How well do you know your domestic staff?

House helps, nannies, drivers, home tutors, etc. are increasingly becoming part of our extended families, engaging in roles traditionally carried out by parents and guardians. This is largely because these days, we spend more time away from our homes pursuing careers and other business endeavors to meet growing economic demands, or attending to socio-cultural and religious obligations. How well do we know this group of persons who sometimes enjoy unrestricted access in our homes and may quite often, stumble upon very confidential information like our bank statements lying around or our phone conversations at home or while being driven? Were they properly vetted before we got them onboard? Are they victims of forced labour or child trafficking? Are they members of a larger criminal syndicate?

Appreciating that these persons probably know more about us than we do about them is the first step in reducing our exposures. Taking proactive measures to enhance our personal security and that of our families is the next. The following may be helpful;

·         Carry out a thorough background check on all prospective and existing domestic workers – keep copies of their pictures and personal information, cross check their references and contact their former employers. There are specialized agencies including the police that carry out such checks for a reasonable fee.

·         It is strongly advised you request for a medical report from them or arrange for one to be conducted prior to employment. This will ensure full disclosure of any pre-existing health conditions and guard your family against the possibility of communicable diseases. Periodic checks are also important.

·         As much as possible, observe the kind of company they keep and what they do while you are away - consider using cost effective technological solutions like basic CCTV which may be monitored from remote locations or simply asking a neighbor to keep an eye on them.

·         Avoid sending drivers or other domestic staff to carry out significant financial transactions for you.

·         Save those sensitive discussions and phone conversation for another time - not while being driven.

·         Ensure that they know no more than is essentially required for them to effectively carry out their assigned functions.

·         Be suspicious, if you are unsure about anything do not assume. Ask them questions and demand explanations when in doubt.

·         If travelling, arrange for a relative or trusted person to either move in to the house to supervise them or carry out periodic checks on the home. Alternatively, you may choose to give them some time off during such periods.

·         Above all, be sensitive and do not exploit them. Treat them decently – decent pay, living conditions, time off, etc. This often makes a difference in how they will treat you too.

Domestic workers have been found complicit in providing personal information that aided criminals in burglary and kidnap for ransom.

 _________________________________________________________________________________

Being text of corporate security communication shared with employees of a multi-national company with offices in Nigeria.

How Not To Sell Economic Reforms

Everyone knows our nation is at a point where important decisions have to be made on instituting reforms, in key sectors of the economy and polity. As you know, these things come with some hardship. That being said, if well thought through and implemented, the chances of it ending in a win-win for all is greatly increased.  I believe leadership is the single most important factor in pushing and sustaining reforms. 

Permit me to use the fuel subsidy removal attempt by the previous administration as a case study, while introducing you to the model shown in the inset picture. 

It has always been my conclusion from the early days that President Jonathan and his team did not manage the fuel subsidy removal initiative well. They did not communicate the problem properly; neither did they effectively sell the vision to Nigerians. Rather they premised the move on their inability to curb sabotage and fraud. This immediately created a weak position for negotiating with the citizens. A leader should be seen as a protector and not one who runs from problems or cabals.

And eventually it was the house of assembly that came to their aid by carrying out a public enquiry. Even after the president initiated his own investigation, he never acted on the findings. Also, he refused to properly prosecute and punish any of the indicted persons and corporate entities. Rather, he admitted one of the chief offenders into his political fold and used him as an instrument for his re-election campaign - TAN.

Another area where he failed was in selling the belt tightening that should have come with the subsidy removal. He showed poor example in ordering a new private jet into the presidential fleet of almost ten, while continuing to rack up N1B Naira budgets for food and N300M for kitchen upgrades annually. Also, he protected a minister, who had allegedly spent billions of Naira on private jet charter, from probe. At the end of the day, the subsidy removal and other belt tightening reforms failed because of leadership that was not exemplary and that showed no commitment or resilience.

Nigerians were never inspired to sacrifice. 

We hope that this new administration will immediately take the bull by the horns and use its immense goodwill in acting, by selling and instituting reforms that will stem the tide of inherited rot and turn this economy around for the good of the Nigerian people. 

SAN

‪#‎CaptiveExpert‬

A very qualified individual, with global professional credentials and first world work experience, hired by third world governments with the main purpose of rubbing off their credibility on the regime without necessarily being allowed to make bold and sustainable changes. 

The captive expert is often used as a spokesperson to the world, whenever there is potential for great embarrassment to the third world regime. Resignation is seen as a sign of the government's failure or impending doom, so this is vehemently discouraged by the regime. As the captive expert is, more often than not, likely to be compromised, secret service organizations keep a dossier on their activities. If needed, these dossiers become resources through which a forcing of hand can be easily achieved... 

Know one such person? Tell us in the comments.

SAN 

Petitioning Petty Hate

Too many sickos around. Too many. These are individuals and all kinds of groups and movements. They threaten everyone from dead grandparents to whole tribes of people. Some fighting their parents' generational battles and others starting imaginary ones. They are everywhere...from FB to Nairaland and Twitter. They come in all hues and speak all kinds of tongues, including yours and mine. Some motivated by politics and economic sustenance while others are driven by corporate/communal ego. Why amplify them by forming a lynch mob against them? I just ignore them because they're mostly insignificant. What is achieved by putting down a hater with no influence when we have those with clout,  following and weapons, making hate speeches and threatening the whole country all over YouTube and on televised interviews?

SAN

Boycott SA?

Argh! It is going to hurt. There was never a question as to my favourite holiday country. In the pix below is the famous trio of Table Mountain, Lion head and Signal Hill down yonder.

Smiling face says "Sir, we apologise for delaying your check-in. However we will make it up to you. You've got the best room in the hotel".
Was too tired to appreciate those words. Just wanted to do dinner, draw enough of my 12 year old Scottish elixir to knock me into much needed sleep.
I wake up late in the morning, pull the blinds on the full wall window and voila! The Mother City's  most prized assets on full display. A sight to behold even in the hazy weather of their June winter season. Been there done that...but this was different. Siya was def going to get a good tip at checkout.

The evening belonged to Long street. Full of Cafes and lounges...HIt Chez Nthemba and thank me later. Still have the Wine and Garden Route drives on my bucket list...but alas! This #Xenophobia of a thing kwanu!

As Nolu P puts it,The Republic of Cape Town is different...they love everybody. I suppose so...with Rainbows everywhere...what can I say.
But now I'm not so sure. There's too much savage imagery in this head of mine. The sour taste of complicity right at the top is just too strong to expunge...that lack of interest from Zuma...the laughing policeman...Too many hateful scenes stored in my RAM. Emmanuel Sithole, knifed and bleeding to death in a Township gutter while his neighbours watched.  A gaping hole left in my heart.
It reminds me of how I felt after #BuniYadi...but its different. Too many acquiescing onlookers.

I hope I heal. I hope they change. I still love SA, but...

Please end the #Xenophobia and #Afriphobia. A #XenophobicSA will only hurt you in the end.

Post Election Trauma Syndrome (P.E.T.S)

Stages of P.E.T.S

This post is about the outcome of the 2015 Nigerian general elections and how deeply personal it has been for some. 

The pictorial uses the "Stages of Grief" to aptly describe the observable behaviors of the PDP online supporters in the aftermath of the elections.

SAN

The APC Agenda for Nigeria

APC's Marshall plan as outlined by Dr. Kayode Fayemi, APC director of programs during the April, 2015 Edition of the LBS Breakfast Club in Lagos.

1.    The cardinal agenda of the APC government and over-arching themes will be SECURITY, CORRUPTION and UN-EMPLOYMENT; APC believes that corruption has a very strong negative link to both security and unemployment.

2.    There will be no 'real action' until around October 2015, partly because the 2015 budget is GEJ’s and may be fully approved in April 2015; the new APC government will seek to align the electoral and fiscal calendars to avoid this type of problem in future.

3.    A corrupt-free cabinet will be announced very quickly, within one week of inauguration on 29/5/15; anyone with a whiff of corruption or other tainting or pending corrupt charges will NOT be appointed into APC's cabinet; GMB’s body language will reflect ZERO tolerance for corruption. STEALING WILL BE DEEMED AS CORRUPTION.

4.    APC is not a conclave of cardinals or saints or angels but includes the good, the bad and the ugly; in Nigeria, the bad and the ugly can be the biggest electoral assets but GMB’s government will not interfere with law enforcement agencies or the judiciary even if APC members are involved.

5.    The VP elect, did a lot of work as commissioner of justice in LASG and will bring this to a major revamp of the judiciary to complement anti-corruption drive and the rule of law; he will also anchor the economic committee.

6.    The new APC government will continue with some of the programs in the GEJ administration, which were successful, for example Agriculture, but there will be a stronger collaboration between FGN and the states.

7.    A very LEAN government is the main focus for APC/GMB; this will involve resolving overlapping and redundant MDAs; largely in line with the Steve Oronsaye presidential committee report; this report was available to GEJ’s government but the will to implement it was absent.

8.    Rather than strengthen key anti-corruption agencies like EFCC, ICPC and SFI, these are likely to be consolidated and a single entity will be made more effective and empowered to BARK & BITE HARD unlike the present comatose agencies.

9.    APC believes that CBN is getting over-burdened by developmental finance issues, at the expense of its core objectives; this will be changed and improved.

10. Subsidy on petroleum products will certainly be removed and the industry will be reformed as a matter of priority in order to attract new investments.

11. While power reform has been commendable, and will continue, the approach will change. Transmission will be deregulated, regionalized and privatized in order to break down centralized transmission; issues of gas supply to Gencos will be addressed but the new APC government believes that DISCOs are the biggest bottlenecks presently; the APC government plans to add-on 4,000 MW of power every year and expect that output will be a minimum of 12,000 MW at the end of term of this 4-year mandate.

12. APC's think-tank detailed work indicate that N3 trillion in savings can come out of plugged leakages; we believe that the employment drive will be private sector led. The government will allow market forces to prevail, including foreign exchange; GMB will NOT use fiat to fix the exchange rate; however the government will keenly seek to protect the more economically vulnerable segments of the society.

13. There will be tightening of the tax loopholes but NO tax rate hikes or increase. FIRS will be strengthened and the Lagos state IGR template will be adopted at the national level.

14. While the infrastructure gap requires huge capital outlay which the government does not have, a master-plan will be developed; a situation where the recurrent budget is almost 80% and capital budget only 20% is not acceptable.

15. Nigerians are advised to familiarize themselves with the contents of APC manifesto and APC code of ethics which are available ONLINE and also, the Steve Oronsaye report.

Thank you Nigerians for your mandate, support and cooperation. Together, we will make this county, Nigeria, great again.