Four Things You Do That Makes Your Hair Fall Off (LADIES)

Well, major concerns for women regarding their hair relates to falling and breaking hair. This is a huge albatross for women, considering that hair is a major beautifying element for their physical appearance. It is however important to note that there is “normal hair loss” which occurs when women comb their hair on a day to day basis.
The American Academy of Dermatology says that an average adult woman would lose between 50 to 120 strands of hair on a daily basis and if you fall within this category, there’s nothing to worry about as this is completely normal.
Having stated that, if you’re sure you’re losing more than the normal amount of hair each day, you might want to consider a change in your lifestyle and the way you take care of your hair. There are common habits that may facilitate hair loss. Stay off these four things and watch your hair grow.

You Don’t Eat Well
A lot of people don’t know that the human hair is about 95 percent protein. The scalp secretes sebum, a fatty fluid that lubricates and protects the scalp. Foods that are rich in protein such as eggs, fish and beans and other hair growth nutrients such as Vitamin B complexes, iron and omega-3 fats are important in producing sebum which protects the scalp. You can also try using vitamins and nutritional supplements which facilitate hair growth.

Wearing Tight Hairstyles
Certain ways in which you wear your hair may be a major contributory factor to your hair loss. Wearing tight braids, ponytails, hair extensions and buns have a major impact on hair loss. Even though these hairstyles are easy to maintain and look very cute, they tend to put a lot of pressure on your hair follicles. This pressure makes your hair easily pull off from the scalp and results in hair loss or alopecia. It is also important to note that if you constantly wear tight hairstyles, you may develop permanent hair loss. As such, if you’re the type that enjoys wearing tight and protective hairstyles, try to tell your stylist not to make them too tight. More so, you can rotate the styles you make between lose and tight styles so as not to put too much stress on your scalp.

Show Your Hair Love
It is important to know that your scalp is skin that covers your head. While it’s important to take care of your skin, the scalp should also be considered. Wash your hair regularly and avoid using soaps or creams that irritate the scalp. Certain creams that cause dandruff and dermatitis may result in hair loss. Such should be avoided. When the scalp is healthy, the hair is healthy. As such, wash your hair regularly and treat your scalp with gentle massages from time to time.

Using Heat And Chemical Treatments
When you use heat styling and certain chemicals such as relaxers on your hair often, they can damage your hair shaft which may cause hair breakage. Heat and chemicals also out stress on your hair follicles which cause hair loss. If you’re losing a lot of hair, you may want to cut back on using straighteners, blow dryers, hair dyes and relaxers. You can instead wear your hair naturally which would give your hair an opportunity to grow longer.

HOMILY FOR THE 31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (B).

WHEN IS LOVE REALLY LOVE?


Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem PhD.

Have you experienced love before? What does it seem to love or to be loved? Is there fake and real love? What is love? Where is love? How is love? Is love what we feel; that is affection? Remember that feelings fade but love never dies (1 Cor.13:8). Is love equivalent to likeness? Remember likes often turn to dislikes! What actually is love and when is love real? Let us reflect on these and more issues connected with love.

On the 14th of April 1912, the greatest maritime tragedy in sailing history occurred with the R.M.S Titanic. The sea vessel was the largest at the time with state of the art accompaniments which included aboard gymnasium, swimming pool, restaurants and park. The passengers in the epoch-making voyage were the exclusively rich at the time who wanted to be reckoned with the first voyage of one of the best from White Star Line. There were also few poor and lucky folks who were emigrants to North America who got free tickets. In all, there were more than 2,224 passengers on board.

With sixteen watertight compartments in a 1/6 mile long hull, the captain Edward John Smith made a pre-voyage boast that “not even God could sink the Ship”.(Of course God does not sink ships he rather saves them). The Titanic left Southampton to New York for her first sail on the historic 10th of April 1912.

While screen playing the story as a movie, James Cameron created two characters that made the movie “Titanic” to get universal acclaim. Hence as the Ship began her journey, fate brought about the meeting of two young people who later became love birds. Rose was of the super-rich class and was by family arrangement to marry a man from another rich family while Jack was one of the poor lucky emigrants heading to North America to search for better living. As the interaction between Rose and Jack grew, they came to connect and eventually fell in love.

An hour before midnight on the 14th of April 1912, amidst a starry moonless night, the Titanic collided with an iceberg which the crew noticed late in the midst of late night merriment. The formidable Ship broke into severally pieces while letting in the freezing North Atlantic Ocean water to engulf the Vessel. Unfortunately, rescue came a bit late and there were few lifeboats. Those in the first class were evacuated first which would have made it possible for Kate to have the option to escape death leaving Jack behind but she could not. She preferred to go through it all with Jack.

They struggled together to survive the raging freezing ocean water. At last there was just a platform left for them to hold unto. Rose clung unto it on top while Jack had his entire body inside the grisly cold water. He kept on encouraging Rose to hold and never to give up. Before a rescue could come, Jack was entirely frozen and died. Rose was eventually rescued!
While recounting what happened that eventful night after many years as an old woman, Rose said that she could only remember that a young man, out of love that she could not describe, gave up his life so that she could live. If we are asked to describe in one word what Jack did for Rose, the most fitting word would be sacrifice! The word sacrifice itself has a lot to do with love. To love one must let go something that is precious and that entails making a sacrifice. So to define love we must keep our eyes on sacrifice.

In the First Reading today (Deut.6:2-4), we are presented with the instructions given by God to the Israelites. Among other things God said: “Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might”.
If we examine the above instruction very closely, we will discover some pertinent points. First and foremost it was a command. Some translations would say: “You MUST love the Lord your God…” To show the seriousness of the instruction it began by summoning them to HEAR; to pay attention; to LISTEN. Furthermore, this love of God is to be done with the fullness of three important personal effects:

1) With all your heart: The heart is mentioned up to a thousand times in the whole of the bible. In Hebrew it is known as lebab and in Greek it is known as kardia. The heart is the seat of physical, emotional, and moral activities. In fact people are known to be good or bad from the point of view of their hearts. In the gospel of Matthew (15:18-20) our Lord Jesus Christ mentioned that it is not what goes into someone that defiles the person but what goes from inside; that is from the heart. It is from there that all evil proceeds. Loving God with all our hearts means that we allow our hearts to be God-full, leaving no space for any other thing. It means giving God our hearts

2) With all your soul. The soul is the most important aspect of the human person that survives after the death of the body. It is often used interchangeably with life. In Genesis (2:7) we are told that God breathed on man after making him from the dust of the earth and he became a living soul. Our soul represents everything about us. Without the soul we are no more. To love God with all our soul means submitting our entire being to God.


3) With all our might: Might has a lot to do with strength; not just physical strength but also spiritual strength. In the book of Judges (6:12) Gideon was greeted as “mighty man of valour”. In Ephesians (6:10) Paul advised saying: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might”. Loving God with all our might means channelling all our physical and spiritual strength to God.

From what we have above, we can clearly see that loving God with all our heart, soul and might means sacrificing everything about us to God. A practical example of giving all these to God was the action of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Dan.3:1ff). For the sake of their love for God, they were ready to lose everything including their lives however, God gave them back what they offered and even more.
In the Gospel Reading today (Mark 12:28-34) we discover that the instruction about love continued. One of the Scribes came to our Lord Jesus Christ and wanted to know which of the commandments could be the first. That is the most important of all. The man could be representing the men and women of his time (and of our time too) who were (are) confused as to what could be the most important of the commandments.

The Scribe who came to Jesus Christ wanted him to give preference to one of the commandments over and above others. May be as a Scribe he had been confronted with the same question or he wanted to size the opinion of our Lord to know the extent he knew the law. In whichever way, the response our Lord gave was indeed very remarkable. He quoted for him the passage we examined in the First Reading (Deut.6:2-4) about loving God and concluded with a passage in Leviticus (19:18) which says: “Love your neighbours as yourself”. In essence our Lord is of the view that the greatest commandment is the commandment of LOVE.
From what we have above, our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the two dimensional expression of love: to God and to our fellow human beings. In any case, it will be pertinent to examine how we can achieve these. The love of God is not achieved by saying it: “I love God”. It begins first from knowledge of God. The book of Hosea (4:6) says that “My people perish for lack of knowledge!” It is very clear and indisputable that you cannot love what you do not know! That could be fantasy, lust or infatuation. From knowledge and communication, you connect. That is the due process to love. Love seeks to express itself in selfless giving; an example is what our Lord Jesus Christ did for us. A selfish person cannot love effectively because his/her self-interest will always block the way to reaching out to others.

Love strictly seen is the seed of every good thing. Love is the reason why Jesus Christ came into the world (Jn 3:16), love is the reason why he preached and worked miracles (Matt. 9:36; Mark 6:34). Love is the reason why he went to the cross to die (Rom 5:8). Love is the reason for our salvation. Love answers all questions! Love is the only thing that can decide our fate after leaving this world. Love is a seed which every right thinking Christian must always sow.
Part of the reason why love as a phenomenon seems to be hard to define is that it is another name for God and God is not easy to define or describe. 1 John 4:8 tells us that “whoever does not love does not know God for God is love”. No wonder then St. Paul (1 Cor. 13:7) said that love conquers all things; this means that everything is subject to love which is God.

To love is not optional as most of us think. It is a commandment which carries a lot of consequences. In John (13:34) our Lord Jesus Christ said: “I give you a new commandment Love one another as I have loved you”. It also identifies who we are: “If you love one another everyone will know that you are my disciple” (John 13:35). Love is not based on conditions or conveniences. For some people their love is seasonal: the season of abundance; when things are going fine. The litmus test for love are critical times like the one Rose and Jack experienced at the Titanic tragedy and the love Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had for God to the extent of marching into to the burning furnace.
Today our Lord Jesus Christ has given us the assignment to examine our love quotient. Do we love just by words of mouth, just by flowers, paintings, writings, messages and others materials gifts or do we practice and actualize love by our selflessness! Love is really love when it is selfless and sacrificial!

Happy Sunday and blessed week ahead!

Fr. Bonnie
(fatherbonny@hotmail.com).

Bad Morning Habits That Can Ruin An Entire Day

How you start your morning can set the tone for the rest of the day. A screaming match with your partner? Not a good way to start. A good, hearty breakfast? Much better. But your day could just as easily be derailed by other, more seemingly innocuous habits. Huffingtonpost.com highlights some bad morning habits that can ruin an entire day.

Hitting the snooze button

“Hitting the snooze button is frequently a sign that you are not getting enough sleep,” says Robert Rosenberg, M.D., Medical Director of the Sleep Disorders Center of Prescott Valley, Arizona and author of Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day. But it may also be a sign of ‘social jet lag,’ a condition where you are staying up too late on weekends and then because of the sleep debt you have built up, you need more sleep on work days. When you hit snooze, you disrupt your sleep cycles and you end up sleepier than if you had gotten up in the first place. You also scramble your internal circadian clock, which tells you when to sleep and when to wake.

Checking your phone before you get out of bed

A research paper from the University of British Columbia found that people who checked their email regularly throughout the day were more stressed than those who checked them three times a day.
When you check your phone first thing in the morning, you run the risk of stimulating your mind into criticism and judgment: your emails, texts, and voicemails tell you what you have to respond to or manage that day. Your Facebook page has you compare yourself to other people’s lives, and stimulates jealousy. Unfortunately, checking your phone can awaken your Inner Critic, that incessant voice in your mind that is always assessing, judging and evaluating you, and never shuts up. When you start the day listening to the Inner Critic, your stress level immediately goes up. Your brain begins to produce stress hormones, and your body responds, and before you know it, you are tense and agitated, your blood pressure is elevated, and your day hasn’t even started yet!”

Putting off exercise

Exercising at any time of day is better than not exercising at all. But if you can exercise in the morning, you may be doing your body a day-long favour. There’s research that has looked at people engaging in morning versus afternoon exercise, and those who exercise in the morning appear to have lower blood pressure throughout the day and they get better sleep.

Skipping breakfast altogether

For years we’ve heard that skipping breakfast is bad for us, yet people do it all the time! Skipping that first meal of the day is a bad morning habit, and the research proves it. Opting out of breakfast can lead your energy to flag and your appetite to increase. If you skip breakfast, you’re more likely to eat more calories later in the day. Breakfast does kick start our mornings.

Forgetting to Stretch

If you’ve ever felt stiff in the morning, almost like you can’t bend your knees or walk quite right, it’s not just you. Overnight, muscles and joints can stiffen as they ‘sleep’ right along with you. If you just try to hop out of bed, you may feel muscle twinges where you didn’t know you had muscles.
Lie on your back and stretch your arms and legs, pulling them in opposite directions. Make small circles with your wrists and feet to encourage blood and oxygen to these joints. You’ll find you get an energy boost and increase your flexibility, too. “It’s a positive, non-pharmacological approach to wellness,” says Dr. Carlson.

Source: The Leadership

Preparations For Calabar Carnival In Top Gear -Cross River Governor says

The Cross River State Government on Tuesday said preparations were in top gear for this year’s Calabar carnival and festivals beginning from Dec. 1, 2105.

Mr Kenneth Akler, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Event Management, told journalists in Calabar, capital of Cross River.

He said that it had become necessary to confirm that the event would hold on schedule.
“Yes, we are going to do the festival; we are going to do the carnival.
“Government is planning to review some of the activities of the carnival in order to make the event more interesting and worthwhile.
“We are trying to create something new from the old order in a bid to make the event more interesting to tourists,’’ Akler said.

According to him, the theme of this year’s event, “Climate change’’, was designed to showcase the vision of the government and tailor the carnival to the state’s environment.

The governor’s aide said the children aspect of the carnival had been modified to include : `wonders on the wheels’ and `carnival tree planting’.

He said that about 10 countries had indicated their interests to participate in the carnival.
Also speaking, Mr Gab Unah, the Director-General, State Carnival Commission, said that Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River had increased the prize for the best band in this year’s carnival.
According to Unah, the prize has been increased from N20 million to N50 million.

He stressed that economic benefit was paramount for the state in its carnival plans and execution.

“It is our own oil well for now. So for us, the most important part is the commercial aspect. And this we are doing through participation of multinational companies,’’ the director-general said.

He called on tourists and citizens of the state to brace up for the best carnival the state had never witnessed. (NAN)

Source: Leadership

FG urged to resume repair of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

OWING to the excruciating agony commuters and motorist experience on the road, a call has gone to the Federal Government to resume the on-going reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, stopped early this year, to save Nigerians from further suffering.

A socio-economic group in Ogun State, the Egba Economic Summit, in a statement signed yesterday by its President, Mr. Ayobami Biobaku said that the Federal Government should recall the contractor handling the Lagos-Sagamu interchange stretch of the road to improve economic activities in the area and to reduce the agony of the people who use the road.

The Lagos-Ibadan road is being redeveloped at a cost of N167 billion. The Lagos-Shagamu stretch of the road is being redeveloped by Julius Berger, while the Sagamu-Ibadan axis is being handled by RCC but work on both sections ceased when the President Muhammadu Buhari administration began.

According to Biobaku, it was also important for the Ogun State Government to contract a construction company to do palliative rehabilitation of some sections of that road that have deteriorated since the main contractor left the site.

Biobaku said, “We noticed that the contractor has moved out of site, leading to dilapidation of the road to the deplorable state it was in about two and a half years ago.
“The bad road adversely affects the socio-economic life of our people and negates the purpose of reconstructing the road,” adding that good roads were indispensable to the economic growth of any community where they are built.

Source: The Guardian

Chinese firms to build N4b transformer producing plant

NIGERIA is set to join the league of countries in the world with state-of-the-art transformer producing plants, as the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) in collaboration with the China Great Wall are planning a transformer producing plant in the country that could gulp N4 billion.

The Federal Government and Chinese Great Wall Corporation through the agency had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2013 to establish a local transformer manufacturing plant in Okene, Kogi State.

Speaking in Abuja, yesterday, Chinese Great Wall Corporation spokesperson, Ao Pei Yong, who led officials of the Chinese Great Wall Corporation, China Railway Corporation, Huaye Group and Bank of China on a facility tour of NASENI headquarters, said the Nigeria project, when completed, will be the second largest transformer producing plant in Africa.

According to the Chief Information Officer, Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, the joint Nigeria-Chinese project on transformer manufacturing plant is valued at $170 million, equivalent to N4billion.
Ao Pei Yong said, the visit was to ensure that the harmonization of government regulations and policies on all related issues were carried out, adding that the overview of the MoU, made sure the transformer-manufacturing project covers electric power and distribution, power transformer as well as high voltage testing laboratory.

“We guarantee to establish everything on transformer and transformer-making machines in this collaboration and promised that we will work together to achieve everything as specified in the MoU.”

“Once this project is completed, Nigeria will have the capacity to achieve a Nigeria brand of transformer, not only for self-sufficiency, but the country can export it to other parts of Africa and the project should be completed not later than three years,” he added.

Source: TheGuardian

U-17 World Cup: Mexico vs Nigeria – LIVE (2-4) Full-Time

Full-Time: Nigeria 4-2 Mexico. Golden Eaglets Advance To U17WC Final

90′ ANOTHER SUB! OSIKEL comes off the bench to replace OKONKWO (4-2)

85′ Alimi replaces Chukwueze. It’s looking very much like Nigeria/Mali final,1st all-African final at FIFA U17 WC in 22 years

83′ GOALLL!! OSIMHEN scores his 9th goal, equals Sinama Pongolle’s record set in 2001 U-17 WC (4-2)

83′ PENALTY TO NIGERIA. OSIMHEN TO TAKE

80′ Osimhen fires off target from close range. That was poor from the ‘goal machine’. He needed more power behind that ball (3-2)

75′ SUB! NIGERIA! MADUEKE comes off the bench to replace EBERE (3-2

74‘ CLOSE! Chukwueze hits the upright from a powerful left-foot. Could have been 4-2 there but scores still remains 3-2 in Nigeria’s favour.

70′ Mexico make their final sub as J. IBARRA comes off the bench to replace K. MAGAÑA (3-2)

67 ‘ GOALLL! EBERE scores to restore Golden Eaglets’ one goal lead. Nigeria 3-2 Mexico

63′ DOUBLE SUB! Mexico! F. ESCALANTE IN, E. LARA OUT, J. GURROLA IN, C. ZAMUDIO OUT

60′ GOALLLLL!!!! D. CORTES pulls Mexico level. Nigeria 2-2 Mexico, What a game!
Oh my God, goal of the tournament! Diego Cortes just waltzed past 5 players to score the equalizer. Mexico 2-2 Nigeria

50′ Osimhen tries to nutmeg Venegas, but the defender was up to the task, as he helps his team repel the danger (2-1)

49′ Osimhen tries to nutmeg Venegas, but the defender was up to the task, as he helps his team repel the danger (2-1)

46′ The Golden Eaglets get us underway in the second half. Nigeria 2-1 Mexico

43′ GOALLLL!!!! OKONKWO scores to give Golden Eaglets the lead. Nigeria 2-1 Mexico

35′ GOALLLL! NWAKALI draws Nigeria back on level term with a stunning free-kick. GAME ON (1-1)

29′ What an astonishing save by Udoh. That was class. Mexico looking good to extend their lead (0-1)

27′ Osimhen ‘steals’ the ball from the Mexicans for a Nigeria counter; Chukwueze’s shot sails over the bar (0-1)

25′ Nigeria 0-1 Mexico. chairman, Amaju Pinnick, is in Chile watching from the stands

15′ A great cross into the area but Osimhen’s header was too tame to trouble Romero
This is the first time in the competition that the Eaglets would be conceding first. Can they get back soon?

12′ Nigeria 0-1 Mexico. EL Tri on the front foot

4′ GOALLLL!!!! What a start from Mexico. K. MAGAÑA scores to give the North Americans the early lead

3′ Chance! Udoh tested early on after a great foot work by Aguirre but his shot was poor and easily gathered

1′ The game is underway as Mexico kicks off
Nigeria XI: Udoh (GK), Lazarus, Enogela, Zakari, Chukwueze, Osimhen, Nwakali (C), Ikwu, Anumudu, Ebere, Okonkwo
Mexico XI: Romero (GK), Cortes, Esquivel (c), Venegas, Cervantes, Lara, Lopez, Aguirre, Zamudio, Magaña, Lara
Defending champions, Nigeria , face Mexico in the
U-17 World Cup Chile 2015 semi-final on Thursday at Estadio Municipa.

The Golden Eaglets made it through the quarter-final in style after defeating tournament favourites and three-time champions, Brazil, 3-0. An impressive victory that will give Emmanuel Amuneke’s men a huge boost ahead of their semi-final clash with Mexico.

El Tri, on the other hand, eliminated Ecuador in the quarter-final with a 2-0 win in Coquimbo thanks to goals from Claudio Zamudio and Bryan Salazar, making it to the semi-final for the first time in their history.

Copyright : Starafrica.com

Coca-Cola Elevates Grassroots Football in Four Lagos Communities

As part of its contribution to the growth of grassroots sport, Coca-Cola Nigeria through COPA Coca-Cola initiative has presented football training kits to four communities within Lagos State. They are Agege, Jakande Estate, Oworonsoki and Elegbata communities.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, which held recently at the Jakande Estate Pitch, Jakande Estate, Isolo, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Patricia Jemibewon said, “Nigeria’s passion for football is unrivalled anywhere else on the continent. Coca-Cola’s involvement in Nigerian football through COPA signifies a perfect harmony between platform and potentials. Through COPA Coca-Cola, young lovers of the game are inspired to live their dreams, while we at Coca-Cola help to create a new face for the sport in different communities.”

She noted that COPA this year is divided into two phases namely; Everyday Football and the Tournament itself. “Through Everyday Football, Coca-Cola will elevate the everyday football experience of young Nigerians by providing 10 selected playing fields in major cities across the country with basic equipment and kits including goal nets, training bibs, cones and footballs. Community women in each of the communities will also be empowered with a kiosk and drinks to start their own retail business in the playing field.

Today, we are donating to Amoo Training Pitch in Agege, Jakande Estate Pitch in Isolo, Owonroshoki Playing Field and Orile/Sari Iganmu Sports Centre, Elegbata Playground. COPA Coca-Cola will also deliver what we have tagged a ‘Legacy Pitch’ to a community that will be transparently picked from a selection pool. What this means is that we will upgrade the key Football arena in the selected community into a mini- stadium,” she stated.

While appreciating Coca-Cola’s donations, the Zonal Chairman of Jakande Estate, Joseph Olaiya, remarked that the items would go a long way in boosting football talents in the community. In his words, “Coca-Cola is an exemplary corporate citizen that gives back to the communities where it operates. We will ensure that the materials are deployed to serve the purpose for which they have been provided.”

Also speaking at the event, Community Affairs Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Emeka Mba, re-emphasised that Coca-Cola is committed to building partnerships that promote growth and development. “Beyond the funds we provide for initiatives such as this, there is the social equity which we bring to the table. Our employees are always ready to volunteer and serve in our communities,” he said.

SouRCe: ThisDayLive

Child’s Rights Must Be Domesticated By All States – Onwenu

Onyeka Onwenu is the Director General of the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD). In this brief encounter with select journalists at the Summit on Girl Child held in Abuja, the entertainer-turned politician stated that IDPs should be returned home as quickly as possible. Speaking on the domestication of Child’s Rights Act, she stated that it is vital that we protect our children. RUTH CHOJI was there.

What is the pre-summit on girl child all about?
It is about the girl child, women and it was part of activities to mark the Day of the Girl Child. I think it will be improper for adults to sit and talk about issues of the girl child without finding out what her life is like. We all might have been there before because all women were once girls but with the new issues they are dealing with, we need to know what it is like. You will be surprised at what we will get from the girls themselves.

They speak their minds, they tell you about issues in their schools like not having many female teachers; not having toilet facilities that are decent. It is only a female teacher that you can walk up to and tell her what is happening to you. If, for example, you are being molested, you will be more comfortable talking to a female teacher. Then lack of walls guarding their schools, having a form of security to protect them. If you cast your mind back to what happened in Chibok, the school had no protective walls, they had no electricity on the night they were kidnapped, there was no head mistress and the principal was not around. The students were left to their own devices, unprotected. If we want to coup this violence, we must ensure that our schools have a certain level of protection for the students.

Most of the solutions proffered at the end of such summits are hardly adopted by government and policy makers. What will make this one different?

We want to totally avoid such a situation because it will be tantamount to a waste of time or talking to ourselves. But we are very happy to report that this administration is in support of what we are doing. We will also be launching a magazine called Empowered Women. Some of these issues will receive in-depth attention, the way and manner that it will become a library that you can refer to. A case in point is the programme run by an NGO for school feeding with an exemplary programme in Enugu such that the villagers, parents and families of the student contribute. It is the mothers that take turns to cook this nutritious meal for the children. And from the study that was done, you could see the incredible improvement in their level of studies and health, the programme is using the same opportunity to teach them about hygiene and how to take care of themselves.
It is also teaching the mothers on how to give their families the food that is hygienic. A communique is going to come out at the end of the summit which will be presented to the government through our mother ministry, Women Affairs. Mr President and his wife know about this and all state governments are going to get copies and we will follow through. They are also getting last year’s communiqué as well as this one. This time around, we won’t just talk to the girls but some boys as well. We want to carry them along because at this stage their minds can be positively influenced to think and consider other people as their equals.

You have interacted with the girls in school, how about those on the streets and those out of schools?

We can only reach them through advocacy with state and local governments, communities and opinion leaders who will take this down. We cannot on our own be the policing agents, we can only advocate.
Most states have not domesticated the Child’s Rights act. What is the Centre doing about this?
If we care about the children, then this act must be domesticated by all the states. One of the things we complain about is that we don’t have enough women in the senate; this is their duty to really advocate for this and make sure that government agrees with this act. But it is not happening as quickly as we want it to. It makes sense that we protect our children.

Coming back to the ministerial list, women have come out to criticise the list that women are not many. What is your take on this?

We are saying to Mr President that Nigerian women are looking up to him. He made certain promises to Nigerian women and we know that he loves Nigerian women and will want to see them make their contribution to the growth and development of this country.
Women are available; they are endowed with whatever it takes. Women are making changes in private and public life every day. He has such a list of women to pick form. But if the ministerial list is gone, there are other areas women can contribute to. We have something to bring to the table.
You recently visited some of the IDPs camp; what were some of the things you saw there?
It is not an ideal place, it is a half way place, and better than being out in the open without a roof over your head or being in the bush. But it is not their home. I don’t want us to get too comfortable with the idea of being there. We think there should be a two- prong approach to dealing with their issue, give them immediate relief but prepare them to return to their homes and that should be the ultimate. That should happen as quickly as possible by God’s grace.
It can be demoralising but what we found was hope among the IDPs. They know that this country cares for them, that everybody is talking about them and people are mobilising for them. It was personal for me because I have been there. I was an IDP; I know what it is like to be homeless overnight having so many family members killed overnight. So it stirs up something in me and I said, what can we do to help? If everybody gets involved, we will solve the problems, it is not a big problem.

Aside showbiz, what else are you passionate about?

About life, and I believe that everybody is born with a purpose. Nobody was sent here to come and live in poverty and not fulfill their purpose. I want every Nigerian woman to actualise her dreams no matter what her talent is. You could be a street sweeper and be the talk of town. There is a female traffic warden I see some evenings; I love the way she does her job. I park my car to admire her. What she does is conduct traffic, yet she sees that as her ministry. If you are driving in your car and even if you are in a bad mood, when you see her, you will smile when you see her. Whatever you put your hand to do put your best into it and let somebody learn from it.

Rebecca Acheampong (Becca): Unknown Facts About The Ghanaian Songstress

Rebecca Akosua Acheampomaa Acheampong, popularly known as Becca is a famous Ghanaian songwriter and singer, known for her outstanding sweet voice and excellent vocals. She is one of the multi-talented female vocalists currently making waves on the African continent and beyond. Becca released her first album, “Sugar” in 2007. The second one,“Time 4 Me”, came six years after, in 2013. You must have heard of Becca, or may even be her fan, but I bet there are lots more about her you should know, which have never crossed your mind.

find out fascinating lesser known facts about the Ghanaian songstress.

1. Becca Comes from a Large Christian Family
Becca is the fifth child and the first girl of a family of nine children. They are devoted Christians and reports have it that throughout her growing up days, Becca participated actively in church activities, also using the opportunity to serve God with her talented voice.

2. Started her Career at a very Young Age
At a very young age Becca showcased her talent as a singer by participating in School Talent shows as well as church activities and always came up with one of the topmost prizes at all times.

3. She Studied Abroad
During her early school days, Becca studied at Morning Star School. She subsequently did her high school education at one of the prestigious girls’ school in Ghana, precisely, Cape Coast’s Wesley Girls’ High School. After that, she traveled abroad where she furthered her education at Croydon College, London. At Croydon College, she studied to become a fully qualified Childcare and education worker. Not quite long ago, Becca furthered her education at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

4. Becca was a Childcare and Education Worker Before Stardom
After some years, Becca returned from London to showcase her talents in her own motherland. Subsequently, she contested in the screening process of the second edition of the hit singing competition, “Mentor”, on TV3 and also qualified in the Ashanti Region but had to quit the competition somewhere along the line due to the contents of the contract attached to the program and also for personal reasons. Though she didn’t get to the final stage of the contest, this particular move was what first brought her to limelight. Soon after opting out of the competition, she started working as an upcoming solo artiste till she was signed by Kiki Banson on the EKB Records.

5. She is not Just a Singer
Becca is indisputably a good singer, but that’s not all; she is also an excellent guitarist and a talented actress too. Yvonne Nelson’s “If Tomorrow Never Comes” , is one of the movies she featured in.

6. She Was once Disowned by her Father
When Becca’s Manager, Kiki Banson divorced his wife, it was rumoured that he did that in order to marry Becca. The story went extremely viral when Becca’s father, Mr. Acheampong, reportedly disowned his daughter over her alleged intentions to marry her manager. However, nothing came out of the whole saga after all.

7. She has much Love for Children
Her love for kids moved her into establishing a rescue organization which raises funds to help children affected by HIV/AIDS in Ghana. In addition, in 2014, she became a Goodwill ambassador for UNAIDS.

8. Becca is 31!
Looking at her very young and sweet-sixteen outlook, it’ll be hard for you to correctly guess Becca’s age. Born August 15th, 1984, in Kumasi the Ashanti region, West Africa Ghana, she has already turned 31. Though she is still single, she revealed in a recent interview that she is now in a serious relationship with a long time friend.
I am single when it comes to marital things because I am not married yet, but I am in a serious relationship with someone who is not in the industry. We have known each longer than we are dating, we were friends before we started dating”.

9. She is Proud of her African Origin
Becca is always seen looking African both at home and abroad, at occasions and in her music performances. She allows her style of music and dressing to be largely influenced by her surrounding and up bringing as an African. When she represented Ghana at the 2015 Global Citizen Festival in New York in September this year, she never fails to proudly showcase her African identity through her dress, hair style and other things.

10. Awards and Nominations
Becca’s outstanding performances both in Ghana and other countries have earned her numerous awards and nominations. You may not know she has earned as many awards and nominations as these:

Awards

2008 Ghana Music Awards: Record of the Year

2010 KORA Awards: Best African Prospect Award; Ghana Music Awards: Best Vocal Performance, Record of the Year

2011 4SYTE TV Music Video Awards: Best Female Video, Overall Best Video

2012 National Youth Achievers Awards: Music; Ghana Music Awards: Best Music Video of the Year; 4SYTE TV Music Video Awards: Best Female Video

Nominations

2008 KORA Awards: Best Artiste or Group, Best Artiste or Group in West Africa; Ghana Music Awards: Discovery of the Year, Artiste of the year, Best Vocal Performance, Pop Song of the Year, Best Collaboration

2010 Ghana Music Awards: Artiste of the Year, Highlife Song of the Year; 4SYTE TV Music Video Awards: Best HighLife Song, Best Storyline Video, Best Female Video, Best African Act Video

2011 City People Entertainment Awards: Ghana Female Musician of the Year; 4SYTE TV Music Video Awards: Best Collaboration, Best Photography Video, Best Directed Video, Best Storyline Video

2012 Ghana Music Awards: Best Female Vocal Artiste, Afro-Pop Song of the Year, Artiste of the Year; 4SYTE TV Music Video Awards: Best Photography Video, Best Collaboration Video, Overall Best Video

2013 City People Entertainment Awards: Musician of the Year (Female); 4SYTE TV Music Video Awards: Best Female Video

2014 City People Entertainment Awards: Musician of the Year (Female)

Shoutout to Becca
What do you think???

Most Disrespected But Lucrative Businesses in Ghana

be able to be involved in them. But it’s very unfortunate that some of the people who are casting pitiable looks on these people are no better financially in their so-called white-collar and prestigious jobs. Ironically, they even afford very enviable standard of living without people knowing it. Here are some of the most Disrespected Jobs you never know how well they pay in Ghana.

1. SACHET WATER BUSINESS
The sachet water business popularly known as the pure water business is one lucrative business venture many young graduates will never want to venture in because they feel it does not show prestige to be involved in them. But surprisingly, those operating it are making so much money far more than what a white-collar job will offer.
Some white-collar jobs may mark an employee ¢20 a day and that will be ¢600 a month, but someone selling sachet water and doing it well could make 3 times the amount depending on the location. You know the cost of a bag of sachet water when purchased from the company; You equally know the selling price per sachet, so check it out yourself! Besides, everyone does have to drink water right?

2. CASH CROP FARMING
It is almost a general belief, especially for young graduates, that farming is meant for the crude and unlearned village people, but on many occasions, farmers are richer than most of the bank managers we see walking around. Farming is a very lucrative business but Ghanaians feel it doesn’t have any prestige and many young do not even give it a thought. If you are still in doubt, try finding out why the Agricultural Development Bank is one of the richest banks in Ghana.

3. MANAGING KVIP
It may really sound ridiculous to tell someone who values prestige to consider going into KVIP management. Though it may sound so nice when abbreviated, KVIP simply means, Kumasi Ventilated Improved Pit. But the truth is, if you’re able to build one KVIP in a heavily populated area, you have made a fortune. It’s a gold and oil mine put together. With the invention for Bio-gas, there’s a good future for this business. If only some of our unemployed graduates would give this a try instead of roaming the streets searching for white-collar jobs, life will be very much better for them than they ever imagined.

4. CATERING
As a result of the increased weddings, funerals and parties going on everyday around the country, caterers are presently among the people with the highest number of callers. One thing about catering is that the returns you get depends on how you handle the business. It pays most if you own the business yourself. It also requires you to be hardworking as there are many competitors in the business.
Many do not value this business here in Ghana but if you happen to gain popularity in the business, you will be counted among the rich! Have you ever wondered why there is always a crowd at fast food outlets like Mr Biggs and Frankies? Well you have your answer.

5. CATTLE REARING
No matter how funny and degrading it may sound, the bitter truth is that cattle rearing is a very lucrative business in Ghana. Don’t allow yourself to be demoralized by the shabby dressing of people who are involved in it or even the fact that animals can be very messy.
One calve costs about ¢600, two will cost about ¢1,200.00. If you get a male and female, you’re already into business. It’s a long-term investment which fetches a lot later in life, because one full-grown cow or bull can be sold between ¢3,000 to ¢6,000 depending on the size of the animal. Cows also breed fast and within some days can rake in a lot of money. I bet when the money starts rolling in, you wont remember all the poop you had to pack with your bare hands.

6. MECHANIC
This job ranges from motor-vehicle repairs to fixing other types of engines, generators etc. No matter the one you specialize in, you are sure to make it because it is one business where you have a lot of callers on a daily basis as people who own cars cannot do without taking them for repairs or daily check ups, and lets face it, almost everyone has a car now. Though this profession is disrespected in Ghana, it give hundreds of cedis on a daily basis.
No bank manager can really compare himself to a successful mechanic. Repairing your car is a necessity the moment you get to own one. Though they may look like mad people because of the nature of their job but you can agree with me that they will not look that way once they begin to expand. The most amazing thing about this business is that you don’t have to use the gain to purchase more raw materials because all the raw materials you need are in you head and your hands.

7. COMMERCIAL DRIVING
If only drivers would learn to save, then the world will get to realize just how lucrative commercial driving is in Ghana.Who really respects a tro tro driver? But many of the people who made it started with just one car and today, most of they have fleets of commercial vehicles and have actually become millionaires even though they don’t look like it. Even drivers of big trucks make a lot of money too.

8. COCONUT SALES
When ever you meet a coconut seller, never underestimate their job or look down upon them, they could be far richer than you are. It is one of the most lucrative business out there and many of us don’t respect the job but it pays. Some of them invest the proceeds into some other businesses which they run alongside coconut selling. They may not look like Millionaires to you but they are living fine and might end up better than some people who are waiting for government pensions.

9. MARKET (WOMEN) TRADERS
All these women you see in the market selling food stuffs are well loaded but will never openly admit to it. Some of them are single mothers or widows who have been able to pay their children’s fees till their university level from what they get in petty market trading. Some own houses and cars but appear simple and wretched. Don’t be fooled by their appearance they are much richer than you actually think.
So you see, you don’t have to disrespect that job because they are very much better than so pensioners who have nothing to show for their long years of service.

10. TRUCK PUSHING AND KAKAYO
You must agree with me that this job is the most disrespected in this list. Some people go down the way cursing them, especially when they obstruct the road while struggling with heavy loads. Nobody wants to be called a truck pusher, never! But the fact is that these people we look down on in the society are real big men. In fact they make 3 times more than fuel attendants. In a day, they can make about ¢80-200 on average, depending on business.
The only problem with them is that, due to how tedious the job is, they usually use a greater part of the money on food and drugs, but it largely depends on how the person goes about the business. The prudent ones among them who accepted their present conditions happily tend to spend less and are always able to save enough to enable them move into other business ventures. After all, a truck pusher was once spotted while answering a call amidst his job. Your ribs will crack at his very humorous response to the caller who is supposedly his girlfriend – “Baby, please call me back, I’m driving.”Lol!

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Source:GhanaBuzz

Ankara Designs For The Guys

Africa is a continent of spirit and colour. It has come a long way in producing things that has distinguished it from every other continent and has drawn people to it.

When it comes to fashion, African designs have made a significant contribution to the world of knowledge that informs the style of its people and the outside world. African people respect the deep heritage they have and as such, have tried to reflect it in fashion styles even as the 21st century acts of modernization is swiftly eroding the African culture and values. The rich blend of Africa unique styles and the modern trend is something that has produced amazing designs that are jaw dropping and would make you proud to be African any day. Most of the times, women are the target when it comes to clothing but here, we bring you African men’s wears that’ll make you fall head over heels in love with both the wears and the wearers!

Check images Below...
Source:Google.com