FG Will Not Generate PoliciesThat Will Cause Hardship ForNigerians- Jonathan

The Federal Government will not bring about policies that will cause hardship of Nigerians, President Goodluck Jonathan said on Friday. The President who was speaking in reference to the proposed automobile policy which will see the ban of second hand cars also known as tokunbo cars, also noted that the policy was not meant to cause hardship for Nigerians but to create jobs through local assembling of cars. Mr. Jonathan who was speaking to a 40 man delegation of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEA) led by their President Musa Isiwele, commended them on the acceptance of the new auto policy of government stating that "you are the most important body. I'm pleased with your position, we cannot come up with policy that will punish Nigerians else I will abort it immediately". He noted that Nigerian currently losses $4 billion to importation of cars but by the time that is spent on assembling and manufacturing it will create jobs . The President also noted that greatness of the country was not in the abundance of its oil, but in its diversity and this must be exploited to the maximum to develop the country. Thanking them for the role they played during the 2011 elections he noted that according to the RTEAN President's speech Attempting to be an enemy to RTEAN is suicidal because "you can stop people from going to vote". The association presented a centenary card to the President and decorated him with the title of Great Grand Patron of the RTEAN . In his speech the chairman said, in a resolve to partner with the FG ,the RTEAN Plans to create 1.5mil jobs nationwide for young people in the next one year. He said already the association had flagged off a special mass transit scheme of 4,000 units of exotic brands of taxis and commercial buses/ vehicles as part of efforts to support the efforts of govt to achieve safe, comfortable and effective road transport service delivery. The RTEAN, he said has also embarked on construction of world class transit parks and drivers academy to further give capacity to the transport operators. With over 16million members nationwide, the chairman said the association has already embarked on 1000 units of mass housing projects for members as well discussions with banks and other partners for the provision of suitable vehicle funding schemes, to enable members access funds to purchase brand new vehicles. The association announced its intention to advance the automotive industry and to allow the development of local manufacturing capacities for assembling of Nigerian Vehicles thereby halting further depletion of the nation's foreign reserves of about $4.2billion (N670 billion) spent annually by Nigerians to import cars. "Our association is in full support of this policy". They demanded for the FG's Concessionary Sovereign Guarantee for loans and Tarriff waivers on all vehicles imported by RTEAN. The association also demanded Land Allocation for the establishment of world class ultra- modern transit motor parks in each geopolitical zones of the federation with 3 to be established in Abuja to further add value to the FCT. The RTEAN also demanded an Immediate release of land allocation for construction of corporate headquarters in Abuja and operators licences by the FCT minister to be able to operate all modes of transport services in the FCT as demanded by the FCTA transport policy. They further demanded for the establishment of Transport Development Bank (TDB) by the FG to address critical transport infrastructures development challenges and create unhindered access to financing at relatively friendly concessionary rates . The association also requested for the inclusion of members of RTEAN in the relevant boards of MDAS. In response the President promised to talk to the state governors involved in the economic management team because to work with the RTEAN to ensure that the country has world class parks across. The President also directed the SGF to incorporate the union in all programmes in the centenary celebration. He encouraged them to be part of the upcoming national dialogue.

Top Nigerian Celebrities WhoWalked Down the Aisle In 2013

More than other years gone by, 2013 has been a splendid year for our celebrities. The entertainment industry which has been known to house too many singles who were scared of marriage, suddenly took a new turn, as quite a number of them did say “yes I do” in the year. Annie Macurlay and Tuface Idibia To mention just a few, we will start with Nollywood Annie Macurlay and pop icon, Tuface Idibia. Theirs was of course, a marriage meant to happen as both have known each other way back in the days. Their love tango started when Tuface was still hustling which resulted into Annie having a daughter for him. Years down the line, even after Tuface had had other relationships which also resulted into several others children out of wedlock, he decided to make Annie his wife. So, they both said I Do to each other in what could be termed a fairy tale wedding. Peter Okoye and Lola Omotayo Although Lola is older than Peter, he didn’t mind. Their relationship had also spanned into years which produced a boy and a girl, after which the duo decided to legalise it this year. Their traditional marriage took place at the Ark in Lekki, Lagos. Tunji Balogun and Tiwa Savage Tunji was first her manager until the story turned around into what we are seeing today. They made their relationship known when Tunji gave her a kiss on a red carpet during an event. This sent tongues wagging, especially when news filtered in that Tunji was already married with two kids. Despite the controversy, they had their traditional marriage just last month, November, the white wedding comes up next year, 2013. OAP Matse Uwatse and Ekemelu Nnoli After years of waiting patiently, ex Wazobia FM On Air Personality, Matse finally hooked her hubby, Ekemelu Nnoli in July. Afterwards, Matse has gone public with how thankful she is being married to her boo at a time when most people thought was impossible for her to get married. Toyin Aimakhu and Niyi Johnson Toyin is a popular Yoruba actress while Niyi has his base in soap operas. The couple tied the knot on July 8 at a registry in Lagos as Toyin was already pregnant. The wedding was a quiet one as her fans and colleague.

Celebrities Marriages thatCrashed in 2013

It is no longer news how celebrities break up their much talked about marriage after a few months of walking down the aisles but what is disturbing is how it is becoming the norm of the day among celebrities in Nigeria. Princess Oluwadamilola Adekoya: Aka Princess was born on May 8 in Lagos to Late Architect and Pastor Mrs Adekoya. She is the first of two children. She is a seasoned compere, producer of the movie - 'The Unsaid' in 2009, has an annual show since 2005 is tagged 'Shades of Comedy' and other shows like 'Incest Must Stop!' and 'Dance with Princess'. She got married on her birthday this year, May 8 to Adeshola Jeremiah. Unfortunately, the wedding well attended by colleagues like AY, Basketmouth, Koffi, Elenu has crashed after 7 months. According to the chubby comedienne, the seperation was due to “irreconcilable differences”. Funke Akindele: Akindele Olufunke Ayotunde popularly known as Funke Akindele, born August 24, 1976 in Ikorodu, Lagos State is an award winning celebrated actress. Though the Jenifa star actress is back to doing what she loves most, her glamorous marriage to a polygamist, Kehinde (Kenny) Oloyede Almaroof on May 26, 2012 also crashed 14 months after. On Monday July 15 2013, Kenny announced to his facebook friends that his marriage to Funke is over. He claimed she is the greatest mistake he’s made in recent times. After an initial denial on Wednesday July 17 2013, Funke confirmed the split on Friday July 19, 2013 through a message from her publicist. However, other celebrities who has had their shares of failed marriages are Laide Bakare, Joseph Benjamin, Chika Ike, Foluke Daramola, Kate Henshaw, Eucharia Anunobi, Saheed and Fathia Balogun, Shan George, Hilda Dokuba. Though, there are some remarkable marriages that have stood the times of test and weathered the storm over the years like Olu and Joke Sylva, Omotola and Kehinde Ekeinde, Tunde and Wunmi Obe, Zach Orji, Ramsey Noah and Emike Phillips Noah, Emeka and Emma Ike, Patrick and Ireti Doyle.

Celebrities Marriages thatCrashed in 2013

It is no longer news how celebrities break up their much talked about marriage after a few months of walking down the aisles but what is disturbing is how it is becoming the norm of the day among celebrities in Nigeria. Princess Oluwadamilola Adekoya: Aka Princess was born on May 8 in Lagos to Late Architect and Pastor Mrs Adekoya. She is the first of two children. She is a seasoned compere, producer of the movie - 'The Unsaid' in 2009, has an annual show since 2005 is tagged 'Shades of Comedy' and other shows like 'Incest Must Stop!' and 'Dance with Princess'. She got married on her birthday this year, May 8 to Adeshola Jeremiah. Unfortunately, the wedding well attended by colleagues like AY, Basketmouth, Koffi, Elenu has crashed after 7 months. According to the chubby comedienne, the seperation was due to “irreconcilable differences”. Funke Akindele: Akindele Olufunke Ayotunde popularly known as Funke Akindele, born August 24, 1976 in Ikorodu, Lagos State is an award winning celebrated actress. Though the Jenifa star actress is back to doing what she loves most, her glamorous marriage to a polygamist, Kehinde (Kenny) Oloyede Almaroof on May 26, 2012 also crashed 14 months after. On Monday July 15 2013, Kenny announced to his facebook friends that his marriage to Funke is over. He claimed she is the greatest mistake he’s made in recent times. After an initial denial on Wednesday July 17 2013, Funke confirmed the split on Friday July 19, 2013 through a message from her publicist. However, other celebrities who has had their shares of failed marriages are Laide Bakare, Joseph Benjamin, Chika Ike, Foluke Daramola, Kate Henshaw, Eucharia Anunobi, Saheed and Fathia Balogun, Shan George, Hilda Dokuba. Though, there are some remarkable marriages that have stood the times of test and weathered the storm over the years like Olu and Joke Sylva, Omotola and Kehinde Ekeinde, Tunde and Wunmi Obe, Zach Orji, Ramsey Noah and Emike Phillips Noah, Emeka and Emma Ike, Patrick and Ireti Doyle.

Swift most charitable celebrity

Country-pop singer, Taylor Swift has been announced as the most charitable celebrity of 2013 by dosomething.org in their annual list. This is Swift's second year with the title. Some of her charitable deeds include a $100, 000 donation to the Nashville Symphony and headlining a benefit as well as a number of hospital visits. The runners-up for the title are the boys of One Direction (don't miss One Direction: Up All Night Live on MTV at 13:45 CAT on Wednesday, 1 January 2014) in second and then Beyonce. In other news, it seems fans of popstar, Justin Bieber are confused about if he is retiring from music or not. After being quoted in an interview about quitting music and then saying he was just kidding, Bieber has taken to Twitter. He tweeted on Christmas Eve, "Officially retiring.". Shortly afterward, however, he tweeted that he was "never leaving", adding "I'm here forever". So, do you think Bieber is just joking or really thinking of calling it quits? We have one final question, are Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama engaged? Valderrama purchased a ring from Tiffany in November and rumors were that he would propose over Christmas. No words of an engagement announcement yet, but we're waiting to see what happens.

Termination of KidsCo Channel

After many years of distributing KidsCo globally, it is with great regret the KidsCo Limited. ("KidsCo") has issued notice of its intention to discontinue the operation of KidsCo in all territories. Please note that KidsCo channel will no longer be available on DStv from 31 December 2013. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please note DStv still offers 8 other children channels - Disney, Cartoon Network, Cbeebees, Boomerang, Disney XD, Nickelodeon, Disney Junior and newly launched Jim Jam.

Justin Bieber's movie flop

Justin Bieber's latest documentary Believe was released on Christmas day and although his retirement announcement may have been a prank, it looks like he might have to stick to his words. The documentary is his second performance movie, while his first Never Say Never earned $70 million, the latest film is said to be lucky to reach $7 million. Being slated as the Baby singer's "first real commercial flop", industry insiders are asking if parents are keeping their children away from Bieber after some of his recent antics. A movie source said that Justin (who you can see perform in Justin Bieber: Around the World on M- Net Series Zone at 8:00 CAT on Friday, 3 January 2014 ) made his goal to show One Direction who the biggest pop act was, but judging by movie figures, One Direction came out on top, with their movie This Is Us earning $15.8 million in it's first few days.

Mountain of Fire beginscrusade to close all beerparlors in Lagos

Dr Daniel Olukoya-led Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries church, MFM, will today Dec. 19th begin a crusade to close down all beer parlor outlets in Lagos and turn them into their praying centres. Well, that's their plan, they can only try. Lol The church says it took the decision to close down beer parlors because alcohol consumption & crime go hand in hand. They say the action would ultimately help depopulate the kingdom of darkness. Ogba, Ikeja is their kickoff base, so all you beer drinkers in that area, make una get ready. Hehe. Speaking on the strategy to be adopted, Pastor Aderemi Oseni, Regional Pastor for Region 32 MFM Ogba, Lagos, he said; "We want to convert beer parlours into our praying centres. At the end of the crusade, the kingdom of darkness would be depopulated completely. I am aware that powers of darkness have converted major roads to shines in this environment. We want to pull down all shrines". The crusade, tagged 'Overcoming The Storm' will begin today 19 December.

Bieber's the bomb says Eminem

Eminem is hoping to convince "ticking timebomb" Justin Bieber to enter therapy over the festive season. The hip-hop star is said to be deeply concerned about the 19-year-old Bieber, who can be seen on Focus: Justin Bieber on Saturday 21 December at 13:00 CAT on TRACE Urban. The young singer has been accused of drug use, terrorising his neighbours and visiting a brothel this year. Over the weekend, an ambulance was called to Justin's Calabasas mansion after a girl was found passed out following a party. Eminem has experienced his own career highs and lows, including battling an addiction to prescription medication. He reportedly believes he is the perfect person to support the Canadian star at the moment. "He's really hoping he can sort Justin out," an insider told British newspaper The Sun. "The way he's going, he's worried he's going to end up in really bad trouble. He wants to talk him into going to therapy and counselling to deal with the stress of fame in a positive way. "Everyone is saying how they think he's a ticking timebomb." Eminem is hoping Justin will accept his invitation to stay at the rapper's home in Michigan, Detroit, between Christmas and New Year. Should the teenager agree to the break and take some advice from the 41-year-old artist it's understood their friendship might become a working relationship. "Eminem would consider going in to the studio with him if he sorts himself out, which would be a dream come true for Justin," the insider said. The hip-hop star is the latest in a string of major celebrities to reach out to Justin. Mark Wahlberg was rumoured to be working on a basketball movie with the young star and earlier this year offered him some words of wisdom. "Don't be so naughty, yeah? Be a nice boy, pull your [pants] up, make your mom proud and stop smoking weed, you little b*****d," he said. "He's a teenager living in a different day and age. I was in prison before I got a record, and I don't think he's been to prison." Eminem's manager previously revealed he had told Scooter Braun, who looks after Justin's career, that the rapper was there for him. "If you ever want Eminem to talk to him, he would do it in a second. He cares about that kid," Paul Rosenberg said. Oprah Winfrey , Will Smith and Adam Levine have also reached out to the star, while Tom Hanks' wife Rita Wilson offered up the actor's services as a mentor.

Bruce Willis to be a dad again

Die Hard actor Bruce Willis will reportedly become a father again soon, according to Us Weekly magazine. The 58-year-old star and his supermodel wife Emma Heming , 35, are expecting their second child together, sources say. Rumours of Emma's pregnancy began circulating over the weekend, when she and Bruce visited a neighbourhood farmer's market in Los Angeles with their 20-month-old daughter Mabel , and Emma appeared to be several months pregnant. Bruce has four children total, including adult daughters Rumer , 25, Scout , 22, and Tallulah , 19, with his ex-wife Demi Moore . The action movie star recently gushed about how much of a privilege it is to be a father. "I've never been as happy as I am now!" he told German magazine Bild. "I feel like a caveman protecting his family, living for his family. I have four daughters, I get up at seven am when our baby wakes up. My family has become the focus of my life and the entire meaning of it. "It's fulfilling, very fulfilling. It's real life. On screen I pretend as if I'm alive. At home, I'm me. Being a father is the most wonderful task."

Justin Bieber to quit music?

Justin Bieber says he's retiring from music. The 19-year-old pop star shot to fame in 2009 with his debut album My World and you can watch his best music videos on Focus on Saturday, 21 December at 13:00 CAT on TRACE. But during an interview Tuesday with America's Power 106 radio station he said he's calling it quits. "Um, I'm actually retiring, man," Justin is shown saying with a straight face in a video of the sit-down obtained by E! News. A spokesperson for the Baby hitmaker declined to issue comment. However, a source told the outlet Justin was bluffing. "Of course it's not true," the insider said. Justin has been the subject of scathing tabloid reports for several months amid allegations of reckless driving and other bad boy behaviour. On Tuesday morning, X17Online reported catching the pop star arriving at Power 106 in Los Angeles in a "giant cloud of suspicious smoke" that billowed out of his car, igniting rumours he had been smoking marijuana. The singer addressed the negative press surrounding him while speaking to 106. "People think I'm arrogant, I'm not, I've always been a caring and giving person," he said, adding despite his retirement claim: "I'm here solely for my fans and for the music." Justin previously opened up about his struggle to cope with celebrity gossip. Last year, he admitted it got so bad he turned to his mentor, Usher, for guidance. "I got to the point where I thought, 'I don't want to do this. I just want to be normal.' It was difficult because I'd never gone through anything like that," Justin told Fabulous magazine, adding that he's learning to be more resilient. "Usher was like, 'Prepare to have this for the rest of your career because it's not going to stop.' He's gone through some stuff and most artists go through their fair share of bull. That was just my first time."

Lindsay Lohan recording again?

In between suing and being sued Lindsay Lohan seems to be desperate to get her career back on track, and has recently announced that she's recording a new album. Now, if you've been paying attention to the gossip headlines where Lilo is a constant feature, you'll know that she was keeping a journal during her recent stint in rehab and there is also talk that she has been offered a tell-all book deal. However, it also seems that her scribblings might have inspired some music - assuming that she goes the Taylor Swift route and purges all her feelings in a song or two. We can't help wondering if this will feature some of the details that she shared during her interview with Oprah Winfrey . If you missed it, you can watch the interview on Tuesday, 24 December at 11:20 CAT on TLC. Check out the video for more nuggets of info on Lindsay's possible return to the music scene and also find out how her acting career is carrying on:

Beyonce breaks records with new album

Queen Bey surprised her Bey Hive with a new album and 17 music videos that had her critics bowing down at the genius marketing scheme. Without warning and with no publicity, Beyoncé Knowles released a new studio album on Friday, 13 December, and the experiment must have worked with record breaking sales. It looks like Bey, who takes on Rihanna on Batt le : Beyonce vs Rihanna (Thursday, 19 December, at 20:30) on Channel O, has changed the game in the industry, which doesn't typically keep secrets like this one.

Tiwa Savage living her fairytale

Tiwa Savage needs no introduction, the First Lady of Mavin Records is the hottest and most bankable female act in Nigeria today with endorsement deals from Pepsi to Diageo. She has also added actor and TV show hostess to her resume. Set to wed her heartthrob, Tee Billz this November, Tiwa Savage spoke to Peju Akande and Toni Kan about fame and her life right now. This is officially the Tiwa Savage year; your album, you are getting married, your endorsements and all; you are on EL with Banky, how did that happen? (Laughing) I was contacted by Mo. She explained to me; she had this network and she wanted me to do a talk show. But I wanted something a little different; I wanted something like a Regis and Kelly type of programme. And she was very supportive and she really gave us her blessings and her full backing and it was great. And we decided the only person that could do that was Banky and he was a perfect match. The chemistry is good, how did you know it would work? Because we are also friends outside of the industry and I know that he is a very, very intelligent person and someone that knows a lot about the kind of the issues our generation needs to know. You are also on MTV Base's Shuga, how did that come about? We didn’t know you were an actress. Actually the director had spoken to MTV because he saw my video ife wa gbona. He saw something in the way I acted and he wanted to explore that part of my talent and it was great. How was it going from singing to acting? It’s been good; it wasn’t as nerve wracking as I thought it would be. The only thing is that I forgot my lines but I did really good. Your album, why is it called Once upon a Time? It’s a story, and I think my life in the music industry has been an amazing story and I wanted it to inspire and encourage other people. You came back from abroad to Nigeria; people are moving abroad, what made you come back? Because I feel Africa is the future of the world and I feel that there are a lot of untapped resources and talents out here. I really wanted to be a part of that evolution. You’ve done so well in how many years, endorsements; acting…do you sometimes pinch yourself, like is this real? Yes, sometimes. I always give glory to God. Everything that happened needs a lot of work, a lot of dedication, a lot of prayers and I have a great team around me and they keep me grounded. What is it about stars music in a bottle? I think it’s great, merging the two worlds and star has always supported music and music artist bridging the gap between the two industries and their family and loved ones. Catch Tiwa on the Banky & Tiwa Show on Tuesdays at 22:30 on EbonyLife TV from 12 November.

Dwayne Johnson to lead Seal Team 666

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has reportedly signed on to lead a new action film from MGM called Seal Team 666. The Rock will appear in the film which follows an elite group of Navy SEALs who ...well, we can't give the whole movie away