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Nollywood’s rising star, Tonto Dike hails from Ikwere, Port Harcourt, in Rivers State. She was born on June 9, 1985 and after her primary and secondary education, she was admitted into Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, and currently studying Petro-Chemical Engineering.

Dike

Growing up

Growing up was wonderful because I had everything I wanted and wasn’t deprived of anything. My father was wealthy, so he did everything possible for me. I went to the best schools in my state, I graduated with good results from my primary and secondary schools and I hope to graduate with the best result after my degree programme. I have had parental love, care, family ties while growing up..

It’s been love all the way the only thing I didn’t appreciate while growing up was the fact that I could not mix with my peer group, which is why I can’t speak my dialect up till now. Another was growing up without my mother. She died when I was just three years old, so I practically didn’t know her, but it was a joy to know that I had someone who I could say replaced her.

My journey into Nollywood

I got into the industry after I left the reality T.V show The next movie star in 2005, I was first runner-up, when Kingsley Ogboso won, and

and from there, I started looking for contacts and fortunately for me, a lot of people saw my talent, I got involved in the reality show first because I saw it as a way of getting close to the industry, I had hoped that from it I would move into the industry and it happened as I wanted.

Challenges

Sincerely, I don’t think I have had to go through any challenge. This is because I don’t see them as challenges; I am a very prayerful person. I believe so much in God and it seems like everything just falls at my feet. Anything I want just falls at my feet. I can’t say I have had to go through challenges since I got into the industry.

Big break

Perhaps, I should say my first movie, but that was released last year so I will say my second movie, entitled, Holy Cross which I did with Nonso Diobi, Uncle Pete Edochie and Jim Iyke, after seeing the film, the producers and directors wanted to use me in their own films, Right from my second movie people started to look out for me.

Nollywood

I see the industry as a fruitful one, which can yield more fruits in the future. All we need is hard work, perseverance and prayer. The industry is like a newborn baby that has to be nurtured and well taken care of. I still think that we really need to work hard because we are way backward. Though we may be doing well, I still think we can do better.

Relationship

I am in one, which I am very proud of. He is okay for me. I took what God gave me, and remember, I said God gives me anything that I desire. As for how he feels when I am on set with all the kissing and hugging, I’ll tell you something: When I say that I took what God gave me, I meant that He gave me a package in a man, all I want in life He gave to me in one person.

May man gives me endurance, patience, love and he is someone who understands. He really understands, so I don’t have a problem with my handling of roles. He might not be okay with the roles all the while, but he still prays for me and hopes for a better future for me because he knows I love my job.

Playing music with Patience Ozorkwor

First of all, the music is owned by Amaco Investments; Charles, Patience and I were just called to mime it. I had fun being in the video and I didn’t know it was going to be this big as everybody is talking about it. I have no plans whatsoever to get into music.

First day on set

I was very scared. I was shy. I didn’t know what to think or expect until the lights came on, then I knew that this was serious business. But I had people like Uncle Pete Edochie, Nonso Diobi, Desmond Elliot, Nkiru Sylvanus, and Uncle Larry Coldsweat. They kept saying ‘you can do it’ and I did it.

What you can’t wear

I will not be caught in a long skirt because I hate it. I also can’t wear Iro and Buba, it’s fashion for the older women. I am still very young and I need to feel free in my body you can’t catch me being very religious in my dressing, I love to dress the way I love to dress.

Sexy part of me

I give that to my lips. I love them and people have told me that they love them too, talking about what people don’t know about me, a lot of people don’t know that I am very nice, a wonderful and serious minded person.

Coping with school and acting

I am in my final year now, and this year, I have decided that I must spend almost all of it in school doing school work. Though I will still be on set, I hope to be in school more. I will work it out, I don’t have a plan yet, but I will be able to be in school more often than I used to.

Philosophy of life

I have a lot of them but I will share one, if you have your eyes on something, on a particular level in life when you get to that level, always know that there are so many other levels left to climb. Try to be on top, even when you are on top, try to be on top of the top.

Artiste admired

Back home, I only admire two females - Aunty Joke Sylvia and Rita Dominic. Why Rita? It’s because when I want to recount how my interest in the movies started, her name will be mentioned as she inspired me a lot. And for Aunty Joke, she is a wonderful person, she is joy to me, I watch her and I feel alive and want to do more than she has done, Internationally I love Al Paccino and Julia Roberts, they are inspiration to me.

In five years

I really have faith and hope that I will be better than I am now. I am not striving to end in Nollywood, I intend to get into Hollywood, I don’t know how I will do that but I know that God will make a way for me.

A word to fans

I say thank to all, I really appreciate their love by buying my movies, watching them and appreciating me. I wake up each day knowing that without my fans in my life, there would be no full Tonto. I love them all.

A look at this lady will never give her away for a man. From her breast and well shaped figure, to her steps , she looks every inch like a lady. But the bubble burst after she was discovered to be a man.

In a Strange Case of What a Woman Can Do A Man might just get caught doing it .

Photo 1 Photo 2 Ogunleye Idris (As a man)

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19-year-old Ogunleye Idris, is one of the numerous young men who pose as ladies out there , in order to get money from their men folk.

Idris who just finished his secondary school education at Kings college Lagos, last year, was apprehended in a bar in Surulere area of Lagos, Sunday, where he had as usual, dressed like a man, waiting for a prey.

By sheer stroke of luck, a man(names withheld) reportedly walked into the bar in the company of two other ladies. But he was said to have been attracted to Idris who gave him an inviting look.

But Idris attitude was said to have raised the man's suspicion, when he attempted to fondle with his breast. Out of curiosity, the man reportedly managed to touch Idris' breast, where to his surprise, a sachet water fell off from the brazier. This caused an uproar, following which Idris was subsequently arrested.

In this interview with crime Alert, the Ogun state born disclosed that he began the illicit business this month, with a view of raising money to further his education.

Hear him, " I went into it in order to raise money for my education. After my secondary school education, my father told me he could not afford money for me to buy JAMB form. Again there was nobody to help me because I am a man... I realized that men do not help their fellow men but women. Then, I decided to start dressing like a lady to deceive men and get money from them but I do not sleep with them. Whenever it gets to that stage, I stylishly excuse myself"

Asked how he usually collected money from men, he revealed that he would dial any number and if the owner happened t o be a man, he would invite him over, posing as a club girl. His preys according to him, sometimes fell into his trap while others disregarded him.

Continuing, Idris said, "so far, I have realised N20,000, out of which I used to buy part time form in University of Lagos and a JAMB form"

Asked if his parents are aware of what he was into, he shook his head, explaining that he never paraded himself like a lady around his vicinity in Isolo. On how he usually got himself dressed, he explained, " first , I would get a female dress and place two sachets of water on my breast, to make me look like a female and then, I will wear female shoes. I cat-walk like women because I always watch them walk and have been practicing the way they walk until I started this year. I had contemplated quitting at the end of next month,", he said.

The Lagos State Police Deputy Public Relations Officer, Mr Adesanya Jinadu, who cautioned men to be and wary of the likes of Idris out there, said he would be charged to court for attempt to defraud and attempt to breach public peace.

Formerly brown-skinned reggae artist Vybz Kartel is walking around about five shades lighter to the shock and dismay of his fans.  Get the deets on how Vybz went from cocoa to butter pecan inside...

Vybz Kartel, a Jamaican Reggae and dancehall artist, recently lightened his skin and it's not going over well with his fans.  For his part, Vybz says his skin lightening is similar to tanning.  SMH.

When asked about the change Vybz replied,

"This is my new image.  You can expect the unexpected. I feel comfortable with black people lightening their skin. They want a different look. It's tantamount to white people getting a sun tan."..

Although he won't reveal what he is using to change his complexion, some sources say that his newly endorsed brand of cake soap can lighten the skin.  But even that is up for debate since fellow artist, Bounty Killer, claims his own mother has used Vybz's cake soap and her skin has not changed. 

First Sammy Sosa....now this.  How do you feel about black folks going a few shades lighter?

The FBI calls it the biggest mafia round-up in New York history. More than 100 suspected mobsters are being arrested this morning in connection with numerous federal investigations into New York area mob groups as first reported on NBCNewYork.com.

FBI agents along with NYPD and State Police officers, and US Marshals were conducting raids that began in the early morning hours. Federal charges are expected to range from gambling to racketeering to murder.

Law-enforcement officials said members and associates of all five New York mafia families - as well as New Jersey's DeCavalcante family - are among those being arrested.

The arrest operations stretch across the tri-state area with many of the suspects being processed in Brooklyn.  Attorney General Eric Holder is flying up from Washington to take part in the official announcement.  U.S. Attorneys Loretta Lynch, Preet Bharara along with FBI New York Director Janice Fedarcyk and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly are expected to announce details of the federal charges at an 11 am news conference.

With more than 100 arrests expected, officials said the charges this day surpass the large 2008 mafia raids where 80-plus suspected members of organized crime were charged. 

At that time, John 'Jackie the Nose' D'Amico and other reputed leaders of the Gambino crime family were targeted in the U.S. while Italian authorities conducted simultaneous raids on mafia groups there.

FBI officials have said organized crime is still active in New York's construction industry.  Labor union corruption, loansharking and gambling among the other schemes run by the mob.  

FBI officials did officially confirm the arrests. 

"Early this morning FBI Agents along with our law enforcement partners began arresting over 100 organized crime members for various criminal charges," said Diego Rodriguez of the FBI New York office. "Additional information will be available at the U.S. Attorney's offices later today."

Officials said significant leaders and associates of the Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Bonanno, Colombo and DeCavalcante families among those being arrested.

Comment:

Where is the kaduna mafia of naija now ?

The American International School, Abuja, has suspended all academic activities till further notice. This follows the Story on Tuesday that the school was flouting a federal government directive that all private and public schools across the country remain shut for the period of the voter registration exercise.

In the story, NEXT noted that, "Although President Goodluck Jonathan's administration has kept millions of children at home to allow for voter registration in schools, the president's two children and those of other affluent citizens are attending school uninterrupted. The elite school these children attend, the American International School, Abuja, is in full session."

Photo: School Gate .

A volte face

The school's website finally announced the closure of the school yesterday in a message posted by Amy Uzoewulu, the director: "In compliance with the Nigerian Government's directive, AISA will reopen for preschool through Grade 8 on Tuesday, February 1, 2011."

A visit to the premises of the school yesterday found the place devoid of activities and under lock and key, guarded by a few security men at the gate.

A notice, boldly written on a yellow cardboard, in red and black ink, declared: ‘School is closed.' The reason for the closure was not stated, neither was the notice signed. The date of resumption was also not specified.

When our reporter spoke to an expatriate teacher in the primary section of the school on why the management had to close the school which opened for normal academic session on Monday, she replied: "Go and read NEXT newspaper of yesterday (Tuesday edition) and you will know why we have to close."

She also said she wasn't sure whether there was a new directive from the federal government directing the school to close down.

Our investigations showed that the school was under pressure to close as a fallout of the NEXT publication (of Tuesday, January 18). The school was besieged by journalists from both the electronic and print media, who queried the school authority for remaining open when other schools were closed.

"There was serious problem here yesterday. TV people and some journalists came here to ask why the school is open. The management had to close the school yesterday afternoon," another source who pleaded anonymity said.

Not the president's children

However, the presidency has denied that the president's children were in school.

A statement by Ima Niboro, the presidential spokesman, yesterday said, "This is to correct reports in the media that President Goodluck Jonathan's children are currently attending school in disregard of the request by the Federal Ministry of Education and INEC that primary and secondary schools in the country should remain closed. This is false.

"The truth is that the president's children have not resumed school this year in compliance with the Federal Ministry of Education's directive. This fact can be easily verified," he said.

Mr. Niboro added that the president "is fully conscious of his duty and obligation to give exemplary leadership to the nation and he will always live up to this great responsibility."

Lagos schools reopen

In the meantime, some private schools in Lagos, under the membership of the Association of Private Educators in Nigeria (APEN), have reopened for Second Term. While some started classes on Monday, others resumed yesterday.

Femi Ogunsanya, chairperson of the association, confirmed this but refused to disclose the terms surrounding the decision of the schools to reopen.

The association had earlier called on the federal government to reverse the directive closing the schools. One of the schools, Chrisland Schools, sent a text message to parents confirming the reopening on Tuesday.

It read, ‘Dear Parents, we are glad to inform you that we are now resuming on Wednesday, 19th January. This came as a result of APEN's negotiations with government.'

Other member schools of APEN which have reopened to students since Monday include Oxbridge Tutorial College, GRA, Ikeja; Grange School, GRA Ikeja; Vivian Fowler Memorial College, Ikeja; Corona Schools, Lagos.

Mrs. Ogunsanya declined to make any formal statement on the schools' reopening until after some deliberations. "Please give us a few days and then we would make a formal statement to the press," she said.

Georgina Azike, head teacher, Chrisland School, Opebi, Ikeja, explained that the directive to reopen came from the managing director of the school after a meeting between delegates of the association and the Ministry of Education.

"They sent delegates to the government and received directive from the government to reopen," she said.

The spokesperson for the federal ministry of education, Abuja, Peter Obidiegwu, in a telephone interview, said that he didn't know of such a directive and could not confirm the position of the ministry without making further investigations.

A visit to some private schools which are not members of the association showed they have no plans to reopen before the date announced by the government. For instance, the principals of Tender Hearts Children School, Ikeja, and Bright Future Academy, Gbagada, said they knew nothing about the directive and their schools will remain closed.

Kenneth Gbagi, minister of state for education had on January 6 briefed journalists on the closure, stating that the directive applies to public and private schools in the country following a request by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to him, "we have directed all schools within the country, both private and public, to remain closed. Resumption date will now be on February 2011."

Abuja/Kaduna — Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday said he has joined forces with two presidential candidates from the north, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The trio said they are joining forces to ensure that President Goodluck Jonathan does not emerge victorious in the forthcoming presidential election.

They spoke on a programme on the Hausa Service Voice of America (VOA) monitored in Kaduna yesterday. They said President Jonathan was unfit to continue to rule Nigeria.

Atiku said it would be wrong for Nigerians to accept President Jonathan for the 2011 election because he was not prepared for leadership and had no political ideology.

He said Nigeria has been pushed into a very bad situation and that a Jonathan presidency will continue to see Nigerians the worse off.

Shekarau lashed out at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) describing it as a corrupt party.

He urged Nigerians to demand from the PDP what it has done with the huge amount of money said to have been expended on electricity in Nigeria, while millions of Nigerians are still in darkness.

Meanwhile, Atiku yesterday rejected insinuations that he had a hand in the chains of events that led to the forced resignation of the former National Chairman of the PDP Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.

A statement by his campaign organisation said: "The former Vice President could not have been responsible for Nwodo's downfall when he (Atiku) himself was a direct victim of the former chairman's insincerity, double standard, opportunism, selfishness and mischief."The erstwhile chairman delivered the convention to the President but they still went on baying for his blood. That tells you there was more to it than the eye could see. Someone wants blood and you give him palm oil. Does that satisfy him?" the statement contended.

Atiku in the statement recalled that a few weeks to the convention, Nwodo did everything to frustrate Atiku's presidential ambition by making impossible a meeting intended to discuss the modalities of how the January 15, 2011 convention was to hold.

"Nwodo did not agree to meet or even answer phone calls for upwards of two months now. He frustrated every meeting my campaign organisation had requested to discuss serious issues that border on free and fair election, especially the need to create a level-playing ground in which no delegate would feel constrained or intimidated to choose their preferred candidate".

The statement said Nwodo caused crises across the country in many chapters of the party, including Enugu State, where he and Governor Sullivan Chime were engaged in a bitter battle of supremacy.

"It is clear that the former chairman had enough home troubles to contend with," Atiku furthered maintained....

As for the issue of Atiku's return to the party and subsequent waiver granted him to run for the party's ticket, the campaign organisation said the then chairman and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party were confronted with a fait accompli since the former Vice President was among those re-integrated by the Dr. Alex Ekwueme Committee set up to reconcile the party...

Atiku insisted that he did not have anything to do with the removal and distanced himself from any suggestions that his failed presidential bid was responsible for the unceremonious exit of Nwodo.

The train on which the 25 persons were arrested and charged for ..attempting to commit suicide

Twenty-five persons were on Monday arraigned before an Ebute-Metta Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, charged with attempting to commit suicide.

The prosecutor, Insp. Moses Uademevbo, told the court that the accused persons on Jan. 14, 2011 unlawfully sat atop a moving train from the Ebute-Metta Terminus to Ijoko in Ogun.

He said that the accused persons, who were arrested at Ikeja Train Station, trespassed on the premises of the Nigeria Railway Corporation by unlawfully boarding the train to their various destinations.

“The accused persons’ intention was to avoid paying the train fares and did conducted themselves in a manner likely to commit suicide,” the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Sections 327 and 460 (3) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Magistrate, Mrs. M.O. Olajunwo, granted each of the 25 accused bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like sum and adjourned further hearing till March 1, 2011.

The train on which the 25 persons were arrested and charged for ..attempting to commit suicide

Twenty-five persons were on Monday arraigned before an Ebute-Metta Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, charged with attempting to commit suicide.

The prosecutor, Insp. Moses Uademevbo, told the court that the accused persons on Jan. 14, 2011 unlawfully sat atop a moving train from the Ebute-Metta Terminus to Ijoko in Ogun.

He said that the accused persons, who were arrested at Ikeja Train Station, trespassed on the premises of the Nigeria Railway Corporation by unlawfully boarding the train to their various destinations.

“The accused persons’ intention was to avoid paying the train fares and did conducted themselves in a manner likely to commit suicide,” the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Sections 327 and 460 (3) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Magistrate, Mrs. M.O. Olajunwo, granted each of the 25 accused bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like sum and adjourned further hearing till March 1, 2011.

The Gadget That Should Have Never Been InventedSome technologies have a definitive impact in the progress of civilization that will leave a mark in Humanity forever. This utterly ridiculous contraption is not one of them.
Breast pumps are great for moms and babies, but this thing just goes beyond useful to get straight into idiotic territory for lazyasses with no sense of dignity and self-respect. And the perfect blonde who obviously is not lactating talking happily on her phone is really not helping it.

Maybe they should speak to APPLE to invent the I-Brump lol !

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