Wednesday, June 26, 2019

How to become wildly productive

A lot of people never use their initiative because no-one told them to.” (Wall and Piece) The most productive leaders: Set stretch goals. Drive hard for results. Practice unfailing consistency. Expand knowledge and technical skill. Display energy and take initiative. Anticipate and solve problems. (Zenger - Forbes.) In an HBR post, Zenger and Folkman added
The most productive leaders:
  1. Set stretch goals.
  2. Drive hard for results.
  3. Practice unfailing consistency.
  4. Expand knowledge and technical skill.
  5. Display energy and take initiative.
  6. Anticipate and solve problems......

The 5 practices of initiative:

#1. Do for yourself what you wish others would do for you.
Would you like a mentor? Then get off your butt and find a mentor. Do you need more information from higher ups? Go ask questions.
#2. Consider a lousy leader an opportunity to contribute.
You develop skills, gain knowledge, and develop humility when you do your boss’s job for him. If he takes credit for your work, forget it.
Expand your resume. Continue learning, developing, and contributing. Then move on.
#3. Fail trying, not gathering information.
Losers hide behind the word ‘right’. I’m waiting for the right time, the right team, the right resources.
Unproductive people love the word, ‘waiting’. I’m waiting for permission. I’m waiting for someone to return my call.
Initiative gets in trouble sometimes. But trouble caused by initiative is better than trouble caused by delay.
Ask forgiveness, not permission.
Proactive leaders believe NOW is better than later.
#4. Learn by trying stuff, not simply talking.
Talk deceives teams into believing they’re getting stuff done. Yes, define problems and explore solutions, but make choices that enable visible action.
If you can’t see it, it doesn’t count. Talking about things is a beginning. But initiative always ends in action.
#5. Do more than needs to be done.
Anticipate what your customers need and give it before they ask. This applies to colleagues, employees, and bosses.
If you will start small, you’re less likely to stay small.
What does the practice of extreme initiative look like to you?
When is initiative a bad thing?

Monday, August 20, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

ENTERTAINMENT

‘You will have to kill me’ – Tonto Dike alleges planned Police arrest

Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, has raised an alarm over a purported plan by the police to invade her home in Abuja to arrest her.
Although she didn’t reveal who was behind the arrest plot, the mother-of-one threatened that she would rather die than allow any negative thing happen to her son.
The actress wrote: “I guess I am now a criminal. My stomach oh and they are even coming with Press to record my arrest’ she wrote
“If the hair on my son’s body is touched, oga police you will have to bury me, you will have to kill me. Haaa, Oga police there is no fear bone in my system.
“I am a mother and nothing in this life can intimidate me. Oga police if you need me you have my number. Like I said going to my home if anything happens to my son, Please have a spare of whatever you did to him to do to me once I land Abuja.”

Youths to FG: Implement plans that will revive moribund industries

Youths to FG: Implement plans that will revive moribund industries

he Nigerian Youth Parliament has called for a proper economic plan by the Federal Government to revive moribund industries in the country.
Speaker of the Parliament, Obe Ayodele, made the call at an event organised by his office to mark the 2018 international youth day in Abuja.
It had: “Creating safe spaces for Nigeria youths:The responsibility of all,” as its theme.
Ayodele, while lamenting the high unemployment rate in the country, urged the government to create an enabling environment for the creation of more industries.
He said: “It is on this premise that as representative of the Nigerian youth, we renew our clamour for a proper, concise and unambiguous economic plan by the Federal Government capable of reawakening the moribund industries in our dear nation.

Read Also: Abia youths endorse Orji for second term

“We need an economic plan that is capable of creating an enabling environment for the establishment of more industries which will constructively engage the rising population of unemployed youths and making the nation self-sustaining.
“Government should also be honest in harnessing the benefits of an effective partnership between state and non state actors in improving every facets of our national life.”
He said any nation or society that failed to place youth development as a priority would live to fight endless internal battles.
According to him, the non-utilization of youths’ potentials had led to increase in crimes in the society.
“No doubt, these times represent a challenging time for our national life as we are aware that this is as a result of the attendant consequences of lack of articulate and implementable plans for the youth, lack of social incentives, as well as dearth of necessary infrastructures particularly in the educational sector required to enhance skills and talents by past governments and concerned stakeholders.
“These bulging population and creative energies that were not properly harnessed and channeled into productive ventures have constituted majorly the crux of vices and crimes.
“The youth constituency have lost faith and succor in government and loyalty have been significantly reduced,” he said.

PDP and APC


TRANSLATE SELECT LANGUAGE​▼ Will defections be the beginning of party politics reform in Nigeria?
 
PARTY politics in Nigeria has been turned into a game: beyond analysis of R-APC, nPDP battles and defections, very few people have bothered to ask how any of these political games and schemes benefit Nigerians. I am yet to read any analysis which details the ideological leanings of any of the main contenders: politics in Nigeria is a game of survival, not of loyalty or conviction

Will defections be the beginning of party politics reform in Nigeria? ON AUGUST 1, 20186:10 AMIN NEWS, TIP OF A NEW DAWN2 COMMENTS By Tabia Princewill PARTY politics in Nigeria has been turned into a game: beyond analysis of R-APC, nPDP battles and defections, very few people have bothered to ask how any of these political games and schemes benefit Nigerians. I am yet to read any analysis which details the ideological leanings of any of the main contenders: politics in Nigeria is a game of survival, not of loyalty or convictions. APC & PDP As for service, or any desire to improve the lives of constituents, this features least of all. The same people, give or take a few names, who defected in 2015 from the PDP, are the same people who have defected from the APC. Why are Nigerians celebrating? Such behaviour hints at a fair weather friends mentality of people who are only interested in the self-aggrandizement and patronage which they can only get from being present wherever they believe the national cake will be shared, in the ruling party of the day. Allegedly, and to Buhari’s credit, they are leaving because their demands (one can only imagine what those are knowing the nature of Nigerian politics) were not satisfied. If that is the case, shouldn’t Nigerians be happy that for once, some people found it a little bit more difficult to cheat the system? Why are some people celebrating a small group of people defecting reportedly because they believe their demands for “subsidized living” (that is, state sponsored contracts, patronage, opportunities etc. at the expense of the rest of society) will be better accepted in their new home or rather their true home? The Minister of Information and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, reportedly asked defectors and their associates to resign from government positions. He is right. One cannot win an election or come to a position through the efforts, campaigns, fundraising, networks, strategies and brand of a party then hope to retain said position after leaving the party. How many of them could have won any contest without the potency of the Buhari/APC brand in 2015? As our democracy evolves and we continue to reflect on ways to get the best out of those who govern us, we will need to thoroughly review party conduct and the laws governing political parties in Nigeria, not to curtail freedom of association but to tackle the problematic way of doing things which hinders true progress in Nigeria. Pyramid of loyalists Party politics in our country is basically a pyramid of loyalists reaching up to a supreme leader. This Soviet-style politics easily constitutes an oligarchy, i.e. a small group of people who control the entire society and dish out patronage based on their whims: this characterized the PDP created by the military and their civilian partners. This organisational design naturally and inherently breeds corruption because it encourages each rung of the ladder to look to the next for patronage and it breeds thousands of often unqualified people whom the executive must find positions for in government. I’ve often said that recruitment into political party positions needs to follow private sector norms of competence and service delivery. But beyond that, political parties in Nigeria will continue to face defections and instability so long as members are allowed to progress in importance or to become power brokers without a real, tangible ideology binding people together: on the basis of this ideology, members should compete internally and prove they have a plan for governance beyond achieving power itself. The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena, has urged the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to state where he stands. What an unbelievable situation: how many Senate presidents in the US, the UK or any of the countries where Mr. Saraki was educated would allow a conduct as curious as his? To quote Mr. Nabena: “How can it be that all the senators and members of the House of Representatives from his state defect and he says he is still in the party?” True these are internal party dynamics and whether Mr. Saraki is in APC or PDP truly has no incidence on the life of the average Nigerian, as this undoubtedly won’t make defectors sponsor more bills, etc. but the thing about integrity at home or behind closed doors is that it is a prelude to integrity “outside” or when dealing with others; that is, Nigerians without any political clout, money or power. It has always puzzled many Nigerians why some people were allowed to be members of the APC in the first place given its stance on “change”. Barring some people entry from any association might appear undemocratic on a surface level, but so many politicians are saboteurs and not team players. Why is it that action is rarely taken against those whose rascality is suspected or even proven? Leadership, it seems, has a lot to do with that. Team players Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has promised to get the APC working again and to sanction those whose anti-party activities have been detrimental to the order of things. Speaking on Governor Ortom’s defection and Benue in general, he said: “Some of those that have been arrested as a result of the killings are people who have been associated with him (Governor Ortom), including people in his employment, especially a guy known to have been involved with Boko Haram, whom he recruited to manage what they called forest guards. These people have been arrested and are in police custody. “If an appointee of a governor is involved in a heinous crime, including killing, that will be enough for a governor to worry about”. If these allegations are true, then one must really worry about the system that allows such individuals to play leading roles in state party systems and to assume leadership positions. Can you imagine the consequences or the public outcry if an aide of an American governor, for example, was suspected of having terrorist links? The scandal of infidelity alone is enough to tarnish or even end political careers in America. Nigerians don’t seem to realise the gravity of what keeps happening in Nigeria, a country where dysfunctionality has been so normalised we expect our politicians to have a background in thuggery. Until more well-meaning Nigerians join political parties and stop seeing politics as the domain of only a few rich or well-connected Nigerians, we will keep on recycling the same problematic individuals who hop from one party to another based on personal and not national interest or ideas. El-Rufai THE Governor of Kaduna State, Nasiru El-Rufai, called the defectors from the APC “corrupt” senators who’re afraid they’ll be arrested if President Muhammadu Buhari wins his second term bid. It is no longer news that the Senate has in many ways acted as if it were the opposition to this government. To quote El-Rufai: “If the senators were honestly supporting the president, he would have achieved more, they sabotaged his effort. “He gave them budget (2018), they sat over it for seven-eight months without passage. We wish them (defectors) well because we know those who cannot win election in their homes among them. They were only elected into the Senate based on Buhari’s popularity. Majority of them were elected because their election was conducted same day with President Buhari”. The list of defectors in the Senate mirrors earlier lists of senators  allegedly at “war” with their state governors, who probably wouldn’t have gotten a return ticket back to power in the APC under its current configuration. Nigerians must critically analyse facts to inform their thoughts and beliefs so as not to be taken in by battles which are not to their benefit. Dino Melaye SOME reports have questioned his alleged “kidnapping” which curiously happened the same day he was to be arraigned before a magistrate court for charges relating to alleged gunrunning. Only the combined efforts of everyday Nigerians will rescue this country. One can’t emphasize enough how important it is for us all to familiarise ourselves with politics and policy. 


Tabia Princewill is a strategic communications consultant and public policy analyst. She is also the co-host and executive producer of a talk show, WALK THE TALK which airs on Channels TV. 

BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING: Tambuwal Announces ‘Sack' Of All His Special Assistants

According to Tambuwal, the termination of appointments is to "enable the appointees engage in partisan activities without ethical or moral dilemmas".
Aminu Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto State, has announced the termination of the appointments of all his special assistants.
A tweet by Abubakar Shekara, the Director-General, Media and Public Affairs to the Governor, said the termination was to enable the affected aides “engage in partisan activities without ethical or moral dilemmas".
Tambuwal also thanked them for their service and wished them all the best.
A tweet via the handle of the Sokoto State Government House, @SokotoGovtHouse, on Sunday evening, read: The @GovSokoto, Rt Hon @AWTambuwal has directed the termination of the appointment of all Special Assistants from the service of the state. This is to enable the appointees engage in partisan activities without ethical or

I won’t surrender to corruption, Buhari vows

I won’t surrender to corruption, Buhari vows

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday promised Nigerians that he would never surrender to corruption.
He said fighting corruption was a task that must be done in order to protect the larger interests of the ordinary Nigerians whom he said were the worst victims of diseases, poverty, malnutrition and other afflictions.
Buhari spoke in his Eid-el Kabir message to Nigerians made available to journalists by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
The President said surrendering to corruption was not an option because it destroyed society and progress of nations.
“Even if some people hate you for fighting corruption, you should not chicken out from the task as a leader because doing so is a betrayal of public trust,” he said.
The President explained that religion was a major factor in influencing human behaviour towards good conduct and action.
He, however, regretted that selfishness, greed and corruption had overwhelmed human beings to the extent that people abandoned their religious beliefs in pursuit of their greed.
On the current economic challenges facing Nigerians, the President reassured Nigerians that such were temporary because the welfare of the people was the main thrust of the change agenda of his administration.
To buttress this point, Buhari cited the many initiatives unfolded by the administration under the Social Investment Programme among which was the recent decision to distribute recovered looted funds to the poor against the past practices of re-looting such funds by some people in authority.
Buhari urged Nigerians to rise above personal, group, sectarian and other interests, and promote harmony and tolerance in dealing with one another at all times.
He urged all Muslims to use the Eid-el Kabir for sober reflection and self-examination, and strive to be good ambassadors of their religion by upholding high moral values
He reminded Muslims that this occasion of Eid-ul-Adha is a remembrance of the submission of Prophet Ibrahim Allaihis-Salam to Allah, his Creator, by which he taught the world the value of sacrifice in relating with one another, and when it comes to nation-building.
“We must sacrifice for others and remember always those who are less fortunate than ourselves,” the President declared.
Meanwhile, President Buhari is billed to celebrate this year’s Eid-el Kabir with his kinsmen in his home town, Daura, Katsina State on Tuesday.
The President on Monday left Abuja for the purpose.
His convoy left the forecourt of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at about 3.06pm.
Some top government officials saw Buhari off as he left for his home town.
The government officials included his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari; the National Security Officer, Babagana Monguno; and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
The President is expected back in Abuja after the Sallah break.

The supernaturalism in Buharimatics

The supernaturalism in Buharimatics

As the topic of this write-up sounds, I want to be a bit analytically numinous in order to drive home my massage. There is a very extraordinary mathematical equation in Nigerian politics of today which I wished the Anambra-born Professor Chike Edozien Umezi Obi was alive to resolve for my compatriots, not really all Nigerians but a sizeable number of them. Luckily, Obi was a profound politician cum mathematician who died on March 13, 2008, that is barely seven years before the geometric enigma sprout out in Nigeria’s politics; seven years because it actually started in 2015. Many citizens, especially from the elite, have tried in vain to comprehend this new arithmetic; some merely detest it because of the originator while others out of curiosity took up the challenge to break its shield. To be able to appreciate it, one must think out of the box. It is not algebra or theorem or even further math. It is known as Buharimatics.
Buharimatics is a mathematical forecast by this writer in relation to President Muhammadu Buhari and the numerical mysticism upon which his enigmatic colossus and celestial accessory superimpose parochial liturgy in a manner that transcends the bounded grasp of foes and fiends. It is a barometric apparatus that has imploded the devilish conglomeration of diatribes on an earthy piece known as Nigeria. Buharimatics, in the simplest term, is the multiplication of numbers to equal a comfortable number of years within which Buhari should lead Nigeria for socio-political and economic stability.
While I attempted to explore the qualities the next president of Nigeria between 2019 and 2023 should possess, I was able to rediscover the unlimited epithets in a name that is quite uncommon in Nigerian politics. And people of mental acme believe in the effects of names. And while in high spirit dissecting the unique name, I found William Shakespeare with a clue in Romeo and Juliet, that: ““What’s in a name? that which we call a rose; By any other name would smell as sweet.”
I derived joy in the name, no doubt, and believed that God has chosen it. Therefore, I summed up an equation which I finally put up before my colleagues. The equation was this: B²+U²+H²+A²+R²+I²=BUHARI²=2²=8. My results were that bravery and brilliance were equal to B²; unbending but understanding equal to U²; humility yet hardworking equal to H²; accountability and accessibility equal to A²; resistance yet recollecting equal to R²; while invaluableness yet illustriousness were equal to I². One of my friends and a diehard supporter of President Buhari from Ebonyi state, Mr. Otah Ibiam quickly named it Buharimatics. I was very enthused with this that I decided to expatiate it. This equation is absolutely much easier to solve than the one where 1+1+1 is equated to 1, though the latter is engraved in unorthodox mysticism. But the irony of this is that majority of the students who unanimously agree that three ones is one are the ones defiantly rejecting the Buharimatics of 4+4=8.
The supernaturalism in Buharimatics is simple. A man who was believed by the proponents of “three in one” theory to have died, suddenly resurrected to discharge the responsibilities placed on his shoulders by the Supreme Order. Having reached the land of uncommon existences and seen how good mankind should be beyond the comprehension of special people like Nigerians, he was fortified by divine presence to face all oddities and challenges preordained for him to conquer. They wish him death, but he has conquered it against their wish. Buhari, like any other mortal, will go at the time scheduled for him by the Supreme Order, not by the mere wishes of the mortals who cannot assure themselves of their own lives. So, I am not afraid to say that Buhari is a superman. If not, he would have become a history told to his lovers even by his haters.
Buhari is simply a new mathematics in Nigerian contemporary politics. Buhari does not need a political party to win election in Nigeria. I have severally repeated that if not that he was rigged out in 2003, 2007 and 2011, the development of Nigeria would have superseded its present stage. So, it is better for those opposing this simple arithmetic to identify with it. This is because Buharimatics or otherwise has its consequences. My fear is not for the success of Buhari in 2019. My fear is who takes over in 2023. Can the person wear the big shoe Buhari will leave behind?
Since Buhari came into power monies hidden in unimaginable places by politicians have been discovered and returned back to the government but the national lawmakers have refused to pass the law for its utilization for national development. Vehicles loaded with millions of foreign currencies kept in forests have been discovered by the anti-graft agencies. The lavish life style of Nigerians has changed. There are now few or no private jets littering Nigerian airports. A colleague asked if jets are not sold in markets any more. In ceremonies, Nigerians no more compete in wasting money.
Therefore, the Buharimatics magnify its supernaturalism when its local and international underpin are juxtaposed. At home, some groups are not comfortable with Buhari’s second term bid. Some politicians have deserted sleep, regrouping and even dining with old political foes all in an attempt to stop Buhari’s second coming in 2019. But the devils know their limits. Voodoo masters know their boundaries. God’s power supersedes every other power. Imagine Atiku who was begged by Obasanjo in 2003 and who had a very bad treatment as vice president, now begging the same old “wicked” boss for support. The homes of Obasanjo, IBB and by extension TY Danjuma have become Makkah for PDP presidential aspirants. I do not know if other living past Presidents: Gowon, Shagari, Abdulsalami and Jonathan are no more relevant in Nigerian politics.
Their opposition is not that Buhari is not performing. It is because there is very little or nothing to share as the old conceived “national cake”. They are angry that Buhari has abolished “national cake” and replaced it with “national service”. And the new trend of “national service” refers to the recognition of individual performance and positive contributions to the nation building. Anything out of that, the individual is on his/her own. However, a huge percentage of the citizenry is in terms with the new system of governance and is ever ready to defend continuity for stability.
While that is the situation locally, the international scenes are apparently different. Just a few references, the United States of America are all praises for Buhari. Donald Trump proudly pointed at Buhari and eulogized him in front of American top government functionaries. Britain has expressed joy with him. Even Morocco adores him and wishes the Africa continent was united for Buhari to rule because of his sincerity and honesty which were seriously lacking in Nigerian politics. Mauritian President described Buhari as the best President that Africa has so far witnessed. Of recent, the Netherlands hosted him out of the whole presidents in Africa. All African and world countries which Buhari has visited look at him with admiration.
The man who turned round Ghanaian politics and set the country on the path of development, Jerry Rawlings, is overwhelmed by the personality in Buhari. Rawlings was the former President of Ghana when the country witnessed the political mess that Nigeria was plunged into since independence. He stepped on the toes of those who were destroying the fortunes of Ghana, thereby revolutionized his country to a glorious position the country is enjoying today. How many African leaders have taken up such great step to change the fortunes of their countries? Corruption is still ravaging African countries. Many African leaders with a few of their cabinet members are living in luxury, while the masses live in abject poverty and squalor. Look at Nigeria today, a great number of people are parading themselves as presidential hopefuls, promising Nigerians of what they will do for them if voted into Aso Rock. But my happiness is that Nigerians are growing fast in political awareness.
Hear what Rawlings said about Buhari “President Muhammadu Buhari is fighting for your sake, he is stepping on toes for your sake, he is dying to create a new Nigeria, he is raising the bar for future leaders, he is laying the foundation for a brand new Nigeria, he is teaching both the young and the old that we can do better than this. He is teaching the youths accountability, probity, honesty, integrity, honour, trust, attitude, character, selfless leadership, common sense and commitment. Encourage him, support him and pray for him. It is for your own good”. I have no explanation to the above assertion, suggestion and pontification. These are words from one who practically did it for his country the way Buhari is doing in Nigeria today.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has made Buhari their leader. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has honoured him; Buhari was invited to deliver speech on corruption. The United Nations wishes Buhari well. Who else at the African and international levels that is not happy with Buhari? Certainly, only in Nigeria that the political criminals are wailing because Buhari wants all Nigerians to own their country and not the tiny few who have held Nigeria in bondage. They do not want Buhari for fighting corruption, for not complying with the past system of political Godfatherism and for entrenching democratic norms and civility. But whatever they plan, President Buhari will surely succeed.
As the chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole puts it: If not for our President today, there would have been no Nigeria. The money voted for the police, they put it in their pockets. The money earmarked to fight Boko Haram, they put in their pockets. The money voted for security, they used to secure their pockets. All of a sudden, if you produced two barrels of crude, one barrel was missing.”
Muhammad Ajah is an advocate of humanity, peace and good governance in Abuja. E-mail mobahawwah@yahoo.co.uk.

Featured Post

POLITICSPeter Obi: Anger in South-East over Gov Soludo’s outburst

 noway believed Soludo would be attacking his family( Obi) in a time like this, all in the name of politics; I feel like crying. “ Southeast...