Friday, October 17, 2014
HOW TO COME WITH A BUSINESS IDEA!
How to come Up Business Idea
(Adapted from content excerpted from the American Express® OPEN Small Business Network)
Developing large or small business ideas is a
matter of creating a vision, leveraging your
strengths and determining what the market
needs. These three steps should get you
started.
(i) Create a vision
Determine what you're good at and what you
like to do
Figure out what the market needs
Create a vision
Close your eyes for a few minutes and conjure
up a detailed image of what you want your life
to look like in 5 years. Be as specific as
possible.
Where do you live?
How do you spend your days?
What kind of work do you do?
Do you work alone or with other people?
Who are you surrounded by?
What do you do when you aren't working?
Don't limit yourself to these questions; create
a vivid vision of yourself, touching on things
that are important to you. These are all
personal issues that will impact the type of
business you pursue - being a city or country
person; wanting to travel or sit at your
computer; liking to meet people or work on
the phone. This activity will help you create a
foundation for choosing from small business
ideas, making business decisions, and setting
clear goals.
It is best to do this exercise with someone
else and share your vision. If you can't, write it
down to make your vision more concrete.
(ii)Determine what you're good at and what
you like to do
It's often useful to look inside yourself to figure
out what you like and dislike, and where your
talents lie. It's one thing to come up with a
winning business idea. It's another to come up
with one that fits your skill set and interests
you. Your business has to keep you excited
so you can thrive over the long haul.
One of the best ways to do this is to make
three separate lists:
List 1: What you're good at
Everyone is good at something and many
skills can be the foundation for a business.
You might be naturally organized or have a
knack for fixing things. You may be so used to
your skills that they don't immediately come to
mind, so assemble this list by observing
yourself for a few weeks with an eye out for
your aptitudes and by asking people who
know you well for their impressions of what
you excel at.
List 2: Skills you've acquired over the years
Whether or not you've worked in a
conventional environment, you no doubt have
accumulated many. Write down all the work
responsibilities you've had; think about the
varied tasks you know how to complete. Make
sure this list is complete -- there should be at
least 10 distinct items.
List 3: Things you like to do
List the things you enjoy doing. This may not
be as easy as it sounds. This list should be at
least 10 items long. Stretch beyond your
hobbies and interests that spring to mind
immediately. If you're stymied, ask people who
have known you for a long time -- particularly
people who knew you as a kid -- what they
have seen you doing when you're happiest.
Keep these three lists in an accessible place
(for instance on your desk) for several weeks,
and when small business ideas come to you,
jot them down in the proper category. Ask
people who know you well for their input or to
help you jog your memory.
(iii)Figure out what the market needs
So far, you've been looking inward to come
up with your business idea. Now its time to
look outward to discover an unfilled need that
you can meet with your product or service.
There are plenty of "Top 10" or "Hot New"
business lists out there. These may stimulate
some ideas, but the best business ideas will
come from you and will be based on who you
are and what the market is looking for. So
while you're doing your soul searching and list
making, put up your antenna and look out for
business opportunities.
The attached worksheet is designed to help
you come up with ideas. Don't be afraid to be
outlandish and don't be discouraged if your
first few ideas are flawed. Put them aside and
keep working.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
HOW TO START FISH FARMING IN NIGERIA (II)
TYPES OF FISH.
Haven seen the benefits as well as the risks
involved in fish farming, let's now proceed to
decide which specie of fish we want to farm.
Below are some of the most popular fish
species that is suitable for Aquaculture.
1. Cat Fish - Even though Catfish is not the
most popular fish in Nigeria, this fish species
is by far the most cultivated in Nigeria. One
thing good about catfish is that it is one of
the easiest fish species to cultivate. So,
people naturally flow to the direction of fish
specie they found to be the easiest to
cultivate.
2. Tilapia - Second most popular fish in
Nigeria's aquaculture industry, Tilapia is a
fish species that lives in fresh shallow water.
Tilapia is very easy to cultivate and very
popular in Nigerian market, it reproduces
very rapidly and grows fast too.
3. Mackerel (Titus) - This is by far the most
popular fish in Nigerian market but so sad it's
not farmed. All Mackerel Fish are "wild
caught" but some farmer in Nigeria are
considering the possibility of creating artificial
salty water that will be similar to sea water
where mackerel can only survive. Can this
deep blue sea fish specie be cultivated
artificially? Only time will tell but for now, you
have to focus your attention to Catfish and
Tilapia.
WHAT YOU NEED TO START UP.
1. Secure a Land - Any location is good
since fish doesn't cause any environmental
disturbance. Look for land where you can get
it cheap and buy. Depending on the capacity
you wants to operate on, half plot of land is
just good enough for average fish farm.
However, you may go for something bigger
like full plot or two if you can afford it
probably for convenience sake. If you already
have a compound with leftover space you
thing can accommodate two or three ponds,
you may use it.
2. Construct Ponds - You need to engage
the service of expert pond construction
engineer or you go to another fish farm to get
the specification and construction
requirements. The plumbing work must be
properly done to ensure proper drainage.
3. Dig a Borehole - Adequate water supply
is the lifeblood of fish farm and lack of it may
result to disaster because water need to be
changed on regular interval. Naturally
available sources of water such as borehole
and river water is the most suitable. Rain
water and tap water from chemically treated
source is not recommended for fish
cultivation.
4. Overhead Tank - This is the water
reservoir from which water is supplied to
your ponds. This tank has to be connected
to your ponds through plumbing system to
make it convenient for water to flow into your
ponds when needed.
5. Juvenile Fish - Get your juvenile from
another farm that specializes in supplying it.
You need to go for the high yield specie of
catfish or tilapia and make sure you are
getting it from a healthy farm.
6. Get Training - Not the kind of training you
get from one day seminars; you need to get
attached to a fish farm for proper
apprenticeship. For you to properly learn this
trade, you need at least two months training
on this.
Remember that your investment is at stake,
trial and error is not good in business except
you have unlimited funds to experiment with.
Feasibility Study for a Standard Fish Farm
I found the analysis below from Kings Way
Agro Services and decided to add it as
sample case study you can follow.
"This feasibility study prepared for a catfish
farm capacity of 10,000 and fingerlings of
high breed catfish where to be stocked. The
expenses from pond construction to
marketing is considered. The farm is to have
10 concrete ponds of flow through system
and each pond is to contains 1,000 stocked
catfish.
Ensure professionalism, FG charges
bloggers, social media enthusiasts
october 16, 2014.
By CALEB AYANSINA
ABUJA – The Federal Government, yesterday,
called on bloggers and social media
enthusiasts to apply professionalism in the
dissemination of information to the general
public.
The government noted that the “social media
has become an avenue for transmitting hate
speeches and radical messages”, and there
was need to ensure self censorship.
The Director General of National Orientation
Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri made this
known at the Nigerian Bloggers and Social
Media Workshop organised by the Agency in
Abuja.
Omeri expressed concern over some online
publications and press articles on the current
security challenges and other challenges in the
country in what he described as
‘embellished tones’.
The DG noted that the role of bloggers/writers
of online articles, the press, social media
users, media focused civil society organisation
in promoting peace, unity and national
development.”
He maintained that place of a good ethical
conducts among the practitioners and the
owners of blogs could not be overemphasised,
to have a peaceful society.
According to him, the aim of the workshop
was not to infringe on the rights of bloggers on
their freedom of speech and expression or
impose a regulatory framework on the
populace, but to ensure strict adherent to
tenet of journalism.
”The online media being an emergent critical
component of the media also needs to be
strengthened to contribute to the effective
functioning of the larger body in its quest of
building a better society.
“Therefore, increasing the knowledge of
bloggers and other workshop participants on
ethical principles in their practice is
imperative,” Omeri said.
He expressed confidence that “the quality of
content put together by the credible team of
resource persons assured me that this
workshop will be beneficial to participants on
personal and professional level, as we embark
on this knowledge-learning and experience
sharing expedition”.
ITALIAN NURSE KILLS 38 PATIENTS
An Italian nurse named Daniela Poggiali, 42,
was taken into custody following the autopsy
report on one among her previous patients
discovered a lethal amount of potassium in her
system that resulted in cardiac arrest. A quick
investigation has linked Poggiali to 37 some
other patient deaths at Umberto I Hospital in
Lugo.
According to Alessandron Mancini, the lead
prosecutor, Poggiali appeared “unperturbed”
upon her arrest.
The investigators have stated that all of the
potential victims were “annoying patients with
pushy relatives,” and it would appear that
Poggiali ended the lives of these patients not
out of empathy, but out of pure spite.
Colleagues mention that Poggiali had offered
to deal with unruly patients on multiple
occasions, even stooping so low as giving
patients extra doses of laxatives at the end of
her shift.
Additionally, officials found several selfies
depicting Poggiali giving a “thumbs up” over
dead bodies in hospital beds. “In all my
professional years of seeing shocking photos,
there have been few like these,” stated
Mancini.
TEXTING TO PREVENT EBOLA.
Texting to prevent Ebola
OCTOBER 16, 2014
BY AGENCY
REPORTER
Health inspectors at work | credits:
www.globapost.com
When the recent outbreak of Ebola virus was
first reported in Nigeria, Nne Orji was one of
many Nigerians who bathed in saltwater,
believing that it would help keep her safe
from the disease. She even drank from the
salt solution – a mythical cure that has cost
the lives of a number of people.
She was especially concerned that her
profession as an immigration officer put her at
risk, because of contact with travellers from
other countries.
She was determined to do what it takes to
protect herself, but she didn’t have good
information about what to do. Along with the
widespread fear of the disease, there were
rampant rumours about how it could be
caught – and magical ways to prevent it. Nne
was just one of many who believed them.
That all changed when her mobile phone
beeped with a text message from her elder
sister. Several beeps later, Nne had the
information she needed to help protect herself
against Ebola. And then she started sharing
the messages with colleagues.
The messages were a result of U-Report, a
text-based communication platform
developed by UNICEF and deployed as part
of the social mobilisation strategy against
Ebola. It uses the cascading power of a
single ‘U-reporter’ sharing a message with
multiple recipients, who in turn pass it on to
others.
UNICEF launched U-Report in Nigeria in April
this year. Using Short Message Service
(SMS) messages, it allows individual
subscribers to ask questions about issues, to
get real time answers and to share
information with other U-reporters across the
country. By giving people a new and effective
platform for communicaiton, it is intended to
strengthen community-led development,
citizen engagement and behavioural change.
The outbreak of Ebola saw Nigerians urgently
seeking information on how to prevent the
disease. The use of salt and water to cure the
disease was a deadly hoax spread through
social media. U-Report made it quicker for
people to share and receive information, even
in hard-to-reach areas where other methods
of social mobilisation and outreach are less
effective. In the month after the start of the
outbreak, subscribers increased from 19,000
to 63,000. Many people were asking for and
contributing information on Ebola – causes,
symptoms, treatment and how to prevent it –
as well as sharing with non U-reporters.
Ms. Orji’s sister, Oruoma Odom, a journalism
teacher, became a U-reporter in May this
year at a UNICEF training for journalists and
journalism teachers. “What I do is send out
the messages whenever I receive them to my
brothers and sisters in the countryside,” she
says. “My sister who is an immigration officer
was most grateful, because she did not have
any information about Ebola and being an
immigration officer she felt especially at risk
being, as it were, the first contact with
incoming visitors to Nigeria.”
Educating the public about Ebola
transmission and prevention has been a
critical part of the effort to contain the
outbreak in Nigeria. In addition to house-to-
house campaigns and other social
mobilisation activities providing lifesaving
information on Ebola virus disease, UNICEF
has used the U-Report platform to reach a
large segment of the Nigerian population.
“Within first 24 hours of the outbreak, our
subscribers doubled from 19,000 because of
the accuracy of information. Unsolicited
responses were replied in real time.
Questions, answers and facts from the World
Health Organisation were shared on Twitter
and Facebook on the measures to prevent
Ebola,” says Aboubacar Kampo, UNICEF
Nigeria’s Chief of Health, who oversees U-
Report Nigeria.
“People were asking questions like: Does
bitter kola cure Ebola? Is Ebola Virus Disease
airborne? Does bush meat transmit Ebola?
Can it be transmitted via mosquito bites?”
Kampo explains. “These were the questions
people were asking, because they want to
know, and you cannot blame them.”
In addition to the thousands of U-reporters
sharing messages with friends and relatives,
major radio and television networks in Nigeria
rebroadcast U-Report messages to millions of
their audience.
“We must never underestimate the power of
the social media. With more than 100 million
Nigerians owning a mobile phone today, they
can get the right information or ask their
question and get real-time response from
others as quickly as possible,” says Jean
Gough, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.
“This is how to engage the communities and
promote necessary social change that people
want.”
•Geoffrey Njoku, Communication Specialist,
UNICEF Nigeria
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
John kantiyok is still waiting for you to join Twitter...
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Thousands of Christians protest in Ilorin.
Thousands of Christians protest in Ilorin
october 15, 2014,
Vanguard News
BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI
ILORIN-Thousands of Christians, members of
various church denominations stormed the
streets of Ilorin early hours of Wednesday
morning to protest the taking over of their
schools by kwara state government demanding
that they want their schools back.
All schools in kwara state among others
resumed Wednesday after a prolonged holiday
occasioned by the outbreak of Ebola Virus
Disease.
But,the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on
Media and Communications,Dr Muideen
Akorede in a swift denied that government had
such plan to take over the Christians schools
Vanguard check revealed that the schools
were being grant aided by the state
government since the year 2006, a
development that conferred the ownership
status on the government which the Christian
communities rose up to reject.
Members had as early as 7am gathered at St
James Schools,Primary, Junior and Senior
Secondary schools owned by Christ Apostolic
Church CAC on the ever busy Yidi
road,singing Christian songs and praying
fervently for the state government to hand over
the schools back to them.
Peacefully filing across the streets in their
demonstration mood, the protesters displayed
placards such as’’ We want our Schools
back’’, ’’We are taking back our schools
because they belong to us’’, Government
should stop grant aiding our schools, we can
run them on our own’’, ’’Enough of oppression
and injustice, we are taking back our schools,
they belong to us’’, ’’Mission Schools belong
to us,n we want government to stop grant
aiding it’’. among others
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
MALALA YOUSAF, YOUNGĂST NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER
Malala Yousafzai, Youngest Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Adds to Her Achievements and Expectations
Malala Yousafzai at the United Nations last
year. Ms. Yousafzai, 17, is the youngest
recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
TODD HEISLER / THE NEW YORK TIMES
By JODI KANTOR
OCTOBER 10, 2014
Though Malala Yousafzai is 17, she does
not use Facebook or even a mobile phone
lest she lose focus on her studies. She
spent her summer vacation flying to
Nigeria to campaign for the release of girls
kidnapped by the extremist Islamist group
Boko Haram, but also worrying about her
grades, which recently took a worrisome
dip. She confronted President Obama
about American drone policy in a meeting
last year, but finds it difficult to befriend
her fellow students in Birmingham,
England.
“I want to have fun, but I don’t quite
know how,” she wrote in the edition of
her autobiography for young readers.
On Friday, Ms. Yousafzai became the
youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
— grouped in the same pantheon as the
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and
Mother Teresa, and yet still a student at
Edgbaston High School for Girls, where she
was summoned out of her chemistry class
to hear the news.
Ms. Yousafzai began campaigning for girls’
education at the age of 11, three years
before she was shot by the Taliban. She
was so young that some observers
questioned how well equipped a child of
that age could be to put her own safety on
the line and commit to a life of activism.
The prize she received on Friday validates
what she has taken on, but also
underscores the disproportionate
expectations that trail her: Can she truly
influence the culture of her home country
of Pakistan, which she cannot even visit
because of threats to her safety, and where
many revile her as a tool of the West? Ms.
Yousafzai may be an Anne Frank-like
figure who defied terror, showed
extraordinary courage and inspires hope,
but how much can one teenager
accomplish?
“Can she actually create systemic change
at this young age? Can she create a
movement? Because she doesn’t have that
kind of infrastructure in Pakistan at the
moment,” said Vishakha Desai, a professor
of international relations at Columbia, said
in a telephone interview.
In one half of Ms. Yousafzai’s dual life,
she is the center of an international
advocacy operation for girls’ education
that now involves a nonprofit
organization, two best-selling books, and
activities that stretch from Pakistan to
Jordan to Kenya. She criticizes not just the
Taliban, but also the culture of Pakistan,
in which women are rarely granted the
same rights and opportunities as men. She
has become one of the world’s most
prominent faces of moderate Islam, saying
in a recent interview that she tried
wearing a burqa when she was younger
but gave it up: “I realized that it just took
away my freedom, and that’s why I
stopped wearing it.”
When she met with Mr. Obama last year,
she critiqued American military action in
her home region. “Instead of soldiers, send
books. Instead of sending weapons, send
pens,” as she later put it. (Asked how he
responded, she gave a knowing look. “He’s
a politician,” she said.)
WOMAN CAUGHT IN A HOTEL ROOM WITH YOUNG LOVER, BY HER HUSBAND.
A stupid housewife who relishes in cheating on her husband will small boys has been caught red handed with one of her small-boy lover doing things in a hotel room. In fact, the young lover is said to be a student in one of the tertiary institutions in Nigeria who is still in his second year. The husband and his friends took pictures of the wife and her lover in compromising mood. How sad!
According to his hostel mates, they
thought the woman was his mother or relative as she always come with food stuffs for him. Funny enough, they say she spend the night on some occasions.
She ran out of luck after her husband trailed her to her secret love spot.
MISTRESS OF A MARRIED MAN STRIPPED NAKED!
2face, Wizkid in first collaboration......As Hennessy Artistry goes to Ghana.
2Face, Wizkid in first collabo as Hennessy Artistry goes to Ghana.
october 14, 2014
2Face, Wizkid in first collabo as Hennessy
Artistry goes to Ghana
Nigeria’s biggest pop icon, 2Face and the
starboy, Wizkid are about to turn the Artistry
season a notch higher as the headliners move
out of Nigeria for the first time ever this
weekend to deliver the biggest Hennessy
Artistry international concert in the city of
Accra, Ghana.
With two of Nigeria’s biggest music acts 2Face
and Wizkid performing alongside buzzing
Ghanaian artistes like 4×4, Edem, MzVee and
South African duo, Mafikizolo, the Hennessy
Artistry concert will hold this Saturday,
October 18th at the Accra International
Conference Centre.
Lere Awokoya, Brand Manager for Hennessy
Nigeria commented, “Our choice of bringing
together these talented artistes from around
Africa was influenced by the convergence of
Africa and Africa’s taste in music. Just as
Hennessy is consumed in different countries in
Africa, Africa has gotten to point where
countries are sharing similar music tastes.
2Face and Wizkid have visited a variety of
African countries including Ghana repeatedly
and this is evident in their relevance in the
African continent today”
The 2014 Hennessy Artistry headliners, 2Face
and Wizkid made their second club tour
appearance yesterday, Saturday, October 11,
2014 at the Cosmo Lounge in Port Harcourt
and left fans, lovers of Hennessy and music.
They kicked off the show with a pulsating
performance of their first banging collabo
track, “Dance Go” as they mingled with
guests present. Guests also surprised the
headliners as they sang to the upbeat track
line by line.
Northern Governors should tell Jonathan, that he has no right to contest- Ango Abdullahi.
2015: Northern Govs should tell Jonathan he has no right to contest election – Ango
Abdullah
october 14, 2014.
Vanguard News
By Suzan Edeh
Bauchi-The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has
asserted that any Nigerian who decides to
vote for PDP in the 2015 elections could be
seen as one of those conniving with the party
to sell the rights of Northern Nigerian people.
To this end, the forum said the Northern
People have lost confidence in the Northern
Governors who in 2011 elections entered a
secret deal with President Jonathan to contest
that election without necessarily telling their
constituencies about their unbecoming acts.
The Forum Secretary Professor Ango Abdullahi
who stated this during an interview at his
office in Bauchi said that the secret deal was
later confirmed by President Goodluck
Jonathan himself.
According to him, “the Northern Governors
should be bold to tell President Jonathan that
he has no right to contest election based on
their earlier agreement reached for power
rotation between the North and South parts of
the country under the auspices of the PDP”
“It was only recently that the Governor of
Niger State who is currently the Chairman of
the Northern Governors Forum came out with
the revelation that they had a secret deal with
Jonathan to contest the 2011 elections”, .
“Common sense should have dictated to PDP
that there would be four years to pay the
North back from 2011 but as you have already
seen, the Governors sold it out, they sold us
and the North out”, He lamented.
Abdullahi wondered why the Niger State
Governor is still supporting the candidature of
President Jonathan for 2015 , describing the
action as mere sell-out of the Northern people
FG to promote creation of 1, 500 SMEs via new technologies.
FG to promote creation of 1,500 SMEs via
new technologies
october 14, 2014.
By NKIRUKA NNOROM
The Director General of Federal Institute of
Industrial Research Oshodi, FIIRO, Dr. Gloria
Elemo, has said that an estimated 1,500 small
and medium scale enterprises are expected to
be set up across the country in the next one
year through the 250 Research and
Development (R&D) technologies/outputs
developed by the institute.
Speaking ahead of the Investment and
Technology Week being put together by the
institute, she said that not less than 50,000
direct job opportunities will also be created
following the adoption of the technologies by
the 774 local government areas in the nation,
even as she said that 75,000 entrepreneurs
have so far benefited from FIIRO technology
transfer.
She noted that the 250 R&D outputs to be
showcased at the four days event, which
kicked off today (Tuesday, October 14, 2014),
would also spur more Foreign Direct
Investment, FDI, interest into the country.
Elemo added that the investment week is part
of the institute’s effort to deliver more
effectively on its mandate for rapid
industrialization of the national economy, as
well as create employment opportunities to
reverse the worsening unemployment in the
country.
“The overall aim of the programme is to
showcase the institutes over 250 R&D outputs
suitable for investment by micro, small,
medium and large scale entrepreneurs to
enhance job creation and improve on the
national Gross Domestic Products.
“We are hoping that at least 35 technologies
would be well structured and adopted in all
the local governments, which is 774. So, the
projection is that if every local government
tries to adopt at least two technologies, we
will have a total of about 2,000 jobs each.
“When you look at others that are coming in to
buy into the technologies, various commercial
organisations, students coming in, National
Association of Nigeria Students, NANS,
organizations like SURE-P and other organized
sectors, we are expecting that minimum
expected jobs that can come out of this
catalyst should be at least 250,000. This will
definitely reduce unemployment level in the
country,” she said.
“We just concluded training of a number of
youths on our National Techno-entrepreneurs
Initiative, but our target is 2,000 youths on
annual basis as part of our contribution to
national development and corporate social
responsibility programme, to transfer
technology to them and also lead them to
proper infrastructure that will definitely
establish them on the field.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Sunny Neji and 2face Idibia to host World washing day in Nigeria.
Sunny Neji & 2Face To Host World
Hand washing Day in Nigeria.
As countries and nations face various crisis
that needs collective efforts to tackle,
Nigerians are not left out of the struggle in
ensuring an enabling environment for all as
two eminent Nigerian artistes have come
out to use music to spread the gospel of
cleanliness to all.
The new songs by Sunny Neji and 2face
Idibia, have been released to coincide with
the governments preaching of washing of
hands with soap and water to avoid the
Ebola virus with Global Hand washing Day
which is on Wednesday, 15th October
2014.
To get the messages speedily across,
citizens will get text messages which will
help educate them on the need of
cleanliness. Carex Hand Wash Soap is the
campaign’s lead sponsor and adds Nigeria
to the growing list of African countries in
which it has led hygiene promotion
activities in recent years.
Global Hand washing Day is a worldwide
celebration involving over 200 million people
coming together on one day each year to
promote a simple and life-saving message.
This year, Nigeria promises to host one of
the largest and most creative celebrations
of the Day ever seen and with people
across Nigeria, Africa and the world singing
‘wash your hands o.’
The event which is hosted by Concern
Universal Nigeria will run for a month, with
special events and musical performances,
text messages and media coverage and will
involve thousands of school children who
will become 'hygiene heroes' for their
schools, families, and communities.
Are you under financial pressure?
OCTOBER 1, 2014
BY USIERE UKO
Author of ‘Practical Steps to Financial
Freedom and Independence’, USIERE UKO ,
writes about how people create financial
pressure on themselves
All of us have experienced financial pressure
at one time or the other. For many, it has
become a permanent state, almost normal.
Many parents who were not financially ready
for the September 22, 2014 school
resumption date (announced by the Federal
Ministry of Education) heaved a sigh of relief
when some states including Lagos postponed
resumption to October due to concerns over
Ebola. Still, some wished it could be
postponed further till month end as that
would relief some of the financial pressures
they are currently under.
It is tempting to think that the financial
pressures we experience are external
circumstances we have no control over. We
lose sight of the fact that the financial
pressure we currently face are choices we
made (often without thinking through) which
is manifesting in the pressure we are facing
today. We do have control over it, by
choosing to act differently. The same mindset
that got us into trouble cannot get us out. If
what you are trying to swallow is threatening
to swallow you, it is better to cut your coat
according to your cloth. I remember vividly
during my childhood when I attempted to
chew and swallow a piece of meat that was
too big for me; I choked on it as tears came
to my eyes. The only way out was to bring it
out and further cut it into smaller pieces. You
can make a quality decision that nothing will
put you under pressure, including financial
demands. Simply do what is within your
ability and let the heavens fall.
Self imposed financial pressures
Almost all financially pressures arise out of
financial illiteracy. It is a sign that funds have
been misappropriated. If it was public funds,
the EFCC would have to get involved. It did
not just jump on you. Outside the estate
where I live, is a neighbourhood of one
bedroom apartments also known as ‘face-
me-I-face-you’. During Sallah celebrations,
the whole street turns into an abattoir. There
is a full cow slaughtered in front of every
compound. Meanwhile within the estate, the
‘poorer’ residents slaughter rams. I tell my
children each time we drive past these cows
that those folks are richer than us living in the
estate.
We don’t stop to think before we spend. We
count our chicks before they are hatched and
go into things that could have waited while
we better manage what we have. Often,
money that would have been used to build a
solid financial foundation is sunk into an
abandoned project. The money is not
bringing returns while we end up more broke
than before, even owing on top of that. The
interesting thing is that rather than learn a
lesson, the moment money comes into our
hands again, we embark on another project
which soon becomes abandoned as well.
One of the most common personal financial
crimes committed by everyday people is not
having savings but spending all earnings.
Anytime someone comes to us with a sob
story, we empty our savings to ‘help’. We
hardly stop to review if the person has really
been helped or our money has gone down
the drain yet again.
When a major need shows up at our door –
major car repairs, medical bills, house repairs
etc – it is then our turn to go begging,
making the begging circle complete.
The pressure of not offending others
If you are like me, you dislike offending other
people, especially people you look up to. I
used to think when people come to me that I
am their last resort, that if I don’t help,
something bad may happen – someone will
die, get stranded, heads will roll and blood
will flow. Since I stopped giving in to
emotional blackmail, I have come to see that
nobody died, that actually counselling the
person sometimes works better than
weakening the person by giving him fish.
You will be sitting in your house trying to
balance your budget and someone very close
to you comes with ‘aso ebi’ priced through
the roof. You don’t need another attire, you
don’t even like the colour and very likely will
never wear it again after the event. You have
no budget for it, but you don’t want to offend
someone, so you dip your hands into your
savings. A friend wants to start selling things,
and insists you must buy to encourage her. A
friend needs some money to balance up the
children’s school fees, pay hospital bills etc.
We feel compelled to help so as not to offend
others. This is self imposed bondage which
has financial and other implications on us,
and those we are ‘helping’.
Friendship and money does not mix well.
Borrowing money from friends is an abuse of
friendship. It is not the job of friends to
borrow people money. It is the job of banks,
which has the liquidity and personnel trained
in administering loan portfolios. A friend can
help another in need, but the friend must
have the capability to do so. A weak bank
that bails out another simply means two
banks going into distress. In the parable of
the wise and foolish virgins in Matt 25 (Holy
Bible), the wise virgins who had extra oil
refused to give away their back up hence had
enough when the bridegroom eventually
showed up. If they had given in to emotional
blackmail, both the foolish and the wise
virgins would have ended up foolish and out
of oil.
The Lord is my insurance
Many people believe that bad things do not
happen to good people. God is their
insurance and in the unlikely event that
anything happens, they can always run to
friends and family who are nice people and
are always willing to help. This is another way
we invite financial pressure on ourselves
when incidents happen.
A lot of folks do not insure their homes and
valuables. Many have third party insurance
also known as ‘let my people go’ on their
cars. The Lord provided money for the car
and will insure it all by himself. Deep down,
they are scared while driving that nobody hits
them and when they go to an event, the
quarrel with the parking attendants while
trying to ensure that they park in a safe place
where they can keep an eye on the car, as if
the car has no comprehensive insurance
cover. Many struggle with the car keys with
gun totting armed robbers and some do not
live to tell the tale.
The same applies to health insurance. Rather
than get a complete health insurance cover
for the family, we try to cut corners, skip
annual checkups and practice self medication
while we have money to spend on expensive
party attires and adult toys. We load
ourselves with sugary drinks and junk food
and pray for healing when our body reacts to
the abuse.
Financial pressures do not fall from the sky. If
you are wondering who is behind the financial
pressures that has been tormenting you, you
don’t need to look for a prophet or seer.
Simply go to the nearest mirror and take a
good look. The face frowning back at you is
the culprit.
To be continued…
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HOW TO START FISH FARMING IN NIGERIA
How to Start Fish Farming in Nigeria
There are so many information on the internet
on "How to Start Fish Farming in Nigeria" but
few are detailed enough to really assist
aspiring fish farmer to get started. I will be
endeavor to make this article as detailed as
possible and hope that other experienced fish
farmer will add to it as we try to answer
people's questions through commenting.
One of the most popular farming in Nigeria is
fish farming and for good reasons. Gone are
the days when the only means of getting fish
is by catching it in the local rivers and ponds
through trial and errors. Today, the modern
farm practice has made it possible to grow
fish in the farms and control the input.
If you are thinking of business to start now, I
recommend you start CatFish Farming in
Nigeria. If you are an existing farmer and you
are looking for expanding your farm capacity,
I'd encourage you add fish farming to your
farm. Fish farming (especially catfish) is most
compatible with poultry farming as you can
use the poultry drops to make the feeds for
your fish.
BENEFITS OF FISH FARMING
1. Fishery products is by far the most
popular animal products in the market,
constituting more than 60% of meat
products in the Nigerian market.
2. Fish is one of the highest source of
protein. Fish is a low-fat high quality protein
that is filled with omega-3 fatty acids and
vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin). Fish
is also very rich in calcium and phosphorus
and is equally a great source of minerals,
such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and
potassium.
3. Fish sells faster than any other animal
products in the market and is relatively
cheaper than meats, making it the number
one choice when it comes to affordability.
4. Fish grows very fast as practices in fish
farming makes it possible for farmers to
increase the fastness of their fish growth by
giving them certain feeds, ensuring that you
harvest and sell within short period of time.
5. Fish is the biggest source of Omega-3
fatty acids which is extremely beneficial to
human heart; Omega-3 helps to keep our
heart and brain very healthy. Since bodies
don't produce Omega-3 fatty acids, the only
source through which we can get it is by
what we eat, that is where fish comes to the
rescue.
6. Fish farming is very profitable. With proper
planning and good management, N3 million
investment in fish farming could easily result
to N4 million of pure profit within six months.
7. Fish farm does not cause any
environmental hazard. Unlike poultry farming,
you can setup fish farm anywhere, including
residential areas. If you have a specious
compound, you can easily setup a small fish
farm within your backyard without any
regulatory precaution.
RISK AND CHALLENGES
1. Fish is very sensitive to manage and a
slight mistake could result to degenerated
growth of your fish or even death which may
cause massive revenue loss.
2. Setting up fish farm is capital intensive,
much more than that of poultry and snail
farm. Setting up fish farm requires more
careful planning and much capital input. A
relatively small fish farm may take up to
N500,000 to setup, while bigger ones takes
millions of naira.
3. Due to the cost of production, fish
produced from the farm is priced higher than
those caught from the rivers and ponds by
fishermen. Therefore, if there are good
quantity of fisherman's fish in the market, you
may find it difficult to sell as people would
prefer the cheaper ones.
4. There is no byproduct in fishery unlike
poultry where even the drop can be
harvested and sold to other farmers and
make extra profit. In fishery, all you get is the
flesh .
To be continue. ......
Buhari, Kwankwaso go separate ways as consensus plan flops
october 13, 2014.
Efforts by stakeholders in the All Progressives
Congress, APC to forge a consensus between
two of the major presidential aspirants in the
party, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Governor
Rabiu Kwankwanso have failed.
Both men in an apparent determination to slug
it out have now formally scheduled dates to
declare their aspirations.
Reflective of their efforts for political
supremacy, the associates of both men were
last night engaged in a war of words on who
was better placed to win the presidential ticket
of the party.
Buhari is to declare for the contest on
Wednesday, October 15, while Governor
Kwankwanso has himself scheduled his
declaration for October 23, 2014.
Kwankwaso’s decision to go public with his
bid, it was learnt, was sequel to the failed
effort to forge a consensus deal between him
and Buhari. Both men are presently, the two
major aspirants from the Northwest geopolitical
zone of the country.
The development has led to a serious division
among APC supporters in the zone over who
should fly the flag of the party in the coming
election.
Buhari is mainly supported by the masses but
Kwankwanso is believed to have the support
of government officials and political office
holders especially in Kano State.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and
Leadership Newspaper publisher, Sam Nda-
Isaiah are the two other major contenders
remaining in the north following yesterday’s
formal declaration by Senator Bukola Saraki to
withdraw himself from the contest. Governor
Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State is also known
to be testing the waters for a possible bid.
While Kwamkwaso’s supporters are making a
case for a young blood to take a shot at the
presidency, Buhari’s followers advance
political maturity, popularity and experience as
factors that cannot be ignored.
Speaking yesterday on Kwakwanso’s plans for
the presidential race, an associate and
member of the Board of Trustees, BoT of the
APC, Chief Olisameka Akamukali said that
baring any unforeseen circumstances, that
Kwankwanso would unveil his presidential
campaign on October 23.
Akamukali, a former chairman of the
Democratic Peoples Party, DPP in Delta State
said that Governor Kwankwaso had consulted
widely concerning his ambition even as he
said that Buhari needed to give a younger
person a chance to contest the presidency.
“Now in as much as we agree that Buhari is a
man of integrity but you will also agree with
me that age is not on his side,” he said.
His claim was immediately dismissed by a
senior official of the party also sympathetic to
the Buhari campaign who described
Kwankwanso’s bid as a clownish act. He said
that Buhari would defeat the Kano governor
even in Kano.
“Yes, I know that Kwankwanso can get a huge
pile of the government delegates from Kano
but that is the much he can get. What of the
other states or is he relying only on Kano?”
“Or have you forgotten in 2011 that Buhari
defeated the former governor of Kano, Ibrahim
Shekarau even in Kano? The Buhari campaign
is a brand, watch out and see what we are
going to do at the declaration on Wednesday,”
the official said.
Continuing, the Buhari associate wondered
why Kwankwanso mobilises his Kano based
supporters anytime he goes out of the state,
saying that on the contrary that Buhari has his
supporters all over the country and does not
need to carry supporters along to show his
political viability.”
“You know the fact that he has control of one
big state does not mean that he is popular
outside the state,” the Buhari man said.
But asserting the viability of Kwankwanso over
Buhari, Akamukali said:
“The issue of anointing candidates for
elections has been rejected by the APC and
that is why the party is insisting that there
shall be transparent primaries. The fears of
some of the aspirants may be due to the fact
of their previous experience where they never
faced competitive primaries to emerge as
party candidate. That is why such people are
pushing for consensus.
“The generality of the party is saying no, let us
do things differently from what the PDP are
doing. We must have a transparent primary. I
can tell you that Kwakwanso has built a lot of
bridges across the political divide. Remember,
he came into the House of Representatives as
a member of then Social Democratic Party
(SDP) in 1991 and became Deputy Speaker.”
According to Akamukali, one factor that gives
Kwankwaso an edge over other aspirants was
his firm control of APC structures in his state.
“One other factor that is considered additional
strength to the Kano governor is that whereas
he has solid home base support, his co-
contestants, like Atiku and Buhari could not
boast of being in control of the structures of
the party in their home states.
“From the angle of qualification, the
constitution is very clear on this, a man who
has a doctorate in Engineering, academically is
qualified, a man who has not been convicted
by any competent court, a man whom the
EFCC and other Federal Government anti graft
agencies have investigated and nothing was
found on him is eminently qualified to contest
for the president of the country, “ he stated.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Ebola: Health care worker tests positive at Texas hospital
OCTOBER 12, 2014
BY BBC
A Texas health care worker who treated US
Ebola victim Thomas Duncan before his
death has tested positive for the virus,
officials say.
“We knew a second case could be a reality,
and we’ve been preparing for this
possibility,” said Dr David Lakey,
commissioner of the Texas Department of
State Health Services.
Duncan, who caught the virus in his native
Liberia, died at a Dallas hospital on
Wednesday.
The health worker has not been named.
Duncan tested positive in Dallas on
September 30, 10 days after arriving on a
flight from Monrovia via Brussels.
He became ill a few days after arriving in the
US, but after going to hospital and telling
medical staff he had been in Liberia, he was
sent home with antibiotics.
GOD LOVES NIGERIA-
By Femi Fani - Kayode.
God loves Nigeria so much. For those that
doubt it kindly consider the following.
They created ebola in their demonic labs for
bio weapons. They sent the disease to our
shores through an insane Liberian but the Lord
defended us and refused to allow it to take
root in our shores.
The watchers prayed "return to sender" and
ebola was sent back to Dallas through another
insane Liberian. Now they seek to learn
lessons from the Nigeria that they targetted
and sought to destroy about how to "contain
ebola".
God loves Nigeria so much. Why? Because, as
the bible says, ''He uses the foolish things of
this world to confound the wisdom of the
wise''. For those that still doubt it kindly
consider the following.
They refused to label Boko Haram as a terrorist
organisation until all men of goodwill begged
them to do so and until the terrorists had
slaughtered no less than 25,000 Nigerians,
including innocent children whilst abducting
thousands more.
They refused to sell us arms to fight the
Haramites and when we approached other
nations to do so they directed them to say
''no'' and turn us down.
Yet God was with us, we sourced those arms
ourselves and ever since then the tied has
turned and our gallant soldiers are winning the
war against Boko Haram.
Can all this be just coincidence? Do these so-
called friends and allies of our nation really
wish us well?
I read the response of the American
Ambassador to Nigeria about our concerns
about the US arms embargo on Nigeria. He
spoke nothing but nonsensical popycock and
bunkum.
What on earth have we done to them that they
seek to bring us to our knees and decimate
our country with terror, torment, violent
brutality and disease?
Why have they visited us with so much covert
hate despite our obnoxious fawning and
desperate crawling before their superpower
thrones for the last one hundred years?
Have we not played the fool enough for them
and have we not bowed low enough to them
on bended knee for the last 54 years?
Yet despite all our efforts to please our
international partners and modern-day slave
masters they seek to effect their prophecy that
chaos must envelop Nigeria and that our
country must break up by 2015.
They seek to ensure that we are enveloped in a
sea of carnage and fratricidal butchery the likes
of which have never been seen before on the
African continent or indeed in world history.
In the light of all these observations numerous
questions must be asked? Who is really
behind Boko Haram and how come they have
more sophisticated arms than the Nigerian
military?
Who supplies them with those arms and all
that training? Is it the same forces that covertly
trained, armed and supplied ISIS, Al Nusra and
Daesh?
Is it the same powers that used those barbaric
terrorist organisations in Syria to attempt to
topple President Bashar Al Assad and in Iraq
to push Nouri Al Malaki out of power?
Is it the same forces that unleashed mayhem
and created turmoil in the Ukraine and that
sought to plunge Europe and Russia into a
bloody war?
Is it the same forces that created Al Qaeda and
commissioned Osama Bin Ladin to push the
Soviets out of Afghanistan? Is it the same
people that seek to use Boko Haram to
decimate our country, destroy our people and
bring our government to it's knees?
It is very clear to me that NATO will deploy
ground troops to Iraq and Syria relatively soon.
This was the plan all along. The long-term
objective is not just to destroy and defeat ISIL
but also to remove Bashar Al Assad from
power in Syria.
As a matter of fact the latter has always been
the primary objective and America, Turkey,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and a handful of others in
the Arab Gulf states supported and funded
ISIS, Al Nusra, Daesh and a number of other
terrorist groups specifically for that purpose for
a number of years.
The sheer evil and horror of ISIS has provided
a useful pretext and justification for a full scale
invasion of Syria and Iraq by the western
powers and their sunni Arab allies.
That invasion, which will be clothed in the
name of ''liberation'', will come soon. Bashar
Al Assad, Syria, Russia, Iran, China and their
secularist allies in the region need to brace up
and prepare for the worst. This is indeed a
rhapsody of reality.
Yet whoever unleashed these forces and
whatever their evil intentions for Nigeria are,
one thing is clear: despite all our complexities,
self-hate, self-doubt, ignorance, naivety,
eccentricities and innocent trusting ways, God
loves us dearly and we shall not go the way of
Iraq, Syria or Libya.
After all this is the land of the Ameyo
Adadevoh's and other brave souls. This is the
land where the watchers pray through the night
and stand in the gap for their beloved nation
and their compatriots regardless of faith, tribe
or creed.
This is the land where, though we pretend to
hate one another and we bicker morning, night
and day, we know the meaning of the word
patriotism, honor, dedication, resilience,
ruggedness and love.
This is the land whose people know how to
worship and praise the one true God and who
call on His name night and day.
The earthly powers that be and the emissaries
of the devil, no matter how powerful, how rich
and how connected will never destroy us and
neither shall the counsel of satan prevail in our
land.
Each time they throw a bomb at us, like ebola,
it shall ''return to sender''.
Each time they refuse to sell us arms to enable
us to defend our people and redeem our honor
the Lord shall raise others who shall do it in
their stead.
The bottom line is as follows: you may hate us
and seek to shame and humiliate us but God
loves Nigeria and His purpose for our nation,
whether you like it or not, shall surely come to
pass.
God bless Nigeria and may He continue to
deliver us from our enemies, preserve our
unity, defend our shores and protect our
borders.
Sudan Kicks Eagles Out Of 2015
AFCON Race.
Salifu Usman
Oct 12, 2014
Super Eagles chance of qualifying for the
2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in
Morocco appears over following a 1-0
shock defeat to Sudan in Khartoum
yesterday.
The defeat leaves African champions lie
bottom of their Group A with just one
point after three rounds of matches.
Stephen Keshi’s men are now in a
perilous situation that even if they win all
of their remaining three matches, they
may not qualify except table topper,
South Africa and second place Congo fail
to win two of their remaining three
matches respectively.
South Africa, earlier on, beat Congo 2-0
away in Pointe Noire to leap frog the
Congolese to top spot in the group A
with seven points, while Sudan also
leapfrogged Nigeria into third place with
their first win of the qualifying series.
Congo remains second with six points.
Mathematically, Super Eagles, who are
yet to win a match in the campaign
could still make it to the 2015 AFCON in
Morocco, if they win their remaining
three matches – at home to Sudan and
South Africa and away to Congo
respectively and hope that either South
Africa or Congo loss two of their
remaining three matches.
The signals were worrying from the onset
as Sudan quickly settled into the rhythm
on the artificial pitch at the sell-out
Khartoum Stadium, while Nigeria tried to
get going with the long ball.
The Eagles lacked ideas especially in the
final third and must be bitterly
disappointed that they hardly troubled a
well organised Sudan defence for most
of this encounter.
Ironically, the first main chance fell in the
11th minute to Nosa Igiebor, who fired
from outside the box but his shot
crashed against the base of the post to
the relief of the home team.
Yesterday’s game was Nigeria second
defeat to Sudan having lost once to
North African side, back then in 1969.
Nigeria has emerged victorious in six
games and has drawn four times. The
last time Sudan hosted Nigeria in 2001,
they were whacked 4-0 and the story
was more or less the same in their last
encounter as the Super Eagles emerged
2-0 winners in January 2010 in an
AFCON Group C match.
ACF on 2015: ‘Power will shift to the North’
October 12, 2014.
By Isiaka Oyibo, Katsina
A former Inspector General of Police (IGP) and
leader of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF),
Ibrahim Ahmadu Coomassie, says there is the
possibility of power shifting to the North in
2015.
The ACF, which Coomassie leads, has been in
the fore front of the agitation for power shift to
the North..
Fielding question from newsmen in Katsina,
Coomassie said the agitation for power shift to
the North by 2015 was realizable, stressing
that once there was credible election where
people are allowed to freely choose who they
want, power will shift from the South.
He said the fact that the North appears to be
speaking with different voices notwithstanding;
power may go to the North.
“The North has always appeared to be in
disarray but it is not. When the time comes,
things will sort themselves out and the correct
thing will be done. Democracy allows people
to express their views but, eventually, the
majority will carry the day”, the ACF boss said.
“If people want real change, they can always
put their heads together. If we present a
credible candidate and there is honest,
credible and transparent election, the North
can still win.”
“But the important thing is that people should
be allowed to cast their votes and let their
votes count. There should be no changing
results to favour another candidate, let officials
allow voting to take place as is done in
civilized countries. If it is done, then we know
the results will be credible and acceptable”.
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