Saturday, March 15, 2014

National Conference: Analysts Advise Nigerians To Focus On Real Issues


Sunrise UrantaA key member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue, Mr. Tony Ipriye Uranta has asked Nigerians to give the upcoming National Conference a chance to start before criticizing its chances of serving the purpose for which it was convened.
Uranta who is also Executive Secretary of National Summit Group (NSG) was speaking on Channels Television weekend programme, Sunrise, where he stated that the composition of the delegates to the conference had only 72 nominated by the Federal Government, which is less than 15% of the total number of the delegates and nullifies the chances of manipulation by the Government.
The programme focussed on the activities preceding the conference and the issue of older people making up majority of the delegates came to the fore, as many Nigerians have pointed out. A member of the Editorial Board of National Newspaper, Sanya Oni, agreed with the sentiments but believed that the issue showed the level of capacity of the Nigerian youth.
He added that the youths were doing well in business and in the corporate world on their own “so why is it in politics that they want to be helped?” He said that he didn’t believe things like leadership would fall on the laps of the youths as it was their responsibility to seize the initiative.
Uranta added that the Nigerian youth today was more knowledgeable especially in the digital age, and they have the responsibility to make themselves relevant in the politics of Nigeria.
Legal Practitioner, Malachy Ugwummadu also said that the youths lacked the kinds of robust activities that would position them for leadership. He refused to accept the claim that the present political configuration of the country shuts out the youth.
He cited the National Association of Nigerian Students as an example. He spoke about times in the country when serious national issues were mainly driven by the Students’ body; a situation which he said had degenerated into quest for self-gratification from the current young people.
Northern Elders’ Declaration
The Northern elders have expressed negatives views on the conference, claiming that the delegates were not representing the North, and Sanya feels that this was an unfortunate situation.
He preached that Nigerians really need to understand that there was dire need for the country to talk. He berated what he termed the off-the-curve discussions, the manner in which they dismissed the National Conference, and the provocative statements made during the Northern Elders’ Forum.
He singled out the claims of ownership of the Nigerian oil by the North as highly provocative.
Mr. Uranta, shared the view that the declaration of the Northern Elders’ Forum was a reaction to being left out of the main activities of the National Conference. He argued that they are just a faction of elders as the main elders of the North had warmly embraced the idea and also have delegates attending.Sunrise Natl Dialogue
Mr. Ugwummad, however, believed that the Northern Elders’ reservations should not be totally condemned as many Nigerians including himself were also hard critics of the whole idea.
He asserted that the issues have moved on from agreeing with the idea into the issues of implementation of the resolutions, the large budgets being earmarked for the talks, and the controversies surrounding the subjection of the issues being discussed at the conference to the National Assembly.
Mr Sanya also added that there were too many problems in the country and accepting that reality was the best way forward for Nigerians. He asserted that the need to decentralise power and empower traditional authority were among the issues that needed to be addressed.
Finance And National Security
While explaining the importance restructuring the leadership of the country, Mr. Uranta said “You cannot but have federalism such that the different federating units will have coordinate powers.”
He added as an example that primary education should not be part of the job of a Federal Government as the primary education structures in Nigeria are different in different regions.
He said that the claims by some Nigerians that the groundnut pyramids in the North funded Nigeria would be among matters to sort out, as he argued that in the early 1960s and according to the constitution, each region in the country funded itself and had its own economy, its own flag, anthem, and ran its own affairs.
He stated that discussing such structural issues would determine how well the other matters like fiscal federalism and national security would be treated. He added, “Let that be decided by the people.”
Why Should Anybody Get Paid?
Sanya had to contend with the question asked via social media by a Channels Television viewer. Although he admitted that there was need to cater to the needs of the delegates as they were not expected to be exposed to risks in Abuja, but added that the figures being mentioned as the delegates’ allowances and the total budget of the project were indeed outrageous.
Mr. Uranta, however, shared the view that the budget could be justifiable.
He explained “You don’t expect a Chief Olu Falae to come to Abuja and stay in a Motel or a drive by hotel”
He said “I stay in the Hilton and a room can go for like 58,000 Naira” and Nigerians have to think of all these things as many of the delegates are also retired and old; while some of them would have to come with their wives for the 3 months exercise. He added, “We cannot deny them their conjugal rights”
Mr Ugwummadu added that he hoped that the conference would not ending looking like nothing had been done.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Why ladies prefer to remain single

Why ladies prefer to remain single

Why ladies prefer to remain single

There have been different questions and opinion polls on why some ladies prefer to remain single. People have different opinions and reasons why they will love to be single than to be in ‘bondage’
Find below some of the reasons:
1. You get to design your living space exactly as you want it, and appreciate the serenity and freedom that comes with no one encroaching on your little bubble.
2. You get to make a list of all the things you want to do and move through them one by one without ever having to stop and ask another person if they are okay with doing it.
3. You learn what it means to define yourself as an individual, and not even tangentially as part of a unit.
4. For many things — from sleeping through the night, to feeling good about yourself, to trying new activities — you learn to rely on yourself, and to be your own support system when you need it.
5. You can go home to your family, or take a trip somewhere new, for a period of time if you need to, and not have to worry about anyone else’s life being affected by your distance. You don’t have to maintain any relationship while you are away.
6. You don’t have to take anyone’s opinion into consideration when planning a vacation.
7. Every day you live holds the potential of starting an entirely new love story — whether with a partner or a city or a book — and you never know when or where yours is going to start.
8. You can dedicate nearly all your social time to developing and enriching the friendships which sometimes fall by the wayside when you are consumed with a new relationship.
9. You can figure out the things which are important to accomplish by yourself, and work on achieving higher and higher goals on your own.
10. You can throw yourself fully into your work — even to the point that you’re not seeing your friends as frequently as you’d like to — and don’t have to worry about it coming at the cost of your relationship.
11. You don’t have to feel guilty about being the most important thing in your life.
12. In the absence of someone else’s opinion or touch or reinforcement, you can decide exactly how you feel about your own body and how you would like to improve or change it, if you’re not happy.
13. You can engage in long moments of self-care, and not have to explain to anyone why you’re upset or why you need to be by yourself for a while.
14. No one is going to take your solitude personally.
15. You get to spend extended periods of time wandering around, reading, people-watching, drinking tea, and listening to the kinds of things you think about when no one is telling you what they want to do next.
16. You can decide the things that you love about being single — the parts of you that you absolutely don’t want to disappear when you get into a relationship — and learn to set boundaries around them. You can refuse relationships that encroach on your personal time or ability to make your own choices.
17. Because of all the time you are able to spend working on your platonic or familial relationships, you realize how essential and affirming all of these different connections can be, and how much you need to care for them when you’re back into a relationship again.
18. You can take as much time as you need to lick your wounds from previous hurts or disappointments.
19. All of your energy can go towards taking care of and improving yourself, from working hard on a project to learning a new language to redoing your entire apartment, and you don’t have to reserve a designated amount of time to taking care of someone else.
20. The fear that we all live with — the fear of being alone, and that somehow denoting failure — begin to ebb as you realize that being alone can be just wonderful