Top Film Makers, Ibinabo Fiberisima and Emeka Ike, Settle 12-year Leadership Rift

Foremost Nollywood actors, Ibinabo Fiberesima and Emeka Ike, have settled their 12-year rift, which had split the Actors Guild of Nigeria into two factions.
The pair had been embroiled in a legal tussle over who should occupy the position of president of the AGN.
A truce was however brokered at the 2017 Peace and Reconciliation Conference held in Enugu, recently. The crisis was resolved at the closed-door forum, which had representatives from 29 AGN state chapters in attendance.
Images of the two erstwhile sworn enemies in a friendly pose have also gone viral on social media.

Confirming the development in a chat with premium times on Monday, Ibinabo said: 

“By the grace of God we have made peace and there is no more war between Emeka and I. We will call for an election in the coming weeks to elect a new AGN president because there is none as we speak. We had to make peace at this time because our tussle for power only stagnated the guild and also rubbed off on the nation’s movie Industry.”
Emeka also corroborated Ibinabo’s claims in a chat with premium times.
“Ibinabo and I are no longer at war. We had to make peace because our rift has been of no benefit to the guild and Nollywood in general. For the sake of the masses, actors, stakeholders and Nollywood, we made peace. We will call for a press conference in Lagos next week, where we will outline our plans for AGN and Nollywood going forward,” he said.
Reacting to the move, an actor, Obi Okoli who is better known as Sir Okoli, said it marks the beginning of a new dawn for Nollywood.

Crisis has made it impossible for the industry and Nollywood to soar higher as anticipated.
“AGN’s decision to come together as one big family devoid of acrimony is a good omen and a news that gladdens my heart, especially for the theatre, film and entertainment industry. For over a decade, the actors had lost the comradeship of oneness and other benefits that come from being together,’’ he said.
In the past 12 years, AGN had been embroiled in a leadership crisis, resulting in the dismissal of its National President, Ibinabo, in 2016 by a Federal High Court.
Ibinabo’s dismissal followed a suit filed against her re-election by St. Maradona Mikevine, a veteran Nollywood actor.
The actor, who was the National Treasurer in the election that ushered in Emeka as AGN president, said he was unhappy with the goings-on in Ibinabo’s reign as ‘figurehead.’
Mikevine had also argued in his suit that the election that introduced Ibinabo into the system was conducted pending a subsisting court order containing the conduct of an AGN election, with Emeka filing the initial suit.
The pair (Emeka and Ibinabo) had been battling for the leadership of the guild since 2005, after the tenure of Ejike Asiegbu as National President of the guild expired.

Meanwhile, actor, Emeka Rollas has been sworn in as new president of the GNU, an interim government under the umbrella of the AGN.
Rollas has promised that his two-year term as leader of the guild would be full of positive reforms, stressing that he will work with all aggrieved parties for a better AGN.

University Of Ilorin Gets New Vice Chancellor

The management of the University of ilorin has appointed Sulyman Abdulkareem as its new Vice Chancellor.

The university’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of council, Abdullahi Oyekan, announced the appointment on Monday.

Mr. Oyekan said the institution reached the decision after a meeting of the council in accordance with the provisions of the Universities Amendment Act.

According to him, the appointment will take effect from October 16 while the tenure of the outgoing vice chancellor, AbdulGaniyu Ambali, will end on October 15.

Mr. Abdulkareem, a professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering is the institutions’s 10th vice chancellor.

He was once vice chancellor of the Alhikmah University, Ilorin.

He was born in 1954 at Oro, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara.

He schooled at the University of Detroit in 1980 where he earned a degree in Chemical Engineering and also at the University of Louisville, in 1988 where he earned a Ph.D in the same discipline.

His area of specialization is Heterogeneous Catalysis/Reaction Engineering.

Kim Kardashian Channels Jackie O With North West In Their First Mother Daughter Shoot

We can’t even handle this Flawless photo shoots where Kim is channeling the former first lady to perfection and looks absolutely amazing for ‘Interview’ Magazine.

We see photo shoots every day, literally, so it takes a lot to really move us, but this Interview Magazine cover and shoot with Kim Kardashian and North West is Superb. 

The mag headline reads “America’s New First Lady: Kim Kardashian West & her daughter North West.” 

Kim is wearing a two piece suit, and elbow length white gloves. Her hair is very 1950s, very Jackie Kennedy-inspired. Little North sits next to her wearing a navy dress with a white lace collar.

The photographer Steven Klein shot Kim’s full frontal shoot for Love Magazine back in 2015, so this is obviously a very different vibe. 

“When Kim and I work together, each time we look for a different approach,” Stephen said in a release. 

“We have no desire to repeat ourselves or reference anything she has done previously. For this shoot I wanted to capture feminine beauty as an expression of empowerment and self-respect. Also, to highlight Kim in a chic manner that is retrospective of a time and yet modern. As a model, Kim is a chameleon. She can easily change accordingly to the set intention and with little effort. It is her gift: her innate relationship to the camera. A muse of modern times.”

Nollywood Actor, Yomi Fabiyi Signs Top Model Debby Taiwo Adebayo To RockLaf Studio International

It is truly a happy moment and life changing opportunity for top model and fashionist, Debby Taiwo Adebayo, who recently caught the attention of the award winning film maker Yomi Fabiyi.

The film maker, Mr Yomi Fabiyi recently announced via his instagram page that his film company had signed the talented dark skin model. What it means is that she will be featuring her in his movies and movies of other producers who needs her services. 

One thing is certain, she must have had some rare qualities beyond photography and beauty for her to win the attention of the well grounded film maker like Yomi Fabiyi who has penchant for quality role interpretations, productions and has catched a nitche for himself in Nollywood and the viewers. What a soft landing for the new hunk. It already look like an artistic and productive synergy. 

Debby Taiwo is flawless, beautiful, eloquent, elegant and relatively young.

Nollywood has indeed given birth to a new bride and we look forward to seeing more from her. And candidly for the industry to grow and maintain it’s quality relevance, it will not only give room for relevant technical advancement, it must give room for well drilled and befitting talents to flourish. 

Welcome to the world of core entertainment in Nigeria Debby Taiwo Adebayo.

Brazilian Legend, Roberto Carlos Sentenced To 3month In Jail Over Child Support Debt

The Brazilian legend, Roberto Carlos, has been sentenced to  months in jail in Brazil for delays in paying more than £15,000 in child support.

The former Real Madrid star owes the money to former partner Barbara Thurler, who he has two kids with, and as a result, he was given a jail sentence by the Rio de Janeiro courts.

According to Brazilian media, the World Cup winner and father of nine children claimed financial problems to justify the delay of payment to his ex and had wanted to pay the money in installments.

Judge Mayane de Castro said the family rejected a proposal by the 44-year-old to pay the sum in instalments. But the Samba legend’s lawyer Fernando Pittner said the matter would be resolved without Carlos serving time.

Roberto Carlos who recently welcomed his ninth child with current wife Mariana Lucon, is Real Madrid’s ambassador in Asia and Oceania.

Police Sergeant Dismissed, Arraigned Over Alleged Ritual Killer’s Escape

The Rivers State Police Command has dismissed Police Sergeant, Johnbosco Okoroeze, for allegedly helping suspected ritual killer, Ifeanyi Dike, escape from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department in Port Harcourt.

Okoroeze was also arraigned before a chief magistrate’s court on two counts of obstruction of justice and conspiracy. No bail was granted to him, he remains in police custody for the alleged offences.

Chief Magistrate, Sokari Andrew-Jaja, cautioned the dismissed Sergeant as he cried uncontrollably inside the court.
The prime suspect, Ifeanyi Dike raped, killed and removed the organs of 8 year old Victory Nmezuwuba, before he was arrested and taken to the SCIID.

Okoroeze, who was the Investigating Police Officer, said he temporarily removed Dike’s handcuffs while he took his statement, but that Dike escaped from his custody in the covers of the dark.

The victim’s father, Dr Ernest Nmezuwuba, who was also in the charge room while Dike was supposed to write his statement said there was no power supply in the area at that time and that he had to rely on candlelight during that time.

The suspect, Dike, reportedly escaped from Okoroeze’s custody and his whereabouts has still remained unknown.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Zaki, ordered the dismissal and arraignment of Okoroeze for criminal conspiracy.

When Okoroeze was arraigned and presented to the magistrate’s court in handcuffs, he cried profusely..

He said:

“What have I done to myself? What did I do? Call my wife for me”.

The charges read:

“That you, Johnbosco Okoroeze, on August 19, 2017, at about 8.30pm at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Port Harcourt, in the Port Harcourt Magisterial District, did assist one Ifeanyi Dike, who is to your knowledge guilty of the offence of murder of one Chikamso Nmezuwuba, aged eight years, for rituals, to escape when he was to be detained for prosecution, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 322 of the Criminal Code Cap 37, Vol. II, Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999.

“That you, Johnbosco Okoroeze, on the same date, time and place in the aforesaid magisterial district, did conspire with a suspect, Ifeanyi Dike, and allowed him to escape from prosecution to prevent and defeat the course of justice, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 126 (1) of the Criminal Code Cap 37, Vol. II, Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria 1999.”

The chief magistrate said that the first charge against Okoroese could earn him a life sentence if found guilty and that the second charge could earn him a seven-year jail term if found guilty.

The chief magistrate remanded Okoroeze in jail, and adjourned the matter till September 14, 2017 for adoption of written addresses.

​Nicki Minaj Tweets ‘Be Humble’ After Taylor Swift Drops ‘Look What You Made Me Do’

Has the Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift feud been reignited?

Shortly after the 27-year-old pop star released”Look What You Made Me Do,” the 34-year-old rapper took to Twitter to tweet “Nigga sit down. Be humble” and fans are assuming it’s aboutTaylor.

Nicki and Taylor have had their issues in the past. Back in 2015, Nicki voiced her frustration about her song “Anaconda” not being nominated for Video of the Year at the VMAs and said, “If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year.”

Taylor – whose “Bad Blood” video was nominated and won – fired back, saying, “I’ve done nothing but love & support you. It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot.”

The two seemingly put the drama behind them and performed on stage together that same year.

Nicki was also just featured on Katy Perry’s”Swish Swish” diss track about Taylor.

Harvey Upgraded To Category 2 Hurricane As It Nears Texas

Hurricane Harvey is expected to hit Texas as a Category 3 storm — the likes of which hasn’t been seen since 1999’s Hurricane Bret — when it makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday, forecasters say.

The storm officially became a category 2 hurricane as of 1 a.m. on Friday with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, according to the National Weather Service, and was expected to continue to strengthen over the next 24 hours. The storm officially became a hurricane earlier Thursday afternoon.

Landfall is expected about 250 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, but hurricane warnings are in place from Brownsville to Houston. Tropical storm warnings extend inland to San Antonio.

The storm surge could be life threatening, up to 12 feet, with waves as high as 20 feet above that. Rain is expected to range from 10 to 20 inches, and some areas could receive up to 30 inches. Perilous flash flooding and 115 mph gusts are possible.

“Harvey is expected to landfall around 1 a.m. Saturday, based on the current track,” ABC News meteorologist Melissa Griffin said, adding that more time over water could increase the storm’s strength. “If it had another day or two, it could be a higher category.”

The storm is being compared with not only Hurricane Bret but also the devastating Tropical Storm Allison, which in 2001 punished Houston with 40 inches of rain.

The biggest worry with Hurricane Harvey is that it’s expected to stall over southeastern Texas, Griffin said.

“When it does make landfall, it is expected to … not move for several days, which is why we expect the rainfall to be the most devastating,” she said. “Some spots could receive over 30 inches.”

Check out @NOAA_HurrHunter’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/NOAA_HurrHunter/status/900869185991053312?s=08

President Donald Trump spoke with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Thursday evening about storm preparation.

Griffin also warned that there could be isolated tornadoes on Friday as the outer bands of the hurricane moved closer to the Texas coast.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Corpus Christi’s newly elected Mayor Joe McComb told residents not to dismiss Harvey and to heed requests to voluntarily evacuate.

“We encourage the residents in low-lying areas, as they say, to get out of Dodge,” he said.

McComb stressed that flooding alone could cut off electricity and clean water from homes in the area. “Go to a family, friend and get to higher ground,” he said.

He left open the possibility of calling for mandatory evacuations, cautioning against trying to “ride [the storm] out.”

“I’m not going to risk our fire people and police people to risk themselves to get somebody out of the home,” he said. 

“They got relatives, and they got family, and we don’t want to put them in harm’s way because someone wanted to stay in their home.”

Residents there were emptying shelves at the local Sam’s Club, where staples like batteries, generators and milk were in high demand Thursday.

“We’re out of bread, and we’re out of water right now,” Sam’s Club employee Julie Canales told ABC News. “We’ve been stocked every day, but as soon as we get it, it’s gone within an hour between truck [deliveries].”

She said topping locals’ shopping lists is water. “We do have trucks en route, but the line is already over 100 people,” she said.

Many customers are stocking up on alcohol as well, she added. “Beer and wine,” she said. “It’s something people are buying probably to calm everybody’s nerves.”

At Coastal Hardware, kerosene lanterns, kerosene, sandbags and sand were out of stock.

The store’s manager, Jennifer Wimsett, said customers have been buying up duct tape and have cleared out her stock of kits to make window shutters hurricane-proof.

Since sand and sandbags are unavailable, she said, many people are improvising. “They can fill up trash bags and fill them with topsoil if they don’t have sand,” she said.

Most of the flights in and out of Corpus Christi International Airport for Friday have been canceled, according to FlightAware.

United Airlines will operate its last flight out of Corpus Christi at 7 a.m. Friday, and Southwest Airlines will operate its last flight at 10:40 a.m., the airport announced on Facebook.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz asked his Facebook followers to keep “all those in the path of this storm in your thoughts and prayers.”

He urged Texans in the storm’s predicted path to “heed warnings from local officials, know your evacuation route and avoid all high-water areas” and not to underestimate Mother Nature.

“This is a serious storm, with strong winds and what forecasters have predicted will potentially be a historic amount of rainfall that will significantly raise the risk of serious and life-threatening flooding,” Cruz said.

Check out @GregAboutt_TX’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/900852097461211136
On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned of “severe flooding” and declared astate of disaster for 30 counties along the coastline.

The state announced mandatory evacuations for seven counties: Calhoun County, San Patricio County, Refugio County, Brazoria County, Jackson County, Victoria County and parts of Matagoda County.

Lt. Craig Cummings of the Texas Department of Public Safety told ABC News that people need to take prepare for the worst.

“The best thing that I tell my own family but I also tell professionally is to prepare,” he said, encouraging people to have a physical map on hand.

In neighboring Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a statewide emergency declaration Thursday. Southwestern Louisiana could see up to 10 inches of rain from the storm.

Edwards said that while plans to evacuate people are ready, “hopefully we don’t have to execute those plans.”

Source: ABC News

Senate To Pass Bill To Stop illegal, Secret Recruitment – Saraki

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has revealed how the national assembly intends to end backdoor employments in the country.

The Senate President said that the Upper Legislative Chamber will accelerate the passage of the Existing Vacancies in the Federal Civil Service (Prohibition) Bill, once it resumes in September.

This was contained in a statement signed by Saraki’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu.

Saraki said in the statement that the Bill, which is currently due for Second Reading, will be given priority as one of the Senate’s legislative interventions to curb the increasing rates of illegal recruitment into federal government agencies and parastatals.

The statement said, “The Existing Vacancies Bill will put in place clear-cut procedures that will help to curb and possibly end the trend of ‘silent or underground recruitment.

“This country belongs to every Nigerian, and as such, all vacancies that exist in the Federal Civil Service must be properly advertised to give every Nigerian that meet the requirement a chance to apply.”

Saraki further said that the objective of the Bill, which was introduced by Senator Biodun Olujimi, the Senate Deputy Minority Whip, is to make it an offence for a Federal Ministry, Agency or Parastatal to fill existing vacancies in their organizations if such vacancies have not been advertised publicly.

He added, “With this Bill, we will set time-frames for recruitment and the publication of recruitment in national dailies.

“This will make it the duty of the heads of government agencies and ministries to ensure compliance or face punitive measures.

“Additionally, this Bill will help to ensure that the mandate of the Federal Character Commission is followed to the letter, by imposing punitive measures on those that choose to intentionally flout the law by embarking on secret recruitment exercises within the MDAs under their purview.

“This illegal recruitment trend needs to stop, and when we resume, we will begin to work towards enshrining this in our laws.”

President Buhari Signs Bilateral Agreement On Anti-Corruption, Tax Admin & Intellectual Property Protection

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Instruments of Ratification for a number of agreements covering Anti-Corruption, Tax Admin & Intellectual Property Protection.

He noted that today’s ratification of Agreements is an important step, in line with the delivery of our Anti-Corruption & Economic Diversification Vision.

The President added that he has directed all relevant Government agencies and bodies to commence immediate implementation of these Agreements.

He made this known via his twitter handle. 

Check out @MBuhari’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/MBuhari/status/900675001904451584?s=08