TEN YEAR OLD NIGERIAN GIRL ACCEPTED TO STUDY AT OPEN UNIVERSITY

Esther Okade, a ten year old British-Nigerian has been accepted to study for a maths degree at the UK’s Open University.

At age six, she gained a C grade in her maths GCSE at Ounsdale High School in Wombourne, Wolverhampton. She applied to the Open University in August 2014 – and after a phone interview, an essay and an exam, she was told in December that she had been accepted to study Maths at the institution.

Esther and her younger brother Isiah, who is already studying for his A-levels, are both home-schooled by their mother Omonefe Okade. Omonefe a mathematician herself converted the living room of their semi-detached, three-bedroom house into a makeshift classroom.

She enrolled three weeks ago and is already top of the class, scoring 100 per cent on a recent test.

In addition to math, Okade also loves Frozen and playing with doll. She has dreams of obtaining a PhD, running her own bank, and becoming a millionaire.

IF I BECOME PRESIDENT IN 2015

Despite all the challenges that this country is currently faced with, I believe that things can change for the better if the right people are given the opportunity. The problem with politicians is that no one is willing to deal with the problem squarely because they do not have the overall interest of the country at heart. So I have decided to run for the office of the President in the forth coming elections.

I will like to start by appealing to the relevant authorities to ensure that there is a level playing ground for those aspiring for this office. Its critical nature demands that there is little or no distraction from political godfathers or juggernauts.

If elected by the good people of this country, my first objective will be to secure the country’s borders and wipe out all the elements threatening our territorial integrity as a nation. I will re-position the military, the Police Force, the Secret Security Service and relevant security agencies by providing them with adequate training, competent personnel and modern weaponry to protect the nation from internal and external threats.

I will prosecute all past political office holders that have enriched themselves at the expense of the masses. They will be sent to Corruption Rehabilitation Centres before they can be welcomed back into the society.

There shall be a ban on lobbying for political appointments. Appointments will not be limited to political party, religion, social status or ethnicity. Anyone who is qualified to serve will be given an opportunity but they must have performed excellently in their communities. My government will also stop the overdue influence of foreign corporations in our polity. These companies only help in furthering their interest and not our national interest.

The office of The First Lady will be scrapped with immediate effect. Funds that were previously allocated to the office will be used to empower rural women to set up their own businesses. Our women and youths will be given 50% allocation in the various government positions.

The Civil Service will totally be overhauled. Adequate training will be provided for civil servants and their salaries will be increased by 100%. However, lateness, absenteeism and lack of productivity will attract a cut in salary for that month. Redundant workers will be laid off periodically.

There will be a reduction in the pay of all government representatives. They must undergo compulsory psychiatric and physical examination, to curb the frequent acts of aggression and sloppiness. They would be made to submit a report on the impact they have made before they are paid.

I will send a bill to the National Assembly for every child born to have free education, health care and social welfare. Funds to cater for this will be generated from various avenues that my government will put in place.

The Government under me will commence taxation of every organization that generates revenue including Churches, Mosques, Spiritual Centres and even Shrines.

It will become mandatory for Institutions of higher learning to pay larger attention to molding characters rather than just flooding the labour market with certificate wielding liabilities. Before the completion of any programme, government will set up structures that will help identify graduates who will become entrepreneurs and those who will be employees. This will create the needed balance and further reduce the rate of unemployment.

We will stop the over reliance on petroleum and pay greater attention to sectors like agriculture and the Small and Medium Enterprises.

Indiscipline will be greatly frowned at by my government. CCTV cameras will be installed at public places and anybody caught violating the law will be made to face its wrought. Street touts and urchins will be detained by a task force and sent to work in government owned farms and factories.

My government will offer Common Sense courses for all its citizens because knowledge is power. It will also help to bridge the literacy gap in the populace.

We will take the issue of Rape, armed robbery and financial crimes, very seriously. Anyone convicted of the above mentioned crimes will be drafted into a special police force that will be responsible for combating terrorism and insurgency in the country.

The importation of foreign goods will be reduced to its barest minimum. Citizens will be put under strict compliance to have at least 75% locally made merchandise in their possession. Anybody found flouting this directive will be severely sanctioned. My government will also pay enormous attention to exportation of our local resources. Only countries who buy from us will be allowed to sell to us.

I am not promising that it’s going to be an easy thing to accomplish but you may never know until you vote for me as your President.

SO YOU THINK YOU ARE IN LOVE?

I always thought I had fallen in love at one point or the other in my life. First time would be as early as 12 years old. Yes! I had those butterflies running in my small stomach and used to see that first girl in my dreams. And that process has come and gone a few times down the years with of course new co-stars.

It is very easy for us to put ourselves in ‘love mode’ and go on and on about love like we have a clue. I actually did think I knew something about love (I have been reading relationship books since I had my first crush). But early this week, I had this life changing encounter. 

THE OBSESSION OF PERFECTION

I apologize in advance if this post doesn’t sink properly into your system by the time you are done because it is not perfect.

According to Wikipedia; Perfectionism is a personality trait characterized by a person's striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high performance standards, accompanied by overly critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others' evaluations. It is best conceptualized as a multidimensional characteristic, as psychologists agree that there are many positive and negative aspects. 

In its manipulative form, perfectionism drives people to attempt to achieve an unattainable ideal, and their adaptive perfectionism can sometimes motivate them to reach their goals. In the end, they derive pleasure from doing so. When perfectionists do not reach their goals, they often fall into depression.

Let’s be honest, society’s obsession with perfection has a somewhat damaging consequence on our lives and good judgement. Ever since I can recall, I have always wanted to be the best in everything. For me, it was not enough to score 90% in an exam; I wanted to be top of the class. It was not enough to just be handsome; I wanted to be Mr. Nigeria and eventually Mr. Universe. I simply wanted to be perfect in everything and remain on top of the world. In the same manner, many young people feel very awkward and incomplete if they don’t have those things which are perceived by society to be a must have.

In our society, it’s absolutely normal to listen up when our parents or guardians begins a sentence with ‘You must’, ‘You have to’, ‘you should’ or ‘you better’. I find it rather puzzling. We have been so moulded by society’s strong idea of perfection that it’s now second-nature for it to dictate how we live our lives, what career to choose, how many children we should have, how to treat our partners, our religious preference and so on.

I would like us to look deeper into the implications of our obsession with perfection. The perfect life, job, partner, parents, deal, children, car, house, phone, friend, holiday and it goes on and on. On the surface, the struggle itself may not be a terrible idea, as long as one is not deluded with the concept of perfection and can forgive oneself for falling short of society’s expectations. For instance, every parent wants a well brought-up child but they are so obsessed with shaping the child’s perfect identity that they lose sight of accepting the child’s innocence in his/her imperfections.

Perfectionism in its essence is an extremely dangerous scheme and is an adversary of the Good life. The very idea of perfection is what it is – a concept, a mental impression, a probability, an opinion and a belief. We set such high standards for ourselves (and for others) and we end up thwarting our best interests. There’s nothing wrong with having a passion for excellence unless that determination to maintain the highest possible standard starts working against our own best efforts.

We stigmatize mistakes and make it look like the worst thing that anyone can do. And the problem this causes is that it drives people from their goal and makes them feel that making a mistake is wrong. Many people end up as failures in life because they are pushed too far by the society to attain perfection and they fail to realize that perfection is not attained over a given period of time but throughout a lifetime.

And that is how so many of us try so hard to prove to people around us that we are perfect just to boost our ego. We are so obsessed with being perfect that we are blinded to the strengths in imperfection. I have come to a point where I am comfortable making mistakes and learning from them every day.

When next you meet anyone you think is perfect, ask them if they make mistakes. Ask them if they are really prefect. I can promise you they are not but still you adore them. Like most perfection-possessed individuals have learnt, that perfect life can be a wasted life after all. In the end, the moral of the story is that nobody is perfect. 

#HappiestManInTheWorld

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTREY OF SEXUAL FULFILLMENT

The craving for connection between the opposite sexes is the most powerful force in human relations, particularly in a sexual context. Sex is like the merging two souls together and was originally intended as a solidifying component in the relationship between a man and woman. The impact of sex is so strong that it can be used to accomplish other human endeavours. Many couples are oblivious of the effect that sexual fulfillment has in consolidating their relationship. It’s difficult for a couple with an amazing sexual connection to have a frustrating relationship or marriage.

Sex plays a very significant role in the strengthening of many relationships. Despite its importance, it remains somewhat a mystery to several couples who find it challenging to converse about sex. Many sexually unfulfilled people who cheat on their partners often seek for greener pastures outside of their relationships with persons who they feel can relate with them on the same sexual frequency. This is because they are not wired to discuss about sex, except with those who they are very confident with.

CARPE DIEM: DEATH PROVOKING QUOTES THAT WILL INSPIRE YOUR LIFE

So many people avoid talking about death because they love their life so much that they never think of dying. But death is a price that we must all pay some day. We do not know how much time we have left, so we have to make the best of the moment. I have compiled 40 of the most inspirational quotes that would help you focus more on living a worthy life before you eventually die. Get Inspired! 


"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new"
~ Steve Jobs 

"If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, then he isn’t fit to live"
~ Martin Luther King Jr                   
"If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been"
~ Robert Schuller 

"If you spend all your time worrying about death, then living is not going to be much fun"
~ Anonymous

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victories for humanity"
~ Horace Mann

"We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will"
~ Chuck Palahnuik

"Always do something that will make you look good if you were to die in the middle of it"
~ Anonymous

"Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered, either by themselves or by others"
~ Mike Twain

"A lot of people do not muster the courage to live their dreams because they are too afraid to die"
~ Les Brown

"Because we do not know when we would die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well"
~ Brandon Lee

You must realize that one day you will die, until then you are worthless.
~ Chuck Palahnuik

Our death is not an end if we can live in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.
~ Albert Einstein

When I die it will be a shipwreck and as when a huge ship sinks, many people all around will be sunk down with it.
~ Pablo Picasso

I have been a fighter. If you tell me I can’t, I will die trying to prove you wrong.
~ R.A Salvatore

When you cease to make any contribution, you begin to die.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

There is nothing certain in a man's life except this; that he must lose it.
~ Aeschylus

To die is poignantly bitter but the idea of having to die without having lived is unbearable.
~ Anonymous

The death of someone we know always reminds us that we are still alive - Perhaps for some purpose which we ought to re-examine.
~ Mignon McLaughlin

Find what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling unto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness.
~ Charles Bokowski

Live rich, die poor. Never make the mistake of doing it the other way round.
~ Walter Annenberg

Each night when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning when I wake up I am reborn.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

To execute great things, one should live as though one will never die.
~ Luc De Clapiers

Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.
~ Norman Cousins

I believe we should die with decency, so that at least decency will survive.
~ Dag HammarskJold

Dying is not scary at all; it is the sadness of not been prepared for it scares the shit out of us.
~ Anonymous

Live as you would have wished to live when you are dying.
~ Christain Furchtegoff

Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives; that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.
~ Pope Paul VI

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.
~ Mark Twain

Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways.
~ Stephen Vincent Benét

Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Every man dies but not every man lives.
~ William Ross Wallace

Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live. ~ Henry Van Dyke

You only live once; but if you live it right, once is enough. 
~ Adam Marshall
Death helps us to see what is worth trusting and loving and what is a waste of time.
~ J. Neville Ward

As you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do.
~ Zachary Scott

The question is not whether we would die but how we will live.
~ Joan Borysenko

Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today. ~ James Dean

As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.
~ Leonardo da Vinci

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.
 ~ Diane Ackerman

We are born alone, we live alone and we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we are not alone.
 ~ Orson Welles



#HappiestManInTheWorld
 

FOR SECOND WIVES ONLY

Over the weekend I was having a rather interesting conversation with my cousin about settling down. I had asked when she was finally going to introduce me to her fiancee. I was only evading the question myself as she constantly bugged me with the same issue. Looking rather unsettled, it was obvious she was not seeing anyone in particular. So I went on to inquire what had become of all the men she had told me about in the past.

After what seemed like eternity, she disclosed to me that one of her suitors was married and the other was engaged to be married. I could tell from her countenance that the issues she had with both of them were resolvable if they were patient enough. She agreed with me and admitted she still felt something deep for one of them but there was nothing she could do about it.

And I asked her “Would you like to become a second wife?” Her blank gaze was enough for me to come to the conclusion that she is not ready to share her man with anyone. A lot of women share the same sentiment as my cousin. Most women don’t want to be ‘the other woman’. It was far more acceptable in the past for an African man to have more than one wife (Both my paternal and maternal grandfathers had three each) but not anymore.

Today, it is has become increasingly difficult for women to share their husbands. No little girl grows up with a dream of becoming a second wife. Even the ones who are compelled to, certainly don’t share them in equal halves. So it got me thinking, why is it so difficult for a single girl to marry a married man?

First and foremost, it takes a single woman with plenty of guts to fall in love with a married man. However, the game becomes more dangerous when she decides to marry him. This is because there is a tendency for the relationship to go out of hand.

A single woman decides to become a second wife to a wealthy man in spite of the abject horror of the polygamous arrangement. I am assuming you already know that love was the least on her agenda. No single woman no matter how crazy she is becomes a second wife just because of love. My people would say, if you must eat a toad, you must eat one laden with eggs.

The first wife is not always a fool. So, the second wife should have no business acting like an angel and hoping that everything will fall in place. The first lady will most certainly declare a total war on you for invading her territory. She knows you are on a mission and she will stop at nothing to make it impossible.

A second wife should not attempt to measure up to the first wife. It can be quite a challenge but obsessing over the woman that was there before you can be unhealthy and will only cause more problems for you. Also, the insecurity created by the man taking a second wife causes the first wife to harbour resentment which is then transferred to her children.

A second wife is solely responsible for her future and that of her children if she is lucky to have any. Her children’s need comes after that of the children of the first wife and the husband’s finances are never equally divided between the two wives

Another problem faced by a second wife is the way she is perceived at family gatherings where you and the first wife may have to battle for popularity. In reality the second wife has to be willing to win the family members over by making some concessions.

Terrible things can happen to second wives. Any second wife who is not equipped for the battle will end up playing the fool. It is sometimes better when they even have the support of the in-laws. In the absence of such reinforcement, she is pitted against the first wife, the in-laws, the husband and the mistresses (Yes, you are not the last mistress standing) to mention but a few. Surprise, surprise! Life is not just you and your husband.

You can blame the first wife for not keeping the husband happy enough or blame the second wife for trapping the innocent man when she knew he was already married. However you look at it, it is difficult to justify whether a man needs a second wife in the first place.

#HappiestManInTheWorld

THOU ART LOOSED: POWERFUL QUOTES ON LETTING GO AND MOVING ON

One of the hardest lessons is letting go. Whether it is guilt, love, anger, loss or betrayal. We fight to hold on and we fight to let go. Letting go of someone or something that you can't change and giving yourself peace of mind is a very important ingredient to having a beautiful life.

I have highlighted 25 powerful quotes that would help in letting go and moving on.

1. You don’t realize the heaviness of what you have been carrying until you feel the weight of its release. Sometimes you have to let some things go, so there is room for something better in your life. 
2. You have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life. Letting go of them is hard but holding unto them is impossible. 
3. Sometimes you need to walk away, not to let someone else realize how worthy you are but for you to understand and acknowledge your own self worth. 
4. You have to let go of your fears to catch your destiny.
5. Sometimes you have to do something you have never done before, in order to have something you have never had. 
6. Distance yourself from some people. If they care, they will notice but if they don’t you will know where you stand.
7. Sometimes you have to let go of the people you want, in order to get the people you need. 
8. Sometimes it’s better to let go of someone that we care about, not because we really want to; but because we care about their happiness more than ours. 
9. There are things in our lives that aren’t meant to stay. Sometimes the changes we don’t want are the changes we need to grow. 
10. You have to let go of toxic people because all they do is take, take and take; leaving you empty. 
11. Sometimes you have to let go of something precious in order to get something priceless. 
12. You have to be strong enough to let go and be patient enough to wait for what you deserve. 
13. Sometimes it seems the harder you try to hold onto something or someone, the more they want to get away. You have to realize that true freedom comes from letting go of the difficult things. 
14. Sometimes we have to let go of what is killing us even if it’s killing us to let them go. 
15. Sometimes you have to let go and be free. Life is a balance of holding on and letting go. 
16. Sometimes you just have to let go of what is gone, appreciate what still remains and look forward to what is coming. 
17. One of the most rewarding moments in life is when you finally find the courage to let go of what you can’t change. 
18. Sometimes it’s better to push someone away, not because you don’t love them but because you have to shield yourself from pain. 
19. Sometimes you just have to run away so that you can see who will run after you. 
20. Sometimes you have to learn from your past mistakes, even though you can’t change it; you will know better next time not to settle for less than what you deserve.
21. Giving up doesn't mean you are weak, it only means you are strong enough to let go of what you are not worthy of.
22. Sometimes you have to try not to care, no matter how much you do; because sometimes you mean nothing to someone who means everything to you. It’s not pride, it’s called self respect. 
23. Letting go doesn't mean that you don't care about someone anymore. It's just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself. 
24. Sometimes we have to forgive, not because they deserve it; but because they need it, because we need it, and because we cannot let go and move forward without it.

I hope that this helps you as you chart a new and hopefully happier course in your life.

NIGERIA'S PETROLEUM MINISTER EMERGES FIRST EVER FEMALE PRESIDENT OF OPEC

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has appointed Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison- Madueke, as newest president. Diezani was elected at the 166th General Meeting of the organization held on Thursday in Vienna Austria

 Alison-Madueke, who makes history as the first female to be elected into the office, was elected just as members of OPEC began their meeting at the headquarters of the group in in Vienna, Austria.

She succeeds Libyan Vice-Prime Minister for Corporations, Abdourhman Atahar Al-Ahirish. Until her election, Mrs. Alison-Madueke, who would serve for one year, was OPEC’s alternate president.

She is expected to commence work immediately to pilot the affairs of the organization at a time members are coming together to find ways of curbing falling global crude oil prices, which dropped to about $73.07 per barrel on Wednesday.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke was born 1960, the same year OPEC was established. She was formerly Minister of Transport from 2007 to 2008 and subsequently appointed Minister of Mines and Steel from 2008 to 2010. She became Minister of Petroleum Resources in 2010 as Nigeria’s first female Petroleum Minister.

ONYEMA ELECTED PRESIDENT OF AFRICAN SECURITIES EXCHANGES ASSOCIATION

The African Securities Exchanges Association has elected the CEO of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema, as President of the body the association’s 18th Annual General Meeting held in Diana, Kenya. The association also elected Karim Hajji, the CEO of Casablanca Stock Exchange (CASA) as its new Vice President.

Onyema who had previously served as the Deputy President of ASEA, will work with members of the committee to fulfill the mission and vision of the association. They will do this by focusing on four key strategies. These include strengthening the Association’s governance, financial and reporting framework; promoting the sustainable development of African capital markets; facilitating an increase in market access at the regional level, and promote cross-listing among African exchanges; and aligning the goals of African capital markets with those of the African Development Bank (AfDB). 

Other members of the committee include the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM), The Egyptian Exchange (EGX), Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE), The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.

Onyema became the president of the Nigeria Stock Exchange in April 2011 and has helped the exchange grow in capitalization and status. Under his leadership, the NSE was recently named a member of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).

On the regional level, Onyema serves as the Chairman, West African Capital Market Integration Council, Chairman of Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS) and council member of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers of Nigeria (CIS).

In 2009, Mr. Onyema founded Market Strategists LLC and consulted under the Gerson Lehrman Group platform in the United States, successfully enabling decision-makers at investment firms and corporations to understand financial products, services, companies, and issues in global financial markets. 

He served as the senior vice president and chief administrative officer at American Stock Exchange (Amex), which he joined in 2001. He was the first person of colour to hold that position, and was instrumental in integrating the Amex equity business into the NYSE Euronext equity business after the latter’s acquisition of Amex in 2008. He then managed the NYSE Amex equity trading business, which he helped position as a premier market for small and mid-cap securities.

Mr. Onyema holds an MBA, Finance and Investment from City University of New York, Baruch College and a degree in Computer Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University.