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PRESIDENT BUHARI APPOINTS ABIKE DABIRI AS CEO OF NATIONAL DIASPORA COMMISSION

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Abike Dabiri-Erewa, as chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Diaspora Commission.

This was contained in a letter of approval sent to the national assembly which was read by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to the rest of the Senate during plenary on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

Abike Dabiri, who was a former member of the house of representative, was the Special adviser to the President on Foreign affairs and Diaspora prior to this new appointment.

Credit: NAN

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SPICE GIRLS SET FOR REUNION TOUR WITHOUT VICTORIA BECKHAM

Popular English pop girl group Spice Girls are set to announce their 2019 reunion tour but this time, they will be missing a member.

Victoria Beckham who was known as Posh Spice will not be joining the group on the tour, as she is taking the time to focus on her fashion brand.

The girls, in an exclusive with The Sun, will be sharing more details about their UK Tour later today, Monday, November 5.

Ahead of the announcement, a n

 

Photo Credit: @spicegirls

 

Credit: Bella Naija

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PROFILE| MEET TEMIE GIWA-TUBOSUN, FOUNDER OF LIFEBANK

Temie Giwa-Tubosun (born Oluwaloni Olamide Giwa, 4 December 1985) is a Nigerian-American Health Manager, Founder of LifeBank (formerly One Percent Project), a business enterprise in Nigeria working to improve access to blood transfusions in the country.

Temie was born in Ila Orangun, Osun State, Nigeria to a university professor and school teacher. She is the fourth of six children. Her name “Temie” came from the abridging of “Temitope”, one of her birth names.

She grew up in Ila, Ilesha, and in Ibadan until she was fifteen. When she was ten, her parents won the US Diversity Immigrant Visa and left for the United States with the three older siblings. In 2001, at fifteen, she left to join them with her two younger siblings.

Temie attended Osseo Senior High School, Minnesota, and graduated in 2003. She then attended the Minnesota State University Moorhead and graduated in 2007. In 2008, she went to graduate school at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey from where she graduated in July 2010.

In January 2010, she went for a graduate fellowship at the World Health Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland, which lasted till July of that year when she graduated Middlebury Institute of International Studies Monterey.

She worked briefly at Fairview Health Services in Minnesota in 2010.

In January 2016, Temie founded LifeBank, a business organisation set up to tackle the problem of blood shortage in Nigeria. The founding was inspired by the birth of her first child and the complications from that experience. The technology and logistics company is based in Lagos, and incubated at Co-Creation Hub in Yaba. As at January 2017, the company has helped deliver over 2000 pints of blood to patients across the state.

On August 31, 2016, she met with Mark Zuckerberg during his first visit to Nigeria. She was one of the two women Zuckerberg referenced in his town hall meeting the next day. Of her work, Zuckerberg had said,

“If everyone had the opportunity to build something like this, then the world would be a better place… I’ve been to a lot of different cities… people around the world are trying to build stuff like that. If she actually pulls it off, then she’d show a model that will impact not just Lagos, not just Nigeria, but countries all around the world.”

Of the meeting, Temie said to Quartz, “Mark’s visit is validation for years of work and everything we’re trying to do.”

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AVOID “PUSH UP BRAS” FOR HEALTHY LIVING, EXPERT WARNS WOMEN

Abubakar, an Assistant Director, Nursing Services, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, gave the advice while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.

According to her, relaxing breasts muscles will prevent various ailments which could affect the breast.

She advised women to avoid using tight and trending brassieres which she referred to as ‘push ups’.

“The muscles of the breast need to rest. So, women and young girls should please allow their breasts to rest when at home.

“We should also clean the breast region thoroughly and regularly.

“We should endeavour to change our brassieres regularly and avoid sleeping while still wearing them,” she said.

 

Credit: pulse.ng

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In Career Gems By

NIGERIA’S HAUWA OJEIFO WINS MTV EMA’S AWARD IN SPAIN

26-year-old Hauwa Ojeifo has won in the first edition of MTV Europe Music Awards’ ‘Generation Change’ category.

The award ceremony is currently going on at the Bilbao Exhibition Center, in Bilbao, Spain.

Miss Ojeifo who was selected among four others was however missed on the red carpet, as she could not secure a Schengen Visa from the Spanish embassy in Nigeria to embark on the trip.

Her award category was presented during the MTV EMA red carpet pre-show.

The award aims to elevate and empower the fearless, original young people who are changing the world.

Ojeifo was selected alongside a 21-year old Afghanistan, Sonita Alizadeh; 17 year old Lebanese, Mohamad Aljounde; 20 year old Briton, Ellen Jones and an 18 year old Xiuhtezcatl “X” Martinez.

 

 

Credit: thenationonline

 

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NIGERIAN PROGRAMMER, ABISOYE AJAYI-AKINFOLARIN LISTED ON TOP 10 CNN HEROES OF 2018 LIST

Pearls Africa Foundation’s Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin has been named one of CNN’s 10 Heroes of 2018!

Ajayi-Akinfolarin is one of 10 people around the entire world who will receive $10,000 in support of their heroic endeavors. One of the 10 will be chosen as the “CNN Hero of the Year,” and will receive the sum of $100,000.

Speaking about her cause, CNN said:

Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin left her career to teach computer programming to girls in Lagos, Nigeria where Facebook and Google opened offices earlier this year. A 2013 survey found that less than 8% of Nigerian women are employed in professional, managerial or technology jobs. Ajayi-Akinfolarin hopes to change that statistic.

The “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” will air live on Sunday, December 9, where Ajayi-Akinfolarin, along with the other 9 heroes, will be celebrated.

You can vote for her to become the “CNN Hero of the Year” here.

 

Credit: Bella Naija

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NIGERIA NEEDS 2M PINTS YEARLY FOR EMERGENCIES – RED CROSS

However, according to him, only about 500,000 pints have been raised.

Alonge disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos, during a health and blood drive at YABATECH.

The theme of the event was: “True Humanity to Peace”.

The event included blood donations and a free breast screening for female staff and students.

Alonge said that the Nigerian health sector records a lot of emergencies whereby patients require blood daily and sometimes, they have to spend so much in search of blood.

“The statistics show that in the Nigerian health sector, we need two million pints of blood but we’re able to raise only 500,000 pints.

“This mainly comes from family donors when their loved ones need blood.

“But we see many accidents and other situations where people need blood daily and sometimes find it difficult getting it,’ he said.

The commandant said that the vision of NRCS, Lagos State, is to ensure that blood is available in their bank.

“In January, our detachment raised 120 pints and this time we were able to raise 90 pints, making it a total of 210 pints,” he said.

Alonge said the reason for the decrease was because only full-time students were in school presently, compared to January when the part-time students were there.

He urged people to participate more in humanitarian activities like blood donations to help save lives.

Commending YABATECH detachment, Mr Lawson Sekegor, Chairman of the Mainland Division of the society, said the amount of blood raised at the event would help the state’s branch surpass it’s target.

“Normally, we have expectations from the state body, the number of pints for this year is 500.

“Based on the amount raised here and what we already have, we can beat the target because we need less than 10 pints more to reach it,” he said.

Jonathan Adegboye, 18, a student of the University of Lagos, who donated blood said the exercise made him happy knowing he was helping to save lives.

He added that it also helped him overcome the fear he had of donating blood.

“Overcoming the fear was not a day’s job; last month, I tried donating blood but I gave only two millilitres before I backed out,” he said.

Another donor, Deborah Adeola, a 22- year- old student said that donating blood gave her the opportunity to check her blood pressure, weight and blood level.

Also, Mr Olakunle Lasisi, the Secretary of NRCS, Lagos Branch, urged Nigerians to imbibe the act of voluntary blood donations to help ensure there is enough blood in the blood banks.

He noted that donating blood not only benefits the recipients but also the donors.

According to him, he had an experience a few years ago where he was usually drowsy and sometimes felt dizzy.

He decided to go for a general blood test and was advised to go and donate blood.

“Blood donation refreshes donors.

“Not donating blood is not beneficial to you because you will end up having more than required, which has its disadvantages,” he said.

NAN reports that donating blood may help the donor reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases and other health conditions.

It also gives the donor the opportunity to get a free blood analysis which may include testing for HIV and hepatitis.

According to FEDHEALTH, a South African health blog, blood donors are 33 per cent likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease and 88 per cent less likely to suffer a heart attack.

“The lowered health risks have to do with iron depletion. Iron has a significant impact on the body.

“High blood iron can cause a variety of symptoms such as irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness, hardening of arteries, accelerated cholesterol oxidation, decreased libido and enlarged liver.

“When donating blood, you are removing 225 to 250 milligrams of iron from your body, reducing your risk of health complications,’ it said.

Credit: NAN, Pulse News

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LORI MILNER: THE POWER OF LISTENING

It happens often: we appear to be listening but in fact we are so distracted by other thoughts, other people, and other things we have to do, that we’re not really actively listening. Or we’re thinking about what we’re going to say next and how we can say it so that we sound fabulously articulate and intelligent. We don’t entirely hear what the person in front of us is saying. We’re not getting the whole message. In our careers, it’s critical that we are heard. But it’s just as critical that we hear, that we truly hear. Our ability to really listen to others is as vital to our overall presence.

When we actively listen, we’re in a better position to get the whole story. We hear what is being said, how it’s being said and often more importantly, what isn’t being said. We start to see the whole picture, we grow in understanding and we learn. In the wise words of talk show legend Larry King, ‘I never learnt anything while I was talking.’

The more we listen, the more people tend to share, because ultimately people have a need to be heard. To remain unheard is almost like being invisible. When you give people the respect of listening to what they have to say and you value their right to express themselves, you make them feel more valuable. Don’t ever underestimate the power of giving someone the opportunity to be listened to.

Here are 8 tips to fine-tune your listening skills:

  1. Prepare yourself to listen: Stop what you’re doing, put down that phone, put away auditory and visual distractions, hush your thoughts and most of all, stop talking. Listening is an active process, so it requires your absolute attention.
  2. Show that you’re ready to listen: Make eye contact, focus on the speaker, and if you are sitting across from them, lean forward. Don’t fold your arms. Use your body language to make the speaker feel relaxed enough to speak freely.
  3. Listen closely: Focus on what is being said. Now is not the time to plan a response, formulate an opinion or solve a problem. Now is the time to listen. Simply allow this person to express themselves and allow their views to be heard.
  4. Be respectful: Don’t judge, don’t bring your personal prejudices into play and don’t censor what somebody else is trying to say. Practise curiosity instead. Open your mind and be respectful of the story unfolding in front of you.
  5. Listen deeply: Listen as much to the things that aren’t being said as the things that are being said. Pay attention to the tone of voice, be mindful of the words that are chosen and watch the speaker’s body language.
  6. Be patient: Don’t jump in. Even when the speaker pauses, fumbles for the right words, or stutters, don’t finish their sentences for them and don’t interrupt them.
  7. Understand: When the full story is on the table, make sure you get it with absolute clarity. Ask questions if you have to. Paraphrase it back to them. Get all the details you need, not later, now.
  8. And when you do respond: Think first, self-evaluate and ask yourself, is what I am about to say going to make a valuable contribution?

Here’s to the power of listening,

Warm wishes,

Lori

 

LORI MILNER is the engaging facilitator, thought leader and mentor known for her insightful approach to being a modern corporate woman. Her brainchild, the successful initiative Beyond the Dress, is the embodiment of her passion to empower women.

 

Credit: Lori Milner, lionessesofafrica.com

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CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE TO MODERATE ON-STAGE CONVERSATION WITH MICHELLE OBAMA ABOUT HER “BECOMING” MEMOIR

On December 3rd, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will moderate an on-stage conversation with Michelle Obama about Obama’s new memoir, “Becoming”.

The conversation will cover Obama’s early life and career, her reinvention of the role of First Lady, and her ongoing activities since leaving the White House.

According to the publisher’s website:
Reflecting on her memoir, Michelle Obama will invite audiences into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she will recount her triumphs and her disappointments – both public and private – and in candidly recounting moments from her own extraordinary journey, Obama will also share life lessons learned, and inspire people to become the very best version of themselves.

The event will take place at the Royal Festival Hall of the Southbank Centre in London.

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