The Headies is one of the most prestigious award shows in Nigeria. While there have been a lot of controversies surrounding the show in previous editions, the hosts have continued to work hard in making sure that the show lives up to the standard accustomed to it. From the just concluded Headies award show which didn’t live up to the hype, here are 7 things that we noticed:

No Fight, No Show: It sure seems like the show became boring at a point due to the lack of controversy. There were no arguments about who won what. Everybody felt okay with the choice of winners. We needed to see some ‘back to back’ fights.

Music Artiste Protests: From what we could gather, a number of artistes couldn’t make it for the award due to their busy schedules this December. However, we felt a sense of protest from the artistes to boycott the show. The Mavin crew had to jet out of the country a day before the award ceremony. Tekno, who was exceptional this year, was displeased with his nomination and more likely disqualified himself from receiving an award. Quite a number of awards were collected on behalf of other celebrities. Phyno seemed very cold and couldn’t give a speech on his award for the Song of the Year. There could be some internal issues with the organizers of the event.

Poor Picture & Sound Quality: Headies has grown to be a very big brand and a lot is expected from them. It was shocking the extent of mediocrity displayed in the quality of sound and picture. It sure looked like an event that was done about 5 years ago. The sound wasn’t very audible and one needed to strain his ears to understand what they were saying.

Poor Event Management: Let’s ask this question. Was the Headies 2016 done in a rush? It looked like there wasn’t proper sequence. The amount of idle time wasted after an award category has been announced was excessive. The show didn’t need to span that long. We understand that a lot of logistic processes are involved to produce such an event but if it the event was going to happen, proper preparations and rehearsals should have been done way before the event.

Punctuality: This is one aspect that the Headies crew did well in. Putting into consideration, the ‘Nigerian Time’ factor, the show did well to start on time. This points to the fact that it is possible to keep to time in Nigeria irrespective of the various peculiar factors affecting us.

Average Performances: This is also indirectly tied to the poor sound quality. Some of the artistes who came to perform gave an average performance. It was sad to see a super talented Seyi Shay perform in such a manner. The crowd also didn’t help matters as they didn’t cheer enough to encourage the artistes.

Headies or Oldies?: Half way into the event, it seemed like the event tilted towards a throwback for music legends. There were loads of ‘almost retired’ music celebrities coming to give performances and this really didn’t help in crowd cheers. It looked like a mismatch. Some guests couldn’t connect with the performances. People wanted to see a Davido jump all over the stage and Wizkid sing ‘Ojuelegba’. The audiences were full of young people who needed to see the hottest musicians right now.

In as much as the show didn’t do too well, a big shout out goes to the organizers of the Headies. It takes a lot of planning and investment to pull such a big event as this. Without a doubt, the Headies 2017 will be a great one.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-7-things-noticed-2016-headies/

Let’s face it. Buying a fairly used car is one hell of a gamble. The good news is that you can really limit your risks. With economic issues surfacing, a lot more people are trying to get more income – irrespective of how it’s gotten. Cars are machines and their performances are based on usage and maintenance. Bad cars could give you serious issues and leave you wondering if you were actually better off without a car in the first place. If you have fully convinced yourself that you need a car and you don’t have the means to purchase a brand new one, here are 8 tips for buying a fairly used car:

Inspect with a trusted mechanic and run a scan: Most cars are quite computerized and you can detect issues with the car by running a diagnostic scan on them. This will give you a better understanding of the condition of the fairly used car. Also, go with a mechanic who can advise you properly on the state of the car.
Mileage: Check the mileage of the fairly used car about to be purchased. The higher the mileage, the more likely you are going to spend more in maintaining the fairly used car. Mileage records how far the car has been driven. This should give you a fair idea of how the car was used. Most times, cars begin to show sickly symptoms when they cross certain mileage points. Get a car with a reasonable mileage meter.
History of female usage: This is quite funny but very true. When women use cars, there is a very high chance that the car is still in good shape. Most women don’t travel long distances like men and this doesn’t put a strain on their cars. Another reason is the fact that some women get their cars immediately fixed for them (by their husbands or lovers) once there’s a fault. Most times, the cars are fixed properly to make sure that it doesn’t give them issues. Your chances of having a good car when you buy from a lady is high.
Check for Dashboard lights: Pay no attention to what you are being told by some mechanics. Dashboard lights always indicate that the car has a fault. It could have a history of repair work done on it, or something is wrong. Once you see those warning lights on the dashboard, RUN!
First Body: You ought to have lots of patience when you want to purchase a fairly used car. While having patience, you should have an eye for details. Cars are made to look very attractive when they are for sale. You should be able to detect if a car has been sprayed. There are various reasons for spraying a car. A reason – which could be a source of concern, could be that the car has been involved in an accident. Although it looks clean and attractive, you could just be buying a whole lot of problems.
Properly Shifting Gears: While you take a test-run in the car, look out for how well the gears shift. If it’s an automatic car, closely monitor the sequence of the change in gears. If there are irregularities in the shifting, it’s possible that the gears have slight issues. Also if shifting isn’t as smooth as it’s supposed to be, you shouldn’t go any further. It indicates that there could be complications once you start driving the car.
Engine Sound: Nowadays, the automobile mechanics are well trained to patch up pretty bad cars and make them look good. You should have a fair idea of how an engine is supposed to sound. If the engine of the fairly used car doesn’t give you the proper sound, do not go further. Engines have different components that could be patched up. However, one can quickly detect a bad car from the engine sound.
Your Gut Feeling: When your gut is telling you not to purchase a car, please don’t. When you see a cheap price for a ‘clean-looking’ car and your mind tells you not to purchase it, we think it’s safer to listen to your mind. Be wary of a cars that are sold for ridiculously cheap amounts. You may end up paying more to fix them.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-8-tips-buying-good-fairly-used-car/

Nigerian movies have improved over the years. They have become more exciting – probably because of the exposure they get and the involvement of more world-class professionals into the act. It’s very impressive to see Nigerians talk about Nigerian movies in great anticipation and actually purchasing cinema tickets to view them. While there is still a lot to be done, we are very much on the right track. Here are the top 5 Nigerian movies of 2016:


93 Days: 93 Days is based on a true story of the men and women who risked their lives to save us from the epidemic ebola virus outbreak in Lagos. It stars veteran actress, Bimbo Akintola as the late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, who was very key in containing the ebola virus whilst sacrificing her life (the movie is dedicated to her) and Hollywood’s finest Danny Glover who acted as the chief doctor of the First Consultants Hospital where the virus was discovered. It’s produced by Steve Gukas and sure is a must-watch.

The Wedding Party: This is one movie in which the Nigerian movie industry did very well. Apart from the stellar cast, the general production was of high quality. The movie tells a funny story about two love birds about to have a wedding. The only issue is, they are from different ethnic tribes and the family members are at loggerheads on the best way to have the wedding. The Wedding Party stars a long list of accomplished Nigerian celebrities.
Recent Update: The Wedding Party has just become the highest grossing Nigerian movie of all time barely two weeks after its release.

The CEO: One of Nigeria’s best producers, Kunle Afolayan added to his collection of top notch movies with The CEO. The story revolves around top African executives who became involved in fierce rivalry for the vacant position of the CEO of their firm. It’s a movie full of suspense and intrigues and the video quality of the movie is world-class. It stars Wale Ojo and Grammy award winner Angelique Kidjo.

’76: What happens when you have a veteran-duo of Ramsey Nouah and Rita Dominic on a set? It promises to be a very good Nigerian movie. ’76 is an historical fiction-drama that portrays a well-scripted plot about a soldier who gets into a romantic affair with a lady just after the civil war and was implicated in the unsuccessful military coup and assassination of the then Head of State; General Murtala Mohammed. The movie was said to have taken 5 years to produce and was shot in Ibadan. The reenacting of the 1976 scene which included ambience, dressing and mannerisms were very spot-on. Video quality was great and it definitely is a great movie to watch. ’76 was produced by Adonaijah Owiriwa and Izu Ojukwu.

Trip to Jamaica: After enjoying the dividends for the highest grossing Nigerian movie of all time, Comedian Ayo Makun produced a sequel to 30 Days in Atlanta and called it ‘A Trip to Jamaica’. A movie which shows the numerous adventures of Akpos (A.Y) in Jamaica. However, Akpos was accompanied by Funke Akindele, another comedy actress popularly known as ‘Jenifa’.
The movie also features musicians, Cynthia Morgan and Patoranking. ‘A trip to Jamaica’ is produced by Ayo Makun.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-5-nigerian-movies-2016/

When it comes to matters of health, it needs to be taken very seriously. Your immune system is more like the engine of your body. It prevents diseases and helps you recover from different stress levels and infirmities. You’d do very well to make sure that your immune system is fully active at all times. However, there are times when your system isn’t top notch as expected. Probably due to stress or the presence of a very dangerous virus. Here are 5 things to do to boost your immune system:


Exercise: The benefits of exercising are numerous. Physical activity may help flush bacteria out of the lungs and airways. Take the stairs once in a while instead of the elevator. Sweat it out. The brief rise in body temperature during and right after exercise may prevent bacteria from growing. This temperature rise may help the body fight infection better. (This is similar to what happens when you have a fever)


Eat Fruits: A healthy system depends on vitamins and minerals. These you’ll get in abundance in fruits. Fruits help to give a quick boost to your immune system, making it fight against foreign bodies. It’s usually advised to get vitamins and minerals from fruits rather than drugs.


Have adequate sleep: Research has shown that there’s a direct link between sleep and your immune system. Your body needs adequate sleep to regenerate its tissues and renew its immune system. Your body auto-heals. Lack of sleep doesn’t give the body much time to repair itself and this greatly affects your immune system. Learn to have an average of 7 hours sleep daily.


Avoid Infection: Note that every time your body is exposed to germs and diseases, your immune system is tasked with eliminating such diseases. This could leave the system very weak. You need to avoid infections by washing your hands often and washing food thoroughly before consuming them.


Healthy diet: Studies have shown that people who lack balanced nutrition are prone to fall sick often. If you don’t have a balanced diet of all micro-nutrients, you may just have a weak immune system. Make sure your food has the right amount of nutrients.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-5-things-boost-immune-system/

When your age falls in the 20’s bracket, you have been given a gift. The gift of a youthful inward and outward appearance. You have the energy and you are just setting out into the world to find out what your real purpose in life is. You understand that any wrong turn made in your 20’s may end up in regrets when you are much older. But analysing things from the stand point of preparing for a fruitful and fulfilled life, you may need to do the following:


Take Risks: Your 20’s are the time where you can take risks and the consequences are not so grave. You may never know what you are capable of if you don’t take risks. Somewhere embedded in our genes is a very sound potential waiting to be unlocked by heavy feats and will power. Take risks and don’t be afraid to fail.


Fall In Love: Experience what it feels to fall in love and become attached to someone. Who knows, you could just be on your way to having a great life with that person. Open up your mind and don’t hesitate when you feel a burning desire for someone.


Start up a business: However small, just start up. You’ll never be comfortable working for someone. It’s very important to note that the earlier you start up a business, the more experience you gain and the higher your chances of excelling. Also, the world has evolved so much that the new business leaders are young men and women who have taken a giant step in fulfilling their missions.


Travel: Where you are isn’t where the world starts and ends. Learn other cultures and languages. Understand diversities and embrace unity. Travelling broadens your mindset about different things and people.


Network: It’s often said that your network determines your net-worth. Your group of friends and colleagues in your 20’s may be very instrumental you your advancement later on in future. Meet people. Meet lots of people! Share contacts and keep in touch.


Read Books: Learn from those who have gone ahead of you. Be inspired to challenge yourself by expanding not just your knowledge, but your vocabulary. You’d be surprised to know how much reading our world business leaders do even till date.


Be spiritual: Have a connection with your inner man. You are able to understand what you attract to yourself if you are in touch with God. This also helps you to lay a foundation for your future family. You must always have an anchor for your life.


Stay Healthy: Seriously! Take that 30 minutes run every day. Your lifestyle in your 20’s will greatly determine your health status when you get much older in age. Reduce alcohol and nicotine consumption and your lungs and kidneys will thank you when you are older.


If you are already past your 20’s, this post will still be useful to you as quite a number of people really get going when they are older. Do what works for you.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-8-things-must-20s/

Beer has its numerous benefits. Apart from the fact that it is considered quite healthy amongst other alcoholic drinks, beer is mostly cheaper and readily available. Nigeria certainly has one of the highest alcohol consumption rates in Africa. Beer companies are taking the back seat while cashing out steadily from the sales of beer. Here are our top 6 beer brands in Nigeria:

Goldberg: Apart from its affordability, Goldberg is widely accepted by most Nigerians because of its very smooth taste. Goldberg is owned by Nigerian Breweries and is steadily rising to perhaps be one of the best beer brands in Nigeria.

Trophy Lager: Trophy is owned by SAB Millers (Now acquiried by AB InBev). Trophy came into the Nigerian market in 2012 with a distinctive taste and quality. Trophy’s marketing campaign was such to highlight and recognize respected members of the society and community. Trophy is mostly consumed in the East.

Life Beer: Another brand that has dominance in the East. Life was also acquired by Nigerian Breweries to rival Trophy. Life has a distinctive taste and is probably one of the most affordable beer brands in Nigeria. Life signed a partnership with Nigerian artiste Flavour recently to further cement its dominance in Nigeria.

Star Lager: Star Lager remains one of the most popular beer brands in Nigeria. Star is known not just for its taste and quality, but also for its marketing campaigns. Star has hosted some of the biggest entertainment shows in the country and have moved over to sports where they recently declared full dominance by partnering not just 5 European football clubs, but also the Nigerian Football Federation as their official beer partner. Star is owned by Nigerian Breweries. Although consumption has reduced due to cheaper alternatives like Trophy and Life, Star still maintains top of mind awareness by a very large margin.

Gulder: Gulder is also owned by Nigerian Breweries and is known for its unique great taste. You sure must have heard of Gulder Ultimate Search. Gulder Ultimate Search was one of the top reality shows in Africa until it was recently stopped. Gulder is mostly perceived to be a masculine brand and all marketing efforts have been skewed towards masculinity and strength. Apparently, Gulder is for real men.

Heineken: Super premium brand known for its high quality and unique marketing campaigns. If Gulder is for real men, Heineken will certainly be for Chairmen. Heineken is mostly consumed by the elites in Nigeria and across the world. Of course it’s more expensive than the others on this list.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-6-beer-brands-nigeria/

We are always on the quest to discover the essence or purpose of living. Every human being tries to understand why they are born and what they are expected to gain or give to life. We all love to have control over different things, but there’s a stretch of frustration all through an average human being’s life when he cannot predict or control situations. This leaves one tired, angry and very frustrated.

We are not telling you that we could help you predict or control situations that happen to you. No one can. However, through deep research, we have been able to find ways to make you live a happy life. Hence, helping you reach deep, get conscious and don’t break a sweat over negative experiences. When you are happy, you send out positive vibes to the universe which in turn, creates more experiences to enable you sustain that happiness. Here are 5 rules to live a happy life:



Every bad experience teaches you a lesson: Have you heard of the famous saying that goes “it’s okay to celebrate success but it’s more important to heed the lessons of failure”? When you are faced with undesirable situations, always look for the lesson in them. Since nature cannot talk, it tries to converse by bringing about experiences. These ‘negative’ experiences as they were may hold the keys to your purpose in life. You get to learn different lessons through negative experiences. No one learns from positive experiences, you celebrate them. But failure makes you take a step back and learn. Appreciate failure. We recommend Chicken Soup for the Soul to those who want to always learn lessons from failure.

Pay no attention to what people say behind your back: We know it’s not as easy as it sounds. Humans have that desirable urge to appeal positively to everyone. Guess what? You can’t! It’s just not possible. People have different mentalities and reasoning patterns. When you try to pay too much attention to what is being said about you, you begin to act like someone else. You start doing things that don’t describe your person. You’d also be shocked to hear that they really don’t talk about you. We all are occupied with finding our purpose in life. You will certainly live a happy life without worrying about that.

Choose your battles wisely: Really! It’s not that serious. Try to focus on the most important things and channel your energy right. To relationships with fellow humans, don’t always make your stance known at every slightest chance. Sometimes, silence is better than being right. Arguments and debates have severed relationships beyond redemption. Is it really worth it? Nope!

Have fun while you can: Hey! Have fun! You will not live forever. Spend time with family and friends. You have to understand that there is more to life than just earning money, paying bills and dying. Study different cultures, learn other languages and explore as much as you can. This gives your quest to live a better life a boost. If you haven’t travelled out of town in 3 years, you should.

Read Books: Like some people say “if you want to keep something from a black man, put it in a book”. We Africans have lost the reading culture. Reading broadens your knowledge and teaches you things that you naturally didn’t know. The internet has given you a whole lot of books that’ll help you build up yourself and your approach to seeing things. Remember that some of these books are written by people who were able to find solutions to their situations and want to share the knowledge.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-5-rules-follow-order-live-happy-life/

A job interview is usually stressful. You spend hours preparing for the ‘unknown’. Basically, you have no clue on how the interview could go or how many people are going to be on the panel. You are also faced with the task of convincing yourself that you are the ‘one’. The perfect candidate.

Having a job interview goes beyond preparations. In as much as you think you are a perfect fit, there are basic qualities and mannerisms that you must possess in order to have an edge over other candidates. If you have been called for an interview severally without success, the problem isn’t your qualification. There are things that you probably are not paying attention to. You sure are guaranteed success with these few tips that we have highlighted:


Dress Smart: Human beings possess different senses and there are elements that appeal to our subconscious minds. What appeals to our subconscious differs – probably a result of environmental conditioning or self-reasoning. Dressing smart does not necessarily mean wearing a suit or a tie. Dressing smart means that you understand the kind of industry and you have an idea of the kind of dressing suits that industry. You will probably look very odd wearing a three-piece suit for a job interview as a factory worker or wearing a pair of jeans for a bank interview. Also pay attention to how your body looks in certain outfits. Don’t wear a suit just because it’s Giorgio Armani and then you look like you borrowed it from an uncle. Dress like you fit the role. Your confidence will be boosted.

Impress, don’t please: If you are faced with an experienced HR Manager, it becomes very easy to know when you are trying very hard to please. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Leave a lasting impression on them but don’t always act like you are trying to please them. Do away with ‘Good day ma’, thank you ma, God bless you sir. Concentrate on the interview, not the interviewer.

Have a good sense of humor: This is perhaps one of the most important aspects to consider when going for a job interview. This indirectly ties into leaving a good impression on them. Rather than just knowing how to do the job, the interviewers also want to know if you are a nice person to work with. Do you have people skills? How well can you relate with people you just met? The ability to tell ‘relatable’ stories of past work experiences is a great thing. The amazing thing about having a good sense of humor is that it reduces your degree of nervousness.

Research about the company: This is supposed to be part of your preparations for your job interview. You need to have basic understanding about the company and its operations. If you don’t do this, how then can you convince your interviewers that you can offer value to them?

Learn to speak good English: You must understand how to string up words together to produce a good sentence in English. Remember that the interview process isn’t just to test your ability to do the job. It also tests your appearance and communication skills. You must be able to convince them on why you are the best fit for the job by being fluent in English Language.

Listen and understand the question: This is not a contest for the fastest person to respond. Listen and understand the question before replying. If you need some time to pause and analyze the question, that’s fine. However, you need to understand the question before you can give answers.

Maintain Eye Contact: Always look at the members of the panel during a job interview. It does a couple of things. It shows them that you are quite confident in yourself and your level of concentration. An important factor to note is that eye-contacts have an appealing feature. They tend to compel people to believe what you are saying. When you maintain the eye-contact with your interviewers, you are certainly selling to them something that you believe in and in the process, unconsciously compelling them to believe you.

Do not brag: Just because we said impress doesn’t mean you should act like you are the best thing that ever happened to interviews. You need to leave a good impression but do not brag about achievements. Remember that human beings have subconscious elements that they are attracted to or not attracted to. Depending on your interviewer, bragging may be misinterpreted as a show of over-confidence and you could get a negative score for that.

Make peace with your previous employer: Most of us hate to read this but it’s the truth. Your previous employer – if stated on your CV must have a few good things to say about you and you about them. Nowadays, especially with the shortage of jobs, interviewers are looking to minimize errors in recruitment so they usually make certain inquiries from the candidate’s previous employers on behavior and skill. Never bad mouth your previous employers when you are asked about them. Most interviewers see it as rude and are usually on the guard when this happens. If you can bad mouth your previous employers, you can also do the same when leaving their company. That’s a NO-NO!

Ask spontaneous questions and give compliments: The ability to ask questions that aren’t expected also show an alive and inquisitive mind. A simple ‘I’m curious to know how it feels like working in such a large organisation?’ does wonders and massages the ego of your interviewers.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-10-tips-successful-job-interview/

As technology begins to settle in, banking has become more seamless and easy. Banks are beginning to strategically decongest their banking halls and encourage the use of mobile apps for transactions. Mobile banking apps are stored on your phone and could perform your regular transactions that you do over the counter. You could pay bills, transfer funds to any bank account and also view your transaction details over certain periods of time.

As far as technology in banking is concerned, a couple of mobile banking apps just make your transactions more enjoyable than others. Here are a list of our top 5 banking apps in Nigeria:


Diamond Bank Banking App: You’d agree that Diamond bank isn’t your conventional bank and this has shown in their operations. The Diamond bank app makes it so easy to perform transactions. You do not require a token to perform transactions but the platform remains very secure. You can book flight tickets, movie tickets and event tickets all from the app.


GTBank Mobile Banking App: GTBank makes this list because of an efficient system. The GTB mobile banking app enables you perform all kinds of transactions right from your mobile phone. Due to their large customer base, a little more emphasis is placed on security and so all transactions will be performed with a token.


FirstBank Mobile Banking App: Another smooth banking app. The user interface of the FirstMobile is quite nice with ease of navigation. Let’s also remind you that you can pay bills and buy airtime via this mobile app. As far as security is concerned, you are given a 5-digit mPIN (when registering) that you use in logging in before you can perform any transaction on your account.


Access Bank Mobile Banking App: Just like the Diamond bank mobile app, this also does not need a token to perform transactions. The Access Bank mobile app provides a live chat feature that enables you get help at any point in time. Transactions are done quite seamlessly and you can order for a cheque book via the app. Why do you need to go to the bank anymore?


Zenith Bank Mobile Banking App: This also makes our list. While you log in with your account number and password, your transaction details are well secured because you still require a token to perform transactions. The Zenith bank app may not do too well in user interface but remains very efficient and provides a large range of services.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-5-mobile-banking-apps-nigeria/

Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.” – Nikos Kazantzakis

Public Relations in Nigeria has grown to be a very integral part of a business. Every business needs PR. As a business without P.R, you literally are flying blindly and steering in unknown directions. In a highly competitive and saturated market, what sets you apart from your competitors is your ability to apply tact in communicating and managing reputation of your business. Interestingly, a couple of full service PR companies are continually assisting brands in this space and achieving amazing results. Here are our top 5 Public Relations companies in Nigeria:


Mediacraft Associates: Major players in the Public Relations business. Mediacraft Associates offers full service Public Relations solution to its clients. Mediacraft prides itself in the quality of work that it delivers – that explains the number of high profile clients that Mediacraft has handled over the years. Mediacraft also has seamlessly transitioned to the world of digital by floating a subsidiary Digital firm (Digicraft Solution) which handles all digital communications in synergy with Mediacraft. A partnership with Fleishman-Hillard S.A, has further re-iterated Mediacraft’s impeccable work and ability to offer more value to clients on a day to day basis.

Quadrant: Quadrant closely joins the list with a client base to be envious of. Due to their size and their depth of the media landscape in Nigeria, they offer tactical P.R services to clients locally. Quadrant currently belongs to the MSLGROUP, Publicis Groupe’s strategic communications and engagement consultancy and have a track record of excellence. The ability to transit into the digital world has also been a seamless one for Quadrant MSLGROUP as it has become part of their DNA.

Chain Reactions: Chain Reactions have less than 10 years in the business. However, their zeal and passion for P.R and brand reputation management has paved the way for them in such a short time. Chain Reactions have been able to bridge the gap between the client and its publics – offering P.R solutions that instantly generate positive results. Chain Reactions always have an eye for talent and dedication to be part of the team. Major brands like Etisalat, Reckitt Benckiser and Ovaltine have had no issues handing over their juicy P.R accounts to the ever vibrant team.

Black House Media (BHM): You don’t need to be old to be experienced. Black House Media is a clear example of that. In such a short time, BHM has risen to become a force to be reckoned with in the P.R industry. BHM has a core focus on digital PR – as digital continues to create the avenue to reach more people and measure communication impact. The first annual PR industry report was published by BlackHouse Media recently and more idealistic concepts are being brewed. A trip to the BHM office and you’ll see a relatively young and vibrant environment.

C&F (Porter Novelli): Another P.R agency with an excellent portfolio. C&F has deep knowledge about Public Relations in Nigeria and has proven that time and time again to different brands. Its large size and the depth of experience has enabled C&F maintain a standard of professionalism and diverse competencies across the ever broad communication spectrum.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-5-public-relations-agencies-nigeria/

No one wants to age faster than they should. But there a lot of people who look so old, yet you get amazed when you hear their ages. While some of these cases are relatively hereditary, others are self-inflicted and the repercussions aren’t so great. What modern day doctors have realized about premature ageing is that it is attributed to a lifestyle pattern that affect the skin cells of humans, making them to ‘grow old’ on time.

The human body is made up of cells which constantly regenerate and renew itself every minute. This keeps the body looking healthy and fresh. The skin is supposed to grow old as we advance in age. However, when foreign bodies begin to interfere directly with the human cells, they lack their ability to regenerate at the speed at which they are supposed to. This makes the skin to age and in some cases, the skin undergoes pigmentation. Here are 8 ways to prevent premature ageing:

Reduce Excessive Alcohol: While ‘excessive’ has been coined as relative, it’s important to note that alcohol taken in excess makes you develop wrinkles on time.
When alcohol is metabolized, it works as a vasodilator in that it widens the blood vessels that bring blood to the face. This can cause redness as well as puffiness or swelling. When you consume a lot of alcohol over a long period of time, the blood vessels just continue to grow and enlarge. This will eventually lead to a loss of skin tone. Also alcohol has been known to deplete the body level of Vitamin A. When you lack enough vitamin A, your skin loses the ability to regenerate and maintain freshness.

Exercise: A physically fit human reduces the chances of ageing fast. When you exercise, you remove toxic waste from your body which could damage your skin cells. Also, your body works at an optimal rate and your energy level is boosted. Physical activities also open your pores to allow your skin breathe.

Prevent Stress: We understand that you need to work hard to be able to sort out bills, but the resultant effect of putting yourself under so much stress is much more than the bills. When your body system is stressed, your body spends most of the time trying to get you energized that other parts of the body is neglected. Your ageing process speeds up. It’s usually said that if you get to your bed and you are asleep in less than 5 minutes, it means that your body is tired.

Drink Lots of Water: The most abundant element in the world is very vital to your skin maintaining its nature. Water, just like exercise, flushes harmful waste from your body and moistens your skin. This aids the generation process.

Reduce Smoking: To put it frankly, smoking accelerates your ageing process. Cigarette smoke destroys key elements that maintain a youthful appearance, such as collagen, elastin, and tissue. If you are a heavy smoker, you may need to reduce it.

Watch your diet: The kind of food you eat also determines how fast your body ages. It’s advised that you eat balanced diet and reduce food that are high in cholesterol and calories. These foods make you add weight and expand your skin. A diet mixed with fruits will help your body slow down ageing.

Protect yourself from the sun: We have all heard that the sun is good – as it provides Vitamin D to the skin. Please note that this occurs only in the morning. When the sun is at its peak, it’s not advised to expose your skin. There are ultraviolet rays generated from the sun at noon that are harmful to your skin.

Facial Expressions: When you make repetitive facial expressions, you contract the underlying muscles. When these muscles are contracted continuously for a long time, they become permanent and they affect the skin.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-8-ways-prevent-premature-ageing/

The year 2016 has been a year of the underdogs. The amount of unexpected moments that have occurred this year have been mind boggling. Of course, change is regarded to as the only constant thing in this world, but the rate at which strange events happened this year defeats logic and patterns. While most of these events don’t have an immediate and direct negative impact, it surely leaves a sour taste in the mouths of those who hoped otherwise. We’ll jump right into our top unbelievable events of 2016:

Donald Trump (US President): This is the current topic on the lips of citizens around the world. The US presidency has just been concluded and billionaire Donald Trump has been declared the winner of the election. It’s still shocking to a very large part of the world that a candidate, who doesn’t have any political experience will defeat a long-serving politician in the polls for the presidency of the greatest country on earth. Prior to the elections, the campaign process has been laced with scandals surrounding Donald Trump and his actions in the past – with quite a number of reputable personalities and media bodies against the election of Donald Trump. A major reason was his utterances that insinuated sealing off the United States from immigrants and his approach towards the opposite sex.
During the campaigns, a scandal emerged when the new first lady, Melania Trump gave a plagiarized portion of a speech (a speech Michelle Obama gave during an address to the Democratic National Convention in 2008). Looking at the figures, a lot of Nigerians are still in shock as a famous prophet, who is known to predict outcomes of different events before they occur allegedly predicted a win for Trump’s political contender, Hillary Clinton (who was largely tipped to be the next and first female president for the United States).
Against all odds, Donald Trump has won the election and this will be talked about for a very long time.

Leicester City (Premier League Champions 2015/2016): If you are an English Premier League fan, you’ll agree with us on this one. Imagine you are into sports betting, you’d probably be a millionaire by now if at the beginning of the 2015/2016 EPL season, you predicted that Leicester City will carry the trophy. Being fair, the EPL is a very unpredictable league. This means that a low-rated football club could cause an upset against a very dominant football club. Leicester City had just been promoted to the EPL in 2014/2015 and started on a good note. However, a string of results made them fall into the relegation zone.
A burst of renewed hope in 2014/2015 made Leicester finish 14th position with 41 points. Fast forward one year later. That same team, with some new additions and a new manager were in jubilant moods as they carried the EPL trophy for the first time in the history of the Premier League. This was the same season that Jamie Vardy (a striker at Leicester City) broke the long held record of football legend Ruud Van Nistelrooy for consecutive games scored in, by scoring 13 goals in 11 games for Leicester in 2015.A number of newspapers described their title win as the greatest sporting upset ever, or the best football fairy-tale of history.

Brexit: This also came as a shock to everyone. The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union following an advisory referendum held in June 2016. It was strange that the United Kingdom which had the backing of the European Union since 1975, voted to withdraw in 2016 with 51.89% votes. No one saw it coming. The ex-prime minister of Britain, James Cameron also tendered his resignation as soon as the results were out.
An interesting story came out after votes have been concluded that connoted that most people didn’t know what they were voting for as Google reported sharp upticks in searches not only related to the ballot measure but also about basic questions concerning the implications of the vote. This meant that a lot of British citizens were asking what the EU meant after voting to withdraw.

Angelique Kerber (World No. 1 Tennis Player): After winning so much trophies and being world No.1 for 309 weeks, Serena Williams – who has been regarded by some commentators as the best female tennis player ever, lost the spot to Angelique Kerber due to a loss in the US Open semifinals and a shoulder injury. Angelique Kerber recently won the 2016 US Open and cemented her spot for the rest of the year as the number one tennis player in the world. The first time this is happening for the 28 year old.
This came as a shock to many tennis lovers as no one would have expected Angelique Kerber to clinch the summit and maintain the spot for the rest of 2016. However, we all expect Serena to regain her position next year.

The year hasn’t fully ended and this post will be updated as events unfold.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-4-shocking-unbelievable-events-2016/

Music is one of Nigeria’s biggest exports and Nigerian artistes continue to set the pace on the continent. With global exposure and access to more sophisticated musical technology, various talents are being discovered on a regular basis. The market is very saturated and competition is fierce. The idea is to maintain top of mind at every point in time or you risk being overtaken by a more hardworking and talent filled musician.

That being stated, a couple of musicians have begun to toe the line of Nigeria’s greatest music artistes. We have compiled a list of them:

Koker: Koker is currently signed to Chocolate City and is making huge waves already. Well, you have to be full of talent if you are signed on to a label filled with top musicians such as M.I, Ice Prince and Jesse Jagz. Koker released a super hit ‘Do Something’ a while back that got everyone asking who he was. His unique style of music has made him a sensation already. He recently dropped another banger ‘Ko le werk’ and if you felt ‘Do Something’ was big, this was even bigger. It seems his style of music is already being accepted by Nigerians and he’s expected to ride on that to produce more amazing music.

Tjan: He needs no introduction. Tjan is rapidly rising to be one of Nigeria’s favorite musicians. All of Tjan’s songs so far have been nothing short of a hit. With an amazing voice, Tjan always shows his prowess in R&B and hip hop songs. He recently released two amazing songs – Aduke and Meji (Feat. YCee). We expect the awards to start pouring in very soon.

Sugarboy: You must have heard the song ‘hola hola’. Sugarboy has had people put his songs on repeat countless times. His music is loved by people both at home and abroad and while he has been working on his new jam Legalize, Nigerians can’t wait for some Sugarboy action.

Humblesmith: A super talented young lad with his unique style of music has won the hearts of Nigerian’s over and over again. After the release of his first hit – Osinachi, which attracted Nigeria’s finest Davido to feature in the remix, Humblesmith has continued to create quality songs and is gradually becoming a household name in the business.

Mayorkun: Who releases his first track and it automatically becomes a number one song in the country for weeks? No other than Mayorkun. Currently signed to Davido’s record label, Mayorkun has the perfect chance to become one of Nigeria’s biggest musicians. Mayorkun also enjoys the backing of his boss, Davido who really believes that he’s the next best thing for Nigerian music.

Skiibii: 5 star music star boy – Skibii joins the list. If you feel like moving your feet and dancing, Skibii’s got you covered. He has an amazing gift of producing very great music and of course, he’s got the support of a league of talented music artistes. He recently scared Nigerians when he passed out a while ago but he’s back, better and doing well. 5 star music label should have no worries as Skibii is well positioned to become an A-rated music artiste soon.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-6-upcoming-nigerian-music-artistes/

Being a minister or holding a ministry is a very massive task. A task that involves presiding over basic aspects that contributes to the building up of the Nigerian economy. There are some ministries that are very sensitive and affect millions of lives. These ministries are usually headed by a highly intelligent and competent person. We decided to outline our top ministries in Nigeria:


Petroleum: In as much as the price of crude has plummeted worldwide, the petroleum industry still contributes the highest income to the Nigerian economy. Our country is run on the income from a major natural resource – Oil. This ministry – as a result of their policies and activities, has created tons of wealthy individuals. The ministry of Petroleum is currently headed by Dr Maikanti Kacalla Baru and Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu as the Chairman.


Health: The ministry of health is also very powerful. This concerns health of millions of Nigerians and policies taken will need to be properly thought of. The ministry of health has done great things in the past – from partnering with the World Health Organization (W.H.O) to almost eradicating polio from Nigeria to preventing the massive spread of the Ebola Virus in Lagos (2015). The minister of Health is Professor Isaac Adewole.


Agriculture and Rural Development: Agriculture is poised to be Nigeria’s next big money spinner. Nigeria’s weather and terrain supports agriculture. Hence, exportation of both raw and processed agricultural produce will be vital to the Nigerian economy. The ministry of Agriculture – with the partnership of the Bank of Agriculture is striving to create the avenue for growth and increase awareness. The minister of agriculture is Chief Audu Ogbeh.


Finance: We can’t describe enough how powerful this ministry is. Managing the finance of the country’s economy is vital to growth and development and this impacts all citizens. The ministry of finance is a very delicate one as it shows the status of the country’s finance. Of course, strategic decisions that improves the standard of living are properly thought through before implementation. The minister of finance is Kemi Adeosun.


Power, Works and Housing: This ministry is headed by a former governor of Lagos State with a track record of excellence (Babatunde Raji Fashola). It is very important because it provides the basic amenities that are needed for infrastructure and development.

http://topeverything.com.ng/top-5-government-ministry-nigeria/

Nigerian politics is an interesting and tedious one no doubt. It isn’t a little task presiding over 180 million people with diverse cultures and interests. It could be energy draining. However, there are guidelines and standard practices in Government. These guidelines, assist the ‘power-holders’ to maintain decorum and professionalism in their duties.

But as seen over the years, Nigeria always has its fair share of embarrassing moments. These moments spark a nationwide debate on social media and even amongst citizens living in diaspora. We have compiled our top 5 embarrassing moments:


Tough luck… Ouch: Dwindling oil prices, acute rise in foreign exchange and a massive ripple effect of pain and suffering amongst ordinary citizens cannot be quantified. This comes at a period where parents could not source for foreign exchange to pay for their children’s school fees abroad. The president, during his interview with media giant – Al jazeera, maintained that forex was scarce and that it was being prioritized. He maintained that parents who could afford to pay for their children’s school fees abroad at a bloated rate should go ahead and do so. Here are his words:

Al Jazeera: “What about those who are slightly more privileged like yourself? You’ve got children studying abroad. There are parents in Nigeria with kids in universities and schools abroad, who are now facing the possibility of having to pull their kids out. They can actually no longer afford to pay for school fees?”

Buhari: “If the country cannot afford it, so be it.”

Al Jazeera: “But your children will continue their studies, no doubt?”

Buhari: “Those who can afford it, can still afford it. But for those who can’t, Nigeria cannot afford to allocate foreign exchange for those who decided to train their children outside the country. We can’t just afford it.”

Al Jazeera: “So it’s tough luck.”

Buhari: “Well, that’s the true situation we are in.”

Zero Electricity: This was pretty much surprising and embarrassing. In March, the most populous country in Africa generated zero megawatts of power for about 3 hours. This meant that the country was literally in complete darkness for a couple of hours. This was attributed to ‘vandalism of gas pipelines and destruction of vital infrastructure’.

Change begins with who?: A good initiative was birthed by the Minister of Information – Lai Mohammed to change the perception of Nigerians about their yet-to-be-experienced change mantra. However, things became quite confusing (and embarrassing) when a group claimed to have presented this idea to the Minister and were sidelined. But the icing on the cake was when the President’s speech on the launch of the campaign was a plagiarized one. A direct copy of President Obama’s November 4, 2008 victory speech in Chicago. Here are the speeches:

Obama: “So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

“Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

“In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.”

Buhari: “We must resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country for so long.

“Let us summon a new spirit of responsibility, spirit of service, of patriotism and sacrifice, Let us all resolve to pitch in and work hard and look after, not only ourselves but one another.

“What the current problem has taught us is that we cannot have a thriving army of rent seekers and vested interests, while the majority suffers.”

Similarities

Kitchen, that’s where you belong: Amongst all other things happening in the presidency, one thing is sure. Things are not totally fine in the villa. A recent BBC interview granted by the wife of the president – Aisha Buhari revealed what Nigerians are really going through. She also passed across a strong signal to the president about her not campaigning for him in 2019 if things continue the way they are. May we also remind you that BBC was told not to air the interview but the plea fell on deaf ears as BBC went straight ahead to air. However, in the president’s reaction to the interview, he says…

“I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room.”

Well, we all know that the president was ‘joking’ and didn’t mean that. However, this was quite embarrassing for Nigerian politics.


Please! Forgive us sir: Ever wanted to watch a Nigerian comedy series where you laugh till your stomach hurts? Visit Governor Fayose. The Governor has a way of providing a never-ending series of unforgettable experiences with his interesting style of politics.

The governor says Zenith Bank helped in funding his election in 2014, in his bid to deny an allegation by the government linking him to a $2.1 billion arms money reportedly diverted by the former Goodluck Jonathan administration. A claim, which the bank denied.

We all woke up on morning to a video of Zenith bank staff kneeling and begging the Governor in his home. Governor Fayose said the bank officials came to beg him over the issue.

“They were begging me and that the matter should not go beyond this level. I asked them why did they go to the EFCC to tell lies. Why did they have to lie that money came from the Office of the National Security Adviser? If the money is for me why did they have to link with me what is not,”


Source: http://topeverything.com.ng/embarrassing-moments-nigerian-politics/

We all need that nudge once in a while to assure us that everything will be okay. That’s what motivational books do to your soul. It awakens that inner sleeping giant in you and strengthens you to rise above challenges you are confronted with.

Often times, our lives are overtaken by series of events and we forget to connect with our inner essence. We run around 24 hours a day without knowing what our main purpose in life is. Interestingly, what we need to do as human beings and how we can make the most out of life are mostly captured in motivational books. We decided to outline a few books that should help you have a clear direction about life:



Bible: The mostly read book in the world. The bible is referred by a lot of people as the most complete book ever. It explains how the world was created and sustained till now. It also captures the accounts of the saviour of Christians and instructions to human beings for living a fulfilled life.


Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill): Napoleon Hill is such a fantastic writer. This book contains accurate steps for acquiring wealth. If you are in business, you’ll find this book handy. Napoleon also tries to share experiences on how certain people were able to develop mindsets for getting wealth.


Power of Positive Thinking (Norman Vincent Peale): If you want to approach life with a powerful positive vibe always, then you need to read this book. The Author – Norman Vincent Peale suggests a list of practical steps for growing and nurturing a positive attitude towards life. The ‘Positive Thinking’ method enables your inner mind to flourish and be at peace – thus drawing good things your way often.


Chicken Soup For the Soul (Jack Canfield): Well, not your regular kind of motivational book. It’s a book filled with lessons to learn. Jack Canfield shares different stories of people faced with challenges and by different means, overcame them. Due to the large volume of these stories, you are bound to see a story with a challenge related to what you are going through in the book. This will give you a fair idea on how your thinking could influence things around you.


48 Laws of Power (Robert Greene): You must have read or heard different advices about things which do not really relate with the current world that we live in now. This is totally different with the 48 Laws of Power. This book gives you 48 laws to obtain power and influence in your immediate environment. A captivating aspect of this book is how logical its laws are. They serve as guides to living a powerful life.


How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie): Ever having a hard time with your relationships with people? This books assists you in your relationships and how to appeal to the inner mind of people. It also contains experimental steps to achieving the ideal relationship with your fellow man and it opens the door for more clients and wealth acquisition.


http://topeverything.com.ng/top-6-motivational-books-read-now/

Think of your website – no matter the industry you operate, as your giant skyscraper office building in the busiest location of the world with your target audience moving up and down that axis. This means that your website needs to attract your target audience and encourage them to make a visit.

The accessibility of your website depends solely on the features embedded in it. These features are put to make the browsing experience quite enjoyable and create ease of information acquisition. If you are just setting up or redesigning your website, you need to have these 8 features to maximise its potential:

Contact Us Form: This is a very important feature that provides interested visitors with the ability to contact you for further discussions. The contact us form usually contains basic information (such as name, email address, message etc…) fields to be filled by the visitor. This form sends the information to the admin of the website via email.
Social Media icons: Social Media activity takes up about one-third of total internet usage. There’s a high probability that your target audience are on social media. It will be nice to include social media icons on your page.
Multimedia Content: Too much text is boring. You can pass across relevant information using images or videos. Infographics are also great in achieving brand recollection.
Blog: You may need to use content in getting customers. The S.I unit online is value. Your brand needs to be seen as either a thought leader in the industry or a brand that provides value in terms of information. Your blog is perfect for this purpose. Also the blog has a higher chance of being ranked top in search engine results because of keywords being put while developing content on a regular basis.
Mobile Version: Websites are easily being accessed via mobile than desktops. An interesting factor to note is that the rate of mobile usage continues to elevate while desktop usage is shrinking. You wouldn’t want to drive away potential customers from your page when your website is difficult to access on a mobile phone. A mobile friendly website is a must.
Proper Page Description: You aren’t just stringing up a number of words to describe your page when developing a website. There needs to be a proper description of your page so that it gives the full details of the kind of business you are into. Again for SEO purposes, your page description will assist in making others find you easily via search engines.
SiteMap: Ever walked into a mall and then you are given the floor plan of the mall – where the shops are located and exit doors? That pretty much explains the sitemap. Your page sitemap shows the complete structure of your website and aids easy navigation.
Error 404 page: It’s important to understand how websites work. Every traffic to your website from an external source contributes in one way or the other to the growth of the website across the internet space. More visits will earn you more prominence in search engines. So, an Error 404 page usually appears when there is a broken link in your website or a page which used to exist no longer exists. Having an Error 404 page means that when visitors click on a broken link, they are still directed to a page on your website (though not a page with information). This is still regarded as a visit and the user hasn’t technically left your page.


http://topeverything.com.ng/top-10-must-features-website/