GMB is disconnected from Nollywood, he does not even know Nollywood exists - Charles Novia writes

 

Let us admit it – we have never seen any President so besotted with entertainment like Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, especially the movie-making sector. And this is not a satire. Yes, his detractors may point at “weakness” for entertainment as a signpost of an unserious mind frittering the commonwealth on ‘joli-joli’ matters!  

Even the opposition may grumble loudly that the lively engagement with the Nollywood is essentially exploitative and window-dressing – to the detriment of more important and critical sectors of the national economy. 

However, no one is in doubt that the life and essence the Creative wayfarers was initially ignited by Bayelsa governor, the much maligned Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, immediate boss of GEJ around year 2000. With dizzying state support and elaborate razzmatazz, the duo of Alams and GEJ wallowed in the sudden euphoria of showbiz and the attendant media opulence only comparable to IBB’s romance with PMAN’s ding-a-long of 1989 – 1992 when Tony Okoroji was the majordomo.

 

It was no surprise GEJ flowed with the momentum when fortune made him supplant Alams as Gov. of Bayelsa in December 2005. Yet, for all his enthusiasm for professional revelries, the make-believe could not have believed their luck when good ol’ providence thrusted GEJ, again, into greater prominence.  

In quick succession, he moved from Vice-President to Acting President and eventually President within years! By 2011 when he assumed office, on his own stamina, the Nollywood romance had blown out of the creek waters. The two lovebirds were careering giddily on a thoroughfare peopled with great thespians, gifted producers, immaculate directors and of course a coterie of charlatans and ‘waka-pass’.  

With technocrats within the federal service and the movie industry, different modules of foundational interventions were crafted – and cash-backed like never before. Millions of naira were mentioned, which ballooned, to the consternation of nay-sayers, to billions of naira in creative “stimulus packages”. In the past ten years of GEJ’s unstinted romance with a powerful sector of the entertainment community, it is very uncharitable (even for inveterate detractors) to say that Jonathan has not “performed”. You may quarrel with the impact or management of his interventions; you may yap him and his people for mystifying the process and access to the several GEJ interventions in the Artsworld.  

 

You may claim he has lost similar interest or attention to details in other critical sectors of the Nigerian state. However, no ONE can simply dismiss his unprecedented regard, affinity and seeming devotion to the people, practice and promise of Nigeria’s movie-making community and allied sectors. In his six years as President, GEJ has arguably awarded more national honours to our artistes than all the past regimes rolled together!

 

So, when you hear and see leading lights of Nollywood rooting aggressively for GEJ; when you read famed voices shouting on the roof of their cyper-pages and declaring the ceaseless glory of GEJ; when you read otherwise quiet prima-donnas spit fire and engage in internet-‘gra-gra’ with many of their tele-fans…for the sake of their beloved Moses (Jonathan) – you really must understand and appreciate their position – enlightened self-interest (a completely natural instinct). 

 

They are not ‘bought’, ‘turn-coats’ or ‘ass-licking’ – against their will or legacy. They simply are paying good back to the man who has brought them a load of luck – and thus enhancing their means of livelihood, and embellishing their relevance. No pun intended. This 2015 presidential election is a watershed for Nollywood. They cannot see anything in the “Change”-troopers to indicate that their groovy-train will go on; GMB has not even for once coughed about any plans for Nollywood, one of the major revelations of the 2014 rebasing parameters! It does appear that GMB does not even know that Nollywood exists – beyond gyrations at campaign rallies! So, stop yakking at Nollywooders if they have little or no sympathies for GMB – he is disconnected from them in the past decade, at least. And within that same period, GMB’s main opponent has been their God-sent. Most assuredly I say to you: a good friend is difficult to find – and keep; Nollywood can’t afford to lose this Goodluck. God forbid!!

Gang kills 68-year-old for hitting man with fetish ring

 

A gang in the Ketu area of Lagos State has tortured to death a 68-year-old man, Nasirudeen Ajawesola, for allegedly hitting a resident of the area with a fetish ring.

 

It was gathered that the resident, who could not be identified as of press time, subsequently fell unconscious. The incident happened on Osokoya Street, Ketu.

 

The police were, however, able to apprehend a member of the group, Abiola Ogunmola, who was the elder brother of the resident.

 

It was gathered that on the fateful day, the deceased’s first son, a vulcaniser, had ran home to call his father to report that he was being forced to participate in a community work going on in the area.

NDLEA nabs two friends for drug trafficking

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have recovered 19.8 kilogrammes of dried weeds, said to be cannabis sativa, from two friends; 30-year-old Sandra Ebere and Maureen Obidike, 33. 

The suspects were arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos State during the screening of passengers on an Etihad flight en route to Dubai, United Arab Emirate.

 

It was learnt that the drug was packaged into about 80 parcels and concealed inside foodstuffs and bottles.

 

Ebere, who studied Economics, told investigators that her travel agent in Dubai directed her to smuggle the drug as a prerequisite for a free visa.

Painter arraign in court for raping three-year-old

The police have arraigned 25-year-old painter, Hamzat Afeez, for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl in the Egbeda area of Lagos State.  He was arraigned on one count of rape at the Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court.

 

Afeez allegedly took the victim’s younger sister into his room while their mother washed clothes in the house.  The victim was said to have followed Afeez into his room in a bid to play with her sister.  The suspect was said to have used this opportunity and raped her.

I have 60 reasons not to vote President Jonathan - Wole Soyinka

 

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, speaking at the 2015 edition of the annual Visio  of the Child (VOTC) programme on Thursday in Lagos, themed ‘’The Road to Sambisa’’, disclosed he had 60 reasons not to vote for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan.

 

The 60 reasons were, however, not adumbrated.

 

Soyinka also noted he would not encourage anyone to vote for the continuation of his administration, which he concluded had failed the tenets of leadership.

UN report reveals ISIS is selling children from minorities as sex slaves, suicide bombers and crucifying them

ISIS militants are selling abducted Iraqi children at markets as sex slaves, using them as suicide bombers and killing others by crucifixion or burying them alive, a watchdog has said.

The children, who are often from the Yazidi sect or Christian communities, Shi'ites and Sunnis, are being tortured and murdered, the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child said.

A report released on Wednesday revealed a host of horrifying outcomes for the children kidnapped by the Islamic militants, including boys under-18 being used as bomb makers, informants or human shields to protect facilities against U.S.-led airstrikes. Girls are being sold as sex slaves, while children - often with learning difficulties - are being used as suicide bombers.  Others are simply being murdered, the report says.

Rihanna in the mouth of a massive white shark, as she wows in Harper's Bazaar bikini cover shoot

Rihanna wows in a new photo shoot for Harper's Bazaar magazine where she bravely swam with some rather menacing looking sharks.  

The 26-year-old is seen modeling a variety of swimwear for the March issue, with one image in particular showing her reclining in the mouth of a fake great white shark.

Hehehe! Halima Abubakar always trying to show off as a babe with the ''badest'' shape, OK o!

Photos - See Eva Longoria in a tight-fitting red dress as she attends the Cupid Valentine's Day party

 

NNPC and NPDC indicted, to return $1.48bn to the Federations accounts - Forensic Audit

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company were today indicted by the investigative forensic audit done by PriceWaterHouse Coopers over allegations of unremitted funds to the Federation Accounts.

 

The highlights of the report was released by the Auditor General for the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura, in Abuja.

 

In the report, the accounting firm asked both organizations to refund to the federation account “a minimum of $1.48bn.”

I saw Whitney and Bobby Brown smoke crack in front of Bobbi Kristina when she was 5-years-old - Whitney Houston's Chauffeur

He said: 'Bobbi always wanted to be just like her mom and now it seems she may have followed in her footsteps.

'It's heart-breaking, a real tragedy. This young girl was raised in a world no child should live in.'

Bowman says he drove Houston for two decades and witnessed first hand the singer's spiral into a drug-fueled meltdown before and after her daughter was born. 

AL Bowman, Houston’s chauffeur witnessed one of Bobbi’s first experience of drugs as a five-year-old. 

Bobbi Kristina has been taken off life support five days after she was found face-down in a bath tub

Bobbi Kristina and her mother Whitney Houston

 

The life-support machine keeping Bobbi Kristina Brown alive has been turned off.  Family members are now visiting the hospital to say their last good-bye.

 

The 21-year-old daughter of Whitney Houston was found face down in a bath-tub at the home she shared with partner Nick Gordon on Sunday. 

 

Her father Bobby Brown is at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta hospital with friends and relatives - today is his birthday.

Elections will go on as scheduled, no postponement - Council of States

The Council of State of Nigeria just announced that it has denied the proposal by President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to postpone elections. 

The elections will be held on the dates originally planned by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), on February 14th for presidential and national elections and February 28th for those of the state and local.

See Alex Ekubo's childhood photo, he looks so different!

Alex Ekubo posted this childhood photo of himself.  Hmmm! Na wah o!  Bobo look so different now! 

 



Poor Mugabe! See dramatic photos of President Robert Mugabe falling at Harare Internationa Airport

The Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe was pictured falling down the steps after addressing a crowd of his supporters who were at the Harare International Airport to welcome him from his trip to Ethiopia where he was elected the new Chairman for the African union.

Unfortunately, in descending from the podium after his speech, he missed his step and fell down.

See more photos.

Two brother, others shot dead at a rally as politician shares gifts

 

Two brothers along with three other persons have been shot dead in the Ajegunle area of Lagos after hoodlums hijacked a campaign rally while the politicians were distributing gifts to the residents.

 

PUNCH Metro learnt that the campaign rally, which was organised by a Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, went through Oduduwa and Layinka streets in the area, and moved down to Cemetery Road in Amukoko.

 

Our correspondent gathered that the rally, however, turned violent on Layinka Street when some politicians, who were said to have accompanied the Senatorial candidate, began to share out gifts.

Professional footballer jailed for being in possession of cocaine

 

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced one Umeh Henry to two years imprisonment for being in unlawful possession of cocaine.

 

Shortly before the pronouncement, the convict, while pleading with the court to temper justice with mercy, said he was a professional footballer based in Brazil.

Bobby Brown and wife visit Bobbi Kristina in hospital, as doctors claim there is little they can do for her

Bobbi Kristina's distraught father Bobby Brown was at his daughter’s bedside at Emory University Hospital on Wednesday.

The concerned father was seen walking towards the Atlanta hospital with his wife Alicia Etheredge and his daughter LaPrincia Brown, 24, in the morning.

Hiding beneath hats, the trio stayed largely silent as they walked towards the facility, where Bobbi Kristina was moved on Monday.

Hundreds of parents were thrown into panic as school wrongly sent them tests saying their children were missing

Hundreds of terrified parents were left panicking after a school wrongly reported their children were missing after accidentally sending them a bulk truancy text using its automated service.

On Monday, the parents of children at Wadebridge School in Cornwall received the text message saying their kids had not arrived for the day.

But when they frantically called the school they were told the message had been sent in error.

Kim K has done it again! She goes full frontal in explicit nude pictures for Love magazine (Adult photos pls)

Kim K has done it again.  She goes full frontal this time!

Photos leaked from upcoming edition of Love magazine shows the celebrity star standing in a doorway, with naked waxed body glistering with oil.

With hands on her hips, Kim wears a pair of geek-chic spectacles, a fur coat thrown wide open.

The picture which was shot from low down made the 34-year-old total nudity more prominent.