Energy

Lost Decades of the Petroleum Industry

“A business ecosystem is just like the natural ecosystem; first, needs to be understood, then, needs to be well planned, and also needs to be thoughtfully renewed as well.”

Pearl Zhu

What would life on earth be like without lightning strikes, or without flying insects? Most persons are likely to see no significant use for these two, except maybe they sit in a science class and learn that lightning is an important player in the nitrogen cycle, which affects viability of plants (ignore artificial fertilisers and hydroponics), and also learn that insects are critical for pollinating plants to produce fruits (aka food). You see, life functions in many aspects like an ecosystem where different players need to be in the game, else we get stunted growth at best, or bedlam at worst.

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Energy, Projects

Eight Reasons Why Projects Cost More in Nigeria

Within the last one year, we have seen some public discussions around the cost of certain projects in Nigeria. Whether it is the Ajaokuta – Kaduna – Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, the Lagos metro line, or the recent brouhaha about a road awarded by the Abia State Government to Julius Berger, there are allegations of the contract sums being inflated. Now, we clearly have a corruption problem in both public and private sector procurement, however, here are eight simplified, non-corrupt reasons why a project may cost more than we think.

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Politics

Of National Development and Lying Numbers

Whereas every country likely has some aspects of its existence that is based on a fudged foundation, Nigeria deserves special credit for staying somewhat erect despite having a foundation underpinned by distorted facts, half-truths, and plain lies. While we joust a lot about some persons’ real names, real birth dates, real parentage, real educational history, etc., all these debates pale in consequence when compared to a fundamental question: “How many Nigerians are there in Nigeria?”  

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Change, Politics

Of Easy Wins and Persistent Troubles

Behold an article that has been on my mind for some time, morphing as I consider one scenario after another. A quote by the American Chuck Norris might dare to succinctly capture my thoughts as I type this article.

“I’ve always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you’ve got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles en route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish.”

Chuck Norris
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Change, Randoms

One Emergency Away from Doom

On Friday, 23 November 2018, a seven-storey building under construction in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, collapsed. With conflicting figures being bandied about, one sure point is that there were a lot of persons in that building when it collapsed because that day was a payday for workers and suppliers. As at the time of writing this article, ten days later, many persons, dead or alive are still trapped underneath the rubble.  Continue reading “One Emergency Away from Doom”

Politics

​Farmers’ Protection Force

Despite not being the largest mammals, humans are reputed for having the largest cerebral cortex to brain size ratio, and the least ratio of brain mass to body mass. The slushy mass of fluid and nerves provides humans with our greatest asset—the ability to outthink other living creatures. While some persons use this innate ability to “think out of the box” and creatively push the frontiers of thought, for some persons, even a one-inch-square box is too big a thinking space.  Continue reading “​Farmers’ Protection Force”

Inspiration

The Right Time Is NOW

How often we limit ourselves and miss out on great opportunities because we patiently seek the “right time”? Many have lost business deals because they felt if they just waited a lil’ bit longer, they would have a more favourable investment climate; all in the pursuit of that eye-popping return. Despite all the wait, the perfect conditions never seem to come into being for them.  Continue reading “The Right Time Is NOW”