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  • How things fell apart between Toyin Abraham, Lizzy Anjorin

    By Alao Abiodun

    In the last few days, Nollywood actresses Toyin Abraham and Lizzy Anjorin have given Nigerians a taste of real life drama, ALAO Abiodun writes

    The squabble between controversial Nollywood actresses Toyin Abraham and Lizzy Anjorin appears not to be ending soon.

    The hot exchange in the past couple of days came to full glare with the actresses going back and forth with various allegations. And this appears to be a tough time for their fans and perhaps a sort of entertainment to neutral observers.

    The Genesis

    Lizzy Anjorin allegedly accused Toyin Abraham of running the blog “Gistlover.com” alongside multiple Instagram accounts to troll her and other colleagues in the movie industry. Anjorin claimed that Abraham leaked damaging reports about her to blogs.

    The fight however came to a full glare with a post by a popular actress alleging that when Toyin Abraham put to bed, she didn’t send her a congratulatory message.

    This action sparked a debate on her page while her fans hurled insults on Anjorin; others said Abraham kept mute as this was going on. However, the issue was later watered down when Toyin went on to apologise that she saw her message.

    After this scenario, Nigerians woke up to see that the social media have been in a frenzy ever since Anjorin claimed the actress was living a fake life and didn’t even have a car nor a house of her own as she claimed.

    She also alleged that contrary to the rumour that she gave birth to her child abroad, that it was actually at a local “agbo” seller’s house and had to borrow costumes for her photo shoot, all in pretence to show she’s wealthy and had arrived.

    Interestingly, the nursing mother, with the help of her publicist, Big Sam of Broadway TV, released a video showing her after she welcomed her son in a hospital in Lekki, Lagos.

    On why she had her baby in Nigeria at the Vedic Lifecare Hospital in Lekki, Toyin Abraham said: “I got to know this place when I came to visit Princess Shyngle when she had issues; and I loved how nice everyone, the doctors and nurses, was.

    “Since I had just moved into Lekki with my husband then, I decided to make this my family hospital. It has been a great experience, trust me. I am so happy and that is why I decided to have my baby in Nigeria because I trust the people here. I actually travelled out but I came back to Nigeria because I wanted him here at Vedic Hospital, with trusted hands.”

    Taking the legal route

    Meanwhile, Abraham has sent a legal warning of ‘cease and desist’ notice letter to Anjorin, through her lawyers, requesting her to forward a letter of apology via their office, and on her Instagram page.

    Abraham’s lawyer said she issued the last warning to Anjorin and if she failed to reply within 24 hours, they would be forced to file a N500 million damages legal action against her.

    However, Abraham also called Anjorin a ‘pig’ in the caption of the post.

    “Silence is not golden,” she posted.

    “Rather than wrestle with a pig, it might be ideal to let the pig know that it belongs to the pen. I’m no longer speaking on this, my management team and attorneys are taking this up. Cc @bbbmedia @officialsamolatunj1.”

    In her own counter-reaction, Anjorin, in a statement, revealed that she has written a petition to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, to investigate both of them, as she has been accused by Toyin of dealing in drugs.

    Meanwhile, Anjorin is of the opinion that Toyin has always been a cocaine user from the post she made on Instagram.

    Reactions

    Some of the veterans in the movie industry have come together to intervene in the ongoing messy fight between the two actresses.

    Yoruba actors Bolaji Amusan (Mr Latin), who is the president of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), and Yinka Quadri, disappointment over the Instagram spat said they would not accept “any act of indiscipline” from the feuding actresses.

    Meanwhile, Abraham’s husband, Kolawole Ajeyemi, has subtly hinted that his partner, Toyin, and colleague, Lizzy Anjorin, should stop “misbehaving” on social media.

    “We ought to have used the social media for more useful and impactful things and not this misbehaviour,” wrote Ajeyemi.

    “We are called celebrities because many people look up to us and want to be like us. Why are we misleading these people; we are meant to be good teachers and not a bad influence on society. Please, and please, let’s have a changed mindset to do good, if not for anything for the fact that people are looking up to us in so many ways of life. God bless you all.”

    Sadly, social media feud is not new to the movie industry scene. It has become very common among Yoruba actresses. This year alone, we have had a series of dramatic fights from Mercy Aigbe to Iyabo Ojo and the latest one from Lizzy and Toyin, and a host of other Yoruba actresses.

  • PHOTOS: Victorious Army troops tour Sambisa, other recaptured communities

    In continuation of its onslaught on Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists, the Nigerian Army has embarked on a victory tour around recaptured communities.
    The gallant troops were pictured enjoying a smooth sail from Sambisa to Damboa and Alagarno all in Borno State.
    In one of the photos which has gone viral on social, the troops showed ingenuity, displaying tactical engineering to improvise a fording raft.
    The Army were seen moving deep into the swamps of the Borno/Yobe forests to smoke out the remnants of the criminal BHT/ISWAP elements
    This comes after the troops of Sector 3 supported by the Air Task Force (ATF) successfully repelled an attack on Gubio in Gubio LGA of Borno State.
    The gallant troops neutralized two of the criminal insurgents and recovered one Gun Truck, 2 AK 47 Rifles, one Anti Air Craft Gun.
    No fewer than 50 civilians held hostage by the criminals were rescued during the encounter.
    The troops continue to dominate the area with fighting/clearing patrols, ambush, raids as well as cordon and search operations.

  • Ukpo – Abba land dispute: Youths warn Chimamanda over attack on Arthur Eze

    The National Association of Igbo Youths (NAIY) have expressed displeasure over comments made by Chimamanda Adichie, a writer, against Prince Arthur Eze in her recent write-up on the land dispute between Ukpo and Abba communities, both in Anambra State and warned that a leader like Eze should be accorded the respect he deserves.

    Describing Eze as “a leading light of Igbo land”, the group said in a statement signed by Okechukwu Ndubuisi, its  National President; Barrister Orji Emeka, its National Secretary and Nnanyelugo Chuks, its Director of Publicity, that it was “with shock and utter disbelief” that they read Adichie’s recent comments.

    “We take this step because Prince Arthur Eze is an uncommon persona and an enigma of the Igbo race. We therefore cannot stand by and watch someone rubbish all that the Prince has worked for over the years with unblemished global acclaim.

    “Prince Eze should be respected by all and sundry, if not for anything, for his philanthropic disposition in the entire Southeast, in assisting Igbo men and Nigerians in general to start-up businesses and escape the scathing heat of poverty and deprivation. This is a man who has lifted so many Igbo youths from misery and made them useful to the society,” the group said.

    Read Also: Who owns the land?

    On the land dispute, the group said: “Many Igbo people, including those of Abba and Ukpo communities have the historical records of the land dispute which Chimamanda has now dabbled into without corresponding knowledge.

    “But we hasten not to put all those facts into writing in view of the fact that the Supreme Court had ruled on this issue and the judgement has put to rest the controversy and affirmed that Ukpo community is the rightful owner of the disputed land.

    “So for the Abba community, where Chimamanda claims to hail from, to now go to a lower court to file a fresh case to hear the matter again as stated by Chimamanda is to say the least, a case of judicial rascality and abuse of judicial processes. Chimamanda has exposed herself that she is not vast in the jurisprudence of the Nigerian legal system, because every pronouncement by the Supreme Court is not only binding on the parties but is an authority which can be cited in other courts and cases,” NAIY said.

    The novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, had, in an article entitled, ‘My Hometown Under Siege,” accused Prince Arthur Eze of being the mastermind behind attacks on her people over the disputed land. According to her: “Prince Arthur Eze has a documented history of muscling his way into contested land – in the past few years he has used the police to terrorize another nearby town, Abagana, after which he annexed their land. But perhaps the clearest evidence that Prince Arthur Eze is the mastermind of the harassment in the Abba-Ukpo case comes from his own words.”

    It would be recalled that although the Supreme Court, in its judgement, declared Ukpo community as the rightful owner of the land, Abba community reportedly took the matter back to a lower court.

  • Facts you should know about Gov Oyetola at 65

    Osun Governor Adegboyega Oyetola is 65 today. Here are basic facts to know about him:

    Below are facts you should know about Oyetola

    * Oyetola was born in Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Area of Osun on 29 September, 1954 to the family of Hammed Oyetola (the current Chief Imam of Egbeda, Iragbiji)

    * First born of 30 children, he attended Ifeoluwa Grammar School in Osogbo for his secondary school education which he completed in 1972. He proceeded to the University of Lagos where he bagged a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Insurance in 1978. Oyetola capped his education with a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in 1990 at the same university.

    Read Also: Buhari congratulates Oyetola on Supreme Court victory

    * He had his mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) between 1978 and 1979 at Potiskum, in present day Yobe State, where he lectured at the Staff Training Centre.

    * His professional career began in 1980, when he joined Leadway Assurance Company Limited as Area Manager and worked there till 1987. He took another step by taking his expertise to Crusader Insurance Company Limited as Underwriting Manager between 1987 and 1990. He moved again in 1990 to Alliance and General Insurance as Technical Controller and served in that capacity until 1991.

    * He established his firm, Silvertrust Insurance Brokers Limited, in 1991. He was the Managing Director until his appointment as Chief of Staff in 2010.

    * His other stints in business include, Executive Vice-Chairman, Paragon Group of Companies which has interest in Oil and Gas, Mining and Real Estate from 2005 until 2011. He was also Chairman of Ebony Properties Limited.

    * He had been a Director of Pyramid Securities Limited until 2011, among other business interests, before his appointment as Chief of Staff by Governor Aregbesola.

    * Oyetola is a pronounced technocrat as well as a progressive politician. He was a founding member of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Osun State and has been a chieftain of the party through its metamorphosis to Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now All Progressives Congress (APC).

    * He is happily married to Kafayat Olaitan Oyetola and the marriage is blessed with wonderful children and grandchildren.

    * On March 22, 2019 Osun State Tribunal nullified his election and declared Senator Ademola Adeleke winner of the poll. But on May 9, 2019, the Court of Appeal upheld Oyetola’s victory at the poll. Finally on June 5, 2019, the Supreme Court affirmed Oyetola winner of the Osun governorship election.

  • NiMet predicts thunderstorms, rain for Sunday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted thunderstorms and rains for Sunday.

    NiMet’s weather outlook on Saturday in Abuja predicted partly cloudy morning over Northern states with chances of thunderstorm over southern Maiduguri during the afternoon/evening hours.

    According to it, day and night temperatures of the region are expected to be 31 to 35 degree Celsius and 21 to 24 degree Celsius.

    “For Central states, cloudy conditions are expected with chances of thunderstorms over Abuja, Niger and Kwara states in the morning hours.

    Read Also: NiMet predicts thunderstorms, rains for Friday

    “Later in the day there are chances of thunderstorms over Abuja, Lafia, Yola, Jos and Taraba state in the afternoon/evening period.

    “Day and night temperatures are expected to be 28 to 34 degree Celsius and 17 to 23 degree Celcius.”

    The agency forecast prospect of thunderstorms/rains over the
    southwest inland of Southern states and chances of rains over the coastal axis in the morning hours.

    It envisaged prospects of thunderstorms and rains over most places in the region during the afternoon/evening hours with day and night temperatures of 30 to 32 degree Celsius and 21 to 24 degree Celsius respectively.

  • Zamfara governor shuts down school, suspends staff over desecration of Qur’an

    GOVERNOR Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State on Saturday went tough with the authorities Shattima Model Primary School, Gusau, over an allegation of  desecration of the Holy Qur’an in the school.

    He shut down the school and sent the staff on an indefinite suspension.

    A full investigation was immediately ordered into the situation.

    To conduct the probe is the Basic Education Commission, according to Yusuf Idris, the Director-General, Press Affairs to the governor.

    Read Also: Zamfara to probe radio, television stations

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), pages of the Holy Qur’an were discovered around 11am on Friday in the sewage of the school.

    The governor who is currently in the United States to woo investors, pledged that the government would fish out the perpetrators.

    He directed the immediate deployment of three additional security guards to all public primary schools in the state capital to beef up security.

    “Government will deal ruthlessly with anyone with a hand in this dastardly act, however highly placed,” he said and urged residents to be more vigilant.

    Matawalle said people should report suspicious movements in their areas to security agencies or Shariah commission officials for prompt intervention.

  • Miyetti Allah and the Ijare, Ondo incident

    AFTER first acknowledging that the death of 36 cows at a site considered sacred by the people of Ijare, in Ondo State was an act of God, Miyetti Allah, the association of cattle breeders, have asked for compensation.

    Said their national president, Abdullahi Bodejo: “Our cows are supposed to be treated as other assets like cars that are insured.

    A Fulani man doesn’t have any company, but the cows are his company and industry; they are his everything – car, shops, etc. Now that the cows are dead, what do you want that Fulani man to do since they were not insured? So, the government, whether the state government or the federal government should pay compensation for those cows killed by thunderstorm.

    Even if a motorcar kills a cow on the road, the government should pay compensation, it is the best thing to do. Even if Fulani man wakes up to see his cow is dead, let the government pay compensation. If you don’t compensate him, maybe some bad company or bad people can invite him and teach him illegal things and he would join them to begin to torment other people.

    Government should pay him; death of 36 cows is not a small loss. It shouldn’t be a heavy thing for government to do; let the government quickly settle the Fulani man.”

    If he agrees that the cows were not insured, in the same way farmers probably do not insure their crops, where on earth does he expect the compensation to come from? From taxpayers, or from the gods to whom the deaths have been attributed?

    Who compensates poultry farmers whose businesses have been wiped off by disease? Mr Bodejo’s reasoning is unhelpful, and it is obviously at the bottom of the illogical self-importance herdsmen have all along attached to themselves and their business.

    Cattle breeding is a business like any other. Cattle owners’ gains and losses cannot be arbitrarily transferred.

  • Obasanjo optimistic of improved relations between Nigeria, South Africa

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo  is looking forward to improved relations between  Nigeria and South Africa soon despite the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in that country.

    He hinged his hope on next month’s planned talks between President Muhammadu Buhari and President  Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.

    The former Nigerian leader who visited Ramaphosa in  Pretoria earlier in the week  told reporters in Abeokuta yesterday that he discussed the xenophobic attacks with his host.

    He said: “one of the major things we discussed in this issue of xenophobia or Afrophobia. I took the opportunity of being in South Africa about three or four days ago to actually pay a courtesy call on President Cyril Ramaphosa and he quickly granted me the opportunity.

    Read Also: Xenophobia: ECOWAS citizens seek access to African Court

    “One good thing that the president said to me is that there is so much at stake and whatever mistake we have made, we have to correct it. And I think that was a very good statement and I know that he meant it because, he immediately said look, what can we do or should we do?

    “I think that is all we must be doing and be saying and I said my joy is that President Cyril Ramaphosa is ready to do what needs to be done to stop these incidents and to put the relationship between Nigeria and South Africa on the right track.

    “One of the things they are going to do between South Africa and Nigeria is, they are going to have what we established in my term that we called Bi-lateral commission.

    “During my time, it was at the second echelon level of vice-presidents, deputy presidents, but, now they have raised it to the president’s level and I understand that our own president would be there within the first week of October”.

    Obasanjo said that his own investigation showed that contrary to allegations in some quarters, many Nigerians living in South Africa are not drug peddlers or criminals but businessmen and professionals who have helped in contributing to the economic development of South Africa.

  • Ekiti APC suspends local government primary elections indefinitely

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Ekiti State Chapter on Saturday said it has postponed the local government primary elections in two local government areas of the state.

    The ruling party’s shadow primary which was scheduled to hold yesterday  was suspended indefinitely in Ado and Ikole Local Government over security concern while the elections held in other 14 local councils.

    The party spokesperson, Ade Ajayi, who stated this in Ado Ekiti in a telephone chat with newsmen, said the decision was reached by the party’s high decision making organ following emergence of a security report that some hooligans were plotting to tinker with the political atmosphere and disrupt the exercise.

    Ajayi said that a new date would be communicated to all concerned stakeholders as soon as report shows that the coast is clear.

    Read Also: Police intercept van fully loaded with Indian Hemp in Ekiti

    “The reason for the postponement in respect of the two local governments is due to security concerns. We had it on record that there would be breakdown of law and order. And it was on this basis we decided to postpone the election in the two local governments until further notice.

    The remaining 14 Council election will hold today as scheduled”, he said.

    The indefinite postponement has created fear and re-awakened the suspicion of some aspirants who alleged the party leadership of plotting to impose its anointed candidates on the people.

    Two of the aspirants who spoke to newsmen at the venue of the primary, Alhaji Tajudeen Gidado, and Tosin Aluko, expressed displeasure over the suspension of the party’s shadow election.

    They accused the leadership of the party of being undemocratic, warning that they would resist any attempt to impose on the party. In her reaction, Mrs. Aluko, an aspirant in the election lamented that the leadership of the party were determined to impose a candidate. But the party spokesman described the allegations as a conjectural statement that lack content of validity in all its measure.

  • 2023: ‘We didn’t sponsor campaign group’

    The Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has disclaimed a group that stormed the State secretariat of the party in Akure, on Thursday, canvassing support for the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, ahead of 2023. The group had stormed the state secretariat, with banners in a campaign tagged: ‘OSINBAJO 2023.’ It was led by one Bamise Akintomide. The party viewed the effort as “an avoidable distraction.”

    A statement by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Comrade Alex Kalejaye, said, “The party wishes to firmly declare that it has no link whatsoever with the said group.” He contended that “the unusual campaign” was an embarrassment to the leaders of the party in the State.

    For the records, the group that could best be described as a non- governmental body, and looked a bit unorganised, only stormed the State secretariat of the party unannounced with their banners and other write-ups.

    “The party notes with deep concerns that a politically sophisticated state like Ondo knows better than engaging in premature campaigns for any election,” the statement read in part.