New Year New Resolution

A brand new year is here and it could mean a new start in life. As living souls, we are obliged to celebrate the year past and be so grateful for all the many things we received. The Hymn say "count your blessings, name them one by one and it would surprise you what the Lord has done". In the same vein, we have a New Year to celebrate for the new experiences and lessons we shall receive.

As grateful people, we should have a celebration for both the Old year and the coming New Year, with new hopes, new directions that shall translate into some improvements.

Eventhough there are often times misconception as to what people celebrate: Old year or New year. I have heard majority celebrate the triumph into the New year while they do not see anything significant about the New year. However, the celebration for the Old Year passing is significant and relevant. This is because it prepares one for the New and better year ahead. Retrospectively, some people write down on a paper those things that took place in the Old year: that is their good, bad and ugly experiences. Then they take another piece of paper and writes what they would like to achieve the next year. This list is kept and placed where they could see it each day. These are referred to as goals or resolutions for the New Year.

In the past years, I have seen resolutions broken, even before the end of the first month of the year. Some people hide under the guise of changing all the time to get different results. In a way, they breed acts of indiscipline which is bane of our inability to keep and maintain our resolutions.

According to Femi-Daniels Aidamenbor, "if you work for something bigger or more important than yourself; fix your mind on the positive. You will find yourself ending each day feeling more fulfilled than the last. You might also find that somehow things will just work out for you a little better than they did before! This will hopefully reinforce this new found positive behavior: by focusing and setting your mind on the good, while pressing forward, you will be lead towards what drives you!"


The Holy Book says, “In God, all things are possible.” When we separate from our arrogance and ego, and we set record straight from outset, the Bible statement is true.

Like it is expected of a leader, lead by example. Below are my resolutions for the coming year:
*Read a book a month

*Write a book

*Keep a diary

*Partake in some form of physical exercise daily

*Strengthen my relationship with God

*Gain more friends

*Go to bed at a reasonable hour, (before 12) 11 o clock.

*Be more time conscious

*Get more organised and stick to plans!

*Study more every night

*Save money!

*Enhance my skills and talent, and create wealth

*Try to love myself and have more confidence

*Spend less time on anything that is not adding tangible value to me and

*I want to walk the talk!

In sum, let be focused, let's have sense of purpose, let's back what we say with action.

Make good resolutions, if you stick to them, you will become a happier, healthier, and more fulfilled person. Happy New Year in advance to you all.

Me, I and Myself

A Professional Accountant 'Segun-Martins Ogunyemi is the Principal Consultant at Pro Logic Ideas Consulting. He started his professional career as an auditor with Akintola Williams (Chartered Accountants), Maiduguri office where he worked between as an Audit Assistant. He later moved to Lagos where he worked with AirFreak Nigeria Ltd as an Account Officer. He left to join SA Insurance Plc as an Internal Auditor. Based on his diligence, discipline and dedication he was promoted to the position of Head of the Finance and Investment Department of the Standard Alliance Group office.

He worked as Management Accountant and Transaction Risk Analyst at Rainoil Limited, an Oil and Gas company based in Lagos, Nigeria. Based on his meritorious service he was deployed to Gobel Marine Services Limited, a Rainoil's subsidiary company as the pioneer staff and Chief Financial Officer. He was later elevated to the position of Head and Chief Operating Officer of the shipping and maritime company. He was later re-deployed to Rainoil Limited as Acting Group Chief Financial Officer and Head Treasury & Investment Management before he resigned his appointment with Rainoil Group to mind his own businesses.

He studied Accountancy at Ondo State Polytechnic (now Rufus Giwa Polytechnic), Owo, and University of Maiduguri. He is an Associate member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN); member, Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK. Segun-Martins, a Deloitte trained IFRS Expert has attended various leadership and management trainings within and outside Nigeria. He is someone that loves what he is doing. He has passion for helping people and seeing to the fulfillment of dreams while he pursues his own vigorously.

As a serial entrepreneur, he establishes and pilots the affairs of Pro Logic Ideas Consulting (financial and management consulting firm based in Lagos, Nigeria) since 2011. Based on his love for ICT his Firm is known and patronised for its innovative Accounting Services on the Cloud (ASC). He is the co-founder of G2Plus Hub, a business support, mobile money operations and ICT company. He is a Microsoft Partner and sits on the board of other viable companies in Nigeria.

He believes in qualitative leadership that is built on the tenets of integrity, contentment and excellence. Segun-Martins is the Founder and President of Learning for Leading Foundation, an NGO based in Lagos, Nigeria. He reads, plays Scrabble to relax. He is a proud husband of one, father of two.

My contact details are:
Mobile Nos./Whatsapp: 08027299259, 08061187718
email: sogunyemi@prologicideas.com | smogunyemi@consultant.com
Twitter: @SMOgunyemi
Instagram: @smo_versed
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Skype ID: segun.martins.ogunyemi
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Blog: segunmartinsogunyemi.blogspot.com

...the JUST shall live by faith!

A post commemorating my birthday on 15th December.

Birth Rate vs Death Rate

Birth rate is measured by Crude Birth Rate (CBR) while Death rate is evaluated by Crude Death Rate (CDR). Birth and Death are also known as fertility and mortality respectively. On the global space, putting Birth rate side by side with Death rate it is expedient to state that there is natural increase on the surface of the earth.

According to the 'United Nations' World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision Population Database, crude birth rate is the number of births over a given period divided by the person-years lived by the population over that period. It is expressed as number of births per 1,000 population. CBR = (births in a period / population of person-years over that period).

The birth rate is an item of concern and policy for a number of national governments. Some, including those of Italy and Malaysia, seek to increase the national birth rate using measures such as financial incentives or provision of support services to new mothers. Conversely, other countries have policies to reduce the birth rate, for example, China's one child policy. Measures such as improved information about and availability of birth control have achieved similar results in countries such as Iran.

There has also been discussion on whether bringing women into the forefront of development initiatives will lead to a decline in birth rates. In some places, government policies have been focused on reducing birth rates through improving women's sexual and reproductive health and rights. Typically, high birth rates has been associated with health impairments and low life expectancy, low living standards, low status of women, and low levels of education. There are claims that as countries go through economic development and social change, population growth such as birth rate declines.

Generally, birth rate is calculated using live birth counts from a universal system of registration of births, deaths, and marriages, and population counts from a census or using estimation through specialized demographic techniques. Birth rate is also commonly used to calculate population growth. It is combined with death rates and migration rates to calculate population growth.

As of 2009, the average birth rate for the whole world is 19.95 per year per 1000 total population, a 0.48% decline from 2003's world birth rate of 20.43 per 1000 total population. According to the CIA - The World Factbook, the country with the highest birth rate currently is Niger at 51.26 births per 1000 people. The country with the lowest birth rate is Japan at 7.64 births per 1000 people. (Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China, is at 7.42 births per 1000 people.) As compared to the 1950s (birth rate was at 36 births per 1000 in the 1950s), birth rate has declined by 16 births per 1000 people.

Birth rates ranging from 10-20 births per 1000 are considered low, while rates from 40-50 births per 1000 are considered high. There are problems associated with both an extremely high birth rate and an extremely low birth rate. High birth rates can cause stress on the government welfare and family programs to support a youthful population. Additional problems faced by a country with a high birth rate include educating a growing number of children, creating jobs for these children when they enter the workforce, and dealing with the environmental effects that a large population can produce. Low birth rates can put stress on the government to prove adequate senior welfare systems and also the stress on families to support the elders themselves. There will be less children or working age population to support the constantly growing aging population.

World historical and predicted crude birth rates (1950–2050)
Years CBR% Years CBR%
1950–1955 37.2 2000–2005 21.2
1955–1960 35.3 2005–2010 20.3
1960–1965 34.9 2010–2015 19.4
1965–1970 33.4 2015–2020 18.2
1970–1975 30.8 2020–2025 16.9
1975–1980 28.4 2025–2030 15.8
1980–1985 27.9 2030–2035 15.0
1985–1990 27.3 2035–2040 14.5
1990–1995 24.7 2040–2045 14.0
1995–2000 22.5 2045–2050 13.4

Mortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in some population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit time. Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of deaths per 1000 individuals per year; thus, a mortality rate of 9.5 in a population of 100,000 would mean 950 deaths per year in that entire population, or 0.95% out of the total. It is distinct from morbidity rate, which refers to the number of individuals in poor health during a given time period (the prevalence rate) or the number of newly appearing cases of the disease per unit of time (incidence rate).

One distinguishes:

1. The crude death rate, the total number of deaths per year per 1000 people. As of July 2009[update] the crude death rate for the whole world is about 8.37 per 1000 per year according to the current CIA World Factbook.
2. The perinatal mortality rate, the sum of neonatal deaths and fetal deaths (stillbirths) per 1000 births.
3. The maternal mortality rate, the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 women of reproductive age in same time period.
4. The infant mortality rate, the number of deaths of children less than 1 year old per 1000 live births.
5. The child mortality rate, the number of deaths of children less than 5 years old per 1000 live births.
6. The standardised mortality rate (SMR)- This represents a proportional comparison to the numbers of deaths that would have been expected if the population had been of a standard composition in terms of age, gender, etc.
7. The age-specific mortality rate (ASMR) - This refers to the total number of deaths per year per 1000 people of a given age (e.g. age 62 last birthday).

In regard to the success or failure of medical treatment or procedures, one would also distinguish:

1. The early mortality rate, the total number of deaths in the early stages of an ongoing treatment, or in the period immediately following an acute treatment.
2. The late mortality rate, the total number of deaths in the late stages of an ongoing treatment, or a significant length of time after an acute treatment.

Note that the crude death rate as defined above and applied to a whole population can give a misleading impression. The crude death rate depends on the age (and gender) specific mortality rates and the age (and gender) distribution of the population. The number of deaths per 1000 people can be higher for developed nations than in less-developed countries, despite life expectancy being higher in developed countries due to standards of health being better. This happens because developed countries typically have a completely different population age distribution, with a much higher proportion of older people, due to both lower recent birth rates and lower mortality rates. A more complete picture of mortality is given by a life table which shows the mortality rate separately for each age. A life table is necessary to give a good estimate of life expectancy.

According to the World Health Organization, the 10 leading causes of death in 2002 were:

1. 12.6% Ischaemic heart disease
2. 9.7% Cerebrovascular disease
3. 6.8% Lower respiratory infections
4. 4.9% HIV/AIDS
5. 4.8% Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
6. 3.2% Diarrhoeal diseases
7. 2.7% Tuberculosis
8. 2.2% Trachea/bronchus/lung cancers
9. 2.2% Malaria
10. 2.1% Road traffic accidents

Causes of death vary greatly between first and third world countries. See list of causes of death by rate for worldwide statistics.
Scatter plot of the natural logarithm of the crude death rate against the natural log of per capita real GDP. The slope of the trend line is the elasticity of the crude death rate with respect to per capita real income. It indicates that a 10% increase in per capita real income is associated with a 1.5% decrease in the crude death rate. Source: World Development Indicators.

According to Jean Ziegler (the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food for 2000 to March 2008), mortality due to malnutrition accounted for 58% of the total mortality in 2006: "In the world, approximately 62 millions people, all causes of death combined, die each year. In 2006, more than 36 millions died of hunger or diseases due to deficiencies in micronutrients".

Of the roughly 150,000 people who die each day across the globe, about two thirds -- 100,000 per day -- die of age-related causes. In industrialized nations, the proportion is much higher, reaching 90%.

World historical and predicted crude death rates (1950-2050)
Years CDR Years CDR
1950-1955 19.5 2000-2005 8.6
1955-1960 17.3 2005-2010 8.5
1960-1965 15.5 2010-2015 8.3
1965-1970 13.2 2015-2020 8.3
1970-1975 11.4 2020-2025 8.3
1975-1980 10.7 2025-2030 8.5
1980-1985 10.3 2030-2035 8.8
1985-1990 9.7 2035-2040 9.2
1990-1995 9.4 2040-2045 9.6
1995-2000 8.9 2045-2050 10

Source: United Nations, Wikipedia

Knowledge: Source of Power

Knowledge will give you power, but character respect. John Locke (1689) in his Essay: Concerning Human Understanding, describes Knowledge as the perception of the agreement or disagreement of two ideas. In other words, knowledge breeds answer and solution in an atmosphere of confusion and disparity.

Knowledge flows from a fluid mix of framed experience, contextual information, values and expert insight." This includes a number of things that we have within us, such as experiences, beliefs, values, how we feel, motivation, and information.

It is regarded as power because it shapes the way one thinks and acts. Also, it provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. According to Peter F. Drucker in The New Realities "Knowledge is information that changes something or somebody — either by becoming grounds for actions, or by making an individual (or an institution) capable of different or more effective action."

Nigeria @ 50: Politics, Leadership and Governance

After swagging from one military coup to another in the greater part of her existence, Nigeria now has a democratic leadership. With the advent of democracy, the country has faced a lot of challenges ranging from ethnic and religious crises, militancy at the Niger-delta, spate of killings and kidnapping of innocent Nigerians and foreigners alike. Amidst the good, bad and ugly experience of Nigeria, the citizenry in diverse culture and ethnicity seldom work in unity.

According to UN Report of 2009, Nigeria has a growing population of 154.7million with an area of 923,768sq.km. Major languages in Nigeria are English (official), Yoruba, Ibo and Hausa. And the citizenry is grossly divided into Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. UN Research group went further to state life expectancy in Nigeria as 47years and 48years for men and women respectively.

Across the world, it is an acceptable opinion that if we do not have any reason to celebrate the golden jubilee of the nation called Nigeria we should do it for the sake of unity which entrenched in the country in spite of all odds. In approaching this subject amply, I shall do the write-up in a reverse order. In succinct terms, this arrangement will instill better understanding of the topic.

GOVERNANCE
History affirmed that Nigeria passed through several stages of governance ranging from colonial administrations to self government. Most African countries that got independence in the 1960s have faced herculean tasks of converting colonial institutions into national organs or replacing them altogether. Consequently governance in Africa came with inherent problems of conflicts and contradictions. In actual fact, African countries like Nigeria did not experience true governance which is bound to define expectation, grant power and verify performance after their independence from colonial rules. Hence many of them embraced military governments between the 60s and 90s. Typical example is Nigeria which has experienced both civilian and military administrations at various periods of her political development since independence in 1960.

Alas, the incessant political crises that greeted the attainment of sovereign national government in African countries provided scholars and political commentators a point of discourse on the appropriate style of leadership for governance in the African continent. However, governance in Nigeria has been characterized by the crises of various form of transitions: colonial rule to civilian rule; civilian government to military regime; military administration to interim national government; interim national government to military regime; military regime to democratic government. It is sad to note that these transitions are not devoid of bloodletting and bloodbath. Terrible experiences which contribute to making governance a back-breaking task in Nigeria.

It is a fact beyond shadow of doubt that ethnic factor constituted a major problem to governance in Nigeria and other African countries alike. No one will forget in hurry, the Hutus and the Tutsis in Rwanda; the Hausas, the Ibos and the Yorubas in Nigeria. In spite of this factor the Military played a major role in the history of governance in Nigeria since 1960 of her independence. The 'unsolicited' intervention of the military certainly truncated various democratic experiments in Africa. Several African countries such Nigeria, Rwanda, Liberia, Somalia etc experienced civil wars which constituted the dilemma of governance in Africa even in the recent years.

Statistics shows that governance of Nigeria has been in the hands of the military for more than two thirds of our country 60 years of independence. Over the years, it has become a debatable issue as to whom to blame for the woes of nation in the area of poor governance. Some political commentators are of the opinion that the inherited colonial infrastructure are responsible for the unsuccessful democratic governance in Nigeria. Indeed, one could state categorically that one of the main feature of independent Nigeria is the fragility or lack of political institutions to support genuine democratic governance.

The first form of government in Nigeria was parliamentary system of government which was bequeathed on us by the colonial masters who never consulted us through our then leaders to know the nature of government that will be suitable for a multi-ethnic nation. No doubt, parliamentary system thrives in Britain because it is British national ideology. And while it worked for Britain, it failed in Nigeria. This is because the crisis of governance in Nigeria can not be totally divorced from our historical experiences and the character of the post colonial ruling elites. In Nigeria today, presidential system of government is being practised. Surprisingly, this form of government has been criticised greatly by the progressives especially. They are clamouring for a reversal to the condemned and abandoned parliamentary system of government. This attitude is uniquely Nigerian. We easily forget and seldom give new experiment a chance.

In this context therefore, what is required to tackle some of our problems including ill-governance is visionary leadership and a cohesive civilian elite with a sense of mission.

LEADERSHIP
Rhetorically, this section will follow the notion of Nigerians who attribute the major problem of Nigeria to leadership. We all have the idea of what leadership should be but we rarely talk about the aspect of followership which dictates the intensity of leading as an activity. But let us leave that aspect for another day and face the topical issue at hand which is leadership.

What is leadership and who is a leader? According to WordWeb, leadership means an act of leading; the body of people who lead a group; status of a leader and ability to lead. In the same vein, a leader is a person who rules, guide and inspires others. According to John C. Maxwell, a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. He went further to describe as influence. All these definitions are applicable to both animal and human social settings. However, the greater complexity of human interaction enable us to develop and practise our leadership style at a higher level.

In the context of human beings, the vacuum of leadership must be filled by a willing heart with a person or group of people that willing to be led. Some scholars are of the opinion that leadership position bestows much on the degree of influence while others insist that it is a matter of personality. For this write-up, I will pitch my tent with leadership by influence school of thought. When we talk of influence and power what readily comes to our minds is the source of the power. Power within such a group frequently resides, in whole or in part, in a person appointed or elected by the body to exercise the authority delegated to him by the members. In a normal group relationship, the leader's authority is spontaneously accorded him by his fellow group members, the followers. In spite of this authority, no leader is immune from sanction from the followers if and when he deviates too far from the bounds of acceptable behaviour prevailing in the group.

In sum, leadership role can not be detached from followership. We can only begin to understand the intricate connection between followership and leadership as along as we agree that there can be no leading without following, and of course, no following without leading. In this connection, it is important to view the concept of followership from the perspective of reciprocal responsibilities. That is, in art of leadership, the followers fulfill active roles. In like manner, leaders derive power from the electorates in a true democratic environment. Since independence for example we have only elected 5 out of 14 heads of state/government. In effect, Nigeria spent most of her years of existence in a state of discord between leadership and followership. Experts often refer to our leadership pattern during military regimes as rulership rather than leadership. In succinct terms, the source of power is the basic distinction. The authority of a ruler derives from power, force and coercion which he often exert on his followers while a leader derives his authority from his followers.

Professor Chinua Achebe in one of his numerous write-ups once said that "the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely of failure of leadership. There is nothing basically with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land and climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of her leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership." Alas, at age 60, Nigeria in spite of her natural endowment, she is still striving to realise our potential for greatness. As long as there is leadership crisis, we cannot entirely exonerate the followership from blame. For us as a nation to effectively analyse and evaluate the extent of our leadership problems, we also have to focus some attention on the ability of the populace to play its followership role effectively and responsibly. Sincerely, crux of the problem is the fact that most Nigerians do not know what they want for ourselves and what we want from our leaders. We all want the prize but nobody is ready for the price. One is tempted to ask the question: what are our leaders looking for? They exhibit deadliness in their quest for leadership positions based on selfish and myopic interests at the expense of national unity and peaceful co-existence of our nation.

According to Marian Anderson, leadership should be borne out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it. In its proper sense, leadership means sacrifice, sacrifice of time, energy and intellect for the greater good. The very essence of leadership is its purpose. And the purpose of leadership is to accomplish a task. The task as laid down in the Nigerian constitution is to take care of the nation and her citizenry. Like never before, Nigeria requires a leader who is pragmatic, realistic and idealistic.

POLITICS
Having talked about governance and leadership which are centered principally on individuals, let us look at the political system and structure of Nigeria and how it has fared in the past 60 years. As a matter of fact, no form of leadership, individual, government sponsored rallies, slogans or jingles can make up for a defective political structure. No doubt, our leaders have had many talents and qualities, but the art of modern government has been rather difficult for them to learn or manage. The popular slogan in Nigeria political arena is 'one nation'. Meanwhile dream has eluded us for long and in pursuit of unity without consensus or the capacity to adequately enforce it, we forgot that unity requires certain objective conditions, that is, certain parameters that must go with unity. Most of our political leaders hide under the tenets of 'one nation' but their intent is regionalism. The prevalent problem of Nigeria has its roots in the conflict between power and principle as conceived by the various sub-groups in Nigeria.

In this kind of political terrain of ours with pervading slogans and wishful thinking we can not achieve true unity. We need a political system conceived in dynamic terms as an active agent with capabilities to perform functions and influence our political environment. We must admit as a nation that changing of political players will not do much as to changing our political system which is faulty in itself. Hence the need for a major reform of our political structure and institutions which in turn will re-awake the Nigerian spirit. Nigeria problems are solved the moment we admit we have problems. However, a problem known is half-solved. The onus is on us all to revitalise our efforts in ensuring that Nigeria is redeemed from its history of chronic political instability and put it on the road to a genuine political integration which will translate into economic growth.

CONCLUSION
In 50 years, Nigeria has had 14 different governments with two successful and successive civilian administrations. But it can not be affirmed that the country has come of age in the area of governance, leadership and politics. We still have a lot 'Ts' to cross and 'Is' to dot. The problems in the Nigerian polity transcend both military and civilian regimes with peculiarities. As a result of this, the Nigerian citizenry has lost faith in the country and its political system. Good spirited Nigerians are not willing to participate in the electioneering process because of the sheer demonstration of melodrama and mediocrity by the political elites.

Reading, Leading

It is often said that Great Leaders are Great Readers. I have heard people say: "leaders are readers" severally. It made a big impression on me and I never forgot it. I cogitated on how the phrase must have been coined, but I must have recited it in my head hundreds of times. I doubted, perused and absorbed it to be true. Therefore, it is not out of context if we say Readers are Leaders!

Reading is a very interesting for avid readers but boring activity for those who have or would never tried. Of course, it doesn't follow that all readers are leaders, but I think we can safely say with little exception, all leaders are readers. If that's true, then why don't more people read? However, it is not out of place to aver that every human being does not aspire to be leaders. Some people are satisfied to be follower-driven all their life.

Research has shown that only ten percent of the people who begin reading a non-fiction book ever get beyond the first chapter. It's been shown that people's earnings are in direct proportion to their vocabularies. In other words, those who have larger vocabularies have greater responsibility and earn the most money - with very few exceptions. I know for sure that most people want to earn more money, so why is it that they don't study more? It is sad to note that Nigeria and counties have few libraries. Meanwhile I read recently that less than four percent of the American people own a library card. Can you imagine? American have the best free libraries in the world but they are vastly under-utilised.

Reading about Abraham Lincoln I realised that he used to walk miles to borrow and return books. He read them by candlelight after working long, hard days. Do you think his reverence and devotion to books made a difference in his ability as a leader of our troubled nation? I do. The good news is that people are reading more than they used to. But it is still far from what it supposed to be in the 21st century. In spite of sales and purchase of books, it's not enough!

I cannot go into a bookstore without buying a book. My personal library is my most valued material possession and I take pride in adding to it regularly. Please ask my wife. She oftentimes ask me to choose between her and my books. I have several non-fiction books. I've even read most of them. and my soul yearn for more. This should be true for any serious student of success.

If you are committed to be all that you are capable of being, I implore you to become a voracious and avid reader. A book a month will keep you even. It takes effort, but it's worth it. Since it is often said that "what is worth doing at all is worth doing well" read when you like to read. If you don't like reading encourage yourself. It's just something that you have to do. This is because reading is a means to an end.

If you develop the habit of reading, you will start to enjoy it. You'll look forward to it, your thinking will sharpen, your vocabulary will increase, and you will become a more interesting person.

Remember, leaders are readers.

6Ps of Excellent Performance

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

PROPER means appropriate, right, correct, suitable or good. It is a prerequisite for anybody aspiring greatness to do that which is proper, appropriate, right, suitable and good for the actualisation of the goal. This is the price that must be paid for the prize.

PRIOR depicts the time frame. It emphasises when action should be taken. Before, now or after. Going by the addage "look before you leap" it is better to plan before. For expediency sake, it prior action is better and preferred. This is because relevant adjustments can be made before the due time.

PLANNING is an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action. It is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. It is a common adage: he who fails to plans to fail.

PREVENT is a precautionary word which means impede, foreclose, preclude, forbid, forestall, avert, obviate. It explains an effort to keep from happening, esp by taking precautionary action or advance planning.

POOR is an adjective related to a state of poverty, low quality or pity. In other words, poor describes a performance that is below expectation. It is an unsatisfactory state of attainment.

PERFORMANCE can be defined as accomplishment of a given task measured against preset standards of accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed. It is synonymous with accomplishment. When we say 'the end justifies the means', we are actually talking about planning and performance respectively. When there is good planning (means), there will be good performance (end). Therefore, the crux of this write-up is planning which is essential for any result-oriented venture.

What can't be cured must be endured

The above idiomatic statement as quoted by Burton Robert is an elucidation between patience and impatience; smartness and stupidity; ambitiousness and complacency. Literary speaking, it means that if you can not do anything about a problem, you will have to live with it. You should have patience and complacency on a permanent scale.

Looking at Nigeria democracy and politics in general, one may want to correlate the above to the appalling situation in the political arena. Fela Anikulapo Kuti of blessed memory termed democracy to be "demonstration of craze" among the elites which in effect, inflict so much pains on the innocent citizenry. But in the real sense of it, must we continually endure evil, corruption, pains, embezzlement, wickedness just to mention few. Ain't you tired as a bonafide citizen of this great nation?! What can we do, you asked? I have also asked this rhetorical question severally. But something must be done.

I wonder why we must always choose the best of the worst. People in the Accounting or other business oriented discipline would recollect the minmax regret theorem in Decision Theory in uncertainty. The theorem teaches us to minimise the worst-case regret. Inorder words, you should settle for the better of the worst options. This should not be our case all the time.

We would have had a good fight if most of our problems are not self-afflicted. Hardship and suffering synonymous with name Nigeria. With great natural and human resources, Nigeria is still in the array of the poorest countries of the world. And same country has individuals who can buy off the entire substance apart from human beings in the nation. No sector of the economy is working seamlessly! The nation's problem is leadership. We seldom need soothsayer to confirm this. This is because it is evident that our vast natural and human resources are being mismanaged.

Cost of doing business is too high because of lack of basic infrastructural facilities like power, passable roads,water and so on. These basic infrastructural facilities are simply what other countries do not take for granted. All these are responsible for the decay, decimation and degradation of lives and livelihood in Nigeria. On account of these national ordeals, manufacturing sector can not thrive. Wealthy economies excelon the platform of thriving manufacturing sector. In the whole world, Nigerians suffer the most cost of services becuase the service providers operate like a small sovereign community that has to provide all infrastructure. For example, cost of doing business in South Africa was 2% of sales compared to 16% in Nigeria. However, most of this on-costs are infrastructure related.

The foregoing are suffice to make one think and rethink on the manner of leadership we have in Nigeria. We deserve better if not best. They kept Nigerians in the illusion that we have democracy where the nation is rottenly pervaded by kleptocracy, gerontocracy and oligarchy.

For how long are we going to endure this...only time will tell.

5 beliefs that limit productivity—and how to overcome them

When I work with people in my business productivity practice, the first question I ask them is, "What's stopping you from being more productive?" The answers that keep coming up are pretty much the same from everyone.

In this article, we'll take a look at these beliefs one by one, and see how you can turn them around.

1. There's too much information coming at me too fast
Belief: My email is overwhelming me. I can't keep up with it.
Reality: The volume of email isn't the issue. How you process and organize the volume is the issue. Learning how to better manage your email by using McGhee Productivity Solutions' "Four D's for Decision Making" will transform this belief.

Each year we receive more and more data that we can access from an increasing number of locations on a growing array of devices. If you're not careful, the quantity of data starts to drive you instead of the other way around. Learn 4 ways you can take control of your email Inbox. And when you do, you can reduce the number of messages in your inbox by as much as 80 percent.

2. I have to keep everything
Belief: I have to keep everything. You just never know when you might need it!
Reality: Okay, prepare yourself. On average, the clients we work with throw away 50 percent of their stored information, with no ramifications. They feel lighter, happier, and have more time. So if you're a "keeper," and you know who you are, hold on to your hats! You "keepers" are a proud and experienced breed! There's nothing quite like laying your hands on a file that no one else can find. It justifies all of your filing and keeping efforts. If you're a keeper, you might recognize yourself in one of these statements:

I got badly burned when I couldn't lay my hands on an important document. Now, I'm afraid to let go of information.

I want to be able to justify the decisions I make, so I keep everything.

If my system crashes, I want backup information.

I felt so good when no one else could find "that document." As a result, I decided to keep everything so I could continue being helpful.

At some point you made a decision about keeping all your information. That decision has been driving you ever since, but it may not be appropriate in your current situation.

The truth is, most people use only 15 percent of what they file, and this makes the other 85 percent ineffective. By clarifying what is useful and letting go of the rest, you can develop a functional filing system and reduce your filing, make it easier to find what you do keep, and save valuable time and energy that you can direct to more meaningful tasks. Also, learn 9 tips to help you manage your files better.

3. Organization cramps my freedom and creativity

Belief: Being organized blocks my creativity, and there's nothing spontaneous about it.
Reality: Organization actually fosters and supports creativity and spontaneity. You may find your creativity being disrupted by the non-stop flood of reminders spinning around your head, such as:

Call Kevin for his birthday.

Review the P&L spreadsheet.

Review PowerPoint slide deck.

Decide on a Valentine's Day present.

Imagine if you could clear your mind of all these lists and transfer them to Microsoft Outlook. You can do this by creating an Outlook task for each item. Those items then appear in Tasks.

Storing your tasks in Outlook will create space for new ideas and creative thinking. Being disorganized can also stifle your creativity. Imagine you're an artist and decide to paint the Colorado autumn colors in Aspen. You drive for three and a half hours from Denver to Aspen to find the perfect spot. When you arrive, you realize you've forgotten to pack your paint brushes. That can make being creative really hard! Preparation does support your creativity.

A booked calendar leaves no time to be spontaneous, which can be frustrating. However, if you pre-plan, you can block out large chunks of time with no organized events, and you’ll have more freedom to do something on the spur of the moment.

To get control of all the "stuff" in your life, I recommend you set up a system for storing reference information, turning action information into tasks and scheduling tasks on your calendar. After you've set up your reference system, you'll find that it supports your creativity and spontaneity. The best result is that you can close your system, knowing that everything is taken care of so you can relax and let go!

4. There's not enough time in the day!

Belief: I just don't have the time to do all the things I want.
Reality: Time is not the issue. The issue is deciding what you can do given the time you have.

As you know, managing your time with Olympian skill doesn't create more hours in the day. We all have the same 24 hours, so the issue isn't managing time—it's managing what you can do with the time you have. You can't do everything, but you can do anything, as long as it fits into your calendar.

If you keep your to-do lists in multiple locations—in email, on a calendar, on paper, in an Excel spreadsheet, a list in your head, and notepad paper—you might want to consider centralizing and prioritizing this list in Outlook. Start by creating tasks, as described in step 3. When you create a task, you can set reminders, make it recurring, track its status, and more, so you always know what to do when. Then organize your tasks in the task list so you are at your most productive. Tasks also appear in the To-Do Bar in Outlook, together with other Outlook items, such as email messages or contacts, that have been flagged for follow-up.

5. It takes too much time to become productive

Belief: I don't have the time to set up a system. I've got too much to do.
Reality: You can save one to two hours a day by using a system to manage your information, so the return on the investment is significant.

Here are some interesting statistics. On average, people we work with spend two to three hours a day working in email and 60 minutes a day finding and filing information. After setting up a system to manage their information, they spend one to two hours a day working in email and 10 minutes a day finding and filing information. That's a savings of nearly two hours a day, or almost 12 weeks a year!

Take a moment and consider the time you spend:

Finding and filing information.

Writing a to-do list and then rewriting it a week later on another list, and then another.

Opening email, reading the message, closing the email and then coming back to the same email to read it again tomorrow.

Going to the store and realizing you don’t know the model of the hardware you need to pick up.

These are just a few examples of how we waste time by not having an Integrated Management System to help us remember what, where, and when. Take the time to set up your system. You're worth it, and you can't afford not to.

Courtesy: Sally McGhee
A recognized thought leader and innovator in the field of productivity management, Sally McGhee has trained thousands of people in the corporate environment. She has more than 25 years’ experience as a consultant and an executive coach, and is the founder and CEO of McGhee Productivity Solutions.

Aluta Continua...!

Aluta Continua is a Portuguese expression meaning " The Struggle continues." The full wording of the phrase is actually "Aluta Continua Victoria Acerta" which has the full meaning: "The struggle continues, victory is certain." Taking into cognisance the intent of the phrase, it is justifiable to ask the question as to whether our victory is truly certain, sure and attainable.

This is the question that reigns in my heart whenever I think about the slogan which is common among activists, unionists and the progressives. In those days, we call it 'struggle'. And we derive absolute joy in the terminology to the letter. We are most of the times engulfed in the youthful exuberance that we jive, strive and struggle to the gallery! We do forget the goal and the reason for the struggle in the first place. In effect, we fight endlessly and chant: "aluta continua...victoria acerta" unremittingly. When will the struggle ends? When will our victory be ascertained? When will Nigeria as a nation reap the fruits of her bountiful endowments? When are we going to be truly independent? When shall we leave the wilderness? When are we going to be liberated? Are we destined to fight all our lives? Hmmm...(I sighed)

Against all odds, the Struggle continues. Ain't tired! But we must fight with the notion that we are going to win someday soon. In other words, we must be positive, goal-oriented and focused. Always keep an eye on the trophy.

Fellow Nigerians, as the country celebrates her golden jubilee, let's hope for the better and engender a new vibrant cause that is full of hope and enthusiasm.

Don Allah, shine your eye well well (be vigilant) and know who and what you are fighting for! After all, what is worth doing at all is worth doing well.

The Most Beautiful Word

The most beautiful word in any language is your name. This is not contestable! Regardless of your language, your name is superlative. It represents you because it is your primary means of identification.

According to wikipedia, a name is regarded as a label for a noun which identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person. There is peculiarity or distinctiveness in the way and manner a name relates to a language be it English, French or Yoruba.

In the ancient world, names were thought to be extremely powerful and to act, in some ways, as a separate manifestation of a person or deity. This is evident in the statement made by Juliet (in the drama, Romeo and Juliet): "What is in a name? That which call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". There's indeed power in a name.

Less wonder, it is opined to be a treasure better than gold. Instinctively, your name goes beyond your look, wealth and gold. It's your legacy. Some died preserving or protecting their names because it surely lived after them. Names transcend years and even centuries.

It is my understanding that there is everything in a name. For every name is connected with a form. In our Yoruba thought, naming a child is given a great importance. My parents had migrated from Akungba Akoko to Kaduna in Nigeria where they waited a while before I was born. My parents' joy of God's intervention and victory became the basis of my name. I was named "Oluwasegunfunmi (Olusegun for short)" and during my teenage, my mother explained to me that Olusegun means God has given me victory.

Sooner, I became conscious of the magnitude of my name coupled with the fact that I am an epitome of victory. This started vibrating in my psyche. A keen sense of self-reliance, growth, compassion, discipline, dedication, diligence, audacity, love, vigour and steadfastness became the extended meanings of the name. The person within me got transformed. Instead of pitying, sympathising my humble beginning, I started redefining life itself in my own unique way.

Yes there is everything in a name. Even today my name is my guide and a challenge in itself motivating me to live to it's meaning. The vibrating force behind the name is the GOD factor. No wonder, in my own part of the world, noone prays without my name being mentioned because it is the most beautiful word in the whole world.

Two Things

Left or Right; Good or Bad; Right or Wrong; Fast or Slow; Above or Below; Top or Bottom; Succeed or Fail; Short or Tall; Big or Small; Straight or Crook;Light or Darkness; Smart or Dull; Sweet or Bitter; True or False; Open or Close; Here or There; Far or Near; Male or Female; Foolish or Wise; Profit or Loss; Positive or Negative; First or Last…

The above array of real life dual concepts beget the term 'choice'. Apart from those that are dictated by nature, these twin scenarios are what we face in real life situation where we are compel to make choice which may in turn make or mar us. According to Brian Tracy, everything you do in life involves a choice, a decision on your part. Because you have so many options, you are constantly choosing among alternatives, between what you value more and what you value less.

Choice consists of the mental process of judging the merits of any of these twin options and selecting only one of them. Meanwhile a choice can be made between imagined options which may sound like "what would I do if ...?", but a choice is made between real options, and followed by the corresponding action.

Choice may be rational or otherwise. It may be intuitive or primitive. Most of the times , it depends greatly on cognition and feeling. There is no gainsaying that a sane man would choose bad and ignore good. But it's all happening in our society. People will choose to be wicked rather than being humane. Some people will be dinning and wining with ignorance at the expenses of knowledge which is attainable even in the woods.

Behold, your choices and actions tell you and others what you truly value the most, or intend that reveals your character. It is only what you do at the moment of choosing, especially when you have to choose between what is right and what is expedient. The choice you make today will make or mar your tomorrow.

Food-4-Thought:

“Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.” -Alfred A. Montapert

Ain't you rather stand for that which is right?!

Sustainability of Income

When you put your income on a scale of 100%: 10% of your income should go into tithe, 20% should go into capital investments (or fixed assets) such as land, building projects etc.

The next 20% should go into floating assets: you buy stocks of 'blue chip' companies where you get dividends or you trade on the shares when they appreciate. Other examples in this category are treasury bills, treasury certificates, bonds which are disposable in the capital/money market for profitable values.

The next 25% should (must, in my own opinion) be in cash. This is cash in your bank account in form of fixed or call deposit. You should never touch this cash. The palliative function of this cash is to quash your blood pressure when condition becomes bad and/or almost unbearable. You either grow the cash by way of re-investing both principal and interest or you plough it back to service your waste. Waste expenditure are expenses you incur to service yourself and families. Examples are bills incurred on GSM/telephones, satellite/cable, Internet bandwidth, diesel for generating sets, gas etc.

The last 25% should be on waste assets: these include cars, clothes, shoes, phones, rent and so on. This is the actual part of your income that you expend to service yourself.

Based on the assumption that you earn =N=1million per annum, numerically, your spending pattern should be as follows:

• Tithe - 10% =N=100,000
• Capital Investments - 20% =N=200,000
• Floating Assets - 20% =N=200,000
• Liquid Cash - 25% =N=250,000
• Waste Assets - 25% =N=250,000

Routinely, what we do is not far from the above income analysis, it is only that we are seldom serious and principled about it. You help yourself a great deal when you write or document your plan of action periodically especially when it has to do with money matters.

On practical terms, assuming you earn =N=4million in a year, at the end of the year, do you have up to a million naira as cash in your account? Do you have up to 1 million naira in fixed assets such as land or did you invest up to 1 million naira on that building project of yours? Do you have up to 1 million naira worth of share (in their net present value) in some blue chip companies? We just realise that you have spent the 4million naira on waste: buying cars, shirts, shoes, travelling abroad etc. I am not swanning that you should not service/enjoy yourself but when you spend the whole part of your income servicing yourself now, what happen to you when the job is no more? It is more tragic when most of the waste assets are serviced by loan or debt instrument.

You should attempt to build a comfort zone by putting most of your income in cash at bank (as investment), fixed assets and stock. These are your succour in time of difficulty. In Information Technology, we call it disaster recovery strategy. You can apply this strategy in your personal life.

Let me give you a typical scenario of an average banker. The man gets =N=1.5million in January; he remembers he has to change his car. He spends =N=950,000 on car, he uses =N=10,000 to celebrate "wash" the car for his friends, he spends =N=75,000 to buy tyres and overhaul the car for use. He is left with =N=665,000. He remembers he has to change his GSM phone and install DSTV, he spends =N=155,000 on all that. Do you know what this young man has done? He has gallantly spent 79% of his income on waste. This kind of person can not make it. No voodoo can do magic for him. He grumbles at the end of the year when he looks back. He has not achieved anything that year.

FOOD-FOR-THOUGHT
How many of us at beginning of the year draw a personal budget for the salary year? At this psychological moment, pick up a pen, paper, calculator and look at your expected income and 'royalties' and distribute them according to the above cardinal points. Remember, when you fail to plan you have definitely planned to fail.

Ponder on this and see it as a challenge. Stop trading blames with your destiny... you can still make a whole lots of difference with the token you earn today. Yes, you can.

...I know a word is enough for (only) the wise.

WHAT IS POLITICS?

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, "What is Politics?"
Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way: I am the head of the family, so call me The President. Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government. We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People. The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class. And your baby brother, we will call him the Future. Now think about that and see if it makes sense." So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said. Later that night he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the little boy say's to his father, "Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now." The father says,"Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about." The little boy replies, "The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit!"

Courtesy: A learned friend.

Self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is regarded as the belief that one is capable of performing in a certain/desired manner to attain certain/desired goals. It is a notion that as human beings we have the capabilities to execute the courses of actions required to manage envisaged situations which are within or without our control.

It is a known fact that man culminates his or her capabilities based on mastery criteria which falls within a specific framework that is enshrined in an 'I can do' spirit rather than in comparison with others’ capabilities. Afterall, all animals are not equal.

There is gainsaying that self-efficacy is based on psychology of man. When a man has flair for quality, he or she will always achieve set goals without prejudice. In my own part of the world, people considered individuals who are self-efficacious as being perfectionists. But are these perceptions true?

Perfectionism is described as a disposition to feel that anything less than perfect is unacceptable. In other words, it is a temperamental feeling of vouching for the best and only best. They believe they can do all things. According to Lawrence R. Burns, perfectionists are in two categories: negative and positive perfectionists. Those that are trying to impress and those that are setting realistic goals. In my opinion, the latter are the self-efficacious.

When well managed it is believed that our personalized ideas of self-efficacy affect our social interactions in almost every way. When we understand how to nuture the development of self-efficacy we can purposefully live a more productive and happy life.

Welcome to my World!

MY DREAM
I have dreams...so big that I fidget and ask questions. But with God on my side, I see these aspirations of mine being surmount-ably achieved. For with God, all things are possible!

ATTITUDE TO LIFE
Above all, I take life as it comes. Why should I worry myself when I am not the one that created me. The Author and Finisher of my faith neither sleep nor slumber.

MY AURA
In my peculiar way, I affect lives positively. I believe that a good joke is infectious in a happy sort of way. It spreads quickly, touches everybody and makes them laugh. That's what I represent.

Let's take this for a start...like my mama would rather say "a si n meye nbo lapo ni".

Cheerio.