‘Entertainment is important to Lagos State and we will continue to support it’ – Ambode

Lagos State governor Akinwunmi Ambode has reiterated his administration’s commitment to developing the state’s entertainment and tourism potentials with a view to creating an increase in GDP.

He said this while meeting with artistes who were part of the One Lagos Fiesta that held during the last week of 2016. The retinue of stars included Falz, Tiwa Savage, Patoranking, MI Abaga, Jaywon, Adekunle Gold, Humblesmith, Dammy Krane as well as legendary musicians like Queen Salawa Abeni, Sir Shina Peters and Adewale Ayuba.

According to him, the entertainment industry is poised to increase the economic strength of the state as witnessed during the One Lagos Fiesta

This is an area I love which is underutilized for the societal development of the country. Government is now willing to use your industry to grow its GDP because so far entertainers are working, we would have more visitors coming to Lagos; they will stay in our hotels; they will buy clothes; they will go out in the night and buy our drinks and the ultimate thing is that more taxes come in for the state,’ he said.

However, he maintains that entertainment practitioners also need to come up with a framework for government to intervene and provide required infrastructure and ecosystem for the industry to thrive. ‘There is a concentric cycle around the energy of entertainers and so what I want is a structured framework. What is it that we should do as government to grow the industry? Why should we go and be doing video shoot in South Africa for instance? I want a win-win partnership not just to use artistes and dump them till another December. I want a year-round partnership that is built around a framework. The challenge for our artistes now is to come up with a framework of how government can intervene. We are willing to support and we are willing to draw up a programme to support you,‘ he concluded.

The One Lagos Fiesta held over the course of eight days from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day and saw millions of Lagosians enjoy the yuletide celebrations from five different locations across the state.

Why Snapchat king Bobrisky is definitely Nigeria’s Kim Kardashian

Two years ago, the mention of the name Bobrisky would have been met with nothing more than a blank stare, as he was still just Idris Okuneye, a regular kid from the block.

Fast forward to 2017 and this 25-year-old University of Lagos graduate that can still barely compose a complete and correct sentence is the king of social media, a status he achieved with almost no help at all.

When he is not twerking on Snapchat, he is marketing his skin-bleaching cream or talking about his faceless ‘bae’.

This young man has managed to garner the anger of thousands of Nigerians who insist he deserves to be arrested following the law that says homosexuals should be locked up for 14 years.

Kim Kardashian, on the other hand, rose to fame with the help of a less-than-captivating sex tape. Since then, she has proceeded to earn millions of dollars and fans by showing us every single part of her perfect body from every angle possible.

She is one of the most talked-about women in the world today, thanks maybe to her beauty and ability to constantly shock. While many love to hate her, she continues to thrive, garnering more wealth for herself, paving the way for her sisters, which has made them some of the world’s wealthiest sisters.

Not a day goes by where Kim is not in the news. Her disappearance from the public eye, which many thought would make her less newsworthy had almost the opposite effect as everybody wanted to know what she was up to while in hiding.

Any observant reader would have noticed the amount of hate comments her stories usually receive. ‘Stop talkiing abut this tramp’ ‘she’s a hoe, she deserves it’ are some of the regular comments one would always expect from any story that has Kim as the lead image.

Despite all of this, she has over 90 million Instagram followers and almost 50 million on twitter, which happens to be one of the major sources of her wealth.

Bobrisky, while still very far from Kim’s celebrity status, has in a short time, become one of the most talked-about characters on social media and everyone just loves to hate him.

Each Snap of his gets thousands of viewers, a feat very few celebrities in the country can boast of, Instagram posts that have anything to do with his name get loads of views and comments, same as Twitter and every other social media platform.

‘He is gay, lock him up’, ‘this dirty bleached idiot’ are some of the regular comments the Snapchat king’s stories receive on a daily.

Despite being an ‘idiot’, the bleaching cream expert is already making money via his social media pages as he recently announced that his Snapchat page was now open for paid adverts, an opportunity any wise marketer would jump on seeing how many views his snaps get.

Whether we like it or not, just like Kim Kardashian, Bobrisky is a name we will be seeing for a very long to come so we might as well get used to it.

‘I got 99 problems and stigma is one’ – Tiwa Savage’s husband Tee Billz hints at being stigmatised

The troubled husband of singer Tiwa Savage, Tee Billz in a post shared on Instagram has spoken about mental health again.

The artiste manager who has been undergoing therapy took to the photo sharing app to talk about stigmatisation of people suffering from mental disorders.

He shared a photo of US rapper Jay Z carrying a placard with the words, ‘I got 99 problems and stigma is 1.’ on Instagram and he captioned it. 

“Mental illness is not a life choice, but ignorance and stigma are…. #MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #14daysMentalHealthAwareness #14daysMHW #Day9 #SayNO2IgnoranceandStigma.“

The internet can’t stop talking about Kendall Jenner’s leg in this photo

A viral photo which shows Kendall and Kylie Jenner laughing beside their model friend, Hailey Baldwin, at the Golden Globes after party has been driving the internet crazy as they can’t seem to figure out what happened to one of Kendall’s legs.

Do you see it? No one has found it yet.

William Onyeabor, Nigeria’s father of electro-funk dies at 72

Chief William Onyeabor, best known for his timeless record ‘When The Going Is Smooth And Good’, passed away in his Enugu home on January 16th, 2017.

His was one of the most widely known careers of all time, even though the man himself would become reclusive and be unreachable for the 30 years that preceded his death.

Moogmusic.com described him thus: ‘William Onyeabor is shrouded in a fog of rumors and misinformation, making him one of Nigeria’s most fascinating and elusive electro-funk musicians.‘

That wasn’t far from the truth; since becoming ‘born again’ in the mid-’80s, he refused to discuss his music career, choosing to focus on his private life and his thriving flour mill business.

Born in Enugu in 1945, William Onyeabor is said to have studied cinematography in Russia circa the late 60s, returning post civil war to start a film company and later delve into music.

Although his music career took off during the era where Fela’s Afrobeat was the rage, Onyeabor’s peculiar sound stood him apart.

He was ahead of his time in many ways: making use of synthesizers and keyboards- hallmarks of the do-it-yourself mode of making music that would become ubiquitous in the coming decades.

His debut album Crashes In Love was released in 1977 and was followed in each successive year by Atomic Bomb, Crashes In Love (Two), Tomorrow, Body & Soul, Great Lover, Hypertension, Good Name, Anything You Sow.

After the final album in 1985, he became a born again Christian and according to the creed of his new found religion, he ‘forsook all things of the world’.

But the world did not forsake him; several bands in Europe and America held on to his psychedelic sounds and vestiges of the roaring 70s. The most enduring of them is Luaka Bop led by David Byrne. The collective put together a compilation of William Onyeabor’s songs and released ‘Who is William Onyeabor?’ in 2013.

Until his death on Monday, he was a successful businessman whose elusiveness stumped several fans and journalists who have chased him for decades. According to his son Charles, he wasn’t ill; his time simply was up – he went to bed normally and died in his sleep.

For a man whose career was devoid of the pageantry that an icon of his status deserved, perhaps there was no better way for him to go.

Funeral plans would be as announced by the family.

Jammeh Plans Escape Route as Nigeria Warship Gets Closer To Gambia

According to a Gambian journalist and Human Rights activist, President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia has fueled and parked his plane in the middle of the tarmac ready for escape.

The escape comes as a second option should the ECOWAS troops swoop in on him.

According to the reporter, the president's pilot has also been instructed to be on standby amid the political tension in the country.

This just comes after the president declared a state of emergency, just two days before he is supposed to cede power after losing elections last month. In a national TV address, Jammeh said on Tuesday the measure was necessary because of "the unprecedented and extraordinary amount of foreign interference" in a December 1 presidential vote, which he lost to opposition leader Adama Barrow.

Meanwhile,reports have it that Nigeria soldiers will, on Wednesday (today), arrive at a base of the Economic Community of West African States troops in Senegal to ensure that President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia steps down on Thursday, January 19.

Nigerian warship, NNS UNITY, is also heading for the coast of The Gambia to join the operation.

Lagos Gets New Commissioner of Police

Four days after his promotion to the rank of Commissioner of Police (CP), the Officer in Charge of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) monitoring unit, Mr Garuba Umar, has been appointed Lagos State Commissioner of police.

Umar once served as Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ikoyi and as Mobile Police Unit 19 Commander, in Port Harcourt, replaces Fatai Owoseni, who has been posted to the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, in Jos.

Former Force headquarters spokesman Don Awunah decorated as Commissioner of police last week has been posted to take charge of Akwa Ibom command

World's oldest zoo gorilla Colo dies after living more than two decades longer than expected

The world's oldest zoo gorilla has died aged 60 - after living more than two decades longer than expected.

Colo, the oldest gorilla ever recorded, passed away in her sleep overnight at Columbus Zoo .

She became the first of her species born at the zoo on December 22, 1956.

Her birth made headlines around the world in an era when little was known about conserving the critically endangered western lowland gorilla

Tom Stalf, the zoo's president, said: “Colo touched the hearts of generations of people who came to see her and those that cared for her over her long lifetime.

"She was an ambassador for gorillas and inspired people to learn more about the critically endangered species and motivated them to protect gorillas in their native habitat.”

Colo’s first keeper, a second-year veterinary student named Warren Thomas, was credited for both Colo’s birth and her survival.

He defied orders from the zoo's then-director Earl Davis to keep Colo’s parents, Baron Macombo and Millie Christina, apart.

Despite concerns from Davis that his prized gorillas would hurt each other if kept together, Thomas allowed them to spend time together - eventually leading to Colo's birth.

Thomas also found Colo, still in her amniotic sac, shortly after birth and provided mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive the lifeless baby.

Her name - short of Columbus Ohio - was the winner of a national 'name the baby gorilla' contest.

Vladimir Putin claims Russian prostitutes are 'best in the world' as he slams 'fake' Trump Watersportsgate dossier

Vladimir Putin claims Russian prostitutes are the "best in the world" as he slammed the Watersportsgate dossier against Donald Trump.

The Russian leader denied his country has any compromising information about the President-elect - and claimed those who compiled it were "worse than prostitutes".

The shocking 37-page document, dumped online last week, claims Trump booked the Presidential suite of the Ritz Carlton in Moscow and hired sex workers to urinate on the bed, where the Obamas had stayed previously.

Trump refuted the claims, branding them "fake news".

Putin suggested the 37-page collection of salacious claims about Trump's business dealings and behaviour in Russia were an attempt to "delegitimise" his election victory

Trump was elected President in November, despite losing the popular vote by 2.8 million votes - more than any other winning candidate in US history.

Putin told Russian state-controlled propaganda outlet Sputnik: “These claims are an obvious fake. Trump, when he came to Moscow a few years ago was not a politician.

“We did not even know about his political ambitions, he was just a businessman, one of the richest men in America. Is someone really thinking that our intelligence agencies are chasing every American billionaire, or what? Of course not! It's just a complete nonsense.”

And he said those who ordered the dossier were “worse than prostitutes”, adding: "This is a mature person who had been organising beauty pageants for many years.

"He got to be around the most gorgeous women in the world. I doubt he would ever rush to a hotel to spend time with the local women of loose morals - although ours are undoubtedly the best in the world.."

Putin denied having any reasons to attack or defend Trump.

He said: “I don't know Mr. Trump, I have never met him, I don't know what he will do in the international arena, so I have no reason either to attack him, criticise him or defend him.”

'Please just let me speak to my daughter': Biological mother of Angelina Jolie’s adopted girl Zahara, 12, demands access from Ethiopia after Brangelina love split

The natural mother of Angelina Jolie's adopted Ethiopian daughter Zahara has made a heartfelt plea to the superstar actress telling her: 'Please just let me talk to my daughter'.

Poverty stricken Mentewab Dawit Lebiso told Daily Mail Online she is desperate to be part of her 12-year-old daughter's life - and called for Jolie to get custody of her daughter in the bitter split with Brad Pitt.

She dreams of one day meeting the girl she gave up as a tiny infant - but said she would settle for the chance to simply hear her voice.

'I just want her to know that I am alive and here and long to be able to speak with her. I do not want my daughter back but just to be in contact with her and be able to call her up and talk with her,' said Mentewab, who ekes out a living in Ethiopia.

Mentewab is the first to admit that the Jolie-Pitts have given her daughter everything she could wish for, adding: 'Angelina has been more of a mother to her than I have ever been. She has been with her since she was a baby, but that does not mean I do not miss her.

But she adds: 'I miss her all the time. I think about her every day and long to hear her voice or see her face.I know when she has a birthday but I am sad because I can't celebrate it with her. I would so much want to celebrate with her on her birthday and other special days.

'I long to be able to have regular contact with her.'

Daily Mail Online tracked down Mentewab to a town in central Ethiopia far from the capital Addis Ababa and tourist attractions of the African country.

During an exclusive interview Mentewab looked close to tears as she mentioned her daughter's name and talks of her hopes of one day being reunited with her.

Even now, 12 years after giving up her only child for adoption the pain as she talks about Zahara is clear in her face.

She lowers her eyes, and speaking through an interpreter, says softly in her native, Amharic tongue : 'I would like Zahara to know she has a mother who loves her as much as Angelina.

'I know her life is with Angelina is in another country and she speaks another language than me.

'She has a life that I could never give her, but I would still like to have some contact. I would like to see her face. She has grown into a beautiful woman and I am so proud of her. My heart bursts because I am so proud.

'We all die sometime and before I die I would like her to know about me and that she has family here in Ethiopia.

'I would ask Angelina to let me speak with her. I do not think it is too much to ask.'

The 31-year-old has had no contact with Zahara since she was taken to America by Jolie when she was just six months old in 2005.

Mentewab has not received a card or letter from Jolie in past 12 years. Contact with birth mother is rare for adopted children growing up, however, they have a right to try and trace birth parents when they reach 18.

And despite her and Pitt's combined wealth estimated at over $500m Mentewab has not received any financial help to escape the dire poverty that sees her surviving on less than pds 15 a month and living in a one room home with no running water or toilet.

'No money has ever been offered and that does not worry or disappoint me,' said Mentewab.

Megastar Jolie was told that Zahara was orphaned when she adopted her in 2005, and had lost her parents through Aids. 

It is thought that she had no idea that Mentewab was alive until 2007, when she gave her first interview.

Mentewab is adamant  she does not want to destabilise her daughter, nor is she after money. She simply wants any form of contact she can, although she acknowledges that there is no obligation for Jolie to get in touch.

Gesturing around the bare concrete walls of her home in a back street of the dusty Ethiopian town where she lives, she says: 'What would I do with the money. I do not want any money from Angelina. She does not have to send me any money, but all I would like is to talk with Zahara.'

Zahara was the second of three children adopted by Jolie,41, and her superstar husband Brad Pitt.

Hollywood's golden couple – until their recent split and acrimonious custody battle – also have three other children of their own.

The six children currently live with Jolie in Malibu, California, after Pitt faced allegations, which were later dropped, of strict treatment of the eldest boy Maddox,15, and unsubstantiated rumours of drug use.

The actress has been granted custody of the children Maddox, Shiloh, 10, Pax, 12, and twins Vivienne and Knox, eight, as well as Zahara while lawyers hammer out a divorce settlement and final custody agreement.

Mentewab said she is aware of the divorce as relatives in America keep her informed of any developments by reading out stories from the media.

She had also learned from the internet about the allegations made against 53-year-old Pitt and firmly comes down on the side of Jolie in the couple's high profile custody battle.

'I want my daughter to stay with Angelina. She is a good mother and all children should stay with their mother,' she said.

'I am sorry that they are splitting up and I will pray for them, but I do not think it will affect Zahara that much.' 

However she insisted Pitt had been 'good father' to her daughter Zahara.

Save the date! Serena Williams says she'll start planning wedding to Alexis Ohanian after Australian Open

Love might mean nothing in tennis, but off the court Serena Williams is feeling lots of emotions for her new fiance Alexis Ohanian. 

On Tuesday, the 33-year-old tennis star took time to talk about her engagement at a press event following her first match of the 2017 Australian Open. 

According to Us Weekly, when the Olympian was asked if she felt different after saying 'yes', she had a simple answer: 'It feels good.'

Although she has plenty of love for the Reddit co-founder, Serena didn't have many details to offer about the wedding, explaining her mind is focused on winning at the moment.

She told reporters: 'I really haven't thought about it too much, because I wasn't even really gonna think about it until after the tournament.

'So, I just keep saying, "February, I'll start looking at the bigger picture of my life" But right now, I’m just so focused that this is all I can think about.' 

It looks like her techie boyfriend is on the same page, letting tennis take priority for the time being.

Earlier today, the Reddit co-founder cheered on his lady during the tennis star's first match of the Australian Open.

The New York native must be good luck, as Serena secured the match with a resounding 6-4 6-3 win against Swiss player Belinda Bencic.

The power couple announced their engagement at the tail end of 2016, with Williams taking to Reddit to share the news in a thread titled 'I said yes.'

Serena used the platform again to give fans a peek at her fabulous ring early January.

In a post called 'Engagement shoe game', she showed off the massive rock while also sharing the spotlight with a pair of slick black and white Nikes.

This evening, the 21 time Grand Slam winner returns to the Australian court to dominate doubles with her sister Venus. Her second individual match of the tournament is yet to be scheduled. 

Army places N500,000 bounty on insurgents

Condemnation, yesterday, continued to trail Monday’s bombing of worshippers in the University of Maiduguri mosque in Borno State, as the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, claimed responsibility for the act.

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and All Progressives Congress, APC, have joined other Nigerians to condemn the attack, in which a professor of Veterinary Medicine, Professor Aliyu Mani, and six others were killed. Also yesterday, some students of the University of Maiduguri, UNIMAID, called for proactive security measures to contain the frequent attacks on their campus by Boko Haram terrorists. A video featuring an audio recording, purporting to be that of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, was posted on social media late on Monday. “The bomb that exploded on Monday morning; our brothers are responsible for it,” the recording said. CAN, while condemning the bombing, commiserated with the families of the victims and expressed optimism that the terrorist menace will soon be history. CAN President, Rev. Dr. Samson Ayokunle, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said only satanic agents could perpetrate such acts and wondered when worshipping God has become a crime. He said: “What offence did these worshippers commit to warrant this? Only demon-possessed individuals can be behind this type of act. “CAN commiserates with the family of the victims of the terrorist attack and prays for the comfort of the Holy Spirit for them. “The Association as well prays for quick recovery for those that were injured.” Ayokunle tasked the security agencies to go after the terrorists, who have been dislodged from their strongholds, but are going about attacking soft targets with a view to ending the menace as soon as possible. He urged members of the public to compliment the efforts of the security operatives by reporting suspected people to them.

Lawyers decline cross-examination in Fani-Kayode’s trial

Lawyers representing the defence at the ongoing trial of the former minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, yesterday refused to cross-examine a prosecution witness at the federal high court, Lagos, on jurisdictional grounds.

At the resumed trial yesterday, the prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo concluded his examination in chief for the first prosecution witness (Pw1), Mr. Idowu Olusegun, a media consultant carrying on business under the name and style of Paste Posters Company Ltd.

After his testimony, counsel to the second accused (Nenadi Usman), Mr. Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), told the court that in light of pending applications before the court, which mainly are jurisdictional in nature, he cannot cross-examine the witness and that the provisions of sections 295 of the constitution ought to be considered.

According to him, the stage was ripe to request for hearing of his pending application dated November 11, 2016, seeking severance of the criminal charge of the accused.

He said he was concerned with the joint trial of the 1st and 2nd accused as well as the choice of Lagos as venue in a matter, which he said, had nothing to do with Lagos.

He noted that it was so tedious for his client to come from Abuja to Lagos on every adjourned date and spend not less than three days in Lagos, especially with all accounts frozen.

He, therefore, urged the court to adjourn the case for hearing and determination of pending applications.

On his part, counsel to the first accused (Fani-Kayode), Mr. Norrison Quakers (SAN) aligned himself with the submissions of Owonikoko and urged the court to first hear applications touching on jurisdiction before proceeding.

Counsel to Yusuf Danjuma the 3rd accused, Mr. S.I Ameh (SAN) also aligned himself with the submissions of his brothers silk.

In response, the prosecutor objected to the prayers of defence and argued that the accused had already submitted to the jurisdiction of the court having pleaded to the charges.

After listening to counsels, justice Muslim Hassan adjourned the case to today) for ruling.