The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Performance

  • February polls: Performance not platitudes

    SIR: Kindly help whisper to President Goodluck Jonathan that he has spent eight years at the presidency: two years as Vice President, and six as president.

    My point? It worries me to hear him still talk of planning on what he will do for Nigerians if re-elected. While first term bids, the world over, are won on account of impressive manifestos, second term bids are basically secured on the altar of scorecards.

    Rather than ride on the high horse of performance, the President is seen touring churches, currying electoral favour from church leaders and founders who ordinarily should know better, but are obviously, copiously blinded by bigotry and fanaticism.

    Why wait till weeks to elections before visiting these churches? No doubt, such eleventh hour visits and entreaties are but desperate, foul moves and stink of corruption. Leaderships of such churches may deny, but selfish benefits rule such visitations. For how long shall religion be allowed to divide us,  used to defraud us, used to defame us, used to disenfranchise us and of course, used to dehumanise us?

    In all known literature, religions promote harmony, peace and unity. I must make haste to say, rather than religion, our common enemies are the evil men and women in our midst, hence, religion should be separated from the state and national concerns- a good case in point is the February general elections.

     

    • Omale Suraj,

     GRA, Ankpa, Kogi State.

  • Nigerian stocks drop in world’s worst performance

    Nigerian stocks drop in world’s worst performance

    Nigerian stocks fell for the biggest three day decline since August 2006 as oil prices traded near $50 a barrel and investors sold their holdings following a rally late last year.

    The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All Share Index retreated 4.2 per cent  by the close in Lagos, the most among 93 global indexes tracked by Bloomberg.

    The gauge, down 16 per cent this year, rose 20 per cent between Dec. 17 and the end of the year as investors were attracted to the low prices, according to Ayodeji Ebo, head of research at Afrinvest West Africa Ltd.

    “We’re now seeing profit-taking. The confidence in Nigeria is still not there. The macroeconomics are weak and oil prices are plunging,” Ebo said by phone from Lagos yesterday.

    Brent crude fell below $50 a barrel yesterday before trading 0.1 per cent higher at $51.15. Oil is down 54 per cent since the end of June. Nigeria, Africa’s largest crude producer that relies on oil for almost all export earnings, increased interest rates to a record 13 per cent in November to protect the naira.

    The currency depreciated 10 per cent against the dollar in the past three months, the most among 24 African currencies tracked by Bloomberg.

    Banks were among the worst performers. Shares of Zenith Bank Plc, the country’s second-biggest lender by assets, weakened 9.7 percent, the most since October 2008. Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, the largest bank by market value, dropped by the same amount.

  • Improve your job performance’

    Lagos State Universal Education Board (SUBEB), has called on Shomolu local government education authority (LGEA) workers to improve job performance and work effectively for the progress of basi education in their area.

    The board made the plea at a retreat with the title: ‘improving job efficiency for effective job performance’ for Shomolu LGEA Education Secretary and Heads of sections held in Lekki, Lagos on Thursday last week.

    SUBEB, Chairman, Mrs Khadijat Gbolahan Daodu in her address, said the retreat is a rare opportunity which participants must utilise.

    She said LGEA workers should expect certain adjustment in their modus operandi and should therefore gird their loins.

    In a chat with The Nation, Mrs Dawodu was optimistic participant will be effective after the retreat.

    “There will be a lot of changes at the Shomolu LGEA and we expect participants to internalise everything they have being told and use it in their day to day activities in such a way that make them become effective in their various sections,” she said.

    SUBEB head of planning, research and statistics, Mrs Abosede Omobolanle Adelaja, told participants that every worker has a role to play in the council and therefore the concept of division of labour should be adopted.

    Adelaja tasked participants to create new concepts for improved efficiency, not to do away with other sections’ activity but see same as a collective responsibility for the overall growth of the LGEA.

    “When you know you are accountable to a job, you must be up and doing. Make people work with you know they have a role to play. I don’t want you to see other departments taking over your responsibility but see it as a collective responsibility towards growth. This program will be a new dawn.  Our expectation in the end is that there will be improved teaching and learning in all the schools in your area.” she said.

    Mrs Adelaja stressed that Lagos State cannot admit laziness, adding that planning increases efficiency, gives the right direction, motivates personnel and helps in identifying gaps in an organisation.

    A participants and Director of Education, Quality Assurance section in Shomolu LGEA, Mrs Abayomi Obadimeji Olubunmi said the retreat is an eye opener which gives insight into job description and functions of the LGEA.

    A participant, head of School Support Services, Shomolu LGEA, Mr Akinyemi Bola Johnson said: “This is a very lovable program, long expected and we thought something like this should come up regularly not to Shomolu LGEA alone, but other LGEAs in Lagos State. For an officer to be effective, you need to train him, you don’t give what you don’t have.”

  • Commander lauds school’s performance

    Commander lauds school’s performance

    The management of Command Secondary School, Ipaja, Lagos, has been praised for churning out good results.

    The Commander, Nigerian Army Education Corps, Major-General Dapo Adebayo, gave the praise last Thursday during the 2013/2014 valedictory service/speech & prize giving for about 420 graduands.

    Adebayo, who was represented by Colonel Kabir Ndamadu, as special guest of honour, praised the school’s commandant, Col Yakubu Momoh, for the efforts made to achieve such successes as well as the improvement in learning and teaching infrastructure in a short time in office.

    The Commander also commended the pupils for their brilliant performances in external examinations which he described as phenomenal in the history of the school.

    He urged them to maintain the discipline they received from the school and not involve themselves in any act that could bring shame to the school.

    Col Momoh, who was deployed to the school in February, urged the graduands to be focused in their new lives.

    “Set out to get a great personal and professional life for yourself and do not be distracted.  Fix you sight on your goal and you will achieve it,” he said.

    The Commandant urged the graduating students to be good ambassadors of their alma mater by not allowing the labour of their teachers and parents to be in vain.

    At the event, chaired by Ikenna Anochie, Peter Lydia Omotayo emerged as the best overall pupil, while Ihenacho Chiamaka was the runner up.

    While thanking the Commandant and the entire management of the school, the Senior Prefect (girl), Enah Rebecca, remarked that the 2014 graduands would not forget their teachers whom she described as “God sent moulders.”

    She thanked them for the tuition, discipline and other virtues which according to her will make their lives fulfilling and rewarding.

    Dignitaries who graced the occasion include the Alajasa of Ajasaland  Oba Sule Suberu; Olympic Medalist, Chioma Ajunwa, who is the Divisional Police officer (DPO)  Meiran Divisional Police Headquarters.

  • Ogun records 67 per cent half-year budget performance

    Ogun records 67 per cent half-year budget performance

    The Ogun State Government has recorded a 67.17 per cent half-year budget performance for 2014 as against 61.26 per cent recorded last year.

    Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mrs. Oluwande Muoyo, disclosed this while briefing reporters.

    She attributed the improved performance to the concerted effort geared towards ensuring successful implementation of the allocations to every sector and the commitment of the Senator Ibikunle Amosun administration to transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.

    Muoyo, who noted that the performance has direct impact on the daily lives of the people, as evident in various developmental projects and improved security, appreciated the people for their continuous support to the administration.

    She assured that in a bid to strengthen the Internally Generated Revenue of the state which has hit N5 billion, the government would not overtax the people, as this could be counter-productive.

    She said it will strengthen its enforcement strategies and go after only legitimate taxes and levies.

    The commissioner reiterated government’s “readiness to complete all on-going projects and fulfill all its obligations to the people, not leaving out payment of salaries and pensions as when due, regular promotion of officers as well as training and retraining of the workforce.”

    “We appreciate the fact that the improved performance would not have been possible without the cooperation of the good people of the state who have continued to extend their goodwill to this administration and also support all its programmes aimed at rapid socio-economic development of the state. The government has therefore continued to strive hard to meet the expectation of the masses in terms of dividends of democracy,” she added.

  • At the command performance of Sam Omatseye’s The Siege

    At the command performance of Sam Omatseye’s The Siege

    Chairman, Editorial Board, The Nation newspaper, Mr Sam Omatseye, held a command performance of his new play, ‘The Siege,’ in honour of Prof. Wole Soyinka’s 80th birthday at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos. Dignitaries that graced the occasion included Alhaji Lateef Ibirogba, Lagos State Commisioner for Information; Louis Odion, Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation; Hon. Richard  Mofe – Damijo, Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism; Kunle Ajibade, Executive Editor, The News magazine; Mrs Moremi O.Soyinka-Onijala, daughter of Prof Wole Soyinka and others.

  • ENYIMBA 2-0 SHARKS: Ayansi, Ogunbote disagree over ref’s performance

    REFEREE Ben Odeh was in the spotlight yesterday as Enyimba International Football Club of Aba overpowered a hard-fighting Sharks Football Club of Port Harcourt 2-0 to sail through to the semi-finals of the Federation Cup.

    The Gbenga Odubote-tutored Sharks bowed 2-0 to the superior fireworks of Enyimba at the Goal Project Centre of the Abuja National Stadium, as Sokari Kingsley and Raphael Boumsong scored in the 24th and 35th minutes of the game to seal the semi-final slot for the Aba-based side.

    Referee Ben Odeh gave Emeka Nwana his marching orders in the 72nd minute for foul charge on a Sharks player but that was not enough to stop Enyimba from cruising to the last four of the competition.

    The Sharks bench was clearly unhappy with the performance of referee Odeh and the club’s General Manger Okeh Kpalukwu reacted angrily against the referee after the match. Sharks’ Technical Adviser Gbenga Ogunbote also did not hide his annoyance.

    “It is unfortunate that we lost the game and we all saw what happened during the match. I don’t know what to say than that we lost under pains.

    “I don’t discuss officiating but I dare you  people to write what you have watched here today.

    “It is unfortunate that we lost because we had some careless moments during the course of the game and we paid dearly for it.

    “But I am sure that we wouldn’t have lost this way if things were normal. That is just the truth”, Ogunbote told SportingLife shortly after the match.

    But Enyimba International FC boss Felix Anyansi-Agu strongly disagreed with Ogunbote and asked him and his club to take the result of the match in good faith and in the spirit of sportsmanship.

    “The good thing about the club is that Enyimba will always be Enyimba and in Federation Cup competition there are bound to be surprises.

    “As regards the outcome of this match, the match has been won and lost. It is high time we learnt how to accept result of matches in the spirit of good sportsmanship.

    “So I don’t want to comment on whether the two goals we (Enyimba) scored were good or not.

    “People watched this match and the match has been won and lost. That is just it”, Anyansi also told SportingLife.

  • Jumia celebrates best month of performance

    Jumia celebrates best month of performance

    • Opens staff training school

    Jumia Nigeria has celebrated her highest sales since inception. This, according to the company, was the result of unrelenting hard work and dedication from the team.

    To compensate members of the team for their efforts, there was an award ceremony to recognise, motivate and empower team members. To continue the celebration of the team’s achievement, a team bonding event was also held to further enhance a team spirit within the Jumia sales force.

    Head of Sales Force, Jumia Nigeria Hajar Ohusin, said: “With the continuous efforts of each sales force members, the team is getting stronger and stronger especially now that we are reaching into more cities and even smaller towns across the country.

    “Jumia Nigeria invests quality time and intensive training in each employee and as a result, members of staff are highly motivated and driven. There are also other empowerment initiatives such as coaching and mentoring programmes, resulting in great output.”

    Jumia plans to expand and recruit more people to join the team outside Lagos and Abuja. There is a constant growth within the Jumia sales force. One of the aims of this is to empower and motivate young people, instill entrepreneurial skills in them for better national economic growth.

    Also, Jumia, an employer of over 1,000 staff, has introduced a new programme to empower staff.The company, which was launched in 2012 with only five staff, has since expanded with over 1000 staff across the country. The staff level cuts across various departments, with an average age of 27. The company has been adjudged as one of the most exciting workplaces to be in Nigeria, having grown a culture of employing some of the most talented and skilled minds in the industry.

    Job creation has been one of Nigeria’s biggest problems and Jumia seeks to help with employing and empowering members of staffs with tools and processes that will prepare them for a greater future. The company’s training school seeks to train employees to be future entrepreneurs with start-up ideas to grow the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs) industry and technology industry in Nigeria. This was why as part of its commitment to empower Nigerians Jumia launched it’s Jumia Academy.

    Co-Chief Executive Officer Jumia Nigeria, Nicolas Martin, said: “Jumia Nigeria will continue to grow with the help of the best talents in Nigeria, employing the largest workforce in the online retail industry, which is growing by the day with the aim of grooming employees to be the next generation of CEOs with intensive training at the Jumia Academy.

    The Academy, has over 100 ‘Jumians’ trained for various skills and areas of work.

    Head of the Academy, Sarah Carzim, spoke about the Academy. ”From the onset our mission was to find ways to help staff grow within the company. After months of hard work, Feedback and research in-house, we were able to find a way to empower staff through the ‘Jumia Academy’. It is not very often you find this in a new company but the aim is to pave the way for Jumians and also potential Jumians to be the best they can be,” she said.

    The institution is said to be continuous for every Jumian including new members of staff, giving them the opportunity to reach the top level and become managers in the near future within or outside Jumia.

     

  • Nigeria’s performance in table tennis excites coach

    Nigeria’s performance in table tennis excites coach

    The Head Coach of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Nosiru Bello, yesterday hailed Nigeria for picking second position in the table tennis event at the ongoing Africa Youth Games (AYG) in Gaborone, Botswana.

    Speaking on telephone with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from Gaborone, Bello said he was delighted that Nigeria came second in the table tennis event at the AYG while Egypt was first.

    The coach said that table tennis had three events at the AYG, the boys’ and girls’ singles and the team event. He said Nigeria was overall second on the table tennis medal table with one gold and one bronze while Egypt was overall first with one gold, one silver and one bronze.

    Olasunkanmi Ogini and Ajoke Ojomu represented Nigeria in the table tennis events. Bello said that Ogini won the gold in the boys’ singles event while Ojomu won the bronze in the girls’ singles event.

    He said his two-man team deserved commendation, in spite of the fact that the country was second on the table tennis medal table.

    “They did well, although we would have loved it if they had taken the number one position on the table tennis medal table. I am impressed with the team’s performance because they proved a challenge to Egypt, unlike what has been happening in recent times. The main important event in table tennis which is the boys’ single was won by Nigeria’s Olasunkanmi Ogini.

    “Ogini was congratulated immediately after he won by the President of the African Table Tennis Federation as the new African number one junior player. So, Ogini has emerged the current junior champion in Africa, while Ojomu, for winning the bronze in the girls’ singles event, is now number three in Africa junior girls ranking,’’ the coach said.

    He said  Ogini did not lose any match right from the group matches to the final, before he was decorated with Africa Junior Champion at the final.

    “This shows that Nigeria abounds with talents and we are coming up now. If Egypt, current Africa number one table tennis nation, failed to win the boy’s singles event at a  competition of such magnitude, we deserve commendation, ‘’ he said.

    NAN reports that Nigeria lost to Mauritius in the team event at the quarter finals on May 27. The AYG is to end on May 30.

  • Right strategy for performance and quality (2)

    In the last segment, we said findings show that most managers spend 90 per cent of their time dealing with the most challenging employees. We expatiated that they (managers) work to improve performance, attendance and overall productivity, but the risk taken in focusing too much time on low performers amounts to neglecting high performers or even steady performers.

    We stressed that it is imperative for managers to help low performers improve, encourage steady performers to become high performers, and inspire high performers to maintain their standards.

    We said to be able to coordinate the team well for performance, you need to be a leader rather than a boss. We explained that the difference between a boss and a leader is that while a boss gives orders; a leader influences his team through collective decisions and motivation.

    We said though there are times when a manager must exercise authority, on a daily basis, a leadership approach will foster a team feeling and eliminate the “we versus they” perception often associated with the manager-subordinate relationship.

     

    Improving quality

    Quality is defined as a degree or grade of excellence and an inherent or distinguishing characteristic or trait. According to Carole Sue Jones, a contributing writer for Interactive Quality Solutions, “For Call Centres, providing a ‘Quality Experience’ to your customers competes for priority with other metrics such as call handle time, call volume and full time equivalent. However, it can become a distinguishing trait. So how can Call Centre managers improve the quality of their customers’ experiences?”

     

    First strategy

    Creating a quality call experience requires three primary focus points. First, you need to define what quality looks and sounds like in your call centre. This may be defined by your customers’ needs; needs of the call centre, or by scores or other deliverables for which you are responsible. However you define quality in your working environment, it is essential to communicate that effectively to front-line employees who interact with your customers the most.

    Kelly Graves, founder and CEO of Internal Solutions Consulting says you may believe that your company is the only one in the free world that’s suffering from poor employee communication and frustrations at every level. You are definitely not alone. But knowing that conflict and communication problems exist in practically every organisation comes with little comfort.

     

    Second strategy

    The second focus point, according to Jones, involves monitoring. In order to know what kind of experience your customers are having, you have to listen to how your customer service representatives handle calls. When you monitor a representative’s quality, you must consider tangible behaviour like using the correct greeting, description of product and documentation methods as well as intangible behaviour, including manner of speaking, tone of voice and attitude towards customers. You should be able to document and discuss the behaviour in order to correct what is not working and to expand upon what is working well. Once you identify the behaviour, apply the last focus point, which includes feedback and coaching.

     

    Third strategy

    Third focus point for creating a quality call experience is coaching. Representatives not only need to know that they are being monitored, but also that somebody cares about the type of job they are doing. Quality Assurance (QA) scores alone, while helpful, rarely have enough impact on a representative to change or improve his or her behaviour.

    Effective communication is the first step towards enhancing performance and as a follow-up to that, Connective Coaching can make all the difference between success and frustration. Connective Coaching Model allows managers to build on employees’ existing skills, to offer relevant suggestions for improvement and to provide employees with a platform to monitor their own successes and coach others.

     

    Connective coaching model

    Connective Coaching for improved performance and higher quality service can be one of the most rewarding and challenging interactions you have with your employees. As an effective coach, it is your responsibility to guide, discuss, educate and encourage employees to achieve outstanding results.

    In the absence of good feedback, employees will provide their own. If a manager never gives effective feedback, inexperienced employees may think that they are doing a great job and more surprisingly, capable employees may have a negative impression of their performance, says Jones.

     

    Greatest resource

    Your employees are the only resource you have which separates you from your closest competitors. In short, they are the source of your competitive advantage. Irrespective of your technical, financial or other challenges, there will always be human beings involved. Therefore, all challenges must be solved by you and your staff. You will definitely benefit from taking steps towards implementing an employee development programme. Establishing or re-establishing trust and improving communication has a profound and positive impact on each employee’s development – as well as on your company’s bottom line.

     

    Last words

    Partnering for performance is a tool like any other in the manager’s tool box. It is critical to success. Effective relationships, commitments and productivity are the tangible rewards of the partner relationship.

    Partnering for performance is a worthwhile challenge that enables you to become a team leader.

    Go out there, partner for performance. Creating high quality requires an investment in the processes through constantly reviewing and refining goals and skills. By defining the standard, monitoring and coaching, you can improve your employees’ performances and enhance your customers’ experiences.

    PS: For those making inquiries about our Public Speaking, Business Presentation and Professional Writing Skills programme, please visit the website indicated on this page for details.

     

    Till we meet on Wednesday.

     

    •GOKE ILESANMI, Managing Consultant/CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is an International Platinum Columnist, Certified Public Speaker/MC, Communication Specialist, Motivational Speaker and Career Management Coach. He is also a Book Reviewer, Biographer and Editorial Consultant.

     

    Tel: 08055068773; 08187499425

    Email: gokeiles2010@gmail.com

    Website: www.gokeilesanmi.com