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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

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UBA Raises N157bn Via Rights Issue to Boost Capital Base

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United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) has announced plans to raise N157 billion through a rights issue.The disclosure was made via a notice to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd (NGX).It said in a statement on Thursday that its stock brokers, United Capital Securities Ltd., had submitted an application to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.

to that effect.
It added its stock brokers had requested for approval and listing of a Rights Issue of 3,156,869,665 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N50.
00 per share“Trading License Holders are hereby notified that United Bank for Africa Plc, through its Stockbrokers, United Capital Securities Ltd., has submitted an application to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.” in that regard.
“The rights issue will be on the basis of one new ordinary share for every 13 ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.“The qualification date for the Rights Issue is July 16, 2025,” the bank noted.The move is part of UBA’s strategy to strengthen its capital base and support its expansion and growth objectives across Africa.(NAN)

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Benue Uncovers Over 4000 Substandard Schools

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From Attah Ede, Makurdi

Over 4000 substandard and illegal schools have been uncovered and ready to be shut down across the state.The chief press secretary to the Benue State Governor, Tersoo Kula disclosed this at a press conference in Makurdi.Kula was reacting to a statement credited to former commissioner for education and knowledge management, Prof.

Dennis Ityavyar, said that Governor Alia has stabilised the educational sector since coming on board two years ago.
”No more strikes. Schools are moving on smoothly and in a bid to bring teaching and learning closer to the people and address the problem of younger school leavers in securing admission into tertiary institutions, the governor has established a new university.
”The establishment of University of Agriculture Science and Technology Ihugh, Vandeikyaa LGA is real..The governor has secured the licence, acquired land and made appointments of principal officers.”This is to address the issue of providing admission for the teeming Benue indigenes seeking admission into Nigerian universities.”The Governor has employed over 9700 teachers to energize public primary schools in the state. Apart from the fact that our primary schools would be energized, 9700 youths have been taken off the streets.”The government of governor Alia has also paid the 38 months earned allowance owed to lecturers at the Moses Adasu University, formerly Benue State University Makurdi”, he said.He maintained that renovation of government secondary schools and colleges across the state are ongoing where ongoing construction of new structures is in some public primary and secondary schools to ensure conducive learning environment.”Public primary schools teachers are trained on ITCs to enhance the teaching and learning of information and technology innovations at elementary level.”This government has been able to identify over 4000 substandard schools in the state and have secured insurance cover for Benue State students and paid bursary allowances in law school students in the state”, Kula stated.Benue Moves to Domesticate National Policy on IDPsThe Benue State Government has commenced a validation process to domesticate the newly federal government policy on Internally Displaced Persons (PDP) in the State.Commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management in the State, Aondowase Kunde, stated that upon stakeholders’ inputs into the Internally Displaced Persons policy document, it would be fully launched.He added that the aim is to improve the welfare of the displaced population in the state.Kunde stated this during a two policy validation meeting held at Benue Hotels Makurdi yesterday.He maintained that the document which was passed into law by the national assembly needed to be domesticated in the state in line with the peculiarities of the state.In his remarks, the chairman, House Committee on Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Benue State House of assembly, James Abu Umoro, noted that the state has suffered so many natural and man-made disasters that it requires the policy to be domesticated in the state.Umoru insisted that the house will not hesitate to pass the document into law when presented by the executive arm of government.He said the issue of IDP in the state is a concern for everyone and must be given accelerated consideration at any point in time.On his part, House committee chairman on SDG and Donor Agencies, Peter Uche, noted that in most cases, communities have suffered attacks for more than ten years.”Let me therefore, call on all to support the implementation of the policy document for the displaced to return to their ancestral homes to start their normal farming and business activities”, he stated.The Director General, Sustainable Development Goals, John Akuse, who spoke at the occasion, said the validation of the IDP policy document is vital in paving the way for the displaced population to be adequately taken care of regarding their peculiar needs.

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Tinubu Honours Buhari, Renames University of Maiduguri after Late President

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By David Torough, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has approved the renaming of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State as Muhammadu Buhari University.

“May we now adopt the University of Maduguri as the Muhammadu Buhari University,” Tinubu said at the close of a special session of the Federal Executive Council held to honour Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Thursday.

The President paid a glowing tribute to Buhari, describing him as “a good man, a decent man, an honourable man” whose legacy of discipline, patriotism and moral uprightness would endure for generations.

Tinubu said although the late president was not without flaws, his unwavering commitment to national service set him apart.

“President Buhari was not a perfect man, no leader is, but he was, in every sense of the word, a good man, a decent man, an honourable man.

“His record will be debated, as all legacies are, but the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not be forgotten.

“His was a life lived in full service to Nigeria, and in fidelity to God,” he said.

Reflecting on Buhari’s time in office and his long military and civil service, Tinubu praised the late leader’s simplicity, humility, and stoic resistance to the trappings of power.

He said, “He stood, always, ramrod straight; unmoved by the temptation of power, unseduced by applause and unafraid of the loneliness that often visits those who do what is right, rather than what is popular.

“His was a quiet courage, a righteousness that never announced itself. His patriotism lived more in action than in words.”

Tinubu also recounted their political alliance, which culminated in the historic 2015 elections that marked Nigeria’s first democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.

“We stood together, he and I. Alongside others drawn from across the political spectrum, regions and tongues, we formed an alliance that enabled Nigeria to experience its first true democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.

“When he was sworn in as our party’s first elected President, he led with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint,” he said.

The President expressed admiration for Buhari’s post-office modesty, noting that he returned to his hometown, Daura, without seeking to wield influence behind the scenes.

“When his tenure ended, he returned to Daura; not to command from the shadows or to hold court, but to live as he always had, never seeking to impose his will but content to let others carry the nation forward.

“Even in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life: not a sigh, not a groan, just a quiet submission to the will of God. Such was the man Nigeria has lost. Such was the man for whom our nation now mourns,” he added.

Tinubu thanked the Inter-Ministerial Committee and Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, for organising a befitting state funeral within 48 hours, describing it as a “profound honour” to lead the burial procession in Daura.

He concluded his tribute with a prayer: “Mai Gaskiya, the People’s General, the Farmer President, your duty is done. May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. May his life continue to inspire generations of Nigerians to serve with courage, conviction, and selflessness. President Buhari, thank you. Nigeria will remember you.”

Buhari died on Sunday, July 13, at the age of 82.

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