₦airaland Forum

As a new blogger (started blogging about 3 months ago), I know first hand how challenging it is to get young Nigerians subscribe to a blog that isn't about gossip. I'm absolutely certain that I can't compete in the celebrity gossip niche even if I try. Unfortunately, there seem to be a market for these blogs in Nigeria.

The question is - what kind of information does the average Nigerian youth user care about? Based on internet usage, one can tell it is entertainment (celebrity gossip), soccer, some politics, and some controversial religious/social issues. As long as there is a demand for these issues, there will always be blogs about them.

I blog about issues that I care about - world news (I'd have to admit that I do copy and paste sometimes, but cite my sources), opinion, some tech news, and inspirational. I soon found out that my inspirational posts don't do so well on NL. However the odd news section does fairly well (a few posts made the front page).

Regarding blogging for quick money, the trend is not specific to blogging. How many musicians do we have now? Folks see the likes of D'banj, P-Square, Tuface.....and they want to become musicians, sign some huge recording contract, and start making "big money." In the US, people become nurses because they've been told Nurses make good money. It's just that mentally of "rush to the next big money-making venture." Trust me, if folks understood how to develop and maintain a internet forums, there would have lots of other Nairaland-wannabes.

Copy and paste isn't limited to Nigerian blogs neither, lots of tech/how-to blogs in the India/Pakistan region do copy and paste as well. I wonder if their entertainment blogs are any different.

The final games of the 2012/2013 Spanish La Liga were played this past weekend. Also, some international friendly games were played.

Here are the results of the matches:

Spanish League Final Games

Real Madrid 4 (Higuain, Essien, Benzema, Callejon) vs Osasuna 2 (R.Torres, Cejudo)

Barcelona 4 (D.Villa, Fabregas, Montoya, Iniesta) vs Malaga 1 (Morales)

Celta Vigo 1 (Insa) vs Espanyol 0

Deportivo La Coruna 0 vs Real Sociedad 1 (Griezmann)

Granada 2 (Nolito, Youssef El Arabi) vs Getafe 0

Levante 1 (Rios) vs Real Betis 1 (Molina)

Mallorca 4 (Alfaro, Luis Marti, Dos Santos, Marquez) vs Real Valladolid 2 (Bueno, Ramos)

Rayo Vallecano 2 (Vazquez, Piti) vs Athleltic Bilbao 2 (Susaeta, Aurtenetxe)

Real Zaragoza 1 (Postiga) vs Athletico Madrid 3 (Turan, D.Costa - 2)

Sevilla 4 (Negredo - 4) vs Valencia 3 (Banega, Soldado - 2)


Selected International Friendlies

Brazil 2 (Fred, Paulinho) vs England 2 (Ox Chamberlain, Rooney)

USA 4 (Altidore, Ter tegen O.G, Dempsey -2) vs Germany 3 (Westermann, Kruse, Draxler)

Ukraine 0 vs Cameroon 0

Ireland 4 (Keane -2, Cox, Keogh) vs Georgia 0

Mexico 2 (Hernandez -2) vs Nigeria 2 (Ideye, John Ogu)

Italy 4 (Pirlo, Gilardino, Poli, Aquilani) vs San Marino 0

Japan 0 vs Bulgaria 2 (Manolev, Hasebe O.G)

USA 2 (Cameron, Dempsey) vs Belgium 4 (Benteke -2, Fellaini, Miralles)

England 1 (Lampard) vs Ireland 1 (S.Long)

Ecuador 2 (Ayovi, Valenciavs Germany 4 (Podolski -2, L.Bender -2)

Turkey 3 ( Sahan, Inan, Sari) vs Latvia 3 (Gauracs, Sabala -2)


Jose Mourinho Confirms He Will Join Chelsea This Week

Jose Mourinho has confirmed he will be named Chelsea manager by the end of the week, insisting the admiration Blues fans have for him made the decision easier.

In an interview with Spanish TV football show Punto Pelota on Sunday, the outgoing Real Madrid boss revealed he will be in London on Monday to finalize his return to Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho took charge of his final Liga game with Real in the 4-2 win over Osasuna on Saturday and has immediately turned his attention to a much-anticipated move back to the Premier League.

The Portuguese boss spent four years at the helm of Chelsea and revealed his reputation at the club was a decisive factor in his exit from Real.

"I'm going to London on Monday and at the end of the week I will be the manager of Chelsea," Mourinho told Punto Pelota. "I feel the people there love me and in life you have to look for that. Life is beautiful and short and you must look for what you think is best for you."

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/06/soccer-weekly-updates-with-transfer-news.html

"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of hands to rest - and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man" - Proverbs 6:10-11

Time is of the essence, invest your time wisely this week and you'll be glad you did.

Set achievable goals are accomplish them.

Have a great week!

Here are the results for matches played today:

MATCHES

MEN (View bracket)

Federer (2) v. Simon (15) ---
Ferrer (4) d. Anderson (23) 6-3, 6-1, 6-1
Tsonga (6) d. Troicki 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Robredo (32) d. Almagro (11) 6-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

WOMEN (View bracket)

S Williams (1) d. Vinci (15) 6-1, 6-3
A Radwanska (4) v. Ivanovic (14) ---
Errani (5) v. Suarez Navarro (20) ---
Kuznetsova d. Kerber ( 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

SEEDS ELIMINATED TODAY

MEN WOMEN

Nicolas Almagro (11) Angelique Kerber (
Kevin Anderson (23) Roberta Vinci (15)

TOMORROW'S MATCHES (Monday, June 3rd)

MEN WOMEN

Djokovic (1) v. Kohlschreiber (16) Sharapova (2) v. Stephens (17)
Nadal (3) v. Nishikori (13) Azarenka (3) v. Schiavone
Gasquet (7) v. Wawrinka (9) Kirilenko (12) v. Mattek-Sands
Haas (12) v. Youzhny (29) Jankovic (18) v. Hampton

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/06/tennis-2013-french-open-day-8-sunday.html

Indications that Boko Haram insurgents who say they are against Western education and anything to do with the west, have been deceitful, emerged yesterday after troops found packs of condoms, used and unused, in their camps.

Also found were syringes and narcotic drugs believed to have been used by the insurgents to get high before embarking on their deadly attacks.

A statement by the Director, Defense Information, Brig-General Chris Olukolade entitled, ‘Life in Terrorists Camp: Condoms Everywhere’, reads:

More of the dirty sides of the insurgents’ life style are being revealed as troops continue to stumble on strange and bizarre objects such as several used and unused condoms as well as charms and amulets of various shapes seen in the captured terrorists’ camps.

Other common items are syringes, test tubes and hand gloves usually found in the rubbles of most of the destroyed camps.

Apart from chemicals and materials for producing Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) narcotics of all types are also found to be common features as troops combed through camps in Sambisa forest, New Marte, and others.

Interesting find...

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/emergency-condoms-narcotic-drugs-flood-boko-haram-camps/

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/06/condoms-narcotic-drugs-found-in-boko.html

This should be a call to action for any serious government. Laying the foundation for a reliable and sustainable infrastructure to support the population growth is essential to our survival.

adconline: Number in terms of quantity not quality. Is it better to have one or 2 kids N adequately provide for them or to have as many kids and not adequately provide for them, and hope that one of them becomes a Nollywood/Soccer star and takes care of the whole family?
My question to these families that have a lot of kids. If you have a boy and a girl in your marriage, what is it that you are hoping to accomplish by having more kids? What joy do you derive in having more kids that you would not have been able to enjoy by having fewer kids?

Very well said...It couldn't have been more clearly stated.

I completely agree with you on the need to educate folks on family planning. I know its an uphill battle as it seem like the poorest nations tend to have the most kids (my opinion).

As many as 34 people were killed and 155 wounded in at least 10 car bomb explosions in different parts of Baghdad Monday, an interior ministry source said.

A car bomb and a roadside bomb ripped through Um al-Maalif area in southern Baghdad, killing up to six people and wounding 34, reported Xinhua citing a source.

Another car bomb went off in Kadhmiyah district in northern Baghdad, killing two people and wounding eight others, the source said.

In central Baghdad, a third car bomb exploded at a popular marketplace near Shorja commercial area, killing five people and injuring 31, the source added.

Meanwhile, a car bomb went off at a thoroughfare in Baiyaa district in the southern part of the capital, killing two people and wounding nine others, he said.

Five civilians were killed and 27 wounded when two car bombs were detonated in Habibiyah area within the Sadr City in Baghdad, the source added.

The six car bomb attacks followed the two bombings during afternoon in Baghdad. The source said a car bomb went off in Saadoun street in downtown Baghdad, killing up to six people and wounding some 14.

He also said another car bomb went off near al-Samarrai mosque in New Baghdad district in the capital, killing a civilian and wounding nine.

Also Monday, a car bomb went off in Huriya district in northeastern Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 14 others, while another car bomb near a market in Baghdad killed four people and wounded nine others, the source said.

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/34-killed-155-injured-in-iraq-attacks.html

Roland-Garros 2013 - Day 2 (Monday, May 27th)

MATCHES

MEN (View bracket)
Nadal (3) d. Brands 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 Rosol d. Riba 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Monfils d. Berdych (5) 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5 Sijsling d. Melzer 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Tsonga (6) d. Bedene 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 Nieminen d. Mathieu 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2
Gasquet (7) d. Stakhovsky 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 Gulbis d. Dutra Silva 6-1, 7-6, 6-3
Cilic (10) d. Petzschner 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 Montanes d. S Johnson 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Almagro (11) d. Haider-Maurer 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 Zemlja d. Giraldo 6-1, 6-4, 6-1
Nishikori (13) d. Levine 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 Kyrgios d. Stepanek 7-6, 7-6, 7-6
Gimeno-Traver d. Monaco (17) 4-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 Roger-Vasselin d. Alund 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0
Isner (19) d. Berlocq 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 Haase d. De Schepper 6-4, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3
Janowicz (21) d. Ramos 7-6, 7-5, 6-3 Kamke d. Lorenzi 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 0-6, 6-3
Fognini (27) d. Beck 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 R Harrison d. AN Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-4, 7-6
Benneteau (30) d. Berankis 7-6, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 Donskoy d. Struff 7-6, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2
F Lopez d. Granollers (31) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 Cuevas d. Mannarino 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5
Robredo (32) d. Zopp 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 Przysiezny d. R Williams 6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 7-5
Klizan d. Russell 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 ret.

WOMEN (View bracket)
Sharapova (2) d. Hsieh 6-2, 6-1 Svitolina d. Oprandi 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
A Radwanska (4) d. Peer 6-1, 6-1 Mattek-Sands d. Dominguez Lino 6-4, 6-1
Li (6) d. Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-4 Jovanovski d. Zahlavova Strycova 6-3, 6-2
Kerber ( d. Barthel 7-6, 6-2 Larsson d. Niculescu 6-2, 6-3
Wozniacki (10) d. Robson 6-3, 6-2 Zheng d. Dolonc 6-4, 6-1
Vinci (15) d. Foretz Gacon 6-3, 6-0 Bouchard d. Pironkova 6-1, 7-6
Stephens (17) d. Knapp 6-2, 7-5 Rybarikova d. Parmentier 6-0, 6-1
Suarez Navarro (20) d. Halep 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 Cepelova d. McHale 7-6, 2-6, 6-4
Flipkens (21) d. Pennetta 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 Keys d. Doi 6-3, 6-2
Kuznetsova d. Makarova (22) 6-4, 6-2 Johansson d. Scheepers 7-5, 6-1
Kucova d. Goerges (24) 7-6, 6-0 Torro-Flor d. Glushko 6-2, 7-5
Oudin d. Paszek (28) 6-4, 6-3 Muguruza d. Pliskova 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
Lepchenko (29) d. Lucic-Baroni 6-1, 6-2 King d. Cadantu 7-6, 6-1
Schiavone d. Czink 6-0, 7-6 Ormaechea d. Maria 6-3, 4-6, 6-0

SEEDS ELIMINATED TODAY
MEN WOMEN
Tomas Berdych (5) Ekaterina Makarova (22)
Juan Monaco (17) Julia Goerges (24)
Marcel Granollers (31) Tamira Paszek (28)

TOMORROW'S MATCHES (Tuesday, May 28th)
MEN WOMEN
Djokovic (1) v. Goffin Zeballos v. Pospisil Azarenka (3) v. Vesnina Cornet (31) v. Joao Koehler
Tipsarevic ( v. Mahut Davydenko v. Serra Kvitova (7) v. Rezai Peng v. Giorgi
Wawrinka (9) v. De Bakker Dodig v. Pella Stosur (9) v. Date-Krumm Wickmayer v. Schmiedlova
Haas (12) v. Rufin Verdasco v. Gicquel Kirilenko (12) v. Bratchikova Mladenovic v. Davis
Kohlschreiber (16) v. Vesely Tomic v. Hanescu Bartoli (13) v. Govortsova Watson v. Voegele
Dolgopolov (22) v. Tursunov Lu v. Bolelli Cibulkova (16) v. Tsurenko Begu v. Soler-Espinosa
Paire (24) v. Baghdatis Garcia-Lopez v. Sock Jankovic (18) v. Hantuchova Beck v. Zahlavova
Dimitrov (26) v. Falla Kubot v. Teixeira Zakopalova (23) v. Kanepi Pliskova v. Duque-Marino
F Mayer (28) v. Istomin Delbonis v. Reister Safarova (25) v. Hampton Hradecka v. Barty
Youzhny (29) v. Andujar AL Kuznetsov v. Pouille Shvedova (27) v. Vandeweghe Erakovic v. Baltacha

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/tennis-2013-french-open-day-2-monday.html

This is the concluding part of a two-part series. Read the first part here:
http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/the-profile-of-average-nigerian-anti.html

Happy reading....

With the radical increase in minimum wage started by Abdusalami Abubakar and continued by Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, the ability of Nigerians to consume has increased markedly. Also policies including the ‘GSM revolution’ and ‘the cement industry import substitution drive’ created significant well-paying jobs that contributed to the middle class revival. It is true that we can do better, but if you grew up in the 80's and 90's like I do, you can almost count the number of new cars on your street (if not your home town).

It is not because people don’t want to buy new cars; it is because they cannot afford it then. Before you shoot me down protesting that, how do new cars correlate with emergence of middle class, I will ask you to look at some of the most important indices tracked in developed countries. High consumer confidences and purchase of durable goods (chief among which is car) are some of the indicators of healthy economies. In a sense we are seeing the reemergence of the middle class and the good news is; it is good for anti-corruption crusades.

The reason why this is good for anti-corruption is that it is the folks in the middle class that fight corruption. While they want to paint this fight as a moral war (and truly some part of the fight is about morals and altruistic predilections), there is a more rationalistic reason; the middle class succeed more in an atmosphere that rewards fairness, justice and equal opportunity. These cardinal principles (fairness, justice, equal opportunity among others) are what corruption keeps at bay.

It is therefore in the interest of the middle class to fight corruption, not only because this is a good fight, but also because the presence of corruption stifles opportunities for this social class. This is a plight that historians in almost all advanced and emerging societies can testify to. The direction the nation takes i.e. advancement to the class of rich nations or retrogression into a vicious cycle of tyranny and gradual but circumvented growth of middle class (e.g. Argentina), depends on whether or not the middle class win this crucial battle.

Nigeria is at that crossroad. The endpoint will be determined by the outcome of this struggle between egregious corruption and the burgeon bourgeois. As it is presently, the grip corruption has on our national psych is too strong for this fledgling middle class and if care is not taken, corruption might stymied the growth of its most potent challengers. To tilt this scale in favor of the later, we need to focus on and support policies and programs that can potentially contribute to the growth of the middle class.

Any policy that ends up creating more jobs (preferable not in public sector because Nigerian public service is home to some of the most enduring corruption perpetuating institutions in the country) qualifies for this support. The reason is that more stable jobs translate to the growth of the bourgeois and all the aspirations of the bourgeoisie. For instance, the power policy of the present administration might have more impact on reducing corruption than decades of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) prosecutions.

Very few events can give more jolts to creation of jobs in Nigeria than a stable supply of electricity. If it is true that these people are the one most vociferous about anti-corruption, then it is safe to say that creating more of them is a step in the right direction for the anti-corruption crusade. While this is not the only way out of debilitating corruption, it is by far the most used path in the history of the world and it is a more plausible one.

In a sense, I am saying one way to reduce corruption in Nigeria is to invest in the emergence of a middle class. This is because these peculiar set of people are the one most shortchanged by the present arrangement. They also stand the most to gain in a less corrupt society. It is the act of converting people from the bottom rung to be part of the bourgeoisies that creates the critical mass required to challenge the hegemony of corruption. The fortunate thing about this is that almost all governments (corrupt or otherwise) want to create more middle class.

The crux of my argument is that by supporting or proposing policies that will lead to the creation of jobs and hence enable upward mobility for sizable chunk of the population, we might be doing more to fight corruption than just saying “STOP CORRUPTION”.

Share your thoughts....

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/the-profile-of-average-nigerian-anti_25.html

adconline: Most Nigerians think that strength are in numbers, but that is sheer fallacy..

Number could be either good or bad, depending on what we make of it. I'm afraid that in our case, its on the not so good side as we still lack infrastructure to support the growing number.

I came across this article in Reuters and I'd like to share with readers. It is quite long but here are the main points of the article:

The Nigerian population is growing at 11,000 a day. Current population is 170 million and according to the global Population Reference Bureau (PRB), by 2050, it will be the world's fourth most populous country, with 400 million people. Such growth could either spur economic prosperity of create a crisis of poverty and unrest.

While business leaders (especially retailers of fast-moving consumer goods) are excited about the potentially huge market, it is not clear whether Nigeria can turn a growing population into a richer society with higher living standards.

Despite these potentials, demographers fear a crisis of poverty and social upheaval could offset any gains from the birth of new consumers. With population rising at 2.4 percent per year, skeptics fear increasing number of jobless and uneducated youths threatens the stability of a country already plagued with Islamist uprising in the north and oil theft, piracy, and kidnapping by criminal gangs in the south.

Few investment funds like Renaissance Capital believe African demographics will spur an economic transformation or the sort seen in Asia. The population growth will provide opportunities for retailers and the auto industry, for which demographic data suggests Africa will be overtaking China within two generations.

The government has for decades tried to curb population growth through family planning, but the message isn't resonating with the poorly educated population, many living in remote areas, that value having many children, officials say.

Room for optimism? Those who take a bullish view of Nigeria's economic future argue that its growth can still eventually lift the society out of poverty. Charles Robertson at the Renaissance Capital says over a third of children go to secondary school, compared with just 7 percent in 1975. He also thinks that as Nigeria and Africa become more prosperous, population growth will naturally slow.

For skeptics and some demographers, a change in reproductive behavior and attitude is needed to slow the population growth.

Share your thoughts...

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/04/will-nigerian-baby-boom-feed-prosperity.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/09/us-africa-summit-population-idUSBRE9380DH20130409

There was a story about former Green Bay Packers safety Leroy Butler whose speaking engagement at a church was canceled because he tweeted congratulations to NBA player Jason Collins, who revealed he is gay. You can read more about the story on Yahoo.

What really got my attention was the differences in opinion over the $8,500 speaking fee that the Wisconsin church was supposed to pay Butler for the July speaking engagement. Is that a lot of money for the church to pay a speaker? Unfortunately, there are no standard speaking rates and I'm not too familiar with church administration. To be paid such amount, the speaker should have a lot to offer.

Here's is the issue:

Should churches pay speakers for their appearance?

There are support of both sides of this argument, and I don't want to argue that one side is necessarily right. I just want to throw some thoughts out there and start a discussion.

So, in no particular order, here are my thoughts on the issue:

1. Many speakers rely on their income to survive

Many who speak have bills to pay and families to feed. They rely on their speaking income to live. They can't do things for free all the time, and the Scripture says that "the worker is worthy of his wages."

A lot of time goes into speaking. An effective speech takes hours of preparation and the time spent on preparing could be spent on something else - time with families and loved ones. If speakers were never to be paid, it is unlikely that they would continue to work hard like most speakers do.

Also many speakers employ people to do a lot of the administrative duties. These staff members also have to be paid. Even those without staff have to cover costs of maintaining websites, creating publication materials, travel costs, maintaining the home office, and so on.

2. Speakers who don't charge aren't as valued.

People value what they pay for, they don't place too much value of what is free. If the church has paid, there is an expectation that the speaker will be insightful and meaningful. Paid events are taken more seriously and the church invests time and energy into ensuring the success of such events.

Just as with any organization, there is an expectation to pay for good service. In fact, no organization will take seriously any professional who offers free services all the time. Free services could be a sign of incompetence.

3. Church members shouldn't bear the brunt of the speaking fees

I don't believe the burden of payment should be passed on to the congregation. Speaking fees should already be included in the church's budget for the year. I've seen some churches raise special offering to cover the speakers' fee.

In cases where the speaker is not paid, it's okay to raise love offering to cover the speakers cost but this should not be the norm for every speaking engagement.

4. Churches shouldn't invite guest speakers all the time

While I enjoy occasional guest speakers, I'm not a big fan of churches having special events all the time. Some churches have frequent special services that requires them to invite guest speakers.

Imagine having one special event every month where the guest speaker is paid $8,500 per event, that amounts to $102,000 per year. Some of that money could be put to better use if the special events are held quarterly, or semi-annually.

So, what do you think? Should churches limit how much speakers are paid? But is it wrong for speakers to ask for money? Certainly not. They are offering a service that cost time and money.

Those are my thoughts. Please share yours and feel free to disagree!

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/should-churches-pay-speaking-fees-to.html

In my post about increasing your productivity, I talked about setting clear goals and writing them down. On that point, I mentioned making sure that the goals are SMART but did not go into details about the acronym.

SMART stands for:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

As we examine each of these attributes, I encourage you to get a pen and paper to write down the goals you want to achieve. Evaluate each goal and make changes as needed to ensure that your goals are SMART.

Specific

A specific goal is distinct, straightforward, and clearly defines what you want to accomplish. It should not contain any ambiguous language. To ensure that your goal is clearly defined, address the following "W" questions:

Who: Identify who is involved? Is this a personal goal or a goal that involves others? An example of a goal that involve others is a manager setting a goal for the team.
What: Define what to accomplish. What are you going to do? Use action words like develop, build, organize, learn, etc.
Where: Identify the location(s) if this applies to the defined goal.
When: Set a time frame for the goal to be accomplished.
Which: Identify the requirements for the goal. It is also important to identify and understand the constraints.
Why: This is really important! Understand the specific reason, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
Having a compelling WHY helps you to focus your effort and motivates you to attain the goal.

Ensure that your goals are specific and clearly defined. An example of a specific goal will be "I want to go back to school to get a Bachelor degree in Computer Science." It's not just "I want to go back to school." It's stating exactly what type of degree you want to obtain.

Measurable

A measurement provides feedback and lets you know when the goal is achieved. It is important to establish concrete criteria for measuring your progress as you work towards achieving the goals that you set.

To determine if your goal is measurable, asks questions like - How much? How many? How will I know when the goal is achieved?

It is easier to stay on track when you measure your progress. It's like managing a project - if you can't measure your progress, you can't manage your project.

Measuring your progress helps a lot when you have smaller, short-term goals that leads to a long-term goal. As you reach your target date on the short-terms goals, you experience a sense of excitement that stimulates you to intensify your efforts at achieving your goals.

Attainable

After your goals are identified, you begin to figure out how to accomplish them. In the process, you develop new attitude, abilities, skills and financial capability required to reach your goals. You begin to pay closer attention to previously overlooked opportunities that brings you closer to achieving your goals.

Almost any goal is attainable when you plan wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to reach that goal. However, if your goals are too far out, there is a high probability that you won't commit to doing it when you know that it's too much for you.

Work on developing yourself, and with time you just might have gathered enough resources to achieve those seemingly insurmountable goals.

Realistic

Realistic goals are challenging yet attainable within the given time frame. The goal needs to be realistic for you and where you are at the moment. A goal of loosing 50 pounds in one month may be unrealistic for someone who has never exercised and enjoys carbohydrates.

Set goals that you can attain with some effort. When the goal is too difficult to attain, you might be setting yourself up to fail. On the other hand, setting a goal that doesn't require too much effort to achieve exerts low motivational force. It sends the message that you are not capable.

Make your goals high enough that you feel some sense of satisfaction after achieving such goals. In the example given earlier, someone who wants to go back to school to get a degree in Computer Science will put in a lot of hours to study, do homework, and write codes. After getting the degree, such a person experiences the exhilaration of achievement.

Timely

Set an aggressive, yet realistic time frame for the goal. Putting an end point to your goal creates a sense of urgency and gives you a target to work towards.

For me personally, when I don't set time to accomplish a goal, my commitment is vague. I tend to procrastinate because I feel like I can start at any time. Without a time limit, there is no urgency to take action immediately.

Be sure to allocate an appropriate time frame to your goal. The time must be attainable and realistic.

My challenge to you

Everyone can benefit from goals that are SMART. Setting SMART goals gives you a sense of purpose.

My challenge to you is to set a goal and accomplish it! No excuses.

Don't forget to share this post.

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/are-your-goals-smart-proven-way-to.html

The Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said on Friday that women and children abducted by suspected Boko Haram militants have been freed.

They were freed by soldiers deployed for special operations in the three states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

Olukolade said the special forces stormed one of the camps located within the Sambisa Forest, where the women and children were being held and rescued nine of them – three women and six children.

The defence spokesman said the soldiers were still combing the forest in a frantic search for a woman and two of her children believed to be missing in the 16-kilometre long forest.

He explained that the women were abducted from a police formation during the attack on some security establishments in Bama, Borno State, on May 7, 2013.

“Troops of the special operations have rescued three women and six children after overrunning three terrorists’ camps in the notorious Sambisa Forest of Central Borno in the ongoing onslaught against terrorists.

“The women and children, who were kidnapped from police barracks and environs during the May 7 attack on Bama, had been held in the camp since their abduction and were featured in the video by Abubakar Shekau recently.

“Troops combing the forest are, however, yet to locate one other woman and her two children,” he said.

A BBC report had quoted the leader of the Boko Haram sect (Shekau) as having said in a video on May 13, 2013, that some women and children were taken by operatives of the sect in retaliation for the arrest of the wives and children of their members by security operatives.

“If they do not leave our wives and children, we will not leave them,” Shekau reportedly said.

Shekau was quoted to have said that anybody taken into custody could begin a new life as a “servant.” He did not give further details.

Olukolade, who said that security operatives had destroyed all the militant camps in northern and central Borno, was, however, silent on the number of such camps that were raided and demolished by the special forces.

He dismissed insinuations that civilians could have been mistaken for Boko Haram operatives during the operation around Sambisa and other areas.

He noted that the military gathered enough intelligence about the area before embarking on the assignment.

“All camps have been destroyed. As for people crossing the border, there is no need to attack anybody. But if somebody is armed, it would not be easy for such a person to cross the border.

“I must remind you that this operation is targeted at camps; if you are found at a militant camp, you cannot be said to be a civilian; and if you are carrying a gun, you cannot fit into being described as a civilian, at least at that time,” he stressed.

He said the raid at Sambisa revealed that the militants had developed from the use of small arms to the use of heavy military hardware as indicated by the anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons recovered from them.

Olukolade, who showed video clips of a Defence Headquarters Operational Assessment Team led by the Chief of Training and Operations at the DHQ, Maj.-Gen. Lawrence Ngugbane, said the Chief of Defence Staff was happy with the performance of the troops and their adherence to the rule of engagement in the ongoing operation.

http://www.punchng.com/news/soldiers-rescue-women-children-abducted-by-boko-haram/

I asked a friend who is very passionate and optimistic about the future of Nigeria to write a post about anti-corruption. He sent this to my email.

I made the post a two-part series due to it's length.

Read, share, and feel free to comment on the post. I'd love to read what you think about it. Here we go:

A segment of the Nigerian population seems more piqued by corruption than the rest of us. It is safe to say that it is neither the ruling class nor the folks living on less than one dollar a day. Without sounding judgmental, these other 2 categories seem to benefit more from the systemic imbalance perpetuated by graft in the nation. In fact, the interplay between these two groups contributed in no mean way to the institutionalization of corruption in Nigeria.

The primal motivations of the ruling elites to steal are twofold. The first reason is the poverty of mind that made our leaders think they can steal enough state resources to rescue generations unborn in their lineage from material poverty (that is in itself tied to the myopic disease that always make Nigerians think their culture, lineage and predisposition are better than those of fellow citizens [be it Yoruba asserting they are better than Igbos or Muslims convinced they should be preferred over Christians or northern Kaduna people thinking a governor from the southern Kaduna is an insult on their collective intelligence or Igbos thinking Chinua Achebe is better than Wole Soyinka and Yorubas thinking otherwise; we all are suffering from that a collective mine-is-better malaise]).

Secondly, in a game of numbers (democracy included), the interests of the majority trump moral concerns. As long as the majority of people in Nigeria are living below poverty line and believe that the breadcrumbs (after all half a loaf is better than no bread) ‘graciously’ passed to them during elections are worth another four years of inept leadership, there will be a motivation to steal on the part of ruling class; more money equal more votes. Any anti-corruption strategy that does not successfully run a circle around these dual motivations is incomplete and does not address basic principles of human motivations.

Back to the other group that want corruption in high places to stop. I must confess I observed this distinct group by some pseudo ethnographic profiling of almost all my vocal anti-corruption friends (fellow compatriots some of which still doubt my commitment to the anti-corruption crusade). The group I am referring to is the incipient Nigerian middle class. By that I mean, employed or self-employed Nigerians (generally between age 22 – 49), who can confidently take care of his/her family. They are very active on social media (twitter and Facebook top the list). Most are graduates of Nigerian universities and polytechnics.

Not a few of them have masters or some higher degrees (preferable from a foreign University) and/or have spent some times outside Nigeria. Also, they have relatively developed religious or moral compass. They are neither poor nor mega rich; they have few strong connections to Nigeria main resource (that does not mean they are not working in oil companies, but that it is most unlikely that their parents own oil blocks). They spread all over the corners of the country (and around the world) and often vote their conscience in elections. I challenge you (in a friendly manner) to compare your vocal anti-corruption friend to this base template and point out the possible misfit. Essentially, it is this new cohort that is challenging the status quo.

Most Nigerian contemporary socioeconomic historians will agree that the Nigerian middle class collapsed during the military era. Specifically, the Babangida Administration economic programs and oppressive policies repressed the middle class and led to the massive exodus of what remained of that social stratum to greener pastures (i.e. our own brain drain). One credit, most Nigerians have not given this fourth republic, is the gradual (albeit slow) resuscitation of the middle class.

Click here to read the second part:

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/the-profile-of-average-nigerian-anti_25.html

As reported in Vanguard:

As the military continued its quest to dislodge the Boko Haram terrorists from the north eastern part of the country, the Defense Headquarters Friday said that soldiers have taken over all the camps where the insurgents operated from in Northern and Central parts of Borno State.

This was even as the military said yesterday that soldiers would soon carry out a military exercise code-named Operation Thunderstorm ‘on the Abuja-Jere-Kaduna expressway.

Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade who spoke in an interview with newsmen, also said that troops on the special operations, stormed the notorious Sambisa forest area and rescued six children and three women kidnapped by the terrorists about three weeks ago.

According to Brig-General Olukolade who was part of a seven- man Assessment Team led by Maj-General Lawrence Ngubane, that visited the operation areas in the last three days, the troops were currently combing the vast Sambisa forest which is about 16 square kilometers.

Kudos to the military. Hopefully they can intensify efforts to rid the country of this group that is bent on wrecking havoc in Northern Nigeria.

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/nigeria-joint-military-task-force-takes.html
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/05/state-of-emergency-we-ve-taken-over-all-boko-haram-camps-in-borno-defence-hqtrs/

When Sandy Valdiviseo and her husband Triet Vo were making travel plans, they must have thought it'd be a wonderful vacation in Dakar, on the Senegalese coast. However, the couple got the shocker of their lives when they landed in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka - about 7,000 miles from their intended destination, an error due to airport code mix-up.

The airport code for Dakar, the capital of Senegal, is DKR, while the code for the airport in Dhaka, which is the capital of Bangladesh, is DAC.


After arriving in Istanbul, the couple had boarded a connecting flight. It was only after seeing the route map of the flight’s progress, which showed the plane over the Middle East, that they realised the error.

“When the flight attendant said we were heading to Dhaka, we believed that this was how you pronounced 'Dakar' with a Turkish accent," Ms Valdivieso said.

When they arrived in Bangladesh, the pair informed Turkish Airlines about the mistake, and tried to arrange a transfer to Senegal.

According to reports, the airline insisted on tracking down the recording of the initial booking before acknowledging the error and installing the couple on flights to West Africa, 12 hours after their arrival in Bangladesh. Their baggage arrived in Senegal two days after they did.

The incident happened in December last year, but has only just been reported after the couple’s long battle to obtain compensation.

"I have called them [Turkish Airlines] every Friday for the past four months," said Ms Valdivieso. "They told me each time that they will review my case and get back to me. But they never do."

"We are very, very sorry that this happened," a Turkish Airlines spokeswoman said. The couple have since been offered two free economy-class tickets to anywhere on the airline’s flight network.

Make sure to verify your airport codes when making flight reservations. I remember searching for flight to Los Angeles and I entered airport code LOS - Lagos, Nigeria instead of LAX. Good thing I caught the error on time.

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/confusion-dakar-or-dhaka-couple-land-in.html

I just came across this video and I'd love to share it with somebody who needs that extra push to get something done.

Stay on the course my friend! Remember, winners don't quit and quitters never win.

Watch the video and be sure to share your thoughts...

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/need-some-motivation-watch-this.html

Nigeria has asked neighboring Niger for support in a week-old offensive against Islamist insurgent bases in its semi-desert frontier region, underlining moves towards West African cooperation against jihadis seen as a cross-border threat.

Concerns grew particularly after Islamist militants associated with al Qaeda seized the north of Mali last year and were dislodged only after French-led military intervention.

Nurudeen Muhammed, Nigeria's minister of state for foreign affairs, delivered the request for help from President Goodluck Jonathan to his Nigerien counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou late on Monday in Niamey.

"We currently have military operations under way in Nigeria in three federal states to combat terrorism and we would like to have Niger's support in the common fight against these terrorists," Muhammed told Niger state television.

Military sources say Nigerian forces have faced stiff resistance by hardened Islamist rebels entrenched in the north and using cross-border routes to smuggle in weapons.

Nigeria and Niger signed a bilateral defense pact in October 2012 that includes sharing intelligence on Islamist groups and joint military exercises. The deal stipulates that a request for military aid by one nation cannot be refused by the other.

The two West African nations share a porous frontier of more than 1,500 km (940 miles). The fighting in Nigeria has pushed more than a thousand refugees across the border into Niger in the past few weeks, according to U.N. estimates.

Soldiers from Niger and neighboring Chad participated with Nigerian forces in a joint assault on Boko Haram fighters last month in Baga, a fishing settlement on the shores of Lake Chad.

Neighboring countries were alarmed last year when jihadi militants overran vast tracts of Mali's desert north, imposing a violent form of sharia (Islamic law) and establishing training camps, some of which trained Boko Haram operatives.

A lightning French offensive ousted the Islamists from northern Mali's towns but rural pockets of insurgents remain. France is now due to hand over to a U.N. peacekeeping force made up mostly of African troops, the bulk of them Nigerian.

A spokesman for Nigeria's military denied reports that its offensive against Boko Haram would force Abuja to pull some of its 1,200 troops out of Mali.

"The human and material resources of the Armed Forces of Nigeria are being meticulously deployed and quite able to meet its present internal and external assignments," defense spokesman Brigadier-General Chris Olukolade said in a statement.

"The normal and scheduled rotation of troops in various missions will continue," he said.

Many analysts say, however, that the intensity of its domestic Islamist threat has forced West Africa's richest and most populous nation to withdraw from its traditional leading role in regional affairs.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/us-nigeria-violence-idUSBRE94K0JT20130521

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/nigeria-has-asked-neighboring-niger-for.html

2nioshine: Meditate on what?.....if u mean planing dat z no art of zen iz just LoGICAL nd should wuk 4 all....

That's right, the art of zen isn't planning. Meditation is so much different from planning. When you meditate, you are training your mind by promoting relaxation and serenity. It's a common practice in many religion (especially Buddhism).

See video here:

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/04/hallway-swimming-new-harlem-shake.html

Enjoy!

Yes, that's right! According to research, meditating for just six minutes before going to lectures could help students improve their grades.

A group of university students in California participated in a study and it was found that those who practiced the art of Zen had better grades on tests. Also, students who meditated before classes had longer attention span.

First year students generally did better in the study, leading researchers to speculate that younger students who find it difficult to concentrate could benefit more from meditation.

I don't practice meditation but I noticed that I'm generally more productive on days when I take time to plan ahead in the morning.

Research has also shown that taking long walks in the morning to plan out your day could have the same effect as meditation.

I'd love to hear your experience. Do you perform better when you plan your day or you are more effective when things happen spontaneously.

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/04/want-to-pass-you-next-exam-try.html

Four Italian journalists kidnapped and held in Syria since April 4 had been freed on Saturday, Italy's interim Foreign Minister Mario Monti said in a statement.

The journalists were in Syria to film a documentary about the rebel group with close ties to al-Qaeda.

Though the Foreign Ministry never released the names of the journalists, they have been widely reported by Italian media to be RAI journalist Amedeo Ricucci, freelancers Elio Colavolpe and Andrea Vignali, and Italian-Syrian reporter Susan Dabbous.

Journalists around the world deserve a lot of credit for putting their lives on the line in an effort to cover stories in the most dangerous parts of the world.

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/04/italian-journalists-kidnapped-and-held.html

In what seem to be the deadliest attack in more than a decade, suspected opposition gunmen ambushed and killed four police men and three civilians over the weekend, raising fears that the southern African nation's two-decent peace may be under threat.

Mozambican civil war commander Afonso Dhlakama on Wednesday admitted that he ordered the recent attack on the police but not the civilians. He said the attack was a response to a raid that resulted in arrest of 15 supporters.

Speaking from his heavily defended bush camp in central Mozambique, the leader of the former rebel group Renamo vowed fresh attacks against President Armando Guebuza's government forces if they do not retreat from positions close to his remote base camp.

The killing is the latest escalation in long running feud between the two men who signed the 1992 Rome General Peace Accords that ended a 15-year war in Mozambique.

For now there seem to be a tacit ceasefire as the government seem to have reached out to Dhlakama.

Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday agreed to revitalize a Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) to strengthen the existing bilateral ties.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta who held talks with visiting DRC President Joseph Kabila in Nairobi said the JCC would provide the framework that would coordinate cooperation between the two countries. "President Uhuru Kenyatta has expressed the need for Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo to work together to bolster peace in the region," said a statement issued after the meeting in Nairobi.

During the talks, Kenyatta emphasized the importance of peace, noting that the region could not realize its development endeavours, including increased trade and investment, in the absence of peace and stability. He thanked President Kabila for his show of solidarity by attending his and his deputy's inauguration, saying Kenya's future is tied to its cooperation with its regional and continental partners.

President Kabila said although his country is not Kenya's immediate neighbour, the two countries shared a lot in common. Noting that there is a lot of business contact between Kenya and DRC, President Kabila stressed the need to facilitate further engagement for the benefit of the people of the two countries at all levels.
He echoed President Kenyatta's sentiments on peace, adding that peace and stability have been his priority in the last 10 years. He appreciated the Kenyan government's role in stabilising North and South Kivu

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/04/kenya-dr-congo-to-strengthen-bilateral.html

Nigerian militants have ambushed a police boat in the oil-producing Niger Delta region, leaving 12 officers missing and presumed dead, security officials said on Sunday.

The ambush came days after the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the main delta militant group prior to a 2009 amnesty, threatened to restart attacks in retaliation for the jailing of leader Henry Okah by a South African court.

Bayelsa state governor Henry Dickson confirmed the 12 policemen were dead, calling the incident "most tragic, shocking and disheartening".

Any resurgence of militant activity would be a blow to President Goodluck Jonathan, who helped negotiate the amnesty and who is from the same Ijaw ethnic group as most of the militants. His administration's security forces are already stretched by an Islamist insurgency in the north.

It would also be a major headache for multinational oil companies such as leading operator Royal Dutch Shell, already contending with industrial scale oil theft by armed gangs that saps up to a fifth of Nigeria's 2 million barrel-a-day output, according to some government estimates.

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/04/niger-delta-militants-ambush-police.html

WhatsApp users, get ready for a takeover! Rumor has it that Google and WhatsApp have been locked in acquisition negotiations for more than a month. According to Digital Trends,WhatsApp is pushing for nearly $1 billion valuation.

WhatsApp is assumed to have a user base of more than 300 million with increasingly popular service on all continents, but particularly big in Europe and Latin America where over 80% of most smartphone users are actively using the app.

So what happens to Google Babel? Well, if the deal gets sealed, Babel will combine Google's different communication services under one roof.

For Google, the purchase will open up mouth-watering opportunities in both the messaging app market and the mobile game industry.

The acquisition will definitely make Apple have a rethink of the messaging system on the iPhone and iPad as it runs the risk of being left behind due to its proprietary nature. Facebook is also making push for smaller messaging apps as well.

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/04/google-plans-to-buy-whatsapp-for-1.html