Entertainment
Revisiting Beaches Of Rivers
A beach is defined as a
land form along the coast of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It is naturally made, only weaned by men, it serves as a get away from the hassles and bustles of life. A day in a beach will definitely make an indelible impression in the mind of the Tourist or visitor.
Nigeria is a country of 36 states with over 30 beaches across the different states, some of these beaches are found in Rivers State such as the Port Harcourt tourist beach, Ifoko beach and Yowik’s beach among others.
Port Harcourt Tourist Beach
The Port Harcourt Tourist beach is located on an artificial sand beach along the Kolabi Creek East of the old Port Harcourt township. It is the only man- made beach in the stunning city created in 1988. The designers of the beach created a serene environment for tourists and visitors to the beach to enable them enjoy the white sands and waves. They can also have a picnick on the sand and then take a walk through the hiking traits.
One of the big attractions of this beach is that it is right on the edge of the city. After a day at the beach, the weary traveller can have a dinner at any of the numerous restaurants and hotels as well as enjoy the city’s wonderful night life.
The Port Harcourt tourist beach has also played host to numerous tourists and visitors from different parts of the world who visited the place in the past, particularly during the annual cultural fiesta of the state popularly known as CARNIRIV, to watch the glamorous and exciting boat regatta organized by the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA).
The Port Harcourt tourist beach which once upon a time was the tourist’s destination has gradually lost its past charm and pride of place due to the dilapidated infrastructure, lack of modern facilities and poor sanitary condition among others. This poor state of the tourist beach has led to loss of patronage and revenue for the state.
The staff of the tourist beach are demoralized as a result of lack of motivation and non- payment of their salary arrears. The place needs to be revisited in order to improve on the structures and other facilities that once made the beach one of the most attractive tourist beaches in Nigeria and attracted increased number of tourists and other classes of visitors annually as well as provided huge sums of revenue to the state government. The Port Harcourt tourist beach deserves to reclaim its lost glory.
Ifoko Beach
This is another popular beach in Rivers State. Unlike the tourist beach, this one is not man- made, it stands as one of the best beaches in one of the best beaches the state. It is well maintained by local residents. The local fishermen depend on the sea for their livelihood.
The rain forest borders the shore line, tourists can enjoy freshly caught sea food from any of the local restaurants. After a pleasant launch, the visitor can take a walk along the shore and enjoy the exotic scenery.
It was gathered that it is not uncommon to catch sight of a whale when walking down the shore line visitors can also take advantage of the natural trails to see the wild life living on the rain forest. Despite the local efforts to maintain the beach, government needs to improve on it and make it more attractive to the visitors and tourists.
Yowik’s Beach
The Yowik’s beach in Kono, Khana local government area of Rivers State is among the private beaches in the state. People looking for privacy and quiet time can find it at a private beach. These resort beaches are popular among honeymooners looking for the enjoyment of a beach and the privacy of a hotel.
These private resorts are typically inhabited by expatriates and tend to have western style accommodation and lifestyle. It is on record that the white sand beaches of Rivers State are considered some of the most attractive and well maintained shore lines in Africa.
…Additional reports from Naija .
Spotify yesterday revealed a significant surge in heartbreak song streams in Nigeria during the Valentine’s Day season, with a 626 percent increase between 2022 and 2024.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Lagos, Nigeria by Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa Phiona Okumu.
Okumu said, “Spotify data reveals a surprising trend, a massive surge in heartbreak song streams.
“Nigerians are turning to their playlists to express their emotions, with a staggering 626 per cent overall growth in heartbreak streams from 2022 to 2024.
“This Valentine, the sound of love is accompanied by the sound of heartbreak, and the data shows it’s louder than ever before.”
She said on Valentine’s Day, most surprisingly, male listeners streamed heartbreak songs at a significantly higher rate than female listeners, with a 362 per cent increase compared to 169 per cent among women.
“This could suggest that men resonate with the feeling of heartbreak more and turn to music as a private outlet for processing emotions.
“Whatever the reason, one thing is clear, when love is in the air, so is heartbreak and Nigerian men are pressing play on their pain more than expected.
“While Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with grand gestures, heartbreak is a common theme on Valentine’s Day -more than what’s publicly shown,” she said.
Nigerians will join their counterparts across the world to mark the 2025 Valentine’s today.
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has joined MLS side San Diego FC’s ownership group as a club partner.
SDFC announced today that Tems joined the ownership group through her company, The Leading Vibe.
In the process, Tems became the first African woman to be involved in MLS ownership.
“We are delighted that Tems has joined San Diego FC as a club partner,” SDFC chairman Sir Mohamed Mansour said in a statement.
“Tems is a globally significant artist who will help us reach new audiences and spread the word about our unique project, which, of course, has its foundations in sub-Saharan Africa through the unique Right to Dream organisation.”
Reacting to her addition as the latest partner in SDFC’s ownership group, the singer said: “I am thrilled to join San Diego FC’s ownership group and to be part of a club that celebrates creativity, culture, and the power of community.
“Football has a unique way of bringing people together, and I am excited to help build something special in San Diego, a city that thrives on diversity and innovation.”
Fashion and beauty entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani, has claimed she is enduring back pain and that her spine is degenerating.
Lawani revealed this in a video posted on social media last Tuesday.
In the clip, she opened up about her experience with epidural anesthesia, an injection administered to pregnant women in the spine to reduce pain during childbirth.
The mother of three claimed that since receiving the injection, she has not felt like herself.
She accused doctors of not fully informing women about the long-term side effects of epidurals.
According to Lawani, she received the anesthetic injection during the birth of her last two children.
She said, “When you hear ‘epidural,’ run. Doctors tell you about the side effects but do not tell you about the long-term effects on your body. I have about three friends having the same issues that I am having.
“Like, I am just 42, how did I end up with spine issues? I have a degenerating spine. I have implants in my spine. I go paralyzed. I can’t stand for a long time. I can’t even breathe properly sometimes because it affected so many things in my body when I had the surgery.
“They will not tell you because you just want the pain to go away. I have had two epidurals. I had my first as natural birth. The last two were epidural. The last one I had epidural because I had to undergo a surgery and I had no choice.
“See, the pain does not stop. My back is killing me and my spine is degenerating.”