The Lumine News

Category: Opinion

  • How Can You Fine-tune Your Operational Strategies As A Service-related Business? BY JUSTINA OVAT

    How Can You Fine-tune Your Operational Strategies As A Service-related Business? BY JUSTINA OVAT

     

    How can you identify the most influential factors affecting service efficiency and tailor your operations accordingly, leading to enhanced customer experiences and improved business outcomes?

    What methodologies can you apply to identify critical factors influencing your success?

    How can you make informed decisions?

    How can you develop strategies that improve performance and enhance your customer’s journey?

    Ultimately, how can you optimize service?

    One way is through Sensitivity Analysis.

    Sensitivity analysis isn’t just for numbers; it’s a valuable tool for businesses navigating the critical role of service delivery.

    Service optimization relies on sensitivity analysis to fine-tune operational strategies effectively. By adjusting one aspect of service delivery while maintaining others constant, you can assess impact on overall performance and customer satisfaction.

    For instance, a restaurant might experiment with different seating arrangements, staffing levels, or menu options to see how each change influences wait times, service quality, and customer feedback.

    A hospital might conduct sensitivity analysis to evaluate the impact of changes in staffing levels on patient wait times, treatment outcomes, and overall satisfaction. By adjusting the number of nurses or physicians on duty while keeping other factors constant, such as patient volume or resources, they can determine the staffing levels that maximize efficiency without compromising quality of care.

    This analysis can help hospitals identify staffing strategies that ensure patients receive timely and effective treatment while also managing operational costs efficiently.

    Sensitivity analysis in the service industry can be applied by systematically varying one factor at a time while keeping others constant to understand its impact on key performance indicators such as customer satisfaction, revenue, and operational efficiency.

    Try this and don’t forget to share your experience with us.

  • You Think PhD Has Lost “Its Dignity” Because So Many People Are Now Getting It? Are You Kidding Me? BY FIRST BABA ISA

    You Think PhD Has Lost “Its Dignity” Because So Many People Are Now Getting It? Are You Kidding Me? BY FIRST BABA ISA

    I really think this is a joke sha.

    You think PhD has lost “its dignity” because so many people are now getting it? Are you kidding me?

    In a country of over 200 million people, how many persons have PhD? Wait first, don’t answer that one. Answer this one: trace your family tree – father and mother side- from 26th May, 1672 to date, how many persons have PhD? How many people are in your village, ward, Local Government and State… then how many have PhD?

    The truth is only a very small number of persons have been able to study up to PhD level. Very small number. Stop lying that PhD holders are everywhere just because you want to make the feat look ordinary.

    Everyone mustn’t get a PhD. No. It is not even an indispensable ingredient to succeed in life, but it is demonic to trivialise it because you don’t have it, can’t get it or not even interested in getting it. Stop that category of witchcraft, it is not good for your legacy.

    Getting a PhD is a massive achievement and those who have gotten it should be celebrated to the high heavens and inspire others to do same. There is a place to challenge them to improve society with their academic credentials but to talk down on the achievement, is a no-no.

    Please, I’m not talking about those who got “awarded” “PhD’s” in their dingy offices or rat infested houses or some rickety pictures-only conferences by phoney characters from criminal contraptions called institutions.

    Out of the blues you will just see them with a dirty looking gown smiling like retards and the next minute they are addressing themselves as “Dr” and everyone will just join the imbecilic charade instead of reporting “Dr” to the police. These ones should be rightfully denigrated.

    Finally, I want to congratulate all PhD holders, especially those who will be having their convocation tomorrow at the University of Calabar; and most especially Dr Mrs Onne Ikwen (see picture) my friend, a fine police officer, fantastic mum, kingdom lover and dear wife to my friend Eno Beké Ikwen. I’m super proud of you, Ma.

    This is what marriage or partnership should be: find her, marry her and improve her (vice versa). Don’t follow a partner who cannot improve your life.

    – F. Baba Isa (FBI).

    Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, First Baba Isa and does not represent TheLumineNews or its agent.

  • Rumpus Over Payroll Padding In Cross River State BY DOMINIC KIDZU

    Rumpus Over Payroll Padding In Cross River State BY DOMINIC KIDZU

     

    A rash of accusations, counter accusations, and bush-shaking grandstanding about who did and did not pad the Cross River payroll have headlined premium news coming out of the state for two weeks without end. Take a front seat, folks, and watch the rollercoaster from the edge of your seats. Hollywood is knocking at the door.

    Hydra headed John Odey fired the first shot, which was suitably responded to by his ubiquitous targets, Uko Inaku, Ogbang Akwaji and Joseph Adie, all very senior state officials and close associates of former governor Ben Ayade, having been Chairman Civil Service Commission, Head of the Civil Service and Accountant General respectively.

    John Odey himself was no less awesome during the dark ages, bestriding the three-fold world like a giant collosus, having corralled the three critical offices of SA-Salaries, Auditor-General, and wait for it, Chairman IRS to himself alone, all at the same time! But sudden greatness comes along with a goatskin bag of hubris. As Brutus soliloquised about his friend Caesar, “the abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power.” He has sang the swan song (?) and everyone else in the room is taking the bath of the hornbill.

    Iwara Iwara of Hit FM broke the water pot, Beatrice Akpala tried to pick up the broken shards, leaving everyone else in perplexity about who the real heroes and villains are in this tragic tale. And as the intriguing narratives unfolds, what is no longer in doubt is the unconventional template and blatant impunity with which our poor state was run in the last eight years. And the sickening haemorage the public patrimony endured.

    The governor has been looking for a plug on the leakage like a needle in a haystack, trying to put a disheveled state together like a feather pillow bust asunder in a gale. I hope to God that John Odey is right and forthright with his bold accusations so that he does not become like the saying among my Irruan people “Olom ntseh ji Okpor, Okpor oji Olom” which translates to something like “The devil went to kill Okpor, but now Okpor has killed the devil.”

    The simple enigma is that the more people retire from service, the more the wage bill grows, like a thing of magic. Are mssrs John Odey, Uko Inaku, Ogbang Akwaji and Joseph Adie responsible for the mutant growth of the payroll, or is there a more sinister, well oiled criminal conspiracy under the rocks in the seabed? Are the four ‘accused’ and ‘accusers’ mere puns on a grander chessboard of power, money, more money and greed? As Mahatma Gandhi said “The Earth has enough for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’s greed”.

    Where are the fifty-two or fifty-four thousand civil and public servants in Cross River State? Where do they stay, where do they work? This racket appears rather massive to me. Have we even scratched the surface yet, I cannot say. What is certain is that the boat has already been rocked. Heads are inevitably going to roll as well. Even entrenched denizens and crocodiles may have to swim in shallow waters because one cannot make omelettes without breaking eggs.

    The other day I heard that the Cross River House of Assembly is recovering heavy duty construction equipment belonging to the state from private persons. Then yesterday, the House upended the lease of our 100-room facility in Abuja for N6m per annum. Who knows what bizzare repossession is next. To create a new narrative, Governor Bassey Otu, it seems, has his work cut out for him. It’s already one day, one story now, and the beat goes on and on and on.. … …

    (Dominic Kidzu writes from Calabar)

    Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Dominic Kidzu and does not represent TheLumineNews or its agent.

  • It Takes More Than Courage To Challenge Institutions…BY AGBA JALINGO

    It Takes More Than Courage To Challenge Institutions…BY AGBA JALINGO

     

    Courage may be simply explained as the ability to go ahead and do something that frightens you or the capacity to maintain strength in the face of pain and grief. There are quite a number of people out there who have no qualms taking such risks. The world has seen very many of such in different spheres and more are on their way to astound us all with their incredible adrenaline. After all, we have seen people jumping free fall from outer space back to our planet Earth.

    But it requires more than courage to take on institutions that were created ab initio, to control society. Namely: Government institutions, Religious cum Spiritual institutions, Traditional institutions, Professional associations, and Social affiliations. You require something more than courage. Courage alone will not last you the whole hug. Courage can be spontaneous and prompt. Courage can be a stunt in the face of imminent danger. Courage can also be deceptive. Therefore, when challenging institutional inanities, courage can only be one amongst several ingredients that are required for accurate shots.

    1. I don’t need to belabor myself to let you know the possible consequences of challenging or scrutinizing government. The whole organs of government and her apparatchik, from the military to the civic, from the visible to the non visible, will be deployed against you in the manner that courage alone will not suffice. Yours sincerely is a living witness of such deployment. In summary, I was so haunted that I actually became the first ever person since Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914, that a masquerade came to court to testify against me after a federal judge granted leave for my secret trial. I need a producer to even turn that into a movie.

    2. Religious and Spiritual Institutions, are one of the major control centers of society. Not a few businesses and even empires survive today only because of their affiliation with this axis. Apart from the personal satisfaction that we think we derive from those places, we must not be ignorant of their control buttons. So powerful are these centers that once they isolate or label you, even the most wicked of the society who hasn’t suffered your fate, will become more righteous before his or her brethren, while you are villainized. Everyone that is powerful in government, from the police to the military, to the para military, to the courts, to the parliament to the bureaucracy, belongs to one or the other places of worship and spirituality. Once the religious or spiritual caste is able to tag you, all their pressure buttons in government and elsewhere are activated to drain you in a manner that courage alone cannot rehydrate.

    3. It is the same case with traditional institutions. These institutions were hitherto, infallible and subjects were barred from ever scrutinizing them. They are inherently regarded as unquestionable. They control our lives and society. Taking on them requires much more than just courage and the audacity to swim in tempest tossed waters.

    4. Professional associations have been described by some scholars as intellectual prison yards. Not so much for the good they avail, but so much for the strings of control that they pull. They are conundrums curated by the most brilliant amongst us, for peer review and societal control. For instance, even after training and gaining qualifications as a lawyer, the bar association can stop you from practicing if they so collectively wish, under any guise. Challenging these elitist associations of like minds, really requires much more than courage.

    5. Then talk about social affiliations. The human being is gregarious by nature. We are sociable and fond of company. We practically cannot exist without associating with our kind. We want to belong to age grades, clubs, unions, gender groups, etc. Civil society has been able to calibrate these rungs also for societal cohesion and control. There are some of these social clubs that are even more powerful than political parties and government institutions. They wield so much power and control that courage alone will fail you if you choose to turn your barrel on their shenanigans.

    So in the face of these towering axis of societal control, courage is the junior brother to long suffering, forbearance, perseverance and a determined end goal. While courage may be spontaneous, the others are not. While courage is crucial, the others are indispensable. When courage will evaporate along the road, you will require the deliberate desire for long suffering, patience and the capacity to persevere and forbear, to cross the lonely road where courage is scarce or unavailable. But all of these can only be possible, if you have been to the mountain top and seen the promised land. If you have perceived the end goal. If you have a clear destination in mind. If that is missing, all others will have clay feet.

    Good morning!

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

     

    Disclaimer:  The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author Agba Jalingo and does not represent TheLumineNews or its agent.

  • Familiar Feel-Good Rhymes You Will Hear This Year… BY AGBA JALINGO 

    Familiar Feel-Good Rhymes You Will Hear This Year… BY AGBA JALINGO 

     

    You cannot go to bed a blunder and wake up a wonder.

    Jesus is the reason for the season.

    Your attitude will determine your altitude.

    Your offering will wipe out your suffering.

    What you drop on the altar determines what you get from the altar.

    Your network will determine your net worth.

    Your ancestral baggage predicts your futuristic luggage.

    If you don’t pay your tithe, things will be tight for you.

    If you do not work in God’s courtyard, God will not work in your vineyard.

    Without a life of holiness, you will live a life of hollowness.

    If you release generously, you will receive bountifully.

    If you remain dedicated, you will be elevated.

    Though some of the rhymes appear logical, most of the people who yell them at you from the podiums know these hackneyed rhymes will not work until you get to work.

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

    Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Agba Jalingo and does not represent TheLumineNews or its agent

     

  • Armed Forces Remembrance Day: Honoring The Sacrifices of Fallen Heroes BY CYNTHIA MADUEKWE

    Armed Forces Remembrance Day: Honoring The Sacrifices of Fallen Heroes BY CYNTHIA MADUEKWE

     

    Armed Forces Remembrance Day is an annual event observed in Nigeria on January 15th to honor the sacrifices and gallantry of the Nigerian Armed Forces. This day serves as a poignant reminder of the nation’s commitment to recognizing and appreciating the efforts of military personnel who have dedicated their lives to the service of the country.

    Significance;
    The day holds great significance as it commemorates the end of the Nigerian Civil War on January 15, 1970, a conflict that tested the unity of the nation. It is a time to reflect on the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces in defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria and maintaining peace both within the country and during international peacekeeping missions.

    Ceremonies and Activities:
    Armed Forces Remembrance Day is marked by various ceremonies across the country. The day typically begins with a national church service, followed by solemn parades, wreath-laying ceremonies, and the symbolic release of pigeons to signify peace. These events bring together military personnel, government officials, and the general public in a collective expression of gratitude and remembrance.

    Support for Veterans:
    One of the key aspects of Armed Forces Remembrance Day is the focus on the welfare of veterans and the families of fallen heroes. The Nigerian government, at both federal and state levels, undertakes initiatives to support the well-being of retired military personnel and the dependents of those who lost their lives in service. This includes providing financial assistance, healthcare support, and other essential services.

    Poppy Appeal:
    The red poppy flower is a symbol associated with remembrance, inspired by the famous war poem “In Flanders Fields.” In Nigeria, the sale of poppies is organized as part of the Poppy Appeal, with the funds raised going towards supporting the welfare of veterans and their families.

    National Unity and Patriotism:
    Armed Forces Remembrance Day is a time for Nigerians to come together in unity, irrespective of ethnic, religious, or regional differences. It fosters a sense of patriotism and pride in the nation, acknowledging the sacrifices made by the armed forces to preserve the peace and stability of the country.

    As the nation observes Armed Forces Remembrance Day, it is an opportunity for citizens to express gratitude, honor the memory of fallen heroes, and recommit to upholding the values of unity, peace, and prosperity that our armed forces defend.

     

    Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Cynthia Maduekwe, and does not represent TheLumineNews or its agent.

  • I Have An Invitation To Preach In Church BY AGBA JALINGO 

    I Have An Invitation To Preach In Church BY AGBA JALINGO 

     

    My friend who is a Pastor has invited me again, twice in three years, to come preach in his church. I will be talking about the online possibilities and opportunities in 2024. He wants the young people in his Church to learn how to make money in 2024.

    The last time I was there, the congregation was blessed. Till date, some of them who started their small businesses from the nuggets I shared are still testifying. Some ideas didn’t work. Some worked half way and Nigeria killed them. Some are still struggling to stabilize, while a few are flying already. Yet I have become a traditionalist. A proud and forceful one at that.

    One thing you need to know about African Traditional Religions is that, they don’t discriminate. They don’t proselytize. They have no qualms embracing other people’s beliefs. They don’t tell you not to associate with others. They are perhaps one of the most generous belief systems in the world. They don’t fight religious wars. The Chinese, Japanese, Arabs, and co, drove away and even murdered Western Christian missionaries who first arrived their lands, to protect their own beliefs. They detested encroachment and made sure they kept their traditional beliefs against all odds.

    Africans were the ones who fully accepted to embrace and practice foreign religions side by side with their own until they were persuaded, conquered and assimilated. They didn’t see any need for antagonism. They even accepted that theirs is foolish and worthless. Till date, we are still denigrated and told that we are going to hell, yet we are not angry or bitter.

    My Pastor friend knows that I no longer go to church. That I have hands off Christianity for reasons best known to me and for which he has decided to understand with me. But he insists that his people need what I have in my brain. When they ask him why he will bring me, according to him, “I tell them I know Jalingo. He is my friend and brother. He has not denounced God. He simply says he wants to serve God via the lens of his ancestors. That doesn’t diminish who I know him to be.”

    Now, you are at liberty to criticize my friend as you may find pleasing and even condemn my invitation. Neither him nor yours sincerely, actually gives a damn about that. Is it your right. But those who will be in church will not go back empty. They will learn something new. It’s a meeting of young people. That’s what is important here. I am also not inviting you. Not because I don’t want you to come but because you will think that the knowledge I will be sharing is inspired by demons. So your attendance will not be very needed unless you want to gate crash. You are allowed to. After all, it is a church. The Church of God and God is not from your village.

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo

    Dicslaimet: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Agba Jalingo and does not represent TheLumineNews or its agent.

  • Do Not Wait For Leaders, Do It Alone, Person To Person”. This is one Of My Favorite Quotes Of My Mentor Mother Theresa of Calcutta BY PETER OBELE ABUE

    Do Not Wait For Leaders, Do It Alone, Person To Person”. This is one Of My Favorite Quotes Of My Mentor Mother Theresa of Calcutta BY PETER OBELE ABUE

    PERSON TO PERSON

    “Do not wait for leaders, do it alone, person to person”. This is one of my favorite quotes of my mentor Mother Theresa of Calcutta.
    Person to Person has become a philosophy I have come to imbibe in my own life and it simply means; you have to value the people you live and work with; those who value and respect you and can collaborate with you to achieve goals. In the gospel, we see the person to person ideology working among the disciples of Jesus: the two disciples(Andrew and Philip) did not know Jesus until they were brought to know him by John, for it was John who pointed out: “There is the lamb of God”. Thereafter, another one; Simon was led to God by his brother Andrew, while Nathaniel finds Jesus through Philip (Read John 1: 35-42). Simon later grew to become Peter the rock (Cephas) and head of the church; Person to Person.

    Another way of saying it is: do not build castles in the air. A lot of people wonder around burning bridges and depending on evil godfathers to change their fortunes, instead of combining their efforts at the local level with real people on ground to make a difference and to help themselves. The world we live in is mysterious and it is only when we learn to appreciate the ordinary people who live and work with us that miracles begin to happen. Choose your team mates carefully if you want to make it in life and avoid making enemies. Person to person is the one philosophy that can change your fortune and with God on your side all things are possible.

    In the Christian circles, our goal is to decipher God’s call and answer it through commitment to working amicably with those God has placed in our cirlcle. God will not come down to dictate in black and white what his will is for you so that you can follow, but through the ordinary people you live and work with: friends, co-workers, parents, mentors, superiors, etc God can direct your future for greater things. If you don’t value the people you work with or respect them or listen to them, don’t expect God to come down and do it for you. The young Samuel was ready to learn and answer God’s call and that’s why he went to live with Eli as his mentor. It was through Eli person to person that he was able to understand how God calls people, by listening to his advice (Read 1 sam 3: 3-10, 19).

    Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Peter Obele Abue, and does not represent TheLumineNews or its agent 

  • In 2024, I Want To Pay Your Price… BY AGBA JALINGO 

    In 2024, I Want To Pay Your Price… BY AGBA JALINGO 

     

    Let me start my new year like this. With a disputable analogy. Namely that, Christ did not die selflessly. Before you get angry with me. Let me inform you that it is the Bible that said so. Not me.

    It says in Hebrews 12:2 – “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM, ENDURED THE CROSS, despising the shame, and is SET DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD.” This verse may not have been interpreted to you in the manner I am trying to do now, that is why I earlier called it a disputable analogy.

    There was a price waiting ahead that motivated Christ. First was the Joy that was awaiting him. Every winner has a taste of that joy. If you have ever won before, you know what that joy feels like. The joy of standing in the middle of the olympic podium with a gold medal on your neck is not in the market place. It is earned. Then the biggest trophy was to win the chance to sit at the right hand of the throne of God. Tell me what motivation can be bigger than that? What other price could have been greater?

    This is not to diminish the fact that Christ died for love. My position does not put that forward. Christ died for love. I am saying that it was not selfless love. The benefits derived from the death of Christ were also shared with Christ. He derived that ultimate joy that was awaiting him and also earned an exclusive place at the right hand of the throne of God, and that automatically separates the ‘less’ from the self-less.

    Why am I belaboring myself to draw your attention to this? It is because I need you, (particularly the younger persons and my own contemporaries who are still knocking on other doors for upliftment. I mean all of us unless others.), to put a price tag on everything you plan to do in 2024, unless charity and deliberate sacrifice.

    Don’t be self-righteous about it this year. Be bold about it. Find a method to commoditize your value and calibrate your price tag. Also be ready to deliver as promised. It is because you can deliver as promised, that should qualify you to earn. Don’t go scamming people. Christ is not a scammer.

    I am trying to say that, it is also Christ-like to ask for a price wherever you are offering service that another person can be paid for. For instance, if you are playing an instrument in a church choir or even offering professional ushering or catering or medical services in a church or doing apprenticeship and your boss or organization is using you or your time for other services that are not part of your apprenticeship.

    Be deliberate about it in 2024. I repeat, don’t be self righteous about it. Civilizations have not been built by righteousness, but have been sustained by the fear of God. We cannot turn Jesus into a transaction but in our transactions, we can draw lessons from his example. He is not just an example in righteousness and sacrifice, he is also an example in self pricing.

    In 2024, politicians are not going to change and turn to nice guys. Preachers are not going to stop scamming you. The economy is not going to get friendlier, prices are not going to come down. It is you that must earn more. I hope you heard that last line? Read it again!

    Anything you are doing free presently that another person can be paid money for the same thing, reevaluate it and price it properly then put a price tag on yourself anytime you are required to perform that same service in 2024. You can give discounts at your discretion, there will always be free days, but let the person or organization know how much money you are losing so they will more properly appreciate your value.

    Do it boldly. Do it deliberately. Do it professionally. Do it with a straight face. Do it with the fear of God. Those who want it free know you can be paid. They know they are taking advantage of you. They are paying others. It is you that hasn’t put a price on yourself and that’s not how you should roll in 2024!

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • My Birthday Prayer… BY AGBA JALINGO

    My Birthday Prayer… BY AGBA JALINGO

     

    Dear Lord,

    I ask not for more light but for eyes to see the light that already exists.

    I ask not for sweeter songs but for ears to hear the present melodies.

    I ask not for more love but for skill to turn anger into tenderness.

    I ask for no more joy but for how to feel closer to your ineffable presence.

    To give others everything I already have; enthusiasm and courage.

    I ask for no more gifts but for the ability to use the gifts I have already received from you.

    I ask that in my sinful nature, even when I falter like I always do, I should not escape your chastisement, but I beseech thee to chastise me in love and lead me not unto destruction.

    Make me a master of all fears so I can be the friend I want to be.

    To convey the truth I know!

    For me to love purity. To seek the good and with all my power, to raise in every soul that comes in touch with me, a spark of the same fire.

    Thank you for the chance to begin another cycle. Thank you Lord for my friends and foes alike. Thank you for my family. Thank you Lord for thus far, and thank you for where I am headed.

    Thank you also my friends for reading and engaging yours sincerely here all year long and 🙏do have a wonderful year ahead.

    Happy birthday to me!

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.