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Ghana Slams $1,000 Fee On Nigerian Actors

Posted by NollywoodMohits on July 1, 2010 at 11:57am

There are indications that the cordial relationship between the Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood and its counterpart, Ghana’s Ghollywood, has hit the rocks as authorities of the Ghanaian movie industry have said that Nigerian actors will no longer be allowed to work in their country unless they pay a fee.

In a statement sent to the Actors Guild of Nigeria [AGN] Board of Trustees, said henceforth, any Nigerian actor participating in any of their productions will be compelled to pay $1, 000 (One Thousand dollars) or risk losing the job.

This development, according to the Ghanaians, is to give ample opportunities to their local actors, and as a result, develop their movie industry to an enviable height.

They are of the opinion that their Nigerian counterparts seem to be dictating the pace in the Ghanaian movie scene, and they want to address the issue before it gets out of hand.

Confirming this information to P.M NEWS on phone yesterday morning, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria, Prince Ifeanyi Dike, said he and his executives are already addressing the issue.

He said that he was shocked when he received the information “because I never believed such decision could come from the Ghanaians. Nollywood has done a lot to improve their movie industry and what they have done now is a clear indication that they are ingrates. How could the Ghanaians insist that Nigerian actors must be paying $1, 000 before participating in their productions?

“A lot of our popular artistes have been calling me on this issue and I have assured them that we are going to make the necessary moves. It was Nollywood that made Ghanaian actors like Van Vicker, so it is absurd for them to be creating hurdles for our own actors now.”

Prince Dike, however, stated that part of the resolutions made by his board is that if at all, any Ghanaian actor must act in Nigeria, such actor will also be compelled to pay $2,000,(two thousand dollars).

Meanwhile, as the number of foreign actors plying their trade in Nigeria’s Nollywood continues to increase, the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, has called on the Nigerian Film and Video Marketers to curb the excesses of these foreign actors..

The authorities of AGN reiterated that movie marketers, producers, directors and other stakeholders should avoid giving prominence to foreign actors at the expense of their local counterparts.

Star actor and National President of AGN, Segun Arinze, said he is not opposed to the use of foreign actors in Nigerian movies, but it should not be at the expense of the local talents.

According to Arinze, Nigerian movie producers should be cautious of the influx of foreign actors, especially the Ghanaians, who seem to be getting more roles and better remuneration in Nigerian films.

He, however, urged the producers to “embrace an 80 percent local talent and 20 percent foreign in our films.”

He said “the current situation is worrisome to AGN as our talents are left wasting away. More disturbing is the situation where our own actors are not engaged in jobs outside the country, making our efforts not reciprocal.

“AGN appreciates the contributions of our foreign colleagues to Nollywood but when the home grown talents are wasting away, we should have a re-think because we are equally talented.”

Zack Orji Washes Nollywood's Dirty Linen on BBC

Posted by NollywoodMohits on July 1, 2010 at 5:40am

Zack Orji

Goodluck sacks football federation

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on July 1, 2010 at 5:34am

Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, took steps to clean up the country’s football yesterday by dissolving the board of the Nigeria Football Federation and withdrawing the national teams from international football competitions for two years...

The decision came against the backdrop of the Super Eagles’ poor performance at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The Eagles finished at the bottom of Group B with one point after three matches.

Presidential spokesman, Ima Niboro who broke the news to journalists in Abuja said the move by the government was to enable the country put its house in order:

“The most important thing is that the President has directed that Nigeria withdraws from all international competitions for the next two years. This will enable us put our house in order and enable us work out a more meaningful way to engage the global stage in terms of football so that this kind of rather embarrassing outcome we had in South Africa will not repeat itself,” he said.

The president’s directive did not just stop at the moratorium on Nigeria’s participation in international football events. He also ordered that NFF offices be sealed and employees of the body be sent home. At the time of filing this report, this directive had been fully complied with and armed policemen were seen barricading the entrance to the NFF building. Mr Niboro said President Goodluck had also directed that:

“Audit be undertaken of the finances of the World Cup project; that any perceived misapplication of fund should be investigated and relevant agencies of government involved in tracking down whoever has done wrong and bringing whoever found culpable to book.” He added:

“The President also approved that the FCT Minister should find a suitable piece of land for the building of the Nigeria Football House. This will also serve as Secretariat to the Nigeria Football Association. These are the Presidential directives that came out of the meeting this afternoon,” Mr Niboro said.

Task force report

Before the decision to move against the football federation was taken, Mr Jonathan was briefed by members of the President Task Force (PTF) set up by late President Umar Yar’Adua to ensure Nigeria’s qualification for and credible performance at the World Cup, on the Eagles outing in South Africa. Rotimi Amaechi, Chairman of the committee and Governor of Rivers State, who also spoke to journalists after the government’s decision said president Goodluck acted largely on the recommendation of the task force. He said:

“Our recommendations were based on what we saw and what we met on ground. You will observe that the history of our qualification was not as smooth as it used to be before. We struggled to qualify. We got to the World Cup, we got a new coach; PTF was paying the Coach.

We agreed to pay the Coach $1.3 million which we paid. We got to the World Cup and we had all sort of mal-administration; we also had all sorts of problems and we find out that the problem of Nigeria Football now is structural and there is the need for us to look inward, sit back and re-organise the structure to ensure that we don’t continue to have what we currently have now.” He continued:

“We recommended to Mr. President, which he has approved that we formally write FIFA to say that Nigeria will not engage in any international competition for the next two years so that when we re-organise Nigeria Football and train higher coaches and all that and come out to any competition it will be to the delight of the Nation.

“The Nation has been punished enough, people have had heart attack because of Nigerian football. We want to reorganise and get it back to what it used to be when it was the pride of the Nation and we are glad that Mr. President has approved all our recommendations and given directive to that effect.

To stave off a possible backlash from world football governing body, FIFA, which frowns at interference by government in the administration of football, a letter explaining Nigeria’s decision to reorganise its football for the next two years has already being sent via email to the football body. An aide of the sports minister, Ibrahim Bio, who wants to remain anonymous, said the decision to inform FIFA did not arise from fear of any possible sanction but was done as a matter of courtesy.

“We are a sovereign nation and have a right to run our affairs without anyone outsider dictating to us,” he said.

Attempts to get FIFA to respond to the new developments were unsuccessful at the time of filing in this report.

Federer crashes out of Wimbledon

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on July 1, 2010 at 5:32am

Roger Federer crashed out of Wimbledon yesterday in a foul mood as he blamed injuries on his shock exit to Tomas Berdych.

Swiss superstar Federer, 28, tried to rally against Czech Berdych, 24, before slumping to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 defeat.

Berdych's aggressive display left the defending champion's bid for a seventh crown in tatters.

Grumpy Federer now plans to take two weeks' holiday and will not tune in to watch the final on television on Sunday.

He insisted he needs the rest because he has problems with his back and leg which he attributed to the upset.

"I couldn't play the way I wanted," moaned Federer. "I am struggling with a little bit of a back and leg issue.

"That doesn't quite allow me to play the way I would like to play. It's just uncomfortable, you can't play freely. "And when you can't play freely, that's the kind of performance you get.

"It is frustrating to say the least and I am looking forward to some rest anyway. I am going to have two weeks' vacation. I doubt I'll watch the final as I'll be away."

Federer's reverse meant a second successive Grand Slam quarter-final loss after reaching 23 consecutive semi-finals until the French Open, where he was beaten by Sweden's Robin Soderling.

The star has also slipped behind Rafael Nadal in the world rankings.

But he dismissed suggestions he is past his prime following 16 grand slam titles. He added: "God, I can't wait for Paris and Wimbledon to come around next year.

"They have been frustrating tournaments for me this year but quarters is still a decent result.

"I can get back to my best - that's why I am here."

Berdych faces Serbian Novak Djokovic, 23, who eased into his second Wimbledon semi-final yesterday by outclassing Taiwanese giant-killer Lu Yenhsun 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

Czech Berdych was unimpressed with Federer's comments but said: "I don't know if he is looking for some excuses."

fake Pastors nabbed for defrauding foreigner

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on July 1, 2010 at 5:17am

Three men are in police custody for allegedly attempting to dupe a foreigner of millions of naira.

The suspects - Eze Lucky, 48; Afolabi Alabi, 41; and Smart Eze, 51 - were arrested on June 28th at Ikoyi by detectives from the Onikan Police Station, following a tip off from their victim.

The suspects pretended to be powerful clergymen who had the ability to turn water into wine. They accosted their victim, a Zimbabwean, who owns a unisex boutique at Ikoyi, and convinced her to part with a huge sum, which they intended to use to help her get a husband and more patronage from customers.

Luck, however, ran out on them when the victim became suspicious and decided to report the matter to the police. The police officers told her to play along with the scammers who had agreed to collect the money from her at the Ikoyi hotel..

As soon as the suspects collected the money and were about to drive off, the detectives who were positioned in strategic positions, rounded them up and took them to the station.

Narrating her ordeal in the hands of the fake pastors, the victim, who identified herself as Juliana, said: “I was walking along the road at Ikoyi, on June 27th, when a man who was driving in a Mercedes Benz car stopped in front of me and was asking for direction. They said they were going to the Church Assumption at Ikoyi, but I told them that I did not know the church. As we were talking, another man walked up to me and said he will assist, and he looked into the car and started screaming, ‘don’t you know this man? He is a powerful man of God, and he can solve your problem.’ He then asked me if I do not want prayers, and I said ‘yes.’

“I entered their car and they took me to a place where they started praying, telling me that I need to bring money for the prayers to work. To convince me, they brought a canned milk and prayed, and the milk became water. They asked me to go home and get more money. This was after they had collected my phones and the little cash I had. I went home and the next day, the pastor kept calling, asking me not to tell anybody about the money; that if I tell anybody, the prayer will not work. They even asked me to bring their sizes of shoes and clothes from my boutiques. I was able to get N200, 000, but I became suspicious, and told a policeman about it, and he told me that it was a scam,” Miss Juliana narrated.

One of the suspects, Mr. Lucky, from Imo State and a father of four, who was the brain behind the scam, said he became a scammer because he wanted his own share of the national cake.

“I am not a pastor, and I do not have any power to help anybody. I used to sell electronics at Yaba, but the government demolished my shop. Left with nothing to do, I called the other suspects and told them about the idea, of duping rich people. When I met the lady at Ikoyi, I introduced myself as a powerful man of God, and the lady opened up to me. She told me that she had a senator boyfriend in Abuja who helped her to open the boutique at Ikoyi for N5.5 million. So I said, she is enjoying oil money so me too, I should use her brain and collect my share of the national cake. So, that was why I decided to dupe her.”

The police spokesperson, Frank Mba, said Lagosians must be very careful, especially when they are dealing with strangers.

“People should be confident in the police, and report suspicious characters to the nearest police stations. The suspect will be charged to court as soon as we are through with our investigations,” Mr. Mba said.

Sammy Okposo Weds; welu welu gospel singer ties knot finally

Posted by frank adeche Mr Netchurch on July 1, 2010 at 4:59am

Sammy Okposo has finally wedded beautiful Ozioma Mkparu in traditional style marriage on une 26th 2010 in Nnewi Anambra state. The white wedding is set to hold on July 1st 2010 in Lagos, .

Nigeria assumes presidency of UN Security Council

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on July 1, 2010 at 4:49am

THURSDAY, 01 JULY 2010 00:00 FROM LAOLU AKANDE, NEW YORK NEWS - NATIONAL

"FOR the next one month, we shall be carrying the burden of the world," says Nigeria's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Prof. Joy Ogwu, as she briefed reporters at her office in New York on the country's assumption of the presidency of the world body’s Security Council today..
One major highlight of that presidency, she disclosed, is the holding of a high-level debate on the theme coined by Nigeria – Preventive Diplomacy, to review the state of international peace-keeping at the UN. Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan or the Foreign Affairs Minister Odein Ajumogobia is expected to preside over that debate at the UN headquarters in New York on July 16.

The last time Nigeria presided over the Council was in 1994-1995 while Professor Ibrahim Gambari was the nation's ambassador to the world body.
Explaining Nigeria's focus on Preventive Diplomacy, its implication for peacekeeping and the role of the Security Council in the matter, Ogwu said being one of the four foremost contributors of peacekeepers to the UN – about 6,000 troops currently – Nigeria is well placed to discuss the "increasing cost of peacekeeping, so that the pains and costs of peacekeeping will be minimised and the advantages of preventive diplomacy optimised."

It is the responsibility of the Security Council to deploy UN peacekeeping missions and so, Nigeria's choice of that theme as one of the focus of its Presidency is in line with both the UN Charter and Nigeria's well acclaimed status on peacekeeping in the UN. The high-level debate billed for July 16 is expected to draw other high-level participants, including ministers and other top officials of the other 14 Security Council members including the five permanent members, normally referred to as the P5.
According to Ogwu, who will be presiding over the Security Council on Nigeria's behalf for the month of July, except when the president or minister is around, another highlight of her presidency of the Council is next week's visit of the Queen of England to the United Nations.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be at the UN headquarters in New York next week Tuesday (July 6) and will be addressing the General Assembly in the afternoon.

The Queen is also expected to confer with members of the Security Council at a time Nigeria's Permanent Representative will be leading the Council.
Ogwu noted that while the Queen visited Nigeria 54 years ago, she was a young Girls Guide member parading on the street to honour her and now she will be hosting the Queen as president of the Council in New York over five decades after. Excited, Ogwu said she looked to that meeting next week.
Also speaking on Nigeria's agenda as its president, the Political Coordinator of the Nigerian Security Council team, a senior career diplomat, Mr. Paul Ololo, explained that the leadership of the council is collegiate, which makes the members to work collectively, sending collective messages and acting as one.

Nonetheless, as president of the Council in July, Ololo noted that Nigeria has the opportunity to "decide, but not determine" the agenda for the month, recalling that since the time Nigeria won the seat last year October, the nation made it clear that Preventive Diplomacy would be "our defining issue on the Council."
He gave a detailed explanation. According to him, Preventive Diplomacy focused on preventing conflicts in the first instance rather than sending troops once the conflict has started.
"Preventive Diplomacy is less disruptive, less expensive, but it does not get the prominence it deserves, " Nigeria's Political Coordinator at the Security Council Team declared.

Nigeria's presidency, therefore, he said, would afford the prominence to preventive diplomacy. He added that peacekeeping is growing in complexity, in size and in costs.
For instance while peacekeeping costs at the UN was about $2 billion in the early 2000s, it is now costing about $8.5 billion. He then asked rhetorically: "How long will the world finance such operations?”

According to him, because Nigeria has been preoccupied since 1960 with international peacekeeping, "we have a lot of lessons learnt."
Ololo added that Nigeria's membership and presidency of the council will also focus on West African regional stability and proffer ways that the region remains stable, peaceful, and at ease with itself and responsive to the needs of its people without being a threat to itself and the world. An open debate on this will also be held under Nigeria's presidency this month, he disclosed.

"4-1-9 SCAM DOCUMENTS"

Posted by SaintOkocha on July 1, 2010 at 4:30am

Pictured below are images of documents used in a recent Nigeria 4-1-9 Scam perpetrated on Yuiry Gaydamaschuk, a poor christian fellow in Russia. Especially interesting is the Anti Terrorist Clearance Scamster Certificate. At the bottom are 16 counterfeit Cheques from buying scams aimed at people selling cars and other items on the internet.