Bavijas Review

“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over”  — Oprah Winfrey A few days ago, I was skimming through the life story of the iconic Oprah Winfrey, and her journey has lingered in my thoughts. Oprah had a challenging childhood. Growing up without proper parental love, and endured abuse from the age of nine until she bravely decided to run away from home. At just 14, she faced the hardship of a premature birth and the subsequent loss of her son. Despite facing countless challenges, she held onto a vision that transcended her immediate circumstances. She embraced numerous fresh starts, each leading to unparalleled success. Her story teaches us that resilience is merely about bouncing back. It is about embracing the power to start over, to reinvent ourselves.  I have witnessed individuals who, after significant business losses, dust themselves off and embark on a new beginning. Conversely, I've seen those who, facing similar challenges, surrender immediately,

On Tuesday this week, a 400-level student of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Uyo asked me why the Dangote refinery is sourcing crude oil from far away the US when it has NNPC Ltd. as its equity shareholder. And I gave him an honest response that went thus:  “Dangote doesn’t seem to trust NNPC Ltd much when it comes to crude delivery. NNPC Ltd has failed before, so it (Dangote) is taking an extra layer of supply assurance.” Manufacturers with large production output worry when their supply base can't deliver on their promise. It makes them vulnerable to demand disruptions and volatility, which, of course, are undesirable for businesses.   To avert this, they often depend on a list of external suppliers to cut lead times and achieve assurance of supply. This is exactly what Dangote is beginning to do to sustain its refinery operations since NNPC Limited, its equity shareholder, couldn't deliver as when due. I don't think Dangote broke any agreement with NNPC Ltd. b

L-R: Italian PM Georgia Meloni, African Development Bank Group President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Italian Republic President, Sergio Mattarella at Palazzo del Quirinale Countries around the world are beginning to take Africa for what it is: equal partners for growth and development.  On Monday in Rome during the Italy-Africa Summit, the Italian government unveiled a US$5.95 billion facility dubbed The Mattei Plan, prioritising energy security in Africa. In her speech, the Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said the following:  “We believe it is possible to envision and write a new chapter in the history of our relationship, a cooperation among equals, far from any predatory imposition or charitable stance towards Africa. There is a natural inclination for Italy to be a bridge between Africa and Europe. The whole world cannot think about the future without Africa.” Italy sees Africa as a critical role player in its future growth and development plan. Africa has grown past the years when

The United States plans to reimpose sanctions on Venezuela, its southern neighbour and the world’s  largest known oil reserves  holder, if the Maduro government defaults on its promise to hold free and fair elections. Washington ordered American companies dealing with the state-owned energy firm PSDA to wind down within two weeks. This is as the recent ruling by the Venezuelan Supreme Court on Friday upheld a ban on the candidacy of Maria Corina Machado, the opposition’s nominee for this year’s presidential election. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a ceremony marking the start of the judicial year at the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 22, 2021 (AP photo by Matias Delacroix). Remember, the US eased its ban on Venezuela’s oil industry in October 2023 for six months (to elapse in March 2024), which helped the Latin American country fetch extra billions of dollars in oil earnings per trade figures revealed by Reuters. The oil industry is Venezuela’s biggest source of

If you would recall, on Monday, December 11, 2023, I wrote a puritanical piece titled: “ Killing a wolf family won’t save the Deer ” that criticized the ongoing zero-sum war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas.   That piece was as controversial as I’d expected it to be. It drew varied perspectives from the conservative clergy, the Evangelicals, the Muslim and Christian laity, as well as from agnostics. However, publishing that opinion was one of the boldest things I did in 2023 and it proved I was no longer taking anybody’s answer for anything where my convictions were called for.  In the last 10 years, I’ve been through an inflection point whereby I’ve learnt a lot including how to speak up whenever and wherever it mattered. No need to pipe low any longer. Perhaps this new me stems from my countless moments of  romanticism  or reflective study of self and individuality, and of course, the man I was gradually becoming.  Let me say this: I am disappointed in most Christians, eva

Sometimes, digital copies or content don't necessarily have to be long to make an impression. Two months ago, I woke up to a congratulatory message from LinkedIn that a recent post I’d made about the OPEC supply cut got featured in Today’s Top News at LinkedIn News. It was one of just three similar posts selected and stood tall amongst two other posts from top media houses like The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press. This feat wasn't a funny joke but rather a high bar in my writing career that I had to either maintain or eclipse.  However, upon critical assessment, I underlined 4 things that stood the post out. • It was precise  • It tagged relevant networks • It referenced a reputable source • It addressed a very controversial issue  Next time you’re prepping a post on social media, especially on LinkedIn, you should adopt at least two of the above. It helps a lot. Attempting this may not earn your post a feature in LinkedIn's Top News as mine did but, I'm su

Israeli-linked chemical tanker seized in the Gulf of Aden. Source: www.iranintl.com During his historic 42-minute speech at Westminster Hall on May 25, 2011, then-US President Barack Obama reiterated America was not and will never be in a religious war with Islam but rather in an unrelenting war with terrorist groups and their extremist allies. But its terrorism wars over the years have continued to be with armed groups inextricably linked with the religion of Islam. The Houthis, a religio-political Muslim rebel group of 200,000 troops formed in the 1990s as an opposition movement to Yemen President  Ali Abdullah Saleh , whose aim is to govern Yemen and support all external movements against the United States, Israel, the Jews, and sometimes Saudi Arabia, has been America’s headache for two decades now. In their unrelenting effort to institute Yemen's Shia Muslim minority—the Zaidis—over the years, thousands of Yemenis have died either by fighting or by the hardship that took hold

Can you imagine a spaghetti takeout from a Lagos eatery rapped in a cocoyam leaf? However, just know that the taste of the pudding is in the eating, not the rapping. Globally, plastic waste is increasing at an alarming rate with the increase in human population, rapid economic growth, continuous urbanization, as well as lifestyle changes. This situation poses a waste management problem that sucks huge funds out of government coffers every year to address. Most of the world's waste plastics are untreated and end up as litter on the streets, in water channels, in landfills or in natural environments that provide a habitat for insects and rodents that may cause different types of diseases. From the 1950s to 2018, 6.3 billion tonnes of plastics were estimated to be produced worldwide, out of which only 9% were recycled and another 12% incinerated.  ( The Economist ) Lagos State, Nigeria’s smallest in area and most populous of 36 states, is experiencing a dire environmental problem wit