The Nation Newspaper

Tag: century

  • ‘We need 21st century teachers for 21 century children’

    ‘We need 21st century teachers for 21 century children’

    Principal Consultant of Edumark Consult, an education solution provider firm Mrs Yinka Ogunde,  has said Nigeria needs to improve on her method of passing knowledge to the child 21st century through training and retraining of teachers.

    Ogunde expressed the fear that an average Nigerian child, nay the world is ‘adventurous and curious’, while many of them ‘know what their teachers don’t’. What remains the only gap is availability of competent teachers that will consolidate on those new-found traits

    Ogunde spoke during a briefing at the firm’s Surulere, Lagos office last week to announce the 9th edition of the Total School Support Seminar and Exhibition (TOSSE). Ogunde, who is also the convener of TOSSE, said: “What we have today is a generation of curious children. The world today breeds children who are mentally and emotionally advanced even at a much younger age. Many of them are technology-savvy and know more than us their parents as well as their teachers.

    “Unfortunately, the nation is not training teachers that will address the new traits.”

    She described TOSSE as a value-driven educational event which began nine years ago with 30 exhibitors and 500 educators. She is nonetheless happy that TOSSE has grown in leaps and bounds

    Like in previous editions, Ogunde said the two day event which would hold at Ten Degrees Event Centre Oregun, Lagos, between June 1and 2, would feature over 100 seminars by seasoned educationists, in addition to 18 free train-the trainer seminars.  According to her, TOSSE has been strategically planned to cover a wide range of topics based on recent happenings in the sector.

    “There are organisations that have simplified solutions and processes for the sector and packaged them into products. The thought behind this is, if you plan to start a great school from scratch or you see that your school needs to be reformed, you can walk into TOSSE and get everything you need from books to computers, laboratory equipment, learning aids, special education solutions and equipment, curriculum, uniforms, stationery and every other thing,” she added.

    According to her, some of the topics to be deliberated upon would include:  ‘The Art of being a brilliant teache; Quality Assurance in Education models; and Maximising the early years for a successful future.

    Others include: ‘Methods and metrics that work; Strategies for innovative curriculum delivery better than Google; Creating processes for (Sexual) abuse prevention; Understanding taxation for private schools in Nigeria; and  Learning through travel: Enhancing students’ learning experience.

    Though government is not partnering with her, Ogunde hoped government could mobilise  their key officers to the venue.

    “I wished government would bring in their key officers to come and see, and learn because when you expose someone’s’ mind you get the better part of the job done.

    “We are not asking them to bring money; but when you allow them listen to experienced people within and outside Nigeria, it automatically opens their mind to things around them. Its all about learning and inspiring people to be better teachers and administrators, “she said.

  • Trump’s victory and end of American century

    In a stunning and unexpected victory over Hilary Rodham Clinton, Donald Trump is going to become American president in January 2017. The significance of this victory is going to be immense. It is going to mark the end of the AMERICAN century. The rest of the world is not going to accept American leadership any more. This leadership was not based on military and economic power alone but on the moral exceptionalism that America has come to symbolize if not domestically certainly in international relations.

    Trump campaigned on tearing into pieces international treaties  that bound America with her allies in NATO, NAFTA, the WTO and APEC as if they were chiffons de papier – mere piece of paper. He said he will build a wall to separate the USA from Mexico, perhaps he will build one to separate Canada from the USA as well. He will raise tariff against Chinese goods  and possibly tear up all the carefully negotiated WTO regime and embark on mercantilist trade wars with the rest of the world in order apparently to build fortress America. He forgets that free trading nations hardly fight against each other and that trade wars are precursors of real hot wars. It will be interesting to watch the rest of the world’s reaction to Trump’s threat.

    The Chinese for example can surrender the trillions of USA bonds for cash which will not only reduce the dollar to mere paper but will also end the dollar as a reserve currency  in what people have called dollar imperialism in the post Second world era since 1945. The only problem with this is that the whole world will suffer because globalization has brought the global economy intricately linked together .

    The Russians have been calling for a second YALTA apparently to partition the world into two spheres as happened towards the end of the Second World War. It seems ignorant Trump agrees with this forgetting that China is a major power that can not be ignored. The meaning of this is the end of USA as the numero uno among the powers of the world. The USA may yet need  the support of NATO which Trump has rubbished by suggesting each member must pay for American protection. Indeed Trump wants Japan, South Korea and presumably Germany that has enjoyed the American nuclear umbrella to become nuclear weapon states in order to protect themselves without counting the dangerous cost this kind of policy will  impose on the world.

    Donald Trump wants America to withdraw from the world  and concentrate on making America great again. If he knows a little bit of history, he would remember that isolationism did not spare America from entanglement that led it to fight in the first and Second World Wars. American withdrawal from global politics will actually create a vacuum which Trump’s friend Vladimir Putin will happily fill. The Chinese will have a free hand in Asia and by the time Trump’s first term as president ends, it will be too late for America to change course. His victory will present Europe a dilemma of either to distance itself from the Trump embarrassment or embrace a man whose politics Europe will find difficult to understand. Trump represents a bull in a china shop which if not restrained would break a lot of things and  like Samson bring the house on  his head and on others.

    At home Trump says he is going to rebuild American armed forces to make them the best and the strongest in the world.  Is this an implied acceptance of America’s weakness in spite of a military budget that is double that of China and Russia put together? He has to be reminded of the domination of AMERICAN politics by the military industrial complex which General Dwight Eisenhower warned his country about in 1956. Trump’s victory is going to  exacerbate race relations in the USA. His unqualified support of police killing of Black Americans is not going to resonate well with blacks. His years of putting down the only black man ever to be President of America will not be quickly forgotten by blacks who now have their backs to the wall. Neither will the branding of Hispanics as rapists and criminals will be forgotten when the ashes of this unusual elections characterized by Trump hurling insults at those on his opposite sides be forgotten either. He has won a poisoned chalice of a totally divided America. His campaign of law and order are coded words for killing of blacks and we in Africa will not watch this without protest. His antagonistic tendency to Islam will cut America off from more than a billion people in the world. Unless he reverses course, America will be weakened internally and externally. This election is an affirmation of deep seated  American racism, islamophobia and misogyny. The world will be watching .

  • A twenty-first century guide

    Counsel for the young

    Greater awareness often separates adults from children. And the average adult should be politically aware. The growth process includes, but is not limited to, regularly reading newspapers and magazines, and watching the news. You may follow by discussing topical issues with others, but always while respecting their opinions.

    The world is constantly changing, for the better or the worse. Be informed so that you can take an active and responsible place in your society.

    Read obituaries if and when you can. They are somewhat short biographies. And they remind us that interesting, successful people rarely lead orderly, straightforward lives. If your entry into the world was not rated first, second or third, why should you care about your ‘class’ when you exit?

    Acquire empathy, good interpersonal skills, and confidence. Learn to read body language and non-verbal communication. Don’t just concentrate on your vocational or technical skills or you’ll soon be betrayed. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. It is an important skill to obtain. As they say, speak your piece, even if your voice shakes.

    Have fun. Life should be an interesting journey, not an excruciating race. Success should not mean outrunning everyone else in some set direction. You didn’t deserve the pressure of having to attend the ‘exclusive school’ and you are better off without the strain of landing the ‘plum job’ or achieving the ‘juicy promotion’ by all means.

    Emulate a role model or, better still, become one. There are so many worthwhile people to look up to and try to follow. The trick is picking the right people for the right reasons. Look far enough and you’ll probably find more inspiring figures in history and books than celebrities in sports, music and TV. The latter group may be rich and successful but that doesn’t necessarily make them wiser. Your task is to find real heroes that embody values other than fat bank accounts.

    Man or woman, in turn will you be a friend, employee, parent, and mentor. Guide the young people that come after you. Recognise that you have the potential to be the most powerful force in society. But only in your job will you be clearly rated and rewarded for your performance.

    You owe your boss loyalty, as you do other competing influences in your life. For instance, leaving a task undone at work so as to attend to family or friends may be interpreted as ‘dodging’ duty, just as cancelling a date with loved ones to finish work might mean avoiding the people that matter in your life. You will need to find a balance all the time.

    Remember that you live a limited life. Nothing, least of all tomorrow, should be taken for granted. Would you regret spending your life the way you do or are about to if you were to expire next week or next year? Better still, would you be happy with your lifestyle if you outlive the next decade or two?

    In the end, mind that you don’t overdo the greatness stuff; only follow your passion with strong commitment. Being another Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great requires a great deal of luck and other circumstances beyond your control. The less you think about it, the more likely greatness would ensue. If it doesn’t, there is nothing wrong with being stable and dependable.

  • A twenty-first century guide

    •Counsel for all and sundry

    Ladies and gentlemen; boys and girls, make not the world worse. You can aspire to great things without using your prodigious talents to induce confusion. Yes, you are smart, motivated and creative, and everyone that tells you that you can change the world is probably not far from the truth, but changing the world does not require circumventing financial regulations or bending the law.

    First, learn to express yourself. Shave your head and cultivate a goatee, big boy. Braid your hair, leave it long, dear girl. Wear all brown, wear all yellow, wear boots, wear leather, and wear jeans always. Try on new identities to see which ones fit best, but shun anything permanent as tattoos, because, as your taste in clothes, hair styles and music, your thoughts about most things would someday change. What you think is really deep and insightful today will look shallow and immature in a few years.

    Mind your manners in the meantime. As you will discover afterwards, it doesn’t matter whether the rules of manners make sense or not. What matters is the effect of following these rules: people appreciate the effort and respect shown them. In turn, they will show you respect. And that goes for when you are abroad, in Rome as elsewhere.

    Throughout life, people will get in your way. Some will step in your path. Older people will stumble in front of you at the wrong time. Don’t blow your top. Get on top of the situation. Step aside and go about your business. Note that these are often passive aggressive methods by others to get you to acknowledge their existence.

    Cheer up. Whatever troubles and doubts you face today, many have experienced the same thing. Take advice after critical analysis as counsel is often designed to benefit the supporter as much as the recipient. Decide what is right for you. You may study quotes from the experienced so that you can refer to them when you need to, for only the foolish would fail to learn from the mistakes of others.

    Be patient in love. The worst thing you can do in the search for a significant other is to try to change yourself into something you are not just because you think that is what they are looking for. Get to know the other person’s likes instead and share in their experience. On similar considerations, choose your friends. Good friends can help you through just as bad friends can cause some of the problems in the first place.

    Stay fit. Play a team sport, as it teaches interaction and interdependence, adjustment to various personalities, generosity and other character-building traits. You don’t have to join a professional team; go to a nearby park and play any available ball game.

    Never pick on the weak. It’s immoral. Bullying people into compliance is distasteful. And don’t antagonise the strong without cause. It’s foolish. Don’t undermine colleagues. Never mentally or physically abuse people because of who they are, or how they present themselves.

    Eat healthily and maintain an exercise regimen not only to help fight diseases and aging, but to help ensure an active lifestyle for many years. The body is like any machine: it runs great when new, but after years of neglect it will slow down, and eventually break down.

    Get organised. Keep a calendar, make a to-do list, and don’t put off doing things until later. When you are organised, you undertake more tasks, finish them, and have more time to pursue new activities and relationships.

    Invest in yourself. Material things come to those that achieve goals and ambition. An ambitious doctor, lawyer, architect or accountant you may turn out to be, but a fine young man with good character you must strive to become, Junior. And aim to be better than a materialistic mimic, young woman.

    A poser none should ever be. Be not the one who swindles others for a living, or one who flaunts fashionable clothes and gadgets beyond earning power. To gain respect, you’ll have to earn respect.

  • LG delights shoppers with 21st century TVs

    The 21st century’s TV innovation landscape represents one of the most dynamic times for picture quality given the emergence of new cutting edge technologies able to render imagery as never before, LG Electronics has said.

    According to the household electronics manufacturer, the future of TV market/industry is driven by three key technologies at the moment the light emitting diode (LED) and liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs. These use light-emitting diodes to light up the LCD screen and offer the widest array of price points, sizes and features. LCD TVs still exhibit imperfections when displaying rapid motion, as in sports and because of the nature of the technology, the color black is represented by dark grey.

    The firm, in a statement said, said in a bid to encourage quality viewership, iconic consumer technology trade highlights that while the high definition (HD)TV market landscape is undergoing more changes than ever, it will take some time to see which technologies and market strategies that eventually stick.

    General Manager, Home Entertainment Division, LG Electronics West Africa Operations, Mr. Steve Ryu, said: “Both Ultra HD, organic light emitting diode (OLED) and the effect of new game-changers such as intuitive OS and curved screens will all have their part to play besides higher resolution, panel technology is seeing some changes to make them look brighter, sharper, more immersive, these technologies are not mutually exclusive and in most cases exist side-by-side. We are fully committed to bringing next generation technologies to the market.

    “The next-generation display technology and the advanced ultra-thin depth of 4.3mm come with a unique curved design which represents a new era in home entertainment. It must be seen to be believed.”

    He explained that rather than using a new or different display technology, Ultra HDTVs are LED LCD models that “cram” more pixels onto the screen. With more pixels in a given area, images are sharper and more- detailed than on regular HD TVs. Also known as 4K TVs, consumer Ultra HD sets have four times the resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) of traditional HD TVs (1920 x 1080 pixels).

    Ultra HD TV is on the rise and coming to consumer homes in a meaningful way with various high-profile launches from leading manufacturers which also demonstrates how we are witnessing the second or third generation of 4k screens from some companies and while they still generally command a premium and affordable.

    However, OLED still remains the aficionado’s favourite and is widely regarded as the one technology able to offer superior quality on an unrivalled scale. One only needs to see a significant trademark demonstration of OLED technology to prepare for the imminent growth in demand for OLED TVs around the world, LG recently announced that it will establish production bases in a number of countries around the world.

    The company has completed the construction of new OLED TV plants in Brazil, Poland, China and Thailand with a facility in Mexico commencing operation this year producing OLED TVs for the North American Market.

    Skeptics have long bemoaned the absence of a truly intuitive OS when it comes to smart TVs.

    Managing Director, Fouani Nigeria Limited, Mr. Mohammed Fouani said: “Our groundbreaking CURVED OLED TV marks the beginning of a whole new era in home entertainment. Its IMAX-like curvature guarantees an amazingly immersive and comfortable viewing experience. Indeed, it is a point of pride that we were able to bring the CURVED OLED TV into the market and we will continue to expand and improve our industry leading television technology.”

    Without proper connection to the internet and the ability to navigate efficiently, many say, a “smart” TV is no different than the average, no-frills “dumb” TV. At CES 2014, LG demonstrated that it clearly understands the need for a simpler and smarter TV set up and interface — and that simplicity is crucial in getting consumers to connect and enjoy the full benefits of this new class of television.

    WebOS is the newest smart TV platform from LG.Having purchased this dynamic operating system from HP in march 2013,the platform has been re-invented by LG and reintroduced to offer users an intuitive interface for an experience that is both seamless and refreshingly uncomplicated, based on years of experience collected by the WebOS team. This platform marries the superior picture quality of the latest generation of TV’s with an operating system that allows truly smart navigation around and connectivity with a rich ecosystem of online content.

    At CES 2014, LG managed to achieve a unique grand slam with the introduction of its flexible OLED TV having previously introduced its share of world firsts in the OLED TV space-flat, curved and now flexible. Using an accompanying remote, the curvature of the flexible OLED TV display can be altered to suit the viewing situation and environment, such as number of viewers and viewing distance. Since the curvature is adjustable, audiences can enjoy the best TV viewing experience possible.

    Interestingly, the announcement represents the latest development in the exciting evolution of curved screens and LG’s overall vision to create unmatched picture quality. Along with flexible OLED,LG has also brought together what could be termed the ‘holy grail’ of emerging TV technology, combining the qualities of both Ultra HD and OLED as well as curved for their stunning 55-,65- and 77-inch Ultra HD Curved OLED TV range.

  • The lost century

    The lost century

    Those who said Nigerians are the ‘happiest people on earth’ obviously knew what they were talking about. This is one country where you find the e go better expression on everyone’s lips, no matter how bad things are. No one is willing to confess negative. And that has its basis in religion, the opium of our people. That, I guess, is the source of our perpetual ‘happiness’. The only snag is that I have not found any link between that ‘happiness’ and life expectancy because it is also a fact that people who are happy tend to live longer than those who have sadness all around them. If our happiness is genuine, then we should be among the people with high life expectancy. At 47- 48, the lowest in the West African sub-region, we cannot say we are doing well. Yet, we are ‘happy’.

    That ‘happiness’ is apparently behind the Federal Government’s decision to celebrate the centenary of the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates to form what is now known as Nigeria, by Sir Frederick Lugard (known simply as Lord Lugard), in 1914. Although Nigeria as a country will be 100 years old next January, the commemoration of the amalgamation began on Monday, with the centenary anniversary dinner held at the State House in Abuja. We knew this was what the government would do when, sometime ago they started flying kites as to the importance of the amalgamation. As a matter of fact, what would have come as a surprise was if the government had decided otherwise. Anything that involves spending is welcome by our public officials for obvious reasons; there is always money to make, whether the country is mourning or celebrating. Forget about whether, as the government said, the events would be funded solely by the private sector. The fact is that we know how to waste money. Indeed, this is another laurel that is waiting for us to clinch.

    With the government’s decision to go ahead with the celebration, the people who do not see any cause for celebration have been told they have no point. Yet, I guess if we were to subject the issue to a referendum, most Nigerians would have rejected the idea of celebration because there is no way it is going to affect their lives or meet them at the very point of their needs. But here we are, the nays have had it again; again on our behalf. However, now that those who should take the decision have decided that we must celebrate, the cost should be borne by the government. Obviously, the government quickly came out to say the celebration would be funded by the private sector to disabuse the minds of Nigerians that the celebration is meant to make some few Nigerians richer from the public till. This shows the level of distrust among the people, of the government.

    But I prefer the government sponsoring the celebration not just because that is the right thing to do since it (government), is the one that sees the sense in celebrating the anniversary. Secondly, from experience, when our private sector bears such cost, it is the average Nigerian that they ultimately transfer it to. The private sector is no Father Christmas. Moreover, it has its own problems, many of which the government has not been able to solve. Also, we know the price we paid (and we are still paying) since the 2011 elections. Such private sector ‘assistance’ rubbed on us economically, it also cost us a lot in terms of moral rectitude; it has blurred our vision as we have not been able to think straight since then, acting as a corrupting influence on virtually all areas of our lives.

    This apart, if the private sector bears the cost of the celebrations at the centre, what of the states? What would the states do with the Unity Square that each of them is expected to build in their capital which would be unveiled during the nationwide ‘unity rally’? Is it the private sector that would bear that cost too, and other programmes that the states might want to do? Yet, many of these states are having cash crunch. Yet, they would have to look for ways to fund these projects that have no direct bearing on their people. What do we need unity square for? How does that engender unity? As a matter of fact, when we say we are organising ‘unity rally’, it is an admission of the fact that there is disunity in the country. Yet, General Yakubu Gowon introduced the National Youth Service Corps Scheme in 1973 to enhance national unity, among other objectives. If that and other programmes have not succeeded in uniting us, then we should not kid ourselves that ‘unity rally’ would.

    It is unfortunate that Nigeria’s case is like that of a hunchback who is carrying a load and people say the load is bent. Is it the load that is bent or the person carrying it? Many people believe Nigeria’s problems started since the 1914 amalgamation. I would not know whether to agree with them or not; and my point is informed by the fact that the country once worked within the framework of the amalgamation. But, whether we accept it or not, the country is no longer working. Without necessarily looking for an alibi for why the Goodluck Jonathan administration has not done well, I agree that most of the problems predate the present government. But we cannot divorce the government completely from the sorry pass in the country since the return to democratic rule in 1999, some 13 years plus, when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been in power. That is why I find it comical when the president or some of his aides make allusion to the same statement that the country’s problems predate the present government. They conveniently forget that the present government is also a PDP government and, ipso facto, an offshoot of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration that begot the Umaru Yar’Adua government in which the present president was the Number Two Citizen. So, if they say we should not blame President Jonathan for our country’s problems, they should be honest enough to admit that the PDP has not been of much use to Nigerians since 1999. That is the import of what they too are chorusing.

    Even former President, General Ibrahim Babangida, also said that the mistakes of past administrations are putting pressure on the country today. He did not say what the mistakes were or the past administrations that made them. Will we say those mistakes were those of the heart or the head? Again, the self-styled president did not tell us. Even then, we know. He was also quoted as saying that even Lord Lugard who did the amalgamation gave it a life-span of 100 years. Apparently, Lugard did not envisage that crude oil would be found in commercial quantity in the country then. If there is anything that is still holding this country together, it is not because the country’s leaders by and large worked towards its unity; rather, it is because of oil. We need to see the oil dry up first to see whether Lord Lugard was right or wrong.

    All said, Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka once said his generation was a ‘wasted generation’. In the same vein, this century appears irretrievably lost, so, let’s look forward to the next. And, in order not to have the same verdict when that century ends, we have a lot to do. And this is not talking politics; it is not just about governance or winning (or fixing) elections; it’s about good governance which is as easy to identify (as obscenity), when we see one.

     

  • ‘Smoking will kill 1 billion people this century’

    A new study finds smokers who quit before the age of 40 can live almost as long as people who never smoked.

    Researchers at the University of Toronto report quitting smoking before turning 40 gives back almost all of the 10 years that smoking generally cuts off a person’s life span.

    But that does not mean smoking is safe up until age 40. The study’s lead researcher – Prabhat Jha, a University of Toronto professor and head of the Centre for Global Health Research at St. Michael’s Hospital – said former smokers still have a greater risk of dying sooner than lifetime non-smokers.

    “Now it’s not true that the best thing to do is to smoke until 40 and quit. Because if you do that, you still have at least 20 percent higher risk of dying if you have quit smoking by age 40,” said Jha. “Now that’s much lower than the risk of continuing to smoke, but it’s still quite significant. In contrast, those that quit by age 30 basically are close to never-smoker rates, meaning they get almost all of that full decade of life back. So the key message is not that it’s safe to smoke until age 40 and quit. The key message is: Don’t smoke, and if you do smoke, quit as early as possible.”

    The researchers also found that women’s risks of dying from smoking-related causes were 50 percent higher than what studies in the 1980s found. This most recent study looked at health and death records in the United States, but Jha said the findings can be applied worldwide.

    “What smoking does is multiply the background rates of disease in any population upward. What this study adds, along with actually about three more recent studies, is that, that upward multiplication, if you will, of the risks is about threefold,” Jha said. “So this suggests worldwide the risks are probably going to be as extreme. Basically, what we found is if women smoke like men, they die like men. And similarly if Indians smoke like Americans, they are going to die like Americans. If Chinese smoke like Americans, they are going to die like Americans.”

    Jha said just five countries – Brazil, China, Russia, Indonesia and India – are home to about half of the world’s estimated 1.3 billion smokers. If the current trends continue, his report said smoking will kill about 1 billion people in the 21st century, a dramatic increase from 100 million in the 20th century.