Reminisce Holds Listening Session For "El Hadj"

Les Roses Rouge records rapper Reminisce has held a listening session for his fourth album "El Hadj" set to drop August 29, 2016. The event took place at Lotus Pattaya, Victoria Island, Lagos starting around 8pm Hosted by VJ Ehiz of MTV Base, the event saw music industry stakeholders, journalists, on-air personalities (OAPs) and fans of the rapper in attendance. DJ Spinall, DJ Neptune, DJ Jimmy Jatt, DJ Humility, OAP Osi Suave, celebrity stylist and image consultant Zed-Eye and many others came out to support the 'Alaga Ibile'. The rapper previewed all 16 tracks for listening with acts like Mr Eazi, Solidstar, Olamide, 9ice, 2baba, Oladips and Sojay featuring on the album. Reminisce explained the concept behind each track on the album and also gave the reason behind the album title saying it had to do with the religious pilgrimage Hajj which he initially planned to go for in 2016 but has shifted it to next year 2017. The 'Asalamalekun' rapper recently just parted ways with his management Edge Records owing to irreconcilable differences. El Hadj is fourth album which follows "Book of Rap Stories"(2012), "Alaga Ibile" (2013) and "Baba Hafusa"(2015).

Ali Baba Feels The Buhari Dog Naming Drama Has Undue Attention

Stand-up comedian, Ali Baba, has made his thoughts known concerning the recent pet naming drama where a man was arrested for naming his dog Buhari. Ali Baba however feels that the incident was given undue attention. He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to put his house in order, specifically calling on him to advise the likes of the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation to focus on their responsibilities. According to the comedian, the country is facing quite a number of challenges, and as such feels energy should be invested on tackling them. He expressed these in a recent Instagram post, Daily Postreports. “President Muhammadu Buhari is a respected man. He is a sitting president. Nothing should be done to discredit him, just as nothing should be done to rubbish his name." “But to all his dogged supporters who are screaming blue mother because of the dog issue, hear this, THIS IS THE SAME PATH THAT PEOPLE WHO MESSED UP JONATHAN’S PRESIDENCY TOOK." “You cannot tell me that in the past weeks or so that this issue of name dog or not name dog started, the people who work with or work for PMB have not brought it to his notice?" He lamented about the situation with the Fulani Herdsmen, who have gone a rampage across the country, killing innocent people and taking over their lands. As far as he is concerned, more should be done to overcome this challenge, as opposed to the focus on issues that do not bring peace. “Is that what is bothering this country? How many Fulani herdsmen who have killed several Nigerians have been swiftly brought to justice like this dog naming guy? “We just have a bunch of senseless and jobless people swallowing panadol for another person’s headache, masquerading as patriots. “Let me just say this one time here and I will not comment on this again. Mr. President should call the IGP and Attorney General to order. “There are more pressing issues than the name of a dog taking over the times of our courts and heating up the polity. “Awon Alai ni nkon se oshi (People who are not ready to do anything)", he said.

Okey Bakassi Thinks Being A Celebrity Is A Curse

Popular comedian, Okey Bakassi, has revealed that being a celebrity in the current social media age is similar to a curse due to the lack of privacy. According to him, being popular takes away all the privileges that comes being a regular person, as everyone always seems to be on their case. He feels the advent of the social media has made celebrities susceptible to attacks and disrespectful comments from fans. Bakassi was shared his thoughts in a recent Instagram post,Daily Post reports. “It comes with a lot of curse, you lose your privacy, and until you lose your privacy, you won’t know how much it means to you." “Celebrities don’t have a life that is theirs; everybody feels that entitlement to barge into your personal space." “It’s really an expensive curse to bear honestly." “When you are on this side of the boat, there are a lot of things you could just do everyday but you just make efforts to be normal." “I’m sure if you ask the average celebrities, in these days of social media, it’s just too much, it’s as if when social media came, we lost respects and our values." Social media, though lauded for bridging the gap that one existed between celebrities and their fans, has in recent times become an avenue for invasion of privacy. Many of these famous personalities have become weary of this, making them feel the need to be more discreet about their private lives.

About Being Short, Chinedu Ikedieze aka Aki Asks, “Am I The One That Created Myself?

Nollywood actor, Chinedu Ikedieze popularly known as Aki who got conferred with the MFR title by President Jonathan in July 2010 says the national title does not come with any visible benefits to him. Aki in a chat this week said there is no monetary value or special benefits to the title as obtained in western countries. “The only joy in it is the recognition. When I am traveling and I get to the Airport, I get special preference and recognition. Apart from that, I don’t get any other thing. I don’t get paid, I don’t get any special benefits as an MFR. As an MFR, I hold the same position with some of those who are Members of the British Empire (MBE) and they have some special benefits in the international community and honourary recognitions but those things are not here”, he said. Aki was also asked if he ever wonders why he was created in the form he is. “Am I the one that created myself? Why would I ask myself such a question? You can only ask such a question when you are frustrated about life or if you are tired of life. But in my own case I am not. When you wake up in the morning and you have something to eat, you have people who can smile at you and you smile back as well, then what else do you need? Then you go to bed, you sleep and you seldom go to the hospital, so which other gift is more important than that? As far as I am concerned, that is the greatest gift. There are some people who have all the money, cars, houses and all the things they want, but they are sick. They don’t enjoy the money. So the perfect gift for me is good health”.

IPOB Blasts FG, DSS, Accuses Them Of Spreading Falsehood

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE of Biafra, IPOB, has accused the federal government and the Department of State Services, DSS, of spreading false reports about it with a view to creating division among its members. Dismissing alleged existence of a splinter group from the IPOB, the spokesperson for the group Powerful Emma, in a statement Friday said the alleged reports on an emergence of splinter groups from IPOB is a move by the federal government and the DSS to deceive the general public. “The indigenous people of Biafra, IPOB, worldwide under the leadership of the prophet of our time mazi Nnamdi Kanu lambast the DSS and FG over the new formed group called TRIPOB and RIPOB on their moves to deceive the general public, it’s unfortunate that government cannot tell their citizens the simple truth,” the Spokesman said. The group also said the President Muhammadu Buhari- led administration cannot achieve success through deceit. “The APC led government cannot achieve a success in deceiving the public, we IPOB family members worldwide advice the FG and DSS to release our leader and other members IPOB detained in different prisons and security cells around the country unconditionally and embrace open dialogue because you cannot stop all Biafra intellectuals and business men who are making efforts and working tirelessly towards the restoration of Gods nation Biafra,” IPOB said. “Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB worldwide are intact and no amount of propaganda can change our tactics of nonviolent approach and perceive resistance towards the liberation of our people because this is God’s project any human being or group of people working against the movement working tirelessly to remove our people from the shackles of bondage will die before his or her time. The group acused the DSS of attempting to use phoney names to deceive the people: “They failed in their attempt to use so called MEND and their own creation, Reformed Avengers to cause any spilt in the Niger Delta Struggle. Resorting to the same idea here, simply confirms that they are confused, frustrated and defeated. “They could have at least used a recognizable name, to make it look real. Philip Effiong Osuji and Ikemba Biafra the names they foolishly used, destroyed their intentions. Pity. Shame. Questions Chima Philip Efiong Osuji and where did they come from only one person? from where? who impregnated their mothers between Osuji and Efiong and Ikemba Biafra or 50 – 50 and where did they come from? because Nnamdi Kanu come from Afra Ibeku Umuahia. “We advise the FG and DSS, to release our leader and do better for the public to honour them. Their very poorly scripted plots always exposes the I.Q Level of the people incharge there. We urge the general public to disregard the garbage from Nigeria government and the DSS. We are hoping to hear more of your newly formed IPOB which is no where to be found. “Nigerians were waiting for this joke. They tried it on Avengers, now the great IPOB, tomorrow the DSS will form the Reformed Afenifere or the Reformed Egbesu and Ohaneze Ndigbo,” IPOB said. Since the past week, there have been reports of that the IPOB group led by Nnamdi Kanu had split. The reports said that the new groups – the Reformed Indigenous People of Biafra (RE-IPOB) and The Rebranded Indigenous People of Biafra (TRIPOB) – also threatened to expose the sponsors of the IPOB. Also, the IPOB accused politicians and the Ohaneze Youth for mobilizing youth in the south east against the agitation of Biafra and urged them to stop the “confusion” stating that there is no benefit in such move.

10 Principal House Of Reps Officers Receive =N=10 Bn, Says Jibrin

The former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has alleged that the 10 principal officers of the House have so far received about N10 billion since they were first elected into the House at various times. He said in a statement last night that his latest revelation was part of his efforts expose shady deals in the House.

“Today, I will start with the 10 Principal Officers of the House of Representatives. If just these 10 are named and shamed it will force reform in the House. I will therefore provide what each one of them had collected as ‘office running cost’ in their entire stay in the House. “If any one of them disputes my figure, he or she should not make drama out of it but just simply tell the country how much he or she has collected. “From computation of various sub-heads of allowances of the House, Speaker Yakubu Dogara has been in the House from 2007 to date. He has received about N1.5 billion. Deputy Speaker Yusuf Lasun has been in the house from 2011 to date. He has received about N800 million. House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila has been in the House from 2003 to date. He has received about N1.2 billion. Deputy House Leader Buba has been in the House from 2007 to date. He received about N1.2 billion. “Whip Alhassan Doguwa has been in the House from 2003 to date. He has received about N1.2 billion. Deputy Whip Pally Iriase has been in the House from 2011 to date. He has received N700 million. Minority Leader Leo Ogor has been in the House from 2007 to date. He has received N1.2 billion. “Deputy Minority Leader Barde has been in the House from 2011 to date. He has received N700 million. Minority Whip Chuma has been in the House from 2007 to date. He had received N800 million. And finally, Deputy Minority Whip Binta has been in the House from 2011 to date. She has received N700 million. “So in between these 10 Principal Officers, the country has pumped about N10 billion - and still counting. As I have mentioned earlier, in most cases with few exceptions, these funds are diverted for personal use. I will provide further break-down of these figures in due course. I will also provide 50 additional names of members with worst cases of diversion of such funds in due course,” he said. The House leadership had last week said it would not join issues with Jibrin in the media.

Ayade Claims He Works For Buhari More Than APC Govs

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River yesterday said though a PDP chieftain, he works harder than most APC governors in projecting the image of President Muhammadu Buhari. Ayade said he ended politics soon after the 2015 elections and wished that other elected governors would tow the same path for the betterment of the common man. “I am in love with the style and ability of President Muhammadu Buhari as leader of Nigerians. He does not see himself as a party leader but as father of the country. “His efforts at streamlining the country’s resources, as well as tackling corruption drew me closer to him. Besides, he has shown me love even though I am of the PDP. He gives utmost and prompt attention to my requests,” Ayade said. He said he was now desperate to make a difference as a governor of Cross River State, and that he would spend the next one year commissioning projects.

How To Make Her Want To Cuddle More Often

For most people, the greatest aspect of being in a relationship is the romantic part of it all. It can be strenuous in a relationship when one partner has a fear of touch. Whenever it is a moment for intimacy that partner cringes and switches off PHOTOS: ISTOCK The random make out sessions, the hand holding, the cuddling on the couch with a blanket watching your favourite shows.

But what happens when you have a partner who is as cold as ice, where kisses and thoughtful gestures are rare, and cuddling is almost unheard of? Also read: After sex 'good' manners - Tips for guys After a lovemaking session, they also switch off when all you need is a snuggle. What happens if you are in a relationship with a partner who does not like intimacy? Psychologist Mampho Mofokeng says this phenomena is actually more common than most people think. "Many people tend to jump to the immediate conclusion that something is amiss if their partner is not a big fan of intimacy. They suspect they may be cheating or have simply lost interest but lack the guts to tell them. "This is not always the case. "There are some people who, either have a genuine fear of being physically touched, or have issues with intimacy. The only downside is that they may not be able to articulate this in their relationships, or they don't know what is wrong with them." The good news, Mofokeng says, is that with therapy these conditions can be managed, even though it's a process, knowing exactly what you are dealing with makes it easier to handle. WHEN YOUR PARTNER HAS A FEAR OF TOUCH It is no doubt that there are many phobias out there, but, according to Mofokeng, one of them involves the genuine fear of being physically touched. "This is a rare phobia, but it exists nevertheless, and it is called hephaphobia. "Some people develop hephaphobia after a traumatic experience, such as a violent rape, while some are naturally hephaphobic, which some scientists believe it's hereditary. "The premise of this phobia is simple, and that is, people who suffer from it see being physically touched or embraced as a form of invasion of their personal space and privacy, and may associate someone trying to touch them as trying to harm them," she said. "What is upsetting about this phobia is that people often find the notion of an adult afraid of physical touch as being ridiculous, making it one of the most misunderstood phobias out there." Mofokeng says often in relationships, people with hephaphobia do try to accommodate their partners' need for intimacy, although it may be literally painful to them. "Hephaphobia sufferers can experience physical symptoms from forced physical touch, such as nausea, trembling or even a full-on anxiety attack. "But in relationships, they can often try to mask it for the sake of their partners. It can be quite a debilitating condition, and requires understanding and support," she says. TREATMENT Mofokeng says sufferers of hephaphobia require intense therapy to deal with the condition. "It is not something that can be overcome on your own. "The sufferer would need to firstly receive intensive trauma counselling in the case where abuse or sexual assault was involved in their past. "If the phobia is affecting your relationship, my recommendation would be to go for couple's counselling, mainly because the partner with the phobia needs to learn the tools to trust their partner, and to learn to let love into their personal space without the fear of being harmed or hurt. "The other partner needs to learn to be understanding and supportive, and realise that this is something that is out of their partner's control," she said. Mofokeng says the fear of intimacy is also closely related to the fear of touch, and it can often be a result of rape or sexual abuse. "But the fear of intimacy has more to do with a shattered sense of self-worthy and self-esteem. People with a fear of intimacy have a general belief that they do not deserve love, or are not worthy of it, and see intimacy as some form of manipulation. "Generally they will disregard their partner's affection, because on some level, they do not believe that it comes from a genuine place," Mofokeng elaborated. "These people have a dismissive attitude about affection and intimacy, but inwardly crave it. "They may try to block themselves off, but the truth is they long to love and be loved, and really wish to express affection to their loved ones, but cannot. It can be very frustrating for them." As with hephaphobia, Mofokeng says she recommends intense individual and couple's counselling to overcome this, as it can ruin good relationships.

Sesame Street, Jazz Harmonica Player Toots Thielemans Dies @ 94

Toots Thielemans, the Belgian jazz harmonica and guitar player who worked with many of the postwar greats, and made popular the children’s show, Sesame Street theme song, died on Monday aged 94, his agency said. Born in Brussels in 1922, Thielemans spent the early years of a 65-year career as professional musician touring Europe, playing for the likes of Benny Goodman. He moved to the United States in 1952 and worked with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Quincy Jones, as well as Stevie Wonder and Pat Metheny, among many others. He also played on many film soundtracks, including Midnight Cowboy in 1969 which starred Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman and won three Academy Awards. Perhaps his best-known harmonica performance was on the theme song to the children's television show Sesame Street, heard at the start and finish of each episode. Thielemans, who retired in 2014, was recovering from a broken arm in a Brussels hospital where he died on Monday morning. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said: "We have lost a great musician, a warm personality."

Mick Walls Captures the Life of Prince, Enigmatic US Music Legend

At Prince's induction into the Hall of Fame, Alicia Keys described his music as "an internal rollercoaster that takes each individual on their own separate legendary ride". What emerges most strongly from this portrait – apart from Mick Wall's unbounded admiration for the musician – is the chameleon quality of both the man and his music. For all his sexual provocations, Prince was an archetypal American dreamer and self-made man committed to freedom with a capital F; a fan of Ronald Reagan who loved God above all. Intensely competitive, Prince's greatest rivalry was with Michael Jackson. While Jackson'sThriller was the biggest seller of all time, Prince got the critical plaudits and kept taking the musical risks, says Wall. Rushed out our months after Prince's death, Prince is a journalistic overview and personal lament for the enigmatic musician.

Babes Melts Hearts With Dance Moves

Babes Wodumo swirls across the packed patio like a whirlwind. She is pulled to the left, then to the right, asked to stop and pose for a selfie by Arthur Mafokate. She has the industry wrapped around her proverbial little finger. Everyone wants a piece of the lanky, svelte attractive lass who pops out of the crowd in an orange, body-hugging dress. Her long hair in a shade of blue earns her more

curious stares. The 22-year-old does not break a sweat as she nonchalantly gives the gum in her mouth a lazy chew and shuffles her way through the admiring crowd. 'People think I'm stupid' - Babes Wodumo on the misconception of female dancers It's high noon, literally, and we're at Emoyeni Conference Centre in Johannesburg for the MTV press conference. The place is crawling with celebrities. Babes has come in from Durban to make an appearance, upstaging all the rappers, veteran musos, and industry heavyweights - judging by the stampede she is causing and a scramble for photos. After a moment trailing her, we finally find a quiet place to chat. She could have been a Miss SA on any day, I tell her. She laughs and says she was, in fact, a model. I love how, when I ask her questions in English, she responds in Zulu without batting an eyelid. "UBabes is a humble girl who loves God. What makes people like me tick is that I come with something different. "My music is not kwaito, it's called gqom in Durban. I am the first woman to bring gqom, and I have mean dance moves," she introduces herself. Her real name is Bongekile Simelane. She became known as Babes Wodumo (the famous Babes) after she ran at school, modelled, and sang and acted in Uzalo in the small role of hustler girl. For the past month or two, Babes has cast a spell on the industry with her music, thanks to the monster hit Wololo, which is one of the most played songs on radio, and her energetic dance moves that rival the Boom Shaka girls of the 1990s. On YouTube her video is sitting on over 1.1million views after only more than a month of its release. On Instagram she's earned more than 100000 followers. It's clear that Babes is the industry's newest fascination after featuring on some of Big Nuz's songs such as Desha and Tsegetsege. She has been called "ratchet", and it's a label she does not run away from. "Yes, I am ratchet vele. I grew up in Lamontville township. I'm loxion culture. I'm a girl from the township who danced and was known for that. I'm carefree. I respect and love myself and I love people." But she runs the risk of being misunderstood as "loose" or "immoral" by those who are judgmental. She isn't bothered. "Some people may look at me and say this 'sfebe' [slut], 'these kids who are nude...', but when they sit down with me they realise that when I'm on stage I have to perform. I don't go around dancing like that, as if I'm mad. As long as my parents accept me, I'm not concerned about what other people think of me". It's fascinating that Babes's father is a pastor of Mount Zion Faith Mission in Lamontville and Port Shepstone. For a while, he had sleepless nights with the "wayward" daughter who danced. "My father didn't understand this. I was different from my siblings. He'd say 'this child, my Lord, what did I do? Why do I have a child like this who dances and does all these things that we don't do in this family? But he did turn around and accepted me as a parent." She says her father prays for her whenever she travels and her mother loves Wololo. "It makes me happy to see my parents supporting me like this - it makes me want to push harder." She is flattered by the attention she generates though. "It scares me how much love I'm getting from fans and artists. They ask me for pictures, the likes of Mafikizolo and Arthur. I wanted to get to Arthur's dance school and now we're here taking pictures. Sometimes I pinch myself. It's such an honour." She says her career highlight was when superstar rapper Cassper Nyovest asked her to wait for him to arrive before she performed at KwaMax in Umlazi. "And I was like, haaibo, he's a hip-hop guy. Why would he want to see me? He stood there with spectators to watch me. That was special. He even used my song in his set," she gushes. Babes's mission is to build her father a church in Port Shepstone. "I always wanted to be of help to others. When I grew up my father used the word 'others' a lot, and that stayed with me. I learnt early in life that you don't live for yourself, but you're in service of others. My dream is to build the church and an old-age home by the time I'm 28, to take care of the elderly who are neglected." Her album is set to be released by December.

Omokri Urges Buhari To Repeat Mistakes Of Jonathan

Reno Omokri, special assistant to Ex-president Goodluck Jonathan on social media, says President Muhammadu Buhari should make the same mistakes committed by his predecessor. Omokri was responded to the warning of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, emir of Kano, that Buhari must stop behaving like Jonathan, else it would end up the way of the previous administration. “If we do not expand the economy through wise investment, we can end up in classical Malthusian situation. If this government continues to behave the way the past government behaved, we will end up where Jonathan ended,” Sanusi had said while delivering a lecture at the ongoing 15th meetings of the joint planning board and national council on development planning in Kano. “We are always blaming the past administration, but we have also made mistakes in this administration. The problem is that there is nothing we are facing today that we did not know what happened. That is the truth.“We made mistakes, many of them deliberate. We ignored every single warning. Not building roads, not building power and other necessary infrastructure that can boost the economy and development of the country “We are spending 30 to 40 percent of every Naira we earn servicing debt. The new borrowings were simply recycled into much higher recurrent expenditure. The GDP was growing largely due to consumers items.” But responding on Thursday, Omokri said he would not allow anyone rewrite history, arguing that Jonathan did his best for Nigeria. “How can anyone say President Muhammadu Buhari should not make Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s mistake?” he asked. “Rather than avoid GEJ’s mistake, PMB should make the same GEJ mistake that made the economy grow at over 4% every year GEJ was in power! “Rather than avoid GEJ’s mistake, PMB should make the same GEJ mistake that ensured our economy overtook South Africa’s economy as Africa’s largest economy! “Rather than avoid GEJ’s mistake, PMB should make the same GEJ mistake that ensured Naira was stable at ₦150-₦215 to $1 between 2011-2015. “Rather than avoid GEJ’s mistake, PMB should make the same GEJ mistake that ensured EVERY state had at least one federal university! Rather than avoid GEJ’s mistake, PMB should make the same GEJ mistake that ensured EVERY election INEC held under GEJ was conclusive! “Rather than avoid GEJ’s mistake, PMB should make the same GEJ mistake that ensured civil servants were consistently paid as and when due! “How can you say a man who kept inflation at single digit THROUGHOUT his tenure was a mistake? Nigerians pray for PMB to make same ‘mistake’! Let me assure anybody NO MATTER WHO HE IS, I, Reno Omokri, will not let ANYONE rewrite history. GEJ was a man who did well for Nigeria!”

Prof. Soludo Carpets Buhari-led APC govt Over State Of Economy

Former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Professor Charles Soludo, on Thursday in Kaduna State, took the Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government, to the cleaners detailing what the government must do to take Nigeria to a progressive change. Soludo spoke as a guest lecturer at Kaduna Progressive Governance lecture series with the theme: “Building the economy and developing inclusive sustainable growth.” Below are the 16 hard truths Soludo told APC governors with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in attendance. 1. That the collapse of oil price is a blessing to Nigeria as it presents an opportunity for a new beginning. 2. That the Federal Government should consider ‘loosening of Abuja stranglehold on the states’. 3. That Nigeria can’t experience sustainable and inclusive growth in the face of ‘mass elite discord’ 4. That agriculture might not be a sustainable option for Nigeria’s economy given the disastrous level of poverty and illiteracy in the country. 5. That there is urgent need to Identify and break ‘dynasties of poverty’ as the surest path to sustainable growth and inclusiveness. 6. That APC government must not see the oil price collapse as a temporary development with hope for a rebound. 7. That APC must stop the blame game and focus on the challenges confronting Nigeria at the moment. That APC government has not much time left having spent 35 per cent of its working days with no major milestones. 8. That he wondered if APC has any sustainable agenda at the moment, as a collection of any five APC leaders might just be source of comic relief. 9. That APC should consider proper devolution of power to the states for the management of their resources. 10. That APC should come clean with Nigerians, providing a measurable agenda with specific timelines for execution. 11. That APC should be the change it professes to be, if it must be taken seriously by Nigerians. 12. That APC must create an agenda for industrialisation and give form and content to change. 13. That APC must change from a coalition to grab power to a governing team. 14. That APC must be careful not to repeat the mistake of PDP which ruined itself with opposition from within. 15. That not providing qualitative education for the poor masses is building a time bomb that will affect everybody sooner or later. 16. And that he has belief, faith and hope that Nigeria would be great if its leaders do the right things.