It's no longer news that we're having very serious economic challenges. Folks are losing jobs, the price of crude oil is even projected to drop a little further than it has already, private sector is struggling to keep its pace, workers will have their salaries reviewed downwardly. If there was ever a time I felt economic pressures, it's NOW. In fact, I spent my LEAST during the last Christmas and New Year celebrations; the handwriting couldn't be any clearer.

It's my habit to way always seek to glean positives from any negative situation; learn from the mistakes of others and then move forward. I believe this message should have been in some other sections but I felt politics and the economy are inseparable, hence it's here. It's my sincere desire that a few of us could learn one or two lessons from this message. Learning never stops.

Every nation is made up of individuals. And it's these individuals that move into policy-making, effectively carrying over their personal habits into politics. Nigeria is suffering from a lot of factors but I'll seek to highlight a few here. If you want a better life for yourself and family, you must do the opposite of what Nigeria did...and is doing.

ONE MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME. For over 50 years, Nigeria has continued to rely on one main source of income. It's absurd that a nation of over 150 million people ties their economic prosperity to only one source, especially one that's so unstable and volatile in the international market. A lot of our FOREX depends on this single source. We've continued to pay lip service to Agriculture and other sources. So is it with any individual who enjoys only ONE source of income. The person is akin to an individual, who like Warren Buffet will say, is swimming unclad beneath a pool of water. The water is gone and their unclothedness appears to all to see. If you have only one source of income, you need to start making serious efforts to seek other means of income. The more the streams, the better you're placed economically. Nigeria is finally paying for its decades of lack of vision, focus and proactive thinking......and the price may become more grave as the year wears on. Look for alternative sources of income. Just an advice.

A CULTURE OF WASTE AND FOOLISHNESS.

For the past decades, especially since 1960, only God knows how much must have left the shores of this nation. It was decades of mindless waste and looting. I'll support the current administration in its war against corruption and wickedness, provided it is balanced, full, sincere and honest to all. This isn't a political message but an economic one. Subsequent government and politicians wasted our resources in a way akin to a competition amongst a group of gladiators. We are already paying for that.

As an individual, you must NOT be deluded into the thinking that there's always more to come. Take advantage of the little resources you have and maximise it. Nature abhors waste, and all wasters will pay for their waste in no distance time. Be prudent with your resources; give sensibly and be careful of wastefulness. Our leaders are only examples when we're looking for bad ones.

A CULTURE OF ECONOMIC MYOPIA.

We never saved for the rainy days. We never even believed in it. Now the rainy days are here. Our leaders never believed oil price will drop to this level. ..it at even get worse....we never saved....Federal government never saved; state governments never saved....It was stomach, meagre houses and mundane politics.

The only miracle that saved Egypt and Canaan during the times of hunger and famine in the land of Egypt was the saving culture that Joseph advised the land to undertake. Only fools spend all their resources. After every 7 years of economic expansion, there's almost always 7 years of economic strangulation and hunger. We never prepared....even ants are more proactive than our leaders.

As an individual, the best time to save is when you're doing well and getting money. How far you'll go financially depends on how well you manage your resources drying the first 5 or so years of work. Save and invest a part of your income. Don't be like Nigerian leaders. Be smart with your money. A part of all you earn is YOURS to keep. It doesn't matter how much you earn; you still must save something from your pay or business. You've got to learn to save.The chips will always be down one day.

Those who refuse to heed the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. Increase your sources of income; it's all within you. Look around. Reduce your expenses; control your appetite. Plan for tomorrow.

Lalasticalala, money is too important to be left uncontrolled. Let's encourage one another.

Weldone dearpreye....all you wrote up there is truth.

While we keep playing politics with the current realities, its a wise decision to learn from them.

God bless u bro

Honestly I only hear people complain of this economy something.....as far as I'm concerned everything is fine and well,just the way it has always been.Anyway,I pray the 'economy'gets back to normal before it hits me

I know I'm not alone

dearpreye:
...................

Good morning, please can you read and criticise this article I wrote sometime ago? I am working on it and I need to see the "holes" in it for more research works or add any other contributions you think should be added. Thanks.

EDUCATION BEYOND CERTIFICATE::::

It is hightime we gave another definition to the term "education". To some people, education borders on going to school, acquiring degrees and working for a company to earn a salary at the end of the month.

My dear readers, education goes beyond acquiring certificate, "we must redefine education"....

Education teaches you about how to make rules, break rules, and challenge an ongoing trend, school teaches you about how to follow rules, live by the rules, and live an ongoing trend unchallenged, thereby limiting that power of creativity in you.

Have you witnessed a scenerio whereby you asked a Maths lecturer about how he arrived at a certain formula, and he tells you "that is how it is done"?, and mind you, if you do anything contrary...you FAIL his exam, therefore you must follow the rules.

A truly educated man is he who has developed the faculties of his mind to follow his passion, find solutions where there are problems without following the rules, but creates his own ways through his deep imagination to achieve his dreams.

Checkout most of the world's richest people today, they are mostly school dropouts. Do you think they are not educated because they are school dropouts? Far from it! They are really educated in their own ways, they simply decided to build their own dreams rather than allow themselves to be hired by other people to builld theirs.

So many people spend their precious years in school only to end up acquiring cerificate NOT education.

Examples of these people include:

1) * People who don't practise what they learn in school before graduation.

As a student of Computer Science, how many codes have you written that worked? Have you been able to (in reality) write a program that solves the problem of an organisation?

As a student of Business Administration, how many businesses have you started? How many times have you exprienced failiure in business, and rise again?

So, are you putting what you are learning in school into practice?

The school will not give or teach you these orientation but education will.

2)*People who have no SKILLS...successful people don't depend on the government of their country to provide jobs for them. A truly educated person has skills, an uneducated fellow can only boast of his certificate without any skills to back it up.

True education lies in the abilty to solve problems with the skills you possess.....what are you waiting for? STAND UP NOW, do not procrastinate, learn a skill you are passionate about.

What am I advocating?
This writeup is not in anyway articulated to undermine the importance of schooling...Going to school is very important but our mindset about school is what we are advised to change.

TRUE EDUCATION PREPARES YOU TO SURVIVE WITHOUT YOUR CERTIFICATE.

As written by Genius (menzo4u)
#iWRITE2INSPIRE