Monday 24 December 2012
Living healthier doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming, experts say
How much do you know about what makes up a healthy lifestyle? Here's a pop quiz.
1. How do you define working out?
a. Going to the gym.
b. Turning the jump-rope for the neighbor's kid.
c. Playing Frisbee with your dog.
2. How do you define good nutrition?
a. Eating a vegetable at every meal.
b. Eating two vegetables at every meal.
c. Drinking a fruit smoothie for breakfast.
3. Which of these is a healthy activity?
a. Push-ups, sit-ups, or running the track.
b. Walking the dog after dinner.
c. Spending Saturday afternoon snoozing on the sofa
Cameroon diaspora want Biya son indicted
How to make your strategy stick with a strategic story
“A company without a story is usually a company without a strategy.”
Ben Horowitz, entrepreneur and investor1
Steve Jobs bounces onto the stage and grabs the slide changer from his colleague with a friendly “Thanks Scott”. He’s looking thin and grey, illness having taken its toll, but his energy remains boundless. It’s the 2011 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference and Steve is about to announce a change in strategy for his company. The 1000-plus crowd cheers as he steps into the spotlight and then falls silent, hanging on his next utterance.
“About 10 years ago we had one of our most important insights, and that was the PC was gonna become the digital hub for your digital life.” With these words, Steve begins his strategic story.
A recent global study of 450 enterprises found that 80% of those companies felt their people did not understand their strategies very well.2 It’s the dirty little secret shared by so many companies: ask any employee about your strategy, including the executive team, and they’ll lunge for a document that tells them. It’s rarely embedded in their minds and, as a result, the espoused strategy does not influence day-to-day decision-making. Given the effort applied to strategy development, there is a massive disconnect here. The opportunity to reconnect a firm with its strategy lies in how this strategy is communicated and understood.
There are a number of ways of conveying your organisation’s strategy. A popular approach is to craft a beautiful-looking PowerPoint presentation and email it to all your team leaders, with instructions to present it to their teams. The head of strategy for one Australia’s iconic brands once told me he happened to sit in on one of these talks and witnessed a team leader presenting a slide pack. It went something like this: “OK, HQ has asked me to tell you about (clicks to the first slide) … ah yes, our strategy. (clicks to the next slide and reads out the contents, then clicks again, pauses, and says:) Not sure what this means …” (clicks to the next slide). The audience slid into boredom. The talk failed to engage the team and left them none the wiser about the strategy and why the company was taking that approach. In fact, they were probably more cynical about and disengaged from the company than they had been before they’d sat down.
So sure, emailing a slide pack is easy, but in most cases it’s next to useless. It often achieves the opposite of what you want.
Another popular method is the CEO roadshow. The CEO visits each company site and presents the slide pack herself. This act is symbolic. It shows that the CEO really cares about the strategy and wants everyone to know about it, so it must be important. The audience watches intently to see how she presents the strategy, to see if she really believes it, if she really cares about it. Of course, the CEO is also there to answer questions, but no-one dares ask one in such an open forum.
Sadly, the result is often similar to what was observed by the head of strategy mentioned earlier. In kicking off a strategy session, a department head at a well-known bank asked a roomful of people, “So, who can tell me about our strategy?” Nothing. “OK, just one of the 12 items then.&rldquo; Still nothing. “So, no-one can remember any of the 12 things I have just travelled around all our sites talking about?” Silence.
Slide pack-driven presentations typically contain lots of bullet points and graphs and facts, but because these are not presented within an overarching narrative, it’s hard for the audience to join the dots. The audience forgets the information almost as soon as it files out of the auditorium because the presentation lacks a memorable story.
A key question people often ask when they hear about a new strategy is “Why?” “Why are we focusing on acquisition?” “Why are we outsourcing?” “Why are we demoting the Mac to the level of an iPhone or iPad?” A story best answers these “Why?” questions because it tells us what caused the change and what’s going to happen next – the strategy. A story provides the context for a strategy, making it meaningful and allowing it to connect with other company stories employees may have in their minds.
Here’s an example of a strategic story that was told to me at an executive story training session for a telecommunications company in Malaysia. The organisation’s leader was listening to my explanation of a strategic story when he suddenly jumped up and said: “I get it. Here’s our story. Over the last 10 years we’ve been focused on building mobile coverage. Our revenues have steadily increased but our infrastructure costs are rising faster. In 2 years time our infrastructure costs will exceed revenue. That’s why we’re now moving to collaborate and share infrastructure with our competitors and putting our efforts into competing on what runs on our mobile network.”
Why was this company collaborating with their competitors on infrastructure? Because its infrastructure costs were going through the roof. A simple yet effective story helped us understand why.
Strategic stories are powerful because people can picture them, remember them and retell them. Well-developed stories not only answer the “Why?” questions but also convey emotion in a way that inspires people to take action in accordance with the new strategy.
Developing an effective strategic story requires some work, primarily by the members of the executive team, who will often have a variety of views about what the company strategy actually is. It’s crucial that the responsibility for the story is not outsourced to the strategy department or, even worse, given to a creative agency. The leaders of the company must firstly clarify their own understandings of the strategy. They must then own both the strategy and the story that communicates it. Finally, they must not merely be comfortable telling that story – they must relish doing so.
One of the challenges faced by executives is to overcome the desire to get the words of the story absolutely perfect, as if the next Pulitzer Prize winner is being written. The story should instead be written to suit oral retellings, where the spine of the story will remain unchanged but the exact wording will be chosen by the speaker. These choices will be guided by the context and purpose of the story telling. Sometimes the telling will be long, sometimes it will be short, or it will focus on one part of the business, or on an internal story, or an external one … Stories have a tremendous capacity for adaptation.
Another challenge faced by executives is the desire to only talk about what’s working well. The problem with that, however, is that a pollyanna story – where everything is good and nothing ever goes wrong – is never believed for long, if at all. Eventually, everyone will see it as merely corporate spin. Steve Jobs does not make this mistake at the developers conference. Part-way through his telling of the strategic story that introduces iCloud, he admits the failings of the now superseded software MobileMe, saying, “It wasn’t our finest hour.”3 The crowd roars with laughter. There is a sense of relief that he hasn’t tried to sweep the failure under the carpet. His strategic story gains credibility.
One of the simplest ways of working out what failings to include in your strategic story is to explore the possible anti-tales that might be told to discredit your story. A key lesson in story work is that you can’t beat a good story with fact; you can only beat a good story with a better story. A strong example of this was provided by a large government department that we helped to develop a strategic story. This department had just merged with another department and their strategic story highlighted the advantages of the integration. When we asked the executives to tell us some anti-stories, they described how the department had attempted another merger a decade ago but it had only lasted a couple of years. They called it the big divorce, and there were still fears that it might happen again. It was clear we needed to face up to that fact in the department’s strategic story.
Once an executive team can tell their strategic story, replete with personal anecdotes that really bring the story to life, they then need to get the rest of their organisation involved in telling it. It’s important to achieve this through both bottom-up and top-down approaches, and to allow for variations of the story to emerge that suit different parts of the business while maintaining the story’s core.
Large company gatherings are a perfect time to introduce a strategic story. Immersing many people in a story at the same time results in an aspect of group psychology called ‘social proof’ – the social pressure that tells us that if other people are doing something, it is safe for us to do the same thing. A large event provides the perfect forum for executives to present their story and for the participants to share their own anecdotes, which can reinforce and illustrate the strategy. This also allows concerns and anecdotes which contradict or undermine the strategic story to surface and be dealt with.
Companies can develop and embed strategic stories at any level of the organisation. There can be a company-wide strategic story or one for a particular business division. CIOs are beginning to invest in developing strategic stories to bring their IT strategies to life so it makes sense for CEOs, other executives and board members.
An organisation’s culture is defined by the stories employees, customers, partners and all the many stakeholders tell. So if you want to change your company’s culture, you must therefore change the stories people tell. Your strategic story will become entwined in your culture, providing an overarching narrative that triggers new stories while also being modified by what happens in the organisation. The strategic story is alive because it is not merely the words that the executive team assemble and speak. Rather, the strategic story is fed by the multitudinous actions people take in the organisation.
Edgar Schein noted nearly a decade ago that there are relatively few things leaders do that inordinately affect organisational culture:4
It’s clear that creating an effective strategic story, one with real impact, involves much more than simply crafting and then telling a compelling story. It involves an executive team developing the strategic story themselves so that they can own it. It involves that team being comfortable with telling the story and weaving their own experiences through it. And most importantly, it involves everyone in the organisation learning and telling their own versions of the strategic story so that they all own it and act to support and build on it.
Steve Jobs paces back and forth across the stage, painting word pictures of where Apple has come from, why a change in strategy is needed, and where the company will now be heading. He talks as if it has already come to pass. Eventually he brings up his last slide, takes a deep breath, and finishes his story: “So that is iCloud. source by
References
1. Horowitz, B. 2010, How Andreessen Horowitz Evaluates CEOs, http://www.businessinsider.com/how-andreessen-horowitz-evaluates-ceos-2010-5-2.
2. Vanson Bourne (2011). The link between strategic alignment and staff productivity: A survey of decision-makers in enterprise organisations. http://www.successfactors.co.uk/resources/resource-item/the-link-between-strategic-alignment-and-staff-productivity/
3. Apple WWDC 2011 Keynote Address. http://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/apple-wwdc-2011-keynote-address/id275834665?i=94705755
4. Schein, E.H. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership, 3rd edn, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco.
Powered by Movable Type 5.02 © Anecdote Pty Ltd
Ben Horowitz, entrepreneur and investor1
Steve Jobs bounces onto the stage and grabs the slide changer from his colleague with a friendly “Thanks Scott”. He’s looking thin and grey, illness having taken its toll, but his energy remains boundless. It’s the 2011 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference and Steve is about to announce a change in strategy for his company. The 1000-plus crowd cheers as he steps into the spotlight and then falls silent, hanging on his next utterance.
“About 10 years ago we had one of our most important insights, and that was the PC was gonna become the digital hub for your digital life.” With these words, Steve begins his strategic story.
A recent global study of 450 enterprises found that 80% of those companies felt their people did not understand their strategies very well.2 It’s the dirty little secret shared by so many companies: ask any employee about your strategy, including the executive team, and they’ll lunge for a document that tells them. It’s rarely embedded in their minds and, as a result, the espoused strategy does not influence day-to-day decision-making. Given the effort applied to strategy development, there is a massive disconnect here. The opportunity to reconnect a firm with its strategy lies in how this strategy is communicated and understood.
There are a number of ways of conveying your organisation’s strategy. A popular approach is to craft a beautiful-looking PowerPoint presentation and email it to all your team leaders, with instructions to present it to their teams. The head of strategy for one Australia’s iconic brands once told me he happened to sit in on one of these talks and witnessed a team leader presenting a slide pack. It went something like this: “OK, HQ has asked me to tell you about (clicks to the first slide) … ah yes, our strategy. (clicks to the next slide and reads out the contents, then clicks again, pauses, and says:) Not sure what this means …” (clicks to the next slide). The audience slid into boredom. The talk failed to engage the team and left them none the wiser about the strategy and why the company was taking that approach. In fact, they were probably more cynical about and disengaged from the company than they had been before they’d sat down.
So sure, emailing a slide pack is easy, but in most cases it’s next to useless. It often achieves the opposite of what you want.
Another popular method is the CEO roadshow. The CEO visits each company site and presents the slide pack herself. This act is symbolic. It shows that the CEO really cares about the strategy and wants everyone to know about it, so it must be important. The audience watches intently to see how she presents the strategy, to see if she really believes it, if she really cares about it. Of course, the CEO is also there to answer questions, but no-one dares ask one in such an open forum.
Sadly, the result is often similar to what was observed by the head of strategy mentioned earlier. In kicking off a strategy session, a department head at a well-known bank asked a roomful of people, “So, who can tell me about our strategy?” Nothing. “OK, just one of the 12 items then.&rldquo; Still nothing. “So, no-one can remember any of the 12 things I have just travelled around all our sites talking about?” Silence.
Slide pack-driven presentations typically contain lots of bullet points and graphs and facts, but because these are not presented within an overarching narrative, it’s hard for the audience to join the dots. The audience forgets the information almost as soon as it files out of the auditorium because the presentation lacks a memorable story.
A key question people often ask when they hear about a new strategy is “Why?” “Why are we focusing on acquisition?” “Why are we outsourcing?” “Why are we demoting the Mac to the level of an iPhone or iPad?” A story best answers these “Why?” questions because it tells us what caused the change and what’s going to happen next – the strategy. A story provides the context for a strategy, making it meaningful and allowing it to connect with other company stories employees may have in their minds.
Here’s an example of a strategic story that was told to me at an executive story training session for a telecommunications company in Malaysia. The organisation’s leader was listening to my explanation of a strategic story when he suddenly jumped up and said: “I get it. Here’s our story. Over the last 10 years we’ve been focused on building mobile coverage. Our revenues have steadily increased but our infrastructure costs are rising faster. In 2 years time our infrastructure costs will exceed revenue. That’s why we’re now moving to collaborate and share infrastructure with our competitors and putting our efforts into competing on what runs on our mobile network.”
Why was this company collaborating with their competitors on infrastructure? Because its infrastructure costs were going through the roof. A simple yet effective story helped us understand why.
Strategic stories are powerful because people can picture them, remember them and retell them. Well-developed stories not only answer the “Why?” questions but also convey emotion in a way that inspires people to take action in accordance with the new strategy.
Developing an effective strategic story requires some work, primarily by the members of the executive team, who will often have a variety of views about what the company strategy actually is. It’s crucial that the responsibility for the story is not outsourced to the strategy department or, even worse, given to a creative agency. The leaders of the company must firstly clarify their own understandings of the strategy. They must then own both the strategy and the story that communicates it. Finally, they must not merely be comfortable telling that story – they must relish doing so.
One of the challenges faced by executives is to overcome the desire to get the words of the story absolutely perfect, as if the next Pulitzer Prize winner is being written. The story should instead be written to suit oral retellings, where the spine of the story will remain unchanged but the exact wording will be chosen by the speaker. These choices will be guided by the context and purpose of the story telling. Sometimes the telling will be long, sometimes it will be short, or it will focus on one part of the business, or on an internal story, or an external one … Stories have a tremendous capacity for adaptation.
Another challenge faced by executives is the desire to only talk about what’s working well. The problem with that, however, is that a pollyanna story – where everything is good and nothing ever goes wrong – is never believed for long, if at all. Eventually, everyone will see it as merely corporate spin. Steve Jobs does not make this mistake at the developers conference. Part-way through his telling of the strategic story that introduces iCloud, he admits the failings of the now superseded software MobileMe, saying, “It wasn’t our finest hour.”3 The crowd roars with laughter. There is a sense of relief that he hasn’t tried to sweep the failure under the carpet. His strategic story gains credibility.
One of the simplest ways of working out what failings to include in your strategic story is to explore the possible anti-tales that might be told to discredit your story. A key lesson in story work is that you can’t beat a good story with fact; you can only beat a good story with a better story. A strong example of this was provided by a large government department that we helped to develop a strategic story. This department had just merged with another department and their strategic story highlighted the advantages of the integration. When we asked the executives to tell us some anti-stories, they described how the department had attempted another merger a decade ago but it had only lasted a couple of years. They called it the big divorce, and there were still fears that it might happen again. It was clear we needed to face up to that fact in the department’s strategic story.
Once an executive team can tell their strategic story, replete with personal anecdotes that really bring the story to life, they then need to get the rest of their organisation involved in telling it. It’s important to achieve this through both bottom-up and top-down approaches, and to allow for variations of the story to emerge that suit different parts of the business while maintaining the story’s core.
Large company gatherings are a perfect time to introduce a strategic story. Immersing many people in a story at the same time results in an aspect of group psychology called ‘social proof’ – the social pressure that tells us that if other people are doing something, it is safe for us to do the same thing. A large event provides the perfect forum for executives to present their story and for the participants to share their own anecdotes, which can reinforce and illustrate the strategy. This also allows concerns and anecdotes which contradict or undermine the strategic story to surface and be dealt with.
Companies can develop and embed strategic stories at any level of the organisation. There can be a company-wide strategic story or one for a particular business division. CIOs are beginning to invest in developing strategic stories to bring their IT strategies to life so it makes sense for CEOs, other executives and board members.
An organisation’s culture is defined by the stories employees, customers, partners and all the many stakeholders tell. So if you want to change your company’s culture, you must therefore change the stories people tell. Your strategic story will become entwined in your culture, providing an overarching narrative that triggers new stories while also being modified by what happens in the organisation. The strategic story is alive because it is not merely the words that the executive team assemble and speak. Rather, the strategic story is fed by the multitudinous actions people take in the organisation.
Edgar Schein noted nearly a decade ago that there are relatively few things leaders do that inordinately affect organisational culture:4
- what leaders pay attention to, measure and control on a regular basis
- how leaders react to critical incidents and organisational crises
- how leaders allocate resources
- deliberate role modelling, teaching and coaching
- how leaders allocate rewards and status
- how leaders recruit, select, promote and excommunicate.
It’s clear that creating an effective strategic story, one with real impact, involves much more than simply crafting and then telling a compelling story. It involves an executive team developing the strategic story themselves so that they can own it. It involves that team being comfortable with telling the story and weaving their own experiences through it. And most importantly, it involves everyone in the organisation learning and telling their own versions of the strategic story so that they all own it and act to support and build on it.
Steve Jobs paces back and forth across the stage, painting word pictures of where Apple has come from, why a change in strategy is needed, and where the company will now be heading. He talks as if it has already come to pass. Eventually he brings up his last slide, takes a deep breath, and finishes his story: “So that is iCloud. source by
References
1. Horowitz, B. 2010, How Andreessen Horowitz Evaluates CEOs, http://www.businessinsider.com/how-andreessen-horowitz-evaluates-ceos-2010-5-2.
2. Vanson Bourne (2011). The link between strategic alignment and staff productivity: A survey of decision-makers in enterprise organisations. http://www.successfactors.co.uk/resources/resource-item/the-link-between-strategic-alignment-and-staff-productivity/
3. Apple WWDC 2011 Keynote Address. http://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/apple-wwdc-2011-keynote-address/id275834665?i=94705755
4. Schein, E.H. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership, 3rd edn, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco.
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Oh my God get yourself luagh by clicking to see a suprise of what will make you laugh the more......................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHinOHMGkHc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87CtcgK8Cwg
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACY-SF9RRRI&playnext=1&list=PL7D7C01E4EB828A89
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ogOH46EN8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87CtcgK8Cwg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3deDc3a4no
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACY-SF9RRRI&playnext=1&list=PL7D7C01E4EB828A89
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ogOH46EN8
Two Nurses Caught On Tape Engaging In Sexual Acts With 98-Year-Old Stroke Patient
Suspected Herdsmen Kill 1, Injure 4 Others In Ogun
Five (5) sure ways to make women want you
Women want the ideal man who is confident, self-sufficient and respectable.
Getting women to fall for you is not as hard as it may seem. Making women feel a deep attraction to you doesn’t require expensive gifts, extravagant gestures or rock hard abs. In fact, all it really requires is a little charm and a few good manners. Mastering the following 5 qualities will set you on your way to becoming the man women will be fighting for.
Getting women to fall for you is not as hard as it may seem. Making women feel a deep attraction to you doesn’t require expensive gifts, extravagant gestures or rock hard abs. In fact, all it really requires is a little charm and a few good manners. Mastering the following 5 qualities will set you on your way to becoming the man women will be fighting for.
Is it true that Governor Yakowa Had Been Killed Spiritually For A Long Time – Cleric reveals
Chicken thief beaten to death in kanya
A 35-year-old man was lynched by an irate mob in Mariani location, Tharaka-Nithi County after he allegedly stole a chicken
from his neighbour. Area OCPD Kizito Mutulo said the residents
descended on the deceased, identified as Mutwiri Magiri, with crude
weapons.Nobody Can Stop Us From Questioning Jonathan – Mohammed, Reps Spokesman
Zakari Mohammed is the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs. In this chat, Mohammed speaks on the activities of the 7th Assembly.
He also gives an insight into the frosty relationship between Mr President and the Green Chamber. Excerpts:
How do you assess the 7th Assembly in the last 12 months of Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal leadership?
The 7th Assembly came to restore the hopes and aspirations of all Nigerians and we proved this point in January when we convened a plenary on a Sunday to quickly address the almost state of anarchy during the protest against the sudden withdrawal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
This development gave rise to the constitution of an adhoc committee on fuel subsidy monitoring regime that exposed the shoddy deals in that sector of our economy. Also, one glaring fact Nigerians must have realized by now is that this Assembly did not come with a barren mind. We came with a strong resolute via the 7th Assembly Legislative Agenda to make laws that would promote Nigerians.
Input into constitution
We did not stop our campaign of ensuring Nigerians are freed from the shackles of poverty. That is why when the Central Bank of Nigeria wanted to introduce the N5000 note, we halted it immediately it was made public. The CBN had told us that a cashless economy was in vogue, but the sudden introduction of the N5000 note ran contrary to that policy and we stopped it because we knew it was not sustainable. The House took all these issues with all seriousness because we are equally accountable to those who sent us to represent them here and anything that runs foul of the rule of law had to be checkmated.
Also, for the first time in the history of this democracy, we took the issue of constitution review to the grassroots where all stakeholders made input into our constitution. This marked a watershed in the annals of constitution amendment in Nigeria.
The 360 constituencies in the country had a feel of it and issues like state police, insecurity,abrogation of state INEC, autonomy of state assemblies, autonomy of local government areas, state creation, our educational system, empowerment of women and other various national issues were exhaustively discussed. We equally made it clear that the issue of referendum for now cannot be discussed because we have the National Assembly that is constitutionally empowered to carry out legislative functions. As you know there is no document in this world that is perfect, all we can do is to periodically review it.
Business unusual
There is also the issue of the 2012 budget that was abysmally implemented, we stepped in to ensure that 100 percent implementation is attainable to serve as basis for the 2013 budget. The House also strengthened its oversight function as all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government were made to stand on their feet. We made sure it was not business-as-usual. Rather, we focused on business unusual to achieve results from the MDAs.
The Committee on Public Accounts this year alone treated the Auditor General’s annual reports in the last four years. The House did all of these despite the limitations that faced us particularly when we had to slash our earnings by over 63percent. We went on a self-cleansing mission to send a message to all and sundry that we are here to work. This has given rise to different insinuations from several quarters that the House is broke. But we are not complaining, rather we have made laws for the betterment of Nigerians. Remember that we swore to on oath to protect the interest of all Nigerians. This oath of allegiance is the bond we have with our constituents.
The House would do anything to ensure that we do not derail in carrying out our primary function of making popular laws. This year, we embarked on a nationwide oversight tour of all Federal Government projects. This tour of opened our eyes to so many things that are not being properly done. As you aware also, it was the first of its kind to the extent that journalists were incorporated into it for proper reportage.
Do you think the Tambuwal Legislative Agenda is still very much on course?
It has not derailed, rather, it is waxing stronger on a daily basis. It is the social contract we signed with the people of Nigeria. Tambuwal has done everything possible to live above board. He has exhibited exemplary leadership. Our legislative agenda is like the Bible and the Koran, we religiously follow it.
The House adhoc committee report on fuel subsidy did not portray the 7 th Assembly in good light. What really happened?
You do not have to be told, the House committee report exposed the illegalities in that sector perpetuated by a selected few to the admiration of all Nigerians. You also know that we went a step further by ensuring that the erring officer at a time was suspended pending when investigations into the allegations are cleared by the House committee in charge of such matters. And you also know that there were a lot of under table dealings that the report exposed.
But like I said earlier , there are people out there that do not want this report to see the light at day. The House made all the necessary background that led to the whole noise. Look at what is happening to the Ribadu-led committee report; is it not generating the same reactions today? Both reports are pointers to the fact that all is not well with the sector and we cannot be cowed by cheap blackmail from those who have plundered our country.
At a time, the House invited President Goodluck Jonathan to come and brief legislators on how he is handling security in Nigeria, but, till date, the president has ignored the invitation. How does the House take it?
The president of the United States every now and then briefs the Congress on key issues, ours should not be an exception. We are equally accountable to our constituents and we can never allow Project Nigeria to fail, there is need for us to synergise to allow Project Nigeria to survive. We have a right to ask Mr President questions on behalf of our constituents. Mind you we did not summon him, we simply invited him to come and rub minds with us and give account of what has been happening to security in the country.
He also gives an insight into the frosty relationship between Mr President and the Green Chamber. Excerpts:
How do you assess the 7th Assembly in the last 12 months of Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal leadership?
The 7th Assembly came to restore the hopes and aspirations of all Nigerians and we proved this point in January when we convened a plenary on a Sunday to quickly address the almost state of anarchy during the protest against the sudden withdrawal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
This development gave rise to the constitution of an adhoc committee on fuel subsidy monitoring regime that exposed the shoddy deals in that sector of our economy. Also, one glaring fact Nigerians must have realized by now is that this Assembly did not come with a barren mind. We came with a strong resolute via the 7th Assembly Legislative Agenda to make laws that would promote Nigerians.
Input into constitution
We did not stop our campaign of ensuring Nigerians are freed from the shackles of poverty. That is why when the Central Bank of Nigeria wanted to introduce the N5000 note, we halted it immediately it was made public. The CBN had told us that a cashless economy was in vogue, but the sudden introduction of the N5000 note ran contrary to that policy and we stopped it because we knew it was not sustainable. The House took all these issues with all seriousness because we are equally accountable to those who sent us to represent them here and anything that runs foul of the rule of law had to be checkmated.
Also, for the first time in the history of this democracy, we took the issue of constitution review to the grassroots where all stakeholders made input into our constitution. This marked a watershed in the annals of constitution amendment in Nigeria.
The 360 constituencies in the country had a feel of it and issues like state police, insecurity,abrogation of state INEC, autonomy of state assemblies, autonomy of local government areas, state creation, our educational system, empowerment of women and other various national issues were exhaustively discussed. We equally made it clear that the issue of referendum for now cannot be discussed because we have the National Assembly that is constitutionally empowered to carry out legislative functions. As you know there is no document in this world that is perfect, all we can do is to periodically review it.
Business unusual
There is also the issue of the 2012 budget that was abysmally implemented, we stepped in to ensure that 100 percent implementation is attainable to serve as basis for the 2013 budget. The House also strengthened its oversight function as all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government were made to stand on their feet. We made sure it was not business-as-usual. Rather, we focused on business unusual to achieve results from the MDAs.
The Committee on Public Accounts this year alone treated the Auditor General’s annual reports in the last four years. The House did all of these despite the limitations that faced us particularly when we had to slash our earnings by over 63percent. We went on a self-cleansing mission to send a message to all and sundry that we are here to work. This has given rise to different insinuations from several quarters that the House is broke. But we are not complaining, rather we have made laws for the betterment of Nigerians. Remember that we swore to on oath to protect the interest of all Nigerians. This oath of allegiance is the bond we have with our constituents.
The House would do anything to ensure that we do not derail in carrying out our primary function of making popular laws. This year, we embarked on a nationwide oversight tour of all Federal Government projects. This tour of opened our eyes to so many things that are not being properly done. As you aware also, it was the first of its kind to the extent that journalists were incorporated into it for proper reportage.
Do you think the Tambuwal Legislative Agenda is still very much on course?
It has not derailed, rather, it is waxing stronger on a daily basis. It is the social contract we signed with the people of Nigeria. Tambuwal has done everything possible to live above board. He has exhibited exemplary leadership. Our legislative agenda is like the Bible and the Koran, we religiously follow it.
The House adhoc committee report on fuel subsidy did not portray the 7 th Assembly in good light. What really happened?
You do not have to be told, the House committee report exposed the illegalities in that sector perpetuated by a selected few to the admiration of all Nigerians. You also know that we went a step further by ensuring that the erring officer at a time was suspended pending when investigations into the allegations are cleared by the House committee in charge of such matters. And you also know that there were a lot of under table dealings that the report exposed.
But like I said earlier , there are people out there that do not want this report to see the light at day. The House made all the necessary background that led to the whole noise. Look at what is happening to the Ribadu-led committee report; is it not generating the same reactions today? Both reports are pointers to the fact that all is not well with the sector and we cannot be cowed by cheap blackmail from those who have plundered our country.
At a time, the House invited President Goodluck Jonathan to come and brief legislators on how he is handling security in Nigeria, but, till date, the president has ignored the invitation. How does the House take it?
The president of the United States every now and then briefs the Congress on key issues, ours should not be an exception. We are equally accountable to our constituents and we can never allow Project Nigeria to fail, there is need for us to synergise to allow Project Nigeria to survive. We have a right to ask Mr President questions on behalf of our constituents. Mind you we did not summon him, we simply invited him to come and rub minds with us and give account of what has been happening to security in the country.
Youths kill pastor, two others over land dispute
Members of Faith Builders Ministry, a Pentecostal church located in Calabar Municipal Council of Cross River State, have been thrown into mourning following the death of their pastor and founder, Rev. John Ene-Obong, who was killed last Monday by irate youths over a land dispute in Ikot Ene-Obong community.
Kidnappers Use Rape to Force Nollywood Actress To Pay Ransom
Fresh facts are emerging with regards to the kidnap of Nkiru Sylvanus:
“Initially, the family paid N7million to the kidnappers and the police who laid ambush swooped on them at the point of collection and recovered the money that was locked in the trunk of their car as they escaped…
FG Needs N500bn To Settle PHCN Workers
he National Union of Electricity Employees yesterday said that
N500billion was required to pay the entitlement of workers in the power
sector.
The union’s General Secretary, Mr Joe Ajaero, made this known during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos.
Ajaero said that of the amount, N400billion would be required for workers’ gratuity, while N100billion would be use to pay pension arrears.
He said that it was not the Ministry of Power that should announce what the Federal Government would disburse as severance package to PHCN workers.
The general secretary said that the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) was in a better position to announce the cost of settlement.
He said it was regrettable that in industrial relation practice, implementing an agreement was always a major problem, after all issues had been resolved.
He expressed the hope that in 2013, the entitlement of the workers would be paid to enable Nigerians to enjoy the expected 5000 mega watts of electricity.
“We
are expecting about 5000 mega watts of electricity from the Nigeria
Integrated Power Project (NIPP) by next year. We believe this will boost
electricity supply to consumers,’’ he said.
The union’s scribe noted that the NIPP project, which had gulped about N37billion, should have been inaugurated before the end of 2012.
He said that if the project is inaugurated in 2013, it would coincide with the effort of the private investors at improving electricity supply.
He, however, warned those giving various interpretations to the agreement signed between the government and the union, to desist from doing so to enable the workers to get their severance package.
The union’s General Secretary, Mr Joe Ajaero, made this known during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos.
Ajaero said that of the amount, N400billion would be required for workers’ gratuity, while N100billion would be use to pay pension arrears.
He said that it was not the Ministry of Power that should announce what the Federal Government would disburse as severance package to PHCN workers.
The general secretary said that the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) was in a better position to announce the cost of settlement.
He said it was regrettable that in industrial relation practice, implementing an agreement was always a major problem, after all issues had been resolved.
He expressed the hope that in 2013, the entitlement of the workers would be paid to enable Nigerians to enjoy the expected 5000 mega watts of electricity.
“We
are expecting about 5000 mega watts of electricity from the Nigeria
Integrated Power Project (NIPP) by next year. We believe this will boost
electricity supply to consumers,’’ he said.The union’s scribe noted that the NIPP project, which had gulped about N37billion, should have been inaugurated before the end of 2012.
He said that if the project is inaugurated in 2013, it would coincide with the effort of the private investors at improving electricity supply.
He, however, warned those giving various interpretations to the agreement signed between the government and the union, to desist from doing so to enable the workers to get their severance package.
Wife saves husband from burning 2-storey building in Aba
Aba (Abia) The landlord of a two-storey building, Mr Joseph Nwachukwu, escaped death by whiskers as his property was gutted by fire in Aba, Abia.
Mr Chizoba Nwachukwu, the eldest son of Nwachukwu, made this known to newsmen in Aba Friday.
Nwachukwu told newsmen that his mother was on her way back home when she saw the house in flames.
“She rushed to see my dad alone in the room and saved him first before calling for help from the neighbourhood,’’ he said.
He said that the fire, which started from a tenant’s apartment, razed the building at 17 Joe Express Street, near Ariaria International Market on Thursday.
The eldest son said that his father who had been suffering from stroke before the inferno was rescued while the property, including cash was gutted by fire.
“Every other thing in our flat was completely burnt. All I have laboured for in life are no more. The only thing I have is this cloth I am wearing.’’
He said that the people who came to their rescue could not enter their flat because of electric shock from the boiler and gave the cost of the damage including cash to be over N3 million.
He alleged that the fire outbreak was caused by their neighbour , who allegedly left an electric boiler on. (NAN)
Mr Chizoba Nwachukwu, the eldest son of Nwachukwu, made this known to newsmen in Aba Friday.
Nwachukwu told newsmen that his mother was on her way back home when she saw the house in flames.
“She rushed to see my dad alone in the room and saved him first before calling for help from the neighbourhood,’’ he said.
He said that the fire, which started from a tenant’s apartment, razed the building at 17 Joe Express Street, near Ariaria International Market on Thursday.
The eldest son said that his father who had been suffering from stroke before the inferno was rescued while the property, including cash was gutted by fire.
“Every other thing in our flat was completely burnt. All I have laboured for in life are no more. The only thing I have is this cloth I am wearing.’’
He said that the people who came to their rescue could not enter their flat because of electric shock from the boiler and gave the cost of the damage including cash to be over N3 million.
He alleged that the fire outbreak was caused by their neighbour , who allegedly left an electric boiler on. (NAN)
Monday 3 December 2012
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Here’s how to eat healthy while visiting with those who don’t:
1 Woman Killed, 5 Children Injured as Fresh Bomb Blast Hits Taraba
Less
than a week after a bomb blast rocked a drinking jointin Taraba State, leaving one person dead with several others injured, another bomb blast has rocked the capital of the state.
The blast, which occurred in Mallam Joda area of the state capital on Friday night near the Nigerian Television Authority station has left at least one woman dead and five children injured.
The spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Yushau Shuaibu, has also confirmed the incident, saying the injured children have been taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo for treatment.
Whoever it is that is responsible for these bombings and killings all over the country is trying to pass a message across. The government on their own part have continuously assured Nigerians that they are on top of the situation. But the plain truth remains that the bombing and killings keep coming and the spate of bomb attacks in Northern Nigeria believed to be the handiwork of extremists has risen in recent weeks, even as security agents continue with raids on suspected bomb factories.
Breaking: Two Dead as another Bomb Blast Rocks the City of Kano
At
least two people have been feared dead when an explosion rocked Plaza
junction, by Kanti Kori in Kano during the morning rush hour on Monday.According to reports the two people affected are a security personnel and a passerby. JTF officials have however cordoned off the area while investigation into the attack has commenced.
Meanwhile, spokesman of the JTF in the city, Captain Ikediche Iweha confirmed the incident to Vanguard on the telephone, adding that he will volunteer details as soon as they are available. In his words “our men are already at the scene, and I hope to feed you with details as soon as we have them.”
It will soon be a year since that devastating bomb attack on St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Niger State. Not only has the government been unable to prove that they have the security situation in the country under control, they seem to have no clue whatsoever as to how it can be dealt with.
In spite of the security situation, the country is still largely safe and secure ---- says president Godluck Jonathan
A
statement emerging from the president of the nation, Goodluck Jonathan,
on Sunday has insisted that Nigeria remained safe in spite of bombings.
He therefore urged Nigerians not to entertain any fear in their daily
activities.The statement, released on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, stressed that it was in the character of insurgency worldwide to “audaciously attack institutions that will promote maximum fears in the heart of the citizenry.”
He said, “It is not surprising, therefore that as a consequence of the recent activities of the insurgents, some dailies reported that ‘nowhere is safe in Nigeria’. In truth and in reality, this statement is not correct… President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan wishes to assure Nigerians that in spite of this situation, the country is still largely safe and secure… President Jonathan wishes to state categorically of his unwavering commitment and determination to fight insecurity wherever they are found in Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, while speaking at the second session of the First Synod of the Diocese of Ogbia, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion in Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Sunday, where the president was represented by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, Jonathan has called on religious leaders to remain steadfast in their prayers for peace and stability in the country.
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