BEGGARLY ATTITUDE

I was sitted in a bus one day and some guys were having an interesting conversation beside me. The were talking about a certain rich individual in their neigbourhood who they alleged was "very stingy". How can you know if someone is stingy except you go cap in hand to beg or extort money from someone. Can an individual be prudent and not termed stingy by others?

I challeged my fellow passengers on why they were castigating the rich man. I asked them if they were aware of the mans responsibilities and commitments. They all responded they were not aware. The fact is that if you think someone else is stingy...i guess you are the one with a problem. Begging is a choice. Irrespective of my position i do not beg for any thing. Have you not noticed that beggars always return to the same spot daily seeking for handout.

I am yet to meet someone who became financially liberated by begging. You need to move out of poverty mentality into abundance. Have you ever seen a grown up goat depending on another goat for sustenance? I remember when i was a casual labourer i ensured i lived within my means. I never enganged in the habit of asking my ogas(senior colleagues) for handout.

That you are a security personel or cleaner does not make you a beggar. Hold you head up. Do not bury your self esteem or pride. Go for solution not handout. When i meet a very successful individual I seek from them information, wisdom and knowledge. My focus is what they know and not what they have. Remember the beggars hand is always below. For a change this season do not ask your Oga for a gift. Buy something for him instead.

Do you need money? Then look for a problem you can slove. Ask your neigbour if you can wash his car for him or wash his clothes for a token. Thats a better way to get money and have your needs meet. When someone buys a new car. Dont ask him to buy drinks for you to celebrate it. Rather go ahead buy drinks and celebrate with the person. Work on your personal development and elevate your staus. Earn the money you get. Their is dignity in labour.

work: AN EXTENTION OF WORSHIP

I really thank God for a beautifull year. God has really been faithful. I am greatful
for his mercies. I look back with gratitude. If i did not accomplish all my goals for
this year guess who messed up......me



work: AN EXTENTION OF WORSHIP

As a human resource and productivity analyst i am always fascinated by new approaches
to ensure that individuals give their best and get the best out of their labour.

what motivates people to work? Money appears to be a short term measure. Increase employees salary
and you may only get an insignificant improvement in productivity. Initially the increase
in pay may motivate people to work harder but after a while they get used to the new pay and
are no longer motivated by it.

what then can keep an individual motivated perpetually?


I read a comment on a site www.dipotepede.com and i see a lot of sense in it.


"People in India consider 'Work as Worship' and this feeling has led to our success
in various spheres of life". Nitesh Gupta – a 22-year old entrepreneur based in India


when you realise that you work is an act of worship to God you will always put in your best effort.

you will even require little or no supervision since you will always be conscious of the presence of God.

Even if what you are doing now does not look like where you are going...do you best.

"someone is always watching you who is capable of promoting you or reccomending you for a promotion".

oluyemi adeosun

Faith with works

“The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step” Chinese Proverb

Don’t sit down and take what comes. Go after what you want. Mediocre men wait for opportunities to come to them. Strong, able, alert men go after opportunities. Mike Murdock says pursuit is the proof of desire. In this life we only get the things for which we hunt, for which we strive and for which we are willing to sacrifice. Faith is too believe what we do not see and the reward for this faith is to see what we believe. There is strength in faith. He who believes is strong and he who doubts is weak. Strong actions precede great actions. The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubt of today. You need to write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year. When you have this consciousness, you put in your best effort daily. This is important because someone is watching you who is capable of greatly rewarding you.

Moving with the right people will also encourage you to take the right action at the right time. When you are with the right people, the best comes out of you and the worst part of you dies. You need to find your place….where your talents meets the needs of the market. A great sage says that “no man will be ideally successful until he has found his place, like a train, he is strong on the rail line but weak anywhere else. You cannot continue to waste a part of your life in attempts to display qualities you do not posses.

Pursue your dreams….what you have a deep interest in. more men fail through lack of purpose than lack of talent. I challenge you today; it is never too late to be what you might have been. Have you failed in a venture before? Never mind failure is a delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end street. Since it does not cost money to dream, you will only do yourself good to stretch your imagination. Don’t put a limit on what you will do thereby placing a limit on what you can do. If you are afraid of mistakes, you cannot arrive at mastery. I will close with the words of Mike Murdock “You will never possess that you are unwilling to pursue”. Reach out to your dreams.

Push the Faith button

“Your seeds are a reflection of your faith” anon

There are two ways to respond to any circumstance in life. You either respond with faith or in fear. The response you select is often the difference between failure and success in life. I will like you to note that your greatest mountain will succumb to smallest seed of faith. Greatness is the child of crisis. I see you emerging strong from this situation. You won’t go down with the stock market. I see you walking over the waters separating you from your destiny. Your attitude really matters when the going gets tough.

God is on the side of faith. Situations succumb to faith. I challenge you to exercise your faith. If there is ever a time to be a believer ……this is the time. Pursue your goals, dreams and aspirations. The severity of your storms reveals the size of the miracles enroute to you. The truth is nothing is as bad as it first appear. Ask Daniel in the lion’s den. Do not be overwhelmed by the seeming size of the obstacles.

Your miracle is not as far as it first appears. As a result, you need to forge ahead. You need to make your priorities habitual. Put efforts into your dreams daily. This is the only way you can unlock your full potentials. Concentrate on the success of every one you meet. Give someone a gift they cannot get anywhere else.

Sow your seed of kindness, love, time and talent. Your seed is anything that you have that can benefit someone else. Your seed can multiply. Do you have issues with your present harvest then examine your seeds. Your seeds are a reflection of your faith.

Faith does not give in to circumstances neither does it blame it. If you don’t like the circumstances that surround you right now then create the circumstances that you desire. Great things don’t start great. Persistency and consistency in small things is the greatness therein.

Road Map to National Development

“Anybody saying it can’t be done is liable to be interrupted by somebody doing it. Nothing is impossible to the human spirit. Just dare” Anon

How are we going to get to the promise land? This is the question people of faith ask. Yes the skeptics simply say it can’t be done. People of faith want to know their role. The part they have to play….their contribution. What is the roadmap to our economic breakthrough?

We have looked outward to long. By now we should have realized that our help is not from abroad. We need to look upward and inward. Real help is in our midst. What we can get at best from abroad are mere shadows and not substances. Temporary and short-lived reliefs are not permanent solutions. Charity they say begins at home. We need not fight globalization. All we need to do is to make our products and services global in usefulness and relevance.

Can you conceive a tomorrow where your shirt will not be regarded as modern or standard if it is not made from Adire or Aso-oke. I know someone is saying this guy has gone bananas. Believe it we need to adjust our mindset to change our lot. When GSM was introduced into the country they said it was not possible. An indigenous company made it a reality!

Do we need more respect then we need to accord it to ourselves. We need to stop going to international meetings with cap in hand begging for alms. We have got to help ourselves. We have to live within our means. The starting point is by appreciating what we have gotten at our disposal right now. All we need to do is to repackage and rebrand our products.

We have to break from this vicious cycle of poverty. Vicious by the way means self sustaining. It is self sustaining because it is powered by habit i.e. the things we do daily. We need to make a conscious effort to break into the cycle of wealth. This too is sustained by habits.

We need to change our consumption, investment and saving patterns. It is not really about how much money enters how hands but how much we are able to save and invest. Poor People or nations usually claim that they don’t save and invest because they are unable to earn good income. The rich people and nations save and invest a fixed proportion of their income no matter how meager or fat.

Another area where we need urgent change is in our housing and rent structure. In developed world, you do not pay 2 years rent in advance like we do here. Rent should be paid on a monthly or quarterly basis. Imagine how much money you will free up for investment if we follow a similar pattern. I hope the house of assembly or representative will address the issue.

What customer want: Ten rules for building loyal relation

One size fits one by Gary Heil/Tom Parker

What customer want: Ten rules for building loyal relation

Take us personal make it personal

The average customer does not exist-

Get to know usThe details are important to us….they should be to you

Make everyone a relationship builder

Make our experience special: Give us something to talk about

Our time is important as your time

If something goes wrong, fix it quicklyGuarantee our satisfaction

Don’t take us for granted

We care whether you are a responsible corporate citizen.

Never Envy Others

Never Envy Others
Written by Adeosun Oluyemi www.yemiadeosun.blogspot.com 08055575654

We all have the ability to succeed in life. It is our time that differs. Never envy others because your time will come. Our assignment differs so our preparation requirements are different. In the real sense of it, there are no mates. Each individual is in a class of his own. That you are age mates or colleagues do not matter or count. An African proverb says “age is regret’. What counts is your assignment, vision, purpose and what you do with it.

‘Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today” African proverb

Envy robs you of your creativity. It takes your focus off the real thing. You may not realize how close to a breakthrough you are right now. In spite of your present situation please endeavor to move forward. Against all odds do forge ahead. Solomon said “life goes on….sometimes flowing in stream line, at other times in sure turbulences. We don’t design our situations but we certainly have the privilege to determine to swim or sink. The power to do either lies in our decision. It could sometimes be in the condemnation of ourselves and at other times in our sincerity and determination.

We may fall several times. It could be spiritually, emotionally, financially and even physically or health wise. But I feel we should still accept ourselves not in self deception, but in sincerity and determination. I think we can start again, I think our spirit can be renewed again”. General Eric Shin Seki said”If you don’t like change, you are going to like irrelevance even less”. This is the season of change and you have a role to play. You will certainly need to make some adjustment in your habits and life style.
Friend you too will accomplish your goals. You will soon share the good news. Meanwhile, obey that scriptural injunction .Rejoice with those that rejoice. Never envy others because your time will come.

Little Things and Big Consequences

Little Things and Big Consequences
WRITTEN BY ADEOSUN OLUYEMI

“Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things…..i am tempted to think…..there are no little things” Bruce Barton
Majeck Fashek in his song entitled little patience says “a little faith will move a big mountain”. The greatest teacher of all times adds that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can literarily order a mountain to relocate”. Sir Edmund Hilary the first man to climb Mount Everest the tallest mountain in the world said.” It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves”.

Friends the enemy surrounding you cannot surmount the power within you if you align with your creator. Remember the mountain cannot get bigger but your faith can. King Louis said “There is little that can with stand a man who can conquer himself”. When you think the obstacle to overcome is external then you will be chasing shadows. The enemy within empowers the external opposition. An African proverb says” if the wall does not open its mouth, the lizard cannot enter it”.

You have to be courageous and strong. Do not give in to procrastination, doubt or unbelief. These are internal enemies to watch out for. I close with the words of Jennifer Unity “Life is not waiting for the storm to be over, but life is about learning to dance in the rain”.

Creative Thoughts

What you see in your reality right now has been the most dominant thoughts you have been carrying in your mind for long. Your realities today are a reflection of your thoughts yesterday. James Allen said “you are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. It’s a law in life that your life will always move in the direction of your current dominant thought. Your dominant thoughts control your body, schedule, habit and every other thing you do in life.Your dominant thoughts determine your desire and ultimately what you pursue.

Desire is the mother of invention and not just necessity. The Wright brothers thought about flying all day and they succeeded in inventing the aero plane. Your thoughts are so powerful they need to be channeled right.Nelson Mandela thought about freedom…he got it. Martin Luther king thought about equal right and justice…he got it. What are your dominant thoughts? Is it others downfall? Getting rich at others expense? Great men become great because they change their habits, thoughts and action. Men subconsciously strive to become the self portrait of how they see themselves. Men plan around their view of life.

Dear friend I can’t emphasize this enough, until you change your perspective, you can’t change your outcome. If you can’t see a different picture you can’t get a different result. Men develop their habits around their strongest photograph of themselves. Don’t speak words that will diminish you. You are a champion. Talk like one.Olympic champions declare victory in advance. Listen to Samuel Peters…..Mohammed Ali. Who do you think you are? The oldest book in the world says as a man thinks in heart so his he. I see myself as a leader, change agent, statesman and nation builder. Remember everything you see today and will see tomorrow is powered by thoughts.

The paradox of our time

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships.


These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...


Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your sideRemember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mindAND


ALWAYS REMEMBER:Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares? George Carlin

Don’t Skip the Process

“There are no short cuts to anywhere worth going” Beverly Sills
The harder I worked, the luckier I get” Gary Player

‘Just because you make a mistake doesn’t mean you are a mistake” Georgette Mosbaccher
Saul was looking for his fathers lost sheep, he meet the prophet and he was selected to be the first king of Israel. He did not have successful career and he was not able to hand over the throne to his offspring. David was anointed or chosen to be king at age 17 but he did not ascend the throne until he was 30. He succeeded beyond measure. Joseph had a dream of greatness of ascending the throne at age 17. The dream became a reality at age 30. He ended up saving the world from famine.

Saul became a king immediately he was informed. He was not prepared for the role little wonder he was a disappointment. David had 13 years of preparation, likewise Joseph. I am too sure a great future awaits you but are you preparing. Enduring success is not a by product of luck or chance. It is product of investment. It starts with handling small projects and doing them well. It starts from serving from where you are. Are you a servant? Serve to the best of your ability. Are you a prisoner, serve well. Are you tending sheep then do it well. Whatever your hands finds to do, do it with all your might.

Please don’t despise the days of little beginning. Job said after my trial I will come forth as gold. Enjoy the days of training, the days of apprentice under a master, are u a join man serve with joy. Take every task with seriousness. Are u a student right now study diligently. Your present undertaken is preparing you for a prepared future. It’s important you put in your best into what you are doing now. Someone is watching you right now who can recommend you for a better job or opportunity. What impression are you creating at the moment? Are you sending the right signal? Don’t just excel with the task excel with a right attitude. Don’t complain, grumble or murmur. Enjoy your way up.

The pain of the moment will prevent a future pain. It’s a learning process. It’s making you a better person. It’s making you a tougher person. You can handle bigger responsible. Greater opportunities are coming your way because of what you have gone through. Believe me you will be grateful to God for the hardship you may be going through now. When you skip the process you will skip the result. Do you want a complete result? Complete your lessons. Greatness is not a product of half heartedness or mediocre efforts.

Beware of shortcuts. They only shortchange you. If the building will be tall, the foundations must be deep. The only thing you start from the top is a grave. Are you a career person, move up the ranks, learn, grow, and develop. Ensure you pay your dues. Earn your honor. At the end when you are at the top. You will be a grand master.

The First Miracle

Whatever you make happen for others God will make happen for you. The first miracle – be the miracle in someone’s life. I know we all need a miracle in our life. We want a stranger we don’t know to see us and bless us. Have you ever thought that you can be an angel to someone? You too can bless someone. No matter your estate at the moment you are endowed with something that if you release to your neighbor he will see it as a miracle. Check your wardrobe you will see clothes shoes you have not worn in 1 year. I request you pull them down and look for someone in your community to give.

If you are a distributor you will never lack supplies. A flowing river that empties itself into another river body is always fresh. Don’t be like a lake that is stinking because all it does is to receive and not release. Do not say I have nothing to give. If you can’t think of how to be a blessing to someone else right now then I do not think God will be able to release his blessing into your life. Are you looking for a child? At the moment start taking care of other people children. Visit the orphanage on a weekly basis and show love to unloved children. Start paying the tuition of children who cannot afford it. You will be surprised at how such good works will open your womb.

Some people are in the habit of hoarding information. This attitude will not take anybody far. Are you searching for job? When you hear about an opening, share it with everyone that you know can take advantage of it. Do you have an idea that can benefit someone else? then do not withhold it. Proverbs say do not withhold good from whom it is due when it is in the power of your hand to do it. One of my hobbies right now is looking for people I can assist. UACs motto is doing good. You have to realize you carry within you value. You are endowed. At every interaction with other people leave them better off.

Rob on positively on others. Simply complimenting someone’s dressing is part of doing well. Put a smile on someone’s face. Help a new neighbor settle down. Interact with that new employee in your office. Someone comes late to work, show some concern. Say thank you to the bus conductor, security guard or cleaner. Don’t take people for granted. Show respect to everyone irrespective of their status. These are little seeds that will open a great door for you. These are seeds that will save you from imminent danger. These are seeds that will set you up for an encounter with destiny. You will get information just when you need it. Help will always be near you….just because you are a helping hand yourself.

In the process of doing good, never let it enter your mind that the people you assist will be the one to help you. God will reward you. Ok! When doing good becomes your obsession then you will be more grateful for your present situation, you will be more positive about your future, you will begin to see what others cannot see, you will begin to act in a certain way, coincidences will begin to happen in your life bringing finances towards you, your efficiency will increase, you will understand how to go from where you are to where you desire to be. Do you need a lifting? Then lift others up. God bless your day!

FAMILY CYCLE

The life- span of a building is pre-determined by the strength of its foundation. A single fault with the foundation of a house might lead to its collapse. Likewise, a cancerous cell in the body system would eventually affect other parts of the body, if the cancerous cell is not detected early enough.

The same way science tells us that , a cell is the smallest unit of life, sociologists say that the family is the smallest unit of a society. Ultimately ,the family institution determines the sanity level of any society .An ideal family should live in a home where values are imbibed into a child .Every family’s role is to mould or shapen a child in the home and the child grows into an adult and give back to their society.

Whatever kind of input an adult contributes to their environment shows what kind of value that has been stuffed into them. Did I hear you say, really? Yes.Dysfunctional homes have been proven by family counselors and psychologists to be majorly responsible for the cases of juvenile crime and all sort of vices in different parts of the world.

If I guessed right ,you are probably thinking, no wonder we have leaders , teachers, officials who are corrupt ,they have no respect for the law and break rules to gratify themselves.
However, I assure you that there is a sure solution and it is quite simple .If only individuals would place high value and make the family institution the highest priority in their lives ,getting rid of self-centeredness or negative attitude in order to satisfy our spouse ,our children , neighbours ,what a peaceful world we will live in.

Imagine a society that is well structured ,where parents live with their children and nurture them in love ,care and support. The children grow as adults valuing other people ,putting others first and with excellent leadership abilities because they have seen their fathers lead their homes successfully.

Probably you are thinking ,is this possible?

First ,take a bold step. Decide that you are going to have a great marriage ,you will not cave in when there are challenges in your home.Once you have made that decision,remember that,”Petit a petit,l’ouseau fait son nid”. This sentence is a french word which means “little by little the bird constructs its nest.

written by Elizabeth Uwazota

Expectation: The big difference

What do you anticipate? I expect to be a victor and not a victim. I expect help, assistance, favour and joy. Expectation is the difference between great life’s and ordinary lives. Great economies and mediocre ones. Miracles respond to positive expectation. Disaster responds to negative expectation

I believe thing will work out positively for me. I will have a productive day, career, impact on the live of others. I expect things to get better, our economy to a willing person. A willing person becomes a lucky individual.

If you expect opportunities, you will be well positioned to take advantage of it. Look around, take a cue from the life of successful people and you will realize they anticipated it. I challenge you today to change your expectation. Your personal expectation is superior to the expectation of others about you.

I expect that very soon from now this stae will be the best in the nation. We will have the best road network, infrastructure, development, constant power supply, and lowest crime rate and infant mortality in the country. I expect that Nigeria will be the best county in the world. That we will be rated number one in terms of development. In fact very soon from now, Nigeria will be the definition of quality standard of living, law and order good governance and economic success power. A reference point for economic turn around.

Blessed are you that believes because that their will be a performance of your
expection. Performance is a function of believe. Remember david defeated goliath not because he fought well but because he believed well. As you embrace a positive outlook to life. I see things working in you favour.

Dare To Be Rare

Would you like to command or attract a high value? Do you want to be sought after? Would you like to attract a high premium? Then dare to be different. Express the uniqueness within you. Scarcity is one of the determinants of price. Little wonder gold is more expensive than gravel. I hope you are aware that they are both stones. Gold is just a more precious stone. You have got to develop abilities to such a high level of excellence that you will become rare.

Another factor that determines the price of a product or premium an individual will command in the processing and pressure you have gone through. It will interest you to note that diamonds and charcoals have basically the same constituents. The major difference is that diamond went through more pressure. Little wonder diamond can cut through any kind of mental and command a higher price.

Do you want to attract more resources into your life? Then I challenge you to go the extra mile in training and development. Put in excellence into your work. Put in excellence into packaging of your product. Be punctual and timely. Let your word count. Be trustworthy. Be renowned for integrity and forthrightness.
Are you a cook? Be the best cook in town. Are you a father? Be the best dad ever. Be courteous to your customer. Smile at them. listen to them. Treat them like the king that they truly are. You will witness repeated sales and get free publicity and referrals. Excellence will distinguish you.
Be the very best by putting in your best. One first class result is superior to 4 second class lower degrees. Do your best every time. Remember you are only as good as your last impression.

OPPORTUNITIES

Recently, I came across a definition of the word poor. And it really intrigued me. POOR means passing over opportunities repeatedly. When people want to explain away the success of others, they simply say that that man is lucky or has great opportunities. Al Capone was quoted to have said that all men have opportunities to be successful via legitimate means.

Opportunities are either coming your way or passing you by. Opportunity is available to all and sundry. However you must be able to identify it to be able to capitalize on it. Opportunity is no good if you do not seize it. The law of recognition or identification is critical when it comes to opportunity. In essence every situation, location or occurrence is potentially an opportunity depending on your perspective. You do not need many opportunities. One opportunity well utilized is enough to propel you to greater heights.

A well-trained and developed mind sees more opportunity than the average mind. Opportunities exist everywhere. Opportunities are oblivious to some people because they are dressed in work uniforms. People who shy from responsibilities usually miss out on opportunities. Opportunities also present themselves when others have challenges that we can utilize our skills to solve. When you excel at your present undertaken, you make yourself attraction to other opportunities.

Opportunities themselves as:

People- treat everyone you meet with dignity and respect.
Places- pick up an idea, body of knowledge or mentality.
Problems- you discover your talents and capacity to solve problems
Powerful opposition- you know how valuable your goals are.
Preparation- it increases your capacity to contribute
Pain- it helps you help others who will face similar challenges
Period or time- that you are alive now is an opportunity to act.

Dig your well before you are thirsty. Develop yourself to the extent that people will count meeting you an opportunity. Go and succeed.

Want to relocate to Naija

U, anyone who wnts to relocate to Naija?I think u have to read this funny piece.
First , the down side of Nigeria . Its economy has predominant characteristics of a third world's. It is No. 35th on Transparency International' s rating on the list of the world's most corrupt nations. It used to be No. 1. Thanks to the EFCC and ICPC. NITEL has now completely collapsed. Where NITEL failed, mediocre local independent telephone operators dominated by Indians are carting billions to the banks and their banks in India . NEPA is tottering.
The road networks are in a very, very dilapidated condition. The transportation system in Nigeria is in a big mess. Travel by road in Nigeria has seized to be a thing of joy. By air is expensive and froth with danger of air crash due to the preponderance of molue aircraft in the air. Still, it is expensive. A forty-five-minute flight to Abuja from Lagos costs between twelve and fifteen thousand Naira, ($90-$130) depending on the airline. Crime is climbing because of joblessness, particularly among young school leavers. Politically motivated pen robbery is still with us. Economically induced robberies are on the rise too. Banks are now robbed in broad day light. You cannot open your favorite daily any morning without reading about a robbery incident here and there. Because it is not an election season, assassinations are on the wane - it looks like.
In spite of all, this is the best time to start thinking of relocating to Nigeria . Nigeria is changing. This is very fast. You begin to notice this at the airports - your first points of entry. The air cooling systems now work most of the time. The conveyor belts work too, most of the times that I have seen. Power systems at the airports fail intermittently but not as they used to do.
The people you meet either at departure lounges or on arrival halls are beginning to imbibe the culture of courtesy. Trolleys, though for hire are now available for the jaded traveler to cart away his luggage. Even the toilets are manned by professionals who say hi to you before use and after. (Some times they hide the tissue papers and make you pay for service.) Inside the airports, touting has been kept at bay. There are banks with ATM machines competing for the business of the Nigerian traveler, at most Nigerian airports now. Modern communications gadgets are on display at every nook and cranny displaying wares, arrival and departure times.
Before you relocate, make sure you have the wherewithal to get back to where you are relocating from - just in case. The reasons are too many. But the first you would notice is how far high on the economic ladder your mates have climbed. And as you know, economic progress has a twin brother climbing the same ladder - social mobility. Your contemporaries have moved and they did so slowly but sure-footedly while you were gone. Your mates dine at the most expensive restaurants and drive the latest model cars - not on credit.
Your mates have bought up properties in the choicest areas of the land. Your mates are to be found in, Wuse II, Asokoro and Maitama areas of Abuja . Your mates have occupied the choicest areas of Lagos , particularly the picturesque sites of Lekki , Victoria Garden City - fancifully called the VGC. Of course, your mates now use their Ikoyi and VI previous homes as offices. It is no more fanciful to say I live in Ikoyi or VI. There are new places of abode in the land - from Kaduna to Port Harcourt and from Enugu to Maiduguri , and your mates have taken them up while you were gone.
If you left over ten to twenty years ago and you are planning to be back, know that you have become unemployable. You have to be self-employed for a long while. Be sure you have enough resources to keep you going through the period it would take you to re-acquaint yourself with your "former" home. Things have really changed - changed for good for those who did not jet out and somehow changed for bad for those of us who took the next plane and left the country.
In Nigeria , your mates in the public and private sectors of the economy, particularly the banking and oil industry, have become highly placed. Most earn the equivalent of between 200,000 and 300,000 dollars a year plus other incentives to wit. There was an advert recently placed in one of the papers for a job opening which warned those not earning twenty million Naira and above, per annum, in their present job not to apply. Most have built their own houses in Nigeria . Most have more than two cars in their drive way. Most live in homes that smack of opulence, with every modern gadget ranging from large sized Plasma TVs to Microwaves.
Most have genuinely saved enough to send their children to some of the best educational institutions over seas, including to the Ivy Leagues. Most are share holders in most of the emerging markets that have been liberalized during the eight boom years (and counting) which we that left, have missed. Most of them have savings in liquid cash that run into tens of millions. Most have invested in the now, very lucrative Nigeria stock market. You would marvel when you have a snippet of what amount of shares your mates now hold. You would shiver in self pity.
If your mates joined politics, they have occupied the choicest of political positions in the land and made new friends that will be hard to dislodge. If you happen to have showed off to them in your hey days of "returning" from America , be rest assured they have not forgotten. They call us mercenaries in politics. It is now their turn to show you, that you can't have it both ways. They have built a barricade and insulated themselves from out side interests - you the returnee being an outside interest that must be dreaded. If you have real or passing interest in politics, you must show it with extreme caution. They would like to invite you to political meetings and discussion only to put you to size.
While not accepting everything they say, when making your presentations, or contributions avoid using phonetics. Avoid such phrases as "if it were in America or Europe ." They do not like to hear that. One of them surely will remind you "this is Nigeria " to the embarrassing applause of others, there present. They see Nigeria now as a trophy. They labored for Nigeria while you were gone. They suffered the June 12 crises together while you were gone. They suffered the Abacha era while you were gone. While you were gone, you probably had returned on one or two occasions only to scurry out soon after complaining of incessant heat, erratic power supply and mosquito bites. At the airport, you must have been caught criticizing everything in sight. They have not forgotten your new borrowed accent and the phonetics that do not rhyme.
That you need a shelter to live in Nigeria if you planned relocating to Nigeria is an understatement. There are many ways to do this. It's either that you have managed to build something for yourself in the city you would want to relocate or you could find an affordable apartment. With the kind of money we make overseas from genuine everyday livelihood, it is almost next to impossibility that you could build yourself an abode commensurate to what you are used to. If you find yourself in this position, don't worry, if you endured the pains and worked hard and kept a low profile in order not antagonize your former friends, within five years your will build your self, your dream home.
You need to feed well. This too is an understatement. Avoid going to the supermarkets to get your food - raw, processed or cooked. Buy from the local sellers at the nearest mammy market. Go to the supermarkets and shops to buy the essentials. At the malls, you will find that while you spend a miserable amount to buy your essential needs, Nigerians who are not been tos, buy up anything in site both the ones they need and those they do not need.
This people have so much money. How they make it, you will find out if you endured. Closely related to this is your phone habit. It is very expensive to use the telephones in Nigeria . As you know, telephone calls in the western world are taken for granted. Here, while it's beginning to happen as if it is for granted, it is very, very expensive. To Nigerians who are not used to such freedom of expression, they are spending millions everyday to make phone calls -to satisfy their newly found phone freedom. If you are not mindful, telephone bills may cut into your feeding pattern. If this happens, before long, you will become an object of gossip. You will lose your complexion and weight and they will notice.
You need clothing to cover the body you have labored to nurture while you lived abroad. This also, is an understatement. Nigerians pay too much attention to dressing. Your dress mode can shut the door at you or open the door for you. Avoid casual dressing, particularly when you are going to meet with the Nigerian big man. He knows the stuff you're wearing and could place you based on that. Be simple but neat if need be occasionally be flamboyant. Express yourself. Speak good English, where there is a need, do not use slang such as I wana or I gonna….
Do not lend money. Give out only that which you could afford to lose. Beware of relatives and the extended family system. If you manage to set up a small business, never employ those closely related to you. They will ruin you.
You would need to dry clean. Dry cleaning here is too expensive. You pay as much 300 naira (about $2) to dry clean an inner vest. Think then of what it would cost to do a bunch of laundry. Think seriously of having a washer and a drier installed - wherever you may decide to live.
You must have at least two good cars. That car of yours, which you price so much, is not fashionable in Nigeria . Here some people drive the next year's model before they become common in Europe or the Americas . How they make such money to pay upfront is still the mystery I am struggling to unravel. The roads are so bad and the drivers so ill-trained that if you drove yourself, and not being used to their adversarial/ confrontational pattern of driving, your car and you would, in a very short while be a sorry sight. They hit you and beg you. They hit you because you are conscious of driving rules and apply it. They, who do not apply simple driving rules, rule the highway in Nigeria . In a society not used to insurance, and where vehicular laws are not implemented, begging has replaced insurance coverage. Even passer bys would chip in to ask the offending reckless driver to beg you and get on with his life. If they beg you, you must accept. That's your only recourse.
To this end, you must have a good mechanic as a friend. He will introduce to you, a good panel beater (your used car will always need to be panel beaten back to form after constantly being bashed by ill-trained Nigerian road users. Most Nigeria drivers, I hear, buy their drivers license) who will in turn introduce you to a vulcanizer and an auto electrician, here, fancifully called a rewire. You need a vulcanizer because the roads are bad. Flat tires occur very often here than usual. Of all the auto-related experts you will work with, the rewire should be the one you must dread. He is not well trained in the operation of modern day computer induced auto cars. His method of rewiring has set many late model computerized cars ablaze.
Make a difference.. .Stand out of the crowd and touch a life...u are a miracle to someone today cos God has made you one and given you the capacity to blossom in someones life...God bless you