3 Secret Reasons Men Eventually Leave ‘Good’ Women

He was SO into you … and then he wasn’t. Here are the reasons he WON’T tell you:
We’ve all rented a room or two at the “Heartbreak Hotel,” maybe even on more than one occasion.
Sometimes, we say that we didn’t see the breakup coming (even when it’s approaching like a raging bull wearing a neon green shirt and pressing a blow horn). Other times, they truly do appear out of nowhere; everything was fine, until suddenly … it wasn’t.
No matter how a breakup comes about, they usually have something in common — three secret reasons your ex is likely hiding — secrets that keep him from fully expressing how he feels.
You may think: No way … this isn’t the case. Not my guy! Your man was sensitive, open, and cried at the movies. But, all men struggle with these issues, which confuse them and cause them to bolt.
Understanding these issues can help you get over a bad breakup … or, possibly help you get your ex back. Here are the three secret reasons men break up with really great women:
1. He felt pressured and inadequate
Were you constantly chasing him? Did you want more love, affection than what he was doling out? Did you feel like you were frequently trying to “fix” things in the relationship?
If you can identify with any of these, there was definitely an imbalance in your relationship, and more than likely he felt pressured and inadequate in your presence. And it’s important that you know … that’s not at all your fault.
Most men run from emotional pressure like they’re running for their lives (because, in their minds, they are running for their lives). Emotional pressure challenges the underdeveloped part of a man’s masculinity and makes him feel ill-equipped to deal. In his mind, he feels like anything he does isn’t (and never will be) good enough for you. This causes men to naturally shut down and lock their hearts up like Fort Knox, rather than deal with any more feelings of pressure or inadequacy.
2. Your relationship felt competitive
If a man has to compete with a woman for control of the relationship, he not only feels inadequate, but also like there’s no place for his masculinity in his woman’s life.
Keep this in mind: it’s very important.
This isn’t to say that a man should control the entire relationship, that’s unfair to both parties. Rather, a successful relationship has complementary forces where each person relinquishes control in certain areas. If this doesn’t happen, both parties end up in competition — both compete to win and, in the end, the relationship loses. This dynamic shows up in scenarios like these:
In a social context with friends! Did the two of you get in arguments about who was “right” in front of friends?​
Financially, who is the breadwinner? Did you make more money than him? And more importantly, was it ever brought up in a way that emasculated him?
Relationally, did you constantly make the decisions in the relationship? Where to eat, what fun things to do, or what movies to attend?
If he felt like you were against him instead of for him, he never felt fully capable of opening his heart because he was afraid of losing the “game” and getting hurt.
3. He didn’t feel respected
A man can’t build a life with a woman who doesn’t respect him. He has to feel that his partner has his back above and beyond anyone else — he must know that in his weakest moment, she will shower him with acceptance. Because, you see, here is the hidden truth about your value: you are the key to his greatness.
In order for him to unlock all that he has within him, including his tenderness and willingness to commit, he needs a deep and underlying foundation of respect.
With a high caliber woman by his side he can take greater risks in life and actually experience more freedom than ever possible by himself.
So now that you know the reasons why he left, how do you start to get him back? It’s time to reflect and begin to take immediate action to rectify the situation if you still truly love him. Once you know how to breakthrough his defenses and touch the deepest part of his heart, he’ll feel an overwhelming calm and trust that you truly (finally) get him.

5 Selfish Things That Can Potentially Ruin Your Marriage

There is a trend I have noticed among people who seek help in marriage and couples’ counseling. Both partners usually have the best of intentions. Both usually want to save the relationship and make it better. But often people end up in marriage counseling because they are engaging in five selfish behaviors which prevent good communication and understanding for each other to take place.
1. During a discussion or argument, thinking more about your reb*ttal and less about what your partner has to say.
This is the number one issue I see among couples seeking counseling. Partners will do a fine job of expressing their frustrations, but then become defensive when the other partner begins to talk. They begin forming their defense while the other person is talking thus missing important information their partner is trying to convey. This usually goes back and forth, and I often see that both partners contribute to this barrier to communication by also personalizing (more on this later) and becoming more defensive as emotions escalate. I suggest to my clients to practice listening by paying careful attention to the message their partner is trying to send and repeating back what they are hearing, without any sarcasm or rudeness. It is also sometimes helpful to write down what you hear your partner saying to keep your attention more on his message.
2. Not telling your partner about issues, both individual and in the relationship.
I have yet to meet a human being who can read another’s mind, and your partner is not an exception to this rule. It is selfish to assume that she should know exactly what is wrong and how you want her to help. It may be stress at work, worries about finances or behaviors your partner is engaging in that bother you. The list can be long, and not talking about it will breed resentment and irritation with each other. Often I see couples taking out stresses and irritations on each other. Talking and listening to each other can remedy a lot of what is bothering you.
3. Making assumptions: It’s not always about you!
The flipside to the previous selfish behavior is making assumptions about your partner’s behavior and taking it personally. When human beings experience stress, we tend to react in ways that are not always helpful or nurturing to a relationship. I often see that a partner will be short tempered with her beloved. The beloved then takes these actions personally and becomes irritated or angry. Ideally, the partner experiencing the stress would communicate to his partner (as was outlined in the number 2 behavior). But since none of us is perfect, it may be up to the offended party to bring this behavior to her partner in a way that is gentle and kind, while communicating how this behavior made him or her feel. When doing this, be careful to put assumptions aside. In other words, don’t assume that your partner intended to attack you and had malicious intentions. Instead, remind yourself that he is still the person you chose and the person you love.
4. Worrying about your s*xual needs and ignoring the s*xual needs of your partner.
s*x is an important part of marriage and an issue that almost always comes up in couples’ counseling. Usually the issues with s*x come down to partners having different s*x drives, desires and expectations of what is normal and healthy in a marriage. It is important for each partner to talk about these issues. It’s OK to state what you would like to see as far as s*x goes in the marriage. Once those things are said, try to then consider what your partner has said and consider his needs and how you can accommodate and respect them. Communication is extremely important in this area, and it will need to be an ongoing discussion.
5. Only considering the quirks and mannerisms about your partner that bother you, and not the things you are doing that may be bothering your partner.
I cannot tell you how many couples’ sessions start with “He does this” or “She does that.” These statements usually go on to describe some behavior or personality trait that drives the other person crazy. Instead of focusing on what the other person is doing, I encourage both partners to focus more on their own behaviors, particularly those that irk the other person. I don’t ask people to change who they are, but I do ask that they become more self-aware and willing to make adjustments to make the relationship better.
Keep in mind that no relationship is perfect. If you notice yourself engaging in any of the above behaviors, you have already done a lot of the work to correct the behavior, as awareness is often the most difficult step to making a change. The key to addressing these behaviors is continued awareness.

If Your Man Does These 5 Things, You’re Being MANIPULATED

The scary thing is: You probably don’t even know it’s happening.
The worst part of being manipulated in a relationship is that quite often you don’t even know it’s happening. Manipulative people twist your thoughts, actions, wants and desires into something that better suits how they see the world and they mold you into someone that serves their own purposes. Scary, right?
Here’s a few biggies to look out for to make sure it’s not happening to you:
1. He makes you feel guilty … for everything.
Manipulation always start with guilt. If he can convince you to feel guilty for your actions (even when you’ve done nothing wrong), then he knows you’ll be more willing to do what he says. “I mean sure, I guess dinner was OK. It wasn’t’t what I was hoping for and I would have rather done something different but I guess as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. I love you and it’s important to me that you are happy, even if that means setting aside what I want.”
See what he did there? How he turned that around you? On the surface, he makes it seem like he’s a loving boyfriend but spoiler alert: guilt is not love. Manipulators also try and make you believe that they’re doing a better job of “loving you,” so that you’ll be more willing to set aside what you want in order to feel like you “love him just as much.” It’s a sick mind game.
2. He forces his insecurities on you.
Manipulators will often force their own insecurities on you in an effort to control how you react towards him. “I’ve been cheated on before and that’s why I don’t want you to have any male friends. You can understand that, right?” Yes, of course you can understand that (and you should be conscious of his insecurities), but his struggles should not define the functionality of your relationship.
“I’m sorry I acted that way but I’m just so scared that you will leave me!” is an excuse that’s often used by manipulators when you point out flaws in his actions. The sheer purpose of that excuse is to take the focus off of your worries and suck you back into this.
There’s a fine line between showing consideration for his feelings and being manipulated into feeling what he wants you to feel. Consideration is shown with love while manipulation is ruled by guilt.
3. He makes you doubt yourself.
Want to know why it’s so easy for him to be manipulated? Because he’s mind-f*cked you to the point where you no longer trust yourself. That’s right, manipulators take your insecurities and use them against you. They consistently point out what you’re doing “wrong” and how they could have done it better.
They point out your weaknesses, then show you that with their help, you can do better, be better. They slowly convince you they have your best interests in mind … but they don’t. They have their best interests in mind. And in order to keep their wants and needs at the forefront of your relationship, they gently twist your thinking until you look to him for guidance on everything.
Once that happens, manipulators can make you basically do whatever they want you to because you now trust them more than you trust yourself.
4. He makes you responsible for his own emotions.
Manipulators are ironic in the sense that they spend quite a bit of time making you feel as if you can’t think for yourself but then turn around and make you responsible for all of their emotions. If they feel sad, it’s probably because you made them feel that way. If they’re angry, well, you had better check yourself because you obviously did something wrong.
For as much as they take away from you and for as much as they make you believe that you’re totally incapable of controlling your own life, they expect you to be responsible for how they feel. INSANE.
5. He makes you believe that you want what he wants.
We all start out relationships with requirements and deal-breakers but it’s natural, as you start to blend two lives, that compromises are made. What’s NOT normal: When you have to completely set aside what you want and need in an effort to appease your partner. If you start to realize your partner’s needs are being met far more often than yours are, you might be married to a manipulator.
Are you giving in to what he wants out of feelings of guilt or because he has made you feel responsible for the way he feels? Have you given up what YOU want because he’s made you believe that you should want something else? If you have answered “yes” to any of those questions, you might want to reconsider the relationship

Beverly Osu, Others Shade Etcetera For Criticizing Asa's Collaborations

Ex-singer turned critic Etcetera seems to have bitten more than he can chew after focusing his recent article on Nigeria’s international offering, Asa. Titled ‘Asa, your collabos are getting dumber by the day.
The self proclaimed critic was attacked over his description of Asa’s collaborations as dumb.
In the piece, he tore Asa into shreds for her features on Naeto C’s ‘Share my blessing’ and more recently Korede Bello’s ‘Somebody Great’.
The writer revealed Asa is gradually killing her career by featuring in ‘wack’ songs which might be damaging to her career.
However, some celebrities were not happy with the way Etcetera slammed Asa, and one celebrity in particular, Beverly Osu led the onslaught against Etcetera.
The former BBA housemate, wrote, ‘I really don’t agree …wat is he saying. ..he just want to talk’. While others were also of the opinion that the former singer is not in the right position to condemn Asa.

Jidenna Reacts To First Grammy Award Nomination. Says He's Honoured

Nigerian born American singer, Jidenna has expressed excitement over bagging his first Grammy Award nomination. The act was nominated in the Best Rap/Song Collaboration alongside Kendrick Lamar, Nicky Minaj, Big Sean and Common.
Sharing his excitement, the singer took to twitter yesterday to express how he feels about the nomination.

Our 1st Grammy Nomination. I’m honored! I guess I need to start looking for a date now

WOW!! Meet the cutest twins.Sonia Okeoghene And Sophia Emamoke

WOW!! Meet the cutest twins.

[So HOT & Swagalicious]

Wow..

The cutest twins girls. Sonia Okeoghene  And Sophia Emamoke

 See more photo.....

Must Read – The Kind Of Person You Should Love If You Ever Fall In Love

If you ever fall in love, fall in love with someone who…

 1.You can laugh with, but also cry with.

 2.You can joke around with, but also be serious with.

 3.You can enjoy the present moment with, but also envision a future with. 

4.You can enjoy nights out with, but also sit in comfortable silence.

 5.You can bring around your friends, but also around your family.

 6.You can be young and crazy with, but also picture being old and wise with. 

7.You admire.

 8.You respect.

9.You’re proud to be with.

 10.You smile just thinking about.

11.You would do anything to spend time with.

 12.You make a priority in your life. 

13.You can picture raising children with.

 14.You genuinely miss when they aren’t around.

 15.Fall in love with someone who comes into your life and makes you understand why it never worked out with anyone else.

 16.Fall in love with someone who motivates you to become the best version of yourself, without changing who you really are.

 17.Fall in love with someone who you’ll pledge to choose every single day.

 18.Fall in love with someone who supports your goals, dreams, and ambitions.

 19.Fall in love with someone who you believe in.

 20.And most importantly, fall in love with someone who feels the exact same way about you.

$2bn arms deal: EFCC confronts Dasuki, Dokpesi, Bafarawa, others with evidence of transactions

ABUJA — The special team raised by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the disbursement of $2.2 billion arms contract deal in the office of the former National Security Adviser, yesterday, confronted the major suspects with evidence of their illicit transactions.

EFCC operatives

The 27-member task force, which has Ibrahim Magu as a member, spent most part of the day to grill the suspects and asked them to speak up on any aspect of the transactions where their names or those who allegedly fronted for them, appeared.

The extended questioning of the high profile suspects, our correspondent learned, was to prepare the ground for their arraignment this week.

However, Vanguard could not obtain a specific date of the week when the suspects are likely to be docked and the specific charges to be pressed against them.

It was gathered that the commission had outsmarted the key suspects by first securing a court order to detain them beyond the stipulated 48-hour threshold, thereby making it more difficult for their lawyers to secure their early release.

A top source said most of the suspects, who had earlier attempted to deny their involvement in the arms deal, were dumbfounded when confronted with concrete evidence of all the transactions they had made in the office of the ex-NSA.

“Many of the suspects, who were claiming ignorance of collecting huge sums of money from the office of the ex-NSA, were tongue tied when we brought them to face each other. I think they will soon appear in court to tell the world why they went to the ONSA to sign and collect huge sums of public money that was not meant for the purposes they were given,” an EFCC source said.

Dokpesi disagrees with earlier statement

Apparently to clear the name of their patriarch, the family of Daar Communications owner, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, on Saturday, disagreed with an earlier statement the company released claiming that it got the $2.1 billion from the office of the ex-NSA for media and publicity work for the 2015 election.

In the latest statement released, weekend, the family turned around to say that the $2.1 billion was personally approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan for a holding company owned by Dokpesi following a private presentation by the owner to Jonathan.

The family also said that contrary to claims that the money was collected in respect of promoting the People’s Democratic Party’s campaign to win the 2015 polls, it was actually meant to showcase the under reported achievements of President Jonathan’s government.

Vanguard learned last night that the EFCC was making  efforts to charge the suspects to court so as to free its holding facilities for more suspects who are to be taken up for massive looting of public funds in the last dispensation.

The cells of the anti-graft agency in Abuja are said to be almost overwhelmed with suspects arrested and detained in connection with the arms deals, for which the Presidency has vowed to press to a logical conclusion to prove to Nigerians that many top Nigerians looted the public treasury under the guise of buying arms and ammunition to fight terrorism.

Ken Saro-Wiwa’s children have a responsibility to preserve his works – Kunle Ajibade

The children of the late founder of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP ) has a legacy to keep his memory through his works that are scared in circulation . This was the submission of the author of Jailed for Life and Executive Editor of TheNews magazine, Kunle Ajibade while speaking about the late activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, whom he covered during his stint as journalist in the Abacha led junta; at a colloquium organised by the 17th  Lagos Book & Art Festival, LABAF to honour the late activist.

Speaking on the theme,” Democracy and self determination; Democracy in self determination, chaired by Pa Fred Agbeyegbe, Mr Ajibade said the children of the late founder of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People(MOSOP ) has a legacy to keep his memory through his works. “ Ken published himself,except few of his works published abroad. Therefore, it is the responsibility of his family to preserve his legacy by making sure these books are reprinted.  I don’t know why his family have not been able to reprint his works at this time to keep his memory.”

On the 20th year remembrance of Ken Saro-Wiwa, Ajibade said, “Remembering Ken, 20years after his death is like remembering the fact you should not be killing people whose argument you don’t agree with. See, when you look at other countries better than our own, and you check their history, you will see that their success is because they argued successfully among themselves.”

The media icon also added that,”His death brought a lot of improvement. If there was no improvement, you won’t have gathered all manner of agencies and parastatals to address the issue of injustice in the Niger Delta. You won’t also see government responding quickly to agitators. I mean real agitators getting response to solving the problems in that region. Because, when they killed Ken Saro-Wiwa, the whole world rose up.

On the legacy left by the late writer, TheNews editor stated that Ken will continue to be an inspiration to many even after his death. In his words, “The fact that the world rose up and agitated for his execution is a sense of accountability. But, there are other things we can account for; and that is the fact that Ken has been a lot of inspiration to people. Do you know these people, do you know the people he will inspire in future? And do you know a lot of people he will inspire through his works. So, there is a sense in which he has been a lot of inspiration, and will continue to be a source of inspiration.”

Also, speaking of his last encounter with KSW which was through a letter, Mr Ajibade said ,” I was in another prison, when he was hanged. So, the news left me a devastating experience as he had written to me through a writer, Dr. Tunde Fatunde of his worries about my imprisonment.  Unfortunately, I was also worried about him.”

5 Essential Tools That’ll Help You Survive Harmattan

OK peeps! Its December and as Christmas and Holidays crawl in, you definitely know that Harmattan is coming with the season we all love.

While some people crave the Harmattan season like Ice cream and Sharwama, other simply loathe it. So which ever side of the divide you fall on, here are five ways to beat Harmattan at its game, especially everyone who has to pop into town for one reason or another this period:

1. Shea b*tterr or ‘Ori’

Since Harmattan is no respecter of persons, the best way to guard your skin against breaking is to apply Shea b*tter or ‘Ori’ (as we call it in Lagos) all over your body, especially your face, neck, hands and legs.

2. Vaseline

If you’re too ‘tush’ for the ‘Ori’ thing or you can’t access it in your area, then you can opt for Vaseline, which I’m sure you can get at your favourite store. It works fine just like Shea b*tter.

3. Lip gloss or Lip balm

You all are familiar with the lip tearing skills of Harmattan right? If you want to beat Harmattan at this game he’s very good at, using lip gloss is your best bet. Guys who don’t want to look like homos by using the shine shine lip gloss should opt for the ones with not shine shine. There are no rules as to how many times you should apply them, in fact the more the better.

4. Sweater/Jacket

During the Harmattan season, the weather is usually very cold in the morning, when the sun shows up later in the day, the weather looks confused (you can’t tell, if its hot or cold). The advice to those who jet out of their homes very early in the morning is to is to make sure you they have their sweater or jacket with them always. Even in the sun, don’t e surprised you’ll be needing it. Another quick advice, make sure any sweater or jacket you go for is stylish because you might have to stay in them all day.

5. Pop Socks or Pantyhose:

For my ladies, these always look good on a short gown or skirt, so the Harmattan season is a good time to rock your favourite pop socks or pantyhose as it would shield your legs from the dry harmattan wind and dust.

Now that you know, go ahead and equip yourselves with these Harmattan survival tools and you would be happier for it. Enjoy the season everyone!

IPMAN protests sealing of members’ filling stations

THE Lagos chapter of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association, IPMAN, has protested the harassment and sealing off of its members’ filling stations over alleged hoarding and inflation of fuel prices in the country.

IPMAN said in a statement signed by chairman of the Satellite Depot, Ejigbo, Lagos, Alhaji Alanamu Ayo Balogun, that the action of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) was uncalled for, irrational and unjustified.

DPR official sealing a petrol station

Alhaji Balogun chided the DPR for harassing and accusing the IPMAN’s fuel stations and directing its action against innocent marketers when it knew that the depot owners were the culprits allegedly hoarding and inflation fuel prices. He said the depot owners should be blamed for selling fuel to IPMAN at the rate of N117 per litre. He asked: “If the filling stations get the fuel at N117 per litre, is it possible to sell to the public at N87 per litre. They have to add their running costs before selling to the public?”

Balogun said the DPR should confront the depot owners instead of giving his members a bad name. While stressing that IPMAN controls 85 percent of all the filling stations in the country, he questioned the rationale behind the fuel subsidy, noting that at all times, IPMAN bought fuel above the government controlled price from depot owners. “Depot owners will tell the IPMAN members to pay N77.66 kobo into one account which is the controlled price and pay the remaining money into another account. At other occasions, depot owners will sell all their products to one dealer at a higher price, and this dealer will sell to IPMAN at his own price, which negates the government controlled price of N87 per liter.”

The IPMAN chairman asked the Federal Government to look into the fuel subsidy matter carefully, to avoid taking the nation for a ride by the fuel importers.

He faulted the National Assembly over its ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari to end fuel scarcity within two weeks in the country. “Two weeks period is too short to import fuel into the country by the depot owners,” it said.

The IPMAN said this is an impossible task, considering the present situation of fuel supply by the NNPC and the private depot owners. According to Alhaji Balogun, it would take 21 days to import fuel into the country after an order has been made.

Alhaji Alanamu Balogun, said the problem of fuel scarcity could only be solved if the Federal Government releases the ‘fuel subsidy’ to Depot Owners who import the fuel. The truth of the matter is that even if the subsidy is paid today, it would take the Depot Owners 21 days to bring fuel into the country. The IPMAN commended the NNPC for its intervention method which made the little available fuel spread all over the country.

Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II: …the Man, his Passion and the Crown

Ecclesiastical proclamation of a man’s birth and destiny, most often than not, is a celestial mandate for unprecedented greatness and a rare call to serve humanity. In the scriptures, great kings and prophets who left remarkable imprint on the sands of time, came foretold and are long remembered for their prowess.

Ooni Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, was not of biblical application. But he did have a prophetic birth – destined for greatness. Today, Ooni Ogunwusi, from the stock of the Giesi Ruling House, fulfills his destiny as he receives the staff of office from the government as the 51st Ooni of Ife, on the throne of the legendary Oduduwa, progenitor of Yoruba.

Ooni Ogunwusi has a great pedigree, descending from Ooni Ojaja Orasigba who reigned from 1878 to 1880, as the 44th Ooni of Ife.
Ojaja Orasigba begat Adegosan Adewole Ogunwusi, who gave birth to Joseph Olagbaju Adewole Ogunwusi (Jnr), the father of Prince John Oluropo Ogunwusi, the father of Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi – the present Ooni of Ife. Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is, unarguably, a true 21st century monarch who is bringing grace, elegance, style and intellectualism to the premier throne of the Yoruba race.

Ooni Ogunwusi

Four decades and one year ago, on a Thursday, precisely at 1pm as prophesied, a child was born into the home of Prince John Oluropo and late Margaret Wuraola Ogunwusi, a

fourth generation descendant of Ooni Ojaja Orasigba, a direct lineage of the Giesi ruling house of Agbedegbede Quarters in Ile Ife. The young prince was christened by his grandfather as Adeyeye and his mother, called him Enitan, thus he was known and called Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.

From that moment of christening, it appeared the forces of destiny were activated and the spirits of his forbears seemed to summon all physical and celestial elements to respond positively to a prince predestined to lead a most vibrant race in the Nigerian polity the Yoruba.

The young Prince Adeyeye, as it were, can be described as being “smart from the womb”. From his very early days at Sobuola Memorial Nursery and Primary School, Ibadan, he exhibited sparks of brilliance and great leadership traits. And like a good wine, these traits grew stronger and sharper when he was a student at the prestigious Loyola College, Ibadan, in 1985.

His love for formal education knew no bounds, for indeed, a modern prince without sound education is simply a disaster waiting to happen in a kingdom bound for tragedy. His passion, doggedness and love for book keeping inspired him to read Accountancy at The Polytechnic, Ibadan. To the amazement of many, the young prince was not given to slothfulness or of youthful exuberance.

Neither did his princely garb deter him from venturing into some businesses at the Polytechnic where he exerted his creativity which gave birth to his entrepreneurial abilities. For the young prince, the gods have their place in the actualization of a destiny but the dogged pursuit is that of the subject to engage in vigorously hence he went after his passion with bull-like tenacity.

A fresh-faced young graduate but a tested entrepreneur by every measure, young Prince Adeyeye delved into Engineering where he garnered experience spanning over a decade with remarkable track records for a man of his age. Daring and visionary, Prince Adeyeye seemed to tell everybody around him by the dint of hard work, that impossibility was the language of the fearful sluggard.

The profile and prowess of Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the new Ooni of Ife, is in the public domain for all to examine and draw conclusions that, the people of Ife and the Yoruba race in general, truly have a king they can be proud of. A catalogue of his projects and achievements at the international arena, coupled with his impact at national, state and local government levels, belie the age of this colossus in humble frame.

From his budding days as a marketer extraordinaire, he ventured into trading and commodity marketing and his stint with Dangote Group as a major facilitator of their cement brand took the product far and wide, up-country thus launching him into business, amidst some other companies he traded with.

Profile of a builder…
His initiatives and efforts saw to the emergence of some outstanding companies such as the Sparkwest Steel Galvanizing Plant, the first and only steel galvanizing plant in Nigeria; the Amalgamated Mining and

Exploration Company Limited – a company he brokered for the Ondo State Government with strategic partnership and alliances from Canada. He also facilitated the biggest Lead and Aluminum recycling plant in Nigeria set up by the National Steel Company of India, in Ota, Ogun State. He, as well, has his fingers in agriculture and aided the revitalization of rice processing, for which he donated rice and tilling equipment to farmers in Oyo and Ogun States running into millions of naira.
However, the name Prince Adeyeye seems to be synonymous with Real Estate. His prowess and strides in this industry are simply awesome.

He said somewhere that as a merchant of Dangote cement, he was inspired to take the business to the next level, hence he ventured into building construction and real estate. He has undertaken multi billion naira housing/estate projects around the Lekki-Ajah and Yaba axis all in Lagos State. It is worth mentioning that his Essential Homes project, a real estate product has simply redefined housing projects in Nigeria.

The vision really is to provide affordable but fashionable homes for middle and low income earners and the rate of his success, in this genre of business, is amply phenomenal.

In the roll call on his projects and investments, the Prince’s incursion into the hospitality and tourism industry came with a bang and style. For curious bystanders, the transformation of Inagbe Island with his Inagbe Grand Resorts and Leisure in Lagos, has taken the community some notches upward with this being the first of its kind in West Africa. The Inagbe Resorts and Leisure centre will no doubt boost tourism, drive employment as about 300 indigenous youths have been employed already and it is indeed a veritable and strategic means to increase the nation’s GDP.

Ooni Adeyeye, the Ooni of Ife, today, has displayed untiring wisdom, business acumen and strength in building world-class corporate institutions. He has touched base with his people given his humanitarian activities which have transformed many lives both within and outside Ile Ife.

As the world stands still for the coronation of this great son of Africa, it is indeed the crowning of a successful businessman, a community leader, a philanthropist and a Nigerian who has lived well beyond his time. As he receives the staff of office as the Ooni of Ife today, the Yoruba race, globally, cannot but be proud of a monarch who, by all right and status, is truly a highly distinguished 21st century monarch by any measure or parameter.

His reign holds lots of prospects for our country as the traditional institution receives a king of uncommon birth, unusual successes and who is a great asset to our fatherland.

Kabiye si oo
Kade pe lori
Ki bata pe lese
Iru Kere a dabere oo!

Is there nothing good about the so called illegal refineries?

Here are some very interesting arguments put forward by readers on the above topic that was discussed in this column in the last two weeks

Abdu Maikano

If there are illegal refineries in Nigeria, they should be seen as a blessing. Let us face it; it is better for our crude oil to be refined in our country, by indigenous companies than to be exported at great cost to foreign capitals. The solution lies in the regularisation of the ownership of such refineries. We should give the culprits a period within which to strive to register ownership of their refineries and enter into the competitive market of petroleum products marketing.

James Grim

Illegal refinery operators

Please, there is nothing good about illegal refineries. Get that straight. We have to take Nigerian sense out of things and start respecting ourselves. Those things are destroying the environment for children unborn. Some components of crude oil are carcinogenic and you should not be in contact with them over a long period.

The processes are very wasteful of the very resources the people say they want to control. Underground water is destroyed. Fishing which is a more important economic activity than crude oil is destroyed.

The mangrove swamps they are destroying are almost impossible to re-grow. People should stop beer palour talk that romanticises or tolerates mass scale idiocy. Even the most sophisticated refineries in the world most communities in Europe and the US will not allow in their backyard but Nigerians, the romanticisers of poverty and degradation of man would somehow justify crude distillation refineries.

Dahiru Bashir

Should others be identified they should be destroyed. There’s nothing good about illegal refinery. Why are you even thinking twice about this? If anyone wants to invest let him follow the due process, no short cut.

Joseph

Where there is no legal refinery illegal refineries should be allowed to exist.

Onyeka Edmond-Okafor

Illegal refinery should be a course in the University.

Ayo Ogundimu

The government must tap into people’s industry to begin to employ them in the oil industry.

Temi Olasehan

Fuel scarcity. Illegal refineries to the rescue

Mc Enos Cilano

Illegal or legal, let there be fuel & kerosene for the poor masses.

Christian Iwori

Nigeria as a whole cannot refine fuel so why are they disturbing  local people that are trying to survive.

Gbenga Atitebi

If I were the President of Nigeria, I would legalise these refineries and empower the operators if this will solve the acute fuel shortage in the country and end oil theft. Non oil producing countries are not in this horrible, hopeless situation we are in. We are over due for a revolution in this country.

Bamidele Olakunle

I think it is high time for the government to bring these so called illegal refinery owners together for partnership because we need to develop our own brain to make things work. After all, we have people that are refining palm oil for our use and if they can do it perfectly, then we have nothing to fear about these so called illegal refineries.

Nzikkiss Etim

Vanguard you are sick of lack of gasoline right? Hahahahahahahaha it is change, so bear it. Very soon you will go back to tiger battery for energy. Hahahhahahaha; sorry, it is called change. Even when you lose your job for walking long hours because there are no taxis, yes, it is called change. Hahahah, bear it. But please do not fail to update us for we depend on your news for credibility. Sorry, I know how you feel take heart, it is change.

DOI

If there are operators in the informal sector of the Nigerian economy that have developed indigenous ways of refining petroleum products, would it not pay the nation more to investigate the technology used and adopt it for local refining? Nigeria will be better for it if it employs local skills to develop the oil sector.

This is  definitely  the right thing to do. Make provision for acquiring crude oil legally for this group of persons. This will  certainly create new business lines not just for Niger Delta people but for the entire country. But I can tell you that CORRUPTION will not allow the concerned people to see it from this side of the coin. Let them keep destroying them, kill the young men / women doing it and kill the creativity that is  inherent in the very soul of our youth. Let someone wake up, someone need to speak up for our youth.

Omenala

Your federal government is making billions of naira from fuel importation that ends up in private pockets, they destroyed the refineries themselves. Let no one deceive you, Nigeria have the capacity to build 10 refineries in one year.

Pawa2

Treating petroleum to get a refined product is basic chemistry. The product obtained can be used to power cars and other engines but is not anywhere close to the quality of modern refined petroleum and is neither good for the engines nor the environment. The fact that someone produces something that works does not infer innovation that should be encouraged. In most cases, as was the case with Biafra, the products developed were only good for desperate situations but do not form the basis for innovation that is worth developing.

FrankNero Ufomadu

Is their any product that is of best quality on earth? When Japan started manufacturing those funny cars years back, if their government had banned Toyota from production, just because their cars could not match the likes of Mercedes Benz then, where would they have stayed to improve to this modern days Toyota that has almost sent Mercedez out of market in the early 2000s?

Does CBN mastermind the brazen rape of the treasury?

 It would come as a huge surprise to Nigerians if anyone suggested that surplus money constitutes the greatest impediment to the creation of more jobs to enhance the quality of economic and social welfare of our people. Nonetheless, the constitutional custodian of money supply, i.e. CBN, would readily admit that the incurable presence of surplus money supply is actually the major challenge to best practice inflation rate below 2% and cost of funds below 5%, to successfully drive our economy.

CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele

Expectedly, persistent excess money supply is also responsible for the unending slide in Naira exchange rate, even when our National coffers are fortuitously endowed with best ever accumulated dollar reserves. In this regard, in a press briefing on the outcome of the Monetary Policy Committee(MPC) meeting of 16/6/2005, former CBN Governor, Prof Charles Soludo, noted as follows:

“The major source of huge liquidity injection has been “the monetization (read as the substitution of Naira for dollar denominated revenue) of 2004 Excess crude earnings amounting to over N160bn and this has contributed to the liquidity surge”; Soludo therefore warned that….”the (adverse) consequences of excess liquidity stare us in the face”.

Regrettably, CBN has however, failed, so far, to reduce the extent of liquidity and restrain inflation and Naira depreciation with its usual strategy of borrowing and warehousing some of the market’s surplus liquidity as idle funds, despite the attendant cost that is inconsistent with risk free sovereign debts, incurred by a resource and reserves rich country like Nigeria. Clearly, even though this trade in government securities remains the most profitable investment for Nigerian banks, it also discourages facilitation of low cost credit to the real sector.

Curiously, while the real sector struggles to survive, the banks continue to declare bountiful profits which are primarily derived from loans to government; current indications are that while fiscal debts may require almost N900bn to service annually, the banks, primarily, will also earn over N600bn from the related high interest charges from buying government’s Treasury Bills.

It is pertinent, to interrogate why such loans cost the Treasury so much despite the alleged surfeit of money supply in the market. Undoubtedly, if CBN does not borrow trillions of Naira to store away as idle funds annually, the banks would have no choice than to eagerly seek out real sector investors for patronage with cheaper credit. Incidentally, after the MPC meeting in July 2013, Lamido Sanusi, the past CBN Governor also ‘remorsefully’ observed that:

“First of all, you have got liquidity surplus in the banking industry…. there is over N1.3Tn or so sitting in banks belonging to government agencies. Now basically, they (these funds) are at zero percent interest and the banks are lending about N2Tn to government and charging 13 to 14%; so why would I, as a bank, go and lend to anyone?” Similarly, Godwin Emefiele, the present CBN Governor, in another press briefing after another MPC meeting in November 2015, also disdainfully noted that:

“We have discovered that, instead of banks to deploy their liquidity to the real sector to create credit, (and) stimulate growth, what the banks do is to dump their money on CBN AND EARN 11% FOR DOING NOTHING”! Admittedly, the pertinent question, however, is whether or not it makes business sense for government to borrow at even 1% if such loans are ultimately simply kept idle from productive use? Indeed, Central banks in successful economies now, conversely, charge a token fee from banks to warehouse their excess funds.

Incidentally, before the recent introduction of the Treasury Single Account(TSA), the availability of idle government deposits in various banks ironically facilitated the farcical process of government borrowing back its own money from banks despite the oppressive cost. With the adoption of TSA, one would expect reduced market liquidity and subsequent reduction in unproductive government borrowings.

The reality, of course, is that any payment made by MDAs as recurrent or capital expenses to staff and contractors will ultimately migrate to private sector bank accounts and still invariably compound market liquidity. The marginal impact of TSA on banks’ liquidity was also recently underscored by Nnandi Okonkwo, Chairman of the Bankers Committee; in his reaction to CBN’s earlier harmonisation of Cash Reserve Ratios for public and private sectors deposits with banks to 25%, in October 2015, Okonkwo happily declared that:

“CBN made Nigerian banks richer as it returned N740bn to sector, and in the process made liquidity available to the banking system”, consequently, Okonkwo concluded that “we can say that there is no alarm on account of moving TSA funds; and ‘I am (therefore) pleased to inform you that after the review and after compliance, industry liquidity remained strong”.

Sadly, however, there is still no assurance that the resultant liquidity surplus, reported by Okonkwo would reach the real sector, as the CBN re-entered the money market soon after the review, to once more borrow and store, as idle funds, hundreds of billions of presumed troublesome Naira surplus in the system.

Curiously, despite Okonkwo’s confidence on adequate market liquidity, the CBN, nonetheless, still set out, nonetheless, to create even more liquidity with further reduction of the harmonised CRR to 20% from the previous 25% rate that was adjudged by the Banker’s Committee Chairman as providing comfortable liquidity cover for the banking sector.

Nevertheless, the CBN may contend that the additional reduction in CRR, is designed to guarantee that banks will not be starved of liquidity, despite Okonkwo’s assurances of sufficient market liquidity; however, this strategy certainly became inexplicable, when, the CBN on 2nd December 2015, soon after reducing CRR to 20%, again forayed into the market to once more provide banks with the usual ‘awoof’ income by selling N129bn worth of Treasury bills, allegedly to mop up an obviously still compounded market liquidity surplus and restrain an inflationary spiral.

Evidently, the challenge of excess liquidity is also clearly recognised in the monetary policy thrust of vision 2020 which states as follows: “Dealing with the excess liquidity challenge requires innovative approaches… one potentially enduring solution, which would avoid the creation of new money and boost the naira value in the foreign exchange market, relates to the allocation of foreign exchange earned from oil to the three tiers of government rather than monetising it.. but this may be a recipe for capital flight. therefore, the central bank would need to develop capacity for LIQUIDITY FORECASTING AND PROGRAMMING.”

In retrospect, however, with inflation at almost 10% and cost of funds at over 22% to the real sector and a sliding naira rate, clearly the CBN’s liquidity forecasting and programming have failed as monetary strategy to induce price stability.

SAVE THE NAIRA! SAVE NIGERIANS.

Can Nigeria states go bankrupt?

“Looking from the fact that the funds from the Federation Account are not judiciously utilized by the states and they are not accountable to the people and the state legislature, our concern is that even if they get money from bonds and it is not invested, the state will be left with a huge debt burden , which will hurt in the long term.” Dr Usman Muttaka, Head of Department of Economics, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. “Osun’s federal allocation can’t pay electrical bill – Aregbesola. Punch, November 30, 2015; page 12.

Governor Aregbesola, went on to disclose to the people of the state, and Nigeria, that “Osun State received only N55m from the Federation Account for the month of September 2015.” For a state which had declared a monthly wage bill totaling N2.4 billion, this is not only frightening, it naturally leads to the question: from where will the state raise the funds to fulfill its obligations to its workers and others?

It is pertinent to point out that Gross Allocation from the Federal Government to Osun State was actually N2,461bn, but deductions for external debt (N59.6m), contractual obligation(ISPO) (N946m) and other deductions  (N1.4bn), all amounting to N2.405bn, reduced the states “take home pay” to a mere N55m.

So it is not the Federal government that is responsible for Osun State’s predicament, it is the debts and contractual obligations entered into by the government which had got it into deep trouble. And, the problem can only get worse as allocations from Abuja decline.

The revenue allocation figures for September published in November reveal how states which are heavily indebted can easily become bankrupt. Most people don’t bother to read these publications which remain one of the best legacies of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala when she came in as Obasanjo’s Minister of Finance. Even those who take a glance conduct no deep analysis of the report. Let me use that report to illustrate how much information one can get from it.

Columns 7, 8 and 9 list deductions from source made from states allocations by the Central Bank. All three represent decisions made by state governments to which the CBN gives effect when calculating what each state receives as net revenue for each month. Column 7 represents external debt, column 8 lists contractual obligations (ISPO) and, 9 is for other deductions. When states enter into financial agreements and authorize the CBN to deduct as and when due, they cannot complain if later the deductions are killing them. What they sow is what they reap.

For September, the following facts emerge for selected states:

RIVERS        N1.728bn

BAYELSA       N2.252bn

LAGOS         N2332bn

DELTA         N2.355bn

OSUN          N2.404bn

Source: Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.

As everybody knows Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers are oil producing states which receive the highest federal revenue allocation. Lagos meanwhile enjoys the highest Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, in the country. Those states can survive with deductions of N2bn per month. Can Osun survive with N2.404bn monthly deduction? Osun is not alone; but it presents the most puzzling case of a state with low revenue base competing with relatively rich states in debt acquisition.

Granted, the case had been made for innovative programmes on which these sums ahd been spent. But, the truth remains this: for states to avert bankruptcy, they must tailor their spending ambition to their ability to fund those programmes in the long term. How for instance will Osun State now continue to feed the kids with N55m received for October.

There is a lesson here for those who are still keen on getting the Federal government to provide “free” lunch and “free” money to the jobless. It is a sound idea which makes no economic senses. It will bankrupt us in the end.

States started defaulting on payment of salaries when the price of crude oil was over US$70 per barrel. The situation got worse when the crude price declined to under US$50. In 2016, Nigeria will be fortunate to receive US$35 per barrel for its crude. Can the states avoid bankruptcy? The way I see it, three are already bankrupt and anybody extending them credit or signing a contract with them is wasting his money.

You can bet on that.