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The Real Economy: When Good Reports Don't Feed The Poor - Nigeria's Extreme Poverty Crisis

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There is a dangerous disconnect in Nigeria today. On paper, the economy is said to be improving. Reports quote growth in GDP, improved foreign reserves, and praise from international institutions. But on the streets of Minna, Lagos, Jos, Kano and Aba, the story is different. People are angry. People are hungry. And people are tired. The anger Nigerians feel towards the Tinubu-led administration is not just politics, it is about survival. How do you explain to a father who earns N70,000 minimum wage that inflation is slowing down when a bag of rice is over N80,000? How do you tell a mother that the economy is good when she cannot afford basic drugs for her child in the health centre? About 200 million Nigerians are struggling to afford the most basic necessities of life - food, shelter, healthcare, transport, and school fees. This is not about luxury. This is about existence. Where The Pain Is: 1. Food Insecurity: Food prices have become a nightmare. What a family of five could buy with...
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Heart to Heart with Hajara – Series 12: Together, we can build healthier marriages

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  Heart to Heart with Hajara – Series 12: Together, we can build healthier marriages You Want Your Spouse to Change, but Are You  Also Ready to Change? "Most women complain, Hajiya, my husband is very difficult.  He doesn't listen to me, he doesn't appreciate me, and he never admits when he is wrong, infact, that man is a narcissist.” Now imagine her husband sitting across from you, saying: “Hajiya, nothing I do is ever enough for my wife. She complains about everything, and somehow, I am always the problem.” Two people. Two different stories. Two people convinced that the other person is the problem. And honestly, this is something we see in many marriages. You want your husband to listen more, appreciate you, and become more affectionate. You want your wife to respect you, appreciate your efforts, and stop criticising you. Your expectations may be reasonable. But let me ask you something: While you are busy identifying everything your spouse needs to change, have you ta...
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Heart to Heart with Hajara – Series 11: Together, we can build healthier marriages

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  Heart to Heart with Hajara – Series 11: Together, we can build healthier marriages.  Do You Threaten Divorce Every Time You Are Angry? "Leave my house, I'm tired of this marriage. I want a divorce.” “You know what? Let's just end this.” Or pack your things and leave. Or even locking your wife out of the house. Sometimes, these words come out during an argument. You are angry, hurt, frustrated, or disappointed, and before you know it, the word divorce has entered the conversation. But let me ask you something: Do you really mean it? Or have you simply become used to using divorce as a way of expressing how angry you are? I have heard people say things like, “Hajiya, anytime we have an argument, my husband tells me to go.” Another person says, “Whenever she is angry, she says she is leaving me.” And sometimes, after the argument is over, both of them calm down and continue with life as if nothing happened. Until the next argument. Then the word comes back again. “I will di...
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Heart health and hardship: simple food choices that can keep you alive longer

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~~ Hauwee Saeed   Heart health and hardship: simple food choices that can keep you alive longer Poverty and bad economy should not mean a bad heart. Many of the foods that protect the heart are actually our own local, cheap and available foods. You don't need imported foods to eat healthy. The problem today is that many people are eating more salt, more seasoning cubes, more fried foods, more soft drinks, and less of our natural foods because of stress, fast life and rising cost of food. Here is how to take care of your heart daily without breaking the bank: Affordable heart friendly foods you already have around you - Beans and lentils: Very cheap, full of fibre that lowers bad cholesterol. Eat beans at least three times a week instead of meat. - Whole grains: Instead of white bread and white rice every day, go for ofada rice, local brown rice, millet (gero), sorghum (dawa), maize, and unripe plantain. They control blood pressure and sugar. - Vegetables - ugwu, bitter leaf, scent ...
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Heart to Heart with Hajara Series 10: Together, We Can Build Healthy Marriages

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  Heart to Heart with Hajara Series 10: Together, We Can Build Healthy Marriages Are You Only Focused on Yourself When It Comes to Bedroom Matters in Your Marriage? Recently, I came across a conversation where a woman was talking about how very unhappy and frustrated she was with her husband when it came to intimacy. She said his performance was a total zero, despite keeping herself for 24 years before marriage, hoping that when she eventually got married, she would finally get to enjoy everything legally. She said, “You even carry pregnancy for nine months, all from zero performance, without orgasm.” You carry the pregnancy. You nurse your baby, knowing fully well that you did not even get to cloud nine. She was deeply bitter and angry. But in all of this, she wasn't simply complaining that she wasn't satisfied. What stood out to me was that she also said she had tried talking to him about it repeatedly, but he refused to change. And as I read through the comments, I realised ...
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The Price of Being Used: Why Political Thuggery Never Pays

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~~ Muhammad Muneer  In every election season in Nigeria, the same story repeats itself. A young man, maybe 19, maybe 24, full of strength, no job, no capital, but plenty of anger. Then a politician drives into the community with a Hilux, tinted glass down, and calls him. "Oya, my boy, I get work for you." The work is not in a farm. Not in a workshop. Not in a school. The work is to carry cutlass. To carry sticks. To snatch a ballot box. To scatter a rally. To beat up someone's father because that father supports another party. To burn tyres on the road on election day and shout "No voting here!" And for that work, they give him N5,000, or N10,000, or a bottle of gin and a t-shirt with a face on it. He does it. He feels important for one day. The politician calls him "my strong man." Then election ends. The politician moves to Abuja. His own children are in private university abroad, or in Maitama preparing for Masters. The thug? He remains in the same ...
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Heart to Heart with Hajara – Series 9: Together, we can build healthier marriages

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Heart to Heart with Hajara – Series 9: Together, we can build healthier marriages. Are You Really Communicating, or Are You Just Talking to Each Other? “Have you eaten?” “Did you pick up the children  “What are we eating today?” “Did you pay the bill?” “What time are you coming home?” “Please send me money.” You talk to your spouse every day. Sometimes, you may even talk several times a day. But let me ask you something: Are you really communicating, or are you just talking to each other? Because there is a huge difference. A couple can talk every day and still feel completely disconnected. They can discuss the children. They can discuss money. They can discuss work. They can discuss family. They can make plans. Sometimes, they can even sit together and watch television every night. But they may never actually talk about themselves. About the things that really matter. Their feelings and emotions. Things like: “What is bothering you?” “How are you really doing?” “Is there anything ...
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