OUR ROLE MODEL, KINGSLEY CHIEDU MOGHALU

Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu is a Nigerian political economist, lawyer, former United Nations official, and professor in international business and public policy at the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.Kingsley is the founder of Sogato Strategies LLC and a senior adviser of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum. In 2016, Moghalu founded the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation. He is the 2019 Young Progressive Party (YPP) presidential candidate for the 2019 presidential elections.

Moghalu was born in Lagos in 1963 to Isaac Moghalu, a Nigerian foreign service officer and VidahMoghalu, a schoolteacher. Moghalu spent his early childhood in Switzerland and Washington, DC, where his father was posted. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Kingsley was enrolled in the Federal Government College Enugu.He earned a degree in law from the University of Nigeria in 1986, and the Barrister at Law from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos. Moghalu married Maryanne OnyinyechiMoghalu in 1994. They have four children.

Moghalu obtained a master's degree in 1992 at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he was the Joan Gillespie Fellow and a research assistant in the International Political Economy program. Moghalu later obtained a PhD in international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science at the University of London. He also earned the International Certificate in Risk Management from the Institute of Risk Management in London. He is also an alumnus of advanced executive education programs in macroeconomics and financial sector management, corporate governance, and global strategic leadership at the International Monetary Fund Institute, Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School, and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Moghalu served as deputy governor of financial system stability and the director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from 2009 to 2014; he led the implementation of reforms to Nigeria's failing banking sector. He is a member of the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation and non-executive director of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria

Moghalu joined the United Nations in 1992. His first assignment was in Cambodia as a UN human rights and elections officer with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia. A year later, he was appointed political affairs officer in the department of peacekeeping operations at the UN Headquarters in New York. From 1996 to 1997, he served in the former Yugoslavia as political advisor to the special representative of the UN Secretary-General in Croatia. Kingsley was then assigned as legal adviser to the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (UNICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania, in 1997 and later promoted to the role of the international tribunal's spokesman. As special counsel and spokesman, he was responsible for policy development, strategic planning and external relations. The UNICTR delivered the first-ever judgement by an international court on genocide.

In 2002, Moghalu was appointed to the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, as head of global partnerships and resource mobilization at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), a public-private international development finance organization and social investment fund with $20 billion in assets and investments in 140 developing and middle income countries. He was a member of the Global Fund's senior management group that set corporate strategy, a member of the risk management committee, and was promoted to the rank of director in 2006.

In 2006, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Moghalu to the redesign panel of the United Nations Internal Justice System. Working at the UN Headquarters in New York for six months in the first half of 2006, the redesign panel reviewed and made recommendations on how to improve the system of administration of justice at the United Nations

In February 2018, Moghalu declared his interest to run for the presidency of Nigeria.Kingsley chose to run under the platform of the Young Progressive Party.

On 4 February 2019, Maghalu paid a courtesy visit to the Ooni of Ife ahead of February 16 Presidential election. He declared his interest to run for presidency under the political party of Youth Progressive Party (YPP). Ooni of Ife spoke on how passionate Moghalu was during his presidential campaign. He further said he likes the courage, the passion and his selfless control to serve his father land

Books written: Emerging Africa: How the Globa...2013,Build, Innovate and Grow...2018,Rwanda's genocide2005,Global justice2006

THOUGHT CORNER: 11 MENTAL HEALTH QUOTES TO COMFORT YOU WHEN YOU’RE STRUGGLING

1. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” –Jimmy Dean

2. “Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” –Nido Qubein

3. “The best way out is always through.” –Robert Frost

4. “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” –Khalil Gibran

5. “My dark days made me strong. Or maybe I already was strong, and they made me prove it.” –Emery Lord

6. “Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow.” –Vincent van Gogh

7. “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” –Rabindranath Tagore

8. “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

9. “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” ― J.K. Rowling

10. “When we deny our stories, they define us; when we own our stories, we get to write a brave new ending.” –Brené Brown

11. “Your now is not your forever.” –John Green

EDU- FOCUS: GET FIRED UP!

There is always a time when our morale drops, whether in academics, during preparation for major competition or general dealings of life. That is the point when we have to search deep within and mentally help ourselves back on track and even more pepped up. The current demand in our today’s world has left us with no choice but to keep up the right spirit within us, considering the competition in the world and the energy zapping words and actions flying around giving us reasons to throw in the towel after one or at most two attempts. This is not the story of any successful person on earth, they stayed through to what they believed in and fought their fight and as we speak, they are still in the battle of maintaining the success.

This special edition of Edu-Focus will be helping us wind down the 2019-2020 academic session in style and on high as we activate the positive vibe within and do away with energy draining agents around us. There are key secrets that will be shared here which will reveal some secrets of always waking up and looking forward to each day with the right attitude.

Gratitude to nature and your spiritual incline for the journey so far: The importance of gratitude cannot be over flogged. One who is always grateful for the little things will certainly navigate him/her to the big one. The very first breath in the morning should ooze appreciation to nature and God. That is the first and important attitude to embrace every day. As you do that, you have simply welcomed the day then you watch what it presents. There certainly will be challenges but your approach towards it will be different and deliberate. It is important to have a constant grateful heart. Carry it with you every time, everyday and everywhere.

Eyes on the goal with simplified steps towards attaining them daily: Your eye has to be glued to the task at hand, be it studies, project, preparation for any event. Focus on the prize which will make you remain fired up. Let’s quickly tap from the athletes, who in spite of the rigorous training schedule and pain, keep pushing, all these are simply because they are fired up within with their eyes on the goal. A constant daily, deliberate and positive step will lead you to your desired point.

Feeling of fulfillment and if possible reward for a job well done immediately after the task has been completed: Once you have been able to complete the task at hand successfully, naturally there is joy from within and expressed on the outside. This feeling cannot be held back. It is important we reward ourselves in our little or make a deliberate plan to do so once the task had been achieved, that will help us remain fired.

Another crucial reason that keeps us fired up is our humble background: For some of us, our parents gave all they can and would have to see that we get the best and seeing them go through that, has spurred us every time to attain our goals, and be better than our role models. 

STATE IN FOCUS: OGUN STATE

Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created in 1976, it borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo and Osun states to the north, Ondo to the east and the Republic of Benin to the west. Abeokuta is the capital and largest city in the state. It was created in February 1976 from the former Western State.

Date created: 3rd February 1976

Capital: Abeokuta

Slogan: "Gateway to Nigeria"

Governor: Mr. Dapo Abiodun (APC)

Deputy Governor: Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele

Estimated Population (2006 census): Total 3,751,140

Commissioner for Education: Modupe Mujota

Higher Institutions: Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Crescent University, Abeokuta, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Saapade Polytechnic, Federal College Of Education, Osiele, Tai Solarin University of Education, Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Covenant University, Ota, Adetokunbo University, Sagamu, Babcock University, Ilisan Remo, Crawford University, Igbesa, McPherson University, Seriki-Sotayo, Mountain Top University, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria, Tai Solarin College of Education(TASCE), Omu, Ijebu Ode, DSAdegbenro I.C.T Polytechnic, Itori Ewekoro, Ogun state institute of technology, igbesa, Allover Central Polytechnic, Otta, Southwestern University, Trinity University

Edulight: STUDENTS’ CORNER For July 2020

Poem on freedom: Out there

Out there is a cry of anguish and pain.

Out there someone’s suffering for someone else’s blame

Out there, is someone who’s lost all sense of hope

Waiting for some kind of help without which he can’t cope

Out there lies a semblance of once healthy being

Who’ll die a slow and painful death

Unless he gets some seeing

But out there stands a person who cares for animals, true

Yes, someone who can make a change

That person could be you!

Original Poem by; Kenneth Caesar

Mubarak Malomo, Primary 6, O.N.P.S. Surulere, Lagos

Short Story: The brave princess:

Long ago, there was a place called Amanile Kingdom. They had a King named Ezem, he married a beautiful woman named Queen Iruka. They gave birth to a boy and a girl, the boy’s name was Prince Sobechi and the girl’s name was Princess Adaku.

The people of Amanile were happy people because they had a good king. Ezem became their king when he was thirty (30) years old, and served them well. He encouraged the people of Amanile to go into agriculture. They obeyed him and took agriculture as their major occupation. Some planted cash crops, such as; yam, cassava, rice, beans, groundnuts etc. while others specialized in livestock production.

King Ezem has a long farm. In his farm, he had a section for domestic animals and another section for different types of crop. He was the largest farmer in the kingdom. He was very rich and happy.

Amanile kingdom had one big river and five streams. There were lots of coconut trees near the river. There were also a lot of water plants surrounding the streams. The water plants make the streams look beautiful.

In Amanile kingdom there was a certain thick forest different types of wild animals lived in the forest. A particular snake also lived in the forest. The snake was treacherous and wicked. He had a way of hiding his wicked behaviours in order to appear to be friendly to weaker animals.

Although the snake pretended to be good, other animals in the forest did not trust him. They knew that he has evil. He secretly ate some young animals which included frogs and lizards. He also ate eggs laid by different animals. Whenever mother frog and lizard went on a visit, he would secretly eat their young ones.

To be continued…

Kehinde Feranmi, Primary 4, “A Prince with God” N/P School, Mushin, Lagos

Drug abuse

Drug abuse is a widespread problem that makes individual drug users the prime victims. But drugs affects all of us wherever we live and whatever we do. Drug abuse can cause serious physical and mental deterioration. The problem can be part of the family structure and making it hard for employers to run their business stealing from employers or individuals to get money for drugs causes pain and economic loss to the victim. The arrest and jailing of drug users and dealers put a strain on the law enforcement officials and criminal justice system. The cost of tax payers is enormous. The millions of dollars spent on hard drugs in America encourages criminals to do more.

Nevertheless, they have been found to increase the effect other drugs that depress the control nervous system, inducing alcohol, anti-histamines, barbiturates, narcotics, sedation, tranquilizers. Two of the main types of anti-depressants are; Elavil and Hefranil.

Anti-anxiety tranquilizers are drugs that have a calming effect on the control nervous system, relieves anxiety and tension and sometimes relaxes skeletal muscles. The drugs has been shown undesirable side effect and to be habit forming tranquilizer are usually dangerous as they intensify the effect of other depressant. Tranquilizers can cause coma and even death. Librium and Valium are the two examples of anti-anxiety tranquilizers that produce effects like alcohol barbiturates are often abused.

Anti-psychotic tranquilizers are major classification of drugs commonly used to treat serious psychiatric problem. The drug such as Therazine are rarely used non-medically because that does not produce euphoric effect still the drugs are sometimes preferred to barbiturates on caring agents because they do not cause physical dependence and even in large doses do not result in coma.

Thank you!

Ibrahim Jumai, SSS 1, Marjos Int’l College, Araromi, Mushin, Lagos

OUR ROLE MODEL: AUNTY BIMBO OLOYEDE

Aunty Bimbo Oloyede is a veteran Nigerian journalist and producer. As a newscaster, she was a mainstay on the Nigerian Television Authority Network News from 1976 to 1980. Simply put, the beauty and brain that brings joy to many homes. First woman to cast the Network News on the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) network.

Aunty Oloyede's father was M.E.K. Roberts, a former deputy inspector general of police, she spent much of her adolescent life in England where she studied drama and theatre arts. When she returned to Nigeria, she began as a production staff of the drama department at Lagos Television Station owned by the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). 

When NBC was reorganized into the Nigerian Television Authority, Oloyede was nominated as a newscaster for the Nigerian Television Authority's (NTA) 9 pm Network News, her first broadcast was in April 1976. In 1980, she left NTA and co-founded a media company with her late husband. She floated her own media outfit with the husband and worked with channels for a while. October 3^rd, 2015 Aunty Bimbo marked 40years of her relevance in the industry and it was a memorable time with former colleagues. The same year she was awarded “Life time Achievement Awards” for journalistic excellence by Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ). This is amongst other recognition she gained including the Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards.

Aunty Bimbo Oloyede is the initiator of the Women Optimum Development Foundation, an NGO that raises awareness about issues concerning young girls and women. She mentors many young female broadcasters and she is always willing to share at no cost her wealth of experience and knowledge in the field. As such, she came up with a brilliant book and guide for young journalists titled “Strictly Speaking”, the publication is on pronunciation guide. 

As our role model, we say may God bless and preserve you ma!

ONE ON ONE WITH MRS. MARY LOTACHUKWU OHAGWASI, FOUNDER GEMSEED CHILDREN ACADEMY

Can we have a brief background about you and your institution?

You already know my name, I don’t call myself a proprietress and I am not a regular school owner. This is a vision that is borne out of the need to bridge gap in the life of a child. Around me I see children being over-burdened and it seems like parents are workers and children are workers. This got me thinking, “How do we allow children of our society to enjoy their childhood and at the same time learn?” That was how “Gemseed” came about. Gemseed is not your regular school, it is a school though, we believe in academic excellence, at the same time we make children care our priority.

That is why I am championing the course I call Educare in education. How do we care for children? This is because a child you don’t care for will not learn. How do we maintain the child’s childhood? I believe when children’s childhood is not maintained, they will grow into dysfunctional adult. I would say the mistakes of doctors are in the graveyard but the mistakes of teachers are in the street. How do we avoid creating problems in the lives of our children through the school? The school system is a noble thing, but school system is also destroying the lives and potentials of the children. Most times our parents are not discerning enough to know the kind of environment they keep their children. By the way, children are not the same, we have different kinds of children or let me say different kinds of learners. There are ways you have to approach their separate needs, if you don’t meet their needs, they will not learn. That is what Gemseed is out to achieve.

In the last ten (10) years by the grace of God, we have been on it. Today, we are marking our 10^th anniversary, a wise saying goes thus; if you want to know a man’s passion, it is from his pursuit. Something you have pursued for ten (10) years is not an hobby. It must be a committed passion and it is not by the way. I can tell you in the past ten (10) years I have been in it with headlong and in ensuring that, we raise children who are balanced; emotionally then academically.

Can you take us through some of the challenges you faced in the last ten (10) years?

Really speaking, starting from having the capacity financially, I started very small, I knew I had a big picture with where I am going. I still see myself running maybe a college of education or even a university more of. But sincerely speaking, I started with a crèche, a care centre, a holiday care centre, a daily care centre. When I started, I went round to the schools in my neighborhood especially Gbagada here. There were no such services, they were so regimented, and it is either your children are in that school or they are not there. So, I started that service and gradually now many schools are doing it. We do daily care, you might want to go somewhere and drop your child. I take care of such children. I do monthly care, normal care after school care and holiday care. Children must be cared for physically as they are learning. That is just the idea, so we started. Apart from children from my school, I have children from other schools coming in to be cared for. I do more of nurturing children. Then they are learning at the same time. That is basically what we do. It is not easy, because starting small is not easy, so we started small, gradually we evolved, we are trusting God our next level will be secondary school.

There is a perceived trend that some school owners are into the business with a misplaced objective, which primarily is making money rather than concentrating on leaving a lasting impact. What is your take on this?

Really speaking, going by what I have seen, school is not a business centre, school is a social service, and anybody that is going into school especially in our clime here for the purpose of making money has gone into the wrong business. If you don’t have the mind to serve the children of your generation then forget about running a school. I tell people it is not the business you do like selling popcorn, selling ice cream and in the next three (3) months you are making money. Forget it, it is a long term thing, you may hardly make profit in ten years’ time. You keep investing. When you fail to invest in school it will show. School needs constant momentum, you keep adding and adding value. For me, I look at how we can use modern trend and how do we prepare our children for the work place of 21^st century? I’m looking at year 2030-35-40 what will be the work place skills? How do we start to prepare the children for the work place from the foundation? It is said from 0-6yrs, what we don’t put into the children will in no small measure affect who they will eventually become. In work habit, you develop them, personality, you develop them as well as many other things. That is why I as a school owner, believe so much in early years. I go for the best method teaching children in this early stage. It is very keen, once you get it right then, the child can survive.

From a clear observation, you tend to have a strong online presence, are you going to be focusing more on social media and online presence to project your vision and your cause?

Sincerely, I cannot have everybody in my environment here, I am not just to serve few children, I see myself more like an apostle to children, and if I don’t reach care givers, teachers and parents or access them, I cannot reach much. That is why I use this means available within my reach. Through the social media, I reach out to as many as possible and many people are following me. I was in Cotounu last month or thereabout still on the same course, preparing caregivers, parents, and teachers on how to prepare children for the future. If you look at the write-up outside, you would see “raising globally and locally relevant citizens”. If your children don’t go abroad, they should be relevant, if they go abroad, they should not go and wash plate. They should go there and make way, and it is the preparation that determines what happens. If you are not intentional in bringing up your children, I tell you they will not succeed by accident. Nobody succeeds by accident, everything is planned. So, now you have the opportunity to add value, especially, for our children. The competition is getting fiercer and we are in a global world. A child can be here and tomorrow finds a job abroad. What are the things we are doing to equip our children so that they can be a par with their colleagues all over the world? They should have more advantage over other people they might meet wherever they go.

On a final note, what is your advice for your mentees who aspire to be like you or perhaps better?

Sincerely, I crave their indulgence, if you want to work with children, make up your mind to work with children. Usually some people that work with children, go into it because of survival. Working with children is not what you do if you want to survive. You can go and sew cloths or become “designer” or “decorator”. There are many other things you can do. Today, the children may be 20% of the total population but in the nearest future the numbers will change. Anything we make out of them now will determine what they become tomorrow. We see our nation, we are not happy, how will it be in their own time, if we don’t make them problem solvers today? So, I want to encourage my mentees and those who want to be greater than I. “Prepare your own children and the children God has given you access to”. Don’t look at what is going on in Nigeria. Whenever I am doing something for the children, I don’t put a price tag. I don’t look at what it costs me. What I am looking at is “what will it cost them if I don’t do it now?” The thing is not waiting, who they are not today they will not become tomorrow. They are evolving by the day. As building starts with laying a good foundation, anything we fail to do today will affect other things. So every point in a child’s life matters, it counts. Let us take serious every phase of their development and add value to the children and I believe we will be better for it. You don’t know who those children are, they can become world changers tomorrow. So let’s do our best in raising tomorrow’s world leaders and problem solvers.

Thank you for your time.