For Your Partnership to Succeed, It Needs to Be Balanced

I've written about the importance of starting a business with a co-founder to more effectively share in the responsibilities and decision-making -- and I do continue to believe that it’s extremely important to have a co-founder.
With that said, there are certainly a handful of important points that lie within both the business and the partnership that you must address and, most important, address them before they happen so that you don’t find yourself in a situation where your success, and that of your company, is at risk.
Related: 10 Characteristics of Unstoppable Partnerships
The best partnerships come when you’ve found another person that doesn’t share the same capabilities and/or thought processes. To be specific, someone that’s not like you. So in order to get the benefits of a true partnership, you need to have some opposing ideas and differing but complimentary skill sets and although you both need to know and understand what is going in throughout the company, it’s really important that you’re not sharing every decision.
Part of an effective partnership is knowing that you can trust your counterpart to do what’s best and make the right decisions in their day-to-day responsibilities. Of course you need to work together on the larger decisions that affect the direction of your company, but if you’re both overseeing the same things, it’s going to quickly feel like one person is looking over the other’s shoulder. Also, this is completely inefficient.

How do you communicate?

Startups move fast and, as a result, require fast decisions -- that’s what gives new companies a huge advantage against larger and more rigid established competitors. So you’re not going to be able to talk about every single decision -- as covered in the previous point -- but you do need to understand what’s going on throughout the broader context of the company, which comes with communication.
Related: 7 Strategies to Help You Pick, Then Develop, the Perfect Partner
Make sure that you set up a specific date and time for a weekly meeting, whether at the beginning or end of the week -- or maybe both -- and use the opportunity to discuss the greater decisions that were or need to be made so you can both add in from your differing view points or areas of expertise to come to the best decisions for your company.

You absolutely must set expectations.

This point is really one that needs to be established well before a formal partnership is structured -- although I realize that sometimes it’s just not that simple. You and your partner(s) need to have an understanding, in writing, as to who is responsible for what and what the expectations are for your time and responsibilities, as well as any financial commitments.
It’s really easy to just believe that you’re friends and you’ll work anything out and it may be uncomfortable to sit and hammer out expectations, but when things get really difficult, everyone’s true colors show and you need to be able to refer to a written agreement to hold others accountable.

12 Things Successful People Never Reveal About Themselves at Work

The following list contains the 12 most common things people reveal that send their careers careening in the wrong direction.

1. That They Hate Their Job

The last thing anyone wants to hear at work is someone complaining about how much they hate their job. Doing so labels you as a negative person, who is not a team player. This brings down the morale of the group. Bosses are quick to catch on to naysayers who drag down morale, and they know that there are always enthusiastic replacements waiting just around the corner.

2. That They Think Someone Is Incompetent

There will always be incompetent people in any workplace, and chances are that everyone knows who they are. If you don’t have the power to help them improve or to fire them, then you have nothing to gain by broadcasting their ineptitude. Announcing your colleague’s incompetence comes across as an insecure attempt to make you look better. Your callousness will inevitably come back to haunt you in the form of your coworkers’ negative opinions of you.

3. How Much Money They Make

Your parents may love to hear all about how much you’re pulling in each month, but in the workplace, this only breeds negativity. It’s impossible to allocate salaries with perfect fairness, and revealing yours gives your coworkers a direct measure of comparison. As soon as everyone knows how much you make, everything you do at work is considered against your income. It’s tempting to swap salary figures with a buddy out of curiosity, but the moment you do, you’ll never see each other the same way again.

4. Their Political and Religious Beliefs

People’s political and religious beliefs are too closely tied to their identities to be discussed without incident at work. Disagreeing with someone else’s views can quickly alter their otherwise strong perception of you. Confronting someone’s core values is one of the most insulting things you can do.
Granted, different people treat politics and religion differently, but asserting your values can alienate some people as quickly as it intrigues others. Even bringing up a hot-button world event without asserting a strong opinion can lead to conflict.
People build their lives around their ideals and beliefs, and giving them your two cents is risky. Be willing to listen to others without inputting anything on your end because all it takes is a disapproving look to start a conflict. Political opinions and religious beliefs are so deeply ingrained in people, that challenging their views is more likely to get you judged than to change their mind.

5. What They Do on Facebook

The last thing your boss wants to see when she logs on to her Facebook account is photos of you taking tequila shots in Tijuana. There are just too many ways you can look inappropriate on Facebook and leave a bad impression. It could be what you’re wearing, who you’re with, what you’re doing, or even your friends’ commentary. These are the little things that can cast a shadow of doubt in your boss’s or colleagues’ minds just when they are about to hand you a big assignment or recommend you for a promotion.
It’s too difficult to try to censure yourself on Facebook for your colleagues. Save yourself the trouble, and don’t friend them there. Let LinkedIn be your professional “social” network, and save Facebook for everybody else.
Related: 10 Truths We Forget Too Easily

6. What They Do in the Bedroom

Whether your sex life is out of this world or lacking entirely, this information has no place at work. Such comments might get a chuckle from some people, but it makes most uncomfortable, and even offended. Crossing this line will instantly give you a bad reputation.

7. What They Think Someone Else Does in the Bedroom

A good 111% of the people you work with do not want to know that you bet they’re tigers in the sack. There’s no more surefire way to creep someone out than to let them know that thoughts of their love life have entered your brain. Anything from speculating on a colleague’s sexual orientation to making a relatively indirect comment like, “Oh, to be a newlywed again,” plants a permanent seed in the brains of all who hear it that casts you in a negative light.
Your thoughts are your own. Think whatever you feel is right about people; just keep it to yourself.

8. That They’re After Somebody Else’s Job

Announcing your ambitions at work when they are in direct conflict with other people’s interests comes across as selfish and indifferent to those you work with and the company as a whole. Great employees want the whole team to succeed, not just themselves. Regardless of your actual motives (some of us really do just work for the money), announcing your selfish goal will not help you get there.

9. How Wild They Used To Be in College

Your past can say a lot about you. Just because you did something outlandish or stupid 20 years ago doesn’t mean that people will believe you’ve developed impeccable judgment since then. Some behavior that might qualify as just another day in the typical fraternity (binge drinking, minor theft, drunk driving, abusing people or farm animals, and so on) shows everyone you work with that, when push comes to shove, you have poor judgment and don’t know where to draw the line. Many presidents have been elected in spite of their past indiscretions, but unless you have a team of handlers and PR types protecting and spinning your image, you should keep your unsavory past to yourself.

10. How Intoxicated They Like to Get

You might think talking about how inebriated you were over the weekend has no effect on how you’re viewed at work. After all, if you’re a good worker, then you’re a good worker, right? Unfortunately not. Sharing this will not get people to think you’re fun. Instead, they will see you as unpredictable, immature, and lacking in good judgment. Too many people have negative views of drugs and alcohol for you to reveal how much you love to indulge in them.

11. An Offensive Joke

If there’s one thing we can learn from celebrities, it’s to be careful about what you say and whom you say it to. Offensive jokes make other people feel terrible, and they make you look terrible. They also happen to be much less funny than clever jokes.
A joke crosses the line anytime you try to gauge its appropriateness based on how close you are with someone. If there is anyone who would be offended by your joke, you are better off not telling it. You never know whom people know or what experiences they’ve had in life that can lead your joke to tread on subjects that they take very seriously.

12. That They Are Job Hunting

When I was a kid, I told my baseball coach I was quitting in two weeks. For the next two weeks, I found myself riding the bench. It got even worse after those two weeks when I decided to stay, and I became “the kid who doesn’t even want to be here.” I was crushed, but it was my own fault; I told him my decision before it was certain.
The same thing happens when you tell people that you’re job hunting. Once you reveal that you’re planning to leave, you suddenly become a waste of everyone’s time. There’s also the chance that your hunt will be unsuccessful, so it’s best to wait until you’ve found a job before you tell anyone. Otherwise, you will end up riding the bench.

Desmond Elliot Hangs-out With Samuel Ortom, Benue State Governor (Photos)

Nollywood actor and member of Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliott met with Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, today in the state's capital, Makurdi. They discussed youth mobilisation.

Source:http://www.nationalhelm.com/2015/06/photos-desmond-elliot-meets-with-benue.html

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4 Weeks In Power : Ikpeazu Changing The Face Of Aba Roads

Governor of Abia state Dr Okezie Ikpeazu on inspection of construction and dualization of Old Express Road by Faulks Road, Kamalu Street, Osisoma, Ururuka road, Ukegbu/Umuola/Ehere roads in Ogbo-Hill and Azikiwe Road Aba

Re: 4 Weeks In Power : Ikpeazu Changing

NASS Crisis: How I Escaped Abduction — Saraki

17 days after his election, Senator Bukola Saraki, Saturday, opened up on the controversial poll, saying those in opposition to him planned to abduct him to prevent him from emerging as Senate President.

Saraki disclosed that, on Tuesday, June 9, Senate inauguration day, following information he got of the abduction plot to keep him off the National Assembly, he altered his schedule by arriving the parliament car park at 6am, stayed in his car and then trekked at quarter to 10am into the chamber.

He dismissed the insinuation that for him to win, he entered into a pact with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Senator Ike Ekweremadu to be produced as his deputy, just as he stressed that the absence of All Progressives Congress, APC, senators in the chamber paved the way for the emergence of Ekweremadu.

The Senate President, who noted that the emergence of Ekweremadu will make things difficult for him, said, “Never in our wildest imagination did we envisage that some senators would not be present on the day of the inauguration.”

Speaking with journalists, in Abuja, Saraki insisted that he never got any message to attend a meeting at the International Conference Centre (ICC) with President Muhammadu Buhari on the Senate inauguration day. “First of all, as regards the meeting (at ICC), on the morning of the inauguration, I didn’t finish at a meeting until 4:00am of that day and I had got information that efforts would likely be made to make sure that I didn’t get access into the chamber”, he said.

Leadership Playbook: 3 Ways to Coach, Not Criticize, Employees

Here are three steps to help you turn cricitism into coaching so that employees welcome your feedback:
1. Define the goal.
Feedback works so well in competition because the common goal -- to win -- outweighs the coach's discomfort in giving cricism and the player's discomfort in receiving it. Olympic athletes don't resent getting criticism on how to improve. In fact, they resent not getting the proper insight that might help them win medals.
So what is your business's goal? Unless you have a startup that's trying to change the world, like Apple in its early years, I find personal goals that also benefit the company resonate better with employees than big-picture company goals.
For example, an employee will be more motivated to achieve a personal goal of $1 million in sales than to help the company as a whole make $10 million in sales. All employees have career goals even if they don't tell you about them. The key is to find out what goal each person has that benefits both the individual and the company. Agree to work together to help them achieve it.
2. Set feedback expectations early and often.
Once a goal has been defined, set the expectation that employees will receive informal performance feedback. You can give feedback as often as daily for someone in a new role to monthly for a veteran running her own division of your business. Most employees would benefit from even 30 seconds of feedback delivered most weeks. Tell them how often you will provide feedback and that they should ask you for it if you forget.
3. Start every discussion with the goal.
Start every feedback discussion with the employee's bigger picture: "John, I have some suggestions to help you achieve your goal of $1 million in sales." Notice the keywords in the phrase: "you" and "your." By making the conversation about the employee's goal, your critique lays the groundwork for a welcome conversation instead of a confrontational one. Always frame the discussion as a way to help your employees achieve what's important to them.
Coaching feedback helps competitors win medals and trophies, so there's no reason it can't help you and your employees achieve business success.
What strategies are you using to coach employees to be better performers? Let us know in the comments below.

5 Secrets to Coaching Your Employees to Greatness

To integrate coaching into your talent management strategy, the following five steps should be taken:

1. Educate your leaders

Start at the top and educate your executives on the differences and benefits of coaching versus counseling. Interview them on their perspectives on coaching and assess their willingness to participate and support a coaching initiative. Explain the benefits of coaching and ask them where they see applications for coaching inside their organizations.

2. Identify coaches, participants and executive sponsors

Look for individuals and managers that can become trained to be internal coaches inside your company. These individuals may be inside your talent management and organizational development areas or could exist inside the business itself. Consider having talent management or human resources executives trained and credentialed by the International Coach Federation as professional coaches. Alternatively, you may choose to utilize external coaches. If so, you can submit a request via the International Coach Federation Coach Referral Service website or ask colleagues for recommendations.
Simultaneously, you will want to identify candidates to participate in the coaching program. Participants should be excited to be part of the program and willing to make a commitment. Just as important as identifying the coaches and participants is to make certain that you have executive sponsorship. Determine which executives would like to sponsor the program and be a participant. Request that they support you in your coach and participant identification, marketing efforts, during participant enrollment and throughout the program’s life cycle.
Related: Leadership Playbook: 3 Ways to Coach, Not Criticize,

3. Manage expectations

Be sure to clearly set expectations with your internal coaches, individuals being coached, the executive sponsors and, of course, your managers and colleagues. It is best to run the initial program as a pilot and build upon its success. Make certain everyone is clear on the goals of the program, time commitment and their roles and responsibilities.

4. Train

Enroll your internal coach candidates in a coach-training program that is designed to train individuals that work inside companies as a coach. If you choose to enroll internal employees to become coaches, ensure they’re being coached by a coach with experience coaching internal coaches. In addition, be sure to train the individuals who are to be coached on the role and responsibilities of the participant, while establishing a clear and consistent process for enrolling clients, coaching time and exiting clients.

5. Measure success

Prior to starting the program, determine how you will measure its success. It may be done simply by using a net–promoter score or setting up a simple impact study. (It doesn’t have to be a rigorous measurement such as ROI.) If your program is embraced and utilized (coaching clients show up and participate in the coaching), then that’s a great sign. Interviewing them or surveying them on the benefits they received is also an excellent idea. In addition, be sure to ask the managers of the program’s participants about the changes they may have noticed in their employee’s behaviors after being coached.
In a time where we’re surrounded by change and have so many demands on our personal and professional lives, the need for coaching is at an all-time high. Coaching is a model for engagement, empowerment and accountability. It teaches those being coached to be responsible and to “own” their results. By engaging in coaching, you’re making a decision to replace mediocrity with high-performance.

For Your Partnership to Succeed, It Needs to Be Balanced

The best partnerships come when you’ve found another person that doesn’t share the same capabilities and/or thought processes. To be specific, someone that’s not like you. So in order to get the benefits of a true partnership, you need to have some opposing ideas and differing but complimentary skill sets and although you both need to know and understand what is going in throughout the company, it’s really important that you’re not sharing every decision.
Part of an effective partnership is knowing that you can trust your counterpart to do what’s best and make the right decisions in their day-to-day responsibilities. Of course you need to work together on the larger decisions that affect the direction of your company, but if you’re both overseeing the same things, it’s going to quickly feel like one person is looking over the other’s shoulder. Also, this is completely inefficient.

How do you communicate?

Startups move fast and, as a result, require fast decisions -- that’s what gives new companies a huge advantage against larger and more rigid established competitors. So you’re not going to be able to talk about every single decision -- as covered in the previous point -- but you do need to understand what’s going on throughout the broader context of the company, which comes with communication.
Related: 7 Strategies to Help You Pick, Then Develop, the Perfect Partner
Make sure that you set up a specific date and time for a weekly meeting, whether at the beginning or end of the week -- or maybe both -- and use the opportunity to discuss the greater decisions that were or need to be made so you can both add in from your differing view points or areas of expertise to come to the best decisions for your company.

You absolutely must set expectations.

This point is really one that needs to be established well before a formal partnership is structured -- although I realize that sometimes it’s just not that simple. You and your partner(s) need to have an understanding, in writing, as to who is responsible for what and what the expectations are for your time and responsibilities, as well as any financial commitments.
It’s really easy to just believe that you’re friends and you’ll work anything out and it may be uncomfortable to sit and hammer out expectations, but when things get really difficult, everyone’s true colors show and you need to be able to refer to a written agreement to hold others accountable.
Related: How to Survive Losing Your Star Employee or Partner

21 Success Tips for Young and Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Being successful often means learning from those who have already achieved their goals. Having a mentor is an amazing blessing to an entrepreneur, but not everyone can find one in person.
If you haven’t yet found your personal business guru, here are 21 tips for young or aspiring entrepreneur to help get you started.

1. Challenge yourself. 

Richard Branson says his biggest motivation is to keep challenging himself. He treats life like one long university education, where he can learn more every day. You can too!

2. Do work you care about. 

There’s no doubt that running a business take a lot of time. Steve Jobs noted that the only way to be satisfied in your life is to do work that you truly believe in.

3. Take the risk. 

We never know the outcome of our efforts unless we actually do it. Jeff Bezos said it helped to know that he wouldn’t regret failure, but he would regret not trying.
Related: The 3 Key Elements to Make Your Business a Success

4. Believe in yourself.

As Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” Believe that you can succeed, and you’ll find ways through different obstacles. If you don’t, you’ll just find excuses.

5. Have a vision. 

The founder and CEO of Tumblr, David Karp, notes that an entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a desire to create it. Keep your vision clear at all times.

6. Find good people. 

Who you’re with is who you become. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, noted that the fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be.

7. Face your fears. 

Overcoming fear isn’t easy, but it must be done. Arianna Huffington once said that she found fearlessness was like a muscle -- the more she exercised it, the stronger it became.

8. Take action. 

The world is full of great ideas, but success only comes through action. Walt Disney once said that the easiest way to get started is to quit talking and start doing. That’s true for your success as well.

9. Do the time. 

No one succeeds immediately, and everyone was once a beginner. As Steve Jobs wisely noted, “if you look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” Don’t be afraid to invest time in your company.

10. Manage energy, not time.

Your energy limits what you can do with your time, so manage it wisely.

11. Build a great team. 

No one succeeds in business alone, and those who try will lose to a great team every time. Build your own great team to bolster your success.

12. Hire character. 

As you build your team, hire for character and values. You can always train someone on skills, but you can’t make someone’s values fit your company after the fact.
Related: 7 Reasons Rock Star Entrepreneurs Hit Home Run After Home Run

13. Plan for raising capital.

Richard Harroch, a venture capitalist, has this advice for upcoming entrepreneurs: “It’s almost always harder to raise capital than you thought it would be, and it always takes longer. So plan for that.”

14. Know your goals. 

Ryan Allis, co-founder of iContact, pointed out that having the end in mind every day ensures you’re working toward it. Set goals and remind yourself of them each day.

15. Learn from mistakes. 

Many entrepreneurs point to mistakes as being their best teacher. When you learn from your mistakes, you move closer to success -- even though you initially failed.

16. Know your customer. 

Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, cited knowing your customer as one of his three keys to success. Know those you serve better than anyone else, and you’ll be able to deliver the solutions they need.

17. Learn from complaints. 

Bill Gates once said that your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. Let unhappy customers teach you where the holes in your service are.

18. Ask for customers’ input. 

Assuming what customers want or need will never lead to success. You must ask them directly, and then carefully listen to what they say.

19. Spend wisely. 

When you spend money on your business, be careful to spend it wisely. It’s easy to spend too much on foolish things and run out of capital too soon.

20. Understand your industry. 

Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, once said, “Don’t play games you don’t understand, even if you see lots of other people making money from them.” Truly understanding your industry is key to having success.

21. Deliver more than expected.

Google's Larry Page encourages entrepreneurs to deliver more than customers expect. It’s a great way to get noticed in your industry and build a loyal following of advocates.
Being a successful entrepreneur takes a lot of work, a lot of vision and a lot of perseverance. These 21 tips, from entrepreneurs who have already found success, will help you navigate the path much more easily.
What’s your favorite success tip for entrepreneurs? Share it below in the comments section below.

6 min read 7 Myths About Starting a Business That I Used to Believe

world is not flat, but there was a period in time when those myths were accepted as fact. Similarly, there are myths built up around starting a business that simply aren’t true. Here are seven common entrepreneurial myths about starting a business that I used to believe, which I can now debunk for you.

1. You have to know what you’re doing.

You actually don’t need to know exactly what you’re doing to get started. Time has proven that continuously. From Magellan, Einstein, Madame Curie, Steve Jobs and beyond, there was never an exact plan for the course ahead -- just a general idea that something more was out there. Let your curiosity overpower the myth that you have to know exactly what you’re doing to get started.

2. You have to have a full business plan.

I personally don’t like giant business plans. Something simple that effectively outlines your mission, vision and marketing tent-pole efforts with some data matrix around how you’re measuring your success and you should be good to go.
I’ve witnesses many entrepreneurs get bogged down in the mud of insisting they need a full business plan to start their businesses, even going so far as to hire someone to write it and filing for a trademark before they begin. I’m of the philosophy that you should test out whether your business is even viable before you sink money into it.
Get a solid two- or three-page outline of your business plan and then get to work. Don’t get trapped in business plan analysis paralysis.

3. You have to start at the right time.

Wrong. The only timing that will ever be right is now. In fact, countless entrepreneurs have started their businesses at the worst possible times in history, and the worst possible time in their personal lives.
Entrepreneur and podcaster Pat Flynn started his first online business after the nearly simultaneous news that he was being laid off from his corporate gig and that his wife was pregnant with their first child. No one would likely choose that high-anxiety period in their personal life to start a business, but life tends to take us where we need to go.
Microsoft was founded in 1975 near the end of a recession and later re-incorporated in 1981, just as the recession of the 1980s kicked off. These were two horrible times to start a business, but that hasn’t stopped Microsoft’s success.
The timing will never be right -- that’s why you need to start right now.
Related: 5 Business Myths that Used To Be True

4. You have to have a lot of money to start.

You don’t need a lot of money to get started. There’s a whole book by Eric Reis about why this is the case called The Lean Startup.
There are lots of ways to kick-off your business without a bunch of capital. One of the best ways to debunk this myth for yourself is to start micro-testing your product or service either on the side or in small batches to scale your growth incrementally. Big chunks of capital might help you grow faster, but sometimes a slow and steady growth rate can help you stabilize and get your business legs underneath you while your profit margins grow.
I highly recommend the book for ideas on how you can get started without spending a lot of money up front.

5. You have to hire staff.

This is one myth I quickly debunked when I started my first business with my brother. Staff is expensive to keep, cost time to manage and are in most ways the biggest expense any business will have on the books. The longer you can keep your business under your core leadership, the better.
Also, in my experience, when you can outsource to agencies or freelancers, for most businesses that’s almost always better. Keeping yourself free of staff overhead costs when you’re starting a business will help you be successful.

6. You have to work 24/7.

Entrepreneurs tend to work long hours most days. In startup mode, that’s simply what’s required. However, you have to be aware not only of your cash burn rate as a startup, but also your personal burn out rate.
If you grind yourself into the dust day after day without relief, you’re going to get sick and unhealthy, and that’s going to affect your success. You don’t have to work 24/7 to run a successful business. While you will need to work hard, and there will definitely be periods of seriously intense work, you also need to balance that with good sleep, good food, plenty of movement and some fun sometimes.
Entrepreneurship is hard work, but it’s supposed to be enjoyable, too.

7. You have to do it all.

This might appear to belie the earlier myth about not hiring staff, but the truth is that you don’t have to do it all in your business. It’s important to delegate and outsource some of the daily tasks and responsibilities of the business so you can have breathing space from time to time. Doing it all will mean burning yourself out and it’s a common mistake I see amongst new entrepreneurs.
Keep your sanity and learn not to do it all.

Korede Bello Performs In Church Again [PICS

Mavin act, Korede Bello has once again performed at another Church service despite the view of some fans that a secular musician should not be allowed to mount a pulpit and sing in the church.

He performed last weekend at Embrace International Assembly in Lagos.

Korede first appearance as a performing act in a Church was at HICC(Harvesters International Christian Centre) where he sang his smash hitGodwin.

When he was criticized for his actions, the Young singer said that he was going to perform in a church again.

In an earlier interview with NET, he said;

“If you are the pastor of a church and you invite me to perform the song, Yes I will perform the song again.

“It’s God’s song and whatever is happening now is predetermined, people are talking about God that’s all that matters”.

“From the inception of Godwin, I knew that it wasn’t my song, I knew that anything that’s for God has the potential of growing bigger than you imagine. It’s not quite a gospel song, it’s an inspirational song, what I mean by it’s for God is the fact that it’s dedicated to God. I don’t see it as my song, I see it as people’s song and I see it as a song for God.”




http://tunezmedia.com/?p=13910

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Nigerians Should Ignore ‘hate Messages’ From Radio Biafra, Says NBC by nige delta

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), on Friday, urged the public to ignore radio Biafra transmission.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs of the commission, Alhaji Awwalu Salihu, made available to newsmen in Abuja.

The statement said the commission had become aware of a pirate radio station transmitting seditious and divisive content contrary to the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and law.

It assured the public that it was working in conjunction with security forces to track the source of the broadcast.

It urged the public to ignore the inflammatory content of the broadcast and continue to work toward a strong, united and prosperous nation.

It would be recalled that Radio Biafra caused a stir on social media after it aired some ‘hate messages’.

“True Biafrans must go after the hausa Fulani Yoruba ethnic bigots and dismantle their monumental bundle of illegality and lies against Biafrans. Go after them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Viber, Whatsapp etc and all the platforms you find yourselves. We have only told them to stop the decades of injustices against us and they having nightmares. The journey has just begun!” Radio Biafra published on Twitter and Facebook.

How 3 Entrepreneurs Went from Welfare to Multi-Million Business in Five Years

Zaycon Fresh is an unusual business with an unusual story. Two brothers and their cousin, all on welfare after they fell on hard times during the recession, decided to start a business. Today, this business holds events throughout the country where they deliver proteins like chicken, bacon, salmon, steak and more in bulk to customers -- directly from farmers -- at value pricing.
After starting with a test event in 2009 that brought in revenue of $40,000, the company is on track to do $30 million for this fiscal year, it says.
I first heard about Zaycon Fresh from my husband, who has had a client relationship with the company. That’s how I was introduced to Zaycon’s CEO Mike Conrad. With no formal business background and no college degree, Conrad talks about the entrepreneurial lessons he learned from taking his circumstances and turning them into a major business opportunity.
Related: The Simple Customer-Service Mistake That Cost $800

Timing is everything.

For Zaycon, the third time was the charm, so to speak. Mike Conrad’s brother, J.C. -- who was a co-founder and is no longer with the company -- conceptualized the business when he was a meat manager for a supermarket. He did a proof-of-concept test to see if he could get customers to buy in bulk at discounted prices and it was a significant success.
He took that proof-of-concept and tried to launch the business himself in 2000, but was not successful. It wasn’t until after the Internet infrastructure was built up enough to support this event-based business -- and he found partners in his brother and cousin, Adam Kremin -- did this concept get legs as a standalone business.
Remember that even the best ideas may not be successful if launched at the wrong time.

Build your brand the hard way.

Building a business and a brand is difficult, so Conrad and his co-founders decided to start where they had support: with local churches. These institutions helped to spread the word about their premier Zaycon event and continue to be big supporters. The events are often held in church parking lots where there is often extra unused space. Plus, the church benefits from awareness in addition to a Zaycon donation of food.
After the success of the first event, Zaycon’s next endeavor was to engage coupon and deal-oriented bloggers. They reached out to 1,000 bloggers to see if they would be interested in reviewing the company’s product and approximately 450 responded yes. Since Zaycon delivers farm-fresh product, they wanted the experience to be authentic, so they rented a few trucks and hand delivered the 450 boxes of product to bloggers all across the country. This extra effort, while time-consuming, made a big impact. As these bloggers raved about Zaycon, they started adding thousands upon thousands of customers to their database. This was the catalyst for major growth.
 Too many entrepreneurs want to do traditional marketing strategies from the get go, but sometimes, doing the high-labor-intensive, out-of-the-box efforts create the foundation that your business needs for growth.
Related: The Future of Customer Loyalty

Create the ‘right’ team.

To take the business from nothing to $30 million in sales, Conrad says was a true team effort. It was all about having the right people in the right places at the right time. While his brother was a co-founder, he ultimately felt he wasn’t suited for business growth and was bought out of the business.
Also, as the company grew, Conrad and his cousin knew that there many traditional business competencies that they didn’t possess. They sought advisors and hands-on investors who could help supplement those skill and knowledge deficiencies and bring the company to the next level.

Involve your customers.  

You might not think that bulk meats is an enthusiast-driven business, but Zaycon proves that it can be. By involving the customers in everything from initial marketing -- (new events are set when a core group of interested customers in a certain geographic area sign-up) -- to creating a fun experience, the business gets extra mileage.
As Conrad said, “People wanted to be involved in your business. When they feel involved, they want to support you.” That has certainly been the case for Zaycon’s excited customer base, some of whom “volunteer” for free food at events and certainly create a community around Zaycon’s model that helps the company to build its business.

Create a defense with intellectual property.

While the price point and freshness are customer selling points of Zaycon’s model, their secret sauce is actually their logistics. They have invested heavily in creating software systems that help them manage the farm-to-customer logistics of food delivery and event production.
Conrad relates that while the business seems simple in concept, the logistics are very complicated, and their investment in logistics IP helps to create barriers to entry from competitors.

Be willing to change.

Conrad’s parting words are the ones that he thinks are maybe the most important for entrepreneurs. “Be malleable,” he said. “You have to adapt and change. There were at least four times when we thought that the business was dead, but we knew that was not an option. We couldn’t quit, we had to keep going.”
He also said that the willingness to change comes into play in terms of listening. “Always believe you are not the smartest guy in the room and let other people bring ideas to the table,” said Conrad. The path you start for your business -- and often your endpoint as well -- will change drastically as you build the company.
Zaycon Fresh continues to grow and prosper and will rely on their own history lessons to move them forward to the next level of success

4 min read 6 Ways to Improve Your Management Style

1. Curate Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is knowledge of one’s own feelings, motivations, strengths, and shortcomings, and managers who have it and curate it tend to respond better to unforeseen challenges and the daily grind. Self-knowledge is the first step in being able to improve your management style, because, without it, you won’t even really know how you manage, let alone how effective you are. To curate self-knowledge, practice some of the following:

• Ask for feedback from employees and higher-ups, and don’t get defensive when it’s given.
• Push your limits, and pay attention to how it feels and what it gets you.
• Spend some time in talk therapy.
• Journal about your expectations, feelings, results, etc.

2. Further Your Education

One of the best ways to improve your management style is to gain new insight by furthering your education, whether through certificate work or in a more extensive capacity, such as getting a master’s in management. Not only will education give you knowledge about what’s hot right now in the business and management worlds, but it will also place you in a new context with new people — both professors and fellow students — from whom you can learn everything from new techniques to transformative values.

3. Ask for Ideas

Chances are you have someone working under you who will be somebody’s boss one day — maybe even yours — which means a wealth of good ideas may be lying hidden just outside your office door. One easy way to improve your management style is to seek out new and better ideas about how to run things more efficiently and effectively from the team with whom you work on a daily basis. Not only will it keep the troops happy by asking for and utilizing their input, but you’ll be transformed by the experience of looking outside yourself for help.

4. Examine Your Values

What is important to you? Not just in the workplace, but in your life overall? It’s never too late or too soon for a manager to examine her values to see if the way she’s working and performing are in keeping with whom she wants to be and what she hopes to accomplish. As you examine your core values, align your management style more fully with them, and in the areas where you need improvement, improvement will come.

5. Change Up Communication

Even if you believe you are a good communicator, try changing up your methods and practice to see if you can accomplish better results. For instance, if you meet with your whole team once a week to discuss ongoing projects, try meeting one on one with each team member on a weekly basis for a month instead. Reduce the amount of email you send to your employees to just one a day in order to see if you can increase your own efficiency.
Incorporate a chat app like Yammer into your workplace, and see if “the loop” is easier for you and your employees to be in when you use it. However you do it, change up the ways in which you communicate, and pay close attention to what works, what doesn’t, and why.

6. Get a Mentor or Coach

One of the most effective ways to improve your management style is to ask someone whose work you admire — who ideally doesn’t work for the same company as you — to act as a mentor or coach. Because they aren’t in a position of power over or under you, mentors can provide guidance, honest feedback, helpful input, and more as you seek to become a better person and manager.
Improving your management style isn’t something you can do overnight, but with dedication and attention, it’s something you can certainly do — especially if you put these six tips into practice.

4 Steps to Manage Your Employees and Help Them Win

Here are four steps to make this system of differentiation work for you and your business:

1. Develop a ranking system.

Develop a system that ranks every employee on an A to C level for different factors including ability to do their core job and complete tasks, ability to get things done and make decisions and the ability to bring energy to the workplace every day. Learn which players are on each level A, B or C to manage these different player rankings, then devise a plan to celebrate the A players, appreciate the B players and fire the C players.
Related: 6 Ways to Improve Your Management Style

2. Set aside time to develop your team. 

It is important to let every employee know where he or she stands throughout his or her time in your business; I would suggest every quarter of the fiscal year. By being honest and open with each team member and their performance, you create value in their efforts. Those that are lacking with either find encouragement to become better or they will quit.
Related: Stop Sugar-Coating Your True Opinion

3. Create an acknowledgement strategy.

Develop a way to publicly celebrate your A players and appreciate your B players.
Welch celebrated A Players with kind words, public recognitions, bonuses, promotions, plaques, awards and trophies. His system also rewarded the B players for their dependability and loyalty to the company. Some B players can ultimately become A players with the right mentorship and positive feedback.

4. Have a plan of action for poor-performing employees.

Let the poorest performer know how they are doing, give them an opportunity to improve, or have them leave. Often C players can be seen as bottom feeders who can't handle candid feedback in the workplace. They are easily offended or emotionally hurt whenever they are told how they are doing or what they could do better. Normally you can spot a C player from their behaviors -- they tend to always be late, constantly pessimistic and always have excuses as to why they could not get their tasks done. Let your C players know where they stand without any sugarcoating. Give them two weeks to improve, and if they refuse, let them go.
Related: 3 Common Leadership Mistakes That Make a Miserable Company Culture

The 6 Books Shark Tank's Daymond John Wants You to Read

When Daymond John was in elementary school in Queens, N.Y., he had to read books four times over to retain what they said. Now, at 46, he says he still has to reread them several times -- often two to three times each -- for the information to really sink in.
The sharp-dressed Shark Tank star and veteran investor/entrepreneur doesn’t habitually reread books as a result of being too busy or distracted the first go-round. He chalks it up to being dyslexic, something he only discovered as an adult with the onset of texting and social media.
“Because I’m dyslexic, I’ve had to read books many times,” he says. “That’s why I focus on reading ones that are high-impact and incredibly useful, full of important lessons that I can apply to my life and business.”
Related: Shark Tank's Daymond John: 3 Ways to Build a Loyal Social Media Following
Despite how challenging reading is for the multi-millionaire celebrity business mentor, he forces himself to do it regularly, soaking up pearls of wisdom from contemporary and past thought leaders and leveraging them to up his game.
We recently caught up with the Infusionsoft and Shopify brand ambassador on the Sony Pictures Culver City, Calif., set of Shark Tank, where we asked him which books had the greatest impact on his life and career. Remaining humble, the FUBU co-founder didn’t seize the opportunity to plug his own books, though he easily could have (other Sharks did). He didn’t even mention them. Instead, and without a moment to prepare ahead of time, he quickly rattled off the names and authors of six books that forever changed him and that he thinks all entrepreneurs will benefit from reading, too.
“They’re smart choices not only for hopefuls, but for seasoned business pros as well,” he says. They are:

1. Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki

Image credit: Amazon

In this step-by-step-style financial literacy classic, multi-millionaire entrepreneur and motivational speaker Robert Kiyosaki shares how he used lessons from two dads -- his own fiscally poor father and his best friend’s rich father -- to shape his opinions around money and to build his fortune.
Related: The 7 Books Bill Gates Wants You to Read This Summer

2. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

Image credit: Amazon

The business theorist authors of this data-rich international bestseller lay out an innovative systematic approach to obliterating your competition without competing with them at all. Drawing on a decade-long academic study of more than 150 strategic business moves spanning more than 30 industries over 100 years, they detail how to build what they call “blue oceans” -- new opportunities in markets that are ripe for disruption.

3. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Image credit: Amazon

First appearing in print way back in 1937, Napoleon Hill’s motivating classic is the result of 20 years-worth of research and interviews with more than 40 famous millionaires. Think and Grow Rich is indeed rich with the secrets to success from world renowned historic magnates like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, John D. Rockefeller and Theodore Roosevelt. The exceptional life lessons packed within are still relevant today.     
Related: Shark Tank Star Daymond John Says This Is the Biggest Branding Mistake of All

4. Life Is a Series of Presentations: Eight Ways to Inspire, Inform, and Influence Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime by Tony Jeary

Image credit: Amazon

Veteran executive coach and presentation strategist Tony Jeary has taught countless executives at big-name global companies how to deliver knockout, persuasive public speeches. In Life Is a Series of Presentations, he reveals his expert strategies in a series of practical, easy-to-digest tips and techniques, including how to boost your confidence and credibility when facing one of life’s most terrifying things for many -- a live audience staring back at you, hanging on your every word.

5. Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal With Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson

Image credit: Amazon

Management consultant Spencer Johnson’s 96-page literary attitude adjustment winds readers through a simple yet potent parable that unfolds in a maze. The maze is occupied by four characters -- Sniff and Scurry, mice that will stop at nothing to get cheese, and Hem and Haw, mouse-sized humans for whom cheese represents much more than merely sustenance. The characters learn to adapt to changes in the cheese, a symbol for our jobs, career paths, relationships, etc., and they set out in search of new sources of cheese when their cheese runs out. The key takeaway: Adaptability, perseverance and a positive mental attitude are critical to success in any endeavor, especially in the cutthroat world of business.   
Related: 10 Quotes From Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran and the Rest of the Shark Tank Investors

6. The One Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

Image credit: Amazon

In this allegory-filled oldie but goodie, widely revered management experts Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson share how to manage others in ways that can increase their confidence, pride and productivity. The book maps out three powerful one-minute management “secrets” -- employee goal-setting, employee praisings and and employee reprimands. For a freshly updated version of this executive staple, check out The New One Minute Manager (William Morrow, 2015). 

Before We Forget History: Tinubu CV Vs Saraki CV

I find it funny that people easily forget and wonder why Bukola Saraki shouldn't be a force to reckon with.

He in his own right can match Tinubu pound for Pound as regards political office, experience and godfather-ism.

Tinubu profile vs Sarakis Profile

As Governors

Tinubu : Lagos state governor 1999-2007 (two terms)

Saraki : Kwara state governor 2003-2011 (two terms)

As Senators

Tinubu : Senator 1992

Saraki: Senator 2011-date

Home state influence

Tinubu : Installed successor and lawmakers

Saraki : Also installed successor and lawmakers

Educational Experince

Tinubu : Account

Saraki: Medical Doctor

Addition to Saraki's expericence

- SA to former president obasanjo on budget 2000

-Former Chairman Governors forum.

And people expect this man to bow to Tinubu

Please what does Tinubu want to show or impress saraki with to demand control on him?

Before We Forget History: Tinubu CV Vs Saraki CV

I find it funny that people easily forget and wonder why Bukola Saraki shouldnt be a force to reckon with.

He in his own right can match Tinubu pound for Pound as regards political office, experience and godfatherism.

Tinubu profile vs Sarakis Profile

As Governors

Tinubu : Lagos state governor 1999-2007 (two terms)

Saraki : Kwara state governor 2003-2011 (two terms)

As Senators

Tinubu : Senator 1992

Saraki: Senator 2011-date

Home state influence

Tinubu : Installed successor and lawmakers

Saraki : Also installed successor and lawmakers

Educational Experince

Tinubu : Account

Saraki: Medical Doctor

Addition to Saraki's expericence

- SA to former president obasanjo on budget 2000

-Former Chairman Governors forum.

And people expect this man to bow to Tinubu

Please what does Tinubu want to show or impress saraki with to demand control on him?

Before We Forget History: Tinubu CV Vs Saraki CV

I find it funny that people easily forget and wonder why Bukola Saraki shouldnt be a force to reckon with.

He in his own right can match Tinubu pound for Pound as regards political office, experience and godfatherism.

Tinubu profile vs Sarakis Profile

As Governors

Tinubu : Lagos state governor 1999-2007 (two terms)

Saraki : Kwara state governor 2003-2011 (two terms)

As Senators

Tinubu : Senator 1992

Saraki: Senator 2011-date

Home state influence

Tinubu : Installed successor and lawmakers

Saraki : Also installed successor and lawmakers

Educational Experince

Tinubu : Account

Saraki: Medical Doctor

Addition to Saraki's expericence

- SA to former president obasanjo on budget 2000

-Former Chairman Governors forum.

And people expect this man to bow to Tinubu

Please what does Tinubu want to show or impress saraki with to demand control on him?

FG Revokes Licences Of ABC Transport Courier, Nine Others

The federal government, through the Courier Regulatory Department (CRD) of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Thursday revoked the operational licences of ABC Transport Courier Service and nine others for various offences ranging from unethical practices to non-renewal of licences.

Announcing the revocation shortly after it clamped down on four other courier companies in Lagos and Ilorin in Kwara State for indulging in sharp practices and operating illegally without licence, the Senior Assistant Postmaster General of the Federation and Head of Courier Regulatory Department, Dr. Simon Emeje, said henceforth, the 10 courier operators, whose licences were revoked, would cease to do any form of courier business in the country.

He advised the public to distant themselves from the courier operators in their own interest, since doing courier business with them is now illegal.

The other nine courier companies whose licences were revoked are: Arrowhead Courier Limited, Evergreen Worldwide, Imo Transport Company Limited, MDS Logistics Limited, Migfo Express Courier Limited, Montesine Limited, NACFA Express Limited, Quadral Express Limited and Tide Express Link Limited.

Last year, CRD also revoked the operational licences of some courier companies for unethical practices and they have since stopped courier operations in the country. The recent revocation brought the number of registered courier companies in the country to 283 from the initial 293.

The courier operators that were clamped down included Royale Ryders Express, Success Transport and Kwara Express, all located along Murtala Mohammed road in Challenge area of Ilorin and Kasmag Express located at Yaba area of Lagos.

“The essence of our action is to protect Nigerians who patronise courier companies from getting short-changed by some courier operators who operate under hidden agenda,” Emeje said.

He explained that the 10 courier companies that had their licences revoked were given enough notice and warning to desist from sharp practices and to renew their expired licences, but they refused to comply.

Some of them, he said, were not only cutting corners in the business, but were also involved in carrying parcels below the 0.5kilogramme, which he said, is the exclusive right of only public postal operator and national carrier like NIPOST, which is allowed by law to handle such because of the sensitive nature of such items.

“Courier operators are supposed to carry and transport items weighing between 0.5kg and 50kg, but some of them breach the law guiding courier services in the country and accept parcels either below 0.5kg in weight or above 50kg weight,” Emeje said.

He explained that clampdown would continue until the industry is sanitised.


Source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-revokes-licences-of-abc-transport-courier-nine-others/213160/

42 Killed As Boko Haram Loots Homes, Shops, Set Houses Ablaze

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen shot dead at least 42 people in two separate attacks in northeast Nigeria, with no let-up in sight to the Islamist group’s targeting of civilians. The attacks in the remote villages of Debiro Hawul and Debiro Biu in Borno state on Monday and Tuesday came before at least 10 people were killed in a suicide attack in neighbouring Yobe.

Boko Haram, which has been fighting to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria since 2009, has intensified its campaign of violence in the last month. In all, nearly 250 people have been killed in Nigeria since Muhammadu Buhari became president on May 29 vowing to crush the militant uprising that has claimed at least 15,000 lives.

The latest attacks saw some 30 militant fighters storm Debiro Biu on Monday and Debiro Hawul the following day, with reports taking time to emerge because of the villages’ remote location. “We received reports of attacks by suspected Boko Haram gunmen on the two villages, in which 42 deaths were recorded,” one police officer told AFP from the town of Biu.

Umaru Markus, who fled Debiro Hawul, said the attacks were carried out by some 30 Islamists in a convoy of pick-up trucks and motorcycles. The rebels shot dead their victims after looting homes and shops and setting fire to buildings, he added. “They came around 12:30 am and opened fire on the village, which sent people scampering into the bush to escape the attack,” he said.

“The gunmen slaughtered 22 people who were not fast enough in fleeing and went about looting homes, grains silos and drug stores.” The attack on Debiro Biu left 20 people dead, he said. “It never occurred to us we would be the next target,” he added.

BOKO HARAM VICTIMS—A relation of one of the officers and soldiers killed in Borno, Yobe states and Unamid weeping during their burial at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja, yesterday.

Both attacks again indicated the threat posed by Boko Haram, who have been pushed out of captured towns and villages by a four-nation military offensive since February. But deadly raids, shelling, explosions and suicide attacks on “soft” targets such as markets and mosques have continued.

On Tuesday, 10 people were killed when explosives carried by a girl thought to be aged just 12 detonated at the weekly market in the village of Wagir, south of the Yobe state capital, Damaturu.

Thirty others were injured in the attack, which bore all the hallmarks of the Islamists, who have used women and young girls as human bombs since the middle of last year.

Security analysts studying the phenomenon have suggested that younger girls may have their explosives detonated remotely by a third party. Ending the insurgency is a priority for Buhari and his administration. The new president has already visited Chad and Niger to secure sustained regional support for the fight-back.

On Tuesday, his office said he had accepted an invitation to go to Cameroon, whose far north region has been increasingly hit by the violence. A new regional fighting force comprising 8,700 troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin is due to deploy at the end of next month.

But there will be pressure to counter Boko Haram’s urban guerrilla tactics to which it has reverted after it captured swathes of territory last year.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/42-killed-as-boko-haram-loot-homes-shops-set-fire-to-buildings/

Cc: lalasticlala
1st pix: Bokoharam sect in action.
2nd pix: A relation of one of the officers & soldiers killed weeping

Video Of Ex-Commissioner In Zamfara Having Sex Goes Viral

A video clip showing an ex-commissioner in Zamfara State reportedly engaged in an explicit sexual activity with an unidentified lady in a room has surfaced.

The former commissioner was a member of the recently dissolved cabinet in the state.

The two-minute video clip which was obtained by Daily Trust has attracted criticism and condemnation from some people, who are demanding he be arrested and prosecuted.

Some residents who have seen the video have described it as the most scandalous video in the history of the state and others are wondering why he got involved in such illicit act.



It is unknown who recorded the sex video, whether a third party in the act or a mounted camera. Some are however, insinuating one of the actors might have been recorded it because of the unsteadiness of the recording.

When Malam Ibrahim Wakkala Muhammad, the state deputy governor was approached by journalists, he said he would not stop anyone from publishing the story but it would be better if the story was left alone.

When the ex-commissioner involved in the sex video was contacted, he said: “I am on my way to Gusau, give me some time and I would call you back when I arrive, please.”

Despite promising to call back, he did not.

Spokesman of the state police command, DSP Sanusi Amiru, said he could not comment on the issue as he was yet to see the video.

CBN, Banks Set August 1 To Publish Serial Debtors’ List

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in the country on Thursday resolved to publish the identities of all serial debtors to the financial industry by August 1, 2015.

It is estimated that three per cent of total industry credit of about N13 trillion is bad debt.

Speaking in Abuja, CBN Director of Banking Supervision, Mrs. Tokunbo Martins, who briefed journalists alongside some banks chief executives after the regular meetings of the Bankers’ Committee, said despite the significant non performing loan portfolios, the financial system remained stable.
She said: “The total credit is about N13 trillion. About three per cent of that is non performing and August 1, 2015, is the deadline publishing the list of debtors.”

She said given that the upper limit of non-performing loans as a percentage of total credit was five per cent, the current three per cent figure of bad loans yet indicated that the banking system was stable in spite of the latest push to recover the outstanding debts.

Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of UBA, Mr. Philips Oduoza, disclosed that the June 30 deadline for compliance with the Bank Verification Number (BVN) would not be altered, adding that customers who failed to obtain their numbers would be denied banking services including foreign exchange, credit and internet banking, among others.

He said: “If you have enrolled in a bank, you don’t need another enrolment in other banks where you have accounts. You just supply the number to the other banks. If you don’t enroll, it is possible you won’t have credit, your internet services will be shut down and you won’t have access to foreign exchange.”

Oduoza noted that 12.5 million customers had so far been captured in the on-going exercise stressing that many more were expected to obtain their numbers before the deadline.

He said the exercise was important to provide banks accurate data on their customers and that those with multiple bank accounts needed to undertake the verification in one bank and then provide the others with the number which would be captured by the other banks.

Unity Bank’s Chief Executive, Mr. Henry Sementari, said the foreign exchange market had been stable as the CBN and the banks had been able to meet all legitimate demand.

Three Things We Learnt From The National Assembly Leadership Elections Yesterday

Now that the elections to the Senate and House of Representatives leadership have come and gone, here are some things we can say have been learnt:

1. Buhari may be a good leader, but he is a terrible politician: This goes without saying; playing completely neutral in who becomes the senate president when your party is in the majority? In a country like Nigeria? That is gross political ignorance. Two key tactics that make a great politician are the ability to lobby, and the ability to intervene. How is it possible that while everyone was lobbying for a preferred candidate, he chose not to intervene? That smacks of political naivety. One need not go too far to see how previous presidents were overtly lobbying for their preferred candidates for legislative leadership positions. We can only hope that his nonindulgence will not come back to haunt his presidency. (Although something tells me he had a hand in the emergence of the SP and the Speaker. Take that with a tablespoon of salt though)

2. Everyone is a winner (Except Tinubu): Yes there are winners everywhere (Except Ndume, Gbajabiamila and Monguno of course). The APC unwittingly won an internal battle against the outrageously influential Tinubu, and can boast of being a party without (conspicuous) godfatherism.
PDP are even bigger winners than APC; this is the first time a member of a minority party will be made a principal officer in the senate (excluding minority and deputy minority leaders) in Ekweremadu. This also shows that PDP's 16 years in power taught them a lot about hardcore politics. All they had to do was cash in on the crisis in APC, which they so deliciously did, and now they can boast of being influential in the scheme of things (at least it seems so on the surface). (Make no mistake, had APC supported Saraki, PDP would so easily have backed Lawan, and the rest would have been history).
But the biggest winner in all these has to be Senator Bukola Saraki. Knowing how to lobby the right people for his personal ambition (I'm not saying it's a good thing). He has just shown how smart a politician he can be, and his overzealous ambition might actually take him places - I won't be shocked to see him running for the number 1 office come 2023, or even 2019 (Watch this space).

3. Politicians will always be politicians, and Dino Melaye is no exception: One would have expected that after all that the PDP did to this man to terminate his political career, and the respite and platform the APC gave to him, he would at least be somewhat loyal to his party. Well, that's something honest people do, and politicians are not honest. So after vilifying the PDP at any given opportunity, the first thing he did as a senator was to defy the APC (that rebounded his political career), and align with the same PDP (you would think he loves to hate) just to get in his candidate as the senate president. That speaks volumes of a man's character. I tend to find solace in this quote though "Leave politics for politicians and governance for technocrats" - PMB 2015, because politicians will always be cunning, deceitful, dishonest, unscrupulous, insincere, crafty, mendacious and Machiavellian; but that is what makes them politicians

Lagos Set To Join Oil Producing States As Production Begins This Year

Lagos oilfield to begin production this year
With the award of a rig contract to carry out the drilling and completion programme for the Aje shallow-water field offshore Lagos, the first oil production is expected to begin in the state by December this year.

The operator of the Oil Mining Lease 113 has, on behalf of the joint venture partners, entered into a rig contract with Saipem for the Scarabeo 3 drilling rig to carry out the drilling and completion programme for the Aje Field Cenomanian oil development, Panoro Energy said in a statement on Monday.

The joint venture partners led by Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Company Limited (the operator) had in October last year taken the final investment decision to develop the first phase of the Aje field.

According to the statement, the Scarabeo 3 rig is a semi-submersible rig currently stationed offshore Lagos. The rig will be moved 18 nautical miles to the Aje drilling location and will be used to carry out well operations for the first phase of the Aje Cenomanian Oil field development that includes two subsea production wells.

It said the well operations would comprise the completion of the existing Aje-4 well as a production well, and the drilling and completion of a new well, Aje-5, which would be drilled to the Aje-2 subsurface location.

The Aje-2 well is said to have demonstrated high reservoir productivity in a Cenomanian production test conducted in 1997, flowing approximately 3,700 barrels of oil per day of 41˚API oil under suboptimal well conditions.

Well operations are expected to commence in early third quarter of 2015 and are likely to take approximately 90 days to complete, according to the statement.

It stated that once well operations had been completed, subsea equipment would be installed and the wells would be tied back to the Front Puffin floating, production, storage and offloading vessel, currently undergoing refurbishment in Singapore.

The Chief Executive Officer, Panoro Energy, Mr. John Hamilton, was quoted in the statement as saying, “Panoro is very pleased to be entering into the rig contract for the drilling and completion of the Aje development wells. We have been able to achieve a lower rig rate than was expected when the Final Investment Decision was made in October 2014.

“With well operations expected to commence in the next few weeks, we will continue moving towards our incremental growth strategy of converting Panoro’s discovered resource base into commercial production and generating positive cash flow in 2016.”

Aje is an offshore field located in the western part of Nigeria in the Dahomey Basin at the border with Benin Republic, with the first oil targeted for December 2015, the statement said.

The field is situated in water depths ranging from 100 to 1,000 metres about 24 kilometres from the coast. The field contains hydrocarbon resources in sandstone reservoirs in three main levels – a Turonian gas condensate reservoir, a Cenomanian oil reservoir and an Albian gas condensate reservoir.

Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Company is the operator, with 25 per cent interest in the field. The partners are Vitol, First Hydrocarbons Nigeria Limited, Energy Equity Resources Limited, Panoro Energy ASA and Jacka Resources Limited.

The JV partners had in January 2014 submitted the Field Development Plan for the Aje field to the Department of Petroleum Resources. The FDP was approved in March and is primarily focused on the development of the Cenomanian oil reservoir.





http://www.punchng.com/business/business-economy/lagos-oilfield-to-begin-production-this-year/

Melaye Blames APC Senators For Loss Of Deputy Senate President

Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi West) on Wednesday said the party lost Deputy Senate Presidency to PDP because many of its senators were absent from Tuesday’s inauguration.
Melaye, who briefed newsmen in Abuja, said all the APC senators present at the inauguration voted for the APC contestant, Sen. Ali Ndume, but lost because many APC senators were absent.
“Those that made APC to lose the Deputy Senate Presidency yesterday were those who stayed away from the chamber.
“If they had come, we would have won, we stood by our party, we nominated Sen. Ali Ndume, and the man who seconded the motion is a Senator from Kwara.
According to him, 20 APC members are in the chamber as at the time of the election and we all vote for Ndume.
He said that the APC was neither divided nor polarised.
The APC candidate, Sen. Ali Ndume, polled 20 votes, while the PDP candidate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, polled 54 votes to emerge winner.
The PDP has 49 senators and APC, 58. (NAN)http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/melaye-blames-apc-senators-for-loss-of-deputy-senate-presidency/

EFCC Arraigns 14 Foreign Nationals Over Illegal Oil Dealing - Crime

Some Chinese citizens deported for
illegal textile dealings The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), on Wednesday docked 14 foreign nationals
before a Federal High Court, Lagos, over alleged
illegal dealing in petroleum products.
The accused included three Russians — Arthur
Pakhladzhian, Vasaliy Shkundich and Kretov Andrey;
one Japanese, Sergio Abgarian; three Ukrainians —
Vitalis Biluos, Laguta Olesksiy and Chepikov Oleksan.
Others are seven Britons — Hilarion Teofilo Regipor,
Cadavis Gerardo, Baduria Benjamin, Naranjo Allian
Antero, Patro Christian, Alcayde Joel, Carantiquit
Micheal Bryan — and three vessels- MT Anukt
Emerald, Monjasa DMCC, and Glencore Energy UK
Ltd.
The accused are standing trial on a four-count
charge of conspiracy, unlawful dealing and storage
of petroleum products without lawful authority.
According to the charge, the accused committed the
offences on Feb. 27 within the jurisdiction of the
court.
It alleged that they stored 1,500 tonnes of automated
gas oil inside the MT Anuket Emerald’s Cargo tank.
The charge also alleged that they stored 3,035
tonnes of Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO) in other tanks.
The agency said that offences contravened Sections
4, 17, 19 (6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act and
the Petroleum Act, Laws of Federation.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges when
they were read to them in the dock.
Consequently, the Prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo,
urged the court to remand them in prison custody
pending their trial.
However, Mr Babajide Koku, the Defence counsel, in
an oral application for bail, urged the court to admit
his clients to bail on self-recognition.
Koku also told the court that in a situation where the
accused could not produce the sureties, he
(accused) had promised to provide bank guarantee
of N750 million.
Oyedepo, opposed the application on grounds that
the authority which was cited by the counsel did not
apply to the case at hand, because the accused were
not Nigerians.
He, therefore, urged the court to impose stringent
bail conditions on them.
The presiding judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, admitted
the accused to bail in the sum of N50 million with
one surety each in like sum.
Buba added that the accused should deposit their
international passports with the EFCC and be
remanded in prison custody until the perfection of
their bail conditions.
The case was adjourned till June 17, 18 and 19 for
trial.http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/06/10/efcc-arraigns-14-foreign-nationals-over-illegal-oil-dealing/