💢I THOUGHT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNEW THIS.💢

Recently, I've been proven wrong by the things I thought a lot of people knew on the online space. I've decided to dedicate today's dose to helping us learn a thing or more about building healthy relationships with people on this space. 

Truth is, sometimes we might be our own limitation. We are busy praying for open doors but using our own hands to close the doors. God is a God of systems, He also uses people to bless you and so, it's important you learn how to relate cordially with people on this space. 

🛑Let's Begin🛑

Few days ago, one of my biological younger sisters clocked 30. I could sense the shock on my WhatsApp family gang. Someone asked, 'Ma'am Ody, does this means you are above 30?'. Of course, if one of my younger sisters clocked 30, that obviously means I'm above 30 as we aren't twins. 

She went on to say I don't look it at all especially with my baby face, skin and looks.

If you want to enjoy a cordial relationship with people on the online space, please note the following. 

🔻 Everybody is not your mate. I know the illusion the online space gives us. Since we are all content creators, we tend to think everyone is our mate. No! That isn't true. Please, respect people on this space. Just one wrong move of disrespect can cause them to push you out of their circle. Don't be deceived by your followers calling you, 'Mama, Papa, Coach, Mentor' etc. Learn to respect people. It might not matter to some millennials but I tell you this, some people raised in the 80's are still keen about the old and beautiful virtue of respect. 

Sometimes, it isn't just how good you are but your manner of approach. There are some people I've worked with and vowed not to ever work with them irrespective of how good they are or will get. 

🔻No need to make this point long. When people lend you money on this space, kindly return it back to them. If a 'stranger' trusted you enough to lend you money, be wise and pay up without creating drama. 

🔻Everyone on the online space is not jobless. When sending messages, go straight to the point. I thought a lot of people knew this until I kept getting just, 'hi' from someone I thought should know better. The shocking part was sending just hi around 2am. Please, so that you don't go ahead to label people proud and the rest, just make your message detailed so that it is easier to respond to you.

🔻Mind the way you join online drama. I know a lot of people love drama but if you are building a brand, please be careful. You must not use harsh or hateful words because you disagree with people. You just have to learn to be tactful. When two influencers are clashing, resist the urge to openly insult one over the other. You might think you are supporting your fave but trust me, these people know how to reconcile thereby leaving you 'hanging'. 

It's like the supporters of politicians who insult themselves only to wake up one morning and see these politicians dancing together and hugging themselves. 

🔻Don't abuse access. The fact that you have your mentor's number or the number of people you look up to doesn't mean you should abuse access. These people are extremely busy and when they notice you always disturb them without putting into practice what they teach, it won't be long before they start seeing you as a pest.

Also, don't be in a hurry to share an information they haven't yet shared. 

Some are extremely private with their personal life. Always check out with them before putting out some information the public do not yet know about them.

🔻Watch the things you share on this space. 

It's not enough to quickly delete posts, I tell you this, it takes less than a minute for your posts to be screenshot. Those posts can become banana peels in the future. They can drag you back at a critical point when you need to desperately go forward. It's bad enough that you are sowing some wild oats, you don't have to do the sowing for the whole world to see. 

Even the posts you react to should be checked. I keep saying this, 'Others can, you can as well but you shouldn't.' 

🔻Reciprocate the kindness you receive from people on this space. 

As much as it lies within you, try to return the kindness received. Of course, there would be times you just can't return it but what I mean isn't even in monetary terms. When people launch your book, don't turn a blind eye when they are launching their books. If you are broke at that moment, look for other ways to be of help.

Don't always be an expert in receiving favours but never returning same. 

🔻Don't wait until you have a need before you remember people.

I'm usually so shocked when I get some funny messages from people asking me to share their books or write about their books. Some end it up with, 'you inspire me a lot. Your doses leaves me speechless' and the like. I'm left wondering why they have never bothered to send these messages until now. Why wait until you need a favour? Register your presence in people's heart by your comments, shares etc. That way, when they finally see you in their inbox asking for a favour, you will be responded to pleasantly as your name rings a bell already. 

🔻Lastly for now, tread with caution on this space. Mind the things you say to people.

Please, be prayerful before you let people into your life. It's not enough to think they are all they claim to be on this space. 

The fact that 'uncle's' post is all centred on kindness and the love of God doesn't mean he doesn't have sins he might be struggling with. 

I've always said this that people can love God and still have strong sexual addictions or other vices they are struggling with. 

Don't get careless and get hurt in the process. 

You might decide to drag him or her here but that wouldn't heal the emotional and physical wounds you would have inflicted on yourself. 

Be spiritually alert when letting people into your life.

 

Finally, Know that there is also a life outside social media.

HOW TO CREATE TRANSGENERATIONAL WEALTH

Some time ago, the son of an African country's former leader claimed that he could not be as poor as Dangote, who is disputably the richest black man in Africa...

Well some claimed he was bluffing, some thought he was just boasting.

Another man claimed that his son who was one of the richest musicians in Nigeria was the poorest among his sons.

Is there anything like transgenerational wealth? Can it be achieved? 

Well American's first billionaire, Rockefeller, his family is now at its seventh generation and guess what, his children are still filthy rich.

We all know how the condition of the nation is but thankfully, the economy isn't a problem for one to make wealth.

The Bible told us of how Isaac sowed in a land people ran away from and prospered in that same land.

*Even in the poorest nation on earth, there are still rich men there* 

Read that again twice

A wise man said *"we are born looking like our parents but we die looking like our decisions"*

Even if you were born with a silver spoon, it is up to you to empower your children to be born with their silver spoon

_What is transgenerational wealth?_ 

Some call it family wealth, others call it legacy wealth.

More than 60% of families lose their wealth to their second generation.

Anything gotten without understanding cannot be retained.

Let's imagine a student that copies from his textbook to make good grades would not be able to sustain his good grades compared to a student who studies.

Riches can be gotten in an instant, from parents, from a lucky bet, as a gift, a lucky gig

But wealth is a function of understanding.

Transgenerational wealth is the influence (resources, possession, quality relationship) gotten and is sustainable within the generations of a family

Wealth is not just money but for the sake of this content, we would focus on riches and money.

Someone related to Dangote is wealthy even though he doesn't have enough money in his account, (quality relationship)

Being friends with the governor can open certain doors that money can't

The first way to get transgenerational wealth is by teaching your children the way of the rich, working on their mindset. 

Robert kiyosaki, the author of the "rich dad, poor dad" wrote of how his rich dad taught him so much about making wealth and how the rich think, that was the basics he needed to be rich

Barrett from the movie "The Banker" started learning real estate from a young age from the rich whites by eavesdropping their conversation.

It doesn't matter even if you don't know much about wealth, get them a tutor, pay for them to have masterclasses, expose them to healthy environments where they can see exotic things and challenge themselves.

There are indoor and board games that can teach them to think investment and wealthy.

Monopoly, Chess, Cash flow 101, Payday, Game of Life  etc

Another way to create transgenerational wealth is Real Estate.

One can buy a piece of land and leave it for a while for it to appreciate for years and then put the asset in the name of their children.

Or you can build an accommodation, either close to a tertiary institution, lease it to students to live in, because one of man's basic need is shelter in other words as long as there is a human being in this world, they would always look for a roof over their heads.

And as long as the house is built and maintained, it would keep yielding funds from the rents paid by the tenants or occupants living in that house

Another way is to get a life insurance.

Now many misunderstand life insurance because it is associated with death.

But the truth is that we would all die someday, but the difference is that some plan before hand so that their death doesn't take them by surprise. 

In Life Insurance or Assurance, your death savings or Insurance premium generates an indemnity up to 2 millions, money enough for a child whom you have trained to understand wealth and investment to invest wisely. It could be used to sort funeral expenses, have a start up capital and settle debts if there be any.

Another way to generate transgenerational wealth is through digital products like ebooks, videos, music.

The children of Micheal Jackson are still gaining from the proceeds of the albums of Micheal Jackson as well as other actors whose videos are still being purchased online.

Notice I said digital products, not physical product.

If a teacher writes a book and publishes it on Amazon, and links it to her PayPal, payooner account, even when he or she dies, the money would still be paid into that account and would be accessed by his or her beneficiaries whoever they would be.

There are YouTube videos that we watch that those who put those videos are dead but yet we glean from their knowledge 

True value doesn't really die or fade away, it remains relevant over time

Another way to make transgenerational wealth is through marketing and purchasing investment funds like bonds, shares, Binance etc.

We have different ways in Marketing that one can make money 

Affiliate marketing, content marketing, multi level marketing.

There are partnerships with certain companies that can help you secure funds even up to your fourth generation.

Robert kiyosaki described this as the business of the 21st century, 

Most companies are preferring referrals to paid adverts.

Rather than pay a huge amount to a television station and not be sure of results, why not pay a customer for referring his or her friend to purchase a product

Lastly is teaching your children the value of moral, character and spiritual principles.

I'm glad everyone here is an educator, teacher, mentor or trainer.

Which means that we have seen students who are so intelligent but then their character might be opposite, 

Competence and skill might win the sprint but character would help you win the marathon.

If your kids are not nice to people, it might affect their relationship with other people, and every business needs people whether it is in form of Investors, Customers or partners.

People are loyal to a leader who cares about them.

Solomon was able to build a temple from the relationship that his Father had been able to secure for him.

A good name can get you things even after you have left. A man as influential as Ubong King, his children may never ever be stranded till the day they decide to leave this earth, Why because of the impact their Father had on us.

Hope you found value?

Meet The CEO of Kimoni Clothings

What’s good y’all 🙌🏾 I’m Sincere Jones, a cashier, food delivery courier, and an aspiring clothing brand owner  from Inglewood, CA. 

Before the pandemic, my life was miserable. I had low self esteem, lack of confidence, was uninspired and lived paycheck to paycheck meanwhile sleeping on my mom’s couch. 

But the silver lining of 2020 is that it allowed me to connect more organically and intentionally with the folks who believe in me, support me and enjoys my clothing brand Kimoni Clothing.

If you follow my Facebook and Instagram business pages, you will see what I got cooking for the rest of this year as well as 2022 😎 

Facebook: Kimoni Clothing

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kimoni_clothing

Website: www.kimoniclothing.company

Government Has Failed Woefully in Protecting Nigerians – APC

A member of the house of representatives, Oluwarotimi Agunsoye has said government has failed “woefully” in protecting lives and property of Nigerians.

Agunsoye, a lawmaker from Lagos state and member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said this at the floor of the green chamber on Tuesday while addressing the recent surge in killing accross the nation.

“Dear colleagues, the most hated person in the world, is the person that speaks the truth and people would not want to listen to the truth because they do not want their illusion destroyed,”

“Mr speaker, dear colleagues, I think enough is enough. We need to address the main issue now. Where are we? The role of government in governance is to protect lives and property of the people and to provide welfare for the people.

“Mr speaker, we have failed woefully in all this.  My colleague there, Sununu, said over 70 people were killed. My dear colleague from Oyo state said over 50 people were killed. Somebody from Imo said their people are being killed. Go to the north-east, north-central, south-east, south-west, north-west, south-south — our people are being killed. What are we doing in government?”

N-Power: 550,000 applicants shortlisted for final selection

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development says no fewer than 550,000 out of the 1.8 million Batch C applicants have been selected for the final stage of N-Power.

Farouq said on the March 11, the ministry launched the National Social Investment Management System (NASIMS) for the Batch C applicants.

She said the applicants were requested to update their personal information and subsequently, take an online test via the NASIMS Portal.

“By the third week of May 2021, over 1.8 million Nigerians successfully updated their records and took the compulsory online test.

“Further screening was undertaken and a short-list of 550,000 applicants qualified for the final selection to engage 500,000 nationwide to serve as the first stream of the N-Power Batch C programme.

“This is the Batch C 1. The second batch of another 500,000 will subsequently be made in line with Mr President’s directive to engage 1,000,000 beneficiaries under the Batch C.

“The 550,000 short-listed applicants are being individually contacted via their e-mail addresses provided and are first advised to check and then immediately log-on to the NASIMS self-service portal and enrol their biometric data to qualify for final selection,” she said.

She urged the selected applicants to call the dedicated NASIMS, N-Power helplines on 0188883410 or 08176551162 or send an email to support.npower@nasims.gov.ng for further enquiries on their application status and any other questions they may have.

The minister also advised that their application details should be handy to ensure hitch-free communication with the call centre desk.

In another development on the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Farouq said a total of 9,196,823 pupils in classes one to three in public primary schools would receive one nutritious meal daily in all 54,619 schools nationwide.

According to her, the programme is being expanded to accommodate an additional five million children in line with the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari

ON SPEAKING UP BY John Obidi

My stand on many public matters stems from my adopted identity. 

I've always seen myself as a King, not in the sense that I think I am lord over other human beings, but only that I may be lord over my own circumstances.

It is reflected by my chosen refinement of speech, thought and poise. 

It is demonstrated in my chosen set of ideals.

It is in my choice of companions - those who walk with me and are privy to the intricacies of my path.

And so it is understandable when my paradigms clash with those who identify differently, or those who haven't given much thought to such a grandiose question as "Who am I?" or "Who am I determined to become?"

So what's my stand on 'speaking up'? 

There's nothing wrong in speaking up as long as you rightly answer the question - "To whom?"

Your answer will be different depending on your adopted identity.

And so while other identities remain valid (and essential) - the peasant, the milkmaid, the stableboy and the fishmonger - I will speak now to those who identify as Kings, women inclusive.

Kings bleed like every other human, but not in the town halls of Twitter or in the market square of Facebook.

Kings hurt differently, heal differently and celebrate differently.

When Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos announced their divorce, it was done only when the public had to know. 

When I read the carefully prepared statements of both parties, I clapped.

And even in the buildup, we could never guess what was going on from their social media pages.

It's the same with the Zuckerbergs. You can never guess what they squabbled about last night by looking at their social media.

Their lawyers have made certain of it.

It is imprudent to announce your troubles to the masses or to the mob. They cannot help you. 

Exceptions exist if for example you live in a country whose ideals are so broken that appointed custodians and enforcers of the law have become the active aggressors. 

In this case, it may be beneficial to squeal, for in this specific instance, both the King and the masses share a common adversary.

But in other personal matters where public sentiment cannot be truly beneficial to your intended outcomes, do not whip it up.

Their sympathies are fickle, short-lived and rootless like dry leaves on a windy Autumn day.

Speak up, not to the circus of social media, but to QUALIFIED AND VETTED ADVISORS, trained in the craft of wise counsel and disciplined in the way of discretion. 

The word of a King is law, and so must be released with intention and restraint.

It's better to be the last person to react publicly to a weighty matter whilst all the facts emerge... because once the words are uttered, they will not return to you void.

Let the other actors react and make a ruckus without recourse to fact and reason. 

They do not share an equal consequence with you, dear King... but do not consider this to be unfair... for they will not share an equal reward either.

Certainly you are at liberty to choose your path, but since you asked for an answer - my answer...

Here is the way of Kings.

- J.O.

PS: Subscribe to the Wisdom Letters here: https://johnobidi.blog/newsletter

𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘.

.

Yes! A choice that solely depends on you.

Come with me!

Right from when I was little, all the choices I made were never mine to make. What do I mean? The things I did, the places I went, the schools I attended, the food I ate, the role I played were all informed by people. I lacked the chance of defining my life, coupled with the fact that I was the backend girl who was intimidated by the beauty of others.

When I decided to stand and own my voice, I got scorned and shunned; I was reminded a million times why I shouldn't strive to be better than who I was. I remember apologising for always trying.

The day I moved out of the house, which was my first time packing my bags and leaving town, I was reluctant and scared. Something in me was comfortable with having people think and make choices for me.

When it dawned on me that every year my age increased, not minding my results in life, I picked up the car keys of my life, opened the door, sat on the driver's seat and took the wheel. This is the beginning of my making!🔥

How about the times I starved myself of food just to save up money to register and pay my way to Plateau-Jos for training? That's even too small to be counted in the pages of my "becoming."

I joined FECA where I invested so much in my growth process. Which training did I not pay to attend? From Ebonyi to Imo, Enugu, Abia, Port Harcourt, Benin, Lagos, Abuja, etc.

Many of these training, I attended as a teen (surprised)? The more I travelled, the more I was beaten by my parents. I still have some scars on my back. Hehe! I see them as evidence of my growth.

No! They didn't beat because they hated me, but because they loved and were protecting me to the detriment of my growth.

When the spirit of purpose calls you strongly, be mindful of those who love you so much and wouldn't want you to take the risk.

Though their actions are genuine, they won't help your "BECOMING." Learn to know when love should pause; don't be too pampered so you don't end a casualty.

Fast forward to now, in my early 20s, I'd garnered a lot of strength and self will. I'd learnt to make decisions and own my voice. I've spoken before men of repute, I've watched men of timbre and calibre stand at the sound of my voice. Yes! I have also rejected many speaking engagements contrary to my values.

How did I get here? When I learnt to think for myself, I mastered decision making, invested in myself and took actions that launched me into the deep. I'm now, not just a person but an institution others can learn from.

My point exactly?

My coach once said, "Normal practices will continually give you normal results; if you want an extraordinary result, go beyond normal.

You can't go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are to determine how the end will be by investing in yourself, taking the bull by its horns, and going beyond what others call "normal."

...when you take life too casually, you become a casualty.

Pay now to be paid later!

Pat Ottoh 

𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮'𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁.

TWITTER BAN: Evading the Law of Unintended Consequences with Systems Thinking || written by John Obidi

 

I woke up this morning to see that Twitter was trending with multiple terms related to the state of affairs in Nigeria. 

 

I found this rather odd and here's why. 

 

I use Twitter more as a listening tool, to keep my finger on the pulse of things. 

 

One look at the trending topics, and you could have a summary of current affairs for the day.

 

When I left Nigeria last year, I updated my location on the Twitter app to ‘United States’ as I now wished to be updated on current affairs in the US.

 

Consequently, whenever something significant happened in Nigeria, I learned of it rather late and typically by word of mouth because I could only see US trends. 

 

And so when I woke up this morning to multiple Nigerian terms on the trending section, I thought the app was experiencing a glitch, showing me trending topics in my former location, Nigeria.

 

After a few seconds, I laughed as I realised what the real situation was. There was no glitch after all.

 

Here’s the breakdown of what happened. 

 

Whenever something tragic or contentious occurred in Nigeria, the citizens would tweet about it, and the topic would trend - TO NIGERIANS.

 

This meant that even though the complaints and agitations of the citizens were being posted to the public social media platform, the issues seldom ever registered as the trending topics of other countries.

 

However, there was a twist here which leads us to the Law of Unintended Consequences.

 

The Nigerian Government banned twitter and this led the mammoth Nigerian youth population to download VPNs to bypass the ban.

 

On most VPNs, the United States is the default or preferred location.

 

And so millions of Nigerians who would normally tweet and register their discontent as the trending topics of Nigeria, were now registering the issues on the trend list of the United States. 

 

Americans woke up today confused by terms such as ‘IPOB’, ‘Buhari’ and ‘Malami’.

 

If the Nigerian government had not banned Twitter, the displeasure of Nigerians would have been localised.

 

In the wake of the ban, the displeasure of Nigerians was being broadcast to the center of the world through VPNs, creating global awareness for a matter that would have otherwise remained local.

 

Most Nigerian VPN users didn’t plan for this effect. It was just an unintended consequence of using VPNs, albeit a welcome one. 

 

Another unintended consequence here is that Nigerians may have now learned how to ensure that topics of agitation are registered on the trends lists of the United States - by mobilizing Nigerians to tweet via VPNs with the US as their virtual location.

 

The Law of Unintended Consequences can be avoided by utilizing a thinking tool called Second Order Thinking. 

 

Second Order Thinking posits that there is more than meets the eye when solving problems, and that by solving one problem, we may inadvertently create another problem. 

 

We must therefore rigorously apply Second Order Thinking and even Third Order Thinking in order to arrive at an ecological solution. 

 

I'LL EXPLAIN THIS USING ANOTHER LESSON IN HISTORY.

 

Back when the British ruled India, they faced a problem with a rising population of venomous cobras in Delhi.

 

To solve this problem, the British colonialists launched a bounty program, offering a cash prize for every cobra that was killed.

 

All the residents had to do, was to kill a cobra and present its body to the British government and claim the reward.

 

However, the business-minded Indians devised a plan to ‘optimise’ their rewards - they would breed cobras privately, kill them, present the dead cobras to the British and collect the cash reward.

 

The British were initially delighted to see that cobras were being killed in large numbers.

 

On the surface, the bounty program appeared to be a raving success - 1ST ORDER THINKING.

 

The British soon found out about the breeding operations and terminated the bounty program - 2ND ORDER EFFECTS.

 

This now meant that the Indian snake breeders were left with many snakes that could not be sold, and so they set them all free.

 

There were now more cobras all over Delhi after the bounty program than when it was first started - 3RD ORDER EFFECTS. 

 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU? 

 

As with the stories of the Twitter ban and the British bounty program, we must seek to solve problems by seeing the whole landscape rather than what is readily apparent.

 

We must consider not only the First Order Effects of our decisions, but also their Second and even Third Order Effects. 

 

This overarching strategy is called SYSTEMS THINKING, and Second Order thinking is just one component of it.

 

Let’s look at another hypothetical application of this powerful thinking tool. 

 

Say you were the Founder/CEO of a Billion Dollar corporation and one of your founding executives was found to be engaged in fraudulent activity. 

 

What would you do?

 

Well, a First Order approach to this problem would be to simply fire this individual.

 

Second Order thinking would examine any potential consequences of dismissing this person.

 

On further investigation, you may then realize that this person may choose to express their disgruntlement by joining a competing organization and use company secrets to strengthen your opposition.

 

Of course you could go to court, but your lawyers graduated from Harvard Law and would charge millions of dollars to duel with your adversary over the coming months and years.

 

Considering the cost of the Second Order effects of a straight dismissal, you may wish to act ignorant of the act of fraud and do something else instead.

 

Create a small office in a far away country which is inconsequential to overall brand image and profitability.

 

Puff up his ego by offering him the role of Country Manager or ‘General Manager - Diaspora Relations’.

 

This fraudster would feel valued and stay on your side, while being tactically stripped of the ability to continually perpetrate fraud.

 

You solved the First Order problem of fraud, canceled out the chances of future fraud and potentially saved the company millions of dollars in legal fees.

 

This strategy is used at the highest levels of power - across politics, the mafia, business and even organized religion.

 

Read this a couple of times over and make your notes on how this can offer solutions to past and future obstacles in your life.

 

As Solomon famously wrote, "For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it."​

 

Rooting for you. 

© John Obidi, 2021

If this piece brought you value, Subscribe for more wisdom letters here: https://johnobidi.blog/newsletter

How I Narrowly Escaped Ritualist

Please be careful wherever you go. These are perilous times. 

Thank God I am alive.

Our movie making job takes us to various locations , towns , villages, States and in some cases countries.

I had rounded up  filming a flick with Biodun Stephen at Peaceville Estate in Thomas Estate within the neighborhood of Ajah inward Epe, outskirts of Lagos State and was heading home to the other side of town, Ikeja GRA to be precise, when I a call came through on my phone.

Hello I bellowed, in my official voice to an unknown line or an unfamiliar number.

"Good afternoon Sir, is this Chris, please?" the female voice from the other end of the line enquired...some how , there's a 'let your guards down' effect the female folk voice has on  men, I must confess , I am no exception.

Yes , this is he ...how can I help please...I enquired.

"My name is  Ama Pepple, I am calling from  Rumuola in Port Harcourt, Rivers State,  a Producer gave us your name and number,  we are working on a movie  project and would like for you to be part of it "

Thank you for reaching out Ms Pepple, I responded...and in my usual manner I enquired ... may I have the date, the script so I can go through before we discuss artiste fees. 

"Ok Sir..." she responded ...

A week  later,  we agreed on date, artiste fees, costume and location for the shoot in PH, Rivers State.

Days afterwards, I received a travel document on Air Peace for PH, 

I informed my people , gave them the details of the shoot and the officials , called my friend the Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State that I was PH bound. 

Some hours  later we arrived PH and the Artiste Liaison Officer came to pick me from the airport or so I thought . 

I called my friend the Police Public Relations Officer  (PPRO) and informed him of my presence in his precinct, he asked for the address and I asked the ALO who came for me, I noticed he was very hesitant to answer me but eventually blurted out the area albeit uncomfortably.  

The address I forwarded to my friend,  a little over 30 minutes later we arrived what I observed to be a posh area behind D-Line in Rumuola an area in Obi-Akpor LGA in Rivers State .

I noticed the area was very quiet and looked secluded and uninhabited, even in very bougeousy  areas you'll still find people even security men, or mallams selling stuff from their gate house windows. 

This didn't go unnoticed to me and I discreetly forwarded my map pin to my friend the PPRO.

Shortly after we arrived into a very affluent looking apartment , the edifice itself looked uninhabited and had very few signes of human inhabitance.

I did a panaromic view of the apartment, to my left, was a gate house and further down I saw a kernel with what looked like  well trained German Shepherd Dogs all training their ferocious eyes on me. 

Further down , I saw a walk way with lush green lawns that seemed to stretch further than the eyes could see but also disappearing at a sudden curb as if it was meant to confuse one.

To my right I saw a couple of luxurious cars and make shift production bus hurriedly adorned with posters of movies past.

A similar lawn with well manicured lawns similar to the one to the right but with a cacophony of criss  crossed  cactus and hibiscus flower pots littering the disappearing curve of the curb.

As I was being ushered in, I quickly took some snaps of the environ and sent via WhatsApp to my friend not sure if the house had an inbuilt internet disabler.

Inside was a  lavishly decorated living room with gold trimmings and ornaments and a wall drapping sandwiched by stock heads of  wild animals hunted down for their precious horns and ivory tusks. 

I sat down and was immediately offered a choice of water , wine or beer.  

Totally jettisoning the subconscious alarms ringing in my head warning me to decline both,  I innocently accepted a choice of cold water, I should have known better when it arrived , served by a lady who seemed unsure of herself and literarily shivering , again this should have warned me. 

After dropping the water off a glass cup on top of a very thick side table , she was surmoned immediately but not before she gave me a very cold look filled with fear and danger alarms ringing , stupid me did not take note .

I gulped down the water in one fell swoop and requested to see my co actors and the crew , at this time I was frightenly alone until yet another steward , this time a much more assured looking  male steward sundered in , picked up the remote control of a very wide tv set with similar dimentions  of a vertically placed ping pong board, he turned it on and requested if I wanted to watch a Nollywood movie or a foreign one , I answered in the later and allowed myself to be enveloped in the comfortably well made  leather settee I had settled in.

I requested for the bathroom as he was about to leave and also enquired about the other crew members and my co actors , he mumbled  "they'll see you shortly, and the right door to your left" to both my questions. 

I could have sworn I staggered to get up from my enveloping settee to navigate the bathroom as he described , feeling like I was staggering , I made for the white door with a male miniature emoji indicating boys room on the door. 

The bathroom had a 2' x 2' window installed and as I struggled with my quasi consciousness to unzip my fly, I could have sworn I heard voices speaking in hush tones deciding how much to make off my body parts.

After I was done and flushed,  which I later realized to be a mistake , I observed the hosh toned voices had subsided and foot steps had taken over hurriedly leaving the bathroom window I had just used... I managed to send an SOS message to my friend fearing the worst and his urgent arrival to my rescue , with a last minute message not to come alone. 

After I confirmed he had received the message and confirmation of his quick "Copy that, stay calm and do not give away your fears feedback" I quickly pocketed my phone , opened the door and fell straight into the arms of four heavily built men  who started manhandling me and asking what I had heard, a quick upper court to my jugular by one of the men after series of migraine inducing slaps and punches  and  I passed out.

I came to at the Airforce Medical Facility by Rumukrushi Road and my friend was there to assure me all was well. 

I had narrowly escaped a case of Ritualists and Cultists who were rampant in that side of PH.

My friend told me I was lucky and my updates had made things easy for him and his men as well as the IGP Anti Kidnapping Team who worked together to have me and about 20 other victims rescued.

Sadly two other victims were not that lucky as they had been dismembered , butchered and their parts packed for human organ traders , dealers and merchants.

Pease be careful where you go, and always leave a forwarding address, phone numbers and names to loved ones and possibly a member of the security agency.

The world  is indeed now a very dangerous place and Nigeria is not exempted. 

Chris Iheuwa

June 4th 2021

START SWIMMING IN DEEPER WATERS By Edirin Edewor

I’m going to use the story of Jesus and Simon Peter to drive home my point. Stay with me. 

When Jesus was recruiting Disciples for his ministry on earth, he happened upon Simon Peter who was a fisherman. 

Peter and his guys had been toiling all night to catch fish, to no avail, and were getting ready to retire home for the day when they met Jesus. 

Jesus asked to use their boat as a pulpit as he taught a sermon. After the sermon as the crowd dispersed, He asked them to go a-fishing. 

Peter being the expert fisherman that he was, tried to explain that there was no fish to catch. They had tried every skill possible and still caught nothing, nevertheless, he obeyed and went back to sea. 

The story goes that Jesus told them to cast their net over the side of the boat and by the time they tried to pull back the net, it was so heavy, it threatened to sink their boat and actually tore the net. 

They had to call James and John to bring an extra boat to help. They didn’t even have the right equipment for the blessings they “caught”. 

When people talk about leveraging all the advantages you can muster so you have a better chance at life, you also see many people argue that it is possible to succeed without these advantages because they know somebody who has done it. 

Some of these advantages include: 

Going to school and graduating with good grades (whether it’s a public university, polytechnic, private university or study abroad)

Getting a Second Degree

Having a valid passport

Having visas

Having a business registered in countries with functioning systems

Joining international associations

Getting published internationally

Having travel history

Having extensive emergency savings

Having a consistent source of income

Having investments

Having income streams that are independent of the naira or any other currency that fluctuates and devalues heavily

Etc. 

I taught this extensively in one of the lessons in School of Influence Online Course.

You don’t have to have all, but if you can, get them all. If you don’t have one, get the others. It’s not the end of the line for you because you didn’t go to University or that your grades were poor. However, if you’re still in school, this is your cue to sit up and improve your grades. 

When you tell people to go to school and ensure they graduate with good grades, you see them argue that “school na scam” and that there are people who are doing well without an education or that jobs are hard to find in Nigeria.

They’re practicing what is called “survivorship bias” or “forgotten failures” and they don’t even know it. Go and google what that means. 

Who told you that just because it happened like that for A, B and C, it means that it must happen like that for you too? 

This is just one example of misplaced arguments and a limited understanding of how the world works. 

Twitter is awash right now with trending stories of American Companies hiring staff from all around the world, including Nigeria, and moving these staff to countries like Canada, the UAE and many European Countries because of America’s restrictive immigration policies. 

Now that the world has truly gone global and the Work From Home/ Remote Working arrangement is no longer a myth but a reality, Big Companies are casting their nets wider. 

What does this mean? It means that for you to be caught by their nets, you must be swimming in deeper waters. 

You cannot swim in deeper waters with the same instruments you use in swimming in shallow, localized waters. No, you need better equipment. You need all the advantages you can get. If you don’t have one, get the other. 

You don’t get to cherry pick which factor of success you want when you’re from a third world country. The fact that Bill Gates and Uncle Mark dropped out doesn’t mean anyone can do it. Again, there’s the survivorship bias. how many Bill Gates and Zucks are there?

What you don’t see is that there are millions of students who drop out every year. How many of them do you know, who became successful after they dropped out? That’s what motivational quotes and Instagram pages will not tell you. 

Let me tell you this. I graduated at the top of my class from Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin. I majored in Fisheries! I’ve never ever gotten a job with my degree. 

However, the opportunities I have gotten simply because I have a degree and was Best Graduating Student, are too numerous to count. 

Want to register a Business here in Dubai? You need to submit your University Certificate as one of the requirements. 

Want to Apply for an O-1 Visa to the US, you need to submit a CV before you’re even considered to apply. 

Don’t play with your future by choosing whether to have all the advantages or some of it. Get them all so you can swim in deeper waters. 

I’ll stop here for now. Perhaps I’ll do a live broadcast tomorrow morning if I get enough interest.

A Profile Of Engineer Omatsuli Tuoyo, One of Niger-Deltan Finest By David Odeli

Engineer Omatsuli Tuoyo: One of the Niger Delta Finest. 

Omatsuli Tuoyo is a Born Nigeria Civil Engineer, Real Estate Developer, Project Manager, Oil and Gas & Environmental and Waste Management Specialist.

He was born in Warri, Delta State. He is a Christian. He believes in God. He obtained his West African Examination Council Certificate in 1988. He was a student of St Malachy College Sapele Delta State.

In 1999, He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu State.

He has great passion for his country, Nigeria that was why in 2001, He went for his National Youth Service in Benin City Edo State.

In 2006, He obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Delta State University Abraka, Delta State. As his principle, he always set the standard in his quest for knowledge. He went further to obtain a Certificate in Financial Institution for Private Enterprises & Development (FIDED) IN 2008 from John Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Boston, USA.

In 2015, He obtained a Certificate in Project Management from University of Lagos. Akoka, Lagos State. He went further to obtain another Master’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Highway and Traffic Engineering Option 2016), from University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos State.

He has Great interpersonal skill and a he is good listener.

Mr. Omatsuli Tuoyo is an integrated real estate developer focused on premium developments across Nigeria. He aims to build inspirational development for our customers with distinctive design, quality construction and finishing.

He currently manages a portfolio spanning across residential, office space, retail, hospitality and social infrastructure in Nigeria. He has full Knowledge of the Oil and Gas and Environmental & Waste Management Industry in Nigeria.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Nigerian Society of Engineers.

Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers.

Rotary International.

Alternative to Violence Program (AVP).

Sir, you still remain a big asset to the Niger Delta. Your stay, which was cut short, as the Executive  Director Projects of NDDC, brought positive  developments to the oil rich region. Your code, "operation develop the Niger Delta Region" cannot be set aside. 

I am persuaded to believe that the region  will experience more infrastructural and human  capital development as well as social services when you are given opportunity  to serve again. 

Today, as we speak, the only development one can point to in the oil bearing communities in the region today were those you facilitated while in office.

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