Nigerian wins Muslim beauty pageant rival to Miss World

AFP - A Nigerian woman tearfully prayed and recited Koranic verses as she won a beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women in the Indonesian capital Wednesday, a riposte to the Miss World contest that has sparked hardline anger.
The 20 finalists, who were all required to wear headscarves, put on a glittering show for the final of Muslimah World, strolling up and down a catwalk in elaborately embroidered dresses and stilettos.
But the contestants from six countries were covered from head to foot, and as well as beauty they were judged on how well they recited Koranic verses and their views on Islam in the modern world.
After a show in front of an audience of mainly religious scholars and devout Muslims, a panel of judges picked Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola from Nigeria as the winner.

I don't wear a dress twice,I dash it out or auction it - Yvonne Vixen

The TV presenter Yvonne Vixen Ekwere opened up on why celebrities like herself don't repeat clothes.She told Punch

Whenever I am on the Red Carpet and paparazzi take my pictures, I always say ‘chei! So I will not wear this dress again?’ The pictures will be plastered everywhere including the Internet and magazines. It spoils show for me. It is not that we don’t like wearing a particular dress for more than one event, but we’ll rather not do it.But you will abuse me if I repeat a dress. People would write that we repeated a dress. Because of that, I wear a dress and since I know I will not wear it again, I dash it out. I give my assistant my clothes. I give to family members and friends as well. But then, I auction my clothes to my friends on twitter

On what she'll never be caught dead in

I can never wear a lace wig. I don’t like it. In fact, I hate it. It makes you look old. I know some people are not blessed with a full hair line. But some people with full hair line go out of their way to shave their hair line so that they can wear lace wig. It doesn’t make sense. I can never be caught dead or alive wearing a lace wig.

Non-muslims should not be in Boko haram committee – Prof Oloyede

Professor Ishaq Oloyede, former vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin and currently the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, talks about his life experiences in this interview with ADEOLA BALOGUN

You said you were very busy despite the fact that you have left office as the vice chancellor of the University of Ilorin; is it as a result of your new office as the scribe of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs?

It is because I am doing so many things concurrently, so I think that accounts for it. I have commitments both within and outside the country; some academic, some professional, some religious. So, having so many things to do, I have to make sure I allot my time in such a way that none of those who have confidence in me is betrayed.

What is the challenge in your new office?

Every office has its own challenge and prospects. I don’t think there is any challenge that is insurmountable. What we need to do is to position the council in such a way that every Muslim in the country will know that it represents their interests and we should also be able to adequately interact with people of other faiths, government and other similar bodies outside Nigeria with a view to being an active member of the global Ummah. That is what I believe is a task which we are committed to do.

I was extremely angry when that pastor said I should go and sin no more – Bode George

Chief Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party  – South and convicted chairman of Nigeria Port Authority, tells GBENRO ADEOYE why he will keep on fighting until he shakes off the ex-convict tag

Are you a thief?

 I can refer you to the judgment because it’s already in the public view. At least, the judge was honest enough to say ‘no kobo was missing’. It was the greatest convoluted conspiracy that I have ever seen in my life. But you know, as a Christian, if you have belief in God and your faith is very strong, you don’t get shaken.

First of all, if we split contract, it would be for whose benefit? I’m not a contractor; the company did not belong to anybody on the board, so in whose interest? Two, nobody brought a contractor, whether they executed the job, whether they were paid the money, we just finished and the rest was left to the management. Whether they even awarded the contract, I didn’t know. I’ve been keeping quiet but the public must know this and those that have been writing ex-convict think they are abusing me, but they are raining curses on themselves and their families and it will happen. In the name Jesus, all who are convolutedly involved, it will happen to them.

PDP faction warns Jonathan against impeachment plot

The Abubakar Baraje faction of the Peoples Democratic Party has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to rein back his men to avoid plunging the country into avoidable chaos.

The faction  stated this in a statement in Abuja on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze.

The group said that advice became necessary following the uncovering of a plot to bribe each member of the House of Representatives with N2.5m.

It said that the plot was to make the House pass a vote of confidence on the President and impeachment of Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, and some other principal officers for their alleged sympathy for the Baraje-led PDP.

Kate Henshaw gets more to make her smile

Recently, popular Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, got a customised whiskey from Johnie Walker. She put the picture up on her instagram page, saying, ‘ama keep walking…’ The star actress has every reason to raise her glass for a toast.

Since her marriage, which got her a child, Ella, ended with Roderick Nuttall, she has been in the news for good reasons.

Although in May, the Internet went abuzz with news of her being spotted with a man, he turned out to be a family friend.

Earlier in the week, she launched a book, The Life of an actress; My Story. Some of her colleagues were at the event.  Saturday Beats gathered that she got N5m from the Rivers State government.

Prior to that, the young lady who celebrated her birthday recently, had every reason to smile to the bank courtesy of Samsung.

She got endorsed by the brand shortly after the rap diva, Sasha was dropped. Known to love wearing bowler hats, the screen diva proved that with the right workout, one can have the body of your dream.

So far, this year has been a good one for the Calabar,  Cross River State – born actress who keeps moving on wearing a smile which she is known for.

PUNCH

My Dad complains about my movies– Mercy Aigbe-Gentry

Where would you say you got your looks from?

I would say I got my looks from my mother. If you see my mother’s picture, I am sure you will know the answer to the question.
How would you describe your taste?
When it comes to my taste, I try to be very simple and not overdo it. I can say I am in between. I am not a very simple person and at the same time, I try not to go overboard. I don’t wear things that don’t suit me; I wear thing that I am comfortable in.
How long does it take you to dress?
It depends on where I am going. If I am going to a party, it will take me longer. Basically, I’ll say it takes me about an hour to get dressed. The funny part of it is that if I have somewhere to go, the night before, I’ll bring out like three clothes and some shoes to choose from. So, it makes it easier for me the next morning.

Jonathan orders immediate deployment of troops in Nasarawa

The Federal Government has ordered immediate deployment of troops in troubled Nasarawa state.

The Director, Army Public Relations Department, Brigadier General Ibrahim Attahiru, told journalists in Abuja that the troops, will join the police to stem the tide of violence in the state.

The North-central state descended into chaos on Friday following clashes between two ethnic groups.

An unknown number of people have died while several thousand others were displaced after their houses were razed in the violence now in its sixth day.

PUNCH

Agbani Darego shows off her denim line, AD

The former Miss World launched her AD by Agbani Darego denim line a few months back. Today she showed off pieces from the line which comprises of jeans, bags, polo shirts, shirt dresses... and ranges from N6, 500 to N12, 500.

                                                                                    Source: Lindaikeji         

2 cars containing 6bodies that sank a decade apart are found in a lake after 40 years

They had lain undiscovered under an Oklahoma lake for fifty years. And now the discovery of two rusting vintage cars containing five bodies has reignited the mystery of how three teenagers and one man and his friends vanished more than four decades ago. One of the cases is believed to be connected to the disappearance of Jimmy Allen Williams (top right), Thomas Michael Rios, (top left), and Leah Gail Johnson, (bottom right), all went missing after going for a drive in Jimmy's blue 1969 Camaro on November 20, 1970. 

Dive teams were at Foss Lake conducting training with sonar when they came upon the vehicles last week. They went back and did a scheduled dive yesterday and when they pulled the cars out of the water, they found human bones.

Racism allegation: Keshi answers FIFA query

Stephen Keshi

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi, in collaboration with his employers the Nigeria Football Federation, has responded to the query the world football governing body, FIFA issued him. The query is over  his alleged racist remark targeted at Malawi technical adviser Tom Sainfiet.

The Nigeria coach was given a September 16 deadline to respond to the query.

The General Secretary of the NFF Musa Amadu who spoke with The PUNCH on Tuesday confirmed that the response to FIFA’s Zurich headquarters was dispatched on Monday deadline.

He said, “Yes, we met the deadline. The response was sent by email and fax. And today (Tuesday) we are sending the hard copy by courier service.”

Amadu said he was positive that FIFA would understand  the background under which the statement was made.

Amaechi’s NGF calls for Okonjo-Iweala’s resignation

Okonjo-Iweala

Members of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum have called on the Minister of Finance, who is also the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to resign her appointment if she knew she would not be able to adhere strictly with the Appropriation Act 2013.

They said the non-compliance with the revenue projections of the Federal Government 2013 Budget was also a direct breach of the provisions of the Appropriation Act, 2013.

These decisions were part of the resolutions of the Governor Rotimi Amaechi-led NGF, which met in Abuja on Tuesday evening.

States which were represented by their governors at the  meeting were those of Rivers, Niger, Kwara, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Adamawa, Oyo,  Lagos, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano and Zamfara while deputy governors  of Edo, Borno and Nasarawa states represented their governors.

Senate President backs national conference

President of the Senate, David Mark

President of the Senate, David Mark, on Tuesday said the call for national conference by certain sections of the country was in order in view of the discontent in the polity.

Mark, while welcoming senators from their seven-week annual vacation, said every matter about the union of ethnic groups that made up the country should be opened to discussion though with the proviso that the dismemberment of the country should be a no-go area.

He said that the country could not continue to shy away from discussing national issues in view of the discontent in the polity and present global realities.

The Senate President said, “We live in very precarious times, and in a world increasingly made fluid and toxic by strange ideologies and violent tendencies, all of which presently conspire to question the very idea of the nation state.

Reps fight as Baraje’s nPDP visits Tambuwal

ROWDY REPS—Members of the House of Representatives during the brawl in the House, yesterday. Photos: Gbemiga Olamikan.

VANGUARD - THE crisis ravaging the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, surfaced in the House of Representatives, yesterday, as members of the old PDP disrupted a scheduled meeting between the leadership of the House and the Alhaji Kawu Baraje-led new PDP (nPDP) and the G-7 governors.No sooner had the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal  announced that ‘this communication I am going to read concerns only the PDP members”, than a rumpus erupted on the floor of the House.
This came after he had read and reviewed proceedings of the last session in July, 2013 before the House went on vacation.

Tambuwal also read a letter from President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on the 2014/2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework as well as another one from Ondo State which officially communicated the death of former Governor of the State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu to members.

‘I died seven times’, says Lawyer abducted while negotiating Ozekhome’s release

The spate of kidnapping in Nigeria and the involvement of youths in the criminal act have become a source of grave concern. More worrisome is the fact that abduction is fast becoming more than a trend; it is now an industry thriving on funds received from the families of victims.
The latest of their victim is  popular human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mr. Mike Ozekhome who was abducted on August 23, along the Benin –Auchi express way after a shootout which left four police men dead.
Following weeks of negotiations for ransom, Ozekhome was finally released.
Strangely Mr. Dominic Ezerioha, a lawyer in Mike Ozekhome’s Chambers was also abducted on September 6, while trying to negotiate the freedom of his boss. Mr. Ezerioha and Mr. Ozekhome’s son,  Ilugbekai, also a lawyer, were both saddled with the responsibility of delivering the ransom to the kidnappers.
Mr. Ezerioha recounted his ordeal in a chat with Vanguard Metro, VM. His words:  “The situation was very tense; the kidnappers kept calling me. We tried to negotiate with them and after such negotiations I will call my contacts who gave me tips on how to negotiate with them. They (kidnappers) were convinced that I’m close to Mr. Ozekhome and that I should bring the money. Unfortunately, when we got there, I was kidnapped because they believed that they could get some money by so doing”.

"Heart so Innocent"- Annie Idibia's touching birthday message to 2Face

I mean nothing is more beautiful than true love and spending your birthday with a woman who loves you more than every other
HBD 2Baba

IGP Abubakar Weds Ex-FCT Minister’s Daughter, Zarha

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar wedded Zarha, the daughter of one time FCT Minister Ibrahim Bunu, in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory on Saturday September 14, 2013.

The wedding “fatiha’’, which took place at the National Mosque, Abuja, was conducted by the Chief Imam of the mosque, Ustaz Musa Mohammed, who prayed for the success of the marriage, after which Vice President Namadi Sambo gave the bride 20 pieces of gold as sadaaq (biride price).

Iyanya and P-Square nominated for the 2013 Soul Train Awards

P-Square got nominated for the 2013 MTV EMA and now another nomination at this year's Soul Train Awards. They nominated alongside Iyanya for the 'Best International Performance' category.

Best International Performance (CentricTV.com)
Differentology - Bunji Garlin
The Fog - Machel Montano
Next To Me - Emeli Sande
Personally - P-Square
Ur Waist – Iyanya

Kendrick Lamar leads the Soul Train Awards with six nominations, including new artist and song and album of the year; he's closely followed by Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, Miguel, Chris Brown and Tamar Braxton, with five each. The award will be taped Nov. 8 at the Orleans Arena.

After quitting Barclays Bank job, dad refused to speak with me for 3 months- KC Ejelonu

When KC Ejelonu decided to dump a very lucrative job at Barclays Bank in 2010, not everyone thought she knew her onions. The Imo State-born actress who became known for her lead role in popular television series, ‘Tales of Eve’, speaks with JOAN OMIONAWELE on her experiences on the Nigerian movie scene. Excerpts
Why did you dump your juicy job at Barclays Bank?
I wanted to do what I wanted to do; to follow my passion. The pay was good, but I wasn’t fulfilled or happy.

As a young banker, what were the things you had to grapple with?
I wouldn’t say it had anything to do with us not being Nigerians, because some of my siblings were born in the United Kingdom, so they had dual nationalities; but while working in Barclays, meeting up with targets, actually doing so much work and not getting fulfillment wasn’t cool at all. All I used to say after getting my salary was ‘Okay, cool, I can go shopping at the end of the month’.

Meet 2013 Miss Earth Contestants [Pictures]

Momentum is gathering as September 22, 2013 day for the Miss Earth beauty pageant draws nearer.

24 beautiful lucky girls made it to the boot camp located on Lagos Island getting groomed for the d-day.

Meet the contestants for Miss Earth Nigeria 2013 and who among them do you think might wear the crown?

Late Prophet Ajanaku's Widow Forced To Move Into A Rented Apartment As His family Disputes Her Status

Prophet Ireti Ajanaku died back in August, and less than a month later, Joy Ajanaku, his wife, has been forced to move out of the home the couple owned, and in which their family lived, into a rented apartment. This is because her late husband's family have allegedly been making life even more difficult for her since her husband died by trying to grab onto his assets.

Men, please write your wills now. If you're married and you have children, protect your wife and children by preparing a will. Even single people can write a will too. You don't need to be a millionaire to write a will, even with just a pair of trousers and a shirt, you can will them to your nearest and dearest to prevent dispute.

So, the Ajanaku family are supposedly using the argument that Joy Ajanaku is not really Prophet Ajanaku's widow as she was not properly married. The poor woman has been depending on the generosity and understanding of her late husband's church board to house her children and herself.

According to Linda Ikeji,

Joy and Ireti Ajanaku lived together for 7 years before finally formalizing their union with a court wedding in 2010 but the family insist that the wedding never took place...and want her removed as the man's next of kin. Family members are now fighting over his assets said to be worth millions of Naira.

Brazil 2014: Mikel, Okocha hail draw against Ethiopia

PUNCH - Mikel Obi and a former captain of the Super Eagles Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha have hailed the Brazil 2014 World Cup draw that has fixed Nigeria against Ethiopia.

Mikel who missed the 2010 World Cup said he was very optimistic that Nigeria would qualify.

Okocha who described the fixture as being very good for Nigeria however warned that the Super Eagles should not take for granted that they are not fixed against any of the countries known as heavyweights.

The former Bolton Wanderer midfielder who spoke with The PUNCH on the telephone on Monday said that no country in the final round of the qualifiers should be treated  like minnows.

He said, “The Ethiopians didn’t get a bye to qualify for this final stage; they worked hard to qualify. We cannot, therefore, afford to take them for granted. We must put our acts together to ensure that we beat them and qualify.

FG agrees to meet poly lecturers’ demands

The Federal Government on Monday met with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics behind closed doors and agreed to meet the demands of the union.

The Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, and the Labour Minister, Emeka Wogu co-chaired the meeting while ASUP President, Chibuzo Asomugha, led the union team.

None of the parties, however, spoke with journalists after the brief meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.

However, a source at the meeting, who confided in our correspondent, said the union obtained a strong commitment from the government.

13 killed in US shooting rampage

A gun attack on Washington’s naval yard has left 13 people dead sparking a massive lockdown in the nation’s capital.

The violence started unfolding at 8.20am on Monday, when several shots were fired inside the southeast Washington facility.

Police spokesman Chris Kelly earlier described a suspect as an adult male, about 6 feet tall with a bald head and medium complexion, dressed in a black top and black jeans.

Two witnesses told Cable News Networks affiliate WJLA-TV that they heard a fire alarm go off in the building where they worked, then saw a man with a rifle down the hallway as they exited the building.

“He aimed the gun and fired our way,” a man who identified himself as Todd Brundidge told WJLA, adding, “I couldn’t believe it.”

Siasia to coach at GTBank football camp

Former Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, has been named as the head coach at the 2013 GTBank’s Football Development Camp holding at IITA facility in Ibadan.

The camp, which will hold from September 17 to 23, will feature 40 outstanding players from the Principals Cup tournaments in Lagos and Ogun states, and the Heritage Cup.

The sponsors said the purpose of this year’s camp is to “sharpen and cultivate the football skills of the identified players by drawing from the experiences of top football coaches.”

Siasia will be assisted at the camp by former Nigeria defenders, Yisa Sofoluwe and Waidi Akanni, and former Super Falcons goalkeeper, Anne Chiejine.

Blackface Is A Liar, I Invited Him To My Wedding--2Face Explodes

2Face Idibia has finally opened up on the allegation made by Blackface that he (Blackface) was never invited to the former's wedding held in Dubai in March 2013.

Blackface had written on twitter on the wedding day that "I no dey go where I no dey invited!! But I wish them all they wish themselves," which gave the hint that all was not well between him and his former group member in the defunct Plantainshun Boiz, which had Faze as the third member. Blackface's response was in reply to a fan's question as to why he was not at the wedding in Dubai.

Revealed: The deal between Jonathan, rebel govs

Via Punchng
More facts have emerged on the Sunday night meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and aggrieved governors in theNew Peoples Democratic Party.

Presidency sources made this known just as Jonathan met behind closed doors with some PDP governors loyal to the Bamanga Tukur-led National Working Committee of the party.

One of the sources at the Sunday meeting, said that the President and the other attendees discussed and agreed on five contentious issues: Amaechi’s suspension by the Tukur-led NWC; control of the PDP structure at the state level; Jonathan’s alleged 2015 ambition; Tukur’s fate and court cases.