The customer is king – the Nigerian parody.

The most vital department or unit of any successful business establishment I believe is the customer relations unit. This unit is there to ensure that the customer is always satisfied and continues to patronize the business. Therefore, to businesses that realize that the consumers are the reason for their being, the saying ‘the customer is king’ is not to be trifled with at all, except in Nigeria.

The population of Nigeria alone translates to economic Eldorado to astute business people. Also and unfortunately, the culture of impunity and anything goes syndrome coupled with the absence of checks and balances on the part of Government creates a breeding ground for all sorts of economic atrocities to go on. The service/goods provider is therefore free to pursue profit at any cost thereby exposing the average Nigerian to all manners of assault on a regular basis in the course of paying for goods/services.

Who do I blame? The normal Nigerian will blame the government. I mean, almost every Nigerian is suffering badgovernmentisalism. This is the disease afflicting the average Nigerian. You pay for goods and services and you are treated like shit on top of all the money you paid for the service or good and it is the fault of the government.

It is amazing what Nigerians accept. Goods and service providers are constantly taking undue advantage of their customers and yet the customers continue to patronize them. To me, it appears Nigerians have been totally emasculated, devoid of the ability to make choices and resigned to constant abuse, rape and all sorts of indignities. It appears the average consumer in Nigeria is a zombie past caring about the treatment meted out by service providers’ et al.

To worsen the situation, the enforcement body in charge of ensuring customer satisfaction does not seem to know the difference between a consumer/customer and a service provider/business. I say this because it appears that in the dictionary of Consumer Protection Council (CPC) which is the body I refer to, the service providers/businesses are the consumers to be protected as they (CPC) stand by and watch customers’ rights being trampled upon and abused with poor service delivery.

My greatest confusion however is not that the CPC is not functioning, this is the norm as far as Nigeria is concerned (let me quickly chirp in here that the wind of positive change is blowing over Nigeria and very soon it will no longer be business as usual) but that the average Nigerian consumer continues to accept such undignified treatment over and over and over ad infinitum again. It is saddening. Maybe the average consumer in Nigeria sees him/herself a beggar, lending weight to the saying that a “beggar has no choice”. Because I am surprised not to see people rebelling such treatment en mass. I am not talking about the occasional protest, but I am talking about people just out rightly saying no to indignity and poor service delivery by boycotting a particular product or business.

It is unfortunate that we the people remain unaware of the power we possess, that we are the reason for the continuing existence of any product or business. That if we decide not to consume a particular product or service that business will fold up. And we allow ourselves to be treated shabbily, cheated out rightly and worse, we still pay to be treated that way.

How many so called customer care line are truly functional? It’s so annoying, it hurts. If the government does fail to protect us the consumer is there nothing we can do about it? I don’t want to believe that Nigeria is populated by people who are defeated, hopeless, helpless, hapless, lifeless, powerless, incapacitated and all other such adjectives, I don’t.

We have the POWER, let’s use it. Let’s say no to poor service delivery by boycotting erring goods/service providers en mass. We are the ones in position to hold them to ransom and not the other way round. Let us be united against such shabby and unprofessional treatment. Let’s not forget that if we choose to ignore it when someone else is maltreated today, it could be us next time around, therefore to ensure that all service providers/businesses at all levels are professional and customer satisfaction oriented in their service delivery, we should as one let them know that they are, because we are.

And thank God for the platform afforded us by internet i.e. the social networks. Do not hesitate to cry foul if exposed to poor service delivery. Put your smart phone to good use if you can, record the scene, do so. Mention the day, date and time and try and get the name of the particular people involved. Feel free to name the business without fear. I am calling out to those who have genuine claims to not keep quiet about it. As many as are bold enough to speak out should be encouraged, we all should lend our voice to theirs. We all have a right to enjoy excellent service delivery therefore a slight to one should be taken as a slight to all.

I am looking forward to the day that we all will refuse to travel due to the excesses of e.g. NURTW (*WINK*)

Remember, they are because we are…

National honors – the Nigerian version

National honors – the Nigerian version

14^th November, 2011, 355 Nigerians were decorated with national honors by the President, himself a GCFR. There have been many that have taken issues with the way and manner and the caliber of people that the award committee chooses for such awards. Some have been known to refuse such honor in light of the many ills still besetting our country.

I want to lend my voice to those who fault the National Awards process as well as the choice of awardees. I want to stand with those who have vehemently declined to accept the awards. Nigeria is a nation that is still held by the jugular by a cabal and they continue to try to portray that all is well.

Thank God for technological advancements so far and for the numerous Reality TV shows that abound. I would have expected the Award committee to take advantage of technology by publishing the names of the nominees and asking Nigerians to vote via SMS, let me leave the result to your imagination. Let me quickly say though, that this is Nigeria oh and anything is possible, who knows the extent to which some people will go just to become an OON. I mean, it is not impossible for someone to pay people to vote for him or her.

That’s by the way o jare, let me ask the award committee a few questions.

1.     Did you care to publish the criteria used for nominations?

2.     Did you care to ask for suggestions from Nigerians?

Let me stop there.

Now to Jonathan, you claim that the award is not given as a result of the position that the awardees hold or held then please explain how IGP Hafiz Ringim came to be on the list. Is it because he is the current Inspector General of Police? If you say the awards are based on a person’s contribution to the nation, can you kindly highlight some of those achievements? Let me supply you a few that readily comes to mind, is the fact that the Force Headquarters of the Police was bombed and Ringim survived the attack that was counted for him as an achievement? Or is that till now, we still do not see an end to the issue of insecurity in Nigeria therefore we reward cluelessness. What high profile case did he solve? Has he unearthed the killers of Bola Ige and co?

To the case of the former Governor of my state Ondo, who stole the mandate of the people and was duly booted out of the office by the court. How did he merit such an award? Oh, I forget. I am guessing his contributions when he was a Deputy Governor and as a Federal minister merited him the honor. Maybe I’m missing something; he may have contributed to the academic field right? Help me out please.

Is it the tears shed on Benin – Ore - Lagos express road by former Minster of Works, road and transport now Minster of Petroleum resources, the longest serving minister so far having served starting from the Time of Obasanjo till date in the person of Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. Is it that she has served for soooooo long that she is being awarded or that she contributed her tears to the blood that have wet the Benin – Ore –Lagos road due to the many accidents and robberies on that stretch of road due to government neglect that she is being awarded. Or is it that our refineries are now fully operational, or the impending oil subsidy removal dangling on our heads?

I can go on, but suffice me to say, the process of nominating people for the National Honors is hugely skewed. A lot of the people being given these awards are not positive role models and such do not deserve such honor. Some of the awardees may be deserving of such honor but I regret to say that the entire process has become laughable among well meaning Nigerians.

In fact, as a general studies question, ask anybody on the street if they know what any of the awardees have done and how the person has affected his or her life, I won’t be surprised if the person you mentioned is not known to them.

I stand with the Late Gani Senior Advocate of the Masses, Prof. Chinua Achebe and Honorable Gbajabiamila. I lend my voice to what they stand for. I lend my voice to a better Nigeria. We should be careful the kind of legacies we leave behind. We should be mindful of how the future will remember us. We should fear God. We are not deceived. We are not blind to your antics. We are not influenced by your gimmicks. There still remains a breed without greed in this nation and we are gathering momentum. It’s a matter of time, and that time is upon us. The time is now…

Money, Money, Money (‘too legit to quit’)

Imagine me doing a part two of my MLM write-up so soon. I am surprised at myself. The thing is, financial independence is cool and it’s not for lazy people. I have heard of people working several jobs just to get by and still they barely meet their needs. Meanwhile so many opportunities abound and yet, most people are just not seizing them. Yes, so many scams abound on the internet but yet so many legit businesses take place on a daily basis. You can always find something that suits you and that does not necessarily interfere with your 9 – 5 job and earn extra income on the side. You can delve into MLM or Network marketing and work your way to financial freedom.

What you need to look out for in MLMs are

1.      For how long has the business been around?

2.      How far has the business grown?

3.      What are the incentives like?

4.      Does the business have a proven track record of delivering on promises?

5.      What are the likely risks that one may face in this line of business? Etc…

If the answer you get to all the above questions plus etc are reassuring, then, it’s best to hit the ground running right away.

On the average, you need to find out all you can before you make any venture as it will be foolish not to. That is the error that most people make and when they get burnt they shy from further venturing. I have heard said that life in itself is a risk which I suppose it means that just blindly sitting down because you need to rest your feet on any given chair is a risk. But I don’t catch a lot people examining whether a chair will carry their weight before sitting down though.

Anyways, back to my campaign, you need to just take time to find out what the MLM outfit has to offer, consider all the possible pros and cons, ask yourself if you can do this and make your decision.

But I know a good reason why some people shy from being involved with MLM, they are simply afraid that they will not be able to influence others to join with them. You see, a vital ingredient for success in MLM is relationships. A lot of people don’t make good friends and are not sure if their friendship is good enough to influence others to follow them. MLM is about influence and followership. This kind of followership is based on trust, and integrity is vital here as well. In MLM, your ability to let others know that you truly care for them is very vital and key. In the past, people that have sold MLM to others that I am aware of have done so from the pedestal of selfishness. A lot of people have been hurt and now don’t want to touch anything MLM even with a long pole. Those early marketers got it wrong, and caused a lot of damage in the process. Meanwhile, those that got it right are still making loads of cash and helping others do same.

A very crucial thing you should note is your prosperity is my prosperity in this line of business. The command of Jesus to “love your neighbor as yourself” Matt22:39 comes into play here. My call out to you to join hands with me on my MLM journey is a call out to you to come and prosper. If you respond to my call and do as I am doing, you will prosper, others will be prosperous through you and I will definitely prosper from your prosperity. As in any business that is self owned, you set the pace of your progress.

I assure you, if you take all this to heart and wish to go along with me on this journey, call me on 2348038194265 or email me on segun.omojola@gmail.com right now and you will not have reason to regret. I have deliberately put it thus to ensure I get only serious people calling me or mailing me. Only those who dare to venture will win the price. If you desire to know more, contact me asap.

Like MC Hammer once sang, as far as this MLM thing is concerned, it’s “too legit to quit” for me…

Let’s go there…

Money, Money, Money (the big break you’ve been waiting for)

I am yet to meet anyone who does not love to have all of his/her needs met with little or no stress. I have read of those who choose to be poor and back it up by taking the vow or oath of poverty. Today’s post will not focus on the latter as they have made their choice. They have decided that poverty is their calling and for them, it should be embraced. These people have chosen not to acquire any riches whatsoever or enjoy any luxury. That is them, their choice and their life.

Now to the former, where the average human being falls on are those who desire to enjoy the good things of life, have their needs met as and when due and be in position to be of assistance to others in need. I belong to a type of this category of people. I say a type because there are those in these category that are doing something to make sure they live their dream, while there are those who just stop at the level of dreaming dreams hoping that one day, the dream will come true through no effort of theirs. Me, I am with the former in this case and not the latter.

I have come across a lot of persons that desire the good life and that is where it ends for them, desire. Work? No, these are not desirous of doing what is necessary to make their dream a reality. These are the worst kind and people should be wary of such. The Bible says categorically that “he who does not work must not eat” (please note that the paraphrase is mine) Apostle Paul said so in 2Thes3:10. It doesn’t matter how easy the work that needs to be done is, they just won’t do it and they want to ride big cars, live in mansions and enjoy the good life. Beats me.

There is the other set of individuals who really desire the big bucks, who are tired of just breaking even and just don’t know how to get out of the rut of living from hand to mouth. They barely make enough to get by not to talk of having savings. These people truly work hard but they are just not getting the commensurate reward.

This blog is addressed to the last set of people I just mentioned above. But first, you need to answer some tough questions. Are you ready to give it what it takes to get what you desire? Because I’m afraid, I have met quite a few of these set of individuals who want the big break but are afraid to commit to pursue risky but viable ideas. They fail to realize that, no venture, no gain. No pain, no gain. They fail to see that the seed determines the harvest. They want to make it big, but are afraid to step out. How can you know if you don’t ask? How can you get if you don’t try?

Now to the crux of the matter, to the piece de resistance like the French will put it as in to my raison d’ecrire( I trust I have murdered French a bit), permit me to welcome you to an old trick afresh. I have just recently discovered the sense in this strategy and the opportunities that abound in this business opportunity. Welcome into my world of Multi-level-Marketing, yes, MLM or Network Marketing like some will say and mine is with an added twist. You need to contact me to find out more though, but I assure, if you know what I know, you will make it big in little or no time. It all boils down to how hungry you are. How passionate you are about changing your present circumstances. How desirous you are of enjoying the good live and affecting others as you do is vital to your success in this line of business or if the opposite is the case for you then it should be how much you abhor poverty, all work for me.

MLM you say! Not again. I have uttered these same words several times back but now, the drumming pattern has changed and so has the song(borrowed from a Yoruba idiom). I am for making it big, yes and working hard and smart to do so. If you are with me on this, call me on 2348038194265, or email segun.omojola@gmail.com right now. Do this, and start on the journey that will lead you to realize your dreams…

Let’s go there…

Sexy issues

I know, this looks like an attempt by me to generate more traffic to my blog through various search engines. Well, you may be right and what is wrong with that any way? I have mentioned in the description of this blog that sometimes, the blog could be a series of questions, so here goes….

I have had reason to post a question on my facebook® wall and I can’t say whether to be surprised that only one person commented. The question was what is the meaning of sexy? Maybe we have not truly overcome our shyness towards anything that has to do with sex.

I have heard a lot of usage of that word that confuses me, sayings like, what a sexy shoe! Wow! That car is sexy – and more. So, how can a car be sexy or a shoe sexy?

According to WordWeb® Sexy means, Marked by or tending to arouse sexual desire or interest. Which begs the question, how can a shoe arouse sexual desire in a person? Or please help me out, my head still swims when I hear that a man finds another man sexy not to talk of saying a car, or shoe or whatever inanimate object is sexy to say the least.

I came across a blog site that really thrilled me and I learnt from there that the brain is the most important sex organ because that is where it all starts. The state of your mind is very critical therefore what you feed your mind with is crucial. You have to learn to err on the path of caution when it comes to feeding your mind. The trend now is going for that hot and sexy look so every fashion accessory is sexy, your car is sexy, your house is sexy is born out of sexually dominated mind. Colored and distorted view of sex which is rampant nowadays is destructive. Negative trending is on the rise and is presented as cool, ahn ahn naaaa that isn’t cool, not cool at all.

The fact that it is grossly glamorized does not make it cool either.

We are in the world but not of the world, says Jesus, we are light and salt. We are to live our lives as examples to win unbelievers to the kingdom of God. We are called to be vigilant and mindful of the little foxes that destroy the vine. We should be wary of the attraction of the world by standing firm and trending ‘The Way’. We are called to be discerning of all things and in all situations. We are called to do so because we have been empowered to do so.

The world view will always be anti-Christ, yes. So if you are Christ’s, the world is against you already. Worry not yourself too much, focus on Christ and you have gained the main thing. After all, no man has ever profited from gaining the world and losing his soul.

My wife is sexy… yes to me she is and that should be all.

If Nigeria must divide…

Several proponents have proposed that the way forward for Nigeria is for the Nation to break-up. For them, this division is simple as it should be along ethnic lines, with ethnic meaning the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria. The Yoruba, the Ibos and the Hausas (I know some people will hala that I put Yoruba first) are the major ethnic groups but in reality, Nigeria contains over 200 different ethnic groups.

I even hear that this breakup is going to happen by the year 2015 as stated in a document emanating from the CIA of America.

Here is what I say to all of that, if Nigeria must divide, it won’t be as simple as some think. A lot of people have been mooting this idea but have not even imagined the complexities involved. The breakup along ethnic lines is based on the assumption that the individual ethnic divisions are united among themselves. People who propound this solution fail to take into cognizance the many years of misrule that the citizens of this Nation have been subjected to. Years of neglect that has brought about an emerging evolution that appears to be unstoppable so far, Self reliance.

Throughout all these years of rape, neglect and abuse by each succeeding Government, the people have learnt to fend for themselves, cater for themselves and lookout for themselves. In reality, each household have since become its own establishment, providing for its security, power, basic amenities, and health care services and so on. In short, each house hold has become its own Government – its own Nation – its own Country. So tell me, if Nigeria must divide, do you still think it is feasible along ethnic lines? I doubt. Nigerians have suffered greatly from misrule and mistrust for any constituted authority is the order of the day.

Therefore, if Nigeria must divide, many Nations will be born and I doubt if Africa and indeed the World is ready to deal with over a hundred and fifty million new presidents. I tell you the truth, once any form of division starts; it won’t stop until all households gain their own independence. If you don’t agree, please visit any building facility that houses more than one family, or visit any given estate in Nigeria and you will find out that even Government at that level is still subject to heavy doses of mistrust. If most Nigerians had their way, like Andrew, they will check out and if any was to try to provide an answer to the late Sonny Okosun’s poser, it will be met with confusion.

I know that a lot of people still think in their hearts that Nigeria should divide and that, that is the only way that rapid growth and development can come to the new Nations thus born. But I beg to disagree, yes, Nigeria was not Nigerians idea. Yes, Nigeria was a creation of British imperialism. But, our heroes past as we sing did not fight for independent Nations, they fought for an Independent Nigeria. If, their labors must not be in vain as we also sing, then Nigeria must continue to be one. Yes, all that have ruled us so far did not get it right. But, it is never so late to pick up the pieces and chart a new course for ourselves as a Nation. We must as a people, determine to forge ahead together putting aside all perceived differences. Yes, I say perceived because those differences are all in the mind. In reality, we have so many things in common far much more than our perceived differences.

Let us focus on all we have in common and let that drive us on to glory together. Now, that is unity, and I believe it is possible, do you?

If you believe with me, drop a comment and share this with your friends…

Happy bofday to me...

I have to write. I have not written for some time now. At least the leisurely writing for my blog. Today, I feel compelled to put something down as today is my birthday. I should put this day down somehow. So many things in my head I want to write about. So many things playing out in the world right now and especially in Nigeria to write about, as in so many talking points. Let me borrow a leaf from my friend Maziyateke and bullet all I have to say. I see that as the only way out now.

Mild irritation, annoyance, anger and rage (on our roads)

The above arrangement is purely my design. The hierarchical positioning of the above emotions is my creation. I have not gotten this ranging from any book of Psychology. These ranges of emotional reactions are brought about by varying experiences of humans and the results equally vary from mild to fatal destruction. Our roads are bad, yes. The government is to blame, yes. Most road users a bad, yes. Who is to blame? The incessant carnages happening on our roads on regular basis are not strictly as a result of the bad roads. A lot more is as a result of bad road users. I wonder what is chasing these people. I hardly understand what they are chasing. Nigerian drivers should try to remain calm irrespective of which of the above emotional disposition that is playing out in their life. The loss of life on our roads is getting astronomical due to the carelessness of our drivers. Haba!!! It is getting too much. Just last week in Ondo state, 32 human beings lost their life to motor accident caused by careless driving, 32 people, just like that. This is one incident Guys, one. How is this, the fault of the government? Or we want to say it’s because the government failed to enforce the proper issuance of driver’s license so, the deaths due to reckless drivers is ultimately the government’s fault. So, bad governance is the cause of the constant loss of lives on our roads. If we are frustrated with our rulers, should we allow it to influence our driving? This is ought to be a full write-up but let me do a to be continued here…

The youth and slothfulness

I know, slothfulness is old English and it means laziness. Don’t go for your dictionary yet. I know a lot of young people will not have even bothered to search for the meaning of slothfulness so I have said it, it means laziness plain and simple. Men, most young people of nowadays are so lazy… it is disheartening and will they listen? No. I guess, it’s the fault of the government too. The youth cannot be engaged except the government engages them or sorry, engages their parents. I mean, because of the government, the parents are poor and are not able to cater for their children and on and on it goes. All is blamed on the government. My Nigeria people, the government are our bane. Every evil that has ever and will ever befall us as a Nation is the government. None of it is our fault, as in we the people. Blame it all on the government oh. As if the government foist themselves on us. Where is the saying that goes, you can only take the horse to the river but you can’t force it to drink water? Are we completely helpless? Should I say, hopelessly helpless? Let us work to throw off every iota of slothfulness/laziness. Abeg… as if we don’t have a choice. As if we don’t make decisions daily. As if we don’t choose to do or not do all of the time. Imagine some people blaming the government for the young people that are now embracing terrorism. As if the ability to be violent is restricted to only a few. As in it’s only a select few that have the monopoly of violence right? As if we all are not exposed to the same frustrations. As if there are people that are immune to problems. Abeg…

Terrorism

I have said enough already. Check out my other blog on terrorism.

My bofday

Men, we ate rice and drank water. Had fun reading all my wall posts on FB. Men I feel loved. I thank God for family and friends, all your words of encouragement and prayers are overwhelming. I mean, the power of love is not destructive if not my FB page should have crashed with the load of messages from family and friends. With you I know I am blessed. I am glad I have you in my life. I thank you all that contributed to the beauty of today. I am honored.

Thank you, danke, merci, nagode, e se, imela nu, spassiba, obrigado, gracias, ngyabonga etc… first to God and next to you all.

Happy bofday to me and many happy returns