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Tag: look

  • Look within you

    You’ve got greatness within you!” These are the words of Les Brown, one of the world’s leading motivational speakers. Before you dismiss this statement as another sugar quoted, empty, and make-people-feel-good speech, you need to read the story of Les. One of my most revered mentors says that the secret of people is in their stories. Let’s see if Les has the right to motivate us.

    Leslie Calvin “Les” Brown was born in 1945. Les and his twin brother, Wesley, were born on the floor in an abandoned building, in a low-income area of Miami, Florida. They were later adopted at the age of six weeks by Miss Mamie Brown, a cafeteria attendant and a domestic assistant. In the fifth grade, Les was labeled “Educable Mentally Retarded” (EMR) and he became a child perceived to have no future.

    One day, Les was in a class, waiting on a friend who was to rehearse for a play. The teacher told him to go and write something on the board but he declined. When he was asked why, he explained to the teacher that he was in a special education class. The teacher asked him what that meant and insisted that Les should write on the board. Still, he declined. Again, the teacher asked him why, then he said he was Educable Mentally Retarded. The teacher came from behind his desk and said, “Don’t ever say that again. Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality”. That statement changed Les’ life forever.

    Les Brown never had a college degree, never worked for a major corporation, and never had any MBA or Ph.D; yet, he became one of the world’s most renowned motivation speakers and a highly-sought-after resource for Fortune 500 Companies. What happened to Les? Was there a magic in what that teacher told him? I don’t think so. What happened was that the teacher redirected Les’ attention from outside to within. He had previously been confused by people’s opinion about him that he never looked inward to discover himself.

    Several people are too focused on external factors that they think very little of the internal virtues. How can we believe other people over our own minds? How can we accept external verdict that we are a failure when our hearts are screaming that we can make it? When it comes to our personal success, majority does not carry the vote. We, as the minority, should determine the outcome of our lives.

    According to Les Brown, many people think of great things to do and they talk themselves out of it. That inner conversation is the reason most people take their greatness and ideas to the graveyard with them. Les referred to late Myles Munroe’s famous quote that the wealthiest place on earth is the graveyard. According to Myles, “The wealthiest place in the world is not the gold mines of South America or the oil fields of Iraq or Iran. They are not the diamond mines of South Africa or the banks of the world. The wealthiest place on the planet is just down the road. It is the cemetery. There lie buried companies that were never started, inventions that were never made, bestselling books that were never written, and masterpieces that were never painted. In the cemetery is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential.” Five years from now, you will either be telling the story of how you succeeded in spite of your limitations or how you could have succeeded if not for your limitations. “What’s it gonna be?”

    Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, you are currently nothing compared to what you can become. This can be your year if you want it to be!

     

  • Look, no hands?

    (The Beautification of Buba Jengele)

     Look no hands?  Folks, let us have some fun, or what Shakespeare famously describes as smiling at grief. Without any sense of humour, the Nigerian tragedy is enough to make one go completely gaga, screaming in a public place.  Look no hands is about the magical abracadabra which makes the hand to disappear at will. The origin is more mundane. An American chap on learning to ride a bicycle without putting his hands on the handle bar famously screamed at his mother: “Ma, look no hands!”

    In footballing parlance, the equivalent is known as “wingless wonders”, that is when you play without wingers. It is akin to a bird flying without visible wings. Sir Alf Ramsey and the all-conquering England team of 1966 know one or two things about that one. This was England’s response to the historic drubbing they received in the hands of the great Hungarian football team, “the magical Magyars”, in 1953.

    Still talking about football, when the impish and impudent Diego Amanda Maradona was asked which one of his two goals against England he preferred, the dubious first one and the second arguably the greatest goal ever scored, Maradona promptly plumped for the first one which he powered in with his hand. When he was asked why, the former pickpocket from the slums of Buenos Aires, retorted that it was akin to picking the pocket of the English. Like most Argentines, Maradona was still fighting the Falkland war and till date the island is still known as The Malvinas in Argentina.

    But this is not about the beautification of an Argentine area boy. It is about the beautification of a Nigerian former cattle rustler.  Buba Jengele? Do you still remember him ? He was the one who had his right hand hacked off on the order of the then Ayatollah of Zamfara, the Ayasani Ahmed Rufai Bakura, for stealing a cow. That was when the Sharia law was foisted on the state as a political riposte to what was perceived as resurgent southern domination under General Obasanjo.

    It was said that on his way to this horrid beautification, Jengele was all smiles, to the utter confoundment and consternation of the crowd chanting Allah akbar. When he was asked later about his profound inner peace despite his ordeal, Jegenle replied that he was happy because he thought the Nigerian state had finally figured out how to terminate his budding career as a cattle rustler.

    But revolutions do revolve and what goes around must come round.  On January 21, Yerima, the former Ayatollah of Zamfara, was himself docked at a Zamfara High Court on the allegation that he diverted one billion naira meant for the repair of the Gusau Dam in 2006. The crowd this time was so hostile, so bloodthirsty that the court needed police reinforcement. A hero has turned into zero. Winston Churchill once famously noted that the same crowd cheering him would also be applauding if he was being led to the gallows. Thus the whirligig of time brings its sweet revenge. Is the handless Buba Jengele still smiling somewhere? Snooper is only wondering aloud.

    As a postscript, it was said that at the height of the Sharia controversy, Sani Yerima paid a courtesy call on General Olusegun Obasanjo obviously to rub salt in the wounds. But the old Owu warrior was unfazed. He was said to have fastened a contemptuous stare on the Ayatollah’s bulging babanriga. With a sneer, Obasanjo was said to have wondered aloud why Yerima still had his right hand in place. As a wily repository of state secrets, the great fox obviously knew what he was talking about.  Now we too are in the know.

  • Look within you: Les Brown II

    Welcome to your column on public speaking. Last week, we explored the importance of looking within us and bring out the hidden treasures. I shared with you the story of Leslie Calvin “Les” Brown who was born on the floor in an abandoned building and was later labeled educably mentally retarded. Les listened to the teacher who told him, “Never let other people’s opinion of you become your reality” and he went on to become one of the greatest public speakers in the world today.

    While preparing to write on someone else in today’s article, another aspect of Les Brown’s triumph over life’s challenges struck me and I know you won’t mind if I share it with you. Les usually talks of what he refers to as the “inner conversation”.

    In one of his special TV programmes titled, “You Deserve!”, Les Brown told the story of how he was in the audience one day, listening to Zig Ziglar, whom he considered to be one of the greatest motivational speakers on the planet. As Les watched Zig move back and forth while delivering his speech, he said to himself, “I would like to do that. I can do that’. He leaned over to the person sitting next to him and asked, “How much do they pay him to do that?” He replied, “Five thousand dollars”, and Les said, “I know I can do that”.

    However, on the way home as he was driving, his inner conversation kicked in and said, “Les Brown, you can’t do that. You don’t have college education. You don’t have money. You don’t have contacts. You’ve never worked for major corporations. What makes you think that you can make more in one hour talking than you make working for a year?” So, for several years, he talked himself out of his dreams until he finally had the courage to take the bold step.

    Decades after Les Brown became a world famous public speaker, he reflected on the years he wasted convincing himself that he could not do what he actually could do. He said the easiest thing he does presently is to speak, train people to speak and make presentations before thousands of people. However, the most difficult thing he had ever done was to believe that it was possible. A lot of times, the process of believing in ourselves is far tougher than what it takes to pursue our dreams.

    Les Brown says that many people think of great things to do and they talk themselves out of it. According to him, that inner conversation is the reason most people take their greatness and ideas to the graveyard with them. Les referred to late Myles Munroe’s famous quote that the wealthiest place on earth is the graveyard. According to Myles, “The wealthiest place in the world is not the gold mines of South America or the oil fields of Iraq or Iran. They are not the diamond mines of South Africa or the banks of the world. The wealthiest place on the planet is just down the road. It is the cemetery. There lie buried companies that were never started, inventions that were never made, bestselling books that were never written, and masterpieces that were never painted. In the cemetery is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential.”

    So, what is the idea you are currently talking yourself out of? What opportunity are you letting go because you think you are not good enough? If you look inside you, you will see that you are up to the task, with God on your side, of course. Stop focusing on your failures; start concentrating on your successes. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t learn from the past. But after learning, you must focus on the future. If you act on the gift in you, you will make the world, and not the cemetery, a richer place. Do you dare to take the step? Five years from now, you will either be telling the story of how you succeeded in spite of your limitations or you will be telling the story of how you could have succeeded if not for your limitations. It is really all about the choice you make today.

  • Look within you

    You’ve got greatness within you!” These are the words of Les Brown, one of the world’s leading motivational speakers. But before you dismiss this statement as another sugar quoted, empty, and make-people-feel-good speech, you need to read the story of Les. One of my most revered mentors says that the secret of people is in their stories. So, let’s find out if Les has the right to tell us to look within.

    Leslie Calvin “Les” Brown was born in 1945. Les and his twin brother, Wesley, were born on the floor in an abandoned building, in a low-income area of Miami, Florida. They were later adopted at the age of six weeks by Miss Mamie Brown, a cafeteria attendant and a domestic assistant. In the fifth grade, Les was labeled “educably mentally retarded” (EMR) and he became a child no one thought could amount to anything.

    One day, Les was in a class, waiting on a friend who was to rehearse for a play. The teacher told him to go and write something on the board but he declined. When he was asked why, he explained to the teacher that he was in a special education class. The teacher asked him what that meant and insisted that he should write on the board. Still, Les decline. Again the teacher asked him why, then he said he was educably mentally retarded. The teacher came from behind his desk and said, “Don’t ever say that again. Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality”. That statement changed Les’ life forever.

    Les Brown never had a college degree, never worked for a major corporation, and never had any MBA or Ph.D; yet, he became one of the world’s most renowned motivation speakers and a highly-sought-after resource for Fortune 500 Companies. What happened to Les? Was there a magic in what that teacher told him? I don’t think so. What happened was that the teacher redirected his attention from outside to within. He had previously been confused by people’s opinion about him that he never looked inward to discover himself.

    Several people are too focused on external factors that they think very little of the internal factors. How can we believe other people over our own mind? How can we accept external verdict that we are a failure when our hearts are screaming that we can make it? When it comes to our personal success, majority does not carry the vote. We as the minority should determine the outcome of our lives. This is particularly important when it comes to public speaking or communication generally. We need confidence to perform excellently.

    There is something very interesting about opinion; people state what is on their mind, but we are left to act it out. If we are called a failure, it is required of us to fail for them to be correct. The fact that they said it does not seal our fate; our action or non-action is required. So, our action is what either proves people right or wrong. If we are called a failure, but we live out success, we will find people changing their minds.

    Les Brown was labeled EMR. For as long as he convinced himself that he was not good at anything, even something as simple as writing on the board, the label remained with him. He had to change his mind before he could change his life. Supposing someone meets him now and calls him EMR, won’t the person look like a fool? Of course. Les’ life has proved the person wrong. In the same way, what people say about us is not what matters; it is what we think, say and do about ourselves that makes the difference.

    It is very important for us to look within us. We have a lot of potentials that we are not bringing out. Why should we deprive the world of our skills as among the most outstanding speakers, business person, inventor or influencer that the world has ever known? According to Les, “Most people fail in life, not because they aim too high and miss but because they aim too low and hit”. The only reason we aim low is that we fail to have confidence in our abilities.

    Some people’s disposition to life can be summarized by this statement, “Blessed are those that expect nothing for they shall not be disappointed”. A lot of times, the reason we play safe is not because we are being strategic but because we don’t think we have what it takes to succeed. A proverb says, “If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm”. It’s time to deal with the enemy within. Let’s face our strengths and weaknesses with courage. Why run away from ourselves. It’s time to look inside us and explore the resources that God has planted therein.

    Les Brown says, “Feed your faith and your doubt will starve to death”. Faith is an inside force that manifests on the outside. If we look within, we will discover that there is more to us than what people say about us.

    In this series “Look Within You”, we shall explore how we can become less distracted by outside noise and how we can bring out the best in ourselves. I believe you will find this journey a worthwhile experience. Let’s make it a date next week, by the grace of God.

  • Look within you

    You’ve got greatness within you!” These are the words of Les Brown, one of the world’s leading motivational speakers. But before you dismiss this statement as another sugar quoted, empty, and make-people-feel-good speech, you need to read the story of Les. One of my most revered mentors says that the secret of people is in their stories. So, let’s find out if Les has the right to tell us to look within.

    Leslie Calvin “Les” Brown was born in 1945. Les and his twin brother, Wesley, were born on the floor in an abandoned building, in a low-income area of Miami, Florida. They were later adopted at the age of six weeks by Miss Mamie Brown, a cafeteria attendant and a domestic assistant. In the fifth grade, Les was labeled “educably mentally retarded” (EMR) and he became a child no one thought could amount to anything.

    One day, Les was in a class, waiting on a friend who was to rehearse for a play. The teacher told him to go and write something on the board but he declined. When he was asked why, he explained to the teacher that he was in a special education class. The teacher asked him what that meant and insisted that he should write on the board. Still, Les decline. Again the teacher asked him why, then he said he was educably mentally retarded. The teacher came from behind his desk and said, “Don’t ever say that again. Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality”. That statement changed Les’ life forever.

    Les Brown never had a college degree, never worked for a major corporation, and never had any MBA or Ph.D; yet, he became one of the world’s most renowned motivation speakers and a highly-sought-after resource for Fortune 500 Companies. What happened to Les? Was there a magic in what that teacher told him? I don’t think so. What happened was that the teacher redirected his attention from outside to within. He had previously been confused by people’s opinion about him that he never looked inward to discover himself.

    Several people are too focused on external factors that they think very little of the internal factors. How can we believe other people over our own mind? How can we accept external verdict that we are a failure when our hearts are screaming that we can make it? When it comes to our personal success, majority does not carry the vote. We as the minority should determine the outcome of our lives. This is particularly important when it comes to public speaking or communication generally. We need confidence to perform excellently.

    There is something very interesting about opinion; people state what is on their mind, but we are left to act it out. If we are called a failure, it is required of us to fail for them to be correct. The fact that they said it does not seal our fate; our action or non-action is required. So, our action is what either proves people right or wrong. If we are called a failure, but we live out success, we will find people changing their minds.

    Les Brown was labeled EMR. For as long as he convinced himself that he was not good at anything, even something as simple as writing on the board, the label remained with him. He had to change his mind before he could change his life. Supposing someone meets him now and calls him EMR, won’t the person look like a fool? Of course. Les’ life has proved the person wrong. In the same way, what people say about us is not what matters; it is what we think, say and do about ourselves that makes the difference.

    It is very important for us to look within us. We have a lot of potentials that we are not bringing out. Why should we deprive the world of our skills as among the most outstanding speakers, business person, inventor or influencer that the world has ever known? According to Les, “Most people fail in life, not because they aim too high and miss but because they aim too low and hit”. The only reason we aim low is that we fail to have confidence in our abilities.

    Some people’s disposition to life can be summarized by this statement, “Blessed are those that expect nothing for they shall not be disappointed”. A lot of times, the reason we play safe is not because we are being strategic but because we don’t think we have what it takes to succeed. A proverb says, “If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm”. It’s time to deal with the enemy within. Let’s face our strengths and weaknesses with courage. Why run away from ourselves. It’s time to look inside us and explore the resources that God has planted therein.

    Les Brown says, “Feed your faith and your doubt will starve to death”. Faith is an inside force that manifests on the outside. If we look within, we will discover that there is more to us than what people say about us.

    In this series “Look Within You”, we shall explore how we can become less distracted by outside noise and how we can bring out the best in ourselves. I believe you will find this journey a worthwhile experience. Let’s make it a date next week, by the grace of God.

  • Look back

    Look back

    This is no time to gloat. Several weeks to March 28, some irate readers and followers of President Goodluck Jonathan laid ambush on this columnist. Not physically but intellectually. They did it through letters to the editor, tweets, Facebook, emails, phone calls and text messages. They warned that I would be disgraced if Jonathan won again, and they would personally poke fun at me in public for my pig-headed consistency in unleashing salvos at the nation’s number one citizen week after week for the past four years.

    After the Buhari win, the intellectual battlefield has been empty. All the Internet rioters seem to have fled.  When Jonathan won in 2011, I congratulated him while confessing to voting for some else, specifically Buhari. I, at the least, expected my critics to evince some charity and say how wrong they were, and how prescient I was. No worry.

    I lay claim to no special wisdom or courage. As the Russian poet Yevtushenko wrote in one of his flashes of brilliance, I did what I had to do. I am not gloating that Jonathan lost. I bear him no malice. He is a Nigerian like myself who had an opportunity to serve, even if he bungled it mightily. I never wanted him to be president because I believed he lacked the wherewithal.

    I persistently fulminated because Nigeria was larger than all, and the presidency was not for anyone not qualified, ill-prepared or not visionary enough for the complexities of politics, economy and the diversity of the people. The past six years show he ran the country on impunity and footloose accounting, leading to a rot in values and crash in standard of living.

    There was too much theatre of the absurd, not only in errant rhetoric but also in symbolic imbecility. Yet, he has half-deservedly earned praises for his graceful admission of defeat after the last poll. But those who pour plaudits on him should not forget all that happened in his name in the run-up to the polls. We should not forget the renegades of the west who ratcheted up tension and allowed Lagos to rise to the teeth of fear with invasions of contract-happy goons. Also some militants promised war if he lost. He also came to Lagos and the west to inflame ethnic division, inciting the non-indigenes against the indigenous Yoruba. That is apart from making himself bride with a flurry of royal bribes. The president never saw anything wrong in all these.

    We also saw how an obstreperous elder called Orubebe made a show of obloquy in the midst of vote count. His kids and family must regret their blood ties this man and his moment of global dishonour. Contrast that with Jega’s unflappable demeanour and tempered response.

    In spite of all, we cannot take away the grace of President Jonathan’s concession because a preponderance of hawks around him wanted otherwise. I wish he exercised this amount of grace in the past four or six years! He might have repulsed the impunities of his fellows and shown single-mindedness in pursuit of education, infrastructure renewal, anti-corruption crusades and health reform. But no amount of valedictory grace can wipe out the sordid picture of the past half-decade.

    But I don’t need to gloat. As Winston Churchill said, “In war, resolution. In victory magnanimity.”

    If we must tell the story of Buhari’s victory last week, it was the triumph of technology. Those who rigged, especially for the PDP, could not exceed the registered voter count. That is why in the southeast the numbers were relatively tame. Where are the 1.3 million who voted Jonathan in 2011 in Imo State, or the I.1 million in Abia who lined behind Azikiwe in 2011?

    That explains why the PDP stalwarts did not want the PVC. It was the revenge of technology in 2015. Some theorists of democracy have argued that technology, while enhancing certain aspects of democracy, is a minus because it takes away the human connection that crowds and face-to-face dynamics provide. Philosophers like Hannah Arendt even believe that technology enhances despotism. Not in the case of the PVC. What this calls for is that in the next election cycle, we should introduce electronic voting. We need the courage to move ahead.

    We must not forget the bitterness of the campaign. It was the worst in our history. Even clerics did not help matters, and some openly supported Jonathan and made their adherents believe they heard from God. How silent they are today. They remind us of the prophet’s Jeremiad: “A wonderful and terrible thing is committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means. And my people love to have it so. What shall ye do in the end thereof?” The same Prophet Jeremiah wrote that, “he that hath a dream, let him tell a dream,” adding that God did not send them and they act on their own imagination. (Jeremiah chapters 5 and 14.) Isaiah lamented, “the leaders of these people cause them to err and they that are led of them are destroyed.” Our clerics will learn from this, as well as our divisive politicians.

    Nor is the media spared. The proprietors of both print and electronic media ought to sit and reflect on a disgraceful season. Unprintable material, by all ethical standards, were allowed to be published in the name of advertisements. Deliberate falsehoods passed as news stories. Slants are forgivable and it is allowed for a newspaper to pursue a cause. But all should be done within bounds of decency.

    Buhari’s speech showed grace and class, and a lack of malice or bitterness. He needs to reach out to our people in the south-south and southeast to emphasize his lack of malice. Lincoln made a famous speech when he said, “with malice towards none, and charity to all.” He noted that his work was too vast and diverse for any malicious dealing. That is the first task of healing, and Nigeria can take other steps more confidently.

  • Charming Ozzy Agu: Copy his look

    Charming Ozzy Agu: Copy his look

    This season has been a busy one on the red carpet. Ozzy Agu, an actor and television presenter, looks hot in these cute ensembles.

    Wearing a light blue button shirt, olive green fitted chinos pants (trousers) and brown interlaced weaved leather smart  shoe sandals, the Nollywood actor proves that you don’t need to be head-to-toe in designer wear to make a fashion statement and that the days of chinos are still much around.

    He completes the look with a pair of sunglasses, gold strip watchband, steel bracelet chain and leather cuff adjustable bracelet.

    What do you think of Ozzy Agu’s charismatic look?  Copy his style.

  • Grace Enenmoh’s new look

    Things are definitely looking up for ASCON Oil boss, Grace Enenmoh-Olowofoyeku, after she shed the toga of widowhood, having lost her hubby, the late Engr. George Enenmoh, in a plane crash.

    Though she has since remarried, the business mogul has gone through a remarkable transformation burning off calories.  The result of the weight loss is a brand new Grace.

    The widow of the late flamboyant oil boss is also savouring marital bliss. Seven years after she lost her hubby, Grace opened up to Bankole Olowofoyeku, an accountant, whom she got married to in London. Since then, no longer for Grace are the lonely nights and lonelier days. Today, Grace has left no one in doubt that she has chanced on love and fulfilment second time around.

  • Glam-up your look

    Glam-up your look

    Hair accessories especially hats are getting more stylish. From small bowler hats to big, round curve cow-boy hats, hats are now the in-thing. Some are plain while others are studded with exotic bows, feathers, sequins, hairbands, ribbon and beads.

    Hats add to beauty and they brighten the look and they are good for all occasions. They can be worn mostly on casuals, dinner wears, and skirts and trousers suits depending on the designs.

    Nowadays there are also hats that can simply be tied on the head. When any of these fashion items is tied or worn on the head, it jazzes-up one’s look.

    Fashionistas and celebrities use hats to create a distinct image of them. Some have turned themselves into brands by wearing exotic, trendy and classic hats to functions. So, why not jazz up your look with a good hat this season and enjoy the attention that’s reserved for celebrities.

  • Another look at NYSC user fees

    Broadly defined, user fees are monetary charges for the consumption of public goods and services. These fees became fashionable in countries where the recurrent budget is no longer sufficient to provide public goods and services due either to increased demand or greater pressure on public resources.

    Recently, the NYSC introduced charges for corps members who wish to use its new online registration and mobilization application. Since the announcement, debate has raged about whether prospective corps members should pay to use the online platform. Specifically, some have raised questions about the amount charged, and whether it is the right price to be charged for such service.

    Legitimate as these questions are, it is difficult to even begin to talk about right price until we have assessed the product or service on offer. In terms of tangible deliverables, I hear that the new application is designed to enable prospective corps members to register online from any location, save time that would normally be spent travelling and queuing up in schools to collect call-up letters, allow corps members to print call-up letters directly from the internet as well as enable them to retrieve lost call-up letters with the aid of biometrics. So, they are saying in essence that the system is being reformed for greater efficiency.

    From the debate so far, there seem to be no contention over the efficiency claims. So, it is safe to assume that this is a settled matter – that we all accept the reality that the old system needs some kind of modernization.

    So that takes us very quickly to the subject of appropriate pricing.

    Not unexpectedly, the subject of pricing constitutes the core of academic and policy literature on user fees, since the argument for abolition has long been pegged back by the reality of the inadequacy of public sector finances. To this end, focus has shifted (inevitably)to the method of pricing and level of fees to be charged.

    In the classic user charge framework, there is a price that allows the public good or service to be provided optimally – at the right quantity and desired quality. However, society is unwilling (or unable) to pay this price, so government must subsidize to the tune of the difference between the cost and the socially desirable price. However, as capacity to subsidize diminishes, either quality declines or quantity of goods also diminishes to the point that a sizable fraction of the population is denied the benefit of the service due to scarcity. Here is where user charges become necessary. They are necessary to raise additional resources to increase quantity of goods or raise quality so that they (goods, services) may once be available in greater quantity and better quality.

    But this is the economic solution, not the social welfare one. Because the presence of a user charge creates its own brand of social exclusion. Incidentally (and maybe for reasons of convenient scape-goating), this category of social exclusion historically has assumed greater popularity than the one created by resource insufficiency. The literature however observes, with considerable validity, that the inability to subsidize, reinforced by the unwillingness to user-charge, actually hurts the poor more than the rich, as the latter possess the capacity to afford and access alternative (though more expensive) sources.

    In the context of the NYSC call-up letter and miscellaneous charges, this scenario may have played out in the domain of long-distance travel (to collect call-up letters) and the variety and quality of options available to the different social classes before the new regime. So much has been made (and rightly so) of the hundreds of miles and the number of hours it took corps members to travel to pick up call-up letters. But nothing says that even back then, all classes of corps members were doing this drill. For some it was just a car drop away from the next airport and back, mostly a single day. Maybe even a few hours. These ones wouldn’t be bothered about the cost as with the distance. They just didn’t need the stress. But the not-so-privileged corps members just did not have this option. So with the old system (without the option of user charges), the not-so-rich were simply condemned to the distance (and the stress). So we find another NYSC-case correlation with the user charge hypothesis – that the poor suffers more with poor services. The rich have the option of flight. And maybe they could also receive theirs through other (express) means, who knows.

    But there is something still unresolved about the appropriate level of pricing in the NYSC call-up letter and miscellaneous charges debate. In the literature, the right price is prescribed to be high enough to improve service provision and expand access, but not so high as to disadvantage the poor to the benefit of the rich. Hence the next vital and very core social welfare proposition of user fees – the quality-equity substitution. It says: Do not be too beholden to raising quality that only the rich can afford the new quality. In other words, do not rob equity to pay quality. This takes us back to the ‘user fees, no user fees, both benefit the rich, both punish the poor conundrum’.

    So what price is most appropriate, that NYSC can charge for its online registration and mobilization service? It is foolhardy to pretend to know for sure, to the last cent (kobo), or to aspire to this goal in a 1,500 words essay. But I can attempt to do a product content analysis on one hand, and agency comparative analysis on the other, with greater confidence.

    According to the NYSC’s explanations, the cost of the services was derived from the material costs and the personnel cost. The material cost includes cost of providing hardware. I do not know the entire composition of the hardware paraphernalia, but I assume it is the cost of computers, accessories, biometric machines etc. These items and accessories we understand are to be deployed in all the NYSC orientation camps across Nigeria. The software cost, we also understand to be cost of programme application (simply software). If the organization would hold the entire registration database on the internet storage system as we assume it would, then it would also include cost of bandwidth ‘sold’ to NYSC and maintained by what the IT people call ISP (Internet Service Provider). The personnel cost is simply the cost of deploying IT personnel to these centers in 36 states and the FCT to operate the systems.

    Going back to the user fee postulations, this is not a social welfare conception. It is entirely an accounting one. So we are back to the normative contestations around user fees. Except that this time, we might actually be seeing a problem where there is really none to see. If it is not an essential service, and if it is an avoidable cost to the user, then, as they say in basic economics, demand for this service is nearly perfectly elastic. Given this realization, we can therefore no longer talk about a ‘safe price’ but a ‘risky’ one – if people are not willing to buy at the price you offer it, you cannot sell.

    So maybe the one to ‘feel for’ here is the NYSC and its ISP taking what is effectively a business risk. But, incidentally, neither is our social welfare candidate so there is really nothing here for us to fret or fume about. But we can return to the broad discussion on user charges in the context of what is efficient, what is fair and what is necessary.

    For starters, there can be no disagreement, even among die-hard social welfarists, on the need to improve the welfare of society through better quality services. It is our eternal desire that government would one day provide for not only our needs, but also our desires. But, like the Americans would say, that would be the day! The grim and very present reality is that resources do not grow in proportion to our needs, much less our desires. Plus, the public sector has universally never really been an expert in quality and efficiency in service provision.

    We are therefore reminded that we need new approaches to public welfare themes. The growing popularity of the public-private model obviously signifies the absence of a more practical alternative to providing public goods and enhancing social welfare. Inevitably, partnership between state and non-state actors will continue to generate discussions on the balance between the role of government, society and the market.

    While we have a legitimate responsibility to ensure that all actors are accountable, we cannot however expect to share in the output of these partnerships without assuming our own share of responsibility for the inputs. It is in this context that I see the efforts by the NYSC to improve its service delivery systems and processes.

    • Okpene, a policy analyst, lives in Abuja.