The Nation Newspaper

Tag: time

  • He says the other girl will go with time

    Good evening, I am in a relationship with a guy who has another girl.

    Though last year he asked me to be his girlfriend and I refused but I had feelings for him. It was after that, that he started dating the girl. Now we are together he says it is not for him to tell the girl it is over and he says the girl will go with time. He is always saying he loves me. I don’t know if he really loves me but I love him very much that anytime I think of breaking up with him I feel like I will lose my heart. What should I do? I do not want to share my guy anymore. – Destiny.

     

    My Yoruba people have a saying that what you will eventually put in your mouth should not first be smelled dispassionately. While you were still trying to perceive the guy’s smell, someone else took him away. Too bad!

    I don’t know how old you are and how old the boyfriend is because age matters when we’re advising people on matters of this nature. If you’re both adults and at that age when one should start thinking seriously about marriage, then you have to decide now whether you want to play along with this game the guy is playing. It’s obvious he finds the other girl too interesting, if not, she would have left the moment she has a whiff of you, and if she is not one to give up easily, she would have started causing the guy enough trouble to make him either leave her or reduce the time he spends with you in order to satisfy her.

    The guy might be telling her he loves her too, after all, they started before you made up your mind. And if there’s no reason to send her away, he might just be bidding his time before he chooses one of you or even another girl you’re not aware of; that is if he’s ripe enough for marriage. That is the world of men – they are polygamous in nature.

    You can’t afford to blackmail him that you will leave. If you really want to, simply walk away without making any fuss about it. If you want to stay on, it is your own decision. Only time will tell what happens to you in this relationship.

  • ‘Our alumni secretariat will be built in my time’

    ‘Our alumni secretariat will be built in my time’

    President of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education Alumni association Otto/Ijanikin Comrade Adeyemi Adesanya has said his administration has started making moves on how to raise a befitting secretariat for the alumni. He also said the alumnus has opened a database for the 54-year old institution where members can now upload their resume.

    Four years ago, the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) Otto/Ijanikin celebrated its Golden Jubilee anniversary where the foundation of the alumni secretariat was laid in the college premises by the former Commissioner of Education Mrs Sarah Adebisi Sosan, also an alumnus. However, the foundation has remained same since it was laid under the former executive led by Dr Bayo Oladipupo.

    On the strategy for raising funds for the proposed structure, Adesanya said the aforementioned database would be used to collate profiles of former students within and outside the country who have graduated over the last 50 years. He added that the alumni is also mapping out plans to wooing governments, media, and individuals and particularly Lagosians to giving their widow’s mite towards the completion of the structure.

    Adesanya, former COEASU chairman AOCOED chapter, said following a successful election which ushered in a new executive on November 3 last year, the alumni hit the ground running.

    “We want to thank the college management which recognised us and has admitted us into the Council. Already, we are members of the two committees – the Staff Welfare and the Students’ Welfare committees set up by the Council.

    “On our part, we have started working with the Lagos State government on a possible means of assisting the alumni, and I can tell you our members have started benefitting from this. Some of our members just benefitted from the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) training by the Lagos State government which was done at the Computer House in Alausa last week. Also in the School Improvement Officers training, government gave our members 31 slots of which 29 of our members were successful.

    “We have also opened up discussions with the state Commissioner of Education on what could be done on the recruitment of our members. We are also doing same for UBEC, SUBEB and other related organisations.

    Aside creating links with members both home and abroad, Adesanya said the alumni association is also looking at ways in which members can assist their alma mater in the provision of items such as toilets, fluorescent for the auditoriums/school environs, speakers and megaphones and other teaching aids that can aid learning.

    As a follow up to this, however, Adesanya said the alumni plans to hold a national conference for members before the year runs out. The proposed conference, he stressed, is particularly meant for members who are in the field of teaching, to update them with the modern teaching techniques that will improve their activities in the classroom.

    “We are also partnering with the Students’ Union on sensitization programme against cultism, indecent dressing, examination malpractices and other vices. We participated in the last matriculation of the college held two weeks ago where we held a talk shop with the students and what is expected of them and how they should comport themselves as students of AOCOED.

     

  • Regular water intake vital to ‘sound’ health

     Nigerians have been urged to improve the quality of water they drink for effective function of their body organs.

    According to Dr Raymond Akinlade of Royal Hospital, Lagos, water is a medium for chemical reactions in the body.

    “It moves nutrients, hormones, antibodies and oxygen through the blood stream and lymphatic system,” he said.

    He said drinking water is vital to health because it makes up about 60 per cent of the body weight. “Every system in the body depends on water. Taking enough and quality water reduces the risks of some diseases in the body, the energy level is greatly affected by the amount of water we drink,” he said.

    Akinlade said inadequate supply of water to the body would prevent the brain from performing optimally, adding that it may also trigger headache. “Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry on normal functions.

    “Dehydration is very risky to the health of the old and the young,” he added.

    Akinlade identified the symptoms of dehydration as excessive thirst and fatigue.

    Others are headache, dry skin, dry mouth, little or no urination, dark colour or strong smell urine, hunger, muscle weakness and dizziness.

    On benefits of water to the body, Akinlade said drinking enough water helps to regulate the body temperature through perspiration which dissipates excess heat and cools the body. He said we lose about two pints of water daily by just exhaling, so it is crucial that we take water so our lungs would be moistened as we take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide.

    He said some diseases are reduced by having enough water in the body.

    “Asthma is frequently relieved when water intake is increased. When there is sufficient water, wastes are effectively removed, which results in improved kidneys. Water also lubricates the joints as joint pain frequently decreases with increased water intake,” he said.

    He noted that nothing can take the place of water. “Fruit juice, soft drinks, coffee and others may contain substances that are not healthy, and may actually contradict some of the positive effects of the added water.

    To improve water intake, Akinlade said, people should drink a glass of water first thing in the morning and first thing before, during and after meals. “Drinking a glass of water will help you to stay in control of your eating, and therefore help to keep your weight in a healthy range. Drinking water during the meals helps in digestion of the food,” he added.

     

  • When time is not a woman’s best friend

    When time is not a woman’s best friend

    Rita Ohai writes on the challenges women face managing time.

     

    TIME is usually not a woman’s best friend.

    It is common place to find men seething in frustration as they wait endlessly for a lady to put on her make-up, get dressed before she saunters graciously out of the house leaving a trail of excuses in her wake.

    For the average woman, wasting time is a normal occurrence and sometimes a necessity. Adeline Chiejine, an insurance broker who says she spends about an hour getting ready for work, corroborates this hypothesis.

    “I am not a morning person, so when I get out of bed, it could take me a while to move into the flow of things. That is not to say that I always reach the office late but because of all the things that I need to do before leaving the house, coupled with Lagos traffic, sometimes I do not have a choice.”

    In contrast, Imoh Egba, an architect and mother of two, believes that the only way to satisfy her family and achieve her personal daily targets without going insane from the pressure is to live by the clock.

    She says, “Using my time wisely is something that has become a part of me. In the earlier part of my life as a young woman, I may not have seen it as important due to the fact that I did not have so many responsibilities. But I have a lot on my hands now and the only way I can make all the loose ends meet is by paying attention to the nitty-gritty, such as doing things in a timely fashion so I can do everything that needs to be done.”

    Like Imoh, many successful people understand the value of judiciously utilizing their time for peace of mind.

    According to management experts, time is like money. If you control how you use it, you can create a productive and profitable working environment. If you don’t, you can spend your working life always being busy, but not getting the important things done.

    In our days, people spent most of their time working. There are times that they feel that they will never manage to escape from the four walls of the office and are lost in the various projects and tasks they have to finish. The solution to this vicious circle is to get organised and start managing your time! Here’s how;

    1. Make a list of what should be done

    Make a list of what to do and try to constantly renew the list and keep it up to date. Include in this list both urgent and non-urgent things so as never to forget or ignore something again. Keep the list all the time with you, in your briefcase or in your daily agenda.

    2. Allocate your time correctly

    Include an estimated time frame for each action and the date by which each task must be completed. If the order that each task must be completed does not matter it may be possible to complete something during an unexpected free time. For example, you can look for information on the Internet while you wait in your office to start a meeting.

    3. Set your own deadlines and meet them

    Be realistic about the deadlines you set and try to meet them. It is true that any work gets exactly the time allocated for it. Have you ever noticed how quickly you can finish something you have to write, give assignments and take decisions on the last day before your vacation? Although we tend to complete many things when we are under pressure, it’s less stressful and much more professional to establish and follow an action plan.

    4. Use your time intelligently

    Consider the case to check your e-mail only certain times of the day and let the answering machine respond to your calls so as not to interrupt your work for a couple of hours. If possible, avoid dealing with the same job or the same e-mail again. Never open e-mail address if you do not have time to read and edit, that is, to answer it, send, or delete it.

    Do not spend all your time chatting with people who do not add any value to your life. If you have to, try and avoid them and only meet with them in your spare time and if you absolutely have no choice.

    5. Be constantly busy

    Keep your skills in shape by having at least one project to be involved. Two or more (projects) would be even better because you are given the opportunity to change speed and to focus on something else for variety. To deal simultaneously with different projects assures that you will always have something on which to work. Also, it keeps your mind alert and renews your prospects.

    6. Choose carefully your projects

    Make sure that your work has some value for the company and that it raises your skills. There are many good reasons why you cannot accept to take part in a meeting and refuse to take an additional project. Successful people know how to say no. Ask yourself, ‘will this promote my career?’

    7. Do not waste your minutes

    It is an integral part of human nature to postpone unpleasant tasks. Plan some of the more pleasant tasks of the project to be made after any unpleasant tasks. If you do not like to work with numbers, plan to do the accounts in the morning when you are still fresh and there are not so many things to distract your attention.

    You must give greater attention to how you spend your time. Watch how successful businessmen allocate their time and emulate some of their time management practices. Success comes to those who know how to manage their time well!

  • Time for action on fire works

    SIR: On January 26, 2012, the news media reported the story of an inferno, allegedly caused by a firework stored at a warehouse at Jankara market, Lagos Island. The havoc caused by this inferno are inexplicably painful; a kid was reportedly burnt to death; property worth of millions were destroyed and many were injured.

    Typical of Nigerians, there was an uproar and the usual reminders that the law prohibiting/banning the importation and sales of fireworks was still in force. Of course, tragedy from fireworks was an accident waiting to happen having been ignored for too long. The case will die down and nothing will be heard of it again and later this year there will be easy accessibility to fireworks. Should this be allowed to continue?

    Nigeria is plagued with insecurity; since fireworks is an imitation of explosives and bombs and with the insurgence of the Boko Haram one expected the government to move swiftly against the use of fireworks. Today, children have become tools in the hands of fireworks sellers. It has become an avenue for children to spend their money on frivolities. Some parents even buy these fireworks for their kids.

    In a country faced with economic hardship, why would one spend over a Dollar equivalent on a product that does not add value while over half of the population lives on less than one dollar a day? I never seem to understand the essence of fireworks as a product. A product I believe is something that should satisfy want, need and something we derive pleasure in. I haven’t understood yet, the wants and needs that bangers satisfy.

    Are fireworks the only way to celebrate or herald us to a new year? Are there no other way to use to show our joy of witnessing another season apart from the use of fireworks? The sound of banger makes the heart race!

    Even the storage of fireworks is hazardous. An inferno could be caused by fireworks if it is stored where there is heat. Government should intercede as the situation is getting out of hand. Adequate measures have to be taken to tackle the problem of fireworks.

    Kemi Okunade

    Olabisi Onabanjo University

    Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State

  • Oshaniwa: This is my time

    Oshaniwa: This is my time

    AS Ashdod defender Juwon Oshaniwa has declared his intention to be a regular player in the Super Eagles, warning defensive rivals that he has come to stay.

    Oshaniwa, who has featured more than any other left full-back since the coming on board of Stephen Keshi, said he is ready to force his way into the final list of the Super Eagles for the forthcoming Nations Cup in South Africa.

    “I believe my own time has come and that’s the way it is now. I’m very happy that I’m having this great opportunity which I will not let slip; I just belive this is my time. Some players have been there before and after me some players will come,” he said while confirming his invitation for Nigeria’s Nations Cup camp in Portugal early next year.

    He described his move from Nigerian side Sharks FC to Israel as a divine favour having broken into the first team regulars of the modest club which his compatriot Efe Ambrose played for until last summer.

    “I know moving to Europe provides me a great opportunity to prove my quality and I challenged myself on hard work and dedication which has now worked for me. I try as much as possible to do new things that will enhance my game everyday.”

  • Time to tackle rot in police

    Time to tackle rot in police

    SIR: Your esteemed newspaper would have done an evergreen service to this nation if this view of ours is published therein on the ongoing trial of former Inspector General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero and a former Commissioner of Police in charge of Budget, Mr John Obaniyi before an Abuja High Court over his alleged complicity in the misappropriation of about N557million belonging to the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

    Though Ehindero has pleaded not guilty, to the six-count criminal charge preferred against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), it behoves the anti-graft agencies in the country not to look back in this effort to sanitise the system.

    Interestingly, the anti-graft agency has maintained that by its investigations, the accused persons allegedly diverted a whopping N300million out of N557million donated to the NPF by the Bayelsa State Government when President Goodluck Jonathan was its Governor. The money, the ICPC revealed, was traced to a fixed deposit account at a bank where it had yielded an interest of N9.8 million.

    Observing that the money was donated for the procurement of arms, ammunition and riot control equipment, ICPC, equally alleged that the accused persons placed another N200 million in a fixed deposit account with another bank where it once yielded N6.5 million interest.

    By the ICPC’s claim, the agency revealed that the fraud was perpetrated between May and November, 2006 during when Ehindero piloted the affairs of the Nigerian Police – between 2005 and 2007.

    There is no doubting the fact that the blood of many a concerned Nigerian will be running cold today whenever they ruminate on the magnitude of looting that has become the norm in this endowed nation where the masses suffer in the midst of plenty.

    An average policeman in the country today is a sorry figure. They work grudgingly on empty stomach and in most cases, with pitiably tattered bathroom slippers. They are poorly remunerated and armed. This is among the reasons they fall easy preys to armed robbers who boast superior weapons. Yet, year in, year out, we hear of mind-boggling allocations for police and other security agencies in our annual budgets. Then where have these allocations been going?

    Of course, save-our-souls telephone calls would have been causing serious traffic congestion in the air now, but we dare say that the entire world is watching the developments vis-à-vis the so-called commitment of the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration to fighting corruption no matter whose ox is gored.

    In this matter, Jonathan’s administration is equally on trial as the outcome of the Ehindero Trial will go down as part of his profile by which posterity will judge him and indeed, our beleaguered Judiciary.

     

    • Edwards Olawale

    President, People’s Voice against Corruption (PVC),

    Surulere, Lagos.

  • A waste of time

    A waste of time

    A weak-kneed federal government ever so eager to claw at just anything to be seen at doing something about the Boko Haram menace. A weary Boko Haram caught in dire prospects of being routed in the senseless but clearly unwinnable war against the state.

    Throw in the well-choreographed high-decibel propaganda by self-styled elders alleging genocide in the atmosphere of an unprecedented offensive by the Joint Military Task Force (JTF). No better scenario could have been contrived for a so-called dialogue.

    Welcome to the Made in Saudi Arabia dialogue sought by the Boko Haram for and on behalf of themselves and their sympathisers! Finally, it seems time to bring in the old template of appeasement!

    What has changed to necessitate the offer by the group to negotiate with the federal government?

    Good question.

    The first and perhaps the most obvious is the changing military equation between the JTF and the terrorists. Whatever misgivings lie about the on-going operations by the JTF, there is no longer any question as who between them is having the upper hand. I do not think anyone suffers the illusion that the men of the JTF would beat a retreat anymore than the terrorists would come to some Pauline conversion in some future time. To its credit, the JTF isn’t just increasingly having a firm grip on the war, it seems to have done well in the difficult circumstances it found itself. While it seems far-fetched to suggest at this point that the Boko Haram is close to being decapitated, there are enough signs to suggest that the noose may finally be tightening in on the group. This obviously needs to be sustained.

    The second reason is the collateral costs on both sides which continues to mount. While the burden of the war on terror would seem barely tolerable to the federal government, the economies in most states in the North-east where the Boko Haram are on rampage not only lie in ruins, they are in tatters. But worse is that the prospects of socio-economic activities in the foreseeable future look increasingly grim. Unfortunately, it seems to me that the leaderships in the areas worst hit by the activities of the terrorists pretend to be oblivious of this reality; or is it that they underrated the resolve of the federal government to confront the menace?

    How about their positions which have oscillated between playing the ostrich and feigning ambivalence on the Boko Haram question? Or their latest rallying cry in which the JTF is accused of genocide?

    Agreed, the charge of excessive use of force including allegations of rape and summary executions of innocent citizens in the theatre of operations may possess some grains of truth. If true, the crimes would be inexcusable. However, it does appear to me that these cannot be as generalised as painted by the Borno Elders Forum. Of course, the allegations deserve to be investigated and where the crimes are established, punished.

    Be that as it may, the nation as it is, would remain eternally in debt to the JTF to for pushing the costs of the insanity, or if you like the insurgency –to the sect and their sponsors – far beyond their assumed gains. That the option of dialogue has suddenly become conceivable is because the Boko Haram realises the futility of the war! The magic is to make things irreversible!

    I need to highlight a third factor which has made dialogue conceivable. It is the question of how long it would take for the cover of the big masquerades behind the sect to be blown. It seems to me that it is no longer a question of “if” but how soon this would be achieved. It is after all, common knowledge that two senators and an ex-Governor from Borno State are under security watch; indeed, one of the senators is currently undergoing trial; the other under investigation for an alleged link with a suspect currently in custody. At intervals, the name of the ex-governor keeps popping up as if to hint at a complex but intriguing internecine play. By the way, I do not think that anybody needs further proof of how embedded the Boko Haram is in the North-east or wherever the forces of the Boko Haram have been on rampage.

    So, how to go? Time for the security agencies to follow the money. It’s hard to imagine that the security agencies have up till this time not stumbled on valuable leads on the financiers of the Boko Haram.

    What do I think about the proposed dialogue? Dialogue is of course good. It is after all, infinitely cheaper than fighting an all out war. The question is what will the Saudi dialogue as proposed by the Boko Haram achieve? More pertinent question is what does the Boko Haram want?

    It may well be that the Saudi dialogue may help resolve the riddle of what the group really want or what it actually represents. For now, it seems premature to even speculate on whether their desires can be accommodated in a secular, republican state. Even then, it seems that the more immediate task is one of isolating the original Boko Haram from the mutant but no less bloody-thirsty variants loosed upon the nation.

    That done, the next charge is to deal with the matter of the innocent victims of their mindless terror. Will that also come up in the course of the parley? Will the group also be willing to pay restitutions to victims of their terrorist acts? On a more serious note, will the leaders be expected to repudiate the satanic ideology which legitimises mass murder?

    Of course, the more embracing question is whether, given the state of security in the North today, it would not amount to a sheer waste of time and resources to make the Boko Haram the issue. I make the point because of our penchant to treat symptoms rather than deal with organic causes of disease. The root of Boko Haram lies in poverty and failure of governance. Will those also be part of the agenda at the Saudi forum?

     

    • This column goes on vacation from next week

     

  • Oyin Adenuga’s past time

    Oyin Adenuga’s past time

    OYIN Emelia Adenuga is one of the pretty daughters of billionaire businessman and head honcho at Globacom, Otunba Mike Adenuga Jnr. But one thing that you don’t know is that the founder and CEO of Imaginative Buying Services has an undying love for Yoruba movies. When not working, inside sources revealed, she relaxes by watching Yoruba movies.

    The Adenuga belle is a graduate of University of Maryland with a B.A. in Sociology. She returned to Nigeria and began a career in the banking industry, working various positions at Equitorial Trust Bank until she earned the position of senior manager, followed by an executive director position at Consolidated Oil before she started her own business, Imaginative Buying Services, LLC.

  • Time to show affection the love door

    IT was one of the best parties Rebecca had attended in a long while. The serene environment had transported her into another world entirely and was basking in the love euphoria, a sweetness she never imagined existed.

    Pretty faces, handsome dudes wearing outfits that could be described as a collector’s delight made it a very memorable event, indeed. The chandeliers and other lightening effect as well as the nice presentation of exotic drinks and good food all swept her off her feet.

    It could actually be compared to a love feast and everyone appeared to be having some fun. Physically, she looked good too and no one would imagine that her heart which had been battered thrice was still in an awful state. Interestingly, she had a companion, someone she met about two weeks ago. It looked too good to be true, and while rationalising, she came to the fact that it was too early to count any blessings.

    “Men get so carried away when you first meet them. At this point, they would behave as if you are the best thing that ever happened to them. Then just when you think you have found what you have been looking for, he would drop a bombshell.”

    She adds: “If he doesn’t drop a bombshell, then you would begin to notice some differences in his attitude. At this point, he is already getting tired of you. If he does not have the guts to look at your face and tell you then he would drop the hints in style.

    One important thing you need to do is to lay a strong emotional foundation of love in your relationship if you want it to work. It is crucial because it is this foundation that your partner builds upon to constantly get connected to you. Once you have done the basics, you can be sure to have established a stable and loving environment, something that can be cherished forever.

    Of course, a lot of people don’t believe that you need to work on the building blocks of their relationship, especially at the early stage. So, they do it their own way and sometimes they are lucky things work out fine, and they move on. Most times, like a moving bus they jump in and it is likely that the lovebirds would jump out in a short while.

    Naturally, the man or woman in their lives therefore starts pulling away emotionally. It can be worse especially when you are faced with other battles and it is a phase when you just need your partner’s affection most. At this point, it is almost too late to revert to status quo. There won’t ever be that safe stable heart to run to anymore. It is almost like an elusive search: searching for a heart among other like-minded hearts. A heart that would make you feel comfortable and supported in love.

    That you just cannot find your missing rib does not mean that you are bad or that you have failed emotionally. It may just be that you fell for the wrong person, someone who never really cared, someone who did not share your dreams. Sadly, you got mid way only to realise that it was not what you thought it was.

    Sometimes, the person we really want to be with may not fit into our dreams. If this is the case then you can be sure that things would certainly fall apart sooner than expected. Sometimes, we try our best to make it work but no matter how hard we try, such calculations just do not work out right.

    At this point the basic question would be where do we go from here? Can we make amends and rediscover affection here or elsewhere? Can love be transferred to another? Of course, we know that we can shift our affection elsewhere if the person we admire is not budging. But is it really possible to shift love around?

    Well, scientifically, maybe we could do a love transplant. Here, all the emotions would have been uprooted from the one who does not merit or deserve such attention and then you can transfer to one who would appreciate your love currency and make it worth the while.

    One interesting fact that women need to know is that men communicate differently. It’s therefore important to understand and decode the message that he is trying to send across. Unfortunately, if you do not know how to do this, then you would always be at the crossroads.

    For a number of women, the major problem is that they do not know how to communicate with a man in a relationship, and they haven’t been able to do so with men in their past relationships.

    So, if this is the case in your relationship, then you won’t be able to create the critical foundation in your relationship. Once you are in this stage you’ll never experience the kind of stable support system that a relationship can experience or what should be for you and your feelings.

    You are always at an advantage if you have learnt how to handle each of the moments that are sure to come up with your man, especially those issues that are most likely to break up or pull your relationship apart.