BusinessDay Weekender 40th Edition

SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021

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EDITION 40 1, MAY 2021

EXPLORING THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS IN NIGERIA FINANCE

BRANDS

NO ROMANCE WITHOUT FINANCE

HOW BRANDS CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR CUSTOMERS Businessday.ng

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Contents

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33

C O N T E N T S

7 LAUGHTER IN THE MIRROR

9 FINANCE NO ROMANCE WITHOUT FINANCE

17 FASHION

HUMAN RELATIONS THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT SEAT

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RECIPE

UDY'S CORNER MENTAL HEALTH PRIORITIZING MARY GO ROUND. MENTAL HEALTH AS A DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER.

SEAFOOD PASTA RECIPE THROUGH THE

COSMESTICS HOW THE LIP BUNNY LEVERAGED SOCIAL MEDIA TO

PLACES OCEAN STAR BEACH RESORT: EMBRACING NATURE AT ITS PEAK

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DID SHE SAY YES? 3 SUIT STYLES FOR YOUR BIG DAY

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BUSINESS DR. WILLIAM RAHAL: LOOK YOUR BEST ON YOUR ZOOM CALL WITH THESE SKINCARE TRENDS

SPORTS OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD SOMETHING ORGANIC TO CREATE JOBS, OPPORTUNITIES FOR NIGERIANS- AFA SPORTS CEO

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Editorial

Editor’s Note SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021

Dear weekender readers, I hope you are reading this edition in good health and that you have had a productive week and looking forward to a restful weekend.

Have you noticed like I did that when working from home, it's easy to work more and it is often difficult to disconnect at the end of the day? To avoid experiencing burn out, please make sure you take time to rest from time to time and disconnect at the end of the day.

This is the 40th edition of the weekender and I can hardly believe it’s been 40 weeks already. How time flies! I would like to thank each and every single person who reads our content and finds value in it.

We set out to start a weekend publication that we hoped would be an intersection between business, lifestyle and living. Week after week, it is our intention to provide useful information for the African young and woke professional. We hope to continue improving and providing value every week with every feedback we receive from you, our readers.

Incidentally, comments received from our readers informed us that many of our readers very much enjoy the weekly sports roundup; so, this week, our focus is the love of sports for all of our readers who love sports and look forward to the weekend to catch up. Sports is one of those things that brings us together and unites people from all walks of life. Although I am not a football fanatic, I still remember my first experience with some friends of a football match between Arsenal vs Manchester as amazingly fun! The African young girl that I was, suddenly had something in common with the crowd: cheering our team to success!

Some of the other topics inside this edition include: Is money important to sustain a relationship? Can romance last without finance? This is a topic that many never seem to agree on. Find out on page 9.

One of the things brands tend to want to understand is how to serve their customers better, many try but fail. Our contributor Feyi Ijimakinwa breaks it down on page 11.

Check out a review of ocean star beach resorts and our fashion column this week will help our gentlemen readers pick their suits for their big day.

And do not miss our special recipe on page 21.

In the news roundup: Oil prices slip; CBN sacks board of First Bank; Dogecoin; India’s crisis and much more.

Do have a pleasant weekend. BD

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

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SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021 PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Frank Aigbogun MANAGING DIRECTOR Ogho Okiti 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 Udy Osaro-Edobor Feyisitan Ijimakinwa stephanieerigha Nnanke Essien Evis Kachi AnthonyNlebem Ifeoma Okeke PHOTO CREDIT unsplash, Google Images, Pexels 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.

01-2799100 www.businessday.ng LEGAL ADVISERS The Law Union

News Roundup

SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021

Nigeria to receive 29.8m doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from AU MERCY AYODELE

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oming after South Africa declared the vaccine safe, Nigeria’s Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID19 says that the federal government has signed off to receive up to 29.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID19 vaccine through the African Union (AU). With this Nigeria could get up to 70 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson this year. The committee also mentioned that the country was also expecting deliveries of vaccines through the COVAX facility by the end of May or early June.

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he United States has announced plans to share its stock of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines with other countries, amid growing pressure on President Joe Biden’s administration to support global vaccine equity.

The White House said on Monday that as many as 60 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses could be available for export in the coming months but it did not say where exactly those vaccines would be distributed. The announcement comes as the US is facing growing pressure to share its COVID-19 vaccines, especially with hard-hit nations such as India, as well as waive US intellectual property rules to allow more countries to manufacture jabs.

personal contacts. Hospital beds that become available, especially in intensive care units (ICUs), are snapped up in minutes.

Outrages as bandits kill two more Greenfield students he local authorities have reported that two more Greenfield students kidnapped last have been killed bringing the death toll from the attack to six. Gunmen attacked the private Greenfield University last Tuesday in what was the fifth known attack on a school or college since December. A member of the school staff was killed during the assault and the bodies of three students were later discovered in a nearby village.

Kidnappers have ramped up attacks in recent months hoping to squeeze officials for ransom payments. But local authorities have vowed not to pay them.

Derek Chauvin found guilty of all murder and manslaughter charges for the killing of George Floyd

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India COVID cases cross 18 million ndia’s total COVID-19 cases passed 18 million as gravediggers worked around the clock to bury victims and hundreds more were cremated in makeshift pyres in parks and parking lots. India reported 379,257 new infections and 3,645 new deaths on Thursday, health ministry data showed, the highest number of fatalities in a single day since the start of the pandemic. The world's second most populous nation is in deep crisis, with hospitals and morgues overwhelmed. Each day, thousands of Indians search frantically for hospital beds and life-saving oxygen for sick relatives, using social media apps and

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Buhari ask for US support to tackle insecurity

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ollowing the series of killings and kidnappings in Nigeria in recent times, President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the U.S. to support Africa’s efforts in tackling growing insecurity in the region. Specifically, Buhari requested the United States (U.S) to relocate its Africa Command (AFRICOM) headquarters from Stuttgart in Germany to its theatre of operation, which is Africa.

The President made the plea during a virtual meeting with U.S Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken.

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News Roundup

SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021

Fully vaccinated people can step out maskless

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had’s longtime President Idriss Deby has died of wounds suffered on the front line in the country’s north, where he had gone to visit soldiers battling rebels. The rebels, who have been seeking to oust Deby since 2016, had claimed a number of victories in the past week and clashes were reported in the north of the country at the weekend.

The shock announcement came a day after Deby, who came to power in a rebellion in 1990, won a sixth term. Provisional results released on Monday showed Deby had taken 79.3 percent of the vote. A military council led by the late president’s 37-yearold son, four-star General Mahamat Idriss Deby, would replace him.

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Dogecoin spikes on Elon Musk’s tweet

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igerian API fintech startup, Okra, has raised a $3.5 seed investment barely one year after its $1 million pre-seed round. US-based Susa Ventures led this seed round, with global consulting firm, Accenture Ventures, investing in an African startup for the first time. Other participating angel investors include Rob Solomon, GoFundMe Chairman; and Arpan Shah and Hongxia Zhong, former founding engineers at Robinhood.

Okra’s API infrastructure has grown since its launch in January 2020. It currently boasts of serving over 100 digital businesses, financial institutions, government agencies, and fintech companies, including Interswitch, Access Bank, uLesson, and Aella App.

CBN sacks all board members of First Bank Holding and First Bank Nigeria Ltd

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hile most countries are seeing the number of Covid cases drop, India and Brazil are having the worst time. India’s rapidly worsening coronavirus outbreak is now expanding on a scale beyond any previously measured in more than a year of the pandemic: The health ministry reported a world record of 312,731 new infections on Thursday, the most recorded in any country on a single day. Over the past two months, the outbreak in India has exploded, with reports of superspreader gatherings, oxygen shortages and ambuBusinessday.ng

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Oil price slips as India’s demand worries weigh

lances lined up outside hospitals because there were no ventilators for new patients.

Brazil also has become the second nation to go beyond the 4,000 daily death toll as a result of the covid-19 virus. The country, as of March 2021 contends with over 7.9 million cases and over 200,000 deaths.

il prices slipped on Friday, taking a breather after touching their highest in six weeks as concerns of wider lockdowns in India and Brazil to curb the COVID-19 pandemic offset a bullish outlook on summer fuel demand and economic recovery.

Brent crude fell 31 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $68.25 a barrel, the last day’s trading for the front-month June contract. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for June was at $64.59 a barrel, down 42 cents, or 0.7 percent. Prices also came under pressure after China’s factory activity growth slowed and missed forecasts in April, although a private sector survey showed that Japan’s factory activity expanded in April at the fastest pace since early 2018. The world’s third largest oil consumer, India is in deep crisis, with hospitals and morgues overwhelmed, as the number of COVID-19 cases topped 18 million.

SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021

LAUGHTER IN THE MIRROR

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IN THE MIRROR LAUGHTER

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FINANCE

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NO ROMANCE Love is sweet WITHOUT oh, when FINANCE money enters love is T sweeter…

- Davido (Assurance, 2018)

STEPHANIE ERIGHA

he above quote pretty much sums up this article.

The presence of finance makes for a smooth relationship.

There are many factors that bring two people into a relationship and that keep them together for a certain amount of time. Apart from the physical attraction and character attributes which endear people to one another, and are a given mostly, there is also the important “money factor”.

Let’s do a little mathematics problem: It has often been said that you can figure out the true character of a person when he/she has money. Also, we know that money (and the lack thereof) changes people. Therefore, we can say that money forms a part of character. Again, everyone is attracted to money; everyone likes money – yes, we all do!.. So, we can say that there’s a sprinkle of money in attraction. Which brings together the equation: money= essential.

Now, while we understand that money is not everything and it certainly should not be the center of every relationship, I’m sure we can agree that Finance is one of the top three factors that make a relationship work, and it is not number three Here are some critical emotions that finance helps to take care of:

• Frustration- When the chips are down, when stress is high, when things are not looking up in life.. the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness that creeps up on us, even when nothing is Businessday.ng

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look on their face made you feel all jiggly inside? Is your partner’s love language receiving gifts?

Generally, when you genuinely like/love someone, even in a platonic relationship, there is a tendency to want to buy things for them to make them happy.

Imagine not being able to give your loved one even the littlest of gifts.. especially on special days like birthdays, anniversaries and Vals day. It could really be a source of heartbreak for both parties.

Now, I am sure there is a school of thought that may not totally agree with the above. There is the argument that things can always be worked out as long as the parties involved are “in love”. There’s also the encouragement of people coming together to “build” and that people should not necessarily turn down an opportunity to be with someone because of their current financial status because “nobody knows tomorrow”. All these are valid schools of thought. However, this write-up aims to provide some logic behind the emotions and general consensus.

I’d like to hear your thoughts as well. Send me an email: stephanieerigha@yahoo.co.uk BD

really wrong. Most of the common frustrations people experience in modern times stem from the lack of money. So imagine coming together with another person who is just as frustrated with his/ her situation as you are. It is very unlikely that such a relationship will stand the test of time.

• Security- Happiness thrives in security. It is not enough to not be frustrated and live comfortably, but also knowing that the future Businessday.ng

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is secure and that any emergencies can be resolved (because they will arise) allows emotions to flow freely.

• Affection- Have you ever bought something for someone and the Stephanie is a strategy and business development professional with experience across various sectors including media, technology and energy. She is a Beta Gamma Sigma International Society honour member and mainly writes about organisational culture, emotional intelligence, and societal issues.

BRANDS

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HOW BRANDS CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR CUSTOMERS FEYISITAN IJIMAKINWA

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resent global economic realities have resulted in the emergence of new businesses, including startups. Whilst this may not be an entirely new development in the West, the idea is gradually catching on in most developing economies.

However, some of the fallouts of this positive economic advancement include issues of human capital management, marketing, branding, external relations and regulatory compliances, amongst others challenges that are faced by most new businesses.

Businesses that succeed in the long-term have leaders with a long-term perspective. They have an inspired vision. They can see the latent potential in their people and within the enterprise itself. The customer is vital to the actualisation of this vision. Ideally, the customer is at the heart of it.

Adopting a long-term business outlook enables business owners

and leaders to let go of the shortterm transactional mindset in favor of a more profitable relational perspective.

Relating to your customers is a lot like relating to a partner, friend, family member, or colleague.

To relate requires interest in the other person. It requires us to let go of our preconceived notions and to listen carefully and observe. The customer must never be anonymous in the mind of the business owner or manager.

probe deeper. You need to take a brief voyage into your customers’ inner worlds.

Here are seven questions to reflect on as you walk the heroic path of forging meaningful relationships with your customers.

1) What are the primary tensions your customers face?

A good take off point is developing a curiosity about who the customers are really are.

Your customers interact with your business because they are trying to resolve a specific tension or a set of tensions. Defining this tension is vital if you want to serve them better than anyone else.

Your customers relate to your business based on subconscious and unconscious processes. This means that you can’t simply ask them to tell you about themselves (although that’s certainly a good start). Instead, if you want to better understand them, you need to

This is linked to the first question.

Every great story tells a hero’s journey. At the heart of each journey is a core tension that is seeking resolution. Knowing your customers’ dreams and aspirations

2) Who are your customers trying to become?

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and irrational reasons. When you know what drives your customer’s choice, you know what is most important to them. This insight is vital if you want to discover ways of becoming irreplaceable in your customers’ minds.

Forging Long-Term Customer Loyalty Building strong customer relationships is possible when you understand your customer’s inner world and adopt a long-term view of your business. Then, you can translate these customer insights into strategies to better serve them.

can enable you to play an irreplaceable role on their journey to personal transformation.

3) What are the primary emotions your customers are seeking to experience?

Your customers make decisions from their feelings, not their thoughts. When you know your customer’s target emotions, you can find ways to evoke them through positive experiences with your brand.

4) What needs are your customers trying to meet?

Your customers are biological creatures driven by basic human needs as well as spiritual beings guided by higher-level needs. If you’re taking a long-term business outlook, be sure that you’re helping your customers meet both types of needs.

5) What are the archetypes— patterns of behavior—that govern your customers’ lives?

Archetypes are universal mental images within the human psyche.

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These primordial images trigger instinctual urges that lead to set patterns of behaviour. When you know the predominant archetypal patterns of your customers (and your brand), you will have a deeper understanding of what motivates them to take action.

6) What are the common characteristics your customers share?

Your customers, especially your best ones, likely share a core set of personality traits and characteristics that help shape and define their personal identities.

Knowing these shared traits enables you to market to them in meaningful ways.

7) What drives your customers to choose you?

Your customers choose you over your competitors for both rational

These seven questions obviously go significantly deeper than the average consumer metrics and demographic information. As a business owner or manager, asking these questions (even in a purely contemplative way) demonstrates a new level of commitment to serving your customers. Answering these questions requires genuine interest, curiosity, patience, and a little cunning.

Last line: A sustainable relationship between a brand and its customers can happen when there is an intentional and strategic commitment to understanding and satisfying the peculiarities of the customers by the brand BD

Feyisitan Ijimakinwa is a Reputation and Perception Management expert. He is a prolific writer and researcher who, at different times, served as Head of Corporate Communications of top brands quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A versatile communications specialist, he practiced extensively as a print journalist and was variously engaged in the broadcast media, working on radio and television. Feyisitan continues to write on corporate communications, brand reputation and perception management, and brand intelligence, among others. He organises the ‘Brand Intelligence and the Marketplace’ masterclass. Feyisitan advocates a pollution free and sustainable environment

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PLACES

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OCEAN STAR BEACH RESORT:

EMBRACING NATURE AT ITS PEAK IFEOMA OKEKE

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PLACES

SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021

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way from the boisterous and chaotic places in Lagos, one may not need to go too far to get some good rest while embracing the serenity and beauty nature offers.

Located at the heart of Ibeshe, Lagos is the Ocean Star Beach Resort which offers a combination of beautiful scenery, swimming pool, relaxation centres, unique cuisine, tall palm trees, chirping birds, game centres, interesting activities and a beautiful beach.

At Ocean Star Beach Resort, is a natural paradise beyond every tourist’s imagination. The resort presents a unique mix of a natural environment consisting of beautifully made huts proving shades for guests and extensively sandy beach.

Guests can taste the sweet combination of comfort and

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freedom alongside the aura of a stress-free terrain that gives them the ambiance of nature’s perfection of beautiful white sand beach and miraculous Atlantic Ocean.

Some activities guests could engage in include pure relaxation, beach wedding/ reception, beach party, various kinds of beach sports, boat tour on the creek, fishing, community tour, bush tour, rental services - beach house, amongst several others.

Ocean Star Beach Resort is a part of the Ibeshe Beach communities.

They are deeply embedded in these communities, and its aim is to introduce people to life in rural Africa and to enable them take part in daily life and in special events.

It’s really lovely to wander out from Ocean star beach resort into the local community and meet people. The people here are

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extremely friendly, and love to stop and chat and welcome guests.

Wandering around here is very rewarding and guests can expect to make good friends and really get to know people.

Wutsika Stephen Olu, founder/ Owner of Ocean Star Beach Resort International Ltd told BusinessDay that he had always dreamt of this business for a long time and he pursued that dream.

“Since I was a child, I have always had the dream of having a resort or recreational centre, so after I finished secondary school, I decided to start this in a small way and today I can tell you that I have built this place to become what it is today. I started this business 12 years ago.

People come here from various parts of the world to relax and have fun,” he told BusinessDay.

of 1,500 as access fee to access to all amenities at the resort.

“In the next ten years, we hope to be counted amongst the first five top leisure and tourism service providers in Nigeria,” he added.

A guest who identified herself as Ore Akintimoye told BusinessDay that her picnic at the Ocean Star Beach Resort resort was an amazing experience, one she would love to experience again.

“I and my friends had time to bond. The environment was amazing and the breeze was very refreshing.

Food was very delicious; we played games' fellowshipped together, and generally had a nice time. I'm definitely looking forward to more of this,” Akintimoye said BD

Olu said the guests pay a token

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PLACES

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FASHION

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DID SHE SAY YES? 3 SUIT STYLES FOR YOUR BIG DAY ELVIS KACHI

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h wow! Did she say yes? I guess congratulations are in order then. I mean, I totally understand how tensed you must have felt when the thoughts of proposing crossed your mind.

How do you even propose? Just the both of you in the room? Or would you rather have something a bit more extravagant? What if she said no? What if she passes out, and passes on to the land of no returns from there? Haha! What if you wobble as you get on your knee – would they notice? I completely understand the jittering feeling.

But alas! You have successfully proposed and she’s said yes. That is exactly the go-ahead you need to further on the plans of fully bringing her home. It went as expected, so congratulations once again. Now, you want to make her and anyone who cares to see, that you very much know how to play this game and you understand how to literally sweep her off her feet with your unique sense of style. To this effect, the shoes, socks, tie, suit, pocket fillers, shirt and pants have to be well planned. Let’s delve right into it.

The Single-Breasted Suit with Peak Lapel

This style of wedding suit is best for men who just want to look simple and classic. It is borderline easy to execute, and has no preferred body type. It’s an easy access, and its why people love this suit style. Men feel easily drawn to Businessday.ng

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this suit, and although most would regard it as traditional, the single-breasted suit rests on the shoulders of elegance, timelessness and classic.

The Double-Breasted Suit

The double-breasted suit style is for men who are looking to liaise or interphase with both sophistication and simplicity. This modern suit style adds 100% lavishness to men who are willing to explore the intricacies upon which it was built. Although it sits perfectly on broad shoulders and muscular body type, it all in the end, really just clings to men who are willing to explore and take rewarding risks on their wedding day.

preference with this one. For those who do not know, the tuxedos are suits which have their lapels made of satin.

They exude great senses of formality and class. Poise too.

You literally cannot go wrong wearing a tuxedo. Another better part to this outfit is the fact that it could be worn with any color of shirt – white, black, blue? Just go ahead.

I’ll admit, getting married can be a pretty overwhelming experience and it especially gets better when you're finally tying the knot with someone you feel a genuine connection with. To this effect, everything has appeared appropriately and that includes your sense of style.BD

Image by Deji & Kola

The Tuxedo

Tuxedos are the literal best. There’s really no selection or Businessday.ng

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Elvis Kachi is a performancedriven Fashion, Culture and Lifestyle Journalist, with years of demonstrated track records in positively impacting organizations through building and strengthening strategic communications, producing dig ital marke ting conte nts, pe r for ming market research and managing projects.

A creative content writer, creator, illustrator, and an overall lover of artistic fashion; currently using his skills to further explore the creative space, and give a voice to a culture he believes in.

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HUMAN RELATIONS

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THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT SEAT NNANKE ESSIEN

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ith the current realities and shifts in the workspace, it has become all the more imperative to have the right people in the right seat in your organization. This will not only ensure effectiveness in your operations but also ensure you are growing a team of doers who constantly lift the burden of admin and operations off you and free up some time for you to do more income-generating and business growth activities.

If we already know this as a fact, why are more and more employers finding it difficult to fill critical roles in their organizations? Some would argue that there are no jobs in town, others will say there are jobs but no skilled or qualified applicants to fill these roles, even the applicants would dare say the jobs advertised on many platforms do not reflect or align with their career vision. If you ask me, all these are valid and, in some sense, reflects the realities of our time. So how can we tackle the menace of hiring right effectively?

Begin with your desired outcome in mind: Drop this article for a minute, do a quick google search for an Businessday.ng

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HUMAN RELATIONS

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accounting job in your location. Did the job ad reflect a problem or an outcome? Or did it just come across as a generic advert for a job? Your answer is most likely affirmative on the latter and not so positive on the former and therein lies the big issue. As an employer or even a recruiter, before you post a job ad on any platform even on WhatsApp, please ensure that you have a good understanding of the problem statement i.e. what we are hiring for; is it to replace an existing job?

Is it to fill up a newly created job or to meet a certain target/ milestone in the organization?

Scenario-based interviews: Remember step 1, well now is the time to bring your reason into motion. In other words, this is the time when you ask questions relating to the exact reason you are hiring this candidate. Bring in real-life scenarios, test for the qualities you are looking for on that job, ensure you have satisfied your needs with the questions you ask. Doing this, should help you gauge and scale their ability to solve those problems and even do much more. Don't fall into the danger of asking generic questions in your interview.

Remember GIGO (Generic In, Generic Out).

Taking a few minutes to get clarity on these questions could save you long and unsuccessful recruitment exercises. In other words, when you get the brief to hire, ensure to get the deets (details).

BYOP: This is almost like building your own burger, but it literarily stands for build your own people. After all, said and done, if you cannot find the right people for positions in your organization then create a track for them. Have a base line for the sort of employees you want to hire, your baseline can be schools they attended, class of degrees, age, personality and so on, then create a proper onboarding plan (a story for another day), your own training school or your own graduate or management trainee programme. This should help close the gap and as well give you a truck load of people suited to work in your organization.

Create a candidate persona/avatar: Yes, I know this is not a marketing class, but trust me creating a candidate avatar is so helpful especially if you want to hit the bullseye with your recruitment. In this case, what does this mean, an avatar is a descriptive definition of the kind of person you want to be on the job. This could also capture details such as age, personality, social identity etc. with this information you can laser target and refine your search/ talent sources. Let’s make this practical; if you wanted to hire a marketing executive, would you rather a quiet, reserved, quirky person or would you rather an outgoing/life of the party, larger than life personality? So, wouldn’t putting this on your job ad help to sieve out those who do not align? Aha! Now you get the drift. You also want people who reflect your current culture and who would thrive in that culture. In your next job posting, please slot in a few of these words i.e. words that reflect the personality you want e.g. quirky, not afraid to be different, energetic, vivacious, bold, spirited etc. and watch the magic that happens. Trust me, you want the employees in your organization to operate with their greatest skill and competence in your organization so get it right at the point of sourcing.

You might not get 100% perfection when it comes to your business, however you can reduce recruitment errors, improve the process and get good people into your organization, who will energize you rather than drain you. BD

Nnanke is a HR professional and business consultant, with a decade’s worth of experience across major sub-fields within the talent management industry. She is passionate about improving the internal dynamics of organizations (people, processes and culture) to ensure their operations truly reflect their brand promise.

Over the years, she has developed, coordinated and led all Human Resources services including attraction and retention, learning and development, compensation and benefit, performance management and employee relations while supporting executive management in enhancing business processes. She has participated in strategy development, planning and implementation across the organization, serving as a touchpoint for all the people, process and culture needs. She has been instrumental in the development of shared services structures, cross-functional integration and dependence, talent management and career management systems. She has also improved work engagement and instituted a learning culture across the group. She has been recognised for capacity building, training, employee engagement, developing strategy and creating a solid learning and empowerment environment for entrepreneurs and mentees in her network.

She is the Lead Consultant at SiSa Method, a business improvement company, the founder of the stress free community and the owner of the operational ease method.

She is also a John Maxwell certified speaker, trainer and coach, a BPM specialist and a member of CIHRM and an NLP stage II practitioner.

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RECIPE

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SEAFOOD PASTA RECIPE INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

12 oz. spaghetti

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain and return to pot.

2 tbsp. butter 1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/2 lb. scallops, patted dry Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 small shallot, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 c. milk 3/4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add shrimp and scallops and season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate.

To skillet add shallot and garlic cook until soft and fragrant, 3 minutes. Add milk, broth, Parmesan, tomatoes, and parsley and season with salt. Simmer 3 minutes more, then return shrimp and scallops and toss until combined. Squeeze with lemon juice Add cooked spaghetti and toss until fully coated.

Garnish with parsley and serve with Parmesan.BD

1 c. chopped tomatoes 1/4 c. freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish Juice of 1/2 lemon Businessday.ng

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MENTAL HEALTH

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SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021

PRIORITIZING MENTAL HEALTH AS A DIGITAL/ SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER. IFEOMA OKEKE

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imes have changed and while we have seen the world go from analog to digital and the ever evolving world of technology.

These changes have also influenced sources and ways to earn income, but with the cool jobs on the rise, comes uncool pressures.

A decline in Mental Health is one of these issues.

Although it spreads across all forms of jobs, race, gender and ages, we can’t overlook the rise especially of employment in digital spaces.

Well, this piece is focused on one of the key workers in the digital space: Influencers.

In my opinion, Influencers provide the real value of the digital/ media tools; from creating content, getting the numbers, maintaining the traction and constantly adjusting to the unpredictability of Businessday.ng

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technology.

It’s almost like a man vs machine and if you visualize it, it isn’t so easy to go up against a thing which has an unconventional mind of its own.

So how do you take care of your mental health as an Influencer?

Firstly, you must revisit your intent and goal to Influence. I say this because it is easy to get inspired by our favorite Influencer and the money bag that comes with the job but we forget that one of the demerits of the job is “looking picture perfect” Secondly, what impact are you trying to achieve?

This is actually the most important part because successfully figuring this out, lessens the burden of expectations especially when it comes to the numbers or interaction.

It is simply shifting your focus on

how to make the efforts to influence the change you seek exist.

When your concern moves from the quantity of people to the quality of what you put out, it provides a healthy perspective on your representation.

Finally, it is ok to take a break from everything. Even God rested on the seventh day.

Just to add a corny joke, “like age is just a number, beware because numbers are deceitful” P.S Therapy is always an option. Be open to the idea.BD

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COSMETICS

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HOW THE LIP BUNNY LEVERAGED SOCIAL MEDIA TO THRIVE AMIDST PANDEMIC IFEOMA OKEKE

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n March 2020, COVID-19 became a worldwide pandemic that put the world on lockdown, during which most businesses had to close their doors – some of them for good. Brianna LaTorre, The Lip Bunny Beauty Med Spa founder, was among the millions who had to shut her business down to help flatten the COVID-19 curve.

safe, restrictions are beginning to lift in some places.

For those in the beauty industry, there’s a good reason to have hope for the future.

According to a recent pandemic recover y research report by Technavio, it's projected that the cosmetic surgery market will grow Fortunately, the beginning by $11.24 billion from 2020 to was the hardest part. Now that 2024. Here's how LaTorre and The governments and companies have Lip Bunny Beauty team used social had time to understand the virus media and telehealth to thrive during and what measures they can take to the pandemic. keep themselves and their customers

Time for Reflection and Engagement With close to 120,000 followers on Instagram to date, LaTorre has been working hard to spread The Lip Bunny’s name since 2017. LaTorre has also spoken at one medical conference where she discussed her social media success and how to navigate these sometimes intimidating platforms.

When the pandemic hit, she was forced to close her business down but was lucky to have already built a pretty solid social media Businessday.ng

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work on her marketing so she'd have If a client comes in and the a steady base of new and existing provider feels their initial assessment customers for when the lockdown was off, they explain why and what was over. they now think is the best action plan. When the client is satisfied and comfortable, only then can the treatment be done

Taking advantage of Telehealth to keep clients safe

following. During the first days of the lockdown, Brianna LaTorre was unsure of what would become of her business and when she would open again. She says the experience proved to be extremely difficult. Still, it was also an opportunity to look at what she had created and how she would continue developing and expanding her brand.

She turned to Instagram and telehealth platforms to keep in touch with existing customers and offer advice and beauty tips to her followers. She also took this time to Businessday.ng

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LaTorre and her staff have created a safe and secure telehealth environment for their clients.

With proper cybersecurity and firewalls in place, clients can directly communicate with staff members and get any question or concern answered without worrying about exposing their private information.

Patient files, photos, and data are well-protected from outside sources.

Focusing on Safety and Cleanliness The Lip Bunny Beauty Med Spa has always made cleanliness, sanitation, and overall client safety their number one priority.

Once the lockdown was lifted and Brianna LaTorre was able to reopen The Lip Bunny Beauty Med Spa doors to the public, the team added extra safety and cleanliness The Lip Bunny Beauty Med Spa protocols, implementing all CDC adapted to the pandemic. Clients can recommendations. book a consult to discuss the services These protocols are now standard they want without physically coming practice. They will continue to abide to the office. The injector informs by these recommendations to ensure their online clients that there will be their clients are coming to a safe and another check to ensure their initial reliable establishment where they assessment was correct when they can feel confident in receiving their come in for treatment. services, no matter what... BD

SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021

BUSINESS

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DR. WILLIAM RAHAL: LOOK YOUR BEST ON YOUR ZOOM CALL WITH THESE SKINCARE TRENDS IFEOMA OKEKE

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r. William Rahal is a board-certified plastic surgeon who has taken the cosmetic industry to a new standard of care and effectiveness.

Putting aside the complicated current political climate, let's review the most significant changes in the skincare world. Sadly, our beauty routines weren't immune to the global pandemic's effects, causing people overnight, to become their own experts.

Dr. William Rahal, who holds a prominent position as a leading cosmetic plastic surgeon in the US, identifies key trends in the everchanging landscape of aesthetics.

He is a respected and boardcertified plastic surgeon who operates his business at Beverly Hills. Through his years of experience in the medical field, he is excited to embrace the new skincare trends that he believes will rule 2021.

Dr. William Rahal, known in the

industry to provide patient-centric and innovative procedures and treatments, lays out a few skincare trends below.

• Transparent and clean skincare: After the pandemic, people have become much more cautious about what they put on their skin.

Surveys have also indicated that skincare brands that are touting ingredient transparency are gaining tremendous popularity. Dr. William Rahal says that this added pressure has caused various companies to work towards more sustainable formulas.

• Blue light protection: Dr. William Rahal says that the industry has seen an increase in demand for advanced blue light protection. Due to increased exposure to the digital world, the blue light that radiates from our screens has been shown to have damaging effects to the skin. In response, many companies are working to discover innovative methods to help people combat these effects.

William Rahal suggests that microbiome skincare will be the most significant trend of 2021, which refers to an ecosystem of living microorganisms on our skin. Companies are developing products that combine probiotics and prebiotics to help achieve a healthy balanced microbiome.

• Cosmetic procedures for Zoom face: Zoom face is a term coined based around the highlighting of facial imperfections highlighted within the unforgiving box of a zoom call; according to Dr. William Rahal, there has been a large influx of requests for procedures to address these concerns like forehead wrinkles, eye bags, crow's feet, etc.

Talking about the above skincare trends, Dr. William Rahal believes it has opened up many people's minds and perspectives and has motivated them to seek help from cosmetic plastic surgeons and experts to help get their desired surgical results.BD

• Microbiome Skincare: Dr. Businessday.ng

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UDY'S CORNER

SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021

MARY GO ROUND: ....OBSESSION.

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UDY OSARO-EDOBOR

'm glad I had lunch with Mary on that fateful day. It was one of the best decisions I ever made because I would have missed out on the opportunity of being with an amazing woman.

I'm also glad that I didn't take Ebuka's words seriously and I decided to find out things for myself.

One would have expected him to stop talking when he realized that Mary and I had become an item but Ebuka only got worse. There was no stopping him. He was a very bitter person. His case was like giving a dog a bad name because he wanted it killed. Mary had been nothing but nice to him so his vendetta was uncalled for.

Ebuka went as far as writing a petition against Mary and I. His grievance was that we flaunted the company's policy which kicked against office romance. Unfortunately for him though, the MD was in support of our relationship Businessday.ng

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and responded that the only thing he could do was transfer one of us to a sister company and not totally relieve us of our jobs. The outcome of the petition didn't go down well with Ebuka at all He was consumed with anger. He became arrogant and extremely obsessed with the idea of bringing Mary down.

Unfortunately for him, his obsessive nature knew no boundaries and he didn't know when to stop.

Ebuka began to incite other staff against Mary. As crazy as his idea was, he actually got gullible supporters...those whom he managed to convince that Mary sleeps around to get what she wants.

I approached Ebuka and asked him to stop the dirty game he was playing because there were no rules and no boundaries in his game but there would definitely be a winner and it wasn't going to be him.

It's unbelievable how a person would want to jeopardize his career and life just because he couldn't get into a lady's

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pants. Ebuka was definitely sick and he needed help.

News of his "madness" reached the ears of a senior member of staff who decided to wade into the matter by having a talk with Ebuka. This intervention seemed to work because for a few months afterwards, Mary and I appeared to be the least of Ebuka's worries. He became engrossed in his work and actually received a few commendations from management. At the rate he was going, he was setting himself up for a promotion. I was happy that he finally got his mind set on better and more productive things.

Most guys don't handle rejection well. They feel like their ego is bruised but it is what it is. You suck it up, man up and move on but not Ebuka, he was set on a path to destruction. Just when we thought that all was calm, Ebuka struck from where everyone least expected.

The day started out well. Work was going on as usual except for Mary's constant visits to the rest room. She took much milk in her coffee and it upset her stomach.

She had gone a few times already but had stayed a bit longer than normal this time. I asked another female colleague to check if Mary was alright and that was when things took a turn for the worse.

Ebuka turned himself in two weeks later and was promptly handed over to the authorities. He blamed his crazy obsession on the devil. Here was a promising young man with bright prospects who allowed his craze and obsession take over the better of him. He went too far.

He lost his job and ofcourse faced a jail term all because of his desire to have sex with Mary. Ebuka claimed that he wasn't used to girls saying no to him and it annoyed him that Mary had turned him down for many years. His lawyer explained it as a multiple personality disorder but the police replied that it was "story for the gods".

Ebuka would do the time because he did the crime.

Udy Osaro-Edobor. @udys_chapter udy1717@gmail.com BD

There she was, lying unconscious, covered in poo and blood, her dress was ripped and her undie was down. It was an ugly sight. The first thought that raced to my mind was to kill Ebuka. This was all him. He was no where to be found but the CCTV showed him leaving the office building in a haste.

Mary regained consciousness in the hospital the following day. Those hours, waiting for her to regain consciousness were the longest I had ever waited for anything. I was filled with so much fear.

The police were on the lookout for Ebuka and I hoped they found him before I did because I was sure going to have a murder case on my hands if I got to him first.

Mary recounted how Ebuka had waylaid her in the female toilet. She was surprised that nobody heard her screams. He threatened to have a piece of what she had been giving to other men. A scuffle ensued and she hit her head on the dryer. Ebuka over powered her and tried to rape her but he was shocked when he realized that he couldn't penetrate her easily because she was a virgin.

At that point, the veil covering his eyes seemed to clear out and he started begging her. She didn't remember anything after that because she blacked out.

Udy Osaro-Edobor is the Content Creator for SoTv (Supernatural Online TV) Nigeria. She is a movie/ scriptwriter, editor, and proofreader. She has several stories to her credit which she posts for free on her Ebook called Udy's Chapter. She is currently working on two short movies. Udy is also a wife, mother, and a "serial entrepreneur". udy1717@gmail.com Businessday.ng

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SPORT

SATURDAY 1, MAY 2021

ANTHONY NLEBEM

OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD SOMETHING ORGANIC TO CREATE JOBS, OPPORTUNITIES FOR NIGERIANS- AFA SPORTS CEO Ugo Udezue is the CEO of AFA Sports, a leading athleisure and sports merchandise manufacturing company in Nigeria. In this exclusive interview with BDWeekender’s Sports editor, Anthony Nlebem, Udezue says that due to the lack of air-conditioning systems in the basketball gyms and the players finding it difficult to catch the slippery balls while playing, he decided to come up with basketball kits that could absorb sweat. This, he says, was an inspiration for AFA Sports. Excerpts: Businessday.ng

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SPORT 29

ways. While it is easy to piggyback on the existing brands for most African companies, we wanted to put in the hard work in building a brand by ourselves. And building a brand is one of the most difficult tasks especially in the apparel and sports industry. So, instead of distributing for a foreign brand, we knew that there was an opportunity for us to build our own from scratch. AFA Sports stands for Africa for Africa. Our goal is to build something organic that will create jobs and opportunities for Africans.

Sourcing materials When we first started, we started with import from China, but once we learned the processes on how the business is done over there, we brought back the technology to Nigeria. Everything we do, from sourcing of materials, we use local vendors. From our artisans and tailors, we train locally. 99 percent of our products are designed, and created here in Nigeria, in all aspects.

What’s the projection in the next five years?

Right now, we are in Nigeria, but we ship worldwide and across Africa.

We ship to more than 20 countries already. In the next five years we want to build a shoe factory here, we want to not just in products, put some of our funds into developing sports What’s the motivation behind AFA Africa, no product was made with infrastructure across Africa.

Sports?

Africans in mind. So, we decided to embark on this journey, not from a With my experience in the sports standpoint of products, but to tell a Funding industry in the United States for a good story about Africa. long time, when I moved back to Because we’re in a new space, funding Nigeria, I was disappointed to see that a lot of the major sports brands, Is the projection only in the Nigerian has been challenging. Our funding is private but we’ve been very fortunate none of them has a “flagship store” or African market? to keep growing organically, recycling operating in Africa. I also noticed that despite the numbers we have in AFA Sports is more global in many ourselves and putting ourselves in Businessday.ng

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SPORT

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the right position to attract the right kind of investors.

When did this journey start?

AFA Sports was created in 2017 and we opened our first store two years ago. Our growth has been very rapid and we haven’t even touched many of the points because we’re being very cautious and meticulous in our expansion.

Market reaction to AFA Sports The market has been very good.

We’ve had a lot of people embrace us. We’ve had a lot of support from

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the community, influencers. Our slogan is ‘this is ours.’ We wanted to build a brand that is ubiquitous. It’s not about who owns it. We wanted to build a brand that will be sustainable for a long time.

Do you have your own factory?

We have our own factory and we train and partner with other people.

Our goal is to harness as much resources locally as we can.

Challenges The challenges are multifaceted

because we came into it out of passion. We didn’t have any experience in retail, inventory management, warehousing, design and acquiring the right workforce.

So, finding the right people in the right position and changing mindset, we’re not a traditional enterprise. So, it’s been very challenging finding the right manpower, and the motivation, especially as a startup to get into the right place. Apart from that, all the other challenges are normal for any entrepreneur in Nigeria.

What is the future of Nigerian sportswear industry?

The future is bright. The opportunity is massive not just in Nigeria but West Africa as a whole. I think with all the people you have in Africa, even if you talk to one percent of them, you’re in a very good position.

We hope that what we’re doing will motivate other people to do the same in the industry, the tailors, vendors, artisans, factories hopefully we can be part of something that creates a lot of jobs in Africa. BD

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