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Tag: work

  • 10 things organisations, employees should stop doing

     “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say “no” to almost everything.”  – Warren Buffet

    2015 was a year I spent learning a lot of golden principles about success and interestingly one of the best, if not the best lesson I learnt is the significance of a To STOP doing list. Tons of books, articles, white papers, info graphics, blogs, etc. have been written on what we should start doing, how to start doing them and the importance of creating To Do lists but hardly will you find a book or anyone talking about what we should stop doing – a subject I have come to regard as completely vital in the pursuit of outstanding success.

    In his bestselling book – How the Mighty has fallen; Author Jim Collins coined an interesting phrase “the undisciplined pursuit of more,” where the pursuit of greater success leads to loss of focus and diffused results and ultimately failure. The tendency for us to continue to pile up our plate with more things to do is the reason for so much mediocrity that we find in the world today. Even the word priority has evolved into priorities which in itself is an oxymoron. It’s like saying one wants to buy new antiques. You can’t buy new antiques just like you can’t have several priorities.

    The tendency to do more and more affects organisations and individuals alike. Even when companies know that an advantage has run its course, they will still continue to defend it to the bitter end simply because they are unable to confront their brutal realities and adapt to the changing environment.  This goes for individuals too. We keep doing something that is of no value simply because we do not want to experience uncomfortable feelings usually associated with letting go of what we have become comfortable with.

    So what are the signs that you are engaged in an undisciplined pursuit of more? And most importantly, what can individuals and organisations do to help them avoid this dangerous trap going forward?

    STOP DOING LIST FOR COMPANIES

    1. Endless Pointless Meetings:com carried out a study on 500 office workers in the UK to find out how many hours are spent in meetings, on average, and what percentage of these meetings are actually useful.The results show that the average office worker spends around 16 hours in meetings each week, and that around a quarter of this time is usually wasted. That’s four hours of pointless meetings every week.

    Over a year, this works out to more than 200 hours. Over a career, the total is even more alarming with the average worker sitting through around 9,000 hours of needless meetings – a full year and ten days!

     

    1. Annual Performance Reviews- Performance reviews should be done on a regular basis; preferably after each assignment. Having regular performance reviews and feedback sessions will implement a more fluid system, in which employees receive timely feedback from their managers on an on-going basis following every assignment. What really is the logic behind having employees wait till the end of each year to get feedback on their performance? I totally fail to see how this profits the employees and organisation alike. Imagine how many blows could have been avoided throughout the year, and on the reverse, worthy matters that should have gained more focus.

     

    1. Not Evaluating Managers’ Management Styles- It is not a myth that people join organisations but leave managers. It is unsafe for any organisation to live in blissful ignorance of how its managers manage its employees, especially where they’ve had no form of preparation or training for that position. The effect of managers’ relations with employees on employee retention and performance cannot be overemphasised and should not be overlooked.

     

    1. Hiring replacements as opposed to having an effective succession planning: If nothing else, at least consider the cost of replacing a wrong hire; management, administrative and legal costs, plus the indirect cost of stolen/damaged goods, equipment, employer reputation, etc. According to a survey conducted by Right Management Consultants, the replacement cost of a bad hire is 1 to 5 times the salary of the job in question. Every forward-looking organisation should have a comprehensive succession plan.

     STOP DOING LIST FOR EMPLOYEES

     

    1. Gossip: The president of ReputationManagement.com, Bill Fish says the biggest issue he has seen over the years that causes conflict at work is gossip. “I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve had to intervene with employees who are upset that someone is talking about them behind their back, or betrayed their confidence by sharing information that they should not have,” he says. “In reality, you are going to run into gossip situations whether it is the middle school girls’ volleyball team, or the finance team at a Fortune 500 company, but I’ve seen it destroy plenty of relationships and result in people leaving their job.”

     

    Gossiping at work is toxic and does not serve anyone well. Besides, it is quite logical that if you gossip about others, people would also gossip about you! If you can’t say something nice, then say nothing at all.

     

    1. Complaining: This is the second palm of gossiping, but this time, about your employer. One of the commonest and most persistent trends is employees complaining about their employers. Some employees complain so bitterly that their co-workers and even families develop resentments against the organisation. If you have an issue with how things are done or specific procedures and rules in your organisation, make a formal complaint about it, better still, have a face to face with your HR Manager or whoever is directly concerned. Co-authors of “Crucial Conversations,” Joseph Grenny and David Maxfield found in a recent study that 56% of employees refrain from addressing troublesome issues at work for more than a year. The authors note that while this might not appear to cause immediate conflict, such silence has a long-term effect that can build up and cause problems down the road.

     

    1. Making the workplace a relationship platform: This is one thing I have completely failed to understand. People get employed into an organisation and then make friends with colleagues to the extent that these relationships grow to become more important to them than the organisation itself. They would do anything to protect those relationships, even at the expense of the organisation.

     

    1. Not speaking up/giving feedback to your boss: It is not unusual to see employees who prefer to stay quiet and have others speak out on their behalf, especially in this part of the world. Employees should begin to consider speaking up for themselves, giving feedback to their line managers and holding them accountable for goals/tasks they are responsible for.

     

    1. Taking/Venting personal frustration and anger on others: Henceforth, make it a point of duty to leave your ‘home’ troubles at home. Even if you choose to carry it around, don’t carry it on your face, or in the words you speak to others. It is absolutely wrong to take out your frustrations on people who had nothing to do with the cause in the first place. It is a fast relationship killer. Bringing bad mood to the office can spread from one person to the other. At the end of the day, no one would have a productive day.

     

    1. Unrealistic expectations from your company: People join organisations and expect everything to be perfect. This really is a mindset that has to be changed. Organisations hire primarily because there are problems to be solved! People are hired to add value to their organisations, not to come live their dream lives and earn salaries on top of that. Unfortunately, the latter is often the expectation of most employees. Unrealistic expectations are placed on organisations while the employees’ end of employment contracts are often ignored. If everything in the organisation was perfect, why then were you hired?

     

    Now pause to reflect on this ‘To Stop Doing list’; what do you think would be the result if you cannot stop any of these? More importantly, also create your own “To Stop doing list”. What would be on your list?

    Share with us. Drop a comment on www.workforcegroup.com

    Bolaji Olagunju is the Lead Consultant/CEO of Workforce Group; a Management Consulting Firm that offers diverse services in the areas of Learning, Development & Research, HR and Business Consulting, People & Task Outsourcing and Recruitment Services.

     

  • Oyo invokes ‘no work, no pay’ rule

    The Oyo State government has warned civil servants against participating in the ongoing industrial action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

    It said it will invoke the “no work, no pay” rule.

    The Secretary to the State Government, Olalekan Alli, who conveyed the government’s position in a statement yesterday, said deregulation of the downstream sector was the best option open to the Federal Government.

    He cautioned dissenters and non-conformists against testing the resolve of law enforcement agencies, who, he said, have the constitutional mandate to crush any attempt to breach the peace.

    The SSG urged the public to go about their business without fear of intimidation and harassment.

    Alli said: “Deregulation appears the most realistic approach to solving the persistent fuel crisis, pending the time the necessary infrastructure for local refining of crude oil will be upgraded and expanded.

    “It is the responsibility of those who are against this government policy thrust to canvass public opinion against such policies without resort to threat and the intimidation of those who may choose not to agree with them.

    “Consequently, government warns protesters and dissenters from taking the laws into their hands under any guise.

    “For the avoidance of doubt as ruled by the National Industrial Court, the strike is illegal and consequently the ‘no work no pay’ policy shall apply in the state’s public service.”

  • Kate Henshaw’s humanitarian work progresses

    Kate Henshaw’s humanitarian work progresses

    Hollywood actress Kate Henshaw is happy with her progress as a humanitarian; the mother of one, who have been urging the good people of the society to help contribute in saving baby Michael; one of the victims who needs to undergo a surgery, is happy at the turn up.

    As part of the team for Lifestake Foundation; a nonprofit organization, created to support people by crowd funding towards their medical bill goal, according to the actress, the journey to save the baby started few weeks back, and so far, she is happy at the turn up of good samarittans, who have been donating towards the good course.

    “Almost 7weeks ago…we started this journey. I am definitely happy at the progress so far…I know we still have a long way to go towards total health recovery and rehabilitation…By God’s grace and strength, we will be there every step of the way.

    “I will not stop thanking everyone who has been there from the beginning, The Motherless Babies Home staff, Yaw OAP, @bunmibunmi, Lagos State Children’s Welfare, the good nurses in the ward…till date, all of you who keep giving your widow’s mite. God bless you. God favour you. God cause His face to shine on you. May His grace be more than sufficient for you. Amen!! Project Alert Baby Michael Zenith Bank account 1014609708″.

    Lifestake Foundation is a non-profit organisation that was created by a team of kind hearted Nigerians with the aim of assisting fellow Nigerians in dire need of financial help for medical purposes.

  • Budget panel to conclude work today

    Budget panel to conclude work today

    The Presidency may have to wait till today or tomorrow for the finetuned 2016 budget.

    The 20-man committee working on the document may resolve the grey areas and clean it up today.

    President Muhammadu Buhari was said to be “anxiously awaiting” the budget last night.

    According to sources, the 20-man team from the National Assembly and  the Federal Executive Council will hold final round of consultations on the grey areas today in Abuja.

    The committee will shun the public holiday to consider the National Assembly’s review of the budget.

    Members of the committee from the National Assembly are House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Lasun Yusuf, Senate Leader Ali Ndume, Sen. Danjuma Goje( Chairman, Senate Committee on Apprporiation), Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin( Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation) Sen. Biodun Olujimi,

    From the Executive are the Minister of Budget and National Planning Udo Udoma, Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Minister of Transportation  Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Solid Minerals, Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Labour and Productivity Chris Ngige, Minister of Agriculture  Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, and Minister of Health Isaac Adewole,

    A source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said the National Assembly was working round the clock with the Executive to finish the job today.

    The issues, which the committee will finalize discussions on are as follows:

    • need for National Assembly to concede to the retention of the bulk of the proposals from the presidency;
    • restoration of priority projects, such as the rehabilitation of the  Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (N60billion voted); completion of Kano-Maiduguri Expressway(N16b voted but its liability is N20b); Lagos-Calabar rail project;
    • even spread of turnkey projects across the six geopolitical zones to avoid hurting any zone;

    *•Significant reduction or cancellation or spread  of projects hitherto arbitrarily awarded by the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin; and

    • establishing a principle that it is not the business of the National Assembly to tamper with the budget.

    The source said: “The National Assembly has conceded to the Executive to retain the bulk of the priority projects in their review of the budget.

    “In the first two meetings we had, there was tension but the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives tried to calm everybody down. He was very reasonable about it in conducting the session on the review of the budget.

    “When we meet on Monday, we will know whether the review is acceptable to us or not.

    “We are working assiduously to finalise consultations on the budget on Monday, irrespective of the holiday.”

    A member of the National Assembly in the committee said: “We are working , we are struggling. By tomorrow or Tuesday latest, the budget should be ready.

    “What we are trying to guide against is to avoid a misrepresentation or the hurting of any zone. We want all projects allocated with fairness to the six geopolitical zones. We hope the Executive will appreciate our position.”

    All efforts to get Udoma’s reaction were unsuccessful last night but a top government official  said: “We are optimistic that they will send in the report very soon. We know everybody is working hard to get the budget ready.”

    A source in the Presidency said: “The National Assembly is yet to submit the reviewed budget to President Muhammadu Buhari. He is eager or anxious to get  the document.”

  • ‘Politicians should allow Buhari to work’

    ‘Politicians should allow Buhari to work’

    Former Minister of Transport Chief Ebenezer Babatope, in this interview with EMMANUEL OLADESU and Musa Odoshimokhe, explains how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can match the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the battle for the 2019 presidency.

    As an Awoist, are you satisfied with the state of the nation?

    Nobody can be satisfied with the state of the nation because the poverty level is very high. We do hope and pray that people, particularly politicians, will allow President Muhammadu Buhari to do his work. I am not in the same party with him, but we are of the same generation. If the ages we have put down on papers are correct, Buhari is only one month and seven days older than me. I know that he lives such an austere life that nobody can accuse him of corruption. It is not even corruption that is bringing problem; it is discipline. It has contributed a lot to what is happening. And if you are unable to solve the poverty problem, then, we are postponing the evil days. So, I want us to cooperate with the government because this is not the time to talk of party. I am from the PDP while Buhari belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC). but, let us come together and solve the problem of the ordinary people in Nigeria.

    How do you react to the budget controversy?

    I don’t like the way the APC is dilly-dallying with the budget issue. They should sign the budget and allow it to operate. This will control poverty in the country. but, the way they are going it; that the president must sign, he must not sign, underscores the lack of seriousness.

    What economic direction would you propose for the government?

    I will just advise that they get their priorities correct. They must not put too much emphasis on the question of fighting corruption. People have stolen money. they should go and pay for it and if they are to be jailed, let them be jailed. Don’t over dramatize it; you are weakening the moral of moral and spirit of the ordinary Nigerians. Go ahead to get your act right. if you want to tackle farming do that; if you want to tackle infrastructure problem, go ahead. Imagine now, you don’t have electricity. it is so terrible. Let the government face what it want to do and de-emphasize blowing certain issues to the roof top. They should face things that can bring economic changes. I want to advise them that the time they are spending on the fight against corruption is too much, let them work of the thing that will improve the lives of the common man.

    What lesson can the PDP learn from last  year’s election?

    We lost the last election because of arrogance, pride and because of the fact that we do not know what we are doing, so we lost. When it was coming I was one of those who believe that the APC cannot defeat us. When it became obvious that the APC will defeat us, we failed to address the danger. It is a lesson that never again the PDP is arrogant with power. We were arrogant with power and we were destroyed.

    Has PDP played effective opposition role since it lost power?

    In view of the internal friction we have, we have not. But, eventually, we are getting over it now. When we get over the internal friction of who becomes the party chairman, then, we will be okay. Again, I know Ali Modu-Sheriff very well, he has not done anything against me, but he cannot come from nowhere and say he want to be the chairman of the party. If he forced himself on the party, some of us will be on our way out of PDP.

    How can the crisis be solved?

    It is for him to accept not to re-contest again as the national chairman. That he came to fill the post of the northeast vacated by Mu’azu is understandable, immediately after the convention let him go. We could have a kind of mid-term election. He is a stranger in our midst. But, we cannot have a northern chairman and a northern Presidential candidate almost at the same time. It must be that we should have a chairman in place that would midwife the emergence of the Presidential candidate. The Southwest deserves the chairmanship of PDP.

    But, the Southwest is also divided on this issue…

    The southwest leaders are united in what we want. It is not a do or die affairs that we are given the chairman of the party, but for goodness sake let us have a formidable party that will give the APC a formidable fight. Buhari is a difficult person to contend with because what would you say he has done wrong? And that is why we must get prepared for have a candidate to face Buhari, who definitely is presentable. the APC is lucky, we shall be lucky in the PDP, if the APC dumps Buhari. We are praying for that, if it does not happen, then, we must present a formidable northern person to face Buhari.

    Why are you canvassing for Southwest chairmanship of the party?

    We are not canvassing for the chairmanship, but about applying the principle of democracy to all the things that we are doing in the PDP. The chairman does not have to come to Southwest, but to have Sheriff, who came from nowhere to become chairman of the party is not right. We have said he must vacate office as soon as possible. Let have another person from the north, but by next year, when we call for the mid-term election, the northern chairman will vacate office another chairman that will come from anywhere in the country. So, what is important to us is that a northerner must be the Presidential candidate of the PDP.

    A powerful bloc in your party is backing Sheriff…

    Well, we wish them the best of luck. They have power, money but they will soon realize that nothing can beat experience. I have passed through Papa Awolowo as the Director of organisation and I know the inner workings of party politics in this country. But, when those governors or whoever is supporting that Sheriff should be chairman, they would be electorally annihilated.

    What is the position of your Southwest governors on the matter?

    Governor Olusegun Mimiko is with us. We cannot predict what Governor Ayodele Fayose will come out and say, but, he is not against the party. We are waiting, as for Mimiko, I can tell you he will support the cause of democracy. I think Fayose too is in support of this, you know he is not afraid of anybody. But, I believe eventually, somehow we will know his position.

    What is the prospect of PDP in the South West?

    There is a big prospect because the APC will soon face implosion. The implosion will separate them and scatter them. Except they are deceiving themselves, there are many groups in the Southwest APC now and the PDP will take advantage of this.            

  • NLC to Amosun: drop ‘no work, no pay’ plan

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the weekend warned Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun against implementing his “no work, no pay” threat on striking workers.

    It said the strike followed the government’s failure to implement the agreement  it had with the workers.

    Deputy President of the Congress and National President of Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) Kiri Mohammed said the governor should understand that an agreement it had with the workers cannot be jettisoned.

    Kiri, who is also the chairman of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Union side), said the workers are on strike due to the government’s failure to pay “full salaries and other deductions”.

    He said: “The attention of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council has been drawn to the ongoing strike by public servants in Ogun State.

    “The Council discovered that the bone of contention  was the government’s failure to implement the Memorandum of Understanding reached with the leadership of Ogun State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade union side).

    “Council noted that the government has persistently failed to remit its percentage share of the contributory pension and the deductions from workers salaries to the Pension Fund Administrators as provided in 2004 Pension Act as amended.

    “Council also observed that despite the bailout fund Ogun State received from the Federal Government, the state could only pay June 2015 salary in full.

    “The Council unequivocally condemns the payment of salaries haphazardly and calls on the government to implement the agreement signed with the State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council.”

    He maintained that the Buhari administration deserved the support of all Nigerians, including Organised Labour, to salvage the country from the severe economic situation.

  • Bad losers at work

    The long knives are out again at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Failed football administrators and those who lost their positions in previous restructuring of the Glasshouse are back at their old game. They want the house flattened because they are no longer there. It doesn’t matter if this distraction costs Nigeria the right for her flag to be hoisted at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.

    Sadly, even those who have been indicted by probe panels over their nefarious activities when they were at the NFA, as the body was then known, are now shouting at the roof top concerning the body’s maladministration. If those disturbing the media with their warped comments had set the right templates for growth during their time, we won’t be faced with the systemic problems inherent in the Glasshouse.

    Indeed, such unguarded utterances by failed NFF members and staff gave credence to the new accounting order by Muhammadu Buhari administration meant to seal some of the flaws in the system. Now that the administration has come to grasp with the uniqueness of funding sports which must compete with other nations with discerning templates for revenue generation, it should do everything possible to get the National Assembly to pass the NFF Act. That way NFF would be run by professionals, whose pedigree in business is profound, not this setting where jobbers, influence peddlers and lickspittles seize the unfriendly environment arising from a defeat to heat up the polity.

    This crossfire of tales not backed by facts put the NFF in bad light, making it extremely difficult to woo investors to do business with it. No credible firm will associate its goods and/or services with a product mired in controversies. These cynics must learn how to take defeats on the chin. There are three results in the game of soccer- wins, losses and defeats, which most times help such teams to know their strengths and weaknesses. The NFF has suffered yearly reorganisations which have done us no good in terms of results, largely because we are bad losers.

    Need I restate my previous argument that a body which bankrolls 11 national teams every year cannot be solvent, especially with its critics heating up the polity with frivolous claims and craving that these teams win all their matches?

    Unfortunately, policy summersaults, including frequent changes in the personnel at the Glasshouse, have made it difficult for anyone to do business with the body. One of such policy changes is the TSA, which accounted for the delays in paying Oliseh’s wages. And the coach wasn’t convinced by Sports Minister Solomon Dalung’s plea that he would be paid soonest. The minister met his promise but Oliseh’s mind was made up and he quit the job. Sports in Nigeria, especially football, need a four-year budget meant to ensure that cash is available over the period to adequately prepare the sportsmen and women like it is done in other climes.

    Perhaps, the government needs to adopt the community-based sports sponsorship programmes and see how it can constitute a sports lottery board to have enough cash to run the industry. It also could set up a probe panel to find out how money sourced under previous lottery schemes was spent. Of course, such funding will be adequately monitored and those given the money made to account for.

    Sunday Oliseh’s resignation has stoked the fire, with fifth columnists creating incredible scenarios as if the incumbent NFF board members weren’t the same people who piloted the country to a back-to-back FIFA U-17 World Cup wins by the Golden Eaglets and guided the U-23 Olympics Eagles squad to winning the African Championship, for the first time, in Senegal, among several laurels that we have recorded.

    Oliseh has the right to resign. He is free to spit venom at his employers, provided his facts are correct. But he must remember that Nigeria is bigger than he is. And having helped to raise the country’s profile in the game, it would be a travesty if he destroys such a legacy on the altar of getting back at a few people who he feels has hurt him.

    If Oliseh feels strongly that his contract was breached, he should seek redress at the appropriate quarters. I’m glad that NFF men have apologised for the error in recruiting Oliseh, if indeed it was. I’m excited too that the NFF didn’t flinch in naming Samson Siasia, Emmanuel Amuneke, Salisu Yusuf and goalkeeper Alloy Agu to lead the Eagles through their two-legged ties against Egypt in Kaduna on March 25 and Cairo on March 25.

    It is true that the first-place team in Nigeria’s group will immediately qualify for the 2017 AFCON. What is equally true is that Nigeria stands the best chance of being the best loser among the qualifiers, if the Eagles beat Egypt in Kaduna and win her remaining two games against Tanzania in Nigeria and against Niger. So what is the fuzz about Oliseh’s resignation that has brought out the beast in most interlopers in this issue?

    Is this the first time that Nigeria has changed coaches deep inside the qualifiers? So, what makes Oliseh’s case different? After all, Shuaibu Amodu has got us qualified several times from more difficult settings. So, why is Oliseh likened to Pep Guardiola by many fifth columnists who keep harping on the refusal of the NFF chiefs to consider the coach’s conduct before employing him, as if it is a criterion for picking coaches? If NFF ignored Oliseh for another person, these same people would have cried wolf, given the way they stampeded the Glasshouse chiefs to making Oliseh the only candidate for the job after Stephen Keshi was eased off.

    I hope that Oliseh can learn from Siasia’s return. I recall telling Siasia in one of my columns here to withdraw his law suit against the NFF when he was sacked because he could return to the job. I urged Siasia to learn from “sacked” Amodu and Adegboye Onigbinde had been brought back to the Eagles job anytime there was a crisis in the team? Siasia, are you not back to the Eagles job despite the harsh words you used against me at a press conference? Such is life Oliseh. It isn’t too late to put all that has happened behind you and focus on watching Nigeria at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations than being linked as one of the remote causes of Nigeria’s absence (God forbid) at the tournament in Gabon.

    If Oliseh sticks to his guns, then Siasia will write his name in gold if he pulls the Eagles through the games against the Pharaohs of Egypt in Kaduna and Alexandria. Siasia said he is used to this pressure cooker setting. All he needs is the support from everyone. And they can’t but back Siasia in this daunting task.

    The biggest fillip in his favour ahead of the two games is the assurance from the players that they would fight for the points in the two games as if their lives depend on them. Well said guys but please save the commentaries for the pitch. Anytime our players run their mouths before matches, I panic. I hope their battle against the Pharaohs will be different. The players should strive to scale the Egyptian hurdle to stabilise the workings at the Glasshouse.

    I’ve seen Siasia’s 42 men, comprising 20 stars from the foreign legion and 22 domestic league players. The interesting aspect of those selected is that they represent close to 80 per cent of the good players that we have. It won’t be difficult for Siasia to pick his best 23, having worked with many of them. He also has seen them play.

    Siasia’s three goalkeepers, Carl Ikeme, Daniel Akpeyi and Ikechukwu Ezenwa from outside Nigeria, can do the job in Kaduna and Alexandria. I admire his choice of defenders, except that I don’t see how he can play younger boys from the domestic league. Well, it is his job and he has it cut out for him. Good luck, Siasia.

    The defenders hold the key to our qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, especially in the second leg tie in Alexandria, where I expect the Egyptians to deploy all the tricks in the books to win. I expect the Egyptians to fall freely even from the sound of Nigerian defenders tracking them in any of their onslaughts. Defenders Abdullahi Shehu, Elderson Echiejile, Efe Ambrose, Godfrey Oboabona, Stanley Amuzie and Kenneth Omeruo are experienced to know how to keep the tricky Egyptians out of the vital areas. Mistakes shouldn’t be made.

    How many countries in Africa have the quality of midfielders that Siasia wants to use to inflict pains on the Egyptians over the two legs? Oguenyi Onazi, John Mikel Obi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Okechukwu Azubuike, Alex Iwobi, Aminu Umar and Aaron Samuel are some of the best that any team needs to rev its attacking onslaughts – only if they are focused. The strikers are Ahmed Musa, Victor Moses, Moses Simon, Odion Ighalo and Fernando Adi. These strikers have been scoring goals with aplomb in Europe.

    No expertise is needed to know that the home-based lads are training materials, who will hold fort until the arrival of the big boys. However, some of them such as Aggrey, Chikatara, Etebo and Mohammed could make the cut as reserves or possibly additions to the squad for them to watch the big boys pull the chestnuts out of the fire in Alexandria.

    For me, it doesn’t matter who plays. What is sacrosanct is the unity of purpose among the players before, during and after the two matches. Up Nigeria! Up Super Eagles!

     

  • ‘How to make marriages work’

    ‘How to make marriages work’

    President of Family Booster Ministries, Pastor Bisi Adewale, spoke with Sunday Oguntola on the fundamentals of Christian marriages. Excerpts: 

    Why are many marriages turbulent in this part of the world?

    The problems of marriages are unique to each environment and individuals. Marriages in Europe and Africa have unique challenges. African marriages have peculiar and unique. In Lagos for example, the challenges will be peculiar. If a woman works in Lekki and closes by 5pm. She won’t be home until 10pm if she stays in Ijoko, Ogun State.

    That’s different from a marriage in the village where the woman is back from the farm by 2pm every day. The challenges that women who have shops face will also be peculiar. They don’t have leave or off-days, meaning their husbands will either have to come to their shops to eat or the meals are parceled to them.

    Urbane Christian marriages are affected by the lack of work-life balance. People don’t understand that we have many balls to juggle and how you do it successfully determines your marital environment.

    What are some of these balls to juggle?

    You have to ball of your spiritual life, work life, family life, church life and many others. You have to find a balance for your marriage to survive and thrive. A Pastor recently banned members from belonging to more than one or two units. He realised that people were always in church for one unit meeting or the other that gives them no time to enjoy their homes. He found out it was affecting marriages in his church. In some other place, some people will say that pastor is not spiritual. But he is and also wise. The truth is sometimes church activities can kill marriages.

    How is that possible?

    Some churches observe fasting for the first three months of the year. Members must participate and they are banned from meeting with their spouses, which is totally wrong. The Bible says we must not have sex during fasting but once you break from 6pm-11-59pm, spouses are free to enjoy conjugal sex.

    We have situations where churches ban couples from sleeping in the same room during fasting. They even tell them to separate a night before receiving Holy Communion. Is that to say what happens the night before is an unholy communion?

    So, if church activities are not well managed and regulated, they will destroy marriages. That is why pastors must be careful because if a marriage breaks, the church will lose at least five to seven people. The church loses members, finance and integrity.

    There are growing concerns over marital crises that ended up being escalated after pastoral counselling. What could be responsible for this?

    That is true. I have seen situations where pastors have done a lot of damages to marriages. That is because a lot of them are very biased. Many of them are disposed towards the higher tither or seed sower. If the husband gives N50, 000 monthly and the wife cannot even afford anything, the pastor is naturally likely to take sides more with the husband in the counselling room if he is not well-trained.

    Our seminaries are not working us in this regard. They don’t have curriculum for marital counselling. We train Pastors to join couples but fail to equip them on how they can counsel them to stay married happily.

    Unfortunately, every pastor is a marriage counsellor. Even if he just beat his wife in the room, someone is waiting for him in the office for his counsel on marriage. That is why every pastor must be trained on marital counselling. Many of them are not trained and just resort to traditional marriage counselling.

    What is traditional marriage counselling?

    That is a situation where the wives are always the guilty parties in every dispute. The husbands are always vindicated even before the wives are heard. That is what happened in traditional societies. The wives always leave the resolution meetings embittered and hurt. The mediating parties only postpone the evil days; the woman will fight back.

    So, pastors should be trained in the art of marital counselling. This is difficult from normal counselling. Unfortunately, seventy percent of counselling revolves around marriage. But if a pastor is not trained, he ends up aggravating marital crises.

     Do Pastors come to the Marriage School you run?

    A few pastors are humble enough to attend and some are sending their wives to attend. That is still fair but it is not the best. At times, members cannot trust their Pastor’s wives to confide in them. A lot of Prophets are not helping too. They can tell a husband ‘your wife is your problem. You must fast to get rid of her.’ That is a big crisis we have in our hands.

    So, we need more pastors on board so that we don’t ruin homes. They need to know how to run their marriages too so that they will be good examples for members. If marriages are not taught in churches, it will affect parenting. That will hurt how we raise our kids. If all we preach in church is finance, people will be rich but then destroy the church. They will raise vagabonds. You realise that most of our musical super stars used to be in the church. We didn’t parent them well and they left for secular music.

    Most preachers say there is equality in marriage. Is that a biblical concept?

    I think we have to differentiate between equality and justice. Equality says spouses are the same. In the eyes of God, we are equal but in justice, God makes the man the head. Spouses should operate as if they are equal but the man remains the head. Any pastor that preaches equality is wrong. I don’t believe in 50-50. I believe the wife should respect and submit to the husband while the husband should love and provide for the woman.

    If a woman believes because she is the breadwinner she is the head, she is missing it. A woman cannot ask for equality in decision-making. If every organisation, we always have many directors but there is always a Managing Director who is responsible for the final decisions. The wife can be Director Finances, Home Affairs and all that but the husband is the indisputable Managing Director. It doesn’t mean the husband should be a dictator. By justice, he shouldn’t be the headache. Any Pastor that says women and men are the same is reading his bible upside down.

    The greatest issue women have against men is not giving them attention. What do you have to say to this?   

    Naturally, men are addicted to work. Many of them will choose their work above their work, which is wrong. Then, they have victors’ mentality, which makes them think they have married the woman, they should relax. They don’t women don’t have nowhere else to go.

    They forget that one day, they will retire and come back to meet the same woman they have abandoned for years. That is the only person who cares so much for you. If a man dies, it is only the wife that will return to his grave every year. His friends, siblings and children won’t remember to go back but the wife will not forget.

    In Africa, our men are not romantic. We never saw our grandfathers and fathers playing love with our grandmothers and mothers. You see intending couples holding hands but never couples. A good man must play with his wife. Everyday should be like a valentine. Buy her gifts that she likes; make her happy and you will enjoy it.

    But many men also wonder what else women want after providing for them

    You see provision is the least on the need list of women. What women need in the descending order are affection, attention, appreciation, affirmation and provision. Women are like babies that must be pampered. If you give her provisions without the others, you have given afflictions to that woman.

    You must be a boyfriend to your wife and a lover. If you are, you are never bored when she talks. When you go to eateries, you see engaged couples listen to themselves with rapt attention.

    One day, I saw one. The guy bought the lady a yoghurt and meat-pie. He then bought out sachet water he got for himself outside the eatery. He didn’t eat from the lady’s meal. But how many husbands will do that? They will rather take the meal and ask their wives to go hungry. Only a lover will do what that guy did.

    Some intending couples are bothered about the operations of Marriage Committees. How best should the committees operate?

    The problem is not with the committees or the intending couples but the pastors. You have to carefully pick those who have affinity with the youths as committee members. Then, you should train them not to see themselves as Alphas and Omegas. Then, you must let the youths know why they need to see the committee members before marriage.

    Youths hate dictatorship, which is what most marriage committees do. The members should be taught the committee is not the Holy Spirit that chooses for couples. Marriage committee should stop at guiding people, which is what God does with us. Nobody has the right to choose for anybody but the persons involved alone.

  • ‘Yewa’ll work to produce Ogun governor in 2019’

    •Monarchs call for unity

    The Olu of Ilaro, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, has called on his people to appraise their situation in Ogun State and chart the best way forward.

    Also, the Olubara of Ibaraland, Oba Jacob Omolade, urged the Yewa to ensure that an indigene emerged the governor in 2019.

    The duo gave the advice in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area on Saturday at a civic reception for indigenes of Yewaland.

    The reception was held at the Asade Agunloye Pavilion, Empire Field in Ilaro.

    Oba Omolade, who was the royal father of the day, said the Yewa people must occupy the Oke-Mosan Governor’s Office and should not let the opportunity slip off as it had since the state was created in 1976.

    The monarch said former President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted a Yewa person as governor when he backed Gen Adetunji Olurin in the 2011 general poll.

    He said: “I had wanted Obasanjo to be here with us because he has always supported our cause. He backed Olurin. We tried for Olurin to be governor but we did not succeed.

    “Also, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka came out at the same time. But we thank God because if it was our time, one of them would have won. But our time has now come.

    “The Yewa monarchs have started working. I would enjoin our people to rise up to the occasion. May God help us. I urge Oba Olugbenle to set up a committee of veteran politicians so that in 2019, the crisis, division and disunity we experienced in 2011 would not occur.

    “We tried our best, but failed. But if we allow our elders, only one candidate would be presented. We are not talking about party here. The Egba, the Remo and Ijebu are expecting us to do something. But when we are not united, how do we do that?

    “So, whoever emerges as the governorship candidate, we should support him. You politicians, I want you to talk to yourselves because we find it difficult to control you. If I could come from Abeokuta to talk to you, you should know this is a serious matter.”

    Oba Olugenle, in his welcome speech, advised his people to forget the acrimony arising from their unsuccessful attempts to produce a governor and focus on breaking the jinx in 2019.

    Olugbenle urged them to unite and forge a formidable front in the interest of the people and their socio – economic and political progress.

    Oba Olugbenle said: “I enjoin us to carry the flag and banner of Yewa and indeed Ogun State anywhere we find ourselves with dignity and integrity. Let us be the change agents our people and the nation desire at this time.

    “We should reflect more on what the future holds for us in Yewaland almost 40 years after the creation of Ogun State. Let us forget about the past and with optimism, look into the greatness ahead. Where we are going as a division in Ogun State is more important than where we are coming from.”

    At the event were University of Lagos Vice Chancellor Prof. Rahmon Bello; Second Republic Minister of National Planning Mrs. Ebun Oyagbola; former Ekiti State Military Administrator Gen Adetunji Olurin; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Gboyega Nasir Isiaka (GNI); the senator representing Lagos West, Solomon Adeola and Speaker of the House of Assembly Suraj Adekunbi Ishola.

    Present also were three members of the House of Representatives, Jimoh Ojugbele, Kayode Oladele and Adekunle Akinlade; Rector of the  State Institute of Technology, Igbesa Dr. Olufunke Akinkurolere; two commissioners of police, Mr. Rasheed Akintunde and Mr. Olusola Amore and Emeritus Professor Anthony Asiwaju.

  • CAN ‘can’t work with Boko Haram’

    CAN ‘can’t work with Boko Haram’

    The National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) yesterday refuted a video report credited to an Iranian television station in which an Iranian lecturer alleged that the Army, Boko Haram and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have combined to destroy Shi’ites.

    It said it wondered under which ideology would CAN team up with Boko Haram to destroy an Islamic sect.

    NCEF advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to drag Nigeria into the Saudi Arabia-led Muslim/Arab coalition against ISIS.