Every year, 19% of adults, 46% of teens, and 13% of kids suffer from mental disorders. [1] You may have mentally ill people in your family, neighborhood, teaching your kids, colleagues at work, or even sitting in the same prayer spot as you regularly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 50 million Nigerians – or one in every four – suffer from a mental illness. But, less than 10% of mentally ill Nigerians receive the attention they need,[2] because of the stigma associated with mental health that prevents many from seeking help. What is a stigma? Modern culture is widespread with persistent stereotypes. After they have been in place for a long amount of time, they may be difficult to deconstruct and overcome the obstacles they provide. A stigma is an unfavorable and sometimes unjust societal attitude toward a person or group that is based on a perceived weakness or difference in their lives. It is used to humiliate people and groups. Singular individuals or groups may stigmatize people who live in a specific manner, adhere to certain cultural standards, or embrace certain lifestyles, or suffer from medical conditions such as mental disorders. Mental health stigma It is commonly assumed that those who suffer from mental illnesses or who seek treatment for their emotional problems such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorder, may be worthless members of society. It is the feeling that others may perceive you with negativity because of your mental health issues especially from your family, friends, coworkers, and the community at large. It may keep individuals from receiving assistance, integrating into society, and enjoying happy and comfortable lives. Stereotypes are incorrect, derogatory, and insulting portrayals of whole groups of people. People may quickly judge others based on a few distinguishing traits that apply to everyone in that group. For example, depressed individuals are frequently characterized as lethargic, whereas anxious ones are cowardly. Many individuals dread being branded “crazy” for seeking therapy. None of these descriptions are accurate, yet they all inflict suffering and deter individuals from seeking assistance. The stereotype of individuals with mental illness is aggressive or dangerous. However, a minority of mentally ill individuals conduct violent actions. As a result, they are people we should be shielding rather than frightening. Why is mental health stigmatized? A person’s mental health condition may cause them to act in socially or culturally unacceptable ways. Widespread lack of knowledge, poor education, erroneous perceptions, and fear may all contribute to increased mental illness stigma. Effects of mental health stigma According to per Mental Health Foundation, almost 90% of those who have a mental illness faces stigma and discrimination. [3]. They further assert that those who suffer from mental illnesses are less likely to find work, form long-term relationships, live in good housing, and participate in social activities and organizations. Stigma towards people with mental illnesses may exacerbate symptoms and hinder recovery. Stigma may also discourage people from seeking assistance. Stigma isn’t always apparent or big. It may be found in the language used to describe mental illness or individuals living with it. Using harsh, insulting, or dismissive words may be distressing to hear. This may make individuals feel alone and that no one understands their situation.  How to overcome mental health stigma The bulk of stigma stems from misunderstanding and misguided fear. Therefore, public education is critical. When a friend, family member, or colleague has a mental illness, it’s essential to research trustworthy sources of information. Individuals with mental illnesses may actively participate in their therapy. They may also consider hiring an advocate if they feel stigmatized in daily life situations like work, housing, or healthcare.  “Can you tell me how you combat stigma?” Reduce the stigma of mental illness, embrace equality for physical and mental illness, promote compassion for individuals suffering from mental illness, foster empowerment, openly acknowledge treatment, and report on public displays of shame and self-stigma? What You Can Do to Help A great deal of discrimination and bias against people with mental illness still exists due to the way that they are often portrayed in the media, as well as the widespread lack of knowledge about mental health issues. Many people instead associate mental health problems with common stereotypes, such as the word “crazy” or “psycho.” People suffering from mental illness experience mental health stigma, which limits the number of people who seek treatment and the resources available for offering it. Stigma and misinformation may intimidate those who are dealing with mental health issues. What you can do to lend a hand: Individuals who are treated with respect and acceptance are better equipped to cope with their condition. Having people see you as a person rather than a patient may have a major impact on your mental health. It is essential that these people have the same rights and opportunities as the rest of your religious group, school, and community. Learning about mental health allows us to better assist others in our homes and communities. In 2019, WHO announced the WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health (2019-2023): Universal Health Coverage for Mental Health to help 100 million additional people in 12 priority countries receive excellent mental health treatment [4]. This is our collective voice. It seems like the characteristics we need to confront mental illness and stigma. Whatever you do to help the mental health movement, remember that mental illness is no one’s fault, regardless of what society thinks. Being and living Stigma-Free makes a difference. References: The Importance of Mental Health Awareness by Jean Holthaus, LISW, LMSW (2021). Website: https://www.pinerest.org/mental-health-awareness-blog/ Nigeria has a mental health problem by Socrates Mbamalu (2019). Website: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2019/10/2/nigeria-has-a-mental-health-problem What is mental health stigma? By Lois Zoppi (2020). Website: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/mental-health-stigma#effects https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/special-initiative-for-mental-health-(2019-2023)   Mrs. Jyoti Rajwar, is a Lecturer II in Skyline University Nigeria. She has MSc in Microbiology from G.B.Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, India. You can join the conversation on Facebook @SkylineUniversityNG and on Twitter @SkylineUNigeria

Merriam Webster dictionary defines a woman as an adult female human being. The roles of women in the society cannot be overemphasized (Ajayi, 2014). According to Kalu et al (2018) Nigerian women have been playing important roles in politics and in building the political structure of Nigeria. This can be exemplified by the activities of some women in pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial Nigeria. In no particular order, notable personalities among these women include Olufunmilayo Kuti, Madam Tinubu, Margaret Ekpo, Queen Amina, Prof Adetoun Ogunseye, Prof. Grace Alele Williams, Ladi Kwali, Mariam Babangida, Prof. Dora Akunyuli, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala among several others. The enormous roles played by women at the home front is so important to the survival of the society as women contribute in no small measure to the socialization of newborn and other members of the society (Ajayi, 2014). They also play economic roles which involve trading and managing resources available at home for the family. In addition, women instill religious values in members of the family. Besides the traditional roles of women which involve procreation and rearing of children, cooking and housekeeping; in recent times, the roles of women cut across all spheres of endeavors such that it is now difficult to have a clear-cut distinction between the roles of men and women. Today, women are found in careers that used to be reserved exclusively for men. This brought about a lot of challenges and role conflict which calls for attention. For instance, women in contemporary times have to play the role of a wife, mother and career woman at the same time. Unfortunately, some of the services offered by women are unpaid. No one pays a woman for cooking for the family, for babysitting, or washing clothes of family members. It is a general assumption that such duties belong to women especially wives and mothers. Yet, the same woman who does household chores is expected to resume work and close at the same time as her male counterparts. The same woman is expected to carry pregnancy all through the nine months gestation period and meet the target of the organization that employed her. Conversely, this same woman is seen by most African societies as a second-class citizen who should be humble and subservient to her husband and the male folks. This indeed is the dilemma of women in Nigeria and African societies. Preference for male children and the humiliating treatment of widows among other challenges such as genital mutilation, forced marriage, underage marriage and in recent years kidnapping, abduction and forceful conversion of girls or women to another religion against their wish by terrorist groups coupled with denial of opportunity for western education has become an Albatross around the neck militating against the wellbeing of women in some parts of Africa. The clarion call is on all and sundry to recognize the fact that all men and women are created equal as noted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and also documented in America’s Declaration of independence. No man or woman should be subservient to another. We can easily surmount the challenges facing women today if we are ready to put all hands on deck for the emancipation and liberation of women. References Ajayi, O.A (2014). Contemporary challenges in roles of women and students’ academic performances in Ilorin South L.G.A. Kwara State. A PGDE Dissertation submitted to National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Eighty Years and More: Reminiscences 1815-1897 (NY: Schocken Books, 1971; reprinted from T. Fisher Unwin edition, 1898), p. 20. Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Collections of the Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/item/2004670381/) https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/-all-men-and-women-are-created-equal-the-life-of-elizabeth-cady-stanton.htm Kalu, K. Yacob-Haliso, O., Falola, T (2018). Youth and Big Men Politics Ngozi Nwogwugwu Africa‟s Big Men London: Routledge. 136-155. Merriam Webster Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woman   Dr. Ajayi, O.A is a Lecturer1 at the School of Art, Management and Social Science, Skyline University Nigeria (SUN). He has completed his PhD in Sociology at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. . You can join the conversation on Facebook @SkylineUniversityNG and on Twitter @SkylineUNigeria

Change is the law of nature and the latest technological advancements have influenced all walks of life. Transformation occurs rapidly and we should all update our skills regularly to be able to handle day-to-day activities in our jobs. Today, everyone must have a basic understanding of the latest technology. We should all know how it affects various activities so that we can adapt and use these technologies for better decision-making and increasing productivity. Artificial Intelligence, along with other emerging technologies, will play a key role in the future and will eventually replace many existing jobs with new ones. To address this issue all higher educational institutions across the world have the responsibility of sensitize and train students on the emerging technologies that will disrupt the way organizations are going to perform in the future.  In addition to technological skills, we have to train students on how to handle uncertainty and manage risks of the future. The concept of happiness, and how to be happy with an ethical bent of mind, is essential. The need of the hour is for students to be taught about the importance of mindfulness. There are many definitions given by researchers for mindfulness. According to Epstein (2003) “mindfulness means paying attention, on purpose, to one’s thoughts, feelings and judgments… it is the practice of being fully present in our attention to where we are, what we are doing and what is happening at the moment”. Mindfulness comprises of three components namely conscientiousness which focusses on here and how (Dane 2011), the mind is focused on “here and now” what it focused on includes internal and external stimuli in equal measure (Brown & Rayan, 2003, Dane 2011: Glomb et al., 2011) and open acceptance of experiences, “without imposing judgments, memories or other self-relevant cognitive manipulations on them” (Glomb et al., 2011). All higher educational institutions should have at least one course on emerging technologies and other courses on developing core life skills and happiness. In the latter, students should be trained on the importance of goal setting, maintaining good interpersonal skills, the importance of sustainability, having an ethical bent of mind. Further focus should be placed on mindfulness in not only taking decisions correctly and managing emotions but also gaining satisfaction with life (Pradhan & Ajithkumar, 2019). Students who have a good grasp of core life skills and have a good understanding of happiness will be successful in their careers. These skills will help students to handle uncertainty and risks in the workplace in this COVID era. The current pandemic has made all of us realize the importance of focusing on the health and wellbeing of all stakeholders in an organization and this should be part of core life skills. These skills should be developed by activities and experiential learning by giving projects, playing simulations etc. so that students are engaged. This, in turn, will help them to develop and apply these skills in future contexts.  References: Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of personality and social psychology, 84(4), 822. Dane, E. (2011). Paying attention to mindfulness and its effects on task performance in the workplace. Journal of management, 37(4), 997-1018. Epstein, R. M. (2003). Mindful practice in action (II): Cultivating habits of mind. Families, Systems, & Health, 21(1), 11. Glomb, T. M., Duffy, M. K., Bono, J. E., & Yang, T. (2011). Mindfulness at work. In Research in personnel and human resources management. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Pradhan, S., & Ajithkumar, V. V. (2019). A Study of the Effect of Vipassana Meditation Practices on Employees’ Satisfaction with Life. International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management, 5(3-4), 481-499.   Professor Ajith Kumar V.V is the sitting Vice-Chancellor of Skyline University Nigeria (SUN) . He has completed his PhD in the area of Human Resource Management from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. You can join the conversation on Facebook @SkylineUniversityNG and on Twitter @SkylineUNigeria

Overview of Management Consultancy Management consultancy is the process of offering professional, expert services and support to organizations in a way that helps them to establish performance standards or improve performance outcomes (Srinivasan, 2014). Iornem (2019) notes that every organization, large or small needs this professional advice to boost their performance and wield a better competitive advantage. Palpably, by proving businesses and organizations with solutions to various challenges, management consultants also receive enormous professional and experts rewards. A senior management consultant in this sector for instance stands the opportunity to earn as much as one million US dollars per annum in the US. Meanwhile international management consulting and auditing firms like McKinsey & Company, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC make or have made over fifteen billion US dollars in revenue (See Consulting.com, 2019).  To build and nurture a career in management consultancy encompasses the combination of training and experience over time, which builds the competence required. Allen (2021) also notes that to succeed as a management consultant, intellectual, communication, leadership, and technical competencies are required. This follows the pattern of structural planning, execution, assessment and reassessment of strategies that must be consistently reviewed to match set goals (Iornem, 2019). Following this pattern circumspectly, will enhance the accomplishment of the individual amongst other benefits (Seema and Sujatha, 2013). Allen (2021) thus adds that successful management consultants are strategic thinkers, who provide specialized and strategic counsel to businesses and firms in areas such as organization design, mergers, operations, finance, governance, risk management, human resource, ICT etc. Similarly, as with other professional career jobs, a career in management consultancy begins from the entry position to the managerial cadre. The entry-level position is usually called the business analyst position which requires the analyst to have an undergraduate degree in business management, economics, or accounting. The experience requirement is low and sometimes not necessary. The second stage is the management consultant cadre itself which now requires a good number of years of experience, with additional professional qualifications and certifications.  The third stage is the senior management consultant cadre which requires one to possess a postgraduate degree such as an MBA, MSc, or MA. In addition to six or more consulting years of cognate experience (see Forbes, 2021). The fourth career stage is the peak called the principal consultant or managing partner. This level requires one to possess a postgraduate degree and ten or more years of cognate experience. It is important to note that this progression depends on the individual ability, zeal and enthusiasm towards developing the requisite skills and competencies (Pavulens, 2015; Seema and Sujatha, 2013).  Management Consultancy in Nigeria Nigeria holds enormous prospects for investments in various sectors including education, renewable energy, hospitality, health and pharmaceuticals, etc some of which are presently lacking both local and foreign direct investment (Deloitte, 2018). Worst still the economy is heavily dependent on the crude-oil sector thus causing so many injuries to it due to crashes in world oil prices. Indigenous invests lack a solid comprehension of appropriate strategies, methods and models to drive their businesses (Bala, 2003; Ogar et al., 2018). Many investors have great business ideas that can be translated into huge profitable ventures but they do not have the wherewithal in technical, entrepreneurial and managerial skills and expertise (Srinivasan, 2014). Meanwhile, a lot of others, have no or little strategies and competence to pilot their firms to a competitive growth -stage. On the part of businesses that have fully grown and even become internationalized, there is sometimes the need to either sublet part of their management to consultants from time to time, or employ the professional services of management consultants. This gap has created a large market opportunity for management consulting firms in Nigeria. In 2014, the worth of the African Management Consulting sub-sector was estimated to be over US$1.5 billion with a growth rate of 5-9 percent (Consultancy. UK, 2014). In these same statistics, West-Africa led by Nigeria dominated the market share with nearly 90 percent and a 26percent growth rate. Nigeria’s management consulting sector is diverse, consisting of a wide range of consulting firms that comprise international strategy and technology firms like International Business Machines – IBM and Accenture. Others are mega accounting, auditing and tax expert firms such as PwC, Deloitte and KPMG alongside niche firms such as Novatia Consulting and Philips Consulting, etc (Nigerian Infopedia 2019). Despite that Nigeria has a number of global giants in the management consulting industry, the number of firms and qualified personnel in this sector is below the national demand for management consultants. The major actors in this sector tend to pay more attention to large business organizations, and MDAs (government, ministries, departments and agencies). Therefore, they tend to neglect the micro, small and medium firms and start-up businesses that can be served by younger and smaller consulting firms (Ogar et al. 2018). The customer base in this sector thus, comprises public, private and government sectors with entrepreneurs and business owners who are normally dissatisfied with their current performance. These clients are probably running or owning businesses that are worth between a thousand US dollars and over five billion US dollars, with business growth rates ranging from less than one percent to over ten percent.  Challenges in this Sector The main bottlenecks being faced by management consultants and the firms in this sector in Nigeria is the uncertain business and economic environment that is being caused by worsening harsh economic realities facing Nigeria. Covid-19 pandemic has had a strong negative toll on many economies of the world but Nigeria’s case has been worsened by poor foreign exchange earnings from oil. The crash in global oil price drove Nigeria’s economy into a year-long recession in 2016 resulting in the winding up of many SMEs and heavy layoff of workers by large firms (IMF, 2018; Ugwuanyi and Obiekwe, 2017; Shafiu, 2018).  Despite the recovery in 2018 and 2019, the economic and business environment remained uncertain and then worsened by the sudden hit of the covid-19 pandemic. Currently, there is cut-throat competition