Nyanya blast

False living. .. there is a serious war going on in the country and yet the government and those affluent members of the society are partying, drinking , champagning (sic), clubbing, ...acting as if nothing is happening. Abuja night life will convince you are in paradise. This was why Jesus Christ had to preach the good news to the poor.  The rich folks WILL NEVER GET IT, always trusting in their riches. As the bible says  -   "As soon as they  say PEACE AND SAFETY! then sudden destruction will come up on them as labour pains upon a pregnant woman, THEY SHALL NOT ESCAPE". 

As usual and typical of events in Nigeria today, the Nyanya blast (14th April 2014) has killed many POOR folks AGAIN..very soon this may no longer be the case and perhaps the government will then sit up and do the needful. 

May the souls of the departed truly now REST IN PEACE

YOU - this Christmas

  

Words like poverty, expense, indebtedness, poor, borrow etc are all negative words that have now come to be associated with Christmas. YOU spend above and beyond what YOU have to buy presents for loved ones and also inviting family and friends over for expensive meals. If YOU are a parent with more than one child the bills tend to mount. Manufacturers of certain products do their possible best to pile on the misery for YOU parents too. Some of these companies make high end products that are targeted towards your kids in the form of game consoles. These game consoles are not only targeted at your children but also towards YOU as well (me too). So YOU go out and splash anywhere between £350 -£450 

($571 -$735) on a PS4 or an Xbox one and this may only be for one of your kids in the house. By Dec 31st YOU are so broke to the point that you are 'eagerly' looking forward to the month's salary. Come next year January by months end, the month's salary is again still being 'gingerly' expected. Come February, YOU can't wait for pay day, you are still struggling and broke from the Christmas expenses…do you get my drift? 

What I am trying to say is this - we (sorry YOU) are likely to get into huge debts this Christmas (and future ones), so much so that it may require more than 2 months salaries to get back into credit. Some of YOU will be in a worse state because your gifts and presents will be bought on credit cards or spread out on monthly payment plans, so come next year December, you'll still be paying off this year's debts. The most worrying aspect of it all is that we tend to pass on this 'Christmas spending' mentality on to our kids. #Viciouscycle. Is this the true meaning of Christmas?

If YOU are a Christian, there is only one reason to celebrate Christmas - "the birth of Christ and what HE embodies". If you are not a Christian but YOU celebrate Christmas, same reason should apply to YOU too. If YOU are a parent, this message should be brought to bear on your kids. If YOU are not a parent, please advise the younger ones you come across. Jesus Christ embodies everything that is contrary to all the "ills" I have just explained above. I will not be getting into the pagan history behind Christmas or the theology about Jesus, but there are somethings  that I'll like to highlight about HIS life.

As Christmas is a celebration of Jesus, it behooves us to know that he was always concerned about the poor (so why are YOU getting yourself into debt?). HE cared so much about the less privileged, HE fed the poor/hungry, HE healed the sick, HE showed love etc. So the real celebration of "CHRIST- mas" should incorporate those qualities. After all for some of us this will be the only time in the year (only chance possibly) that we will be required to help a "less privileged" person. Doesn't it make sense for you to teach your kids these principles? And may be if they know this, (just may be) the world will be a better place (some day). I will be wrong in saying that we shouldn't buy gifts or presents for our loved ones because this will be in contrast to the festive mood that surrounded the birth of Christ in Bethlehem (among those who were expecting his birth at least); but to do this at your detriment is a denial for what Christ stood for.

So if YOU can, if possible, try looking for whom to bless this festive period. Are YOU able to visit someone in the hospital, a sick person, an elderly lonesome individual who will be spending this Christmas all alone, will YOU be making up with lost friends or family members, inviting someone into your house for a nice meal? 

These sayings are worth considering - "do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it" - Heb 13:2 (that's mind blowing). So our imaginations of what angels look like (white robed winged flying beings) may not necessarily be. They may look like you and me. This Christmas some may be appearing as poor folks to you, some may be in the form of that colleague you don't talk to at work, whilst some may make contact with you in different ways…you never know. Penultimately, Jesus said He will be telling some people on the last day " I was hungry and YOU gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and YOU did not take me in" and those people will answer back and say "when did we see you and didn't offer any help?" (along those lines).. And Jesus will in-turn answer back and say "in as much as you didn't help those folks, YOU did not do it to me" (paraphrasing). Guess what , if we saw Jesus today asking for our help, we'll rush to HIS aid because we know how he looks (we think) ; but the last dialogue between those folks and Jesus showed that Jesus wasn't recognizable to them. He will not appear or hasn't been appearing in his glorious form to YOU but in a more earthly form - resembling everyday folks. Lastly, YOU are constantly being tested - "... I TEST the mind…"- Jer 17:10, "... I humbled you…in order to TEST you" -Deut 8:2, "...for God has come to TEST you..." -Ex. 20:20, "... That I may TEST them to know whether they will walk in my law or not..." -Exodus 16:4.

3 things for YOU (yes YOU) to ponder upon; Angels may not be as YOU have assumed (not like the ones on your Christmas tree), so they may be in your midst right now. Jesus may have approached YOU on many occasions seeking for YOU to help HIM (but YOU didn't recognize HIM because he looked different). YOU are constantly being TESTED by God. Do good this "Christ-mas".

Twitter - @mexy7777

Blackberry Z10 is a good device! Read on!!

   

I have been using the Blackberry Z10 for a while now and it's been a wonderful surprise and a steep learning curve. When I first delved into the world of smart phones, I started off with a blackberry Storm 1 and after that I went for the Storm 2. I gave Blackberry another chance by going for the Blackberry 9860, another touch screen version. From that time till now, Blackberry has been losing its 'cool factor' and they were issues with the OS (operating system); the freezes, the constant battery pulls, it was endless. I decided my next phone wasn't going to be a BB. My next phone was either going to be the Windows Lumia 920 (a good phone by the way) or the Samsung Note 11; but then the Z10 was launched and the Crackberry in me was aroused.  I got the Z10 as soon as it was launched.

All I can say is that so far I have been pleasantly surprised and quietly pleased. It handles superbly, I haven't had a freeze in weeks and it feels cool again to just leave my phone on my office table. Everyone now wants to have a look. I have been using the black Z10 but I've now changed it to the white Z10. I must say the white one looks really cool. The z10 is not as you know it with former BB phones; it takes getting used to with its entirely new way of doing things.

 Specs-wise the Z10 packs a punch. I don't want to bore you with technicalities and jargons but be rest assured that it is more or less on par with the Iphone 5 and the Samsung galaxy3 or any other high end smart phones out there. It's got the best predictive keyboard in the market, it does not only predict your next word but it tries to predict your sentence ( more or less); other reviews  have confirmed this. The Z10 is very capable of multi- tasking unlike its predecessors that froze when tasked. You can have your own 'live tiles' on your home screen which Blackberry likes to call 'active frames' or tiles (just like Windows 8 phones). With the Z10 you can have a maximum of 8 apps in active mode running on the home screen as minimized apps (active frames).

You can decide to populate your home screen with a weather app (Accu Weather for me), a Clock, BMM, Twitter, Facebook, Linked-in etc and they all stay live and active on the home screen. A quick glance at your home screen and a handful of information is acknowledged.

For those of you that use BBM and BBM Group chats, this has been revolutionized. I always have my BBM set up on my home screen as a tile. This live tile updates with submissions/chats on BBM Groups, personal BBM texts, what music your BBM contacts are listening to and Picture changes (whether in a group or BBM personal contact); whatever anyone does in that eco system is transmitted live on to your home screen.  You can also make calls over wifi or network to BBM contacts, unlike BB7 which was only over wifi.

Now who is this phone for? It's for someone who wants to try something different, be different, he who wants to be set apart from the rest of all the android and apple heads. It's for the workaholic - those who want to have a personal phone and work phone imbibed in one instead of carrying 2 phones. The Z10 has what is known as a 'Blackberry balance'.  This allows your phone to have 2 separate and unlinked profiles on the Z10. So with a swipe you can activate your phone for work profile, where work or office emails, BBM's, documents, data, apps etc all exist and with another swipe you will be taken back into your personal profile. These 2 profiles stay separate and information, data etc. can't be mistakenly transferred or copied into either profiles. The z10 is also for BB heads that have stayed loyal and true to the game.

The z10 isn't without its fault; battery life is less than a full day, but a spare battery can be bought. As a new OS, it's not apps populated as the Android or IOS ecosystem but this isn't a problem for me as major apps developers have promised to support BB10. Skype, instagram, whatsapp, etc are all underway. BB10 launched on day one (Jan 30^th) with 70,000 apps and for a new OS this is phenomenal as no other OS has done this before. If I have my facts rights, IOS and Android launched on day one with less than 100 apps. BB10 apps are growing at the rate of a 1000 apps a day as I heard or read somewhere, as of today B10 should have 100,000 apps and counting.

People want cool gadgets and this is what the Z10 is. Most reviews on the web have been very positive; it's been the best review for a blackberry phone in ages. Can the Z10 bring Blackberry back into the game?.........

Many thanks to a Nigerian based BBM group chat/forum known as HOA, which has its exclusive members in 3 continents. Thanks for allowing HOA to be used as a case study for this Z10 article. HOA , I hail!!

Tweet? follow @mexy7777

#DANA- Opinionated facts

The Dana plane crash has brought about sorrow, finger-pointing, questions, allegations and reminded us all about the potency of death. More importantly, it’s best to make peace with your maker as Horatio the ‘captain of the gates’ once said ‘death cometh soon or late’. Most Nigerians were touched by the plane crash. Almost everyone knew a victim or you knew someone who knew a victim - get my drift? Anyway, this is most tragic because the plane crash could have been avoided; depending on what you have heard or read. There’s a general consensus that the aircraft wasn’t mechanically sound and the engineers who had worked on the plane had warned about this. Few things I like to point out.

It’s been said that the aircraft was old and hence should have been retired a long time ago – this may be one of the causes; I’ll leave you to make up your mind as you read. In an Air space magazine, Rebbecca Maskell wrote - ‘an aircraft’s lifespan is measured not in years but in pressurised cycles. Each time an aircraft is pressurised during flight, its fuselage and wings are stressed. Both are made of large , plate -like parts connected with fasteners and rivets, and over time, cracks develop around the fastener holes due to metal fatigue’. She went on to say that the life span of an aircraft is determined by the manufacturer and is ‘usually based on take-off and landing cycles’. On short haul flights, fuselage and wings are affected everyday as they go through pressurization cycles; long haul flights not so much. Hence aircrafts used for long haul flights can last 20yrs or more as some Boeing 747’s are 25-30yrs old and still in service. Basically, your everyday plane used for short haul flights tend to have a shorter life span than the long haul ones and manufacturers also have an ‘estimated’  date for when its aircrafts should be finally decommissioned or retired. So I am hoping the authorities start making their enquiries along these lines.

The second aspect is the rumour/story surrounding the president’s wife. The story is that she was in Lagos at the time and due to security re the president’s wife, the airspace was closed or restricted. Am sorry - this is very divisive, mischievous and coming from people trying to score cheap political points. I am not a GEJ (president) apologist, just to make things clear. The September 11 (9/11) saga has shown the world that terrorists can strike by any means necessary. How many airborne scares have we had in the last few years? We can’t forget the ‘shoe bomber’ Richard Reid or the ‘underwear bomber’ our very own Mutallab; both who tried to blow up airplanes in mid-air. If the Nigerian government makes an informed decision to restrict or close its airspace due any perceived security threat which may put the First Lady in harm’s way, (other VIP’s inclusively) then they are in the right to do so; although the government has already stated that it hadn’t. The restriction of a country’s airspace is a common practice all over the world. When Michelle Obama and her daughter visited Spain in 2010, she was flanked by 68 US agents amid a tight security. Supposing there was a terrorist attack on that day, wouldn’t there be a total security crackdown in the area and a possible airspace restriction? Come the London Olympics, there will be considerable restriction of the airspace during this event; see this http://olympics.airspacesafety.com/.  On more than 2 occasions this month (June), fighter jets have been scrambled to intercept violating planes on Obama’s tours. Sometime in 2007, a small airplane flew over President Bush’s Texas ranch while he was at the location with his wife, thereby violating airspace restriction and fighter Jets were scrambled to intercept the plane – although it came to nothing afterwards. Also during a presidential visit to Chicago in Aug 2007, two F-16 fighter jets intercepted a kit plane flown by a 75years old female after flying into a restricted territory. There are currently 49 temporary flight restrictions over the US airspace according to the FAA's (Federal aviation administration) website, including one restriction that's been in place since 2008 over Mt. Kilauea in Hawaii, an active volcano. Lastly, for anyone who has ever flown, we know that planes fly in a ‘holding pattern’ whilst waiting to be cleared to land at airports. This process can go on for several minutes before being cleared to land due to traffic or any other safety related incident on the ground; if this plane wasn’t able to ‘hold’ for a few minutes, then it wasn’t fit to fly (for those blaming the crash on the First Lady, due to the plane being delayed in the air).

Finally, my grouse is not with Dana airlines/owners or even the engineers; it is with the authority. Oh my God, don’t we have people on the ground who can certify if a plane is good to go or not? If a plane is sky worthy?  Yes, the owners wanted the plane to fly at all costs for financial gains and yes the engineers working on the plane said it wasn’t fit to fly; but who and what authority gave the go ahead for this plane to go into service after coming in from repairs? Where are the documents to show or certify that all checks and faults had been looked into or could it be that an individual was bribed to sign off this aircraft to fly? Someone must have sold out! For the love of God, our planes should be facing rigorous and robust checks before ferrying people from A to B. I am sure that in Nigeria just like the US and Europe, there are periodic checks that are carried out on aircrafts. In the US (with Europe and Canada) we have what is known as ‘Aircraft maintenance checks’ that are approved by the FAA or other such authorities. There is the ‘A CHECK’ which is performed every 500-800 hours of flying time. This check can be done over-night and can take up to 24 hours to perform. There is also the ‘B CHECK’ that is done every 4-6 months and can take up to 3 days to be performed. ‘C CHECK’ is done every 15-21 months or a specific amount of flying time determined the manufacturer. This can take anywhere from 1-2 weeks, it is extensive and puts the aircraft out of service until completed. The last one which is called a ‘D Check’ is the most comprehensive. This is carried out every 5-6 years where the whole plane is summarily disassembled, piece by piece. It can take up to 2 months to complete and cost anywhere up to a million dollars. On the average commercial flights perform 2-3 ‘ D checks’ before they are decommissioned or retired - so with this information, we should be  able to determine and estimate the life span for our domestic airlines.  

So the question is - do we have equivalents in Nigeria for these types of checks (I am sure we do; if we don’t, then…. No way, we must have), who or what authority is in charge of these checks? Who sits at the head of this authority? In many other countries this person would have been sacked or if he had a conscience he would have resigned... questions , questions, questions as we wait for the black box to be processed for more insight into the cause of the crash ( black box has been sent to the US for analysis)..We wait……. RIP #DanaVictims, #Dana153

Twit? Follow me @mexy7777


HOA , salute!

food for thought -UK living

 UK LIVING. Searching for greener pastures has always been synonymous with Nigerians. I remember the famous NTA advert of Andy 'checking out'. Nigerians have always dreamt of faraway lands. The cause of recent migration ( within the last 30yrs) can be mainly attributed to economic factor, every other excuse or reason is second to this; but the possibility of a shock awaits a good proportion of people who make this great journey. All might not be what it seems when one arrives. After arrival, the main priority for them is to find a job. So they expect to work, work, and work… and then work some more all in the name of making serious money to possibly send back home.

I will like to break down the categories of people involved in this exodus. In my humble opinion, I feel there are 2 categories of people who make this great journey. The first are those 'Without paper' and secondly, those 'With paper' (either by birth, or via highly skilled programmes). 'Paper' here means –the ability to work. There's a group of people who would fit in either category and they are called STUDENTS. Students are allowed to work for the duration of their study so they can be tagged 'With paper' but come end of the course, they are expected to leave the country. So when and if they overstay they are then 'Without paper'. In the past (less likely now) those 'without paper' or illegal immigrants, found it easier to find jobs (there are JOBS and there are JOBS) because there were some unscrupulous people/companies that would employ and pay you 'under the table' (without you presenting the proper documentation) because they could exploit you. This is the way it works - he employs and pays you less than what the market is offering because he knows you won't complain due to your illegal status. Let's say the market rate was going for £6/hr, he would pay half of that or even worse. It works for you because you are getting paid at least. Obviously you won't go reporting to the authorities because you will be arrested, detained and shipped back to MOTHERLAND for being illegal in the first place. But now that loophole has been closed by EU immigrants who have the 'paper' and also offer cheap labour like you. So it makes sense for an employer to take in EU immigrants rather than you

What makes you illegal? The visa you got from Lagos/Abuja explicitly states that you are strictly here on visiting purposes or for school and after a certain date you are expected to leave the country, but NO you haven't left, hence you have become an illegal, Simple. Now this is where the make or break HUSTLE begins for you. You start thinking of getting married to a British/EU citizen as this is the only way to legalize yourself (mainly the only way). At this stage in your sojourn, you may or may not have a job, even if you have a job, it is HIGHLY likely its nothing to write home about and the future looks bleak. To go back to Nigeria isn't an option because you told everyone you were leaving for good. At this time it is very likely that you are using a fake passport with a fake name to seek for job opportunities because your real passport will show your EXPIRED status. Using a fake name can be harmful in some ways because any previous qualifications or career that you previously had can't be referenced in any job you are going for. For those on Face book, they would have their pictures put up showing them enjoying the 'good life', meanwhile this may not be the case. Being illegal has caused some people to miss their father's burial because if you go back you can't come in. Some have been here for donkey years and might never go back. Legalising yourself may take a good part of 10-15yrs. Some more and some very few

2ND PHASE - YOU ARE NOW LEGAL/ YOU HAVE PAPERS

BUT some people are lucky and things work out for them, they get married or get legal some other way. Then the HUSTLE starts. After paying your DUES (menial jobs or the like) you will most likely arrive at this stage where your first decent job awaits you. Now you are on par with fellow documented Nigerians  'With paper' and you think it's all good because all the while you have been saying to yourself 'if I only I was legal, I will make so much money'. Here's the shock, there's a high possibility that you will end up being an average UK salary earner of £23, 244/per annum according to 'The telegraph'. This is 75% of UK citizens. This equates to around £1,497/month after tax; this is likely to be less after your work pension and union money has been deducted. Do people earn more? 'Yes' and can people earn less? - 'VERY BIG YES'. Now the aforementioned salary isn't bad in itself if you respect yourself and live within your means. On this salary you will live by but don't expect to build a house or REPRESENT in Nigeria with it. You will be lucky to save £100/month; ok let's work with £200. If you save £200/month for 5yrs this will equate to £12,000; the equivalent of three (3) million Naira. Saving £200/month means, you don't send money to your mother, father, siblings in Nigeria or you don't have kids, not married, not renting a flat/house/Mortgage/no car. Basically you will have to be stingy and be living in shared accommodation to make these savings. To get a mortgage on this level will be difficult. On this level, you can travel to Nigeria after careful planning; you can have a comfortable/content lifestyle and afford the good things of life (which is standard and basic). Your money can only sustain you here. Forget trying to invest in Nigeria or doing any capital intensive project because you can't.  Your chances increase slightly/marginally when you get married. Your wife may be among the 75% of UK average earners or bottom 25% that earn less than you. With combined incomes and a good wife or if you are good towards your wife you can possibly do more. Get a qualification if you haven't got one or rack on experience. In this phase you will have kids and become entrenched in the society and disposable income becomes non-existent. Husband and wife needs to encourage themselves. Run away from debts. Say no to credit cards if you don't know how to spend wisely. It's very difficult to leave this phase. The idea is to move out from this class as soon as possible. It's sad to say that most people will live and die in this class/phase – nothing wrong with it though (depending on your life goals).

3^rd PHASE: Hustling but making progress.

£31,759 is the magic number. That's what you earn per annum. You are now among the top 25% of UK earners. You bring back home £1,986 net; again this is likely be less after your work pension and union money has been deducted. You begin to get involved in the society. You are middle class proper. You will want a mortgage. Your bills weigh you down. You are lucky if you don't have credit card bills and loans – VERY UNLIKELY, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. You have kids, car/cars etc. With a good wife and good planning you will dare to believe. Your combined incomes make you a 'mini-force'. You are in mid-level management position or along those lines. The future is bright only if you believe; but you are not out the woods yet, just in case you start thinking you can buy that house/land in Nigeria. On this level you can go to the bank and borrow a substantial amount of money to buy that Nigerian property/land that has been your dream, but your loan repayments and other financial commitments will perpetually render you broke at the end of every month. On the other hand, if you have wrecked your CREDIT WORTHINESS in the 2^nd phase, to get a loan from a bank is impossible. In this phase, your disposable income is strained because by now you have so much coming out from your account that taking on any Nigerian project may very well be unwise. Agreements between husband and wife is paramount here, please be at PEACE. You still may not be able to take on Nigeria. You may start thinking of relocating to Nigeria; this is easier said than done. If you are here it is very possible to get to the next phase, don't slow down. Wives should encourage their men and husbands likewise.    

4th AND FINAL PHASE..AND OTHER PHASES

You think you have arrived or have finally achieved your goals by landing that dream job. Welcome to the top 10% of UK earners, £39000 - £44000/per annum. After tax, your take home will be between £2,400-£2,600/monthly. Ha ha, I see you smiling now, yeah am smiling too. As usual this is likely to be less after your work pension and union money has been deducted. If you are married to a good wife (or if you are good towards your wife) and you plan well the sky is your limit. But getting here can be very tricky and difficult. Not everyone achieves this status, you may never get here. At this level, you should have acquired enough working experience and your CV will have to look strong. This is likely to be a proper management position, highly skilled position or along those lines. You would have paid enough DUES to get here. The truth is you still might not be able to buy that small house you want in Abuja or Lagos that is going for 7 million naira (around these figures). At this time you have a mortgage, a nice car and kids. Yes, after careful planning too you can afford a plane ticket to Nigeria for visits and this might be all that you can do in regards with investing in Nigeria, YOU STILL DO NOT HAVE MONEY TO COMPETE WITH YOUR MATES BACK HOME. The idea is not to compete but do what you NEED to do back home. At this time in your life, it is possible that you may be considering going back to Nigeria for good because you have the good experience but… it is easier said than done. You will really have to get a good job in Nigeria that can pay for the same quality of life you and your family enjoy in the UK. Only perseverance of that which you really want will propel you to a higher dream.

There is a top 5% that earn £52,000 - £6100/per annum and a top 1% of £117,000-150,000/per annum. If you find yourself in the top 1%, you should be giving back to Nigeria and you better start making yourself very relevant in Nigeria political and socioeconomic processes. If in the top 1%, I respect you because you are and should be an authority in your field. It is very easy for you to find a good quality job in Nigeria if you really want to relocate. It will be a very big shame on you if you are bugged down with too much debt/credit agreement that has now brought you down to the phase 2/3 level. It's not what you earn that matters, it's what you have left after your monthly financial commitments. Being in debt can kill you in this country. You MUST be a role model for your people because you are a testimony. Your stories/travails should be a source of encouragement to others.

Lastly, it is not impossible to achieve and realise ones goals in the UK, it’s a matter of perseverance and faith. I know that a vast majority of Nigerians can’t afford a land/property in Abuja or Lagos, but for the Nigerians who live in the UK there are too many success stories coming out from Nigeria (whether this is true or not we don't know); hence the unending longings to relocate back home. There is that feeling among Nigerians in diaspora/UK that Nigeria could offer them more.

N.B. These are my personal opinions. Figures used are mainly for people employed in the public sector/civil servants. This theory can be applied to the private sector employees too. Business owners are not accounted for. 2008 references sourced. With inflation and recession in world economies now, these figures should be very relevant in 2011.

Do you tweet? Follow me on twitter @mexy7777

References

http://en.wikipehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/7903432/Average-household-bill-higher-than-average-salary.htmldia.org/wiki/Income_in_the_United_Kingdom

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8151355.stm

Food for thought part 2

 

  

Food for thought Part 2 - Oil.

 

I write as a lay man….

 

What if there is a decline in the demand for oil in the very near future? What if there was a massive shift towards other cheaper and efficient sources of energy today?  If major consumers of oil like USA, EU and China etc find cheaper and alternative sources, where does that leave us? According to the IMF, Oil/Petroleum contributes about 95% of foreign exchange earnings to our GDP and 80% of the Federal Government of Nigeria's (FGN) revenue which only benefits 1% percent of the population in Nigeria. Did I hear you say 1%? Yeah you heard right . Agriculture also accounts for 25% of GDP which is a major source of income for two-third (2/3) of the population (didn't know that). There are still other non oil sectors like telecommunication, services, retail etc that are making a substantial contribution. But the worrying aspect for me is that 80% of our revenue comes from the oil sector. Can you imagine this being wiped out or to suffer a substantial hit/dent? I shudder.

With western economies experiencing financial difficulties, upward trend  of unemployment levels, rising cost of energy - like the UK where the cost of gas and electric have been on the rise, people are having to make tough decisions between their needs versus wants.  According to the telegraph, 1.3 million people have been driven off  UK's roads this year as a result of rising costs of petrol. Fuel efficient vehicles and electric cars are very much the desired vehicles to have. The United Sates is no different as a report in 2010 stated that that US was spending approximately a $1billion a day overseas on oil. I would like to think that this wouldn't go in indefinitely. In the US, Vehicle manufacturers are now being mandated to make fuel efficient cars. There is a proposal by the white house to the motor industry to achieve a 56.2mpg from its current level of 27.3mpg by 2025 for today's average cars and trucks and not meeting this requirement will result in a pay/fine for every car that fails to achieve this standard. The US motor industry is already struggling to meet a 2016 deadline of 35.5mpg and from 2017 carmakers will be required to achieve a 5% improvement in fuel efficiency. Now whether these will be achieved is a matter for debate but we can all agree that the US (and other various governments) government is taking necessary steps to reduce their dependence on petrol/oil. Also going on in the West is the 'GREEN' revolution. It is now fashionable to be 'green' and the otherwise is socially frowned upon.

 

Now what's our (Naija) strategic plan for all these? Are we diversifying quickly enough? Are we re-investing the revenues from the oil sector towards the other non-oil sectors? Check this out, the projected budget sale price of oil for 2011 is $65 per barrel at an estimated export rate of 1.9 million barrels per day and expected revenue is £52.2 billion. As at 31st July 2011 Brent crude was £117 and as at the time of this write-up its $109.37. When you do the sums, we should have a huge surplus of more than $40 billion. So, if we believe what the World Bank is saying, this money would have been shared or is being shared by a certain 1% of the population (OMG, Na so!)

The idea would have been that due to the astronomical cost in crude especially in the last few years, this would have presented a great opportunity to invest in a different sector like agriculture which is currently a major source of income for two- third of the population. Our biggest trading partners are really re-thinking their attitude towards oil/petrol consumption but I am not sure if they can really wean themselves of crude as quickly as they'll love to but I bet that they can reduce their consumptions. The mere fact that they're thinking about it should be a wake-up call for Naija. The United States account for 40% of our oil exports (our largest trading partner) and as stated previously here, they're making considerable efforts to reduce dependency on oil. The United Kingdom and EU account for 24%. The EU is even more stringent than the US in the area of Co2 emission for cars and machineries and this is the reason for the growth of fuel efficient cars on EU roads.  In the UK, the cost road tax (having your vehicle on the road) is dependent on Co2 emission of the said vehicle. For example, a 2005 Mercedes M- class (ML320 CDI SE 5D Tip Auto) will cost about £460 per annum to keep on the road, while the 2006-2008 model will cost £260. The UK practices a band system where all vehicles fall into categories A to M.  With 'A' paying nothing at all, 'B' - £20 per annum and at the end of the spectrum – 'M' costing $460 p/a. In the EU, a huge number of the new cars manufactured are more fuel efficient compared to their previous models, although expensive to the average person for now, the strategic idea is that in 10yrs time these new cars will become second hand vehicles, very affordable to the average people and we'll have more on the road. As the trend continues, a time will come where only fuel efficient vehicles will be on the road. Future cars will be better at fuel consumption when compared to their 2010/2011 counterparts and this will in turn reduce fuel consumption by EU on a considerable proportion.

Asia, Brazil and South Africa who account for 20%, 10% and 4% of our oil exports respectively are also seeking to make changes as there is a huge outcry from international bodies for all and especially Asia to reduce its carbon emission/Co2 and the likes. The outcry to reduce CO2/carbon emission is now global, whether this will happen or not, we'll wait and see.

 

Summarily , the world is making strategic plans to go green, be fuel efficient, reduce CO2/carbon print, seeking alternative  source of energy; are we as a country supposed to sit idly-by and watch whilst this happens? With our windfalls in oil revenue, isn't it sensible we try investing in multiple sources of income for the country? Even if the world continues in their oil consumption, shouldn't we still invest in other places? It can be argued that oil consumption is here to stay for the foreseeable future but it can't be overlooked that steps are being taken in the West to reduce consumption.  It is very possible that we might get to a time when these Western countries who make up for more than 60% of our oil exports begin to import less due to better efficiencies re their machineries and it's also very possible that when this happens the huge demand for oil may not be there anymore causing the price in oil to drop considerably. I know that this write-up has focused mainly on vehicles but as at 2009, that's about 900 million vehicles (cars and light trucks) worldwide we're talking about – roughly one car per eleven people. That's a lot of petrol/diesel cars that will be forced to improve their fuel efficiency. I also know that factories apply oil in their processes and also crude derivatives are used in plastics and other various products; but there is a general/worldwide trend towards reduction in Co2 emission from cars, factories and machineries. The big question is do we do nothing and hope that oil will always be in demand a thousand years from now or do something like investing in other sectors, seek major multiple streams of income  and diversify? Irrespective of global trends towards oil, let's hope the latter. Lastly, I stand corrected on anything in my submission above.

Food for thought?

I was just thinking of the potential we have as a people and as a country. kai, our GDP has been between  6 to more than 8% in the last 2years , mostly dependant on oil( Google it). Western European countries and the US will give an arm and a leg to have this sort of GDP. China's GDP has been growing at the average of 10% yearly in the last 30years (Wikipedia). UK grew 0.5 in the 1st quarter of 2011 and the US grew less than 2% in the 1st quarter of 2011 as well.  Many more developed countries are struggling. These countries engage in the full productivity of its people. i.e. everyone works and accounts for their time at work.  Every 8/10/12hrs shift is fully accounted for. When you go to work, it is expected that you mostly remain busy until break time and then after break you go for the last lap. These people work hard to earn their wages. 

Now compare 9ja, where my people who are civil servants (state and federal) lie idle at work. For those of them who happen to be in offices that have internet hooked up PC's, they browse, they chat and while away time (most of them). Come end of the month you get paid.  Don't get me wrong, most of these guys want to work (or maybe some?) but there simply isn't any work for them to do. As a very good friend told me over the phone "Jigga, we wan work but work no dey for us to do" sitting in his office browsing.  

Check this out - one achieves his first degree in a Nigerian university and then goes abroad to get a Masters degree. He then comes back home and is made to waste away in an office doing nothing.  This is mind bugling... all that education and its being wasted like that?

In my opinion we run the biggest welfare/benefit system in the world (the west can’t touch us) where you employ people and pay them for doing nothing. And guess what? GDP is great!  Now imagine if my people were being productive at work and how this would reflect nationally..olboy e , we go de laff go bank nationally and that might be another stream of income for the us. We'll probably be ahead of the Chinese. So in a nutshell, 9ja’s GDP is great even after all these. So make we make people work nah?

What china is doing now is not new. These guys are making products en mass; whatever you want, China will produce (and they make it cheap). Way back when, my people made clothes and other items but we called it "ABA MADE" and my people knock am. My people made sure you are a laughing stock when you were caught in the possession of these so called "ABA MADE" products. Now the Chinese are doing the same thing that the ABA people were doing; the so called fake and low quality products, but guess what - the world is flocking to China for these products. If 'ABA MADE' was allowed to grow in 9ja, the country would have been a financial hub for the whole world just like China is now. Kai, imagine looking at the back of your TV, Radio, laptop etc and seeing that print “Made in 9ja"...OMG that'll be a great feeling for Naij People and we will make it cheaper than China or anyone else, trust us nah. 

Summarily, my points are as follows. 1. Can we try and make those employed in the public sector, i.e. civil service more productive? Abeg make we try small.

2. Let’s try to patronise ‘our own’. Can we as a government/people encourage manufacturers? Let’s go back to the drawing board. Most times these manufacturers just need little capital to add a bit of quality to an already working product.