THE POWER OF VISION!

Vision is the God given ability to see and capture the blueprint for your life – family, career, business, academics and humanitarian assignments. Everything we see around us today was once in the dreamland but through the power of VISION, innovation and creativity they were all brought forth for the benefit of mankind. Your success in life can be predictable when you understand and embrace the power of vision

 1.     The Basic Components – The Future, The Present and The Past

2.     Your Keys – Your Gifts, Talents, Abilities, Opportunities …

3.     How to get Vision – Look Up, Look Within and Look Around You

4.     Vision Boosters – Focus, Diligence, Faith, Stewardship, Service …

5.     Vision Pitfalls – Laziness, Indiscipline, Bad Association, Weak Character …

6.     Your Action Point – Determine to be the best in your life pursuits

 You were created to add value; you can’t afford to be a liability on your environment. Where there is no vision people cast off restraints but blessed is the one who can see and capture the future. In the midst of this seemly challenging environment

 

INTEGRITY

The Encarta dictionary defines integrity as possession of firm principles. It means steadfastly adhering to high moral principles in professional standards. It also means completeness, a state of wholeness where one is sound, undamaged as regards to public confidence. We can safely conclude from these definitions that integrity is a quality of the heart. This is a virtue that must be possessed by every individual, communities, state or nation. Everyone who has the privilege to lead in whatever capacity must lead with a heart filled with integrity.

 The integrity of the heart always sustains one through life’s challenges. However many people cannot boast of such a quality today. Many don’t even want to identify with this virtue and as a result we are faced with decadence in our society today. Possession of integrity makes a man completely trustworthy. A person with integrity would command the respect of superiors and colleagues in his organization, community and family. Integrity is a quality that must be possessed by all whether you lead a family, a team, an organization, a state or a nation. In whatever capacity you have been given a privilege to lead or serve, it must be said of you that you are a man or a woman of integrity. Integrity is being true to yourself and others.

 The cry in our world today in our homes, work place, political and religious parlance is a cry for integrity in leadership. Integrity is not a quality reserved for any class of people. A man’s integrity always directs his path. Integrity shows us the way in life endeavours. Make a commitment to embrace this virtue as a leader and you will see your life move in a positive direction. Every change in our lives begins with integrity of our hearts and then the skilfulness of our hands

 Ayo Daniels

NIGERIA…Strike spells doom

Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer, but still imports refined petrol. The country produces about 2.4 million barrels of crude oil daily which is exported to be refined abroad; however due to years of corruption-fueled neglect the domestic refineries are inoperative. As a consequence, Nigeria imports 70% of its gasoline (about 250,000bpd of petroleum products) into the country for sale to its citizens. The price of petrol has increased from 65 naira ($0.40; £0.26) per litre to at least 141 naira in filling stations and from 100 naira to at least 200 naira on the black market, from which many Nigerians buy their fuel.

With the majority of Nigerians living on less than $2 per day, cheap petrol is viewed by many Nigerians as the only tangible benefit they receive from the state, hence the widespread disapproval. In addition, the economy is heavily reliant on crude oil (amongst other reasons, due to absence of essential infrastructure and services such as constant electricity). A consequence of this is that other seemingly unrelated items are tied to the price of fuel as has occurred from previous price hikes. Due to the absence of stable electricity, gasoline generators are a common energy alternative for small businesses and residences.

With each hike, there is a commensurate rise in the cost of production of goods and services which would be transferred on to the consumers, leading to widespread inflation. Unfortunately, even when fuel price hikes were reversed in the past, the increase in the cost of goods and services (inflationary reaction) remained.

The removal of the subsidy took effect from Sunday, 1 January 2012 as announced by the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA Reginald Stanley.

I have been a spectator to the Occupy Nigeria protest and its day 6, rest day declared by the NLC and organizers. Nigerians have had a rather sad experience with the government on trust, currently the population of Nigeria stands at 167 million people and majority of them live under the dollar mark, there are no roads, no power, no electricity, no jobs, no good health care, infact there’s nothing in Nigeria that would make you want to spend time here. During elections, Government promises the people of so many things and months, years down the line, nothing has been done in that regard. Now the government has decided to remove the subsidy on fuel making the price of fuel rise as high as N141 per liter, this price increase would automatically mean increase in the price of everything in Nigeria, from price of sachet water to food in the market, to clothes.

Government has given a comprehensive breakdown on cost of managing the economy and the impact of the subsidy on the cost of government. The president said Nigeria pays N1.3 Trillion as subsidy per year, and if this is removed the amount would be put into building infrastructures and maintaining existing ones. But the major question now is, Why remove the subsidy in fuel from the oil sector because you claim there is major corruption in that sector and invest it in another sector where the officials there have anointing for corruption.

The major problem in Nigeria I can say is corruption, if we can successfully tackle corruption, then we can progress as a country, the strike has lasted for 5 days now and the country has lost about N760 Billion. The main problem is the communication gap in carrying out removal, done in the most stupid way and now the impact of the strike now talk of the loss of lives is most felt by all Nigerians.

Government has inaugurated 1600 buses to help the transport sector and I ask for those who have cars how does this help? The prices of goods would not respect the 1600 buses, the prices of clothes would not respect the 1600 buses. I wonder why this subsidy was not done in phases, with removal of N20 after every 6 months, then put the revenue gotten into repairing roads and building factories. Nigerians have heard too many promises, it’s time we see some actions. Only a few Nigerians have hijacked this economy, enriching themselves with the subsidy grants, expanding their portfolios and diversifying into other business, they live big lives, buying properties in high braw areas etc.

I got a mail from a friend detailing all companies in the downstream sector and construction that shared over N1.4 Trillion between January and August 2011, you can see the big wigs in the country and those who made Forbes list of wealthiest people in Africa.

1-      Oando Nigeria Plc- N228.506 Billion

2-      MRS                      – N224.818 Billion

3-      Pinnacle Construction- N300 Billion

4-      Enak Oil and Gas         – N19.684 Billion

5-      Conoil                          – N37. 960 Billion

6-      Bovas & Co. Nig Ltd    – N5.685 Billion

7-      Obat                            – N85 Billion AP N104.5 Billion

8-      Folawiyo Oil                – N113.3 Billion

9-      IPMAN Investment      – N10.9 Billion

10-  ACON                          – N24.1 Billion

11-  Atio Oil                        – N64.4 Billion

12-  AMP                            – N 11.4 Billion

13-  Honeywell                   – N12.2 Billion

14-  Emac Oil                     – N19.2 Billion

15-  D.Jones Oil                  – N14.8 Billion

16-  Capital Oil                   – N22.4 Billion

17-  AZ Oil                          – N18.61 Billion

18-  Eterna Oil                    – N5.57 Billion

19-  Dozil Oil                      – N3.375 Billion

20-  Fort Oil                        – N8.582 Billion

21-  Integrated Oil and Gas- N30.7 Billion

Now see the amount disbursed to these companies and the impact on Nigerians is not seen, we have not been in the mix of things, just a group of people called the CABAL enjoy the wealth of Nigeria.

The voices of the growing protesters at the Gani Fawenhinmi freedom park at Ojota keeps the president and all awake all day as they say “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” we can no longer take this, the government has ruled us so long and now we have the speak up, I would relate this to what happened in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, people now know what they can get when they come together with one voice, Nigeria has gotten to that point where they would not turn back except their demands are met. This country is heading for the pit with the security issues in the North and the strike that has crippled the economy, it is certain Goodluck Jonathan and his team have no clue about what they would do.

I would continue to pray even when I’m tired for this country. But those in authority should wake up from their sleep and see what is happening to our dear Nigeria, they should know that the people have woken from their sleep and they now know what the time is, we can no longer be fooled for so long, its time it’s our call. See below the table from other countries and how they live.

OPEC Member	PMS Price/Litre	Minimum Wage	Population	Production ’000 bPD (2007)
Venezuela	3.61 Nigerian naira	95,639 Nigerian naira	29,105,632	2,340
Kuwait	34.54 Nigerian naira	161,461 Nigerian naira	3,566,437	2,340
Saudi Arabia	25.12 Nigerian naira	99,237 Nigerian naira	27,136,977	9,800
Iran	102.05 Nigerian naira	86,585 Nigerian naira	75,330,000	3,700
Qatar	34.54 Nigerian naira	101,250 Nigerian naira	1,696,563	810
UAE	78.18 Nigerian naira		8,264,070	2,500
Algeria	63.55 Nigerian naira	55,957 Nigerian naira	36,423,000	1,360
Libya	26.69 Nigerian naira	23,813 Nigerian naira	5,670,688	1,650
Iraq	59.66 Nigerian naira	25,813 Nigerian naira	30,399,572	1,481
Nigeria	140-200 Nigerian naira	18,000 Nigerian naira	167 million	2,250

MAKE THIS YEAR COUNT

Happy New Year to you! I wish you the very best this year has to offer. Every year presents itself with great opportunities which require our cooperation in areas God has planted us so we can take advantage of what the year offers. Today is 4^th January 2012 and in the planning principle it is no more a new year that we look forward to rather it has become a reality in the calendar years. As we walk through 2012, we must make this year count first by our decision to walk through with determination to get positive results. We must set S.M.A.R.T goals with deadlines. Make time your valuable asset and friend. Every opportunity you lost in 2011 can be regained when you choose to value time.

 Don’t be distracted, pulled by the demands and pressures of life. Maintain your FOCUS in the area of your strength. Be the person who chooses to execute his/ her plans. Follow your dream with passion recognizing that you can’t be all things to everyone. Multiply your knowledge in the area of your COMPETENCE. Choose to be on the cutting edge and be on top of your game. Success only comes to those who choose to excel in one thing because one thing is needful and you must be found doing one good thing which has the potential to expand into multiple streams of opportunities. Let this year count for you; don’t set vague, unrealistic goals. No time allocated to planning is an indicator that you are planning to fail. Above all, make God your priority this year. When we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He is committed to direct our affairs. We can tap into His mind, help and victory in all that we do. This will be the best of years for you and the beginning of NEWNESS.  Enjoy this year on the wings of ‘Unprecedented Grace’

 

JOSEPHEKWU IN 2011……a blog review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 19,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

AS 2011 PASSES……

Hello friends, in a matter of minutes we would be saying goodbye to 2011, how has it been for you? what have you gained and what are those things you aspire to achieve? It’s always good to take a few hours to ponder over 2011. Its been a good year for me and I have every reason to appreciate God, most especially for my lovely wife Ono, and other things I got this year. I drop my last post for the year, signing off with a poem….

Smiles, Opinion and friendship
These three, I enjoyed in 2011
So grateful to receive from you
At different times, in varying proportion
You did give.
So appreciative that you gave.

Smiles, sometimes subtle other times visible
You gave without holding back
Needed comfort they did offered
Desired assurances, they gave

Opinions, rich and deep
Some positive, some not quite
Some soothing, some piercing
Valuable ingredient of self-evaluation
So generously offered to make me better

Friendship, honest and truthful
Providing gaps where knowledge failed
Cheering when the game was good
Giving smiles and opinions as required
this I’ll cherish for ages to come.

In simple language, I’ll like to thank you for the impact, the interaction with you in 2011 has, made on me. It was, as always, a privilege to have opportunity to know and relate with you.
Congratulations for making it to this time. I do wish you a prosperous and fulfilling 2012. My God will do a new thing in your life that people around will gather to celebrate with you.

See you guys on the other side of 2012.

Happy New year…

 

$10 WAGER

Merry Christmas guys, how did you spend your holiday? Mine was good, had to rest and reflect on 2011, I read through my e-mail and saw this piece from a friend that  I am sharing with you all, it makes for interesting reading, Enjoy. My wife and I were at our first stop on our annual Christmas shopping day, making our purchase at Bath and Body Works. After Nadia completed the transaction, I told my wife, “She was the nicest person we’ll meet all day.” My wife was skeptical, as we had a long day of shopping ahead of us and would interact with more than a dozen clerks, associates and wait staff. I suggested that we “make it interesting,” so we put a $10 wager on my prediction.

As the day went on, we visited a number of stores. Some associates were helpful, while others ignored us or brushed us off. By mid-afternoon, we had come full circle geographically and returned to the first mall for a late lunch. As we ate, my wife admitted that I had been right about Nadia and that I had won the bet.

Then, she had a brilliant idea. “You don’t need the ten bucks,” she told me. “Why don’t we walk over to the coffee shop across the street, but a $10 gift card and present it to Nadia?”

Brilliant!

We purchased the card and returned to Bath and Body Works. Nadia, who was ringing in a customer’s purchase, saw us and immediately asked, “Oh, no, what did I do wrong this morning?” I replied, “Nothing. We just want to speak with you after you’re done with that customer.” During the next five minutes, as she completed the customer’s transaction, Nadia looked nervously at us periodically and her co-workers looked at us suspiciously. When the customer was finished, she remained out of curiosity to see why we had returned to the store.

With Nadia’s undivided attention, we told her about the bet and presented her with her $10 gift certificate. She was overwhelmed and nearly broke down in tears. Nadia is a single mother of two teen-age boys, balancing family life, a full-time job and school. She told us that no one had ever done anything like this for her before.

Afterwards, my wife and I agreed that it was the best $10 that we had ever spent. And now we’ve started a tradition that we’ll continue not only on our annual Christmas shopping day, but on other occasions as well.

Imagine – a mere $10 gift card can boost a person’s confidence and make her feel really good about herself. It doesn’t take much of an investment to make an impact on someone’s life. I can’t believe that we didn’t think of this year earlier – but I’m grateful that it didn’t take us years longer to realize this simple truth. And I’ll never walk around again without a $10 coffee gift card in my wallet to recognize someone’s kindness or effort

SOMEONE PLEASE TELL GOODLUCK JONATHAN…things are hard.

Dear readers, most of you would wonder why this topic, well those are the exact words of a middle aged man who screamed out loud in the midst of a heated discussion with friends, I couldn’t help but stop a few minutes to hear them out, what could have made this man who looked so worried scream out so loud.

Nigeria with about 140 million people here claims to be the giant of Africa, (well…with the numbers I’m sure) a land of many, diverse cultures, opportunities and wealth, Nigeria is the next destination for growth and development, fastest growing economy in Africa, and they seek steady for foreign investors, great, nice advert line, I picture all these put into a well done advert by some of the best creative geniuses in Nigeria and shown at peak period slots on cable network, woah and everyone would scream and fall for the make believe, while we do not argue the fact that Nigeria is the next destination, we wonder the finish point. What would you get at the destination. I travelled to Dubai recently and this is a totally different world, I looked through the window all through the drive appreciating the beauty of the city, the well laid down roads, neatly trimmed lawns by the road side, quite fast lane (They barely use their horns) neat and well pained cabs, beautiful landscape adorned with brilliant flowers.

As we drove through the streets of Dubai, I marveled at the masterpiece I saw, I searched seriously for a bungalow, nahhhh they would not do that, I past a police academy, police barrack and was so amazed, guys no exaggeration, I blank out for a few minutes as I remembered the police barracks along Mobolaji Bank Anthony Road Ikeja, where you have a clear view of the decay and rot of the Police barracks, half of the roof is blown off, I can place a billion Naira bet that the walls have never been re-touched since it was first painted if it was ever painted, the railings are so rusted the rust is wearing off on the paint. The windows are half standing with broken glasses and rusted frames, the fence has signs of remake practically due to a collapse.

Streets well kept and neatly swept, road signs all in place, street lights shining so bright you actually don’t need your head lamps at night, Fashola has done well to a large extent in this regard, but some of this contractors have not met up to expectations, well how far can they go when the major issue is POWER, even God used light first as foundation for his work, the beginning of development in Nigeria would start when POWER is constant.

DAYSTAR CHRISTAIN CENTRE – Benevolence helps the poor at Christmas

The Benevolence stand

Sunday 18^th December 2011

A warm morning and the whole team is fully prepared to serve in the Benevolence special Open day tagged “Love at Christmas”. This the one of the biggest event the Unit has held this year, Special Open day was designed to meet the needs of the less privileged. Daystar Christian centre a church founded 17 years ago has a vision of raising role models in our society.

Daystar Christian centre has a culture of helping the needy, with clear focus on community development; the church has a track record of developing her host community with a block of classroom donation to various schools in Lagos, development of Oregun high school, repairs and maintenance of Ikosi Oregun road amongst others.

Benevolence unit is a unit in the church that is focused on catering to the needs of the less privileged in the society, the unit opens every Sunday with a stand in the church where it distributes Food items, Clothes, Shoes, gifts and money to individuals from different walks of life regardless of tribe, culture and religion.

Clothes Section

December 18^th was the Special Open day tagged Love at Christmas, this is the grand finale of all events held this year, the ambience was right, the costume was appropriate and the mission was clear, help the needy celebrate Christmas in style, with what they can’t afford given them for free. Over 500 bags of rice, 500 bags of beans, packed Garri, Vegetable oil, Clothes, Shoes, Gift items and other food requirements, money. The event started by 10am and before then the queue was ready, members of the community were all ready for the kick off.

Benevolence team preached the word to the people who were around, explaining the essence of Christmas, the event was a medium for reaching out to those who are yet to accept God into their lives. They preached to them, sang songs to them, bulletin exhortation and praises. Some of the recipients of the items expressed their gratitude to the pastorate of the church, praying for God to bless and provide for them always. Benevolence Unit head Akinwande Ademosu took time to preach to those present encouraging them of the need to sustain the confidence they have in God.

Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, In history he was born on the 25^th of December and since he came to save the world, we should extend the fellowship to all those who are in need, there are so many people around who don’t have an avenue to fend for themselves, they do not know where the next food would come from, others have no clothes, and no money for good health care, in Daystar no one goes home hungry, scholarships for those who can’t afford school, this is how to show love.

L-R Rev. Sam Adeyemi, Akinwande Ademosu, Daystar Pastor

Benevolence thrives on good will from the members of the Unit, members of the Church and friends of the Church, all items are given out for free without discrimination. At the end of the event, souls were won for God, lives were changed and some family smiled as their Christmas celebration was sure. Thanks to Benevolence unit of Daystar Christian centre.

 

Members during the event

DONT BE AFRAID OF FAILURE

Until you overcome the fear of failure, you’ll be immobilized at the prospect of taking a risk. The important thing to remember when you fail is not to quit. History shows that failure can actually become a bridge to success. In school, Napoleon was forty-second in a class of forty-three, yet he went on to build an army that conquered much of the world. George Washington lost two-thirds of his military battles, yet against overwhelming odds he won the Revolutionary War and changed American history. Albert Einstein was such a slow learner that it was suggested he switch studies from physics to some other topic, yet he’s considered the father of the atomic age. When you recall these names you don’t remember their failures but their contributions to the world. Only when you consider your failure to be final, are you finally a failure. Failure is not an event, only an opinion, and as long as it’s not your opinion you can come back and succeed. ‘A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.’ In his first inaugural address Franklin Roosevelt told the nation, ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ Failure is not fatal; you can begin again. But the fear of failure could prove fatal to your goals by keeping you from trying again. After cataloguing every possible scenario that could come against us, such as tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, Paul writes: ‘Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us’ (Romans 8:37 NKJV). So the word for you today is – don’t be afraid of failure.