by Seyi Lawal ‘Love Me JeJe’ crooner Seyi Sodimu is back from a long break with the song ‘Gbedu’ which is aimed at launching a commanding return to the epic of African music. ‘Gbedu’ was produced by YemiSax and is the leading single from Seyi Sodimu’s forthcoming album, slated for release this year. Click here to... Read More
by Tolu Orekoya For the second year running, Nigeria has taken the bronze medal for Most Valuable African Nation Brand at an event hosted by Brand Africa in association with Brand Finance. The top ten were: South Africa (218 points) Egypt (1o9 points) Nigeria (88 points) Morocco (48 points) Algeria (45 points) Angola (31 points) Tunisia... Read More
by Stanley Azuakola A Boeing 727 cargo plane attempting to land at the Kotoka International Airport in Ghana’s capital crashed Saturday, slamming into a bus loaded with passengers on a nearby street. All 10 people inside the vehicle died on the spot. The cargo plane belonging to Allied Air Cargo, was reportedly arriving from Nigeria.... Read More
by Stanley Azuakola Actress Kathryn Joosten died on Friday June 1st after a long battle with cancer. She was 72. Kathyrn Joosten was best known for her role in the award-winning TV drama comedy series Desperate Housewives, in which she starred as the meddlesome neighbour Karen McKluskey. Her death came less than three weeks after the... Read More
by Oris Aigbokhaevbol Sweden provided moviegoers with both the novel and initial cinema adaptation of last year’s sensation, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The country’s contribution to the ongoing European Film Festival, Let the Right One In, has been remade by Hollywood and is also from a Swedish novel. Released in 2008, Let the... Read More
I need to state how much I hate myself right now for even discussing an election that is 3 full years away. Nothing can be more distracting and in Nigeria, it is something we love to do very well; distract any and everyone distractible. “I will not contest the 2015 elections… If I’m voted in... Read More
by Chi Ibe Praiseworld Communications, a gospel entertainment company in Nigeria made history with the launch of Nigeria’s premier online gospel radio station, Praiseworld Radio. The 24hour broadcast medium aims to provide listeners with round the clock gospel entertainment from professional on air personalities to world-class DJ’s whilst featuring pure urban music with gospel content, all of which... Read More
by ‘Ifreke Inyang Without any argument, Jotta A., the 12-year-old Brazilian gospel sensation, is an anointed minstrel, straight from heaven. Blessed with an incredible range, amazing stage presence, and unusual composure for someone of his age, Jotta A., has impressed gospel music giants like Pastor Donnie McClurkin – who got a visa to Brazil, just to... Read More
Clash of the spokesmen: Labaran Maku tackles Reuben Abati … in last week’s news with a pinch of salt
by Stanley Azuakola Labaran Maku tackles Reuben Abbati President Jonathan’s refusal to say “Amen” during a church service when prayers were being made against corruption has sparked a war of words between the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku and the Presidential Spokesman, Reuben Abati. Abati had been the first to defend the president after the... Read More
by Tolu Orekoya On Friday and Saturday, violence flared in Assakio, a community in the Lafia East development area of Nasarawa state. The fighting started on Friday and 20 people have been recorded dead as a result, another 50 injured, and 6,000 have been sent fleeing from their homes. Nassarawa State Governor Umaru Al-Makura imposed a curfew on the community... Read More
by Tolu Orekoya Malawian President Joyce Banda is ready to roll up her sleeves and clean up the dirt when it comes to her country’s financial situation. Her first moves include ditching the ostentatious rides in the presidential fleet and multi-million presidential jet; an apparent lead-by-example decision. Banda came into office after... Read More
by Tolu Orekoya Nigeria has been in the news lately for a series of kidnappings and failed rescue attempts, resulting in the deaths of foreigners who had been kidnapped by religious fundamentalist groups. The first case involved a Briton and an Italian man in March and the second, a German who was killed before his would-be rescuers could reach him in... Read More
So, what have the tabloids got for us this week? Terry G goess building, ‘Tobi’ gets a viewing, and Globacom poaches a top-level employee from Cadbury. Keep reading! ENCOMIUM FOR MAY 29, 2012. TERRY G BUILDS N30 MILLION MANSION IN LAGOS Gabriel Amanyi famously known as Terry G is arguably one of Nigeria’s most controversial musicians. The ‘akpako master’... Read More
by Chi Ibe Nigeria’s favourite dancer, Kaffy tied the knot with her baby daddy, Joseph Ameh today at the Bespoke Centre, Lekki, Lagos. The couple had welcomed a baby boy, Kamal Sean Oluwatosin Ameh, about six months ago. Joseph, better known to his friends as “Papy J” is an instrumentalist in the band Psquare headed by Nigeria’s twin superstars... Read More
by Stanley AzuakolaHon Ibrahim Olaifa, member of the House of Representatives representing Oluyole Constituency in Oyo State, and some of his aides manhandled an official of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRCN), Mr Mediel Jerry for his effrontery in clamping Olaifa’s car which was parked in an unauthorised area of the assembly complex. The assault... Read More
by Tolu Orekoya A 2-year-old child has just been diagnosed with bird flu in Hong Kong, making it the first case seen in the Chinese city in 18 months. The young child had visited a “wet market” (a fresh food market typical to Asian countries) in the middle of May, came in contact with a duck, and... Read More
by Aderonke Adebanjo Marry your friend. I’m an advocate for that. After all, when the butterflies subside, friendship is usually what real relationships are made of, right? I feel that we have lost the art of making friends. I think part of the reason is a lot of people feel they don’t have time to make friends. If you’re... Read More
by Stanley Azuakola Last Sunday, May 27, on Rubbin’ Minds, a very important and emotional topic: “Watch that child!” was the focus. It was an edition dedicated to the Nigerian child and how to protect him/her from abuse, especially sexual abuse. The topic was timely, not only because that Sunday was Children’s Day, but also... Read More
by Stanley Azuakola It was another sad scene on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Friday night, as about twenty-four vehicles were burnt when a fuel tanker upturned on the expressway, began to leak its contents which subsequently caught fire which engulfed everything in its path. Barely 48 hours before this incident, there had been a similar... Read More
by Oris Aigbokhaevbolo The European Film Festival recently berthed in the city of Abuja, Nigeria. Arts and movie critic Oris Aigbokhaevbolo was there and is reviewing all 21 movies screened at the festival. A guy says to a girl, “I like you.” “What am I to say to that?” she asks smiling. “Nothing,” he says... Read More
by Tolu Orekoya The Punch reports on its website the passing of the Aloko of Iloko-Ijesha in Osun State and former minister of finance, Oba Oladele Olashore. He was 77 years old. According to the paper: Although PUNCH could not ascertain the cause of his death as the state government had yet to issue a statement on the matter, it... Read More
by Tolu Orekoya Even as the contention continues over the fines levied by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on telecoms companies, it doesn’t seem to hamper the drive to invest in Nigeria and expand their infrastructural network. The United Arab Emirates’ Etisalat, one of the telecoms companies in the country, announced on May 31 a... Read More
by Stanley AzuakolaHow are the mighty fallen! Hosni Mubarak, under whose whims and firm grip Egyptians had fallen in line for decades, was sentenced to life in prison this morning, and he wept. Egyptian security officials say Hosni Mubarak resisted leaving the helicopter that flew him to a prison hospital for the first time, after the... Read More
by Anthony Othuke Ohminiabors Continued from last week………. I succumbed slowly to the effects of the drug. At first I experienced a heady feeling of euphoria. I suddenly felt a surge of confidence and a growing urge in my groin. Then my eyes grew dim and swarm in and out of focus. There was no... Read More
by Tolu Orekoya Former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak has been handed a sentence of life imprisonment for his part in the deaths of protesters killed during the uprising and protests that forced him out of power last year. His minister of the interior, Habib el-Adili also received a life sentence, but Mubarak’s sons, who were also on trial,... Read More
And so here we are, on Democracy Day, Mr. President is suffering from the withdrawal that often comes from aspirational elections, especially among young urban Nigerians, who had loved him when he became the Facebook President. Last week was Democracy Day in Nigeria, and rarely have I seen the full ugliness and beauty that the... Read More
by Chi Ibe It’s been a year since the Freedom of Information Act was signed into law in Nigeria. But, there is no evidence that any request for ‘classified information’ made to any government body has been granted to any media house. According to The Punch, this was the high point of a digital video... Read More
by Rachel Ogbu You all must have heard the awful news, seen the gory photos, watched the shocking video about 31-year-old Rudy Eugene, the Florida man who was shot to death by police for refusing to stop chewing on another man’s face. For many Nigerians, it brought back the cringing memory of Clifford Orji, the... Read More
by Seyi Lawal The Montreal police have confirmed that the body found dismembered in a suitcase in the city was a 33-year-old Chinese man named Lin Jun. Jun moved to Montreal from China to study engineering and computer science at Concordia University. He lived alone in the city but was a well-liked part-time employee at a... Read More