LAURETTA ONOCHIE

THE CALLS FOR RESTRUCTURING  I chose to speak on the topic: Ignorance, political irrelevance and the persistent quest to re-structure the Nigerian polity, 1999-2021.  I selected this topic because, I think my late friend would have been deeply agitated by what is being aired on many of the private radio and television stations and written as front pageheadlines in most of the private newspapers, especially in the last one year. Then the social media is choked up with all sorts of news, opinions and reports about the division of the people, in the country and its imminent collapse!!  Sometimes, after reading these gloomy materials, you may even feel that the situation is so hopeless that when you go to bed, you may wake up in another country called, Biafra, Oodua or Arewa republic!!  In fact, some foreign countries, like the USA have predicted the collapse of our country by 2015 and they still continue to think that we are a failed state on its way to the final crush!! However, we have

We’ve crossed the threshold into a new decade. There’s a lot of resolution advice swirling, but not all of it is evidence-based or realistic. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global mental health crisis. It projects that, by the next turn of the decade in 2030, lifestyle and stress-related illness will surpass communicable diseases. Here are 20 strategies to practice regularly to shield and sustain you: 1. Recognize you are not a robot or machine. Humans are beings, not doings. We’re not meant to be on 24-7. You are not above the laws of science, which emphasize the importance of breaks and replenishment. 2. Practice mindfulness. Be fully present in each moment. Avoid rash judgment of emotions and sensations. Relish in the positive. Recognize negative situations will shift. 3. Prioritize sleep. Sleep deprivation leads to poor moods, concentration, and health. Endless studies point to the critical nature of sleep on outlook, performance, and functioning. 4. Avoid self-

UNIVERSITY IS FOR ADULTS, NOT FOR CHILDREN Prof. Mamman Tahir, the Minister of Education, stating what we all know but have refused to comply with, has now been turned into a debate by those who do not quite understand the implications of sending children, instead of adults to tertiary institutions. It's not a debate. It's our National Policy On Education. It's called the 6-3-3-4 system.  Let me explain it as one with over 40 years experience in all levels of education. Children have a lot to learn at home before being sent off to Primary School for formal education. My personal opinion had been, and still is that, sending a child away from home BEFORE the age of three , is child abuse. You may decide to send your baby early to Nursery. The child starts Nursery 1 at 3 years, Nursery 2 at 4 years, Transition at 5 years. This means the child starts primary school at 6 years of age. The child spends 6 years and finishes when s/he is  12 years old.  S/he goes to Secondary sch