Why My Marriage Crashed” – Star Actress, Steph-Nora Okere

Nollywood actress Steph Nora Okere has relocated to Ibadan temporarily for the completion of her upcoming TV series.
The actress who was recently honoured by City People revealed why her wedding was cancelled about 10 years ago and why she is still single.
In her words:
Right now, I’m shooting a new series, Broken Heart in Ibadan that is coming out soon. It is my latest work. I only left the set to come down here to receive my Award from City People because I value this Award so much.
I was in the process of getting married but ended up not getting married. Where I come from, there is the process of marriage when you start the process, the Ibo people will go and make research on the other person’s background and If they find out negative things about the man or woman’s family, that means they will put an immediate stop to the marriage. That was what happened in my own case.
I was never married but the Press got me married to Lanre Falana. I was involved in a marriage process which got truncated along the line. Marriage begins with paying the woman’s dowry, traditional and white wedding. All these did not take place. My family didn’t support marrying a man who kept one woman in one place and plans keeping another one in another place. I attend Catholic church and the marriage process in Catholic, begins with the intended couples tendering a marriage certificate issued by a court to the church. This was the main reason we were in court in the first place.
We were not living together, we had an. Introduction where his family and mine were introduced to each other only. This was the beginning of our problem. For us to discover that we were not compatible. Our court marriage was in July and he went abroad in September only for him to be back a year and half later.
It has not been easy. You hardly can differentiate between a man who truly wants you as a woman because he feels for you, or one who wants to be seen with a known actress. Some men can go as far as taking a bet over you because you are a known actress. But when a good man comes around, I will settle with him. However, my Bible has not told me I can not make heaven as a single woman.
I hope to marry again when a good man comes but for now I am married to Jesus.

Source: City People

Man Commits Suicide In Ikot Ekpene By Hanging Himself On A Palm Tree

On what could be termed as tragedy, residents of Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State woke up to the news of the death of a young man Timothy Akan who apparently committed suicide by hanging on a palm tree.

What could have led the young man to take his life can’t be ascertained immediately as no note was left by him to know the reason. As at filing this report, the lifeless body of the young man was still handing on the tree along Stadium road Ikot-Abasi. Calls to the DPO to draft his men to the site has not been returned nor the FRSC Sector commander. However, only the Fire Service were willing to take down the body only if the Police gives the go ahead.

Source: Facebook

DSS Officials Resign Over Nepotism & Bad Leadership

A gale of resignation has hit the Department of State Services, DSS, in recent times, forcing the management of the service to temporarily place a moratorium on further voluntary resignation from personnel of the service. DSS OPERATIVES Investigations by Vanguard at the headquarters of the Nigerian secret police indicated that in the last 10 months, no fewer than 70 middle cadre and junior cadre officers had resigned from the service, both from the state commands and the national headquarters.

While some of the officers resigned because they got better offers of employment from, especially embassies of western nations, others resigned because of unfavourable terms of employment they alleged had pervaded the service since the take over of the present Director General of the agency, Mallam Lawal Musa Daura.
one of the staff who resigned two weeks ago, told Vanguard: “The condition of service is no longer favourable. Some allowances that we were entitled to were stopped, while others were cut in half without explanation. “Most importantly, operation allowances that we used to enjoy were stopped without any reason. And we were still expected to put in our best. If I cannot be treated well while in service, how will my family be treated well when I am dead? It’s unfortunate that I had to leave after so much has been invested in me by this country.’’
Another personnel who said he would also leave in the next few months, told Vanguard that the condition of service was no longer palatable. “During the last dispensation, the service personnel were well motivated to do their job. We embark on dangerous covert assignments to keep the nation safe and all that we get in return is insults and suspicion from the leadership of the service. Fortunately, most of us are well trained so our services are needed by those countries that helped in training us. We cannot be jobless. If you get a better offer, it’s only natural to move” he said.
Another complain given by those who left is that “there appears to be no future in remaining. When I joined the service, it was like one family. There was no regional or ethnic segmentation. What we have seen so far is perception of actions or inactions from the prism of where one comes from. We were told during training that your competence will make or mar you. That promise has been compromised.It’s no longer interesting” she said.
Vanguard gathered that at the last count, five of those personnel who left were absorbed by the American Embassy, ten by several banks and other financial institutions as head of security, while about four have joined oil companies. Worried by the steady resignation, the management of the service issued a circular through departmental heads and state Directors directing that voluntary resignation by service personnel should no longer be accepted until further notice. No member of the service was ready to speak on record and the service has no official spokesman since the last one, Marylyn Ogar left service.
However, a senior official of the service who spoke with vanguard in confidence claimed that the last dispensation exposed its personnel to unnecessary wealth “which is capable of compromising operational duties”
“There is no way the present leadership would have continued with the shenanigans that was perpetrated in the last dispensation. Apparently the leadership wants to return the service to its founding vision which is selfless service to the nation. It’s obvious that those who cannot fit in would naturally leave” he said. It will be recalled that DSS 65 cadet officers of the service who were undergoing training at the State Services Academy, SSA, in Lagos, including a sibling of the sacked former spokes person of the service, Marilyn Ogar were asked to leave in September last year, few weeks to their passing out.
No reason was given for their dismissal which was contained in a letter by the Director General of the Department of State Service, Lawal Daura. A senior officer of the service who is familiar with the matter told Vanguard then that their sack was “inevitable” because their recruitment process was “flawed.” He explained that “What happened was that recruitment of most of these cadets did not follow due process. They were brought into the service by politicians without meeting the stringent requirements set by the service in recruiting its personnel. They were dumped on the service by politicians through the active connivance of the past leadership of the service. We are re-organising the service so we cannot afford to have partisan political moles in our midst” the source said. The source who is a senior operative of the service said the process of “weeding undesirable elements” who found their way into the service was ongoing. The present leadership of the service is determined to reposition the service to its professional roles. There is nothing personal about the decision of the service. It was a very painful decision in view of the investment made on them but it was a decision that must be taken” he had said.

Ex-Beauty Queen, Regina Askia unveils new project

Former Nollywood actress, Regina Askia-Williams has released some gorgeous new photos as she re-brands for what lies ahead.

As part of her re-branding, the Ex-beauty queen launched her official website to showcase her work in health, nursing, education as well as her vibrant new image.

According to Askia, ‘I am excited about this new chapter to use my expertise to support my people in their health and lifestyle journey. My re-branding came at the appropriate time. Being a proud Nigerian and being able to really give back is eternally

Credit:

3 African Print Looks To Rock With Your Partner

African prints are in vogue! You don’t have to slay alone, you can slay with your bae….. we have got beautiful styles to match with your partner.
1. Try this agbada look with your husband, it sure looks amazing

2. Ankara-concept-inspired. This would make heads turn!

3. Jumpsuit Ankara style to slay with bae….

Nigerians Troll Senator Ben Bruce For Endorsing Buhari’s Corruption Fight

Senator Ben Bruce of the Peoples Democratic Party, took to his twitter handle to endorse the president Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption. Many of his followers could not hide their displeasure as they came at him almost immediately saying his debt issues with AMCON has made him change his position on being on the side of the masses.

He had written that the fight against corruption is not a witch-hunt but everyone who has been named should go and prove their innocence.

The admin’s anticorruption war isn’t a witch hunt. In my opinion, we need it. If you’re innocent, prove your innocence. Dont say witch hunt!

— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) August 1, 2016

And his followers seemingly displeased by the tweet didn’t waste any time in letting him know it

@benmurraybruce After reading this tweet – Dareys song came to mind – Ur not the Ben I used to know- Ur a shadow of ursef -Haba @ogeorge306

— Charles otobo (@charles_otobo) August 2, 2016

@benmurraybruce they have succeeded in caging you last last. Bring back our common sense

— Stephen Emmanuel (@Emmysteve9) August 1, 2016

@ICON_ADENUSI see all these politicians have zero integrity…. Sigh

— computer Village (@LaptopMechanic) August 2, 2016

@benmurraybruce is ur account HACKED???

— ¿? (@ciaxon) August 2, 2016

@benmurraybruce Yes, you’re right, it’s not a witch hunt. You’re more corrupt than Amaechi, Sylva, Fashola, Fayemi & other untouched APC

— OD_SIT (@I_amOD_SIT) August 2, 2016

@benmurraybruce , I totally disagree sir.Are you now saying that those that defected from PDP to APC even after elections are now saints?

— UFFIE EDISON (@UFFIEEDISON) August 1, 2016

@benmurraybruce l never knew #Debt make people think straight.. Na wa oh!! May God put all enemies of Nigeria into an uncommon Debt

— Dotcom (@onlydotcom) August 1, 2016

@benmurraybruce really and Amaechi and Fayemi and fashola are ministers even with mounting allegations and petitions with EFCC? u don fear.

— i-stev (@IsiakaSteven) August 2, 2016

@benmurraybruce The next thing we see is you Twitting Buhari is the best President ever. We need Dino in PDP tired of this complaisance

— Desmond Joyce (@DesmondNatu) August 2, 2016

@benmurraybruce I can’t believe the voice is changing to another direction🙂🙂

— Olawale Adebayo (@B_yworld) August 1, 2016

@benmurraybruce Sir, Ever since your AMCON issues, you have been highly compromised. You are no longer on the side of the Masses. #Fact

— Jaiyeoba Oluwaseyi (@afrooomedia) August 1, 2016

@benmurraybruce see as small debt don dey make uncle white banana head get plenty sense pass Mr Bean!

— Good-head (@goodhead_hills) August 1, 2016

@benmurraybruce @APCNigeria I refused to belive this is a tweet from Senator “Common Sense”…

— Orire Abdulfatah (@Oriiskyy) August 2, 2016

But he did win some over, as they praised him for his very first commonsense tweet

@benmurraybruce now I can begin taking your common sense gist seriously.

— nsisong effiong okon (@nsikool_terror) August 2, 2016

@benmurraybruce this by my judgment, is indeed the first time you will talk commonsense. All along, you were on a popularity seeking spree

— daniel nomishan (@danniboidarren) August 2, 2016

4 Things You Should Know About Dangote’s Lagos Refinery

Africa’s richest man and mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has since commenced the construction of a refinery in Lagos. Gov Akinwumi Ambode, who spoke at the LFTZ during an extensive inspection tour of the Dangote Refinery by the Togolese President, Mr. Faure Gnassingbe revealed all the benefits of the project for Lagos, Nigeria and Africa at large.

1.The Dangote Refinery being developed at the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ)  will resolve fuel supply challenge in the West African region.
2.According to Gov Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State,  the refinery being sited in Lagos was another confirmation that Lagos is a prime investment destination, as the project would positively change the face of oil and gas business in the West African region.
3.The investment (Dangote Refinery) is one of the biggest in Africa today and will have a huge impact on the economy of not only Nigeria but the whole of West African region.
4.The refinery, when completed, will be the largest single line refinery anywhere in the world refining 650,000 barrels of crude oil daily. Apart from creating jobs, this refinery will contribute immensely to solving the fuel supply challenge in the West African region.

20 Facts About New JAMB registrar Prof Ishaq Oloyede

Students of the University of Ilorin are ecstatic following the confirmation of their former Vice Chancellor as the new JAMB boss. We have put together 20 things facts about him.

Prof. Is-haq Olarewaju Oloyede was born in October 1954.
He hails from Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State.
He was a former Vice Chancellor of university of Ilorin
The University of Ilorin was ranked amongst the best in Africa under his leadership.
He had his Secondary Education from 1969-1973 at the Progressive Institute, Agege Lagos and Arabic Training Centre Agege, Lagos,(Markaz) from 1973-1976.
He later obtained a certificate in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Ibadan between 1976 and 1977.
His tertiary education began at the University of Ilorin in 1978 where he studied Arabic and was awarded a B.A. Arabic (First Class Hons) in 1981.
In July 1982 he was appointed an Assistant Lecturer in  the Department of Religions of the University.
In 1991, he had his Doctorate degree in Islamic Studies also from the University of Ilorin.
Prof. Oloyede earned several scholarships and prizes during his student days, notable among which were the Arab League prize for the best final year Certificate student in Arabic and Islamic Studies in 1977 at the University of Ibadan; Federal Government undergraduate merit award from 1979 to 1981; Department of Religions Award, University of Ilorin, 1981 and Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Award, Unilorin also in 1981.
He is a fellow of the Islamic Academy of Cambridge, United Kingdom; Fellow, Academy of Entrepreneurship; Member, Nigerian Association of Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NATAIS); Member, Editorial Board, Centre for Islamic Legal Studies, ABU, Zaria, among, several others.
Between 1995 and 1998, he was National President of the Unilorin Alumni Association, and was a two-time 1st and 2nd National Vice-
Prof. Oloyede was elevated to professorial rank in 1995.
In July 1982 he was appointed a Consultant by the National Universities Commission on Educational Reforms in Nigeria.
Prof. Oloyede is married with 4 children and one grandchild.
Prof Is-haq Oloyede is the Executive Secretary of National Inter -Religious Council (NIREC.)
He is also the President of Association of African Universities (AAU).
He is an International Advisory Board members of International Network for Higher Education in Africa (INHEA).
He has authored and co-authored several articles in reputable local and international outlets.

Igbo Youths To APC: We’ll Resist Plot To Remove Ekweremadu As Deputy Senate President

The youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has warned against the removal of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President.
Ekweremadu is currently standing trial alongside Senate President Bukola Saraki and two others on allegations of forgery of the Senate rules book.

The youths gave the warning less than 24 hours after Ekweremadu told members of Enugu State Economic Advisory Committee, who paid him a solidarity visit at his residence in Enugu yesterday, that the only offence he committed that warranted his being charged for alleged forgery was his emergence as deputy Senate president  against the wishes of the “powers that be”.
The youths, who spoke under the aegis of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, said any attempt to remove Ekweremadu will fail as Nigerians are comfortable with the current leadership of the senate.
In a statement signed and issued by the co-coordinator Abuja and Liaison Officer, Northern Region, Obasi Ogbonnaya, the Ohanaeze Youth pointed out that the South East, where Ekweremadu hails from, is also comfortable with his achievements in the Senate.
“His Constituency in Enugu East Senatorial zone and the entire South East are feeling his impact”, the youths said.
The statement continued: “We have gotten information that some hatchet persons from the South East APC have been busy lobbying the Senate membership and the Presidency to lend their support to the devilish plan to threaten the office of the Senate President. We warn such people to desist from such ill-fated moves as it is bound to fail”.
It further said the fact that there is now an All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator from Imo State, does not mean that such persons will begin to try what it said was the “impossible” as the South East and Nigerians in general, will resist any move to change the current leadership of the Senate.
The APC candidate, Ben Uwajumogu, was declared winner of the July 28 Imo North senatorial district re-run election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, leading to a statement by the state governor and Chairman of APC Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha, that Ekweremadu’s seat was under threat.
Following the victory of the APC in the 2015 general elections, the South East was favoured to produce the Senate President but following the defeat of all the party’s candidates in the senatorial elections conducted in the region, the position was zoned to the North.
However, a deft political calculation by Mr. Saraki, who secured the support of some senators from his party and the minority Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, paved the way for Ekweremadu, who was elected on the latter’s platform, to emerge deputy Senate president to the chagrin of the APC, which has not forgiven him or the Senate president.
Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu, by virtue of his position, is the highest ranking PDP member and politician from the South East in the present political dispensation but that is also under threat by the forgery charges against him, Saraki and two others.
Not oblivious of the forces gathering against Mr. Ekweremadu, the Ohanaeze youths expressed confidence in the “cerebral and patriotic minds” in the Senate, who they said will not lend themselves to any plan to change their leadership.
They, however, warned “busy body persons of South East extraction, who may lend themselves to be used for any such unpatriotic move to prepare to face the wrath of Ndigbo and Nigerians. Such persons will be declared persona non grata in Igbo land”.

Namibian Student Invents Phone Which Does Not Use Airtime

A Grade 12 learner in Namibia’s Ohagwena Region has invented a sim-less mobile phone that allows users to make free calls and watch one TV channel.

Simon Petrus, a pupil at Abraham Iyambo Senior Secondary School, created the phone using spares from a phone and television set.
Complete with a light bulb, fan and charger socket, the handset functions off power supplied through a radiator and is able to make calls to anywhere through the use of radio frequencies.
The invention, which is made up of a radio system, is attached to a box and also allows the user to view one TV channel on it.
He is also able to watch NBC1 TV on his box.
No stranger to the world of creation, Petrus is reported to have won a gold medal at national level last year for his invention of a two-in-one machine that works as both a seed drier and cooler.
The shy learner has admitted to working on his invention for two years through money provided by his unemployed parents.
Petrus claims that he invented the phone in the hopes that it would be successful and be able to be carried further.

Meet The Man Who Has Lived In A Cave For 40 Years

Pedro Luca, 79, has lived in a cave high on a mountain in northern Argentina for 40 years without running water or electricity.

 He lives in the cave with 11 cockerels and 2 goats. The animals roam the mountainside during the day and return at night.
A creek is his main source of water. He says it’s the purest and richest water there is.
He starts his day around 3 a.m with a fire after the crow of the cockerels wake him.
When he gets hungry he picks up his rifle and goes hunting or heads on a 3-hour trek down the mountain to the nearest settlement of San Pedro de Colalao.

Luca’s skin is weather-beaten and he has few teeth left, but he seems much younger than a man who is almost 80.
Luca says he always wanted to live in isolation in the wild, even as a boy. He was raised by his grandfather in San Pedro de Colalao, which he first left at age 14 to travel northern Argentina and earn a living transporting coal to Bolivia.

He returned to the area and the cave. Word of his solitary lifestyle spread and he now gets occasional visits from tourists and schoolchildren.
“I never asked myself why I chose to live here,” he says. “There was another cave nearby but I liked this one better. Sometimes, I think that I would have liked to travel the world, see Europe. But there’s a lot of sea in the middle of it all and you have to have the time to cross that sea.”

Luca has become a legend in San Pedro de Colalao, and town dwellers often give him food and supplies.
He buys candles, yeast and corn with a government old-age pension, worth about $100-$200, that he collects at the town’s post office.
His only technological gadget is a small, battery-powered radio, but he has a hard time tuning into stations because the signal is weak up the mountain.