Home-based athletes struggle for Olympic spots

With the 2016 Rio Olympic Games less than three months away, athletes all over the world are battling in various competitions and events in the ongoing athletics season as they work hard to meet the International Association of Athletics Federations’ entry standards for their various events.

The IAAF in April 2015 released the standards for qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil and since then athletes all over the world have been struggling to meet them.

Nigerian athletes – both home- based and overseas-based – are not left out of the race to meet these standards as they also compete in various meets all over the world. Overseas-based athletes like Blessing Okagbare, Tosin Oke, Stephen Mozia and recently, Tobi Amusan, and Margaret Bamgbose have met the standards in their various disciplines.

Okagbare has met the 11.32secs standard for women 100m since 2015 and also the 20.50secs standard for the 200m. Oke also  has met the 16.90m for the men’s triple jump while Amusan ran 12.83secs at a recent event to meet the 13.47secs for the 100m triple jump and Bamgbose ran a personal best of 51.11secs at the Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Championships last week to meet the 52.00secs entry standard for the women’s 400m. For Mozia, the 20.45m in shot put has been met in January.

Other overseas-based athletes like Gloria Asumnu, who ran a season best of 11.34secs in Texas recently, Claire Uke, who threw 15.83m in shot put and 45.73m in discus recently, and Ngozi Onwumere, who ran 23.22secs at the Mt Sacs Relays in April, are working harder towards meeting the standards. In the heptathlon, Uhunoma Osazuwa, also continues to work towards meeting the standard of 6200 points while Peter Moreno does the same to meet the 8100 points required for the decathlon. Doreen Amata also has a 1.94m to meet in the high jump to make Rio 2016 – her season best is 1.88m, which was achieved at the Georgia Tech Invitational Meet, USA, in April.

In the relays, the two women relay teams – 4×100 and 4×400 – have qualified for the 2016 Olympics along with Brazil, France, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Poland and the United States of America, by virtue of their top eight placement at the 2014 IAAF World Relays in The Bahamas. The athletes who achieved the feat for the country were overseas-based.

The men’s relay teams have yet to meet theirs and the country’s outing at the 2016 Penn Relays in Philadelphia, USA, ended badly. The men 4x400m team – consisting Chidi Okezie (46.6sesc), Miles Ukaoma (46.4secs), Noah Akwu (46.54secs) and Orukpe Erayokan (47.27secs) ran 3:06.81sec while the women’s team, which had Patience Okon (52.3secs), Regina George (53.1secs), Rita Ossai (53.02secs) and Folashade Abugan (53.96secs), ran 3:32.37secs. The team was made up predominantly of home-based athletes.

The 4×100 team which had Marquis Fraizer, Obinna Metu, Odele Tega, Nicholas Imhoaperamhe finished fourth with a time of 40.40secs, which was not enough to meet the standard.

Despite the seeming readiness of the country’s athletes for the Olympics, most of Nigeria’s home-based have yet to meet the standards as the clock ticks away towards Rio 2016. The home-based athletes have been in limbo since the start of the year having had no event to take part in.

They are however, in a race against time to meet the standards as the Athletic Federation of Nigeria threw the season open early this month with the All Comers at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos which was followed by the first of the four Golden League Meets in Abuja last week.

The AFN Golden Leagues will hold in May and June. The Abuja leg held on May 14 while the Port Harcourt leg will hold on May 21 and the Ilorin leg will come up on May 28.The finals will hold in Akure, Ondo State on June 4.

The federation, thereafter, will select the team which will represent the country at the 2016 Confederation of African Senior Athletics Championships, which is the 20th edition. The event will take place from June 22 to 26 in Durban, South Africa. Nigeria finished as runners-up behind South Africa at the last edition in Morocco and would be hoping to put up a more formidable challenge this term.

In addition, the athletes are to meet the standards for the Olympics before July 12, when the IAAF would publish the list of all qualified athletes for the Olympics.

But the results from All Comers Meet and the Abuja Golden Leagues have shown that the home-based athletes have a tough task ahead of them as they compete with their overseas-based counterparts in the race for spots in the Nigerian Olympic team in 2016.

In the men’s 100m, the IAAF entry standard is 10.16secs but Divine Oduduru began the season with a 10.36secs finish at the All Comers in Lagos before finishing with 10.48secs at the Abuja Golden League. Egwero Ogho-Oghene ran 10.24secs in Abuja while Imhoaperamhe Nicholas ran 10.52secs. Tega Odele, ran 10.85secs while former national champion, Obinna Metu ran 10.36secs in Abuja.

For the women’s 100m, Agnes Osazuwa ran 11.51secs at the All Comers but finished in 11.54secs in Abuja. Peace Uko, who also had ran 11.54secs in Lagos, finished in 11.52secs in Abuja. Mercy Ntiabong finished in11.65secs. The standard for the event is 11.32secs.

For the men’s 200m, which standard is 20.52secs, Oduduru ran 20.64secs in Abuja, Odele ran 21.11secs, Metu ran 20.65secs while Imhoaperamhe ran 21.39.

In the women’s 200m, which standard is 23.20secs, Praise Idamadudu ran 23.76secs in Abuja, Ntiabong finished in 23.83secs while Justina Sule ran 24.53secs and Francis Ruth finished in 24.78secs.

The standard for the men and women’s 400m is 45.40secs and 2015 All Africa Games gold medallist, Orukpe Erayokan, could only manage a season best of 46.41secs but Isah Salihu ran 47.62secs while in the women’s 400m, which has a 52.00secs standard, Patience George, who is a 2015 AAG silver medallist in the event, ran 52.11secs in Abuja and Idamadudu ran 53.54secs.

In the long jump, 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, Ese Brume, has a standard of 6.70m to meet. Her best at the Abuja Golden League was a 6.54m ahead of Ruth Usoro (5.99m) and Abire Mercy (5.96m). Brume had started the season with a 55.53secs finish in the 400m in Lagos.

Also, 2015 AAG women’s javelin champion, Kelechi Nwanaga, has a standard of 61.00m to meet. Her two outings of 50.98m in Lagos and 51.85m in Abuja leaves a lot of deficit in the race to Rio. Her best of 52.70m in 2015 has also yet to meet the standard.

Nwanaga believes she can meet the standard before the date of the lists publication.

“I’m expecting to hit the Olympic standard in my subsequent competitions. The first outings of the season are usually not too good but as the season progresses I will improve,” she said.

With the Nigerian team’s performance at the London 2012 Games, where the country had no medal despite qualifying for some of these events, athletics coach, Tobias Igwe, said the home-based athletes have to go the extra-mile to prove themselves worthy of a place in Rio.

“There is still a little more time for them to work on their times to meet the standard,” he told our correspondent during the week.

“Some of them are on course because they also want to be at the Olympics. They know what it takes to be there. The Olympics is a good thing for the career of any athlete. The likes of Divine Oduduru is improving with the work being done on him. He can run the 100m in under 10 seconds.

“There are good athletes on the home scene, what they need is regular competition and not being left to wither away after competitions and their discovery. I believe more than one of them will do well and even at the African Championships.”

Former African 400m champion, Falilat Ogunkoya, supports Igwe’s view.

The Olympic medallist said, “The standards have been there for a while and they serve as a guide or target for athletes to work towards. The athletes still have some more time to prepare for the Olympics and they can still meet up with the standard, especially in the sprints and relays. It will only take a lot of things from them, but they can still meet up with it and get qualification for the Olympics.

“The athletes need hard work to achieve the task of meeting up. The few months ahead would be busy for them as they compete at events. The Olympic qualification is itself a motivation enough to spur them to work harder but the federation can also work with some of them as they embark on their trainings to monitor their progress. The pride of wearing the national colours is still there and also enough to motivate them to get it done if the right support is given to them.”

But athletics enthusiast, Prince Rashid, believes it will take a miracle for the athletes to meet these standards.

He said, “The AFN Golden League is scheduled for May/June and the African Championship is also in June. To qualify for the Olympics, the athletes have to meet their required times before July 12 so that it can be listed on that date. The AFN scheduling the Golden League for the purpose of Rio 2016 is not well planned. Essentially, they believe  all athletes must perform a miracle in the month of June alone to meet IAAF standard by  July 12, which I think is not possible.”

Also, Igwe, who is popularly called Toblow said, “There is really not much the athletes can do to meet the standard besides dedication and commitment. But to improve athletics in Nigeria, the grassroots must be watched for talented athletes, especially from primary or secondary schools. We should begin preparations for the next Olympics immediately after this one.”

Look beyond oil, improve on IGR, experts advise S’South states

Experts have asked the South-South states to change their internally generated revenue profiles amid dwindling federal allocations, writes FISAYO FALODI

The sharp drop in the federal allocations to the 36 states of the federation coupled with the non-payment of workers’ salaries for many months has necessitated the need by the governors to think deeper on how to generate enough funds to meet the challenges of their offices.

Except Lagos State which took the bitter pill of generating revenue internally during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo that held on to the state allocations for many months, many states in the country are still struggling in terms of IGR.

 

The latest report by the National Bureau of Statistics on the amount of IGR realised by the 36 states of the federation for the 2015 fiscal economic year indicated that most of the states of the federation are lagging behind in their revenue generation drives.

According to experts, the performance of the South-South states in the statistics released is not encouraging, going by the large number of both local and foreign investments in the region. Curiously, the South-South is home to many oil and allied companies, many of which are supposed to be paying taxes to the states of their operations.

The oil rich states seem to treat the issue casually. For instance, available statistics show that some states in the region generate as low as N10bn yearly as IGR. The worst IGR in the region is from Bayelsa State which generated N8bn for 2013 and N10bn for 2015. This followed by Akwa Ibom State (N13bn and N15bn) within the same period.

None of the states in the South-South region generates N100bn per annum. Rivers and Delta states, which top the chart in terms of IGR, generate between N80bn and N40bn per annum.

Unfortunately, there are claims that as bad as this IGR profile is, some of the states deliberately gave their citizens tax holiday.

For instance, in Akwa Ibom State, it was learnt that until 2015, workers were exempted from paying the Pay As You Earn Tax, which is a criminal offence. In fact, the current state governor, Emmanuel Udom, was seriously attacked and condemned for introducing PAYE system in the state.

Based on the report from the NBS, the 36 states generated a total of 682.7bn in 2015 compared to 707.9bn in 2014. This shows a 3.69 per cent decrease in total revenue. The implication of this, according to experts, is that some state governors may fail to discharge the responsibilities of their offices to the people unless they strengthen their IGR bases through crucial legal frameworks.

This becomes necessary because there is no indication yet that the federal allocations to the states may increase anytime soon. As of April, only a few states including Lagos and Delta got above N5bn as their federal allocations. Oyo, Ondo, Sokoto, Yobe, Kebbi and Kaduna states, among others, got a little above N2bn each. Edo, Kwara, Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Gombe and Ekiti, among others got over N1bn each, while Ogun got over N999m and Osun was given a little over N130m.

With this dwindling federal allocation, it may be difficult for state governors to provide the needed infrastructure and social services to enhance the living standard of the people. Unfortunately, it appears many governors are not being creative as per how to increase IGR.

However, experts have offered various suggestions which they said, if appropriately applied, could bail the states out of their financial quagmire.

Prof. Abayomi Adebayo of the Department of Economics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, said the states should stop being over-reliant on federal allocations and begin to support people’s initiatives, especially those who wished to establish legitimate businesses.

Though Adebayo appreciated the fact that some state governors, like Ayodele Fayose in Ekiti State, had responded to challenges posed by the decline in the federal allocations by coming up with education tax, he said such an idea should be standardised in such a way that the people would not be negatively affected.

He said, “The issue of IGR should be taken seriously by governors. They only need to standardise the process to ensure that the people don’t die while struggling to live. To me, it is right to think of how to generate money from those who are not paying tax in the informal sector. It has to be effectively managed so that it does not become an instrument to paralyse the initiative of the people who are out to fashion out legitimate work to do on their own.”

The Professor of Economics added that there would be more money for states if taxable adults were made to pay correct taxes.

Adebayo said, “Even in the formal sector where people are being paid salaries, some people are not paying correct taxes. The issue of paying correct taxes should be pursued properly so that people can pay the right taxes.”

He, however, opposed a situation whereby workers would be paid half salaries and still be made to pay the right taxes.

“There will be problem if such a thing is done,” Adebayo said, adding that exploration and processing of raw materials should be encouraged for their multiplier effects.

Adebayo equally asked the governors to go after the wealthy people, some of who have the penchant for evading tax, to ensure that they were captured in the tax net.

He said, “The issue is that Nigeria is a lawless country. You only see law enforcement agents working when they have something to gain personally.

“The governors are the chief security officers of their states and they know this category of influential people that are not paying tax. So, it is the responsibility of the governors to take up the matter at the very high-powered level because they belong to the same class.

“The governors need a very high-powered tax collecting agency that can withstand the personalities of the affluent people and make sure that they actually pay their taxes, but I say it is going to be very complex because some of the people don’t declare their properties. They have so many bank accounts which their children don’t know. So, this is a complex situation.”

On why the IGR of the South-South states are not encouraging in spite of the presence of many local and foreign investments in the region, Adebayo likened the situation to a child whose parents are very rich. According to him, the child will not bring out his potential because there is no financial challenge for him to face.

He said, “The South-South states lag behind in IGR matter because they have special derivation formula which puts them at an advantage in the sharing of the revenue of the country. What that means is that the South-South states will have a lot of money to play around with. So, when money is available, you don’t think about responsibility. It is like you have a child in a house where the father is very rich; the child will not bring out his potential because there is no challenge.”

The Professor of Economics also pointed the attention of the South-South states to the killing of the people’s potential in the region. He said such potential could be harnessed for economic development, if the South-South states do the right thing.

He said, “The government should register and tax all the local refineries in the South-South, instead of sending soldiers to go and bomb them. The best way to make it formal is to register and make them to pay tax. By that, operators of the refineries would have been able to develop their potential and be contributing to the development of their respective states through job creation and payment of taxes.”

Another economist, Prof. Sheriffdeen Tella of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, asked the South-South states to wake up to the reality of the decline in federal allocation.

He said given a good number of oil and gas related businesses in the South-South states, the governors have no excuse not to have enough money to run their states if they put in place effective tax management system.

Sheriffdeen said it was unfortunate that the South-South states were suffering from “resource curse” which had made them to “become so lazy to the extent that they don’t want to look inward and see what they can generate.”

He said, “It is like you have resources and as result, they don’t want to work. They depend on rent. So, the South-South states have been benefiting seriously from the money coming from the Federal Government and they don’t want to do anything.

“Now that the economy is bad for everybody,  that should be able to spur them to think deeper on how to generate money, particularly in the payment of tax. All the foreign companies that should pay taxes to the states, in addition to the one they pay to the Federal Government, are not doing so because the region depends solely on the money from federal allocation.

“They should generate money from personal income and company taxes.”

A commentator, Mr. Victor Iyoho, described the situation as pathetic.

Though Iyoho said it might be a tall order to ask the South-South states to start looking inward to raise their revenue bases because of the current economic situation of the country, it was the best thing to do.

He asked that apart from Rivers, nearly all the other states in the South-South are rural in nature without major profitable ventures.

Iyoho, however, asked the South-South governors to kill corruption in their respective states as well as shun ostentatious lifestyle.

While asking them to learn from the Lagos State example, he said, “The people of the South-South should be involved in the development of their states.

“The South-South states can expand their tax net to capture the petty business owners, but this approach should be handled with utmost care to avoid pitting the people against the government.

“There should be a lot of sensitisation and the government should also encourage the people to grow their businesses.”

APC’s change on the path of confusion

The ruling All Progressives Congress has been in power for almost a year but it has largely failed in passing its policy statements and programmes across in a coherent manner. GBENRO ADEOYE writes

There is no doubt that the recent announcement by the Federal Government that petrol would henceforth cost N145 per litre came as a shock to many Nigerians. But beyond that, many Nigerians are more confused than they were before the pronouncement was made.

Already, Nigerians have begun to feel the weight of the recent pronouncement in their pockets. A litre of fuel that used to cost N86.50 now goes for about 68 per cent more and considering that Nigerians largely depend on generators in the absence of regular public power supply, contributes to making the situation quite daunting for the average citizen.

 

A political commentator, Mr. Tayo Ademola, who expressed fear that the move would shrink Nigeria’s middle class, said many Nigerians would be dragged into penury.

“Some of us in the middle class are poorer now than we were in 2015,” Ademola noted.

“The fuel price hike will reduce the middle class by half. If I buy fuel for my car four times a month now as I have been doing, I will be poorer than before because I’m spending a lot more. Meanwhile, I will also need to fuel my generator and pay for other things, which are all expensive now.”

But ironically, according to analysts, government’s efforts to explain the situation away have been more confusing than assuring.

It appears that many persons in government circles are talking but in voices that are too inaudible and efforts that are too futile to give unambiguous and comprehensible information to the public, leading to more confusion.

For instance, after the announcement of the new fuel price regime by the Federal Government, a national leader of the APC, Ashiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, in a statement, congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari “for having the courage to remove the (fuel) subsidy.”

He described Buhari’s decision to reallocate funds once earmarked for fuel subsidy to other more socially productive services as a difficult but necessary one.

“Instead of remaining a positive aspect of the social contract, the subsidy was transformed into an opaque haven of intrigue and malfeasance,” he had said.

“The machinery of the subsidy had become so polluted that it was no longer feasible to talk about reforming it. Either it had to cease or we would have to surrender to the corruption now inherent in it.”

In his reaction to the fuel price hike, the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, also commended the government for doing away with the “subsidy regime” because according to him, it was not benefiting the masses.

Odigie-Oyegun had told journalists at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja that “the subsidy regime has become so intensely manipulated, so abused that it really was no longer operating in the interest of the Nigerian public.”

He had added, “What the new regime is therefore doing is to ensure availability and having fuel at all, so as to prevent indecent queues at petrol stations that has become something that is no longer desirable especially considering the fact that when you eventually get the fuel, it is already overpriced.

“In any case, the current budget did not provide for subsidy and so, if the regime of subsidy is to be reintroduced, it can only divert resources from the crying needs of other sectors, including the programme to help the Nigerians living at the margin.”

However, the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, later described the “subsidy” comments as misconceptions, saying the new petrol price had nothing to do with subsidy removal.

Osinbajo, had in a statement titled ‘The Fuel Pricing Debate: Our Story’, said, “I have read the various observations about the fuel pricing regime and the attendant issues generated. All certainly have strong points.

“The most important issue of course is how to shield the poor from the worst effects of the policy.  I will hopefully address that in another note.

“Permit me an explanation of the policy. First, the real issue is not a removal of subsidy. At $40 a barrel, there isn’t much of a subsidy to remove.”

The VP had gone ahead to explain how major and independent marketers had found it difficult to meet their 50 per cent importation target because of the unavailability of foreign exchange from the Central Bank of Nigeria to bring fuel into the country.

He said that the government realised that there was no other option but to allow the marketers and others source foreign exchange on their own for the importation of petrol.

 “They would then be restricted to selling at a price between N135 and N145 per litre,” he had said.

Former National President of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, Dr. Afe Mayowa, said there was no doubt that fuel subsidy had been removed with the deregulation.

He said the deregulation meant that the government was no longer funding the sector.

“The vice president was not saying that subsidy had not been removed, no,” he said.

“I think the shortage of foreign exchange, coupled with the fact that the reserve is depleted completely, are the reasons that this government can no longer fund the subsidy. Government also used to pay those moving the product to their various final destinations from Lagos and Port Harcourt. Government can no longer fund all those things, so tactically; government is saying that subsidy has been completely removed.

“Kachikwu emphatically said that the private marketers should source for their own funds, bring in the product and sell at their own rates. He was saying that government would no longer be involved in funding anybody; so all the bridging charges are also gone. People can look for tank farms to buy the product and sell at their filling stations. But government is also saying that when you invest in all the value chains of the business, the business is more profitable.”

But checks from Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency show that the Federal government has not abolished the Equalisation Fund or the bridging cost for transport fuel to far part of the country.

Also, barely 48 hours after the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, assured that “over the next six to eight months”, the deregulation of the sector would force the new N145 pump price of fuel to drop, Odigie-Oyegun said it would happen within “three months.”

Even the deregulation itself has been criticised in some quarters as rather confusing with some two of the prominent voices coming from the Rivers State Chapter of the Trade Union Congress and the National Association of Seadogs.

According to the TUC Rivers State Council Chairman, Mr. Hyginus Onuegbu, government cannot say that it has deregulated the sector when at the same time; it has fixed a price cap of N145 on a litre of petrol.

 “Government is still fixing prices, and so this is at best liberalisation. This is not deregulation,” he had said in a statement.

In the same vein, the NAS National President, Mr. Ifeanyi Onochie, said deregulation of a sector translates to losing your right to dictate prices.

“Deregulation entails government ceasing to dictate prices, so the purported removal of subsidy while still fixing pump prices under any guise is hardly deregulation,” he had said.

Mayowa, however, said that deregulation does not mean that the government must not protect its citizens from exploitation, saying, “If you deregulate completely without having control, there will be a lot of shylocks involved.”

The recent issues concerning fuel may have projected the lack of communication among people speaking for the APC-led government or the party; findings show that it is a recurring feature.

Analysts say the trend shows some level of inexperience on the part of the ruling APC with its members seemingly not on the same page as regards policy statements on national issues.

Earlier, in March 2016, Tinubu had lambasted Kachikwu over comments that he was not a magician and so could not provide immediate solutions to the fuel crisis being experienced by the public at the time.

Kachikwu had painted a gloomy picture of the problem, saying that fuel scarcity would last for another two months, saying, “One of the trainings I did not receive is that of a magician but I am working very hard to ensure some of these issues go away. And let’s be honest, for the five, six months, we have been here, NNPC has moved from a 50 per cent importer of products to basically a 100 per cent importer. And the 445,000 barrels that were allocated was to cover between 50 and 55 per cent importation.

“So, it is quite frankly sheer magic that we even have some amount of products at the stations. We are looking to see how to get foreign exchange input.”

The minister’s statement had attracted criticisms from Nigerians, including Tinubu, who described Kachikwu’s statement as showing a lack of respect and empathy for Nigerians.

Calling for the minister’s resignation, the APC leader said, “Kachikwu’s intervention was unhelpful. It panicked and disappointed the public as to the duration of the crisis. It insulted the people by its tonality. He spoke with the imperious nature of a member of the elitist government the people voted out last year and not the progressive one they voted in.”

In a swift reaction, the South-South chapter of the APC had also called for Kachikwu’s resignation if he was incapable of providing workable solutions to the scarcity of fuel in the country.

However, the South-East chapter of the party had in a statement said that there was no reason for the minister to resign.

“It is our considered opinion that Kachikwu should stay, for bringing sanity to the petroleum product importation and fuel supply chain in the last 10 months,” the statement had read.

In another situation, Osinbajo had seemingly disagreed with his principal over his statement that he would not pay N5,000 stipend to vulnerable and unemployed youths in the country.

The President had said he would “rather do the infrastructure, the schools and correct them and empower agriculture, mining so that every able bodied person can go and get work instead of giving N5,000, to those who don’t work.”

The vice president had in a statement made available by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said that though Buhari never promised to pay money to unemployed youths, there was an agreed plan to give money to people living in penury.

“The President never promised to pay unemployed graduates N5, 000; the President never made that promise and the government never made that claim that it will pay N5, 000 to unemployed graduates.

“The N5, 000 monthly, which is already in the budget, is for the vulnerable Nigerians and the extremely poor, and this year, by the grace of God, once the budget is okay, one million extremely poor Nigerians will receive N5, 000 monthly,” Osinbajo had said.

Last year, after President Buhari approved N70m for Nigeria’s 55th Independence Day anniversary celebrations, the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, had claimed that the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan had spent N64bn on the event in the previous five years.

The APC governor’s allegations had generated a lot of controversy on social media before being refuted by the Office of the Secretary to the Government, which said only about N2bn was spent on Independence Day celebrations within the period under question.

A lawyer and social commentator, Mr. Wahab Shittu, said the APC was still grappling with the challenge of harmonising the various ‘tendencies’ in the party.

“The APC as a party and the APC as a government must harmonise their policies and pronouncements to ensure consistency,’ he said.

“The reality is that it is a political party containing several tendencies. Most of these tendencies are sometimes conflicting. At the time the party came into power, Nigeria needed a change. So people were preoccupied with that change mantra rather than focusing on the content of the change. Now that they have wrested power from the PDP, the urgent assignment for the party to tackle is how to harmonise its various tendencies into a coherent policy framework that would forestall this kind of confusion.

“But rather than condemn the party, we should assist the party to be positioned in the proper direction because whether we like it or not, we are stuck with it for another three years.”

Smoke was detected on EgyptAir flight – Investigators

France’s aviation safety agency said Saturday that the EgyptAir A320 that crashed into the eastern Mediterranean with 66 people on board had transmitted automatic messages indicating smoke in the cabin.

“There were ACARS messages emitted by the plane indicating that there was smoke in the cabin shortly before data transmission broke off,” a spokesman of France’s Bureau of Investigations and Analysis told AFP.

ACARS, which stands for Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, is a digital system that transmits short messages between aircraft and ground stations.


 

The spokesman said it was “far too soon to interpret and understand the cause of Thursday’s accident as long as we have not found the wreckage or the flight data recorders.”

The signals indicated there was smoke in the front toilets near the cockpit, an expert told AFP.

According to the specialised aviation website Avherald, the ACARS messages read “smoke lavatory smoke” then “avionics smoke” — referring to the plane’s electronic systems — then a “fault” with the FCU, the pilots’ flight control unit in the cockpit.

The warnings began about three minutes before air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane at 0029 GMT on Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, earlier reported that automated warning messages indicated smoke in the nose of the aircraft and an apparent problem with the flight control system.

The messages indicated intense smoke in the front portion of the plane, specifically the lavatory and the equipment compartment beneath the cockpit. The error warnings also indicated that the flight control computer had malfunctioned, the report said.

CNN also reported smoke alerts on the flight minutes before it crashed, citing an Egyptian source.

On Friday, search teams found wreckage including seats and luggage about 290 kilometres (180 miles) north of Egypt’s coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt’s military said.

The plane disappeared off the radar without emitting any distress signal between the Greek island of Karpathos and the Egyptian coast.

It turned sharply twice in Egyptian airspace before plunging 22,000 feet (6,700 meters) and vanishing from radar screens, Greece’s defence minister has said.

EFCC seals Dickson’s ex-aide’s building in Bayelsa

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have sealed off buildings and other property allegedly belonging to Mr. Apere Embelakpo, a former aide of Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson.

Investigation on Saturday revealed that a building said to be owned by Embelakpo on Azikoro Road, Yenagoa, was taken over by the EFCC.

 

It was, however, noticed that some unidentified youths were still occupying a section of the building.

The youths, when they discovered our correspondent was trying to take pictures of the building threw stones at him.

It was also noticed that sets of exotic shopping complexes and malls allegedly acquired by Dickson’s former Special Assistant on Millennium Development Goals at the Kpansia Market along the Isaac Boro Expressway were also sealed off by the officials of the anti-graft agency.

Sources said the EFCC operatives, provided cover by some mobile policemen, had stormed Yenagoa, the state capital, on Tuesday in search of assets allegedly acquired by the former aide with the MDG funds.

An inscription, “Property under EFCC investigation, keep off”, was written on the fences and gates of some of the buildings.

Embelakpo is being investigated by the EFCC for allegedly diverting N800m meant for MDG programmes and projects in Bayelsa State.

His wife is also being probed by the anti-graft agency for alleged offences of money laundering, forgery and suspicious transactions amounting to N200m.

The EFCC had earlier nabbed a former Senior Special Assistant on Media to Dickson, Abnedgo Don- Evarada, in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, for allegedly offering a bribe of N10m to the EFCC’s Zonal Head in Port- Harcourt, Mr. Ishaq Salihu.

Don-Evarada reportedly ran into trouble when he allegedly approached Salihu over the case involving Embelakpo and his spouse, Beauty.

Stop destroying pipelines, ex-militants warn Niger Delta Avengers

Former militant leaders, under the aegis of Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative, have urged the Niger Delta Avengers to embrace peace and stop their unnecessary destruction of pipelines and national assets.

The LPCDI, the umbrella body of most of the first phase ‘Generals’ in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, made the call after rising from an emergency All Niger Delta Security Stakeholders Meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.

 

The ex-militants in a statement signed by the National President, LPCDI, Reuben Wilson, aka ‘General Pastor’, and made available to our correspondent on Saturday, told the Avengers that the use of violence to agitate for the betterment of the region was no more necessary and had been overtaken by events.

Wilson, therefore, asked the NDA to rather channel their grievances to President Muhammadu Buhari through the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.) for more effective result.

He warned them that their current violent campaign was not in the best and collective interest of the Niger Delta but would rather impoverish the people of the region, attract unnecessary hardship and worsen their plight.

Wilson appealed to the Niger Delta people to give President Buhari the opportunity to fulfill his promise to the region by maintaining peace, saying there could not be any meaningful development in an environment ravaged by violence.

He added, “The Niger Delta struggle has advanced beyond the use of violence. We had in the past used violence to attract the entire world to the plight of the region.

“We, therefore, need to utilise other peaceful and civil means to build on the sympathy of the world towards the Niger Delta for more effective results rather than resorting to violence.

“That the current resurgence of militancy is an unnecessary distraction to the current administration.

“That all groups and individuals actively involved in the Niger Delta struggle should channel their grievances to Buhari through Paul Boroh for more effective coordination and positive resolution of their grievances.

“That every Ijaw group or persons involved in region’s struggle that for any reason is unable to utilise the office of the SA to President on Niger Delta Affairs to resolve issues bordering on the betterment of the region or Ijaw ethnic nationality should utilise the platform of Ijaw Youth Council or reach out to Victor Ebikabowei, aka General Boyloaf, to mediate in the resolution of such issues.”

Osun private school offers rescued Chibok girls scholarships

The management of Kunike International School, Osogbo in collaboration with Delta School District in Vancouver, Canada has offered to give full scholarships to the first two Chibok girls rescued from the captivity of the Boko Haram sect.

Amina Alli with her four-months-old baby and Serah Luka were rescued this week from Sambisa Forest which is the hideout of the dreaded terror group

 

The Director of Kunike International school, Mr. Amos Adekunle, announced the offer in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Saturday.

He said the girls needed to be encouraged to fullfill their dreams of getting quality education which was temporarily stopped by the terrorists, who invaded their schools on April 14, 2014 and abducted over 200 girls.

The statement read, ” The management of Kunike International Schools, Osogbo in conjunction with the management of Delta Schools District, in Vancouver, Canada is extending full scholarships ( all tuitions and boarding) to the first two Chibok girls, Amina Alli and Serah Luka that were recently rescued from captivity.

“Kunike is located in a well secured and safe environment in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

Kiss Daniel surprises all at album concert

Woju singer, Kiss Daniel held his anticipated album launch concert tagged “New Era” last Sunday.

 

The 5- hour concert was held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island Lagos. It was a night of great music, glamour and glitz. Though the event was slated for 7.00pm, but eventually kicked off around 10 pm. Most entertainment pundits thought Kiss Daniel was not big enough to staged a concert of that magnitude, but the youngster proved them wrong. The concert was hosted by ace broadcaster, Olisa Adibua who was on point with his baritone voice.

Upcoming acts like Pryse, Terry Apala and others opened the show while comedians like Seyi Law, Pencil, Kenny Blaq and Akpororo spiced it up with their own dose of humour.

The Kiss Daniel Moment

Kiss Daniel kicked off his performance with a dramatic entry. His dancers stepped on stage dressed in white shirts and an Ankara. Then a praise singer came on stage singing the praises of Kiss Daniel in the most engaging way. Kiss Daniel rendered his songs “Laye”, “Woju and Mama.” He looked stressed when he mounted the stage and his voice wasn’t clear enough to thrill the audience. Moments later, he got his groove back and became immersed in the performance.

The rave of the moment changed the rhythm of the show when he invited 9ice and 2face on stage. The crowd roared in excitement.Together they performed 9ice’s Afropop tune, Street credibility which got the audience dancing in nostalgia. Unfortunately, 9ice couldn’t keep up with the pace of the song because of his hoarse voice. He lost his melody. He had to stop the song halfway and prayed for Kiss Daniel.

Mizgold “show off” on red carpet 

Mizgold, a

Ghanaian singer and TV presenter kept eyes glued on her for wearing a sexy outfit on the red carpet. Her outfit, a leopard patterned blouse and bum short got people talking, with an ample view of her “Assets”. Since then, her picture has been trending on the social media.

The top musical performances of the night

Ycee: When the Jagagban sensation, Ycee was mentioned as the next performer, you could see the excitement on the faces of the audience. His performance was simply magical, holding the audience spellbound with his charisma and dance steps. The ladies screamed, while some parts of the audience stood throughout his performance. His showmanship that night was impeccable.

Solidstar: He stole the heart of the audience with his infectious dancehall song,”Wait.” The likes of AY and 2face had to stand up to show off their Galala dance steps. At a point, he came down from the stage and bonded with the audience.

Tekno: Years back, the Triple MG artiste was nothing but a rookie singer finding his feet in the music industry. Judging from last Sunday’s performance, Tekno has mastered his craft and now comfortable with the crowd. When he proceeded to perform his hit song Duro, the crowd went wild with unlimited excitement screaming “Baby Duro”!

Reekado Banks: He whets the appetite of his fans by hopping into freestyle of Kiss Daniel’s latest song, Mama. He did it so well that a colleague said he has stolen the spotlight from Kiss Daniel. He proceeded to perform his highlife tune Oluwa ni. The young singer’s performance showed a side many hardly see: an ambitious performer determined to break barriers.

Emma Nyra: Former Triple MG artiste, Emma Nyra stepped on stage in a sexy outfit ready to take her fans to another level of ecstasy .She gave a sultry performance of her song For my matter.

Dremo and Mayorkun: The duo of Dremo and Mayorkun are the newly signed act on Davido’s HKN label.

Mayorkun got the crowd cheering with his splendid rendition of Eleko. He delivered his vocals convincingly. Dremo’s raspy voice did the trick as he got the audience dancing to his Afropop rap song. His delivery was powerful and got the crowd screaming in approval.

I‘ve found refuge in acting after my husband’s death—Nnenna Okonta

Although she has since found refuge in her first love-acting, Nnenna Nwabueze-Okonta popularly known as Merit in the pioneer movie, “Living in Bondage”, will not forget in a hurry the good times she had with her late husband, Chief Okonta.

 

Okonta died few days to their 22nd wedding anniversary, which came up on March 15, 2016 and the actress will forever miss her husband.

In a telephone chat with HVP, the actress said her husband died on the 7th of March after a protracted illness while their wedding anniversary came up on the 15th of March. He was buried on the 19th of March.

“It has not been easy, but I am coping with my new status. It’s painful loosing a loved one to the pangs of death,”she added.

Merit may be at a loose end following the death of her hubby but doesn’t want to impose herself on anybody, hence she finds refuge in acting.

“It’s a good thing that before his demise, I staged a comeback to the industry. It’s like a refuge for me. Instead of staying at home and feeling loss, I decided to hit the location to meet people and feel happy. It provides me a source of income.”

“Being a widow comes with so many challenges. Friends will abandon you, but my family is there for me.”

The actress listed companionship, friendship, security, love and protection as some of the things she would miss about her late husband. Merit returned to acting last year, after she disappeared from the screen for over 21 years.

She starred in an Igbo film titled, “ Ndi Gbo Ochie” (Primitive), which was shot in Asaba.

AMAA 2016: Adesua Etomi, OC Ukeje set to make history again

Rising actress, Adesua Etomi, who declared that “I’m not afraid any more” after wining the 2016 AMVCA best actress for her role as Muna, in “Falling” is living up to her claims.

 

The actress is gearing up to rewrite history as she has been nominated again for her role in the same movie in the forthcoming Africa Movie Academy Awards, AMAA.

Adesua was pitched against Thishiwe Ziqubu also nominated for her role in “Tell me Sweet Something”, Maureen Okpoko (Missing God), Ijeoma Grace Agu (Jimi Bendel/ Taxi Driver), Bontte Modiselle (Hear Me Move), Nthati Moshesh (Ayanda), and Linda Ejiofor who was nominated for her role in “Out of Luck.”

She has only sojourned in the industry for two years, but Adesua is already a force to reckon with in Nollywood. By nominating her in the AMAA best actress category, Adesua is on the way to write her name in gold as the best African actress on the continent. But she has actresses such as Linda Ejiofor, Thishiwe Ziqubu, Ijeoma Grace among others to beat in order to set a new record in Africa. No doubt, Adesua has proved to everyone that she’s on top of her game, and the possibility of her clinching the prestigious prize at this year’s AMAA is not in contention.

Looking back, the fair-complexioned actress broke record last year when she beat the likes of Genevieve Nnaji, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Belinda Effah, Fulu Mugovhani and Mary Lazarus to clinch the AMVCA best actress award. Also, OC Ukeje and Daniel K Daniel will be slugging it out in the Best Male in a lead role category alongside their contemporaries from other parts of Africa.

Announcing the nominations at a press parley last weekend, in Lagos, the Head of the jury, Shuaibu Husseini said, AMAA received over 420 films from filmmakers across 25 African countries of which 25 feature films and eight short films were nominated by the jury for the awards.

Nigerian flicks, “Soldier’s Story” and “Osimiri” had the highest nominations this year, followed by South African highly rated flick, ‘Ayanda’ and Ghanaian flick, ‘The Cursed One.’ The awards ceremony is scheduled to hold on June 11, 2016 in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

There’s no real love in our industry, Praiz laments

Most people thought Praise Adejo popularly known as Praiz was a pretender on the music scene until he released his ‘Rich and Famous’ album which won wide accolade from within and beyond Nigeria. And when the MTN ambassador was honoured with his ‘own day’ in faraway Minnesota, USA, it dawned on the industry that another star is born.

 

Is Praiz living his dream or has he finally arrived as one of the big ones? He speaks in this interview on the music industry and a lot of other issues:

So far, how has the year been for you?

It has been a great year for me and I’m grateful to God. My year started on a good note and by God’s grace, I believe it will get even better. It started with a major achievement – I was honoured by the Governor of Minnesota, United States with my own day.

Usually when people are honoured with their own day, it’s a big deal. But you were given that honour and most people didn’t notice or appreciate it….

I think it’s just too big for them to comprehend. Honestly, I didn’t see it coming. Everyday I wake up and stare at the plaque, wondering if it’s real. When I started, I never knew I would achieve this. I just wanted to win awards, make money and be comfortable. I didn’t think I would be honoured in a different way in a different continent altogether. I think it’s a lesson for Nigerians to learn to appreciate their own, we celebrate foreigners we don’t know in our own country and look down on our own.

So a particular day of the year is dedicated to you?

Yes, even when I’m dead and gone, 6th of February will remain Praiz Adejo Day in America. Just the way you have Martin Luther King Day. If you go to the government website in Minnesota, you’ll see it. The only individual who has gotten that recognition is the great Rollingstone in the UK. The greatest rock band at the time. I’m glad to be the first African to be honoured that way.

What did you do to deserve that honour?

I think it’s just God’s blessing. I guess God rewarded me for those good deeds I do that I don’t broadcast. You can’t buy or lobby for such proclamations. I tell people to keep being the best at what they do because you never know who’s watching.

What should your fans except from you soon musically?

I’m about to drop another album and also an Extended Play (EP) before the album. The EP will give a platform to upcoming artistes who are really good at what they do, especially at my genre of music, RnB. They’ll sing with me and this will let people out there know that there are people who are even better than me. I’ll drop the EP to encourage upcoming artistes and also the album this year.

You’ve stuck to doing R&B songs even though it’s not really appreciated in Nigeria, how have you managed?

The genre of music we love is influenced by the economic situation. We have so much hardship and most people would not want to just sit down and listen to slow music. People want to forget their problems, but that doesn’t mean that there are no people out there who appreciate R&B music. I got my endorsement deal with an R&B song and when I was about to get signed, they told me that the reason they were signing me up is because I’m different. I’m doing good by God’s grace. I do shows, I travel to places and people love my songs. I travel to Kenya and do shows in East Africa and I do my R&B, they love it and want me to come back. I just want to be true to myself. Recently, I released Oshe, Mercy and Sisi and these are not your typical R&B songs. They are Afrobeat sounds. I believe in being versatile. R.Kelly is the king of R&B but he does other genres as well.

To what extent has the Nigerian factor affected your brand?

I don’t think it has affected me because I have remained true to my art, even though I try to be versatile sometimes and it is paying off. I was on my own when famous international rapper, Obie Trice, who is associated with Eminem heard my ‘rich and famous song’ and said he wanted me to feature in his album. I didn’t feature Obie Trice, he featured me. People out there recognise the talent in this country more than we do.

What keeps you going?

I surround myself with real people. I try not to allow fame get into my head. I don’t have a lot of friends. The friends I have are my childhood friends. They grew up with me and if I’m messing up, they can easily call me to order. I like to surround myself with people who can push me to be better. My family has been very supportive and I also have a good management team. I’m blessed to have the right people around me.

What would you have been doing if you weren’t into music?

I would have been playing football. I actually wanted to become a footballer. I played club soccer. Celestine Babayaro was my senior. I played for the Islanders FC in Kaduna as a striker.

What influences the kind of songs you do?

My environment and experiences – either personal or indirect. I like to do songs that people can really relate to. I prefer to write or sing songs that are inspired by life’s situations.

You didn’t win Project Fame, but you don’t seem to be struggling…

I feel blessed not to be struggling. But the fact is that the hustling continues. I always tell people that my hustling story is a lesson for me. It teaches me that you need to be humble, consistent, persistent and prayerful.

You did a song ‘Rich and Famous’. How rich and famous are you?

Right now, I’m confident to say I’m rich and famous because I impact lives. I drive a Benz, I did not borrow money to buy it and I pay my bills. I also take care of my family and friends.

How soon will you be tying the knots?

We’re in the era where marriages crash incessantly. It’s crazy. I never knew marriage to be this way. So I just try to take my eyes off these marriage break ups and focus on my parents. I don’t want to rush into marriage in as much as I know that time is running out.

What are those qualities you look out for in a woman?

She has to be ambitious, understanding, patient and I also like someone who can engage me in a conversation. A lot of people do not know I’m a quiet person. I can be here and not just say anything.

I love someone who really loves God, who can pull me back on track when I get distracted.

You’ve not really done much collaborations, why is that so?

Personally, I’m very selective of the kind of collaborations I do. It has to be a high quality song. I don’t water down my standards. This year, I’ll be doing more African collaborations though. I have collaborations with Sarkodie from Ghana, Vanessi Mdee from Tanzania to name a few.

What do you think about the rift ‘beef’ among colleagues in the industry?

‘Beef’ in the industry is not healthy. I don’t encourage it. Over time, I’ve come to realise that there’s no real love in the industry. But I don’t encourage bad blood.

Couple of years from now, where do you hope to see yourself?

I see myself, at least, as a Grammy nominee. When the time is right, I’ll also like to start my own family and have properties. I’m a family person.

Desperate things Nigerian artistes do for fame

You don’t need a prophet or soothsayer to tell you that Nigeria’s music industry is very lucrative.

The industry has made millionaires out of several ‘studio rats’, and there are millions of others out there waiting to get their own break “The bad news is that not all dreams come true. Forget that saying of the sky being wide enough for all birds to fly, the Nigerian music industry is a dog-eat-dog world.

It is very savage, demanding, bitchy, unforgiving and unappreciative. Folks really go hell to breathe easy. This is more so because there is an inherent lack of structure which makes it difficult for record labels to thrive. “EME’s DJ Xclusive put it most succinctly with his post on Instagram during the week when he wrote, ‘No matter how talented you are, it’s hard for most people to understand how hard it is to make it in music. The pains, the hard sacrifices, the let-downs are endless…You can’t give up on you!’ “In this piece, we’ll get you acquainted with some of the desperate things Nigerian artistes have to do to get to the pinnacle of their careers…

Paying Pirates to Pirate their Work:
Does the above make any sense to you? If you’re from a ‘developed country’ reading this, it wouldn’t, but we in ‘Naija’ know better.“Nigerian artistes actually pay bootleggers to proliferate their works, just to make them popular.“They do this by way of Alaba Mix, where the DJ includes their songs in a mix of selected trending club bangers. The Alaba ‘mixtapes’ are usually played at parties, street corners, bus stops, and places with high concentration of people.“However, this only pertains to the rookies in the industry; or those out of relevance. The established acts who are toasts of the town don’t need to do this. Their own songs are rather used to ‘sell’ the others.
Another angle to this is the fact that even established artistes sell the rights to their CD sales to these Alaba kingpins, who pay them a certain sum of money, and pocket the rest of the profit.

Performing for Free:
It is a fact that there is no artiste in this country that has never performed at an event for free. In fact, it is the order of the day, especially in the early part of their careers.“Even the biggest shows in the land are guilty in this regard of not paying upcoming artistes for their services. However, it is a win-win situation because the artistes also gain a lot from this arrangement. They aren’t paid in physical cash, but they get mileage, brand awareness, and opportunity to interface with their fans, which invariably translate to much more than cash.

Romancing the ‘Power Brokers’“
There are several power-brokers behind the scenes, who are the big names that everyone knows. They are usually big-time show promoters who organise popular and successful annual sold-out concerts. These fat cats also run consultancy services, where they help entertainers secure juicy brand endorsement deals. They can turn you to a star at the tap of a finger. They wine and dine with high-ranking government functionaries, business executives with the fat cheques, and they have a large following of hungry youths. It is these power brokers that artistes always do all sorts to win their attention so they can call them for free shows and help them secure endorsement deals.“Nowadays, every artiste knows better than to depend on album sales. The major part of their money comes from shows, concerts, endorsements etc, so anybody who can make it happen for them will be courted ferociously. Even though the power brokers are also in it to make money, as it is not charity, they have been a ‘blessing’ to the industry.

Attaching to an established act:
One way Nigerian artistes make their way to the top of the music industry is by attaching like leeches to already established acts.“It is common to see artistes working as Personal Assistants (PA), Secretary, Manager, etc. for other stars.“That way, they’re always with the superstar whenever he meets the power brokers and people that matter in the game. They use this opportunity to network and establish their own careers.“Examples of people that have this as part of their story are Terry G, who was formerly a back-up singer for Faze, and Ubi Franklin, who is the co-owner of MMMG Record label, was PA to Julius Agwu“

Becoming close friends to OAPs and. DJs:
In the music industry food chain, OAPs and DJs occupy prime poitions They are more like gatekeepers, who have the power to keep intruders at bay. These OAPs and DJs often have their own legion of fans too who hold whatever they say sacrosanct. They can do so much for an artiste’s career just by talking about him or her on their shows, or playing a particular artiste’s songs on air.

Paying to be on record labels:
This is another puzzling and desperate act perpetrated by Nigerian artistes on their race to the top.
In an ideal situation, a record label is supposed to pay artistes a hefty amount of money, and even give them material possessions like cars and houses for signing to them. However, the extreme opposite is what happens at times in Nigeria. Artistes now pay big record labels to be attached to them and enjoy the benefits that come with being associated with their name. Meanwhile, the record label would put out press releases that it has signed the artiste for a mind-blowing fee with other benefits. In reality, the artiste would have to pay for his own studio time, videos, and other costs of pushing his career.

Sugar mummies:
In their desperate attempt to embrace the klieg lights and paparazzi, artistes sometimes become boy-toys to wealthy society women. They hawk their manhood and youth to these fun-loving socialites who, as a form of reward, ply them with dollars, pounds, and other exotic currencies, which they, in turn, use in lubricating the machinery of their careers.

Black Magic (Juju):
Whenever a new shining star emerges on the scene, it is not unusual to hear side-talks on the streets of how the artiste must have dined with the devil to get to where he is.
The truth is that several artistes sell their souls to the devil in the course of trying to find their way to the top. They often have to take blood oaths, and visit shrines to pledge allegiance to strange gods.
Many of the artistes become successful this way, but the repercussions are usually very grave, as some of them lose their lives on the cusp of fame. Those who don’t die, live with heavy conscience, and are usually tormented for the rest of their days.

It’s no longer advisable for musicians to drop out of school — Myro

Oghenemairo Ozah a.k.a Myro is a budding artiste who wants to make a statement with his musical prowess.

His songs, “Plantain and Ocha” are fast gaining acceptance. The architecture graduate of Caleb University in a recent chat with Showtime counsels young artistes not to drop out of school.

“Young people must understand that being educated gives you a broader view of the music business. So, it is no longer advisable to drop out of school to do music. Technology has made it possible for people to multi-task and be good at all they are doing if they are focused. Education taught me from the onset how to manage my music career.

“Davido is a graduate. He didn’t have to drop out from school. Pursuing a career in music is no excuse to be out of school. School on its own, instills discipline because there are things you learn in school that you cannot learn on your own . You can also build your fans-base from school,” he said.

Would you mind your spouse communicating with an ex?

Old flames, they say, die hard, though some people may have contrary opinions.

But supposing you’re faced with the reality of having a spouse who is in the habit of communicating with his or her ex-, would you look the other way and allow the past into the present?

Would you want your spouse to be friends today with someone with whom they used to be in love? Here’s what some of our celebrities think:

No, he should focus on our marriage – Adokiye, Singer

He should avoid any contact with the ex and focus his time and energy on the new relationship. This arrangement would not be healthy, especially when he’s trying to establish a new, solid relationship with someone else. It’s hard enough building trust in relationships. How much more difficult do you want to make it by speaking to an old beau?

He should leave his past behind – Debie Rise, Singer

Granted, they may be just friends, but is it worth making his new partner insecure, untrusting, confused and even jealous of their “innocent” relationship? When you have decided to move on and begin anew, you are choosing to leave behind your past and look towards your future. Entering into a new relationship means that you are choosing to look forward and not back. No, I won’t like my spouse communicating with his ex.

No, I can’t stand it – Adol, Singer

Even though I’m not the jealous type, I still can’t withstand her talking to an ex. It’s something I just can’t take.

Old flames burn back – Mercy McJoe, Actress

It depends on what they are still talking about. But no, I wouldn’t want them to communicate. Old flames always burn back. It’s always a bad idea for someone to communicate with their ex. The communication serves to prevent the last strings of emotional attachment from being severed and it also serves as a means to quickly re-establish emotional bonds.

Yes, as long as there’s trust – Liz Da Silva, Actress

Of course, I would allow them communicate. As long as there’s trust between myself and my spouse. It’s no big deal. We’ll be able to maintain relationships with healthy boundaries.

Kehlani speaks out about suicide, depression

During her first show since her attempted suicide, the RnB songstress Kehlani, opened up to the crowd about a cause that’s near to her heart, one that landed her in the hospital in March this year.

 

“I’m very honest with the people that support me,” she said, referring to her suicide attempt. “It wasn’t a first time thing and that’s not okay. That’s not okay for anyone, not the people around you, not the people who love you, not the people who care about you.”

Kehlani added that she will be working to raise awareness about suicide prevention, because she feels these issues are often overlooked.

“It’s something that so many young people are dealing with,” she said. “So many young people just slip under the rug things like depression and severe anxiety and many disorders that people know nothing about.”

Before ending her speech, Lani also advised her fans to support others who may be suffering as well.

“If you have a friend and they’re scaring you a little, just love them,” she said. “Hug them and love them up and tell them that it’s good. And from me to you, you are worth it. You are perfect. You need to be here every single day that you are meant to be here. Get up every day and know that and tell yourself that.”

Recall that Kehlani’s suicide attempt was as a result of harsh criticism she received online. That same day, an online media PARTYNEXTDOOR posted an image of the singer in her bed.

Some who thought Lani was still in a relationship with NBA star Kyrie Irving blasted her for cheating on the Cleveland Cavalier. Irving has since wished her well, but noted that they had broken up prior to the photo’s release.