Venture Capital Source

The rising Business

Helloo viewers, my name is ankush muley.Jabalpur is my home town (madhya pradesh).This small article is about The growing business of Emu farming.Emu farming was previously done in a few areas of the southern part of our country.Whenthis business was started the businessmen and farmers had a great risk on their financial positions5, and fortunately they got very good results of this new business.Many of the poultry farmers nd other live stock breeders such as piggery fisheries mushroom farmers nd goatries they all slowly started migrating to Emu farming.Now since d last 3 years we A1 Emu farms have brought emu farming to jabalpur madhya pradesh now.We have started aour farm with 40 top line breeding stock of Emu we have supplied Emu Birds to many of the farmers across the state.cities like bhopal indore jabalpur and villages like katni sagar mandla and many more have started emu farming with 10-50 pairs of Emu.

In India, chicken is the most popular of the poultry species Followed by ducks & quails. Of late, with some popularization through Newspaper write ups, television coverage & Exhibitions, about 250-300 Progressive farmers of Maharastra state have started Emu farming with 25 to 200 pairs in Pune, Thane, Nasik, Akola, Ahmed Nagar, Beed, Kolhapur districts and many more are coming up for guidance and Inquiring about the availability of bank loan for establishment of A new farm or expansion of existing farms. At present more than 10,000 pairs of Emu reared by the farmers in the state. For large scale production of meat oil And skin there is a long term potential for breeding and rearing of more than 75000 Emus. To promote such innovative project activity in the state this can accelerate capital Formation in the rural area. NABARD, MRO, Pune has taken a decision to formulate a Model project for rearing of Emu as there is a increasing demand for such unit in coming Years.

Diversification is the key to success in any enterprisE

We need to Diversify to other species of poultry in order to reap more profits. Considering this let us Discuss about Emu,
breed of bird which attains upto 65 Kg.wt. & 5.6 ft. hight on Maturity.Emu belong to Ratite family of birds & is the third biggest bird species after Ostrich & Cassowary. The birds have small wings & are in capable of Flying. Australia is the place of Origin for the birds.

Emu is a social bird with dark whitish complexion. The birds live in groups & Can thrive under varying climatic conditions ranging 0 degree C. to 52 degree C. These Birds are Omnivorous and eat leaves, vegetables, fruits, insects, worms. They can be feed Modified poultry feed.

It is clarified by the Chief Conservator of forest, GOM, Pune that Emu is an exotic bird and it has not been included in any of the schedules of wildlife (protection) Act, 1972. The provisions of Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 and rules made there under are not applicable for these birds. As such no permission from forest Department is necessary For rearing, farming and selling of these birds.

Present Status

Recognizing the economic importance. Australian Government in 1975 Started domesticating these birds living in Jungles by establishing big farms. This Activity spread to America. France and other European countries in the early eighties. It is reported that there are about 90,000 Emu farms in America and an Emu Association Was established in 1993. The activity has also spread to China, Japan, Malaysia and Korea.

One Emu farm by name Vijaya Ratite Farm (Pvt.) Ltd. Was established by Shri P. Satyanarayana IN Andhra Pradesh in 1996 on small scale. Similarly in Maharastra state Shri.Ganesh Kale& Group introduced 20 pairs of Emu during 2001 &in Baramati Shri. Sandip Taware has established first Emu Farm with 10 pairs in April 2002. He has also established Emu hatchery.

At present There are Four Emu Association in India. One is at Hydra Bad name of INDIAN EMU ASSOCIATION” Mumbai “NATIONAL EMU ASSOCIATION” headed by Shri. Sami Tambatkar. This two association working all India level. And in Maharastra level at Baramati in the name of “Maha Emu Association” headed by Shri. Sandip Taware and another at Pune in the name “Emu Farmer Association”. Headed by Mrs. Chitralekha Mehta. The experience of the farmer has been encouraging.

TECHNICAL PARAMETERS of EMU Bird

The birds reach their full size by the end of 1st year. They grow up to 5.5 to 6 feet With a weight of 40to 70 kgs. Laying period in India starts after 18 to 24 months and Eggs are laid during September to February. Eggs are dark bluish green in colour with a weight of 450 to 700 gms . A bird can lay 20-60 eggs in a season. Incubation period is 50- 52 days and newly hatched bird will be of 6-7″in height. The lift span of the bird is 30-35 years. The productive economic life of the bird is 20.25 years.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE (SCOPE)

It is reported that the price of Rs.18, 000/- a pair of 3 months old Birds and the price of Rs.40, 000/- a pair of 15 months old Birds having live body weight each 40  to 50 kg. and the birds are used for table purpose.

MEAT:

Meat of Emu bird is reddish in colour, soft and with less of cholesterol 98% fat free. Emu meat is lower in fat than Chicken. Turkey, Pork & Beef It is the “Super Food of the New Millennium”. The price commands higher price than that of meat from Other birds/animal and is reported at Rs. 300-450 per Kg. The American Heart Association has included Emu meant in its listing of heart healthy meats.

EMU MEAT: 98% FAT FREE – 100% NATURAL

THE HEALTHY RED MEAT

EMU IS A VERY LEAN (98% FAT FREE) RED MEAT SIMILAR TO BEEF IN BOTH TASTE AND APPEARANCE. EMU ARE HIGHER IN PROTEIN, VITAMIN C AND IRON COMPARED TO BEEF; LOWER IN CHOLESTEROL COMPARED TO CHICKEN. EMU GIVES RED MEAT LOVERS WHAT THEY WANT AND HEALTH CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS WHAT THEY NEED. IN FACT, THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION RECOGNIZES EMU MEAT AS A HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE TO BEEF.

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FEATHERS :

Feathers are soft non allergic / anti static, beautiful double quilled and are used  In hats, dresses, computer and car cleaning brushes and household decorative items. About  400 to 600 Gms of feathers would be available from a bird and each bird would Fetch about Rs. 200/- at present.

SKIN :

The skin is very thin, soft and strong. Price of good quality skin is reported Rs.700/- to Rs.1000/- per Sq ft. and 8-12 sq.ft of skin is available from a well matured bird. The skin is used in the preparations of shoes, bags, belts, purses, jerkins and seat covers for expensive cars. At present raw skin of a matured bird would fetch about Rs. 1000 1200/-.

EGG SHELLS AND NAILS :

The egg shell are used for painting and as decorative items due to deep Blue Colour. Nails are strong and decor able used in artificial ornaments and craft goods.

OIL :About 4-6 a litter of oil is available from a bird which is devoid of any colour taste and odor. At present market prices, the price of one litter refined Emu oil is Rs. 3000/- to Rs. 4000/- The oil is penetrating and is having moisturizing. Analgesic, ant allergic and antiseptic properties. The oil is used in analgesic ointments, beauty creams and lotions, soaps, hair oils, shampoos, perfumes and massage oils. The raw fat/crude oil of Emu fetches Rs.1000 per Kg.

A number of studies have been conducted and are currently being

conducted throughout the world on facts of the Emu oil, including its composition, benefits, applications in different industries and the resulting properties of compounds formulated with the oil.

Traditionally Emu oil has been used for treatment of muscle and joint pains.

Clinical experience with Emu oil has shown that it’s two major benefits are its anti- inflammatory properties and its ability to penetrate the skin. It also appears to provide some solar protection. The penetrating effect appears to be related to its non-phosphorous composition. “Our skin is phospho – lipid deficient. In other words, there is no phosphorous in our skin. If you put anything on your skin that has phosphorous in it, your skin is ‘programmed’ to keep it from penetrating. Anytime you put anything on your skin that is phospholipid deficent, or has no phosphorous, it penetrates right through “. Researchers who have analyzed the oil found that there is a compound in oil that they believe is the key to its effectiveness. This compound molecule is believed to be collagen. Collagen is  found in chickens and turkeys in a very diluted form. However, the test result on the Emu show this molecule to be present in an extremely concentrated form.

Research and development of Emu oil using in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals is rapidly expanding. Emu oil has been documented to exhibit the following properties and/or has been used for the following purposes.

Anti – Inflammatory Activity
Moisturising
Cholesterol Reducer
Bacteriostatic
Penetration Enhancer
Signficant epidermal proliferative activity
Non – Comedogenic
Significant wound healing agent
Significantly reduces recent keloid scarring
Appears to promote faster healing of burns with less pain and scarring
Anti – Arthritic Activity
Excellent Emulsifier

EYES :

The bird is able to see up to a distance of 10 meters and its eyes are being used To Replace damages corneas in human beings.

UTILITY :

15 months old Emu broiler weighing 40 Kg. slaughtered for oil, meat and skin etc. The utility is as under:-

 

Utility

Present market price of produce per unit

43% boneless meat Rs. 300/- to Rs. 450/ Kg.

14% bone meat Rs. 200/ Kg.

5% feather & skin Rs. 200 + Rs. 1000

22% fat Rs. 1000 / Kg (raw oil)

3% leg skin Rs. 500/-

4% neck usable but not saleable at present.

3% blood usable but not saleable at present.

4% waste usable but not saleable at present.

About 96% useable bird

Refined oil  Rs. 3000/- to Rs. 4000/- Per Liter.

 

OUR OBJECTIVES TO HELP ESTABLISH EMU FARMING IN INDIA

To provide financial assistance for establishing of Emu breeding farms.

To provide part time employment or to utilize family labour to earn some livelihood.

To provide employment to educated un employed youths of rural area.

To produce more Emus for meat,oil & skin production in future and alternately to export the produce.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE :
Loan from banks with refinance facility from NABARD is available for establishing Emu farm. For obtaining bank loan, the farmer should apply to the nearest branch of a Commercial or Co- operative or Regional Rural Banks in their area in the prescribed forms which is available in the branches of financing banks. The project report should be attached/ enclosed with loan farm. For Emu farming schemes with very large outlays, detailed reports will have to be prepared. The technical officers attached to or the Branch Manager of the bank can help / give guidance to the farmers in preparing the project report to obtain bank loan. A scheme can also be prepared by the beneficiary after consulting local technical
experts or private commercial Emu hatcheries. Consultancy Services of NABARD would also be available for large commercial projects.
BENEFICIARY :
A good practical training for a week and experience on a Emu farm will be highly desirable before starting a farm. If possible, they should visit the progressive Emu farms/ Hatcheries in the area and discuss the technical ability and profitability of farming.
BACKWARD LINKAGES
CLIMATE :
Emu is a social bird and can thrive under varying climatic conditions ranging 0° F. to 100° F. The climate suitable for poultry farms is also suitable for Emu farming.
AVAILABILITY OF EMU. PAIRS :
In Maharashtra there are private Emu hatcheries supplying the Emu pairs of different age groups i.e. 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 15 months old. The detail addresses of hatcheries are as below:-
AVAILABILITY OF FEED :
Poultry feed (layer) can also be fed to Emu. In addition to poultry feed mineral mixture and shell/ stone grit can be given. Sprouted desi Chana and Methi can also be fed during layer season. During summer season chopped vegetables like cabbage, carrot, beetroot, etc. can also be fed.
AVAILABILITY OF VETERINARY AID :
Like poultry chlorinated water should be given to Emu birds like Poultry. Deforming should be done twice in a year at an interval 6 months.
TRAINING &EXPERIENCE :
Training on Emu farming is given on above farms for 3-5 days. During training these farms supply all technical information in the form of books/CDs/booklet/palplet etc.
AVAILABILITY OF SHED,BREEDING PENS AND RUN-OFF AREA :
The detail specification along with cost proposed is given EMU FARM PROJECT broacher Low cost shed and building material locally available can also be used to lower the cost of housing.
AVAILABILITY OF EQUIPMENT :
Water, feeders & egg trays are required. Low cost equipment locally available can also be used.
FORWARD LINKAGE:
SALE OF EGGS :
At present both the hatcheries mentioned above are purchasing eggs @ Rs.1000/-to 1200/- each or on the basis of chick borne @ Rs.1200/- per chick.
SALE OF MANURE AND EMPTY FEED BAGS :
Manure can be applied on own farm or can be locally sold to other farms. Like poultry manure, Emu manure is also good for fruits and vegetable gardens. Empty feed bags are sold in local market @ Rs. 4-5/- each.
LENDING TERMS – GENERAL :
PROJECT COST :
One model of 50 pairs Emu have been formulated. The total project cost including fixed cost and recurring cost up to the income generating stage (21 months) has been worked out to Rs. 24.78 lakh.
MARGIN MONEY AND BANK LOAN :
Minimum 15 % of down payment has been considered to be collected from the beneficiaries and maximum 85 % of total financial outlay is considered as bank loan.
TFO : Rs. 24.78 lakh.
Margin Money : 15 %
Bank Loan : 85 %
WORKING CAPITAL :
If required by the farmer, financing bank may asses the same and sanction accordingly. It may require for commercial ventures only. Here in this case we have already capitalized 21 months recurring expenses and so there may not be a need for further W.C.
INTEREST RATE :
The rate of interest shall be decided / fixed by the concerned financing bank to the ultimate beneficiary. In this case for calculation of cash flow and repayment we have assumed an interest rate @ 12% per annum.
SECURITY :
a) Will be as per RBI guidelines issued from time to time.
b) Insurance: Bank may ensure that the borrower takes insurance of assets created out of
a bank loan including insurance of Emu birds.
REPAYMENT OF LOAN :
The repayment period depend upon the gross surplus generated in the project. The loan will be repaid within 7 years including first year as grace / moratorium/gestation period in  suitable monthly installments (6/year) during October to march only.
CONCLUSION :
Emu farming offers great scope & potential because of its supplementary income additional employment & simplicity in operation .Efficient emu development can be Achieved by promotion of small units in villages through a gamut of functions like Dissemination of information & technology, making various inputs & organizing training Sessions for farmers on this subject.
After going through the forgoing paragraphs and from subsequent annexure it is Concluded that the captioned proposal is found to be technically feasible and financially Viable.
Biosecurity measures to be taken in Emu Farming / breeding as suggested by
Commissioner of Animal Husbandry, Maharastra State
a) The farm should be ideally placed and away from the population and is blosecured
b) The housing should be proper will adequate brooding facilities.
c) There should be a separate workers team, who should not be allowed to get mixed with other workers.
d) There should be separate dress code for the workers.
e) Proper dis-infection procedures / foot dips etc., should be maintained.
f) The quarantine sheds should be separate and away from other sheds.
g) The other birds (parent, commercial or pure line etc.) and pets should not be reared/allowed to enter the same farm.
h) The brooding space should be optimum.
i) There should be provision of showers, change over and dips.
j) Proper records should maintained.
k) There should be scientific facility for disposing off / destroying the bedding / dead Birds etc.
l) The equipment are proper, properly disinfected and separate
m) The farm should have a water sanitation system.
n) Water source should be tested for mineral , bacterial , chemical , contamination and pathogen load.
o) Proper storage of feed to prevent contamination should be made. The water quality should be checked periodically  and  if contamination is seen it should be treated with any sanitizer.
p) Routine disease monitoring procedures like postmortem examination of dead birds and periodic sera antibody assay is recommended.

 

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Top 10 Low Cost Business Franchises in the UK

Starting a business often means making large capital investments, especially in the very beginning. In fact, many financial advisors recommend that you plan on losing some money as you get started. However, before you dismiss yourself as not having enough money to get going, keep in mind that not all ventures are so financially draining. What so many aspiring businessmen and women do not know is that franchising dramatically reduces the financial risks associated with building a new company. Furthermore, some of the most lucrative opportunities are low cost business franchises. They require very little start-up capital, few or no employees and most all of them are home businesses. This may sound too good to be true, but fortunately, there are real opportunities for people like you who are genuinely interested in starting a business. Best of all, there are several different businesses from which to choose. Here are ten of the most popular low cost franchises in the market today.

#1. Berkeley Brewer

One of the most important things to franchisees as they build their businesses is minimized risk. That’s why so many of them choose franchising over starting from scratch. Berkeley Brewer, a personal tailoring company, is a terrific example of how a franchise can significantly decrease the risk. This company is so dedicated to your success that it will refund your franchise fee if you do not see a return on investment within 12 months. Moreover, this business is easy to manage, which means you don’t have to quit your regular job until your new venture becomes so busy that you have no other choice. The reassurance with a franchise like this is that you do not have to risk everything – your money and your current means of making money – to change careers.

#2. CityLocal

Many entrepreneurs start their own businesses because they grow tired of simply doing a job. They want to be part of something groundbreaking. They have an intrinsic desire to make a difference. If this sounds like you, a franchise opportunity with CityLocal should be on your list of franchises to consider. This web-based home business focuses on the economic growth of cities throughout the UK and Ireland. Not only do you have a chance to be part of a profitable, high-traffic website, you also have the satisfaction of making a difference in your community. By offering both free and paid advertising, you keep members of the community abreast with local news and events. At the same time, local businesses have a means of promoting their products and services on your site.

#3. FirstWills

Transitioning from one career to another can be especially challenging when you’re not sure how much money will be coming in and how often. This is certainly true when it comes to starting a new business. As mentioned, many new entrepreneurs actually lose revenue faster than they can generate it. Nevertheless, one of the best aspects of FirstWills is your ability to earn money in a matter of days. All you have to do is meet with individuals who are ready to write their wills. Then, you write down their instructions and pass the information on to the franchise. You never actually write the will; instead, FirstWills does this for you. And, you make money with each sale you generate.

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#4. Brazilian Soccer Schools

Countless businessmen and women had to take the hard route to building their companies. So many people enter the business world with the mindset that you have to dive in headfirst, quit your job, invest everything you have and hope that it all works out. Fortunately, this is not the only way. Brazilian Soccer Schools, for example, is a franchise business for sale that allows its newcomers to keep their existing jobs for the first year. This means that you can go through the coaching and business training with your mind focused where it should be – on what you’re learning rather than how much money you wish you were already making. Plus, it gives you time to launch and promote your business whilst you continue to meet current financial obligations.

#5. Little Angels Children’s Photography

Many new mums must weigh the cost of childcare when deciding whether to return to the workforce. For many of them, the costs of daycare take a large portion of their earnings, which leads them to wonder if going back to work is really worthwhile. After all, not only are they losing a significant amount of their earnings just to childcare costs, they also miss the opportunity to be with their children each day. If this sounds like your dilemma, you have to determine whether it’s truly worth the money you’re actually bringing home. Still, chances are that you can not afford not to contribute financially. This is where a work from home business opportunity like Little Angels can be very beneficial to mums like you. As a photographer for this company, you will work only four or five days a week for about four hours per day. This means you can take your children to school and be finished in time to pick them up. Most of all, no experience is required. All the training you will need is provided by the franchise. Of course, all franchisees are female because women are generally preferred by preschool aged children.

#6. Aura Roboclean

There are two ways to make money with this sophisticated cleaning franchise. First, you offer mattress, upholstery and carpet cleaning to hotels, nurseries, nursing homes, offices and other businesses. Nonetheless, this is not your average cleaning company. Aura Roboclean uses only environmentally friendly machines, protecting the earth and dramatically reducing allergens. People are paying more and more attention to the environment, on a global scope in addition to their immediate surroundings. As you can imagine, this market is expected to treble within the next five years. And, last but not least, you can even sell the equipment to those who are interested. This just increases your chances of profiting from this innovative business opportunity. Most importantly, you can become a franchisee with a very low investment.

#7. Charisnack

Just as people are striving to live in a better environment, they also want healthier bodies. As a Charisnack business franchise, you will offer healthy snacks and smoothies to people in the workplace. All you have to do is leave the products with your clients and pick up the cash at appropriate intervals. Furthermore, Charisnack is another franchise that gives you the opportunity to make a real difference. This is true because the company donates a portion of its sales to benefit the National Blind Children’s Society. You don’t have to make the donation. Just being part of this organisation means your efforts will translate to help for others in need.

#8. UK Websaver

Once again, here is another great home-based business prospect. UK Websaver is a company that markets membership loyalty cards. This is a great product because consumers are always looking for ways to save money; meanwhile, businesses are constantly seeking new ways to promote their products and services. Additionally, this low cost opportunity demands only a limited amount of stock. Working out of your home means that you’re somewhat restricted when it comes to space, but the tiny plastic cards won’t crowd your home office or break your bank.

#9. Molly Maid

Not everyone will realise the benefits of running a business from home. In contrast, most people work at least eight hours each day. They don’t have the flexible schedule you’ll have as an entrepreneur, which means they will have to hire others to do work around their homes. After working all day, who wants to spend evenings and weekends on housework? This is a tremendous marketing opportunity for you as a Molly Maid franchisee. For a minimal capital investment, you will become part of the UK’s most recognisable cleaning companies. Rather than building from the ground up, starting a franchise with outstanding name recognition puts you one giant step ahead of your competition. In truth, a well-established brand name is one of the most valuable assets a franchise business has to offer.

#10. Baby Prints

If you’re a parent, you are already keenly aware of how quickly children grow. And, you also know that parents are always looking for creative ways to capture precious moments with their little ones. The Baby Prints franchise has found a way to make this desire very profitable for you. If you decide to invest in one of their franchises, you will make impressions of every cherished dimple in baby’s hands and feet. Parents adore this keepsake; at the same time, you get the chance to run a home business. All the independence and flexibility you can expect when running your own company is available to you. And, the most important part is that Baby Prints is one of the low cost business franchises that comes with exclusive sales territory. Not only will you sell a unique product, you won’t have to worry about competition from other franchises.

NAVIGATING THE NATION THROUGH TODAY?S SHAME TO TOMORROW?S FAME: SOCIAL STUDIES AS PILOT, A Love Song to My Husband and the New Nigeria, 17TH IN THE SE

NAVIGATING THE NATION THROUGH TODAY’S SHAME TO TOMORROW’S FAME:

SOCIAL STUDIES AS PILOT

17TH IN THE SERIES OF INAUGURAL LECTURES OF THE DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY, ABRAKA, NIGERIA.

Delivered by

Professor Emman Osakwe

B.Sc. (Nig), M.Ed. (Philadelphia), M.A. (London) Ph.D (Ibadan)

Professor of Social Studies and Dean, Postgraduate School,

Delta State University, Abraka.

On Thursday, February 26, 2009

© Copyright 2009 Delta State University, Abraka

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or by any means, Photocopying, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright owners.

ISBN 978 – 33872 – 7 – 4 Published February, 2009 By

DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY, ABRAKA,

DELTA STATE, NIGERIA.

Printed By

Justice Jeco Press and Publishers Ltd.,

Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

PROLOGUE/PREFACE

This Processed Teacher is Professor+… Famous+, Nigeria Will Become

(A Love Song to My Husband and the New Nigeria)

And he said: “marry me, May!”

‘I do no such thing: marry no ‘teacher’ said May

Dreg of Professions: the teacher – disqualified

Yet, most telling, lingering voice from the classroom!- qualified

This teacher now processed, is professor, prophet and priest.

Palm oil, the broom and sponge, banga soup – processed palm

Through fire, through water, the sharp blade, agents of decay – processed

As kero, diesel, petrol, cream, jelly, this balm – processed crude

Emman Osakwe, processed teacher, a voice heard beyond

Beyond the rostrum to the nations.

Processed through pain, deprivation, denial, derided then,

Today’s lecturer mounts the rostrum, behold he comes:

My husband, my principal, mon pére

Processed through fire, through waters, denied his due

This principal teacher of teachers of teachers

Is a teacher, teaching teachers of teachers of teachers.

Promotion to peak denied for ten years!

My co-parent, persevering through the years!

Like diamond; processed from carbon, my patient prince and peace maker

This principal teacher loaded with knowledge:

Intellectual and divine, has a message:

Nigeria is processing through shame –

Shame of corruption, of grave-like greed!

Shame of maladministration and misrule

Misrule, yielding tall poverty from giant opulence

Shame of monumental wastage of resources

Shame of wickedness and religious godlessness

Processing through shame to our desired fame:

Our famous fatherland, yes our motherland;

Land of my birth, land of my pain, land of my shame

Land of your birth, land of your pain, land of your shame

Dependent too long after independence, fragile like the eaglet

For this fragile eaglet, ready to fall, unable to fly,

Will become the great eagle in flight

Famous bird; not to fly but to soar –

Land of my birth, land of your birth, land of our birth

Land of my fame, land of your fame, land of our fame –

Nigeria is your name!

Mabel Ejime Osakwe (2009)

Chair, English Language

Delta State University, Abraka

COURTESIES

The Vice-Chancellor,

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Admin.)

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

The Provosts, Asaba and Oleh Campuses,

The Acting Registrar,

The Bursar,

The University Librarian,

The Provost, College of Health Sciences,

Dean, Faculty of Education,

Deans of Other Faculties,

Professors and other members of Senate,

Heads of Department and other academic Colleagues,

Members of Administrative and Technical Staff,

My Lords Spiritual and Temporal,

Members of my family, Nuclear and Extended,

My In-laws,

Distinguished Invited Guests,

Gentlemen of the Press,

Great DELSUITES,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Preamble

I feel highly honoured and priviledged to be called upon to deliver the 17th Inaugural Lecture of the Delta State University, Abraka. I thank God for granting us journey mercies to this gathering and I believe He will take all of us home safely in Jesus Name – Amen.

Did you buy and read today’s papers? How many mind bugging and gory stories? What is the latest on militancy and criminality in the Niger Delta? How painful! You may try to take your mind off those depressive issues and feed your mind with the Obama big dream come true and so will ours. Yes, welcome to this forum! To this God given opportunity for us to reflect and discuss social issues akin to those raised earlier in this welcome tip. Sorry to tell you though that I have the monopoly of the floor in this discussion that is why it is called a lecture. But release your mind to travel along, as Social Studies pilots our navigation, through today’s shame to tomorrow’s fame.

INTRODUCTION

The first thing to give attention to is the nature and purpose of Social Studies and how it serves as a vehicle for responding to issues of our time. Succinctly put, Social Studies is about learning to live and participate in this world, at a particular time and place; hence we have the formula:

SSE               =      PSpt

P      =      People

S      =      Society

P      =      place

t       =      time

This lecture being an indepth discourse on an aspect of my academic expertise, and my contribution to social studies as a field of knowledge, will be guided by the SSE formula as stated and the nature of Social Studies.

Here then, P means The Nigerian People; S means The Nigerian Society; p means The geographical entity called Nigeria and t means Nigeria yesterday today and tomorrow. In this lecture, Nigeria yesterday implies pre-colonial Nigeria to the era before the 2nd Republic, while Nigeria today spans the period 2nd Republic to date.

We recognize that this audience is not only interdisciplinary “gown” but also a heterogeneous “town”. Attempts will be made then to operate within this defined perimeter.

Social Studies touches on every facet of human existence: man himself as a product of nature, and social man as a product of nurture; arising from the social, political, economic and physical environment. Social studies has therefore for long been identified as a veritable tool or avenue for reshapening society. (Lawton and Durfour 1973, Osakwe 1993) The very nature, content and scope of social studies, makes it a virile instrument for developing a new social – political order. This lecturer has professed majorly in this area of social studies and has 20 publications related to the present discourse. Four of such are listed here:

Osakwe, E.O. (1992) “Social studies and the Military in Nigerian politics” Nigerian Journal of Social Studies Review Vol. 2, No 2, pp. 89-91

Osakwe, E.O. (1993a) Citizenship Education: The Hub of Social Studies Nigerian Journal of Social Studies Review. Vol. 2, No. 3, Pp. 23-38.

Osakwe, E.O. (1994a) Citizenship Education in a Multi-ethnic Society: Some Pedagogical Insights. Studies in Education Vol. 2. No 1. April. Pp 60-64.

Osakwe, E.O. (1994b) Instructional Strategies for teaching the Social Studies: Using Exemplars and Non-Exemplars Nigerian Journal of social Studies Vol. III, No. 1 & 2 pp. 49-55.

In Nigeria, Social Studies found practical expression into the school system after the 1969 National Curriculum Conference.  The subject is geared towards building individuals and thereby building the nation (Osakwe 1993).  The potentials of Social Studies are yet to be fully exploited in our quest for a desirable socio-political and economic order.

Social Studies is concerned with human relationships.  The world is constantly undergoing changes and Social Studies remains a veritable instrument for examining these changes, whether they be positive or negative.  Social Studies revolves around humans (people) and all that impinges on them.

Areas of Emphasis in Social Studies

The knowledge included in Social Studies is related to important generalizations about human relationships, institutions and problems, together with supporting facts to ensure that these generalizations are clearly understood (Osakwe and Itedjere 1993).  Social Studies examines issues and problems from a holistic viewpoint – consequently, in resolving a problem or an issue, social studies examines the historical, cultural, sociological, economical, physical and other related dimensions.  Unlike the vertical concentration that is noticeable in most school subjects, social studies adopts a horizontal spiral approach in the analysis of it problems.  Social Studies, has strong affinity with the Social Sciences, but must not be seen as an amalgam of the social sciences.

Social Studies education is an avenue for providing young people with a feeling of hope in the future and confidence in their ability to solve the social and environmental problems of individuals, their community, state or nation.

On this occasion, this lecture addresses an aspect of my discipline which is of academic and public interest – Navigating the Nation, Through Today’s Shame to Tomorrow’s Fame: Social Studies as Pilot.

Addressing the issues of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow automatically provides three segments of discourse: Nigeria Yesterday Nigeria Today and Nigeria Tomorrow.

NIGERIA – YESTERDAY

It is simplistic to address the problems of nation building in Nigeria today without paying due attention to our past and the global past as it affected our past and present.

Mr. Vice-Chancellor, Sir, the educational system which we inherited from our colonial masters, although criticized for alienating us from our culture, produced disciplined individuals and people we will regard as pillars of our democracy and national development.  Our educational system of yesteryears was highly structured, organized and predictable.  This was the era when education was fully the responsibility of Government or Mission Agencies.  Educational institutions were adequately staffed, equipped and supervision was effective.  The academic calendar was stable with hardly any disruption.  An entrant into the system was able to predict when he/she will graduate.  Non graduation of a candidate at the appropriate time was never the fault of the school or institution but the inability of the student to work hard enough to graduate as planned by the educational establishment.  The period under discussion was marked by students in primary and secondary schools putting on uniforms that were uniform indeed.  There was no provision for students making their own seats/desks or for boarders, providing their own beds. Laboratories in secondary and tertiary institutions were comparable with what obtained in other parts of the world.

Sound moral education was part and parcel of the education in pre 1970 to late 80s Nigeria. Relationship between  pupils and teachers, students and teachers and students and lecturers at various levels of education was to a very great extent professional.  Incidents of examination malpractice were very rare and anyone caught compromising the integrity of examination was promptly dealt with.  Incidents of students negotiating grades with their lecturers or lecturers/teachers asking for “incentives” were almost non-existent.  During the period under review, academic standards in Nigeria’s first generation universities was commendable and comparable to what obtained in the more advanced countries of Europe and America.  The period witnessed massive staff exchange from overseas universities.  Our universities had real international orientation and reputation, with staff and students coming from different parts of the world.  Apart from the international outlook of our universities and academics, university lecturers were highly respected and were at the apex of social rating. Okecha (2008) rightly noted that the mention of the title “Professor” attracted much attention.  The office of the Vice-Chancellor was highly reverred.  The Vice-Chancellor was more respected than any government appointee.

Most Nigerians who went through tertiary education enjoyed one form of financial support or the other from the Government.  Education was a worthwhile venture and was seen as the key that unlocked the door to success and fame.

Indolence, robbery, prostitution, ostentatious living, greed, oppression, social and spatial inequality were considered extremely disgraceful in Nigeria of yesteryears.  It was common practice for example, for the vendor to leave the Dailies at the Porter’s Lodge as students were trusted to drop the money and pick the papers. Similarly, the proceeds of Rag Day were used for charity as expected. Social vices were frowned at and there was greater sense of accountability among the citizenry including public office holders.  Workers reported at their duty posts at the expected time and remained at work till closing. School and other institutional gates were closed at 8 a.m. and remained so until closing.  Truancy was an aberration and something seriously frowned at.  There was freedom of political association, although political cleavages was along the three major ethnic groups with the exception of the Middle Belt that had her own political identity.  It was possible for close relatives to belong to different political parties and yet still live in harmony.  The example of the Ikokus can attest to this fact – that a father and son belonged to two opposing parties.

Humans are generally political animals.  The ability to organize people into groups with whatever political motive is a basic instinct inherent in human beings.  Nigerians are highly articulate political beings.  There is the practice of traditional and community politics which has always been with us.  There has been a merger between traditional and modern social life and party politics.  Since culture is not static, traditional practices also adjusted to accommodate new challenges and developments including cross-cultural contacts with its attendant implications.  The social life of a people and their political culture, to a great extent affects several other areas of living.  Nigeria is a political amalgam.  This is indicative of the cultural plurality of the country.  To a great extent the North was much more politically articulate and responsive.  This probably accounts for the practice wherein our Northern brothers are always with their radios and listening to local and international news, thereby being always informed.  Social life and party politics is not a function of Western education.  Some southerners in spite of their level of education, are still politically naïve and cannot read or understand the political horizon.  Nigeria’s economy during this period was very stable and was hinged on agriculture.  This was the era of the groundnut pyramids. Nigeria was the world’s largest producer of groundnuts, rubber, palm oil and kernels, soya beans, beniseed and also a major producer of cotton, 2nd world producer of cocoa.  It was within this period that Malaysia came to Nigeria to get our oil and rubber seedlings, to try out  in their country.  We know where both countries stand today in the production of palm oil and rubber.

Solid minerals like coal, tin and columbite were mined in economic quantities and Nigeria was known to be a  major world player in the production of these minerals.  The buoyancy of the economy was further boosted with the discovery of the black gold (oil) in Nigeria.  Gradually, emphasis started to shift from agriculture to petroleum ……….the mainstay of Nigerian economy. The Nigerian currency  was strong and highly sought after during this period.

Exchange Rate Between the 70s and 80s

Nigeria               British                          American            German

N1                    pd Stg                       US $                   DM 3.64

£0.615                       .51

The figures above presents a vivid picture of the strength of the Naira at this time.

Nigeria was well served by road, rail, sea air transport.  During this period there were over 95,000km of tarred roads and over 3,200km of one-metre gauge railway.  Nigeria had just two international airports at Lagos and Kano.  Both the northern and southern parts of the country attracted significant investment in infrastructural development, especially in rail and feeder roads, as well as some measure of social services such as electricity, water supply, hospitals, schools and colleges.  This period was marked by staff of the Public Works Department (PWD) clearing of the grasses by the sides of the road to ensure long distance and clear vision for drivers and other road users.  Roads were regularly maintained – although then, roads were narrow and sometimes windy, they were motorable throughout the year.

Nigeria Airways was the pride of West Africa.  It towered over and above other airlines in the sub-region.  Nigerian pilots were renowned for their courtesy, competence and confidence.  Their take-off and landing was remarkable and devoid of jerks and hiccups.  Nigerian Airways flew constantly to Europe, Asia, U.S.A. and several African routes without blemish.  The DC 10s, Boeing 737, 707 and 747 were constant on the international routes while the smaller aircrafts served the local (internal) routes. Closer home here, the waterway from Sapele to Obiaruku through River Ethiope was navigable and building materials were transported through that channel.

Security of lives and properties was to a very great extent guaranteed during this period.  It was possible to travel all night without fear of robbers.  Night travel was preferred by a number of Nigerians.  Incidents of armed robbery was rare and it was easy to track criminals.  It was not fashionable to engage in criminality because there was a general societal rejection or disgust for any individual who was known to be a criminal or social deviant.

NIGERIA TODAY

Today, Nigeria has traded her dignifying values of diligence, patriotism, high ethical standards, her abundant natural resources of yesteryears for inglorious habits colloquially referred to as the “Nigerian factor”: the pursuit of injustice, upturned values, endemic corruption and gross misrule. Today Nigeria is fatally sick from a deliberately self inflicted injury. Most of what is happening in Nigeria today amounts to national shame, our pain and disgrace. This shame is most manifest in our “New politics” which is marked by violence leading to loss of lives and properties, massive rigging and assassinations. The undeserving beneficiaries are quick to make efforts at convincing and confusing the masses into supporting the outcome of their political exploits. Almost immediately endorsement is rushed in from all over the country, especially from some Christian and Islamic clerics and other self-seeking leaders who pontificate on the fallacy that governments and leadership are chosen and ordained by God and that we should accept things the way they are in order to save our nascent democracy. But peace without justice cannot stand the test of time and is an invitation for anarchy.

Unlike what obtains in Western democracies and other stable polities where election results are declared less than 24 hours at the close of polls, in Nigeria, it could take three days.  In some ridiculous situations like local government elections that are even smaller geographical entities to manage, it still takes days before results are officially released.  This usual drag leaves room for manipulation and panel-beating of figures.  In spite of all these, ridiculous figures are released as results.  In some instances, there are more votes than the number of registered voters.  Multiple voting is not uncommon.  The tribunal judgment in Edo State revealed that fictitious voters voted and some others voted several times including supposed voters from across the Atlantic.

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The bedrock for any stable and functional democratic state is the electoral process.  This should be seen as the key issue in a country like ours.  The electoral process represents a political choice by the populace.  Next to market gossips and corridor discussions, voting is the one activity that demonstrates the extent of people’s involvement in politics.  When free and secret ballot voting takes place, the direction and quantum of individual’s participation come out boldly in their true form.

In a survey carried out by this lecturer in 1998, the degree of apathy expressed by young people was startling.

Possible percentage participation in National Elections

S/NO

CATEGORY

NO OF STUDENTS RESPONDING TO EACH CATEGORY

TOTAL NO OF STUDENTS

PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL

1.

Indifferent or undecided

162

250

65%

2.

Yes or Interested

63

250

25%

3.

No or not interested

25

250

10%

The above was almost a decade before the 2007 monumentally fraudulent election, yet the figure reveals high level of alienation or disenchantment with politics and the electoral process among young people.  In most cases, this alienation or apathy leads to high level political-disinterest.  Effective citizen participation depends upon a knowledge of how the system really operates.

Our citizens have not been systematically exposed to the methods of operations of our political system.  A good number of our youths have been left to wander aimlessly in Nigerian political arena.  This has resulted in either misinformation or the stifling of the political instincts in youths towards national affairs.

Our electoral process and the attendant protestation of results is unparalleled in the annals of elections in any part of the globe.  Many Nigerians are now of the opinion that an individual’s vote does not count – that results are predetermined.  This has led to serious apathy and despondency on the part of a large segment of the electorate (See Osakwe 1998, Ogini 2008). The June 12, 1993 election, adjudged to be free affair was annulled with ignomity to the chagrin of Nigerians. Since then, the situation has worsened. There is understandably now much cynicism towards election and the electoral process by several Nigerians.

Another disturbing dimension in this discourse is that politics in Nigeria is no longer seen as an avenue for service, rather it has become an avenue for quick ascendancy to wealth, and public recognition.  This has led to the emergence of political upstarts with warped minds on the political expectation of the electorate.  Their life style is marked by flamboyant living, luxury cars, including bullet-proof vehicles, escorts with sirens and intimidation of all perceived opponents and those who refuse to acknowledge their new found position and affluence that they find difficult to manage.  What we now witness is a replay of the Biblical Haman-Mordecai saga.  Haman, a political upstart paid a huge sum of money to ensure that the entire Jewish race is wiped out just because Mordecai the Jew did not bow down to him.

It is a mark of political immaturity to try to use political opportunism to settle scores.  It is a show of shame and reflection of the struggle against a complex.  Politics should be a very exciting part of our national life, but it is now an issue of life and death, sometimes sending shivers down the spine of the populace. That is why, organizing or conducting elections in Nigeria is warfare and several lives have gone with elections in Nigeria.

Political Assassinations

Between 1999 and 2009, 39 cases of politically – motivated murders were reported in the country. The timing of these assassinations reveals that it is usually more prevalent in the years preceding the elections and the election year proper. For example, there were 17 assassination cases between 2002 and 2003; 9 cases were recorded between 2005 and 2007 (another pre-election and election period).

Political Assassinations – 1999-2009 (- A Graphic Representation)

In the more recent elections in Nigeria, firearms were freely used.  In the Jos crisis of November/December 2008, over 500 lives were lost in the mayhem that trailed that election.  Several of those hospitalized were victims of bullet wound.  How does this compare with what obtains in other parts of the world, where election results are respected and the electoral process is carried out in an orderly manner?

A common feature of the political terrain in Nigeria is the issue of recycling of individuals and families – giving the impression that there is some eternal mandate that these individuals and families must always be there.  How do we explain a situation where some political actors who were contemporaries of the Late Sage, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, are still hovering around the corridors of power.  There are some individuals who have remained in political flirtation all through the 29 years of military –rule into the democratic era in Nigeria. What a shame that almost two years after the 2007 general elections, there are still several yet-to-be-resolved court cases.

It is a fact that ever since the contentious elections, Nigerians of varying endeavors, have been united in seeking a reform process that waters the tree of a transparently, free and fair election in order to eliminate the rancour that greeted the results of the April, 2007 polls and literally created hatred and anarchy.

For how long will Nigerians live with this level of rancor and uncertainty? When will transparent elections be conducted so that at the end the loser is even quick to concede defeat and congratulate the winner?  In the United States elections of November 4, 2008, Republican presidential candidate, John McCain gracefully conceded victory to the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama in less than 24 hours after polls.  The winner and loser in the American elections did not have to wait for the Electoral boss to announce the result of the most celebrated election result in the world.  They relied on the results as announced live by the Cable News Network (CNN).

It is instructive to state here that Nigeria’s national television, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) had a live coverage of the American election. Why has it not been possible to cover our national elections live.  Some international observers were refused entry and their reports discountenanced by our electoral authorities, yet Nigerians went to Ghana to monitor elections! Our electoral process is not transparent and acceptable. It is yet to be made so nationally and internationally.

CORRUPTION

Corruption is used here to capture a condition or state of falsehood, impropriety, illegitimacy, illegality or injustice geared towards acquisition of power, money or position for private and sectional profit.

Corruption has become endemic in Nigeria and a culturally corrupt system would generate a corrupt society.  A society and people would naturally produce its kind, except there is a drastic cultural surgery or there is a re-orientation as a result of time: Recall the Social Studies formula.  The Nigerian society provides a very fertile ground for fraudulent practices, thereby leading to the institutionalization of corruption.  A corrupt society according to Lewis (2008) produces corrupt leaders and followers; corrupt leaders copy or establish corrupt institutions and corrupt institutions create a multiple of corrupt systems.  This may explain why there is hardly any institution or system that is corruption-free in Nigeria.  Religious establishments are not exempt in this.  Corruption indeed is Nigeria’s worst enemy preventing the citizens from enjoying the huge natural resources.  Corruption is detrimental to economic growth.  It increases income inequality and poverty by reducing economic growth.  It also promotes and sustains unequal distribution of asset ownership and an unequal access to education (Olajide, 2008).

In spite of the establishment of anti-corruption agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) corrupt practices have continued to manifest in several ingeniously notorious ways and forms in Nigeria. This monster called corruption has continued to be the bane of the country’s drive towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. Recently, at an interactive session with the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs and Narcotics and Financial crimes, the Chief Executive of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleged that some Nigerians have cashed in on the falling global prices and had been criss-crossing the globe day and night to acquire properties with money looted from the country.  Perpetrators of this crime know how to beat all the mechanisms put in place to check their nefarious activities.  Our image has been seriously dented by the activities of corrupt Nigerians.  Corruption among Nigerians also manifests in internet fraud and the notorious Advance Free Fraud (aka 419).  A number of unsuspecting Nigerians and foreigners have been victims of both internet and Advance fee fraud.  A number of young people now live big and fat from the proceeds of corruption and fraud.

Nigeria’s image has been seriously dented across the globe as a result of the fraudulent practices of some of our citizens.  Several Nigerians are languishing in jails in a number of countries – Some who were not so lucky, were executed by the authorities of those countries where they committed the atrocities.  The war against corruption seem to have had a focus during Obasanjo’s regime.  Yar Ardua’s administration promised that there would be no sacred cows in his administration’s anti-corruption fight.  However, his anti-corruption war came under serious skepticism and cynicism following the redeployment of the former Chairman of the anti-graft agency and his numerous travails thereafter that culminated in his dismissal.  It is a very sad commentary and sends a very wrong message to Nigerians and the international community.

The anti-corruption crusade tempo is gradually grinding to a halt and some watchers are getting really concerned, because the sufferings of the masses, they feel have been caused by a few individuals who have diverted money meant for the welfare of the masses for their personal gain.  One of the apparent reasons why corruption has continued to pervade the length and breadth of Nigeria may be that the three arms of government pay lip service to its eradication.

The damage corruption has done to the polity and the generality of our people is immeasurable and incalculable.  The malaise pervades all strata of the society, including public institutions.  According to This Day Opinion of November 5, 2008, nothing works well in Nigeria because of corruption.  Several roads are in a deplorable state, even when attempts   are made at rehabilitating the roads, corruption will not allow for a thorough and enduring job.

Education and Corruption

Sexual harassment has become so pervasive in Nigerian tertiary education.  It is a highly disturbing state of affairs.  The issue of sexual harassment in higher institutions has attracted the attention of a number of academics – (Osakwe 2008, Igborgbor 2008, Okecha, 2008).  Sexual harassment is a manifestation of power relations and most times girls and women are at the receiving end.  Sexual harassment is not restricted to any age level – some academic elders have been known to engage in this abominable game.  Some academics have lost their jobs arising from this misdemeanor.  Some have continued to exploit and defile girls and make public boast of their sexual escapades.  Some girls and married women have been traumatized, all in a bid to acquire a university degree or diploma from other tertiary institutions.  Closely related to the issue of sexual harassment is corruption in our educational system from primary to university level.  Pupils and students are compelled to pay for one levy or the other.  Signing of referees report, clearance, course form, data card – all attract illegal charges.  Sometime ago in the history of Nigeria,

Teachers at all levels of education earned a great deal of respect from members of the public.  Seen as honest, disciplined and morally above board, it was then most fashionable to look for a teacher whenever a public position that called for a person of high integrity became vacant.  They had the aura of saints and always proved their admirers right whenever they had the opportunity to bring their experience and knowledge to bear on public affairs.  However, this hallowed integrity of the academic class appears to have taken its leave as the country continues to stink with corruption (Aghedo 2008).

Within the last couple of years, three professors paid the price for sexual exploitation of girls and had to be disgraced out of office.  There are still many more waiting to be disgraced.  Academic corruption has assumed different dimensions ranging from plagiarism, victimization, gagging of academic freedom, erosion of mentoring to production of foot soldiers/”academic  hostage taking” – by which junior academics under a senior colleague have no choice but to do their master’s bidding.  Academic freedom that once characterized the university system is fast eroding and giving way to dangerous campus politicians, cliques and other interest groups – whose interests are some other things except academics.

Examination malpractice has also become a major problem besetting education in Nigeria.  The phenomenon has become monstrous and will take only very bold and ruthless measures to wipe out.  The unfortunate situation is that some people who are expected to address this issue are products of examination malpractice themselves.

Examination malpractice is not gender restricted, both boys and girls are firmly in the business.

Transport and Corruption

The airports lack necessary facilities; the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) cannot locate sites of air wreckages. The most recent defied location until several months after by hunters.  The railway lines remain dysfunctional – some rail lines are now used by traders to display their wares.

General Attitude to Corruption

People no longer express bitterness and shock each time they hear of billions of Naira being stolen from public coffers, since it has now become a daily occurrence.  For example, it was reported that in one month, a Governor in a state spent N1bn (One billion Naira) in his state for security matters – a state where there was no war, nor the breakdown of law and order.

The status of corruption in Nigeria today is a product of the inconsistency and irregularity of the war against corruption – Having been fought to a standstill by General Murtala Mohammed between 1975 and 1976, a follow up such as Buhari/Idiagbon and later by Nuhu Ribadu would have brought the monster to its knees. But the intervening period between Mohammed and Buhari brought in General Babangida who ruled between 1985 and 1993. Unlike the Buhari regime that came hard on looters of public fund several of whom were handed various prison terms, Babangida returned the assets of the various officers and restored the ranks of the dismissed officers. Call it reward of corruption! This history may repeat itself once again, if the travails of Nuhu Ribadu is allowed to continue. Call it punishment for fighting corruption! The war against corruption at the moment is asleep.

Corruption and the Power Sector

Two thousand (2,000) megawatts of electricity was being generated in 2008 as against the 3,000 generated in 2003.  These are ridiculous figures. South Africa with a population of 60 million, generates 45,000 megawatts and the government of South Africa is aspiring to increase her capacity to 60,000.  How can Nigeria still claim to be the giant of Africa?  Our industries and small scale businesses provide their own electricity – how can they break even in the  face of exorbitant production cost essentially because of the lack of steady public power supply. How can industrial dreams of Nigeria be actualized in the light of the current energy challenges. In spite of the President’s plan to declare a state of emergency in the power sector, things have not improved.  Small scale businesses, artisans and several self-employed Nigerians have been forced to close their businesses due to non-availability of power.

It was reported (Tell December 8 that in one month (November, 2008) the worsening power situation forced the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to announce the loss of 800 MW generation capacity – within the same period the Sapele Power Station was completely shut down, and the Egbin power station in Lagos was operating “at reduced capacity”. Exactly 10 days after, PHCN reported additional loss of 200 MW.  All these have been responsible for the 12 hourly zonal power rotational rationing to maintain system stability and ensure even distribution of the limited generation output from the functioning plants.  Under the rotation plan, PHCN divided the country into zones.  Each zone gets electricity for 12 hours; even this is no guarantee that the light would come.  There are areas/sections of the country where power outage is more regular than public power supply.  Even the “promised” additional 6,500 MW by 2009 is a far cry from our expected electricity demands in Nigeria.

We are further informed (Tell December 2008) that each University spends more than N120 million annually on diesel.  What a colossal waste of money that would have been ploughed into other critical areas of University administration.  Not many Universities in Nigeria can even afford to spend that staggering sum of money for electricity.  This of course, does not include the regular electricity bills from PHCN.

CORRUPTION AND IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY

The iron and steel industry has gulped billions of dollars, since the 1980s – yet there is nothing to show for it.  The Federal Government set up the Ajaokuta  and Delta Steel plants, alongside three Inland Rolling Mills at Oshogbo, Jos and Katsina.  The steel plants and the Rolling Mills have not been able to meet the steel aspirations of Nigerians, mainly because of corruption and beaurcactic bottle-necks.  What we now have is more like steel museums instead of steel plants.  How do we explain the astronomical cost of imported iron and steel products when we are supposed to be producers of the product?  In some of the plants, the components and spare parts are no longer being produced in any part of the world.  The computer components are totally obsolete thereby leaving the engineers to cannibalize existing components to the point that there is nothing to fall back on.

The Minister of State overseeing the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, pleaded recently with Nigerians to be patient with the pace of development, stating that, “theirs is not a go slow government”.  Unfortunately, Nigerians can not but believe that the present and past administration have no clear-cut policy on how to reengineer the iron and steel industry and position it for Nigeria’s industrial take off. For how long will Nigerians wait for the take-off of an effective iron and steel industry?  Several Nigerians were sent to Europe, Russia and Japan to be trained for the iron and steel industry.  All these high calibre manpower have been laid off in the face of the privatization Policy of the last administration.  Some of the steel plants were concessioned to the political partners/business associates of the government of the day.

The iron and steel industry is the bedrock of any meaningful technological and industrial development of any nation.  Nigeria cannot afford to remain an eternal importer of steel products.  This sector ought to contribute significantly to the economic development of Nigeria.  There seem not to be a clear road map that would lead Nigeria to becoming a major participant in steel development on the African continent.  How can the dream of making Nigeria one of the best 20 economies of the world by 2020 come true?  How can this be achieved when the primary steel mills have been privatized into wrong hands? The control of the primary source of steel (liquid and flat) is the control of the industrial development of the nation.  The iron and steel industry then is a critical area of economic development that should not be left in the hands of investors whether foreign or indigenous.

The dedicated rail line linking Delta Steel Company, Aladja, Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and the Nigerian Iron Ore Mining Company Itakpe are yet to be completed – until this is done the full value of the companies can never be realized.  The rail line project, like several other government projects is more like an abandoned project that is already suffering fast depreciation.  The River Niger is yet to be dredged and the Escravos estuary is yet to be cleared.  Liquid steel can never be produced at Ajaokuta without all these things being put in place.

EXTRA JUDICIAL MURDERS

An issue that has bothered many Nigerians and sent shivers down the spines of the citizenry has to do with extra judicial murders.  A number of families have been traumatized arising from the loss of their loved ones in incidents bordering on extra judicial murder.  The unfortunate aspect of this development is that evidences are either totally obliterated or the victims are presented as criminals – the dead cannot speak for himself or herself.  A few examples will buttress the point here – Almost two decades ago, a Nigerian star athlete Dele Udo was shot dead at a Police check point.  This has also been the lot of a number of innocent Nigerians at various police check points across the country at one point or the other. In 2002, some traders traveling along the Okene – Lokoja highway were intercepted by some policemen who discovered they had a lot of money on them. The policemen tied up the traders and bundled them into the bus and set it on fire, while making away with their millions of Naira. One of the traders miraculously survived and escaped and reported the incident. The policemen were late apprehended, tried and sentenced appropriately. A renowned journalist, Bayo Awosika died in circumstances bordering on extra judicial killing.  It was alleged that he died after his vehicle hit a police van and thereafter somersaulted several times before landing at another part of the road.  In spite of the claim of sommersault, there was no dent on the vehicle; the handbreak of Bayo’s car was still on; and there was a piece of fire wood under the car.  The post mortem examination revealed that the young man died from a missile injury – that is, he was hit by a fast moving metal (bullet).  Could this have been another case of extra judicial murder.  The case of citizen John Abah in  Benue State is still very fresh.  On November 14, 2008, bullets fired by a police patrol team felled him, the young man had gone out that night to relax with his friends when his life was cut short.  The incident that led to his untimely death is traceable to a rift between the deceased and a police officer at a public beer parlour.  In 2006, policemen killed a young man in the same town – Oturkpo, over a protest by residents to a PHCN facility due to power outage.

On December 2, 2008, the authorities of Lagos State University, were compelled to issue a press release on the shooting of its students.  This was sequel to the shooting on the 25th of November, 2008 of 4 students of the University who had gone for Local Government identification.  Arising from the swift reaction of the authorities of Lagos State University, the State Governor swung into action.  The erring policemen were arrested and subsequently dismissed.  One of the students shot eventually succumbed to his injuries despite the combined efforts of Lagos State Government and Lagos State University to save his life.  The question is for how long will Nigerians put up with this barbaric and senseless killing of her citizens by people who are expected to protect them?  The killing of a student in Athens, Greece early December 2008 sparked off protests from students and teachers for several days running.  The killing of a Brazilian in the United Kingdom during a terror raid led to the prosecution of the police officer concerned. In December 2008 a lady was killed in Ogun State – she was taken for an armed robber. The police made spirited effort at explaining away the fact that the woman was an armed robber. A young man was shot dead by policeman in front a bank in Benin City for engaging in a brawl in front of the bank – this incident took place in January 2009. In the same month of January a young man was shot dead in Lagos by policemen under unexplained circumstances. Some commercial drivers have been victims of either police shootings or other forms  of brutality for their refusal to part with their money illegally “usual toll”.

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs)

Following from the United Nations Millennium Declaration which was adopted at the Millennium summit held in New York, September 6th – 8th, 2000, Nigeria committed herself to realizing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.  These goals were targets for making measurable improvements in the lives of the world’s poorest citizens.

Goal I:       Eradicate Extreme poverty and Hunger

Poverty still stares millions of Nigerians in the face.  The degree of hunger manifests clearly at burial, wedding and other social events where free food and drinks are served lavishly by a select few.  In such gatherings, several uninvited guests scramble for food.  Worse still, are the milling teenagers who anxiously wait for those properly served, to leave the remnants for them to either eat or carry away.  Many of our young people have now become scavengers in the midst of supposed plenty.

According to Bolatito (2008), poverty exists where people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs.  These may be defined in a restricted sense as those needs necessary for survival, or broadly those needs reflecting the prevailing standard of living in the community.  Poverty describes a situation where peoples resources (material, social and cultural) as so limited as to exclude such people from the minimum acceptable way of life.  Poverty is multifaceted (Bolatito 2008); it includes poor access to public services and infrastructure, unsanitary environment, illiteracy and ignorance, poor health, insecurity, voicelessness and social exclusion, including low levels of household income and food insecurity.

Between the period 1980 to 1996, the proportion of poor people rose from 28.1% in 1980 to 65.6% in 1996.  This, in terms of numbers translates to 17.7 million poor people in 1980 and 67.1 million people in 1996.  It is estimated that by 2015, between 30.1 million and 40.4 million people would still be living in poverty in Nigeria.

According to African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD 2005), Nigeria with an annual per capita income of barely 0, is one of the 20 poorest countries in the world.  It is estimated that Nigeria grows at about 3% and the national savings rate is about 15%.  In the midst of other daunting challenges of infrastructural decay and corruption, how can Nigeria attain the Millennium goal number one?

Since independence, Nigeria has steadily fallen into the group of countries with a low level of human development, as characterized by an (HDI) coefficient of less than 0.5 (on a scale of 0-1).  With a score of 0.470, Nigeria occupies a lowly 158th position, where countries like Eritrea and Senegal fare better.  This is a very big shame indeed.  How can it be said that Benin Republic and Rwanda are higher up the ladder than Nigeria in GDP per capita.

Table 1: Nigeria’s human development index 2005

HND value

Life expectancy at birth       (years)

Adult literacy rate

(%ages 154 and older)

Combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio     (%)

GDP per capital (PPP USS)

1. Iceland (0.968)

1. Japan (82.3)

1. Georgia (100.0)

1. Australia (113.0)

1. Luxembourg (60.228)

156. Senegal (0.499)

163.Botswana (48.1)

102.Algeria (69.9)

136.Nepal (58.2)

158.Rwanda (1,206)

157.Eritrea (0.483)

1653.Cote d’Ivoire (47.4)

103.Tanzania (United
Republic of) (69.4)

137.Equatorial Guinea (58.1)

159.Benin (1.141)

158.Nigeria (0.470)

165.Nigeria (46.5)

104.Nigeria (69.1)

138.Nigeria (56.2)

160. Nigeria (1,128)

159.Tanzania (United Republic of)(0.467)

166.Malawi (46.3)

105. Guatemala (69.1)

139. Bangladesh (56.0)

161. Eritrea (1.109)

160. Guinea (0.456)

167.Guinea-Bissau (45.8)

106.Lao People’s Democratic Republic (68.7)

140.Yemen (55.2)

162. Ethiopia (1,055)

177.Sierra Leone (0.336)

177.Zambia (40.5)

139.Burkina Faso (23.6)

172.Niger (22.7)

174.Malawi (667)

Human Development Report 2007/2008 Country fact Sheets – Nigeria

Table 2: Selected indicators of human poverty for Nigeria

Human Poverty Index (HPI-1) 2004

Probability of not surviving past age 40 (5) 2004

Adult illiteracy rate (%ages 15 and older)2004

People without access to an improved water source (%) 2004

Children underweight for age (% ages 0-5) 2004

1.Chad (56.9)

1.Zimbabwe (57.4)

1.Burkina Faso (76.4)

1.Ethiopia (78)

1.Nepal (48)

27.Yemen (38.0)

12.Congo (Democratic Republic of the (41.1)

34.Lao People’s Democratic Republic (31.3)

8.Congo (Democratic Republic of the (54)

22. Angola (31)

28. Burundi (37.6)

13.Guinea-Bissau (40.5)

35. Guatemala (30.9)

9. Fiji (53)

23.Maldives (30)

29. Nigeria (37.3)

14.Nigeria (39.0)

36.Nigeria (30.9)

10. Nigeria (52)

24.Nigeria (29)

30.Malawi (36.7)

15.Cote d’Ivoire (38.6)

37.Tanzania (United Republic of)(30.6)

11.Madagascar (50)

25.Sri Lanka (29)

31.Rwanda (36.5)

16.Uganda (38.5)

38.Algeria (30.1)

12. Mali (50)

26. Philippines (28)

108. Barbados (3.0)

173.Iceland (1.4)

164.Estonia (0.2)

125.Hungary (1)

134.Chile (1)

Human Development Report 2007/2008 – Country Facts Sheets – Nigeria

Tables 1 and 2, summarize the sordid state of affairs as it relates to Nigeria poverty rating at the global level.  How realizable is MGD1 in the face of this staggering poverty level in Nigeria?

GOAL 2:     Achieve Universal Primary Education

The National Policy on Education (2004, revised) states that “the Government recognizes education as an instrument par excellence for effecting national development.  The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) is saddled with the responsibility for ensuring that Nigeria attains the goal of Universal Primary Education by the year 2015.  How can this lofty goal be attained in the face of the non-cooperation of several states in the federation, in not meeting up with the demands for accessing their state fund for the Universal Basic Education programme?  Less than 50% of the states in the country have been able to comply by paying their counterpart funding.  Unless  and until this is done, such defaulting states, and by extension, the country will be unable to meet the 2015 target  date for attaining universal primary education.  What could be responsible for the lacklustre attitude of several state governments towards fulfilling their part of the obligation in this regard?  Can it be that education is undervalued by the current democratic actors or that the conditions for accessing the fund does not permit for the usual huge financial seepages into the wrong hands?

Nigeria also endorsed the Jometien conference on Education for All (EFA) by the year 2000, that set out targets for early childhood care and development, primary education, junior secondary and adult literacy.  The trend in gross enrolment ratio (GER) indicates considerable fluctuation in enrolment between 1991 and 2000.  Enrolment increased appreciably between 1990 and 1994, rising from 68% to 86%.  Thereafter, enrolment declined to 81% in 1995 and 70% in 1996.  Therefore, Nigeria did not achieve the Jometien EFA goal of 2000.

The Universal Basic Education (UBE) guideline stipulates that each primary and junior secondary school should have one general science laboratory to cater for elementary science and domestic science; one well ventilated toilet for a maximum of 40 pupils or students per toilet; one teacher to teach  or handle 40 pupils or students.  These conditions by what is obtainable in our schools is utopian, and may not be attainable even by the year 2015.  Very few schools have the semblance of a laboratory.  The nearby bushes provide toilet facilities in some of our schools.

GOAL 3:     Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

The target of this goal is to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005 and to all levels of education not later than 2015.  The indicators here are:

-              Ratio of girls to boys, in primary, secondary and tertiary education.

-              Ratio of literate females to males of 15-24 years old.

-              Share of women in wage employment in the non-agriculture sector

-              Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament.

Gender disparity still manifests strongly in access to primary, secondary and tertiary education leading to unequal access to employment (Millennium Development Report 2004)

An estimated 50% of Nigeria’s population is made up of women and girls; however, gender disparity in access to primary, secondary and tertiary education dates back to the pre-colonial era and has its roots in Africa traditional culture.  Will the target of gender equality and empowerment of women be reached  by 2015.  The answer is obviously in the negative.  Society must be ready to deal with gender-stereotyping and the acceptance that the female gender can aspire to the highest height if society will allow.  The age-long notion of women as just being there to make children or to meet the pleasure demands of the men folk must be jettisoned.  Women excel in whatever chosen career they go into; they are very good and better managers of the home and society.  There should be no gender discrimination on job, whether public or private.

GOAL 4 – Reduce child Mortality

The National Millennium Goals Report (2004) noted that not much progress has been made in reducing child mortality.  Estimates from the 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey put under-five mortality rate as 217 per 1,000 with large regional variations.  Urban and rural areas had under five mortality rates of 243 per 1,000 and 153 per 1,000 respectively.  The projection of the goal under consideration, is that, there must be a reduction by two thirds (2/3) of under-five mortality by the year 2015.  In other words, Nigeria should be able to reduce under-five morality to 49 per 1,000 by 2015.  It is most unlikely that Nigeria will meet the 2015 target of reducing under-five mortality by two thirds (2/3).

The major obstacles towards achieving goal 4 of the MDGs are poor access to health care facilities (poverty), HIV/AIDS and poor maternal health.  Good health services costs money and this is not within the reach of the poor that unfortunately make up the majority of Nigeria’s population.  Corruption and greed has not yet permitted for free-health services to the poor.  Unfortunately, those in government who ought to ensure high class medical facilities in our public health institutions have failed in their responsibilities.  It is these same persons who can afford to travel overseas for the slightest ailments.

Availability of Health Care facilities, 1996 – 2000

(Per’000 People)

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

No. of Doctors

0.212

0.207

0.201

0223

0.22

No. of Hospital Beds

0.677

0.643

0.613

0.575

0.639

The table depicts the very appalling state of health care facilities in Nigeria.  What efforts are on ground to ensure that the picture changes drastically in the positive direction before the year 2015?

GOAL 5:     Improve Maternal Health

The target of this goal is to reduce maternal mortality ratio by three quarters between 1990 and 2015.  Although there has been slight decrease in maternal mortality since 1990, the level still remains high at approximately, 1,000 per 100,000 live births from the late 1990s to 2001.  The national maternal mortality rate was 704 per 100,000 live births with considerable regional variation (MDG Report 2004)

Maternal deaths in Nigeria, like in most developing countries are usually traceable to women’s powerlessness and their unequal access to employment, finance, education, basic health care, and other resources.

The challenges to the achievement of goal 5 of the MDGs include teenage pregnancy, harmful cultural practices, lack of health personnel and other infrastructure, especially in the rural areas.  Nigeria accounts for 10% of global maternal deaths (UCAID 2008).

52,000 Nigerian women die yearly from maternal related  complications.  Lanre-Abass (2008) stated that majority of births in Nigeria (66%) occur at home.  A smaller percentage of women receive postnatal care, which is crucial for monitoring and treating complications in the first two days after delivery.  Nigerian health system has been bedeviled with problems of service quality, including unfriendly attitude of some health personnel (doctors and nurses), inadequate skills, decaying infrastructure, shortage of essential drugs and fake drugs.

GOAL 6:     HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases

It is estimated that over 4.5 million Nigerian adults and children are living with HIV/AIDS in 2008.  The cumulative deaths from AIDS as at 2008 was about 4.2 million people.  These are startling figures that should disturb any group of people (Osakwe 2008).  The age groups most affected by the virus includes 20 – 29 year olds, while the regions with highest prevalence rates include the North Central, North East, and South-South zones. It is shocking to know that University treated 10,800 persons with HIV between January and October, 2008.

Several factors contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria; this includes sexual networking practices such as polygamy, a high prevalence of untreated sexually transmitted infections (STIs.), low condom use; poverty; low literacy; poor health status, stigmatization and irresponsible sexual habits.  The prevalence of malaria in Nigeria has remained high, and this is due to the abundance of blocked drainages and general uncleanliness that aids the malaria vectors.  It is estimated that about a million deaths are recorded annually in Nigeria arising from malaria.  The fact that we have inadequate number of well-trained medical personnel to implement programmes like the national AIDS programme remains a major challenge towards the realization of Goal 6 of the MDGs.

GOAL 7:     Ensure Environmental Sustainability

Nigeria is still grappling with the challenge of environmental sustainability.  There are still major problems related to land degradation, pollution, flood, erosion, desertification, inefficient use of energy resources, loss of biodiversity, environmental disasters and deforestation.  There is still poor access to improved sanitation facilities in Nigeria, which may be blamed on poor implementation of health and housing and other related policies, high levels of poverty, low level of awareness about issues concerning environmental sustainability and general rural improvement.  Why has the perennial gully erosion in the South East, parts of Delta and Edo defied attention – instead, farmlands and buildings are annually washed away; roads cut-off and communities separated; children and adults are washed away by floods.  How explainable is it that in the 21st century, even in some university campuses, students defecate anywhere and worse in some female hostels! “Short-put” has acquired a new meaning for this anti social behaviour. Students defecate into black polythene bags and throw same behind their halls or leave them at the toilet ends. Sometimes these human wastes are washed away into gutters and drains thereby creating health hazards. Excavations for construction and building sand may not be as obvious an environmental hazard as short put; but excavation without recourse to the environmental consequences leaves much pain and anguish for the people. Some Nigerians daily contribute to environmental degradation and threat to lives and properties by their careless and environmentally – unfriendly activities.

GOAL 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Nigeria has continued to play a prominent role in regional cooperati

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The Right Foundation

Now you must have seen those celebrities in magazines with full make-up looking  perfect and sometimes with a “natural look” revealing they, like us, have skin imperfections and are mere mortals….only with the better foundation.  I remember my excursion to get a good one – I swanned into the counter of one cosmetic company and met 30 different kinds — at least!  Liquid, pressed powder, moisturising, de-aging, oil control, covers uneven skin tone, long-wearing, natural skin-perfecting,  mineral enriched, matte or  luminous finish,  full or sheer coverage  and etcetera.  The beauty consultant probably saw how overwhelmed I was, so she just told me to give one a try.  With just a few trials we found the one I am happy with, e.g. liquid formula to even skin tone for normal skin  type with luminous finish in honey – now that’s genie in a bottle!

It reminded me that to get it right in Trading, one has to get the right foundation. (Literally and figuratively).  

 

You need to bring together what you want and what you have to set a good basis for doing your Trading business.

Know What you HAVE

Consider what you HAVE that affect your trading:

1.     Psychology

2.     Risk Tolerance

3.     Resources

Time
Money
Skills

4.     Market Beliefs

PSYCHOLOGY

Personal Beliefs — Imagine the result if you go on Trading or any pursuit and believe that YOU CAN WIN! You would be so full of energy and enthusiasm that you do any work to be done the best you can! You would get roadblocks but it doesn’t stop you because you know it is still in your path to success, you only need to learn to get around it! If however, you think you are “not good enough”   (“I don’t have the right education”, “I am not good in math”), then this will limit you and you have to change that. You have to believe what will be supportive of what you want to achieve.  Believe  that there are always opportunities in Trading.  Believe in abundance.  This is deep, spiritual  stuff right here!

RISK TOLERANCE

I mention “trading” to friends and they say  “It’s risky”.    If you think of it though, everything has risk.  You could be enjoying an ice cream cone with the risk of drips on your nice clean shirt.  

Anyway, I thought when I started, you have to take high-risk trades to get high-rewards.  I have good news though — Low-Risk   trades is what makes successful traders.  This is what you can do:

a.     Measure Risk -  when considering a trade, measure if  the Risk is worth taking.  I follow the professional traders’ rule of thumb  that you only enter a trade with the potential to give you 3 times what you risked. So say you are risking 0, then the reward potential should be 0.

b.    Know  WHAT is the risk of the investment so you can decide if you it’s alright with you. For example

small companies (called  small-caps or penny stocks) — usually get listed in the stock market to get funding for growth.  They are cheap so you can get in with only a small investment (say at 50cents your 0 can get you 1000 shares)  and could skyrocket in value compared to your investment e.g. could reach in a year so 100% gain.   However,  there could be no earnings, and/or  lots of debt.   Also due to small number of shares, could be hard to get in and out so less opportunity to trade.  Worst that could happen is you lose your entire investment.  REWARD :  Growth
big companies  (called big caps or blue-chips) – would provide  income by paying regular dividends, would have cash/assets that exceed debt (at worst their assets can pay their debts and whatever is left is distributed to shareholders), usually also grows by buying smaller companies or start other ventures, have large number of shares which make it easy for traders to go in and out of trades (liquidity) ensuring you have plenty of opportunities.    REWARD: Growth, Opportunity and Income

I consider the bigger companies LOW-RISK so they are the ones I trade.   From learning about the markets you could also formulate “low-risk ideas”.   

RESOURCES

Think of your available time, money, skills that you can use to do your trading business.

1.     Time

a.     First, you would need to spend  time to LEARN to trade – this would including getting market knowledge,  creating a system to guide your  decision-making, how to place your trade (online or broker) and ensuring you trade effectively with a psychological and business plan.

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b.    Second, you need to know the timeframe you would be comfortable to trade.  Starting out, I recommend to adopt a “short term” timeframe for trades (few days to a month or so) .  Day trading requires a lot of skill and knowledge that one can only learn over time, while if you go “Long-term trader” right away  you’d tend to be slack and lose focus to do the “trading tasks” and possibly lose interest and lose money that way.

c.     At actual  trading, the time requirement is minimal.   I do short-term trading and I would normally prepare to enter a trade at a “quiet time”– this would vary from person to person but for me this would be weekend or early in the morning (when I wake up to give the baby some milk) I spend between 10 to 30minutes reading on news and doing my analysis, when a trade is already in place and I only need to monitor it, I check  the broker’s website, takes 1-3 minutes each time while I could be at the shops or with the kids at the park or at home or workplace.    I adjust my activity  according to the market, if it’s too volatile I monitor more closely.   If I am not comfortable I don’t  open a trade.

2.      Money – This is a big topic so for now let’s just focus on what you need to think of when you start to trade.

a.       Allocate.  You need to keep the money for trading / investing separate from any savings or any living expenses or commitment for that matter.   To trade profitably, avoid any pressure on your capital or “unrealized profit”.  Some people recommend investing 10% of your income etc.  I leave it to your judgement to assess your overall life situation.  Listen up! Starting out, honestly, I recommend allocating an amount that you can afford to lose.  Scary but, Trading being a  “fast game” you might not have the  self-control for most part of it and lose your capital.     I know because I did it.

b.    How much?  Here in Australia I look around banks advertising  “Term Deposit”  offering 6% per year for a minimum deposit  of  ,000 for 12months.   So if you are gunning for a Return of more than 6% you should have more than ,000 right?  Starting out I recommend going from this amount although I will discuss  other considerations later.

So say in summary, minimum trading capital is $ 5000 that you can afford to lose.   For readers in other countries,  I will look up (your) markets and post a recommendation.

3.  Skills – you would find that the following are helpful in trading

computer skills
research skills (finding information and making it easy to refer to)
math skills

If you do not have the above skills (or any you need for that matter), learn them.  I didn’t think I’d be proud to admit one day but I was made to take “Remedial Math”  after a college admissions test that I passed showed that I have too many mistakes in the math section (hehehe ). I had to sit an extra class at lunchtime to learn arithmetic and percentages.  In Trading these are  basic math skills needed,  then some statistics to help you advance.  I used to have a blank look at the mention of “Standard Deviation” but a very good teacher (Ken Long from a Van Tharp Institute workshop I attended) showed us what it is used for and then it became really interesting. So just think as you get more knowledgeable you will appreciate what this seemingly complicated math is all about.

TOP TIP : You can practice this a lot during shopping  when reading  signs  like “Buy 1 Take 1″ and “50% off” 

MARKET BELIEFS

OK so markets do go up and down, sometimes slow, sometimes  too fast it’s crazy  – I don’t pretend to know all of the reasons  but I can tell you this: there are ways to profit in Up or Down markets or even sideways market.  Dr. Van Tharp is fond of saying “you don’t trade the markets, you trade your beliefs about the market”. So improve your market knowledge from where you can form beliefs that you can use in your trading.   It helps to  observe  a “real” market (not the supermarket)  – just look at the chaos!  Different people are there together  with different purpose bringing different things (resources).  Like in the financial markets – there are the individual “mom and pop” investors, day traders, long-term investors, fund managers, the governments also get involved, some may buy and hold, others are hedgers (want to protect values of their assets), speculators (hold positions according to their expectations of rising or falling values).    Markets also have a rhythm, there is a lot of activity say at the start, closing, or at  the end of the week. One of my beliefs (from what I’ve observed on one stock I trade) is that its price tend to go down by Friday afternoon.   Funny it is like one of my favourite thing to do at the markets which is go to the flowers section near closing time because they tend to sell at big discount, sometimes give it for free. 

Know What you WANT

1.   Have an Objective.  When I started out, I just thought I “want to make money”.  To help define that, think :

a.     What is it for? A holiday or buy a car? Monthly income?

b.    How much?

c.     When do you need it?

As regards to your capital :

d.    Do you want to make as much money as you can?

e.     Do you want to ensure you only lose a certain percentage of your accumulated capital (capital and profits)?

f.     Do you want to preserve a certain percentage of your original capital?

As regards to your business:

g.    Do you want to manage your own money and few other family/friends? Or just yours

h.     Do you want to be a professional money manager?

i.      Do you want to be a mechanical trader or fully automate trading systems?

j.      Do you want to just protect the value of your business / other assets

Dr. Tharp’s book “Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom” has an excellent section about writing your Objectives to START your Trading. After all, if you don’t know where you want to go, how can you get there?

2.    TIME. Do you want to trade actively or prefer a slower pace?  There are some markets that lend to “fast” trading, like the Foreign Exchange market (or FOREX). If you don’t care for fast-paced trading then stock market might be better suited, and that also varies according to stock  etc.

3.     MARKET.  Do you want to trade a particular market because of your interests? (e.g. From your travel or other business)  Back when I was starting, I didn’t know that you could trade Country-specific funds, I thought at that time if you have any such interest you can only trade Foreign Exchange (Forex for short), now there are even Country Exchange Traded Funds ( ETFs).  If you immigrated to another country like I did  you must be  aware of  US Dollar against your currency, that could be a good fit for you.    If you prefer to trade something familiar you can start by trading “household name” companies like your bank, the retail companies you shop in,  what you pay bills on e.g. electricity / phone, the makers of the goods you use e.g.  software or PC or even everyday items like milk.

LAST BIT – PROMISE!

If you are still reading this,   I’m happy for you and let me just wrap it up here.  Most women I know don’t want anything  “risky”.   So here’s a list of  hard-earned wisdom on getting “the right foundation”  for low-risk trades.

1.  There is a lot of  money to be made in Trading, but like anything in life, you have to earn that by developing your skills and taking responsibility.

2.  Give yourself time to learn.  At the start you will make mistakes, keep learning and improving.

3. Aim to preserve 80% of your capital.  Also around halway of hitting this this mark (or after 5 trades whichever is safer for you) it’s a good  time to check how you are doing (performance) and make adjustments to how you trade. 

4. Only do low-risk trades. If you  lose  sleep over it,  it’s not low-risk enough for you.

5. Aim for a monthly income target,   it is a measure of how good your skills have become (your consistency).

6. First do mechanical trading, even doing calculations by hand, it reinforces your learning.

7. Devote at least 2 hours per week to learn, you sure can do more but contrary to what others might think, Trading is not just theory and numbers.  A lot of it is behaviour, so go, observe and learn from LIFE .   Picture someone who got angry and done something they’d regret because they lost control.    You will understand this later (hopefully).

8.  Trade Short-term timeframe,  does not put much pressure on yourself and the trade could still move in your direction.

9.  Trade what is interesting / easy for you to understand and offer you the most protection.  For most people this is the stockmarket. 

10.  Start with 5,000 — if you don’t have this amount, build it up while you keep learning.   

Whew, long article,  give yourself a treat and chew on this one for a while. 

I’m  catching up on sleep.

Related articles at www.highheeledtraders.com

The Stinking Stench of Zionist-inspired Western Hypocrisy

The Stinking Stench of Zionist-inspired, Western Hypocrisy

By Stanley Collymore

Here we go again; the outright self-indulgent, completely in your face onward march of the extremely childish, perennially sanctimonious and warmongering bastards that virtually unchallenged control the west expediently, dishonestly and studiously ignoring their own much greater, premeditatedly planned and brutally executed, pernicious criminal atrocities, insidious complicity to commit more of the same uncaringly compounded by their own active, fanatical encouragement and bountiful assistance to their favoured dictators to do likewise, impatiently jumping up on to their gut-churning, puke-inspired and sham moralistic soapboxes to absurdly gloat over the convenient capture of a contrived and politically advantageous foe while once again lyingly extolling to the brainwashed dimwits who they repeatedly con, have no respect for, persistently lie to, politically and unashamedly use as election and militaristic fodder  and cheerfully , exorbitantly and fraudulently get rich off of while controlling practically every aspect of their daily miserable lives – aka Joe and Jane Public – what an immeasurably marvellous and immensely caring bunch of individuals they themselves actually are. Well that’s only to be expected I hear the more prescient-minded of the unimpressed masses who resolutely refuse to swallow this load of garbage say, as the words disreputable and knave don’t or would they ever feature in the lexicons of these perverse, paranoid, sentiently blighted and privileged criminals, even though they fit them most appropriately.

Ever on the perpetual search for new victims to pedantically terrorize, very synonymous to a highly pampered but all the same predatory, domestic cat which having intentionally captured its prey then sadistically taunts, seriously injures and occasionally kills it but never humanely finishes it off, these odious western killers have found themselves another quarry to work out their satanic sadism on. His name is Ratko Mladic, and who is the latest fall guy for these out of control; immunity protected and hardened lunatics who evidently have no moral compass in their lives; any concept or comprehension of what truth is, and to be brutally frank aren’t the least concerned about this, hence their off-repeated and unashamed conduct that is firmly reinforced by the assurance that they can virtually unchallenged so far dependably rely on the unquestioning services and stalwart support of a sycophantic media that is answerable only to a controlling and influential cooperative of Zionist lobbies who they themselves cravenly subscribe to, to always and quite unwarrantedly portray them in the very best light, knowing full well that the most important aims of these corrupt governments ably assisted by themselves are to keep the general public in total ignorance of what’s really going on by persistently lying to it.

However, before you too get swept up in and even deliberately allow yourselves to be carried away by the tsunami of downright lies, disinformation and the sheer fantasy concocted in the warped minds of these disreputable charlatans, may I suggest that you first simmer down, take a deep breath, get a grasp of reality and inject some much needed objectivity into what these people have to say and consistently and contradictorily have been telling you; in short take whatever it is that they say to you with a large tablespoon of salt!

To begin with this whole Balkans brouhaha was the initial crime of the EU and most particularly the Republic of Germany: a country which in tandem with its wartime allies, consisting of virtually all of mainland Europe, and even other co-conspirators like Britain are quite dab hands at creating genocides and holocaust globally; if in doubt of this statement just have a word with the Australian Aborigines or Navi Pillay the United Nation’s Human Rights Commissioner whose quite damning report, May 2011, on Australia’s institutionalized abuse of that country’s indigenous people, particularly in the Northern Territories, is not only shocking but ongoing as is the Australian government’s wanton, discriminatory and systematic mistreatment of refugees, yet the Aussie government has the bloody cheek to dispatch troops to Afghanistan where incidentally many of these forced refugees that are arriving on Australia’s doorstep are fleeing from; take punitive but exceedingly selective actions in terms of sanctions against Libya, Syria and Iran but not the quisling dictators favoured by the west, and all this ostensibly, amidst the other disingenuously uttered white colonialist crap, to bring democracy to these countries. Then of course there are other eminent and well documented victims of Caucasian genocide like the Maoris of New Zealand, the Caribs of the Caribbean, the indigenous peoples of the Americas: North, Central and South, and the Herero people of Namibia where upwards of 95% of their number was wiped out by the Germans in 1905; but even worst than the aforementioned, if that is not an understatement in itself, are the exterminated peoples of Tasmania, the Arawaks of the West Indies and the Witbooi people also of Namibia, totally killed off in the 1900s and among the victims of Germany’s first holocaust of the 20th Century carried out in you guessed it Namibia, Africa, all of them deadly precursors to what ultimately took place in Europe between 1933 and 1945.

These exterminated people can’t speak for themselves and there are few who will unlike the plethora of dishonest bastards who are quite happy to use the European holocaust and even then only a certain section of its victims to economically and exorbitantly enrich themselves while, as many decent Jews evidently know and finally in the case of some but unfortunately not enough of them are beginning to speak out against these odious practices, severely demeaning the memories of those who died in some of the most horrendous circumstances at the hands of white, Caucasian monsters. So in the absence of sufficient numbers of people of conscience prepared to put their heads above the parapet and speak out I’ll take the liberty on their behalf and do so. And this is what I categorically and fearlessly have to say to the lot of you. Against the undisputed backdrop of what I’ve pointed out so far let me tell you in no uncertain terms that it ill-behoves white, western political leaders generally and their European equals particular, the descendants of murderous ancestors and who themselves are no better in this regard to bandy about let alone trivialize the word genocide as they’re presently doing with what occurred in the Balkans when dreadful as the events were they are immeasurably insignificant to what the US, Britain, the European Union and NATO indiscriminately unleashed in Iraq and Afghanistan alone and are still engaged in carrying out. So please give the self-righteous lectures on how invaluable the west is to the rest of humanity, especially when those that you’re condescendingly preaching to have a different skin colour from your own, and frankly SHUT UP!!

Essentially with the Cold War at the time still a feature of western obsession and its insane paranoia a stable, economically successful and socialist Yugoslavia was the very last thing on earth that capitalist Europe wanted on its doorstep, therefore Germany a country that is well known to be persistently loyal and quite generous to its friends and allies so long as they’re white – it wasn’t or hasn’t been though to Turkey which risked everything and lost its Ottoman Empire when it asininely sided with Germany in World War I – firmly grasped the Balkans nettle as it were, incited its dormant post World War II pals and wartime allies living there, actively assisting them through substantial financial, military, political and diplomatic means – Germany was the first and for a while the only country to recognize Croatia’s so-called independence with the Balkans’ War not even in full pelt then – to stir up strife in the former Yugoslavia, which is precisely what happened, with the express purpose of balkanizing the country, an ambition that was also achieved.

Rather belatedly realizing what was being deliberately done to Yugoslavia which they were committed to preserving the Serbs, who were largely socialists, decided to hit back; and it was then that Germany, the rather enthusiastic Stormtroopers of this Nazi, predatory pack, the rest of the EU and their Croatian accomplices sensing a humiliating defeat for them and desperate to avoid this engineered and financed the sectarianism that they needed to show to the wider world outside Europe as proof for a full military intervention on their part and that of the United States to restore peace and stability, obviously on their terms, in Europe once more. So the much propagated and extremely exaggerated killings prior to the intervention of NATO and the accompanying turmoil that followed were all part of this premeditated artifice, affording the EU and the US the contrived opportunity to dishonestly cloak themselves in the respectable but in their case fictitious garments of humanitarianism as they simultaneously and just as fraudulently rode in on their military steed of keeping the peace  and punishing the wrongdoers; never mind that the latter were always going to be highly selective choices and in addition overwhelmingly Serbs and socialists.

Now with every half-baked, corrupt European country mesmerized and also uncontrollably tempted by the well publicized EU gravy train which emanates from the venal, undemocratic and unrepresentative EU Commission located in its mafia style headquarters in Brussels it’s not surprising that they all want a piece of the action and are therefore rather keen to get on board; and with Croatia faithfully promised membership by Germany, Slovenia already in the EU, and with bait carefully laid down to entice other Balkan states falling over themselves to go after it, a thoroughly demoralized, especially after the theft of Kosovo, but nevertheless self-interested Serbian elite not wanting to be left out in the cold has made the conscious decision to pusillanimously surrender the few principles it had left and has quite literally sold out and in the most fawning manner possible, with the Serbian president Boris Tadic on Thursday 26 May 2011 announcing from the Serbian capital and at the very start of the G8 conference in Paris, a conference plagued by all manner of military and financial problems and with Boris Tadic’s statement giving these G8 mafia godfathers a let out of jail through a much needed deflection of the several woes they’re beleaguered with, treacherously offering up John the Baptist style, in a country that is devoutly Orthodox Christian, the proverbial head of General Ratko Mladic.

General Ratko Mladic will now with indecent haste and perceived as a weighty embarrassment got rid of by Boris Tadic and his nasty crew of Serbian opportunists be sent off to the Hague, the capital of a pretty odious, rightwing and even fascist country Holland, which begs the obvious question: if Serbia is truly a sovereign and independent state governed by the rule of law and General Ratko Mladic is all that these western and particularly those self-congratulatory EU regimes claim he is, why then isn’t he as a Serbian national charged, prosecuted and if found guilty jailed in Serbia rather than being sent off to Holland a country he’s not a citizen of, has never or doesn’t reside in, and where the alleged crimes he committed didn’t take place? And will this decision now create a precedent where other Europeans like Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and a multitude of others who are known war criminals, together with their trans-Atlantic and Middle Eastern counterparts who are of the same ilk, also find themselves sent of to the Hague form criminal processing? I asked that question sarcastically as I know and every other person with a functioning brain knows that these murderous bastards won’t be arrested by their fellow criminal chums, held to account, prosecuted and incarcerated for the rest of their natural lives for what they’ve done.

Juxtaposed with the above is the apparent licence and unfettered immunity to freely carry on walking the highways and byways of our green and pleasant land of war criminal, serial human rights abuser, perpetrator of crimes against humanity, mass murderer, genocide aficionado, irrepressible holocaust enforcer, pathological liar, ex British prime minister and Roman Catholic convert Tony Blair, not the best role model for either Catholicism or the Roman Catholic Church I would venture to say already mired as it is in multiple paedophile and other inexcusable child abuse scandals globally; is known to have actively collaborated with the fascist political agenda of Italy’s Benito Mussolini, accommodated General Franco’s own repugnant brand of Spanish fascism, favourably embraced the Nazi doctrine of Germany’s Adolf Hitler even to the full extent of its clandestine support for the Europe wide holocaust methodically carried out by virtually every mainland European country and resulted in the horrendous murders of hapless millions of ordinary men, women and children of all ages and social backgrounds in a premeditatedly executed, rigid, demographic realignment of the continent’s population which was affected in a manner not previously contemplated in Europe let alone observed there, and furthermore where the incumbent Pope is a former member of the Hitler Youth movement in his native Germany. And so it’s with a wry smile that I revisit the old English adage which moralistically asserts that crime doesn’t pay and would therefore like to suggest it be either scrapped all together and totally forgotten as being completely redundant or else be revamped entirely to reflect contemporary realities.

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For crime has certainly paid and done so handsomely not only in the case of Tony Blair but also that of two of his principal advisors and fellow criminals whose hands are also like his drenched with the blood of millions of completely innocent civilians and who if justice means anything at all these days must therefore unreservedly along with Tony Blair be called to account and prosecuted to the fullest extent for their hideous crimes; and I’m referring here specifically to John Scarlett the former head of the British security services MI6 and Jeremy Greenstock ex UK ambassador  to the UN, both of whom played crucial roles in the central planning of what would subsequently and knowingly to both men, as it was already to Tony Blair, the intentional holocaust that cynically and perniciously would be visited upon the people of Iraq. How so?

We all know that Tony Blair had already promised George W. Bush, even as he was lyingly telling the House of Commons and the British people a contradictory story, that Britain would jointly with the US attack, invade and occupy Iraq with the primary objectives of regime change in that country as well as the extrajudicial killing of its leader but out of favour former western dictator and staunch ally Saddam Hussein, but with no UN Security Council resolution authorizing any of their aims or the likelihood of one being forthcoming Tony Blair, who intellectually is much smarter than George W. Bush, needed and earnestly looked for a Plan B.

This was promptly provided by John Scarlett who knowingly, entirely dishonestly and categorically manufactured the mandatory proof that Saddam Hussein was inextricably linked to Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaida, when they clearly weren’t, and furthermore had weapons of mass destruction in his possession that in a relatively short period of less than an hour’s duration could be deployed against Britain as well as its military assets and those of the United States in the Middle East. For his part Jeremy Greenstock who was also quite instrumental in this conspiracy hawkishly used his position as the UK’s ambassador at the UN to hammer home these deliberate lies.

The result was a situation that culminated in the Colin Powell debacle in which he graphically on the basis of this bogus information deliberately fed to him advocated the case for war against Iraq and de facto Saddam Hussein while, it must be honestly said, involuntarily making a complete ass of himself, a condition which would severely damage his reputation, public standing and future credibility, giving rise to a state of affairs from which he never fully recovered. None the less the international stage was set for war and by the time the truth of what had happened to poor Colin Powell was revealed and had become common knowledge the Iraq War was already in progress.

What Greenstock and Scarlett never made public though was the principal role they had both played in dishonestly getting Britain to be commitedly involved in a wholly unnecessary war, or that in doing so it was personal avarice combined with a narcissistic and illiberal hubris on the part of both of them to pro-actively but secretly use their influential positions to lobby on behalf of major oil corporations that were zealously and impatiently pushing for war in Iraq and were themselves eagerly gearing up to take full advantage of this outcome and get their hands on Iraq’s oil after the US and Britain had taken over the country and for this express purpose had co-opted John Scarlett and Jeremy Greenstock to use their rather prestigious, extremely influential but importantly British taxpayers’ funded positions not in the essential, honourable service and paramount interests of the United Kingdom as they were meant to do but instead for the acquisitive, financial empowerment of multinational oil corporations, and of course their very own accursed greed.

And that’s exactly what happened with Greenstock and Scarlett, in the manner of their former political boss Tony Blair, on leaving office falling immediately into bed and the clutches of the oil corporations that they all so fervently and critically assisted in getting the war in Iraq they so much wanted and their hands as promised on that country’s considerable and valuable oil assets, totally unconcerned that their damnable betrayal of the British people and the resultant war that they championed has resulted in the unnecessary deaths of many British servicemen, over a million Iraqi dead and in excess of five million others randomly displaced with their lives not only severely disrupted but also in the majority of cases permanently changed forever, unfortunately not always for the better, since many of these are clearly ruined for good.

In an article which was published in May 2011 the ultra establishment and very conservative British newspaper the Daily telegraph surprising reported that British troops were secretly stationed in Saudi Arabia where they were training that country’s armed forces, but additionally to doing so, though this paper didn’t or would it ever on principle have said something so apparent to anyone in possession of a functioning brain in his or her head were also knowingly and actively assisting in the Saudi invasion, occupation and the rather brutal crackdown of peaceful, pro-democracy campaigners in Bahrain, since not only were British arms being copiously supplied to the Saudi and Bahraini dictatorships by the UK government  the expertise used by Saudi troops in Bahrain to terrorize, subdue and kill local Bahrainis was also British.

It’s really, when you look at it carefully and objectively, a case of adding insult to injury for it’s in the Sheikdom of Bahrain that the infamous British torturer Ian Henderson who honed his murderous skills in Kenya during the period of the Mau Mau uprising there, ironically in which Barack Obama’s black grandfather was one of his victims, and subsequently in what was then Rhodesia now Zimbabwe after Kenya had gained its independence from Britain was later transferred by the British government at the time to Bahrain, a British colony then, to employ these sadistic talents of his in the personal service of the Khalifa butcher who runs that country, as his chief security advisor and has been there ever since; seemingly immune from the gaze, even though everyone knows where he is, let alone any indictment for his multiple crimes not only by the ICC but also the British legal authorities, as he’s still a British citizen and has a home in the UK.

A reprehensible state of affairs and pernicious double standards as well on the part of David Cameron, his Con-Dem coalition government and the vast majority of British parliamentarians who individually and collectively are assiduously trying to dupe the world that Britain in is Libya for humanitarian and altruistic reasons alone, is a champion of democracy and ardent supporter of human rights, freedom of speech and the right of peaceful assembly everywhere, and the principal reason for why it’s so vocal in publicly speaking out against the violations of these fundamental and inalienable rights of the Syrian people by their autocratic and undemocratic regime in Damascus, while at the same time intentionally I must add turning a Nelsonian eye to even worse atrocities in Bahrain, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and doing so against the backdrop of a UK government directive to the British media and particularly the BBC not to report on events in the Persian Gulf region sates where Britain, the US and the EU are very actively assisting in the ongoing brutal and bloody state of affairs of sadistically putting down what are undoubtedly peaceful, pro-democracy protests there, attendant with a concerted and somewhat childish conspiracy to arbitrarily close down the Iranian owned Press TV’s operations in the UK, as Wikileaks revealed, just for properly doing its job and reporting on events as any professional broadcaster should be doing, and ironically in Press TV’s case inside its backyard, that the world at large would otherwise have been denied any knowledge of because of the prescriptive diktat of western governments.

Which prompts the very obvious question, how can one country secretly have armed forces in another country to train its own military forces and no one apparently, if the Daily Telegraph is to be believed, knew about this? Saudi Arabia is a Middle Eastern country, the people look differently, have a totally different culture from that in Britain, speak Arabic, which no one in Britain speaks as the British are tremendously lazy and very reluctant when it comes to learning other people’s languages; so wouldn’t someone in Saudi Arabia at least have noticed these Brits and rationally thought, hey what’s going on here; or aren’t there any inquisitive people in Saudi Arabia? Yet the average Brit is being treated as a complete imbecile by this newspaper and unquestioningly expected as usual to believe what he or she is told. Nevertheless let me say this isn’t news to me as I knew of the deployment from the very outset, and if I knew I’m quite sure that our MPs must have too, and if they didn’t, then why are we wasting time and money electing them if they have to rely on a rightwing newspaper to be informed about an issue that should be in their remit? This against the background of David Cameron’s staged outrage at Syria and Libya for allegedly doing what the butchers of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are known to be doing in their countries. This at the same time as the United States is escalating the situation against the Bahraini people by holding hastily arranged war games with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and other autocratic Persian Gulf states’ armed forces with Jordan and South Korea, which every student of geography knows is a Middle Eastern country, invited to participate as well.

On a different but none the less a related issue I’ve noticed that the Spanish government has for me I must say quite unsurprisingly cracked down in a somewhat brutal manner on its peaceful protestors; I had a wry smile and shook my head in contemplative dismay. There they are mouthing of all the well rehearsed platitudes about human rights and the rest of it for Libyans, Syrians and Iranians but when it comes to doing at home what they’re sanctimoniously preaching to others abroad, that alas is a bridge too far for these appalling hypocrites. In the meantime as Spain is cracking down on its pro-democracy activists the UK is irresponsibly spending over £75 million a day on its war with Libya while at home elderly National Health Service patients because of a deliberate lack of properly targeted state funding are dying in their own unattended filth and urine; are denied appropriate treatment; and the NHS itself is being subjected to severe and dogmatic economic cuts as well as a shortage of frontline medical and nursing staff that is part and parcel of a doctrinal Conservative Party agenda that is designed to affect every sector of ordinary British life especially indispensible financial support for the education of our students, while the bankers who got us into the mess we are in and that we were involuntarily made to bail out as the rest of us were told we must tighten our belts economically continue to rip us all off as they increasingly get richer at our expense.

Added to this saga are the deliberate lies we are being fed by our political leaders and the media. There was much heated and outraged denunciation of Colonel Gaddafi for having it was said by these odious people dropped cluster bombs on the residents of Misratah with the BBC and France 24 very much in the forefront of these rather lying, western media reports. The truth though, as revealed by independent human rights investigations, is that it was United States forces which deliberately bombarded Misratah with these cluster bombs in April 2011. These bombs, which were multi-fired, are used in identifiable weapons systems specific to US naval forces. Hillary Clinton and Navi Pillay the UN Human Rights Commissioner at the time barefacedly and hypocritically condemned Colonel Gaddafi for this alleged murderous attack on his own people knowing it to be a lie even as they spoke.

We’ve come to expect this kind of lying behaviour from Hillary Clinton but when the official and so-called human rights chief of the UN, an organization purportedly representing the entire world and is therefore expected to do so impartially and honestly acts in this blatant, dishonest and unprofessional way it not only propels a significantly discredited United Nations into further disrepute than it already is but also demonstrably shows not only the incompetence and sycophancy of this woman but equally her complete unsuitability for the job, or any other job for that matter that carries with it that level of responsibility and therefore demands the utmost probity and objectivity on the part of the holder of that position, qualities that Navi Pillay clearly lacks; as one of the first things that even a novice in a much less exalted role quickly discovers is that you simply don’t go around shouting your mouth off and especially in very emotive and highly controversial situations before properly ascertaining what the true facts are. What beats me, and it’s a rhetorical question, is how the hell she got the job in the first place.

Meanwhile, several EU and US financial firms have been outed by two prominent German NGOs as investing heavily to the tune of billions of dollars each in cluster bomb production obvious and quite arrogantly  convinced that these bombs will never be used in the west, so the wives, lovers, children, family members and colleagues of the odious and avaricious bastards that run these companies can comfortingly reassure themselves as they increasingly pile up more and more of their ill-gotten gains in their private bank accounts that they’re all categorically safe from harm; and among the companies that are intensely involved in this market of death are J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Deutsche Bank: household names associated with and substantially responsible for the criminal economic mess which they created along with others, and most of the world is left to make sense of and pick up the pieces. This against the backdrop that the United States has yet to sign the convention on cluster munitions and in partnership with Britain and Israel: a criminal entity that is occupying another people’s homeland and can interrogate for over five hours a 7 year old Palestinian child as occurred on Monday 30 May 2011, without allowing him access to his parents or to any legal representative, for allegedly throwing a stone at an Israeli tank, show no intention of ever doing so.

Meanwhile, would be 21st Century Napoleon Bonaparte, aka Nicolas Sarkozy, ensconced in the Elysee Palace and having in quite suspicious and extremely expedient circumstances for himself observed the elimination of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was extensively tipped to defeat him in the 2012 French presidential elections, from the French political scene and involuntarily holed up in the US on alleged sex charges has hurriedly moved on from his convenient and manufactured war in Libya, the very old tried and tested tactic of engineering a foreign war that all political charlatans down the ages, and Mr Sarkozy is no different from the rest of them, have used to deflect domestic attention away from what are usually economic or other damaging political problems at home, has turned his undivided attention with renewed vigour after his comparatively successful escapade in Libya but more advantageous one in the Ivory Coast to the re-colonization of Africa; and in a recently announced doctrine for Africa, 26 May 2011, asserts the following:

Nicolas Sarkozy’s Africa Doctrine.

1. The top military advisor to the President of the Ivory Coast, in what’s supposedly an independent and sovereign state, must now and always in the future Nicolas Sarkozy insists be a Frenchman who additionally must be a serving member of the French military. Ah well I suppose that’s what you get when you willingly sell your soul to the devil; when you’re a black, House-N puppet and an obedient figure head in place to do the bidding of those who put you where you are and keep you there so long as you allow them to fleece your country of its natural resources and other wealth for the benefit and that of their home country.

2. France assumes to itself and will retain the right to militarily intervene in any African country where elections are disputed and no clear government emerges. Quite Ironic, but then I think the irony would be lost on Nicolas Sarkozy who seems oblivious of the fact that Belgium which is next door to France still hasn’t been able to form a government of any description let alone a viable one well over a year after elections were held there, and this against the backdrop of secessionist sentiments on both sides of the political divide in that country, and a wish by many Belgians to partition the country into two separate states. Will Nicolas Sarkozy now promptly intervene militarily in Belgium, an EU member state with a sizeable French speaking population, to impose his French diktat as he did in the Ivory Coast, is currently attempting to do in Libya, and would very much like to execute in Syria and Iran; all in the name of peace, security, stability and democracy of course?

3. Wherever in Africa that there are French nationals France will assert and reserve the exclusive right to station its own military forces there, irrespective of what the local Africans might think about such a unilateral act by France, to safeguard the security and reinforce the confidence of its French nationals. Does this also mean that every country with sizeable numbers of its own nationals living in France can deploy its own military assets to France to similarly protect them from real or perceived harm there as well as to reassure them of this and safeguard their personal security? If you ask me this smacks of the very worst kind of colonialism and imperialism and not out of place in 1884 when European countries at the Berlin Conference of that same year arbitrarily and arrogantly decided to carve up Africa among themselves with the Africans naturally having no say in what happened to their countries or their lives.

What do you think would be the reaction of both the French people and Nicolas Sarkozy himself if his diktat were similarly and hubristically applied to France by other European states let alone non-white foreign ones? Don’t hold your breath on that one!

All this is unquestionably very bad for Africa in the short or possibly even the medium term but have you ever stopped and thought what Sarkozy’s legacy will eventually be for France, your children and grandchildren? For hegemonistic entities like France which hubristically threaten other perceived less powerful countries with unilateral, arbitrary and indefensible actions as Nicolas Sarkozy is doing are basically advertising to the rest of the world that they are declining powers, and as was evident in the French Revolution perennial victims have a tendency to have long memories, and history graphically relates what the outcome of the French Revolution was for those that controlled and haughtily abused their power. Africa currently is on the floor while France under Nicolas Sarkozy is rapidly making its way there; but in Africa’s case and as we say in English, having reached rock bottom there’s no other way to go but up; and France will have its judgement day. That’s a certainty.

On that subject hands up all those who like me think that the Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) affair is an expedient and quite elaborate set up which leads all the way to the Elysee Palace and the incumbent president who is ensconced there. This is not to downplay the egotistical and often mindless machismo which is an integral part of French life that is replete among French male politicians and bosses of all economic strata and backgrounds and of which DSK is unquestionably guilty. I have my views on the matter however and, of course, my sources but it’s not for me to do your thinking or even suggest what you should think, as hopefully you have a functional brain in your head just as I do; but I’ll suggest to you the observation that Cicero made over two thousand years ago and the ramifications then and now when as a pretty astute lawyer defending a client who was being steamrolled by the establishment in a not dissimilar notorious case in which he likewise smelt a pretty stinking rat pointedly asked, cui bon; who benefits? And we all know perfectly well who now stands to benefit most from the DSK affair in the 2012 French presidential elections.

4. Le petit Bonaparte, aka Nicolas Sarkozy, has also arrogantly promised Nigeria a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, doubtlessly as another hoped for western cat’s-paw to do the west’s bidding and help shore up the latter’s dwindling global influence. This offer would in normal circumstances be quite hilarious were it not so ironic.

France itself has no genuine legal or ethical right to be a permanent veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council either as a World War II victorious power, which it most certainly wasn’t – let’s not forget the foul stench of Vichy France that enthusiastically sent more Jews to Europe’s extermination camps than even the Germans did – or as a contemporary world power, in spite of Nicolas Sarkozy’s ludicrous pestering, in 2011. And for him to promise Nigeria, the most endemically corrupt country in Africa and among the top five such countries in the entire world, an unenviable international status of such magnitude just illustrates how corrupt and out of touch with reality the UN itself is and how very much in urgent and drastic need of reform at best or of being totally scrapped at worst the UN really is.

Finally whatever you might personally think of Ratko Mladic what he did was motivated by principles and a fervent commitment to defend and preserve the territorial integrity of his country; a very far cry from the lying, dishonest and political prostitution of facts and issues that are the innate characteristics of Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron, who frankly in terms of ordinary justice ought to be the ones trading places with Ratko Maladic for a one-way trip to the Hague and life long incarceration there.

On Monday 30 May 2011 Silvio Berlusconi using racist, xenophobic and Islamophobic tactics in an obviously desperate bid to secure victory for his political party in crucial local elections that his party none the less emerged from with a crushing defeat had this to say: “Italy will now become a nation of gypsies, Muslims and foreigners.” This from an inveterate lecher and alleged serial paedophile who is currently being prosecuted for illegally having sex with an underage, female Moroccan prostitute – by the way last time I checked Morocco was still very much a foreign, African and Muslim country – and who sees nothing wrong at all in interfering militarily in the internal affairs of a foreign, independent, sovereign and Muslim country, namely oil rich Libya, that posed no threat whatsoever to Italy or those other countries that are currently attacking it. Seems also that Berlusconi similarly has no problems at all with foreigners or Muslims so long as they’re female and barely out of their puberty.

The referred to comments of Silvio Berlusconi aren’t peculiar to him though but are equally indicative of the rest of Europe’s leaders in relation to their personal sentiments vis-à-vis their own countries and clearly portray the ugly face of EU and NATO racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia violently backed by hubristic European colonialist greed while showing utter contempt for the African Union’s efforts for a peaceful resolution to the Libyan conflict. But this isn’t what NATO and the EU really want, for the longer that their unwarranted attacks on Libya can be drawn out the more indebted economically and politically will a post conflict Libya be to them in rescuing their own miserable financial crisis at home.

Just imagine if the boot was on the other foot and an EU member country was intentionally and rather unwarrantedly targeted in the same way that the EU have subjected Libya to and especially in the face of concerted EU member states either individually or collectively trying to stop this from happening? But they know or rather convince themselves that such a thing is unthinkable and would never happen. And why? Because the EU and NATO see themselves as invincible and untouchable and as such can behave with impunity whenever and however they like. Well, so too did the Third Reich, which with all the hubris it could muster claimed it would last in excess of 1000 years but the entire world knows what happened to that boast. Seems to me a clear case of European leaders not only having short and twisted memories but also a remarkable penchant that renders them wholly incapable of learning from the past mistakes of their predecessors and even the ones that they themselves have committed.

It’s quite understandable I know the anguish of all decent people everywhere who observe what these barbaric bastards do to wonder if there’s any justice in the world, but let me reassure those of you who despairingly feel this way that while the wheels of justice do grind inexorably slowly they nevertheless do so very thoroughly, and one thing that is absolutely certain of this particular outcome is that reason will always overwhelm prejudice.

Jack Delosa is the Executive Director of The Entourage, a education community for young entrepreneurs. He was the two thousand and nine winner of the Anthill thirty under thirty competition. We talk about the keys to starting a successful business. When and why to raise capital in Australia. We talk about finding strategic partners to early stage ventures help gain clients. As well as how small enterprises should handle PR and press releases. And we get Jacks opinon on whether or not entreprenuers are born or made.

Disadvantages of Venture Funding

Almost all entrepreneurs think of venture capitalists when they are planning to expand their business or start a new one. For the past few years, venture capitalists have been the main source of funding for thousands of business, technology, Internet and biotechnology companies.

However, there are some problems associated with VC funding. A major limitation of VC funding is that many venture capital firms are very industry specific. Rather than go solely by the merits of the business plan, some VC funding companies are guided by the nature of the company.

Another limitation of VC funding is that venture capitalists often demand to be on the board of directors of the company that they are funding. Often this disintegrates into the venture capitalist acting as the CEO. Some business owners complain that as soon as VC funding rolls into the company, the role of the founder shifts from critical company building functions to preparing reports, attending meeting and writing memos.

In addition some business owners say that as the first dollars of VC funding rolls into a company, venture capitalists begin to get meddlesome and start trying to call all the shots for running the business.

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VC funding also brings with it tremendous pressure to create profits quickly. This could lead the founder to make some bad judgment calls or even launch products too early or into the wrong markets.

Some of the terms accompanying VC funding and the demands made by some of the venture capitalists can lead to eroding of team spirit and loss of commitment by employees to the products.

Most venture capitalists get their money from various institutional and pension fund investors. Like other investors, venture capitalists also go through a process of raising funds. They do this by raising funds from foundations, endowment funds and retirement funds. As venture capitalists are investing other people’s money they often tend to try and be in a position of control in the company. As a result most venture capitalist firms demand a seat on the board of directors and stock options as part of VC funding.

Despite the numerous disadvantages surrounding VC funding for many business owners it is the only source of funds. Venture capitalists often offer VC funding up to several billion dollars. For some entrepreneurs VC funding is the only option by which the entrepreneur can realize his or her dream.

For more resources about Invest capital or even about small business investment company and especially about business investor please review these links.

Rogue CFO Chris Benjamin has put together an audio course, 6.5 hours of content in length, detailing everything an entrepreneur and startup company would need to know about funding their company. He discusses venture capital, angel investors, private equity, debt equity, as well as several other options not often known. AND as a bonus, this course comes with a coupon for a substantial discount on all future seminars he offers AND a list of over 240 resources – angels, venture capitalists, and other resources of interest to startup and small businesses.
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