“We are now beginning our descent into Charles de Gaulle Airport,” the captain’s jarring voice came over the intercom. I was fast asleep.

I did not sleep the day before I embarked on this long journey, which took me from Abuja through a hectic layover in Addis. Somehow, the call informing passengers about descent always pulls me back to earth. It wasn’t different on this occasion.

I couldn’t wait to touch down in Paris, the picturesque capital of France and a global centre for art, fashion, cuisine, and culture.

It was my first time in Paris, the City of Love. I had already been told to find a French lover because c’est la ville de l’amour. One of the foremost proponents of this finds a French lover would always say in Yoruba wa gba omo, Paris babe! in his usual teasing manner.

I was in the City of Love, but making it through this Oshodi/Upper Iweka motor park called Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) upset my exhausted limbs.

As I wobbled through the airport to find immigration, the only thing that went through my mind was a silent prayer hoping that Ethiopian Airways did not leave my luggage behind or I had to wait forever to get my luggage.

I made that prayer, thinking that was the most important thing to worry about. Little did I know that the airport at the City of Love had other plans. I tripped at the sight of the crowd before me waiting to get through from immigration to baggage claim.

I arrived at CDG at about 7:00 a.m. (Paris time) but did not make it to the chauffeur waiting to fetch us – I was with another journalist from Rwanda who I linked up with in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Well, my prayers were answered. My bags arrived, and I did not have to wait forever to pick them up. But the experience of my colleague from Rwanda was different. It took a while before he found one of his bags. He left the airport without the other bag.

At this point, I was starting to question the love in the city because I could not describe how I felt then. We finally made it to the chauffeur in the company of two other journalists from Kenya and Senegal. We were off to the accommodation provided by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France (Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères).

Adventure begins

About 45 minutes later, we arrived at our accommodation. You would expect that the person who said she was tired would sleep, right? Well! Your thoughts are as good as mine. Instead of sleeping, she co-opted Francis, the Kenyan journalist (who at the end of the trip to Paris became François Mitterrand, a former President of France), to begin ticking off recommended places to visit.

Indeed, Kenyans are who they say they are regarding long distances. Towing over me like the Iroko that he is, Francis had me walk the longest I have in a long time; it was a great way to lose some pounds.

I set out with Francis at about 5 p.m. to catch a metro we had never used. Did I mention that his French is as bad as my Swahili? While Francis needed some quick French class, I was already taking some at L’Institut Français du Nigeria so I could ask for a location using “ou est,” after that, you would have to speak some English.

We got into the metro station on Olympiades and met a charming young man who spoke English. That was my cue to ask him how to get to the first location. Francis does not believe in asking for directions. He would say, “Getting lost is part of the adventure. You will just walk back.” This Naija Sisi was tired of walking!

“Bonjour (you have to let it go high), do you speak English?” I asked the young man who was trying to buy a ticket. He graciously said, “Yes, where do you want to go?” I quickly responded to the Eiffel Tower.

How dare you go to Paris and not see the Eiffel Tower? Indeed, your village people will be unhappy with you. Do you now see why I did not rest?

The young man went to the map. Did he just walk to a map? I wish I paid more attention to my geography class and the classes that tried to teach us how to read atlases and maps. One of my many had I known windows opened, but I slammed it closed immediately, not the time!

“You are here, line 14. You will buy your ticket here and board the metro to Bercy, where you will get off and get on line 6, from where you will ride until you get to Bir-Hakeim and walk to the tower,” the young man graciously explained, adding that it was the fastest route to get to the Tower.

I looked at the time. It was almost 6 p.m. The good Samaritan showed us how to buy metro tickets (we left Paris as experts) and were on our way to see the Eiffel Tower. Navigation from here was easy, and viola, the Eiffel Tower.

Oh, the crowd! Everyone was here to see the tower, like me.

Agbado in Paris

Walking towards the Tower, something interesting popped up on the street. You will not believe it, just like I did not. I laughed my heart out because of the symbolism of what I saw – Agbado (corn) in Paris! We met a Bangladeshi selling roasted corn on the walkway. He sold two for five euros.

When I saw the man and his pretty corn, I tapped Francis to give him a quick gist on how this fruit has become famous in Nigeria and a symbol of the new administration. The story would have been complete if the seller imported the Agbado from Nigeria, but they were a Spanish breed.

We saw the Tower but could not get in because everyone was trying to go up. The queue was long, too long. By my watch, it was well past 7pm but the beautiful summer sky was selling us a false reality. It could not have been brighter.

It was time to return and get the desired rest, but we needed to eat something close to the African kitchen. It was before the culinary adventure started. We did not find anything African around the area, mainly because we needed to know the terrain. We ate what we saw, and it was good enough.

The next day was a rest day. We were ready on Sunday morning to hit the ground running. We recruited Junior, a South African journalist whose favourite expression was “hectic.”

Hey, football fans, get in here! Our first stop for Sunday was Stade de France. I know that look on your face. It was the same look on the faces of Francis and Junior. Francis almost threw a fit when the stadium’s insignia did not appear in his pictures. We had to take another, making sure the insignia was sitting pretty.

From the stadium, we were on our way to Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, gutted by fire in 2019. Again, many tourists were trooping in and out to see the cathedral under reconstruction. You would recall how sad the world, especially Catholics, was at the news of the fire that year. I suddenly felt sad looking at the building surrounded by detailed information about the fire and what had happened since then.

I snapped out of my reverie. Why be sad? The building will come alive soon.

We were running late for the Avant L’orage exhibition at Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection on Rue de Viarmes, where we met the very kind Joel Savary who retired on 5th July.

Joel was our man throughout the trip; he was kind, gracious, patient, available and everything nice. He, however, did not work alone. There were George and Geoffrey to help the group.

You must be wondering why no female name has popped up. I was the only female in the team of eight African journalists, seven men and one woman.

George and Geoffrey were translators who worked with us to make our work seamless. They were super efficient guys!Sommet pour un Nouveau Pacte Financier Mondial

Then came Monday and the week of the Sommet pour un Nouveau Pacte Financier Mondial. Off the record, meetings were scheduled ahead of our arrival, and it was time to get into them. It was time for business, which also meant the end of tourism.

But really, what makes for tourism? It will be seeing places I have never been to, and in Paris, tourism must include eating le pain (the French make bread differently). I could not help but ask George why the bread was so hard. His response was patriotic: “That is how we love them.”

We went through the days and the meetings like brave journalists. Wednesday, the last day for the off-the-record meetings, was to prepare us for the two-day summit. Joel had set up dinner at a five-star hotel where we had an all-French menu. Interestingly, it was nice! I have one question: why were the portions, especially the starter, Tatum de légumes du Soleil, so small?

Fast forward to summit day. The job had to be done, and the rest was a blur. The next time I woke up was to the voice, “We are now commencing our descent into the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

Did I mention we had very professional chauffeurs? I am not in a hurry to forget Memet (Mohammed), my chauffeur, or our chauffeur (for my group), a very nice Turkish-French man who ensured our stay was smooth and enjoyable. He would not move the bus if I were not in it. “Chiamaka?” he would say while trying to ask my whereabouts.

Memet made and sold kebab (what we call shawarma in Nigeria) before he became a chauffeur. He made sure to buy me a kebab during the trip. Thank you, Memet!

Paris is a beautiful city, and the best means of transportation is the metro. When you stay underground, you go fast, and you avoid traffic.

You might have heard the old saying that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. The problem is, that's more than three years even if you work 60-hour weeks.

As an entrepreneur, you shouldn't have to wait that long to showcase your credibility. The faster you can build up your status as a leader in your industry, the sooner you'll reap serious benefits.

For instance, having an enviable reputation can be great for your business's bottom line. When you're known as a subject matter expert, people seek you out. This doesn't just include potential clients, although clients will directly help fuel your profitability. 

Who else might be interested in getting in touch? Conference planners are always looking for keynote speakers with niche knowledge. Journalists – including reporters for international publications – are too.

You may even be asked to join a panel discussion on a talk radio or news show if your expertise matches a trending topic. Suddenly, you'll be the "it" person, which is wonderful when you're in high-growth mode (and maybe looking for investors).

The point is that you can't afford to sit back and hope your credibility factor goes up. You can't leave everything up to chance, either.

You need to put strategies in place to shorten the time it takes you to get from unknown founder to talked-about leader. Fortunately, there are some tried-and-true ways to improve your recognition. I've used quite a few. They'll work if you stick with them.

1. Ratchet up your online visibility

Thanks to the internet, there has never been an easier route to advertise your personal brand. However, you can't just set up a Facebook or Twitter account and cross your fingers.

You need to actively publish irresistible content that leverages your unique know-how and perspectives. Be sure to do this by constructing a marketing plan so you can remain consistent.

For example, you may want to set up a podcast and release episodes monthly. It's no secret that podcasting has arisen to become one of the newest ways to connect with others. Buzzsprout research suggests that three-quarters of people ages 12 and over have tuned in to a podcast in the past month.

That's millions of potential listeners ready to learn something new. You just need to come up with a format you enjoy and invest in minimal home audio equipment to start.

If the idea of launching and broadcasting a podcast sounds daunting, try hooking up with an all-in-one solution that does all the hard work. A portal like Show Platform is designed to make it easy to create, publish and grow your podcast.

You can even tap into Show Platform's monetization module to bring in a little extra money for your credibility efforts. Once your podcast is running smoothly, use the episode transcripts to write posts for social media, your blog and your newsletter. 

2. Teach others what you know

When you have a skill that others don't, you have a wonderful opportunity to share it. A good way to do that as an entrepreneur is to offer to teach classes. These don't have to be formal classes, mind you. They can be informal events designed both to help you shine and help others grow their abilities.

What are some teaching possibilities? Maybe a local high school offers in-person or online career days where you can mentor young people. Or perhaps you could set up free lunch-and-learn webinars through your business for clients and leads.

If you have the educational credentials, you may be able to teach students at a college. Just being an occasional classroom guest speaker could raise your credentials and add heft to your résumé.

To ensure that you get the most out of your teaching, talk about it online. This could be on your social media pages. Be sure to update your LinkedIn profile while you're at it. Most people see teachers as automatic experts.

NPR research indicates that three-quarters of individuals view teachers as trustworthy as well. Consequently, by labeling yourself as an instructor, you're raising your inherent credibility.

3. Be the best leader you can be

As Gallup can attest, most managers aren't anything to write home about. When you're a good boss, you stand out. And standing out is a key to boosting the respect you earn as an industry innovator and CEO. 

Think about ways that you can be a better leader to all your employees. Could you invest more in their well-being? Make your workplace culture more inviting? Authorize them to make more decisions instead of keeping everything at the top of the corporate ladder?

The choices you make need to be right for your business model, of course. Nevertheless, updating your leadership style could have widespread advantages.

How will this make you more credible? Put simply, people talk. They tell "boss stories." Accordingly, when you're a terrific manager, you can bet that word will get around. As it spreads, your credibility should rise and blossom. In time, you'll have a stronger company and a stronger reputation. 

Forget about waiting for years to be seen as a thought leader. Taking proactive steps right now will allow you to expand your reach and grow your prominence quickly.

Inc

The recent 40 per cent hike in the exchange rate for cargo clearance at the seaports and the increase in tariff on imported cars by a terminal operator, Ports & Terminal Multipurpose Limited, has led to about 70 per cent drop in the sale of second-hand imported cars.

Last week, Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Customs Service took the ongoing foreign exchange reforms to the maritime sector with a 40 per cent increase in the exchange rate used for calculating the import duty.

NCS had a few weeks ago raised the exchange rate used for the calculation of import duty from N422.30/dollar to N589/dollar.

The development, which has led to a corresponding 40 per cent increase in import duties on imported cargoes, including vehicles, has caused anxiety among operators in the maritime sector with clearing agents, freight forwarders and importers calling for an immediate reversal of the policy.

As that was gradually sinking in, the CBN on Thursday raised the exchange rate for cargo clearance by 31 per cent. The interest rate was moved from N589/$ to N770/$.

NCS announced this development in a circular dated July 4, 2023, titled, ‘Implementation of the floating foreign exchange rate regime’ and was signed by the Assistant Controller General, IT & Modernisation, K. I. Adeola.

The circular read in part, “The CBN has instituted the floating exchange rate regime, which has given rise to incessant changes in the exchange rate for trade. The policy is to be implemented by all ministries, departments and agencies of the government, including the NCS.”

The service through the circular directed its area controllers to ensure that the information was communicated to relevant stakeholders.

Confirming the development, the Youth Leader of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Tin Can Island chapter, Remilekun Sikiru, said the directive was communicated to members of the group in the early hours of Thursday.

Sikiru, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Sikremstar Logistics Limited, explained that a 2004 Toyota Camry that was cleared for N1m before the introduction of the Vehicle Identification Number for clearing of imported vehicles was now being cleared for N1.9m.

Giving details of the new rate for clearing vehicles from 2001 to 2014, Sikiru said, “The actual duty on Toyota Camry is N705,000, while the total duty and clearance cost is N1.7m; for Corolla, the duty is N558,000 and total clearance cost is N1.3m; Sienna duty is N930,000 and total clearance cost is N2.2m; duty on Highlander is N1.1m, bringing the total clearance cost to N2.6m; duty on Venza is N1.2m and total cost is N3m.

“For Lexus RX350, the duty is now N1.5m, bringing the total clearance cost to N3m; duty on Lexus ES350 is N1.3m and the total cost is N3m; for Toyota RAV4, the duty is N831,000 and total cost of clearing it is N1.2m; Honda Pilot’s duty is N966,000 and the total clearance cost is N2.2m; Honda Accord’s duty amounts to N769,000 and total clearance cost is N1.8m; for Toyota Tacoma, the duty is N417,000 and total clearance cost is N818,000. These vehicles are from 2001 to 2014.”

Total duty or total clearance cost means the duty payable on a car plus the surcharge, ECOWAS duty and the seven per cent port development levy.

The development came barely one month after the Federal Government removed the fuel subsidy and floated the naira. It also came at a time electricity distribution firms were considering increasing power tariffs.

National Public Relations Officer, NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, who confirmed the new exchange rate on the agency’s portal, said it was only implementing the CBN policy.

“Whatever you see in our system is what has been communicated to us. It is determined by the CBN. So whatever we are using is what is obtainable as communicated to us. It is a monetary policy; we only implement what is given to us. It is a monetary policy and anything monetary is not determined by us, it is determined by the CBN. We only use what is communicated to us,” Maiwada stated.

Sikiru had earlier said the new rate had taken effect on the Customs portal and that the customs duty payable on vehicles had increased astronomically.

According to him, this development may lead to cargoes, including vehicles, being trapped at the terminals.

“The customs duty has been increased and it will lead to a heavy increment in duty payment on general goods and cargoes. This will bring hardship on importers,” Sikiru added.

Also speaking, a freight forwarder and Chief Executive Officer, 2B Frank Nigeria Limited, Nwegbe Frankypaul, said, “Freight forwarders woke up on Saturday to realise that the dollar rate had been increased from about N423 per dollar to about N590 per dollar.”

Nwegbe pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to ensure the depreciation of the value of older vehicles.

The Founder of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, Lucky Amiwero, said, “The moment you allow the naira to float freely in terms of exchange that is what you get. And it is going to affect the prices of goods. It is going to take a lot of licensed customs agents out of work because most of them are going to lose their customers.”

Vice-President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Nnadi Ugochukwu, said, “It will affect businesses; there is a container I have for someone, before now, we used to clear that container for N4.3m. With the new exchange rate, the clearing cost is now N6.5m.”

A licensed Customs agent, Festus Ukwu, said, “Even if the Federal Government wants to do exchange rate harmonisation, they should know how to go about it. This increase is a very big one.”

However, while the agents were still lamenting the increased exchange rate, the PTML slammed a 36 per cent tariff on imported used cars.

This development coming from a terminal operator that specialises mostly in the importation of cars worsened the woes of vehicle importers and sellers.

In a public notice sighted by our correspondent, the terminal operator said the current economic conditions of surging inflation, coupled with the devaluation of the currency and removal of subsidy on petrol had caused its operational cost to increase.

The terminal operator in the notice said its action had received the endorsement of relevant authorities.

The notice read in part, “The PTML would like to bring to the attention of its esteemed customers that the current economic conditions of surging inflation, coupled with the devaluation of currency and removal of fuel subsidy have caused the operational costs to increase multi-fold. Hence, having received the endorsement of the relevant authorities, it has become imperative to restructure our terminal tariffs from the 1st of July 2023.

“The PTML is confident that its esteemed customers will understand the rationale behind this review that will assist us in ensuring our superior level of service, while keeping the competitiveness of its rates.”

Reacting to all these developments, President of the Berger Motor Dealers Association of Nigeria, Metche Nnadiekwe, said that currently, members of his group were recording about a 70 per cent drop in patronage.

He said, “I don’t know if they think at all before coming up with policies like the increase in tariff or is it that when they wake up in the morning they just come up with policies. There is no need for an increase in the exchange rate for cargo clearance. We are still talking about that and the terminal is coming up with another increase, which has finally killed the business.

“There is a drastic drop in the volume of patronage we get here; there is up to 70 per cent drop in the patronage. The thing is there is no money to buy; people are not coming again to buy from us; we just sit down here and are doing nothing. The last time we checked many of our members are out of business; these are people who have bills to pay and they come out every day looking at their vehicles and no customer is coming to buy as a result of the additional money and all that.”

Also speaking, Secretary General of the Lagos State Motor Dealers Association, Tai Olaniran, said the dealers now focus more on reselling Nigerian used cars.

Olaniran stated, “It is difficult here and we don’t know the way forward; what they are trying to do is to discourage older vehicles and that is why we are now dealing with reselling Nigerian used vehicles. Because when you are clearing the same 2005 or 2006 model, you will find out that it is the same amount as the 2016 model. So, with the increment, you will see that they want to discourage older vehicles. It is going to affect us quite alright and it will affect the people as well.

“And many of us will go out of business or we will continue dealing in Nigerian used vehicles. So, we prefer Nigerian used vehicles instead of going for Tokunbo cars. With this increase in costs now, we will continue to do it so that we won’t go out of business; the percentage increase is much. At least since the removal of fuel subsidy and all that, most people don’t use cars again, so the volume of vehicle sales has dropped radically and I think the drop is up to 50 per cent, and it may be higher, I am not sure.”

A car dealer in the Alimosho area of Lagos State, Johnpaul Ejiogu, said, “People now prefer to buy Nigerian-used cars to Tokunbo cars. You will find out that even the Nigerian-used cars are not affordable; they are also expensive but just a bit cheaper than the Tokunbo cars. We mostly deal in those ones and it is even very difficult to get buyers now. I will say that there is about 70 per cent drop in car sales now.”

An e-hailing cab driver, Joshua Abbey, said he chose to buy a Nigerian-used car for his e-hailing business because that was what he could afford.

“I wanted to go into the e-hailing transport business and I planned to get a Tokunbo car for that purpose, but when I priced the car, the dealers were quoting almost N4m for a 2004 model of Toyota Camry so I decided to buy a Nigerian-used version; even though it was expensive, it cost less than the Tokunbo one. I know that getting a Tokunbo would have been better for my business, but I have to manage this one like that,” he said.

Punch

Femi Otedola, chairman of Geregu Power, has yielded the top spot on the ownership ladder of FBN Holdings to Barbican Capital Limited, an affiliate of Oba Otudeko’s Honeywell Flour Mill, a regulatory filing showed on Saturday.

Barbican Capital accumulated shares of about 4.8 billion units in the parent company of Nigeria’s oldest lender FirstBank translating to a 13.3 per cent holding in the corporation.

That is more than twice the portion held by Otedola, who in late 2021 had acquired a 7.6 percent interest in the financial services group via off-market deals.

He displaced FirstBank’s Chair Tunde-Hassan Odukale to take the lead position but now holds a 5.6 per cent stake, having sold 834 million shareslast June after the valuation of the stock soared.

Otudeko, who chaired the group’s board until a shake-up ended his tenure in April 2021, controls Honeywell Flour Mill, where he owns a 75 per cent stake through Siloam Global Services Limited, according to the company’s 2022 earnings report.

Trading in the shares of FBN Holdings has been brisk this week, with almost 5 billion units traded, 95 per cent of that transacted on Thursday alone.

The buy pressure and the current currency revamp in Africa’s largest economy have catapulted the stock’s valuation to its peak level ever, with its market capitalisation now at N728.7 billion, making Nigeria’s fourth-biggest lender by market value.

Only Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Holding Company and Stanbic IBTC Holdings Company exceed the group valuation.

In late April, Otedola gave up the scramble for the top ownership of Nigeria’s biggest listed conglomerate Transnational Corporation of Nigeria to billionaire investor, Tony Elumelu, after clinging briefly to the second spot on the ownership hierarchy.

PT

The archbishop of York has suggested that opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, recited by Christians all over the world for 2,000 years, may be “problematic” because of their patriarchal association.

In his opening address to a meeting of the Church of England’s ruling body, the General Synod, Stephen Cottrell dwelt on the words “Our Father”, the start of the prayer based on Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4 in the New Testament.

“I know the word ‘father’ is problematic for those whose experience of earthly fathers has been destructive and abusive, and for all of us who have laboured rather too much from an oppressively patriarchal grip on life,” he said.

His comment – a brief aside in a speech that focused on the need for unity – will divide members of the C of E, a body whose differences on issues of sexuality, identity and equality have been highly visible for years.

After Cottrell’s speech, Canon Chris Sugden, chair of the conservative Anglican Mainstream group, pointed out that in the Bible Jesus urged people to pray to “our father”.

He said: “Is the archbishop of York saying Jesus was wrong, or that Jesus was not pastorally aware? It seems to be emblematic of the approach of some church leaders to take their cues from culture rather than scripture.”

Rev Christina Rees, who campaigned for female bishops, said Cottrell had “put his finger on an issue that’s a really live issue for Christians and has been for many years”.

She added: “The big question is, do we really believe that God believes that male human beings bear his image more fully and accurately than women? The answer is absolutely not.”

In February, the C of E said it would consider whether to stop referring to God as “he”, after priests asked to be allowed to use gender-neutral terms instead.

It agreed to launch a commission on gendered language, saying “Christians have recognised since ancient times that God is neither male nor female, yet the variety of ways of addressing and describing God found in scripture has not always been reflected in our worship”.

Most of Cottrell’s speech was devoted to the word “our” rather than “father”, as a way of urging the fractious members of the synod to be a little more brotherly and sisterly in their discussions.

He told members of the synod: “We remain stubbornly unreconciled, appear complacent about division, and often also appear all too ready to divide again […] We have got used to disunity. We think it’s normal when in fact, it is a disgrace, an affront to Christ and all he came to give us.”

One of the most divisive issues within the C of E, same-sex marriage, led to a decision earlier this year to allow clergy to offer services of blessings to gay and lesbian couples who have undergone a civil wedding.

The first blessings were expected this summer, after final approving of the wording of prayers by the synod meeting this weekend. But the presentation of the prayers, plus new rules on whether gay and lesbian clergy may marry their partners, and whether to lift the existing instruction that clergy in same sex relationships must be celibate, have been delayed until November.

The Guardian, UK

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine says it won't use cluster bombs in Russia

Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov welcomed a U.S. decision to send cluster bombs to Kyiv, saying it would help to liberate Ukrainian territory but promised the munitions would not be used in Russia.

The U.S. announced on Friday it would supply Ukraine with widely banned cluster munitions for its counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces.

Reznikov said the munitions would help save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, adding Ukraine would keep a strict record of their use and exchange information with its partners.

"Our position is simple - we need to liberate our temporarily occupied territories and save the lives of our people," Reznikov wrote on Twitter.

"Ukraine will use these munitions only for the de-occupation of our internationally recognized territories. These munitions will not be used on the officially recognized territory of Russia."

Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries. They typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that fail to explode pose a danger for decades.

Moscow again criticised the U.S. decision on Saturday, describing it as another "egregious" example of Washington's "anti-Russian" course.

"Another 'wonder weapon', which Washington and Kyiv are counting on without considering its grave consequences, will in no way affect the course of the special military operation, the goals and objectives of which will be fully achieved," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

Jake Sullivan, U.S. President Joe Biden's national security adviser, sought on Friday to make the case for providing the arms to Ukraine to reclaim territory seized since Russia invaded in February 2022.

"We recognize that cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance," Sullivan told reporters. "But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians because Ukraine does not have enough artillery," he said.

Reznikov said the military would not use cluster munitions in urban areas and would use them only "to break through the enemy defence lines".

Russia, Ukraine, and the United States have not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production, stockpiling, use, and transfer of the weapons.

Spain, a signatory to the convention, said it opposed the decision.

"Spain, based on the firm commitment it has with Ukraine, also has a firm commitment that certain weapons and bombs cannot be delivered under any circumstances," Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles told reporters at a Madrid rally on Saturday.

Britain is also a signatory to the convention which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.

"We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion," he told reporters on Saturday.

** Poland moves troops to eastern border amid Wagner fears

Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country on Saturday, the defence minister said, amid rising concern in the NATO-member that the presence of Wagner Group fighters in Belarus could lead to increased tension on its border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to offer mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner group the choice of relocating to Belarus has led to fears among eastern NATO members that their presence will cause greater instability in the region.

"Over 1,000 soldiers and almost 200 units of equipment from the 12th and 17th Mechanized Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country," Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter.

"This is a demonstration of our readiness to respond to attempts at destabilisation near the border of our country."

Last Sunday Poland said it would send 500 police to shore up security at its border with Belarus.

Poland has seen an increase in the number of migrants trying to cross the Belarus border in recent weeks. According to the Border Guard, over 200 people tried to cross illegally on Friday, including citizens of Morocco, India and Ethiopia.

Poland has accused Belarus of artificially creating a migrant crisis on the border since 2021 by flying in people from the Middle East and Africa and attempting to push them across the frontier.

A senior Wagner commander was quoted as saying on Saturday that mercenaries from the group were preparing to move to Belarus.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

US decision to send Kiev cluster munitions a sign of aggressive policy - Russian MFA

The United States’ decision to provide the Kiev regime with cluster munitions is an example of an aggressive policy aimed at dragging the Ukraine conflict out, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Saturday.

"The decision of the [US President] Joe Biden administration to provide the Kiev regime with cluster munitions is yet another blatant manifestation of the United States’ aggressive anti-Russian policy, which is designed to protract the Ukraine conflict as long as possible and to conduct the war until ‘the last Ukrainian’," Zakharova said.

The diplomat pointed out that by sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, Washington "will in fact become an accomplice in saturating the territory with mines and will fully share responsibility for the casualties caused by explosions, including Russian and Ukrainian children.".

Washington realizes that Ukraine’s assurances to use cluster munitions in a "careful" and "responsible" way mean mothing, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman said.

"Washington is well aware that the assurances of Ukrainian Nazis to use these indiscriminate weapons ‘in a careful’ and ‘responsible’ way are worthless. Civilians will be targeted, as it has happened every time when more and more deadly US-NATO weapon systems were sent to Ukraine," the statement said.

The United States’ decision to provide Kiev with cluster munitions is a sign of despair and evidence of powerlessness in the wake of the failure of Ukraine’s touted ‘counter-offensive’, Zakharova said.

"The transfer of cluster munitions is a gesture of desperation and evidence of powerlessness against the backdrop of the failure of the touted Ukrainian ‘counter-offensive’. Another ‘miracle weapon,’ which Washington and Kiev stake on without giving any thought to dire repercussions, will have no impact on the course of the special military operation, since its goals and objectives will be accomplished in full," the diplomat said.

Reuters/Tass

If you diligently analyze social media’s initial reactions to allegation that Mmesoma Ejikeme forged her Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination result, it would be difficult not to conclude that her race was her wrong. That she was wrong to have been born Igbo at a critical time like this. Or that the politics of her race was her albatross. Ejikeme has attracted so odious comments to herself, similar to one who willfully pelted on self a mound of excrement. Only on Friday, an Anambra State committee of enquiry revealed that she indeed faked the result.

Kaduna State-born Senator, Shehu Sani, on Saturday, put the issue in its starkest perspective when he wrote on his Twitter handle: “The girl forged UTME result. The commentaries for and against her are more of the fallout of the 2023 election than just forgery. For most people talking, their tongues are about the forgery, but their hearts are politics. The girl committed an offence at a time when people are looking for a reason to keep the flames of verbal war alight. The girl flew a helicopter in between the Border of Ukraine and Russia... Most Nigerians are now wearing ethno-religious and political sunglasses; everything is viewed from the perspective of that lens. We are likely going to live like this for a very long time.”

Mmesoma’s first audacity, it will seem, was living and writing the JAMB examination in Anambra State. Didn’t she realize that that was the state of origin of Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate? It looked every inch an anathema. Her second infraction, from social media comments on the forgery, it seemed, was that she shared, even if tangentially, ethnicity with Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, LP’s Lagos gubernatorial candidate. Rhodes-Vivour’s mother is said to be Igbo.

Igbo had always received the Mmesoma pushback from the rest of Nigeria. While the North superintended over the terror pushback angle against the Igbo (recall the 1966 pogrom; killing of scores of Igbo on allegation of defiling the Quran, like Godwin Akaluka; the civil war; governmental terrorist attack that ‘tiny dot in a circle’ represents, etc) Yoruba’s confrontation with the Igbo has always been intellectual. It comes in the form of disdain of Igbo’s claim to ethnic superiority. Another is the belief that Igbo leadership preferences and prejudices own ethnicity in what were supposed to be purely federal appointments.

The survival politics of the First Republic that S. L. Akintola found himself in dictated that he allied with Hausa-Fulani. It was also what was responsible for his disdain for the Igbo. It was at a time when Nnamdi Azikiwe’s West African Pilot was accused of always unfairly projecting his Igbo stock, as against seeking the balance that journalism required. Some publications in the Pilot were perceived to have authenticated this charge. For example, the Pilot’s edition of December 30, 1938, on its front page, had as lead story, Two Ibo students pass doctorate exam. The paper also placed the photographs of these Ibos, viz R. M. Ojike and J. P. C. E. Okala on its front page, as well as that of Green Mbadiwe who it said was “a Nigerian millionaire and patron of higher education” and that of M. C. Okechuku whose “maternal nephew is proceeding to America to study medicine.”

Another case in point was the lead story of the newspaper for July 18, 1941 with the screaming title, Ibibio student passes B. Sc (Agriculture) in U. S. A. The story had the photograph of the new graduate, Bassey U. A. Attah, who passed out from the College of Agriculture, Tuskegee, Alabama. Zik also had the speeches of these “Ibo achievers” published in the Pilot’s Inside Stuff column as messages home from abroad. Hardly did the Pilot have any positive report on such advancement among the Yoruba. On occasions when it did, the identity of the achiever was buried with the tag of an “African” given to the recipient of the higher degree. An example of this was the lead story of the Pilot for November 1, 1941. It was entitled, African qualifies as fellow of British Optical Association. The African in question was Olatunde Balogun.

While many claimed that Igbo’s quarrel with the Yoruba emanated from the failure of Azikiwe to clinch the region’s Premiership in 1952, it is said that the region’s disagreement with the Igbo began due to alleged favouritism and expansionism of the race. This led to the Chairman of the Nigerian Railways, Okechukwu Ikejiani, being given the Mmesioma treatment in the Western Region. Apart from campaign ground statements which Akintola made against Igbo, the Premier twisted the name of Ikejiani to a Yoruba adaptation so as to suit his pillory of the race. Akintola, reputed orator and very deep in Yoruba morphology, was wont to ask his audience, “The first (Igboman) would have, the second (Igboman) would have; what have you got?” This he deployed to underscore the nepotist character of not only Ikejiani, but the Igbo man, the typecast that conveniently suited the political conjuration of the Akintola NNDP of the time. The other famed quotation of this famous Yoruba language rich argot-dispenser was in the crisis of who became the vice chancellor of the University of Lagos between Sabiru Biobaku and Eni Njoku. They were Yoruba and Igbo respectively. Playing on both professors’ names, Akintola was said to have told an audience that “we said we would give you a man who would not die (Yoruba translation of Biobaku), yet you insisted that it is the man who eats the dead (Yoruba literal translation of Eni Njoku) that you want!”

In support of the Akintola government’s bid to typecast the Igbo as nepotist and not worthy to partner with in the alliance that was then afoot, the battle became visible in the Sketch newspaper owned by the Akintola-led government. Exactly six days into its existence, on April 6, 1964, Sketch published a letter from one Odafe Othihiwa in its Our readers’ view column that it entitled £11,000 for Ikejiani alone? It was the beginning of a long-lasting structuring regime in the Sketch against both Ikejiani and his Ibo Union. The letter thus went further to state that, “It is strange to observe that while we cry over unemployment in this country, people like Ikejiani are holding at least five different posts on an alleged total salary of £11,000… I also call on the Prime Minister to probe the activities of Ikejiani and his right wingers in the Railway Corporation. It is no political bias.”

The newspaper, in the same edition, followed this up with a feature on its back page edition of April 6, 1964 entitled 

Staggering situation in rail where it alleged that a “very serious tribal warfare” was going on in the railway corporation, and that, when the corporation’s 50,000 workers resumed, they would “break into two camps - the Yorubas and the Ibos.” It accused Ikejiani, who is “by nature very loquacious” of employing a medical doctor who earned an annual salary of £2,600 and yet had no job because the hospital earmarked for him by Ikejiani was not going to be ready in the next eighteen months. It ended the piece by attaching an appeal to the President of the Egbe Omo Olofin, H. O. Davies, by the Secretary, on account of Ikejiani’s sack of the Deputy Assistant General Manager of the Corporation, F. M. Alade, which it said “was deteriorating.” 

In the same edition, the Sketch carried a rather sarcastic story on its front page with the title, Yoruba nru, Ikejiani nsanra, meaning that, while the Yoruba race was going lean, Ikejiani (and invariably, his stock) were getting fatter. The newspaper was however forced to publish a full-page advertorial by the Ikejiani railway corporation on the staff strength, designation, tribal origin and position of workers in the corporation with the title Nigerian Railway Corporation: Facts you must know about staff position, maintaining that the accusation of tribalism was made to “inflame inter-tribal hatred in an attempt to gain political advantages to the detriment of our young country’s advancement.” But in the same edition, the Sketch published an editorial it entitled, What is official? (Daily Sketch, April 10, 1964). Therein, it accused Ikejiani of running the corporation like “secret societies, cabals or tribal cults where anything goes” and calling him to, “publish staff lists, monthly or annual returns, bulletins, Railway assets and liabilities. His own salary and allowances, as well as those of his top aids (sic) and underdogs, workers and labourers alike, must be public property.” The Akintola government later released a White paper that detailed allegations of nepotism against Ikejiani. It alleged that out of a grand total of 431 names on the staff list of the corporation, 270 were Igbo and 161 of other ethnic groups; of the 57 direct senior appointments made by the corporation, 27 were Igbo, 8 were other tribes and eight others were expatriates.

I went into the archive to bring out the above historical narrative so as to be able to explain that what we see today as acrimonious Yoruba/Igbo relations didn’t start today. In spite of the fact that the two races have a lot in common, politics and race for ascension into elective and appointive political offices have torn them asunder; so much that, like the words of Obierika to the white man in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, he "has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart." It is so bad that Hausa/Fulani who allegedly killed Igbo people in thousands through the pogrom are not as resented by the Igbo as they do the Yoruba. The ethnic fissures are indeed becoming very frightening.

Some leaders attempted to kill the ghost of this ethnic division. Bola Tinubu in Lagos and Chimaroke Nnamani in Enugu’s appointments of Igbo and Yoruba into their cabinets began to redraw this acrimonious graph and to re-contextualize the disunity. Today, the relation has become worse and is back on a cliff edge. When Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State recently appointed a renowned broadcast journalist, Ladi Akeredolu-Ale, to head his state’s broadcasting service, an otherwise knowledgeable senior journalist went to town to denounce this. As I read his doggerel, Bob Marley’s evergreen track, “they don’t want to see us unite… all they want us to do is, keep on fussing and fighting…” sieved into my head. Why are people’s hearts filled with bottomless hatred for the other man as this?

To be candid, the 2023 elections have further put a wedge on tribal relations between the two ethnicities. When you read the quantum of bile exchanged between Yoruba and Igbo on the social media, you will be pessimistic of a future for the two races together. Unfortunately for both, they have been so mutually enfolded into each other that it is in their individual interest to live in amity.

Yesterday, I read an interview granted the Vanguard newspaper by the President General of apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu. “We don’t have security problems in the Southeast. We have said ‘release Nnamdi’ because the young people are supporters of Nnamdi Kanu, which is an excuse that they give. When we look at it seriously, we have not seen any offence committed by Kanu. In fact, the court has said he should be released. As Igbo leaders, we do not see the reason he is being kept in detention. These people are giving it as an excuse for their sit-at-home. We believe that keeping Nnamdi Kanu in prison is an effort to collaborate with some elements who want to destroy the economy of states in the Southeast,” he said.

To me, Iwuanyanwu was not sincere with himself or the Igbo race in that interview. If the truth must be told, Igbo’s reaction to Muhammadu Buhari’s bigotry was extreme. No sane government would condone the vile, sadistic commentaries from Kanu before his arrest or the unleashing of terror on the Nigerian state by felons loyal to him called Unknown Gunmen. What were Igbo elders like Iwuanyanwu doing while Kanu constituted himself into such unmitigated outlawry? What were they doing while he forcefully blocked the economic windpipe of the race by declaring Sit-At-Home? Even ex-governors of the zone during the garrulous gangsterism of Kanu appeared so complicit and cowed by the roar of the uncouth lion that Kanu was. So, how has sitting at home on Mondays by the very entrepreneurial Southeast people, calculated to have set its economy backwards by billions, helped in advancing the cause of Kanu’s release or the injustices that have been forced down the throat of the race by successive Nigerian governments? Did the weekly economic injuries which Igbo inflicted on themselves by that act of calculated indolence, in any way, affect Buhari or wake him up from his eight years of perpetual somnambulist governance?

At the risk of immodesty, I am one of the few non-Igbo who can speak truth to the race. This is because I have spoken variously about the depth of love I encountered when I lived among the people. Igbo are one of the most beautiful races in the world. When then Governor Chimaroke Nnamani brought me to Enugu in 2003, he opened the water trough of the beauty, serenity and calmness of Igboland for me to gulp in abundance. Ever since, my fate seems intertwined with the land’s. Whenever I cross the Niger River, I feel at home. However, let us tell ourselves the truth: Igbo’s sheepish conformity with the illogicality of Sit-At-Home appears to the rest of the world a benign version of the suicide bomber mentality. To put it mildly, it is crazy. While the suicide bomber extinguishes self to destroy others, in Sit-At-Home, Igbo destroy themselves while assuming they are taking a pound of flesh from Nigeria. The inability of the elders of the race to stop the crimson-red dent on Igboland by Unknown Gunmen and the impression they created that violence is inextricably woven to the Igbo race, is fatal to the perception of the globe of an Igbo man.

Igbo’s immediate rash reaction to Mmesoma Ejikeme’s forged result is the same uncritical stand it took about Nnamdi Kanu’s incarceration. It was a We and Them response. Almost immediately, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekweseli, called for further investigation into the allegation against the Igbo girl. I thought the first thing to do was to condemn the act, not necessarily the young girl and then ask for a probe. Innoson Motors, an Igbo-owned company, also immediately promised a N3 million scholarship for the young girl. Asari Dokubo, the Southsouth violence-baiting man then threw into the ring his known hatred for the Igbo. Mmesoma must be older than 19 because – wait for it – his own daughter was 15 when she sat for the same examination! What a puerile logic.

Yoruba’s reaction to the Mmesoma conundrum was also a continuation of the age-long tiff between it and its Igbo “enemy.” Which should not. Ethnicity should not have any role to play in ethical considerations. Whether Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba, wrong should have no binary name. It was this same ethno-centric position many took in the choice of who to mount political offices in the last general elections.

I think Igbo should extinguish the ghost of the incorrigible Sit-At-Home and Unknown Gunmen violence first before embarking on diplomatic shuttles for Kanu’s release. Those two issues are staining the white garment of this beautiful race.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world ~ 1 Peter 5:8-9.

Introduction

End-time believers must be extra vigilant because the enemy, Satan, has become so vicious, virulent, violent, determined and passionate about his game of wickedness. He works to crush anything, destroy anyone and render impotent any destiny as much as he can (John 10:10).

Factually speaking, any rising profile will naturally attract the attention of the enemies of destiny, and mark it as a bigger target for the devil. The bigger the position, the stronger the opposition! It will serve your interests to understand that pretty well.

Satan is on regular surveillance, moving to and fro in the earth, seeking whom to devour and looking for a leading light to turn to darkness (Job 1:7; Luke 22:31). May you never fall prey to him, in the precious Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Please note that the devil often appears disguised whenever he targets a destiny for destruction. This is largely because he actually lacks appeal to any sensible mind.

Occasionally, he appears in the form of a “subtle serpent” to beguile human senses and pervert judgments (Genesis 3:1-4). It was in this fashion he appeared to Eve and to Lot’s wife, and quite unfortunately, he got them (2 Corinthians 11:3).

He also sometimes disguises himself as an “angel of light” to deceive people with false views of spiritual things (2 Corinthians 11:14). Many false and misleading dreams, wrong convictions and strange personal persuasions are products of this appearance.

Albeit, whenever Satan senses that his chances are slim to get at someone in a disguised form, he always resorts to the use of brute force, intimidation and harassment. That’s when he appears like a “roaring lion” to wear down his targets or to destroy them with violent opposition, persecution, terrorism and death (1 Peter 5:8).

In this mode, Satan’s ploy is to devastate our emotions and   break our focus. These have always been his goal in all critical issues of life: disasters, protracted sicknesses, hardship, long-term delay, disappointments, chronic lack, etcetera.

Happily, God has promised to ensure that all circumstances in which we find ourselves, good or otherwise, surely end in praise (2 Peter 5:10)! Alleluia!!

Overcoming The Enemies of Destiny

As earlier mentioned, the devil always wishes to have his targets distracted, shut in, sulking and isolated. His chief aim is to keep man totally out-of-touch with God’s plan. And, the major weapon he deploys in order to accomplish this is human ignorance (Isaiah 5:13; Hosea 4:6).

No man ever rises beyond what he knows in life. Indeed, you’re what you know, even in spiritual matters. We all must be open to positive information if we hope to be victorious in the battles of life, and operate as God’s viceroy upon the earth (Psalm 82:5-6). The Bible counsels that an open rebuke is better than secret love (Proverbs 27:5-7; Hebrews 12:6).

Satan also readily engages sin as a potent destiny buster. Immorality, lust, unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, unbelief and, especially secret sins, are dangerous enemies of glorious destinies.

Of a truth, offences will come, but we should never allow them to become unhealed wounds (Luke 17:1; Romans 4:25). The oath of secrecy is the strength of sin; if you don’t want people to say nasty things about you, never do nasty things.

Furthermore, the devil also capitalizes on our apathy, or passionless living, as well as discouragement and our false sense of security in order to obliterate our destinies. A man’s foes can even be members of his own household. We must be watchful and wise!

How To Practically Overcome Satan!

I must emphasize at this point that despite the backdrop of Satan’s ardent wickedness and the notoriety of his workings, the true child of God can rest assured that it’s not everyone that he can swallow.

The believers who are sober, serious with God, humble, vigilant and prayerful are swallow-proof against him (1Peter 5:8). The youngest or even the weakest believer who can exercise a steadfast, pure and firm faith in Christ can overpower the devil.

Nothing in life can stop a man of purpose. No devil,  problem, opposition, violence, or drought has the ability to stop you. Only you can stop yourself from great achievements in life through your personal unbelief.

More so, whenever the devil is resisted, he flees (James 4:7). The devil is an already defeated foe. He knows it and each time you resist him he assumes you have known it too, and he understandably flees from you, shrinking and sighing like a lion with its tail between its legs.

Beloved friends and brethren in Christ, whatever you’re going through right now is not an accurate indicator of your final destination. Yes, the devil may have messed you up sometimes, but he cannot stall your destiny all the time, if you only learn early to enlist divine help and engage him in a sure fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:18).

Now, the best way to qualify ourselves for the help of God is to cooperate fully with the Holy Spirit and the principles of His mercy. Please, rely wholly upon the Word, like Jesus did. Be fearless like Joshua. Be humble like Moses, and stay focused like Nehemiah.

Be passionate evermore in your quest for destiny fulfillment. Dwell in Christ as He’s in you. Be prayerful, and never slack with regard to fasting. Those who wait upon the Lord never waste their destinies (Isaiah 40:30-31). This is your day, you won’t lose your luminance, in Jesus name. Amen. Happy Sunday!

** Bishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bishopakinola

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola

Lucid dreaming is associated with better subjective sleep quality, a higher sense of mental well-being, and lower feelings of loneliness, according to new research published in Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. The findings suggest that while a small percentage of lucid dreams can be negative or have unpleasant aspects, lucid dreaming is generally a positive experience.

Lucid dreaming refers to the experience of being aware that you are dreaming while you are still in the dream state. In a lucid dream, the dreamer has the ability to exert some control over the dream narrative and may deliberately influence the events or actions that occur within the dream.

While there have been numerous studies highlighting the positive benefits of lucid dreaming, such as alleviating nightmares, improving motor skills, fostering creative problem-solving, and contributing to personal growth, concerns have been raised regarding its possible negative effects on sleep and mental well-being. The author of the new research, Tadas Stumbrys, conducted this particular study to investigate the potential adverse effects of lucid dreaming.

“I have been studying lucid dreaming for over a decade now, looking into its potentials, benefits,” explained Stumbrys, an assistant professor at Institute of Psychology at Vilnius University. “And every time I would give a talk on lucid dreaming, there would be always someone in the audience who would ask exactly the same question: ‘Are there any adverse effects of lucid dreaming?’ And the truth was that before conducting this research, there was not any systematic research on the potential side effects of it. This has prompted me to look into this topic.”

Stumbrys conducted an online survey with 489 participants from different countries, primarily the United States. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire that included various measures and scales to assess their dream-related experiences, sleep quality, dissociation, and mental well-being.

The online questionnaire was distributed through social media platforms and online discussion forums related to lucid dreaming. The participants completed the survey anonymously, but they were asked to provide their email addresses to avoid multiple responses.

To understand the participants’ dream-related experiences, they were asked about the frequency of their dream recall and the frequency of specific dream phenomena like lucid dreams, nightmares, false awakenings, sleep paralysis, and out-of-body experiences. The participants were also asked about the emotional quality of their lucid dreams and whether they experienced them spontaneously or deliberately induced them using techniques.

To assess sleep quality, the participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, which asked about different aspects of their sleep, such as duration, disturbances, latency (time taken to fall asleep), efficiency, and subjective sleep quality.

Dissociation, which refers to a sense of detachment or disconnection from oneself or one’s surroundings, was measured using the Multiscale Dissociation Inventory. The participants rated the frequency of various dissociative experiences, such as disengagement, depersonalization (feeling detached from oneself), derealization (feeling the world is unreal), emotional constriction/numbing, memory disturbance, and identity dissociation.

To assess mental well-being, the participants completed the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, which focused on positive aspects of mental health. They also answered questions about feelings of loneliness and social isolation using the UCLA Loneliness Scale.

Stumbrys found that the frequency of lucid dreams was positively associated with the frequency of other sleep-related experiences such as dream recall, nightmares, false awakenings, sleep paralysis, and out-of-body experiences.

Most of the lucid dreams reported by participants were emotionally positive experiences, with only about 10% considered to be emotionally negative. Stumbrys found that dream recall frequency, false awakening frequency, and out-of-body experience frequency were significant predictors of lucid dream frequency.

The frequency of lucid dreams was not associated with total sleep quality scores or with dissociation. When examining the aspects of sleep quality separately, higher lucid dream frequency was associated with more sleep disturbances but also a greater subjective sleep quality and lower dysfunction. Similarly, when examining the different facets of dissociation separately, lucid dream frequency was linked to higher levels of derealization but fewer memory disturbances.

In terms of mental well-being, the frequency of lucid dreams was positively associated with greater mental well-being and lower feelings of loneliness. The proportion of deliberately induced lucid dreams was also associated with higher mental well-being.

The results indicate “that lucid dreaming seems to be a relatively safe approach to engage with the dream plot while being asleep, without evident detrimental effects,” Stumbrys told PsyPost. “However, people should be mindful that there is some other research showing that too intense preoccupation with lucid dream induction techniques, some of which require sleep interruption, may result in certain detrimental effects. So while lucid dreaming itself appears to be safe, putting too much effort into achieving it may not be that good idea.”

Like all research, the study has some limitations that should be considered. First, the data was collected through an online survey, which may have introduced selection bias. The participants were self-selected and may not be representative of the general population (e.g. they may have had more positive experiences with lucid dreaming). Additionally, the relationships observed are correlational and do not allow for causal conclusions.

“This study was based only on self-report and is cross-sectional, therefore causal relationships cannot be established,” Stumbrys said. “Future research would benefit from a longitudinal study observing a group of lucid dreamers over a longer period of time and measuring changes in a broader set of variables.”

PsyPost

Brain activity differs among people who feel out of touch with their peers.

There is a reason countless songs about loneliness exist. Many are relatable, since feeling alone is often part of being human. But a particular song or experience that resonates with one lonely person may mean nothing to someone else who feels isolated and misunderstood.

Human beings are social creatures. Those who feel left out often experience loneliness. To investigate what goes on in the brains of lonely people, a team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, conducted noninvasive brain scans on subjects and found something surprising. The scans revealed that non-lonely individuals were all found to have a similar way of processing the world around them. Lonely people not only interpret things differently from their non-lonely peers, but they even see them differently from each other.

“Our results suggest that lonely people process the world idiosyncratically, which may contribute to the reduced sense of being understood that often accompanies loneliness,” the research team, led by psychologist Elisa Baek, said in a study recently published in Psychological Science.

Feeling misunderstood

Previous studies have hinted at Baek’s findings. Feeling understood by others activates regions of the brain—the ventral striatum, middle insula, precuneus, and temporoparietal junction—that are related to social connections and reward processing, according to a 2014 study. That same study discovered that the brains of those who felt misunderstood showed more activity in regions associated with negative emotions, such as the anterior insula and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex.

For example, neurons that release dopamine—a neurotransmitter that can boost pleasure—are found in the ventral striatum. This is just one way that feeling connected can produce positive effects. On the other hand, the anterior insular cortex is highly involved with social interactions and emotions, including loneliness.

Studies like this made Baek want to see if there was something to an idea known as the “Anna Karenina principle.” Leo Tolstoy’s iconic novel Anna Karenina opens with the line, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” To explore this idea, Baek and her team took functional MRI (fMRI) scans of the brains of 66 UCLA college freshmen as they watched short video clips of scenes associated with social interactions, such as parties and (of course) music that was supposed to be sentimental and could possibly trigger emotions.

Students participating in the study had already filled out a survey about how they felt about their social lives. Note that you can have lots of friends and a busy calendar but still end up feeling disconnected and misunderstood, which will affect the results of this survey. Those who scored above a certain level were categorized as “lonely,” while those who scored under that level were categorized as “non-lonely.”

The researchers then analyzed the fMRI scans, which show what is going on in the brain by measuring slight changes in blood flow that occur during neural activity. fMRI can also see which regions of the brain are engaged during specific activities; Baek’s team was looking for activity in those areas involved in socializing and the emotions that come with it.

Same feeling, different activity

The results of the scans were analyzed in pairs to search for intersubject correlations. This way, the researchers could identify similarities and differences in brain activity between lonely and non-lonely individuals and between any two lonely individuals or non-lonely individuals.

In this context, Tolstoy turned out to be right. The fMRI scans showed that the reactions of non-lonely individuals to the videos they watched were extremely similar. Lonely individuals had brain activity that was not only significantly different from that of non-lonely individuals but was even more dissimilar from each other, meaning that each lonely person in this study perceived the world in a distinct way.

Baek suggests that having a point of view different from others makes the lonely even lonelier, as they’re less likely to feel understood (though she does mention that it’s not clear whether this is a cause or effect of loneliness—or both). Loneliness also did not depend on social activity, as not every lonely subject lacked a social life. Even some of those who reported a decent amount of social activity in the survey, such as having many friends and participating in social events, exhibited neural characteristics that differed from those of non-lonely people.

“Lonely individuals process the world in a way that is dissimilar to their peers and to each other,” Baek said in the same study. “Future work can further test this possibility… to examine what aspects of lonely individuals’ interpretations are particularly idiosyncratic."

Anyone who is lonely can now be assured there is probably someone out there who feels just as isolated—just in a completely different way.

Ars Technica