Gas finished last night and the kids were craving shawarma, I was too. Hubby said to go out to get it for all of us with drinks for dinner, I punched my calculator to see how much it will cost for a family of 5.
I arrived at over 35k. 12kg gas now cost 24k, we would use it 4weeks at least. I chose gas over shawarma.
That is for a family where both partners work and earn decently. We couldn't even afford a basic treat without punching the calculator. Everything extra is now considered luxury
Now imagine the life of a child whose both parents are skilless, unemployed or earns meagerly.
I know many of you will come and ask if shawarma is food, no it's not but everyone deserves a treat once in a while.
We all know what we are doing but you people should fear Allah.
I have been using my Nigerian phone numbers (+234) since I relocated to Austria many years ago. This is my usual practice, even when I visited Nigeria recently.
I recharge NGN1,000 every six months and then call a family member using that amount. My phone number remains active. Alternatively, you can use MTN or Airtel to keep your number active.
MTN allows you to pay a small fee to keep your line active for up to 3 years, even if you don't use it.
1 Year: Dial *305*1# (costs ₦400)
2 Years: Dial *305*2# (costs ₦800)
3 Years: Dial *305*3# (costs ₦1,200)
2. AIRTEL
Airtel protects your line from disconnection for up to 1 year.
1 Year: Dial *121*5*2# (costs ₦500)
Hope this helps!
I apologize to all those women I thought were bitter while their husbands seemed so nice.
Now I know it is easy to be the nice one when you are not taking care of anything.
Country is so hard. 10 yrs ago, when I started hiring local staff, I noticed a pattern. People would accept a job without having transport money to show up to work day one.
A few times, some would sum up the courage to plead for a salary loan or assistance with transport fares. I later developed a new habit of gifting new staff cash upfront to boost their confidence and ease the transition to the new role. I would tell them it was an upfront loan, but at month end, they would always receive full salary. I always noticed the excitement!
I realised it helps people maintain dignity and reduced the burdens that allowed them to put their best foot forward.
Only had two bad experiences where they took money and didn't return after a few days. Still hasn't changed my attitude. People are suffering in silence, pay attention!
THE COBRA EFFECT
During the British Raj, officials grew concerned about the rising number of venomous cobras in Delhi. To tackle the issue, they introduced a bounty for every dead snake.
At first, the policy seemed successful, many cobras were killed.
But soon, an unintended consequence appeared. Enterprising locals began breeding cobras to claim the reward. Once the government realised this loophole and scrapped the bounty programme, the breeders released their now-worthless snakes.
The result? The cobra population surged to even higher levels than before.
This episode is remembered as the Cobra Effect, a classic example of how well-meaning incentives can backfire, producing the exact opposite of the intended outcome.
The “Cobra Effect” is such a powerful reminder that policies and incentives don’t just create results, they create behaviours.
When you reward outcomes without thinking of human ingenuity, people will always find a shortcut.
That’s why in governance, business, or even personal systems - designing incentives matters more than setting targets, otherwise you end up with more cobras, not less.
- Don Tim
For the Record
1. Under the old tax regime, taxpayers received a 20% allowance on gross income, plus N200,000.
2. The new tax regime removes the 20% allowance and replaces it with a 20% allowance of rent paid, up to a limit of N500,000.
3. This means that all taxpayers who do not rent will see their allowances decrease, potentially exposing more of their income to taxation.
4. The new tax law has increased the income thresholds for taxation to compensate for the removal of the 20% gross allowance and the additional N200,000.
5. Under the old scheme, the first N300,000 (after allowances) was subject to tax. Under the new scheme, taxpayers must earn above N800,000 to be taxed.
6. Therefore, any taxpayer earning a minimum wage (N70,000) will pay no personal income tax.
7. The deductions for pensions, insurance, and other investments existed previously, allowing taxpayers to invest to receive tax relief.
8. Thus, more of their income will be exposed to taxation if a taxpayer earns N1 million and has no Retirement Savings Account (RSA) or life or health insurance.
9. The new scheme is progressive, meaning the more you earn, the more tax you pay. Taxpayers can reduce their tax liability by investing in pensions, life and health insurance, and mortgage payments.
10. The critical gross income threshold is N19 million; once you earn above this amount, your taxes will increase under the new law, regardless of other factors.
11. It's important to note that VAT is not an income tax and should not be included in this discussion.
if you don't earn, you cant save
if you cant save, you cant invest
if you can't invest, you can't beat inflation
if you can't beat inflation, you can't grow your net worth
if you can't grow your net worth, you can't be middle-class
if you cant be Middle Class, you cannot get rich,
it starts with spending less than you make; that's the first step
Everything that works today from the Government costs more. First you have to find what works.
The Government "today" enjoys far more revenue sources than the past governments. Note my use of "today"
Go and Google Nigerian Development Plans I, II, and III. In this same nation, a government built four Steel plants, and another Government built two refineries with the same oil money. Abuja FCT was built from scratch, FESTAC from scratch, and 1004 flats from scratch. Have you seen any such projects today?
Free Unity Schools and free universities funded from this same oil money, and Nigeria was sending engineers and doctors under the Technical Aid Corps across Africa.
Yes, there was corruption, but the Naira was a currency accepted globally. The Teaching hospitals and railways worked. You could drive at night interstate.
As the population has grown, tax opportunities have also grown, VAT is not that old, but where is the revenue going? To fund education or the National Assembly?
The difference today is the quality of leadership. In the past, to become a Minister, you must have achieved something in your personal life. Today, we literally have NYSC folk as Ministers.
We have never had 100% good roads, Yes, but it was a government that used the same oil money to build a ten-lane expressway from Apapa to Ojota, with flyovers and streetlights. What was oil output back then? Can we even dream of such a project today?
How is oil money benefiting you today? Tell me one, just one.
....just one.
My micro feminism at work is that I take consent form to the woman who we're performing the procedure on to sign, if she says "my husband kinikan", I tell her she is the patient not him and I always see the smile of empowerment on their faces 😍😍😍
@Wizarab10 This is why they say don’t fornicate before you marry. It’s supposed to train you and your will for times like this.
But we won’t listen, sexual compatibility will finish us.
Asides that, you’re just an unkind person because isn’t she breeding your own child? Cheat na, ewu 😒