Back to school tips for your 1 to 10-year-olds

Back to school tips for your 1 to 10-year-olds

Now that the holiday is nearly over and the new school year is about to begin, you need to prepare your little child(ren) especially the first timers psychologically. Understanding each child’s physical and emotional needs will help you respond and prepare them for upcoming transitions such as starting school in a new environment, or resuming school after the holiday.

Here are some tips to emotionally and mentally prepare your child for school resumption:

 

  • Discuss cheerfully with your child about starting school and listen to his/her response to the topic. Do they react eagerly, or with confusion and anxiety? Depending on their reaction, be open to deal with it with affirmation and care.

 

  • Prepare your child to get into the routine of going to bed early and waking up early. This makes it easier for him/her to adapt upon resumption.

 

  • Invite your child to go shopping for school supplies, new clothes, new lunch box or back pack. Involving them creates excitement about the start of school.
  • As your child moves from nursery to primary or from primary to secondary, it is normal to experience anxiety. Be on ground to speak with your child about any worries he/she may have and try to find possible solutions to them.

 

  • Drop off your child on the first day of school. If it’s a new school, decrease anxiety for your child by touring it with him/her, locate classrooms, see new faces and meet the new teacher.

 

  • When children return from school, it is homework and family moment. Ensure this time is utilized properly, by creating specific homework area in the home. Assemble the homework station with necessary supplies like notebooks, pencils, erasers and crayons. Make sure the area is bright and the chair(s) as comfortable as possible.

  • Unless your child went for summer lessons during the holiday, you want to wake their brains up in preparation for the new term. Make brain training a fun prospect by injecting interesting activities such as: book reading, card games and jigsaw puzzles.

 

If your child’s school has provision for extra-curricular activities, now is the time to discuss his/her preference and why. Knowing and concluding beforehand helps you ensure that your child is occupied with an activity that they enjoy after school work and that will impact positively on them.

PS: When you have done all of these, don’t forget to use tools like a children’s education calculator to determine how much you will need for your child’s education this term. Then plan with that in mind.

 

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In the news: CBN injects $250m to lift naira

In the news: CBN injects 0m to lift naira

Punch

CBN injects fresh $250m to lift naira

The Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday injected $250m into the various segments of the inter-bank foreign exchange market, in order to lift the naira against other major currencies.

Exit from recession fails to lift stocks

Despite Nigeria exiting recession on Tuesday, the equities market closed in the red, shedding N35bn.

Naira appreciates against dollar

The Nigerian currency gained N1 to exchange at N364 to the dollar, stronger than N365 posted on Friday, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N470 and N430.

Buhari, economists, others caution against celebrating Nigeria’s exit from recession

The news that the nation exited its worst recession in 25 years was received with cautious optimism by a cross section of Nigerians on Tuesday, with many economists and analysts saying the 0.55 per cent growth in the Gross Domestic Product in the second quarter was slower than expected.

This Day

 Intel’s Volpi Steps Up Battle Against Wale Tinubu over Control of Oando

One of the founders and majority shareholder of Intels Nigeria Limited, operator of the oil and gas logistics terminals in Onne, Rivers State and Warri, Delta State, Mr. Gabriele Volpi, has stepped up his battle against the group chief executive officer of Oando Plc, Mr. Wale Tinubu, over control of Oando, citing alleged mismanagement, cooked books and huge debts.

ETI Secures $250m Loan Facility to Boost Operations

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), the Lome, Togo-based parent company of the EcobankGroup Tuesday signed a five-year senior unsecured loan facility of $250 million from Deutsche Bank AG.

 BUA Group Invests $2bn in Nigerian Cement Industry

BUA Group, one of Nigeria’s largest conglomerates, has invested about $2 billion in the Nigerian cement industry with capacities in excess of over 12 million tonnes per annum.

CPS: 21 PFAs Generate N6.5tn Assets in 12 Years

The 21 Pension fund Administrators operating in Nigeria, between 2004 and 2017 generated a total of 7,592,157 contributors who contributed N6.6 trillion assets.

FG Plans New Model to Equalise Gas Prices across Nigeria

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu disclosed that federal government would work out a new gas pricing and supply model – likely to be the type adopted by it to ensure equal pump price for petrol across Nigeria, to get gas to all parts of Nigeria, especially the northern states.

Vanguard

AMCON denies ceding Arik to Ethiopian Airlines

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has denied reports that it was negotiating with Ethiopian Airlines to manage Arik Airline.

DISCOs inability to transmit 6500mw threatens FG 2020 targets

With the increased demand for electricity fueled by population growth and rising urbanization in the country, stakeholders in the power sector have said that the Distribution Companies, DISCOs, lack the capacity to wheel 6500 megawatts (mw) of electricity transmitted to them.

Dangote invests N400bn in sugar backward integration projects

Dangote Group has so far invested over N400 billion in sugar backward integration projects under the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan, (NSMP, being implemented by the National Sugar Development Council, NSDC, to make the country self-sufficient in sugar production.

Guardian

Egbin to construct N432 billion power plant

Egbin Power Plc has unveiled plans to invest $1.2 billion (N432 billion) for the construction of a 1,575 Mega Watts plant in Nigeria. The plant which is expected to be completed by 2020, is expected to increase the supply of electricity to homes and businesses in the country.

Reuters

Nigeria’s cabinet meeting cancelled for second time since Buhari’s return: Nigeria has cancelled its weekly cabinet meeting for the second time since President Muhammadu Buhari returned from three months of medical leave in Britain.

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Source: Blog

It’s all in the mind

It’s all in the mind

“I got up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Have you ever said these words when things do not go well for you on a certain day? You probably have. But do you know that one factor that determines how well your day turns out is how you play it out in your mind? Your mind is the engine room of your body.

Many experts agree that the ability to change your mindset is the single most important factor in the achievement not only of your health, finances, relationships, but any outcome that is important in life.  So, if you seem to be experiencing stagnancy in an area of your life, you might want to monitor your thought pattern regarding that area.

The degree to which you are able to make changes in your life will be determined by the mindset you have. If you can change how you look at things in your mind, you can change your life. Start by making a commitment to monitor your thinking pattern daily. Whenever it starts veering towards negativity, consciously pull yourself out of it. Focus on choosing the mindset you want throughout the day.

Do you need to transform your mindset? Join us on Wednesday by 6.30pm on Smooth 98.1FM as we tackle steps to having a winning mindset. There’s also a gift to be won at the end of the show. You won’t want to miss this!

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Trade Balance to Survive Muddy Waters

Trade Balance to Survive Muddy Waters

Export sustains trajectory on higher crude prices…

Nigeria’s trade balance extended its surplus position into a second consecutive quarter in Q1 17 (N719 billion), following another sturdy rise in exports (+109% YoY to N3.0 trillion) relative to a 35% increase in value of imports.1 According to NBS, it took sharp increases (average of 142% YoY) across “Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude” and “Natural gas, liquefied” to keep exports on its strongest growth trajectory in over thirteen quarters. Specifically, reflecting an OPEC induced rejig in global oil prices (+53% YoY to $51.18 per barrel) and naira devaluation of 55% YoY to N305, crude oil exports more than doubled YoY but saw its overall attribution largely unchanged at 78% of headline export in Q1 17 (vs. 77% in Q1 16) due to similar jumps in other export components.

The broad-based rise in exports also reflected sustained scamper for attractive greenback in the review period. Notably, the sharp increase in prices and pass-through from naira down-leg was enough to mask fallouts from a 14% contraction in domestic crude production in the review period.

In terms of Nigeria’s trade relations, available data suggests that India was Nigeria’s most important export partner in Q1 17, with the Asian tiger single handedly accounting for 22.2% of Nigeria’s overall exports. Precisely, India reportedly consumed 30% of Nigeria’s crude exports over the first three months of 2017 while also standing out as the fifth largest consumer of Nigeria’s Agricultural exports in the review period.

Elsewhere, United States and Spain accounted for another 13.9% and 10.8% of overall exports, with consumption from both countries accounting for 22% of Nigeria’s non-crude exports (vs. 15% in the corresponding period of 2016) and making up for their slightly narrowing relevance in the consumption of Nigeria’s crude. To the latter point, we note that joint consumption attribution for the countries shrank 2pps YoY to 25% in Q1 17. Within the African region, Nigeria also sustained its export push with South Africa leading the way with a 91% YoY rise in its demand for Nigerian crude.

View full July 26 Nigeria Strategy Report here

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In the news: Naira appreciates to N366/$

In the news: Naira appreciates to N366/$

Punch

FG awards $5.8bn Mambilla power plant contract

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the contract for the engineering work of the Mambilla Hydro Electric Power Plant in Taraba State at a sum of $5.792bn.

Lagos to build 57 computerised vehicle inspection centres

The Lagos State Government says it plans to build 57 state-of-the-art computerised vehicle inspection service centres for testing vehicles before being issued road worthiness certificates.

Oil industry stakeholders await Egina FPSO integration

Stakeholders in the Nigerian oil and gas industry are awaiting the integration of the Egina Floating Production Storage Offloading facility in the country as the project nears completion.

This Day

 Fidelity Bank Grows Profit after Tax by 66% to N9bn in Six Months

Shareholders of Fidelity Bank Plc should expect a bounteous harvest at the end of the current year given its impressive performance for the half year (H1) ended June 30, 2017.

 Allianz Buys Nigerian Insurer for $35m

Germany’s Allianz plans to pay $35 million for 98 per cent stake in Nigerian insurer, Ensure Insurance, in a push for growth in Africa, where many people are uninsured..

Japanese Miniso’s $1.5bn International Investment Enters Nigeria

The federal government’s quest for foreign direct investment (FDI) has yielded yet another positive boost as Miniso, a top Japanese designer brand and market leader, has opened its world-class outlets across the six high-brow shopping malls in Lagos.

Vanguard

BoI, Oxfam partner to empower 4,000 farmers

The Bank of Industry (BoI) has signed a partnership agreement with Oxfam to disburse N200 million to empower about 4,000 farmers in Nasarawa, Benue and Plateau States, under the Federal Government’s Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

Naira appreciates to N366/$

The Naira yesterday appreciated for the second consecutive day to N366 per dollar in the parallel market, even as investors traded $84 million in the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window.

Guardian

FG begins disbursement of N5billion loan for miners

Despite the limited access to finance, and illegal artisanal mining activities, federal government has commenced disbursement of N5 billion to artisanal and small-scale miners in the country.

Bloomberg

Chinese Oil Giant Sinopec Probed by the U.S. Over Nigeria Bribery Allegations

U.S. authorities are investigating China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. over allegations that the state-controlled oil producer paid Nigerian officials about $100 million worth of bribes to resolve a business dispute, according to people familiar with the probe.

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Source: Blog

JOB HUNTING TIP: Don’t let opportunity ‘Sleep’ away

JOB HUNTING TIP: Don’t let opportunity ‘Sleep’ away

You might find this hard to believe but your body is not a machine.

Even if it were, machines need rest too…especially before going in for a job interview.

The level of preparation you put in for your job interview will not count if you are mentally absent on D-day.

Avoid this by getting enough rest so you can wake up alert and ready to deal with any questions your interviewer throws at you. Picture the alternative, which is zoning off mid-sentence with your mouth open. Not a pretty picture, is it?

In addition to getting the rest you require, prepare to be honest, especially when asked about your strengths. The temptation to reel out a long list of impressive ‘strengths’ is inviting, but don’t do it!

Why go with the crowd and claim to be a ‘team player’ just because it sounds good to the ear when you like to work alone? Stick to the truth.

Lying has its downfalls. Fish learnt this the hard way when he lied about his age to his interviewer(s) in our previous Diary of a Job Hunter episode. Who needs a calculator to figure out their age? Fish, that’s who! He’s also the only one with a younger – older brother.

On a serious note, prospective employers want to hire honest, efficient and reliable people. Lying, dozing off or lack of preparedness doesn’t mirror those qualities.

Watch Fish’s ‘No Sleep No Slumber’ in this week’s Diary of a job hunter and see why you shouldn’t underestimate rest or exaggerate your strengths.

Need more tips to help you shine at your next job interview? Be sure to follow the Diary of a Job Hunter series every week on www.armpension.com/jobhunter/ and our social media pages @armengage.

See ya!

PS.

If you missed any, you can catch up on previous episodes here.

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Source: Blog

Nigerian GDP: Recovery Signal Speaks

Nigerian GDP: Recovery Signal Speaks

Non-oil rebound cascades to slower contraction in Q1 17

Extending the trend from 2016, when output shrank 1.5% relative to 2015—encapsulating four quarters of YoY contraction, real GDP contracted 0.5% YoY in the first quarter of 2017. However, this reading

was not only an improvement from the -1.3% YoY contraction registered during the preceding quarter but was also the smallest contraction since the trend began. The improvement appears to buttress our view, premised on PMI-strengthening, and as expressed in our H1 17 strategy report, that Nigeria might be coming out of recession in Q2 17.

Drilling to the underpins of the recovery, whilst oil GDP recorded a narrower contraction (YoY: Q1 17: -11.64%; Q4 16: -17.7%), the lowest since Q2 16, an outright recovery in non-oil GDP (YoY: Q1 17: +0.7%; Q4 16: -0.3%) proved the boost. The growth in non-oil was driven by Agriculture (Crop Production: 3.5% YoY in Q1 17), Manufacturing (Q1 17: 1.4% YoY) and Services (Q1 17: 1.0% YoY).

Oil GDP sustains recovery as brass pipeline comes on stream

The second consecutive quarter of narrower contraction in oil GDP achieved in Q1 17 reflects 3.9% QoQ recovery in oil production to 1.83mbpd (Q1 16: 2.02mbpd). The production boost was largely owed to the lifting of force majeure on Brass terminal (120kbpd) in February 2017 as well as lower pipeline vandalism (-67% on average from 2016 to 2017). On the latter, we think FG’s conciliatory efforts have calmed the activities of Niger-Delta militants, who are set to receive higher amnesty payments in 2017 (over twofold YoY to N77 billion) going by the recently passed budget. Regardless, the lower production relative to corresponding quarter in 2016 continues to hinge on the force majeure on Forcados pipeline (330kbpd) which lingered over the review period alongside temporary shut-in of the Nembe Creek Trunk Line causing a shut-in planned production of 232kbpd in March 2017.

Recovery in ICT shoves Services GDP out of recession.

Starting off with the largest component of non-oil GDP, Services recorded positive growth (1% YoY) after three consecutive quarters of contraction, on the back of 2.7% YoY acceleration in ICT sub-sector (33% of Services). The improvement in ICT largely reflected activities in the Telecommunications sub-sector where the 3.12% YoY growth in Mobile GSM subscribers to 152 million people and incorporation of 98 thousand subscribers from Voice over Internet Protocol technology (VoIP) from NTEL and Smile supported a 2.9% YoY growth. Strong growth was also recorded in smaller sub-divisions such as Transport (+10.5% YoY) and Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (+11.7% YoY) which more than offset sustained contraction in Real estate (-3.1% YoY).

Though the latter contracted for a fifth consecutive quarter, it maintained the theme of improvement by shrinking at a slower pace and with ancillary sectors—building & construction and cement—improving after successive quarters of downtrend, outlook appears brighter. Nonetheless, sluggishness lingered across all its sub-segments in the current period – urban office rentals remained under pressure as shrinking corporate profitability reduced take-up.

 

View full July 25th Nigeria Strategy Report Here

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Source: Blog

5 steps to avoid going broke this Sallah holiday

5 steps to avoid going broke this Sallah holiday

It’s that time of the year again!

It is a few days to Id el Kabir; one of the many holidays we observe in Nigeria. There will be lots of places to visit and loads of spending to do in these 2 days. As usual, it is expected that many may go broke after the enjoyment that comes with the season.

So, we’ve put together some tips to ensure that you enjoy your holidays without paying for it for the rest of the month!

  1. Start with a spending plan: Your goal is to come up with a spending plan that won’t put you in a financial straitjacket. How much can you allocate from your savings or income to make the holidays work? Beginning with that end in mind will help you avoid runaway spending and the ultimate misery it brings. Remember, your spending plan is not a suggestion, it’s a fixed number.

 

  1. Be prepared: What can be worse than going to a restaurant with N5,000 in hand and finding out just one bottled water costs N2,000. There are a number of avenues to find out prices of food and activities before getting to the place. Don’t be blindsided by the cost.

 

  1. Beware of extravagant friends: We all like to catch up with friends during the holiday. Now that you have your spending plan, it is important to know what engagements to ‘miss out on’ or you can simply suggest a cheaper alternative. In our experience, no one likes spending more money than they need to, so it shouldn’t be a hard ask.

 

  1. Beware of leeches: This is a little similar to point 3, except in this case they want to feed off your budget. There’s no need to cut them off completely during this period, but be wise enough not to spend more than budgeted.

 

  1. Stick with your plan. You’ve devised a personal plan to provide maximum enjoyment with minimum stress. So enjoy each aspect to the fullest degree possible.

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Source: Blog

Let’s talk about your salary!

Let’s talk about your salary!

When you realise it’s payday and salary is just around the corner. Wawu!

Then you remember all the things you are supposed to pay for and that aso ebi you bought on credit

You start calculating and you watch your salary finish before it even arrives

When the salary finally comes, there’s no joy

You are already broke on the 28th, when the month is not yet over and you still have a whole month to the next salary

There goes your plan to save this month

But it does not have to be that way, what if you learnt to save before you spend?

And actually start working with a monthly budget. It’s easy, see how it is done

To be safe, decide on the amount you want to save and set up a direct debit of that amount to your Money market fund account

Of course, if you are blessed with extra change, you can still save it here

This way, you are no longer broke all the time and you even have money working for you. Issa big boy, yeah?

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Source: Blog

In the news: $14.1b forex deals attract investors

In the news: .1b forex deals attract investors

Punch

98% of documents in crude sale transactions fake — NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Sunday announced that about 98 per cent of all documents involved in the sale of crude oil were fake.

Exchange rate: Foreign airlines raise fares

The international airfares from Lagos to various destinations across the globe have recorded a further increase following the announcement of a new dollar exchange rate for the sale of air tickets.

Insurance stocks: Operators, NSE move to attract investors

Operators in the insurance industry and the Nigerian Stock Exchange are strategizing on how to improve the value of insurance stocks and attract investors to the industry.

Naira closes at 370 as dollar supply declines

The naira closed at 370 to the United States dollar on Friday, as dollar supply from the Central Bank of Nigeria continued to wane.

This Day

 Shell, Chevron Unaware of NNPC’s Plan to Extend $1bn Gas Pipeline to Cote d’Ivoire

Shell and Chevron, which are major shareholders in the Chevron-run West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAGPCo), owners of the $1 billion West African Gas Pipeline, are not yet aware of the plan by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to extend the 678-kilometre pipeline to Cote D’Ivoire.

 Nigeria’s E-commerce Market Value to Hit N15.45tn in 10 Years

Currently worth around $13billion (about N4.01trillion), experts in the Nigerian financial service sector have estimated that Nigeria’s e-commerce market value could rise to $50billion (N15.45trillion) over the next decade.

Market Remains Bearish on Continuing Profit-taking

After five weeks of positive performance, the market had the previous week, the market succumbed to the pressure of profit taking, leading to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index to close   3.35 per cent  lower, despite the release of improved results for the half year results by Access Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, profit taking continued last week.

CBN Pumps $9.96bn into FX Market in Six Months, Attains Stability

This has helped to ease pressure on Nigeria’s forex market, which prior to the action by the regulator had been pummeled by speculators.

Caverton Shares Rise 16% as Investors React to Chevron Contract

Investors last week renewed demand for the shares of Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc (COSG), following the news of award of a contract to it by Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL).

The Nation

$14.1b forex deals attract investors

Foreign investors’ confidence in the economy has been on a rise as a result of the $14.1 billion combined foreign exchange (forex) deals from the Investors’ & Exporters’ FX Window – I&E FX Window- and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) weekly dollar interventions.

LCCI: Why refineries, others are not attracting investments

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has identified inappropriate and unimplemented policies, as well as unfriendly business environment, as part of the reasons the refineries and other sectors of the economy have failed to attract the required investments.

Vanguard

Unilever Nigeria Plc: Investment gains in Rights Issue defy bear run

Despite recent profit takings in the equities investors in the Rights Issue of Unilever Nigeria Plc are still on massive discount of over 27 per cent following the price surge in the equity shortly after the offer opened last month.

Cost of funds to fall as N193bn inflow is set to boost interbank liquidity

The interbank money market will, this week, receive liquidity boost of N193 billion from maturing treasury bills prompting further decline in cost of funds.

Reuters

Nigeria overnight lending rate drops on liquidity injection

Nigeria’s overnight lending rate dropped to 12 percent on Friday after spiking to almost 100 percent on Wednesday due to a liquidity squeeze as lenders paid for hard currency and treasury bills purchased from the central bank.

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Source: Blog