Opinion: My argument in defence of plus-sized ladies

by Onikoyi Falade Babatope …the argument against fat/chubby/big women is more of an economic than health one. It’s good to be back, my muse contacted me that I have been forgiven, albeit with a condition. The condition was derived from a sentiment and truth, through an observation of global social landscapes. The sentiment is that... Read More

Business, capitalist, chubby, communication, economy, fat, literacy, magazines, Media, slim

December 24, 2012

Opinion: How success is often a catalyst for failure

by Greg McKeown If success is a catalyst for failure because it leads to the “undisciplined pursuit of more,” then one simple antidote is the disciplined pursuit of less. Why don’t successful people and organizations automatically become very successful? One important explanation is due to what I call “the clarity paradox,” which can be summed... Read More

Business, discipline, personal effectiveness, Success

December 6, 2012

Wahala: “We do not see men like before again” – Lagos prostitutes lament ‘okada’ ban

Sex is now added to the list of things affected by the Lagos State ban on commercial motorcycles. Who knew ‘okada’ riders had that much impact on the city’s sexual life? Recently some journalists went on to investigate how much an influence the ban was on commercial sex workers in Lagos. According to their report,... Read More

Business, commercial motorcycles, okada ban, prostitution, sex workers, sexual life

December 6, 2012

10 things your boss really wishes to tell you but can’t

by Ade Ipaye Occasionally I’m snappy. Occasionally I’m distracted. Occasionally I’m tense and irritable and short-tempered. It’s not your fault. I’m just worried. There’s a lot you don’t know about your employees, especially the things your employees will never tell you. There’s also a lot employees don’t know about you. Here are ten things bosses wish they... Read More

boss, Business, employee, employer, Finance, Insecurity, management, worry

November 20, 2012

Rukky Ladoja: We need to talk about failure (30 Days, 30 Days)

“The main reason why youth development is so slow is that no one talks to them about failure…No one tells them to expect it as one of the steps to success… Failure is just another step to success provided you don’t let it define you” Earlier this month, I gate crashed the annual Mo Ibrahim... Read More

Business, entrepreneur, failure, generation y, Rukky Ladoja, Success

November 18, 2012

Kene Rapu: It’s a man’s world? The rise of the fempreneur

Running a company has not been easy, especially in Nigeria where things are not always as straight forward as one may like them to be. However, with hard work, perseverance and doing what you love, the sky is the limit. From childhood I have had two identifiable giftings- an analytical mind and a passion for... Read More

30 days 30 voices, Business, entrepreneur, experience, Kene Rapu, project, Success

November 8, 2012

Microsoft launches Windows 8 in Nigeria at Open Door Event

by Isi Esene Microsoft Nigeria on Tuesday unveiled Windows 8 to its customers and partners at its Open Door event held at Harbour Point Event Centre, Victoria Island. This followed the global launch, which took place on Friday, October 26. This gives consumers and businesses an opportunity to experience all that Windows 8 has to... Read More

Business, Information Technology, microsoft, nigeria, Windows

November 2, 2012

Opinion: Stepping into the shoes of the consumer

by Nnadozie Egeonu Even if your business is novel, before you came into the scene, customers you are targeting, how were they addressing that need? Branding is a creative exercise; it involves lots of analytical thinking and creativity. You have to play the part of the consumer or ‘would be clients’ to perfectly understand... Read More

Branding, Business, competitive advantage, consumers, research

November 2, 2012

Opinion: Africa is rising! At least its one per cent is

by Zainab Usman As the African middle-class goes shopping with their swelled-up wallets and designer purses in Lagos or in London, many more Africans go to bed hungry as the gap between the nouveau riche shoppers and the underclass in the urban fringes grows wider. Africa’s economy may be booming, but this will do little... Read More

angola, Business, economy, GDP, growth, nigeria, unemployment

October 30, 2012

Forget it: What you DON’T need to establish a business (1)

by Okechukwu Nnodim It is important to state some of the things which are not mandatory before establishing a business. Management experts, human resources consultants and renowned economists interviewed by this correspondent say that there are some things that can be ignored when you want to start a business. Below are a few: •Academic qualifications... Read More

Business, enterpreneurship, Success

October 24, 2012

TICKER: Japanese man pays $780K for virginity of 20-year-old Brazil woman

A Brazilian student is set to sell her virginity for a staggering $780,000 after she put it up for auction online. A man called Natsu, from Japan, fended off strong competition from American bidders Jack Miller and Jack Right, and a big-spender from India, Rudra Chatterjee, to secure a date with 20-year-old Catarina Migliorini. The... Read More

auction, Business, virginity

October 18, 2012

Don’t “go for it”! 8 things that will f*** up your business

by Howard Turner Forgive the cuss words and the United-Kingdom references, this piece from the SabotageTimes.com might change your life. Or not. You You will be the main thing that fucks up your business, because until you get partners, then you are totally responsible for the decisions that will ultimately determine success or failure. No... Read More

Business, competition, government, Staff, twat

October 4, 2012

Opinion: How best to kill your brand

by Nnadozie Egeonu Customer will always want to know what is in for him; what extra benefits can he derive from patronizing you; why should he go for you instead of others? Consulting for small and medium sized businesses is such an awesome experience, quite touching too when you find a lot of young and... Read More

analysis, atm, Branding, Business, customer, market, marketing

September 26, 2012

Opinion: Live your passion and increase your success

by Ramone Smith This is the legacy I will leave for myself, my family and my community. Don’t dismiss the idea that perhaps the universe has been trying to tell you that you need to go into business for yourself. I say this with some trepidation, but it very well could be true. I am... Read More

Business, life, Passion, plan, research, Success, Work

September 17, 2012

Opinion: Africa is a dawning success; so why do outsiders think only of poverty and deprivation?

by Jonathan Berman “There are children starving in Africa. Eat your peas.” Surely I am not the only person whose first impressions of Africa were shaped along these lines. Whether it was your mother excoriating you about wasting food or an advertisement for Oxfam showing malnourished babies, the earliest impression of Africa many of us have... Read More

africa, Business, growth, investment, Jonathan Berman, Media, war

September 15, 2012

Dele Momodu: “Extreme loyalty”, hatred of politics and 8 other lessons you should learn from Mike Adenuga

by Dele Momodu Fellow Nigerians, please permit me to celebrate the life of one of the most distinguished Africans in global business today. The story of Dr Mike Adenuga is one that fascinates me because of its twists and turns. Since 1991, when I first encountered this spirit, as I like to describe him, he... Read More

Business, Dele Momodu, GCON, IBB, mike adenuga, national honour, pendulum

August 11, 2012

Opinion: How to be an Africa expert and leave no cliche unsaid

by Duncan Clarke Thinking Africa is complicated, requiring years of trawling through thousands of books on economics, history, social science, anthropology and politics. No mean task, but one luckily simplified lately by numerous self-styled “Africa experts”, political spin artists, sound-bite junkies, arriviste journos, think-tankers, policy wonks, random bankers, distant academics, market honchos, corporate suits, public... Read More

africa, Business, cliche, economy, expert

July 24, 2012

#ThisShouldMakeYouCry: Zambia heightens visa requirements for Nigerian visitors

by Isi Esene Private and business travellers hoping to obtain visas at the point of entry into Zambia are in for a surprise. This is because the Zambian authorities have included Nigerian citizens among citizens of other countries who have to apply for visas at Zambian missions abroad. This new directive, however, exempts individuals visiting... Read More

Business, diplomacy, nigeria, visa, visit, Zambia

July 20, 2012

$492m: Microsoft reports first public loss in history

by Adeniyi Abdul Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has its first loss in its 26 years as a public firm. The company had warned 2 weeks earlier that it was taking a $6.2bn (£3.9bn) charge because its 2007 purchase of an online ad service. The service, aQuantive has apparently not yielded the returns envisioned by management. This... Read More

Business, microsoft, Stock market, technology

July 17, 2012

#ThisShouldConcernYou: Training programme for young people in business with Bankole Williams and Lanre Olusola

Award Winning Author of Engaged to a Job I Hate, Bankole Williams, is organising a training programme for young business men and women in partnership with widely acclaimed Life Coach and Change Catalyst, Lanre Olusola. The event which is tagged IT – The Psychology for Business Success is an intensive coaching session with Bankole Williams... Read More

bankole williams, Business, Lanre Olusola, training

July 12, 2012

Hauwa Adbullahi-Booth: Life’s defining moments (30 Days, 30 Voices)

“My father once again beat me silly. He said to me ‘You are a Booth and we are strong confident people who face whatever situation we find ourselves in squarely.” I am one of the most complex yet simple people that I know; lazy but driven hard worker, confused yet focused. I know…it doesn’t make... Read More

Business, defining moments, hauwa abdullahi-booth

July 6, 2012

Harvard Business Review: Stop controlling your ideas, open them up

by Nilofer Merchant There are two ways of holding an idea. One is with a closed fist, and one is with an open palm. When you hold an idea in a closed fist, you control it. It is yours. And no one else can access it. Ideas held tightly — as if in a fist... Read More

Business, idea, Nilofer Merchant, openness

July 3, 2012

Opinion: Our Mealy Mouthed Approach to Corruption… the Georgian Example

by Funke Aboyade, olufunke.aboyade@thisdaylive.com I wasn’t surprised at the avalanche of emails and SMS I received following last week’s column (Presidential Nuisance…). My plan was to publish some of those reactions but upon receiving and reading the article (reproduced below) sent to me by a friend, I decided it was too good not to share with... Read More

Business, corruption, georgia, good governance, nigeria, police, tackling

June 21, 2012

Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours: Brazillian president to lead trade delegation to Nigeria

by Tolu Orekoya The presidential meeting between Goodluck Jonathan and Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff bore tentative fruit as Rousseff agreed to visit Nigeria before the year runs out. In the meeting held on Wednesday June 20, Rousseff noted that as the 6th largest economy in the world (they recently overtook the United Kingdom to claim that title), Brazil has... Read More

brazil, Business, Dilma Rousseff, Economics, nigeria, rio+20, trade

May 31, 2012

Ugodre Talks Figures: It’s official – GTB was the profitable bank for 2011

One of the benefits of the uniform reporting system for Nigerian banks is that it is now easier to compare the performance of one bank against another in numerous ways. I know its 5 months into the financial year which some may consider late for figuring out which bank was the most profitable. However, as... Read More

Business, GTB Bank, Ugodre

May 22, 2012

Ugodre Talks Figures: 7 Wonders of doing business in Nigeria

You need not open a bank account – I know this may sound absurd, but most Nigerian businesses have thrived for decades without passing through a regular bank account. According to a recent report FDI’s into Nigeria is expected to top $23b per year over the next five years. The Federal Government has also... Read More

Business, foriegn investors, nigeria, Taxes

May 17, 2012

How about some Indian money? US$1,000 to be won in INDIAFRICA Initiative creative contest – Click for Details

The IndiAfrica train will berth in Nigeria on May 24 at the University of Lagos in a day-long session of entrepreneurial seminars and musical show featuring Indian band, Parikrama. India is reaching out to Africa in a groundbreaking initiative to foster a People-to-People (P2P) understanding with Africa. The P2P initiative invites creative exchange... Read More

Business, design and culture, INDIAFRICA, the Young Visionaries Fellowship programme

May 16, 2012

Wale Adetula: Naija Weddings- 10 naked truths

What is really going on? Are women being bought as wives these days or maybe this is just tradition? And what happens when there’s a divorce? So the date is set. The invitations, sent. The venue, booked. Aso Ebi – imported plus Ankara and houdine for engagement. MC and DJ – check, better still, we’ll get a... Read More

Aso Ebi, Business, wedding