NIGERIA'S ANTI-GAY LAW

A few weeks ago, CNN talked about our Same Sex Prohibition Act which has now become an issue of whether it is right or not to deny the basic human rights of a minority within a democratic society or the injustice of the Bill. Many Nigerians are careful not to flood Social Media with their views because of the embarrassment they felt when they took a stand against the Senate for the Underage girl marriage amendment, which they thought was being made to the 1999 constitution, only to be told they read the bill out of context. The penalties of this Bill, I agree, are a bit too stiff (e.g. 14 years imprisonment) and I also concur with some Nigerians that some terms in the Act need to be properly clarified so Law enforcers do not abuse it. Nigerians also need proper orientation on the Act so as not confuse it with Sharia Law which prosecutes homosexuals for being gay.

While the Act may seem extreme, keeping quiet about the matter will only make it worst. Being gay is a personal choice but robbing it in the face of the Majority that do not accept it as a way of life is pushing it too far. But that doesn't give anyone the right to molest Gay people. Understanding of this matter is imperative to enable one take a stand and to do that, you need to read the Prohibition Act or the interpretation of the Act from a legal stand point, see http://t.co/fmJpONpZ0F. And one last thing, please stop attacking Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) for signing the Bill. If the Bill reflects the wishes of Majority of the Nigerian people whether it be based on cultural or religious preferences, should he not sign it? Are we not in an era of democracy where the Government is answerable to the people? (see dailypost.com.ng/2014/01/22/reno-omokri-sex-marriage-government-teacher/).

This post was first hosted on my facebook page, Life, Love and Anything Goes

THE MEETING POINT (PT. 2)

...continued from last blog post

POLITICS

• MRS JOE OKEI-ODUMAKIN
(Human Rights Activist in Nigeria; President of Women Arise for change Initiative, Center for Change in CDP and Democracy for Change Campaign, etc and has received Multiple Awards)

Change does not come down from Heaven; we have to be part of that change. My cause is to see a system that works. Women who have been given the opportunity to serve have delivered, apart from a few who have let us down. We need to have that passion for change, we also need to change our mindsets and have a goal. We need to be assertive, study and stand up for what is right. The youth remains he lubricant of the survival of any society. Let us believe that what we do today with determination, posterity will outlive us. Let’s believe that anything we do today will live on. The more united we are as agents of change, the greater our chances of making Nigeria flourish again.

• JOHN OYEGUN
(Former Governor of Edo State during Babangida’s transition from Military to Democratic rule between 1992 -1993, Chairman Technical Working Committee of CODER and Leader of ANPP political party)

People look at Politics as a money making venture because people do not have alternative employment, we have a comatose economy, graduates without job or people serving with no experience. Before I entered Politics, I used to work in Development where doing projects to enrich society was the emphasis, so it formed the mindset/idea I had when I decided to go into Politics. With a civil servant father, growing up I learned to have a clear idea of what should not be done because the price to pay is high. The remedy for choosing service oriented political leaders is: Nobody should be entrusted with an office if they do not have their own business, worked in a structured environment or managed something because he won’t have what it takes to govern. You don’t practice governance with the Nigerian Populace of over 100million. Youths have to be prepared by being knowledgeable, aggressive, setting goals and persevering in pursuing them. You must be in command of your field don’t let anyone shut you out or down. Choose a direction to which you want to make an impact and you’ll get there sooner than later.

• MR. IYOBOSA
(Former Reporter of the News Temple Magazine, known for investigative Journalism)

Media is one of the institutions that have a role to play in advancing the society. In 1999 Nigerian constitution, the media were mandated to hold the government accountable to the people and we have been doing that quite well. Investigative journalism has been a tool in exposing corruption. The youths are no longer leaders of tomorrow but of today. Most Nations that have made progress turn to their young because the youths have more energy; they are more daring because they don’t know the cost of failure. Jesus and Alexander the Great are a few young people who changed the world but age should not be the factor. The question is as young people do we prepare ourselves for leadership? Back in the days, University students usually stood up to government when policies and unpopular decisions are made, it showed that we were engaged in the governance of the Nation.

BUSINESS
• DR. FEB IDAHOSA (BISHOP FEB)
(Son of Archbishop Benson A. Idahosa of blessed memory; founder of thirteen companies and brands, CEO of six Nigerian Companies and board member of two American Universities)

Learn to start small. Start with what you have and what you know how to do and as you do that, your business will grow to become as big as the business you aspire it to become. Get a mentor, someone who has done what you want to do and has gone further than you. Study the person, read their stories; when you are in the presence of greatness, ask questions. Always solve problems and people will chase after you.

• AUSTINE ASIMONYE
(CEO Austin Laz and company Plc, an indigenous manufacturer & specialist in refrigeration equipment and plastic products)

It is where you are that matters, God will always locate you at your location. Don’t focus on problems, focus on your goals and let them motivate you to find solutions to the challenges on your path. Government has made funds available for the manufacturing sector. To overcome the national challenge of power supply in manufacturing, have multiple production lines functioning at the same time, that way your generator covers your cost and compensates for any loss in profit.

• GABRIEL OGBECHIE
(Founder and MD Rainoil Ltd, a leading company in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector)

No one will give a ‘broke’ person money to start a business. You need to have equity before a bank will take your business proposal seriously. When starting up, create structures that your business will need when it grows. The most important thing you need to start any business is knowledge not cash; God will bring people to assist you. If you don’t know much about the business you want to venture into, set your capital aside and study the business. The best time to so business is when you are young with lots of energy and drive not when you are retired or put out of work.

CAREER

• MRS. LAURIE WHETSONE IDAHOSA
(Director of Campus Life in Benson Idahosa University, Real Estate Investor, Event Planner, Executive Member of CWFI and Faith Mediplex board, Co-founder of Big Ben children’s Hospital, Pastor, Mentor and Motivational Speaker)

Do with your life what you are passionate about. Every day you have opportunities that can make or break your future. Take decisions everyday that draws you closer to the path you were chosen for. As a woman, learn to switch ‘hats’ when actively engaging in multiple responsibilities.

• ARUOSA OSEMWEGIE
(An alumnus of Harvard Business School, Human Resource Consultant, Job Search Strategist, Life and Career Coach and Author)

Your career is your life’s expression. Your profession is a tool towards your career. What do you want to be remembered for such that when you look back, you’ll see the channel that took you there. Stop looking for jobs and try to make something out of the place you are in. Your career is different from your profession.

• ELVIS DANIELS
(Head of Youth segment for Etisalat (telecoms company), Marketing professional with over 10 years experience in fields like Relationship, Telecomms, Communications, Sponsorship, Media and Event management.)

People are different and what works for one person may not work for another. Know what you want and it’ll determine your career. If you put your mind at it, you’ll succeed. Study the field you want to excel at, become an expert in it. You have to get out there and make things work for you. If you are focused and persistent with your vision, you will get there. When you are convinced about what you want to achieve, sell it with confidence.

I hope you are inspired to excel in every aspect of your life by these words. Don't just read them, act on them.

THE MEETING POINT

So, a lot of readers enjoyed my Brian Tracy Seminar pointers and since I attended another seminar like it a few days after, I decided to share once again. This time, it was a program (The Meeting Point) organized by Niyi Adesanya, one of the top 10 public speakers in Nigeria, an author and business consultant. The first time I heard him speak was in 2010 during Walk With Will Conference organized by CGMi Church Unusual. I remember thinking he blew my mind with his down to earth practical solution to problems and issues.

So when I heard he was bringing ‘heavy weight champions’ in politics, business and career to the same venue I first heard him here in Benin City and that the Seminar would be free for all, I couldn’t resist the urge to tag along with my baby and hubby to be mentally enriched. From the sessions’ moderators – Efex Iyamu, Teajay Chunu and Daniel Ikuenobe – to the panelists, it was hard not to pick up something from this event. It lasted for 7 hours and no matter how quick I am with the pen, there’s only so little time will permit me to share.

Oh, lest I forget. The meeting point is a seminar organized to link Luminaries (high level achievers in different sectors) and Visionaries (young aspiring achievers) together in 6 Geo-political zones in Nigeria – Kano, Abuja, Ibadan, Enugu, Benin and Lagos.

So here are nuggets of wisdom from the amazing personalities that showed up that day.

• PAT UTOMI
(Founder, center of values in Leadership; founding senior of Lagos Business School and onetime special adviser to the president)

On Politics: Some people believe in the central conservative truth that it is not politics but culture that is responsible for the progress of a society (Republican point of view). While others believe in the liberal truth that politics can change a culture and save it from itself (Liberals point of view). Singapore is prove of the liberals view as politics help change it from 3rd world country to a 1st world country and Harvard University used value chain analysis years ago to discover how Colombia was an example of how family values/culture affects the progress of a nation. Poverty comes down to our values. What do we hold dear? Culture damages society in a fundamental way. When we say value can shape the progress of a nation, it’s not hard to see why a nation like Nigeria with resource-full and talented citizenry is not more progressive than it is. The collapse of culture has produced a regime of incentives where it pays to be a criminal or extortionist. That kind of culture of illegally obtaining wealth does not sustain progress.

On business: making money in business is a side effect of doing well in business. When you have a burden for something, it’ll translate into a vision and that vision is what will enable you make wealth. Entrepreneurship is about adding value, and then going on to create a venture, commercialize it and institutionalize it. We are a lazy society looking for money making opportunities when there are problems to be systematically solved all around us that has potential to give wealth to the initiator. An entrepreneur builds ladders of opportunities; think global value chain. In all consciousness, we should pursue an entrepreneurial culture as a people because there in lies our business and ability to enrich the nation.
to be continued...

Welcome to 2014

Happy New Year dearie, it's good to have you with me. Due to the many requests of my readers, I have decided to make a resolution which I hope I'll be able to keep and that is to start writing weekly posts so you can drop in on me anything and see something fresh. It may not be long and detailed all the time but it'll definitely be worth your time. If you love what I am doing, do tell someone about me and get them to visit this blog as often as possible.

I am also now on Instagram, so feel free to drop by and get a sneak peak of my personality, interests or even moments in my life from it. I can't blog about it all you know. Don't also forget to get a copy of my book from okadabooks.com if you have an Android Device. If you are having problems accessing my book from the okadabooks app or if you would prefer to have hard copies of my book, inbox me your email address on Facebook (Ann Dudu Esievoadje) along with your location so I can work towards getting you a copy. Also don't forget to follow me on twitter (annkite0) and like my facebook pages - Life, love and Anything Goes which is for brief write-ups on current issues from me and Ann Esievoadje which is for writing tips. Until next time, have a blast this New Year.

Jesus, The Reason for the Season

Hello Readers, So sorry for the long silence. I've been busy helping to organize my Church's Christmas service which turned out to be a blast!

In honour of the Season, I've decided to share with you a collaborative piece I co-wrote as a script for the service.

Thank God it's Friday

Hey peeps,
Sorry for the long silence. I've been working on a number of things that kept me really busy this month. One of which was learning how to drive (I've always had a fear of driving myself) and second of all was releasing the e-version (epub) of my book - The Quilt - on okadabooks.com, an online website that helps publish Nigerian writers. For now it's only available to Android users who can download the app on their tablet or phones.

I've also had the privilege of reading some very interesting pieces and the pdf version of the novel Stardust (see cover art below). I'll share some of what I've read with you as time goes but for now, I want to talk about something else. As you all know, November in the USA is associated with Thanksgiving, (hence the title of this post) and every day of our lives we have reasons to be thankful. For example, I'm thankful today is Friday because my nuclear family and I, are going for a Couples Retreat organized by my church. I would have left the smallie at home but hubby refused so little Nathan will be crashing our 'alone time'. Apart from that, I've seen the program and trust me, we are going to have fun.

On my last post, I responded to a comment and got a request from a beautiful lady called Heather Von St. James. I couldn't help but associate with her story. She is a 7-year survivor of Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer [a rare form of cancer (malignancy) that most frequently arises from the cells lining the sacs of the chest (the pleura) or the abdomen (the peritoneum). Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form, often presenting with symptoms in the chest area]. So I've decided to join her 30 days of thanksgiving on blogsphere by sharing her story and giving thanks for something this month.

As for her former condition, MedicineNet.com says, "Mesothelioma typically results from exposure to asbestos. When mesothelioma affects the chest, the doctor may look inside the chest cavity with a special instrument called a thoracoscope. When mesothelioma affects the abdomen, the doctor may look inside the abdomen with a special tool called a peritoneoscope. Mesothelioma is diagnosed by a biopsy. Most people present with complaints of shortness of breath. They also can have complaints of chest pain. Surprisingly, this pain is often not pleuritic; that is, it does not get worse with deep breathing. This is surprising in that the pleura (outer surface of the lung) is often involved in this disease, and most other diseases involving the pleura are often associated with pleuritic pain (pain that worsens with deep breathing). Patients may also be asymptomatic, with the disease discovered by physical exam or an abnormal chest X-ray. As the disease progresses, shortness of breath increases and weight loss decreased appetite, and night sweats can develop. Local invasion by a tumour can result in changing of voice, loss of function of the diaphragm, and symptoms specific to the area and involvement of adjacent structures. There are three traditional kinds of treatment for patients with malignant mesothelioma. Often two or more of these are combined in the course of treatment: surgery (taking out cancer), radiation therapy (using high-dose X-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells), and chemotherapy (using drugs to fight cancer)."

Cancer no matter the name is a dangerous ailment and early detection still remains the best way to avoid endless hours of pain and sorrow. As for me, I'm grateful for life and good health. Until the next post, stay safe.

PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1

In Nigeria, you can live a relatively peaceful life if you do not have a run in with any of the following people: Armed robbers, Fraudsters (e.g. ‘Yahoo boys’ and ‘One Chance’) and Law Enforcers. Why put law enforcers with criminals? That’s because nowadays, greedy illiterates have been given uniforms and the power to enforce societal principles which has in turn led to the victimization of innocent citizens.

Last year in August, I tweeted about the murder of Cynthia Osokogu, a 23yr old business woman who traveled to Lagos to meet up with a facebook acquaintance at a hotel for business and possible romantic affair. In other to solve the case and look effective, the police decided to arrest everyone related to the case in one way or the other except the hotel staffs. That was how an innocent intern pharmacist became accused of murder on 16 count charges after being tricked by the police to sell the drug used on the victim before she was raped and killed. With no law in place as to restrict the sale of certain medicinal substances that can be abused for other purposes, how can anyone know what manner in which the drug would be used or the true intention of the buyer?

That’s just one case of police victimization, despite all their TV ads and programs which say, ‘the police is your friend’. How can we trust them when they extort money from us whenever we call upon them to serve? No wonder there are so many unreported crimes in the nation. Later the police would expect the people not to take matters into their own hands and execute ‘jungle justice’ where the mob punishes caught offenders in public places. Let’s move on to some other form of victimization common to people living in Benin City, Edo state.

It is one thing to know you are on the wrong side of the law and quite another to be accused of being an offender of a law you know nothing about. This is usually what happens with traffic controllers and road safety officials. Sometimes they would stop a vehicle to check their papers and safety gear and finding nothing out of order, they’ll invent a permit or specification for a safety appliance like fire extinguisher or waste basket and compel car owners to pay sums of money which are never remitted to the state government. If you insist on your right, they’ll jump into your vehicle, causing unnecessary hold up on the road and demand you follow them to their office where the pay is larger. The only way to get out of it is to plead with them or conform to their wishes if begging doesn’t work or to be extremely knowledgeable of the law and your right and argue them out of reason backed up by knowing someone in a high position of authority to muscle you out of that situation.

Another scenario is their deliberate omission of sign posts in restricted areas or places where new communal law suggests certain activities shouldn’t be carried out there. They share themselves into two groups to ensure they divide and conquer. Some in plain clothes who look like thugs will approach you and pretend to inform you of the law and once you begin to act in compliance, they resist your attempts and start making trouble as though you attacked them. Their co-conspirators in uniform joins them and pretends to keep the peace while allowing the tow truck to hinge itself on your vehicle until you slip them an amount they deem worthy if not, it is off to their station to pay a higher bill. They’ll even go as far as suggesting a small amount they want you to pay and once you pay it, they still take you to their office and accuse you of bribing them. Thereby forcing you to pay a higher sum (with no receipt to prove that the money you paid will be paid into the Government’s account).

So how are these civil servants who operate during the day different from the armed robbers that attack at night? They have become more of a menace than a help to society, forcing individuals to create systems that avoid the use of their services. I have personally experienced these injustice meted out on the average Nigerian by those who are called to serve and protect. While we are trying to get our heads above water, some politicians in public offices are coming up with projects that their relatives or people who offer them bribe can manage in order to ensure they remain enriched with public funds. Our systems have become so flawed that youths fear there’ll be no remedy to salvage the nation from the clutches of corruption.

The level of oppression in the land by our fellow men is too much. Have a heart. If this was done to someone you love, would you stand for it? How can we revive the system such that educated men of integrity can hold offices in every sector of the economy? The solution lies in having a societal paradigm shift from self to selflessness; being willing to put our lives on the line for the greater good of all like Prof. Dora Akunyili did with NAFDAC and has left a legacy for other leaders after her to follow. We need a societal value change, where money isn’t the end result of hard work but who we become and the legacy we leave for others to follow. It starts with us as parents teaching our children the right values, then our churches or religious establishments teaching fundamental truths which have the power to liberate the mind of men and set them on a course of righteousness and love. Let’s stop waiting for activists and motivational speakers to ‘ginger’ us to make a change and let’s realize that the change starts with each and every one of us reading this piece.

Spread the word, get others to read this and be stirred in their hearts to act. It’s now or never. God bless Nigeria!