By sdnonline

Men have been advised to live a holistic lifestyle germane for their mental, physical, and social well-being.

Experts in legal, insurance, and health field, who spoke at the Nigeria pre-event session of the International Men’s Day (IMD) 2022, noted that the many expectations, which are being placed on men, subjects them to depression and social vices when they cannot meet up with such suppositions.

Founder, International Men’s Day, Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh of Trinidad & Tobago, while speaking on the theme: ‘Men living by example: Examining the expectations from gender perspectives’ noted that the pre-event is a build-up to the main event later in the year, focuses on men being positive role models in the society.

According to him, societal expectations like being the breadwinner of the family can create mental health issues for men who, due to one reason or the other, may not be able to meet up with others, thereby leading to depression, with some engaging in social vices like drug addiction and over-indulgence in alcohol.

“There are expectations from men by the society like being the breadwinners in their families, which sometimes create mental health issues. It means they must be the best and excel in all areas of life. This makes men suffer from depression and engage in social vices like drug addiction and drinking alcohol.,” Teelucksingh said.

Legal pitfalls to prevent

Speaking on legal pitfalls to prevent, Legal Practitioner, Mrs. Nihinlola Aluko-Olokun, in her submission, urged men not to overburden themselves with societal expectations.

She stated that irrespective of status, there are legal issues like marriage, divorce, Will, and family that men should know about.

“Men should know about these legal issues. When a man writes his Will, it doesn’t mean he’s going to die but the Will dictates how his estate will be governed. Men should go for legal advice based on their circumstances,” she said.

Your health, your wealth

On her part, while acknowledging the roles played by men in families and society at large, Mrs. Funmi Agbesusi who is a medical practitioner, counseled that men should prioritise their health for effective and efficient performance.

She also opined that healthy living should be a continuous routine for men.

“Men should embrace healthy eating habits, water therapy to stay hydrated, and fruit intake at all times. Eating healthy is important as it plays a major role in their health.

“Men should engage in regular exercise as well as medical check-ups. Also, ensure you have adequate sleep and harmony at home,” she said.

Agbesusi maintained that stress management is important for men in order to live healthily.
She, therefore, advised them to empower their wives, so that they can be financially responsible in the family.

Securing the future

Speaking on the importance of having insurance policies Mrs. Julien Osamezu-Enogieru, an insurance specialist, reiterated that so much pressure is being put on men on a daily basis, which is why they must not only think of the future but have a retirement plan in place to secure it.

She said: “There is so much pressure on men. Everybody thinks about the future but nobody asked what are you doing for the future.

“There must be a plan for retirement to make life easier. When you have insurance policies, you secure your life, your family, and future,” she said.

IMD Nigeria Coordinator, Sanmi Falobi explained that the session was organised with the focus of raising public awareness and garnering upping support ahead of the International Men’s Day main event on November 19.

By sdnonline

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has declared illegal a video circulating on the social media which displayed a vehicle with rotational number plates.

The vehicle number plates on display were KUJ-304BV, while the other side which was automatically flipped carries a number tagged presidency with the following details, 01B-266FG.

The FRSC Ag.Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali Biu, has ordered full investigation into the trend as FRSC does not produce a number plate with such double features, only one number can be assigned to one vehicle and its owner at the same time

A statement by the commission said: The attention of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has been drawn to a video circulating on the social media which displayed a vehicle with rotational number plates.

“FRSC recently placed a public notice on the mainstream media dissuading Nigerians and the Motoring Public from according regards to vehicles with unauthorised number plates as the users are not duly registered and are often with sinister motives.”

The Ag . Corps Marshal also warned Nigerians from replicating same as it is considered a criminal act which has its place in law

By sdnonline

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and International Press Centre (IPC) have condemned the revocation and withdrawal of the broadcast licenses of 52 broadcast stations across Nigeria by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) describing the action as ill-advised, insensitive and antithetical to the interests of the Nigerian public.

MRA said by the revocation of the broadcast licenses of so many stations for alleged non-payment of their licence fees, The NBC was prioritising its desire to make money off the broadcasters over the interest of citizens as the ultimate effect of its action is to deprive millions of Nigerians access to information as well as their rights and ability to freely express themselves through these stations.

IPC on the other hand expressed that in this particular instance NBC has not only ordered the revocation of licenses of many television and radio stations, it has gone further to usurp
the authority of the President and Commander-In-Chief and the National Assembly by directing security agents to move in and effect its order.

In a statement by Ms Obioma Okonkwo, Head of Legal Department, MRA said: “We are shocked by this naked display by the NBC of a lack of appreciation of its principal role which is to contribute to the emergence of a knowledge society. Rather, it has chosen to create an environment in which millions of Nigerians will wallow in ignorance, deprived of access to crucial information that they need to make critical decisions in their lives or to enhance their livelihoods.”

She argued that “the action of the NBC has only worsened the prevailing lopsidedness in the broadcasting landscape in Nigeria which was already dominated by government-owned broadcasting stations but is now under the monopolistic control of Federal Government-owned stations, which will be almost unchallenged, with the result that citizens will now be fed unmitigated propaganda by these remaining stations.”

Okonkwo accused the NBC of being insensitive to the harsh economic environment under which the broadcast stations have operated over the last two and a half years as the national economy has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic itself and the measures taken by the government in response to the pandemic.

She noted that the broadcasting stations are also negatively impacted by the inability of the government to create a conducive environment for them to operate, such as providing appropriate infrastructure like electricity supply, adding that with the stations having to find alternative sources of power supply even as the price of diesel continues to skyrocket daily, they are simply struggling to survive.

“The fact that so many broadcasting stations have been unable to pay the license fees raises serious questions about the fairness and appropriateness of the fees being imposed on broadcasters by the BBC in such a challenging economic environment. As the NBC, which imposes the fees and collects them for its own use, there needs to be an independent inquiry into this apparent conflict of interest where the motivation of the commission is apparently to make as much money for itself as possible,” she said.

In a statement by IPC Press Freedom Officer, Melody Lawal, the organisation called on NBC to exercise caution and ensure that it exhausts engagement channels before wielding a stick that may not only lead to thousands of job losses but also shrink the information dissemination space.

“NBC should stop acting as a revenue generating agency that is unconcerned about the business environment of broadcast stations.

“Nothing in it’s mandate says that it cannot contribute to the sustainability of broadcast stations who are having their own share of the economic crisis plaguing the nation, ” she said.

MRA called on the NBC to reverse its decision in the public interest to avoid creating a society of predominantly ignorant citizens, advising that the need to ensure that Nigerians are adequately informed through the media should supersede any other consideration by the NBC.

The organisations advised the commission to liaise with the broadcasting stations to identify the challenges facing the industry and come up with realistic solutions to the identified challenges.