2.0 – Optimizing Your Resources

By

Dr. A. J. Ajengbe

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March 18, 2020

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2.1 What Resources You Need For The Journey

Life is a journey divided into years

recognize the importance of embracing Gods plan for youe life
understand the importance of personal preparation
beware of procrastination
`diligence is a necessary ingredient
Locate wisdom everyday
Utilize the tool of prayer
Utilize the power of fellowship/relationship
Discipline will improved your result
Develop a positive attitude to life
Develop a positive work habit
Determine the sacrifice you need to pay and keep paying it
Locate a coach/mentor

2.2 Personal, Corporate, Public And Global Economy

Personal and corporate world is private which public (government) and global is public. However there are many correlation and interrelationship between them. What we do as individual affect businesses the government and all that affect the world around us.

In all these financial buoyancy, cash flow and financial ability is key. They all have income, expense to foot and resources to sustain basically. Now, if you dint run your life on the basis of financial accountability, you may not do well no matter the level of income.

Personal Finance

I have discovered that people are taught different levels of finance except personal finance its shocking because its individuals that makes up the society. Similarly, all the undoing in business and government is highly perpetuated in people and home-poor record keeping, no streamlined expenses, poor budgeting or no budget at all etc. so I will help you to be a personal accountant.

Poor record keeping: people can hardly tell for certain how much they earn or spend per week and you don’t expect your finance to fail. There are even software that help you keep tap with all the records. Record everything, recharge card, gifts, food, transport even interest on savings and investment. I mean everything.
No budgeting: You should be able to plan and come up with a budget that itemizes your income, expenses, capital purchases, and kitchen budgeting. You see, running a home is real business, you need to segment and departmentalize your home and run appropriate administration technique with this everybody in your home will develop and learn with etiquette right from home.
No strategic plan for yourself and home: if ask many people what they want to be in twenty years even five years they begin to look at you in amazement. Ok, what is the picture of your soon in five years nothings cogent. I believe that’s why real success is scare here

They earn it all and append it all and they are broke. Accounting practice must permeate all sphere of your life. If you have an accountant fine if not hire one. The reason, you have live is because records and statements are not enough they must be analyzed and prosperity interpreted for appropriate decision making.

No expense limit: people only put a knife on their throat when they notice a sharp fall in their rescue. Thus ought not to be so, it actually suppose to be the first thing the dwelling reserve can be averted. You should have a threshold on spending both on capital projects and normal personal and domestic expense.
Please, always have a plan before spending. Also never spend your income but the proceed of the investment of your earnings. This may be difficult to do especially in Africa where you holda moral obligation to provide for close family member and friends.

Corporate finance

The major challenge business face even the most structured is slim resource as against big dreams. The missing factor is called ideas. Ideas rule the world. Fundamental to creativity and accomplishment is idea. Every empire is built on idea. It is not absence of money but lack of ideas. If you have all the money but no idea you will lose it to the man with ideas. An idea can make a lot difference in your business adventure. You can start a zero capital business and grow it into multinational venture with ideas.

But idea alone is not it. Ideas can give you a good start but adherence principles of growth or call it management etiquette –financial, human, equipment; that will make you grow and put you on the path of growth.

Below are 8 keys to attaining corporate success:

Customer and satisfaction focus

Understanding and satisfying customer or service-user need
Aligning all part of an organization ti these need

Effective leadership and strategy

Providing ethical and strategic leadership focused on sustainable value chain creation
Facilitating key performance drive including strong corporate value, ethical culture and organizational and processes

Innovation and adaptability

Innovation process and products to improve reputation and performance
Adapting the organization to changing circumstances

Financial management

Ensuring financial leadership and string support sustainable value creation
Implementing good practices in arrears such as tax and treasury, cost and productivity improvement and working capital management

Integrated governance, risk and control

Deploying effective governance structure and processes with integrated risk management and internal control
Balancing performance and conformance in governance

People and talent management

Enabling people and talent management as a strategic function
Applying talent management to the finance function so it better service the need of the wider organization

Operational excellence effective and transparent communication

Aligning resources allocation with strategic objectives and the other drivers of shareholders and stakeholders value
Supporting decision making with timely and insightful performance analysis

Effective and transparent communication

Engaging stakeholders effectively to ensure that they receive relevant communication
Preparing high quality business reporting to support stakeholders understanding and decision making

Public/governance economy and finance

The public sector refers to all organization which are not privately owned and operated but which are established run, and financed by government on behalf of the people

Public sector finance is defined as a process of recording, communicating, summarizing, analyzing and interpreting government financial statements and statistics in aggregate and details; it is concerned with receipts, custody and disbursement and rendering of stewardships on public funds entrusted

Sources of government revenue:

Taxation
Fees
Fines
Grants
Foreign investments
Public debt or borrowing
Sale of national assets

The entire economy private or public is controlled by the government

Global economy

The international economy is a aggregate of what is happening in all nations of the world. The drive for growth and wellbeing of all nation of the world still required so that there can be mutual competiveness. Though porter’s five forces model enumerated five factors that can ameliorate the competitiveness of a strategic business unit (SBU) you still find a useful tool for government at all levels. These forces are

Existing competitive and the rivalry between existing competitions
The thereafter form and new entrants to the market
The bargaining power of suppliers
The bargaining power of customers
The threats from substitute products

2.3 The workings of money

The main issue is not money; it’s what to do to attract money. What do you have that people will be willing to part with their resources for? So, the first question is what are your commodities? It may be a product I good, services (both professional and talent) because people will apply if it pays off, then we look at packaging. Many have what people want but cannot give it the right image that will enable them to get paid on return. So, identify the market need and tailor your product to meet that need. It has always been argued that the main essence of business is not profit making but meeting stakeholders need. As you meet their need then you get paid.

If you are not rendering services or actively involved in the manufacturing value chain then, you can’t get money. So rather than day dreaming, wishing or hoping you get to win a lottery, get to work.

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1.0 – Personality and Influence

By

Dr. A. J. Ajengbe

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March 18, 2020

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Personality Analysis

Personality is generally defined as the whole persons outstanding characteristics, his abilities, his emotional and social traits, his interest and attitude as defined by lovle K (1973)

Factors affecting personality development

the home
the school
personal experiences
cultural influences
the peer group
the child’s need and motives
emotional stability
extraversion
openness to experience
agreeableness
conscientiousness

Person-Situation Interaction

This refers to how events of life affect the personality of an individual.

Development of personality

The psychoanalytic theory of development

Psychoanalysis is the method of interviewing a person with the purpose of retracing and reliving his emotional life from early infancy

There are three levels of consciousness- the conscious, the preconscious, the unconscious mind.

Personality theory asserts that the mind is composed of three parts namely- the ID, the ego, the superego.

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Optimizing Yourself

By

Dr. A. J. Ajengbe

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March 18, 2020

0

Preface

Have you ever been faced with a period of difficulty or hardship? Do you know that hard times could be termed a period of economic woe whether economy-wide or individual.

Frankly speaking, tough times don’t last but tough people do. Hard times are a time meant to bring out the best of potentials in you and triumph, living life to the fullest.

This book is specially written to systematically guide you on steps you can take to overcome difficult situations in life. It takes you through logical path that can order your steps to remarkable success.

You will not be able to stop reading this book until you’ve added the wisdom in it to your life.

How Islamic Health Practices and Medicine Can Help the World Defeat Coronavirus

By

Mutiu Iyanda

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March 18, 2020

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Since December, 2019, coronavirus has been a huge story among the media and concerned stakeholders, especially the healthcare professionals who have been at the vanguard of identifying and treating infected people. From developed continents to developing ones, new cases are being confirmed while a number of recoveries and deaths are being recorded. There is no doubt this is the first time a viral disease compels global leaders to take critical decisions in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, at least in the last two decades.

According to the World Health Organisation, “there is no specific medicine to prevent or treat coronavirus disease (COVID-19). People may need supportive care to help them breathe.” People and businesses know this and it has largely been the main reason for introducing sweeping measures such as border closure, self-isolation and total lockdown of places that have been identified as epicentres of the disease. Business leaders and philanthropists also know the consequences of not taking purpose driven decisions. With this, a significant number of them have committed over $3billion for containment and treatment of the virus.

Beyond the business leaders and social supports from the non-governmental organisations and individuals, drug manufactures have also swung into action, researching and producing drugs that would cure the virus. Medicago, Airway Therapeutics, Tiziana Life Sciences, OyaGen, BeyondSpring, Altimmune, Inovio Pharmaceuticals and Beijing Advaccine Biotechnology Company, Algernon Pharmaceuticals, University of British Columbia and APEIRON Biologics, Moderna and Vaccine Research Center, MIGAL Research Institute, Tonix Pharmaceuticals, Innovation Pharmaceuticals, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Vaxart, Applied DNA Sciences and Takis Biotech are some of the companies at forefront of this initiative.

Exhibit 1: What World Searched the Most (January 1-March 18, 2020)

Source: Google Trends, 2020; Infoprations Analysis, 2020

Management of Personal and Societal Health Issues

Social health has a lot to do with the physical and psychological wellbeing of an individual, which extends to human relation; curiosity; and public health. Personal health on the other side has to do with level of hygiene, food intake, and interrelationship between oneself and the environment. The mainstay of viral management or therapy are 1. Personal hygiene 2. Orientation 3. Supportive care” which of course include consulting medical personnel for medical help.

Islam and Viral Diseases

Islam left nothing undiscussed about our lives (both here and hereafter). Maintaining personal hygiene is one of the practical bases of Islam, as it encourages us to wash our hands regularly and that infected (contagious infection) person should be treated in isolation. This of course includes enjoining people in epidemic area to stay put, and people off the coast should avoid entrance into such area. By this, the rate of viral endemic would be minimised while the cure is being produced.

Modern Medicine Efforts on the Virus

The modern (Orthodox) medicine has really helped and still helping in combating the covid-19. Though, it should be noted that coronavirus has been in existence for long, just that covid-19 is the latest, MARS-CoV, SARS-CoV are all coronaviruses. The health professional bodies (governmental and NGOs), World health organization (WHO) are really trying in sensitising, orientating, and working tirelessly to profound cure for this respiratory viral infection.

There is a Cure for the Virus

Yes, you are right. Allah says there is no disease without cure, but the cure is what all healthcare providers are working tirelessly to profound. With relentless effort, I believe the cure for Covid-19 would be achieved.

The Place of Prophetic Medicine

Prophetic medicine has a role to play in providing immune booster medication as prescribed by the Prophet (SAW) in form of black seed. The Covid-19 mortality rate is high in aged people, people with immune defect infections, hypertensive patients, etc. Thus, taking black seed with honey would help in boosting the immune, making it easy for immune system to combat and free of Covid-19. It should be noted the preventive measures should be taken to avoid getting in contact with the infection, and people should endeavour to contact physicians if any anomaly is noticed.

Editor’s Notes: Islamic perspective and the insights into modern medicine approaches to the virus were largely derived from the responses of Hissau Monsur Adesola, a Medical Microbiologist and Health Consultant with Ashifatul Haqi, Ibadan. He studied at the Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho, Oyo.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi: Questions, Lessons from the Travails of the Philosopher-King

By

Rasheed Adebiyi

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March 18, 2020

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Monday 9 March, 2020 was a day to be remembered by all the actors involved in that singular act that dominated discussion for almost the rest of the week. It was the deposition of the former Emir of Kano, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. The major points of arguments ranged from the appropriateness of the removal to the rightness or wrongness of such sudden sack. Mapping the actors and determining the protagonist or antagonist of the very popular film was not a difficult exercise. It was easy to know who belonged to which side.

It is Wednesday, 18 March, 2020 and exactly ten days after the former Central Bank governor was removed from office. The noise that accompanied the removal seems to be abating. Time has come for sober reflection for those who might want to learn from the odyssey of a man whose life ambition, after his meritorious banking career, was to lead his people at the grassroots, came to power, spoke truth to power and eventually lost to power. The question is to whose loss was Sanusi’s six year-reign in Kano? The man? His traducers? Kano’s? Or the generality of those whose joy was to see quality leadership at all strata of the society?

A Flashback to Six Years ago

To have a proper understanding of the issues at stake, it is important to play back and reflected on what happened before he got to the throne which eventually defined how he left the throne of one of the most powerful emirates in the North. In 2014, SLS emerged the 14th Emir of Kano on the wings of his friendship with the then governor, Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso and even the incumbent who was then the deputy governor. The forces, who were then domiciled in the All Progressive Congress, ensured Sanusi rose beyond the Goodluck Jonathan-led federal government’s machinations to become the emir. He had earlier fallen out with the then president by his disclosure of missing N20billion petroleum money from the government coffers and other scathing remarks concerning governance under the PDP government as CBN governor. So, there is no way anyone could divorce his earlier emergence from the intrigues of politics and political manouvering. Rabiu Kwankwaso and Umar Ganduje fell out with each other and the house that brought Sanusi to the throne became divided. That was the beginning of the former CBN governor’s travails.

The Philosopher-King’s Sins

Apart from the division in the camp that brought him to power, Mallam Sanusi was accused of working against the interest of the Kano State Government under the leadership of Governor Ganduje. He was said to be loyal to Rabiu Kwankwaso, his friend and former governor, who has also crossed to the PDP. He was also said to have become too partisan for a monarch in a conservative emirate such as Kano. Ganduje and his supporters were of the opinion that the defeat that almost greeted his second bid to rule Kano State again had the fingers of the former Emir. That the APC lost in the emirate palace during the governorship election was enough evidence to nail Sanusi, they reasoned. Not only was he accused of working for the opposition party in the state alone, he was also said to be against the APC-led Federal G0vernment. A good example of this was the common “integrity versus competence” sermon he was said to have delivered shortly before the 2019 presidential election. Sanusi was widely quoted to have said :

“It is not always easy to have a leader who has both integrity and capacity to govern — two important qualities of a leader. If a leader does not have both integrity and capacity to govern, choose the one that has the capacity to govern because his capacity to govern will benefit the people while his lack of integrity will be his own harm. If you choose a man who has integrity without capacity to govern, his lack of capacity to govern will harm the people while his integrity will only benefit himself.”

The sermon generated a lot of controversy and divergent interpretations. The commonest meaning ascribed to this statement especially by partisans of the APC extraction and their supporters was that the opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar should be voted for despite the narrative of his dented integrity at the time. The statement was made at a time when the Buhari-was-not-competent narrative was viral. Mallam Sanusi was reportedly accused of supporting the forces that sought to unseat the incumbent occupiers both at the state and federal level.

Apart from partisanship, Sanusi’s outspokenness also drew him no mean number of enemies. He was reputed to have been more outspoken than the average emir. The emirate throne was designed for people who would see more and speak less. However, the philosopher king would have none of that. He criticized not only government policies but also detrimental societal practices. He spoke against irresponsible polygamy practised by the poor. He condemned the Almajiri culture and the relegation of the girl-child prevalent in the north. He attacked poor government decisions on forex, loans and other governance issues. He was not liked by the powers that be. He is cerebral. He is fearless. He is reputed to speak truth to power. All of these were his undoing. And he lost the throne.

Sanusi’s deposition: Whose loss?

Beyond the analysis of the events culminating in the eventual dethronement of Mallam Sanusi, it is critical to examine the aftermath of such a colossal loss of such a cerebral mind from the throne of the Kano emirate. Here, we had a man that was well educated, well travelled, well connected and wealthy too. So, it is difficult to imagine the influence he could have had against some of the identified problems known with the north. So, who loses as a result of the dethronement?

A lot of arguments have been generated on this question. People have answered this question based on their biases. To supporters of the former emir, those who hounded him out office are the losers. To them, the inability of the Kano power brokers to tolerate Sanusi has denied them the chance to work with an emir that will see and tell them the truth. But, a counter question to this is – could Sanusi have been able to tolerate himself if he were Ganduje?

For others, scale of loss tilts towards the dethroned Emir. His inability to temper his outspokenness has denied him the opportunity to prove critics wrong that his lineage is a poor manager of power. As it was for his grandfather, so it is for him. Both were dethroned from the Emirate palace. This could count against the ambition of anyone from their lineage in future royal contests. These set of people believe that SLS should have transited from an activist to an advocate. They are of the opinion that he could have used his connections, exposure, network and position to rally the north against many of the problems confronting the region. As an example, the campaign against the Almajiri system could have received a great boost with the former emir leading the charge from Kano and extending collaborative hands to other traditional rulers in the region.

They rued the lost opportunity of what a king who combines the powers of the palace and that of the Minbar could do if he was able to retain the seat. At the palace, he has royal powers. In the mosque, he has the ears of the congregation. He could have deployed this combination to make the fate of Kano and perhaps the North better. They argue that his lack of tact in relating with a governor whose tenure is not beyond three years from now led to the deposition.

From the consideration of the issues involved, the loss is that of the society. It is an unfortunate situation of the intellectual, the cerebral and the courageous being unable to read the meter of the powers and sustain their hold on power. The SLS case is a lesson for all power seekers to understand the dynamics of power and manage such for the betterment of the society.

2.0 – Optimizing Your Resources

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1.0 – Personality and Influence

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