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Nigeria drops from 95th to 102nd world’s happiest nation – Report reviews
By Francesca Hangeior
Nigeria ranked 102nd happiest nation in the world with 4.881 points, according to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report released Wednesday.
This represents a drop of seven places from 95th in the 2023 report by Sustainable Development Solutions.
According to the report, released annually to mark the International Day of Happiness, designated by the United Nations and celebrated on March 20, Nigeria now ranks 102 out of the 143 countries surveyed.
Finland remained the world’s happiest country for a seventh straight year in the report published.
And Nordic countries kept their places among the 10 most cheerful, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden trailing Finland.
Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian catastrophe since the Taliban regained control in 2020, stayed at the bottom of the 143 countries surveyed.
For the first time since the report was published more than a decade ago, the United States and Germany were not among the 20 happiest nations, coming in 23rd and 24th respectively.
In turn, Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20 at 12 and 13.
The report noted the happiest countries no longer included any of the world’s largest countries.
“In the top 10 countries only the Netherlands and Australia have populations over 15 million. In the whole of the top 20, only Canada and the UK have populations over 30 million.”
The sharpest decline in happiness since 2006-10 was noted in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Jordan, while the Eastern European countries Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia reported the biggest increases.
The happiness ranking is based on individuals’ self-assessed evaluations of life satisfaction, as well as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption.
Jennifer De Paola, a happiness researcher at the University of Helsinki in Finland, told AFP that Finns’ close connection to nature and healthy work-life balance were key contributors to their life satisfaction.
In addition, Finns may have a “more attainable understanding of what a successful life is”, compared to for example the United States where success is often equated with financial gain, she said.
Finns’ strong welfare society, trust in state authorities, low levels of corruption and free healthcare and education were also key.
“Finnish society is permeated by a sense of trust, freedom, and high level of autonomy,” De Paola said.
This year’s report also found that younger generations were happier than their older peers in most of the world’s regions — but not all.
In North America, Australia and New Zealand, happiness among groups under 30 has dropped dramatically since 2006-10, with older generations now happier than the young.
By contrast, in Central and Eastern Europe, happiness increased substantially at all ages during the same period, while in Western Europe people of all ages reported similar levels of happiness.
Happiness inequality increased in every region except Europe, which authors described as a “worrying trend”.
The rise was especially distinct among the old and in Sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting inequalities in “income, education, health care, social acceptance, trust, and the presence of supportive social environments at the family, community and national levels,” the authors said.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) says it has sealed off the Idera market in the Oshodi metropolis.
In a statement on Thursday, Ajayi Lukman, LAGESC spokesperson, said the agency sealed the market due to unhygienic practices and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, which contravened the environmental law of the state.
He said the measure was taken to enforce adherence to environmental cleanliness across registered markets in the state.
‘‘Our operatives stationed across the Oshodi division during routine market monitoring identified the filth, unhygienic practices, and indiscriminate dumping of refuse around the Idera Market area, which prompted us to seal off the market until further notice,” the statement reads.
Lukman quoted Olaniyi Cole, the corps marshal of the agency, as decrying the level of hygiene at the market, which could lead to an outbreak of diseases.
He said Cole frowned at the inability of the market leadership to provide a valid waste collection contract, which resulted in the heaps of refuse in the facility.
He added that the display of wares for sale on road setbacks, lay-bys, medians, verges, kerbs, street trading, and hawking remained banned in the metropolis.
The LAGESC corps marshal reiterated the ban on the sales, distribution, and usage of styrofoam in the state, noting that anyone found culpable would be punished decisively.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Hours to the Edo State governorship election, the guber candidate of the All Peoples Party (APP)Amb Osalumese Areloegbe on Thursday morning collapsed the structure for the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Asue Ighodalo and his running mate, Osarodion Ogie Esq.
Addressing journalists at the party secretariat in Benin City, Areloegbe said his decision to collapse the structure for the PDP candidate was because he believed that Ighodalo had all it would take to govern the state to greater heights.
According to him, I urged all my followers and supporters to disregard any information that I have aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
“I am supporting Asue Ighodalo because he is competent, not that I am not competent but I believe Asue is on the forefront. That is my reason for supporting his candidacy.
“My party is aware because they have been having a series of negotiations for us to align with the APC, and I told them categorically that I am supporting PDP. My eighteen local government followers are in full support of my decision, I mean 100 per cent supporting the PDP candidate, Barr. Asue Ighodalo and his running mate, Barr. Osarodion Ogie in this election.
“My choice for Asue Ighodalo is because, apart from myself, I see him as the next better candidate that I can support and I can put my weight on because he has the capacity, mentally, physically and otherwise to pilot the affairs of Edo State to greater heights.
“The national secretariat of my party, APP – they are in Abuja and I am in the state, and know much more of what is happening in Edo State. They are not here and don’t know what is going on here in Edo. And I am in a position to tell them what will be better for the Edo people.
“There is a parable that says, ‘You cannot shave a man’s head when he is not present’. I am here in Edo State and I know who to support and why I am supporting him. The national leadership might have taken a different tone, but this is what I and my followers have chosen.
“We had a series of other politicians who had made such decisions before. That is why I agreed with the support of my supporters to collapse my structure for the governorship candidate of the PDP Barr. Asue Ighodalo and his running mate, Barr. Osarodion Ogie.”
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A resident of Ifetedo in Osun State, simply identified as Idowu, had reportedly died in an incident of collapse building that occurred in the town.
The collapsed structure was said to be a dilapidated building that suddenly caved in and killed the woman.
A resident of Ifetedo, simply identified as Ogunyemi, while speaking to The PUNCH on Thursday, said operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, responding to a distress call, were at the scene of the incident.
Some NSCDC operatives rushed to the scene after they were informed of the incident. They were joined by some other people in the community.
Idowu was the only person in the building when the incident happened. She was brought out dead from the rubble.
“The incident caused panic in Omiloode Area, where the building is located. The building that collapsed is a dilapidated structure,” Ogunyemi said.
Osun NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Kehind Adeleke, when contacted confirmed the incident, adding that the scene was immediately cordoned off by security men.
“An abandoned dilapidated building located along Omiloode Street, Ifetedo collapsed and killed one Mrs Idowu, who was said to be around the structure when the incident happened.
“The tragic incident occurred at about 17:30 hours on Tuesday.
“Officers and men of NSCDC Ife South Division, upon getting information rushed to the scene of the incident for rescue operation. But unfortunately, the woman had passed on. She was brought out of the rubble dead. The site was immediately cordoned off,” Adeleke said.
LASG shuts down Idera market over ‘environmental pollution
Hours to Edo guber polls, major opposition candidate crumbles structure for Ighodalo
SAD! Woman reportedly d!3s in Osun building c0llapse
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