A CREED TO LIVE BY

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us are special. Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only do what is best for you. Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless. Don't let life slip through your fingers by living in the past or in the future. By living one day at a time, you live all days of your life. Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is the fragile thread that binds us to each other. Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave. Don't shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible. The fastest way to lose love is to hold to it tightly, and the best way to keep love is to give it wings. Don't dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope, to be without hope is to be without purpose. Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way. - Nancye Sims Barka Juma’at and happy weekend Babatunde Jose +2348033110822

PUERTAS DEL INFIERNO (THE GATES OF HELL)

And do not eat up your property among yourselves for vanities, nor use it as bait for the judges, with intent that ye may eat up wrongfully and knowingly a little of (other) people' property.’’ (Quran 2:188) Today’s huthba is focusing on the electricity crisis that now threatens to bring this country under. Already, coupled with the other systemic collapse, the majority of our people are being pushed to the wall. It will just take a little push to trigger a revolution in this country. And unfortunately, it is those who have that will be the loser; for when the poor have nothing more to eat, they will be forced to eat the rich. This is why those who are in position to warn our leaders should do so now. It has never been this, bad. Under APC, the Nigerian nation is facing its worst electricity crisis ever. Power outages now last for several days across the country; and whenever there is electricity the quality is embarrassingly poor. People are now resorting to the age old, traditional lamp, ‘atupa alati’ to light up their homes at night. Even the use of the one stroke generator is becoming increasingly expensive to resort to on a nightly basis. As the cost of fuel is getting increasingly unaffordable. Especially diesel. People are now being forced to make a choice between buying petrol into the generator or feeding their family with the little they have. Yes, it is that bad. And that is at the individual level. Where two or three are now gathered, the topic is the power situation, just like people in Britain discuss the proverbial British weather. But that is the least of concern, as the power issue is now pushing towards the imminent collapse of the nation's economy. From the petty trader selling pure water, to the small welder, the street corner barber and the malam selling soft drinks in the neighbourhood, its complaints galore. Add the cries of agony and anguish of industry and commerce, is a tale of woe. The matter has gotten so bad that Nigeria now ranks as one of the largest importer of personal generating sets in the world; from the basic ' I pass my neighbor’, to industrial giant diesel generators. A poll conducted in 2013 by NOI Polls Limited for the second quarter of that year revealed that about 130 million representing 81% of our population of 160 million at the time generated their own alternative power. It is worse now as the figure could be 90% of our 200 million population. DG of the Centre for Management Development revealed that 60 million Nigerians spent N 1.3 Trillion on generators annually. Wow! The area of power is therefore the most prominent infrastructure deficit gap in Nigeria. Our power has been so epileptic that someone has described the Nigerian economy as a 'generator economy'. In terms of costs, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and the National Association of Small-Scale Industries estimated that their members spend an average of $12 million or N7.2Bn per week on self-power generation. With the price of diesel hovering above 700 per liter, don’t be surprised if the tariff on calls is increased. Multichoice/ DSTV have increased their tariff. Among other things, former President Olusegun Obasanjo is reported to have blamed his successors, including President Goodluck Jonathan, for being responsible for the rot in the country's power sector. But you will see is that he too is a ‘dramatis personae’ in the whole power drama. He admitted that a major cause of the problems facing the country is lack of political will on the part of the country's leaders; he also warned that electricity should not be privatized to friends; which is what actually happened with the sale of GENCOs to the cronies of the administration. But this is not the full story. Our power problem is the result of the inability of the existing power plants to meet up with the growing demands. This supply / demand gulf is the result of a myriad of problems ranging from obsolete and dilapidated power plants with some as old as 20 years, lack of and very poor maintenance of the plants, and poor managerial efficiency. The feeder pillar in my area is over 30 years old with fault-men endangering their lives to fuse the equipment by joining wires instead of real fuses. This is what you get when you have leaders that lack vision. Our current power generation is nothing to write home about; a paltry 4,500MW with our per capita electricity usage about 136 kilowatts/hour. This consumption per capita is one of the lowest in the world when compared to per capita electricity usage in Libya, 4,270 KWH; India, 616 KWH; China, 2,944 KWH; Republic of South Africa, 4,803 and Singapore, 8,307 KWH; USA 13,391 KWH. It is indeed a very sad commentary on the leadership of this country; both past and present. Currently the power has dropped to unprecedented level.’ Lobatan! We are in trouble! Between 1975 and 1983, the following power projects were developed; the Jebba Dam, Shiroro Dam, and Egbin Power Station. Between 1983 and 1999, there was no single kobo invested in power generation. If anything, the ones that were there were allowed to rot. Between 1999 and now, over $32billion has been spent on power and nothing to show for it. Yet, in other climes, resources of less amount have been judiciously used to provide reasonable amount of power. · The 22,500MW Three Gorges hydroelectric power plant in Yichang, Hubei province, China, is the largest hydropower station in the world, exploiting the water resource of the Yangtze River. The power project was started in 1993 and completed in 2012, it cost the Chinese people only $29Billion. · The Itaipu hydroelectric power plant with an installed capacity of 14,000MW ranks as the world's second largest hydropower plant. The project is located on the Parana River, at the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The facility cost them only $19.6 Billion. · The Guri power project, also known as the Simón Bolívar hydroelectric power station, ranks as the world's third biggest hydroelectric power station, with an installed capacity of 10,200MW. The Venezuelan power facility is located on the Caroni River in the Bolívar State of south-eastern Venezuela. The Guri power station supplies around 12,900GW/h of energy for Venezuela. It cost the people of Venezuela only about $ 22.5bn There is no doubt that corruption is built into the cost of our power projects. Yar’Adua government sponsored a probe on the power sector during the Obasanjo years, challenging him for having squandered $13 billion on the project without meaningful results. In the reports presented before the House of Representatives in 2009, it was later established that it was about $3.08 billion that was expended by the Obasanjo government on power generation, instead of the $13Billion they claimed to have spent. What became of the $10billion balance is best left to our collective imagination? The population of South Africa is 55 million and they generate 45,000 megawatts. Our population today is about 200 million people, and we cannot generate 4,000 megawatts. When Obasanjo came in 1999, he promised to bring the nation out 'of darkness ' in six months. Today we live in what TATALO described as ‘Darkness Invisible’. However, "By the end of OBJ's eight-year tenure, power was still not available as promised. It was not because he was unwilling but because the process lacked strategic planning. Money was released but the result was negative. Several imported turbines were later found to be lying idle at the ports or on sites still in the crates they came in. Some generating stations were designed and built without provision for the gas that would power them. Yet, some were not even built at all, but the equipment were imported without stations to house them. When "Yar'Adua came in, he used two years to ascertain why the huge amounts spent could not fix the power problem. Now Baba has been there for six years, and we are not yet out of the woods, rather things are far worse. When will it ever get better? This is a million-dollar question. If it took Moses 40 years to get the children of Israel to the ‘promised land’, it did not take 40 years for the leaders of modern Israel to turn the Negev desert into an agricultural wonder. It did not take Singapore forever to become an Asian Tiger, nor for Japan to become an economic miracle after its defeat in the Second World War. South Korea is a modern-day marvel. Dubai and other Emirates in the Gulf are today, tourist destinations and China is the second largest economy in the world. And Qatar is hosting the World Cup!!! How long must we wait in the ‘Gates of Hell’, before we breathe the air of relief. How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man? The answer is blowin' in the wind. Bob Dylan. Blowin in the wind Nigeria's population of over 200 million is the largest in Africa. Its GDP growth rate is approximately 7 per cent and it has the highest levels of foreign direct investment in Africa— You would wonder what the government’s responsibilities are when they have virtually ‘pushed’ their responsibilities back to the people they govern. What are they doing with the huge revenue at their disposal? Allah said: Allah doth command you to render back your Trusts to those to whom they are due; and when ye judge between man and man, that ye judge with justice: Verily how excellent is the teaching which He giveth you! For Allah is He Who heareth and seeth all things. O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Apostle, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination. (Quran 4:58-59) Nigerians today provide for themselves most basic services; they generate their own electricity, sink boreholes for their water, incinerate their own waste, procure primary health care by patronising the ‘alagbo’ and God knows many other services. We even provide our own roads, as many communities would attest to. These are the hallmarks of a people living at the ‘Gates of Hell. (Matthew 16:18) Yeah! The ‘gates of hell’ shall not prevail against our collective resolve to create a better life for ourselves and our offspring’s. The time for change is now and we must seek divine assistance against those who are bent on impoverishing our lives and making us wait forever at the ‘Puertas del Infierno.’ But those who break the Covenant of Allah, after having plighted their word thereto, and cut asunder those things which Allah has commanded to be joined, and work mischief in the land; --on them is the Curse; for them is the terrible Home! (Quran 13:25) Barka Juma'at and a happy weekend. Babatunde Jose Babatunde Jose +2348033110822

The burden of untrained leaders

"E go better" is a common phrase used in Nigeria to affirm our inner aspiration of a better future. Popular artistes turned it into songs. We say it when we want to reassure ourselves of a better tomorrow, hoping that the nation will live up to its potential one day. The wise are beginning to realize that hope is not enough, a byproduct of faith. Faith is a risk, and we need to put it in the right leaders who can lead the nation into a prosperous future. We need leaders who are trained and prepared for a moment like this. We need to identify such people to escape the burden of untrained leaders that has beguiled Nigeria and Africa at large. A little disclosure before I proceed: this article might read like leadership 101. Learning new things without mastering the fundamentals is like building a house on a sinking foundation. If the foundation is destroyed, what can the righteous do? A nation's destiny and its people depend on its leadership; therefore, it is serious. And in critical moments like one where our nation has found itself today, we cannot afford to hand the steering of our wheels to an untrained leader. An untrained leader is not equipped and prepared for the most urgent tasks. You most likely have read or heard about the David and Goliath story. Goliath was the greatest threat to the existence and prosperity of Israel at that time. Saul, the king, who led the Israel army to war, could not silence the threats and boasts of Goliath, which lasted several days. The Israelis carried the burden of a leader who was not trained for the urgent and most important task. David, a shepherd boy, emerged as the trained leader. He rose to the occasion and liberated his nation. If the burden of an untrained leader is that heavy, the ability to identify a trained leader in a country where the most incompetent masquerade as the most qualified is an absolute necessity. Ambition or passion without knowledge leads to destruction. There is an abundance of people with ambition and passion for leading without understanding what leadership entails. Back to the David and Goliath story, the leadership Israel needed at that moment was to help them move past the greatest obstacle to their nations' progress – Goliath. King Saul, the supposed leader with his vast army, could not move the nation past Goliath. Leadership is the ability to move people from where they are to where they want to be. King Saul had no formula to move his people past Goliath, but David, a shepherd boy, provided the much-needed leadership because he was trained and prepared for such an occasion. He was ready to face the greatest threat to his country at the cost of his life. Leadership goes beyond sitting in an exalted office, dishing instructions, and signing documents; it is problem-solving. A leader should be ready to face problems head-on with the understanding that no excuse for failure will be tolerated. David could not afford to fail. He had to lean on his greatest source of strength and get all the help he could receive. A trained leader is not the same as an experienced politician or officeholder. Although he had no previous political experience when he was elected three years ago, Zelensky, a former comedian, has become a convincing war leader. He had learned leadership somewhere else. Looking at his history, he learned leadership in the most unlikely of places – the entertainment business. His rise to prominence is a case of imitating art. His most notable role was in the TV series Servant of the People. He played a school teacher who became the president after a student posted a video of him criticizing politicians. Who would have imagined that his role in that series and business would influence him? Leadership is a mindset and a skill set, not societal titles and awards. He rose for his people when they needed him most. Training and preparation often happen behind the scenes, so how do we identify trained leaders? Though there are many qualities of a leader, some qualities distinguish trained leaders from others. Knowing that all victories and defeats start from the mind, trained leaders are confident, not brash, and instill confidence in others. The Israelites were sore afraid of Goliath, but David came and talked down on him, inspiring confidence in his fellow citizens. Before David attacked and defeated Goliath physically, he won the mind battle. He knew the power of words and used it to his advantage. Trained leaders are excellent communicators. They know how to use words to encourage, inspire and persuade people to act. Can you take a trip to the past and mention any reputable and memorable leader who was not an excellent communicator? From Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela and Obafemi Awolowo. Trained leaders know the weakness of their nation but project its strength. They are excellent communicators, and their words are not empty – they walk the talk. Trained leaders get to work with their followers and get their hands dirty. They lead the march. They demand of themselves what they request from others. One of the qualities that endeared the current Ukrainian president to the heart of millions of people globally is his decision to stay back in the war-ravaged country to fight with his people. When leaders make demands of their people but do something contrary, such leaders only make a fool of themselves. It is in the nature of people to gauge how involved you are in something, but they get committed to you. Nation-building requires sacrifice from leaders and their followers, but the leaders must take the lead. David had killed a lion and bear with his bare hands, so he was not making an empty brag when challenging Goliath. He had training in the art of fighting extremely dangerous creatures; Goliath will not be an exception. Trained leaders have a history of rising to the occasion where it matters. They have often solved problems similar to what lies ahead in the past. Though the new challenge might be at a bigger scale than what they did in the past, they have built confidence and experience to surmount the bigger challenge. Trained leaders have been faithful in little; hence much can be committed to their hands. Leadership requires making tough decisions and making tremendous sacrifices. Those who cannot stand the heat should not be admitted into the kitchen. To reap the future fruits, the seeds of today must be sacrificed. A common pattern is found in all trained leaders- they learn through adversity and value the lives of those they lead higher than theirs. The experience and training are acquired at a substantial personal cost and sacrifice. David risked his life to protect his father's sheep; Nelson Mandela risked his freedom to protect the rights of his people, and the Ukrainian president, Zelensky, rejected the offer to escape the Russian invasion with his family and decided to stay back. Next time somebody flaunts the leader tag, inquire if they have ever paid the price of leadership. It will be good to know if they can put other people's interests above theirs. David trained men once described as "those in distress or in debt or discontented" to become mighty men. Trained leaders are also mentors; they contribute to raising excellent leaders like themselves. Someone who cannot sacrifice for individuals or a group of people cannot sacrifice for a nation. The burden of untrained leaders is heavy. The crushing effect of their weight can last generations. It is high time we scrutinize those who offer to serve. We need to be sure they will solve pressing problems, not become a part of them. Leaders deserving of our faith and commitment must be able to inspire us to action with their words, ready to get their hands dirty, have a history of delivering when it matters, committed to mentoring future leaders, and be ready to make huge sacrifices for the good of all. David Osiri (Mr. Mentormorphosis), a Mentorship Awareness Ambassador Can be reached at david@davidosiri.com

Can we end world hunger once and for all?

Between 2019 to 2020, 161 million people were hungry. This hunger is not the kind you feel when you want a quick snack or between lunch and dinner. It is prolonged distress caused by a lack of food. Unfortunately, it is one of the realities in our world. From food production to distribution, the wheel of nutrition is not moving as fast as it should be moving. The world needs a solution, fast! World hunger is a significant challenge that eradicating it is number two on the United Nations 17 sustainable development goals. Reports show that since 2014, the number of undernourished people has been on the rise. If we are not proactive, the United Nations’ plan for zero hunger by 2030 might be unachievable. While we sleep on our comfortable beds, 640 million or 8.9% of the world population sleep hungry. The most affected countries are Sierra Leone, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Timor-Leste, Korea, and Nigeria. War, natural disasters, economic crises, and the most recent COVID-19 have worsened the situation. How can we tame the hunger monster? Many humanitarian organizations such as USAID have made efforts to end world hunger. Some of which include improving agriculture, raising awareness on health and nutrition, women empowerment, and good governance. Some NGOs went as far as seeking legislation and help from the government in some countries. The Philippines created a special task force to address their hunger problems and achieve food security. Zimbabwe implored higher institutions of learning to educate the populace on the benefits of agriculture. The Kofi Annan Foundation advocates the transformation of African agriculture to ensure food and nutrition security for all by mobilizing leadership and high-level commitment. Nigeria had its food sufficiency initiatives, one of which is Operation feed the nation, which was launched during the military regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1976. Despite these brilliant initiatives, there is a lot to be done. Solving the world hunger problem requires innovation that can scale globally. Elon Musk, a great multi-industry disruptor, and billionaire challenged the UN recently. He promised to release 6 billion dollars to eradicate global hunger if the UN could share with him a fail-proof plan to end world hunger. Being an innovator, Elon knew problems like this require a new approach that can deliver tremendous and unmatched results compared to what was obtainable in the past. Such a solution will be a product born out of great determination to end the hunger problem once and for all. The ultimate solution to world hunger is not in giving people or nations food aids; it is in teaching them how to grow their food sustainably. Donor dollars spent over many years on food, though helped in some way have not global food shortages, it is time to try another approach. Food aids might not be eradicated completely due to humanitarian crises, but there is enough proof that food security is achievable. If you give a person fish, they will most likely return to you for more. However, if you teach them the art of fishing instead, you have provided a lifelong solution to their hunger. We have nations like Israel in the middle east that have achieved food sufficiency. How did they do it? How did a country in the middle east desert grow their food? What nations that suffer from hunger need are the transfer of knowledge, skills, and expertise from nations that have achieved food sustainability. If you feed the mind, the mind will feed the body. Countries with abundant food have highly effective and efficient food value chains. They also have proven steps to achieving food security. All these can be replicated to fit the peculiarity of nations where hunger thrives. The introduction of a 2006 report by Ifpri.org captures this point succinctly. It states: Experts are increasingly aware that efforts to promote development and improve food security in developing countries cannot succeed in the long run without well-qualified local individuals and institutions to provide the right incentives for, motivate, and manage these efforts. Building this local capacity is now seen as an essential task for governments and international agencies, but it is challenging. It is high time the UN, concerned nations, and agencies build on this awareness by investing or increase investment in building local capacity for countries that have food shortage problems. The best way to achieve and scale this local capacity building for overcoming food shortages might be the fail-proof plan Elon is waiting for. Building local capacity will require some form of mentorship. Mentorship is critical because it is one of the best means to transfer knowledge and build capacity. Mentorship allows for ongoing support, guidance, and accountability. It will ensure that funds and resources are used properly and accounted for. In partnership with all concerned parties and stakeholders, global experts in food security and agricultural experts from advanced nations can be recruited into a global mentorship program for food security and deployed to countries that need help. They will mentor farmers, extension agents, and scientists. That way, countries with food challenges will be empowered to take their destinies in their own hands. The mentorship program can start at national level for large scale farmers, then flow down to communities, organizations, groups, and individuals. According to Global Hunger Index, the world’s 10 hungriest country in 2021 are Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Central African Republic, Yemen, and Somalia. Food aids and other efforts aimed at food insecurity though plausible is not the ultimate solution. A hungry 161 million people will get a chance to have foods in their mouths if all concerned organizations, agencies and the UN invest in programs that builds capacity for food security among nations that have food problems. Global food security and agriculture experts like Richard Choularton, Ruth Oniang, Catherine Nakalembe, and Maïmouna Sidibe Coulibaly can mentor farmers, extension workers, researchers and other key stakeholders so they can champion food security initiatives in their countries. This approach will give us the opportunity to end world hunger, once and for all. David Osiri (A.K.A. Mr. Mentormorphosis), Mentorship Awareness Ambassador david@davidosiri.com +234 802 147 1061

THE NEXT LEVEL COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

David Osiri (A.K.A. Mr. Mentormorphosis), Mentorship Awareness Ambassador Mobile: +2348021471061 Email: david@davidosiri.com Website: www.davidosiri.com When Jack Welch became the chief executive of GE in 1981, its stock price was struggling. Its market capitalisation hovered around $14 billion. On his retirement two decades later, it stood at more than $410 billion. The company's revenue soared from around $28 billion to $170 billion over the same period. Like most of us, he was not a saint, but there are many things he got right as the leader of General Electrics. The balance sheets and the investors agree on that. In the early 1990s, the dot-com bubble started forming. Investors were throwing millions of dollars at all kinds of online businesses. The 'experts' speculated that these new internet models would win. The brick-and-mortar companies would disappear! Jack retired from General Electric in 2001 (end of the dot-com bubble) after 20 years as CEO. As the wave of the internet era swept through the globe in the 1990s, the dot-com bubbles began to burst. Amid changes brought by the internet, Jack saw an opportunity. The internet could help GE to reduce transaction costs by hundreds of millions a year. He proposed the automation of a long list of GE's processes and transactions. Being a visionary leader, he foresaw the obstacle. The internet is young- a new 'trick' in the business world. How would the 'old dogs' in the organisation learn this new trick? A brilliant idea struck him; it was an ideal solution - the young 'dogs' who are fond of the new trick can teach the old 'dogs'. The concept is now referred to as reverse mentoring. Harvard Business Review defines reverse mentoring as pairing younger employees with executive team members to mentor them on various topics of strategic and cultural relevance. This is the approach Jack Welsh used to teach senior executives about the internet. The feat was possible because he understood the concept of the generational gap and how to bridge it. Jack was born in 1935. He belongs to the silent generation (people born between 1928-1945). The silent generation precedes the baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964). The silent generation listened to vacuum tube radio. Families often gathered to listen to the home radio in the evening. Television became the dominant entertainment medium in the 1950s. Most of the senior executives Jack worked with are most likely members of his generation. The internet was a 'shock' to them. Berners-Lee, the man that created the internet that we know today, is part of the baby boomers. But it was in the 1990s that the internet became accessible to many people. In 2018, Pew Research decided to use 1996 as the last birth year for Millennials. Anyone born between 1981 and 1996 is a Millennial. Gen Z is those born from 1997 till date. Researchers use this kind of classification to analyse changes in views over time. The interaction of different formative experiences with generational lifecycle causes this change. For keen observers, there are gaps in generational perspectives and issues. The gap is an enormous challenge and opportunity, depending on how you view it. Anyone who understands a generation's views can get their attention and loyalty. These views and issues that matters are of strategic and cultural relevance. Organisations that understand them and manage them well will win in the long run. This is the next-level competitive advantage. The use of the internet is still relevant and strategic to the future of every organisation. Culture elements like food, entertainment, and fashion are dynamic and powerful. Organisations that understand their power and harness it is always ahead of the competition. One of the best ways to keep tabs on topics of strategic and cultural relevance (TOSCAR) is learning from those currently in the mix -the prevailing generation. The 60s, 70s, and even the 80s sure had good foods, music and fashion and people in love with them. The current generation and its cultural elements have its tribe too. In this present era, a 15 years old girl will most likely have a better grasp of the internet than a 51 years old man. The phone that has trending top 10 songs on its playlist most likely belongs to a young executive and not the CEO. The internet connects the digital world. Cultural elements (including sports) connect and affects people at the emotional level. Organisations that leverage this cultural bond have money in the bank. Nations that understand and invest in these bonding cultural elements are never broke. Premium entertainment and sports channels and betting outfits are riding the TOSCAR wave. Organisations need to learn from the prevailing 'generational tribe' to stay relevant. It is a sustainable growth and profitability strategy. TOSCAR is the playground for 'those in the know' in a generation and 'those that need to know'. Every organisation should build such grounds. It connects hearts connects and bridges generational gaps. A famous African says - You can only build a city with the young and the old's collective wisdom. This proverb is more relevant now than before. In this new decade, baby boomers will leave the workforce. Generation X will get to retirement age. This shift will leave the Millennials and Generation Z as the prevailing generation. The next ten years is a golden opportunity for organisations that want to thrive in the future. It is time to understand the views and issues of these dominant generations. Then follow up with an engagement plan. The engagement should explore and build on their strength and unique perspective. Generation Z, for example, is independent grow upon in a connected world. Many of them got their first mobile phones at about 1o years. They grow up playing with their parents' phones and gadgets. They are hyper-connected, and the smartphone is their preferred mode of communication. Such generation will get bored to death by PowerPoint screens and presentations. They are used to high-speed internet, and likely to be impatient. A typical Generation Z worker will not invest ten years of his life with any organisation. The gig economy offers them more freedom. The current COVID-19 pandemic had heightened their appetite for work at home arrangements, for organisations that are not ready to learn-bad news. For forward-thinking organisation, they have nothing to no worries. They have put in place systems, processes and structures that are adaptable. Reverse mentoring offers the opportunity to learn from the prevailing generation. And it's no rocket science. Reverse mentoring is an organic solution with lots of benefits and no side effects. Its benefits touch the individual and the organisation. It is an efficient tool for sharing knowledge. And use in creating engagement, developing leadership and, building intergenerational relations. It grows on mutual acceptance, creating a sense of belonging - a fundamental desire of most people. When a non-techie pairs with a tech expert, the party with the experience gets an outlet to feel relevant. At the same time, the less experienced fellow receives the opportunity to be relevant and up-to-date. The experience provides a staying power that keeps the parties connected. And also remain committed to the organisation that offers the learning ground. It increases retention of millennials and Generation Z in an organisation. Reverse mentoring gives these prevailing generations the recognition they seek from top management. It can be a strategy to get them interested in the organisation's initiative. The dominant generation is the forefront of cultural and technological change. Could you give them a driver seat? Since these issues matters to them, they will jump on it. It is no news we are in the digital age. They can plug in others. The prevailing generations grew up in the information technology revolution era. They have lots of digital skills that they can impart. Reverse mentoring births organisation where people from different generations can relate. The understanding and successful navigation of generational differences is a significant boost. Unlocking the benefits of reverse mentoring begins with generational knowledge gap identification. Then the selection of the younger executive that could fill the gap can follow. There must be a commitment to the relationship. The senior executive should show commitment to the agreed mentoring sessions. Reverse mentoring is a new territory for most people; there will be challenges. Thus, it requires mentoring support. The participants must stay focused. It is easy to blend reverse mentoring with shadowing and get distracted from the goal. Reverse mentoring and shadowing are excellent career development opportunities. But the best results come from focusing on one and ignoring others. There is no doubt that reverse mentoring works. To embrace reverse mentoring, ignore cultural bias and sentiments. Knowledge is not an exclusive preserve of any person or group. Be determined to create the organisation of the future. Do not attempt to build the future from the debris of the past. Tap into the minds of the generation that is shaping the present and the future. That is the next-level competitive advantage that money cannot buy. It is free yet priceless. Be like Jack, and in the future, someone might praise you or even write about your visionary exploits.

MAJOR CURE TO POVERTY DISCOVERED!

David Osiri (A.K.A. Mr. Mentormorphosis), Mentorship Awareness Ambassador Mobile: +2348021471061 Email: david@davidosiri.com Website: www.davidosiri.com Have you eaten today? If Yes, consider yourself lucky! There are millions of people worldwide who don't know where their next meal is coming from. Food, as well as clothing, shelter, access to clean water and healthcare, are basic human needs. The ability to afford them is often used as a yardstick for the measurement of poverty or prosperity. Wikipedia defines poverty as not having enough material possessions or income for a person's needs. It is no doubt that the world is blessed with abundant human resources and others. Yet, poverty remains a global scourge ravaging many individuals, families and nations. The weight of poverty can be debilitating when compounded by other risk factors such as low education, limited skills training, lack of savings, or lack of family supports. Poverty can be as a result of personal struggle, which can be physical, mental, or emotional. Many people experiencing poverty are faced with a lack of emotional, psychological or financial support, changing market demand for skills or labour, gaps in social safety nets, the high costs of education and health, which adds salt to the injury that poverty had already inflicted. While tremendous strides have been made towards reaching the global goal of ending poverty by 2030; according to World Bank Data, 689 million men, women and children are still classified as living in extreme poverty - surviving on less than $1.90 a day. The achievement of the goal of global poverty eradication by 2030 will be determined by several factors and methods that are being employed. Few lines from now, you will discover a true, tried and tested method that has been effective in solving many of life's problems. I firmly believe that when it is applied to the problem of poverty, it will become history, and we will hopefully have a world where humans can afford a decent life. The best way to kill a tree that produces an undesirable or unwanted fruit is to uproot it. The potency of this method will be better appreciated if we treat poverty as an effect rather than a cause. Why are people poor? Poverty remained a beast that has ravaged many lives and nations. It is often attributed to unexpected life challenges, health problem, job loss, economic downturn, divorce and many more. All that poverty has been attributed to are not peculiar to any nation or tribe. They are unsentimental life challenges. It is how people prepare for or respond to them that spells the results. Most developed and wealthy countries of the world have gone through a period of health crises, economic downturn, and other challenges often attributed as causes of poverty yet came out stronger and better. Is it not then obvious that most of the generally accepted causes of poverty are the trunk and not the root of the matter? So, what is the root cause of poverty? - Lack of knowledge, which can also be rephrased as - lack of actionable insights. Knowledge is the bedrock of every human endeavour and requirement for navigating the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of life. The explosion of technology, most especially the internet and the massive amount of wealth it has brought to the world is a vivid testimony to the power of knowledge. Knowledge of needs, opportunities to meet those needs and how to meet them releases the ability to make wealth. A method that promotes the acquisition of relevant experience is, therefore, indispensable in the fight against poverty. It can be the knowledge of running a business, closing sales, living healthy, creating value for individuals, businesses and many more. Though precious more than gold, knowledge is readily available to those who seek it. Knowledge can be found in many places; most importantly, it resides in men. The quest for knowledge can be activated by meeting people who have already acquired it. The keyword here is 'acquired'. Knowledge acquisition is a process that takes time, and it often requires learning, unlearning, practise and feedback. One of the most effective methods that encapsulate this vital learning process is mentorship. How can mentorship help people overcome poverty? Despite all the several intertwining factors that can be attributed as causes of poverty, history is filled with stories of great men who have broken free from the shackles of poverty. What do they know? What have they done differently? And how can others learn from them and be delivered from the grip of poverty? According to Wikipedia, Mentorship is a relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. The mentor may be older or younger than the person being mentored. However, he or she must have a specific area of expertise. If overcoming poverty through acceptable means do not qualify as expertise, l wonder what else would. Rich people do not always come from wealthy backgrounds; many famous billionaires grew up poor. What makes the difference is their exposure to relevant knowledge provided by a mentor. These mentors might be family members, family friends, work and school associates, and concerned members of the community. "Knowledge/awareness breeds courage. Courage breeds success". There are several individuals like Oprah and Ralph Lauren, both billionaires, media and fashion icons respectively became rich through exposure made possible by mentors, were able to change their lives and therefore become an inspiration to many. Oprah identified the need for exposure, popularity, desire to be heard and feel important that people (most especially influential ones) have, and created an opportunity to meet those needs through her TV shows and entertainment outfit. Several initiatives by groups that believe in mentoring as a means to overcome poverty have yielded positive results. Many organizations like Faithgane Foundation, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and LIFT in the USA have been able to lift people out of poverty using the mentorship model. Some strategies like pairing low-income individuals and families with people who are advocates and mentors are where organizations are placing their bets to create pathways out of poverty for individuals and communities at large. Mentors also help to guide their mentees through such important tasks as polishing a resume, negotiating debt repayments, finding a job, ensuring good childcare and life strategies. It is this kind of initiatives that can lift people out of poverty, not the 'giving of fish' approach—empowering people intellectually to solve not just their problems but that of others. That way, the effort put into lifting a person out of poverty will yield exponential results. Every child is born with a wealth of potential. However, some are unable to fulfil their potential because of their inability to leverage knowledge which can be acquired through mentorship. Suppose poverty will be kicked out in 2030. In that case, a concerted effort has to be made in promoting mentorship and putting both formal and informal mentorship structures in place. Organizations need to expose their human assets to sources (human and non-human) where information can be mined for actionable insight and creatively explore inherent or created opportunities to create value and capture value (wealth) for themselves and organization in return. If the collective wealth of organizations and by extension nations is increased and properly managed, it will translate to individual wealth - this is the 'secret' of wealthy economies. They promote and create a conducive environment for creativity, productivity, and actively encourage mentorship. Productive people are greatly rewarded and motivated to do more. In contrast, people who still far behind in the wealth ladder are placed on 'support systems' often termed social security. People in the informal sector should also be encouraged to embrace mentorship in the form of apprenticeships. The Igbo tribe in Nigeria have greatly maximized this option to wealth creation, and it is no surprise that they excel in trade within and outside the shores of their country. The richest man in Africa, Alhaji Aliko Dangote is also a product of the business mentoring he got from his uncle. The examples of people whose life has been transformed by mentorship are numerous, and it is quite apparent and indisputably one of the most viable routes to eliminating poverty. Even though individuals, families, and nations can overcome poverty through other different legitimate programs and initiatives, mentorship remains a significant catalyst towards achieving financial success. Therefore, people who have valuable knowledge to offer should be open to the idea of mentoring others. In contrast, people who desire experience should actively search for mentors to break free from the chains of poverty. A very popular Yoruba proverb reads like this in English: You can force a horse to the river, but you cannot force the horse to drink water. If you read this piece to this point, you have made a great effort. I will like to believe that my argument has been compelling enough too. But, none of all that will matter if you do not mentor someone or submit yourself to be mentored to wealth and abundance. No matter the plans or actions to take people out of poverty, it might become impossible to have a hundred percent poverty-free world because the root of poverty (ignorance) is in mind. It takes a willing mind to hate and fight indwelling ignorance. This is probably how Jesus thought when he said- "the poor shall always remain in your midst".

EXCURSIONS IN ISLAM: HADITH REVISITED

After the death of the Prophet and the passing of the first generation of his aides, Muslims were at a loss as to what the Prophet would have done under varying hypothetical situations. The lot then fell on the jurists to start collecting Hadiths (Reports) which recorded the Prophet’s words on a given occasion and his habitual mode of behavior (Sunnah). The Hadith became crucial to the body of Islamic law extracted from detailed Islamic sources. Some of these ‘reports’ were used to support the new forms of Islamic piety that had developed; others provided historical evidence to support state policy. These reports multiplied during the eighth and ninth centuries, until a bewildering number of Hadith circulated throughout the empire, covering everyday matters, metaphysics, cosmology, cosmogony and theology as well as politics. These were finally collected and anthologized. The most famous editors were Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (d. 870) and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (d. 875). Because some Hadith include questionable and even contradictory statements, the authentication of hadith became a major field of study in Islam. The Hadith were vigorously promoted by a populist contingent known as the Ahl al-Hadith (‘Hadith People’) who insisted that Muslim law be rooted in these eyewitness reports instead of the ‘independent reasoning’ (ijtihad) developed by the jurists. Their piety appalled the more rationally inclined Muslims, since it threatened their strict sense of divine unity, but these practices also resembled the way Christians had come to think about Jesus. Through the Hadith, Muhammad had gained divination and reverence. Hadith have been called "the backbone" of Islamic civilization, and within that religion the authority of Hadith as a source for religious law and moral guidance ranks second only to that of the Quran. Scriptural authority for Hadith comes from the Quran which enjoins Muslims to emulate Muhammad and obey his judgments (in verses such as 24:54, 33:21). While the number of verses pertaining to law in the Quran is relatively few, Hadith give direction on everything from details of religious obligations such as ablutions for prayer, number of Rakats to the correct forms of salutations. Thus the "great bulk" of the rules of Sharia (Islamic law) are derived from Hadith, rather than the Quran. Early in Islamic history there was a school of thought that adhered to the view that the Hadith were incompatible with Islam. For 300 years following the Prophet's death, there remained a portion of Muslims who "mocked and derided" the system of Hadith. There are many Muslims (some of whom call themselves Quranists but many are also known as Submitters) who believe that most Hadiths are actually fabrications created in the 8th & 9th century AD, and which are falsely attributed to the Prophet. It should be noted that the corpus of Hadith is an amorphous body of information with a mass of contradictions, sometimes embarrassment not only to Muslims but a source of discomfiture to Islam. Some Hadith have given ammunition to enemies of Islam and have often been used to cast aspersion on the Prophet. The obnoxious satirical book of Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses is a good example and the vilification of the Prophet as a pedophile is an abuse that won’t go away because the Hadith erroneously lend credence to such charges. There are other such embarrassing issues such as stories of the prophet going through all his wives in one night; the prophet condemning the use of the left hand saying it is associated with the Devil: Yet Allah in His wisdom created the left handed child. Some Hadiths have even gone as far as creating unsavory impression of Islam as a violent religion. According to the Quran, there is no intercession at all on Judgment Day. ‘Kosi gbami gbami ni ojo Qiyyama’. This assertion is repeated three times in Quran 2:48: Then guard yourselves against a day when one soul shall not avail another nor shall intercession be accepted for her, nor shall compensation be taken from her, nor shall anyone be helped (from outside); Also 2:123 and 254). Hadith is at odds with the Quran in terms of religious philosophy, this time in terms of the personal nature of salvation as some Hadith claim that the Prophet will intercede on behalf of his people on the Day of Judgment. There is also a problem with ritual prayer (salat). While hadith literature speaks of things which “nullify” the prayer as if it were a product to be inspected, the Quran focuses on internalizing the reading so that it prevents us from injustices and evil acts (29:45). Prayer is not about form but rather substance. Yes, even in matters of the concept of reward and sin: Most Muslims believe that Islam is just about seeking rewards and the rewards are like 'points' to enter Jannah. However, in the Quran no verses support such understanding. Today, the way most Muslims comprehend Islam is to seek for reward rather than the approval of Allah. By the year 200 A.H. a total of 600,000 Hadiths were in existence, out of which 408,324 were fabricated by 620 forgers. Most notorious forger Ibn Au’jaa confessed before he was hanged that he alone had forged 4,000 Hadiths. It has been suggested that three major sources of corruption of Hadith are political conflicts, sectarian prejudice and the desire to translate the underlying meaning, rather than the verbatim words, of the original quotes. An important tradition that bear relevance to our mode of worship relates to the place of women in Islamic prayer. The custom of purdah in certain Muslim countries raises the question as to whether women may go to the mosques. Yet, there was no such question in the time of the Prophet when women freely took part in religious services. See Bukhari 9:22 and 10:65; 152. All the above traditions afford overwhelming evidence of the fact that women, just in the same way as men, used to frequent the mosques without let or hindrance. The Prophet was quoted as saying: Do not prohibit the handmaidens of Allah from going to the Mosques of Allah. Bukhari 11:12 The practice of women present in the mosques seems to have continued long after the Prophet’s time. Within the mosque they are not separated by a screen or curtain. They only form a line behind the men, see Bukhari 10:164. And though they were covered by an over-garment, they did not wear a veil. On the great gathering of the Hajj a woman was expressly forbidden to wear a veil, see Bukhari 25:23. In the year 256 A.H. The Governor of Mecca is said to have tied ropes between the columns in the mosque to make a separate place for women. See the Encyclopedia of Islam. By the end of the day, the separation grew to the point that women were barred from the mosque entirely. Something that never happened during the time of the founder of the religion. The roots of gender segregation in Islam have been investigated by many historians. Leila Ahmed explained that the harem arose in the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. It was not an institution from the time and place of Prophet Muhammad. Leor Halevi wrote in an article about women and mourning laments that a ″novel and unprecedented concern with the segregation of the sexes″ took place in Kufa, Iraq, in the eighth century. In time, this became normative. Still under prayers are the concept of Tahajud prayer and Tarawih. Why we do not find the word “Tarawih” anywhere in the original Islamic documents (i.e, the Quran and Sunnah)? The prayer is referred to as the “Night Prayer” (Qiam-ul-layl) in the Quran and Sunnah, which basically is the Tahajud prayer. The name Tarawih was invented by the followers when the Prophet offered the prayer in public for few nights. He did not intend to make it a formal prayer and did not invite people to join him. It was the curious group of followers who stood behind him and followed him in that Tahajud prayer. When the Prophet realized the matter he stopped offering the prayer publicly. The Tahajud prayer is voluntary night prayer after the Isha prayer, presumably after some sleep, late at night. It was enjoined on the Prophet. See Quran 73:1-6; 73:20; 17:19. He later asked his people to perform it in their homes. While the recitation from the Quran in ordinary prayers are short, those during Tahajud could be long. Initially it consisted of 8 Rakats with an additional three of Witr. No doubt, after the Prophet, the Witr prayer was taken from Tahajud and added to the Isha prayer. Owing to the Prophet's emphasis on the Tahajud during the Ramadan, the Companions became very particular about it and it was later transform into the Tarawih which we now practice during Ramadan. Though the Tahajud is still practiced as a private late-night prayer. It was Umar during his Caliphate that introduced a change whereby the Tahajud became a congregational prayer after the Isha during Ramadan. It is now the practice to recite the whole Quran in the Tarawih prayers during Ramadan. Umar at first ordered eleven Rakats but later increased to 20 in addition to three Witr making 23 Rakats. This practice is maintained throughout the Muslim world, the Ahl Hadith and the Ahmadis being almost the only exception. Who says all Bidah is a sin? However, there is no doubt the Hadith are too voluminous and there are many repetitions and contradictions in them. The Hadith tried to cover every facet of life of the prophet including his very private ones such as his sex life. As the curtain falls on the Holy month of Ramadan this weekend, we thank God for seeing us through the month and pray that we witness many more, in good health. We pray for the repose of the souls of those who started but did not finish the fast with us and pray that Allah grant them Jannatul Firdous. To the rest of us, we say Alhamdulillah for a successful Ramadan. May Allah’s peace and blessings be with us. Ameen. Barka Juma’at, Ramadan Kareem and Happy Eid El-Fitr. Babatunde Jose Babatunde Jose +2348033110822