The Nation Newspaper

Category: Online Special

  • Top nine coronavirus myths in Africa

    Top nine coronavirus myths in Africa

    Chinyere Okoroafor

    If you log on social media, almost everyone is talking about COVID-19. The outbreak has become a trending topic on all platforms.

    But because COVID-19 is still relatively new, a lot of misinformation and false facts have surfaced across the web.
    So it is important to know what is true and what is not. Here are the nine myths in Africa circulating about COVID-19:

    1. Mosquitoes spread coronavirus (False)

    2. Useless remedies (antibodies, hydroxychloroquine) can stop Coronavirus (False)

    3. Fantastic remedies (sesame oil rubbed on your body, child’s urine, herbal remedies) can stop Coronavirus (False)

    READ ALSO: Fact-checking fake news on coronavirus 

    4. Ordering or buying products shipped from China will make a person infected.

    This is false as there is no evidence to show that there has been transmission through packages.

    5. Children are immune to coronavirus (false)

    6. Coronavirus is a conspiracy by Big Pharma (big pharmaceutical companies) – False

    7. Coronavirus is a biological weapon (false)

    8. 5G causes or worsens Coronavirus (fake)

    9. A conspiracy (to take down a famous person) – false

  • Five common habits that may damage your smartphone

    Five common habits that may damage your smartphone

    By Fasanmi Abiola

     

    Smartphone is one gadget that has helped improved everyday profitability, communication and even entertainments for the modern man.

    As close as people may get attached to their smartphones, proper maintenance is a topic many give little consideration or thoroughly overlook.

    Without intending to, there are some common habits that seem harmless, which however, may coincidentally damage your smartphone:

    1. Ignoring software and application updates

    Software and apps updates are introduced to fix loopholes and to boost your smartphone’s effectiveness. Your smartphone may get sloppy and slow when you postpone an update for so long.

    More importantly, cybercriminals are usually on the lookout for devices with loopholes to gain easy access to such devices and dupe proprietors.

    So next time you see that notice to update your smartphone, take as much time and data to do immediately.

    2. Using cheap, incompatible chargers

    Most smartphones come with a compatible charger but in a situation where such charger gets damaged or missing for whatever reason, it is best to replace it with another charger with the same quality.

    Read Also: Five mistakes you make while charging your phone

    A cheap charger might be pocket-accommodating yet may be to the detriment of your cell phone’s battery. Utilising a charger with a specification that isn’t compatible with your smartphone may destroy additionally your charging port.

    3. Downloading apps from suspicious source

    Free access to certain applications may not be genuinely free until you affirm the wellbeing of their source. The most straightforward approach to open your gadget to malware is by downloading applications from unconfirmed platform.

    So it is to your greatest advantage to avoid downloading applications from third-party stores or suspicious websites, regardless of whether they show the symbol and name of an application you think you can trust.

    4. Allowing your phone to overheat

    Strong sunlight, delayed charging, and multitasking on your device may cause it to overheat. But repeatedly pushing your device to that point will probably do more harm than good to your smartphone.

    Shielding your phone from the sun, turning it off if you have to leave it in a hot car, and otherwise keeping your device at a comfortable temperature is a good idea to forestall inadvertent harm.

    5. Prolonged charging

    Leaving your phone plugged in overnight is one habit that might eventually damage your phone’s lifespan. Once your battery reaches its charging limit, prolonged charging will make your phone generate excessive heat and further strain your smartphone’s battery.

  • Businesses booming during COVID-19 crisis

    Businesses booming during COVID-19 crisis

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    The coronavirus pandemic is really eating deep as people are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

    Businesses have shut down, following bans and restrictions placed by governments globally on goods and services.

    It is however not all bleak for all as there are still some businesses making waves one way or the other during the crisis.

    They provide essential services for people to cushion effects of the pandemic, and as such, make money for themselves.

    A few of them still making waves in these challenging times include:

    FACEMASK TAILORS

    It can be said that the greatest beneficiaries of this lockdown in Nigeria are tailors, making facemasks.

    Government has enforced the use of facemasks for all citizens at public places, and as such, tailors have been busy sewing various facemasks for people to use, at various prices

    FOOD SELLERS

    These people can be safely called the second highest beneficiaries of the lockdown. With many people staying at home for hours, a lot are hungry and food sellers have come in handy to save the situation, preventing starvation and death.

    ONLINE TRAININGS

    Some people have given themselves to self-development during the lockdown. They have therefore paid to participate in various online trainings as it is impossible for people to gather together in a place at this time.

    PHARMACISTS

    People are generally apprehensive these days. At the slightest symptom of illness, they are quick to head to pharmacies for drugs.

    HOSPITALS

    Hospital attendance has generally increased with people eager to report whenever they feel sick.

    PSP/WASTE OPERATORS

    In Lagos State, various Lagos Waste Management officials were seen moving from place to place, carrying people’s waste and making the environment clean. This is done so that people will live in clean environment, so that they do not fall sick, and this in its way generate revenue for waste management companies.

    With the coronavirus pandemic, it remains to be seen how businesses will begin to flourish again, bringing gains and smiles to average Nigerians.

  • 10 things you probably didn’t know about Majek Fashek

    10 things you probably didn’t know about Majek Fashek

    By Alao Abiodun

    After battling a long time illness, Nigerian music legend and reggae king Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly called Majek Fashek, is dead.

    Majek Fashek was born on March 7, 1963 in Benin City to an Edo mother and a Yoruba father but identifies with his Benin root.

    Fashek was married to Rita Fashek who inspired the song Without You; the couple had four children but has since divorced.

    Some of his musical works include Prisoner of Conscience that featured multiple award-winning tracks Send Down The Rain (1988), Little Patience, Spirit of Love, I & I Experience, So long too long, Rainmaker, Weep Not Children and Rasta Ganstar.

    Here are few things to know about Majek the Rainmaker:

    1. Majek Fashek various translations of his name Fasheke (Ifa-Kii-she-eke) include “high priest who does not lie”, “powers of miracles” and “(system or medium of) divination does not lie”.

    2. After Majek’s parents separated, Fashek remained in Benin City with his mother and joined the choir in his local Aladura Church and learned to play the trumpet and guitar whilst composing songs for the choir.

    3. In the early eighties Fashek, who at the time went by the stage name Rajesh Kanal, joined the group Jastix with McRoy Gregg, and was lead singer for Black Rice. They were best known as the in-house band on the show Music Panorama on NTA Benin City.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Music legend, Majek Fashek dies

    4. In 1988, shortly after Jastix disbanded Fashek, he began a solo career by releasing the album Prisoner of Conscience and became Nigeria’s top reggae artist after the song Send Down The Rain became the most popular song of the year.

    5. In 1989, he won six PMAN awards, which included Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Reggae Artist of the Year.

    6. After leaving Tabansi Records, he was signed to CBS Nigeria in the early 1990s and released So Long Too Long. In 1990 he was signed to Interscope Records and released the critically acclaimed album Spirit Of Love, produced by “Little Steven” Van Zandt.

    7. Fashek played a supporting role in the 2000 Nollywood movie Mark of the Beast and starred in a commercial for non-alcoholic beverage Diamant.

    8. In 2016, he performed in a comedy show (with more than ten thousand audiences in attendance) in Lagos, Nigeria, with a roundly power-filled and soul-lifting performance.

    9. In December 2016 Fashek contributed the song “We Are Not Afraid” to a video featuring 200 celebrities to raise funds for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Human Rights Watch (HRW).

    10. During the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians, he was unhappy about the Nigeria-South Africa crisis. He recalled that he did a song Free Mandela and it helped back then.

    Source: Wikipedia

  • Three things to expect when EPL resumes

    Three things to expect when EPL resumes

    Adeyinka Akintunde

    The English Premier League resumes on June 17 after it was suspended in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Soccer fans cannot wait to see how the season will round off with Liverpool primed to be crowned winners.

    The Reds, who have not won the title since 1990, sit on top of the table with 82 points after 29 matches, 25 points more than second-place Manchester City. They only need two victories to be crowned champions of England.

    There will be two games on June 17 with Manchester City hosting  Arsenal and Sheffield United facing Aston Villa.

    There are however some changes to experience as the season resumes later in the month:

     

    1. NO FANS

    For the first time in the history of the Premier League, football matches will be played without fans at the stands.

    This will be strange for teams like Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United known to have noisy fans supporting their teams.

    1. USE OF FACEMASKS

    As observed in the resumed German Bundesliga, some officials on the bench will wear facemasks, which is one of the preventive measures against coronavirus. This development, new to football, will make it a little difficult to recognise some of these officials and team doctors. It remains to be seen if reserve players too will use the facemasks.

     

    1. FIERCE BATTLE FOR UEFA SLOTS/RELEGATION SURVIVAL

    Four teams are expected to represent England in the UEFA Champions League next season. As it stands, Liverpool, currently on top of the league, will play the Champions League next season. Manchester City and Leicester City have 57 and 53 points respectively. Chelsea have 48 points with Manchester United on 45 points

    This means the battle for the remaining three spots will be fierce and we are in for a contest .

    There will also be a battle for survival at the bottom end of the table.  Last-placed Norwich City is four points behind everyone else and six points from escaping the relegation zone.

     

    Immediately above them, four points separate five teams. Brighton leads the group with 29 points and a relatively respectable -8 goal-difference. After them, West Ham, Watford and Bournemouth are all tied on 27 points. Aston Villa is in 19th with 25 points.

    We expect a fierce battle here.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Four financial impacts of COVID-19 on Nigerians

    Four financial impacts of COVID-19 on Nigerians

    Adeyinka Akintunde

    Things are no longer the same all around due to the coronavirus pandemic. As at Monday night, more than five million cases have been recorded all over the world with thousands of people dying from it.

    In Nigeria, as at Monday night, 8,068 people have contracted the virus with, with 233 deaths. There are fears that this figure will continue to rise, until a lasting solution is found.

    The pandemic has also taken a toll on the finances of Nigerians. Here are four ways Nigerians are affected financially by the health crisis:

    1. Increased fare

    One measure to prevent contracting COVID-19 is social distancing. This means one has to be two-meters apart from the other person. Transporters have been forced to adhere to this “new” rule and as such they have increased the transport fare of the few passengers that board their vehicles.

    2. More consumption of food

    It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to eat three times in a day during coronavirus crisis. Prices of foodstuff are increased, leaving people with little or no income.

    READ ALSO: Positioning services industry for rebound post COVID-19

    3. Salary cuts

    This is one sad reality coronavirus has brought to many Nigerian workers. Companies and industries have explained the difficulties they are passing through to operate and have no option than to either lay off some staff or cut salaries. This has left a sour taste in the mouth of Nigerian workers.

    4. Fewer working hours

    The Federal Government has mandates offices to open only between 8am and 3pm, meaning people work less hours with fewer productivity. When productivity is lower, revenues will be affected, leading to salary cuts and less fulfilment.

  • Stylish ways to rock your polka dot dress

    Stylish ways to rock your polka dot dress

    By Kehinde Oluleye

    There are some fashion items that keep trending in the fashion space. One of such items is the polka dot dres.

    Interestingly, today’s polka dot outfits and accessories are more stylish and daring. They are everything you would want in a piece of trendy fabric, from one-shoulder, halter neck to sexy gowns; polka dots are a must have for women of style. It actually brings out that chic, classy and unique outlook desired.

    These are some of the ways to rock your polka dots in style:

    The key to wearing them is to have only one or two items at once.

    Pair the tops or shirts with plain skirts or trousers and you can tuck it in for a chic look

    For a more subtle approach, polka dots belt, scarf, or bangle might do the trick.

    Polka dot scarves can go on anything and tying the middle bow would bring out the beauty of the design.

    For the shoes or bags, do not use them with patterned clothes rather; pair with another polka dot item and a plain one in your outfit.

    You can also opt for a bold polka dot halter neck style. This should be combined with accessories with same colour, like Shade Okoya did in the picture.

    The options are many, so explore and rock the trend in style.

  • Challenges awaiting private schools after reopening

    Challenges awaiting private schools after reopening

    By Gabriel Ogunjobi

     

    Whenever the Federal Government reopens schools for physical classes, some challenges are bound to confront private schools.

    Here are some of them:

    1. Salary and tuition fees: Undoubtedly, public and private economies have been hit by weeks of lockdown and limited productivity. But soon as the schools reopen, teachers and other members of staff would be anticipating their wages as succor for the hard times.

    On the other hand, private schools too haven’t been making much money, if they have at all through passive virtual classes.

    Parents and Guardians are also making less money too, meaning school fees may be hard to balance. The proprietors of such institutions may have to source elsewhere for where to pay to their workers.

    2. Retrenchment and restructuring:

    If government schools are reluctant to downsize staff, private counterparts would not hesitate to. Some non-essential staff may be asked to take compulsory leave at first instance until their services can be afforded. Their return may even come after all.

    Also, in a bid to sustain maximum teaching-learning, school management may ask that some teachers take more than their usual subjects to augment salaries for some relieved teachers.

    3. Concerns over COVID-19:

    The onus to protect children in these precarious times will depend on caregivers, teachers and the entire members of staff in private schools.

    Federal Government will also be reopening schools under strict compliance to certain COVID-19 guidelines like social distancing, sanitation, transport system and use of face masks.

    These are only necessary to ensure that schoolchildren are not only put in harm’s way but also make beating COVID-19 when they carelessly get infected and spread to their parents at home.

    Schools, especially private that can afford such services, would have to employ more hands for sanitation of these free-spirited children.

    4. Academic performance and examinations: Lockdown didn’t only take a toll on finance, it definitely would have affected the cognitive activeness of some children who didn’t have the advantage of exercising their brains.

    Common entrance exams, juniors and senior West African examinations would be nearing upon resumption of schools. The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination is underway too. Parents would be counting on their schools to live up to expectations of rejigging their ward’s memories and ensure redundancy doesn’t set in in spite of the compulsory and over-stretched holidays they had just experienced.

  • Eight tips to make you more efficient while working from home

    Eight tips to make you more efficient while working from home

    By Samuel Oamen

     

    Most of us are well into the working from home routine and have adjusted to different spaces, pets and children on work calls, and erratic wifi when the entire neighbourhood all tries to homeschool at once. Many people initially planned for a short term work from home routine, however, but it’s becoming obvious that it will need to be part of our regular operations for some time to come. If you need to ramp up your work from home skills to expert level, these tips might be helpful.

    1. Create a team alias to easily stay in touch. An email list that includes all your team members lets you quickly share information, and a chat room can be used for faster-moving discussions.

    2. Check sharing permissions on important documents so collaborators can edit and comment as needed. You might even consider creating a shared drive where your team can store, search, and access files from any device.

    3. Schedule meetings now so you can stay in contact later. Set up calendar invites, create an agenda ahead of time, and attach relevant docs to the invite. It’s also a good idea to make sure everyone is familiar with video conferencing.

    4. Hold daily meetings to stay connected with your co-workers. Working at home can be isolating for some, and video conferencing is a great way to keep people engaged. Try to be visible on camera when appropriate, present relevant content, and ask questions to spark conversations. When time zones prevent everyone from joining a meeting, record it—after making sure that participants feel comfortable being recorded!

    5. Share goals and updates regularly. Whether it’s through a chat group or in a shared document that everyone updates,  a record of what’s being accomplished is a great way to feel connected, keep everyone up to date, and follow-up on action items. You can also set up an internal site to consolidate important information and resources into a central hub for your team, or to share information with your organisation more broadly.

    6. Continue to practice good workplace etiquette. Just because your team isn’t at the office doesn’t mean they’re not busy. Check calendars before scheduling meetings, and when you reach out via chat, start by asking if it’s a good time to talk. You can also proactively inform your co-workers of your own availability by setting up working hours in Calendar. That way, if a team member tries to schedule a meeting with you outside of your working hours, they’ll receive a warning notification.

    7. Don’t spend all day on video. There are many tools at your disposal for staying in touch with your team, whether it’s a chat room, a shared document, a short survey, or a quick conference call. Pick what works best—especially if you’re sharing an internet connection.

    8. Find the right set-up for you. You might need to try a few different configurations before you discover how to stay focused and not distract others. Here are six tips for better video calls including how to turn on live captioning so you can read a transcript of the meeting in real time.

  • Seven common mistakes that can weaken your Immune System

    Seven common mistakes that can weaken your Immune System

    Chinyere Okoroafor

    With the new reports about the deadly coronavirus reeling out across the nation on a daily basis, it is almost hard to feel confident that we are taking all the right precautions to keep safe, and those around us, safe and healthy in this time of such uncertainty.

    However, one thing that has not changed is how important it is to have a healthy immune system during this trying time.

    Here are seven common mistakes that can result in a weakened immune system and make the body more susceptible to illness.

    Too much sugar intake

    Consuming too much sugar competes with vitamin C for space in your immune system because the two are of a similar chemical structure. It means that the more sugar in the system, the less vitamin C can get into the white blood cells.

    It shows that sugar does not help the immune system fight infection at all, but results in a weakened defense to fight infections.

    Not managing stress appropriately

    It is important to give the body and mind a good comfort. This can help lower the body stress levels, which is key to maintaining a strong immune system.

    Study shows that chronic stress results in glucocorticoid receptor resistance (GCR), which in turn, lowers your immune system’s ability to fight off viruses.

    Not getting enough sleep

    If you have ever spent a night tossing and turning in bed, you already know how you will feel the next day. Missing the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep does more than make the body feel tired and sullen.

    A 2017 study published in the journal Sleep monitored twins and their sleep patterns, finding that the sibling who habitually got less sleep had the weaker immune system of the two.

    READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Immune system still on the centre stage

    Drinking too much alcohol

    Consuming too much alcohol is not the best choice for the immune system. Excessive drinking is categorized as having four or more drinks during a single occasion or eight or more drinks per week. For men, those numbers change to five and 15, respectively.

    According to the Mayo Clinic, a heightened level of drinking can cause a myriad of health complications, including weakened immune system. The experts say that “excessive alcohol use can make it harder for your body to resist disease, increasing your risk of various illnesses.”

    Not drinking enough water

    Drinking plenty of water every day has a variety of health benefit, reversely; not doing so can have an array of negative effects. Not taking enough water can cause dehydration and this has a devastating impact on the immune system by making the body unable to flush out toxins as fast as it normally would.

    Not getting enough exercise

    Whether it’s an at-home workout or a long walk, regular exercise is crucial to a healthy immune system. A sedentary lifestyle affects the body’s ability to fight infection by impairing the immune system.

    Getting too much exercise

    Too much exercise can also harm the immune system. This is especially true if one is already sick, according to experts at WebMD: “When workouts get too strenuous, the number of infection-fighting white blood cells in your body can go down.

    At the same time, your stress hormone cortisol may go up, which may interfere with the ability of certain immune cells to work right.”