THE NATION FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2013
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SOCIETY Egbeda Host Lions Club has installed Lion Abayomi Oriretan as its fifth president. The event was held at the De Hall of Lagos State Printing Corporation (LSPCC) on Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos. AMIDU ARIJE was there.
COMMUNICATE YOUR IDEAS
Setting your Communication Agenda for Year 2013
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APPY New Year to you and your wonderful family. I believe last year was a fulfilling year for you. May you change level positively and progress speedily this year. AMODU LANRE OLAOLU (Ph.D) Year 2012 was a delightful year for sospeak2lanre@yahoo.com. us on this column. We were able
•Lion Agbogun (left) presenting Lion Oriretan to the members after the installation. With is Oriretan’s wife Ebunoluwa
Change of baton at Lion’s Club
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IVE years ago, some people gathered for fellowship at one of the secondary schools in Egbeda, a Lagos suburb. Little did they know that their gathering would lead to birth of Egbeda Host Lions Club? It was tough getting people to buy into their idea of humanitarian service which the club stands for. The club has been growing steadily. Members gathered at the De Hall of LSPCC for the investiture of Lion Abayomi Oriretan. The hall was filled. It was decorated in blue and white colours. They looked resplendent in their blue Ankara attire. Lion Oriretan stood tall among his colleagues; he wore a blue agbada with an abeti aja cap to match. He beamed with smiles and acknowledged cheers from guests. Guests were welcomed to the occasion by some well-dressed women. Otunba Taiwo Oloyede was the compere. The arrival of the Governor of Lion Clubs in Nigeria District 404B, Lion Stella Agbogun, kicked started the event. Her arrival was greeted with cheers and praises. The call to order, done by a former President of the club, Lion Azeez
Olasode, marked the start of the event. The club’s code of ethics was read by Lion Layi Tailor. Lion Gbadebo Salawu thanked the guests. Lion Agbogun subsequently gave her speech, thanking the club members for their efforts in the service of humanity. She urged them not to relent Lion Agbogun tasked the incoming president to live up to expectations. She appealed to the members to support the president to achieve the club’s objectives. “Your election to the position of president of the club shows the type of trust your members have in you and you should not allow that trust to fail,” she said. Lion Agbogun urged members to work tirelessly to alleviate the sufferings of the Nigerian child. “Whatever you can do to alleviate the sufferings of the Nigerian child should be done,” she urged. Before decorating Lion Oriretan, Lion Agbogun obtained his wife’s permission to install him as president. After his installation, Lion Oriretan listed his programmes for the year and promised to carry all along. “Our projects will include provision of boreholes in schools and streets in our community; provision of first aids
Agenda Setting
•Lion Olasode
boxes to schools; free exercise books to schools; visitation to and presentation of relief materials to motherless babies homes among others,” he said. To realise the target of his club, Lion Oriretan appealed to all to donate generously to the course. The club’s song was sung after the installation. Chairman on the occasion, former President of the Rotary Club of Ikoyi, Rot Nike Maiyaki, urged the Lions to rally round their president for him to succeed. She appealed to the president to work for the good of his members and reader service of humanity. Guests were treated to delicious meals.
WHAT AND WHERE
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•Oba Fatola
Birthday
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CTIVITIES marking the 80th birthday celebration of the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, Oba Johnson Olatunji Fatola continue today with a Muslim prayer in his Palace. A thanksgiving was held yesterday at the Celestial Church of Christ, EL-Morijah Olubukun Prish, 2 Adedeyo Ajayi Street, Surulere Estate, Igbogbo, Ikorodu Lagos. The celebration will be rounded up tomorrow with a grand finale for the Igbogbo Community at the Oba’s palace.
Award
Celebration
NWAR-Ul Islam College Agege Old Students Association (ACAOSA 77/78 set) will hold its end of the year party tomorrow at 4, Abiodun Close, off Alabi Street opposite Water parks, Ikeja, Lagos.
•Prof Akande
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KO Boys High School Old Boys Association (EKOBA) will hold a thanksgiving Service on Sunday to mark the centenary celebrations at Hoares Memorial Methodist Cathedral, Yaba. The service will be followed by a FundRaising/Award and dinner thereafter at Sir Adetokunbo Ademola Hall, Nigerian Law School Auditorium, Victoria Island, Lagos same day. The award tagged Centenary award of excellence, according to the president of the association, Chief Idowu Sofola will be awarded to alumni of the school. The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola will lead others to the award.
Lecture
Celebration
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HE Oluyole Club will on Saturday hold its annual public lecture and New Year party at the Kakanfo Inn, Ibadan, Oyo State capital. The celebration will feature lecture and presentation of bursary awards to indigent students. Chief Olusoda Dada is the guest speaker while the club president, Prof Bashir Akande is the host.
to discuss a few topics on the need to communicate effectively. We focused on why we cannot but communicate and how we can use communication to our advantage and also to benefit others. This New Year, I believe it is very important for us to have a solid start with specific objectives in mind. Communication is very important; you communicate whether you want to or not. Just as you make major plans at the beginning of the year, which some people refer to as New Year resolution, you should also have major plans for your communication and interaction with other people. By now, I’m sure you will agree with me that there is nothing casual about communication. This week, we shall be examining the all important topic of ‘setting agenda for your communication in 2013.’
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IGERIAN Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch will hold the 9th edition of the Chief Gani Fawehinmi annual lecture on Tuesday at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja. The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola is the Chief Host while his Ogun State counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun is the Chairman of the occasion.
What does it mean to set an agenda for communication? It means carefully planning where you want to be at the end of the year and then determining the kind of communication you need to engage in to get there. If you don’t plan your life, your activities will be subjected to chance and chance is never stable. Think about this, supposing you can say all the right things and act in the right way all the time, wouldn’t you be the best person in the world? I know we are not that perfect, but if we can pay attention to about 70% of the communication we are involved in, our lives will change dramatically. Along with other personal communication agenda you may set for yourself this year, I strongly recommend that you include thisdo all you can to add value to others through your communication. Communication is bi- or multi-directional as the case may be. It is also a transaction. In 1978, Michael Burgoon and Michael Ruffner identified some attributes of human communication. They said that communication is transactional because both the source and the receiver are constantly influencing each other through their interactions. Hence, a change in one element of the communication process naturally leads to a change in the other elements. Let me use this simple illustration to explain what they meant. If you want to buy a loaf of bread for instance, you will take part in a transaction that will involve you (the buyer) and the seller. The transaction is based on mutual benefit; you need the bread and the seller needs the money. Supposing the seller tells you that the cost of the bread has increased (which is a change in one element of the transaction), you are left with the option of either paying more than you planned for or leaving without buying anything. If you don’t buy, you will not have the bread and the seller will not have the money. Hence, one change has changed everything. The same is the case in communication. When you communicate with people, you are exchanging benefits. When you concentrate only on your benefit, the people you are communicating with will withdraw from you, yet you need them in your life. Don’t focus too much attention on yourself at the expense of others. Whenever you communicate with people, always leave them satisfied and glad that they ever met you. That is the way to build profitable relationships. Remember, before you can be a good public speaker, you must first be good at influencing the individual lives of the people around you. Decide today that everyone who comes in contact with you in 2013 will leave a better person and you will be surprised how influential you will become.
Why is Setting Agenda necessary? Nothing happens by chance. A wise man said that whoever fails to plan, plans to fail. You have to deliberately decide to communicate effectively this year. Whatever you don’t prepare for, if it ever comes to you, it will be by mistake; and nothing that comes by mistake lasts. You cannot continue to do the same thing and expect a different result. If indeed you want this year to be far better than last year, you have to deliberately aim at effective and contribution-oriented communication. Communication is like a seed, what you sow is what you reap. Your life cannot be different from what you communicate. God bless you this New Year.
Dr. Amodu lectures at the Department of Mass Communication, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State.