Photo: Oge Okoye At The Airport Leaving For Lagos Yesterday

cute!

 

Julius Aghahowa's 11 year old daughter makes Nollywood debut

Former Super Eagles player Julius Aghahowa's 11 year old daughter, Isabelle Aghahowa has made her acting debut in Nollywood, playing the role of identical twins separated at birth and given to two different mothers in Uche Jombo's new movie 'Unconditional'. Isabelle plays the dual role of Dakore's daughter and Uche Jombo's daughter in the movie. More pics when you continue..

Get Well Soon Dencia

The Cameroon-Nigerian singer has been on admission for about a week now due to an undisclosed illness. She is looking almost unrecognizable in this pic below of her in a hospital bed which she Istagrammed some hours ago and she claims she is getting better now...which gives us a sigh of relief.

 

All the same, get well soon!

Obasanjo confessed to me that Daniel insulted him –Segun Osoba

Segun Osoba

 

Segun Osoba, a veteran journalist and former governor of Ogun State in this interview with JULIET BUMAH and ADEOLA BALOGUN, shares his experience

Why did you choose to have a very quiet birthday this year, what informed that?

I have always had quiet birthdays. I believe that a day like one’s birthday should be celebrated in very sober and reflective mood and one should do intimate thanksgiving to God. Within the Osoba family, we don’t fancy flamboyant birthday celebration; it has become part of our family tradition. This year is even different; I normally travel out of the country. This is one of the few birthdays I have celebrated in Nigeria. It happened that I had an annual general meeting in Abuja which I attended on that day. That was why I came back from the UK a few days to my birthday. Otherwise I usually stay out. It is my philosophy; even when my wife was 60, we had just a family gathering few years ago.

 Probably you want to be around too because of the APC.

Not at all.  We have filed our registration papers; all what we are waiting for is INEC final decision which I expect will be positive. My being around has nothing to do with the All Progressive Congress registration exercise. If APC that has not been registered has been causing much uproar in the polity, what then happens after it is registered?

Politics is about agitation, intrigues, back biting; when all is quiet, it is not politics. There is nothing wrong in sudden awareness about the APC registration. When you look at the calibre of people and the background of those of us progressives who are in the APC too, we are bound to create very heavy reaction. It should not be too surprising.

But some people have described APC as coming together of strange bedfellows, do you agree with that?

No, not all. If you look at the pattern of election winning in the country, you will find that those of us who have progressive background either in Action Group, PRP, NEPU, NCNC, they are the type people now in APC. A lot of us were involved in Social Democratic Party which Babangida described as a little to the left party. We are trying to reenergise and re-enact the SDP days; we are not strange bedfellows at all. We know ourselves very well.

But there is this talk that the sole aim of people coming together to form the APC is to wrestle power from the Peoples Democratic Party in 2015 and thereafter, go back to the trenches fighting.

Definitely not; we are not out solely to wrestle power. It has nothing to do with 2015 election. If we come together just for only one agenda, I agree with you, that will scatter us. We believe firmly and convincingly that two strong parties that can act as alternative to each other is better for the healthy development of this country. If you look at those developed countries, for example, in Britain, we have two major parties. The idea is to come together to form a viable alternative to government, not necessarily an opposition party. Anybody who says we are there solely to wrestle power is not well informed. We are not just to wrestle power but we want to change the situation in this country. I am sure you know that very many people are not happy. We have had just one party in power for 14 years, is it possible to wear the same dress for 14 years? You would be bored.

But they have said they will remain in power for about 60 years.

Then let them say so but we want to prove to them that the rest of the country, we are not slaves and we don’t believe in one party system. If there is just one party system in the country, things will just pack up.

But PDP boasts that it is the only party with a national outlook, is that why APC is gathering people from all parts of the country to have a national outlook too?

The PDP is national only to the extent that they want to share the national cake. What is bonding them together is the sharing of the national cake. If you look at those of us in APC, we are people who have been tested in our respective endeavours and in the political terrain of this country. The merger partners, the ANPP, CPC and ACN, they are well tested. And when you say national, what makes you think that ACN is not national? We came second in Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, Kwara, Taraba and Benue, how much do you want us to be national? I don’t agree that PDP is the only national party, no.

During your days as a journalist, you were a powerful dresser and had gadgets most of your colleagues could not afford; how were you able to fund that?

You are right. In my days, it was very uncommon; for example I had a special Vespa motorcycle which by then was like having a car. Among my colleagues, I was the only one who had that means of mobility and transportation. Secondly, I was the only reporter who had a telephone. At that time, you could count the number of people who had telephones in their homes in Lagos. Telephone then was very elitist but because I believed in communication and ability to move around as a reporter, that’s why I invested in those things. My colleagues were making jest of me that I was just being elitist but eventually that telephone became a very important tool with which I reached people and people reached me. Major stories came to me via the phone which many of my colleagues didn’t have advantage of. It’s just that I was lucky that God gave me that grace to look at tools that would be of use to me in my reportorial life.

How much were you paid then for you to afford that?

Again, that is important. At that time, I was getting so much funds from my employer. There was what we called ‘swindling sheet’; you made claims about your movement every week. Alhaji Ajose would pay us every Friday and he had a way of approving the transport claims. Transport claim is what it  was called officially but we nicknamed it swindling sheet because we were swindling a little bit to get money; you would say if you were leaving Kakawa, you broke the journey into segments and itemise how much each cost. That was one source of funding. I hardly spent my money on drinks or smoking because I have never taken alcohol in my life nor smoked. Secondly, Alhaji Jose had a system, when you did a good story, you were given a bonus and because I was mobile, I was regularly getting more bonuses. In fact, what I got as bonus was more than my salary at times. Those are the systems I used in having advantage over my colleagues. Hard work, mobility and communication, all are very vital for a successful reporter. I have always been a hyper active person, even in my secondary school days. I was so mobile that I could go round the entire Lagos within a short time because I had a bicycle then. Bicycle then for somebody in secondary school was also a luxury. I was always very active socially, coordinating different social activities. I started with a Mobilet soon after I left secondary school before I had the Vespa.

How wealthy were your parents to be able to afford the seemingly luxury lifestyle then?

My parents were not rich; my father was a humble person living in Osogbo.  From my own resourcefulness, I could afford those things you call luxury.

Who influenced you into going to journalism?

In my secondary school days at Methodist Boys High School, we had a magazine called Magnet. Even before I left school, I had been writing letters to the editor. I had this unconscious practice of journalism in my blood right from school.

Even with all the gadgets available to modern day reporters, they still grapple with some challenges, how did you handle news break for example?

In our days, we didn’t have Internet, GSM or television channels like CNN, Aljazeera or BBC. What we had then was just the BBC radio and sometimes, you had to go to Marina to have a good reception. I remember the day Nixon resigned as president of the US, Idowu Sobowale and I had to take a radio across the Marina in Kakawa to be able to get a good reception at about 3am which was 9am in America, to record Nixon’s speech over the VOA. But we were dedicated, committed and determined which gave us the push, but most   modern day journalists don’t have these attributes.

People still refer to great breaking news when your name is being mentioned but didn’t your editor feel you stabbed him in the back with the coup story which you did in collaboration with Alhaji Jose?

He has just granted an interview last week which I will reply now even though I can not exhaust it here. He was careless; he dismissed the editorial staff on the day of the coup. He called a meeting and told them that there was a curfew and so everybody should close down and go home which was borne out of inexperience of not being a well grounded reporter before being made an editor. I don’t know any newspaper that would close down on the day of a coup. I came to the office and found nobody and I had no choice than to find Alhaji Jose who doubled as chairman, editorial director and editor in chief. He never gave up the editorial control of the newspapers and we all had direct access to him. Every Monday, we had editorial meetings with Alhaji Jose as chairman through which he directed the editorial policy of the papers, so all these stories of backstabbing are nothing. He said I was a lap dog of Alhaji Jose, that I didn’t know my right from my left but I went to Herald to prove myself and from Herald, I moved to Sketch to reinforce my ability and then returned to Daily Times to show that it is inborn in me. I thank Alhaji Jose for giving me the opportunity, the talent was there but some people bury their own talent like the Bible says.

Before Mr Oyebola the editor dismissed the editorial staff, had it ever happened in the history of the paper to close down for a day?

That is part of the inexperience I am talking about. During the civil war, I used to sleep in the office as night reporter and we used to take turns because the federal troops would not announce their advance or capture of anywhere until in the night. Even during the civil war, we kept the office open throughout 24 hours. I just gave you the example of the Dixon story now, Idowu Sobowale and I voluntarily decided to stay back and we were the only newspaper that had the story the following day because the story came about 3 am. The day Dick Tiger fought in the US, the same thing happened, Sobowale and I stayed back on our own because you have to have it in your blood. Apart from the discovery of Tafawa Balewa’s body story that people cite so much, there were greater stories. Take for instance the day Dimka was caught in Enugu, I was there as general manager of the Herald, I threw my jacket away and became a reporter and I reported directly to Ilorin on radio. We are the only paper who had the story of the capture of  Dimka and that was the beginning of the success story of the paper. Take the case of Alhaji Abdurrahman Shugaba when he was physically taken and thrown across the border, I was reporting directly even though I was the managing director of the Sketch. I can keep telling you other bigger stories that shook the country. When Dimka was caught, from smuggling myself into the office of the commissioner of police in Enugu, late Alhaji Kafar Tinubu, the story I got from Dimka that day, for the next 10 days, I was writing different aspects of them as lead stories for the Herald. The reporter in me went with me everywhere.

During the curfew, were you not afraid for your life?

Again, during the war, there was curfew everyday and there was no intercity movement but we were breaking the curfew. We used to go to Ibadan for Havana Night and other parties by just taking copies of the first edition and at every checkpoint, you hand over a copy to the soldiers and they allowed you easy passage. Then too, newspaper vehicles were exempted from the curfew. You can not buy experience; you gather it, you mature with it and use it when it should be used. Those experiences of moving about during the civil war freely when there was curfew and the means of going round I had acquired. I covered the war and if you look at General Alabi Isama’s book, you will see my picture in military uniform because then, you were made to wear the uniform for them to identify you as part of them rather than getting shot. Christian Amanpour  may not wear it now but we were made to wear it. I was in the warfront and I learnt the culture of the military, that when you get to a point, you must raise your arms and the military men would say who goes there. You then identify yourself and they then say advance to be recognised and you move forward with few steps with your arms up, then you relax. This also is gained from experience and this is what Oyebola didn’t have and you can’t blame me for having it.

But people still link the crisis in Daily Times with the editorial changes Alhaji Jose made as a result of your coup story.

No, nobody blamed him. Don’t you make editorial changes in your organisation? It is a normal thing in any newspaper house.

 So, if you were asked to talk about the crisis in Daily Times, what would you say?

 Over- ambition.  Alhaji Jose pampered us; he gave us official cars, drivers, paid school fees of your children up to four, supplied drinks to our house every two weeks to ensure that you could devote all your energy to the job. Then it got into our heads and we thought we were super humans and the end of it was disastrous to so many.

How did you manage Sketch when the owner states belonged to different political parties?

That was another experience for me. For our political stories, we divided the paper into two and give every member their space or if the story is not political, we turned it into three sections; banner headline to the story of the day and the other sections to contending forces. That is another experience of life; to be able to manage a newspaper under contending and irreconcilable publishers.

Even at Daily Times, how did you manage to resist the military officers who would want to control the editorial policy of the paper as government paper?

Before daily Times, I had had running battle with Brigadier General George Inih in Kwara where he wanted to interfere frontally and actually wanted to edit the Herald. One must admit, no newspaper in the world is totally independent. Even abroad, if a Jew is the publisher of a newspaper, you dare not go against the interest of Israel. We as journalists must live within the editorial policy of the newspapers and the interest of the publishers. In Daily Times, yes, the military was in power but you must also devise a means of mirroring the opinion of the leaders and you must reflect what they want to read. You are not really the one in total control; the ability to gauge the interest of the reader is what makes you a successful editor. What an average reader wants to read, that is the decision you make everyday and you start it on the front page. So under military, we knew what they wanted and we also gave the reader what they wanted and we were able to sell the paper.

What would you look for when you want to pick an editor between someone with 20 years of experience on the field and another with just five years?

I would look for merit in terms of ability, performance and exposure in addition to years of practical experience. Five years is enough for anybody to be editor. In my days, we went through the rudiments. I started as a reporter taking up the police reports. The police was better organised during my time. Every morning, you got the police report and writing stories out of it. Then it was petty stories not armed robbery. Then following that, you graduated to covering courts and by the time you went through this, you went to the parliament and political stories. All this gives you experience. As a good editor or a journalist, you must know something about everything and everything about something. That means you must specialise in something and have a broad base education. Sam Amuka is one good example; he is still practising at 78 because it is in his blood. To be an editor, minimum of five years with wide exposure in different departments and sections of journalistic career but most important, it is good to have been a good reporter. You must be somebody who has nose for news.

You always describe yourself as a reporter, why did you then leave for politics?

Because one must know when to call it quits. Within my few months in Daily Times, Peter Enahoro wrote a commendation letter which I still keep that if I continued the way I was working in the first three months, he predicted that I would get to the top which happened so rapidly. The paper I first edited was Lagos Weekend, then Sunday Times and then Daily Times and then I moved to management in Herald, in Sketch and then back to Daily Times where I started from. The day it was 25 years that I joined Daily Times was the day I decided to quit because you can’t be all knowing. There was nothing else for me to prove again and that was why I went into politics. God gave me to see it all, to be a success in all the papers I handled. I am the only Nigerian who had the rare opportunity of managing three major newspapers successfully. But essentially, I am a reporter even till date. What I enjoy most is reporting. The day I was taken out of reporting and made editor of Lagos Weekend, I wept. I had been a reporter all my life and I didn’t know anything about production. It was the late Victor Dorgu who was a sub editor, that taught me how to plan a page. I was so mobile and too restless to be put on a desk.  I adjusted and I thank God I made a success of it. Today, without being a publisher, I am still as influential as any publisher in the media. If I see a good story, I still call somebody like Gbenga Adefaye and say Gbenga, I have a story for you. Till tomorrow, my hand luggage is loaded with newspapers and magazines whenever I travel. I still deliver foreign newspapers and magazines to Sam Amuka for example. It is in my blood and I will die a journalist. I am sure if I go to heaven I will be a reporter. Akinfeleye said in heaven, there will be no other profession except information dissemination.

People still say you lost your second term as governor simply because you took it for granted that they would vote for you.

People are not practical. I was governor 1992-93 and after a six-year interregnum, I became governor again. So I am not a neophyte in politics. I didn’t lose election; you knew what happened and that is another story. Obasanjo just decided to do what he wanted to do, that is all. If I was that careless, how would I be able to get back the same office six years after? I am the only one who achieved that. Go back to Ogun State, the roads that I did are still there and many of my performances. My performance between 1999 and 2003 is still a reference point as governor.  In one day in Ijebu North East, I commissioned electricity projects in 17 towns. If I had lost election, how come I was able to reclaim Ogun State with a team that I led in 2011? That was eight years after I was governor. Obasanjo and Daniel lost their polling booths, what else do I want to prove?

Have you and Obasanjo made up now?

I am a Christian, I can forgive but I can never forget. Obasanjo himself knows; he and I had got a chance to talk, I told him you got us out, those you brought, what did you get? He admitted; he said he got insult upon insult. I told him he had never been so abused in his life. He said we had better upbringing and I asked him whether he just realised that. The day we had eighth day prayer for Lam Adesina, he came there and that was the first time we had time to talk about it in the presence of Arisekola, Ajimobi, the wives of Lagos and  Ekiti state governors. I told him that you rigged us out, what did you gain? He said we had better training and culture than those he put there.

When Gbenga Daniel was governor after you, you stayed away from Ogun State, was it a self- imposed exile?

Self -imposed because both Obasanjo and Daniel were out to blame all their mistakes on me. You would recall that Daniel in 2003 claimed that I wanted to kill him and his wife. I faced the police who exonerated me, they wanted to make another Mbadinuju out of me. Obasanjo called me soon after that Daniel complained that I was monitoring his movement through the radio network that I stole from the Government House. And I told Obasanjo that since Daniel claimed to be an engineer, if he came to the office and discovered that someone had made away with a radio network, why didn’t he change its frequency? I said I was using radio when Daniel was still in primary school, he said he remembered. I said during Dimka’s coup when you were head of state, you were wondering how I was able to get the story from Enugu to Ilorin. I said the two of you, I don’t know the kind of engineers you claim you are. So, they were roping all kinds of things and criminal allegations against me.

Even in Ogun State, there is this talk of Osoba camp and Amosun camp, why?

I never  had egoistic philosophy; I never had Osoba Vanguard, or Mandate or Group, never,  and I have been telling those who are saying Osoba Group that there is a party. There is nothing like Osoba Group in Ogun State. People ask me why didn’t I throw my hat into Ogun State politics, I tell them that an elder must have self respect. People don’t learn from other people’s experience. I don’t want to end up like Obasanjo who didn’t know when to stay back and be consulted. You can see how all kinds of people are bashing him all about. When you get to certain level, you must learn how to restrain yourself. An elder must learn how to control his outburst. A man who has been president for an unprecedented three times should be heard sparingly. Mandela had just one term in South Africa and left, have you ever heard him making outbursts all over the place.

With your experience in both journalism and politics, how do you see 2015 election?

Nothing will happen other than major political war which is normal; I don’t know why people are apprehensive. There will be major political verbal war, brickbats, scandals and mudslinging. What is wrong with that? All I know is that nobody would dare tamper or rig election in 2015; that will be disastrous for this country. But I know Professor Jega, who was an activist in ASUU and a member of NADECO, would know how to do right.

 You had a very busy time, how were you able to have a stable home? Who made it happen?

I would give the credit to my wife. The in-thing during my first time as governor was Better Life for Rural Women and my wife said she would prefer a better home. She was in Lagos taking care of the children and I don’t think they slept in Abeokuta for more than three or four times when I was first governor. While I was a journalist; she was with the children in Lagos. On my own part, I had self discipline and in spite of the glamour and advantages that I had, I tried to be a responsible husband, not that I am a saint but I thank God.

Jonathan is ungrateful –Gov Nyako •It’s Nyako who is ungrateful to President –Presidency

Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako

 

Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of ingratitude and unfairness.

He also accused the President of concentrating more on developing the South-South, while ignoring developmental problems in the rest of the country.

Specifically, the governor, expressed displeasure over the way he was being treated by the party in spite of the sacrifices he made to ensure the President’s victory during the PDP primaries and the 2011 presidential election.

However, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, said it was Nyako, who was being ungrateful and unfair to the President.

Speaking through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mallam Ahmad Sajo, the governor said he ensured the President’s success in 2011.

He said, “President Jonathan has been ungrateful to Governor Murtala Nyako.

“In the first instance, you should understand that during the nominations, Jonathan contested with a son of Adamawa State.

“If he (Jonathan) won Adamawa State, the governor swam against the tides. Immediately after that, they started sending him (the governor) text messages, calling him a kafir (infidel), dan wuta (hell bound son) and all that.

“They said he backed a Christian against Muslims; he went through all that humiliation.

“At the federal elections, Nuhu Ribadu is a son of Adamawa. Nyako worked for Jonathan to defeat Ribadu, another son of Adamawa in the general elections.

“How would they have expected to win Adamawa in a landslide? When after the defeat of Atiku, he was aggrieved, they did not pacify him.

“He came back here and moved all his acolytes into Labour Party, including the person they are using today as the so-called chairman of the PDP, who was the governorship candidate of the Labour Party.

“We also had Nuhu Ribadu, who is from this state. If for nothing, at least, he had brothers, sisters and other relatives to support him and yet, Jonathan won.

“It doesn’t matter whether he won convincingly or not, he won at the expense of sons and daughters of Adamawa.”

On his dispute with the National Headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party, Nyako said that the PDP was on a path of self-destruction.

He said, “What we are saying is that a political party is a free association of people of like minds.

“And there are always ground rules for running a political party. When you refuse to abide by the ground rules, you tend to destroy the association.

“What we are saying is that the rate the party is moving, it will surely kill itself.

“Don’t forget that in the past four months (March, April, June and July), they have set up different reconciliation committees but they have been unable to reconcile because of the bottom line. The party is not interested in protecting the rights of everybody.

“We are of the opinion that it is the impunity in the party that will kill it. When there was a bye-election in Adamawa State, the national secretariat sold just one form, is that democratic?

“When the national secretariat of the party decided to meddle in the affairs of the party in Adamawa State by their own mandate, the leadership of the so-called caretaker committee that they set up was supposed to just effect corrections at the state level.”

The governor expressed disappointment that the committee had destroyed the party from the ward to the state level, adding that the party leadership was responsible for the crisis in almost every state where such existed.

He also cited amendments to the PDP constitution, which conferred too much powers on the national chairman, as another sore point.

According to him, under the constitution, which was amended in 2012, members who are under suspension automatically lose their rights, including the right to contest elections.

He said, “They did that amendment in the 2012 constitution. The constitution says that 2/3 members of the National Executive Council can request for a NEC meeting and that the national chairman may call the NEC, which means it is at his discretion.

“This means members can call but he has the discretion to decide. Is that democratic for God’s sake?

“We are saying all these constitutional breeches, all the impunity, all this brigandage will eventually destroy the party.

“We are not wishing the party ill, all we are saying is if all the high handedness continues, it will eventually destroy the party. No free association or supposedly free people will succeed if the situation remains like that.”

Four northern governors, including Nyako, recently paid visits to three former Nigerian leaders – Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Ibrahim Babangida.

Others are:  Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and Sule Lamido (Jigawa).

One of them, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, also gave an insight into why they visited the former military rulers.

He said, “We have said it several times that everything is tilted towards the South-South. It is not a question of Kano, Niger, Sokoto or Adamawa or just the North.

“Everything is tilted towards the South-South, appointments, contracts are given to militants; the issue is beyond just Kano.

“The South-West, North-West, North-East, North-Central have all been marginalised. Only last week, they approved a contract of N4bn for the expansion of the Onne Port in Rivers State with just about N1bn to the power plant in Jebba.

“If you consider all the major ongoing projects in Nigeria today, they are based in the South-South.

“We are talking about the marginalisation of a greater portion of Nigeria; we are talking of injustice and unfairness.

“It is about saving democracy. In any case, what is the business of Rivers with any of these issues?  What we are concerned about is the consequences of what is happening in Rivers on democracy.”

In response, Gulak said it was the Adamawa State governor, who was an ingrate.

He said, “It is Nyako, who is ungrateful to Mr. President. He did not know how the PDP came about. He was in the opposition All Peoples Party when he was brought in and handed the ticket to become governor of Adamawa State.

“The party mobilised the people to vote for him. You can check the records, Nyako did not mobilise votes for the President, it was the other way round; so, what is he talking about?”

Also, the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, dismissed the allegations against him.

He said some of the governors had, by their actions and utterances, long left the party.

Through his Special Assistant (Media), Prince Oliver Okpala, the chairman said, “By their utterances and their behaviour, they have shown that they have actually joined the opposition in principle.

 “They shouldn’t be talking about the affairs of the PDP because they have shown that they are not interested in PDP, all they have been wishing the PDP is death. This is a party that brought them to political limelight. The PDP, just like democracy, will outlive all of us.”

Culled from Punch

SinzuSMG Shows Off His Latest Rides

 

 

 Nigerian rapper, Babalola Falemi, formerly known as Sauce Kid, now SinzuSMG  posted this picture on Instagram, showing off his latest cool rides. #Balling

Someone says that's some real shit drug money.
I no know about that one o. *lol*

Miley Cyrus POSES NUDE ... Covers Junk

It was only a matter of time -- Miley Cyrus went FULL NAKED for an artsy photo shoot ... but sorry pervs, it ain't exactly a Penthouse spread.

20-year-old Miley stripped down to her birthday suit for a Marc Jacobs t-shirt -- which is part of the designer's "Protect the Skin You're In" campaign to raise awareness for melanoma research.

Of course, the slogan is carefully placed over Miley's chest to cover her nipples ... and she uses her hand to hide her hooha. You can breathe easy, Billy Ray ...

Miley posted the image on her Twitter page -- along with the caption, "Ts are available at 9 Marc Jacobs boutiques including SanFran, LA, Chicago, New York, Boston, & Savannah GA!"

The shirts cost money ... but your imagination is free.

Why I Am Not Married - Jude Okoye

 

Here's what Jude Okoye, PSquare's elder brother and manager said in an interview with Bayo Adetu PMNews.

• Peter and Paul already have kids; and we all know their heartthrobs. Can you tell us the one in your life?

Why are you people always forcing me to come to the public? I don’t want to be a celebrity and I am not one of them. I don’t sing, dance or act.

I love where I am now (hiding myself) and if I love to do that, how do you expect me to introduce the lady I am dating? Back to your question, I have somebody, yes. That’s all.
Like I said, I have somebody but I won’t tell you her name.

• So, when are you kicking bachelorhood?

When I will kick bachelorhood, I will call you and my fans to come and eat and drink. Already, I have purchased the bell, when it’s time, I will ring it.

• Why is it taking so long, on a more serious note?

It’s taking so long because I am waiting for you people. Basically, why I am not yet married is that I don’t want to get married because I have all it takes to marry or because I am ripe. I want to get married and feel married so that I will be committed to my wife.

Omisore has nothing to offer – Aregbesola

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Monday said a former deputy governor of the state and Peoples Democratic Party stalwart, Chief Iyiola Omisore, had nothing to offer the people of the state.

Aregbesola’s comment came on the heels of Omisore’s criticism of his administration in Ile-Ife on Sunday.

Omisore, a former Senate Committee Chairman on Appropriation and PDP governorship aspirant in the 2014 poll in the state had challenged Aregbesola to an open debate, saying he possessed better credentials and capabilities than the governor.

However, the governor, who spoke through his Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Mr. Ajibola Basiru, on Monday, described Omisore as an “ordinary fellow, who has no authority to challenge him to a debate”.

He said, “Omisore should go and engage other aspirants of his party in a debate first. It is after winning his party’s ticket that he could think of engaging the governor in a debate.

“If he doesn’t, at this stage, know the rules of public engagement in governance, that shows the level of representation Osun had during PDP’s years of misrule.

“On what basis does he want to debate with the governor? What does he have to offer? What did he offer as deputy governor and senator? Osun cannot be drawn back by men of yesteryear anymore; Osun is on a progressive move.”

Faulting Omisore for saying the Federal Government had reimbursed Osun for some federal road projects constructed by the state government, Aregbesola challenged the PDP chief to produce evidence of such payment.

He said, “If it is that easy to get reimbursement from the Federal Government, why did the PDP-led administration, under Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s watch, leave Osun roads in disrepair for seven and a half years? Why didn’t the PDP tar Osun roads and go to the Federal Government for reimbursement?”

The governor restated his commitment to the development of the state, noting that the new infrastructure would fast-track socio-economic growth in the state.

First Lady's mother dies in crash!!!

Mrs. Patience Jonathan

THERE was anxiety in Port Harcourt on Monday as news of the death of Mrs. Iwari-Oba, the mother of the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience,  spread in the Rivers State capital.

The mother of Mrs. Jonathan was said to have been involved in a ghastly motor accident along Elele Road in Rivers State.

It was gathered that the woman, who is from Okrika Local Government Area, was on her way to Bayelsa State when the accident happened.

Unconfirmed report indicated that her corpse was taken to Kpaiyama Mortuary by a team of policemen and a member representing Ogu Bolo State Constituency, Mr. Evans Bipi, who is a relative to the deceased.

Though, the police and the Federal Road Safety Commission in the state could not confirm the incident, an aide to Bipi said the First Lady’s mother died in a road accident, which occurred at about 4pm.

Bipi’s aide, Mr. Fred Itobo, told The PUNCH that the President’s wife’s mother was involved in the accident while she was on her way to Bayelsa State.

“Yes! She was involved in an accident and she died. Her body has been taken to a mortuary. Bipi was among those who took her body to the mortuary,” Itobo said.

When contacted, the State Director of FRSC, Dr. Kayode Olagunju, declined comment on the matter, saying, “I cannot say anything on this matter now until I get full details.”

Though effort to get reactions from the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, proved futile, she had already told a journalist on the telephone that she had not been briefed on such crash.

Culled From Punch

Ondo senator weeps for endorsing under age girl marriage

The member representing Ondo Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, wept before members of his constituency in Akure on Monday as he apologised to them that he voted in error to support the senate resolution backing marriage of underage girls.

Akinyelure was summoned by his constituents to explain his role in the controversial passage of a resolution to retain the provision of Section 29 (4) (b) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that a married underage girl is deemed to be an adult.

Politicians, women groups and students had besieged the Adegbemile Hall, venue of the meeting, with placards to protest against what they described as the legalisation of sexual abuse of young girls, which their representative had supported.

But Akinyelure burst into tears as he laboured to convince the obviously enraged crowd at the tension-soaked session that he mistakenly pressed the wrong button during the electronic voting exercise thinking that he was voting against child marriage.

The Senator said he had aligned his thought with that of other senators, who supported the resolution that the provision should be expunged from the constitution.

He added that the resolution was paraphrased again in a way that confused him to mean that pressing the ‘No’ button would mean voting against the resolution that the resolution should be retained in the constitution.

He said, “I am very sorry for this costly mistake. I actually voted in error. I pressed the ‘No’ button during the electronic voting session, thinking that I was kicking against the early marriage. I can never support such barbaric and wicked bill.”

 

Culled from Punch

Miss Nigeria 2013 vs Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2013

Ezinne Akudo Anyaoha

 

Ezinne Akudo Anyaoha

 

23 year old Ezinne Akudo Anyaoha won the 2013 Miss Nigeria pageant on the 6th of July while 18 year old Anna Banner (pictured bottom) won the 2013 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant on Saturday July 20th. If these two queens were in the same pageant, who would win?

Forbes' 2013 list of highest earning US celebrities under 30

Forbes yesterday released their annual 'list of top-earning celebrities under 30' and Lady Gaga topped the list. Forbes calculated their earnings between June 2012 and June 2013. See the top 10 below...

1. Lady Gaga (age 27) $80 million
2. Justin Bieber (age 19) $58 million
3. Taylor Swift (age 23) $55 million
4. Calvin Harris (age 29) $46 million
5.Rihanna (age 25) $43 million
6. Katy Perry (age 28) $39 million
7. Jennifer Lawrence (age 22) $26 million
8. Adele (age 25) $25 million
9. Kristen Stewart (age 23) $22 million
10.Taylor Lautner (age 21) $22 million

Genevieve Nnaji Set To Wed?

When it was rumoured then that the screen goddess, Genevieve Nnaji was neck-deep in love with D’banj, not many people took it so serious since the two parties involved have denied it on different occasions.

And fans of the renowned thespian know that their delectable actress will not hide her love from the public glare.

Recently, it has been rumored that the mother of one seems to have found something of interest in the Ghana based half caste, Mathew Mensah and she seems to be happy with it.

Genevieve is allegedly having something amorous to do with the handsome Mathew as they both have become an item in recent times.

Genevieve, according to a reliable source, was said to have confessed that the dude is a special friend but people close to them have reported that there is more to their friendship than what they both reflect to the public.

Mathew, a source told us, has become the only topic Genny discusses on daily basis and also, they say, her 33rd birthday was put together by the businessman who has strong passion for entertainment and is ready to invest in it now that he’s set to have one as a spouse.

“There is a high possibility that Genevieve may end up in Mathew Mensah’s house before the end of this year, possibly, December” a close source revealed!

How true is this? Only Genny can disclose!

Senator Yerima And Constitutional Review, By Maryam Uwais #ChildNotBride

Once again, Senator Yerima is in the news, claiming Islam as the basis for his argument that a girl automatically transforms into an adult of ‘full age’ once she is married, with the attendant responsibilities that relate to the renunciation of citizenship, irrespective of her age or mental capacity. Because the Senator from Zamfara State has gone public with his personal comprehension of the Shari’a, it has become necessary to respond publicly to his utterances.

It should be pointed out, however, that several media reports on the constitutional review debate at the Senate give the impression that underage marriage has been endorsed by the Senate Chambers. Facts are that S.29 of the 1979 Constitution permits a Nigerian citizen of ‘full age’ to renounce his or her citizenship by declaration in a prescribed manner, for which purpose ‘full age’ was stated to be 18 years and above. The subsection also provides that, ‘any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age’. In its current efforts to review the Constitution, the Senate Committee had determined that the particular subsection should be deleted, basically because citizenship has no bearing on gender, as for example, voting, the right to drive a car, possess a weapon or such similar social interactions that are evolving or are germane to a democratic Nation. Senator Yerima, however, vehemently argued (and lobbied) against the removal of the clause, on the grounds that deleting that clause was against (his understanding of) Islam. In his understanding, a girl, once married, automatically assumes the full mental capacity and responsibility to consciously make the prescribed declaration of renouncing her citizenship.

This position needs to scrutinized carefully, against the backdrop of similar positions that obtain under the Shari’a and in our context, as a Nation. Does it then follow that the married girl who is below 18, at election time, would be permitted to vote, or is her not being issued a voters card un-Islamic? Is the Senate now going to make an exception to that law, permitting her to vote, or even drive, in accordance with (Senator Yerima’s understanding of) Islam?

Contrary to the position conveyed by the Senator from Zamfara, there is certainly no unanimity of positions on such contemporary matters of social interaction, within Islamic jurists or the various Schools of Thought. Surely where there is ‘silence in thetexts’ (i.e primary sources) or lack of unanimity as regards a particular practice, that opening allows for a society to determine for itself what is in its best interest (maslaha), in its own context. What about married Muslim girls who inherit property? Is it not the position that in some cases, where not considered sufficiently mature (‘sufaha’, based on Qur’an 4:6), such property remains in the custody of her guardian, until she grows to be intellectually mature? This would, of course, depend on her age, mental capacity and the size and nature of the property. Why does such property not devolve upon her automatically upon marriage, to deal with it as she wishes,irrespective of her mental capacity? There definitely appears to be no basis, under the Shari’a, that would compel a girl to deal with matters of such gravity as therenunciation of citizenship, merely because she is married. Islam is certainly not so presumptuous or harsh as to burden her with what she is mentally and physically incapable of bearing. Her guardian is permitted to determine the age or stage at which such a child can be entrusted with such grave responsibilities, the assessment of her mental capacity being the main determinant.

As a Muslim woman (without pretensions of scholarship) forever striving for knowledge, research into these matters has revealed that in matters of social interaction (mu’amalat), there is a lot of latitude in what is permitted, unless it is expressly prohibited by a clear text. The rules are certainly not so definitive. What is also evident is that the ‘best interests of the child’ is a paramount consideration within Islam, along with the principle of public good (maslaha or istislah). The operational rules are not defined (probably deliberately, in my humble view) and the determination of such issues is best left to the experience, custom and context of the particular society. The Qur’an provides that the predominant consideration in matters relating to children would depend on the point at which they can be said to not be ‘sufaha’ (mentally immature) anymore, in the context of that particular community.

It is interesting that Senator Yerima would rather link the weighty and dispassionate subject of citizenship with his understanding of gender vis a vis his perception of the age of marriage, rather than with other matters of social interaction, such as those relating to inheritance rights, driving or even voting. Indeed, citizenship is a contemporary phenomenon within the Sharia, as in the early days the concept of citizenship had not been defined and people traveled across boundaries, without restriction. In a Muslim community, when matters evolve, it is for scholars or experts in Islamic legal philosophy-‘Usul-al-Fiqh’- and juristic reasoning (and not even those solely learned in the Qur’an-‘Mussafirun’, the Fiqh-‘Fuqaha’ or the Hadith-‘Muhaddithun’), to analyze the issues with a view to arriving at an appropriate position for the context of that relevant community. In this particular instance, it is certainly perplexing for the Senator to insist so categorically that even a married ‘intellectually immature’ girl must be permitted to renounce her citizenship, irrespective of her mental capacity. The foundation for such a general and sweeping statement within the Shari’a is difficult to locate.

The public good remains the overriding consideration in the process of analytical reasoning by those qualified for the purpose, so long as the deductions are not in direct conflict with the primary sources of the Shari’a. Therefore, in following arguments repeatedly canvassed by the Senator, it may be necessary to examine the context in which we live, to determine what is good, for the purpose of encouragement and support, and what remains harmful to our society, to be confronted, discouraged or prohibited by Muslim jurists.

Today the North of Nigeria continues to throw up Nigeria’s poorest indices on matters relating to healthcare, nutrition, education, empowerment and productivity. Consequently, unemployment, insecurity, violence and poverty remain rife in that region. Statistics have it that 2/3 of the 102 million poor people in Nigeria live in the North. Extreme poverty in the North translates into extreme vulnerability to the effects of climate change, food security and so much more. Incidentally, over half of the women in the North are married off by the age of 16 and commence childbirth within the first year of marriage. Also, of the 16 million births by girls below the age of 18, 9 out of 10 of them are married.

Facts are that nearly half of all the children under 5 years of age are malnourished in the North East zone, with women and children in the nutrition ‘high-burden’ States of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe andZamfara suffering the most from malnutrition, wasting and stunting. This singular factor remains the underlying cause for 53% of under-5 deaths. If the child is stunted in its first 1000 days, that condition is irreversible, so the future of these children, and the larger population, is permanently shortchanged. The health and nutritional needs of mothers, new-borns and children are closely linked, with young mothers accounting for a majority of severely malnourished children.

Multiple health risks arising from child marriage include the sexual exploitation (including forced sexual relations) that she is subjected to, as well as limited access to reproductive health services, despite the real and present danger of contracting diseases such as HIV/AIDS, STIs (sexually transmitted diseases) and the debilitating ailment of VVF/RVF (VVF-a tear in the flesh between the vagina and the urinary passage, usually due to prolonged labour, resulting in uncontrolled urine or feces in the case of recto-vaginal fistulae-RVF), including the abandonment that comes with such ailments. Nigeria, with 2% of the world’s population, has 10% of VVF patients. Three-quarters of those with VVF/RVF are young girls who are not yet physically mature but have suffered trauma in their first pregnancy.

Statistics show that stillbirths and deaths are 50% more likely in babies born to mothers younger than 18, as against babies born to mothers above that age. Each day, 144 women die in childbirth in Nigeria, with the North East alone having 5 times the global rate of maternal mortality. The lack of information and access to support ultimately results in psycho-social and emotional consequences, domestic violence, abandoned (street) children, with the attendant deprivations of their rights and freedoms, whose wellbeing is severely compromised. The prevalence of the abuse of the right to the exercise of divorce by Muslim men has only compounded the situation, leading to so many negative social deviations such as substance abuse (that has become so rampant), commercial sex work and the complete loss of values in the entire family set up.

Many of these adolescents are married off to men much older than they, and because of the associated power differentials, this singular factor impedes communication between them, with the girl having no negotiation skills in crucial decision-making that may affect her life. Having lost out on these critical life opportunities, these married adolescents can never aspire to living as meaningful and productive members of society. Not being able to participate actively in the community translates to their losing out completely on benefitting from economic activity and earning a decentincome. Many of these girls remain excluded from community life, having been separated from peers and family members by marriage. Depression sets in. A life of diminished opportunities. The community loses out completely; the economy cannot improve where half its population is stuck in this rut.

Child marriage, from available statistics, ultimately hampers the efforts of these young adolescents from acquiring an education, as sooner than later, they find it difficult to combine the onerous responsibilities of being a wife and mother, with schooling. They drop out, if they have not been removed for the purpose of marriage, in the first place. Consequently, 70.8% of young women aged 20-29 in the North West zone are unable to read or write. Due to the fact that these girls are deprived so early of an education (including the access to information and knowledge) they remain bereft of the purchasing power necessary for an adequate diet, healthcare,skills, or even recourse to support in emergencies, all of which would enable them rise above the circumstances of abject poverty. It is paradoxical that Muslims like Senator Yerima would rather their wives and daughters be treated by female medical personnel if they fall ill, and yet they are, by continuously advocating for child marriage, deliberately closing the avenues for girls to aspire to such professions.

Deprivations of formal and non-formal education translate, at such an early age, into restrictions on mobility, domestic burdens, the denial of sundry freedoms in respect of survival, development and participation, as well as the loss of adolescent years. Indeed, children of young, uneducated mothers are also less likely to attain high levels of education, perpetuating cycles of low literacy and limited livelihood opportunities. Child marriage, therefore, ultimately deprives societies of the intellectual and financial/livelihood contributions of girls, and of their offspring. It is no wonder then that the North continues to portray such poor ratings in almost all aspects of human endeavour.

As a consequence, MDGs 1 (relating to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger), 2 (on education), 4 (on reducing child mortality), 5 (on maternal health), 6 (on combating diseases) remain unattainable goals (at least in Northern Nigeria), if we cannot confront the consequences and implications of child marriage. Evidently, the geography of poverty requires a coherent and urgent Northern strategy and a solution to the instability that has bedeviled the region in recent years. Against this background of grim data, we can ill afford to play politics with the obvious deficiencies in our human capital. The North, as an intrinsic part of Nigeria needs to improve on all fronts, to impact positively on Nigeria’s progress and support its growth. Since child marriage has all these devastating and diminishing implications, surely checking the increase in the practice can only trigger and catalyze positive growth, in so many dimensions.

It is certainly not mandatory in Islam that girls must be married off as minors, so to keep insisting that this practice must remain sacrosanct, given the background of needs in Northern Nigeria, is incongruous, even under the Shari’a. Where a practice is determined to be merely permissible and not mandatory, it is considered practicable and entirely feasible within Islamic jurisprudence, to discourage or prohibit it, where it is found to be so harmful to individuals and to the community. Countries such as Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Somalia and Bangladesh, with majority or high Muslim populations have set a minimum age for marriage as 18, in the acknowledgment that there are serious social, physical and mental health risks associated with child marriages. This progressive step became necessary, in that these indisputable facts placed a heavy burden on the accountable and God-fearing leadership in majority Muslim countries, to protect the vulnerable in their midst.

It is, therefore, not unreasonable to expect that educated elite and public figures such as Senator Yerima, being conscious of their grave responsibilities to prohibit harm and to enjoin good in our own context, should actually discourage this devaluing and belittling practice of early marriage, in the public good, for the protection of the vulnerable and the realization of social benefits. To enable our girls attain their fullest possible potential is definitely a target that Senator Yerima should also be working passionately towards, along with the rest of Nigerians who yearn for a better future.

Indeed, the overriding objectives of the Sharia include the promotion of human dignity, justice, compassion, the removal of hardship, the prevention of harm, the realization of the lawful benefits of the people, and the education of the individual by inculcating in him a sense of self discipline and restraint, which aims are by no means exclusive. All else may be adapted to achieve these ends, which measures may encompass matters of concern not only to law but also to economic development, administration and politics. For those that reflect, the hardship that these little girls experience, where married off and divorced soon after, so wantonly, is certainly unacceptable within the faith.

Although the fundamentals of faith and the practical pillars on which they stand remain immutable in principle, they may be interpreted and justified at the level of implementation in the exercise of public good. This process must of need be carried out solely by persons learned and eminently qualified to speak on the subject matter in question. We must always bear in mind that the ‘appropriation’ of divine authority in religious interpretation is best left to Scholars learned in Islamic legal philosophy and analytical reasoning. Having acquired the requisite knowledge and expertise (including the capacity to weigh the various views in the particular sphere of learning in the context of our times), these Jurists would also need to have imbibed, at the barest minimum, the attributes of humility, compassion, reflection, wisdom, self-restraint, diligence, objectivity, along with piety. Our learned Scholars must stand up and be heard, rather than remain silent on matters that so adversely affect us as individuals, as a region, a Nation and as members of a global community, which challenges paradoxically controvert the deeper meaning and purpose of the Shari’a.

Back to the issue in contention, it is important to commend the thinking behind the decision to delete the constitutional clause that seeks to lumber even an ‘intellectually immature’ girl, where married, with the grave responsibility of the power to renounce her citizenship, thereby elevating the subject of citizenship to the level whereby both men and women have similar responsibilities, without discrimination. It is hoped that ultimately, members of the Senate would reflect deeply on the implications of their recent action and revisit their decision to retain the contentious clause, if only to ensure that every Nigerian citizen of full age, without distinction, is subjected to similar standards and responsibilities under the provisions of our Constitution.

Maryam Uwais (MFR), is Chairperson Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative, Kano. 

Courtesy: Omojuwa.com

Prince Williams and Kate Middleton Welcomes Baby Boy!

Yay!...its a Boy!
An overjoyed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are the proud parents of a healthy baby boy, and the nation celebrates the birth of a future king.
The couple’s son weighed 8lb 6oz and was delivered at 4.24pm today at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington with his proud father, Prince William, looking on.

Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight, said a spokesman for the palace. Palace sources said the couple chose to delay the public announcement of the birth to allow them to spend 'quality time' together.

It had been planned that the birth would be announced on an easel placed outside the gates of Buckingham palace but, in the event, the press were informed by a statement from the Royal household sent out at 8.30pm GMT.

The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news

Video vixen Venita Akpofure stuns in black gown at movie premiere

Popular video vixen and actress Venita wore this stunning gown to the premiere of Yvonne Nelson's House of Gold movie last Friday....

Chris Brown Declares he's single

Is Chris Brown done with on/off girlfriend, Karrueche Tran? He hooked up with her again after breaking up with Rihanna in May but it seems her services are no longer needed...

Chris Brown tells Hollywood Life,

"[Fans have] seen me on and off again with different girls, you know who they are, but right now, as a 24-year-old man, I just choose to be single!"

''I'm still good friends with them. [Now] it's just me being focused with my music and doing this stuff. Right now, I'm in my prime.''

Eniola Badmus and New Pal! Photos

More pics after the cut.

Mo'cheddar shares hot bikin photos!

Nice. One more pic after the cut.