THISDAY Style

PEOPLE’SEXPECTATI­ONS FROMMRPRES­IDENT (2)

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support, assistance and expertise to fight this state of terror we have been reduced to. Please go get the necessary global support we badly need. We expect that the rescue of the Chibok girls will be one of the milestones Mr. President will accomplish during his tenure and which he will be remembered for in the history of Nigeria in time to come. In the same breath, I am quick to admit that Mr. President is handling terrorism gradually, a feat his predecesso­r could not accomplish and for that, we will keep encouragin­g him to do more until we get our girls back and rid our nation of these terrorists for good! We know it is not by any means an easy feat, but every little step in the right direction counts for something.

Truth be told, if we are to have faith that things can get better, Mr. President needs to ‘connect’ with us more. We do not feel that connection and some have wondered out loud what we have gotten ourselves into. But I am also relieved to know that is not ‘business as usual’ with the powers that be anymore. Those days of pauper today, billionair­e tomorrow through appointmen­ts, are long over. There is still a lot of work to be done to recover from the virus that consumed us for decades, but slowly and surely, we LITTLE PIECE OF ADVICE: By now, it should be clear to all of us that this year will be a difficult one and to survive it, you just have to start planning from Day 1.

Be prepared to let go of some things and spend only when absolutely necessary. If you have saved money, try not to touch it quickly.

Avoid capital projects in the next few months until you are certain of replenishi­ng your bank accounts. Avoid social travels that bring no added income. If attending a burial, wedding, naming ceremony, marriage anniversar­y will eat into your savings, avoid them. You would be called names, accept the name calling but understand that these same people will call you worse names if you have to borrow from them to feed your family.

Reduce your responsibi­lities. Your first duty is to your family. If you don’t provide for them, others will rarely do so.

Talk to your friends who are working not to bother asking you for favours. Many of them wear Armani shoes and will ask you for extra money to maintain their lavish lifestyles.

Avoid those who ask you in advance what you are going to get for them on their birthdays or Valentine day. They tell you things are hard but refuse to agree that things are hard for you too.

If your friends on social media send you a private message complainin­g about hardship and asking you for help, tell them if you start helping everyone on social media who has asked you for help, you will end up begging for help too.

Cut your pants according to your size. If you think that staying in Lekki will take more than half of your savings, move to Otta. The downfall of a man is not the end of his life. Help your friends to start cutting costs by cutting costs yourself. Don’t spend thousands to celebrate your birthday because you will be putting pressure on them to celebrate theirs.

If they call and ask how your birthday is going to be, tell them “Ground no level”. Tell them you hope things will improve next year.

Do not be pushed into unnecessar­y spending for any reason.

Even if you have the money to spend, spend on things that can uplift your life and the life of others.

People have spent millions on their wedding, only to live unhappily thereafter.

People have spent millions on their birthdays, only to be forgotten a few months after.

Most importantl­y, understand that happiness does not come from vanity.

They hail you as Abuja Big Boy, Lagos Big Girl, London Big Girl, Yankee Big Boy or Europa! It’s just a state of mind.

There are hundreds of people out there, unknown in your circles that are living a quiet life of bliss. Moreover, there is no Big Boy or Girl in the grave. Economic indices have indicated trying times ahead. CONCENTRAT­E YOUR ENERGY ON THINGS THAT CAN IMPROVE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIFE OF PERSONS CLOSE TO YOU. #Seriously reflect on the message and hope it makes a difference in our attitude to doing things in these difficult times.

 ??  ?? PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari

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