April 2011 TIMELESS

TIMELESS Published Since April 2003

Vol. 9 No. 4

APRIL 2011

300 NAIRA

2011 Elections Why would it be different?

Personality

Ituah Ighodalo

@ 50

Emeka Smith

Unleashed Business

World’s Billionares 2011

Why do we spend so much time counting other people’s money?

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From the Editor-in-Chief Reflections on a Misruled Nation

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t is indeed a hallmark of extremely bad governance since the early 1970s that a nation that has so much resources, excellent balance of payment position and extremely good rate of exchange should now find itself a laughing stock of the world.

The reflection on our economy and state of the nation now shows that over the last 30 years, Nigeria has been plagued with grossly incompetent leadership, who just do not know how to manage a vibrant economy like ours. They have neither the skills, the knowledge, the competence nor even the interest.

Virtually, everyone from the messenger to the top ranking official in government is corrupt. Honestly, how many of our government officials in and out of government since 1970 can honestly say that they did not personally enrich themselves? That they did not take advantage of government position to acquire land in Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki, Foreshore, Abuja, Port Harcourt etc? That they did not take one cent or two on a barrel of oil? That they did not go on unnecessary foreign travel for the estacode?

That they did not have unusual presents or houses built for them by foreign contractors, and did not use inside knowledge to acquire shares during indigenization or privatization? Have they therefore not in one way or other contributed to the ruin of our economy?

How many of the so called big names today, superthis and super-that, chief this and chief that, director general this and director general that, minister x and minister y, chairman this and chairperson that, expresident this and former Head of State that, General this and General that genuinely earned what they are now spending? I am sure some of them would call it wise investments and prudent management.

I call it dignified and sophisticated corruption. But corruption is corruption anyway.

How many of us are innocent, most of us have given a little thank you there, a small present here, N100.00 to ‘wetin you carry’ there, a small tip to cus-

toms here, a small bribe to NEPA here, something to NITEL there. Because corruption has become so ingrained in our economy, it is almost as if you cannot exist without it. The most painful thing is that no one is free, for you cannot report an erring junior official to his senior, why? The senior is the king of the wrong and the head of the syndicate, why report a smaller thief to a bigger one? They will both just laugh at you! It is so bad that even our successful persons in the private sector have had to bribe their way through success.

It is time that we, as people of Nigeria, change our attitude, our style. It is time that we said enough, we want change in Nigeria, we want a better economy, we want good caring leadership, and we want N1 to be equal to $1.

Nigerians especially our leaders and ex-leaders, and some of our so called big businessmen especially those who are patronized by government should search their conscience if there is any money (even in tax frauds or lack of income declaration) belonging to Nigeria in their possession, return it: sell that house or hand it over back to Nigerians, sell those cars, that land, hand over back to Nigeria those foreign accounts, keep a small portion for your pension, we don’t want you in penury but hand the rest back to whom it belongs. After all you do not need it, and cannot spend it, your children will not starve, your wife will not lack, if only you will learn to live moderately.

How much good do you do to the rest of Nigeria with what you have anyway? Do you not want to see again Nigeria in glory, do you not want to again be proud to be a Nigerian, to wear your green passport or are you one of those trying to sabotage God’s plan for Nigeria in this end times?

the trapping of power. Solomon asked for wisdom and ability to rule the people well. God answered his prayers and gave him more.

No one in the entire world has surpassed Solomon in his wisdom and wealth; no reign in history has been more successful in terms of peace and plenty. For along with Solomon’s wisdom came a fear of God, power, fame, and wealth. Solomon was so wise and powerful that kings from other lands, the President of America, the Russian President, used to come and seek his advice and pay him royalties.

Solomon had all he wanted from life and enjoyed all that life had to offer; wine, money wealth, power, knowledge, education, wisdom and at the end he said “vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” Regardless of how great Solomon became, one day he died – one day we shall all die. That day we will answer to the owner of the earth, who owns all the wealth, including Nigeria’s oil. He will ask us “the power I gave you, what did you do with it, the people I gave to you – how well did you rule them?”

Ituah Ighodalo

When Solomon became head of State of Israel, he approached God and asked for a gift to help him govern the people. Solomon did not ask for cars, money, oil deals, contracts, 10 percent, houses in Germany, Spain and London. He did not ask for all the oil wealth, or land in Abuja, Lekki and Victoria Island, he did not even ask for power, ego, sirens and

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Contents

Business Style Society

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Expectant Moms - Crossing off Your

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Dressing Your Body Type

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Introducing Yummy Mummy’s 2011 Spring Collection

Worries

Communicating with Your Man

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Networking An Essential part of Every Manager’s Kit

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The Overly Involved Boss

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Vol. 9 No. 1

JANUARY 2011

EDITORIAL

300 NAIRA

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CEO

Ituah Ighodalo EDITOR

Ayodeji Jeremiah

...for the New Year As Selected by You - Our Readers

1. UNILAG Bookshop, Akoka 2. Edysyl Bookshops, Jibowu Str, Yaba & Kodesho Str, Ikeja 3. Iman Cosmetics, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi 4. Total Filling Station, Awolowo Rd, Ikoyi 5. Media Store RCCG Christ Church, Gbagada 6. MM1 & MM2 Local Airport 7. CCD Stores, Ogudu 8. Pharm Affairs, Ogudu 9. Cheeses Stores, Ogudu 10. Terra Kulture, Tiamuyi Savage, V.I 11. Wealthafrique Group, 1a, Thomas Laniyan, beside LASU Anthony Campus, Idi-Iroko Bus stop

Culture A Dissection of Chimamanda’s “The Thing Around your Neck at Farafina Book Review Style The Coolest Watches Money can Buy Society “My Vagina is Embarrasing...”

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. m not m e t f i o gift ters co.uk. a t e e l v in o. cei d e o r n h l e a l an s rage@y onth wi c u Yo cou very m s s e l time letter e r A sta

to

SENIOR WRITERS

Adeleke Adeyemi Uche Izayah SENIOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Tola Majolagbe EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Titilope Oyelade STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Matthew Osarenren CORRESPONDENTS

Godwin Thomas Taiwo Tunkarimu Tolu Ifekoya Kunle Michael GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION EDITOR

Agbele Olusola BUSINESS & COMMERCIAL SERVICES DIRECTORS

Victoria Tandoh Nneka Nwobi Bayo Rotimi HEAD, SALES, MARKETING & CIRCULATION

Steve Atannoye

MISSION STATEMENT To establish a well Structured, Educative and Informative Newsmagazine based on Sound Moral Values; providing Honest, Unbiased Reportage in Fairness to all.

SEPTEMBER 2010 TIMELESS

Editorial

Toward a Public Library Network in Nigeria: The Quest for ‘an African Andrew Carnegie’

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t is a sad fact of life that the vast majority of children growing up in Nigeria have not read and will never get to read crucible-quality, highly formative literary works by such greats as Nigeria’s doyen of children’s literature, Mabel Segun; the English Charles Dickens (of the Oliver Twist fame that, sadly, has become unknown to Nigerian children); American Theodor Seuss Geisel (under the pen name of Dr. Seuss), among others.

donated millions of dollars for the construction of library buildings. Carnegie’s conditions helped popularize the idea that public library service is rightfully a government function.

Before giving to a community, Carnegie stipulated that local authorities agree to maintain the library building in perpetuity. He also required them to tax community residents annually to fund the library’s operation. Many civic organizations, most notably women’s groups, lobbied local authorities in communities throughout the United States to accept Carnegie’s challenge, and soon cities and towns established funding mechanisms to maintain public libraries. As a result, the number of public libraries surged in If it is true that “the stories people tell have a the late 19th and early 20th centuries, growing way of taking care of them” (Barry L. Lopez), from 188 libraries in 1876 to 3,873 libraries by as, indeed, it is, then the carefree and cavalier 1923. attitude of today’s multitudes who live and grow up across the land bereft of exposure to John Wood took his cue from Andrew Carnuniversally acclaimed classics that are required egie, whom he considers his favourite hero, by reads in other climes, may be viewed simply as putting in place a ‘Challenge Grant’ model: he a self-fulfilling prophecy. has striven to create the same momentum by setting up and giving impetus to the building, If, as we say that ‘readers are leaders’, then it from stretch, of an indigenous local language is clear that we have gone without leadership, publishing industry centred around children’s properly speaking, in our national life (and of books, where it counts the most and which also course on the personal and home-fronts as well) holds the greatest potential for change. from the converse of the cliché: non-readers are non-leaders, only pretenders to the throne.

Throughout the last century, foreign organisations strove to create libraries in Africa, ofThere are no points for reinventing the wheel; ten through the contributions of international the question is: Will we adopt it in our quest agencies such as the British Council, the Carnto arrive at our desirable destination? Toward egie Corporation of New York, and the now the end of the last decade of the last millenni- abolished United States Information Agency, um, John Wood, a young and upwardly mobile whose functions were transferred to the State executive at Microsoft, had an epiphany on a Department. With independence, however, trekking vacation to Nepal, a poor and sever- most countries have tried to shake off colonial ally challenged Asian country which nonethe- influences and develop libraries based on local less plays host to the highest peak in the world, cultures and traditions.

Mount Everest. The profound realisation confronted John Wood with the possibility that Unstable economies, poor telecommunications he’d taken his own education, in the United infrastructure, and weak distribution channels States of America, and access to books grow- have all slowed the application of modern teching up for granted. He left to found Room to nology to library services in Africa. NevertheRead, an organisation he hoped would grow to less, by the 1990s many university and research become “the Microsoft of nonprofits.” libraries featured state-of-the-art equipment, often purchased through grants from a variJohn Wood’s abiding inspiration is Andrew ety of international agencies and foundations.

Carnegie (1835-1919), author of “The Gospel Most funding came from various agencies of of Wealth,” American industrialist and philan- the United Nations, with aid also provided by thropist, a founder of the iron and steel indus- the World Bank, the British Council, the Carntry in the United States. He remains legendary egie Corporation of New York, the Rockefeller for his many charitable gifts, especially those Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. founding public libraries, the cause to which he gave away much of his wealth. Carnegie With the exception of the few public libraries provided funds for more than 2,500 libraries in established by international groups, almost no the English-speaking countries of Britain and African public libraries used modern technolIreland, the United States, and Canada. The ogy as recently as the late 1990s. Computers arrangement for all these gifts was the same: and related equipment were similarly scarce in funding was granted for the building only after school libraries, except for libraries of privatethe local authorities have provided a site for the ly funded high schools. South Africa, the most building and passed an ordinance for the pur- technologically developed country in Africa, chase of books and future maintenance of the established online information retrieval serviclibrary. es for academic libraries in the mid-1970s and an online national bibliographic and informaPublic libraries flowered across the United tion network in 1983. By the late 1990s most States during the late 19th century, greatly stim- academic libraries in South Africa provided ulated by the generosity of Andrew Carnegie. access to the Internet. Some African national Between 1881 and his death in 1919, Carnegie libraries are responsible for public library de6

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velopment in their countries.

Public library development in Africa is often impeded because libraries must compete for scarce government funds with more urgent concerns, such as healthcare. Despite severe financial constraints, public officials have tried to make traditional public library services such as acquisition, lending, and reference available to all users regardless of age, sex, religion, or social status.

To fast-track people-driven sustainable development, the governments of developing countries need to place the construction of libraries at the top of national priorities.

The countries of the Middle East maintain a large number of public libraries, but relatively few of these feature good collections and attractive facilities. Most libraries that serve the general public suffer from shortages of books, space, and funds. For example, public libraries in Saudi Arabia typically have between 5,000 and 30,000 volumes; only a few have collections of more than 50,000 books. However, a few countries maintain relatively broad networks of public libraries to serve their populations. For example, Turkey maintains more than 1,000 public libraries throughout the country, many with relatively large collections and modern facilities.

In several countries of the Middle East, the general public has access to libraries originally established by the British Council and the American Cultural Center, institutions that promote the exchange of cultural information.

Several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iran, provide separate public library services for men, women, and children.

In Israel, a unit of the Ministry of Education and Culture supervises, administers, and guides the modern public library system.

Despite national efforts to establish public libraries in many countries of Asia, most Asians—particularly those in rural areas—remain without access to libraries of any type.

Nevertheless, villages in several countries have small reading centers, and a number of cities maintain large municipal libraries. According to some estimates, China maintains more than 2,500 public libraries throughout the country.

These libraries mainly offer children’s and educational services, although their overall quality is poor. Japan’s 2,600 public libraries emphasize services for children, people with disabilities, and senior citizens. India maintains more than 40,000 public libraries—the greatest number in Asia—but most of them have minimal collections and no professional staff.

In addition, more than 80 percent of the literate population in rural India still lack library service. The largest municipal library in Asia is the Shanghai Library in China; this library maintains a current, broad, international collection that exceeds 10 million items.

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events

The Arise Magazine Fashion Week Victoria Praise Abrahams

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or the first time in Africa’s history on African soil, 50 great African designers gathered in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre to showcase the best of African designs. The show was put together by Arise Magazine, a product of the Thisday media group and brain child of Nduka Obaigbena. The event took place from Thursday March 10 to Sunday March 13, at the newly refurbished Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island Lagos, Nigeria.

Designers at the show included Deola Sagoe of Tiffany Amber (Nigeria); Ugonna Nnenna Omeruo of House of Nwacha (Nigeria); Gert-Johan (South Africa); Aisha Obuobi’s Christie Brown (Ghana); Yvonne Nwosu of Vonne; Ituen Basi who did not disappoint her now teeming fans by accentuating her designs with Nigeria’s now popular okada helmets and Fatima Aliyu Garba of Farrah, whose designs were simply stunning, breathtaking and lovely.

Others were Kiki Kamanu (US); Jewel By Lisa (Nigeria); Kluk CGTD (South Africa); Madam Wokies Couture (Sierra Leone); Bestow Elan (Ethiopia); Mimi Plange (Senegal); Alexander Amosu (UK); and Bunmi Koko (UK) amongst several others.

Each night’s show ended with music from acts including Nigeria’s hottest female act Mo Cheddah, Tinie Tempa the Nigerian born British musician, Naeto C, Darey Art-Alade, award winning British black singer Estelle, Keri Hilson and Dbanj.

The show ended with Kluk CGDT winning the big prize of the evening, the designer of the year award for 2011. Kluk CGDT whose creative duo includes Malcolm Kluk and Christian Gabriel du Tat also went home with the Lifetime Achievement in Fashion Award.

The aim of the show is to portray the hidden talents in the African fashion industry and select five African designers that would showcase their collections at the New York Fashion Week in the fall. The very best of these designers would be invited to participate in the inaugural and annual Arise Magazine Fashion Gala in New York.

The houses selected to showcase their designs at the New York Fashion week slated for September 2011 include: Jewel by Lisa, Bunmi Koko, Tsemaye Bunite and Pierre-Antoine Vettorello and of course the biggest winner of the night Kluk CGDT from South Africa.

Other categories of awards for the event went to: Ituen Basi - Best in Creative Design / Creative Designer of the Year Maki Oh - Emerging Designer of the Year Tiffany Amber - Fashion Brand of the Year Buki Akib - Young Designer of the Year Flaviana Matata - Model of the Year Chika Emmanuel - New Face of the Year Angel Van Moi - Men’s Wear Designer of the Year Below are excerpts from the interview with Penny McDonald, the International Managing Director of the Arise Group: Timeless: Why so many designers at the same time on one stage?

Penny: It was strategic. We wanted to make a statement. It’s the first time that 50 designers would showcase their designs in one event Timeless: Is this going to be annual/Biannual in Lagos?

Penny: We’d like to keep this secret for now. We’ll see how it goes. We like surprises at Arise Timeless: Who are your audience for the show?

Penny: Fashion lovers, fashion buyers, media people, anyone who is interested in the show that can afford it.

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events

Book Reading – Awo: Unfinished Greatness

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HE rich legacy left behind by the late nationalist and elder statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, which continues to be a reference point in Nigerian politics, was again thrust on the front burner recently with the launch and reading of a book, penned in his honour titled Awo: Unfinished Greatness written by Olufemi Ogunsanwo. The launch took place at the Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos and the Premier Hotel, Ibadan while a book reading took place at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos. Here are pictures from the book reading event.

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events

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Cover Feature

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he forthcoming general elections of April 2011 (the fourth since the departure of the military from governance) promises to be quite exciting. In 1999, there were only three political parties: the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Nigeria’s People Party (ANPP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD). The two presidential candidates then, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (who contested on the platform of the PDP) and Chief Olu Falae (who contested on the joint platform of the ANPP/AD) were both Yorubas, a measure taken in order to placate the South West region of the country over the June 12 debacle.

Photograph by went George Osodi Chief Obasanjo on to become president initiating a string of reforms and bringing in a team of technocrats including World Bank Managing Director, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweanla to manage the finance ministry. Debts of over $30 billion were negotiated, forgiven or paid off. The new President took over a country that faced many problems, including a dysfunctional bureaucracy, collapsed infrastructure, and a military that wanted a reward for returning quietly to the barracks. The President moved quickly and retired hundreds of military officers holding political positions, established a blue-ribbon panel to investigate human rights violations, released scores of persons held without charge, and rescinded numerous questionable licenses and contracts left by the previous military regimes. The government also moved to recover millions of dollars in funds secreted to overseas accounts.

The fight against corruption was also instituted during this period.

Most civil society leaders and Nigerians witnessed marked improvements in human rights and freedom of the press under Obasanjo. The new president faced the daunting task of rebuilding a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement.

In 2003, the then incumbent president Chief Obasanjo contested against General Muhammed Buhari (contesting on the ANPP platform) and a plethora of 17 other minor candidates in elections that were marred by vote rigging and some violence. Buhari, who lost unsuccessfully, contested the results in the courts. The last general elections in Nigeria held in April 2007 have been described as one of the worst, if not the worst in the history

Picture courtesy of Nigeriaelections.org

2011 Presidential Elections Why would it be different?

Ayodeji Jeremiah of elections in the country.

Major Presidential Contenders in 2011 Late Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, both of the People’s Democratic Party, who were elected President and Vice President, respectively, competed against 21 other presidential candidates. Notwithstanding the irregularities in the 2007 elections, a lot of Nigerians believed that life most go on. Attempts made by opposition parties and members of civil society groups to call out pro-democracy protests on the scale of the June 12 1993 watershed elections were largely met with apathy from Nigerians. This might not be unconnected with the fact that many Nigerians believed that many of the opposition parties then (there were about 50 parties in all then) including the major ones such as the Action Congress (founded and powered as a splinter group of the AD by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu), All Nigeria Peoples Party, the Alliance for Democracy, All Progressive Grand Alliance, the People’s Progressive Alliance, the Labour Party and Fresh Democratic Party did not get their acts right before the elections and did not work quite as hard also.

Most of the presidential candidates presented by these parties also seemed to have a larger than life image of themselves. Of the 22 presidential candidates then, amongst whom were former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (Action Congress); General Mohammed Buhari (All Nigeria Peoples Party); Professor Pat Utomi (African Democratic Congress, ADC); Reverend Chris Okotie (Fresh Democratic Party, FDP); Governor Orji Uzor Kalu (People’s Progressive Alliance, PPA); Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu (All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA); Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa (Democratic People’s Party, DPP); Chief Adebayo Adefarati (Alliance for Democracy, AD); only very few were easily recognised by Nigerians. A lot of Nigerians including educated and well exposed ones could not name more than five or six candidates when asked to mention those contesting the 2007 presidential elections.

Considering the torrid political history of Nigeria; everyone is waiting with bated breath for the April 2011 elections. Will 2011 be different from 1964, 1983, 2003 and 2007? What does the future hold for Nigeria in terms of political leadership? Will old rivalries and wounds be resuscitated to the extent of destabilising the polity or will Nigeria witness a dramatic change that will lead us to our El-Dorado? Being the biggest democracy in Africa, it is not just Nigerians that are waiting but the whole world.

This year, we have 18 candidates contesting the presidential elections of which four major front runners have emerged namely the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan contesting on the platform of the ruling party (the PDP); General Muhammed Buhari contesting this time on the platform of his newly founded party, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC); former corruption czar Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, contesting on the platform of the now rebranded Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, governor of Kano state, contesting on the platform of the ANPP. Prior to submission of lists to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in February, President Jonathan and General Buhari were the leading favourites; Jonathan by virtue of his incumbency and belonging to the largest political party in the country and Buhari by virtue of his popularity in the North West and a master stroke in picking a popular Southwest pastor and activist as his Vice-Presidential candidate, Tunde Bakare. Bakare had bought political capital in 2009/2010 by virtue of his leadership of the Save Nigeria Group, (a political action group) which took charge and organised protests and rallies when the nation was more or less without leadership for over 50 days when the late president was incommunicado and his vice president (Jonathan) was powerless in ruling the country.

Bakare’s choice is believed to have been influenced by Buhari’s aim to allay fears of his Islamist stance and win over converts in the south-western pats of the country, where he is not very popular. Some people are however still sceptical of the CPC ticket due to what is seen as the non-conformist and antagonistic nature of the two men on the ticket. ACN however, (whose candidate, Ribadu is quite popular amongst the youths) increased the popularity of its candidate with its pick of respected banker and accountant, Fola Adeola as its vice presidential candidate. Prior to this, a lot of people had considered Ribadu as an also-ran with not too many willing to consider him despite his anti-corruption credentials due to what they termed his rabid nature and inexperience in political and governance matters. Adeola’s emergence has however reduced these fears. ANPP which had hitherto been the second largest political party and now the fourth largest was not in any serious contention for the presidency

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cover feature until the presidential debate organised by NN24 and Next Media groups. The performance of its candidate, Ibrahim Shekarau on the day of the debate surprised many. For about 12 hours after the debate, Shekarau was ‘trending’ on Twitter and Facebook. Google searches on him quadrupled over the next one week. Shekarau, suddenly became the ‘special bride’ overnight.

The other fourteen candidates including Dr. Pat Utomi, Chief Dele Momodu, Rev. Chris Okotie, Mr. John Dara amongst others will probably pick a few thousand votes here and there. Shekarau, unless a miracle happens will probably not win though will eat significantly into the votes of Jonathan, Buhari and Ribadu. The 2011 elections will therefore be a three pronged fight between these three.

Why should Nigerians expect anything different in 2011?

First is the appointment of a respected former university lecturer and activist as the electoral umpire, Professor Attahiru Jega, the INEC chairman. Jega has instituted several reforms at the administrative and organizational level across board in INEC and has also put in place measures to stem electoral practices both by staff and by parties. He has actively put up resistance and stood his ground against the political parties over some actions and decisions. His case has been helped by the passage of the Electoral Reforms Act, whose passage at the National Assembly was held up for several months until outcry from civil society groups and the citizenry. It also helped that President Goodluck Jonathan in wanting to be seen as having organised a free and fair election pushed the passage of the bill at the National Assembly.

Second is the increased involvement and interest of the youths across the country. A of young Nigerians between 18 and 35 years of age will probably be voting for the first time in their lives in the forthcoming elections. Beyond voting, a lot of them have been actively involved in scrutinizing the various candidates, campaigning for their preferred candidates and getting their friends, family and colleagues involved in registering to vote. Thus, this might be another ‘Obama’ moment being repeated in Nigeria where the youths might determine the outcome of the elections as happened in the 2008 US presidential elections where they turned out enmasse to vote for the first African-American president in US history, Third is the use of technology. Phones now have the capacity to act as still or recording cameras with capacity to transmit pictures and videos to online sites and social media pages. Again, the group mentioned above (Gen Y as they are referred to) is responsible for this tectonic shift. That is why the Inspector-General of Police might be on a collision course with a directive that cell phones will not be allowed at polling booths. How this will turn out before the elections remains to be seen. The directive, if allowed to stay will seriously hamper the ability of this group of people who are bent on not just voting but ensuring that their votes are protected. The Gen Yers are going to be a strong electoral monitoring group in the forthcoming elections and it will be in the best interest of the government, INEC and the security agencies to co-opt this group rather than intimidate, harass or coerce them in anyway. Events in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have only helped to stoke the interest and zealousness of this group of people.

Fourth is the willingness for change across the country.

After 12 years of democracy under the PDP government, people are clamouring for a change of batons. Jonathan, though a front runner in the forthcoming elections will

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definitely pay with some loss of votes (if he doesn’t lose) for this angst amongst the citizenry. In fairness to the Obasanjo government of 1999 to 2007, policies and programmes were put in place which if the YarAdua/Jonathan government had implemented from the word go will have shown remarkable improvements in the governance of the nation. This was what happened in Lagos when Babatunde Fashola took over from Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in 2007. Jonathan therefore is seen as part and parcel of the continuation of the Obasanjo/YarAdua government despite steps taken to show that he is his own man.

Expectations post April 2011 One of the major fears expressed by political pundits is a fallout of the last point from above – ‘the anything/ anyone but PDP syndrome.’ Across the nation in the past eight years, there have been stellar performances from some PDP governors and representatives. Some of these who are vying for re-election may probably be swept up in the coming tornado represented by the ACN and the CPC. It has not helped that in the last one year leading up to the elections, not less than three states have been taken over by the ACN, the performances of whose governors we cannot measure right now. The ACN now controls nine states of the federation and looks set at taking probably another six, all things being equal. The question now remains: in a country where the parties do not have clear cut ideological leanings and where cross carpeting is frequent from losing parties to winning parties, will some selected performing politicians not be punished for the ‘sins of the many’.

Also to note are the myriad problems facing the country which any respected economist will tell you cannot be solved overnight. Expectations are however high from the citizenry that the new government (whatever hue it may be) is expected to not just deliver but do so fast. The probability of disaffection settling in within a year very high and all the contesting politicians are aware of this.

There is therefore the possibility of any government to want to play to the gallery and take populist decisions which may however be inimical to the country’s growth in the long term. US President Barack Obama is currently experiencing the same problems and was punished severely for it in the mid-term elections last November.

Nigeria, however is not structured politically for midterm elections, so the country might be stuck with a nonperforming albeit popular government for four years.

By the Side One of the surprising things about this election is the emergence of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in Ribadu and Adeola without much ado. Not only has the ticket been widely accepted, Christians from all the major geopolitical zones of the country are on a cue to vote for this ticket. This is an indication of the maturity of the electoral system and democracy in general. Though this type of ticket was voted for overwhelmingly in 1993 (the Abiola/Kingibe SDP ticket), the military did no good in obliterating that landmark through its actions between 1993 and 1998.

Another surprising thing that may also be generally glossed over is the tussle in Kwara state over who emerges the governor. Bukola Saraki, the outgoing governor and an erstwhile presidential contender refused to bow to the wishes of his father, the political godfather of the state, Dr. Olusola Saraki in allowing his sister, Gbemisola Saraki, a serving senator in taking over the reins from him. Saraki has anointed a former Commissioner in his cabinet to be his successor. His father and daughter have decamped from the PDP to contest the governor-

Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu ship election on another party’s platform. This again shows the maturity of the system, which we fear may be defeated by the ‘the anything/anyone but PDP syndrome’ (see above).

Prior to the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan as the PDP flagbearer, the issue of zoning heated up the system with the North insisting that Jonathan should not contest and allow another northerner to contest and complete the late Yar’Adua’s term. Four northerners were then shortlisted and a consensus candidate selected to compete against Jonathan at the PDP primaries. Former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, former National Security Adviser, Aliyu Gusau, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar (who had decamped back to the PDP from the ACN) and outgoing Kwara state governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki were screened before a committee before the eventual emergence of Atiku. Jonathan went on to soundly defeat Atilu at the party primaries. This would not have happened in Nigeria of yesteryears despite whatever misgivings anyone might have about the conduct of that primary. Jonathan since then has embarked on fence mending to get the support of these northerners and bolster his chances at the polls.

A Vibrant System Commentators have expressed satisfaction with the high level of the electorate’s participation in the run up to these elections. April 2011 would probably witness the largest turn out of voters comparable or exceeding what we saw in June 1993. Analysts are however more concerned that this vibrancy in the system not be allowed to run out before 2015. This year’s elections have probably witnessed the highest no of political debates ever

cover feature General Muhammadu Buhari

conducted before elections. Someone even expressed surprise when it was mentioned that debates have been part and parcel of our electioneering since 1993 with the exception of the ridiculed Abacha transition program of the five leprous fingers syndrome.

Whatever the outcome of these elections, one thing is certain; it won’t be business as usual across board. Politicians will probably realise that their chances of re election are much better if they perform. Governor Fashola is a case in point. Lagosians are expecting a landslide in the election results in his favour. If the performing governor had decamped from the ACN, (especially with rumblings and rumours of wrangling between him and his erstwhile boss and party leader,) he would still have won on any party platform he choose to go to.

Though politicians may still be hell bent on rigging elec-

tions, the chances of doing so successfully and getting away with it are quite slim.

Matters Arising Beyond April 2011, Nigerians should keep in mind that a lot of reforms still need to be put in place. Frequent party crossing/cross carpeting especially just before or just after elections need to be restricted. A lot of Nigerians still ignore the legislative arms of government as if they are non-existent or not important. Nigeria still runs a representative democracy in which all arms of government, both executive and legislative are important.

Fashola, as popular as he is in Lagos had to carry his legislative arm along in passing across his bills and getting his programs executed.

Also of note is the high cost of running and maintaining our democracy. The people need to make a demand

President Goodluck Jonathan

for the cutting of these costs. Nigerians finally have to be educated that running for office goes beyond looting the system and ‘enjoying the dividends of democracy’. Many see political positions as an opportunity to partake of the so called ‘National Cake’, which I believe is shrinking more and more by the day and spreading the goodies amongst their people.

Nigeria is one of the most endowed countries in the world. With a population of 140 million people, it is also amongst the ten most populous in the world. Its special place not only in Africa but the world makes its peculiar challenges and problems of particular interest to the rest of the world. It is hoped that the new government of Nigeria come May 29, 2011 will overcome the challenges facing it and deliver on the gains being expected by not only Nigerians but the whole world.

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Life & Society FAMILY

RELATIONSHIPS

HEALTH

EDUCATION

SCIENCE

Cross Off Your Worry List Titilope Oyelade

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lot of women think carrying a pregnancy is the heaviest burden of a lifetime. If you’re worried about being a good mom, you probably have nothing to worry about. Moms look back on their pregnancy and tell you what to cross off your worry list.

• Don’t stress yourself over all the “rules” pregnant women now have. If you accidentally eat a snack or food you’re not sure is safe, there’s no use worrying after the fact. Our mothers had fewer restrictions than we do, and we turned out fine.

• Stop the worry about how you look. You’re performing a miracle growing a person inside of you and that’s a fantastic accomplishment.

• Every little twinge doesn’t mean something is wrong. If you trust your caregiver (Doctor), follow their recommendations; if you don’t, find a new doctor who you do trust. You should never be afraid to call your provider with big and small problems.

There’s no such thing as a stupid question, especially for first-time mothers. Being pregnant and birthing a child are unique experiences, and a woman will never know what it’s all about until she’s actually done it herself.

• Don’t bother if you can’t get everything done that you had planned each day. The baby won’t know if the housework isn’t done! Once you can accept heartburn, back pain, lack of sleep, and moodiness as a normal part of pregnancy, they won’t seem to bother you anymore.

• Do not disturb yourself about things like food or weight. Just be sensible. There’s no need to give yourself an anxiety attack over the pint of ice 14

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cream you just finished. Take it as your special reward for everything you’ve accomplished so far in your pregnancy, and move on.

• M o t h e r s - i n - l a w don’t know everything!

Taking cold drinks has no effect on your baby; as they do say it is bad.

It is very safe to drink cold drinks (water) but do not abuse it, excess of anything is bad.

• Don’t stress too much about things in the environment you think might harm your baby, like standing too close to the microwave, cooking stove or pumping gas. Eating hot spicy meals, it sure does not have any effect on your baby. Remember, the vast majority of babies are born healthy.

• Don’t be too nervous about how the baby is fending in the womb. It’s a roll cage, but your baby is

probably comfortable in there.

• Do not be frightened when your breast start leaking before delivery or earlier before the last trimester, it is absolutely normal, there is no cause for alarm. It is a good sign of a healthy breast feeding during lactation. All you need do is to get a breast pad and wear clothes that will not show it off when you are stained.

• If you’re doing everything in your power to make healthy choices, don’t worry so much. Women have been having babies since well before we knew what to do and what not to do.

• Don’t feel too bad about the tough times with your partner. A baby tests any couple’s relationship. No matter what decisions you make, someone will always disagree. Try not to let the negative comments upset you, and if you’re really worried about something, do not hesitate to talk with your doctor.

• Don’t worry about labour. It is what it is. Just educate yourself on your options, and be ready to make informed decisions. Beyond that, just take a deep breath and go for it. It’s not as bad as you think it’ll be.

• It’s okay if you don’t have everything ready for your baby. Newborns don’t need a whole lot in the beginning.

Life & Society

How to Treat Itchy Breasts Tola Majolagbe

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f you’re a woman, chances are, you have to deal with breast itch. Breast itch can be very uncomfortable, and can make it hard wearing a bra.

And scratching can cause irritation, soreness, and doesn’t seem to help the itch.

Remember that women need to wear bras that fit their bodies well. The size of your bra is very important. Remember that the cup size needs to fit your breasts like a glove. If you buy a size smaller then you are at chances of strangling the skin in the area and prohibit the skin from breathing. A large size bra has equally negative effects as it leads to sagging breasts and the material then rubs against your skin to cause redness or even a rash.

to avoid itchy breasts.

If you are having breast itch, check your breasts.

The skin on nipples should be closely examined if possible, in front of a mirror. Check your breasts for dry patches. Scrub your breasts with a mild scrub to remove the dry and dead skin. After cleaning it, dry

it with a soft towel and apply anti-septic cream or moisturizer, it will relief you from itchy breasts.

There’s no law that says you have to wear a bra all the time. Try not to wear a bra consistently when you’re at home. Let your breasts air out at the end of the day.

Wash your bras daily. Recent surveys state that women use their bras up to 7 times before washing them. Your bras touch your skin and are close to your chest. Perspiration perfumes and creams that you use touch the bra and dry on the material. This leads to bacterial growth. One must wash your bras after every use to prevent the spread of fungus and bacterial growth. Also the detergent that you use to wash the garments may cause irritation to the skin so you must wash it in mild detergent and soap. It is best to wash your lingerie in warm water as it helps to eliminate the germs and bacteria as well.

In an itchy breast situation, sometimes it becomes uneasy and embarrassing for the person to control the itch. Itching can cause scratches, soreness and irritation on the nipples as well as the skin around the nipples.

So, it is really very important to know the causes of itchy breasts and its cure. By keeping in mind some very simple things, you can avoid breast itch. Always make sure to remove your bra if you are having breast itch. Avoid wearing lace bra, go in for soft, cotton bra without any laces. Lace or any other embellishment on the surface of the cups can cause irritation to the nipples which can lead to itchy breasts.

Take care of your personal hygiene. Always make sure to keep your breasts area clean and dry. Remove your bra before sleeping, it will make your breasts feel the fresh air and the sweat and moisture will dry naturally. The parts under breasts should also be kept clean and dry. If sweat accumulates on the inner skin, it will lead to bacterial and fungal infections which can be causes of breast itching.

Sometimes the soap or body cleanser you are using is harsh on the skin. Maybe because of some strong chemicals, it can lead to skin irritation especially around and under the breasts. It can also cause itchy breasts. Avoid using strongly perfumed cleansers or soaps; the chemical composition of such soaps is strong. You can try mild soaps or clear body washes

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Life & Society

4 Tricks to Communicating With Your Man

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irst there was the Horse Whisperer. Then came the Baby Whisperer, then the Dog Whisperer. Seeing all these whisperers tapping into their extrasensory ability to bond with less communicative creatures, I began to wonder if I could do something similar with my husband.

counter after a snack. Then I’d follow up with a damp sponge to get any crumbs or spillage. In my zeal to stay one step ahead of the mess, I’d sometimes put food away before he had a chance to eat it. He’d turn around and say, “Hey, where’d that bread go?” and I’d say, “I thought you were done.” Arguments ensued.

Could delving into his psyche help strengthen our relationship? Or, on a more pragmatic level, could I get him to do what I want without nagging, yelling or being passiveaggressive?

Why is it so difficult for a husband to swab the deck? It’s simple: Some men just aren’t that into cleaning. “Women see dirt and feel the mess that men don’t see or feel,” explained psychotherapist Marilyn Kagan, who, with psychologist Neil Einbund, Ph.D., leads the Making Marriage Work courses at American Jewish University in Los Angeles. Einbund agreed: “When I do the dishes, my wife will come in afterward and rinse out the sink because she doesn’t think it’s clean enough. I look at the sink and it doesn’t bother me.”

I decided to consult several marriage counsellors in my quest to become a bona fide Husband Whisperer. Anything to get my spouse to, among other things, throw away his used yogurt containers, leave the toilet seat down and place his dirty clothes in the laundry basket rather than going for a three-point shot and letting them fall as they may.

So, armed with an arsenal of expert tips, I embarked on a four-week experiment to see if I could somehow morph into a Husband Whisperer and, with practice, patience and perseverance, mold my spouse’s mind ever so gently.

Here’s the advice I followed, along with the results.

1. Always say please and thank you — and touch him when you do. I know it sounds like old-school advice, but every marriage expert said the same thing: No one likes being bossed around, especially by their spouses, so there’s no point in throwing down orders like a drill sergeant. All it does is evoke memories of their mothers nagging them to clean their rooms. My husband told me point-blank in our early days that if I told him what to do, he’d do the opposite simply out of spite. Real men don’t get henpecked.

With this in mind, therapists concur that we need to approach our husbands not like children, but with the calm, respectful manner we would friends. And ask, don’t tell.

One evening I heard myself sputtering to my husband, “The garbage?!”, like a frustrated teenager begging for the car keys. Not surprisingly, that didn’t even bring a response. Realizing I was off to a bad start, I tried again.

“Could you please take out the garbage? It’s starting to stink.” I could have left out the last part, I suppose, but I did get a response, although it wasn’t the one I wanted: “I’ll do it when I get back from the gym.”

Later, when the garbage remained unchanged (and still smelly), I upped my game and took the advice of Toni Coleman, a relationship coach from McLean, Virginia, who’d told me, “Your husband will respond better if you place a persuasive hand on his arm or back. Men really respond to physical touch. ”So I leaned in closely until we were practically cheek to jowl, but not close enough to block his view of the evening news, and I placed my hand gently on his shoulder. Using the sweetest voice I could muster, I said, “Honey, could you please take out the garbage now that you’re back?” Not only did I succeed in getting his attention, I got him to spring into action. He seemed pleased (and a bit shocked) when I thanked him afterward. Now, whenever I want him to take out the trash, I summon my kinder, gentler self.

2. Lead by example. One of the goals in my Husband Whisperer experiment was to get my husband to clean up after himself. Normally, I would have to put away jars, boxes and whatever else he’d left behind on the kitchen

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I was willing to concede our irreconcilable aesthetic differences, but not yet ready to cave on his cleaning up.

So when I spotted my husband heating up some soup, I decided to take a different approach. True to form, not only did he leave behind the dirty pot, but some spilled soup on the stovetop, too. I recalled the advice of New York City psychotherapist and advice columnist Jonathan Alpert, LPC, who suggested I show my husband exactly what needed to be done. “Men are task-driven and goaloriented,” he said. “Tell him what he should shoot for.”

So I called my husband back into the kitchen. Lifting the saucepan, I pointed to the dried-up pools of soup. I could see by his bemused expression that it never occurred to him to look under the pot. “I know you’re tired, but I want to show you what works for me,” I said, as cheerful as an infomercial. “I just spray a little of this cleaning fluid on the spill, wipe and voilà!” He looked at me as if I had just performed a mindfreak. “What’s that you use again?” he inquired, much to my own amazement.

Not only did he continue to use the product I suggested, he now regularly cleans under pots, like a little boy exploring the dark rooty underworld beneath a rock. It may seem like a small victory, and the results aren’t always perfect, but little things like this are a giant step for my peace of mind.

Maidenberg realized then that her husband didn’t understand why she was asking (nagging) him to do something she could do herself. Then she explained: “It’s difficult for me to lift the sleds and carry them down the stairs,” she told him. The next morning the sleds were gone.

Buoyed by her success, I let my husband watch while I struggled under the weight of two overstuffed laundry bags. When he didn’t budge, I tried the more direct approach. “Buck,” I said, using his affectionate nickname, “I really don’t think I can lift these bags myself.” Like Maidenberg’s husband, he gallantly volunteered to help carry the load. And I’m happy to report that he still does.

4. Reward good behavior — the sexier the better. As a Husband Whisperer, I knew that I needed to employ more positive reinforcement. “Reward your husband for completing a task by doing something you both enjoy, like dinner and a movie,” Alpert suggested. “Women often find men who are good husbands and fathers sexy, so the hint of an even greater reward in the bedroom will almost guarantee success.

Fine, but why should my husband get a gold star simply for being a good citizen of the household? I don’t get a pair of diamond earrings every time I clean the hamster cage. Still, it seemed like a mutually beneficial bargaining chip, so I was willing to give it a go.

I let my husband pick from several chores I wanted to hand over, then I told him about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (sex!) that would be waiting for him if he handled that chore for the next few weeks. Intrigued, he chose homework help.

To my amazement, after dinner that Monday, he didn’t have to be reminded about our deal. “Can we do the homework now?” he asked eagerly. “After Carly is over,” I said, reminding him of another deal we’d struck with our seven-year-old for one hour of TV chill time. When the two of them finally headed off to hit the books, I luxuriated in an extra hour of me-time. And how did my husband respond later? Let’s just say he enjoyed it so much that he decided to extend our deal!

By Jodie Gould for Woman’s Day

3. Play the empathy card. Another key to being a good Husband Whisperer, I found, is getting your spouse to empathize with your situation. Better to say, for example, that you can’t relax and spend time with him or the kids until the dinner dishes are washed than, “Why don’t you ever help with the dishes?” Not only do gentler words encourage your husband to see through your bleary eyes, they allow him to come to your rescue — something men take pride in doing for women.

Michelle Maidenberg, Ph.D., director of the Westchester Group Works, a group therapy center in White Plains, New York, told me that she plays the empathy card with her own husband — like the time she’d repeatedly asked him to put their kids’ sleds in the garage. Unlike her, he wasn’t at all bothered by sleds scattered on the front lawn like some kind of winter yard sale. A day went by, then two, then a week. “I must have asked him 10 times,” she recalls. Finally he said, angrily, “Why don’t you just put the stupid sleds away?”

Life & Society

Corns on your Feet

H

aving corns on your toes can be very painful, and unsightly. Taking preventive measures is the first thing that is needed to be done. Some corns take a while to get rid of, and will even leave scars on your toes.

Corns, also called helomas, are thickened areas of skin that form in response to excessive pressure and friction.

They form to protect the skin and the structures beneath it from damage or injury. Corns are usually hard and circular, with a waxy or translucent centre. They may become painful or ulcerated in response to persistent friction There are two types of corns. Hard corns (heloma durums) are the most common type. They are caused pri-

marily by ill-fitting shoes and toe deformities. They usually develop on the tops and tips of the toes and on the sides of the feet. Soft corns (heloma molles) usually occur as the result of bone abnormalities in the toes. They develop between the toes and are sometimes referred to as “kissing corns.”

Hard Corns: In many people, the toes curl downward and do not lie flat. Fitting curled toes into shoes with tight toe boxes is the most common cause of hard corns. The toes remain curled inside the shoe and press against the inside of the shoe, usually at the toe joints; the tip of the curled toe presses against the sole of the shoe. The skin compen-

sates for this added pressure by thickening at the point of contact and hard corns develop to protect the underlying structure.

Soft Corns: Soft corns typically develop between the fourth and fifth toes when one of the toe bones (phalanges) is slightly too wide. Normally, phalanges are hourglass-shaped and the ends are wider than the middle. Soft corns result when the ends of the toe bones are too wide, causing friction in between the toes. This problem is aggravated by tight-fitting shoes.

People with normal toe bones can also develop soft corns.

This condition is especially common in women who wear high-heeled shoes with narrow, tapering toe boxes. These shoes shift the body’s weight to the front of the foot and often do not provide enough room for the toes.

Treatment Because hard corns usually are caused by a combination of narrow-toed shoes and toe deformities, they can be treated in different ways. One way is to wear wider shoes or sandals. Another treatment is to fix the bone problem in the toes. If the toes are flexible and can be straightened, an orthotic or a small pad may enable the toe to return to a normal position and reduce pressure and friction. These treatments are seldom a permanent solution. Hard corns also may be cut or burned off with a topical acid solution.

This treatment does not correct the underlying problem, so the corns often recur. When the toes are not flexible, surgery may be performed. In some cases, the toe is held in an abnormal position because the soft tissue around the bones has become stiff. If the soft tissue is released, the toe may straighten. People with soft corns caused by excessively wide toe bones can switch to wider shoes with more room between the toes. Usually, however, this does not provide adequate relief. In some cases, surgery is performed to treat soft corns. In this procedure, the podiatrist makes a small incision in the toe, grinds down the piece of bone that causes the irritation, and closes the incision with a couple of stitches. This surgery can be performed in the doctor’s office, the recovery time is brief, and most patients obtain relief almost immediately.

Some ladies absolutely cannot do without wearing stylish shoes, and as they say “beauty is pain”; these simple tips can be used to get rid of corns and keep them off your toes.

• Because corns are most likely to develop on your toes if you wear tight shoes and the friction from your toes rubbing on the sides and tips of the shoes can cause the skin to become hard, when you are buying shoes, be sure to buy the size that fits more comfortably. Fit the shoes on, then stand in it and walk around to make sure that it’s the perfect fit.

• If the shoes are too loose, it can cause soft corns also, especially at the back of the feet and heels. To treat corns that are already on your toes, wear soft corn pad on your toes, to relieve friction and pain.

• Using lemon on your corns can help to relieve the pain and promote healing. Slice a lemon in two, and place a piece over the affected area. Wear a sock to help hold it in place. Use this preferably at nights.

• Soak a cotton ball with vinegar and place it on the corn. This should be repeated daily, until the corn is dried up.

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17

Living & Style

FASHION BEAUTY FOOD HOMECARE GADGETS CARS LEISURE

How to be Ladylike Tola Majolagbe

or tattoos.

Cleanliness is Key Shower on a regular basis.

Blow-dry and style hair before leaving your house. Apply a subtle amount of perfume. Apply a modest amount of makeup or just enough to cover skin imperfections and to accent your strong points. Your beauty should look effortless. Smile!

Choose Your Words Wisely What you say and how you say it are two very important factors in exuding class. Always speak at a soft to moderate tone--you shouldn’t need to raise your voice. If you’re dealing with a person who won’t listen unless you speak forcefully, then they aren’t worth dealing with. If you have nothing good to say then don’t say anything at all - take that to heart! Cursing or “dirty” jokes are also inappropriate.

F

rom its roots in British nobility as the female equivalent of “Lord”, the term “Lady” carries a connotation of elegance and class. If you’d like to be thought of as a lady, they key is to mix traditional feminine ideals with modern reality in a way that works for you. Ladies around the globe are now wearing pants more often than at any age recorded in the history of fashion. However the ladylike fashion is making a huge comeback on the fashion scene.

Here are some ways to achieve a classy ladylike style: Dress The Part You don’t have to wear a suit or dress but a lady always wears clean, coordinated clothing - free of wrinkles. No sweat pants! All clothes should fit properly - not too baggy, not too tight. Always wear underwear and a bra. One is not ever considered classy if she exposes an intimate body part, (showing cleavage, etc.). A lady will dress for her body type and not try to get ahead using her physical attributes. Do not “cheapen” your appearance with multiple piercings

Actions Speak Louder Than Words Now that you look the part, you should act it too. For example, pull your skirt under your legs when sitting down. Always sit with legs together or, if you must cross them, crossed only at the ankle and placed close to the seat, slightly to a side of you. Do not overindulge in food and avoid alcohol at a party or business function. Gluttony or drunkenness shows one’s lack of self-control and can cause a loss of respect or potentially embarrassing moment in front of your peers. Burping or passing gas in the presence of others is bad etiquette as well.

Sharpen Your Mind Keep yourself informed of world events, politics, selected movies, plays, and music. Being cultured expands one’s knowledge and interests, while opening doors to stimulating conversations with new people that can develop into meaningful business or romantic relationships.

Practice Martyr-Free Modesty In everything she does, a lady will acknowledge those who helped her before she takes any credit for herself. A lady will not flaunt herself, her valuables, or her accomplishments. A good reputation can surpass all of those things. Do not correct others unless they ask your advice. Do not act like you are better than anyone else. A lady is not self-absorbed. But be careful not to seem overly modest - do not be weak and submissive. You are too intelligent and classy for that.

Never Lose Your Cool Don’t let people get under your skin, no matter how much they try. Keep your composure. Express your surprise or disappointment at someone’s behavior in a gentle way to show that their actions have affected you and to show that you have feelings, or else people might think you’re cold or heartless. Drug or alcohol use reduces self control. Avoid them!

Be Well Mannered Manners are a necessity to being ladylike. Don’t tell or listen to “dirty” jokes; if someone in your presence starts to tell one, politely excuse yourself and leave the situation. Read up on books that teach etiquette and always be nice to everyone, but at the same time, don’t be a doormat. You have no responsibility for your heritage, you should not be judged by that. However, you will, and should be judged by your friends, choose them wisely.

Your hair could also be pulled back with a broad hair band or a thin band with a stylish embellishment on one side. If you decide on this look then remember to wear tiny earrings and keep your make up simple.

If your outfit and hairstyle is very simple then you can wear dramatic make up. The best way to make your make up stand out is to wear red lipstick.

The best part of this outfit is that you don’t have to wear extremely high heel shoes; wear a pair of kitten heels to compliment the look and to be graceful and beautiful.

When it comes to dressing elegantly, less is more so you won’t need a lot of money to up the ante on your seasonal wardrobe. It is all about simplicity with your own personal twist.

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19

Living & Style

Dressing Your Body Type Adeola Adegboyega

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very woman has something about her body she’d like to hide, whether it’s heavy thighs, a podgy tummy or a too-round bottom. With just a few visual tricks, your problem areas will disappear and your true beauty will surface leaving your virtue intact!

Bottom-heavy If your hips are wider than your shoulders and your thighs are round, you have a classic pear-shaped body. Dressing is a snap if you remember to accentuate the positives: a shapely waist, delicate upper body and attractive shoulders and arms. Try A-line skirts that hit the knees (Stay away from mini skirts!)

Pant waists should fall some where below the natural waistline for a better fit, a straight or slightly boot cut is most flattering. Flee patterned or coloured pants.

Try fitted -not skin tight- shirts Jackets and blazers should hit anywhere but the widest point of your hips. That could mean right below the waist to midthigh, depending on your height. Look for dresses that nip in at the waist and slightly flare out over hips and thighs.

You can pull off a full-skirted ball gown because it will hide heavy hips and thighs.

Top-heavy The apple-shaped body is usually softer around the middle and has heavier breasts, with narrower hips and slimmer legs. Avoid too tight (plays up large breasts too much) and too baggy (just makes you look heavier). Opt for fabrics that skim the body, preferably knits and woven with stretch for a better fit. V-neck, boat-neck, turtle and mock necks and shirt collars are your most flattering necklines. Avoid full sleeves or puffy sleeves.

Front pockets on jeans help disguise a tummy problem, while back pockets can help define a flatter rear common to top-heavy women. Avoid anything too tight -- from pencil skirts to skin tight jeans -- because it will only accentuate top heaviness. One-piece dressing is tricky for you. Best bets: A sleeveless black sheath, a soft princess- seamed dress, a dress with corseted top. Resist the urge to cover up head-to-toe.

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You don’t need to hide your upper body if you have wide shoulders. Instead, look for body-balancing details on bottom, like a wide colour-block hem. A soft, rounded neckline further breaks up the line of wide shoulders. Avoid puffy sleeves or voluminous tops paired with slim bottoms that will exaggerate your shoulder width.

Thick Waist Disguise a thick waist by raising, lowering or eliminating the waistline. Dresses that feature a raised waist with full sleeves work to draw the eye up and away from a thick middle. A drop-waist dress that hits somewhere around the hipbones, or no-waist shifts are other good alternative for disguising a thick waist.

Small Bust Most clothing actually hangs better on women with smaller busts, but if you want to add more volume on top look for embellishment or fullness on the bust.

A high-wasted, mock two-piece dress is a trendy look

made for smaller busted women. The combination of a white shirt with a tuxedo bodice adds visual fullness without any extra bulk.

Flabby Arms Don’t worry: you don’t have to look matronly to cover up flabby arms. The trick is to keep the sexy element with one of the pretty sleeves that are popular right now like lantern sleeves, puff sleeves, kimono or bishop sleeves.

Three facts you ought to know  Nobody looks good in high-wasted, pleated pants with narrow ankle openings so don’t even think about it!  Pink is not an exclusive colour for women (who said that!)  Just cause that outfit is in doesn’t mean it’ll be a perfect fit so puhleeze get your own unique style!

Living & Style

YM Couture’s 2011 Spring Collection Amama Ekwere

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ummy Mummy Maternity Couture® is a subsidiary of “Maison de Bara”. The brainchild of Ms. Amama Ekwere, was birthed with the intention of providing the ‘unrepentantly preggo’ diva “Haute Couture” and “Prêt-a-porter pieces” with a decidedly ethnic twist. Using African prints as a basic medium, and playing it against and alongside other fabrics of varying textures, Yummy Mummy Maternity Couture® crafts and provides a unique African inspired touch to its products captivating the trendy, classy, sexy, sassy and bold modern day woman.

Fashion choices for pregnant women have been Titilope Oyelade constantly evolving and staying fashionable during pregnancy has become a lot easier and more fun.

I wanted to uniquely express myself while creating stylish, afrocentric, wearable designs for the pregnant diva so the inspiration was born out of the desire for exclusivity, availability and comfort.

Originally, Yummy Mummy’s focus was to be glam up pretty ‘preggies’, giving a sense of a special ‘yummyness’ during the months when hormones and burgeoning bodily changes served to make one feel a tad bit ugly. I had to accommodate the ‘non-preggies’ when friends kept on calling me up to make clothes to suit them. Thus, the advent of the YM Tribal Tees and Tee Dresses™ and YM Rococo Tees and Tee Dresses™. Now we cater to both the ‘preggies’ and ‘non-preggies’. YM Tribal Tees and Tee Dresses™ and YM Rococo Tees and Tee Dresses™ are made to fit so they can be fitted to a baby bump or to washboard abs, you choose ... You don’t have to be pregnant to wear a YM design.

The product lines are: 1.

YM SpecialsTM 2.

YM Materni-Tees™ 3.

YM Tees and Tee Dresses™ 4.

YM Rococo Tees and Tee Dresses™ 5.

The soon to be introduced YM Devianté™

The debut collection boasted the Yummy Mummy Maternity line ‘proper’ named YM SpecialsTM, the YM Materni-Tees™ and the YM Tribal Tees™.

The Line itself showcased a range of luxuriantly crafted dresses for yummy mummies-to-be and yummy mummies. Each piece was carefully designed to either be worn as a day dress, or to transition nicely for a casual evening event or for church, and cut to accentuate and celebrate the ‘baby bump’ while still affording the wearer comfort uncompromised by style. The YM Materni-Tees™ are designed to snuggle the baby bump in a very bold and trendy way while the Tribal Tees™ are Ankara and embroidery infused t-shirts for every woman, in every walk of life.

Since then the collection has grown to expand to not just tees but also tee dresses. The sophomore collection, tagged YM Couture 2011 Spring Collection, is a unique range of YM Tribal Tees and Tee Dresses™ and YM Rococo Tees and Tee Dresses™ carefully designed to aid ladies with that switch from day to casual evening, casual to semi-causal ... you name it, and all this at affordable and unbeatable prices.

So here is a look at some of my favourite pieces from this collection with tips on how to accessorize them. Enjoy!

The “Ediye” My very personal favourite is the Ediye, so coined for its cuteness. As is characteristic with all Yummy Mummy Maternity Couture® pieces, Ankara has been spliced with an adorable design to give it that ‘va-va-voom’ factor. The dress is in basic black and set off nicely by characteristically using Ankara to accentuate the collar and bell sleeves. The dress then terminates in a three-step ruffled hem fashioned out of both Ankara and jersey. The neckline is embroidered in a matching light blue, playing against the rich colouring of the Ankara and providing the well sought after ethnic finish. This piece is best worn on its own as a necklace would be busy. The arms could

be shown off to perfection with bangles and bracelets (depending on one’s tastes) and a nice cocktail ring would polish it off nicely. Depending on the occasion, one can either get away with heels, kitten heels or cute ballet pumps. And if you want to be as daring as our model, a nicely crafted turban would top off the piece quite aptly.

The “Nko” My second favourite is the Nko, and I named it so because it gives me that sense of ‘babeness’ which is what the name symbolises to me. Nko is a pink baby-doll styled dress, with an Ankara laced ruche bodice and a flounced hem edged with embroidery.

It can be worn in a number of ways, depending on one’s mood and occasion. With a crop jacket, it can be worn to work on a Friday. A quick change by way of slipping off the jacket and tossing on a string of pearls makes that instant switch to stylish casual, ready for a night out on the town.

The “Omalicha” Omalicha, in Igbo, means pretty and this dress does make a pretty picture. The zigzag intertwining of Ankara with jersey is what gives this dress its exotic edge. Paired with a contrasting neckpiece or necklace, and playful accessories, Omalicha can be worn to just about anything.

The “Afia Mma” The beauty of the Afia Mma is embedded in its simplicity. Black on white always reveals a stark beauty as is seen with this resplendent piece. Any other colour would make this piece dazzle, so pairing it with a red belt and accessories, or with orange or purple would give it that added vibrancy.

And so there we have it, the YM Couture 2011 Spring Collection. To enjoy the full expereince, why don’t you mosey on over to www.ymcouture. com. I know you’ll just love it.

The Nko

The Afia Mma The Ediye

The Omalicha

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Living & Style

10 Reasons why the Maybach 62S Cost $500,000

T

he Maybach isn’t the most expensive car in the world, but it is the highest-price line of autos made by Mercedes-Benz. The 62S model of the Maybach — the automaker’s answer to the Rolls-Royce and Bentley costs $459,000. And that’s without extras. Even so, as luxury cars go, the Maybach doesn’t offer much beyond what other cars in this category offer, save for a couple of features.

The Maybach received a facelift last year, and small changes were made to the exterior, including a larger chrome-radiator grille in front, more aerodynamic mirrors, new wheels — with 12-spoke 20-inch alloy hubcaps painted in a sterling silver colour for the Maybach 62S — and daytime LED driving headlights.

Of all the Maybach models available, the 62S has the most powerful engine. Oh, and the “S” stands for “special.”

1.

More colours: Buyers can choose from 18 different exterior colours, including the newest Maybach “New Bahamas Blue” (a dark sky blue). That’s four more than the standard number offered in Mercedes Benz models. Of course, as with all luxury cars, the Maybach can be painted any colour under the rainbow for an extra fee.

2.

Sheepskin interiors: High-grade nappaleather interiors are standard and each seat is upholstered with a single piece of uncut hide. Buyers choose between two colours: black or white.

3.

Back-seat recliner: Most Maybach owners rarely sit in the front seat of their car; they have chauffeurs. Fashioned after first-class airplane seating, the Maybach back seat reclines to a nearly flat position and comes with a leg rest and tray table on the side “That’s why they call the Maybach a ‘jet on wheels,’” The back seat has 84.5 centimetres of legroom.

4.

Perfume atomizer: Forget about those paper air fresheners that hang on the rearview mirror.

Each Maybach 62S is fitted with a perfume atomizer — built into the air-conditioning vent. That’s guaranteed not to stain the fine leather interior or your (no doubt) bespoke or haute couture clothing, of course.

Swiss flavour and scent manufacturer Givaudan custom-blended two scents just for the Maybach: a citrus-y green tea and more-masculine agarwood.

5.

An extra meter: Most Mercedes S-series models are roughly five meters long; the Maybach 62S — as its name denotes — is 6.2 meters. The car was named in the same way boats are named after their length.

6.

A glass roof: With the press of a button, the glass roof changes from opaque to clear to let in more light (it’s made from a liquid-crystal membrane of conductive polymer plastic, and an electric current in the crystals changes the view). Another button triggers a cover to close over the glass roof completely.

7.

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Lighting: Turn on the side LED lights, along

the edge of the window, for softer interior lighting.

The idea is to have just the right ambience the owner prefers.

8.

Engine: With a 12-cylinder, 630-horsepower engine, the Maybach 62S can hit 100 kilometres an hour in just five seconds (that’s a second faster than most luxury sports cars). It can hit a maximum speed of 250 kilometres an hour. The Maybach name, in fact, comes from engineer Wilhelm Maybach, who designed the engines of the first Mercedes.

9.

Entertainment system: Two 9.5-inch flatscreen monitors are installed in the back of the front seats. The monitors can play DVDs or connect to the Internet through the car’s built-in WLAN wireless connection. Sound is surround: 21 speakers, designed by Bose, are strategically placed throughout the car for concert-hall music quality. And everything is controlled via a centre console with a remote control in the back and front seats.

10. Customizable add-ons: Each Maybach is meant to be bespoke, and personalized to the customer’s own preferences. Ask and you shall receive, the dealership says, from adding your family crest to the seats to installing a minibar in the back. But there isn’t a list of “extras” from which to choose — it’s up to the customer to ask. Previous add-ons have included the family crests etched onto the glass, fax machines and cigar humidors.

BUSINESS FINANCE

MANAGEMENT

TECHNOLOGY

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

TRADE

MARKETING

Networking Essentials Ayodeji Jeremiah

W

hat is Networking?

Networking is the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other people. Notice there is nothing about meeting people in this definition. Instead of thinking of “networking” as something you go to “networking events” to do, make it an integral part of your everyday contacts and develop winwin relationships. The most important skill for effective networking is listening and focusing on how you can help the person you are listening to rather than on how he or she can help you.

Why Network?

What you know is who you know. It’s the relationships that you have that allow you to take the ‘what you know’

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and actually translate it into practice, into something the organization can use Three Types of Networks There are three types of networks important in business and leadership: operational, personal and strategic.

Operational networking involves cultivating the relationships with people you need to accomplish your job. This may mean making sure you hire the right people or developing relationships within other departments to win support for your initiatives. This is the network you need to have basically get things done. It involves good relationships with the people in your critical path, your customers, your suppliers, your team members, your superiors.

Personal networking involves professional contacts that are discretionary, that are not as closely tied to the immediate job (so) that you can neglect or even abandon and still get your work done today. But these are the contacts that allow you to continue to develop professionally, to benchmark yourself with peers outside, and to remain a bit on the cutting edge of your profession. These are the networks that people often use when they want to make a career move. These networks allow you to meet a diverse group of likeminded professionals and may be the first place you turn when you start thinking about changing careers. E.g. Old students association, your local sports club, your residents association, your church society or group.

Business Strategic networking is the toughest but most essential if you want to become a leader. It involves contact with peers and senior executives in your field and even beyond your industry. Strategic networking allows you to share ideas about best practices in management and leadership, learn new approaches and keep close tabs on developments in business and technology. It helps you to see the bigger picture and create your own visionary approach. These are the networks that make a huge difference in leadership.

This is where strategic ideas come into play. This is what allows people to line up stakeholders and, this is the area where most people have serious gaps.

What you should know about Franchise Business Jude Chukwuemeka

Why people fail at networking Time: Most just don’t have the time to network or that they consider it unsavoury. If you want to succeed you need to make the time. Delegate more in your day jobs and schedule networking into each week to make it a habit.

Ethical Objection: Some people feel that it’s sleazy, it’s using people, and it’s political. However, as you move up within an organization or a career path, doing the actual work itself become less and less your role and getting work done through other people becomes more and more your responsibility. That’s where networks come in. Informal connections give you information, ideas, resources support and political intelligence.

Right use of networks: Network-building is a much more subtle and difficult business than simply pressing as much flesh possible: it’s the quality- not the quantity- of contacts you have that really counts. Remember that networking is two way and you need to offer help and make connections for others in your network as well as expecting help.

You can have the biggest contact list in your field, but if you only pick up the phone when you are in a crisis, you won’t get far.

The art of networking One of the most difficult transitions that new leaders have to make is to devote more time to developing wideranging internal and external networks to provide critical feedback, resources, insight and information. A study observed a number of leaders going through this transition and discovered that many of them preferred to focus on the task of getting their new job done, without realising that the information and resources gained through three key networks (operational, personal and strategic) had become a fundamental part of their new role. In fact, failing to do so could result in serious mistakes being made.

Effective leaders have to learn the art of strategic networking in which they leverage their connections to support wider organisational goals. In fact, the study shows that what differentiates a leader from a manager is ‘the ability to figure out where to go and to enlist the people and groups necessary to get there.’ The art of strategic networking is to ‘marshal’ the information, support and resources of one network to achieve results in another. New leaders take some persuading that this kind of networking is worth so much of their time. But they are more likely to be convinced if they see a role model operating in this way. Once they are convinced, however, they will need to build in a great deal of time to carry out the work well.

Some experienced networkers think that all they need to do is get the people lined up, and ring them up when they need something. In fact, it only works if they respond to their networks generously and also help to link people up, whether it is of immediate use or not Using Social Networks (Facebook, LinkedIn) to Network (1) First, create a profile. Use your real name. If you are a married female, use your maiden and married names. You want people to be able to find you if they do

a search. Don’t use your business name as your profile name. The point of Facebook is to build relationships with people that could later lead to sales or business leads.

Using your business name as your profile name will hinder your efforts.

(2) Next, complete your profile and include a photo. Including a photo helps you come across as a real, genuine person. Also include business information, contact information, your high school and college (if applicable), and links to your website or blog. Facebook has Friend Finder feature that allows users to search for people by school, company, or organization. You want people to be able to find you so be sure to list all of your schools, organizations, employers, etc. Your efforts will not be as effective if your profile is incomplete.

(3) Build your friends list. Invite all your customers, clients, friends, co-workers, family, school alumni, neighbours, and anyone else you can think of. Use the search box to look up people who you have lost contact with.

The larger your friends list is, the more you will be able to extend your reach. Your profile will show up on all your friends’ pages. So, the more friends you have, the more pages you will be on, and the more other people will see your page and possibly click on it to read about you.

(4) Join groups or start your own. Find groups with large memberships who could be customers for your product or service. Add photos and videos, write on the wall, participate in discussions, send friend requests to other members, and check in on the group several times a week. You want to look for groups with large memberships so that your marketing efforts will fall on a lot of

people at once. Work smart, not hard! Use the search feature to find these types of groups and join the groups with the largest memberships.

(5) Add updates regularly in the “What are you doing right now?” box. These will appear on your friends’ pages so make them count. You can include blog post updates, announcements for new products, links to your affiliate programs, something interesting you found on the internet, general chit-chat comments, or anything you like.

(Just make sure it isn’t offensive or your friends will remove you.)

Tips & Warnings • Don’t spam other members or send unwanted solicitations or links. Nobody responds to that anyway, and spamming can get you banned.

• Avoid sending numerous applications friends on your list. Some Facebook users completely overuse these features and if you do, some of your friends will drop you.

• Don’t include ads or links on photo comments just be sincere.

• Don’t haphazardly add friends from other people’s lists. You don’t know who those people are or how your friends even know them. Sending out too many friend requests too quickly is grounds for termination. Before sending a friend request to someone, determine if they are a good fit for helping you network.

• Avoid adding questionable material in your updates that may offend someone. Remember, everything you add appears on your friends’ pages. Be careful what updates you add - Facebook is a public forum and many people can see what you are doing.

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Business

The Overly Involved Boss

I

often times wonder why some CEOs, in particular those who run companies/outfits tagged “the one-man business” find it so..... hard to allocate the level of trust required as they delegate responsibilities amongst their team members. I mean isn’t it common knowledge that you can only delegate according to the confidence you have in the individual’s skills, experience and character?

Don’t get me wrong, what am simply trying to say is that we cannot let in if we don’t let go. I draw an analogy from Alan Percy’s article on “Parents who love too much” which says “We have lost the idea of quiet authority which is different from authoritarian parenting.” He says the important thing is having confidence in boundaries and helping the children navigate the different stages of growing up. CEOs and others in related positions don’t have the patience or time to allow their subordinates navigate the different stages of “on the job experience”.

As CEOs or Managers, we often times interpret quiet authority as loss of authority. In the bid to always be in control, we end up being out of control. An overbearing, quick to criticise boss (which is very different from identifying an area of need) will erode the confidence and zeal of team members. Every relationship needs boundaries. Boundaries enlighten us on limits so we know where to start and to stop. It sort of defines most relationships according to the standards, norms or practice and purpose. Alan further said in the article that the hard thing for parents is to be relatively constant, not trying to be best friends one minute and authoritarian the next. Same goes for the boss and subordinate.

more interested in maximizing shareholders wealth. However, high turnovers and a healthy cash flow has not and really, cannot solve the attitudinal and staff turnover challenges most growing organizations face.

Treats team member based on performance and professional skills Mentoring boss Attentive supervisor and therefore observant enough to recognise potentials, skills and areas of need/help Authentic and detailed. Identifies and appreciates specific qualities about team members and sincere in pointing out shortcomings.

In any case your team members would not learn anything if you are impatient with them and therefore, cannot be productive if you keep doing the work for them. Am not in any way suggesting that CEOs and bosses throw caution to the air and allow them to handle it 100% because they don’t have the skills, experience and resources to do so. Rather, given the required support, let us be more empathetic not sympathetic towards their challenges as they grow and mature into the gurus that we want them to be.

THE OVERLY INVOLVED BOSS VS THE MENTORING BOSS Inspires and trains team members Overly involved boss Impatient supervisor or manager and therefore fails to recognise potentials Irrational and impulsive. Inconsistent in his management style. This confuses the team members often times leaving them disillusioned.

Promotes the sharing of a common goal and diversity of talents. This in turn builds a retentive and highly productive team which is generously translated into high turnovers and consistent cash flow i.e. “Individuals with trophies but teams with championship” ....

John Wooden (former UCLA basketball coach)

Judgemental and critical with team members.

Too financially focused and

Treats team members based on potentials and character

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Folake Oluwole is a corporate and career coach and the CEO of GTD LTD (i.e. GETTING THINGS DONE LTD), a consulting firm based in Lagos, Nigeria. She connects with people and organizations in order to inculcate a passion for the vision of the organization. For more information, call 08083179384 or email oluwolefolake@yahoo.com or gtdltd@yahoo.com

Business

World’s Billionaires 2011 Why do we spend so much time counting other people’s money? Because these moguls have the power to shape our world. Telecom billionaire turned prime minister Najib Mikati is keeping Lebanon’s government together. Ernesto Bertarelli, who lost the America’s Cup to Larry Ellison last year, is now focusing on saving the oceans from mass extinction. Gates and Buffett have already travelled to three continents working to change giving practices among the ultra-rich.

Where their inspiration leads, we will follow.

Larry Ellison

Carlos Slim

T

his 25th year of tracking global wealth was one to remember. The 2011 Billionaires List breaks two records: total number of listees (1,210) and combined wealth ($4.5 trillion).

This horde surpasses the gross domestic product of Germany, one of only six nations to have fewer billionaires this year. BRICs led the way: Brazil, Russia, India and China produced 108 of the 214 new names. These four nations are home to one in four members, up from one in 10 five years ago. Before this year only the U.S. had ever produced more than 100 billionaires. China now has 115 and Russia 101.

Atop the heap is Mexico’s Carlos Slim Helú, who added $20.5 billion to his fortune, more than any other billionaire. The telecom mogul, who gets 62% of his fortune from America Movil (NYSE: AMX News), is now worth $74 billion and has pulled far ahead of his two closest rivals. Bill Gates, No. 2, and Warren Buffett, No. 3, both added a more modest $3 billion to their piles and are now worth $56 billion and $50 billion, respectively. Gates, who now gets 70% of his fortune from investments outside of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - News), has actually been investing in the Mexican stock market and has holdings in Mexican Coke bottler Femsa and Grupo Televisa (NYSE: TV - News).

While nearly all emerging markets showed solid gains, wealth creation is moving at an especially breakneck speed in Asia-Pacific. The region now has a record 332 billionaires, up from 234 a year ago and 130 at the depth of the financial crisis in 2009.

Sizzling stock markets are behind the surge. Threefourths of Asia’s 105 newcomers get the bulk of their fortunes from stakes in publicly traded companies, 25 of which have been public only since the start of

Bill Gates

2010.

America’s wealthiest still dominate the global ranks, but the U.S. is losing its grip. One in three billionaires is an American, down from nearly one out of two a decade ago. It has 10 more than last year but 56 fewer than its 2008 peak. The U.S. is adding new billionaires at a much slower pace; just 6% of its 413 billionaires are new this year compared with 47% of China’s and 30% of Russia’s.

Still there are plenty of inspiring newcomers who figured out clever ways to get rich. The most obvious example is the success of Facebook, whose soaring valuation over the past couple of years — based on the most recent institutional round the company is worth $50 billion — has spawned six billionaires.

Leading the group is Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose fortune jumped 238% to $13.5 billion in the past year. Also joining him in the world ranks are his cofounders Eduardo Saverin and Dustin Moskovitz, its first president Sean Parker (played

by Justin Timberlake in “The Social Network”) and the Russian Internet investor Yuri Milner. Moskovitz, 26, is eight days younger than his former college roommate Zuckerberg, making him the world’s youngest billionaire.

The frenzy among big investors for all things social pushed up private market values of online gaming outfit Zynga and online group-buying site Groupon, creating two more new billionaires, Mark Pincus (who taught people to farm on Facebook) and Eric Lefkofsky (who was Groupon’s lead investor).

Bernard Arnault

Warren Buffett

ever21, and Chris Cline, who owns 3 billion tons of coal reserves, mostly in Illinois.

The Top Ten Billionaires in the World 1. Carlos Slim Helú Net Worth: $74 billion; Source: Telecom; Citizenship: Mexico 2. Bill Gates Net Worth: $56 billion; Source: Microsoft; Citizenship: U.S. 3. Warren Buffett Net Worth: $50 billion; Source: Berkshire Hathaway; Citizenship: U.S 4. Bernard Arnault Net Worth: $41 billion; Source: LVMH; Citizenship: France 5. Larry Ellison Net Worth: $39.5 billion; Source: Oracle; Citizenship: U.S. 6. Lakshmi Mittal Net Worth: $31.1 billion; Source: Steel; Citizenship: India 7. Amancio Ortega Net Worth: $31 billion; Source: Zara; Citizenship: Spain 8. Eike Batista Net Worth: $30 billion; Source: Mining, oil; Citizenship: Brazil 9. Mukesh Ambani Net Worth: $27 billion; Source: Petrochemicals; Citizenship: India 10. Christy Walton & family Net Worth: $26.5 billion; Source: Wal-Mart; Citizenship: U.S.

Other notable American newcomers include Do Won and Jin Sook Chang, the cofounders of For-

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ARTs

& Culture

books movies music theatre photography exhibitions architecture

This is just the Beginning…

Open Mic Competition winner, Chukwuemeka Adigwu is set to thrill comedy lovers with his soon to be released show. In this interview with Reporter, Ladi Ogungbemi, he talks on the challenges of the comedy industry, plans to unleash his show to Lagos comedy lovers, his sources of inspiration as well as his moves to break into the movie industry. He also tells us how he feels emerging as new comedian of the year in 2010. smiles on people’s faces is what I love to do. I see it as a very wonderful experience being a comedian.

Which show gave you your first break?

The show that gave me my break was the AY Live Part One. That is AY’s comedy show held every year. I performed in the second and third parts but part one was the breakthrough. Then I was still new, young, fresh and hot. I can still picture myself coming out on stage and delivering my materials. I can never forget that day. The crowd, the ovation, the applause to me was an experience. After the show, I got a name in the comedy industry. After that, I was called for Rhythm Unplugged, Nite of a Thousand Laffs, Julius Agwu’s Crack Ya Ribs, Laughs and Jams with Basketmouth and so on. So far so good, there is no comedy show in Nigeria that I have not performed in. From Lagbaja’s Motherland to the least of them, there is no show I have not performed.

Chukwuemeka Adigwu

H

ow did you get into comedy?

I never thought I was going to be a comedian. I have always been an actor in church, acting church dramas. I discovered that at the end of every drama I acted in, people laughed away the message. When I am on stage, the comedy thing takes over. The part that people take serious becomes comical. It became an issue in church that they had to ask me to leave the drama group. Someone then advised me to set up a comedy group that would act comedy skits since I was asked to leave the drama group for being too comical.

I decided to try it and it worked but I noticed that anytime we had a concert in church, I always do standup comedy as well as MC. Since then, other churches started calling me for standup comedy. Gradually I started building myself before I got to know about the AY Open Mic Competition. I registered and won.

Since then it has been an upward movement for me.

What has the experience been like?

For me, it has been wonderful. I never thought comedy would be a moneymaking thing for me. I never imagined I could get a car through comedy, I never imagined I could rent an apartment through comedy; I never imagined I could put my younger ones through school using comedy. So it has been a wonderful experience. Comedy as a whole, I see it as life generally. Putting 28

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Do you have your own show?

Yes I do. There is a mini show I do around my vicinity in Surulere. Though I have not brought it out to the open but I am thinking along those lines. I call it Comedy Unleashed with Emeka Smith. I have done two episodes. The first show was in the year 2007. The next was in 2008. It is a gospel show, though that brings gospel comedians and musicians together. People don’t believe you can still get pure laughter in churches. They believe that comedians are worldly people. So I do Comedy Unleashed in churches, and it has been great. We have had big names like Sammie Okposo, Eben, AY, Gordons, Koffi, Seyilaw, MC Shakara, Jedi, Elenu and a whole lot of comedians and musicians. These are my very good friends. It is a show people always watch out for in Surulere.

But now I am thinking of taking it outside there to the general Lagos public. So far, I have done two shows. Comedy Unleashed with Emeka Smith I & II. So how do you feel emerging as the New Comedian of the Year 2010 at the City People Awards?

I feel great; that means people appreciate all that we are doing and we are really making great impact in the entertainment industry and am most grateful to all my teaming fans that voted and believed in me and God Almighty for giving me the gift and talent. This is just the beginning of greater things What is your fan base like?

To be very sincere, I get shocked sometimes. There is no place I go to in Lagos that at least one person doesn’t come to express commendation. They always hail me wherever I go. I went to Plateau State and Abuja recently and the kind of ovation I got there amazed me. AY Live really gave me fame.

How do you handle your female fans?

I work with a lot of senior colleagues in the industry. I have worked with Basket mouth, Jedi, AY, Julius ‘the genius’ Agwu, so over the years, I have learnt

Arts & Culture how they too manage fame. I follow them to events and I observe the way they comport themselves before their fans and the way they relate to female fans. So over the years, I have learnt how to package myself when it comes to that. It is not difficult to handle female fans. Definitely, some of them can be very nasty; they want more than the normal “hello.” But, of course, one can’t sleep with every girl that comes to him. I know how to handle them by the special grace of God. It is not easy because they are too strong. God has been helping me.

You recently went for a foreign show. What was the show about?

I travelled out of the country recently for a show but the event didn’t really work out as expected. I was in Ghana and South Africa for an event but they postponed the event due to logistics but we are still planning to go back and even take it as a tour now. Very soon I will be touring U.S., UK and other countries for a show with Sammie Okposo. It will be called Out Of Africa with Sammie Okposo and Friends. Looking forward to that.

Who inspires you most in the industry?

I would say Basket mouth inspires me most because he is somebody I love working with. Even before I got into comedy, I have been watching him and hoping to be like him one day. I love his style of delivering his jokes, his packaging and his presence on stage. He is one of the people that inspired me to go into comedy. Meeting him was a great honour. He gave me that encouragement, he carried me along and he even gave me most of his clothes when I was just coming up. From there, I met Jedi, who introduced me to so many people. Jedi did a lot for me. After Jedi, I met AY who actually pushed me further. Comedy goes beyond being funny. You need to package yourself to the corporate market. They gave me that platform. Julius Agwu too has been a very wonderful person to me. His show, Crack Ya Ribs has offered me the chance to meet a lot of prominent men and women in Nigeria. He always carries me along. His show is one that takes me around Nigeria. I have been to Abuja, I have been to Jos and I have been to Port Harcourt. Cecil of Rhythm Unplugged has been very wonderful. His show too has taken me around Nigeria even to Benin City. A lot of people have really affected, encouraged and supported me in my journey through comedy.

lines to discuss price with me.

Aside comedy, what else are you into?

Aside comedy, I act like I told you earlier. I plan going into the movie industry.

I spoke with the president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) to see how I can fully launch myself into the movie industry alongside standup comedy.

These are what I am planning for now. Other things can come up later, this is Nigeria, and people do anything to survive.

Doing comedy, what are those trying moments you have experienced?

For me, it is getting materials for my shows. It is not easy trying to come out fresh in every show one performs. Sometimes I lock myself up in a room trying to be creative and to bring out new jokes that will impress my fans. It is not easy. It is very difficult to create a new joke. People say they draw inspirations from happenings around their environment but the truth is that it is not a very easy thing. It takes the grace of God. Sometimes you believe a joke is funny and you go on stage to deliver the joke. It bounces back on you, nobody laughs, nothing can be worse than that.

How do you overcome challenges?

I overcome them through adequate preparation. I take my time to prepare before every show. I also pray a lot because I am a very good Christian. I don’t joke with God because he is the only one that can rescue you in trying times.

Trials must come but it takes the grace of God to pull through. Basically that is it. I also try to be myself. There is nothing as bad as trying to be like other comedians, it kills your career. The person you are trying to be like could be your mentor, that doesn’t mean you should want to out rightly be that person.

How far do you hope to go with comedy?

It is not by my power. Anywhere God says I will get to with comedy, I do not have a say.

I plan to do comedy till I am old. If Ali Baba can still be doing comedy, then who am I? If Chika Okpala (Chief Zebrudaya) still entertains people at his age, who am I, and they are really doing so well. Comedy to me is a career, not a part time job.

Presently, what is you worth in the industry?

I don’t talk monetary issues when it comes to interviews. All I can say is that I am very reasonable. My prices are reasonable so people shouldn’t be scared. They can call my phone

Arts & Culture Events Diary

Have your arts and culture events publicised on this page. For your book launch or presentation, arts exhibitions, music releases, film shows, theatre presentations etc. Send details to timeslesscourage@yahoo.co.uk or call 01-4358330 APRIL 2011

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Parent’s Section We are still talking about money. Teaching children money about money and money management is hardly ever high on parents “to-do list”. However it is high and should remain high on every one’s ‘Must have’ skills for life.

Tracking money: Give your child a little note book. Encourage your child to track his expenses and his income. Income in this context will be everything from allowances and pocket money to monetary gifts (the small ones) which you can entrust your child to manage.

Touching money: Another good way to involve your child in money management is to allow your child make regular deposits in the bank. Open a simple children’s savings account for your child and encourage him to make deposits and withdrawals with your approval. There are numerous Children’s accounts available, so make sure you shop around for the right one.

This will help in encouraging your child to think about money, what to spend it on, and maybe even think about investing!

Children’s Section We have been learning about how to manage your money. I know you are probably thinking you do not have so much money and why should you have to learn about how to manage money. You should learn to manage money because you are going to need to manage your money, throughout your life. You have to learn to decide what to spend the money you have on. If you learn to do this now you will get used to it and it will help you throughout your life.

One thing you need to do is to learn now to track your money. Tracking your money means keeping an account or records of how much money you have had within a period how much you have spent and what you have spent it on.

This will help you make wiser choices when spending your money. For example if you write down everything you spend your money on when you have a look at it later you might discover you have spent too much of your money on sweets and chocolates. This might make you more careful and help you curb your spending in that area.

Tayo Olarewaju is the Director of Delightsome Land School, a nursery and primary school in Victoria Island Lagos. She studied Accounting, Educational Leadership and Management. She is passionate about children, enjoys reading and writing and is learning to stay away from chocolate biscuits. She is married with 3 stars and a dog named scratch. If you would like to be a part of the all stars team send your name, date of birth and phone number to 08033527272 or email it to allstars@delightsomeland.org

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PreSchooler activities for Preschool Children from Age 2-5

VICTORIA TANDOH

Peg Play

Fill The Bottle

Preschoolers enjoy manipulating objects and soft-grip plastic clothes pegs can make a good toy. Clip a few around the rim of a plastic pot or mug before handing it to your toddler.

• Show your toddler how to unclip the pegs and put them in the pot.

• When he has finished unclipping the pegs, clip them back around the pot.

• You could also give your toddler the pot and pegs to amuse him in the bath.

• Clip the pegs into other things too, such as a duck’s beak in the bath.

This game is great for improving co-ordination. All you need is a plastic pot or bottle and a collection of objects • You could use one large bottom, pasta shaper, large beads, dry cereal or raisin.

• Encourage your toddler to put the objects into the pot or bottle, although he may want to tip them out as well.

• You can add to the game by counting as you go, or by pointing out different colours – though don’t expect your child to remember them at the age.

• You will need to supervise closely to make sure your child doesn’t put anything in his mouth or up his nose.

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Special Feature

Ituah Olajide Ighodalo at 50

B

orn on the sixth of April 1961, Pastor Ituah Olajide Ighodalo is the third and youngest child of Jeremiah Ighodalo and his wife Folayegbe Akintunde-Ighodalo. This second son of the couple, who is fondly called Ituntun by his father, is named after their father’s uncle for the admiration Jerry had for the man who lived reasonably well and financially comfortable during his life time. Ituah happened to be the only one among the children to be born in Ibadan at the Jericho hospital, Ibadan.

Like his elder brother (Asue), he had his primary education at the Mary Hill Convent Primary School where he at an early stage started showing his creative talents when, he started writing short stories. By the time he completed elementary four (Primary Four) at the Catholic Missionary School, he had succeeded in writing two different booklets. It was in the same school he also demonstrated his skill in sports specifically football, a game he played a great deal of in the company of his elder brother Asue.

By the time he left the school, he was both sports and school captain.

When Ituah was rounding up his primary school education, he began sitting for interviews into different schools.

His father remembers how Ituah received invitation for interviews from all the schools that he applied to.

Although his father had his eyes on Kings College, he allowed the boy to attend the interviews in those other schools and even paid the required deposit for the acceptance of admission. Such schools included Igbobi College Lagos, Loyola College, Ibadan, Government College, Ibadan amongst others.

Ituah put up a brilliant performance at his interview into Kings College, which earned him admission into the school and also gave him a partial scholarship after his first year where he passed his West African Examination Certificate Examination in flying colours. Thereafter he proceeded to read for his Higher Certificate Examination at International School (ISI) University of Ibadan now following what had virtually become a family tradition.

Ituah thereafter gained admission into the University of Hull, England from where he obtained combined honours in Economics and Accountancy in 1982. He later did his articleship with a foreign firm called Price Waterhouse, an accounting and management consulting firm. The opportunity to develop his professional skills in the British firm came through his mother’s request to the managing partner of the company, a rare privilege, which Jerry said came from unexpected quarters.

Chief (Mrs.) Akintunde-Ighodalo was then a member of the Nigerian delegation to the 66th Congress of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW) held in Geneva, Switzerland. She was accorded the honour of being the guest of the Nigerian Ambassador to the Swiss Country in that year. The gesture came courtesy of the relationship between Jerry and the Ambassador, Gabriel Ijewere, a close relative.

At the dinner party organised for Chief (Mrs.) Akintunde-Ighodalo along with some other guests of the ambassador, the woman met the Price Waterhouse boss with whom she had a chat. After the dinner party ended, Ituah’s mother requested Ambassador Ijewere to put in

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a word for her son who then was just graduating from the university. By the time Ituah got engaged by the company, he was attached to the Nigerian office, which was located then in Surulere, Lagos.

From Pricewater, Ituah ventured into business with a partner before he started his own accounting practice.

Among other various professional certificates he has in his kitty are Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accoun-

tants of Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Taxation as well as the Institute of Management. He was the Managing Partner of Ighodalo and Associates, a firm of Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants, located at Obanikoro, Lagos, which he solely managed by divine grace for well over 15 years until he went into partnership with other partners with whom he established S.I.A.O. another accounting and management consulting firm, situated at Ikoyi, Lagos.

Special Feature of his family. My father never had a meal without cutting a piece of meat for my brother and me. He never drank his beer without giving us a sip. There was nothing he did that he would not have us share in.”

It was under such circumstance that he (Ituah) got drunk for the first time when he was seven years old. On that particular occasion, the children had gone with their mother to spend the Christmas holidays with Jerry in his station in Benin City. On Christmas day, his father gave him some quantity of palm wine to drink in his usual habit of sharing with his sons. When his fathers saw off his visitors, Ituah helped himself to the remaining wine in the keg before his father came back to the house. Thereafter, when he wanted to display the Indian costume that was made for him to celebrate Christmas with, he ended up rolling on the ground since he was under the influence of the alcohol he had taken.

Pastor Ituah Ighodalo and his wife, Ibidun Ighodalo

He is the only one amongst his siblings that thus took to their father’s profession. He also took to their father’s advice to abstain from picking a job within the civil service.

As Ituah went about his career, the hand of God that had always influenced and directed his father has also always been on the son, who in fact has so much resemblance with the man in physical features. Before God brought Ituah to his side, the young man was well known as a guy around town. That is the way a close relative of his puts it because Ituah was one of the ‘what’s-up’ boys in the cities of Lagos and Ibadan, a goldfish who could not be hidden.

Amidst the glamour the soft spoken, easy going young accountant had coupled with the high profile his parents’ social standing gave him; the good Lord pulled him out to serve in His divine vineyard, a move, which turned his life around for the best. The change might not be far from an answer to the prayers of his mother. Ituah negotiated the most important bend in his life in 1993, when he decided for the Lord and began his spiritual work with the Almighty. In a swift move that baffled most people close to him then, Ituah plunged head long into the new life he was called to.

Having undergone the various pastoral training in the stable of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the Accountant turned Pastor has since been carrying out exploits for God in so many areas. He started as an Associate Pastor of Freedom Hall, (later renamed Hope Hall) and later the City of David, both parishes of the RCCG. He became the Pastor in Charge of Christ Church, another parish of the same church where he successfully led the congregation to launch into territories many congregations may not readily tread in before leaving to establish Trinity House, an interdenominational free flow Christian worship centre.

While with the RCCG, he had the responsibility of featuring prominently in the missionary programmes of the church where he had been assigned to the church’s mission fields, especially on the international fronts, as he has often been sent from time to time to pioneer the

work of church planting in many foreign countries. From the way the charming Pastor pours himself out in service to God and humanity, no person is left in doubt of what greater feat the Almighty can still perform with and through him.

Recounting his growing up years, the pastor remembers the regular visits he and his brother, Asue used to pay their father when he was working in Benin. Such periods were a time of relaxation for them because their chores in Benin City were never as stressful as when they were in Ibadan. Their arrival at Benin was always a moment of joy for the boys as they regarded it a big escape from their mother’s incessant disciplinary measures, which she was never tired of giving out to any one of them who dared to contravene her rules.

One other thing the Pastor recalls was their visits to Ebhokimi, their father’s village where his parents usually took them from time to time especially at Christmas.

They usually packed their vehicle full of foodstuff, used clothes and other items for distribution to the people at home. The trip, which was very long and tedious, could sometimes take about six or seven hours stopping at Ore for lunch of pounded yam, egusi soup or akpon and bush meat. On their arrival, the atmosphere in the town especially in their grandfather’s compound would become charged with excitement. Such visits were regarded by their grandfather, Chief Ekhukhu as a mini festival as life in the old man’s compound would take on a new dimension.

The pastor still recalls how he used to sit on the laps of his grandfather who he was said to have a close resemblance with. On such occasions, the boy would seize the opportunity to look closely at the old man trying to see if he could actually find those features they had in common.

Ituah is full of pleasant memories of his childhood, some of which he shares with us. “Whenever my father was around, it was a very happy and encouraging time because he was always in control in his own charming way. He had special love and care for all the members

“I kept on laughing and rolling in the sand all evening, until my mother came and said ‘Jeremiah! Jeremiah!

Your son must be drunk?’ My father replied saying, ‘It’s not possible,’ to which she replied ‘look at him rolling in the sand and laughing.’ I continued my rolling and laughing until I fell asleep. I then woke up with the very first hang over in my life. Of course I did not know what it was, all I knew was I just woke up vomiting, feeling very sick and I had sand all over my hair and on every part of my body. My mother had to hang me upside down in the bathroom when she was removing the sand through a thorough wash. I was not smacked over the ugly experience; everything was just amusing to me.”

The pastor also recalls an occasion in which his father told him that whatever anybody can do, he Ituah can as well do, a principle he has imbibed and applied in his daily life. The incident that led to his receiving this advice came up while he was in primary school. While driving him to school on a particular day, the man asked him if the fellow who usually came out in the first position in his class was smarter than him to which he replied no. The man went further to ask him again if the boy was taller than him and he said the boy was a bit taller than him.

He then asked him if the boy has two heads to which he replied definitely not.

In his usual calm manner, he still asked to know why Ituah could not strive to do better than the fellow who came in first in his class to which he replied that he had tried his best. Again, his father asked if he had actually done his very best to which Ituah replied with a shrug that as far as he was concerned, he had answered all the questions he needed to and that he did that to the best of his knowledge. At that point, his father said with a lot of emphasis that if the boy who came out first in the class did not have an extra head, Ituah could certainly do better than the fellow. That was all it took for him to cultivate enough confidence in himself. The conversation according to the pastor stirred up in him the passion to always strive for the best.

The Pastor who is the Editor-in-Chief of TIMELESS Magazine also sits on the board of several innumerable charitable foundations and NGOs including the Courage Education Foundation, Eden’s Fields, Lydia Grace Foundation and Heritage Homes as he is always interested in the wellbeing of his fellow human beings. He is happily married to Ibidun Ighodalo, the CEO of Elizabeth R, a leading event management company.

Edited with excerpts from ‘A Call to Duty’, the biography of Chief Jeremiah Ighodalo

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Dabar

Insights for Christian Living

Pull Out All the Stops to Help Your Teen Mark Gregston

F

or parents, there is no worse feeling than watching your child spin out of control while nothing you do seems to make any difference. If your teenager’s behaviour is giving you feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and fear, I would like to offer you some suggestions.

First, stop what you are doing and start a new way of thinking in regard to how you are handling the situation. Albert Einstein defined insanity as “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If your home is feeling a little “insane” these days, perhaps you need to change how it operates.

Start in a new direction by first talking to others, like your friends, pastor, youth minister, your parents, your child’s teachers, and the rest of the family. You need to gain wisdom and a sense of reality regarding the situation. Are you blowing it out of proportion, or perhaps not even noticing how bad it has become? Is your teenager just acting out at home, or are they behaving even worse when away from home? People around you will know, and they can help you gain perspective.

Accepting the reality of the problem is difficult for some parents. They won’t acknowledge it because to them it would be accepting responsibility for failure. Others tend to see just the good and believe no wrong in their children.

They are blinded to what everyone around them can already see; that is, until it becomes a full blown crisis or tragedy. So when you come to a right “realization,” don’t hesitate to begin your search for a resolution by validating your suspicions with those around you. They know what’s going on and will be glad that you finally see the light.

An out of control teenager is one who doesn’t appear to have the internal ability to function within established boundaries and rules of the home or society. Their behaviours, if allowed to continue, could have dangerous or grave consequences for them physically, for their future, or for your family.

When It is Time to Act I’m sure you wish this situation wasn’t at your doorstep.

But it is, so you have to act on your child’s behalf. And no matter how lonely it might be, or how difficult it might appear; no matter what your child’s response, you must act quickly.

Step One: Investigate It is critical to ask questions to get to the root of what is causing your child’s change in behaviour. Is he depressed?

Is he being bullied, abused, or using drugs or alcohol?

Has a major loss happened in your family recently? Most of the time, parents find out way too late about underlying causes of a child’s behaviour. Communication is key at this time. Require time from your child to discuss how they’re doing before you pay their next car insurance bill, give them gas money, or hand over the keys to the car.

Determine to establish the lines of communication and make sure you ask lots of questions. Talk to your child’s teachers and coaches, kids at church, your own parents, your siblings, their siblings, your friends, their friends, their youth minister and just about anyone who has had contact with your child. See if they have any insights into why your child’s behaviour has changed.

Step Two: Set Boundaries Establish and communicate clear boundaries for behaviour by all members of your family (not just your wayward teen). Determine what you hold to be true and the principles upon which you will base your rules for living. Communicate and live by these boundaries, rather than “shooting from the hip” every time something comes up. Make a policy and procedure manual for your home, so everyone knows what to expect. Spend some time determining how you want to live and put some feet to it to ensure that all understand those boundaries.

Step Three: Establish and Enforce Consequences Once boundaries are in place, there must be reasonable consequences for inappropriate behaviour, and they must be enforced, or your credibility goes right out the window.

And keep in mind that they must be enforced for all members of the family, not just your teen, so they don’t feel singled out. Parents today tend to be so relational that they find it hard to send a strong message to “not go this way” for fear of losing their relationship. But what most parents don’t understand is that kids do want direction, correction and help in moving through the transition to adulthood.

Tom Landry once said, “A coach makes people do things they don’t want to do so they can get to a place where they do want to be.” Parents must do the same for their children.

Step Four: Get Outside Help “He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” — Chinese Proverb Perhaps your child’s issues are deeper and they’ll need professional counseling or medication to get through it.

And maybe you’ll need counseling to get through it as well. Find a good Christian counselor that specializes in teen behavior, and trust what they recommend. If you’re going to pick and choose the counsel you receive, then

you’ll more than likely just continue to do what you want, and your child will continue to spin out of control. Don’t let old beliefs about medicine control your new decisions that have to be made for your child. If your child is depressed or anxious, has ADD, or OCD, can’t sleep at night, is bi-polar, or has a true mental condition that demands medication, don’t let your outdated boundaries prevent your child from getting help from something that is essential to their well being.

Hospitalization may even be needed if you feel that your child is a danger to himself or herself. Extreme cutting, eating disorders, bizarre behavior, extreme depression, suicidal thoughts, or excessive drug or alcohol abuse are just a few of the symptoms that might warrant hospitalization. Don’t hesitate to hospitalize your child just because you don’t know what it is. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

When Nothing is Working In the event that your teen is running away or otherwise hitting bottom, and counseling is going nowhere, you may need to place your teen in a therapeutic program outside of your home for a time. This is not the time to spend mulling over where your parenting has gone wrong. It’s time for action, when your child could damage his life and possibly make choices with grave consequences. After you’ve had time to get good counsel (hopefully from quite a few people) and you’ve had some time to think it through, start to put an intervention plan into action.

A therapeutic program or facility away from home will get them away from their peers, drugs and other influences. It will give the whole family a time of rest and regrouping. It will offer the teen a fresh perspective and a concentrated, focused way of dealing with their issues. Yes, it’s a “last ditch” effort, to be initiated when all other options and attempts to help your child have been exhausted, but for some kids, it can be a lifesaver. Over the past 20 years, some 3,000 kids have come to live with us a Heartlight (http://www.heartlightministries.org) for 9-12 months at a time. We daily work with them in a relational way to change their thinking and ambitions to more positive pursuits.

All therapeutic programs are not the same, and there is very little regulation or standards in therapeutic care for youth. So do your homework. Check out each program’s professional references. Call the local Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any complaints. Get a list and call the parents who have had their child in the program recently. If the program won’t allow you to call

Dabar - Insights for Christian Living The Dabar column is about Christian living. This column is going to deal with real life issues that Christians face in day to day living and the Biblical perspective on these issues with a real life approach to such situations. We will also use this column as a forum to discuss issues affecting Christianity as a whole. As such, letters with issues which can be discussed should be sent to timelesscourage@yahoo.co.uk. Issues to be discussed in the column will be chosen from letters sent in by you our readers. We look forward to hearing from you so we can start treating these issues from next month. Thank you.

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Viewpoint The Sanctity of Votes in an Electoral Process - The Citizen’s Perspective George Ashiru

system in operation in Nigeria, where a select few have acted like they have debenture holdings of our collective votes, and can allot the votes and the resulting value as they will.

• We the citizens have come together to say No, Never again!!!

P

reambles: • In year 2000, heads of 189 governments, including Nigeria, agreed to meet 8 goals that will halve extreme poverty by year 2015 – The MDGs. • All 8 of the MDGs were agreed to be achievable if governments live up to their responsibilities.

• Because of the direct benefit to citizens, they were expected to hold their governments accountable for achieving these MDGs. • The only methodology for citizen action for responsible governance is democracy, where the citizens can reward or reject political leadership for achieving these and other developmental goals.

• The instrument for achieving this citizen action is through the ballot box. The electoral process provides the direct means of the citizens of a country to, in the majority, determine the leadership, direction and methodology and ideology of governance for the common good.

• The sanctity of this process and the value of each individual vote determines the progress a country makes towards achieving her developmental objectives.

• Time and time again, we have seen a political

A Corporate Analogy: • Nigeria can be likened to a large corporation, FRNPLC, founded 1914, established 1960.

• An American Intelligence Factbook estimated our collective value at $159Billion.

Furthermore, the expendable GDP per capita was given from $300 plus to a useful GDP/capita of $2400 (2009) per citizen, young or old.

• This translates to each of us having an average net worth of $2400, which in equity terms, is 2400 shares per head (assuming $1 per share).

• During our annual AGM (elections), I exchange my shares for votes. My shares are equal to all others, but by proxy, some of us wield slightly more shares, on behalf of our non-voting shareholders (children). In any case, it is a fair and equitable distribution of shares.

• My equity exchanges for a vote during the AGMs. I expect dividends for my equity, I vote for Directors and CEOs that will guarantee me return on my shares. My shares are not a subvention or donation to anybody; they are my holdings in the corporate entity called FRN-PLC. • I attend the AGM personally, and I see my coshareholders diligently exercising their duty of casting their shares in votes as their conscience leads them.

• But, Alas, at each AGM, till now, an unscrupulous few brokers, directors, and line managers, collude to turn our experiment into the “Animal Farm” (Apologies, George Orwell), where some persons allocate our shares and trade in our shares, without our consent, acting as though their own 2400 equity are debentures with exponential values. Where, instead of their shares to have a $1

to a share, they magnify their shareholding to $million to a share. Equating themselves to a majority, and making nonsense of the equal equity we have been bequeathed.

• So, at our various shareholder association meetings (town hall meetings), we have new resolutions we want activated for the upcoming AGM in 2011.

Resolutions: • Our shares/votes must have equal values • That our citizens must be educated not to trade their shareholdings for a bowl of porridge or undervalue these shares by trading it at N500 for a vote.

• That the citizens, being equal partakers of the commonwealth of Nigeria shall no longer deliver their votes through political proxies, but each man/woman will personally cast their votes and ensure the sanctity of the tabulations.

• That we recommend that previous beneficiaries and perpetrators of such unsanctified votes shall not be allowed to stand for further elections, whether through the judicial process or through citizens’ action.

• We also demand judicial compensation for the erstwhile mis-alloted votes.

• We all agree that the corporate entity called Nigeria is a viable entity with awesome potentials, and we will ensure the delivery of a just electoral process and good governance to the upcoming generations, through aggressive citizen education, and issues driven enlightenment campaigns.

• That citizens’ apathy is the result of the loss of sanctity of their votes. Additionally, citizens’ apathy is increased by the following: i.

Ignorance about electoral processes. –Ignorance of issues in governance ii.

Cultural mindsets that presume elders, the wealthy, etc are better leaders. iii.

Election violence and political thuggery. – iv.

Religious misapplications on the role of the citizen in ensuring the sanctity of votes, and good governance.

• During an election cycle, the scenario the citizen expects is: i.

Parties, after internal democratic primaries, present candidates. ii.

Candidates present their case. iii.

Voters make their choices. iv.

INEC tabulates, endorses, and announces these choices as it is.

• We also admonish INEC to consider the following actions: i.

Educate the citizenry through Town Hall meetings, etc ii.

Work with NGOs to create awareness on voter registration, responsibilities, etc iii.

Empower voters to defend their votes through an accountable voting system.

Presented By Rev George Ashiru [Convener, Town Hall Meetings Project (THMP)] on the occasion of the Roundtable On Sanctity of Votes in an Electoral Process Organised By: United States International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) Lagos State Alumni Association

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Podium

Easter Story can help us overcome Politics of Fear John Sentamu Archbishop of York

This article is an adaptation of two different Easter messages by Archbishop John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, England in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The message therein is still as relevant today as it was when they were originally written. Though written for the British audience, the contents are relevant for people worldwide.

W

e are living, so I’m told, in frightening times.

The last economic crisis has meant that for those who deal in the business of prediction economics, the world has become a scary and uncertain place.

But beyond this fear of the (monetary) sky falling in, there are many people operating in the “real” economy and “real life” for whom the fact that the world can be both scary and uncertain isn’t news. There are the real and daily tragedies of life that rob us of any sense of security.

Events such as bereavement, ill health, redundancy, relationship breakdown or crime demonstrate how precarious our sense of security can be, particularly if we create a world of meaning for ourselves where God is absent.

Not that Christians, or people of faith, are exempt from the daily insecurities of life. The doubt brought on by life events is a necessary part of making sense of faith and

what must have been going through the hearts and minds of the 12 disciples on that very first Saturday after Good Friday.

The joy that comes from a faith in Christ may have been in short supply that Saturday when those first followers of Jesus wondered what had become of the man for whom they had given up all they had. The disciples had fled in fear, worried that they too might be arrested or crucified.

Peter was recovering from the hangover of his betrayal and denial of the man he had recognised as God’s chosen one.

Their hope and faith seemed to be at an end. There appeared to be no way back, and the light which had transformed their lives seemed to have been replaced by an endless midnight. As yet unaware of what God would do the following day, the disciples observed the Sabbath, the Saturday before the first Easter, grappling with the quan-

evil in the brutality of terrorist attacks is good theology, but to say simply that they are evil and we are good is bad theology that can lead to dangerous politics. The threat of terrorism does not overturn Christian ethics.”

We should all practise mercy, loving kindness, deeds of mutual charity, reciprocal solidarity and walk in God’s ways of love and justice.

Compassion and a measured response are thrown out as we give in to the fear of “the thin end of the wedge”.

Proportionality becomes the victim. This is a small island which cannot accommodate everyone who wants to live here, but people must be treated on grounds of compassion and merit, and not hidden behind the inflexible language of rules and regulations.

The challenge for each of us as individuals and as a nation is to make sure that we are guided by justice and not fear.

In terms of international policy this means a rejection of the pre-emptive strike. This means not going for unilateral action but rather waiting for a UN mandate and acting along principles of justice. It means - to use the politics of the playground - not beating someone up because you thought if you didn’t then they might hit you.

Domestically, it means being sure that civil liberties are guarded as we live through difficult times. That we do not let those criminals, who seek to commit acts of mass murder, achieve a moral triumph through a consequent overreaction, whether it be the extension of detention without trial or the use of “water boarding” torture.

We must not bow down to the fear that comes with terrible acts of murder, but rather stand up to such fear in a desire for a just outcome that does not lead us to demonise or reject our neighbour.

Fear can be a prison into which we lock away our love and decency to others. It can be a place into which we put ourselves, unable to escape, having forgotten how to hope or love in a way that drives out fear.

Archbishop John Sentamu

dispensing with the unquestioning mindset for a faith that is both challenging and challenged. Faith is not a crutch to lean on but the very act of learning.

St John of the Cross wrote of such moments as the “dark night of the soul” and it was instructive for me to read a few months ago of those moments endured by Mother Teresa of Calcutta when she felt far from God, as each of us may do during our lives. At such times I think of

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tum of solace and enduring their own dark night of the soul.

Fear can be a powerful emotion. The pain of it can extinguish the memory of hope and numb the spirit. As much as this is true for individuals, it is also true of communities and nations. As the Christian activist Jim Wallis has noted: “The politics of fear can have disastrous results in both foreign and domestic policy. To name the face of

As a young man living in Uganda under Idi Amin I became well versed in the vagaries of violence. So when I arrived in Kenya some weeks after the terrible violence that followed the disputed elections in December 2007, I thought I would be prepared for what I would find. I was wrong. In a cramped camp for internally displaced peoples near Nairobi, I met a young Maasai woman whom I will call Sophie. Angry young men of other tribes broke into her home in the middle of the night while she and her family were sleeping. They pulled her two young boys away from her and threw them out of the house. Then they chopped off her husband’s head with a machete as he stood in front of her. After that, they ransacked the house and set fire to it.

Podium When Sophie’s neighbours found her the next morning, she no longer knew who she was. The doctor told me she had been so traumatised she had lost her mind. All he could do was give her anti-depressants to get her through the days. So in one night, Sophie lost not just her home and belongings but her past, present, and future. She was only 28 - my son’s age.

To witness the suffering that Kenya endured in the wake of the 2007 disputed election was truly shocking. A thousand people were dead and thousands upon thousands were made homeless. In the slums I saw God at work in this human misery. I met families who had opened their homes to their neighbours and taken in as many people as they could - sometimes up to 60 at a time in houses built for three or four. Would that happen here? I look around me and I just don’t know.

In Kisumu, where the trouble started, the cathedral and its precincts were being used for shelter. In Eldoret, the largest refugee camp, housing more than 2,000 people, the bishops of the Anglican Church were at the forefront of providing relief.

Such camps exist in England too, but they are very different places, where the spirit of hope that flourished and rang out in Eldoret is absent and has been replaced with a spirit of despair. I visited one such camp at Oakington Detention Centre near Cambridge in February 2008. Just as the camp in Eldoret represented the triumph of hope over despairing circumstances, so Oakington is a symbol of what happens when fear triumphs over compassion.

The story is told of the young boy who was asked where he thought Jesus had gone after he died on Good Friday?

The boy, remembering his catechism, replied: “Jesus went to the darkest places of Hell.” The boy paused and then added, “He was looking for his friend, Judas.”

The Easter Vigil attended by many on the evening of Holy Saturday reminds us that in the darkest places of hopelessness, hope still remains. The dawning of a new day on that first Easter Sunday broke through despair, shredded every doubt and replaced an endless midnight with the intensity of a thousand suns that burst forth from an empty tomb.

At first the disciples, still prisoners to their fear, refused to believe the reports of the women who had seen Jesus of Nazareth alive. But the fire of hope had been kindled within them and soon after they saw for themselves the risen Christ.

As our own tomorrow dawns, Christ stands ready to greet us with the hope of new life. He stands ready to welcome each of us into a godly embrace where we can know what it is to be forgiven the consequences of our fear and be set on a new road guided by justice and compassion.

The Risen Christ says: “Fear not, I was dead, I am now alive for ever more”. Let us rejoice and be glad in the physicality of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We too shall rise in Him!

to go and help calm things down. Among the throng, I noticed four angry young men with iron bars concealed down their trousers, waiting their chance.

I said to them: “It’s understandable that you are angry but violence isn’t the answer.”

Their reply remains with me to this day: “Bish,” they said, “we don’t believe in God.” I said: “It doesn’t matter. God believes in you.”

They laughed but eventually walked away. They didn’t use their iron bars.

I admit I was scared. But God has no one except you and me.

As Martin Luther King Junior said: “To respond to violence with violence is to increase the darkness on a night already devoid of stars.” Those young men were in danger of making the mistake of treating belief in God as an optional extra. What matters in the end is that God believes in each one of us.

That is why he sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for us.

Jesus is not to be found among the dead, as part of an ancient dusty religion. The message of Easter rings out across our land in the words of the old hymn, Jesus Christ is risen today.

On Easter Day, I will stand waist-high in an open-air pool in the middle of York city centre where I will baptise into the faith those people who will newly confess that Jesus is the Lord of their lives. These will join the often silent and overlooked majority of people in this country for whom today is a day of celebration and joy.

According to a recent poll conducted by Theos, a public policy think-tank, 57 per cent of Britons believe Jesus was executed by crucifixion, buried and rose from the dead.

The fact that more than half of us hold that belief is particularly striking and demonstrates that our society is not as “secular” as we often imagine it to be, despite frequent chattering claims to the contrary.

The reality of the resurrection is not just a personal encounter - it’s also collective. It changes societies, cultures and communities. For the physicality of the resurrection of Jesus is a community-evoking, a community-forming, a community-authorising event.

Our belief shouldn’t just be based on the miracle of the resurrection itself but upon the astonishing outcome of that miracle - the community it creates, and has already created, in this country.

Our identity as a nation owes more to our Christian heritage than many care to admit. In the 8th Century, the Venerable Bede, “the father of English history”, wrote not only of how the English were converted but how the Gospel played a major socialising and civilising role in this country by uniting the English from a group of warring tribes - and conferring nationhood upon them.

Feelings were running high during the Stephen Lawrence inquiry some years ago, particularly when the five suspects were questioned. There was a very angry crowd outside who were ready to give those arrogant and uncooperative young men a good hiding as they left the inquiry. A major incident was developing.

But God’s Good News isn’t just for the chosen few: it is for everyone, whether they hear it or whether they don’t, and its impact upon our character as a nation is inescapable. While it is, of course, true to say that such virtues of kindness to neighbour, fair play and common decency are not unique to the Christian faith, just as they are not unique to Britain, it is equally true to say that these virtues have become embedded into our social fabric and heritage as a result of the Christian faith and its influence on society.

I was a member of that inquiry and, like a fool, I agreed

The Christian faith has woven the very fabric of our soci-

ety just as the oceans around this island have shaped the contours of our geographical identity. It is time for us to acknowledge that. As we have seen in recent attempts to define Britishness, trying to unpick this seam can lead to an unravelling, leaving us in the unenviable situation of being unable to agree on who we are as a country and as a people.

Bereft of common values, and without a shared heritage, the danger of splintering our society into a million microcosms of individualised materialist desires and unconnected narratives is a destiny that we must resist, both for ourselves and for our country.

For me, the vital issue facing the nation is the loss of this country’s long tradition of Christian wisdom which helped give birth to the English nation, and the loss of wonder and amazement that Jesus Christ has authority over every aspect of all our lives.

Nothing is needed more by humanity today than the recovery of a sense of “beyond-ness” in the whole of life to revive the spring of wonder and adoration. This challenge is for each of us, not least for all those who bear the name of Christ and who are charged with spreading His message of an inclusive and generous friendship, where each person is affirmed as of infinite worth, dignity and influence.

Today’s call is for Christians to live and be good news to everyone - to be an “Easter people” as Augustine said. It would be fantastic if people not only said of Jesus: “What sort of man is this” but said of us, his followers: “What sort of people are they? Their gracious actions, and the language on their lips, is of God’s goodness and love.

“Let us get to know them. There is something extraordinarily normal and wonderful about them.” Through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus there came into the world a new power that transforms human character and human communities and liberates us from anxiety, fear, meaninglessness, transience, evil, ignorance, guilt and shame.

But just as we, as individuals, are in need of salvation, we must realise that the culture and institutions we create are also in need of redemption, not simply of modernising.

Jesus made it clear that he is the friend of the poor, the marginalised, the vulnerable. I would remind people who are judgmental and moralising that only God is holy, perfect and just. I would urge them to go and find friends among them, among the young, among older people and those in society who are demonised and dehumanised, and stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

I would say to Christians: go and find friends who are Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, agnostics, atheists - not for the purpose of converting them to your own partisan, dulled reflection of God’s glory but for friendship, understanding, listening and hearing. I would say to Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, agnostics, atheists: go and find friends among Christians, not for the purpose of converting them but for the sake of friendship, understanding, listening, hearing.

God is at work in our nation today quite beyond the limits of our budgets, structures and expectation. His Gospel has the power to transform our individual and collective lives, our families, our communities and our nation. Joining in with God’s work is a choice for each of us.

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Random Musings with Ayodeji Jeremiah

this book is about people who are way out there.

I was interested in writing about success. I just became convinced that our explanations of what drives success were lacking. We have the kind of self-made-man myth, which says that super-successful people did it themselves. And we have a series of other beliefs that say that our personality, our intelligence, all of our innate characteristics are the primary driving force. It’s that cluster of things that I don’t agree with.” The premise of his book is that you can learn a lot more about success by looking around at the successful person, at what culture they belong to, what their parents did for a living. Successful people are people who have made the most of a series of gifts that have been given to them by their culture or their history or their generation.

Recently, Mrs. Bunmi Lawson of Do More for Nigeria (an advocacy group) sent out a book recommendation to members of the group on Facebook asking that everyone read a book, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. The book was first published in 2008 and received rave reviews on Fortune magazine then.

Malcolm Gladwell has been a staff writer with The New Yorker magazine since 1996. His 1999 profile of Ron Popeil won the American National Magazine Award and in 2005 he was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. He is the author of two books, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference, (2000) and Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005), both of which were number one New York Times bestsellers. From 1987 to 1996, he was a reporter with the Washington Post, where he covered business, science and then served as the newspaper’s New York City bureau chief. He graduated from the University of Toronto, Trinity College, with a degree in history.

Malcolm Gladwell’s curiosity about high-achieving lawyers was the germ of his new and third book, Outliers, which was published in November 2008. It’s a book about exceptional people: smart people, rich people, successful people, people who operate at the extreme outer edge of what is statistically possible.

Robert Oppenheimer. Bill Gates. The Beatles. And fancy lawyers. Gladwell starts with the lawyers. “Why do they all have the same biography?” he wondered.

“We take it for granted that there’s this guy in New York who’s the corporate lawyer, right? I just was curious: Why is it all the same guy?”

An ‘outlier’ according to Gladwell is a technical term for a phenomenon that is outside normal experience.

“Scientists use it all the time when they are graphing data. You’ve got a nice little bell curve and then you have a couple of things that are way out here. Well, 38

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Gladwell’s goal is to adjust our understanding of how people like that get to where they are.

Instead of the Horatio Alger story of success, a gifted child who through heroic striving within a meritocratic system becomes a successful, rich and famous adult, Outliers tells a story about the context in which success takes place: family, culture, friendship, childhood, accidents of birth and history and geography. “It’s not enough to ask what successful people are like,” Gladwell writes. “It is only by asking where they are from that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn’t.” Gladwell advocates what he calls the 10,000-Hour Rule as the most obvious key to success. Studies suggest that the key to success in any field has nothing to do with talent. It’s simply practice, 10,000 hours of it. The 10,000-hours rule says that if you look at any kind of cognitively complex field, from playing chess to being a neurosurgeon, we see this incredibly consistent pattern that you cannot be good at what you do unless you practice for 10,000 hours, which is roughly ten years, if you think about four hours a day or 20 hours on a five day week.

Gladwell is asking, “whether successful people deserve the praise we heap on them.” Using himself as a case study, he entered college two years early but got lousy grades. “College was not an intellectually fruitful time for me,” he says. He was fired from his first job in journalism, at the American Spectator.

It wasn’t until he wound up at the Washington Post that he really bore down and learned his craft. “I was a basket case at the beginning, and I felt like an expert at the end,” he says. “It took 10 years, exactly that long.” (There you have it: the 10,000-Hour Rule in action.)

According to Outliers, genius isn’t the only or even the most important thing. Gladwell’s weapon of choice when assaulting myths is the anecdote and one of the book’s most striking and saddest, is the strange story of Christopher Langan, a man who despite an IQ of 195 (Einstein’s was 150) wound up working on

a horse farm in rural Missouri, USA. Why isn’t he a nuclear rocket surgeon? Because of the environment he grew up in: there was no one in Langan’s life and nothing in his background that could help him capitalise on his exceptional gifts. “He had to make his way alone,” Gladwell writes, “and no one, not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires and not even geniuses ever makes it alone.”

“People talk about Bill Gates. The mythology is that he was spontaneously drawn to computers. But that’s not the case. Bill Gates has this utterly extraordinary series of opportunities. When he’s 13, it’s 1969. He shows up at his private school in Seattle and they have a computer room with a teletype machine that is hooked up to a mainframe downtown. Anyone who was playing on the teletype machine could do real-time programming. Ninety-nine percent of the universities in America in 1969 did not have that.

Then, when he was 15 or so, classmate Paul Allen learned that there was a mainframe at the University of Washington that was not being used between two and six every morning. So they would get up at 1:30 in the morning, walk a mile and program for four hours. When Gates is 20, he has as much experience as people who have spent their entire lives being programmers. He has this incredible headstart.”

Gladwell also uses the contrast of Michael Ventris (who cracked the undecipherable code called Linear B of Minoans from Knossos on Crete) and Andrew Wiles (a Mathematics Professor who solved what some thought might never be solved: Fermat’s Last Theorem). While Michael Ventris was the pre-modern genius: working mainly alone, in his free time, utterly brilliant and solving in a flash of insight after 1.5 years of free time during nights and weekends spent on the problem, Andrew Wiles, on the other hand, took about ten years to solve the theorem (close to those same 10,000 hours) and built on scholarly work over decades by a dozen other mathematicians.

Gladwell notes that Wiles was less a pure genius and more a master at diligently working away at this problem and building on the shoulders of other math giants.

Gladwell argues that instead of thinking about talent as something that you acquire, talent should be thought of as something that you develop. “Procter & Gamble is a great example of a company that does that and has prospered as a result. Look around Wall Street, or what’s left of it today and you’ll see lots and lots and lots of people from Goldman Sachs.

That’s not a coincidence. It’s because they took their mission to invest in people seriously. Paradoxically, (despite the global economic crisis) this might be the perfect time for companies to take the issue of developing talent seriously. When it’s easy to make money, you have no incentive to think about development of talent. Now, you’re forced to. At least that’s my optimistic hope.”