Saturday 12 November 2016

PayPal Accounts

PayPal is an online payment service that allows individuals and businesses to transfer funds electronically.
Here are some of the things you might use PayPal for:
. Send or receive payments for online auctions at eBay and other Web sites
. Purchase or sell goods and services
. Make or receive donations
. Exchange cash with someone
You can send funds to anyone with an e-mail address , whether or not they have a PayPal account. To receive the funds, though, the recipient must have a PayPal account associated with that e-mail address. Basic PayPal accounts are free, and many financial transactions are free as well, including all purchases from merchants that accept payments using PayPal [source: PayPal ].
If you have a PayPal account, you can add and withdraw funds in many different ways. You can associate your account with bank accounts or credit cards for more direct transactions, including adding and withdrawing money. Other withdrawal options include using a PayPal debit card to make purchases or get cash from an ATM, or requesting a check in the mail.
Signing up for PayPal is quick, and doesn't even require you to enter any bank account information. However, if you want to use many of PayPal's features, you'll need to add and verify a checking account or credit card. To get started, just click the "sign up" link at the top of the site's home page.
At the next page, you'll choose whether you want a personal, business or premier account. If you just plan to use PayPal for the occasional eBay auction or online purchase, a personal account is the right choice. If you intend to use PayPal to accept payments for a business, then a business or premier account would be more suitable. If you select a personal account, you can upgrade in the future.
A PayPal account is verified if you've associated that account with a current bank account or credit card. This is more than just entering account information. PayPal will ask you to follow certain steps to complete the verification process. For a checking account, for example, PayPal will make two micropayments to that account, usually about five cents each. Then, you'll need to enter the amounts of those micropayments as verification.
A PayPal account is confirmed if you've completed one of three options to signal to PayPal that the address on your account is valid. The fastest of these is to verify a bank account or credit card matching the address you've entered as the PayPal account's address. As an alternative, you can request a confirmation code by mail after you've had the account for 90 or more days, or you can apply for a PayPal Extras MasterCard which confirms your address by running a credit check.

How To Open a Domiciliary Account

What is a domiciliary account?
There are times that you or your business would like to make and receive payments in a foreign currency. A Domiciliary Account allows you to have accounts in currencies besides the Naira. You’ll also be able to pay into these accounts through cash deposits/inflows, traveler’s cheques or foreign currency cheque deposits.
Also, domiciliary Account also allows customers to maintain accounts in a foreign currency and can withdraw cash or make transfers or payments to suppliers offshore.
Domiciliary account, how it works
To open a domiciliary account in Nigeria, you will need to provide the bank the documents below. Keep in mind that for limited Companies and partnerships, you will have to identify at least two principals to the account. The popular domiciliary account in Nigeria is the gtbank domiciliary account, which you can open with the bank, even if you don’t have an account with GT bank or sign up with gtb internet banking.
1. Proof of identity
The bank needs to see ONE of the following documents: You can provide photocopies of these documents.
Valid international passport
Driver’s license – Nigeria or International
National identity card
Also Read: Turning Data Insights Into Action With Google Analytics
2. Proof of Nigerian address
Also, you need to provide proof of one of the following:
Power company bill (such as electricity, phone bill, waste bill, water) from the last couple of months- Most banks accept three months old electric bills or current month bill
3. Personal details of signatory/directors
Name, contact address and the contact phone number
4. General Business details
Business names, Nigerian address and contact numbers, principal trading activity and date your business started.
For Limited Companies and limited liability partnerships, the bank would have to see proof of business registration, such as:
Memo and Article of Association
Copy of Certification of Incorporation
Copy of form C07
Printed copy of Tax Identification Number (TIN)
Company seal
One passport photography of each signatory to the account
Board of director purpose (signed by 2 directors/1 directors and Company Secretary)
So, how can you withdraw from a domiciliary account in Nigeria?
Opening a domiciliary account is a brilliant thing to do because it lets you receive foreign currency in your account and exchange them when you need to in a black market.
Also Read: How Does Nigeria Central Bank Influence Currency Rates?
If you’ve been saving or transferring funds into your domiciliary account in Nigeria, you might at one time need to make a withdrawal. And how can you make that withdrawal?
There are many ways one can make a withdrawal from a domiciliary account in Nigeria, although this also depends on the types of domiciliary account you have: Savings or current
How to withdraw
1. Submitting a detailed written application for withdrawal:
– Just write an application for a withdrawal addresses in your bank branch’s manager and you’d get the money, within 24 hours.
2. Using a withdrawal slip:
This works like a normal withdrawal slip used in many banks in Nigeria. You can find one across the counter, fill and wait to be paid from your foreign currency teller.
3. Writing a cheque (For currency domiciliary accounts):
Writing a cheque to withdraw out of your account is quite simple. Just indicate the total amount that you need along with your usual signature. You should be able to cash the cheque in front of the bank counter or pay into another domiciliary account. Of course, you will be paid in the foreign currency – Dollar, Euro, Pounds etc.
Also Read: Undeniable Proof That You Can Now Link Your First Bank Account Online
4. Wire transfer:
You can easily perform a wire transfer from bank to bank with either local or international and the fund can be transferred within a week.
5. Using an ATM card:
In case your domiciliary account is linked with ATM cards like MasterCard or visa, it is possible to withdraw from the globally connected ATM in Nigeria in Naira or abroad in the country’s currency. Keep in mind; this kind of withdrawal normally comes with a fee.

Selling of Articles Online

Business, Career, and Finance
1. B. Michelle Pippin pays $50-$150 for business-related articles.
2. Back to College pays $55+ for articles that address the needs of adults going
back to school.
3. Brazen (formerly Brazen Careerist) will pay if you pre-arrange it with their
editor. They’re looking for posts about higher ed administration, marketing,
networking, and recruiting and HR.
4. DailyWorth pays $150 for articles about women and money. They list a blackhole
editorial@ email address, but I recently tweeted them about how to submit a
pitch, and they suggested hitting up the managing editor, Koa Beck .
5. Doctor of Credit pays $50 for personal finance articles that focus specifically
on credit.
6. eCommerce Insiders pays $60-$150 for articles about online retailing.
7. IncomeDiary pays $50-$200 for articles about making money online, including
SEO, affiliate sales, and traffic generation.
8. Mirasee (formerly Firepole Marketing) pays $200 for 1,000-2,000-word posts on
marketing, business productivity, and growth topics.
9. Modern Farmer reportedly pays around $150 for articles.
10. The Work Online blog pays $50 per post.
Essays
11. Cosmopolitan.com pays $100 for essays about college. They’re also using this
essay submission as a way to find writers to give assignments to.
12. Essig Magazine offers $100 for essays about a personal experience.
13. The Establishment pays $125 and up for reported stories and essays.
14. Eureka Street is an Australian site that pays $200 for analysis or commentary
on politics, religion, popular culture or current events in Australia and the world.
They also pay $50 for poetry, which seems to be a rarity these days.
15. Everyday Feminism pays $75 per post, but they are not always in the market
for contributors. Sign up for their newsletter or check back often to see when
they need a writer.
16. Guideposts pays $250 for faith-based essays.
17. LightHouse pays $100 for uplifting essays by blind or visually impaired writers.
18. Narratively pays $100+ for essays on specific topics. Check their guidelines for
a list of current needs.
19. The New York Times Modern Love column reportedly pays as much as $300 for
essays on any topic that could be classified as modern love.
20. The Washington Post’s PostEverything section reportedly pays $250 for essays
on politics or culture.
21. The Toast pays for essays. Negotiate your rate as part of the pitching process.
22. xoJane pays $50 for essays about crazy things that happened to you, beauty or
fashion trends you’ve tried, and other women-focused topics.
Family and Parenting
23. A Fine Parent solicits articles on a rotating topic. Check out the topic, then
pitch your idea on the theme. Each accepted article earns $100.
24. Adoptive Families covers the adoption process from every perspective. You’ll
need to negotiate your pay rate.
25. Babble pays $100-$150 for posts on parenting, entertainment, pregnancy,
beauty, style, food, and travel.
26. Lies about Parenting is a site that tells the truth about raising kids. They pay
$50 per post.
27. The Motherlode (the New York Times’ parenting blog) pays $100. Pitch the
editor.
28. Scary Mommy pays $100 for original parenting posts.
Lifestyle and General Interest
29. The Atlantic’s online health section reportedly pays $200.
30. BBC Britain doesn’t publish their pay rate, but I’ve seen reports of $350-
$1,000 for various BBC sites. Pitch stories with a British slant for an
international audience. Download their guidelines as a Word document.
31. Bitch Magazine’s website pays for pop culture features. Pay is variable, so
negotiate to get your desired rate.
32. BlogHer pays $50 per post on a variety of lifestyle and Internet topics. This
site is part of the SheKnows family of sites, which also includes StyleCaster,
DrinksMixer, and DailyMakeover.
33. Cultures and Cuisines pays $200 per article.
34. The Daily Beast reportedly pays $250 and up. Their submission guidelines have a
black-hole editorial@ email address, so you’ll want to do a little digging to find
the right person to pitch.
35. Dame reportedly pays $200 for essays. They do accept reported features and
other article types, and pay rates may vary for those.
36. Dorkly pays $75 for long features on Batman, Marvel, Pokemon, and other
potentially dorky topics.
37. END/PAIN is a new site launching in 2016, and they are paying $250. END/PAIN
is no longer paying this rate.
38. Expatics serves U.S. expatriates. This is another site where you’ll need to
negotiate pay before you write your article.
39. Fund Your Life Overseas pays $75 for articles about business ideas that provide
enough income for U.S. ex-pats.
40. Gawker Media reportedly pays $250 for reported features and essays on its
family of sites, which includes Deadspin, Jezebel, and more. They prefer to see
fully written stories. They shuttered a number of their sites yesterday and plan
to focus on politics now, so take care with pitching to ensure you hit a paying
site.
41. getAbstract reportedly pays $300 for longer (2,000-4,000 word) book
summaries.
42. Gothamist pays $50-$150 for reported pieces about New York.
43. HowlRound pays $50 for blog posts about the theater — management and
marketing, play production and writing, and so on. Note: This market asked to
be removed because they were receiving pitches that were not well targeted.
Target your pitches so we can keep providing these lists.
44. The International Wine Accessories blog pays $50 and up for articles.
45. Pay at The Daily Dot’s online magazine The Kernel varies, so be prepared to
negotiate. I saw a report of $350 for a 1,000-2,000 word option piece.
46. Knitty pays $75-$100 for articles about knitting.
47. Listverse pays $100 for long (1,500 word) lists on various topics.
48. The Mix, a network of contributors to Hearst online publications (including
Country Living, Bazaar, Esquire, Popular Mechanics , and more) pays $50-$100
for articles.
49. New York Observer pays $100 on posts about politics and culture for
“sophisticated readership of metropolitan professionals.”
50. OZY does pay freelancers, but rates vary.
51. Paste pays $50+ for submissions in many different areas.
52. Penny Hoarder shares money-saving ideas. You’ll need to negotiate pay with the
editors during the pitching process.
53. Playboy.com pays up to $350, depending on the topic.
54. Pretty Designs covers fashion and beauty. You’ll need to negotiate per-post
pay.
55. PsychCentral covers mental health. They don’t list a pay rate on their site, and
they didn’t respond to my query about pay, but a reader on last year’s list
reported they are a paying market.
56. Refinery29 reportedly pays $75 and up for slideshows, articles, and essays on
various topics. They also post their needs for specific columns on their guidelines
page.
57. Salon pays $100-$200 for essays and reported features, even very long ones.
58. Saveur starts at $150 for “amazing stories about food and travel.”
59. The Salt (NPR’s food blog) reportedly pays $200+.
60. Smithsonian Magazine Online reportedly pays established freelancers up to $600
for reported articles.
61. The Tablet pays for articles on Jewish news, ideas, and culture. Pay varies, so be
prepared to negotiate. I saw a report of $1,000 for a heavily reported 2,000+
word feature.
62. TwoPlusTwo Magazine pays $200 for original posts about poker. They post articles
for six months, after which time the rights revert to the writer, so you can sell
reprint rights or post it on your own blog.
63. Upworthy pays $150-$200 for 500-word posts.
64. Vice ‘s pay rate varies, so you will need to negotiate if you’d like to write about
food, technology, music, fashion, and other lifestyle topics.
Tech
65. A List Apart covers web design. They pay $200 per article.
66. Compose pays $200 and $200 in Compose database credits for articles about
databases.
67. The Graphic Design School blog pays $100-$200 for articles and tutorials about
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and open source design tools.
68. Indeni pays $50-$200 for posts that cover Check Point firewalls, F5 load
balancers or Palo Alto Networks firewalls.
69. Linode pays $250 for articles about Linux, Socket.io, NoSQL databases, game
servers, Open Change, and Web RTC.
70. SlickWP pays $100 for posts about WordPress and the Genesis Theme framework.
71. Treehouse pays $100-$200 for posts about web design and development.
72. Tuts+ pays $100 and up for tutorials on various technologies, including Web
design and Flash. Tuts once ran a network of 16 different blogs, including
Freelance Switch, but it’s all together on a single site now that encompasses
design, gaming, photography, writing, and more.
73. WordCandy pays 6 cents a word for ghostwritten pieces about WordPress —
these will appear on some of the larger WordPress blogs, such as wpmudev.
74. WPHub pays $100-$200 for posts on web design trends, coding best practices,
and other WordPress-related topics.
Writing
75. Funds for Writers pays $50 for original articles for the newsletter that cover
ways to make money writing. (If you don’t subscribe to their newsletter, it’s
worth signing up while you’re there reading the guidelines.)
76. Make a Living Writing . That’s right, this-here blog pays — and as of this post,
we’re raising our rates to $75 a post. We’re also paying $100 for longer
assigned posts on specific topics (see that guidelines link for a list).
77. Read. Learn. Write. Pays $50 for original essays about reading and writing.
They are no longer paying, though they are still accepting the same types of
essays.
78. WOW! Women on Writing pays $50-$150.
79. The Write Life pays for some posts — you’ll need to negotiate your rate.
80. Writer’s Weekly pays $60 for writing-related features.

How Make Money With Facebook Social Platform

Method One of Five:
a. Make great posts:
1- Search for a niche
2- Consider opening up another Facebook account and keeping it separate
from your personal account.
3- Give it time.
b.  Make a commitment to earn.
Method Two of Five:
Making Money Through Affiliate Advertising and Other Link-Type Advertising
a-Find an affiliate program or other link-type advertising program. Affiliate
programs provide you with a unique ID and marketing materials, and then
pays you a commission based on how much business you generate
b- Sign up. Once you've decided to market a company as an affiliate, search the company's site and fill out the required forms. This should always be
free, and usually only takes a few minutes.
Don't ever pay to become an affiliate.
c- Add accounts. Make a Facebook account for each affiliate program or
group of programs you sign up for. This allows people to follow your pages based on the things they're interested in, rather than having to sign up for
one page full of all different kinds of ads.
d- Promote your programs. Make posts for each of them daily, and maintain
your accounts fastidiously. With luck, and a good central account with a lot
of followers, your affiliate accounts will begin to get followers as well.
Whenever anyone clicks your posts and buys something from one of your
affiliates, you earn money.
Method Three of Five:
Become an author of Facebook Posts Market or Facebook Fanpages Market
and earns on Selling Posts or Fanpages. Installation guide is included in
both scripts (step by step). If you don't know PHP / HTML, is possible to
install it for you. Administration doesn't required coding skills so everybody
can manage and provide powerful Facebook Markets.
Facebook Posts Market
Facebook Fanpages Market

Internet Business;blogging

How to make and use money online.
1.blogging
2. PayPal account and how to operate
3.sell articles online
4.Domiciliary account
5.make money through facebook

1.blogging: "Blog " is an abbreviated version of "weblog," which is a term used to describe websites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. 

Here's how to make money from a blog.
1. Start a Blog. ...
2. Start Creating Useful Content. ...
3. Get off your blog and start finding readers. ...
4. Build engagement with the readers that come. ...
5. Start making money from the readership you have through one or more of a variety of income streams.

Monetize with CPC or CPM Ads
One of the most common ways bloggers make money is through placing ads
on their site. There are two popular types of ads:
1. CPC/PPC Ads: Cost per click (also called pay per click)
2. CPM Ads: CPM Ads, or “cost per 1,000 impressions,” are ads that pay you
a fixed amount of money based on how many people view your ad.
Perhaps the most popular network for placing these types of ads is Google
AdSense. With this program, you do not need to be in direct contact with
advertisers; There are countless similar programs available if you find that AdSense doesn’t work for you, such as Chitika, Infolinks, and Media.net.
3. Sell Private Ads
Selling private ads can come in the form of banners, buttons, or links. You
can even make money writing sponsored posts where you write about or
give a review of an advertiser’s product or service. Another option is to
write an underwritten post or series, which is where you can write about
any topic, but the advertiser pays for a “Brought to you by” mention in the content.
4. Include Affiliate Links in Your Content: You include an affiliate link on your site. You can do this directly in
the content or through banner ads. If a reader clicks on your unique link
and buys the product you have recommended, you earn a percentage of
what she purchased.
5. Sell Digital Products
If you would rather not advertise other people’s products on your site, or if
you are looking for another stream of income, consider selling digital
products. This can include items like:
eBooks
Online courses/workshops
Images, video, or music people can use in their own content
Apps, plugins, or themes
Just remember that if you are going to choose one of these avenues that you
make it relevant and useful to your readers. A lot of bloggers make the
mistake of assuming they are developing a product their readers need; listen
to your readers first, and then create a digital  product that will meet their
needs.
6. see it as a Content Marketing Tool for Your business .
7. Use it to Build Your Credibility
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that making money through blogging is not
possible by putting your site up and letting it sit there. The “if you build it,
they will come” mentality doesn’t work here, so be sure you are willing to
put in the time. Most bloggers do not see a spike of income for several
months (sometimes years) after starting their blog. Before you dive too deep
into blogging, remember these little bits of advice:
1. Create Quality Content
2. Don’t Spend Your Time Exclusively on Your Blog
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment.

Saturday 8 October 2016

Why history matters

By Bankole ‘SijiAwosika
The synopsis of circumstantial events that literally compelled me to write this book I am the Nigerian Nation can be traced back to January 7, 1968. When I woke up that Sunday morning in New York, where I was working at the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, I had wanted to buy my favourite New York Post when the screaming headline of ‘I am the Nation’ in the New York Times caught my attention and aroused my curiosity. The personal pronoun beginning the word “I” am was repeated over 20 times in the one-page article.

This is indicative of an autobiography. It was also written in the present tense which emphasised its timeless genre. It was all about the history of the United States of America; the founding fathers, the historical personalities; the swashbuckling heroes of great adventures; the war heroes of the Alamo, the Maine and the Pearl Harbor and the titanic struggle against colonialism and for Christian religion were predominantly highlighted. The genesis of the educational system that gave birth to thousands of universities including the universally renowned ones got prominent mention. The popularity of sports, the prowess and achievement of sporting personalities and clubs also featured in it. Popular playwrights and actors heralded the birth of Hollywood. Various places of interest that enhanced the growth of tourism and culture were featured.

With this article in mind, it dawned on me, years later that I have been destined and well equipped by my background and experience, particularly in the Nigerian foreign service to join the campaign for the resuscitation of history as a subject within the school curriculum.

I served in New York, Cairo, London, Edinburgh and Tokyo. Most importantly I was seconded to the International Secretariat of the festival of African arts and culture, popularly known as FESTAC ’77.

This gave me, as the Deputy Director of Protocol, the opportunity to be elaborately involved in the hosting of the global fiesta popularly referred to as FESTAC. Indeed, I travelled extensively throughout Nigeria arranging for accommodation, feeding, entertainment and tourism identifying places that may be of tourism interest. I attended many local festivals and entertainment venues. These included the thrilling Eyo festival in Lagos; the enormously popular and indigenous Ojude Oba in Ijebu-Ode, the historical Olojo in the “source” city of Ile-Ife, the hilarious Osun Osogbo in Osogbo; home-beckoning Azu-Ofala in Onitsha, the age-long Igue festival in Benin, the cultural parade of horse riders and gaily attire participants at the Durbar festival in Kaduna, the jubilant participants and throngs of spectators at the Ogun festival in Ondo, the highly cultural Igogo festival in Owo, the New Yam festival by the Nri people in Igbo land, the picturesque drums and songs of Regatta participants in the riverine areas, the fishing extravaganza at Argungu, and the Mmanwu festival featuring about 2500 masquerades in Awka, Anambra State. All these festivals were mentioned and described in the book.

I witnessed and participated in some epochal events which bear relevance to our nation, Nigeria. It is, therefore, incumbent on me to narrate in details my experience and observations in furtherance of my quest and campaign for the reawakening of interest in the study of history and its restoration to the curriculum in schools in Nigeria.

The importance of the study of history as a subject in schools can hardly be over-emphasised, History will broaden ones perspectives about life and society. It is a pity that nowadays, people, particularly parents are not aware, or couldn’t care less about whether their children and wards are taught the subject, History. People do not seem to understand the implication of ignoring history. It is like a winding river whose source has not been traced. The river runs the imminent risk of drying up.

History teaches morals. In the past, we used to be taught morals on the assembly grounds in the primary and secondary schools. History explains and defines the past, gives direction to the present by way of repairs, adjustments and damage control and gives the opportunity to plan and map out strategies for the future.

The Bible says “people perish for lack of knowledge”, where there is no sense of history, there will be no moral. Where such is lacking there will be anarchy. Perhaps this explains what is happening today in our country. The study of history should not be merely to appreciate the past but also to draw useful inspiration and lessons for the future. The mistakes and pitfalls of the past should be identified, corrected and eradicated to enable progress into a buoyant future.

Charity begins at home for instance some of the causes of Nigeria’s ethno-religious discords are located in our neo-colonial past. If today’s youths do not fully understand the history of their country and Africa, then one can imagine the type of leaders they would turn out to be in the future.

Certain historical details should not be consigned to the dustbin of the forgotten past. People, the youths in particular, should know the history of how civilisations and empires rose and fell in many parts of the country in centuries past. They should know about the causes, course and effects of Nigeria/Biafra Civil War from 1967-1970. What about the study of Ife, including its arts and architectures, of Benin civilisation, or Nok, Esie and so on? It is important to let the younger generation know the history of men and women whose activities and sacrifices challenged colonialism and laid the foundation for independence and self-governance. We should recall the religious crusading zeal of Ajayi Crowther and Othman Dan Fodio. We should teach the younger generation about the front-line activities of Herbert Macaulay; the colourful and vivacious Nnamdi Azikiwe; the leadership qualities of Ahmadu Bello; the innovative and pioneering zeal of Obafemi Awolowo, the spectacular image of Festus Okoti-Eboh, popularly known as Omimi Ejoh, the bombastic expression of “man of timber and caliber” K.O. Mbadiwe and “the King of boycotts”, Mbonu Ojike. By extension, what about the Aba women’s riot or the 1945 general strike which was the major political action that defined Nigeria as a Nation because it united workers from across the country who joined the fray to better their lot. They should go to Badagry to see the first story building in Nigeria, the first dug-out well and first Bible translated from English to local language.

In other spheres, youths should know about the history of sports and entertainment. They should draw inspiration from the 1949 “UK tourists” in soccer. They should know about the football wizardry and messmerising ball control of the master dribbler, thunder bolt Balogun, the inimitable Henshaw and his fierce shorts, the unerring and accurate passes of “Golden Toe” Titus Okere and Patrick Noquapor whom the legendary Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana daubed as “that dangerous number 11” because of his speed and ball control.

The entertainment industry is now on all lips. But history should recall the pristine and home-grown efforts and performances of the doyen of Nigeria theatre and cinema, Hubert Ogunde, Duro Ladipo and Kola Ogunmola. They were there before the advent of Nollywood.

At the risk of sounding imperious or alarmist, I aver that any country without a past would have no future. All the aforementioned facts are the essential ingredients of the country’s history that must be taught. They include the steps taken through Labour, solidarity and sacrifices.

• Being Awosika’s remarks at the launching of his book “I am the Nigerian Nation”

Monday 27 June 2016

Poem - A Head Walk

I Now see the way this whole world moves, I've seen people, things.

 I've seen love, hate, friendship and family! They work all hand in hand even as the name implies the opposite.

Of all this and that I discovered people looked so happy but I still find myself numb to all emotional connection.

The Ones you think loves you has always ended up being the one that's going to make the world upside down for you.

 I always thought there wasn't a solution to my "ailment" as I do say to myself, even confidence started to lack.

 Then there was music, the thing about is that Music brings joy,  to all of my heart, It's one of those, emotional arts.

Sounds of melodies, that I truly adore,  Brings me pure pleasure, as my spirits do soar.

Music that touches me, I can't help but smile, I'm free to choose, genre or style.

Music clearly, enlightens my days,  Makes me happy happy, in so many ways.

But still not enough to give me the motivation needed to let my worries lay low.

There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.

I know happiness is coming this way up to me and I'm ready to be happy in any situation I find myself in.

Saturday 28 May 2016

MUST VISIT cultural sites in Nigeria.



Slave History Museum, Calabar
It's not news that Nigeria is a country with a rich cultural heritage boasting several hundred tribes and languages.
While the country does not quite thrive on tourism yet, we still have our fair share of historical attractions which is evidence of the country's ancient culture and heritage.
So, the next time you have some free time on your hands, you should consider checking out the following historical attractions.
National War Museum, Abia: This museums houses relics from wars waged in Nigeria through the years including theNigerian Civil War, Niger Delta conflicts and depictions of weapons used in battles fought in old Nigerian empires.
Slave History Museum, Calabar: Calabar was a major slave port during the Slave Trade days and this museum houses numerous artifacts from the slave era, including remnants of ships and their cargo.
Nigerian National Museum, Lagos: Arguably the largest collection of Nigerian art and artifacts. Here you can find wood carvings, bronze statues from the Bini kingdom and exhibits from the Nok culture which dates all the way back to 550 BC.
First Storey Building, Badagry: As the name suggests this is the first ever story building built in Nigeria, and it was built by Reverend Henry Townsend.
Mbari Cultural Centre, Imo: This centre showcases the history and tradition of the Igbos including sculptures which were once dedicated to gods.
Wikimedia Commons
Badagry Heritage Museum: This is another museum dedicated to the slave trade era with 8 galleries inside taking visitors through different periods of Badagry history, including the pre-slave era, the slave era, and the post-slave era.
Sukur Kingdom, Adamawa: This is one of Nigeria's UNESCO World Heritage sites and is located above the village of Sukur on Mandara Mountain. It is an ancient settlement with a long history of iron work, and strong political institutions dating back to the 16th century.
(Wikimedia Commons)
House of Mary Slessor, Calabar: Mary Slessor was a missionary credited with stopping the killing of twins in Calabar in the 1800s. Her house still stands s a historical attraction in Calabar till date.
Osun Sacred Grove, Osogbo: Another UNESCO World Heritage site, this is one of the most sacred locations in Yoruba culture and one of the only remaining examples of the once-widespread Yoruba settlement design.
Emir of Kano Palace, Kano: Kano boasts an ancient culture and civilisation and the Emir's palace is one of the elements of this ancient culture.

Friday 27 May 2016

Modern women in past times!

Photographer documents modern African women in their Ancestors' clothings

In what she likens to a ritual, Joana Choumali went on a campaign of photographing young, contemporary African women in their native cultural attires, in a bid to show the relationship between past and present generations.
Choumali calls the photography series “Resilients,” a title inspired by her grandmother's passing two year ago. The photographer realised, upon the older woman's death, that much of her story had died with her.
Selena Souadou is a 21-year-old from Guinea. She lives in Ivory Coast and Senegal. (Huffington Post)
This made her embark on a project to document young, contemporary African women and their link to generations gone. Choumali said she had hoped, through the pictures, to pass the message that the past is never truly lost. In an interview with Huffington Post, she said:
Sandrine Amah is a chemical engineer from Akan. She spent her childhood in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) and Montreal (Canada). (Huffington Post)
“I was hoping to convey the fact that African women mutate through the generations while remaining anchored to their roots and traditions, able to remain true to themselves, just like the earth from which they came,” she said. “Elasticity that turns into resilience.”
Sandrine is Ivorian and Senegalese. She lives in Abidjan. (Huffington Post)
The photographer had an idea of the kind of women she loved to use as subjects for the project. She chose modern women in the world, people who had education, hardworking, global citizens, who, somehow, retained strong family values and ties, to whom their African heritage mean so much.
Soukeyna, 25, studied Marketing in Bordeaux (France). (Huffington Post)
She said, “Most of them succeed in dealing with such a fragile balance between past and present, between Westernized habits and traditions. I think it makes them stronger. They adapt to these very subtle social and cultural changes.”
Danielle Niamke Asroumingoumin, 50, is a native of Grand-Bassam (southeast of the Ivory Coast) and belongs to the ethnic group N’zima. (Huffington Post)
The importance of showcasing African beauty in its diverse manifestations was also not lost on her. Her inspirations ranged from African portrait photographers like Malick Sidibe and Seydou Keïta to classical European painters like Rembrandt. “I wanted to present these modern African women as icons,” she said.
Anifa Amari calls herself an Ivorian-Beninese. (Huffington Post)
To create the images in “Resilients,” Choumali and her subjects would meet up, share memories about their backgrounds, families, hometowns and origins. Then they’d search for clothing items in their family history — a scarf from their mother, jewelry from their grandmother, to compile a vision composed of equal parts past and present.
Rabiya al Adawiya , 28, is Ivorian-Sudanese, she lives and works in Ivory Coast. (Hufington Post)
“I would always play some music, mostly African classics,”Choumali added. “It was like a ritual, an almost religious moment, a meditation. The process of makeup, the hairstyling, the wrapping of the rich traditional fabrics were very impactful on their attitudes. Their gestures and postures changed after getting dressed. Many of them said that wearing the jewelry and rich fabrics made them feel stronger, more elegant, almost royal.”
Naema Assassi is a real estate business developer. Her family is from the center of the Ivory Coast (Akan). (Huffinton Post)
The process enabled a form of self-discovery by casting a glance at the past. Inspired by old African portraits and the poses struck in them, the subjects found themselves changing shape before the camera’s lens. “Some of the women told me that couldn’t recognize themselves in the pictures,” Choumali said. “Some felt stronger, some realized how beautiful they are.”
http://pulse.ng/arts_culture/impressive-photographer-documents-modern-african-women-in-their-ancestors-clothings-id5060390.html

Sunday 22 May 2016

Affirmative Action – Too Little or Too Much?



Morality is not about trying to be perfectly right, it is about trying to do right.
Destine.
Amazing article by Ken Taylor
“Too little or too much what?” you ask. Does it bring about too little racial justice – because it doesn’t go far enough? Or does it bring about too much racial resentment – because it goes way too far? I fear that the correct answer may be that it’s a little bit of both. Affirmative action doesn’t begin to be a fully adequate instrument for achieving racial justice but, nonetheless, it generates way more racial resentment than it deserves to.
It wasn’t always so, As it was originally conceived, it was designed to overcome the effects of past racial discrimination, when blacks were too often told that they need not apply. It was meant to supplement and make real the requirements of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination in one fell swoop. But even if the law says, “Henceforth, there shall be no further discrimination,” you can’t undo the lingering effects of decades and decades of past racial injustice by the mere stroke of a pen. That’s where affirmation action came in. 
Many people now think of a affirmative action as a form of reverse discrimination, as a system in which whites and blacks are not held to the same standards, in which a less qualified black person can be hired or admitted over a more qualified white person – all in the name of racial diversity, And they complain that whatever the racial sins of the past, two racial wrongs don't make a racial right. 
But reverse discrimination was never the idea! The point was to level the playing field. Institutions had to “act affirmatively” to ensure that their candidate pools included previously excluded minorities. The idea was to actively seek them out, to openly welcome them, and to allow them to compete on fair and equal terms with whites. This idea has, I think, simply become part of our employment and admissions DNA. Nobody would think of going back to the old days, when you had to be part of a good old boys club to get a job or a spot in a prestigious university. 
But there is no denying that affirmative action has evolved considerably from its initial beginnings. What started out as a tool for ameliorating the effects of past discrimination has become more of a tool for increasing diversity, at least somewhat independent of explicit discrimination. In its earliest form, affirmative action was more e focused on fair and open processes and making sure that they are not infected with bias. In its latter form, it has tended to focus on actual results. It’s this more recent approach to affirmative action, I think, that causes all the political and emotional turmoil over affirmative action. It’s certainly harder to justify. And the resistance and resentment it sometimes engenders is hardly surprising, I’d say.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not knocking diversity. Diversity is a very good thing. If we’re given two equally qualified candidates, one of whom adds diversity and the other doesn’t, of course, we should choose the candidate that adds some diversity. But how far should we take this reasoning? Should diversity only be used to break ties? Or should it diversity be regarded as a positive qualification, all on its own. If so, how many points should you get just for being black or being a woman. Unfortunately, start thinking this way, and you’ll quickly get to something that goes against the idea of equality and starts to sound a little like reverse discrimination. The problem is that there seems to be a degree of tension between diversity and merit. If there wasn’t we could just select on the basis of merit and let the diversity take care of itself. But clearly we can't do that – or at least the practice of Affirmative Action seems to presume that we can’t.
Perhaps there is another way to look at it though. Perhaps we should think of affirmative action against the backdrop of widespread implicit bias. Perhaps it can help us guard against such biases. Suppose we do a little experiment. We give two hiring committee, two almost identical resumes – with just one teeny, tiny inconsequential difference between them. One has a recognizably Anglo-sounding name – say Jason. The other has a recognizably African American sounding name – say Jamal. Shouldn’t matter, should it? What’s in a name after all? But by now, they dirty little secret about implicit bias is out. In set up after set up like this, it turns out that the candidate with the black sounding name will be judged to be less qualified than the candidate with the Anglo sounding name. Same for female names. Same for Hispanic names.
As far as I konw, nobody has yet tried to justify Affirmative Action on the grounds that it would help protect us from the effects of implicit bias. But you can see how such an argument might go. People used to hope that if we just had fair procedures and standards and actively sought out excluded people, everything would eventually be alright. We might not even need affirmative action anymore. But the fact of widespread implicit bias suggest that we that we can never overcome discrimination, no matter how hard we try. The point isn't so much that people are bound to prefer their own kind. The point is rather that even when we try to be objective and fair minded, the phenomenon of implicit bias suggest that we may be bound to fail. We can never really be sure that we aren’t being controlled by our biases or that we are honestly applying fair, equitable, and objective standards. 
But if we can’t ever really trust our judgments of merit where does that leave us? With endless debates, lawsuits, and racial division? That’s how you get California deciding minority students can’t even be subjected to IQ testing out of fear that they are unintentionally discriminatory. I'm not at all confident that Affirmative Action really would help us to combat implicit bias. But maybe it's worth a try. Nothing else seems to be working. But hey, nobody ever promised that achieving true racial justice was going to be easy. 

Friday 20 May 2016

Husband Of Rescued Chibok Girl Confess: I Surrendered Because Of Hunger, Ill Health

Mohammed Hayatu

The husband of the Chibok Girl who was rescued on Wednesday, has reportedly revealed he surrendered himself due to hunger and ill health.
The man, Mohammed Hayatu, according to Channels Television, is said to be one of the Boko Haram commanders also known as ‘Amir.’
He allegedly escaped and surrendered himself, his wife, Amina Nkeki Ali, and their baby to members of the Borno state Civilian Joint Task Force in Balle, a village in Damboa due to constant suffering.
Hayatu was quoted to have told the vigilante group members that, ”hunger and ill health forced him to surrender as they were starving to death following the blocking of Boko Haram’s food supply routes by the military.”

Wednesday 18 May 2016

ADOPTION OF WESTERN CULTURE BY AFRICANS

ADOPTION OF WESTERN CULTURE ii

By John Pam
Trial and error they say gives rise to new ways of living,however at what cost do these new means of being detract from the wholesome experience of living. It has long been viewed that the African cultural heritage has nothing to offer in comparison to its western counterpart and in some areas that might be true but let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. In a sense western society is more capable of catering to the diverse lifestyles and inclinations of multitudes, however when it comes to the sense of identity and common interests its easier to find such ideals more prevalent in our African culture. This inevitably brings us to the matter at hand where we must consider if the African culture has a better influence on the growth of a child or if the western ideology does a better job of it.  If African culture is looked at from a broad perspective and not the caricature which our adherence to western values have made of it, then it seems to me that we can see the advantages that are inherent in the traditions which we so readily discard.
Image result for african identityImage result for african identity
 The western manner of education has created a perception that intelligence can only be garnered from the structures of institutions of learning. However, when one looks at the type of individuals who though they have never been to such institutions have such a keen understanding of various technologies that even those who are "educated" formally cannot grasp we would be forced to at least concede that intelligence can indeed be dormant in an individual but it takes the input of tutors to bring it out. Now far be it from me to begrudge the value of western society but one does not discard something which is functional and adopt another which is poorly understood simply to be current. Western culture with its permissiveness or even lack of moral standards,its creed of materialism and its penchant for disguising barbarity in civility, is not without its virtues but purposely let's look at its flaws and from there we can then see if truly African culture has nothing to offer a child.
Image result for african identity
 In most African societies although such a culture is waning, there is a perception that ones neighbor's misfortune is shared hence when a child in the community is seen to be erring the residents of that community see a moral obligation to correct that child and it has nothing to do with any notions of reward but rather a sense of responsibility towards that child. In Africa its more rare to see a child's misdeeds ignored by the members of the community than to see them take action and even sometimes take the child to the parents to explain what their child had been up to. In the western hemisphere if a neighbor so much as interferes with the child of another he can be jailed at least and at best told to mind his business. Now this might seem trivial but the truth is as these little gestures coalesce they tend to build fraternal ties which spurs an identification with that community.

 The peer groups inculcated into African culture also ensures that children grow up having a sense of purpose for their identity and hence values is coming led with the responsibilities which they are given as part of their peers. Now the tendency is for young people to seek to outdo each other or even win the admiration of their peers as they value that more than any praise from elders who are regarded as not part of their group. Hence when such societies created theses groups it was based on the understanding that these youth were giving are productive framework in which to compete with their peers and under the supervision of more mature minds. In some communities one age group might be responsible for security,another for resolving communal disputes and usually the youngest for partaking and organizing activities important to the cultural identity of that community and hence when one was able to distinguish oneself the elation was tremendous. However,western civilization has no provision for catering to this need for direction in youth,hence they are placed in the care of teachers who are only too eager to be done with them and then leave them to their own devices once the school bell rings. This has resulted in massive levels of substance abuse and also unwholesome activities not to say that such did not occur under African culture but when such occurred it was easier to nip in the bud because there was always that guidance from more experienced individuals who did not see catering to the youth as a way to get paid but rather as a duty to growth of community,responsibility owed to those who provided guidance and also self regard.  It by no means is a perfect system but where people have no values which brings them together as a community then there is bound to be conflict. Truth be told it seems African has not matured sufficiently enough to practice the true spirit of democracy hence why we always fall into tyranny. If the leaders see every one else as competition then they will be cruel. There however can be no self deception as regard the nature of our activities which has led to religion and political parties have come to be hope we define ourselves rather than as members of a community with diverse ideas. At some point we will have to examine the values we give to the youth and inevitably we will see the destruction we have been fostering by our negligence.
images gotten from Google

Sunday 15 May 2016

UK To Give Nigeria £40m To Fight Boko Haram

United Kingdom Foreign Secretary has pledged to give Nigeria £40m to help the fight against Boko Haram - and praised the president's "strong leadership" just days after David Cameron called the country "fantastically corrupt".
Philip Hammond also announced the UK would train almost 1,000 Nigerian military personnel for deployment in counter-insurgency operations.
His promises came as he arrived in Abuja, Nigeria for the Regional Security Summit.
"President Buhari has shown strong leadership in the fight against Boko Haram, a brutal organisation that has raped, murdered and kidnapped innocent civilians and forced over two million people to flee their homes," said Mr Hammond.
"Their allegiance to, and potential coordination with Daesh (IS), is a reminder of the threat they present to the region and to British interests."
Boko Haram has killed some 20,000 people during a seven-year insurgency.
The UK's money to fight the Islamic extremists will be distributed over four years.
Mr Hammond's flattering words follow days after Mr Cameron was heard making undiplomatic comments to the Queen ahead of an anti-corruption summit.
"We've got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain," Mr Cameron told the Queen.
"Nigeria and Afghanistan - possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world."

Herdsmen: Traditional Rulers In Abia Perform Customary Rite To Fortify Boundaries



Against the backdrop of recent herdsmen clashes in the south east of Nigeria, over twenty traditional rulers from the seventeen local government areas of Abia state came out to perform the customary rite of fortifying the boundaries of the state from any form of attack.
The traditional rulers who prayed for god’s protection also made pronouncement, which they believe, would see an end to kidnapping, herdsmen attacks, armed robbery, incessant killings and other vices in Abia state.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu last week called on the traditional rulers to be proactive in safeguarding their communities.
The boundaries visited by the traditional rulers include those between Abia and Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.
http://www.aitonline.tv/post-herdsmen traditional_rulers_in_abia_perform_customary_rite_to_fortify_boundaries