₦airaland Forum

Social skills are an extremely important set of skills everyone should learn. There are some social skills that are so essential, you absolutely cannot do without them. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 5 extremely useful social skills to know.

Ability to Remain Calm

It is harder to think clearly when you’re agitated or unsettled, therefore, it is extremely important that you learn how to remain calm in all situations. Learning how to calm yourself in volatile situations is an extremely useful social skill that can save you a lot of trouble and avoidable stress-related health issues.

Know How to Build Rapport

Regardless of how introverted you might be, you need to learn how to build rapport with others around you because no man can live as an island, and you will eventually need people. Knowing how to build rapport is not a talent, it is a social skill that can be learnt. The only thing is that, depending on personality type, some people just need to put more effort into it than others.

Know the Difference Between Being Assertive and Aggressive

There really is a thin line between the two, this is why it is so important as a social skill to be aware of the difference between them. It’s okay to passionately share your opinion and stand your ground on it, but you need to be aware and ready to check yourself if you find yourself bordering on insulting or offensive. At that point, you have already entered into the zone of aggression.

Learn to Be Flexible and Cooperative

We live in a world with billions of people, and the fact is we won’t all have the same opinions or point of view. If you don’t want to end up fighting everyone you meet, you need to learn to be flexible and cooperative. You may feel that your way is the best way, but it important to still remain open to the suggestions and contributions of others. Be flexible enough to compromise when you need to, because no matter how intelligent or self-sufficient you are, you will need other people to get ahead in life. You can’t do it all by yourself. You should therefore be open to sharing ideas, making necessary compromises and being flexible all together.

Learn How to Communicate

Communication is more or less an art (though there are some that argue it is a science), and the truth is that there are many ways to communicate, you only need to be sensitive to the best means of communication to use in different situations for different people. You should learn when best to communicate face-to-face and when to communicate through written words. You should keep in mind that written words carry little or no emotion, so it really shouldn’t be your choice communication channel when communicating emotional or deeply moving subjects.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/5-extremely-useful-social-skills-know/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

By Abel B.S. Gaiya

One might still remember how the subject of Biafra slowly began to emerge from its fringe status into mainstream media discussion in early 2015. It could have been suspected that the issue would dominate public discourse in the country.

And since the arrest, detention and release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), many significant events have been witnessed; and different groups have responded in different ways to these events. It is easy to get carried away by each story. It is therefore important to synthesize all such stories. In other words, inasmuch as we must be aware of each drop of water within the informational river, we need to be cognizant of, and understand, the larger currents and their intricacies.

It would certainly have been most convenient if there was in existence historical and contemporary public opinion data on the Igbo population’s degree of ethno-nationalistic subscription from the early years of Nigeria’s independence till now. This would have provided a basis for analysing the long-run trend in pro-Biafran sentiments and gauge people’s reasons for accepting or detesting the ideal, with significant precision. Such would have been a fitting support for any qualitative analysis; but there is no such data.

Nonetheless, using Google Trend data, it may be observed that the popularity of the subject of Biafra, although very slightly rising in 2012 from its essentially flat – but above null/zero – trend in preceding years, shot up spectacularly from early 2015. The explanation for this pattern is already public: MASSOB initiated the fourth republic rise in pro-Biafran agitation (but remained within fringe status) – quantitatively manifesting as greater [than IPOB] MASSOB search status pre-2014 –, while the protracted detention of Nnamdi Kanu under the Buhari administration helped the post-2014 rise – quantitatively manifesting as an overtake of MASSOB by the IPOB search topic post-2014; more so given that the Biafra search topic variation seems more responsive to the IPOB search topic variation than to the MASSOB topic variation.

The initial fourth republic fringe agitation may simply be explained as resulting from a persistence of the network of foundational conditions which underlay the Biafran ideology – i.e. the marriage between the North and South being a ‘forced’ one facilitated by the British – under which the North was made the ‘head’; the Northern domination over politics and governmental administration at the federal level, as well as the contra-Igbo skew in public office representation; the incompetence of the North in leading the country towards development (with, inter alia, youth unemployment, poverty, cost of doing business, remaining high persistently); the continuous religious repression and crises in the North against people of non-Islamic faiths; the lack of fiscal federalism which has made development elusive and states too dependent upon the centre; the relative lack of federal infrastructural investment in the South East; and so on – summarized by Nnamdi Kanu in the statement “Nigeria is a zoo”.

An added foundation is that the 1999 constitution is deemed illegitimate because it was drafted by a military body without democratic representation; and the reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation of the Eastern region was not carried out uniformly after the civil war. It is therefore unsurprising that the Biafran ideology would survive into the fourth republic, even if it initially had fringe status.

Yet, why did the subject gain so much traction post-2014 more than it had in preceding years? I would argue that the overarching economic, political and social conditions permeating through Nigeria in the post-2014 period fostered the emergence of greater popularity and Igbo appeal or subscription to the Biafran ideal and sympathy for Kanu among the youths.

The drastic decline in the price of crude oil precipitated an economic slump in Nigeria; this is well known. Rising unemployment rate, poverty rate, food and general prices, as well as import restrictions and forex constraints have led to generalized youth disillusionment with the Buhari administration. For the rest of Nigeria, those who do not ask for patience with the administration tend to desire a change in presidency – an endo-Nigerian mindset. However, within the Igbo populace, there is a window for another perspective: The general economic slump has occurred under a Northern Muslim president who has made divisive statements such as the 97% vs 5%; he has engaged in geopolitically skewed political appointments; has been inactive against the Fulani herdsmen attacks in Southern Kaduna and has remained so for such attacks all over Nigeria. This has allowed the pro-Biafran rhetoric to be starkly empirical to many Igbo youths, as their predicament can be linked to contemporary causes in real time. A simple illustration of this is a comment made under a Vanguard online article reporting how Igbo traders were being pressed hard by Buhari’s economic policies, a commenter writes “…these were some of the things Nnamdi Kanu saw yesterday. When he was saying these things on Radio Biafra people said he was speaking propaganda; but day after day the things he said keep manifesting…In all these Biafra is the solution”.

Therefore, the foundational pro-Biafran justifications which underlay the fourth republic fringe agitation have found empirics to be built upon. In other words, the post-2014 socio-economic conditions fostered an easier mediation between empirical reality and Biafran justification. This increased pro-Biafran sentiment was further reinforced by the administration’s counter-judicial protracted arrest and detention of Nnamdi Kanu, as it could easily be referred to as a clear real-time example of Northern repression – with another example being the cases of physical harassment of pro-Biafran demonstrators by the Nigerian security forces.

The next topic of interest is why the Igbo elites have largely remained silent/passive on the Igbo marginalization and secession matter, at least relative to the youths. I find it convenient to categorize this class into the business elites, political elites and cultural elites (comprising elders and traditional rulers).

Gordon Onuoha, notes that at the inception of MASSOB in 1999, many prominent Igbo politicians, legislators, South East governors and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo distanced themselves from the movement. I propose that, for the Igbos generally, those closer in temporality to the civil war have tended to be disengaged from the ideal of secession, as the typical response against renewed Biafran agitation is that the youths did not experience the horrors of the civil war. Yet perhaps there are other factors other than war-phobia involved.

One such may be that the business elites, since 1970 are relatively comfortable under the present Nigerian contraption given the cross-regional business interests and access to large market demand. The political elites, although not achieving presidency, are fairly integrated – no matter how imperfectly – into Nigerian party politics and public office-holding – i.e. the Igbo political marginalization phenomenon is significant enough to incite periodic ‘spurts’ of discontent and desire for ‘restructuring’ at a low average level, but not repressive enough to incite continuous full-fledged practical activism among the Igbo political class. A co-founder of Radio Biafra observes that “a lot of Igbo elites – the top politicians, businessmen and women – are not identifying with the struggle because they are not feeling the pains or injustice we are talking about…they are the…wealthy that do not feel or suffer what the people are feeling or suffering. They are the ones benefitting from the government…” This passivity of the political elite is strongly noticed by the pro-Biafran agitators, as exemplified by Joseph Afokwalam’s piece on The Biafra Times. It is therefore easy to see why the Igbo elites have been less agitated relative to Igbo youths.

For the traditional category of the cultural elites, perhaps there has been greater latent pro-Biafranism lurking within the class than exists in other classes. This could be why the chairman of the South East Traditional Rulers Council has expressed pro-Biafrian support. However, there may be an ideological difference between the traditional rulers and the elders which is beyond the scope of this article.

Nevertheless, because of the increasing reach of the Biafran appeal among the Igbo youths, the Igbo elites can no longer keep silent, and cannot make any strictly anti-Biafran statements due to the extensive youth subscription to the ideal. In other words, the youths have blown the pipe, and the elites now must dance to the tune.

This has played out as a generalized rise in elite commentaries against Igbo marginalization. For instance, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo spoke out against Igbo political marginalization within the Buhari administration and is becoming more vocal about the need for systemic restructuring. We also see it in some sections of the Igbo political class when the South East senate caucus, with the involvement of the deputy senate president, reportedly played a significant role in the release Nnamdi Kanu, and the unanimous decision taken by South East governors “to wade into all issues of self-determination by the pro-Biafra groups in the zone”.

However, this does not mean that the Igbo elites are now the drivers of the present Igbo fight for change. Like Reverend Ejike Mbaka has said, the journey for Biafran agitation should be spear-headed by the Igbo elites. Even by 1967, all major political players, and many traditional rulers and clergy in Eastern Nigeria were part of the Biafran separatist movement. And as Chudi Offodie writes, Biafra was “motivated and sustained by the Biafra intelligentsia. Current efforts at a rebirth of Biafra suffer from a lack of this essential characteristic”. Although what has occurred in recent times is a youth-triggered agitation amid elite passivity – with the Grand Patron of Biafra War Veterans pointing out that Kanu failed to consult widely with Igbo elders on the issue –, the increasing elite proactivity points towards the elites moving forward to take their positions as leaders on the subject. However, it may be predicted that the unique authoritative status which IPOB – or rather, Kanu – enjoys on the Biafran struggle and his ideological inflexibility which prevents him compromising on the Biafran ideal would likely create repeated frictions between the pro-Biafran heterodoxy and the Igbo elite orthodoxy.

This would translate into a battle between these two groups to maintain the position of leadership. This unique status enjoyed by Kanu is illustrated by his being referred to as ‘supreme leader’, and Kanu’s lawyer reportedly making the statement that “Nnamdi Kanu is Biafra and Biafra is Nnamdi Kanu”. An example of such friction going on in real time is Kanu’s unilateral call for Igbos to boycott Anambra gubernatorial elections in contrast to the will of Ohanaeze and the Igbo political class.

Google Trend search data further suggests that although both Ohanaeze and IPOB have seen a rise in Google search frequency (with IPOB’s occurring more steeply and earlier), IPOB remains more popular (among youths, as internet use demographics would entail) than Ohanaeze, and perhaps more relevant in directing the activities of pro-Biafra youths than Ohanaeze. Still, the increasing general activity within the Igbo elite class, as well as the increasing impetus for coordination between the Igbo elites and intelligentsia – exemplified by the Ohanaeze call for Southern governors to meet on regular basis to discuss issues affecting Southern Nigeria and the drive to create a regional advisory and planning committee – means that the Igbo elites are indeed rising up.

The war-phobia is a powerful deterrent against pro-Biafran agitation among those who have such a phobia. This is further reinforced by the real threat of war given the Northern domination of the military and the military psychology exemplified by the Tukur Buratai’s (Chief of Army Staff) statement “you can’t divide Nigeria in my time” – which, as an aside, is potentially also a warning to any democratic president who attempts to allow any perceivably secessionist concession (i.e. the military and the Northern political elites could risk a war to keep Nigeria ‘together’); even the alleged use of EFCC to target Ike Ekwemeradu and orchestrate his replacement as deputy senate president for his alleged role in the release of Kanu is emblematic of the powers that be which are averse to any pro-Biafran action taken within the federal political orthodoxy.

Many of the youths, however, have relatively little war-phobia or even realism as to the degree of militaristic repression they would receive if the Biafran agitation is taken too far, even democratically – e.g. through a referendum. Hence they are less callous about calling for secession first, rather than restructuring.

Although this is not yet observable too clearly at present, this youth-elite psycho-social divide would likely become starker in the future, and it would be difficult to reconcile the elite moderation/conservatism with the youth radicalism, especially when the radical youths suspect the Igbo elites of being sell-outs and would therefore be defiant of their appeals. For instance, we hear the Ohanaeze youths demanding for an Igbo presidency in 2019 “or Biafra 2020”, and vowing to reject any attempt to restructure conducted under a Northern presidency; while on the other hand, it does seem that Ohanaeze, Igbo political and traditional leaders are neither interested in a referendum or secession, but complain about marginalization and the need for restructuring.

At the scale of the general Igbo population, Elliot Uko, the national president of Igbo Youths Movement (IYM), is clear that the majority of Igbos, although empathizing with the “Biafran boys”, do not believe in secession as the only solution. He describes them as “sitting on the fence” and would only side with the pro-Biafran forces if the Federal government applies force, given that “the Biafran boys are their sons, cousins, brothers…” Similarly, I would argue that one condition which could facilitate the dissolution of the youth-elite ideological divide and see rapid generalized Igbo convergence towards Biafranism is heightened non-state physical attacks against Igbos and/or state-led militaristic repression – which, as Amnesty International’s report indicates has been occurring, and so a mere expansion of such repression and/or mainstream media exposure of the scale of cases would suffice – which would boost the exigency of moving away from the Nigerian contraption. An implementation of the ‘Kaduna declaration/threat’ on an adequately extensive scale could possibly provide such impetus for rapid generalized subscription to Biafranism, though a shift among elites would likely be lagging unless the Nigerian state itself becomes the attacker through militaristic action or is ineffective in quelling such attacks.

An additional point I would like to state is that the 2019 election presents a catch 22 situation for Nigeria. Even if the Igbo people can produce a formidable presidential candidate – which is highly unlikely due to the confluence of Igbo coordination failure, national electorate adversity against an Igbo presidency, and opposition from the Northern political class due to the combination of the North’s demand for a continuance of the North’s presidential ‘turn’ since Yar’adua and a Northern ideological opposition to an Igbo presidency – who would win the election, this would likely trigger a wave of ‘opposition’ physical attacks against Igbos in the North. This would then likely accelerate the pro-Biafran agitation and could even slowly or rapidly transform it into armed conflict contingent upon physical retaliation by the pro-Biafrans, or any Igbo persons at all; yet pro-Biafran physical retaliation may initially be lacking if the chosen strategy is to appear victimized and defenceless to garner sympathy internationally and domestically.

If, on the other hand, an Igbo presidency is not secured in 2019, this reinforces the pro-Biafran narrative of Igbo marginalization and gives impetus for greater Igbo subscription to Biafranism. Therefore, no matter the outcome, I predict that the pro-Biafran agitation would likely accelerate dramatically after the 2019 presidential elections. Nonetheless, the latter scenario may be ameliorated if concrete steps are taken to attempt a restructure of the nation, notwithstanding the pro-Biafran rejection of any such action.

If the package is adequate, it may serve to quell the pro-Biafran tendencies of those Igbos who are still ‘on the fence’ on the issue. Yet, even if a restructure package is proposed – for instance, based on the 2014 national convention –, the overseeing president faces significant challenge on both sides: The pro-Biafrans’ would obstinately reject any proposed restructure, which would be in resistance to the moderation of the Igbo elites; and the socio-poltico-economic ‘hawks’ among the Northern elites – who are comfortable with the present unequal socio-politico-economic equilibrium – would likely frustrate the procedural and political support for conclusions and implementation of a restructure package.

These hawks typically take the Igbo marginalization narrative and need for restructuring as unserious jabber, as Nasir El-Rufai has. For many, the North presently benefits, in terms of input/output (revenue contribution/allocation) ratios from the current fiscal arrangement, and thus there are fiscal reasons why it would be opposed to any talk of re-organization. There could thus even be a broader Northern opposition to any restructuring which could translate to violence against Igbos.

cc: lalasticlala mynd44


source: http://www.opinions.ng/observations-biafra-predictions-near-future/

By Tijjani Abdulsalam

Presidents, ordinarily, are a rare breed of people. I mean, there can only be one at a time in every country. So how many times have we had two presidents of a country from the same family, or let’s even broaden it, same lineage. Certainly not too often. This piece captures seven high profile incidences of such rarity. Kings and Queens have been excluded in this compilation as the case of an offspring succeeding the parent is the norm rather than the exception in a monarchy. This list comprises heads of states who came to power through the ballot or the barrel.
Let’s roll…

1. George H. W. Bush (Father)/George W. Bush (Son)-USA

These two are obviously the most popular of their kind. The Bush family is one of the most renowned political families in the world, thanks to the exploits of George Herbert Walker Bush (Bush Snr.) And George Walker Bush (Bush Jnr.). Bush Snr. had a long career in military and public service prior to becoming president. He was at different times, Naval Lieutenant, Congressman, CIA Director, UN Ambassador, VP and finally, for four years, President of the US. His regime is notable for the first gulf war against Saddam’s Iraq.
Bush Jnr. surpassed his father in two major aspects; He secured a second term and … he didn’t just launch a war against Iraq, he toppled Saddam. After managing victory in one of the most controversial presidential elections in US history in 2000, Bush would have an eventful eight year stay in the white house. The key highlights of his regime were the 9/11 attacks, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan launched in response. While Americans may hold diverse views on the legacies of the Bush Family, one thing is certain: Both have played key roles in shaping the present day America. And who says it’s going to end with George W. Bush? The future will tell.

2. Hafez Al-Assad/ Bashar Al Assad(Syria)

Before Bashar there was a Hafez.
The Assad’s dynasty in Syria started with a certain Hafez al Assad coming to power via a military coup in 1971. For the next 29 years that he would rule, Hafez established a strong personality cult while building a tight Presidency and Military dominated by his Allawite sect. When it came to suppressing dissent and uprisings, Hafez was unrivalled. The events of Hama in 1982 speak for themselves. Hafez died in 2000 after a long battle with diabetes and heart related ailments
Bashar, Hafez’s second son was a child of fate. Had things remained normal, Bashar could have been a practicing ophthalmologist with little interest in military and politics. In 1994, his older brother (Basil Al Assad) who was being groomed for succession died in a car accident, necessitating Bashar’s formal entry into the military and the government of his Father. He became president in 2000 and has held office since then. Bashar has presided over the bloodiest period in Syria’s history. Like his father, he cracked down heavily on opposition protesters when the Arab spring flowed into Syria, leading to the Syrian Civil War. He has held strongly on to power through a combination of foreign support as well as a fiercely loyal military dominated by his Allawite sect.

3. Jawarhalal Nehru (GrandFather)/Indira Gandhi (Mother)/Rajiv Gandhi (Son)

Jawarhalal Nehru was one of the prominent founding fathers of the Indian nation and its first Prime Minister. A close protégé of the sage-Mahatma Gandhi and a lawyer by training, Nehru was Prime Minister from 1947 till death in 1964. More than 53 years after his death, Nehru remains a highly revered figure in modern day India.
It didn’t take too long for Indira Gandhi to step into her father’s shoes politically as she became India’s first female PM in 1966 till her removal eleven years later. She returned in 1980 following electoral victory. Indira pursued the successful Indian Nuclear Program, women’s right and advancement and independence for Bangladesh from Pakistan, though her regimes were accused of corruption and nepotism. She was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards in an apparent act of revenge following a deadly crackdown she ordered on Sikhs protesting at the Amritsar Temple, months earlier.
Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as PM immediately following the death of his Mother, Indira. At the age of 40, he was India’s youngest ever Prime Minister. Like Bashar Al Assad, Rajiv only took to politics for family reasons: to fill the void left after the death of his elder brother, Sanjay, in a plane crash. He was assassinated in a suicide bombing by a lady supposedly linked to the Tamil Tiger rebels of Sri Lanka.

4. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto/Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan)

Like the Ghandis, The Bhuttos is another tale of a sad ending for both Parent and Child. In this case, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto served as President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and as Prime Minister from 1973 to 1977. Bhutto came to power at a troubled time for Pakistan. In 1971, Bangladesh, aided with Indian Military Intervention had just seceded and the Pakistani Nation was beset by other secessionist calls from smaller groups. Amidst difficulties, he preserved Pakistan’s unity and secured the release of Pakistani Prisoners of War from India. Bhutto is regarded as the founder of Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons Program. In 1977, Bhutto was deposed in a military coup and charged with ordering the murder of a political opponent-a charge he repeatedly denied. He was executed by hanging in 1979.
Benazir Bhutto (BB), the first child of Zulfikar Bhutto, served as Prime Minister twice from 1988-1990 and from 1993-1996. The Harvard and Oxford trained Benazir was on the frontline of the campaign to secure the release of her father during his period of incarceration. Her reigns as PM were both rough with allegations of corruption and mismanagement. Benazir gained a reputation as a symbol of women emancipation and modernism in a largely Islamic society. This however earned her equal measures of love and hate in a society roughly split between conservative and progressive ideals. BB was assassinated in a car bombing while campaigning for a return to Power in December 2007.

5. Jomo Kenyatta / Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya)

Jomo Kenyatta (JK) was Kenya’s first President after independence in 1963 and was in power till his death in 1978. JK was a notable anti-colonial activist prior to his ascension to power. Like many activists, he also had to suffer imprisonment and exile sometime in the 1950s. His reign, like most leaders of new states was rough as he had to content with a weakened economy, secessionist crises and labor unrests. While many accuse Kenyatta’s government of state corruption, land grabbing, and tribalism and authoritarianism, JK is still revered in Kenya and Africa as Father of the Nation, and as important statesman.
Uhuru Kenyatta took 35 years to step into his father’s shoes. Before becoming president in 2013, he held other cabinet posts such as Minister for Local Government, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister. He was re-elected to a second term in August 2017.

6. Kim il-Sung/Kim Jong-Il/Kim Jong-Un (North Korea)

North Korea is known for little else besides conducting series of testing-testing-one-two of Nuclear Weapons. Being a much closed and highly secretive state, there is rarely ever much to report or discuss besides nuclear stuffs. Whether we believe what we are told or not, however, some facts are certain. Kim il-Sung (GrandPa) was first president or Prime Minister (whatever, really) from 1949 to 1994. His invasion of South Korea led to the Korean War which, technically, is still an unfinished business. Had it not been for the intervention of US and UN Forces, there probably would not be a ‘South Korea’ today.
Kim il-Sung begat Kim Jong-Il (1994-2011). And Kim Jong-Il begat Kim Jong-Un, the man running things now. For all the Kim’s care, it is Military, Security and Nuclear Weapons first.

7. Park Chung Hee/Park Geun-Hye (South Korea)

Like their Northern friends, or should we say foes, South Korea also had their fair share of Parent – offspring leadership. Park Chung-Hee, a Korean Politician and Army General was president from 1963 till his assassination (directly by the head of the Korean Intelligence Agency, surprisingly) in 1979. His daughter, Park Geun-Hye served as President from 2013 to 2017.


Other Notable Mentions-Parent/Child-Country

John Adams/John Quincy Adams-USA

Pierre Trudeau/Justin Trudeau-Canada

Corazon Aquino/Benigno Aquino III-Philippines

Laurent Kabila/Joseph Kabila-DR Congo

Rafik Hariri/Sa’ad Hariri-Lebanon

Gnassingbe Eyadema/Faure Eyadema-Togo

Omar Bongo/Ali Ben Bongo-Gabon

Sir Seretse Khama/Ian Khama-Botswana

source: http://www.opinions.ng/7-notable-parent-child-presidents-leaders/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

Women are very conscious of their appearance. This is why they can take all the time in the world to look good. However, your effort to slay may be futile because of some avoidable fashion flaws you make. So, instead of looking stylish and young; you appear haggard and older. You may not know but your friends will tell you and you won’t get that disarming gaze from men. You don’t have to worry. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency discloses fashion fails stylish women will never make.

Too tight or too loose

The best dress anyone can wear must be fitted. You won’t be worried about your cloth giving way which can be quite embarrassing or it being too big.

Staying neutral

You may not fancy makeup but leaving your face neutral can age you or make you appear less stylish. You can use a bit of powder or lipstick just to pump up your face. But do not go overboard with your makeup,

Wearing dull colours

Try to avoid wearing black, grey or pale coloured dresses. Definitely, dull coloured clothes make your look very boring and give the appearance and impression that you are really exhausted and tired.

Choosing the wrong shoes

If you want your entire appearance to blend perfectly, you should wear the correct footwear for the right occasions Really, your outfit deserves an awesome pair of shoes. Wearing flip-flops or running shoes with everyday clothing can make you look mature while stilettoes can make you appear younger. However, before you wear any shoe, consider comfort. If you can’t wear heels, please avoid it.

The wrong bra size

You may not realise it, but adorning the wrong size of bra is not chic. Hence, if you are shopping in Lagos for bras, ensure that you get the appropriate size. Also, be certain to find the right band and cup size.

Source: http://www.opinions.ng/top-5-fashion-fails-stylish-women-never-make/

Happiness is a choice. No matter how many lifestyle trends are discussed, the choice to be happy remains with you as a person. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 4 lifestyle trends that make you happier.

Hygge

This is a Scandanavian lifestyle trend that is basically about achieving coziness in everyday life. In essence, it is about taking pleasure from the presence of gentle, soothing things and choosing to ignore things that might be annoying or emotionally overwhelming. It is basically about ‘cutting the clutter’ from your life and finding solace in contentment and your general well-being. Hygge is indeed a soothing trend that helps you appreciate the little things and makes you happier. The Hygge trend typically involves: finding comfort in and enjoying everyday rituals; making use of warm lighting to leverage their warming and comforting effect; establishing relaxation zones in your home; embracing old and imperfect things while trying to find creative ways to make them useful; and uncluttering your home to make it more stress-free and mess-free.

Spending Less Time on Devices

It is important to spend less time building a life in the virtual world and more time doing so in real time. No matter how good you are at networking and meeting new people on social media, you still need to develop tangible relationships with these people if you want to make anything out of your networking efforts. In addition, letting pictures of what your friends and colleagues have or are doing depress you because you think you don’t have or are not doing any better, is such a masochistic way to live, when you can be out there meeting new people, living your life and having your own experiences to share. It is not so much about trying to live up to the standard of your friends or colleagues, but about taking charge of your life and defining your own standards.

Do Something Kind

Doing things for people or communities can be a great way to boost your mood. Being kind is actually one of the major things that bring people joy. Researchers found that kindness improves the way we perceive others, and when an individual does something spontaneously to help others it can positively change their whole attitude.

Exercising

Exercise is another great way to boost your mood and this manifests in how good you feel about yourself and your body after you have completed a good workout. This is mainly because the body releases endorphin during exercise, which in turn makes you feel happy. The best part of exercising is that you don’t need a gym membership to do it, all you need is to just remain active throughout the day – jog a little, walk around or basically just find any excuse to get your joints moving, and find ways to incorporate some kind of activity into your daily routine, rather than just living a sedentary life.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/4-lifestyle-trends-make-happier/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

Good one.

The English Premier League is the most watched professional league in the world not because it houses the best defence, midfield or even attack but somehow through its organized chaos, it has become a chocolate bar of surprises and unpredictability that fans love either as those fortunate enough to pour through stadium gates or those who watch with the good old remote in one hand and a bowl of popcorn in the other on a hot Saturday afternoon.

Match Day One served a timely reminder as why that might be. Chaos remained the watchword and viewers got the spoils of it much to their entertainment while the following lessons were picked up.

Same Arsenal but Maybe with a Little Tweak

The Gunners were direct against Leicester City and by full time it felt like the familiar season-tale story of starting strong, falling apart mid-way, then rallying back to get as much spoils to hang on and not stay empty handed. Only this time it was a surmised within 90 minutes.

One positive is Lacazette’s performance not because it took him 94 seconds to open his account but mostly his overall movement and the shape he added to Arsenal’s attack. His quick feet and ability to ghost behind opposition defence will be very valuable as long as those behind him slot in through passes for the former Lyon man to chase.

In Giroud, Wenger is sure of a super-sub that offers his squad a firm plan B should less sophisticated teams decide to put their men behind the ball. Also, for the fact that the Professor could accommodate both French strikers at this same time on the pitch, with Lacazette shifting to the left, offers a hybrid attack line. A valuable weapon for a league as stubborn as England’s.

Coutinho Remains Central to Liverpool’s Fate

Granted, Jurgen Klopp’s attack did a nice job on Saturday, with the defence having a filled dish of blames for their inability to hold-off Watford, limbo habitant Phillipe Coutinho still remains crucial to The Red’s net fortunes this season.

Say what you will about Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren but even the best defences in world football hardly cope if those in front of them fail to sustain pressure on their opposite numbers. Coutinho is the kind of player whose presence compels teams to pay more attention to their back-line, something that abates the tendency to surge forward in droves and leave pockets of space behind.

With Barcelona hell-bent on replacing Neymar with his compatriot and although Coutinho handed in a transfer request 24 hours to Liverpool’s season opener, the absence of a buy-out clause in his contract means as long as the miniature Brazilian does not go rogue ala Diego Costa, the bargaining chip remains in their favour.

They really need to hang on to that guy.

Chelsea are in Bed with Self-destruction

The Abrahamovic-owned club enter this season as defending champions and like Leicester did last time, appear only interested in proving the age long adage that ‘managing success is harder than attaining it’.

One glance at The Blues’ sub-list and you will be forgiven for thinking they were playing in some U-21 NextGen Series cup. The gods of soccer might have favoured Antonio Conte with an injury free squad last season but with the shallow mess of a squad at his disposal right now plus Champions League engagements, the deities’ seemingly washing their hands off his case spells stark doom.

With an injury depleted squad, a callow bench, a reckless captain and undisciplined midfield veteran, Chelsea’s horror display against Burnley was inevitable. Figuring out how a club owned by a happy spender as Abrahamovic can be so passive in the transfer market is like explaining the possibility of a fish dying of thirst.

This is plain old self-sabotage at best.

Mourinho has a “Now Or Never” Squad

They call it the second season spell, Mourinho’s success at the second year of nearly every club he has coached. If you’re a skeptic, you can laugh it off but before you do, check out his records at Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea once more.

The Red Devil’s poetic 4-0 hammering of The Hammers on Sunday afternoon might as well have set up Manchester United as a potential candidate for the list above.

United have spent over half a billion pounds in a bid to return to the perch Sir Alex Ferguson toiled for decades to place them yet, it is safe to admit that despite all their transfer expenses, hardly were they complete as a squad. The lopsidedness was always apparent until now.

With Eric Bailly’s arrival last summer and Victor Lindelof’s last month, Nemanja Matic’s scoop from Chelsea and Romelu Lukaku who has proven he can turn the painful draws of last season into wins, Man United now look like a team observers will struggle to point out a chink within its armoury ranks. That is the kind of team that wins championships. It is now or never.


source: http://www.opinions.ng/4-things-learnt-epl-last-weekend/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

Governor Ambode should take note.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) which is the research arm of The Economist Group, publishers of The Economist magazine has ranked Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos as the 2nd least livable city according to its Global livability report 2017. The ‘Centre of Excellence’ as the city is fondly described by Nigerians placed 139th in the list and only the Syrian capital, Damascus ranked lower at 140.

Melbourne, Australia is ranked as the best city to live in the world followed by the Vienna, the capital of Austria. The trio of Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary complete the top 5.

Tehran, the Iranian capital has improved the most on the report in the last 5 years, it currently ranks 127 followed by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, they are ranked 74th and 129th respectively.

The EIU rating is calculated using 5 weighted categories; Stability (25%), Healthcare 20%, Culture and Environment (25%), Education (10%) and Infrastructure (20%).

Lagos scored a total of 36 points out of 100 on the ranking compared to Melbourne which scored the highest with 97.5 points, Damascus scored the least with 30.2 points.

So, what do you think? Is this a fair assessment of Lagos?

Source: http://www.opinions.ng/lagos-ranked-2nd-worst-major-city-live/

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BAILMONEY:
YORUBA MUSLIMS ARE COMING FOR YA TRUST ME

It might be surprising to know just how much traveling can affect a person. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 5 interesting ways traveling affects us all.

Gives You a New Perspective on Life

Watching other cultures interact, seeing beyond your immediate environment and interacting with people of different perspectives and approaches to life has a way of giving you a new perspective on life. Traveling can help put things you previously took for granted in perspective and help you appreciate your roots more.

Helps Develop Emotional Stability

This might seem funny but traveling, in its own subtle way, actual helps increase emotional stability. You’ll typically experience a lot of changes and uncertainty while traveling, especially if you are a frequent traveler. As a result, you are likely to become less anxious to changes in your day-to-day life because you have, more or less, become used to it. Rather than dealing with changes with unease or anger, travelers are more likely to be open, flexible and willing to accept and deal with things that deviate from the norm.

You’re More Likely to Fall in Love

This is more likely if you’re traveling for leisure, mainly because you are removed from your reality, leaving behind most or all your worries and responsibilities to enjoy the new and exciting place you’re in. Besides, falling in love is much easier when you’re relaxed and enjoying yourself.

Your Diet Can Change Drastically

You are less likely to keep a rigorous eating habit while traveling because you either don’t have the time to source for the necessary ingredients or you’re too relaxed and happy to care. As a result, when you travel you’re more likely to indulge in groceries or local foods that have high-calorie or fat content, because those are the ones that are readily available and easier to get.

Traveling Can Affect Your Personality

Extended travel has a way of affecting the traveler’s personality and taking the person out of his/her comfort zone. Relating with new people that have different perspectives and watching or partaking in the culture of others, tends to make the traveler more flexible and open to new things.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/5-interesting-ways-traveling-affects-us/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

It has been a few years since students in Nigerians had to deal with long-term strikes; and just at the moment we thought the era of students having to stay an extra 2 to 3 years in school due to unnecessary strikes by championed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was over, they strike again.

It certainly felt like Deja Vu when the National President Of The Union, Dr. Biodun Ogunyemi, announced this on Monday at a meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU in Abuja that there would be an indefinite strike and that during the strike, there will be no teaching, no examination and no attendance of statutory meetings of any kind in any of the union’s branches across the country.

There is some value in ASUU going on strike. They hope that issues such as payment of fractions/ non-payment of salaries, as well as Earned Academic Allowances (EAA); refusal to release the operational license of NUPEMCO; and the non-implementation of the provisions of the 2014 Pension Reform Act with respect to retired professors and their salaries, will be sorted.

It is easy for affected students to get into a lazy mode, where they sit around doing nothing or just meshing the entire time into one long continual nap fest…wasting valuable time and making no positive strides in their life all through the period of the strike.

If you are one of the affected students and you are wondering how you could possibly make this “indefinite” time worth your while, you may want to consider a handy list of helpful suggestions.

Start a Business
There is no age too young for becoming an entrepreneur. Use this period at home to start a small business. You could either sell products or render a service. The good thing is that you do not necessarily need a large capital to get yourself started. You also have the social media as a very important promotional tool.

You could start a home cleaning service or food delivery service…there are so many options.

Managing a business gives you a lot of opportunities to gain a lot of experience with will be beneficial when you eventually conclude your studies.

Learn a new skill
You finally have the time to learn a new skill. It could be photography, jewelry making, learning to play an instrument like the saxophone or guitar, baking, writing and producing music or playing a sport like football, tennis or volleyball. Take the time to learn it and get really good at it. Not only does it give you an edge and provide opportunities for a side hustle, it will help build your self-confidence and give you value for time invested.

Enroll for a professional certification course
The university might be closed but there are other avenues for learning. You can enroll in short courses online or for professional classes that will grant you certain qualifications that may become relevant in future. Even if you do not have the money to pay for these courses, you can go for free ones on portals like Coursera or Edx.
You don’t necessarily have to get a certificate; the idea is to acquire new knowledge that will be relevant to your career goals or aspirations.

Get a job
While you are at home, you might as well make a little money. Get a job as an intern or assistant in an office or company. You can even get a job as a paid apprentice at a salon or creative studio. Even more, you may decide to go for something freelance like writing or blogging.

The beauty of the internet is that you can get connected to so many job opportunities without necessarily breaking a sweat. The money made may not be the kind that will set you up for life, but it may be enough for extra chills…and then again, working would be fun and educational. You learn the value of time and money and attain the essence of work ethic and work culture.

Volunteer
Volunteering is a great way to give back to the society or just do some good with your time. You can volunteer at NGOs or religious organizations, where the aim is to help others and better the society.

You could also get involved in a number of empowerment programs tailored for young people where certain skillsets you possess may be needed.

There is a measure of accomplishment and sense of fufilment that comes with serving humanity. It also exposes you to great opportunities like training, travel e.t.c.

Travel
There is never a bad time to travel. As a student, you may not have a lot of resources available for long leisurely trips, but you can visit another state within the country or just other cities within your state. Travelling can be fun and educational at the same time for students.

It is also a great way for students to learn more about the world around you and open yourself to alternative cultures tradition and lifestyles. You could travel to other African cities or continents if you can afford it or you have a sponsor as well. The important thing though, is that you keep your ear on the ground while on your travels, so you are well informed when the strike is called off.

Attend seminars and personal development events
The period at home maybe offer a great opportunity to improve on your social skills. Attend conferences and seminars as well as events. It does not have to be professional or vocational seminars or events. It could be events that offer opportunities to explore your hobbies or just enjoy yourself. Also, it offers opportunities for networking and exposes you to new connections. It could be book readings, slam poetry competitions, meetups, concerts e.t.c

The truth is that being on an “indefinite” strike sucks; however, being positive about how you spin it, could make the time really worth your while. Can you think of other ways students can engage themselves pending when ASUU calls off the strike?


source: http://www.opinions.ng/7-things-nigerian-students-can-ASUU-strike/

Africa is a culturally rich continent with many tribes. There are many interesting African traditional wedding customs to know, although some of them are no longer being practiced; if they are, they have, to a large extent, been modernized. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 4 interesting African traditional wedding customs.

Jumping Over a Broom

This is an African wedding tradition that symbolizes the rapid transition of the bride and groom into a new life. The broom is used to demonstrate that all the pairs past problems have been swept away, and is often handmade and beautifully decorated, sometimes being displayed in the couple’s home after the wedding. The tradition originated during the slave trade days when Africans were forbidden to marry and live together. Jumping over a broom was used as a formal and public declaration of the couple’s commitment.

Tasting the Elements

This is a wedding ceremony tradition from the Yoruba culture where a bride and groom are asked to taste three elements after the exchange of their vows and rings. The elements tasted are pepper, honey and dried fish, and these elements symbolize the bitterness, happiness and fertility of family life. The elements represent different emotions within a marriage relationship, and as the bride and groom taste each of the elements, the couple symbolically demonstrate that they will be able to get through the hard times of marriage and, eventually, enjoy the sweetness of marriage.

Sharing of Kola Nut

This is one wedding tradition that is still being practiced widely in Nigeria, primarily among the Igbo tribe. Kola Nut is shared between the bride and groom as a symbol of the couple’s willingness to care for each other throughout the marriage. The couples share a portion of the Kola Nut during the wedding ceremony, and can choose to keep the remainder and display in their home after the marriage ceremony as a symbol of their promise to work out any problems that may occur in the marriage.

Knocking on the Door

Due to the fact that marriage ceremonies in Africa are considered a joining of two families, a large emphasis is placed on getting the permission and blessing of the family before the wedding. One wedding tradition that fully illustrates this belief is the Ghanaian wedding tradition of knocking on the door. The groom requests permission to marry the bride from the bride’s family by ‘knocking on the door’. The groom comes bearing gifts, accompanied by his own family, as he visits his potential in-laws to ask for the hand of their daughter, his bride-to-be, in marriage. If the knock of the groom is accepted, the families celebrate and wedding plans begin.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/4-interesting-african-traditional-wedding-customs/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

Staying in a hotel as parents with kids can be hard and exhausting. Of course, some family-friendly hotels know how tough it is to travel with little kids, and some they are prepared. Even if they’re not stocked with what you need though, there are easy ways to make your hotel room feel more like home. This is why it is essential for parents to be aware of hotel hacks when they say in hotels. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency shares some of these hacks.

Ask for a room on the top floor

A corner location that’s away from the elevator is ideal. It will be much quieter away from the traffic and noise in the hallways. If your kids are loud and noisy, they won’t be disturbing other guests.

Request a room with a balcony

If you are not staying in a suite, this hack is important. There is nothing worse than being trapped in your room, silent, while your kids are sleeping. If you have a balcony, you will at least have a place to make calls and do whatever you want before you sleep.

Create a play area for your kids

Most hotel furniture is not bolted to the floor, so feel free to move things around to create a more homey feel. You can adjust chairs, tables, and even sofas to create a separate play space for your kids. You will be able to keep an eye on them.

Child-proof the room

If you are spending the whole time panicking and worrying about your kids, it may ruin your vacation. It is important that you should child-proof your room to prevent stories that touch.

Make your room quiet at night

Kids will definitely be sleeping at night and you do not want to disturb them. As such, whatever you want to do, ensure you make your room quiet.

Request a mini-fridge

Since you will be packing a lot of perishable goods, you should call ahead and request an empty mini-fridge. In some cases, you do not need to call at all as fridges are available in the room.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/6-hotel-hacks-every-parent-know/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

Smartphones are powerful computers that we carry in our pocket. Nowadays, it supports different type of tools for every purpose. You can perform different tasks on our smartphones like summoning a cab to go to work, ordering food, reading news and staying in touch with our friends. At the same time, your smartphones have killed some certain gadgets. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency shares gadgets your smartphone has killed.

Wrist watch

Analogue watch has now become a fashion accessory. You will meet people who wear a watch, but still, they check the time on their smartphone. Nowadays, smartphones are used to do lots of things and checking the time is one of them. So, smartphones are also replacing the analogue watch.

GPS navigation systems

If you struggle to find directions, you can easily use your phone to locate wherever you are going. This is because smartphones have GPS facilities. You do not need GPS navigation systems.

Radio

Those days are gone when people used to buy a box to listen to the radio. Since there is now a radio feature on their smartphone, the good old radio is now irrelevant.

Digital Cameras

Carrying a pocket-sized digital camera was previously considered as a cool thing. However, smartphones have replaced the digital cameras because your smartphone camera offers even better shots these cameras.

Alarm clock

The Alarm clock is completely dead because smartphones have definitely replaced them. You can simply set alarm on your phone.

MP3 Player

MP3 players were popular for playing music. Today, smartphones offer massive internal and external storage which is enough space for storing unlimited music. Hence, you do not need the MP3 Player.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/6-gadgets-smartphone-made-irrelevant/

No one looks forward to a health crisis, but at some points in time, visits to the hospital are inevitable. For those in Nigeria, whether it is for a routine check-up, to get treatment or to volunteer and help sick people into the ward, certain experiences make a trip to the hospital unique. Jumia Travel, Africa’s No.1 online hotel booking portal shares 7 of the funny signs that you are in a Nigerian hospital. Leave a comment in the box below and let us know if you agree or disagree.


The nurse shares her opinion on your weight

In any Nigerian hospital, before you see the doctor, your temperature and blood pressure, as well as weight, is recorded. Do not be surprised when the nurse makes a bold comment as “Ah, aunty, you are too big for your height, please work on it, oh, It is not attractive” or “ Haba, you are too thin, you no dey chop”. Basically, Nigerian nurses feel they have the license to share their opinions with you and usually, you cannot argue with them.

The receptionist would rather watch African Magic

Most hospitals in Nigeria now are starting to adopt the Electronic Paperwork system, and almost every receptionist or front desk staff in Nigerian hospitals, especially old hospitals, find this annoying. They prefer to just sit, hand out files and watch African Magic on television. In fact, sometimes, they would ignore patients so they do not miss a particular scene in a movie.

You wait so long for everything

From submitting your card, to seeing the doctor, taking tests and collecting your drugs from the pharmacy, you are bound to spend almost an entire day at a Nigerian hospital. The staff seem to take their sweet time in doing almost everything, and so even when there is no crowd, you still have to wait. Good thing is that most of the hospitals have canteens and tuckshops where you can go and eat when you start to get hungry.


There is that IZAL smell

It seems like almost every hospital in Nigeria, especially the public ones, made a decision that they would use IZAL, a strong and very pungent disinfectant, to clean their environs. This smell usually is nauseating, especially when the toilet is not properly cleaned and the offensive odour of faeces and urine mixes with the disinfectant.

The doctor already knows what is wrong with you

Most doctors automatically match symptoms with malaria and typhoid, and so they rush diagnosis without taking basic tests. The patients, who are most times too scared to disagree with the doctor, just agree with the diagnostics and eventually go back when the treatment does not cater to the problem. Sometimes, you cannot blame them as giving Nigerian patients’ room to express themselves fully could encourage them to over exaggerate their symptoms.

You must buy your meds from the hospital

If you are visiting a doctor in a Nigerian hospital, be assured that you will have to buy the medication prescribed from the hospital’s pharmacy. Even when the patient requests to have the medication listed so they can purchase it on their own, the hospital would refuse. This is possibly a way for them to make extra money.

Treatments are overpriced

The bill you receive, usually, is quite pricey compared to the actual cost of the medication given to you and resources used on you. Even worse, the cost of being admitted is so high that some hotel rooms are leased for less. Again, 8 out of 10 hospital bills contain errors, so you may want to check your bill carefully.


source: http://www.opinions.ng/7-funny-signs-nigerian-hospital/

The Igbos, one of the main ethnic groups in Nigeria, are known to have a rich culture and remarkable history. While modernization has ensured the erosion of certain aspects of their culture, much of its history has been preserved, including relics from the past which reveal its heritage. Jumia Travel, Africa’s No.1 Online Hotel Booking Portal, lists 5 of the places where the culture and history of these people who dominate the eastern part of Nigeria can be discovered.

lgbo-Ukwu Museum

The Igbo-Ukwu museum is in Ngo village, Igbo-Ukwu, Amabara state. The town, Igbo-Ukwu is of great historical and cultural significance in Igbo land as it is notable for bronze artifacts from a very sophisticated bronze metal-workingculture centuries before other known bronzes of the region. It is in recognition of this that the Federal Government in Nigeria granted approval for the hosting of an annual National New Yam Festival in Igbo- Ukwu to promote the culture and tradition of Ndigbo and new yam festival. The festival takes place at National Yam House built by the Federal Government in Igbo- Ukwu since 2005. The Igbo-Ukwu bronze treasures were accidentally discovered by a worker who was hired to dig a cistern by Mr. Isaiah Anozie during dry season in 1939 .

Subsequent archaeological excavations of the area led by Professor Thurstan Shaw led to the discovery of other sites , making a total of three sites: Igbo Isaiah (a shrine), Igbo Richard (a burial chamber), and Igbo Jonah (a cache). Among the recovered object include a ritual Pottery Vessel, Scabbard,Pendant with rams head, Human face with scarification, Bronze bowl and apear – shaped bowl. While some of these artefact have been exported and some lost, the Museum plays a significant role in preserve the remaining Igbo ukwupieces, indigenous productions, which are vital in discerning the ancient history of not only Igbos, but of the human existence within ancient Africa. lgbo-Ukwu Museum has remained an attraction to tourists mostly because of its bronze artifacts. It is great place to visit as the bronze pieces are a sight to behold.

The Long JuJu Shrine of Arochukwu

Arochukwu is the third largest town in Abia State (after Aba and Umuahia) in southeastern Nigeria and is a famous tourist destination as the cave of the famous long juju oracle is a particular attraction. It is originally, a religious centre with a well-laid down administrative structure headed by a Chief Priest. The cave is believed to hold the long metal pipe through which the gods speak to the people, and was used to judge the perpetrators of crimes in the old time. A dark kilometre-long series of tunnels, some deeply mysterious features of the shrine include the Throne of Judgement, where Chukwu would decide on the fate of a person, the Tunnel of Disappearance, and the Red River, which would turn coloured when a person was killed. What makes this shrine, also known as Ibinu Ukpabi, a spectacular historical site in the region is the role it played in the slave trade era and thus the impact it made in Nigeria’s history.In the 15th Century, when the slave trade was introduced, West African middlemen used it to their advantage, as the condemned were no longer killed inside the shrine, but secretly sold on into slavery. The mystic Long-Juju shrine, the slave routes and other relics of the slave trade era have become important tourist attractions in the area as a result of what they represent in Nigeria’s history.

Mbari Cultural Centres

Mbari is a traditional arts and crafts center retained by the Imo State council for Arts and Culture. Situated at Ikenegbu in Central Owerri, Mbari, it is an open air museum that houses monumental arts depicting the culture, tradition and history of the Igbo people. Sometimes referred to as the ‘house of gods’, it is a huge tourist attraction. Although Mbari isa monumental art sacrifice to “ALA” the earth goodness, it also shelters artistic representations – artefacts as well as sculptures- which tell of the prevalent social life of the Igbos and images of other prominent deities that inhabit the traditional Igbo cosmic system. These deities include Amadioha (the god of thunder), Ogwugwu (the god of the forest), Nwaorie (the goddess of Nwaorie River), Ahiajoku (the god of harvest), etc. Closely attached to each deity are images of animals such as monkeys, tortoise, rams, snakes and owls, believed to represent errand spirits or mystical messengers of the deities. There are also images of Ikoro, the Igbo traditional instrument for communicating messages; unfamiliar creatures such as the ostrich (Enyi Nnunu); a certain tall figure representing Alakuko, allegedly the tallest man in Igboland; ‘Onye afo toro’, a man whose stomach became bloated because he committed an abomination against Ala, etc Contrary to general assumption, Mbari is neither a centre for idol worship nor an idol in itself. It is an art form that has its origin very deep in Igbo cultural and religious beliefs and practices. The Mabari cultural centre is a three dimensional cultural facility, made up of the Mbari House, Mbari Museum Kitchen and an amphitheatre, and definitely a must-see location.

National War Museum Amafor Isingwu Umuahia

National War Museum Amafor Isingwu Umuahia is a museum set up to exhibitrelics used during Nigeria’s Civil war of 1967. The museum has the largest collection of the Nigerian civil war weapons that are no longer in used. The weapons are from both the Nigerian military and the defunct Biafra. Commissioned in 1985, the museum is located at Ebite Amafor in Isingwu Autonomous Community in the Umuahia North Local Government Area. The museum’s location was chosen because it was where the bunker housing the famous shortwave radio “the Voice of Biafra” was transmitted from. It has three galleries featuring items on the traditional warfare, armed forces and Nigerian civil war weapons. War relics in the museum include weapons used during the pre-colonial civil disturbances, warfare materials used during communal and inter-tribal wars and those of the Nigerian civil war. The Museum Complex opens at 10am and closes at 6pm daily with a gate fee of N100. For those who did not experience the civil war, they may not get a mental picture of how it occurred without visiting the museum. And for those who did, they could relive the period by visiting the museum. It is a perfect way to gain firsthand knowledge of the civil war, a huge part of Nigeria’s history. It is certainly a place to go.

Mungo Park House

Mungo Park House, also known as National Museum Asaba, is tucked behind the Delta State High Court and the state Library Board complex along Nnebisi Road, Asaba, Delta state Nigeria.Although named after Mungo Park, the man who discovered River Niger, theprominent colonial vestige of pre-fabricated wooden storey building was never owned or visited by Mungo Park. The house was constructed by the Royal Niger Company (RNC) in 1886 and servedas the first British administrative headquarters in the country and invariably the first government house in Nigeria. The Mungo Park House offers education on Nigeria’s rich historical background (mainly that of trade and investment in pre-colonial era) and journey to civilization. Although some parts of the building are slowly dilapidating due to the elements (weather corrosion), it is definitely a place to visit. The museum is also just a few blocks from the popular Grand Hotel, Asaba.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/top-5-places-tell-history-reveal-culture-igbo/

By Ana Stüő

Paris: At the end-of second quarter meeting of Intelicor, the gurus reviewed new documents believed to have been hacked and forwarded to them by hackers in the United States. The document provides details on how ICT-Giants plan to take over Africa’s polity using youth issues, making a switch from women issues of the past. The Youth Empowerment Programs has been currently deployed in Nigeria publicly sold as promotion of ICT – Information and Communication Technology.

The ICT-Internet Giants led by American multi-billionaires hope to use mobile cell phones to connect over 25 million Nigerian Youth with the aim of using them to push for Political, Agriculture and Health reforms as they have designed it. The political agenda has been described as democratic coup-d’état, that will remove power from the present political class to a youth that would be entirely controlled by the foreign ICT-Giants.

High on the political agenda is the Youth takeover of the Nigerian national parliament which has a senate and lower house of delegates as in France. They also target the state houses of assembly which are needed for laws to be implemented across Nigeria. The stated objective is to field independent candidates 35 years or younger and provide funding from the ICT-Giants through several channels already in place. The selection process has been made easier by the fact that independent candidates would be allowed to run in a blitz campaign called “not too young to run” designed by a reputable American political strategist.

An Obama and Macron-styled campaign is planned for the youth President that may challenge President Buhari or any other older candidate and most members of the parliament would go too. The mainstream media owned by the billionaires are already setting up new political programs and hiring linguists in the different Nigerian languages to promote the youth candidates chosen by the American ICT-billionaires to become the new face of Nigerian politics that they entirely control. The present major political parties in Nigeria will be rendered redundant. The political decisions in Nigeria would be made from Washington and London in all aspects of life.

Africans have been very reluctant to pass the Same-Sex marriage law, Abortion, gender equality laws and use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) crops. All these would change, and the first-line priorities of the youthful parliament and government in the near future Nigeria would make these until now unthinkable options possible. The laws would be crafted to relegate the very powerful Islamic, Christian and Traditional institutions to mere ceremonial artifacts. The Civil Service will be repopulated with youth without prerequisite experience as retirement age would be lowered to 50 years. Nigeria as the largest African country would lose its identity and culture.

In the agricultural Sector, the ICT-Giants are funding youth farmers through the IITA-Institutional partnerships to provide agri-technologies and GMO seeds, to buyout older farmers who until now have been reluctant to spread the use of GMO seeds. This would leave the country eternally dependent on America for GMO seeds. Most scary is the health framework law called the National Health Act that was passed in 2014 and has not been implemented because it contains provisions that allow human organ and ovarian egg trafficking for stem cell research in biotechnology firms owned by the ICT-Giants.

A security analyst for big oil here in Paris who prefers to be named Ayo, who read the full document said “the recently passed constitutional amendments in the national assembly has been suspect and does not mean well for Nigeria”. A Constitutional Lawyer Sola said that “the national assembly has no constitutional empowerment to make amendments to the constitution, their actions could be challenged as illegal”. One of the gurus named Pierre Dubois, who is conversant with the document exclaimed “I guess the Nigerian lawmakers did not know they were rendering themselves unemployed, when they lowered the age-limits and passed independent candidacy’” He continued “it is sad that corruption does not allow Nigeria to achieve its great potential, since the leaders who are by the way wealthier than our senators here, fall for peanuts that will only destroy that great country”. Another security consultant Dele, says “all hope is not lost if only the state houses of assembly will throw out these amendments and the Federal Government stop collaboration with the evil intents of the ICT-Giants with Greek gifts”.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/ict-giants-plan-take-nigerian-polity-using-youth-issues-intelicor/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

There is no denying that a majority of Nigerians, especially the female folks, are obsessed with losing weight, keeping fit and dieting. On Instagram, as well as other social media platforms, you will find pictures, videos, and posts showing their efforts and their journey. A majority of these posts show the kind of food they eat to stay healthy and usually, and if you read the comments, you realize that most times, these food types are not what they really want to consume.

The truth is, there are ways to eat what you desire and still be healthy. You do not necessarily have to starve yourself of certain meals or suffer the major inconvenience that comes with having to prepare a healthy home-cooked meal before going off to work rather than just grabbing a fries on your way. Luckily, with the tips below, Jumia Travel, Africa’s No.1 online hotel booking portal reveals that eating right does not have suck.

Eat small portions

You can eat almost anything you desire that augurs well with your body and stay healthy by ensuring you ration your intake. Do not eat more than you need to; stick to small portions. Again, always look at the nutrition info for the amount you actually should take per serving, although, what is sometimes considered a single serving on a nutrition label is not always what a reasonable person would eat in one sitting.

Eat Slowly

Sometimes you find yourself eating too quickly and then consuming more than your body needs. Eating too quickly basically keeps you from hearing satiety signals from the brain and cause overeating which is surely unhealthy. Again, you do not actually taste and enjoy your food when you’re rushing it; slowing down helps you savor it all.

Stay away from processed foods

Processed foods seem to be an easy option, but to stay healthy; you may want to make your version of the food yourself. For instance, rather than buy a bottled dressing, you can easily make it yourself. Avoiding processed foods ensures you avoid ingredients that may not be healthy for you. If however you must buy already processed food, look for products with fewer ingredients, as the fewer ingredients an item has, the less processed it is.

Eat a decent ratio of fiber to carbs

In as much as you want to eat what you want, try to make sure you keep a decent ratio of fiber to carbohydrates. Carbs are the major culprit when it comes to “unhealthy” eating, however, fiber has a way of offsetting its effect on the body. Fiber helps you feel fuller and slow the absorption of sugar, helping to regulate your blood sugar, and so to make sure that you are getting a relatively balanced meal, despite your choice of food, have a ratio of carbs to fiber no greater than 10 to 1.

Don’t eat alone

Eating with people is a sure way to get the motivation you need to eat healthily. Also, when you are with people, you hardly eat too much or more than you need to. You could invite people to eat with you in your home or go out with you to a restaurant.

Source: http://www.opinions.ng/5-ways-eat-want-still-healthy/

Whatever the make of your smartphone, the audio or sound setting is usually moderate. That is, it is not too high nor is it too low. However, when the sound emanating from your smartphone is lower than normal, there must be something wrong. Jumia Travel, the leading online booking agency discuss ways to improve the audio quality of your smartphone.

Check your music app settings

For every phone, there is an app that plays music. You should check the app’s settings and make necessary adjustments. Have it in mind that the audio won’t go beyond that of the manufacturer’s setting

Buy a dedicated accessory

This is another way to boost the sound of your smartphone. You can buy a dedicated accessory like a headphone. With this, you don’t have to always rely on the sound of your phone. The caution here is that you should not tune it too high. This can be dangerous.

Install an equalizer app

Not all music app come with an equalizer. An equalizer is usually used to boost the sound on your smartphone. You can download one as there are so many online. Alternatively, you can get a music player with an equalizer.

Update your phone

Updates to apps are usually made intermittently. So, your smartphone audio quality may be poor because you have not updated your apps. Try and update your music player to the latest version. There is a very high possibility that your audio quality will significantly improve.

Source: http://www.opinions.ng/4-tips-getting-better-audio-smartphone/

cc: Lalasticlala, Mynd44

We listened to this on Star fm 101.5 and just had to share.

A girl’s parents die when she is 14 and somehow ends up with a young man that is a fruit seller who sends her to school with the proceeds of his business.

Later, he becomes a truck driver and continues paying for her training until she is 26 years old today and is now a lawyer.

Now, she is feeling uncomfortable about this her truck driver benefactor with marriage on the horizon. She feels she is above his level and is looking for a way to tell him.

She is looking for advice on how to do it without hurting his feelings although she is grateful for all he has done for her.

What do you think about this situation? Drop a comment below.

souece: http://www.opinions.ng/tragic-love-story-lawyer-truck-driver/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

Makeup is awesome. But, a lady who is dependent on makeup is not difficult to identify. It may be that the foundation is too much or your cheeks are overly pink. Hence, most ladies tend to overdo makeup to look pretty and beautiful. Sometimes, ladies may not be aware of the fact that they are wearing too much makeup. These signs shared by Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares signs you are wearing too much makeup.

Your friends don’t recognise you

If your friends cannot recognise you without makeup, it is a serious problem. Makeup can give you confidence, but you should not feel insecure about letting your natural beauty shine.

You cannot stay barefaced

Some ladies cannot leave their homes without makeup. They feel very incomplete and uncomfortable. Hence, most times, when you plan to leave home without makeup, you start applying some concealer to hide your blemishes and eventually go on to do the whole natural makeup.

You are always retouching

If you carry more than three retouch products chances are that you are overdoing your makeup. The maximum you need to carry is compact, lip balm and Kohl.

Your products get exhausted too quickly

With normal usage, your makeup should last for a few months, unless you are reusing a particular lipstick 3-4 times a day. But do your mascaras, foundations, eyeliners finish within a month? You are using makeup excessively for your face.

Your makeup messes up your

Finding makeup smears on your phone and clothes means you didn’t set your makeup well.


source: http://www.opinions.ng/five-signs-wear-much-makeup/

juman:
The writer of the article is a mumu in my opinion.

A man of above eighty years of age can never be one hundred percent healthy.

Even we that are some of his children age mates, some are not one hundred percent healthy.

The old man is suffering only from old age.

elp me yarn dem

Whether traveling by air or by road, there are a couple of safety tips you should keep in mind to protect yourself from certain avoidable occurrences. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 5 safety tips for traveling long distances.

Ensure You Get Enough Sleep

This might seem like an obvious fact but there are still a lot of people that ignore this and drive through long distances while tired or while taking heavily caffeinated beverages to help them stay awake. You should not for any reason, no matter how late you are going to be, drive through long distances if you are tired or sleepy. It is better to get to your destination late than not make it there at all. If you’re very tired and can’t drive, then you can consider putting in a little extra money and booking a flight to the place, if there are available flights. There are a lot of online flight booking platforms like Jumia Travel, that offers you cheap and great prices for flights.

Try to Know all the Laws Regulating Your Route

This is to avoid being harassed by traffic officials. If you are not sure about any of the traffic signs, it’s best to ask someone or take another route that you’re familiar with.

Keep Your Valuables Safely Locked Away

This can be especially helpful if you’re traveling by air because there are baggage handlers that might try to steal them. It is important to never pack your valuables in a checked baggage because they are of course not safe there. It is best to put valuables in your carry-on bag or if your valuables won’t fit in your carry-on bag, you should contact the airline before your flight and ask if you can declare the extra value of your items and if they can cover loss or damage. If the airline can’t, it’s probably best to ship it or leave it behind if you don’t have to travel with it.

Make Sure Someone Knows When and Where You’re Traveling To

Make sure you inform either a friend or relative about your travel plans and keep them updated as your journey progresses with texts and phone calls, until you reach your destination.

Stay Focused

Especially when you’re driving through long distances, you’re likely to encounter repetitive scenery like long stretches of road or endless fields that can distract you and make your mind wonder. It is therefore important for you to make a conscious effort, especially when driving alone, to keep your mind focused so you don’t get distracted while driving, because that can turn out to be extremely dangerous for you. Listening to music or to the radio can help you stay focused while driving.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/5-safety-tips-traveling-long-distances/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

You booked a flight for a getaway or business trip, but now you have an emergency that you have to attend to and you have no choice than to reschedule your flight. And for quite a number of airline, you need to pay rescheduling fees. This is what fliers do not want to hear at all. Hence, if they could avoid paying this fee, they will gladly do. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares the Tips to avoid paying flight rescheduling fees.

Monitor for schedule changes

Due to issues beyond the airline's control, they may cancel or reschedule your flight. This will definitely work in your favour. This plays out for travellers who bought their ticket directly from the airline. With this, you do not need to reschedule your flight. Just ensure you monitor for schedule changes.

Purchase another ticket

Rescheduling fees can be so high that sometimes it does not worth paying for it. So, if the charge for rescheduling is more than your ticket, simply buy a new one.

Reschedule as early as possible

Time is money. The sooner you reschedule your flight, the less likely you will pay a rescheduling fee.

Call rather than going online

The internet has made it easier to report grievances and complaints. Anyone can just go on twitter to request information about the procedure for rescheduling flight. But some situations require human intervention. So, rather than going online, just call them and get all the info you need. They may even reschedule your flight for free as a promo.

Read rescheduling policies before you book your

We are all guilty of this. We do not read the terms and conditions for booking or buying anything. Consequently, when there is a problem, you will not get the desired response because it is not covered by the terms and conditions. Henceforth, make it a habit to read the policies for booking flights. This will help you fathom the rescheduling procedure for any airline.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/5-tips-avoid-payment-flight-rescheduling-fees/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

Nigeria is a culturally sensitive country. Hence, travellers heading to other cities or towns in Nigeria should definitely be aware that not everything is the same especially when it comes to culture. To help travellers avoid potential cultural differences or problems, Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency highlights some tips.

Learn the rules and laws

Don't think that you can simply do things your way without any consideration for important cultural differences. Hence, ensure you learn the rules and laws of your destination.

Familiarise yourself location

There is nothing more embarrassing than not knowing the exact location of the locale you are visiting. You do not want to wander where you are not supposed to. It is therefore important you travel with a local.

Mind your manners

What is acceptable in one culture may not be so in another, so know your manners for wherever you are travelling.

Know the appropriate attire to wear

If you are visiting Northern Nigeria, you expected to at least wear something that does not expose sensitive parts of your body and ensure you cover your hair. So, it's important to know what is appropriate to wear for both business and social occasions when you visit other cities.

Show respect

Whether you like their practices and culture or not, you should show respect for what is important to another person and their way of life.

Be careful with humour

Every culture appreciates humour and a good joke. However, some jokes don't translate very well between cultures. So, be careful with jokes and humour. If you can, avoid it.

Enjoy yourself

After doing your homework, you should just enjoy your trip as you won't fall prey of any cultural trap.

source: http://www.opinions.ng/7-ways-prevent-cultural-mistakes-vacation/

There are a number of things that are imperative for you to take care of before going on an international trip. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 5 of them.

Have Copies of Your Passport and Important Documents

This is in case your passport and documents gets misplaced, lost or stolen, to help you identify yourself and ensure you can still get back into the country, or prove your citizenship.

Ensure Your Debit Card Will Work in the Country You’re Visiting

A visit to your bank some weeks before your trip to inform them of your travel plans should take care of this. They can then advise you on what you need to do to ensure your debit card works in the country you’re visiting.

Ensure You Have Local Cash On You

Again, you can visit your bank for some help with this. Your bank can help you convert some of your cash to the local currency of the country you are visiting. This is because it’s not every place that accepts credit or debit cards, especially important places like train and bus stations, so to avoid being stranded, it might be best to have some local currency on you.

Get Ready all Necessary Gear For Your Electronics

There are different electrical outlets in different parts of the world, so it’s important for you to get an adapter so you can plug your devices into foreign sockets. Trying to get an adapter when you arrive can be quite stressful as you are not likely to immediately know where to go to get one, especially if it’s your first time visiting. You can also buy portable phone chargers and/or spare batteries that you can easily charge and swap into phones, cameras, and other electronics so that you can stay fully charged while on the go. You can also consider buying a power bank to help with this.

Pack an Extra Set of Clothes in your Carry-On Bag

To avoid having nothing to wear or having to buy an extra set of clothes if your luggage is lost or there is some delay in getting them to you, it is best to pack an extra set of clothes in your bag just so you have a change of clothing

source: http://www.opinions.ng/5-important-things-international-trip/

cc: lalasticlala mynd44

Artificial Intelligence is simply intelligence exhibited by computers. With the momentum that AI is gathering, some jobs will become redundant or very few hands will be required to do same jobs. In other cases, you may need to improve your skills. Whatever the case may, Jumia Travel identifies 5 jobs that may be replaced by robots or computers. To this in perspective, AI will take 6% of jobs in 2021.

Doctors

AI is currently being used to identify some medical problems and recommend drugs for treatment. IT also helps you to keep track of your health for easy diagnosis in future. The advantage of AI is that there will be nothing like medical mistakes unlike when humans handle it.

Taxi drivers

Google, Uber and other tech companies are desperately working to ensure that cars will be able to drive itself. If they eventually achieve this, drivers will not need to drive cars anymore. The right sensors and communication will drive you wherever your location.

Journalism

The jobs of reporters, editors and content writers may not be under threat. But the number of hands needed to report or write a story will significantly drop. An AI called wordsmith can read through data or a disjointed story, pick out the interesting part, and write a story. It has been used by Associated Press and Yahoo.

Customer service/Receptionist

Sorry, but customer service is one of the services that may not involve humans. Computers will be able to communicate with customers and provide relevant information to these same customers without any hitches. There are quite a lot of AI programs or software dedicated to customer service.

Personal Assistant

Entrepreneurs and business executives don’t actually need PAs anymore. AI-based programs can perform the functions of a PA.

soure: http://www.opinions.ng/5-jobs-will-likely-made-redundant-artificial-intelligence/

The internet has made shopping and booking very easy. You can sit in the comfort of your room to buy or book anything. The consequence of the shopping ease is that many popular retail or eCommerce websites have been cloned. This is done in a bid to swindle unsuspecting persons of their hard earned money. If you are are not careful, you will fall for this because the fake and original websites are very similar. Notwithstanding, there are still ways you can spot the differences. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency highlights ways you can spot a fake eCommerce website.

The URL is suspicious

The URL of eCommerce websites is very simple and easy to remember. When the URL is complicated and different from the usual website you are familiar with, it is a red flag.

There is an obvious language barrier

Quite a number of sites have language options to cater for different markets and region. However, if there is a language barrier and you do not understand what is written, it is a cause for concern. In addition, if there are so many spelling mistakes and the translation is poor, just move on. It is probably cloned.

The brand selection makes no sense

Does a site’s brand list sound more like a random mix of popular names? Counterfeit sites thrive on confusing people who want what is popular. So, be very careful.

Questionable contact information

Any serious eCommerce business will have an email in their name and not a Gmail or Hotmail account.

Unclear refund policy

For most websites, refund policies are very clear. You just call their customer care number and make a complaint that you do not want the product anymore. They will send a courier to pick up the item and your money will be refunded. If the opposite is the case, do not make purchases on that website.

The prices are too good to be true

Clearly, many people love cheap offers. However, when the offer appears too fantastic and you know the particular product can never be available at the price, it is a sign that they just want to grab your attention with the price. For example, 80% off a N50,000 product. It’s too incredible to be true!

http://www.opinions.ng/6-ways-spot-fake-ecommerce-website/

cc: Lalasticlala, Mynd44

Social media is a big deal today especially if you are using it to market your business and get potential customers. Regardless, you will want to ensure that your social media marketing efforts get to the right audience. This will no doubt make it very effective.

Expectedly, since you are not paying to sponsor or promote your business, you will still want your message to get to your target audience. Jumia Travel gathers ways you can effortlessly create a social media buzz for your brand and it will get to the persons interested in the message.

You have to define your target market

This will largely depend on the service you are offering. You have to first of all determine or decide who the people who need your services are. What gender? Age? This is the first thing you should do. So, if you want your social media campaign to bring results, you have to define your target market.

Determine where to find them on social media

Since you have defined your target market, the next thing you should probably do is to determine where you will find them on social media. Are they on twitter, Facebook or Instagram? After you have found them, you can now develop interesting content targeted at them.

Check what your competitor is doing

Competition is good for any business. It encourages you to do something different and you can also get sterling ideas from them. How is your competitor reaching their market? You can determine this by looking at their followers on twitter and the groups they joined on Facebook. On your part, you can also follow them or join the groups.

Don’t stop refining

Social media is very dynamic. It keeps changing and if you don’t keep tabs with these changes, you may discover that your present target audience is outdated or a whole lot of people who need your service have joined social media. So, if you don’t refine your target audience, you will miss out. The rule of thumb is that you should regularly refine your target search.

Source: http://www.opinions.ng/tips-connecting-right-target-audience-social-media/

cc: Lalasticlala, Mynd44

In life, it’s important to learn to accept the things you can’t change because there’s nothing more tiring, draining and frustrating than trying to change what just can’t be changed. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency shares 8 ways to learn to accept the things you can’t change.

You First Need to Accept That Things Have Indeed Changed

This is a very important step. Trying to fight change is like wrestling with a brick wall. It’s useless. You need to first accept that things have changed before you can start thinking of how to deal with it.

Understand That Things Will Never Remain the Same

Once change is experienced, even if you’re able to successfully fight the change, things will never fully be what they once were. You need to accept this and the feelings that come with it, and then you have to deal with it. Lying to yourself or deluding yourself into thinking that things can be exactly as they once were, is ill-advised and frankly unhealthy. Learn to accept it, deal with it and move on.

Understand That Change is an Unavoidable Part of Life

Don’t dwell on why of all the people in the world, this change had to happen to you. You need to realize that change happens to everyone and avoid taking on a victim mindset. You’re not the only one to experience or suffer through change. Others, many others, have experienced it and are still living. Change is a part of life that happens to everyone, and yes it might monumentally mess with things in your life, but it also brings new opportunities, lessons and experiences that can be beneficial to you and others around you.

Try To Understand What Unsettles You So Much about The Change

It’s easier to deal with something tangible as opposed to something abstract and unclear. Ask yourself, search within yourself and try to answer this question – “What is it about this change that affects me so much?” If it’s the death of a loved one, could it be because you fear being lonely? Or could it be that you’ll miss the person’s guidance or companionship? Get to the bottom of the matter and understand what about the change affects you so much.

Learn to Adapt

When you know what about the change unsettles you, it will be easier for you to find ways to fill in the gap and adapt to the new reality. If it was a mother that was lost, think of someone in your life that you consider motherly and wise. Please this is not in any way meant to replace your mother, but to only fill in the gap. If you are the kind of person that has always thrived with motherly advice and guidance, losing that all of a sudden can be extremely difficult and unhealthy for you. It’ll be easier on you if you have someone to keep you grounded. If you are religious, turning to God can be a great help, especially if you have no one.

Moving on is a Process

Moving on is a process that, in truth, never ends. Once change has occurred, especially if it’s a sudden change, from that day onward you are and will keep moving on. Don’t expect that after a long while you will no longer feel anything. You will very much still feel things but they will not be as profound as they once were because over time you’ve become better at dealing with it.

Confide in Trusted Other(s) about Your Feelings

At the early stages of change and even during the moving on process, it is important to occasionally confide in someone you can trust about your feelings and struggles. It really helps more than you can imagine and is much better than trying to deal with it alone. Even if the person might not be able to fully understand your emotions, just being able to say it out loud or express it someone might just help beyond what you can imagine.

Give Yourself Permission to Be Happy Once Again

Happiness is a choice. Please try not to allow circumstances affect you so much that you actually let yourself feel some kind of guilt or unfairness about letting yourself be happy. Joy and happiness are what gives strength to deal with anything, no matter how terrible or messed up it is. Be happy not because you are happy at what happened, but because your body needs it and your mind needs it; be happy because life still continues so please give yourself permission to live.

Source: http://www.opinions.ng/8-ways-learn-accept-change/

cc: Lalasticlala, Mynd44