If Flavour asks me out, my answer will definately be… – Chidimma

No doubt, singer, Chidimma Ekile, is the crush of many male artistes in Nigeria. But the irony is despite all the admirers, she seems not to have found the right person. In a chat recently, the singer when asked about her relationship status answered,“ Why I am still single? Maybe, because I’m yet to see the man who is made for me or the person is yet to find me.

So I am single and happy. The fact is I had few friends and some wanted to take the relationship seriously, but it never worked out. Though, I have a lot of male friends around me, but there has never been anything serious. Several stars have been crushing on me, in fact, I thought I would have been crushed by now. But to be honest, am dating none of them. For Adams, if I start telling you about him, we won’t leave here. He’s my good friend.

We both insult each other every time. When the story came out, I was not surprised because we both are very close. For Flavour, music brought us together and nothing more and if he had asked me out the answer would have been a capital ‘NO’.

Olu of Warri to enbark on a thank you visit to Lagos tomorrow

THE Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli would be arriving Lagos on Sunday, for a visits of appreciation to the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu.

The Itsekiri monarch, who would be received by Itsekiri sons and daughters resident in the city, would be hosted by all Iwere indigenes after the visits at Ritalori hotels on Monday evening. It was gathered that the revered traditional ruler is primarily coming to appreciate the support rendered by the eminent leaders during the demise of his predecessor and his ascension to the throne. The visit would further strengthen the ties between the Yoruba nation and the Itsekiri.

Photo-speak: Fuel scarcity in Nigeria bites harder

Photos: Top 10 Richest Nigerians

Here are the ten richest Nigerians all based on the current ranking of Forbes Africa list.



1. Aliko Dangote
Age: 58
Net Worth: $16.7 billion
Source of Wealth: Cement, Sugar, Flour
The Dangote Group was established as a small trading firm in 1977. Today, it is a multi-trillion naira conglomerate with many of its operations in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo. Dangote has expanded to cover food processing, cement manufacturing, and freight.
The Dangote Group also dominates the sugar market in Nigeria and is a major supplier to the country’s soft drink companies, breweries, and confectioners.
The Dangote Group has moved from being a trading company to being the largest industrial group in Nigeria and includes: Dangote Sugar Refinery, Dangote Cement, and Dangote Flour.




2. Mike Adenuga
Age: 62
Net Worth: $6.5 billion
Source of Wealth: Telecom, Oil
His company Globacom is Nigeria’s second-largest telecom operator and also has a presence in Ghana and Benin. He also owns stakes in the Equitorial Trust Bank and the oil exploration firm Conoil (formerly Consolidated Oil Company). His telecom company Globacom spread quickly and started challenging the giant MTN Group.
It launched services in Benin in 2008 and has continued its spread across Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, with more licenses currently being prospected in other West African countries.


3. Folorunsho Alakija
Age: 65
Net Worth: $1.7 billion
Source of Wealth: Oil
She is a business tycoon involved in the fashion, oil and printing industries. She is the group managing director of The Rose of Sharon Group which consists of The Rose of Sharon Prints & Promotions Limited and Digital Reality Prints Limited and the executive vice-chairman of Famfa Oil Limited.











4. Femi Otedola
Age:53
Net Worth:$1.6 billion
Source of Wealth: Gas stations
Femi Otedola is a Nigerian businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and chairman of Forte Oil Plc, an importer of fuel products. He is also the founder of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, and the owner of a number of other businesses across shipping, real estate, and finance.









5. Abdulsamad Rabiu

Age: 55
Net Worth: $1 billion
Source of Wealth: Cement, sugar, flour
Abdul Samad Rabiu established BUA International Limited in 1988 for the sole purpose of commodity trading. The company engaged in the importation of rice, edible oil, flour and iron and steel.
In 1990, the then Government owned Delta Steel Company contracted BUA to supply its raw materials needs, for which Bua was paid with finished products.
This provided the much-needed windfall for the young company. Bua further ventured into steel, billets and iron ore importation and supplying multiple rolling mills in the country.
Few years down the line, BUA acquired Nigerian Oil Mills Limited, the largest edible oil processing company in Nigeria and later set up 2 flour milling plants in Lagos and Kano in 2005.
By 2008, Bua broke an eight-year monopoly in the Nigerian sugar industry by commissioning the second-largest sugar refinery in sub-Saharan Africa.
The company went on the acquire a controlling stake in a publicly listed Cement Company of Northern Nigeria in 2009 and commenced to the construction of a $500 million cement plant in Edo State to be commissioned early 2015.


6. Theophilus Danjuma
Age: 77
Net Worth: $75o million
Source of Wealth: Oil
South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO) is a Nigerian oil exploration and production company that was created in 1995 by General T. Y. Danjuma. The ministry of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria awarded the Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 246 to SAPETRO in February 1998.










7. Tony Elumelu
Age: 52
Net Worth: $700 million
Source of Wealth: Investments
In his early career, Elumelu acquired and turned Standard Trust Bank into a top-five player in Nigeria. In 2005, his corporate reputation as an African business leader was sealed when he led the largest merger in the banking sector in Sub-Saharan Africa to acquire United Bank for Africa (UBA). In five years, he transformed it from a single-country bank to a pan-African institution with over seven million customers in nineteen African countries.
Following his retirement from UBA in 2010, Elumelu founded Heirs Holdings, which invests in the financial services, energy, real estate and hospitality, agribusiness, and healthcare sectors. In the same year, he established the Tony Elumelu Foundation, an Africa-based and African-funded philanthropic organization dedicated to the promotion of excellence in business leadership and entrepreneurship and to enhancing the competitiveness of the private sector across Africa.
In 2011, Heirs Holdings acquired a controlling interest in the Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp), a publicly quoted conglomerate that has business interests in the agribusiness, energy, and hospitality sectors. Elumelu was subsequently appointed the chairman of the corporation.


8. Jim Ovia
Age: 62
Net Worth: $550 million
Source of Wealth: Banking
Jim Ovia is the founder of Zenith Bank, one of the largest commercial banks in Nigeria. He is the chairman and largest individual shareholder with a stake of slightly more than 9% stake. He also owns prime real estate across Nigeria, and mobile telecom operator Visafone, which has 3 million subscribers.


9. Mohammed Indimi
Age: 67
Net Worth: $500 million
Source of Wealth: Oil
Mohammed Indimi is the chairman and leading shareholder of Oriental Energy Resources, a privately held Nigerian oil exploration and production company he founded in 1990. Oriental currently has three projects offshore of Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. Six of his children serve on the company’s board. His net worth dropped from an estimated $670 million a year ago due to ongoing low oil prices.






10. Orji Uzor Kalu

Age: 56
Net Worth: $330 million
Source of Wealth: Diversified
Orji Uzor Kalu is the founder of Slok Holding, a West African conglomerate with interests in shipping, banking, oil trading, manufacturing and the media. He got his start in business at age 19 after being expelled from a Nigerian university for spearheading a series of student riots. He borrowed $35 from his mother and started trading commodities like palm oil, rice, and sugar.
He diversified into furniture manufacturing and transportation and became a millionaire by the time he was 20. He hit the big time in the early 80s when the Nigerian military government awarded him lucrative contracts to import and supply arms and ammunition to Nigeria’s military and defense forces. He was previously a governor of Abia state in Nigeria’s southeast.

Newcastle Sacks Manager, Steve McClaren

The management of Newcastle football club has sacked its manager, Steve McClaren after just nine months in charge of the team.
The former England boss was appointed in the summer after the club escaped relegation on the final day of the season.
A statement released by the club on Friday read: “After the defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday the Club has spent some time considering its position and has today concluded that Steve McClaren’s employment with the Club will end with immediate effect.
“We acknowledge that reaching this decision has taken a number of days and that this has caused uncertainty for everyone involved, in particular for Steve and the players, for which we apologise.
“However we felt that this time was necessary to ensure the right decisions were reached with the best interests of the Club at heart.
“I would like to thank Steve personally for his services to Newcastle United. He is a man of integrity and class and he has conducted himself with great dignity during this difficult time.
“Steve worked tirelessly to try and bring success to Newcastle United. He has the utmost respect of all the players, staff and management and he leaves with our very best wishes and sincere thanks.
“We feel that a change is now needed in order to give the Club the best possible chance of securing its Premier League future.
“A further announcement on a successor to Steve will be made in due course.”

Rafa Benitez is widely reported to have been handed the job to save the Toon’s season. Other reports claim that he has indeed signed a three-year deal with the club with the contract including a get-out clause and a severance package.
And Benitez, 55, is now considering the proposal, which includes a massive bonus and a long-term deal if he keeps Newcastle up.

Police Arrest 5 Sea Pirates in Bayelsa While Negotiating with The Gun Seller

A special team of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Bayelsa State Police Command on Thursday paraded five suspected sea pirates arrested along the Okaka area of the state during a negotiation for the purchase of firearms.
The suspects, Asime Genewori, 34, Clement Ekromone, 33, Tari Sapele Gbokumo, 33, Simon Andrews, 31, and Tamonokro Sokari, 29, say they usually travel from Rivers state to buy guns from Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital.
According to the spokesman of the Bayelsa police command, Asimin Butswat, the suspects were arrested on March 5 at about 7.30pm in Yenagoa.
“The suspects came to Yenagoa from Rivers State to buy guns and during negotiation, our men swooped on them,” Butswat said, noting that they are in police custody and investigations are ongoing.

Swag Contest Between Peter Okoye And Son Cameron (Photo)

Meet Forte Oil CEO, Femi Otedola's Only Male Heir To His Billion Dollar Estate {Photos}

Okorocha Spotted On A Train In London After The Embarrassment he Encountered By IPOB

Rochas Owelle Okorocha was disrupted and embarrassed by pro-Biafran supporters while giving a speech at the famous Chatham House in London yesterday, governor Rochas Owelle Okorocha of Imo state was today spotted on a train surrounded by his friends and associates…
The governor was labelled a “liar and murderer” by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) over the plight of Biafrans in Imo state and Nigeria at large.

Court Remands Pastor Who Uses White Handkerchief To Clean a 7-Year Old Daughter Private Part, After Raping Her

An Ogbesun Chief Magistrates’ Court in Benin yesterday ordered the remand of a 41-year-old Prophet, Benjamin Bernard, in prison custody for alleged defilement of his seven-year-old daughter.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Taiye Omoruyi, refused to admit the cleric to bail. The Prosecutor, Kenneth Ugiagbe, said the pastor committed the incest against his third daughter on Jan. 26.
Bernard pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of defilement .
The minor, led in evidence by Ugiagbe, told the court that after defiling her, Bernard used a white handkerchief to clean her private part.
She said her father warned her not to mention it to anyone else, threatened to kill her if she disclosed it to anybody.
The court adjourned the matter till March16 for further hearing.

Fatal Accident In Benue, 7 Crushed To Death (Warning: Viewers Discretion Advised)

No fewer than seven persons have been crushed to death in a fatal auto mishap that happened Kastina Ala- Zaki Biam road in Akanya area of Benue State.
It was gathered that driver of a 911 reportedly lost control and rammed into a Toyota Corolla, killing all passengers in board.
The luciferious incident happened around 4pm on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, corpses of the victims have since been deposited into the mortuary.

Heartless Mother Abandons Newborn Baby In A Cardboard Box

A heartless mother abandoned a little baby inside a carton at a bridge in Ado Karu Local Government in Nassarawa State. The story reported by one Rakiya on Facebook reveals that the baby died before it could be taken to the Office of Karu Local Government in the state.
The pictures of the baby snapped by a certain Sani Musa shows the graphic photos of the baby.

Fayose: I Won’t Stop Criticizing FG Over Bad Policies

Mr Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti State Governor, on Wednesday said ‎he would not stop criticizing the Federal Government over its bad policies despite the recent clamp down on state officials by men of the Department of State Security (DSS).
The governor, who arrived the state from Abuja where he had been since Sunday to attend PDP meeting, said no policy of the FG that is inimical to the welfare of the people would be spared by his
comments.‎
According to a press statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, Fayose who was reacting to the development for the first time since DSS officials invaded the House
of Assembly Complex, Ado-Ekiti and whisked four lawmakers away said he remained resolute in his determination to criticise obnoxious policies of the president in the interest of Nigeria and our democracy.
The Commissioner for Finance, Chief Toyin Ojo, was also arrested by DSS officers but was released late Tuesday night.
“The Bible says people with God are in majority.‎ This is not the first time people will harass me. It is a conspiracy and it will collapse like other attempts before it. I will remain critical of the
activities of the Federal Government, especially when they do things that are inimical to the welfare of Nigerians.
“Imagine the questions they asked my Commissioner for Finance, they asked him if the Federal Government has reimbursed the state government on works done on federal roads. But the records are with them in Abuja, can’t they check?‎ We have nothing to‎ hide and they are only chasing shadows and are time wasters.
“Telling the Federal Government that the economy is in trouble and that the President should stay at home to face governance is not a crime and is part of my rights‎ as a citizen of this country. I am
like a tree planted by the bank of a river that brings forth its fruits in due season,” he said.
Answering question on the allegation that some people offered some lawmakers $1 million to impeach him, the governor expressed implicit confidence in the lawmakers.
“I am just coming from Abuja and I know that our ‎lawmakers are solid guys and their future and mine are tied together. When the APC was at its peak in the state and they wanted to use 19 lawmakers to impeach me, they failed woefully and they will still fail again.  This is a
storm in a tea cup. They are not just starting I defeated them in all courts in the land.  I won’t deter from saying the truth about the FG.
“We are in the morning we have not seen what the night is going to be. If it is me that brought myself here they will succeed, but if it is God, they will have to first overcome God before overcoming me,” the governor noted.

Fuel Scarcity Returns As Oil Workers Go On Indefinite Strike

Dismiss
Just when Nigerians thought that the recent fuel scarcity would be coming to an end, latest news reveals that that isn’t the case as oil workers shut down all NNPC locations nationwide and went on an indefinite strike.
Earlier in the week the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr.Ibe Kachikwu, stated that NNPC would be unbundled into 30 profit-making companies with separate Managing Directors in the weeks ahead as part of the ongoing transformation of the national oil company.
This disclosure didn’t go down well with the players in the industry, and as a result the Group Executive Councils of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in a meeting yesterday stated that after “extensively discussing the pronouncement of the GMD on NNPC unbundling…observed that the GMD/HMSP totally disregarded due process and failed to engage stakeholders”
They therefore resolved that “…from midnight today (Tuesday, March 8), all NNPC locations will be shut down completely until further notice. Further directives will be communicated accordingly”.
According to Vanguard, some of the workers who spoke on the condition of anonymity, chided the Federal Government, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu and the management of the NNPC for taking such decision which concerns and affect the future of the workers without due consultations.
Source: Vanguard

5-Year-Old Son Of RCCG Pastor Kidnapped On His Way To School

5-year-old Omeiza Okatahi was abducted beside FCE Okene, Kogi State yesterday at about 7:40am in a Toyota corolla BM 346 GWA on his way to school.

Omeiza is the child of Itakpe RCCG Pastor. Anyone with any useful information should contact the nearest police station.

Switzerland Gives Conditions For Returning $321m Abacha Loot.

Part of the conditions is that the fund will be used for projects that will benefit Nigerians and they (the projects) must be monitored by the World Bank.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama said that the government was working on the modalities for the repatriation.

Speaking shortly after holding a meeting with the Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, on Tuesday in Abuja, Onyeama explained that Nigeria had signed an agreement with the Swiss government in the area of human right and migration.

He said, “It is $321m that we are looking at repatriating to Nigeria and the modalities are basically legal framework for that, mutual legal assistance framework that we are trying to put in place and there are pre-conditions that are also in place already and this requires monitoring mechanism.

“So, we have to agree beforehand as a pre-condition on what the money would be used for and the World Bank would be part of the monitoring process to ensure that the money is used for the benefit of Nigerian people.”

The Minister stated that Burkhalter’s visit was significant as it marked the commencement of the fund repatriation process, noting that other looted funds may be discovered in hidden accounts in Swiss banks.

Burkhalter said his country and Nigeria have a very constructive relation, adding that Switzerland planned to open a consulate in Lagos that would boost economic relations between the two countries.

He said his country would repatriate $321mn to Nigeria and pledged Switzerland’s continued assistance to IDPs in the country.

“We would continue to help in the humanitarian assistance in the North, for those who are suffering and we would try to write another chapter of the history of illicit asset recovery and restitutions from Switzerland to Nigeria,” Burkhalter said.

Source: PunchNg