The dream of holding a political office in Nigeria has become an innermost desire for almost all entertainers or celebrities.
Below are five of them who have switched from celebrity to lawmaking:
1. Desmond Elliot
Desmond Elliot
Desmond Elliot won to represent Surulere constituency in Lagos Assembly on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
However, the actor has enjoyed numerous bashing and scrutiny from social media users over his comment regarding the #EndSARS saga and his support for the anti-social media bill. He is married with four kids.
2. Shina Peller
Shina Pella
Entrepreneur and industrialist Shina Peller represents Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola constituency in the House of Representatives on the platform of the APC.
He was Chairman and CEO of Aquila Group of Companies and nightclub Quilox until he joined politics. The top socialiate is known for his philanthropic gestures.
3. Akin Alabi
Popular business coach and educationist, Oloye Akin Alabi is not new to many social media users around. He is also known for founding NairaBET, Nigeria’s first online sports betting portal with outlets across the nation.
On October 5, 2018, Alabi emerged the APC House of Representatives candidate for the Egbeda/Ona Ara federal constituency in Oyo State for the 2019 general elections and won. He also runs a philanthropic foundation.
4. Rotimi Makinde
Rotimi Makinde
The actor was a former House of Representatives member in Osun State. He acted as former Deputy Chairman, Human Rights Committee in the 7th Assembly.
5. Adebo Ogundoyin
Adebo Ogundoyin
Debo Ogundoyin ran a record label with Davido and was co-manager of DREMO until 2018 when he was elected into Oyo House of Assembly.
He emerged Oyo Speaker under the umbrella of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), becoming the youngest speaker in Nigeria.
People become parents via different means. It could be through birth, adoption or surrogacy.
Surrogacy is a scientific option for conception. It is defined as a practice where a woman (a surrogate) carries a child for another person through artificial insemination of eggs.
Surrogacy is not very common because the African society has the mentality that a woman must carry a child for her to be seen as a mother.
But it is heartwarming celebrities are beginning to share and talk about their fertility and surrogacy experiences.
Here are six celebrities who became parents via surrogacy:
1. Ini Edo
Ini Edo
The actress recently spoke openly about her decision to have a child through surrogacy.
In an interview with blogger Stella Dimoko Korkus, she revealed that got her daughter through surrogacy.
2. Kanye West & Kim Kardashian
Kanye West & Kim Kardashian
Kanye West and wife also hired a surrogate to carry their third and fourth child, Chicago and Psalm. This was because the reality star had suffered from placenta accreta during both of her pregnancies with son Saint and daughter North.
3. Emma Weymouth
Emma Weymouth
Nigerian-born British royal, Viscountess Emma Weymouth and her husband welcomed their second child, Henry via surrogacy.
She spoke about surrogacy for her second child because of a near-death experience while giving birth to her first son, John.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo is a dad of three. His son was born in June 2010 and he also welcomed a boy and girl twin in the summer of 2017.
All his three kids were born surrogates. He has made sure to keep the identities of his surrogates private and has sole custody of all three children.
5. Nike Oshinowo
Nike Oshinowo
Ex-beauty queen Nike Oshinowo also welcomed a set of twin via surrogacy. She battled with Endometriosis for 34 years. The pains of conception forced her to opt for gestational surrogacy.
6. Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan
The Bollywood actor and his interior designer wife, Gauri Khan are also proud parents to three children – Aryan Khan, Suhana Khan and Abram Khan.
Their last son, Abram Khan was welcomed in 2013 via surrogacy.
Some Nigerian celebrities are nationals of other countries either by birth or other means.
They include:
· Davido
Davido
Davido was born on November 21, 1992 in Atlanta Georgia, United States. He is a citizen of the United States by birth.
He attended the British International School in Lagos and 16 moved back to the US to study Business Administration at Oakwood University in Alabama.
Davido dropped out of Oakwood University to pursue music full-time and relocated to London where he worked on his vocals.
After his return to Nigeria in 2011, the DMW boss suspended his musical career and agreed to honour his father by enrolling at Babcock University.
In July 2015, he graduated from Babcock with a degree in music after his father paid the university to start a music department for an inaugural class of one student.
· Naira Marley
Naira Marley
Naira Marley was born on May 10, 1991. He became a British citizen by naturalisation. He is known as the president of his controversial fan base, “Marlians”
He moved to Peckham, South London, England at 11. Marley graduated with a distinction in Business from Peckham Academy. He also studied business law at Crossways College (now Christ the King Sixth Form College).
· Banky W
Banky W
He was born on March 27, 1981 in New York, United States, becoming a citizen of the United States by birth.
His family moved back to Nigeria when he was five. He started singing at a young age in his church choir.
He schooled in Lagos for his primary and secondary education and returned to further his tertiary education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York on a scholarship.
· Seyi Shay
Seyi Shay
The Afropop singer was born on December 21, 1985 in Tottenham, London, United Kingdom. She is a citizen of UK by birth.
She started visiting Nigeria when she was two and eventually attended the Command High School in Maryland, Lagos.
Seyi Shay went back to London to complete her undergraduate studies where she also attended and graduated from the University of East London, with a BA Hons in Music business management.
· Zack Orji
Zack Orji
The veteran actor was born in Libreville, Gabon in 1960 making him a Gabonese by birth.
Orji is a graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Having grown up in Cameroon, Benin and Togo he speaks English and French fluently.
His first movie was in 1991 titled “Unforgiven Sin.”
· Jim Iyke
Jim Iyke
Jim Iyke was born September 25, 1976 in Libreville, Gabon. He is also a Gabonese by birth.
He completed his secondary school education in F. G. C. Kwali Abuja from 1985 to 1991.
The movie star attended the University of Jos, Plateau State where he got a Diploma in Banking and Finance and then went on to acquire a BSc in Philosophy.
His acting career officially began in 2001, and since then he has played prominent and secondary roles in more than 150 movies.
· Oge Okoye
Oge Okoye
The actress was born in November 16, 1980 in London, United Kingdom. Okoye is a UK citizen by birth.
She didn’t complete her elementary education in London before moving to Nigeria.
Upon her return, she attended the University Primary School Enugu and moved on to the Holy Rosary College, Enugu for her secondary school.
Oge Okoye graduated from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka with a degree in Theatre Arts.
The movie star joined Nollywood in 2001. And in 2002, she came to the limelight after performing in the film, “Spanner” where she starred alongside Chinedu Ikedieze popularly known as ‘Aki’.
· Regina Askia-Williams
Regina Askia-Williams
The US-based nurse was born on December 16, 1967 in Lagos.
Askia-Williams’s acting break came in 1993 when she played gold-digger Tokunbo Johnson in Nigerian soap, “Fortunes” (later Mega Fortunes) on NTA Network, a role which earned her critical acclaim and roles in Nollywood movies.
A graduate of the University of Lagos with a degree in Biology, she later became a registered nurse, after earning her nurse practitioner degree at Wagner College in the United States.
The ex-beauty queen, who is married to American Rudolph ‘Rudy’ Williams and has been in the United States for 20 years, took to Facebook in July, 2017 to announce that she had become a green card holder after delaying it for many years.
She wrote on Facebook: “And so today I made it official. I took the oath and became a citizen of the United States of America. Empowered and armed for the full pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.”
He was however sacked on October 24, 2021 after a 2-0 defeat at home to Freiburg.
3. Ronald Koeman (Barcelona) – October 27, 2021
Ronald Koeman
The former Barca captain was sacked as coach of the Catalan side after 14 months in charge.
His final game was the 1-0 defeat by Rayo Vallecano in a La Liga match.
4. Nuno Espirito Santo (Tottenham) November 1, 2021
Nuno Espirito Santo
Santo, often referred to as simply Nuno, was a goalkeeper, who was most recently head coach of Tottenham Hotspur.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s was dismissed on November 1, 2021, after Tottenham lost 3-0 at home to Manchester United.
Spurs went ahead to sign Antonio Conte as their new coach, making Conte the fourth manager in the last three years.
5. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United) – November 21, 2021
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Solskjaer was sacked as Manchester United manager on November 21, 2021 after an “embarrassing” 4-1 defeat at Watford.
Solskjaer left Manchester United after failing to win a trophy in nearly three years as manager. Michael Carrick took over temporarily before Ralf Rangnick was appointed as the club’s new interim manager.
6. Rafa Benitez (Everton) – January 16, 2022
Rafa Benitez
Everton sacked Rafa Benitez on January 16, 2022, after the Toffees’ embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Norwich City.
Benitez was appointed last summer as the club’s replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, who left the Toffees for a return to Real Madrid.
Over the last year, there have been frequent increases in electricity tariffs, making it necessary to explore ways to reduce electricity usage so as to pay less.
Things are hard enough as it is especially in a place like Lagos, and if you don’t plan to pay double, you have to adjust accordingly.
Although you would certainly pay more, knowing how to reduce your electricity usage in Lagos would do you a lot of good.
Here are four tips on how to reduce your electricity bill:
To start with, you should know that for these tips to work for you; you need a prepaid meter installed.
Without a prepaid meter, your bill pretty much runs on estimates and leaves you with little room to contest its accuracy.
If you want to save power, start by getting a prepaid meter installed at home.
1. Remove all plugs and turn off switches:
Many don’t know this but turning off a device while leaving it plugged in does not cut off the power supply. The device still consumes residue energy called vampire or standby power. To avoid this, cut off power to a device by turning off the socket and the device’s power switch.
2. Replace all your bulbs at home with energy-efficient models:
Although non-energy-efficient bulbs are cheaper to purchase, they become more expensive in the long run to use. This is because they consume far more power than energy-saving bulbs.
For example, the average wattage of an ordinary bulb is around 60 to 200. However, energy-saving bulbs are as low as 7 to 11 watts. This means that one would consume more than ten times the other’s power; the choice is yours.
Also, it would help if you become more cautious with how long you leave your bulb on. Turn them off during the day, and when you want to sleep at night; especially your kitchen, toilet and bathroom lights. Only leave security lights on.
3. Limit your fan and Air conditioner’s runtime:
The ceiling fan is one of the home’s highest passive power consumers. You might not know it, but your fan practically runs all day and night, which significantly impacts your power bills.
One thing you can do is replace all your fans with energy-efficient models if you have the means. However, if you don’t have the energy-efficient model, simply regulate how long the fan runs.
The energy-consuming capacity of an air conditioner is well known. Keep it running for a day, and it would make a telling impact on your bills. A 1.5hp (1119watts) Ac running for 10 hours at a rate of N60 per kilowatt would cost you well over N30,000 alone. You can shuffle run time between your fan and air conditioner, depending on how many units you purchase per month. Limiting your fan to running only about 8 hours a day can save you hundreds of naira.
4. Revisit your refrigerator:
This is another appliance that consumes the most power at home. The average watt consumption of a refrigerator is 1200 watts per day (depending on the model), which means they consume one of, if not the highest power at home. You can reduce consumption by purchasing a smaller freezer, which is the more expensive approach or doing the following:
Move the refrigerator to an area with adequate air circulation, as it helps it become more power-efficient.
Your fridge should also be at least 2 inches away from the wall and not stand directly exposed to sunlight.
Another thing you should do is not stuff up your refrigerator. This reduces the overall efficiency of the unit because of the lesser space available for air circulation. It also means that the unit would draw more power to meet the demand. Ensure you defrost the fridge regularly too
Asides from the tips mentioned in this article, you should also sit down to study your home. If possible, create a list of all your appliances and their watt rating. Start trimming down consumption by replacing the device with a more energy-efficient model, or reducing its use.
The talented music superstar had a birthday celebration to remember last year.
He dropped his account details and requested for love from his fans.
The account soon swelled with donations.
Born David Adedeji Adeleke, Davido took to Twitter to ask his followers to send him money if they know he has given them a hit song.
Many were skeptical about his motives, but the response was overwhelmingly generous.
Davido’s request trended for four days, with the star posting regular updates for transparency.
He raised N200 million, adding another N50 million himself.
The Afrobeats singer, who turned 29 on November 21, released a statement about the donation, commenting “We rise by lifting others.”
“I truly appreciate everyone who donated hard-earned funds and I am very thankful for your generosity,” he wrote.
“I have always been passionate about giving back and helping people.”
He further added he had established a 5-person committee to help oversee the distribution of the funds to orphanages.
He rounded off the celebrations with his friends in Dubia.
5. Adedimeji Lateef and Adebimpe’s wedding
The beautiful lovers, Adedimeji Lateef and Bimpe Oyebade, after a lot of rumours, got married in 2021.
The event was held in both Ekiti and Lagos and was attended by colleagues and loved ones.
6. Psquare’s reunion and 40th birthday
Paul and Peter Okoye, popularly known as PSquare, who put their differences aside after years of disagreement, reconciled towards the end of last year.
They had their first performance together after their reunion at their 40th birthday party.
The event was star-studded.
7. Bobrisky’s birthday
Controversial crossdresser Bobrisky marked his 30th birthday last year.
He had flooded the internet with his unique looks.
The festive season is here again. It is the most-awaited time of the year for many. It is also the busiest season for vendors.
While many prefer going shopping with their families at various malls, some others prefer to visit the malls to relax and have fun.
Above all, the best moods of Christmas is giving and receiving gifts, reuniting and celebrating with family and friends.
The Nation visited about five major malls in Lagos, which are already busy ahead of the festive season.
Are you thinking of creating a memorable December?
Here are our five choices of the best destinations to go Christmas shopping and enjoy yourself.
There are many more great malls outside the five below
1. Ikeja City Mall, Ikeja
Ikeja City Mall popularly known as ICM is situated in the Alausa area of Ikeja. It offers a wide range of activities and spots.
The atmosphere is beautiful at night especially with the newly erected Coca-Cola park for fun-lovers.
The mall is known for having quite tempestuous nightlife – its hundreds of stores attract visitors from all around.
When our correspondent visited the mall, he observed that shoppers trooped in and out in their numbers.
Some other fun-seeking lovers were also having fun around the premises.
2. Palms Shopping Mall, Lekki
Thousands of colourful lights shimmer on the road leading to one of the state’s biggest malls. This mall is located in the heart of Lekki.
With its many shops and anchor stores, it has become one of the busiest shopping hubs in the country. On the ground floor is diverse merchandise.
One can find in this mall several clothes labels, accessories, jewellery, shoes, bags, gadgets, appliances, a supermarket, grocery stores, furniture, houseware, office supplies, to name some.
Also, cinema and Hub Media Stores are located in this mall for fun-lovers to have a memorable Yuletide.
3. Purple Maryland, formerly known as Maryland Mall
This mall is strategically located to conveniently serve the shopping and leisure needs of Maryland, Mende, Ikeja, Anthony, Ilupeju environs, and generally mainland residents.
Maryland Mall offers one a new refreshing shopping and leisure experience on the mainland.
The mall is home to many shops and different cinema halls. Also, an array of restaurants gives one an excellent dining experience.
4. Ozone e-centre
The mall houses Domino Mall, Ozone Cinemas, several retail shops, restaurants, indoor game centres, and network service providers.
It is a great place for a family outing where kids can have fun playing in the various arcade games while adults relax and enjoy a quiet afternoon together.
There are various retail stores in the mall. They provide fashion items, cosmetics, fragrances, and foodstuff.
Before or after watching a movie or embarking on a shopping spree, one can enjoy a wonderful meal at one of the restaurants at the mall.
5. Novare Mall, Lekki
This mall features a games centre, a mall, cinemas, a large parking and many shops.
This mall offers a wide array of options for shoppers and for those who are looking for entertainment.
Visitors can discover the latest fashion trends and watch movies in the mall.
The season of harmattan is a period many Nigerians anticipate from November ending to mid-March.
It is characterised by a cool dry wind that blows from the northeast or east in the western Sahara.
In this season the subtropical ridge of high pressure stays over the central Sahara and the low-pressure Intertropical Convergence Zone stays over the Gulf of Guinea.
The climate of Nigeria is usually characterized into two seasons – Wet and Dry. The wet season (summer) is normally from April to October while the dry season (winter) is from November to March.
Here are seven necessary tips to cope with this season;
1. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water more often.
2. Adjust outfits to protect your skin from the harsh weather.
3. Take vitamin C tablets on fruits to nourish your body system.
4. Moisturise your body with oilly cream to it from dryness.
5. Be careful with fires.
6. Avoid dusty areas.
7. Wear protective hairstyles.
8. Wash your eyes regularly to avoid red eyes which is common in during harmattan
A child is a thing of joy any time. When it is double, you can imagine the amount of joy that can bring, and then when it is a triplet, the joy doubles as well.
There may be several Nigerian celebraties in the entertainment industry who have had triplets.
While some of them prefer their lives to be off the eyes of the public, others also have joy in sharing their lives with their fans on social media.
Here are some of the Nigerian celebrities who have triplets children:
Kiss Daniel
Ace singer, Oluwatobilola Daniel, popularly known as Kiss Daniel, welcomed a set of triplets on his birthday but revealed he lost one four days after.
Yinka Ayefele
Yinka Ayefele and his triplets
On January 18, 2019, Yinka Ayefele, the gospel singer well-known for his tremendous performances on stage, welcomed his triplets at Holy Cross Hospital in the USA after 22 years of marriage.
Precious Chikwendu
Precious Chikwendu and her triplet
Precious Chikwendu is a Nollywood actress and model who was married to the former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode.
On May 25, 2018, they welcomed their beautiful triplets.
Cynthia Onoride
Cynthia Onoride and her tripplets
Cynthia Onoride was the first runner-up in Miss Bayelsa 2013 but later became a mother of triplets.
Many of the leading Nollywood actors and actresses have featured in the same movies with their children. They include:
Pete Edochie
Pete Edochie is a Nigerian Nollywood actor known for his amazing acting roles. He is considered to be one of Africa’s most talented actors.
The award-winning movie superstar was 38 when he acted in Things Fall Apart.
There is no doubt that he influenced his son, Yul Edochie, to join the Nigerian film industry.
During his movie career, he featureed with his son in a 2014 film titled Idemili.
Rita Daniels
Rita Daniels is a veteran actress, movie producer, politician and entrepreneur who hails from Ogwashi Uku in Delta State.
Rita is one of the actresses who boasts an acting career that spans decades. She is the mother of the popular actress, Regina Daniels.
Rita has brought her daughter Regina into the industry to continue her legacy.
Regina Daniels started movie making at the age of seven. She got support from her mother and her siblings.
Adebayo Salami
Nollywood actor, Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello is also an example of a Nigerian star who introduced his son, Femi Adebayo into the Yoruba movie industry.
The actor, who has contributed to the development of the Yoruba movie industry, featured with Femi in the movie titled: Jelili which brought him to the limelight.
Ali Nuhu
Ali Nuhu is a talented Nigerian actor who impresses his fans with the unique talents he displays in movies.
Both of his children, Fatima and Ahmed, have started getting featured in movies, among which they acted alongside their father.
Two movies Ali acted in alongside his children are Zuri’a and Dada Uba.
