News Review-N27bn pension thief arrested after public outcry

When I read this in the Punch Newspaper, I opened my mouth and whispered the sentence in surprise. Two years in prison or a N750 000 fine for a N27bn fraud. Puurrrlease! Spare me! This is when an American teenager says 'shut up' out of disbelief (like Georgina the queen bee in Mean girls 1 when she couldn’t believe that home-schooled Cady-Lindsay Lohan had never been to a real school). 

(I am not sure if it is N27bn or N32bn, different figures from different sources.)

Anyway, I wonder how the judgement was passed because sincerely I am confused here. Call it plea bargaining, Nigerians want justice! The question is: how does the sentence match the offence? The law is meant to aid justice, not abet corruption. That sentence only encourages corruption. If one could pay N750 000 for a N27bn crime, then crime is a profitable business.  You tell him it is two years in prison or a N750 000 fine, how do they even match for such a crime? The most ignorant person on earth would choose the latter; no one wants to spend a night in behind bars. Some are asking for Justice Mohammed Talba to be probed-sensible and expected. 

If the public outcry could make the EFCC re-arrest Mr John Yakubu Yusuf, the Deputy Director in the Police Pension Office; then Nigerians please‘cry’ more, if it will bring order to the country. Thank you EFCC for listening to us.

Lastly, I agree with the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, Mallam Awual Musa as he advised  the judiciary to begin to redeem its image.

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Take a break from yourself

Excruciating is the appropriate adjective to describe the pain I felt when I realised that I had mistakenly deleted my blog post for the week; a post I painstakingly composed.  It was a topic that got me excited and brought smiles to my face. I must have deleted it when I was de-cluttering my stored messages. I had so many of them especially on my blackberry that they began to irritate me. You know the message icon on blackberry- it is the warehouse for twitter messages, BB chats (and broadcasts) and stored messages. Most times I draft blog posts and store them there. So you can imagine how annoying it is for me to scroll down 13 unnecessary messages to get to an important one.  

On Thursday, I decided to get rid of them and I got rid of my blog post. I discovered this on Saturday morning when I wanted to publish it. It was a painful ouch! I didn’t know how to start all over. Not that I couldn’t, but it was not pleasurable thinking about it. So I decided not to blog that day (my way of rebelling). The following day Sunday, after mass and a long nap, I decided to work on my blog instead. (Rewriting that blog post was not part of my agenda, as I was still hurting over losing it.) 

Recently I added pages to my blog (About, My Quotes and Contact). The About page was reading ‘work in progress’ as I had not written what I wanted to publish about me. However that Sunday, I made sure I typed and published the contents of my ‘About’ page. I added more quotes to ‘My Quotes’ page from my Twitter account @frediliamomodu and edited my contact information. Also, I added a video page to my blog and shared two videos on it (the first video is my favourite- a room tourof a room I detested during NYSC). I finished working on my disclaimer and published it. The joy I felt after working on my blog site overpowered the anger I felt for mistakenly deleting the unpublished blog post. I was sincerely impressed even though it made me realise I still had a lot more work to do. 

That was when it came to me like a light bulb that once in a while we need to take a break from the routine. We need to look at what we have done so far and re-evaluate ourselves. We need to look at what we have been doing, areas we can or should improve on and make the necessary changes. Sometimes we become experts in the routine and gloat in our distorted expertise. We need to be able to plan ourselves well enough not to fall victims of the usual. We ought to know when to take a break and look at the big picture. We need to figuratively step out of our bodies and re-evaluate ourselves thoroughly. It helps us realise where we have gone wrong or what we have been missing. It helps us realise if we have been living someone else's dreams or living the kind of life we desire deep down inside. Ultimately, it makes us more focused, balanced, fulfilled and happier individuals.

This incident made me remember the seventh habit in 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey- sharpen the saw; where he told a story of a man who had been sawing a tree for over five hours and was complaining about how difficult it was. When advised by another man to take time out to sharpen his saw, he replied that he was too busy sawing.

Let us not get caught up trying to get results that we lose the essence of our being.  Do not give in to the pressures of our fast paced world that you don’t pause to smell the flowers. Do not get caught up in doing that you don’t be. Take a break from yourself; sharpen your saw and during this phase, ask yourself questions like this, “Who am I? What do I represent? What do I want from life? Why am I doing this? Is this what I truly want from life? Am I truly happy and so many more” Whatever question you may ask yourself or whichever way you may go about it, the whole essence is to guide you to living the life you truly desire, a life that brings joy to your heart and smiles to your face when you think of it. A life that brings you satisfaction. A life that doesn't have to be perfect (and most times  isn't) but must be yours.

Just like two children writing a long essay with a pencil and both eager to get their ideas out. One child keeps writing without taking a pause to sharpen his pencil because he is carried away with the ideas pouring out of him. He keeps writing oblivious how his work looks. All he wants is to finish and get all his ideas out. The pencil becomes blunt but he keeps writing till he is done. However the second child while writing checks his pencil; if blunt, takes out his sharpener, and sharpens it. Each time he notices the pencil is blunt, he takes out his sharpener and sharpens it. The first child got attention for finishing first while the second got recognition for finishing well. 

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Never underestimate the power of the mind

One Saturday evening, my mum returned from the market and told me we were going to prepare catfish/turkey pepper soup and yam for dinner, instead of chicken stew like I thought. She bought some catfish which I was to cut and wash. Satisfied with the meal since it was faster to prepare, I took a knife from the knife block and began to cut the fish. I was a little careful so the knife would not cut me, although I had to apply a significant amount of pressure to get the knife through the slippery fish. I kept on cutting till I got to the last piece closest to the head which was the toughest. I struggled with it using my energy and was determined to pass the knife through it.

Lost in the battle between the knife and the slippery fish, I heard my mum's voice say to me, ''sorry dear, I didn't see those people who sharpen knives when I went out. Let me help you.'' This brought me out of the battlefield back to the kitchen where I was actually standing. "What!", I screamed in my mind still trying to process the news. I couldn't believe what I had just heard! I had been cutting the fish with the same blunt knife I complained about yesterday. The knife I swore I would not use again until it was sharpened! I thought it was sharpened, believed it was, and used it like it was. Even though I had to exert more force while cutting the catfish, it never crossed my mind that it was the same blunt knife I despised. I just kept on using it till I got the job done. If I had known that it was not sharpened, I would have complained while cutting the fish and I would have been slower and irritated. I used the same knife but got a different result because I had a different mindset. With the aid of my mind, the knife was able to do the job. Still puzzles me when I think of it.

This seemingly insignificant event buttresses the following popular sayings:
If you believe, you can achieve.
If you can think it, you can be it.
Thoughts become things.

Remez Sasson Quotes:

Your mind is the generator of failure, and also the generator of success.

When the mind thinks of success, the outside world mirrors these thoughts.Your thoughts and mental images create your circumstances. Master your thoughts and mental images, and you gain power over your circumstances.
What you get is determined by the scope of your thoughts. 

As you can all see, one's attitude is the most important element of success and success starts from mind.  




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I now know how cheaters feel

Stacey excitedly told me "I now know how cheaters feel." I gazed at her surprisingly, "Cheaters? Did you cheat on your boyfriend?" She yelled, "no o, that's not what I mean. Why should your mind go to boyfriend? I mean exam cheaters." "Oh", I said, "how do YOU mean exactly?" Then she started narrating in her story-telling tone. 

"Back in the secondary school and university days, I had some friends who couldn't do without voltron  (cooperation) in the exam hall. I saw them as students who lacked focus. You know, I saw them as unserious students who didn't take their academics as a priority. I didn't understand why a student would depend on another student to pass their exams. The courses/subjects were written and taught in English, so where was the problem coming from? Not like I never asked in the hall, but that was in my 1st and 2nd year and it wasn't a constant thing. However, it was a norm for some. They would always plan their sitting arrangement before the commencement of the exam while some would carry in chips if they could. In the hall, they would keep making suspicious body movements, whispering and turning their heads 180 degrees. What baffled me most was when they passed, they would rejoice even more loudly than those who genuinely wrote the exam. I used to wonder why they never felt ashamed that it wasn't by their own effort.  

Not until recently when I did a serials of tests for courses I barely read. Not like I didn't want to study them but I didn't have the time and truth be told, reading them was not feasible. Who was the freak (well not me) to read over a 100 pages for 2 courses and about 40-60 pages for the 6 other courses on one Saturday? Although the courses were uploaded online 2 months before that Saturday, I sincerely did not have the time to read them. Also I thought I would not need to study them since they were about-the-job topics but I was very wrong. They were ridiculously hard and required one to have a deep understanding of the topics. Since failing was not an option for me, I asked my friends for help. The funny thing was they needed help too. So we cooperated.

They were online courses in which you get rated immediately after submission. The total scores for each course and the average of all would be sent. After I did mine, I checked my average score and I scored above 70percent, I couldn't contain my joy. I screamed as I sat in front of the system staring at my score. At that moment, I realised it was not about knowing the courses but all about passing. The courses had nothing to do with my personal goals (and I had no interest in them) so understanding them was not my objective. They were just about-the-job tests I had to. If I had my way, I would have completely ignored them but I could not unless I got another job (which I pray one day I will). I was filled with  ecstasy. I thanked God for my success and told friends and family about it.
 

Basking in my euphoria, it occurred to me that I cheated.  I cheated and I didn't feel guilty about it, not a bit. Do I see myself as a cheat? Nope! I see myself as a smart chic who did what she could to succeed and succeeded." As for my back-in-the-day friends, it was not like they didn't want to learn. They didn't just know it and couldn't understand it. I am pretty sure they were not interested in comprehension. 

What more could I have said? She was still smiling and obviously happy. She managed to convince me, though I don't support school exam cheaters because their sole responsibility is to study, comprehend and pass their exams without cheating. For a busy worker whose job is not in line with her dreams, I understand her. I only congratulated her and we chatted away like inseparable twins.

Bye 2012, hi 2013...

It's a new year again yey! 2013 is here with new possibilities, new opportunities and new promises. Many have written goals and how they want to accomplish them. Many have also written their resolutions for the New Year which I pray they stick to. 

I sense some guys' resolution is to get married because two guys who wanted more than friendship and one who said outright that he wanted marriage are back again after we had settled for friendship and nothing more. I pray they find their dream women. 

Anyway, looking at 2012 in retrospect, I have a lot to be thankful for:

 

First of all, I give thanks to God almighty for keeping me, my family, my friends, and my loved ones alive to see this New Year. It is impossible for me to list the endless marvellous things God did in my life in 2012, so I would just say "Thank you God for everything".

 

I worked successfully with people whom others were afraid of and I have built cordial relationships with them. 

I have learnt to see the positive side of every situation and the best in people.

I am more in control of my emotions and don't let the unnecessary get to me.

I am more self-aware and more certain about what I want from life. 

I am more decisive, more confident and more me. 

Lastly, I have learnt that too much TV is dangerous. 

It could kill you! Well not literally, but it could kill your dreams; because you would keep postponing and pushing important stuff aside till something important passes you by; and to me, a man without dreams is dead. I was a victim last year especially between October and December (though nothing important that I know of passed me by). I postponed a lot because I wanted to watch TV and my favourite series. 

I would plan my Saturday in way that I would achieve at least two important things at the end of the day but my love for TV wouldn't let me (It crept in like a drug addiction). Once there was power supply, I would get tempted just to check what was going on TV and that was all it took to get me glued to it till I got tired and bored. It could be a DVD, a sitcom, musicals, a Yoruba film, whatever, as long as it was coming from that well-shaped ultra-slim electronic device.

As if in agreement to what I was experiencing, 'children's exposure to television' was part of AIT news yesterday, how it affects the children and when parents should draw the line.

That menace aside, I would say in summary that 2012 helped in molding my personality and I can proudly say I have grown. 

My resolution this year is same as my bestie's-to be more focused, but mine is with respect to my lust for TV...my plans first, TV next. I have started and hope to continue in the same vein. Wish me luck friends.

I know you all have something or many things to be thankful for. Let us begin the new year with a heart of gratitude no matter what we had been through in 2012 and with a positive outlook at 2013. Let us do all we can to get the best out of 2013 with God beside us. It is your life friends, own it and enjoy it!
I wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR full of the best things life has to offer!

Gifts I got for Christmas

Hi everyone, it feels amazing to be back. I have not published any blog post for the past 18 days and it feels like 18 weeks to me. 

Reasons:
1. I have been saddled up with work lately which makes me get home late, fatigued and interested in nothing but a good night sleep.

2. I have been watching Pretty Little Liars Season 2...gawd I love it!  It was my addiction! My major hobby is watching movies and when I start, I don't stop till I get to the very end. It's the reason I don't follow series-they are like never-ending stories (just remembered Neverending Story, the actual movie-Fantasia) and consume my time. If I mistakenly watch any and like it, I would watch it at any given opportunity like I would die if I didn't. Well, this is the last and after PLL, no more! (Except Desperate Housewives and Kings, I have started them and must finish them. I could skip Gossip girls, Singles ladies, Kyle XY, Walking dead, and the list goes on.) Anyway, thank God I am done with Season 2.

3. I have been battling an annoying flu that doesn't want to leave me alone. It started with catarrh and it's cousins-sneezing and headaches, then chest pains came to say hi, while the dry cough and sore throat were the last to visit...very very annoying. The dry cough hasn't realised that it has overstayed it's welcome and seems determined to spend the Xmas holiday with me.

Nevertheless, I won't let it spoil my holidays and in the spirit of Christmas, I want to share this just for the fun of it. Here are the gifts I got for Christmas and how I made use of them:

Medicine (multi vitamin syrup and cough syrup) and a branded T-shirt
I have been taking the multi vitamin syrup and gave the T-shirt to my brother. I put the cough syrup in the cabinet and told myself it would spend months there untouched since having cough was far from it (so I thought). I am sure it would have insulted me for dumping it and laughed at me as I took it 4days later. It has really come in handy and I am still taking it.

A wall clock
It is still in the pretty pink pack, I haven't decided what to do with it.

A pack of frozen chicken and 2 packs of iced tea
I gave a pack of iced tea to my parents and will share the other with my siblings. My mum cooked jollof-rice with the chicken and I enjoyed it.

A bag of rice 25kg and a gallon of vegetable oil 10litres
I normally go with a colleague at the close of work and he drops me at a particular bus stop where he makes a right turn from the express way while I go further down the express. I almost forgot the oil in his car. When I got to the bus stop I saw a friend and pretended like I didn't see him (I didn't feel like talking). He walked up to me and greeted me. I replied surprisingly, like I had just seen him. He carried the oil for me till I got to my last but one bus stop because we stay in the same area. God sent me a helper and I was busy playing hide and seek. My muscles would have suffered for it. Carrying the rice myself was unthinkable. I told my parents about it. My dad suggested I sell it at a giveaway price but my mum said my colleague should take it to his house using his car and she would take it from there. Better option! 

A big size frozen tilapia fish
I bought turkey and we prepared turkey-fish pepper soup. We eat it the Urobo way, with yam and palm oil. 

A Christmas miracle
A church member who used to attend the same JAMB lesson with me had an accident that affected one of her legs. She would limp to class and sometimes cry out of pains. She stopped coming to class after a while and I couldn't reach her because I didn't have her contact. After about 3yrs, she lost her sister, my family went to her parents' house to pay them a visit. I was shocked and close to tears when I saw her. I thought the leg had healed and she had moved on. She was on the floor at the corner of the house and isolated herself from everyone. I just watched and prayed for her silently. Last week, my mum broke the news to me that she was walking again. I couldn't believe my ears until yesterday, Christmas day when I set my eyes on her in church. She was walking again like nothing had happened. 

Boxing day miracle
I woke up very early this morning to type this post when I heard my mum wishing my uncle abroad a merry Xmas on the phone. She gave me the phone to talk to him and he made me scream when he told me his wife was just delivered of a baby girl. I didn't even know she was pregnant. I now have a half Nigerian-half Japanese cousin, she must be so pretty, still waiting for the pictures. 

You have read mine, would love to read yours...

How to get the most out of any kind of sales!

Whenever you hear the words christmas sales, summer sales, holiday sales, yard sales or any kind of sales, these are the first thoughts that come to mind: good products, cheaper prices, money saved. You want to go there and get as much as you need at the cheapest price possible. If this is how your brain works, then you must be thinking smart. 

However there are few things we ought to do, but we don't or overlook, which dampens our aforementioned goal. Not to worry, here are vital tips inspired by my last week's shoes sales experience to help you get the most out of any kind of sales:

Have a list of what you need

Some people are impulsive buyers, they see something pretty and attractive and it feels like it's calling them, like the Shopaholic lady and the green scarf. What happens in sales is, you see an attractive item whose price is far below the average market value and you buy it justifying your action with the cheap price of the product. The bad part is, in your small mind you think you are saving. People like this end up with way more stuff than they need and end up spending much more money than they would spend if it were a normal sale.

The way out is to make a list of what you need before you go to any sales venue, take it with you and have some discipline to stick to it. If you think your case is helpless, have someone with you to help you knock some discipline.

Know how to get to the venue

This is very crucial. You don't want to spend half of the day trying to locate the venue of the sales or waste money going to the wrong places. It can be frustrating and annoying especially when the weather is really hot. 

It happened to me and I can tell you from experience that it is not pleasant. I spent about 2hours going round in circles till my genius friend was able to figure out the way.

Go with a friend who's got an eye for good stuff

First of all, it is boring to go for a sales alone; it is more fun when you have someone to keep you company. More importantly is having someone who knows good stuff when they see one and who will help you in making better choices. During sales, participants rush to pick the best items before someone else does. You could have someone-a friend, your mum, or your sibling look out for you, more or less your second pair of eyes and hands. You know, to help you grab those good stuff before someone lays hands on them. Also they could help you in making right choices. 

I had someone with me and he was the reason I was able to buy three pairs of shoes. Because we spent so much time locating the venue and I got there late and fatigued, and everything looked boring too me-weary eyes playing tricks.

Arrive early

If you want to get the best out of any sales, you must arrive early. You don't want to get there when all the good items have been taken. You know the venue and how to get there, find out the time when sales would begin, do your calculations and leave your house at the right time. 

I didn't do that and I regretted it. I left the house 30minutes after the sales had begun and got to the venue 3hrs after sales had begun. Even though I was lucky to get my size, most foot wears were in small sizes, most big sizes had been taken.

Be patient

Don't be in a hurry to get some stuff and run off. Make efforts to get the best available. Let your  antenna be very active. Take your time, go around, look well because that thing you need might just be in a corner waiting for you to see it.  

I was forced to be patient by my good friend and it paid off.

For things you have to put on, don't assume they will fit

Ignore the labels and tags, try them (unless otherwise stated)! You don't want to bargain for a dress and realise it is a size smaller. If it fits, then you will know the item is worth bargaining for.

One of the shoes I bought (a pair of black ankle boots by Clarks) looked small and it was actually a size smaller. Ignoring the size, I tried it on because it was exactly what I was looking for. Thankfully, it was my perfect size! It hugged my left leg like the best husband in the world and I didn't feel like taking it off! 

Know the market value of what you need

So you don't get ripped off, make sure you know the market value of the item you are buying. It makes no sense buying an item at the same price as the average market value; the purpose of it being a sales would be defeated. Also if there's a discount, make sure you are really getting a discount. If the sales is tagged 50percent off, please do the maths because some people do get ripped off at sales event.

Don't compromise your taste.

Don't buy it because it is cheap; it might end up staying in your wardrobe for years till you have to give it away. You have a list of what you need-stick to it, unless it is something you forgot to include.

 

Be very observant

Please become an inspection agent when you see an item you want to buy before you actually purchase it. Check the quality, check for any blemish, and price it accordingly. 

I saw a very pretty pair of black suede stilettos but it had peeled off at the heels and by the side. I dropped it and didn't give it a second look.

Exercise your negotiation skills

We know it's at a discount but you can still bargain, it is not a crime. You could get lucky because I was. 
When I took the shoes to the counter, the lady called the prices and I was ready to pay. However my friend, an economist by education thought it was dumb to just pay without any price battle. So he did his thing and succeeded in getting N2500 off from the initial total cost.

My friend really loved this one, he picked it.

Well that's all I have for you on getting the most out of any kind of sales. I know they will help and your next shopping experience will be fabulous. You can thank me later...winks. 
Till you read from me again, have a great weekend!

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