Maximise your time, maximise your money

Trading time for money is one of the hardest ways to make cash. But when it’s your job (or hobby, or second job), you must use it wisely or you lose. Since time is finite, every second wasted means dollars gone.

When you waste money, car payments may come up late, rent may be hard to make, or you may not have enough to buy the extras you want. Either way, wasting time hurts your bottom line.

Here are a few ways to help service-based business owners and hobbyists find more time, so they can make more money.

Start out with a detailed plan of what you must accomplish each day.

Never go to bed without knowing what you need to do the next morning (or whenever you work your gig). This is your Do-or-Die List. If you don’t do, your business dies, and so does your money. Create a focused plan before you sleep. Then, check it again when you wake up. Make it a habit to check it before you sit at your computer; it can help jog your memory before you get lost in the Facebook rabbit hole.

Schedule your most complex and time-consuming tasks when your mind is freshest.

If you work a primary job, this’ll require a little creativity. You’ll need to figure out your best days for getting things done. It may be at 8 pm in the evening, when the kids have gone to bed. It may be when you get up on Saturday morning and don’t have to work. Whenever it is, make sure you’re focused on your best and most profitable projects then.

To find out when your most productive hours are, follow these steps:

Keep a running log of your energy for two weeks, noting your energy in the morning (before work, if you have a “day” job), at lunch, in the afternoon (after work, if necessary), at dinner, and in the evening.

Rate your levels from one to five, with one being the least productive feeling and five the most. Chart your results to get an idea of your body’s patterns and energy levels. Then, start using that time to hit your hardest, most profitable projects.

Leave the stuff that can wait until you’ve taken care of the money.

If you have client work to handle, or products to deliver, the dishes should wait. Dinner is a different story, but you should put clean-up on the back burner.

Manage your email; don’t let it manage you.

Running a service-based business, especially online, means you’re at the mercy of your inbox. Answering each notification with drool to your chin means you’ll spend a large chunk of time fishing through other people’s baggage. Cut yourself loose.

There are courses on Udemy teaching you how to be more productive by mastering Gmail, and there are programs like Sanebox to help you beat the inbox blues. Take control of your email and gain at least an hour in your day.

Invest in time-saving projects.

If you’re busy tweaking your website or doing laundry, instead of doing what earns you money, then you’re wasting your time and, therefore, your dimes. I know people in my industry that don’t even touch their laundry or the house cleaning. And these people are insanely productive because of it.

These are investments well spent. Take a look at the activities that take up most of your time and budget having someone handle them for you. But, you don’t get to play while they tend to your “chores” — make the most of your investment and spend that time earning.

Prioritise.

Work on the money first. Leave the movies for the people who don’t have an agenda for earning. We all love vegging on the couch, but we have to be smart about how our time’s spent. If the goal is to collect minutes and earn dollars, be prepared for this — especially in the beginning.

Master your craft.

You’ll earn more when you can quickly crank out whatever it is you do. The guy cutting grass knows how to mow four lawns an hour, when it takes you one for your own. He’s a master. He knows how to work quickly, so he earns more money mowing lawns than you would. Master your craft and you’ll also earn more in less time.

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EFCC’s laughable subsidy theft recovery

EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde
| credits: File copy

IT is still quite unclear what point the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was trying to make when it recently announced the recovery of N5 billion from oil subsidy thieves. The EFCC boss, Ibrahim Lamorde, who made the ridiculous announcement at a workshop for journalists in Enugu, also stated that, besides embarking on further investigations intended to bring others still evading justice to book, 40 cases were already being prosecuted.

However, if the agency had expected its announcement to draw applause, then it missed the point completely. If anything, the efforts of the EFCC, as enunciated by Lamorde, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs Department, Osita Nwajah, only succeeded in unwittingly exposing the commission’s incompetence and, perhaps, insincerity, in its anti-graft crusade, that has resulted in a gradual descent into irrelevance of an agency that once struck fear into the hearts of corrupt politicians.

The fuel subsidy scam remains arguably the biggest heist ever pulled off in this country. According to the report of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee that investigated the crime, N2.58 trillion was involved in the bazaar. Out of that amount, about N1.7 trillion could not be properly accounted for.

It is quite regrettable that a country which still lacks basic infrastructure and operates at the lowest rung of the United Nations Human Development Index could lose such a huge amount to an organised criminal cabal without any serious effort by the state to deal with the matter. To worsen matters, government agencies, such as the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Central Bank of Nigeria, saddled with the responsibility of rendering accounts of how the money was spent, ended up presenting conflicting reports.

Yet, more than two years after the mind-boggling looting was uncovered, nobody is in jail; no conviction has been secured. That the EFCC still has the temerity to triumphantly tell Nigerians that a mere N5 billion had been recovered out of the amount stolen only shows what a joke the commission has become. This is indeed an assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians who had waited in vain to see the day justice would be served on culprits in this clear case of reckless looting of the national treasury.

As the popular saying goes, justice delayed is justice denied. From the way the cases have been handled, lack of interest in prosecuting suspects is evident; and it has been so right from the beginning. Even when the chairman of the ad hoc committee, Farouk Lawan, was reportedly caught in his own web, while allegedly collecting a $620,000 bribe to strike out the name of one of the indicted companies, the suspect still trots the Nigerian landscape a free man. How can the EFCC explain that? How many years does it take to prosecute a suspect?

At a point, it was a popular government’s refrain, as its evidence of fighting corruption, to claim that the current administration was the first to bring to trial the sons of some prominent Nigerians for their involvement in illegal subsidy deals, where all that was needed to be paid billions of naira was the presentation of papers, whether fuel was imported or not. Among those involved were a son of Bamanga Tukur, then the chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party; and a son of Ahmadu Ali, also a former chairman of the party. Thereafter, little has been heard of that shambolic trial.

For those who have kept a close watch over the activities of the commission in the past few years, it should not really come as a surprise. With the exception of one or two state governors who got away with light sentences under the tenure of Nuhu Ribadu as the commission’s boss, it is interesting to note that the EFCC has found it difficult to secure convictions in corruption cases at a time when graft has reached an unprecedented height in the country.

Even when some feeble efforts are made to bring a few to trial, the cases are usually struck out by the courts for want of diligent prosecution. From an agency that once gained global recognition for its doggedness, the EFCC has now been reduced to chasing small-time fraudsters and Internet thieves all over the country. At the time Farida Waziri was replaced as the EFCC boss, Human Rights Watch, an international anti-corruption watchdog, summarised the performance of the agency thus: “It (the EFCC) has arraigned 35 nationally prominent political figures on corruption charges, including 19 former state governors. But many of these cases have made little progress in the courts and not a single politician is currently serving prison time for any of these alleged crimes.”

If this was the assessment of Waziri’s tenure, not much has changed since then. Now, corrupt politicians are not even arraigned at all. If the commission wants to win back public admiration, it should go ahead and recover the stolen public funds. It should be talking about convictions, especially of those that stole hundreds of billions, in addition to the ongoing trial of those who made away with N1.2 billion or N1.8 billion, as the commission is currently doing. Until then, nobody is going to take the EFCC seriously.

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I’ll ride on Olamide’s success to be famous again –Lord of Ajasa

Lord of Ajasa

Once upon a time, Lord of Ajasa was one of the wave-making artistes in Nigeria with hits like Esa Lobade.

But that was long time ago. These days, nothing much has been heard about the talented singer. Granted he has new singles which featured Olamide and Kinihun, the songs didn’t bring him back to the level he was before.

In a chat with Saturday Beats recently, the rap artiste said he wants to use Olamide to get back to the top same way Olamide used him years ago when he was unknown.

“It is normal because anybody can use anybody to climb to the top. When Olamide started his music career, he used me because I featured in one of his song and nobody knew him then. I was very popular then but I humbled myself and I helped him. That is the kind of person that I am. I feel that he is the one reigning in town now and people like him, so if I feature him on my album, it would be a good marketing strategy. I can use him to move up and be famous again,” he said.

The dark-skinned artiste debunked rumours that he has any misunderstanding with Olamide, claiming that he is happy that he is successful.

He said, “There is no ‘beef’ between me and Olamide. It is rumour mongers that create such news but the truth of the matter is that we don’t have any issue. In fact, we will soon shoot a video for the song we did together. We should have done it a while back but he has been busy performing at various shows within and outside the country. Why would I ‘beef’ him? It is his time and everybody has their own time. He did not do anything to me, so I cannot ‘beef’ him. Instead, I am celebrating him as he has become successful.

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Nigerian scientist develops cheap , efficient technology for corrosion, souring in oil, gas industries

A NIGERIAN scientist has developed the most cost effective and efficient technology that can be used to diagnose and remediate problems associated with corrosion and souring in oil and gas industries.

        Associate Professor of Petroleum Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo (FUNAI) Ebonyi State, Dr. Chuma Okoro, told The Guardian that the advanced technology can save up to 75 per cent of the cost used currently in managing corrosion and souring related problems in the Nigerian oil and gas industry and this translates to about N13.4 billion annually.

     The study titled “Impacts of Tetrakis-hydroxymethyl Phosphonium Sulfate (THPS) Based Biocides on the Functional Group Activities of Some Oil Field Microorganisms Associated with Corrosion and Souring” was published in August 6, 2014 edition of the British Microbiology Research Journal.

     The summary of the research findings was presented last week in FUNAI at the 6th edition of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund Technology (PTDF) - FUNAI Technology Knowledge Sharing Programme (TKSP). 

     The forum brings together science, engineering and technology researchers in oil and gas industry in Nigeria and beyond.

     Okoro has also just received a United States (US) Patent for a formula he invented in 1997, ‘Sea Water Microbial Inocula,’ used for managing bioremediation in mangrove swamp.

     Okoro explained: “With accurate diagnoses, remediation is very simple. The proposed remediation will avoid the use of costly biocides currently in use in the industry and adopt the uses of suicide target genes that completely shut down microbial metabolism on entering the oil formation. This process is the cheapest, very effective and most cost effective and can reduce the current cost of managing souring and corrosion related problems in Nigeria by 75 per cent.”

       Oil field reservoir souring is the undesirable production of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in oil reservoirs by sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB). This is a common problem during secondary oil recovery when sea water is injected to produce the remaining oil in the reservoir. SRB reduce sulfate in the injection water to sulfide, while oxidizing degradable organic electron donors present in the oil reservoir. 

      The production of sulphide by SRB in the oil and gas fields causes other problems like corrosion, reservoir plugging, deterioration of product quality and decrease in the permeability of fine pores of underground petroleum reservoirs which impedes the secondary recovery of petroleum by water injection. Souring reduces both the quality of oil and its economic value. The total cost of managing souring related problems in the Nigerian oil and gas industry is about N6.5 billion annually

     Microbial induced corrosion (MIC) or bio-corrosion can be defined as an electrochemical process where the participation of microorganisms is able to initiate, facilitate or accelerate corrosion by changing the electrochemical conditions at the metal solution interface. Microorganisms are ubiquitous in oil and gas environment and may influence both the initiation and propagation of all known types of metallic corrosion. As a consequence, MIC poses a serious risk for the integrity, performance and reliability of nearly all metals used in oil and gas operations such as iron, steel, aluminum, titanium and their alloys. 

      Bioremediation is a waste management technique that involves the use .of organisms to remove or neutralize pollutants from a contaminated site. 

     Okoro further explained: “This is based mostly on sequenced based microbial biotechnology. We combine both culture dependent and culture independent methods to arrive at accurate diagnoses of problems. The culture independent methods involve the extraction and purification of Deoxy ribo-Nucleic Acid (DNA)/genetic material from samples. 

    “We have advanced that in the Niger Delta, a group of organisms known as methanogens are now playing major roles in bio-corrosion episodes We have also advanced that oil field microorganisms are getting more and more resistant to biocides used to control corrosion and there is need for alternative mitigation approaches.”

     Okoro said the aim of the study published in British Microbiology Research Journal was to determine the biocidal efficacy of THPS based biocides currently used in oil fields to control souring and corrosion.

    This, he said, is done by direct monitoring of inhibition of cell growth and inhibition of microbial functional group activities such as the ability to reduce sulfate and generate sulfide by sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB), reduce nitrate to nitrite by heterotrophic nitrate reducing bacteria (hNRB) and oxidation of sulfide and reduction of nitrate by sulfide oxidizing, nitrate reducing bacteria( so-NRB) using CSB-K medium.

    The study reads: “We observed that higher doses of THPS (>400 ppm) was required to considerably inhibit the ability of SRB to reduce sulfate and generate hydrogen sulphide. It was also observed that the activities of SRB were more affected by the THPS biocides than those of hNRB and so-NRB.

    “We conclude that SRB may have developed low level microbial resistance to

THPS based biocides as higher doses are required to inhibit their activities. It is therefore recommended that THPS should be used in combination with other biocides or metabolic inhibitors for it to be effective at lower concentrations.”

     Okoro further explained: “Uncontrolled microbial growth in oil field systems can cause severe and costly problems such as souring of oil and gas, MIC, formation plugging and biofouling. Other negative impacts of poor microbial control in the oil and gas industry include; lost production time, poor quality crude oil and gas and occasional pipeline failures. The most common method of controlling microbial growth in oil fields has been through the application of biocides. While a wide variety of biocides are available for use in oil field systems, improved methods are required to address the problem of efficacy, microbial resistance, economic and environmental concerns.

      “THPS is one of the most efficient biocides widely used in oil field operations to control oil field reservoir souring, bio-corrosion and biofouling. THPSis a water treatment biocide in 75 per cent w/w aqueous solution. It has a broad spectrum activity and it is especially effective against SRB which are particularly troublesome in enhanced oil recovery operations such as injection water treatment, top-side systems, pipeline protection and storage. THPS is widely used in the industry due to its ability to dissolve ferrous sulfide deposits, its effectiveness in both acid and alkaline environments and its low environmental toxicity.”

       Okoro in yet another study published on June 16, 2014, in British Microbiology Research Journal concluded that glutaradehyde can be developed to an efficient biocide with a positive selective action and can work in synergy with beneficial microbes to eliminate the problem causing ones.

        Glutaraldehyde is an organic compound. A pungent colorless oily liquid, glutaraldehyde is used to disinfect medical and dental equipment. It is also used for industrial water treatment and as a preservative.

      The study is titled “Impacts of Some Non-oxidizing Biocides on the Functional Group Activities of Some Problem Causing Microorganisms in Oil Production Facilities.”

     Okoro determined the impacts of some non-oxidizing biocides such as glutaradehyde, sodium azide, isothiazolone on the functional group activities of some oil field microorganisms

    He obtained samples of non-oxidizing biocides were from Microcheck and the

inhibition of some functional group activities in produced and injection water samples were determined using CSB-K medium.

    The results of the study show that glutaradehyde and sodium azide exhibited relatively high-level inhibition while isothiazolones exhibited low level inhibition. Glutaradehyde further demonstrated a positive selective inhibitory activity. While SRB activities were inhibited by over 78 per cent, that of hNRB and so-NRB were affected by less than 38 per cent.

      Okoro and his team of researchers in another 2014 study published in Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology compared microbial communities involved in souring and corrosion in offshore and onshore oil production facilities in Nigeria.

     The other researchers include: S. Smith of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production company (SnEPcO), Lagos; l. Chiejina Shell Petroleum Development company (SPDc) of Nigeria, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; and R. Lumactud Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, On M1c 1a4, Canada; H. S. Park and J. Voordouw of the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, and B. P. Lomans of Shell Global Solutions International Netherlands.

          Vice Chancellor FUNAI, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, his presentation titled ‘National University Technology Research Development Issue: Our Fears and Hope’ said: “We are particularly focused at this on the Establishment of Faculty of Engineering and Technology in FUNAI and training of our academic staff. We wish to use this golden opportunity to remind the New Executive Secretary of PTDF that the former ES – Dr. Oluwole Oluleye had given approval to our earlier request for the up-grading of Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering in FUNAI during the next up-grading exercise come 2015. The Executive Secretary, we still wish to appeal that you use your good offices for a special dispensation to you to come to the aid of FUNAI in ensuring that the above stated request of up-grading project is given urgent attention by the Fund.

     “The Plenary Lecture for this year, ‘Sequence Management Approach in Research Development in Nigeria: Implication for PTDF/Funded Research’ is quite topical. We hope that the Lecture will cover not only Research and Development but also the Commercialization of the Research Findings for National Development.”

    Ibidapo-Obe said contemporary events in this country have revealed that research is not adequately funded hence PTDF’s intervention in funding standard research topics in areas of oil and gas as well as in renewable energy is laudable. 

   The FUNAI V.C. further explained: “To say the least, PTDF has done marvelously well in the funding of research and training of Nigerians Overseas to carry out research at Master’s and Doctoral levels. Also, the Fund in its bid to promote research instituted PTDF Chairs in various Universities in Nigeria, and the topics to be presented today and tomorrow are products of such sponsorship/promotion. Interestingly enough, FUNAI is one of such Institutions that are enjoying the PTDF Annual Oil and Gas Research Grant for 2012 – 2014. While we look forward to more collaboration with the Fund in Research and Teaching, we hereby kindly request that this project be quickly facilitated and enough fund be released to the Research Team and on time to enable them complete the second phase of the research as recommended by the Peer Reviewing Committee in September,2014.”

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INEC loses registration data for Fashola, Wife

The names of the number one citizen of Lagos State, Governor Babatunde Fashola, his wife and all residents who registered at the governor’s polling unit have been declared missing on the data base of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Governor Fashola and his wife could therefore not collect their Permanent Voters Cards, PVC today.

When the governor arrived at about 2.00pm at his Ward G3, polling Unit E002, State Junior Secondary School, Surulere, where he had registered with his wife, Dame Abimbola in 2010, he did not meet any INEC official.

Fashola and his Wife: INEC loses voter registration data

After waiting at the venue for a long time sighted a notice pasted on the entrance of the school, advising residents who had registered at the polling unit to revisit the unit next month for another registration exercise.

The notice placed at the gate notified that all those who registered at the polling unit, including Fashola and his wife would not get their PVCs as there was no provision for such.

“We regret to inform you that those who registered in this polling unit do not have permanent voters’ cards. Please come back between 3rd and 8th December 2014 for fresh registration,” the notice informed.

Fashola reacted angrily over the loss of his name on INEC’s data base, thus denying him and others from collecting their PVCs, saying the umpire body represented the biggest threat to the nation’s democracy.

“We have seen that INEC is the biggest threat to our democracy. They set date for the distribution of PVC, the state mobilised its residents for the exercise. We put all machinery in place only for the electoral body to change the date of the exercise. They said that the distribution and registration of voters would be done in 11 councils and not the 20 local governments.

“While the 11 had been handled in an unsatisfactory way, now the exercises in nine local governments are not ready. If I the governor of the state cannot vote, it states what the electoral body had done. They came in the midnight and said that we should all come back and register on 3rd December 3rd, 2014. We registered and voted in that place. And there are evidences to show that,” he decried.

According to Fashola, “now, there are questions that must be answered by INEC; was the PVC for those units which they have cancelled printed? And if yes, who have they given them to?”

He said one could not wipe data gathered like that, saying he wanted INEC to know that he still had his temporary voter’s card and that he expected all those who still had theirs to keep them, adding that “INEC registered us and they cannot deregister us because we are still alive.”

He said if the electoral body could not provide the PVC, it must allow those who had the temporary cards to vote.

“It is disgraceful to say the least. This shows how we organise the affairs of this country. Everything that had happened under Jega’s tenure, it has been characterised by mistakes from his very first election. Promises have been made and broken. It is a disappointment. We will participate in the election whether they like it or not. I feel sad when I visited India and I saw how the country was organising elections for population more than ours without hitches,” he said.

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120 feared dead in Kano central mosque triple explosions

The Central Mosque located within the Emir’s Palace in Kano witnessed a major tragedy yesterday as triple bomb attacks by the Boko Haram sect left no fewer than 120 worshippers dead.

Bloodstains, mangled bodies and charred wrekage of vehicles and motorcycles characterised the mosque after the incident that has recorded the highest death toll since the sect launched its attacks on the nation.

The larger metropolis was left to mourn  the  scores of worshippers feared to have been killed in the triple bomb explosions which occurred  midway into the weekly Juma’at prayers.

About 128 other worshippers were believed to have been injured.

A similar bomb attack by the same sect was averted at the Customs Market, Gamboru, Maiduguri after vigilante youths alerted the police about two Improvised Explosive Devices planted at the market.

The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF)  deplored the attack which came a week after the Emir of Kano,Alhaji  Muhammadu Sanusi  11  challenged  Northerners to resist  Boko Haram.

The Emir, who  sometimes leads worshippers in prayers at the mosque, was out of town yesterday.

The Northern Governors  said  that the  security challenge in the North has taken a turn for the worse  as no one,including traditional rulers, is spared by the  insurgents.

The Chief  Imam of Kano, Prof Sani Zaharadeen,  was in the process of delivering his sermon  at about 2.15 pm when the bombs began to go off one after the other.

Two of the bombs were planted inside the mosque and the other outside.

“Three bombs were planted in the courtyard to the mosque and they went off simultaneously,” a security source who declined to be named said.

A staff member at the palace who also witnessed the attack said: “After multiple explosions, they also opened fire. I cannot tell you the casualty figure because we all ran away.”

Angry youths blocked the mosque’s gates to the police, who had to disperse them with tear gas to gain entry.

 No official casualty figure was immediately available but sources involved in evacuating victims said between 65 and 100 people might have lost their lives.

Deputy Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Abubakar Mustapha,  said  on the phone  that the police were yet to ascertain the casualty figure.

Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso was  out of town as were Police  Commissioner  Adenrele Shinaba and the  Police Public Relations officer, Musa Magaji Majia, both of whom were said to have travelled to Dubai to collect awards as the best Police Commissioner and best PPRO in Nigeria respectively.

The Force Headquarters said the attack was carried out by suicide bombers.

The explosions sparked a stampede by terrified worshippers.

The sky immediately turned black against the background of the smoke emitted by the explosions.

The sight of so many dead bodies seemed to have provoked  the people who started hauling stones at security agents who arrived the scene soon after the incident.

They cordoned off  the area  as a prelude to the commencement of investigation into the incident and evacuation of the wounded to the hospital and the dead to the mortuary.

The Boko Haram insurgency has displaced over one million people during its campaign the Red Cross said yesterday, an increase on a September U.N. refugee agency estimate of 700,000.

Islamic leaders sometimes shy away from direct criticism of Boko Haram for fear of reprisals. But Sanusi, angered by atrocities such as the kidnapping of 200 schoolgirls from  Chibok in April, has been increasingly vocal.

He was quoted  last week as saying: “These people, when they attack towns, they kill boys and enslave girls. People must stand resolute … They should acquire what they can to defend themselves. People must not wait for soldiers to protect them.”

The immediate past Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero , was ambushed by Boko Haram insurgents in early 2013.

He narrowly escaped death in the incident.

An  official of one of the rescue agencies said 64 bodies had been brought to just one Kano area hospital after the attack  and the wounded figure reflected statistics from three hospitals.

Force Headquarters spokesman, Mr.Emmanuel Ojukwu,  said yesterday that the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers and gunmen who opened fire on people trying to flee to safety.

After the assailants blew themselves up in succession at the Grand Mosque in Kano, “gunmen opened fire on those who were trying to escape,” Ojukwu told AFP.

The Deputy Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, commiserated with the families of those who died in the blasts.

Ganduje, who described the incident as very unfortunate, prayed for the quick recovery of those who sustained injuries in the blasts.

The deputy governor called on the people of the state to continue to pray to God to prevent future occurrence.

“It is unfortunate that the ugly incident is happening when the state has started enjoying relative peace.

“We should continue to pray for the sustenance of peace in our state and the country at large,’’ he said.

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NFF backpedals on Keshi’s sack

Keshi

President of the Nigeria  Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick has confirmed that Stephen Keshi will continue as the coach of the Super Eagles, in a development that will come as a surprise to many.

The 44-year-old NFF boss has also confirmed the new set-up of the technical department of the NFF.

The embattled NFF boss was speaking about the new NFF technical department that will be led by former Super Eagles coach, Amodu Shuaibu, and confirmed that Keshi will continue as the Super Eagles coach.

  “We have Shuaibu Amodu as the technical director, he was boss to Keshi. Keshi is the head coach, he has won everything and he is still going to work. ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha is the head of the technical study group and Felix Anyansi-Agwu, one of the most successful club administrators in the country today, is the head of the technical committee and with these people I don’t think you can go wrong,” Pinnick told SL10.ng.

  This comes on the heels of Pinnick absolving the out-of-contract Stephen Keshi of any blames, rather criticizing the players for not having the right ‘attitude’ to qualify the country for the AFCON.

  But it will come as a bit of surprise also, seeing that Pinnick had earlier sacked Keshi, replacing him with Amodu – albeit on an interim basis – and announcing that a foreign coach would be appointed, before Keshi was believed to have been returned on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan.

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Lallana calls for Liverpool unity

Adam Lallana says Liverpool’s players must “fight for their lives” to turn around the club’s form – starting on Wednesday.

Sunday’s defeat at Crystal Palace was a fourth in succession, and anything but a win at Ludogorets Razgrad could see Brendan Rodgers’ side eliminated from the Champions League before the week is out.

Liverpool great Jamie Carragher led the criticism on Sky Sports after Sunday’s game, accusing Liverpool’s players of allowing themselves to be bullied, while Rodgers has admitted his job could be under threat if results do not improve.

Now Lallana has called on the players to take responsibility, telling the club’s website: “We need to stick together. It’s as simple as that. When you’re having a tough time as a team, you all need to stay together – you can’t start becoming individuals.

“We win and lose as a team; we need to stay together, keep fighting and keep working for each other. We have got a tough game on Wednesday so we all need to be together for that one.Competition

“We need to win to stay in the competition, so the lads will be fighting for their lives to do that. It’s important, not just for ourselves, but for the fans, the manager and everyone involved with Liverpool Football Club.”

Liverpool have already lost as many league games – six – as they did during the whole of last season, when they sustained a title challenge until the final week.

Speaking at Selhurst Park, Rodgers said: “It’s my responsibility as the manager – I put the team out there. We go away bitterly disappointed and we have to very, very quickly put things right. We’ve got a massive game in the week.

“I’m not arrogant enough to think I’ll be in the job through anything – you have to win games, especially after how we’ve been developing as a football club.”

Martinez: Lukaku can become ´best striker in the world´

Everton manager Roberto Martinez heaped praise on striker Romelu Lukaku, claiming he has the ability to become the “best in the world”.

After making a slow start to the 2014-15 Premier League season, Lukaku has returned to the form that saw Martinez spend a club-record £28million to make the Belgium international’s stay at Goodison Parkpermanent.

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OLAMIDE: From Bariga To Stardom

On the music scene presently, there’s a lot of buzz about young, prolific wordsmith and indigenous rapper, OLAMIDE who came into the industry about five years ago. SAMUEL ABULUDE writes on the wave making artiste.  

O ti mu do go Yaro. Like monkey tail. Bami we Claro- I want to do sina today..

The above is the chorus in Olamide’s wave making song, Story for the gods. The controversial video of the song was shot by UNLIMITED L.A and is currently the rave of the moment in the Nigerian music industry. The song has generated 515, 638 hits on YouTube already and could be Olamide’s biggest work in 2014. That’s a huge achievement for an artiste who few people thought would be able to fill the void left by the late Dagrin (Oladapo Olaitan Olaonipekun) who died in a car crash in 2010. Olamide has indeed surpassed critics’ expectations.

The Beginning

If his rags to riches song, Anifowose, is indeed the story of his life, then it should be made into a movie. The rapper was born and bred in the slums of Bariga- the same hood of other great musicians like 9ice and ID-Cabasa. Anifowoshe, like Story for the gods, is a hit track from the his third album Baddest Guy Ever Liveth off his YBNL (Yahoo Boy No Laptop) music label.

Born on 15th of March 1989 to the not-so-middle-class Adedeji family from Ogun State, he was named Olamide, which literarily means ‘My wealth has come.’ But he struggled and hustled to measure up on the streets of Bariga. His parents somewhat felt his coming into the family would bring the wealth they had dreamt of all their lives.

Sometime in 2000, Olamide decided he would like to pursue a career in music. When asked in an interview why he chose music he said, “I found out I was gifted in it so I had to explore it. It’s my life, my hustle, my world.”

Olamide released a string of unsuccessful singles before Eni Duro- the breakout single from his debut album released in 2010 and this registered his presence in the Nigerian music scene.

At a time, Olamide was a 300 level mass communication part time student of Tai Solarin University, where he dropped his 16 track debut album, RapSoDi.

In 2010, fresh faced Olamide performed on arguably the biggest stage in the Nigerian music scene- The Hip Hop World Awards, now christened “The Headies.”

The rapper comes complete with a mission statement: “I am here to preach realness generally and make the youths believe in whatever they do and what little they have, because with God everything is possible.”

In an industry filled with mostly copycat artistes, and heavily influenced by American music and pop culture, Olamide is an artiste we can call 100 per cent Naija. Big thanks to Lord of Ajasa, 9ice and Dagrin. Olamide, an Etisalat brand ambassador has become the new face of Nigerian indigenous music. Fellow rapper, MI credits him to be one of the most hardworking artistes he knows. The young Nigerian is talented, dedicated and is set for bigger and better things.

RapSoDI features numerous guest artistes like ID Cabasa, Lord Of Ajasa, 9ice, Reminice, Wizkid, Terry Tha Rapman and former management mate, ADOL. ‘Music is all I know and all I do’, Olamide once said, though there are rumours he once hustled at the famous Computer Village located at the heart of Ikeja, Lagos. In another interview he further said, “I found out I was gifted in music so I had to explore it, it’s my life, my hustle, my world.”

Olamide raps in a unique blend of Yoruba and English, with lyrics that leave the listener both speechless and intrigued. Olamide’s dexterity is one of the many things that endear him to his fans. One minute he is delivering his rap in fluent English and the next he switches effortlessly into Yoruba. The determined Olamide would tell you he is still on his way up there and if given a chance, would fancy collaborations with international superstars like Jay-Z, Ludacris, Drake, and Lil’ Wayne.

His songs speak for him. Eni duro, Apa ti jabo, Omo toh shan (featuring Wizkid), Goons Mi, Eleda Mi, Anifowose and the trending story for the gods are all currently in heavy rotation in radio stations and music TV channels within and outside Nigeria.

Hit Songs/Videos

2014 has been the “Year of Blooms” for many Nigerian artistes. For Olamide, whose album, bad guy ever liveth clinched the Headies 2013 Album of the Year award and two others, 2014 is a consolidation year. With hit songs/videos like Awon goons mi, Eleda mi, Anifowose (released on Vevo in March 18, 2014),Story for the gods (released July 29, 2014) and Sitting On the Throne, the name and signature tune of the star has been reverberating. His collabo, Ghost mode’, composed by Phyno, is another hit, though it was released in 2013. His new album, STREET OT released last week, features Skelemba, a collabo with Don Jazzy. Others in the album are Up in the club, Oga nla (ft Pasuma and Lil Kesh), Prayer for the client, Zero joy, Hustle Loyalty Respect Ft Reminisce, Hood rap, Ya wa, Blood money and In my circle (ft Phyno). Olamide noted that marketers influenced the release of his latest album, saying he hadn’t planned to release an album this year.

Goons mi is a 3-minute delivery of amazing Yoruba rap by the talented wordsmith and directed by Unlimited L.A, with appearances from a host of popular faces in the Nigerian music industry, like Do2tun, Phyno, Phenom, Efa, Mo’Cheddah, Cynthia Morgan, Samklef, Alex, Reminisce, Pheelz, Viktoh, Lil Kesh, CDQ, Ketchup, YQ, DJ Enimoney and T-Black.

The low-lit video shows these faces, all dressed in black, acting as Badoo’s goons. Olamide, in this rap, noted that people thought he wouldn’t be as successful as Dagrin, but the rest is history.

Controversy

Already with 9, 706 subscriptions on Vevo (You-tube) channel, the smash hit and sublime Story for the gods is nothing short of an Olamide masterpiece. The risqué video has party and bathtub shots. Fans have slammed Olamide for the edgy video, which has generated 285 comments on YouTube as at the time this report was written. Here are a few:

Igboyoruba Igbo: I am a fan, but what exactly is the Story for the gods in this video? This video also promotes lesbianism; or am I mistaken? Olamide, I beg you do not lose focus. If you are a man from the street, then encourage the street people.

Titilola: Lol, when we saw Rihanna and shakira doing their thin(g), we said..” Mehn, dis is hot, sexy, beautiful…………, bt when Nigerians do it, u remind them about culture. If we want to talk of culture, why are we even on the net?? Cos YouTube doesn’t sound cultural to me! This world is a free world pls, and I’m sure this vid wasn’t sent directly to your TV to watch. Una go dey act lyk say una no dey do worst behind closed doors.

Diaz roman: Nigerians have a sense of modesty as far as I know, so when we see things like this it’s really not encouraging. It seems to portray the West, which ofcuz is not Nigerian… So don’t compare Rihanna to this dude. From seeing Rihanna you know she got no morals, but this guy is Yoruba and most Yoruba have good upbringing……

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Educating your children about money

As a parent, there is need for you to educate your children on how to spend their money judiciously.

Understanding the basics will help them to become financially self-sufficient and have the knowledge to take advantage of financial opportunities.

Educating your kids to develop a healthy relationship with money can have a positive, life-long impact and improve your own financial knowledge, skills, and attitudes along the way.

Most kids are interested in money and recognise money management as an important step toward maturity and independence.

Talking with them about their money will show that you recognise they’re on the road to becoming responsible young adults. By gradually transferring more financial responsibility to them, they’ll gain experience in planning, making choices, and learning to live independently.

Experts say you should carry your kids along about money and share your thoughts with them about how you make your daily spending and saving decisions. They’ll also benefit from hearing about your past money

mistakes and what you learned from them. Let your kids know they can always turn to you for financial information and advice.

As soon as your children can count, you should try as much as possible to introduce to them your country currency “naira and kobo” as the case maybe. When they’re old enough to shop with you, you can introduce them the ideas of spending, saving, and how money is used to store, measure, and exchange value.

Once your kids understand the idea of money, introduce them to basic concepts about how to use money wisely and also encourage them to know the difference between needs vs. wants. And need to understand that people can’t have everything they want. They need to identify their priorities and make trade-offs.

You also need to set goals and save for them and teach them the habit of saving regularly to reach their goals. As an added incentive, consider offering to match what they save on their own. Also explain the concept of earning interest and the power of compound interest to use money to make money. And teach them to always keep receipts. This will allow them to keep track of what they buy and how much they spend, and to return purchases if necessary.

Experts advise you introduce your child to your financial institution and the services they provide to you. At the appropriate ages, help them to open savings and checking accounts of their own and guide them on using the accounts responsibly.

Some experts advise that having a part-time job can be a good way for young people to learn more about earning money and how to manage it.

However, be sure that school remains their top priority. Young adults need to take advantage of the opportunity to focus on school.

In addition, the quality and level of education they receive will have a major impact on their future earning power. Always monitor whether their working life is really affecting the schoolwork or not.

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Good financial decision can help you build real wealth

You may have goals you want to accomplish at a specific period, be it getting married, buying your first home or starting a new job; it all requires good financial decision and planning to achieve, experts have said. In making great financial decisions, you may need to adjust your current spending habits in order to reach your goals and at the same time build real wealth.

Creating a solid financial plan will make it possible for you to navigate your financial steps without financial stress, says Miriam Caldwell, personal finance specialist.

According to her, one of the most exciting times is when you are about to get married. It is exciting to begin planning and preparing for your wedding. After the wedding you will begin your financial life together with your spouse. Money is one of the most difficult topics to deal with in a marriage. It is important to address this issue from the very beginning of your marriage. This will help you and your spouse work towards the same goals. Open communication about your finances will help your marriage be successful.

Another big and exciting time she said is when you purchase your first home. This is a big decision and commitment. You need to be sure that you are ready to purchase a new home. Additionally, you need to understand the terms of your mortgage. You should have enough money set aside to cover emergencies home repairs. It is also important to consider the additional cost of insurance and property taxes. If you plan carefully you should be able to transition into home ownership easily.

Finding a new job is another financial step of your life. Caldwell said after a few years in the workforce, you may be ready to move onto a new career. You can look for promotions inside your company, or you may look elsewhere to find better benefits and a more lucrative salary.

This is an important step. You want your income to continue to grow, and making the move at the right time is part of that. You should make sure that you are prepared to make the changes a new job would require. You can also take additional classes or certification training to make yourself more marketable. She said you may also reach a point where you want to buy a new car. Buying a car is necessary. It is important to prepare yourself for this purchase. If possible you should pay cash for your car, but if you can’t you need to shop for the best loan options available. Additionally you should be careful on how much you spend on your car, because a payment can limit what you can do in the future.

If you are in debt, there is need you get out of debt. Once you begin to settle down in the working world, you should get serious about getting out of debt and using your money wisely. Once you are debt free, you can begin to accumulate real wealth.

This will help you to achieve your dreams and move forward. If you continue to make payments you are limiting what you can do with your money. Choosing to live debt free life is one of the best decisions you can make for building real wealth.

Additionally, you should begin to seriously invest your money. You will be responsible for your own retirement costs. Investing is essential if you want to live comfortably and not worry about your later years. It can also help you pay for your children to attend college. Investing your money can be intimidating if you do not understand what you are doing. However, if you find a good financial planner, he should be able to explain everything to you in detail, Miriam has said.

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Ways to deal with financial dream killers

When it comes to your life, dreaming big is a good thing. However, it also comes with a lot of unwelcomed opinions from others. They may call themselves realist, but let’s be honest, they are just dream killers.

When it comes to your finances, don’t be afraid to have lofty goals too — dreaming big with your money is also a good thing. Don’t be afraid to desire goals that go against the norm. Having big goals and taking baby steps to reach them is much better than staying stagnant in your financial situation for years and years.

Here’s how to deal with the financial dream killers in your life.

• Ignore the dream killers

There will always be negative people in your life. It’s best to just ignore them.

For example, my husband and I have set the lofty goal of being completely debt-free and mortgage-free at the age of 35, which is in ten years. We’ve received a lot of comments about it.

Well-meaning family members and friends have told us everything from, “It’s good to have debt” to “It can’t be done. That’s a stupid idea”. Many times we have been urged to buy things we don’t need, such as a new car, cable, or sending my toddler to pre-school. But we don’t agree with this because we have other priorities.

Here’s the thing when it comes to your financial goals. They are your goals, no one else’s. Therefore, it should not matter how many nay-sayers you have. We live in times where it’s so ludicrous to be debt-free, and live well under your means, that when you tell others you want to live that way, it makes no sense to them.

• Don’t try to change their minds

I have one brother-in-law who thinks it’s wise to get a new car every three years because having a car loan is actually a better financial decision. It’s much easier to let him have his opinion, and nice, new car because this is his opinion. I can enjoy the benefits of my seven-year-old car that doesn’t have a payment attached to it, because that’s my preference.

When it comes to your personal financial goals, it’s not worth changing people’s minds or arguing over it, especially when it only affects you and your money.

When I wrote about refinancing my home to a 15-year loan, some people felt quite strongly that we were making the wrong decision, and insisted we should have stayed at a 30-year loan.

In the end though, my opinion was really the only one that mattered since the financial decision I make only affects me — not them. You can apply this same principal to your life. Opinions come in so frequently that it’s a complete waste of time to pay attention to them.

And if you think people want to express their ideas about your financial decisions, just wait until you have a new baby, and watch the opinions start pouring in by the truckload.

•. Focus on your actions

Whatever your financial goals may be, actions will always speak louder than words. Do you want to show your family that you can be debt-free, or be wise with your money? Then set up goals and action steps to complete them. Turn your goals into actions and your actions into completion.

A great place to start is reading through the archives of this blog, or the book Dream Save Do by Warren and Betsy Talbot.

Remember, in the end, these goals are yours. If you set a high goal and only complete half of it by your deadline, then you still made much more progress than if you didn’t set any goals to begin with.

In the end, be your biggest cheerleader and don’t rely on the approval of others for any financial wins.

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