Ghana president John Atta Mills dies suddenly aged 68

John Atta Mills, the president of the gold, oil and cocoa-rich West African country of Ghana, has died suddenly from an unspecified illness. 

 

Mr Mills, 68, who came to power in 2009 and was widely-respected for being a steady hand in a volatile region, died just hours after being taken ill, the presidency said in a statement.

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the republic of Ghana," it said.

A presidential aide, who asked not to be named, said that the president had complained of pains on Monday evening and died early on Tuesday afternoon when his condition worsened.

Mr Mills is known to have suffered from ill health in the past, having made several trips abroad for treatment.

Ghana, a former British colony known as the Gold Coast, was the first African country to gain independence from a European power, in 1957.

Today, it is West Africa's largest economy after Nigeria and Africa's ninth biggest through gold mining, cocoa production and exploitation of rich oil deposits discovered two years ago.
With neighbours including Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Mali to the north, it was seen as a country of stability in a region plagued by unrest.

John Dramani Mahama, the Vice President, was due to be sworn in as interim leader on Tuesday night. Presidential elections are set for December. Mr Mills was expected to win a second term.
David Zounmenou, a West Africa expert with South Africa's Institute for Security Studies, said Ghana's president would be much missed.

"He was a god-fearing man with a good heart, who sought to balance regional interests with Ghanaian interests and remain neutral while co-operating with regional peace and stability efforts," he said. "He was a good example for the continent and will be greatly missed."

SEE ALSO ANALYSIS OF ATTA MILSS AND GHANA

Ghana: Life and Times of John Atta Mills

analysis

Accra — Late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was born on 21st July, 1944 in Tarkwa, Western Region of Ghana. An Akan by birth, he had his early education at Achimota School, and passed out in 1963 with an Advanced level certificate. Later he was at the University of Ghana, Legon, where he completed a law degree in 1967.

Mills studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science and obtained a PhD in Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. He earned his doctorate at the age of 27.

Mills' professional career began at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana. His teaching career at Legon and other institutes of higher learning spanned over 25 years.

In 1971, he was a beneficiary of the Fulbright Scholar programme at the Stanford Law School in the United States (U.S). He was a visiting professor at Leiden University (Holland). He became an associate professor of Law at the University of Ghana in 1992. He majored in the field of taxation and economic development and has authored several books on the subject.

Professor Mills' journey into public service began in 1986, when he was appointed the Acting Commissioner of Ghana's Internal Revenue Service under President Jerry John Rawlings. He was confirmed Commissioner in 1993 and he occupied the position until 1996.

Former President Rawlings picked Mills as his vice-president when he ran for a second term in office in 1996. Following the success of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDC) in that election, Mills served as Vice-President of Ghana between 1996 and 2000.

In 2000, Mills contested for President against New Patriotic Party (NPP)'s candidate, John Agyekum Kufour, who later clinched the position.

His bid for Presidency in 2004 against former President Kufour was also unsuccessful.
In 2008, Mills was pitched against NPP's Nana Akufo-Addo. The result of the first ballot put Akufo-Addo in a slim lead ahead of Mills. There was no clear leader and a run-off took place on December 28, 2008. Mills secured the presidency with 50.23 per cent of the vote to Akufo-Addo's 49.77 per cent.
The late president was running for the second term in office under the National Democratic Party later in December. His health status had occupied debates in the national political landscape. His supporters had always consistently denied the fact that the President was in a poor state of health. While the opposition maintained that he was mortally ill.

He was married to Ernestina Naadu Mills, an educationist and survived by an only son, Sam Kofi Atta Mills.

Michael Jackson’s Mother Declared Missing

82 years old Madam Katherine Jackson, mother of late pop star, Michael Jackson, was reported missing to authorities on Saturday night. The family’s lawyer believed she went missing while travelling with Rebbie Jackson, her daughter.

 

“I’m concerned that she’s not safe,” Sandra Ribera, the lawyer, said.

Michael’s three children have lived with Katherine since their father’s death in 2009. Olufamous.com gathered that Madam Katherine had not contacted the grandchildren in the last one week.

Paris Jackson, Michael’s 14-year-old daughter, also confirmed the story on Twitter on Sunday morning. The missing persons report comes in the middle of disputes over Michael Jackson’s will, and conflicting reports over Katherine’s health.

Nollywood Actress Susan Ekwe

Nollywood Actress Susan Ekwe Poses Semi Nude

 These are pictures of Nollywood actress, Susan Ekwe posing semi nude. What are the pictures for?

Damiette Charles-Granville Representing Nigeria At Miss World

Isabella Ayuk, the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2012 is not available to go for the Miss World pageant in August for personal reasons, according to sources at Silverbird.
She will be representing Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant later in the year. And contrary to reports making the rounds, Isabella Ayuk has not been dethroned as Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2012.

The management of Silverbird, organisers of the annual Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria and Africa’s longest running beauty pageant will be sending MBGN First Runner up, Miss DIAMETTE CHARLES GRANVILLE, to represent the country at the Miss World pageant holding in Mongolia, China in August.
MBGN winner, Miss ISABELLA AGBO AYUK will represent Nigeria at the Miss Universe.
MBGN Second Runner up, Miss IFEOMA UMEOKEKE will be at the Miss Tourism International holding later in the year in China.

Olusegun Obasanjo Attends Naeto C’s Wedding (Photos)

Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria, and PDP leader was also present at rapper Naeto C‘s wedding.

Naeto C’s mother Kema Chikwe was appointed Minister of Transport, and then of Aviation by Obasanjo, holding office until May 2003.
The retired general and Kema Chikwe have been good friends for many years, according to family sources. Kema Chikwe was appointed Nigeria’s ambassador to the Republic of Ireland in 2008.
Check out more pictures below...

N15m Scandal: Jim Iyke Is A Criminal - Habiba Abubakar

Few weeks ago, Jim Iyke had a twitter rant where her tweeted six 'shout outs' sarcastically to Habiba Abubakar.


The tweets came as a result of an alleged 15million Naira fraud case instituted against Jim Iyke in 2011 by Habiba. His 'sarcastic 'six shout outs' on twitter few weeks ago were in response to some documents first released by Habiba to the media.

In a response to Jim Iyke's 'six shout outs' on twitter, Habiba has released another set of documents, pictures of his mother and Jim Iyke's pictures being held at the police station probably after admitting to what he was accused of.

An email purportedly from Habiba leaked to Nigeriafilms.com few minutes after we requested to have some documents from Habiba's representative.

Below is an unedited leaked e-mail purportedly from Habiba Abubakar with some documents attached;

Jim Iyke stop shouting out on twitter and start shouting in my N16.5M and then leave me alone ooo

I run a charity organization called Elderly and the poor, a self-sponsored charity organization. Jim Iyke needed help for his aged mother who is crippled by leg problems and high blood pressure and now bed-ridden.

M’Belt Youths Fault Waku Over Attack On Oritsejafo

National Youth Leader of the Middle Belt Forum, Mr. Jonathan Asak, has faulted the Vice Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Senator Joseph Waku, over his attack on the President of the Christian Association, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.

Waku had recently criticised Oritsejafor’s address before the United States Congress’ Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights, saying the cleric’s comments were capable of dividing the country.

But MBF youths questioned Waku’s credibility, saying he lacked the credential to talk.

In a statement in Jos on Sunday, Asake, said, “We are baffled that Waku, a Christian (if he truly is) and indeed a Middle Belter could make such unwarranted comments on the leadership of Christians in Nigeria, knowing fully well the activities of the dreaded Islamic terrorists known as Boko Haram which has been bombing and killing innocent Nigerians, especially Christians in the northern part of the country.

“Waku’s outburst presents him as a desperate agent paid by his masters to execute an agenda.”

Also, a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has backed Oritsejafor for urging the US to declare Boko Haram a terrorist organisation.

Budget: Reps Insist On Impeaching Jonathan

Interventions by the Peoples Democratic Party notwithstanding, the House of Representatives on Sunday insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan must achieve 100 per cent budget implementation by September or face impeachment.

Apparently reacting to interventions by the PDP and reported overtures by the President to save his job, the House said it would not change its resolution midway.

“A resolution of the House is a resolution of the House; nobody can change it midway,” spokesman for the lawmakers, Zakari Muhammed, told The PUNCH in Abuja.

Muhammed said the only alternative was for Jonathan to achieve a 100 per cent budget implementation by September in accordance with the resolution of the House.

The lawmakers on Thursday frowned on the poor implementation of the 2012 budget and set a September 18 deadline for the Jonathan administration.

“The budget implementation is about 35 percent,” the Chairman, Committee on Appropriation, Mr. John Enoh, had told his colleagues. Enoh said the committee found that only a meagre N200bn had been released to the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government in the first two quarters of the year.

The House also directed the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to immediately release all first and second quarter capital votes to the MDAs.

The resolution, which was endorsed by all members, faulted the minister’s decision to withhold the funds of some MDAs on the grounds that they were unable to utilise their first quarter votes.

The House noted that withholding funds under any excuse was a “breach of the Appropriation Act (2012).”

The action of the House gave rise to reported moves by the Presidency and the leadership of the PDP at the weekend to make the lawmakers reverse their threat.

Jonathan and the National Chairman of the PDP, Bamangar Tukur, had reportedly reached out to the Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal, with a view to influencing the lawmakers to soft-pedal on their threat.

But Muhammed said while the moves were legitimate, nobody could change a stand already taken by the legislators on the floor of the House.

“Our practice is that our resolution, once taken, it stands; it can only be reviewed on the floor of the House, not by an individual. A resolution of the House is a resolution of the House; nobody can change it midway. Not even the Speaker has the powers to change a House resolution,” the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said.

He added, “What the Executive should do is to implement the budget in line with the House resolution.

“Let us hold on to the promise of the House Leader (Mrs. Mulikat Akande-Adeola) that things will improve in the next two months.”

Bakare Attacks Jonathan Again, Accuses Him Of Naivety

Pastor Tunde Bakare,  G.O Latter Rain Assembly and former Vice Presidential Candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC),

The General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly and former Vice Presidential Candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Pastor Tunde Bakare, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of naivety in the running of the affairs of the country.

The pastor turned politician claimed that the president’s incompetence was causing profound injury to the health of the nation.
He, therefore, advocated for a peaceful change of the central government citing what he called “catalogue of scandalous mismanagement of national resources, the unbridled stealing of public funds and the bewildering exposure of the level of corruption in almost every arm of government.”
Bakare, who spoke at a special session with pressmen and church members, yesterday, reiterated his earlier position on what he described as “our humble contribution towards nation building”.
He said: “The purpose of any meaningful government is the welfare and security of the people. In our clime, neither welfare nor security of the lives and property of our people seems to matter anymore. Our malady is not new. History holds records of nations who were bled to death by their rulers and tells how such leaders were ultimately dealt with when the oppressed could no longer bear the heavy weight of their oppressive and insensitive leadership”

Calling All Fashion Enthusiasts: Models, Designers And Fashion Entrepreneurs, Lagos Fashion Design Week Is Here!!!

Calling Fashion Creatives, MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week Awards is BACK, and you can win up to 4 Million Naira! Nigerian fashion has metamorphosed from being merely cultural to a way of life. A whole new generation of fashion designers, fashion creatives and fashion taste makers have made it desirable to be seen wearing clothes made by Nigerian designers. This influence has gradually spread and is being represented on runways around the world. Last year, MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week debuted as a premiere fashion event, which brought together media, the industry, buyers and consumers to view the current collections of designers in the fashion capital of Lagos, Nigeria.

The platform which cut across geographic and culture barriers started with a tour of Nigeria’s top cities; Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Abuja scouting for the Nations most talented Fashion Creatives to compete at The Lagos Fashion and Design Week Awards.

The Lagos Fashion and Design Week Award aims to promote the development, growth and promotion of creatives in the industry by nurturing, fine tuning and harnessing their skills as well as providing them with a solid platform for achieving their goals.


 Last year’s MTN LFDW Awards had 3 categories, The MTN British Council Young Designer of the Year, won by Binta Shuaibu who went home with a car, Master Classes facilitated by British Council and a 3 month presence at Le Petit Marche’s monthly pop up store. MTN British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur Ayotomi Rotimi went home with a Million Naira and a Tour of the United Kingdom’s Fashion Capital during London Fashion Week by British Council and a MTN Young Model of the Year Award won by Jenevieve Aken.
This years stakes have been raised! With Cash Prizes from From 2 Million to 4 Million Naira to be won from MTN, Master Classes facilitated by British Council and prizes from RIM Blackberry, MTN LFDW’s Official Technical Partner. MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week (LFDW) which is scheduled to take place from the 24th -27th of October 2012, is calling out to all Young designers and Creative Entrepreneurs willing to participate in the awards categories.

Ayotomi Rotimi, MTN Young Creative Entrepreneur 2011

 

CATEGORIES:
• MTN British Council Young Designer of the Year (YDE), which attracts a cash
prize of N4,000,000, business mentoring and capacity building working workshops.
• British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur of the Year (YCE), which attracts a
cash prize of N2,000,000 and a tour of the London Fashion week.
• MTN Young Model of the Year which attracts a cash prize of N1,000,000 and a
modelling contract.
One of the primary aims of LFDW is the development of the Creative sector, and we believe providing adequate support and encouragement is a step in the right direction. Application forms are available for download on the official website www.lagosfashionanddesignweek.com. All applications close on the 10th of August 2012.

NAIJA FM ON AIR PERSONALITY IN THE PERSON OF KAREN TO FEATURE IN MOVIES

Karen Igho, who now works as an on air personality for Naija FM, is venturing into acting. We had a chat with the 2011 BBA reality show and here’s what she told us;

 “Yeah, the one I just rapped up shooting was Simonny productions, everybody knows the movie but this is a continuation, it’s like season 2, Blackberry babes. I played a village girl in the movie… Yes, there’s nothing I can’t handle… I played a village Warri girl feeling funky in Lagos.”

And that isn’t the only movie she is featuring in, there is more.
 ‘Heavy Beauty’ is about our young females youths out there.

 Following your ‘Beauty Pageant Dream’ because a lot of people want to follow their dream but somehow, on they get cut off on the way and they don’t event finish their dream.

Whatever it is, don’t give up on your dream. Keep dreaming and one day, your dream will come to pass.

2FACE, M.I. AND OTHERS SET FOR U.S. TOUR

Come August, 2012, multiple Headies winners, 2Face Idibia and Jude ‘M.I.’ Abaga, will lead other Nigerian artistes as they kick off a first ever North American tour.

The tour, orchestrated by Interglobe Entertainment Group (IEG) and Live Nation, will delight music fans on the other side of the Atlantic.  Other acts billed for the occasion includes Iyanya, J Martins, Jesse Jagz, Brymo and West African Idols winner, Timi Dakolo.

In a recent press briefing by the parties involved, with 2Face, M.I. and Timi Dakolo in attendance, the artistes expressed their appreciation and promised not to disappoint.

2face said; “; it is a massive tour and all of us are prepared and be rest assured that we are not going to disappoint you guys. I’m happy to be part of history.”

While M.I. said; “I’m very happy because it is history”. He said he remembered when he was a nobody and now, all these is happening

Prophet T.B. Joshua's camp reacts to social network prophecy say's "its a rumour"

Its obvious that some of you heard the rumour yesterday. It appeared on a few sites online yesterday and today and according to the publication, T.B Joshua predicted the death of 2go and Facebook users who eventually logs in on Tuesday which was on the 17th of July 2012, as the rumour populated i personally visited Facebook, and 2go using my little toy.... pingin level i guess.

Well, the church is denying he made any such statement! and any one spreading such rumours should please desist from such act... happy reading.......

Army officers 'confronted' by Gov Fashola on BRT lane (photos)

I guess nobody is above the law. Governor Fashola on Tuesday the 17th of July 2012 'arrested' (more like confronted) two senior military officers who drove on the  BRT lane at the Outer Marina in Lagos.

The Governor was around the area when he spotted the military car driving on the Bus Rapid Transit lane which is meant strictly for the BRT buses, and came down from his own car to confront the men.

although no arrest was made but the military officers were at least embarrassed by the confrontation.
Governor fashola however, was disappointed that the two officer's who were supposed to protect and uphold the law are now the people breaking the law...

He however advised the two top military personnel to lead by example..

Our Own Linda Ikeji nominated for Future Awards 'Young Person of the Year' Yaay! + Full list

Our OWN LOVELY AND BEAUTIFUL MISS LINDA

Go Linda! Go Linda!! Go Linda!!! Unbelievable! I screamed all day yesterday when I heard about the nomination. Imagine small me..hehe! I feel so incredibly honored. Thanks to all those who nominated me. This means a lot to me...

The Future Awards press release and full list of nominees after the cut..


  
The Biggest Prize: Here are the Nominees for The Future Awards 2012 – Young Person of the Year!

The Central Working Committee (CWC) for The Future Awards, which the World Bank has called “The Nobel Prize for Young Africans”, has again decided to unveil the long list for the biggest award, Young Person of the Year before the full list.

As is the tradition, the nominees for Young Person of the Year have been taken out of the various categories as always and identified as trailblazing role models foryoung Nigerians – all except for the Science and Technology categories; and that is a deliberate exception to encourage and spotlight more high-impact activity in those sectors.

“All of the Young Person of the Year nominees are winners,” Atafo said. “They are honorees and will yet again all be given plaques. Also, they will not go through the four stages of judging for the awards, only one stage for voting and one stage for judging. These guys inspire us!”

YOUNG PERSON OF THE YEAR HONOUREES 2012 

Bankole Wellington [Banky W] (Musician/Entrepreneur/Activist)          31

Known primarily as a musician, Banky W has however transcended that label: emerging not just as one of thenation’s leading talents, but also building an inspiring business with Empire Mates Entertainment that has created superstars like Wizkid. Banky also leads the stage as an activist passionate about Nigeria – proving this with his involvements in everything from the What About Us? Youth Debate to #OccupyNigeria. Banky is not just an entertainment personality. He is a national figure of hope and love of country. He is a leader. 

Chinwe Njoku (Engineer)                                                                 26

Njoku recently won the The Sir Robert Martin University Prize at the Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, which is the premier award of the University and consists of an award of £1,500 plus a commemorative medal. Beyond that,Njoku stands out for including significant published research that has benefited the wider community. In total she has 12 peer-reviewed publications (10 as 1st author). This includes the IEEE Transactions on Antennas & Propagation Journal (the most prestigious journal in the field) and the IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters (Special Issue on Metamaterials). This groundbreaking research will continue in a major £600,000 major interdisciplinary government grant. 

Dapo Oyebanjo [D’banj] (Musician/Entertainment Entrepreneur)               32

D’banj is not just an artiste – he is an idea. Having broken every single boundary in the Nigerian, and African, music industry through Mo’Hits Records, he has became a trailblazer for artistes reaching for an international market, with his exploits with GOOD music and his newly formed D’banj Records. As he told the UK Observer, “I see what I’m doing now as the bridge that we’ve been looking for from Africa to the mainstream world. I want others to see the potential in my country, other than our oil and natural resources.” He’s on his way to achieving that. 

Jason Njoku (Media Entrepreneur)                                              31

Njoku is at the forefront of Nigeria’s digital revolution – he didn’t begin it, he doesn’t own, but for much of the world he impressively represents it. With his sexy Iroko TV brand tagged the ‘Netflix of Africa’, he is the world’s largest distributor of African movies. His company raised $8 million in venture capital from TigerGlobal Management, a New York based Private Equity and hedge fund run by billionaire Chase Coleman, has distribution deals with Dailymotion, iTunes,Amazon and Vimeo and has been said to be worth as much as $30 million dollars. 

Peter and Paul Okoye [Psquare] (Musician/Entertainment Entrepreneur)            31

This inspiring brothers are easily the #1 in African music. That success is apparent in their high-profile shows/tours across the continent, their endorsements and the mega-launch of their last album in 2011. Their video featuring American super-star Rick Ross continues to be a talking point across the music industry; and in addition to signing with Akon’s Konvict Muzik, they are also signed to the Universal Music Group. Currently, this music duo is the  artiste with the highest YouTube video views of over 25,000,000 in the continent.

Linda Ikeji (Blogger/Media Entrepreneur)                                   31

She is the most influential Nigerian online – and it is a position she has wielded with flair and a keen sense of history. There are those who see Linda as a blogger peddling soft stories, but she has become much more than that, influencing issues, driving conversations and doing good. Linda’s influence can be seen in her spotlighting #ABSURape, involving a young woman in Abia State, profiling Oke, the young man who almost lost his leg due to complications from diabetes, and taking up the cause of Blessing Effiom. These three issues caught the attention of the nation – and it was because Linda took it seriously. She is a phenomenon.

Idris Akinbajo (Journalist)                                                           30

Starting with NEXT Newspapers and now as Head of the Investigative Desk at Premium Times, he has worked quietly and stealthily to reveal most of the rot in Nigeria’s politics and economy – with exclusive revelations in aviation, campaign finance and more. That work has not gone unnoticed; winning him awards including African Investigative Journalist of the Year, Nigerian Investigative Journalist of the Year, Best Nigerian investigative story in print, and Second best Nigerian investigative story (online). He has now been announced a finalist for the CNN/Multichoice African Journalist 2012. Akinbajo is a journalist’s vision.

Raheem Temitope Bello               (Scientist)                            19

Bello has two undergraduate degrees – in Astronomy and Physics with Special Honours and is already a doctoral student; all before he turned 19. For most of his undergraduate years, he conducted research in a condensed matter physics lab; refurbishing the thermal conductivity probe and fabricating unique thermocouples of 0.001” in order to measure temperature gradient. During his 2+ years of research, he has presented his work at various conferences and given an oral presentation at the American Physical Society (APS). Presently, he is working on the devolvement of a startup energy utility company, GeoUtill. GeoUtill leverages geothermal energy to supply homes with clean, sustainable, and dependable energy. Since receiving feedback from applying to startup incubator competitions, GeoUtill has refocused on its mission. GeoUtill believes that there is an abundance of energy all around us, which can supply all of the energy demands. We are currently working on the development of a new type of a low cost solar panel, that may be deployed any where in the world without access to an energy grid. And he is still in his teens! 

“Note that, due to the adjusted The Future Awards calendar - it was moved from its traditional January to August, the period in review is October 2010 – May 2012,” Atafo added. “Nominees who were still 31 years as at March 2011 (six months into the period in review) are therefore eligible.” 

Previous Young Person of the Year winners include malaria scientist Ify Aniebo, award-winning writer Chimamanda Adichie, NASA scholar Tosin Otitoju, amongst others. Last year, agriculture entrepreneur and advocate Nnaemekan Ikegwuonu  beat Genevieve Nnaji, Don Jazzy, Psquare and others to clinch the top prize.

Update 'Before our mum died, she couldn't recognise us' - P-Square open up

What Peter Okoye told an Encomium magazine reporter:

She has been diabetic for years, and when it started many months back, we got good doctors to treat her in Jos. But when we couldn't get good result, we brought her to Lagos. We took her to St Nicholas Hospital and everybody who went to see her in the hospital cried. She had lost a lot of weight and couldn't recognise us. She called me Jude. I can never forget that day.

She went through a lot and gradually she got stabilized thereafter she was moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) and she spent two to three weeks there. So we thought of moving her to South Africa, India or the US for proper check up. We eventually took her to India about four weeks ago and we talked every one hour. The Indian doctors made sure to clean everywhere before the surgery, and the operation was successful. Our sisters who were with her confirmed this to us and we were very happy to hear the good news. She was okay before the eventual death and for a day one of my sisters was unconscious because she couldn't believe it.

We wanted to travel to India the following day she died (Thursday July 12) but we changed our plans. Her body arrived Lagos on Sunday July 15th. No concrete arrangement yet on the burial.

Mrs Josephine Okoye was in her early 60s and was a pastor living in Jos. She's survived by her husband, 7 children, and 4 grandchildren. May her soul continue to rest in perfect peace, amen.

Nigerians are the most sexually active (durex)..

Condom manufacturers, Durex, today released another report claiming that Nigerians are among the most sexually satisfied people in the world. I say another report because last year this same company claimed to have carried out a survey which showed that Nigerian women are the most unfaithful in the world. Now we are the most satisfied? Isn't that kinda contradictory? If we are so satisfied, why are we cheating? lol

Anyway, according to the global survey conducted online, Nigeria is first at 67%, followed by Mexico at 63% and India at 61%. Nigerians also take the longest time over sex - we do it for at least 24 minutes per session. Really? 24 minutes is not even enough time to finish licky licky down there. Lol.

The Indians have the quickest sex at 13 minutes per session and the least satisfied people in the world are the Japanese with 15% according to the survey.

Two rivals becomes friends again: Nas and Jay Z are BFFs again (Photos)

 Former rivals Jay Z and Nas were photographed yesterday talking, laughing, and embracing each other at Nas' private dinner at Bagatelle in New York City. Would love to see these two collaborate on a rap album.

Nas is signed to Def Jam which Jay Z used to head and his latest album - Life is Good - was released today.

Banky and Friends

As Nigerian artistes continue to wax strong in the music industry, a new music video tittled the theme song of Shuga: Love, Sex, Money has been released.
 
The song involves four African artistes, Banky W, Wizkid, L Tido and Bon'eye and it could be rated as a good collaborative effort by the artistes.

The music video was shot on location in Kenya, by Clarence Peters.

Nigerian HipHop Star Wizkid

The video includes footage from the drama series, which focuses on sex and relationships and confronts taboo issues including rape and sex-for-gifts. This is a nice one from these dudes.

Fuel Subsidy Probe Bribe Scandal

Abuja — Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Hon. Adams Jagaba, has threatened to drag the former Chairman of the House Adhoc Committee on Petroleum subsidy management, Hon.Farouk Lawan to court should he continue to mention his name in the $3 million bribery scandal.
Addressing newsmen at the Media Centre of the House yesterday, Jagaba alleged that Lawan had admitted that he decided to implicate him (Jagaba) in the scandal in order to strengthen his (Lawan's) case in court.
Commenting on Lawan's allegation that he gave him part of the money he allegedly extorted from oil magnate Femi Otedola, Jagaba vehemently denied the claim.
He said: "Hon. Farouk Lawan alleged that he wrote a letter to me attaching $500,000. That is callously untrue and in fact, calculated to smear my hard-earned reputation; a reputation I painstakingly built since 1999. I never received any letter, or money, or any other exhibit from Farouk Lawan."
He continued: "I saw for the first time the purported letter on a page of the Leadership Newspaper, of 14th June, 2012; and the closest copy which I saw and touched, was the copy he presented to the Police Special Task Force".
Explaining further on what transpired between him and Lawan at the Police headquarters, yesterday, he said: "Farouk, in his opening remarks, stated that he reported the matter to me because of my position as the Chairman, House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes and not because I was involved in the bribery saga. He also told the Police that he involved me in the matter because he thinks that, that would enhance his case in Court. We faced each other before the Police STF. I then put the question: "Hon. Farouk, did you give me $500,000 or any money for that matter?" This was a question the out-spoken Farouk could not answer. He kept mum till I left."
Responding to the letter Lawan claimed to have written to him, he raised several posers.
He siad: "The following were the features of the purported letter: - The copy published by the leadership Newspaper of 14th June, 2012 on page 6, had the following curious features; It was dated 24/4/2012 and had a time of 03:47am on it."
He queried: "Is it the normal practice to indicate time on an official letter? Is it humanly possible to write a two-paged letter within or in less than one-second?"
He also observed that on the second paragraph of the purported letter, Farouk Lawan stated that "attached is the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars only..."
He asked: "Is it practically possible to attach money of that quantity to a sheet of paper?"
He also observed that the purported letter was written on a clean sheet of paper.
His poser: "An official letter written about an issue of this magnitude should have, in my opinion, appeared on the official Letter Headed Paper of the Adhoc Committee on Petroleum Subsidy Investigation or at least, Hon. Farouk Lawan's Letter Headed Paper".
In his concluding remarks about what probably happened to Lawan on the day he wrote the letter he said: "The embattled Hon. Farouk Lawan was rather rattled by the revelation of the bribery scandal, hence, in his confused and highly tensed state, picked up his pen and paper at an un-godly hour of 03:47am, wrote a letter (or so he claimed), as an after-thought, to the effect that he forgot to deliver the letter to the intended recipient, but rather chose to give it to a newspaper reporter and the Police Special Task Force (STF)."
He recalled that Hon. Farouk Lawan initially denied ever demanding and collecting any bribe but later owned up that he actually took the bribe money as an "exhibit.
"Until and unless Hon. Farouk Lawan produces an authentic acknowledged copy of his letter, he should stop dragging my name in the mud. It will be recalled that I displayed the sum of N4,500,000 bribe money on the floor of the House in 2001 when I was the Committee Chairman on Anti-Corruption. I did that as an act of patriotism, an act that truly laid the foundation for the War Against Corruption in Nigeria. I cannot and shall never be involved in an individualistic act that runs antithetical to national interest."
He warned Lawan "to stop this blackmail forthwith or else, I will have no option than take the appropriate legal action against him and to seek compensation befitting my status. Enough is enough!"

How P Square Lost Their Mother

PSquare

The mother of Paul and Peter Okoye of P-Square fame, Mrs. Josephine Okoye died five hours after a heart surgery in an Indian hospital at about 11pm (3am Indian time) on Wednesday.
The deceased, who was a devoted christian and church minister in Jos, Plateau State, died after a protracted battle with an undisclosed heart illness.
The late Mrs. Okoye was first admitted at St. Nicholas hospital, Lagos, but when there was no assuring development on her health, she was transferred to another hospital in Kolkata, India, where she eventually died last night.
Mrs. Okoye, who is popularly known as a major pillar and source of inspiration to the singing twin brothers (P-Square), had been in and out of the hospital for about four months before she eventually died.
She is survived by her Jos based husband, children; Ifeanyi, Henry, Jude, Lilian, Tony, Peter, Paul and Mary. She also had grand-children, one of which is Cameron, the son of Peter.

A condolence register has been opened in her honour at P-Square’s Omole Phase 1 residence. Friends and colleagues of the multiple award-winning singers have been visiting the house to commiserate with the Okoye family.
Some of the early callers in P-Square’s Square Villa resident this morning include their marketer, T-Joe, Flip Tyce, Samklef and Helen Paul-Bamisile.
Peter, a better half of the P-Square twin brothers, said their mother would be greatly missed, not just because she was their mother, but because she played a vital role in the success story of P-Square.
”You know that she was a prayer warrior, so I don’t need to tell you how she stood by us spiritually. Besides, she was the only one that believed in us when we decided to make a career out of music.
”I can remember that she used to sneak us out at night then to attend shows without the consent of our father who insisted that we must quit music to face our education,” Peter said.

Big Boys, Big Deals, Big Dreams

Nigerian duo P Square have made a big impression around the world, and they still have big dreams. Find out more about this talented pair.

Most African musicians find it easy maintaining their form after they land mainstream success, while others simply lose grit, and slowly but regrettably, sink into complete oblivion after working hard to get to the top.

That they are popular across the continent is known to them, and something they are ready to hold on for a very long time to come.
'When you become one of the biggest acts [on] a continent, you get to have many challenges in keeping up with and not disappointing your fans, because all eyes are on you. We are the greatest for some time now in Africa and we working very hard to keep it that way,' the group said in a recent interview.
The inspiration to do more in music they believe comes from the likes of the late Michael Jackson and R&B and hip hop superstar R. Kelly, who they say have shaped what they do now.
'Our biggest musical inspiration is the late Michael Jackson and R. Kelly. Jackson, because we started off imitating his moves and R. Kelly because he's a great song writer, producer, and composer all in one, just like we are. And he knows how to follow music trends,' they told Apinke Magazine.
For years to come, P Square will surely be making good music, and will be selling platinum albums. After all, that has been their trump card.
Nigerians and Africans to a larger extent can be proud of this unique group, as they continue to raise the flag of the continent high. And like always, if we don't appreciate the dark side of a continent that already has too many unresolved issues, 'stuff' like what P Square is offering, can always cheer us up.
Rick Ross gives a good picture of what would become of P Square years from now: in a line in his verse on that 'Beautiful Onyinye' song he said 'turn up the music, we are bumping with P-Square, number one in the game, we are going to be here ... always making it...'.
That they will continue to make it, as Ross suggests, will surely happen, and, when it does, Peter and Paul will always cast their minds back to the very first talent competition they won in 2001, which got this whole craze off to a squared and well-figured-out start.

  In this part of the world, there is a wide, blurred gap between underground acts and those in the A-List category. The setting is such that unsigned acts struggle to even get their demos played on radio. Plus, there is an accompanying pain of staying irrelevant as a yet-to-be-signed act for a very long time.

The features of persevering and keeping hope alive as an underground act often include being stripped of everything you've put together over the years or being taken for granted by a not-so-qualified producer who doesn't have the slightest clue what the business of music is all about.
So when, through an artist's hard work and persistence, he is able to penetrate into mainstream appreciation, it is important that the hustle that led him to the Promised Land must be protected or at least revered. Some respect this creed, others don't.
Nigerian music duo P Square is one of the continent's finest pair of musicians, who are protecting the years of hard work that got them into the top core of the continent's most respected acts.

And just when the collaboration with Akon became the talk of the town, a video of a remixed version of their 'Beautiful Onyinye' track - also from the current album - featuring hip hop heavyweight Rick Ross started making waves. Social media networks buzzed with intense blitz about how awesome the video was.
The idea to have Ross, who is considered a modern day hip hop class act, chant a few lines on a track that had its own beauty worked a lot of magic, and the video has remained one of the most watched online.
For most African acts, this is the farthest and highest you can go.
Underground acts always watch from afar, almost with a show of life in the fast-lane and how-sweet-it-will-sound while still being irrelevant. Half of the time, they never get to experience real mainstream status and how well the big boys and girls live. It's a tough environment out here.

 

Most African musicians find it easy maintaining their form after they land mainstream success, while others simply lose grit, and slowly but regrettably, sink into complete oblivion after working hard to get to the top.
In this part of the world, there is a wide, blurred gap between underground acts and those in the A-List category. The setting is such that unsigned acts struggle to even get their demos played on radio. Plus, there is an accompanying pain of staying irrelevant as a yet-to-be-signed act for a very long time.
Underground acts always watch from afar, almost with a show of life in the fast-lane and how-sweet-it-will-sound while still being irrelevant. Half of the time, they never get to experience real mainstream status and how well the big boys and girls live. It's a tough environment out here.

Chris Brown's Fortune Debuts At Number One; Adele Ties Alanis Morissette's Chart Record

Chris Brown has doubled up on his luck - his new album "Fortune" has debuted at number one in America just days after scoring the top spot on the U.K. charts.

It's the R&B star's second number one album on the Billboard 200.

The release keeps Katy Perry from taking her "Teenage Dream" album back to the top of the U.S. countdown - fuelled by the release of her new Part of Me concert movie and an Amazon.com MP3 sale, the album has shot up the charts from 21 to number two.

Justin Bieber's "Believe," "Overexposed" by Maroon 5 and Linkin Park's "Living Things" round out the new top five.

Meanwhile, Adele has tied with Alanis Morissette for the most weeks in the top 10 for an album by a woman - "21" drops to number nine in its 72nd week on the countdown. Morissette scored the feat with "Jagged Little Pill."

Kirk Cameron Stumps for Anti-Gay Marriage Group; GLAAD Fires Back

Who said Kirk Cameron would never work in this town again?
The National Organization for Marriage has released a video labeling Kirk Cameron "one of America's most important champions of marriage," an apparent tip of the hat in response to his vocal opposition to same-sex unions.
To put it mildly, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation thinks Cameron and NOM are full of crap.
MORE: Kirk's former sitcom sister blasts his "dangerous" beliefs about homosexuality
"Kirk Cameron and the anti-gay activists at NOM are making a claim that Americans know to be false," GLAAD President Herndon Graddick said in a statement following the release of the NOM video. "This rhetoric won't work anymore. Communities across this country love and cherish their LGBT neighbors, friends and family members. This includes people in families headed by LGBT people. Their implication that LGBT couples can't create loving and stable homes is not only outdated and irrelevant; it's designed specifically to hurt those families."

"If we want a great future in this world, we have to take God at his word," the former Growing Pains star says in the "Champion of Marriage" video, "and God makes it really clear that society and civilization is really held together by the glue of families...It needs to be a home that is full of faith, and in order to have that kind of a home, marriages need to be strong because that's ultimately going to serve as the foundation for our family, right, a strong marriage? When a man and a woman come together and say 'I do,' they are committing for a lifetime to love each other and to model what love is and what forgiveness is and what joy is to their kids."
GALLERY: Beyoncé's Ode to Frank Ocean: "Brave," "Fearless" for Revealing He Loved a Man
Seemingly everything Cameron said about marriage should go for anyone taking the vows, regardless of the sex of the spouses, but...apparently NOM thinks that covenant is exclusive to heterosexual couples. The group's latest press release praises GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's stance opposing the legalization of gay marriage.
"Governor Romney has it exactly right that marriage as the union of one man and one woman is a pro-family policy that uplifts American families, especially in the black community," NOM president Brian Brown said in a statement released today. "The strongest supporters of traditional marriage include African Americans, 70 percent of whom have voted for traditional marriage. We commend Governor Romney and the rank and file members of the NAACP for recognizing the importance of traditional marriage."
MORE: Poor Kirk Cameron and Sarah Palin: Are Christian Conservatives Being Unfairly Bashed?
For the record, NAACP leadership endorsed President Barack Obama's statement in support of gay marriage back in May.
Back in March, following the media furor over Cameron calling gay marriage "detrimental to so many foundations of our civilization," NOM drew up strategy documents (that were subsequently obtained and posted online by GLAAD) calling for like-minded celebs and pretty people to join its cause.
"Hollywood with its cultural biases is far bigger than we can hope to be," the document read, per GLAAD. "We recognize this. But we also recognize the opportunity—the disproportionate potential impact of proactively seeking to gather and connect a community of artists, athletes, writers, beauty queens and other glamorous non-cognitive elites across national boundaries."

Edo Poll: Forged INEC ID, Fake Voter's cards Flood Edo

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, on Wednesday in Benin confirmed the existence of fake voter cards and fake INEC staff identity cards in circulation.
The state governorship poll will hold on Saturday.
Incumbent governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, alleged that the fake voter cards, copies of which he displayed at the INEC meeting with stakeholders, were procured by the opposition.
“I can confirm that the ID cards and voter cards are fake. The PIN numbers on them are different from what we have. We will make photocopies of these and give them to security officers. Those caught with them will be prosecuted and made to face the wrath of the law,” Jega told the stakeholders.
The INEC boss said polling officials had been instructed to ensure that photographs on voter cards tallied with photographs on the voter register.
“Anyone who comes with a fake card or a card that does not belong to him will be handed over to the police. We are insisting that the face on the ID card corresponds to the face on the register. We are doing our best. There will be a lot of apprehension and arrest of those using fake cards,” he said.
Jega said that some persons had been arrested in connection with the sale of voter cards in the state.
“Photocopies of voter cards are not allowed and if a voter doesn’t have the original, he has no reason to be present at the polling booth.
“There’s no excuse for the purchase of cards. We have such information and some arrests have been made and be assured that we will prosecute them’’, Jega said.
Oshiomhole gave copies of the alleged fake cards to the INEC chairman, who examined them and declared them fake after consulting with the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Kassim Gaidam.
The governor said, “We have intelligence reports that a political party with a history of rigging in this state has procured army and police uniforms to rig elections on Saturday.
He urged INEC and the security agencies to investigate and publicly announce those found culpable, adding that they must be punished.
“If these people are Action Congress of Nigeria’s members, publish their names, if they are Peoples Democratic Party members, publish their names because I do not see why these issues should be shrouded in secrecy.”
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Maj. Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (retd.), also alleged that fake voter cards were being mass produced by some political parties to be given to people that would be imported to vote on Election Day.
“Cloning of voter cards is going on so that when the original owners don’t come they will bring people from neighbouring states to take over those cards and vote for their candidate,” Airhiavbere said.
He equally alleged that ex-Niger Delta militants had been hired to cause trouble on Election Day and urged the security agencies to t

Patience Jonathan, 18 Others Now Perm Secs

First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan was one of 19 permanent secretaries appointed by the Bayelsa State government yesterday.
The state broadcasting station, Radio Bayelsa, referring to a statement signed by the state’s head of service, Mrs. Gloria Izonfor, said Governor Seriake Dickson made the appointment on the strength of the constitutional powers conferred on him under Section 203, Sub-section 2C. Governor Dickson later confirmed the appointment to LEADERSHIP.
Jonathan had worked in the Rivers State and later Bayelsa State Ministry of Education before her husband became deputy governor and later governor of the state.
Her elevation to the status of permanent secretary was described as “routine” by the senior special assistant to the governor on media and public affairs Markson Iworiso, who also confirmed the appointment in an interview with LEADERSHIP last night.
Others on the list of permanent secretaries were Mr. J.E. Oye, Samson Ayibeboa, Mrs. Antonia Koroye, Ziwari Billie, Buruboyefa John, Dikuro Ayebameh, Serge Williams, Olu Kuruom, G.I.Izein,Mrs.Philomena Alodie, Dr. Omietimi Kojo, Ese Izonebi, Ohougha Mathias, James Clinton, Mrs. Linnet Tebepah, Moses Teibowei, Dr. A. Sanayi and Vivian Odiwei.
Mrs. Jonathan’s appointment raised eyebrows in view of her current position as first lady.
However, the SSA Media to the Bayelsa governor insisted that the appointment was purely based on merit, as Mrs Jonathan has served in the civil service of the state where she rose to the position of director.
Asked whether someone who retired from service can be appointed a perm sec, Mr. Markson said: “in reality, Her Excellency is still in service, on a leave of absence.  All those appointed with her were her subordinates.
The First Lady should not be discriminated against simply because she is now the wife of the president. The pride of every civil servant is to attain the position of perm sec, which is the zenith of the profession.”
Meanwhile, prominent lawyers Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN) and Mr Bamidele Aturu have reacted to the development, saying it is was unbelievable that Patience Jonathan who left the service of Bayelsa State in 1999 could be elevated to  a position of permanent secretary.
The lawyers said if the story is true, then it smacks the point that Nigeria is in confusion and needs urgent and drastic arrest.
They described it as too condescending and degrading for anyone to contemplate that the first lady would be made permanent secretary in Bayelsa State.
According to Sagay, Governor Dickson has demonstrated the highest level of sycophancy, adding that it is an act of privatising governance in the country.
Sagay said: “If that is true, it means there is no longer a limit to which people can descend in Nigeria. Such thing should be too low to contemplate. It looks like degrading oneself.
“It clearly shows that there is no act of sycophancy such a state governor that did the appointment cannot go. It looks ridiculous and uncalled for.
Ahamba stated: “It is very good. I congratulate her on her new job. The whole place is in confusion. Let Nigerians talk about it and count me out of such nonsense. It is a vexation to an innocent spirit and can cause one to vomit. How can it happen?”
Aturu also said: “It is unbelievable. It must be a mistake. If it is true, then, only God can help Nigerians out of it. How can you unnecessarily privatise governance? I am short of words to state my mind. It is shocking because just for the reason that she is the wife of the president, so it is a licence to just go and assume a position anywhere. Nigerians must begin to think of how to take their destiny in their own hands.”

Breaking Dawn' Stars Headlining MTV's Comic-Con Takeover Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner will join MTV News live from San Diego's annual pop-culture convention.

The 45th annual Comic-Con International is upon us! For those who won't be making the pilgrimage to San Diego for the action-packed pop culture convention full of panels and events celebrating the biggest stars in comics, genre movies and television series, MTV News has got you covered.
We are pleased to announce that we will be taking you to the center of everything with our Comic-Con takeover with three live-stream broadcasts on Thursday (July 12), Friday (July 13) and Saturday (July 14) at 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT, hosted by MTV News' Josh Horowitz.

R. Kelly Sidelined By Health Scare

R. Kelly's voice defined a generation, but now the iconic singer's vocal chords are a source of concern for him and his team.
One of Kelly's reps told MTV News that the singer — who released his 11th studio album, Write Me Back, on Tuesday — was on his way into New York City for a series of press obligations and appearances when he began to experience some discomfort. With Kellz and his team about three hours from the Big Apple, the bus turned around to head back to Kelly's hometown of Chicago, where he will see a specialist.
TMZ reported that the singer's discomfort stems from his emergency surgery in July 2011, where doctors had to drain an abscess on one of his tonsils. According to the site, Kelly had to cancel scheduled appearances on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" and NBC's "Today" show and a book-launch party. The Pied Piper of R&B's reps tell TMZ they are unsure how long he will be sidelined.
Kelly was busy promoting his upcoming book, "Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me." On Tuesday, Rolling Stone ran an excerpt from the book in which the Grammy Award-winning singer expresses his admiration for the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. He reveals that he and 'Pac discussed the possibility of doing a Best of Both Worlds about six years before Kelly and Jay-Z released their collaborative work. Unfortunately, Tupac's tragic murder put an end to that idea.
Kellz did have the chance to work with the Notorious B.I.G., however. Together, they recorded a few songs, including 1995's "(You to Be) Be Happy" and 1997's "F--- You Tonight." Still, Biggie left his biggest impression when Kelly auditioned the legendary rapper for an unfinished version of "I Believe I Can Fly."
"I'm gonna tell you right now, B, that's a smash. That's a big hit right there. That's a Grammy winner, Rob," Kelly recalls a tearful Biggie saying. "They gonna be playing that when you and I have moved onto the other side of time."

Repair works on 3rd Mainland Bridge commenced repairs

Third Mainland Bridge repairs which began at 2:30pm 1st of Jully 2012, but the diversion of traffic to allow for repairs started on Sunday 30th June 2012. The repair which information had it that it will cost N1billion.

Source has it that commuters and road users are already speaking about the repairs and the UN- compromizing traffic... 

Van Vicker and Nse Ikpe Etim Cover Complete Fashion Magazine

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Nice one i think or what do you think?

Van is now a household name in West Afrik including Nigeria his made country oops! sorry, someone once said he was brought to limelight through Nollywood, is it true? whats your take please comment!

Air Nigeria to return four aircraft to the owners

All the troubles of Air Nigeria. First they are being sued by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for tax evasion totaling N5 billion, then the Nigerian Civil Aviation (NCAA) suspended their license for financial distress, now the company, GE Capital Aviation Services, that leased them four of their aircraft want their planes back because of Air Nigeria's inability to pay the company.

Spokesman to Air Nigeria, Samuel Ogbogoro said: 

Subsequent to the temporary suspension of Air Nigeria’s regional and domestic flight operations by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), our lessor has been requesting to repossess some of the aircraft in our fleet and we are fully cooperating to return them. Air Nigeria plans to acquire state-of-the-art aircraft to fill the reduction in capacity. We are currently finalising plans to resume normal flight operations across the regional and domestic routes as soon as possible," he said.