Thursday, September 29, 2011

Wonders of the 21ST CENTURY!!! !!!!!!


Our phones ~~ wireless!
Cooking ~~ fireless!
Cars ~~ keyless!
Food ~~ fatless!
Dress ~~ sleeveless !
Youth ~~ jobless!
Leaders ~~ shameless!
Relationships ~~meaningless!
Attitude ~~ careless!
Women ~~ fearless!
Feelings ~~ heartless!
Education ~~ valueless!
Children ~~ mannerless !
Everything is becoming LESS But still,
Our Hopes are ~~ Endless.
Infact, I am speechless...

I got this in my inbox and found it rather amusing. I wonder who authored it.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Benjamin Nethanyahu"s Speech (UN General Assembly)





Ladies and gentlemen, in Israel our hope for peace never wanes. Our scientists, doctors, innovators, apply their genius to improve the world of tomorrow. Our artists, our writers, enrich the heritage of humanity. Now, I know that this is not exactly the image of Israel that is often portrayed in this hall. After all, it was here in 1975 that the age-old yearning of my people to restore our national life in our ancient biblical homeland -- it was then that this was braided -- branded, rather -- shamefully, as racism. And it was here in 1980, right here, that the historic peace agreement between Israel and Egypt wasn't praised; it was denounced! And it's here year after year that Israel is unjustly singled out for condemnation. It's singled out for condemnation more often than all the nations of the world combined. Twenty-one out of the 27 General Assembly resolutions condemn Israel -- the one true democracy in the Middle East.

Well, this is an unfortunate part of the UN institution. It's the -- the theater of the absurd. It doesn't only cast Israel as the villain; it often casts real villains in leading roles: Gadhafi's Libya chaired the UN Commission on Human Rights; Saddam's Iraq headed the UN Committee on Disarmament.

You might say: That's the past. Well, here's what's happening now -- right now, today. Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon now presides over the UN Security Council. This means, in effect, that a terror organization presides over the body entrusted with guaranteeing the world's security.

You couldn't make this thing up.

So here in the UN, automatic majorities can decide anything. They can decide that the sun sets in the west or rises in the west. I think the first has already been pre-ordained. But they can also decide -- they have decided that the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Judaism's holiest place, is occupied Palestinian territory.

And yet even here in the General Assembly, the truth can sometimes break through. In 1984 when I was appointed Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, I visited the great rabbi of Lubavich. He said to me -- and ladies and gentlemen, I don't want any of you to be offended because from personal experience of serving here, I know there are many honorable men and women, many capable and decent people serving their nations here. But here's what the rebbe said to me. He said to me, you'll be serving in a house of many lies. And then he said, remember that even in the darkest place, the light of a single candle can be seen far and wide.

Today I hope that the light of truth will shine, if only for a few minutes, in a hall that for too long has been a place of darkness for my country. So as Israel's prime minister, I didn't come here to win applause. I came here to speak the truth. (Cheers, applause.) The truth is -- the truth is that Israel wants peace. The truth is that I want peace. The truth is that in the Middle East at all times, but especially during these turbulent days, peace must be anchored in security. The truth is that we cannot achieve peace through UN resolutions, but only through direct negotiations between the parties. The truth is that so far the Palestinians have refused to negotiate. The truth is that Israel wants peace with a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians want a state without peace. And the truth is you shouldn't let that happen.

Ladies and gentlemen, when I first came here 27 years ago, the world was divided between East and West. Since then the Cold War ended, great civilizations have risen from centuries of slumber, hundreds of millions have been lifted out of poverty, countless more are poised to follow, and the remarkable thing is that so far this monumental historic shift has largely occurred peacefully. Yet a malignancy is now growing between East and West that threatens the peace of all. It seeks not to liberate, but to enslave, not to build, but to destroy.

That malignancy is militant Islam. It cloaks itself in the mantle of a great faith, yet it murders Jews, Christians and Muslims alike with unforgiving impartiality. On September 11th it killed thousands of Americans, and it left the twin towers in smoldering ruins. Last night I laid a wreath on the 9/11 memorial. It was deeply moving. But as I was going there, one thing echoed in my mind: the outrageous words of the president of Iran on this podium yesterday. He implied that 9/11 was an American conspiracy. Some of you left this hall. All of you should have. (Applause.)

Since 9/11, militant Islamists slaughtered countless other innocents -- in London and Madrid, in Baghdad and Mumbai, in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, in every part of Israel. I believe that the greatest danger facing our world is that this fanaticism will arm itself with nuclear weapons. And this is precisely what Iran is trying to do.

Can you imagine that man who ranted here yesterday -- can you imagine him armed with nuclear weapons? The international community must stop Iran before it's too late. If Iran is not stopped, we will all face the specter of nuclear terrorism, and the Arab Spring could soon become an Iranian winter. That would be a tragedy. Millions of Arabs have taken to the streets to replace tyranny with liberty, and no one would benefit more than Israel if those committed to freedom and peace would prevail.

This is my fervent hope. But as the prime minister of Israel, I cannot risk the future of the Jewish state on wishful thinking. Leaders must see reality as it is, not as it ought to be. We must do our best to shape the future, but we cannot wish away the dangers of the present.

And the world around Israel is definitely becoming more dangerous. Militant Islam has already taken over Lebanon and Gaza. It's determined to tear apart the peace treaties between Israel and Egypt and between Israel and Jordan. It's poisoned many Arab minds against Jews and Israel, against America and the West. It opposes not the policies of Israel but the existence of Israel.

Now, some argue that the spread of militant Islam, especially in these turbulent times -- if you want to slow it down, they argue, Israel must hurry to make concessions, to make territorial compromises. And this theory sounds simple. Basically it goes like this: Leave the territory, and peace will be advanced. The moderates will be strengthened, the radicals will be kept at bay. And don't worry about the pesky details of how Israel will actually defend itself; international troops will do the job.

These people say to me constantly: Just make a sweeping offer, and everything will work out. You know, there's only one problem with that theory. We've tried it and it hasn't worked. In 2000 Israel made a sweeping peace offer that met virtually all of the Palestinian demands. Arafat rejected it. The Palestinians then launched a terror attack that claimed a thousand Israeli lives.

Prime Minister Olmert afterwards made an even more sweeping offer, in 2008. President Abbas didn't even respond to it.

But Israel did more than just make sweeping offers. We actually left territory. We withdrew from Lebanon in 2000 and from every square inch of Gaza in 2005. That didn't calm the Islamic storm, the militant Islamic storm that threatens us. It only brought the storm closer and make it stronger.

Hezbollah and Hamas fired thousands of rockets against our cities from the very territories we vacated. See, when Israel left Lebanon and Gaza, the moderates didn't defeat the radicals, the moderates were devoured by the radicals. And I regret to say that international troops like UNIFIL in Lebanon and UBAM (ph) in Gaza didn't stop the radicals from attacking Israel.

We left Gaza hoping for peace. We didn't freeze the settlements in Gaza, we uprooted them. We did exactly what the theory says: Get out, go back to the 1967 borders, dismantle the settlements.

And I don't think people remember how far we went to achieve this. We uprooted thousands of people from their homes. We pulled children out of -- out of their schools and their kindergartens. We bulldozed synagogues. We even -- we even moved loved ones from their graves. And then, having done all that, we gave the keys of Gaza to President Abbas.

Now the theory says it should all work out, and President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority now could build a peaceful state in Gaza. You can remember that the entire world applauded. They applauded our withdrawal as an act of great statesmanship. It was a bold act of peace.

But ladies and gentlemen, we didn't get peace. We got war. We got Iran, which through its proxy Hamas promptly kicked out the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority collapsed in a day -- in one day.

President Abbas just said on this podium that the Palestinians are armed only with their hopes and dreams. Yeah, hopes, dreams and 10,000 missiles and Grad rockets supplied by Iran, not to mention the river of lethal weapons now flowing into Gaza from the Sinai, from Libya, and from elsewhere.

Thousands of missiles have already rained down on our cities. So you might understand that, given all this, Israelis rightly ask: What's to prevent this from happening again in the West Bank? See, most of our major cities in the south of the country are within a few dozen kilometers from Gaza. But in the center of the country, opposite the West Bank, our cities are a few hundred meters or at most a few kilometers away from the edge of the West Bank.

So I want to ask you. Would any of you -- would any of you bring danger so close to your cities, to your families? Would you act so recklessly with the lives of your citizens? Israel is prepared to have a Palestinian state in the West Bank, but we're not prepared to have another Gaza there. And that's why we need to have real security arrangements, which the Palestinians simply refuse to negotiate with us.

Israelis remember the bitter lessons of Gaza. Many of Israel's critics ignore them. They irresponsibly advise Israel to go down this same perilous path again. Your read what these people say and it's as if nothing happened -- just repeating the same advice, the same formulas as though none of this happened.

And these critics continue to press Israel to make far-reaching concessions without first assuring Israel's security. They praise those who unwittingly feed the insatiable crocodile of militant Islam as bold statesmen. They cast as enemies of peace those of us who insist that we must first erect a sturdy barrier to keep the crocodile out, or at the very least jam an iron bar between its gaping jaws.

So in the face of the labels and the libels, Israel must heed better advice. Better a bad press than a good eulogy, and better still would be a fair press whose sense of history extends beyond breakfast, and which recognizes Israel's legitimate security concerns.

I believe that in serious peace negotiations, these needs and concerns can be properly addressed, but they will not be addressed without negotiations. And the needs are many, because Israel is such a tiny country. Without Judea and Samaria, the West Bank, Israel is all of 9 miles wide.

I want to put it for you in perspective, because you're all in the city. That's about two-thirds the length of Manhattan. It's the distance between Battery Park and Columbia University. And don't forget that the people who live in Brooklyn and New Jersey are considerably nicer than some of Israel's neighbors.

So how do you -- how do you protect such a tiny country, surrounded by people sworn to its destruction and armed to the teeth by Iran? Obviously you can't defend it from within that narrow space alone. Israel needs greater strategic depth, and that's exactly why Security Council Resolution 242 didn't require Israel to leave all the territories it captured in the Six-Day War. It talked about withdrawal from territories, to secure and defensible boundaries. And to defend itself, Israel must therefore maintain a long-term Israeli military presence in critical strategic areas in the West Bank.

I explained this to President Abbas. He answered that if a Palestinian state was to be a sovereign country, it could never accept such arrangements. Why not? America has had troops in Japan, Germany and South Korea for more than a half a century. Britain has had an airspace in Cyprus or rather an air base in Cyprus. France has forces in three independent African nations. None of these states claim that they're not sovereign countries.

And there are many other vital security issues that also must be addressed. Take the issue of airspace. Again, Israel's small dimensions create huge security problems. America can be crossed by jet airplane in six hours. To fly across Israel, it takes three minutes. So is Israel's tiny airspace to be chopped in half and given to a Palestinian state not at peace with Israel?

Our major international airport is a few kilometers away from the West Bank. Without peace, will our planes become targets for antiaircraft missiles placed in the adjacent Palestinian state? And how will we stop the smuggling into the West Bank? It's not merely the West Bank, it's the West Bank mountains. It just dominates the coastal plain where most of Israel's population sits below. How could we prevent the smuggling into these mountains of those missiles that could be fired on our cities?

I bring up these problems because they're not theoretical problems. They're very real. And for Israelis, they're life-and- death matters. All these potential cracks in Israel's security have to be sealed in a peace agreement before a Palestinian state is declared, not afterwards, because if you leave it afterwards, they won't be sealed. And these problems will explode in our face and explode the peace.

The Palestinians should first make peace with Israel and then get their state. But I also want to tell you this. After such a peace agreement is signed, Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state as a new member of the United Nations. We will be the first. (Applause.)

And there's one more thing. Hamas has been violating international law by holding our soldier Gilad Shalit captive for five years.

They haven't given even one Red Cross visit. He's held in a dungeon, in darkness, against all international norms. Gilad Shalit is the son of Aviva and Noam Shalit. He is the grandson of Zvi Shalit, who escaped the Holocaust by coming to the -- in the 1930s as a boy to the land of Israel. Gilad Shalit is the son of every Israeli family. Every nation represented here should demand his immediate release. (Applause.) If you want to -- if you want to pass a resolution about the Middle East today, that's the resolution you should pass. (Applause.)

Ladies and gentlemen, last year in Israel in Bar-Ilan University, this year in the Knesset and in the U.S. Congress, I laid out my vision for peace in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state. Yes, the Jewish state. After all, this is the body that recognized the Jewish state 64 years ago. Now, don't you think it's about time that Palestinians did the same?

The Jewish state of Israel will always protect the rights of all its minorities, including the more than 1 million Arab citizens of Israel. I wish I could say the same thing about a future Palestinian state, for as Palestinian officials made clear the other day -- in fact, I think they made it right here in New York -- they said the Palestinian state won't allow any Jews in it. They'll be Jew-free -- Judenrein. That's ethnic cleansing. There are laws today in Ramallah that make the selling of land to Jews punishable by death. That's racism. And you know which laws this evokes.

Israel has no intention whatsoever to change the democratic character of our state. We just don't want the Palestinians to try to change the Jewish character of our state. (Applause.) We want to give up -- we want them to give up the fantasy of flooding Israel with millions of Palestinians.

President Abbas just stood here, and he said that the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the settlements. Well, that's odd. Our conflict has been raging for -- was raging for nearly half a century before there was a single Israeli settlement in the West Bank. So if what President Abbas is saying was true, then the -- I guess that the settlements he's talking about are Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jaffa, Be'er Sheva. Maybe that's what he meant the other day when he said that Israel has been occupying Palestinian land for 63 years. He didn't say from 1967; he said from 1948. I hope somebody will bother to ask him this question because it illustrates a simple truth: The core of the conflict is not the settlements. The settlements are a result of the conflict. (Applause.)

The settlements have to be -- it's an issue that has to be addressed and resolved in the course of negotiations. But the core of the conflict has always been and unfortunately remains the refusal of the Palestinians to recognize a Jewish state in any border.

I think it's time that the Palestinian leadership recognizes what every serious international leader has recognized, from Lord Balfour and Lloyd George in 1917, to President Truman in 1948, to President Obama just two days ago right here: Israel is the Jewish state. (Applause.)

President Abbas, stop walking around this issue. Recognize the Jewish state, and make peace with us. In such a genuine peace, Israel is prepared to make painful compromises. We believe that the Palestinians should be neither the citizens of Israel nor its subjects. They should live in a free state of their own. But they should be ready, like us, for compromise. And we will know that they're ready for compromise and for peace when they start taking Israel's security requirements seriously and when they stop denying our historical connection to our ancient homeland.

I often hear them accuse Israel of Judaizing Jerusalem. That's like accusing America of Americanizing Washington, or the British of Anglicizing London. You know why we're called "Jews"? Because we come from Judea.

In my office in Jerusalem, there's a -- there's an ancient seal. It's a signet ring of a Jewish official from the time of the Bible. The seal was found right next to the Western Wall, and it dates back 2,700 years, to the time of King Hezekiah. Now, there's a name of the Jewish official inscribed on the ring in Hebrew. His name was Netanyahu. That's my last name. My first name, Benjamin, dates back a thousand years earlier to Benjamin -- Binyamin -- the son of Jacob, who was also known as Israel. Jacob and his 12 sons roamed these same hills of Judea and Sumeria 4,000 years ago, and there's been a continuous Jewish presence in the land ever since.

And for those Jews who were exiled from our land, they never stopped dreaming of coming back: Jews in Spain, on the eve of their expulsion; Jews in the Ukraine, fleeing the pogroms; Jews fighting the Warsaw Ghetto, as the Nazis were circling around it. They never stopped praying, they never stopped yearning. They whispered: Next year in Jerusalem. Next year in the promised land.

As the prime minister of Israel, I speak for a hundred generations of Jews who were dispersed throughout the lands, who suffered every evil under the Sun, but who never gave up hope of restoring their national life in the one and only Jewish state.

Ladies and gentlemen, I continue to hope that President Abbas will be my partner in peace. I've worked hard to advance that peace. The day I came into office, I called for direct negotiations without preconditions. President Abbas didn't respond. I outlined a vision of peace of two states for two peoples. He still didn't respond. I removed hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints, to ease freedom of movement in the Palestinian areas; this facilitated a fantastic growth in the Palestinian economy. But again -- no response. I took the unprecedented step of freezing new buildings in the settlements for 10 months. No prime minister did that before, ever. (Scattered applause.) Once again -- you applaud, but there was no response. No response.

In the last few weeks, American officials have put forward ideas to restart peace talks. There were things in those ideas about borders that I didn't like. There were things there about the Jewish state that I'm sure the Palestinians didn't like.

But with all my reservations, I was willing to move forward on these American ideas.

President Abbas, why don't you join me? We have to stop negotiating about the negotiations. Let's just get on with it. Let's negotiate peace.

I spent years defending Israel on the battlefield. I spent decades defending Israel in the court of public opinion. President Abbas, you've dedicated your life to advancing the Palestinian cause. Must this conflict continue for generations, or will we enable our children and our grandchildren to speak in years ahead of how we found a way to end it? That's what we should aim for, and that's what I believe we can achieve.

In two and a half years, we met in Jerusalem only once, even though my door has always been open to you. If you wish, I'll come to Ramallah. Actually, I have a better suggestion. We've both just flown thousands of miles to New York. Now we're in the same city. We're in the same building. So let's meet here today in the United Nations. Who's there to stop us? What is there to stop us? If we genuinely want peace, what is there to stop us from meeting today and beginning peace negotiations?

And I suggest we talk openly and honestly. Let's listen to one another. Let's do as we say in the Middle East: Let's talk "doogri". That means straightforward. I'll tell you my needs and concerns. You'll tell me yours. And with God's help, we'll find the common ground of peace.

There's an old Arab saying that you cannot applaud with one hand. Well, the same is true of peace. I cannot make peace alone. I cannot make peace without you. President Abbas, I extend my hand -- the hand of Israel -- in peace. I hope that you will grasp that hand. We are both the sons of Abraham. My people call him Avraham. Your people call him Ibrahim. We share the same patriarch. We dwell in the same land. Our destinies are intertwined. Let us realize the vision of Isaiah -- (speaks in Hebrew) -- "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light." Let that light be the light of peace.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Friday, September 23, 2011

THE PHILOSOPHY OF UNDER ACHIEVEMENT

Excerpts from Leke Alder's book MINDING YOUR BUSINESS


1 The shortest route to underachievement is called nothing. Just do nothing. This is the first rule of underachievement. Fold your arms and just sit down. Stare into the skies, twiddle your thumbs, tap your knees; and if those seem too strenuous, meditate on Nothingness. Let your mind wander and day-dream but by all means do nothing.

2 Make indefinite plans. And each time you miss an opportunity to prove your worth, remind yourself of your grander plans.

3 Put in half effort into every job you have knowing that the man who said “Whatsoever your principle of efficient allocation of energy resources.

4 Always wait for perfect conditions before you start anything. If the conditions aren’t right, don’t even think of starting.

5 Spend your time hanging out in your friend’s office during working hours, but if that seems a little extreme, spend evenings at your club or your friend’s house telling tall stories. The more effusive your stories and plans, the better. Do what Boys do: hang out and gist!

6 Wait for the perfect contract even if it takes 3 years. Why waste your time starting on small jobs when the real ones will soon come along?

7 Love process very much and don’t focus on productivity. Indeed, the preparation for the assignment should be more than the assignment. Gather data, prepare to start and shuffle papers. You should indeed be commended for how far you’ve pushed the file through the bureaucratic labyrinth of your desk.

8 Always take ‘No’ for an answer. There is no need to argue. You are a liberal and a gentleman. You don’t want to be crude.

9 Blame your past and if that doesn’t work blame your parents, your wife, your girlfriend, past governments and even Mr. Alder’s dogs. It really doesn’t matter who; just blame someone.

10 Wait for inspiration to do your work. Always wait to be inspired before you do anything.

11 Do just enough in anything. Don’t follow up.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Beware of 419 (1)


Hi folks, i will be sharing with you telephone styles 419 guys use. This is to safeguard you from falling prey in the future.

Enjoy this: A call from a 419 guy with caller ID hidden:

Mr. 419: Hello, how are you?

Ayo: Fine. Please, who am I speaking with?

Mr. 419: Haba, don't you remember me? Who do you know in UK that
could be calling?

(Sensing a scam, I threw in a trap…)

Ayo: Johnson! Is that you? (meanwhile, I don't know any Johnson in UK .)

(Thinking it's a break, he swallows the bait)

Mr. 419 : Of course, this is Johnson! How come you didn't recognise
my voice initially?

(Certain it's a scam, I decided to punish him verbally and
financially. I had the time that morning so I was going to assist him
waste his call credit.)

Ayo: Jooooooohnson! Kai! Omo buruku gbaa ni o! (You are a specially
bad boy) Your father died, you didn't so much as show up or send a
note. Omo a se iru e fun e! (Your children will repay you with such).
Didn't you hear about his demise? He was so bitter and full of
original curses for you.

Mr. 419: (Obviously subdued) I didn't hear. I would have come.

Ayo: Too bad. You heard your mama is leprous too? You didn't hear
about that, abi?

Mr. 419: (Now uncomfortable) No, I didn’t hear.

Ayo: (Enjoying myself thoroughly). Too bad. Is your wife that
foolish too? Not even a word from her after you folks married without
our blessings? If the husband is not wise, is the wife lame-witted
too?

Mr. 419: She's fine. I'm certain she'll get across to you. There's an issue…

(, breaking in before he begins his story)

Ayo: Johnson, O se mi o: (you offended me). I sent you money to buy
me a car and you just disappeared. When am I having my money back?
You want me to curse you too like your father did? I don't have his
kind of patience I'm sure you know. I won't wait that long before I
give you what you deserve.

Mr. 419: (Grunted). This issue is important,

Ayo: Shut up!!! When are you sending money home? Haba! We sent you to
school, clothed you and sent you abroad, Are you now a 419?
Stealing from me your friend too. Your father was right to curse
you, And you can't escape it if you continue like this. It's not a
curse.

Mr. 419: I'll repay you.

After about 15 minutes of moves and countermoves…I owned up.

Ayo: See Mr. 419, I don't know any Johnson in UK . I just needed to
teach you a lesson. Go get a proper job.

Mr. 419: Were! Oloriburuku! Lo ti n sepe fun mi lat'aaro! (Madman, and
you've been cursing me since morning!)

Disconnected


Beware of 419 and greed.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Increasing Your Sales by 500%


Marketing Products by offering it for Free to Potential Customers for Trail appears to be the new trend.

Last week Saturday I went shopping at a popular retail outlet on V-I; on my way out, I was given some sachets of Hypo detergents – for free. This gesture not only took me by surprise, it got me thinking about the “wisdom” in this marketing technique.

As if this was not enough; yesterday, I got another surprise during lunch hour when a team of Indomie Box Noodles came to my office on Awolowo road, they set up camp and started handing out cooked box of noodles to all staff in the high rise building – again, for free.

These are organizations that have spent a fortune on advertising campaign. Sometimes, desperate situations require desperate measures. It is one thing to see a product over and over again and yet another thing to test, taste, trade cash for the product.

If you test/taste/trade cash for a product, you get a chance to form an opinion and probably become addicted to it or know for sure that you don’t like or want the product. For the first, I eat Indomie box noodles and can confirm that it is as delicious as the traditional Indomie noodles. I have also been able to verify that Hypo is as effective as it claims.

Next time I feel like eating noodles, Indomie box noodles would easily come to mind; first that a company could act generous by giving out her items for free, second and most important, for the delicious taste I got from eating it. Same goes for Hypo detergents. Of a truth, I probably wouldn’t have bought either item, but making it free has given me a firsthand experience of the products. Now am telling you, then you will spread the news, I wouldn’t be surprised if you decide to buy either item also for trial – word of mouth marketing they call it!

What are the products, services, skills you have to offer? Can you volunteer them for free to select and relevant market?

Are you looking for job? Would you consider volunteering – for free? Don’t just wait for something to happen. Make it happen.

Happiness is not something that happens to us. Happiness is something you create. Hypo go wipe o

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

UBA Foundation - Scholarship Programme

United Bank for Africa, UBA, Plc, through its Corporate Social Responsibility arm, UBA Foundation has concluded arrangements to invest in human capital development in Nigeria and other countries in Africa.

The new initiative — the Essay competition, is part of its corporate social responsibility and is designed to cater for the educational needs of bright young scholars.

Speaking during the launch of the UBA Foundation National Essay Competition, in Lagos, Managing Director, UBA, Mr. Philips Oduoza, represented by Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, Deputy Managing Director designate, explained that winners of the competition, which is opened to only students of secondary schools in Nigeria, will have UBA as their life guardian, with the bank providing for their educational needs throughout their stay in any Nigerian universities whenever they secure admission to further their studies.According to him, winners will be expected maintain a consistent and impressive academic performance if they are to remain beneficiaries, adding that it they drop below the required academic requirement, they will be cut off from the benefits.

The idea behind it, he said, is to ensure that the students do not become lackadaisical and distracted in their academic pursuit.

Also speaking, Miss Ijeoma Aso, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, said the bank plans to conduct the essay competition across the Africa continent, but is starting it in Nigeria due to the pivotal role played by Nigeria in the continent.

She explained that students who wish to participate in the competition are expected to submit at the head office of the bank, a 750-word long essay about themselves and their career, on or before October 31, 2011.
She said the essays will be vetted and judged by three renowned professors from three higher institutions in Nigeria, who will then pick the winners.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Problems, Problems Everywhere but non to Solve




A wise man said “a problem is an opportunity in disguise”. One thing that is prevalent around us in "Naija" is different problems. Problems in themselves are resources or opportunity to leverage on.

Today, some organizations are feeding fat on our electricity shortage, inadequate supply of cement, a demand for wheat that is ever increasing. Waste disposal is now a money-spinner for some PSP operators. Insecurity in certain or all parts of the country has provided opportunities for security companies, body guards, Israeli security details to earn additional income.

Bad governance is an opportunity for outstanding leaders to emerge. Darkness is an opportunity for light to shine. Failures in National exams such as WAEC, NECO, JAMB, etc is an opportunity for outstanding schools, teachers to flourish. Low employability skills displayed by graduates in the labor market is an opportunity for training institutions to thrive.

Many people in the society are fraudulent and dishonest; another opportunity for the honest to get opportunities on the platform of integrity. Their is food shortage and famine in part of East and North Africa. Is this not a good time to venture into agriculture?

The National Cake (or Problem) is big enough for all forward-thinking people to bake and share. What sector are you going to play? This is the time to think, identify, research into the sector and take the plunge.

What do you have to offer?

The problem is not the mirage of problems. Your problem is to identify the problem you can proffer solutions to profitably.

I am resolute that i wont just be a public affairs analyst but continue to play an active role in the real sector.

The transfer window is still open!

Friday, September 09, 2011

MTN Football Scholar





Hi folks, I believe this information may be useful to someone.


*Introducing MTN Football Scholar*

*MTN Football Scholar* which was officially launched on Monday, September 5, following a press conference with major stakeholders. This initiative will further
consolidate MTN's leadership position among the youth segment through
connecting with their passion for football and aspiration to acquire quality
education.

The MTN Football Scholar is a youth programme aimed at discovering talents
who can combine active football and education at the tertiary level within a
scholarship scheme. It is a unique platform for the discovery, training and
exposure of budding soccer talents, providing them with access to
scholarship opportunities in soccer oriented universities in the United
States as well as links to international soccer academies.

The MTN Football Scholar programme is open to students within the age
bracket of 16 and 20 and is designed to strike an equal balance between
soccer and academics. Students who make it into the scheme will progress
through a series of knock out soccer competitions and mock exams to gain
entry into the Academy, where they will undergo intensive football and
academic training for one month.

The month-long training will prepare students for SAT (Scholastic Assessment
Test) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examinations. Those
who succeed in crossing this stage will play a final football competition
under the watchful eyes of international soccer scouts who will select the
top winners.

The programme will kick-off with auditions in eight key cities. To
participate, interested contestants are required to send an sms costing N50
to the short code *4000*, stating their name, age and location. Online
application forms will also be available on the MTN website and at the
various auditioning venues.

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Celebrity Status; an Asset or Liability?





A celebrity is a person who has a prominent profile in the media and is easily recognized.

According to Wikipedia, Some careers are associated with celebrity status; such as the top tier of the modelling, acting and sports industries. While people may gain celebrity status as a result of a successful career, in other cases, people become celebrities due to media attention for their extravagant lifestyle or wealth (as in the case of a socialite).

People like Prof Wole Soyinka, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu are examples of celebrities not from the entertainment world. Some people actually aspire to become celebrity.

Imagine someone saying that my life ambition is to be a celebrity. Hmmm, One thing is sure, and that is, it takes a lot of hard work (a little luck too) to become a celebrity in any sphere of life. It also takes extreme hard work and character management to remain a celebrity for life. Some people have become celebrities by being the first in the nation or category to attain an accomplishment, rank or status. You can become a celebrity by doing something noble like returning 5,000,000 million dollars you found on the road or toilet to the police etc.

Benefits of Celebrity Status
Endorsement deals
Product ambassadors
Access to other great individuals
Creating your own product line i.e fashion, perfume etc
You can be an advocate for a cause, red cross, NGOs
Platform to be a role model
free products or services
special welcome and reception in gatherings etc

Challenges of Celebrity
Loss of privacy
Rumor
security risks
cost of providing security
kidnapping potential (especially in Naija) etc
Why am i writing about celebrities. i have a hunch you will end up a celebrity. So i decided to help prepare you for that phase of life ahead. Many people don’t set out to be become celebrities in life, and when they are as a result of a grand achievement, the euphoria gets the other side of them out, they end up worse than their little beginning.


Scripture says "Have you seen a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings and not mere men........"

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Power of Persistence

What do u do when it seems like all hope is lost - Give up or Stay focused on your vision?

Did u know:
That Soichiro Honda: was turned down at an Interview with Toyota? He was jobless for so many years. He began making scooters in his garage and today is the founder of Honda..yes! The Honda u know!

Akio Morita: many of u don't know him. His 1st product was a rice cooker. It failed to cook and burnt the rice instead. It sold only 100 pieces! Guess what? Today he's the owner of SONY...yeah, your TV and DVD maker..worth Billions!

Harland David Sanders: He invented a secret chicken recipe and tried to sell it cheap just to feed himself. It was turned down 1,009 times before a restaurant reluctantly accepted it..Well..Have u heard of Kentucky Fried Chicken? thats him!

Walt Disney: He was sacked by his boss at a newspaper because he "had no good ideas". He tried many other businesses and failed...He was bankrupt for many years. But you know the end don't you? Disney's 1 of the richest companies worldwide today...

Oprah Winfrey: she had to endure a rough and abusive childhood and suffered low self esteem. She was fired from her job because her boss said "you're not fit for TV"...well, she's now the richest and most influential woman alive and TV's greatest personality. I wonder how her boss feels now..

Sir Alex Ferguson: he was sacked as manager in 1978 cos they said he was a "managerial failure"... Guess I don't need to say more..Google him

Richard Branson: was called a dummy in school, is a dyslexic and never succeeded in his studies. Today he's worth $4.4 Billion and owns 360 companies.

Please don't write yourself off. Continue trying because the Lord is not giving up on you. The Lord is waiting on you too. Get up and make that bold move. The host of heaven is waiting to celebrate you.

Culled from the internet

Monday, September 05, 2011

Audition for Shakespeare's Globe Theatre


As part of its Globe 2 Globe Project, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre presents a once-in-a-lifetime celebration for the London 2012 Festival.

37 International companies will present all Shakespeare’s plays in a different language over six weeks. The Nigerian entry is “The Winter’s Tale” produced by Renegade Theatre and directed by Wole Oguntokun. Presentation to be on 24th & 25th May 2012 at Shakespeare’s Globe, London.

Auditions @1, Akinwunmi Street (Top Floor), off Herbert Macaulay Way, by Casino Cinema/Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos.
Date – Saturday 10th September.
Time – 10am prompt.

Actors MUST be fluent in English and Yoruba.

For lucid enquiries, call Anike Alli-Hakeem on 0808 123 9477.