Wednesday, October 22, 2014
WHY I ABANDONED MY KIDS FOR EIGHT YEARS-FATHER
Why I abandoned my kids for eight years –Father
OCTOBER 23, 2014
BY TOLUWANI ENIOLA
Mr Segun Adepegba, the father of the three
children abandoned in a boarding school for
eight years in Abule-Iroko in Ado-Odo Ota
Local Government Area of Ogun State, Mr
Segun Adepegba, on Wednesday, reached
out to PUNCH Metro .
Adepegba said hardship pushed him to the
wall and that was why he could not take care
of his children. He, however, promised to visit
them before the end of the week.
The father of three, in a telephone interview
with PUNCH Metro , recounted his ordeal,
saying, “life has been very tough for me.” He
said he left the children because he was
jobless and had no house to accommodate
them.
PUNCH Metro had on Tuesday reported that
Adepegba’s children-Seun, 14, Titilola 13,
and Seyi, 10, had been abandoned since
2007 at Solid Rock Model College in Abule-
Iroko. The children, who had been eager to
meet their parents, said the absence of their
parents was affecting their studies.
For many years, the school authorities had
been trying to reach Adepegba to no avail.
The proprietor of the school, Mr Samuel
Ayegbusi, had told our correspondent that
any time he called Adepegba and he realised
it was him, he would switch off his phones.
Adepegba, however, bowed to pressure on
Tuesday after reading the report by PUNCH
Metro . He told our correspondent that
abandoning his children was inevitable,
promising that he would visit the school.
While narrating his ordeal to our
correspondent, he said, “In 2007, my wife
and I had a misunderstanding and she told
me she was leaving me. I was frustrated and
the children were little. Seyi, the youngest
was just two years while Titilola was just five.
“There was no way I could give them
motherly care. I had no job. As a man, I
needed someone to help me take care of
them and that was why my sister suggested
that we enrol them in a boarding school.”
Adepegba told PUNCH Metro that when the
children’s bills kept accumulating and he had
no means of paying, he was afraid that if he
came to the school, the proprietor would get
him arrested.
He said, “I feared that if I suddenly appeared
at the school, the proprietor would get the
police to arrest me. I really appreciate the
proprietor of Solid Rock Model College, for
coming to my rescue and accepting the
responsibility to help me take care of my
children. The truth is this: I was pushed to
the wall. I didn’t want my children to be
beggars on the street.
“All these years, I have been jobless. I had
no house to live in. I was putting up with
someone. I just rented a one-room apartment
and just got a job. I am not a wicked father. I
really miss them but I am gradually
overcoming the challenges I have been
facing. I did not abandon them in that sense.
I can assure you that before the week runs
out, I will visit them.”
Asked whether his wife had called him about
how the children were doing, Adepegba said
since she left him in 2007, he had not heard
from her.
“The last time we saw each other was
probably in 2007 when she left me. I have
been trying to reach her but my search has
not been fruitful. I heard that she is
somewhere in the northern part of the
country,” he said.
However, the school proprietor told PUNCH
Metro that the school authorities had no
intention of getting Adepegba arrested for his
debt .He said he reported the matter to the
Ogun State Police Command because he was
fed up.
He said, “I have nothing against Mr
Adepegba and I understand his plight. My
grievance was that he kept on rejecting my
calls and abandoned his children. How could
he as a father leave his children for this long?
It is not a good thing.”
Our correspondent learnt that the news of
their father’s return had lifted the heart of the
children. The children were all smiles when
they were told that their father had promised
to return before the end of the week.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro on the
telephone on Wednesday, Seun, the eldest of
the trio said, “I am very happy that daddy has
promised to come back. It means I would not
have to spend my holidays in the school
again.”
Titilola added, “I hope this is not another
promise that will fail. I am really looking
forward to seeing him because it will make
me very happy.”
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material, and other digital content on this
website, may not be reproduced, published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole
or in part without prior express written
permission from PUNCH.
$9.3 ARM DEAL: I CAN PERSONALLY VOUCH FOR ORITSEJAFOR- PASTOR ADEBOYE.
$9.3M CASH FOR ARMS DEAL: Pastor Adeboye supports Oritsejafor, says he can
vouch for him
By Olawale Kadir
October 20, 2014
The General overseer of the Reedemed
Christian Church of God, Pastor E.A
Adeboye , has come to the defence of
President of the Christian association of
NIgeria, CAN, Ayo Oritsejafor, over the
involvement of his private jet in the
transportation of $9.3m cash to South Africa.
The money was allegedly meant to purchase
arms to fight Boko Haram, but has been
seized by the South African government.
Pastor Adeboye in a post on his Facebook
page on Sunday Oritsejafor is a man of God
he trusts and can personally vouch that he
knew nothing about the money.
“ Pastor Ayodele Joseph Oritsejafor is a man of
GOD I trust and I can personal vouch for him.
I believe on the issue of his aircraft being
chartered and the purpose it was used for he
had no prior knowledge. I’m sure God will
continue to build His church and the gates of
hell will not prevail in JESUS name, ” said
Adeboye
KADUNA: EL-RUFAI, SIX OTHERS BATTLE FOR APC GOVERNORSHIP TICKET.
KADUNA 2015: El-Rufai, six others to battle
for APC governorship ticket
By Olawale Kadir
October 22, 2014.
Ahead of the 2015 elections, seven aspirants
have so far indicated interest to contest for
the governorship ticket of the All Progressive
Congress, APC, in Kaduna State.
Some of the aspirants include a former
minister of the Federal Capital Territory,
Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, a serving member of
the House of Representatives, Isah Ashiru, a
former deputy governor of the state, James
Magaji amongst others.
Mr. Bala Bantex, the chairman of the party in
the state, told journalists at the party
secretariat that over 100 aspirants have so far
purchased nomination forms for other elective
positions and gave the assurance that the
party will provide a level playing field to all the
aspirants, while also admitting that candidates
may emerge through a consensus
arrangement if need be.
He also declared that the APC would form the
next government in the state come 2015,
saying the PDP had inflicted untold hardship
on the state and its citizens since 1999 till
date.
TERRORISM: SOLDIER KILLED AS GUNMAN ATTACKED CANADA PARLIAMENT
TERRORISM: Soldier killed as gunman attacks
Canada Parliament
By Olawale Kadir
October 22, 2014.
A gunman shot and killed a soldier at a war
memorial in Ottawa, then ran into the
parliament building where he exchanged
gunfire with police, BBC.com reports.
One gunman is dead, but parts of Canada’s
capital remain on lockdown as police hunt for
more suspects, according to the BBC.
At a press conference, police said the situation
was “ongoing” and “fluid”.
It came hours after Canada raised its terror
threat level, after another soldier was killed on
Monday in a hit-and-run attack by a Muslim
convert.
The country earlier this month announced
plans to join the US-led campaign of air strikes
against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq.
But there is no confirmation any of this week’s
attacks are linked to IS or the new military
campaign.
The latest incident began when soldiers
guarding the memorial came under fire on
Wednesday morning.
According to the BBC, one gunman – said to
be carrying a rifle – fired on soldiers guarding
Canada’s main war memorial and then ran
into the parliament.
“Shots fired at War Memorial at 9:52am
today; one person injured,” Ottawa Police
tweeted.
A statement by Ottawa Police confirmed the
soldier had died from his injuries.
Dozens of shots were fired inside the
parliament building, Canadian MP Marc
Garneau told the BBC.
UCL: ARSENAL IN A DRAMATIC COMEBACK IN FINAL MINUTES
UCL: Arsenal stage dramatic comeback in final
minutes to beat Anderlecht 2-1
By Olawale Kadir
October 22, 2014.
Kieran Gibbs scored a 89 minute goal, while
Lukas Podolski scored an injury time goal to
give Arsenal a 2-1 win over Anderlecht in their
Wednesday’s night Champions League clash.
Najar scored a 71 minute goal for Anderlecht
and the game was already looking like another
loss for Arsenal before a dramatic comeback
for the away team to secure a not too
deserved victory.
The result leaves Arsenal on six points, and
gives them their second win in the group
stage, following their 4-1 success over
Galatasaray.
HND DISCRIMINATION BILL SCALE SECOND READING
HND discrimination bill scales second reading
By Lucia Edafioka
October 22, 2014
The Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit
Dichotomy and Discrimination between First
Degrees and Higher National Diploma in the
same Profession/Field and related matters on
Wednesday scaled second reading in the
Senate.
The lead debate was presented by Sen.
Patrick Akinyelure (PDP-Ondo), highlighted the
need to abolish the discrimination between
HND and First Degree.
Senator Akinyelure said the discrimination
against HND holders was threatening to ruin
the nation’s core policy thrust of evolving a
technological and scientifically based society.
He said that findings had proved that some
polytechnic graduates were in some cases
better on the field than their university
counterparts.
“To all intents and purposes, a government
employment policy that places degree holders
ahead of HND holders without recourse to skill
and ability of the HND holder thereof does
more harm than good to the nation’s
development plans.
“Therefore, the aim of the bill is to promote the
technological advancement of our great nation
by encouraging many qualified candidates to
pursue polytechnic and technological
advancement,”
The Senate President, David Mark in his
remarks, said it would be difficult to legislate
on the bill, given that polytechnics were not
originally established to be degree awarding
institutions.
He said rather than canvass for abolishion of
the dichotomy, polytechnics should be
changed to degree awarding institutions.
“The problem here is whether we can legislate
on this. I think obviously that is not going to
work for several reasons that we have all
advanced here.
“We can’t legislate here and say you must
employ an HND instead of employing
somebody with B.SC.
“I think it is more of attitude than what we can
legislate on but we can get an arrangement
where the polytechnics begin to award
degrees, in which case the polytechnics will no
more be polytechnics; they will be
universities,’’
Other lawmakers argued that rather than
seeking to abolish the dichotomy, efforts
should be made to transform all polytechnics
to degree awarding institutions.
Prof. Olusola Adeyeye (APC-Osun), the Vice
Chairman of Senate Committee on Education,
canvassed for the harmonisation of the
institutions to enable polytechnics to award
degrees.
“I believe that for as long as there is
difference in admission standard and training
for both institutions of learning, there will be
difference in employment.
“Let us go the US way and equalise both
polytechnics and universities and have
specialised institutions to handle the technical
aspect”.
The lawmaker explained that Nigeria inherited
the polytechnic system from the colonial
masters, who thought of having a middle level
manpower where people could be trained
without the lengthy period in university.
He further explained that UK subsequently
abolished the system after meeting the
purpose for which it was established to meet
its industrial need.
“We need to make the admission standard the
same for polytechnics and universities; forget
the dichotomy issue. It is a lie to say you need
HND to run an industrial state,”
The Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike
Ekweremadu, said even if the bill did not
succeed, it would help to raise awareness on
the dysfunctional nature of the country’s
educational system.
“All we need now is to expand the knowledge
base of our polytechnics, increase entry
qualification and employ qualified teachers for
the polytechnics.
“We should then make conscious effort to set
up technical schools that would award only
diploma to support our industries and help the
system industrially.
“To say we will abolish the dichotomy is
difficult. The committee to handle the bill
should invite experts to look into harmonising
the institutions,” he said.
Sen. ITA Enang, on his part (PDP-Akwa Ibom)
said he was appaled by the poor standard of
some polytechnics in the country.
He called on the regulatory body in charge of
polytechnics to adequately regulate the
establishment of the institution in the country.
“I have seen polytechnics operate in two
bedroom flats and this is the situation that
brings suspicion about the quality of our
polytechnics.
“I have also seen standard polytechnics and
the quality of their product compete favourably
with universities”.
He called on relevant agencies to improve on
the carrying capacity of universities to
accommodate all those seeking admissions
and also for the harmonisation of universities
and polytechnics to help manage a situation
where people went to polytechnics because
they could not secure admission into
universities.
“This bill should pass a second reading to find
solution to the problem. I support this bill,” he
said.
Sen. Chris Ngige (APC-Anambra) said in as
much as he sympathised with HND holders,
the bill should be dropped.
He said that relevant agencies should rather
harmonise the institutions and make
polytechnics degree awarding institutions.
“The bill evokes emotion but laws should not
be made based on that to avoid mistakes.
This has to do with fundamental structure of
the education sector.
“Let us conserve the resources of the senate;
it will not go through second reading,” he said.
Sen. Abubakar Bagudu ( PDP-Kebbi), a
member of Senate Committee on Education,
said if the dichotomy should be abolished,
there would be standardisation of policy.
He argued that standardisation of policy was
vital because universities and polytechnics had
different structures.
“The university is theory and research oriented
as compared to polytechnic which is
supposed to turn out industrial ready
graduates,” he said.
The bill, which scaled second reading after
heated debate at plenary on its relevance,
seeks to resolve controversy over wage
disparity and gross discrimination against HND
holder in public and private sectors of the
economy. PMNEWS reports.
AUDU OGBEH APOLOGIZES TO BBOG.
Audu Ogbeh apologizes to
BringBackOurGirls group
october 22, 2014
Vanguard News
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
Former Minister of Communications and All
Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain, Chief
Audu Ogbeh, has apologized to the
BringBackOurGirls group for wrongfully
presenting it as an offshoot of his party at last
Wednesday’s presidential declaration of
General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).
Ogbeh, in a letter to the leadership of the
group, affirmed that he had since realised that
APC members formed less than two percent
of group’s membership.
Ogbeh had praised the presence of Hajiya
Hadiza Usman and some other leaders of the
group at the declaration as a sign of synergy
between APC and the group.
His assertion was subsequently taken up by
officials of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to
give political colouration to the group’s advocy
for the return of the 219 Chibok schoolgirls
held in captivity by the Boko Haram Islamist
group.
One of the leaders of the group and former
Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili,
was forced to publicly repudiate Ogbeh’s
claim, saying she was not a member of any
political party and that the group’s efforts were
wholly altruistic.
In the letter dated October 20, Ogbeh wrote:
“Dear patriots, I feel obliged to let you know
that my statement at our function last week
was not intended to paint your group as an
APC sub-group.
“This is because from what we know, less
than two percent of the group are our party
members, but members we value highly.
“The rest of you are not and may not even
belong to any political association whatsoever.
“If my statement caused you any discomfort, I
do apologize, but reiterate that I have nothing
but respect and admiration for you for keeping
a six-month vigil and telling the world that the
Nigerian conscience is not entirely dead.
“The world is watching us and making
judgments. I wish you God’s blessings and
protection.”
MINOR CABINET RESHUFFLE IN ABUJA
Jonathan carries out minor cabinet reshuffle
October 22, 2014.
Vanguard News
Abuja – President Goodluck Jonathan on
Wednesday carried out a minor cabinet
reshuffle to fill the vacancies created by the
recent resignation of seven ministers.
This was part of the outcome of the weekly
Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held
at the Council Chamber of the Presidential
Villa, Abuja.
The Minister of State (II) for Foreign Affairs, Dr
Nurudeen Mohammed, announced the
changes while briefing State House
correspondents at the end of the meeting.
According to Nurudeen, the Minister of
Defence, Lt. Gen Aliyu Gusau (rtd), is to
oversee the functions of the Minister of State
for Defence.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Steve
Oru, is also to supervise the office of the
Minister of State in the ministry.
Similarly, Mr Olusegun Aganga, the Minister of
Industry, Trade and Investment, will oversee
the duties of his Minister of State.
Mrs Viola Onwuliri, the Minister of State (I) for
Foreign Affairs, takes over from Mr Nyesom
Wike as the substantive Minister of State for
Education.
Mr Kabiru Turaki, the Minister of Special
Duties/ Inter-Governmental Affairs, was named
the Supervising Minister of Labour and
Productivity.
The Ministry of Information is to be supervised
by Dr Nurudeen Mohammed, the Minister of
State (II) for Foreign Affairs, while Dr Khaliru
Alhassan, the Minister of State for Health, is to
act as theSupervising Minister of Health.
(NAN)
PDP GIVES JONATHAN, GOVERNORS ONE WEEK ULTIMATUM TO PURCHASE FORM
PDP gives Jonathan, Governors one week
ultimatum to purchase forms
october 22, 2014
Vanguard News
By Henry Umoru
ABUJA- AHEAD of the formal declaration of
President Goodluck Jonathan for his re-
election bid for the 2015 Presidential election,
the national leadership of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP Wednesday gave the
President and other aspirants vying for various
elective positions, one week ultimatum to
purchase their expression of interest and
nomination forms, just as it said that the party
cannot go for a national convention to ratify
someone who has not indicated interest to
contest.
Addressing Journalists at the Party’s National
Secretariat, PDP National Publicity Secretary,
Chief Olisa Metuh said that the October 30
closing date for the sale of expression of
interest and nomination forms will not be
extended by a minute, adding that the time is
6 pm and that the party was not
contemplating extending the date.
He said, “The NWC today decided that the
issue of the closing date for the collection of
the nomination forms cannot be extended. It
will not be extended, 6:PM, 30th of October,
no party member can obtain forms for our
congress and convention 2014 after the
deadline, the last date is 30th of October and
it will not be extended.”
DON'T CONTEST 2015 ELECTIONS-SHEIKH GUMI TELLS BUHARI
Sheik Gumi's letter to General Buhari: What do
you think?
"MY CANDID NASIHA TO GEN. BUHARI.
Assalamu Alaikum
The Humble People’s General.
I know I have access to your privy but this is
meant for others to learn also.
The prophet -peace be upon him- told one of
the most honest and truthful of his companions
Abu Zar Algafary: “oh Abu Zar, I truly love for
you what I love for myself. I indeed see that
you are weak so never accept to lead even two
people and never accept safekeeping of the
orphans wealth’
An honest and candid advice from the prophet
that is still valid today for any leader who’s
weakness borders on leadership qualities.
The reason for Abu Zar’s weakness has
nothing to do with his credibility or
truthfulness. Never! The prophet was narrated
as saying: “there is nobody under the
shadows of trees or bare sun that is more
honest in speech than Abu Zar”
Abu Zar – May Allah be pleased with him- is
ascetic and inmaterialistic. Abu Zar is
incorruptible. And yet he is not suitable for
leadership.
I am not claiming to be even by an atom’s
weight anything close to our noble prophet, yet
I am encouraged to give you these same
advice by the virtue that you are not also close
to Abu Zar in piety. We are living in a time of
great tribulations and fitnah especially for this
Ummah because of our collective iniquities,
ignorance of religious instructions and the love
of Dunyah.
Sir, your weakness is not in your past
impeccable record of accountability of public
wealth and the fight against corruption and
indispiline. Your weakness is in your inability to
control men compounded further by your strict
and obsessive rejection of corruption.
Don’t be surprised. You may need to
understand that Islam being a pragmatic
religion allows the use of Zakkat and public
wealth as an instrument to pacify and lure
influential people for the sake of rightouness,
peace and stability. In modern governance
today it translate into the security vote.
Thus men are also controlled by money. So if
your policy of governance is obsessibly
centered on sealing tight the use of money you
will have great problem with men. An Arab
poet said: “a fool cannot be the leader of his
people but the true leader of the people must
feign foolishness”.
It’s convenient for your ardent supporters to
quote copiously from the annals of history your
great achievements but when your failures and
weaknesses were pointed out they say that
was in the past. Is the lessons of past history
only good for the positive achievements?
Doesn’t that also explains our incessant
failures?
Your Excellency, good intentions are never
enough. In the past, because of your clean
records and straightforwardness you were
lured by men who want only the vanities Dunya
to uproot a young democracy on the caprices
of fighting corruption. Corruption is no doubt
an evil but there is a more monstrous evil than
corruption. That is turmoil and insecurity.
Peace and stability are the most important part
of governance that no price is to high for them.
The lack of peace, stability and security is the
major predicament of this nation since
independence. So when you were naively used
by men to derail one, that is the greatest
disservice you committed to the nation the ills
of which we are yet to recover from. Do you
truly believe Allah is still not in cognizance of
that? You were lead to uproot a duly elected
leader and incasserate him for close to two
years knowing fully well that he has no charge
of even the corruption that was labeled against
him. Yes, Shagari was the leader and therefore
he bears all the responsibility of misdeeds in
his government, so also you were a leader and
you should bear all the responsibility of
derailing the peace and stability of governance
in this country as a consequence of that
putsch.
You weakness in control of men became
evident when the very people that used you to
revolt against a constituted authority came
back to uproot you from the seat of power.
Your own kinsmen without a gun cocked in
your defense. Today the corruption you were
deceived to fight against has reached
unimaginable level coupled with the worst state
of insecurity and peace in the nation. There
was just recently an attempt on your life like
many of us.

All this because you the honest people that are
given the privilege of strengthening the Armed
forces left it to meddle in politics. We thus lost
everything. Neither the power nor the security.
A believer is not stung from the same hole
twice. Men used your innocence before to get
power and dump you. Please be sensible
today. Some other men still want to use you to
get power and surely they will dump you again.
You don’t share the same philosophy at all.
Even though as I explained later, your
obsession and philosophy of fighting corruption
is not the priority of Nigeria today. What Nigeria
needs utmost now is peace and stability. This
can only be achieved when the religious ethnic
and regional divide is tamed. And you can only
tame it with people without much precedence.
People without much following. Yet people that
are constructive and have the ability to control
men.
If Sardauna today is alive in your situation he
will never contest for the presidential seat
because of his deep understanding of what the
nation needs. He will step down for a more
acceptable younger person. It’s on record that
Sardauna even at the age of under 60 said he
was not going to contest again preparing his
only house in Rabah for retirement.
I’ll give you a similitude to buttress my point of
priority. A person seriously injured and
fractured from a road traffic accident when
brought to the emergency room, the first
priority of the doctors is to secure an
intravenous line. Meaning get a drip set
working into his veins to protect his vital
organs like the heart and kidneys from the
effects of shock and loss of blood. The
fractures even though serious and the source
of the blood loss may take days and weeks
before they are even attended to beside the
superficial dressings.
Nigeria now needs peace and stability first.
Then we talk of good governance later even
though it’s the source of the predicament we
are facing.
The present government has already charged
the situation and played the religious divide to
it’s advantage. It’s in circulation now, a SW
pastor calling on Christians and the church to
vote Jonathan as their only Savior. This
religious card will be used to cover for his
deficiency in governance.
Your Excellency, you should understand too,
that many if not most of your supporters are
also looking up to you to protect them from the
onslaught on their religion and region. This
also the Christian will never believe the
otherwise. Therefore the stage is set for
religious confrontation which is the least the
nation needs.
What we need as a priority is peace and
stability.
From my view if APC can support as an
example Ameachi or Okorocha/Kwankwaso or
Elrufai or tambuwwal ticket and the PDC will
have Ukpabio/Muazu or Ribadu or Shekaru,
the next four years will. – insha Allah – witness
stability both in the north and south. And the
electoral body will get the necessary
infrastructure that subsequently the next
election will be free and fair and the true
reflection of Nigerians.
If you may ask, why can’t this same peace be
achieved with you and another Christian
running mate?
Gen. you have antagonist, and they are many
and also as ardent as your supporters. Your
supporters have the biggest proportion of the
underprivileged of the society which is the
petrol that can be easily ignited by the slightest
spark. The spark will be when you’re declared
the loser. And you know you can very well lose
if the Christians follow their church -and why
not in this era of mediocrity.
On the other hand if Jonathan comes back. BH
will be real not the political one we see. The
turmoil will engulf the whole country not only
the north. That is why I also call on PDP to
present some other candidates.
My Brother in Islam, please listen to the words
of wisdom. And don’t follow the whims of the
riff raff. Before they used you the first time to
disrupt the second republic, my father advised
you against it. Today I am also advising you
against contesting in the 2015 presidential
elections because you will be used to ignite the
nation -a dream well orchestered several years
ago- and also be used by bad people as a
ladder to grab regional and local powers.
I rest my case here.
My best regards and condolence to your
recent loss.
May Allah guide you and protect you from the
evil men and the jinn. Amin.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Report: ISIS militants training to fly warplanes
By Raja Razek and Jason Hanna, CNN
October 17, 2014
(CNN) -- ISIS is in possession of three warplanes in northern Syria, and former Iraqi military officers are training members of the Sunni Islamist militant group to fly them, a Syrian opposition group said Friday.
The planes are at the Al-Jarrah military airport east of the contested city of Aleppo, the London-based Syrian opposition group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports, citing sources in Syria.
Information on how the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which calls itself the Islamic State, obtained the planes, or the trainees' previous level of familiarity with flight wasn't immediately available. CNN hasn't independently verified the report.
The former Iraqi military officers are among those who have joined ISIS, and people living near the airport have said that they recently saw an airplane flying at low altitude after it took off, according to observatory.
ISIS has captured large swaths of northern and eastern Syria, as well as parts of western and northern Iraq, for what it says is its new Islamic caliphate.
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...
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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, YOUNGÈST 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. ......
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