The Pen Trust

19/02/2024

7 Powerful lessons from Argue to Win: Mastering the Art of Persuasion by Laurie Peters

1. Understanding Your Audience: Effective persuasion begins with understanding your audience's beliefs, values, and motivations. Tailor your arguments to resonate with their perspectives and interests, increasing receptivity to your message.

2. Building Credibility: Establish credibility by presenting well-researched facts, expertise, and genuine empathy. Trust is essential for persuasion; credibility enhances the persuasiveness of your arguments and fosters respect from your audience.

3. Crafting Compelling Narratives: Engage emotions and evoke empathy through storytelling. Narratives create memorable connections, making your arguments more persuasive and relatable to your audience's experiences and emotions.

4. Utilizing Persuasive Language: Choose words and phrases carefully to evoke desired emotions and responses. Persuasive language influences perceptions and attitudes, shaping how your arguments are received and interpreted by your audience.

5. Addressing Counterarguments: Anticipate and address potential objections and counterarguments preemptively. Acknowledging opposing viewpoints demonstrates intellectual honesty and strengthens the credibility of your arguments, increasing persuasive impact.

6. Establishing Logical Reasoning: Structure arguments coherently with clear premises, evidence, and logical reasoning. Logical consistency enhances the persuasiveness of your case, providing a solid foundation for convincing your audience of your viewpoint.

7. Engaging Ethical Persuasion: Maintain integrity and ethical standards in persuasion. Respect your audience's autonomy and avoid deceptive tactics or manipulation. Ethical persuasion builds trust and fosters long-term relationships based on mutual respect and transparency.

"Argue to Win: Mastering the Art of Persuasion" delves into the intricacies of effective persuasion techniques.

18/02/2024

Meet Abdulganiyu Pambegua, in his 11th anniversary he celebrates with 11 children, every year has been blessing with a child, apart from new born child, he is with 10 children in the picture .

The Pen Trust

18/02/2024

Kano state, the center of commercial activities in the year 1932

Photo credit : North book

17/02/2024

Nigerians to welcome additional of inflation, while new CBN Governor Olayemi starts printing new currency.

The Pen Trust

17/02/2024

Top economists provide a necessary task list to President Tinubu regarding the growing concern of escalating food prices.

- Reduce tax, dues steeply

- Pull back on spending not geared towards human capital

- Give Julius Berger equity to fix power

- Give CCECC equity to connect ports by rail to all regions

- Import food immediately at zero duty to crash food prices and inflation

- Customs should reduce dollar-based charges

- NNPC, NAFDAC, JAMB, FIRS should offer payment holidays.

- Offer tax credit to firms that increase workers salaries

- Ban importation of some products
relating to food and clothing to save FX

- Impose moratorium on some debts

- Reopen northern borders

16/02/2024

https://youtu.be/YRANgNCf8JE?si=v9deCUr00zqFT5J_

Hausa has a rich written tradition that goes back to hundreds of years. For instance, Kano Chronicle, a palace-centered monthly publication, was first publis...

15/02/2024

Portrait of a Hausa man, Nigeria, ca. 1920

Bahaushe (Hausa person): singular
Plural: Hausawa

Facts:

A.Hausa has a rich written tradition that goes back to hundreds of years. For instance, Kano Chronicle, a palace-centered monthly publication, was first published in Hausa (and in Arabic) in 1503 and continued for many years before it stopped publishing. It predated Iwe Irohin fun awon Egba ati Yoruba (“newspaper for Egba and Yoruba people”), which was first published in 1859 by the Reverend Henry Townsend.

B. Hausa is also perhaps the only Nigerian language that has grammatical gender for noun distinction. Every Hausa noun is either masculine or feminine.

C.Hausa Words in Everyday Nigerian English


1. “Jaara.” Most speakers of Nigerian English recognize this word as an additional, often small, quantity that a merchant gives to a customer who purchases goods in the market as a show of appreciation for the customer’s business. It is derived from the Hausa “gyara.”

2. “Megad.” This Nigerian English word for what native English speakers call a door guard, a gatekeeper, a uniformed doorman, or a hall porter came to us from a distortion of the Hausa “maigadi,” itself a blend of the Hausa “mai” and the English “guard.”

3. “Buka.” This word now means a cheap, casual, ramshackle eatery that sells already prepared food. It came from the Hausa word “bukka,” which means a temporary, tumble-down hut or tent.

4. "Fadama." This Hausa word for a fertile wetland is now a widely used terminology in agriculture in Nigeria and beyond.

5. To “see gobe” in southern Nigeria is to be in trouble, sometimes good trouble. It’s the title of Davido’s 2013 hit song. It may have been derived from the Hausa “sai gobe,” which literally translates as “until tomorrow.” I am also curious to know how the semantic transition occurred from “until tomorrow” to “being in trouble.”

Text culled from: Farooq A. Kperogi

14/02/2024

A lady sales her body to a man for one thousand naira

In Maidugri, two people were caught in a church making love, after interrogation the lady says "she agreed to make love with him after receiving one thousand naira from him, and he asked her to follow him into church".

The church is under police school, in midst of satisfying their desire, they were caught by the church pastor, and immediately sent them to police station.

Khadija, the lady told the people that Kaka, a man were asked her to open her leg for him even in standing position he can make love with her, not necessarily to lay down on the ground.

The Pen Trust

11/02/2024

Our condolence to the family of Hausa Actor AKA Bintu Dadin Kowa, her demise has come after a long sick.

May her soul rest in peace.

The Pen Trust

08/02/2024

Nigeria Police Force Bauchi Command decleres Dr. Tanshi as Wanted

The Nigeria police force Bauchi state command has declared Dr. Idris Dutsen Tanshi Wanted.

In a recent, a court in Bauchi state has requested Dr. Tanshi to appear before the judge, but he refused to attend.

He was alleged for public disturbance and defamation, but he escaped the summoned.

The Pen Trust

07/02/2024

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! SA El-ladan, Dan Sarki Daura, Sheikh MB Lawan Adamawa, Ahmad Magaji, Ahmad Asb, Abubakar Tamim, Sani Sani Kano

06/02/2024

Aliko Dangote University Kano Suspends a Lecturer for harsh Punishment

In a viral video, a lecturer from Aliko Dangote University has punished some students in the lecture hall before their classmates.

The viral video has dragged the attention of the University management, and immediately he was suspended by the management.

According to the circular, the university assure students' parents and guardians that the university will be monitor everything, and the lecturer will face the lecture should appear before the university disciplinary committee.

According to educationists, it's against the teaching ethics to punish student before his fellow classmates, even if the punishment is necessary, it should be between teacher and student.

The Pen Trust

05/02/2024

Kurmi Market, Kano in the year 1951

Credit: Mansur Sulaiman

05/02/2024

Hausa Proverb says "two is better than one", but when you come to lamplight of reality, to apply this proverb on Nigeria currency, you will understand this proverb can't goes with it; ₦1,000 x3, + ₦500 x3, + ₦200x 2 = ₦4,900.

But 5 dollor is equivalent to ₦6750.

The Pen Trust

02/02/2024

K1, a Yoruba musician has dragged the attention of Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu on cost of living.

He added, " People are suffering, you have to address the nation on this situation".

The Pen Trust

01/02/2024

I give this mansion to Sule Lamido University as Donation after my death

The leader of the talakawas Dr. Sule Lamido CON, has formally informed the Jigawa State Government that after his demise, his Bamaina mansion would be donated to Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa as Institute for Islamic Studies and Research.

Mansur Ahmed: New media aide to, Dr. Sule Lamido CON

01/02/2024

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WORKERS TO START RECEIVING SALARY NOW

The Accountant general of federation Mrs Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, said this evening in Abuja through her Public Relations officer.

She apologized for the delay of January salary and she added, "the issue has sorted out, and payment would commence today".

Workers Will start start receiving their salary from Thursday evening, he said.

The Pen Trust

01/02/2024

Photo credit: Nigeria Police force

The office of the Deputy Inspector General Force Criminal Investigation Department is looking for this woman.

If you find her, who you have news where she's hiding, Please contact the department, below is her description.

The Pen Trust

01/02/2024

Cost of Living: We used to buy four sticks as ₦200, with 2014, nowadays, the one we buy ₦200 is a thick like a paper, or wet a wet cloth, cutting in pieces and rub kuli on it.

The previous administration was the responsible and the planner, while current administration is the executioner, but we can't put all the blame on them, the masses/victims have their own problems on this issue.

We may get out from this diabolic situation soon, in the name of God! AMEN

By
Credit: Yasir Gwale, translation by The Pen Trust

31/01/2024

Sometimes I wonder, was there really a time in history when the prices of goods and services were within the reach of the common man?

Credit: Prof. Aliyu Ammani

I was reading an article published in 1977 where the author wrote "poultry products such as eggs are already beyond the reach of the average Nigerian because they sell at a high price of about ₦1.40 (one Naira forty Kobo only) per dozen".

Imagine! 12 eggs for ₦1.40 ( which means about 12 Kobo per egg) was considered a high price!

Imagine if the author was writing today!

Today, in some places an egg is sold at about ₦120 (that's 12000 Kobo, the price of about 1000 eggs in 1997! Yes, one thousand eggs!).

In my opinion, prices of good and services have been on the high side since the day man invented trade. People will continue to cry of high prices until they 'jam' higher prices, then, standing on the mountain of higher prices, they will look back at the valley (period) of high prices, with nostalgia, and lament of the times when 'duniya na kwance' and everything in the market place was sold at giveaway prices!

PS: nothing in this post should be interpreted as a support or justification for the astronomical rise in general prices we are experiencing in Nigeria today.

30/01/2024

LAYLAH ALI OTHMAN AND THE DEVIL'S TRAP

The Prophetic hadith "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day must either speak good or remain silent." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] is so apt to cite in this unfortunate saga.

Many of us take this wise saying for granted, if we are aware of it that is. For most of us don't even consider it as something applicable in their daily dealings.

We go to places, meet people, discuss issues, persons, situations and so on freely with others. Some friends others strangers, some trusted others not so, only to end up regretting.

Times have changed. Unlike previously when it was your words against another's, advancement in technology has brought with it different means of collecting data and information.

What more? It has made it so easy and convenient that virtually anybody can do it now, via the smart mobile phones and other miniature devices in cristal clear quality audio or video digital format.

One of the ways in which such information or data collection is promptly achieved comes in the innocent, casual, all trusting phone call conversations.

Here you call someone and subsequently start a normal exchange. You let go all precautions and let loose your tongue in a free style mode. Often forgetting each word you use, until hear a replay.

Soon you pour your heart out on anything or anyone without a single thought about what you are saying. The implications and consequences so far removed from your conscience and consciousness.

Meanwhile, the person at the other side of your talks is taking in all you are saying into a recording device and prompting you on with mischief and bad intentions.

Anyways, that was before. Now, the mobile phone does that for its owner without seeking for permission or consent. It's suppose to be "smart" and so does what it's programmed to do.

The recordings are sometimes not purposeful, deliberate, pre-planned or premeditated. You just make a normal call and finish your conversation.

At the end of it, your "smart phone" would suggest to you "Save your last call" or chat as mp3 and you are at liberty to click either Yes or No and it acts accordingly.

This is how many of us gullibly fall into that "Trust abuse" trap. Then the Devil 😈 of course takes over and subsequently one is tempted to use the recordings against the caller towards achieving one dubious goal or another. Mostly sinister or evil.

The only way out is for you to be careful of what you say or don't say about anyone or anything when discussing with another on the receiving end of a phone call, when one is in a one or one physical conversation or in a group discussion among friends.

Backbiting, gossips, rumours, hearsays, bad mouthing, insinuations, suspicions, slandering, abusing, agreeing to evil suggestions, free expressions of feelings and more could all be dangerous to your reputation, personality and character.

Your best bet would be to avoid "6arin zance", if it turns to be true. Do not allow yourself to be caught in the line of fire, entangled in the spider's web or in a trap set by the hunter, the devil as Laylah Ali Othman had gullibly done as alleged.

Now her public image, personality, character and reputation is utterly ruined. Sadly and unfortunately many would never see her the same again. I feel so sorry for her a gaskiya.

Credit: Tijjani M. M./DWi Int'l/SWS.Comms Radio Rangad'ad'au.

29/01/2024

COST OF LIVING: CIVIL SERVANTS ARE IN DILEMMA IN NIGERIA

DOLLAR - NAIRA EXCHANGE RATE AND THE LIFE OF NIGERIAN CIVIL SERVANTS.

In 2014, $1 was equivalent to ₦200. At that time, one bag of 50Kg rice was around ₦8,000 ($40) when the minimum wage was N18,000 ($90).

Comparably, in January 2024 (10 years apart), $1 is around ₦1,500. The Minimum wage is ₦30,000. Simple calculation is: 18000/200 = $90; 30,000/1,500 = $20.

What does this simple calculation mean? I can say that in real terms, over the period of 10 years, despite the increase in minimum wage from ₦18,000 to ₦30,000 per month, the purchasing power has decreased by over 75%.

However, in the year 2014 the PMS pump price per litre was 87 Naira while the current price in 2024 is ₦700 per litre.

The Nigerian budget in 2014 was ₦4.962 trillion, while in 2024 the budget is ₦28.77 trillion.

My advice to the federal government is that when it decides to review the minimum wage, it should consider the purchasing power of money so that the standard of living of Nigerian workers is improved.

~Hon. Ismail Namadi
Bsc...Economic
Msc...International economic and management

28/01/2024

MASS MARRIAGE FROM KEBBI STATE

Kebbi holds mass weddings for over 300 divorcees, widows

A mass wedding was held for more than 300 widows, divorcees, and indigents at the Gwandu Emirate Palace in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday.

The mass wedding, which was organised by the Kebbi state government under Hajia Nafisa Nasir Idris the wife of the Kebbi governor was performed by the NANAS foundation a pet project of Nafisa Idris.

28/01/2024

The Federal Government will inaugurate a minimum wage committee on Tuesday, 30 January 2024.

All the best

27/01/2024

Cost of Life is the Reason

PHOTOS: UniAbuja Launches Bicycle As Alternative Intra-campus Transport

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, has introduced 'Na’Allah Campus Ride' as alternative transportation model on its campus, aiming to facilitate ease of movement for the institution's students.

The university shared this information in a Facebook post, announcing the commencement of Na’Allah Campus Ride.

The post highlighted the excitement among students as they rode the bikes around the campus.

“Opara Anthony Chibuka, a 200-level Philosophy student and one of the riders, expressed, 'The bike is smooth and easy to ride. Many of us on campus will greatly enjoy using the bikes.

“I know that many of my friends have been waiting for this opportunity. Kudos to the vice-chancellor,' the post read.

In the comment section, the university mentioned that it has only received a delivery of 100 bicycles.

During the launch, many students were seen riding alongside the Vice Chancellor and some principal officers of the institution."

Credit: Facebook | University of Abuja

27/01/2024

7 powerful lessons from the book "The Art of War"

1. Know Yourself, Know Your Enemy: Thorough self-analysis and understanding your opponent's strengths and weaknesses are crucial for achieving victory. This translates to knowing your own skills and limitations, as well as researching and anticipating your competitor's strategies.

2. Victory Without Fighting: The best strategy is to win without engaging in conflict at all. This can be achieved through negotiation, deception, or simply outsmarting your opponent. In business, this could mean securing deals through win-win situations or finding innovative solutions that render competition irrelevant.

3. Deception and Maneuvering: Misdirection and strategic manipulation can be powerful tools. Keeping your plans hidden and manipulating your opponent's perception can give you a decisive advantage. In negotiations, this might involve subtle signaling or creating an atmosphere of uncertainty.

4. Adaptability and Flexibility: Situations can change rapidly, and being rigid can lead to disaster. Be prepared to adjust your plans and strategies based on new information and unexpected developments. In a business setting, this means embracing change and being agile enough to adapt to market shifts or competitor actions.

5. Know Your Terrain: Understanding the environment and using it to your advantage is key. This could involve leveraging geographical features, utilizing resources, or exploiting weather conditions. In business, this translates to analyzing market trends, understanding customer behavior, and using existing infrastructure to your benefit.

6. Discipline and Order: Maintaining control over your troops and ensuring their discipline is essential for success. This translates to leadership skills, clear communication, and efficient resource management. In a team environment, this means fostering collaboration, establishing clear goals, and setting performance expectations.

7. No Prolonged Warfare: Striving for a quick and decisive victory is preferable to a drawn-out conflict. This requires efficiency, decisive action, and minimizing unnecessary losses. In business, this translates to focusing on achieving objectives quickly, avoiding unnecessary competition, and minimizing resource expenditure.

27/01/2024

NORTHERN ELDERS FIGHT FOR THEIR OWN CHILDREN WORK IN CBN

COPIED

I worked in CBN for 34 years and i retired as an executive. So i should know one or two things about what’s happening in that place.

We particularly Northerners among us should be careful how we make comments. The Northern elders and elites that are insinuating this are not doing it because they love the North so much.

They are doing this because of their children and families that are affected by the movement.

That’s the fault of Emefiele. He employed mostly Privileged Children into Central Bank. Their parents even dictated the departments where they must work unlike some of us that were posted to CBN offices nationwide not minding where we are from.

Those departments moving to Lagos are some of the lucrative ones and their children have gone to report Central Bank Management to them since they don’t want to work anywhere apart from Abuja.

They don’t even want to work in their own bandit infested home towns. So the Northern elders and all the people protesting are not doing it because they love the North.

They are doing it because of their children. Example, i know Alhaji Yusuf very well, i want to ask how many of his children did Emefiele employ?

It’s only the sons and daughters and wives of chief of staff, Senators, key rep members, ministers, key political actors, governors across the country and the parents insist that these children must work in Abuja despite the fact that the Abuja facilities is a disaster waiting to happen.

The lifts are overcrowded, sewage’s are over flowing, water became inadequate.

Most of the other Northerners, southerners employed that are not in the group mentioned above either bought the jobs for between "5 to 10 million" through Eric, Emefiele’s "PA" who is now on the run for fraud of 6.4 million dollars or actually girlfriends of Emefiele and his Directors, Deputy Governors and other powerful people in the society.

My own daughter could not even serve NYSC in CBN talk less of working there despite my sacrifices of 34 years . When i heard about the offer to buy job, i just said i would rather give that 5m or 10m to my daughter because i know how enterprising she is and there was nothing so big about working in CBN because the job is no more challenging and this children of big men are just roaming all over the place doing nothing.

So this is the case .

26/01/2024

"I reached the bar of the professorial salary scale in 2011. My salary was ₦420,167.43. The exchange rate then was ₦155.71 to $1 Dollar in November 2011, meaning that my salary was $2,698.40. As I was finalising this exaugural lecture on 22nd January 2024. My salary (take home) stood at ₦395,500.00 and the exchange rate was ₦1355 to a dollar showing that my salary in Dollar was $291.88 having spent more than twenty (20) years as a professor"

--- Excerpt from a Professor's exaugural lecture at Unilag (lifted from a WhatsApp group).

Copied

26/01/2024

THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED TO FULFILL THE PROMISES

I am beginning to see in this new government, telltale signs suggesting that it is tacitly and deliberately subjecting Nigerian workers to extreme hardship.

My reasons?

First, the subsidy on PMS was withdrawn abruptly, subjecting the citizens to tremendous shock without putting in place the necessary shock absorbers. 60 days on, no shock absorber is within sight. Have you seen one?

Second, the failure of the government to pay its workers outstanding arrears and allowances, to cushion the effects of the withdrawal of petrol subsidy on costs of living. If you cannot give something new, or you are still yet to decide on what to give, why can't you pay the debts on you! I know of persons yet to be paid promotion arrears since 2018! Our colleagues in the University system are still owed EAA. These arrears and allowances are for work already done, and should normally be paid under usual circumstances. However to continue in refusing to pay under such extremely hard unsual man-made circumstances ...

Third, I am aware that there's a strategy document before Mr President suggesting that income tax deductions for federal workers be suspended for a period of time. I know a Professor friend whose monthly income tax deduction is above ₦60,000.00! If the government has accepted the suggestion, at least workers would have a small relief. In the case of the aforementioned Professor, he would have been allowed to keep his monthly ₦60,000.00 as an emergency cost of living allowance.

The APPARENT FAILURE of government to come up with a shock absorber plan, no matter how weak, at a time that all necessary shock absorbers are supposed to be in place, COUPLED WITH its refusal to pay outstanding arrears and allowances to its workers, ADDED TO its 'adankiya' attitude towards the suggestion on temporarily suspending income tax deductions from workers salaries are, in my opinion, reasons enough to doubt the sincerity of this government.

A leader that projects an image of being decisive and proactive in passing tremendous shock through the system, at the very point of his inauguration, should not, under normal circumstances, be seen as indecisive or procrastinating in putting the necessary shock absorbers in place 60 days afterwards.

PS: someone was telling me that it was part of the Bretton Woods Institutions' strategy, that workers should be subjected to such extreme hardships. The idea is to have workers improvised survival tactics while ministries and MDAs come up with strategies for workers to adjust, from those survival tactics and strategies the government can easily find justifications to downsize the work force, and save more money for di kontri!

PPS: even the ₦35,000 'palliative' that the FG promised to pay its staff (months after this post was first made) for 6 months beginning from September 2023, so far only 2 months payments were received: September and October. Nigerian workers are still waiting for November, December and January 2024 palliatives!

From: Professor Ammani Aliyu

26/01/2024

https://youtu.be/C0_k3yP0uLw?si=Y8PXDaOnsq5Mi2oC

The seven original states of Hausaland: Katsina, Daura, Kano, Zazzau, Gobir, Rano, and Garun Gabas cover an area of approximately 500 square miles and compri...