BusinessDay Weekender 20th Edition

SATURDAY 17, OCTOBER 2020

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ŠAnthillStudios

EDITION 20 I 12, DECEMBER 2020

Is borrowing really taboo?

Sounds from the cavemen

Power to the people: Nigerian youths trigger a wind of change in the battle against police brutality

BudgIT Nigeria soaring higher as it opens more doors for transparency through Businessday.ng data availability @Businessdayng personalized

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SATURDAY 17, OCTOBER 2020

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Contents

SATURDAY 17, OCTOBER 2020

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C O N T E N T S

7 PEOPLE An Interview with Charles Okpaleke

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WHAT IF YOU MEET SOMEONE BETTER?

Cotonou West Beach Road Run

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CAMPAIGN NO TOLERANCE MARCH

LIFE Treat others how you want to be treated

MUSIC Sounds from cavemen

RECIPE Perfect roast chicken

13 STORY Is borrowing really a taboo?

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CULINARY DELIGHTS Necessity driven entrepreneurship - A pathway to life changing opportunities

BOOK REVIEW THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

SPORTS Madrid Derby: Can Real end Atletico's unbeaten run?

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Editorial

SATURDAY 17, OCTOBER PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF 2020 Frank Aigbogun MANAGING DIRECTOR Ogho Okiti

Editor’s Note SATURDAY 12, DECEMBER 2020 Dear weekender readers, I hope you are doing well and reading this in good health. Christmas is less than 20 days away! Wow! Can you believe it?

This week as we gear up for the holiday period many of us will find ourselves thinking about the kind of food we want to eat with our loved ones. I have always wondered about why cuisine like pasta and gelato are famous world wide but food like egusi, plantain and pepper soup are not known world wide. What is about pizza and sushi that makes it so marketable?

Our cover story explores the essence of African cuisine and the individuals working hard to ensure that African food stories are told. African cuisine is rich and Nigerian cuisine offers such diversity, so I am glad to see different recipes and food stories compiled together in the beautiful hard cover book in the form of ‘Orishirishi’.

In this week’s news round up: A landmark moment was celebrated in the Coronavirus pandemic when the United Kingdom became the world’s first nation to begin vaccinating its citizens with the fully vetted and authorized Covid-19 shot. The first Briton to get the Pfizer shot was the 90-year-old Magaret Keenan who said the vaccine came as an early birthday gift as she turns 91 next week.

Dangote Oil Refinery has been listed among the world’s top 20 influential projects surveyed in the last 18 months by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The project highlights compelling projects around the world and across industries that achieved significant milestones and impacted society. The population of Nigerians has increased by 6 million since the last population census conducted in 2006 during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo bringing the total population to 206 million according to the National Population Commission (NPC). Breaking dancing has been officially called an Olympic sport for the first time. The International Olympic Committee has added the now-wildly popular acrobatic dance battles to the 2024 Paris Games in hopes of appealing to a younger audience.

Inside: an interview with Charles Okpaleke, CEO of Play Network Studios His debut film, Living In Bondage: Breaking Free won seven awards at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards 2020 including the Best Movie (West Africa) and Best Overall Movie categories. He has also acquired the rights to remake Nollywood classics including Rattle Snake, Nneka the Pretty Serpent and Glamour Girls. A Cotonou beach run experience explores exercise along the Cotonou shore. Our personal finance section explores whether borrowing is really a taboo? Have you ever heard the saying ‘treat others how you want to be treated ? We have an article that explains the ins and out of what that practically entails. We have a piece of relationships and why people have a tendency to think the grass is greener is on the side and a chicken roast recipe to get your ideas flowing for the perfect Christmas dinner.

I hope you enjoy the 20th edition of the BusinessDay Weekender.

Lehlé Balde is the Editor of BusinessDay Weekender email: lehle.balde@businesssday.ng | social: @lehlelalumiere Businessday.ng

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EDITOR BUSINESSDAY SATURDAY Lehlé Balde EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS Fabian Akagha MANAGER, CONFERENCES & EVENTS Obiora Onyeaso MANAGER, ADVERTS Ijeoma Ude COPY SALES MANAGER Florence Kadiri DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Linda Ochugbua HEAD OF DIGITAL SERVICES Onyinyechi Eze HEAD, HUMAN RESOURCES Adeola Obisesan DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION Tolulope Ayo-Olubiyo CONTRIBUTORS Mercy Ayodele Favour Olanrewaju Oluwafadekemi Areo Titilade Oyemade Monisola Adanijo FMCP Toju Akpa Asuquo Anthony Nlebem Ifebusola Shotunde PHOTO CREDIT Freepik, Google Images ENQUIRIES lehle.balde@businessday.ng samuel.anyanwu@businessday.ng ADVERTS Ijeoma Ude +2348033225506 PUBLISHED BY BusinessDay Media Limited The Brook, 6 Point Road, GRA, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria.

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News Roundup

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UK becomes first country to initiate Covid19 Vaccination

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FG reduces petrol prices to N162.4 per litre

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he Federal Government has reduced the pump price of premium motor spirit, otherwise known as petrol, from N168 to N162.44 per litre with effect from December 14, 2020. This is a N5 reduction, following the decision of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the Federal Governmentowned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to increase the ex-depot price of petrol from N147.67 per litre to N155.17 per litre in November.

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landmark moment was celebrated in the Coronavirus pandemic when the United Kingdom became the world’s first nation to begin vaccinating its citizens with the fully vetted and authorized Covid-19 shot. The first Briton to get the Pfizer shot was the 90-yearold Magaret Keenan who said the vaccine came as an early birthday gift as she turns 91 next week. It was the first of 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that will be dispensed in the coming weeks. Up to four million more are expected by the end of the month

Dangote oil refinery named among 20 most influential global projects by PMI

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angote Oil Refinery has been listed among the world’s top 20 influential projects surveyed in the last 18 months by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The project highlights compelling projects around the world and across industries that achieved significant milestones and impacted society. Dangote oil refinery was selected for its potential to fuel Nigeria’s economic transformation from importer to a self-sustaining powerhouse in petroleum refinery.

Nigeria’s foreign trade deficit widens, highest since 2017

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n the third quarter of 2020, Nigeria saw its trade deficit surge by 32.45 percent to N2.38 trillion from N1.8 trillion in the second quarter, and down from a surplus of N1.38 trillion in Q3’2019. The trade deficit is the widest the country has had since 2017 as import outpaced export. Import hit N5.38 trillion in Q3’20, up from N3.89 trillion in Q3’19. Also, export declined to N2.9 trillion in the third quarter, down from N5.38 trillion in Q3’19.

Nigeria’s population hits 206 million

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he population of Nigerians has increased by 6 million since the last population census conducted in 2006 during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo bringing the total population to 206 million according to the National Population Commission (NPC). Nigeria will need to do more to cater for the rising population even has the World Bank has pre-

dicted that another fresh 11 million will slip into poverty by 2022.

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News Roundup

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Nigerian pop artiste, Mr Eazi, is offering fans shares in his yet to be released music

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reaking dancing has been officially called an Olympic sport for the first time. The International Olympic Committee has added the now-wildly popular acrobatic dance battles to the 2024 Paris Games in hopes of appealing to a younger audience. The break dancing competition at the 2024 Olympics will be aptly called “breaking”, as it was in

the 1970s by hip-hop pioneers in the United States. Surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing were also approved for Paris 2024, but all three events will also be a part of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Nigeria commences Lagos-Ibadan railway operations

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igeria has begun conducting trial operations for the LagosIbadan railway ahead of a January launch. The experimental operations were conducted with passengers on board. The train covered the 156km journey between Ibadan and Lagos in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The

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igerian pop artiste, Mr Eazi is undertaking an audacious project which will enable fans to buy shared of the next music.

This implies that the more his music is streamed and becomes a hit, gets more streaming revenue and his fans get a return on investment. Better put, a 1% purchase of a Mr Eazi song gets you 1% of the royalties the song generates. This concept is similar to buying stock in a company but the difference is that collective users can greatly influence the performance of the said stock.

is the first of its kind in West Africa as it is a double-track standard gauge rail.

The trial operation was conducted by a China-made Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU), which runs two times a day and opens three stations at the early stage.

Singapore becomes global first to approve lab-grown meat

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ingapore continues to be a pacesetter as it becomes the first country to approve lab-grown meat for sale. Singapore has given US startup ‘Eat Just’ the permission to sell its lab-grown chicken meat. It has also become the world's first government to give such approval. This lab grown meat is also termed as clean meat and is not procured by killing animals. "The first-in-the-world regulatory allowance of real, high-quality meat created directly from animal cells for safe human consumption paves the way for a forthcoming small-scale commercial launch in Singapore," Eat Just said in a statement.

Lead Story

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MIXING

ENTERTAINMENT AND BUSINESS

ONE DEAL AT A TIME An Interview with Charles Okpaleke LIZ OSHO

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Lead Story

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harles Okpaleke is a Nigerian businessman and film producer. His debut film, Living In Bondage: Breaking Free won seven awards at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards 2020 including the Best Movie (West Africa) and Best Overall Movie categories.

He has also acquired the rights to remake Nollywood classics including Rattle Snake, Nneka the Pretty Serpent and Glamour Girls. Charles is also a hospitality and entertainment entrepreneur best known for being the cofounder of Play Network Africa, Play network studios, amongst many other businesses.

Who is Charles Okpaleke?

Charles Okpaleke is a businessman. I am a lifestyle entrepreneur, a family man and a God fearing individual that puts people at the heart of everything he does. I consider myself a very compassionate person. I am the kind of man that dares to push the envelope in everything I decide to pursue. I am constantly thinking about ways to improve and reinvent my business, and myself, whether or not I have a model to study. I can be extremely unpredictable, especially in business. What a lot of people will ordinarily term stressful, or frustrating in business, will easily make me extremely excited.

I love a good challenge! I am an extremely private, and some will say quiet person, though I lead a public life by virtue of the industry I have chosen to pursue a career in.

Tell me about Play Network and also about Play Network Studios Businessday.ng

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The Play Network has evolved into so many things these days, but in a few words, I’d term the Play Network a business and lifestyle powerhouse in hospitality and entertainment.

We started off as a community of like-minded people, albeit a few, who enjoyed talking business during the day, and didn’t mind a good social gathering at night. I had opened a sports bar and grill with my brothers Elvis and Jeffery in 2009, and we’d have a few people come over to have real conversation, while having a good time with friends. We made sure we didn’t get too obsessed with the numbers, as we were more interested in real, long term, sustainable and organic growth. Rather than marketing our bar as just another sports bar, we positioned it as a networking destination. We were more interested in building a community. Our sports bar soon grew into a nightclub, and we quickly adopted the slogan - Play is not a club, it is a network of friends. That slogan stuck, and continues to do so till this day. What had started off as a small sports bar and grill metamorphosed into what we know as the Play Network today. We were extremely daring and dogged towards community building, impact and value exchange, above everything else, including profit, and it paid off, thankfully.

The Play Network today has evolved into a Nigerian holding company housing over 15 successful businesses in entertainment, hospitality and nightlife, and the Play Network Studios, was a natural result of that organic growth.

Why did you decide to go into filmmaking and

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give us an insight into how and why you delved into buying the rights to old Nollywood titles?

Having strongly positioned the Play Network in hospitality, nightlife and entertainment, I had and still have every intention to maximise the equity of the brand through the delivery of excellent and well thought out projects, be they in familiar or unfamiliar turf. I had just opened up a new bar in Abuja at the time, and I was thinking to myself, the question every true businessman will ask himself, what next? As soon as the idea of venturing into Nollywood hit me, I discussed it with my wife. She was extremely excited about the idea and we immediately began exchanging ideas. Through our casual discussions on how best to successfully penetrate the already well-established industry, the idea for remaking nollywood classics hit, and we decided on Living in Bondage – a classic story rich in our cultural heritage that is relatable, interesting, nostalgic, and impressionable, being the first ever movie that birthed the Nollywood industry in the first place. It was perfect! I immediately contacted a long time friend of mine, Ramsey Nouah, and he was just as excited about the idea as we were. Within a week, we had secured all the rights, drawn up a commencement plan and kicked off the project, birthing the Play Network Studios.

We see these huge box office numbers (Living in Bondage did over 100 million Naira), is the industry as lucrative as it looks from the outside?

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ies, as I trust the judgement of the directors and other producers I have worked with so far. The only thing I’d insist on most times is that where we can, we favour actors that have the required talent, but not so much the desired popularity or visibility in Nollywood. There is young, fresh and untapped talent in the industry, and I want to be the one to take a chance on them to give them that opportunity. I am learning on the job and I believe that as long as others have the determination and resolve that I do, they should be given the chance to prove themselves, to learn on the job too.

What lessons have you learned from Living in Bondage, which you’re applying to upcoming titles?

I have learned that to make an outstanding movie, you must be willing to put your money where your mouth is.

There is no room for cutting corners. If you attempt to cut corners, even in minute ways, it will show in the results you get. It is really that simple. Being someone that will never attach my name to a substandard body of work, I have learned to put my best foot forward from the onset and not bother trying to cut costs unnecessarily in a way that will negatively impact the desired outcome.

What is the most difficult production problem you’ve had to face thus far?

The truth is that I am barely a year old in the Nollywood industry, and at this point in time, I am not as interested in the numbers as I am with the delivery of excellence. Living in Bondage did extremely well financially, but I also spent a lot of money producing the body of work that was released. I am a businessman, and at the end of the day, I won’t venture into a for-profit business without doing the groundwork as to whether or not the business will be lucrative in the long term. I believe that the industry is a lucrative one. I am however at this point in time, more interested in investing heavily into the Play Network Studios - the brand, the people and the movies, as opposed to recording profit.

The most difficult production problems I have encountered hands down will have to do with budgeting. It is ridiculous! You might set aside a hundred million naira for a project, confident it will be more than sufficient to produce the desired outcome, but some way, some how, you find yourself spending way over budget. In the case of Living in Bondage, we spent more than double of what we had initially set out to spend. As a businessman I’d sometimes find myself thinking about all the other things I could do with the funds allocated to those additional unexpected expenses, but the truth is that in the end, I love the thrill and will not have it any other way.

Congratulations on your achievements thus far as an executive producer, please share your experience as an EP for Rattlesnake and some of the other titles in the works

How is the collaborative process between yourself, your partner Chris and Ramsey Nouah who is once again on the director's seat?

Thank you. The truth is that being an Executive Producer for movies like that which we produce is no easy feat. We put our heart and soul into these movies, and so naturally, the financial and mental strain is sometimes unparalleled. This is especially so in my case and that of the key people I work with, as none of us have the experience one would expect to be able to produce the body of work that we have. We are all learning on the job. I am learning on the job. However like I said earlier, I love a good challenge, so I would typically see something that has every potential to break some other person as a big joke, and I’d keep forging ahead regardless.

Tell us about the casting of your movies I am not as anal when it comes to the casting of my mov-

In one word, the collaborative process is seamless. Those are my brothers! It helps a great deal that they pay incredible attention to detail in the same way that I do, albeit in different ways, and so we understand each other without trying too hard. It also helps that we share similar values - excellence, integrity, honesty and hard work, and so even where there are minor disagreements, there is that mutual trust and respect that prevents us from losing focus and derailing us from producing an excellent body of work.

I’m sure the pandemic affected production how were you able to push through?

We are a very determined team at the Play Network Studios and so as long as there was even the slightest possibility of producing our 2020 movies in a safe manner, while mainBusinessday.ng

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Lead Story

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taining the quality we have become synonymous with, we were never going to let the pandemic stop us. We are not perfect, but we make sure we do the very best we possibly can, irrespective of external circumstances. We knew we would have to put in some extra work to produce Rattle Snake: The Ahanna Story and Nneka the Pretty Serpent, being our 2020 projects. We also knew that we would likely experience challenges unique to the economic climate caused by the pandemic. Rather than let those factors discourage us from producing the movies all together, we adjusted our mindsets proportionately to the realities on ground, and put our best foots forward the best way we could.

What can we expect from Play Network Studios in 2020|2021 and beyond?

Without letting out too much, those that have already seen our movie Rattle Snake: The Ahanna Story which premiered in Lagos on the 11th of November and is currently showing in cinemas nationwide already are a step ahead as far as knowledge on what is to come from Play Network Studios in the coming months. We also have our second movie for 2020, Nneka the Pretty Serpent, scheduled for release in the cinemas on the 18th of December 2020. In 2021 we have plans for viewer favourites, Glamour Girls and Osuofia in Miami, and they do not even begin to scratch the surface as far as the bigger picture is concerned. We are open, eager and excited about the exploration of new genres and strategies in the coming months/ years, as we continue to push the envelope on what is possible and achievable in new generation Nollywood, as we continue to deliver excellent, well thought out movies that we can all be proud of as products of Nigerian talent and investment.

How would you advise your younger self?

I would advise myself to become more daring sooner, not to disrespect myself by giving fear a lasting chance. I have learned that fear is a façade, a figment of our imagination.

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And even where I find that fear crippling in, being an imperfect human being, I would advise myself to find my way back, as soon as possible.

Without sounding cliché, there is no greater truth, than the fact that ones mind can achieve absolutely anything it can conceive. We just need to permit ourselves the audacity to dream, and dream endlessly. The beauty is in the journey, in the ups and downs. That is what we get to look back upon with pride. It is not a trap, it is not just talk, it is a hard-core fact. The earlier we embrace that fact, the sooner we start living our lives on earth to the full, and without limits, as I believe God intended for us. BD

RELATIONSHIP

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WHAT IF YOU MEET SOMEONE BETTER? SUUAD FARUQ

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o questions asked, no debates or doubts, you will always meet someone else.

Truth is, when it comes to having a choice to make, you will always have options, even after you’ve settled for your choice, life might check in every once in a while to test your faith and strength in the choices you have chosen to make.

Unfortunately, being human, the way our psychology works is, we tend to take what we have for granted, forgetting what it took us to get them and put more value on things we are yet to attain, only to get them and the cycle keeps mocking us.

When I was in school, my friend met this guy and we were all so excited. You know how we girls are, when one of us gets in a relationship, we all find it exciting like we are all starting some new adventure. So we got talking and one of my other friends (the commitment phobic one amongst us) said, what if you meet some else, or even someone better? She was confused as to how one would have so many options and choose to stick with one person.

It was more of a question for the group so I said to her, you will always meet someone else, and you will always meet someone better, as a matter of fact, they might get you more, get your jokes better, your smirks, and your pettiness.

Yes, you will meet this person, they might even make you question whether

or not you chose wrong, whether or not you have met the right person at the wrong time, but guess what, if you do choose to leave your partner for this new person, you will again inevitably meet someone else.

It’s how life works, we keep going through new phases and new adventures that lead us to meeting different kinds of people, so you have to decide before you choose, is this person the one your soul wants, is this person the one your heart craves, is this person the one with whom you want to spend the rest of your highs and lows, the one whom even if you visit the 7 continents, over 200 states, and the 9 planets, they would still be the one.

And when you do decide, you cautiously and consciously remember the commitment you have made to them, having different reasons to fall out of love with them, yet finding many reasons to stay in love with them every dawn of the day, seeing how this new person might get your jokes, yet knowing there is no one else you’d rather share your laughs with, reminding yourself why you chose them in the first place, because my love, just like apple releases a new device every autumn, the universe will send you people that are better, hotter and a more updated version of your partner, but you have to decide to stick to whatever device you chose to acquire.

If nothing else, remember, they do have options too, yet they stick with you.

Faruq Suaad is a young lady from Nigeria. She obtained her Bachelors degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti.

She is a youth partner for Wellbeing for women foundation.She has an inspirational and lifestyle blog which has many readers across the globe and inspires everyone that comes across it. Also, Faruq Suaad volunteers with the MOB foundation; a Non-governmental organization that advocates for the girl child and human rights in general.

She works as a sales executive at Travel Port Nigeria while running her personal business; a clothing brand named Susultana. She is passionate about the girl child, women rights, loving yourself and humanity as a whole

BD

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Cotonou West Beach Road Run

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he by turns sandy, congested, and stifling, the predictable urban Lagos-leaning buildup that has become Cotonou may prove fatiguing for the visitor, but the newly-constructed beach road west from the airport offers a hard-to-beat opportunity for the novice or more serious walker or runner to stretch out, breathe some fresh air, and recharge. A right turn at the Erevan roundabout, 200 meters south of the airport’s arrivals exit, puts you on the fast track straight out of Cotonou’s urban wahala. A 10-minute drive from the airport will drop you off on a sandy track smack dab on the beach, with the occasional coconut vendor or fishing village to keep you company.

Less than a kilometer later, the beachside buildup falls abruptly away in favor of the breezy, open beach on the airport runway’s southern, ocean-side approach, a further 1.5 km brings you to Fidjerossé roundabout, which, though somewhat congested at rush hour, offers a choice of surfaces: the wide, ocean-side tarmacked dedicated pedestrian walkway, a lightly used feeder access road, or the beach itself for an uninterrupted stroll or run for 5, 10, or 20 km out-and-back stretches.

A recent beach coconut grove reforestation initiative immediately west of the Fidjerossé roundabout has enhanced overall beauty.

Although Cotonou’s urban plan forbids further development between the road and the shoreline, some see this ambitious new road as an environmentally-irresponsible initiative aimed at expropriating long-standing fishing villages in favor of jumpstarting luxury real estate developments stretching west along the coast, just north of road.

The new paved road extends along the beach for 10 km west from Fidjrosse roundabout, with traffic steadily peeling off until it dead ends. With solar street lamps the whole way for the committed night runner, security issues are rare-to-nonexistent. Beyond this point, one may cut down the short distance to sandy tracks directly along the beach, cutting through coconut groves and fishing villages until emerging, 20 km beyond the famous Point of No Return monument in Ouidah.

Roughly halfway to Ouidah, a discrete sign and cleared swathe of land indicates the point at which the offshore natural gas pipeline from Nigeria comes onshore to feed the new power plant inland at Calavi.

If your seaside shuffling works up your appetite, there are a generous choice of food and drink spots scattered the whole way along the road. Whether it’s a down-to-earth fish fry spot, Businessday.ng

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beachside coconut or pineapple vendor or more upscale oriented seafood or pizza, all restaurants have seating either directly on the beach or positioned to catch the steady ocean breezes from the southwest. If the beachside place is pumping the very Afrobeats you’re attempting to escape, keep moving along for a little way for a less amplified alternative. Some of the places making the most noise in the afternoon or evenings are havens of tranquility for the early riser or mid-day lounger. Some of the more formal restaurants are closed on Mondays; it’s worth checking.

Meet up with friends at a beach lean-to for some weekend grilling on the weekend, or if you’re taking a mid-week break, enjoy the quiet tranquility of uninterrupted stretches of undisturbed beach.

Getting there and away: Call a Gozem (Uber-equivalent motorcycle or taxi) and have them drop you either at Erevan, the Fidjerosse roundabout, or further west out of town and then work your way back. 4G network works all the way along the beach to Ouidah. BD

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STORY

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IS BORROWING REALLY A TABOO? FAVOUR

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OLAREWAJU

he Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is reportedly planning to borrow the sum of N17 trillion from the pension fund for infrastructural development.

A communique from the 22nd NGF teleconference meeting stated that this borrowing decision stemmed from the willingness to adopt a proposal by the adhoc committee of the National Economic Council (NEC).

Also, it appears that the plan to borrow N2 trillion at 9% interest from the growing funds under the Contributory Pension Scheme, was in line with the recent proposal of the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele to access N15 trillion for national infrastructure funding through InfraCredit at a lower interest rate of 5%.

But then, government borrowing from the contributory pension scheme through investment opportunities did not just start today in Nigeria as this has been done previously in the past.

Earlier on, in 2019, many news media platforms reported that the Nigerian government planned to borrow a whopping 2 trillion from the domestic pension funds to fund infrastructural developments.

This sparked mixed reactions from the public as some saw it as a step in the right direction while many others, like the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, saw it as “a threat to the Contributory Pension Scheme.”

So, this raises the big question: Is borrowing in itself really a taboo and a bad thing?

Well, asides the fact that Nigeria's borrowing from pen-

sion funds did not just start today, the Nigerian government has been borrowing since the very inception, just like many other countries in the world today.

This is because naturally, borrowing in itself is allowed and even advised as part of policy options for external sources of finance. However, there are a few catches and underlying principles to the act of borrowing for not just nations but individuals as well.

The first thing is to ensure that one has the basic capacity to spearhead such borrowing activities. For instance, if a person who barely has a million to his name plans to borrow in billions, how does such a person plan to fund such expenses whether on a short, medium or long term basis?

Perhaps the individual has viable opportunities capable of generating handsome returns in the near future, then there might be hope. But when there is no concrete and verified plan underway, such a step can be likened to having legs as humans and somehow planning to fly for mobility. Logically speaking, that can very well be a suicide mission.

The second principle is to ensure that interest and debt service payments are not burdensome. So, when borrowing, it is pertinent to seek funds from sources with as low interest payment as possible because that will help to reduce the cost of borrowing and the total amount to be paid back.

This brings to light the obvious trend that the Nigerian government does not necessarily prioritise borrowing at concessionary rates as evidenced by it's high debt service payments over the years.

Data gotten from CBN and the Budget office of the Federation indicate that since Nigeria's last recession in 2016, debt service to revenue ratio has been on an upward trend: 44.8% Businessday.ng

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(2016), 64.1% (2017), 51.6% (2018), 54% (2019) and most alarmingly 96.9% between January and June 2020.

Third, it is often advised that a country's public debt should be dominated by domestic borrowings within the country rather than foreign borrowings beyond national borders from other countries or organisations such as China World Bank, IMF and the likes.

This is because government borrowing within its own country is easier to control, hence the importance of Treasury bills and other government borrowing mediums where the government is guaranteed to pay back investors at relatively lower interest rates. Nonetheless, government must be careful not to overcrowd private sector lending activities. And so far so good, Nigeria seems to be relatively safe as domestic borrowings have always exceeded foreign borrowings although there have been a few times when the Federal Government's borrowings from other nations have been alarming such as the massive loans from China in recent years.

The fourth non-negotiable principle is that borrowed funds must be channeled into productive sectors that will eventually yield enough revenue to eventually pay off debts.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian government has not had the best track record when it comes to judiciously using borrowed funds as tangible fruits are hardly ever realised from it's borrowing sprees. Mere looking at the deplorable macroeconomic condition in the country is more than enough evidence - bad roads that have been worsening for decades among other infrastructural amenities, a highly epileptic electricity supply, decadent levels of security and deplorable living standards of most Nigerians.

These four major reasons are what makes the case of Nigeria worse off when compared to other countries. For instance, despite having a track record of incurring the largest external debt in the world (the United States Treasury Department puts its total national debt at $26.7 trillion as of August 31 2020), the United States remains a global leader. This is because it has been able to successfully manage its debt profile over the years as seen in the productively viable ventures that are still speaking for the country today.

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Now, this brings the question: how feasible is the government's borrowing plans from the Nigerian pension fund?

Legally speaking, the Pension Reform Act of 2014 does not provide room for direct borrowings as sought by the NGF. The act only provides for the investment of pension funds in viable investment options that would stimulate economic development such as bond investment for infrastructural projects.

However, for this to happen, certain conditions must be met as the pension fund administrators (PFAs) must carry out several risk analyses to decide if investing in such bonds meets expected yields and risk appetite. And sadly, it appears that most states are not compliant with the contributory pension scheme and are, by regulation, not able to benefit from pension funds by raising of bonds.

Moreover, even if there was a way to maneuver the legal constraints, records from the National Pension Commission (PenCom) reveal that pension funds are not even up to N17 trillion with 68% of this amount currently available funds in PenCom. The most recent quarterly (Q3) report from PenCom places the total pension fund portfolio at N11.57 trillion. This consists of almost N8 trillion from active retirement savings account (RSA), N934 billion from RSA retirees fund, N1.4 trillion from closed pension fund administrators (CPFAs), and N1.19 trillion from approved existing schemes (AESs) fund.

As such, the existing legal and financial constraints puts a big question mark on how realistic the borrowing plan from PenCom by the NGFs really is.

This is asides other push backs against the NGFs by various Nigerian individuals and bodies such as the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). SERAP has pressurised President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently instruct the director-general and board of PenCom in stopping the 36 state governors from borrowing and/or withdrawing N17 trillion from the pension funds.

SERAP's coercion was issued as a 14-day ultimatum for the President to reveal the steps being taken to halt this planned extraction of any money from Nigeria's pension funds, or else the group would take legal court actions to coerce the Federal Government accordingly.

This pressure was due to SERAP's concerns that the proposed borrowing from the pension funds would result in severe loss of retirement savings for millions of Nigerians.

Notwithstanding, on the other end of the scale are supporters of the Government's plan to borrow from Nigeria's pension. This includes the likes of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State supported this borrowing plan of the Nigerian government as he emphasised that it was mainly for revenue-generating infrastructural development. BD

F avour O larewaju is an E conomics and M arkets A nalyst at B usiness D ay M edia Nigeria. In addition to writing content surrounding economic and financial issues, she is a researcher and pre-doctoral research fellow. She is also a masters’ degree holder from Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria. She is an active member of a charity organization known as Clothe A Person and strongly believes in making the world a better place by proffering solutions to societal problems through research analysis.

Campaign

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WARIF RAISES AWARENESS TO RAPE AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE WITH 2ND ANNUAL NO TOLERANCE MARCH

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he Women at Risk International Foundation launched the No Tolerance Campaign last year to address the prevalence of violence against girls and women in communities across Nigeria. Nigeria responded and our citizens across the country stood with WARIF to say “No Tolerance” to rape and sexual violence and the digital campaign reached an

estimate of 10 million people on social media. Following the on-going success of the campaign and the dire need for more awareness on issues of sexual violence, over the annual 16 Days of Activism to highlight gender based violence globally, the maiden edition of the No Tolerance March was carried out in December 2019.

This year, following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2ND annual #WARIFNoTolerance March held on Saturday December 05, went online

and was followed by all! Participants, friends, survivors and supporters of WARIF were encouraged to come out alone or with their friends and family bubble; wearing their No Tolerance

T-shirts and to march, jog, walk or run anywhere of their choice- at home, on the bridge or in the streets to raise awareness to sexual violence and to stay connected with pictures and videos posted. Notable advocates and celebrities like Kate Henshaw, WARIF Ambassadors Temi Otedola and Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD), Rita Dominic, Chioma Akpotha, Chigul ; Denola Grey. Fashion designers Folake Coker, Lisa Folawiyo, Tola Adegbite and Adebayo Oke-Lawal were also among those who joined the organization to take a stand against rape and sexual violence this year.

Speaking on the importance of the online march, Founder of WARIF,

Dr. Kemi DaSilva-Ibru stated that “ With the COVID-19 outbreak, a shadow pandemic has become apparent with a spike in the rate of sexual and domestic violence cases as more and more survivors are forced to quarantine with their abusers. This has put a spotlight on the prevalence of gender based violence across the world including Nigeria and the urgent need for free essential services, provided by organizations like WARIF, to be made available to all survivors.”

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Photo Splash

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SATURDAY 12, DECEMBER 2020 SATURDAY 17, OCTOBER 2020

LIFE

SATURDAY 12, 2020 SATURDAY 17, DECEMBER OCTOBER 2020

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TREAT OTHERS HOW YOU WANT TO BE TREATED B OLUWAFADEKEMI AREO

eing able to know how to treat your friend under different circumstances creates the most powerful tool for enjoying the best interpersonal relationship you have ever imagined.

The platinum rule on the other hand was created as a superior rule by critics of the golden rule who said that due to individual differences, it is better to treat others how they want to be treated.

‘Treat others how you or they want to be treated’ might be a short sentence that you have heard in time past, but do you know that being able to choose the variant that yields the best result is tied to a mediator called UNDERSTANDING?

Let me ask you, do you know the way your friend wants to be treated? Of course, you cannot boldly answer that question without knowing and understanding your friend. It is when you understand your friend that you would know if you both share the same feelings on issues or have different opinions, further helping you both to know how to relate with one another.

Over the next couple of weeks, you will be enjoying a series of six inexhaustible interpersonal relationship areas that needs the power of understanding so as to know how best to treat others.

For this week, however, the focus is on the place of understanding in our friendships by choosing to either treat our friends how we want to be treated or how they want to be treated.

Looking at historic facts, I found that how to treat others can either fall under the ‘golden rule’ or the ‘platinum rule’.

The golden rule represents the first variant ‘treat others how you want to be treated’ and its earliest use was in the 17th century by two British men, Charles Gibbon and Thomas Jackson, who were Anglican Theologians.

The mighty.com defines a friend as someone who understands you and if they don’t, they try to. The truth is, you cannot know how best to treat your friend if you do not understand them.

What I am saying is, to know the variant of the rules to apply to your friendship is determined by your level of understanding of your friend. Showing understanding is a realisation that you know how a person feels or why they do what they do and in return you are able to build the best friendship with them.

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SATURDAY SATURDAY12, 17,DECEMBER OCTOBER 2020 2020

Two very important aspects in your friendship that requires understanding are: Correction: Take for example, the story of two friends, Bayo and Wole who argued all the time and found it so hard to tell each other the truth because of the fear of more disagreements.

Bayo and Wole could personally not stand anyone correcting them in harsh tones or with harsh words, but at different points of trying to correct one another, they ended up doing to themselves what they both disliked.

I personally believe that no one wants be corrected in a harsh tone, but when you understand your friend, you will know whether to correct them how you would love to be corrected or how they would love to be corrected, if at all they share a different correction technique.

Communication: Jola and Titi are always on and off in their friendship because Jola is always accusing Titi of not checking on her regularly. What Titi has not come to understand is that Jola is the type of person who always wants to be in touch with her friend. Jola on the other hand does not understand her friend enough to know that Titi is not of the opinion that friends have to talk all the time and in fact loves it when they haven’t spoken for a while so that when they do, there would be so much to talk about.

This is the situation of so many of us and reaching a reasonable compromise has proved futile. The truth is, compromise cannot be achieved in your friendship when there is no proper understanding. Your communication with your friend becomes better when you both understand how each of you loves to communicate and then make a compromise on whether to use what you love on the other person or embrace each other’s differences.

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How to build understanding in your friendship You should know that understanding a person cannot be forced and as sad as it might sound, there are some persons that will never understand you and some persons that you will never be able to understand.

The first step to building understanding in your friendship is by having honest and truthful conversations. In these conversations, ask questions, answer questions truthfully, and give clarity where necessary. Your friend can only know as much as you make them to know if not you leave them to making assumptions which might end up being untrue.

The second step is by embracing the virtue of patience and consciously accepting individual differences where necessary. This is for situations where you would have to treat your friend how they want to be treated and not how you want to be treated. It is one thing to understand how your friend wants to be treated and it is another thing to patiently learn how to treat them that way.

The third step which I consider the most important is feedback and continued communication. You need to create a good feedback mechanism in your friendship. Of course, the way to go about giving each other feedback is determined by your level of understanding of one another.

Feedback will allow you to know areas that are perfect and the areas that need adjustments. Any friendship that has no effective feedback mechanism will most likely not last long.

In conclusion, to build a long lasting and healthy friendship, bear in mind that the joint effort of the parties involved is highly required. Also, you cannot know whether to treat your friend how you want to be treated or how they want to be treated when you have not taken the steps to understand them. BD

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Culinary Delights

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‘ORISHIRSHI COOKBOOK’: TOLA AKERELE ON A MISSION TO MAINSTREAM NIGERIAN CUISINES TEMITAYO AYETOTO

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n a mission to light a lamp on a lampstand, Tola Akerele, the founder of Orishirishi Kitchen is pushing Nigerian cuisines to become a mainstream fixture on the world stage of dishes.

Her message is amplified in a blend of detailed, distinct and rich visual presentation of the best food recipes native to different parts of Nigeria: ‘Orishirishi CookBook’.

‘Orishirishi’ is a traditional coinage rooted in the Yoruba language of the south western region of Nigeria that means variety. However, the variety Akerele reflects in this food lexicon is distinct based on regions and uniquely rich in quality.

On the surface, it celebrates the diversity in culture. For instance, its cover ushers in a compelling picture of fresh okra; shelled crabs, snails and periwinkles; dried fish and crayfish; pomo (cow skin), palm oil and scotch bonnet, triggering the imagination of its audience into flirting with interesting culinary outcomes from multiple regions.

It provides both historical background and a market path to sourcing ingredients for delicacies including native soup from the south-south; groundnut soup with bitter leaf, the north; gbegiri and ewedu, south-west; and ofe-nsala from the south east; among others.

But deeply, it bears a rich insight into why these amazing local cuisines deserve to command the sort of attention that Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Spanish, Japanese or American dishes do, with the earnings that follow.

African cuisines seem to be on the tail end of the

spectrum or almost negligible in the race for international appeal In 2019, for instance, when the government of Dubai invited some journalists from Africa, Asia and Europe to see recent development in its ease of doing business, restaurants serving Lebanese, Chinese and Western cuisines were the go-to inns, despite having four Africans on a team comprising of two Europeans and three Asians.

The enthusiasm with which they encouraged everyone on the team to try different courses during the meals showed without doubt that those cuisines were the most sought after in a city where 71 per cent of its population are expatriates.

These highly rated cuisines are considered more impressive in hosting a diverse group of people based on their general appeal.

A 2020 rating of top 100 world-famous dishes according to 63, 402 ratings on a food map site, TasteAtlas has Nigeria missing in action as Italy’s pizza margherita leads in the fore spot and Morocco’s tajine and Tunisia’s shakshouka follows in the 72nd and 76th positions where they stand in for Africa.

Pizza’s grip on the world is such that its popularity received an average of 84 percent across 24 markets, according to an international YouGov study of more than 25,000 people in 2018.

Where is the place of Nigeria in this market? In another rating of strictly African cuisines by TasteAtlas in which North Africa’s Couscous leads, Nigeria’s Eba (cassava flour mixed in hot water) ranks 58th out of 100, Ogbono soup Businessday.ng

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SATURDAY17, 12,OCTOBER DECEMBER 2020 SATURDAY 2020

stands in the 91st spot while Efo Riro (vegetable soup) ranks 93rd.

Correcting this low rating was chief among the concerns on Akerele’s mind when she conceived the idea of the cookbook.

Her eyes were on seeing that anyone interested in the Nigeria cuisines, despite their origin, can seamlessly understand the how and what to do.

She clearly disagrees that Nigeria and Africa by extension has missed it as many easily conclude. Instead, she defines the gap as a huge opportunity awaiting Africa’s largest economy if it gets it right with packaging and presentation to other nationalities.

She hammers on the need for adaptability as well as finding a balance that makes the local recipes accessible without compromising the uniqueness that makes them peculiar.

“We see pockets of this in the US and UK, but mainstream access is still very limited. Our food is so diverse that there are so many amazing dishes that many would enjoy. We need to work out those dishes and present them in a way that is appealing to look at it; so you are enticed to eat it,” the author and co-founder of Bogobiri House tells BusinessDay in an exclusive interview.

“There is no reason why Jollof rice cannot become a mainstream dish for instance – just needs the right marketing. This is one of the reasons I wrote the book and invested a lot in the visuals.”

In addition to branding and adaptability which is heavily connected with the amount of creativity invested by entrepreneurs and key actors in the growth of local food industry, Akerele emphasizes on packaging and distribution as big growth areas of the supply chain.

The food has to be packaged in a way that retains its quality and freshness when it arrives its destination whether locally or out of the country, she says.

This is the stage she considers the development of the agricultural processing unit essential in order to provide consumers with the convenience they seek in living including easier ways to cook Nigerian food.

If these necessary growth actions are set in motion, she expects that this cook guide will effectively fulfil its target of serving the increasing crave for such ease in accessing the best Nigerian foods.

The book has been released to some outlets in the commercial capital of Nigeria, Lagos, with distribution agreements signed up with companies in the UK where major bookshops will begin to showcase it by January 2021.

There are equally plans afoot to distribute the guide in the US by the second quarter of next year.

“One of the goals of writing the book was to have a reference point that would make it easier to make a range of Nigerian dishes. My hope is that you will pick up the book and be excited about trying something that you may not be exposed to or do not know how to make,” she said.

“So I have tried to make the food images inviting. My experience growing up was that of eating Nigerian food from mainly the South West region. But my favorite dish today is native soup. It took a trip to Port Harcourt for me to discover this amazing soup. I hope there will be more crosscultural experimentation.”

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The Journey The journey to Orishirishi Cookbook began with the Orishirishi Kitchen, a practical aspect Akerele launched to introduce a variety of Nigerian dishes to the Bogobiri menu.

The concept of the kitchen is to adopt produce sourced from selected local farms and markets across Nigeria in projecting the best tastes from Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage.

With the opening of Orishirishi Kitchen, Akerele’s inspiration and appreciation of the Nigerian experience— music, food, art, and culture gave way into the cookbook.

Akerele is an indigene of Owo, Ondo State who had her childhood in Nigeria, but studied and worked in the United Kingdom for over twenty years before returning to the country multiple experiences in investment banking, interior design and hospitality.

Awuneba Ajumogobia, former independent nonexecutive director for UAC of Nigeria Plc, forwarding the book described it as a homage to the power of diversity and unity of Nigerians, noting that the book allows all to connect and share these treasurable moments with family, friends at home and the world at large.

“Orishirishi will be a valuable addition to everyone’s coffee table - cooks and non-cooks alike. Each recipe comes with one of Tola’s interesting anecdotes before taking the reader on a culinary journey that reflects the variety of our cultural heritage, traversing the length and breadth of Nigeria and transporting our minds to the bubbling ingredients and rich fragrances that would be percolating in kitchens across our diverse country,” Ajumogobia explained.

Despite having the Diaspora as her target market, Akerele has seen an outpouring of affection and encouraging demand locally. She desires that everyone ventures into to the different sides of Nigeria food as they play their role in pushing local cuisines to mainstream on the global stage. BD

SATURDAY 12, 2020 SATURDAY 17, DECEMBER OCTOBER 2020

Book Review

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Book Title: Rule Your Mind: How to Style Your Mind to Live the Life You Desire Intentionally Author: Tewa Onasanya Year of Publication: 2018 Number of Pages: 341 Category: Self-Help

The Power of Positive Thinking A Review of Tewa Onasanya’s Rule Your Mind TITILADE OYEMADE

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here is so much negativity in the world that we live in today - a time filled with fear, anxiety and stress due to the uncertainty in the world making thinking positively virtually impossible; and making it easy to fall into the trap of developing a negative mindset.

Publisher and Mindset Stylist Tewa Onasanya preaches a message that the world needs more than ever in her book Rule Your Mind.

Echoing its title, it strikes at the heart of the most important issue of all: changing one’s mindset from negative to positive. People who want to improve their life and make progress are the obvious targets of this book, and Onasanya shows you how to get yourself to think positively using simple, straightforward habits.

Onasanya may have started out as a Pharmacologist, but she switched gears when she became the publisher of The Exquisite Magazine and started the Exquisite Ladies of the Year (ELOY)Awards, aimed at celebrating women of excellence in different fields, empowering, motivating and inspiring others.

Her book takes the same approach when it comes to diving into the mindsets that get in the way of rethinking how you are thinking and how to turn that around.

Writing in a light manner, Onasanya positions herself as a friend having a real talk with another friend, giving step by step guides on shifting and styling your mind, added with a healthy dose of personal stories and reality.

At over 300 pages, she organizes chapters around how your mind bullies you, shifting your mind consciously and styling your mind. Onasanya begins each chapter with her favorite quotes from various sources that have inspired her,

as well as “affirmations” for readers to repeat until they believe - for example, “I am available only for the best.” which the reader could use as a guide for self-talk. This gives each chapter more context, making Rule Your Mind more meaningful for the reader. She goes further by inserting a contract for readers to sign, making a pledge to yourself to commit to living intentionally.

Fear, worry, stress— these are all the emotions she experienced in listening to the discouraging voice of her subconscious. Onasanya encouraged readers to keep practicing and to master the skill of mind styling.

She tells her readers to read the book with a spouse or partner helping them measure each other’s successes and encourage each other to become the best version of themselves.

The 40+ page workbook at the end of the book is a great place to start learning how to empower yourself, and ultimately live your most gorgeous life.

The main takeaway? You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it; it takes action.

So, what happens when you learn to shift and style your mind into thinking you can achieve anything you set your mind to intentionally? Your entire life changes, you will have a renewed appreciation for yourself.

If this hits home, give Rule Your Mind a try. BD

oyemadeisabusinessexecuteinaleadingorganisationandholdsadegree inRussianLanguage.She’stheconveneroftheHangoutwithteeLadies EventandthepublisherofHangoutwithteemagazine.Shespendsher weekendsattendingwomenconferences,eventsandbookreadings.She lovestohavefunandtohelpotherwomenhavethesameintheirlives.

Email: titi.oyemade@gmail.com Social: @tiipree

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Laughter in the Mirror

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SATURDAY 12, DECEMBER SATURDAY 17, OCTOBER 2020 2020

SATURDAY 12, DECEMBER 2020 SATURDAY SATURDAY17, 17,OCTOBER OCTOBER2020 2020

SOUNDS FROM THE CAVE: THE CAVEMEN OLUWAMAYOMIKUN DEJI-OMOTAYO

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hat are you listening to these days?

Afrobeat? Afropop? RnB? Or maybe Highlife?

Yes, highlife, it’s back!

It’s no secret that when we think of highlife, we picture our parents swaying with their arms outstretched or in the air as though they believed the music connected them to something bigger than themselves. Their faces became a collection of different emotions expressed in pure heartfelt gestures; the nostalgia was always clear. Victor Uwaifor, Victor Olaiya, Oliver De Coque, and many others, connected our parents to life in a way that was surreal. I remember not understanding it and often thinking “ugh, old people” while rolling my eyes, until I found it myself.

I did not understand until I found it with The Cavemen.

The highlife band and brothers, Kingsley and Benjamin Okorie are something special and dare I say, they know it. They are connecting generations; bridging the present and the future with the past. They have taken a beautiful part of Nigerian history and are bringing it to life today. In their music, they have introduced a modern element to highlife that has reinforced its beauty and significance in a way that no one was ever probably thinking about… well, except them of course.

Their debut project, is their album titled ‘Roots’, released in August. The name of the album is perfectly representative of what their music clearly does so well; to remind and connect the younger generation to their roots. The Cavemen carry the magic of storytelling in their songs; they take listeners on a journey through life, love, hurt and uncertainty and leave us with the message that we will be alright.

Sung in Igbo, Pidgin and English; there is a message for everyone and whether or not you understand the words in their native tongue, the music still feels like home. It deepens feelings of wanting to live beautifully; flaws and all.

Their music is essentially: peace.

Although the brothers had discovered their penchant for music growing up, The Cavemen was officially birthed in 2018 and we were given a taste of their musical prowess with their accompaniment in Lady Donli’s debut album ‘Enjoy Your Life’.

‘Roots’ is a 55-minute listen with sixteen songs. It is a pretty easy listen; the soft tunes, unique vocals, drums and distinct acoustics are a brilliant blend that will have you swaying, arms

Music

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outstretched or in the air as though the music connects you to something bigger than yourself. Just like those before us.

The album has been nominated for the Best Alternative Album award for The Headies.

Question: What’s better than listening to The Cavemen?

Answer: Listening to The Cavemen live. Duh. The band have put on a number of live shows over the last couple of months and they have one set for Saturday, 12th December at 6pm (today) at the Traffic Bar on Polo Road, Ikoyi. Tickets can be purchased via Nairabox. More details can be found on their social media handles provided below. The show is titled ‘Welcome to the Cave’; the title of the intro of their album, where they tell us “the cave is the heart of a man”: a noteworthy reminder that their music flows from the heart and sounds from the cave, are simply, sounds from the heart.

In the intro song they speak on their journey and say “They will change Nigeria. They will change Africa. They will change the world” and then nudge listeners to “enjoy the sounds from the cave”. The response to their music has introduced a peace and unity; breaking cultural barriers that have often been a source of contention for Nigeria. The Cavemen tell the story of wanting to take this from a small scale and allow it resonate through the world.

It does not get better this: music that stirs our humanity.

With an open mind and receptive heart, give The Cavemen a chance to take you on a journey and be sure to let the music flow from their cave to yours.

Their new single ‘Who No Know Go Know (WNKGK) is out now.

Their music is available on all platforms.

Enjoy the journey.

Stay Cavy BD

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Investment Cartoon

SATURDAY 2020 SATURDAY12, 17, DECEMBER OCTOBER 2020

An Illustrator and an animator with a passion for financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

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12,OCTOBER DECEMBER 2020 SATURDAY 2020 SATURDAY17,

Recipe

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Perfect roast chicken Ingredients 1 x 1.6 kg higher-welfare chicken 2 medium onions 2 carrots 2 sticks of celery 1 bulb of garlic olive oil 1 lemon 1 bunch of mixed fresh herbs , such as, thyme, rosemary, bay Method Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook it, to let it come up to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9.

Wash and roughly chop the vegetables – there’s no need to peel them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled.

Pile all the veg, garlic and herbs into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with oil.

Drizzle the chicken with oil and season well with sea salt and black pepper, then rub all over the bird. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.

Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife (if you have a microwave, you could pop the lemon in these for 40 seconds at this point as this will really bring out the flavour).

Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, with the bunch of herbs.

Place the tray in the oven, then turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.

If you’re doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the time to crack on with them – get them into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking.

Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them from burning.

When the chicken is cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so. Cover it with a layer of tin foil and a tea towel and leave aside while you make your gravy.

To carve your chicken, remove any string and take off the wings (break them up and add to your gravy, along with the veg trivet, for mega fla-

vour). Carefully cut down between the leg and the breast.

Cut through the joint and pull the leg off.

Repeat on the other side, then cut each leg between the thigh and the drumstick so you end up with four portions of dark meat. Place these on a serving platter.

You should now have a clear space to carve the rest of your chicken. Angle the knife along the breastbone and carve one side off, then the other.

When you get down to the fussy bits, just use your fingers to pull all the meat off, and turn the chicken over to get all the tasty, juicy bits from underneath. You should be left with a stripped carcass, and a platter full of lovely meat that you can serve with your piping hot gravy and some delicious roast veg. BD

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SATURDAY 12, DECEMBER 2020 26

Sports 26 SATURDAY 17, OCTOBER 2020 ANTHONY NLEBEM

Madrid Derby: Can Real end Atletico's unbeaten run?

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ll eyes will be on the Spanish capital this Saturday as LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid take on city rivals Real Madrid in a crunch derby clash.

Diego Simeone’s men hold a six points lead over Los Blancos going into the encounter and also have a game in hand, putting them in an incredibly strong position early in the standings.

Real Madrid survived a disastrous Champions League exit and looked well equipped to end Atletico Madrid unbeaten run.

Karim Benzema scored twice against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday to end any fears that Real would fail to progress to the group stage after they had started the match with their hopes in the balance.

With Sergio Ramos back to lead the defence and Benzema clinical in front of goal, Real eventually went through as group winners with a comfortable 2-0 victory meaning they will avoid many of the big guns in the last 16 draw.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, whose job has been the subject of speculation after a turbulent start to the season, seems safe for now.

Atletico, who lead LaLiga by a single point from the season's surprise package, Real Sociedad, also booked their ticket to the Champions League knockout stage with a 2-0 win against RB Salzburg in Austria.

Simeone's side go into the last-16 draw as Group A runners-up behind reigning champions Bayern Munich.

While the city derby will be without the fans, such a game normally attracts to the Bernabeu will dominate headlines on Businessday.ng

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Saturday.

Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde is hopeful of returning to action for Saturday’s crunch clash.

The Uruguayan sustained a fissure in the posterior tibial spine of his right leg in the 4-1 defeat at Valencia before the international break and has missed the last six fixtures for Los Blancos.

No fresh injury worries for Real in their recent matches with captain Sergio Ramos and right-back Dani Carvajal among the players back in the fold.

Eden Hazard and Martin Odegaard remain unavailable, but have resumed light training with the club as they continue their recoveries from injury.

Atletico's last league defeat came in the Madrid derby on February 1, when Madrid edged out their neighbours 1-0 thanks to a Karim Benzema goal, but Atletico's form have improved significantly and could get a fevourble result on the night.

Key players to watch Sergio Ramos – After recent time on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, Real captain Sergio Ramos should be back in the line-up for this clash against Atletico. Not only is Ramos a master of the ‘dark arts’ of defending, he is also a regular goal scorer at the other end and a true talisman for Los Blancos.

Joao Felix – The young Portuguese attacker has started to live up to the massive hype attached to him when he signed for Atletico at the start of last season. Quick, skillful, creative and above all brilliantly instinctual in the final third, the 21-yearold could prove the difference between two closely matched teams in this derby.

SATURDAY 17, OCTOBER

Sports 2020 27 Health Today

Head-to-head stats In head-to-head stats, Real and Atletico have met in 225 matches across all competitions since their first meeting back in 1906. Los Blancos have claimed 111 wins compared to 56 for the Rojiblancos, while 58 games have been drawn.

Real took four points off Atletico in the teams’ two league meetings last season: a 0-0 draw at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano in September 2019 was followed by a 1-0 home win for Los Blancos in the return game in February 2020, with Karim Benzema finding the back of the net.

10 - Number of games Atletico have gone unbeaten since the start of the season 10 - Number of La Liga titles Atletico have won, compared to 34 for Real Madrid and 26 for Barcelona. BD

Talking Point: A must win Manchester derby

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anchester United and Manchester City lock horns for the 183rd time on Saturday, with just one point and one place separating the near-neighbours in the Premier League table.

Both clubs have endured disappointing starts to their campaigns, but have begun to climb the table in recent weeks and would stay in touch with the leading pack with victory in this match.

All has not been well for the two teams so far this season; while Manchester City seem to be finding their feet, Man United continue to struggle with inconsistency and vastly differ-

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ing home and away form.

Defeat to RB Leipzig in midweek condemned them to Europa League football again after Christmas, despite getting themselves into a position where they only needed one point from their final two games to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League.

The 3-2 loss in Leipzig, which followed a 3-1 home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain a week earlier, was only made to look a little more respectable by two late goals for the Red Devils as they threatened another comeback away from home.

Red Devils have now won a clubrecord nine successive away league games and are unbeaten on the road since January, and with questions again being asked of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following their Champions League exit it is not too much of a stretch to suggest that it is only their away form which is keeping him in the job at the moment.

United's record at Old Trafford is an entirely different story, with only a league-low 21% of their points - four of 19 - coming on their own patch so far this season.

Three of those four points did come in their last such match as they narrowly edged past West Bromwich Albion, but they have not won backto-back home league games since early July and will expect a much sterner test against Man City.

Solskjaer has displayed an uncanny knack of pulling big results out of the bag when he needs them most, and he has won three of his five previous managerial meetings with Pep Guardiola too - the best win rate of any manager to have gone head to head with Guardiola four or more times.

Victory on Saturday would lift them to within two points of leaders Tottenham Hotspur, having played the same number of games.

Guardiola's men are beginning to find consistency in recent campaigns and head into this derby on a fivematch unbeaten run during which time they have not conceded a single goal.

Only Spurs have beaten Man City in their last 15 games across all competitions, while their victory over

Fulham last weekend secured backto-back Premier League wins for the very first time this season.

Guardiola's men have now scored as many goals in their last two league outings as they had in their previous seven combined, while they could also keep three consecutive top-flight clean sheets for the first time since May 2019.

There are still concerns over Man City's away form, having won just once on the road in the league since their opening game of the campaign.

Defeat to Tottenham in their last such outing was their fifth away league loss of 2020 - their most in a calendar year since 2015 - and that includes being beaten by Man United on their last visit in March.

Solskjaer's side have netted just three times at Old Trafford so far in 2020-21 which, when coming up against a team with five clean sheets on the bounce, does not bode well in this battle for bragging rights.

The hosts could again be without injured duo of Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani for this one after both missed out in midweek.

Martial's absence will be keenly felt, having scored in three of his last four league appearances against Man City including both home and away last season. If he does start, the Frenchman could become the first United player to net in three consecutive league derbies since Eric Cantona. BD

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