Genevieve and her Hermes bag land in Toronto for movie premiere

Genevieve Nnaji and her blue Birkin bag by Hermès (Its prices range from $7,500 to $150k) landed in Toronto, Canada yesterday to attend the world premiere of the much-anticipated movie, Half of a Yellow Sun, based on the award winning novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The movie, starring Chinwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Onyeka Onwenu, Genevieve Nnaji will get its premiere at the 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) tomorrow, Sunday 8th September 2013, at the Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto, Canada. Half of the Yellow Sun is directed by prolific UK-based Nigerian playwright, Biyi Bandele, and produced by BAFTA award winner, Andrea Calderwood (of The Last King of Scotland).  The British/Nigerian co-production was shot at the Tinapa Film Studios in Calabar, Nigeria and the United Kingdom

12 local and international banks have loaned Africa's richest man and foremost industrialist Aliko Dangote $3.3 billion to build Nigeria's biggest petroleum refinery and petrochemical/fertilizer plants. The banks are: Standard Chartered Nigeria, Guaranty Trust Bank, Fidelity Bank, Ecobank Nigeria, United Bank for Africa, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, Standard Bank of South Africa, Diamond Bank, First Bank Nigeria, First City Monument Bank, and FirstRand Bank. Standard Chartered is the global co-ordinator, while Guaranty Trust Bank is the local co-ordinator. According to a statement released by Dangote Group a few days ago, the factories they plan to build will create about 9500 direct and 25 000 indirect posts. These plants will cut the existing volumes of refined fuel that are imported by almost half which will end the importation of fertilizer in Nigeria. The company further stated that the 2.8 million tonnes of urea that will be made at these factories will be directed into developing the Nigerian agriculture sector. Aliko Dangote said these factories would showcase Africa as maker of refined oil products and fertiliser. "As a result, several African nations will be less reliant on importing fuel and fertilizer from foreign markets, reducing the negative impact of negotiating terms within increasingly turbulent international markets

Aliko Dangote gets $3.3billion loan from 12 banks to build oil refinery

12 local and international banks have loaned Africa's richest man and foremost industrialist Aliko Dangote $3.3 billion to build Nigeria's biggest petroleum refinery and petrochemical/fertilizer plants. The banks are: Standard Chartered Nigeria, Guaranty Trust Bank, Fidelity Bank, Ecobank Nigeria, United Bank for Africa, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, Standard Bank of South Africa, Diamond Bank, First Bank Nigeria, First City Monument Bank, and FirstRand Bank. Standard Chartered is the global co-ordinator, while Guaranty Trust Bank is the local co-ordinator. According to a statement released by Dangote Group a few days ago, the factories they plan to build will create about 9500 direct and 25 000 indirect posts. These plants will cut the existing volumes of refined fuel that are imported by almost half which will end the importation of fertilizer in Nigeria. The company further stated that the 2.8 million tonnes of urea that will be made at these factories will be directed into developing the Nigerian agriculture sector. Aliko Dangote said these factories would showcase Africa as maker of refined oil products and fertiliser. "As a result, several African nations will be less reliant on importing fuel and fertilizer from foreign markets, reducing the negative impact of negotiating terms within increasingly turbulent international markets

Wande Coal surprises his manager with E200 Mercedes Benz car

Wande Coal surprises his manager with E200 Mercedes Benz car September 7, 2013  Four days after launching a 450GL 4matic Benz car, R&B sensation Wande Coal surprised his friend, and manager Nana Abbey with a special gift....an E200 Kompressor Mercedes Benz. He handed his manager the remote sensored keys to the car at the departure lounge of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport before boarding to leave for London where he is to shoot videos for his club banging new singles.

NotJustOk's list of Top 10 Most Gifted Rappers - who agrees with it?

Music website NotJustOk yesterday released a list of their Top 10 Most Gifted Rappers in Nigeria and placed Olamide as the second best rapper in Nigeria after Modenine. See the list below... 1. Modenine 2. Olamide 3. Phyno 4. M.I 5. Sinzu (Sauce Kid) 6. ShowDemCamp (SDC) 7. Ice Prince 8. Vector 9. Naeto C 10. Reminisce Personal opinion and with all due respect to other rappers in Nigeria, but I think M.I is in a class of his own. I think he's not just the best rapper in Nigeria, he's the best rapper in Africa. Like, he's not even on anyone's level. He shouldn't even be on this list. We should be comparing M.I to Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and the likes and not Olamide or Phyno. That's my personal opinion. What do you think of the list? Who agrees with it? Some Nigerian rappers don't.

5 biggest story of the week

Iranian Diplomat Warns That Obama’s Daughter Will be Kidnapped & Raped if America Attacks Syria

An Iranian strategic expert has warned that one of President Obama’s daughters will be kidnapped and raped if America attacks Syria. Alireza Forghani, also the former governor of southern Iran’s Kish Province, warned of mass abductions and killings of American citizens worldwide in the event the Obama administration launches a military strike in Syria. ‘Hopefully Obama will be pigheaded enough to attack Syria, and then we will see the … loss of U.S. interests [through terrorist attacks],’ he threatened. ‘In just 21 hours [after the attack on Syria], a family member of every U.S. minister [department secretary], U.S. ambassadors, U.S. military commanders around the world will be abducted. And then 18 hours later, videos of their amputation will be spread [around the world]‘ he said.

If USA Attacks Syria, ThereWill be no Peace For Years – Prophet TB Joshua

Nigerian Prophet, TB Joshua has said that ‘If the world goes to war in Syria, it will not stop there. It will affect all its neighbours. There will be no peace in that region for years.’ He added: “We should appeal to the Arab League to come together and talk to our brother.” God Almighty continues to speak through His servants, the prophets.Prophet T.B. Joshua gave words of prophecy concerning the pending war on Syria. The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” We thank God for the prophetic warning and the instruction in righteousness and wisdom to handle such a situation. We pray that those involved will hear the voice of God and heed the warning. Listen as he tells the world what God has said about the situation

P Square, Davido others battle at Channel O awards

The likes of Davido, Kcee, P Square, Tiwa Savage and Wizkid are set to battle it out with other African artistes as the nominees for the 10th edition of Channel O Music Video Awards were revealed earlier in the week. Last year, some Nigerians, including D’banj, won big at the award and it might not be a surprise if the artistes pull it off again this year. Nigerian artistes got 20 nominations in different categories including Most Gifted Duo and Most Gifted Male Video category. To celebrate a decade of recognising the best African contemporary music talent, the 10th Annual Channel O Africa Music Awards has expanded the prestigious Most Gifted Video of the Year category to 12 nominees, increasing the pressure on nominees in the most fiercely fought category at the awards. The category again reveals the mix of newcomers and established artistes at this year’s event – a signal of the growing maturity of Africa’s music scene. Nigeria’s Wizkid, Ice Prince and P Square made that category alongside other African artistes. The event is scheduled to hold in South Africa on November 30

Reality Show: Pheel fails Glo X factor

He has always sang his heart out at the Glo X Factor, indeed, the contestants saw Pheel as the guy to watch in the competition. However, it was end of the road for Pheel yesterday as he got evicted from the show. Pheel, unfortunately, got the least votes and automatically, he was booted out of the show making him the first contestant under MI’s mentorship to get evicted. MI still has two contestants- Princess Pat and DJ Switch- very much in the game while Onyeka is left with Vicky and Eshum. Reggie has lost all his contestants. The game is at its peak, just one more eviction show before the grand finale. And at the moment, the four remaining contestants are simply hot. DJ Switch and Princess Pat have not been nominated for eviction. Vicky and Eshum had almost been booted out but they got saved by their mentors. The period of saving contestants is over. All the contestants’ hopes depend on the public votes and only the public could decide the contestant with the X Factor

The ‘kid’ in Wizkid

It all started as a joke, he was simply somebody who nobody would give a second glance. That era has gone. Today, he is an A-list act, headlining shows, getting endorsement deals and basically, making millions. He is called Wizkid. No doubt, the young lad has paid his dues as it were, for few years back, nobody would have thought the ‘errand boy’ would grow to become this big. Indeed, his talents and luck,shone and now, Wizkid is a superstar. But it seems stardom is getting to his head. Recently, the Internet was agog when the singer called a fan ‘broke’ for correcting a grammatical error he made. The singer posted on his instagram that he was about to perform at a wedding with ‘an hangover’. The crime of the fan was telling Wizkid the correct thing to say was ‘a hangover’. His reply angered fans who quickly reminded him that he was not born rich and it was the ‘broke’ fans who made him who he is at the moment. Wiz hasn’t only been misbehaving online. The kid took his arrogance to another height when he allegedly poured his drink on a fan in London. Speculation has it that all the fan did was to reach out to Wizkid to greet him. Probably trying to impress an American hip-hop sensation, Wiz allegedly called the fan, Oloshi (Idiot). The shocked American took to instagram to talk about Wiz’s atiitude. Although the kid was lucky in London, luck ran out when he allegedly tried ignoring fans who had been waiting to get a glimpse of him in Lagos. This time the fans physically reacted to his arrogance. Dear Wiz was reportedly stoned by angry fans at the VFS Global Services, Lekki Phase 1 over the his arrogant attitude and his refusal to part with some naira notes despite the much accolades he got from the cheering crowd who were so elated to catch a glimpse of him. Apparently our wonder boy was in a foul mood or perharps, he wasn’t given a visa for he ‘boned’ and shunned the cheering crowd as he walked arrogantly into the waiting Porsche Cayenne. It was gathered that Wizkid’s silence and arrogance got the cheering fans angrier and they stoned him as he drove off. Unfortunately for Wizkid, one of the stones hit his side mirror but he didn’t bother stopping anyway. At the moment, not a few are angry with the kid and his attitude. Some fans told Saturday Beat that it was high time they “boycotted Wizkid.” Another fan Reginald said, “Wizzy is just a kid and that is what he will be until he grows up! Let’s keep praying he grows soon

5 ways Nokia helped create the modern cell phone

With its purchase of Nokia's mobile phone business, Microsoft has brought a longtime partner into the fold to help fight a battle that has been tough for both companies. Microsoft, which was late to the smartphone game with its Windows mobile operating system, badly trails Android and Apple's iOS. And while Nokia is still a force selling feature phones worldwide, it's barely made a dent in the smartphone market. But if the Finnish company is struggling today, it can still take pride in its history at the forefront of the mobile movement. Here are five ways the once-dominant phonemaker has helped shape the world of mobile electronics as we know it today: First to move It's not the sort of thing that smartphone owners today probably remember -- if they're even old enough. But the Nokia 1011, released in 1992, was the first commercially available mobile phone that operated on what's called the GSM network. The letters stand for Global System for Mobile. And what that meant was that unlike earlier phones, the Nokia could be used to make a phone call from almost anywhere in the world. GSM is still the world's most widely used mobile system, although 4G is expected eventually to replace it. Phone as fashion statement A phone is just a phone, right? Of course not. Today, there are plenty of folks who, admit it or not, wrap at least a small part of their identity up in what kind of phone is in their pocket.That was a pretty alien concept up until the early 2000s when, if you owned a cell phone, there was a pretty good chance it was a Nokia. Remember those chunky, rounded models with the tiny gray screens and the nubby antennas? The Nokia 5110 was one of the most popular. And it also was one of the market's first phones that had a replaceable face plate. The plates came in a wide variety of colors, offering one of the first chances to personalize your phone's look. The 'slider' The popularity of early Nokia phones meant the company's designs often became the standard for cell phones. It didn't create the first flip phone (that honor belongs to Motorola), but the "slider" was all Nokia. The first was the company's 8110 model, which debuted in 1998. How cutting edge was the design at the time? It was the phone of choice in the futuristic 1999 sci-fi film "The Matrix." Mobile gaming Remember "Snake"? It seems laughably simple compared with the range of gaming possible on today's smartphones. But plenty got addicted to this game. Even though it had already been in arcades, Nokia began preloading "Snake" on its phones in 1998. Don't hit your own tail. Don't hit the walls. And what the heck were those things you were eating, anyway? Who knows -- but "Angry Birds," "Candy Crush" and their app-store brethren owe a tip of the digital cap to Nokia's vision of telephone-as-gaming-device.Windows warrior Phones running the Windows operating system haven't exactly set the marketplace on fire. In the second quarter of this year, 7.4 million phones running Windows were sold, according to Gartner Research. That's a long way behind the No. 2 system, Apple's iOS, with 31.9 million phones sold in that time. But Nokia has squarely positioned itself as the leading vendor of those Windows phones, making 82% of the devices sold last year. In 2011, Windows and Nokia announced a partnership in which Nokia switched to the Windows OS as the default system running all of its handsets. That hasn't been enough to put Nokia on super-solid ground, at least not yet. But the longstanding partnership is what led to Monday's purchase, and if having in-house hardware gives Windows Phone a boost, Microsoft and Nokia will reap the rewards.

Eminem sneakily announces new single, album

With most of the music world's eyeballs fixed on one point ? the MTV VMAs ? Eminem took advantage of the moment to announce the name and release date of his upcoming eighth album. As his official site teases, the new album will be out November 5. Eminem drops new song 'Survival': Hear it here The site calls the release "MMLP2," and also announced the name of a new single, "Berzerk," to be debuted this Tuesday. A rep at Interscope has confirmed that the album's formal title is "The Marshall Mathers LP 2," and that "Berzerk" will be on sale via iTunes on Tuesday, 12:01am Eastern. The song was produced by Rick Rubin, who with Dr. Dre co-produced the entire album. Eminem in 'How to Make Money Selling Drugs': 'My name is Marshall, and I'm an addict' The announcement also came with a snippet of the new song, which you can hear here. See the original story at EW.com.

The Internet is mad right now - about everything

Who do you think you are, Internet? All this complaining and demanding you have been doing lately is making you look even more mouthy and angry than usual. It was bad enough that you exploded over the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming Superman movie, but then you went and started a petition to recast "Fifty Shades of Grey" because Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson just didn't do it for you. Backlash much? Now there are screeches about the cast of this season's "Dancing With the Stars." The target of ire this time around is mostly "High School Musical" star Corbin Bleu who has been labeled a "ringer" because he happens to know how to dance thanks to his role as "Chad Danforth" in the aforementioned TV movies and film as well as some time spent on Broadway. Fans not happy with 'Fifty Shades' casting To be fair, fellow "DWTS" contestant and "Saved By the Bell" star Elizabeth Berkley has also been targeted for knowing how to dance, though it's almost surely not because of her starring role in the now cult classic "Showgirls." "It's not fair!" stage producer Brian Howie told RadarOnline.com. "They have the muscle memory about the ways to do this. I think it's dishonest that (the show doesn't) level the playing field." Could it be that fans are now drunk with power after their successes? Over the years campaigns from the distraught have saved television shows like "Family Guy," "Chuck," "Firefly" and "Friday Night Lights." These days folks can also vote with their dollars and make things happen. Really missing "Veronica Mars" and wish there was a reunion movie? Kickstarter to the rescue and it is happening. According to that company, 10% of the films at Sundance last year were Kickstarter funded. Is there a movie you want to see not playing in your town? You can always hop on Tugg and make a showing happen. Couple this with the power of social media, which, because it allows users to share their opinions freely and have massive interaction with others, apparently heightens the sense of influence and power. Before you know it there's a recipe for rebellion.. No place is this more obvious than over on the "50 Shades of Grey" Facebook page. To say people are unhappy over this Christian Grey/Anastasia Steele casting would be an understatement. 'Fifty Shades': Before Hunnam and Johnson, was there Gosling? "No chance," wrote Facebook user Olivia Michelle Hooper about Hunnam's casting. "He does not have the right face ... he looks like he belongs in movies like Troy or 300, not as Christian Grey, and he looks a hell of a lot older than 27 (the character's age when the book begins), just saying!" "They are not right for it," wrote Ashley Taylor of Hunnam and Johnson's casting. "Period, will not be watching the movie." There are already calls for a boycott of "Fifty Shades" before a scene has even been filmed. The furor caused the film's producer, Dana Brunetti, to feel the need to explain how casting works. '"There is a lot that goes into casting that isn't just looks," The Daily Mail reported Brunetti as saying. "Talent, availability, their desire to do it, chemistry with the other actor, etc. So if your favorite wasn't cast, then it is most likely due to something on that list. Keep that in mind while hating and keep perspective." So can you please dial it back a bit, Internet, and perhaps pick and choose your battles? After all, there are brand new "American Idol" judges to be criticized and Miley Cyrus is sure to twerk again. You know, the important stuff.

Largest volcano on Earth found under Pacific Ocean

The world's largest volcano lurks beneath the Pacific Ocean, researchers have announced. #Scientists discovery the world's largest volcano underwater. Erin Burnett asks what's more down there

Why Nigeria Languages are dying - Dr Adeniyi

NIGERIA is trapped in the local language dilemma, accustomed to speaking English, the language of British Colonialism as the Imperial power tended to wield together, people of diverse ethnic languages, cultures, traditions and religions. English was regarded and seen as the language of unity and administrative convenience in the amalgamation of northern and southern protectorates in 1914 to form such a big country in Africa with the largest population in the continent. It was just impossible to choose a local language among about 400 with Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba as the main ones, none yielding to the other out of these three as the lingua franca even up to Independence in 1960. In this interview, Dr. (Mrs) Kikelomo Adeniyi who holds Ph.D in English, Chief Lecturer in the Department of English, AOCOED and Deputy Director, Passages, Linkages and Collaboration of the institution bares her mind on what it takes to entrench the use of mother tongue or the local language. To what will you attribute this national predicament of  Nigerians finding it difficult to speak their indigenous local languages and English the preferred language? My overview is that Nigeria is a multi lingual country with more than 400 languages each standing on its own, apart from several other dialects that cannot be counted. For example, Yoruba language has many dialects. These include Ekiti, Egba, Ijebu, Ondo, Ijesha, Egun (Badagry), Oyo dialetcts. So also with Hausa, Igbo, etc, having different dialects.   With the arrival of British colonial masters, there was the need for a language to unify us (Nigerians) at least for the purpose of communication, hence the introduction and use of the English Language. But it did not stop at that. Something had to be attached to it, in order to motivate speaking of English. The English Language became compulsory in public examinations and to get jobs and appointments. For instance, interpreters, who translate from local language to English in those days, were highly regarded and valued. They were rich at that time and so our people were gradually interested in English while our native languages or mother tongues were ignored. Dr. (Mrs) Kikelomo Adeniyi However, in our respective homes, we were compelled to speak our mother tongues. But as a country, for peace to reign, there is need for a central language. Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo won’t be accepted as a common language which can be spoken by all. English was seen as neutral. No one will oppose it because it does not belong to any of us. It was the language of unity. How did English Language become our lingua franca? In our constitution, English had been recognised and allowed. For instance, in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, it was stipulated that the business of the National Assembly shall be conducted in English, and in Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba when adequate arrangements have been made therefore. But nobody is using these native languages apart from English, which is still thriving. At the level of the State Houses of Assembly, only in Lagos to be specific, that a resolution was passed for the proceedings to be conducted in the mother tongue (Yoruba). Legislators were asked to use the mother tongue, but it is not done. In fact, it has not been possible. I know that in London, England, children of Indian parents know how to speak the Indian language.  This is because when they finish learning in school with English, on their return home after school, parents speak Indian language to their children. In the National Policy on Education, it was stated that our children should be taught at primary and Nursery level in the mother tongue, or in other words, teach them in the language of the immediate environment. But this is not so. After paying so much in primary and nursery schools for their children, no parents want them to be taught in the mother tongue, except in English. Why do parents resist teaching their kids in the local language? Let’s take Lagos for instance. Lagos is a Cosmopolitan City, so English is used generally. There is no central local language. The lingua franca is English. The next to it is Pidgin English. But inspite of this, the English spoken today by these children or even youths is rubbish. They cannot speak good English and also cannot speak their mother tongue. They cannot write good English. To compound the situation, everybody loves English. You need to pass English Language in WASSSCE or WAEC among other things to enter the They don’t hate Nigerian language. It is because there is no law to compel them do so. Before now, there was a stipulation by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, NERDC, that Nigerian children must offer a local language at SSSI. But it is no longer compulsory now. People hate things Nigerian in nature. We like only foreign things, treat things like speaking the mother tongue as “Idiotic” But if our children speak English wrongly, we are angry and reprimand them. Access to internet, GSM and social media had compounded it. Children use SMS language while writing English nowadays. How do you find the situation today? Nigerian languages are gradually dying. While some parents can speak the native language, the children cannot speak the mother tongue. Even grand mothers are forced to speak English to the kids, even if the English spoken is not correct. In those days, there was  a Yoruba proverb which says: “If you speak English in your in-laws house, you must interprete it.” Inter-tribal marriages are now forcing people to speak English at home. It is very simple for children to hear and speak the local language than adults. In some time to come, people who cannot speak the local language may not be considered for elective positions as governors or legislators. There was the case of some children who went for scholarship test in Bayelsa State and performed well. But when asked to count one to ten in their mother tongue, majority of them could not and so missed the chance of getting scholarship. What do you think can be done to save the local language from extinction? There should be psychic re-orientation; need for jingles on radio and TV appreciating Nigerian languages, advertisements in print media to make people love and enjoy speaking the local language. We thank God for Yoruba Nollywood and Movies. Children are compelled to watch and listen. These Yoruba and may be Ibo and Hausa movies are helpful to parents whose children are not speaking the mother tongue. The NERDC should re-visit the school curriculum and make Nigerian languages to be compulsory, enforce the policy of learning in the language of the immediate environment. I want to recall the Ife project by late Prof Babs Fafunwa in which two groups of primary school children were set up. One group was taught all the subjects in Yoruba language; the other group was taught in English. The Yoruba group performed better than the group taught in English. It’s unfortunate that most people in the National Assembly don’t care about the use of the local languages. Hausa language won’t die because parents speak it at home with their children. No matter how educated the Hausa man is, he speaks his language to the children at home. The Yoruba are trying, but not up to Hausa people who speak it at home level first. The Igbo are worse in this respect. They hardly speak Igbo at home with their children. To speak and understand other languages is better for you, it’s also for survival. If you can speak the language of the immediate environment, one can buy things at cheaper price in the market than speaking English. Once you speak English in the local markets, prices are often inflated. There is clear difference between theory and practice. I read English, but speak Yoruba. We have this concept called socio-linguistics which has to do with language and culture, language and society. Use of language in the context and situation that you find yourself. But for the children, they are forced to speak English at all contexts. What advice do you have  on this? People should try to always speak the mother tongue at home. It would then be easier for children to speak it because it’s informal, in the natural setting. Curriculum should be revisited in order to enforce mother tongue in learning while at school.When there is inter-ethnic marriage, like Ibo married to Yoruba, the couple should decide what language the children will learn and acquire it at early age. Language acquisition takes place informally. We can expose our children to more local languages and would be better for them. They have plasticity of being easily receptive to learning a new thing including language

Rihanna spotted leaving A$AP Rocky's hotel room the morning after

Rihanna has moved on to A$AP Rocky? Thought he was seeing model, Chanel Iman? Rihanna was caught making the walk of shame leaving his hotel wearing the same clothes from the night before... From The Daily Mail Most stars make an effort to recycle. And Rihanna certainly seems keen to do her bit - by recycling her clothes. The 25-year-old was spotted leaving the hotel of her rumoured new boyfriend rapper A$AP Rocky in Chelsea, New York on Thursday morning, wearing the same pair of thigh-skimming denim hot pants she had worn the night before.  Looking cheery, Rihanna teamed the Daisy Dukes with a floral bucket hat, a long-sleeved black and white top and simple black sandals as she made her way to a photographic studio. Rihanna really knows how to get her men. A few months ago, Chris Brown tweeted "How can she be mine when she's everyone else's?". Was rooting for Drake tho...   Rihanna and Asap perform at the VMAs in September 2012  ASAP opened for Rihanna on her "Diamonds" tour from March to May 2013, and rumors that their relationship was more than professional have been swirling ever since. An April report even claimed that the two hooked up and actually started dating while on tour!

Lagos Commissioner embarrassed at Gani memorial event

Lagos Commissioner for Public Transportation Mr. Kayode Opeifa, got more than he bargained for as he strayed into Gani Fawehinmi 'Night of Tributes' occasion organized to commemorate the late radical lawyer and advocate for the masses in Lagos. The 'Night of Tributes And Socials', attended by left-wing activists including Femi Aborishade, Lanre Legacy, Okei-Odumakin as well as members of Civil Society Organizations and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) was the second event for the day after a morning lecture in which Prof. Omotoye Olorode lashed out on Minister of Economy Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, the Goodluck Jonathan-led government and the entire PDP. At the morning lecture, Mr. Muiz Banire, a former Lagos State Commissioner for environment was invited due his acclaimed initiation of the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota as one of those who benefited from Chief Gani Fawehinmi's mentorship activities during his life-time. Public opinion has it that Mr. Muiz Banire is one of those secretly nominated to succeed Governor Fashola in Lagos State, an office the disgraced commissioner, Mr. Kayode Opeifa is also gunning for the position of governor. Mr. Opeifa thought that, since Banire shone at the morning lecture, he could also show-off as a current commissioner during the night event, but he rather got his fingers burnt . Mr. Opeifa was publicly shamed, drenched with water and driven away with chants of "Ole-ole-ole-ole... " meaning "thief-thief-thief-thief" in adaptation of a popular international soccer fans' song. As a way of defending his flatulent ego, Mr. Opeifa threatened he'd sue those pelting him with water. Although some of the organizers initially tried to quell indignations, but the participants soon took it against the organizers, alleging betrayal so that organizers soon disowned Mr. Opeifa, denied inviting him, declared that he intruded and asked him to go away. The stray-commissioner's intrusion was said to be one of his deceptive moves to pacify the public in preparation for 2015 Lagos Guber race, a trick similar to those who worked against interest of the public while in office but feign friendly once out of the office or those seeking re-election into same office. "The sucker commercialized all public roads in Lagos, banned fairly used Taxi cabs and asked us to compulsorily buy his own at N4million each. He did not allow us buy the same type anywhere else at their real market prices, now the hypocrite wants to form familiarity at our hero's memorial event. Who born am?", one of the protesters said. Taxi drivers in Lagos alleged that Mr. Opeifa's gluttonous introduction of only "specific cabs" which must be purchased from him with payment in installments was his own way of profiting from the acclaimed Lagos Mega City Project. One of them said the Taxi-cab type Opeifa asked drivers to compulsorily patronize him on or leave the road, actually sell at almost 45% lower than his own price in market, but he denied them the right to purchase from market. Mr. Kayode Opeifa, the stray-commissioner's intrusive presence caused event to dramatically end as participants left the event for not counting it worthy to be at same occasion with him. "We deported him from our event and that's to show him sample what it feels like for his master, Fashola to deport people from Lagos", another protester said.

Lagos Commissioner embarrassed at Gani memorial event

Lagos Commissioner for Public Transportation Mr. Kayode Opeifa, got more than he bargained for as he strayed into Gani Fawehinmi 'Night of Tributes' occasion organized to commemorate the late radical lawyer and advocate for the masses in Lagos. The 'Night of Tributes And Socials', attended by left-wing activists including Femi Aborishade, Lanre Legacy, Okei-Odumakin as well as members of Civil Society Organizations and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) was the second event for the day after a morning lecture in which Prof. Omotoye Olorode lashed out on Minister of Economy Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, the Goodluck Jonathan-led government and the entire PDP. At the morning lecture, Mr. Muiz Banire, a former Lagos State Commissioner for environment was invited due his acclaimed initiation of the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota as one of those who benefited from Chief Gani Fawehinmi's mentorship activities during his life-time. Public opinion has it that Mr. Muiz Banire is one of those secretly nominated to succeed Governor Fashola in Lagos State, an office the disgraced commissioner, Mr. Kayode Opeifa is also gunning for the position of governor. Mr. Opeifa thought that, since Banire shone at the morning lecture, he could also show-off as a current commissioner during the night event, but he rather got his fingers burnt . Mr. Opeifa was publicly shamed, drenched with water and driven away with chants of "Ole-ole-ole-ole... " meaning "thief-thief-thief-thief" in adaptation of a popular international soccer fans' song. As a way of defending his flatulent ego, Mr. Opeifa threatened he'd sue those pelting him with water. Although some of the organizers initially tried to quell indignations, but the participants soon took it against the organizers, alleging betrayal so that organizers soon disowned Mr. Opeifa, denied inviting him, declared that he intruded and asked him to go away. The stray-commissioner's intrusion was said to be one of his deceptive moves to pacify the public in preparation for 2015 Lagos Guber race, a trick similar to those who worked against interest of the public while in office but feign friendly once out of the office or those seeking re-election into same office. "The sucker commercialized all public roads in Lagos, banned fairly used Taxi cabs and asked us to compulsorily buy his own at N4million each. He did not allow us buy the same type anywhere else at their real market prices, now the hypocrite wants to form familiarity at our hero's memorial event. Who born am?", one of the protesters said. Taxi drivers in Lagos alleged that Mr. Opeifa's gluttonous introduction of only "specific cabs" which must be purchased from him with payment in installments was his own way of profiting from the acclaimed Lagos Mega City Project. One of them said the Taxi-cab type Opeifa asked drivers to compulsorily patronize him on or leave the road, actually sell at almost 45% lower than his own price in market, but he denied them the right to purchase from market. Mr. Kayode Opeifa, the stray-commissioner's intrusive presence caused event to dramatically end as participants left the event for not counting it worthy to be at same occasion with him. "We deported him from our event and that's to show him sample what it feels like for his master, Fashola to deport people from Lagos", another protester said.

Omotola lands in London for Muyiwa Goes To Nollywood

Omotola landed in the UK today to attend the premiere of Muyiwa Goes To Nollywood later this weekend

Guinness sponsors broadcast of Nigeria vs Malawi match tomorrow

 Incredible news and hope every single football fan across the nation is reading this! Today, we are proud and excited to announce that Guinness; the number one authentic supporter of the Super Eagles have once again shown their commitment to the Super Eagles by sponsoring the broadcast of the Nigeria-Malawi match coming up on the 7th of September 2013. By this, it means we all can watch the match on both AIT networks. It doesn't stop there...Guinness has gone ahead and placed a bounty on each goal scored by the Eagles on that day. That's right, for every single goal scored means $2,000 USD for the team! Fan-STOUT-ic! Get it?!?   Guinness is also giving away tickets to 50 lucky Nigerians to catch the match live. Just log on to Africa's largest online football community at m.guinnessvip.comand stand the chance to be live in the stadium where all the action will be

Beverly Osu storms Abuja!

The Real Chase steps into Abuja! Beverly who set a record as the Housemate never up for eviction throughout the duration of BBA The Chase is live in Abuja for a major media tour, promotional appearances, club storm, show bookings, press conference, autograph signing and a major welcome back party! See dates, time and places she will be visiting after the cut... FRIDAY: Airport pick up 10am Cool fm /Wazobia fm 11am-1pm. Hot FM 1:15-2pm KISS FM 2pm-4pm (Night) - Epic Lounge 10pm -12:30am -Avatar Lounge 12:30am - 1:30am -Selavee Lounge Games Village 1:30-3am SATURDAY Afternoon--------- -Press conference @ Silverbird Galleria (Special Appearance by the Bruces') -Popcorn Sales upstairs Silverbirrd -Photoshot @ Shibhon Stores Silverbird for TOAST Magazine Nigeria -Visit to Drumstick 4pm-5pm -Visit to "Runway" Abuja organisers 5-5:30pm -Visit to Selara Faces Makeovers 5:30-6pm -Visit to the "Hope of Survival" Orphanage in Gishiri Maitama Extension. 6pm -Night ---------- Main Welcome Party at PUB 360, Sheraton. Hosted by Denrele. By 11pm SUNDAY - Hosting @ Ketchup Sharwama. 6pm- 8pm -Appearance @ Eden Garden 8pm -Appearance @ Club Vegas 10:30pm----1am

The Labor Department reports the U.S. economy added 169,000 jobs in August, missing economists’ expectations of 180,000. The jobless rate fell to 7.3%, the lowest since December 2008, and less than estimates that it would hold steady at 7.4%. The labor force participation rate, which gauges the proportion of population in the labor force, fell to 63.2% from 63.4% in July, the lowest since August 1978.For more news, please go to FoxBusiness.com and watch the FOX Business Network

Harassment of Nigerians in Kenya to end soon – Jonathan

Nairobi- President Goodluck Jonathan has assured the Nigerian community in Kenya that he would end the challenges of intimidation, harassment,discrimination and extortion of Nigerians by the Kenyan security operatives. Jonathan gave the assurance on Thursday night in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, when he held an interactive session with Nigerians living in that country. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was part of the events lined up for the three-day state visit of the President to Kenya on the invitation of Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta. The President made the remark as part of his response to several complaints from representatives of the Nigerian community. NAN reports that complaints by the community revolved around illegal deportation and maltreatment of Nigerians by Kenyan authority. Jonathan said that his government was aware of the development and that it was one of the major issues to be addressed during talks during the state visit. “We are aware that there were issues and that is why we are here to see how we can work with the government of Kenya to resolve the issues raised.” The Minister of Interior, Mr Aba ,Moro, is here because we want to sign a Bilateral Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding on this and other issues between Kenya and Nigeria during talks which the two Presidents will preside over, the president added.. “We have a number of issues and many complaints have come to us. “I remember when my wife was to come here for a programme, there were issues. “Some Nigerians were just sent back home without passing through the normal procedure which almost created a diplomatic row between Nigeria and Kenya. “But I said that Nigeria will not have to engage in unnecessary diplomatic row with any African country but would rather look at positive ways of managing the situation because we have Nigerians everywhere. “It is better we manage the development to the benefit of the two countries than going into unnecessary diplomatic issues. “Of course, the President is my good friend and I believe myself and the President of Kenya will be able to solve all the problems,’’ he said. Jonathan said that his Administration believed strongly in the unity and co-operations among African countries. He said for integration to happen in the continent, people must be able to move freely without hindrances. Contributing, Moro assured the people that one of the agreements to be signed by both Presidents is on “humane treatment of nationals of both countries. “In every country there must be people who are to enforce the laws of the land, but we expect that as friendly country and based on cordial relations, people must be treated with some level of dignity “And that is part of the bilateral agreement which we will be able to iron out and sign with the government of Kenya. “We believe that with the signing of the agreement, the constant harassment of Nigerians especially honest Nigerians doing legitimate business in Kenya will no longer occur,’’ he said. Earlier in his welcome address, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr Akin Oyateru, had listed the intimidation of Nigerians, among the challenges, faced by the mission. “Mr President, Kenya is a beautiful and lovely country with a very good climatic condition. Many Nigerians have made here their homes as a result of work and business enterprises,” he said.. We have people in corporate work, those in international organisations, and those engaged in businesses. “Indeed we have two banks here, UBA and Ecobank, the third one GTB is to fully open next year. “The Nigerian community here is peaceful and a vast majority of them are well behaved. “However, Mr President, the community here has a major challenge. “In recent times there have been problems between the Kenyan law enforcement agencies and members of the Nigerian community on issues of immigration, resident and business permit and in certain cases, unlawful deportation. “These have caused considerable unease, distress and frustration among members of the community. “There have been several reports of unlawful arrests, intimidation, harassment of Nigerians and the mission has maintained that due process must be observed in dealing with its nationals “As much as possible, administrative measures should be applied rather than judicial in order to find effective solutions,’’ he said. In an address read on behalf of the community, Bishop Paul Nnamdi of International Faith Ministry, said Nigerians were stigmatissed by the Kenyan authority. “A Nigerian walking or driving is a Police target. “Even when you provide all the documents requested, a rigorous profiling must start until something in their own opinion worthy of some sort of intimidation and terms for settlement is discovered. “There are issues of illegal deportation, difficulties in obtaining work and business permit and difficulties in coming in and going out via land borders “Nigerians married to Kenyan do not enjoy the same privileges like their European counterparts who are readily given attention. “Your Excellency, all we are asking is a level playing ground for our people,’’ he said. Nnamdi also called on the president to address the challenges faced by the community members in acquiring the new international passport. He said government should ensure that the machinery and booklets are made available to the High Commission instead of waiting for immigration to come periodically from Nigeria. The session was attended by the First Lady, Dame Patience, Anambra Governor, Peter Obi and Sen. Hope Uzodinma and Business Mogul, Aliko Dangote. Also in attendance were Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Olugbenga Ashiru, Trade and Investments, Dr Olusegun Aganga, Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke, Culture and Tourism, Edem Duke. NAN reports that before the session, Jonathan had been ceremoniously received by President Uhuru Kenyattta at the Kenyan State House. President Jonathan inspected a guard of honour mounted by men of the Kenyan Air Force and received a 21-gun salute by the Kenyan armed forces. The President and his wife also signed the Visitors’ book at the State House which was followed by a tet-a-tet between Jonathan and Kenyatta.

Teachers to go on strike in England

The two biggest teachers' unions announce national strike in England before Christmas For more details, see the BBC News website

George Zimmerman's wife files for divorce

Less than months after he was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman's wife has filed for divorce. 26 year old Shellie Zimmerman filed for divorce just yesterday, a week after she pleaded guilty to a perjury charge for lying during a bail hearing following her husband's arrest in Feb 2012. She lied about the couple's assets when her husband was trying to be released on a lower bond. Shelley was sentenced to a year's probation and 100 hours of community service. Shelley said in an interview with 'Good Morning America' last week that she was having serious doubts about remaining married to George, not because she didn't believe he acted in self defense, but because she was just disappointed. She also said they lived in hiding while awaiting his trial. "We have pretty much lived like gypsies for the past year and a half. We've lived in a 20-foot trailer in the woods, scared every night that someone would go and find us and that it would be horrific," she said. She also told ABC she is deeply sorry for the Martin family's loss. "I can't even begin to understand the grief a parent experiences when they lose a child," she said. Shelley and George married in 2007 and had no children.

Lux Gold Search' Promo In Motion With First Millionaire

The first one million naira winner in the on-going Lux consumer promotion emerges as the search for gold enters its second month.  Mrs Adebiyi Oluwatobi joy knows no bound as she emerged the first winner of one Million Naira in the ongoing Lux's promotion.  'I can't believe am a millionaire! Though i saw the advert on TV, i never believe it's real but now that am a winner, many thanks to Unilever and I'll always use Lux beauty soap" she exclaimed   Speaking at the Promo unveil and cheque presentation, the Vice -President Operations Mr. Anil Gopalan while describing the promo mechanics said gold coins have been inserted in limited quantities bar of Lux beauty soap. "Since the launch of Lux in 1925, it has been the choice of over 1.5billion users per day. Our course is to make our consumers super stars thats the reason behind the usage of super star like Genevieve Nnaji, Munachi even Hollywood super stars as our model. As regard this promotion, customers are expected to go out and purchase this bar of Lux and find the gold coin to stand a chance to win instant prizes of 1million Naira for 5 winners; $1,000 for 30 winners; Blackberry Q10 for 20 winners; 10 washing machines; dinner tickets and other consolation prizes". The promotion runs throughout Nigeria and winning entries have been planted strategically in each region to ensure winners emerge from each region," he said. The Category Manager, Skin Cleansing , Unilever Nigeria, Rotimi Oyesiji noted that Lux is a high quality soap with over 50 years of existence and formulated with special natural ingredients and first class perfumes to suit different people making them look more beautiful. It produces a creamy rich lather that cleans the skin well and leaves the skin smooth and soft. "The new Lux range is a blend of luscious fruits and moisturising cream that enhances a soft and smooth skin. The five variants are Peach & Cream, Strawberry & Cream, Nut & Cream, Even Glow and Lux white. This promotion is our own way to rewarding loyal Lux users, as well as get new users to experience the brand.   He said that Unilever's deep understanding of the Nigerian consumers places the company in a unique position to leverage its global strength in Research and Development and thereby bring brands that meet the highest international and local standards to the Nigerian people. In return, consumers have continued to patronise Unilever brands for which we would like to extend our appreciation. Unilever, a leading FMCG company in Nigeria is with the Mission is to add Vitality to life by meeting everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that make people feel good, look good and get more out of life. The promo runs through October 15th 2013 with the aim of building better relationship with consumers and to compensate for their loyalty. ←

Flood With Love Campaign with football legend - Jay Jay Okocha

Have you given N100 to the Flood relief campaign? If you haven't it's not to late to do so. Text Flood to 35388 to give only N100. Join all the great people in this campaign. Another pic of Nigerian footballer legend, Austin 'JJ' Okocha after the cut...

Between BFFs Don Jazzy and former VP Atiku Abubakar

Former VP Atiku Abubakar and Don Jazzy have sorta become buddies on Twitter. It started in early August after a fan asked Atiku why he doesn't share recharge cards on Twitter like Don Jazzy does and Atiku replied it's because Don Jazzy is richer than him. He was obviously joking but some people took it literally. See his tweets this morning above and continue to see the tweets in August about the recharge card sharing...Oh, and I didn't mean BFFs literally :-) The tweets in August that started it all...

Robert Pattinson has another project under his belt.

E! News confirmed today that the actor plans to team up with Dane DeHaan for the movie Life, to be directed by Anton Corbijn, about the real-life friendship between James Dean and Life magazine photographer Dennis Stock. R.Pattz will play Stock, the young photographer working for the Magnum agency when he got the assignment of a lifetime--to shoot James Dean, who will be played by DeHaan. (Fun fact: This is the second role DeHaan will play that has been previously portrayed by James Franco. The first was his role as Harry Osborn in Spider-Man and now, James Dean.) The flick will follow their personal journey together as they traveled from Los Angeles to New York to Indiana for the job. During the trip, Stock captured famous images of the iconic star before he was launched to stardom with the 1955 film East of Eden. Pattinson has been busy lately wrapping up his recent films David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars starring Mia Wasikowska (remember when we caught a glimpse of them getting hot and heavy on set?!) as well as The Rover, not to mention becoming the face of Dior's Homme campaign. However, the A-lister recently revealed that fame comes with a price. "It's strange, you don't have a normal life anymore. You spend much time trying to fight it, but in the end you find another way to live," he explained in the latest edition of Spanish GQ magazine. "People don't realize how lonely you are. In any case, I feel fortunate because success didn't reach me very young, at least, I had the opportunity to have a life before." Life is slated to begin shooting in early 2014

Lamar Odom has left rehab.

Khloé Kardashian Odom's husband is no longer at a treatment facility, barely a day after he opted to check in following his arrest for alleged driving under the influence. The 33-year-old basketball player, who spent last season playing for the Clippers, is said to still be in L.A. He was arrested early Friday morning during a traffic stop and booked on misdemeanor charges of DUI and refusing to take a chemical sobriety test. Sources told E! News last week that Khloé and the rest of the family had been urging Odom to seek treatment. Khloé has been confining her public remarks lately to tweets and Instagram posts, her latest being a pic from today of her and a pal, along with the caption, "My spirit animal right huuuuuur #BigHairDontCare." "As much as I wish I were made of steel... I'm not," she tweeted Sunday, adding, "I'm pretty damn close to it though hehe."

ASUU STRIKE: Students Give FG, ASUU 7-day Ultimatum

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), yesterday issued a one-week ultimatum to the Federal Government and the union's leadership to resolve their differences or face corrosive consequences. The students have vowed that they would take their destinies in their own hands if the parties failed to reconcile within a week and that they will go on a nation-wide riot in what it described as 'operation occupy Nigeria'. The students' body appealed to ASUU to return to the classroom and continue negotiation with the Federal Government since the latter claimed to have released over N100 billion for infrastructural development and another N30 billion for allowances. "We are appealing to ASUU that since the Federal Government has been able to release N100 billion for infrastructural development and N30 billion for allowance, they should go back to classroom and continue their negotiation or agitation. This is our prayer and wish. "We are giving them one week to open the schools or be ready to face corrosive consequences in form of nation-wide demonstration and riots. We are ready to mobilise for that and it will beoperation occupyNigeria," he said. Lamenting the effect of the strike, Obasi said students have become prone to accidents on the highways and the female students have been reduced to sex hawkers on the streets. His words: "I stand to tell you that a lot of accidents have been recorded and 99.9% of the victims are Nigerian students. If they were in classrooms, they would not have fallen victims of road crashes. "Our female students have become commercial sex hawkers on the streets in order to make ends meet. This colossal effect is more than what ASUU is agitating for. Hence, we can no longer fold our arms and watch things go wrong.

ASUU STRIKE: Students Threaten To Shut Down Private Universities

University students under the umbrella of National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, yesterday, took to the streets in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, calling on the Federal Government to accept the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. They equally threatened to shut down activities in the private universities in the country should the crisis continue. The students who displayed several placards with various inscriptions, lambasted the Federal Government for its failure to honour the agreement it entered into with ASUU since 2009. Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Asafon Sunday, Director of Action and Mobilisation NANS, South-West, claimed between 2000 and 2011 the Nigerian government earned about N48.48 trillion from the sale of oil alone, against N3.10 trillion earned between 1979 and 1999 He said the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, in 2012 financial year alone generated N5.12 trillion from tax paid by the masses. According to him: "With this tremendous upswing in the revenue at the disposal of the Nigerian government, one would have expected such to translate to commensurate improvement in the quality of Nigeria's public education as well as other social services." He condemned the refusal of Federal Government to budget a reasonable amount of money to education sector as recommended by UNESCO which is 26 per cent of the country's total budget. Sunday noted that some countries with smaller Gross Domestic Product, GDP, like Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Morocco and Botswana had budgetary allocations to education sector as follow, 31 per cent, 20 per cent, 23 per cent,17.7 per cent and 19 per cent respectively to 8.5 per cent that Nigeria government had budgeted for education in 2013. Also speaking, Steven Adara, a student leader from Ekiti State University, EKSU , lamented that government officials and prominent Nigerians were not bothered about the crisis in the public universities because their children were in private schools overseas. According to him: "We will mobilise and disrupt academic activities in the private universities because it is the sons and daughters of the rich that are in these schools."

ASUU STRIKE: 2009 Agreement with FG Has to Be Implemented 'to the Last Letter' – ASUU Insists

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the Benin zone has stated that the strike shall go on, unless the Federal Government returns to the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement signed by both of the parties. The statement has been made after finishing the congress at at the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka. The Union has also condemned the FG of being deaf to the plight of Nigerians by not meeting their demands as contained in the MoU. The above-mentioned statement has been signed by Emmanuel Mordi - the Chairman of DELSU ASUU, Anthony Moye-Emina - Chairman of UNIBEN ASUU, Beke Sese - Chairman of NDU ASUU, Fred Esumeh - Chairman of AAU ASUU and Sunny Ighalo - Coordinator of ASUU in the zone. Sunny Ighalo insisted that the union was not on strike to make fresh demands, and neither was it ready to renegotiate the existing agreement. "We are calling on the government to implement the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement it willingly signed with the union in 2009," he added. This is despite the release of N100 billion by the Federal Government to ease the burdens in the universities. But the Union accused the FG of applying "divide and rule" tactics, by trying to buy in the Committee of Pro-Chancellors and Committee of Vice Chancellors with the latestrelease of another N30 billion. According to him, "though N500 billion was expected from the government based on Needs Assessment carried out and contained in the MoU of January 2012 for revitalization of the universities, government claimed it distributed N100 billion most of which were promissory notes. ASUU zonal coordinator also noted that parents and students alike, need to understand the stance of the lecturers that it is being directed towards helping in the revitalization of the comatose education system in the country which had almost collapsed. "This struggle, which has now entered its ninth week, is driven by the unshakable resolve of our members to stem the continuing trend with successive governments of Nigeria, to systematically destroy public education through neglect and near total abandonment. "The strike has indeed moved into a critical stage where government is now applying the instrument of intimidation and blackmail and other gimmicks to undermine the struggle," Ighalo said. Gabriel Suswam, the Governor of Benue State, commented on strike on September 5, 2013, Thursday. The Governor revealed that his state's university, Benue State University (BSU), has already received about N950 million from the N100 billion earlier released by government when he confirmed that the Federal Government had on Tuesday released another N30 billion for federal universities in the country. RELATED ARTICLE:ASUU STRIKE: FG Claims It Met'Almost’ All Union's Demands After Releasing Additional N30bn RELATED ARTICLE:Stop the Strike Now – Gov. Suswam Urges ASUU

Big Brother Africa ‘The Chase’ contestant...Huddah Says She Has “Crush” on President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan is set to land in Kenya on Friday on an invitation by President UhuruKenyatta. According to the Nigerian High Commissioner, Akin Oyateru, the two Presidents will strengthen the relationship between the two African countries. Well there is someone else who is waiting for Jonathan and it is Kenyan socialite and Big Brother Africa ‘The Chase’ contestant, Alhuda Njoroje ‘Huddah Monroe’. Huddah said that she has always had a crush on Jonathan and would not mind being his wife. The socialite tweeted on Tuesday, September 3, 2013:

Big Brother Africa ‘The Chase’ contestant...Huddah Says She Has “Crush” on President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan is set to land in Kenya on Friday on an invitation by President UhuruKenyatta. According to the Nigerian High Commissioner, Akin Oyateru, the two Presidents will strengthen the relationship between the two African countries. Well there is someone else who is waiting for Jonathan and it is Kenyan socialite and Big Brother Africa ‘The Chase’ contestant, Alhuda Njoroje ‘Huddah Monroe’. Huddah said that she has always had a crush on Jonathan and would not mind being his wife. The socialite tweeted on Tuesday, September 3, 2013:

Dencia slams mag headline that linked her to Bill Gates, Banky W

Singer Dencia did a Yes! magazine interview this week but says there was no where in the interview where she said she is dating or have dated any of the names mentioned on the magazine cover. See the full interview after the cut...  THE QUESTIONS! (1) Tell us how your musical career  started? This question never gets old does it lol.Oct 2011 I released my first single beri beri and video in Nigeria oh and first saw it on Soundcity. (2) What are some of your childhood dreams?   To be a top entertainer,growing up I've always been that it Girl oh lol and people think I am funny hehehe which is true but Singing has been it for me although I didn't start until last year but I think I started at the right time.God's time is the best. (3) Would you say you have been able to achieve them?  Yes I have God is amazing you know I grew up in Cameroon with my maternal grandparents,now when I talk to childhood friends they remind me I always told them I will be hanging with hollywood stars etc which is true I have worked hard towards this dream and I can't stop thanking God the best is still to come I know so. (4) What were you doing before your discovered you talent in music?  I have always known music was it for me but I needed the right time to get it out.While preparing for my big break,I was a designer,student,stylist, model,actress,i was doing it all.Did a lot of behind the scenes work and got a lot of experience  which is amazingly,i co-direct my videos,style myself n dancers and all the 9yards. (5) How did you arrived at the name Dencia?  My name is Reprudencia so my dj friend famous dj syncity and I were picking names and since my younger friends like smalls in a school always called me Dencia it was just a nice name plus it's been part of me for ever n DJ syn who's been in the biz in America 4 a minute knows more so I trusted her. (6) From California with the likes of 50cent and Chris Brown. How was the experience like?     Tbh it's just normal for me,I have literally hung out with everyone I have met from Bill gates to Oprah's so it's like whatever,i have had humbling experiences like  when I first met Christina millian, she came to my house we hung out chatted it was like wow I use to watch her on tv and now she's in my living room,i went to a clive Davis party and he singled me out n told me I am supposed to be on a stage,George Clooney telling me I look super hot etc    Chris brown is amazing and 50 cents is a straight up fool he is so funny like if you hang out with him,you will literally laugh all through its fun,it's normal it's chill you know its not celebrities they act regular,they make u feel comfortable. (7) Outside Nigeria, who was the greatest musician u ever worked with?    Depends on what type of work,i have designed for Gaga,nicki minaj,Christina milian,keyshia cole the list goes on I have featured in major videos 50,Jeremiah,Chris brown,Hollywood undead the list goes on. (8) How many tracks have you produced up to date?     I actually have about 10+ but its a strategic thing,releasing music is strategic you know.its like when I need to do my American debut it's a different type of song,my French Debut different etc (9) Which of the tracks brought you out to limelight?   Beri Beri was my first Single,although I think it my weakest song but people love it,it was my first official African release (10) How was it like working with Ghanian No.1 Sarkodie on your new single Me and U?     I think Sarkodie did an amazing job on Me & U.Its actually my fav,I love it the song was done when I was in a place where it's things I was planning on doing with someone lol,I think music is good when it's something you feeling.i really appreciate Sarkodie on it love it. (11) People believed that work was dedicated to Ghanian footballer, Michael Essien who showed public affection to you. How true is it?    Tbh the person knows himself I won't drop names but I think he knows because I told him and thanked him for being an inspiration and for putting me in a position where I created a record that a girl can let lose and have a great time with her man (covers face) unfortunately for me I never practiced it i just sang it while preparing to do it which never happened and it doesn't mean it wasn't gonna happen. (12) How true is it that you snatched him from Ghanian actress, Nadia Buari?    Snatched who?what?huh? Really btw who's Nadia and who did I snatch from her?she me her ain't no snatcher lol I get snatched up lol hahahaha seriously it's not that serious I didn't snatch nobody and no one gets snatched if they don't want to be snatched in generally not this situation though every situation (13) What is the truth about your romance with Banky W ?     Banky W what? who? ..excuse me Ro what mance ke? Ain't nobody got time fo that .. That rumour is sooooo throw back like it came out  when Abacha was military president Hahahahha No comment Really (14) Why have you found it so difficult to settle with a man?   Lol this question should be directed to men not me Dencia .. And the last time I checked lol hello hmmmmm (coughs) 15) What can we expect from you later this year musically    I am so excited as I am releasing new music in like 2 seconds been working on different genres of music exploring different things,new producers,co-writing with others I think it's going to be amazing.I sing in French too which is exciting I am doing Coupe decale,straight up Pop like house shit,Afro Pop,Makossa then I do a little listening session to pick my new singles,I haven't dropped anything since Me & U,been sick,been performing etc so I am ready to drop hot new music,sexy new videos its long over due the year can't end without me giving y'all some good Dencia music and video.i am stoked and that's my main focus I need to take over. 16).  You've got your own fashion label and you always look amazing. Would you say you are fashion obsessed?    I live for fashion infact I love it.My line comes out soon I will venture into different things fashion wise I just want everyone to look fabulous I want them to look amazing.You can't catch me not dressed up in my heels n fab clothes its like it just happens. 17)   What do you think about other industry female artists?Who is your competition    Tbh I am my only competitor.I look in my mirror and all I see is me Dencia no one else,I belong to more than one industry and I applaud all the ladies and what they're doing like its amazing there's space for everyone and we need to be a better sisterhood like the Boyz it don't mater who sings better,has more fans its about being a sister hood you know together we can move mountains,it's a new era new generation speaking for myself we are young and fabulous lets give the world what it needs. (18) Why do you always like to flaunt your sexuality, most especially your well rounded breast?     How do you flaunt something that's right there like on every woman's chest like how do I hide it?why should I?i'm a woman meaning I am sexy naturally like every woman I don't need to flaunt it I just do me. (19) What attracts you to men?     Hmmm great question ..Well let me name a few guys I have a lil tiny bitty lil tiny bitty of an ounce of a lil crush on or had on and you will tell what attracts me.   Balotelli Cristiano Ronaldo And I like mikel Obi's lil smile (lmao I know I am going to hell for this lol and I will be the locker room conversation but who cares) and having a lil crush doesn't mean I wanna date them though don't get it twisted. (20) Are you also waiting for Mr. right?    Lol no I am waiting for Mr left hahahaha (21) At what age did you lose your virginity?    This is personal and for the young girls reading  this it happened when I was independent living on my own out of my parents house.Its important to be ready I was an adult so take your time don't rush you not missing anything at all mater of fact December 2013 will be two years since I have been practicing celibacy and its amazing.Aint got no worries but ladies I have dated but never got sexual so you know you can date be inlove be happy without sex. (22) What was the experience like?     The experience was personal (23) How did you eventually lose your virginity?    Lol same way you lost yours (did u lose urs yet) how every body does duh when you let someone put their Ding Ding in your pim pim (lol) well that's what I know maybe there's other methods I didn't know (24) What would you say is your unique selling point?    I will definitely say me Dencia I can't be anyone but me,I am Dencia I am unique that's my selling point. (25) What was the most crazy thing you ever did?       When I tried to commit suicide looking at it,I feel stupid and dumb and I laugh at myself because there's not worst than trying to commit suicide and u don't die lol I took pills I was 14 I was sick for a month my head was feeling heavy like I couldn't even get off my bed.But I realized we have a purpose on earth and life is too sweet to die tho and the stupid reason smh just because I had to go stay with my uncle for the summer for being too stubborn lol crazy teenager. (26) Who is the man in your life?    God is I love him,like I'm inlove with him. (27) How have you been able to keep your body hot and sexually attractive all the time?     Well idk I just do me really,my body keeps me lol. (28) How do you feel being compared to American Lady Gaga?    I feel honored she is a legend I admire her although I don't see the similarities between us.she's an amazing person (29) Which Nigerian artiste do you still intends to work it?    Definitely dbanj,2face and Flavour . I love their music n style and personality. (30) What other plans do you.      To live longer,be successful,help others realize their dreams and live my dreams ..

Stella Damasus & Sen. Yerima tackle child marriage on Al-Jazeera

Actress Stella Damasus and Senator Ahmed Yerima went toe to toe on the Al-Jazeera show The Stream tackling the Underage Marriage issue in Nigeria. This is a must watch. Senator Yerima talks about how he met and married his 14 year old Egyptian bride...they even have a child together...

Samsung unveils the Galaxy Note 3 & Gear; to hit Nigeria in October

The future is finally here! The most anticipated device on the planet this year has finally dropped! Putting an end to all the leaks, rumors and phantom specs, Samsung released the Galaxy Note 3 and Gear at an exciting Global Unpack event in Berlin, Germany last night. Samsung mobile fans in Nigeria were able to watch the event via a Live Stream on the Samsung Mobile Nigeria Facebook page and YouTube channel. If you missed it, no worries you can still enjoy the global event here..  For lovers of mobile technology and the large display domain, the Galaxy Note 3 represents the pinnacle of raw mobile power. The thinner and lighter Galaxy Note 3has ditched the plastic rear casing found on previous versions, instead opting for a faux-leather finish, complete with stitching amidst some mind-blowing hardware specs that make everything so fast and so simple. The 1920 x 1080 resolution display is accompanied by a 2.3GHz quad-core processor, 3GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel camera, 32 or 64 GB of storage with microSD card support, and a big 3,200 mAh battery. Simply put, this means the Galaxy Note 3 is creative tornado in the palm of your hands.  The Galaxy Gear is a glanceable notification device, informing you of incoming calls, texts, messages and alerts. But the Gear also has some clever integration with Samsung's smartphones, so when you take the phone out of your pocket, those messages instantly appear on the big screen. Wow. Fun thing is, it comes in some cute colors as well! The Enhanced S Pen brings with it a number of new software features, including Air Command, which pulls up a radial menu for quick access to built-in stylus-friendly apps like Actions Memos, S Note, Scrapbook, and S Finder. Air Command can be accessed from anywhere in the operating system by simply hovering the S Pen just above the screen and pressing the button on the stylus. The Galaxy Note 3 and the gear hits stores on October 2013, but you can avoid the rush and pre-order one here now and have it delivered to you free, anywhere in Nigeria.

Super Eagles striker, Ahmed Musa's family attacked by armed men

Eleven armed men stormed the family home of Super Eagles striker, Ahmed Musa, in Jos yesterday Wednesday September 4th. Fortunately he wasn't home as he is currently camped in Calabar with other team mates ahead of the Nigeria-Malawi encounter for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier. According to what Ahmed told the press today, the armed men stormed his home around 8:30pm last night, and demanded for his wife and son. Fortunately his wife and son had traveled earlier to Kano. When the men didn't get Musa's wife and kid, they turned to his other family members, beating them mercilessly. Fortunately no one was killed but the men went away with valuables. Musa's mum had to be treated in the hospital for injuries she sustained during the robbery incident. He said his family is doing well now

Peter and Paul Okoye of P-Square become honorary Calgarians

The superstar singers who are currently on their US/Canada Tour, shared the photos and good news on instagram. They said they have been sworn in as honorary Calgarians - an honour bestowed on foreigners who have done very well in their chosen field. They were presented with official white hats after the ceremony. Calgary is the largest city in southern Alberta, Canada and it's citizens are called Calgarians. Congrats to them

INTO THE LION'S DEN: Can Obama tame Putin's Syria opposition?

President Obama says he will 'continue to engage' Russian President Vladimir Putin on Syria as he takes his case for military action to skeptical world leaders at the G-20 summit in Russia

Dangote signs multibillion dollar deal with banks to build oil refinery in Nigeria

A welcome development. Heard Davido's papa is also involved in the oil deal..

Groupie claims Robin Thicke & Paula Patton have an open marriage

Last week actress Paula Patton and singer Robin Thicke's marriage was engulfed by scandal after a photo posted on Instagram showed Robin Thicke groping the butt of a 20 year old groupie at the VMAs after party (photo on the right). Now the groupie in question, identified as Lara Scolaro, is claiming that she and Robin hooked up that night and that his wife Paula Patton was cool with it.  From Life & Style In an exclusive interview in the new issue of Life & Style, Lana Scolaro reveals that not only did she hook up with Robin that night, but she did so while Paula was just a few feet away. "I don't think he cared what she thought," Lana tells Life & Style. "I was with him the whole night!" The two had met the week before at a friend's party, and she says he immediately approached her at the 1Oak VMAs shindig with the pick-up line, "I just love the fact that you're so young. His hands were everywhere," says Lana. Lana says that initially she pushed him away because he's a married man, but that Robin told her Paula was "chill" and even encouraged Lana to talk to her. And his bad behavior only continued as Robin led Lana into his car to leave the nightclub and, oddly, his wife joined them. They all headed to a bash at a suite in the Greenwich Hotel, where Robin and Lana got closer on the couch. "I went to the bathroom, and when I came out he was standing there," she tells Life & Style. "He turned off the lights so no one could see us, and he started making out with me. He was grabbing me. He was like, 'I want to get you into bed!'" Though he tried, Lana tells Life & Style that they kept getting interrupted. But when the party broke up at 8 a.m., Lana says he gave her his number and said he would see her soon during NYC Fashion Week.

Ice Prince, Tiwa Savage, Wizkid nominated for 2013 Mobo Awards

Yay! Big congrats to Tiwa...and Ice Prince and Wizkid. Nominated in the Best African Act category at the 2013 Mobo Awards.

Cocaine mess update: Redeemers' Univeristy re-admits students

In February 2013, 28 students of Redeemers University were expelled by the university for allegedly failing drug tests. The tests were conducted last November for 42 students during their exam. The expulsion generated a lot of criticisms causing the school to rescind its decision in April. The school wrote letters to the affected students asking them to face a panel to explain why they failed the test, after which the panel would make a new judgement. Well, the school has reviewed the case and has decided to re-admit all 28 students on the condition that the students will miss a whole semester and go for five month rehabilitation at a rehab centre. A decision that didn't go down well with the affected students and their parents.

Singer Kcee goes into oil business

The Limpopo crooner pictured aboard a friend's oil vessel here in Lagos yesterday. Heard he's going into the oil business with his multimillion brother, Emmy Okonkwo. They have already ordered oil lifting equipments which they plan to rent to companies...and I hear he plans to one day own an oil vessel. Igbo man and business. Lol. Smart man.

Freeze CoolFM and TeeBillz don't agree with the Forbes African list

According to a recent Forbes African list, Don Jazzy, P-Square, D'Banj, Wizkid, 2face Idibia, Ice Prince and Banky W are Africa's most bankable artists (from Nigeria). Top radio host, Freeze Coolfm does not agree with the list and expressed this on Twitter. Tiwa Savage's manager & fiancee, Teebillz also thinks Tiwa was missing on the list.

kim kardashia's stunning new blond

We're still positively buzzing about Kim Kardashian's stunning new blond 'do and can't get over just how refreshing it is to see her with lighter locks. The new mom stepped out today to debut her fabulous new hair color and cut, compliments of colorist George Papanikolos of the Andy Lecompte Salon and stylist Chris McMillan (yep, Jennifer Aniston's mane man!), respectively. Papanikolas opened up and shared some insider information with us on the major hair transformation, which he performed flawlessly. He tells us that the reality star has wanted honey-blond locks for a long time, and set up two appointments with her to work his magic at Kris Jenner's house with the whole family watching. "It was scary for me because she gets photographed a lot," he told us. In the end, the dye job came out beautifully, and proved that blondes just might have more fun, after all! And while Kim's loyal fans are still excitedly weighing in on whether they love her new look or not, Papanikolas confirms to us that one thing's for sure: Kanye West is totally supportive of the change. "He loves it! He was a big cheerleader for her to go blond," the colorist tells us. Aww! Now that's we like to hear. Even though Kanye was in Europe while Kim went from sultry brunette to a sassy blonde, we know he was rooting for her all the way

icarly star.....jennette mccurdy

This is really 2 cute. Jennette McCurdy, best known for playing Sam on Nickelodeon's iCarly and the spin-off Sam & Cat, appears to have found romance online! After months of being the subject of Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond's Women Crush Wednesday (#WCW) posts on Statigram, McCurdy started following him on Twitter. She then reached out on Aug. 7, tweeting, "@DRE_DRUMMOND_ I wanna watch you play!" to which he replied, "@jennettemccurdy ill let you know when I play in LA!" Well, they must have realized pretty quickly that neither wanted to wait that long to meet, considering the 2013-14 NBA season doesn't kick off until late October. As chronicled by the Detroit Free Press, which first noticed the attention being paid by Drummond to McCurdy, the 20-year-old athlete started sending the 21-year-old actress gifts, such as flowers and a teddy bear, which she then proudly showed off via social media over the past month. McCurdy also showed off a pic of Drummond for #ManCrushMonday last week. And after a few weeks of this, they finally met up in person on her home court, as evidenced by various tweets and cozy pictures posted online throughout Labor Day weekend. "With @DRE_DRUMMOND_ ahhhh!!!" McCurdy tweeted on Thursday. "Words can't explain...Add your own caption," Drummond then wrote on Friday along with a pic of him giving her a piggyback ride--which, yes, was an easy feat considering he's 6-foot-10 and her IMDb-listed height is 5-foot-2. According to Twitter (we're loving this transparency), the weekend also included laser tag, a trip to Disneyland and McCurdy happily going to bed wearing a hat that Drummond gave her. "Beverly Hillsing it with @andredrummond0,"she wrote alongside another cute selfie-for-two that was posted just yesterday. If somehow this is not a romantic relationship, then it's at least the beginning of a positively adorable friendship.

icarly star.....jennette mccurdy

This is really 2 cute. Jennette McCurdy, best known for playing Sam on Nickelodeon's iCarly and the spin-off Sam & Cat, appears to have found romance online! After months of being the subject of Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond's Women Crush Wednesday (#WCW) posts on Statigram, McCurdy started following him on Twitter. She then reached out on Aug. 7, tweeting, "@DRE_DRUMMOND_ I wanna watch you play!" to which he replied, "@jennettemccurdy ill let you know when I play in LA!" Well, they must have realized pretty quickly that neither wanted to wait that long to meet, considering the 2013-14 NBA season doesn't kick off until late October. As chronicled by the Detroit Free Press, which first noticed the attention being paid by Drummond to McCurdy, the 20-year-old athlete started sending the 21-year-old actress gifts, such as flowers and a teddy bear, which she then proudly showed off via social media over the past month. McCurdy also showed off a pic of Drummond for #ManCrushMonday last week. And after a few weeks of this, they finally met up in person on her home court, as evidenced by various tweets and cozy pictures posted online throughout Labor Day weekend. "With @DRE_DRUMMOND_ ahhhh!!!" McCurdy tweeted on Thursday. "Words can't explain...Add your own caption," Drummond then wrote on Friday along with a pic of him giving her a piggyback ride--which, yes, was an easy feat considering he's 6-foot-10 and her IMDb-listed height is 5-foot-2. According to Twitter (we're loving this transparency), the weekend also included laser tag, a trip to Disneyland and McCurdy happily going to bed wearing a hat that Drummond gave her. "Beverly Hillsing it with @andredrummond0,"she wrote alongside another cute selfie-for-two that was posted just yesterday. If somehow this is not a romantic relationship, then it's at least the beginning of a positively adorable friendship.

miss america

There she is--Miss America! Well, not quite yet, but one of the 53 beauty queens who touched down in Atlantic City today is going to win the coveted crown in two weeks. The lovely ladies, representing all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, filed out of Boardwalk Hall, where the various stages of pageant will take place next week, and onto a stage set up outside for introductions. The Miss America Pageant originated in 1921 in Atlantic City but, in an attempt to beef up interest in the nearly century-old event, it moved to Las Vegas in 2006. This year marks the pageant's return to its home shore. "It's been too long since New Jersey has had Miss America!" Miss New Jersey Cara McCollum (who of course garnered the loudest cheers) told the crowd gathered for the welcome ceremony. Three nights of preliminary competition kick off Sept. 10, the annual Show Us Your Shoes Parade takes place Sept. 14 and the winner will be named Sept. 15 on national television. Chris Harrison and Lara Spencer will host the show for ABC, while Lance Bass, Mario Cantone, New York Knick Amar'e Stoudemire, violinist Joshua Bell, Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran, The Chew cohost Carla Hall and 2005 Miss America Diedre Downs Gunn (the last to be crowned in Atlantic City) have been tapped as judges. Mallory Hagan of New York currently holds the title

One Direction's Zayn Malik is engaged

Singer Zayn Malik is heading in "One Direction" -- toward the altar. One Direction member Malik is engaged to girlfriend and Little Mix member Perrie Edwards, a representative for their mutual label, Columbia Records, confirmed to CNN. Photos: Boy bands through the years "Zayn and Perrie are engaged, but any further detail regarding their relationship is private," the rep said. Speculation about the pair heated up after Edwards appeared at the London premiere Tuesday of the One Direction documentary "This is Us" sporting a diamond sparkler on her left ring finger. Edwards' mother, Debbie Dufty, told Real Radio that Malik was traditional and asked her for her daughter's hand in marriage. Dufty said she was thrilled after the pair got engaged on Sunday. "It's wonderful because Zayn's absolutely gorgeous and Perrie loves him to pieces and it's just perfect," she told the radio station. "They just get on so well together and they understand each other so it's just fabulous!" Little Mix is a British girl group that formed in 2011 during season eight of the U.K.'s "The X Factor." They have been compared to The Spice Girls.

Review: 'One Direction: This Is Us' is charming, but boring

Good luck scoring concert tickets to the latest teen-steam sensation to trundle off the boy-band assembly line, One Direction. They're as hard to come by as a rainbow-colored unicorn. Fortunately, both Hollywood and the British quintet's money-minting Svengali, Simon Cowell, have hatched a backup plan: a behind-the-scenes 3-D extravaganza called "One Direction: This Is Us." The film is part of a new breed of movies, like "Katy Perry: Part of Me" and "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," that pretend to give rabid fans (and their heel-dragging parents) a privileged peek behind the curtain. But all they really offer are sanitized, squeaky-clean affirmations of what these pop juggernauts' fans already know. They exist solely to stoke the furnaces of commerce and move more units. Box office preview: 'One Direction: This Is Us' takes on 'The Butler' over Labor Day weekend It wasn't always this way. Back in the '60s and '70s, revelatory music documentaries like "Don't Look Back" and "Gimme Shelter" gave us warts-and-all portraits of Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones that those artists couldn't have been happy with. Dylan came across as a petulant jerk, while the Stones were painted as hapless co-conspirators in the death of one of their fans at Altamont, where they'd hired the rowdy Hells Angels as security. So much more than mere celluloid press releases, these were real movies made in an era less defined by iron-fisted publicists and corporate-friendly images, when access wasn't a four-letter word. That all changed in 1991 with Madonna's "Truth or Dare," which, similar to the Material Girl herself, pulled off the brilliant balancing act of allowing you to feel like you were witnessing something intimate (such as her and her dancers' racy backstage high jinks) while never making ticket buyers feel like they were saps ? submissive cogs in her will-to-power machine. The talent of the five likable best mates in One Direction can't be denied. They harmonize like a chorus of impossibly cute angels. And on songs including ''What Makes You Beautiful'' and ''Up All Night,'' they ooze so much stage presence that every teen and tween girl in the audience feels like the lads are singing directly to her and only her. But is "This Is Us" a good film? Well, that's another question entirely. Directed by Morgan Spurlock, the merry prankster behind 2004's fast-food exposé "Super Size Me," the movie is a chronicle of the rise of five young kids who hit the pop culture lottery. They each tried out individually for the British TV competition "The X Factor," didn't make the cut, and were saved by Cowell, who had the commercial genius to recognize that the sum of their golden voices was greater than the parts. He alchemized them into boy-band gold. Song of the Summer 2013: YOU chose ... All of this is dispatched pretty briskly in the beginning of the film because any fan forking over 10 bucks is familiar with this origin story (not to mention the particular personality traits of Harry, Liam, Niall, Zayn and Louis). From there the movie zips through a string of flashy concert clips of the group crooning their hits; reaction shots of young girls crying, screaming their lungs out, and going ape; and footage of the boys acting up on tour buses and sharing their innermost thoughts about their fans in front of campfires.It's those last bits that Directioners will eat up like Valentine's Day candy hearts. Yet these confessional ''unstaged'' moments feel more choreographed than the group's dance moves. Which is a shame, because if anyone could have given us an inside look at the guys in the band, it's a subversive filmmaker like Spurlock. But "This Is Us" comes off as an impersonal job for hire ? a paycheck assignment. Spurlock seems too scared to bite the hands that are feeding him (although he claims he didn't have final cut). Not once in the film's hour-and-a-half running time do we see a disagreement among the mates, catch a glimpse of them partying, or overhear any of them making a single reference to a girlfriend. (Something has to be informing all of those love songs they sing.) Instead, we're treated to what's essentially a slick, airbrushed promo reel of a bunch of genuinely sweet superstars who can't believe their dumb luck. That's charming. But it's also a little boring. What it's most definitely not is a documentary

Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. are the new 'Idol' judges

"American Idol" now has its panel of judges for next season. Fox has announced that singers Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. will join last season's judge, country star Keith Urban, at the judges table for Season 13. "I have always been a huge fan of 'American Idol' and really enjoyed my time as a mentor on the show," Connick said in Fox's statement. "And I am honored that they've asked me to be a judge this season. As an entertainer, I am truly excited to bring my perspective to 'American Idol,' and to help emerging performers find their way." Lopez, who served as a judge during Season 11, tweeted: "#IDOL2014TheRemix." The seats have been vacant since Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj announced that they would not be returning after their stints judging arguably the country's most successful singing competition. Former judge Randy Jackson will step into the role of in-house mentor for the contestants, it was announced. "Surprise, surprise! I am so happy to be back as part of this amazing show that started it all," said Jackson, who had served as a judge on the show since the first season. "Season 1-3 is the place to be. The original talent show is back with a vengeance and ready to discover the best talent in America." Urban also expressed his excitement. "I think this season of 'Idol' is gonna be a blast," the Fox statement quoted Urban as saying. "New team, new energy and a whole new field of artists to be discovered and given a chance!" The new season of "Idol" is slated to begin in January.

Miley Cyrus breaks her silence about VMA performance

Miley Cyrus has a message for the haters: You are overthinking it. The singer has broken her silence regarding the MTV Video Music Awards performance that set tongues wagging (and some other parts shaking as folks tried to imitate her twerking). Cyrus, in an interview feature on that network's site, said she doesn't "pay attention to the negative." Wait, Miley did what?! "Me and Robin (Thicke) the whole time said, 'You know we're about to make history right now,' " Cyrus said in a clip provided to MTV. Cyrus' dance routine and provocative outfit were the talk of the VMAs, and the former child star is fully aware they have garnered her what most celebs covet -- the public's attention. Opinion: Miley is sexual, get over it She points out in the clip that what she did is nothing new. Let's not let Robin Thicke off the hook "How many times have we seen this play out in pop music?" Cyrus asked. "Madonna's done it, Britney's done it. Every VMA performance. Anyone that performs, that's what you're looking for. You are wanting to make history."Miley Cyrus upholds MTV VMA tradition She goes on to say in the clip, which was reportedly recorded three days after the performance, that it's amazing how much buzz the whole thing has garnered. "You are thinking about it more than I thought about it when I did it," Cyrus said. "I didn't even think about it when I did it because that's just me." There's something (potentially dangerous) about molly

IK Osakioduwa Holidays With Family in Frankfurt

The last 3 months were quite busy for OAP and show host IK Osakioduwa who anchored the recently concluded Big Brother – The Chase reality show. Now it’s time out with his family – wife Olo and two kids Sahar and Micah in Frankfurt, Germany

Ten-year-old boy wins Alaska's contest for giant cabbages

A 10-year-old boy has won Alaska's annual giant cabbage contest, submitting a 92.3-pound (41.9 kg) specimen named "Bob" to officials at the state fair.

'One Direction' edges 'Butler', sings its way to box office win

Concert film "One Direction: This is Us," a Sony Pictures/TriStar release featuring the red-hot British boy band One Direction, won the weekend box office race with ticket sales of $17 million, edging the civil rights drama "Lee Daniels' The Butler" which had been the top film for the past two weeks.

Sandra Bullock: I will do comedy 'until the day I die'

Sandra Bullock put in a call to the astronauts on the International Space Station for tips on how to play her latest role in space drama "Gravity", but America's "Miss Congeniality" says she will never give up playing comic roles. "I will do comedy until the day I die: inappropriate comedy, funny comedy, gender-bending, twisting comedy, whatever comedy is out there," Bullock said on Thursday in an interview with Reuters Television. "Even a bad TV show - if that's where I have got to go at the end I will go there if it's comedy," she said the day after "Gravity", in which she co-stars with George Clooney, got its world premiere at the Venice film event. Bullock and Clooney reportedly were not Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron's first choices for the roles of space scientist Ryan Stone and her country music-loving mission commander Matt Kowalsky, but Bullock went at the part with a vengeance. One of the ways she prepared, she told a news conference on Wednesday, was by putting in a call to the astronauts on the International Space Station. She left a message and, she said with a hint of surprise in her voice, they called back. "I was asking silly questions, 'Where do you go to the bathroom?' and in the end I got a viewpoint of these people who we've idolized, these astronauts," Bullock said. "And the viewpoint is that they care about life, our life and what we're doing with it so much - that's why they're up there. But I was really honored that they would call me back, and you know they are normal people who do extraordinary things." Bullock said she has suffered setbacks but sees them as a learning experience. "I've handled adversity and I'm sure there's a lot more to come," Bullock said. "I haven't always acted or reacted in a way that made me proud but I didn't make that same mistake twice and I think that's what I love about adversity is that it always reminds me of what's really valuable in life." She said her performance in Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity", which required that she spend time in an LED-lighted box to help produce the film's stunning special effects, had been demanding physically and mentally. "It wasn't a walk in the park for anyone involved, especially Alfonso," Bullock said. "I mean the immense pressure that he was under, technicians were under, no one knew if this would work until the day I got into the first contraption. "Even then they didn't know if it would work technically or if the actor in the contraption could pull it off, it was a great unknown every single day because we were all in the same boat. "Everyone was in it together. There was no one-upmanship on this film."

Reggie Rockstone is 1st GloXFactor judge to lose all his contestants

With the exit of the Top 6 group 'Symphony' last Friday on the GloXFactor, Ghanaian hunk and music icon Reggie Rockstone is the first judge to be without a protegee this season. The easy-going Reggie who was mentor to all groups on GloXFactor this season has taken it in good stride and is enjoying the show. This leaves judges MI Abaga and Onyeka Onwenu in a tussle to the end as their protégées contend for the 24 million naira prize and Sony recording contract. Voting lines close 8pm tonight! Keep your favourite contestant in the competition. Continue... To Find out more, visit their website www.gloxfactor.com, @GloXFactor on Twitter and facebook.com/xfactorafrica

Forbes/Channel O list of Top 10 Most Bankable African artists 2013

Channel O and Forbes Africa yesterday Sunday September 1 presented their list of the top 10 most bankable African artists. The list is based on artist sales, endorsement value, popularity, show rates, awards, YouTube views, investment, influence, appearance in newspapers, social media presence, and appearance on LIB! Hehe - joking about the last part. See the full list below: 1. Akon - CEO of Konvict Music, opened doors with other African artiste. 2. Don Jazzy - Producer. CEO Mavin Records, influential producer, MTN, Samsung and Loyal Milk endorsement. D'Banj, Kanye West, Beyonce and Jay Z on production credit. 3. P-Square - Music Duo. Featured on Forbes Africa twice, sold out concert, presidential guest in at least 5 African countries. 4. D'Banj - Music Artiste. International music brand, GO D Music deal, Sony Entertainment deal. 5. Wizkid - Music Artiste. EME artiste, Starboy CEO, affiliation with Disturbing London, several international collaboration, highest paid Pepsi ambassador in Africa, ambassador of MTN. Continue to see the remaining five. 6. 2face Idibia - Music Artiste. 10 million disc and at least 7 million digital sale, multiple ambassador, one campaign... associated with Guinness, Haven Homes, Airtel Worldwide and philanthropist - 2face foundation. 7. Anselmo Ralph - Music Artiste. Samsung and Coca Cola ambassador, Angola prince, Perfume line, clothing label, multimillion dollar tour bus, Sony artiste. 8. Sarkodie - Rapper. Presidential youth ambassador Ghana, Sark clothing, Samsung ambassador, fan milk Ghana. 9. Ice Prince - Music Artiste. Six million downloads, 2 studio owner, one foundation member, Plug N Play ambassador, Zamani foundation. 10. Banky W - Music Artiste. Co owner EME, Samsung Ambassador, Philanthropist, winner of multiple awards

Ahead of the continuation of talks between President Goodluck Jonathan and aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak has indicated that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar owes the ruling party a lot of gratitude instead of his recent action of spearheading its balkanisation. Gulak, who expressed surprise at the move by Atiku to throw spanner in the works of the party, told State House correspondents   Monday that as a politician,  the erstwhile Vice President should acknowledge the uniqueness of the ruling party, which he abandoned at a point in his career but also ran back to at some point. According to him, he made the volte face having realized that there is no party that would accommodate him like the PDP “and he came back and was even given the waiver to contest the primaries election in 2011.” Details to come later

Jonathan Mourns Photo-journalist, Peter Obe

President Goodluck Jonathan Monday commiserated with the family, friends and associates of ace photo-journalist, Peter Oyeyemi Obe who died on Sunday in Lagos at the age of 81 years.    President Jonathan, according to a statement by  his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati joins them in mourning Mr. Obe who will be long remembered as a thoroughbred professional who put his immense skills and talent to the best possible use in a very illustrious career that spanned many decades

Victor Moses joins Liverpool from Chelsea on loan

Nigeria striker Victor Moses today Monday September 2nd joined Liverpool from Premier League rivals Chelsea on a season-long loan. The 22year old striker secured a move to Liverpool because... erm, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho doesn't think he's useful at Chelsea or wetin?

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HBD@ meena.....we wish you. LLP.......4rm mia#

Lagos needs police secondary school – Directorate

The Directorate of Police Education on Monday said that non availability of plots was hindering establishment of a police secondary school in Lagos State. The Director, DCP Ibrahim Kabiru, disclosed this  in Lagos that the absence of the school was a major constraint to continuity. “There exist police secondary schools in other zones of the Nigerian Police Force apart from zone 2, which comprises Lagos and Ogun states. “The large number of pupils from the police primary schools in Lagos needs a police secondary school to continue to receive qualitative education. “It is not proper for us to graduate children from our primary schools only to take them to other schools,” the director said,’’ he told NAN. The director appealed to the Lagos State Government and corporate bodies to donate plots or buildings for the school. According to him, the directorate will need an expanse of land or huge structures for the school which operates a boarding system to ensure discipline. “The Directorate of Police Education only operates a boarding system in its secondary schools to maintain discipline,’’ Kabiru said. “We have more mixed schools to give the children opportunities to compete, irrespective of their sexes,” the DCP said. Kabiru said that the directorate had 72 police children schools (primary) and nine secondary schools. He noted that two of the secondary and 17 of the primary schools were established this year.