Four Lessons I’ve learnt in 2020- So Far…

Stay with the News- Do not let your business suffer

Suddenly, we were almost swept off by the unexpected visitor, Covid-19 took the world by surprise. Not even soothsayers could predict this pandemic, the men of God did not see this coming, we all watched the world grind to a standstill. Some say it is a scam, some say it was caused by 5G, others said it is an ultimate plan and scheme by some top guns. Well in all of these, no one say it coming and no one predicted this and the outcome globally.

The impact of the pandemic mixed with the power battle for oil prices caused some countries to suffer. Russia-Saudi Arabia started the price way which saw a dip in standards of living for many in countries that are heavily dependent on oil. Oil prices fell to its lowest rate in history. It became free at some point. This impacted heavily on businesses as most of them could not survive the shock at the same time. Borders were closed, so most businesses suffered immensely.

The lesson here is, although most of the points stated here are beyond our control, we should at least stay up to date with happenings. Make right decisions on how and when to buy, store space to keep stock etc. Stay up to date, stay current, this would help you stay proactive to change and how to adapt.

Learn, Learn, Learn- Never Stop

The lockdown taught me that time can come and go if not used judiciously would be a total waste. One of the most common phrases that surfaced this year is “New Normal”. Everything has been disrupted, call it “a scam” or “political” the world has been reborn and only those who prepared for it would partake in the new world.

Most people did nothing new all through the lockdown, but they expect to win, no new skill, no new degree, nothing. So, at the end when we all self-appraise, I worry what the outcome would be. Well, its not too late to start as skills are learnt as quickly as you can start. Make the most of every minute you have and grow. Learn and never stop evolving.

Teamwork makes the team work

Fear on What next? Worry about long ending online meetings, losing touch with the past reality? Getting used to the new normal? Well these are what we should expect. Digital is replacing analog, the new has taken over the old and teams are almost losing touch of their bonding.

Leaders have experienced some of these working from home. Dropped deadlines, slow delivery, unavailability of colleagues and many more. Dealing with this is draining, but good news is that you can create activities that would help your team stay in constant touch. As a supervisor, never be too rigid to tell jokes or use trending phrases while in an informal setting. Allow the tension out of the window with checking into their personal life, care about their families, and everything including work.

When you are fully involved, and you are accessible to your team members across different platforms means you can offer extra assistance if they are facing any challenge in handling issues.

Build a passion project

Most people have skills and talents that can fetch them money if only they monetize it. A passion project is an activity or enterprise that you decide to take on—usually in your spare time–to gain some benefit for yourself. That is, it is a challenge that you willingly embrace because you hope to gain something from it. Create profit out of what you do for fun.

In conclusion

In summary, things are getting back to normal and the new normal is becoming the norm. some businesses would struggle to stay on, however persistent would only carry us through. Learn more, save money, save money …save money and be judicious. Customers would come and there is need to understand them all round and know what they need especially at this time.

Whatever you do, please win… win….and stay safe

 

WHAT DO YOU VALUE MORE?

What do people usually value more than your money? You! Think about it. What takes greater effort – writing a cheque or giving of your time and energy? Which shows a greater level of commitment? Take a moment and recall the people who’ve had the greatest impact on you: a teacher who helped you realize you could think, learn and achieve; a parent who loved you, sacrificed for you and gave you the gift of self-worth; a mentor who painted a picture of your future then equipped and challenged you to reach for it.

Next to your salvation, what could be greater? Ponder these words: ‘When you come to look back on all that you have done in life, you will get more satisfaction from the pleasure you brought to other people’s lives than from the times you outdid and defeated them.’ Too many of us see giving as more than just an act of love – we see it as a transaction – we only give to get! Sir Wilfred T. Grenfell said, ‘It is obvious that man is himself a traveler; that his purpose in this world is not “to have and to hold,” but “to give and to serve”.

There can be no other meaning.’ It’s so easy to live only for yourself. In fact, it’s one of our most basic instincts – one we have to overcome each day. But we can take another path – to be generous with our love and our time. When you give those gifts, you’re being as generous as you can be!

 

UCB

MARRIAGE IS LIKE A CONDOM

The world is now so fantasized about the wedding industry that a lot of people fail to realize that after the lights go off, the camera shutters closes, the fanfare ends and the guests go home, then life starts, all the Instagram posts and the pre wedding shoots now remains in the past and reality kicks in. most people borrow to impress others during their weddings, and others risk it all only for the glamour of it.

While others made the most out of the pre wedding, wedding plans they forget all about the post wedding life, they begin the journey into sadness and depression.

While some waited to get married before they had sex and have a successful marriage. Some did not wait, and still have a successful marriage.

Some kept their marriage private, and have a successful marriage. Some kept it open and annoyed us with their public displays of unwanted affection, and still have a successful marriage.

While some engaged (sorry handcuffed) a lady for over 18 months, and have a successful marriage, some dated for 3 months and have a successful marriage, some have been in the dating game for too long like 10+ years and still have a successful not-marriage-relationship going!

While some are ok with being baby mama’s, others prefer their camera looks to remain intact and postpone child bearing till later.

While other get married and still have a connect with their ex’s, others jump to JORO to tell the world how they hump and rump just another guy they meet. Others claim they are the slay queens or they want to be slay queens.

Truth is that marriage is like a condom, one size does not always fit all and even when it manages to fit, sometimes it does not work.

Take your own pick in life, get and follow your heart and soul mate, and please spare us the details of your sex life and nasty details of cheating.

 

 

–Notes from Ofilispeaks

HOPE FOR TODAY

Hey Tweeps,

Once again I summon some guts to drop you a line and for a long time I wish I had done this but the writer’s block keeps holding me back.

I have been working hard on 3 new projects for the office and for my personal gains, yes it’s a year where you need to expand your coast and get things done as 2017 is still a turbulent year even as so many people toil harder to ensure they get a stable living. The odds remains against the average Nigerian who would battle daily for every basic amenity.

I ponder daily on the next steps for our dear Nigeria and wonder if it would ever get better for, the news of mayhem daily hunts us, from killings to kidnap, Naira fall to the dollar or police brutality. Recently I was thrown into fear with the news of a coup as I had earlier discussed with a colleague that I fear a repeat of the first coup in Nigeria which was character by mass looting and all what is happening today. We hear a lot about the recoveries made by EFCC and this brings tears to the eyes of the average Nigerian struggling for food and shelter.

We are expectant that the economy would eventually improve so there would be a bit of calmness in the country. It saddens me to know how much people spend to enjoy the basic amenities in life. I have to spend good money to power my house. The pain and anger of how sad things have gone just makes you cringe in fear of the unknown. I marvel at the level of mediocrity some youth have taken up. The sad part is there seems not to be a clear end to this as the more we go ahead, the darker it seems.

I would like to share some positive words here…

No matter how dark it is, there would definitely be morning, where it would all brighten up.

The past is gone and we only treasure today and hope a better tomorrow comes around sooner.

I hope for a better Nigeria where we move the world and change the way we are perceived.

Above all….stay positive and ensure to keep the light shining.

Cheers.

 

2017- WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR US?

Dear Tweeps,

Welcome to 2017, it has been a long journey here today and yes I am sorry for leaving this page unattended to for months, you can say the pressures and demand of work has got the better part of me, you are so correct.

I’d say this again, welcome to my blog again and sincere apologies for the absence, It would certainly be better this year as I am starting off on a good foot. 2016 was a horrific year as many would say and to the best of my knowledge a whole lot of people have lost their jobs and the cliché now “The dollar is high” has taken over the airwaves thus we have lost the sense of our daily life, the economy is in a steady nose dive and all indices are not looking good, daily we hear news of millions of dollars looted by some of our leaders and you wonder how this country is still around amidst the mass looting.

I feel bad when I go out daily and the news is same, the dollar has hit all time high and very like Nigeria anything that goes up never comes down. So at this rate we are stuck on it.

From my previous post, these are the years of the biblical – years of lean, where we failed to save now we are reaping the fruits of failure to decide. Our leaders have failed to save, failed to invest, failed to plan for the future, now we are in the mess that seems to suck us all in.

Away from the failures of the leaders, this is the time to plan and position for the coming years of plenty, we would soon hit the boom and only the wise and the strategic would be the only set to partake in the boom, what are you doing now to prepare for the future? Are you still complaining and nagging about the old politicians? Are you still dwelling in the past and how the promises made are not been met? Then your world is slowly ticking away. Tomorrow is a factor of today’s decisions and when you make right decisions your tomorrow would be guaranteed.

NEVER NEVER QUIT

The moment you start believing you’re successful enough to rest on your laurels, you’re in trouble. You’ve put a lid on your growth! Solomon wrote, ‘Do you know a hard-working man? He shall be successful and stand before kings!. Success is always a possibility, but never a guarantee. It belongs to the man or woman who’s willing to show up early, stay late, go the extra mile, and keep asking, ‘Is there a better way?’. An agency once created an ad for an automobile company. It said, ‘At sixty miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.’ When they ran the ad by the company’s CEO, he smiled and said, ‘I guess we’ve got to do something about that clock!’.

A young man once asked Henry Ford, ‘How can I make a name for myself and be successful?’. He replied, ‘Decide what you want, then stick with it. Never deviate from your course no matter how long it takes or how hard the road, until you’ve accomplished your purpose.’ Successful people have one thing in common: they refuse to quit! No matter how many times they fall, they get back up, dust themselves off, learn from it, and start over. Paul J. Meyer says, ‘Ninety-nine per cent of those who fail are not actually defeated, they simply quit.’ The Bible says, ‘To win…you must deny yourselves… things that…keep you from doing your best’. The only people who never fail are those who never try. So keep going, and don’t even think about quitting!

I have had my fair share of staying on, I recently had a rough few days with my CEO and felt it was that time to shut the door, but knowing the next thing to do is not to quit but rather to get the next best thing to do that would help make better impact on the company. I walked to him and got the rude shock, he was actually expecting me to show up for this chat and new direction. Most times people do not take caution in making big decisions, risks are good, calculated risks are better. Watch your steps before you leap, do not jump blind. Do not stay on one spot for long, Move, Evolve, ensure to step up in all you do and notice how life changes around you.

Look up and look big.

Cheers.

 

1 LESSON I LEARNT FROM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

8pm Saturday night, the world…well the football world was all set and ready for the epic final of the UEFA Champions League between FC Barcelona  and Juventus. I had for long waited for this and was settled in, the match was spot on….referee decisions were accurate and decisive from the world class referee Cüneyt Çakır .

The match lived up to expectation and as predicted Barca would take it all, the mistake I suppose Juventus made was placing all focus on Messi….(well who won’t) and they lost other players as Suarez sealed his first season in Spain with a goal in the UCL finals.

On the night it ended 3-1 in favour of FC Barcelona with Rakitic, Suarez and Neymar on the score sheet for Barcelona and Alvaro Morata hit the bulls eye for Juventus only goal.

The biggest lesson I learnt that day was there is always a huge stage to celebrate Jesus. Neymar scored the third goal just a few minutes after one of his goal was disallowed. He knelt down after the final whistle and cried I supposed in appreciation to God.

Neymar afterwards tied a head band with a clear inscription 100% JESUS. Now this is a high level of evangelism I’ve seen in a long time. The estimated global audience was put at about N390 million viewers worldwide. Now imagine how many people Neymar ministered to in the last few minutes of the presentation ceremony. The head band was clear and giving all praise to God. It could only be Him, Jesus was responsible for the victory, and he showed the world the secret of his success. Apparently he had done this since his childhood playing career. Imagine 380 million worldwide viewers reading that head band and getting the message. How many of you give it to God on the world stage, that moment when you are receiving ovation and you have a bunch of eyes and ears looking and listening at you…..would you bring God in at that moment?

My prayer, Lord Jesus, at the peak of my life, career and achievements, when the world’s ovation is deafening loud, help me to always remember you my source. I want to give 100% appreciate and submit all to you my leader. I am just your vessel for expression.

Brief on Neymar

“At the age of 19, Neymar won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award, after coming third in 2010. He followed this up by winning it again in 2012. In 2011 Neymar received nominations for the FIFA Ballon d’Or, where he came 10th and the FIFA Puskás Award for Goal of the Year, which he won. He is known for his acceleration, dribbling skills, finishing and ability with both feet. His playing style has earned him critical acclaim, with fans, media and former players drawing comparison to former Brazil forward Pelé, who has called Neymar “an excellent player”, while Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi have stated “he will be the best in the world”.

Neymar joined Santos in 2003 and, after rising through the ranks, was promoted to their first team squad. He made his debut for Santos in 2009 and was voted the Best Young Player of the 2009 Campeonato Paulista. Further awards followed, with Neymar being voted best player as Santos won the 2010 Campeonato Paulista, and also being top scorer in the 2010 Copa do Brasil with 11 goals. He finished the 2010 season with 42 goals in 60 games, as his club achieved the Double. Neymar was again voted best player of the year in 2011 as Santos retained the state title and also won the 2011 Copa Libertadores in which Neymar scored six goals in 13 appearances. He also played a key role in securing a Continental Double, Santos’ first since 1963. Neymar received the Bronze Ball in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, with Santos reaching the final, where they were defeated 4–0 by Barcelona.”

 

 

MY LETTER TO PRESIDENT ELECT BUHARI AS HE TAKES OVER

Dear President-Elect,

Once again I say big Congratulations to you on winning the Presidential election, achieving a feat no one has done in Nigeria or maybe Africa at large. I would have trekked all the way to Abuja to personally shake hands with you but the roads are not so safe and my Zulu is pretty young so I have to do this in writing.

However as I write you this letter, my keyboard is almost soaked from the tears dripping down my eyes, yes I write in pain as the task ahead of you seems like the steepest hill in our generation and the point where our country needs a total re-haul. You came in when the debt incurred almost towers the Kilimanjaro, like a sheep set for the slaughter you are taking reigns and like you have constantly reminded Nigerians that you are not a magician, and you do not have magic wands to turn us around in a flash. Despite your victory, it seems a little sour cos . “We can’t afford to do this again,” I said to myself, knowing well the energy and money I had invested in the electoral defeat of the incumbent president (mainly buying data to share my personal opinions on twitter, Facebook and my Blog).

I want to specifically remind you this on the eve of your inauguration that you have promised to CHANGE Nigeria and restore all the years of decay, yes you have inherited a broken country, a divided people and most especially a weak economy and yes we know it is surely going to be tough but please take it easy and from time to time I know you would ask yourself how come you struggled so hard to inherit this trash. Yes you have won, congrats but the only thing that would keep you there is performance and trust me in 2019 it would be easier voting you out if we don’t smell fresh air. I only pity those who also won in their respective states and refuse to move a muscle after 4 years, they would go. They also chanted CHANGE and promised competent governance, we would regularly update their scorecard for them. It would be most difficult for the likes of Akinwunmi Ambode who inherited a brilliant Lagos nurtured by an amazing Governor. Babatunde Fashola lived up to his promises by investing well in infrastructure and human capital; I almost forgot alternative revenue for the state. The reliance on the center was little.

TO BE IGBO IN NIGERIA IS CONSTANTLY TO BE A SUSPECT

Dear Readers,

This story has been making rounds for days now and typical of Nigerians, we make a joke out of everything, twitter almost went down the day the news broke and since then we have heard all sorts, well i read from Nigerians super writer Chimamanda Adichie and i could not help but share her piece on my blog. The below is her view on the sad comments from the Oba of Lagos.

A few days ago, the Oba of Lagos threatened Igbo leaders. If they did not vote for his governorship candidate in Lagos, he said, they would be thrown into the lagoon. His entire speech was a flagrant performance of disregard. His words said, in effect: I think so little of you that I don’t have to cajole you but will just threaten you and, by the way, your safety in Lagos is not assured, it is negotiable.

There have been condemnations of the Oba’s words. Sadly, many of the condemnations from non-Igbo people have come with the ugly impatience of expressions like ‘move on,’ and ‘don’t be over-emotional’ and ‘calm down.’ These take away the power, even the sincerity, of the condemnations. It is highhanded and offensive to tell an aggrieved person how to feel, or how quickly to forgive, just as an apology becomes a non-apology when it comes with ‘now get over it.’

Other condemnations of the Oba’s words have been couched in dismissive or diminishing language such as ‘The Oba can’t really do anything, he isn’t actually going to kill anyone. He was joking. He was just being a loudmouth.’

Or – the basest yet – ‘we are all prejudiced.’ It is dishonest to respond to a specific act of prejudice by ignoring that act and instead stressing the generic and the general. It is similar to responding to a specific crime by saying ‘we are all capable of crime.’ Indeed we are. But responses such as these are diversionary tactics. They dismiss the specific act, diminish its importance, and ultimately aim at silencing the legitimate fears of people.

We are indeed all prejudiced, but that is not an appropriate response to an issue this serious. The Oba is not an ordinary citizen. He is a traditional ruler in a part of a country where traditional rulers command considerable influence – the reluctance on the part of many to directly chastise the Oba speaks to his power. The Oba’s words matter. He is not a singular voice; he represents traditional authority. The Oba’s words matter because they are enough to incite violence in a political setting already fraught with uncertainty. The Oba’s words matter even more in the event that Ambode loses the governorship election, because it would then be easy to scapegoat Igbo people and hold them punishable.

Nigerians who consider themselves enlightened might dismiss the Oba’s words as illogical. But the scapegoating of groups – which has a long history all over the world – has never been about logic. The Oba’s words matter because they bring worrying echoes of the early 1960s in Nigeria, when Igbo people were scapegoated for political reasons. Chinua Achebe, when he finally accepted that Lagos, the city he called home, was unsafe for him because he was Igbo, saw crowds at the motor park taunting Igbo people as they boarded buses: ‘Go, Igbo, go so that garri will be cheaper in Lagos!’

Of course Igbo people were not responsible for the cost of garri. But they were perceived as people who were responsible for a coup and who were ‘taking over’ and who, consequently, could be held responsible for everything bad.

Any group of people would understandably be troubled by a threat such as the Oba’s, but the Igbo, because of their history in Nigeria, have been particularly troubled. And it is a recent history. There are people alive today who were publicly attacked in cosmopolitan Lagos in the 1960s because they were Igbo. Even people who were merely light-skinned were at risk of violence in Lagos markets, because to be light-skinned was to be mistaken for Igbo.

Almost every Nigerian ethnic group has a grouse of some sort with the Nigerian state. The Nigerian state has, by turns, been violent, unfair, neglectful, of different parts of the country. Almost every ethnic group has derogatory stereotypes attached to it by other ethnic groups.

But it is disingenuous to suggest that the experience of every ethnic group has been the same. Anti-Igbo violence began under the British colonial government, with complex roots and manifestations. But the end result is a certain psychic difference in the relationship of Igbo people to the Nigerian state. To be Igbo in Nigeria is constantly to be suspect; your national patriotism is never taken as the norm, you are continually expected to prove it.

All groups are conditioned by their specific histories. Perhaps another ethnic group would have reacted with less concern to the Oba’s threat, because that ethnic group would not be conditioned by a history of being targets of violence, as the Igbo have been.

Many responses to the Oba’s threat have mentioned the ‘welcoming’ nature of Lagos, and have made comparisons between Lagos and southeastern towns like Onitsha. It is valid to debate the ethnic diversity of different parts of Nigeria, to compare, for example, Ibadan and Enugu, Ado-Ekiti and Aba, and to debate who moves where, and who feels comfortable living where and why that is. But it is odd to pretend that Lagos is like any other city in Nigeria. It is not. The political history of Lagos and its development as the first national capital set it apart. Lagos is Nigeria’s metropolis. There are ethnic Igbo people whose entire lives have been spent in Lagos, who have little or no ties to the southeast, who speak Yoruba better than Igbo. Should they, too, be reminded to be ‘grateful’ each time an election draws near?

No law-abiding Nigerian should be expected to show gratitude for living peacefully in any part of Nigeria. Landlords in Lagos should not, as still happens too often, be able to refuse to rent their property to Igbo people.

The Oba’s words were disturbing, but its context is even more disturbing:

The anti-Igbo rhetoric that has been part of the political discourse since the presidential election results. Accusatory and derogatory language – using words like ‘brainwashed,’ ‘tribalistic voting’ – has been used to describe President Jonathan’s overwhelming win in the southeast. All democracies have regions that vote in large numbers for one side, and even though parts of Northern Nigeria showed voting patterns similar to the Southeast, the opprobrium has been reserved for the Southeast.

But the rhetoric is about more than mere voting. It is really about citizenship. To be so entitled as to question the legitimacy of a people’s choice in a democratic election is not only a sign of disrespect but is also a questioning of the full citizenship of those people.

What does it mean to be a Nigerian citizen?

When Igbo people are urged to be ‘grateful’ for being in Lagos, do they somehow have less of a right as citizens to live where they live? Every Nigerian should be able to live in any part of Nigeria. The only expectation for a Nigerian citizen living in any part of Nigeria is to be law-abiding. Not to be ‘grateful.’ Not to be expected to pay back some sort of unspoken favour by toeing a particular political line. Nigerian citizens can vote for whomever they choose, and should never be expected to justify or apologize for their choice.

Only by feeling a collective sense of ownership of Nigeria can we start to forge a nation. A nation is an idea. Nigeria is still in progress. To make this a nation, we must collectively agree on what citizenship means: all Nigerians must matter equally.

 

STOP ALL THESE FAKE BAGA PICTURES ON FB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am not a big fan of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan or his government, I have never thought this my Nigeria would get to where it is now of almost falling off the cliff, well this is where we find ourselves and I believe on #BokoHaram and Security GEJ has failed Nigeria.

I went through Facebook today and saw some annoying pictures, please please let’s stop circulating false pictures with the headline Boko Haram kills 2000 Baga or Muslims Burn Christians in Jos Massacre it weakens our credibility. I mean this picture below that has become the unofficial face of Baga originated from an Oil Tanker explosion in Congo that happened in 2010 but yet every time a tragedy happens someone digs this picture up and starts circulating it and people/media without fact checking just pick it up and spread it. I recall a picture sometime that went viral on Facebook claiming armed robbers kills over 100 passengers and drove buses on their corpses on Benin Ore Expressway. This actually happened somewhere in west Africa and not Nigeria.

Nigeria is in a shitty situation and we need REAL change … but yet we need to ensure that we are sticking to the facts and not helping spread shit! That’s it I am out…