AUN Students In Free Enterprise Bag Awards

I have really not blog for a while now. And blogging use to be my hobby. I really don't have explanation for this. Maybe it's because I feel overwhelmed by the lots of things I had to do as at last semester. But this is summer and I had not been so busy not to have at least write some nonsense. Yes, nonsense because I really hate editing my work. Each time I blog, it is usually the first draft. I'm too lazy to proof read it.

Last week, I was asked to write a report to be published in the AUN newsletter regarding our participation in the last SIFE Nigeria competition. What you see here is however a second draft of the write up. I'm just trying to get through that habbit of being lazy or reluctant to proof read my work. I would find time to update you on what happened last semester, what's happening right now and what we are looking forward to. Meanwhile this write up bellow is kinda very formal in the style it was written. You can guess why, of course. Happy reading.

Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) is a global, U.S.-headquartered, non-profit organization that was founded in 1975 with the goal of improving the quality of life and standard of living around the world by teaching the principles and values of free market economics and entrepreneurship. Working in partnership with hundreds of universities and businesses, SIFE organizes, motivates, and trains university students to form “management teams” that design, develop and implement thousands of community-based micro-business, training and educational projects to create and expand economic opportunity through hands-on and practical training projects while they develop the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. In simple terms, it means students using the knowledge they gained from the classroom to make impact in their community through the exhibition of project that transform lives economically and otherwise. SIFE Teams are active on more than 1800 university/college campuses in 46 countries. Each year, each SIFE team from around the world meet other SIFE teams in a competition, and this draw them together with business leaders who judge the various projects based on certain criteria. The American University of Nigeria is one of the newest institution to join this organization, yet has made an impressive achievement during its maiden participation, in the competition this year.
Our SIFE team was inaugurated during the month of December, 2007. The first major event in the SIFE AUN history is the SIFE Leadership Conference which was held in Jos. We were able to distinguish ourselves on all SIFE judging platforms. Our outstanding performance encouraged the SIFE Nigeria Country Director, Mrs. Ifedi Adesuwa to pay the SIFE AUN team an unannounced visit. She was so impressed at what she saw that she encouraged us to signup for this years’ SIFE Annual National Competition. With a bit of reluctance, we decided to take on the challenge. We immediately proceeded with the registration and began planning for the competition. We set out to carry out the various projects we conceived based on our assessment of our immediate environment and how the meet SIFE’s judging criteria. The projects include: (1.) public enlightenment on investment in the stock exchange market (titles EM-without-S), (2) Ethical customer care in banks, (3) Assisting a small scale entrepreneur in the acquisition loan for expansion of his business, and (4) Teenagers leadership training (titled Let-them-Lead). These projects address a number educational topic area which includes market economics, success skills, financial literacy, and business ethics.

1. Earn More Without Stress, our first outreach project in the Yola community was aimed at creating awareness and sensitizing the society on how they can be part owners of companies through the purchase of shares.

2. The ethical customer care in Banks was a project in which we, after careful planning, studying and piloting, we randomly selected some banks in Yola and a few of their customers and administered series of questionnaires to them. We used various statistical tools to analyze the results and then set out on a series of seminar interventions of sensitizing the banks of their responsibility to be ethical in carrying out banking practices.

3. Assisting a small scale entrepreneur in the acquisition of loan for expansion of his business was a project in which we assisted Yola poultry farmer who at that time found it difficult to access micro finance to expand his business. We carefully studied his business and outlined his business growth potentials. We assisted him to write and document a proper business plan for his business which he used in accessing micro finance. We also taught him how to use various financial and accounting record systems to project the state of his business.

4. Let-them-lead was a project that provided some teenagers within the Yola community the tool to become effective leaders.


These projects were presented to a panel of judges during the first round of the competition held on June 13th this year at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua center in Abuja. It was our maiden participation in such a competition tagged SIFE Nigeria National Entrepreneurship Education Competition. This event which has 27 tertiary institutions across Nigeria participating in it was in a league format and each league had a minimum of five schools. We were in the coca-cola league and other SIFE team in our leagues were from University of Portharcourt , University of Uyo, Tai Solarin College of Education and Lagos State Polytechnic. We came second in our league. The following are the ten members of the AUN SIFE team that represented the school in the competition.

Peace Ugochukwu, Oluwafeyidamilola Moronke Akapo, Aja Ekpei ogban, Fatima Adamor, Samson Oyemala (Team Leader), Wisdom Omuya, Ogbonnaya Ukwa Kalu, Temitope Bankefa, Omorogbe Omorogiuwa, and Ishaq Sa’adu (president). The faculty advisor is Dr Benjamin Botchway

Earlier this month, we received an invitation from SIFE Nigeria to attend the final round of the competition held on 15th July, at the Shell Hall of the Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos where the finalist teams competed for the chance to represent Nigeria at the SIFE world cup in Singapore. After the event, the award of prices folled and our SIFE team bagged four award:First Award- 1st in our League on Ethics project and presentationSecond Award- 2nd in Coca-cola Entrepreneurship.Third Award- Overall WINNER on Ethics Project and presentationFourth Award- Cheque of N250,000. for the 3rd Award.

MIT (1024): The Power of 2

Is MIT really a power of 2?
This is what puzzled me two days ago as I thought hard about it, after reading it from Sam’s blog. Although I was quick to recognize that it is really, but as a mathematician and a scientist, I need not believe things simply because somebody else said it no matter how noble or reputable the person is. (Remember what happened during Galileo days when he said the earth was flat and people believed him.)
So I took it upon myself to prove that MIT is really a power of 2.
After 2 days, I was able to do it.
And just 2 hours ago I started typing it.
In the next 2 minutes, I would be 2ru with it and post it just 2 seconds to my alarm clock that is set to ring at 2.
(I’m beginning to write like Jess Kim.)



Proof 1: The “Comparison” proof
Let the word
MASSACHUSETTS which is 13 Letters = x;
INSTITUTE which is 9 Letters = y;
TECHNOLOGY which is 10 Letters = z

But MIT stands for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and
M is the 13th letter of the alphabet
I is the 9th letter of the alphabet, while
T is the 20th letter of the alphabet.

The fact that Massachusetts Institute of Technology stands for MIT means
x * y * z = MIT
i.e.
(13letters) * (9 letters) * (10 letters) = 13th * 9th * 20th

Introducing P as the power to be determined,
(13letters) * (9 letters) * (10 letters)* P = 13th * 9th * 20th

Which means:(13*9*10)letters *P = (13*9*20)th

P = 13*9*20(th)/13*9*10(letters)

P = 2 (th/letters)

Hence, MIT is the Power of 2. -where th/letters is a constant or an SI unit to be named after..who?? no not Omorx. (It can’t be me). Sam of-course. It’s been his dream. His ultimate life goal.“My ultimate life goal is to have an SI unit of measurement named after me.” That’s his words pulled out from his blog.


Proof 2: Add first proof
The word
MASSACHUSETTS has 13 Letters. So M = 13;
INSTITUTE has 9 Letters so I = 9; and
TECHNOLOGY has10 Letters, so T = 10

If MIT = MvI*T13v9*T= 22 * T= 22*10
If MIT should be a power of 2 and 1024 is a power of 2,
Then MIT should be = 1024 in someway which we should determine.
So,
22*10 = 10*2422*10(vP) = 10*24 (where P is the Power to be determine)
22vP = 10*2410
22vP = 24
P = 24 – 22= 2
Hence, MIT is the Power of 2

Assumptions:
1.The operator v is +ve sign
2. 1024 agrees to be permuted only as 10*24 and not 10*2*4 for example.


Proof 3: Subtract first proof

The wordMASSACHUSETTS has 13 Letters. So M = 13;
INSTITUTE has 9 Letters so I = 9;
TECHNOLOGY has10 Letters, so T = 10

If MIT = M^I*T13^9*T= 4 * T= 22*10
If MIT should be a power of 2 and 1024 is a power of 2,
Then MIT should be = 1024 in someway which we should determine.
So,
4*10 = 10*24
4*10*P = 10*24 (where P is the Power to be determine)

P = (10*2*4*)/(4*10)

P = 2 (since 10 up-numerator, cancels 10 down -denorminator, and 4 up also cancels 4 down)

This is if we assume that 1024 is permuted only as 10*2*4
If we decide to permute 1024 as 10*24,Then 4*10*p = 10*24
i.e.P = 10 * 244*10
P = 6
And since MIT is 3 letters,
6/3 = 2
So,
MIT is a power of 2 in both instances
Assumption:1.The operator ^ is -ve2. 1024 agrees to be permuted only as both 10*24 and 10*2*4 only.


Proof No 4: Logical Proof
3 proofs above have shown that MIT is the power of 2. Since MIT is 3 letters making 3 words of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and 3 proofs show that MIT is a power of 2, then MIT is really a power of 2.
Posted by: Omorx on May 30, 2007 12:58 PM. First posted as a comment on Mitra's blog.

Fall 2007 Salah Break

I've deceided to blog today despite that I havn't yet got a full doze of sleep. As you know already, this blog will mostly contain my activities. Yesterday was salah night party here at AUN. That's why it's easy to tell why I am behaving like a drunkard. Yeah, I am really. I walk as if I'm gonna fall and I write as if I am in primary one. As thursday and friday were class free day, lots of people travelled. So that's one reason why it wasn't a very great party. The turn out wasn't very great as compared to previous parties. However, it was just fun all through. The music was more of the "gbedu' and students really liked it and danced in the "gbedu" way. Then comes "ko ko bi lo" of Lagbaja.


Beside the friday party, I've enjoeyd the salah break in a very unique way: cycling. I've not yet got a bycicle here in Yola. But I borrowed the Samuel's (5 parkistanis students who are of the same family). It really was a muscle stretcher as observed after cycling for about 30 minutes, visiting friends for the salah celebratioin, going to joing Boy's Brigade among others. I probably had not mentioned on this blog thtat I like matching and playing band. I had always wanted to join the Boy's Brigade but dad never like things like this, you know. This is one reason I started fighting for my freeedom since I was 19 and today I'm a frree man. At 8pm today, I would be in the Media club meeting. In less than two hours from now, I would be in the Washington Hall of the Multi Purpose Building for a lecture on HIV and AIDs to be delivered by one Micheal Obiefuna, a guest from University of Maryland. Only a prophet can tell if I can wait till the end of this lecture. Whao, I have another club meeting at 8; Media club.

Currently, I work (full time or part time? don't ask me) in the Printing and Photocopy shop, attending to fellow students for their printing and photocopy needs. It was set up of recent and is a kind of extension from the library. Never mind me if I'm not giving every details in this blog. Remember, I did mention that I'm gonna make my posts on this blog brief. Again, writters often leave certain things out just for readers to infer for themselves. So, since bloggers are also writters, we aren't left out. Be rest assured that what you infer isn't wrong, although isn't absolutely correct either.


Happy Salah to to you.
Barka De Salah.

Activities for this Up-Coming Semester

As school starts next week, I'm already planing for it. This is a draft of the e-mail I just sent to the Director of Athletics. I met him last week and I was exited to know that our school is having athletics among the sport this semester.

Dear Coach Bello,

I am writing to notify you of my interest in
AAUN Athletics.

As I told you, when we met in the
Admissions Office the other day, I'm a maraton runner. I should have
sent you this e-mail earlier, but I needed to see first if I could still run. So
on sunday, i.e. two days ago, I made out to the street of Yola, heeding to
Jimeta. I however broke down on getting to Yola run-about after having ran 25
minutes. Some how, I think it is still a nice start as it's been eight years
ago since I ran this far.

Right now, I really don't know whether
to train myself for short distance (to gain speed) instead of for long distance
race (to gain stamina). This is because training for long distance race is
highly demanding and in this coming semester, I've got lots of
activities to engage in. I'm in the school choir, newspaper club, hope to join
one of the intra mural football league, engage in work study, have 22 credits to
register (which sur-passes the highest number of credits-19, aloud to register
in) and with honor in each, joining book club, joining AAUN ACM (i.e.
Association of Computer Machinery) and probably engaging in high jump. I am really
not very good at the latter but I love it greatly. I could squize out some few
miniutes each week preparing for it is available. I may also spend 20 mins every
week, playing lawn tennis.

Until I hear from
you,

Omorx

A Pagan in the Church

I did mentioned in my last post that I was going to tell you the reason I went to church on the first of July and why I would again continue to go, at least before school resumes.

Right now, I’m really bored here in Yola. This gets worst on Saturdays and Sundays when the school library does not open and so I don’t go to school to read. You know it sucks when you don’t have anything to entertain you while you are alone in the hut in which you live and on stepping out of the room the faces you meet can’t interact with you because they are speak Hausa which for now, I still can’t understand clearly (really ashamed of this). But don’t think you too can’t be a victim of this if you can’t speak Fulani because this is the Indigenous Language of the people here. So, many a time, they miss up this language with Hausa which makes it more difficult for a learner of Hausa.

Of course you now see why, no matter what your level of paganism is, you would definitely oblige the invitation of a friend to church especially if you like social life like me. This was one of the reasons I went to church last week.

During the church service, I was ambivalent whether to come again in the following Sunday or manage the little boredom that characterizes my weekends at home. The preaching was full of trite stories heard from my pre-teenage days; irrational stories of old and how we must be godly to make heaven, how Abraham was faith to God and God said he would have the same number of children as the number of stars in the sky, etc. I however did love the music; the acoustic combination was really great. I loved the way I was welcomed (song, hand shake with almost every member of the church and an offer of a bottle of Soft drink after the service) and the manner in which every one welcomed the other. I latter learnt that this was a tradition and I did know at once that it was peculiar to that church alone. This is because in all the years in which I had been “church halorting” I never found this. I probably love the beautiful faces of the girls that sat around me (I'm sure this is a lie). You know what guys like now, just being in midst of gals that make you feel like you are the only real and great guy. Any way, enough of folk tales. I did promise to keep my post short. So, I would stop here now. In another post, I would introduce myself.

Why this Blog? and Why LΔ Concept?

Well, yesterday, I went to church for the first time in some months now. You might have known that I’m a pagan, by now. Well, if that’s not enough, you might just be satisfied that I’m an atheist. Well, let’s not go into religion now. Just that at times or probably, most times, I like to be in a gathering were people fellowship for the bond of the human love is greatest during these times. Secondly, I love dancing or put more frankly, I’m the most lover of dancing. Anyway, none of these was a reason for my going to church yesterday, however. It’s just that someone invited me and I came to think of it that I have become bored on Sundays, because I do not go to school again to read; the school having just gone to summer break last week. So, I thought also, that it was an opportunity for me to know a friend’s house (the invitee) for he just got packed to a new house.

Mean while, I haven’t told you why I have not been blogging for quite some time now (no, not some, a whole lot of time). It’s almost getting to 365 days now since I posted on my blog AAUN Life Experience blog: www. myaaun.blogspot.com. Also, I haven’t also tell you why I decide to start a new blog altogether. I will tell you these. But just in case I forget, you owe me the assurance not to fail to remind me.

If you ever read the aforementioned blog, you would know that it was a much of a trash. It was in a way to serve multiple purposes and not only giving you what AAUN is like in the inside. There you probably would notice certain things like creative writing piece of writing which I wrote, quotations from Albert Einstein , my mentor, ………………… and some other non sense.

One reason for these was to increase my typing speed. Another was to record my taught. Thirdly, it was to stimulate my writing spirit and make my voice appear to be heard. So, if you read things that didn’t make sense in that blog, know that it might have been engendered by the latter reason because I’m a kinetic learner. But one underlying fact is that I like blogging.

On why I haven’t been blogging all these while, well, it may suffice you to know that one reason was that I drop out of school. So I needed to face a serious battle that would see me back in school this fall, September. And the battle was so though that I gave-up most of my pleasure loving activity like blogging. So, this answers that question.

I guess the most curious question that is in your mind now is “Have you won the Battle, Now?”
Well, I’m confident to tell you that I have won 90% of the battle. And I am proud to tell you that the victory is actually one in two fold: the victory that I would be returning back to school this fall and the victory that I would leave again next summer. (err? Err..? what…?) Yes. Not Ironic and I’m not joking. I mean LEAVE AAUN again while I shall have completed only 3 semesters.
Before you call me a fool, let me quickly reveal what I mean. I would be transferring to great schools like Harvard and MIT (just hoping though). I have always wanted to school in a world class US styled university and that desire brought me to this school (AAUN). I had thought getting into Harvard or MIT for my undergraduate program isn’t again, following my not so excellent performance in secondary school when measured against a typical US Ivy bound student. But during the past six weeks I have been doing some research on the admission into Ivy league universities and I have found a very powerful concept that is driving me crazy daily: LΔ meaning Learning Delta. In fact, if you notice new drives in me, its cause is attributed to this concept, to the extent that I have this blog named in the it.

Also, I have now known that admission into these school is context driven. i.e. the selection process look at your environment as the backdrop to your accomplishment.

If I must reveal a secret here, it is that I am working really very hard to increase my learning delta because I MUST ATTEND MIT OR HARVARD. One thing I have got from my research is this: they want to know what make me thick.

As I hope to keep the posts on this blog as brief as possible, I would tell you –in another blog, something that happened in the church yesterday, which had made me resolve to become a regular, and probably addicted “church goer”. Mean while, also, know that the coming of this blog could not have been at a better time than this. Do you know why? Yesterday marks the beginning of the second half of the 2007 year, was the only day to have its month begin with a Sunday this year, and probably the only day to be a Sunday 1st July in this decade I think (except April 1st), probably also in this century (not so sure any way, but as a mathematician, I would think and make calculations if it is correct. But what if I can’t? Then, I would go researching because I am a fairly good researcher as well. These are things that make me thick. hoops!!!)