A Moment of Happiness

I am generally a very happy fellow. However been with Family and friends makes me super happy. The picture above represents a cross section of my friends. I call them Connected Family. You never have a dull moment when you are in there company.

Talking about hapiness. lets learn from the dictum of the great golfer, Babe Zacharias (June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956). Her husband wanted to be strong for her when she was on her death bed and dying of cancer but he could not control his emotions and began to cry. Babe said to him gently with as much strength as she could muster - "now honey, don't take on so. While I have been in the hospital, I have learnt one thing. A moment of happiness is a life time, and I have had a lot of happiness".

Now i need to mention someone else who makes me happy daily. My best friend. Perhaps i wont even mention her but display her. After all a picture is worth more than a thousand words.

I am Nigeria

by Adeosun Oluyemi Theophilus

I am 6ft 7 inches tall. At least head and shoulders taller than the average man. Everywhere I go; people cannot resist the temptation of staring at me. Some even go the extra mile of making comments about me. How tall are? Do you play basket ball? Are your parents tall etc. Children ask. Uncle why are you this tall. Some are negative or taken aback. They say you are too tall. Others say how tall is your wife? Comments and questions never cease about my height.

I have received many favors because of it. It opens doors of relationship and business development. Yes my height is outstanding. It also has much cost. Yea, imagine tailors charging extra cost, not been able to sit in a commercial bus, haven to bend down when entering rooms or hit your head against the panel. So many associated inconveniences attached to my great height.

Yet, in spite of it all, I love me. I am proud to be me. I won’t like to be nobody else.

I recall when I was ashamed of my height. I dare not enter a lecture room from the front out of shame that I will be geared at. That was a long time ago. I encountered some literature that told me I was great, I was special, if I like myself other people will like me, if I am proud of myself, other people will respect me. Then I embraced self development, things turned around for me.

I am Nigeria. Love me, hate me, and embrace me. I am not what you think I am. No not at all. I am not a 419 or fraud (97% of my inhabitants are honest). I am neither poor nor despondent. I am not at the mercy of other nations. I am free and adding value to the world. I provide the largest troupe in Africa to peace keeping. I send relief materials to countries in distress. I was there for Haiti. I was there for South Africa back then. I have potentials. In 15 years to come I will have produced 10 Nobel Laurels.

I am great. I produced the MD of World Bank; I have produced men who worked at the highest echelon of multinational corporations like Meril Lynch etc. I will yet do more. I am not asking you for a chance. I am creating it. I am here to stay.
I am capable not only of solving my problems but also to solve for the rest of the world. Do you need manpower, come here for it. Do your brainpower, come here for it. Do you need integrity, this is its domicile.

I am a giant, Nigeria is the giant of Africa, I am Nigeria.

Yesterday is Gone

"If what you did yesterday seems big today, then you have not done anything today".

Lou Holtz: Retired Football Coach, Author, Motivational Speaker

Sometimes i am tempted to give myself a pat on the back for accomplishment and achievement of yesterday. It happens to many of us from time to time. I however discover that i enter this mode when i have nothing new to pursue.

I ask you what major undertaken is ahead of you. Are you still talking about the revival of 1930 or you are experiencing a revival in your today. Gospel truth, old things have passed away. It does not matter how glorious the old thing is. Bygone is bygone. Your best days are and will always be ahead of you.

Continue to value people, make yourself more valuable and value what God and Godly people value.

Freedom or Power?

"Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Power is about what you can control. Freedom is about what you can unleash." Harriet Rubin

We may not all have power but we all have freedom. Yes we have the capacity to unleash something. Thank God we can at least think. what are you doing with that capacity?

How Is South West Represented?

I got this data from a friend:

What do you guys think?President - SSVice president - NWSenate president - NCNow speaker - NEDeputy speaker - SEWhere is SW?Are we now matured as a country not to follow zoning?Are we going to feel among as a region?Please let's discuss.

Below was my response.


When i enter a Bus from Lagos to Abuja. I do not ask where the bus driver hails from. All i am intereted in is a safe journey to Abuja. Before i chose a sit in the bus, it does not matter where my neigbours came from provided they are friendly i am cool.

Why do we not use federal character when fielding players in the super eagles or in the 4 by 100 relay race in the olympics?

Folks, i have personally gotten to a situation where i am in diffirent if all the ministers or principal officers are from Kebbi. all i want is sustainable result. if it takes someone from somalia to give us light please let them come on board.

I look forward to the day when we will have statistics like this

South west- Mike Adenuga
North.......Aliko Dangote
South East- Jim Ovia
South south-
North west-

Can someone please help me fill the blanks.

We need to agitate that people from our geo political zones should productive and not lobby that they be appointed into ofices. Let us compete to create and not to share what we have not laboured for.

The only questions we should be asking now is will the elected people deliver?

We will be proud of them in the days to come.

High Cost of Governance

PAC members, had during a visit to the President on January 20, advised him to reduce the cost of governance by either merging or cutting down the number of MDAs.
The Danjuma group stated that this would enable the government to direct more spending on infrastructural development.

Danjuma, after the visit, told journalists that one of the suggestions made to Jonathan was “reducing the number of ministries and where there are functions they should be rationalised.
“We made a number of far- reaching recommendations to government to take remedial actions to correct all these problems. We realised that we are on the eve of elections and that there is going to be a transition, however we think also this is the right time we raise these issues.”

The President had welcomed the suggestions of the group and promised to continue working with the PAC members, whom he described as people of good character.

He had also said that a robust economy was crucial to the survival, growth and well-being of any nation, adding, “Issues of the economy are critical, since you can’t provide education, health or security without resources generated from a robust economy.”

Apart from PAC, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, had last December raised the alarm over the high cost of maintaining public officials.

He lamented that such a high cost made it difficult for government to invest in the critical sectors of the economy. Culled from the Punch 17/05/11
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If you pay a man 100,000naira and delivers value of 500,000naira will there be a need to request for a reduction in Salary? The answer is NO. If all the ministers whether 43 or 37 are creative, resourceful and innovative perhaps we will not be requesting for a reduction in ministers but asking for more.

We want a Minister of ideas, creativity and innovation. We want a Minister for project follow through. We want a Minister for waste management. We want a minister for accountability.

Yes this are the ministers and ministries we need right now. We need people who can bake cake. we have had enough of people who come to cut and share the national cake.

Note: where they come from do not matter.

ISSUE ORIENTED CAMPAIGN

Paul Summerville, a visiting Associate Professor of History from the United States who has been in the country for six months said it is appalling and ahistorical to see a bunch of politicians who want to rule a complex and dynamic nation like Nigeria not having a clue on how they intend to address fundamental issues that are at the core of the unity of the country.

“I am yet to see the aspirant that has told Nigerians how much the country makes from crude oil sale daily, monthly, quarterly and yearly; how he intend to move Nigeria forward when close to 70 percent of the annual budget is spent on recurrent expenditure and how he hope to use the remaining 30 percent or less to ‘make Nigeria great’ again.

These are the fundamental issues that Nigerians should impress on their leaders to explain.” Summerville added.