As part of its going efforts to impact the lives of those suffering with sickle cell anaemia and to raise funds for planned projects, an NGO, the Sickle Cell Advocacy and Management Initiative (SAMI) will be having a benefit concert tagged TOUCH A CELL on Sunday, April 1 at the Victoria Crown Plaza Hotel, Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island by 5pm. It will be an evening of dinner, music, dance, comedy and drama. Performances will include Oba, Adol, Kayefi, Olufunmi, Yinka Davies, Tosin Martins, Da Soul Explorers amongst others. Tickets are on sale from N5,000 for regular, N20,000 for VIP and N30,000 for couples. SAMI’s mission is to be an effective change agent in the lives of people living with Sickle Cell Anaemia as well as their families.

SAMI, initially called the Still Standing Foundation was inaugurated in November 2006 and was borne out of the intense response from the book “Still Standing, a biography of the founder of the foundation, Ms. Toyin Adesola. The book is a compelling autobiographical story of her travails with the sickle cell anaemia disorder and the tenacity by which she was able to overcome the many challenges she encountered. The book is one of faith, resilience and courage and challenges the reader to look beyond their immediate circumstances.

Sickle Cell disorder affects over 2 million Nigerians, resulting in the death of an average of 150,000 children each year, more out of ignorance than the disorder itself. As a result, a great deal needs to be done; not just from the physical treatment of the disease, but also the emotional and psychological aspects. This is the area SAMI intends to focus on to assist sicklers as well as people in general who are facing emotional and psychological challenges.

Sickle-Cell Anaemia also known as sickle-cell disease is a hereditary condition in which haemoglobin, an oxygen-carrying protein in the blood, is altered, leading to periodic interruptions in blood circulation. The disease is found predominantly in blacks; it also occurs in the Middle East and the Mediterranean area.

Symptoms of the condition appear at about six months of age and may include enlargement of the abdomen and heart and painful swelling of the hands and feet. In adolescence, sexual maturation may be delayed. The disturbances in blood flow associated with the disease also dispose affected people to infections and leg ulcers. These symptoms are due to the altered haemoglobin, which changes shape when the amount of oxygen in the blood is reduced for any reason. The red blood cell in which the haemoglobin is contained also changes its shape, from round to crescent (sickle shaped). The sickle-shaped red cells interfere with normal blood flow by plugging up small blood vessels leading to painful crises.

Sickle-cell anaemia occurs when an individual inherits a sickle-cell gene from each parent. Programmes have been initiated to detect carriers of the gene, who do not themselves show the trait. Such carriers are informed that a child resulting from the union of two carriers runs a one-in-four risk of having sickle-cell disease. Therapy for sickle-cell anaemia is largely to allay symptoms.

As I was having a brainwave and contemplating what to write about the topic of our political leaders’ “achievement,” “performance” and their “humility”, it occurred to me that I personally don’t resound with the concept of focusing life on achieving end results outside of myself. The English dictionary’s definition of ‘achieve – to bring to a successful conclusion; accomplish; attain; to gain as by hard work or effort – states that by its nature, achievement or accomplishment is an result, a conclusiveness.  We all must accomplish things in order to function in life, for example, go to school, earn a degree or two or four, earn a living , marry and set up your own family, and see your children through education, but is that all that achievement means?  It may be that achievement is not a completion or conclusion, but an ongoing metamorphosis of who we are inside.

What brought this to mind is the level of praise we tend to heap on our dubious pseudo-leaders as well as their often exaggerated and non-existent achievement or accomplishment. Apart from the fact that most of them are illegally in power either by forcing their way in by pointing a gun at our and at each other heads (the military) or by snatching ballot boxes, thumb printing ballot papers and generally rigging and murdering their way to power, they do not deserve any accolade, they are really, if we forgive them for doing these things to us, doing the job they are being paid hefty amount of salaries for.

When are we going to realise and let these people know that they are just doing what we are paying them those billions to do?  And believe me, we are a very lucky country indeed to be able to afford such payments, but do we know it? They are not doing us a favour by employing us, or by building roads for us, or building a hospital or two, or by creating endless and purposeless quangoes; that is what we are paying then to do, for crying out loud. But they all pipe as if they have achieved something that nobody can ever do, except them. Damnit, no Governor is doing me a favour by building classrooms for my children, or tarring the front of my house; I am already paying then to do that. And I am not going to thank them for doing it.

In a thriving and working democracy, there is really very little or no room for recognising achievement or accomplishment by individual politicians or leaders, who, I keep reiterating, are mostly mediocre and fraudulent by their actions, because we, the people who elected or voted them in (unfortunately even though they rigged their way in,  by allowing them to stay in power, we have to take responsibility for their actions) expect them to accomplish certain tasks for us to make our lives better. The best we can do is recognising them and commending them for doing their jobs. There really is nothing wrong in this. Anybody who does a good job (please note that I am not calling it a favour, but a job) deserves recognition, commendation and thanks, so that such person will be further motivated to do more. It is a normal civil thing to do.

But why are we praising Mr Governor or Mr Local Government Chairman for building a road, or a classroom or providing bore holes or hospitals for us. That is his job. That is what he promised us he will do. That is what we are paying him to do, and he must do it. And we are even thanking them for making money out of the road contract, because in most cases, these contracts are inflated so that they can make some money or they have received a bribe before awarding the contract. They rarely ever do things for us in good faith.

There is a little bit of answer for this. For example, because Osun State ex-Governor Oyinlola sat on his backside doing nothing for eight years, when Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola took over from Oyinlola, within 100 days, he had made a difference by employing 20,000 youths. Yes we can commend Aregbesola. But he really has not achieved, he’s just doing what we expect him to do. I hope we will not take it our “minimum standard”.

What we should be applying to these jokers is Quality Assurance, not Quality Control (as a Food Scientist). Quality Assurance is “are we doing the right thing?” which is monitoring performance and quality throughout the process, as opposed to “have we done the right thing” (Quality Control) after the process is complete and might have gone wrong from the beginning.

At our various jobs in life, our employers often recognize our efforts for doing our jobs, which he is paying us to do, by giving us promotion, awards, bonuses, etc. But he will not sing our praises to the high heavens.

We really need to educate ourselves and our people to let them know that these political opportunists are our servants, not our masters. We pay them, yet they still steal from us; we respect them because of they say we should, yet they hold us in great contempt; we sacrifice our lives for them, yet they take us for granted and think they have a right to rule us. No, they dont. We need to let our people know all these, or else we will not be able to sustain this democracy. Their arrogance and their dishonesty without any tangible performance or accomplishment is just too much for me.

Performance, like achievement is also something you expect from somebody you employ. So if we are all agog and carried away by the fact that Governor Fashola of Lagos State is performing, well, that is what we expect of him in the first place; however, because he has set his mind and heart on doing his job as it should be done, yes, we must commend him, but not turn him into a Messiah or a minor god.

Laura L. Brown, in The Meaning of Achievement, asked “Does a mother “achieve” raising her children to be conscious, contributing members of society?  Is that an end result or an ongoing endeavour?  Is something considered an “achievement” only if we win first prize?  Or only under certain circumstances?  Or only when someone is there to be witness?
Where do we learn what is considered an achievement?  How, as a society, are we valuing the contributions and participation of each member in our group- government, family, neighbourhood, community, workplace, city, nation, and world?”

“We recognize and sometimes reward people for “achieving” milestones that we have determined significant, like graduation from high school or college, receiving a promotion, winning a sports tournament.  However, there are no public acknowledgements of ongoing perseverance through troubled times or difficult circumstances, no matter how long they last.  No one is waiting to throw you a party for being a reliable, loyal, giving, and genuine human being.  Are those not also achievements?”, further asked Laura L. Brown.

I can look back at my life and list off the accomplishments that I think I should have  been recognized for attaining, though most of them in retrospect do not matter to me anywhere near as much as the unseen, intangible and internal achievements for which there were no celebrations, congratulations, bonuses, or public announcements.  Ultimately, those “achievements” and the accolades (and attention) that accompanied them faded away and what was left were the experiences, the knowledge, the growth and understanding toward a personal evolution as a resident of this planet at this particular moment in time.

Achievements, what I believe to be the real accomplishments of human beings cannot be measured by society in so much as they are not finite and continue to evolve and expand.  Is there a point at which one achieves ultimate compassion or concern for others’ well being?  Is there a gauge for how much love given or received is deserving of a celebration or recognition?  The pursuit of knowledge, excellence, performance and the desire to share it with others as an ongoing lifelong endeavour will never reach an end point as is required by the definition of ‘achievement’.

In Nigeria, we are used to asking our leaders, whom we appointed or elected to serve us (even the military are allowed by us to rule), whose salaries we pay and who live free and feed fat off us to give us a minimum standard. Why do we as a people not always demand the best standard? Why do we get even less than “minimum standard” and we start licking these corrupt idiots’ arse?

I was in a seminar organised by the National Association of Seadogs (aka Pyrates Confraternity) where the chairman was the veteran journalist, Felic Adenaike and the guest speaker was the well-known social critic and columnist, Dr Tony Marinho, and he was so miffed by what we as a people demand of our leaders. Why do we always demand the minimum standard, he asked? Why not at least optimum standard if we cannot get the highest. We are undervaluing ourselves and giving these opportunists the chance not to even perform. We put ourselves at a disadvantage by giving the leaders the excuse not to perform, or if you like, not to perform.

In any society, leaders or anybody that sticks out his/her neck to lead a people must perform to the best of his/her ability to ensure the people they are leading get the best, totally without any personal gain. That is, the highest standard.

In Nigeria, when a Governor or local Government Chairman gives a contractor inflated contract to merely scrape the road surface, and pour tar or asphalt on it which will last until the beginning of the rainy season when the tar or thinly laid asphalt would be washed away, usually within 3 months, we are still happy that the road was tarred in the first place, but we never see that “that minimum standard” was a waste of everybody’s money and a fraud committed on us. The same contractor will spend thousands congratulating the corrupt Governor on the pages of newspapers for “achievement” after 100 days or first year anniversary in power. Yet, the contract has not been fulfilled and the people do not see the impact of the project on their lives and community. Does this sound right? Yet, these brainless leaders go about posing – not posing, but actually believing they are – like gods and meting out money to their close family and business friends.

To be frank, I don’t think it is even a good thing to congratulate people, especially our Nigerian leaders for doing jobs we pay them to do and are not even doing well or with sincerity. It swells their heads and makes them think they are super-humans and invaluable to society when in reality, the world, and the country can do without them. Compatriots, please just look back to 50 years ago, how many leaders, military, politician, civil servant can we really say have done their service to this country with complete and undiluted honesty and sincerity and complete selflessness? How many can we honestly count? Not a lot and that explains why after 50 years of self-rule, we are in this quagmire of underdevelopment, poverty, corruption and destitution, despite our vast wealth.

Under our reprehensible and utterly disgusting hero-worshipping culture (no, I don’t even want to call these people heroes, because they are certainly not my heroes), there is no way excellence in governance can be achieved in Nigeria. Ministers, commissioners, so-called special advisers and assistants, top civil servants, board chairpersons and other appointees appointed by various tiers of governments always owe their loyalty and service to those who appointed them. They never feel or realise or work that they were appointed to serve the people of the country and not their masters or political parties. It is disgusting and nauseating to see most of these appointees the way they defer and denigrate themselves in the presence of their masters. I have very little respect, if any, for most of them and especially their masters.
I hate it when I see our money being spent by these useless and brainless leaders congratulating themselves, or actually doing propaganda and proclaiming non-existent achievements and/or performance on the pages of newspapers and on radio and TV. First, they are wasting money which could better be used for more serious and urgent public needs; secondly, they are lying their heads off and think they are pulling the wool over our eyes, and thirdly, they are just doing the jobs we are paying them to do, so why are they congratulating themselves, or why are some sycophants congratulating them for doing their job

In Nigeria, for the past five decades, when it comes to the resources and the income of the state, the common Nigerians are taken advantage of by ignorant, greedy, selfish, corrupt civil or armed political looters. There is nothing more deserving than dedication to public service mainly because it is a sacrifice to abandon the desire to make money and serve the people. Not in Africa. Looting the treasury until it is empty is the goal.

Hear Farouk Martins in his article “Nigeria: Debates By Political Looters May Distort Achievements” (14 March 2011), “Africans like the rest of the world have been blessed with skilful managers of resources and money of the state. No matter what our differences were with some past leaders, in retrospect, Nkrumah was dedicated, Awolowo was a skilful manager, Pa Ojukwu was a good businessman, Aminu Kanu was the best political leader and Mandela’s goodwill is world class. Nevertheless, when we are faced with a choice of leadership, we allow extroverts to snatch debates by appealing to our hearts. Many of us have called for part-time political leaders in Africa with the hope that the attraction to loot will be curtailed and minimized. However, when we see men that have served the country with no expectation to be paid back in salary or gratuity, we discard them as losers. We have a string of human right activists, philanthropists and professional students or professors that cannot be elected. There is no doubt that our interpretation of achievement is skewed”.

I am personally of the belief that contemporary challenges of development in Nigeria demand a critical and deliberate re-invention of the philosophy of governance and political leadership which must reflect a profound understanding of the very great tasks ahead of us as a nation and as a people. The liberation of the African continent at the moment would require that leadership considerations are determined by such virtues as strength of character, intellectual depth as well as dedication and commitment of the personages involved. Authentic leaders of this country must, of necessity, be those that are imbued with vision, audacity, firmness, clarity of purpose, sympathetic spirit, trustworthiness, patriotism, coherence, a strong drive for positive action, optimism, modesty, humility and dynamism.

When you look at it, African leaders’ problems are a cultural thing, a flaw in our culture. Our rulers, even in ancient days were absolute rulers. They were treated like gods,(perhaps the fault of the people they rule themselves?) and demand absolute obedience and rule their people rarely with compassion, but with the conviction that they are meant to rule and their people are just pawns or serfs, there to do their bidding and anything they do for their people are favours. They were rarely humble; in fact a humble king, oba, sultan or emir was considered a weakling.

This flaw has been carried forward to the present days, whether military or democracy and that is why you rarely see an African leader behaving with humility and compassion to his people. African, and indeed, Nigerian leaders really do have a need to approach the socio-political environment with humility. Furthermore, these leaders, expectedly because of the way they force themselves on top are relatively unprepared, uninformed, uneducated and inexperienced about the context of governance. In fact, they are completely ignorant and do not know what governance is, not to talk of good governance. Thus, they need humility and a willingness to learn and serve in terms of their own understanding of the context, humility in terms of their certainty regarding their own worldview, and humility about their assumptions concerning the motivations and goals of the great work and responsibilities ahead of them.

Only then, but then most forcefully, should leaders display the courage to pursue what they believe is the right course of action. Young, brilliant and dynamic leaders who best represent competence and excellence in public service, intelligence in the service of the people, governance not dictated by politics but politics dictated by good governance, not motivated by ludicrous propaganda but ordered by visible accomplishments, integrity and humility, are what we need in this country if we want to progress.

Right now, I can hardly see these coming, at least not for a very long time; perhaps after my death. Our cultural an moral values need to be revisited, reviewed and reworked to give us a system that will benefit our societies, and not only for Nigeria, but indeed our raped and looted continent, Africa.

Let the Truth be said always.

akinadejum@aol.com

One of the greatest English writers of all time is being celebrated this month throughout the world as we mark the 200th birthday of the man we will all remember for the phrase, “Can I have a little more sir” in one of his more popular books, Oliver Twist.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, joined Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, actor Ralph Fiennes, a host of dignitaries and scores of Dickens’ descendants at a memorial service Tuesday in London’s Westminster Abbey.

The Royal Mail has just issued two new stamps featuring Dickens characters. Right now in Britain you can catch up with new television adaptations of “Great Expectations” and “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” go to an exhibition about Dickens at the Museum of London or visit a theme park called Dickens World. A new film version of “Great Expectations,” starring Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter, is due later this year.

The British Council‘s 24 hour Global Dickens Read-a-thon will take place in 24 countries from Albania to Zimbabwe beginning in Australia with a reading from ‘Dombey and Son’. Dickens in London, an innovative cross-platform project, will be transmitted on Radio 4 and online throughout the week of Dickens’s birthday.

The Dickens 2012 Newspaper has also been launched in Print and iPad App.

Born Charles John Huffam Dickens on February 7, 1812, the great English novelist, was born at a house in the Mile End Terrace, Commercial Road, Landport (Portsea) — a house which was opened as a Dickens Museum.

Amongst his fictional works are:
A Christmas Carol
A Tale Of Two Cities
Barnaby Rudge
Bleak House
David Copperfield
Dombey And Son
Great Expectations
Hard Times
Lazy Tour Of Two Idle Apprentices
Little Dorrit
Martin Chuzzlewit
Master Humphrey’s Clock
Nicholas Nickleby
No Thoroughfare
Oliver Twist
Our Mutual Friend
The Battle Of Life
The Chimes
The Cricket On The Hearth
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Old Curiosity Shop
The Pickwick Papers

Of all my books,” Dickens wrote, “I like this the best; like many fond parents I have my favourite child, and his name is David Copperfield.”

Charles Dickens died at 6p.m. on Friday, the 9th of June, 1870 due to a stroke and was buried privately in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey.

Self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves, and our behavior will clearly reflect those feelings. A positive self esteem is crucial to later success in life. A positive self-esteem is really one’s view of one’s self and it is a major ingredient to happiness and success in life. A positive self esteem is one thing you can teach your child that will affect him throughout life

A child with a positive self esteem will
• Be an independent thinker
• Be willing to take on new tasks challenges and responsibilities
• Be proud of his accomplishments
• Be helpful to others
• Recover quickly from mistakes

A child with a low self esteem will be the opposite. The child will
• Be unwilling to try new things
• Be reluctant to take on new tasks and challenges
• Be afraid to fail
• Blame others for his mistakes or failures
• Pretend to be emotionally indifferent
• Pretend to be uncaring
• Feel unloved and uncared for
• Belittle his strengths or abilities
• Be easily discouraged and frustrated.

Parents are the most important determinants of their child’s self esteem and self image. It is really easy to build up or break down a child. Words of praise naturally can help to build up a child’s positive self-esteem while belittling a child constantly can easily produce a negative self-esteem in a child.

Tips to Building Positive Self-Esteem
Most times parents will be quick to correct a child when the child is doing wrong but the question to ask is “How often I catch my child ‘doing good’?” When your child does the right thing, be sure to praise your child. Your child needs to hear words of affirmation and praise from you. Do not assume it is unnecessary. Your child does not automatically know you are happy with him, or proud of what she has done.

Praise your child. Be generous with praise. Make a conscious effort to look for positive things to praise in your child. It could be an innate personality trait or gift. Or you could praise your child for getting good grades at school, for completing a task or even for performing a household chore.

Children will remember the positive statements you say about them and it will be kept in their memory bank and be brought out when useful or needed for their emotional stability and development.

Be sure to praise your child even when there are other people around. You do not have to delay the praise until when you are alone. Few parents delay correction of their child’s bad habits until when they are alone. Apply this method when your child displays good behaviour. Praise your child for simple things and big things.

When your child does wrong, when you are in a gathering, you could consider saving the lectures and screaming for later. Do not play to the gallery. Do correct the wrong action or behaviour or even language immediately, but look for a quiet time when you are alone with your child to time to have a deeper discussion on the bad behaviour or action.

Learn to criticise the action and not the child. Remember what your child did could be very bad but it is not your child that is bad. There is a very important difference, which most parents fail to make. Try isolating the action from the whole child. Try saying “That was very rude!” as opposed to “You are a very rude child” or  “Why are you always so rude?”

Teach your child about decision-making and to recognize when your child has made a good decision. Children make decisions all the time but often are not aware that they are doing so. There are a number of ways parents can help children improve their ability to consciously make wise decisions. Every time your child makes a good decision even if subconsciously, acknowledge the action, help your child to see that it was a good decision and why and then, praise the action.

The book launch and presentation, which took place at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island in Lagos had in attendance Mrs. Abimbola Azeh of Mona Matthews, Mrs. Bolanle Austen Peters, Efosa Imasekha and Agatha Amata amongst others. The book review was done by Dr. Austin Nweze.

In his comment on the book, popular TV personality, Victor Oladokun of the Christian Broadcasting Network said ‘Victoria is a brilliant and exceptionally gifted writer who represents a new breed of young Nigerian talent.’ Agu Irukwu, Senior Pastor of RCCG Jesus House in London said ‘Treasures’ achieves that rare combination of the profound and the simple. ‘Like a soothing balm on a wound, the words in the book will bring healing to many souls. As you read on, you are swept along and encouraged by the author’s hope which is contagious.’ He describes the book as being inspirational and uplifting.

Victoria describes herself as ‘first a lover of GOD, and then people and life.’ She is a prolific writer who is gifted by God to use her writing skills to move and transform lives; she loves to see people achieve their greatest potentials in life.

Here are pictures from the event:

The New Year has finally arrived and as other past years, there will be new trends, new fashion tips and go-to advice to follow. Whether it’s a new shoe or a new colour, people tend to sway in the direction of what’s in vogue. We all know that the minute celebrities and models begin to wear a new fashion trend; we tend to want to jump on the bandwagon. There is not a thing wrong with the ‘it’ item of the moment, as it provides jobs and photo opportunities for many people, but when a trend shows up you really owe it to yourself to scrutinize whether it is right for you or not.

I must admit that I couldn’t and still can’t comprehend the styles that 2011 brought; for instance the bright coloured skinny jeans that were a rage with a certain sector of the population. I could never wear them because they do not suit my style or my body type. I know this, so I have not even bothered to try on any. However I found the military-inspired jacket a bit more appealing.

The year two thousand and twelve is going to be a fabulous year and it is only natural to maintain the fabulousity by setting a personal and unique fashion trend for yourself. Decide to always look good through the year without spending too much. I wouldn’t advise that you follow every trend that pops up this year but if you are curious about a trend, do try it on and see how you feel in it. If you aren’t sure if it’s flattering, ask for a second opinion. Don’t spend a lot of money on trendy pieces; go for the bargain brand when a style has a seemingly quickly approaching expiration date. If a fashion trend does fit your style, set a budget for yourself and stick to it. Remember, the next fashion trend you might want to buy into is right around the corner. Fashion trends are like garlic, a little goes a long way.

Classics like flat front pants (try on styles to determine if you need flare, boot cut or straight leg cuts), French cuff blouses, button front cardigans and jeans (casual and dressy) are the basics of a wardrobe that is fast and easy to put together on a daily basis. If this sounds beyond bland, it is only because you have not put your own unique stamp on it yet! Accessories like shoes, jewellry and belts can totally change the vibe of any outfit. If you wear a studded leather belt with the dressy jeans and several cross necklaces with the tucked in French cuff blouse, it will make a totally different impression than the girl who wears the black flat front pants with the French cuff blouse, un-tucked and cinched with a current fashion trend, the wide belt.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking basic means boring. Wear the French cuff blouse with your fave Rolling Stones tee over it, with the casual jeans and boots or your cool Vans or Converse low tops. Wear a straight or tulip style skirt with a form fitting tank or scoop neck t-shirt and the button front cardigan. Leave a few buttons undone at the bottom. A skinny or wide belt can change up this look. The bottom line is that these basic pieces can anchor any fashion trends that may come down the pike and they can still stand alone beautifully if called upon to do so.

Having your own style means knowing what is right for you and integrating fashion trends into your style instead of having them dictate it. And I have to say, there is a certain quiet confidence that comes with skipping certain style trends all together. Take the time to learn what works; yet be open-minded if a fashion trend piques your interest.

A very important part of my style comes from costume jewellery, bags, shoes and more casual pieces that I mix and match with all aspects of my wardrobe.  Wear the new with the old and the subtle with the bold.  Start your own fashion trends this year!  Confidence and comfort are timeless and are a fashion trend you can always wear well.

“In the change from being a caterpillar to becoming a butterfly, you’re nothing more than a yellow, gooey sticky mess.”

You have to stop being a caterpillar in order to become a butterfly. Change is not always a conscious decision. Change will occur, inevitably. We can choose to be active participants in change or not. Metamorphosis is an uncontrollable process with an unclear result. It is dangerous to think you know the answer unless you allow the process of change itself.

What is Change?
… to make different is some particular processes or activities, to make radical different (Transform) or to give a different position, course or direction.
What is most recurrent in this definitions is ‘Different(ce)’.
Changes are important in every aspect of our lives. Be it at home or at work. Managing it is the major challenge people face. Personal changes are most likely easy to deal with, but corporate changes are not. This is so because of the number of people (views) involved.

Best practices state the following when managing changes
• Design a Process
• Write Procedures
• Communicate the Plan

These processes are very important as different people have different views and perception of what should be. In designing a process, you require everybody’s inputs as to make them have a buy-in into the vision of the change.

A change that is not autonomous is as good as a personal goal set for a group of people. You need to get everyone together on the same page with the change before execution. If you don’t, you are going to face a lot of challenges managing issues that will come up during the implementation period.

Write the vision and the methodology for carrying out these changes as you need it to keep your team in line. If you fail to write it down, you will have different people going in different direction. Management alone cannot plan for change, execute it and expect the whole team to drive with it.

These changes will definitely affect the day-to-day activities of the team, hence a need for their buy-in. you require more than the bodies of your team but also their Souls.

While changes can be perceived as positive or negative, it is important to set clear target for the team. Man I say is a product of Nature and Nurture, given way to the way we interpret events and perceive others view to same. Human Behaviour defines Culture. Culture reflects the need for order.

The reasons for resistance are usually some the following:
• Self-interest
• Fear of the unknown
• Differing perceptions
• Suspicion
• Conservatism

While managing changes requires looking at all the dimensions such as;
• Past history in putting change in place
• Degree of sponsorship
• Authenticity of sponsorship
• Organisational and individual current stress
• Who will be impacted by the change
• Cultural fit of the change
• Addressing “what is in it for me”
• Communication of the change and its progress
• Skill sets of the change agents

Lessons to be Learned
1. Develop a compelling Vision
2. Change is a Journey
3. Understand and own the Past
4. Build strong, omitted management coalition
5. Identify all the people who are affected or who need to be involved
6. Analyze Their readiness for change
7. Start where people are most receptive
8. People don’t resist their own ideas
9. Manage the driving force as well as the restraining forces
10. Establish a darn good reason to change
11. Say it once, say it twice and say it again
12. But monitor the communications
13. Encourage the heart
14. Show results – early and often
15. Prepare for ‘Implementation dip’
16. Validate the feelings of people
17. Don’t resist Resistance
18. Facilitate, Rather than just Train
19. Use a variety of mediums to build competency in the change
20. Recognise every person is a change agent
21. Finally, celebrate everyone

……Releasing a new song every week for 52 weeks

When the producers of The First Apprentice – a reality television show about competing with an apprenticeship with Donald Trump began constructing a story, they wanted to know which applicant will have what it takes to stand out in a crowd. As the first season unfolded, the person with the highest level of education was the first to be fired, and the least educated of the bunch made it to the final five. In this case, art imitated life, and reality TV mirrored some real facts about success. One of the traits that made the least qualified candidate make it to the final five was optimism and drive. Afolabi Durotoye a.k.a. Beazy in the music circuit is one young Nigerian who epitomizes these twin qualities of optimism and drive. Knowing pretty well that he did not have the funds required to promote his music adequately, he decided to convert his clay into diamonds. He embarked on a project called: The Beazy Music Monday (B.M.M) in which he released a new song every week for 52 weeks (1 year) starting August 2010 until August 2011.This phenomenal project gave him the big break he needed and made him a face to be reckoned with as far as the hip-hop game is concerned.

STARTING OUT
In his words: “I think it’s safe to say it all started with poetry. I always had a passion for words and making them rhyme intrigued me from an early age. Thinking about it now, rap for me was inevitable.’ Although, his father’s intense love of music ensured that there was always music in the house, Beazy was never particularly crazy about music. In fact he never displayed any interest until he took up poetry in primary school. After secondary school, he went to England for his A-levels and university education in 2003.

UNIQUE SELLING POINT
Simply put, Beazy is a phenomenal rapper. But as he admits, being a good rapper doesn’t quite cut it these days. In a time when the world seems to be brimming with rap talent, a lot of things set him apart from the horde. It goes way beyond his witty punch lines, catchy hooks, or even his cool demeanor on a song. It also extends to his perfectionist approach to music and his work ethic. In just three years he has amassed an archive of close to 250 recorded songs and he is still recording regularly. He points out: ‘My ultimate goal as a rapper is to be number one, even if I was a janitor I will still aim to be number one’

THE BEAZY MUSIC MONDAY PROJECT
His resolve to make a name for himself in the crowded music industry gave birth to The BEAZY MUSIC MONDAY. According to him, ‘I knew pretty early that I didn’t have the required funds to promote myself adequately so I decided to make a name for myself where it would cost me nothing. The problem though is that using the internet to promote music or an artiste is far from an original idea, so I needed a wow factor to make me stand out’. Releasing a new song for 52 weeks certainly got the industry’s attention. The music was released on all the major blogs every week and regularly got between 12, 000 to 15, 000 downloads every week.

CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED DURING THE PROJECT
My greatest challenges were endurance and keeping my focus and drive for a year. It’s such a long time that it becomes all too easy to forget why you are doing something in the first place. Thankfully, I found strength I didn’t even know I possessed and I was able to push on till the end. There is something I always tell myself whenever I get weary. I saw it in a sports advert once, it says: ‘I don’t stop when I am tired, I stop when am done’. It seems very simple, but it helps incredibly.

ADVICE TO UPCOMING ARTISTES
Work hard, work smart, be consistent and hope for the best, but prepare for the worst and pray like crazy. Be willing to pursue your passion. Do it. You may or may not regret it. But at least you did it your way.

With the successful completion of The Beazy Music Monday Project and armed with a music video shot by the award winning Clarence Peters in addition to his amazing  work ethic, Beazy is sure meant for greatness.

“The people won. Some battles are not won in Naira and Kobo, but in a major shift in awareness and ideological paradigm shift. Subsidy programme to be probed by EFCC, Petroleum Industry Bill now on the front burner. The people have gained new awareness, the leadership has a taste of how 2015 will look before the electorate. It may not be obvious to the undiscerning…but the people of Nigeria took their destiny into their hands. And the manifestation will become more obvious in the months and years ahead.” Rev George Ashiru – Co-ordinator Town Hall Meeting Projects (THMP).

On Tuesday 13 December 2011, the 2012 budget which was presented to the Nigerian National Assembly by President Jonathan removed any provisions for fuel subsidy. And so began the conversations for and against the removal of the subsidy which will eventually erupt weeks later in mass anger and revolt.

The issue of fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria has always been a controversial topic. According to a poll carried out by the Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE- Nigeria), 80 per cent of Nigerians oppose the plan to remove fuel subsidy. And so it has been for 20 years now. No government since the administration of self-styled military president, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) through President Olusegun Obasanjo has been able to win the battle for the removal of the subsidy.

On Sunday 1st January 2012, the Jonathan administration ignored the concerns of the majority of the Nigerian people and the Nigerian National Assembly which has the power to pass the budget by announcing the start of a controversial plan to end fuel subsidies.
Nigerians woke up on New Year day to learn of the increase in pump price of premium motor spirit (popularly known as petrol) from N65 per litre to N141 per litre. Nigerians were angry, furious, felt betrayed and justifiably so.

Organised labour under the aegis of the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress and activists, youths, students and members of the opposition under different guises rose up stoutly to oppose the removal of the fuel subsidy.

A nationwide strike that will paralyse the country for eight days and cost the country an estimated conservative figure of $2.6 billion in losses resulted. Beyond the economic losses were also loss of lives and any goodwill left that the President might have been enjoying.
The resulting imbroglio resulted in revelations of cataclysmic proportions which are still reverberating in the National Assembly with accusations and counter accusations being made by government officials especially from the Oil Ministry.

The protests were not just on the streets; Nigerians (who are ranked 37th in the world and 3rd in Africa behind Egypt and South Africa in the use of social media networks such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter) took over the blogosphere to express their displeasure and dismay with the fuel subsidy removal. A movement to ‘unlike’ President Jonathan’s Facebook page was even started.

Government officials including Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Central Bank Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi and Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke all went to town to defend the removal badgering us with economic indicators and statistics which we all know and choosing to ignore the moral and political dimensions of the discourse. Of course, the Central Bank Governor now did a volte face later to say that government can bring the price back down to N65 per litre but that was his own personal expressions and not in his capacity as the CBN Governor.

In the ensuing crisis, arguments and counter-arguments, what the government failed to miss and address was the fact that Nigerians were not against fuel subsidy removal because they think its sustainable or they do not know its killing the economy; what Nigerians are against was the wanton and unnecessary misuse of government resources especially on political office holders and a bloated inefficient civil service and the fact that after decades of promises from venal politicians, many Nigerians do not believe the government would redistribute to the poor the estimated $8 billion in annual fuel subsidies savings. Why should ordinary citizens bear the brunt of government inability to curb profiteering by a faceless bunkering cabal the NNPC referred to? There is good reason to doubt subsidy removal will solve the fuel scarcity problem as the cabal will only regroup to change tactics, a fact Nigerians are only too aware of.

More surprising was the fact that the World Bank (which a lot of Nigerians blame for instigating the removal) cautioned the federal government on the subsidy removal asking that it fixes the supply structure first. Commenting on the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government, World Bank Vice President, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, who was a former federal minister said: “Government needs to focus on the supply side. The supply structure of fuel needs urgent attention of the government. First of all, in tackling the issue of fuel in the country, the government should be able to address the supply of fuel.” Government however argues that it needs the money from fuel subsidy savings to do that – a case of putting the cart before the horse.

According to Son Gyoh, an analyst with the Awareness for Development Group, the removal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria is a direct affront to the millennium development goal number 1 of halving the number of people living in poverty by 2015 and at odds with global concern for the low levels of economic growth and recently reported declining human development index in Nigeria. It also smacks of double standards in the current patterns of State intervention in free markets and increased levels of protectionism in leading capitalist enclaves. It is also obvious that the pressure to remove subsidy is designed by experts with insufficient understanding of the Nigerian economy or who choose to ignore the inability of past governments to effectively implement anti-poverty programmes planned as a wider element of a fiscal policy agenda. What the advocates of deregulation may have missed is that the poverty reduction programme designed by most governments in sub Sahara Africa never goes beyond the official launch of the policy document.

The major angst of the people over the fuel subsidy removal is over losing one of the few benefits average Nigerians see from living in an oil-rich state.

Anyone with an O-Level understanding of Economics understands the figures:
• In 2006 it was N261.1 billion (US$2.03billion) or 1.4% of GDP
• It rose to 278.9billion (US$2.3 billion) in 2007 or 1.3% of GDP
• The subsidy level nearly tripled to N633.2billion in 2008 (US5.37 billion) due mainly to rising oil price and depreciating exch. rate
• Thus, between 2006 and 2008, government subsidy payments to NNPC and other marketers of petroleum products was in the range of N1,173.2 billion (US$9.7 billion)
• This figure exceeds total capital allocation to priority sectors in 2009 budget (N952.9 billion or US$6.57 billion) made up of security $0.62 billion ; Niger Delta $0.68 billion; Critical infrastructure $3.20 billion; Human capital development $1.11 billion; Land reform & food security $0.96 billion

Subsidy has resulted in substantial loss of revenue and an exponential growth in domestic oil consumption as low price does not signal real cost of consumption. Other costs of the subsidy include dilapidated supply and distribution infrastructures; reluctance of private investors to invest in refineries; sporadic fuel shortages at fuel stations and smuggling and adulteration of products.

What Nigerians however do not understand is the corruption associated with the subsidy payments (with oil marketers and dealers over invoicing their deliveries) and the inability of government over the years to have repaired the existing refineries even when allocations were made for such in past budgets. Why were the refineries allowed to reach that level of decadence in the first instance?

Also, why is there lack of political will to curtail the extreme wastage on recurrent expenditure? Nigeria’s government is too big and extremely expensive to maintain. The National Assembly gets at least 25% of allocation from the budget most of which goes into paying fat salaries to legislators who are seen to be doing nothing. In a nation where 70% live on less than $2 per day; it is incredulous that legislators are earning at least $100,000 per month. The president, governors and local government chairmen and their deputies also all have large expenses that can be curtailed to bring down the cost of running government but we don’t see this happening.

Nigerians have to come to a realisation that for our government to work, it’s time to do away with federal character and ethnic representation. A situation where we constitute a board and insist on having six commissioners on that board representing the six geo-political zones when that board can work effectively with two or three commissioners is unacceptable. Having a federal government with 36 or 42 ministers is also unacceptable. Pressure should be brought to bear on the National Assembly to change the laws that compel the President to appoint “at least a Minister from every state of the federation”.

The Civil Service at federal and state levels is bloated, disorganised and largely inefficient, yet Nigerians continue to subsidise the salaries and financial inefficiencies in this sector. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has not addressed this situation because it is not politically correct for them to do so. Fighting for N18, 500 minimum wage for less than 5 million Nigerians when majority of Nigerians are in the informal sector working in companies with less than 50 staff where the minimum wage law does not apply to them is not the way for the NLC to go. NLC should be looking at how to engage the government on how to free up resources for the informal sector, how to build new infrastructure and how to sustain our moribund manufacturing industries.

Nigeria is endowed with significant energy resources:
• Oil reserves 36 billion barrels (2009 estimates)
• Gas reserves 187 trillion cubic feet (2009 estimates)
• Oil production 2.016 mbd

The Oil sector has influenced significantly the growth contour of the country since 1970 as oil contributed $391 billion to government revenue between 1970-2005 with oil exports at $593.6 billion between the same period. These represent 75% of total govt revenue and 96% of foreign exchange earnings over the period.

However, what have these earnings translated to for the average Nigerian? Nigeria’s Human Development Index (HDI) value for 2011 is 0.459 — in the low human development category — positioning the country at 156 out of 187 countries and territories. Life expectancy at birth is 52 years.

From Sub-Saharan Africa, countries which are close to Nigeria in the 2011 HDI rank and population size are Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of the Congo which have HDIs ranked 174 and 187 respectively. These are countries which have been raked with wars, drought and unstable governments – what business does Nigeria have being with such countries. The 2011 HDI report also indicates that 18% of the population are vulnerable to poverty; 34% are living in severe poverty and 64% are below the income poverty line.

But back to the issue of subsidy, it is important to acknowledge that deregulation has proven to be the way forward in expanding opportunities for economic growth and competitive markets. Yet, deregulation and subsidy have proved not to be entirely mutually exclusive. The developed economies have continued to apply subsidies in areas of social services as transport, energy and agriculture, sectors for which EU countries even borrow to subsidise. Private public partnerships are negotiated in transport services that offer unprofitable schedules just to provide convenience in social service to citizens. For African countries, the challenge is nothing near the convenience of transport service schedules, but the sheer availability of a service.

Countries like Ireland have provided more recent evidence that marked improvement in economic growth and human development is achievable through a balanced mix of market liberalism and state owned enterprise in an environment of public sector, fiscal prudence and accountability. Such evidence includes the commercialised electricity company ESB and the telecom service Eirecom, which transformed in a span of six years (1984-1990) to a modern profitable and competitive outfit, extending its transformed digital services to less profitable rural communities even in a deregulation market environment (James B. Burnham 2003). There is a clear indication here of subsidy applied through a national development programme aimed at improving communication and opportunities in rural communities. Subsidy is therefore not a strange bird in market economies and should not be served cold to less developed countries.

Subsidy removal, without spending of the associated savings, would increase the national poverty level. This is due to the consequent rise in inputs’ costs which is higher than the rise in selling prices of most firms and farms. How the government determines its fiscal policy going forward is important in determining the poverty effects of the fuel subsidy removal. Also important is how and on what the government spends the savings from the removal and whether it can improve supply and get local refineries up and running at full capacities.

Economists argue that if the region’s governments manage the savings properly, some of the world’s poorest countries will see improvements in transport, health care, education and energy, as well as an influx in investment.

“Ending subsidies makes eminent sense, but the public doesn’t believe it,” U.S. economist Jeffrey Sachs told Reuters during a visit to West Africa while the crisis lasted. “So the question is, will the government follow through? Because simply removing all of those subsidies if the revenue gets stolen some other way is a disaster,” he added, referring to Nigeria’s subsidy cut. And that is why Nigeria seems to remain at a crossroads over the subsidy issue – Nigerians simply do not trust their government not to steal or mismanage the money. Doubts remain high in a nation notorious for government corruption and fraud.

“Our governments in Africa should know that if the people lose trust in them, nothing can be achieved,” said Joe Abbey, an analyst at the Centre for Policy Analysis in Ghana.

You are ready to raise your hand with the “correct” answer, when the speaker asks a totally different question. “How heavy do you think this glass of water is?” she queries. Murmurs of surprise ripple through the audience, as everyone adjusts to this new twist. Then the answers begin.  “200 grams”. . . “500 grams”. . .”700 grams”. . . .

The speaker smiles but does not confirm the exact weight. Instead she shifts the focus still more:  “Actually, the real issue is how long I hold the glass of water,” she begins. “Holding this glass for just a few moments is not a problem. However, if I continued to hold it for an hour, my arm would become stiff and tired. If I carried it around for the rest of the day, my arm would throb and cramp—my whole body would be signaling distress. I would be incapacitated—unable to concentrate on anything else.

When we carry unresolved conflicts within us, they generate stress. The longer we allow the pressure to escalate, the more the stress churns up anxiety and discomfort. Finally, it depletes us–body, mind and psyche.  Human stress mechanisms are warning systems. Stress first whispers, then shouts, “Stop! There is something crying to be acknowledged. If you don’t deal with it, it will eventually sabotage you.

Interestingly, the word “stress” has its origin in a Latin verb meaning “to restrict, narrow, draw tight or oppress.” In our endlessly competitive world, “stress” is equated with anxiety and other symptoms caused by harboring worrisome thoughts or emotions. Stress disturbs the body’s normal state of functioning and is known to contribute to the development of illnesses, including heart disease and cancer.

As you move through your days, what beliefs, worries or fears are generating stress in your heart and mind? At what cost to your spiritual, mental and physical wellbeing?

Here are some keys to managing and reducing your stress.
1. Realize that stress is a gift. It shows you where your life is out of balance. Pay attention. Look closely at what is bothering you. Monitor your mind, emotions and body. On what are you spending your thought time? Are you obsessing over a problem at work? A family issue?  How would you describe your emotional state?  Uneasy?  Worried?  Fearful?  Where do you feel tightness, anxiety, distress, tiredness, or discomfort in your body? What stressful beliefs are running you?  Stress only becomes a problem when we do not deal with it.

2. Rather than letting your worries swirl endlessly inside you, write them down. Go down your list one item at a time. Ask yourself, “Is there anything I can do today to change the situation?” If so, take a step of action. If not, release the challenges to God. This famous prayer from Alcoholics Anonymous is a powerful one to memorize and use regularly: “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; The Courage to change the things I can; and the Wisdom to know the difference.”

3. Do one moment at a time. What needs your focus RIGHT NOW? Do not let worries about something you have to face a few hours or a few weeks from now take your energy away from today.  Remember, you have always found a way forward—and you always will.  Pour your energy into the moment you are in.

4. Commit yourself to finding the good. Stress is not caused by circumstances, but by our response to them. Allowing the negative to fill your mind will generate intense stress. Choosing to be hopeful, looking for a solution and taking one step at a time, will dissolve stress.

5. Get some sleep. When the body is tired, the mind goes wild. The “inner demons” emerge. Life feels overwhelming. Be wise. Get adequate sleep and take a power nap as needed

6. Breathe, breathe and breathe some more. When under pressure, we tend to hold our breath and tense our bodies. Take a moment to sit quietly and breathe deeply. Breathe in peace. Let go worry. Close your eyes. Let the tension drain out of your body and into the ground beneath you.

7. Find a healthy outlet. Engage in creative activities that allow self-expression. Listen to music that soothes and uplifts you. Dance. Draw. Write in a journal. Take a walk. Play or watch your favourite sport.

8. Seek help. We all find ourselves in difficult situations. It is a sign of strength and wisdom to ask for help when you need it.

Food For Thought
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

To learn more about Patricia’s work and to sign up for Food For Thought, her free daily inspirational email list, visit www.patriciaomoqui.com or email info@patriciaomoqui.com. Patricia Omoqui, The Thought Dr. TM, is an executive coach and business consultant, the author of Clarify Your Purpose and Live It! She is sought after as an inspirational speaker, life coach and trainer. Patricia is a Princeton Graduate, former professional basketball player and highly successful business woman and entrepreneur. Drawing on her experience as a business consultant (Accenture), a corporate manager (Tyco Intl.), a Six Sigma Green Belt and a professional mediator, she provides customized business training on topics such as Developing a Mindset of Excellence, Building Teams that Work, Keys to Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution.