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73.9% Nigerians Satisfied, 91.4% In Good Health, Says Report
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, University of Maryland, and Meta conducted the Pandemic Recovery Survey, revealing that 73.9% of Nigerians are happy with their lives, and 91.4% reported good, very good, or excellent health.
This global survey, spanning 20 countries, utilized geographic distribution and the Facebook Active User Base for its findings.
Participating nations included Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.
Utilizing a stratified random sampling technique on Facebook, information was collected via the Qualtrics platform. The survey, available in 15 languages, was disseminated to users across 21 countries.
To enhance representativeness, Meta and the University of Maryland computed survey weights, aiding in addressing sampling bias. Conducted between March and May 2023, the survey involved over 621,000 individuals aged 18 and above. Notably, 27,358 respondents participated in Nigeria.
Regarding food insecurity, 50.9% of respondents in Nigeria sometimes or often lack sufficient food due to financial constraints.
Additionally, 57.6% of individuals with health conditions in Nigeria couldn’t access care in the past six months, primarily due to financial limitations. Notably, the survey highlighted a predominant barrier to receiving care as the inability to pay.
Furthermore, vaccine confidence in Nigeria lagged behind the global average, with only 22.4% of adults expressing belief in the safety, effectiveness, importance for children and adults, and compatibility with personal beliefs of vaccines.
In Nigeria, the primary obstacle to vaccine uptake was a shortage of vaccines. For parents unwilling to vaccinate their children, the most prevalent concern, expressed by 47.8%, was apprehension about potential side effects.
Moreover, the survey revealed that among individuals aged 5–25 who attended school before the COVID-19 pandemic, 17.7% were no longer in school at the time of the survey. Reasons for discontinuing school included having already graduated (43.2%) and financial constraints preventing school attendance (24.7%).
In Nigeria, economic security posed a substantial concern, as 47.5% reported a current household income lower than pre-COVID-19 levels. Trust in international health organizations was notably high, with 72.6% of respondents expressing confidence in them.
Conversely, the police were regarded as the least trustworthy organization, with 34.8% stating they were not trustworthy according to survey respondents.
The institution stated “These findings provide a valuable snapshot of the challenges faced by Nigeria in terms of public health, economic security, and trust in institutions.
“Policymakers can use this information to address these issues, such as improving access to health care, increasing vaccine confidence through better information dissemination, supporting education, and tackling economic and food insecurity.”
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Music Icon Quincy Jones Passes Away At 91
Quincy Jones, the legendary music producer, composer, and cultural icon whose career spanned over seven decades, has passed away at the age of 91.
Jones died peacefully on Sunday night at his Bel Air home, surrounded by family, according to his publicist, Arnold Robinson.
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” his family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”
Renowned for his unmatched versatility, Jones collaborated with some of the greatest musical talents of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Will Smith. He played an integral role in producing Jackson’s groundbreaking albums Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad, which catapulted the pop star to global superstardom and earned Jones worldwide acclaim.
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Born in Chicago in 1933, Jones’ journey into music began early. His childhood introduction came from a neighbor’s piano playing and his mother’s singing. After moving to Washington state following his parents’ divorce, he honed his skills in his high school band and began playing with a young Ray Charles in Seattle’s vibrant club scene.
Jones’ career took off in New York, where he played trumpet in Elvis Presley’s early TV performances and worked with bebop legends like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. By 1958, he was working with Frank Sinatra, arranging for the singer’s band at the request of Princess Grace Kelly. Their partnership flourished, spanning several projects including Sinatra’s final album LA Is My Lady in 1984.
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Jones’ talents extended into film and television scores, composing music for films such as The Italian Job, In the Heat of the Night, and the acclaimed The Color Purple, for which he earned three Oscar nominations. He also scored hit TV shows including The Bill Cosby Show and Roots.
In 1985, Jones produced and co-conducted the charity anthem “We Are the World” alongside Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, raising millions for Ethiopian famine relief. Despite personal and professional challenges—including surviving a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 1974—Jones’s career continued to thrive.
Jones’ influence wasn’t limited to music. In 1990, he founded Quincy Jones Entertainment, the company behind the popular sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which launched the career of Will Smith. His media ventures also included the creation of Qwest TV, an on-demand music streaming service, and the magazine Vibe, which celebrated Black music and culture.
Over his career, Jones earned 80 Grammy nominations, winning 28—making him one of the most decorated artists in the award’s history. Tributes poured in following news of his death. Actor Michael Caine, who shared Jones’ birthdate, called him “a wonderful and unique human being.” Music artists such as LL Cool J expressed gratitude, saying, “You were a father and example at a time when I truly needed one. Music would not be music without you.”
Jones is survived by his seven children, leaving behind an indelible legacy that will resonate through generations to come. His life’s work transformed music, television, and culture, proving that there truly was no limit to what Quincy Jones could accomplish.
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Prayers Won’t Build Roads, Fund Children’s Education – Jesse Jagz To Nigerians
Singer and rapper Jesse Jagz has called on Nigerians to rethink their approach to religion.
Jagz suggested that African traditional religious gods have become ineffective, attributing this to the excessive alcohol given to them during rituals, which, according to him, has made them obese, diabetic, and unable to aid their worshipers.
Speaking on the ‘Big Talk’ podcast, the rapper also criticized followers of foreign religions for relying solely on prayer and expecting miracles without putting in the necessary effort. He stressed that prayers alone cannot provide essential social services or infrastructure.
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“When you go to a shrine and you see the priest pouring gin on the gods, Google how much a bottle of gin was in slavery. 40 slaves.
“Our gods are drunk on alcohol and meat. They are obese and diabetic.
“They can’t help us do anything. Prayers do not build roads or buy books for children. We have forgotten humanity,” he said.
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Presidents Invite Me To Dinner Wherever I Go – Davido Boasts
Renowned Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, known by his stage name Davido, has stated that he receives special treatment globally due to his celebrity status.
The Afrobeats sensation mentioned that he is frequently invited to presidential dinners in nearly every country he visits, with the exception of the United States and the United Kingdom.
In a recent interview with Kiss Fresh London, Davido confidently shared that his fanbase includes influential figures such as the World Bank president, presidents of powerful nations, and other notable personalities.
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“Every country we go to, the President invites us for dinner except London [United Kingdom] and the United States of America.
“It’s beautiful to see. I mean, leaving my country, Nigeria, and people welcoming me like the president in other countries, shows how well Nigeria is doing around the world in terms of music and cultural impacts,” he said.
Davido has expressed that he feels most respected in Africa, which is why he cherishes his African tours more than those in Europe and America, even though the latter bring him greater financial rewards.
He shared that his Jamaican collaborator, YG Marley, was astonished by the immense admiration from fans when he visited Nigeria for the video shoot of their joint hit, ‘Awuke.’