Sunday, September 30, 2012
Would the real Duchess of Cambridge please stand up?
KATE MIDDLETON’S LOOK-ALIKE
AYO WINS PROJECT FAME SEASON 5
Ayobami Ayoola Ayolola better known as AYO for short has emerged as the 5th winner of the very popular Project Fame West Africa talent show.
Ayobami, a 25 year old personal assistant to a renowned saxophonist Mike Aremu edged out other finalists to win the top prize on Saturday, September 29, 2012 at the grand finale. He walked home with a new Toyota RAV4, N2.5 million and a mouth-watering one year recording contract.
Ayobami, a 25 year old personal assistant to a renowned saxophonist Mike Aremu edged out other finalists to win the top prize on Saturday, September 29, 2012 at the grand finale. He walked home with a new Toyota RAV4, N2.5 million and a mouth-watering one year recording contract.
The first runner-up position went to Marvellous, second runner-up to Adetoun and third runner-up by Ella.
AYO last year contested at the first ever Nigerian Idol and made the final 12 but was evicted in the first round of the finals.
He now joins the past winners, the likes of Iyanya, Mike Ayansodo, Chidinma and Monica…
AYO last year contested at the first ever Nigerian Idol and made the final 12 but was evicted in the first round of the finals.
He now joins the past winners, the likes of Iyanya, Mike Ayansodo, Chidinma and Monica…
Quote of the day - from Seun Kuti
Dakore Egbuson-Akande reappears in Journey to Self
Beautiful actress, Dakore Egbuson Akande, who took a break from acting after her wedding to Olumide, son of billionaire businessman, Harry Akande last year, has made a stunning comeback to her first love-acting.
Dakore was part of the cast of a new gender inspired movie, “Journey to Self”, produced by actress Ashionye Michelle Raccah. She acted alongside Nse Ikpe Etim, Catherine Edoho, Kalu Ikeagwu, Femi Jacobs and others.
At a press preview of the movie, which held at Eko hotel, Victoria Island, during the week, Dakore was unavoidably absent. But the producer informed that the actress travelled out of the country, adding that while the shooting of the movie lasted she gave a good account of herself.
Directed by Tope Oshin-Ogun, “Journey to Self”, due to hit the big screen next month is an intense story of friendship, sacrifice, empowerment and self-respect. The movie explores some of the social issues confronting women on daily basis.
Ashionye, describing the flick as ‘an intense, dialogue-based movie where the viewer is sure to embark on the same emotional journey as the characters”, said as a proponent of women’s rights and empowerment in the past, she decided to produce this movie as a way of giving the womenfolk a voice
. “It was natural therefore, as I set my mind to writing scripts, that one of the first I wrote would deal with some of the issues women face in their relationships both with men and their fellow women. Alley Kat Media looks forward to partnering with Fressia Entertainment in future.” he added.
The storyline of the movie is as emotional as it is thrilling. Four childhood friends, Regina, Nse, Rume and Alex, receive news that another long time friend of theirs, Uche, has died.”
Uche was the magnet that pulled her friends together and over the years had become their shoulder to lean on, so much so that she never felt she could tell them about her own problems. As part of her last request, the ladies travel to Uche’s home in Abuja for her funeral.
The four ladies, on arriving at Uche’s house, find out that she has left a series of letters in which she speaks to them from the grave. The letters provoke her friends to open up on emotional baggage, as secrets and fears are revealed, leading to a journey of self discovery. For Regina, Nse, Rume and Alex, the weekend they spend in Uche’s house becomes an emotional roller coaster as individual characters are tested.
Ibinabo Sworn In yesterday As The New President Of AGN
The swearing took place at the guild’s national secretariat in Surulere in the presence of other actors, directors and movie producers. Please note Emeka Rollas was never declared the winner. Miss Ibinabo had 97 votes while Mr Emeka Rollas had 86. Congrats to Miss Ibinabo again.
Spiritual Nuggets: LOVE IS SACRIFICE by Pastor Kenny Folarin
1 John 3: 16
God’s love is the most powerful force in the world and it is sacrificial. We have to understand that God loves us. This kind of love is inexplicable. The bible declares that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. Therefore, never see yourself as a nonentity nor think that nobody loves you, believe and understand that God loves you. We can’t love others if we don’t accept that God loves us; we can’t give what we don’t have.
Unbelievers don’t have any revelation of Jesus Christ, but they need a physical representation of who Jesus is and they can only get it through the experience they have with us believers. Jesus showed His love by laying down His life and He demands that we demonstrate love by laying down our lives for our brethren; John 13: 34. The true measure of love is in our sacrifice.
The Christian life has to be different and the difference in the Christian life is its sacrificial nature; it’s not about acquiring and not giving out, it’s about sharing. As we acquire, we are expected to give out. Acts 20:25 makes us understand that we are more blessed when we give than when we receive. As Christians we are to live a life of sacrifice where we pay a price, which is the true essence of love. The way people would believe we are of God is if we are able to let go of the things that we have for the benefit of others. 1 Corinthians 13: 1 makes us understand that one might speak in diverse tongues but have not love and such person is nothing.
Our Christianity should go beyond just coming to church; it should be about love and sacrifice. Love is best demonstrated in difficult times and situations. True love is never convenient and will always cost us something; know that it wasn’t convenient for Jesus to die on the cross. True love will cost you; your time, money, food and everything you have. True love brings out of us what is not convenient; this is the proof of love. Love has to be expressed through our deeds.
London Evening Standard Features a 25 Year-Old Nigerian who Spends £30,000 Yearly Shopping on 6 Trips to the UK
Nigerians have been described as some of the world’s biggest spenders more than a few times. Recent research by Guardian UK shows that Nigerians are the fourth biggest spenders in the United Kingdom.
And we love to shop everywhere. From Dubai to Paris to London to New York, but London seems to rank as one of the popular shopping destinations for Nigerians spending four times what UK shoppers typically spend. The number of Nigerian visitors to the UK increased by more than 50 per cent to 142,000 a year between 1991 and 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics. Nigeria is projected to become Africa’s biggest economy by next year and the world’s fifth most populous country by 2050, and London is cashing in.
The London Evening Standard‘s feature on Simi Osomo, a 25 year-old Nigerian who makes six trips to London spending a total of £30,000 (N7,622,220) got my attention this morning.
According to the report, she spends about two weeks during each trip and goes shopping everyday of her trip.
Speaking about Nigerians and their shopping habits, she told the Standard “When it comes to shopping and Nigerians, I can tell you it’s just what we have to do.”
During every trip, she spends about £5,000 (N1,270,370). She tells the Standard that aside from the fact that goods are cheaper in London, it gives her a chance to have a holiday. “You can get lots of things in Lagos but they are cheaper here and you get to take a holiday and relax a bit. It’s only six hours away.”
Although she likes the variety of London, Marks & Spencer is one of Osomo’s favourite shops. “I love their fajitas. You can’t get them in Nigeria. I also buy soy sauce and Thai green curry paste, which is good because it lasts for a long time. Oh, and Crunchy Nut cereal, Skittles, Maltesers and tea. There’s nothing like a British cuppa. I get Lipton, PG and green tea. I love Zara, H&M, Topshop. But if I want something more high end, there’s Sloane Street.”
When it comes to getting her haul of hopping back to Lagos, she says it is costly. “All I pack when I come over is one pair of jeans and three tops. I bring two big suitcases but I always have to get another one and pay for excess baggage. I never learn.” British Airways has increased its excess baggage charge on flights from London to Lagos from £40 to £97 per suitcase in the past year. “They must have realised we always put an extra bag in and thought they’d try to make money out of it,” she told the Standard.
During her chat with Standard, she wore a green top from Zara, blue skinny jeans and new Christian Louboutin shoes. She also planned to buy an iPhone 5 later in the day for her sister. She said Zara which opened an outlet store in Lagos six months ago is affordable.
”Zara is affordable because it’s an outlet but what I find is that things are a bit last season. Nigeria’s hot all the time so there are always maxi dresses and swimwear but the colours are boring and we lack variety. Customer service is not great and some shops can get really crowded, which is challenging.”
According to Osomo, it is not just rich Nigerians who come over to shop in the UK. “Middle-class people can afford to come and spend £600 on shopping in a week here. What I like about the UK is that it doesn’t discriminate. As long as you’re able to prove you have an income, accommodation in London and a return ticket, the authorities are more than willing to give you a visa. It’s closer than America and the customer service here is phenomenal.”
She loves to shop in summer which is the height of the shopping season, and also comes back for the January sales too. Her mother, a lawyer, and father, a businessman, often join her. She has just completed a law degree and is about to start a job in fashion journalism, which she hopes will give her enough holidays for trips to London.
Photo Credit: London Evening Standard
PFN Wants Tope Alabi to Name the Pastors Who Asked Her for Sex
This is funny, but that is what PFN, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, wants the gospel singer Tope Alabi to clarify. Tope recently granted an interview where she said, some notable Pastors have asked her for sex in the past. PFN is not pleased with this. They want her to mention names in other for them to be able to differentiate the bad eggs from the good ones.
Really? Who does that?
In a statement, the official wrote, “it is not impossible that a pastor pestered her for sex as she claimed, but she needs to come out and name such an individual in order to teach others a lesson and cleanse the body of bad eggs.
Making such unsubstantiated claims on the pages of newspapers will not make any impact but rather bring shame to the body of Christ. She knows the proper channel to follow to report something like that.”
They stated
Nigerian Couple in the UK Jailed for Trying to Claim £3.8m in Benefits Scam using 1,400 Identities
Exactly one week ago, BN brought you news of a Nigerian couple that was arrested in the UK for falsely claiming about £43,000 in benefits. The story elicited much fury from readers who were disappointed at the bad image they portrayed about Nigerians abroad.
It is therefore saddening to read news of yet another Nigerian couple arrested in the UK for securing £87,000 from fraudulent claims totalling £3.8million over four years.
Adeola Thomas, 38, and his partner, Abimbola Abiola, 34, managed to pocket £87,000 after using 1,400 stolen identities to complete 2,495 handwritten tax and benefits claims forms.
And just like the other couple that was reported to have lavishly spent the money on a house in Nigeria, the pair spent the money on designer clothing and electrical items including a 50-inch plasma television.
The fraud was discovered when benefits staff at HM Revenue & Customs noticed they had received multiple tax credit claims from the same addresses. Subsequently, an investigation was launched.
Thomas’ hand-written application forms were analysed, computer records were checked, and hours of recorded calls to the Tax Credit Helpline were listened to and a surveillance operation was carried out. The HRMC investigators viewed CCTV footage showing activity outside various North London Post Office ATMs.
Thomas was eventually arrested at a cash point outside a Post Office in Hackney on October 7th last year. He was found to be in possession of 17 Post Office account cards in different names, two mobile phones and two fraudulently completed forms addressed to Jobcentre Plus.
When Abiola was arrested later the same day, she had £4,125 in her handbag. The mother-of-one claimed the money was her child benefit payment.
Daily Mail reports that the pair, who carried out the scam between January 3, 2007 and October 7, 2011, tried to claim £827,000 from HMRC, securing £43,000. They also claimed £3 million from the Department of Work and Pensions and received £44,000.
With Abiola’s help, Thomas used stolen personal details to complete 2,495 handwritten application forms, which were sent to the appropriate departments for processing.
Thomas, who also happens to be an illegal immigrant pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering offences. Abiola, a Nigerian national with leave to remain in the UK was also found guilty of four counts of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and possession of criminal property.
They were both sentenced to jail this week. Thomas was sentenced to seven years in jail while Abiola received two-and-a-half years sentence.
The Judge who read his sentence indicated Thomas should be deported after serving his time in the UK.
Below are photos of his arrest when he was trying to withdraw his fraudulent claims at an ATM.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Remy Martin September party heads to Club Vegas
As always every month since May 2012, the premium brand invites all to come party At The Club With Remy Martin this month with rave of the moment and past MTN Project Fame winner, Iyanya. The Kukerecrooner leads a star-studded cast of some of Naija’s finest acts like Rexx, Shaydee, world famous DJ Spinall, Shody, among others on a night that promises to be void of any dull moments.
According to Remy Martin Senior Brand Manager, Thibault Robert, the brand’s ability to sustain its drive to provide top class entertainment for all its loyal consumers and indeed all fun lovers on a monthly basis was more than made obvious by the level of excitement generated during the last event held at Aura Lounge, Victoria Island, Lagos in August 2012. “This initiative by the brand is one which has surely come to stay and I can guarantee you that it would only keep getting bigger and better as the months progress,” he stated.
The At The Club With Remy Martin monthly party is proudly supported by The Beat 99.9 FM and TRACE Urban TV
Raunchy Photo: Cossy with friend's husband?
Let's help the wifey see it. Lol. This Cossy eh, you either love her or hate her. I'm loving her! She no send anybody...:-)
D'banj on set of his 'Bachelor' video shoot in Atlanta, USA
Bachelor is a new single off the Kokomaster's fourth studio album
Saudi Arabia Deports 510 Nigerian Female Pilgrims Despite the Vice President’s Intervention
Despite the Vice President, Namadi Sambo‘s intervention into the detainment of over 1000 Nigerian female pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Arabian authorities have deported 510 pilgrims. 171 pilgrims had earlier been deported on Wednesday.
The female returnees were among the Nigerian women pilgrims for the 2012 hajj detained in Medina and Jeddah. The authorities of Saudi Arabia insisted that the women were unaccompanied by male relations which was considered against laid down rules of the kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Khalid Abdrabuh had on Wednesday given an assurance that the controversy over the detention of the female Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia will be resolved by Thursday. Despite this, they were deported on Thursday.
Spokesman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Mallam Uba Mana told Punch that those brought back were a part of 1020 earlier detained by the Saudi officials at the King Fahd Airport.
He was however silent on the fate of others who were still detained in Saudi Arabia.
“We are awaiting a response from the King of Saudi Arabia so that a discussion can be opened between the two parties. We strongly believe that there is hope in sight, we hope that shortly the whole thing would be resolved,” he was quoted as saying.
He said the commission hoped that the Federal Government at the Presidency level would soon settle the matter which is already threatening the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
Vanguard reported an intriguing development noting that the husband of one of the female deportees also returned home with his wife, in protest, when the Saudi Authorities refused to clear his wife, even after explaining that he was the husband of the woman.
To resolve the issue, President Goodluck Jonathan has constituted a Presidential delegation to interface with the Saudi authorities.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, named Aminu Tambuwal as leader of that delegation.
Other members are: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nuruddeen Mohammed, Ambassador Shehu Galadanchi; Sheikh Sherif Saleh and Chairman of the Hajj Commission, Muhammad Bello.
The delegation is expected to depart for Saudi Arabia as soon as an appointment is finalised with the appropriate Saudi authorities.
John Terry looks set to captain Chelsea against Arsenal, Poised to Appeal Match Ban
John Terry: Looks set to face Arsenal on Saturday
John Terry looks set to captain Chelsea against Arsenal on Saturday in the Sky Live encounter at the Emirates while he decides whether to appeal against his four-match ban for racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand.
An FA independent regulatory commission ruled Terry guilty of misconduct during the Barclays Premier League defeat at Loftus Road on 23 October last year.The 31-year-old was also fined £220,000 though he expressed disappointment, through his representative team, at the FA's decision after the outcome.
Terry will have 14 days from receiving the written reasons to decide whether to lodge an appeal and the league ban and fine will not come into effect until after he has decided what to do.
Elite Management, said in a statement released on their client's behalf: "Mr Terry is disappointed that the FA Regulatory Commission has reached different conclusion to the clear not guilty verdict of a court of law.
"He has asked for the detailed written reasons of the decision and will consider them carefully before deciding whether to lodge an appeal."
The defender was found not guilty in magistrates court in July of a racially-motivated public order offence in connection with the same incident.
Elite Management, said in a statement released on their client's behalf: "Mr Terry is disappointed that the FA Regulatory Commission has reached different conclusion to the clear not guilty verdict of a court of law.
"He has asked for the detailed written reasons of the decision and will consider them carefully before deciding whether to lodge an appeal."
The defender was found not guilty in magistrates court in July of a racially-motivated public order offence in connection with the same incident.
PHOTOS: The floating slum of Lagos – The Daily Mail hits harder than Rick Ross
Lagos State, and indeed Nigeria would not be too impressed by the kind of pictures the world has been viewing recently. First, Rick Ross released his very controversial Hold Me Back video set in the slums of Lagos, and now, popular British paper The Daily Mail, has published a piece captioned The floating slum on stilts: Staggering pictures of the families who fight for survival on a sea of festering filth.
The pictures are gripping and sad. No matter how many times one sees the conditions of living in the Makoko slum, one can never get used to it.
View the pictures below:
The pictures are gripping and sad. No matter how many times one sees the conditions of living in the Makoko slum, one can never get used to it.
View the pictures below:
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Super Eagles player, Victor Moses, becomes dad at 21
NEWNESS OF LIFE by Pastor Kenny Folarin
The Christian life is characterized by change. After a person accepts Christ as Lord and Saviour, or becomes born again, he/she experiences transformation because the mind is renewed. When Jesus recruited disciples, He told them, “Follow Me and I’ll make you fishers of men”, meaning their perspective and focus will change, they will no longer place value on earthly things, instead they will pursue eternity. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, was a fisherman when Jesus met him, he was described as a reed because he was unstable in his ways; but after he encountered Jesus, his character changed, Jesus called him a rock and he went on to lead the rest of the apostles.
There is a newness of life that comes with Christianity. For us to experience the higher level of living that comes with being a Christian, we have to come to the point of accepting the reality of the revelation of the cross and its significance to mankind. This change begins in the mind; the things that limit us are in our thought-pattern forged by what we hear and see regularly. Tradition, culture and events in our daily lives have tainted the revelation of the cross, so we have to re-orientate our minds to experience a new life in Christ.
Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ, its no longer I who lives but Christ lives in me; the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself for me”; we can leverage on God’s ability when we are faced with difficult situations. Assess yourself based on the cross, you are who God says you are. We are victors not victims! Focus on the cross!
HENNESSY ARTISTRY: M.I AND Naeto C in First-Ever Performance of BARTENDER
Nigeria’s favourite rappers, M.I and Naeto C will make their very first Hennessy Artistry club appearance at Deuces Nightclub this Friday September 28!
This will be the first time both rappers will perform the Hennessy Artistry theme song to an exclusive audience since the release of the track and video in August.
The invite only event promises to be a classic experience for music fans and lovers of the Hennessy brand. The event will also see Hennessy Artistry supporting acts; DammyKrane and Burna Boy perform alongside M.I and Naeto C.
“Me and my brother, Naeto C are set to give our fans and Hennessy lovers a really good time at Deuces” M.I says.
Naeto C says, “We are ready to deliver a world class Hennessy party this Friday so come out and get ready to be blown away!”
M.I and Naeto C were announced as headliners for the annual music initiative, Hennessy Artistry on July 20, 2012. Both rappers then went ahead to release the historic Hennessy Artistry collaboration track, “Bartender”. The video for the hit track directed by Clarence Peters has gone on to dominate playlists on TV platforms in Nigeria and beyond.
M.I and Naeto C will get together this Friday, September 28, 2012 for their first-ever public performance of “Bartender” scheduled for Club Deuces in Victoria Island. The all night event promises Hennessy fans a memorable experience.
Since Hennessy Artistry was first unveiled in Nigeria in 2007, Hennessy Cognac has maintained its position as Nigeria’s and the world’s leading cognac brand.
Hennessy Artistry has since evolved from a cocktail-mixing contest between renowned bartenders to a DJ battle, and is now an important platform for experimental collaborations between multi-talented artistes. Previous participating entertainers include Ice Prince, Nneka, Sir Shina Peters, Banky W, Eldee, Tiwa Savage, Jesse Jagz, Bez, Mo’Cheddah among others.
John Terry "disappointed" at being banned and fined
John Terry: Disappointed by the FA Regulatory Commission's decision to ban and fine him
John Terry claims he is "disappointed" with the FA Regulatory Commission after being found guilty of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand and given a four-match ban as well as a £220,000 fine.
Chelsea captain Terry was found guilty of misconduct by the FA, despite being cleared in court of racially abusing Ferdinand.
Terry is now considering whether to appeal the sanctions imposed on him.
A statement issued by Terry's management company said: "Mr Terry is disappointed that the FA Regulatory Commission has reached a different conclusion to the clear not guilty verdict of a court of law.
"He has asked for the detailed written reasons of the decision and will consider them carefully before deciding whether to lodge an appeal."
A Chelsea statement read: "Chelsea Football Club notes and respects today's decision by the Football Association regarding John Terry.
"We also recognize that John has the right to appeal that decision.
"It is therefore inappropriate for us to comment further on the matter at this time."
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