The Nation Newspaper

Tag: money

  • Money Deserves Better movement seeks bank charges slash

    Money Deserves Better movement seeks bank charges slash

    The Money Deserves Better (MDBM) movement has called on Nigerian banks to reduce transaction charges and raise the Return on Investment (RoI) value they provide to customers.

    The MDBM team kicked off the campaign following reports that banks’ fees and commissions income surged by 17.5 per cent to N365 billion in the first quarter of 2023.

    Read Also; Glo marks 20 years

    Despite the significant increase in banks’ revenue, the interest earned on high-interest savings accounts averages four to five per cent per annum.

    The MDBM said such returns on investment are meagre compared to the current inflation rate in Nigeria is (22.79 per cent), thereby providing negative returns between what the banks pay as interest and the inflation rate.

    “It is about time we speak up for our money. Our money deserves more. When we save, we want to know that we will get a higher interest rate, for choosing to save rather than spend. We want easy access to better investment opportunities. Therefore, we have taken to the streets to campaign for our money,” the group said.

    One of the members of the MDBM, Bamise Lucas, said “We advocate for improved rates and reduced charges on our transactions. Our ultimate goal is to encourage more individuals to join this financial revolution meant to improve the offerings and benefits of financial services to customers,” he continued. 

    “As part of our objectives, there is a call on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to consider reducing the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR). Such move would have a positive impact on the interest rates offered by banks, making savings more attractive to account holders.”

    In addition to pushing for a drop in the MPR, the movement is also urging banks to increase the annual interest rates on savings accounts.

    Public Relations Officer, MDBM, Sarah Ola, said, “This step would incentivize more people to save their money in banks and see better returns on their investments.”

    The group is also advocating for a reduction in the costs associated with using electronic channels for transactions.

    Ola, emphasising the increasing digitisation of financial activities, said “lower transaction charges would encourage more Nigerians to adopt digital methods of payment, thereby enhancing financial inclusion and efficiency.”

    The movement also seeks to challenge a common misconception among Nigerians that major banks with well-known names automatically guarantee better returns and security for their money.

    Ola advised investors to explore alternative investment opportunities in other companies licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which could even provide higher returns than banks.

     ”The SEC serves as the regulatory body overseeing financial market activities in Nigeria, ensuring transparency, fairness, and proper regulation,” the MDBM PRO said.

  • Tales of experts who help firms save money and time

    Tales of experts who help firms save money and time

    Businesses around the world are under constant pressure to do more with less: Less money, less time, fewer people. And achieving this is left to experts who take the smart decisions that save companies millions each year. They are the often unsung experts who optimise systems, streamline operations, and introduce game-changing innovations. These professionals transform, making measurable impact across industries.

    One such professional helping is Gagan Gupta, the visionary founder of Equitane, a pioneering investment platform reshaping the trajectory of industrial development across Africa. Driven by a long-term, values-oriented philosophy, Gupta is challenging conventional private equity paradigms with a bold alternative, one that places sustainable, sovereign economic growth at the heart of industrial transformation.

    Under Gupta’s leadership, Equitane operates with a permanent capital structure, enabling it to take a patient, strategic approach to value creation. Rather than chasing short-term exits, the firm commits deeply to building enduring enterprises that serve both economic and societal goals. Equitane’s portfolio spans 14 African countries, with active investments in infrastructure, green mobility, sustainable manufacturing, and strategic mining, sectors critical to unlocking the continent’s potential and future-proofing its development.

    Gupta’s model provides more than capital. It offers industrial foresight, operational expertise, and a commitment to local capacity building, creating ecosystems that empower nations to move up the value chain and reclaim economic agency. By backing transformative projects with high impact potential, Equitane is forging a new blueprint for industrialisation in the Global South, one that prioritises resilience, environmental stewardship, and inclusive prosperity.

    Prior to founding Equitane, Gagan Gupta held senior leadership roles in Africa-focused industrial ventures, where he earned a reputation as a catalytic builder of integrated industrial ecosystems. His deep understanding of public-private partnerships, infrastructure development, and pan-African business strategy continues to inform Equitane’s mission.

    Through Equitane, Gupta is not only investing in assets; he is investing in Africa’s future, proving that industrial ambition and sustainability can go hand-in-hand. His work stands as a powerful reminder that the next chapter of global development can and must be authored from within the continent itself.

    Also in this league is Dare Abiodun, who is one of key architects of transformation at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank). From 2015 when he joined the bank, his journey through the institution’s ranks—from finance analyst to senior operations and business analyst—is marked by a combination of analytical rigour, regulatory foresight, and digital agility.

    At the heart of Abiodun’s impact at GTBank is his deep fluency in data-driven decision-making, risk governance, and performance management. He has distinguished himself as a relationship-driven strategist who can spot financial inefficiencies and optimise credit risk portfolios. He introduced a financial assessment model that improved credit recovery by 24 per cent and supporting the growth of over ₦3.2 billion in risk assets.

    As Customer Service Manager from 2017 to 2018, Dare didn’t merely oversee service metrics; he reshaped them. He led the adoption of digital self-service solutions and CRM-powered targeting that grew digital banking adoption by 130 per cent, especially among traditionally underserved Northern Nigerian customers. This translated to measurable results: a 35 per cent reduction in resolution time, a 25 per cent spike in Net Promoter Score, and a cultural shift toward customer-centric service delivery.

    Still, his most defining work came during his final role as Operations & Business Analyst, a period of intense regulatory scrutiny and digital transformation in the Nigerian banking sector. It was here that Abiodun’s multidisciplinary strengths in governance, data analytics, and enterprise systems converged.

    He spearheaded a sweeping compliance overhaul that reduced AML/CFT operational lapses by 60% and helped the bank avoid ₦187 million in potential regulatory penalties. By implementing a real-time compliance monitoring framework and automating risk heatmaps across branches, Abiodun transformed what had previously been reactive compliance processes into proactive, predictive systems of control. The outcome: faster audit readiness, fewer escalations, and stronger credibility with regulators.

    He has also led an IT performance optimisation initiative that increased system uptime by 10 per cent and reduced transaction processing times by 25 per cent—a critical win for a bank processing over 250,000 customer interactions monthly. His development of a cross-departmental executive performance dashboard further institutionalised data accountability, helping teams resolve flagged anomalies 18 per cent faster.

    Abiodun’s ability to lead from both a strategic and technical vantage point stems from a strong academic foundation from the University of Lagos. He has since evolved into a cross-sector thought leader with a clear orientation toward operational excellence, digital governance, and predictive analytics.

    With proficiencies spanning ERP systems (SAP, Oracle), business intelligence platforms (Power BI, Tableau), and process methodologies (Lean Six Sigma, Agile, and FMEA), he represents a rare talent at the intersection of business strategy, risk management, and technology integration.

    As organisations look beyond digital buzzwords to real implementation of GRC systems, data governance, and predictive analytics, Abiodun’s work at GTBank stands as a case study in what meaningful transformation looks like.

    Another key financial strategist helping save both money and time is Karen Fang. Fang is a trailblazing financial executive at the forefront of integrating sustainability into the global capital markets. As the Global Head of Sustainable Finance at Bank of America, she is redefining how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are embedded in investment decisions and corporate strategies around the world.

    Fang leads one of the most ambitious sustainable finance initiatives in the financial industry. Under her stewardship, Bank of America has already mobilized over $560 billion in sustainable financing significantly advancing toward its bold commitment of deploying $1.5 trillion by 2030 in support of environmental transition, inclusive development, and equitable economic growth. Her leadership spans both the strategic design and execution of ESG-aligned products, from green bonds and social impact loans to blended finance structures and transition financing.

    Fang’s influence is reflected in landmark transactions such as the SunZia Wind and Transmission project, one of the largest clean energy infrastructure developments in North America. This project showcases her ability to bridge complex financial structuring with climate-conscious impact, helping catalyse real-world transformation through innovative capital deployment.

    Read Also: Tinubu ended $1.5bn monthly Naira subsidy funded by borrowed money — Omokri

    With a background in investment banking and markets, Karen Fang brings a unique combination of financial rigor and climate insight to her role. Her work not only aligns Bank of America’s commercial goals with global climate targets, but also advances the broader financial sector’s shift toward accountable, forward-looking capitalism.

    Beyond the numbers, Fang is a vocal advocate for inclusive finance, underscoring the social dimension of ESG and the importance of expanding access to capital for underrepresented communities and emerging economies. She plays a key role in shaping the bank’s sustainability strategy across geographies, sectors, and stakeholder groups.

    As the global economy faces the twin imperatives of decarbonisation and equitable growth, Karen Fang stands at the vanguard demonstrating that sustainable finance is not just a niche strategy, but a necessary and scalable pathway to long-term value creation for businesses, communities, and the planet.

    The class of strategists also includes the amazing Christian Déséglise, who is bridging capital and climate in emerging markets.

    Déséglise is a globally recognised leader in sustainable finance, with a career dedicated to mobilizing institutional capital toward inclusive, climate-resilient growth in developing economies. As Managing Director at HSBC and co-lead of the FAST-Infra initiative (Finance to Accelerate the Sustainable Transition-Infrastructure), he is playing a pivotal role in transforming how infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries is financed, structured, and scaled.

    Déséglise’s work is anchored in a core belief: that solving the climate crisis requires unlocking private capital at scale particularly for countries most vulnerable to environmental and economic shocks. Through FAST-Infra, he champions innovative frameworks to standardize, de-risk, and certify sustainable infrastructure investments, making them more attractive to institutional investors and aligning global capital flows with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement targets.

    At HSBC, one of the world’s largest financial institutions, Déséglise has been instrumental in shaping the bank’s sustainable finance strategy, particularly as it relates to emerging markets. His expertise spans climate finance, blended capital structures, and public-private partnerships, and he regularly advises governments, multilateral institutions, and development banks on how to integrate ESG criteria into national investment strategies.

    A respected academic voice, Déséglise serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia University, where he teaches on sustainable finance and emerging markets. His dual role in academia and industry places him at the intersection of theory, practice, and policy, enabling him to cultivate new tools and perspectives for sustainable development.

    Déséglise is also a frequent contributor to global forums on finance and climate policy, known for his thought leadership on topics such as transition finance, green taxonomy, and the evolving role of financial institutions in global development. His influence extends to advisory roles with organizations working on global climate solutions and ESG policy alignment.

    In an era where infrastructure finance must be climate-smart, inclusive, and future-facing, Christian Déséglise stands as a leading architect of the tools, partnerships, and capital pathways needed to reshape development finance. His career exemplifies how the strategic alignment of capital and purpose can drive transformative change across continents.

    As the Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Makhtar Diop is perhaps the most influential figure in frontier market investment today. As the first African to hold this position in the IFC’s history, Diop brings to the role a deep understanding of the intersection between private enterprise, public policy, and inclusive economic growth across emerging markets.

    At the helm of IFC, Diop is driving efforts to unlock private capital at scale for sustainable development, with a focus on addressing the world’s most pressing challenges from climate change and energy access to gender equity and digital inclusion. Under his leadership, IFC is expanding its role as a catalyst for private sector-led growth, mobilizing billions in investment across critical sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, agribusiness, manufacturing, and technology in developing countries.

    A seasoned economist and former policymaker, Diop has long been recognised for his visionary leadership in African and global development. Prior to joining IFC, he served as the World Bank’s Vice President for Infrastructure, where he oversaw the institution’s global portfolio in transport, energy, water, and public-private partnerships helping shape resilient infrastructure strategies in low- and middle-income nations.

    Diop also held the position of Vice President for the Africa Region at the World Bank, where he led efforts to strengthen regional integration, expand access to energy, and support economic reforms that contributed to Africa’s growth acceleration in the 2010s. Earlier in his career, he served as Senegal’s Minister of Economy and Finance, and held various leadership positions in international finance and policy advisory.

    Known for his strategic clarity, cross-sectoral expertise, and unwavering commitment to inclusive development, Makhtar Diop is a vocal advocate for climate-smart growth, innovation ecosystems, and SME empowerment in emerging markets. He has been a central figure in advancing blended finance and impact investing as scalable tools for development, and continues to champion greater collaboration between governments, multilateral institutions, and private capital providers.

    With over three decades of leadership across finance, governance, and development, Makhtar Diop is shaping a new frontier for the global development agenda, one where entrepreneurship, sustainability, and economic resilience form the foundation of progress in the 21st century.

    Helping to decode Africa’s financial pulse is Razia Khan is one of the most respected and influential economists on the African continent. As Chief Economist for Africa and the Middle East at Standard Chartered Bank, she provides authoritative analysis on the region’s macroeconomic trends, offering strategic guidance to governments, global investors, and development institutions navigating the complexities of African economies.

    At Standard Chartered, Khan leads the bank’s research and advisory work across the African and Middle Eastern regions. She plays a critical role in guiding client strategies, especially in times of heightened volatility, geopolitical shifts, or major structural transitions. Her ability to distill complex economic dynamics into actionable intelligence has earned her a reputation as a trusted voice in global finance.

    Through her combination of rigorous analysis, strategic foresight, and policy fluency, Razia Khan is not only shaping the conversation on Africa’s economies, she is helping to guide their transformation.

    And there is also Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, who sits at the intersection of capital, innovation, and inclusive development across emerging markets. With a career spanning over two decades and more than 20 countries across Africa, the Middle East, North America, Europe, and Asia, Fokuo brings a rare combination of geopolitical fluency, investment acumen, and systems-level thinking to the world’s most dynamic and complex economies.

    He is the Founder and Principal of Botho Emerging Markets Group, a strategic advisory and investment firm with offices in Nairobi, Dubai, and Chicago. Through Botho, Fokuo has helped mobilize more than $2 billion in debt and equity across sectors such as finance, healthcare, education, and technology shaping high-impact ventures and public-private collaborations that drive sustainable growth in underserved markets.

    In 2021, he launched the Amahoro Coalition, an African-led, multi-sector initiative that works to unlock private sector leadership in addressing forced displacement on the continent. Under his leadership, the Coalition has mobilized over $200 million in commitments, reaching more than 150,000 refugees and displaced persons through innovative, market-based solutions that prioritise dignity, agency, and long-term opportunity.

    Fokuo is also co-founder of the Sino-Africa Centre of Excellence (SACE), a platform that strengthens partnerships between Chinese and African actors through research, talent development, and enterprise support. His portfolio of work includes advisory roles with global content and technology ventures most recently leading expansion efforts in Africa and the Middle East for Propagate Content.A sought-after voice in international development and investment, Fokuo serves on the boards of Ashesi University, Kepler University, The Boardroom Africa, and AMREF Health Innovations, and is a Trustee of Hanover College. He actively supports innovation ecosystems as an angel investor and advisor to startups such as Yemaachi Biotech and AMP Global Technologies, with a focus on scalable solutions in health, media, and digital inclusion.

    Fokuo’s contributions have earned him recognition as a Desmond Tutu Fellow (2014) and one of the Top 100 Most Influential Africans by New African magazine (2021). His thought leadership is grounded in a belief that unlocking capital, talent, and collaboration across borders is key to building resilient, self-determined futures in Africa and beyond.

  • Burying our money

    The news report was more than a little shocking. The governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, alleged that his predecessor spent N2.3 billion on funeral materials within five years. But it is not the denial of the former governor that matters, but the fact that all over the country, governors and many other elected officers turn the treasury into welfare platforms for unnecessary favours.

    The former governor, Abdullahi Abubakar, denied the allegation. He did not deny that he spent money on burial materials but that his successor exaggerated the amount. He said his government spent N1.2 billion, and not N2.3 billion. This amounts to splitting hairs, as either N2.3 billion or N1.2 billion is a humongous amount to devote to burials.

    Such amount of money could be used for a lot of good things from tarring roads, to restoring or building schools to acquiring medical supplies and equipment.

    Governor Mohammed’s spokesman, Ladan Salihu, alleged that N900 million was disbursed on Muslim shrouds, a white cloth used for wrapping dead bodies, while N1.4 billion was allotted for wood for decking graves during burials.

    “The monies which ought to have been appropriated by the assembly before expenditure, all of a sudden emanated from our treasury,” noted Salihu. He asserted also that it was exclusive to the Muslims and “what have you done for the Christians?”

    However, former Governor Abubakar did not deny the details of the materials bought. He only disputed the sum and added that the expenditure passed through due process.

    While we condemn outright the use of taxpayers’ money for such tangential inanities, it only reflects the liberties that elected officers have turned government coffers into. If the governor was guilty of being called out for funeral financial error, it also shows how our culture has come to see the concept of welfare.

    We have seen, for instance, how various governments have seen themselves as financiers of pilgrimages, whether to Mecca and Jerusalem, for decades. This is supposed to be a private affair, especially since it has to be about worship. It turns government into a welfare place where all sorts of favors are dispensed.

    Some state governments have come to the wisdom that a secular state cannot fund a religious activity or belief. There are some states that also turn the state operation into a welfare for social causes like the financing of mass weddings. This had been done in such states as Kano and Jigawa in the past.

    It is seen by some analysts as cultural imperatives. The argument is that individuals cannot do some of these things on their own, citing the extreme poverty of the benefiting citizens. Some other governments employ hordes of people to non-existent jobs.

    For instance, in the name of appointments, governors ply their offices with tens of special advisers and assistants, which would attract perks and allowances that run to hundreds of millions of Naira in one month. These same persons will look for activities, many of which are unnecessary that will involve capital outlay. They would also have accommodation expenses as well as cars attached to their offices. This is welfare in the name of routine government business.

    We also know of governors who have persons on their payrolls, especially so-called party men and women, some of them operate as foot soldiers. In the end, what suffer are the major tasks of government. Roads remain in abeyance, hospitals need equipment, and the educational sector falters.

    That is why we cannot defend governors and governments that take affection over dividends of democracy, or mistaking affection as dividends of democracy.

  • Hotel staff docked over alleged theft of employer’s money

    A 21-year-old man, Sodiq Akinlade, was on Thursday brought before an Abeokuta Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing N253, 750 from his employer.

    Akinlade, an employee with Phonix Hotel, Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta, is facing trial is facing a three-count charge bordering on stealing and unlawful conversion.

    Police prosecutor, Inspector Olubisi Lawrence, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on February 3 at about 5.45p.m at the Phonix Hotel in Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta.

    Read also: Who wears the crown?

    Lawrence said that the defendant, with intent to defraud the hotel, stole N83, 750 and N170, 000 totalling N253, 750, belonging to Matanmi Owolabi.

    He said Akinlade converted the stolen money to his personal use.

    According to him, the offence committed contravened Sections 383(1), 390(6) and 516 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State 2006.

    The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    The Magistrate, Mrs Sam Obaleye, granted the defendant bail of N50, 000 with two responsible sureties in like sum.

    Obaleye said that the sureties must reside within the court jurisdictions and show evidence of tax payment to the Ogun Government.

    She adjourned the case until Feb. 25 for hearing.

  • Money changed hands

    It was not only a game of money; it was also a show of money.  Those who gave money and those who received money were on the same page. Perhaps it was predictable, given the big political ambition of the big spenders.

    Reports of big spending by presidential aspirants to get the votes of delegates showed that the national convention of the  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on October 6, was a travesty of democracy.

    A report captured the corruption: “Members of the Peoples Democratic Party, who were fortunate to be delegates at the party’s national convention… were said to have received thousands of dollars as bribes from some presidential aspirants. As early as Saturday morning, some of the delegates said they already had up to $9,000 each while they said that they were still expecting more.”

    The report continued: “A particular aspirant, who had taken part in a presidential primary before, was said to have first offered the delegates $2,500 each in exchange for votes. But when he heard that another aspirant offered the delegates $3000, he increased his own to $4000. Our correspondent however gathered that the first aspirant later offered same amount of $4000, an action that forced the man who offered $4000 to increase his own to $5000.”

    The report supplied more information: “Another aspirant was also said to have offered a mere $1000. It was also learnt that some aspirants gave out naira to the delegates, while a source said states with large delegates got N50m, while others with fewer delegates got less. However, investigations …also revealed that other aspirants had also offered unspecified amount of money to the delegates. Two delegates from the North-West… confirmed they received cash. One of them, who showed our correspondent the envelope that contained the dollar bills, said they decided to receive the gratification as a means of getting their share of the ‘national cake.’

    Who gave what? The presidential aspirants were a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who won the primary; Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo; a former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso; a former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa. Others were the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki; a former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark; a former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and a former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah Jang. Also in the race were a former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi; a former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido and Dr. Datti Baba-Ahmed.

    Take Senate President Bukola Saraki, for example. He is a rich political player who further demonstrated his richness by playing a paymaster’s role in a recent case. With the 2019 general election approaching, the public should expect to see more of the things rich politicians do with their riches because they want power or because they want to remain in powerful positions.

    When Saraki reportedly paid 20 months’ unpaid salaries of 220 traditional rulers in his constituency, Kwara Central senatorial district, he showed that he had no qualms about using what he had to get what he wanted. The chiefs were mainly district heads from Ilorin East, Ilorin South and Asa Local Government Areas. A report said: “The affected local government councils could not meet their financial obligations to the traditional rulers because of the drastic shortfall in their allocation from the federation account.”

    Then Saraki provided N49.4m, which the affected traditional rulers received at a ceremony at the ABS Constituency Office in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on April 16. The Director- General, ABS Constituency Office, Alhaji Musa Abdullahi, said Saraki had set up a committee to resolve the non-payment of the salaries, and had acted on the committee’s recommendation ?to pay the unpaid salaries. Abdullahi was said to have advised the district heads “to continue to support the senate president to enable him attract more dividends of democracy to the state.”

    Here is the meat of the matter: Where did the money come from?  The answer to this important question cannot be left to speculation, and will likely lead to further questions. This is because a question may be answered and an answer may be questioned. In the end, there may be more questions than answers.

    Indeed, the same question should be asked in the case of the PDP national convention: Where did the money come from?  Could it be that the aspirant who gave more money than the others won the primary?  What will happen in the presidential election?

    It is noteworthy that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reportedly said it was prepared to make vote buying impossible in the governorship election held in Ekiti State on July 14.

    INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, Solomon Soyebi, who represented the Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, at a stakeholders’ meeting on the continuous voters’ registration, in Ado Ekiti, had said that money was used to influence voters during the last elections in Edo, Ondo and Anambra states.

    “The elections in Edo, Ondo and Anambra states were largely monetised,” Soyebi had asserted. “We are aware of this. It was ‘see and buy,’ but it won’t happen in Ekiti.” He also said:  “It was N5, 000 per vote in Ondo and Anambra states. We are working with security agencies not to allow it to happen again. We even seized some cash in Anambra State.”

    Obviously, something needs to be done so that politicians won’t be able to use money to get voters to vote in their favour. Must politicians buy votes? Must they think of buying votes?  To think of buying votes and to buy votes means that there are people who are ready to sell their votes. There can’t be vote buying without vote selling. So it is not only vote buyers that should be condemned; vote sellers should be equally condemned. After all, it is said that it takes two to tango.

    The general election will show whether Nigeria wants a democracy of vote buyers and vote sellers.

     

  • Of what use is your intelligence without money?

    Life hasn’t exactly been a barrel of laughs lately, no thanks to the barrage of messages calling for help. I have been inundated with requests for money. Some of my fans actually think I could assist them financially (hmm..wahala dey oooo!). Silver and gold I do not have but what I do have I give you..treasures of the heart poured on paper, aired on radio. A fan sent me an SMS after I offered him, a piece of advice, it reads: “Of what use is your intelligence without money?”. It’s obvious we do not think alike. I work to learn- I don’t work for money..instead of simply working to earn only money which I admit is important, I’m also learning to build wealth. As an investor,my eyes are fixed on growing my intellectual, emotional and financial assets. My dividends are incremental and I don’t need to show off like “Omo Baba Olowo”(son of a billionaire). I buy the words of Robert Kiyosaki “ Education is more valuable than money, in the long run”. My greatest asset is my sound mind and with it, I can never be poor! Some people think most journalists are billionaires..hmm..fat chance of that!! The profession is a call to speak and uphold “the” truth under any circumstance, but the bitter truth is that how many people are willing to buy the truth? I believe that whatever you receive through lies may stay for a season but it will never last..buy the truth and sell it not. These words are for men not men in the making!!!

    I refused to be distracted by such an ill- informed opinion, but I’m human.. I barricaded myself by switching off my phone for some hours. However, when I switched it on I got a call from another fan in Benin, a veteran journalist, his words of encouragement ignited a fresh fire in me. That reminds me of the timeless wisdom, be careful not to chase away good while trying to avoid evil. Switching off my phone, paradoxically, was a blessing in disguise. While the phone was off, I picked up a book from my library and came across a thought-provoking quote by Sun Tzu (Author of the book of proverbial wisdom; The Art of War); “The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple where the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.. (Paraphrased).

    “Of what use is my intelligence without money” as an emotional intelligence practitioner, I recognized this as an emotional bullet shot at me and must be dealt with immediately. The words of Sun Tzu spurred me into action. In fact, the barrage of requests for money also became a burden of a sort so I had to do a lot of calculations. I would permit you to take a look at some: “If I earn more money, I could meet my urgent financial demands as at when due and then possibly assist those people with genuine needs with free mind empowering sessions and also follow up accordingly with the requisite information to raise funds for them. Good option, I thought but another thought came rushing in like a wind, “how would you earn more as a freelance journalist? Why not go back to paid employment?”. Before I could say, Jack Robinson, I was already salivating over the regular income I missed when I resigned from banking..hmm..the battle was getting bigger in my mind. Suddenly, my eyes snapped a line of words in the book: “There is no need for a general if there is no army…” Yes, I caught that! I understood immediately that the options flipping through my mind during this brainstorming session were an army. So I must take on the role of a general(psychologically). “ The general stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and discipline.”..Sun Tzu. These words opened my mind to the reality that I must deliberately exercise these virtues outlined by Sun Tzu and deploy the best strategy to combat this battle. I must protect my platoon (family, passion, relationships..) so that they successfully fulfill their mission with little or no casualties of war. Needful to say, generals, are made from soldiers who learn from their mistakes. In essence, the battle is on..and I’m learning to be a general over my army(of options). I will definitely celebrate my victory with you!

    I think that far too many people who aspire to be generals in their careers become spooky characters instead of men and women of great characters. You would agree with me that a general is not made from one successful battle but in many wars ( I say, many challenges). Some go out and fight one successful skirmish and think they are ready for promotion. True promotion comes from God(General of all generals)) through men/women. There is no crash course for becoming a general..you’ve got to fight and fight.. fight and be found standing after all. In fact, the primary accolades of a general are his/her experiences of failures and successes. While generals must eventually learn to command great armies, they often start as foot soldiers, first learning the disciplines and methods of commanding themselves.

    In a nutshell, making your mark in the world as a general (be it spiritual or secular)is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it takes patience, it takes commitment, much more zeal, with plenty of failures along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid the failures or not because you won’t. It is whether you allow them to discourage you and cause you to resign to a place of inactivity. I say to you, command thyself to arise and shine!

  • Money: Use and misuse to which it can be put

    Money is defined as a current means of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes. Stretched, it can be used to buy just anything under the sun – food, drinks, clothing, cars, boats, yachts, jets, jewellery, properties, fame and power.

    With the last two, that is fame and power, money has proven over time that it is the greatest catalyst to the making or undoing of many who have tons and tons of it in their vaults.

    You are elevated to dizzying heights when you have a lot of dough in your pocket and makes you a much sought after customer by the banks and investors.

    Of course, in this clime, you instantly become a favourite of musicians, courtiers, toughies and women, who really have no genuine likeness or love for you but the money in your pocket and in your vaults. Otherwise, how come a ravishingly pretty lady falling head over heel for an ugly near pygmy of a man, if not for his money?

    Yes, I’m there. Money they say is the root of all evils. Possession of money, too much money, is the bane of otherwise decent and likeable men and women; the reason why most moneyed people are cocky, arrogant, disdainful of others and disrespectful, if not mannerless, to boot.

    For them, it is a fad to become bedmates of their friends’ wives or husbands; just as it is commonplace for them to call elders, old enough to be their fathers and uncles in ways suggesting that they are peers. Or, moneyed people who betray trust and benefactors, without batting an eyelid or because they foolishly believe money is enough sanctuary for them to hide in. You find many of such people making donations to religious houses, not for elevating reasons, but also to flaunt their wealth acquired through dubious and criminal means; as well as think that their sins are covered or forgiven by such donations.

    But the Most High is not mocked. Which is why Jesus during his missionary journey looked around and said to his disciples: “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

    Mark 10: 23-27 tells: “The disciples were amazed at Jesus words. But he said again: “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God

    “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”

    The analogy of a camel going through a needle’s eye is to emphasis the point that the rich, with most of their needs met, often become self-reliant. “When they feel empty, they can buy something new to dull their pain (or, hurt) that was meant to drive them toward God. Their abundance and self-sufficiency become their deficiency”

    It also becomes their albatross as they wobble and fumble from one fundamental blunder to another. Which is why I ask my God to endow me with all resources that will not make me lose my humanity, my humility and my fear of Him.

  • Our pitiful class narrative

    Money changes everything. It ravages the soul of the youth, in particular. The need of it makes all human; loving it could be practical but an obsession with it drives us to the brink. It flips the afflicted upside-down and inside-out, revealing their hide as men of vulpine souls and intellect, built to despise honour for the love of mammon and associated luxury.

    Several youths argue that they can never sell out by playing muscle to the ruling class. “We are only enjoying our share of our collective wealth that they steal from us,” they claim.

    Whatever justification we give to it, a bribe is a bribe. And it changes relations. Once accepted, it vitiates a large chunk of the essence of the recipient, making him inferior, like a man who receives money to lie with a skunk, the same way the impotent pays to be sodomized by a horse, thinking it would cure him of his impotence and aid him to sire by a woman, a blessed child.

    The folly of our ways has dawned on us. The meek and humble leadership we thought we had installed in our legislative and executive chambers constitute yet another dangerous tyranny Nigeria should be done with. The culprits surround themselves with aides likable to a murder of crows – whose shrill cackles deafen them to the citizenry’s cries.

    A brilliant tyrant could be trusted to a certain degree of depth and capacity to lead but a manipulable tyrant is infinitely more dangerous, as he cannot be trusted beyond his blandness, intellectual handicaps and devious plots of his crows – cronies, advisers and kitchen cabinet.

    Sadly, in the corrupted currents of the world that they have foisted upon us, we can only devise more alluring ways to play dumb and project our generation as easy marks for the ruling class to exploit. The current liaisons between the ruling class and the so-called representatives of the Nigerian youth portend an ominous development.

    It presages the continued enslavement of the youth and our incapacitation by obscene inducements and gifts of grandeur; the perpetuation of a system in which the youth are psychologically confined and broken by financial inducements, dubious segregation and manipulative politics.

    A situation in which the sentimental fops among us are programmed by rumors, innuendo and outright falsehood to shun the path to progress and tow the fast lane to destruction.

    Many argue that the major problem afflicting Nigeria is the dearth of inspired leadership drawn from the nation’s youth. A converse view advances the presence of eminently capable persons out there, many of whom have failed to altruistically and responsibly apply themselves because like every other Nigerian, they are too busy looking out for themselves.

    Potential heroes we could rely still embrace the wisdom of keeping silent. They scoff at our romanticized wish to abolish the status quo, knowing that, as usual, we would settle for an opportunistic contract between our exploiters (the government) and a part of the exploited (labour and youth leadership), at the expense of the rest of the exploited (you, me and everyone) – something Noel Ignatin aptly identifies as “the original sweetheart agreement.”

    I recommend as usual, peaceful revolt guided by probity and a conscious quest to achieve the collective good within the ambit of fairness, equity and unflinching morality. Without such humane attributes, every measure we adopt will fail. Policies and practicable solutions are mere words on paper; they can only be activated by our conscious efforts to actualise them.

    Mr. President, the National Assembly, the judiciary, our 36 State governors and political parties are indisputably worthless and impotent without the support of the Nigerian youth. These societal creatures depend on our goodwill to survive. It’s about time we stopped playing disposable muscles and junkyard dogs to them.

    Money and other inducements they dangle before us shall be exhausted sooner than we can ever imagine. If we are indeed serious about installing visionary leadership capable of steering us from the threshold of ruin to the portal of hope and social renaissance, we have to start now.

    The Nigerian youth needs a platform.

    We need a more concrete forum than Facebook and Twitter. We need to create a rallying point by which we could sit to determine a bloodless path to a promising future. Yes, the current leadership won’t relinquish power easily hence our need to act. Let us identify and vote into power that particular breed whose idealism and pragmatism capably understands our painful silences and heartfelt dreams in order to speak and actualize them.

    Let us begin to ignore those who would desert us no sooner than they regain their hold on power. I speak of men and women that would recoil into their exclusive homes in Banana Island, Lagos, their palatial estates in Abuja, and fashionable neighbourhoods in Europe at the barest sign of chaos. There, they isolate themselves from the tragedies that mar our world by indulging in unrestrained hedonism and extravagant consumption of their ill-acquired wealth. We, the suffering masses are however, repressed with greater ferocity every time we protest.

    Our resources are being depleted; soon they will be exhausted. And then our hollowed-out edifice will collapse. Impoverished and severely robbed of optimism, we, the hopeless masses will rise against the ruling class in a premeditated and very savage strike – of which we shall suffer the worst consequence.

    Like in all such uprisings, Nigeria will plunge into a canyon of blood and maniacal murders, in the name of the “revolution.”  The Roman and Sumerian empires fell this way. The Mayan elite became, at the end, as the anthropologist Ronald Wright notes in A Short History of Progress, “…extremists, or ultraconservatives, squeezing the last drops of profit from nature and humanity.” This is how all civilizations ossify and collapse.

    Today, we tow a similar path.

     

     

  • ‘Delegates should not be influenced by money’

    Former House of Representatives member and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Bimbo Daramola is a governorship aspirant in Ekiti State. He spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU in Lagos on the conditions that will guarantee a credible primary on Saturday.

    How are you preparing for the governorship primary holding on Saturday?

    Everything I have done in the last 14 years have prepared me. I believe very strongly, and I have said it at various fora, that this election will be a referendum on the reputation of everybody aspiring to lead our dear state. In the past 18 months, I have been working; touring the local governments and wards, visiting the delegates, holding consultations with my leaders- Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, and Chief Segun Oni. Also, I have met virtually all the delegates, all the youth leaders of the party, the women leaders of the party, all chairmen of local governments. I am not a new entity. That must be brought to bear. I don’t need any introduction or re-introduction to any of the delegates. There is nobody who is has spent a minimum of two years in the party who does not know Bimbo Daramola, the man they call, ‘Mr. Shoot me,’ the Collation Agent during the rerun between Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Engineer Segun Oni, the Director-General of Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation; the man they wanted to kill, judging by the confession of Captain Koli. They know me as the man who gave opportunities to 250 young sons and daughters of Ekiti through the JAMB forms. It is a vision that enables young men and women to have access to tertiary institution. These are sons and daughters of the delegates. They know me as a man they can run to, a man who has laid down his life for the party at a time. If this election is a about fidelity to the party, about service to the party, service to the state, I am prepared. But, if it is about how much money you can give to delegates…I am not in contest with anybody just joining the party, people whose ink they used in writing their names has not dried and they are throwing money about. It is not about title. We are not contesting against former this, former that; ex-this, ex-that. It is about your reputation; what you have done when people gave their mandate to you.

    Do you have confidence in the Primary Screening Panel headed by Chief Timpreye Sylva?

    I believe that the forms are explicit. The guidelines are clear. There must be a reason for screening any way. If there is no need to check the profile, there will be no need for screening. Screening means that the party is conscious of the fact that the person who will emerge as the flag bearer is somebody that the party is sure of. We aw3ait the report of the panel. Some people on the street have also conducted their imaginary screening and released their reports.

    What is the level of confidence in the panel headed by Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa that will conduct the primary?

    That is fantastic. I think he is a honourable man. I have met him before, just casually. I believe he will also realise that this is an election like no other. There has not been any election where we had 30 aspirants. So, it is going to be a very busy one for him. He and members of his team will have their hands full. Not six people are contesting. Thirty people who are eminently qualified are contesting. The governor of Jigawa is putting his reputation on the line as well. After May 5, there will be May 6. Everbody has been harping on the credibility of the process, transparency. If we have all these, it will go well. I will expect the governor and his team to live up to expectation. I have not heard any bad thing about the governor before. He will like to go back to Jigawa State with his reputation intact.

    How clean, how fool-proof is the delegates’ list?

    I have received my own copy after the screening. We have an agreement that delegates aho are dead must not be replaced. I have been going round for 18 months. I have interacted with 75 per cent of the delegates. I went for a rally. I shouted APC and they responded: change. As I wanted to speak, a woman leader from Gboyin Council said there was no need for me to talk again, that they know me very well, and that they said the first time they met me during the campaign, I gave them N1million. I have my reputation on the line. It precedes me. I know these delegates. I have an idea of who they are. We have agreed on the irreducible minimum. That the primary must be properly conducted. No remote ground for accreditation. We have agreed on something like a charter. No special advantage should be conferred on anyone and the process must be free and fair.

    The leaders of the Southwest APC invited you and other aspirants to Lagos. What transpired at the meeting?

    The meeting was also in the direction of making the primary to be very fair, to address concerns and the fears of contestants. Election is an emotional affair. I have been going around with my supporters round the state for 18 months. It will be nice to assure them that there will be fairness, that no special advantage will be conferred on any person. The leaders have done the needful by calling all of us and asking some questions. They were speaking to the issues. They made us to realise that, at the end of the day, our party must win the election. We can lean on the strength of everybody to be able to win the election.

    Generally, what are the fears and concerns of the aspirants as they warm up for the primary?

    There are people whose positions may confer some privileges on them and those privileges may be untoward. There are people who have head start advantage by reason of their positions. Don’t forget, there are two former governors in the race. The deputy national chairman is running for the election. A sitting minister is in the race. Some are of the opinion that their positions may confer some specific advantages on them. They wanted that clarified. Learning from the experience of Ondo, where there was discontent, they wanted that addressed. They don’t want people to mess up the process. They don’t want the deployment of illicit funds to sway the conscience of delegates.

    Is there any pressure on you from some quarters to step down from the race?

    Everybody knows that I have any identity. If anybody is going to approach me to step down, you will have to convince me on why I have to step down. I have been on this stage for 19 months. Some people are talking to me, that we should work together and have agreement. But, stepping down? But, I am not sure that anybody will ask mw to step down. I am not rude. I am not in this race for fantasy or because I have an ego issue. I don’t have other reason that the fact that we must restore the lost identity of Ekiti people. I am convinced that I can do that by reputation as a former member of the House of Representatives, a servant of the party who have results to show for it. There is no town in my constituency without any of my projects. An example id the 250 beneficiaries of the JAMB forms. I built, by the grace of God, a 32-bed hospital from my pocket. I even borrowed to do it. I know the delegates will want an assurance about their future. Their history is my history. They should be able to trust me.

    Will the outcome of the primary not impact positively or negatively on the proposed congresses?

    Possibly, I think so. But, we are certain that the delegates that were there before will be the ones that will vote at the primary. The congress for our state is going to come up much later. The way it will affect congresses thereafter is that the congress will reflect the identity of the person that wins the primary. For instance, people have alleged that some people have their pedigrees and antecedents in some different parties and these delegates have expressed fears. If you have ben in the PDP for eight years and you are now in the APC for three and half years, two years, or one year, your political DNA will most likely reflect the one of eight years. My DNA today will be screaming APC, ACN, AC, AD. Some delegates have expressed the fear. They also believe that if people who barely know them get there, they may not be able to reward those who have worked and toiled for the party for eight years. What happens at the primary will tell us the direction our congresses will go.

    Why the insinuation that you are being sponsored by a top chieftain of the PDP?

    Kindly covey my sympathy to the myopia and short-sightedness of those who have come up with such insinuation. I have a broad spectrum of people I have had relationship with. I was a member of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation (BATCO). Since 1998, I have been an active participant in the political process in this country. I have had the opportunity of meeting many people who had impacted on my life in many ways. But, the truth of the matter is that, if I am influenced, how come that I am still in the party? At a time, I was offered a million dollars and a return ticket to the House of Representatives, I rejected it.as tempted. But, the morality of an Ekiti man made me to reject it. They wanted to smear the party, they wanted to say that the Director-general of Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation has defected to the PDP. I am a man of high trenchant strength. I have friends. But, how can I be sponsored with anybody? I have friends in the APGA, PDP and other parties. Okechukwu was my colleague in the House of Representatives. Governor Ugwuanyi of Enugu State was my colleague in the House. For a brief period of time, Governor Dickson of Bayelsa State was my colleague in the House.  I have my own mind. I have pitched my tent with the progressive party since 2002. I have not shaken my feet. I can’t jump ship from the APC.

    What is your advice to delegates who will be voting on Saturday?

    I want to specially appeal to our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who are delegates to put into consideration the position, the situation of our party; where we are now and where we should be. They should bear in mind that there will be a day after the primary. The election should reflect the kind of future they want for themselves. I will expect that money should be the least consideration. People who throw money at them today, why did they not thrown money at them three years ago? I am not going to woo delegates with money. I want them to deepen the narrative of this election. I want them to understand the suffering of our people, and that in those days of struggle, I never abandon the party, and I have put my life on the line for the party at different times. That should count for money. If you get money, you will finish spending the money. +It is about the future of the youths, including the 250 students who benefitted from our JAMB forms.

    If I become the governor, they will enjoy automatic scholarship and they will become the next medical doctors, engineers, lawyers. No amount of money will equate that.

  • ‘We need money to treat more endometriosis cases’

    Endometriosis is a medical disorder experienced by women. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA reports on efforts of a support group and survivors’ experience.

    How can endometriosis sufferers be helped now that the ailment’s awareness is gaining momentum? That is the question agitating the mind of Endometriosis Support Group of Nigeria (ESGN) founder, Dr Abayomi Ajayi.

    Dr Ajayi, who spoke to The Nation at this year’s early morning five-kilometre ‘Endo Walk’, which kicked off at the City Hall, Onikan, Lagos  and terminated at Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, said many Nigerian women and girls are aware of what endometriosis is “but, that is just where it seems to end as there is no financial muscle by the Group to offer treatment to confirmed cases”.

    According to Ajayi, about 170 million women worldwide are affedted by endometriosis. The condition occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb is found elsewhere—most commonly on the ovaries, in the recto-vaginal septum, bladder and bowels. The tissue bleeds every month and can cause severe and chronic pains and makes living painful and miserable for those affected.

    To address this health disorder, a health facility, Nordica Fertility Centre, is planning to conduct physicians’ round-table in May, to boost doctors’ capacity in treating the disorder.

    According to Ajayi, Diamond Bank is partnering ESGN to ensure that the message and awareness on endometriosis get to every nook and cranny of the country.

    In the words of the bank’s Head of Corporate Communication, Chioma Afe, many women like her do not have an idea of what endometriosis is. “Not until I joined Diamond Bank did I know about endometriosis. The condition is a ‘big deal’ for many women. That is why Diamond Bank and Diamond Woman specifically focus on women and have supported the ESGN over the past five years,”she said.

    She continued: “We are very passionate about women issues that include health and reproductive health issues and we have been working with Dr Ajayi and his ESGN team to generate awareness. We participate in the EndoMarch every year and try to create awareness internally in our organisation because we have a huge clientele of women and a huge percentage of our members of staff is women.

    “We are doing more this year on social media and hope to do much more with the media. The  whole idea is to make more noise around the issue. We believe with more noise, the message will go to more people across the nation.”

    Chioma, who grew up in Port Harcourt, said most people there do not know much about Endometriosis. “Even in Bonny, not much is known about it. I think from the government and policy perspective, a lot more has to be done. We have started and would require more national awareness and I think that would involve professional bodies and the Ministry of Health to start talking about it. It’s a serious issue there is need for more visibility around it,”she said.

    Diamond Bank, she said, was exploring support for the Association of Fertility Research and Health (AFRH) towards training more medical doctors and more people, who would understand the issue.

    “We are considering educating more practitioners to do that while we explore how we can support more people with fertility treatment. The first step is getting more people to understand what endometriosis is and to encourage them to help. They said there is a lack of knowledge and if we can help address that, it would be one step forward,”she said.

    An endometriosis survivor and a popular Nigerian performing artiste, songstress, rapper and song writer, Saeon Moruda (Oluwaseun Omolara Oni) said though her experience was relatively short, it is unforgettable.

    “I found out that I had endometriosis in last June. It was at a time that I was trying to bury my father, so the experience only made it an even tougher period for me to go through,”she said.

    She recalled how at a young age, she observed that she was having terrible abdominal cramps, particularly during her menstrual period.  “The cramps were unbearable. I could not keep down food whenever I was in my period. If I ate, I would throw up everything. If I drank even water, I would vomit it. It was always worst during my cycle.

    “I was once admitted in the hospital during one of my performances when I developed excruciating abdominal pains.  An abdominal scan showed that I had an ovarian cyst (in my right ovary), but because I was not seeing any gynaecologist at that time, I did not have the education I ought to have had. The pain just kept getting unbearable and I did not know what it was,”she recalled.

    She said she turned to the internet for answers and did some research. “That was probably the only thing that could have  enlightened me. I kept doing countless scans from November 2016 and it was in last June, that the possibility that I might be having endometriosis emerged. The results showed it and that I also had fibroids,”she said.

    Relief, she said, finally came for her through surgery at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. She went through an intensive post operative process and has been on series of injections to suppress the pain.

    “Now I feel good, the menstrual cramps are no longer as painful as they used to be. They are bearable. I’m grateful for the support system that I got. My family has been very supportive, ESGN has been very supportive. I met Dr Abayomi Ajayi and decided to be a part of the ESGN campaign. I am grateful for it because it brings awareness to the girl child and to the world about endometriosis,”she explained

    According to her,  many women are diagnosed late because they lack information and what she described as the ‘normalisation’ syndrome.

     

     

    She said: “When you complain about pain  during your periods  everybody  just says you should bear it, that it is normal, you would listen if you do not have information. But if you are informed, you would know it is not normal. As a performing artiste I’m glad to have had the opportunity to bring awareness and to educate people about endometriosis so that they know what to look out for.”

    Saeon hopes her story will  increase awareness about endometriosis. In an admonition to women experiencing any form of pain during their periods, Saeon urged them to seek help instead of living with the pain.

    “As women, we go through enough pain so it is advisable to look out for it. If you have painful periods, it could be a pointer to endometriosis. If the pain is outside of your period it is equally a warning sign.

    “If you are in your reproductive years, visit your gynaecologist, who would do checkups. It is easier to manage an abnormality if it is diagnosed early. There is no known cure for endometriosis but if detected early, it can be adequately managed.

    Endometriosis could run in families, and there are different stages of pain, Saeon noted. “However, in my own case it is not genetic because my mother doses not have it. It is not at all easy to be having your periods and be rolling all over the floor or throwing up all the time. The more care you have the better for you. The bottom line is to try and be supportive to someone that has endometriosis. Do what you can.

    “If you know of anybody with such pains, advise them to see a gynaecologist. All women should get a scan at least once every two or three months in order to be certain what is going on with their reproductive organs,” she added.