Outstanding Steps to Clever Decision-making

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is tenacity.

The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.

You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.”

~ Amelia Earhart



Life can be described as a a road, a journey, and a trip.  There are long and short roads, smooth and rocky roads, crooked and straight paths.  In your life, many different roads and opportunities will come your way as you journey on.  There are roads that may lead to a life of single blissfulness, married blessedness or religious vocation.  There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand or isolation and poverty on the other.  There are roads to happiness, just as there are roads to sadness.  There are roads that point toward victory and jubilation and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Just like any road you drive down in your car, there will be corners, detours and crossroads in life.  The most perplexing road that you will encounter is a crossroad; round-abouts may be a close second. At the crossroads of life, you are faced with multiple roads to choose from, and have limited information on where each road will go. So, which road will you choose?  What guarantee do you have that you have chosen the right one along the way?  Would you take just any road or just stay where you are staring at the crossroad.

There are no guarantees in this life.

You do not really know where a road will lead until you get on it.  There are no guarantees.  This is one of the most important lessons you need to learn in life.  Nobody ever said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness.  Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it will be returned.  Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness.  There are just too many different possible outcomes that you really don’t have control over.  The only things you have complete power over are the decisions that you make, and how you’ll act and react in different situations and circumstances. Wrong decisions are always best seen in hindsight.

Honestly, if you had known that you were making a wrong decision at the time, would you have gone ahead with it?  Probably not!  Why would you choose a particular path when you knew it would get you lost?  Why would you make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it was not the right one?  It is only after you have made a decision, gone through the experience and reflected on it that you realize that it was either sound or not.  If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you will usually judge that you have decided correctly.  Otherwise your decision was wrong.

You are in control.  Take the risk.  Decide.

Since life offers you no guarantee and you won’t know that your decision is wrong until after you’ve made it, then you might as well take the risk and make a decision.  It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo.  Although it is true that one wrong turn can get you lost, it could also be that such a turn may provide an opportunity for an adventure and open more roads.

It is all a matter of perspective.  You occasionally have to choose between being a lost traveler or an accidental tourist in life.  But, take caution that you do not make your decisions haphazardly.  Taking risks is not about being foolish, careless or stupid.

Here are some pointers that can help you choose the best options in the face of life’s crossroads.

1. Trust yourself and make the decision.  Now that you have completely assessed your options it is time to trust yourself.  Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always best seen in hindsight.  So choose…… Decide…… Believe that you are choosing the best option at this point and time.


What is the situation?  Who are the people involved?  When did this happen?  Where is this leading?  Why are you in this situation?  These are just some of the possible questions to ask in order to know more about your current your situation.  This is important.  Often the reason for indecision is the lack of sufficient information about the situation.

2. Get as much information as you can about your situation.  You can not find the confidence to make a decision when you have too little information about what you are facing.  Just like any news reporters, ask the 5 w’s: What, Who, When, Where and Why.


3. Identify and create options.  What new options does the situation give you?  Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous.  But, what do you do when you think the situation offers no options?  This is the time when you need to dig a little deeper and create your own.  Put your creative mind to work.  From the most simplistic, all the way to the most complicated of ideas, entertain them all.  Do not shoot any ideas down when they first pop into your head.  Sometimes the most outrageous idea may prove to be the right one in the end.  You can ask a friend to help you identify your options.  But be sure that you make the ultimate or final decision yourself.

4.   Weigh the pros and cons of every option.  Assess each of your options by looking at the advantages and disadvantages they each offer you.  In this way you can gain more insights about the possible outcomes and consequences of each of them.

Now that you have made a final decision, be ready to face its consequences good and/or bad.  It may take you to a place of promise or a land of problems.  But the important thing is that you have chosen to fully live your life instead of remaining as a bystander or passive audience to it.  Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell.  However, do not enter into your decision with regret.  Instead make it a point to learn from each decision and keep in mind that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.



Ephraim Adedeji
Gr8t Minds Concept

Brief Historical Background

Historical Background

BACKGROUND DEVELOPMENT
The existence of Ibeju Lekki local government could be traced back to 1990 during the local government creation exercise by then Nigeria head of state, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. It was one of the four created in Lagos state and one of the two hundred and eighty nine local governments created in the country that year. It is important to state that it was at this time that nine new states were created in the country. The seat of the Ibeju Lekki local government was originally at Akodo before the recent Lekki local council development area was carved out, which necessitated the moving of the seat of government to the present Igando Oloja location.

The name of the local government is derived from two autonomous communities, Ibeju and Lekki. It was originally tucked within the old Epe local government. Prior to creation,Ibeju Lekki was treated as a backwater suburb to the Epe central and north. This veritably explains the slow pace of development in the area.
From 1990, there was an upsurge in the development rate of the area reflected in the presence of economic and infrastructure development of the area. Thus in just few years of its existence and creation, Ibeju Lekki local government has ably put in place facilities and infrastructures to enhance the socio-economic development activities in the area.

LOCATION AND SIZE
Ibeju Lekki is located at approximately latitude 4015'north latitude 4017' north and longitude 13015' east and 13020' east. It is bounded in the north by Ogun state and in the west by Eti-Osa local government. It is bounded in the east by Epe local government and its southern ends join it to the Atlantic Ocean.

It is about 75 kilometers long and about 20 kilometers at its widest point. Suffice to say, that Ibeju Lekki local government land area is about 646 kilometers square, equals one quarter of the total land mass of Lagos state. Hence, it is regarded as the fastest growing local government area in Africa and the future of Lagos state


MAP OF IBEJU AGBEDUWA KINGDOM

VEGETATION AND SOIL
The local government is located along the coastal plain of Nigeria. The entire area is below sea level and only at a few places does the land rise above sea level. The soil is sandy around the coastal part, while some area on mud except in few places, the entire local government is swampy.

Geologically, recent sedimentary layer underlies the local government. The sedimentary rock of alluvial materials is sandy, muddy and unconsolidated. There are many rivers, creeks and lagoons. The rivers are mainly the distributaries of river Oshun and Ome. The lagoons have permitted the development of sand bars and lagoon islands such as Arapagi, Ita-Oko and refugee islands.

The local government is also covered with mangrove forest at the northern part. Herbs are the most common plants with generous presences of palm and coconut trees. In recent time, much of the vegetation had been cleared. Patches of vegetation especially around Awoyaya down to Ibeju could only be seen. Along the west, however, there is thin vegetation because large traits of land are rising just above the sea level.

POPULATION AND TRIBE
The people are mainly Ijebu speaking who have settled in the local government in several autonomous communities. Some of the prominence communities include: Abijo, Awoyaya, Eputu, Lakowe, Bogije, Sapati, Igando-Oloja, Ibeju Lekki, Arapagi, oke-odo Elemoro, Akodo, Magbon-Alade, Eleko, Debojo, Solu-Alade, Iwerekun, Mopo, e.t.c. In all, there are on hundred and fifty five towns and villages here. There are now many other people from different parts of the country and the world residing and developing in the local government area.