COVER
Helping Nigerian Teenage Girls Overcome Anxiety
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By Nuhu Muye
In the last decade, rates of anxiety-related disorders among teenagers in the world have steadily risen, particularly in girls. Researchers and psychologists posit several hypotheses about why these rates are on the rise from digital hyper-connectivity to heightened external pressures to simply a greater awareness, and therefore diagnosis, of mental health concerns.
Whatever the causes, there is hopeful news for parents and teens: first, some degree of stress and anxiety is not only normal but essential for human growth. And if those levels become untenable, there are tested strategies for reining anxiety back in.As a guidance counsellor, I have spent decades working with adolescent girls and their families in Nigeria.
In recent years, I have noticed a change in how society views stress. “Somehow, a misunderstanding has grown up about stress and anxiety where our culture now sees both as pathological.” The upshot of that is that we have adults and young people who are stressed about being stressed and anxious about being anxious.Anxiety is a normal and healthy function, and much of the anxiety that Nigeria teenagers express is a sign that they are aware of their surroundings, mindful of their growing responsibilities, and frightened of things that are, in fact, scary. Adults can make a difference simply by “reassuring them that, a great deal of time, stress is just operating as a friend and ally to them.”
Change and stress go hand in hand even if a change is positive. Teenagers’ lives are filled with change: Their bodies and brains are transforming, they usually switch schools at least once between ages five and 12; their academic workload is increasing, and social relationships are constantly evolving. The anxiety that comes with stretching to face these and other challenges is part of how humans develop strength. When I talk with teenage girls, I use the metaphor of exercise: To develop physical strength, you have to slowly push your levels of physical endurance, building up strength through resistance training. Similarly, you should see (a challenge) as an extraordinary weight-training programme for your mind. You are going to walk out of it tougher and stronger than you have ever been.
Stress, emotion and the teenage girls’ brain sometimes reach levels that impede a teenage girl’s ability to navigate life effectively. Thus, one cautions that an emotional outburst in and of itself is not a reliable indicator of mental health. “If you are raising a normally developing teenage daughter, she will have meltdowns. And there’s nothing you can do to prevent that.”
Of course, when it’s your daughter who is sobbing on the bathroom floor, it’s hard to keep this in perspective. When it’s your kid, it’s terrifying and alot of parents are frightened and paralysed in that moment. They wonder: Is this a sign that something is really wrong or that my kid is really out of control?
This is where a little neuroscience might be helpful, the adolescent brain is very gawky and vulnerable to emotion. That gawkiness stems from the extraordinary brain development that happens in adolescence. The brain is upgrading, but in the same order as it initially developed from the more primitive regions that house emotions to the more sophisticated regions that regulate perspective and problem-solving. The result? “When she’s calm, a teenage girl can out-reason any adult. When she’s upset, her primitive regions can hijack the whole system and take it down.”
When your daughter is emotionally overwhelmed, give her a little time. It’s easy to see a meltdown as a fire that’s about to turn into a conflagration. But a storm is a more accurate metaphor. You can’t stop a storm, but you have to wait it out. But these storms do pass. The brain will reset itself. Don’t try to stop the storm or fix it in the moment.
Instead, sit with her, go on a walk together, watch a funny show, or offer her a cup of tea, advise her. After weathering a few storms successfully, “parents and teenagers get to discover that all by itself, the storm will pass. At that point, either the problem completely evaporates and she moves on, or the girl can now look at the problem with clear eyes, assesses it with her prefrontal lobe back online, and figures out what she wants to do.” Responding instead of reacting to teenage girls is particularly sensitive to the cues they receive from parents and teachers from words to facial expressions. How adults respond to teens’ emotional reactions matters a lot. When adults become anxious in response to a teen’s anxiety, it exacerbates the situation.
Helping girls weather stress storms can be excruciating for parents, and she understands the almost primal desire to alleviate the pain, solve the problem for them or remove the stressor such as letting them stay home from school if they are anxious about a test. But avoidance feeds anxiety. Girls often feel stressed because they overestimate the difficulty of a situation and underestimate their ability to deal with it. When they avoid a situation, they miss the opportunity to correct that perception and recognise their own strength. Thus, these two words will be helpful in helping to keep teens in the driver’s seat: “stinks” and “handle.” The concept of “stinks” is a very simple phrase that cuts right through it. It says, ‘I hear you and I’m just going to sit here for a moment and acknowledge that what you are up against isn’t that great. However, empathy goes very, very far in helping them contain what is upsetting them.
Often, there is no simple solution to a stressor, so the next step may simply be acceptance -acceptance of the situation and of their strength to persist through it. It’s the ability to say to yourself, ‘This stinks, but this is something I can handle.’ While on the other hand, the word “handle” is empowering. Girls learn that “by enduring this, she will be able to endure more down the line. She can build up her capacity to handle unpleasant situations.”
Build in recovery time for teenage girls strength training, “you can’t just lift weights day after day after day.” In order to get the full benefits from the workout, your muscles need a chance to recover and repair. The same holds true for the brain. If teens accept that some level of stress is inevitable, they can spend less time worrying about stress and more time focusing on how they can build in recovery time.
“The good news is your mind recovers a lot faster than your muscles do. But you need to restore yourself so you can go right back in for another workout. Your job is to figure out how you like to recover. What’s the system that really works for you?” For some teens, playing sports gives them the reboot they need to focus on academics. Another student might benefit from a watching a 22-minute episode of a sitcom, playing with peers, going on a walk or listening to a favourite music playlist.
Having conversations with stressed-out teens about this type of downtime redirects the attention away from the stress and towards the recovery. Students can’t always control the stressors in their life, but they can have a say over how they choose to restore themselves. Researchers and psychologists have shown that the restorative power of sleep is a deprivation that reveals the simplest explanations for the rise in anxiety-related concerns. “Sleep is the glue that holds human beings together.”
The research is unambiguous: When we are sleep-deprived, we are less emotionally resilient. The first question many clinicians ask teens who come in for anxiety is, “How much sleep are you getting?” If they are consistently getting less than seven or eight hours, that’s the first line of intervention. “Teenagers need nine hours a night, middle-schoolers need 10, and elementary students need 11.”
When it comes to sleep, small changes can make a big difference, including completing as much homework as they can during the school day, making judicious choices about how much time they spend on any given assignment, and monitoring social media use in the evening. “Technology is very hard on sleep.” “I’m not anti-social media, but it makes a tremendous difference for teens to not have a phone and computer in the bedroom at night. Teenagers have texts waking them up.”
Because of the melatonin-suppressing effects of blue light emitted from Smartphone screens and other devices, I encourage teens to turn off social media notifications well before going to sleep. But it’s not just the blue light. “Girls will often see something on social media that will keep them up at night and if you ask them, they’ll usually admit this.”
Within that context, adults can offer teenagers empathy, grounded perspectives and a vote of confidence as they work through challenges, helping them aim for courage and not avoidance.
Brave is a positive word, it’s something we aspire to be and built into the word is the understanding that the person is scared and yet they are doing something anyway. Scared is here to stay. Anxiety is part of life. It’s not our job to vanquish these feelings. It’s our job to develop the resources we need to march forward anyway.
*Muye sent this piece from Dutsen-Kura, Minna
COVER
BOI Restates Commitment to Local Manufacturing, Job Creation
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Managing Director of the Bank of Industry (BOI), Mr Olasupo Olusi has reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting local manufacturing in Nigeria.Olusi said this when he visited the GU Ebeco facility and inspected ongoing projects at the Nisa Medical and Zeberced Group at the Idu Industrial Layout, Abuja yesterday.
He expressed delight at the progress made so far at the various facilities while commending the chief executives of the organisations, urging them to do more. During the visit to the GU Ebeco, the BOI boss emphasised the importance of job creation and the need for their products to proudly bear the “Made in Nigeria” label.Olusi praised GU Ebeco’s progress over the past seven years, applauding its expansion into a national enterprise with over 1,500 employees and several facilities across the country.“I am very happy with the fact that BOI has supported this enterprise for the last seven years. It is wonderful to see that it has grown.“It employs 1,500 staff, and operates a national distribution system. We are proud of the significant role GU Ebeco is playing in the Nigerian manufacturing landscape,” he said.The BOI boss also commended the loan repayment performance of the company saying it had taken multiple facilities from the BOI. He encouraged other young entrepreneurs to stay focused, while assuring them of BOI’s commitment to supporting them and Nigeria’s industrialisation efforts.Responding Mr Ebere Uzozie, Managing Director of GU Ebeco, expressed his appreciation for the continued support from the BOI.“We are grateful for the Bank of Industry’s backing. Their loans have helped us expand and create lasting change. We now have 34 facilities, and we are debt-free.” We are optimistic the visit will mark a new chapter for the company, and will ensure further growth and partnerships that will contribute to Nigeria’s industrial future,” Uzozie said.at the Zeberced Group, its Managing Director, Mr Aydin Kurt, said that Nigeria had lots of potential and could be the future of the world.While acknowledging the country’s potential in industrialisation, he emphasised the importance of producing locally in Nigeria rather than relying on imports.Kurt also appealed for more collaboration with the BOI to promote industrialisation, create jobs and help grow the economy.“I cannot do it alone. we have to come together and create a synergy to attract different investors to come and also invest in this country.“This is our vision we have a lot to share with you, and thank you once again for visiting our corporations,” he said.Responding, the BOI managing director said that the bank was keen on infrastructure and committed to supporting industrious infrastructure.“This project is very important to us and a critical objective for the county and, in that spirit, we have decided that we will continue to support the proliferation of industrial parts across the nation.Why yours is so unique is because it has a plan for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) which is very important.“We have a mandate to support that particular segment of our economy because they are the ones that champion job creation and most of the growth of the economy is attributed to them,” Olusi said.The BOI boss thanked Zeberced Group for the opportunity while commending the groups’ vision, energy and optimism to carry the project forward.“We look forward to our partnership. Like I said, we all want to be parts and parcel of this project, we have already given you some money to implement it, and we will see how we can do more.“As you expand we will support, but you have to also show us the job creation numbers, and make sure your goods are branded made in Nigeria,” he said.The News Agency of Nigeria reports that GU Ebeco is a furniture company while Zeberced is a construction company. NANCOVER
FRSC Unveils App to Mitigate Road Crashes Impact
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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has unveiled an app to boost efficiency and mitigate the impact of road accidents in the country.Speaking at the event yesterday in Abuja, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume explained that the app was designed to digitalize FRSC operations for effective traffic management.
The SGF who described the current rate of accidents as a great concern to the present administration, urged the FRSC management to involve stakeholders in the implementation of the app to monitor motorists and curb the excesses of FRSC officers and personnel. The Chairman, House Committee on Road Safety, Abiodun Adeshida said the National Assembly was ready to review the 2007 Federal Road Safety Corps Act for more efficient service delivery.The Kenyan Ambassador to Nigeria, Isaac Parashina said African countries have a lot to learn from the FRSC’s experience in addressing the high rate of road crashes across the continent.According to the him, Africans must come together and provide homegrown solutions to address road safety challenges.In his welcome remarks, the Corps Marshal FRSC, Shehu Mohammed stated that the innovation was part of efforts to align with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration on the use of the new technology to strengthen the commitment of road users and enhancing road safety operations.Mohammed said the corps would embark on aggressive sensitization in all motor parks and town hall meetings for stakeholders to key into the new technology.The Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Dr. Mohammed Bulama expressed confidence that the new technology would bring sanity to Nigerian roads.Dr Bulama commended FRSC management for the new operational initiative and pledged FRCN’s continued support to every program to reduce death and enhance economic activities in the country.The Acting President, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Isa Ore said leaders in the transport sector would contribute to the success of the application in saving lives on the highway.Other stakeholders in the transport sector promised to support FRSC in enforcing traffic laws and protect lives and property on Nigerian roads.COVER
Lokpobiri Meets Shettima, Denies Involvement in Petrol Price Hike
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By David Torough, Abuja
Minister of State (Oil) Petroleum Resources Heineken Lokpobiri yesterday denied that the Federal Government is responsible for the Tuesday increase in the price of petrol, saying it is a function of deregulation.The latest hike in the price of petrol has pushed up transport fares by over 50 percent in major cities across Nigeria.
The increase implemented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) Retail Management ranges from N855 to N897 per litre, depending on the location from the previous N568-N617. Independent marketers have adjusted their prices to between N930 and N1,200 per litre of petrol.The minister denied FG’s involvement while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja.Shettima had summoned Lokpobiri along with the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Mele Kyari and the National Security Adviser Malam Nuhu Ribadu over the recent hike in the price of petrol.Lokpobiri said, “This sector is deregulated. And we believe that with the availability of products, the price will find its level.“What is important is that the product is available in the country. Between now and weekend, there will be availability of the product across the length and breadth of the country.“We believe that by the time there is availability of the product across the country, the price itself will stabilise.”Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said regulatory efforts were geared toward stabilising supply of petrol in the country, which he said would impact positively on stability of price.Okuoha said, “The objective of the regulator is to ensure that there’s increased operating hours from all loading depots; vessels are being cleared promptly and extended hours where safety can permit truck outs as well.“More importantly also is the reinforcement of the support being given to local refinancing, because with increased production there will be higher supply, which will stabilise the price.”Despite making its product available, the Federal Government has not started lifting petrol from the Dangote Refinery.Yesterday, Dangote Group refuted the claim in the media that NNPCL is currently lifting petrol from its refinery and selling at N897 per litre.A statement signed by the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina said the company has not yet finalised any contract with NNPCL.The statement entitled, “NNPC yet to lift our petrol” reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a headline “NNPC lifts Dangote Petrol, sells at N897 per litre” published in the BusinessDay Newspapers of Wednesday, 4 September 2024.“We would like to state that NNPCL has not commenced lifting of refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, from our Dangote Petroleum Refinery.“Therefore, the issue of fixing the price of petrol lifted from our refinery does not arise, as we are yet to finalize our contract with NNPCL.“The PMS market is strictly regulated, which is known to all oil marketers and stakeholders in the sector, hence we cannot determine, fix, or influence the product price, which falls under the purview of relevant government authorities.“We urge the public to disregard the headline as it is misleading and does not represent the true position in this matter.“We are guaranteeing Nigerians of exceptionally high quality petroleum products that will be readily available all over the country.”