The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Seun Kuti’s third album comming

    Seun Kuti’s third album comming

    Still basking in the euphoria of the international success of his sophomore album titled “From Africa With Fury”: RISE, Seun Kuti, has revealed that  his third album is almost ready and  will be due for release in the last quarter of the year.

    In a recent chat, the scion of Afrobeat legend, Fela says his third album is presently going through a tweaking process. “My third album is in the making and there’s not much I can say about it because it is not finished yet,”he said.

    “We are fine tuning things now and recording started early this month. It is expected to be released in the last quarter of the year and I am looking forward to it.”

    Meanwhile, Seun is gearing up for his usual live performances at the New Africa Shrine. He will lead the Egypt 80 band to a rendition of Afrobeat songs from his last album and Fela’s evergreen repertoire on Saturday February 23.

    Seun  promised his fans who will throng the New Africa Shrine a swell time with the usual yabis and political commentaries by Seun on the failing state of the Nigerian Nation as one of the major side attractions.

  • Briton, Italian, five other foreigners kidnapped in Bauchi

    Gunmen kidnapped seven foreigners and killed a security guard when they stormed the compound of Lebanese construction company SETRACO in Bauchi Sunday  morning.

    Among those abducted were a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese workers, including two women, Local Government Chairman Adamu Aliyu and security sources said.

    Bauchi Police Chief Mohammed Ladan said the gunmen attacked a police station and a prison overnight before storming the construction firm’s compound in Jama’are, a Bauchi state town.

    “We repelled the attack on the police station and the security men at the prison yard also repelled the attack, but they burnt two vehicles in Jama’are police station,” Ladan said.

    “They then attacked Setraco construction, killed a local security guard and they succeeded in kidnapping people,”  he said and declined to state the nationality of the victims.

    The Italian and Greek foreign ministries confirmed that one of their nationals was taken in the raid. A spokesman for the British Embassy in Abuja said it was investigating.

     

  • I was dead for a week, had nine operations – Patience Jonathan

    I was dead for a week, had nine operations – Patience Jonathan

    Recounting her experience on the hospital bed last year, the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan has revealed that she was dead for a week  and is lucky to be alive.

     She was hospitalized for several weeks in Germany last year and also went for medical check-up early this year.
    Speaking at a special Church thanksgiving service on Sunday in Abuja, she said that she underwent eight to nine surgery operations within a month during her illness last year.
    Likening her experience to that of the Biblical Lazarus, she expressed gratitude to God for sending her back as she rededicated herself to doing things that will touch the lives of the less privilege in the society.
    She said: “I remember when Chief Obasanjo was the President of the country, I was close to his late wife, Stella. We worshipped together in this chapel. It was a painful moment for me that time when she died and her corpse was brought here.”
    “That was how my corpse would have been brought here. It was not an easy experience for me. I actually died, I passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy were opened.
    “I am not Lazarus but my experience was similar to his. My doctors said all hope was lost. A black doctor in London who is with us in this service was flown in when the situation became critical. It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I will return to Nigeria. God woke me up after seven days.
    “I know that some people somehow leaked the information that I was dead.  They are people that I trust and rely on; to them, I was dead and I would never return to the country alive. Some of them even sold my things off.
    “I won’t say everything here. It is the Lord’s doing that I returned alive. When God says yes, nobody can say no.
    “People are always afraid of operation (surgery) but in my own case, while my travail lasted, I was begging for it (surgery) after the third operation because I was going to the theatre everyday.
    It was God who saw me through. I did eight or nine operations within one month. It was not an easy one. The day I came back, I said God I have nothing to say, I offer myself to you. I will be doing things that will touch the lives of the less privilege.
    “God gave me second chance because I reached there. He knew I have not completed the assignments He gave me, that was why I was sent back,” the first lady recounted.
  • US TV star arrives for Love concert

    US TV star arrives for Love concert

    United States reality TV star, Kim Kardashian on Saturday night arrived  Lagos to co-host R&B crooner, Dare Art Alade, for his love concert tagged Love: Like A Movie.

    Kardashian, who arrived without her boyfriend, Kanye West is staying at  the Eko Hotel.

  • Goldie’s 2006 wedding pictures

    Goldie’s 2006 wedding pictures

  • Goldie: Why we kept our marriage secret –Andrew Harvey

    Goldie: Why we kept our marriage secret –Andrew Harvey

    Barely 48 hours after pop singer, Oluwabimpe Susan Harvey, fondly known as Goldie Harvey died,  new facts, especially about her marital status have emerged.

    It was apparent that in view of her music career, the late singer decided to play down on her marital affairs, including the need to make her participation at the Big Brother Stargame House, dramatic moments without her colleagues getting less acquainted by treating her as a married woman.

    In our encounter with Andrew Leonard Harvey, a senior contract engineer based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the deceased acclaimed husband, everything that happened in Big Brother House was a game that was long over after the Nigerian singer was evicted.

    But the internet has gone viral ever since these fresh facts emerged, including the marriage pictures released on Goldie’s facebook page by her husband. Fans of the late singer have been reacting to the ensuing controversies, one of which centers on her alleged romance with Prezzo, a Kenyan rapper and one of the contenders in the BBA Stargame House. He was reported to be in Nigeria on St Valentine’s Day with an engagement ring for the late songstress.

    As if that was not enough, another woman, by the name Ifeoma Harvey, is claiming the late singer ‘stole’ her husband. The anonymous lady, who claimed to have two kids for Harvey, said that she was Goldie’s best friend until the deceased seduced the man into a secret wedding in Nigeria.

    But the wedding pictures which Harvey posted online do not suggest any thing secret about the union. Both parents and family members were at the wedding which looked elaborate. Harvey’s dad and mum, who flew in from the United Kingdom were attired in traditional wears during the engagement ceremony. There were also evidences of an elaborate church wedding.

    Again, Harvey was quick to shut up rumour mongers  who were insinuating that his late wife may have died of drug related ailment. According to him, Goldie never used drugs in the last 10 years that he knew her. They were married in 2005.

    Perhaps, apart from the fact that the late singer never wore a wedding band, was part of the reasons people never took her seriously each time she mentioned casually that she was married. Harvey said, even he had not been wearing their wedding ring; adding that it was a matter of providence: “We had wedding bands and swapped them at the church wedding, they were oversize.”

    “After the wedding I was on assignment in Houston and took them for resizing. The day of leaving, all my things were stolen from my hired car and I had to delay my journey to get new passport and visa. We both agreed that as the blessed rings had been stolen, we did not want to wear unblessed rings. From there, we decided that neither of us would wear ring again.”

    He said, the reason she wasn’t flaunting her marital status was their preference as husband and wife. This, they believed would keep their private life out of paparazzi. He noted that, you won’t even find any pictures of their wedding in their Ikoyi home, as all the pictures and reference stuffs have been kept in the UK.

    On the purported engagement ring that Prezzo was meant to give to Goldie on Valentine’s day, Harvey admitted spotting it on the internet, but said, since the Kenyan guy never knew about him and his marriage to Goldie, it would be difficult to accuse him of poaching: “But now he knows, the family and I would prefer he maintains a low profile and allow us to grieve our loss. The BBA game is over now,” he said curtly, adding that they had asked the ‘lover boy’ not to attend the burial. He said the family is not happy with the development, and that he thought that Prezzo should respect the wishes of her parents.

    On why he is just publishing the photographs of their wedding, Harvey said it was the decision taken by him and Goldie’s family and that it was necessary for the world to know everything before the pop singer is buried.

  • Mama Ye, campaign to save mothers, babies for launch Monday

    Mama Ye, campaign to save mothers, babies for launch Monday

    MamaYe, a campaign to encourage public action to help save the lives of Nigerian mothers and babies will be launched in Abuja on Monday.

    The campaign is a programme by Evidence for Action funded by the UK Department for International Development.

    To mark the launch, MamaYe will feature a staged live drama event with songs; provide the opportunity to give blood to save a mother, and encourage other actions that can help save lives.

    Nigeria Country Director for Evidence for Action, Dr Tunde Segun in a press release stated that “more Nigerian mothers and babies are surviving pregnancy and childbirth than ever before, but  so much more still needs to be done –  by all Nigerians, not just ‘the Ministry’ or ‘the government’ or ‘the UN.’”

    According to Dr Segun, ensuring women have timely access to safe healthcare services, including sufficient blood supplies, could help save about 40,000 mothers and 240,000 babies a year.

    “We know change is possible. We know how to save the lives of mothers and newborns. But, first, Nigerians need to get involved and take action. Whether you are a taxi driver who can help take mothers to their local clinic; a girl training to be a midwife or a young man encouraging your sister to attend her antenatal clinic, you, too, can save a life.

    “Every day, Nigerian men and women like you can take action that could give a mother and her baby a future. Join our campaign and become a MamaYe hero or heroine.  Show us what you will do to help save mothers and babies” the Country Director stated.

    Riding the digital wave, MamaYe (www.mamaye.org.ng) will take advantage of the 107 million mobile phone subscribers in Nigeria and use social media and a website to engage the public in this important cause.

    “The MamaYe website will give the Nigerian public information, hard facts and solutions. With the help of MamaYe, Nigerians will be able to track budgets for health, and check on whether clinics are staffed with skilled health workers and equipped with drugs and other commodities” Dr Segun stated.

    “MamaYe will put information in the hands of Nigerians, enabling us all to take action and save the lives of our mothers and newborns. Many are already taking action – often without recognition or reward. At today’s launch the MamaYe campaign team will showcase their efforts.

    “Awards will be given to everyday ‘maternal and newborn health champions’.

    “These include Dr. AshiruAbubakar of Kano, a medical practitioner who pushed for an unprecedented blood donation campaign at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital Kano in response to loss of blood contributing to maternal deaths in the State. This campaign has so far yielded over 200 donated pints of blood – one of the highest in the country.

    “As a voluntary blood donor himself, he has helped to dispel some of the misconceptions in the region towards blood donations.  ChinomsoIbe from Imo, first became interested in maternal health as a student at the Midwifery Training School where she saw mothers and babies die from preventable causes. She mobilises women to achieve better health during pregnancy and childbirth by organising free check-ups, immunizations, and medical outreaches.

    “Phoebe Peter from Kaduna is another MamaYe champion, a midwife who regularly and selflessly gives her own blood to save women who would otherwise die of haemorrhaging in childbirth” Dr Segun explained.

     

  • Photo: Unilag Mass Comm students visit The Nation

    Photo: Unilag Mass Comm students visit The Nation

    First year Mass Communication students of University of Lagos on Friday visited The Nation on study excursion organised by the Mass Communication Students Association (MCSA) of the institution.

    During the visit they were received by The Nation’s Editor, Online, Lekan Otufodunrin who briefed them on the operations of the company and conducted them round the various departments.

     

  • Singer Goldie dies at 29

    Singer Goldie dies at 29

    Sensational singer, and Nigeria’s representative at the last edition of Big Brother Africa (BBA), Goldie Harvey  is dead. She died yesterday at the age of 29.

    Reports say the singer, who just returned from the Grammy awards in US, died a few hours after, at the Reddington Hospital, Victoria Island. “She was full of life upon her return, but suddenly, something went tragically wrong,” said a source, who added that she died in the arms of her best friend, Denrele Edun, former presenter with Sound City music channel.

    Kenny Ogungbe, her label boss, could not be reached on telephone as at the time of this report, but Ellam A. Abass, Artiste and Repertoire Manager at Kennis Music, confirmed that the artiste was indeed, dead.

    Details of her death is still sketchy as at the time of this report.

    As a musician, Goldie started her career in London, with a pop rock group. Her impact in the last BBA House was remarkable, in view of her betrayal by Kenyan Housemate, Prezzo, with whom she had an intimate moment.

    “I can’t define my relationship with Prezzo, but I do know that in the house I came to care for him very much. He was the closest person to me in the house. I never saw any of these things that people outside saw. I am almost not believing it somewhat, but I hold no grudges against him. I still think he’s a great individual and at the end of the day, such is life,” the singer had said in an interview after her eviction from the house.

    One of Goldie’s strong wishes was to raise her late mum from death, this, she said to The Nation in a recent interview.

     

     

  • Tukur plots against Oyinlola’s return as Nat. Sec

    Tukur plots against Oyinlola’s return as Nat. Sec

    Tension is mounting between the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bamanga Tukur and former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

    Tukur is plotting against the recall of Oyinlola as the National Secretary of the party.

    The two openly canvassed different positions on the matter on Tuesday.

    This came to the fore at the hearing of an application filed by Oyinlola seeking to stay execution on the January 11 judgment by Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja, that sacked him.

    The PDP National Secretariat on Tuesday asked the court to reject Oyinlola’s bid to stay the judgment that sacked him as the party’s scribe.

    Justice Kafarati had voided the nomination of Oyinlola as the candidate of the South West Zonal Chapter of the PDP and his consequent election to the office of National Secretary at the National Convention in March 2012.

    Relying on the order and two separate judgments of the Federal High Court, Lagos that nullified the South West zonal congress that produced Oyinlola as candidate, Justice Kafarati held that his nomination and subsequent election were invalid, null and void.

    Dissatisfied, Oyinlola approached the Court of Appeal, Abuja.

    He also filed a stay of the execution of the judgment.

    But the party on Tuesday urged the Federal High Court to reject the application.

    Moving his application, Oyinlola’s counsel, Awa Kalu (SAN) said his client could no longer be removed as the secretary since the order of the court directing the South West zone to conduct a new congress to replace Oyinlola within 21 days was not obeyed.

    Kalu said an order which is “spent is of no legal force and is discharged and made void by effluxion of time.”

    Besides, the counsel argued that Oyinlola cannot be guilty of contempt since the suit that led to his removal was not based on contempt but the validity of his nomination.

    But the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is maintaining a neutral stance on the matter.