RITA DOMINIC EXCLUSIVE: ‘I want to keep doing dirty characters’

Petite in stature yet a powerhouse in her field, actress Rita Dominic tells NET about her experience as a first time producer, the many challenges she has had to face since becoming an actress, and how she feels about the growth of Nollywood.

You’ve been off the scene for a while now. Where have you been?

I was working, re-inventing myself, shooting my films and starring in different films for other people, and now is my comeback.

You have spent over 12 years in the industry, building a reputation as an actress, what made you decide to veer into production?

I just wanted to give something back to an industry that has done so much for me; that’s why in the movie, I didn’t play the major role. We have Linda Ejiofor and Femi Jacobs, two up and coming actors, who played the lead roles. These are people who are very talented and need to be encouraged. Again, after acting for so many years in the industry, one wants to try other aspects of film making. I knew I always wanted to try production and I felt last year was the best time to.

How do you respond to speculation that you went into production because acting roles weren’t coming as they used to?

No. If I was going into production to make sure people keep seeing me, I would have cast myself as the lead role in the movie. I have a passion for the arts, I have always wanted to try out all the aspects of production. It is my way of giving back to the industry by encouraging new talent. A lot of people have the notion that people in the industry don’t want to give the new people an opportunity, but that is not true.

FAAN names Dana Airline as best domestic airline in Nigeria

Despite an air crash that claimed the lives of 153 people four months ago, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over the weekend named Dana Air as the best domestic carrier for 2011.
According to FAAN’s Regional General Manager, Mr. Chris Bature, said the airline is yet to commence flights since the crash but was awarded the prize for its good customer relations and prompt payment of dues.
The Federal Government seized Dana Air’s license following the air disaster, but restored the license 93 days after the crash.
Speaking at the occasion, Bature stated that the airline was selected because of its outstanding performance and punctuality while Lufthansa Airlines was also selected as the best international carrier for the same period.
He explained that “mode of selection includes passenger capacity, frequency of the landing and take-off, their response to payment of bills.”
“Among the domestic carriers, they were the best. They had the best volume; they were punctual in their operations” he added.

Don’t go to court, Mark, Ihedioha tell PDP, ACN

President of the Senate,  David Mark, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, have called on the opposition parties in Ondo State not to challenge the outcome of last Saturday’s governorship election.
A statement from the office of the President of the Senate on Monday, said Mark   and Ihedioha made the call while speaking at the ongoing  127th Inter-paliamentary Union meeting holding in Quebec,  Canada  on Monday.
Mark particularly urged the defeated governorship candidates of  the Peoples Democratic Party, and the Action Congress of Nigeria  and others to  respect the wishes of the people.
He said,  “It would therefore be an exercise in futility if some people go to court  to challenge the outcome of the poll even with an overwhelming victory.
“We, Nigerian politicians must start embracing the democratic culture where the power of the people as expressed through the ballot is  respected and seen as supreme.”
According to him, Mimiko  has worked hard to secure the victory, thus making sentiment canvassed by some politicians during the campaign irrelevant as people preferred merit.
Also, Ihedioha said  the result of the election in has shown that the people appreciated performance.
According to him, reports on the ground before the election showed that Mimiko worked hard for the people in his first tenure and had to rewarded with a second term in office.

Source

Facts You Should Know About Your VISA Card

In this era of cashless society,  a lot of Nigerians have questions ranging from what option of card to acquire?  should it be a debit or a credit card ? what is the difference between  a debit and credit card?  can their card work anywhere in the world ? what happens if they  lose their  card? what happens if they  forget their pin? VISA comes as a solution provider that intends to answer all these questions about your VISA card. The simple way to go cashless is to GO! with VISA!

What is a Debit card?
A debit card allows you to spend your money safely and conveniently as point of sale (POS) as well as allowing you to draw cash at an ATM.

 

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala makes Forbes 100 World Most Powerful Women

Nigeria’s finance minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been listed in Forbes 100 World Most Powerful Women.  She is ranked No. 81.
For nine years FORBES has ranked the 100 most powerful women in the world. These, according to the statement, are the women who adhere to the traditional classifications of power (political and economic might) and those who have risen to the top of the social and cultural landscape. “It is our annual snapshot of women who impact the world”, Forbes stated.
This year the list features eight heads of state – including Forbes No. 1, German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  US Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton is No. 2,  Dilma Rousseff  3 and Melinda Gates is No. 4.  In the list, U.S. Firlst Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama is No. 7, while IMF chief, Christine Lagarde is No. 8,  Oprah Winfreh No. 11 and Queen Elizabeth II  is No. 26 on the list.

Funke Akindele Sizzles At The Headies 2012: Full List of Winners!

Funke Akindele With Comedian Yaw

Youth Ambassador and Nigerian popular actress, Funke Akindele also known as Funke Akindele-Oloyede aka Jenifa sizzles at the 2012 edition of one of Africa’s most prestigious entertainment awards shows The Headies took place at the expo hall of the Eko Hotel and Suites for the third time in a row, October 20, 2012, hosted by singer Omawumi and rapper M.I.

Funke Akindele With a Fan

See the full list of winners below…

2013 budget: PDP can’t intimidate us to support illegality – NASS

The National Assembly will not be coerced by the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, to support wrong decisions taken by the executive so as not to inadvertently add to the suffering of the Nigerian people, a principal officer of the legislature, has declared.
The officer was reacting to the threat by the party last week against the leadership and members of the party in the National Assembly over their opposition to certain issues in the 2012 and 2013 budgets. He castigated the party for trying to intimidate them to support unpopular decisions and policies that might work against the people.
The House of Representatives is insisting on an oil benchmark of $80 per barrel while the Presidency says it should be left at $75. The Senate last week pegged it at $78 per barrel.
Although a joint committee of the two chambers is expected to reach a compromise on the benchmark, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Olisa Metuh, last week, warned that the party would no longer tolerate any act of indiscipline from its elected officials.

Mikel Obi explains why he started a record label

'Apart from football, music is another thing I had passion for while I was growing up in Jos. I have so much emotional attachment to music. It lifts my soul and makes me happy. The arrival of MMM Records (Matured Money Minds) has gone a long way to show the deep love I have for music. I want to contribute my little quota to the growth of the music industry in Nigeria. I'm a good song writer and singer. If I wasn't a footballer, I would have done well as a singer or a disc jockey (DJ)' - Mikel Obi

Bishop Oyedepo accused of exploiting British worshippers

A church run by a controversial multi-millionaire African preacher has been accused of ‘cynical exploitation’ after its British branch received £16.7 million in donations from followers who were told that God would give them riches in return.
Followers are ferried in double-decker shuttle buses to the church, handed slips inviting them to make debit card payments, and are even told obeying the ministry’s teachings will make them immune from illness.
Today’s Mail on Sunday revelations about the Winners’ Chapel movement have prompted the Charity Commission to review the charitable status of the church – one of the fastest-growing in the UK.
Winners’ Chapel is part of a worldwide empire of evangelical ministries run by Nigeria’s wealthiest preacher David Oyedepo, who has an estimated £93 million fortune, a fleet of private jets and a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

13-year-old girl narrates how she escaped from ritualists’ den where 10 others were killed

When Emmanuela, 13, a JSS student of Shadoff Secondary school, Igbogbo, set out on that fateful day for her usual Thursdays fellowship and faith clinic service at a church, little did she know that it was going to be the most horrifying experience of her life as a teenager.
But by divine intervention, Emmanuela returned to tell the grueling story of her kidnapp and how she was slated for rituals before God set her free. But other ten passengers could not live to tell their stories.
According to her, “I entered the bus from Igbogbo around 7pm. I was going to my church for our Thursday vigil. When I entered the bus, I noticed that all the passengers in the bus were sleeping. They were about ten. I felt something was wrong and I quickly told the driver to stop for me that I had forgotten my transport fare at home.

Education must not fail another generation by Obasanjo

MY life was utterly changed at the age of eight when I was sent to school – a journey that saw me abroad for further and higher education.
This precious education meant I could return to my country and support efforts to improve the lives of future generations and make meaningful contribution to development process all over the continent of Africa.
This was more than five decades ago. Today, as the publication this week of UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report shows, we the world continue to fail our children.
The UNESCO report shows that one in five young people in developing countries have never completed primary school. In Nigeria where I grew up, we have more children out of school today than we had at independence.

Education is not merely a problem for the education ministries to solve. In today’s global economy, failing to provide proper education will undermine economic growth and reinforce social inequalities.

Africa has some of the world’s fastest growing economies, as we highlight in our 2012 Africa Progress Report, and this pace looks set to continue for the coming years. But oil and minerals alone will not sustain this economic growth. And development indicators suggest the growth figures are much less impressive than they initially seem.

Ondo: INEC declares Mimiko winner

The returning officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola announced that the three major contenders for the top seat at the Alagbaka Government House – Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), LP and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shared over 86 percent of the total number of 645, 597 accredited votes.
While the ACN’s candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu polled a total of 143,512 from the 18 local government area of Ondo State, the PDP’s candidate, Olusola Oke polled 155,961 and the winner, Mimiko of the Labour Party got 260,199 of the total valid votes.
According to the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ondo, Akin Orebiyi,the total number of registered voters in the State is 1,638,950; and the number of accredited voters is 645,597.
A total of 30,415 votes were declared invalid while the valid votes are 594,244.
With his victory, Mr Mimiko has broken the jinx of the inability of his elected predecessors including Michael Ajasin, Adebayo Adefarati, Bamidele Olumilua and Olusegun Agagu to get a second term to rule the sunshine state.
These include Michael Ajasin, Adebayo Adefarati, Dr. Olusegun Agagu and Bamidele Olumilua.
Though Agagu got a second term, his reign was however truncated as he was removed by the election tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which declared Mr Mimiko the winner of the 2007 governorship election.