Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog |
- Choi! Between Lere Olayinka and Japheth Omojuwa
- It's a girl for Lami Phillips!
- Lol. See this guy's response after a twitter user said his mother can get it..
- First photos from Simi Esiri's sister's white wedding
- A word for the Northern minorities: We are with you! - FFK
- Man City defender Kolarov loses front tooth during epic derby battle today (photos)
- Grandpa duties! RMD shares photos of his adorable granddaughter
- Stephanie Linus & her husband stare lovingly at each other as they attend movie premier
- Kim Kardashian steps out with her boobs on display...once again
- Genevieve Nnaji arrives Canada in style for TIFF (photo)
- Furious Chinese wife beats the daylight out of husband's mistress (Photos/Video)
- Singer Simi shares cute new photos
- Man says he'll never date a feminist and the internet roasts him
- Annie Idibia shares cute throwback pic of herself with 2face
- Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola hug and make up at Manchester derby (photos)
- See what happened in the VVIP room & after-party of 'The Wedding Party' Tiff premiere
- Photos: Residents nab a member of armed robbery gang terrorizing their community in Owerri, Imo State
- Man U 1-2 Man City (Pep Guardiola defeats Mourinho to paint Manchester blue)
- Amazing story! Father narrates how his premature child drew him closer to God
- Give your acne prone skin the right solution...
- Actress Chike Ike releases beautiful new photos
- The true meaning of recession by Reuben Abati
- Rapper Bobby Shmurda agrees to plea deal on conspiracy charges, to serve 7 years in prison
- Why Moringa is the next best thing in weight loss
- Photos: Channels TV correspondent marries the police officer who helped her during a bomb blast in Borno
| Choi! Between Lere Olayinka and Japheth Omojuwa Posted: 10 Sep 2016 12:59 PM PDT |
| It's a girl for Lami Phillips! Posted: 10 Sep 2016 11:14 AM PDT  |
| Lol. See this guy's response after a twitter user said his mother can get it.. Posted: 10 Sep 2016 11:12 AM PDT |
| First photos from Simi Esiri's sister's white wedding Posted: 10 Sep 2016 11:06 AM PDT |
| A word for the Northern minorities: We are with you! - FFK Posted: 10 Sep 2016 10:57 AM PDT  Blessed be the name of the Most High God, the God whose I am and the God whom I serve, blessed be His holy name forever. Mr. Chairman, our Royal fathers, my Lords spiritual and temporal, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, all protocols observed.Let me begin by thanking you for your invitation and for all your love. It is indeed a privilage and an honor for me to be here today and I am deeply humbled and touched. I crave your indulgence to permit me to share a few things with you before I get to the main thrust of my speech in an attempt to explain precisely what my links with the northern minorities are and to show you why I can never leave you. My home is in the north. I have lived here for the last 14 years of my life. I know the history of the north, and indeed the history of every part of Nigeria, very well. This is because I made a point of studying and researching that history over the last 35 years. That is why I know and understand the mindset of, for example, the Fulani so well. I know that they are not indigenous Nigerians like you and I but rather strangers and aliens that, approximately 211 years ago, came from a distant and desolate land called the Vulture Mountains in Futa Jalon, which is in modern-day Guniea. It is because I know and say these things that some of them hate me so much and will do anything to stop, silence, discredit, destroy or even kill me. Yet I know that I cannot die before my time or before work on earth is done and neither can I be destroyed because I am covered by the blood of Jesus. Despite their obvious malice and evil intentions for me I do not hate them because we are compatriots. Hate is a corrosive and self-destructive quality: it wounds and ultimately destroys the hater far sooner and in a much more profound way than it does the object of his hate. I therefore choose to return their hatred with love. It is not the Fulani that I hate but rather what they are doing to our people in Nigeria today and indeed what they have been doing to us over the last 211 years since they arrived in this country. In any case we are all Nigerians, even though some of us came to these shores much sooner than others. We must endeavour to live in love and peace with one another, including the Fulani, and that has always been my position. Permit me to make a confession to you today: I actually have Fulani blood running through my veins because my great grandmother was a pure Fulani woman from Sokoto. She married my maternal great grandfather, who was a Yoruba Muslim from Ilesha, and she moved to the southwest with him. How can I then hate myself? I may not have much Fulani blood in me but I am very proud of the little that I have and I would be the last to deny it. I am even prouder of my Yoruba bloodlines and heritage which are Ile-Ife, Ijesha, Egba and Isale Eko. The way the average Fulani man feels about his Muslim faith is the way I feel about my Christian one. I have no apology for that. Just as he fears ethnic and religious domination and he rejects subjugation, intimidation and marginalisation, sometimes with aggression and passion, is the same way that I do. That is why I can boldly say that I consider it a solemn duty to point out the consistent excesses of the Fulani in Nigeria and particularly their ill-treatment of the northern minority groups over the years. My history and link with the northern minorities did not begin with me. It started a generation before me. I say this because my late father of blessed memory, the Balogun of Ife and the former Deputy Premier of the old Western Region of Nigeria, Chief Remilekun Adetokunboh Fani-Kayode QC, SAN, CON had a unique, deep and profound relationship with the northern minorities throughout his long and distinguished political and legal career. For example he represented them and spoke for them under the banner of the Action Group at the famous Willicks Commission in 1957 when they were agitating for the creation of a Middle Belt region which was to be carved out of the old Northern Region. It was my father, as lead counsel, that argued the case for the northern minorities at the public hearing. Sadly the British authorities refused to grant it as a result of strong pressure from the Fulani ruling class and traditional rulers and their political allies in the old Northern Peoples Congress. Yet ever since that time my family ties and passion for the horrendous plight of the people of the Middle Belt has been very strong. This was why my father forged such a strong bond and deep relationship with the late Governor Aper Aku of Benue state in the Second Republic and indeed represented him in court on numerous occassions, pro bono, when his gubernatorial mandate was challenged. My second link with the northern minorities is of a more personal nature and it is as follows. Madame Saratu 'Baby' Atta, who is the mother of my first child Folake, is the daughter of the late Alhaji Adamu Atta, the former Governor of the old Kwara state, who was a distinguished elder-statesman and proud Ebira man. The Attas are indeed the royal family of the Ebira people of the Middle Belt and it is an honor for me to be associated with them in this way. My third link with the northern minorities is the fact that the principal of the Action Faith Bible Seminary in Accra, Ghana, where I studied for my degree in theology 23 years ago, was a distinguished and well-respected northern Christian from Kaduna state by the name of Pastor Abubakar Bako. Bako, who was a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University in the 1980's, was compelled to flee from Nigeria to Ghana (where he lives till today) when the Muslim fundamentalists tried to kill him and his entire family for daring to share the word of God and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ on campus. They accused him of blasphemy, attacked him and left him for dead. Thankfully he survived the attack and he lived to continue to do God's work. He is a deeply courageous man who has suffered many tribulations and made great sacrifices over the years for the Body of Christ and the Christian faith and he is undoubtedly one of God's "end-time generals". He is also a great Prophet, an extraordinary teacher and a living legend in Pentecostal and Evangelical circles. He was my mentor when it came to the things of God and, like Paul did with Gamaliel, I learnt the scriptures at his feet. I lived in his house in Accra for two years whilst I studied at the Bible seminary where he was Principal and he taught me much of what I know about the Living God. My fourth link with the northern miniroties is rooted in the ugly and sad events surrounding the first coup d'etat that ever took place in our country during the First Republic. It was a northern minorities officer (from present-day Taraba state) by the name of Captain Takoda, under the command and instruction of another northern minorities officer (from present-day Plateau state) by the name of Lt. Col. Yakubu Jack Gowon, that saved my fathers life during the bloody mutiny and military coup of Jan. 15th 1966. It was also a northern minorities officer (from present-day Kogi state) by the name of Lt. Col. Dixon, who was the Airport Commandant at Lagos Airport in Ikeja in 1967, that smuggled my father on the plane and safely out of the country into self-imposed exile in the UK, after orders were issued to "shoot him on sight" by the Military Governor of the old Western Region, Lt Col. Adeyinka Adebayo. In view of all of the foregoing it is clear that I owe the northen minorities so much and I love them as much as I love the south where I come from. I also identify strongly with their suffering and I appreciate the barbarity and injustice of the ruthless persecution that they have been subjected to from those that have kept them in bondage and subjugation for over 200 years. As a matter of fact I regard myself as being as much of a northern Christian as anyone else in this forum and when one of our own is killed by the islamists and terrorists in our country it hurts and pains me to the very marrow. These are my people that are being slaughtered as much as they are yours. If Nigeria were ever to break up we will ensure that the northern minorities and the Middle Belt come with the south. We will never leave you in the hands of our collective enemies and we will never abandon you. When Nigeria is either redefined or restructured: that is when your true liberation begins. When it comes to suffering injustice, marginalisation, mass murder, ethnic cleansing and genocide you have suffered more than any other. It is only the Igbo people of the south-east that have been subjected to the kind of wickedness that your people have been subjected to by the Nigerian state and those that have controlled it since independence. The only difference is that they literally took your identities away from you whilst they couldn't do that to the Igbo who, till today, are still fighting hard for self-determination. It is our intention to right the wrongs of the past and to help to liberate you. It is our intention to encourage and support you in your quest for emancipation and freedom in this historic fight. My links with the northern minorities are deep, spiritual and unbreakable. As I said earlier, it did not begin with me but with my father. My family owe you everything because your leaders and forefathers saved my fathers life on at least two occassions. My links with you cannot be broken by any force on earth and I will always stand for you and defend you as much as I will stand for and defend the rights of the oppressed and marginalised people of the south. We are together in our struggles and we must never forget that or allow our collective adversaries to divide us. It is self-evident that the Christians of the north need our help and support and more importantly they deserve it. They deserve to be treated with dignity, respect and decorum by all, including their northern Muslim brothers. They deserve to he able to live in peace anywhere in the north and to be able to buy land and build their churches and schools where they please. They do not deserve to be treated with contempt and disdain and to be referred to as "arne" or "infidels and unbelievers" at every point in time. This is all the more so because they are the true believers and the sons and daughters of the Living God. They must no longer be subjected to persecution, discrimination, ethnic cleansing, genocide and mass murder by those that wish to wipe out their faith and subject them to bondage, servitude and slavery in perpetuity. The people of the south particularly have a duty to step up to the plate and reach out to them in love and with compassion. There can be no gainsaying the fact that when we go out of our way as a people to care for the weakest, the most vulnerable, the most deprived, the most abused, the most traumatised, the most villified, the most cheated, the most ridiculed, the most persecuted, the most misunderstood and the supposedly most "undeserving" in our society it says a lot about us. When we kill them like flies and treat them with contempt, hate and insensitivity or like animals it means that we are no better than beasts ourselves. No matter how you may feel about an individual or an entire race of people and no matter what challenges they may be passing through, we must show them love and treat them with the compassion and kindness that they deserve. That is God's law and that is what distinguishes us from animals and makes us human beings. Permit me to share the profound and prophetic words of Mrs. Love Zidon who is one of the members of this distinguished forum. She said, "We have decided to raise our heads up high in this country to walk as Christians. The law of retribution shall be activated on anyone that touches God's own". What a lady! She is indeed a true Daughter of Zion and she is absolutely right. God shall punish and destroy those that seek to kill our people and torment our lives. Yet together we shall prevail and God will shame our collective enemies, bring them to their knees and strip them bare. Finally please bear the following in mind. If you remember nothing else that I have said here today at least rememember this: that we, the oppressed, despised and marginalised people of Nigeria who our internal colonial masters regard as being nothing more than chattel and slaves, are with you and we feel and share your pain. We are bound together by the precious blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and therefore we feel and share your suffering. We feel and share your shame. We feel and share your consistent humiliation and persecution. Yet no matter how dark the night, joy comes in the morning. No matter how bad things get, always hold your heads up high, never bow before them, never show them fear, never let them break you and always remember that our God is mighty and that it shall be well. No mattter what violence they inflict upon you, no matter what indignities they subject you and yours to and no matter who or what they take away from you never forget that on Christ the solid rock we stand, all other ground is sinking sand: all other ground is sinking. Never forget that He who created the universe and holds it together by the power of His word and that He that is known as the Alpha and the Omega, the Ancient of Days, the Lord God of Hosts, the Elohim, the Adonai and the King of King is with you. He has made us the head and not the tail. He has removed our rags, placed a crown on our heads and dressed us in purple and gold. We are Kings and Queens and warriors of the faith. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are a Royal priesthood, a holy nation and, at the appointed time, we shall have the fat of the land, we shall rule over the Amalekites and the uncircumcised Phillistines and we shall prevail. God bless you all. God bless this forum and be rest assured that I shall never leave you. Shalom. |
| Man City defender Kolarov loses front tooth during epic derby battle today (photos) Posted: 10 Sep 2016 10:54 AM PDT    Caballero captioned the image: 'Amazing game 2-1 against United at Old Trafford. In this picture with one of my warriors. Can you find the only thing He lost today.' |
| Grandpa duties! RMD shares photos of his adorable granddaughter Posted: 10 Sep 2016 10:52 AM PDT |
| Stephanie Linus & her husband stare lovingly at each other as they attend movie premier Posted: 10 Sep 2016 07:41 AM PDT   |
| Kim Kardashian steps out with her boobs on display...once again Posted: 10 Sep 2016 07:37 AM PDT   |
| Genevieve Nnaji arrives Canada in style for TIFF (photo) Posted: 10 Sep 2016 07:34 AM PDT  |
| Furious Chinese wife beats the daylight out of husband's mistress (Photos/Video) Posted: 10 Sep 2016 07:24 AM PDT  Video posted to Chinese video sharing site, Miaopai, shows a scorned Chinese wife dishing out a sound beating to her husband's mistress while the unfortunate woman cries and cowers. The husband even tried to break up the one-sided fight but nothing was going to come in between his wife's wrath and his mistress. At a point the furious wife even attempts to strip the mistress and succeeds in revealing her underwear before a policeman appeared to break up the scene. More photos and the video after the cut.       |
| Singer Simi shares cute new photos Posted: 10 Sep 2016 07:23 AM PDT   |
| Man says he'll never date a feminist and the internet roasts him Posted: 10 Sep 2016 07:19 AM PDT  A certain prince charming by the name of Dave Hon wrote an entire article on why he was unlikely to date a feminist in a column titled Why I'll Never Date A Feminist. His piece went viral and going by the responses it received, feminists aren't keen to jump into bed with him either. See the article and responses below. If you look for a reason to hate men, chances are you're going to find it. The truth is, I don't blame women, (especially in my generation) for hating men. They've been told there's a wage gap (I disagree).That there's a culture of rape on college campuses (I also disagree). And the patriarchy is keeping them oppressed in almost every facet of their lives (I really, really disagree.) Political issues have been creeping into the bedroom. Now, they're in romance. Because of the hateful culture, men are now demanding "consent texts" on campus before engaging in raunchy, post-party one night stands. Men's Rights Activists have taken flight with a new philosophy called "Red Pill" which aims to point out how derogatory, hypocritical and vindictive third-wave feminists can be. No doubt, there are men who should be buried underneath the prison. There's plenty of examples of how the justice system has failed victims. But, it also fails men. The Father's Rights Movement reports that only 14 percent of custodial parents are fathers. Mothers are more likely to be awarded child support. Women are more likely to graduate college, they live longer, are less likely to die in the workplace, less likely to go to prison and extremely less likely to die in war-time combat. When it comes to dating, I don't care about any of that. Unless you do. I used to think dating across the political aisle was not only possible, but practical. Hell, if James Carville and Mary Matalin can get along, I can date someone who thinks my genitals automatically give me privileges that they don't have, right? Wrong. People who are more loyal to their gender and not their significant other don't make good partners. They will always look at you as inherently more fortunate than them. They've bought into the "battle of the sexes" mentality and it often pervades their perceptions of romance. Romance turns into a power struggle rather than a partnership. There are complex advantages and disadvantages to being a man or a woman in America. No doubt, men enjoy privileges that women don't but that boat goes both ways. The truth is, these aren't political issues, but deeply personal ones. Often times, anti-male or anti-female rhetoric is rooted in a previous bad experience. They're cultural opinions that reflect our world views, and thusly, affect how we want to raise our families. Now that America is more politically divided than ever, it's impossible to date someone with staunchly different ideals than you. It's a shame, really, that this divide is widening between the sexes. It's evident that gender politics is hurting our culture. More marriages are failing and women are reporting that they're unhappier now than ever. Perhaps in several decades this won't be the case. Maybe one day, men and women will stop trying to eliminate the lines between us and realize it's the differences between the sexes that make romance, family and love an enjoyable experience. The responses from some tweeter users below...       |
| Annie Idibia shares cute throwback pic of herself with 2face Posted: 10 Sep 2016 07:17 AM PDT  |
| Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola hug and make up at Manchester derby (photos) Posted: 10 Sep 2016 07:02 AM PDT |
| See what happened in the VVIP room & after-party of 'The Wedding Party' Tiff premiere Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:59 AM PDT  The Elfike Film Collective's 'The Wedding Party' opened the Spotlight City to City programme at the Toronto International Film Festival with a star-studded, sold out premiere that brought Africa's best known names including Richard Mofe-Damijo, Sola Sobowale, Alibaba, Iretiola Doyle, Banky W, and Adesua Etomi. Other special guests included Selma's David Oyeowo and Toronto Raptors President, Masai Urjiri. "The popularity of Nigerian film has been on a steady incline over the last few years," comments Executive Producer, Mo Abudu. "More and more global audiences are recognizing the quality of film that comes from the third largest film industry in the world. It was a true honour to have Nigerian film spotlighted in the festival programme and I am truly thrilled to hear such positive feedback from the TIFF global audience."And positive feedback from the TIFF global audience it was. The over 1400 guests of the premiere laughed, sang and applauded the film during its air. Cast members were greeted with thunderous applause during the credits. Written by playwright Tosin Otudeko and Kemi Adetiba, 'The Wedding Party' is an Elfike Film Collective production – a first of its kind initiative designed to raise the bar in African storytelling through unrivalled technical achievement in filmmaking and creative media arts. Elfike Film Collective is a collaboration of Africa's leading powerhouses - EbonyLife Films, FilmOne Distribution, Inkblot Productions and Koga Studios. It is the first time industry giants will partner on a film project and with TIFF's recognition is proving that Collectives can grow and prosper the continent's film community. "This will be the second time an EbonyLife movie is selected to screen at an International Film Festival of great repute", adds Abudu. "TIFF's selection of 'The Wedding Party' is a true honour." I can't think of a better place, or a better global audience for the film's festival." ''The Wedding Party' will continue to screen at the 41st Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, September 9 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 18 at 9:45 a.m. The movie will subsequently get its World Nigerian premiere in Lagos at The Landmark Centre, Lekki, Lagos, on the 20th of November, 2016. For more information about The Wedding Party, visit www.theweddingpartymovies.com and be part of the Twitter conversation, follow us @TWPMovie and/ or Instagram @weddingpartymovie. Official hashtag is #TheWeddingPartyMovie More photos....                                        |
| Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:54 AM PDT   The suspect is said to be among a gang of robbers who terrorize residents of the area which is highly commercialized. Yesterday, he and his gang members went to the area to rob and residents who were mostly youths gave them the chase of their lives. Three of the robbers escaped while one was apprehended. He was seriously beaten up before he was handed over to the police...    |
| Man U 1-2 Man City (Pep Guardiola defeats Mourinho to paint Manchester blue) Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:58 AM PDT   Mourinho benched Mata, and surprisingly Rashford and started Lingard in the English youngster's place. Guardiola opted to start Kelechi Iheanacho for the suspended Aguero. Man City started with much more possession and passes and got their reward in the 15th minute as a headed pass from Iheanacho found Kevin De Bruyne who made Daley Blind look like an amateur defender as he left him in his wake and then slotted the ball into the bottom left corner.  Man U 0- 1 Man City. Mkhitaryan was flagged for offside as he chased the ball through the centre. He didn't hear the whistle,and went down under a challenge from Claudio Bravo to appeal for a penalty, but none was forthcoming. Man U was being outnumbered in the midfield department and had withdrawn into their own half at the first 30 minutes. Valencia was targeted as a weakness and was run ragged. Man City players were dominating, Man U had no answer. Lingard and Mkhitaryan were lazy, slow and poignant on the ball and their final thought process was lacking. Then in the 36th minute, Man U's old Trafford supporters were stunned. United's defenders stood motionless as Kevin De Bruyne picked up the ball in the penalty area and fired towards the bottom left-hand corner. The ball hit the foot of the upright and rebounded to Iheanacho who then slotted into the open net, a goal that might have been ruled as offside. Man U 0-2 Man City. Then in the 42nd minute , the unexpected happened. Claudio Bravo Man City's new goalkeeper under pressure from John Stones, flapped at the ball and it broke to Zlatan Ibrahimovic who volleyed the ball into the net from a very tight angle. Only a very good footballer could shoot at first touch and score from such a tight angle. Nice one Zlat! Man U 1-2 Man City. Man U tried to score again and Bravo made another mistake but Ibrahimovic could only play a tame shot directly to the post. The second half started with two changes as predicted. Jose Mourinho introduced Marcus Rashford and Ander Herrera for Mhikitaryan and Lingard who were sloppy and ineffective in the first half. Immediately Rashford swung into action, went through the left wing and gave a pass to Ibrahimovic which the Swede shot off target. Man U seemed more confident and it seemed whatever Mourinho told his players at half time worked. Valencia was charging through the right while Rashford was menacing through the left. It was now wonderful end to end football, a pleasant spectacle for the neutrals. Man U attacked and defended , Man City attacked and defended. De Gea created wonderful play and sent Rashford gadding down the left flank with a wonderful pass. His attempt to pick out Ibrahimovic with a fine cross was cut out by Fernando's crucial interception. Mourinho then introduced Martial for Shaw, Mourinho not wanting to lose this match took initiative and played with three defenders , with Rashford now playing centrally alongside Ibrahimovic while Martial played through the left interchanging at times to the right. Mourinho wanted to win this, the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson could be seen nodding his head in disapproval, he couldn't believe the scoreline. 90 minutes with 5 minutes additional time. Mourinho was here fighting for a draw, Guardiola could feel a win, he had it in sight. Counter attacking move- Rashford to Rooney to Valencia to Pogba to Ibrahimovic whose shot was deflected for a corner. 93 minutes- two minutes to go. United were on the ascendancy and Rooney decided to launch a free-kick, Fellaini to Ibrahimovic to Pogba, the keeper Bravo scrambled for the ball, could this be the last chance, Stones was seen controlling the defence line. End! Manchester has been painted in full blue, at least till next year. Man City have now won four wins in four games, one could say City were worthy winners. Full time : Man U 1-2 Man City. Mourinho 0- 1 Guardiola       |
| Amazing story! Father narrates how his premature child drew him closer to God Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:38 AM PDT   This was the beginning of a new me, the process of change, redemption ,salvation or simply put , Getting closer to God. My daughter was born on the 3rd of March 2002 . 5 months and 2 weeks of pregnancy. She was premature. I had just finished my overnight or 2nd job as a bouncer in a club in Germany. She weighed 790grams, not even 1kg.   On seeing her tiny structure inside the incubator , I cried like I never cried before. I asked God , why , why me ? After crying out my heart , I realized only a miracle could save her . She is the reason till today , why my faith in God is so strong . I laid my hands over her and prayed. I did not know what to pray about , but I prayed my pains onto God and begged God not to allow my sins / punishment for my numerous transgressions be passed unto my little girl. I made a vow to God . 3 days later I went and paid the vow to my Church to be passed unto the poor and needy . My Pastor prayed with me. I prayed that my daughter would leave that Hospital without complications hence the vow/ deal with God . My daughter is 14+ years old now , straight A student , speaks 3 international languages already , and she left that Hospital without complications what else can I say . My pain as I saw it then was actually God's way of drawing me closer to come to know him and have faith in him to prepare me for the movement that was to come . This was the day that the destiny of Judo Movement was redirected from waywardness back to the narrow path of Christ #tbt #Godisgood #judomovement |
| Give your acne prone skin the right solution... Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:30 AM PDT  The good news is that no matter your skin complexion, there is a permanent solution to acne prone skin types! Mecran Dark Spot Remover is everything you need to clear those blemishes within 4 to 8 weeks permanently! Licorice extract is the powerful clinically approved ingredient in Mecran Dark Spot Remover that combats dark spots and stubborn acnes effectively!  The Mecran Dark Spot Remover is available for purchase! Nationwide pay on delivery options are available! Visit www.mecran.com or contact the following to place your orders; |
| Actress Chike Ike releases beautiful new photos Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:23 AM PDT |
| The true meaning of recession by Reuben Abati Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:18 AM PDT  There have been interesting arguments over Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun's observation that "recession is just a word", and NAN MD, Bayo Onanuga claiming that reports of hardship in the land is exaggerated propaganda. I think we need to break down the subject further from a layman's perspective. Recession is a word, no doubt, but it is more than a word, it is an experience: the experience that the majority of Nigerians is going through.If you are at a significant remove from that experience, it may be difficult to know how it feels, and if you are an economist, you are likely to be conveniently obsessed with textbook ideas. Recession is when Nigerians begin to shift the traditional dates for social parties. You know we love parties a lot. Virtually every weekend, there is one party or the other, very loud celebrations where people wear the famous aso ebi, and the Naira becomes a flying object, being thrown all over the place, at the musician, the celebrant, and her friends and family, with so much joy floating in the air, and plates of jolloff rice, eaten half way and left to waste, area boys having their own share of the fun, and Nigerians showing the world that life is indeed for the living. Sometimes, these parties make no sense: imagine a man throwing a big party to "turn the back" of his great grandfather who died 50 years ago (!) – a great grandfather he never knew, or a lavish party to celebrate the purchase of a second-hand car. Those things are very rare these days. And when some parties are held, the date on the invitation card is during the week: can you imagine being invited to a wedding on a Monday? I have seen that happen. The event was over and done with before 5 pm. Smart way to save money in a season of recession. There were guests of course, but not the kind of crowd you'd get at a typical Nigerian party on a Friday or Saturday. The celebrants actually confessed they didn't have the means to feed too many people. That is what recession has done. Nobody boasts anymore about "declaring surplus" - a once-upon-a-time very famous phrase in this country! When I was much younger, my friends and I used to gate-crash parties. Bored, with not much to do, we would dress up and go from one party to the other. It was called "mo gbo mo ya" – I heard and I came. In those days, all you needed was to go to a party to which you had not been invited, and without knowing anybody, you took a seat and before long, someone would come along and ask if you had eaten. In a matter of minutes, whatever you wanted would be placed before you. Drinks? Some friends used to boast about "finishing" a carton of beer, and they would have their fill and quietly sneak away. Try that these days and you would know that recession is more than a word. Virtually every party is now strictly by invitation. Even when it is not boldly stated on the invitation card, you'd get to know the truth when you attempt to gate-crash. Parties are now organized with such strict protocols, it is like trying to access Aso Villa. You would be screened, your bag will be checked, and don't think it is Boko Haram attack they are afraid of, they just want to be sure you are not gate-crashing, and if you don't have an invitation card, you would of course be turned back. There are some exceptions of course, where the protocol is a matter of security: particularly at those parties where there would be many VIPs. Nigerian VIPs don't like to mix with just anybody. Even if you manage to gatecrash, nobody will attend to you. What operates at parties these days, is a KYG (Know-Your-Guest) system. After sitting down, someone has to identify you as his or her guest. You don't get served food, unless your host or hostess gives specific instructions. And you can't drink a carton of beer anymore at your host's expense! I certainly can't remember when last I saw anyone getting drunk at other people's expense at a party. Even close friends of celebrants, the ones who are a bit comfortable, go to parties these days with their own small cooler of drinks. The celebrant will offer you one or two bottles. If you want more than that, the ushers could become hostile or they could tell you pointedly: "drinks have finished." I have had on one occasion to give the ushers, money to go and get me the drink of my choice. But once upon a time in this country, drinks don't stop flowing at parties. The host will be so ashamed he or she would order more drinks and apologize to no end. Where I come from, local women used to go to parties with cellophane bags, hidden away somewhere, and when they are served food, they would pull out the cellophane bag and pour food into it, all of that is done under the table. Next thing: they will start harassing the ushers: "we have not eaten here oh. Nobody has given us drinks: drinks they have moved to their collection cellophane bags! But party organizers have also learnt to be vigilant: they serve table to table; map out the space carefully and monitor the tables. Before 2019, perhaps a time will come when ushers will take your photograph, or there will be CCTV monitors at social events, just so you don't come back and say you have not been served. That is change. That is recession. If you are a man-about-town, you can't fail to notice this: that something has indeed changed in the social circuit. But there is that one per cent crowd, whose pockets are still so deep, if you get invited to their parties, it is like going to a surplus-declaration event, what Nigerians call "too much money." Even that is changing though, people are learning to be careful, so they don't get invited to come and explain how they came about so much money. Recession is when you now read in the newspapers virtually every week about people committing suicide. Nigerians are so fun-loving we were once described as the happiest people on earth. Right now, we will fail the test. Suicide used to be so rare in this country. It was considered impossible. Why would anyone want to kill himself? I used to hear people say: "eba is sweet oh, I can't come and die" or "life is for the living", or "e go better". People are not so sure anymore. In the past month, there have been reports about two foreigners doing business in Nigeria who have also committed suicide. Every reported suicide in recent times, has been tied, one way or the other, to the recession in the country. One man had an argument with his wife over school fees and housekeeping money and he went and ended it all. Another man actually left a note saying he had to kill himself because there is too much hardship in the country. Marriages are collapsing. Domestic violence is on the rise. Husbands that are out of work can no longer maintain their families, they can't pay school fees, they have become useless in their own homes, they are helpless. Their wives want to leave, even when they are not too sure of the next destination. There are at least two celebrated cases of women who have either slain their husbands or wounded them badly. In both cases, there was that notorious thing about a second woman in the background. Sharing what is not enough for one person with another woman, in a season of recession, could be a crime, but the biggest dysfunction is that of the pocket. One woman, a lawyer oh (!) stabbed her husband in the neck. Another after having sex with her husband, and putting him to sleep, got a machete and butchered him. The man is presently in what Yorubas call, "boya o ma ku, boya o maa ye" condition. Whether he would live or die is uncertain. Recession is when companies are retrenching everyday or closing shop and SMEs are dying. In the last one year, high unemployment figures have been announced. Banks have had to shed weight; the foreign exchange crisis has forced many companies to downsize or abandon Nigeria, investors are taking their funds out of the country, many states of the Federation are so much in distress, they have stopped paying salaries. Civil servants cannot even afford a bag of rice, because their minimum wage is N18, 000 and a bag of rice is N22, 000 or higher in some places. Recession is when Nigerians now steal pots of soup and basic food items, and they can't buy rams for Sallah, and they are told "don't worry, change begins with you!" Every worker who has lost his or her job in the last one year is not the only one affected, the knock-on effect has brought anguish to other dependants, who now have a bread-winner behaving like a bread seeker. That is recession. That is hardship. Recession is when enjoyment spots that used to be filled up every Friday evening are now empty. Nigerians used to celebrate what they call "Thank God it is Friday." In Lagos, Friday evenings used to be the boys' night. Husbands didn't go home early. These days, husbands go home early and Fridays have become slightly boring. Recession is when prostitutes reduce their charges. I have it on good authority, from those who know, that even prostitutes have had to embrace change. And old girlfriends now demand pension benefits. Recession is when families which used to run the generator 24 hours and boast that their children can't stand heat, have had to adjust, and run the generator only from 12 midnight, or before. Recession is when men come out and complain that their wives no longer allow them to touch them: "Are you mad? With the way things are, all you think of is sex?" Kama Sutra rites are best enjoyed only in happy lands. Recession is when in spite of all this, the breweries in Nigeria are posting unbelievable record profits and smiling to the banks. The men go home and privately drown their sorrow in bottles. Mrs Adeosun, this is the true meaning of recession. |
| Rapper Bobby Shmurda agrees to plea deal on conspiracy charges, to serve 7 years in prison Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:17 AM PDT  Rapper Bobby Shmurda, 22, will be serving a minimum of 7 years in prison after he agreed to a plea deal on charges of conspiracy and possession of a weapon. Bobby had a choice to turn down the plea deal and go on trial but if he'd been found guilty, he would have been sentenced to decades in jail, so he instead took the advise of his lawyer. The rapper, whose hit song 'Hot Boy' made him a household name was arrested in December 2014 alongside 15 other Brooklyn street gang members involved in violent drug wars, murder and attempted murder.Bobby has been in prison for 20 months so that will be taken into account when a release date is set. So he will basically be in prison for a little over 5 years. |
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:01 AM PDT  "There was a bomb blast. He helped us. We were displaced from our home. He helped my camera man and I. He gave us a temporary shelter for a night and then we became friends. Today we are married"she said   |
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