Sanusi's Sack: Why, Abati? Why?

Better to die ten thousand deaths,
Than wound my honour.
Joseph Addison, Cato, A Tragedy (1713), Act I, scene 4.

I am sad. I am really sad. I am for a man who used to be seen by many Nigerians as a beacon of hope. I am sad for Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to Nigeria’s President on Media and Publicity, because what he did yesterday meant he lost the last vestige of respect some Nigerians might still have had for him. It meant he has now sunk so low to the deepest level of ignominy a person can sink to. When I saw Abati on TV yesterday explaining the government's decision to suspend Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from his position as the Governor of Nigeria's Central Bank, I felt pity for him. I felt pity for a man who has become a captive to his employers; a man who has found it absolutely impossible to wriggle himself free from the clutches of his employers because of his role as the one with the unenviable task of defending the indefensible and selling the unsellable to the Nigerian populace. I felt pity for him because I believed in his heart of heart, Abati knew his explanations were unconvincing and Nigerians would not be sucked in by his mendacity - except of course if he has totally sold his soul to the gods at the Rock.

While addressing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa yesterday,

Abati claimed that Sanusi was suspended based on allegations of financial recklessness, violation of due process and another bothering on the mandate of the CBN but this claim will not wash with Nigerians. Why did the government have to suspend Sanusi when the furore created by his allegation of missing fund was yet to clear? Why will a government that took four months before sacking a minister who had been indicted of financial misappropriation by the country's House of Representatives quickly relieve another person who alerted the nation to another case of corruption? (I hope some of us still remember the recent sacking of Festus Odimegwu?) Please can someone tell me who the advisers of Mr. President are? What has become of the government's much vaunted anti-corruption war? By this action, government has unwittingly made a hero out of Sanusi. In fact, I believe the government has practically kick started his presidential or vice-presidential candidature.

Why does Abati continue to stay in a government that has made his job so difficult? Why is he refusing to toe the path of honour? Or is it that once an individual gets into government, it becomes impossible to get out? I do not think so. I think it is because of lack or loss of the value of honour in our society. I almost concluded that our society lacks the value of honour but I remembered that we were told, growing up, that centuries ago in Yoruba land, kings would commit suicide rather than lose their honour. I think it is appropriate then to say that we have lost our value or sense of honour and that is why people in our society find it difficult to walk away from positions that will cause them to compromise their values and good name. That is why a word like ‘hara-kiri' is difficult for us to understand and that is why we justify our actions of dishonour. Instead, what we understand as hara-kiri is going the establishment/government, which is what happened to

Festus Odimegwu and has now happened to Lamido Sanusi. The kind of people we need in Nigeria, and Africa, are people like Sanusi, people who are not afraid to commit our own version of hara-kiri.

I am ending this post by asking this question: Why, Abati? Why?

HEPATITIS: Reasons why you should know your status and why it is deadlier than HIV

This post was first published last year but a recent event prompted me to publish it again, especially for the benefit of those who didn’t have the opportunity to read it then. I have also added new information in this post. Please read and share the message with those who may not know. It is claimed that contracting a particular strain of hepatitis is like death sentence for most people living in Africa. So, please help spread the awareness in Africa about the deadliness of hepatitis.

The First Service in my church on Sunday is tagged “Empowerment Service’, where issues like entrepreneurship, academics, health, wealth, purpose, etc., are addressed. Last Sunday’s Empowerment Service was on health and it was a revealing and enlightening experience for most of us who were present at the service. The speaker at the programme, a medical doctor, spoke on the deadliness of Hepatitis infection and its prevalence in Nigeria. So, I am using this platform to present some of the things I gleaned from the talk.

A staggering revelation the speaker made was that Hepatitis infection is deadlier than HIV and costlier to manage. Hepatitis B, he told us, is incurable while Hepatitis C can be treated but can you imagine spending 30,000 naira per week on treatment for 48 consecutive weeks? That should be around 200 dollars per week. Please try to calculate what that amounts to. How many people in Nigeria can afford such a treatment? It is however surprising to know that vaccination for this disease is not supposed to be more than 1000 naira (that should be around 7 dollars) and I want to hazard a guess that many people are not aware of this. What is painful about this disease is the fact it is prevalent in Nigeria and many people are ignorant about it. How many Nigerians have died from Hepatitis infection with the death attributed to something else? How many Nigerian are carrying the virus around now? We may not know. I believe that our society should embark on an aggressive drive to sensitise and vaccinate people against this deadly disease.

The Hepatitis infection is an inflammation affecting the liver. It can be contagious or non-contagious. It can also be fulminant. I looked up ‘fulminant’ in the dictionary and I got these meanings: coming on suddenly and with great severity; (of a disease or symptom) severe and sudden in onset. This means Hepatitis infection can come upon one suddenly with very severe effects. Some cases of Hepatitis infection may give you signs, some may not. There are different types of Hepatitis: A, B, C, D, E... Some of the symptoms of Hepatitis infection are: passage of dark urine, yellowing of the eyes (jaundice), abdominal discomfort on the right side, weight loss, easy bruising, bleeding tendencies, swelling,

and it can be contracted through blood transfusion, sex, seminal fluids, etc.

My advice to you is to go for Hepatitis test, if you haven’t done that. And if you test negative, please go for vaccination against this disease. If you test positive, please seek medical advice immediately. I have done the test and I have been vaccinated.

I came across the following facts about hepatitis B virus by Iprodigy Group Nigeria and I decided to share them with you:

1. Despite there being a vaccine, Hepatitis B Virus(HBV) infection kills one person every 30-45 seconds.

2. Most of the people who are infected (almost two-thirds) are unaware of their infection and this has resulted in the silent HBV infection becoming one of the biggest threat to the health of the world.

3. HBV is about 10 times more prevalent than HIV infection worldwide. HIV is more prevalent in Africa, HPV is more prevalent in Asia.

4. The general perception is that HIV virus is very infectious and contagious however Hepatitis B Virus is 100 times more infectious than HIV.

5. If not properly monitored or treated HBV infection can kill 25% of the infected people due to liver cancer or liver failure from cirrhosis.

6. Hepatitis C is caused by another lethal virus like HBV and infects about 180 million people worldwide. There is no cure from this infection and there is no vaccine that has been developed.

7. HBV and Hepatitis C together have infected 530 million of the 6 billion people worldwide.

8. Pregnant women who have hepatitis B infection or those who are carriers of hepatitis B virus can pass this infection to their babies when they are born.

9. Individuals with high risk of infection with HBV include – illegal injection of drugs, haemophiliacs, homosexual and bisexual males, sexually active heterosexual persons with multiple partners, prisoners, patients on haemodialysis, health care staff who have needle stick injury and people who indulge in body piercing and tattooing. Certain world population have a higher incidence and include – Alaskan Eskimos, Pacific Islanders, Haitian and Indo-chinese immigrants. Travellers to these regions should take all the precautions.

10. Hepatitis B recombinant vaccine is a very safe vaccine as it has no human blood or blood products and it is produced by genetic re-engineering process and usually requires three injections for protection over a six months period.

EX-BEAUTY QUEEN DECLARES WAR ON RAPISTS

Ex-beauty queen, journalist, writer and author, Karen Eloke Young has declared a war on all misogynists, male-chauvinists, male-sexists, etcetera, who do not have any respect for the female gender. Recently she took to twitter to narrate her experiences of sexual harassment in the hands of men. The particular incident that sparked her latest outrage was her experience in the hands a certain landlord whom she wanted to rent a house from. Apparently, she had paid the prospective landlord the sun of two million naira for the house and was waiting for the house to be put in proper shape before moving in. The landlord demanded a letter of identification from her company but she did not bargain for what transpired when she went to present the letter to the landlord. The man, she narrated, locked the doors, started groping for her breasts and even tried to kiss her.

While she didn’t tell us how she escaped the claws of the beast, it is apparent that the man could not carry out his wish but she was stunned when some days later, the landlord gave her a cheque for the money she had earlier paid him as rent. His reason for returning her money? He wanted a married couple, not a single lady. Her anger was aggravated when the agent who helped her secure the house insulted her by asking her to go and get herself a husband.

I feel I should ask a few questions at this juncture. What was the landlord expecting from her? That after paying such a huge sum, she should still sleep with him before she could move into the house? (And I am very sure that if that had happened, it would not have ended there. He would continue to go back to her again and again to satiate his lascivious desire.) I’m still wondering what made the landlord think he had the right to pounce upon a lady against her wish (even if the lady was his wife). Or could he have thought that the lady would give in to his uncouth demand for carnal pleasure? Or that nothing would happen if he succeeded in raping her? A lot of questions are just running through my mind. If the landlord knew he wanted a married couple in his house why did he allow her to pay for the rent only to return her money for spurning his bestial desire. As for the agent who insulted her because she is not married, may I ask: Does marriage in and of itself bring happiness? Must one get married at all cost just because everyone is getting married? Does the agent have a good marriage?

Karen says she has endured harassment since she was young. She also mentioned that even as a beauty queen, she suffered sexual harassment, this time, in the hand of someone who was supposed to know better. During her reign as Miss Delta, she said she went on a visit to a Commissioner but the visit soon turned into a chasing game, as the said commissioner chased her around the table in a bid to make her sleep with him. She was refused her prize and she in turn refused to hand over her crown and sash. Haba! Why are we like this in this part of the world? Why do males expect ladies to satisfy their sexual appetite before giving them what belongs to them or rendering any help to them? Why do men treat women as sex slaves? Why should females, no matter their ages – because it is shocking to hear what some males do to even very young girl-children – be molested sexually?

Why can’t our society offer adequate protection to the female folk? Can it be because we have been raised to believe that males are superior to females and that females are sex objects?

I think all these current realities in the country are the reasons for Karen’s anger. She says she can no longer take the harassments lying low. She says she has decided to stand against the current social order in Nigeria and that she is ready to fight alone – like a lioness. Karen, who describes herself as an angry woman, is determined to free Nigerian women from sexual slavery. She has declared a total war on all men who think women should be weak, complacent and quiet; men who think the appropriate punishment for misdemeanour is to sodomise women by pouring pepper into their private parts; men who subscribe to Baskethmouth’s recent joke on rape.

I think Nigeria needs more women like Karen, though there are other women who are also taking up the fight. There are also pockets of groups who are concerned about the rights and welfare of women. Women Arise

is one example of such groups. But there is a need for concerted and coordinated efforts by all these personalities and groups. There should be a sustained campaign to ensure that the rights of women are protected in this country. Men should also join in this crusade because these females are our sisters, daughters and mothers. We must get to that stage in Nigeria where assaults, battery, attacks, etc. on women are frowned at and punished severely. This will serve as deterrent to those who believe people men can do anything to women and get away with it.

For all those, who like Basketmouth, think rape is justifiable under any circumstance, Miss Karen Eloke Young has served you a notice.

Adeola Fayehun, the 'bad girl' of Nigerian TV

Adeola Fayehun is the courageous reporter who interviewed President Goodluck Jonathan on the streetsof New York last year. She stood her ground when aides of the president wanted to stop her from speaking with the president. She is a witty presenter who presents news in a humourous way on the online TV channel, Sahara TV.  Her satirical show, Keeping It Real with Adeola, has become a must-watch for many viewers from various parts of the world.

The first time I saw Keeping It Real, I fell in love with Adeola and the show because she offers her viewers a style of news presentation that is refreshing. Her style is witty, dramatic and sarcastic. I see Adeola as a social commentator and critic who brings a blast of fresh air to the social commentating scene in Nigeria. On her show, she presents news, especially about Nigeria, and pokes fun at some of the actors in the news. In fact, most times, she pokes fun at Nigeria’s (and Africa’s) political leaders, especially over wrong government decisions or brazen corrupt practices perpetrated by political leaders, their accomplices and hangers-on. This is why I call her the ‘bad girl’ of Nigerian TV.

Almost all Nigerian political leaders have become the butt of her satire at one point or the other. And many other African leaders have also borne the brunt of her jokes. Some recent examples are Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Paul Biya of Cameroon and Jacob Zuma of South Africa. At the risk of sounding overly categorical, I think Adeola is the strongest television – though Internet TV – critic of mis-governance, maladministration and corruption in Nigeria just like Japheth Omojuwa is the strongest critic on the social media.

Beyond its satirical nature, Keeping It Real with Adeola, is very informative, keeping viewers abreast of major socio-political happenings in Nigeria and other notable events around the world. The weekly programme presents a round-up of events usually bothering on the welfare of Nigerians and masses in other countries, especially African countries, who are not finding life easy in their country. I must also add that Keeping It Real is not about sarcasm, poking fun and satire. Outstanding personalities and inspiring events are also aired on the show. Tributes are paid to deserving individuals and important dates or ceremonies are celebrated on the show.

There is no doubt that Adeola is becoming influential by the day in Nigeria due to the number of people who watch her show. She is gradually becoming one of the most influential women in Nigeria. The truth is she is doing a great job. I keep discovering that there is hardly anyone who sees her programme who does not immediately fall in love with her, except for the corrupt people who are the objects of her fun. But there is no doubt that she offers constructive criticism on her show. She is really doing a wonderful job of monitoring events in Nigeria though she lives in New York.

The fan base and followership of this enfant terrible is growing by the day. Adeola, who graduated in 2007 from Olivet College with a BA in Mass Communication and had her Master’s in Broadcast Journalism from the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism, has over 2000 followers on twitter and it is noteworthy that the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President of Nigeria, Reuben Abati, also follows her on twitter. This means Adeola’s messages are getting to the seat of power in Nigeria (I hope Abati won’t decide to unfollow her if he gets to read this post).

The ‘bad girl’ of Nigerian TV, who says African leaders need to care for their people and serve them instead of enriching themselves, started Keeping It Real with Adeola, as a departure from the monotonous way of presenting news. Her motivation was to present news in an entertaining way and this move has paid off today. She has presented over a hundred episodes and you can download them on the Internet.

A very important lesson to learn from Adeola’s story is that people usually appreciate innovation, and also what will make them laugh. We can always find around us something that we can do differently that will be welcome by others. One clue to knowing when it is right to innovate: if you find it boring and cumbersome, there is a high possibility others also find it so. Why not do something about it, then?

Let me end this post by saying, "Adeola, I appreciate what you are doing. Keep up the good work. Peace out."

Leadership Levels and Nigeria’s Political Leaders

“Leadership is all about influence.” This assertion is constantly made by John C. Maxwell, a leadership expert who has taught about leadership for more than 30 years. He claims that anyone who has an influence over another person is a leader. This means everybody can be a leader in their own respect. That submission contradicts what most of us believe about leadership. We have always confused leadership with position but we are not entirely correct if we hold on to that belief. This incorrect belief, I want to assume, contributes to why many people have refused to behave like leaders wherever they have found themselves.

Maxwell also claims that you don’t need a title to be a leader. He urges that people should not get to the top before they learn to lead. I think Maxwell’s appeal is based on the fact that it is almost always too late for an individual to start learning about leadership when he gets to the position. An individual who waits till he gets a title before learning about leadership will come across as inept and unqualified.

Maxwell identifies five levels of leadership to which we all belong at one point or the other. Every leader or individual around you is on one of these levels of leadership. I will briefly explain what each level of leadership is all about and I will also give examples of some personalities, especially Nigerian leaders, who belong in these levels.

Level One is positional leadership. On this level, your position is the only thing that bestows authority on you. So people follow you because they have to and not because they want to. Your influence does not extend beyond the position you are holding or your job description. Examples of people on this level are military dictators who get to power by the power of the gun. Usually, the citizens of such countries follow their leader because they have no option. If they had an option, they would defy the government of their country.

From Level Two, people follow a leader because they want to. A leader on level two is that person who has been able to build relationships with people. Such a person has been able to communicate to his followers that he values them and cares for them. He has earned the trust of people and they in turn give him the permission to lead them. I believe President Barack Obama is on this level of leadership. Late Chief Bola Ige, Late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State are my picks for leaders on level two.

You get to Level Three of leadership because of what you have achieved. People follow you because of your results or track record. They like you and what you are doing. They see you as an achiever; a performer; one who can get things done and because of this they want to follow you. They see you as competent and believe that they will succeed if they follow you. Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and Nuhu Ribadu are my examples of a level three leader.

Those on Level Four are those who develop others. They have been able to reproduce many other leaders. They pour themselves into their followers by mentoring them and helping them to develop their skills. People follow them because of what they have done for them. One example of a level four leader that readily comes to my mind is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State.

The Fifth Level is a level you can't get to by yourself. You cannot strive to get there. You can only be put there by others after you have succeeded in leading them from the first four levels for a long period. Only a few persons ever get to this level. These are persons who have come to be revered for the impact they have made on the world around them. Examples of individuals in this category are Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Junior and Mahatma Ghandi.

Having read about the five levels of leadership as espoused by John Maxwell, can you identify what level you are on? Whatever level you are on, you should know that there is still room for improvement. It should also help you identify the leadership level of your political leaders.

.

P.S. I want to admit that the examples of persons I have given in this post are my own opinions and the possibility of being subjective is very high.

How to Sell Yourself in an Interview

I am not yet a master communicator but I know a few: John Maxwell, Pastor Joseph Prince, Joel Osteen, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Larry King, among others. The following tips are from Larry King who has interviewed so many people in his lifetime and who has also been involved in many business and career interviews. The tips are taken from his book How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: The Secrets of Good Communication. I will suggest that you read the whole book because it is a goldmine of useful information on the art of communication. These suggestions are meant for anyone who wants to go for any kind of interview: job, business, promotion, etc.

I hereby present to you, the following pieces of timeless advice from Larry King on how to sell yourself in an interview:

Show What You Can DO

Show your prospective employer/client what you can do for them. Let them know the unique contributions you bring. Don’t tell them what they already know about you; that is, what’s on your resume. Tell them how you are going to do the job better than anyone else. Make them think about how good they would look if they hire you. Sell your advantages not features by talking about your abilities, expertise and contacts you have built over time.

Maintain an Open Attitude

Let your demeanour be welcoming. Don’t stifle your openness. Communicate your enthusiasm for the job/business. It is a refreshing characteristic employers/clients are looking for. It is a quality that can make a difference and it shows you are a good prospect.

Be Prepared

Prepare well. Rehearse your answers and comments. Go over the key points you want to make at the interview several times before the interview. Figure out how you will answer hard questions instead of planning to dodge them.

Ask questions

Asking questions helps you learn about the company. It gives you the opportunity to have a good feel of the prospective company/client. Employers/clients respect someone who displays the initiative to ask intelligent questions about their company. Asking questions also shows that you are prepared and you care.

Did you find the tips useful? I sure did and will put them to use the next time an opportunity presents itself. How about you?

Cheers!

WE ARE ALL GUILTY OF ENCOURAGING RAPE!

Early this year, Nigerians experienced the first drama on our social scene, which I have termed the Basketmouthgate scandal, when Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, goofed by posting a rather insensitive joke online. Basketmouth had in the post suggested that it was okay to rape a black girl after some dates, especially after spending heavily on her. But in an unexpected twist, Nigerians have strongly condemned the joke. While the overwhelming outcry against the offensive joke is commendable, I think Baskethmouth is not to blame on this issue. Yes, he is not to blame. All of us are to blame.

For a long time, we have condoned comedians in Nigeria making vulgar, obscene and totally inappropriate jokes. On many occasions, we laughed at their jokes about the female anatomy, especially their breasts and buttocks.

What we didn’t know was that we were encouraging them to be bolder and more adventurous with their jokes. We were sowing the wind and now that we are reaping the whirlwind, we are shouting. Why are we shouting? We egged them on. We cheered them. We paid them to ‘yab’ us. Then, we saw nothing wrong in what they were doing. After all, we were only catching fun and it didn’t matter if they said anything that was gross. Why are we now up in arms when an ‘ambassador’ has shown that carrying the tag of a celebrity does not make you a savant?

Basketmouth’s faux pas is only a reflection of our society. He has succeeded in exposing our underbelly. For a long time in our society, we have turned blind eyes and deaf ears to the plight of abused women; and it is not just women. We have not demonstrated the right response to cases of abuse of any kind, except on a few occasions. Recently, some women were sodomised in Lagos and the video was posted on a social media site for all to see. These women were accused of stealing pepper and it was decided that the judgment to be meted out on them was that ground pepper should be poured into their private parts. HABA! Some people also inserted sticks into their private parts and Nigerians did not cry out until Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin (God bless the woman) of Women Arise led some other people to ask for investigation into the matter. I am sure the Baskemouthgate scandal got more coverage and publicity than the sodomy case. Why then are we blaming him for joking about rape?

Haven’t we come up with various justifications for rape? Do we not almost always blame the lady? Do we not ask why she went into the same room with a guy? Do we not say there is no free lunch anywhere, so why should a guy be spending on a lady and not get anything in return? Is that kind of warped mentality not what informed Basketmouth’s joke? How many times have we insisted that justice be dispensed in a rape case? How did the case of that traditional ruler who was accused of raping a youth corps member end? What has happened concerning the gang rape of a lady by five men from the Abia State University some years ago, the video of which was also posted online? Now in Nigeria, rape cases are reported almost on a daily basis and we do not hear of the rapists being punished, when sentencing has been pronounced in the 2012 Delhi gang rape case. So why are we blaming Basketmouth for ‘merely’ joking about rape?

Why will he not go on air, even after apologising for his gaffe, to say that jokes should have no limit, since, like many of us, he has no sense of propriety and appropriateness? Why will he not make half-hearted apologies? 

But thank God Nigerians rose up this time. I believe Nigerians should be commended for letting Basketmouth know that certain societal standards are expected from people and even celebrities, who nowadays wield enormous influence through social media. He has been made to understand that ambassadors whether of countries, products or brands are expected to uphold certain societal conventions.

Even if he has failed to realise the foolishness of his actions, Nigerians have united to condemn his thoughtlessness and if he has the good sense to make amends, it will be good for him. If not, he will find himself on downward slope into the abyss of ignominy and irrelevance. Other comedians, musicians and film producers should also take note!

Thank you, Nigerians for standing up against rape.