10,000 jobs threatened as Shell, Chevron withdraw from OKLNG

The unemployment rate in Nigeria is set to rise further as Chevron Nigeria Limited and Shell announced their withdrawal from the Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas Project, OKLNG, thus putting the fate of about 10,000 workers on the line.

The companies underpinned their reason for withdrawal to include lack of commitment from the Federal Government to pursue the completion of the project, the non-passage of the petroleum bill, PIB. However, Shell’s withdrawal still remains a doubt as they are yet to confirm their pull out. Likewise, the word is mum at Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, the principal partner in the project, which had been informed on the oil majors decisions, and had over the years had seconded a lot of its staff to the OKLNG project.


However, after almost a month of taken the decision, Chevron, in a statement signed by its General Manager, Policy, Government & Public Affairs, Mr. Deji Haastrup, said that the company effectively pulled out of the project on July 31, 2013, adding that efforts over the last eight years to mature the project have not resulted in a final investment decision, FID.

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Take pride in your work, not yourself by Harvey Mackay

pride is being self-confident, but not egotistical. Pride is having a positive, can-do attitude because you will settle for nothing less than your level best.

I want people....(to be)... proud of the work they perform. Here are ways to build the pride that I look for:

• Build your reputation. Whatever you do for a living, your signature is on it. You can’t buy a reputation for doing good work; you must earn it. Reputation is one of the few assets that your competition cannot undersell or destroy. Would you buy a product or service from someone who didn’t take pride in their work?
• Play your role. Everyone has a specific job to do, no matter how small it might seem to you. Do it to the best of your ability. Be a good team player. The boat won’t go if we all don’t row.
• Be confident, but not cocky. There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your accomplishments, but you don’t have to tell the world. Keep your ego in check. A person who has the right to boast doesn’t have to. Self-esteem is a must for a prideful person.

• Stay positive. Don’t let others bring you down, which is why I don’t hang around with negative people. Be friendly to everyone, including the people you dislike. As Michael Corleone said in “The Godfather Part II”: “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”

• Build trust. The most important five-letter word in business is trust. Trust is central to doing business with anyone. People do not or cannot trust each other if they are easily suspicious of one another. When we trust people, we are optimistic not only that they are competent to do what we trust them to do, but also that they are committed to doing it.
• Be knowledgeable. Learn as much as you can, and then keep on learning more. Knowledge is power.
• Know that you don’t know everything. The way I like to say it is: I know that you don’t know, but you don’t know that you don’t know. You can’t know everything, but you can know people who do. The best remedy for conceit is to sit down and make a list of all the things you don’t know, but should know.
• Do good. Be a nice person and polite to everyone. Help people who need help. Try not to be judgmental.
• Be kind. The Golden Rule applies here: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Smile and ignore anyone who wants to be mean to you.

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Thinking of starting a business? Think again! by JAMIE SALVATORI

I’ve been running my own small business for over a decade and I often speak with people who are thinking about starting their own business. Listening to their expectations usually results in my shaking my head later and thinking, “They have no idea what they’re getting themselves into!”

Running your own business is no fairy tale. It’s just about the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. It can be simultaneously frustrating and rewarding. It can provide the highest highs and immeasurable lows. One day, it can validate your struggles and you can feel on top of the world. The next, it can make you wonder how you could have ever been so wretchedly stupid.

Buckle up. It’s a wild ride.

Your business will probably fail. You’ll probably either give up or run out of money before your business has a chance of succeeding. To avoid the latter requires creativity. The former requires a thick skin, iron will, and endless determination.

Being your own boss is no picnic. As it turns out, your boss is kind of a jerk. He makes you think about the business nearly every waking minute of the day.

Your business plan is probably worthless. Going through the exercise of creating a business plan is a great way to ensure that you’ve thought about aspects of the operation that you may have overlooked during the “back of the napkin” stage, but thinking that anything will actually turn out the way you’ve “planned” is ludicrous. Be flexible.

Equity is everything. If you need money, go to a bank. Only exchange equity for something that you cannot get any other way. Thinking that a partner will make starting a new business easier is wishful thinking. As a new business, your only ally against established businesses is your ability to pivot and move quickly. With partners, every decision requires debate and is an enormous time suck. You must find validation of your ideas from within.

Only fools think anything is foolproof. Everything will go wrong. Just be prepared for when it does.

Making more money is not a good motivation for starting a business. Money doesn’t equal happiness or fulfillment. It’s difficult to be successful doing something you hate. That being said, the purpose of a business is to make moneyas it’s the only thing that separates a business from a charity. Welcome to the paradox!..........

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