On Nigeria's obsession with trade deficits

                                By Bayo Ogunmupe

    Nigeria's economic reforms are yielding positive results as the latest statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed a widening of the trade balance of N2.17 trillion in the first quarter of 2018. Balance of trade is the difference between the value of a country's exports and imports for a particular period of time. And this is the largest component of a country's balance of payments, also referred to as balance of trade. This shows that Nigeria is improving since trading with our partners at the end of 2017 was valued at N4.04 billion. that was achieved after recording a negative trade balance of N290.10 billion in the year 2016.

    However, the notion that trade surpluses are a measure of a nation's economic prowess dates back to centuries. In 16th century Europe, mercantilists from Britain to Venice sought to accumulate gold by promoting exports and discouraging imports. Their intellectual heirs today think trade surpluses boost national welfare, employment and economic growth. while deficits do the opposite. This preoccupation with surpluses is based on dubious arithmetic: since a nation's exports are another's imports, it is impossible for all countries to be net exporters.

    This also overlooks a more fundamental point about trade. The main benefit from trade is imports- foreigners sending the fruits of their labour for us to enjoy, allowing us to focus on what we do best. Working to produce exports is the price we pay to enjoy these benefits. A better goal is to reduce the export effort needed to obtain a given quantity of imports. Economists call this enhancing the terms of trade. This makes intuitive sense in our lives: you run a surplus with your employer in order to run deficits with your grocery supplier, your daughter's football club and your favourite restaurant.

    Now imagine if you could run those same deficits while spending only half as much time at the office. Adam Smith recognized in 1776 that the true wealth of a nation was not the gold and silver in its coffers, but the productivity of its labour force. In our own case in Nigeria, it would be the creativity of our workers. "Nothing can be more absurd than this whole doctrine of the balance of trade," he wrote. Fast forward to the present day, and his warning is once again going unheeded by policy makers. Erecting protectionist barriers is unlikely to create jobs and prosperity, for two reasons.

    First, current measures of trade on the basis of flows give a distorted view of bilateral trade balances, since they fail to account for components imported to make exported goods. Given the fragmentation of production across multi-country value chains, a far better gauge of a nation's trade performance is how much value it adds to inputs. Focusing exclusively on goods exacerbates the misperceptions since it excludes trade in services, which typically accounts for more than two-thirds of output in advanced economies.

    Second, there is no formal relationship between a country's trade balance and its economic health or labour market dynamics. For example, US job creation since the 1990s has been fastest during periods when imports were growing rapidly. The trade balance dramatically narrowed in 2009- because GDP growth and job creation were plummeting due to the financial crisis, which shrank demand for imported goods and services. Germany has big trade surpluses rather than deficits, but manufacturing's share of total employment there, has been declining at the same pace as in the United States.

    Third, a nation's trade surplus or deficit is shaped less by the content of its trade agreements - tariff levels, quotas and regulations than by the balance between domestic saving and investment within her own economy. Take the European Union: the bloc has the same trade policy. Yet its member states perform very differently. The current account balance- is a function of internal saving and investment. Nations that run deficits spend more on imports than they earn from exports; they borrow from the rest of the world to make up the difference.

    Conversely, surplus economies earn more from exports than they pay for imports; they lend the difference abroad, accumulating claims on foreigners in the process. The only way to shift the current account balance is to alter savings and investment behavior of households, firms and governments. Trade protectionism is an indirect way to accomplish this, but it could miss the target or backfire. Cross-country evidence suggests no clear link between tariff protection and current account balances. Indeed, higher tariff countries tend to have larger trade deficits. The World Trade Organization rulebook authorizes nations to take protective action against import surges or predatory pricing. But while such measures can fight unfair trade, they have little effect on trade deficits.

    Trying to tackle trade deficits bilaterally won't work. balancing trade with individual countries would, in practice, require constant interference with purchase and sales of thousands of companies and households, raising prices and generating distortions. But this does not mean we should ignore large trade surpluses and deficits. The cross border financial flows are vulnerable to sudden stops that can be destabilizing, as Asian nations learned in 1997, followed by the Eurozone a decade later. The solution lies in international cooperation to get frugal countries to spend and nations with big deficits to tighten their belts.

        The group of 20 leading nations is the logical forum in which to do just that. The last meeting we were invited to was held in Germany. Europeans knowing the terminal nature of the health of our president, declined to invite him to subsequent meetings. We might try to invite ourselves to the next meeting. Similarly, broad negotiations among trading partners are the most effective way to address unsatisfactory trade rules and industrial overcapacity. Thus, governments need to develop policies and institutions that cushion the blow from changes brought by both competition and technology; constrain runaway inequality and equip people with businesses to share in the opportunities presented by the global economy. Crafting good policies is the real challenge in trade, current account balances are merely a distraction.

REFLECTIONS ON RAMADAN FAST 4

"Fasting in Ramadan develops in a person the real spirit of social belonging, of unity and brotherhood, and of equality before God. This spirit is the natural product of the fact that when people fast they feel that they are joining the whole Muslim society (which makes up more than one fifth of world's population) in observing the same duty, in the same manner, at the same time, for the same motives, and for the same end. No sociologist or historian can say that there has been at any period of history anything comparable to this powerful institution of Islam: Fasting in the month of Ramadan. People have been crying throughout the ages for acceptable 'belonging', for unity, for brotherhood, for equality and justice, but how echoless their voices have been, and how very little success they have met..." says Hammudah Abdalati, in Islam in Focus.

As Muslims we reject any sort of violence in the holy month of Ramadan, as we do in any month. Yet there are those recalcitrant elements that will not follow this injunction, but rather foment trouble all over the land; maiming, kidnapping and killing their fellowmen for some warped reasons. They are the terrorists in religious garb; killing people all over the place in the guise of ‘herdsmen or Boko Haram, ISIS or whatever name they call themselves. They act as if God’s love can descend upon them through such horrible acts. We have only one name for them; Terrorists!

At the same time, in our own national discourse, we see hateful rhetoric and bigotry from all political quarters and it has now reached an alarming crescendo, particularly as the election is fast approaching. 

We need to spend time during this holy season worrying and praying about the state of the world; and in particular our country Nigeria. There is too much hate in the air. The social media has become one big market for mudslinging and character assassination; all in the name of politics that is now heavily garnished with, bigotry and religious intolerance.  Instead of seeking forgiveness for our own sins we should seek forgiveness for everyone who is misled, who thinks the end justifies the means, who does not understand the teachings of Islam as beautiful and pure and peaceful. The Prophet Muhammad taught us to pray for our enemies, and I admit it is hard but it must be done – if not for them, then for our own spiritual enlightenment.

We need to pray for a lofty goal – peace in the land – that we as human beings have probably been praying for since the dawn of modernity.  We should pray for a safe world for our children, and our children’s children. But the news these days is ugly, and we are constantly reminded of the following verse in the Quran: 

“Surely God changes not the condition of a people until they change what is in their hearts”. (Quran 13:11)

Prayer and reflection only help when one is surrounded with peace. One can recite the Quran and offer additional night-time prayers and fast every day for 365 days, but nothing changes the fact that we live in dangerous and perilous times; and unless we stand up and do something about it, the impending conflagration will consume us all, both the perpetrators and idle spectators. 

Politics is part of life now and along with fasting, individual Muslims need to do much more. Protesting, calling our representatives to order, marching with others, helping our neighbours and even getting educated about a topic we didn’t know much about… all these are ways to make worship more meaningful. Whatever issue one worries about, we need to get out there and make change happen. To be docile in the face of monumental injustice is a sin, worse than breaking ones fast. After all, in Islam, worship not only describes ritual related to God, but encompasses everything one does to serve God’s creatures; standing up for justice is one of such acts.  

Of course, it doesn’t and shouldn’t apply to Muslims alone. People of all faith – or no faith – can join in making these changes and improving our impact upon the world: Right now the goings on in Gaza should concern us all, particularly the fate of a blockaded people who are being denied medical facilities by their Israeli ‘warders’. The fate of our people in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Taraba and other places where human life has become like that of common chicken should elicit concern and action. In fact, some of the most successful projects are interfaith and intercultural, so we know that when we all get together to use our faith traditions as a force for change, then change actually does occur. This is the time for action and change; meaningful change. 

So let’s get out into our communities and make a difference, not just in Ramadan but throughout the year. Only then can we say we are really worshipping God.

Barka Juma’at and Ramadan Kareem

--

Babatunde Jose iPhone 7

BANJI OJEWALE @ 68: LESSONS OF SIMPLICITY

                                By Kayode Ojewale

A couple of days ago, in the wake of President Buhari's declaration of June 12 as Nigeria's Democracy day, Banji was invited as guest and political analyst to a radio phone-in program at Hebron FM, Ota, Ogun state. I listened online from Lagos as he expressed his views and analysed various angles and sides to the implication of the President's conferment of the highest national honours posthumously to late MKO which has since been greeted with commendations and condemnations in some quarters of the country. He recalled with passion, his active days in journalism during Abacha era where journalists were brutalised, tortured and indefinitely detained without charge and for carrying out their professional duties. While he commended the president for doing what his predecessors couldn't do since 1999. Banji said Buhari has done the yeoman job but he was quick to state in clear terms that the Pandora's box has been opened as justice takes its full course on those guilty of the June 12 saga.

What got me attracted here that is worthy of notable reference is Banji's balanced approach to his in depth analysis of issues. As a trained professional in the field of journalism, he unconsciously dissects issues without prejudice, bias nor predisposition. Apart from his wide experience in print and electronic media, his deep and robust research using facts and figures on the subject matter he writes on usually blows me away. Banji, though no longer practising active journalism, still remains a force to reckon with and a veteran to emulate in terms of his style and approach to writing and analysing.

Another simple but lifelong lesson that Banji's principles of life taught me is found in the holy Book as one of his favourite Bible passages. When I was much younger I never thought that it was a Bible reference, it took me some years before I knew. The quote goes thus:"The life of a man does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses" ( Luke 12 vs 15b). The quote became clearer to me only recently.

Sometime in March this year , I was at a remembrance day programme held in honour of the late founder of a private secondary school located at Abule Egba in Lagos, when this quote made a complete sense to me shortly after the ceremony. I was able to draw an inference that day - All the clerics and scholars who took turns to eulogise the deceased said the same thing about the late school founder who died over 10 years ago, but they never said one thing about him! One thing each speaker who mounted the podium talked about was the fact that the late founder impacted people's lives when he was alive. Also, one thing that was never talked about the man was his material possessions - house, money, car etc. Attention was centred on the impacts he made when alive, not his fat or zero bank account balance. I returned home that day with an inspiring takeaway- Life's true meaning is only discovered when one impacts another life positively. I also clearly understood that day why Banji loves that scriptural part as one of his favourites because his approach to and principle of life point at simplicity.

Ijadunola-Oluwa Theophilus Banji Ojewale, born on June 13, 1950, hails from Ogbomoso, Oyo state. He began his secondary education at Wesley Grammar School, Accra, Ghana. His GCE 'A' level and GCE 'A' level were completed respectively in 1969 and 1975. He proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) where he majored in news writing, reporting and editing. He also has diploma in Radio and TV productions among many other qualifications.

TBO (Theophilus Banji Ojewale), as fondly called by friends and associates, is a veteran journalist, pastor, book writer and book reviewer. He has a very wide professional experience of work in print and electronic media ranging from TV productions (Documentaries) to collection of published novels and poems. He started from being a reporter, to editor, then producer. He has also worked as columnist, editorial board member, TV prime time news editor, news department manager, consultant to government institutions and media houses. TBO has held the positions mentioned in the following media houses, to mention a few among many: People's Agenda (defunct), PM news, NTA, Herald newspaper, Concord (defunct), The Punch, The Guardian, Daily Times, Daily Independent, AIT/Raypower, STV. He also has some documentaries to his credit for BBC Focus on Africa and "Story Story" programmes.

The humility and selflessness of TBO have always earned him various leadership positions wherever he finds himself. This exemplary lifestyle of simplicity which is even noticeable in his mode of dressing, his way and manner of talking, his choice of colour and in fact in all areas of life, is worthy of emulation. No doubt, his childhood friends, old time friends and of course his associates and acquaintances can attest to this fact. TBO is married with five children.

Happy birthday Dad!

Kayode wrote from Idimu, Lagos.

BANJI OJEWALE @ 68: LESSONS OF SIMPLICITY

                                By Kayode Ojewale

A couple of days ago, in the wake of President Buhari's declaration of June 12 as Nigeria's Democracy day, Banji was invited as guest and political analyst to a radio phone-in program at Hebron FM, Ota, Ogun state. I listened online from Lagos as he expressed his views and analysed various angles and sides to the implication of the President's conferment of the highest national honours posthumously to late MKO which has since been greeted with commendations and condemnations in some quarters of the country. He recalled with passion, his active days in journalism during Abacha era where journalists were brutalised, tortured and indefinitely detained without charge and for carrying out their professional duties. While he commended the president for doing what his predecessors couldn't do since 1999. Banji said Buhari has done the yeoman job but he was quick to state in clear terms that the Pandora's box has been opened as justice takes its full course on those guilty of the June 12 saga.

What got me attracted here that is worthy of notable reference is Banji's balanced approach to his in depth analysis of issues. As a trained professional in the field of journalism, he unconsciously dissects issues without prejudice, bias nor predisposition. Apart from his wide experience in print and electronic media, his deep and robust research using facts and figures on the subject matter he writes on usually blows me away. Banji, though no longer practising active journalism, still remains a force to reckon with and a veteran to emulate in terms of his style and approach to writing and analysing.

Another simple but lifelong lesson that Banji's principles of life taught me is found in the holy Book as one of his favourite Bible passages. When I was much younger I never thought that it was a Bible reference, it took me some years before I knew. The quote goes thus:"The life of a man does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses" ( Luke 12 vs 15b). The quote became clearer to me only recently.

Sometime in March this year , I was at a remembrance day programme held in honour of the late founder of a private secondary school located at Abule Egba in Lagos, when this quote made a complete sense to me shortly after the ceremony. I was able to draw an inference that day - All the clerics and scholars who took turns to eulogise the deceased said the same thing about the late school founder who died over 10 years ago, but they never said one thing about him! One thing each speaker who mounted the podium talked about was the fact that the late founder impacted people's lives when he was alive. Also, one thing that was never talked about the man was his material possessions - house, money, car etc. Attention was centred on the impacts he made when alive, not his fat or zero bank account balance. I returned home that day with an inspiring takeaway- Life's true meaning is only discovered when one impacts another life positively. I also clearly understood that day why Banji loves that scriptural part as one of his favourites because his approach to and principle of life point at simplicity.

Ijadunola-Oluwa Theophilus Banji Ojewale, born on June 13, 1950, hails from Ogbomoso, Oyo state. He began his secondary education at Wesley Grammar School, Accra, Ghana. His GCE 'A' level and GCE 'A' level were completed respectively in 1969 and 1975. He proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) where he majored in news writing, reporting and editing. He also has diploma in Radio and TV productions among many other qualifications.

TBO (Theophilus Banji Ojewale), as fondly called by friends and associates, is a veteran journalist, pastor, book writer and book reviewer. He has a very wide professional experience of work in print and electronic media ranging from TV productions (Documentaries) to collection of published novels and poems. He started from being a reporter, to editor, then producer. He has also worked as columnist, editorial board member, TV prime time news editor, news department manager, consultant to government institutions and media houses. TBO has held the positions mentioned in the following media houses, to mention a few among many: People's Agenda (defunct), PM news, NTA, Herald newspaper, Concord (defunct), The Punch, The Guardian, Daily Times, Daily Independent, AIT/Raypower, STV. He also has some documentaries to his credit for BBC Focus on Africa and "Story Story" programmes.

The humility and selflessness of TBO have always earned him various leadership positions wherever he finds himself. This exemplary lifestyle of simplicity which is even noticeable in his mode of dressing, his way and manner of talking, his choice of colour and in fact in all areas of life, is worthy of emulation. No doubt, his childhood friends, old time friends and of course his associates and acquaintances can attest to this fact. TBO is married with five children.

Happy birthday Dad!

Kayode wrote from Idimu, Lagos.

LIKE NORTH KOREA LIKE NIGERIA: THE BULL & THE BUCKET By JOSEPH OKECHUKWU

BACKGROUND

When in February of 2016, Benjamin Netanyahu declared that “Israel is Coming Back to Africa and Africa is Returning to Israel” he wasn’t joking. That is because Donald Trump must have advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get to work and make more friends on the continent so Israel is not constantly isolated at the United Nations whenever the need for voting arises. Israel is one of the most hated and vulnerable UN member states. If they have more allies, more countries will vote in their favor at the Security Council. This is very critical because Donald Trump will not always be there. So, Bibi Netanyahu meant business and he went to work immediately.

His first move was to attend an ECOWAS meeting in Monrovia, Liberia. That would be the first time an Israeli Prime Minister would be attending an ECOWAS meeting ever. Funny enough, the Moroccan King was also on his way to the same meeting. Bibi was earlier. The moment the Moroccan king arrived at the airport and heard that Bibi was already on ground, he immediately cancelled attendance and flew back to Morocco. 

It was after this whole scenario that I heard for the first time that Morocco, a North African Islamic Nation was strongly fighting to become a member state of ECOWAS. ECOWAS stands for Economic Community of West African States. It’s meant only for countries in West Africa. So why would a North African nation want to tip the balance?

Apparently, Morocco and the rest of the Islamic world have been understandably restless over Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration about Africa returning to Israel. That obviously sent shivers down their spines hence the frantic move by Morocco to join ECOWAS and use their relationship with the most populous black nation on earth, Nigeria to hurt Israel’s new found love with African nations. Little wonder the Nigerian government quickly exited 90 international bodies and refused to disclose their names to the Nigerian public. It was not difficult to suspect that Nigeria had exited those, probably non-Islamic bodies in other to enter into new Islamic alliances and further consolidate existing ones, the reason they wouldn’t publicly declare the international bodies they were exiting.  

For instance, Nigeria ratified and consolidated its membership of the OIC - Organization of Islamic Communities; Nigeria became a member of the D8 - Organization of 8 Developing Islamic Nations. In this organization you have countries like Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Bangladesh, & Nigeria; Also, Nigeria quickly joined the Saudi - Arabian formed IMA - Islamic Military Alliance – call it the NATO of the Islamic world. All these happened barely one year of president Buhari’s ascent to power. 

FAST FORWARD 

So, I’ve been tracking a set of interesting pieces of diplomatic puzzles for some months now. When the Nigerian presidency announced that a meeting had been scheduled with the US President, Donald J Trump, slated for April 30, 2018, I literally gasped with an unsettling anticipatory spontaneity. I knew it was about to go down. How did I know?

Remember, if you’ve followed me and or my postings/writings long enough, that I wrote a piece some time ago on why I was happy that Trump fired Rex Tillerson, the former US Secretary of State? Sure. 

In that piece, I had explained that Tillerson’s ouster was not unconnected with his recalcitrant and insubordinate attitude of always doing what he wanted and not what his boss, the president wanted. I explained in little detail that his troubles began in Ethiopia and peaked in Kenya, where he tended to sound a little like an Obama appointee, which posed a huge National Security threat to Israel and by extension, the United States. 

Israel literally runs much of East Africa in more ways than one. They are so wary of any form of regime change that will benefit Islamists in any way, shape or form in that region. They would fight tooth and nail to resist the subtle Islamization of that region and they have many reasons to. Obama did his best to neutralize Israel’s grip on the region and for some strange reason, he came out failing with every try. Tillerson’s posturing was toeing that path and he expectedly lost out. 

Under the current US regime, an attack on Israel or her interest is an attack on America and vice versa. I’ve never seen these two countries so close for as long as I’ve been alive and Tillerson simply took that for granted and he paid a huge price. 

If you recall, it was reported that he got winds of the plan to fire him while in West Africa. I don’t agree. He already knew from East Africa. He only got wind of a possible announcement of the president’s decision while in West Africa. That is why his Nigerian trip was cut short – almost as if he never came, leaving behind a diplomatic deficit. Trump and Israel knew he could no longer be trusted; they saw through his globalist posturing and unholy alliances with anti Israel elements in Europe. This was the reason they couldn’t even wait for him to wrap up the trip before making the announcement that he’s been fired. 

When I saw that, the first thing I said was “the next US Secretary of State will soon visit Nigeria”. I was too sure the US was going to make up for that diplomatic deficit left behind by “globalist Tillerson”. I knew there was a strong message that the White House needed to pass across to Nigeria and since Tillerson had betrayed the trust, expectedly, Trump would still get the message across, one way or another. Interestingly, rather than send another Secretary of State, Trump and his team decided that an invite will be more appropriate and I totally agree. To me, that looks even more decent – just that when the message comes from Trump himself, it doesn’t always look as pretty. And sure enough, he lived up to expectations. But there is more. 

Running up to the proposed US visit, the Nigerian presidency was unusually excited about Buhari’s meeting with Trump and they made such a big deal of it. They sure wanted that to be a Public Relations blow on “anti – Buharists” in Nigeria who believe that Buhari is only friends with Islamic nations and not in the good books of the United States. But deep down in my spirit, I knew a drama was about to unfold. I knew Trump was about to deliver the exact same message he would’ve loved Tillerson to deliver to the Nigerian president, which Tillerson would’ve possibly twisted, and I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty because Trump doesn’t know the meaning of “political correctness”, and I proudly share that trait with him. 

So when president Trump eventually “dropped the bomb”, I exhaled. The warning to stop the killing of Christians in Nigeria or “we will do something” came to the Nigerian President and government as a rude shock. It was a massive spoiler to their “beautiful” PR trip to America. It was a gigantic mess. I could imagine the face of the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, who was all over CNN falsely claiming that Buhari would become the first African Head of State to meet with Trump in the oval office. No, the Egyptian president did already. CNN expectedly let him get away with it but they later admitted the truth. It was a disaster. Their social media handles went into a freeze mode. Officials went cold and you could literally just hear their hearts pounding away from a distance. Not what they expected to hear. I was surprised they didn’t see that coming. But that’s not all that came at them...

From my little back channels, I heard that there was probably so much more said to the Nigerian president than was broadcast in the news media. From what I gathered, the only way to describe the scenario is “historic change of guards”! Power of control may have just slipped from the bloody, guilty, filthy hands of England to the formidable, no nonsense invincible grip of the duo of USA/Israel - controlling the two most powerful military and intelligence outfits in the world. All of Britain’s efforts to control or court Trump have hitherto failed and all their expectations have been dashed. There’s a huge dilemma. Whatever Israel wants is what will happen now. And there’s not much anyone can do about that. You’re either in or you’re out. It’s a hot, liquid flowing nightmare to a regime that has done everything since inception to lean absolutely Islamic by every stretch of the imagination. 

Remember that on their way back from the USA, the Nigeria government strangely detoured to England. That made some news. Mixed reports here and there. They initially said it was a technical stop over, and then later admitted the president saw his doctor briefly. No, I suspect it was all to brief the English architects of the current Nigerian disaster of a regime, on how much of a failure the US trip turned out to be. It was time to re strategize. So he had to head to Nigeria and return to England only a few days later. This time, the presidency said he was going to see his doctor. Well, he went to see his doctor and he returned one day earlier! That never happened before! Just saying though.

But trust me, I believe it was all a strategy session on what to do next. I believe he was advised to listen and take orders from the White House. They must have informed him that the bull in the White House has neither control nor mercy. Isn’t that why China and South Korea quickly advised North Korea to behave, because Trump wasn’t joking when he said he wasn’t going to allow a nuclear North Korea to stand? He was already amassing around the peninsular. He was and still is dead ready, not to impose sanctions but to bomb North Korea back to stone ages. It’s no joke. The US military is ferociously back to its number 1 position in the world, and they’re not smiling. Thanks to Trump. North Korea saw it and knew it was game over. Buhari was served from the same pot of soup on this April 30 trip. If North Korea were jittery, what would Nigeria do? Exactly what the president of Nigeria did – overtaken with shock and fear! 

So what were those other things that may have been said to Buhari behind closed doors? Well I don’t really know but I’ll try to connect a few more dots for you. Now, remember that Nigeria has stood against Israel since Buhari came into power and ratified Nigeria’s membership of those hardcore Islamic organizations? Even on the floor of the UN, you could hear President Buhari openly defending Palestine and so on. But what happened after the US trip? What changed so much that Nigeria would dare to secretly send its ambassador to the opening ceremony of the US embassy in Jerusalem – an occasion that has infuriated the Muslim world so much that Nigeria’s strong Islamic ally, Turkey had to recall its ambassadors from both the US and Israel? The Nigerian government knew exactly how badly the Islamic world would react to this flagrant violation, so they didn’t want the world to know they had sent an ambassador to the event. But the media broke the news and had the Nigerian government running for cover, denying that they sent the ambassador there, even claiming that they were querying the ambassador for his actions, just to assuage the Islamic block they already sold out to on multiple fronts. But the truth would later come out on the senate floor.  

So shortly after all that show of shame and double standard, a Northern Muslim senator, Hon. Aliyu Madaki exploded on the floor of the senate lambasting the Nigerian government for sending an ambassador to legitimize Israel’s claim over Jerusalem at the embassy opening ceremony. He must have been so frustrated because strangely, Nigeria was attending an event that England had boycotted. Unprecedented! The poor guy didn’t know that power has smoothly changed hands. Now, the truth is out and words are flying high and low. “What happened”? Why the sudden change”? Everybody asks. 

In very plain terms, I think Buhari must have been told that his new bosses are now Israel and no longer England, under the circumstance. And America is standing right behind to ensure he plays the good boy whether he likes it or not. That is why he would send an ambassador in breaking with all the Islamic treaties that Nigeria is signatory to. That’s why that senator freaked out because they all knew how deep Buhari had fallen into his subtle Islamization program. Unfortunately, there’s a new sheriff in town and it’s not the kind of sheriff you’d ordinarily see over a country that had almost been sold out completely to Islam. Israel is now in charge and you either take what they say or you’re out. Trump will do whatever it takes to ensure you obey Israel. He broke ranks with European allies to ensure the Iran deal was evacuated. And Secretary Pompeo just announced that US will unload on Iran the harshest sanctions they’ve ever seen, and that European multi national companies who fail to comply with US orders, no matter how big they are will be severely punished! This is unprecedented. Never before seen. Everyone is scared in Europe. The North Korean leadership is shivering themselves to stupor. China had to quickly make a deal closing the annual trade deficit gap with the US by a staggering $380 billion out of $500 billion. What an amazing dealmaker Trump is!

So where does these all lead? My suspicions are that 1. Buhari was given an option of not running for a second term, while in the White House. 2. I believe that he probably begged to run on any conditions that the US/Israel would lay out. 3. I believe that America laid out too much and Buhari agreed to way too much, just to stay in power. 4. I believe that based on that agreement, which is not cast on stone, Buhari sent the Nigerian ambassador to the embassy opening event in Jerusalem, which means that Nigeria must have be compelled to confess that they agree to Israel’s ownership of Jerusalem. 5. I believe that Nigeria will begin to scale back the Fulani herdsmen crisis as soon as possible. 6. I believe that even after the gentlemanly agreement to allow Buhari to prove himself, that Israel may still be bent on showing him the door. 7. I suspect that on sensing a renewed effort to remove Buhari from office, that England and their Islamic allies may pull a surprise by telling Buhari to ignore Trump, and I suspect that this will spell doom for Nigeria. 

A fully Islamized Nigeria is an incredible security risk to Israel. If Israel would bomb Syria just for hosting an enemy nation like Iran, they will annihilate Nigeria for entertaining more than just one enemy - Turkey, Iran, etc. 

It almost appears as if Donald Trump came to power because of Israel. Whichever way you look at it, the game has changed and power has changed hands. Trust me, England is at a crossroads right now because they can’t control Trump. The only way they get anything significant done again in Nigeria, in terms of policy is if Donald Trump is impeached or if he’s killed. Unfortunately, as much as these two horrifying possibilities hang in the air, Trump’s popularity has continued to soar out of proportion, even amongst liberals. Besides, he seems to have mastered the game so much he now has near formidable team of diehard loyalists – that’s all it takes to assert yourself, and he has! That’s basically why there is fire on the mountain, the world over. The days and weeks and months ahead will unfold in such dramatic fashion that our socio political landscape in Africa, especially Nigeria may never be the same again.

REMEMBERING ALLAH

"All praise be to Allah, we seek His aid and we seek His forgiveness and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls. Whomever Allah guides, no one will be able to mislead him. Whoever he leaves astray will have no guidance for him. And I testify that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger whom He sent with the truth and as a warner before the Hour. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be guided aright, and whoever disobeys them will only harm his own self and he will not harm Allah, the Exalted, at all." 

The Prophet once said: "The similitude of someone who remembers his Lord and someone who does not is like that of the living and the dead." (Al-Bukhari). And almighty Allah went on to say in the Quran, Surat ul Jumuah:

O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic): That is best for you if ye but knew!   (Quran 62:9)

This ayah tends to emphasise the need to remember Allah and be closer to him. There are many benefits in remembering Allah always, not just on the day of Juma’at. Among those that have been noted are the following:-

1. Remembrance of Allah aims at growing closer to Allah. ‘Almighty Allah says, I am with my slave when he thinks of Me and I am with him when he mentions Me. For if he mentions Me to himself, I have mentioned him to Myself; and if he mentions Me in a gathering , I have mentioned him in a superior gathering. If he approaches Me by a hands width, I approach him by arms length; and if he approaches Me with and arm’s length, I approach him by a miles length. And if he comes to Me walking, I hasten to him swiftly.’ [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

2. Remembrance of Allah revives the heart and gives it strength.

3. Remembrance of Allah leads to the shade of Allah on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet said, ‘Seven kinds of people will be under the shade of Allah [on the Day of Resurrection], when there is no shade but Allah’s, and mentioned a person who remembers Allah.

4. Remembrance of Allah is a protection from the hard life in the world and blindness on the Day of Judgment. The Quran says,

"But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment. He will say: "O my Lord! Why hast Thou raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)? (Allah) will say: "Thus didst thou, when Our Signs came unto thee, disregard them: So wilt thou, this day, be disregarded."  (Quran 20:124-126)

5. Remembrance of Allah restrains evil actions and prevents shameful deeds just as prayer does. See (Quran 29:45)

6. Remembrance of Allah is a reason for forgiving the sins, getting high status and great reward. 

We as human beings have been created as forgetful creatures and we need constant reminders. If we do not have these reminders then we fall into a state of heedlessness where all we see is the world in front of us and we forget Allah and our duty towards Him.

That is why the Huthba is so important, on Fridays; it is to remind all believers that they are on this earth for a purpose. It is to remind us that there is a reality to this universe that we cannot forget, and that is we exist to worship and serve Allah and one day soon we will stand before Him and He will judge us on how well we did in our duty towards Him.

Our leaders and the led should remember these facts in dealing with each other. We forget easily that there will be a reckoning. We cheat,  steal and are disobedient to our creator. It is time to change before it is too late. When death comes, it does not give warning. You could spend all you have and all your time putting up what you term a gargantuan edifice and on the morning when you want to move into it, you drop dead. You have laboured in vain. May our life labour never be in vain: Amen

For some Muslims all that they can think about is gaining the provisions of this world. They wish to spend all of their time and effort to acquire as much wealth as possible. They forget the hadith of the Prophet where he said that: ‘we should be in this world as if we are a traveller. A traveller does not seek too many provisions, he only looks for what can sustain him on his journey and what will get him to his destination. Our destination is the paradise of Allah  and His pleasure. That is the goal that we must always focus and that is what we must strive to achieve. 

May Allah always provide for everyone in this Ummah everything that they need! May Allah always keep our focus on Him and the Hereafter and not on the temporary and fleeting things of this world!

Our Lord! Grant us what Thou didst promise unto us through Thine apostles, and save us from shame on the Day of Judgment: For Thou never breakest Thy promise. (Quran 3:194)

Barka  Juma’at and a happy weekend.

Milestone: Today, my amiable brother, Mohammed-Bashir Adewale Jose, ‘Alado’, is a year older. May Allah be pleased with him. 

And our Haroun passed his Law degree exam with a 2^ndUpper. Haroun is the son of my brother Hamza Babajide and his wife Hon. Justice Kudirat Abike Jose. Baba must be smiling in heaven. All praise are due to Allah.

Make your dream your goal for success

                              By Bayo Ogunmupe

    Believe it or not, without tying your dream to your goal, success will be  elusive. in fact if you want a happy life, you must tie it to a goal. You can neither tie it to people nor things. If you are not working towards something, then you are living without direction. Goals help you sort out what is important from what isn't. The happiest moments of winners are when they are focused on something bigger than themselves. Moreover, what other people think about you really don't matter. You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. You have no responsibility to be like they expect you to be.

    It is up to you to build your own value and approval in life. You must learn to let go of life. You don't have much control of life anyway. You only have limited personal control over your life. Think about your body right now. Your hair grows by itself. The heart beats by itself. As humans, it is necessary to accept that in life we don't have much control. Thus, you have to let go and accept what you cannot control, so that you can spend more energy focusing on things you actually can control. Failure is the road to success. As the great British prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

    Nobody has a life just full of success. Failure is unavoidable in your life unless you don't take the chance to succeed. Yet ever so often we avoid failure because it makes us feel worse about ourselves. But honestly, failure gives us the best lessons in  life. So, never fear failure, as it is the best stepping stone to finding success. A person isn't defined by what he owns. The best things in life aren't property. Expensive cars, branded bags, lavish clothes- surely they seem cool while you're young; but they do not add any value to you as a person. So, its time you stop focusing on these material things and start building meaningful experiences and relationships.

    Thinking and doing are not the same. "Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you," so said Thomas Jefferson, philosopher and third president of the United States. You do a lot of daydreaming as a youngster. But if there's no action involved, nothing will ever happen. Success will not come finding and picking you up on your journey. It is your responsibility to start doing what you've been thinking about. Get going, never wait for the perfect moment, it never comes.

    Change as  the only permanent law in life, is the only thing you can count on. But those who only look to the past or the present are certain to miss the future. You determine your future by what you do today. No matter  how hard you try, you cannot stop the natural force of nature. We're all getting older. It's better you grasp the good moments by accepting that which is going on. Everyone you know will eventually die. So make the most of your relationships while you have them. Love your parents and treat them with loving care for you will only know their value when you see their empty chair.

    Therefore, worrying is useless. If a problem is fixable, then fix it; there is no need to worry. if it isn't fixable, worrying cannot fix it. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever. Worrying created by the mind really doesn't offer any value to our lives. It is a waste of time. The root of your suffering is in the pursuit of temporary excitement. Sadly, excitement isn't happiness. Happiness is not joy which is temporary euphoria. True happiness comes from inner peace- being content with what you have and who you are.

Grit determines your success in life

                              By Bayo Ogunmupe

    Research has revealed the most important factor in academic and professional success we largely all ignore. What is the secret of success? This isn't an easy question to answer. But why do some people succeed in almost everything they do? Do they possess some hidden secret that most of us don't know? Actually, yes they do. According to Angela Lee Duckworth, who for 10 years studied the most common predictors of academic and professional success, success doesn't have much to do with intelligence or talent.

    In fact, the  research clearly proved that talent  doesn't really amount to anything. Rather, the most successful people possess one trait that we largely all ignore: grit. It is the ability to pursue an idea to the end. Successful people persevere at whatever is the object of their pursuit. They pursue their objective to the hilt, eventually succeeding in attaining their goals. Here are five ways to strengthen your grit. One focus on your self talk.

    Whenever you give your best effort to an objective, if even you didn't succeed, give yourself a pat in the back. Always speak of yourself positively, as being smart, rather than a mere pushover. A deprecating attitude teaches us to adopt a fixed mindset- the belief that our talents are largely innate and can't be improved. It is more fruitful to praise yourself when you bounce back from failure and push through tough times.

    Two, surround yourself with people who persevere, people who are motivated, passionate, people who are positive and optimistic that they can beat the odds. Values drive behavior, principles govern consequences. If you do not go after what you want, you will never have it. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no. If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place. Three, adopt flexible thinking patterns in your goal setting principles. Being flexible in your actions allows resilience and grit to blossom. Flexible people don't see problems. They see opportunities for growth.

    Four, set tiny goals that align with your purpose. We found that people with a sense of purpose are happier. However, your purpose can be abstract and difficult to define. Five, build time into your day for reflection. When you give yourself time to think back on a day's work in a non-judgmental way, you can see your accomplishments and what actions you need to take tomorrow to keep moving forward. It will help you state passionate, motivated and ready to take on the world.

    Grit is the power of passion and perseverance. It is our ability to stay motivated and passionate through failures and hiccups. You must focus on and live the life you really want. We fail because we never focus or concentrate our attention on what we want. We allow distractions to overcome us. To fight distraction, you must manage your time thoroughly, stop multitasking by giving your all and focus to your goal. Pursue your passion before anything else. Doing what is right may not be easy, but you will certainly reap what you sow. There is a reward to them that remain courageous, so stay faithful.

Skills that will bless you forever

                              By Bayo Ogunmupe

    Life has no instruction manual, which is why most of us fumble through life's vicissitudes, learning as we get along. However, in today's world where technology enables us to source  information via the crowd, it is possible to glean the most important life's skills from an array of people and sources in one go. This is why it is pertinent to pose the question: What are the most useful skills to learn? Here are the most difficult but useful skills to learn. You can be the most brilliant and even wealthy person in the world, but if you don't care for or empathize with other people, then you basically are nothing but a misfit. That is why learning empathy is very important.

    Empathy is a fundamental human ability that has been too readily forsworn by modern business. Empathy: the ability to feel what others feel- is what makes good sales people great. Empathy as in team spirit- esprit de corps-motivates people to try harder. Empathy drives employees to push beyond their own apathy. The skill of mastering your sleep comes after empathy. The harm that befalls you as a result of sleep deprivation is far reaching and more detrimental to your general health and well-being. Thus it is worthwhile for you to establish a general sleep routine and stick to it to make sure you get enough sleep. Optimum performance will elude you without sufficient sleep.

    Time management comes next. Without a properly managed time, your success at the workplace will be elusive. Success at your personal goals is doubly at risk also for you cannot meet your personal goals or finish your work on time. Effective time management helps you get things done on time. Asking for help is yet another skill. It is hard to ask for help because you don't want to  appear incompetent. But consider what might happen if you don't recognise that you need help and don't ask for it. You can really end up in a big mess. But asking for help doesn't mean you are weak. On the contrary the managers I have admired most in my career were those who openly owned up that they didn't understand the procedure, and asked for help because they didn't how to proceed themselves.

    A recent study from the Harvard School of Business suggests that asking for advice is actually well received and makes you look more, not less, capable. By asking for advice, you acknowledge the other person's intelligence or expertise, which makes them feel good. Good outcomes raise the self esteem of both persons. This improves the impact of positive self talk, building self confidence and a positive self image while negative self talk will do the opposite. In the words of the great American automaker Henry Ford: Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.

    A skill in consistency also comes handy. Whether you are trying to imbibe a new routine, studying for your doctorate at home on part-time or working on an important project, consistency is vital to your success. People often stop working hard when they reach the top, but so many maintain that top position by working harder and being more consistent in their work. The next skill you must master is minding your own business. If no one has asked for your advice, it is probably unwanted and wise for you to keep it to yourself. Besides it is impossible to ever know the whole story. It is so easy to assume you understand the situation, when in fact you don't have all the facts. If something doesn't affect you directly, best stay out of it.

    Listening is a skill you must cultivate ardently. Most of us are overwhelmed in the workplace with things to do. With instant messaging, phoning to bother us; our brain can only tolerate so much information before it snaps. However, a tip of active listening is to repeat what you last heard to the other person. It makes things so much easier when everyone is on the same page. Knowing when to shut up and actually doing it is the line of decorum. Keeping your thoughts to yourself when agitated is the most valuable skill you must learn. Always avoid gossip. The most important thing about building and keeping  good relationships is trust. Sadly, the easiest ways to lose trust is to gossip about people behind their back.

    Finally, speaking up is the last of the necessary skills that will serve you forever. If you want to have impact on life, your community or the pubic in general, you must learn to speak up in public. If you find this worrisome, with a coach and practice you can overcome it. The world's greatest investor, Warren Buffett of the USA, said this about public speaking: "You've got to be able to communicate in life and it is enormously important. If you can't communicate and talk to other people and get your ideas across, you're giving up your potential." The best in public speaking is practising radical candor. Radical candor is humble, helpful, immediate, in person and it doesn't personalize.

You must give bad up to go up

                              By Bayo Ogunmupe.

        People can be successful in various ways, areas and forms. But they have something in common. There are certain core skills they master. They achieve these skills by giving up certain bad or hindering habits which consume their time and hold them back. So whatever your goal is and whichever area you want to succeed in, tis worth knowing these top skills and investing in them. The most important of these skills is focus. This is the secret most winners possess. People who concentrate in a particular vocation are those who become successful at a young age. Pick one thing as your focused aim- before you say 'money,' success is yours. Winners are rarely excited by money. It is their passion that leads them to wealth, meaning making money is the consequence of the passion, money isn't really the  goal.

    The benefit of focus is that you will be a true expert in a specific domain. Winners are only great at a particular profession, not in many areas. If you focus on many areas, you wont be able to spend time on what makes you great. No one can get to the highest level by remaining as a generalist. My mentor and solicitor, Nigeria's first minister of Information, Dr Kolawole Balogun used to say, "Find the one thing you can do well and don't do anything else." I found that to do well at what you love, you have to give up many things. Being willing to give up some things you love, like watching football, in order to focus on what has the greatest impact isn't an easy lesson to learn. But the earlier you embrace it, the sooner can dedicate yourself to excellence  in what matters most.

    Resourcefulness is the second skill successful people possess. If there is a  problem, there is a solution is the mode of thinking of winners. They keep their focus on solutions. Moreover, you have to take risks so that you not regret at age 80, those things neglected to do. Creativity is another name for resourcefulness. The author of The Five Faces of Genius, Annette Moser-Wellman asserts, "The most valuable resource you bring to your work and to your firm is your creativity. More than what you get done, more than the role you play, more than your title, more than your output-it's your ideas that matter." Despite the importance of creative problem solving, few people possess the skill in abundance.

    The characteristics of creative thinkers is that they value ideas. highly creative people are dedicated to ideas. They don't rely on their talent alone; they rely on their discipline. Their imagination is like a second skin. They manipulate it to the fullest. Creativity is about having lots of ideas and exploring them. Winners love exploring options for it helps to stimulate the imagination. The greatest physicist of the 20th century Albert Einstein put it this way: "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Like creative thinkers, winners embrace ambiguity. They don't feel the need to stamp out uncertainty in life. They see inconsistencies in life as opportunities for problem solving and very often they take delight in exploring those gaps  and using their imagination to fill them.

    Like creative thinkers, successful people do not fear failure. Creativity demands the ability to be unafraid of failure. Anxiety is the essential condition of intellectual and artistic creation. Creativity requires a willingness to look stupid. They don't allow ideas that don't work prevent them from finding new ideas that do work. Thinking creatively adds value to everything you do. Creativity increases your capabilities, it enables you see what everybody has seen but think what nobody  has thought so that you can do what nobody else has done. Creative thinking lies along inventiveness and innovation where you break new grounds helping you to do old things in new ways. So seeing the world in new ways, you provide new solutions that add value to life.

    Three, the ability to learn from your mistakes is the final most valuable skill of winners. They've had to overcome many risks to get to the top. For success, they have to adopt the mindset of living at the edge of naked existence, living at the edge of their capabilities to succeed. Winners aren't afraid to take risks and they accept the mistakes that go along with them, because the lesson lies in failure. That's how winners find growth and success.

Rosicrucians flay Buhari for the ethnic killings

                            By Bayo Ogunmupe

    The Rosicrucian Order, at its 2018 Lagos Zone Conclave on Saturday, blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for the current spate of ethnic killings going on in the country. The killings were attributed to the nepotistic appointments of incompetent and negligent security officials by the president. Member after member said this while contributing to the Conclave's theme: The Soul's Immortality and Universal Love. In his address as the Guest of Honor and Grand Administrator of the Order, Chief Kenneth Idiodi said, at this time when the world is rife with violence, terrorism, ethnic cleansing the era is appropriate for reflections on the soul's immortality and universal love.

    "If it is true that we were created in the image and likeness of God, then it is a foregone conclusion that the universal love of God in which we live......guarantees our immortality and the truth that we live forever." a true appreciation of immortality will neutralize the fear of death. Many people want to go to heaven in the hereafter but ironically are scared of death which is the door to it. however, the fear of death and ageing have fueled investments into scientific research for prolonging human life indefinitely on earth, Idiodi said

    In his explanation of what the Rosicrucians order stands for, Chief Idiodi said this Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis( AMORC) is a philosophical, cultural and humanitarian organisation dedicated to the investigation of natural and spiritual laws and their application for the attainment of human health, happiness and peace. Through the Rosicrucian teachings, men and women are enabled to live decent and knowledge driven lives free from the shackles of superstition and ignorance.

  in his welcome address, the chairman of the conclave planning committee Babatunde Adeniyi urged attendees to be attentive to the programme's brief story of transformation, in the ensuing symposium, Professor Isaac Alaba regaled the audience with his african perpective of the soul's immortality and universal love. the unbeliever's perspective was given by Douglas Anele, professor of philosophy, University of Lagos. Anele submitted that immortality, heaven and hell are myths that cannot be proven in reality. the AMORC perspective was delivered by Gabril Idahosa . the symposium was moderated to the satisfaction of everyone by Mrs Olabimpe Giwa while the vote of thanks was given by the hosting AMORC grand councillor, Lagos AMORC, Babatope Ogunowo.

Fuel types that fuel your success

                

                            By Bayo Ogunmupe

    There are four types of fuel that help people achieve success in life. Sometimes when you lose steam or enthusiasm, you make decisions to pursue your dreams, only to lose passion; and you find yourself giving up. By studying successful people you find there are four kinds of fuel that pushed them to achieve greatness. The first is success fueled by your goals. Which is why many successful people are fueled by their dreams. Such people are vision-oriented. Everyday they think of their dreams, talk about their dreams and work on their dreams. They fly from people seeking to break their dreams by offering them new projects.

    To thwart dream breakers you must own a dream journal which you must browse everyday. In the journal you define what you want to accomplish in life. You create meaning for your life. But more than having dreams, you must make God's dreams your dreams. When you are sharing the same dreams with God, you don't run, you fly. Secondly, your success is fueled by your groans. Unlike the first person that is driven by his future, this second person is driven by his past. He is driven by his pains. You must embrace pain and burn it like fuel for your journey to stardom.

    The third fuel type is success fueled by your gift. The third successful person is one fueled by his passion or love for his work. I have met some of these uber-successful people eyeball to eyeball. Some of them are't literate to the level of having dreams or dream journals. But they are very successful because of their passion for their craft. Some of them are entrepreneurs, businessmen, transporters and traders. They didn't climb mountain to find gold at the top. Nor did they have pain in the valley that drove them up the mountain. They just love climbing mountains.

      But for many climbing mountains is painful. Wherefore, some become extreme, finding solace in a call to destiny. Such people have embraced the fourth fuel type, success obtained in serving God. Such people include:Nigerian Shiite leader El Zakzaky, Enoch Adeboye, David Oyedepo, Matthew Ashimilowo, Tunde Bakare and Temitope Balogun Joshua. But there are those very successful, only to self destruct at the pinnacle of their success, because of imbalance in their lives. If  you need long term success, you need to learn the important lesson that balance is power.

    Balance is a principle in boxing. Without balance you will fall by the weakest blow. And believe it or not, problems will try to topple you. And where is the only path to balance? The only path to balance is in finding God in your goals, your groans and gifts. At the end you have to be driven by humility, love, gratitude and forgiveness. When God's love is your fuel, you become selfless. Which is what religion is all about; unless you become selfless you never know peace and happiness. Results require action. An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching. And keep pushing forward: first they will ignore you; then they will laugh at you, then you win.

Fuel types that fuel your success

                            By Bayo Ogunmupe

    There are four types of fuel that help people achieve success in life. Sometimes when you lose steam or enthusiasm, you make decisions to pursue your dreams, only to lose passion; and you find yourself giving up. By studying successful people you find there are four kinds of fuel that pushed them to achieve greatness. The first is success fueled by your goals. Which is why many successful people are fueled by their dreams. Such people are vision-oriented. Everyday they think of their dreams, talk about their dreams and work on their dreams. They fly from people seeking to break their dreams by offering them new projects.

    To thwart dream breakers you must own a dream journal which you must browse everyday. In the journal you define what you want to accomplish in life. You create meaning for your life. But more than having dreams, you must make God's dreams your dreams. When you are sharing the same dreams with God, you don't run, you fly. Secondly, your success is fueled by your groans. Unlike the first person that is driven by his future, this second person is driven by his past. He is driven by his pains. You must embrace pain and burn it like fuel for your journey to stardom.

    The third fuel type is success fueled by your gift. The third successful person is one fueled by his passion or love for his work. I have met some of these uber-successful people eyeball to eyeball. Some of them are't literate to the level of having dreams or dream journals. But they are very successful because of their passion for their craft. Some of them are entrepreneurs, businessmen, transporters and traders. They didn't climb mountain to find gold at the top. Nor did they have pain in the valley that drove them up the mountain. They just love climbing mountains.

      But for many climbing mountains is painful. Wherefore, some become extreme, finding solace in a call to destiny. Such people have embraced the fourth fuel type, success obtained in serving God. Such people include:Nigerian Shiite leader El Zakzaky, Enoch Adeboye, David Oyedepo, Matthew Ashimilowo, Tunde Bakare and Temitope Balogun Joshua. But there are those very successful, only to self destruct at the pinnacle of their success, because of imbalance in their lives. If  you need long term success, you need to learn the important lesson that balance is power.

    Balance is a principle in boxing. Without balance you will fall by the weakest blow. And believe it or not, problems will try to topple you. And where is the only path to balance? The only path to balance is in finding God in your goals, your groans and gifts. At the end you have to be driven by humility, love, gratitude and forgiveness. When God's love is your fuel, you become selfless. Which is what religion is all about; unless you become selfless you never know peace and happiness. Results require action. An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching. And keep pushing forward: first they will ignore you; then they will laugh at you, then you win.

Why only actions matter in life

                              By Bayo Ogunmupe

In this world we live in, intentions mean nothing. Your actions mean much. This seems obvious during this period of constant political propaganda and lies. So it makes sense to judge people based on what they do rather than their intensions. going further, what matters to me even more than your actions is the consequences of your actions. This means that intensions do matter, but only as far as they cause you to engage in actions that make your life and the lives of others better.

    We are so quick to justify our own worldview based on intentions rather than the actions we are carrying out. Tis most pronounced in Nigerian politics where politicians say one thing but do something else. but rather judge something based on ideology, we should instead examine the consequence of their actions. But we sadly so focused on our intensions and don't pay enough attention to what we're doing with our lives. Having good intensions is important, but our intensions don't interact with the real world. They don't shape society, culture and the planet. While our actions do shape this world.

    It is time we start living our lives based on our actions and not on our intensions. Here are some reasons why you should start focusing on your actions right from now. You're defined by how you treat people, not how you justify your treatment of them. just as every good government has an ideology with which it justifies its policies, you also have your narrative for why you treat people in certain ways. Your narrative may change over time but the way you treat people will live on.

    Two, you are defined by what you are pursuing in life, not by your reasons for pursuing them. You are defined by the people you hang out with, not by your excuses for surrounding yourself with the wrong people. This is a hard lesson to learn. You must consciously make sure that people you spend time with shared your values that actions matter more than intensions. Three, you are defined by your beliefs, not why you believe them. It matters more what you believe than your reasons for accepting that belief. You can't live all your life justifying your beliefs by explaining that your parents gave you the belief or that was how you were educated. You have the autonomy to change your belief.

    Four, you are defined by the way you love, not how you feel when in love. The fairy tale emotion of love is absent from many lives. In fact the actions of love matter more than how it feels. Five, you are defined by the life you create, not by the excuses you make along the way. Nothing defines you more than the life you have created for yourself or your lifestyle. it is the sum total of all your creative expressions, actions, your passions, your beliefs and your choices. Despite that, it doesn't matter what you intended to create. What matters is what happened from your actions.

    In the sacred area of human life, there is a need to think outside labels and old habits, for tradition is the enemy of progress. And the reason for unwarranted optimism by people is because the human mind is unlimited in its capacity to think, create, grow, plan ahead and act for the common good. To strongly believe in something and not live it, is dishonesty. But by refusing to bend to what society  wants you to be; by not changing who you are so other people will accept you, you assert your unique character. By such actions you will never be fooled by other people's words and dissembling.

Why only actions matter in life

                              By Bayo Ogunmupe

In this world we live in, intentions mean nothing. Your actions mean much. This seems obvious during this period of constant political propaganda and lies. So it makes sense to judge people based on what they do rather than their intensions. going further, what matters to me even more than your actions is the consequences of your actions. This means that intensions do matter, but only as far as they cause you to engage in actions that make your life and the lives of others better.

    We are so quick to justify our own worldview based on intentions rather than the actions we are carrying out. Tis most pronounced in Nigerian politics where politicians say one thing but do something else. but rather judge something based on ideology, we should instead examine the consequence of their actions. But we sadly so focused on our intensions and don't pay enough attention to what we're doing with our lives. Having good intensions is important, but our intensions don't interact with the real world. They don't shape society, culture and the planet. While our actions do shape this world.

    It is time we start living our lives based on our actions and not on our intensions. Here are some reasons why you should start focusing on your actions right from now. You're defined by how you treat people, not how you justify your treatment of them. just as every good government has an ideology with which it justifies its policies, you also have your narrative for why you treat people in certain ways. Your narrative may change over time but the way you treat people will live on.

    Two, you are defined by what you are pursuing in life, not by your reasons for pursuing them. You are defined by the people you hang out with, not by your excuses for surrounding yourself with the wrong people. This is a hard lesson to learn. You must consciously make sure that people you spend time with shared your values that actions matter more than intensions. Three, you are defined by your beliefs, not why you believe them. It matters more what you believe than your reasons for accepting that belief. You can't live all your life justifying your beliefs by explaining that your parents gave you the belief or that was how you were educated. You have the autonomy to change your belief.

    Four, you are defined by the way you love, not how you feel when in love. The fairy tale emotion of love is absent from many lives. In fact the actions of love matter more than how it feels. Five, you are defined by the life you create, not by the excuses you make along the way. Nothing defines you more than the life you have created for yourself or your lifestyle. it is the sum total of all your creative expressions, actions, your passions, your beliefs and your choices. Despite that, it doesn't matter what you intended to create. What matters is what happened from your actions.

    In the sacred area of human life, there is a need to think outside labels and old habits, for tradition is the enemy of progress. And the reason for unwarranted optimism by people is because the human mind is unlimited in its capacity to think, create, grow, plan ahead and act for the common good. To strongly believe in something and not live it, is dishonesty. But by refusing to bend to what society  wants you to be; by not changing who you are so other people will accept you, you assert your unique character. By such actions you will never be fooled by other people's words and dissembling.