TalkingB

Category: News

  • Be the change, start recycling

    Be the change, start recycling

    Nina is hungry, exhausted from balance sheets and her nagging boss, drained in her sweat and above all,  she is stuck in a terrible traffic. Well, this is a usual thing if you live on the mainland and work on the Island in Lagos, Nigeria.

    As she let her mind wander and glanced around in a hysteric manner,  she observed a group of tired men hurriedly drinking from sachets bags (locally called pure water), which they landed on the ground after few seconds of quenching their thirst. Then, she gazed through the watercourse (gutter) that separated the road, it was filled with plastics of different shapes, colors, and sizes. She saw bottles, cans, disposables plates, plastic spoons,  and sachet bags, nylon bags, etc… 

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  • The Paradox of a Praying Nation

    The Paradox of a Praying Nation

    One will assume that religious chastity equals good morals, the twist in religion and religious acts in glorifying corruption is alarming. Where prayers exist, corruption should not cohabit because these two are conflicting puzzles annihilating our society on a daily basis. Prayers are often said out of ignorance and sometimes used as tools of amassing wealth and keeping the populace in continuous poverty. 

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  • Let our trees live!

    Let our trees live!

    Trees are one of the most important parts of the forest ecology, they are known to be part of the world’s most efficient repository of carbon monoxide.  The greenhouse gas known for the increase in the planet’s temperature and the source of climate change. When a tree is fell, it’s canopy which blocks the sun rays during the day and retains heat at night can no longer serve its purpose.

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  • THE ROLES OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN CLIMATE CHANGE

    THE ROLES OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN CLIMATE CHANGE

    Developing countries in the present world map primarily consist of most African countries (if not all) and some part of Asia. Unfortunately, a likely synonym for most of these countries is the phrase “praying countries”. Climate change is no longer in theory as its impacts and effects are becoming more vivid at an alarming rate across the planet earth.

    As expected, it is the developed countries clamoring the most, about the looming dangers around global warming and its ripple effects. Although, the causes of the rapidity of this unwanted change was propagated majorly by the developed countries that emitted greenhouse gases with no obstruction from the Industrial Revolution which led them to gain wealth and power. Nevertheless, their leaders, researchers, and scientists are coming up with several approaches to minimize, manage and possibly control the expected havoc by putting several control measures in place which include investing millions in the developing countries. But, are the developing countries putting the same tenacity into the few forms of resistance there is to put up?

    Climate change is a faceless looming hazard against humanity threatening the flourish of agriculture, health, economy, peace, energy infrastructure and transportation to mention but a few. Its influence includes a persistent rise in sea level, frequent drought, heavy rainfall, heavy flood, heavy snowfall, ocean acidification, expansion of deserts, heat waves, and wildfires. Considering the limitations and challenges already facing most of the developing countries, it becomes exponentially inherent for them to take up their role zealously in combating the aggressive army of Mother Nature.

    In every situation in life, information is paramount. Therefore, sensitizing people about the reality of climate change, its effect, what to expect and reiterating on the measures to reduce the expected calamity is vital. Being conscious of the fact that, telling people what to do hardly yield result without making them understand why they should do it, thus afforestation and refraining from deforestation can be encouraged, adaptation to the extreme weather and development of crops that are more resistant, long term preservative measure of farm produce to prevent looming famine, strict conformation to the building laws and avoiding building close to the water bodies to minimize dislocation and loss of shelters, keeping abreast of updated information from the  meteorologists and climatologists, aiding the visions of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the best capacity humanly possible and facilitating Responsible consumption and recycling.

    World Health Organization (WHO) already estimated the additional deaths per annum from malnutrition, health-related problem and heat stress to be approximately 250,000 due to climate change. While, in eleven years from now, about 122,000,000 people could be forced into extreme poverty based on the estimate of The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Several predictions have been made based on facts, reality, and researches yet, inaction is not an option, developing countries need to rise up to the challenges and save humanity.

  • Mental health in corporate organizations

    Mental health in corporate organizations

    Employment and its relevance have shifted grounds over the years for many reasons and the same can be said about the condition of engagement, working conditions, and output. Things were different before the inventions of machines as people engage grossly in primary survival activities like farming, fishing, and hunting which encompasses trading and transportation with time.

    Upon the introduction of machines during the industrial revolution, there were several other employment opportunities and exposures which include the printing press, mass production of several products with the advancement in transportation and communication et al. This evolution eventually gave birth to information age when almost everything is computerized and interlinked with the intensified use of the internet. There has been a persistent rise in the expectations of employers (government inclusive) from their employees to deliver excellently in the ever competitive market where there are millions of qualified but unemployed substitutes ready to replace any worker or staff lacking in any way. Thus, the struggle knows no boundary leading to several challenges in our corporate organizations.

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  • Education Malpractice

    Education Malpractice

    The breach of professional expertise in our education system leads to raising incompetent students and future professionals. Examination malpractice has done more harm than good, many students are weak educationally because their academic process has been built on a faulty ladder. Malpractice effects in mismanagement, misconduct in pupils and even negligence in legal means of achieving success.

    Recently, in the United States celebrities, coaches and other influential people have been charged with corruption and bribery. The scandal which has been a major topic is related to wealthy parents aiding their children to get into the best universities in the country. In some of the cases, the children are unaware of these dealings. One will ask whether parents assisted their children in order to maintain their personal social status or is it just a means of helping their wards secure a promising future?

    The fraud conspiracy involved a huge amount transferred to a particular Mr. Willian Singer who allegedly received more than 25 million dollars from March 2011 till the moment he was charged in February 2019. One of the arrangements is that he categorized the students as athletes. In the United States, sports is a big deal as it brings in finances to the universities which is why the academic requirements are often reduced to bring in potential talent. The most outrageous involved classifying the students as disadvantaged or having some learning disabilities to grant them extra time and provide them special conditions.

    This was alarming and went over the news and media houses in the United States. Some of the celebrities were charged and stripped of their contracts, sponsorships, and deals. The case is still open and serious investigations are ongoing. Civil society termed the scandal as unbelievable, immoral acts, impossible, injustice, etc…

    Unfortunately, in most parts of Africa, this is not the case. Education malpractice and corruption are cultural and consistently a means of living. It is more like « you use what you have to get what you want » mentality. Cheating, though an illegal act, is common and many students get good grades by cutting corners. It is just as politicians rig elections to get into offices so do students cheat and partake in all sorts of misconduct to achieve success as they climb the educational ladder.  Why is the cost of success this expensive even when it entails moral misconduct?

    In the case of William Singer, he supposedly dealt with an important sum of money and relatively the wealthiest parents while, in the developing countries, even the middle-class parents and sometimes the impoverish ones involve themselves in educational malpractice. It is a societal mindset including depicting identities, illegal conspiracy and aiding and smuggling of question papers and answers in and out of the exam halls.

    Like we say, it is easier to blame the government for bad policies in Africa but, if each person makes a conscious decision to be honest in their dealings, the continent will be transformed. Education should focus more on creating skills and giving practical experiences rather than aiming for a certificate. To what extent is having a certificate or degree that one cannot defend?

     

    References:

    1. BBC World News 
    2. International Journal of Managerial Studies and Research
  • Algeria’s President Bouteflika

    Algeria’s President Bouteflika

    Life, as they say, is in phases and each phase saturated with its own challenges. The Tripoli Program, which served as Algeria’s constitution when it won its war for independence from France in 1962, established the President as the head of state with a Prime Minister assisting in the operation of government.

    Uphill and down dale, Algeria has experienced its own fair share of hiccups from the amendment of the constitution to the worst nightmare of civil war between the military government and Islamic guerrillas. Abdelaziz Bouteflika won his first 5-year term election as the president in 1999 after all other candidates dropped out, and since then, he has won re-election consecutively undisputed and unchallenged. President Bouteflika, who uses a wheelchair and has rarely appeared in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, had provoked mass protests across Algeria over the past few weeks for showing interest in contesting for the fifth time in his announcement a day after he returned home after a two-week stay in a Swiss hospital.

    The reaction on social media was swift, and questions are being asked over the legality of prolonging Mr. Bouteflika’s term in office beyond the constitutional mandate. Algeria had been hit by strikes by teachers and students, as well as shops closing and train services being suspended as thousands took to the streets gaining more momentum every week since the first major demonstration took place on February 16, 2019.

    Algeria was one of the countries in the Northern pole of Africa that was almost untouched when the 2011 Arab spring had its grips on autocrats in the Arab world. The rising demonstrations happen to be the first that the country will experience in this grandeur. What could be said about the Algerians? Force or resilience? The tiredness of the known and a desire of the unknown? A wave of change? 

    Pressure mounted on Mr. Bouteflika to withdraw when more than 1,000 judges said last  Monday they would refuse to oversee the planned general election were he a candidate. Also, the military chief of staff, Lt Gen Gaed Salah, said the military and the people had a united vision of the future indicating that the armed forces were sympathetic to the protests meanwhile, top clerics and unions are not exempted.¹ Although, the 82-year-old president Bouteflika was almost successful in pacifying the protesters by ceding to their demand dropping his ambition of running again after two decades in power but the hope was short-lived following the cancellation of April 18 presidential election, a move that critics fear could allow him to cling to power indefinitely and thereby  giving room to a new phase of protests. 

    Another factor worthy of note is despite people’s anger towards the power structure widely seen as a corrupt and valid fact of millions struggling to make ends meet even with the country’s gas wealth, the protest has been relatively peaceful so far, considering their mass and police was never reported hostile. This is another indication that regardless of uniform or nature of the job, the whole country is on the same pedestal of change which will also come with a price. 

     

     

    Reference

    1. BBC world news
  • What is a Nation without Infrastructure?

    What is a Nation without Infrastructure?

    When we are in a state of ignorance, it means we haven’t had the opportunity to be aware or we deliberately disregard important information. Our society is divided into the two aforementioned, with political leaders enlightened about how to better their government but neglect the feasibility, and citizens in complete obscurity of their rights.  While the latter explains the category of people who sometimes don’t expect more than what is within their reach, unable to challenge the status quo. The former is aware that improvement can be done but totally evade the possibility sometimes for their own personal interest.

    Infrastructure and basic amenities are the major problems in Africa especially in Sub-Saharan Africa ranging from electricity and water to roads, railways, functional airports and ports. No economy can function appropriately without infrastructure causing a decline in productivity. Opportunities come with power, for example, a petit trader of frozen fish will be able to run her shop effectively if she is guaranteed of regular power, it means she can use her profit for something else, maybe providing education for her child instead of spending on fuel for the generator. Traders and manufacturers will always need a reliable source of power and water, the population will always require good roads to enable movement and also importers and exporters will require ports to move their goods.

    Leaders in Africa have been exposed to the international standards of living sometimes, by attending meeting and summits in other countries. In some cases, they have spent their study years living in economically developed countries, they have tasted and benefitted from good and perfect infrastructural settings. What then is the cause of this drawbacks in our countries?  It is obvious that infrastructure is important in providing a quality life for people and promoting economic development but it is also a shame that some older people who have never had the opportunity to travel out of their countries might eventually go into their grave without experiencing 24/7 constant power supply. How pathetic! 

    Also, the rise of urbanization has caused a desire to move and relocate to urban centers thereby overpopulating these regions, Some urban centers house more people than its superficial. It is the crossroads where all ethnics meets thereby causing congestion, some of them live in dilapidated buildings with large families squeezed into unfit structures eventually leading to their collapse, especially in the swampy areas.

    The government aptitude has to increase in ensuring the safety and well being of their population by providing the necessary infrastructure. A long term vision, maintenance and continuous progress by the government could be possible solutions. Additionally, the population has to be educated and cultivate good humanly habits. It is effortless to blame the government and leaders but the real change starts with revisiting our mindset as a people.

  • Dualism of Social Media

    Dualism of Social Media

    A great servant but a bad master, a sword having the double edge with might and mind of its own mostly escalating beyond what the handler proposes. It is a virtual world where anybody can put on a façade towards an end and convince some people with the mirage of believing others’ life is perfect. Social media is an interactive, interesting, exciting computer oriented new technology that has widely changed our means of creating and sharing of information and ideas. 

    It is a community where you can grasp the attention of the world or lose it within minutes, gain friends and recognition across the globe, etc. depending on your contents. Social media is an amazing platform to educate oneself in a variety of ways beyond what can be taught in class. Everyone strives to make an impact on others even though, the motive differs ranging from some trying to gain popularity and others scheming to maintain a positive social media reputation. For some, it is the only means of ruminating for the benefit of others and the acceptance of others.

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  • CHINA AS THE NEXT SUPERPOWER

    CHINA AS THE NEXT SUPERPOWER

    Alice Lyman Miller, a China scholar and a former CIA analyst define “A ‘superpower’ as a country that has the capacity to project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, and sometimes, in more than one region of the globe at a time, and so may plausibly attain the status of global hegemony,” This requires excelling in multiple areas of power projection: economic, military, political and even cultural . In all standards, the United States only wear the cap appropriately since it overtook Great Britain as the world’s dominant country.

    Over the years, there have been several potential superpowers emerging with promising prospects among which the European Union and the BRICS involving Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are recognized. These countries gain the individual international recognition they deserve, garnished with merited accolades in remaining relevant.

    China has proved itself to be a formidable potential global force, with an outsize influence in shaping the 21st century but whether it overtakes the U.S. is still a mystery though it seems likely. They have been able to transform a poor society by an economic miracle to become arguably the world’s second-largest economy in the world.

    In the last 15 years, China has been involved in a breathtaking and questionable lending, this goes far beyond it’s geographical regions to the depth of Africa. It is important to note that over 100 predominantly low-income countries have gotten Chinese loans in order to finance their infrastructure projects and sometimes expand their producing capacity.

    For instance, Sri Lanka experienced a boom in their economy due to a loan they had gotten from China, the country prospered in all ways and manners but this was short-lived because when the payback time came, the Sri Lanka government realized they have way too much debt. As a result, they ended up renegotiating more deals with the Chinese government which involves a 99-year lease deal handling over control of it’s investments to the Chinese government, one of which is the port of Hambantota.

    Another case, the Kilamba City in Angola is a large housing development which was built by the China International Trust and Investment Corporation and Investment Corporation with the aim of housing up to half a million people but the aftermath of this project was non-profitable as it was too expensive for the middle-class citizen. Nonetheless, the government had already signed a long term deal with their natural resources for the reimbursement of their debts to the  Chinese government.

    With over 10,000 Chinese-owned firms operating in Africa,¹ we must admit that the Chinese are doing quite well in being the next superpower but the motives are quite unclear essentially because, in some of the countries where they build infrastructural projects, they fly in their laborers taking away job opportunities from the population.

    One is forced to ask what are the inherent motives to the Chinese lending, especially to these growing economies? What are the futuristic drawbacks of being indebted to Beijing? Is this the modern day colonialism? What are their diplomatic strategies? 

    China continues to make a mark on the world as they have the largest troop in the United Nations peacekeeping missions, pays more than 10 percent of the UN’s total budget above any country besides the United States. They have shown enormous interest in developing an edge in new technologies such as hypersonic missiles, cyber and artificial intelligence.

    Obviously, China is not folding its arms for an opportunity to be presented to them on a platter of gold and have worked ceaselessly for every achievements and success they have made over the years. Nevertheless, there is more than meets the eyes.

    References:

    1. McKinsey&Company report