Nollywood ‘bad girl,’ Eniola Badmus, known widely as Gbogbo Bigs Girl or Badosky has made it clear that being overweight is more of blessing to her than a curse.
According to her, what matters most is to think well and stay healthy.
“Why is this being big an issue to people?” Eniola queried when asked if her weight has ever been a source of concern to her or to her career as an actress.
“It is only in Nigeria that big sizes are not appreciated. This is because most fat women are hiding under their shadows, they fail to realized the beauty in them, they lay low so as not to be mocked.
“I may or may not want to lose weight but everyone wants to be healthy. Must everyone be slim? “It has never affected my career in any way. This is what has been working for me. It is not easy to be big and famous. I’m proud of myself and how far I have come,” she said.
Eniola enjoyed some endorsements and produced two films of her own.
Her film “Ghetto Bred” made a huge impact in the cinemas. She recently turned forty-one. Source: Vanguard.
Over 30,000 people have been displaced by flood that followed torrential rains in Etsako East and Etsako Central Local Government Areas of Edo state, affecting no fewer than 35 communities.
The rains which the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported to have overflown the River Niger, leading to flooding, also damaged hundreds of hectares of farmland across the two council areas.
The report has it that mostly affected by the flood are communities such as Udaba, Anegbette, Usomegbe, Uduchiz among others, all in Etsako Central Local Government.
Similarly, the flood also sacked the entire six Uneme clans in South East Uneme, Okpekpe, among others, in Etsako East Council area.
The Etsako East council boss, Aremiyau Momoh and his counterpart in Etsako Central, John Akhigbe, said that the disaster had gone beyond the purview of the area council, even as they called for urgent intervention from both the State and the Federal Governments.
The duo said that camps for the Internally Displaced Persons had been placed in strategic locations across the council areas.
Akhigbe said that aside from the Resettlement Camp built aftermath of a similar disaster in 2012; about five other camps are being prepared for the victims.
Similarly, Momoh said that six camps had been opened in Etsako East for the same purpose.
“We have tried our best as far as the councils are concerned, we are hoping and appealing to the Federal Government to urgently intervene on this matter,” he said.
In his remarks, the clan Head of Uzanu, South East Uneme in Estako East local government, Benjamin Ikani, also cried out over the sacking of six communities in his domain by flood.
The Monarch said more than 1,700 persons from the six communities are now displaced looking for where to stay.
Ikani listed communities affected by the flood to include Uneme-Ekwuekpele, Uneme-Ogwoyo, Uneme-Ukpeku, Uneme-Ogbethaya, Uneme-Yeluwa and Uneme-Unubu.
He said he relocated some widows, old women and children to Uzanu community to enable the children go to school.
He said the displaced persons had been moved to higher ground at Uneme-Yeluwa waiting for interventions from the state.
Ikani said he has reported the matter to the relevant authorities but was yet to get any help.
He expressed worry over stranded pregnant women that could no longer get access to ante-natal care.
“The flood started last week. You can see the women and children in my palace. Nobody died in the flood but my people need help.
“The most pathetic situation is the pregnant women because of lack of health care, food stuff, medicine. The people can no longer harvest their crops.
“I brought 18 persons because all of them have left their villages to stay at Uneme-Yeluwa.”
The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has condemned those who constitute themselves into mafia group, saying that they cannot be regarded as Christians.
Pope Francis told a crowd of 100,000 in the Sicilian city of Palermo today, Saturday that he does not believe one can be a member of the Mafia and also a devout Christian. “You cannot believe in God and belong to the Mafia,” Pope Francis said during a visit to the Italian Mediterranean island to which the Cosa Nostra organised crime network is native. According to the Pope, life is about love and not hate, forgiveness and not revenge.
According to the Vatican, the Argentinian religious leader’s visit was in honour of the 25th anniversary of the murder of an anti Mafia priest.
Father Pino Puglisi, killed in Palermo in 1993, dedicated himself to diverting young people away from organised crime and corruption.
He was beatified in a ceremony in 2013 in the Sicilian capital before an estimated crowd of 80,000.
It was the first time that such a title was awarded to a victim of Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian mafia.
Nigerian Pop music star, Davido, has canceled his music tour of the United States to concentrate on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme which he is currently undergoing in Nigeria.
The ‘Assurance’ crooner who had embarked on the US music tour barely hours after completing his NYSC registration at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Ipaja, Lagos, contrary to NYSC rules, made the announcement on his Instagram page, where he revealed that the tour schedules were conflicting with his NYSC programme.
“I apologize to all my fans but duty calls! But I promise new dates would be announced for Houston, Dallas, LA and San Francisco. We will reschedule and add more dates. Shout out to all the fans who sold out each city so far,” he wrote.
His management had since released an official statement to this effect, stating that new dates for the completion of the tour would be announced in due time.
“Due to scheduling conflicts and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) commitments in Nigeria, the remaining dates for the Davido Locked Up Tour have been cancelled.
Refunds will be made available at point of purchase. Davido and his team are working hard to reschedule all dates and add new dates in the near future. I love you guys and see you soon.”
Davido had already had his tickets sold in places such as Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Washington DC, New York, California, Boston cities.
The Presidency has revealed how the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) laundered billions of looted money for late General Sani Abacha and some Nigerian politicians, which the Presidency asked the bank to return to Nigeria immediately.
The Presidency said that instead of the bank to be issuing statement to the effect that the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari would stunt the economy, “we should ask the bank to heed President Buhari’s constant refrain: return our stolen assets, then see how well we will do.”
In a statement today, Saturday in Abuja, the senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu made it clear to all Nigerians, and particularly the global banking giant, HSBC that what killed Nigeria’s economy in the past was the unbridled looting of state resources by leaders, the type which was actively supported by HSBC.
“A bank that soiled its hand with millions of US dollars yet-to-be-recovered Abacha loot, and continued until a few months ago to shield the stolen funds of one of the leaders of the Nigerian Senate has no moral right whatsoever to project that a second term for Mr. Buhari raises the risk of limited economic progress and further fiscal deterioration.”
Garba Shehu said that HSBC’s put down on President Buhari is no more than an expression of frustration over the administration’s measures put in place which has abolished grand corruption, the type which the bank thrives on in many countries.
“They may also just be out to discredit the President out of the fear of sanctions and fines following the national assets that are stolen.
“With the coming of President Buhari, it is not a secret that corruption, corrupt individuals, banks and other corporate entities that aided corrupt practices are under investigation for various offenses.
“For many of them, including their friends in the media, they would rather have President Buhari out of their way, for business as usual to return.
“Our investigation agencies believe that HSBC had laundered more than USD 100,000,000 for the late General Sani Abacha in Jersey, Paris, London and Geneva.
“Among these accounts on the records are: AC: S-104460 HSBC Fund Admin Ltd. Jersey ($12,000,000); AC 37060762 HSBC Life (Europe), U.K ($20,000,000) and AC: 38175076 HSBC Bank Plc. U.K ($1,600,000).
“The bank is also suspected in the laundering of proceeds of corruption involving more than 50 other Nigerians, including a serving Senator as earlier indicated.
“In a book, “Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation”, published in 2017, Jack Bernstein told the story of global money laundering highlighting the unenviable place of the HSBC.
“This is a bank that states and federal authorities in the U.S. forced to pay $1.92 billion to settle charges of money laundering; fined $1.2 billion in Hong Kong for “systemic deficiencies” in bond sales and was made to pay $100 million in currency rigging settlement as reported by The Telegraph of 18th January, 2018.”
President Muhammadu Buhari received in audience, a delegation of traditional rulers from Abia State, led by His Royal Majesty, Eze Dr. Isaac Ikonne, Enyi 1 of Aba
President Muhammadu Buhari has stressed the need for elder statesmen, leaders, parents and patriots in the Southeast to continue to impress it on their young ones to eschewing hateful and divisionary rhetorics.
The President who appealed that the best thing the Igbo leaders should be doing for Nigeria is to guide their youths on the path of peace and prosperity.
‘‘We must not shy away from this responsibility. We only have one Nigeria. And we must ensure we hand over a better Nigeria to the next generation.”
President Buhari who spoke today, Thursday, when he received traditional rulers from Abia State, led by His Royal Majesty, Dr. Isaac Ikonne, Enyi 1 of Aba, assured the monarchs that the issue of unstable electricity and other basic infrastructure in Ariaria market, a major trading hub in West and Central Africa, would soon be a thing of the past.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to rapidly industrialize the country through projects that promote import substitution, the President said the investments in the textile industry would create thousands of jobs for youths in Aba.
‘‘Just last week, I was in China to attend the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation. During that visit, I personally met with executives of one of the largest cotton and garment companies in the world who will soon establish operations in Aba.
‘‘This is following a joint effort of attracting this investor by both the Federal and Abia State Government.
‘‘The proposed investment will create thousands of jobs for the vibrant and creative youths in Aba.
‘‘I am very excited about this project. I have directed the Hon. Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment to ensure this investment is actualised within the shortest possible time.”
On Ariaria market, the President recounted that during his visit to Aba in 2015 as a presidential candidate, he was warmly received and walked through parts of the market where he observed the lack of electricity and other basic infrastructure for its over 40,000 shops.
‘‘As a government, we issued a presidential mandate to the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and the Rural Electrification Agency to energise the market.
‘‘In June 2018, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission granted an electricity generation licence as well as a distribution licence for the market. This will enable the generation and distribution of 9.5 Megawatts of electricity within the market.
‘‘The project is moving smoothly and I have been assured the market will be fully electrified soon. We are working closely with the State Government, Local Government, Traditional Rulers, Market Associations and the community on this project to ensure this goal is actualised by the end of the year,’’ he said.
In his remarks, Eze Ikonne lauded the President for successes recorded so far since he assumed office in 2015, particularly in the fight against corruption, agricultural revolution, infrastructure development and security.
On infrastructure development in the South East, His Majesty said: ‘‘ Mr President, I thank you for the massive federal roads rehabilitation going on in the South- East; like the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt expressway, Port Harcourt-Elele-Owerri road, Enugu-Onitsha expressway.
‘‘These roads were death traps for 16 years before you came into office, but today they are wearing new solid looks, though not completed but relief is already there with the level of work done so far.’’
Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun has formally resigned her appointment over the certificate of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) controversy, even as he praised President Muhammadu Buhari for entrusting the ministry in her hand for these past years.
In a her resignation letter today, Friday, which the President has accepted with a good wish for her, Kemi Adeosun said: “it has been an exceptional privilege to have served our nation under your leadership and to have played a role in steering our economy at a very challenging time.
“I am proud that Nigeria has brought discipline into its finances, has identified and is pursuing a path to long term sustainable growth that will unlock the potential in this great economy.”
The embattled minister acknowledged that under the leadership of President Buhari, Nigeria was able to exit recession and has now started to lay the foundations for lasting growth and wealth creation.
She said that repositioning this huge economy is not a short term task and there are no short cuts, adding that there are tough decisions still to be made but that she had no doubt that the President’s focus on infrastructural investment, revenue mobilisation and value for money in public expenditure will deliver growth, wealth and opportunity for all Nigerians.
Full text of her resignation letter is reproduced here:
His Excellency
Muhammadu Buhari
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
State House
Aso Villa
Abuja
Dear Excellency,
Let me commence by thanking you profusely for the honour and privilege of serving under your inspirational leadership. It has been a truly rewarding experience to learn from you and to observe at close quarters your integrity and sense of duty.
I have, today, become privy to the findings of the investigation into the allegation made in an online medium that the Certificate of Exemption from National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) that I had presented was not genuine. This has come as a shock to me and I believe that in line with this administration’s focus on integrity, I must do the honourable thing and resign.
Your Excellency, kindly permit me to outline some of the background to this matter. I was born and raised in the United Kingdom, indeed my parental family home remains in London. My visits to Nigeria up until the age of thirty-four (34) were holidays, with visas obtained in my UK passport. I obtained my first Nigerian passport at the age of thirty-four (34) and when I relocated there was debate as to whether NYSC Law applied to me. Upon enquiry as to my status relating to NYSC, I was informed that due to my residency history and having exceeded the age of thirty (30), I was exempted from the requirement to serve. Until recent events, that remained my understanding.
On the basis of that advice and with the guidance and assistance of those, I thought were trusted associates, NYSC were approached for documentary proof of status. I then received the certificate in question. Having never worked in NYSC, visited the premises, been privy to nor familiar with their operations, I had no reason to suspect that the certificate was anything but genuine. Indeed, I presented that certificate at the 2011 Ogun State House of Assembly and in 2015 for Directorate of State Services (DSS) Clearance as well as to the National Assembly for screening. Be that as it may, as someone totally committed to a culture of probity and accountability I have decided to resign with effect from Friday, 14th September, 2018.
Your Excellency, It has been an exceptional privilege to have served our nation under your leadership and to have played a role in steering our economy at a very challenging time. I am proud that Nigeria has brought discipline into its finances, has identified and is pursuing a path to long term sustainable growth that will unlock the potential in this great economy. Under your leadership, Nigeria was able to exit recession and has now started to lay the foundations for lasting growth and wealth creation. Repositioning this huge economy is not a short term task and there are no short cuts, indeed there are tough decisions still to be made but I have no doubt that your focus on infrastructural investment, revenue mobilisation and value for money in public expenditure will deliver growth, wealth and opportunity for all Nigerians.
I thank His Excellency, the Vice President and my colleagues in the Federal Executive Council for the huge pleasure and honour of working with them. I also thank most specially, the team in the ‘Finance Family’ of advisers and heads of agencies under the Ministry of Finance. Your Excellency, this group of committed Nigerians represent a range of backgrounds, ethnicities and ages. They have worked well above and beyond the call of duty to support me in the tasks assigned. The diversity in my team and their ability to work cohesively to deliver reforms, convinces me that Nigeria has the human capital required to succeed.
Your Excellency, let me conclude by commending your patience and support, during the long search for the truth in this matter. I thank you again for giving me the honour of serving under your leadership, it is a rare privilege, which I do not take for granted. As a Nigerian and committed progressive, I appreciate you for your dogged commitment to improving this nation.
Please be assured, as always, of my highest regards and best wishes
Kemi Adeosun (Mrs)
President Buhari promptly accepted Kemi Adeosun resignation and thanked her for her services to the nation even as he wished her well in her future pursuits.
The President also approved that the Minister of State Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, should oversee the Ministry of Finance with effect from today, Friday.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Information under the government led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Anthony Danbram, has resigned his appointment.
Danbram also dumped the PDP for the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
The former commissioner, who officially received APGA’s membership card today, Friday at the state secretariat of the party in Jalingo, said that the unfair treatment meted on him by the PDP over his ambition to represent Lau constituency in the state Assemblynecessitated his exit from the party.
“I met with my constituents on Wednesday and they mandated me to get another political party aside the PDP, and whatever the name of the political party is they are ready to join.
“Now that I have chosen APGA, our party will be the number one political party in the whole of Lau Local Government Area, because in the past I have built structures from the ward level to the local government headquarters.”
Receiving the defector, the state chairman of APGA, Ishaya Bako, assured him of the party’s support in achieving his political aspiration
A Presidential aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abubakar Alkali has withdrawn from the contest, complaining of what he called outrageous cost of the nomination form.
Dr. Alkali, at a news conference in Abuja today, Friday, said that the N45 Million fixed for the purchase of the nomination form by the party “is outrageous and it is one of the reasons I withdrew.
“I think the cost of the form is outrageous and also do not depict the ethics of our democracy. Actually, the cost of this form, to me, stopped sincere and genuine aspirants from aspiring for the office and is not in tandem with the maxim of the NotTooYoungToRun movement.
“A lot of the youths who have sincere concern for this country cannot afford this outrageous cost.
“I appeal to our party, going forward, to look at this issue very seriously.”
Dr. Alkali however endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for the post, adding that since the party has decided to give the ticket to the President, he has no option, as a loyal party man than to abide by the party’s decision.
He called on his supporters to join hands with the current administration to continue in its job of delivering on democracy dividends to Nigerians, while also asking the leadership of APC do something about the cost of nomination forms, saying such has deprived so many young aspirants with good ideal which would have better the nation.
“The purpose of this press conference is that i am here to announce my withdrawal from the contest for the office of the president and the reasons for the withdrawal are not far fetched.
“Majorly, one of the reasons is that the APC has picked president Muhammadu Buhari has its sole consensus candidate for the 2019 general election, and as a loyal party member, I have to go by the rule and dictate of the party and that is the why I am aligning fully and totally with the position of our great party, and I fully support the decision to pick Mr. President as a consensus candidate of our great party.”
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has dismissed the doomsday predictions by some international financial institutions and publications on the chances of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general elections.
The Minister who spoke in Lagos today, Friday when he visited the corporate headquarters of Channels Television, in furtherance of the National Campaign Against Fake News said that the negative predictions against the APC-led Federal Government by an international financial institution, HSBC, and the Intelligence Unit of the Economist Magazine, were based on fake premises, thus qualifying such predictions as fake news.
“Talking about fake news, we expect that those who have been deeply affected by our policies will mount a sustained campaign against this Administration in the weeks and months to come. In fact, they have already started. We have all read that the Intelligence Unit of the Economist said the PDP will defeat the ruling APC in 2019. We have also read that the international financial institution, HSBC, said Nigeria’s economic development will be stunted if President Buhari gets a second term
“Let me state clearly that these reports are based on fake premises and, therefore, qualify as fake news. It is a psychological warfare by those who have been badly hit by our policies. For example, out fight against corruption has meant that many financial institutions, especially banks, that fed fat on the proceeds of corruption are no longer able to do that.
”Also, international publications that used to feed fat on questionable supplements paid for by the Federal Government have seen a drastic reduction in such patronage, as the Administration cuts down on frivolous spending that was the order of the day in the past. Therefore, it is natural that these institutions and publications would not wish to see another term for this Administration.”
He said the fake news phenomenon is bound to get worse as the nation approaches the 2019 general election, because it seems to be the only weapon left for naysayers who could not fault the government on infrastructure, economy, fight against corruption, agricultural development among others.
The Minister said only Nigerians will determine who presides over the affairs of the country, not any bank or media establishment, irrespective of their influence or self-importance.
”The parents and wards of the 8.5 million school children, who are being fed every school day under our home-grown school feeding system, are feeling the impact of this Administration. The more than six million farmers, who have joined rice production since this Administration came on board, know what this government has done. Nigerians, who are enjoying more stable electricity after power production has more than doubled, know better. The 500,000 unemployed graduates who have benefitted from our N-Power programme know that these naysayers are only thinking about themselves. So we are not bothered.”
On the campaign against fake news, Alhaji Mohammed sought the support of the media in driving the campaign, saying the media will become the first and the biggest victim if fake news is allowed to erode the credibility of the news business.
He said the campaign has recorded a great achievement so far, even when it has not stopped the spread of fake news.
”Since launching the campaign, we have recorded a huge success. Yes, we have not stopped the spread of fake news, and we are not under any illusion that we can stop it so fast. But we have succeeded in bringing the issue of fake news to the front burner. It is now a subject of national discourse, workshops and conferences. That, to us, is a major step forward, and we thank all our partners, and indeed all Nigerians, for this achievement.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of Channels Television, John Momoh, who expressed delight at the visit, said Channels remains apolitical and professional in its role as a watchdog for the society.
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Nollywood ‘bad girl,’ Eniola Badmus, known widely as Gbogbo Bigs Girl or Badosky has made it clear that being overweight is more of blessing to her than a curse.
Nigerian Pop music star, Davido, has canceled his music tour of the United States to concentrate on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme which he is currently undergoing in Nigeria.
