Battered maid…Residents send SOS to police

Residents of Adesina Street, Ijesha, Lagos have raised the alarm over the fate of a 10-year-old girl, who was allegedly brutalised by her guardians. The residents have called on the Commissioner of Police (CP), Umar Manko, to rescue the girl before she dies.

Spokesperson for the concerned residents, who simply identified himself as Jay Martins, said the little girl, Chisom Okorie when last seen, was battered, with her swollen eyes. Martins said since the guardians noticed that residents were embittered by their action, they allegedly locked her inside their residence at Adesina Street.

He said: “We saw Chisom with swollen eyes and when we asked her what happened to her, she told us how her madam’s mother beat her black and blue for a minor offence she committed.” She told us that on the fateful day, the culprit came to visit her daughter and she instructed her (Chisom) to look after the hot water she was boiling.

Martins alleged that Chisom told him that she forgot to inform the woman that the water was steaming, “so, when the woman saw it, she got angry and started beating Chisom until she literarily passed out.” Martins said the most agonizing aspect, was that when Chisom’s guardians came back from work,. rather than take her to the hospital, they reprimanded her for being too absent-minded.

Since two weeks now, the little girl has not been treated and was locked up in the room. When Crimewatch visited Chisom who spoke through the window, she said: “I am from Ubahu, Okija in Anambra State. I came to this house early this year. I am a maid to Mr. and Mrs. Paul. I don’t go to school. “I was asked to look after the hot water my madam’s mother was boiling, and I forgot to bring the water down.

When she came back from where she went to, she started beating me. She attempted to pour the hot water on me but I managed to escape from being badly hurt by the hot water. But the hot water splashed on my eyes.” She said she has not been treated, adding that she could not see clearly, noting that she was experiencing excruciating pains.

However, the neighbours have called on the police to act fast by rescuing the girl before the unexpected happens.

Former Nigerian Basket-ball player, Chinedu Onyeku Shot Dead In Alleged US Burglary

Reports say that a former basketballer with the Nigerian national basketball team, D'Tigers, Chinedu Onyeku, was shot dead in a failed burglary in that happened in Texas, USA on November 21, 2012.

The 29 years old former player was alleged to have broken into a residence on Rio Grande street, Plano with another person, who is now being tracked by the police. Chinedu was said to have been shot death by their alleged house burglary victim. 

The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBF) has released a statement on the death of Chinedu, who played a role in Nigeria's qualification in the 2012 London Olympics but didn't make the team. 

"[His] passion for playing with D’Tigers was deep-seated and he will be greatly missed. The federation joins his family and team mates to mourn a departed son, father, husband and great patriot," part of the reads.

It is still unclear if his remains will be flown to Nigeria for burial.

Ndigbo in UNILAG celebrate culture

•Guest lecturer makes case for Igbo awareness, true federalism

By Daily Sun

For Ndigbo, this is a season of celebration. So when the Igbo Students Association of the Distant Learning Institute (DLI), University of Lagos (UNILAG) gathered to mark the 2012 edition of Igbo Cultural Day, no one was surprised. The gathering truly lived up to its billing as a celebration of tradition and culture. The actors, many of whom were mature students, also used the occasion to raise money to help their less privileged colleagues pay their school fees.

And while it lasted, guests at the occasion witnessed the unveiling of the students’ mascot – a ceremony that attracted generous donations from the guests who came to wine and dine with the hosts. But that was not all. There was an illuminating lecture on the night delivered by an erudite scholarm Dr Godwin Nkem Onyekpe, of the Department of History and Strategic Studies of the university. It dwelt on “Igbo Question and the National Question.”

The venue was the expansive Multipurpose Hall C of UNILAG. The actors were students undertaking the DLI programme. Many of them were successful businessmen and women, workers, small-scale industrialists and entrepreneurs. They were united by their quest to drink from the intellectual spring. But they also have this rich water of cultural values welling up in them. And they showed that they were willing to showcase it all at every turn.

They decided to put the event together as their own contribution to Igbo cultural revival coming against the backdrop of the much trumpeted declining interest in Igbo language and culture. Many of the students brought their friends from other ethnic groups to have a taste of the cultural values of their people. Present at the event which was chaired by Professor Friday Ndubuisi, Head of Department of Philosophy, UNILAG, was the President of Igbo Speaking Communities in Lagos, Chief Ebere Ubani.

Also present on the night was Chief Chris Igwilo, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Igbo Coalition Chairman in the Lagos State government. There were also Mr. Emmanuel Opara, Deputy Registrar UNILAG, Dr CJ Ekenalo; senior lecturer in the Department of Philosophy as we’ll as Dr Chigozie Nnabuihe of the Department of Linguistics, African and Asian Studies among others. To entertain the guests, there were various traditional dance groups.

They sustained the tempo of the celebration, dancing with some jauntily engaging energy. Every group ensured there was no dull moment, sending the arena into raptures on every occasion. Chairman of the occasion Professor Ndubuisi commended the organisers for putting together the programme. He said: “It is interesting that Igbo students in the DLI programme have put together this annual event to celebrate their culture even when they are faced with the challenges of acquiring knowledge. This is not easy considering that so many of you are successful businessmen and women. It entails a lot of sacrifice.

Knowledge makes the difference between men. Education is for you to develop yourselves as individuals, so I congratulate you for taking this part and for having this forum to come together.” Shortly after the presentation of kola nut by Chief Ubani, the president of Igbo Students Association of DLI Amaechi Obuka aka Senator, in his address said it became necessary for Igbo students on the programme to come together to mark the occasion so as to ignite a revival of Igbo Language which is believed to be on the decline. He said with such awareness at the back of their minds, it became imperative that they came together.

“We are often alarmed each time it is said that interest in Igbo Language is dying. That is why we students of Igbo nationality have come together to do our level best to revive our language and culture in our own little way. We are striving to support effort to raise awareness of our tradition and culture among ourselves. He hinted that the money that would be realised “would be used to help some of us who are in need so that they can pay their schools fees.” Speaking to Daily Sun, a member of the Organising Committee of the event Jude Onuorah expressed happiness that “the student body was able to come together to bring greater awareness of Igbo Language and culture to our members and friends from other ethnic groups.”

In his comments, Chief Igwilo expressed happiness with the zeal displayed by the mature students in coming together to spread awareness of Igbo Language and culture even in the university. He then advised them to remain steadfast in their resolve. In his thought-provoking lecture of the night, Dr Onyeke noted that “Igbo nation faces serious crisis and contradictions. And for us to grapple with this in the course of our development, we have to get to the roots.” He too challenged the DLI students not to rest on their oars because “knowledge is not just the ability to say two times two is four, but to understand the reality of your environment.”

He noted that knowledge is very important because “where as a king is respected in his palace alone, a knowledgeable man is respected every where.” Going down the memory lane, he traced the history of pre independence Nigeria while trying to position Ndigbo in the scheme of things. He asserted that shortly after independence, the future was promising because of the calibre of people that managed the country more so because the regions were developing rapidly since each one kept 50 percent of the revenue accruing to them. But soon things went awry when the civil war set in following what he described as “Igbo phobia.”

As a result of that, he said the Igbo nation had been reduced to a minority status. He said for Nigeria to return to the path of greatness, a new constitution was imperative. This would engender a new power structure that would see true federalism in practice. And by so doing, it would reduce the enormous power now concentrated at the centre.

Such powers he said needed to be concentrated at the regions so that they can develop more easily and discourage corruption at the centre. He insisted that it was only through that, that Nigeria could rediscover herself.

MARRIAGE: OSITA IHEME’S DILEMMA

If there is any Nollywood actor who is been so disturbed about his marital status, it’s no other person than the diminutive but talented actor, Osita Iheme popularly called Pawpaw in the movie world. Friends, family and fans of Pawpaw have practically embarked on night vigils on his behalf to ensure that God will intervene in his marital case and provide his missing rib for him.

Despite all the many years of hard work in Nollywood, fame and good name, the talented thespian who is in his mid thirties is still single and seriously searching for a soulmate.

Pawpaw not only committed all his heart in a relationship years back, but also sacrificed all; still the relationship crumbled like a poorly arranged cards.

Although his brother from another mother, Chinedu Ikedieze popularly known as Aki was fortunate to tie the knot last year, Pawpaw has not been so lucky when it comes to romance.

In a recent interview, Pawpaw opened up and felt bad that his friend, partner and associate is now married while he still in the institution of searching. 

‘’I don’t know when I will get married, but I know that when it is time, everybody will know about it. I cannot tell you this is the time. God is preparing the way for me and I am walking through that path. When I get there, everybody will know. I cannot tell you there is a particular girl now. There are girls all over the world. It is just for me to listen to God when He is talking to me and showing me the girl I should go for. When the time comes, I will pick a girl.” He said

Samsung pays Apple $1 Billion sending 30 trucks full of 5 cent coins

The following story is only published as comic relief and has no bearing in reality.

More than 30 trucks filled with 5-cent coins arrived at Apple’s headquarters in California. Initially, the security company that protects the facility said the trucks were in the wrong place, but minutes later, Tim Cook (Apple CEO) received a call from Samsung CEO explaining that they will pay $1 billion dollars for the fine recently ruled against the South Korean company in this way.

The funny part is that the signed document does not specify a single payment method, so Samsung is entitled to send the creators of the iPhone their billion dollars in the way they deem best.

This dirty but genius geek troll play is a new headache to Apple executives as they will need to put in long hours counting all that money, to check if it is all there and to try to deposit it crossing fingers to hope a bank will accept all the coins.

Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, told the media that his company is not going to be intimidated by a group of “geeks with style” and that if they want to play dirty, they also know how to do it.

You can use your coins to buy refreshments at the little machine for life or melt the coins to make computers, that’s not my problem, I already paid them and fulfilled the law.

A total of 20 billion coins, delivery hope to finish this week.

Let’s see how Apple will respond to this.

Nollywood Actress Gloria Mba loses husband to nollywood makeup artiste Thelma Ozy Nwosu Via Phone S*x, BBM Chats (BBM Chats Included)

Actress Gloria Mba loses husband to nollywood makeup artiste Thelma Ozy Nwosu. "Thelma was having phone s*x with my husband!"

This is another classic movie from the stables of Nollywood but this time the story and characters are real life and the story has branches. Sit back and enjoy the premiere of the movie titled "Husband Snatching Na Crime?"

Here goes;

Thelma is a pretty make up artiste in Nollywood and the ex girl friend of comedian and online radio personality Steve Onu aka Yaw.

A year ago there was buzz online and in Nollywood that Thelma dipped her fingers into actor Segun Arinzes marriage whilst in a serious relationship with Yaw.

Insiders confirm, it took prayers and fasting to rebuke Thelma out of Segun's marriage. This led to Yaw dumping Thelma and moving on with his heart..

Well Thelma is in the news again and this time she has crashed the marriage of her best friend ,Actress Gloria Mba whose marriage was contracted to Houston based Leo kanu on 27/03/11

Gloria announced via her Face book handle that her marriage had crashed.

Insiders squeal that Thelma and Leo who have been having phone s*x met in Berlin(Germany) and consummated the affair. The trip was all expenses covered by Leo,the smitten lover boy.

I contacted Gloria on Sunday November 25,2011 and after asking her questions she cut the call after denying that her marriage was crashed. I called her back and rephrased the questions and sighing deeply she opened up.

"Yes my marriage is over and Yes Thelma is part of the reason it crashed"

We asked her what happened and what role Thelma played in the crash.

"I read Thelma and Leo's mails to each other and Thelma doesn't know I know they are dating. I bumped into his inbox. We have our passwords and I just wanted to check,I never bothered to check all this while out of trust but I just got curious and checked and got the shocker. "

We asked her to copy us the mail and if she had confronted her friend and her response was"there is no need to confront Thelma when the marriage is already over and no I cannot copy you the mail. I just want to move on. My ex husband's friend asked me to confront them both but there's no need because it will change nothing. I took Thelma like my own sister and we were so close."

To be fair, we called Thelma and here's what went down.

'Thelma we heard you crashed your friend Gloria Mbas Marriage. 

Her Response;

"Oh my goodness this is not real.(Laughing) Is her marriage crashed?has she called me?I know her husband and I was at their wedding.oh my God"

"Thelma we heard you have been mailing Gloria's husband and having phone sex with him. Is this true? are you dating him?''

Thelma dropped the phone and when i called back but she refused to pick the phone.

Despite the number of times I tried.

Gloria and Leo

Chat between Actress Gloria Mbas Hubby and Thelma Ozy Smith Part1


Unedited FACEBOOK chat(except for fone numbers)between Nollywood make up artiste Thelma Ozy Smith and Leo Kanu,husband of Nollywood Actress Gloria Mba.

The contents of this chat amongst others allegedly led to the crash of the less than two years old marriage.

CHECKOUT THE FULL STORY HERE

· Leo Kanu

•nnem how ar u


August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

•Greetings again from 9ja
•Odi egwu!
•Ekelemm gi oooo

August 19

Leo Kanu

•dont worry i will see u soon
•i still luv u ok?

August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

•Lol

August 19

Leo Kanu

•can i call

August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

•Dats all i keep hearing

· Leo Kanu

•pls give me ur #
•i lost my phone last sat

August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

•Hmmmm....
•No need Йą.........
•080257……
•A̶̲̥̅♏ sure U̶̲̥̅̊ will never loose U̶̲̥̅̊я wife's

August 19

Leo Kanu

•u still have the same #·

August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

•A̶̲̥̅♏still U̶̲̥̅̊я friend always!·

August 19

Leo Kanu

•i'm call u pls pick up

· Thelma Ozy Smith

•Lol

August 19

Leo Kanu

•0091713….. or u dial +171330…..

August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

•Not sEen it·

August 19

Leo Kanu

•u have not seen the #?

August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

•Yes

August 19

Leo Kanu

◦i sent it 11mins ago

August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

◦Not seen

August 19

Leo Kanu

◦ok dial 00917133….. or +17133…..
◦have u seen it?

August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

◦Yea

August 19

Leo Kanu

◦ok lock it up
◦u ar the only that has my #

August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

◦And U̶̲̥̅̊я wife
◦Lol

August 19

Leo Kanu

◦i mean besides her

August 19

Thelma Ozy Smith

◦Ok

Thelma Ozy Nwosu

2013 budget: FG votes N12bn for Second Niger Bridge

From Daily Sun News

The Federal Government has voted N12 billion to complete the Second Niger Bridge, which is captured in the 2013 budget of the Subsidy Re-Investment Programme (SURE-P). But the National Assembly Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) wanted the SURE-P scrapped. Senators and members of the House of Representatives argued that establishment of SURE-P was a vote-of-no-confidence in Federal Government’s ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

The lawmakers contended during SURE-P’s budget defence of its N273.522 billion saying it was a duplication of existing work being done by various government agencies. They also queried the N2 billion budget allocated to SURE-P for consultancy and logistics. But SURE-P Chairman, Christopher Kolade, urged the lawmakers to direct their comments to the Presidency. A breakdown of the SURE-P budget submitted to the joint committee showed that the Federal Government intended to spend N12 billion to construct the Second Niger Bridge.

A total of N5 billion was budgeted for 2012 while another N7 billion would be spent in 2013. The SURE-P board budgeted N1 billion each for 2012 and 2013 fiscal years and N21.70 billion had been allocated for augmentation (section I-IV) of the East-West Road. Although the project was tagged: Ongoing; another N42.270 billion had been allocated for the road in 2013. In the new budget, SURE-P said it allocated N22.50 billion to the Benin-Ore-Shagamu Road, which was an ongoing project. In 2013, another N13 billion would be spent.

To complete the Port-Harcourt Maiduguri Road, SURE-p would spend N35 billion in 2013 while it noted that N36 billion had been spent for 2012. The contentious Abuja-Lokoja Road was allocated N25 billion in 2012 while the same N25 billion would be spent in 2013. Altogether, SURE-P said its budget was N180 billion for 2012 while it would spend N273.522 billon in 2013.

First to fire the salvo was a member of the committee, Senator Ibrahim Musa who asked for clarification on the essence of the SURE-P, just as he insisted that the core mandate of the agency was a mere duplication of some ongoing projects of the Federal Government. Peter Akpatason took it up from there. He deplored the duplication of duties with the establishment of SURE-P.

He said: “SURE-P is all about identifying existing projects that are having funding deficit and they set up their own committee that interfaces with ministry officials who are in charge of these projects with a view to agreeing on such projects they will bring their intervention programmes to support. In all of these, you will see that they are not in any way financing any new projects; they only put money into not existing projects.

Vice Chairman of the Senate Petroleum Resources Committee (Downstream), Danjuma Goje called for the outright scrapping of SURE-P, arguing that the committee could not co-exist with ministries because they were doing the same duties already captured in the national budget. Goje said: “SURE-P is an indirect loss of confidence in the federal ministries. Ministries are still awarding contracts and some agencies as well. I see confusion somewhere along the line.

“It doesn’t make any sense for somebody to award a job and for somebody else to come and see and make payments. Something is wrong somewhere in this set-up. “Otherwise, why would you award contract on the East-West Road based on old design, going through all the processes of the ministry, going before the Tenders Board and everything, only for another body to go round now and make payment. “It doesn’t add up. Something is wrong somewhere; one of the two bodies must give way, either SURE-P or the ministries but the two cannot go together because they are doing the same job. If you look at your budget, N1 billion for SURE-P board; this is just for you, and in 2013, you have another N1 billion.

I see SURE-P as another way, or the Nigerian way of spending money on overheads (yet) we are talking of spending over 70 percent of our revenue on recurrent expenditure. “My submission is that something must be done about this SURE-P; you either stay as a body and abolish the various ministries of Transport, Works, etc and give to SURE-P, or take away their responsibilities and give to SURE-P so that you can employ your own consultants, design the projects and the budget.

But you cannot co-exist. It’s abnormal.” In his response, Kolade said: “It’s not the decision of the SURE-P board, the decision lies with the Federal Government.” Joint Committee Chairman, Senator Magnus Abe allowed the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) time to submit details of the 15 kobo it collected on each litre of PMS sold in the country.

Pregnant Nollywood Actress Beaten To Death By Lover

Report reaching us confirms that one of the up and coming Yoruba actresses, Silifa Ladeji otherwise known as Silifonia, has bled to death after her lover severally physically assaulted her, which led to her death today.

A close pal of Silifonia, who is also an actress, divulged to us that Silifonia's boyfriend, who she is pregnant for, was in the habit of beating the late actress. 

We wll publish more reports as soon as we get more info

EXCLUSIVE! Thief in the House of God: $5,000 Stolen In Chris Oyakhilome's Vault **Oyakhilome's Close Ally Fingered

Ugly rumours emanating from the Believers Love World (BLW) popularly known as Christ Embassy headquarters, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos is more than shocking if it is anything to go by. Impeccable sources exclusively revealed to Enquirer Magazine that the church headquarters, which is the venue of their annual International Conference IPPC, is currently being shaken to its root due to the $5,000 US dollars that was cleverly stolen from the Central Finance Department on Tuesday, November 13, 2012. 

One of the staff members who pleaded anonymity said Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, his serving pastors and other key members are still shocked at the disappearance of the money which was supposed to be in the custody of the Finance Department. 

"These people will never change ! they keep soiling our image, imagine now that we have international  delegates around is when such terrible thing is happening," the angry church member lamented. 

The source further revealed that the money was mysteriously transferred from the Finance Department without following due process or accounted for and accusing fingers have directed to some of the trusted hands of Pastor Chris as investigations have began. 

"The rumour is that the atrocity must have been perpetuated by one of Pastor’s most trusted hands who’s a senior staff of the department and that is why members of the finance department are doing everything possible to keep it under check until the programme ends," he added.

We also gathered that the Finance department is now being extra careful as this is not the first case of alleged theft since the programme started. We promise to keep you posted on this as efforts to get an official reaction on the story proved abortive as at press time.  

Shocking story of a man with a Strange virus infection "Half man Half Tree"

For 20 years, the warts studding Dede Kosawa's hands and feet multiplied and sprouted like gnarled roots.

His hands looked like contorted, yellow-brown branches extending 3 feet. Unable to clamp his hands into a fist or pick up a fork, he made his living by performing in carnivals in rural Indonesia. He became known as the Treeman.

"His life was taken away from him," said Dr. Anthony Gaspari, an American dermatologist who traveled twice to Indonesia to treat Kosawa. "He was severely disfigured and was sent into a rural isolated village where he was sheltered from his peers. With good reason, he was a sad man. He wanted to be cured and he wanted hope."

The growths encrusting his arms accounted for nearly 12 pounds of his 100-pound body. Kosawa, 36, often became exhausted after taking a few steps because of the dense warts on his feet. The growths that carpeted his limbs were posing more problems.

"He was getting infected," said Gaspari, chief of dermatology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. "He had insects living in the base of the wood-like material."

Doctors believe that Kosawa's case was a perfect storm, created by a genetically inherited immune defect and a type of human papillomavirus, or HPV. Kosawa told doctors that the warts started appearing after getting a cut in his skin as a teenager. There are hundreds of types of HPV, some of which are linked to cervical cancer and others that cause common warts that can be acquired through cuts.

"The HPV-2 virus that causes common warts is the same exact wart virus that he's infected with, except it was growing out of control," Gaspari said.

Kosawa has a deficiency of white blood cells, which are crucial in fighting infections, and his weakened immune system couldn't fight the HPV. The virus hijacked his skin cells, causing it to produce massive amounts of keratin, a protein found in hair and fingernails. The warts sprouted into dense growths known medically as "cutaneous horns" on his hands and feet.

"I had never seen anything this severe," said Gaspari, a dermatologist for 25 years. "I shared this case with my colleagues, and no one had ever seen this before."

He became involved in Kosawa's case after being approached by a dermatology journal and Discovery Health Channel. His travels to Indonesia are chronicled in the channel's documentaries and the second chapter, "Treeman: Search for the Cure," which premieres Sunday on Discovery Health.

Keffy (Dance Diva) : How love changed my life

The Dance Diva, Kaffy Shafau, who operates Imagneto Dance Company in Ajah area of Lagos has shown to the world that with love, nothing is impossible. The beautiful dancer and actress who was delivered of her baby boy last December is not only happy as a married woman and a mother but that her business is flourishing like stream. All thanks to her husband who has equally shown her love, according to her.

Speaking on married life and how love has reshaped her life, Kaffy said ‘’Married life has been great. I love my husband and he loves me. We live together as people who love each other and understand each other. If you love your family and you love your work, as long as there is love existing in both terrains, it would be easy to cope. But when you hate one for the other, that is when it’s a problem. So I think the love I have for both my family and my work helps me balance that out.’’

Her husband, Joseph Ameh is the chief guitarist of top Nigerian act, P Square and the two are living together as one family. Though, Kaffy once had a baby, the happy family, are like Siamese twins as they don’t leave each other. 

Oge Okoye Goes Gaga Over Sex Question!!!

 

When success stories are written in the annals of Nollywood, Oge Okoye’s name cannot be overlooked. Gorgeous and gifted, Okoye, who hugged the klieg light in 2001 with the movies, “Caesar to Caesar” and “Spanner”, not only conquered Nollywood, she captivated and wowed her fans with blistering and daring acting, so much that her memory continues to linger in the minds of movie buffs.

Today, after two kids, the star of numerous blockbusters remains evergreen. She is not only relevant in the industry after about 11 years, but has also broadened her horizon to become multifaceted and a sought-after diva.

In this encounter, the soft spoken entertainer went gaga and revealed her other side when Entertainment Express asked an innocent question about her sexual appetite.

“What kind of question are you asking me?...How I make love…that is my personal life and I think personal things should remain personal,” she fumes.

Okoye who was recently honoured with a Doctorate degree by Wisconsin International University, USA, further bared her mind on other germane issues and sketched a broad outline of her real self. We present the riveting interview, raw and uncut.

So when and how did you meet your husband?

It was really not love at first sight, I personally don’t believe in love at first sight. I believe in working it out, knowing ourselves, to see if we are compatible, so that is what exactly happened between me and my husband. We were friends at first and it was going on like that till we got married in 2005.

How does he feel about the romantic scenes you play in movies?

He has never complained. I really don’t know if he feels bad, but I know that being a human being like I am, he might be feeling bad inside but he is not showing it. He encourages me a lot; he is always there for me. Besides, he doesn’t watch my movies.

At a point your marriage was widely reported to have hit the rocks; surprisingly, you didn’t come out to clear the rumour, what actually happened then?

I don’t have business responding to such falsehoods. I don’t know the people peddling such rumours and I have no business with it.

So are you saying the marriage is still intact?

What do you mean? Is like you have another mission! Why won’t my marriage be intact? Please nothing has happened to my marriage. I really don’t know why people would be interested in breaking our marriages; nothing like that exists. It amazes me the way people go about talking about a marriage break up that does not exist. I’m happily married and I don’t want to discuss my personal life.

Since he is not living with you here in Nigeria, how do you cope with the numerous male admires?

Of course everybody knows that I’m married; I wonder what anybody would still want from me.

So how do you relieve when you have feelings?

What kind of feelings are you talking about?

Sexual feelings, to be specific

I think that is my personal life. What kind of questions are you asking me? I think you will soon ask me how I make love with my husband. Basically, that is my personal life and I think personal things should remain personal.

One should have expected that you attend an event with your husband whenever he is in Nigeria so as to clear the numerous rumours of broken marriage trailing your person, why don’t you usually do that?

I don’t think that is necessary.

So where is that lucky man from?

He is from Imo State and I am from Nnewi, in Anambra State.

What is one good thing that marriage has done to you?

I think it has made me more mature.

Your last born is about two years, how soon are we going to be celebrating the arrival of the third one?

I believe God’s time is the best.

But would there be anyone by this time next year?

Actually, we are not ready for any other one now. We are taking a little break from child bearing.

After two kids, you still look youthful and sexy; what is the secret behind this?

Really! Maybe because I’m slim naturally. Apart from that, I exercise a lot. I do all kinds of exercises from cycling to normal stretching. I think that is what has been helping me to stay in shape.

How far can you go to interpret a role, especially the ones involving nudity?

I do everything within my capacity to ensure that I perfectly interpret my roles. But one thing I cannot do is to go stark naked. But I could do other sensual roles but for nudity, I wouldn’t. Our society abhors it.

What about such things as smoking, as some of your colleagues do?

Why should I smoke? Has anybody told you that I smoke? I don’t have to do that, I don’t do it and I don’t think I will ever indulge in that if that is what you are asking.

But some of your colleagues do; do you see anything wrong with it?

I think that is their personal business. I don’t have anything to say about that. I don’t interfere in someone else’s private life, as much as I don’t want anybody to interfere in mine.

Most of your colleagues are said to be into lesbianism, how have you been coping with their amoral advances?

I’ve never encountered one. I don’t want to doubt the existence of such but I’ve never encountered anyone. So I can’t be talking about what I don’t know about.

Generally, what is your view about the act?

You and I know it's wrong; I don’t think it’s something anybody should be practicing.

If given the opportunity to erase anything in your past, what would you’ve erased?

I think the only the thing I would’ve loved to erase is the death of my father. It was such a bad experience that haunted me for years.

He was such a lovely father anybody would pray to have. It’s been long, so I’ve tried to put it behind me.

What kind of man epitomizes your ideal man?

My ideal man should be hard working, must look good, and at same time have the fear of God

Are those things what attracted you to your husband?

I won’t talk about what attracted me to my husband. What attracted me to him is not something I would want to start talking about. It’s personal.

Since your marriage is still intact, what effort did you put in to sustain it till date?

It’s all about loving someone unconditionally, trusting the person and at the same time being tolerant. These are the ingredients of a lasting relationship, and I think they are part of what has sustained mine as well.

Are these ingredients lacking in the failed marriages recorded by your colleagues?

I don’t know what could have caused their failed marriages. It’s only the person that wears the shoe that knows where it pinches. It is their private lives; I don’t know what caused their breakups and I don’t think is something I would want to know. Just as I like keeping some things private, I also like allowing people their privacies.

Unlike your colleagues, you got married back in 2004; were you under pressure to marry since you are the only child of your parents?

It wasn’t because of that. I fell in love with a man and we ended up getting married. Nobody ever pressurized me into marriage

How did you go about settling your rifts with your friends, Ini Edo and Chioma Toplis?

Who told you there was any rift? As far as I’m concerned I don’t have any rift with anybody.

Does that mean you’ve settled with them?

I don’t know what you are talking about, and please I don’t have an answer to that question.

If you had known all that you know today, what did you do in the past that you would you’ve done differently now?

I don’t really know what I would have done differently; I think I did everything I’ve done based on the prevailing circumstances. I don’t regret anything I did in the past. I know I must have made some mistakes, but I try not to remember them because I have already forged ahead. Whatever mistake I made in the past has been confined to history, I’m now looking ahead to what the future has got to offer.

What were these mistakes?

There you go again. I think that is my personal life, which I would want to remain personal.

Share with us what life has taught you over the years?

Frankly speaking, life has taught me to be independent, to never give up no matter what I’m facing, to always believe in myself, to work hard and always remain focused. I’ve come to understand that everybody can be a better person, and everything anybody needs to succeed in life is in that person.

Most producers are currently lamenting on the evil effect of piracy; does the menace affect what you are currently paid for jobs?

It hasn’t. I feel that whatever I’m getting is what I’m supposed to get. But the menace is a very big challenge to the industry; you find out that before one’s film is released someone somewhere would have already released a pirated copy, it’s painful. I believe there will be a change if the government finally puts an end to it; it’s something that must be collectively fought against.

Crisis in Ojukwu’s family escalates

THE  silent war between Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, widow of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, and Directors of Ojukwu Transport Limited, OTL, who are brothers of her late spouse, has blown open as both parties have dragged themselves before High Courts of Lagos state to determine who controls the landed property belonging to the company.

This came even as the family had concluded plans to mark the first anniversary of Ojukwu’s death at Nnewi today.  The former Biafran warlord died on November 26, 2011 at aLondonhospital at the age of 78.

Late Odumegwu Ojukwu

Crisis had been brewing between Mrs. Ojukwu and her late husband’s brothers over the control of some property which were left by their late father, Eze Odumegwu Ojukwu, under his company’s name, OTL, for decades.  The late Ikemba Nnewi was one of the directors of the company and apart from living in one of the property at Ikoyi which he vacated and relocated toEnuguover 10 years ago, Ojukwu was also involved in managing some of the property.

These property which were at a time compulsorily acquired by the Federal Government were later released to OTL and the late Dim Ojukwu continued to manage some of them until his demise last year.

JTF Recovers Over 5000 Rounds Of Ammunition From Boko Haram Suspects In Damaturu

Weapons and ammo recovered from Boko Haram militants on Septemeber 3rd 2012 in Maiduguri

By SaharaReporters, New York

The Nigeria military outfit, Joint Task Force (JTF), claims it has recovered over 5000 rounds of ammunition and some arms from a suspected Boko Haram storage in Damaturu, Yobe State.
The recovery followed a cordon and search operation, according to Lt. Eli Lazarus, JTF’s spokesman, in a statement.
The statement said: “At about 9am Mon 26 Nov 2012, men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) on cordon and search operation in Kandahar area of Damaturu the Yobe State Capital recovered five thousand two hundred and seven (5,207) rounds of ammunition, one (1) rifle, two (2) pistols, three (3) grenades and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) from a suspected Boko Haram Terrorists arm store.”
He added that the recovered items were concealed in plastic jerry cans and buried in the ground, and reiterated the JTF appeal to residents to report any strange or suspicious person(s) in their vicinity for further action.
“Also, residents that have knowledge of any hidden arms and ammunition should report to security agents for further action.  Any useful information would be rewarded accordingly."

No vacancy for my female admirers – Joseph Benjamin

Joseph Benjamin is not a greenhorn in the entertainment industry. Apart from being the host of the popular MTN Project Fame, he is also into acting. The tall and handsome dude has become more famous with his latest movie titled, “Mr. and Mrs.” where he acted the stubborn and uncaring husband to  renowned actress Nse Etim-Ekpe. In this interview, Joseph for the first time, talks about  his personal life experiences as an actor:  Excerpt.

Between MTN project fame and acting, which one would you say brought you into limelight?

I have been acting before I started hosting project fame. And I can say that project fame gave me the boost that my career needed. It was a very good platform for me and I leveraged on it. MTN Poject Fame re-launched and re-introduced the brand, Joseph Benjamin into the industry.

What are your greatest achievements so far?

My greatest achievements so far are the awards I have been receiving in recent  times. Also the fact that I have been  putting smiles on the faces of the people, and seeing that they  love me in return.

Has your usual corporate disposition helped in getting more corporate endorsements?

Of course. It is beginning to reward me. Recently, I got another endorsement  from MTN. So, my corporate disposition opens a lot of doors for me.

MTN endorsing you after about two years when your last contract with the company  expired, would you say it came late?

MTN has never done that before now. It is not a brand that endorses faces. This new development just started this year. That is why I am not claiming that I am the only person on that  platform. MTN doesn’t just endorse people without subjecting them  to rigorous test.

It is called Experiential marketing. And that is why it takes  time before  the company  endorses faces they will use in pursuing their marketing goals.

*Joseph

Your role in Mr and Mrs?

It is amazing. Do you know what I tell myself? Sometimes, I tell myself that it is amazing that Mr. and Mrs. has made me more popular than any other movie I have done over the years. I still find it to believe  that everywhere I go to, the movie follows me there. Even when I go into the mall, people call me MR and Mrs. I get positive comments following my role in that movie.

And it’s nice working alongside actress like Nse Etim-Ekpe. It was a pleasurable experience for me and I enjoyed everything about the movie. She was equally humble. I am really very glad that we were able to interpret our roles excellently.  You know, it is one thing for you to have a script and another  to have people who can interpret the roles very well.

Are  you surprised by the sudden break you had in the industry after the role you played in Tango with  Me?

I wouldn’t say I was surprised by the big break I had in the industry after the role I played in Tango with Me, where  I acted alongside Genevieve Nnaji. I knew from the beginning that the film  was going to be a turning point for me because it was a big- budget movie for  Nollywood. I’m grateful to the producer, Mammod Ali-Balogun for believing in me and also, giving me the opportunity to star in the film. It really boosted my acting  career.

So far, people believe you are the hottest in the industry. Does it reflect on your pocket?

That is a compliment I get  everyday from my fans. As for whether it reflects on my pocket or not, it is personal.

Who is the next person you would like to work with in the industry?

I would like to work with Rita Dominic. I would also like to work with my sister from Kogi State, Mercy Johnson, Omotala Jalade and Stella Damasus. And talking about the people I have worked with, I have worked with Nse, Genevieve, Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha , Ini Edo among other top rated actresses.

For  male actors,I would like to work with Pete Edochie, Olu Jacobs and many  others.I have also worked with Desmond Elliot and Justice Esiri.

What is your driving force?

My driving force is to surpass every standard I have set  for myself  at every point in my career. I am also driven by the goal to achieve excellence that always pushes me to go beyond my limit. I always like to push myself to the edge.

Do you see yourself as a sex symbol in the industry?

I do not want to see myself in that angle. I want to be seen as somebody who is thorough, principled and likes maximizing his craft and not as a sex symbol. But such notion goes with the job because everybody will start saying I’m  hot and will think that I’m a sex hunk.

To someone who doesn’t know you, how can you describe yourself?

Well, I am simple and easy going. I keep it simple but, classy.

What makes you fell bad in the industry?

We still have a lot of work to do.I know we have been doing fine but, a lot more can be done in the industry to put things straight.

*Joseph hosting Project Fame with Adora Oleh

We should try to elevate the standard. When I was in London for the Nollywood award , I was thrilled at the way they arranged security for their veterans. I want the industry to emulate that. Sometimes, some of our veterans could fall ill and there will be nothing for them to fall back on. These are some of the things I want them to bring into the industry- a situation where actors and actresses can have value for themselves.

Looking back from where you started and where you are now, what do you have to say?

Thank God for where I am now and I am happy for that. I hope to achieve much more. Looking back, it is a big leap for me because, what I have been able to achieve within this short period of time would have only come by the special grace of God.

Your job goes with a lot of temptations, which of them have you been able to surmount?

Everything is temptation. Even the money that we desire is a big temptation, that is why the Bible says we should not love it so much. Basically, what you are trying to say is how I handle female advances.

I will not shy away from the fact that they are real temptations but actually, I love my female fans. They constitute a lot of my fan base. I relate with them accordingly and also, try as much as possible to draw the line where it’s necessary.

How often do you get strange calls?

I get a  lot of strange calls from my fans. Some will call you and tell you they like you. Some will want to hear your voice. But I wonder how they get my number.

How many friends do you have on your facebook account?

Actually, I have two facebook accounts. The second one is being handled by my publicist.  I do not even know what is happening there. I have a lot of friends there.

What does  marriage mean to you?

Marriage to me is ‘work.’  It is a big journey which can only be accomplished by two people who agree to come together for the journey in love. Love for me is beyond the word, it is an act.

It is a journey and you have to totally understand the second person you want to embark on the journey with. For me, I am not available for now.

So who is the woman in your life now?

Nobody. All I know is that choosing the right person can never be a problem for you when you are ready.

Who is your ideal woman?

For me, an ideal woman is somebody who has the beauty right from inside, not really an outside beauty. I mean one who understands life and who has passion for God. I do not like a woman who is materialistic but she has to look good. I’ m not really carried away by outside beauty but it is an added advantage.

How often do you get passes from your female fans?

As far as you are a man and you are good looking, there must be advances. And I handle such advances very well. It even happens on set but, you have to be very professional in handling them.

If you want to be carried away then, how many will you be carried away with? It is something that happens every time while I’m on set. So, you have to apply professional approach to all these things and that is what I do. I focus on my work basically. And when I’m done, I’m  hardly seen around again.

How will you feel if a woman walks up to you and accuses you of impregnating her?

Well, I will be shocked.