Jonathan Accepted Defeat In 2015 Due To Imminent Recession — Fashola

The Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said former President Goodluck Johnathan only conceded defeat after the 2015 elections because he knew the nation would witness economic recession soon.

Mr Jonathan, before the announcement of the final results, in a move that shocked many political pundits, conceded defeat to the current president, Muhamadu Buhari, after a keenly contested polls.

That was the first time an incumbent would be losing the top seat (and conceding victory) to an opposition party in Nigeria.

Mr Jonathan has been celebrated globally for his action, which many believe saved the country from political turmoil.

The economy plunged into recession shortly after in 2015. The recession raged in 2016 and through late 2017 when the nation then emerged from it.

However, Mr Fashola, a former governor of Lagos State, said on Thursday at a South-west town hall meeting that Mr Jonathan only relinquished power because he wanted to avoid being at the helm of affairs during the recession.

The meeting was organised by the Minister for Information, Lai Mohammed, and held at the Emeritus Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, opposite University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Mr Fashola at the meeting also said the Goodluck government not only plunged the nation into recession but pushed it into debts.

”What was left behind were massive debts owed to contractors who had not been paid for three to five years and who had laid off thousands of workers and shut down equipment and plants.

”That was one of the reasons why the economy first went into, and, I suspect, one of the reasons they (Goodluck administration) quickly conceded defeat,” Mr Fashola said.

Employment Opportunity As FG’s BRISIN Opens Portal

The recruitment portal into the Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria has been opened by the Federal Government.

The Head of BRISIN implementation, Dr. Anthony Uwa, made this known to newsmen on Thursday.

You will recall that AceGist brought you a report that the federal government of Nigeria is introducing a new integrated system for the collection, storage and distribution of information to support the management of the economy, knowing as BRISIN. According to Uwa, the recruitment cuts across qualifications ranging from school certificate to Ph. D holders and was not restricted by politics, ethnic, religious or other affiliations.

He however added that those with knowledge of ICT have an advantage.

The federal government had earlier disclosed that 5000 unemployed Nigerians would be recruited into the pilot phase to drive the implementation of the scheme in the FCT.

The government further stated that there would be more recruitment as the scheme gets expanded.

“The registration into the 5,000 recruitment for BRISIN implementation is now open online.”

“Please note that BRISIN is the best instrument for monitoring and control in all aspects of the economy.

“It has no political party, no colour, no ethnic group, no tribe and no religion; it is for the benefit of every Nigerian.

“BRISIN is a SYSTEM not a Ministry, Department or Agency, but an instrument of self-discipline that will assist Nigeria to the highest height.

“FCT is the capital of Nigeria with 62 wards, six area councils and one central admin head.

“So the 5000 people that will be recruited would serve at the ward, area council and Central Area.

“They will ensure that grassroot data and information are gotten and distributed for use by every MDA according to their interest to better manage their sectors.

“Applicants can access the form and register only from www.brisin.gov.ng; applicants that go through other means are at their own risk.

“This pilot phase in the FCT will enable Nigerians to understand fully the enormous benefit of BRISIN to the development of the country,” Uwa said.

Femi Otedola Shares #5000 to 1000 people for retweet

Femi Otedola in celebrating the win of PDP in Osun shares #5000 to first 1000 followers

Chronicle

This is my story all neatly sorted out for easy understanding....


THE SCHOOL BREAK


DH and I met in my second year at the university. There was a coursemate of mine who invited my roommate for her mums 50th birthday party in Lagos. She was skeptical about going but we had just finished exams and we both had no plans of going home for the holidays immediately.
Her reasons were mainly that she would have to do all the chores as though they had been deliberately kept pending for her since she left for school.


My reason was simply that my mum had an old girls association meeting in Lagos in a few days and she needed me by her side and afterwards head back home in PortHarcourt together.


The day before the 50th birthday party in Lagos, my room mate ravaged through her things in search of what to wear leaving me with the cleaning up after she eventually settled for a leopard print dress. I could swear that dress was less than a yard and the way at which everything from her bossom and behind poked out, i knew there was need for an intervention.


We both decided on a black dress we had bought from a coursemate who brought ' first grade' to sell in school. They were different designs but black and very decent.


THE PARTY


The next morning we travelled down to lagos as the event was to kickstart with a church thanksgiving service and a reception party at their residence in ikoyi.
We spent the church period deciding which wig to wear and which koi koi shoe to knack in my roomies' cousins house in surulere. Eventually we made it to the reception as though we were the celebrant.
My room mate found herself a young chap and i was soon left by myself with all the souvenirs she had managed to hustle and gather.


I was so confused as to how i would convey everything out of the venue without looking like a thief.I kept looking round and she was nowhere to be found.


Eventually, she showed up about 2hours later dripping of mischief. She opened her clutch purse and my eyes could not phantom the number of dollar bills in there. While i was trying to comprehend and also point at the ' plenty' souvenirs, she just dragged me and said we should go. We left all the beautiful souvenirs behind.


We got back to surulere and the gist began as per how she went into the car with the dude she was chatting with, they drove off for a quickie and he didnt have enough Naira bills so he gave her all the dollar bills he had. I almost fainted because i had never seen such generosity in my life.


THE DOUBLE DATE- MEETING POINT


She said we would be staying longer than planned because she was to see him again in a few days and he asked her to come with a +1.


That was where I and DH met because he was his Best Friends' +1. He was about 5years older than I and his father was one of the oil moguls at that time. He was a graduate and was managing a few things in his fathers businesses across the country.


Fast forward to our wedding immediately after my service year. He set me up with provisions stores in different cities and i had other businesses of my own alongside these.


THE MARRIAGE


We are blessed with a cute son and everything was going pretty well. If i needed to be away on a business trip, i would stock up the freezers with all the cooked variants my husband would need.
We usually planned our trips together but if it doesnt align unavoidably, we improvise.
My marriage was blessed as he wouldnt even let me take a maid. We were a team as he always assisted with chores and never complained.


THE BUSINESS TRIP


I had to make an emergency trip to Abuja and i had to take the next flight so i could meet up early enough the following day.
DH and my boy saw me off to the airport and once done with the meetings i flew back in.
On getting home hoping to suprise DH, he was standing by the gate as though he knew i was coming in. I thought my driver had hinted him or something.


THE VEGETABLE BOWL


Few hours later, i heard a knock on the door and my domestic staff Saheed ( not real name) came to return my vegetable bowl.
I was suprised as that vegetable could feed four people comfortably. I assumed DH gave him some of it but was suprised when saheed said he ate and gave his friends too. So i knew it must have been half or the entire portion.
Then i playfully returned to the kitchen and went to the bedroom and mentioned to DH. He seemed oblivious of what i had said. He said he didnt give saheed any bowl... then suddenly he said oh ok? I forgot.


I sensed something wasnt right. So i packaged a smaller bowl of ogbono soup and some garri powder and beckoned on saheed from my kitchen window. He came over and then i asked him when DH gave him the soup? He said No, Madam na oga sister gimme. I stood there confused! Which oga sister? Describe her? He did and i had no clue who he was refering to. I then told him that whenever that sister comes and i wasn't home. He should call me immediately so i can quickly rush home and treat her properly as a guest. He said ok madam.



THE SISTERLY CONFUSION

I was unsure so i asked DH if he wished he had a sister, he looked at me smiled and said ' i have a combination of both, a lover and a sister'. I smiled and still kept pondering over what saheed said.


All week i was confused deep within me. I stayed home, made no trips. I watched DH closely and he was very normal.
Alli the washer man comes in twice a week to do the laundry for DH except his natives and casuals which i sort out myself.
So i went into the laundry room, locked the door and began scanning DH dirty laundry one by one.
Ladies and gentlemen i found Nada! All clean!


THE FAKE TRIP

I told DH i needed to visit my parents in PH over the weekend and he was fine with it but asked i left our son with him so he doesnt feel too lonely. I needed to share my thoughts with my mum and see how she would view the entire situation.


The day i was to fly, DH and my son saw me off to the Airport with our driver and the escourt guys.
I proceeded for boarding and kissed DH and my son. They left while i acted as though i was headed for the boarding gate.
Immediately i went into one of the stores at the airport. Picked a few things i didnt need, it was just to buy time.After about 30minutes when certain they would have left the premises i snuck out but someone drew my attention.


A lady was at the check in counter of thesame airline i had just skipped the flight. She missed her flight and was giving the ticketing Agent a truckload of her mind. She threw the ticket at the lady and was walking out when i recognised her. She was my room mate from school. We had lost contact for so long. She was still her hyper self who actually hugged and carried me in view of onlookers.


THE HIDE-OUT
I had made reservations earlier at Four Point so we both headed out there. We talked for hours and she never knew i ended up with DH and i didnt bother to mention until she got soo curious. She screamed saying ' Babe na lie! You marry that bobo?..


It was then i realised the reasons i wasnt seeing her very much in class after she moved off campus was because she got into a shady deal and was on the run from the guys she hung out with.


Things got bad and she made her way out to Italy 'for business'. She fell in love and got pregnant when she found her way to Georgia and lost custody of her twin girls to their father who dumped her for a more educated and classier lady.


Her story moved me to tears. I asked about my DH bestie who introduced us, she said dude was into hard drugs and when she confronted him he beat her black and blue and almost set her up with the police.


THE REALISATION
That was when i realised how lucky and favored i had been. We made toasts to better days ahead. To think DH was still in close touch with his Best Friend all these years and never mentioned the incidence to me got me concerned. But then i told myself i have a good man and i intended keeping it that way.


I checked my phone and DH had wished me a safe trip. Tears dropped my eyes as i told my roomie that we would both head back to my house and i would host her for as long as she wanted to stay in Lagos.
At that time it was almost 10pm all i just wanted was to give DH a big hug and kiss my son stupendously...


HOME SWEET HOME
We arrived safely and saheed helped take my luggage in. I spotted a new car in the compound so i asked the security guard and he said ' boss has a guest Ma'. Roomie scanned the car and said ' Na woman get this car, maybe your inlaw.


While i opened the door with my spare keys i asked saheed who the guest was and he said ' oga's sister'. I asked him why he did not call me as i had instructed? He said she came with another car and he was sleeping when she came. Saheed manages the premises by keeping it clean at all time.


I had mixed feeling about what was behind the door, on opening everything seemed normal. Roomie sat while i went up to check on my son, he was fast asleep in bed. I headed down to my bedroom and the door was locked.


We have never had to lock the door.I knocked lightly at first and again and again. I could hear movements but DH wasnt coming towards the door. I heard a ladys voice and i began to tremble.


THE TRUTH
Then the door opened and i saw a lady, dark skinned, bald headed and very well structured. She was stark naked! DH made a fuss asking her to cover herself. She flung the bathrobe back at him and pushed me to the side as she walked past.


DH sat there staring at me. He had the look of ' now you know...what next'.
Would you believe that lady went downstairs naked past my guest downstairs into the kitchen to nibble on something!.


I heard my roomie calling out my name as she rushed upstairs. I stood there with no words. I went into one of the other rooms with her as she kept asking why a naked woman was in my matrimonial home.
It was at that moment i stormed out of the room with rage as i hit DH in the face, i pulled at him, slapped him severally. I had no words...just tears...he didnt try to hold me back, he stood there and took the heat.


I went to my sons room picked him up and headed for the stairs. DH rushed after me and tried restraining me. The naked guest then said ' let her go, i never liked you in the family anyways'.
I faced her and said ' what did you say'? She ignored and dialed out on her phone, i was still struggling with DH and my son partly awake kept calling mummy, mummy and crying.


Then i heard a familiar voice on the other side ...it was my mother in law. She said Hello Rona, have you arrived? She responded ' yes ma'. She asked ' have you seen your sweetheart?. She said ' I m here and the wife is dramatic, threatening to take my nephew!...She responded again ' she dare not try that nonsense, put it on speaker!. Look DH i have told you these girls are up to no good. If she wants to leave so be it but not with my grandson. Afterall theres nothing new under the sun!
Immediately she hung up i felt light headed and everything became blurry.


THE OPTION
I opened my eyes at our family hospital. DH was standing with our family doctor nodding his head.
I had been off the birth control pills for a few weeks because of my emergency trips. I got it all mixed up sometimes by forgetting it in a different handbag when travelling or in the bathroom cabinet.


The doctor moved closer and did his checks. DH was standing there staring at me. The doctor said i was 6weeks gone, i had no symptoms what so ever.
It was shocking with mixed feelings of joy and sadness. I asked for my roomie and they let her in. She hugged and held my hands tight.we both wept while DH walked out of the room.she muttered ' his cousin, his own family! Thats incest!Thats wrong!...


I asked to see my son and she told me the naked cousin had taken my son to his grandmother!
I was given the option to either return home or disappear after having this baby and never speak of the matter. I chose to stay for my kids...


Naked cousin gave my vegetable bowl and its content to saheed because she didnt like my cooking when DH offered her for lunch.

Roomie mentioned Naked cousin was meant to be the +1 at that dinner but she missed her flight that weekend so i was the plan B for DH

DH only married me because he couldnt father a child with his cousin. She has a messed up tube issue.

DH named our son after his cousin

MIL cannot stand the sight of me but only sees me as a figure head and baby factory

Former Tennis Star Now Sells His Trophies To Survive

Gul Hamid, a tennis star who now lives with his second wife in a remote village near Wah Cantt, now sells his trophies to survive. Gul Hamid's first wife and children live in Karachi, whom he has to feed too. 

The 68-year-old tennis star who has been playing tennis for the last 50 years won three International Tennis Federation cups, which include an ITF hat-trick from 2008 to 2010, the 1986 Oman Open and three gold medals from Pakistan Navy, where he served as a petty officer.
He told Geo TV; 

“I took my cups to sell to Arif Sahib, at Pakistan Sports Board, as I had no choice.”

“I prefer death over insults at the hands of a landlord who knocks at my door asking for rent, which I have been managing through thick and thin until now,” he says.

“It was really an amazing day of my life when I beat Krishna Bhopatti of India in the Oman Open in 1986. It was a big victory amidst an international crowd of fifteen thousand,” he adds.

According to the tennis star, Bhopatti, whose son Mahesh Bhopatti is currently an international tennis star even asked him to travel to India and train tennis players there.

“I thanked Bhopatti for the offer and told him I need to train our children in Pakistan,” he says.

“I am 68 now, and it’s probably the time for me and my wife to sit on Mussala (praying mat) and not running around for a living,” he adds.

Gul Hamid said he told Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Prime Minister Imran Khan, to fix a reasonable monthly stipend for him or give him at least some low-grade job like a groundsman. He also recounted his golden days through plastic coated newspaper clippings and commendations spread on a charpoyee. 

Is It Safe To Marry A Lady I Slept With On The First Date?

I met a young lady on Twitter about seven months ago. An issue was trending on twitter back then and we had opposing opinions, we kept attacking each other to the point that she insulted me and called me a novice.
I finally entered her DM with the aim of advising her…but she was waiting with an apology which I accepted and we became pals.
After thirty days of chatting non stop we decided to meet! She lives in Port Harcourt while I’m based in Lagos, she arranged my flight, booked my hotel, without asking for money. She told me to give her when we see. I was touched.
So I met Dara, 29, she is not drop dead gorgeous, not beautiful by the standard of many but the most unusually beautiful girl I have seen. Chatty, funny and charming.
She took me to the hotel and long story short, we had sex. She didn’t spend the night with me but returned the next day to see me.
I returned to Lagos with nothing in my heart but the accomplishment of ‘catching’ another girl. I told my friends everything about her, and they laughed at how easily I laid her.
I stopped chatting with her, avoided her calls for two weeks until I realized I was hooked, not infatuation, not the sex, I was in love. I talked to my friends and they thought I was a fool. They called her ‘cheap’ ‘slut’ and all that, they said she’d sleep with everyone like that.
The thing is I don’t think Dara is like that, I think I seduced her and gave her no room to really resist. I called her and apologized for being MIA. We’ve been good since then, but my greatest regret is talking to my friends about her.
They don’t treat her well, they are convinced she is bad. “No one marries the girl they slept with on the first date” they keep telling me.
I love her, I want to marry her, she has given me no cause to worry… I want to believe my friends are wrong on this! Is there a guy here who married a lady he slept with on the first date? Am I safe? I haven’t proposed but I know I want to marry her…

Ajaokuta Steel

No Nigerian can visit Ajaokuta Steel Company ASC, see investments of more than $8b rotting in the African sun and not cry. i went there, I cried. what exactly is the problem? if I have written severally on this topic, but today let me do a comprehensive post.
Ajaokuta Steel Company is massive, she has 68km road network, 24 housing estates on the project. Some of the estates have over 1,000 homes, a seaport, a 110mw power generation plant, there are 43 separate plants in Ajaokuta alone. It is estimated that if Ajaokuta becomes operational, it will create 500,000 jobs.
There is no industrialized nation on earth that does not have a steel sector it’s that simple. A report by the Central Bank of Nigeria shows that Nigeria currently imports steel, aluminum products and associated derivatives of approximately 25 metric tonnes per annum estimated at $4.5bn, this figure will continue to rise, and the Nigerian economy continues to expand. Ajaokuta is an integrated steel company, it was designed by the Russian to be self-sufficient to get all its inputs from Nigeria and make steel. Ajaokuta strength is also its weakness, Ajaokuta can only work with all inputs available.
this will be a slightly technical post, but please try and follow.
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon amongst other things, iron is the base metal in steel, to make steel, you need Iron Ore, Coke from Coal, Limestone as main components. these components are mixed in a blast furnace to produce liquid steel which can be long steel for rail lines or flat steel for automobile making etc
To give a simple example, look at steel as making jollof rice, iron ore is the rice, the limestone and coke are the pepper and salt the pot is the blast furnace. At a steel plane the blast furnace is ONLY turned on when the steel company is ready to make steel. Blast furnaces operate continuously and are never shut down. The raw material to be fed into the furnace is divided into several small charges that are introduced into the furnace at 10- to 15-min intervals. this means everything must be in place BEFORE the blast furnace is turned on, the iron ore, the coal, the limestone, everything, why? Because you do not switch off a blast furnace for another 10 years or however its campaign life is.
Nigeria has blessed with all the major raw materials needed to produce steel including iron ore in Kogi, coal and limestone in Enugu.
Nigerian iron has very low iron concentration. Agbaja has the largest iron ore deposit in Nigeria with about 2 billion tonnes but the Agbaja iron ore has a high phosphate content. Phosphate can cause brittleness in steel making it to fracture, thus Agbaga was abandoned for Itakpe. Itakpe iron ore has no issues with phosphate but has low iron content, thus to make steel with Nigeria iron ore, a process called “beneficiation” has to be done to process the Itakpe ores to raise its iron content to meet the required standard for steel production.
Coal? Most of the coal found in Nigeria is non-coking, thus, unsuitable for steel production. coal deposits in Enugu, have no impurities but are non-coking. The good news? Nigeria has abundant deposit of limestone and we have natural gas to provide power
So back to Ajaokuta, what really happened? why can Nigeria not make steel anytime soon? let’s link up the elements
Policy Failure: The Ajaokuta contract was signed between the Nigerian government and the Soviet state-owned company, Tiajpromexport (TPE) the company was scheduled for completion in 1986. In 2012, the Federal Government launched her backward integration policy. Going forward import licenses for steel products was only granted to companies producing steel locally. TPE to ensure they could import steel parts for Ajaokuta simply went ahead and built the rolling mills in Ajaokuta before the actual steel plant was completed, they imported billet from Ukraine to accomplish this. Thus, Ajaokuta was producing steel before the actual steel plant was started. Thus, amazingly Ajaokuta has a functional rolling mills but no operational blast furnace, Ajaokuta cannot produce steel from basic iron ore found in Nigeria in her blast furnace.…this is the definition of cart before the horse.
NIOMCO Factor: The iron ore in Nigeria earmarked for Ajaokuta is from Itakpe, it has low iron content thus the FG built National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) a 2.15 metric tonnes beneficiation plant designed to process the low-quality iron ore from Itakpe to iron ore suitable for Ajaokuta Steel. Simply put, if NIOMCO does not operate, Ajaokuta CANNOT operate (unless Ajaokuta uses imported iron ore.) as at today, June 17th 2018, NIOMCO is not operational
Railway: 15m tonnes of iron ore cannot be moved by road, as it will destroy the roads, thus a railway was to be built from Itakpe to Ajaokuta to take iron ore from the beneficiation plan in Itakpe to the Ajaokuta. The. Itakpe to Ajaokuta by rail is just 52km, the rail line was to be delivered by March 2019, but the Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi revised the delivery date to June 2018 and converted the purely commercial railway to also carry human passengers. These changes meant the cost of the project and delivery dates had to change as passenger wagons and train stations had to be built. To achieve this, 12 new passenger stations and 12 access roads had to be designed and built. The Itakpe to Ajaokuta (IA) has two stations. As at June 2018, The station IA1 – Eganyi to Itakpe, is still under design. Station AW1 – Ajaokuta (standard station) (zero per cent work done). Thus the railways are not functional
Blast Furnace: The furnace in Ajaokuta is the heart of Ajaokuta, it is the pot where the jollof rice will be cooked, however it has never been turned on, why? because there has never been any time Ajaokuta has had raw materials available to ensure continuous day in day out production for 5 years. Why has there never been materials? Because there is no rail way to take iron ore from Itakpe to Ajaokuta. Why is there no railway from Itakpe to Ajaokuta? Because NIOMCO in Itakpe is moribund and no functional and cannot convert Nigeria iron ore to high grade ore for the furnace in Ajaokuta.
So, it follows that for Ajaokuta to work, we MUST have three key critical paths
1. NIOMCO must be functional
2. Itakpe to Ajaokuta Railway line must be functional
3. Blast Furnace operational
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All three are not functional, so its clear Nigeria cannot make steel in Ajaokuta. Nothing however stops a corrupt government official from importing billets and running them in the rolling mills to deceive tax payers. So, when anyone tells you Ajaokuta will soon work ask them, can a steel plant work without NIOMCO, railways and a blast furnace?
All is not gloom, Kayode Fayemi as Minister was able to secure an out of court about Ajaokuta, we must build on this
In closing, Ajaokuta is the only steel plant in the world built by the USSR, sold to Americans, then to Indians, all these teams have come and gone with their own technical style, there have even been accusations of asset stripping by the Indians.
So why this post? because I am a patriot, I will not sit by and watch scarce resources be wasted in a grand deceit. Probably some corrupt folks have told Mr President that Ajaokuta can produce economically viable steel if “small” dollars are spent. You can already see how the critical rail line delivery dates was moved back to ensure it is done in time for 2019 elections, yet it is still in design stage. Ajaokuta is Nigeria and probably Africa biggest failure. It has failed. Can it be made to work yes but the cost to integrate Ajaokuta with her mines and rails can be used to build new smaller modern turn key functional steel mills. The government should get out of Ajaokuta, sell the place and allows the private sector capital and expertise restructure and own it.
If you want to make jollof rice and there is no rice the solution is not to keep boiling water without rice but to go and get rice.

The Truth About Making Money On Fiverr As A Nigerian

Fiverr is a marketplace and everyone is on the platform for serious business, be it the client or the seller.

Think of Fiverr as a real business, wake up every morning and look for ways to better your business. Work on every order like it is your first, treat every client like they are your only client (Excluding those Indian, Bangladesh & Pakistani client sha �)

I'll address 2 things on my post;

1. Making sales
2. Charging big bucks

Talking about making sales, I've always believed and reiterated that the best means of traffic is from Fiverr itself. If your gig is visible and you offer quality services plus good reviews, the sales will definitely come.

So before you even think of starting, equip yourself with a skill. Get someone to teach you or make YouTube and Google your tutor. Once you learn the basics of any service you want to offer, go on create your account and set up a gig. Improve yourself along the way until you are good enough.

I started a new account recently, I'll tell you what I did.

After creating my account, wrote my profile description, used a profile pic that actually depicts that of a professional. I didn't hurry to start creating a gig just yet, I had to search for sellers offering the same service I wanted to offer, I checked what they were all doing and the price they were charging. Now I realized I had a lot of competitors here an it'll take something spectacular to stand out.

What did I do? I decided to offer something extra and enticing.

I'll give you some examples.

Seller 1 gig: I will write a 500 words article for your blog

(Seller 1 is offering 500 words article and has gotten enough online presence and reviews, if I set up a gig like that. Client will clearly choose seller 1 over me �)

My gig: I will write an engaging 600 words article
(An extra 100 words can do magic you know �)

Now if you can add something enticing to you gig description it'll get better.

Examples;
1. Free stock photo for your blog post (there are so many free photos to use on google search)
2. Give you a free plagiarism report ( Even a free plagiarism checker can give you a report). Attach it and send to your clients.

Extra additions are valued by client and it could be the sole reason why they will be attracted to you.

Even if you are into graphics niche, you can offer PSD file for free. 
(Note: This is done to attract the clients to yourself, you can charge higher once you attain higher levels).

Even after offering something extra, you might not get the sales yet.

What next?

Reviews!
Reviews!!
Reviews!!!!

Don't underestimate the power of reviews, no client will entrust his job to a newbie unless of course you are lucky.

But you don't have to wait for luck. So get the reviews up, 2-4 reviews should do for a start.

Even after offering something extra and buying reviews, what next?

Patience, patience my friend �

After setting up my gig and buying reviews, I didn't get any order for 1 week and 3 days. I wasn't bothered, I was only checking my gig analytics for number of clicks and impressions.

Well, when the messages and orders started coming it was overwhelming.

• Getting Clients from Outside Fiverr?•
Yes, you can get clients from outside Fiverr.

Have you ever searched online looking for a solution to something and then you open a blog post, then another. And after reading through the blog post you find yourself going through the comments under the blog post? Yes, that's it!

You can drop comments on YouTube videos or top forums on topics relating to the service you are offering.

For instance, you are offering and SEO service on Fiverr. You can search on YouTube for Videos on SEO.

Make a helpful comment attaching your Fiverr profile link to it (using a link shortener)

Example:
"Thanks Nate for your SEO tutorial, I find linkbuilding really difficult and confusing. I'll definitely put this to practice, but I'm using a professional SEO expert for my website now. Found him in one of those freelancing site, he's been amazing for me. (Profile link here) is his service page , you can check him out."

Above is a sample comment, and believe me 2 out of 10 people who read through will check you out. You can also try this on top forums like Quora �

• About Charging Big bucks •

One thing I've realized over time is, if you keep offering a service your client knows everything about. You will die of revisions and you can't charge high regularly �

A client can easily pay a writer $50 for $10 articles ($5 per article).

Another client will easily pay a video animator $300 for a 10sec animation video or a web designer same amount.

It's obvious web designing & animation requires much more skill and tools compared to writing. 
But the client is also paying more because he has little knowledge on how it is done.

This is not to make you think your niche is poor, No! For every niche on Fiverr someone is averaging at least $2000 monthly, so why can't you?

Every category on Fiverr has sub categories, some are more difficult than others. If you think it's possible to make thousands of $$$$ on Fiverr with a basic skill, I'm sorry it doesn't work that way. You will have to master your craft and learn more about your field.

• Knowing The Difference Between Personal Task and Business Task •

If you offer a service that is mostly patronized by individuals, you will find it difficult to make the big bucks.

No one will fork out $1000 dollars just to draw a cartoon portrait of himself or pay you $2000 to build a blog to post his personal activities.

If your gig is not adding or improving a business, then it's time for a rethink. Every service can improve a business depending on how it is packaged.

80% of clients on Fiverr are small business owners or digital marketers working for companies.

Now think of how your gig can benefit their business and offer it to them. If your service will help them make money then you make money as well.

Example:

I run a blog and monitize it using Adsense, after spending $1000 on ads I made just $1300 for the month ($300 in profit). Now this is poor in every standard, then I come on Fiverr and see an expert who says he can help me do blog SEO and increase my Adsense earnings. He charges me $600 and did a good job, I earned $2500 the next month with same $1000 spent on ads.

Now will I pay this same expert more money to improve my blog or increase my ads spent?

Your guess is as good as mine �

• Communication •

Communication is one key to getting or losing a potential job. Learn how to communicate with your client. Every message you receive is a potential order, if your client request to know more about your service and ask you how much you'll charge him, he has also messaged other sellers too. The best communicator with a reasonable pricing always gets the job.

After working for your client, always try to upsell if you can. Look for something extra if you can and offer it to your client.

Sometime ago, a client messaged me to help her write an Ebook. I agreed!

Now an Ebook is not just about writing, but also design. Time to upsell �

I simply asked the client if she has an Ebook cover yet or need someone to help her with it. Well, she said yes!

I simply talked her on how I can get my graphics partner to help her with it. Sent her a couple of samples and she loved it. Then she asked me the question I love hearing "How much will this cost?"

I simply sent her a custom offer, she accepted while I got someone to help me with the design. I ended up profiting not only from writing but also from designing even without drawing a line.

• Last one is Packaging. •

You are graphics Designer, you can't even design your own gig image and you don't have a gallery online to show your clients? Weldone!

You are a writer, you don't have a blog sample or personal blog to show your client when you can open a blogger's blog for free? C'mon!

You are a video editor, you don't have a YouTube channel or sample account? Issokay!

You are serious seller and you can't pay $5-10 bucks to get a pro gig image or video. But you expect your client to pay you big money. Who are you kidding!

Appear pro, look pro, then charge pro �

I'm sorry I couldn't make it brief as promised, but I'll conclude with 3 things you need to grow on Fiverr.

- Patience
- Packaging
- Persistency

Footballer Dele Alli's Estranged Parents Beg To Be Allowed Share His Life...

Nigerian-born England footballer and Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli’s heartbroken yesterday, revealed their despair at having no part in the superstar’s life. In an extraordinary interview, Dele’s mum Denise repeatedly breaks down as she tells how she now cries herself to sleep at night over the ordeal.
And his father Kehinde, a multi-millionaire businessman, tells how the only thing missing in his life is his first-born son.
Despite splitting when Dele was a child, his parents came together this week and spoke out in a desperate bid to repair their relationship with the £60,000-a-week Spurs midfielder.
As they opened up family albums to reveal happy photos of Dele’s childhood Kehinde, 47, told the Sunday Mirror: “I just do not understand what we have done wrong. He refuses to speak to me and it feels like he’s been taken from us. But I won’t give up on getting him back.”
Dele’s mum Denise, 53, added: “I’m a very miserable person because I get so sad that Dele is missing out on his family and we’re missing out on him. I want to be able to hug him and let him know we all love him to bits. I’m not interested in his money, I’d love him the same if he worked in McDonald’s. We just want our son back.”
Dele, 20, is considered English football’s biggest rising star. He won the prestigious PFA Young Player of the Year award at the end of last season and is now being linked with a mega-money move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
But while his career has rocketed since leaving home-town club Milton Keynes Dons, his relationship with his parents has completely broken down.
Neither has been able to see him since he signed for Tottenham in February 2015 – an estrangement which has not only broken their hearts but left them bewildered.
Dele Alli said he had no comment to make on his parents’ claims.
From Mirror

Transfer Gossip

-Chelsea will refuse any Manchester City bid for Eden Hazard - even if the Premier League leaders offer to break the world-record fee of £200m.

• -Chelsea are hoping to clinch a shock move for Olivier Giroud and complete a transfer merry-go-round that will see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang join Arsenal and Michy Batshuayi move to Borussia Dortmund.

• -Chelsea will attempt to complete a shock swoop for Olivier Giroud on Tuesday in a move that will allow Arsenal to seal a £55m deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
• -Newcastle United had hoped Daniel Sturridge could become a permanent signing beyond this season before he defected to West Brom.
• -Pep Guardiola will take his spending at Manchester City beyond £450m on Tuesday with the arrival of Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao for a club-record fee.

• -Chelsea have got Fernando Llorente back in their sights - if they cannot land No1 target Olivier Giroud.
• -Arsenal are sweating on Borussia Dortmund finding a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
• -Roy Hodgson has made an offer for Norway striker Alexander Sorloth.
• -Burnley boss Sean Dyche has slapped in a stunning bid for Nottingham Forest centre-half Joe Worrall worth up to £10m.

• -Arsene Wenger could be forced to let Olivier Giroud join Chelsea to make the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang deal happen.
• -Sam Allardyce has told £25m midfielder Davy Klaassen he needs to go out on loan to have any chance of reviving his Everton career.

• -Chelsea star David Luiz has been offered to Arsenal in a shock Olivier Giroud swap deal.

• -Motherwell have rejected a £200,000 bid from Celtic for goalkeeper Trevor Carson.
• Source: www.skysports.com

Farmers in Nasarawa State kill 73 cows, injure 18 in reprisal attacks

Seventy three cows were killed while 18 more were injured in an early morning attack on Yamadaga village, Kadarko community in Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State by suspected cattle rustlers.  

The cattle rustlers invaded Kadarko community around 4:00 am on Sunday, January 29 shooting into the air. They were reported to have kidnapped two persons, chasing other cows into the bush in the process. The victims of the attack who were mostly herdsmen claimed that the masterminds of the attack were Tiv farmers and that it was a reprisal attack.  

Ahmed Abdullahi one of the cow owners said the rustlers unleashed mayhem when the villagers were asleep. “I was sleeping and then I heard bullet sound everywhere, I didn’t see anybody but they killed my 73 cows, some of them were dispersed into the bush and I haven’t seen two of my children,” he said.  

A chief in the village, Ardo of Yamadaga, Husseini Adamu, said the attackers were numbering close to 1,000 and they struck welding various dangerous weapons. “In the morning around 6:00 am, our children saw some Tiv people numbering up to 1,000 holding sophisticated weapons. They killed some cattle, went away with many. They even took motorcycles. Before I came, the place was already in chaos and we realised that at a spot they have killed 73 cows excluding the ones that they carted away with and also they went with two of our children,” he said.  

Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Bello, confirmed the report of the attack to Channels Television. He said investigations are on to unravel the identity of the attackers.

BBNaija 2018 Rules For The Housemates!

This year's BBnaija which is themed “Double Wahala” has just kicked off. 

Our ever blazing presenter- Ebuka obi-uchendu is doing what he knows how to do best and new housemates are gradually being introduced, they are all coming in on a race to win a whopping sum of 45 million naira in this third Season.



Last year’s was tagged, “See Gobe”, This year’s edition is tagged: “Double Wahala”

The aim of the show is to have fun; however for the duration of the show, the Housemates are subject to Biggie’s rules.

These rules need to be followed from the moment the Housemates enter the House until the moment they leave. Take a look at the below;


Big Brother’s rules of law:

Rule 1: Housemates must respect the House and their fellow contestants at all times.

Rule 2: The Housemates will have no contact with the outside world and they are kept busy by the various tasks and challenges set by Biggie. Being in such close proximity with a house full of strangers can be tough going and Biggie has set rules that need to be followed.

Rule 3: Big Brother has complete control over everything going on in the house and Biggie never discusses anything that goes on outside of the house with anyone inside.

Rule 4: The Housemates are filmed 24/7 and they must have their microphones on at all times. The viewers must be able to hear all conversations at all times and are not allowed to whisper or cover their mouths while speaking to fellow Housemates. They are also not allowed to reveal the location of the cameras and microphones.

Rule 5: Diary Sessions are one of the most important aspects of the show’s success and are compulsory. Once a Housemate is called to the Diary Room, they must drop everything they are doing and proceed to the Diary Room. Failure to do so will result in a fine, “a strike” or worse. Housemates can request to enter the Diary Room at any time of the day or night. Sunglasses and hats are not permitted in the Diary Room. The door for the Diary Room will be locked when not in use and no one is allowed into the room if it is occupied.

Important to note:

Diary Sessions and Nominations are compulsory and Housemates need to give valid reasons for nominating a fellow Housemate. Biggie reserves the right to take his time to answer any questions, but will always return with an answer. Biggie will not entertain any personal questions. What happens in the Diary Room stays in the Diary Room and Housemates cannot discuss anything that happens in the Diary Room. Exceptions to this rule are events such as Head of House Tasks.

Rule 6: Nominations are important and Housemates are not allowed to discuss the reasons for their nominations with anyone other than Big Brother. If a Housemate does so it will be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to influence others. They are not allowed to communicate via hints, signs, symbols or written notes. Housemates are not allowed to enter into any alliance or scheme to plot the downfall of fellow Housemates. Communication in the house in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and any other local language other than English is not permitted.

Rule 7: Housemates are not allowed to strike, intimidate, threaten or act in any way that can be construed as violent towards any fellow Housemates. This could result in immediate disqualification.

Rule 8: Housemates are not allowed to bring the following into the house:

– CDs, CD players, radios, iPod, iPad
– Walkmans, DVD/Blu-Ray players, televisions
– Mobile phones, Smart phones
– Computers, Laptops, Notepads
– Video game consoles, Computer games
– Calendars
– Diaries
– Pen and paper or any writing materials
– Eyeliner (Or any other make-up that could be used for writing.)
– Alarm clocks
– Watches
– Any electronic equipment requiring batteries
– Weapons, drugs and narcotics
– Medication (except for agreed personal medication in consultation with Big Brother)
– Clothes with prominent logos, clothes with fine stripes or dots, silk clothes, solid white clothes.)
– Your pet cat and your children (although, you can bring pictures of your children and your cat)

Rule 10: Housemates can bring the following into the House:

– Cigarettes / cigars / tobacco
– Reading material, either a book or magazine.
– Moisturising cream
– Shaving foam, deodorant, shower lotion, pack of razor blades
– Day cream, night cream and eye cream
– One cleansing lotion. Cleansing tonic.
– Perfume or after shave
– Hairspray/ gel hair conditioner and wax
– Lip balm
– Musical Instrument (provided it doen’t need batteries)

Rule 11: Biggies’ word is law and all Housemates must comply with his requests at all times without fail.

Rule 12: Only Biggie can open up the storage room where the Housemates will find everything that they need for Tasks, Challenges etc. Biggie will inform the Housemates that the Storage Room is open and the Head of House will proceed there to retrieve what Biggie has put there for the Housemates daily and weekly needs

How To Make Money On Facebook In Nigeria

There’s more to social media than sharing selfies and chatting with people. These activities are not wrong but there is something many people have never given a thought and that is – you can get paid for using Facebook.

You can earn money online from Facebook in various ways. You just have to select one or two of the ways you are about to read and apply them. In all, you have to see the social media more than just a way to keep up with trends and follow pages and see it as a money making tool. So if you’re wondering how you can earn money online or to be specific, how you can earn money on Facebook, here are 3 smart ways to go about it. 

1. Earn money through Facebook page
A Facebook page can fetch you a lot of money depending on how well you operate it and monetize it. How to earn money from a Facebook page is not complex. To begin, you will need to have a page. If you don’t a Facebook page, you can easily create one.
The first thing to do is to find a niche that you love and that you observe Nigerians love. There are several examples like lifestyle, celebrity, OMG, travel, humour etc. The next thing to do is to begin to publish content on your Facebook page. You need to ensure you do this consistently. 

While you’re creating and publishing content on your page, you need to make sure the content are interesting and engaging. Create room for your page followers to contribute. Build relationship with them by asking them questions or carrying them along in your posts. As your followers increase, you can begin to accept sponsored posts and ads while you get paid for it.

2. Earn money by selling products on your page
The existence of the internet has made it easy for people to easily buy anything they like. You can also earn money n Facebook by selling products to people. While you regularly give updates on your page, you can slide in posts that advertise your own products. If you want to boost your sales, you should consider occasionally offering discounts on the products. 

But if you have no products to sell, you can turn to the affiliate marketing path. You can promote products on Jumia, Konga, Amazon, Ebay, ShareASale.com, Commission Junction etc and earn a commission on each sale. You can also promote these offers through Facebook ads. 

3. Become an influencer
If you don’t want to own a Facebook page, you can still make money from your regular account. All you need to do is become a Facebook influencer. An influencer is someone who has . . . . .

Babies Switched At Birth

Have you ever had doubts that you’re not the true child of your parents? Or that you’re not the true parent of your child? Or that one member of your family must have been adopted because he/she looks/acts so different from the rest of the family?

Have you considered that you or your child or that family member could have been SWITCHED AT BIRTH?

Months ago, I read 2 separate incidents of children who were mistakenly switched at birth and discovered it years later. One happened in South Africa, the other happened at Bogota Colombia.

When I was a kid, I watched a movie with my family called “Switched at Birth” 
Babies switched at birth is rare, but it does happen. And the consequences can be really huge and expensive. 
It can happen due to mistakes from midwives and hospital staff.
It can also be malicious. I’m sure many of us have heard at least one story of a midwife ‘stealing’ a healthy newborn baby and selling it, while lying to the parents that their baby died, or substituting another baby instead. Or the one where one of the parents connives with the midwife to replace a female baby because they want a baby boy. SMH. 


I wonder how often this happens in Nigeria. 
But then remember that in Nigeria, we generally are very poor at recording data, keeping records, and conducting proper investigations. 


This is another good reason why DNA testing is recommended for children. It’s not always because of suspicions of cheating. But also to assist medical history.

If you’ve had such suspicions about yourself or anyone, please don’t panic! And don’t start stupidly blaming enemies or village people or witches/wizards/Satan (rme). It's also not by yelling "God/Allah forbid!" and doing prayers. It can happen to anyone. Thankfully, we live in an era where we have scientific tools to investigate these things. If you can afford to, please do DNA test to calm or confirm your suspicions.
Sometimes, you don’t even need DNA testing (which is very expensive). Blood genotype tests may be enough.