British Remembrance Day Service Held In Abuja (PHOTOS)

Paul Arkwright,the British High Commissioner to Nigeria led other United Kingdom nationals to celebrate the Remembrance Day service which was held  in Abuja on Sunday.

Man Accuses Son Of Being A Wizard, Throws Him Into Well In Abia State

A middle-aged man, identified as Papa Ogada, has dumped his 14-year-old son in a well, accusing him of being behind his inability to make progress in life.

We gathered that Ogada, a coffin maker, who hails from Oberete village in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, had been complaining that his son was a wizard, who had caused him serial misfortunes since reuniting with him, after leaving his mother’s place.

A source said:

“The truth is that the man has been separated from the boy’s mother. Since the boy came back from his mother’s place where he lived, the man has been accusing him of being a wizard.

“He once told us that he had consulted many spiritualists, who told him that his son is a wizard and is behind the problems he has had in his business.“We are not surprised that he went this far.”

It was learned that Ogada contacted one of his friends, who helped him tie up the boy with his school uniform, books and other property and drove off at about 9p.m. to neighbouring Abiaka village, where they dumped him in an abandoned well.

According to a resident of Abiaka village, who was part of rescue efforts,

“some of us had already retired for the day when we started hearing shouts and cries coming from the location of the abandoned well, but we thought people were fighting.“As the shouts increased, we summoned courage and got to the area and discovered that it was coming from the abandoned well. We got a rope and bucket, threw them inside and the boy managed to cling to and was pulled out.

“He was already weak with injuries. We thanked God the well had been out of use; he might not have survived.”

At press time, the boy was said to be receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital, while his father’s whereabouts is unknown.

[Vanguardngr]

Robbers Rape Newly-Wed In Bariga,Lagos

Some residents of Adio, Ekimogun streets and Kehinde Lane in the Bariga area of Lagos State have started fleeing their homes after robbers kept attacking them repeatedly

PUNCH Metro learnt that Adio residents were attacked three times last week, Ekimogun Street had two visits and Kehinde Lane was invaded once.

During the raid of Ekimogun, a newly-wed woman who just moved into the house with her husband was raped while her husband was forced to watch.

The security guard of a nursery and primary school on Adio Street was bound by his hands and feet and beaten up severely.

The frequency of the attacks and the inability of the police to address the scourge forced some of the residents to form local vigilantes to ward off the robbers.

The landlady in one of the houses, who identified herself as Olubukola, told our correspondent her children had stopped going to school because she no longer slept at home.

She said despite not staying at home, the robbers still broke into her room and carted away valuables.


She said, “They have entered my house three times now. The first time was early Monday morning. They ransacked all the flats in the building.

“On Wednesday night cum Thursday morning, they returned and stole more things. Because of all these, people stopped living in their houses. My children and I now squat in a friend’s apartment in Alagbado.

“But on Friday morning, we returned and discovered the robbers had come and because they did not meet anybody, they broke in and took away my television and DSTV decoder.”

Our correspondent learnt that in another house on the street, the robbers carted away handsets, laptops, money and ATM cards.

A resident, who identified himself as Solomon Johnson, said, “They demanded the PINs of the cards. After they left and discovered that the PINs were incorrect, they returned to the room the next day and attacked the owners for giving them wrong PINs. They then asked for the correct PINs from them.”

It was gathered that the robbers, who were mostly teenagers and in their early 20s, wielded cutlasses, crowbars and axes.

A resident said while some wore masks, others did not hide their faces.

A resident, Solomon, said he was attacked with a cutlass after the robbers thought he was hiding phones from them.

He said, “They cut my leg with a cutlass and beat me up, telling me to release the phones. I told them I did not have any phone. I was admitted in the hospital for two days.”

On Ekimogun where the rape took place, a resident said the incident happened around 2am.

He said, “There is a sports viewing centre around here and some of us stay there. If we knew a robbery was going on we could have done something.

“But those robbers sneaked in and held those people hostage. The woman just moved into the house with her husband. They got married less than a month ago.

“One of the robbers raped her. She was taken to the hospital the next day for treatment.”

A community leader and Chairman, Security Committee for Adio Community, Femi Emiko, said the robbers always fled through the Oworonsoki Expressway, adding that the police were not using the right technique to arrest them.

He said, “Actually, within one week, they have visited Adio five times. They have turned this community to an ‘ATM machine’ where they can withdraw money anytime they like.

“The police do come, but immediately the robbers hear their siren, they run away. We have been having meetings to see how to form vigilantes and fight these robbers. They are young guys and we can win this fight.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Joe Offor, had yet to reply to a text message sent to his phone as of the time of filing this report. Source: metronaija

See What Actress Toyin Aimakhu Did To A Fan

She posted this pic on Instagram and a fan begged her for the dress,she gave the fan a very funny reply....#Epic response for those people who troll celebs begging for stuff..lol

PHOTOS: Four Diplomats Involved In Accident In Abuja

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Four diplomatic corps officers from the Ethiopian Embassy were involved in an accident on Independence Avenue in the Central Business District in Abuja today. The accident which occurred at about 2pm left the occupants of the diplomatic hilux vehicle badly injured.

According to an eyewitness who pleaded for anonymity, the vehicle hit a billboard and somersaulted when the driver could not control the vehicle.

“I saw the vehicle and heard the noise when the driver was trying to apply the brake but he failed to control the vehicle. “I think the driver slept off or lost control and collided with a billboard, pulling it down and making the vehicle to somersault.

Kanye West Named Pusha T President of G.O.O.D Music

Kanye West casually offered him the position over the phone.

Kanye West has rewarded Pusha T's fire 2013 album My Name is Ny Name and his key contributions to the collaborative album Cruel Summer by naming the former Clipse rapper the new president of G.O.O.D. Music. The announcement was made in an interview with Billboard published this morning, in which he talked about how he was offered the position, what the position will entail, his enthusiasm for EDM, and his upcoming album King Push.

Read excerpts from the interview below:

Just got word that you will be the president of G.O.O.D. Music. How was the offer presented you?
Actually, I was flying home and I had just got into my car at the airport. ‘Ye had called me and he was like, “Tell me something. What do you think about being the president of G.O.O.D. Music?” And I was like, “Well, what are the things that you’re looking for?” And he was basically just like, to manicure the label, make it profitable and be very business-oriented about it going forward in a manicured type of way.

What was going through your mind in those four months since? Any pros and cons that you were weighing?
It wasn’t really any time to me. I always look at it as an opportunity to help the team and I think that artistically, me and Kanye have the same vision. He respects me as an artist, a really manicured artist. I’m not out here shooting in the dark, doing any and every thing. When it comes to albums and things like that, I have a very manicured process in which I get to take my time and I think he sorta respects that I get to take my time. It’s never no pressure simply because I think he looks at me and my other businesses and understands that’s why I have this luxury of time in whether it be my clothing stores, my clothing line, just things like that. He just notices me and him don’t ever have that type of pressure, tension, producer-artist relationship. I think he respects that a lot and not to mention, ever since I’ve been on G.O.O.D. Music, there’s been a host of artists that I’ve brought to the table, tried to sign, brought to his attention in trying to sign, whether something was super hot or I called it it’s not going to stand the test of time, it’s wack. I been pretty right in a few regards. Those are the things he keys on as far as I go and just as far as being a part of the culture. He knows I’m outside all the time. He knows that I’m of the people. He knows that I’m in those specific mixes of things that are bubbling up, whether it’s online or before it even really gets hot online. He knows I study those different avenues.

In a perfect world, what would G.O.O.D. Music look like to you in the next five months?
I just look at capitalizing on everything that I feel like G.O.O.D. Music brings to the music industry, our following, and the culture. First of all, we have incredible artists. It’s definitely about getting those albums out in a very manicured fashion. We have great artistic talent that sort of walk the lines of bringing that excitement back in regards to just the art that goes along with it like DONDA, the merch and things like that. Things that kids are really into these days. You see how fashion takes over and these pop-up shops take over and how the music business is a real touring business now, just the things associated with it. Just building it out to make sure that everybody on the label is really capitalizing off of all the assets that really come with GOOD Music, that we really started, that we’ve really been good at. Just really executing all the different avenues of music, art, culture and fashion as well.

Should we still keep our hopes up for a Cruel Summer 2 LP or some type of G.O.O.D. Music compilation in the near future?
I have that on my mood board. [Laughs.] I definitely have that on my mood board. I’ve had different conversations with the artists. Me and the rest of the artists on G.O.O.D. are really a phone call away and we’re really dialed into the music aspect of it as well. It’s not a hard process and it’s gonna be cool to collaborate with my peers and then come to ‘Ye as an executive producer and be like, “Look at this fresh ass shit we got here.” I think we’ll be getting the best out of him, executive producing projects that come from the label from here on out because he gets to really hone in as a producer. I’ll take care of all the logistics, the rallying of the troops, and so on and so forth. He don’t gotta be producer, A&R, rapper and everything. We’re all here to help and facilitate. I’m definitely stepping up for the job.

We sampled some new bars from you on Diddy’s MMM album with “Everyday” featuring The Lox. How will becoming president affect your own musical output?

My album is just a whole other thing in all honesty. F’real, what you’re gonna get from this King Push album is something people probably haven’t heard in the past 18 years. I’m just putting it together, aiming for classic material.

Will your new duties affect your timetable for releasing the album?
I don’t think so. I got sort of a head start. You’re talking about four to six months of a conversation and just solidifying it now. I’ve been working on the album for a minute in between touring and everything else. I got a head start on the album so we’re good. You’ll be seeing that very shortly.

Can we expect it at the top of the new year or sooner than that?
Yeah, I think you’ll get definitely be getting offerings from the album before the top of the year.

SOURCE :-: HotNewHipHop

Man Arrested For Defrauding Dead Friend

A 46 -year old man, Dayo Akala has been arrested and charged before Isolo magistrate ’s court for allegedly defrauding his late friend , Obiora Samuel in Lagos State western Nigeria .

The incident happened at 96 Adeshina street , Ijeshatedo , Lagos where both reside and met .

According to police , Akala allegedly deceived and obtained four vehicles , two Toyota Camry cars , Toyota Sequire and Sienna bus from his friend , late Obiora Samuel with the false pretence of assisting him to sell them.

The landing cost of those items is estimated at N 3 million.

Obiora obliged him as a way of assisting him and handed the vehicles to him without the original papers following an arrangement that if he gets a buyer , he would release the paper to him for sale .
However , few weeks after the transaction, Obiora suddenly died .After his demise, Akala cashed in on his death and forged the vehicle documents, sold them and escaped .

Unknown to him , the late Obiora duly informed his wife of the transaction before he died and gave her the original documents of those vehicles .

After the burial , the wife went to Akala to know whether he had sold any of the vehicles , he denied any transaction with her late husband who was his friend.

The matter was reported at Ijeshatedo police division and Akala subsequently arrested and interrogated him .

During the interrogation, he opened up and revealed that he had sold the vehicles with forged documents and offered to refund the money which he failed to fulfill .

He was charged to court with three count charge of obtaining under false pretence, criminal conversion and forgery under the Criminal Code but pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor , Inspector Abass Abayomi urged the court to take note of the nature of the matter while granting him bail as he Akala had written an undertaken but failed to comply.

The presiding Magistrate , Mrs O. A . Adedayo granted him bail in the sum of N1 m with two sureties in like sum.

The court also ordered that ten per cent bond must be paid into Court registrar’s account .

He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail .

The matter was adjourned till 16 December 2015
.

7 Things You Need To Know About The New EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu

Today, 9th of November, 2015 president buhari fired the Chairman of EFCC Ibrahim Lamorde and replaced him with Ibrahim Magu


Here are 7 things you should know about him as compiled by thenews.ng :

He was head the of EFCC’s Economic Governance Unit (EGU) during Nuhu Ribadu term as chairman

Magu was arrested on August 4, 2008 following allegations that police discovered EFCC files and a computer containing classified documents at his Abuja residence.


During his time at the EFCC, he led investigations into the affairs of officials including former Delta Governor James Ibori and current Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

Magu is a recipient of USG and London Metropolitan Police institute training.

He reportedly worked with Ribadu to jail his brother-in-law and former Bank of the North chief, Shettima Bulama. Bulama was later pardoned by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He is a member of the investigative committee convened by National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the procurement of arms in the Armed Forces from 2007 till now.

He is a Chief Superintendent of Police.

Photo: Nigerian gay man Bisi Alimi shares a very interesting photo

Bisi who is currently on holiday in the US with his partner, shared the photo on his Instagram page.

Lagos traffic: The Economist blast Ambode, says he is full of excuses and few solutions

The Economist few days ago wrote an article on the persistent traffic gridlock residents of the state have come to experience in recent weeks. In the article which is titled "Paralysed, Why Nigeria's largest city is even less navigable than usual", the international magazine stated that the new governor Akinwunmi Ambode, unlike his predecessor, is full of excuses and few solutions. Read the full article after the cut...

"Traffic is a way of life in Lagos, Africa’s most populous city. Home by some counts to over 20m people, it is among the most notoriously congested places in the world. The “go-slow” piles up long before dawn as businessmen in SUVs and traders in battered buses hit the overburdened roads. It lasts until well after dark. Often the queues can be unfathomable: a rainstorm, a breakdown or a public holiday can condemn a driver to hours in horn-honking hell. Tardy workers proffer one irrefutable excuse: “Traffic is bad.” Yet the gridlock that Lagosians have suffered in recent weeks is noteworthy even by the city’s horrendous standards. Rush hours have lengthened, and vehicles back up at unusual hours along the bridges linking the mainland with an island business district. Safety concerns are mounting as armed robbers pillage stuck cars while police are far away. Security experts reckon this is symptomatic of a broader increase in organised crime under a new and less competent state government. Lagos is a hub for investors in Africa—it is a bigger economy in its own right than most countries on the continent, so this is of serious concern. The state’s former governor, Babatunde Fashola, who left office after elections in March, was lauded for improving traffic and security. He curbed dangerous motorbike taxis and brought local “area boys” (street children), under control. Cars were terrified into order by a state traffic agency, LASTMA, whose bribe-hungry officers flagged down offending drivers. His successor, Akinwunmi Ambode, is full of excuses, but few solutions, for the worsening gridlock. Traffic is always bad during the rains, he says. Nigerians are migrating to Lagos en masse in search of work in a worsening economy, his office adds. Yet the root of the problem is in policy: Mr Ambode cut the powers of traffic controllers by banning them from impounding cars. In retaliation, officers have refused to enforce the rules. Reform in a culture riddled with corruption is never easy. Mr Ambode’s office says the measure was intended to create a more “civil society”. Less fastidious types think it amounts to weakness, and would prefer that he focused on public transport instead. The biggest concern is that the gridlock is a sign of a breakdown in relations between security forces, government agencies and the new governor. If that is the case, there could be worse to come. That is bad news not only for Lagosians, but all Nigerians too.

Caitlyn Jenner wins Glamour woman of the year award

Caitlyn Jenner accepted a Glamour woman of the year award on Monday, telling the crowd that she believes she was put on Earth to tell her story and make a difference in the world.

She said that before she had come out as a woman, she stayed home most of the time. "Now," she said to cheers, "I actually like going out, and being myself."
Jenner described her journey to becoming a woman, and spoke of how he sat down with his children to discuss plans to go public. She said she had realized that perhaps "this is why God put me on this earth, to tell my story ... and make a difference in the world."

Jenner is not the first transgender woman to be a Glamour Woman of the Year; last year, actress Laverne Cox was honored. Still, Jenner's inclusion sparked some backlash on social media.

Meanwhile, his daughter Kylie Jenner was very casual at the event. She said she had a wardrobe malfunction but still had to be at the event to support her Dad. She said:

Pastor rapes 13 year old daughter of a family friend during deliverance, blames the devil

46 year-old pastor, Ifeanyi Bernard, has been arrested by the Nasarawa State Police command on Monday for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in Karu Local Government Area of the state.

According to police authorities, the alleged rape took place on November 3 when the pastor was performing deliverance on the girl.

However, the pastor described the incident as the handiwork of the devil.

While parading the suspect at the Criminal Investigative Department, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sani Mohammed, said the suspect was arrested following a report by the victim's father, Mr. Martins Ijiwo.

According to the police, the pastor lured the victim into his house under the pretext of casting out demons from her. As soon as she was in his house, he allegedly pushed her on to his bed and raped her repeatedly.

The commissioner said the suspect threatened to kill the victim if she reported the incident to any member of her family.

However, the girl's father heard about the rape and reported the matter to the police. The police subsequently stormed the pastor’s home and arrested him.

Policemen also recovered bottles of anointing oil from the suspect’s home as well as a bedspread.

The CP said, “The pastor took advantage of his closeness to the girl’s family – who are members of his congregation – to rape their 13-year-old daughter under the guise of casting out demons from her.”

The pastor while speaking with reporters confessed to the crime, adding that he didn’t know what came over him when he committed the crime.

He said, “I had been into evangelism for some years now and I have been casting out demons from people who have spiritual and family problems before I met this young girl through her father, Mr. Martins Ijiwo.

“I have been a friend of the family for quite some time.

“I used my anointing oil to lure her into my room and all of a sudden, I was carried away and before I knew what was happening, I saw myself making love to her.”

Punch

Cristiano Ronaldo proudly shows off his son at documentary premiere

Proud dad Cristiano Ronaldo took his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr to his documentary film premiere held at Leicester Square in London on Monday.
Even though the footballer was the man of the hour, he let his five-year-old son shine on the red carpet instead.
Ronaldo looked dapper in a navy suit and a black bow tie. His mum was also at the film premiere.  More photos after the cut. ..

Olufunmi at 7:33 AM

Ariana Grande is named as the latest face of MAC Cosmetics' Viva Glam campaign

Ariana Grande is the latest star to lend her name to MAC Cosmetics' Viva Glam campaign.

The 22-year-old singer follows in the footsteps of fellow pop stars Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj in lending her face and name to new products sold for profits benefiting the brand's HIV and AIDS charity.

The new addition was announced by the brand on Tuesday, October 27. More photos after the cut...

olufunmi at 7:28 am

Several dead as female suicide bomber struck Gamboru market this morning

A female suicide bomber has attacked Gamboru market, in Maiduguri, this morning, Friday, July 31.

The bomber employed the use of a tricycle to carry out the attack in the middle of the market, which is popularly called by Customs market.

So far, not less than five bodies have been counted at the scene of the bomb blast.

BREAKING NEWS: Actor Mufutau Sanni, Ajigijaga Is Dead

Popular Nollywood Actor, Mufutau Sanni known as Ajigijaga has passed on.

The news of his death was made public by the president of The Golden Movie Ambassadors of Nigeria, Comrade Saidi Balogun early this morning.


The actor made wave in the early 90’s in many Yoruba movies. He was famous for his roles as leader of crime activities

He died at the age of 60.

Nigerian Passport Ranked 57th In The World

The Nigerian passport is ranked 57th in the world out of 199 indexed passports. This is according to Passport Index – the interactive tool recently unveiled by Arton Capital, a financial advisory firm which specialises in procuring multiple citizenships for its clients.

Commenting on the Index, Oluwakemi Ojo – Head of Communications for Travelstart Nigeria – said, “Arton Capital’s assessment bodes well for Nigerians who love to travel. Currently, Nigerian passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 61 countries in the world including Fiji, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Kenya. Visa-free travel is extremely important because it facilitates doing business in foreign territories, and for leisure travellers it reduces the costs and administrative hassles of international travel.”

In West Africa, Guinea has a leg up on the rest of the sub-region. The second most useful passport in the region belongs to Togo whose bearers can travel to a total of 67 countries without having to apply for a visa. Citizens of Sao Tome & Principles are less fortunate with visa-free access to just 28 countries.

The Passport Index filters passports by country, by region, by colour (of the passport cover), and by passport power rank – the ranking system allocates 1 point for each country the passport holder can enter without applying for a visa before departure.

The United Kingdom and United States share the highest passport power rank in the index with access to 147 countries, while Palestinian Territories, Myanmar among others have the lowest with visa free access to just 28 countries. Nigeria holds the same rank on the passport ranking as with Tunisia, Zambia, Mali, Namibia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Tanzania and Bahrain.

The Index’s visa-free count is based on data and consultations from IATA’s Timaticweb platform and other sources. Passports are ranked based on their Visa Free Score. The higher the Visa Free Score, the better the Passport Power Rank.

The country list is based on the 193 UN member countries and 6 territories (Macao, Kosovo, etc.) for a total of 199. Territories annexed to other countries such as Norfolk Island, French Polynesia, etc. are excluded. Data is based on research from publicly available sources, as well as information shared by government agencies.

Check the passport index for Nigeria and other countries here:http://www.passportindex.org/

Naira Now N230 To $1

The naira, which had fallen sharply in the parallel market, staged a major recovery thursday, as it appreciated to a band of N225 to N230 to a dollar, compared to N240 to the dollar at which it sold in the last few weeks.

Forex dealers attributed the naira’s gain to excess supply of the greenback in the market, even as it looked like a lot of speculators would lose their shirts.

THISDAY gathered from a reliable source that commercial banks that presently have dollars in excess of $1 billion in their vaults have started taking desperate measures to mitigate currency risk.

In fact, the source, a bureau de change (BDC) operator, disclosed that banks have stopped accepting dollars because they have too much cash in their vaults.

According to the source, as a result of the development, banks have been rejecting dollar deposits into domiciliary accounts, but customers are allowed to withdraw cash from their accounts.

“The reason the banks have too much cash is due to speculation and money laundering. A lot of people have been speculating against the naira and amassed so much cash. Then there are those who have been amassing dollars obtained illicitly and want to launder the money,

“So bank vaults are awash with dollars, largely driven by speculation and money laundering. The banks made it very clear that they want to get rid of the dollars in the system, so if you want to withdraw you can, but you cannot pay in dollars into your domiciliary account,” the source explained.

Confirming the development, an official of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said the banks even offered the dollars to the central bank and sought its assistance to help them to wire the funds overseas, which the CBN rejected.

Following the rejection, the banks were left with no option than to stop accepting dollar deposits from customers, hence the sharp depreciation of the dollar to the naira in the informal forex market.

“By the time CBN refused to wire the cash abroad, the banks led by Stanbic IBTC stopped accepting cash from their customers. Stanbic IBTC sent an email two days ago to its customers that it would not accept dollar deposits for the time being and this was followed by ten other banks,” he divulged.

He said the situation was compounded by CBN’s insistence that BDCs obtain the Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) of their customers before transacting any business with them.

“The central bank introduced this measure so that it can track the wire transfer BDCs carry out on behalf of their customers. That way, a money trail can be established to ensure that the funds being wired out are for legitimate transactions and not illicit transfers.

“Another option available to the CBN is to give BDCs prepaid debit cards in denominations of $1,000 instead of selling them cash so that these cards could be used for legitimate transactions that are traceable,” the official explained.

Also, an analyst at Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Kunle Ezun, who spoke to THISDAY, attributed the naira’s surge to the directive by the central bank that all licensed BDCs in the country must provide the BVNs of their customers for all transactions.

“I have been watching the market in the past few days and since last week’s directive by the central bank for the inclusion of BVNs as one of the requirements for accessing the interbank market, the naira has been appreciating.

“As the enforcement of the BVN commences next week, I think we would see more transparency in that market. I have always said that what is driving the parallel market is speculation and that is what the CBN has always said.

“So once the BDCs start complying with the BVN requirement, we might see the naira appreciate further in the parallel market,” Ezun said in a phone chat with THISDAY last night.

The CBN about a fortnight ago also directed the BDCs to provide the BVN of all their directors before August 15, as failure may affect their continued participation in the forex market.

Ooni Of Ife Is Still Very Much Alive, Chiefs Tell Governor

Members of Ife Royal Traditional Council (RTC) who visited the Governor of Osun State, Governor Rauf Aregbesola today has told the Governor that the Ooni of Ife is still very much alive, hale and healthy. They told the Governor that it is such a shame that it is only negative rumours that are always being spread about the Oba and if at all he has died they would be the first to know and make the news public. Others who were also at the meeting while they were giving the governor an update about the Oba were also top officials of the Osun State Government. Below is what the traditional chiefs told the state governor.

"we were all shocked when we heard the rumour. If at all such an incident had occurred, the traditional council would be the first to know and equally break the news to the entire public.

"Sixteen of us are his chiefs and when he was travelling out, he didn't look like he was going to die and should that have happened to him, we would have been informed even before anyone would hear about it. We pray that Ooni Sijuade will live long in good health."

Responding, Governor Aregbesola commended the chiefs for holding forth while Oba Sijade was away, just as he prayed for sound health and long life for the monarch.

PHOTOS: Nollywood Actors Visit Governor Mimiko

The wait has ended. So have the guesses. This year, the Best of Nollywood Awards holds December 12th in Akure, Ondo State. The governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, made this announcement Thursday morning at a meeting with the organisers of BON and select Nollywood stars inside his stately country home in Ondo town, Ondo State. “On behalf of the good people of Ondo State and me, we are set to host the Best of Nollywood Awards this year. We will give spirit and soul to the awards ceremony because it would be held in the best and only international events centre in Nigeria. Our new Dome would make the Expo Centre in Lagos look like a village kitchen,” he said.

Adducing reasons for consenting to host BON Awards, Governor Mimiko said, “My first reaction when the executive producer mentioned hosting BON Awards to me was that these are not the best of times for any state financially but he assured me that it would not cost the state so much. And I agreed essentially because growing up, we were all victims of cultural imperialism by the West. Of course, at that time, we still had contending views of the East because of the deep rooted culture in their (Indian and Chinese) films.” As time went by however, he said the Nigerian film began to show great promises.

Though a successful medical doctor before political adventurism took over, Dr Mimiko’s robust knowledge of the global film industry was not in doubt; which was why he said if there is one area Nigeria has shown the world that she is capable of excelling especially in the last two decades, it is in the creative industry especially the film industry. “So, for me, the celebration of Nollywood is within the context of the cultural, if you like, imperialistic possibilities of Nigeria and why not? So long we talk about our potentials; we could also make Nigerian films a global commodity. If we want to be a dominant country in Africa and a global player, we need to deliberately create our Nollywood narrative by creating a theme around which other sub-themes would be created to sell our country,” he posited.

This is because, he continued, “Even in Hollywood, there is a constant narrative, whether subtle or otherwise, in all their cinematic outputs. We have to discover our own narrative. It is amazing the possibilities therein. There is no home in Africa where Nollywood is not celebrated and I think this creates finite possibilities for us to recreate and identify ourselves before the world. For us, celebrating Nollywood stars is part of our patriotic drive to ensure that this industry actually helps to actualize the Nigerian dream. I don’t think there is any nation that has a product and does not package how to sell it.”

The executive producer, Seun Oloketuyi, thanked the governor for his understanding, love and support for the entertainment industry, and importantly, for agreeing to host the event. Oloketuyi further expressed his appreciation to Governor Mimiko. While urging other governors to take a cue from Governor Mimiko and help the industry grow, Oloketuyi presented him a certificate to symbolize the hosting right. Present at the event were Nollywood stars like Segun Arinze, Yomi Fash Lanso, Fathia Balogun, Ngozi Nwosu, Alex Ekubo, Ebube Nwagbo, Toyosi Adesanya and Amanda Ebeye among others.