‘These observers pointed out that, behind the Council’s statement, there is a Saudi message saying that the Brotherhood’s rush to welcome and embrace Biden and its attempt to win his sympathy while inciting against important countries in the region will
Outline: A Godly Leader is Self-Discipline
Note: This is the ninth installment in our series on biblical leadership.
A Godly Leader is Self-Discipline
Selected Verse
Establish the need: Do you struggle with self-discipline?
Purpose: Today we shall three points so that we would be self-disciplined both as a Christian and also as a godly leader.
- The importance of self-discipline
- The example of self-discipline
- How to cultivate self-discipline
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All will fail : Some will Rise : Only those who rise will Win
This is a powerful message perhaps the most powerful of them all. All will fail that’s the fundamental truth behind all wins, all successes, all growth and all winners. It’s never a fact that people sitting at the epitome of success today have not failed. In fact most of them failed miserably time and again. Those who embrace the failure as part of the process to success have every chance to convert those failures in to a grand success.
However majority of people stop, take a break or get demotivated with failures. Any effort has only 2 outcomes; success or failure; with 50% -50% chances like a toss of coin. Mathematically we can’t alter it. Therefore the outcome is fixed. All we need to do is to be ready to toss the coin again for higher chances to get a desired result.
Failures are like custard apple. There is a…
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Never fail twice the same Way: Fail Differently
There is no point failing the same way twice we might fail again and again but the true success mantra is to fail differently. The reasons which are already identified needs to be mitigated and overcome with each successive efforts at the task. Failures are inevitable. They are part and parcel of process and one need to embrace them as it is; As the necessary milestones of the journey. Consistent winning streak brings lethargy and arrogance however intermittent failures bring alertness and sense in efforts.
Always be ready for the critical analysis of the failure. Being open to feedback help to realize the reasons hidden deeper within the failure which will help to mitigate the shortcomings in future efforts. There is no fun in failing the same way due to same reason. Receptivity towards knowledge always help to get the most out of any circumstances. Unless a person is receptive…
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Reason for mismatch between funding for Nigeria’s military and its performance
Audu Marte/AFP via Getty Images
November 18, 2020 Dr. Temitope Francis Abiodun
After decades of underfunding its military, Nigeria’s defence budget has increased substantially during the past 10 years. Yet the performance of the country’s military remains poor. And the country’s security challenges continue.
One measure of this is that the latest data from the Global Terrorism Index (2019) ranked Nigeria as the third-worst nation prone to terrorism with no improvement since 2017.
So what accounts for the mismatch of funding and effectivenes? We conducted research in a bid to answer the question. We also considered the implications of poor military performance for national security.
Nigeria faces three major security threats: the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east, militancy in the Niger delta and armed banditry. Boko Haram arose in 2002 and carried out its first attack in December 2003, while militancy in Niger Delta started in the mid 1990s. Banditry violence started as a farmer-herder conflict in 2011.
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Militancy in Niger Delta has reduced substantially. But Boko Haram and banditry continue in the northern part of the country.
The budgetary allocation for defence in Nigeria annually is usually around US$1.9 billion. This is second to South Africa’s $3.63 billion for 2018 in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria’s was $2.04 billion for the same period.
In West Africa, Nigeria’s military budgetary allocation is higher than the budgets of all other states’ defence or military operations put together. Niger’s is less than $190 million, Chad’s $24 million, Benin’s $116 million and Cameroon’s $244 million.
With this heavy expenditure, why are the outcomes so poor?
We discovered a range of problems militating against the defence or military performance in Nigeria despite large budgetary allocations. These included corruption, unhealthy rivalry among the forces, politics, and late passage of annual budgets. Others included a lack of transparency in military procurement and absence of monitoring and control mechanisms.
Obstacles to efficient use of funds
We collected data from interviews with some selected respondents from the Defence Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, Budget Office, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and the Central Bank of Nigeria. We also spoke to members of the appropriations committee on budgets in the National Assembly, retired military personnel, and civil servants from the Budget Office.
We gathered data from news reports on defence appropriations too.
The research was limited to some degree by military respondents not giving comprehensive or detailed information requested.
The information we gathered pointed to a range of issues that added up to a lack of efficient use of allocated funds.
On the corruption front, we were told that some military personnel, politicians and other public officers had enriched themselves by diverting public funds meant to fight terror and insecurity. We were told that expenditures are sometimes duplicated using different headings by staff in the defence ministry and military institutions.
We also learnt that the lack of transparency in the procurement process encouraged corruption. The procurement of military weapons was usually shrouded in secrecy which meant that outdated items instead of modern weapons were purchased.
This meant that armed forces didn’t have the best equipment to fight against terrorists and bandits.
In one of the years under review, N55.4 million (about $145,000) spent on office maintenance was duplicated into four sub-categories. Similarly, the budgetary allocations to the army, navy and air force were all inflated using different expenditure headings in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
We were told also that payments were not made to soldiers on the battleground as budgeted.
We also found evidence of unhealthy rivalry among the armed forces and other security agencies.
In addition, it was clear from respondents that money wasn’t being allocated in the right places because of poor leadership in the military, and an absence of good governance in the hierarchy. The top brass seemed to be more interested in procurement of office goods, services, building structures, and overseas trips.
Another factor affecting the efficiency of the military is that the government’s annual budgets are usually delayed. This created room for selective implementation of the budget.
There was also evidence of weak monitoring, controls and audits of the military budget, which allowed corruption and waste to get through. Various public scrutiny institutions, particularly audit agencies, anti-corruption bodies and Parliamentary Public Accounts Committees, were usually reluctant to investigate the military. There were even instances in which it appeared they had been prevented from doing so.
The way out
To avoid wasteful military spending and attain stable security in Nigeria, there must be transparency and accountability in military budgeting and procurement processes. There must be regular oversight functions from the ministry of finance and Budget Office and the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly.
The National Assembly committees on budgets and financial appropriations should be more alive to their duties. Members must shun bribes that hinder them in doing a thorough job during budget presentation and approval.
The military must ensure its funds are used effectively to provide security to Nigerians.
Corrupt and incompetent security chiefs who have turned the nation’s security into a “business venture” should be shown the way out. So should those who are more interested in politics than in the security interests of the country.
Good governance and leadership should be put in place with full commitment to the overall security of Nigeria.
Access to decent toilets could reduce sexual violence in South Africa
theconversation.com
September 17, 2020 By Andrew Gibbs and Tarylee Reddy
South Africa has exceedingly high rates of rape of women and girls by non-partners. It’s estimated that between 5% and 12% of women may have been raped by a man who is not a romantic partner. This, however, could be an underestimate. In earlier research, 21% of men reported perpetrating non-partner rape in their lifetime. Rape is a human rights violation. It also has a negative impact on the mental health and social wellbeing of women and girls.
An important but overlooked factor adding to the risk of rape by a non-partner is the issue of toilets.
Studies globally have made the link between the lack of adequate sanitation – particularly open defecation (outdoors) or shared community toilet facilities – and the increased risk of women and girls being raped. This can happen when women and girls walk during the day, and particularly at night, to use toilets. Poor maintenance of shared toilet facilities poses additional risks.
In South Africa, not everyone has a private secure toilet facility. A government survey in 2015 showed that access to private toilet facilities had improved. But a quarter (25.6%) of households only had access to shared toilets. Most shared toilets were within 200 metres of the household. But 6.1% of households reported having to go more than 200 metres to access toilets. Among those who had to use shared toilets, concerns included physical safety, poor lighting, lack of water to flush or wash hands, and poor infrastructure.
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These challenges are particularly clear in communities where infrastructure has not kept pace with rapid growth. And it may be that women and girls who do not have private secure toilet facilities are more likely to be raped than those who do have decent facilities. We set out to examine whether this was the case.
Link between toilet type and non-partner rape
Our study was conducted in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. We looked at four health districts. In each of these four districts we identified communities with particular challenges related to HIV, where community partners work. We conducted a cross-sectional quantitative survey, designed to be representative of young women in these communities. The primary study was for a wider analysis exploring young women’s vulnerability to HIV, and we re-purposed the data for our own analysis. Our analysis included 10,635 young women between the ages of 18 and 24, who were asked about their household’s access to toilet facilities.
We found that only half of the women in our study had access to their own indoor toilets. A fifth had their own outside toilet (such as a pit latrine), and approximately one third of the women reported that they only had access to shared toilet facilities. In addition, a small proportion (0.6%) reported they had no access to any toilet facilities.
Overall, we found that one in 20 (5.7%) of the young women in our study had been a victim of non-partner sexual violence in the past year. The highest rate of past year non-partner sexual violence was observed in women who only had access to shared toilet facilities (7.2%) and those without any toilets (7.1%), compared to 5.5% and 4.8% in those with their own outdoor and indoor toilets.
After controlling for a variety of factors which may confound the association, including poverty, we observed that women who use shared toilets were at a 45% increased risk of past year non-partner sexual violence compared to those with their own indoor toilets. A similar increase in risk for past year non-partner rape was also seen for those with no toilets (43%), but because of the small numbers reporting this, it was not statistically significant.
Our findings importantly demonstrate that the lack of access to adequate private toilet facilities for young women and girls is increasing their risk of being raped by a non-partner.
Sustainable development goal 6, indicator 6.2, is specific about this: “By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.”
As our study showed, despite a growing number of young women and girls having access to sanitation, this is not safe for them.
Preventing non-partner sexual violence
Addressing the significant public health and human rights burden of non-partner rape requires integrating these insights into urban planning, as well as focusing on social transformation. There needs to be continued effort by government and non-governmental organisations to address men’s perpetration of rape, including improved policing, and holding men accountable for this.
Our study also highlights that improving access to sanitation facilities which are private and secure must be central to discussions on the prevention of sexual violence. Addressing the abhorrent level of non-partner rape in South Africa requires such a multi-sectoral approach, with those involved in urban upgrading and the provision of water and sanitation working closely with communities.
7 Social Psychology topics worth knowing about – Sanely Psychology
Spotlight effect
Spotlight effect is a psychological phenomenon in which a person overestimates the attention that he is actually getting from the people around him. The word “spotlight” itself clarifies the effect.
In other words, you will feel that people around you are keenly noticing what you have wore, what your appearance, behaviour and your expressions are, when actually they are not.
You don’t want to go to college because you have a bad hair day. You cancel your date because you had pimple on your face. This is because you think that people are going to notice and comment on you. When they don’t really care.
This not only happens with us for a negative event. Sometimes you think that people are going to praise you for something you yourself is proud of. For example, you wore a new pair of brown contact lenses. You are…
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Nigeria Supreme Court affirms Diri Governor Of Bayelsa State
The Supreme Court’s judgment follows the withdrawal of the appeals by six parties against Mr Diri’s election.
by Adeola Adebayo November 19, 2020
The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Duoye Diri as the governor of Bayelsa State.
A seven-member panel of the apex court made the affirmation on Wednesday to end legal challenges to the election.
The panel, led by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, delivered a unanimous judgment that Mr Diri and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, were duly elected.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Ngwuta said it followed the withdrawal of the six appeals filed at the court by the appellants.
The appeals were filed by the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP), Labour Movement (LM) and Accord Party (AP).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had returned David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of last year’s Bayelsa governorship election but the Supreme Court voided the victory on February 13, just a day before his swearing in.
The apex court’s decision followed a petition accusing Mr Lyon’s running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremieoyo, of presenting forged certificates to INEC.
Subsequent petitions against Mr Diri’s election had been dismissed by the election petition tribunal and the Court of Appeal.
Mr Diri was sworn in on February 14.
Ten Ways to Achieve a More Successful Life
Posted in Food and Drink
No one ever said they don’t want to succeed in life, no matter how unorthodox their goals are. We struggle every day because we want something at the end of the line. A successful is also not unflawed, there will be challenges and hurdles that we need to overcome, and most of the time getting over these humps makes the prize sweeter.
Here are some tips on how to achieve success in life:
1. Focus On What You Want
If you have something you want to get or achieve, you must focus on that goal. Eat, breathe, sleep, and bathe with that thought. It’s what is commonly called the law of attraction, it means that if you focus on what you want, the universe will make it so. Your mind sends signals to the universe about what you want, and this usually means you’ll attract the things that you constantly think about most of the time. It doesn’t mean you should let yourself get consumed, just make sure all your thoughts, consequently, your actions are geared towards your goals.
2. Always Learn
Insanity is defined as “doing the same thing and expecting a different result”, you should learn to learn from your experiences both good and bad. It’s most especially effective for the latter, it’s when we evaluate and learn from our mistakes can we make the necessary actions to be better.
Although results are important, if we’re talking about being successful in great things, learning can help motivate us to push through. The excitement of discovery and new realizations will get us way further and deeper into ourselves and obtain something we’ve never dreamed of and it’ll help us get closer to our goal.
3. Don’t Be Afraid To Try New Things
There are a lot of mysteries in the world, many of which can actually help you tune in and get closer to success. By expanding your mind you will be able to manifest the success with little rituals, you’ll be able to attract positive energy, enhance your skills, and strengthen opportunities for yourself. Along with the other requirements for achieving your goal, you can expect some great results by doing these simple rituals.
4. Motivate Yourself
Obstacles will be thrown in our way and it can sometimes be burdensome especially if it compounds over time. But if we learn how to refocus our minds and draw inspiration from our goals or from people who have shown the fortitude to overcome stagnation to improve themselves, we’ll be able to get that second wind to pull ourselves and work. Don’t let failures and all the negativity pull you to settle on things you’re not too inclined to, if you know you deserve better then your actions should reflect that claim.
There are many ways to motivate yourself, it all depends on what works for you. You can read books, reflect on your goals, examine distractions, or take a step back, all of which should be geared towards getting you back to the grind with renewed spirit.
5. Enjoy Life
Life is meant to be enjoyed and because we only have made every nugget of happiness all the more valuable. The value of success is not something we get at the end, rather it’s the sum of the entire journey that makes it all worthwhile. Think of it this way, in basketball if the only goal of the teams is to get the higher score, what’s stopping them from giving each team a ball and a goal and see who gets the most shots? Well, nothing really but it’s going to tank the fans and the player’s love of the game. The fun of in-close competition, the intensity of defending a shot, the thrill of a last-second score, and many more make the game enjoyable and get players to strive for greatness.
6. Fewer Distractions
Distractions come in many forms mostly things that come easy and are not challenging enough. Some of them are hard to determine until you realize you’re deviating from your goals. By breaking them apart like your fears and hesitations, you’ll be able to focus on your goals and get past them.
7. Have A Plan
You’d think this should be at the first three things to be successful, but it’s important to work on yourself before getting down with planning. However, if you don’t have a plan then you’re doomed to fail. Having a great plan consists of milestones each getting you closer to your goal. Achieving each goal can motivate you and keep you on track.
8. Be Creative
One of the greatest attributes of the human spirit is its innovative creativity to overcome a challenge. By tapping into our natural state and getting creative, you’ll be able to achieve things more than you can imagine. Don’t be afraid to be unconventional, you might make mistakes nine times out of ten but that one time is something you can be proud of. The ability to think outside the box and come up with solutions no one has ever thought of is what every successful person has written throughout history.
9. Take Care Of People Around You
It’s easy to think that our goals are our own and that we should not rely on others to achieve them. Most of it is true, but do you think large companies like Apple, Google, or Microsoft got to where they are solely on one person? Sure, one person was the visionary or the linchpin but an entire network of people built the empire. So it’s important that you take care of those around you and remember that those who you met going up will be the same people you’ll encounter when you fall.
10. Learn When To Take A Break
Everything can be overwhelming, even if it’s all good things if you keep bombarded by the same thing can burn you out. Worse, you may even fail to see the good things because you’re tired and you’ll end up resenting them. Learn to take a breath and re-align yourself to get your energy back and come back better and refreshed.
Most of the time we feel like we’re getting nowhere because we’re not motivated or we’re lost. Even the most successful people in history are not impervious to moments of weakness, but having the will to get up when we’re down is what difference between those who rise up and those who wallow in the mud. Most importantly, you must remember that the only people who are assured to fail are those who are afraid to try.
13 Mindset skills to be a leader
We can observe these things from our daily life examples. The only need is to explore within and seek advise from your ideal and favorite person that is you yourself. have a growth mindset with the following skills and you are a leader for sure.
1.To be a leader you first need to be honest and transperant – have a look around and see with whom you would like to work or not. The first thing you see is that the person is honest with you, you will be happy to follow him/her. Also the transperancy motivates you to give your hundred percent.
2. Aim to win and work towards it. Wait and ask yourself if you don’t think or set a goal, can you walk towards that or work in that direction? No!! Right. So do that. First think like a winner, visualise it, then see what strengths or…
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