EU SRIP 2 PROJECT, JIGAWA STATE

Project Coordinator, Interrogating Social Accountability and Participatory Budget Process in Local Government Administration in Nigeria since 2003 using Dutse, Birkin Kudu and Malam Madori LGAs of Jigawa State as case studies, an EU Strengthening Reforms and Institutions Performance (SRIP) project in Jigawa State

Details will come shortly!

Ask Enugu (Malaria Prevention)

Malaria is a very sensitive ailment that affects the economy of any nation. Why do I draw this conclusion? It’s known all over the world that malaria kills faster than AIDS.

In 2010, a PATHS 2 project implemented “Ask Enugu” through an NGO in Enugu State which I happened to consult for as a Team Assistant. The project was aimed at creating an awareness on the use of insecticide treated nets to prevent malaria.

The use of insecticide treated nets as a tool to prevent malaria is the best form of prevention if applied judiciously by families. This reduces and almost eliminates deaths through malaria infections; it also increases economic productivity while families wouldn’t need to spend money treating malaria.

Today, April 25, 2018, as we celebrate World Malaria Day, know that malaria is a faster killer; prevention is better than cure; get your insecticide treated net.

The 5th National Conference on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria which took place on May 2 - 5, 2010, recorded the best conference ever in Nigeria. Please find the website on www.nigeriaaidsconference.org. Report from the Programme Department will be published soon.

Strengthening HIV and AIDS campaign in constituency programmes

The issue of creating more awareness on HIV and AIDS cannot be overlooked globally. In-spite-of all the campaigns carried out, only a little difference has been made from the last sero-sentinel survey. This can be attributed to the non-carriage of adequate message of HIV and AIDS to the people who ought to receive it more as well as the non-usage of the right media to disseminate the message. HIV and AIDS NGOs, religious leaders and other stakeholders like the women and youth as well as HIV and AIDS networks in constituencies have not been involved in planning and implementation of programmes. This ought not to be so.

Due to this “oversight,” HIV has continued to invade the territories of people especially the rural dwellers and most of them have died of AIDS. This is because they have not been adequately informed on the need to go for HIV test, neither have they been built up to live positive lives. They still believe HIV/AIDS is a death sentence and cannot be remedied. Some of them have gone as far as committing suicide. Those who have been known to have contracted HIV have been dissociated with and treated as outcast causing those who later know they have also contracted the virus to maintain non-disclosure, avoiding to be cast out as others were.

The most vulnerable who are the women, girls and youth in general should be carried along in this programme. For the woman, she has three roles to play in mankind development; procreation, family upkeep and the nation’s human increase. The girl child has an equal opportunity with the boy child and could be greater if given the opportunity in nation’s development. The youth in future takes over from those who are guarding and upholding the nation’s boundaries. All these three groups should be given attention to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS in our constituencies.

If one looks at what the driving force into contracting the virus is, it will be discovered that every thing bothers around ignorance and poverty. But if they are well oriented on the ways they can avoid contracting the virus and for those who have already contracted, the ways they can live positively, the issue of HIV and AIDS having impact on them will be greatly reduced.

See for instance, the women cannot say no to unwanted sex, the girls are forced into early marriages as third or fourth wives and the male youth are driven into violence which can expose them into negative activities like designing tattoos, sharing needles for drug use, homosexuality, etc, hence contracting HIV.

HIV and AIDS Campaign need to be carried out the more using the media, NGOs, networks, religious bodies, giving them more capacity building on the need of disclosure, discouraging the idea of stigma, empowering the infected to live positively as much as possible.

Apart from using radio and television adverts, other medium to carry out this campaign is by using bill boards (electronically or ordinary), organizing plays in village arenas, production of wrists bands T-shirts and fez-caps, production and distribution of handbills, educating the stakeholders like the village heads, youth leaders, road transport officials, market trader officials, teachers etc. The production and distribution of T-shirts and fez-caps are at times seen as wastes, but on the other hand, they are all reminders of the messages that came along with them. NGOs, faith-based bodies and organizations, networks should be used to create more awareness, carry out more capacity buildings, call back the youth who have already been involved in violent acts, educate the girl child, empower the woman to be independent, re-build the capacity of the female sex worker on the ways to avoid or spreading the HIV virus, develop peer educators and have a proper follow up to see to the success of the projects. All these will go a long way in reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS in our constituencies. ###

THE SNAKE XENZIA MODEL

Anyone who is familiar with the "Snake Xenzia" computer or phone game will quickly understand what i am about to say.T his happens to be one of the games people play most in their handsets, especially when they are less busy. Let's compare it with our day to day activity or better still businesses.

You will realize that the Snake Xenzia game takes all human attention and switches him off from other activities. To make the "Snake Master", which is the height of winning the game, you have to go through so much circles which does not gaurantee your winning, neither does the winning give you a significant difference from the number you won in the last time you had a Snake Master. Besides, ask yourself the last time you had a Snake Master.

Applying the Snake Xenzia Model in your business does not give room for planning your business strategies. You only find out you have started a business trip. Secondly, you do not know when you will make the second profit after the first one. This is so because there is no particular direction at which the winning ball is coming from. The same thing goes when you have to win the bonus. Since you cannot figure where the bonus is coming from, you may either get a bit of the bonus or not get it at all because you may have ran out of time before getting there.If you insist on going on the business trip, you will realize that what you are trying to earn more MUST not meet up with what you had earned, otherwise you are out of business. But why? In business, earning more should meet up with what you had earned before and this should call for joy, but the Snake Xenzia model does not give room for that.

So, the Snake Xenzia model in your business only takes your entire time trying to make fast earnings without having planned for it and then after a short while, you loose, you MUST loose. There is an opposite for Snake Xenzia, and this is called the S.M.A.R.T model. Yes, most of us know about it but are reluctant to apply it because making earnings seem to be long termed. This give room for Specifying your business and planning for it, Measuring the business to see if it is Achievable, checking if you can actually Realize your goals and a given Time. Common, get inspired and embrace the S.M.A.R.T model in your business.

CAN FEMALE SEX WORKERS EMBRACE ALTERNATIVES?

You need to listen to them when most of them talk.

Most of them say they came into prostitution due to poverty, torture, neglect, etc more, while some of them actually came under the influence of their peers, irrespective of the rich home or at least a home able to provide for them, which they come from.

But in the true sense of it, some have confessed they can never leave the "job" even if they find an alternative, instead, the so called alternative will be a support to their work.

So, what do we do?

This focus group need to be reached at all times with programs targeting them to build their capacity on the reasons they need to have an alternative to sex work. There has to be several follow up programs too, who knows, one day, one might succeed in pulling out a small number from this very hazzardous job.

• They could be given loans to start up small scale business.


• They could be given job employments in federal. state or local level ministries.


• They could be located and granted opportunities for vocational studies followed up by setting them up in the vocational businesses... and more.

I truely believe they need help, they need someone to listen to them and demonstrate an empathy.

Look for them in their brothels, on the street at night and anyhow you can get them.

I BET YOU, THEY WILL NEVER LOOK FOR YOU!!!

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION (FGM)

WHAT IS FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION?

In some societies, Female Genital Mutilation is referred to as circumcision. Most societies who carry out circumcision on babies under eight days while some carry out circumcision on girls who are about to get married. Those who prefer to carry out circumcision on babies do so because the child, they believe, will not have so much pains as when they are done when they are older in ages. Simple treatments like the use of engine oil, prescribed by a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) who happens to be the surgeon, is used for treatment which will take about eight days to heal. The question here is that "are they sure about the cleanliness of the engine oil not to infect the child?"

For the girl who is about to get married, it is quite evident that she feels all the pains in all the processes of the cutting.

Comparing the circumcision o the baby child and the grown girl, it can be said that the eight days child, though she feels the pains, cannot explain what she is feeling, except through her cries and yearnings, but the older girls can feel every pain as well as explain her experience.

Those who carry out circumcision on their children say they do so so that the child will not have to go into sex work or be found in adultery when married, for short, she should not have a course to feel for sex as much as she should...

The similiarities in the two parties remain that

• Since the surgery was carried out by a TBA, there is likely to be in an improper care, which may lead to profuse bleeding and mortality.
• The insturments or sharp objects used for the surgery or cutting may not have been sterilized before use which can transmit diseases into the patients.
• The TBA is not an expert, he/she does not know much or knows nothing about HIV, and may not be able to spell out how it is gotten or how it could be prevented, so he/she could use sharp objects already used on an HIV patient on another person, thereby tranfering the disease to that person.

Tell me, if a man finds out that the woman he has married rarely has sexual urge and does not enjoy sex with him, will he not find solace outside his wife?

So, to answer the question of what Female Genital Mutilation is, it simply means that the process of circumcision gives way to Female Genital Mutilation. Please send your comments and suggestions.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND BUSINESS PRESENTATION (5)

Barriers to effective communication in business presentation

Some people develop phobias when they have to speak in the public. Some have stage fright while others cannot handle the microphone when they have to face the public. Some are also ruled by the fear of having all eyes on them, or what the people will say about their presentations, even when they have not finished presenting their papers, they have judged themselves.

However, communication becomes ineffective due to breakdown that can occur in the process of presenting your business. These breakdowns are referred to as barriers to effective communication.

There is the technical or environmental barrier which simply explains the environment at which communication is being carried out. This is a major barrier incommunication and business presentation. Factors like timing, information overload and cultural differences could impede
communication hence ineffective communication.

nTiming has to do with determining the appropriate time a message should be sent out, the amount of time given to make the presentation. Fear and anxiety could make you miss your timing.
nInformation overload has to do with sharing too many information at the same time within a short time. It could be confusing especially when the information are towards different goals.
nIn terms of communication in business, cultural barrier could come in the area of physical approaches like dressing, manner of greeting, etc.

Other possible barriers are:

§Language: drawing an instance from an Ibo having to do business with an Hausa, having both of them as English illiterates. (apologies). This is found mostly in the informal business presentation.
§Psychological: this arises when one party thinks his business partner is going to outwit him, and then he decides to withhold useful information or aggrandise his information. He could fumble at this point.

Tips, and techniques on preparing and conducting your presentation

nRome wasn’t built in a day. Spend quality time preparing your presentation, whether formal or informal.
nTry as much as possible to be explicit to the level of those who are going to be listening to you.
nTry as much as possible to focus on the need of the organisation you are presenting your business to.
nGo through your paper over and over again.
nRehearse your presentation to overcome fear and anxiety.
nBe sincere in your figures to avoid fidgeting.
nTry not to focus on yourself and how you feel.
nBe optimistic in your thoughts of how your audience feels about you.
nEngage your audience when presenting, make your presentation participatory.
nBe humorous
nSite instances when presenting
nSpeak to your audience, not your slides
nListen carefully before you respond
nAt the end of every presentation, learn to say…

THANK YOU!!!

Please send your contributions to iyabosly@gmail.com

CHECK LIST FOR EVENT ORGANISING

Before we continue with the class on Effective Communication, let us look at a check list for organising an event. What and what do we need to consider when organising an event? Please check out the following below:

· VENUE
· HOSTESSES (Persons and uniform)
· TEA/COFFEE BREAK (am and pm)
· CONFERENCE BAGS
· CONFERENCE STATIONERY (Note pads, pencil, biros, folders,
reams of papers, markers, flip papers/flip chart stand)
· WATER IN MEETING ROOMS AND INTERPRETATION BOOTHS
· DECORATION OF MEETING HALLS
· RECRUITMENT OF INTERPRETERS AND TRANSLATORS
· HIRING OF INTERPRETATION GADGETS/TECHNICIANS
· PHOTOCOPIER RENTALS/TECHNICIANS
· IDENTIFICATION BADGES
· AIRPORT RECEPTION/PROTOCOL
· VEHICLES FOR MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE
· EXCURSION
· ORGANISING EXHIBITION/SALES OF LOCAL PRODUCTS
· SETTING UP OF A BUSINESS CENTER FOR :
§ Cyber café (hiring of computers
§ Agreement with service providers/Hotel
· VIDEO CONFERENCING FACILITIES
· POWER POINT PRESENTATION SCREENS, LAPTOP, PROJECTOR
· SECRETARIAL SERVICES

This will work for any magnitude or calibre of workshop you wish to organise. All you need to do is to make a budget using the items. I will come up with a budget format in our next meeting. Till then, Hi five!

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND BUSINESS PRESENTATION (4)

The art of public speaking

When presenting a business, there are usually more than one person involved. It may in the company of the organisation’s top management staff or with more than one
organisation which you wish to partner/collaborate with to carry out a project. These companies form the public at which you are going to be speaking with.

The speaker, who is the subject presenting his business, should be able to apply himself to stand whatever crowd he is bound to face. It is an art, mind you.

Power point presentation

Power point is one of the Microsoft applications software created mainly for presentation. When making a formal business presentation, you use the Microsoft power point application for a neat presentation. Power point application will give a clear guide of what you have to say
synchronically, using the slides.

In the next posting, you will discover Barriers to effective communication in business presentation. this will help you in knowing where you could go wrong and make quick corrections.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND BUSINESS PRESENTATION (3)

Communication and business presentation

In every business, there are channels of
Communication through which information
goes from one individual or client to another,
which have been mentioned earlier. These
channels are categorised into two forms
namely the formal and the informal
channels or network.

Business presentation

You may decide to present your
business in either of these forms,
depending on the type of business it is
and the kind of people you are dealing
with. In whatever form you want to apply,
whether formal or informal,
the process of bringing your business
to the fore is called Business
Presentation.

WATCH OUT FOR THE NEXT EDITION!

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND BUSINESS PRESENTATION (2)

What is effective communication?

§Effective communication is not an end inItself, but a means of achieving an objective, as regards this study, it is a means of achieving the business objectives.
§Receiver’s correct interpretation of sender’s message.
§Effective communication, in most cases is learned.
§Devouted attention is needed by every party involved to be able to achieve effective communication.

Types of communication
There are several types of communication which canbe useful in business presentations. These are
•Verbal
•Oral (one-on-one, telephone)
•Non-verbal: Written (emails, letters, proposal writing)
•Expressions (facial mostly, hand expressions, expressive behaviours, body language)

Communication network (channels)

There are so many channels ofCommunication.
Every type of communicationgoes through a channel.
With regards to this study , we shall be dwelling on the communication network that has to do with developing a business presentation
•Telephone, one-on-one or face-to-face interaction, oral proposals, stage performance (music, dance, drama)
• letters, bulletins, posters, books, reports, memos, emails, written proposal, non-verbal codes and more
•Mass media (radio, television, newspapers, public address systems)
•Signs and symbols•Colours

With all these, how do we link up communication with business presentation?

WATCH OUT FOR PART 3!

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND BUSINESS PRESENTATION 1

OBJECTIVES OF THIS PAPER

At the end of this presentation, we would have
been refreshed on :
–The definition of Communication
–The types of communication
–The essentials of communication
–What business presentation is
–The art of public speaking
–The basics of Power-point presentations
–The tips, techniques and wisdom on preparing and conducting your presentation.
–And more…

WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

Communication means:
•To make common
•To make issues clearer
•To break down to the level at which the other party can understand
•To expect a response, either verbally, written or through signs

On the whole, communication can be said to
be the transferring of a thought or a
message from the source to the receiver(s)
for understanding and action (feedback). It
is the giving of understandable information
and the receiving of the same message with
understanding between the sender and the
receiver through a channel.

Note that the primary sender could be
the receiver as the case may be. At
the end of the day, there has to be
what is called effective communication.

Check out for part 2 in the next posting