Oyedepo opens Abuja Winners Chapel

The Federal Capital Territory was agog on Saturday when Bishop David Oyedepo inaugurated one of the biggest branches of The Living Faith Church, popularly referred to as Winners Chapel in Life Camp District in Abuja. The church, which accommodates over 4,000 worshipers every Sunday, was built in less than one year. Thousands of worshipers gathered to witness the unveiling of the cathedral, which is estimated to be over N300m. Oyedepo, who was represented by a Senior Pastor, Dele Bamgboye, revealed that with the dedication of the branch, Life Camp and its environs were set to experience a spiritual rebirth. He therefore charged the congregation to always have faith in God, as only Him can supply all their needs. Top clergymen and some senior government officials in Abuja and in other northern states under the Winners Chapel family, were on ground to witness the official inauguration. Resident Pastor of the church and younger brother to Bishop Oyedepo, Gideon Oyedepo, told journalists that the church project gulped millions of naira

ASUU strike: Just for Mr President’s ears

Mr. President, please do not mistake this piece for an attack on your person because it is not. Neither would I want you to see me as one of those attention-seeking people because I am not. Of course, Sir, I am also not the son of any governor, senator, local government chairman or any political office holder, otherwise, I would have no business writing such an open letter to you because it is against my family’s ethics to ‘talk while eating’. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness of educational misery, saying, “Prepare the way for either a future of political stability and economic boom or prepare for worse than what religious extremists are meting out to our country now”. As I write on this sultry day, I am completely at a loss to know what to make of my future from here. If this were just the case, it would, probably, be an insignificant reason to go on the rampage with the sword of the pen. But, I write on behalf of the millions of dreams that are getting squashed by the day as the total shut-down of our universities persists. I write on behalf of the future of the several hundreds of thousands who have been privileged, amidst the stiff competition for admission, to grasp tertiary education but may end up worse than their disadvantaged counterparts, since they may never finish, much less finish on schedule their educational pursuits. The handwriting on the wall, clearly now, more than ever before foretells a dangerous twist to the continuing imbroglio between your administration and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). I do not know if the public keeps the date as much as we do but it is well over 65 days already and I cannot help but wonder if anyone really cares what becomes of our street-wandering undergraduates. If I had a next life, I hope to never be a Nigerian or be born with a silver spoon because the poor are really just ‘on their own’ as long as our government is concerned. Mr President, in three simple words, “We are tired”. We, the students in the federal universities, are always at the receiving end of every impasse between ASUU and the government and all I can ask for now is that you and your think tank reconsider your stand on the matter. We can only bear this much! I am not ASUU’s spokesman but it is only logical that I expect your administration to honour the 2009 agreement with the Union so normalcy can return to our campuses and of course, our disenchanted academic lives. Personally, I have spent more years than is required to have my first and second degrees and yet I am grappling to take a Bachelor’s degree out of an institution that only recently had an internal strike because you would have our name ‘rebranded’. Mr President, every day this strike continues, more dreams die and more future riff -raff are born. It is my firm belief that children still do bear the sins of their fathers and even when you are no more, posterity will remember your progenitors for good or ill based on how you handle this national educational crisis we suffer now. It goes without saying that for 14 years that your party has held sway over the affairs of this nation, we cannot boast of a Nigerian university (not a single one) amongst the first 2000 in the world. This is more than enough reason to release the requisite fund for the upgrade of our educational infrastructure as well as the welfare of the future’s moulders. It will only be emphatic to say that we can get out of our educational system as much as we invest in it and though investment in educational is long term, it is also long-rewarding. Your administration will only be breeding poor intellectuals, who will, in turn, produce another generation of mediocre graduates and in 10 years, what do we have, sir? A national carnage! Our unborn children are in jeopardy of being societal scum even before their conception. But you can change all of this! The greatest weapon of mass destruction is to put a teacher who knows nothing before the students. This will be the case if your administration does not honour the 2009 agreement with ASUU such that lecturers’ welfare gets taken care of. Mr President, the one second of your time which I asked for is almost up but I am optimistic that if you give utmost diligence to putting an end to the incessant strikes that have been plaguing our tertiary educational system as much as you do to security matters or party issues and conventions, we would not be where we are today: struggling to maintain peace in our land. I reiterate my advice, sir. Honour the 2009 agreement with ASUU so we may return to our lecture rooms and pick up the pieces of our scattered semesters. So I can round off my first degree programme and go on to patriotically serve my fatherland. So, I can focus on growing my baby company to maturity and provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths. So, I can get married, give my mother her first grandchild and keep my late father’s name as his only son. So, I can fulfil my dreams of helping young people reach the zenith of their potential through my writing, public speaking and role-modelling. Mr President, help me and my fellow undergraduates live decent lives even if our parents are not among the top one per cent who squander our national earnings in the name of political office holders. Would you do this for me, for us, for Nigeria’s future? I hope you do. Thank you, sir, for giving me a second of your time. •Oyeniyi, an undergraduate student of the University of Lagos, wrote via prince.oyeniyi@ yahoo.com

PHCN workers vow to resist power firms’ handove

Employees of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria have vowed to resist the takeover of the electricity distribution and generation companies by the successful buyers until all outstanding payments are made. The workers’ position contradicts the recent pronouncement by the Federal Government that the successful bidders who met the deadline for the payment of the 75 per cent balance of their bid prices could now take over the companies. Our correspondent gathered that the Federal Government had not cleared the workers’ pensions as captured in the agreement between both parties, but it went ahead to announce that all was set for the private investors to take over. The General Secretary, Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, an umbrella body for the PHCN workers, Mr. Abiodun Ogunsegha, said on Sunday that the government was wrong to have stated that the power firms would be handed over to investors. He said, “No company can take over until payments are concluded. Yes, the government has paid some workers, but it has not concluded the payment. “The payment is ongoing. The understanding we have is that payment has to be concluded; but this has not happened. “What they are paying is the severance and gratuity part of the agreement. They have not paid the pension. But they are promising that they will pay all. Until that is done, it will be wrong to say you are handing over the companies to private investors.” The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had said in a statement that the government had recorded substantial compliance with the payment terms by the preferred bidders and stressed that the investors could begin to take over the electricity companies. “The completion of payment now entitles the preferred bidders to take full possession of the 15 PHCN unbundled entities, which include 10 distribution companies and five generation companies,” Nebo said.

No player worth €100m, says Zidane

It was “incomprehensible” that Real Madrid paid Tottenham Hotspur €100m ($131.86m) to sign forward Gareth Bale as no player is worth that amount of money, former France striker Zinedine Zidane said on Sunday. Bale, 24, joined the Spanish club on Sept. 1 in a world record transfer after months of speculation. Zidane, who is now Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant coach at Real, joined the nine-time European champions in 2001 for a then record fee. He felt at the time that fee was over the top and cannot comprehend the money involved in Bale’s move. “Ten years ago I was bought for €75m ($98.69m) and I said I was not worth this,” Zidane told French TV channelCanal Plus. “Now I would think that a player is not worth this. It’s football, unfortunately it’s incomprehensible with what is happening to pay so much.

17 killed in B’Haram, Vigilance group clash

No fewer than 17 people were killed and 17 others injured when suspected Boko Haram sect members attacked some members of the civilian vigilance group in Benisheik village, near Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Saturday night. The attack came barely 48 hours after the Nigeria military raided an Islamic insurgent camp and killed about 50 sect members in the North. While the 12 vigilance group members were killed, five Boko Haram members lost their lives and four AK-47 rifles were also retrieved in the clash. According to an operative of the Civilian Joint Task Force Vigilance Group, Zannah Fannami, the vigilance members were killed while repelling Boko Haram’s attack on the town. The 27-year-old operative, with the Civilian Joint Task Force vigilante group, who is receiving treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for a bullet to his right thigh said, “We heard that they would be coming since Friday and had been keeping vigil all nights. “Late Saturday night, when we least expected it, we heard a thunderous sound like that of a bomb coming from the direction of a soldiers’ post, then we decided to advance toward the sound and the Boko Haram gunmen, carrying sophisticated arms, opened fire on us, killing 12 of our members.” The survivor explained that the vigilance group, which was formed to fight the Boko Haram insurgents, killed five of the sect members and took possession of four of that AK-47 rifles. Another injured Civilian-JTF operative, 32-year-old Muhammed Abuwar, blamed the military for the attack, saying the soldiers refused to shield them from the “expected” attack. Borno State Government labour adviser, Garba Ngamdu, who also hails from Benisheik, said one of vigilance members had died in the hospital as doctors tried to remove bullets from his body. He also confirmed the death of the five Boko Haram members at the hands of vigilance members with machetes and said their corpses were on the outskirts of the town.

CAN kicks as Borno plans to demolish churches

The Borno State Government has begun moves to demolish over 20 churches and schools built by them. Our correspondent gathered on Sunday that the state government would embark on the demolition exercise any moment from now. Sources hinted that the state government had already dispatched a notice to the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and owners of farmlands in the area intimating them of the plan to acquire the site for a 1000 housing units. A leaflet from the office of the Borno State Ministry of Lands and Survey dated August 20 and signed by one Musa Ummate (O/C Land Administration) on behalf of the commissioner was obtained by journalists on Sunday in Abuja. The leaflet is titled, ‘Notice of acquisition and assessment/valuation of structures on proposed site for 1000 Housing Units along Gubio Road Highway.’ It reads: “I am directed to refer to you farmers and holders of structures on the proposed site for caption matter above and regret to inform you that the Executive Governor has, on the power conferred on him by Section (2)b of the Land Use Act 1978, directed through high powered committee on Construction Ref. no: HPCC/2500/HE/S/TEC/1 to notify you of his intention to acquire your farm lands and assessment/valuation of the structures on the proposed site situated along Gubio Road, Maiduguri. “The acquisition is necessary in view of requirements of the land acquisition by the state government for overriding public interest to construct a Housing Esate. The affected farmers and holders of structures are to take note and appear on site for the above exercise, please.” But a CAN source said, “Over 20 churches and many schools will be affected. The parcels of land on which the churches were built were bought from farmers and have the authority and certificate of the District Head in Maiduguri popularly calledBulama. The land was not under the ministry when it was bought.” When contacted, the General Secretary of CAN, Dr. Musa Asake, confirmed the development but called on the Borno State Government to have a rethink. He said, “We have seen that eviction notice from the Borno State Government. We are all Nigerians and there are other places where the state government can develop. The areas being earmarked for demolition are already developed with churches and schools. “We have enough problems at hand and we don’t want to add another one. Christians have suffered enough in Borno State. If the state government wants to destroy churches and build any housing estate, no Christian will see it as a sign of progress.” Asake promised that CAN would take up the matter with Borno State Government as soon as it was confirmed that the letter actually emanated from the government. Several calls and text messages to the mobile phone of the Borno State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Inuwa Bwala, as at 3:45 pm on Sunday for the state government’s reaction were not replied

Ekiti Govt arrests 70 lanlords without toilet facilities in their houses

No fewer than 70 landlords have been arrested in the last two months for defaulting in providing toilets facilities in their houses in Ekiti. The Director of Environment and Sanitation, Mr Tunde Balogun, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ado-Ekiti on Friday. Balogun described the landlords as “recalcitrant residents’’, who always test the will of government when issues relating to policies and programmes come to question. He said that the affected land lords would be prosecuted under the Ekiti State Environmental and Sanitation Law, 2004 and the Environmental Regulations 2009, as amended. He recalled that this year, the state Ministry of Environment organised an awareness campaigns on the need for the landlords to abide by government’s policy of “One House, One Toilet’’. “Those landlords, who were arrested, turned deaf ears to the government’s order, thinking they can ignore an important policy such as this and get away with it,’’ he said. The director, who said the exercise would be continuous one, declared that all offenders would face the wrath of the law. “There is nobody in Ekiti, who will say he is not aware of various existing Environmental laws that are passed by the House of Assembly and assented to by Gov. Kayode Fayemi. “They think we are not serious about this, and so, they must pay dearly for this until they learn to comply.’’

Gordons, Akpororo to thrill fans at Otta Grooves Naija

A -list comedians Gordons and Akpororo are billed to lead a list of high profile entertainers who are set to storm the ancient city of Otta, Ogun State to thrill fun-lovers during this year’s independence ceremony. The event tagged, Otta Grooves Naija at 53 is organized by Grooves Event and Pilot One Entertainment, a leading event packaging outfit operating in Otta and beyond. According to Mr.Uche Okeke, the owner and patron of Groove Events and Pilot One entertainment, the reason for the event is to attract tourism to the city as most residents of Otta are daily relocating to the Lagos metropol to unwind and catch their fun whenever there is need to do so. In his words “Nigeria’s independent ceremony is celebrated annually across the country. Since this is a public holiday, we want to use the opportunity to open a new chapter in Otta in terms of entertainment. Otta city has long yearned for this as there is a noticeable dearth of fun spot in the town of Otta and its environs.” Speaking in the same vein, Mr. Uche said, the event will provide the city dwellers a platform to relax and have fun in a well organized and secure environment. The event which holds on the 29th of September is billed to be a two-day event will have The Nigerian Navy Music Dance Band, renowned Nigerian hip-hop artistes, Comedians and dancers on parade

Chidinma becomes first female act to make MTV’s Naija top 10

Sensational singer, Chidinma has been announced as the first female artist to ever top the MTV Base Official Naija Top 10 charts. The stunning video for “E Mi Ni Baller” which was shot by ace cinematographer, Clarence Peters and featured label mates, Tha Suspect and Illbliss, has overshadowed P-Square’s “Personally” to hit the top. Big Friday Show host, Basketmouth is this week’s special guest. He joins VJ Ehis as they run through the hits and misses in this week’s chart. *Chidinma The Okoye twins drop one place to number two while the Koko Master himself, D’Banj, continues to nip at their heels from the number three position with “Don’t Tell Me Nonsense”. Last week’s studio guest, Burna Boy, stays solid at number four with “Run My Race”. This week’s highest climber is Timaya who moves up two places to number six with “Ekoloma Demba” while DJ Xclusive continues to make upward progress, rising one place to number five with “No Time”. Wande Coal’s former number one “The Kick” hung on tight but still fell from number three this week to number seven. BET Award winner Ice Prince drops down to number nine and 2face is valiantly holding onto the number ten slot with “Rainbow” for the second week running. This week’s charts has been put together by an elite panel of judges comprising Nigerian broadcasters, music specialists and taste makers, working with MTV Base to pick the winners and losers in the week’s chart. On the panel are Onos Ovueraye (Bella Naija.com), DJ Humility (Rhythm FM), DJ Jimmy Jatt, DJ Xclusive (Cool FM), Big Time (Rhythm FM), DJ Caise (The Beat FM), Toolz (The Beat FM) and Osagie Alonge (Nigerian Entertainment Today).

Miss World starts in Indonesia after Muslim hardline protests

Miss World began in Indonesia Sunday amid tight security after days of Muslim hardline protests that forced authorities to order the whole beauty pageant be held on the Hindu-majority island of Bali. As contestants took part in a glittering opening ceremony on the resort island, around 100 police, including some armed with rifles, patrolled around the building where the contest was being held. The ceremony saw contestants perform a traditional dance using fans, as well as a Balinese “Kecak” dance, in which participants sit in a circle and chant while throwing their hands in the air. Nana Putra, an official from MNC media group, the local organiser which is also broadcasting Miss World, said organisers hoped the event would “lift Indonesia’s image to the world”. But the 63rd edition of the pageant has been overshadowed by a snowballing protest movement, and hundreds of police were deployed across Bali as the event got under way. “So far there is no indication of a security threat,” Bali police spokesman Hariadi, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said. “However we are still increasing our alertness and security — all entrances to Bali are guarded by our personnel.” Thousands of Islamic hardliners have taken to the streets across the country during the past week, denouncing the show as “smut and pornography” and burning effigies of the organisers. But the anger has not been limited to radicals, with criticism also coming from the country’s most prominent Muslim clerical body, rights groups, and a government minister. Organisers pledged months ago there would be no bikini round during this year’s pageant in a bid to avoid causing offence. However, this was not enough to stop street protests, and on Saturday the government bowed to the mounting pressure by deciding to move the final, on September 28, and several other events to Bali. While organisers always planned to hold the opening of the show on Bali, the final and other events had originally been scheduled to take place in and around the capital Jakarta. However, radicals threatened to stage huge rallies in the area, where there is considerable hardline influence, to stop the events from going ahead. Although Bali has been hit by deadly bomb attacks in the past, hardline influence is almost non-existent on the island nowadays and locals are used to seeing hordes of tourists sunbathing in their swimwear. Announcing the change of venue, coordinating minister for people’s welfare, Agung Laksono, said the government had “listened to what the people wanted”. The organisers said they were “disappointed” by the decision. “There is the potential that we will be seen as a country which always bows to pressure from a noisy Muslim minority group,” Arief Suditomo, from the local organising committee, told AFP. MNC’s Putra said organisers would try to meet the government next week to discuss the decision to move the final to Bali. While most of Indonesia’s population of more than 240 million practises a moderate form of Islam, the influence of the hardline fringe is growing and they have succeeded in getting events changed or cancelled in the past. Last year, pop sensation Lady Gaga axed a concert after a series of protests, where radicals dubbed her “the devil”, threatened to burn down the venue and criticised her for wearing only “a bra and panties

Wentworth Miller Tried to Commit Suicide Before Coming Out: "The First Time I Tried to Kill Myself I Was 15"

Wentworth Miller's road to coming out had some very dark moments. The Prison Break star, who revealed he is gay less than a month ago, admitted that he tried to commit suicide as a teenager while struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. Speaking out at the Human Rights Campaign gala at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel on Saturday, Miller explained that he overdosed on pills during a weekend where his parents were away from home. "The first time I tried to kill myself I was 15," he said. "I waited until my family went away for the weekend and I was alone in the house and I swallowed a bottle of pills. I don't remember what happened over the next couple days, but I'm pretty sure come Monday morning I was on a bus back to school pretending everything was fine. And when someone asked me if that was a cry for help, I say no, because I told no one." Miller continued, "Growing up I was a target. Speaking the right way, standing the right way, holding your wrist the right way. Every day was a test and there was a thousand ways to fail. A thousand ways to portray yourself to not live up to someone else's standards of what was accepted." The actor also explained that it made him nervous to come out early in his career. "I had multiple opportunities to speak my truth, which is that I was gay, but I chose not to. I was out privately to family and friends--publicly, I was not. "I chose to lie--when I thought about the possibility of coming out, how that might impact me and the career I worked so hard for, I was filled with fear." But Miller overcame that fear in late August, when he publicly revealed his sexuality after being invited to attend a film festival in Russia, where "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations around minors" and the public discussion of gay rights have been banned. "Thank you for your kind invitation. As someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes," Wentworth, 41, says in a letter to Maria Averbakh, director of the St. Petersburg International Film Festival. "However, as a gay man, I must decline." "I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government," he continued in the letter, posted on GLAAD's website. "The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly."

Taylor Swift & Jennifer Lopez Collaborating on New Song

Get ready to shake your booty while singing along to a song about your ex. At least, that's the image we get when thinking about a track featuring both Jennifer Lopez and Taylor Swift. E! News confirms that the two singing divas are set to collaborate on a new track to be featured on J.Lo's next album due out early next year (Us Weekly first broke the story). There are no details about the type of song these two are planning to create together (are we going to cry and practice our falsetto while singing along, or twerk and yell into the hairbrush?), but we'd bet it's going to be a hit. The pair reportedly finalized the plan after Lopez came out as T.Swift's last guest performer on her final Red Tour show in Los Angeles on Aug. 25 to sing "Jenny From the Block" together. "Sang Jenny From the Block with @JLo tonight at Staples Center. STILL FANGIRLING OUT ABOUT IT," Swift tweeted after the show. Casper Smart's lady replied, "@taylorswift13 had so much fun with you tonight!!! #RedTourLA #jennyfromtheblock #hairbrushsongs." Taylor recently shared behind-the-scenes footage from her concert at Staples Center and, during a huddle, Lopez said, "Thank you so much for allowing our family to come and be a part of your family. "To create a beautiful moment, thank you, Taylor, for being so gracious and beautiful and loving me enough to have me be here tonight. I feel very blessed to be able to share the stage with you, and I just hope that everybody has the best show that they could ever have."

Miley Cyrus: Why Chris Hemsworth Still Hasn't Watched Her MTV VMA Performance

Miley Cyrus could be Chris Hemsworth's sister-in-law some day, but that doesn't mean the Thor star is in any rush to watch her controversial MTV VMAs performance. "I haven't seen it," Hemsworth told me earlier today while promoting his new Ron Howard-directed drama Rush at the Toronto Film Festival. He really hasn't seen Cyrus' twerk-filled act with the now infamous foam finger and the too-close-for-comfort Robin Thicke gyrations? "I've been in Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago, then Jakarta, then Hong Kong [and] Toronto now," Hemsworth explained. "The breaks I get, they're with my family. There's not much surfing the 'net at the moment." Especially when he wants to be with his and wife Elsa Pataky's 16-month-old daughter India Rose. "She's been walking for a while now but she's getting better and better at it," the proud papa gushed. "She's got kinda that drunken walk thing. She has her hand up in the air because she's used to holding your hand even when it's not there now...She's fantastic. She's great." Aww. Hemsworth will soon reunite with Howard to make In the Heart of the Sea, a drama about the shipwreck story that inspired Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Downtime for the hunky Aussie will come around Christmas. But, then it's back to work when cameras start rolling in February or early March on The Avengers sequel, The Avengers: Age of Ultron

20 Best African Stand Up Comedians 2013 - Do you agree?

Another controversial list, compiled by popular comedy site Officiallaughs.com (not Nigerian) listing the top 20 best stand up comedians in Africa. The cute guy above is apparently the best in Africa, followed by our very own Basketmouth. See the top twenty below and tell us if you agree... 1 Trevor Noah (South Africa) 2 Basketmouth (Nigerian) 3 Michael Blackson (Ghana) 4 Riaad Moosa (South Africa) 5 Klint The Drunk (Nigeria) 6 David Kau (South Africa) 7 Daliso Chaponda (Malawi) 8 I Go Dye (Nigeria) 9 Eric Omondi (Kenya) 10 Eddie Kadi (Congo) I don't really have much of an opinion here because I don't know who some of these comedians are... but Bovi should definitely be in the top 20 best in Africa. See the remaining after the cut 11 Loyiso Gola (South Africa) 12 Ali Baba (Nigeria) 13 David Kibuuka (South Africa) 14 Kasambwe Mpulamasaka (Zambia) 15 Nik Rabinowitz (South Africa) 16 Foxy P (Nigeria) 17 John Vlismas (South African) 18 A Dot (Nigerian) 19 Daniel Omara (Uganda) 20 Gbenga Adeyinka (Nigeria)

Serena Williams wins her 5th US Open

World No.1 Serena Williams today Sunday September 8th claimed her fifth US Open crown and 17th career grand slam singles title after beating world No. 2 Victoria Azarenka with a 7-5 6-7(6) 6-1. This victory makes Serena the oldest US Open women's winner since tennis turned professional 45 years ago, eclipsing Australian Margaret Court, who was 31 years when she won the title in 1973. Big congrats to Serena.