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Kiss n Tell
Kiss n Tell
Do you sometimes in your “alone”
time take your thoughts back to things that have happened in your life? I
believe most people do. Sometimes you think of the interesting things, at other
times you think of stuff that may have annoyed or intrigued you, sometimes even
the downright funny ones that make you laugh out loud to yourself.
Well, I had that “alone” time
recently and this is what popped into my head. Six years ago during my campus
days, I walked into the room of a girlfriend who happened to live in the same
building as me. There were at least four guys and my friend. I greeted the
dudes and sat down. I was not prepared to leave the room just because she had
visitors.
I had been completely bored in my
own room and soon I joined in the discussion at hand. We ‘gisted’ for a while
and soon one of the guys who was called Jyke (short for Ejike) stood and walked
out the room. He came in shortly and asked if I stayed upstairs. When I nodded
in the affirmative, he asked if I knew a certain Enkay.
Again, I said I did. The girl lived
just few rooms away from mine. What Jyke said next did not take me by surprise.
He said ” E get wen I bin dey nail that babe o.”(If you do not get what he
meant, he was saying that he used to be sexually involved with the girl).
When he said that, the dudes in the
room were all interested and started asking questions which would make even you
cringe if I wrote them down here, but please, just imagine the sort of
questions they were asking Jyke and the answers he gave to them, if you can.
I was not surprised by this turn of
the conversation but I was embarrassed. I knew people talked about their
sexcapades to close friends (at least I know one or two who do) but the reason
some make it a topic for discussion with every friend they know, even perfect
strangers eludes me.
Growing up, I knew sex to be an act
practiced by two consenting adults. I also knew that if there was no respect
attached to it, it would not have been a “behind closed doors” act.
But these days, we kiss and tell.
We “nail” someone and shout it out to willing listeners. Where is the respect
then? I spoke to some guys and girls about the reasons for this and got a few
responses.
A friend told me that guys like to
show off to their friends that they still have the swagger. It is an “ego”
thing. If as a guy, your friends know you are not getting any, they will
ridicule you. So when you get some, you make noise about it.
Again I was made to understand that
not all guys boast about their sexcapades for that reason. I heard some guys
even lie about it just so they would come across as some hunk with a swagger.
That is really lame and funny.
The guys I spoke with also made
sure to tell me that not all girls are spoken about like that. They say that
when a guy really cares about and respects a woman, he does not speak about his
sexual moments with her to anyone, even his close friends.
They believe that some women do not
respect themselves and so deserve to be spoken about while some must have made
too much “shakara” so that when a guy finally gets to sleep with her, he makes
sure to tell his friends of his conquest.
While this is behaviour that is
prevalent with the male folk, the females also show off but according to my
friend, they do it in a wickedly subtle way when they want to let their
girlfriends know that the guy (who they believe may’ve been full of himself) is
not “all that.”
One of the guys I spoke to asked me
to stop attacking men because women are worse than men in that they do not even
“nail” and tell, they sometimes “chop” and run… meaning that some girls
actually weave deceptive techniques to get a guy’s money without giving him any
and when they do, run without a backward glance; that my friends, is definitely
a gist for another day.
There may be many reasons for this
act of “kiss and tell” but do you really think any of them is justified?
The parent model
The parent model
During the first half of this year, German and
American political leaders engaged in an epic debate. American leaders
argued that the economic crisis was so bad, governments should borrow
billions to stimulate growth. German leaders argued that a little
short-term stimulus was sensible, but anything more was near-sighted.
What was needed was not more debt, but measures to balance budgets and
restore confidence.
The debate got pointed. American economists
accused German policymakers of risking a long depression. The German
finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble countered, “governments should not
become addicted to borrowing as a quick fix to stimulate demand.” The
two countries followed different policy paths. According to Gary Becker
of the University of Chicago, the Americans borrowed an amount equal to
6 percent of GDP in an attempt to stimulate growth. The Germans spent
about 1.5 percent of GDP on their stimulus.
This divergence created a natural experiment. Who was right?
The early returns suggest the Germans were. The
American stimulus package was supposed to create a “summer of
recovery,” according to Obama administration officials. Job growth was
supposed to be surging at up to 500,000 a month. Instead, the U.S.
economy is scuffling along.
The German economy, on the other hand, is growing
at a sizzling (and obviously unsustainable) 9 percent annual rate.
Unemployment in Germany has come down to pre-crisis levels.
Results from one quarter do not settle the
stimulus/austerity debate. Many other factors are in play. For example,
Germany is surging, in part, because America is borrowing. Essentially,
we Americans borrowed from our kids, spent some of that money on German
machinery, and ended up employing German workers.
But the results do underline one essential truth:
Stimulus size is not the key factor in determining how quickly a
country emerges from recession. The U.S. tried big, but is emerging
slowly. The Germans tried small, and are recovering nicely.
The economy can’t be played like a piano – press a
fiscal key here and the right job creation notes come out over there.
Instead, economic management is more like parenting. If you instill
good values and create a secure climate then, through some mysterious
process you will never understand, things will probably end well.
The crucial issue is getting the fundamentals
right. The Germans are doing better because during the past decade,
they took care of their fundamentals and the Americans didn’t.
The situation can be expressed this way: German
policymakers inherited a certain consensus-based economic model. That
model has advantages. It fosters gradual innovation (of the sort useful
in metallurgy). It also has disadvantages. It sometimes re-enforces
rigidity and high unemployment.
Over the past few years, the Germans have built on
their advantages. They effectively support basic research and worker
training. They have also taken brave measures to minimise their
disadvantages. As an editorial from the superb online think tank e21
reminds us, the Germans have recently reduced labor market regulation,
increased wage flexibility and taken strong measures to balance budgets.
In the United States, policymakers inherited a
different economic model, one that also has certain advantages. It
fosters disruptive innovation (of the sort useful in Silicon Valley).
It also has certain disadvantages – a penchant for overconsumption and
short term thinking.
Over the past decade, American policymakers have
done little to maximise their model’s natural advantages or address its
problems. Indeed, they’ve only made the short-term thinking problem
worse, with monetary, fiscal and home ownership policies encouraging
even more borrowing and consumption.
Nations rise and fall on the intertwined strength
of their cultures and governing institutions. Despite all the normal
shortcomings, German governing institutions have functioned reasonably
well, ushering in painful but necessary reforms. The U.S. has a
phenomenally creative culture, but right now it’s an institutional
weakling.
If you look around the world today, you see that a
two-class system is coming into being. Some countries are undertaking
fundamentals reforms. In these places, weaknesses have been exposed.
Orthodoxies have been shattered. New coalitions have formed.
This is happening in Britain, where a centre-right
government is reining in a government that had spun out of control.
It’s also true in Sweden and other consensus-based countries, where
there is so much emphasis on consistent, long-range thinking.
In other countries, political division frustrates
long-range thinking. The emphasis is on fixing things for next month or
next quarter. The U.S., unfortunately, is struggling to get out of
Group 2.
© 2010 New York Times
Sambo inaugurates Nigeria-Brazil group
Sambo inaugurates Nigeria-Brazil group
A Joint Nigeria-Brazil Energy
Cooperation Working Group was yesterday inaugurated by the Vice
President, Namadi Sambo. The group is to enhance bio potentials in the
country.
Speaking at the inauguration of the
committee in the State House, Abuja, Mr Sambo noted that this is part
of the policy of the current administration to develop the key sectors
of the economy, stating that to attain Vision 20:2020, adequate
infrastructure must be put in place.
He noted that since the federal
government is seeking to accelerate development of the hydro potential
in the country, exploring synergies with Brazil was a welcome idea, as
it has comparative advantage in a variety of areas, including hydro
power generation, renewable energy and deep water exploration.
Need for coordination
He urged the committee to “fast track
the process of preparing the final position of the agreement as Brazil
will be going to elections soon”, noting that “in the past, bilateral
agreements have suffered delays due to lack of proper coordination”.
The vice president noted the need for
raising a technical team to proceed to Brazil, stressing that “to
express our determination toward the success of the Joint Cooperation,
our actions should determine our seriousness.” He disclosed that Brazil
had indicated interest in partnering with Nigeria toward ensuring an
accelerated completion of the Zungeru Hydro Power plant and that the
Mambilla hydro power plant has been incorporated into the bilateral
agreement, which Brazil is willing to bankroll from the scratch on a
turnkey basis.
He added that they are also interested in oil and gas, including bio-fuels, power and capacity building.
The agreement for Nigeria-Brazil Energy
Cooperation was signed in July, 2009 and President Goodluck Jonathan
had urged that the joint working group be set up to work on the
agreement.
The members of the Joint Working Group
include Ministries of Power, Petroleum, Finance, Water Resources,
Environment, Nigerian Energy Commission, Nigeria National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) and National Electricity Regulatory Commission.
In another development, the Vice
President also had a briefing session with the Debt Management Office
(DMO) which was centred on the recruitment and promotion of staff in
the organisation.
The VP in the meeting approved the
request submitted by the Director General of the DMO, Dr. Abraham
Nwankwo, to promote and employ new staff in the organisation.
Earlier, the Director General said 120 officers of various categories are needed in the organisation.
He also sought the approval of Mr
Sambo, who is the Chairman of the DMO Board, including seven senior
officers to be promoted as Chief Operating Officers and Assistant Chief
Operating Officers respectively.
He said the posts will soon be advertised.
Council boss promises peaceful 2011 polls
Council boss promises peaceful 2011 polls
Ahead of 2011
general elections, the Chairman of Okehi local government council in
Kogi State, Suberu Adagu Abubakar, has reassured the people of the area
that there will be peaceful, free and fair elections unlike in the past
where the area witnessed acts of violence during elections.
Mr Abubakar, who
disclosed this while speaking in an interview with the reporters in
Lokoja, said the youth district have learnt their lessons and will not
allow themselves to be used again.
The council boss explained that there is relative peace in the
senatorial zone where his council is located following the series of
peace meeting, seminars, symposium and peace advocacy to every nook and
crannies of the zone. He stated that efforts are being made to
rehabilitate must of the youths who are prone to restiveness in the
area, adding that the result now is inherent in the five local
government areas with everybody is going about their normal businesses.
Zamfara signs 1.5bn euro refinery project
Zamfara signs 1.5bn euro refinery project
The Zamfara State
governor, Mahmuda Aliyu Shinkafi, on Monday signed an agreement for the
construction of a petroleum refinery in Gusau, the state capital.
Mr Shinkafi, at a
ceremony to mark the beginning of the project, said the state
government was committed to the early completion of the project, in
spite of its financial constraints. He said that the project, which
would gulp 1.5 billion euro (about N270 billion), was awarded to an
internationally renowned petroleum engineering company, BSM -APCL-
Swinglehurst. According to him, the project is to be closely supervised
by the NNPC.
The governor
reiterated that the project was pivotal to industrial development of
the north western part of the country, and would provide job
opportunities and economic growth.
Group condemns attack on Bayelsa community
Group condemns attack on Bayelsa community
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends
of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has described the invasion of
Ogbunugbene community in Bayelsa State by the Joint Military Task Force
on the Niger Delta (JTF) as an affront which may derail the Federal
Government’s amnesty programme.
The ERA/FoEN’s caution is coming on the
heels of reports that the attack at the weekend was carried out by JTF
personnel who came in gunboats that were stationed at Agip’s Ogboinbiri
Flow Station, close to the community.
According to the group, few days before
the invasion, which left some locals wounded and houses destroyed, an
oil spill was reported at Agip’s facility in the community, following
which community folks mobilised some youth to protect the site from the
activities of individuals who may want to cash in on the situation to
steal contents spewing from the facility.
It was, however, gathered that the
soldiers invaded the community and engaged the youth in a shootout
which left some dead and others seriously injured. Houses were also
destroyed, leading to mass exodus of the people to safer communities.
Unjustified attack
“This brutal action of the JTF on the
Ogbunugbene people cannot be justified in any civilised society. These
soldiers are supposed to be responsible to the people of the Niger
Delta and should protect lives and property, and not hunt the people
down,” said ERA/FoEN executive director, Nnimmo Bassey.
Mr Bassey decried what he called the
“gradual and systematic muscling of locals” in the guise of reining in
on alleged criminals in the Niger Delta region, even as he pointed out
that the recurrent unprovoked invasion of the JTF on innocent
communities in the region was capable of disrupting the amnesty
programme and the peace process already in place.
“While we will never support any
unlawful action on the part of local people, oil corporations cannot be
absolved from neglect of their facilities. We totally reject the JTF
idea of labeling entire communities as criminals as a pretext to these
unlawful invasions, which only leave trails of destruction, maiming,
killing, and displacement of the community people,” he said.
Mr. Bassey, who condemned the invasion, demanded an immediate probe from the federal government.
“What is playing out here is the
consistent agenda of oil corporations to instigate crisis in
resource-bearing communities, where they allow their facilities to
wreak havoc so as to label the people as vandals, as a step to
unleashing mayhem and decimation on such communities,” he said.
Omisore blames the media for delay of bill
Omisore blames the media for delay of bill
The chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation,
Iyiola Omisore, has blamed journalists for the delay of the passage of
the Freedom of Information bill.
The former Osun State deputy governor, who featured
at the guest forum of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo
State council, on Monday, noted that supporters of the bill were not
ready to agree with the responsibilities that go with free access to
information.
According to him, the nation’s legislative arm could
not pass the bill after several months of its proposal because media
leaders were not ready to allow inclusion of clauses for penalties for
publishing inaccurate information and falsehood.
Freedom and responsibility
“We want freedom of information. To every freedom,
there must be responsibility. What we attached to it (FoI Bill) you
people do not want to take it. We invited the NUJ people to come and
speak with us that if you do this, this is your penalty.
“You are free to write anything, but if you write
what is not true, you go to jail. I was in detention for three years
for the lies published by Tempo magazine against me. And immediately I
was arrested, they folded up,” he said.
Speaking on states creation, Mr Omisore explained
that the National Assembly is still struggling to see how the feat
would be achieved before the current federal legislative term winds up.
He admitted that the death of the former president,
Umar Musa Yar’Adua, slowed down some of the work lined up by the
National Assembly for the current season.
He explained that the assembly had three items as paramount in its agenda and has already achieved two of them.
States creation
The three, he disclosed, are constitution amendment,
passage of electoral reform bill, and state creation, adding that among
the three, state creation is the only one left and its process has
reached an advanced stage.
On the issue of the jumbo pay the lawmakers allegedly
appropriated for themselves, the senator said the allegations were not
true, saying the constituency allowances are not given to them in cash,
but are appropriated in the budget and the projects for which they are
meant are handled by relevant government agencies.
Commenting on the adoption of President Goodluck
Jonathan by the southwest chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
last Saturday, Mr Omisore said the zone has not done anything against
the zoning formula entrenched in the party’s constitution.
As an aspirant in the Osun State governorship race,
Omisore admonished that all Nigerians must ensure that the next
election is free, fair, and credible, and he cautioned politicians from
playing the game against the rule.
He advised politicians to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship in the
next election, saying they must be ready to admit failure when it comes.
High rent forces banks out of airport terminal
High rent forces banks out of airport terminal
Following alleged
high rent by the management of the operators of the Murtala Mohammed
Airport 2 (MMA2), Lagos, banks using the facility are beginning to
vacate the terminal.
With the likes of
Access Bank already out of the new domestic terminal since April this
year, Oceanic Bank followed suit on Monday as it pasted notices on its
doors and ATM machines located at its stand at the airport.
A source at the
bank who prefers anonymity, said that the amount collected as rent by
Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) is “so expensive and very
high” for the bank, adding that the same situation might have prompted
the decision taken by Access Bank to quit the terminal.
The notice on the
bank’s stand at MMA2, however, directed customers on how to locate its
new place of operation, adding that transactions will not be carried
out on Monday and Tuesday, but will commence on Wednesday.
“Please be informed
that we will be re-locating from Murtala Mohammed Airport II (MMA2) to
OBI Village (BDC Complex) opposite Arik Airlines Office effective
Wednesday 1st September 2010,” the notice reads, adding “In view of
this development, our last working day in MMA II will be on Friday 27th
August, 2010. We will not be open to customers on Monday 30th and
Tuesday 31st August 2010.
The branch will resume full banking operations at our new location on Wednesday 1st of September 2010.”
Meanwhile,
passengers and airport users were seen in large clusters using the ATM
machines of Guarantee Trust and Skye Banks, the two remaining banks at
the terminal, as they expressed displeasure with the development.
“Since these are
the only machines at our disposal, we have to queue up and make
withdrawals as we hope they don’t leave like others,” said Anyaogu
Sunday, a passenger at the terminal.
Aero may also leave
Still on the same
issue, another source with Aero Contractors, the oldest commercial
carrier in the country involved in domestic and regional air transport
business and a sister company to Oceanic Bank, said that the airline
has plans to leave the new terminal for the old domestic terminal
christened the General Aviation Terminal (GAT).
According to this
source, the cost of operating from the new terminal is “far higher than
that of GAT,” stressing that though the airline has not made up its
mind on when to move out, it will vacate the airport if nothing is done
as pertaining the charges collected by the operators of the terminal.
“There are plans
by Aero to leave MMA2 and start operating from GAT because of the high
operational cost it incurs carrying out flight services from the new
terminal,” the source said.
It should be noted
that Arik Air, the country’s largest commercial carrier is carrying out
its domestic flight operations from the General Aviation Terminal, and
on different occasions, managers of the new terminal have challenged
why Arik is still operating from the old terminal.
Bi-Courtney counters
The managers of the
new terminal, however, refuted any form of high or increased rent.
According to Bi-Courtney, tenants have been called upon to renew their
rents.
“We would like to state categorically that we have not effected nor
made any demand for increase in rent from any of our tenants,” said
Femi Kolawole, chief corporate services officer for Bi-Courtney in a
statement. “On the contrary, tenants whose leases are expiring have
been invited to renew their leases, at the same prices as their
expiring leases or at reduced rates.”
Tanker drivers protest harassment
Tanker drivers protest harassment
Regular supply of
petroleum products to Edo State has been threatened, as the tanker
drivers association, Benin Depot branch, yesterday embarked on an
indefinite strike that they intend to continue until the chairman of
the task force committee on pipeline vandalism, Osakpanmwan Eriyo, is
removed.
The tanker drivers
accused Mr Eriyo of extortion and incessantly harassing, arresting and
detaining members of their association without valid reasons.
They also vowed not
to lift any petroleum products at the Benin depot until they meet with
Adams Oshiomhole, the state governor, and ensure the removal of the
committee chairman.
As at the time of
going to press, Chairman of the tanker drivers union, Godwin Asemota,
and his team were said to be in a closed door meeting with government
officials on the matter.
One of the tanker
drivers, who simply gave his name as Charles, alleged that Mr Eriyo and
his men have been a thorn in their flesh since their appointments.
Neglect of duty
He said that the
task force has abandoned its primary assignment of protecting petroleum
pipelines for harassing and molesting their members, in collaboration
with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Evbotubu Police Station,
where their trucks are always detained and not always released until
they part with as much as N200, 000 and above.
Mr Eriyo, however, described the allegations of the tanker drivers as mischievous and untrue.
He said that the
drivers have on several occasions tried to lure him into conniving with
them to move products from vandalized pipes to the market. He tendered
several waybills of arrested drivers who altered documents of other
trucks to move their products.
“They get waybills
from other marketers, alter it to suit their own vehicles. Do you blame
me for arresting them for the police to do their work of investigation
to ascertain whether it is a product vandalized pipe or not? You don’t
expect me to honour such waybills.”
Mr Eriyo, who confirmed that over 20 persons have been arrested for
their involvement in pipeline vandalism, and about 10 vehicles
impounded, reaffirmed his committee’s resolve to tackle pipeline
vandalism to the logical end.
