Posted by Tejiri Orugbo on January 16, 2010 at 1:24am
I love our staple food, and I am lucky enough to eat it on a daily basis. How healthy are they though?In Nigeria, our staple food consists of a variety of yam, cassava and brown rice. These can be prepared in any number of ways. They however, all have one thing in common. Since it makes sense to classify foods based on their highest nutritional content, the one thing they have in common is that Cassava, Yam and Brown rice are all carbohydrates.Carbohydrates however, are the main culprit where weight gain is concerned. This is because; the final break down of carbohydrate in the body is simple sugar. I want to point out that when the supply of ingested glucose (glucose is the only usable form of simple sugar) is too high, the blood sugar level gets too high and the excess glucose must be eliminated from the bloodstream. This increased level of blood sugar triggers the release of insulin (the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels) to transport or make the excess glucose available to the body tissues.Especially after exercise, when energy stores are low, the muscle tissue is the first point of call of the insulin-carried glucose. Glucose however can only be taken up by the muscle tissues at a gradual rate. If too much insulin-carried glucose is present at one time, the liver is the next stop.The liver like the muscle tissue, also takes up glucose at a gradual rate and when the liver stores are full and there is still an excess supply of insulin-carried glucose in the bloodstream, the next stop is the adipose tissue where it is stored as fat. Unlike the muscle and liver, the adipose tissues take up glucose quite rapidly.The rate at which glucose is released into the blood is an important issue as, if the ingested carbohydrates are already simple sugars or low in fibre, the digestion process will be shorter and they will be absorbed too quickly. This causes the pancreatic tissue to release an excess amount of insulin into the blood. Since the liver and muscle tissues only take up glucose gradually, the excess insulin-carried-glucose will by-pass the muscle and liver and be deposited in the adipose tissue where it is rapidly stored as fat.This is where the quality and quantity of carbohydrates we eat comes in. I believe that by now you can see the danger in eating too much simple sugars or food low in fibre. The flip side to the coin is to eat complex carbohydrates as this will result in an intermittent release of glucose into the bloodstream which means that the pancreas will not release excess insulin into the bloodstream; which also means that most of the glucose will be stored in the liver and muscle tissues as opposed to being deposited as fat in the adipose tissue.Our staple foods tend to be complex carbohydrates and that is great news but we definitely do not eat them on their own. Irrespective of how healthy they are, we cannot survive on carbohydrates alone. There are a number of ways in which we eat our staple food. For example, yam can be boiled and eaten with palm oil and pepper soup or yam when cooked, will be beaten to a paste to make pounded yam and eaten with ogbono soup (my favourite) or egusi soup, etc. Cassava can be used to make garri and eaten in a similar way. Brown rice can be eaten with stew, or made into jollof rice, or fried rice.I mentioned above that the glucose we get from complex carbohydrates is slowly released into our blood stream. This is because it takes longer for our body to fully digest them (up to an hour). Well, it takes even longer when these complex carbohydrates are mixed with proteins and fat. In fact, when you eat carbohydrates with proteins, it takes about 3 to 4 hours for digestion to be completed.The Nigerian staple food is clearly healthy to eat as they are complex carbohydrates. However, what we eat them with and how much we eat at any given time, also plays an important role in our weight management and overall well-being.Look out for my future article on THE RIGHT WAY TO EAT TO BURN FAT! Until then, here are a few tips to follow:• Eat moderately, not like there is no tomorrow. It does not matter how healthy the food is, if you eat too much, you will gain weight.• When using Palm oil, choose that with little or no cholesterol and use it sparingly. Avoid palm oil or any other oil that is solid at room temperature.• Eat at regular intervals – 3 to 4 hours and do not skip meals.• Engage in a regular sporting routine so that you can balance out your input versus your output (depending on what your goal is).Tejiri OrugboCertified Fitness NutritionistCertified Personal TrainerFounder - http://wwwgymhawk.comRead more…
The Hollywood Foreign Press was happy to open Pandora's box.Avatar, James Cameron's years-in-the-making vision of the possibility of performance-capture technology, was named Best Motion Picture, Drama, at the 67th Annual Golden Globes, triumphing over the seemingly unstoppable Hurt Locker."We have the best job in the world, we really do," the filmmaker said in accepting Sunday's top prize. "I just want you to give it up for yourself. What we do is, we make entertainment for a global audience, and that's what the Golden Globes mean. Give it up for yourselves," he encouraged his fellow Hollywood players.Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock, winners for Best Actor and Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama, were prepared to do just that."Please don't let Ricky Gervais be right. Do I need to thank whoever bought this for me?" began Bullock, long America's sweetheart but never a critics' darling before starring in The Blind Side, referencing one of the host's opening jokes. "Thank you, Hollywood Foreign Press, after all these years."Bridges, too, joked about his sudden ascendance to the upper echelons since playing a washed-up country singer in Crazy Heart."You're really throwing my underappreciated status here," he mock-complained, before thanking his late dad, Lloyd Bridges, and mom for encouraging their kids to go into show business.And while the critical favorite, Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow (aka the third Mrs. James Cameron), could still get the Oscar in the divorce, Cameron got the Globe."I'm absolutely not well-prepared," the filmmaker said after claiming his award from next-door neighbor Mel Gibson. "Frankly, I thought Kathryn was going to get this. She richly deserves it."The on-again king of the world also thanked his performance-capture troop and visual production facility. "We're family, guys, whether you like it or not," he said.Meanwhile, in another surprise, The Hangover was named Best Musical/Comedy, beating a field that included Nine, which came in with a whopping five nominations but was completely shut out.Robert Downey Jr., winner for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, gave a shout-out to the mysterious team of journalists who comprise the Globe-giving Hollywood Foreign Press Association."Art in the blood is liable to take the strangest forms, said the Sherlock Holmes star, quoting Arthur Conan Doyle. "That is why I would like to thank also, or not thank, the HFP, because they are a strange bunch, and now I'm one of them."But we're mainly glad he won because of this: "Thank who? [Producer] Joel Silver, the guy who's only restarted my career 12 times since I began 25 years ago? I mean, I really don't want to thank my wife, because I could be busing tables at the Daily Grill right now if not for her. Jeez, what a gig that'd be."Meryl Streep didn't have to share with Bullock tonight, standing solo on the podium to accept Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy, for channeling Julia Child in Julie & Julia.And Streep, no matter how many times she gets to go up there, always thinks of something apropos to say."I come to Golden Globes weekend and I am really honestly conflicted how to have my happy movie self in the face of everything that I'm aware of in the real world," she said after humorously informing everyone that she wants to change her name to T-Bone, as in Best Original Song winner Burnett, winner for Crazy Heart's theme song "The Weary Kind.""And I want to say," Streep continued, "that's when I hear my mother's voice, saying, 'Give some cash to Partners in Health, put the dress on, put on a smile, and be damn grateful that you have the dollars to help and the next day, and the next day...' "Mo'Nique, a comedian who's left audiences floored by her portrayal of an abusive mom in Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire, heads into the Oscar homestretch with a Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, which tends to be the category most hospitable to breakout performances overall."First, let me say, thank you, God, for this amazing ride that you're allowing me to go on," she said, ultimately concluding with the pointed message, "I celebrate this award with all the Preciouses and the Marys, with all the people who've ever been touched...It's now time to tell, and it's OK."Also continuing his goosestep waltz toward Oscar was Austrian Christoph Waltz, who's been the subject of Oscar buzz since Cannes and tonight was a Best Supporting Actor winner for playing Nazi nut Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds.Quentin Tarantino, who lost Best Screenplay to Up in the Air scribes Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, finally had a reason to smile.Matthew Morrison, Kevin McHale, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Ian Brennan, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, Jane Lynch, Dante Di Loreto, Dianna Agron,Ryan Murphy, Lea Michele Steve Granitz/Getty ImagesOn the tube side, the Hollywood Foreign Press didn't waver from their stance that Mad Men is the best TV show ever, awarding the series its second straight Golden Globe for Best TV Series, Drama.But instead of sticking with 30 Rock, too, the HFP was instead charmed by Fox's new musical show, Glee, which was named Best TV Series, Comedy."'This show is about a lot of things," gleeful cocreator Ryan Murphy said. "It's about the importance of arts education, and this is for anybody and everybody who got a wedgie in high school."Very appreciative of Mo'Nique's message was screen veteran and acceptance-speech newcomer Drew Barrymore, who snagged the Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie for Grey Gardens."I've been meeting with the Hollywood Foreign Press for, like, 97 years and I've been in this room since I was 7 years old," the charmingly befuddled and self-deprecating thesp said in appreciation. "I could be Jeff Spicoli's girlfriend with the lisp and the paralysis, so thank you for taking a chance on me...I have grown up here and I would like to say that this is for all the people nice enough to love me and wish the best for me along the way."Other first-time winners despite their incredibly familiar faces include Chloë Sevigny, a Best Supporting Actress winner for Big Love, and Kevin Bacon, Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie for Taking Chance.Michael C. Hall Steve Granitz/Getty ImagesAnother subtle yet poignant Moment was Michael C. Hall's win for Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama, which comes amid the news that he was simultaneously shooting Dexter's fourth season and receiving cancer treatment."It's really a hell of a thing to go to work at a place where everyone gives a damn," a smooth-faced Hall, wearing a black head wrap over his bald pate, said upon accepting his first Globe in four nominations. "This is a dream job, and I am so grateful."It was an emotional moment for the whole Dexter clan, including a teary John Lithgow, earlier a winner for Best Supporting Actor in any TV genre whatsoever (there's only one supporting win per sex at the Globes). He said he had a great time "creeping out America for six months" as the gruesome Trinity Killer.Showtime reached its own personal best with three statues tonight, including United States of Tara star Toni Collette's win for Best Actress in a TV Comedy. Though, of course, HBO was the top network with four wins, as tends to be the case.Julianna Margulies, star of CBS hit The Good Wife, beat out Emmy winner Glenn Close and defending champ Anna Paquin for Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama.Ricky Gervais Paul Drinkwater/NBC Universal, Inc via Getty ImagesFirst-time Globe host Ricky Gervais came out firing, with even his introduction being an exercise in comedic timing as the camera swung between him and a stone-faced Steve Carell, who pretended (we assume) to seethe as Gervais reminded everyone that he created The Office. (And urged everyone to pick up the two-season series on DVD. "Quality, not quantity, that's what counts," he boasted.)"All right, I better get on with it before they replace me with Jay Leno," Gervais quipped.Whether it was Gervais' golden touch or not, the Globes' entire writing staff seemed to have kicked it up a notch this year.Paul McCartney got two gems in ("Hello, I'm Paul McCartney, or as I'm now known, 'that guy from Rock Band,' " and "Animation is not just for children. It's also for adults who take drugs") before presenting the Best Animated Feature Film award to Up, which despite the late buzz surrounding Fantastic Mr. Fox still looks to be the front-runner for Oscar gold in the animated category, if it's not an overall Best Picture nominee."By any measure, a substantial move up," Tom Hanks described Meryl Streep's chance to bed Stanley Tucci in Julie & Julia as opposed to Alec Baldwin in It's Complicated.In comparing himself and Cecil B. DeMille Award recipient Martin Scorsese to an old married couple," Robert De Niro explained, "We built a life together. We have great memories. We just don't sleep together anymore.""I've collaborated with a lot of people," Scorsese said during his signaturely rapid-fire acceptance. "Many of them are here tonight, and I want to thank them all—but not individually. That would make this show longer than the Globes and the Oscars put together."(Originally published Jan. 17, 2009, at 8:08 p.m. PT)
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Posted by 9jabook.com on January 18, 2010 at 7:02am
By Modey Peters
The desire of the Cross River State government to upgrade the operations of taxis in Calabar, the state capital, got a boost recently as one of the newly registered operators of the Calabar Urban Taxi Scheme, Pronto Cabs Limited, brought in 270 cars for the take-off of the programme.
Managing Director of the company, Kenneth Asim-Ittah said the company has spent N607m on the cars. He also said more cars and buses will be added to the fleet to ease commuters' suffering in the city.
The state government had, shortly after placing a ban on commercial motorcyclists in the city last year, provided 50 cabs to the Calabar Urban Taxi Drivers Union, to be given to former commercial motorcyclists who pay the initial deposit of N50,000.
Sad people
Most residents of Calabar are still unhappy with the ban, especially as the cars are not enough and the routes are still unevenly marked. Edem Inah, a student, said he and his mates have to walk miles to find taxi routes in order to get to their respective destinations.
"The replacement of Akalukes (motorcycles) with new air-conditioned cabs have failed to excite commuters because the taxi-cabs are not adequate and people have to trek long distances to get to work," said a civil servant, Atim Ujong.
Mr. Asim-Ittah, who spoke at the weekend in his office, said the ban on commercial motorcyclists has created a vacuum in the transport network of the metropolis.
"Following the appointment of Pronto Cabs Limited as one of the managers of the scheme", he said, "we entered into agreement with the state government and fund managers and the Calabar Bikemen Association (CBA) in ensuring the smooth and speedy implementation of the scheme."
Not the governor's business
He said arrangement has been made to ensure that the vehicles operate on designated routes in the state capital and for the purpose they are meant.
So far, 39 routes have been created with additional 52 taxi locations in the state capital. More routes will soon be announced by the relevant agencies.
The company does not however operate the buses directly. The vehicles, mostly Suzuki cars, are given out on procurement basis to four persons who operate a cooperative venture, upon an initial deposit and a daily payment of between N2000 to N3000 until a total of N2.5 million is finally paid, depending on the brand of the car.
"All vehicles in the fleet have been designated to specific routes with fleet numbers and are running shift to ensure effective 24 hours service," he said.
Asked about the allegations that the company belonged to the state governor,
Liyel Imoke, Mr Asim-Ittah said that was not true.
"This is a privately-owned company by indigenes of the state aimed at complementing government's efforts on public transportation in line with its tourism drive," he said.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on January 15, 2010 at 10:46pm
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- Earthquake victims, writhing in pain and grasping at life, watched doctors and nurses walk away from a field hospital Friday night after United Nations officials ordered a medical team to evacuate the area out of security concerns.
The only doctor left was CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta. He assessed the needs of the 25 patients, but with no supplies there was little he could do.
And more people, some in critical condition, were trickling in late Friday.
"I've never been in a situation like this. This is quite ridiculous," Gupta said.
With a dearth of medical facilities in Haiti's capital, ambulances had nowhere else to take patients, some who had suffered severe trauma -- amputations and head injuries. Others had suffered a great deal of blood loss, but there were no blood supplies left at the clinic.
Search and rescue must trump security. ... They need to man up and get back in there.
--Retired Army Lt. Gen. Russell Honoré
Gupta said some might not survive the night.
He said the Belgian doctors did not want to leave their patients behind but were ordered out by the United Nations, which sent buses to transport them.
"There is concern about riots not far from here -- and this is part of the problem," Gupta said.
There have been scattered reports of violence throughout the capital.
"What is striking to me as a physician is that patients who just had surgery, patients who are critically ill are essentially being left here, nobody to care for them," Gupta said.
Sandra Pierre, a Haitian who has been helping at the makeshift hospital, said the medical staff took most of the supplies with them.
Port-au-Prince
"All the doctors, all the nurses are gone," she said. "They are expected to be back tomorrow. They had no plan on leaving tonight. It was an order that came suddenly."
She told Gupta, "It's just you."
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake flattened Haiti's capital city Tuesday afternoon, affecting as many as 3 million people. Tens of thousands of people are feared dead.
Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, lacked adequate medical resources even before the disaster and has been struggling this week to tend to huge numbers of injured. The U.N. clinic, set up under several tents, was a godsend to the few who were lucky to have been brought there.
It was not known whether the medical team would return in daylight.
Retired Army Lt. Gen. Russell Honoré, who led relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina in 2005, said the evacuation of the clinic's medical staff was unforgivable.
"Search and rescue must trump security," Honoré said. "I've never seen anything like this before in my life. They need to man up and get back in there."
Honoré drew parallels between the tragedy in New Orleans and in Port-au-Prince. But even in the chaos of Katrina, he said, he had never seen medical staff walk away.
"I find this astonishing these doctors left," he said. "People are scared of the poor."
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Posted by John Akukwe on January 15, 2010 at 5:02am
Beloved,Welcome to 2010. As we begin another year, it is important that we understand the importance of 'The beginning'. We thank God for bringing us to a new and favourable year.In the beginning, God created........ The first thing God did was to CREATE. After God created man, He blessed and gave man the 5-fold blessings (ministry) namely: Fruitfulness, Multiplicity, Replenishment, Subduing, and Domination.(1) This year, you shall be fruitful and shall produce something useful with positive results and benefits not only to yourself, to your family, the society and the nation.(2) This year, you shall multiply and increase in amount so much that the generations yet unborn can benefit from your creativity just as we are beneficiaries of other people's creativity.(3) This year, you shall replenish the earth and shall nourish and fill a particular need in your environment.(4) This year, you shall subdue the earth and have positive control in the minds and lives of people as a result of your creativity.(5) Finally, this year, you shall dominate and have a reasonable sphere of influence that can only be known to you so that when your name is being mentioned, it will be pinned to the positive changes you have created.Note, the journey from fruitfulness to domination, might take some days or weeks, just like it takes 90 days for a maize seed to mature. Nevertheless, you shall fight with the aim of success and achievement. It took Nelson Mandela several oppositions to regain freedom, become President and a world-acclaimed personality. It took Martin Luther King (Jnr) several humiliations, deprivations, stigmatization and discrimination. As you run the race, be confident that joy is set ahead of you. It was the same joy that made Jesus Christ to endure the cross.Strive to CREATE something of positive and lasting influence on people around you and most importantly, you must shine your LIGHTS so that the people around you will see it and glorify the Father and Giver of Light.Remain blessed.JOHN AKUKWE08034041279
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This is how we do itBy Jayne UsenShow Dem Camp, or SDC, is the latest tag team to join the growing list of Hip-Hop heads on the Nigerian music scene. Olumide Ayeni a.k.a. Ghost and Wale Davies a.k.a. Tec are SDC and they say they are here to show how rap music is done. In this interview, both members respond but inform they speak as one collective voice.Why Show Dem Camp?Show Dem Camp is all about youth empowerment. A lot of times, people have some stigma attached to music, especially Rap. Even in a wider context, people try to break the convention to follow their dreams. So really, it is all about us telling people that they can pursue their dreams and love and still be happy with their choices and not be afraid to actually dream. We are showing the world at large that we are pursuing what we want to do and we are going to be successful at it.Has it always been music?Not really. We actually met each other at Coventry University in 2001, then music was a hobby. We hooked up during a rap battle in which we [went up against each other]. From then on, a mutual respect was born. We begun going around different Nigerian communities in various universities and from there it all began.With all Hip-Hop groups in Nigeria, why should I listen to SDC?We are different from everyone else and obviously, music is an expression of our different experiences going by all the different cultures we have experienced garnered from having visited various countries. We are fresh; we have been fortunate enough to reside in different places so we touch on different themes.When we moved back to Nigeria in 2008, people were telling us that our music was too different from that which is done here, that we had to tone it down. We are however happy that MI and Naeto C have really paved the way for a lot of rap artists in Nigeria. In the past, a lot of people thought Rap music was only all about shayo, however, now they realise that it is all about thoughts and ideas put together creatively. We have fused our experiences and sound into the Nigerian sound.What influences your sound?Basically from the different places we have been to. Our musical influences are a lot, but [primarily] people with a message from Fela to Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Nas, Tupac and Jay-Z; we have been able to put our message across in a palatable wayIs there an album in the works?We have two singles "Tell Me Nothin'" and "Yawa on the Dancefloor" already out. We are also working on The Dreamer project which will more or less be a compilation of works of various talented upcoming acts that believe in themselves and share the same passion and dream as ours. It will be released in the first quarter of the year. We also have the Memoirs project which will basically be about our life stories and experiences. We have a video for "Tell Me Nothin'" by Dayo Oyedele who worked on the Talib Kweli project shot in Nigeria.Are you signed to any label?No, we have our record label, Show Dem Records. We feel as though besides music, we both have backgrounds in business; we both studied Business anyway, so we are working on other businesses asides the music. We feel that nobody will be as passionate or know where we want to go as much as ourselves. We have our partners, Femi and Tolu, as well on the project. Some of the artists who will feature on the Dreamer project will be signed to our record label. We also do event and talent image management.How would you rate Rap music in Nigeria?It is growing incredibly but still has a long way to go. We remember when we used to come to Nigeria on holidays, the first person who caught our attention were Naeto C, and MI, because we saw that we could relate to a lot of their themes. MI came out and we were really amazed at his success because a lot of people now listen to lyrics, whereas in the past, Nigerian rappers just felt that all they needed to do was just party music all for dance. We used to have a problem with that, I remember us saying that if that was the kind of music they expect us to make, then we would rather not do music. It's not all about copying or following trends.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on January 15, 2010 at 8:13pm
The web of secrecy woven around ailing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua might have been thicker than many Nigerians envisaged and dated far back than now as it has been revealed that First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua even barred highly favoured individuals, including the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, Dr. Bukola Saraki together with a governor–in-law, Isa Yuguda of Bauchi and Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shema from seeing him when they visited Jeddah late November, 2009.
A highly placed source revealed that the First Lady just refused to bend the rules in favour of anybody to stave off any attempt to exploit the situation on ground to the detriment of the family.
The tension generated by the sudden movement of the president to the Arabian country and his condition, even in those early days were said to have made the first family to decide on strigent measures to keep away prying eyes at bay.
According to the source, " Even those governors who rushed to Saudi Arabia with the intention to see Mr. President were barred by the First Lady from seeing him. It could have been because of the state of the president, which then was considered pretty frightening and she did not want to expose it for anybody to use the condition of the president against him."
Besides, the source revealed that part of the reasons the First Lady acted the way she did was because of a conspiracy theory even within the inner caucus to the effect that she had gotten wind of the immediate actions of some political figures back home in the first four days of the president’s departure to Saudi Arabia.
"You will not believe this, but she was actually warned to be wary of visitors from Nigeria, especially political figures, irrespective of their position and status. And she did just that; whatever you heard after that was just part of the game to make people believe that we are the ones there and try to take credit for what they never did," the source revealed.
Yar’Adua left for Saudi Arabia on Friday, November 23, 2009 for a medical check-up, having suffered acute pericarditis (inflammation of the covering of the heart) after a Jumat service.
The President has since then been receiving treatment at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah.
Saraki, the other governors and some members of the kitchen cabinet had left for Saudi Arabia to see the president in what was supposed to be a get-well visit and to have first hand information on the state of health of the President.
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Let the Web Work 4 ! You Affordable Online Marketing & A.d.v.e.r.t.i.s.i.n.g on http://www.9jabook.com callemail:info@systemini.nettwitter:systeminilinkedin:systeminitel +234-0806 495 0565,234-07083793511,234-0705888839444-7894214683,Acting appealed to Stella Damasus because it helps her pretend to be someone else. The youngest in a close knit family of five daughters born to retired bankers, the 31-year-old actress, singer and compere embraced stardom at a young age. Today, she is an award-winning A-list actress and was on the first-ever African panel for the Drama category of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Emmy Awards.Break from moviesI had a problem with the kind of scripts coming my way. They made me a type-cast in the industry such that in any film I had to be either a victim and just cry. I got tired of it because it did not show my versatility as an actress so I looked out for people with good scripts that was different and that will make me work.Another reason was because I set up a production company - SDA Productions - about two years ago, I had to give it a lot of my time and attention. As I grew older, I realised that I had to do something for myself and plan for the future because after a while, you will age and a new crop of actors will come up and you will be cast for 'mama roles' alone.First movie roleI found myself in Nollywood by accident. A friend of mine asked that I accompany her to a movie audition. When we got there, I saw a lot of young girls lined up to be auditioned. We stayed there until very late and as we were about to leave, the director, Mathias Obahiagbon asked if I had auditioned because he did not remember seeing me in there and I said I had come there because of my friend. He said, "Don't you want to act?" I said I was not interested and he asked me to come in and read a script. I was laughing all through because I did not take it seriously. At that time I was doing part time jobs at Klink Studios, Surulere, as a background vocalist and on jingles.Three weeks later, they came to the studio and told me I had gotten the part and I was to be paid N10, 000. I was shocked because my salary then was about N700. The movie was titled 'Abused' and was shot in 1995. I got the sub lead role; the lead female role was played by Omotola Jalade Ekeinde. After that, I got more movie roles and I have not looked back ever since.The thrill of the artIt's all about passion for me because I have never been a commercial artist doing it for money or fame. I love the fact that it gives me the power to know that I can be anything I want to be: a mad woman this minute, a drug peddler next time, maybe schizophrenic another time. That feeling alone drives me and makes my passion stronger. The plausibility thrills me; that I could do something and people think it was real. And when they see me in real life, they say how touching my role was or that they sympathised with me in a particular role.Career highpointsEvery point for me has been high because I see myself as privileged to be where I am. It's not about the amount of awards that I have had but the fact that I have managed to remain relevant in the industry till date.Most challenging movie roleMy most challenging would be 'Queen of the Rain Forest,' the other, is not yet out. In 'Queen of the Rain Forest,' it was the first time I was doing a traditional movie and I was a queen. It taught me a lot of things. I had to learn the tradition of the Calabar people: how they fought, their marriage ceremonies and it really opened my eyes to how other cultures lived their lives. I had to learn to fight with a real sword and run under the sun. It made me see the difference between just an actor and someone who is trained. The second film 'Widow' was shot two months before my husband died contrary to people's belief that it was my story. When I read the script in 2006 after Agatha Amata had told me that we were supposed to use the film for Sithengi Film and Television Festival in South Africa, I was touched. I told her that we couldn't do the movie because people will hate the actors. Shooting the film made a strong impact on me because I felt what the widow felt.Caring for widowsI partnered with Jemilat Ofogbu Ogbo to form the young Widows Association of Nigeria. We cater for the needs and welfare of young widows around the country because we have been in that situation before it becomes easier to identify with their experiences. We assist with welfare, vocational training and finance where necessary.Protecting privacyIt is intentional. There are different kinds of entertainers; some are in it for fame, others for money while some are in it for the love of acting. When I began acting, my family members were afraid if I would be able to handle all the fame and public attention because they know I am a very private person. I don't grant interviews anyhow so most times when they write stuff about me, it's all lies. I am first a human being before a star and I have a life. My children are young now so I have to protect them.When they grow up and want to be in the limelight it is up to them. I want them to grow up normally, I want them to be able to go to Shoprite like every other kid without anyone pointing or saying "Those are Stella's kids." Most times when they write things about me, it is not that I am pained but I think about its effects on other members of my family. I try as much as possible to be as private as possible. If I don't have things to do, you will not see me at a bar or club, rather I will be at home spending time with family.
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Teddy Pendergrass' soul has taken flight.The buttery smooth RnB singer died Wednesday at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Philadelphia. He was 59.Pendergrass, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident in 1982, underwent surgery for colon cancer eight months ago and had a "difficult recovery," according to his son, Teddy Jr.A Philly native, Pendergrass came to fame in the early 1970s as lead singer of the Blue Notes, responsible for hits such as "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and "Wake Up Everybody."Let the Web Work 4 ! You Affordable Online Marketing and A.d.v.e.r.t.i.s.i.n.g onhttp://www.9jabook.com call or email:info@systemini.nettwitter:systeminilinkedin:systeminitel +234-0806 495 0565,234-07083793511,234-0705888839444-7894214683,He released his self-titled debut in 1977 and enjoyed a successful solo career, siring velvety singles like "Close the Door" and "Turn Off the Light."Pendergrass spent six months in the hospital after his 1982 crash, but perservered in the studio, going on to duet with Whitney Houston on "Hold Me," from her 1985 debut effort, appearing at Live Aid that year, and releasing a slew of new albums into the '00s.He founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance to aid in the education, employment and overall life-style enhancement of people with spinal cord injuries.News from Philladelphia his hometownPHILADELPHIA — Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery," his son said."To all his fans who loved his music, thank you," his son said. "He will live on through his music."Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album "Love Language."He returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair.Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organization whose mission is to encourage and help people with spinal cord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence, according to its Web site.Pendergrass, who was born in Philadelphia on March 26, 1950, gained popularity first as a member of Harold Melvin&the Blue Notes.In 1971, the group signed a record deal with the legendary writer/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The group released it first single, "I Miss You," in 1972 and then released "If You Don't Know Me by Now," which was nominated for a Grammy Award.Pendergrass quit the group in 1975 and embarked on a solo career in 1976. It was his solo hits that brought him his greatest fame. With songs such as "Love T.K.O.," "Close the Door" and "I Don't Love You Anymore," he came to define a new era of black male singers with his powerful, aggressive vocals that spoke to virility, not vulnerability.His lyrics were never coarse, as those of later male R&B stars would be, but they had a sensual nature that bordered on erotic without being explicit."Turn Off the Lights" was a tune that perhaps best represented the many moods of Pendergrass - tender and coaxing yet strong as the song reached its climax.Pendergrass, the first black male singer to record five consecutive multi-platinum albums, made women swoon with each note, and his concerts were a testament to that adulation, with infamous stories of women throwing their underwear on stage for his affection.Following the car accident, it was 19 years before Pendergrass resumed performing concerts. He made his return on Memorial Day weekend in 2001, with two sold-out shows in Atlantic City, N.J.Pendergrass is survived by his son, two daughters, his wife, his mother and nine grandchildren.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on January 13, 2010 at 8:12pm
ABUJA- FOR three hours and three minutes yesterday, thousands of aggrieved Nigerians led by the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, took to the streets in Abuja, the nation’s capital, to protest the French leave embarked upon by the ailing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua since November 23, last year.Affordable A.d.ve.r.ti.sing LET THE WEB WORK 4 U ! http://www.9jabook.com call or email:
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They demanded, in unison, that he must either show up and live up to expectations, if indeed he is still alive and fit to continue in office as he is making Nigerians to believe or transfer powers without further delay to his Vice, Jonathan Goodluck, to avert total collapse of the Nigerian nation.
They also registered their displeasure with members of the National Assembly over their reluctance to act even as they dismissed the cabinet members of President Yar’Adua as a bunch of liars, pseudo-colonialists and terrorists. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, who came out to address the angry protesters, yesterday, was not only booed but also disallowed from making any statement either in support or against the subject-matter of protest.
Unlike what used to be the case during the dark days of the military, there was no single firing of gun or canister to disperse protesting Nigerians. In fact, dozens of mobile policemen carried in their lorries were seen dancing to the popular music of Idris Abdulkarim of ‘Nigeria jaga jaga, everything scatter scatter,’ and hailing the protesters.
All through the period that the protest lasted, a combined team of men of the Nigeria Civil Defence and the Nigeria Mobile Police maintained security without allowing the hoodlums to hijack it. Although a dozen of hired pro-Yar’Adua government protesters carried placards bearing “we support Yar’Adua government,” their voices were drowned in the din of the noisy call for the resignation of President Yar’Adua.
The mass rally which kicked off from the Unity Fountain opposite the popular Millenium Park close to Transcorp Hilton Hotels at about 9:45 a.m, had mobile security men taking their positions in and around the National Assembly and the road to NICON as early as 6:00 a.m. But they did not harass anyone.
They seemed confused
At exactly 9:45 am, the protesters had gathered in their thousands at the rendezvous waiting for a marching order from the convener of the rally. They did not move until Prof Wole Soyinka who was conceded to be the most important person addressed the aggrieved Nigerians on why the mass rally was holding.
The septuagenarian, Prof Wole Soyinka, trekked alongside other leaders of the mass rally while radical Lagos lawyer Femi Falana was seen addressing and singing. Although they got to the open ground of the National Assembly where lawmakers and their visitors park cars at exactly 11:53am, the proper address did not start until 12:04pm when they recited the old national anthem. Leaders of the mass rally took turns to address the rally for just 44 minutes during which Speaker Bankole was booed and disallowed from addressing the aggrieved Nigerians.
At 12:16 pm, Soyinka took to the podium. But there was so much noise that he threatened to walk out of the rally ground if they did not behave themselves. He said he expected them to be orderly and organized. The way he spoke angered some of the protesters who asked him to go if he wanted to go. When he eventually picked the microphone and blew air into it, there was a thunderous applause followed by graveyard silence.
He said: “It seems to me that we have finally woken up from our long harmattan sleep and you are now getting into the spring of rebirth. I have a little information I have been asked to pass on to you as one of you. This is what they told me.
I do not guarantee the veracity of it as it is supposed to have come from the Senate. And you all know what Senate is. The information I was given is that the Senate has now taken this matter to court.
The matter of the President’s absence
“I am passing that information to you so that we, here, are not accused of holding back information from those following us. That is the only reason why I am passing it on. You can weigh it for what it is worth. But if these people are caught in yet another lie, then the next demonstration will be bigger. The nation has been taken to ransom. The nation has been despised and treated with contempt.
We have been treated as colonials, colonized all over again. This is what we call internal colonialism. We are all dignified beings. We deserve to know the truth, at all times about our method of governance.
“We are also qualified to say when we believe that those ‘elected leaders’ of this nation are deliberately dragging their feet over critical issues that concern us. Then the people must stop and then take to the street.
This is normal in any democracy. A lot of you have followed some recent lectures of mine: one in Lagos; one in Abeokuta, and the third one here in Abuja on the occasion of the National Merit Award.
Each time, I have observed the ritual ending. And that ending was enough of talking, let us march. Now today, you have shown me that you have been listening. And your leaders here obviously have been listening and they themselves have been using exactly the same language over a long period. So we are not talking here about certain individual efforts but certain issues must be addressed urgently.
And if by miracle and believe me, I do pray and wish this might happen, if by miracle the missing president were to appear amongst us, hale and hearty, he will be confronted with the same charges that we are leveling against the government.”
Hon Farouk Aliyu Adamu
In his contribution, Adamu, said: “We are all Nigerians. Nobody should hoodwink you with where you come from. We are not ruled rightly. We are ruled by liars. We demand leadership that will come out and tell us the truth. In the last 50 days, one minister after the other will come out and lie.
They said President Yar’Adua spoke on BBC. Do you know why we do not believe them? It is because PDP government said we shall get 6000 megawatts of electricity by December but we didn’t. Now, who will believe them? We will only believe them when we see President Yar’Adua here live. If you do not want Jonathan to lead, do not take the fuel and petroleum from the Ijaw people. If my brothers want to continue using the fuel, the diesel from the South South, then Jonathan should take over governance,” to which they shouted another deafening yes.
Uche Onyegocha
“Few years ago, when Obasanjo tried to impose himself on this country using his third term agenda, we fought him and we won. Today we have a criminal cabal that is holding this country to ransom. I want to remind you that it was the same criminal cabal that supported third term. As we defeated them that time, we will defeat them again. They are saying we are not a terrorist nation and I agreed with them.
They have been holding us to ransom but that must end today and we must take a decision on the issue of a missing president. I thank you very much.”
Buba Galadima
“Today is christened a new birth for a new nation, that Nigerians of all works of life, that Nigerians of all tribes, that Nigerians of all religions have come together to discuss our country, this is how it should be and when we leave here, no body should wink you on the basis of religion or the basis of where you come from, the minimum we demand of those who said we voted them into power is transparency, constitutionalism, institutionalism and accountability.”
Najatu Muhammed
“The issue at stake is not that Yar’Adua has spoken on the BBC, the issue is that he has abdicated without leave, without permission, so this calls for his impeachment, the people at the National Assembly have no moral justification to be where they are today. Yar’Adua is paid by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he is accountable to you and I, so he has no business staying for over fifty days without permission.
Nigerians will also want to get the kind of medical treatment that Yar’Adua is getting, this is their money, so Nigerians, come out and say no to this rubbish enough is enough.”
Pastor Tunde Bakare
“Every one, east, north and south of our country should take these words home. The Presidency is not a birth right. The presidency is not a hereditary stool. The presidency is a constitutional office. President Yar’Adua is not fit to occupy that office.
Therefore, Umaru Yar’Adua go home. Time has come for you to park your load, leave Nigeria alone and go home. This solemn assembly is not for the sake of Jonathan Goodluck, it is for the sake of good governance. The constitution that is imposed upon you stipulates in section 145 that if any one in the office of the president is leaving even for his leave not for sickness, he must transmit authority of that office to the vice president.
It is that we have come to demand this afternoon, that the imposed constitution must be obeyed. Power vacuum is the latest affliction they have imposed on this nation and the entirety of the rest of us say no to power vacuum. Enough is enough! We would not allow them to handle the affairs of this country in a lopsided manner or as they like. We demand accurate governance, good governance, and what do I mean by that?
Femi Falana
“This is the beginning of our struggle. By next week we are going to inform you of the date when we are going to march all over Nigeria. On Friday, Nigerians in America, Nigerians in the United Kingdom are marching. We understand that the Senate met this morning and took a decision; as usual because this is a leadership built on lies.
The Senate claimed that because some of us exercised our fundamental human rights, to go to court, they didn’t go to court, they said because some of us are in court because of their inaction, they are now exploiting our cases in court to abdicate their responsibility. Since they claim to be representing us in our different constituencies we must go and begin a process of making them to be accountable, of making them to be responsible, of making them to be responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of the Nigerian people.”
It was at this point that Speaker Bankole came. The Speaker had emerged from an executive session of the Reps around 12:30 pm, made his way to the platform on the porch of the dome of the National Assembly amidst tight security.
But his presence was not acknowledged, as the protesters who arrived the venue at 12.05 kept booing him as soon as they sighted him until Professor Soyinka took the microphone from Mrs. Naja’atu Mohammed – a foremost female activist from Kano State – who was addressing them, and announced that, “fellow compatriots, I understand that we have some visitors here among us We want to give him some few minutes to address us, fellow compatriots.” But the protesters in one chorus, thundered “Nooooooo!!!!!!”
Again Soyinka asked that the Speaker be allowed to speak and he was visited with the same response. He now said, “We are democrats here. I am going to ask for the last time after which I will take a voice count”, he said. “Do we allow the Speaker to address us?” he asked and the answer was reverberating “Noooooooo!!!!!” “The ‘Nos’ (nays) have it” he said.
Yar’Adua supporters hold counter-rally in Abuja
Also yesterday, groups comprising mostly youths, converged at the Eagle Square, Abuja, with banners and posters of President Umaru Yar’Adua, chanting solidarity to his administration despite the mounting agitation from some quarters for his immediate resignation. Besides adorning the major roads along the federal secretariat with posters that read, “We support Yar’Adua” the group further strapped large banners in various strategic places, denouncing those that are calling for his removal and subsequent replacement as “anarchists.”
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Bigwigs grace wedding of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya to S’African RCCG Overseer Adeboye in attendance
Article Excerpts:
Pastor Itua Ighodalo who recently re-married amidst controversy and presumed depastoring was the one who supervised the cake-cutting session and also got the audience reeling with laughter and Pastor Odukoya squirming, as he made some obliquely risqué jokes allowed in a setting of that nature.
Pastor Paul Adefarasin who proposed the toast also riveted the audience with his account of how Pastor Odukoya agonized over how to chase his new wife.
FOUR years after the death of Pastor Bimbo Odukoya, her widower, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, has picked another spouse.
Odukoya, the founding pastor of the Fountain of Life Church, Lagos, wedded a South African, Simangele Zulu, at a subtly-elaborate ceremony that held at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Tuesday.
This was against a backdrop of longstanding speculations that bordered on his decision to walk down the aisle again.
Amidst heightening anxiety, Odukoya had announced to an astounded congregation last Dec. 27 about his readiness to give marriage a second shot.
He kept the identity of the bride under wraps until Jan. 3 when she was formally introduced to the congregation, who welcomed her with a stimulating applause.
Before unmasking Zulu, there had been widespread talks that purportedly had it that Odukoya was in a relationship with a divorcee and mother of two, who incidentally is a columnist in one of the national dailies.
In her 30s, the path of Zulu, who is a United Kingdom-based music director, and that of Odukoya first crossed over a year ago during one of his many trips overseas.
The wedding, held under tight security, was graced by prominent men of God, including the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
Pastor Bimbo, as she was affectionately addressed, lost her life in the ill-fated Sosoliso airliner that crashed at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Dec. 10, 2005.
A writer, popular televangelist, highly-sought conference speaker, youth mentor and marriage counsellor, she was one of several individuals chosen by Samsung to represent Nigeria in carrying the Torch for the 2004 Olympic Games.
At the time of her death, she was the associate senior pastor of The Fountain of Life Church and the president of Discovery for Women.
She was the host of Single and Married, a TV programme broadcast locally and internationally that dealt with practical issues people face in marriages and relationships guided with biblical principles.
The couple, who were married for over two decades, had three children – Toluwani, Jimi and Tobi.
More Gist
It was a blend of glamour, fun and spirituality as the senior pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Daniel Taiwo Odukoya exchanged vows with his new wife, the former Miss Rosemary Simangele Zulu, a South African.
The event, incorporating the wedding service and reception, took place at the classy Grand Banquet Hall of the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The event was graced by a retinue of who is who in what is known in Christendom as the vineyard of the Lord.
The occasion also had in attendance the deputy governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Sarah Sosan as well as the first lady of the state, Mrs. Fashola. Some of the very top ministers officiated at the wedding service. The London-based Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo of KICC announced the proceedings of the service. Bishop Mike Okokwo of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission Church (TREM), whom Pastor Odukoya always professes to be his father-in-the-Lord, conducted the exchange of vows by the new couple.
An exhortation which was thought-provoking was delivered by Bishop David Oyedepo of the Winners Chapel. The General Overseer of the Redeemed Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye pronounced the final blessings on the couple.
The service was marked by a medley of musical renditions climaxing with the classical Hallelujah Chorus by a selected group of members of the choir of The Fountain of Life Church.
The bridal train was a nuclear family affair. The two daughters of Pastor Odukoya, Tolu and Tobi were the bridesmaids with the elderly one serving as the chief bridesmaid. Jimi, Pastor Odukoya’s only son so far, was the best man.
The reception ceremony was pervaded by an air of conviviality as the ministers of God who waited for it let down airs, cracking jokes and bantering. The groom, Pastor Odukya was assiduously grilled by the master of ceremony, Akin Oshibajo who is the attorney-general of Ogun State and a pastor in The Fountain of Life Church. He insisted that Pastor Odukoya should repeat the kissing session which he said was done rather perfunctorily during the wedding service.Pastor Itua Ighodalo who recently re-married amidst controversy and presumed depastoring was the one who supervised the cake-cutting session and also got the audience reeling with laughter and Pastor Odukoya squirming, as he made some obliquely risqué jokes allowed in a setting of that nature.
Pastor Paul Adefarasin who proposed the toast also riveted the audience with his account of how Pastor Odukoya agonized over how to chase his new wife.
Pastor Odukoya in a fuller measure thrilled the gathering with an account of the courtship period.
Other guests at the ceremony included some members of the church, friends and family members including relations of Pastor Odukya’s late wife, Bimbo.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on January 11, 2010 at 7:30pm
"DEAD" MAN TALKING ,SIGNING BUDGETS etc ..
by now we really dont care ..
Nigeria's president, not seen since going into hospital in Saudi Arabia for heart treatment in November, has told the BBC he hopes to resume his duties.
In his first interview since then, Umaru Yar'Adua said he was recovering and hoped to make "tremendous progress" which would enable him to return home.
Nigerian opposition parties have been demanding evidence about the true state of Mr Yar'Adua's health.
A rally has been called for Tuesday, mainly to protest over his absence.
There are three different court cases under way calling for power to be transferred to the Vice-President, Goodluck Jonathan.
Mr Yar'Adua is also known to have kidney problems.
'Save Nigeria'
Speaking by telephone, Mr Yar'Adua said he was making a good recovery.
"At the moment I am undergoing treatment, and I'm getting better from the treatment. I hope that very soon there will be tremendous progress, which will allow me to get back home," he said.
"I wish, at this stage, to thank all Nigerians for their prayers for my good health, and for their prayers for the nation."
Rumours had been rife that he was critically ill and unable to return to the presidency.
Under the banner Enough Is Enough, an organisation called the Save Nigeria Group called people on to the streets of the capital, Abuja.
There is a perceived danger of a power vacuum in a country which only saw the back of military rule just over 10 years ago, the BBC's Will Ross reports from the city.
The opposition plan is to march to the national assembly where senators are expected to be discussing the president's health.
Prominent opposition politicians and lawyers, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and the Biafran secessionist leader, Chief Emeka Ojukwu, will be among the demonstrators.
It is not clear if the demonstration will be well attended, our correspondent says.
Nigerians may be worried about their absent president but whether they will take time off to demonstrate is another matter, he adds.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on January 9, 2010 at 7:15pm
Nigeria has effectively entered a post-Yar'Adua administration era, according to impeccable NEXT sources. Contrary to the much reported news of President Umaru Yar'Adua's improved health, he is, in reality, seriously brain-damaged and unable to recognise anyone including his wife, Turai.
NEXT investigations reveal that people in government, including the president's principal private secretary, ministers, and governors, have not been allowed to see the president since he was rushed out of the country for medical attention in Saudi Arabia 48 days ago. Mrs. Yar'Adua and a specially selected team, made up of two security and two civilian aides, and some government officials, have orchestrated a series of disinformation to the Nigerian people in an effort to shroud the true state of the president's health.
This, our sources tell us is to buy time to manipulate the selection of a successor to Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan. The cabal apparently wants a friendly Vice President who will protect Mr. Yar'Adua's interests. The preferred candidate appears to be Adamu Aliero, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. But other interest groups have their own candidates. These include Aliyu Gusau, a former army and security chief and Sule Lamido, the governor of Jigawa State.
Reader Comments:
I cannot believe these people think they could get away with such blatant dishonesty. If the President was indeed "sound and fit" as previously claimed, would it have killed him to send a message assuring the citizens that he's alright? Now that they realize they couldn't possibly continue with such falsehood, they say he's brain-damaged? Since when? Crap! These people make me sick, especially his closest aides, yes, including his wife. It has become obvious that they are more interested in "saving face" than being open with fellow citizens.
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Facebook is quite the colorful place today. An odd meme — bra color status updates — has made its way around the network, but no one really knows how or why the what-color-is-your-bra meme took off.
In case you haven’t seen it yet, women (and some men) are posting single word updates with the color of their bra, hence the barrage of “black,” “red,” and “nothing” updates from your female friends. But who’s actually behind the bra color campaign, and what they’re trying to accomplish, remains a mystery. Speculation, however, is running rampant.
A Detroit blog suggests that the color update craze was started by women in Detroit who are trying to raise awareness around Breast Cancer (though October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month). Another blog backs up that notion and includes the following Facebook message:
“Some fun is going on…. just write the color of your bra in your status. Just the color, nothing else. It will be neat to see if this will spread the wings of breast cancer awareness. It will be fun to see how long it takes before people wonder why all the girls have a color in their status… Haha .”
We’ve yet to dig up the real source of the trend, so if you have any information on how this got started and who’s behind it, share it in the comments.
My Bra Color on 9jabook is :Green WHITE Green !
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Nigerian traditional hip-hop artist Abolore Akande a.k.a 9ice has announced his separation from his wife, Toni Payne.Confirming the incident, 9ice's publicist, Ayeni Adekunle, in a press statemen he said, "The couple has agreed to separate for a while, even though they continue to remain good friends and business partners. Their baby Zion will reside with Ms. Payne for now. Neither 9ice nor Toni will be granting any press interviews on this matter."The musician wedded Toni Payne on July 2008. The two dated before 9ice achieved nationwide success.Let us hope The Gongo Aso king will not use this chance to boost his street Credibility with the ladies .Late Last year it was rumored that 9ICE's MANAGER, DEINDE ARRANGES GIRLs FOR 9ICE SECRETLYThe hardworking manager of the sensational artiste, Adigun Abolore a.k.a. 9ice, Deinde is said to have been a very loyal and hardworking manager to 9ice and of course to the entire Alapomeji crew.It’s a known fact that 9ice is such a nice personality that is not wayward even before he got married to his heartthrob, Toni Payne but what we gathered recently is that Deinde has been keeping some beautiful girls for 9ice in some hospitality havens within Lagos metropolis where, we learnt, 9ice and other members of Alapomeji meet to have nice time.Though, 9ice, according to another informant within Alapomeji caucus informed us that, he loves his wife, Toni Payne even to a fault and we not want to do anything to hurt her feelings, notwithstanding, Deinde and other ‘guys’ pressure always overpowered him as we learnt that he, 9ice, cheats on his wife once in a while particularly with a girl called M. A. I hope Toni Payne is not reading this o.
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State Security Service (SSS) Director in the FCT, Mohammed Al Nasir slumped and died after a meeting with the Director General Afakriya Gadzama on Monday.
A senior official said he showed no signs of ill health during the day until his sudden death in the evening at the close of the meeting.
He told Daily Trust Al Nasir was initially rushed to Aso Clinic but his body has since been moved to Katsina for burial yesterday afternoon.
“He was hale and hearty in the morning and showed no signs of illness. It was a sudden death. He died after the meeting.” The source described Al Nasir as a hardworking person who was able to assist in security matters in the FCT.
In another development Worried PDP governors meet Jonathan in Abuja for 30minutes on the absence of Yar'adua ! Shows how important the issue of state is .While the SSS chief for the FCT slumps and dies in a marathon meeting on the Religious and Ethnic violence in the 19 northern states .lasting from 9am to 7pm . Go figure this one out !
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World soccer governing body, FIFA, has been grinning from ear to ear after its financial consultants revealed to it that for the first time in an Under-17 World Cup tournament, a hefty sum of $5.5million (about N825million), was made by the Marketing Committee of the Nigeria 2009 tourney.FIFA through Mike and Spencer confirmed the development in a letter duly acknowledged by its President, Sepp Blatter to the Local Organizing Committee for the event during the week.Nigerians were skeptical of the abilities of the LOC to rake in a substantial amount mainly from gate-takings from the school boys World Cup, but the marketing savvy of FIFA recognized marketer, Chief Mike Itemuagbor, who was also the marketing head of Nigeria 2009, has now rubbished all the fears.While LOC officials are still celebrating the development and FIFA is applauding, Itemuagbor himself has said it’s a pointer that sports and soccer marketing can be taken to a new level in Third World countries and Nigeria can truly lead the revolution. The Chairman of Pamodzi Sports Marketing said the FIFA applause is just a challenge to sports marketers in Africa particularly that they can compete with the best in the world.
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Senate Presidnet David MarkLAGOS—Sequel to revelations in yesterday’s edition of Sunday Vanguard that the Senate is set to wade into the political impasse over the absence of President Umaru Yar’Adua from office for the past 41 days, there are strong indications that a series of intrigues and power play have ensued in the last 24 hours.
Also, it was learnt that a divide-and-rule approach is being engaged by some powerful forces comprising those who do not want the amendment of Sections 144 and 145 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Vanguard has been reliably informed that whereas some senators are having informal discussions on the way forward, specifically on how to amend Sections 144 and 145, and how to fine-tune their strategy when they resume tomorrow, some powerful individuals, including ministers and some very close aides to President Yar’Adua are attempting to frustrate the move.
Moves to cede power to Jonathan
The kernel of the move is the presentation of a bill seeking to transfer power to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan.
The bill, it was further learnt, would pass through the First, Second and Third Readings expeditiously.
The product of that process would then, most likely, be passed to the state governors to convince their legislatures at the state levels to pass it with the required two-third majorities in at least 24 of the 36 states of the federation.
One of the first steps towards frustrating the move, according to a reliable source, is to use the governors considered very loyal to Yar’Adua not to allow their state houses of assembly to pass the bill into law.
But, a senator (name withheld) insisted that “members of the Governors’ Forum are Nigerians and are as concerned as we senators who are attempting to find a solution to the present problem.
“The way people are toying with the destiny of this nation, this matter that people think is a minor thing has the capacity to completely destroy this country.
“Well, we are very happy that Mr. President has signed the Supplementary Appropriation Act in Saudi Arabia. It is our hope and belief that he would also sign the letter handing over power to his deputy, Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan.”
Although no formal contact has been made with the Governors’ Forum yet, the senator stressed that “all these are the things we would be discussing at our Executive Session when we resume next Tuesday.
“Mind you, we are not interested in the selfish calls in some quarters insisting that the National Assembly should impeach President Yar’Adua. No. That is not what we are trying to do. Anybody can fall sick; the error in this instance is that Mr. President did not write to the Senate President and the Speaker informing them of the necessary transfer of power.”.
Attempts to speak with the Office of the President of the Senate and the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives were unsuccessful.
But a source in Aso Rock Presidential Villa denied that there was move by the National Assembly to amend the constitution expeditiously.
The source told Vanguard that: “it was for the National Assembly to do whatever it believes is within its purview as the legislative arm of government. Whatever they do, so long as it is within the bounds of legality, nobody would question it.”
SERAP drags FG before UN
Meantime, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has dragged President Yar’Adua before the United Nations, UN, over his refusal to hand over power to Jonathan, in accordance with the law, following his inability to perform the functions of his office owing to ill-health.
Yar’Adua is reportedly receiving treatment at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Saudi Arabia over acute pericarditis (inflammation of the heart lining).
SERAP, which tabled the issue before the UN, is contending that President Yar’Adua and his cabinet members, by their conducts, are deliberately raping the 1999 Constitution of the Republic of Nigeria contrary to the Federal Government’s obligation to its citizens.
The non-governmental organisation cited the controversial signing of the 2009 Appropriation Bill and his inability to sign the 2010 Budget as part of the details of the wrongs being perpetrated by the Yar’Adua government.
SERAP seeks special session on Nigeria
In the petition dated January 3, 2010 and signed by SERAP’s Executive Director, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organisation is consequently “urging the HRC to simultaneously hold a special session on the non-compliance by the Nigerian government with its obligations in relation to the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights.”
It also wanted the UN to consider its petition under the HRC new Complaint Procedure, established pursuant to Resolution 5/1 of the HRC, and General Assembly Resolution 60/251 of March 15, 2006.
The petition meets the requirements of the new Procedure and raises issues of importance justifying the holding of a special session on Nigeria.
According to the organisation, “President Yar’Adua’s absence from duty and his inability and failure to empower the Vice-President to act as president pursuant to Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, is obstructing the effective implementation of the 2009 Supplementary Budget and the 2010 budget.
“It also indicates a failure to invest the ‘maximum of available resources’ to realise economic and social rights and to meet core obligations regarding the rights to education, health, food, among others.
‘’At the beginning of 2010, retrogression in the realisation of these rights is apparent.”
“President Yar’Adua was flown to Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2009, for medical treatment, and to date the president has not returned to the country.
“President Yar’Adua reportedly signed the 2009 Supplementary Budget from his sick bed in Saudi Arabia. The National Assembly had in November passed the N353.6 billion supplementary budget, which includes a capital spending of about N253bn, out of which about N114bn was earmarked for the critical “post-amnesty intervention” programmes in the Niger Delta,” the organisation added.
Relying on Section 145 of the Constitution, the organisation also argued that “the President has so far failed and/or neglected to empower the Vice-President as required by the Constitution, thereby starving critical projects such as education and health important funds and precipitating unnecessary delay in addressing the deplorable conditions of our roads, and worsening the security situation in the Niger Delta.
”This situation is also undermining the effective utilisation of a $300million Word Bank (obtained from the International Development Association, an arm of the World Bank) facility for gas to meet the 6,000 Megawatts target.”
The organisation also argued that “Nigeria is a state-party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
“As such, the government has a legal responsibility to use the mechanism of the budget to allocate and spend maximum available resources to ensure the full enjoyment of the rights to health, education, food, water and housing by millions of Nigerians who continue to live in extreme poverty, with barely enough to eat.”
“This situation is worsening the government’s non-compliance with the fundamental principles of progressive realisation according to maximum available resources, prioritisation of minimum core obligations and the duty of non-discrimination.
”Millions of Nigerians remain extremely poor and lack access to basic economic and social rights. Nigerians have suffered and continue to suffer years of failed budgeting and implementation, a critical element of states’ obligations to fulfil economic and social rights,” the organisation stressed.
The organisation added that “the present situation in Nigeria is also contributing to the violation of the fundamental principle of non-discrimination and equality, which is essential to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights.
Article 2 (2) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Articles 1(3) and 55 of the UN Charter prohibit discrimination in the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights.
“Under international law, a failure to act in good faith to comply with the obligation in Article 2(2) to guarantee that the rights enunciated in the Covenant will be exercised without discrimination amounts to a violation.”
SERAP on Covenant rights
SERAP further argued that extreme poverty has resulted in pervasive discrimination, stigmatisation and negative stereotyping of millions of marginalised Nigerians, denying them access to the same quality of education and health care as others, as well as to public places.”
The organisation also said that, “Nigeria is obligated not only to refrain from discriminatory actions, but also to take concrete, deliberate and targeted measures to ensure that discrimination in the exercise of Covenant rights is eliminated.
‘’The Nigerian government has a responsibility to ensure that through its budgetary allocations, strategies, policies, and plans of action are in place and implemented in order to address discrimination in the area of the Covenant rights.”
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By CHRISTOPHER OJI
Thursday, January 7, 2010
A 26-year-old female banker, who was arrested by the police for allegedly stealing N3 million from a customer’s account has blamed fear of the unknown for her action.
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Kemi Yisau, a staff of a new generation bank (names withheld) who is being interrogated at the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, told Daily Sun that with the present war on banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), no bank staff is sure of what fate has in stock for him or her.
She said: “No banker knows if he or she would survive the tsunami going on in the banking sector now. Soludo came with his wahala and left, now Sanusi has started his own, people are losing their jobs in the banking sector by the day. So, no one is sure about who would survive the mass sack going on in the banking sector.”
The young lady, who revealed that she was still furthering her education in a University said: “I have not finished my schooling and if I am sacked, who is going to assist me. After thinking of all these, I decided to save some money in case of any eventuality. It is quite pathetic sitting down and counting other people’s money and your job is being threatened each day you come to the office. I was tired of the mass retrenchment going on in the banking sector.”
Yisau advised CBN Governor, Mr. Sanusi Lamido, to take it easy with banking sector, as staff are jittery over the incessant sack in the sector.
The commissioner of police in-charge of the unit, Mr. Saba Ndagi said the suspect stole the money from the customer’s account between January and November, 2009. Ndagi explained the suspect used her position as the customers’ account officer to collect the said amount.
According to him, the suspect was giving fictitious balances to the company each time it requested for it’s credit balance.
He revealed that the scam blew open when the customer stormed the bank while she was not on duty and requested for his balance and was given the correct statement.
Ndagi said when the bank management received complaint from the customer that there were discrepancies in what the suspect told him and the last statement of account, he invited the police.
The police boss vowed to charge the suspect to court after recovering the money.
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By Benjamin NJOKUShe’s one of the top rated Yoruba actresses, yet she’s the worse hit in terms of bad publicity. One time, she’s accused of snatching another woman’s husband, and at the other time, she’s rumoured to have snatched a colleague’s boyfriend and accused of high-handedness by the upcoming Yoruba actresses.To ascertain the authenticity of these allegations prompted Showtime Celebrity to go after the quintessential Ikorodu, Lagos State-born actress, Funke Akindele to hear her own side of the story. And you will not be disappointed as she speaks the way she has never done before. We bring to you the true story of Funke Akindele. Enjoy it.Funke Akindele has become a brand to reckon with, what’s the mystery behind that name?There’s no mystery behind my name. It’s only God that’s the secret behind that name, Funke Akindele. By His grace, Funke has been able to make a statement so far. And I’m going to achieve more with time. I’m not yet there. This is just a starting point for me.Is Funke the only name your parents gave to you?I have two names; Olufunke Ayotunde. Olufunke means: “God has given this child to me to care for”, while Ayotunde means, “my joy has come.’’Was there any special event during your birth that prepared you for what you are doing today?I have asked my mum that, and the only thing she told me was that when she was carrying my pregnancy, I gave her a tough time; that she was going in, and out of the hospital. But the only thing I would remember is that when I was young, I was involved in acting, singing and dancing especially during my secondary school days.As an award winning actress, you name rings bell everywhere you go; does that put pressure on your personal life?Well, the only pressure it has put on me is to work harder to make better movies; something that will impact positively on the people and my fans . It hasn’t gotten into my head. I’m still myself and it’s by the grace of God that I’m celebrated today.I pray, I will be there evergreen like the likes of Joke Silva. Sometimes, I may want to be alone, but you find out that there are some fans that would insist on talking with me. I would have no option than to be friendly and grant them audience. That’s some of the pressures I think fame has placed on me.One of the prices of stardom is undue invasion of one’s privacy and scandals, how much of these prices have you paid so far?A lot… and I’m still paying. At least, I didn’t understand it initially. When journalists call me on phone at different times to make inquiries or to confirm a particular information, I would quickly get pissed off and angry; “why do you like to dwell on negative stories about me, instead of celebrating me positively.”My mum who’s always there for me, would advise me to learn to absorb whatever scandals that come my way as a star; adding that some people would want to cook up negative stories just to pull me down and that I should remain focused and prayerful.It’s normal, and I’m beginning to live with it. But my prayer is that they don’t tarnish my hard earned name in the bid to get at me. Sometimes , it’s painful .Which of the scandals hit you most?Funke-Akindele1A lot of them. I don’t want to talk about the scandals now. But the one that really hit me most was when they rumoured that I was arrested at Hauteur for a drug-related offence. I was shocked! At the time, the story made the news in Nigeria, I was never in Hauteur. I used to pass through Hauteur to London, but that week the story made the headlines, I didn’t pass through Hauteur.So, when I read the story in the newspapers, I was shocked and disappointed. I couldn’t have been arrested for drug-related offence in London while I was back to Nigeria. It’s not possible. I cried when I read the story. Why is it that people are always writing negative stories about me? At that point, I resorted to calling on all my friends in the media to clear the air. I didn’t travel out of Nigeria at the time the story made the news.And you think mischief makers were not at work then?I don’t want to believe so; neither do I want to think about it anymore. I want to remain focused and never to allow anything to bother me, because the more I think about the scandals the more I am disturbed. I don’t want anything that would draw me backwards. I want to face what I’m doing and achieve more for myself .You have talked so much about your mother. Is she really your mentor?Yes, she is my mentor. She’s a wonderful woman. After God is my mother. She’s supporting me because not all mother would want to support their children to pursue their dreams. For instance, I studied law, but I’m not practising the profession today. Ordinarily, my parents would have insisted on seeing that I practise my profession. But now, I’m not legal practise; acting is my first love.I love acting, writing scripts and producing movies. Financially, my mum have been supportive to me. I remember when I produced my first movie, my mum supported me financially. She believes so much in me. During my secondary school days before I would go on stage to dance, my mum would assemble all the required costumes for me. She’s really a wonderful woman, and my mentor.How would you describe your relationship with the up-and-coming Yoruba actresses?It has been wonderful. If you have been opportuned to watch my movies, you would notice that I regularly introduce new faces. I believe I have a duty to help the up-and-coming actresses because it’s not easy getting to the top. People talk about sexual harassment in the motion picture industry. I have never been harassed sexually.If truly, it exists, I would want to discourage the ugly practice. I want the up-and-coming actresses to believe so much in their talents and learn to shun the attitude of looking sideways. It’s God that gives talents and therefore, I see no reason any actress would want to sleep her way to the top. If it’s the will of God for you, you will surely make it. So, I am all out to support the young actresses to prosper.I don’t want them to pass through what I experienced when I was starting . The stress of walking around town, going from audition to another. I want to give them a true sense of belonging.Why then, are they castigating you and accusing you of high-handedness and possessing an attitude?It’s bound to happen. People would talk rubbish when you are doing well. They would want to bring you down; say negative things about you ; some would criticise you excessively. I read in a soft-sell magazine recently concerning one, Toriola Olawunmi who alleged that I was nasty to her because she joined another group called “Oduofa” after she had deserted the “Concuss group’.I was shocked at this story because I have never had any such encounter with an up-andcoming actress. But certainly, one problem I think I have with them is the fact that they see me as a strict person . I believe when you are here to work with me, you should do your work and go back to your home. I don’t believe in lazing about, or turning into a chatterbox when you are supposed to be working. Those of them who understand me are okay working with me .When you started in that televison series, “I need to Know” sponsored by Unicef during your undergraduate days, did you envisage the height you have attained today in the industry?My brother, I didn’t. The only thing I knew then, was that I love acting. Acting is my first love and I think, I ‘ve got the talent. There’s this urge in me to go out there, and showcase what stuff I’m made of. The Bible warned us against burying our talents because God would certainly ask us of it.How were you selected to be part of the cast of that TV series?Back then, I was an intern with the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria(APCON). After closing from work, I would go for auditions. One day, I heard about an audition taking place at the former Charly Boy’s residence in Gbagada and I went for the audition. At the end of the audition, I was selected for the pilot and that’s how I got the role. Unfortunately, after featuring in that series, I thought the roles would start coming in droves, but it never did. I had to go back to the auditioning arena again.How much were you paid for the first time?We were paid handsomely. It was a United Nations project, so we were paid very well. Once I got my pay, I quickly rush home to give my mum the money for safe keeping.Let’s talk about your monster hit, ‘Jenifa’ which broke all barriers and fetched you so many mega deals and opened doors for you, was Jenifa part of your life story?No. Firstly, I’m not from Ahitoro, I’m from Ikorodu area of Lagos State. I’m not a wanna-be like Jenifa. I’m not AIDS/HIV positive like “Jenifa’ There’s nothing that has to do with Funke Akindele in Jenifa. It was just a role I played in the movie.What’s the story behind Jenifa?It was a story my young sister told me concerning what happened in their school. I also had similar story during my undergraduate days at the University of Lagos, where female students who lived in hotels would go about sleeping with old men and offering themselves for hire to attend parties. We have a lot of wannabe on campus. They are eager to drive flashy cars and dress expensively just to meet with the standards of some of their girl friends who are living big on campus. They do not know what those girls did to make their money.They just want to do anything to be like them. Through “Jenifa”, I passed a message to the campus babes and also, I dwelled on HIV. Here I tried to be different because of the fact that the issue of girls living a wayward life on campus have been over-flogged in our movies. What I did was to do something that would attract audience and not to bore them.I tried to do something that would make movie bluffs to laugh, and at the same time, learn a lesson from it. That was why I created the Jenifa character to make my audience laugh.And you are planning to do another movie in that line of Jenifa?Jenifa is now a brand that we need to celebrate. She’s now somebody we have to be introduced in different movies, and in different ways. She’s now like the “Madiya’s Reunion”, “Madea Goes to Jail.” That character ,”Madea’ is what I want to depict in Jenifa. Right now, I’m coming out with the ‘Return of Jenifa.”The desire of every Nigerian movie star is to feature either in Hollywood or Bollywood movies, do you ever nurse such ambition?Why not. I pray I get invited someday to feature in Hollywood movie. I ‘m currently managed by stramonyia, 36. They have my profile and are working towards getting me an international job. If at the end of the day, they believe Funke Akindele has what it takes to earn a role in Hollywood movie why not. I will gladly accept to star in Hollywood movie.Your popularity has oftenexposed you to negative publicity which you also c omplained about,would you say the media have been fair to you in recent times?I wouldn’t answer yes, or no. I don’t want to talk about that now because some journalists write stories without verifying their facts. And it’s very disheartening and unprofessional. I’m not a snob. I don’t know you (referring to this reporter) from Adam, you walked up to me at a recent Nollywood function and I talked with you politely. I’m like that. Except when I’m working, and I must let you know that I’m busy and perhaps, would ask you to come back later.When people walk up to me, I’m always fair to them.Are you ever harsh, especially when receiving calls from a stranger?I answer them politely. I have a private line which I hardly give out. But most often, I do give them my Personal Assistant’s number, that way I can curtail a lot of calls that would be coming to me. But most often too, I do ask my fans to hook up with me on my site, where I chat with them twice a week.You sound friendly, and innocent, but your name have been characterised with controversy in recent times; it’s either you are been alleged of snatching somebody’s husband or that you are locked in a battle over a boyfriend. What’s the truth in all these allegations?I said earlier, I wasn’t going to talk about this matter, but there’s no way this interview session can be completed without me clearing the air. Let me state categorically here that, I did not snatch anybody’s boy -friend or husband.I’m single but I’m not searching . By the grace of God, I will get married very, very soon. My fans out there, please pray for me that it works out fine. Funke Akindele is a role model to many young people. Many young girls today want to be like Funke Akindele.So, why should I snatch another woman’s husband or boy- friend? Funke Akindele did not snatch anybody’s husband period. I rather would stick to my fans out there than to do things that would tarnish my image.Though painful, how did your mother receive all these allegations?She was courageous, and the one who was encouraging me to be strong. Initially, I broke down and cried seriously, but my mum was there for me, encouraging me to be strong.Letting me know that my fans out there want to see me produce wonderful works, and that if I breakdown or allow myself to be distracted with all these stories, I would not be able to achieve more. “You have to be strong and remain focused.” That was the voice of my mum.
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