Photos from Patience Jonathan's
foster mother's burial
Patience Jonathan's foster mum was buried today
in Okrika in Rivers State. President Jonathan, VP
Namadi Sambo, Governor Goodswill Akpabio,
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Governor
Theodore Orji and several prominent Nigerians
were at the burial. More photos when you
continue...
Cholera: FG confirms 86 deaths from
1,623 cases in 6 states
on november 01, 2013 at 9:40 am in news
…directs federal facilities to provide free services to
affected persons
BY SOLA OGUNDIPE & RACHAEL OLAYIWOLA
ABUJA—The Federal Ministry of Health yesterday
confirmed that 86 deaths have been recorded from
1,623 cholera cases in six states of the federation
just as all federal health facilities nationwide have
been directed to provide free treatment to cholera
patients.
A statement issued in Abuja by the apex Health
Ministry, identified Zamfara State in the North-West
as the most affected state with 51 deaths out of
1,110 cases. It is followed by Nasarawa State with
nine deaths out of 105 cases.
Giving an update on the outbreak of the disease in
the country, Minster of Health, Professor Onyebuchi
Chukwu listed other affected States to include
Plateau State: 11 deaths from 130 cases; Lagos
State: four deaths from 134 cases; Oyo State: six
deaths from 29 cases and Ogun State with five
deaths from 115 cases.
Chukwu, who explained the current estimate of the
patterns of distribution of the outbreaks across the
country, noted: “These are estimates, because
trickles of incidences and mortalities may still be
coming. However, in Sokoto and Katsina states, the
gastro-enteritis outbreaks have not been proven to
be cholera. While further investigations continue,
only confirmed cases are included in the current
statistics.
“The outbreak in the states mentioned earlier has
been confirmed by our laboratories to be caused by
Vibiro cholerae serotypes 01 and 0139,” the
Minister remarked.
Further, he said the affected states are being
supported to respond to the outbreak by supplying
them with emergency drugs, diagnostic kits and
other commodities. “The Federal Ministry of Health
realises that the affected states will require further
assistance and efforts are being made to upscale
our technical and material assistance to those
states immediately.”
The minister who has directed the Nigeria Centre
for Disease Control, NCDC, to immediately co-
ordinate response activities and report to him daily
on both the patterns of occurrence, efforts at
achieving total control of these outbreaks as well as
the status of the control, assured that government
will continue to enhance its surveillance,
intervention measures and implement public health
awareness campaigns aimed at stemming such
occurrences.
Already, the minister has directed immediate
release of adequate quantities of emergency drugs
(cholera kits) to all the affected states for prompt
and adequate treatment of cases.
According to the statement, additional deployment of
rapid response teams from the ministry to all the
affected states is in place to assist in investigating
and verifying the cases and tracing of contacts.
Other steps taken to check the menace include
mobilization and sensitization of clinicians and
relevant healthcare workers in areas affected for
patient management and care and immediate
enhancement of health promotion/public awareness
campaign to enhance among others good personal
and community hygiene behaviour and encourage
food hygiene practices.
Chukwu urged Nigerians, including health care
workers to increase their propensity to adopt
hygiene based health-seeking behaviours that will
ensure safety.
These hygiene practices include hand-washing with
soap after visiting the toilet and also before eating;
cultivation of the habit of regular and intermittent
hand-washing with soap and water and desisting
from open defecation.
Others include boiling of water before drinking,
protection of food from house flies, thorough
washing of fruits and vegetables before eating them
and environmental cleanliness.
Glo Laffta Fest rocks Abuja
on november 01, 2013 at 12:06 am in music
The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, literally went
on fire, Friday night, as Globacom staged global
comedy show, Glo Laffta Fest, in the city.
The artistes comprising four Americans, one South
African, one Ugandan and 10 top entertainers from
Nigeria’s comedy and music circle, showed why
Glo LafftaFest is described as the biggest comedy
show in Africa.
Sensational singer, Omawumi, fired the first salvo
when she set the expansive hall of the Thisday
Dome rocking. In an energetic performance spiced
with her dexterious dance steps, Omawumi’s
rendition of her hit track, “Adebisikonga”, drove the
crowd into a frenzy.
*MI and fans
Similarly, MI and Wande Coal delivered superlative
performances before the duo of Peter and Paul
Okoye of the PSquare fame demonstrated why they
are one of Africa’s best with rendition of “Alingo”.
In between the musical sessions and performances
by the foreign comedians, the top Nigerian
comedians on parade such as Akpororo, Gordons, I
Go Save, Buchi, Funny Bone and Bovi, gave a good
account of themselves. Funny Bone, the Jos-born
comedian, made efforts to diffuse tension from the
security challenges in the country with his
expressive jokes. Unimpressed by the first round of
applause he got when he mounted the stage, Funny
Bone, who was wheeling a luggage, threatened to
detonate the package if the crowd refused to
applaud him.
The international artistes comprising the American
foursome, Robbert Powell, Donnivan Jordan, Tony
Roberts and Deray Davis sent the audience into
guffaws with their rib-cracking jokes. Donnivan said
based on the falsehood they had been fed in
America, he arrived Nigeria expecting to ride a
camel but was stunned when his guests provided
him with a glittering Range Rover.
The duo of Ndumiso Lindi from South Africa and
Salvador from Uganda also sent the huge crowd
reeling with laughter. Salvador was the revelation of
the night as he received standing ovation when he
was leaving the stage. His clincher was his joke
about a TV commercial he starred in when several
takes got the characters drunk and messed up the
shoot.
Explaining the basis for the show, the anchorman,
Basketmouth, said that Globacom, “being the only
network that cares about giving back to the people,
put this show together to appreciate Nigerians that
have stood behind the company in the last 10
years”.
The show will continue this weekend in Owerri,
while Enugu, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Calabar, Benin City,
Abakaliki, Aba and Ibadan will take their turns in the
coming weekends
Dennis Okike is the 10th Ultimate
champion!
on october 31, 2013 at 7:06 pm in showtime people
By BENJAMIN NJOKU
The most anticipated answer to who will be the
ultimate Champion has been provided for fans of
the Gulder Ultimate Search (GUS) reality TV show
as Dennis Okike emerge the winner of GUS season
10.
Dennis Okike has emerged the 10th Ultimate
Champion. He outsmarted Dr.Edmund Umeabuani
and Ifunanya Onike in the waters of Usaka River,
Akwa-Ibom State where the final battle among the
warriors fervently seeking for the 10th symbol took
place. On the final day of the search, the warriors
got a message from the Council of Elders ordering
them to pack their bags and make their ways to
where they draw water. Chidi awaited them and
gave them the next set of instructions.
*GUS Winner
The final task was to search for the 10th Symbol. To
do that, each of them would make use of a clue
which would take them to two different locations to
retrieve two pieces of the map that would lead to
where the 10th Symbol was buried. Another clue at
their first locations would direct them to the next
location.
It was a race against time and the last man to the
next location was evicted. Edmund and Ifunanya’s
first clue led them to the Place of the Talking Drum
to retrieve the first map piece; while Bobby and
Dennis went to the Mud Field. Subsequently, Bobby
and Dennis headed to the Place of the Talking Drum
for their second piece while Edmund and Ifunanya
raced to the Mud
Field. Edmund returned first, followed by Ifunanya.
Dennis edged Bobby out of the quest when he beat
him to the finish line. Bobby was instantly evicted.
With their maps pieced together, the remaining
warriors had all they needed to proceed to find the
Sceptre. On their maps three spots were marked ‘X’
as possible places the 10th Symbol was buried.
Ifunanya was in the lead, having figured out the
direction first. However her first attempt at crossing
the river with the aid of a rope saw her falling into
the water while Edmund and Dennis moved on.
Edmund arrived first and headed straight to one of
the spots marked on the map and began his search.
Dennis joined shortly. Ifunanya had barely stepped
in the river when Dennis raised what turned out to
be a false alarm. All he had was a piece of debris
laying under the river. The protracted search had
the warriors glancing at their maps intermittently as
Dennis kept digging up dirt after dirt from the river.
After many futile efforts Dennis eventually dug up
the Sceptre from under a slant palm tree in the river
and thereby ended the long search for the 10th
symbol. He was instantly inducted into the order of
Heroes as the 10th Ultimate Man by Chidi Mokeme,
the Anchor-man.
For his feat, Dennis will win N10 million and a brand
new Mitsubishi Pajero 3.0L GLS AT( full Option)
courtesy of CFAO Motors Nigeria, the official
automotive partners of Gulder Ultimate Search 10.
For emerging the last female contestant standing,
Ifunanya is already guaranteed N1 million in
addition to her prize money.
In the same vein, Kalu Kalu, a final year student of
Industrial Mathematics in the Federal University of
Technology, Owerri, has emerged as the first
winner of the first ever fans edition of Gulder
Ultimate Search. The fans edition of Gulder Ultimate
Search was hosted by Bob Manuel Udokwu. Gulder
gave fans and viewers of the show a chance to
compete in Nigeria’s first 100 per cent local content
reality TV show from the comfort of their homes.
I’m blessed to have the kind of husband I
have – Lami Philips
on november 01, 2013 at 7:00 am in showtime
people
*Lami Philips
By Ayo Onikoyi
It is not often you come across a chic and beautiful
woman who is all over town telling everyone who
cares to listen how much she loves her husband. At
least that’s what Lami Philips is trying to do with
‘Baby’, a track she said she dedicates to her
husband. She recently completed the video in
London and back at home WG ran into the suave
beauty at an event where she talked about her
career, her kind of music and more. Excerpts:
You look so beautiful even without any make-up
Thanks. Fact is that I just got back from rehearsals
for a new video I’m shooting and I got all sweaty
but had to quickly wipe my face with a towel inside
the car
So what’s new?
We just released a new single called ‘Baby Mi’ and
we are shooting another one and that’s why I’ve
been all out.
What is it about ‘Baby Mi’ ?
Well, it was a song I wrote while I was in the studio.
I was actually thinking about my husband and that’s
how the inspiration came. So I just told my
producer and we got few things down and that’s
how we did the song.
What did your husband say when you told him the
song was all about him?
Of course he blushed. He liked it. I’m just blessed to
have the kind of husband I have. He’s been very
supportive. He’s the voice in the background who
has been urging me to go for whatever I want.
So your next single involves some kind of dance?
Yeah. The title is called ‘Romantic Boy’. It’s a kind
of dance-hall song, something more fun and playful.
So it’s for the ‘Romantic Boy’ that you want to
infuse some dance steps?
Yes. I just want to do something fun and playful this
time around. That’s why you see that I’ve been
going for dance rehearsals because we are
shooting soon.
Does it mean you are rebranding because your
previous albums don’t contain such?
I won’t want to call it re-branding because it’s who
I’ve always been. I’ve always been the playful and
fun type so it’s like putting who I am into the song.
If you look at my last album ‘Intuition’, you’ll notice
that it’s strictly soul. But this new album from where
we released ‘Baby’ and now ‘Romantic Boy’, it’ll still
be my usual kind of songs but more fun will be
added to it.
Would you say you are infusing dancehall to gain
more acceptance out there?
Well, I’m already accepted because I have my own
fan base. Those who love my music love my music
and I’d rather be one among many than join the rat
race out there today. So Lami has been the fun type
all along so I’m just trying to be more playful and
fun in my music rather than be gloomy.
You look a bit chubby now.
Yes. But I’m working out now. The reason is
because I had to take a break to rest because I just
needed to. So during the break, all I did was rest,
stay indoors, travel and eat because I love food a
lot.
But how easy was it for you to take a break and not
get disturbed by your fans to come perform?
Actually it wasn’t easy to abstain especially for my
kind of person who is a workaholic. At first I was
tempted to want to run back to work but my
husband made sure I stayed away so I won’t break
down. Honestly, I’ve learnt to hear from God when
He’s telling me to do something. When He told me I
had to take a break, I just had to obey Him. And
now, He’s telling me to work and that’s what I’m
doing.
Why is it that you’re not signed to any label?
I don’t think I need to be signed to any label. I like to
handle my things by myself to know how it’s being
run, and that has made me stronger than the
average artiste you’ll see out there. My music isn’t
the regular type that needs promotions and all that. I
have my targeted audience and I’m focused on
them. I’m a control freak and don’t like someone
telling me what to do or not to do when it comes to
my music. If you’ll agree with me, when an average
artiste leaves his label, you’ll discover that they are
not able to continue afterwards because they’ve
been lazy about doing things themselves. But it
hasn’t been like that for me because I’ve been
involved in it right from the very beginning.
Do you have
friends in the
industry at all?
Yes I do.
Omawunmi is my
friend, Waje is
also a good friend
of mine, so also is
Tiwa Savage. Rita
Dominic, Uche
Jombo, Desmond
Elliot and others.
Are you then
considering
acting?
I have it at the
back of my head.
Does it mean that
you don’t mingle with other artistes as expected?
Oh yes, I do. I hang out with my friends but we
don’t hang out in clubs. I prefer going to their
houses and they, coming to mine. Before I went on
vacation, Waje, Omawunmi and I planned meeting
and hanging out but they were busy and I was busy
too.
With your kind of music, are you always busy?
I’m as busy as you can ever think of. My manager
arranges for me to perform at required shows like
burials, birthday parties, weddings and the likes and
I make my money. But the thing is the kind of
places I go to perform with my band doesn’t get
publicised like an average concert or shows does.
For instance, If I’m invited to sing at a burial, no
one will be on the radio or TV announcing that Lami
will be there to perform. So that’s how it is, but I
make my money; I’m blessed.
And I’m like a tomboy. Whenever you see me
performing at events, I always like to be on flats
and probably baggy or so. I like to feel comfortable
because I’ll be standing for a long time. And you
don’t expect me to sing from CDs like most artistes
do while on stage. I make sure what I sing on stage
is different from what I have on my CD.
How do you handle male admirers?
I handle them normally. But my fans aren’t the run-
of-the-mill like you’ll have at shows and concerts.
My fans are classy and won’t mob you. I also do
my best to carry myself well in a way that befits me
and my husband. Besides, I always have company.
I don’t go out alone so no rude fan will behave
abnormally around me.
Don’t you think it is negative PR if your fans don’t
have free access to you?
No, I don’t think so. Some people may see it as
pride but I just have to protect myself whenever I’m
in public. Else, some people may just think they can
come and molest you, all in the name of saying
‘hello’. Just like when I walked in here, I met some
people at the reception and they hushed to
themselves “That’s Lami”, and we greeted gently.
So if anyone approaches me reasonably, why will I
shun them?
Do you also worry about pirates?
I don’t worry about them because every artiste
knows that’s a sacrifice he has to make. We don’t
make our money from CDs. We get bulk of our
money from performing at events. So I don’t worry
about them at all.
When people watch you on TV, you look tall but in
real life, you aren’t.
Yeah. I’ve actually met fans who told me that. But
I’m grateful for the way I look because it makes me
smarter. I also used to wish I could be like this and
like that but with time, I’ve learnt to accept me for
myself and I love who I am.
Murdered banker: Court fixes Dec for
final addresses
on november 01, 2013 at 6:53 am in news
… Adjourns Babalakin’s case
BY ONOZURE DANIA
Lagos — Justice Lateefat Okunnu of a Lagos High
Court, yesterday, fixed December 4, 2013 for the
adoption of final written addresses in the trial of
Akolade Arowolo, who allegedly murdered his
banker wife, Titilayo.
Arowolo, is standing trial of a one-count murder
charge over the death of his wife.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charge against him
when he was arraigned on December 21,2011 and
was subsequently remanded in Ikoyi Prison.
The counsel to the defendant, Olarenwaju Ajanaku,
in a filed application dated October 25, asked the
court for an order of extension of time to serve the
final written address on the state counsel, Femi
Adamson.
The judge granted the order, stating that “the order
is granted, the time runs from today and the reply is
to be filed within five days.”
Arowolo, who allegedly stabbed his wife to death on
his birthday, was 31 years old when he was brought
to court.
The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions,
DPP, had alleged that the defendant murdered
Titilayo on June 24, 2011 at their residence at 8,
Akindeinde Street, Isolo, Lagos.
The prosecution closed its case against the
defendant on November.19, 2012, after calling 12
witnesses, who testified before the court.
The witnesses included the deceased father,
George Oyakhire and her step-mother, Adetoun.
They both testified that the marriage of the
defendant and the deceased was characterised by
domestic violence.
Another witness, Professor John Obafunwa, a
consultant pathologist and Chief Medical Examiner
of Lagos State, also testified that Titilayo was
stabbed 76 times.
However, Arowolo, denied the allegation that he
murdered his wife.
Arowolo had claimed on May 22, while giving his
testimony that his wife died after accidentally falling
on a knife that she was using to stab him during a
quarrel on his birthday.
He blamed his in-laws for the trouble in his
marriage to the deceased.
Meantime, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of a Lagos
High Court, sitting in Ikeja, also, yesterday,
adjourned the trial of the Chairman of Bi-Courtney
Ltd., Wale Babalakin, till November 27, 2013.
The adjournment was due to the re-assignment of
the case to a new judge, Justice Lawal-Akapo, by
the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde
Phillips.
Babalakin was charged to court by the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for
allegedly transferring N4.7 billion on behalf of
convicted former Delta State Governor, James
Ibori.
He was arraigned alongside Alex Okoh and their
companies Stabilini Visioni Ltd., Bi-Courtney Ltd.
and Renix Nigeria Ltd.
