Microscope edition 36

Garlic And Ginger: Nature’s

Antidote For Candida

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Knowing the Law 4 Top Tips For Ten ways to How to get more out of Operation Know Dealing With dress to look younger your business Your CAC Forms Rejection Page 6

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PORTHARCOURT

Port Harcourt’s first freely distributed fortnightly newspaper July 1 - July 15

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Vol. 2. No. 36

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Why are unmarried ladies under pressure in our society? ?

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COMING SOON...

Port Harcourt’s 50 most influential persons, leading women & emerging voices award 2015

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July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

Life’s Wall

Scan the image to read on the go

by Merith Benedict

We invite you to share with us your most profound thoughts!

Question For Current Edition

Does success compensate for values and morality?

Responses Manna Emmanuel – well it depends on what you mean by success for example if a man robs the bank or stole money from his firm and becomes rich is that success?

For me, I grade success as per how you made it. In that sense, success is a product of good morals.

it, they will actually testify and vouch for you.

Cynthia – success compensates for values and morals. Take for instance a man who is very successful in business well known and respected in society and has a lot of investments. This man beats up his wife regularly and cannot keep his home together, has no regards for anyone! Then he isn’t successful despite his financial security, social status and public value. Success is not measured only by what you can achieve but by how you can carry others along. Your achievements shouldn’t be beneficial to you alone. You have to weigh the values and morals backing up the success.

Jasmine – yes it does, people with good morals and values command a rock solid success.

Amarachukwu – some folks have a split personality.

They believe that being unscrupulous leads to success.

But on the other hand, they also recognize that a solid reputation provides ancillary benefits; so they are ruthless most of the time and rely on some PR maneuvers to promote their decency. In their eyes, moral values and character does not compensate directly to success. For them strong morals and good values is a slide show. Not part of the main act. The fact is there is a direct link between good morals\values and success. We lose something when it is seen as after thoughts.

Tayo – for me, I’d say success compensates for values and morals. There are some situations you find yourself and because you did not compromise your standard, they actually pay off in future and if people know about

Tombra – well as they say “a god name is better than riches”. So for me, good morals and values is the key to success

Adebayo – yes even though it doesn’t seem to, holding unto values eventually pays off.

Nnamdi – one’s success cannot compensate for his or her values and morality Jeffrey – in some situation, it does Joy – no matter how successful one may be, it can’t compensate for his values and morality; wisdom leads to success Mr. Franklin – well, it depends on how successful the person may be. I think it can compensate his values and morality Promise – you know many are proud of their success so they look down on others, yet society raises no brow at it. I do think it compensates for values and morality.

Douglas – it’s not as it may seem. In some circumstance, it works that way. Your success rate is what everyone is looking out for, that is how much you are worth and how popular you are. No one cares about how you get there or who you really are anymore.

Mrs. Peace – as for me, I do not think it compensates for values and morality.

Isreal – it does not compensate for values and morality Sonia – well some successful people that are proud and arrogant may think it does but it doesn’t. Someone who lacks social etiquettes and has no regards for others lacks morals and values, rich or poor doesn’t change that.

Blessing – it does and should, although in society today it doesn’t. It’s amazing but that is what happens.

Editorial

Welcome to this edition of your favourite news maga-

E

lections are over, swearing in and hand over is completed. A few cases are still at the tribunal, but all in all, we are digging the trenches for another 4 years of whatever leadership we will get at all levels. The hope, spoken and unspoken, is that somehow the next four years will be good for Nigerians

who are often the losers in all instances.

This edition therefore, we decided to slow down on politics. We believe that the politicians have to settle down first to governance, and we have decided on a moratorium of 3 months before we start talking about politics.

So in the interlude, we de-

Pastor Dave Nnaji – remember God is success. He is the owner of wealth and even the rich individuals themselves. So if you attain a certain height it is given to you

by God to help those around and for his glory, not to get carried away and breed vices and not virtues. Surely success compensates good morals and values.

Mrs. Chinyere – success is classified into different levels one can be successful in wealth, business, education, fashion, religion, sports, entertainment and so on. In any of these three categories one finds himself, it is meant for a purpose which is to help people around. If everyone is successful, crime rate would be truncated.

Therefore I think your success rate should not affect your values and morals. And good morals lead to success.

Erick – yes it does. But once you are successful’ there is a crown of pride that goes over your head. You feel very unique and important in the society. In that case you tend to throw morals and values into the wind.

Obinna Michael – I do not think so, for one to be successful’ it takes a lot but today, core values and morals are no longer one of them, except you are prepared for real tough struggle. Those who hold unto to morals and values usually get things the hard way because the word is now a corrupt.

Question For Next Edition: ???

Going through your life so far, what are you most grateful for?

Please write on our wall...SMS your thought to 08060917396 or mail: wall@ph-microscope.com.

You can put your name if you want to. We will publish your thoughts in the next edition.

Write to sponsor a question, call or text or sms: 08060917396.

cided to go back to one of the key reasons for the existence of this publication, which is bringing to you issues that society prefers not to talk about. Indeed there are so many things that we see but prefer not to look at; so many things we hear but prefer not discuss; so many. We accept what is, and we dare not challenge what we think

is not.

This edition, we broach this subject, and we know we cannot finish doing justice to it. I hope that in the next edition, you can help us with your own thought. What is the topic? Why are single women so under pressure in our society?

Once a woman crosses 25,

or has finished her education, the next thing is, “go and bring your husband!”

Makes me wonder if these husbands are there on the street corners waiting to be picked up and brought home?

Why are women who are yet to be married looked upon like they have done something wrong? Why?

Dead almost on arrival

Christian Okon – it doesn’t in Nigeria today. Those that see themselves as successful tend to look down on others in the society. They feel they are rich and so you can’t talk to them, advice and even socialize with them.

People do absurd things to attain heights, but what they did to get there should be enough to put them away from society. Funny enough, the Nigerian society puts up with this attitude as if it is normal.

Bismack Nwachukwu – the question is a true reflection of the rich and famous in society though not all of them are guilty of this. About seventy to eighty percent of them do show lack of morals and values. But in actual sense, morals and values does compensate for success. Lack of values only brings out your flaws before the public eye because success equally makes you a public figure.

Scan the image to read on the go

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id you hear the story of two men who stowed away in the tire hold of a plane from South Africa all the way to the United Kingdom? Somehow these two men got into the hold without being noticed by the security agents, and even the guys who do last minute checks on the airplane did not pick them up (wonder how big that hold is).

Anyway, they held on for nearly 8,000miles (about 13,000kms) which is like going to Lagos and back about 10times. I don’t know what they were thinking… that they will just come out of the hole once the plane landed and they will be welcomed with open arms by the UK Border Protection services. So what happened them? Well, one of the guys made it, i.e landed safely with the plane at Heathrow Airport, London. The other guy? He landed too. No! He almost landed but about 1 mile from the airport, somehow he fell off the hold and off the plane and landed, dead on arrival. Shame you would say..

8000 miles and you have to fall off a few minutes before you can walk away, even if into a detention camp. This is what they call absolute bad luck.

You can say he fulfilled his dream of getting into the UK, but he wouldn’t know what it feels like to walk the soil of London… his dead body won’t know it too… He was carried into a soon to

arrive ambulance. Almost wasn’t good enough in that occasion.

Then the other shocking news about Africa and our brothers who are searching for greener pastures (whatever happened to our vast arable land here). Tuesday 23rd June, some French folks who work for a ferry company in Calais went on strike. They blocked both the train line and the roads, and burnt tires.

They made sure that the trains and trucks that uses the channel tunnel could not run. Their grouse?

They were afraid that the ferry company was going to shed staff and some of them will lose their jobs.

Okay, I am not very worried about these Frenchmen. Close to that point in Calais, there is an open patch of land, and there, about 3,000 Africans were living in shanties (no electricity, no running water, and no toilet facilities).

No, they were not doing an exhibition, and they were not acting a precolonial movie. They were waiting for their chance to cross over to England.

I cannot tell why the French Police or Immigration authorities left them alone all these while, and have not arrested them.

I guess they were hoping that these Africans can ‘carry their trouble’ across the channel at where they will no longer be the problem of the French, but the English. So while the striking Frenchmen where business, there were hundreds of trucks who

could not leave Calais for Dover in the UK. This provided a perfect opportunity for our guys to try to hop on these trucks. Of course, it became an open show of embarrassment for the French at that point, and so they had no option than to send the police after them. You will be embarrassed to see our brothers being chased down like rabbits in an open field.

These two scenes are only a microcosm of the bigger problems. Boats land-

ing (if they are lucky not to be turned over) at the shores of Italy and Spain laddened with thousands of black men who have paid more money for the perilous trip (Which most of them never make) than it would have taken for them to set up a thriving small scale business back in their home country.

Then you have loads of people that are still trying to use ‘another person’s head’ in this time and age.

‘Another person’s head’ is an euphemism for when

people are trying to get to a country by using another person’s passport. The thing is that we make so much and spend so much money in these ventures that we would have been okay if we plough that money into some productive venture. I even heard this gist about one guy that was being scammed in the name of getting him a visa; that the scammer actually told the guy to go and resign, since his visa was going to be ready.

Guess what? The guy actually resigned. In the

What does the society want from them? What do we expect them to do?

Please join us in the center spread for this interesting topic.

So what else is happening around us? Why are Africans so desperate to flee their continent? See the stories below:

end, no passport, no visa, no job. The balance of the money he had, he went with it to the police to try and get the guy arrested, in this Nigeria? Well, after spending all, no money, no guy, no passport, no visa. He is probably now counting the ceiling of his room, assuming he still has a room.

Remember that song in the eighties….me I love my country…. Let’s stay here and make Naija better. God bless you

Okay GMB, one month on, I am getting uncomfortable...

M

ay 29th came and went with a lot of anticipation. We thought from May 30th, we will be bombarded with announcements from Aso Rock. New ministers, new SA, new, new PSO or whatever we call it. But one month has passed and we have not heard anything save for the 15 SAs that have been approved by the National Assembly.

Beyond that, there has been no significant announcement of any activity. I am beginning to get worried at the pace of this government o. People say he is yet to settle down. Excuse me! Didn’t he already know the way to Aso Rock before May 29th? Didn’t he already know he was president from March 30th? He had two months to wait to be sworn in. What was he doing? Drinking plenty of fura de Nunu?

I expected GMB to hit the ground running, but I am not even sure he has hit the ground yet, not to talk of running.

Nigerians are impatient.

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PH Microscope is a freely distributed fortnightly publication started in June 2013 and dedicated to showcasing PH businesses, organisations and even government. We provide information to people on whats going on around the state. We also offer an affordable and effective advert platform to everyone.

We do PR inserts, and help businesses and organisations to connect with their immediate environment.

Even though we have our convictions, and we express these convictions in a generally objective manner, we pride ourselves as being non-partisan and un-affiliated to any brand or organisation. We simply strive to provide an equal platform for opinion sharing, and information dissemination.

Almost everyone will need our services. We represent Rivers state and we are happy to provide more information on how you or your business, ideas, events and whatever else you do can be discovered by more than 2 million Rivers residents.

EDITORIAL TEAM Folarin Banigbe-Philips Publisher Franca E. Idemudia ICT/Education Desk Kofi Bartels Political Desk Adeniran Adekola Circulation/Operations Chuma Nnoli Sports Desk

We have waited this long to get change to arrive.

Now that it has, we don’t to have to drag out every Minister’s name from GMB’s mouth. Oh, other people said it’s because of the current debacle at the Senate and the house that the President has not sent the names of the Ministers. I don’t think that the party chiefs are angry at Dogara as much as they are with Saraki. I guess they are right to be angry with the guy. What he did was a complete sell out of the party. I have never seen anywhere (except in Parliamentary

Britain) where you will have the Senate president from one party and the Deputy Senate President from the main opposition party. Haba! That was a stab in the backside. The party should however know that they can’t force him out of the place now. They should simply adopt the position of “We are waiting for you”. Very soon, Saraki’s chicken will come home to roost, and then the party can nail him if they want.

I am not interested in the internal political work-

ings of the APC in any way, but as long as it is affecting the running of this government, I will not keep quiet. APC and its chieftain should whip their kids into line. PDP had the same problem and we said they were unruly. The egg has hit the face of the APC guys now, and they are finding out that when the pie is very big, a lot more people bring out their knives and plate.

Whatever they do sha, GMB should change gears… We are tired of driving in Gear 1.

Folarin Omotade Banigbe - Philips CEO/Publisher

"Published by Immenso Media Technologies”

ISSN: 2408-5871

Olawale Olaogun Graphics Daguo Ibibo Graphics

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July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

Metro News

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36 Scan the image to read on the go

by Njoku Eric Uzoma

The city of Port Harcourt is set to honour the nominees for the 50 most influential persons, leading women & emerging voices awards...

P

ort Harcourt Business Awards Organization, powered by Palm Touch Media and Prodigy Project, is set to honour 50 Most Influential Persons, Leading Women and Emerging voices in Rivers State. These set of personalities will be honoured at a glamorous awards ceremony scheduled to hold at the Hotel Presidential in the month of September, 2015.

The Project Director, Mr Tonye Wariboko, who disclosed this at a media briefing, said the event is a part of ongoing activities aimed at recognizing and honouring the leadership, success and philanthropic ideals of personalities across all industry sectors in Rivers State.

The Awards also recognize the important social and communal contributions made by these individuals through excellence of service, commitment to mentorship, youth empowerment and human capital development.

Mr Wariboko maintained that the awards are not for the rich and affluent in our society, but for those who have continued to inspire progressive growth and attitudinal change amongst the members of our society.

The awards are conceptualizes to be held annually He stated that the final list of awardees to be honoured is ready and the awardees will be contacted to notify them of their nominations. The nominations were received from the public via the use of social media and nominations form distribution over a period of two months. The detailed list of awardees will be officially released in the month

PORT HARCOURT

50 MOST

INFLUENTIAL PERSONS, LEADING WOMEN & EMERGING VOICES

AWARD 2015 HOTEL PRESIDENTIAL, SEPTEMBER 2015

of July.

Tea

Coffee

1 Man, 3 vehicles burnt to ashes along port harcourt – ogoni road An eyewitness report has it that a man was burnt to ashes along Port Harcourt Ogoni expressway in the early hours of the morning on the 22nd of June 2015. The accident was said to have occurred when three cars collided and the resulting explosion claimed the life of a young man.

It appeared the vehicles were trying to escape an armed robbery ambush as our reporter also found logs of woods and fresh leaves on the road. As at the time of filing this report, the Police said they are still investigating the incident.

Rivers APC challenges Wike to declare assets The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the 17th of June 2015 challenged Chief Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State Caretaker Governor, to declare his assets, in keeping with the requirement of the office he is temporarily occupying and in line with the principles of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to promote transparency and accountability.

The party said in a statement signed by the State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ikanya, and issued on Tuesday in Port Harcourt: “In line with the code of conduct for elected public officers in Nigeria, we wish to advise Chief Wike to hasten to declare his assets. The good people of Rivers State want to know the financial status of the man whom the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) wickedly imposed on Rivers State as her Governor. They have been waiting for their Caretaker Governor to follow the path of honour by declaring his assets, but he has conveniently chosen not to do so because he apparently has skeletons in his cupboard. There is, however, no hiding place for Wike as assets declaration is not optional but compulsory for holders of the office he is accidentally occupying in the interim.”

Rivers APC said it had earlier chosen to keep quiet on the issue but decided to speak out in view of Wike’s ill-advised dissolution of Boards and Parastatals and moves to dissolve the constitutionally-constituted Local Government Councils so as to be the sole signatory of the accounts of these boards and local governments in the State.

Chocolate Beverage

Do you drink any or all of these drinks occassionally?

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Metro News Girl kills mother over whose turn it is to cook!

An 18 year old girl has killed her mother in Rumuchakara village in Choba community, one of the communities that hosts the University of Port Harcourt. Choba was thrown into pandemonium after the news went out that the girl had killed her mother by smashing her head in with a plank.

A source close to the family said that a dis-

agreement had ensued between the young lady (identity withheld) and her mother on the evening of that fateful day after the mother had asked her to go and prepare the night meal. The girl had refused cooking the meal, which made the mother slap her.

In the ensuing argument, the girl picked up a plank and smashed her mother’s head.

PH Microscope also gathered that all efforts made to save the life of the woman were abortive. The girl had not been seen in the community since that incident happened, and the leaders of the community have passed a decree that the young girl should not return to the community anymore. As of the time of going to press, the police had not yet commented on the matter

Anglican pastor and a boy killed by unknown gunmen Unknown gunmen on Thursday morning killed an Anglican pastor, Rev. Ibiene Jamabo and a nine year-old boy, identified as Nimela, at Wakama community in Ogu/ Bolo local government area of Rivers State.

News reports gathered that the slain Jamabo is the head of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in the community, while the nine year-old child is the son of the member representing Wakama community in the Ogu/Bolo Legislative Assembly.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ahmad Muhammad, who confirmed the killing of the two persons, said the Command has drafted policemen into the community to maintain peace.

Narrating the incident to newsmen at Ogu, headquarters of Ogu/Bolo local government area, leader of Wakama community, John Jonathan said, “What I saw is that very early this morning (Thursday) Kpogo

people came into our community and killed one of the Anglican pastor, and one of our sons in our community. We are still looking for six members of our community.”

Jonathan attributed the killing to a boundary dispute between Wakama and its neighbor, Kpogo community in Tai local government area of the state, and appealed to Governor Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike to intervene in the boundary dispute and ensure an end to the hostility.

Port Harcourt Refinery to resume production this month-NNPC The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has announced that the Port Harcourt Refinery will resume crude oil production by the end of June and will contribute about five million liters of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol

to the Nigerian market. Speaking during a tour of NNPC retail outlets in Abuja, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Joseph Dawha said that the NNPC was carrying out a phased implementation of the rehabilitation of the refineries,

stating that work at the Port Harcourt refinery is almost complete and will soon start producing at 80 percent of its installed capacity.

Donate blood voluntarily- group advises PH residents The Port Harcourt Global Shapers just concluded a one week long Blood Donation Awareness Campaign with the theme; ‘Save a Life, Become a Blood Donor’ from Sunday the 14th of June 2015 Saturday, 20th June 2015.

The Port Harcourt Global Shapers is one of the 450 hubs of The Global Shapers Community (GSC), a network of hubs founded and led by young people who are exceptional in their potential, their achievements and their drive to make a contribution to their communities. The GSC is a constituent of the World Economic Forum.

The campaign aims to encourage regular blood donors in Rivers State and beyond to continue giving blood and people in good health who have never given blood, particularly young people, to begin doing so. The Campaign which was held at the International Students Centre, University of Port Harcourt was organized with support from AIESEC and JCI chapters of University of Port Harcourt.

After the opening remarks by Bitebo Gogo the Founding Curator of the Port Harcourt Hub, a number of speakers took the floor to speak. The first speaker was Mr Jude Omamegbe, a replacement blood donor and a graduate of Human Physiology from University of Port Harcourt. He told the audience that blood donation matters because when he was an undergraduate, a woman died in his presence as a result of shortage of blood to transfuse her during a

of three people.

Mr Izoma Godwin a trainer from the Nigeria Red Cross Society, Rivers State branch who facilitated the event said during his presentation, “the blood you donate today, might save a life tomorrow… and who knows it might just be your own life.”

Although, the event was not a blood collection drive, it was intended to sensitize and register young blood donors who will be willing to donate blood frequently in order to ensure adequate supply of blood in Rivers State. 75% of blood donors in Nigeria are paid to donate blood, while 25% are unpaid replacement donors who are family members, friends or someone connected to the recipient. However, voluntary donors (unpaid) are very few. The seminar was atMr Izuma representative of Red Cross’ regional tended by students from and University of office in Port Harcourt speaking at the event.

Port Harcourt. One of the attendees; Maclarry Ebere said, “Thank you very much Port Harcourt Global Shapers for changing my perception about donating blood”.

Bitebo Gogo in her closing remarks also informed attendees at the seminar that the mission of the Port Harcourt Hub is to shape Port Harcourt in the area of citizenship engagement and to raise young volunteers that will improve the state of Port Harcourt.

Interested blood donors should please From left to right: Abdumalik Ibrahim (Global contact or connect with the Port HarShapers PH), Bitebo Gogo (Founding Curator of court Global Shapers via email phgloGlobal Shapers PH), Mr Jude Omamegbe and balshapers@gmail.com or on twitter @ Dayo Ibitoye (Global Shapers PH) phglobalshapers.

surgery and because she did not have timely access to a replacement donor.

He further encouraged attendees at the event to make a commitment to give blood often and freely at least four times a year, saying that a pint of blood can save the lives

Tea

Coffee

Keeping it real (KIR) foundation celebrates the african child Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation commemorated the 2015 Day of the African Child by launching a project to renovate the Dining Hall and Set up a Reading Corner at the Special School for Handicapped Children at Creek road Borokiri in Rivers State, Nigeria. KIR Foundation says that apart from renovating the dining hall currently in a dilapidated state, the reading corner is to give the students access books and learning and also enable the Special School qualify as an examination centre for West African Examination Council (WAEC).

The Day of the African Child is marked every year on the 16th of June in commemoration of the 1976 uprising in Soweto, when a protest by school children in South Africa against apartheid – inspired education resulted in the public killing of these unarmed protesters by police officials. The theme for the Day of the African Child (DAC) 2015 is ’25 Years after the Adoption of the African Children’s Charter: Accelerating our Collective Efforts to End Child Marriage in Africa’.

The theme for this year is ‘Educate Me, Don’t Marry Me’, and the Senior Students of the Special School presented a stage drama that highlighted issues surrounding girl child education and advocated against girl child marriage in Africa, stressing the fact that ending child marriage begins with the parents.

Giving a keynote address, the Director for Special Education of the Ministry of Education; Mrs. Worlu emphasized that the Ministry will do everything possible to ensure that the students are given the same opportunities enjoyed by their peers without disabilities.

Advocacy speeches were given

by Dr. Obodoegbulam Agi Otto, a blind Masters and Ph.D degree holder in Guidance/ Counselling and Religious Studies from the University of Port Harcourt, who works in the counselling unit of the Federal College of Education.

He spoke on the ‘Rewards of Education’ and encouraged the students not to give up on their desire to be educated because of their disability. The current principal of the Special School for Handicapped Children in Port Harcourt, Mr. Fredrick I. Amakiri, who is blind, also gave an advocacy speech laying emphasis on the importance of education especially the girl child and urged the students to be serious with their studies.

Bitebo Gogo, the Executive Director of KIR Foundation, in her address expressed her unhappiness towards the laidback attitude by some of the students. She charged them not to resort to begging after school.

Furthermore, she told the students that disability is not an excuse for one not to achieve purpose in life.

In his vote of thanks, Mr. F.I Amakiri, the principal of the Special School, on behalf of the management and student of the school thanked KIR Foundation for being exceptional among other Non Govermental Organization’s (NGOs). He said ‘Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation has not done everything for us, but they have done many things for us’.

If you would like to support the KIR Foundation renovation project, please send your donation to this account: 0052683160 (Keeping it Real Foundaiton).

GTB, Yaba Branch, Lagos. Include ref of of ‘Renovation Project at the Special School’

Some of the senior students as the cast in the drama ‘Educate Me, Don’t Marry Me’ during the Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation’s Day of the African Child Project at the Special School for Handicapped Children at Creek road in Port Harcourt.

The Director, Special Education, Ministry of Education, Rivers State, Mrs, Worlu; Mr. F.I Amakiri, Dr. Obodoegbulam Agi Otto, and Mrs. Bitebo Gogo, the Executive Director, Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation, and other guests at launch of the Renovation Project at the Special School.

Chocolate Beverage

Do you drink it with sugar or milk?

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July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

Small Business Growth Strategies™

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36 Scan the image to read on the go

By Chika Amesi 08068610757

How to get more out of your business you make. On the contrary, a struggling business is a result of the poor sales. Selling is an art, but it is also a process that involves a proven system structured to simply leave the client or customer satisfied and happy.

In order to get a proven system that sells, you must test various methods to find out the one that works best for you and thereafter stick with it. Then the only thing you need to continue to do is to improve on your business selling system.

Selling in business involves trust, and it also involves integrity. Someone who will buy what you are offering must trust you first. Make your clients trust you when they first do business with you and if you progressively build that trust, they’ll keep coming for more.

Can I ask you a question?

Have you ever asked yourself or tried to find out why your business is struggling to make sales?

It is evident that a whole lot of businesses pack up after a few months of start up. The simple reason is, lots of people who go into business forget the MOST IMPORTANT REASON why they are in business.

from the core purpose of their businesses. You are in your current business to provide quality solutions (in products and/or services) that will meet the core needs and desires of your customers.

The singular most important reason you are in business is to provide value. By value I mean, the process it takes to deliver a quality product or service to satisfy your clients or customers.

One of the things I discovered about businesses that struggle and eventually fail is, “They Don’t Sell Well Enough”. Business is all about sales, even though we often say that to just sell should not be your focal point. It is true that your business thrives on the sales of your products/service, but your main focus should be Delivering Value. Deliver excellent value to your customers, and when they see the immense value they get from your business, they will return for more.

So many business owners have negatively drifted

A growing business is a result of the influx of sales

PORT HARCOURT

No matter how small your business is, you can fight and get your own fair market share; and one of the ways you can achieve this is to find out the uniqueness in your business and capitalise on it.

That is, you need to find out your own “Unique Selling Point” (USP) that differentiates your business from what others in the same business area with you are doing.

You have to do your homework to find out what your competitors are doing and not doing. Then you have to figure out how you can better do what they are doing or slightly do better at whatever they aren’t doing well.

In your business, you should never follow the crowd. Stand out and be different. If you stand in the same line with the others, no one will notice you. You won’t get any attention, your business will just be average. But the moment you decide to be different in your business, having in mind that you are doing something much better that will really satisfy your customers or clients, and then you will start getting more business coming

to you.

A lot of business owners misunderstand the concept of being unique, they always think it is about making their products better, and I agree to an extent, but that’s not the real thing. Most of the time, your customers or clients consciously and unconsciously rate your business based on the results they get from using your products/services and the way you deliver your products/services.

Being unique means that you establish yourself as an authority in your business area, positioning yourself as the trusted go-to-business-person in your business area. This will make more business flow to you.

Your clients are always watching to see if your service or product delivers (or even over-delivers) on its promise, they are eagerly expecting to get their core desired result from using your product/service, they also want an exciting experience based on the customer/client relationship you have with them.

Truth is, as much as you want to own or run a successful business, always know that it is all about your customers. The reason is this; if no one buys from you, your business won’t survive? That is the key reason you must never take your clients/ customers for granted.

Make sure you are treating your customers/clients right. Always try to find out from them how best they want to be treated when they do business with you. Sometimes, you can also give back to them in any little way to appreciate them personally for doing business with you, with that, they will feel valued.

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Knowing the Law

7

Scan the image to read on the go

With Lady Lawyer

Operation Know Your CAC Forms members join, the subscription box does not need to be amended. However, the CAC 2 and or 2.1 as the situation demands will be used to show the allotment of shares to the new members and will be filed at the CAC with other relevant documents.

Eberechi May Okoh (Mrs.) In the last article on the Lady Lawyer column, we considered 7 important things to know before setting up a company or business in Nigeria.

In this edition, we explore the details you need to provide the Corporate Affairs Commission (“CAC”) in setting up your company under the various parts of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (“CAMA”). These information are to be provided on several forms formerly called CO forms but presently referred to as CAC forms. There are numerous forms for pre-incorporation and postincorporation matters. As long as a business continues to grow, there will be need to make postincorporation filings. Such instances will include when the company increases or reduces its share capital; changes its directors; borrows money; takes a mortgage thereby charging the company’s assets, and changes it registered business address.

Post-incorporation forms are consequently used as the need arises and differs from company to company. An annual return filing is a post-incorporation filing but it is a statutory requirement and therefore applies to all companies.

The Articles of Association on the other hand deal with the internal mechanism of the company. In the past, companies used their Articles to articulate the finest details of how they expected their company to run. Consequently, some Articles of Association were as bulky as text books. Presently, CAC rejects bulky articles and expects a one-page document to suffice. Nevertheless, matters as important as rotation of directors; restrictions on share transfers and or meetings may be provided in an additional sheet and submitted alongside the single paged Article to ensure the company can enforce such provisions when the need arises.

The fact remains that certain intricacies can be contained in neither the one-page Article nor a few additional loose sheets. To address this, your lawyer may prepare a shareholders agreement that will be executed by all the shareholders and in some cases, by the company.

With pre-incorporation filings, there is greater similarity between companies despite their business objectives. A new business seeking registration or incorporation will be concerned with the forms below:

For companies registered Under Part B of CAMA: CAC/BN/1 Used for registering the business name while CAC/BN/7 is used for filing annual returns. In between CAC/BN/2-5 forms are used to notify the CAC of changes in the particulars of the business.

If a company is registering under Part A of CAMA: CAC 1 This is used to confirm the availability of the name you have chosen as your “company name”. This is important because CAC will reject any name that bears a close semblance to an existing company.

Some businesses wrongly choose a name so closely related to a successful competitor (some go as far as branding their products like the already existing product to pass off their products as being an offshoot of the already existing business).. Another reason a name may be rejected by the CAC is when it appears to imply it has government patronage. As such an application to reserve a company name with a combination that includes the words “Federal Government “would not be honored, i.e. words that contains authority, federal, national, government etc.

CAC 2 Used to state the company’s share capital and the allotment of shares to the various shareholders (.

Note that while the share capital does not need to be fully paid up at the time of registering the company, a minimum of twenty five percent of the share capital must be subscribed to at registration.

The company may make a call on its members from time to time to pay for the shares they hold or risk forfeiture of such shares. Other companies may prefer to have subscribers make payment to the company upon registration for the shares they subscribed to. Upon receiving payment, the company will issue share certificates to its members.

CAC 2.1 deals with the particulars of your company secretary. The law requires every company to have a secretary. A company secretary is charged with the duties to attend meetings, advise on com-

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For incorporated trustees registered Under Part C of CAMA: CAC/IT/1 is used for registering the incorporated trusteeship of a body and CAC/IT/4 is used for filing annual returns. Other CAC/IT forms are used to notify CAC of changes when applicable.

pliance, maintain registers, make filings to CAC and carry out administrative functions as directed by the Board of Directors or the Company. The law lists various qualifications for persons wishing to be company secretaries but in Nigeria most companies resort to legal practitioners as their company secretary.

CAC 3 This states your registered business address. For the purposes of your company letterhead, you may list head office and branch office addresses, however when making returns or filings at the CAC, you must maintain consistency in your registered address.

CAC 4 The form is a declaration of compliance with the requirements of CAMA filed by the solicitor who registers the company.

CAC 7 This is the form that lists the particulars of your company’s directors. A director may or may not be a member of the company. Furthermore, whether designated as an executive director, a managing

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director or simply a director; the details of each director as required by the CAC form 7 must be clearly stated and their signatures must be well signed. A common occurrence incident to filing returns at the CAC is queried filings because of irregular director signatures. Proper attention must be paid to who you choose to act as a director and the person’s availability and willingness to sign post incorporation documents or sign his or her resignation when you need to restructure your business.

Other important documents needed at registration are the Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Memorandum and Articles of Association of a company, when registered, have the effect of a contract under seal between the company and its members and officers and between the members and officers themselves. The Memorandum of Association is the charter of the company. It states the name, address, objects or business of the company, share capital, whether the company is limited or unlimited and provides a subscription box setting out the shareholding of the first subscribers; their names addresses occupations and signatures. Note that as a company grows and new

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In addition to the IT forms, a constitution must be prepared and submitted to the CAC. You may also be required to emboss the seal on the IT documents so you need to have one prepared in advance.

Summarily, whether your objectives fall under Parts A, B, or C, you must keep up with your filings to ensure your records at the CAC are always accurate and up to date. This is important because your records at the CAC are public records and searches may be conducted on your business with or without your knowledge. Inaccurate filings may raise suspicions in the minds of potential investors or creditors. Further, CAMA provides periods within which certain filings are to be made.

Failure to file within time will attract penalties and unnecessary cost to your business.

This article has provided a brief summary on the various forms used at the Companies Registry in Nigeria.

This article does not dispense with the need to seek professional legal advice in filing your company’s returns. If you have a question, please email e b e r e chi@ph-microscope.com or SMS 08077788772

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July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

Poetry Corner

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36 Scan the image to read on the go

By BARRY NEEDOM

Meet the Poets “Poetry can and should be made by all.

When the poetic thought is expressed on your lips, on everyone’s lips, and reaches the world’s ears, that will be the fruits of a world poetry revolution – the world will have changed and Earth will give its fruits to everyone” – WORLD POETRY MOVEMENT.

POEMS

Y

es! Poetry has got what it takes to change the world for good, or more precisely for better. ‘Meet the poets’ is a series that we want to run to present some of the numerous poets the world over, most of whom had distinguished themselves in the field of poetry, to the reading public.

What we intend to achieve from this series are as follows: apart from knowing the poets deeply through their biographies, you will equally get to know what mo-

tivated them to be poet, the works they have done, the likely hurdles they went through to become poets and of course, their achievements in poetry, etc. This series shall feature all categories of poets – the young, older, death or alive. It shall not be restricted to any particular continent, country or region. The poets could come from any part of the world – Africa, America, Europe, Asia, The Middle and Far East, Australia – provided they have got stuffs that could spur the younger gen-

WARSAN SHIRE

Warsan Shire is a 24 years old Kenya – born Somali poet and writer, based in London and in 2013 won the inaugural Brunel University African Poetry Prize. She is the 1 st Young Poet Laureate for London.

Born in 1988, she has read her work all over Britain and internationally, including readings in South Africa, Kenya, Italy, Germany, Canada, North America and Australia.

Her debut pamphlet collection

“Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth” was published in 2011 by Flipped Eye and her second pamphlet, “Our Men Do Not Belong To Us” was published by Slappering Hot Press in 2014.

Her poems have been published in WASAFIRI, Magma and Poetry Review and in the anthology “The Salt Book of Young Poets” (published by Salt in 2011) and “Ten: The New Wave, published by Bloodaxe in 2014. She is the current poetry editor at SPOOK Magazine. Her poetry has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish and Estonian.

She curates and teaches classes on the art of healing through narrative and poetry. Warsan was the 2014 Queensland Poet in Residence. She is working on her first full collection.

After winning the prize in April 2013, Warsan Shire described the impact of the prize on her writing career this way: “since winning the prize I have travelled to six different countries to teach poetry and read my work; I have had interest from different literary agents and publishing houses; and I was appointed the first Young Poet Laureate for London, definitely sure that the last one wouldn’t have happened had I not won the prize,..”

Also, the Chair and Founder of the prize, Bernardine Evaristo has this to say concerning Warsan’s work: “Warsan’s poetry is imbued with loss, longing, loneliness, indeed a complex negotiation of emotions, it is entirely her own voice – unflinching and sometimes shocking yet also exquisitely beautifully,

stunningly imaginative, imagistic, memorable; always deeply felt and eminently re-readable. She challenges us to consider the lives of women usually spoken about but not heard from. Her’s is a name to watch” And one of the Judges to the prize, Dr. Kwame Dawes commented on Warsan’s work this way: ‘with very few exceptions, Warsan’s poem reflect a remarkable instinct or freshness of language and insightful ideas. It is especially exciting to read a poet who manages to combine a commitment to substance and urgent subject material with the craft to turn it into illuminating and moving poetry.

This was actually easy for me. Not so much because the rest were not strong, but because her work is of such quality and power’.

TALENTED HARLEM RENAISSANCE POET James Mercer Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents separated shortly after his arrival; his childhood was spent in poverty, and he had a matriarchal, church-going upbringing. He learned to escape through books and language and was greatly influenced by Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman. He was active in high school writing for the school newspaper, editing the yearbook, and writing short stories, plays, and poems on his own. He requently submitted poetry for publication, but was repeatedly rejected. In 1921, Hughes entered In 2001, the Academy of American Poets hosted a vote in National Poetry Month to pick a poet for immortalization on a postage stamp. Over 10,000 ballots were received for 205 different poets.

Langston Hughes was the overwhelming victor and the US Postal Service issued his stamp in January of the following year.

Langston Hughes was a talented and hardworking writer, intellectual, and activist. Hughes came to New York City in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance and consorted with the movement’s major players including W. E. B. Du Bois, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, and many others. To study his work and career not only expands our thinking of a prominent American author, but also informs us about a turbulent time in American literary history.

Columbia University and swiftly joined the ranks of the Harlem Renaissance movement, of which he’s regarded a prominent leader.

The end of the American Civil War saw an increase in job and educational opportunities available for African Americans; from this emerged the first black middle class in the US. These financially-abled Americans then expected the luxuries endowed to whites, but were undercut in 1896 by Plessy v. Ferguson and the resulting declaration that “separate but equal” was constitutional.

Conditions in the South worsened economically and socially, and from 1910–1930 millions of African Americans went north seeking jobs and fair treatment in what is known as the Great Migration. Housing in Harlem was originally intended for commuting working-class whites, but adequate transportation trailed behind home development and real estate brokers and landlords were forced to sell and rent to blacks. The consequential exodus of whites from Harlem pushed blacks out of downtown and into Harlem, solidifying the image of the neighborhood.

Middle class blacks began actively advocating for racial equality and New York City became the locus of the effort. Artists, business owners, and scholars living in Harlem (and abroad) began crafting work that expressed black American culture in new, thought-provoking ways. They worked to develop patrons of black art and advance African American heritage through commissions and exhibitions.

Artists and their supporters sought to educate, to validate black culture in America, and instill a sense of pride and acceptance.

In 1921, Hughes’s notable poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” was published in the NAACP magazine The Crisis, edited by Du Bois. After only a year, Hughes dropped out of Columbia University due to racial tension and worked odd jobs around the city, continuing to write and living in the creatively and intellectually prolific Harlem. He spent some time traveling and working abroad, staying temporarily in Paris before coming back to America. He gave up a respectable, but demanding, desk job for work as a busboy to make time for his writing. The position fortuitously put him in contact with Vachel Lindsay who recognized Hughes’s talent and was instrumental in the publishing of Hughes’s first book in 1926: The Weary Blues. The work, a book of jazz poetry, was written to be accompanied by music and performance at clubs in Harlem.

Hughes contributed significantly to the development of jazz poetry, which spawned in the ‘20s when many poets were rejecting literary traditions of the time. It’s distinguished by repeated phrases and rhythms that stress

weak instead of strong beats, evocative of blues and jazz, and includes references to musicians, instruments, and clubs at the heart of the exploding scene in Harlem. The poetic form offered black writers a voice distinct from established white work and lived on through the Beat movement of the ‘50s and evolved into hip hop and poetry slams of modern day.

After publishing his first book, Hughes was awarded a scholarship that allowed him to attend Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and complete his bachelor’s degree in 1929.

Hughes’ career was fruitful and he went on to write novels, plays, nonfiction, children’s stories, and of course poems. He won many awards, including the Springarn Medal and the Quill Award for poetry and received honorary doctorate degrees.

His work was important at the time for uplifting and empowering black artists, but by the ‘60s his work’s perceived outdated feel repelled some young writers. He died on May 22, 1967 of complications from treatment of prostate cancer. His ashes “marked by a brass cosmogram” rest under the entrance to the Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a division of the New York Public Library.

New poetic styles and ideas can come out of the most unexpected circumstances, proving once again that art and literature are always evolving. Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance paved the way for a whole generation of artists, authors, and poets, modeling our need to explore and express our heritage and self-image and the necessity for experimentation and risk-taking in poetry.

eration of poets to attain greater heights or feats in the field of poetry. Of course, there are still more to achieve in poetry. There are numerous prizes and awards out there for grabs, books of poetry yet to publish that will imprint your name in the sands of time, local and global recognitions to gain from poetry works and many more.

We, are therefore, glad to present to you, the following poets, as the first in the series: Poet Warsan Shire and Poet Langston Hughes.

Star Poem of the Month Competition To participate and win the “Star Poem of the Month” competition, you must adhere to the following rules: It is open to all Rivers State Poets.

Only poems written in English are accepted.

Submission date shall be from 1st to the last date of the particular month.

Each entrant must submit one poem to be eligible.

The poem may have been previously published or won previous awards.

All entries must be submitted via email only to: poetrycorner2015@ gmail.com No alterations to poems once submitted or entered.

No Judges discussion with entrant.

The Organizers/Judges reserve the right to not award the prize if, in the Judges’ opinion, such an action is justified or Organizers also reserve the right to split the prize if they decide that more than one Poet is worthy of it.

The Judges’ decision is final and they will not enter into any correspondence with entrants regarding their decisions.

WINNER The winners must be available via email/telephone call to reply promptly to correspondence/call.

Winner to provide photograph and biography and to be available for media interview.

Remember to also share your poems and forward your comments, questions, suggestions to poetrycorner2015@gmail.com or call or send text to 09051876309.

POEM RULES • All poems must have a title.

• Poem must be the original work of the entrant.

• Poems should be single spaced.

• Poems can be of any font type or size.

• Poems must be emailed in a single word document with entrant name, state of birth, full address, personal email and telephone number.

• The entire poem submission must be written with black ink, no colours.

BEAUTY Warsan Shire

My elder sister soaps between her legs, her hair a prayer of curls.

When she was my age, she stole the neighbour’s husband, burnt his name into her skin.

For weeks she smelt of cheap perfume and dying fish.

It’s 4:00 a.m. and she winks at me, bending over the sink.

Her small breast bruised from sucking.

She smiles, pops her gum before saying Boys are haram, don’t ever forget that.

Some nights I hear her in her room screaming We play surah Al-Baqarah to drown her out.

Anything that leaves her mouth sounds like sex.

Our mother has banned her from saying God’s name.

MY TRIP Donald Revell

I am looking at a smallpox vaccination scar

In a war movie on the arm Of a young actor. He has just swum Across a river somewhere in Normandy Into the waiting arms of his rejoicing comrades Of course, the river’s in California, And the actor is dead now. Nevertheless, This is the first of many hotels this trip, And I find myself preferring wars To smut on the networks, Even as I find myself reading The Pisan Cantos for the umpteenth time Instead of the novel in my bag.

The poet helps me to the question: Does anything remain of home at home?

Next day is no way of knowing, And the day after is my favorite, A small museum really perfect And a good meal in the middle of it.

As I’m leaving, I notice a donkey on a vase Biting the arm of a young girl, And outside on the steps A silver fish head glistens beside a bottlecap.

Plenty remains The work of poetry is trust, And under the aegis of trust Nothing could be more effortless.

Hotels show movies.

Walking around even tired I find my eyes find Numberless good things And my ears hear plenty of words Offered for nothing over the traffic noise As sharp as sparrows.

A day and a day, more rivers crossing me.

It really feels that way, I mean I have changed places with geography, And rivers and towns pass over me,

THE SUGAR THIEF

JUSTICE

Ned Balbo

Langston Hughes

If it was free, you thought, I ought to grab it as you did: McDonald’s napkins, pens, and from the school where you were once employed as one of two night shift custodians, the metal imitation wood wastebasket still under my desk.

But it was sugar that you took most often as, annoyed on leaving Dunkin’ Donuts, pancake house, and countless dinners, I felt implicated in your pleasure, crime, and poverty.

I have them still, your Ziploc bags of plunder, Yet I find today, among the loose Change in my pockets, packets crushed or fadedMore proof of your lasting legacy.

Showing their scars, finding their friends.

I like it best when poetry Gleams or shows its teeth to a girl Forever at just the right moment.

I think I could turn and live underneath the animals.

I could be a bottlecap Going to the airport going home, I stop with my teacher, now my friend.

He buys me a good breakfast, berries and

That Justice is a blind goddess Is a thing to which we black are wise; Her bandage hides two festering sores That once perhaps were eyes.

hotcakes.

We finish and, standing, I hear One policeman saying to another Over the newspaper in a yellow booth “Do you know this word regret, Eddie?

What does it mean?”

Plenty of words over the traffic noise, And nothing could be more effortless.

Catching a glimpse of eternity, even a poor one, says it all.

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July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

Fashion and Style

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36 Scan the image to read on the go

by Merith Benedict

Ten ways to dress to look younger L

ooking younger doesn’t suggest putting on what a sixteen year old would wear. It’s just adding a fashionable piece to a classic outfit. Dressing up like a teenager or an adolescent would give you away and make everyone know you really want to lose years.

The idea is simply dressing trendy and chick, looking mature and responsible. This is about taking control and feeling good about yourself from the inside. Research has shown that a well cut wardrobe sheds up to eight years from a woman’s face. In contrast, unfitting and unflattering items can age her by seven years

Ten ways to dress and look younger

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and invigorate your look.

7) Always pick the right bra that would mold your shape. A tighter band and fuller cup appear more youthful.

8) Play to your strength by picking your most flattering area and choosing garments with features that draw attention to it.

9) Avoid washed out or drab colours, instead make a colour statement.

10) Do not mix tight skirt or pants with tight top, aim to have either a tight skirt with a loose top and vice versa. Also, avoid wearing clothes that are too tight or too loose. Aim to wear clothes that fit appropriately.

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At what age should a lady get married?

Blessing (26): I think 25 is more appropriate because that’s when her true beauty as a woman starts showing. It’s also then that men starts being attracted to her.

Kaosi (27): It depends first on the lady’s mentality and secondly her plans and other things she wants to achieve, but if I were a lady I would like to get married between the ages of 22 to 25.

The Face and Hair look hile focusing on the wardrobe, let’s not forget that people might give their assessment based on your face, rather than the clothes themselves.

How to Apply Makeup to Look Younger Sometimes, the way we apply our make-up make us look older.

• Wearing foundation/ powder that does not match your skin colour in a No! No! When you go too light, it makes your skin appear flat and lifeless instead of natural.

If you go too dark, you are not highlighting your features but dragging them down. And adding dullness just as aging. Use a foundation /powder that blend with your skin tone. The goal is to blend your skin by connecting it evenly across.

• Choosing a lipstick that is too dark doesn’t help. As you age, you lose definition on your lips so to appear more youthful, you might want to wear a lipstick that adds fullness. A dark colour does the opposite, making your lips look smaller, less plum, less highlighted. Instead choose something in a mauve or pink tone. Adding a layer

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of lip gloss is also helpful.

• Though it may be so easier to apply eye liner at the bottom eyelid only, doing so will drag your features down.

And make your eyes appear smaller and your overall appearance seem older.

• Applying eyeliner at the top as well, will open up your face. Be sure not to make the liner too thick which can also be aging in looks. Apply the liner close to your lash line and make sure the top and bottom connect at the corner of the eye. Add a touch of dark eye shadow at the bottom to soften the look.

• If must do not wear a brownish shade of blush. It ends up making your face look muddy and like the make-up is just sitting on your skin. Choosing a colour that is too soft may wash you out of age as well.

• Eyebrows make a big statement on the face. As you get older, your eyebrows get thinner or simply from over plucking over the years the lashes refuse to grow back. Not filling them with a pencil or a brow powder will make you look older and washed out. To pick a brow product, look for the one that matches your hair colour.

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IK (30): Once she is above 21 and she knows what she wants in life. This is the age where people begin to understand what life is all about.

W

1) Avoid anything too short 2) Avoid wearing straps or open tops (you can’t wear bra with them and they show off a lot of skin 3) Wear what suits your current body shape, not the shape you used to have in the past or wish to have.

4) Remain current but pick only what suits you. Do not wear something because it is in fashion 5) Develop your personal style. The more you know about you and respect who you are through your clothing in an authentic way, the more stylish and confident you will appear.

6) Accessorize; have fun with your accessories. Bags, shoes, belts and statement jewelry are a great way to bring an up to the minute trend into your wardrobe

Vox Populi

11

Chinwe (21): In my own opinion, I think from 20 and above because I will like to train my children when I’m still strong, anything more than 30years she should visit the ministers of God for help.

There is no specific age for a lady to get married but before she gets married; all she needs is maturity because marriage is a life time commitment” enough and believes in the man she intends to get married to. Maturity has nothing to do

of 27, a girl is ripe to be called a wife because at that time, she is likely to be through with at least her first degree, look fully matured and will be able to withstand the pressures that come with marriage.

Caroline (26): I will say at the age of 25 is ok, reason is because when you get married early you will give birth early and still be strong to train your kids. When you marry at maybe 37 years, you wouldn’t be that strong to train your kids, at that time you are already becoming weak and less active.

Mrs. Juliet Etim (30): Marriage is not something you rush. If you rush in to marriage, you

Dorathy (35): A lady should get married at the age of 30 years because at that age, she is matured enough to bear children and to care of her home.

Ada (30): A lady should get married at the age of 20 years because at that age, she can put to bed without much complication.

Ibukun Adeoti (28): There is no specific age for a lady to get married but before a lady gets married; all she needs is maturity because marriage is a life time commitment.

Ifeoma (24): Everybody have their choice on when they want to get married, for me 25 years is ok. You know when a girl is up to 18, she starts having the knowledge of things around her and also thinking of settling down.

Ogunmade Bibire (30): At the age of 23 to 27 years is good enough because any moment after that, men will see them as scraps desperate to hook up.

Emmanuel (35): I am of the opinion that God’s time is the best. It is also applicable to marriage. So God knows when it is due for a girl to settle down.

Jessy (17): I think 25 years is good because it is a matured aged and marriage is a serious business.

Buki (27): For me I think 25 or 26 years is a right time for a girl to get married because at that age she is mentally and physically ready to stay with a man.

Essien (30): Marriage is an ordained union by God himself, so to me it doesn’t have a specific age or time, so I advice all ladies to wait for their time.

Jennifer (28): If a woman is up to 18 years, she is old enough to get married as long as the man is ready to support her to further her education

Mrs. Josephine Nwakaego (38): Any age above twenty is ok, as long as the lady and the man understand each other. It is good to get married early and child birth is a lot easier in younger women.

King King (27): A lady rightful age to get married is between 20 to 25 years. The bible said that “we shall enjoy our marriage at the days of our youth”.

Ogechi (25): I think a lady should get married at the age of 16 years, so that by the time she is through with child bearing, she will still be strong to take care of them.

Gift (25): Well for me, I think no fixed age because of different factors.

Amanda (20): Well, I would say 25 years because at that age a girl should have been through with her academic pursuit and perhaps ready to face the challenges of marriage as an independent woman.

sure you get to the point of maturity and that point to me is at the age of 28 years.

with age because some younger women act so matured in their reasoning. Anything between the ages of 18 to 25 years is perfect for early marriage.

Joseph (26): Twenty six to thirty is ripe for a woman to get married; at this point the woman is mature psychologically and otherwise.

Mrs. Amaka Obiora (40): Early marriage is good, but I don’t advice that our young girls jump into marriage because it is a life time institution, it takes one who is matured to take decision. Twenty is matured enough to get married for a lady.

Mrs. Esther Madu (43): Marriage is a blessing from God; it is not something one should rush into. The truth is that marriage doesn’t have anything to do with age, if God says a lady will marry early; she will and if he also says that a lady will marry at the age of 35, it will come to pass.

Mr. Bari (38): If a lady feels she is matured

Mr. Abiodun Bolu (38): I will say at the age

Tea

Coffee

will most likely rush out of it. It needs maturity both in the mind set, ways of attending to certain issues and patience.

Mrs. Nenji (29): A lady is expected to get married once she is through with her university education and also her youth service. At least by that age, she will be between 25years to 28years.

Remember giving birth at an early stage is every woman’s dream.

Pst. Nathan Darego (39): I got married to my wife when she was 28 years old. Thou we dated for four years and during our dating days, I found out that the older she becomes the more she realizes the maturity in her. So my advice to all ladies is that before you get married, make

Mr. Micheal Njoku (35): I think the age of 28 is perfect for a lady to settle down in a man’s house because she will be fully developed as a woman both physically, emotionally and otherwise.

Iyke (25): Marriage is not meant for kids, it is meant for matured minds and maturity is not by age, it’s by mental stability and how you conduct yourself. Any lady that is up to the age of 28 and not matured in her conducts shouldn’t get married.

Kelly (23): I think 25 years is ok for a lady to get married because any moment after that age, an average Nigerian mother will start putting pressures on her.

Johnpaul (28): A lady is expected to get married at the ages of 28 to 30 years. Marriage is an everlasting union and it is meant for couples that are matured.

Chocolate Beverage

If your answer to the last question is no, please turn to page 17

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

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Lifestyle by Folarin Banigbe-Philips

Why are unmarried ladies under pressure in our Society?

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et me prick your conscience, and it doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman. If you see a lady from around 35 years and above, and you don’t notice a ring on her fingers or any other tell-tale signs that she is married, what comes to your mind? Be honest!

Yeah, I got you there. Every one of us have thoughts running in our mind at that sight. I can try to hazard some guesses as to which way yours will run, but as there are many different types of people with different convictions, different religions, different background, or even different intentions and outlook to life, my attempt at guessing will be futile.

However, the one thing that is common across all these persuasions is the fact that these ladies don’t escape unnoticed. Pity is one of the most common emotion that surfaces most of the time. Sometimes, some people think thoughts that I cannot even print here. Most of the time however, the person that is blamed for the situation of the lady is the lady herself.

There is an intense pressure on women to get married. There is almost an obsession with marriage in our society and a married woman always feels superior to an unmarried woman. Talk about dogs eating dogs, sometimes, the most vehement critics of an unmarried woman is the married woman. I cannot tell why that is so really, but it is one of the observations that has been made. Of course she doesn’t want the poor lady anywhere around her husband, even if both of

them were bosom friend before the married woman’s luck turned.

Societal pressures on unmarried ladies come from different quarters, and these pressures come from our cultural beliefs about the girl child and marriage. In all the major tribal divisions in Nigeria namely, the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba cultures, it is expected from the day a girl child is given birth to that she will one day get married. At the advent of western education, the girl child was mostly

excluded from going to school, while her brother is sent to school. The belief at that time was that such daunting financial endeavour should not be wasted on the girl who will one day bear another man’s name and belong to another family.

The Ibos particularly see the girl child as a source of money. This is coming mostly from the expectation that when she is married out, her dowry will bring some economic benefit to the family,

and even after she is married, the tie to her husband will bring comfort to the home. Even though this is mostly a practice amongst the South east and South west of Nigeria, this also true amongst the Igbos and the people of, even if to a lesser degree.

To emphasise the importance of marriage, there is this folksong in Iboland which serves as a grim reminder to a girl that she must be married.

“Be you as beautiful as a mermaid,

the beauty of a woman is to have a husband. Be you one who has beento the land of white people the beauty of a woman is to have a husband. If a woman does not marry, her beauty declines…”

According to an online source, an unmarried woman is often seen as an irresponsible person, and when a woman outgrows the question “whose daughter is she” people would ask, “whose wife is she”? The marriage pressure is not on ladies alone. The source we are quoting says, a chronic bachelor among the Igbo is referred to as an “Akalogoli”, which means an irresponsible man. Similarly, the Yoruba culture indicates that it is against the mores “for a mature man or woman to be single”.

In 2012, the current president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, controversially re-echoed the African expectation that women must not only be married, but must have children. He said, “it is “not right” for women to be single and not only that, they must have children because having children helps to give them ‘extra training’ “.

In this article, we attempt to look at the pressures and the reason for these pressures. We also talked to some people out there and we bring you what they have to say on the matter.

We welcome your opinion on this topic, and when you send them in, we will publish them in our next edition. Email to publisher@ph-microscope.com or SMS and WhatsApp to 0807338833.

True life Story

Next time, I will come as a man!

- Tunbi (Not Real Name)

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unbi was a very attractive girl growing up; a combination of beauty and brains. She is the second of the four children of an upper middle class family. She had everything going for her; prestigious schools, doting parents, close knit families, and good friends around her. Education was not a problem as she moved swiftly from primary school through secondary school to the University. By the time she was 21, she had become a graduate of Economics.

Her parents decided to send her to the UK to get a Master’s Degree, which she quickly dispensed with, and by the time she was 24, she was done with that too. She started working in the UK with a blue chip company and was doing very well.

While in Nigeria at the university, she had met a young man 2 years ahead of her. The guy graduated and move to the UK, and the relationship changed from a close proximity to a distant one.

She continued to date the guy, and assumedly, this mutual love continued on both sides.

When she was moving to the UK, of course, she

was happy knowing that her love is over there and the distance was about to be broken. Of course, in the first few months after she moved to the UK, the relationship blossomed and she was in dreamland.

After a while, things started to cool off, and eventually by the fifth year of her stay in the UK, the guy had almost bought bailed out of the relationship. Tunbi was distraught! At this time she was 27. She didn’t know what to do. How will she go out and find another man? This is the only she had ever known. Eventually she consoled herself that she is still young, and at 27, should in no time be in another relationship again.

However, things didn’t quite work out that way. It was not because men were not asking her out, but most of them appeared unserious. To make matters worse, the dating circle for Nigerian girls in the UK was a bit tighter than usual, and most of the men know one another somewhat, but she continued in this rat race for a few more years, and by the time she was 35, she became despondent. Now

the uncertainty and anxiety started to set it. At 35, she thought to herself, “I am not getting younger, and I am no longer a spring chicken”. Most guys my age are already married, and the ones who are not married are either serious womanizers or men that are no-do-gooders. Younger men will probably just play around with her because of her relative financial comfort and their thinking that she will be desperate enough to take in anyone who as much as smiles at her.

She found herself in the middle of two generations of men. She had imagined herself married at about 25, and done with having kids at 32, in love and married to a doting man who she will spend the rest of her life with. What had happened?

Where have things gone wrong? All her life, she had been a good girl. There was only one boy before Sam the Londoner, and that had been in her teenage years where fooling around the back of the house was the furthest they ever got. Sam was the first and only man in her life.

She looks around at her other friends, most of

them are now married and settled (or so it seems) in their matrimonial homes. What was God doing, she asks herself. Most of these girls are those you would think would never find a man, not to talk of a man who worships the ground upon which they walk. Most of them lost their virginity at scandalous ages, and went through boys as if they were drinking Coca-Cola. They were the same girls who would leave their pictures with pimps in the university and were regular guests at all the sugar-daddy parties in town. They even followed these men on business trips abroad, and were in all kinds of scandals.

She remembered a particular friend of hers then, Gbemi. Gbemi was so rampant with her sex life that she was constantly visiting abortion clinics.

The last D&C nearly took her life and she lost one of her ovaries in the process. And guess what, Gbemi met this banker during our service year, and before service year was over, she was married and pregnant. She went on to have two male children for this guy and is living in marital paradise as far as I can tell from the outside.

And what of Ann! Ann, Ann! What didn’t her Ann do? She was the classical example of an adventurer. She would try anything… one some, two some, three some, orgies, cannabis, punch, straight and gay sex, whatever is new, Ann was up for it. It was as if she was on a self-destruct mission. In the days when girls were coy and unassuming, Ann was brash, and if she wanted a liaison with any guy, she was upfront and personal. And how did Ann end up? She married to a guy who went on to become one of the brightest lawyers in the country, and who later became the Governor of an oil rich state. Ann! I am sure some of her husband’s staff or associates will have frolicked with her at some point in her life.

So, for all her good manner and reticence, Tunbi is now going to be 40 very soon and she is without a man in life, even if he is a roustabout! Life! Fate! Destiny!

She had been religious most of her life, and she has come to know and believe that God always rewards good behaviour. So where is her reward now? Her biological clock is ticking, and in her mid-thirties, she is even no longer sure about being able to have a crisis free child birth. Ha! She thinks, “I am getting ahead of myself. I should be thinking of getting a man first before thinking of what will happen to my pregnancy”.

In her church, the Pastor and his wife encourages her a lot. They tell her that God has a plan for everyone, and people have different timing. That popular verse comes to her mind now. “He makes everything beautiful in its own time”. She always wonders about that verse. What is the time of this one now?

Most girls ought to get married when they are young, in their mid-twenties perhaps.

Biology says that is their strongest time and pregnancy and delivery is easier then. So that should be the time for marriage, isn’t it? Biology and God are closely related, after all He created man and knows the way and the time they function best. So from her understanding of God, she ought to have been married in her twenties. Now she is not sure if she believes that verse anymore. Her time is passing, or has passed. What will be the beauty that will come out of it? That she cannot understand anymore, but she still believes that her time will come. Or does she really believe it?

People tell her that God is preparing the man for her. Hmmn, how long does that take?

When she first started work, she always drives to work in her SUV. Then she told herself, how will I meet a man if I am not mingling?

So she stopped, and started using the London Underground (the Tube as we call it). That too didn’t seem to work. People were always lost in their own world, in their books, their Ipods, or phones or just starring into space.

You wonder how odd this world is. In the middle of thousands of people, you still find yourself alone.

She also goes on the bus, and there also, everyone avoids looking at one another. She says to herself time and again, “where will I meet this man?” In her church, she doesn’t see anybody that is a likely husband material either. They are either happily or unhappily married, or they are struggling young boys in their twenties and early thirties. Even when she tries to be friends with these ones (age does not matter abi?), they are either see-

ing her as a provider (for sex and money) or they are seeing her as a big sister. She thinks to herself, musing, “Why in the world will I want to be a sister to you?” I WANT TO MARRY YOU, STUPID!!

So church is out of the equation. Then some of her friends advised her to mingle; go to clubs and parties.

“Well, club is out, I am not a club girl, and not a prostitute!” she says to herself. As for parties, am I supposed to gate crash into parties where I am not invited? Even her friend’s children’s birthday parties are now a major disaster story for her. She mutters to herself “you go to those sort of parties and you stand out like a sore thumb. First, the same friends who advised you to socialize will be the first to eye you up and down if you as much as strikes up an innocent conversation with their husbands. I don’t blame them sha! Some of those men self are basket cases. Why would any sane man want to date their wives’ friend? Ha! You may say maybe for the kicks, but what kind of stupid and dangerous kick is that. So typically, I am standing in the party, holding a glass of juice and just looking at all the people there with their own issues, and one of my plenty married friends come over, and goes, let me introduce you to this guy… and when we get there, the guy is handing me a card and is saying call me, like I don’t have any shred of dignity left in me. Since when did a girl start to call a guy for dates?

So later on in the evening, when the guys finally go and watch the football game on TV, my married friends put me in their middle, and starts to advise me! I am finished! As if I didn’t know their antecedents when we were younger. Anyway, when they finish their diatribes, then they start to pray for me. What will my eyes not see!”

Now Tunbi just continues to live her life one day at a time hoping that someday she will meet a man. She has little or no friends now; even her unmarried friends too will rather not mingle so they all don’t look like a cast in the movie ‘sex in the city’ when they go out together.

In the middle of this, her parents won’t let off.

The last time she was home to visit them in Nigeria, they wanted to take her to a prophet, and usually there is the need for prayers and deliverance. Upset, she told her mum never to try that again with her, knowing her faith and how she views all these prophets, and this got her mum angry. Her supportive father of course took his wife’s side, and there you have it, parents against daughter. She is so miserable now that she cries every night. Her parents won’t call her, and when she calls them, they tell her she either comes for the deliverance or she leaves them alone. Her younger sister got married about 5 years ago, and the marriage has hit the rocks. She tries to tell them that she will rather wait than have a broken home, but they will hear nothing of such. To them she is a disgrace. Why would she not be married, when all their friends’ daughters have gotten married with kids? What is wrong with their own daughter? Maybe too much book!

At work, there are pressures. Some positions are reserved for married women, or so it ap-

pears. “Why does her company think that she cannot be trusted with responsibility because she is not married? Isn’t it obvious that she is even more available for more responsibility because she has no other responsibility? But, they will promote the married one who will then push all the work to her, the unmarried woman”.

Her male colleagues are nothing but lecherous. Thank God for the rules against sexual harassment in the UK. You can sue any one for harassing you, even if it is imagined. She imagines if she were to be in Nigeria, she would almost have been raped in the office, or forced to resign. Nigerian bosses are from the pit of hell, and there is no law to protect the female folk from harassing or even lewd passes. It’s as if the government enacts all the laws to favour the men. Maybe that is why they say it is a man’s world!

The last time she wanted to move to a new apartment, you can never imagine what the landlord told her. The apartment is only available is she is married! What cheek! Apparently single ladies are synonymous with prostitution. She finds that hilarious happening in the UK of all places. Of course in Nigeria, it is a national anthem. Her friends over there too face that all the time. She remembers Efe, her lawyer friend. Her own case was even more hilarious. After quizzing her for like forever, the landlord finally gave her the apartment, but worse was coming.

A few weeks after she moved in, the landlord started paying her nocturnal visits, first to see if everything was fine, then he started inviting himself over for drinks, and subsequently expects Efe to cook for him. A few months later, he actually asked her to sleep with him! Can you imagine that? Trust Efe, she gave him a tongue lashing of his life. The visits stopped soon after but then so did Efe’s tenancy at the end of that year!

Tunbi remembers how when she meets strangers, they look at her quizzically when they find she is not married, and she realises that for most people, even despite themselves, when they see an unmarried lady who is advancing in age, they wonder, “why is she not married? Maybe she was reckless at her young age; maybe she is a bad girl; maybe she has a bad character; maybe she is looking for a rich guy to marry; maybe she is a witch” Haba!

You don’t even know her! Most girls find themselves in this situation unwillingly. Take me for example, I had only one boyfriend in my life! And the silly boy went and married some near prostitute who probably gave him too much sex, making him to leave me in the gutters. I had been taught to be the perfect girl, the modest girl, the prim and proper girl, domesticated, loving and trusting, but see where that has led me?”

Tunbi wonders… why is everyone so unfair to unmarried ladies? From siblings, to parents, to office people, to landlords, to church people, to their own friends, even to strangers? “What is it that we have done wrong, she asks? It is not as if we don’t want to get married now. It is not as if a man is out there and we are rejecting him? Everyone has an ideal man in their mind, so should I settle for a riff-raff or a no-do-gooder all in the name of wanting to get married?”

“The next time I come, if there is a next time”, she says to herself, “I will be a man”.

Society should leave unmarried people alone!

- Ayewo Eniayo PH MICROSCOPE: Do you think that there is a pressure on unmarried woman today?

Ayewo Eniayo: Oh yes. There are pressures.

PH MICROSCOPE: What sort of pressures can you mention?

Ayewo Eniayo: Pressures that they should get married and have children; pressures that their own friends are getting married, therefore, people start comparing them with their mates.

PH MICROSCOPE: Why are there pressures?

Ayewo Eniayo: Because people don’t care to know what they are

going through. And so many people believe in their own opinion and not realising the fact that people’s achievement in life is different to one another relative to time.

PH MICROSCOPE: What can society do to support unmarried people?

Ayewo Eniayo: The only thing the society can do is to leave them alone and don’t forget to pray for them. If people care about their situation, you don’t have to add more pressure but rather help them to also believe everybody has different time and they need to wait for their time. Do what needs to be done at the right time.

It’s better to stay single than divorced - Engr. Emmanuel Mbah PH MICROSCOPE: Do you think there are pressures on unmarried women today Engr. Emmanuel Mbah: Most definitely.

PH MICROSCOPE: what sort of pressures can you mention?

Engr. Emmanuel Mbah: One sure pressure they face is uncertainty of the future based on the person that they are going to get involved with as per relationship, dating and eventually marriage.

PH MICROSCOPE: Why are these pressures there?

Engr. Emmanuel Mbah: They are there because we are in an African society. Obviously there are a lot of things that we stand to lose if we

are not married, but if you are married and divorced, that still means coming back to singlehood which is also a problem.

PH MICROSCOPE: What can the society do better to support unmarried people?

Engr. Emmanuel Mbah: The major thing that should be done is to try to create a sensitization program that should be aimed at teaching the unmarried women to understand that it is far better to remain unmarried at 30-35 and eventually get married and stay happy, rather than to marry at 20 and divorce at 25 going back to being unmarried which makes the problem much worse.

No lady wants to be in her father’s house forever - Mr Lucky Menemii PH MICROSCOPE: Do you think there is a pressure on unmarried women today?

Mr. Ndamati: Yes there is and a lot. For instance, single women face the relentless pressure of their parents, forcing them to get married. The worst problem is the way the society looks at single women.

Any woman that is in her 30s and is still single is looked at weirdly by everyone. Two stereotypical images come to mind; it’s either she is looked upon as a witch that is maybe under some sort of a curse, or that she has a bad character that scares men away.

PH MICROSCOPE: Why are there pressures?

Mr. Ndamati: I think this is as a result of the mentality of the par-

ents, because they are reasoning based on the olden days where early marriages were the order of the day. They don’t understand how being single isn’t such a bad thing these days.

PH MICROSCOPE: What can the society do better to support unmarried people?

Mr. Ndamati: well, it’s an annoying problem that is best if ignored.

You can’t change the way the society looks at unmarried people. But at least there should be programs like talk shows, talking hopefully about getting the society to stop discrimination and their attitudes towards unmarried people. That would go a long way to help reduce the pressure on single women by parents and the society.

Most ladies don’t want to become old maids in their father’s houses - Mrs Victoria Sideso

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here is pressure from family members and concerned friends on unmarried women that are of age. Most emphasis is on the biological clock that is seemingly ticking fast, which means giving birth to children. Family pressures come from the aspect of families want

to prevent the ladies from ending up as old maids (Spinster for life).

I think people should change their mind set about marriage because not everyone is meant to get married and also being unmarried doesn’t mean you have failed in life. Even the bible doesn’t condemn singleness

All ladies should be respected regardless of marital status - Jennifer Bankole

If a lady looks advanced in age and isn’t wearing a ring on her finger, she is usually looked down upon and can be easily abused verbally.

Even younger boys find it easy to say abusive things to them. You know they suffer a lot of disrespect in the society. Sometimes you get into a place, you’re asked if you are married or not and if not, you are given some certain restrictions although some of the married ones there are even younger than you

are. Society believes that being married is a symbol of responsibility and therefore accord more respect to the married women regardless of their age. Single ladies tend to be taken for granted, hereby making them vulnerable and feeling helpless. We are all women and everyone has their values. Ladies should be respected regardless of marital status.

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July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

Continue from page 13

Why are unmarried ladies under pressure in our Society?

No lady wants to be in her father’s house forever - Mr Lucky Menemii There are pressures on unmarried ladies because society feels every matured girl needs a husband and again the families also hope to do away with their girls that are of the age of getting married.

These kinds of pressures include not being a burden on the family, when by right these ladies ought to get married and be living in their husband’s houses. There is pressures these ladies put upon themselves as a reaction to the society. This includes pressures from what your friends will say, how people will see you when you are not married and have passed marriageable age, and pressures about who will take care of you at old age. Most ladies feel these pressures because no lady wants to be in their parent’s house for a long time.

As a society, we can help unmarried ladies. Churches and institutions who are close to these issues can organize trainings, workshops and fellowship that will constantly make young girls to be conscious of their life style and position themselves always to be wife material. Indecent and unholy sharp practices should stopped.

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Port Harcourt Microscope Do you ever wonder how you can be part of our publication?

Here are a few ways!

Our African way of life puts pressure on unmarried ladies - Chief Manna E. Harris-Iyalla

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o a large extent, there are pressures on single ladies, due to our African way of life. The African man lives his life in a communal setting. There are pressures like discrimination within the community in terms of employment, and in some cases it is difficult for a woman to rent an apartment without a man beside her.

If a woman is not married or seen with someone by her side, she will be termed as a prostitute or someone who wants to control the male folk or something equally that bad. She may also be seen as too hard and uncontrollable. Because of these, most women are pressurized towards marriage so as not to be discriminated and for social acceptance.

In this part of the world, not much can be done to help because our culture looks down on unmarried ladies. I would suggest that the society should let them be because in UK for example, single mothers and unmarried women are doing well and are living a wholesome life. Life is supposed to be an individual race but our African culture is preventing it here; although because of our culture divorce is not as much as it is over there, where they practice gender equality.

You know that the white man does not have strong cultural values like the Africans do. Here we still have a culture which to an extent keeps us together and commands marital respect. It’s because of these value in our culture that there is much pressure on single ladies.

Teen’s Crib

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Scan the image to read on the go

By Jessy Nwachukwu

4 top tips for dealing with rejection

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ost of the time, the reason we don’t go after our dreams is the fear of rejection. It is also the reason why we quickly give up after starting something.

Being a teenager comes with facing a lot of new challenges in life that you probably didn’t have to face when you were still a preteen; and one of these challenges involve learning to expect and cope with rejection.

You are faced with rejection in a variety of situations such as when you try to establish friends, or starting relationships, applying to university, applying to a new job, or participating in a competition.

Learn the Tips 1. Be Honest with yourself! Rejection will come!

You are going to face rejection in life no matter what you do; there is no way to avoid it. If you become afraid of rejection it can only hold you back from achieving your dreams in life.

Therefore if you do end up getting rejected, well, you already know it’s a possibility, so don’t think it’s the end of the world, because it is not.

2. Be upset but don’t dwell on it. After you are done expressing your disappointment, distress or anger over being rejected, try not to put yourself down and make permanent/negative statements such as “I can’t do this, it’s too hard” or “I’ll never be good at this”. Instead, fill your mind with positive thoughts and reflect on how you can do better the next time.

3. Don’t keep it in. Talk to someone! It may help to talk to parents or a loved one and ask them to share their rejection stories. It can also help by thinking of all the successful people in the world who faced numerous rejections like J.K Rowling, who was rejected by 12 publishing companies before Harry potter was published.

Encourage them to wait for the right man at the right time - Mrs Funmi Charles - Jimoh

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here is pressure on the unmarried woman especially those who are of or past marriageable age. These pressures are placed on her by the society, and probably herself.

The pressure can be to marry, so sometimes they end up marrying the wrong man. If she is the first child, she is pressured to marry so the husband can take care of her parents and her siblings.

The society can help them by encouraging them to wait for the appropriate man who will come at the right time.

Knowing that other people, especially the successful people, have overcome rejection will make you feel a lot better and give you confidence in continuing the pursuit of your goal.

4. So what if I am rejected? If you are happen to find yourself in a group of people who do not pursue things because of the fear of being made fun of, then ask yourself, “What will happen if I get rejected?” or “Who is the group of people that will make fun of me for pursuing this?” Do you care about what people who lack the character to commend you for pursuing your unique interest, think of you? Be

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Ladies have a deadline to meet up with - Ms Abimbola Adelakun

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There is a lot of pressures on unmarried and they come from all areas, e.g., family, work place, friends, church etc.

The parents pressure their daughters when they start telling them to move out to their husband’s houses. They put up an attitude that tells you that you have over stayed your welcome.

At your place of work, you might be looked down upon. In the church, if you are not married you can’t handle some kind of responsibilities.

As ladies, we also subject ourselves to pressures because we have a deadline to meet up with, i.e., menopause. We don’t have all the time like men to play around.

Our society at large should respect unmarried ladies as they would married ones. There should also be seminars, talks where ladies can probably be lectured on how to avoid delay in marriage.

f: www.facebook.com/ph-microscope t: phmicroscope Office: 25, Trans Amadi Industrial Layout, Rumuobiakani, Port Harcourt

In general, rejection is a surmountable obstacle on the path of following your dreams, pursuing your personal passions and so on. Don’t let the fear of rejection hold you back in life, because in the long run it will be more painful to regret not going after something than to overcome the possible rejection you might face in actually pursuing it. Rejection will ultimately make you a stronger person if you deal with it effectively. So keep your thoughts in a positive course, be bold and following your dream.

You will definitely succeed, I guarantee it.

Quotes

Puzzle

e: publisher@ph-microscope.com Whatsapp/SMS: 08077788772

bold, be yourself and remember you want to attract the right people, not the wrong people.

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SURMOUNT, DREAMS, DISGRACE, REJECTION, FEAR, SUCCESS, ACHIEVE, BOLD, GUARANTEE, STEP, HURT, CHALLENGE

Most fears of rejection rest on the desire for the approval from other people. Don’t base your self-esteem on their opinion.

Harvey Mackay There’s nothing like rejection to make you do an inventory of yourself. A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success.

Anonymous

Question for next edition What is your unique selling point and how do you use it?

Please send your comments to 08060917396 or 08167567648 or leave your comments on our twitter and facebook page

Response from last edition

What is the one thing you like about yourself?

Anny (age 16): One thing I like myself is that I’m a free minded person who believes in real friendship no matter the situation.

David (age 14): I like myself because I’m calm but that doesn’t mean I’m weak or doll. I think the best way to solve issues in life is by being calm first and understand why it’s so ,then give an approach towards solving it.

Lucky (age 15): if there’s one thing I like about myself is my BOLDNESS. I mean I’m fearless even from when I was still a baby.

It is hereditary because according to my dad, my family produced the warrior or men of velour. I attribute personally to God’s given ability.

Jennifer (age 15): what I like about myself is that I’m different.

My perception of things is really different and it makes me stand out wherever I am.

Grace (age 17): I like my temperament, my ability to adjust to situations. It’s just my nature Adaeze (age 14): I’m an easy going person; I get along with people a lot. I like myself because I like to stick with what I want.

16

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

Health Nuggets

Scan the image to read on the go

By Victoria Sideso

Garlic And Ginger

Introducing the most healthy everyday drink company in the world…

Nature’s Antidote For Candida Most women are familiar with the word ‘candida’. You might be wondering, what on earth is candida?

Candida is a form of yeast and is a naturally occurring micro-organism in the mouth, intestines and reproductive organs of humans. A very small amount of it is in these organs of the body to aid digestion and nutrient absorption. When candida is overproduced, it breaks down the wall of the intestine and penetrates the bloodstream, releasing toxic by-products into your body and causing leaky gut.

Candida is kept in check by the lactobacillus bacteria. However, these bacteria can’t work effectively if there is an imbalance in your system. For example, prolonged usage of antibiotics could kill off both good and bad bacteria, causing the candida to multiply since there is no resistance from the good bacteria. This leads to an overgrowth of the yeast which causes the symptoms of candidiasis to manifest.

The excessive production of Candida can be partly blamed on our lifestyle choices, and in particular our diet of highly processed foods or refined sugars. Yeasts love sweet things which gives it more strength to flourish in your intestines. When the balance of good and bad flora is tipped, there can be an overgrowth of yeast which could lead to candida seeping into your bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, the infection starts to affect the whole body, causing tissue damage, accumulation of toxins and a weakened immune system. As a result, people who suffer from candida are often tired, exhausted and feel like they have no energy to do anything.

Garlic and ginger treatment Ginger root has a variety of medicinal uses and properties, including antiseptic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrhea and anti-bacteria.

It is also a root that can improve healthy circulation in the body, aids digestion and relieves intestinal gas. The aroma of ginger is a pleasant one and it helps in cleansing the liver. There are a lot of ways to incorporate ginger into your diet, but one of the easiest is to make a delicious ginger tea. Simply cut an inch of ginger root, chop it up into small pieces and boil. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and your ginger tea is ready for consumption. Ginger has been characterised as generally safe. This means it should not cause serious side effects as long as it is consumed in reasonable quantities.

Using garlic for candida is one of the essential steps of a natural candida cure. Garlic is a potent natural antifungal that will help cure the candida. The active ingredient in garlic is allicin. Allicin is a potent microbial as well as an antifungal.

It can kill bacteria, virus and fungi. It is best to eat 2 cloves of garlic daily. A fresh clove is high in allicin and contains many other beneficial enzymes and compounds. Heating garlic destroys

the allicin, so only use raw garlic for candida.

To get the most benefit from garlic cloves, crush them and let them set for 5 minutes before eating them or juicing them. It is to be noted that as the garlic takes effect and there is an accumulation of candida dying off in the gut, you may need to stop eating the garlic long enough to allow your body to catch up with elimination of the toxins. During this period, flush your system with loads of water. Eating one or two cloves of raw garlic for candida per day is considered safe in adults. The most common side effects are bad breath and bad odour. Excessive consumption of garlic especially on an empty stomach can cause stomach upset, gas and changes in the intestinal flora.

Garlic and ginger are two amazing super foods with many health benefits and particularly beneficial for those wanting to reduce fungus and candida issues.

A detoxifying juice can be made with these two ingredients inclusive. This detox juice should be taken immediately as they begin to lose some of their nutritional benefits after a minute.

Recipe for making detoxifying juice with garlic and ginger • • • • • •

½ Cucumber Juice from 1 lemon ½ inch of ginger 2 cups of spinach 1 apple 1 clove of garlic

Place all the ingredients in a juicer or blender

and enjoy immediately. This will thoroughly detoxify your body and fight against candida.

Treating candida takes a comprehensive approach. You will find that making dietary changes will greatly improve your overall health.

Antifungals will only be necessary until your candida is under control which depends on the severity of your symptoms. Track how you feel.

As yeast disappears, so do your symptoms.

Recognizing the symptoms of candida Some common symptoms of candida overgrowth are: • Skin and nail fungal infections like toenail fungus or athletes foot • Strong sugar cravings • Irritability, mood swings, anxiety, depression....

• Digestive issues like bloating, diarrhoea or

• • • •

constipation Skin issues like psoriasis, rashes, eczema..

Fatigue Urinary tract infections, vaginal infections or rectal itching Poor memory, lack of focus or difficulty concentrating.

For questions or comments , send a mail to Victoria@all-errands.com.

You can also reach us on twitter @AllErrandsPHC.

It is healthy

Causes of candida Infection • • • • •

Weak immune system Uncontrolled diabetes Extended use of antibiotics Douching Poor eating habits like consumption of excessive sugary foods

• • • • • •

Hormonal imbalance near menstrual cycle Pregnancy Lack of sleep Toxicity Birth control pills Steroids

Clearing Candida The most effective way to clear candida overgrowth is to starve the yeast by not feeding it simple sugars. A diet with lots of water and vegetables is essential. Probiotics should be taken to replace the good bacteria and natural anti-

fungal foods like garlic and ginger should be consumed to kill off the fungi. Candida loves sugar and simple carbs. Removing these helps prevent the candida from growing and multiplying.

It pays you to drink it It pays you when you ask your friend to drink it It does wonders to your body system It is available in tea, coffee brands, and hot chocolate beverages If you want to drink your way into health and wealth, send an sms to 0812 251 8442 and we will send information on how you can participate in a free sampling of the product!

In the meantime, check the link for more information http://bit.ly/123coffee

HURRY TODAY, LIMITED TASTING SAMPLES AVAILABLE…

17

18

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36 Scan the image to read on the go

Fresh insight: How to succeed in the work place

By Dr Tunji Ayodele-Babs

Preparation for Greatness “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” - John 12:24

O

ver the last ten years Dr Tunji Ayodele-Babs has influenced thousands of people in the work place through teaching and motivation on personal effectiveness.

He stretches leaders to dream bigger by leveraging on systems and intentional growth, and his powerful concepts strike a balance with some of the best minds in the market place. Tunji drives home the importance of people’s roles in a company with hard hitting facts from research studies and practical ideas grounded in diversity of individuals thoughts.

He is also an accomplished author with 3 books under his belt, He can be reached by SMS to 08025211404 and email to. tunji.ayodele@gmail.com

Change of Name This is to inform the general public that I, formally known as Ann Obiageri .N. Chima is now to be addressed as Ann Obiageri Ejikeme.

All previous documents remain valid.

Let me tell what the Goal of the Christian life is. The goal of the Christian life is death, not success. A popular teaching says that if we follow God, we will prosper materially. God may, in fact, bless His people materially, but few can make this claim amongst us. Wealth must never be the goal of a person’s life, only a by-product.

A missionary shared a motto among his ministry team: “God does not require success, but radical, immediate obedience.” Jesus’ obedience gained Him the cross. It did not gain Him popularity among the heathen or the religious leaders in His days. It did not gain him financial success, or a life of pleasure.

His obedience resulted in His death on the cross. This is the same goal Christ has for each of us death of our old nature so that He might live through us.

That may not sell well among outcome based Christian workplace believers, but it does result in an eternal reward that far exceeds any earthly reward.

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Rev. 22:12). The Christian life is a paradox the first will be last, death in return for life, and we are encouraged to offer praise to God to overcome a spirit of heaviness. It requires faith in a God who operates from a different set of values that are sometimes difficult to measure from human standards. Let death work in you a life that only God can raise up, dying to self and worldly gains.

Servant Leadership in your calling “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.” - 2 Samuel 22:35 David was a mighty warrior, and God described him as a man after His own heart. God took David through a training ground that could be looked on as a cruel and an unusual punishment by many a person. God chose him at

a young age to be the next king after King Saul was rejected, but Saul hated him and hunted him down. David was a fugitive for many years. He had uprisings in his own family, and he had relationship problems. He had a life of extreme ups and downs. He certainly did not have a life free of problems; he made mistakes. He was human like all of us, yet he learned from his mistakes and repented when he failed. This was David’s training ground; it made the man. Without these hardships, it is doubtful David would have accomplished what he did.

Toward the end of David’s life, he recounted his relationship with God. It is a sermon on God’s ways of dealing with a servant leader.

“It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me Your shield of victory; You stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn (2 Samuel 22:33-37).”

God was David’s source for everything.

God gave him the ability to achieve the many extraordinary things in his

Ask God to teach you what it means to walk according to the power of the holy spirit in your business life. Develop a listening ear to the small voice inside that wants to direct your efforts by the holy spirit” life. It was a lifelong training ground that moved him from one plateau to another, often dropping into a ravine of despair and hopelessness from time to time. These are God’s ways. They drive us deeper and deeper into the heart of Him who has prepared a way for us. Let God take you to the heights or depths He desires for you. He never promised smooth sailing during the trip, but He did promise to be the captain and companion along the way.

Working Versus Striving “So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6

Your greatest obstacle in fulfilling God’s purposes in your life is the skills you have acquired to perform well in your work life. One of the great paradoxes in Scripture relates to our need to depend on the Lord; yet at the same time, we’re instructed to use the talents and abilities God gives us to accomplish the work He gives us to do. It has been one of the most difficult principles to live out. How do we know that what we achieve is by the power of the Holy Spirit in our life versus our own abilities, and is there a difference? When we reach a level of excellence and performance in our fields, it actually becomes an obstacle to seeing God’s power manifest in our work. What we naturally do well becomes the object of our trust.

When this happens, God retreats. You see, God allows us to develop skills, but these must be continually yielded to God’s Spirit. There will be times when God will use these skills to accomplish His purposes. There will be other times that God will not use any of our skills just to ensure that we know it is by His power that we can do anything.

It is the oxymoron of all oxymorons for Christian workplace believers. Learning not to act until God shows you to act is a sign of maturity in God. “Do not lean on the natural skill which you have been given. Let God manifest Himself in what you are doing,” said a mentor who has learned this balance of skill and walking with God. “You must almost restrain from doing those things you know you are prone to do and actually go against them.”

I was learning this lesson recently when I was asked to participate in a large event that would give great exposure and much needed financial increase to my ministry. It made all the sense in the world to participate. Then I prayed with a friend and asked the Lord His mind on it. The Lord showed us this was not His plan for me. I declined the invitation.

Ask God to teach you what it means to walk according to the power of the Holy Spirit in your business life. Develop a listening ear to the small voice inside that wants to direct your efforts

by His Spirit.

IF YOU ARE FROM KWARA STATE, PLEASE READ THIS!!!

A group called “Progressive Kwara” which is non-political, but development oriented is calling upon all citizens of Kwara state living in Rivers state to join this group to work with the government of the day in Kwara state to nurture ideas and provide constructive feedback to the Government.

We know that living in Rivers state makes us very far from home, and individually, our voices may not be heard.

We have thus decided that as a group, we are able to harmo-

nize our individual efforts and get the ear of the government.

So we encourage you to register by sending an email with your details (name, town of origin, LGA, age, occupation, phone number and addresses) to the email below: Progressivekwara@immenso-media.com This is a temporary address as we are at the moment building our website and will have email accounts, twitter handle and Facebook page published very soon.

For more information please contact the Coordinator, Progressive Kwara C/O Port Harcourt Microscope, 25, Trans Amadi Ind Layoutrumuobiakani, Port Harcourt, 08122518442, progressivekwara@immenso-media.com

19

Scan the image to read on the go

Property Classified

EMMA WIKE & PARTNERS’

AVAILABLE PROPERTIES TO LET IN PORT HARCOURT ABA ROAD Description: A tastefully finished Open Plan Floor Space measuring approximately 204.36m2.

Location: Port Harcourt – Aba Expressway (Before Police Check Point after Toll gate).

Consideration: Negotiable Term: 1 Year ADA - GEORGE Description: 1 No. 2 bedroom detached bungalow and 1 no. 3 bedroom bungalow all en-suite in a fenced premises, paved with interlocking stones in a serene environment.

Location: Ada – George Consideration: N500, 000.00 and N700,000.00 per annum respectively.

Term: 2 years CHOBA Property: 42 Nos. Self Contain Apartment in a well fenced and secured premises Location: Choba Rent: N80,000.00/annum Term:1 year D/LINE Description: An Open Plan Office Complex Location: No. 1 Ice Lane, D/ Line, Port Harcourt.

Consideration: N700, 000.00/ annum Term: 2 Years ELELENWO Description: 36 Nos. 2 bedroom flat paved with interlocking stones in a serene environment.

Location: Elelenwo, Port Harcourt.

Consideration: N500, 000.00/ annum Term: 2 Years Description: 4 Bedroom detached house, all ensuite, paved with interlocking stones in a fenced premise.

Location: Town Hall Road, off Peter Odili – Abuloma Link Road, Port Harcourt.

Consideration: N3.5 Million/ annum Term: 1 Year Description: Standard 11 Nos. 1 bedroom flat and 11 nos. self contained.

Location: Off Stallion Road, Elelenwo, Port Harcourt.

Consideration: N300, 000.00 and N250, 000.00 per annum.

Term: 2 Years GRA Description: A serviced Open Plan Office Complex on 4 floors in a well paved premises, affording the following spaces and services: AVAILABLE SPACES: 1st Floor – measuring approximately 201.82m2 @ 18,000.00/ meter square.

2nd Floor – measuring approximately 206.82m2 @ 18,000.00/ meter square.

Services: Standby 250KVA generating sets Passengers’ Lift/ Elevator.

Location: 1A Evo Road, GRA,

Phase 11 Port Harcourt Term: 2 Years

Consideration: Negotiable Term: Long - Term Lease.

Description: A block of 10 nos. tastefully finished 2 bedroom flat with ample parking space.

Location: Off G. U. Ake Road, GRA Phase 8, Port Harcourt Consideration: N3.5 Million/ annum Term: 1 Year

APPURTENANCES/FACILITIES: Standby generating set A gymnasium 10 rooms servant quarters A common bar Security house Description: 6 nos. 3 bedroom flat in a secured and serene environment.

Location: Temple Amadi street, GRA Phase III, Port Harcourt.

Consideration: N2.5 Million/ annum Term: 2 Years

PROPERTIES FOR SALE IN PORT HARCOURT

IKWERRE ROAD Description: An Open Plan Office Complex on 1st and 2nd floors.

Location: Ikwerre Road Consideration: N1.6 Million and N1.2 Million per annum respectively.

Term: 2 Years NKPOLU OROWORUKWO Description: 8 Nos. 1 bedroom flat all ensuite, paved with interlocking stones and security house.

Location: Nkpolu Oruworukwo Consideration: N350, 000.00/ annum Term: 2 Years TRANS AMADI Description: Double bay warehouse measuring approximately 2,000m2 each.

Location: RIVOC Road, Trans Amadi Consideration: N25 Million/ annum each.

Term: 2 Years WOJI Description: 6 nos. 3 bedroom flat in a well paved and serene environment.

Location: Woji Estate, Port Harcourt Consideration: N700, 000.00/ annum Term: 2 Years Description: 5 Bedroom detached house.

Location: Allen Mgba Crescent, off Woji street.

Consideration: N4.5 Million/ annum (asking) Term: 1 Year PROPERTIES FOR LEASE RUMUOKWUTA Description: Land for lease, measuring approximately 350m2 Location: Behind Crystal Fountain car wash, Rumuokwuta.

Consideration: N900, 000.00/ annum.

OYIGBO Description: A functioning hotel Location: Oyigbo

AMADI AMA Description: 8 bedroom detached house Location: Amadi Ama Consideration: N150 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance ADA GEORGE Description: Block of flats comprising 10 Nos. 2 bedroom flats on 2 ½ plots of land Location: Egwurugwu Str., Off Oroekpo Rd, Off Ada George Rd. by Istan School Consideration: N150 Million asking Title: Deed of Conveyance COCAINE VILLAGE Description: Tastefully finished 5 bedroom duplex Location: Cocaine Village Consideration: N200 Million (asking) Title: Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) Description: 6 bedroom detached house Location: Cocaine Village Consideration: N60 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance D/LINE Description: 4 Nos. 2 bedroom bungalow Location: Ndele Street, D/Line, Port Harcourt Consideration: N150 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance Description: A block of 4 Nos. 3 bedroom flat Location: D/Line Consideration: N120 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance 7. Description: 4 plots of land with a block of 6 Nos. 2 bedroom flat.

Location: D/Line Consideration: N200 Million Title: C of O EAGLE ISLAND Description: 4 plots of land Location: Eagle Island Consideration: N15 Million/ plot (asking) Title: Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) EASTERN BYPASS Description: 7 plots of land Location: Eastern Bypass Consideration: N250 Million Title: Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) ENEKA Description: 4 bedroom detached bungalow on 1plot of land Location: Eneka Road, Port Harcourt Consideration: N25 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance

ELELENWO Description: 4 Nos. 2 bedroom blocks of flats and 5 Nos. Shops on approximately 3 plots of land Location: Elelenwo Consideration: N60 Million Title: Deed of Conveyance ELIMGBU Description: Block of flats comprising 1 No. 1 bedroom and 1 No. 2 bedroom flats and an uncompleted 4 bedroom bungalow on a plot of land Location: Elimgbu Consideration: N18 Million Title: Deed of Conveyance FARM ROAD Description: A block of 6 Nos. 2 bedroom flat on 1 plot land Location: Eliohanini Farm Road Consideration: N60 Million Title: Deed of Conveyance GRA Description: 4 bedroom bungalow on a parcel of land measuring approx. 900m2 Location: Off Elelenwo Street, GRA, Port Harcourt Consideration: N90 Million (asking) Title: Certificate of Occupancy MGBUOBA Description: 4 bedroom bungalow all en-suite with double living room on 1 ½ plots of land Location: Mgbuoba Consideration: N18 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance Description: A block of flat comprising of 2 Nos. 2 bedroom flat and 1 No. 1 bedroom flat on a plot of land fenced round Location: Mgbuoba Consideration: N18 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance MILE 3 Description: 2 ½ plots with tenement building Location: Bishop Okoye Street Consideration: N100 Million (asking) Title: Certificate of Occupancy NTA ROAD Description: 2 ½ plots of land Location: Tony Okocha Street, NTA Road Consideration: N20 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Assignment Description: 4 bedroom detached bungalow on 3 ½ plots of land Location: NTA Road, Mgbuoba, Port Harcourt Consideration: N40 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance

Description: Tastefully finished 6 bedroom duplex with ample parking space Location: Road 2, Off Ebony Clinic Road, Oroazi Consideration: N250 Million (asking) Title: Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)

RUMUOLUMENI Description: 4 Nos. semi detached 2 bedroom flat and 2 Nos. semi detached 1 bedroom flat Location: Nkpor-Rumuolumeni Consideration: N60 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance

PETER ODILI Description: 3 ½ plots of land partly fenced and marshy Location: Hon. Atah Street, Off L.K. Auga Street, Off Peter Odili Road Consideration: N20 Million/ plot Title: Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)

Description: 6 plots of land Location: Along Rumuolumeni Road adjacent AP filling station Consideration: N25 Million/ plot (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance

RUMUIBEKWE Description: 4 bedroom detached house on 2 ½ plots of land Location: Rumuibekwe Housing Estate, Port Harcourt Consideration: N45 Million asking Title: Deed of Conveyance RUMUODARA Description: 4 plots of land Location: Eli Ohia Ere, Rumuodara Consideration: N8 Million/plot (asking) Title: Deed of Assignment Description: A functioning hotel variously on 2 and 3 floors respectively on approximately 166.5 square metres fenced round with gate affording the following accommodation details 26 rooms; Hall; Bar etc.

Location: Rumuodara Consideration: N150 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance Description: 4 bedroom bungalow on 2 plots of land Location: Rumuodara Consideration: N30 Million/ plot (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance RUKPOKWU Description: 6 Nos. 1 bedroom bungalow, 2 Nos. self contain and 3 Nos. lockup shops Location: Rukpokwu Consideration: N30 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance

Description: 8 Nos. 2 bedroom bungalow and 4 Nos. 1 bedroom flat on 6 plots of land Location: Rumuolumeni Town Consideration: N60 Million Title: Deed of Conveyance RUMUOGBA Description: 7 bedroom semi detached house with 2 rooms boys quarters Location: Chief Ndah Street, Cocaine Village, Rumuogba, Port Harcourt Consideration: N55 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance RUMUIGBO Description: Uncompleted block of flats on 1 ½ plots of land Location: Rumuigbo Consideration: N20 Million (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance TRANS AMADI Description: 4 bedroom detached bungalow Location: Oginigba, Church Street, Trans Amadi Consideration: N25 Million Title: Deed of Conveyance WOJI Description: 6 plots of land fenced with sandcrete block wall Location: Woji Estate, Woji Town, Port Harcourt Consideration: N6 Million/ plot (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance

PHIL OLUMBA and CO (Estate surveyor and valuers) PROPERTY TO LET LOCATION: Abuloma DESCRIPTION: 4 nos 3 bedroom flat (newly built in a cozy environment) RENT: #2.5M p.a(asking) YEAR: 2-5 yrs

OLD GRA Description: 4 plots of land Location: Abana Street, Old GRA, Port Harcourt Consideration: N200 Million (asking) Title: Certificate of Occupancy

LOCATION: LNG ROAD DESCRIPTION: 23 Rooms all en- suite with 4 big sitting rooms RENT: #15m p.a(asking) IDEAL FOR: School, office, hotel, hospital etc

OROAZI

LOCATION: Jason close rumuibekwe

Please, contact the following for further enquiries and joint inspection: 08036745251, 08035455900, 08037997888, 08062723929, 08068609958, 08066561876, 08100437823

Description: 4 Acres of land Location: Behind AP filling station, Rumuolumeni Consideration: N15 Million/ plot (asking) Title: Deed of Conveyance

DESCRIPTION: 2 bedroom flat RENT: #300.000.00 p.a(2 yrs) PROPERTY FOR SALE LOCATION: D-line PH DESCRIPTION: semi- detached duplex with: 5 bedroom each 4 bedroom duplex 2 bedroom bungalow(BQ) A storey building with 1 bedroom up and 1 bedroom down TITLE: Building lease PRICE: #110M (asking)

Contact: 08135612226, 08117377080, 08162581389

20

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

Heart2Heart

By Ayodeji Faleye

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36 Scan the image to read on the go ayductdejiro@gmail.com

Love&Relationships

EXPERT ADVICE

R E S P O N S E S

MATCH MAKING CORNER!!!

Name: Faith Nwanchukwu Age: 26yrs Origin: Imo Location: Delta I’m a final year student of Abraka, chocolate in complexion, I’m looking for a caring, working class, jovial & God fearing man for a serious relationship.

Name: John Age: 24yrs Origin: Rivers Location: I need a God fearing girl who will show a true love to me from 17 to 22yrs, for a serious relationship that will lead to marriage.

Name: Eze Age: 35yrs

Debby - You are just too young to handle this issue alone, staying alone will not solve this problem, expose him to your mum, even though it may cause chaos within the family, but this will make you

Origin: Abia State Location: PH I need a good intelligent lady from Abia/Imo/Rivers for a serious relationship.

Name: Prince Benson Age: 35yrs Origin: Rivers Location: PH I’m a working class, fair in complexion with an average height, I need a working class lady from the age of 25 to 35yrs, for a relationship that will lead to marriage.

Name: Precious Peter Age: 24yrs Origin: Delta Location: PH I’m looking for a lady between the age of 28 & 45yrs, for a serious relationship.

Name: Age: 30yrs Origin: Imo State Location: PH

free completely.

Nkechi - I’m sure there is something behind this act of your so called father, because no responsible father will do this to his own daughter. I think there is more to it, just tell your mum and let her take it up from there.

Raymond - You have not done to well by keeping this to yourself all this while, who knows if he has been doing the same thing to your siblings, you ought to have exposed him, I’m sure your mum will be extremely mad at you whenever she hear all of this. Nonetheless, you still have to tell her everything and let her take up the matter so you could be free from this bondage.

Monica - Staying alone will not solve the problem except you’ve make up your mind never to go back home, if not, disclose everything to your mother and let her fight for you because no mother will sit back and see her daughter being ruined by her father.

Rachael - Put yourself together and fight it at once. Tell your mum all that has transpired between you and your father.

Doris - Sorry to say, you don’t have a father because no good father will try that nonsense with his own daughter. Tell your mum all he has done to you.

I’m a dark & average height lady, looking for any Igbo speaking tribe/ Delta Igbo, or Rivers man that is God fearing, with great sense of maturity from the age of 34 to 40yrs, for a serious relationship that will lead to marriage.

Name: Nkeiruka Age: 35yrs Origin: Anambra Location: I need a man of 40 to 50yrs, for a serious relationship.

Name: Livinus Age: 30yrs Origin: Akwa Ibom Location: PH I need a serious lady from the age of 20 to 30yrs, working class.

Name: ThankGod Nneji Age: 23yrs Origin: Imo State Location: PH I am looking for a lady of the age 0f 18yrs and above for a serious relationship.

I understand that you are confused and you’re questioning whether what you did is right or wrong...Dear, moving out of the house is what you thought was best for you at that time and no one is in a position to judge you or tell you how wrong you are. It’s only normal to respond the way you did...being angry, hating him and not wanting to be around him. I think the manner in which you responded to the way your father treated you is not healthy enough and at the same time I’m using this opportunity to tell you

that you are brave and strong ...The fact that you are asking for help shows your bravery and willingness to deal with your situation. People handle situations differently and what I would suggest is that you see your pastor or psychologist or whatever source of professional help you can get and deal with the past when you are ready to...no pressure. And another thing would be telling your mum when you feel like the time is right and that’s if you want her to know. At the end of the day the decision is yours. All the best!

QUESTION FOR THE NEXT EDITION Am I doing the right thing?

Ladies love to hear their men give them compliments.......Every lady likes it when her man changes the atmosphere with his kind words..? Some women revealed what they love to hear

their men say.....What do you wish to hear your man say?

KINDLY SEND YOUR QUESTION TO THE EMAIL OR PHONE NUMBERS ABOVE.

marriage.

Name: Age: 26yrs Origin: Delta Igbo Location: PH I am a working class lady, dark and tall, looking for a working class guy who is from Anambra/Imo/Abia/ Enugu/Delta Igbo between the age of 32yrs and 34yrs, resides in PH, tall, dark and attends Catholic.

Name: Don Felix Age: 34yrs Origin: Edo State Location: PH I am dark in complexion, looking for a lady from the age 0f 30 to 40yrs, jovial, smart and resides in PH. Name: Michael Udoka Age: 34yrs Origin: AkwaIbom State Location: I am looking for a lady of 24/28yrs from the same origin,working class, for relationship that will lead to

Name: Victor Age: 22yrs Origin: South Location: I am cute, loving and fun to be with.

I need a loving, caring and beautiful lady between the age of 18 & 30.

Name: Raymond Cyril Age: 33yrs Origin: Bayelsa State Location: Aba I need a lady of 23 yrs old, 5ft tall and fair in complexion.

Name: Chuks Age: 33yrs Origin: Imo Location: PH I am young, chocolate in complexion, I need a single, tall, slim and sweet beautiful lady between the age of 20 & 26. Well behaved, jovial and smart for a friendship that will lead to marriage.

Do you want to go into a serious relationship and you’ve got nobody around you? Send the information below and other things you are looking out for to the email or phone numbers above. We will publish it and you perhaps will find your match here!

You: Age, Origin, Occupation, Location, Complexion Match: Age, Origin, Occupation, Location, Complexion

Note: It’s strictly for serious minded people.

PH Microscope Newspaper

Of the 4 things that matters in building healthy relationships

I am 21 years old, I was 14yrs when my dad wanted to sleep with me, he would touch all my sensitive parts, but all I could do is just to stare, I was so young and naive, this happened until I was 17, then I started having boyfriends, they all wanted the same thing and I gave up at the 3rd guy I had, it never lasted, same to the 4th and 5th, I knew having boyfriend and having sex was wrong but I couldn’t help it. After 5 relationships within a year, I met the 6th guy when I was 18yrs and he is genuine, we are still dating till now. My dad still disturbs me for sex until I was 19yrs, then it happened! Now I disrespect him, hate him and talks back at him, what gave me that guts, I still can’t explain it because I feared him. Now he has stopped disturbing me, but he doesn’t give me anything, he said I should leave his house and find work so I can get money but I know he doesn’t mean it. I have decided to leave and stay alone in another city and hustle because I can’t stand him anymore, am I doing the right thing? I only told my mum and everyone else that I want be independent. Please I need your advice.

KINDLY SEND YOUR QUESTION TO THE EMAIL OR PHONE NUMBERS ABOVE.

God’s intervention as well because you are a Ticking Time Bomb! Help yourself sister. We are here for you.

Margaret - Tell your mom the truth and if she will support him please take him to police, you are in danger, and you need God to help you.

Mirabel - You have actually done well by relocating, but you still need to carry your mum along, open up to her and let her handle the issue.

Godfrey - You should have exposed him all this while before it got to this stage, he never meant well for you, he only want to destroy your life, you cannot go about it alone, you just have to open up to your mum.

Chika - That man you called your father is a devil incarnate and he is a disgrace to humanity, I would have advise you to forget about him, leave the house and move on with your life, but you cannot abandon the rest of the family member. Tell your mum all that has happened.

Pick up every edition of the

isaiahmadu1010@gmail.com 08037978813

Am I doing the right thing?

Lisa - You really need professional help girl because this will never set you free and be honest with your mother first. Wish you all the best.

Denis - I don’t think he’s your father, maybe he’s your step father, and you have to report this because it will hunt you for the rest of your life.

Nwachukwu - Are you still 19 years old?

If so you are still young, you can’t hustle on your own, thus, confide to your mum, if she really loves you she will believe you and keep you safe away from your monster dad!

Blessing - Your father is not nice or good to you in anyway, and this is what we call molestation, (child abuse). He wants to terminate your future and your destiny.

Going to stay in another city is a good idea but you should serve God and let go of everything that will not make your future brighter. I mean let go of boyfriend relationship and sex, and then focus on God. See a good pastor and let Him counsel you about how you will go with everything. God will not lead you astray.

Precious - If you don’t have money, go to a government hospital, tell doctor to organize or book a psychologist for you. Tell him/her everything. You need emotional and psychological healing. You need

Scan the image to read on the go

By Kelechi Madubugwu

07034636125, 08079694583

I

t is a hurting experience when people in relationships are heart broken, probably because of one factor or incidence that played itself into the life cycle of the relationship. Perhaps, it has become important that most people in relationships need to be sensitized on the multifaceted dimensions of love and how they can internalize it into their system so as to ensure a healthy and clear cut relationship.

Suffice to note that it has been thoroughly observed that most people, probably out of orientation, experience or interaction think that love is an idealized situation that is not practicable; they believe love to only exist in the abstract or imagination. True love is like a tasty delicacy whose taste can only be appreciated most when consumed by the right people and that explains the need for trust and fidelity among partners in a relationship.

Taking a cursory look at relationships today, you will agree with me that most of them have ended untimely and unexpectedly given that most of them hit the rocks when the partners had already started basking in the euphoria of a union they thought would see the end. Alas!

One question that readily floods the mind when this happens is what are the possible causes of broken relationships? Judging from happenings, you will quite agree with me that the root of irresolvable problems that are encountered in relationships that eventually degenerate into separation is mistrust and infidelity. These two factors, as light as they present themselves to the lips when pronouncing them, are great evils that are capable of making every laudable relationship a shadow of its widely advertised goal.

Over the years, I’ve come to realise that people can only truly enjoy being in love only if they endeavour to understanding it as well as believing in its efficacy.

This might sound a bit vague, but that is the crux of the whole matter; because love is like a game where the level of expertise and skills displayed determines pretty much the result you get.

In a game of love, the conscience is the impartial arbiter that serves

as the supreme judge who pricks the heart, scolds and reprimands the offending party in a case of misconduct.

In essence, love as a concept exists but its existence is limited to those that genuinely understand it, for it takes an adequate knowledge and understanding of a concept for it to be effective in one’s life.

he/she is just there marking time with you pending when the desirable becomes available. Maturity at heart makes both parties involved in the union to understand themselves better, enables them to know what to do at the right time as not to elicit problems, even though we cannot totally rule out the existence of problems in a relationship.

For the matured minds, when problems or challenges are over-

Love as a concept exists but its existence is limited to those that genuinely understand it”.

Now on the contrary, how does it feel to love and not be loved in return. Without mincing words, it is a bad, deserting and haunting feeling to love someone, only to wake up to the reality that you are not loved in commensurate manner or even loved at all.

When this is the case, it becomes highly imperative to ask some salient questions. Mind you, the answers to these questions will either help those who have felt unloved and broken hearted in relationship feel better, or they may make you feel worse than you already have felt. Questions like – does he/she really deserve my love; or how much of appreciation do I get from him/her for my practical demonstration of uncompromising affection?

Let’s return to the argument I started earlier, I believe that in essence, genuine demonstration of love is exclusively meant for the matured minds. This may sound a bit abstract but it is just the gospel truth. Maturity here is not necessarily a function of age, but of the heart, because it is maturity at heart that ultimately reflects in the life cycle of the relationship and makes it absolutely impossible for resolvable issues to degenerate to the point where they can truncate or choke the true path of the happiness of the relationship. It is the maturity of the heart that will guide you to know whether your display of true love to your partner is deserved by him/her, or whether you are busy coming open with all the loving, while

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come in a relationship, it births a stronger bond of togetherness and peace. For instance, you ask a lady what would be her reaction if she catches her man pants down with another woman, without waiting for you to finish the question, she jumps at it and responds as if she is already seeing it happen, “I will shout the roof down, strangle the woman to death and for the man, I will make life very uncomfortable and unbearable for him”. If you ask me, the scenario presented above is obviously the case of a woman that needs to grow up.

She might be ‘old’ in age but definitely a ‘baby’ at heart. I know some ladies out there while reading this piece would frown in dissatisfaction and wonder what a joker of a guy I am for not taking sides with such a hurt woman who rightly will employ

Love is like a game where the level of expertise and skills displayed determines prettry much the result you get” a violent means to protect what she has.

Guiding jealously or protecting

at the following locations:

Oginigba First Bank The Promise Chicken Republic Zenith Bank Rikky Hotel UBA Rumuogba Randolph Hotel Maas Central Hotel New Meridian Hotel Genesis Hotel

what you have for the records is not a bad thing to do. As a matter of fact, it is a highly commendable act but permit me to state here that there are ways you will go about it and you will end up losing what you have.

No man wants to be intimidated by a woman even though he is a weakling and no man as well wants to be humiliated before anyone, and he wouldn’t mind going to any length just to protect his dignity and pride no matter whose ox is gored in the process. Now, creating a scene by beating up the woman you saw your man with could anger him and the case could be that of the hunter becoming the hunted.

When this eventually becomes the case, you would have ended up being humiliated and if not properly managed, that could be the end of the relationship. I think the best thing to do under this circumstance is to pretend as if you didn’t see them when you actually did and mores when you make sure that your man truly saw that you did. By this, you will definitely be getting the attention of your man as he will be doing a whole lot of things at the same time just to pacify you, because to him he doesn’t know what your next line of action will be. Before you know it, you will indirectly be calling the shot in the relationship as he will unconsciously be dancing to your tunes all in the bid to win back your love. Now, asking you to NOT cause a scene as you would have wanted to do may be an almost impossible thing to do in this case, and that is why the emphasis is more on maturity. By extension too, this brings us to a point where I can’t help but say “show me two matured people of opposite sex in a relationship, and I will show you a relationship that is bound to survive against all odds”. So in essence, the importance of maturity in a love relationship cannot be overemphasized, as it is a veritable tool for progress and survival of any relationship. However, maturity is not the only factor responsible for the survival of relationships, there are others, and they are: UNDERSTANDING – TOLERANCE – TURST. These four factors put together and brought into play in a relationship guarantees that the relationship is on a sure step towards becoming a blissful union.

Artillery Grand Venice Royal Diamond Ecobank Molit Hotel Stanbic IBTC First Bank Stadium Road Viontel Hotel Tokyo Grand Hotel Dmatel Gold Hotel Charlies Gym First Bank Meritz Hotel & Suites Voyage Ranch Hotel Deal Day Elekahia/Rumuomasi Auntie Titi’s Place Total Shell R.A Sailbond Gibsco Hotel 1804 Boutique Hotel Ordinance Sasun Hotels Swiss Hotels Enterprise Bank First Bank Cohasa Engr Services G.R.A. Genesis Deluxe Cinema UBA (Elelenwo Rd.) Golden Tulip Hotel Palomino Body Shop MAAS Central Hotel Marriot Hotel Charcoal & Spice, GRA Jevinik Restaurant, Midland Microfinance Bank (Elelenwo GRA) Zenith Bank Aristotle Hotel Paloma Hotel Edis Wine Bar Sparklyn Hotel Eurocab Services Presidential Hotel Federal Secretariat Bongavilla Hotel Elkan Terrace Hotel Belverly Hills Hotel Finger of God Gym Aldgate Hotel Mile 3 Kilimanjaro First Bank, Agip Junction Olu - Obasanjo First Bank

Sterling Bank UBA Heritage Bank FCMB Keystone Bank Unity Bank The Promise Eatery Fidelity Bank Diamond Bank Landmark Hotel Eastern By-pass Maas Central Hotel Elelenwo Pre-Eminence Hotel Old GRA Mina Hotel State Secretariat Aggrey Road MTN Office The Promise Rumuigbo Stopping Point S/Market Wingate Hotel Ada - George Peperroni Auntie Titi’s Place (3, Ejike Wike Str., off Ada - George Rd.) D-Line Transview Diagnostic Guest & Reservation Hotel Ken Chikere Campaign Office De-Wynn Hotels Jora Hotels MisizJD Restaurant Nana’s Place Prince George Hotel UTC Road Unity Bank Access Bank Zenith Bank Ecobank First Bank Mr Biggs State Secretariat Trans - Amadi Tantalizer (Waja) Sterling Bank UBA Waja Sasun Hotel Cohasa (Ordinance) Diamond Bank Ecobank Zenith Bank Jevinik Restaurant Woji First Bank, Woji Fidelity Bank Access Bank UBA Ecobank Zenith Bank Unity Bank Omoku Bread Wisdom Academy International, Omoku

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July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36

July 1 - July 15 Vol. 2 No. 36 Scan the image to read on the go

Politics

By Eberechi May Okoh

...And as Buhari became the president … in less than 12 months Nigerians began enjoying power supply at least 18 hours daily; …and corruption reduced by 53%; …and the foreign reserves grew in leaps and bounds as the debt portfolios dropped significantly; …and our roads became pothole free; …and public schools offered education at international quality; …and security threats diminished; …and unemployment issues were solved in a jiffy….and….and….and..!

Sports

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Scan the image to read on the go

By Chuma Nnoli

Eucharia Uche says national female team coaches need more sincerity

Liverpool to seal fourth signing soon

WAKE UP!!!!! A change in administration is not a magic wand!!!

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good number of us have witnessed sufficient elections in this country to know that more often than not, politicians are not taken to task on the promises made on the campaign grounds. For crying out loud, simple quantitative reasoning shows that most them, if not all, are not capable of delivering on their manifestos; manifestos that did not capture the reality of the Nigerian society and its economy; manifestos that did not have the global economy on its radar. Even if the newly elected leaders on all tiers were able to deliver on their promises, the picture painted above of the next 12 months will simply not happen.

Take note that President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo are not going to fix Nigeria! WE ARE!!! Wake up!! Yes, we are!! At this point, we have no choice but to pray for and support the new administration. We are not supporting them because we did or did not vote them in neither are we are supporting them because they will or will not give us some “compensatory” position in government. We are supporting them because to support them is to support Nigeria, and WE ARE NIGERIA. Hopefully the elected leaders will not forget in a hurry that Nigerians ‘kicked’ out the last administration on the grounds

of less than satisfactory performance.

Rather than whine and complain that this administration is reneging or is slow as we are already crying, I could hope rather for a return to the days when public servants were made to use Peugeot cars as their official vehicles ‘cause the cars were locally assembled’ (not even sure they are still being assembled here, but you understand the drift!). Now, that is local capacity building, pending when we move on to manufacturing cars. In addition to hoping, I can also pray to God to help the new leaders and my fellow Nigerians. To take it a step further than hoping and praying, I can choose to do my work diligently and honourably, and not with eye-service; I can wait my turn at bank queues, airport check-in lines, fuel queues and the BRT queues. I can teach my sons to not urinate by the roadside; after all if ladies can wait to get to the toilets because they cannot pull up their skirts on any and every road; men can also keep their fly shut and not take advantage of the ability to urinate while standing. Yes, I can teach my children the Nigerian seasons called harmattan and rainy season first, before teaching them about other seasons all around the world, as we knowthat some Nigerian schools strangely prefer to teach Nigerian children schooling in Nigeria Scan the image to read on the go

Diary of a screen writer

By Jessy Nwachukwu

Previously The letter mum sent gave me a bit of hope.

My mum’s younger brother uncle Ugo arrived this morning with letters for each of us. At least knowing she’s okay is a great relief, though I’m very concerned that she is cozying up with drug addicts. I know from what I read that drugs are rampant in prisons. I can see now: my mother goes to jail an overly sincere environmental activist and comes out a Dorido-eating pothead, or worse! As if I don’t have enough problems to worry about, like what Rabbit might be doing in Abuja…

20th, may Friday 7:34 After having our dinner which I prepared; boiled yam and gravy stew, I went in to call my friend Nene. I thought she might be sympathetic to my troubles because firstly she recently experienced a breakup (she has even crossed the line with the guy, so it was doubly traumatic for her). Secondly, she owes me big-time because I listened to her talk about her breakup for hours.

But lately every time I call or chat her up, Nene and this new friend that she met at her veterinary school always seemed engaged. She hardly chats for long and doesn’t say anything reason-

able when I call, it’s really annoying.

I was just getting started, telling her about all my bad news but was interrupted by a lot of giggling in the background. “Are you listening?” I asked.

“I’m sorry. Henry here is just being weird”. Then Nene herself broke into a fit of giggling, this was much unexpected. Nene is a lot of things, she’s even a humorless laughter but she’s definitely not a giggler.

I tried again in a bid to get her attention and started again. “So I finally received an email from Rabbit. You know I think he’s comfortable, he seems to be enjoying himself. He even assumed that I’d moved on as if it was that easy, after the depth of our connection. I mean, look at you. You didn’t get over …um…you know, what’s his name again?” Nene replied “Victor. His name is Victor, and to tell you the truth I…” I cut in before she could finish the sentence, “Exactly, you didn’t get over him and probably never will. It’s like that for me and rabbit, too”.

Our conversation was interrupted again by more laughter from Hilarious New friend. Nene never laughed like that when she was hanging out with me. Who knew Vet students had so much fun? “I.J, I have to go now.

You can send me a chat on whatsapp.

Don’t forget to send my regards to

L President Muhammadu Buhari about winter, autumn, summer and spring before teaching local weather. We must embrace who we are.

I can choose to not beat the traffic lights because no traffic warden is on duty. I can also hold onto my litter while in a moving vehicle and not throw it out the window and onto the road. By not tossing litter out of moving vehicles, I do not give the litter a chance to be blown by the wind into the gutter; blocking the drainages and causing terrible floods and road blocks every time the heavens let down a little rain shower. Perhaps, if a hundred more Nigerian citizens dispose waste properly, the problem of blocked drainages may be eliminated with little or no government intervention.

mumsy. It’s really cool that she’s doing time for what she believes in. I totally respect that”. And then just like that she hung up on me before I even got tell her about my job search or what’s happening in my screenplay. She really hasn’t been the same since she went to veterinary school.

7:59 I continued to be amazed at how easy screenwriting is. There’s practically nothing to it! My third scene is completely from my imagination. There’s not a grain of truth in it and it’s still great!

Check this out:

The Realist A screenplay by Ijeoma ACT 1, SCENE3 ( FADE IN) OFFICE-DAY Attractive girl, in extremely interesting and creative clothes, similar to what a person in the film making industry would wear, sits in front a Man. Her unusual haircut makes her particularly interesting to look at.

Girl: I’m glad you feel my screenplay has the potential to break new cinematic ground, Mr. Omame.

Man: I was like you once, full of dreams and desires. In counseling for many years, working at a low-paying supermarket store job. Still, I didn’t let that stop me.

I wrote and wrote and one day my film “The After Life” was made. The minute people saw that film, they knew they were dealing with real talent.

Girl: (Nods. As a fellow Artist, she clearly understands exactly what he is getting at)

iverpool have agreed a deal in principle to sign Brazil and Hoffenheim forward Roberto Firmino for £29m.

Reds chief executive Ian Ayre is in Chile for talks with a view to a five-year deal at the Premier League club.

Firmino is understood to have agreed terms and is set to become Liverpool’s second most expensive signing.

The 23-year-old would need to be granted a work permit.

Firmino, who has scored 49 times in 153 appearances for Hoffenheim, was on target for Brazil in their 2-1 Copa America victory over Venezuela on Sunday.

I can do what I can for my environment and community, without expecting applause, a title, an envelope or a political appointment in return.

These seem so little and insignificant, may even appear unrelated to moving Nigeria from where she sits to where we all want her to be. But these little and insignificant actions may reduce what the President needs to worry about or set up committees for. Consequently, the President will find more time and focus for what we regard as the “big and significant actions”. And if a few more people make a to do list on how to improve the little Nigeria around them, who knows how the bigger Nigeria may be transformed.

These things I will do, what will YOU do?

Man: you have a great talent. For ‘The Realist’, how does a hundred thousand sound?

Girl: whatever you think is fair Sir. I’m just interested in feeding my family.

Man: (Gesturing towards her) Alright Adaobi. What’s that accent you have? It’s very sexy Girl: (Clears her throat) sorry Sir. I’m saving myself.

Man: I have heard you and I respect where you’re coming from They rise and shake hands. Adaobi leaves the office.

Man: (Staring after her with emotion) that is some woman. She’s really wise.

25th may Wednesday Cynthia stopped by our house this afternoon and we hung out in my room.

She is practically the only friend I have left in town; she’s also the most experienced person I know romance wise so I was really glad to share my problems with her.

Cynthia is like two years older than me.

It’s amazing how well she consumes alcohol and still manages to be stable and not a total mess. Fortunately for her health, she’s quit drinking since she started dating this guy who works at a treatment center.

Anyways, it’s a consolation to me that she came visiting. At least I have someone to share my problems unlike Nene who doesn’t seem to have my time anymore. As I went on telling her about my encounter with Rabbit and our farewells, Cynthia laughed so hard that she fell of the couch she was sitting on.

I wondered what was so funny about Rabbit running off to some state for God knows how long. What threw her

off the couch was when I narrated to her the incident of the snake when we were about to….you know, cross the line. Then I couldn’t take it anymore.

“What’s so amusing? You are obviously mocking me”, I said. “I.J I’m sorry I can’t control myself, your story is really funny. Okay I won’t laugh again, she replied. Just then again she burst into a fit of laughter, heading for the convenience. I gave up. As she came back I told her about the job I’m so much in need of. I turned to hear say something about ‘The Choppers’. “What?”

I asked. “I said why don’t you apply at The Choppers? She said. “You mean the restaurant?” I couldn’t keep the horror out of my voice. “I’m not exactly The Chopper material”, I said. “Sure you are. I know someone who works there, and I can bring your C.V in when I go to see her this evening”, she replied. I rolled my eyes but let her take one of my C.Vs. “Are you sure you don’t want me to falsify some body measurements to add to that?” I insisted. Cynthia laughed. “It’s not that bad”. “Yes it is oo. I heard that place is really tensed up, any little mistake you’re gone. Ever since the owner retired, his sons made it much worse with their bossiness”. I argued. Cynthia didn’t deny the charge.

We’ll try to get you an interview with Frank instead of Mike. Frank is just more easy going than Mike”, she said then tucked my C.V into her hand bag.

“What do I know about restaurants and taking orders?” I protested. “About as much as Frank, their eldest son does.

He just graduated from law school at Texas, very different from managing a restaurant. He’s just helping out for now with the family business. I heard something about him that will surprise you. She said turning left and right to see if anyone was coming. “Tell me, what is it?” I said curiously leaning forward...

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ormer coach of the Super Falcons Eucharia Uche says female national team coaches need to be more sincere in their selection of players if they country is to perform better at the global level. Coach Uche was reacting to the Falcons poor outing at the FIFA Women World Cup in Canada, where

they failed to make it out of the group stage, managing to get only one point from 3 matches, drawing 3-3 with Sweden before losing 2-0 and 1-0 respectively to Australia and USA. The 42 year old who played for the team in the nineties before leading

them to win the 2010 African Championship and to a group stage eviction from the 2011 World Cup, says the search for players should be widened even more, beyond the current scope of only inviting players from a few top teams.

Khan still dreams of Mayweather but may weigh Manny Pacquiao option

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mir Khan says he is willing to take on his former gym-mate Manny Pacquiao if Floyd Mayweather opts against fighting him.

Khan said Pacquiao turned down the opportunity to face him in the past and insists a fight can happen if the Filipino wants to face him.

The Olympic silver medalist’s hopes of securing his dream clash with Mayweather took several blows last week, with Keith

Thurman and Kell Brook championing each other’s claims before ‘Money’ himself suggested the race was between Karim Mayfield and Andre Berto.

“Look, if Manny wants to fight, we can do it, I’ve offered him and his team in the past, but they turned us down.

“If Manny mans up and wants to take the fight then it will happen, but the only fight I am interested in right now is Floyd Mayweather.

We have to be more sincere, we have to be more tactical in approach, we have to be sure of what we are doing, every coach keeps depending on the players they are just seeing, no one is discovering any player. It is not good”. Coach Uche told PH Microscope exclusively.

Atletico Madrid get Mandzukic replacement

I

t has been revealed that Atletico Madrid have agreed to buy Colombia striker Jackson Martinez from Porto, the player’s agent was quoted as saying in Spanish sports daily As on Tuesday.

“It was sealed today,” the agent, Luiz Henrique Pompeo, told the newspaper, adding that AC Milan were also chasing the 28-year-old forward.

“It (Atletico) is a very big club which has had a lot of success in its league and in Europe and Jack-

son is going there full of desire to do great things,” Pompeo added.

Martinez signed a contract with Porto until the end of the 201617 season and AS said Atletico had agreed to pay his buyout clause worth 35 million euros.

Diego Simeone’s side are in the market for a striker after they sold Croatia international Mario Mandzukic to Italian champions Juventus on Monday.

Pirlo has USA in sight

Italy’s Andrea Pirlo is in talks with Major League Soccer side New York City.

No agreement has been reached yet, but if Pirlo does sign he could make his debut alongside Frank Lampard in the MLS game with Toronto FC on 12 July.

Pirlo has one year left on his contract with Juventus but has told the Italian champions he wants to be released.

The 36-year has won six Serie A titles during spells with AC Milan and Juventus.

He won the Champions League twice with AC Milan and the World Cup with Italy in 2006.

Confirmation of Name This is to inform the general public that I, Ighekpe Esther Nnenna is the same person as Edokhame Ighekpe Esther Nnena.

All previous documents remain valid.

Sports

By Chuma Nnoli

Did you My Accusers are saying Trash; Know? Nduka Ugbade

Reina completes Napoli return

The most watched Nigerian video on YouTube is “Personally” by P-Square with over 45 million views.

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apoli have confirmed Pepe Reina has returned on a permanent basis after leaving Bayern Munich.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper, who spent a year on loan at the Stadio San Paolo in 2013-14 before moving to the German side, is now back in Italy.

“Pepe Reina is a player of Napoli,’’ Napoli announced on their website.

“The Spanish goalkeeper had a medical at Villa Stuart this morning, accompanied by team doctor Dr De Nicola, and then signed the contract with President De Laurentiis.’’

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Reina spent nine years at Anfield from 2005 to 2014, winning the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Super Cup in that time, before making way when the Reds brought in Simon Mignolet.

He rejoined former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez at Napoli on loan and was part of their Coppa Italia winning side, before he joined Pep Guadiola’s Bayern Munich as Manuel Neuer’s understudy.

But after one year at the Allianz Arena he has now agreed to return to Napoli, despite Benitez’s recent departure to take charge of Real Madrid.

In 2015, a Nigerian, Ufot Ekong became the best student at Tokai University, Japan. He solved a 30 year old mathematical equation & won 6 awards.

In 2014/2015 season, Jose Mourinho won the English Premier League manager of the year but he never won the manager of the month all through the season.

Nigerian brothers, Oseni & Aseni Ikhianosime built their own mobile web browser at the ages of 13 and 15 as an alternative to Google Chrome.

In England, the Speaker of the House of Commons is not allowed to speak.

Everyone has a unique tongue print, just like fingerprints.

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lying Eagles assistant coach Nduka Ugbade has lambasted those who have accused him and boss Manu Garba of taking bribes from certain players to feature them at the just concluded FIFA Under-20 World Cup, saying they are talking trash.

The Nigerian team was evicted from the World Cup after playing only four matches, winning two and losing two, including a 1-0 defeat in the second round of the tournament which resulted in their being knocked

out.

This prompted a wide range of reactions from the country’s football faithfuls who had been initial supporters of the coaching crew that two years earlier led the Golden Eaglets to Under-17 World Cup glory, with reports emerging that some players were taken to the championship not on merit but because their agents paid huge sums of money to the head coach Manu Garba and his assistant Ugbade.

But in an interview with PH Microscope, Coach Ugbade has dispelled such insinuations, insisting that all this reports are emerging because they team failed to achieve their goals, and that non of such would have been said if they won the World Cup. “Where were they when we built a team and won the Under-17 World Cup?” Ugbade asked. “Where were they when we started the Under -20, all the screenings and went to the Nations Cup as well and won,

then no one said anything.

Where were they when we did well in Germany with 35 players? And at the end of the day we went to the World Cup performing below expectations and when we came back they started saying all sort of rubbish.

Why didn’t they say this when it was good? When you lose, all sort of stories come out. I am a Nigerian but I do not have this same mentality, so when people are saying this kind of trash I don’t listen.” He concluded

CONMEBOL struggling with cash-flow issues for Copa America

The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body.

What is set to be the longest musical performance in history is currently ongoing in the church of St. Burchardi in Halberstadt, Germany.

The performance of John Cage’s “Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow As Possible)” started on Sept. 5, 2001, and is set to finish in 2640.

This Louis vuitton umbrella cost 1100 Australian Dollars (N167,725)

Chelsea in for Serbian prodigy

S

outh American football’s governing body may be forced to use a $10 million reserve fund to pay expenses due to a cash-flow problem created by the FIFA bribery scandal.

Carlos Chavez, treasurer of regional governing body CONMEBOL, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the reserve fund may be needed to pay expenses for the ongoing Copa America, the South American championship.

Chavez said the reserves “would

give us a little breathing space for a few days.”

Chavez also said that sponsors like Coca-Cola have been asked to pay directly to CONMEBOL. He said the company Datisa, which owns the rights to the tournament, had paid only $35 million of $80 million owed to CONMEBOL. He said Datisa’s bank accounts are frozen because of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into corruption.

Legendary Phil Jackson not impressed with LeBronewJames play style York Knicks presi- playoff games, and I look at

N

dent Phil Jackson isn’t a fan of the way the game is being played these days, and he used the NBA’s biggest star -- LeBron James -as an example of exactly what’s wrong.

Jackson, a 13 time NBA winner told Bleacher Report in an interview that the current “individualized” style of the NBA isn’t disciplined and -- even more so -- just isn’t pleasing to the eye.

“When I watch some of these

C

what’s being run out there, as what people call an offense, it’s really quite remarkable to see how far our game has fallen from a team game,” Jackson told Bleacher Report. “Four guys stand around watching one guy dribble a basketball.

“I watch LeBron James, for example. He might [travel] every other time he catches the basketball if he’s off the ball. He catches the ball, moves both his feet. You see it happen all the time. There’s no structure, there’s no discipline.”

helsea and Valencia are among the clubs battling to sign Serbian youngster Andrija Zivkovic, according to the talented 18-year-old’s agent.

Zivkovic has come to prominence at this summer’s Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand, where he set up the winner for teammate Nemanja Maksimovic in Serbia’s last-gasp final win over favourites Brazil and scoring a superb goal in the group stages against Mexico.

The teenager has already become the youngest Partizan Belgrade captain in history and been capped by the Serbian senior side. “[Our aim] is to analyse all the options we have, and decide calmly,” Djordjevic said. “Valencia and Chelsea are two of the clubs who are interested in Zivkovic.”

“Published by Immenso Media Technologies”

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