My friend wants to start a tutorial on IELTS to enable him to pass the IELTS exam. I recommended TUTERIA for him because I have been seeing their ads on Facebook, however, my friend is sceptical about paying for a tutorial that will not worth it at the end.

Please is there anyone that has used TUTERIA FOR IELTS or any other great IELTS TUTOR with a track record of success.

JOB DESCRIPTION
1. Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts based on design concepts.
2. Creative in designing, Flyers, brochures, infographics, banner ads, on-screen marketing promotions, advertisements, posters according to our client specification
3. Ability to interact, communicate and present ideas.
4. Ability to do graphic design and illustration projects
5. Provide creative, out of the box ideas and solutions in compliance with client guidelines
6. Think creatively to produce new ideas and concepts. Innovation to redefine a design brief within the constraints of cost and time.

EMPLOYMENT: Permanent Job, Full Time

Application letter with attached CV should be sent to obinna.osigwe@freshminds.ng

Job Vacancy: A Social Media Manager/Content Developer Urgently Needed in Lagos

Requirements
Ability to write well in English Language.
Must be social media savvy. The candidate should be able to use Facebook/Instagram/Twitter effectively.
Must be able to use MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint.
Should be able to articulate ideas/concepts in a coherent manner.
Ability to develop contents/articles.


Interested candidates should send their application (please no attachment) to obinna.osigwe@freshminds.ng

Please share, someone might be interested in your timeline

Thanks

I have read a countless number of his articles, but this article "Plato’s Allegory of the Cave" left an indelible impression on me. Below are the excerpts

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So, what exactly is this allegory of the cave? It is the most famous segment of Plato’s most famous book, The Republic. I will only offer an elementary sketch of it here for our purposes. I will omit details that are not central to our didactic purposes for Fatherland.

Plato imagines a group of prisoners chained to a wall inside a deep, dark cave. They have been chained to this wall their entire lives. Chains and darkness – that is the sum total of their experience. The only reality they know. They have been in the cave and in chains since birth. Behind them is a fire and before them is a raised walkway. Outside, people pass by the mouth of the cave, carrying things on their head. The prisoners can only see shadows of that reality. The shadows they see also become part of their reality of darkness and chains.

Eventually, one of the prisoners escapes and goes outside of the cave. He is absolutely shocked to discover the world outside of the cave. He cannot believe his eyes. So, he has been living in ignorance his whole life? So, all the things that he and his fellow cave dwellers believed and thought about the world was wrong? So there is even a sun? And there are trees and animals? And there is civilization? And there are ways, much better ways of doing things ‘outside there’ than the only reality that he and his fellow cave dwellers have ever known?

His discovery of the sun is the most significant. Think of everything that Plato dumps into that metaphor of the sun. This man is coming from a cave where nobody has ever been aware of the existence of the sun – of light!

This painful discovery of the world beyond the limitations of his entire life leads to resolve: he will go back “home” to the cave and take the truth he has seen and discovered to his people.

When he gets back to the cave and informs the other prisoners of his discoveries, letting them know that there are other possibilities to life, other realities outside of chains and darkness, when he tells them stories of reality and tells them that all they have believed their entire lives is false because it has been limited by their chains and life inside the cave, they do not believe him.

They abuse him. They call him names. They threaten to kill him if he attempts to set them free. They accuse him of insulting their world. They tell him they like it just like that. Did they complain to him? What is all this talk about a better life and a much better way of life he has seen elsewhere. It is not his fault. Shebi they are the ones even listening to him after he has betrayed them by going out.

Plato surmises that the cave dwellers will try to kill anyone who tries to free them from their ignorance.

What Plato’s allegory teaches us is that there is no alternative to education and enlightenment. He who acquires education and enlightenment is also a danger to the body politic of ignorance.

f ignorance is the only world somebody knows, you have no right to try to bring light into that world and expect not to be insulted, abused, scorned, and excoriated. There is a reason that the said ignorance is framed as a world in Plato’s allegory. It means you are saying that the only world that Plato’s cave dwellers have ever known is false, wrong, etc. You are “insulting” their world.

That is why you must have the patience to bear the insults and the force of conviction to persuade with the empirical and superior evidence of the superior worlds and truths you have seen.

Plato’s says the cave dwellers will attempt to kill anyone who tries to free them.

Plato says education is the only superior force that can free them.

If you are privileged to be a medium of public education and enlightenment, fate and destiny have chosen you for a solemn duty to your fatherland. You have lost the right to such statements as:

I’ve given up.

They rain insults on me any time I write to enlighten them.

They are in love with their chains.

It is Stockholm syndrome.

This is precisely the sort of fatalism that those who turned your Fatherland to a cave and stole money to buy the chains to imprison the people want to achieve in you. If they cannot buy your voice and your conscience, they know that they cannot allow the risk of your enlightenment to radiate through the land and connect with the people. The next best option for them is to get you to the point of existential fatalism where you give up. Once you give up because of the daily insults you get from their victims, you clear a conceptual space for them to store up dollars in every apartment in Ikoyi and Victoria Island.

Over the years, Plato’s allegory of the cave has also lost geographic relevance for me in terms of the physical distinction between in and out, home and diaspora. It has come to represent for me the chains and prison of the mind and the escape from it.

Gani Fawehinmi is also Plato’s escapee but he never left the cave physically. He just left the cave of the mind. Tai Solarin, Bala Usman, Eskor Toyo, Chima Ubani, etc, never left the cave physically but they left the cave of the mind and tried to bring the sun back into it. Oby Ezekwesili, Ayo Obe, Ayisha Osori, Joe-Okei Odumakin have never left physically but they left the cave of the mind.

I am saying in essence that being physically outside is not a precondition for gaining the elevated consciousness and enlightenment acquired by Plato’s allegorical character just as being physically inside is not a basis of exclusion from that consciousness.

Whether you are inside or outside, the acquisition of that consciousness in the context of the Nigerian tragedy is a privilege that should be deployed in the service of the people without question.

It is important to remember that those insulting you are not the enemy.

Our only enemies are the owners of the cave and the financiers of the chains.

We must remain committed to their total destruction.

Rest in Peace Prof ���

You're welcome

The job role social media manager is among the new jobs that were created along with the explosion of new media. Sometimes it is a confusing job description because some companies that claim to need social media managers don’t really have a full grasp of the job description and the required experience and qualification a social media manager should have.

In some cases, social media manager jobs might be reduced to posting pictures on a company’s social media channels. Some brands just want to be on social media for the sake of being on social media, this is why social media is not given the attention it truly deserves thereby making the social media managers very ineffective.

However social media management is a complex multi-faceted job role that can help a business to achieve its highest level goals.

Below are some skills and knowledge that will help an aspiring social media manager to become an effective social media manager.

1. Excellent writing and communication skills
Social media should be part of the communication and public relations (PR) strategy of any company that is on any social media platform. The social media manager should be able to communicate effectively using engaging posts, images and videos. Stale captions should be avoided at all cost.
Some customers come on social media platforms to vent their frustrations, give their feedbacks or post “what is on their mind…lol”. It is the job of the social media manager to escalate these issues to the appropriate department that will effectively handle any pending issues.

2. Have a solid grasp of corporate branding/reputation management
Any PR disaster on social media can adversely affect a company’s image. A social media manager must maintain every standard of excellence a company is known for, even when his/her client is not largely unknown, the contents across all social media must project excellence.
The images must have high quality. There should be no trace of mediocrity and incompetence in the copywriting. Every content going out to any platform should be proofread and vetted.

3. Acceptable knowledge of effective customer service
In this era of cyberbullying on social media, excellent customer service is a must in social media management. Some social media managers are drawn into rants and clap-backs on social media channels like Twitter. Professional conduct is expected from every social media manager. Customer service skills like empathy, building rapport, active listening must be acquired. Skills on how to handle abusive, angry, difficult and unhappy customers must be developed by social media managers.

4. Have an understanding of SEO and content marketing
Social media platform is very useful in inbound marketing. A social media manager should understand the correlation between social media advertising, content marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Social media advertising doesn’t work in isolation, it is part of the whole digital marketing strategy. Some followers can view your posts on Facebook or Twitter and immediately search you up on Google. It is imperative that your social media posts should be in consonance with your contents on a brand’s site and the content distribution strategy.

5. Learn how to use analytics
Social media channels display basics like the number of likes, comments, shares, retweets and impressions. For examples, Facebook gives some analytics on demographics and behaviours. These analytics helps a social media manager to know the posts that can resonate with the audience. The inability to use analytics makes a social media manager to create contents that will not connect with the brand’s followers of social media channels.

Recently, Google the biggest search engine in the world has launched Google Station in Nigeria, the most populous country and as well the country with the 98 million internet users, the biggest in Africa. Google Station is a program to provide high-quality, high-speed Wi-Fi hotspots in partnership with 21st Century, one of the largest fiber network providers in Nigeria.

Google Station will be rolling out in 200 locations in five cities across Nigeria by the end of 2019, bringing Wi-Fi to millions of people. Sites will include markets, transport hubs, shopping malls, universities and more. Other African countries would wish they are Nigerians by now with this development. Google has succeeded in rolling out Google Stations in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Mexico.


Consequently, we will explore how individuals and businesses can leverage in this great opportunity.

More Digital Consumers: With the launch of Google Station in Nigeria, it is expected that an additional 10 million internet users will be added to the existing 98 million internet users. This is a great opportunity for businesses to step up their presence in the digital space. Many businesses in Nigeria are still scratching the surface of the digital economy or new economy, but they are yet to get a grip hold to harness the enormous opportunity it presents. Business leaders need to embrace the new digital business models to be able to leverage fully the limitless potentials of the new economy.

Many new businesses will be created: The thought of starting a new business in Nigeria most times is very daunting. There are some challenges that make startups to arrive dead on arrival like the high cost of internet. Many large Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) spend a large amount of money paying internet bills. Don't worry Google has given you a soft landing. Never underestimate the power of the internet. Facebook, Amazon, Google, Twitter, YouTube came into existence because of the internet. Nigerians are very creative in all ramifications. The impact of this access to the high-speed internet will be mind-blowing, despite the fact that cybercriminals will be on the rise. There will always be the dilemma of users.

More businesses would transform - with the availability of free internet offers businesses these three advantages viz, scale, scope and speed. High scaling allows businesses to provide more product and services to a larger market. Jumia Nigeria is a perfect example. Companies and businesses with physical locations need to have a significant online presence. With a serious online marketing strategy, a struggling business can innovate faster. Uber Nigeria is seriously disrupting the business of taxi drivers in Lagos and some other major cities in Nigeria. Scope allow business to sell the wider variety of products to a larger audience. It is easier to add more products to your catalogue in your online store compared to physical stores. Speed allows businesses to conduct business transactions with the click of a mouse.

Easier access to data - another advantage of businesses using the internet is easy to access data. This will enable businesses to generate digital data with some apps and software that needs internet connection, automate every process that can be automated, and help business managers to ask questions that may arise. Questions like how many people visited my website, viewed this product, clicked on this link, their demographics, online behaviours, many metrics can be easily answered. As a business analyst, I work with data everyday, analyse the data and develop actionable insights from my analyses. Facebook, Google, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram have access to data than you can ever imagine. The Cambridge Analytica scandal is still fresh in our memories.

More jobs would be created - As more tonnes of data are being generated, more people would be needed to slice, dice, mine, analyse, visualize, model these data. In this age of virtual reality, augmented reality, machine learning anything is possible. New skills will be needed to thrive in this digital age.According to World Economic Forum, some jobs will disappear, others will grow and jobs that doesn’t exist today will become commonplace. The top 10 skills that will be needed by 2020 include

Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
People Management
Coordinating with Others
Emotional Intelligence
Judgement and Decision making
Service Orientation
Negotiation
Cognitive Flexibility

All these jobs require the use of the internet for maximum efficiency.

Tighten your seatbelts, the digital era is Nigeria golden era.



Obinna Osigwe is a business analyst in Lagos Nigeria.

An Open Letter To President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR On The Abuse Of Court Process By The Economic And Financial Crimes Commission On Chief Dr Innocent Chukwuma OFR As Instigated And Sponsored By Guaranty Trust Bank Plc

Having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep my oath and serve as President to all Nigerians. I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody. President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR

I, Chief Dr. Innocent Chukwuma OFR, is the Chairman of IVM Innoson Group with member companies such as Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited- Africa’s 1st indigenous vehicle manufacturing company; Innoson Nigeria Ltd- The first indigenous Motorcycle Assembly Company in Nigeria; General Tyres and Tubes- the only surviving tyre manufacturing plant in Nigeria; Innoson Technical and Industrial Company Ltd- The largest plastic manufacturing plant in West Africa.
I am also the Chancellor of Imo State University and a Centenary Awardee who was bestowed with the prestigious honor of the Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR).

IVM Innoson Group has over 10,000 indirect workers and over 7,300 direct employees who apart from earning their living through the parent and subsidiary companies pay income taxes to the government.

Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited has assisted the Nigerian Airforce in fighting Boko Haram by supporting its fighter jets with fabrication of needed spare parts. Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited is also in technical partnership with the Nigerian Army.

My Companies and I, particularly Innoson Nigeria Ltd., had been good customers of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTB). Prior to the sad events that cumulated in the face-off between us, Innoson Nigeria Limited secured a monetary judgment of N2, 048, 737, 443.67 (Two Billion, Forty Eight Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty Seven Kobo) against GTB, from the Federal High Court Ibadan Division and subsequently at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division in Appeal NO. CA/1/258/2011 on the 6th day of February 2014.

My Company also had another monetary judgment of the Court of Appeal Enugu Division dated on the 9th of December, 2014 in its favour in Appeal No. CA/E/288/2013 against GTB, in the sum of N 5,936,126,219.01(Five Billion, Nine Hundred and Thirty-Six Million, One Hundred and Twenty Six Thousand, Two Hundred and Nineteen Naira, One Kobo) with 22% interest till the liquidation of the judgment debt. As at today, GTB owes me over N22 Billion. Subsequent to the two said judgments of the Court of Appeal, the GTB had tried in futility to negotiate the judgment sums ridiculously downwards.

GTB had earlier in one of its affidavits at the Court of Appeal Enugu Division deposed to the fact that if it pays the judgment debts, it will face serious liquidity deficiency which will adversely affect its banking operations.

Consequent upon the failure of GTB to achieve a comfortable and downward negotiated figure with my company in respect of the two judgment debts, it colluded with some corrupt men and officers of the Nigerian Police Force, to contrive a false criminal charge of forgery against me and my company. Also in a bid to arm-twist, blackmail and compel me to forego and drop the two judgments and another fresh claim of thirty billion Naira against it, GTB corruptly and in a sudden twist, colluded with The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission- EFCC and concocted a false complaint of forgery of about two bills of lading against me.

It is noteworthy that in all the civil cases whose facts are closely connected to the alleged forged bills of lading, and which gave rise to one of the judgments at the trial courts, and even up to the Court of Appeal, GTB did not at any time raise the issue of forgery as a defence to the action in any of the courts that adjudicated the case.

Mr. President, It is interesting to state that upon the receipt of GTB’s petition EFCC commenced a full investigation into the allegations of forgery against me. Upon the conclusion of its investigation, both in its interim and final report the EFCC, never indicted me, or established any prima facie case of fraud or forgery or any other offence against me, but rather stated that it had reconciled my account with GTB and recommended that I should pay a certain amount of money to GTB being what is outstanding after it had deducted five hundred and sixty million Naira (N560,000,000:00) being excess and unlawful charges that GTB took from my account.

I rejected EFCC’s request and commenced two suits – suit Nos FHC/AWK/CS/138/2012 and FHC/AWK/CS/139/2012 against both EFCC and GTB at the Federal High Court, Awka Division. In its counter affidavit of 2nd August 2012 in suit No FHC/AWK/CS/138/2012, EFCC deposed, particularly at paragraph 15, that upon further investigation, it could not confirm GTB’s allegation against me. In suit No FHC/AWK/CS/139/2012, which is on GTB’s excess, unlawful and illegal charges on my account, the court rendered a judgment of over 4.7 billion Naira in my favour against GTB.

EFCC felt slighted and angered by my refusal to accept its reconciliation contained in its letter of 20th September 2012 and, coupled with GTB’s prompting and instigation, EFCC filed Charge No. ID/197C/2013 against me and my company at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja. Later, in 2014, the charge was struck out. I appealed against the striking out order at the Court of Appeal Lagos Division on the basis that the charge ought to be dismissed and as well filed a motion on notice at the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division praying among others that EFCC be restrained from filing a further charge in respect of the same subject matter until determination of the appeal –Appeal Nos: CA/L/1328CM/17, CA/L/1329CM/17 & CA/L/1330CM/17.

Subsequently, in 2015, GTB instigated The Nigerian Police to charge me to court. The Nigerian Police filed Charge No. FHC/L/565c/2015 at the Federal High Court Lagos Division. Later, the Nigerian Police on seeing that the charge is a trumped up, withdrew the charge from the court.

However, GTB characteristically got the then Director of Public Prosecution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – Mr. Diri – to claim to have taken over the Charge/case using the name of the Attorney General of the Federation. This charge is till date pending at the Federal High Court Lagos Division and some of the issues arising from it are till date, pending at both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

While Charge No. FHC/L/565c/2015 is still pending and subsisting, GTB went back again to EFCC and instigated EFCC to illegally arrest me at my residence on Dec 19th, 2017. This led to a huge outcry from well-meaning Nigerians condemning the Illegal arrest.

To justify its action, EFCC filed Charge NO: ID/6696c/2017 at Lagos State High Court Ikeja on the same subject matter, issue, transactions and parties as Charge No. FHC/L/565c/2015 pending at the Federal High Court, Lagos Division and as well the same with the appeal pending at the Court of Appeal Lagos Division. All these parallel charges are till today still pending against me.

Mr. President, I do not know why EFCC allowed itself to be used by GTBank to abuse court process in a matter it had earlier investigated without mentioning of fraud or forgery in its various reports order than that both parties have refunds to make to each other; and for which it has deposed in a counter affidavit in suit no. FHC/AWK/CS/138/2012 that it cannot confirm GTB’s allegation against me. EFCC as a Federal Government Agency is supposed to be unbiased in resolving the dispute between Innoson and GTB, but its actions indicated it is doing the bidding of GTB.

I believe that the pending trumped-up criminal case against me and Innoson Nigeria Limited will fail for lack of merit but it has the effect of discouraging my Foreign Partners and prospective Foreign Investors whom I have attracted to Nigeria from doing business with me and or investing in Nigeria anymore with its concomitant effect of loss of job creation and job opportunities. This is what the GTbank wants to achieve in order to compel us to negotiate the judgment sum downwards with it to a ridiculous amount or if possible have me killed if by any chance I am remanded in prison by any court. Mr. President, we have refused to yield to such a cheap blackmail and consequently run to you for a prompt Presidential and Fatherly intervention.

In the circumstance, I humbly request that Mr. President directs that the Honourable Attorney-General take over the case and continue or discontinue it based on its merit.

I shall appear in any court or any investigative panel to answer any questions or charges relating to the allegation particularly in a court in which there is due process, compliance with rule of law, fair hearing and the charge did not constitute an abuse of process. Holding faith in your promise that you shall serve as President to all Nigerians and to belong to everybody and belong to nobody, I believe for your prompt intervention on my request.

Thank you, Sir, for your anticipated and esteemed consideration.

Yours Faithfully

Chief Dr. Innocent Chukwuma. OFR
Chairman/CEO
IVM Innoson Group