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4 WOMEN AMONG 28 CANDIDATES TO CONTEST IN ADAMAWA GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that two other women have also been cleared by INEC to run for the position of deputy governor.

The women cleared to run for governor are: Lami Musa of People’s Party of Nigeria (PPN), Na’ama Bulama of Progressive People Alliance (PPA), Rukayya Audu of Action People’s Party (APP) and Elizabeth Isa of Change Advocacy Party (CAP).

Those cleared to run for the position of deputy governor are: Hadiza Mohammedof Democratic Alternative (DA) and Rashida Balarabe of Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD).

Other candidates for the governorship seat are incumbent Gov. Muhammed Bindow of All progressives Congress (APC) and former Adamawa Assembly Speaker and acting Governor, Umaru Fintiri who is Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer.

Others are serving Senator of Adamawa Central Senatorial District who defected from APC to African Democratic Congress (ADC), Abdul-Azeez Nyako is the candidate of ADC, while former House of Representatives member for Gombi/Hong federal constituency is the candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Bappare Umaru, an Islamic Cleric who is the Imam of Jamaatul Nasril Islam (JNI) Friday Mosque in Jimeta area of Yola town, is the candidate of KOWA party and a Christian cleric, Rev. Eric Theman is the candidate of MRDD.

NAN reports that this is the highest number of governorship candidates ever recorded in Adamawa since inception of democracy, a development many say is a positive one and a pointer that people are becoming more interested in participating in politics.

Credit: NAN, Pulse News
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TITILOLA EDU: SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTARY & ITS DAMAGING CONSEQUENCE

Some years ago, when I was in Law School, I posted something vile on my Facebook page. I believe it was during President Jonathan’s administration. I’m not sure what exactly he did at the time, but I was enraged – like so many other people around me and in diaspora.

I was so angry at whatever had happened at the time that I wrote something very nasty about the President. It was actually insulting.

The next day, I received a call from my Dad asking me what I posted on Facebook. I was confused; my Dad was not on Facebook, and secondly, because I write a lot on Facebook so I was wondering which particular one he meant.

“I don’t understand, Sir” I said.

In an angry tone he told me to remove whatever it was I wrote on Facebook immediately. I had completely forgotten about what I had written the previous day. So I went back to my wall wondering how my father knew what I wrote on Facebook. It must be a family member that can not mind their business, I concluded.

The only damaging post on my wall was the one about Jonathan. So I took it down. I was miffed that my freedom of speech was being infringed on by my Dad and whomever reported me to him. Nonsense.

Years later, I began to understand the essence of keeping your thoughts and everything you put on social media in check.

What is Social Media?

Wikipedia defines social media as “media use web-based technologies, desktop computers and mobile technologies (e.g., smartphones and tablet computers) to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals, communities and organizations can share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content or pre-made content posted online. They introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between businesses, organizations, communities and individuals”

Now we understand that social media basically is a technological innovation that gives you a platform to communicate, interact and engage people most times “real time”.

Now let us look at what social media reach means :

It is defined as the total number of people you are able to reach across all of your various social media networks.

It is no wonder that many businesses are now dominating cyberspace and utilizing the many advantages of social media as an effective marketing tool.

The ‘koko’ is you are able to reach more people with your content on social media as a business or as an individual.

So as an individual, I’m present on all social networks, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter. So anything I post will not just be seen by my immediate followers, but their followers as well – especially if they share it to their space. My content is spreading. Your content could be good or bad, but it will definitely leave an impression about you.

What kind of impression do you want people having about you? Sometimes, we don’t care what people think; but what if whatever you leave out there could harm your career, relationship, family or business. Would you think think twice before posting anything and everything that comes to your mind?

Trust me, you don’t want your careless post reaching the wrong hands.

I read with dismay a comment on Funmi Iyanda’s post about marriage not being for her, and the guy that insulted Michelle Obama not having male children. News has it that he was suspended at work for his thoughtless comment.

When are we going to learn constructive criticism and stop being cyber bullies? What are you going to benefit from putting people down all the time? Even the Bible says “I will bless those who bless you and curse them that curse you”.

The rate at which we are so quick to insult people on social media is alarming! There are so many young impressionable people out there, what message are we passing to them?

Let your words/comments be geared toward building and destroying because they might eventually come back to haunt you.

It might have far- reaching consequence than you envisage, if not now, then later.

Be careful what you post on Social Media.

Source & Credit: Bellanaija

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SIX TIPS TO HAVE A MORE PRODUCTIVE DAY

If you’ve ever wondered how you could possibly have a more productive day, look no further. Below you’ll find six easy tips that will help you make the most out of your time.

1. Create a good morning routine.

One of the best ways to start your day is to get up early and eat a healthy breakfast. It’s shown that CEOs and other successful people have similar morning routines, which include exercising and quickly scanning their inboxes to find the most urgent tasks. You can also try writing first thing in the morning to warm up your brain (750 words will help with that). But no matter what you choose to do, remember to create good morning habits so that you can have a more productive day.

2. Prioritize.

Sometimes we can’t have a productive day because we just don’t know where to start. When that’s the case, the most simple solution is to list everything you need to get accomplished, then prioritize these tasks based on importance and urgency. Week Plan is a simple web app that will help you prioritize your week using the Covey time management grid. If you get the most pressing and important items done first, you will be able to be more productive while keeping stress levels down.

3. Focus on one thing at a time.

One of the biggest killers of productivity is distractions. Whether it be noise or thoughts or games, distractions are a barrier to any productive day. That’s why it’s important to know where and when you work best. Need a little background noise to keep you on track? Try working in a coffee shop. Can’t stand to hear even the ticking of a clock while writing? Go to a library and put in your headphones. Don’t be afraid to utilize technology to make the best of your time. Sites like focus@will and Simply Noise can help keep you focused and productive all day long.

4. Take breaks.

Focusing, however, can drain a lot of energy and too much of it at once can quickly turn your productive day unproductive. To reduce mental fatigue while staying on task, try using the Pomodoro Technique. It requires working on a task for 25 minutes, then taking a short break before another 25 minute session. After four “pomodoro sessions,” be sure to take a longer break to rest and reflect. I like to work in 25 and 5 minute increments, but you should find out what works best for you.

5. Manage your time effectively.

A learning strategies consultant once told me that there is no such thing as free time, only unstructured time. But how do you know when exactly you have free time? By using the RescueTime app, you can see when you have free time, when you are productive, and when you actually waste time. With this data, you can better plan out your day and keep yourself on track. Moreover, you can increase the quality of low-intensity time. For example, reading the news while exercising or listening to meeting notes while cooking. Many of the mundane tasks we routinely accomplish can be paired with other tasks that lead to an overall more productive day.

6. Celebrate and reflect.

No matter how you execute a productive day, make sure to take time and celebrate what you’ve accomplished. It’s important to reward yourself so that you can continue doing great work. Plus, a reward system is an incredible motivator. Additionally, you should reflect on your day in order to find out what worked and what didn’t. Reflection not only increases future productivity, but it also gives your brain time to decompress and de-stress.

Culled from lifehack.org
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WOMEN WHO PLAYED PIVOTAL ROLES IN THE #METOO MOVEMENT

Over a year ago, the #MeToo movement took off on Twitter, encouraging women all over the world to voice their stories of sexual assault and abuse, and call out their abusers. Here, we take a look at some of the women who have been crucial to this movement.

Tarana Burke, Founder of the #MeToo movement

As an activist, Tarana Burke often spent time with children of colour at youth camps. At one such camp, she met a young girl who confided in her about her stepfather sexually abusing her. Burke could barely make it through five minutes of the conversation, and abruptly cut the young girl off, directing her to another counsellor. She was ridden with guilt as the child walked away from her because she could not bring herself to tell the young girl that she understood her pain. She could not find the courage to say, “me too”.

The #MeToo movement began in 2006 when Burke, along with other activists, founded Just BE Inc., a youth organisation to guide young women of colour in their process of self-discovery and ultimately towards empowerment. Following this, they put up a MySpace page that was very well-received by many young survivors of sexual abuse.

Today, Burke is the Senior Director of Girls for Gender Equity (GGE), an intergenerational organisation focussed on the holistic development of girls and women, while encouraging communities to create opportunities for them to live independent, self-determined lives.

She is also working on her memoir, Where the Light Enters, set to be published in 2019.

Alyssa Milano, Hollywood Actress

In October 2017, New York Times published a detailed account of horrific sexual assault allegations against former producer Harvey Weinstein that eventually lead to his arrest in May 2018. Following this, actress Alyssa Milano tweeted asking people to reply “Me too” to her tweet if they have been sexually assaulted or harassed. This led to thousands of women – going beyond just household names – to come out with their personal stories.

Even celebrities like Lady Gaga, Reese Witherspoon, Cara Delevingne and Angelina Jolie joined her.

Milano soon realised that it was Burke who founded the #MeToo movement in 2006, and she encouraged others to learn about it.

In the weeks and months following the horrific stories being brought to light, abusers in positions of power finally came to light for the world to see who they really are. A few prominent names among the many accused are Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman and R. Kelly.

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Professor and Psychologist

In mid-September, a confidential letter from professor and psychologist Dr. Christine Ford to a senior Democratic lawmaker, unexpectedly went public without her consent. The letter alleged that the then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her 36 years ago, when they were in high school. When it came out to the public, Dr. Ford’s e-mail was hacked, and she received death threats. She then decided that she was ready to face the world with her story.

On September 27th, she faced the Senate Judiciary Committee and swore to tell the truth. She answered every question thrown at her, admitting that she did not recall the fine details of the encounter with Kavanaugh. When asked if she was sure that it was Kavanaugh who assaulted her, she confidently said, “One hundred percent.”

Initially, the White House had sent out a statement by Kavanaugh soon after, which read, “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time.”

During his testimony, Kavanaugh also did not comment further on Dr. Ford’s allegation, and did not answer any questions pertaining to whether or not he knew her during high school.

Despite the allegations, Kavanaugh was sworn-in as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, on October 6th.

Tanushree Dutta, Bollywood Actor

In 2008, actor Tanushree Dutta accused actor Nana Patekar of sexual assaulting her on the set of a movie but no action was taken, and the news died down just two days later.

Ten years after the incident, she recounted this in an interview on September 25, and said that Patekar has always been known to disrespect, beat and molest women, but nobody paid any attention to this behaviour. She revealed that she backed out of a song with Patekar in the movie Horn Ok Pleassss, because he demanded her to take part in uncomfortably intimate dance moves with him, and touched her inappropriately. After Dutta refused, her car was attacked by members of a political group while she was in it.

Following Dutta’s bravery, thousands of Indian women have been coming forward with their stories and allegations. Unsurprisingly, a large majority of them are against prominent figures, beginning our own #MeToo movement. Among the accused are Utsav Chakraborty, Vikas Bahl, Sajid Khan, and MJ Akbar. Take a look at the consequences of some of the allegations here.

Source: Your Story

 

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AIR HOSTESS BREASTFEEDS PASSENGER’S HUNGRY BABY AFTER MOTHER RAN OUT OF BABY FORMULA

An air hostess was working on a 5.10am flight in the Philippines when she went out of her way to serve a passenger and her baby in one of the kindest ways possible.

Patrisha Organo, 24, noticed the passenger’s baby was crying after the flight took off and approached them only to find out that the mother had run out of formula.

The passenger and her baby had been at the airport since 9.00pm the previous night, and Patrisha stepped in to help by breastfeeding the baby.

Patrisha, who is the mother of a 9-month old told Daily Mail that she knew the stress the passenger would have been going through, and offered to help.

As soon as I heard the child’s cry, I knew there had to be something that I could do to help.

When the mother told me that she had no formula milk for the child, and I knew that there was none on board, I knew I had to help.

I could only imagine the chaos of those feelings, but as a mother myself I knew the stress she would’ve been going through.

The helplessness you feel when you cannot feed your hungry child is horrible, so I had to step in.

She had been at the airport since the night before so had ran out of milk during the actual flight, which is what caused the baby to cry.

As soon as I could help the baby and the mother I felt so happy – I cannot put into words how fulfilled I felt.

After I had breastfed the baby I escorted her and her mother back to their seat.

But later on, just before I left, the mother sincerely thanked me for all of my help.

I knew the flight was going to be special to me, as I had just received a promotion in my role, but I didn’t realise it would be this special.

I breastfed a stranger’s baby in flight, and I am just so thankful for the gift of a mother’s milk at times of need.

Photo Credit: Mercury and Press Media

 

News Credit: Bella Naija

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MEET 40-YEAR-OLD MARIAM NABATANZI WHO HAS GIVEN BIRTH TO 44 CHILDREN

Mariam Nabatanzi is Uganda’s most fertile woman who has given birth to 44 children at the age of 40.

Her alias is “Nalongo Muzaala Bana” (the twin mother that produces quadruplets) and she truly deserves that nickname.

When she was 12 years old, she married a man 28 years her senior, after surviving an attempt of  by her stepmother.

She says that her stepmother put broken and crushed glass in the food, which killed her four siblings.

Mariam survived because she was not around at the time, but her parents still got rid of her by marrying her off to an older man.

Her husband physically abused her whenever she said or did something that he wasn’t in support of.

“My husband was polygamous with many children from his past relationships who I had to take care of because their mothers were scattered all over,” Mariam told Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper.

“He was also violent and would beat me at any opportunity he got even when I suggested an idea that he didn’t like.”

Mariam Nabatanzi gave birth to her first children, a set of twins, in 1994 when she was 13 years old.She had her first set of triplets when she was 15 years old.

Barely two years after that, she delivered quadruplets.

Mariam never saw this routine of having so many children a ‘strange phenomenon’ because she has seen it several times before.

Also, she felt having so many children wasn’t so bad since her father had 45 children with several women. She further says that they all came in sets of quintuplets, quadruples, twins and triplets.

A gynecologist at Mulago Hospital, Dr. Charles Kiggundu told Daily Monitor that the reason for Mariam’s extreme fertility is probably genetic:

Her case is genetic predisposition to hyper-ovulate (releasing multiple eggs in one cycle), which significantly increases the chance of having multiples; it is always genetic.”

Mariam had always dreamed of having six children, but by her sixth pregnancy, she had already given birth to 18 babies, and she wanted to stop.

She tried to get help from a hospital, but after going through some tests, the gynecologist informed her that interfering with her fertility would put her life at risk.

“Having these unfertilized eggs accumulate poses not only a threat to destroy the reproductive system but can also make the woman lose their lives,” Dr Ahmed Kikomeko from Kawempe General Hospital asserted.

I was advised to keep producing since putting this on hold would mean death. I tried using the Inter Uterine Device (IUD) but I got sick and vomited a lot, to the point of near death. I went into a coma for a month

At age 23, Mariam already had 25 children, and she went to the hospital. However, they told her that nothing was possible to stop the birthing, as her egg count was still very high.

Mariam Nabatanzi’s birthing troubles ended in December 2016 after she gave birth to her last baby.

She says that the doctor told her that he had “cut my uterus from inside”. Dr. Kiggundu asserted that this was most likely tubal ligation.

“I can comfortably tell you that our siblings do not know what father looks like. I last saw him when I was 13 years old and only briefly in the night because he rushed off again,” Charles, her son said.

After Daily Monitorfeatured Mariam Nabatanzi’s story in April last year, a crowdfunding campaign wascreated for her on GoFundMe. It managed to raise $10,000 in more than a month.

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#INTERVIEW| “ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED, ONLY THE STRONG WILLED WIN”- OLAPEJU UMAH

Olapeju Umah is the content creator at mile12marketwoman. A company that delivers every food and fruit item straight from the market to your doorstep, with over 6 years and hands on working experience in Information Technology, sales/marketing and business development from working in various industries including oil and gas, telecommunications, manufacturing and FMCG. She has been instrumental to various business expansion and start-ups and she currently sits on the board of various including Afrikwell oil and gas, Prestige college of music and Nigeria enterprises.

Since graduating from Olabisi Onabanjo University with a second class upper in Electrical Electronics Engineering, Olapeju has birthed four( 4) companies .She has attended various leadership and business trainings from Daystar leadership academy, WIMBIZ and other prestigious organisations. She is happily married to Daniel Umah and they are blessed with two boys.

The beautiful and very intelligent business woman shares her journey with me in this interview.

Childhood Influence

I come from a large family of 18 children asides uncles and aunties that stayed with us. My house was practically like a ‘boarding house”. So, as expected, for shopping, we would always do that in bulk. So I guess, yes, my childhood prepared me for this kind of business.

Meet Peju!

I studied Electrical Electronics Engineering in Olabisi Onabanjo University with majors in Telecoms. I am the 14th child of my Father and the 1st of my Mum. I am God’s ambassador on earth with interests in food, interiors and relationship. I am delightfully married to Mr. Daniel Umah with 2 wonderful boys as my heritage.

Inspiration behind Mile12 Market Woman

In the year 2014, my family moved to the ajah axis of Lagos and the first shock that hit me was the exorbitant cost of food items! So, since I have always done bulk shopping, I defied the distance barrier and continued shopping from mile12 market once a month. I then noticed that neighbors would tell me to shop for them whenever I am going. I did this for years until I realized this problem was unique to a lot of people living on that axis. That is how the company Mile12marketwoman was birthed.

Leaving my core for entrepreneurship

Work-life integration for me was tough with a nine to five job as I had started my family before graduating from school so my boys needed all the attention I could give. I quit after just a month’s work! I then knew that to remain relevant, I would have to do business.

Managing four businesses

For my interior décor company (Butter Slides), we operate as the contracts come. We have staff based on contracts. For the FMCG Company, its basically on auto pilot. We have put systems in place. Mile12marketwoman is the baby we are nurturing and by God’s grace, this baby will mature with no deficiency.

Work based challenge

One of the challenges unique to mile12marketwoman has to be supplying clients not within our coverage area. Due to the peculiarity of our goods (perishables), we do same day delivery after purchase. We shop for as much as 10 clients per market day and must supply all same day. We get calls from places as far as festac town and we cannot take such orders due to the limiting factor of distance. We are currently considering ways to solve this.

Positive feedback is my reward

The greatest reward for me has been the wonderful feedback from clients. It is extremely satisfying to know that our service is not only meeting a need but also feeding more people because most of our clients are always overwhelmed with the quantity they get and invariably have to share with others.

Mile12Marketwoman in 5 years

In the next 5 years, I see mile12marketwoman being a household name especially on the lekki/ajah axis. Ion 5 years, we plan to have served 5,000 homes.

Not giving up

Often in the life of an entrepreneur, there are times we feel like throwing in the towel and running back to paid employment. What keeps us going is the vision, the WHY, the passion.

Those who Inspire me

I have a lot of inspiration. One is my Mum. She is very hard working and has experience in various sectors from banking (27years in service) to establishing business in the transport and FMCG sector. My husband also is my number 1 supporter. For every “ridiculous” idea I come up with, he is always there to support. It might interest you to know that he is responsible for our catchy logo.

Entrepreneurial Journey

Entrepreneurship is definitely not for the faint hearted. Opposition will arise when you feel like you’ve got it all together. Competitors give you a run for your money but in all, it’s a game of gladiators and only the strong willed, smart, principled and God-favored win. I am one!

Being a Woman of Rubies

I am a woman of rubies because I am a woman of many parts. There is a whole lot more that I am made for. I am yet to scratch the surface.

 

 

 

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‘BLACK PANTHER’ ACTRESS, LETITIA WRIGHT TALKS ABOUT BATTLING DEPRESSION AS SHE COVERS THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER ‘NEXT GENERATION’ ISSUE

Guyana-born British actress Letitia Wright features on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation issue.

The actress, who got her breakout from Marvel’s first black superhero movie, Black Panther, playing the role Shuri, speaks to the magazine about how faith rescued her from a very dark place, how she chooses her roles and a whole lot more.

Read excerpts below:

On choosing roles: I pride myself on keeping it the same as when I came into acting, to not just change the lane and take everything, just because it may have a big name or a big budget. Am I right for this part? Is this what I should be playing? If something feels off in my spirit, I know that’s God’s way of saying, ‘You shouldn’t do that.’

On overcoming crippling depression: I was putting so much pressure on myself. You get comfortable with the idea of thinking, maybe it’s OK to leave. I wrapped it up and was done with it, happy to do anything that was more chilled. But that’s not the way God had it with me.

On writing pretend contract emails to herself: First I had CAA, but I was like, it’s too red. I like WME, the blue background is more earthy. And right now, I have an email from someone at WME and it’s real.

Visit THR for more.

 

Credit: Bella Naija

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19 BLACK WOMEN RAN FOR JUDGE SEATS IN HARRIS COUNTY AND THEY ALL WON

All 19 black women who ran for various judicial seats in Harris County, Texas, won their races last night, marking the single biggest victory for black women in the county’s history.

The women are being referred to as the #Houston19. Their victory has obvious local impact seeing as Harris County, which encompasses most of Houston, is the third-largest county in the country, and one of the most diverse.

19 Black women ran for Judge seats in Harris County and all won

19 Black women ran for Judge seats in Harris County and all won

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