija7*3 - Ogbunike Cave, Anambra State
Naija7*4 - Yankari Reserve, Bauchi State
Naija7*5 - Carnival Calabar, Cross River State
Naija7*6 - The Monoliths (Alok & Ikom), Cross River State
Naija7*7 - Obudu Mountain Resort, Cross River State
Naija7*8 - National Museum, Cross River State
Naija7*9 - Nana of Koko Museum, Delta State
Naija7*10 - Benin Heritage Sites (Moat & Palace), Edo State
Naija7*11 - Ikosogi Spring, Ekiti State
Naija7*12 - Abuja Mosque, Federal Capital Territory
Naija7*13 - Kano Heritage Sites (Walls & Palace) & Durbar Festival, Kano State
Naija7*14 - Confluence/Mount Patti, Kogi State
Naija7*15 - Owu falls, kwara State
Naija7*16 - Badagry Colonial Sites (Slave Relics & First Story Building), Lagos State
Naija7*17 - Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos State
Naija7*18 - Farin Ruwa- Nassarawa State
Naija7*19 - Gurara falls, Niger State
Naija7*20 - Kainji Dam, Niger State
Naija7*21 - Winners Chapel, Ogun State
Naija7*22 - Idanre, Ondo State
Naija7*23 - Osun grove, Osun State
Naija7*24 - IITA, Oyo State
Naija7*25 - Gashaka Gumti/Mambilla Plateau, Taraba State

By March they will be narrowed down to fifteen, and the top 7 will be presented in July. I promise to at least visit the final seven. Props to Ikechi Uko of ATQ for the dogged hardwork it's taken to get Seven Wonders this far.

Lagos Survival Guide

2011-02-23T01:45:00.000-08:00

2011 Liveabililty Ranking and Overview has rated Lagos as the world's fourth worst city of 140 cities surveyed. Some of us have to live in Lagos. Here's how to stay zen through it all:
1. Live near work
Eschew the commute. You don't want to be like the mumu who saved money on housing only to lose it all on fuel and auto-mechanics. Or the other mugu who falls asleep at work everyday after spending four hours a day in traffic.
2. Serviced flat
You could be your own maigadi, generator operator, water pumper, and maintenance staff rolled in one. Or you could have your estate manager do it for you. This could mean staying in a hostel that has services covered for cheap. It doesn't have to be one of those million-million Ikoyi houses.
3. Other?

Emotions at work

2011-02-08T02:43:00.000-08:00

“It’s always personal,” I say.

“Huh?” the old man says, shifting his cool blue eyes onto me.

“I’ve been fired several times,” I say. “And I’ve fired people. It was always personal. That’s because business is between people and everything between people is personal.”

“You’re right!” the sandy haired man almost shouts. “When I got fired or laid off it was personal. When some one screwed me on a deal it was personal. You can’t tell me it isn’t.”

“And yet,” I say, “These very same guys will tell you, ‘Business is all about relationships.’ You can’t have it both ways.”

From It's Always Personal, online at WaiterRant.net

Papa Mosquito

2011-02-01T20:49:00.001-08:00

I have tried different insecticide sprays recently in a vain attempt to combat mosquitoes in my sleeping area. The sprays however kill cockroaches and others without fail. But mosquitoes? No way, Jose.
Even if you pick one mosquito and spray a quarter-can right at it, you will end up at best with a stunned mosquito on the floor, ready to resurrect dramatically at any moment. Usually preceded by a violent spin (who watched Fadeyi Oloro in those days?)
When someone told me about the resurrection, I thought it was impossible at first, then I observed it with my own eyes. You literally have to squash the mosquito yourself to ensure that it's dead.

Last night, I slept with a mosquito coil for the first time in decades. Slept like a baby. Now (almost 6am) the coil is burned out, and the single mosquito knows where to find me.
All this education, and we are helpless against mosquitoes! Here are some tips:
Attack the sources of mosquitoes - breeding grounds, like the clogged canal by my window.
Chemical killers - for now, it seems these mosquitoes have got resistance
Bug zappers - One, there's no electricity, and two I read they're more effective against moths and other insects that are attracted to light
Mosquito coils - I guess it masks the "smell" - mosquitoes are attracted to your CO2, that's how they track their food. I imagine incense would work well too.
Mosquito nets - I've seen people refuse to use the net because of the heat. Me I couldn't be bothered to net up, it's inconvenient.
Biological - Malaria vaccine, Sterilizing mosquitoes, who knows what.

It seems there's an opportunity to design and disseminate good mosquito solutions. For one thing, I love the construction going on near my house, but they've blocked the water flow for so long and it has become mosquito carnival.

Internet Disservice

2011-02-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

Do you consider 1kb/s to be internet service? I don't. Shouldn't we be suing for non-service AND discomfort? Really - when I should be sleeping I'm there trying again and again to load a small page that may not come for thirty tries.
And we have a consumer protection council o.

With the two new submarine cables (Main One + Glo One), the increased capacity is literally on our shores, it's just up to someone to distribute/retail it.

The Price Of Oil

2011-02-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

This is African Bonny Light Crude Oil, currently priced around $100 per barrel

And this is the eight-year chart of Futures on WTI (West Texas Intermediate) Crude Oil.

Some Like It Hot...

2011-01-27T01:02:00.000-08:00

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot nine days old
Some like it hot, some like it cold
Some like it in the pot, nine days old

Though I had learnt this nursery rhyme way back in my elementary days, little did I appreciate its depth and reality. A recent happening left me with a lesson that brought back strongly the essence of the rhyme.

I’ve already shared this personally with so many but more assuredly, I will hold on dearly to this in my career as an Entrepreneur. Truth is, long before I took off on this journey, I’d learnt that businesses must focus on identifying and meeting needs. It’s about providing solutions to certain issues of the clients or customers. However, I have discovered even another dimension to meeting a need.

Couture is my first line of business at the moment. I’ve not kicked off fully yet since I’m still putting a few things in place and rounding off at the fashion school. All the same, after over 10 weeks we have mastered certain basics of dress making and started making some wears. I decided on starting with complimentary jobs, a good opportunity to introduce myself in the market place. I took this one job from a good friend, and went ahead to execute with what I look back in retrospect as a little understanding of her preferences. The job came out well; truthfully many saw it and commended my efforts. I put in a lot of hours to add creativity here and there. It was one of my first jobs for heaven’s sake; I couldn’t afford to make it simple. Lo and behold, I took it for fitting and despite encouragements that I’d done well on a number of notes, she said – “the style is not me”. And then it dawned on me, nothing satisfies a customer like the exact blueprint of their expectations.

This other dimension to meeting a need is in ensuring one knows the details in full of what the customer needs and wants. It’s about reading in between the lines when they are giving their briefs. It’s about asking; asking and asking….just know that client. It goes beyond the efforts you put in, the time you’ve sacrificed, the funds you’ve expended, all would be like nothing if the other party involved isn’t fully satisfied. So now, more than anything, I’m asking and learning about my client.

While sharing this experience with some loved ones, another perspective surfaced. The same lesson applies in the other relationships like in families, and with friends. We tend to give what we feel would be appreciated because that is probably what we may want if we were in the shoes. So a woman is giving her husband a big card that sings because she really appreciates it, but he doesn’t even like cards in the first place.

We would do our relationships and businesses good if we go this extra mile to research, discover, learn what exactly we must do, how we must do, when we need to do while providing solutions. Honestly, those experiences of spot-on-execution never leave us; they enhance relationships, boost our morale from positive feedback and increase our network base through referrals.

Leave your own personal preferences and know the category your customer, client, loved one belongs…for in actual fact, some like it hot, some like it cold, some like it old and some don’t even like it.

What is Ushahidi?

2011-01-22T19:18:00.000-08:00

It's this thing that lets you report an incident using computers or mobile phones and then all incidents can be seen on a map.

Ushahidi may be useful this year in helping Nigerians monitor the general elections.
In the just completed Sudan voting, there was a phone number for the public to send text reports, and at SudanVoteMonitor you can see the map of voting disturbances.

If you're a software developer, learn more about ushahidi here.
If you just want to use Ushahidi, give Crowdmap a quick try

Rail

2011-01-21T14:59:00.000-08:00

Construction is ongoing on Lagos Rail Mass Transit which would provide passenger rail services in Lagos, tha megacity.
The first two lines being developed are
the Red Line

and the Blue Line.

The Suits and the Techies

2011-01-13T01:42:00.001-08:00

From time immemorial, the techies have ruled over the suits. Don't get it twisted, even though you make and maintain the stuff of your company, and you had better exam scores at tougher subjects, in the end, those silly MBAs get to hire and fire and take all the money. Read the cautionary tale of the new layoffs at myspace.com (Remember when myspace was the coooolest thing and the most promising company? but now it's facebook this facebook that.)

Sometimes the techies are the suits. Ah, that's nice: 45million dollar yacht nice. Although it seems that kind of convergence causes premature aging. Oh my God I'm old - when did Larry Page (Google cofounder, with Sergey Brin) turn 37?

Anyway, learn, and don't get screwed, eh:

As recently as Nov 18th, Mike Jones, the now CEO of Myspace, sat in front of the entire company, thanking them for their extraordinary efforts... He and his executive team had just somehow driven hundreds of people to work hard for months, giving 20 hour days, even 48 hour sleepless stints... motivating the team with statements like "do you believe in this company or not?", "either you're in or not", and "look at what we can do when we do it together".

.... At the same time, the Myspace execs... were all being rewarded with new deals (including Jones becoming CEO), including raises and promotions... The executive team was busy plotting secret back-room deals to prevent a sale of Myspace by News Corp and to instead spin out Myspace into their control (likely taking most of the equity and giving themselves more personal gain)...

After the dust settles, the people who were in charge and responsible for the continued failure will still be in charge, with new titles and raises, clearly intent on taking as much personal value as they can from the company before it dies completely at their hands. And the hard working, loyal employees that worked their butts off, took time away from their families to *actually* try to turn the company around by building and launching the new Myspace, will be looking for jobs.

If nothing else, this ex-MySpace employee's letter will serve as a reminder to anyone contemplating an insane work commitment that voluntary overtime is just that: Voluntary. If you're not getting paid, you should make sure there's something in it for you other than a promise. Read more at valleywag: worked like dogs

Correcting the power roadmap

2011-01-11T01:23:00.000-08:00

The people of Nigeria have prioritized three action areas for our leadership to pursue. The first of these is ELECTRICITY. The current administration aims to attract foreign investment to the power sector.
The plan is laudable, but the reform should be led by an expert at deregulation, who is wholly committed to fairness. The former leader at the Nigerian Communications Communications (NCC, which successfully deregulated the telecommunication sector) would seem an ideal choice.
Besides inexperienced leadership, another obvious problem is the insistence on a transmission monopoly. To retain a monopoly in transmission would be wrongheaded; please liberalize everything.

Why say NO to transmission monopoly?
The current power roadmap will have us privatize generation and distribution and manage transmission in-house. If I was an investor, I'd rather build my own transmission infrastructure (duplicate) than throw my money away by trusting that transmission will be there for me. If we start with competing transmission links, in the long run, the network will be rationalized through trading. If we start with one transmission link, it is extremely likely to be the bottleneck in the whole national power system.

Arguing for monopoly:
1. Indian technocrat: Transmission is a natural monopoly, but he also identifies demand-supply gap considerations. China which presumably had competing transmission providers, had to restructure down to two companies.
2. BPE boss in Nigeria: Will be uneconomic to ask every operator to build its own network but NESCO has worked well in spite of having built its own network.

Arguing against monopoly:
1. Academic report: Questions the natural monopoly of transmission as well as the requirements of existence, profitability, and efficiency of a transmission market. So much grammar, but it squares with my intuition.

2. Nigerian administrator: With such an atomized approach and the insistence on a public sector transmission monopoly company whom are we trying to attract? We know how dismally public sector parastatals have performed over the past four decades. Exactly. In particular, NEPA/PHCN has received the "investment" to generate (assuming 1bn USD per 1000MW) tens of thousands of megawatts in 2000-2010, but what happened? Were existing plants maintained, even? Or what is the state of our transformers and transmission lines?

Application Window Opens to the Wennovation Hub -Lagos

2011-01-06T23:32:00.000-08:00

Pleased to announce the launch of the application process to the brand new business incubation program & facility- Wennovation Hub sponsored by Africa Leadership Forum and LoftyInc Allied Partners Limited (of yours sincerely).

Apply today until February 4, 2011 at www.wennovationhub.com Do you have a transformational idea? Can you wennovate? Then give it a shot! Spread the word!

Report of legislative internship

2011-01-05T23:25:00.000-08:00

I served as a legislative intern at EKHA from September 24 – October 28, 2010. Below is my report:
I found the announcement on this blog actually. It was posted by Rotimi Olawale through his Youth Development blog. Check AfricaLeadership.org around July to apply. Note that the Africa Leadership Forum also provides Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Training, with some funding capital available.

Background of Host Assembly
Ekiti State was formed out of Ondo State on October 1, 1996. Nigeria’s third period of civilian rule commenced in 1999. The Ekiti State House of Assembly (EKHA) has existed since.
The third assembly (2007-2011) has 26 members from two political parties: 13 from PDP the ruling party in the nation and 13 from AC the leading opposition party.
Halfway through my internship, the governor was ousted by court ruling and a new governor was sworn in.

Internship Activities
I was attached to the Legislative department, where my basic responsibility was to observe Legislative Processes and the work of the support staff.
I was taught by the staff of EkitiLeg about the process (bill -> law) and all the documents involved. Never witnessed a sitting of the House of Assembly as there was none during the one-month period.
I resolved to either contribute policy writing or Information Technology improvements to the House members or staff. Since I found no need for policy-writers, I built the EKHA site at www.ekitilegislature.blogspot.com
By request, I also showed staff how to login and upgrade the site, as well as how to use relevant tools like email and Excel spreadsheets.

Issues
EKHA is an interesting place: Smart people, but scarce work. The working conditions too – crowded office (a permanent site is being built), limited funds for training, and again the limited engagement of the staff - make some staff find it an undesirable job.
Ekiti State as a whole is similar: smart people in an ideal natural environment somehow fail to create and enjoy wealth. Their understanding of enlightened self-interest is low such that they collude in reinforcing their poverty. Access to the meager budget (no more than $200 per capita) typically results in expenses (a car, a polo shirt, a phone) and not in investment (a good road, a new can-do director, a concert.)
How does this relate to the legislature and to issues during my internship? Well, a high-quality legislature would make laws which preserve the good about the state and repair the poverty by generating and rewarding industry. Instead, the business of our legislature appears to be politics, defined in this case as a contact sport a little like rugby or football.

Challenges
Adoption of the website will be an issue since there is little internet access at the House of Assembly. Specifically, one modem from Etisalat or Zain/Airtel is used at the House. It does not get funded regularly – costs about 3000 Naira (20 US dollars) a month – and does not work reliably, and when it works is impossibly slow.
Clearly, all this created a challenge in making the site in the first place; work was delayed till one lucky weekend when ‘the network was up.’
Besides scarcity of internet, I think that a fear of treading on toes will keep permanent staff from working on the website.

Opportunities
The purpose of this website is to provide citizens (civil servants, individuals, and others) access to the laws and to the legislators of the state, thereby leading to a deeper democracy.
There are several opportunities to continue this process:
Currently, the site has a live news wire (very important for staff, as they enjoy delicious political news), names/constituencies/committees of serving members, some staff on the organizational chart, a single email address for ekiti.leg, links to the Nigerian constitution and Ekiti data, and a promise of a calendar.
Several other states in Nigeria, the National Assembly of Nigeria, and legislatures abroad, have websites providing legislator contacts, the laws, and a view of formal legislator activities. ALF can provide interns that can continue the website work next year.
Updates could include photographs of serving members, data on past legislators (name/constituency), complete staff list, phone numbers for each legislator, email for each legislator, the laws of Ekiti, the status of Bills, and a regularly updated calendar with house activities.
In addition, ALF and other NGOs/NSAs can help by rewarding State Houses of Assembly that have superior websites. This could be achieved through positive press, financial reward, or an awards ceremony.
Websites will be judged by how well they create harmony and a close working relationship between the legislature and the people they serve. At a minimum, they must provide access to each citizen’s representative, let citizens have the law at their fingertips. Citizens will be aided in overseeing the work being done in their behalf by their legislature.

The battle, the war

2011-01-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

...is more interested in pressuring the industry to make cheaper, more education-focused PCs than he is in manufacturing any specific machine. "We don't necessarily need to build it," Negroponte told Forbes. "We just need to threaten to build it."
OLPC is adapting, as intelligent bodies do. They're developing the $75 computer.

The story of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) in Nigeria is a tragic opera. From the proclamation that we'll order a million, to the disgraceful lawsuit (keyboard patent my ass), to the horrible ministers of education, basically we're at no-laptop-per-child. (Read more at OLPC/Nigeria)

Still on education, the students in one state university (Lagos) intend to resume school this week even if the staff and the government can't agree that their education is important. This is very good - the youth must act in their self-interest.
News: Students of the Lagos State University (LASU) have fixed January 5, 2011 as their own resumption date...the students took the action even as the institution’s striking lecturers and the state government were yet to agree on terms to end the over three month strike embarked upon by the lecturers.

Le progrès, c'est chic

2010-12-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

What is currently wrong with Nigeria and my thoughts on possible effective solution(s) to address the problem. December 31, 2010 update. By Tosin Otitoju.

The people of Nigeria have prioritized three action areas for our leadership to pursue:

1. Electric Power

The current administration aims to attract foreign investment to the power sector. The plan is laudable, but the reform should be led by an expert at deregulation, who is wholly committed to fairness (hint: Ndukwe over Nnaji). Also, the insistence on a transmission monopoly is wrongheaded; please liberalize everything.

2. Better Government

At the national level, Nigeria needs a technocracy – leadership by those with know-how. At the local and state level too, the quality of candidates must rise. Good people (such as yourself) must offer themselves for service.
To destroy the corrupt culture, known looters must be punished. We must commit to anti-fraud practices, such as service automation, forensic accounting, and public oversight.

3. Job creation

To create jobs, we need more risk-takers over job-seekers. They must be provided with capital, often micro-capital. We need access to overseas markets, and better transport and communication networks for local trade. Our education must give effective preparation.

My 2008 essay highlighted some problem areas. Since that time, many programs sprouted to train youth for leadership and entrepreneurship, and Lagos State Government massively improved that city. On the other hand, corruption remains an issue, and religion remains a source of deadly conflict. The arts flower tentatively, with recent successes in film, music, festival, and literary production. Civil society is awakening; citizens stage the occasional protest, only to find that their voices DO count.

As black people, we will continue to define success on our terms: rooted in universal principles, founded on a sense of our history, and in harmony with other cultures. Our quest for a better society will find us copying success stories, for example, an African Union patterned after the European Union; Institutes like the IITs that produced the high-tech workforce of India; press freedom and open government as in Scandinavia; and sovereign wealth management as in the Arabian Gulf. At other times we will walk our own path, for example: doctors favoring homeopathy, legislators working part-time, engineers for reforestation, agricultural chic, and Imams for Jesus.

Think Global, Be Global

2010-12-26T11:55:00.000-08:00

It’s another year end, just less than 2 weeks to a new one. And this is wishing everyone great compliments of the season. I know it’s been an eventful year for all with its ups and downs, the high times and the low, but I know more assuredly that it has endowed us all with lessons and discoveries like no other year. Let me use this opportunity to ask any who is willing to share any of theirs to please send me a mail (bukolaogunfayo@gmail.com) and we can have others read and keep to guide and to encourage.

It is a good time in the year to reflect, to review goals, especially in anticipation of other opportunities in the New Year. It is an appropriate time to be grateful too, thankful to the One beyond man who has kept and preserved. I’m sure if we think well, we’ll have a number of things to give thanks for, starting with the gift of life.

For me, 2010 has been quite eventful. For instance, I was able to share regularly on FOOTSTEPS (this means a lot to me), I took a bow to paid employment, I got certified & inducted as an HR Professional and on another extreme, took on a skill in fashion. I can imagine what awaits me in 2011. However, I’m going to take my plans from a different angle this time around, which I believe some would need as well.

Sometime in November, I attended a conference in Lagos. I am very keen on personal development; in fact, I do plan to contribute significantly to the Education Sector sometime in the nearest future, which is what drove me to sit at the Syndicate session on Education. Amongst other things shared, one thing I took away from this meeting was a comment by the Speaker – Mrs. Susan Oyemade, “…you have to be a global teacher, you have to be a global pupil, you have to be a global housewife...” In other words, whatever you have decided to pursue, you need to do it with the world at large in mind, you need to think beyond the local environment, and you need to set a global standard (“world-class", as used in many circles) for yourself.

For a teacher, that’s an easy one. The delivery styles and the contents of the course material for instance need to be worked on, but one would wonder, how can a housewife be global? Well, what recipes is she working on in her food lab (kitchen), the same old ones with the same styles and the same ingredients? What looks does she have on the few times she’s out of the house for a school function or an outing with her husband? While one ponders on this, one has to agree there is room for everyone to think global and to be global.

As we come to another season where we strategize for another year of our lives, we need to ask ourselves what our peers on the global scene are doing better. What are they using to make their work different that we can acquire; what skill have they gained that we can learn, who have they connected with to help them be all they are now, that we need to consider networking with as well (for this we could get their peers in our vicinity). Whichever way, something new and/or something different needs to be worked into our norm to position us globally.

A few, may just actually be ahead of their peers globally already. In Performance Management we refer to them as operating on the Exceed Expectation rating. These ones need to up the stakes, look at their superiors, whose standard they now need to work towards.

I don’t know what we all may have in mind for 2011, but as I challenge myself, I leave this challenge with you, position yourself to become GLOBAL.

Giving - the true meaning of Christmas

2010-12-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

What can you do this year that epitomises the true spirit of Christmas?
by Nimi Akinkugbe for 234next.com

Part-time legislature

2010-12-15T02:19:00.000-08:00

We need a cheaper, more inclusive legislature. Here is one: http://upnaira.blogspot.com/p/simple-chat.html

Should Siasia (coach of the Super Eagles football team) be the highest-paid Nigerian staff? What is David Mark (Senate President) doing that is more vital to Nigeria than Siasia's mandate? Should Siasia's wage become the maximum wage in Nigeria?
How come the law gave the Senators one paycheck and then they get paid many times more than that? Shouldn't they pay back the balance to the treasury? What are your thoughts? You're the legislators today, so join the "debate" here

[youth development in Nigeria] apply: Desplay Africa Season 6

2010-12-15T01:24:00.001-08:00

YOUNGSTARS FOUNDATION

presents

DESPLAY AFRICA Season 6

Africa's No. 1 youth program for deepening youth understanding of democracy and good governance and breeding

next generation African leaders.

Democracy Series Participatory Learning and Active Youth (DESPLAY Africa), the foremost and consistent annual youth democracy academy in West Africa since 2005 is accepting applications from interested youth. In the past 5 years, DESPLAY Africa admitted youth from Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Cameroon, who were educated on different broad based democracy and governance issues. For DESPLAY Africa Season 6, about 40 youths from Nigeria and other African countries shall come together under a unique learning platform to deepen their knowledge about democracy and also foster youth participation in governance processes in Africa. This program is for young people that are concerned about Africa's growth and development. It is for those youth who desire to be part of the region's emerging transformational leaders. It is also for those who believe that as youth we can begin to foster positive change in our continent within our space. It has been professed that Africa is the continent of the new millennium, to achieve this potential, new entrepreneurial and transformational actors must emerge to drive the processes. But most critically is the fact that these emerging new actors require unique platforms for interaction, capacity building, knowledge-sharing, and networking among others in preparation for the huge task of leap-frogging Africa's development. It is on this background that we offer DESPLAY Africa Season 6 and invite all those who share in this aspiration to participate therein.

DESPLAY SEASON 6 OFFERS:

v Three different workshop/semesters of 4 days each.

Each workshop shall hold in a different city of Nigeria after 3 months interval. This allows participants better appreciate our national diversities and re-enforce the spirit of peaceful co-habitation among people of different socio-religious backgrounds.

v About 40 different sessions and activities offered.

Each Semester lasts for 4 days and each contain atleast 4 different interactive sessions and activities, including breakout sessions, film shows, debates, panel session, reading class among others. A team of well experienced facilitators ensure quality interactive experiences.

v Win the "I Debate" Campus debate award.

10 participants of DESPLAY Africa Season 6 shall have the opportunity to each conduct students debate in a higer institution in their state of residence using a template format to ensure uniformity. Finalist from each campus based debate shall be invited to the grand finale during DESPLAY Semester 3 to compete for the "I Debate Prize".

v Participate in our maiden " Young Champion for Democracy Challenge"

Knowledge, passion, advocacy etc without Action is like wishing to drive a car but not able to actually drive a car. DESPLAY Season 6 shall offer participants the chance to compete in the "Young Champions for Democracy Challenge". It is a component that encourages participants to identify a key issue in our democracy and to implement a project to address that challenge. All projects must be completed 4 weeks before semester to qualify for the award.

v Opportunity to vie for President of DESPLAY Republic for season 6.

Every season of DESPLAY offers any interested participant the chance to become the DESPLAY Republic President during an election to be conducted in semester 2 by the participants themselves. The current DESPLAY President is Femi……..

v Gain visibility through Youth Power Weekly Radio Show on Highland FM Jos.

All participants shall enjoy the benefit of featuring on our new weekly radio show Youth Power to contribute to related discussion, give visibility to their projects as well as bring to visibility issues of concern among the youth demography.

v Participate in a self funded Learning Visit to a Democracy in Africa.

Since 2007 every year, a team of DESPLAY participant raise funds and travel to a democracy in West Africa for a 2 weeks learning visit during which they interact with a cross section of the society including lawmakers, youth leaders, NGOs, students etc. DESPLAY Season also offers this unique learning experience after Semester 2 for those who can afford to raise the required funds.

v Become a DESPLAY Fellow and get a DESPLAY Certificate of Participation among others.

From DESPLAY Africa Season 6, all participants who complete the program shall graduate as DESPLAY Fellows! Moreso, 5 participants shall emerge as Senior Fellows with unique benefits attached to the Senior Fellows status!!

Moreso, DESPLAY allows you meet with youths from different African countries as well as gives you the rare opportunity to join a robust community of young and emerging leaders united in their passion for democracy and good governance in the Africa region.

ELIGIBILITY

Young people from Nigeria and African countries aged between 18 - 35 years.

SPONSORSHIP AND REGISTRATION FEE

Ø 30 persons shall enjoy full scholarship covering feeding, accommodation, conference materials and travel subsidy on paying N5, 000 registration fees per semester/workshop.

Ø While 10 persons shall enjoy partial scholarship covering feeding, accommodation and conference materials on paying N20, 000 registration fees per semester/workshop.

Payment are only made after you have been finally selected and officially informed of your selection.

APPLICATION FORM IS AVAILABLE ON:

www.youngstars-foundation.org

APPLICATION CLOSING DATE:

December 17^th2010.

FOR ENQUIRIES CALL:

Bola +234, 8065479817, 07072000256

Emma +234 7039634873

Nandak +234 8065353382

EMAIL: engage@youngstars-foundation.org, desplay@yahoo.com, ystar27@yahoo.com

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Posted By Blogger to youth development in Nigeria at 12/15/2010 01:24:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: Ninth Annual Global Social Benefit Incu...

2010-12-11T00:12:00.001-08:00

The GSBI, the signature program of Santa Clara University's Center for Science, Technology and Society, is designed to help leaders of social-benefit enterprises create sustainable and scalable business plans that maximize social impact. The 20 selected entrepreneurs receive four months of on-line mentoring and assignments, culminating in their attendance at a motivating two-week in-residence program Aug. 7 – 19, 2011, at Santa Clara University.
It's not just the 20 chosen social entrepreneurs who benefit: Applicants who fulfill all of the Social Edge application process requirements receive constructive feedback from Silicon Valley mentors and other experts on their application and business plans.
The Global Social Benefit Incubator application process starts December 7th on Social Edge, the online community for social entrepreneurs and a program of the Skoll Foundation.

For more details, click here

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Posted By Blogger to youth development in Nigeria at 12/11/2010 12:12:00 AM

Dad is running

2010-12-10T04:41:00.000-08:00

Watch Video: OFS Otitoju for Senate 2011

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: Sustainable Thinking Platform multimedi...

2010-12-09T23:41:00.001-08:00

The Sustainable Thinking Platform has launched the second round of its multimedia competition aimed at people aged 18-30 years old from all around the world. Participants are allowed to submit a maximum of 1 essay, 3 pictures and 1 video.
This edition will run from 1 September until 31 December and all entries must address the following question "With an ever-increasing population, how can we maximise resource efficiency to meet our growing needs?"

For more details, click here

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Posted By Blogger to youth development in Nigeria at 12/09/2010 11:41:00 PM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: H.J. Heinz Company Foundation Fellowship

2010-12-09T05:12:00.001-08:00

The Heinz Fellowship was established in 1982 by an endowment from the H. J. Heinz Company Foundation to the University of Pittsburgh's University Center for International Studies. The fellowship is managed by the Global Studies Center at the University Center for International Studies, and is offered annually providing one year of practical, professional, and non-degree educational experiences through the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, USA. The University of Pittsburgh is one of the leading research universities in the United States and includes 16 professional schools, 28 departments in the arts, social and natural sciences, 3,400 faculty members, 27,000 students, and library holdings of over 4.7 million volumes. Pitt is located in an urban center of cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity.

Heinz Fellowships are granted to individuals from developing countries who demonstrate potential as future leaders in the public, government, non-profit, or private sectors. The goal is to improve, early in a career, the fellows' capacity to contribute to the development of their country and to enhance their understanding of the United States. This is accomplished through a year of sitting in on selected courses and participating in practical professional activities while based in Pittsburgh. Upon acceptance of their final report, fellows will receive a program certificate from the University Center for International Studies. This is non-degree program. Courses are observed on an informal basis, and do not earn credit towards any academic degree.

Fellows will receive a living stipend of $18,000 (paid in monthly installments), mandatory health insurance, round-trip transportation to and from Pittsburgh, and a $2,000 program and professional activities fund. Please note that, if the fellow comes from a country which does not have a tax treaty with the U.S., the fellow must pay U.S. taxes amounting to 14% of the stipend. No transportation costs, living allowances, or insurance funds are provided for dependents. The fellowship does not include allowances or services for dependents, whether or not they accompany the fellow. As a condition of the grant, applicants will be required to submit a statement of their ability to finance the transportation and maintenance expenses for any accompanying dependents. Please note that U.S. government visa restrictions make employment opportunities for dependents rare.

For more details, please click here

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Posted By Blogger to youth development in Nigeria at 12/09/2010 05:12:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: OECD 50th Anniversary video Competition

2010-12-09T02:07:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the OECD's 50th Anniversary, young people worldwide are invited to create a short video describing their vision of Progress.

» Who is Eligible

The competition is open to young people (18-25 years) in every country worldwide.

» How to Enter

Submit your video before MIDNIGHT (Paris time) - 1 March 2011 by responding to the OECD competition video on YouTube. You must also complete and submit the online registration form by this date. Any short films received after this time will not be considered.

» The Prize

An all expenses paid trip to Paris, France.
Screening of the winning films at an international forum.
An opportunity to meet government, civil society and media from around the world.

For more details click here

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Posted By Blogger to youth development in Nigeria at 12/09/2010 02:07:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: 2011 unreasonable institute fellow

2010-12-08T05:11:00.001-08:00

Apply to be one of the 25. 2011 Unreasonable institute fellows. The second annual unreasonable institute will unite 25 exceptional, young entrepreneurs for 6 weeks in the summer of 2011 in Colorado, United States.

During that time, they will live and work with 60 world-class mentors, pitch their ventures to hundreds of investors, obtain free legal advice and design consulting, form relationships with up to 30 impact investment funds and prepare to launch financially, self sustaining, globally scalable ventures that can serve the needs of at least 1million people.

For more details, click here

Application closes December 15, 2010

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Posted By Blogger to youth development in Nigeria at 12/08/2010 05:11:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: the Struggle for health Workshop for yo...

2010-12-06T08:00:00.001-08:00

The International People's Health University (IPHU) of the People's Health Movement (PHM) jointly with Human Action for Integrated Development in Senegal (AHDIS) and Forum des Alternatives Maroc (FMAS) announce "THE STRUGGLE FOR HEALTH" a short training course for young health activists from 30 January to 11 February 2011 in Dakar, Senegal - including participation in the World Social Forum (WSF), 6-11 Feb. 2011.

Objectives

The IPHU short courses are to enable younger health activists to make new connections, share experiences and study together. They aim at strengthening the growing activism of the People's Health Movement.

Who is the course planned for?

Young health activists and practitioners working on the issues of health, gender and human rights and particularly including those involved or wish to be involved in the People's Health Movement (PHM).
Applicants should have a university degree or equivalent.
Priority, with respect to enrolment, will be given to
- Younger people motivated to get involved in PHM and have endorsed the People's Charter for Health;
- Primary health care and public health practitioners;
- People with a track record as health activists within the PHM, in particular, people who have been actively involved in organizations which are part of the PHM.
A total of 50 participants is expected.
The enrolment policy aims to achieve:
- geographical mix
- gender balance
- diversity of involvements: community based organizations, health care agencies, NGOs, universities, government officials, etc; and
- diversity of skills, records of activism, interests, experience, and educational backgrounds
- For more details, click here

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Posted By Blogger to youth development in Nigeria at 12/06/2010 08:00:00 AM

Straight from Wikileaks.nl/about.html

2010-12-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

"...a more inquiring media can make a difference in the world

3.1 The Malaria Case Study: the antidote is good governance born from a strong media

Malaria is a case study in why good governance not just good science is the solution to so much human suffering. This year, the mosquito borne disease will kill over one million people. More than 80% of these will be children. Great Britain used to have malaria. In North America, malaria was epidemic and there are still a handful of infections each year. In Africa malaria kills over 100 people per hour. In Russia, amidst the corruption of the 1990s, malaria re-established itself. What is the difference between these cases?

Why does Malaria kill so many people in one place but barely take hold in another? Why has malaria been allowed to gain a foothold in places like Russia where it was previously eradicated? We know how to prevent malaria epidemics. The science is universal. The difference is good governance.

Put another way, unresponsive or corrupt government, through malaria alone, causes a children's "9/11" every day. [1]

It is only when the people know the true plans and behaviour of their governments that they can meaningfully choose to support or reject them. Historically, the most resilient forms of open government are those where publication and revelation are protected. Where that protection does not exist, it is our mission to provide it through an energetic and watchful media.

In Kenya, malaria was estimated to cause 20% of all deaths in children under five. Before the Dec 2007 national elections, WikiLeaks exposed $3 billion of Kenyan corruption, which swung the vote by 10%. This led to changes in the constitution and the establishment of a more open government. It is too soon to know if it will contribute to a change in the human cost of malaria in Kenya but in the long term we believe it may. It is one of many reforms catalyzed by WikiLeaks unvarnished reporting.3.2 The importance of principled leaking to journalism, good government and a healthy society" Read the rest

Some comments:
1. Scandinavia, not America, is where to look for models of participatory democracy.
2. Nigeria, with the egregious abuses of cliquish access to money via elected office, will innovate and come to lead the world in practising decentralized democracy.
3. Because we are not even under military rule, the amount of freedom we possess is enormous. It is only fear that holds us back. Pity.
4. Did you know that all formal activities of the Nigerian (federal) legislature are currently on their official website? A few state legislatures have limited sites as well, with phones/emails of state assembly members, and record of legislation passed. This is commendable and should allow a watchful citizenry to observe and comment on their government.

Next I'll post links to the websites of a few (Nigerian) state houses of assembly and expect your comments on what transparency improvements you want to see.

Speaking of transparency, buy Sunday next Newpaper today. At =N=200, it's the deal in Sunday newspapers. I just read mine, and it's worth it for the editorial column alone.

Falling prices for phone calls and internet

2010-12-01T04:27:00.001-08:00

Very exciting how competition improved service and pricing in telecommunication in Nigeria.
Who's switching to Airtel?
BusinessDay reports that "In the coming weeks, Nigeria’s highly competitive telecommunications market will witness sweeping squeeze in call-rate prices following Airtel Nigeria’s move to crash prices of mobile phone talk-time to as low as N9 per minute from the current industry rate averaging N35 to N42 per minute across networks...

Analysts view Airtel’s move as strategic for market share as it intends to invite new subscribers on to its network and wrestle existing ones from competing networks. This, of course, will boost revenue in the long run as Airtel will enjoy better economies of scale through reduced cost per unit of delivering services as volume increases...

[meanwhile] The internet download price slash has forced prices down to as low as N3,000 from N10,000 in less than three months with MTN leading the slash race. Industry experts believe the price will in no time drop to levels comparable to UK charges which is currently about N1,250 or 5 UK pounds sterling"

On the other hand,
I wonder how much competition is planned in Nigeria Electric Power: not as much as one would like. Instead we have excuses about how inefficient it would be to duplicate distribution and transmission systems. This means that while there might be multiple players in power generation, we would try again and see if a government transmission company would replenish its infrastructure and give reasonable performance. No way. If we want decent electric power, we must duplicate first, harmonize later. It may seem wrong, but it's going to be right.

Moving on up

2010-11-26T09:54:00.001-08:00

Checked the website of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, and guess what? Charts!
Three years ago, the site had just tables.

Get more for less

2010-11-24T05:11:00.000-08:00

This is the future
of Nigerian legislature:

Cheap, Simple, and effective.
Truly Democratic.

Don't invest?

2010-11-24T04:17:00.000-08:00

This turned out to be a very interesting piece of advice. At first I didn't want to read it. What do you think?

Here's the Real Lesson Small Investors Should Learn From the Massive Insider-Trading Investigation -- But Won't (by Henry Blodget, CEO of Business Insider)

Useless Bank of Africa

2010-11-19T03:59:00.001-08:00

I'm so tired. Why am I tired? Ah yes, it's because I'm hungry. Why am I hungry? Because I've been roaming around trying to get internet to do some "work" (such as type this blog, hehehe)
Why can't I get internet at the office in spite of having sacrificed a workweek and my good health to get authenticated for the new Unilag internet? Because it's switched off but the room it's in is locked and the internet office can't fix it and I'm not willing to sacrifice another day and my health...
The business news in Nigeria is very good. Let me explain: Bandwidth. Let me show you:
Competition forces telcos to reduce tariff on data services
•Internet users in for good times

Going by the increasing number of undersea cables coming into Nigeria, both finance and market watchers say the nation’s highly competitive telecommunications market appears poised for a tariff war.

Speaking on the development, which they already estimate will spur exciting times for internet users in the country, they told BusinessDay that most operators are spurred by the prospect of boosting revenue from internet services as voice tariffs continue to fall. To this effect, data services has now emerged as the new ‘competition war front’ for telecoms firms.

Since the liberalisation of the telecoms sector in 2001, internet access market has remained untapped while voice services thrived. For years, and until the last few weeks, the only cable system serving Nigeria’s internet needs was the South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable - a submarine communications cable linking Portugal and Spain to South Africa, with connections to several West African countries along the route. MainOne cable and Glo-1 have already commenced commercial services.

Equally, the West African Cable System (WACS) - an initiative of nine countries (including Nigeria’s MTN Group), which comes with a high capacity submarine cable system linking Europe, West Africa and South Africa is, at the moment, under construction.

Analysts who spoke with BusinessDay confirmed that some telcos are already taking advantage of the enormous bandwidth on offer from these new cable systems to lower internet tariffs, strengthen existing services and produce new solutions that promise to transform the economy.

Leading the pack in the area of pricing, meanwhile, is MTN Nigeria which has reduced its monthly Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) tariffs from N5, 000 to N3, 000. This thus rates it as the cheapest in Nigeria currently.

According to Kenneth Omeruo, an internet analyst, for other telcos to stay competitive, they will have to lower their respective BIS tariffs. This, he noted, will translate into more Nigerians getting connected to the internet at international broadband speeds and at more affordable prices.

However, in a swift response, second national operator, Globacom, which has its own self-feeding submarine cable - ‘the Glo-1’, has also reduced the price of its 3G internet service by 25 percent. Now, Globacom’s internet subscribers can enjoy data limits of 6GB on its ‘Always Max Package’ for only N7, 500 from the previous price of N10, 000. Moreover, insider sources disclose that Zain is also making plans to introduce a new promotional package that would see BIS tariffs fall to as low as N1, 500 monthly.

Some GSM operators have also introduced new bundled product offering, with the pay- off being free internet service. Only recently, Etisalat and Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Tab, a new smart device that allows users to enjoy PC (Personal Computer) like web browsing, e-mail-on-the-go with an optimised user interface. The Tab comes with an Etisalat SIM card which offers 25 minutes of free voice calls, 25 free SMS and more importantly, 250 MB of free internet access every month for one year.

Similarly, Globacom and leading technology solutions provider, Hewlett-Packard (HP), have introduced an innovative offering that enables Nigerians to own top-end internet-equipped netbooks. Under the special bundling offer, customers can get Glo 3G powered HP netbook for N34, 000.

Without doubt, data services have become the next frontier in Nigeria’s telecoms industry even as the voice segment reaches saturation point, analysts have submitted. They added that telcos would however have to pay keen attention to data services as a new revenue generating stream.

The analysts believe that even as telcos focus more on internet services due to the proliferation of submarine cables, the cost of internet access will continue to drop significantly as more bandwidth capacity becomes readily available to the market.

Lanre Ajayi, president, Nigerian Internet Group (NIG), who spoke with BusinessDay at the weekend, said: “Telecoms operators are increasingly paying attention to the internet. The reason for this is that voice services is reaching saturation point. They are looking at data as a new revenue generating stream. This is also why they have rolled out their 3G and GPRS services to their customers.

What we are seeing today is not surprising to me. We are witnessing the effect of having more than one submarine cable in the country. With three cables fully active in the country, there is an abundance of bandwidth capacity available to telecoms operators. They have no options but to offer innovative data services to their subscribers at lower costs. The trend will continue and we hope when other cables berth on the country’s shores, the cost of internet access will become even more affordable and improve Nigeria’s digital index and internet penetration rate,” the NIG boss noted further.

So now, though very belatedly, Nigerians will have access to internet phone, video phone, reasonable Internet speed, better prices, studying online instead of bothering with antique educational institutions (I'm not saying Nigeria is horrible, I'm just saying the world is changing so fast that school may be too behind-the-times for some kids.)
The other reason I haven't had breakfast really is that I needed to send someone a little money. Remembering that I can't do this electronically - there is a lot you can not do in the banks - I decided to use the ATM to withdraw the cash from near my bank branch office after which I would take a =N=20 ride to the person's bank branch office to deposit the money and then start my day. As you might have guessed, even this didn't go so smoothly. "Issuer or Switch Inoperative" was the message from the machine. If you live in Naija you know that means no juice.
So I thought again, why is UBA (United Bank for Africa) fighting with their service provider (Interswitch?) Or why would they shut down service three days (so far) in one week?) Is it because they want all their customers to revert to other banks? Unlike on Sunday when I was stranded on Lagos Island - that day, I was supposed to take a friend out to lunch and theater: nothing - and on Tuesday - also a holiday, banks closed for Eid, and I was going to take mum out for her birthday but SHE ended up giving me money hehehehe - today I was right by an open bank branch.
The friendly lady in the bank told me of the customer service phone number at the back of the card. Lesson learned: next time something goes wrong, call customer service like you would do in yankee/jand/wherever. Assuming you have money for phonecalls (which will become cheaper soon yippee) and the phone network is up you have "service" and ... She said it might soon be fixed.
Since I didn't want to line up inside the bank for an over-the-counter withdrawal (one hour of my life, plus when it reached my turn they would ask "did you bring your withdrawal booklet?" and I would actually laugh out loud because they always have a test question to deprive the undeserving of their world-class service), I waited at the ATM enclosure, a small house with maybe six machine with one or two "dispensing" on usual days while one or two let you "check your balance." Today no UBA customer would experience the thrill of checking balance. Only Issuer or Switch Inoperative.
I watched a bunch of people come and leave with no juice, and I saved a few people the effort by announcing the machines don't work. As they left, more than one of them muttered Useless Bank of Africa! Now that's the way to deal with these things, with wit and humour, while Americanas like me go lodging complaints and action-planning.
I was reading my newspaper (of course somebody asked to borrow one) when I got bounced by a security guy who suggested I wait elsewhere but not in the shade of his useless ATM house. Then decided to go home - the sun has been firing on an cylinders these days so, not fun - to get a few notes I had kept there, then I went to the other person's bank to make the deposit of little over 50 dollars.
Mission almost accomplished. After a few quarrels with the musical security-check robot hallway - go back, try without the keys, try without the bag, lift up your cell phone then walk slo-owly, no, walk briskly (walk "sharply", as we say) - I finally got into First Bank, listened to some guy complain about how he needed some service that was (of course) impossible for the bank to perform, probably a withdrawal, and then made the deposit.
Yeah, so am I planning to do any research today? Dude, let me get breakfast first.

The newspaper has more good news: the handling of the banks' crisis in Nigeria yielded a plea-bargain and jail-term, which is more than any other country can boast, so we're teaching the Americans. With this kind of good PR and a united financial team, that good investment money is on its way in. Al hamdulillah. Please just celebrate: don't spoil it by saying that Ibru is actually not in jail but nursing her heart in the rich-man-hospital.
In other news, Basel III exists, although many countries haven't even got through the first set of regulations yet.
The newspapers were fun. Philip Isakpa and Funke Adetutu (I'm not ready to change her surname even if she is) and Victor Ehikhamenor (and - one week later - how could I leave out Dayo Elusakin) keep up the tradition of the humour that makes all things bearable. I love you Naija.

The top 0.001% and the remaining 99.999%

2010-11-17T14:37:00.000-08:00

I recently returned from a legislative internship programme in a State House of Assembly in Nigeria. This experience reminded me that
1. the work of ~~government~~ legislature is nothing but a little commonsense discussion, such that with phones and communication technology, anybody can do it and
2. the work of ~~government~~ legislature is not being done in Nigeria - how many people know, let alone trust, their representatives?
I do not think the representatives spent 1hour in the entire month of October working for the people of their state. But the state has given them enough money to become fine yuppies with SUVs, phones, and polo shirts?
Instead of paying for poor government, why don't we just debate things ourselves and buy something good with the money we save:
- electricity at =N=150billion naira (that is, 500 individuals' pay) per 1000MW
- education at =N=100 thousand per month per teacher and =N=100 thousand per year per child
- health care
- electoral reform

As it stands, Nigeria's Lawmakers have the highest pay in the world. I think we can get better service much cheaper. I think we need to fire them all and use our computer. (Yeah, talk in rhyme all the time)

Some may say we need to canvass for not only a minimum wage, but a maximum wage as well. One could set the maximum wage at 10 or 20 times the minimum wage. As it stands now, that ratio is about 10,000 (the highest wage of hundreds of millions per year divided by the lowest wage of tens of thousands per year)

Stretch

2010-11-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Saturday 30^th October, 2010 - Up by 2 am, worked in the studio till about 7am when I took a break for breakfast and a nap before getting into the regular Saturday routine.

Sunday 31^st October 2010 - Up by 5am, worked in the studio till about 9am then I took a break to get ready for Church with the family and the rest of the regular Sunday schedule.

Monday 1^st November 2010 – Up by 1am, worked till 4am, took a short nap before starting the week.

And on and on, a peep into my diary in recent times. Even today, I worked from 3am till day break. Stretching, to meet deadline, to perfect my skill, to be better at what I do.

Thinking back though, for the first few weeks after leaving paid employment, I felt one of the things I needed to enjoy was a little more rest, like a nap in the afternoonor longer hours at night. But then I pondered on the routine of some popular/successful people.

Tiger woods

6:00 Weight workout (90 minutes)

7:30 Breakfast ; 8:00 Practice tee (2 hours); 10:00 Putting green

10:30 Play 9 holes; 12:00 Lunch; 1:00 Practice tee (2 hours)

3:00 Short game work; 4:00 Play 9 holes; 5:00 Putting green

5:30 Home

Even though he has played since he was two years old and has a very unique gift for the sport of golf, Tiger focuses on a detailed (and deliberate) practice routine each and every day. Deliberate practice makes Tiger a great golfer. (CrossHairs Trader)

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart rises before the sun, well-rested and ultra-perky at 3:30 am. But, the fact is that no one has ever seen Martha Stewart sleep ... (Martha Stewart Everyway)

President Obama

He reads several papers, eats breakfast with his family and helps pack his daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, off to school before making the 30-second commute downstairs — a definite perk for a man trying to balance work and family life. He eats dinner with his family, then often returns to work; aides have seen him in the Oval Office as late as 10 p.m., reading briefing papers for the next day. (New York Times, January 2009)

John Grisham

When he first started writing, Grisham says, he had "these little rituals that were silly and brutal but very important."

"The alarm clock would go off at 5, and I'd jump in the shower. My office was 5 minutes away. And I had to be at my desk, at my office, with the first cup of coffee, a legal pad and write the first word at 5:30, five days a week."

His goal: to write a page every day. Sometimes that would take 10 minutes, sometimes an hour; ofttimes he would write for two hours before he had to turn to his job as a lawyer, which he never especially enjoyed. In the Mississippi Legislature, there were "enormous amounts of wasted time" that would give him the opportunity to write.

"So I was very disciplined about it," he says… (San Francisco Chronicle, Februay 2008)

What we see usually is the result of their stretches. I have learnt that what got them there and keeps them there is a lifestyle of consistency in giving more than what is common.

It didn’t take time for it to dawn on me that, if I also wanted to be different, then I couldn’t continue to do what the regular person did. I needed to stretch. Truth is, I need to put in extra to get into the extra-ordinary. I would only get out of life what others who sleep and wake at the common time get.

How spot on the words of this quote – The Heights by great men reached and kept were not attained in a sudden flight, but they while their companions slept, were toiling upwards in the night - It regularly filled my mind when I was tempted to become laissez faire with my routine.

So now I stretch. For others it may take another format, but definitely to master that skill or ability, you need to give it more- maybe time, maybe attention. You may need to study more, make more cold calls for that sale or even practice more.

Looking t the end goal usually helps to stay on track with stretching. Even the Bible says…for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross (referring to Jesus Christ).

Remember you can’t get what others are not getting if you give just what they are giving. Keep that target in mind, thenssstttrrreeetttccchhh.

[youth development in Nigeria] the $1million Wilberforce award for young people

2010-11-07T22:35:00.001-08:00

The Wilberforce Award

It has become obvious to me that my generation has over exploited our wonderful world – and it's younger people who will pay the price. Like many people my age, I've benefited from a long period of constant economic and population growth – we are addicted to it. But sooner or later this consumption growth will have an end. We appear to be already bumping against the limits of what our planet can sustain and the evidence is everywhere to see.
Right now I believe we could be sleepwalking to catastrophe because we are failing to both acknowledge that there are limits to growth in a finite world and to prepare for a more sustainable way of organising our economy. In the 19th Century, empires were built on the labour of slaves, and it was believed economies would collapse if slavery was abolished. But brave people like William Wilberforce fought to end the slave trade – and economies still flourished. We need brave people like Wilberforce today, and I want to encourage a new generation of clear-thinking and inspiring young leaders.
So today I am announcing Dick Smith's Wilberforce Award – $1 million to go to a young person under 30 who can impress me by becoming famous through his or her ability to show leadership in communicating an alternative to our population and consumption growth-obsessed economy. I will be looking for candidates whose actions over the next year show that they have what it takes to be among the next generation of leaders our incredible planet so badly needs.
Candidates will need to have a firm belief that we can have a viable and strong world economy that is no longer obsessed with growth for its own sake, but instead encourages both a stable population and sustainable consumption of energy and resources. They must be able to communicate that we cannot continue to squander the resources that will be needed by future generations, and they must also be able to communicate a plan that offers an alternative to our growth addiction.
Like the Nobel Prize, you will not apply for the Wilberforce Award. Over the next twelve months I will be following the media throughout the world to see who is the most outstanding individual in not only making a significant contribution to this important issue, but who also becomes famous through his or her contribution to the debate.
One year from now I will announce the winner of the $1 Million Wilberforce Award. The Award will go towards advancing the momentum the winner will have already achieved.

for more information click here

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Posted By Blogger to youth development in Nigeria at 11/07/2010 10:35:00 PM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: Institute for Venture Design Fellowship

2010-11-01T04:57:00.001-07:00

Prospective Applicants

We are seeking energetic, entrepreneurial people, with engineering, IT, management or applied art backgrounds, to join together in learning how to create solutions to real world problems, and in starting new businesses.

We look for applicants who can't get through a day without noticing all the things that could be better in their environment; those who can't wait to spend their free time developing ideas and solutions to the problems they see around them. We look for applicants who work well in a team in which everybody shares leadership.

Generally, we seek candidates with the following skills and attributes:

1. B.Sc or HND, preferably in science, engineering, social science, architecture or art.
2. Minimum of 1 year post NYSC work experience in manufacturing, construction, food processing, consulting, banking, retail business, or the arts
3. Demonstrable values of integrity, honesty and hard work
4. Reflective about the self and with a strong desire for self-improvement.
5. Creative
6. Passionate about problem solving
7. Enjoys working with other people
8. Willing to commit minimum of 2 years to the program

Program fees for the January cycle of the IVD Fellowship will be sponsored by the Ford Foundation.

Admitted applicants will work in teams on real and pressing problems to design new products and business ventures. At the same time, fellows will gain personal knowledge and an experiential mastery of principles of design, engineering, business, finance and collaboration that lead to the creation of a sustainable capital formation system.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Please click on the link below and complete the online application form.
www.the-ivd.org/applicationform
After you have submitted your application, please deposit the application fee at your nearest GT Bank Branch, and send an email with the following format:

To: recruitment@the-ivd.org
Subject: Application fee paid
Body: Full name and the payment slip number from the Bank.

BANK DETAILS FOR PAYMENT
Bank: Guaranty Trust Bank
Application Fee: ₦5000
Account name: FATE Foundation
Account Number: 201/110752/115

Applicants that have challenges submitting this fee should please contact us at recruitment@the-ivd.org, with the subject: Application fee issues

Applications are open until November 2^nd 2010. Eligible applicants will be invited for an aptitude test and interviews. All unsuccessful applicants are free to reapply for future sessions.

NOMINATIONS
If you are interested in nominating a candidate for this program, please send us an email at recruitment@the-ivd.org with the following items:

1. Subject: Nomination (last name, First name)
2. Candidate's Resume attached
3. Statement of recommendation in the body of the email

KEY DATES:

Applications for our first cycle of participants are open until November 2^nd, 2010
Cycle 1 Start Date : Jan.14th
Cycle 1 End Date: Jun.14th
Cycle 2 Start Date: Information coming soon!

For any additional questions or comments, please contact us at info@the-ivd.org.

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 11/01/2010 04:57:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: Researc Grant Program For Young African...

2010-11-01T04:24:00.001-07:00

The H.F. Guggenheim Foundation makes grants for scholarly research into problems of aggression and violence. One program is reserved for African Scholars under the age of 35, educated and living on the African continent. Selected applicants will attend a methods workshop to refine and improve their research plans in Accra, Ghana, in March 2011, and after submitting revised plans, will receive grants of $2000 each to support their fieldwork. In 2012 they will be funded to attend a professional conference to present their findings and will receive assistance in finding a publisher for their work.

RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM FOR YOUNG AFRICAN SCHOLARS

The H.F. Guggenheim Foundation makes grants for scholarly research into problems of aggression and violence. One program is reserved for African Scholars under the age of 35, educated and living on the African continent. Selected applicants will attend a methods workshop to refine and improve their research plans in Accra, Ghana, in March 2011, and after submitting revised plans, will receive grants of $2000 each to support their fieldwork. In 2012 they will be funded to attend a professional conference to present their findings and will receive assistance in finding a publisher for their work.

Applications are due by December 1, 2010 for the 2011-2012 awards. Awardees will be announced before the end of the year.

This year's theme is "Spirituality and Violence." Proposals are invited to investigate how aspects of religion, ideologies, and traditional cultures and beliefs work either to mitigate conflict (conflict resolution and reconciliation, personal values, community and family strength, etc.) or to encourage conflicts (religious conflicts, subjugation of women, sorcery killings, bias against sexual and other minorities, etc.)

Proposals should be around ten pages in length, include a description of the problem to be investigated, specific research questions and plans to pursue the answers to those questions, and a c.v. for the applicant including proof of age and residence.

Send them to Karen Colvard, Program Director, as email attachments to kjcolvard@aol.com, or by mail to her at the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, 25 West 53rd St. New York, NY 10019, USA.

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 11/01/2010 04:24:00 AM

All you single ladies...

2010-10-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

The next (third) meeting of The Interface is slated for 9am-ish Saturday November 13 at TerraKulture on Tiamiyu Savage Street (near Bar Beach) in Victoria Island Lagos. I'm jes' saying, the guy:girl ratio is Caltech-high. The odds are good; while the goods are not even odd.
What is The Interface?

Money for Innovators

2010-10-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

If you're in Science / Technology in a Nigerian University, please visit the website of STEP-B for more information on how to access funding for research and development projects.

Innovator grants of up to US$20,000 to individual S&T graduates (Bachelor, Masters and PhD) from PBEIs in their final year to encourage “Nigerian innovators of tomorrow”. (2% of total credit; US$4M)

It appears that this year, Innovators of Tomorrow Awards may go to 538 students in 228 Departments in 34 higher education institutions in Nigeria.

STEP-B is a Nigerian Science Technology and Education (Post-Basic) improvement programme.
IOT is their Innovators of Tomorrow segment, as STEP-B funds other categories, such as academic staff and universities as well as university students.
PBEI = Post-Basic Educational Institution.

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program

2010-10-23T15:46:00.001-07:00

Named in honor of the two principal founders of NED, former president Ronald Reagan and the late congressman Dante Fascell, the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program enables democracy activists, practitioners, scholars, and journalists from around the world to deepen their understanding of democracy and enhance their ability to promote democratic change.
Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows maintain full-time residence at the International Forum for Democratic Studies, NED's research arm located in Washington, D.C. The Forum hosts 16 to 20 Reagan-Fascell Fellows per year for periods ranging from five to ten months.

For more details click here

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 10/23/2010 03:46:00 PM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: essay competition for young people on D...

2010-10-07T02:18:00.001-07:00

Submit your essay on democracy, and win an opportunity to attend one of the largest global gatherings of democracy leaders!
The World Youth Movement for Democracy (www.wymdonline.org), a youth network of the World Movement for Democracy (www.wmd.org), is pleased to announce the launch of its Global Essay Contest. Fifteen semi-finalists (3 in each region: Asia, Central/Eastern Europe & Eurasia, Middle East & North Africa, Latin America & Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa) will be announced on Human Rights Day, December 10, and will have their essays published on the WYMD Web site. Two global winners will be invited to participate in the upcoming Community of Democracies Ministerial Meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July 2011. (www.community-democracies.org)

Questions

Democracy has been practiced in different ways and in different contexts. We believe there are core universal democratic values and aspirations that we all share, which transcend our differences, even though we live in different cultures, speak different languages, and eat different food. The purpose of this essay contest is to highlight personal engagement in democracy by promoting critical thinking about the role of young people in democracy and to connect youth with broader democracy movements. The questions posed below for this essay contest aim to challenge youth to write about their perspectives on democracy and their understanding of democracy activism, particularly their own.
Essays are required to address one or more of the following questions:
1. In what ways have young people contributed to democratic participation in your community? Highlighting some of the strategies and tools they have used, what difference have their efforts made?
2. New media and social networking are increasingly becoming popular tools for community organizing. In what ways have you and/or your organization been using new media for democracy promotion? How effective has it been and what challenges have you faced in using these tools?
3. What practices, do you think exemplify human rights activist protection or violation in your country that is not openly recognized? What do you think are the justifications for this and how can it be either replicated, in the case of a good example or stopped, in the case of a bad example?
4. What new factors can youth activists bring to longstanding human rights issues in your country? How have these issues been addressed in the past?

For more information, please follow the link

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 10/07/2010 02:18:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: Mary Robinson Award for Young Women's L...

2010-09-30T06:04:00.001-07:00

If you are a young woman, under the age of 30, involved in Human Rights
work - Please nominate yourself for the Mary Robinson Award for Young
Women's Leadership in Human Rights.

The deadline for submission of the reviewed nomination is October 31,
2010. Download the Nomination form at
http://www.worldywcacouncil.org/Mary-Robinson-Award or find attached.
Email the completed form to maryrobinsonaward@worldywca.org

The World YWCA established the Mary Robinson Award for Young Women's
Leadership in Human Rights to recognise young women leaders and human
rights activists. The first recipients of the award will be honoured and
celebrated during the International Women's Summit in Zurich,
Switzerland from July 12 - 13, 2011.

The award recognises:

1.      A young YWCA human rights activist
2.      A young woman human rights activist from the broader community
of partners working on human rights
3.      A member association that demonstrates exemplary support and
promotion of young women's leadership in the field of human rights.

Mary Robinson is a renowned human rights activist and a trailblazer for
women's rights and leadership, was the first woman President of Ireland
(1990-1997) and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(1997-2002). She has spent most of her life as a human rights advocate.
As an academic (Trinity College Law Faculty 1968-90), legislator
(Senator 1969-89) and barrister (1967-90, Senior Counsel 1980, English
Bar 1973) she has always sought to use law as an instrument for social
change, arguing landmark cases before the European Court of Human
Rights, the Irish courts and the European Court in Luxemburg. Mary
Robinson served as Chair for the Council of Women World Leaders and is
presently leading Realising Rights: the Ethical Globalisation
Initiative.

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 9/30/2010 06:04:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: ICRC Young Reporter Competition - Deadl...

2010-09-30T00:28:00.001-07:00

Participate in the ICRC Young Reporter Competition and get an inside look at the ICRC's humanitarian action, in collaboration with national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The five best entries will win a one-week mission to ICRC delegations in Senegal, Georgia, Lebanon, Liberia and the Philippines. You will get to interview young people affected by armed conflict or other situations of violence and have a chance to report back to your peers, using your own words and creative talents. With the guidance and coaching of an ICRC communication specialist, selected candidates will produce a news report on their mission—in print or film—to be published and/or shown in a variety of media outlets. The finished products will be presented during a ceremony held in Geneva, Switzerland, around May 8, 2011.

To see all entry requirements, see their website:

http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/youth-competition-2010

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 9/30/2010 12:28:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: Crossing Borders, Global studies

2010-09-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

The Crossing Borders Global Studies is a unique programme designed for
internationally-minded and socially-committed applicants from around
the world. The programme focuses on current institutional, cultural,
environmental, conflict and citizenship dimensions of globalization,
including the UN 2015 Millennium Development Goals. The programme
includes introduction to Danish society and culture and study tours
around Denmark.

What does the scholarship cover?

The scholarship covers full tuition, food, accommodation in double
room during the semester period 9 January to 11 June 2011, including 2
week study tour around Denmark.

Who is the scholarship for?
To be considered, scholarship applicants must be
• from Muslim countries
• aged between 20 and 30 years old
• active in youth, grassroots or civil society organisations in their countries
• interested in contributing to the peaceful development of their communities
• eager to contribute with articles and/or other media production
about their countries
• willing to share experience, knowledge and exchange ideas with
fellow youth from different cultures.

How to apply
• Fill out the online application form:
http://krogerup.dk/Application-Form-in-English
• Send by email a motivation letter of 250-300 words to
garba@krogerup.dk together with 2 recommendation letters from two
different youth, public or civil society organisations and an update
CV.

Application deadline
Application deadline is 15 October 2010

For more information on:
Visit: http://krogerup.dk/Crossing-Borders-Global-Studies,175 and
www.crossing-borders.org
For more information on the Foundation, visit:
http://www.davidmus.dk/en/information.

For further information, contact

Garba Diallo
garba@krogerup.dk
tel. +45 49213371 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +45 49213371 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Krogerupvej 9, 3050 Humlebaek, Denmark

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 9/29/2010 09:06:00 AM

Y! Empire :)

2010-09-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

young. nigerian. It's called Y!
I think you'll love it. Look what I found on the site, for example:

Fight Poverty
Posted by Y! Magazine Online in The Money Maestro,
Glory Enyinnaya

Biola Johnson was an upwardly mobile engineer climbing the career ladder steadily. One day his company became the victim of a hostile take-over and the next day, he was tossed out on his ear. Ijeoma Nwosu was a British-trained beautician ready to take the world of cosmetology by storm. When she was diagnosed with leukemia, her dreams came crashing down. Halima Abdul was a starry-eyed lady looking forward to relocating to the United States after wedding her heartthrob, Yusuf. When Yusuf lost his job in the stock-market crisis, the wedding had to be put on hold indefinitely.

What causes poverty? Only the naïve and insensitive think the only cause of poverty is laziness. In these days of stock market crashes, downsizing and bank failures, poverty strikes high-powered professionals, CEOs and other hard workers. The recent recession brought about by the subprime mortgage crisis in the U.S. impoverished many. How can you poverty-proof yourself so that when the tide of ‘’sudden disaster’’ comes in, you’re safe and sound?

There are a few tried-and-true habits which I’ll share with you this week.

* Pay Yourself First:

Since the ax can fall on anyone – illness, disability and layoffs – it’s best to be prepared rather than live in a bubble of invincibility. Before you cut a check for your transportation, dining or utilities, set aside 10% of your income in a savings account. The funds in this savings account should be kept frozen. This way, when tragedy falls, you’ll be cushioned from the huge blow.

* Release Yourself from Your Creditors:

What most people don’t know is that by paying the minimum monthly installments on your debts, you’re almost guaranteed to remain in debt for ages. Cut down on your indulgences and look for ways to write off huge chunks of your outstanding balance. Be proactive and find ways –even if it means calling your creditors and scheduling a meeting to discuss a rate reduction. Getting out of the debt noose is worth it.

* Think ‘’Multiple Streams of Income’’:

Having a primary source of income that pays all your living expenses and then some is a luxury few people are able to enjoy. Still, it doesn’t hurt to have a business on the side. Job security is a joke, and there’s no loyalty in the corporate world. You can be your bosses’ right hand man today, and out on the streets tomorrow. Don’t let them get the last laugh.

Access to Capital: It's slowly increasing.

2010-09-10T01:38:00.000-07:00

Source
ALF SIGNS TRAINEES LOAN AGREEMENT WITH NERFUND
The Africa Leadership Forum (ALF) April 7, 2010 in Abuja, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND) to provide single digit interest loans to trainees of the Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Lagos.

The disbursement of the loan will be monitored by both NERFUND and the ALF to ensure that beneficiaries merit and have produced bankable business plans approved by the Business Development unit of the EDC, Lagos. Each loan has a maximum tenure of three years with a six to nine months moratorium. All the trainees with business in productive sector can benefit from the scheme. First batch of business plan submitted for risk analysis and assessment. Disbursement will follow as soon as this exercise is completed.

According to the MOU selected beneficiaries must established their businesses under the supervision of ALF-EDC and NERFUND and they must be graduates of the EDC, Lagos whose businesses are registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Each of the beneficiaries would be required to provide 10 percent of value of the proposed business and also provide copies of their EDC training certificate and business plan endorsed by the Centre.
The terms are further clarified that small enterprises are the primary focus “with the possibility to cover small and medium enterprises later”. Such enterprises are also expected to engage in direct production of goods and services “with not less than sixty percent (60%) local content”.

It is also meant for starting new businesses as well as business expansion for those trained under the EDC scheme. The MOU was signed on behalf of ALF by Mr. Ayodele Aderinwale, its Executive Director, while the Managing Director of NERFUND, Mr. Baba Maina Gimba endorsed the agreement for the Fund. Also present were the Project Director, EDC, Lagos, Dr. Olumide Ajayi; NERFUND Project Legal Adviser, Mrs. I. Ike.
Other government agencies that signed similar MOU with NERFUND include National Centre for Women’s Development, National Directorate for Employment (NDE) and Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agencies (SMEDAN).

The EDC Lagos, operated by the Africa Leadership Forum, is the implementing Agency (IA) for the South West geopolitical zone of the CBN Entreprenuership Development Project. It has trained 7,881 and counseled 8,501 clients since inception in April 2008. Furthermore, the Centre has trained thousands of clients of the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA). Currently, the Centre is working with Ekiti State Government and to date, 97 graduates of Ekiti State origin have undergone a three- month training programme, while the second phase of 103 graduates is due to commence shortly. In similar vein, EDC is partnering with the Foundation for Skills Development (FSD), Lift Above Poverty (LAPO), New Life Empowerment Initiative and other non-governmental organizations in the execution of its mandate.

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: 2010 Voices of Our Future

2010-09-09T06:25:00.001-07:00

Join the Revolution. YOU are a Voice of Our Future.

Welcome to the Voices of Our Future Applicants group! By joining this group, you are embarking on an exciting journey to the frontiers of new media and global womenʼs empowerment. We are thrilled you have decided to apply.

What is Voices of Our Future?

Voices of Our Future is an online training program in Web 2.0, citizen journalism, and empowerment for emerging grassroots women leaders. Thirty applicants will be selected to become Correspondents (the title we give to program participants) and take part in the full five-month long program. They will gain the tools and knowledge to amplify their voices and speak to the world; overcome barriers and challenges to achieving their dreams through empowerment coaching; and raise awareness about the real issues they, their families, and communities face through opportunities for publication on the World Pulse website, magazine and through partner media organizations.

Benefits of the program include:

Web 2.0 and citizen journalism training via phone and Internet by renowned experts, including The Press Institute and The Op-Ed Project
Mentoring sessions and support via phone and Internet from an Empowerment Mentor selected by the Empowerment Institute
Opportunities for publication
Opportunities to connect with grassroots women leaders from around the globe
Personal development, including increased self-awareness, confidence, and empowered leadership
Professional development, including improved Internet communication skills, writing skills, decision-making, and networking
Nurturing and collaborative relationships with women, and our allies, across the globe
Increased visibility and resources for issues and challenges you and/or your community face
Technology stipend to offset communication costs*

How Do We Select Applicants?

During the course of the four-week application process, you will be given a set of learning materials through the Voices of Our Future Applicants Classroom, and asked to complete an associated writing assignment. A panel of staff and selected volunteers, called Listeners, will choose 30 applicants based on the following criteria:

Completion of all assignments
Expression of a positive vision for the future and solutions-oriented writing
Commitment to promote global issues through the eyes of women
Communication of personal experience as an underrepresented voice in your community, nation, or world; living in a developing country or conflict zone; or facing discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, or social class
Demonstration of leadership on a personal, community, national, or global level

You will have the opportunity to demonstrate the above criteria through your writing assignments and through your interaction with staff, other applicants, and our online community on PulseWire. We encourage you to reach out during this process and begin (or expand!) to build your own online community and discover the amazing women who are active on PulseWire every day. Read about the women who participated in Voices of Our Future in 2009 and add them to your community!

How do I apply?

The application embodies the spirit of Web 2.0. You will need regular and reliable access to the Internet throughout the process.
Step 1: Join this group by September 14, 2010. Simply click on the orange Join button above. If you are not currently registered or logged in to World Pulse, you will be taken to the Login | Registration page. Once you have completed the registration, you will be directed back to this page, and then you can click the Join button above. This group serves as a space where you can ask questions and receive feedback and support from World Pulse staff and other applicants.
Step 2: After you click "Create New Account" a welcome e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address you used to register. You MUST log into your e-mail account, open this message, and click on the link to verify your account before you can post in PulseWire.
Step 3: After you have joined this group, please read the post titled "Welcome to the Voices of Our Future Applicants Group 2010". This post can be found under the Group Journal tab at the top of the page. Please fill out the short intake survey before September 15th (required). Then, jump in! Begin a dynamic dialogue with other women in this group and on PulseWire, build your network, and exchange stories, solutions, and information.
Step 4: From September 15th through October 13th, applicants will be given a series of four (4) assignments to complete. Our panel of Listeners will choose the top 30 most impressive applicants based on the criteria above by October 31st.
Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to speak for yourself to the world and advance your dreams for social change.
Apply Today!

Important Dates

September 14, 2010	Last day to join Voices of Our Future Applicants group.
September 15, 2010	Application process begins.
October 13, 2010	Application process ends.
October 31, 2010	Correspondents announced!
November 15, 2010	Voices of Our Future Program begins.
April 7, 2011	Voices of Our Future Program ends.

We welcome women's organizations, NGOs, and other civil society groups to encourage women in your networks to apply for this exciting opportunity.
For complete rules, click here.
*Stipends will be determined based on individual need and circumstance.
For any further questions, please feel free to contact scott@worldpulse.com

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 9/09/2010 06:25:00 AM

The Good Bandwagon

2010-09-02T05:34:00.001-07:00

It's better to hustle and take care of my own business.
It's best if I just make as much money as possible to defend against the horrors of the society. Remember that money can buy an SUV (to oppress potholes), a generator (to give the middle finger to NEPA), a ticket (to win a seriously high-paying job in future elections), a good address (to impress ladies) etc etc.
But before you join the band of hustlers, read this:

I was at a great seminar this week for future parliamentary staff, where I got some good answers to the question that has been on my mind for a while now:
WHy WOrk for tHe CoMmoN GOOD?
I ask this because some wonderful, talented, frankly great people are dropping out of the good wagon. They're looking around and saying, "Oh boy, I'm on my own o. I better just get money." In Lagos, many people already said this long time ago. They have their very good reasons for concluding that individual hustle is the answer, but they may be wrong, and in fact they may be making life worse for themselves by their choices.

Dr. A. Momoh in his answer to my question suggested a utilitarian argument for why common good is worth working for. Here is a scenario explaining the utility argument:

(A) I put in 10 units of effort and get 10 units of good... for myself, versus (B) I put in same effort and get 1 unit of good for each of 200 people, myself included.
Hey, then you see I just created 20 times more good. That's a higher utility/good. For high-minded people, this is a sufficient argument, since more good is created.

But not everybody is so high-minded. For normal selfish people, the question is "how many my share?" The scenario below shows that when we work for the common good, my own share also increases.

Imagine a society of 200 people all putting in 10 units of effort (but we will say later if they are working like A or like B), read on to see the amount of good in their lives:

(A) All selfish people putting in 10 units of effort each, will produce 2000 units of good (the citizens enjoy 10 units each.)

(B) All community-serving people putting in 10 units of effort each, will produce 40000 units of good (the citizens enjoy 200 units each. Wow. Now everybody wants to become a citizen of this community.)

Can you believe that it only takes 5% people being selfless to DOUBLE the good we each get.

If 11 people are community-serving, with 189 selfish, but remember all 200 make the same 10 units of effort, they will produce a total of 4090 units of good (the citizens enjoy more than 20 units each.)

From another speaker A. Sanusi's segment I gained an understanding of what Hobbes' Common-Wealth means. There is individual wealth, there is also common wealth. Join the bandwagon and invest.

An Enabling Environment

2010-08-14T02:52:00.000-07:00

I was opportune to revise with my daughter for her end of year’s exams sometime last month. One of the subjects for her class, General Knowledge covered a bit on Agriculture basics – types of soil. We studied the 3 major types (Clayey, Loamy and Sandy) and their uses. Just like most of us were taught way-back then, Loamy is the preferred for planting. It’s not that the others can’t allow for some form of growth, but definitely not anything good compared with what the loamy would do.

In the same month, there was an e-mail forward I came across, about a Nigerian family in Britain who had kids that were performing outstandingly beyond what their ages could ordinarily accomplish in academics. My colleagues and I discussed this seemingly chance happening but the consensus was that their being in Britain, in such schools and with such tutors, brought out the best in them.

These facts buttressed a learning - We thrive best in an enabling environment. Our potentials, our dreams, our plans are actualized best when we are located in an enabling environment; like a plant in the appropriate soil. A common saying I used to know goes like this – Apple trees don’t grow in Lagos. That means, there is place for everyone to come out in full bloom. My take on this is this - make sure you are located in your soil (your enabling environment).

However, beyond the physical environment, there is the mind-environment and association-environment. These as well must be supportive. To a great extent we even have better influence on them than even the physical. We can choose what goes on in our mind by what we feed it with and what people influence us by the choice of our confidants and friends.

A challenge then, could be in knowing when we are not in an environment that would be supportive to our potentials/dreams/aspirations. Also, when we are not and cannot move for some reasons, what we need to do.

In more advanced agriculture, each type of soil still has further classifications. Good farmers know which of these would give the best harvest for each crop. But first, they must know which crop they intend to cultivate. Same with us, the crop could be our dream, our plan or our potential. A previous article (Be Better, Know your SWOT -http://www.folafayo.blogspot.com/ ) encourages us to know our strengths, for therein lies our potentials. When we know our crop, it would be easy to tell if the soil would aid growth and productivity. If I dream to be an Olympics medalist in swimming, and there is no pool within my reach, that dream is likely to remain a dream. It’s either I travel regularly to where one is or I re-locate close to one. My challenge on this is for you to note your plans, begin to dream, discover your potential, then you can tell if where you are would help actualize them. If your environment won’t be enabling, then move.

There may be instances when we feel the timing or some other reasons won’t allow us move to our preferred physical environment. What do we do while we wait? We must keep our mind and association environment in top gear. In other words, these two must be “fertilizing” to our plans, dreams or potentials. Just like some fertilizers can be used to enhance the ability of the soil when not good enough.

The state of your mind must become conditioned to bring you to thrive. You need to feed it with information that would motivate and inspire. You can learn to shut out negatives by focusing more on what is positive and what you desire to be. For associations, we need to minimize interactions with those who put us down, who laugh at our dreams and spend more time with those of like minds, those who make us think beyond where we are to what we can become.

We need to get the environment right (mind and association included) to keep energies up, passions alive, focus strong, till we come to full bloom and achieve.

[youth development in Nigeria] U N I T E D N A T I O N S THE SECRETARY-GENERA...

2010-08-11T03:08:00.001-07:00

This year's commemoration of International Youth Day also marks the
launch of the International Year of Youth, under the theme "Dialogue and
Mutual Understanding".

Today's challenging social and economic environment warrant a
special focus on youth. Eighty-seven per cent of people aged 15 to 24
live in developing countries. The global economic crisis has had a
disproportionate impact on young people; they have lost jobs, struggled
to find even low-wage employment and seen access to education curtailed.
As economies slowly begin to stabilize, the needs of young people
should be paramount.

This is a moral imperative and a developmental necessity. But it is
also an opportunity: the energy of youth can ignite faltering economies

. I am regularly inspired by the good will, talent and idealism of
the young people I meet across the world. They are making important
contributions to our work to eradicate poverty, contain the spread
disease, combat climate change and achieve the Millennium Development
Goals. I call on Member States to increase their investments in young
people so they can do even more.

During the International Year, the United Nations and its youth
organization partners will focus on the need to encourage dialogue and
understanding across generations, cultures and religions. In a world in
which different peoples and traditions are coming into closer, more
frequent contact than ever before, it is crucial that young people learn
how to listen intently, empathize with others, acknowledge divergent
opinions, and be able to resolve conflicts. Few endeavors are more
important than nurturing these skills, and educating young people about
human rights, for in them we not only see the next generation of
leaders, but also crucial stakeholders of today. Let us also recognize
that older generations themselves stand to learn a great deal from the
experiences and examples of young people as they come of age in a world
of accelerating interconnectedness.

As we launch this International Year, let us acknowledge and
celebrate what youth can do to build a safer, more just world. Let us
strengthen our efforts to include young people in policies, programmes
and decision-making processes that benefit their futures and ours.

--
Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 8/11/2010 03:08:00 AM

Thus spake Jonathan

2010-08-06T05:15:00.001-07:00

From the FB page of Goodluck E. Jonathan, president of Nigeria:

What do you make?

[youth development in Nigeria] Obama and Young African Leaders: A sneak preview

2010-08-03T12:58:00.001-07:00

This year, 17 sub-Saharan African countries celebrate 50 years of independence, and the Obama Administration is ready to look forward towards greater partnerships with African nations. Acknowledging the value of engaging young leaders in the discussion of the future of Africa, President Obama has invited 115 young leaders from 47 nations of sub-Saharan Africa to the President's Forum with Young African Leaders. The Forum is an opportunity for the participants to engage with each other, their American counterparts, and U.S. government officials on key themes of youth empowerment, good governance, and economic opportunity.
I have worked closely with my African counterparts, civil society leaders, and colleagues at the State Department on each of these themes and am looking forward to interacting with the future leaders of Africa through this unique opportunity. On numerous occasions, I have been inspired by the passion and ingenuity of Africa's young leaders. At Kenya Polytechnic University, I learned from innovative students the value of mobile and other technology and scientific advancement for youth empowerment and social change. In Uganda, I met with young human rights advocates fighting for tolerance and inclusion. I was moved by their courage and inspired by their passion. Young women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia reminded me that glass ceilings were meant to be cracked.
Through the Forum, these young leaders will have a great opportunity to learn from one another, and we have a unique opportunity to learn from them. People to people connections like this have the power to change lives and the future of nations and are where lasting partnerships begin. As policymakers, we in the U.S. government hope to learn how best to support African youth's vision for the future of Africa. Personally, I have seen how enhanced mutual understanding of ideas and cultures can create the foundation for long term peace, security, and prosperity.
Technology is going to connect this Forum to an even wider audience, enabling every person that has access to the internet to virtually participate in the Forum through live online streams of select segments of the conference. Stay tuned to www.state.gov and DipNote for updates.
Take a look at what the next few days have in store:
DAY 1: The President's Forum with Young African Leaders opens in Washington, DC at the State Department where participants will attend a number of small discussion sessions to explore topics including transparency and accountability, job creation and entrepreneurship, rights advocacy, and the use of technology to empower individuals and communities. President Obama will then welcome the delegates and host a town-hall at the White House.
DAY 2: Participants meet with leaders of Congress on Capitol Hill, participate in leadership and empowerment discussions with Peace Corps, and share in service experiences across Washington, DC.
DAY 3: Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale and I co-host "The Way Forward Plenary" at the Newseum where delegates will share their ideas from the forum. Participants will also have an opportunity to network with American civil society leaders and resource organizations at an "unconference" following the plenary. The Forum will close with a featured speaker.
Each night, participants will have the opportunity for peer to peer exchange at partner events hosted by the Aspen Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, McKinsey, and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.

--
Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 8/03/2010 12:58:00 PM

Creative Economy at The Interface

2010-07-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the first meeting of The Interface, held in Victoria Island, Lagos. This is the kind of initiative (about solutions) that I can really get excited about. From their Facebook Page, The Interface is a business network forum and creative platform that is focused on setting the stage for engaging some of Nigeria's brightest minds. Every month guests are drawn from different professions and careers in cross fertilization conversations that will advance their individual enterprises and by extension our nation's economy.
It is essentially about integrating creativity, strategy, technology, ideas and the spirit of enterprise.

The resource persons were Pai Gamde, Uche Eze, Tolu Oloketuyi, Uche Nworah, and moi. The organisers were a group of betta Nigerians including Ferdinand Adimefe. The theme was Nigeria and Creative Economy. The audience was typically mid-late 20s and upward (or forward) mobile. It was a very valuable event for me and the forty or fifty other attendees (see the event at 234next.com), and if there's anything the organizers want to fix for next time, they say it's to have fewer resource persons at once because the wealth of information was just...plenty. I also think that next time the crowd will be at least double, so...

I can really say I learned a lot, from Uche Eze of the young company that produces BellaNaija for example, or from the Brand specialist and longtime online personality Uche Nworah. Pai Gamde gave us the expert HR context with a talk about expanding your comfort zone, while Tolu Oloketuyi gave a great expo about how his passion for discounting led him to the leading edge of ecommerce in Nigeria. His product (YPM) basically means that you're eligible for automatic discounts at many big shops in Nigeria when you pay with your plastic card. Most people didn't know that.

My slides from the event are here:
What Do You Read (clickable PDF slides or PowerPoint SlideShow)

Electricity on Demand

2010-07-21T04:10:00.000-07:00

The NERC and the NCC. One works, the other...not quite.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is an independent regulatory agency which was inuagurated on 31st October 2005 as provided in the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005.
The Commission is mandated to carry out:

The monitoring and regulation of the electricity industry
Issuance of licences to market participants, and
Ensure compliance with market rules and operating guidelines.

The Nigerian Communications Commission is the independent National Regulatory Authority for the telecommunications industry in Nigeria.
The Commission is responsible for creating an enabling environment for competition among operators in the industry as well as ensuring the provision of qualitative and efficient telecommunications services throughout the country.

Inside 419

2010-07-20T02:50:00.000-07:00

The Nigerian edition of Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani's novel, I DO NOT COME TO YOU BY CHANCE has my favourite of the covers - pictured above.
"Chance" has been dubbed the 419 novel for its insider spill on advance fee fraud in Nigeria. It's a nice novel, easy to digest sort of like a John Grisham or Sidney Sheldon, not a documentary. I hope more people read it so that the author can make more money (and because I really enjoyed the story.)

Excerpt from Page 222/223:
"The Bon Bonny Hotel was a popular hangout for people in our line of business. The car park was jammed with all manner of exotic cars and the lobby was equally jammed. Men in dark glasses and dark suits waited as their masters dined or womanised. There were also yellow-skinned, scantily clad ladies who had probably come to see if they could get their hands on some of the International Cake.
...
So, no matter what the media proclaimed, we were not villains, and the good people of Eastern Nigeria knew it."

Read it on the plane, or one of these weekends. Stay scam-free.
Update: See the author interview on bellanaija

Career Fair

2010-07-15T03:49:00.000-07:00

Recruitment Summits in New York (July 16-18), Jo'Burg (September), and London (October 2010)

Global Career Company helps professionals find rewarding careers with leading employers back home in Africa, working with successful multinationals as well as some of Africa's most progressive companies to recruit internationally-based Africans across a range of functions and sectors.