The Nation Newspaper

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  • How to have a better relationship

    Can you spot a good relationship? Of course, nobody knows what really goes on between any couple, but decades of scientific research into love, sex and relationships have taught us that some behaviour can predict when a couple is on solid ground or headed for troubled waters. Good relationships don’t happen overnight. They take commitment, compromise, forgiveness and most of all — effort. Keep reading for the latest in relationship science, fun quizzes and helpful tips to help you build a stronger bond with your partner.

    Love and romance

    Falling in love is the easy part. The challenge for couples is how to rekindle the fires of romance from time to time and cultivate the mature, trusting love that is the hallmark of a lasting relationship.

    What’s your love style?

    When you say “I love you,” what do you mean?

    Terry Hatkoff, a California State University sociologist, has created a love scale that identifies six distinct types of love found in our closest relationships.

    • Romantic: Based on passion and sexual attraction
    • Best Friends: Fondness and deep affection
    • Logical: Practical feelings based on shared values, financial goals, religion and so on
    • Playful: Feelings evoked by flirtation or feeling challenged
    • Possessive: Jealousy and obsession
    • Unselfish: Nurturing, kindness, and sacrifice

    Researchers have found that the love we feel in our most committed relationships is typically a combination of two or three different forms of love. But often, two people in the same relationship can have very different versions of how they define love. Dr. Hatkoff gives the example of a man and woman having dinner. The waiter flirts with the woman, but the husband doesn’t seem to notice, and talks about changing the oil in her car. The wife is upset her husband isn’t jealous. The husband feels his extra work isn’t appreciated.

    What does this have to do with love? The man and woman each define love differently. For him, love is practical, and is best shown by supportive gestures like car maintenance. For her, love is possessive, and a jealous response by her husband makes her feel valued.

    Understanding what makes your partner feel loved can help you navigate conflict and put romance back into your relationship. You and your partner can take the Love Style quiz from Dr. Hatkoff and find out how each of you defines love. If you learn your partner tends toward jealousy, make sure you notice when someone is flirting with him or her. If your partner is practical in love, notice the many small ways he or she shows love by taking care of everyday needs.

    Reignite romance

    Romantic love has been called a “natural addiction” because it activates the brain’s reward centre, notably the dopamine pathways associated with drug addiction, alcohol and gambling. But those same pathways are also associated with novelty, energy, focus, learning, motivation, ecstasy and craving. No wonder we feel so energized and motivated when we fall in love!

    Individuals in the early stage of intense romantic love show many symptoms of substance and non-substance.

    But we all know that romantic, passionate love fades a bit over time, and (we hope) matures into a more contented form of committed love. Even so, many couples long to rekindle the sparks of early courtship. But is it possible?

    The relationship researcher Arthur Aron, a psychology professor who directs the Interpersonal Relationships Laboratory at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, has found a way. The secret? Do something new and different — and make sure you do it together. New experiences activate the brain’s reward system, flooding it with dopamine and norepinephrine. These are the same brain circuits that are ignited in early romantic love. Whether you take a pottery class or go on a white-water rafting trip, activating your dopamine systems while you are together can help bring back the excitement you felt on your first date. In studies of couples, Dr. Aron has found that partners who regularly share new experiences report greater boosts in marital happiness than those who simply share pleasant but familiar experiences.

    Diagnose your passion level

    The psychology professor Elaine Hatfield has suggested that the love we feel early in a relationship is different than what we feel later. Early on, love is “passionate,” meaning we have feelings of intense longing for our mate. Longer-term relationships develop “companionate love,” which can be described as a deep affection, and strong feelings of commitment and intimacy.

    Where does your relationship land on the spectrum of love? The Passionate Love Scale, developed by Dr. Hatfield, of the University of Hawaii, and Susan Sprecher, a psychology and sociology professor at Illinois State University, can help you gauge the passion level of your relationship. Once you see where you stand, you can start working on injecting more passion into your partnership. Note that while the scale is widely used by relationship researchers who study love, the quiz is by no means the final word on the health of your relationship. Take it for fun and let the questions inspire you to talk to your partner about passion. After all, you never know where the conversation might lead.

    How deep is your love?

    A simple quiz to determine how you score on the passionate love scale.

    Sex

    For most couples, the more sex they have, the happier the relationship.

    How much sex are you having?

    Let’s start with the good news. Committed couples really do have more sex than everyone else. Don’t believe it? While it’s true that single people can regale you with stories of crazy sexual episodes, remember that single people also go through long dry spells. A March 2017 report found that 15 percent of men and 27 percent of women reported they hadn’t had sex in the past year. And 9 percent of men and 18 percent of women say they haven’t had sex in five years. The main factors associated with a sexless life are older age and not being married. So whether you’re having committed or married sex once a week, once a month or just six times a year, the fact is that there’s still someone out there having less sex than you. And if you’re one of those people NOT having sex, this will cheer you up: Americans who are not having sex are just as happy as their sexually-active counterparts.

    Although sexual activity is commonly believed to be a key component of emotional well-being, little is known abo…

    But who’s counting?

    Even though most people keep their sex lives private, we do know quite a bit about people’s sex habits. The data come from a variety of sources, including the General Social Survey, which collects information on behaviour in the United States and the International Social Survey Programme, a similar study that collects international data, and additional studies from people who study sex like the famous Kinsey Institute. A recent trend is that sexual frequency is declining among millennials, likely because they are less likely than earlier generations to have steady partners.

    American adults had sex about nine fewer times per year in the early 2010s compared to the late 1990s.

    Based on that research, here’s some of what we know about sex:

    • The average adult has sex 54 times a year.
    • The average sexual encounter lasts about 30 minutes.
    • About 5 percent of people have sex at least three times a week.
    • People in their 20s have sex more than 80 times per year.
    • People in their 40s have sex about 60 times a year.
    • Sex drops to 20 times per year by age 65.
    • After the age of 25, sexual frequency declines 3.2 percent annually.
    • After controlling for age and time period, those born in the 1930s had sex the most often; people born in the 1990s (millennials) had sex the least often.
    • About 20 percent of people, most of them widows, have been celibate for at least a year.
    • The typical married person has sex an average of 51 times a year.
    • “Very Happy” couples have sex, on average, 74 times a year.
    • Married people under 30 have sex about 112 times a year; single people under 30 have sex about 69 times a year.
    • Married people in their 40s have sex 69 times a year; single people in their 40s have sex 50 times a year.
    • Active people have more sex.
    • People who drink alcohol have 20 percent more sex than teetotalers.
    • On average, extra education is associated with about a week’s worth of less sex each year.

    Early and often

    One of the best ways to make sure your sex life stays robust in a long relationship is to have a lot of sex early in the relationship. A University of Georgia study of more than 90,000 women in 19 countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas found that the longer a couple is married, the less often they have sex, but that the decline appears to be relative to how much sex they were having when they first coupled. Here’s a look at frequency of married sex comparing the first year of marriage with the 10th year of marriage.

    Why does sex decline in marriage? It’s a combination of factors — sometimes it’s a health issue, the presence of children, boredom or unhappiness in the relationship. But a major factor is age. One study found sexual frequency declines 3.2 percent a year after the age of 25. The good news is that what married couples lack in quantity they make up for in quality. Data from the National Health and Social Life Survey found that married couples have more fulfilling sex than single people.

    The no-sex marriage

    Why do some couples sizzle while others fizzle? Social scientists are studying no-sex marriages for clues about what can go wrong in relationships.

    It’s estimated that about 15 percent of married couples have not had sex with their spouse in the last six months to one year.  Some sexless marriages started out with very little sex. Others in sexless marriages say childbirth or an affair led to a slowing and eventually stopping of sex. People in sexless marriages are generally less happy and more likely to have considered divorce than those who have regular sex with their spouse or committed partner.

  • Checkout ageless beauty celebs

    They are fashionable oldies spiced with a few not-too-old and not-too-young ones. Over the years, they have proven that age really is just a number when it comes to fashion sense! These beauties have the keys to the haven of style.

    Mo Abudu

    Would you look at Mo today and believe that the Media Mogul and entrepreneur clocked the golden age some years back? Not with the way she looks. At above 50, she is still turning heads. It’s hard to imagine that she has two adult children.

    Betty Irabor

    She is the forever young publisher and founder of Genevieve magazine. That this author is beautiful is not in doubt. She is both a fashion expert and an icon. And the fact that she knows what counts in current fashion despite being above 60 is not contestable. For as long as anyone can remember, Mama Betty has been a trendsetter in style. With her not too skinny figure, she looks way more radiant and healthier than many people her age or younger.

    Kate Henshaw

    Nollyswood actress and fitness enthusiast Kate Henshalw looks almost the same way she did decades back. She looks like immune to aging. Regular exercise, healthy eating habit and hard work are responsible for her great physique. The fitness enthusiast follows a strict regime of long exercise. She looks like she is in her 30s.

    Mama Bakassi

    Senator Florence Ita-Giwa

    Ageless Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, a former senator with powerful presence in the corridors of power, also enjoys a very strong presence on the fashion scene. She chooses only the best of colours, the boldest of prints, the classiest of accessories, the most fashionable footwear and the most exquisite jewelry. The ageless beauty has always been one step ahead of the game in fashion and accessories. She sure knows how to pull the look together without going overboard.

    Rita Dominic

    Rita Dominic

    Nollwood actress Rita sure knows the location of the fountain of youth. The actress turned 44 this year, but you would not believe it because she looks like someone in her 30’s. Rita looks a lot more beautiful that she did in her youth. Her hard work at keeping that her body toned and fit can be seen when she steps on the red carpet.

    Genevieve Nnaji

    Nollywood star Genevieve Nnaji, always turn heads wherever she goes. This rocker in her forties looks way younger than that and could easily stare for a young adult role. Whether it’s because of flawless genes or temporary makeup surgery, this actress still looks like she did back in the days. Her skin is so radiant, and she looks as fresh as morning breeze.

    Bambam

    Actress, entrepreneur and former BB Naija housemate Bamike Olawunmi, known professionally by his nickname BamBam, with her cute figure and maybe a few temporary makeup surgery (lol) Bambam continues to turn heads and give the older generation of celebrities a run for their money. She’s always red carpet worthy

    Nancy Isime

    Nancy Isime

    It’s hard to list the stylish and fabulous ones in Nigeria without a mention of Isime, and you can’t help but take a bow for her. Nancy is one of the hottest OAPs and actresses. She’s each and every man’s dream. As a model, she has worked with Ade Bakare, Adebayo Jones, Zizi Cardow, Shakara Couture and others

    Beverly Naya

    Beverly Naya

    Beautiful from whatever angle you look at her, the British-Nigerian actress is one of Nollywood’s best and she has remained a constant feature on the style and social scene. She was the winner of the Most Promising Talent award at the 2010 Best of Nollywood Awards.

    A sucker for classy pieces, she is still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to fashion and style.

  • Five undersea restaurants you didn’t know existed

    That’s right, you can have an exotic meal underneath the sea while relishing the view of different species of fish that swim beside and over you.

    If you think eating below the sea is reserved only for fishes and marine creatures, think again. Now you too can have breakfast, lunch and dinner with the fishes.

    All you need is a good knowledge of where the underwater restaurants are located and most importantly, money – loads of it.
    Check out these restaurants and make a choice:
    * Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
    Under the Indian Ocean off the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is the world’s first all-glass undersea restaurant, Ithaa. It is situated 16 feet below sea level and so requires a long walk down a staircase to the restaurant.

    *5.8 Undersea Restaurant
    This is an all-glass underwater restaurant. Located in the Maldives at the luxury Hurawalhi resort. The name 5.8 stems from the fact that the restaurant is located 5.8 meters below water. The restaurant is designed for intimate conversations as it accommodates not more than 10 couples.

    * Poseidon Mysterious Island
    This underwater structure is a full package; it is an undersea resort! It is situated on a small island in Fiji. This resort has on land facilities as well as underwater facilities. Poseidon promises an enchanting environment undersea with her undersea restaurant and undersea chapel and dance floor. This means, you can get married undersea! So years later when your children ask you where you got married, you can sing The Little Mermaid’s ‘Under the sea” with all understanding.

    Read Also: Eight fun places in Lagos you have to visit this weekend

    *Subsix
    Subsix is located at the Niyama Resort in the Maldives and is renowned as the world’s first underwater club. With a floor to ceiling windows, you can enjoy a meal, sway to some cool music and relax, all while drinking in the beautiful oceanic view below the Indian Ocean.

    *Under
    Recently opened in 2019, Under is the largest underwater restaurant in the world and Europe’s first underwater restaurant. Located in Norway, the restaurant looks like a large concrete tube submerged in the North Sea. The fascinating structure called Under means “wonder” in Norwegian. The wonder begins with an eight meter flight of stairs surrounded by huge transparent windows which leads to the dining area. On off hours, the building will double as a marine research

    So ladies and gentlemen, load up your bank accounts and get ready for an “Under the Sea” experience.

  • Eight fun places in Lagos you have to visit this weekend

    By Praise Olowe

    Lagos state is a beautiful coastal city with so many beautiful resort centres around. It is a place of various beauties. The city is located right by the Atlantic Ocean, thus there are various beaches and other fun places in it.

    Below is a list of fun places you can visit and have a memorable weekend experience.

    1. Elegushi Beach

    Elegushi beach

    Elegushi Royal Beach is a private beach owned by the Elegushi Royal family, led by HRM Oba Alayeluwa Saheed Ademola Elegushi. The beach is well known to be the go-to fun place for great meals, nightclubs, and hang out spots. This beach is the perfect spot for picnics, parties or social gatherings.

    2. Atican Beach Resort

    When you think about private beaches in Lagos, Atican Beach Resort is the first that should come to mind. Atican Beach resort, one of the prestigious beaches in Lagos is a pristine ocean-side destination in Lekki. The private beach resort is a centre for fun and relaxation. Its clean white sand and beautiful Carribean style layout make it a great destination for romantic getaways, group hang out and family outings. It has lodges and a restaurant too.

    Read Also: Five Interesting Places Fans Want Puyol To visit in Nigeria

    3. Eleko Beach

    Eleko beach

    Eleko Beach is located in Lekki, Eleko Beach offers a peaceful retreat for privacy seeker or couple’s looking to enjoy a good time away from the hustle of Lagos. This public beach is one of the lush beaches in Lagos, located close to La Campagne Tropicana. It offers private beach features such as bamboo huts. It also less rowdy than other public beaches in Lagos and considered to be cleaner.

    4. Tarkwa Bay Beach

    Tarrkwa Bay Beach is one of the beaches in Lagos where you can be assured a great time. A sheltered beach located near the Lagos Harbour. It’s a popular with swimmers and water-sports enthusiasts, also home to a welcoming resident community.

    5. Oniru Beach

    Oniru Beach

    One the most beautiful and serene private beaches in Lagos owned by the Oniru Royal Family. Oniru beach is one of the most sort-after beaches in Lagos because of its serenity and neatness. This beach is located on Victoria Island. It’s a popular venue for parties, live shows, and special events. When you visit Oniru Beach, ensure you are ready to have a good time and make wonderful memories.

    6) Whispering Palms

    Whispering Palms

    This is located just outside the hustle and bustle of Lagos. Whispering Palms resort is the ideal place for lovers to finally get that alone time they’ve always wanted. It has so many beautiful activities for friends, lovers and families.

    7) Lekki Leisure Lake

    Lekki Leisure Lake

    It is located opposite the three-story Vantage Beach Hotel, Lekki Leisure Lake is the best destination authentic outdoor fun in Lagos. The resort is a safe and tranquil destination suitable for a family outing, a group adventure or even a fun day out with your significant other.

    8) Coconut Beach Badagary

    Coconut Beach Badagary
    Coconut Beach Badagary

    Aptly named for its Coconut trees, this is a favourite beach in the coastal town of Badagry. The beach is located about 20 miles towards the border of Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. It is a great place to visit as a couple because it is a Coconut Beach far removed from the noise of suburbia and is instead surrounded by holiday resorts, vacation huts, fresh air, palm trees, fresh air and an open sky.

     

     

  • Five reasons why women should be financially independent

    It’s very wise to marry a man who can provide for your needs but it’s also better to be able to do so yourself. With the current situation of the economy it’s important that both parties planning to have a family are financially independent.

    Financial independence is the ability to earn a living for oneself. When a woman thinks about marriage, it is important to also think about financial independence before and during marriage.

    Getting married in our society largely necessitates respect, good family values and a lot of other great virtues for women but we often forget the need to be financially independent, having a stand of your own and also knowing how well to manage resources.

    Here why women should be financially independent:

    * A woman who is financially independent is perceived to be responsible. She is capable of taking decisions without the interference of her partner, except when she needs advice on a particular decision that involves finances.

    This increases the self-respect of such women and makes them more confident to face any situation that comes their way. Being financially independent as a woman would enable you fulfill your wishes, and also enhance your skill set.

    *A financial independent woman does not feel dependent and does not have to tolerate violence or abuse because they are dependent on their partners for everything.

    READ ALSO: How youths can be financially independent

    The truth is that a man gets tired at the long run when he is the only one providing for the family, especially when he is on the average. Therefore it is extremely important that every woman becomes financially independent so that they never have to feel hopeless in life.

    *A woman becomes a role model when she is financially dependent. She is able to support the needs of her family financially, socially and emotionally and would be seen as a role model to her children. If kids see that their mother is financially independent they would understand the value of money and that would inspire them to be self-sufficient when they grow older.

    *A woman, who is financially independent, is able to support her partner due to the rise in cost of living .We all know that to own a decent home, send kids to a good school and live decent life has become very high.

    Therefore a man cannot be left alone to cater for all this as the support of a woman would be needed. Women who are financially independent would not only contribute to everyday expenses of the household but would also help in meeting the family’s financial goals.

    *Finally, a woman who his financially independent is able to cater for the family when there are preemptive emergencies. It is no news that jobs are not super secured as anyone can lose their jobs anytime and neither is life secured. If the man is the only source of income for the family then there would be problem in the nearest future.

  • Six exams you should consider before studying abroad

    The global scene of education has opened its avenues, accommodating students from various backgrounds to further their studies in universities of their choice.

    However, most of these institutions have their academic requirements, which must be met before admission. Some of them include standardised test or exams that must be passed by students before they can be granted admission in their choices of institutions.

    Their performance in this test plays a significant role by increasing their chances into universities abroad .It also increases their chances to get financial aids or scholarships.

    Most times, individuals are required to write more than one exam depending on their choice of universities. Below are exams that should be considered:

    TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

    TOEFL evaluates the ability of an individual to understand and use English in an academic setting. This is a requirement for non-English native speakers at most of the English universities and colleges. This is also a requirement to aid scholarship.

    The score an individual gets in TOEFL is valid for two years. Colleges and universities consider only the latest scores of TOEFL therefore the test can only be written when an individual as made up their minds to study abroad as English is the most preferred language for admission all over the world.

    GRE (Graduate Record Exam)

    GRE evaluates whether an individual is ready for graduate level work. An individual is tested based on quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, analytical writing skills and also critical thinking which might not be in line with any specific study.

    GRE score is considered in admissions decisions for MBA, Specialized Masters in Business and Doctoral Programs in many universities and Colleges abroad.

    GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)

    GMAT is one of the selection criteria for admission to graduate business admission programs such as Masters of Accountancy, MBA or such other courses, mostly in the United States.

    It measures the students aptitude to gain success in graduate business studies .The test is a computer based standardized test in English language and Mathematics.

    SAT (Scholastics Aptitude Test)

    This test is taken by high school students with no criteria for minimum marks but there are colleges who require good scores in SAT along with academic scores.

    The test evaluates critical thinking skills and also the ability to analyze and solve mathematical problems, critical thinking and writing. The exam shows a student’s competitiveness and their probability of succeeding in the course at the long run.

    ACT (America College Test)

    ACT test is a standardised test for achievement in high school. The test ensures that all students are given fair judgment.

    The ACT tests an individual in four different areas, Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Science Reasoning. This is not an aptitude test but it is related directly to the courses studied in school.

    IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

    IELTS is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. The test assesses students in four areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing.

    Interestingly, the test doesn’t have a pass or fail system. You will be ranked on a scale from 0 to 9, 9 being an expert user in English. Depending on the reason for you taking the test (career, living in a foreign country, studying), you will be needing a certain score. In the UK for a general Tier 4 Student Visa, you’ll need to achieve a 5.5 overall and in each of the four areas that you are tested.

    So before you book your test, be sure to check which one is right for you.

  • How true are the claims by Fani-Kayode on the aviation sector?

    Claim 1– five plane crashes with a death toll of 453 were recorded the year before Femi Fani Kayode became Minister of Aviation

    Claim 2 – There were no plane crashes during his tenure as Minister of Aviation

    Claim 3 – Plane crashes resumed after his tenure as Minister of Aviation

    Conclusion – Femi Fani Kayode’s claims are PARTLY TRUE. His claim that 453 lives were lost in five plane crashes is not accurate.

    The actual figure is over 333 lives lost in four plane crashes with the fifth crash not having an official death toll.

    Also, there was no plane crash during his tenure but there was a helicopter crash!

    Full Story

    On the 6th of August 2019, former Minister of Aviation took to his twitter page to applaud himself. Femi Fani Kayode, usually denoted with the moniker FFK, boasted about his success as an Aviation Minister in Nigeria; remarking that there had been no plane crash during his tenure.

    He claimed that there were five plane crashes with a total loss of 453 lives in the year prior to his appointment. Asserting this statistic, he continued that there were no recorded crashes during his tenure but that these resumed afterwards.

    “The year before I became Minister of Aviation there were 5 plane crashes with the loss of 453 lives.

    “When I became Minister, the planes stopped crashing. There was not one crash under my watch.

    “When I left the Ministry, planes started crashing again. I must have done something right!”

    Verification

    Femi Fani Kayode was Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation from November 7, 2006 to 29 May 2007. For the limits of this fact check, we would be analysing data from January 2005 to November 2006.

    This is consequent on the timeline being “the year before I became Minister…” Thus, it follows he was referring to 2005 to 2006.

    A report by The Telegraph reveals there were in fact four major plane crashes during the chosen timeline. However, local news media ChannelsTV and TheNationOnline record five plane crashes; although, Harka Airline crash of 2005 does not having any official figures.

    This may or may not be the reason it was omitted from the former. The verifiable claims reveal over 333 lives were lost making claim 1 PARTLY TRUE.

    This is consequent on the fact that local records reveal there were in fact five plane crashes were lives were lost. However, Harka Airlines has no official death toll.

    A breakdown from January 1, 2005 to November 7, 2006 is as follows:

    •October 22, 2005: A Bellview Airlines Boeing 737 with 117 people on board crashed shortly after take-off from Lagos. All on board killed. This included 111 passengers and 6 crew members.

    •December 10, 2005: A Port Harcourt bound Sosoliso Airlines flight 1145 crash-landed in Port Harcourt Airport, killing 109 passengers including 60 students of Jesuit Loyola College, Abuja.

    •September 17, 2006: an 18-seater Dornier 228 Air Force transport plane carrying 15 senior army officers and three crew members crashed in Benue State; leaving three survivors.

    •October 29, 2006: An ADC airliner with 114 passengers on board crashed and burned after take-off from Abuja with reports confirming a death toll of 96–98.

    There were, however, some minor aviation accidents, which include planes overshooting the runway, tires and engines catching fire but no lives were lost.

    Meanwhile, CLAIM 2 which asserts that there was no plane crash during Femi Fani Kayode’s tenure as Aviation Minister is also MOSTLY TRUE. The operative phrase being “plane crash”.

    The reason being that the only aviation crash was a six- seater helicopter belonging to Odengene Air Shuttle (OAS). This crashed in Delta State killing two people on November 10, 2006.

    In June 3, 2012, Nigeria experienced a plane crash – Dana Airlines Flight 9J 992. The airliner, carrying 153 passengers on board crashed at a residential area of Iju-Ishaga, Lagos.

    No one survived the crash. This thus corroborates the former Aviation Minister’s remarks “…When I left the Ministry, planes started crashing again…” It follows, claim 3 is TRUE.

    Other crashes post FFK tenure include but not limited to Cessna 208 aircraft marked 5N-BMJ (October 25, 2012) and Associated Airlines (October 3rd, 2013).

    Conclusion

    Femi Fani Kayode’s claims are PARTLY TRUE. His claim that 453 lives were lost in five plane crashes is not accurate.

    The actual figure is over 333 lives lost in four plane crashes with the fifth crash not having an official death toll.

    Also, there was no plane crash during his tenure, but there was a helicopter crash! There were also crashes after his tenure.

  • Nigeria-born boxers that represented other countries

    Boxing is a passionate sport in Nigeria. It is one sport people love, and they actually practice.

    Nigerians still remember Bash Ali and his exploits in the early 2000s but the country, blessed with various potentials, still have some persons who are excellent but did not fight for the country.

    The Nation looks at a few of them, and their exploits for their “adopted” lands:

    · David Dejiro Defiagbon

    Nicknamed “The Dream”, Defiagbon fought for Canada and won the heavyweight silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

    Born in Sapele, Nigeria, Defiagbon won gold in the welterweight (– 67 kg) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

    As a light-middleweight, he won a bronze medal in the 1991 All-Africa Games in Cairo.

    In 1992 in Barcelona at the Summer Olympics he represented Nigeria and was eliminated in the first round of the light middleweight division (7 to 8 against Raúl Márquez).

    He went on to fight for Canada for whom he won the heavyweight silver medal (limit 201 lbs) at the 1996 Summer Olympics beating Nate Jones, losing to Félix Savón.

    · Anthony Joshua

    Anthony Joshua

    Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua is not the only Nigerian-born world heavyweight boxing champion to have represented another country.

    Joshua’s Nigerian background can be specifically traced back to Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State.

    He is a former unified world heavyweight champion having held the WBA (Super), IBF and WBO titles between 2016 and 2019.

    AJ, as he is popularly called, represented England at the 2011 World Championships as an amateur in the super-heavyweight division, winning a silver medal. He also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics, winning gold.

    In 2017, his victorious fight against Wladimir Klitschko was named Fight of the Year by The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

    · Henry Akinwande

    Henry Akinwande was born of Nigerian parents in London, England and started his career as an Amateur boxer. He represented Great Britain in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

    Akinwande made his professional debut in 1989 against Carlton Headley in London and impressively claimed victory in his first 18 bouts. He has total fights of 55, he won 50 (30 KO), lost 4 and Drew 1.

    · Herbert Okechukwu Maduagwu (Herbie Hide)

    Okechukwu is a former professional boxer who fought for England. He held the WBO heavyweight title twice. He is best known for his victories over Michael Bentt and Tony Tucker.

    Herbert was born on 27th August 1971 to Nigerian parents in Amauzari, Imo State in Nigeria but he moved to England as a young boy.

    He has fought for most of his career at heavyweight but later decided to take a step down to cruiserweight.

    He is known as The Dancing Destroyer and has had a successful career, rising to domestic success at a very young age for a heavyweight. Hide has twice won the lesser regarded (at the time) WBO heavyweight title.

    His career began in 1989 with a second round win and he racked up a total of 25 successive wins, all but one inside the distance. His level of opposition was respectable and included fighters such as Jeff Lampkin and James Pritchard.

    Read Also: Nigeria-born football stars who never played for Super Eagles

    At 25-0 (24 KOs), Hide challenged Michael Bentt for the WBO heavyweight title in March 1994 at Millwall Football Stadium, Millwall, London.

    The inexperienced Bentt had won the title by knocking out the heavily favoured Tommy Morrison in one round. The fight made headlines after the two boxers scuffled and threw punches at a pre-fight meeting, whilst in the bout itself, Hide outboxed and knocked out Bentt in 7 rounds (who was then hospitalised and never fought again).

    A year later, Hide defended his title against former undisputed champion Riddick Bowe.

    Hide impressed with his courage, repeatedly picking himself off the canvas, before he was knocked out in the sixth round.

    After his loss to Bowe, Hide fought twice in 1996, winning both by KO against Michael Murray and Frankie Swindell before earning another shot at the now-vacant WBO title in June 1997 against 38-year-old one-time IBF title holder Tony Tucker, despite Tucker losing three of his previous five fights.

    Hide knocked out the overweight Tucker in two rounds. Hide defended his WBO title twice in 1998 with quick stoppages of late replacement cruiserweight club fighter Damon Reed and German Willi Fischer.

    In June 1999, Hide faced Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko, only the second world ranked fighter he had actually faced after Riddick Bowe. Hide, favoured to win at the time, was knocked out in two rounds.

    Hide never featured as a main contender at heavyweight again, his only mildly notable wins coming against Joseph Chingangu (who also knocked Hide out in one of Hide’s many comebacks) and Alexander Vasiliev.

    In 2006, Hide stepped down a weight division to a more natural weight division at cruiserweight. Since then he has won fourteen successive fights, most of which took place in Germany. Hide defeated Mikhail Nasyrov in December 2007 to win the WBC International cruiserweight title.

    His total fights was 53, won 49(43 KO) and lost 4.

    · Ikemefuna Ibeabuchi

    Charles Ikemefula Ibeabuchi was clearly one of the best boxers with Nigerian heritage but his career has been enmeshed with crime and controversy.

    Perhaps Ibeabuchi nicknamed ‘The President’ would have been better off as a military officer in the Nigerian army, a career he wanted to take up until he watched a heavyweight fight between James ‘Busta’ Douglas and Mike Tyson which the former won by a knockout in 1990.

    That fight was the inspiration he needed to launch a career in the rings first as an amateur fighter before the leap to professional boxing.

    Of note was his victory at amateur category over fellow Nigeria’s Duncan Dokiwari who won bronze at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

    Ibeabuchi emigrated to United States and moved to the Dallas area with his mother in 1993 and made his professional debut at heavyweight with a second round knockout of Ismael Garcia on October 13, 1994.

    After winning 16 straight fights from the start of his career, he made a big jump in competition and fought undefeated prospect David Tua for the WBC International Heavyweight title on June 7, 1997. Tua was 27-0 and considered by many analysts to be ‘the next Mike Tyson’. But Ibeabuchi defeated Tua in one of the fiercest heavyweight bouts in history.

    His total fights was 20, won 20 (15 KO) and lost 0.

  • Eight reasons to stay single

    There is always pressure on individuals who have attained the age to be in a romantic relationship.

    Sometimes this pressure comes from family, at other times from friends.

    However, there are compelling reasons to stay single! It’s worth thinking about those before rushing into a relationship.

    According to the Law of Attraction, it is better to be fully ready before getting into a romantic relationship.

    Check the reasons:

    1. Clichés about Single People Miss the Mark

    Firstly, some people assume that being single means you are unsociable, unattractive, selfish or immature.

    Consequently, you may feel pressured to be in a relationship, even if you don’t really want to be in one or haven’t really found a suitable partner.

    The reality is that single people can thrive, be deeply charismatic and entirely unselfish all while staying single.

    Try to let go of the idea that being single means you’re not successful.

    2. You May Not Love Yourself Yet

    It’s said a lot, but that’s because it’s true: You can’t truly love someone else until you’ve learned to love yourself.

    If you’re still working on your self-esteem or on getting to know yourself, it’s well worth putting off the formation of romantic relationships. This way, if or when you do decide to find a partner, you can go into it as a confident, self-aware individual who has a good sense of their own needs.

    3. You May Not Be Happy Yet

    On a related note, so many people rush into a relationship hoping that it will fix their problems or make them feel happy. Just as with self-esteem, you need to learn how to be happy on your own so that you don’t put this kind of burden on a relationship.

    Spend time figuring out what you want your life to look like! Plus, focus on finding pursuits that you can enjoy as a single person.

    4. Being Single Provides Freedom

    It’s also important to remember that there are pros and cons to being in a committed relationship.

    The spontaneity available to you as a single person is not to be taken for granted… You can spend your money as you like, live how you want, book last minute trips and plan solely according to what you want.

    Perhaps this is a time in your life when it’s important to simply enjoy that freedom, lest you resent giving it up too quickly.

    5. You May Be Carrying Too Much Baggage

    When you struggle to manifest something that you want, like love, it is often because you’re still holding too much negative emotion about that thing.

    If you stay single long enough to process your feelings and thoughts about past relationships, you can attract and fully commit to a loving, stable connection with a new person.

    6. Friendships Are Just As Valuable

    Yes, you can certainly maintain friendships while dating, but the more significant relationships you have (as well as other life commitments) the harder it is to keep up with them all.

    One reason for staying single is that you might be just as fulfilled by loving friendships as you would by romance. And, unlike romance, those friendships allow you complete autonomy over all your life choices.

    7. There Are Unhealthy Reasons To Want A Relationship

    Another reason why you might be better off single right now is that you may not be motivated by a genuine desire for love. Perhaps, instead, you want to make an ex-partner jealous, you struggle with your own company, or maybe you want to fit in with your social group.

    Whatever the underlying reason, until you are in a place where you want to pursue love for its own sake, you won’t be able to manifest the partnership that’s really right for you.

    8. Being Single Allows Exploration

    Whether you want the freedom to casually date without commitment or want more literal exploration

    This fosters personal development. It also reduces the risk of you feeling resentful if or when you do decide that you want to leave the single life behind.

  • Five lucrative ways to use whatsapp for business

    The simplicity of Whatsapp shouldn’t fool you into thinking its use is limited to mere casual chatter. Whatsapp can be a powerful and highly cost-effective business tool to those who know how to properly employ its features for business. Here are five lucrative ways to use Whatsapp for business.

    For customer engagement and support

    Whatsapp is a great tool for delivering customer service and a great platform for customer engagement and support. Whatsapp’s SMS features and its ability to send images, video clips, documents, media and audio files make it a great tool for customer engagement and support; it can be used to engage customers and help increase sales as well as garner a good reputation for your business. Whatsapp is also a great follow up tool for converting business leads into repeat orders, and is a platform for you to also share regular updates about your business at little or no cost rather than through email or SMS. It’s also an effective, convenient and cost-effective way for customers to reach out to you when they have complaints or feedback on your products or services, rather than customers wasting time and spending hundreds of Naira on-hold, waiting for their calls to be picked on a customer care line.

    For market survey

    Whatsapp is a great interactive tool for getting real-time suggestions and feedback from your customers about your products and services, through brief and concise questions relating to the areas of your business or service you need information on.

    For promotions or advertising

    In addition to helping with customer engagement and support, Whatsapp offers a good platform for promoting your products, discount or sales offers. If you don’t want to broadcast messages, you can use your display picture, status updates and even profile updates to promote or advertise your products or services. If you want to be creative and put in some extra effort, you can send out e-brochures with images of a product, video clips containing directions on the use of a product, or video clips on discount or sales offerings on your products or services to targeted people or groups on Whatsapp. You can also solicit responses to your videos or e-brochures at the same time.

    Read Also: TechTips: How to retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages

    For business services and transactions

    As a business owner, you can encourage your customer to make orders for your products or services on Whatsapp, and you can even hold E-Classes or Tutorials on Whatsapp. In cases where your students might find it hard to get together at a central venue, Whatsapp can easily be the venue for your tutorial classes, and Whatsapp media, documents and audio file sharing feature makes it very interactive for an online tutorial platform. Your students can easily make the payments to be included in the class before-hand, and once the payment is confirmed, you add the students to the closed Whatsapp group for your tutorial class. Even concierge services can be run through Whatsapp, as well as other similar business services.

    For internal team communication

    A great thing about Whatsapp is that practically everyone uses it and it really doesn’t require any training to use. In addition, you don’t need to explicitly ask your employees or team members to check the app because chances are they’re already hooked to it, this makes Whatsapp a great tool for internal team communication. You can form Whatsapp group for different teams in your business, for example you can form a Whatsapp group for the Business Strategy team, another for the Sales and Development team etc. Your team can share ideas, instant messages, images, audio files, video clips and other media among themselves in a quick and fun way. You also don’t need to be too afraid of the information shared on the these groups getting out because Whatsapp messages are protected with an end-to-end encryption that not only makes it one of the safest messaging apps in existence, but also adequately protects your data from leaks.