The Nation Newspaper

Category: Online Special

  • What’s the right age for a child to have smartphone?

    The right age for children to have their cell phones is up to their parents. No parent has an answer to this question but some parents would like their child to have one only when they are of the appropriate age.

    However, it is important to understand that times have changed, and the world is not as safe for children as it used to be.

    Most parents feel that a child should get a phone between the age 10-12. Kids’ access to phones allows them to have total control over this powerful communication tool, which helps them in sending messages, images and videos to their friends as well as accessing websites on the internet.

    Read Also; Children’s day: 11 ways to prevent your child from sexual abuse

    Recently, children in primary schools were seen using phones but research from 2016 shows that the average age for a child to have their first phone is 10, although many parents wait for their children to start school at the age of 11 or 12 or rather as a gift.

    If a parent is going to allow smartphones at this age, there should be cautions against letting young kids watch harmless videos on YouTube without monitoring them because children can end up being redirected to inappropriate content without parents’ knowledge.

    There are some things to put in mind before handing a phone to your child. A parent should consider safety reasons, the purpose of the child using the phone, responsibility and internet safety.

  • 10 tips for staying safe during a flood

    By Praise Olowe

    Recent cases of death caused by drowning have become very alarming as communities across several states in Nigeria are currently grappling with the devastating effects of flooding caused by heavy rains.

    The most important thing during and after a flood is your own safety.

    Here are ten tips for staying safe during a flood.

    • Do not walk through moving water. As little as 6 inches of moving water can make you fall.
    • Do not swim, or drive through flood waters. Turn Around, Don’t Drown!
    • Stay off bridges over fast-moving water. Fast-moving water can wash bridges away without warning.
    • Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely.

    Read Also: Missing Adewura Bello found dead in Lagos canal

    • Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.
    • If your home is flooded, turn off your electricity when you return home
    • Stay away from downed power lines, and report them to the power company.
    • Return home only when authorities indicate it is safe.
    • Stay out of any building if it is surrounded by floodwaters.
    • Clean and disinfect everything that got wet. Mud left from floodwater can contain sewage and chemicals.

  • Children’s day: 11 ways to prevent your child from sexual abuse

    There could not have been a better time than now to protect our children from sexual abuse considering the increasing spate of sexual abuses in the society today.

    Therefore, in the spirit of children’s day, we present to you tips to preventing your children from sexual harassment

     

    Show interest in their day-to-day lives: It is important as parents or guidance to always ask your children what they did during the day and who they did it with. Who did they sit with at lunchtime? What games did they play after school? Did they enjoy themselves?

    Get to know the people in your child’s life. Know who your child is spending time with, including other children and adults. Ask your child about the kids they go to school with, the parents of their friends, and other people they may encounter, such as teammates or coaches. Talk about these people openly and ask questions so that your child can feel comfortable doing the same.

    Choose caregivers carefully: Whether it’s a babysitter, a new school, or an afterschool activity, be careful and diligent about screening caregivers for your child.

    Talk about body parts early.

    Name body parts and talk about them very early. Use proper names for body parts, or at least teach your child what the actual words are for their body parts. Feeling comfortable using these words and knowing what they mean can help a child talk clearly if something inappropriate has happened

    Teach them that some body parts are private: Tell your children that their private parts are called private because they are not for everyone to see. Tell them that people outside should only see them with their clothes on.

    Read Also: 14-yr-old girl ‘gang-raped’ shuns palliative intervention

    Tell your children that body secrets are not okay.

    Most perpetrators will tell the child to keep the abuse a secret. This can be done in a friendly way, such as, “I love playing with you, but if you tell anyone else what we played they won’t let me come over again.” Or it can be a threat: “This is our secret. If you tell anyone I will tell them it was your idea and you will get in big trouble!” Tell your kids that no matter what anyone tells them, body secrets are not okay and they should always tell you if someone tries to make them keep a body secret.

    Tell your children they will never be in trouble if they tell you a body secret.

    Children often believe that not saying anything would save them from trouble. This fear is often used by the perpetrator. Tell your child that no matter what happens, when they tell you anything about body safety or body secrets they will never get in trouble.

    Know the warning signs: Become familiar with the warning signs of child sexual abuse, and notice any changes with your child, no matter how small. Whether it’s happening to your child or a child you know, you have the potential to make a big difference in that person’s life by stepping in.

    Encourage children to speak up:

    When someone knows that their voice will be heard and taken seriously, it gives them the courage to speak up when something isn’t right. You can start having these conversations with your children as soon as they begin using words to talk about feelings or emotions.

    Be available: Set time aside to spend with your child where they have your undivided attention. Let your child know that they can come to you if they have questions or if someone is talking to them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. If they do come to you with questions or concerns, follow through on your word and make the time to talk.

    Give them the chance to raise new topics. Sometimes asking direct questions like, “Did you have fun?” and “Was it a good time?” won’t give you the answers you need. Give your child a chance to bring up their own concerns or ideas by asking open-ended questions like “Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

  • ’93 million Nigerians now living in extreme poverty’

    Over 93 million Nigerians are living in extreme poverty, according to data obtained at the World Poverty Clock, a Vienna, Austria-based data lab

    According to the data by World Poverty Clock, created by Vienna-based World Data Lab, 93.641 million Nigerians were living below a dollar a day as of May, 25 2019.

    The Nation understands that the target escape rate is 15.3%, while the current escape rate is at -4.3.

    A report released in February 2019 revealed that at least three million Nigerians have slipped into extreme poverty between November 2018 and February 2019.

    Recall that in June 2018, the Brookings Institution projected that Nigeria had overtaken India, as the poverty capital of the world, with 86.9 million extremely poor people.

    Read Also: Blame us, not Valverde, for Anfield collapse

    This was further confirmed by the British Prime Minister Theresa May, who said Nigeria had become home to the largest number of very poor people in the world, putting the figures at 87 million.

    “Much of Nigeria is thriving, with many individuals enjoying the fruits of a resurgent economy, yet 87 million Nigerians live below $1 and 90 cents a day, making it home to more very poor people than any other nation in the world,” the UK prime minister had said.

    Since May made this observation in South Africa in August, the number of Nigerians living in extreme poverty has grown to 93.641 million, with six people falling into poverty every minute, according to Brookings Institution.

  • PMB’s second term: Ain’t no stopping us now, we’re on the move

    Those who were young (men-about-town) in the 80s will remember the 1979 hit track by McFadden & Whitehead, titled Ain’t no stopping us now. The lyrics goes thus:

    Ain’t no stopping us now!

    We’re on the move!

    Ain’t no stopping us now!

    We’ve got the groove!

    And if you ponder and reflect on the political journey of President Muhammadu Buhari, right from 2003, when he threw his hat into the ring, till now, there have been spirited attempts to stop him. It got to a head in the build up to the 2019 elections, when a pernicious confederacy was put together, all to stop Nigeria’s inexorable march to greatness. It failed, resoundingly.

    On Wednesday, May 29, 2019, President Buhari will take oath for second term in office. Millions of good Nigerians will be delirious with joy, but some other significant minority would be in ‘sifia’ (severe) pains. Why? Ain’t no stopping Muhammadu Buhari, he’s on the move! The man will get his groove, and evildoers will be in trouble.

    The combat between light and darkness, evil and good, has been an eternal one. Some people love darkness more than light, because it is under the cover of darkness that they thrive, luxuriating in their evil acts: grand larceny, plunder, killings, and others. So, they will never love the Mai Gaskiya (the honest man), and would do everything to stop him, or pull him down.

    The efforts to stop Buhari have been robust, pulsating. After a reputation of honesty and probity as military governor, petroleum minister, member of the Supreme Military Council, his colleagues found no one better to wear the diadem as military head of state than the ramrod straight man from Daura. And he began to reset the foundations of Nigeria, knocking sense into the heads of the corrupt and those prone to indiscipline. It was no longer business as usual.

    But the dream run lasted only 20 months, before they truncated it. The landlords of Nigeria struck, and stopped Buhari. Up in smoke went probity and accountability. Discipline flew out through the window. And we went back to a place worse than square one.

    The man came back as a reformed democrat. He sought to be president in 2003, 2007, and 2011. But those in mortal fear of righteousness in high places banded together, and stopped him. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had perfected the art of elections manipulation, and they used it to the hilt.

    However, in 2015, there ain’t no more stopping Buhari. A massive coalition for change was built around him, and good Nigerians stood up for the champion. Did he live happily ever after? Not on your lives! The adversaries went after him. Ran, pursued, and attempted to overtake. All sorts of things, physical and spiritual, were thrown at him, just to get rid of the man who would not steal, and not allow people to steal.

    A debilitating illness came. And for most of 2017, the President was receiving medical attention, both at home and abroad. Instead of goodwill and prayers, they were rejoicing. We’ve finally stopped him, they gloated. But did they? Could they? Not if God was still alive.

    Ain’t no stopping Buhari, as in August 2017, he got back his groove. His health rebounded, and he resumed work fully.

    But would Pharaoh desist from pursuing Israel? No. He was destined to perish in a watery grave, so he pursued Israel into the sea. They formed what they called a coalition, vowing that they would stop Buhari from winning the 2019 elections. This was after letters had flown around from the master letter writer, virtually commanding the President to dismount from the horse. That letter writer thinks he’s the landlord of Nigeria, as anybody he moved against never survived. He felt he could enthrone and dethrone leaders at will. But the Yoruba people say it’s the day that the witch kills twins that she stops eating meat. The letter writer bit more than he could chew, and it stuck in his throat. He formed a political coalition, it collapsed right in his face. He first adopted a political party to use in his bid to unseat the incumbent, then in act of utter confusion, he abandoned that new party, and went for candidate of the PDP.

    The same man he had spent the past 10 years destroying, writing volumes and volumes of verbiage against, he now attempted to sell to Nigerians. Were we fools?

    Read also: PHOTOS: Buhari hosts business community

    See the grand conspiracy by those who called themselves ‘Atikulators.’ They included former presidents, some retired military top brass, disgruntled senior civil servants, business people, preachers, and the elite, generally. The sluice gates of free funds had been slammed shut, and they were unhappy. As dolorous as King Lear at his worst.

    The letter writer mobilized the international community, feeding them with misinformation and disinformation. Fulanization. Islamization, and other creepy concoctions. He was already addressing the PDP candidate as “my incoming President.” Oh, how so very easy to build castles in the air!

    Marabouts, witches, wizards, and false prophets masquerading as pastors, bishops, and archbishops also joined the fray. They began to spew falsehood, which they attributed to God. He that sits in Heaven just laughed at them, and held them in utter derision.

    All those who were on the wrong side of the law joined the conspiracy. Ex-this, ex-that, who had abused their offices, and were being made to answer questions, crept under the umbrella. They knew if their man won, their cases would die natural deaths. So, for them, it was a matter of life and death.

    They came with spurious political permutations and calculations. Votes in North-west and North-east would be shared. They would sweep North-central, where they had spent the last two years trying to demonize and de-market Buhari and his political party. South-west would also be shared, and then, they would win South-east and South-south wholesale. It seemed foolproof on paper, particularly when you also throw in massive vote buying, hacking of all the hackables, and a complicit judiciary as Plan B. They were already planning how to sell Nigeria, and tell the poor to go to hell.

    But they didn’t reckon with the staying power of the poor and the downtrodden. They are people who know where their bread would be buttered, and where their future happiness lay. In their millions, they trooped out to vote for the honest man. They chose light, instead of darkness. At the end of it all, about four million votes separated the men from the boys.

    The man left holding the short end of the stick went to court, claiming some servers from George Orwell’s sugar candy mountain, gave him victory. It’s within his democratic rights. Ain’t no stopping Buhari now, he’s on the move!

    In recent weeks, banditry, killings, murder and mayhem have suffused the length and breadth of the country. Everything appears orchestrated, choreographed, to achieve certain ends. The law enforcement agencies are pointing fingers in certain directions. But Nigerians want them to do more. Pull in the evildoers, and let them face the law. That is what President Buhari tells them at each security council meeting, too. And we will get there. Soon and very soon, because we’ve got the groove. When the ram runs, its testicles dangle furiously from side to side. But no matter what, the testicles can never fall off. Nigeria will remain united, despite all machinations of the evil ones.

    In that song by McFadden & Whitehead, you have these lines:

    There’s been so many things that’s held us down,

    But now it looks like things are finally comin’ round.

    Yes. Things are coming round for Nigeria. We will get to where we are headed. Our fair havens, land flowing with milk and honey. The crooked and corrupt won’t ever stop us, nor would they rule us again, and the wealth of Nigeria will be used for the good of Nigerians. Ain’t no stopping us now, we’re on the move!

    .Adesina is Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity

  • Travails of elderly women raped by younger men

    The first time Nneka was raped, she got bruised in the hips by her only grandson. Nonso, 21, had visited her room the third night after she celebrated her 85th birthday; “He said he came to shut my windows and I seized the opportunity to thank him once again for the role he played in making my 85th anniversary a memorable one,” said Nneka. That fateful night, Nonso offered to apply shea butter on his grandma’s ankles and wrists like he usually did since she developed joint pains. “It was soothing the way he rubbed it in my joints but just as I was drifting off to sleep, his grip became fierce on my wrists. Suddenly, he climbed over me and covered my mouth with his left palm. With his right, he yanked off my wrapper and rubbed shea butter on my private part. I warned him that what he was about to do was an abomination but he ignored me and shoved his groin against me very roughly. I told him, ‘My child, my body is too old for you; my bones will break under you’ but he ignored me and warned me to cooperate and he would be gentle. But he was not gentle,” said the 85-year old. Thus when her entreaties with her grandson failed, she resigned to his power and lust.

    As she recounted her experience, Nneka’s eyes glistened with tears she would not shed. Fighting back tears, she reached for a fresh orange in a bowl on a stool by her bedside and sucked on it with conquering immersion, all the piteous miseries of her life seemingly summoned in her toothless mouth. Her face, hard and pear-shaped provided a soiled, pale background to her sunken eyes; her eyes, twitching open and close in rhythm with the groove where her mouth met with the fruit rind, seemed in search of something; comfort perhaps.

    Soon she lifted her mouth off the orange to emit a yawn, her mouth straining wide open like she meant to vomit in one breath, the agony interred in her buried narratives. With submissive sternness, she said: “That was only the first time. Nonso visited my room thrice afterwards. The fourth time he did it, Jecintha, his mother, and sister were awake in the living room. They were watching television. I was sore all over and I hurt in my private part but he didn’t care. He said he was only taking compensation for the stress he goes through living with me and caring for me…But I never requested that he come live with me. In fact, his mother came to dump him with me few days before he turned 15. She said she couldn’t handle his frequent tantrums and disrespect to his stepfather. Nonso’s father had died and when his mother remarried, he couldn’t get along with his stepfather.

    “So, tell me, how did I do wrong by accepting him? The fourth time he raped me, I told him to be gentle but he wasn’t. When my entreaties failed, I begged him to use the sheabutter. In his haste, he used the one that had been mixed with a very searing mentholated balm. This caused my private part to bruise and by the time he finished, I was smarting from within and outside my genitals. When he finished, he cleaned my vagina with a wet cloth. I am sure he intended to use my body fluid for money ritual. But he has failed. It won’t work,” said Nneka.

    The situation persisted until Chiamaka, Nneka’s second daughter and Nonso’s aunt came visiting. Chiamaka, who had been shuttling between Lagos and their family house in Enugu in preparation for her marriage discovered blood and pus stains on two of her mother’s wrappers and the genital area of her pants. Worriedly, she asked her mother if she had suffered any wound on her private part or if she was experiencing any bacterial infection in her genitals but the 85-year-old responded in the non-affirmative, stressing that the bloodstains were probably from bruises she sustained from washing her private part too vigorously with local sponge.

    Read Also: Family of ‘gang-raped’ girl objects to police investigation

    “But mama stopped using local sponge a long while ago. After she told me, I visited her bathroom and discovered that she had only the foamy sponge I bought for her few months earlier,” said Chiamaka. At that point, she suspected that something foul was going on. She did not want to believe the suspicions coursing through her mind hence she invited their family doctor, a distant cousin who pleaded anonymity.

    Following tests conducted on the grandmother, the doctor invited one of her colleagues, a resident doctor in a teaching

    •Another scene from a protest in southeast Nigeria; women in the region have taken to the streets in recent times to protest sexual assault against elderly women and young ladies in their communities
    •Another scene from a protest in southeast Nigeria; women in the region have taken to the streets in recent times to protest sexual assault against elderly women and young ladies in their communities hospital, to reexamine the 85-year-old. To their chagrin, the results showed that their frail 85-year-old mother had suffered severe vaginal scarring and bacterial infection in her genital area.

    Continue on Page 2

  • Four things your laptop can do better than your smartphone

    Smartphones have become very popular that many think that they can do anything and everything. This is not true. Before you give away or sell that old laptop without replacing it consider these things your laptop can do better than your smartphone.

    Managing email

    A lot of us now check our emails on our smartphones and tap out responses when needed, but is this really such a good idea? Try turning off notifications from your mobile email client for a while and see if you actually miss it. What’s certain is you can’t manage your email on a phone the same way you can on a computer. Take Gmail on the desktop web and Gmail on mobile, for instance. Here’s just some of the stuff you can do on the web but not your phone: Drag emails between categories, email groups of contacts, quickly switch between plain text and rich text, and send money with a message.

    Getting online

    Every modern browser comes with a mobile equivalent that will happily sync across browsing histories and passwords and bookmarks—but spend any extended time on the web and it’s clear the mobile experience just doesn’t stand up to what you can get through the browser on your desktop. Most sites are suitably optimized for online viewing, and so flicking through stories is straightforward enough.

    Editing photos

    Smartphone apps are good for adding filters on top of photos and that’s about it. If you’re doing anything more than uploading something to Instagram then you need to really consider whether a laptop or desktop is better for the job. First, you’ve got a much bigger screen to work with, and that means getting a better view of your pictures and the edits you’re making. Second, you’ve got the benefit of a keyboard and mouse—much more precise tools when you’re trying to cut out pixels or blend shapes or crop a particular area.

    Read Also: Five ways to turn your hobby into a full-time job

    Writing and editing anything

    Obviously, you can’t tap out your next great novel on a smartphone screen as easily as you can on a keyboard. But the benefits of writing on a computer rather than a mobile go way beyond the convenience of the input device. There’s the ease with which you can highlight, copy and paste, for example—the keyboard shortcuts come in handy here—which means you’re not hampered as soon as you want to do anything other than just type. Let’s not forget how simple a computer makes it get up multiple windows on macOS or Windows, making referencing and cross-referencing substantially easier than it is through the multitasking available on Android and iOS.

  • Five ways to turn your hobby into a full-time job

    A hobby is an activity that you do just for fun and at your own leisure time. It may be singing, dancing, drawing, speaking or any other creative activity that you perform with little or no efforts.

    While there are folks out there that have leveraged on their hobby or talent to earn a living and become popular, others see their hobby as just a hobby which is not supposed to be. It is very possible that you can earn a leaving and become an entrepreneur from your hobby. Here are some helpful tips on how to do this.

    Determine if your hobby can earn you a living

    You do not simply abandon every other activity and turn to your hobby for sustenance. The first thing you must do is to determine if your hobby can actually take you to the promised land. If it does not, it is better you do your hobby as a side business while continuing your 9 to 5 job or do something entirely different from your hobby.

    Read Also: ‘My husband slapped me for asking him to wash plates’

    Do not stop innovating

    After you have confirmed whether you can earn a living from your hobby, the next thing to do is to innovate. Innovation means introducing new ways to perform tasks or duties. It makes your job exciting and interesting. It also nips boredom in the bud especially when you have been doing the same thing for years. Importantly, innovation makes your product unique because there is nothing new under the sun.

    Never give up

    If you are confident about your hobby, then giving up should be dumped in the trash can. Be persistent and know that you will hit the jackpot one day. Network, innovate and be positive. There will be setbacks but keep trying. When the bomb of your time explodes, you will be amazed at the number of offers you will receive. You will have no choice than to eventually quit your full-time job and make your hobby your full-time job.

    Do not be opposed to feedback

    Feedback helps you know your areas of improvement. Do not be opposed to it and you will be better for it. Welcome it, implement it and without a doubt, you will stand out from the crowd. Feedback can come in any form, always be patient to listen and do not argue because it is futile. Consequently, you can screen the feedbacks and sincerely pick the ones that are most relevant to you.

    Package your hobby

    There is a difference between a roadside barbing salon and a barbing salon located in a mall. Both are doing the same thing but the packaging and branding are miles apart. You should do the same with your hobby. Package and brand it in such a way that it will appeal to your target audience or the social strata that are interested in your product or service.

  • Early signs of depression

    Depression is real. As unlikely for you to think you can ever be depressed, depression can set in very subtly. It can creep in ever so quietly that you might not even know you are depressed.

    It can affect anyone; young or old, rich or poor, female or male and last for years! This is why it is important to take note of the early symptoms of depression so that you can take necessary actions.

    FEELING HOPELESS:

    “What’s the point?”, “It can never get better”, “it’s no use”. These general outlooks about life can be early signs of depression. Feelings that there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation and that things will remain the way they are forever, feelings of emptiness, helplessness, sadness, and despair are indicators of depression.

    LOSS OF INTEREST:

    When you begin to lose interest in what gives you joy, depression might just be around the corner. Depression can rob you of the joy or fun you used to derive from sports, social activities, reading, cooking, etc. You could be more withdrawn socially and lose interest in everything.

    SELF-LOATHING:

    When the feeling of being empty, valueless, worthless, insignificant, useless and unloved overwhelms you and refuses to go, depression may be underway. When all you see are the wrongs in your life and hate yourself, your body or your situation for one reason or the other, these are signs of depression.

    CONCENTRATION PROBLEMS:

    Usually, because of a general loss in interest, you could find your mind drifting off in the middle of some conversations or situations. You may begin to have problems remembering things and concentrating even in very serious conversations.

    Read also: Way out of depression among students

    LOSS OF ENERGY

    Exhaustion, severe fatigue, weariness, lack of energy and general tiredness especially to engage in daily activities and relationships, may also be indicators of depression.

    SLEEPING ISSUES:

    This can be in two ways; excessive sleeping and lack of adequate sleeping. The loss of energy can make you oversleep while self-loathing can lead to insomnia.

    Insomnia can, in turn, lead to anxiety which in turn leads to mood swings, feelings of tearfulness, tension as well as feeling out of control.

    If you have identified two or more of these symptoms, reach out to mental health professionals or those who can lead you to them. You can click here for help from MANI https://www.mentallyaware.org/contact/

  • How to feel good on #FEELGOODFRIDAY

    It’s the beginning of the weekend and you are wondering how to unwind. Your boss has probably been mean to you or your employees have been unproductive.

    The traffic jam could have left you wishing you could just abandon your car to fly away or the bus conductor sped away with your change.

    Whatever the case maybe, do not let it get at you. They are just experiences that might make you laugh a year from now. Get into the #FeelGoodFriday mood and let it all off your chest with these tips.

    Karaoke: The beautiful thing about karaoke is that you do not have to have a beautiful voice. In fact, the more horrible your voice, the more fun and laughter there is.

    If you can’t make it to a karaoke bar, gather a few friends and do the karaoke in the living room. Download song tunes and lyrics and get singing!

    Talk to your crush: You may not even share your feelings with your crush. However, having a lovely conversation with your crush can lighten up your weekend.

    Apologise: Guilt and a heavy conscience are negative feelings that will only weigh you down. If you have wronged somebody, apologise and free yourself of every burden

    Dance:  If you think dancing in a party is the only way to have fun, you just might be wrong. Ever tried dancing in front of the mirror? Well go ahead and try it. Let’s see if you wouldn’t laugh at yourself.

    Read a new book: Read books to that will lift up your spirit. They will help divert your attention from negative feelings.

    Surprise someone: Do something fun and unexpected for someone. Bringing smiles to that person’s face will lift up your spirits.

    Spoil yourself: No matter how little it is, do something nice for yourself. Go to the restaurant, get a massage, have a new hair cut or hair-do etc.

    Whatever it is, make sure you spoil yourself. You deserve it. You deserve to feel good on #feelgoodfriday