The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Avoid

  • Why I avoid kissing in movies –Nneka Adams

    NOLLYWOOD actress, film writer, and producer, Nneka Adams has described the growth in the Nigerian movie industry as very rapid and progressive. In a brief chat with The Nation, the thespian who was born July 8, 1986 revealed that she came into Nollywood industry with deep insight of what she wanted to do and how to project herself and her movies.

    Adams who has acted in a couple of movies says that she finds kissing in movies quite challenging.

    “Sometimes I get attached to that guy or actor I kissed for a while. So, moving forward I made a promise to myself that I would find a way to avoid kissing in movies. Like they say an actor or actress must be able to play any role, but for me, nudity is something I can never do.

    As a filmmaker, she has shot three movies with great success. Among them are ‘Black Men Rock’ which was shot in 2017 and received a lot of buzz in the media. She also just shot another movie titled ‘The Devil In Between’ directed by the talented Pascal Amanfo, and is due for release soon.

    “My most difficult challenge I faced each time I fly in to Nigeria to shoot is the constant power failure. As a filmmaker you have to budget all the time for generator and fuel; sometimes paying so much for black market fuel,” she states.

    She also adds that she intends to raise the standard of film production in Nigeria and Africa by telling progressive African stories as seen through the eyes of Africans.

    Although she’s currently single, she says that she’ll eventually be open to dating an honest, kind, God fearing and maybe good looking man.

    Other movies she has featured in are ‘Ruth’, ‘Last Flight to Abuja’, ‘If You Were Mine’, ‘Chronicles of Vendetta’, ‘A Nation under Siege’ and a host of others.

  • NACA to youths: avoid risky behaviour

    NACA to youths: avoid risky behaviour

    National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) Director-General Dr. Sani Aliyu has urged the citizens, especially the youths, to avoid risky behaviour that will make them vulnerable to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

    He gave the advice in Abuja as part of activities by NACA to dissuade Nigerians, especially the youths, from contracting or passing on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

    The NACA DG noted that first sexual contact in Nigeria begins within 15 years of age for 15 per cent of youth.

    “This, coupled with the practice of having multiple sexual partners, increases HIV vulnerability among the youth population alongside the very low HIV testing rates – only 17 per cent of young people know their HIV status.

    “New HIV infection is currently highest among young people aged 15-24 years. It is important to reduce this worrying trend among Nigerian youths by encouraging faithful relationships for those who cannot abstain from sex, and the use of barrier protection such as condoms, which prevent STDs including HIV and unwanted pregnancies,” Aliyu said.

    He observed that the percentage of young persons aged 15-24 years living with HIV in Nigeria is about 4.2 per cent.

    “As we express love on this day, remember to Love Wisely. As members of the wider society, your health and productivity are vital to the future of our country. So, I urge you to avoid risky behaviours as we commemorate Valentine’s Day. Love wisely, share love not HIV,” he appealed.

    He encouraged young people to take advantage of the spirit of love and togetherness that Valentine’s Day signifies, to know their HIV status.

    Aliyu noted that it is important that citizens know their HIV status, as it marks the entry point to prevention, treatment and care of HIV/AIDS.

    He explained: “A young person not tested may not have the opportunity to enjoy future Valentine’s Days if he or she is diagnosed late or presents with terminal complications related to HIV infection and AIDS.”

  • How to avoid gas tanks explosions, by SON DG

    How to avoid gas tanks explosions, by SON DG

    Frequent explosions of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage tanks and cylinders across the country are avoidable, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Director-General Mr. Osita Aboloma has said.

    To avoid such incidents, Aboloma urged operators in the sector to subscribe to the SON certification of their vessels.

    He said due certification of LPG storage vessels, proper maintenance and handling of cylinders, safe and ethical practices are necessary steps to avoid explosions and gas accidents.

    According to him, the agency will invoke the provisions of the SON Act No. 14 of 2015 on any operator found to have circumvented the mandatory requirement of certifying its LPG storage vessels, thereby putting the lives of Nigerians at risk of injury and or death.

    He said necessary investigation was being carried out on the recent explosion in Owerri, Imo State with a view to nipping future occurrences in the bud.

    Abaloma gave these safety tips while speaking to reporters in Abuja at the training of 30 SON engineers in the operations of three recently acquired mobile testing equipment for the inspection, testing and certification of LPG storage tanks, pressure vessels and pipelines.

    He challenged the SON officials to ensure that only certified LPG vessels and storage tanks are in operation across the country within the shortest possible time.

    The engineers were trained on the theory and practical of operating the mobile testing equipment to enable them acquire skills necessary to effectively use them across the country.

    This, according to the DG, was in line with SON’s policy to develop required human and material capacity to enable the organisation carry out its statutory mandate, which in this case, applies to the LPG sector.

    He said the LPG storage vessels certification by authorised and competent bodies is an international practice and a mandatory requirement to assure the integrity, effectiveness and suitability of the vessels to store liquefied petroleum gas without failure.

    Aboloma said LPG vessels are certified to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code, Division 1, Section VIII: 2015 by SON.

    The certification, he stated, is one of the requirements of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) for issuing licences to LPG plant operators. He said brand new vessels are certified for five years after which revalidation is carried out every three years.

    Aboloma said another set of 32 engineers were trained in Lagos to ensure that the mobile testing equipment in Lagos (for the Southwest Zone), Enugu (for the Southeast and Southsouth Zones) and Abuja for the Northern Zone can be put to effective use across the country.

    The SON chief said a joint committee of stakeholders in the LPG sector was inaugurated by SON to, among others, work out modalities for a scheme to re-qualify LPG cylinders.

    The scheme, according the SON chief executive, will involve the withdrawal of substandard cylinders from circulation and ensure the production, import, sale and use of only duly certified LPG cylinders.

  • ‘How lawyers can avoid sudden death’

    Lawyers, by the nature of their
    profession, are prone to stress
    and sleeplessness, and must undergo regular checks to avoid sudden death, according to a medical expert, Prof Kamar Adeleke.

    Adeleke, who is President/Chief Executive Officer of Tristate Healthcare Systems Ltd, spoke at the annual general conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos.

    Tristate Healthcare Services partnered with the NBA to provide screening and medical treatment for lawyers at the conference.

    Adeleke said sudden death was a major problem in Nigeria, adding that its leading causes include diseases of the cardiovascular (heart) system.

    “It is estimated that more than seven million lives per year are lost to sudden cardiac death (SCD)  worldwide, including over 300,000 in the United States,” he said

    Quoting the World Health Organisation, he said one out of every five Nigerian adults over the age of 30 will likely die prematurely from non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases.

    Cardiovascular diseases, he said, include coronary artery disease, which constitutes 80 per cent of cause of sudden cardiac death; cardiomyopathies (heart muscle disease) and cardiac rhythm disorder.

    Risk factors for sudden death, he said, are older age, male sex, post-menopausal state, cigarette smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, obesity and family history.

    On how to prevent sudden death, he said it involves identification of individuals at risk, treatment of underlying predisposing condition, lifestyle modification (healthy diet, exercise, weight loss and smoking cessation) and implantation of the automated implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD).

    AICD is a small electronic device implanted in the chest, just beneath the skin below the collar bone.

    Its main function is to prevent sudden death from cardiac arrest due to life threatening abnormally fast heart rhythms.

    Tristate Healthcare Systems Vice-President/Chief Operating Officer, Dr Olukunle Iyanda, said the company did full screening of lawyers at the even, which was the first time it would happen at any NBA conference.

    The tests, he said, included urinalysis, cholesterol testing, prostrate cancer screening, glucose level checks and body mass index examinations to determine obesity.

    “The tests are to prevent issues of sudden death, high blood pressure for those who have it but don’t know – people who think it’s only when they’re fat that their obese; all of which contribute to heart diseases.

    “Our strength is cardiovascular diseases treatment. We have done about 150 open heart surgeries and a lot of other cardiac interventions. We discovered that prevention is better than cure.”

    He said a full cardiac evaluation was also done for lawyers, which involves heart ultrasound.

    “We also provided emergency services and respiratory care, which has to do with issues of sleep disorder,” he said.

    Iyanda urged lawyers, who he said are prone to depression and sleeplessness, to always “know their numbers”.

    “When we say ‘know their numbers’, we’re talking about knowing their cholesterol level, their glucose level, their heart rate. The frequency of the tests depends on the age.

    “If you’re above 50, you have to undergo such tests at least once every six months. If you’re in your 40s you may do it once a year. It also depends on what the numbers say,” he said.

    He said 56 staff of Tristate Healthcare was deployed to the conference.

    “It’s like a value-added service to the NBA,” he said.

  • ‘APC must avoid what killed PDP’

    ‘APC must avoid what killed PDP’

    Former Kogi State Acting Governor and member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Board of Trustees (BoT) Chief Clarence Olafemi, in this interview with reporters in Lokoja, the state capital, bares his mind on the legislative/executive faceoff, the crisis in the ruling party, the economic recession and other national issues. JAMES AZANIA was there:

    What is the solution to the APC’s deep-seated wrangling?

    When the Board of Trustees (BoT) structure was on, we were consulted any time major party issues were discussed. But, the party has scraped the BoT system. That notwithstanding, we belief some of us still have a commitment to the party to make our views known. We still have the party’s elders’ forum, which I believe, will be retained. They have the national working committee structure, which is still in place. We have the body that consists of all the state chairmen, senators and the central working committee. So, we have enough forum to discuss the problem of the APC. However, I want to sound a very strong note of warning. Yes, it is good that the governors of the APC are meeting, and trying to be a focal point for finding peace within APC, because it is a body whose voice can easily be heard. But I must warm the party to be careful, so that we don’t have a repeat of what happened in the PDP. Part of what killed the PDP was that at the national level governors were so much overbearing in the running of the affairs of the party, and they constituted themselves into a cabal; whatever they said was swallowed hook, line and sinker or they were ready to dismantle the party. As a result, governors were made leaders of the party in the state. Thus, at any congress at the national, governors controlled the votes from their states. So, rather than allow democracy to improve, they were actually the stumbling stone to the development of democracy in Nigeria.

    In other words, the APC should beware of its Governors’ Forum?

    Yes, I’m warning and saying categorically that there is already a problem and I will tell you the problem. Under the PDP era, there was the executive, the Governors’ Forum and the legislature (National Assembly), but the problem of the APC is even greater. In the APC, we have the Presidency, the party leadership within the National Assembly and the national Central Working Committee, but the aggrieved party men that came together to form the APC, but never belonged to any of these three, are greater in number than these three we are talking about; they are the ones that are having problems now with the entire APC system; persons like me and others who, for example, were members of BoT before. We are talking in all states, of frontline politicians who never belonged to any of these groups, but are opinion moulders and the strength of the party. All these governors, some of them are not actually helping to build the party in their various states; they are doing so much damage to the party in their states, and they are now supposed to midwife peace, when they have not even started to make peace in their own state. And, the people they are concentrating upon, I can tell you that come 2018, if you send some of them back to their various constituency, they will lose election, because they have not performed. I’m talking of the legislative arm too. Today in Nigeria, and in the type of system that we are running, the party other than to arrange for election, and win an election, are relegated to the background after the victory; they have no say. A situation where you have a state and 26 members of the state working committee, about 19 or 20 or thereabout, are not with the governor of their state, something is wrong. And nobody can call the governor to order, and say, please this is not acceptable to us. Rather, the governor will be working on how to replace them in the next congress, and these are the people that made the party to happen. When I was reading, ‘APC governors wade into executive/legislative/party face-off’, I said, yes, if they can reconcile these three, maybe they will only be solving 45 per cent of the party’s problem, 55 per cent will remain unsolved. When we are complaining about Mr. President’s appointment, what about the states? Are their appointments not worse than that of Mr. President? When the governors were choosing their commissioners and special advisers, the party did not make any input. Mr President never chose any commissioner for a governor, so why will the governors now be insisting that Mr. President should let them know who will be the ambassador from their states or who will be minister from their states? They should allow Mr President to make his independent consultation and take and take his independent decision, whether it favours the governors or not. Because he is the overall father, even some loopholes being created by the actions and the inactions of the governors can be bridged by Mr President, in his own initiative. So, when I read that the governors are rejecting ambassadorial nominees, I laughed. It is laughable. What concerns them? Let them come back to their states and face the problem of paying salary, underdevelopment, the crisis in the party. If they tackle those problems successfully, they would have assisted even Mr President in solving at least 65 per cent of the party’s problem.

    What is your reaction to the Senate’s rejection of the President’s bid for external borrowing?

    Honestly speaking, they are giving Mr President too much problem, because they are being selfish. We have a country that is in recession, and we all agree that it was not caused by Mr. President. How can somebody who is in government less than one and a half years be the one responsible for an economy that was on life support when he took over? Borrowing is the only way out for Nigeria. From the domestic front, if you have three plots of land and you cannot pay the school fees of three of your children, you cannot give them two-square meals a day and you cannot even take them to hospital when they are sick to pay for their hospital bill, is it not better to take one of the plots of land and sell it and get these things sorted out? When we wanted to sell our assets, I think what Nigerians should have concentrated upon, was to ask questions, which assets do we want to sell? At what value? Where do we want to deploy the proceeds? I think it is not out of place to ask that question. For example, the NLNG I’m aware that what the government was concentrating upon was to sell a percentage — five per cent out of the 45 per cent they are holding, and with a caveat that when the economy improves we can buy back that five per cent. But, they would have raised money which they needed, to sort out one or two things that are requiring urgent attention. For example, if we sell, we raise money in foreign currency and that will boost our foreign reserve and it will now have a direct effect on our foreign exchange rate that is killing the economy. You said no. The same man now went, and said, ‘let me downplay it and go and look for money to borrow, you said no. So, what magic do you want the man to do? At this present time, they held meeting on the Niger Delta/militant peace initiative, and the second or third day, they went and blew up an oil pipeline, a major supply pipeline and we are told the amount of money Nigeria is losing daily as a result of militants’ activities; in a key sector of our economy that we rely upon 90 per cent, if not more. At a point where up till now we have not been able to cross the boundary of $50 a barrel of oil, from $120 per barrel, in some administrations. So, the combined devastating problems that are confronting the economy is making it extremely difficult to find a window to boost this economy and the only option that are practically on ground today, is to sell part of our assets or to borrow money. If you say no, no, no, then tell us where you want this government to get the money to transform the economy and get us out of the recession? Why are people not honest? Meanwhile, the overhead cost of you people in National Assembly up till today you have not reduced it. The man is still battling with corruption.

    What is the way forward?

    What will happen is that one, we Nigerians have to plead with the National Assembly to cooperate with Mr President. Let’s put politics apart. We cannot play politics with the lives of Nigerians. If you are saying no to a move, tell us the option? Don’t just say no, because you have power to say no. And Nigerians will have to be sincere with themselves, because the average Nigerian that are opposed to the asset sales, they are very comfortable. The average Nigerian that are opposed to taking loan, they are very comfortable. So, they should propose an option.  Prices are skyrocking. A tyre of my car that I was buying for N16,000 before is today N34,000; and a bag of rice that I was buying for N8,000 about two years ago is today about N24,000. There is nothing that has not gone up by over 100 per cent. The only way these can subside is to get the dollar rate down drastically; bring it down to about N200 to the dollar. How can that be done? It is by increasing our own foreign reserve. If we must look at the genesis of this thing; it dates back to several years and it is my candid advice that we should stop playing politics with these our problems, to avoid an explosion. The fraction of people that will escape it will be insignificant.

  • ‘How women can avoid depression’

    ‘How women can avoid depression’

    Ngozi Okafor is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker and TV presenter. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about women switching roles, how to cope with challenges and more. 

    Why are you passionate about women? It is an organisation that has compassion on women and the youths.

    Over the years, we have been helping to create awareness about the different opportunities available for our women, how they can maximise their potential as well as be efficient at home by nurturing children that are healthy and intelligent.

    If you look around now, you would find that there is a lot of tension in our society today. People are aggressive at the slightest provocation and you find more cases of violence. So women need to understand their environment as well as how they can thrive in a difficult society by learning a couple of ways to survive unemployment.

    Developing entrepreneurial skills in women and young people is very important because unemployment rates are on the increase. You can actually do something apart from working for somebody. First, you must know what you have a passion for, then we let them know that they must work for it to be successful. Also for a woman you must know how to carry yourself.

    All this has to do with your mindset. So, we work with our women and help them to transform their mindset. We help them to unlearn the things that they have been taught through the environment that they lived in while growing up. We tell them that they can make it and that they can reach their goal as a women.

    What is the essence of the connect programme?

    The essence of the connect programme is to bring women together. I want to say that so many people and so many women are already doing a lot. However, I would say that the effort is still not enough and we need to do much more. Most times, I looked at my own environment and found out that so many things and so many women are really being depressed because of the challenges that they are passing through in their marriages. I also looked at myself and asked what I should do.

    I have got to a stage where, spiritually, I have received messages concerning the kind of things that we pass through. Personally, when I am passing through certain stages, I advise myself and I often hear voices that would tell me the next step to take. Each time I take the next step and I am able to overcome, I see that the voice tells me, “you were able to overcome, I took you through this path because some other people are passing through same and that someone needs to talk to them.” You might not be able to hear the voice, everybody may not hear the voice but someone needs to reach them.

    So the essence of the connection is to bring women together, speak with them. I hope that the women who need to connect would therefore make use of the opportunities available. Interestingly, I have found that most women usually don’t connect with such people. They worry about so many things, especially things that border on self esteem.

    Instead of connecting with someone that can help, they would say: “She is a big woman, who knows she would not answer me when I greet her.” No matter your level in life, you must have it in your mind that you were created by God and He has a purpose for you. I also say that someone needs you and the person who needs you is someone who needs a cleaner. So no matter where you find yourself as a woman, you are very important. God cannot make all of us the same.

    Apart from the dialogue, how else do you interact with them?

    We have a website and a magazine online where we have people contribute to issues and certain things that are going on in the society. We want people to tell us what they are passing through and we are also planning to have a counselling session where we can meet people physically and talk to us. We want to encourage ourselves; I think it is not good to just sit and suffer when God has deposited your solution in someone, not just your pastor. Most times, what the pastor does is the spiritual thing but there are so many other things that need to be done. Here you can find solutions from those who have passed through some of the physical things and they can also help you.

    They have passed through it physically because God is trying to raise that person to be able to raise other people. I want us to always look at the physical and spiritual aspect. It is important to work on the physical, spiritual, psychological and emotional life. For instance, some women go to church from Monday to Sunday and say ‘God bless me’, what do you want him to bless, when you are not doing anything? Is He going to throw money from heaven or look for business for you to do? The bottom line is, don’t give up.

    What inspired the project?

    I have this concern for women and I have always had this concern. Maybe because I grew up in a good family where everything is organised, but when I heard people say certain things I used to wonder. It was later in life that I knew that every family is not as organised as I used to know it. I discovered that some people came from broken homes and some lost their parents early in life. Their life is not always wonderful and they pass through a lot. I also realised that sometimes, it is those other things that make them think the other way.

    I have great concerns for womanhood. Whenever I see a woman up there, it makes me happy. Conversely, when I see women down or depressed I am sad. I look at some people and I know that they have some gifts in them but they do not know. Someone actually needs to tell them, encourage them and make them rediscover themselves.

    For us, the most important thing is to open your eyes to opportunities, learn about how to develop themselves as well as be friends with people that can open doors for them. There is no point hanging around people who would take away from you instead of adding value to your life. I also believe that everything is possible and that there is always a way out of every problem. We need to be connected, we need to help ourselves and stand out in whatever we are doing. In addition, I would also want to stress that integrity is very crucial in whatever we do. For instance, if someone helps us and we do the wrong thing, then we may just close the door for someone else.

    If you had to advise Nigerian women, what would you tell them?

    As Nigerian women, I believe that we have a great role to play in the nation’s development. We have a lot of women who are talented and those who should mentor others. We don’t have to sit on the fence because there is so much to do. We just have to come out of our shell because God has given us potentialities and we are expected to use them to develop this nation. If you do not talk to your sister next door, if you do not help to build and develop her potentialities, then you have failed in your life’s journey.

  • Here are five things you can do to avoid catching a cold

    • Wash your hands. Do so often, especially after using the bathroom or touching inanimate objects, like bathroom faucets and door handles, in public places. Also, try to stop touching your face. It sounds silly, but the average American touches his eyes, nose, mouth, or face every 20 seconds, according to Gregory Poland, MD, director of the Vaccine Research Group at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., allowing germs easily access into the body.
    • Go to bed early. You need plenty of sleep to keep your immune system in tip-top shape this time of year.
    • Eat healthy food with plenty of vitamins. This will also keep your immune system going strong. Cold and flu season runs in tandem with candy season — from Halloween to Easter. So make an effort to fill your plate with vegetables at lunch and dinner, and snack on fruit throughout the day.
    • Exercise. We know it’s no longer swimsuit season, but do your best to stay moving during the cooler months. Regular exercise is another immune-system booster, which can prevent cold bugs you do catch from making you sick.
    • Try zinc lozenges. If you feel a cold coming on despite your best efforts to stave off germs, research has shown that zinc lozenges might shorten cold duration. “They bind to the viral particles and help prevent some of the replication,” says Michael Benninger, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic. “It won’t prevent you from getting a cold, but it may make your cold less severe and last not quite as long.”

    No vaccine has been developed for the common cold, which can be caused by many different viruses. But you can take some common-sense precautions to slow the spread of cold viruses:

    • Wash your hands. Clean your hands thoroughly and often, and teach your children the importance of hand-washing.
    • Scrub your stuff. Keep kitchen and bathroom countertops clean, especially when someone in your family has a common cold. Wash children’s toys periodically.
    • Use tissues. Always sneeze and cough into tissues. Discard used tissues right away, and then wash your hands carefully. Teach children to sneeze or cough into the bend of their elbow when they don’t have a tissue. That way they cover their mouths without using their hands.

    Source: www.everydayhealth.com

  • How to avoid thinking about your ex

    Dear Harriet, I just got married, but recently my feeling towards my ex- girl friend suddenly came back when I saw her at a shopping mall. I am beginning to have affection for her more than my wife.

    I actually dated them at the same time before settling for my wife. I keep feeling that my relationship is a mistake. Please, what should I do? Kindly help me. Thanks.

    Name withheld. Lagos

     

    Thanks for sharing your experience with us and  giving us the permission to write about it.

    Your case is not an exceptional one, trust me some people are in your situation in their relationship or marriage at the moment but they find it hard or there is no outlet or somebody to speak to.

    Some have tuned their minds to flow with it, while some are standing firm, putting all the ex-girl friend feelings to rest. One thing for sure is that there is no perfect wife or perfect husband. Couples in some cases have this feeling that they would have been better married to may be their ex or someone else.

    We think the grass is greener on the other side. This will pose as a huge problem if not tackled properly. The feeling of someone better than your wife, if care is not taken can give room to other issues in the home. In no time your will start seeing and treating your wife badly simply because of the feelings you have for your ex without you knowing.

    As a result, you will always find faults in your wife no matter how much she tries to be a good wife to you.

    Your marriage is very young and I suppose before you propose to your wife, you thought it through properly, most of all, there was some kind of affection or connection between both of you.

    Let us agree that the early years of coming together to live as one is really not easy because everybody is trying to make a point, call it securing their space somehow. Couples struggle at this early stage, take for instance, all this while you are used to doing things in a certain way, but now that you are married the story is different, it is no longer your way, things have change.

    This stage does not last forever. Couples get better as the day goes by. The main quality that will keep couples going is if they have loved for one another, which is the main factor that holds a good marriage. Love overcomes every obstacle.

    Another factor is to have an open mind with your wife no assumption because without a free mind, you cannot have an effective communication which is an important ingredient that couples need for a successful marriage.

    Acceptance and contemptment must be mentioned at this point because when it’s lacking in a marriage can give room to the above issue.

    Satisfaction comes from within so to snap out of this feeling is to remind yourself about the reason why you married your wife. The ball is in your court to make your marriage work. Come to think of it, what guarantee you that your ex will be a better wife?

    Relationship or dating is a different game compared to marriage, beside she can only show you the part of her that she wants you to see, have you ever thought of it. The devil you know, they say, is better than the angel you don’t know.

    Think over it properly and see how you can make it work because   one thing we must note is that it takes two to build a happy home, especially in marriage.

    Furthermore, every couple has their strengths and weaknesses, encourage each other and work on your weaknesses as a team. Talk to her about everything, especially your likes and dislikes, don’t hold anything back and  ask her about hers as well.

    Discuss freely about all, even your sex life. Talk and learn from each other on how to bond as one.

    In addition, if you want to stop thinking about your ex, you need to take away her presence from your life, therefore all contacts with her must stop, no phone calls, no text messages, emails or social media messages.

    Interaction must be brief and formal if necessary. There is no perfect marriage you must know, for every successful marriage you see out there, means that someone worked at it. Someone showed love, faithfulness, honesty, humility, patience, tolerance, appreciation, and satisfaction.

    Life is about the choices we make, occupy your mind with thoughts that will aid you to achieve realistic goals in order to be a better person and husband. Take up sporting activities that you enjoy, filling your days up will leave little time to start feeling or thinking of your ex.

    Having joint activities with your wife can bring back the spark in your relationship, make out time to spend quality time as couples together, go out if need be and do those things you use to do.

    Enjoy each other’s company; most marriages are boring today because couples pay little or no attention to spending quality time doing what they enjoy doing before marriage.  Feeling is a mind set, and you alone can control it, cherish what you have.

    • Harriet is a counsellor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or txt message only on 08023058805.
  • How to avoid counterfeit products in the New Year

    How to avoid counterfeit products in the New Year

    As the curtains finally fell on 2014, there is no doubt that there is a rise in the influx of counterfeit products in the country. To quote Dr. Joseph Odumodu, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Director General, “80% of electronic products in Lagos are fake while 40% of other commodities in Nigerian market are counterfeit.” People fall victims to fake products every day. If you are in this country and have not experienced it, then you are a rare specie.

    Just recently, on the 29th of December, 2014, I went to a corner shop near my house and purchased the popular Always pad at the price of N220.00. Being a product I am used to, when the seller handed it to me, I observed immediately that it weighed very little which prompted me to have a second look at it. I saw the manufacturer’s name, ‘Procter & Gamble’ and walked out of the store still brooding on how light the product had become.

    However, when I tore the blue nylon wrapping and brought out the single product, again I was surprised how thin and light it was. The wrapping was in a light pink cellophane instead of the purplish pink coloured cellophane the original product comes in.  I tore the pink wrapping and noticed that the content was just plain soft thin rubber.

    So angry, I wondered if there is anything in this country that does not have a counterfeit. I went back to a bigger shop and asked for the same product. Just seeing that one, I knew it was the original. It looked bigger and holding it, it weighed heavier. At a closer look, there was a lot of difference between the fake one and the original. Though the two had the same manufacturer’s address and name, the packaging and the prints on the fake one looked quite inferior.

    The contents of the original one also were full unlike the fake one. Meanwhile, I paid less for the original one. While I paid N220 for the counterfeit, I paid N190 for the original one.

    Confirming the rise in the importation and local production of counterfeit and substandard products in Nigeria, the National Co-ordinator, Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative [ACAPI], Mr. Hanson Maduagwu, said that the degree has grown tremendously such that even brand owners are finding it difficult to distinguish between their original brand products and the fakes.

    “In 2015, it will be harder for consumers to tell the difference between the original brand products and their fakes except the issue of consumer education even at the grassroots is given more attention,” he noted

    Throwing more light on the issue, Hanson Maduagwu said that the two major concerns will come from imported and locally manufactured products.

    “Due to the high dollar exchange rate, most importers of finished goods would begin to order lower quality goods so as to hedge against the high dollar exchange rate,” he said.

    Subsequently for local manufacturers, he added: “the higher cost of imported raw materials will induce the production of more substandard products so as not to increase prices or just slightly.”

    Basically, he stressed, “we will see the influx of cheap counterfeits as well as substandard locally made products.”

    Warning consumers, Maduagwu said consumers should pay particular attention when buying automobile spare parts, accessories, electronic and electrical accessories.

    Also, he advised consumers to be mindful when purchasing home appliances, building materials, foreign and local cash/financial instruments, among other things.

    According to Dr. Ndukaeze Nwabueze of the Department of Sociology University of Lagos, “counterfeit products are products which the constituents, weight, relevant measures, characteristics, qualities fall below national and international standards. So because of these short comings, their effectiveness, potency or fitness for purpose is criminally undermined and deliberately compromised.”

    There is virtually no popular product that is not faked. Nobody wants to fake a product which has no market. You want a product which you can sell quickly.

    A wide range of products involved are intellectual and creative works, processed and manufactured goods, drugs, equipments, chemicals, cell phones and accessories, computer software, perfumes, etcetera.

    If it is a popular product, it is bound to have counterfeit ones. Mrs. Aina Adesina said she went to the Computer Village, Ikeja, recently to buy HP laptop. The seller being an old friend of hers advised her in confidence to go for another brand especially a less popular one as the adulterated HP laptop and accessories had infiltrated the market.

    As she insisted on an HP product, the seller directed her to HP major offices, insisting that the only way she can buy original HP products in the Computer Village was buying the second hand ones imported from the UK or US.

    The Anti-piracy Manager, Microsoft Nig., Temofe Ugbona, said quite a number of resellers abound in the country that are in possession of high quality counterfeit software that is packaged like genuine software, “a trend resulting in many consumers who believe they are purchasing software from a reliable source, unknowingly becoming victims of software piracy.”

    While reiterating the need to play it safe, Microsoft urges consumers to ask questions, investigate the packaging, watch out for ‘too good-to-be-true’ prices and demand genuine software to ensure what is paid for and to protect families and businesses from the threat of malware associated with pirated or counterfeit software.

    Just as piracy has eaten deep into the fabric of Nigeria’s entertainment industry, Vitafoam, one of Nigeria’s oldest foam manufacturing companies in Nigeria, has said that counterfeiting and imitation of its products are the major challenges facing the organisation and the industry at large.

    The company said the imitation of its products is a major obstacle, especially in the north and that complaints keep coming in.

    NAFDAC has severally intercepted packaging materials imported with the intention of faking drugs, especially codeine syrup. In one interception recently at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, 20,000 units of packaging for codeine syrup worth over N10million were seized.

    The Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) has called for a proper regulation and monitoring of pharmaceutical industry and for stricter laws and policies to be enacted with full implementation and enforcement in order to stem out the menace of drug counterfeiting in the country.

    A man in possession of 10,000 labels of assorted drinks was also recently arrested in Enugu by officials of NAFDAC, while officials of the Lagos State Task force sealed off 40 illegal drug stores in Alapere, Magodo, Ikosi-Isheri environs in Kosofe.

    What to do.

    While it is virtually impossible to ensure that all of the products you buy are the genuine ones, a few easy steps can help you reduce the chances of being duped.

    *Learn to spot a fake. Do not rely on retailers or the government to protect you from counterfeit products as the people and the products involved are so numerous. If the deal is too-good-to-be-true, the product is probably a fake.

    *Shop at reputable retailers. Consumer goods do make their way in to the shelves of even the largest most established stores but less reputable retailers are far more likely to sell counterfeit products.

    *Do not patronise traders selling along the high ways as they have no permanent addresses. If you are duped, you cannot trace them.

    *Be particularly careful when buying online. Online auction sites are rife with counterfeits and since you cannot inspect the goods first, it is hard to tell what you are buying.

    *While you shop around, research the price of the item you want at different stores. A deal that is too good-to-be-true, almost always is.

    *Quality of the counterfeit item. Even if the item looks genuine on the surface, a close look at the details will tell you if the item is of a low quality.

    Lastly, report suspected counterfeits. If you see or have purchased a product you think may be fake, contact the authorities so they can investigate. If you do not know where to go, contact Consumer Watch through the email address on top.

    As we thank God for keeping us through last year and bringing us into another wonderful year, I pray you will enjoy a prosperous and fruitful year. Happy New Year.

  • Eguavoen, Obaseki to Eagles : Avoid body contact

    Eguavoen, Obaseki to Eagles : Avoid body contact

    The Former super Eagles Coach, Austin Eguavoen has advised the Nigeria lads s to avoid body contact against Burkina Faso in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations finals on Sunday.

    Eguavoen who spoke to SportingLife on phone from Port- Harcourt said the Eagles and the Coaching crew need the prayers and support of all Nigerians, but they themselves must do every thing possible to avoid close contact because the Burkinabe’s are out to destroy.

    The former Eagles defender and playmate of Stephen Keshi said the two hit men of Burkina-Faso, Jonathan Pitroips had a red card, while Agyemang Badu had a serious injury and they will be out in the finals.

    “I said it from the beginning that, all of us need to pray for them. Now is the time the super Eagles need our support, and I spoke with Keshi after their match with Mali and I told him Nigerians are praying for them.

    “You know the Burkinabe’s are very strong. Our boys need to prepare for a tougher game. So, I expect them to be mobile, have a quick contact with the ball, avoid physical or body contact, that will edge out the Burkinabe’s.

    Also, the former Chairman of the Nigeria Premier League Board, Chief Yuki Obaseki has urged the Super Eagles to be tough.

    The Benin High Chief said the Burkinabe’s he saw against Ghana were tough therefore Nigeria need to prepare themselves.

    While praying for a successful game, the Ohe of Benin kingdom said bringing the cup to Nigeria will give him joy even though the final journey of his first wife that died on the 24th of December, 2012 will kick on the 13th through to 17th of February, 2013.