Beware of excuses from your mind

                              By Bayo Ogunmupe

     The human mind is wonderful. It is also a good liar and excuse machine that frequently convinces us not to take actions that are beneficial to us. This ultimately prevents many successes in our lives. Our mind does this because it wants comfort. The mind is afraid of discomfort, pressure and change. When the mind is in its comfort zone, anytime we try to stretch that zone too far, for too long, the mind desperately tries to get back to ground zero at any cost. This way it sacrifices our long term good health, happiness and success. So, here are three of the mind's most regretful deceptions and excuses that deter our progress.

     One, "They can do it, but that  doesn't apply to me because they are better than me." That means just because someone else can, doesn't mean you can? Here your mind is looking for excuses why you cannot compete with another person. Inferiority complex you say? You then attribute his success to being an internet guru or because he has no kids to tend like you. That is absolute balderdash, you are cowering into your comfort zone. Okay, but it is easy to find excuses: but look at all the other people who have considerable obstacles too but who've done it. There are stories of people who have reinvented themselves at odd ages- 50 year olds starting families, 71 year olds starting successful businesses and so forth. Obstacles are to be overcome.

     Two, "Life is meant to be easy and enjoyed." Certainly that is plausible, but the problem is that the idea that life should always be easy and enjoyed is a justification for laziness and immaturity. You might as well sit on the couch and scarf down those potato chips, because life was meant to be easy and enjoyed. You can give up much comfort in your life and not lose a thing. In fact the path of least resistance is often the path of least reward. Success isn't cheap, if it is so everyone will be rich. There are no short cuts to greatness. As the Nobel laureate and the greatest physicist of all time Albert Einstein once said, "Genius is one percent talent and 99 percent hard work." You must run to be an award winning Olympian. You must write to be a writer. You must work assiduously on a venture to learn how to run a successful business. There is no substitute doing the work. So imbibe the affirmation, "Life is only worth the work you put into it."

     Three, "I can do it later." That is procrastination, but procrastination is the thief of time. Why should your later self be more disciplined than now? This culture of procrastination promotes indiscipline. So today, stop making excuses as to why you cannot get your work done on schedule. Start focusing on reasons why you must make things happen immediately. Stop thinking on what you are going to do, do it now. Whatsoever thou desires to do, do it immediately. Reserve not to the evening what the morning can do. That is a rendering of a Rosicrucian aphorism from 'On to thee I grant', by Dr Spencer Lewis. Great things in life don't happen by chance, they happen by design. You never know what's possible until you risk finding out. In the end, the only thing that will make  you fail to achieve your dream is your failure to take action today.

Is Buhari dissimulating?

Not unlike many other observers of contemporary events in Nigeria, I had presumed that the conversation on whether or not Nigeria’s architecture needs restructuring has been laid to rest when President Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) committee on the sensitive matter returned a verdict in support of restructuring, until recently when Aso Rock hosted a group of Delta State traditional rulers. Buhari was reported to have told his royal guests that those calling for restructuring of the country are parochial(!) While still trying to figure out what that unexpected pronouncement might come to mean, let us recall that even though Candidate Buhari had in 2015 made a great play of the fact that APC’s Manifesto accords priority to restructuring, President Buhari, with equal measure, pretended to be ignorant of the contents of selfsame Manifesto on which he had ran for office. Buhari’s benumbing pretence only succeeded in heightening the nationwide call for restructuring.

Pressed to pay appropriate attention to the inevitable matter, and perhaps acting with an eye on 2019, Buhari hurriedly set up the APC committee which pronounced in favour of restructuring. It would also be recalled that in receiving the committee’s report, Buhari assured Nigerians that the report will be diligently implemented. What then informed the implied change of heart in Buhari’s recent surprise statement on the issue? Has Buhari been dissimulating on the matter the while? Is consummate dissimulation an essential trait in the Daura born general? We shall return to these questions presently.

Now, in adjudging the calls for restructuring parochial, Buhari was also reported to have invoked the time-worn excuse that those calls are not focused – restructuring means different things to different people, etc. That excuse is nothing short of being economic with the facts. No national conversation in decades has been more focused than the calls for political restructuring of Nigeria. And no national conversation has been more substantiated by history. That need to restructure Nigeria became evident no sooner than the conclusion of the 1967-70 Civil War. The creation of 12 states from the post-independence 4 regions (Eastern; Midwestern; Northern; and Western) at the start of war in 1967, was targeted at strategically breaking the backbone of the Eastern region which had just seceded from Nigeria. Though the jury is still out on how the decision contributed to the Civil War efforts, but it smacks of inverted logic to observe that the solution to a country’s unity would be sought by breaking it up. What is more troubling was that successive federal governments since 1970 to the late 1990s seemed to have looked to states creation as a ready political masterstroke. As a consequence Nigeria grew from 12 states to 36 states in less than 30 years. The petro-dollars that accrued to the national coffers in those years completely blinded the respective leaderships of the country to the critical need to make economic viability a basis for states creation. Funding of state governments thus became the sole responsibility of the federal government – a novel concept in Nigeria’s financial management since 1967. But the equally blinding gales of petroleum oil gluts at the turn of the century ruthlessly exposed the rump of the mother hen. Today, 20-odd of the 36 states have been officially declared non-economically viable. As they say, the rest is now history.

It is also now history that the calls for politico-economic restructuring of Nigeria is unwavering focused on both economic viability and financial autonomy. Furthermore, it was observed that the resultant dependence-orientation in the states and the appropriation of mineral rights by the federal government have negatively impacted the entrepreneurial inclination of the states. This is reflected in Nigeria’s virtually stagnant Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of approximately $400.00 for decades – a mere fraction of those of many less-endowed countries than Nigeria. This unacceptably low figure indicates that the bulk of the citizenry does not actively participate in adding value to the economy. All of these constitute the essential argument for restructuring. Restructuring strictly defined, is a call for the reversal of the experimental decision to break up the 4 regions into smaller states in mid-1967. That experiment was decidedly not properly thought through; this was to be expected in a war-induced emergency.

But the Civil War lapsed over half a century ago; it’s time for reason to hold sway. The call for restructuring eminently qualifies to be classified as a voice of reason. Virtually every leading Nigerian patriot has lent their weight on the side of restructuring the country – the 2014 National Conference provides the proof. So why is Buhari apparently feet-dragging of the matter, even in the light of compelling reason? Could that well-known spirit of dissimulation that has wreaked havoc on Project Nigeria since the First republic, presently playing a wicked trick on Buhari’s mind in the Fourth republic? Recall that the first indigenous federal government was formed by a coalition of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons, (NCNC) and the Northern Peoples Congress, (NPC), with the understanding that the NCNC would produce the prime minister; but NPC’s dissimulation introduced a crack in the coalition that prematurely terminated that republic. Following the partially successful January 1966 coup d’etat, Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi in Lagos, and Chukwuma Nzeokwu in Kaduna had reached an understanding, with Yakubu Gowon and Olusegun Obasanjo among others present at the Lagos end, on how to move the country forward. But Aguiyi-Ironsi’s apparent dissimulation got the better of that agreement. Nzeokwu went from wielding the command of one half of the country to being Aguiyi-Ironsi’s prisoner within minutes of arriving in Lagos. (Yet some persons insist on propagating the fallacy of an Igbo January 1966 coup d’etat) Aguiyi-Ironsi was overthrown six months after.

In 1975 Gowon dissimulated on his pledge to handover power to civil authorities. He was forced from office few weeks after. Ushering in the Second republic in 1979 Obasanjo would cover his own dissimulation with the sophistry of arithmetic (two-thirds of 19). The Second republic barely lasted one term. Ibrahim Babangida didn’t spare a thought for sophistication in his own dissimulation in bringing forth the Third republic. He shamelessly annulled the June 12^th 1993 “free and fair” election even with the international community looking on. Sani Abacha was to borrow a leaf from his mentor; he dissimulated on his late-1993 promise to MKO Abiola’s fellow Social Democratic Party (SDP) stalwarts – he never handed over power to SDP. The infamous Third-term bid was another version of Obasanjo’s sophisticated dissimulation. Unusual presidential humility compelled the former shoe-less Otuoke boy to break that cycle of dissimulation in 2015.

Is Jonathan’s successor now making to resume that cycle of destabilizing dissimulation in 2018? Incidentally, Buhari’s latest vacillation on the topical matter of restructuring lends a measure of credence to my recent suggestion (The Guardian, June 13^th, 2018) that the taciturn general could end up in history as a curious quantity. This brings us back to the earlier set of three questions; but before we attempt to proffer answers to them I should suggest we ponder the reported words of a man who ought to have an inkling of the right answers, the veteran journalist-turned-politician, Segun Osoba: “Nigeria was built on deception and corruption; restructuring is the only way to make progress…”

Hopefully, Buhari would eventually command the presence of mind to heed the voice of reason on Nigeria’s political restructuring.

Afam Nkemdiche is an engineering consultant; June, 2018                      

Pathways to effective entrepreneurship

A review by Bayo Ogunmupe

     This book is titled: Pathways to Effective Entrepreneurship, a guide to successful business. It is the first business manual from Chukwudi Sunday Nwosu, a great entrepreneur who studied both business administration and business management. He merged the two technologies in his book. Pathways for short, is a huge paperback with 509 pages, four parts, 18 chapters, 13 pages of references and 13 pages of indices. First published in 2015 by Guzman Nigeria Limited, Pathways is an inimitable guide to successful business entrepreneurship. It is a practical manual and useful resource that is invaluable in assisting small business owners.

     The book encompasses the fundamentals of building a successful business enterprise. It is an invaluable companion to budding entrepreneurs, businessmen, researchers, professional bodies and non governmental organizations. Embedded in this volume are policies, strategies and drafts connected with starting and managing companies. Entrepreneurs and businessmen in need of capital, chief executives of ongoing firms looking for capital are well advised to buy copies of this book for their own success and survival. The strength of the book is its ability to furnish its readers with information with which to implement strategies and get identifiable results whether in a new business or the old ones.

     Pathways addresses the gap in the provision of both tested professional and practical knowledge needed by business owners. It is compilation of research results on contemporary entrepreneurship. Part one covers: how to understand and undertake entrepreneurship. Here, two chapters are devoted to the theory and practice of entrepreneurship. Part two has eight chapters. Part three treats organic business functions; it has five chapters. In addressing part one, we shall be dealing with the concepts and differences between the entrepreneur and the manager. Nwosu also traces the historical development of entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

     In part two, featuring the activities of entrepreneurs; forms of business organizations, opportunities in startups, the business plan and the internal and external sources of funding for the enterprise. Here, Nwosu enumerates capitalization of the company, the memorandum of association; sole proprietorship, types of partnership and the business name. Another issue strongly recommended by the author is the principles upon which companies are established. Thus, the differences between companies and cooperatives are analysed. He shows the sources of capital for cooperatives and the advantages of cooperatives over profit oriented companies.

     For part three, the organic functions of business is explained. Part three spans chapter nine through chapter 11, ending at chapter 13. Within these chapters, the art and science of management were analyzed. Operations management was treated extensively in chapter 10. Also minded were the fundamentals of marketing. Product concept, product life cycle and branding were the products of research by economists highlighted by the author. Packaging and its role was given prominence in the array of skills which make businesses thrive.

     In Pathways fourth and final part, covering chapters 14 to 18, Nwosu enunciates the modalities with which entrepreneurs develop and apply modern technology to gain success and profit. He discussed at length why businesses fail, demonstrating how the Nigerian environment, the role of regulatory agencies inhibit business enterprises. Without any fear of contradiction, one might suggest: The Roadmap for the diversification of the Nigerian Economy in the Age of Sustainable development goals, as another title for Pathways. This is the prism we expect every tier of government in Nigeria and the private sector to view this priceless book.

     In concluding this review, I feel constrained to revisit the definition of the term: entrepreneur. Behind any innovative business must be an entrepreneur, a person possessing foresight, boldness and creative verve. The term: entrepreneur was first brought into prominence by the 18th century French economist Richard Cantillon. According to Cantillon, entrepreneurs are non fixed income earners with uncertain incomes. Shortly after, the French economist Jean Say added that entrepreneurs had to be leaders. Say (1803) defined an entrepreneur as an economic agent who unites all the means of production: land, labour and capital to produce a product. 

     By selling the product in the market, he pays rent for the land, wages to labour, interest on capital and what remains is his profit. An entrepreneur shifts economic resources out of an area of low productivity into one with higher productivity and greater yield. He redeploys people, material and money and coordinates processes necessary for efficient  large scale industrial and trade development. Hence, an entrepreneur is one who brings other people together in order to build a single productive organism. Which is why this book is capable of making its reader a successful entrepreneur.

     The author, Chukwudi Sunday Nwosu holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's in management. He is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Administration and member, Institute of Certified Professional managers. He has the practical experience of working in newspaper production; having worked at The Guardian and Vanguard newspapers. And apart from being a self made entrepreneur, Nwosu is a member of the Gospel Business Men's Fellowship and president of Men's Ministries Fellowship Assemblies of God Church, Lagos. Nwosu is  married to Blessing and  are blessed with children.

Art of Audacious journalism

        By Bayo Ogunmupe

    The book: Audacious Journalism, its art, style and depth is written by Anietie Usen. It is a breathtaking story of Nigeria, told humorously by an eyewitness. This big paperback volume was published this year 2018 by Parresia Publishers, Ikeja. Lagos, Nigeria.  The book is designed well, coming from the perspectives of a field artist who lived his life for thirty years in a crusty, sparsely furnished room of rookie reporters in Lagos, Nigeria. The book's author however, moved quickly from the jungle of scary wars onto the comfort of the boardroom in middle age.

    Anietie Usen has been able to craft a massive book with 710 pages, an index of two pages and a foreword by Des Wilson, a professor of mass communications. Audacious Journalism is in seven parts. The stories are grouped as those on Nigeria, his columns, on Africa and America. Other stories are on the world, his interviews and the sports reports. The section on Nigeria has the largest contribution. This first section hosts 42 chapters, starting with Usen's baptism of fire at Newswatch magazine and closing with 'Back from the brink' a description of the maiden speech of Nigeria's head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar. Section two contains his columns; hosting 19 articles. Africa has eleven chapters, America: six; the world: seven; interviews: five and sports: three.

    These hundred long stories reflect both his eclectic interests and various journalism beats. By its title the book seeks to serve as a guide for entertainment, education as well as playing the role of a sourcebook of journalism practice. Which is why mass communication students can learn from its contents, the art, science, style and in-depth news gathering and analysis. Thus, this book provides valuable information and entertainment as a sub sector of mass communication. The Prison in Hell is an article offering much information on the state of our prisons. i shall analyze it for the reader to have a taste of Anietie"s pudding.

    The prisoner died just before lunch. A plate of pottage kept at the foot of his hospital bed was covered with flies. His sore mouth and sunken eyes  were closed. The rusty iron that fettered  him to the bed had left his ankle badly bruised. One could count the number of his ribs. He had the ugly look of a drought victim. The doctor's report simply said Muazu Mohammed prisoner No 1519/86 of Kano Central Prison, died of acute malnutrition. Life in a Nigerian prison is hard, inhuman and cruel. Only this month the newspapers reported an official of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre saying 12 million Nigerian children have grown stunted owing to malnutrition this year.

    Even in the case Mohammed, he was not sentenced to death. He was just one of the 46 inmates in Kano state who died that time as a result of bad conditions of life in the state. Many more died of pneumonia, sclerosis of the liver, tuberculosis and meningitis. Another case was Saminu Lawal, who had survived three years in detention without trial could not survive another day to prove his innocence. When an Ilorin magistrate called his case the next morning, Jimoh Ishola, a warder stood up instead. "My Lord," he said,"Lawal died last night and his body has been taken to the mortuary." These stories show the state of the Nigerian nation in the second half of the 20th century. This condition has shown why Nigerians don't live long.

    In contrast, A Prison to Desire is the title of the next article I am reviewing. Unlike the Kano prison, this is in Cardiff, United Kingdom. A smooth narrow road ends abruptly at the foot of a brick wall. The huge remote controlled glass door slid open to admit Newswatch to her Majesty's prison. hardly any black man was in sight except then author, Usen. The English spoken there is strangely laden with an accented intonation, akin to what the evangelicals call speaking in tongues. there, some 486 inmates are locked up in three blocks of three storeys built in 1884. In the visitors' hall, about 50 of the inmates sat opposite their relatives across a row of five long tables, trying to say as much as they could within the 30 minutes permitted each prisoner.

    More than 200 were in the workshops, busy with their handicraft. Another hundred were sitting or lying on lush lawns enjoying their hour-long break. Inside their three-by-five metre rooms, some prisoners sat on their beds, smoking. Their walls were covered with pornographic pictures. There were two beds a small table and a locker squeezed into the room, leaving a narrow passage between the two convicts. The room was designed for one convict. But now some of the rooms even accommodate three convicts. Mathematically, that is 200 percent overcrowding.

    The prison governor, Alan Rawson was ready with explanations. "A degree of overcrowding is expected in a prison like this because we keep short term prisoners not exceeding 12 months. Virtually all British prisons of this kind are overcrowded," he said. Of the 486 inmates, 152 were non-convicts awaiting trial. Non-convicts in Cardiff however, do not await trial for nine years as in Nigeria's Ikoyi prison. They are taken to court every seven days until their cases are disposed of. The Prison governor told Newswatch that Cardiff prison alone services 26 magistrates and three Crown courts. Such is the content of Audacious Journalism. The stories are told incisively and humorously, captured so dramatically in snippets of well crafted and stylish prose.

    Originally published as newspaper articles, this book is a treasure trove of information you need to read as students, teachers or practising journalists. Its author is an award winning journalist and technocrat Anietie Usen is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, Oxford Business School, Manchester Business School and the University of Calabar. As a pioneer reporter at Newswatch, Usen rose to become the general editor. Later, he became an Editorial Board member of Thisday as well as Editor at Large of Africa Toiday magazine, London. Currently, he is the Commercial and Industrial development director, Niger Delta Development Commission, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Methods of getting ahead in life

                              By Bayo Ogunmupe

     If there is only one life changing principle you need to stick to, it is this: Know thyself; be honest with yourself. In the last few months, I have been taxing myself with uncomfortable questions that demand answers which force me out of my comfort zone. To get myself back on track, I've had to answer some honest questions which helped me find the light in my darkest days. These questions are: Granted that life is what you desire from it, what do I want from life? What is it that is weighing me down that I don't actually need in my journey? What is it that  I already know which will immediately improve my life? And finally how can I respect myself through sticking to my goals and objectives?

     For the ambitious, these questions provide the introspection and self discovery necessary to face the nuggets of truth that can jumpstart you from your comfort zone and get you back to where you ought to be. Question one: What the hell do I want from life? The solution starts from answering this question correctly. Forget every thing for a moment- your family, your club, your world- and think of what you want, with nothing else involved. We are all in search for an alignment; an alignment of what we want to be and what we are actually are. And the further away these two realities are from your goal, the less contented you are with your life.

     Admit to yourself what you really want in life, even if no one else would agree that it is the right choice for you. But at the end of the day you are the one to suffer the odium of the situation. Your decision should be made to satisfy your existence, not another person's. Second, what baggage is holding you back that you don't need in your life? Your courage to say no, is all you need to propel you forward. A no at the right time can refocus your life, such a moment will redefine what you stand for and what you will accomplish. Many of us are convinced that life is long and that there are abundant opportunities in the world to do what we want. But this is wrong.

     The more time you waste saying yes to every bulishit, the less time you have to accomplish what you love, what you want and what you need. Saying no isn't a crime. If you feel certain career choices are contributing to your regression, instead of growth; then you must say no next time you pick up the phone to answer your interlocutors. Three: What do I already know that will immediately improve my life? This question also forces you to reevaluate the life you are currently living. But instead of focusing on external factors holding you back; this addresses the internal wall that are stopping you from reaching  your potential. If you are not the person you want to be, some if not most of the blame belongs to you.

     The guidebook to the El Dorado you want in your life should always be in your head already. You just need to open it and read and follow its direction. Finally, how can I respect myself more today? The answer to this all important question is simple.You must respect yourself enough to make yourself a better person. If you respect yourself, you will protect your body harm, from injury and humiliation. If you respect yourself, you will take decisions with your own perseverance and long term happiness in view. Therefore from today, start honoring yourself, start respecting yourself. From now on start protecting the dignity that you deserve. Those changes will eventually convince you that you are better than yourself you saw in the mirror yesterday. And that you are worthy of the ideal version of you that lives in your head. Start boosting your self esteem by defending your dignity from today. May God go with you.

The tragedy of Sight without Vision

                              By Bayo Ogunmupe

     Helen Keller (1880-1968) was a blind and deaf American author and educator who rose to world fame as a defender of the disabled. I love this popular quote from her: "The only thing worse than being blind, is having sight but no vision." Having a vision in life is so important and writing it down is just as crucial. Which is why you should write out your vision and make it clear so you can see it. This is why a Personal Vision Slate is a great tool for your greatness in life. The Personal Vision Slate is a cardboard where you write down your dreams and visions  and watch them become reality.

     You might have heard what the great motivator, Zig Ziglar said: "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time." Then think about this in relation to what you want in life, your financial freedom, your health and romance. Ask yourself what you are aiming at in life. Most people never get what they want out their lives because  they don't really know what they want from life. They just wander aimlessly through life until they settle on something that seems nice to them. But when they get bored, they start wandering again. One thing is certain, though; they never get what they want and if they ever do, they usually don't keep it for long.

     If you want to avoid being one of these wanderlusts; here is where you need to start from. This is why you need a cardboard depicting your vision: your Personal Vision Slate. The most significant motivation behind your consistent actions is your subconscious mind. This is because your subconscious controls your emotional drives. You should know that your behaviour is influenced by the thoughts which carry the strongest emotional charge. Thus, this is why it is important for you to harness the power of your subconscious to fuel your passion and pursue what you really want. A Personal Vision Slate is a most powerful tool for doing this. It provides you with the  powerful visual stimuli that plant seeds in your subconscious that are consistent with what you want.

     It is very easy to create your Personal Vision Slate (PVS). All you need is a cardboard a few pictures of things you want in your life: the type of house you want; the kind of personality you want to built and the kind of partner you want to attract to yourself. By creating this dream board and hanging it where you can see it everyday, you awaken and replicate these desires in your subconscious. These desires will propel the actions that will help you gain what you want. In case you are skeptical about this, just think of how much money companies spend on advertising which use colours, shapes, words and images to provoke the responses needed from the people.

     Considering the astronomical amount of consumer debt in most nations, you can see just how influential advertising it. But what if you could create your own advertisement which you could use to sell yourself your own dreams. This is exactly what you are doing when you create your own dream slate. This policy works. That is why every where you go you are bombarded with advertisements created by people trying to get you spend your time and money to enable them build their dreams. You cannot escape these messages, your only line of defence is to create your own advertising campaign. To join the league of winners, you must make the voice and vision of your dreams the loudest and clearest in your life.

      It comes down to making a choice: You either make a proactive effort to build up your own dreams or you become slaves of the dreams of others. Life is too short to build the dreams of others. Therefore the first thing that you need to do is to wait no longer but start creating your dream slate today and hang it by the door of your wardrobe where you will see it daily while dressing for work.

Overcoming the limitations of life

                             By Bayo Ogunmupe

     "Overcoming the limitations of life," was the theme of a public lecture by the Lagos Zone, the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC a fortnight ago. It attracted hundreds of people particularly the academia and self employed intellectuals. Given at the Isis Lodge, Ilupeju; the lecture was preceded by the introduction of the Order and a welcome address by the event's chairman, Johnson Ikube. The Ancient  and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) was introduced as a philosophical, cultural and humanitarian organization dedicated to the study and investigation of natural and spiritual laws and their application for the attainment of human health, happiness and peace.

     The Order worldwide is now 3,371 years old in its recorded history. In Nigeria it is 85 years old. It has been established in more than a hundred countries of the world. The AMORC is a school of life open to both men and women of all religions, nationalities, vocations, professions, races and cultures. In his keynote address, the chief executive of Ikube Online Services, Mr Ikube titled it as Towards greater alignment of our national priorities. He said as human beings, we have common needs even when we have different aspirations and wants. We all must learn how to transform the challenges in our lives for better living in a challenging world. He then introduced the guest lecturer of the day as Ekanem Kofi-Ekanem a renowned architect and the Grand Councillor, the Cross River State chapter of AMORC.

     Continuing his keynote address, Mr Ikube said that in the realities of our modern world, a nation must first and foremost rest squarely on its economy. The polity should be an enabler not the driver of the economy. That was partly what made the early days of our nation progressive: autonomous regions and a dependent centre. "We must rework our priorities such that we truly become a nation driven by our economy." He believes we are currently driven more by the politicians rather than by our economy. The political players of our six geopolitical zones are playing politics to the detriment of the economy. He said the zones should be renamed economic zones focusing on growing their economies. Then, the states would be more appropriately aligned to add more value to their zones.

     "We are plagued by a Nigeria where many receive money without producing anything or rendering service for the progress of the economy." Ikube said we should detach religion from governance, embrace spirituality which unites while the religions divide. He said election officials should recuse themselves from overseeing elections. He said modernity demands the election of leaders that understand intricately connected variables which is why we must elect people with appropriate education and tract record of service.

     In the main lecture, Mr Ekanem enunciated the Rosicrucian concept of 'All is law; all is Order. What exists, exists for a purpose. Learn the law and you will be rewarded by knowing how to use it.' He said the two limitations which affect us are: time and space. In our perception, time and space limit every aspect of our lives, intruding into our every working moment. This causes us to think in certain ways. But it isn't time and space that limit us but our attitude. Our attitude creates us a habit. The habit establishes a pattern. With constant repetition, patterns become fixed, making us prisoners.

     So habits established by time and space rule us and put up bars where there really aren't any. Thus, this realization marks the Rosicrucian instruction on how to grow beyond all our limitations through expanding our Consciousness. Perceived limitations which affect men include obstacles of birth, education, ill-health and wrong business activities. This perception builds fences around our best endeavors and cut us off from opportunities which would otherwise be ours. A Rosicrucian law states: Man cannot rise above his consciousness. It is not the limitations then that hold us back.Rather it is our inability to recognize them and thereby raise our consciousness above them.

     Consciousness in man is the inner, intuitive understanding of his own being as  well as his relationship with other beings and the principles of the universe. You raise your consciousness through life long learning and experimenting. Our consciousness determines the world in which we live. Our limitations will change when our consciousness of them changes. Your raised consciousness begins to change the manner of your sowing. And that immediately affects a change in the harvest you reap.