What are the basic rules of life?
What are the basic rules of life?
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Before now, I never knew that it was very easy to get the Nigerian TIN. In fact, if you have a BVN, you automatically have a Tax Identification Number. Surprised? Let me show you how. I wanted to use my Nigerian ...Read more
Before now, I never knew that it was very easy to get the Nigerian TIN. In fact, if you have a BVN, you automatically have a Tax Identification Number. Surprised? Let me show you how.
I wanted to use my Nigerian TIN for some official purpose online when I was required to fill in my TIN. In shock I was, I don’t pay tax, I’m just a student, I’m not a civil servant, so i thought, until I went searching and found this link for TIN. All you need to do is to supply the details on the form. Make sure to tick the box which proves that you are not a robot and voila, you have it .
My Major Concern
Does it mean that anyone who knows your details such as date of birth and BVN can easily get your TIN? Hmmmmmm, Well, you guessed right, the answer is YES!. The BVN (Bank Verification Number) in itself is very porous in Nigeria right now. Anyone with access to the phone number used to register for BVN can have it immediately by dialling *565*0#. Hahaha, and with your BVN, so many thing can be done in your identity. Be careful with it out there.
WHY TIN AGAIN?
The Nigerian government I believe are very smart, they know that citizens will not opt in for tax deductions on their own accord. The only way to properly document tax payers is to give them a TIN of-cause. Therefore, they auto-generate it on registering for BVN. BVN is very important in Nigeria, because without it, you cannot carry out any bank transaction.
Read lessIn the past few days, we have seen USA taken some stringent measures to ensure that they remain the world power. They started by imposing heavy taxes on Huawei just to install any of their network equipments in the USA ...Read more
In the past few days, we have seen USA taken some stringent measures to ensure that they remain the world power. They started by imposing heavy taxes on Huawei just to install any of their network equipments in the USA as if that was not enough, President Trump went further to add them their black list. Huawei has so many options right now, including the launch of their new Operating system. They could grow stronger in their network areas and launch of 5G but…
The issue what happens to their Android users now who still use their phones?
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The recent upsurge in accounts being hacked is really alarming. One has to verify WhatsApp business number to avoid being a victim. Scammers are using it to defraud people of their hard-earned money using the identity of the victim ...Read more
The recent upsurge in accounts being hacked is really alarming. One has to verify WhatsApp business number to avoid being a victim. Scammers are using it to defraud people of their hard-earned money using the identity of the victim as leverage.
Requirements to Verify
- You can only verify a phone number that you own. You can either use a mobile phone or a landline (fixed) number.
- You must be able to receive phone calls or SMS to the phone number you’re trying to verify.
- You must have all call-blocking settings, apps, or task-killers disabled.
- If you’re verifying through your mobile phone, you must have a working Internet connection through mobile data or Wi-Fi. If you’re roaming or have a bad connection, verification may not work. Try opening https://www.whatsapp.com/business/ on your mobile phone’s Internet browser to see if you’re connected to the Internet.
- If you’re verifying through a landline, tap Call me to request a phone call to receive your verification code.
How to verify
- Enter your phone number:
- Choose your country from the drop-down list. This will automatically fill in your country code in the box on the left.
- Enter your phone number in the box on the right. Don’t put a 0 before your phone number.
- Tap Next to receive a verification code. If prompted, you can also tap Call me to receive the code via phone call.
- Enter the 6-digit verification code you receive via SMS or phone call.
- Note: If you have iCloud Keychain enabled and have verified this number before, you may be automatically verified without receiving a new SMS code.
Using extension numbers for landline
Landline extension numbers aren’t supported to complete the verification process. Please use a landline number without an extension to verify your phone number. For security purposes, the 6-digit verification code is only sent to the landline number that you wish to use for your business account.
If you didn’t receive the 6-digit code by SMS
- Wait for the progress bar to finish and retry. The wait time may take up to 10 minutes.
- Don’t guess the code or you’ll be locked out for a period of time.
- If the timer runs out before you receive the verification code, an option will appear to request a phone call. Choose the Call me option to request the call. When you answer the call, an automated voice will tell you the 6-digit verification code. Enter this code into WhatsApp Business.
- Note: Depending on your carrier, you may receive charges for SMS and phone calls.
Troubleshooting steps
If you’re having issues verifying, please try the following:
- Reboot your phone (to reboot your phone, turn it off, wait 30 seconds and turn it back on).
- Delete and reinstall the latest version of WhatsApp Business.
- To check your reception, send a test SMS message from any mobile phone to the mobile phone number you’re trying to verify (enter the mobile phone number exactly as you entered it in WhatsApp Business, including the country code).
- Note: We can’t send your verification code via other methods due to security reasons.
I recently wanted to execute a cron job to run an sql file in a shared hosting website. In my case, I wanted to reset by database every hour and everyday for a demo website. There are two methods to ...Read more
I recently wanted to execute a cron job to run an sql file in a shared hosting website. In my case, I wanted to reset by database every hour and everyday for a demo website. There are two methods to achieving this;
- Using the cron job from the cpanel
- Using an external service to run the cron job for you
METHOD 1
I learnt from this task that running the sql file directly from the cron job is not so efficient. In fact, in my own project, it didn’t work. Therefore, I changed my method. I wrote the script in a php file calling the sql file, while the cron job calls the php file, because it is more convenient that way. Though, if you just want to run a php script, it can be passed to the cron job in the cpanel and hopefully, it works for you.
In the cron job on the cpanel, there is a guide in order to use it properly. For example
/usr/local/bin/php -f /home/(username)/public_html/nameofthefile.php
<?php
$con = mysqli_connect('localhost', 'username', 'password');
if (!$con) {
die('Could not connect: ' . mysqli_connect_error());
}
$sql = 'DROP DATABASE db_name';
if (mysqli_query($con, $sql)) {
//echo "Database db_name was successfully dropped\n";
} else {
echo 'Error dropping database: ' . mysqli_connect_error() . "\n";
}
$createsql = 'CREATE DATABASE db_name';
if (mysqli_query($con, $createsql)) {
//echo "Database db_name created successfully\n";
} else {
echo 'Error creating database: ' . mysqli_connect_error() . "\n";
}
$mysql_host = "localhost";
$mysql_database = "db_name";
$mysql_user = "username";
$mysql_password = "password";
# MySQL with PDO_MYSQL
$db = new PDO("mysql:host=$mysql_host;dbname=$mysql_database", $mysql_user, $mysql_password);
$query = file_get_contents("file.sql"); // calls the sql file here
$stmt = $db->prepare($query);
if ($stmt->execute()) {
echo "Success";
} else {
echo "Fail\n";
}
then you select the timing you need for this job to run for.
METHOD 2
In my case, this file above didn’t work on the server, but worked on the localhost which was really surprising. The PDO part of the code, didn’t work to be precise, so initially I thought my shared hosting service didn’t enable PDO for my php version which was 7.3 at that time, after confirmation that it was enabled, I then knew I had to find an alternative to the cron job issue. After much researching, I found google cloud platform (serverless computing — not free) so I couldn’t use it, I then found another online service- webcron that could do this. I registered and configured for what I needed. The only major thing you need to supply is the url.
Therefore, i just supplied https://domain-name.com/nameoffile.php. and BOOM, it worked as I expected.
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Matthew, like many other regular guys I know, has a 8-5 job. He gets up as early as 6.30am to get dressed for work so that he can beat the early morning crazy Lagos traffic, works so hard in a ...Read more
Matthew, like many other regular guys I know, has a 8-5 job. He gets up as early as 6.30am to get dressed for work so that he can beat the early morning crazy Lagos traffic, works so hard in a commercial bank every day, yet his regular income can barely last him through the first three weeks of the month, let alone save part of it. He was concerned and he knew he had to do something about the situation really fast in order to earn extra every month
Many of us find ourselves in such financial dilemma and often times resort to dubious means to make more money quickly. What if there are other legitimate means of achieving the same goal, or other ways to earn extra income wouldn’t that be better? To be honest, this post is not another motivational talks or post to steer you up but leaving you with the FACT, so let’s face the facts. To earn extra N20,000 every month, you’ll need to invest in some businesses first; I usually refer to them as RENTALS BUSINESS
RENTALS
- Rentals: If you buy a motocycle (the one popular called Okada in Nigeria) and lease it out to someone who can ride and is faithful, N20,000 in a year profit will be N240,000. To obtain a new motocycle is about this price or less. Think about this. This is just one of the many examples of businesses you can do in terms of rentals. Others include
- House rentals
- Land rentals for farming
- Equipment rentals
- Gaming console rentals
Most importantly, do the feasibility study properly to ensure that you are not making loss in the long run, BUT , there are some soft businesses you can do that don’t require much capital and yet you can still earn extra every month up to N20,0000. Some of which are:
- Blogging: Owning a blog is big business these days in Nigeria, thanks to the likes of Linda Ikeji who started very early exposing many of us to it. For those who don’t understand, blogging is simply an art of writing short articles about various sources of interest and publishing it online. These articles could be about lifestyle, health, finance like the one you are reading now, games etc. All you need is a computer, phone, laptop or tablet. You can start blogging within minutes, thanks to CMS like WordPress, Joomla and other blog platforms and there are numerous articles on the web about how to start a blog. You earn money from blogs when you have a lot of visitors. Advertisers see your visitor counts and can pay you a lot of money just to have their ads on your blog. A lot of popular bloggers earn between N20, 000 to N500k per month.
- You have a skill, Use it: Individuals and companies always need some form of service every now and then. It could be laundry, taxi, cleaning, teaching, coaching, braiding, public speaking etc. Making money from a service depends on the type of skill you have and how much people are willing to pay for it. For example, if you are good with playing the piano, you could coach your friend’s or neighbour’s kids on how to play the piano. With the help of technology now, there are online platforms that also connect tutors with students, like Tuteria.
- Buying and selling: This involves petty trading of consumer goods. It’s time tested and still works quite well for many people. It is often better to start by selling things you are used to or you could do a small survey/research to find out what people need around your area. For example, if you live in a developing new site, businesses like selling sachet water, snacks, food items would move faster. It could also be dresses, shoes, smart phones, tablets that you sell.
- Be an agent: Agency jobs involve providing unique services for organizations, they could include schools; for example referring students to a school to enrol. Also, you can be an agent for importing and exporting goods. You need to have a license to clear products at the ports. Another form is selling air tickets to people or helping people book flights. People who don’t have such licenses can even rent them from you providing an extra source of income.
- Work Weekends or On off days: If you have the strength to work an extra day or two then why not try working on weekends for a few extra hours. You can take an extra job in places where weekend jobs are needed. Jobs in this category include ushering jobs, hotel, clubs and restaurants, teaching, singing, dancing etc.
The list is definitely not exhausted yet, there are still many more ways to earn extra every month for as long as you are willing to do the extra work.
[Read Also: Developing good financial habits]
Find more facts here: Here are 10 ways you can earn an extra N50,000 every month
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Before Debt management let’s talk about DEBT, Debt is money borrowed by one party from another to meet a financial need that would otherwise not be fully met. Many organizations use debt to purchase goods and services that they cannot ...Read more
Before Debt management let’s talk about DEBT, Debt is money borrowed by one party from another to meet a financial need that would otherwise not be fully met. Many organizations use debt to purchase goods and services that they cannot afford with cash. Under the debt contract, the borrower is allowed to receive any necessary funds provided that the funds are repaid on an agreed date. In most cases, the amount owed is paid with some interest. Depending on the amount borrowed, a debt can be either asset or complex. Knowing the best way to manage debt can be difficult, especially for a borrower struggling to make scheduled payments.
There are many types of debt, but the most common are auto loans, mortgages, and credit card debt. Based on the agreed terms, the borrower must repay the remaining amount due on the appointed date. In addition, the terms often stipulate the interest that the loan will earn during the service period, as a percentage of the principal amount. Interest is an essential part of a loan because it ensures that lenders are repaid for the risks they take on and encourages borrowers to make quick payments to limit interest costs.
It is important to educate yourself on both the terms “GOOD DEBT” and “BAD DEBT”.
The amount of debt a business or individual can pay depends on their financial situation or the difference between assets and liabilities. Debt that can be repaid without default is GOOD DEBT. A business that is heavily indebted may not be able to pay interest if its sales drop. As a result, this will put the company at risk of insolvency. It could end up being a BAD DEBT.
On the other hand, a business that fails to capitalize on debt may miss opportunities for expansion. Therefore, debt is important for a person with an active credit rating. Typically, the cost of debt is lower than the cost of raising equity. In addition, the risk associated with debt financing is lower than that of equity financing. When viewed from an investor’s perspective, a company has an obligation to repay an investor versus a shareholder in times of insolvency and bankruptcy.
What is DEBT MANAGEMENT?
This is a way of controlling debt through financial planning and budgeting. The purpose of debt management planning will be to use these strategies to help reduce current debt and eliminate them. You can develop your own debt management plan and receive credit counseling to help you carry out your plan. There are commercial and non-profit credit counseling agencies. These organizations operate in different ways, but strive towards the same goals. It’s about helping people find their debt repayment budgets and help them manage their new debt.
Debt management plans are for solving unsecured debt such as credit cards and personal loans. It can work in either of two ways. The first method is a DIY version of debt management. This version directly creates a budget that can repay debt and maintain financial stability. You can manage your schedule using the budget calculator, repayment calculator and financial management app. If necessary, you can negotiate with your creditors to reduce your monthly payments and interest rates to reduce your debt. After controlling your debt, you can decide whether to keep or close your account.
The second form of debt management is to get credit counseling. You can find local credit counselors through the National Foundation of Credit Counselors. Helps credit counselors make a debt repayment plan. You can also negotiate payment plans with creditors. This payment plan is meant to help eliminate debt. Depending on your situation, your credit counselor may close your account when each debt is repaid so that no new debt is incurred.
You might be thinking about settling down in another country, away from home. If you are like me who by all means is looking to settle in another country, then here are some of the best countries to live that ...Read more
You might be thinking about settling down in another country, away from home. If you are like me who by all means is looking to settle in another country, then here are some of the best countries to live that you should be looking at.
Today, attention is so much on countries like USA, Canada and Europe in general. This is because Canada for example does a federal skilled program which grants people permanent residency. USA is also a great place to study and hereafter remain to find jobs.
Amidst these great opportunities, it is important to note that entry to these countries is not as easy as many people preach.
Also, consider the fact that while many people are aiming to migrate to these beautiful countries, it soon will become saturated thereby leading to too much supply of labour than demand
why you should look to these countries
- Per-capital-income: The image on this post shows the details of these countries to live in respect to how much they make every year as revenue and how that translate to the average salary of workers in that country
- Popularity: because these countries are not so popular; if you are like me who likes a quiet life out of the social media life and cheap popularity, then you should consider these countries to live.
- Diverse Culture: We’ve seen all about the USA, Canada etc and the popular countries that a lot of people are envious of; but how about you experience the cultures of these countries. This makes you diverse
- Language: Some of these countries are in Asia, like Singapore. If you can make it into this country for instance, you get to learn the language and this makes you multi-lingual
- Inter-marriage and Relationship: Oh I am sure you’ve considered this at some point. For example in Ireland, if you are married to an Irish lady for 3 years and can show prove, you could get permanent residency. (I bet you didn’t know that at all).
The next time you’re listing the best countries to live in 2021 and you want to migrate, put all these thing in perspective and stop running after the difficult paths.
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If you are still skeptical about online and Offline learning, this might help you understand and help you make a decision. Location is mainly what differentiate an online and offline class.The main difference between online learning and offline ...Read more
If you are still skeptical about online and Offline learning, this might help you understand and help you make a decision. Location is mainly what differentiate an online and offline class.
The main difference between online learning and offline learning is location. When participating in offline learning, participants must go to the training location, which is usually a conference room, university or classroom. On the other hand, through online learning, training can be conducted almost anywhere in the world. Participants only need to log in to the Internet from their home, company.
Online learning has become the preferred method for most students, it is important not to overlook the benefits of offline learning. Through online learning, students and teachers will benefit from a more informal and flexible approach. Not limited by location and time, this means that all students can benefit from the course.
Advantages of online learning;
Flexibility – You learn at your own speed
Cheaper than offline
Saves Time and resources
Anyone can teach from anywhere
You get to record any classes and review later
Disadvantages of online learning;
Isolating
No competition
No interpersonal skills development
Limited topics.
It also helps with becoming familiar with how to work and get jobs remotely
Offline training has long been the main reason, and there are good reasons. However, in recent years, due to the large number of new platforms and the popularity of the Internet, online training has gradually become popular. In the last 5 years, Coursera, Udemy, YouTube, etc. They have helped thousands of professionals to learn the best courses from the best universities in the world at a very low cost. With this video content, you can learn anything anywhere.
Advantages of off-line learning;
Teachers/Lecturers could pay more attention to student
More interaction between students and teachers
Competitive atmosphere
Structured & disciplined setting
Disadvantages of Offline learning;
More expensive than online courses
Personalized learning is impossible
Flexible timetable
Dependency on the teachers/Lecturers
Since both study options are beneficial, it makes sense to offer blended learning methods online and offline where possible.