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World Happiness Report: How Nigerians moved from world’s happiest people to angry nation

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About 10 years ago, Nigerians were ranked some of the happiest people in the world by the World Happiness Report (WHR), which rates countries by their happiness ratio.

In a 2003 survey carried out by the WHR, Nigerians were the 6th happiest people in Africa and the 95th happiest in the world.

The World Values Survey (WVS) of that year also reported that some of the happiest people in the world lived in Nigeria, while three years later, another study reported that Nigeria had beaten more than 65 countries to claim the top spot.

By 2012, a poll conducted by Gallup World Poll, a global research team that tracks human development worldwide, revealed that Nigerians were the world’s most optimistic people with 88 percent of respondents being very optimistic about their future.

Fast forward to 2022, the story has changed drastically as “Nigerians are no longer smiling,” to borrow the street parlance often heard in many Nigerian cities.

The signs are all there: stress, bad economy, high cost of living, bad governance, crime, long faces brought about by years of suffering, which are daily etched on the faces of many Nigerians.

But how did Nigeria go from being the country with the happiest people in the world to a nation full of anger and frustration?

In the latest World Happiness Index report released on March 19, Nigeria fell to a dismal 118 position, below countries like Libya which, surprisingly, is the number one ranked African country on the log.

Countries like South Africa at 91, Gambia, 93, Algeria, 96, Liberia, 97, Congo, 99, Morocco, 100, Mozambique, 101, and Cameroon, 102, have shunted Nigeria down the log as the  nation’s long history of being happy has faded with the increasing poverty in the land and the resultant increasing wave of insecurity.

The World Happiness Report, now in its 10th year, is based on people’s own assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social data. It assigns a happiness score on a scale of zero to 10, based on an average of data over a three-year period.

Only war-torn and traumatized countries like Afghanistan, Venezuela and Lebanon had worse ratings than Nigeria in the 2022 World Happiness Index, which a testament to the fact that Nigerians have become disillusioned with life and are moving day-by-day like automated machines.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network also hinged its happiness index on a lot of factors which, sadly, Nigeria as a country has failed to live up to.

The indicators include GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption, and Nigeria is far removed from these indicators.

The country sure has a long way to meet up with countries like Finland, Denmark and Sweden which are the top three in the happy people rankings in the world.

Here are the best ranked African countries on the World Happiness Index out of 146 surveyed countries on the continent.

  1. Mauritius
  2. Libya
  3. Ivory Coast
  4. South Africa
  5. The Gambia
  6. Algeria
  7. Liberia
  8. The Congo
  9. Morocco
  10. Mozambique

Culture

South African actor dies tragically in car accident

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South African actor, Mpho Sebeng, has reportedly died in a ghastly car accident in in Potchefstroom, North West province, his family said in a statement on Monday.

The actor’s family which confirmed that the 30-year-old died in the tragic accident which happened on Sunday, has appealed for privacy as they grapple with this devastating news.

“The family of the South African entertainer, Mpho Sebeng, are saddened to confirm, to the public and media, that their son has indeed passed away,” the family statement said.

“Mpho met his untimely death in the early hours of Sunday, 5 May 2024, due to a tragic car accident in Potchefstroom.

“Whilst the family appreciates the immense outpouring of love and condolences, the family requests some space to process the news,” the statement added.

According to local media, Sebeng, a celebrated figure in South Africa’s entertainment landscape, had a career spanning nearly two decades, marked by remarkable performances and accolades.

His journey in acting commenced at the tender age of 12, catapulting him into the spotlight of television.

“Among his notable works are appearances in TV dramas like “Justice For All” and “Zero Tolerance,” both of which received widespread acclaim and numerous awards.

“During his high school years, he portrayed a role in the 2011 film “Winnie,” a biographical depiction of the late Winnie Mandela’s life.

“His talent was further recognized when he was nominated for Best Male Actor in a telenovela at the 2018 South African Film and Television Awards.

“Sebeng’s repertoire extended to international platforms, including roles in Netflix productions such as “Savage Beauty” and “Miseducation.”

Sebeng was born in Soweto on 1 December 1992 and matriculated in 2011 at West Ridge High School. His achievements at school included full colours for drama.

“He made his television debut in the SABC drama series, Justice for All as well as Zero Tolerance.

“His first major TV role was in the Mzansi Magic drama, Ring of Lies, which earned him a Best Actor Safta nomination in 2018. Since then, Sebeng has showcased his talent in a variety of shows, such as “Savage Beauty”, “The Brave Ones” and “Miseducation” on Netflix, “The Queen”, “The Throne”, “Zbondiwe”, “Scandal” and “Hush Money.”

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Burna Boy emerges Africa’s top earning artiste in the US from tours, concerts

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Nigerian Afrobeats sensation,
Burna Boy, has emerged as the first African artiste to stage the highest-grossing arena concerts and tours in the United States of America.

International rating platform, Touring Data, which provides a PDF and spreadsheet with ticket count information for tours in the US and Canada, in a post on X, said the “Common Man” crooner beat his record set in 2022 after he generated $1.593 million, (over N2 billion), at his TD Garden in Boston on March 2.

‘‘Burna Boy earns the highest-grossing arena concert by an African artist in US history with $1.593 million at TD Garden in Boston on March 2, 2024, surpassing his numbers at Madison Square Garden in 2022,” Touring Data stated.

The platform also noted that one of Burna Boy’s “I Told Them” tour sold out by large margins in Scotiabank Arena, Montreal and Toronto in Canada, Boston in the US, and Cologne in Germany.

Touring Data also stated that over 124,706 tickets valued at $93.50 on average were sold at the “I Told Them” tour.

“Revenue-wise, $11,659,531, or about N16 billion, was realised via the ticket sales,” the data platform said.

“Shortly after dropping the highly anticipated video for “City Boys”, Burna Boy announced his I Told Them… Tour.

“Produced by Live Nation, the 16-city tour kicked off on 3 November at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

“It marked Burna Boy’s first-ever performance in a Los Angeles stadium. He toured other American cities, including Houston, Chicago, Toronto, and more, before wrapping up in Atlanta at State Farm Arena on March 9th.

“Nine months earlier, the “African Giant” had a sold-out show at Citi Field, New York, making him the first Nigerian artiste to headline a stadium in America.

“BMO Stadium’s website said the singer commanded a crowd of more than 40,000 fans, including celebrities like Busta Rhymes, SZA, NBA star Mo Bamba, NFL Star Larry Ogunjobi, and British rapper Dave, who joined him on stage for a performance of his (Burna Boy’s) hit song “Location.”

“This history-making performance followed his landmark London Stadium performance, where Burna Boy made history as the first African to headline a stadium in the U.K.

“With his Madison Square Garden performance, the singer again made history as the first Nigerian musician to sell out The World’s Most Famous Arena.

“The global giant once again made history with his recently released album “I TOLD THEM…” after it debuted at #1 on the official U.K. Albums chart, making him the first international African artiste to earn the title,” it stated.

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