SKILL ACQUISITION; PARAMOUNT TO NATIONAL SECURITY - By 'Deji Adesogan

Guthrie (1952) defines skills as the ability to bring about some end result with maximum certainty and minimum outlays of energy or of time and energy. Such abilities can be only be made possible through practice, it is the process of developing such abilities through consistent practice that is referred to as skill acquisition. In fact, skill acquisition is often a complementary knowledge but for some a source of livelihood. Common skills withing the Nigerian environment include Fashion Designing, Farming, Soap Making, Shoe-Making, Welding, Painting, Information Technology etc. The widening gap between the demand and supply of jobs in the labour market has made the acquisition of skills necessary in the 21st century especially in developing countries like Nigeria. To create balance between the growing needs for jobs and the availability of it. There is indeed a need for an intervention plan. So far, skill acquisition has proven to be a panacea for National Security and a sure guarantee for sustainable development particularly for youths as they constitute the larger force within the society that is at the receiving end of the drought in jobs in Nigeria. Skill Acquisition is a capital intensive, there is urgent need for our governments (local, state and FG) to channel more resources into skill acquisition programmes so as to make loans readily available and easily accessible for many that are interested in developing and making livelihood through an acquired skill instead of depending on a "white collar" job that is not even available enough. The Nigerian government led by President Muhammadu Buhari must create more Technical and Vocational Schools because I believe firmly that they will serve as an effective medium in encouraging the acquisition of skills among our teeming jobless youths, and also to create a sustainable youth development, government must consider to give her youths Vocational and Technical education that can equally provide formal education for them. It is often said that an idle hand is the devil's workshop, Nigerian youths must on their on part seize every possible opportunity available to develop themselves in one skill or another because everyone can or should rely on prospects of western education whether in the arts, science or humanities. Skill acquisition could actually be a money spinning venture for future dream actualization. Nigerian Youths must learn to imbibe the virtue of patience and avoid being ruled by the "get quickly and anyhow" syndrome because there is dignity in labour. Skill acquisition guarantees self empowerment which of course is a great mark of true freedom, they should not rely on certificates but acquired a skills. White collar jobs are no longer what they used to be so, it is high time for each Nigerian youth to fold his/her sleeves and acquired skill(s) aside formal education. 'Deji Adesogan, a Security Expert and Media Consultant, writes from Abuja. Tweets via @DejiAdesogan

Fayose congratulates Ogunwusi on selection as Ooni‎

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has congratulated the Ooni-elect, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, on his selection and appointment as the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Osun State, and prayed that his reign will witness tremendous development and peace in the ancient town. In a message in Ado-Ekiti yesterday through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the governor said the new Ooni should be courageous, firm and see his appointment as a call to service and to unite the Yoruba race. According to him," Yoruba traditional institutions are sacred and under no circumstance should they be denigrated and I am delighted that the people of Ile-Ife have shown a great example by the peaceful manner the new Ooni emerged. "Though our new Kabiyesi Ooni Ogunwusi is a young man, I pray that God will give him the wisdom of Solomon to pilot the affairs of Ile-Ife well and that the town will live up to expectations as the source of the Yoruba race. "When the late Ooni Adesoji Aderemi passed on, it was as if it would take centuries before Ile-Ife would get another great monarch. But the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade came and took the town to a higher level, it is my belief and prayer that God will help Ooni Ogunwusi to further raised the bar of growth and development in Ile-Ife. Oba Ogunwusi, may your reign be long and peaceful," the governor said.

THE PAINS IN THE HEART

The sufferings in the foreign land Early hour rush in the name of lectures The noon hunger owing to financial crash The civil disturbances and the battle for freedom The late hour sleep in the name of exams The camp enslavement, the call to serve ones fatherland The street wandering in the name of job searching The financial wastage in the name of applications The stresses in the name of aptitude test The plea and lobbying in the name of favor …just the pains in the hearts I mean the pains in the bone Just the worries in the heart I mean, hunger in the belly The dying ideas in the memories Cometh the favors, where? Come the manner as it was in the old? Where comes the pleasure of the jobless scholars? Hope, still in hanging Peace in the grave… Behold, there comes a moment in life Such a moment un-known I mean the time far from reality but definitely It shall come no matter how long it may be Hope alive! Abraham Olusegun Adeleye Writes from Okemesi Ekiti

ACROSS THE CROSSABLE PATH

The shove for a living Little moment necessarily un-avoidable Some visions among many Rough still, un-avoidable The journeys’ unmarked The days aren’t known The hours un-calculative The challenges far and near, yet Joy still invisible amidst pains Craggy uncertain ending Lo; we shall, only if, Egos set aside; all for the good For the beautiful moment in waiting A quitter, the lazy, seems Hope abide in the uncertainty Blissful moment is near Only the inner sight view right Across the crossable path; the hope Work the walk Pick up the crown meant for the brave Abraham Olusegun Adeleye Writes from Okemesi Ekiti

THE ‘MYOWNIZATION’ SYNDROME IN OUR SOCIETY

By Abraham Olusegun Adeleye Let’s take a queue from Jesus Christ. Reading through Mark 10:35-45 "...at that time: James and John the son of Zebedee came forward to Jesus and said: teacher we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. And he said to them: what do you want me to do for you? And said to him, grant us to sit at your right hand and one at your left in your glory. But Jesus said to them, you do not know what you are asking.... But, whoever would be great among you shall be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all, for the son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." QUESTION TIME: Why did they asked for just the two of them and not for the ten who were with him? Is it that they were not sure of their faith? Is it fair to presume that, Jesus hasn't done the needful? It’s more of greediness than sceptic .it is more of egotistic interest than genueity. There arise among many questions is, would Jesus have done the way of the flesh? Would Jesus have allowed favoritism to take even-distribution in his judgment? No! The simple view of rivalry so to say, has long being part of us. Take for instance; there is this report of GEJ been humiliated even by the low rank politicians while serving as Deputy Governor under Alamco. He never reacted but, maintains his humble fit. Maybe, years after someone from far away saw that quality in him and elevated him to the highest position in the land. Those who greedily run after positions in our society are doing so to curry favour for themselves. The situation in our society today is far from being real as the same as Jesus Christ. We have been forced to adopt Bishop Kukah theory of 'MYOWNIZATION'. The simple reason why we have to agree that, what we have today is eyes service to the people or oneself. Haven’t those who are to serve us only interested in their pockets? Have they not being throwing banters at us to dazzle with as we keep the blind-folded-ness while they have their ways? If truly lobby is the rightful, must the perceived or marked evil ones scale through at the expense of the downtrodden? The recent Ministerial screening is one of the biggest jokes of the century. The time to ask meaningful question(s) is now. We must all stand against the dreaded evil in our society. The favoritism must stop. The battle against ‘selectivisim’ corruption fight must stop now in our society. THE AFTERMATH: The rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. The ordinary men on the street can't afford to feed on $2 per day while some are eating abundantly. The children of the poor are being shut out of schools because of the unbearable admission charges, acceptance and school fees and hostels accommodation (if any). Then, the less paid-unmotivated lecturers are being forced to force text book on the neck of the students. Then years after graduation and successful youth Corp services, many among the teeming populace still wander about the street. Still, they visit the newspaper stands. Still, browsing the net looking for the jobs that are not there. Those job that might have been shared among the who is who while the sons of the poor men keep writing, applying and attending 'ARANGEE' interviews. Oh, shit! Then, the civil servants who are privy to disappear billions from the government cover through their superiors are being forced to engage in illicit act. They are been subjected to indecent acts even at the expense of their subordinates since the hope of living better after 35years of meritorious services has been dashed. Their predecessor who served whole heartedly is passing through hell. Still, the question time isn't that important in our agenda since we seemed get fit with myownization syndrome. Unless something better is done, the society may remain the same years after now. So far, what we have is eyes service, myownization and who cares syndrome! Abraham Olusegun Adeleye Writes from Okemesi Ekiti

KAYODE FAYEMI AND HIS OUTSTANDING ARTICULACY; YET, SHOULD ELOQUENCE OR ACADEMIC FERVOUR BE USED AS BENCHMARK FOR EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE IN LEADERSHIP?

By Deji Oso

I have dispassionately read with keen interest the diverse opinions rocking the postmortem of Kayode Fayemi’s grill as a Ministerial Nominee at the Senate floor yesterday and I must incontrovertibly admit to his fantastic presentation; although garnished with amplifications of improbable information such as the figures (N30Billion) left behind by Engr. Segun Oni, the Procurement of super-bed worth of N1.5million and so on. Even when history has taught us that leadership sagacity is not a garrulous asperity but a symbolical jingoism; yet, like the Ekiti instructional proverb “omo eni pa buru, omo eni pa suan; omo eni lomo eniise”; therefore, on this note, I think we must give it to JKF, he is our brother and indeed, he did us proud yesterday. Nevertheless, I consider the summary of the revelations being divulged at the instance of Fayemi’s appearance at the Senate floor as very paradoxical upon the queries that had followed hitherto, such as probing into Fayemi’s CV: as a Consultant to many countries/ bodies of reputable organizations, as a prolific researcher and as the architect and chief operator of the illegal radio kudirat that was supposedly operated from an undisclosed burial ground to fight the tyranny of military junta under the Military Interregnum in contrast to a picture of out-of-context policies and vision statements that were pursued by the Jkf-led administration between October 2010 and October 2014 as the Governor of Ekiti State, resulting into high-handedness, misplacement of priorities, wanton wastages at the expense of the common populace; which therefore resulted into his outright rejection by his own people and his consequent failure as palpable in the all round 16-0 defeat at the poll in June, 2014. More importantly, whilst the foregoing had continued to bother my mind, let me ask: - What use is it when you have a Fayemi as Consultant to countries and other international/corporate organizations, yet, fails in his own state as a Governor? - Why should a revered Academic like Dr. Fayemi, who specializes and seemed very versed in Governance, Democratic Studies, Domestic and International Relations fails in adopting suitable, workable and most desirable policies for his people? - What has taken Fayemi this long to tell us about the sum of 30 Billion Naira debt inherited from Segun Oni-led administration and how genuine is this information? - What commonsense or logic does it portend when a Ph.D holder justifies buying a bed worth of N1.5million naira to furnish a cash-embroidered Government House worth of over 30billion Naira when his people languish in abject impoverishment simply because he saw a covetous Government House in Akwa-Ibom and wanted same in his state even when Ekiti and Akwa-Ibom are as far as heaven and earth in terms of proportional income with respect to the Federal Revenue Allocation and IGR; thereby nailing his state to a crucifixion of huge debt of over N86billion? - Do all of these make any sense at all? Without any fear or favour, it would suffice to admit that Dr. John Kayode Fayemi is highly cerebral as a researcher and an Academic Scholar who could have been more efficient and productive in the four walls of the Classroom. Ironically, those singing encomiums for Fayemi on his outing yesterday forgot to note that academic excellence or over-sophistication of eloquence is not a yardstick or precondition for good governance and effective/appreciable performance in Leadership position! I strongly doubt if they realize that there exists a wild margin between theory and practice or between Power and Legitimacy? Nonetheless, I wish Dr. John Kayode Fayemi the very best on his proposed portfolio as the Minister Representing Ekiti State. I wish him and his teeming supporters best of luck! A very good morning to you all. Deji Oso (Mr.) (A Social Crusader and Public Policy Analyst) @adedejioso on twitter

LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

By Abraham Olusegun Adeleye There lived in a village called Ayanmon,a very young boy TEEJEJE. He was from a poor background with rare opportunity of two square meal per day. He wasn't the last in the family but,the one in the middle. He was a toast of friendship due to his ways of life and mixed up. He was duly loved by many. Meanwhile,after his post primary education, all his attempt to further failed. Nonetheless, he never gave up. He eventually found a means of livelihood in a firm where he was earning little though, away from idleness. Many used to make jest of him,owing to his state of being. Still,he remain un- perturbed but, focused.  After a few years in this organization, he took his search further while business in the so called firm wasn't as groove as thought. He almost turned back to the minimum level of daily plea. God willing,Teejeje met a helper afterward. He was enrolled in government payroll through a pensionable job. Fortune suddenly smiled on him. Remember,what life is? He suddenly became toast of the town again. People started seeing him as one of them coz,he now have source of living. Those that abandoned him in the cause of his trial found their way back into his fold.  Lo and behold! Who never can tell what pride means when you suddenly found yourself above board. He started mis-behaving probably unknown to him. Efforts to get him back on his feet by many failed. He was using his new status to oppress some people at every available opportunity. Painful! As time went by. He was to attend an event in Enikan- omeyin(ENIKAN O MEYIN OLA) town. It was such an invitation of necessity. To fulfil all righteousness, he did so along with his friends namely: ORIYOMI,ENI-OLORUN OPA,OLAINUKAN, AND TANIMOLA. All went well. While the party was about being brought to a close,they left. It was a safe sail near their destination before things went otherwise. Fraaa...froooo...gburuuuu....gbuaaa...gbam! That was the exact drama or the car accident that almost turned fatal. Break failure or over-speeding? Not duly ascertained! Narrowly,all on board cheated death though not without wounds. People came to their rescue though,TEEJEJE sustained the highest degree of all. Months down the drain in agony and serious suffering. He lived between life-death before the end call. Before he submited to the cold will of death. He had been abandoned by all. Friends turned to foes. Families were far-miles away. His heart- rob turned to heart-run. The least adjective meant to quantify his experience is dissertation. Between heaven and earth; lessons were learnt not,only by him but,many among the people around him who witnessed all his misadventure and painful end. Its indeed,a pointer note that,we all must live a life worthy of emulation. A life full of passion to loving God. A life full of humility and sense of decorum. Saheed Osupa once sings"TOBAYO KO PANU,KO MA RANKU BONBON,TORI PAYE GBEGE". Whenever fortune smiles on you,maintain some level of decency and decorum in order to live to fight another day. Life is war! Abraham Olusegun Adeleye Writes from Okemesi