Saturday 3rd July is the day. Ketu garage is the spot. The journey from Akoka to Ketu was hurriedly taken; devoid of stop-overs and street trading – when you are late you are late, there is no need window shopping for a bribe to appease those waiting for your belated arrival. As I hurry to catch a bus heading for Ijebu Igbo, I was overwhelmed by the thought of how (un)smooth or rough the journey would be (for certain, the stretch named OGD Boulevard across Ilishan is going to be rough).
However, in the depth of my thoughts, one distraction caught my fancy. As much as I tried, I could not resist writing about it. The naira merchants are back at work. Until now, one had thought the Charles Soludo administration as Central Bank of Nigeria’s governor had tactically eradicated the bad idea of selling mint naira notes on the streets by changing all easily tattered low naira denominations to polymer notes and making them widely available to the citizenry through the banks among other strict regulatory and policy measures.
The contrary now seem the case as the polymer notes are now up for sale – attracting higher premium than old mint paper notes. After all, we were told polymer notes are more expensive to produce and designed to last longer. Seated comfortably at the garage were two middle aged women with big bags stuffed with new polymer notes. Obviously and strangely so, there are displayed for sale. I helplessly watched as co-travellers buy some to be “sprayed” in parties.
Ten minutes later, the writer in me overcame the patriotic me. I ordered for one thousand naira worth of twenty naira notes. In a jiffy, I had my order but at a cost. The naira merchants demanded for two hundred naira (twenty percent) premium on one thousand naira transaction! It used to be one hundred naira premium per thousand. This “Öwambe craze” is costly – but I have no choice but to console myself.
My granny likes new notes; she would have these as gift to offer to others. Sadly, she need not know handsomely I’ve paid to disobey the law – a career writer would have returned the notes (feigning unsatisfactory bargain). For me, that idea crossed my mind much later as I galloped up and down on Gbenga Daniel Boulevard far away in Ogun State.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Who Should Pay For Dinner Dates?
Who Should Pay For Dinner Dates? The Man Or The Woman?
There is this debate that we all like to avoid, but it stares us in the eye at almost every outing – especially if one is (un)lucky enough to be dating a richer partner. The question “Who should pay for dinner dates?’ is a familiar evil that has broken several relationships and threatens many marriages. How do we view it as individuals, couples or groups?
In my opinion, the man should pay for dinner dates, not as a rule but as a sign of living up to ones responsibility in the context of cultural and sociological perspectives of human living in this part of the world. The African man has a measure of pride attached to making his lady comfortable, toiling for her, making her happy, protecting her and doing all sorts that increases her level of comfort from building of traditional huts for her in time past to opening the car door for the lady in modern times.
Moreover, it is almost generally accepted worldwide (except in the West where honour has been thrown to the dust bins!) that wooing the opposite sex is the man's responsibilities and dinner dates are preludes to an established relationship and necessary impetus to sustain the excitement in any existing relationship. The man should seize the opportunity of a dinner date to appreciate his partner or girl friend, he should endeavour within the limits of his purse, to thrill his partner at every dinner date. He should allow the lady to pick her choice on the eatery menu. If they have already established good rapport he could let her know the limits of his purse such that the cost of such dinner dates does not unnecessarily affect other bills.
However, the act of buying so much for a lady at any dinner date at the expense of ones budget for other issues and items like family upkeep, school fees, telephone bills and others is not ideal. It is a measure of financial immaturity and a display of misplaced priority. Moreover, some men are fond of buying stuffs they haven’t tasted in a life time and cannot afford to take at dinner dates just to impress a newly found love (she eats while the mope at her, trying to curtail their displeasure at not being able to afford the delight in duplicates); this is mere deceit.
It is also not always compulsory that a dinner that should cost a fortune especially in the light of weak national economy. With mutual understanding among couples, a dinner date could often times be as cheap as convenient for the financial standard of both the man and the lady, without necessarily diminishing the quality of the fun achievable. This essential state of understanding, which is very compulsory for partners who have envisaged, marrying one another, could put to rest the argument as to whether it is a man or a woman that is to pay for any dinner date.
Another important factor, especially for already married couples, is the allocation of social responsibilities based on mutual understanding or marriage contract. Often, it is the responsibility of the man to stock the house with foodstuffs while the lady does the cooking; however in rare case the lady might have accepted to cater for the kitchen independently while the man’s pay packet is used for capital projects like building houses. In such homes, it is common to see the lady paying for dinner dates – often she suggests it especially if she is not prepared to do kitchen chores at that moment.
Finally, there is no crime in a lady paying for dinner dates. It is however criminal for a man to expect a lady to pay for dinner dates. Although, from experience, one must have observed that most disciplined ladies do not allow a man to pay their bills on the first date. Rarely, a lady may also decide to threat his man to a dinner date, men do not need to feel too pompous to accept this offer, just reciprocate it in hundred folds shortly afterwards!
There is this debate that we all like to avoid, but it stares us in the eye at almost every outing – especially if one is (un)lucky enough to be dating a richer partner. The question “Who should pay for dinner dates?’ is a familiar evil that has broken several relationships and threatens many marriages. How do we view it as individuals, couples or groups?
In my opinion, the man should pay for dinner dates, not as a rule but as a sign of living up to ones responsibility in the context of cultural and sociological perspectives of human living in this part of the world. The African man has a measure of pride attached to making his lady comfortable, toiling for her, making her happy, protecting her and doing all sorts that increases her level of comfort from building of traditional huts for her in time past to opening the car door for the lady in modern times.
Moreover, it is almost generally accepted worldwide (except in the West where honour has been thrown to the dust bins!) that wooing the opposite sex is the man's responsibilities and dinner dates are preludes to an established relationship and necessary impetus to sustain the excitement in any existing relationship. The man should seize the opportunity of a dinner date to appreciate his partner or girl friend, he should endeavour within the limits of his purse, to thrill his partner at every dinner date. He should allow the lady to pick her choice on the eatery menu. If they have already established good rapport he could let her know the limits of his purse such that the cost of such dinner dates does not unnecessarily affect other bills.
However, the act of buying so much for a lady at any dinner date at the expense of ones budget for other issues and items like family upkeep, school fees, telephone bills and others is not ideal. It is a measure of financial immaturity and a display of misplaced priority. Moreover, some men are fond of buying stuffs they haven’t tasted in a life time and cannot afford to take at dinner dates just to impress a newly found love (she eats while the mope at her, trying to curtail their displeasure at not being able to afford the delight in duplicates); this is mere deceit.
It is also not always compulsory that a dinner that should cost a fortune especially in the light of weak national economy. With mutual understanding among couples, a dinner date could often times be as cheap as convenient for the financial standard of both the man and the lady, without necessarily diminishing the quality of the fun achievable. This essential state of understanding, which is very compulsory for partners who have envisaged, marrying one another, could put to rest the argument as to whether it is a man or a woman that is to pay for any dinner date.
Another important factor, especially for already married couples, is the allocation of social responsibilities based on mutual understanding or marriage contract. Often, it is the responsibility of the man to stock the house with foodstuffs while the lady does the cooking; however in rare case the lady might have accepted to cater for the kitchen independently while the man’s pay packet is used for capital projects like building houses. In such homes, it is common to see the lady paying for dinner dates – often she suggests it especially if she is not prepared to do kitchen chores at that moment.
Finally, there is no crime in a lady paying for dinner dates. It is however criminal for a man to expect a lady to pay for dinner dates. Although, from experience, one must have observed that most disciplined ladies do not allow a man to pay their bills on the first date. Rarely, a lady may also decide to threat his man to a dinner date, men do not need to feel too pompous to accept this offer, just reciprocate it in hundred folds shortly afterwards!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Maza Maza
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quick story of Lagos Area boys depicting unrestrained
terrorism on site workers, terror unlimited, is the wage worth the risk?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAZA MAZA
Goes double, preface site
horror:
From Coker – Mile 2 – Badagry
way
Urchins clash over paltry
pay.
Who’ll dare the Governors’
boys?
Or barter his life for common
coins.
At every point we go we
“settle”…
Quickly, unsteady; thus goes
the battle.
At Maza Maza,
Work retrogresses in stanzas:
Kola results to distress at noon .
Landlords with arms oppress
in open.
Everyone takes cover,
Policemen reverse in rover,
Drilling is far from over …
our rods,
Casing and samples litter …
Jesus!
Deafening screams as bullets
fly,
Bravery marks on swollen lips
for mercy cry,
What a story for such a ransom.
Thank God for Grace in the
storms.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Ideas Rule the World
An idea is a concept or abstraction formed and existing in the mind. Human capability to contemplate ideas is associated with the ability of reasoning, self-reflection, and the ability to acquire and apply intellect. Further, ideas give rise to actual concepts, or mind generalizations, which are the basis for any kind of knowledge whether science or philosophy. From the above understanding of what ideas entail, it is obvious that every fabric of the group, family, societal, national, regional and global interactions commenced first from the concepts of ideas and ends around such. The entirely world is governed by ideas originating from the best of intellectuals who best use multidisciplinary approach in resolving complex issues that daily affect our co-existence on earth. Reasoning and self reflection are the strongest elements of invention and by extension civilization cum globalization. Starting from the early stages of civilization when the Platos, Aristotles, Galileos among others formulated hypothesis, principles and theories to the present day of high power policy framework, charters, conventions and protocols; man has only learnt to build on the early man’s lay models using newly available technologies and media courtesy “ideas”. From “scavenger” agriculture to mechanization and genetic modifications; from scouting oasis in the deserts to making oasis of deserts, from “telescope astrology” to International Space Station; from pockets of clans to a structured world governance system (United Nations); man has employed ideas across several disciplines to govern the world. Ideas have been used to unite, produce, co-ordinate and articulate several programmes for development of humanity so much so that the world is no longer seen as a geographical landmass but a global village where every barrier to human and material interaction are being strategically controlled through emerging knowledge and application of intellect. Truly, ideas rule the world.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
STOCKFISH: Simple trading rules.
Nigeria
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fish can turn to meat with patience and processing depending on the stock!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STOCKFISH
The patient woman’s fish
Buy … hold… then sell as meat.
Don’t mind those scary jargons:
Verification, suspension precipitate IPO
Dematerialization, mandate or PO
They all mean “food processing”
Better still “stockbroker’s headache”.
Buy low … sell high …
That’s alone would break you even.
Always remember
Every kobo counts every casual second
In stockfish business!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fish can turn to meat with patience and processing depending on the stock!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STOCKFISH
The patient woman’s fish
Buy … hold… then sell as meat.
Don’t mind those scary jargons:
Verification, suspension precipitate IPO
Dematerialization, mandate or PO
They all mean “food processing”
Better still “stockbroker’s headache”.
Buy low … sell high …
That’s alone would break you even.
Always remember
Every kobo counts every casual second
In stockfish business!
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