Bavijas Review

A pile of environmental books at a private library. IngimarE. 2023. Wikimedia Learning is a continuum. It continues until the day one dies. The more one learns the more experience one has. That's why I think we should keep reading maybe until our eyes grow dim, but don't let the bright screen blind your sight. That's if you're fond of reading from your phone or other gadgets.  Although the Internet and the ensuing digital age and screen technology have made reading and research faster and easier than one could’ve imagined 25 years ago, there are still some things you don’t find on the internet today. A lot of important historical information isn't on the Internet and if there were, you find it obscure thanks to Wikipedia for working to correct this.  Such information would have to be researched the old-fashioned way. In print. That's why it's important for the younger generation to make conscious efforts to grab every available opportunity to utilise and app

As the global energy demand keeps skydiving with an uptick in the human population, there is an urgent need to efficiently use the energy resources we currently have while also working to close the huge existential supply gap. One way to achieve that is through optimisation of energy use; a task that the Internet of Energy is set out to do. IoE is the implementation of Internet of Things technology into distributed energy systems to optimise the efficiency of energy infrastructure and reduce wastage. IoE helps link power from the point of generation, distribution, and consumption to ultimately optimise its use and drastically lower costs. It uses the technology of IoT to wire and manage data and operations throughout multiple points within a power grid structure. For instance, digital power monitoring and demand-side energy management tools say, a network of smart meters, sensors, actuators, computers, and a home area network interconnected to optimise energy, increase supply reliabili

In October 2017, Nodent; a popular paint maker within the Uyo metropolis suffered an unforeseen downtime at its factory that cost it some bucks. The firm’s entire production was shut down for three consecutive days at such a critical time of the year when paint makers experience peak production. Nodent's only power-generating set broke down leaving it with no backup system, not even power from the national grid in the face of a tall log of production orders to clear. Customers were disappointed and the firm lost a lot in earnings. The thing is, Nodent didn't foresee that breach coming. If they did, some sort of preventive maintenance would have been implemented. Factory downtimes are anathema to smooth business operations and often lead to revenue loss in terms of deferred production and should be properly managed. Though Nodent failed at it, scheduled preventive maintenance over the years has been the best way to ensure our engines keep humming safely for the most times possib

Praise be to God, the beneficent, the merciful for another day. This post was unplanned as of this morning but the urge keeps mounting that I write it anyways. Maybe someone somewhere needs it. Have you ever been a victim of an action you didn't commit? If yes, that's because you were vulnerable and couldn't help yourself. Yeah, sometimes things we don't contribute to can have profound negative implications on us. In other words, we can suffer the consequences of the action of another person by merely being vulnerable, isn't it? For instance, Africa is the most vulnerable continent to climate change impacts under all climate scenarios. Despite having contributed the least to global warming and having the lowest emissions, Africa faces exponential collateral damage, posing systemic risks to its economic development, infrastructure investments, water and food systems, public health, agriculture, and livelihoods, threatening to undo its modest development gains and sli

Do you see yourself as a weakling in certain areas of your life? Is it in leadership, business, relationship, morality, or even intellectually in school? The sad fact is that when you fail to meet people's expectations, it soon becomes their thinking of you that you aren't strong or good enough. They don't care about what you're going through or why you couldn't perform. They simply judge you, forgetting there is more to things than their faulty assumptions.  The thing is, only you know about yourself. And the earlier you own up to yourself, the better. Since no one has the right to offend you except you allow it. Don't let people erroneously define you. Be yourself. Follow things at your own pace and get better. What matters most is you. Have a splendid Thursday. I love you 💕  ~ Victor Bassey

  Constitutionally, May 29 (before being changed to June 12) was celebrated as Democracy Day in Nigeria and also often marks the onboarding of a new democratically-elected president in Nigeria. The date is sacrosanct. Today, regardless of whatever, HE Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR is installed as the 16th head of state since 1960 and the 5th democratically- elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria since 1999. No doubt, he is a product of the most controversial and keenly contested presidential election in the country's history. Nevertheless, aggrieved parties are seeking legal redress in the Supreme Court hoping that the Apex Court do the right thing. While that seamless process to seek electoral justice is on, I call on you my brothers and my brothers, regardless of your state of origin, language, religion or creed to not lose faith in our country Nigeria but to continue to wish our country well in all her endeavours. As president, he is empowered by law to execute and enfor

Which religion do you identify with?  Do you make noise about it? Do you often pride your religion over others, to the point where you even crucify or act violently on persons who don't belong or share the same faith as you? If you do any of the above, you are wrong. And you may not be far from a religious fanatic. Religion is a mere construct of man to understand God. It is a system of beliefs. Throughout history, it has given people hope in times of doubt, fear, and grief. It has also helped explained the origins of life and the vastness of the cosmos.   But then, it has also been the source of conflict, intolerance, and even war.  Many religious people feel there is only one true God. And that must be their God.  They say all others are in error and need to be enlightened to the truth. If they don’t see the light, then maybe the rack or the threat of the sword would help. This is why they fight. In some respects, religion may be one of the greatest (and one of the most troubleso

THE OTHER DAY AT MY OFFICE, a friend of mine and of course a cerebral fellow in the business of digital marketing - Mr Peter Eyo, while in an insightful group discussion with other male friends who came around, advised that business operators should keep personal income separate from business income.  And when we asked why, he gave a generous and reasonable explanation. Today, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, has allegedly committed a similar blunder. The firm is said to have commingled customer funds with company revenue in 2020 and 2021, in breach of US standing financial rules that require customer money to be kept separate. “If true, it then means that money flows at Binance lack internal controls to ensure customer funds were identifiable and segregated from company revenues”, three former US regulators said.  If you need to learn more about why personal income shouldn’t be commingled with business income, book a free session with me by leaving a message in th

While growing up I heard my mom repeatedly telling me how I saved a whole crew of Nigerian fishers who were sailing to Ekondo Titi - a popular fishing settlement in the neighbouring Cameroons. Both of my parents, with little me, were on that sea trip. Unluckily, the wooden boat they used took a wrong turn into an unapproved route manned by the Gendarmes - a fierce naval division of the Cameroon Armed Forces headquartered in Duala. More so, upon checking, it was found to carry some contraband goods. “It was double wahala”, she said. And these paramilitary men didn't seem to listen to the wailing and begging which by this had seized the air. The Atlantic coast on the Nigeria-Cameroon border was frequently heavily guarded by the Gendarmes who used speed boats to navigate through the rich mangroves. They were simply obeying the order from Yaounde over the Bakassi peninsula ownership dispute.  Everyone who was on the Nigerian boat was going to be transferred onto the speed boat steered

A sustainable building in Malaysia (Wikimedia) Some time ago, during my normal musing, a thought came to my mind. It was about the colour GREEN. It was in the form of the rhetorical question: Why did God choose GREEN as the colour for vegetation? Didn't he see blue or red or even pink? Why must it be GREEN?  After pondering for a while, I gave up the thought as I couldn't get the answer. I assumed the colour GREEN is as important to God our creator as it is significant to us human beings. I mean, If it were not so, why would God choose green out of a range of other colours? But that's by the way.  Green is one of the many colours in the colour spectrum. In colour chemistry, green is a secondary colour that can be gotten from a mixture of yellow and blue pigment. I learnt that during my industrial training at a paint company at Uyo. GREEN is a cool and stable colour that symbolises a new beginning, vegetation, environment or better put, nature. What is a Green Building? I as

  IF YOU ARE AN ELECTRICITY CONSUMER in Nigeria and don't know the tariff category you belong to, chances are, you have been shortchanged by some dubious electricity retailer.  As a power consumer in Nigeria, you're entitled to pay for only the amount of power you consume - not for what you don't consume. Thanks to the NERC, which ensures that the right thing is done. This is regardless of whether you are using a prepaid meter, analogue metre or even an estimated building system.  In September 2020, the Nigerian Electricity Tariff system underwent a review resulting in a more Service-Reflective Tariff system to improve the power supply to Nigerians given the prevailing economic reality. Under the new policy, all electricity consumers in the country are segmented into various categories or bands - from A to E - depending on the amount of power end-users receive daily.  Read on to see which band you're on. Band A: End users here enjoy 20 hours of electricity daily. Band B