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Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog

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Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog

Clerk who refused to grant marriage licenses to Gay couples has been jailed

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 01:30 PM PDT

 
Remember the defiant county clerk Kim Davis who refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples? Well she went to jail yesterday, Thursday, for her refusal, but five of her deputies agreed to issue the licenses themselves, potentially ending the church-state standoff in Rowan County, Kentucky.

U.S. District Judge David Bunning said he had no choice but to jail Kim Davis for contempt after she insisted that her "conscience will not allow" her to follow federal court rulings on gay marriage.
"God's moral law conflicts with my job duties," Davis told the judge before she was taken away by a U.S. marshal. "You can't be separated from something that's in your heart and in your soul."
Bunning offered to release Davis if she would promise not to interfere with her employees issuing marriage licenses on Friday morning. But Davis, through her attorneys, rejected that offer and chose to stay in jail.
Kim Davis is led away from federal court on Thursday in handcuffs, with shackles around her feet and waist
Gay and lesbian couples vowed to appear at the Rowan County clerk's office for the fifth time on Friday to see if the deputy clerks would keep their promises.
"We're going to the courthouse tomorrow to get our marriage license and we're very excited about that," said April Miller, who has been engaged to Karen Roberts for 11 years.
As word of Davis' jailing spread outside the federal courthouse, hundreds of people chanted and screamed, "Love wins! Love wins!" while Davis' supporters booed.

Davis' lawyer, Roger Gannam, said it was the first time in history an American citizen has been jailed for believing that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. He compared her willingness to accept imprisonment to what Martin Luther King Jr. did to advance civil rights.
"Kim Davis represents the best of us and everyone should lament and mourn the fact that her freedom has been taken away for what she believes," Gannam said.
Laura Landenwich, an attorney for the plaintiffs, rejected the comparison.
"Ms. Davis is in an unfortunate situation of her own creation. She is not a martyr. No one created a martyr today," Landenwich said, adding "she holds the keys to her jail cell."
Speaking earlier from the bench, Bunning said it would set up a "slippery slope" to allow an individual's ideas to supersede the courts' authority.
"Her good faith belief is simply not a viable defense," Bunning said. "I myself have genuinely held religious beliefs ... but I took an oath."
"Mrs. Davis took an oath," he added. "Oaths mean things."

Davis is represented by the Liberty Counsel, which advocates in court for religious freedom. Before she was led away, Davis said the U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage nationwide conflicts with the vows she made when she became a born-again Christian.

Many supporters and even some Republican presidential candidates have rallied behind her.
"People are calling the office all the time asking to send money," she testified. "I myself have not solicited any money."
Davis said she hopes the Legislature will change Kentucky laws to find some way for her to keep her job while following her conscience. But unless the governor convenes a costly special session, they won't meet until January. "Hopefully our legislature will get something taken care of," she told the judge.
Until then, the judge said, he has no alternative but to keep her behind bars. Davis stood and thanked Bunning, pausing briefly to search the crowded courtroom for familiar faces before she was led away.

Later photos showed Davis being escorted from the courthouse in what appeared to be handcuffs with a towel draped over her hands. She was taken to the Carter County Detention Center in a white, windowless van.

It's unclear exactly how long she'll remain in jail. Davis' attorneys said the judge's order would keep her in jail indefinitely. But Bunning indicated he would revisit his decision in a week, giving the deputy clerks time to comply with his order.

"The legislative and executive branches do have the ability to make changes," Bunning said earlier in the hearing. "It's not this court's job to make changes. I don't write law."
Davis served as her mother's deputy in the clerk's office for 27 years before she was elected as a Democrat to succeed her mother in November. As an elected official, she can be removed only if the Legislature impeaches her, which is unlikely in a deeply conservative state.

Table shows the assets of both Buhari and Osinbajo

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 01:30 PM PDT

Above is the list of assets President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had before May 29th.

Cleaner arrested with $271, 135 at Lagos airport

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 01:20 PM PDT

Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria officials at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Ikeja, Lagos State yesterday arrested a worker with one of the cleaning contractors at the airport, Tijani Owolabi, after $271,135 was found on him. FAAN officials say the money was found on Owolabi during a pat down at one of the screening points at 'D' Finger of the international terminal.

Some of the foreign currency was found on the person of Mr. Owolabi while the rest was recovered from the sanitary bucket he was trying to pass through screening. It is believed that he was carrying the foreign currency to an accomplice at the sterile area of the terminal. He has been over to the police for interrogation and further investigation.

Man rapes 6 year old girl while she was in church with her family

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 01:19 PM PDT

A registered sex-offender allegedly carried off a six-year-old who was in church with her family and sexually assaulted her in a bathroom while he stifled her screams. William Brandon Coffey is accused of grabbing the girl while she was on her way to the toilet at the Body of Hope Church in Raleigh in North Carolina on Tuesday.

Court documents state he carried her to the men's bathroom and "covered the mouth of the victim when she attempted to scream".

When he had finished assaulting her he then kissed her and let her go, according to Investigator A. J. Doughty.

When the girl came back to her parents, Doughty wrote, they saw that she had urinated on herself and asked what had happened.
They called police, but Coffey had left the church before officers arrived.

Coffey, who appeared in court yesterday, is being remanded in custody.

According to court documents, he served two years and three months in prison for kidnapping and molesting a 9-year-old girl at a north Raleigh apartment complex in May of 2009.

Raleigh police said he encountered the girl as she was walking from the pool. Authorities said Coffey "touched her inappropriately."

In a statement, Body of Christ Church said that while it has stringent procedures in place for all personnel working with children, Coffey was not a church member and was visiting a men's Bible study group when the alleged attack happened.

"Our ultimate concern and care now and has always been for the child and family involved," it said.

Source:  The Observer

Trailer of Omoni Oboli's Movie, The First Lady

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 01:25 PM PDT

Having established herself as one of the very few female-producers to have a blockbuster movie with 'Being Mrs Eliot', actress, producer and director, Omoni Oboli is set to return to the cinema with another potential blockbuster movie, 'The First Lady' (TFL) come October 1.

The First Lady is a story of a street girl and her pimp told with intrigues, twists and turns of street elements that attest to the versatility of Omoni as an actress.

The First Lady is a comic drama with compelling story lines backed with impressive acting. The story which was written by Omoni was also directed by the Delta Born French graduate. The Synopsis In a classic Cinderella like story, a prostitute, Michelle, is stuck in a world she couldn't escape from. Her hope that one day a Prince Charming would rescue her from it all, seems lost.

A heir to an empire, Kenechi, is transformed into a child by an overly ambitious uncle who wants the empire to himself. Bound by a shared destiny, Michelle finds that she might be doing the rescuing until she realises there's no escaping her pimp (Obama), who would do anything to keep her as his First Lady. Starring Omoni Oboli, Chinedu Ikedieze, Joseph Benjamin, Alexx Ekubo, Yvonne Jegede, Udoka Oyeka and Tony Monjaro, the upcoming movie is directed and produced by Omoni Oboli. Omoni Oboli's directional debut Being Mrs Elliot has come and gone, but the movie lived up to expectations in Nigerian cinemas.

The movie recorded good box office figures topping the chart and way ahead of other foreign movies. It made over 5 million in its first three days in the cinemas making it one of the number one sought after movies after its premiere.

It went on to make over N16 million from cinemas. Omoni who studied film-making from New York Film Academy said she is evolving with time and better experience. 'I hope people will find this better than Being Mrs Elliot. We sincerely put in a lot of efforts in this movie. Alex, Yvonne and myself applied ourselves. The cinema audience will be entertained and pleasurably shocked with what they will find in The First Lady'.

For more please follow @brooksrockmedia or add BB Pin: 2BB3B194.

'The First Lady' hits cinemas in Nigeria on October 1, 2015.

David Beckham's son, Brooklyn, covers Miss Vogue magazine

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 01:30 PM PDT

Brooklyn Beckham, 16, who is the oldest son of  David and Victoria Beckham covered the front page of October's issue of Miss Vogue. The teenager follows in the footsteps of his parents who have both been cover stars for the fashion magazine. Another photo after the cut..

Photos: 3 die after fire gut plaza in Balogun market Lagos

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 01:14 PM PDT

Three people lost their lives after a plaza in the popular Lagos market was gutted by fire yesterday September 3rd. The plaza was used as a store house for shoes and bags. Immediately occupants of the plaza, which is closely surrounded by some bank buildings, saw the fire, some of them ran hastily through the staircase while others jumped. A woman who tried to jump was said to have fallen with hard impact on the ground causing her skull to burst open.


Many others had bone fracture as they jumped through the staircase. The men of the Lagos state fire service after many hours of battle were able to put off the fire. Continue to see more photos from the incident

OMG! Mexican man with 19-inch eggplant bemoans his...erm big burden (photo)

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 01:11 PM PDT

Yes, that is exactly what you think it is! Tufia! Lol. A 52-year-old Mexican man named Roberto Esquivel Cabrera, became famous in some parts after claiming he has a 19-inch penis. He says it is making his life miserable, The Huffington Post reports.
"Cabrera of Saltillo told Mexican newspaper Vanguardia that he would like to be considered disabled because the member leaves him unable to work, forcing him to live on assistance and scavenge for food."
His social life is dismal as well, he says. Women are too scared to be with him, according to the newspaper. Esquivel's penis is reportedly 48.2 centimeters (nearly 19 inches) long and the tip's circumference is 25 centimeters (nearly 10 inches). 

According to TMZ, the 52-year-old Mexican citizen has been approached by Vivid Entertainment in an attempt to negotiate a deal for a sex tape but it's complicated by language barrier, expectations of money and basic anatomy challenges.

Transgender woman who was denied hormone drugs in jail, gets released early, sues authorities

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 01:03 PM PDT

A transgender Georgia inmate who sued the state's prison system after being denied hormone therapy and a safe environment has been paroled for the remainder of her 11-year sentence.Ashley Diamond, 38, was released Monday after serving a little more than three years in a male prison during which she says she was sexually assaulted eight times.

"I'm overjoyed to be with my family again and out of harm's way," she said in a statement released by the Southern Poverty Law Center which filed the suit on her behalf in February.
"Although the systematic abuse and assaults I faced for more than three years have left me emotionally and physically scarred, I'll continue to fight for justice and to shine a light on the gross mistreatment of transgender inmates in Georgia and nationwide."


Diamond's early release on parole supervision while serving time for burglary is said to be in no way related to the SPLC's lawsuit which was later backed by the U.S. Justice Department.
A spokesman for the state's parole board, in an email to the Daily News, said she was deemed "rehabilitated" and stated that "the parole release is compatible with the welfare of society and public safety."
Spokesman Steve Hayes acknowledged that Diamond was released earlier than her slated parole hearing this fall.
"The inmate served 46 months of the sentence, two months before being eligible according to the prison sentence," he said.
Hayes said the decision to release Diamond before her eligibility is "not unprecedented."
"The board has released inmates previously prior to their individual eligibility dates as it has the authority to do when the board deems the inmate's parole release is compatible with the welfare of society," he stated.
Ashley now back as a man
In Diamond's suit, which was backed by the DOJ in April, she claimed that she was subjected to cruel and unusual punishment which led to her attempting suicide and self-castration.
It included prison officials denying her hormone therapy treatment she had undergone since aged 17 and subjecting her to "unspeakable sexual assaults" by violent offenders.

Crass corrections personnel also referred to her with male pronouns as well as "faggot," "he/she" and "it," and sent to her solitary confinement for "pretending to be a woman," she claimed.

The conditions were declared "tantamount to torture" by one SPLC staff attorney.
"While we're thrilled that Ashley Diamond is out of prison, our lawsuit is far from over," said Attorney Chinyere Ezie in a statement Monday.
"Ashley has endured more than three years of systematic abuse based on the Georgia Department of Corrections' unconstitutional policies toward transgender inmates and woeful lack of care.
"Her release does not erase her barbaric treatment by GDC officials, which was tantamount to torture. Nor is her plight isolated. We will continue to advocate for an end to prison practices that unfairly punish and inflict pain on transgender inmates."
Source: NY Daily News

Buhari has sent a strong message that 'corruption is no longer fashionable' - Atiku

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 01:03 PM PDT

Press statement from former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, below...
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the first 100 days in office of President Muhammadu Buhari has reinforced his confidence, that despite the perceived slow pace, "Nigeria is on the path of progress and bright future."
In a press statement released by his media office in Abuja on Friday, 4 September, 2015, the former Vice President noted that the first 100 days in office of President Muhammadu Buhari clearly indicated that Nigeria is witnessing a marked departure from the culture of impunity, inertia and apathy in governance.

According to Atiku, even within the first 100 days, Nigerians could clearly see real proofs that the country is already moving in the right direction, which he attributed to President Buhari's leadership by example style.

He said the President's body language has sent strong and unmistakable message that the era of impunity was over, and that "corruption is no longer fashionable."
The former Vice President explained that when leaders lead by example, they could automatically inspire public confidence, which he said is a condition for the success of any government policy.
According to Atiku, the Buhari administration has so far succeeded in blocking revenue leakages and diversions, which feed corruption.
The Turaki of Adamawa, who said he was proud to be part of the change movement, said there are enough examples that President Buhari is making a difference.
He said the Boko Haram terrorists are for the first time facing a fiercer response from newly motivated armed forces, adding that the terrorists are in disarray because of the new offensive strategy adopted by the government.
The former Vice President appealed to Nigerians to show more patience with President Buhari because some major reforms might take time, but the country would ultimately be a better place.
Atiku said the level of poverty and unemployment in Nigeria is inconsistent with its oil wealth, explaining that corruption is the biggest obstacle to development.
The former Vice President said President Buhari has boosted his optimism that Nigeria would rebound again.
Atiku Media Office
61 Ebitu Ukiwe Street
Jabi
Abuja
Nigeria.

Dear men, do you agree?

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 12:57 PM PDT

I kinda do...

Arik flight makes u-turn after plane's engines suffer overheating midair this morning

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 12:55 PM PDT

Comedian Ime Bishop shared the experience this morning

Grace Schools Singapore trip to Nanyang Girls School, Singapore

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 12:50 PM PDT

Singapore has been a consistent name in the educational scene globally, for more than a decade. In Singapore, education to every child is key and its government has devoted so much funding into public education.

Grace Schools was given an open invitation by Singapore's number one girls secondary school for an exchange programme to interact with teachers and students of Nanyang girls school recently as a way of studying the secret behind Singapore's success in qualitative education. Grace Schools Gbagada Lagos students visited and attended classes in Nanyang School; they also participated in their school activities, lived in Nanyang schools Hostel through out their stay in Singapore.

These are one of the frequent visits by students of Grace School to outstanding top schools around the world as a way of achieving that feat in Nigeria. Grace Schools Administrator, Mrs. Tokunbo Edun confirmed the great partnership with Nanyang Girls School which came out of her strive to learn the secrets of the Singapore's qualitative educational system, and their vibrant curriculum and extracurricular activities, she said "we have been able to explore more into the greatness of Singapore's educational system and must definitely take the best out of it"

However, Grace Schools intentions to train students in an holistic pattern is borne out of its commitment to, Discipline/ Diligence and Spiritual Development of the child.

For more enquiries visit YouTube link: https://youtu.be/GPLFnfx6-bE

Police break into car to save infant locked inside, and are surprised by their discovery

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 12:50 PM PDT

Emergency personnel in Oakland, California, were quick to respond on Monday after receiving a call that an infant had been spotted in the back of a locked car, abandoned and still strapped into a car seat. Reports also indicated that the child was unresponsive. Authorities rushed to the scene and immediately smashed the car's window to get to the baby. But when they entered the vehicle, they couldn't believe what they found.
It was not a baby that had been left in the hot car, but an incredibly life-like doll.
It's easy to see why first responders were confused, considering the doll was dressed in modern clothes, had been left strapped in an authentic car seat. It looked like this:

Though police say they've been unable to determine why the doll was left in the car seat, the Daily Mail reports that, due to its hyper-realistic quality, it may be a "reborn" doll.

The 'Reborning Movement' is a recently emerged subculture in which collectors 'adopt' artificial babies, often throwing birthday parties, building nurseries and, of course, strapping the dolls into car seats.
A single reborn doll can reportedly cost thousands of dollars.

Reborn or not, authorities insist that the response to the situation was appropriate, as "first responders' number one priority is to ensure safety."

Source: ABC News

Nigerian conman weeps as he's jailed in the UK for fraud

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 12:43 PM PDT

A Nigerian conman, Godwin Nwaofor, 36, funded his expensive lifestyle by cheating pensioners out of their life savings. He kept a 'suckers list' of potential victims to send bogus letters saying they had won the Australian Lottery.

The Nigerian national received around £1million from the scam and blew the money on luxury cars, gold jewellery and expensive champagne at top nightclubs in London.



Nwaofor was a 'willing and enthusiastic lieutenant' to the mastermind of the con, another Nigerian, Frank Onyechonam, who was nicknamed 'Fizzy' for his love of vintage champagne.
Onyeachonam was jailed eight years last year, after he was exposed as the chief player in the scam.
He drove a Maserati and fired bubbly corks across exclusive private members clubs as he lived a life of fantastic luxury on his victim's life savings.
The scam started with a bogus letter to a vulnerable pensioner telling them they had won the Australian Lottery.
The letters were sent by a 'lottery agent' targeting mainly American pensioners informing them they had won a life-changing prize and requesting a modest sum to release the funds.
Believing they had won, victims were hooked into paying fees to release their 'winnings' through an agent who would demand 'activation fees' to release their cash.
In some cases, dupes set up businesses in an attempt to receive their winnings and became unwitting money mules laundering cash from other victims.

Nwaofor, a father of two, regularly switched addresses to avoid being caught.
One victim, a 76-year-old woman, who believed she had won $1.85m, tried to track down Nwaofor after the FBI told her she had fallen victim to a scam.
She flew to the UK and went to the address she had for Nwaofor, but found that he had already moved on to another address.
Judge Richard Hone QC said the evidence in the case, at Central Criminal Court, against Nwaofor was 'overwhelming' and showed him to be a proven liar.
'You have a tendency to be dishonest in your dealings with landlords, agencies, the police, HMRC, and car hire firms', he said.
'You also moved addresses regularly to ensure your whereabouts remained a mystery.'
Police identified 406 victims from two notebooks found at Onyeachonam's Canary Wharf penthouse when he was arrested.
They seized Louis Vuitton shoes, Gucci handbags, a collection of expensive watches and dozens of designer shoes, as well as 5,000 pictures of Onyeachonam flaunting his wealth at exclusive upmarket venues including the Guvnor Bar in Docklands, east London.

Detectives fear the scale of the fraud could even mushroom to £30million if all the details discovered in notebooks and emails can be traced to victims.
Nwaofor moved to the UK in January 2006 from Nigeria and soon married a German citizen.
He has two children with her, aged six and six-months-old.  

He broke down in tears as he was jailed for 7 years yesterday morning, but the judge said he did not believe the remorse was genuine.
'Just as a crocodile sheds its tears while devouring its prey, so the copious weeping in court is not hypocritical remorse but tears of frustration that in spite of your careful concealment, you have been well and truly rumbled', the judge told him.
'This Australian lottery scam has brought penury and debt to your victims who were ruthlessly milked of their hard earned savings.'
The judge said although ten victims were traced by prosecutors as having fallen for Nwaofor's scam, but that was probably the 'tip of the iceberg'.
'Vast sums of cash you used to fund a luxury lifestyle, with top of the range hire cars, large watches, gold jewellery, expensive nightclubs', said the judge.
'It shows you made the best part of £1m yourself.'
Nwaofor, of Camberell Green, south London, was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud, converting criminal property, and acquisition of criminal property.
He will serve half his sentence in prison and the remaining part on licence and will also now face confiscation proceeds.


Source: Daily Mail 

Midwife takes stunning pics of babies in foetal position just seconds after being born

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 12:42 PM PDT

A midwife has turned her hand to photography to capture beautiful images of babies just seconds after being born. The mix of colour and black and white photos show babies still in the foetal position in the hands of midwives and their parents.

The tiny tots look adorable curled up with their noses touching their toes.
Marry Fermont, 35, from the Netherlands, told how she documented the first moments of babies' lives.
She said: "Many midwifes show women how their baby was positioned in the womb.












Mail Online

Photos from the tanker explosion in Abia this morning

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 12:38 PM PDT

A petrol tanker went up in flames this morning on Abayi road in Aba town in Abia state destroying properties worth millions of Naira. Thankfully no life was lost. Another photo after the cut...

Abuja's Urban Ice lounge host Matilda Duncan as she celebrates her day

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 12:34 PM PDT

Newly opened Urban Ice Lounge, Abuja's newest Sensation in the nightlife scene Hosts Matilda Duncan, Rhythm FM's OAP as she Celebrates her Day on Friday 4th September 2015. This is part of the Urban Ice Lounge's weekly package where celebrities are hosted every weekend.

Choi! Blac Chyna poses nude for Richardson magazine (photos)

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 12:28 PM PDT

See the full photo after the cut...

Graphic photo: Motorist buried alive by cult members in Lagos

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 11:39 AM PDT

A yet to be identified man was allegedly buried alive by some cult members in the Mushin area of Lagos state on Wednesday September 2nd. According to Punch, the young man was on his way to Oyingbo area of Lagos state when he was dragged down from a commercial bus at Total Busstop in Mushin. An eyewitness Jacobs Amos while giving an account of what happened said
"The man was in the bus when he was dragged out at Total bus stop. They brought him into Mushin and I immediately alerted the policemen from Alakara.
The police went to Adewusi Street, and searched the place for more than one hour, but they did not find anything. They patrolled the place and when they did not see anything, they left. Around 10pm when everybody had gone home, they brought the man to the Railway Line and push him from head down into a filled canal. Only his leg was sticking out."he said
The police at Alakara police station were alerted and the body of the deceased was removed from the canal yesterday September 3rd. Residents of the area say the rival cult members in Oyingbo and Mushin have led to the death of a few people.

According to one of them who spoke on the condition of anonymity, one person was stabbed to death by rival cult group. They accuse the police in the area of being complicit in the matter
"The police in this area have been compromised. When we called them yesterday that someone had been captured around Oyewusi Street, an informant of the cultists whom we suspect work with the police, quickly alerted the guys and they left the place. They brought the victim to our side to make it look as if we are responsible for his death. Their plan is to set the Oyingbo boys against us and trigger a war."one of them said
Source: Punch

The photo that broke several hearts. Social media responds with moving artworks based on pic of drowned Syrian toddler

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 11:38 AM PDT

Social media users have responded to the death of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian boy who was found washed up on a Turkish beach by creating moving artworks based on the photo. More photos after the cut...








 

In Las Vegas with Chief and Lolo Ikeji...lol

Posted: 04 Sep 2015 11:30 AM PDT

Brought my parents to Las Vegas. From here we are heading to Los Angeles and then I'm back to Nigeria while they spend the rest of their holiday in Texas...:-). So sorry, I've been MIA for almost 24 hrs. Long flight. Will get to blogging now!


Laura is also here to disturb the peace...lol

What inspired I'd Rather Be Self Made...the day I was picked up by Special Fraud Unit...:-)

Posted: 03 Sep 2015 02:56 PM PDT

I'm going to be MIA for a few hours. I'm on my way to the US with my parents. They made them Chief and Lolo in our village and I wanted to take them abroad to spoil them a little...:-) (My dad's first time). Anyway, while I'm flying, I wanted to share a story that I've been meaning to share here for a while now...about why I decided to help some young ladies with start up capital for their small scale businesses. Please continue to read! (It's quite long o, so...-))


Before I became the popular blogger that I am today, I was a struggling entrepreneur. I started my modeling career in 1998 before I turned 18 and started my company Blackdove Communications in 2004 when I was just 23+. Blackdove was a modeling agency/events company and I operated from a 2-room office in Jibowu, Yaba for almost three years.

In 2006, I decided to try something that I'd always wanted to do - become a magazine publisher. My dream growing up was to be a journalist. These days many people argue whether I am a journalist or not. I don't consider myself one. I'm a blogger, though being a journalist was my dream. In fact, I wanted to study Mass Communications in the university but I unfortunately didn't get it. I got English instead. But I've always had a love for writing, putting stuff together, informing people about what's going on etc.

In in 2006, I mustered the courage and saved enough money to publish my own magazine. It was called FM&B (Fashion, Modeling and Beauty) magazine because that was my industry at the time.

For my first edition, I used my photo (duh...lol) left. It took me months to put this together and I used money I made from my business to print the magazine. I did a grand launch and really hoped for the best. After it was released, I didn't recoup the money I'd spent on it but I knew I couldn't become a successful magazine publisher over night. I knew the road was long and hard and I had to keep at it, I knew I had to print more editions before people and sponsors could take me serious.

Anyway, I printed my second edition (right) and didn't recoup either. The vendors will take the magazine and not pay you. Some would claim they didn't sell...some, you would chase for your money for so long you'd get tired of chasing them and then you leave them alone. And it was especially hard to get adverts for a new magazine. I would go to companies and sit in their offices for hours, hoping they would buy advertising space in the magazine, but for where? Lol. I remember I offered a telecoms company my back page and inner pages for N100k but they were not interested ...lol. (now, na them they chase me with adverts...lol).

But I managed to get a few companies to advertise (I talked about it here in 2008 and later in 2009) - it took months of being on the road - going from one company to the other, convincing them to support the effort - still it wasn't enough to print the next edition so I had to once again use my own money to print the magazine. It was tough but I didn't want to give up. I wanted to succeed by all means and I knew consistency was the key. I figured by the time I was on my fifth edition, some companies would take me seriously and start to advertise and by the time I was on my 10th edition, I would be a well known magazine publisher like my mentor back then, Mrs Betty Irabor of Genevieve magazine. So 10 editions of the magazine was my goal - but I didn't go past the 4th edition - though I paid part payment for the 5th edition but it never came out.

Something happened with my 4th and last edition (right) that almost broke me...and that inspired 'I'd Rather Be Selfmade.'

You see, right from when I was young, sleeping with men for money/come up was never an option for me. In fact, I found girls who engaged in such back then, disgusting. Now that I am more mature, I kinda understand it, I don't condone it but I understand it and I am not so quick to judge these girls. That's why I'm trying to help girls with dreams instead of condemning girls who find different ways to survive. It's tough out there, guys!

Anyway, for my 4th edition, I didn't have enough money to print it...and I was so sad about it. The magazine was ready but no money to print. It was going to cost me N500k back in 2008 to print 2,000 copies and all I had with me was N150k. I needed N350k and I was determined to print this magazine. I wanted it to succeed by all means so I decided to do something I'd never done before. I went to the bank to get a loan.

There was a neighbor of mine back then who I found out was the chairman of a community bank on Ogunlana Drive Surulere (all community banks have since shut down). So I approached him for a loan ...N350k, the exact extra amount I needed to print the magazine. I promised that I would pay back once the magazine was published and I was able to get ad money out. This was in 2008. After weeks of going back and forth and the bank staff coming to my office in Surulere then to see where I was operating from, I was given a loan of N350k. They actually made out the cheque to the printing press so the money didn't come directly to me. It was a short loan - just three months - and I was supposed to pay back with interest and I was so sure that I would pay back - I had three months and I was a hard working girl, I believed I could do it. But you see, sometimes, life does what life is supposed to do - it happens! With no questions...life just happens.

For some weird reason, I was only able to pay back N100k after the three months deadline. By now I was owing close to N400k including interest. I asked them for more time, and they gave me time ..and I managed to pay another N150k or so after a few months. After then, I became stuck.

My business wasn't going well...and for months I was struggling. The guys from the bank came to my office and told me I had a month to pay up or they would have to do what they usually do get their debtors to pay, that the reason they hadn't done it up until then was because of my neighbour relationship with their chairman. I promised I was going to pay and a week or so later, I was able to pay another N30k.

And then very early one Monday morning, sometime in 2009, my younger sister, who used to work with me at Blackdove, Sandra, quietly entered my room and told me that some men were looking for me, that they were at the door and that she'd seen them talking with the bank chairman. She said she suspected that they were police men.

If I tried to describe to you how I felt at that moment, I wouldn't be able. I stopped breathing for at least 3 seconds. I told her not to let my parents or any other member of our family know the men were outside (Only she knew about the loan and actually went with me to get it). I found something to wear and went to meet the men outside. To be honest, I was hoping they were from the bank and not police men but when they introduced themselves to me (three of them) I froze. They said they were men from the Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, and they had been sent to bring me to their office to answer for a loan I took from a community bank and refused to pay back. I was going to ride in their marked anti-fraud unit car - sandwiched between two men.

I didn't want my parents to know what was going on (it would have killed my mum) so I quickly went back in, put on more appropriate clothes, told Sandra to follow their car in my car so she would go with me to their office. I remember sitting in that vehicle as they took me to their office in Ikoyi, and wondering how I got to that point. It was like a nightmare. I couldn't believe it was happening. I got to their office and they made me sit down in front an officer who was handling the case. (Sandra was allowed in but she was sitting in another area.).

The officer brought out my case file, and said I was owing the bank N190k for almost a year and I wasn't going to leave their custody until the money was made available. You know, I've had bad days in my life...I mean, who hasn't? But up until that point, I'd never felt worse in my life. Nothing I'd ever experienced up until that day, sitting in front of this man, and beside other offenders/debtors, was anything close to this. Nothing! Even now, I can't even express how I felt that day, what was going through my mind. I felt like a failure. I remember my eyes welled up, because I knew I didn't have N190k and I didn't know anyone who could loan me. I started to explain to the officer, then I began to beg...and I talked and talked and then I began to cry. I couldn't believe the situation I was in. I knew it would break my parents hearts if they found out where I was.

I remember Sandra just sitting there and looking at me...and trying to be strong. She was broken to see me so broken but she kept it together. She started calling people, asking for a loan, I heard her from where I was sitting, calling friends and asking if they could loan her money. No luck. We were there for hours, eventually the officer came to me and said they'd decided to be lenient, that they would give me a month to pay the N190k back to the bank and failure to do so would be automatic arrest and I would not be released until the money was paid. They gave me a form to sign but said I needed a surety and without a surety I would not be released that day. I called a friend who came and signed for me. The officers told him they were releasing me to him and would also pick him up if I failed to pay up. Fortunately he agreed and that was how I was released. I was there from morning till evening and those hours were some of the worst hours of my life. Thankfully, other members of my family didn't immediately know this happened to me. (They found out months later).

But fortunately I recovered quickly. I knew there was no time to mourn. I had just one month to raise N190k or myself and my surety would be picked up and locked up.

Today, I have shoes that cost more than N190k, but back then, that was a lot of money to me...and I didn't have it. So for the next two weeks, I put myself on the road. I started chasing all the agencies owing me money. I ran up, down, to a hole, up a ladder and every where in between and finally raised the money which I paid back to the bank. It was an ordeal but it was finally over!

Months later, I raised some more money to print my 5th edition (above). The content was finished but once again, I didn't have enough money to print it. I had only N200k and I needed N500k. I wasn't ready to give up on this dream. No way! But of course I wasn't going to go to a bank again..lesson learned there...lol. So instead I turned to the printers. I told them I had only N200k and would pay them the balance of N300k when the magazine was out. One printer agreed, took my money and half way into the job told me he couldn't go further without any more money. He basically held me to ransom. I pleaded and threatened for months and they wouldn't budge, wouldn't print without more money and one day I was like, 'you know what?' I give up! I'm done!' I told them to keep the money and the magazine, that I was done. I was just tired of it all. And that was the end of that dream.

Then I decided to face another business idea. I wanted to start a fashion, modeling and beauty school. This time I went to real banks (not community banks..lol). None, not even one looked at my business proposal. I was hoping to get N1million to start this business, but no bank was even willing to talk to me. After months of chasing this idea, looking for money etc, I also gave up on it and moved to the next thing!

A few months later, I shut down my office (after my landlady increased my rent - I could not afford to pay it). I gave out some of my office equipment, sold some and packed the rest of my things and went home. I was going to continue operating my business from home.

This was in 2010. I turned 30 that year and I remember having the worst day of my life - so far - on my 30th birthday. I'd lost my office, I'd given up on my magazine dream. My other businesses weren't doing well. I'd been hustling since I was 17 and I thought that by now I would have made it, but here I was at 30, losing it all (or so I thought) and starting all over again.

But you see, in all of it, no matter how bad a day I had, no matter how tough it was, no matter the other dreams I gave up on, there was something I never stopped doing, I never stopped blogging. I would cry, wipe my tears, pick up my laptop and blog. If I didn't have internet at home, I would go to a cybercafe, pay for time and blog there. This work/passion ultimately changed my life.

Sometime in 2012, when I'd started making money from blogging, a young lady talked to me about her struggles. She needed just N85k to start a nail and eye lash studio. She had someone who was willing to give her space to operate from, but she needed money for other equipment needed for the business. She told me that N85k would change her life and that of her family. She wasn't even asking me for the money, she was just talking about her struggles and how hard it's been for her to raise capital. She mentioned she'd approached a bank for a loan and no bank was willing to give her. She said she didn't know how else she'd get the money but sugar daddy wasn't an option. I remember smiling and I made the decision right there and then to give her the money for her business.

I remembered my life as a struggling entrepreneur, getting picked up by the Anti-Fraud Unit over N190k. I remembered how much help I needed and how little I got. How nobody could really help because they had their own issues and struggles. I remembered my dark days. I remembered all the people I begged to help me, to believe in me, to believe in my dreams. I remembered all the doors that were shut in my face. All the office receptions I sat in for hours. All the Nos I heard. All those who turned their backs. And how sometimes, I just wanted to give up. And I knew there were plenty girls like me out there, with ambition, with dreams, with fire burning in their soul...but who can't get far because they have no one to help, not just with money but also with words. And I made up my mind that day, that whenever I get to a position where I could help other young ladies with dreams and aspirations, I would help. Because I've been through it myself, I know how difficult it is to start or run a business in this country. That's why I want to focus on young ladies with dreams and good business ideas.

So far, I've touched 15 lives (see here)...I hope in my lifetime, that I am able to touch thousands more. God willing. This is the project I've decided to take up. For as long as I remember my over 8-hour ordeal at the Special Fraud unit in Ikoyi, I will always be here to help a female entrepreneur - if not with money, then with advice and guidance.


I struggled o. I used to do an annual fashion show called Style Night. I did it from 2004 to 2010. (see some pics here, and here here). I also tried to do a reality show called Nigeria's top model search with Linda Ikeji...no sponsor. I give up...lol. Catwalk with Linda TV show..no sponsor, I give up! Lol


In 2010, I wrote an inspirational book titled 'It Takes You' to encourage people not to give up on their dreams. I spent a lot of money to get this published because being an author was one of my dreams and I was determined to realize that dream. I made it come through!...:-)

I was still working on my dreams when companies started asking me for advert rates for my blog. I created my ad rate in early 2011 and my life hasn't been the same since. I left everything else and concentrated on this. Sandra is now the CEO of Blackdove...:-)

Sandra and I pictured above (She worked with me at Blackdove from 2004 when I started until 2011 when she took over the company. She was my rock for years! I doubt I love anyone more. She's older than my other sister you all know, Laura. )


Anyway, I plan to do all I can to help as many young women as I can. I'm using my money for now but I would eventually talk to rich people and corporate bodies to get involved and raise as much as it's possible as start-up capital for young female entrepreneurs. Too many unemployed individuals in this country. Let's start creating jobs instead of always looking for one. Plus I don't want anti-fraud people coming to knock on your door...lol.. or you turning to men. I hope all your dreams come true...and I hope no matter how tough it gets, you never give up.


I will catch you guys later. For now, let me take this new Chief and his Lolo to America to spoil them a little. Lol. Kisses. Catch you soon!

Buhari names deputy chief of staff, media aide for Osinbajo

Posted: 03 Sep 2015 08:24 PM PDT

Press statement from presidency

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Mr. Rahman Adeola Ipaye as Deputy Chief of Staff and Mr. Laolu Akande as Senior Special Assistant (Media & Publicity) in the Presidency.

The two new appointees will work in the Office of the Vice President.

Mr. Ipaye is the immediate past Attorney General of Lagos State.

He studied at the University of Lagos where he graduated with B.A. (Hons) Degree (History) in 1984; LL.B. Hons (1988) and LL.M. (1991). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators respectively.

Before his appointment as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ipaye was employed as a lecturer in the Department of Commercial and Industrial Law, University of Lagos (1992 to 2001); Special Assistant (Legal Matters) to the Governor of Lagos State (2001 to 2007); and Special Adviser (Taxation and Revenue) to the Governor of Lagos State and member of the State Executive Council (2007 to 2011).

Mr. Laolu Akande graduated from the University of Ibadan in 1990 with an honours degree in History and a Masters degree in Communication & Language Arts in 1992.

He became a Staff Reporter of the Guardian newspaper in 1990 while still serving under the National Youth Service Corps. He left The Guardian to join the foundation team of The News Magazine in 1993, where he became Senior Writer. In 1997, he was appointed by Nigerian Tribune as editor of the Tribune on Saturday, a position he held until he moved to the United States of America in 1998.

In the United States, he worked as a journalist with the Philadelphia Inquirer and New York Newsday. He also served at the United Nations as a Press Officer and later as an Advocacy and Communication Consultant. He was also the Bureau Chief of The Guardian in North America and the Executive Director of the Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans, CANAN.

Mr. Akande taught at the State University of New York at Stonybrook and also Suffolk County Community College in Long Island, New York between 2002 and 2015.
Ipaye and Akande have been working with Vice President Osinbajo since the inception of the present Administration.


Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)

September 3, 2015
 

Photos: Kaduna residents file out to give Buhari a rousing welcome

Posted: 03 Sep 2015 02:47 PM PDT

 President Buhari arrived the state this evening on a visit. More photos after the cut...

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