THE Ebola Virus is essentially transmitted from human-to-human through direct contact with infected patients, or through contact with body fluids of a victim. However, scientists are not ruling out the possibility of transmission by air through aerosolised particles.
Previously, Canadian scientists have shown that the deadliest form of the Ebola virus (the Zaire Ebola) could be transmitted by air between species. Although no human over-ther-air transmission of the lethal viral disorder has been recorded, but the Patrick Sawyer incidence in Lagos, Nigeria, has reopened worries over the implications of the possibility of its transmission in an enclosed environment such as an aircraft cabin.
Transmissible from pigs to monkeys by air Studies show that the Ebola virus is transmissible to monkeys from infected pigs without them coming into direct contact. The Ebola virus survives for days outside infected hosts and can “ride” on aerosolised droplets to spread to potential victims.
In a demonstration of the infectious dose of the Ebola virus, the Public Health Agency of Canada says 1 – 10 aerosolised organisms are sufficient to cause infection in humans.
In demonstrating the transmission from pigs to monkeys without any direct contact between them, the scientists housed the pigs carrying the virus in pens with the monkeys in close proximity but separated by a wire barrier. After eight days, some of the macaques (monkeys) were showing clinical signs typical of ebola and were euthanised.
According to the Canadian Public Health Agency: “The virus can survive in liquid or dried material for a number of days. Infectivity is found to be stable at room temperature or at 4 degrees celsius for several days, and indefinitely stable at -70 degrees celsius . Infectivity can be preserved by lyophilisation.
Hence, it is implied that Ebola viruses can survive for several days on common objects such as door knobs or household surfaces. If an infected Ebola victim runs around touching such common objects after cleaning blood or mucous from his nose, another innocent victim can easily infect himself by touching the same objects and then eating some food that places the virus in his mouth.
Level 4 biohazard
Ebola, considered a level-4 biohazard, is very infectious, requiring special protective biohazard suits, containment Level 4 facilities, equipment, and operational practices for work involving infectious or potentially infectious materials, animals, and cultures. To date, according to the World Health Organisation, the Ebola virus has caused 1,323 cases of the disease and 729 deaths–a mortality rate of 55%
Transmissible from pigs to monkeys by air Studies show that the Ebola virus is transmissible to monkeys from infected pigs without them coming into direct contact. The Ebola virus survives for days outside infected hosts and can “ride” on aerosolised droplets to spread to potential victims.
In a demonstration of the infectious dose of the Ebola virus, the Public Health Agency of Canada says 1 – 10 aerosolised organisms are sufficient to cause infection in humans.
In demonstrating the transmission from pigs to monkeys without any direct contact between them, the scientists housed the pigs carrying the virus in pens with the monkeys in close proximity but separated by a wire barrier. After eight days, some of the macaques (monkeys) were showing clinical signs typical of ebola and were euthanised.
According to the Canadian Public Health Agency: “The virus can survive in liquid or dried material for a number of days. Infectivity is found to be stable at room temperature or at 4 degrees celsius for several days, and indefinitely stable at -70 degrees celsius . Infectivity can be preserved by lyophilisation.
Hence, it is implied that Ebola viruses can survive for several days on common objects such as door knobs or household surfaces. If an infected Ebola victim runs around touching such common objects after cleaning blood or mucous from his nose, another innocent victim can easily infect himself by touching the same objects and then eating some food that places the virus in his mouth.
Level 4 biohazard
Ebola, considered a level-4 biohazard, is very infectious, requiring special protective biohazard suits, containment Level 4 facilities, equipment, and operational practices for work involving infectious or potentially infectious materials, animals, and cultures. To date, according to the World Health Organisation, the Ebola virus has caused 1,323 cases of the disease and 729 deaths–a mortality rate of 55%
"He always causes a stir when he's out. The vertebrae press on the nerves in his neck and make it difficult for him to walk." his dad, Genyou said
Fortunately for Fu, after his situation was made public, a Beijing-based charity agreed to finance a procedure and treatment. He will have corrective surgery that will hopefully reduce the length of his neck and ease the discomfort.
This is the story of my life: I am not a loose woman. I am just a woman who loves her husband very much and didn’t want to lose him. I just did what I had to do to save my marriage even though I feel guilty sometimes. It was not easy but I slept with my driver so that I could give my husband a child, but instead, God gave me twins, a boy and a girl.
I was married to Philip for eight years. We had no child. “The worst was that I never got pregnant even for a day.” His mother became so impatient that she started breathing down my neck as she gave me no breathing space at all. She moved in to live with us and practically made my life unbearable – in my matrimonial home.
I cannot drink water and drop the cup because she must insult me. It got to a point that she stopped eating my food because, according to her, I should be feeding my children so that they would grow healthy and stronger and not her. “Monica, if you had children, you are supposed to be feeding them with all these food so that they would grow healthy and strong. I am getting old so I don’t need all these nonsense you call food. Take them away and give me grandchildren,” she would scream.
Even after she had left, I could still hear those insults in my head so I decided to take a bold step – I seduced and slept with our driver...
Before then, my mother-in-law also stopped talking to me, however, the only time she talks to me is when she wants to insult me and remind me of how less a woman I was.
Philip and I love each other so much that he stood by me despite all his mother did or said to frustrate me to leave him. We visited different specialists and they all certified us medically alright. I have visited churches, held vigils and even fasted for days, drank various concoctions of varied colours and combinations all in the name of getting pregnant so that my mother-in-law can stop humiliating me yet I couldn’t get pregnant.
At a point, I stopped coming out of my bedroom because it was obvious my mother-in-law had vowed to frustrate me out of her son’s home. Most times, I just stayed in my bedroom and either cries, pray, think and then sleep off because I was scared of his mother confronting me. To make things worse, she sent away the house help because she said, “You don’t need any house help because there are no children to take care of. Take care of your house yourself and stop wasting my son’s hard earned money.”
It was just the three of us living at home, “God, I was always so terrified even when I hear her voice from a distance.” It is so agonizing to say this but my husband usually pleads with me to come out of the room and this makes him feel so sad especially those times I refuse because I don’t want to come face-to-face with his mother. When her troubles became too unbearable, Philip practically threw her out of the house just to make me feel safe and comfortable in my own home.
Okon is a young man in his late 20’s. He is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering but because he could not get a good paying job, he opted to become a driver. I promised to get him a good job if he sleeps with me just once but I never disclosed the reason for this. However, Okon thought I just wanted to cheat on my husband with him. I planned it during my ovulation so that I could get pregnant, although it was not easy sleeping with another man. I knew I was betraying my husband but I saw it as a necessary action. After a month, I discovered that I was pregnant. So, as promised I got a job for Okon in a friend’s company where he started earning almost N150,000 per month. When I told Philip that I was pregnant, he was so excited. “Sweetheart, God has finally answered our prayers. I am pregnant,” I revealed.
When I was five months pregnant, he informed his mother and she immediately returned to the house. She pampered me like a baby and also took good care of me. I never wanted to do any scan but my mother-in-law insisted. When I finally did the scan, it showed I was pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. My mother- in-law and husband were extremely happy while I felt much fulfilled. “God thank you for compensating me with a set of twins after eight years of barrenness,” I muttered.
When the twins were born, the girl took ill for some time. It took a while before she fully recovered after several treatments and this got me worried. Philip and I insisted that blood test be carried out on them to determine their blood group and genotype and then came the shocking revelation. The doctor informed us that although their blood groups are both A, however, their genotypes are AS for the girl and AA for the boy meanwhile Philip and I are both AA. I wanted the ground to open and swallow me up because I felt Philip would ask questions but to my surprise, he did not. He just said, “Sweetheart, lets go home. We have had quite a long day, you and my babies need to rest.”
Three months later, he held me closely and said:
“Monica, don’t be scared. I don’t want to know who the father of the twins is. I know whatever you did, you did to save our marriage and I am very proud of you. I promise to always love you and my babies. I promise this will be a secret between us. I love you sweetheart. I know we will have our own children someday.” I wept as he wiped my tears with his hands.
I know what I did was wrong but at least my mother-in-law is extremely happy with me, that is all that matters. Although, everyone is happy but I feel guilty that I selfishly used an innocent man to achieve my aim. But before anybody judge me; just put yourself in my shoes and think for a moment what you will do?
- Monica
I was married to Philip for eight years. We had no child. “The worst was that I never got pregnant even for a day.” His mother became so impatient that she started breathing down my neck as she gave me no breathing space at all. She moved in to live with us and practically made my life unbearable – in my matrimonial home.
I cannot drink water and drop the cup because she must insult me. It got to a point that she stopped eating my food because, according to her, I should be feeding my children so that they would grow healthy and stronger and not her. “Monica, if you had children, you are supposed to be feeding them with all these food so that they would grow healthy and strong. I am getting old so I don’t need all these nonsense you call food. Take them away and give me grandchildren,” she would scream.
Even after she had left, I could still hear those insults in my head so I decided to take a bold step – I seduced and slept with our driver...
Before then, my mother-in-law also stopped talking to me, however, the only time she talks to me is when she wants to insult me and remind me of how less a woman I was.
Philip and I love each other so much that he stood by me despite all his mother did or said to frustrate me to leave him. We visited different specialists and they all certified us medically alright. I have visited churches, held vigils and even fasted for days, drank various concoctions of varied colours and combinations all in the name of getting pregnant so that my mother-in-law can stop humiliating me yet I couldn’t get pregnant.
At a point, I stopped coming out of my bedroom because it was obvious my mother-in-law had vowed to frustrate me out of her son’s home. Most times, I just stayed in my bedroom and either cries, pray, think and then sleep off because I was scared of his mother confronting me. To make things worse, she sent away the house help because she said, “You don’t need any house help because there are no children to take care of. Take care of your house yourself and stop wasting my son’s hard earned money.”
It was just the three of us living at home, “God, I was always so terrified even when I hear her voice from a distance.” It is so agonizing to say this but my husband usually pleads with me to come out of the room and this makes him feel so sad especially those times I refuse because I don’t want to come face-to-face with his mother. When her troubles became too unbearable, Philip practically threw her out of the house just to make me feel safe and comfortable in my own home.
Okon is a young man in his late 20’s. He is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering but because he could not get a good paying job, he opted to become a driver. I promised to get him a good job if he sleeps with me just once but I never disclosed the reason for this. However, Okon thought I just wanted to cheat on my husband with him. I planned it during my ovulation so that I could get pregnant, although it was not easy sleeping with another man. I knew I was betraying my husband but I saw it as a necessary action. After a month, I discovered that I was pregnant. So, as promised I got a job for Okon in a friend’s company where he started earning almost N150,000 per month. When I told Philip that I was pregnant, he was so excited. “Sweetheart, God has finally answered our prayers. I am pregnant,” I revealed.
When I was five months pregnant, he informed his mother and she immediately returned to the house. She pampered me like a baby and also took good care of me. I never wanted to do any scan but my mother-in-law insisted. When I finally did the scan, it showed I was pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. My mother- in-law and husband were extremely happy while I felt much fulfilled. “God thank you for compensating me with a set of twins after eight years of barrenness,” I muttered.
When the twins were born, the girl took ill for some time. It took a while before she fully recovered after several treatments and this got me worried. Philip and I insisted that blood test be carried out on them to determine their blood group and genotype and then came the shocking revelation. The doctor informed us that although their blood groups are both A, however, their genotypes are AS for the girl and AA for the boy meanwhile Philip and I are both AA. I wanted the ground to open and swallow me up because I felt Philip would ask questions but to my surprise, he did not. He just said, “Sweetheart, lets go home. We have had quite a long day, you and my babies need to rest.”
Three months later, he held me closely and said:
“Monica, don’t be scared. I don’t want to know who the father of the twins is. I know whatever you did, you did to save our marriage and I am very proud of you. I promise to always love you and my babies. I promise this will be a secret between us. I love you sweetheart. I know we will have our own children someday.” I wept as he wiped my tears with his hands.
I know what I did was wrong but at least my mother-in-law is extremely happy with me, that is all that matters. Although, everyone is happy but I feel guilty that I selfishly used an innocent man to achieve my aim. But before anybody judge me; just put yourself in my shoes and think for a moment what you will do?
- Monica
Speaking exclusively with NET, when asked if the current beef between Wizkid and Davido is good for the image of the industry, he said‘What two artistes feel for each other cannot affect the image of the industry. The real actions I believe will affect the image of the music industry is a crime committed by an artist. What they feel for each other only affects their image.’
When asked which is his favourite, the rapper, who rode to fame on the controversial but industry-redefining ‘Ehen Pt 1′ admits it’s difficult to choose. ‘I can’t pick one. I love the talent, great songs and drive they both have. If they choose to have a little friendly competition thing going it’s cool. It will drive them to do more and better. As long as they don’t get it twisted. It’s supposed to be friendly competition.’
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration was as bad as the regime of the former military dictator, Sani Abacha.
Obasanjo likened both administrations while receiving a delegation of 150 persons from the Nigerian Market Traders Council at his Abeokuta hilltop mansion who had visited to seek his counsel on where to cast their votes in 2015.
According to the former leader, the current political and economic situation of the country was similar to that of the Abacha’s regime. He said that the middle class has been wiped out completely.
He referred to text messages sent to him by disillusioned Nigerians who said they were unable to afford vehicles despite what Obasanjo described as their “good jobs”.
Hear him, “As for me, we don’t know where we are going yet. May God show us the way. The way that will take this country and make it a great country, and when, for me ooo, I understand and (if) I see the way, I will tell you, I pray that God will show me the way, may God show you the way.
“Tough time does not last forever, and
when tough times come, tough people get going, we will keep going and we will survive this though time.
“I told him (the SMS sender) that we have experienced this period in time of Abacha, the middle class was completely destroyed.”
Continuing, he noted: “I was surprised the day a Colonel in the Army came to me complaining that he and his family could not afford to buy a car.
“A friend of mine, Dr. Okoro, a medical Doctor, his wife was also a medical Doctor and they have daughter too, who is also a medical Doctor, between the three of them, they could not afford a new car, they had to go to Saudi Arabia but, I pray we will not have such a time in Nigeria.
“We all have contribution to make and should not leave our responsibility on others to do. If we fail to participate in things that are meaningfully positive for this country, you will be a victim and we all become victims,” he concluded.
What do u think Readers ?
Obasanjo likened both administrations while receiving a delegation of 150 persons from the Nigerian Market Traders Council at his Abeokuta hilltop mansion who had visited to seek his counsel on where to cast their votes in 2015.
According to the former leader, the current political and economic situation of the country was similar to that of the Abacha’s regime. He said that the middle class has been wiped out completely.
He referred to text messages sent to him by disillusioned Nigerians who said they were unable to afford vehicles despite what Obasanjo described as their “good jobs”.
Hear him, “As for me, we don’t know where we are going yet. May God show us the way. The way that will take this country and make it a great country, and when, for me ooo, I understand and (if) I see the way, I will tell you, I pray that God will show me the way, may God show you the way.
“Tough time does not last forever, and
“I told him (the SMS sender) that we have experienced this period in time of Abacha, the middle class was completely destroyed.”
Continuing, he noted: “I was surprised the day a Colonel in the Army came to me complaining that he and his family could not afford to buy a car.
“A friend of mine, Dr. Okoro, a medical Doctor, his wife was also a medical Doctor and they have daughter too, who is also a medical Doctor, between the three of them, they could not afford a new car, they had to go to Saudi Arabia but, I pray we will not have such a time in Nigeria.
“We all have contribution to make and should not leave our responsibility on others to do. If we fail to participate in things that are meaningfully positive for this country, you will be a victim and we all become victims,” he concluded.
What do u think Readers ?
In a Facebook post, Mary Brandon, a student at Leeds University, says while enjoying the carnival, she felt someone grab her bum. She asked the man not to do it again but he did and she pushed him and he placed his signature right on her face.
Marry revealed that she had to spend nine hours at the hospital receiving treatment following the alleged assault.
On the incident, Mary said; “A man in the crowd grabbed my arse. When I told him not to he did it again. I pushed him away, exercising my right to tell a man to stop touching my body without my permission, so he took a swing at me and punched me in the face.”
Mary said that some of her friends had suggested it might be “best not to do anything at all” when a man assaults you sexually.
Her response was that anyone who thinks it is “OK to treat women like this” should stay away from the carnival in the future, adding that “I can honestly say I will always stand up to someone who thinks they can get away with this behaviour. I’d take a punch again from this loser or any other loser who thinks it’s OK to treat women like this.”
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were married Saturday in Chateau Miraval, France, says a spokesman for the couple.
Jolie and Pitt wed Saturday in a small chapel in a private ceremony attended by family and friends. In advance of the nondenominational civil ceremony, Pitt and Jolie also obtained a marriage license from a local California judge. The judge also conducted the ceremony in France.
The couple's children took part in the wedding. Jolie walked the aisle with her eldest sons Maddox and Pax. Zahara and Vivienne threw petals. Shiloh and Knox served as ring bearers, the spokesman says.Congratulations! to these two beautiful people, inside and out, they deserve a happy life together. They chose a quiet, respectful wedding. Most glory hounds make a mockery of their special day by turning it into a circus.
Jolie and Pitt wed Saturday in a small chapel in a private ceremony attended by family and friends. In advance of the nondenominational civil ceremony, Pitt and Jolie also obtained a marriage license from a local California judge. The judge also conducted the ceremony in France.
The couple's children took part in the wedding. Jolie walked the aisle with her eldest sons Maddox and Pax. Zahara and Vivienne threw petals. Shiloh and Knox served as ring bearers, the spokesman says.Congratulations! to these two beautiful people, inside and out, they deserve a happy life together. They chose a quiet, respectful wedding. Most glory hounds make a mockery of their special day by turning it into a circus.
1. Bad breath.
While funky arm pits can be a turn on and sweat a useful lubricant, bad breath is never cool. Keep breath mints in your bedside drawer at all times, along with the condoms. Also follow the basic rule: if you’re not sure, your breath is probably a bit dodge. Oh, and minty lube might work in a pinch.
2. Washing machine kissing.
I have never found someone who actually likes a tongue tonsil scrubbing. You? Exactly. Keep your tongue where you can still feel it. And start slow. You can’t go wrong with a slow, tension-building snoglet.
3. Stampeding south
One of my favourite lines ever is from The Meaning of Life is when the Cleese school master character is teaching sexual education, with the help of his wife.
“No need to go stampeding for the clitoris, boy, give the girl a KISS!”
My thoughts exactly.
3. Terrible music
This is obviously quite subjective, so I asked my Twitterstream to give a few examples. They suggest avoiding, inter alia:
- The Macarena
- ‘He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother’
- ‘Don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?’
- ‘I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie World...’
- ‘Pump up the Jam’
- ‘Like a Virgin’
- De La Rey
You get the picture.
4. Farting
Actually, on second thought, that might actually be quite a sweet ice-breaker, if you’re both nice and it doesn’t smell too bad.
5. The phone
Tell me you don’t answer the phone during sex. A friend once told me a guy texted while she was going down on him, but I hope that was just a horribly bad dream.
7. The TV, the laptop, the iPad...
Again, all totally unacceptable. Unless of course, you are porn folk. Then hey, go right ahead.
6. Children knocking on the door
Or, much much worse, children STANDING IN THE DOORWAY.
7. Inappropriate gestures
So obvious, yet such a regular passion killer, possibly because filters are rarely at optimum setting while turned on. Rule of thumb? Don’t compare anything to your thumb. Or shrug. Or – and I can’t stress this enough – ROLL YOUR EYES.
8. Cats
It’s creepy to have sex with a cat in the room, dude. It just is.
9. Snorting
Many, many animal like noises are sexy in the bedroom. Snorting is not one of them.
10. Snoring
Like snorting, snoring is never good.
If you’re wondering how it’s possible for a man to fake an orgasm, don’t be. There are many ways which include:
• Using a condom
• Using a lot of lube – a teaspoon of semen (or more importantly the lack of same) can easily be hidden
• Faking ejaculation outside of the body
• Other reasons such as prostatectomy which often results in loss of seminal fluid so ejaculation doesn’t happen
The question you should be asking is actually “why” men do this? Well, for the same reasons as women, apparently.
• Men feel under pressure to perform and this is a way out when they don’t really feel like sex
• As a kindness to their partners – they know a climax won’t happen but don’t want to hurt their partner’s feelings
While protecting your loved one’s feelings is a noble endeavour, regular faking can be devastating to a healthy sexual relationship. Think of it this way - by providing your partner with disinformation, you deny them the chance to make the sex more fulfilling, since they won’t know what you actually require to orgasm.
Most relationship counsellors and sexologists also advocate honesty when it comes to sex in order to build intimacy and trust. So while the odd faked orgasm is not the end of the world – especially if it’s done for the right reasons, making a habit of it can be disastrous.
Anyone who dares to claim that spot immediately falls under the umbrella term ‘angry feminist’.
Though the title bothers no one who stands for human rights, it’s an effectively popular smear phrase that attempts to nullify the efforts of activists and writers who work to breach social parameters.
The feminist movement signified the start of the emancipation of an entire population, and was initially and unsurprisingly met with vehement push-back.
See, 50 years later, it’s interesting, and a very special kind of sad, to see that our stance has not evolved greatly from a position of defence.
One only needs to look at the face of Google to understand that education and privilege has never yet inoculated the entitled against ignorance.
I suppose by now we all hoped we would have moved onto a highway of progression – that by now we’d be speaking predominantly about how we can allow the principles of gender equality to inform policy, law and public opinion.
Instead, more than 50 years later, we find ourselves still arguing why gender equality is important.
The talk does matter. Public discourse is essential in changing perceptions, and backlash is part of all social progression.
However, what matters more is seeing evidence of the change that you stand for. What matters is showing, in real-time, what the results of equality are.
The Women in the World Summit (#WITW2014) is an event that does just this; showcasing the world’s movers and the shakers when it comes to the women empowerment, and why we all should stand for it.
Why does the Summit Matter?
Because it stands apart with a sincere kind of conviction in a world where feminism isn’t just a concept – it’s a verb.
As much as I will defend the importance of writing about inequality till my last breath, the dangers of slacktivism still soils the edges of the scroll.
This event is testament to the real world changes of taking action. It’s a testament to why it’s important to recognise those that commit their lives to betterment of their community
Redefining Celebrity
The Mileys and the Kims and the Lady Gagas are our generation’s point of reference when it comes to celebrity.
Gone are the Pink Floyds, the message of Woodstock and the sounds of Imagine.
We live in a brand new world in which the content of our hopes and dreams can be measured by our vested interest in Vogue’s new Kimye cover.
This summit is one of those few events where celebrity is directly proportional to being extraordinary or talented.
And as much as the internet and Jezebel explode every time Jennifer Lawrence talks about food again, I still think celebrity is a darn waste.
Because as far as being extraordinary goes - as per the WITW2014 – there are more than enough people worthy in this world to choose from:
A woman named Khalida Brohi, who crusades against ‘honour killings’ in Pakistan, travels to remote villages to confront these violent men and implores them to consider education for their daughters. Hardcore.
Haimara Bachal started a school to reform and counsel children who have been subjected to gruesome violence in Pakistan, and teaches them about acceptance and compassion. I reckon that’s awesome.
Eesha Kare got annoyed that her phone kept dying, so developed an advanced technology that would allow her to charge her phone in less than one minute.
The first-ever all-female all-Muslim UN Peacekeeping force was interviewed by Jon Stewart, which is one of the newest manifestations of women standing up for peace and reconciliation.
Neema Namadu founded ‘Hero Women of the Congo’ and partnered with World Pulse to connect women in her country and to help them find their voice.
These guys have balls. And these guys are the people who should be celebrated.
The story in the summit
It’s important to understand, though the average Women24 troll is violently allergic to ideologies that differ from his, that the world has moved on to bigger things.
It’s important to understand - between cigar-smoking sophomoric wankers on Twitter, the spectacularly banal vitriol of the anonymous Dickwad261, and that dude who thinks that ‘slutty’ is a neurobiological term for all free women except his mother (bless his socks) – that there are real people doing colossal things in the real world.
Things that matter, that have impact.
Things that will substantiate the importance of gender equality more than words ever will.
Everyone’s been doing it and had it not been for our parents we wouldn’t be here. Okay, maybe that last statement was too much for the system and went too far, erase that.
Nonetheless, sex is something that is inevitable, fun, exciting and so many other things I’d rather not mention. And it baffles me why so many women cannot or won’t speak of it.
I sat with a group of women not so long ago, aged between thirty four and somewhere in the fifties; and this vibrant group had quite a reaction to the word.
For some they would rather have not heard it, and were quite embarrassed at the very thought of the conversation running longer than fifteen seconds and yet, for others it was the easiest topic to dissect.
Which got me thinking, why don’t we talk about it? Why is it so hard for women to say – no I don’t like sex, I tolerate it or yes I thoroughly enjoy every second of it. Fundamentally it stems from how we were brought up.
For most women, growing up in a society speaking openly about sex whether oral or penetrative, masturbation, toys and gadgets were all unheard of; a lady never spoke of such. And so that stayed with them throughout their lives.
Spilling over into womanhood and allowing that marred perception to become part of their very being. Now they are the same women who say, and I quote, : ‘personally I’m old school. I stick to my normal routine (meaning Friday is the day; only if the kids aren’t at home) my daughter is turning twenty five and my son eighteen.
I have this phobia of them walking in on us, hence no children in the home when making love for me’. Others would say: ‘I feel like a nerd and am scared to explore. What if my husband thinks my curiosity is my way of covering up an affair. Or what if he thinks I’m bored with him?’
How does one now change that perception, since it’s become a way of life? I’ve learned that you can’t. What you can do is talk. Talk to your girlfriends, talk to your partner, talk to whoever is brave enough to speak openly about sex.
In a lot of groups / cultures women talking about sex means divulging things about themselves they would rather not mention and yet when you think about it, it’s not really. It’s simply saying what you think would be best in any given situation; not necessarily what you’ve done or not done …yet.
When researching this subject in a group of fifty women; I asked if we have become a generation of women that are too afraid; are we ready to take control in the bedroom or are we safer in sticking to what we know. Thirteen brave women gave me their honest, most brutal replies (both for being open and some not) and that in itself speaks volumes for me.
That’s a mere twenty six percent of women who replied, what about the remaining seventy four I ask myself? The main message I got was that even though many have fought for equality, women still aren’t ready to lead. We want to be romanced, we want our guy to make the first move, we want, we want, we want.
On the flip side of that, what if the men are tired of doing the running around? What if they want to be romanced or to be led to the bedroom instead of leading? There’s an array of questions we could ask and that could possibly lead to another article, my point being I think it’s time we women really do step out of our comfort zones and allow the Vixen to come out and play.
Even if it means hosting bedroom parties (Pure Romance) or attending lingerie parties, or even both for that matter; nothing wrong a bit of education on our part. And I do believe a lot of men will be much happier because of it.
Having said all of that I hope I haven’t put my foot in it, I will have to now educate myself and find a few buddies who are willing to show me the difference between a ben wa ball and a yoni egg. Anyone?
President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party on Thursday warned party members against bad-mouthing the veteran leader’s wife, following her shock entry into politics.
MugabeMugabe
“I must warn the party leadership at every level, not to use the media to abuse the First Lady’s name for whatever reason,” Simon Khaya Moyo, ZANU-PF chairperson said in a statement.
“The First Family must be respected at all times.”
Grace Mugabe, a 49-year-old former typist, was recently nominated as chair of ZANU-PF’s powerful women’s league.
Her appointment — which is considered a foregone conclusion — will come at a crunch party meeting in December that will also decide if Mugabe continues at the party’s helm.
Mugabe has been in power for close to 34 years, but at 90-years-old, potential successors have begun jockeying for power in anticipation of his eventual exit.
Ahead of the December conference two factions, led by Vice President Joice Mujuru and Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, are vying for seats and voting power.
Behind the scenes, some party officials have expressed unease about Grace’s new roll.
Mugabe is likely to again be anointed as party leader, but the division of posts within the party’s ruling politburo could be crucial in deciding who succeeds him.
70 under surveillance
Efforts by the Nigerian Government to contain the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, imported into the country by American – Liberian, late Patrick Sawyer Thursday took a dramatic twist as the virus claimed another life of a medical doctor in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
His death has brought the number of deaths from EVD in Nigeria to six.
The death of the doctor has also led to the quarantine of his wife and 70 persons in the State under surveillance. Disclosing these Thursday, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu explained further that the total number of cases of EVD cases so far reported in Nigeria stands at 15.
“The total number of cases treated at our isolation ward stands at 13.
The total number of those discharged is 7, and the total number currently under treatment is one and the person is stable and improving clinically.” Chukwu said
Throwing light on the death of the doctor in Portharcourt, he disclosed that the wife of of the late doctor is already showing symptoms of Ebola.
According to Chukwu, the late doctor who died last Friday contract the virus from one of the primary contact of the index (first)case (Mr. Patrick Sawyer).
He explained that the primary contact who is presently free from Ebola but further laboratory tests indicate that he had suffered EVD, had evaded surveillance team in the last week of July 2014 and travelled out of Lagos to Port Harcourt where, he consulted with the late doctor and was apparently treated for some symptoms.
” After four days, following a manhunt for him, he returned to Lagos by which time he was found to be without symptoms.
He further explained that the government would not have been interested in the contact’s case after he had completed the 21 days of surveillance, but for the fact that the doctor who treated him died last Friday, 22 nd August, 2014.
The Minister said:”Following the report of the death by the doctor’s widow the next day, the case had been thoroughly investigated and laboratory analysis showed that this doctor died from EVD.
“As a result, several contacts have now been traced, registered and placed under surveillance. However, because the widow is now symptomatic, she has been quarantined pending the outcome of laboratory tests on her.
“The Incident Management Committee has already deployed a very strong team to Port Harcourt to work with the health authorities of Rivers State. Just like the situation has effectively been managed in Lagos and Enugu, the situa
tion in Port Harcourt will also similarly be effectively managed and we have begun to do so.
“The total number of deaths from Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria, therefore, is now 6, the index case (Mr. Sawyer), the 4 primary contacts that died in the isolation ward in Lagos, and a doctor that died in Port Harcourt whose blood sample tested positive after death.
He further disclosed that 70 persons have been placed under surveillance in Port Harcourt.
He charged residents of Port Harcourt not to panic over the situation as the experience gathered from Lagos and Enugu respectively indicate that there is no cause for alarm when the government is fully in control of the situation.
Chukwu appealled to all contacts under surveillance to abide by the advice given to them by the Incident Management Committee.
On Enugu contacts, he said all secondary contacts will be followed up till tomorrow when they are all expected to be discharged from our surveillance.
Efforts by the Nigerian Government to contain the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, imported into the country by American – Liberian, late Patrick Sawyer Thursday took a dramatic twist as the virus claimed another life of a medical doctor in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
His death has brought the number of deaths from EVD in Nigeria to six.
The death of the doctor has also led to the quarantine of his wife and 70 persons in the State under surveillance. Disclosing these Thursday, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu explained further that the total number of cases of EVD cases so far reported in Nigeria stands at 15.
“The total number of cases treated at our isolation ward stands at 13.
The total number of those discharged is 7, and the total number currently under treatment is one and the person is stable and improving clinically.” Chukwu said
Throwing light on the death of the doctor in Portharcourt, he disclosed that the wife of of the late doctor is already showing symptoms of Ebola.
According to Chukwu, the late doctor who died last Friday contract the virus from one of the primary contact of the index (first)case (Mr. Patrick Sawyer).
He explained that the primary contact who is presently free from Ebola but further laboratory tests indicate that he had suffered EVD, had evaded surveillance team in the last week of July 2014 and travelled out of Lagos to Port Harcourt where, he consulted with the late doctor and was apparently treated for some symptoms.
” After four days, following a manhunt for him, he returned to Lagos by which time he was found to be without symptoms.
He further explained that the government would not have been interested in the contact’s case after he had completed the 21 days of surveillance, but for the fact that the doctor who treated him died last Friday, 22 nd August, 2014.
The Minister said:”Following the report of the death by the doctor’s widow the next day, the case had been thoroughly investigated and laboratory analysis showed that this doctor died from EVD.
“As a result, several contacts have now been traced, registered and placed under surveillance. However, because the widow is now symptomatic, she has been quarantined pending the outcome of laboratory tests on her.
“The Incident Management Committee has already deployed a very strong team to Port Harcourt to work with the health authorities of Rivers State. Just like the situation has effectively been managed in Lagos and Enugu, the situa
“The total number of deaths from Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria, therefore, is now 6, the index case (Mr. Sawyer), the 4 primary contacts that died in the isolation ward in Lagos, and a doctor that died in Port Harcourt whose blood sample tested positive after death.
He further disclosed that 70 persons have been placed under surveillance in Port Harcourt.
He charged residents of Port Harcourt not to panic over the situation as the experience gathered from Lagos and Enugu respectively indicate that there is no cause for alarm when the government is fully in control of the situation.
Chukwu appealled to all contacts under surveillance to abide by the advice given to them by the Incident Management Committee.
On Enugu contacts, he said all secondary contacts will be followed up till tomorrow when they are all expected to be discharged from our surveillance.
Fans of Nigeria’s queen of pop, Tiwa Savage-Balogun were filled with joy during the week when news hit the internet that their idol is expecting her first baby.
Tiwa got married to her m
anager-turned-husband, Tee Billz several months ago. Reports of her pregnancy went viral online after she showed up at DJ Jimmy Jatt’s 25th years on stage celebration which held last Sunday at Intercontinental hotel, Victoria Island. The songstress obviously looked glamorous in a blue free gown which many suspected was meant to hide her growing baby bump.
Meanwhile, her tweets further fuel speculations that she may be pregnant. “Official Tiwa Savage, the spirit of a mother. Mrs Tee Billz, married and taken,”she tweeted.
Tiwa got married to her m
Meanwhile, her tweets further fuel speculations that she may be pregnant. “Official Tiwa Savage, the spirit of a mother. Mrs Tee Billz, married and taken,”she tweeted.
Within five days, the National Prosecuting Authority must comply with the previous court order, in an application brought by the Democratic Alliance, to release the tapes.
The actual recordings, internal memoranda, reports and minutes of meetings dealing with the contents of the recordings had to be provided.
Five days
The SCA judgment ordered that the NPA deliver the documents to retired KwaZulu-Natal high court judge Noel Hurt within five days. The court ruled that Hurt had to mark on the documents the places containing Zuma's written or oral representations to the NPA.
The SCA held Hurt's ruling would be final and binding on the parties.
The judgment also provided for the eventuality of Hurt not being able to complete the work. The parties then had to agree on another independent and impartial person to replace him.
If no agreement could be reached the chairperson of the General Council of the Bar would be asked to appoint such a person.
Fraud and corruption charges
Zuma's legal team had contested the fraud and corruption charges which he faced with arms company Thint, through confidential representations submitted to the NPA in February 2009.
These included written and oral submissions, and recordings of conversations between the former heads of the Directorate of Special Operations, the now defunct Scorpions, Leonard McCarthy, and the National Prosecuting Authority's former head Bulelani Ngcuka - dubbed the "spy tapes".
On April 6, 2009, shortly before a national election, then acting National Director of Public Prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe announced that there had been "abuse of process" during the investigations, and they could not continue with the prosecution. Zuma, who had been elected president of the African National Congress at a tumultuous party conference in Polokwane in 2008, became president after the election in 2009.
The DA had previously applied for access to the tapes and despite winning previous court cases, could not obtain them.
Zuma's legal team had argued in the latest application that the DA would use them against him for political gain.
"There is nothing better than being yourself", a shy-looking Mauricio Ruiz, aged 24, told a press conference.
He said he had already told his superiors because he was tired of leading a double life, and then decided to go completely public by speaking to the media.
Chile is a highly conservative country, where even divorce was not allowed until 2004, and discrimination against suspected gays in the military and society in general have been common. A law governing same sex unions is being debated.
"For me it is important to take this step, because to be repressed is to not accept what you are, and that made me unhappy", Ruiz said.
Gays can have a tough time in Chile.
The violent death of a young gay man named Daniel Zamudio at the hands of alleged neo-Nazis prompted a 2012 law that punished people who discriminated against others because of their race, sexual orientation or social status.
Gay rights groups welcomed Ruiz's announcement.
"He took a pioneering decision, worthy of brave people who take the first step", said Oscar Rementeria, spokesperson for the homosexual integration and liberation movement.
Ruiz said his partner initially did not want him to come out because he feared for Ruiz's safety. The partner stood beside him at the press conference.
In the end, the reaction was not as adverse as he expected, Ruiz said.
"I don't know what I was afraid of", he said.
The incident of August 28, 2010 will remain with Ms. Paulina Imuere (41) forever.
It was a day her vision was cut short and dreams shattered. it was a day she hoped never happened.
That was the day she her supposed lover poured her acid and disfigured her.
Paulina, an indigene of Kokori in Ethiope –East Local Government Area of Delta State, had fasted and prayed on August 27, 2010 during a church programme but next morning she was bathed with acid by Mr. Difference Ogba, her lover who knocked on her door at 5 a.m.
Paulina before and after the acide burnt
Paulina before and after the acide burnt
The attack left Paulina blind with one eye completely chopped off by the acid and the other blind but with chance to be restored. Her two nostrils are also damaged with her skull grafted in efforts to save her.
Ogba is now serving a ten- year jail term in Okere prison in Warri after he was convicted by the High Court at Otu-Jeremi.
However, pleas to well meaning Nigerians to come to Paulina’s aide have not yielded results four years down the line.
When Saturday Vanguard visited Paulina at her Okuokoko residence where she is staying with her elder sister, the story was that of agony and pains. But she remains hopeful that help could come her way to enable her to undergo a corrective plastic surgery to restore her severely damaged face and body.
According to her, “ my elder sister, Mrs. Kate Agbavwre and members of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry and Church of God mission have been helping me and I have great hope that help will come one day. I can still see again. Doctor confirmed that I can still see again but at a very high cost. My faith is stronger now as I have taken God as my father.
“If Ogba repents and God forgives him, it is good for him. I have forgiven him. God is the true judge. I leave him to his God. The incident has changed my perception about life and my faith in God has grown.”
Back in 2011, after the attack, the once beautiful woman who men found irresistible was a shadow of her former self after she was discharged from University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, Benin City.
Paulina, a divorcee and mother of three needs a lifeline of N10 million to restore her dignity.
‘How I met my ex-lover’
I divorced my husband with whom I had three kids after irreconcilable differences and incompatibility . I relocated to Ujevwu in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State. There, I began selling meat at the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, area, a business which sustained and provided for my needs as the kids were with their father.
“After about six months, my church members alerted me that Ogba whom I was dating was married with wife and four kids. I trailed him and got the truth and I told him to leave me alone, but he refused. His wife got wind of our relationship and started coming to abuse me at home. I told Ogba to leave me alone, but he refused. He went to disturb my pastor. The pastor asked him to leave me alone, but he would not listen. They beat me up and took my money (N30,000). I reported to the leadership of Egini community. They reprimanded him but he would not change his mind. This started the he, as a motorcycle rider(okada) conveyed me home. He identified himself as Mr. Difference Ogba, and told me he was resident in Egini, a neighbouring community to Ujevwu. He said he was not married. He picked interest in me and I told him I was a divorcee. He said he did not mind.
Escape to Ekrokpe
I had to leave where I was staying just to escape from him. He found out where I was and continued making trouble. He said that I must marry him. He would not leave me alone. I had packed out to Ekrokpe Community in Ughelli-South Council area.
After about three months, he found out where I moved to and he came again. I chased him away but he continued disturbing me until my landlady got tired and threatened to give me a quit notice. I continued to chase him away any moment he came around and my landlady later joined me in chasing him away, till he stopped.
On August 27, 2010, I didn’t go to the market. I fasted and went for our Wednesday prayers in my church (Church of God Mission). I prayed to God to chase away Ogba completely from my life.
I went to sleep early that evening as I had my plans for the next day. I wanted to go to the market and sell and, on return, cook and eat my choice soup (banga). But very early in the morning, August 28 , at 5 a.m, I heard a sharp knock on my door and the voice of a woman I knew. I was shocked because she resides in Egini. I was wondering how she came to Ekrokpe that early.
Immediately I opened the door, I was poured something (acid) on my head and face. I shouted for help and fainted. I woke up two days later at UBTH to discover that Ogba was the one who knocked on the door and poured me acid.” Ogba fled after the incident.
“I have gone through excruciating pains as I had to undergo three different surgeries. Flesh was cut off from my lap to patch my head and lip. My skull was operated on. I weaved my head a night before but the acid that soaked on my head burnt it. I saw death but God did not allow me to die. I cursed the day I met Ogba. I regret meeting him and I am still baffled that he did this to me. He neither drinks nor smokes. I am not aware that he had or has mental problem. So, it is like a bad dream. How I wish it is a dream. I can’t see. I’m almost blind, I need help, I want to see again. Please, I need help.”
Paulina’s elder sister and member of Deeper Life Bible Church, Mrs. Kate Agbavwre, who resides at Okuokoko community, said, “I was at home on August 28 , 2010, when, in the early morning, our mother came to tell me that my sister was bathed with acid by her lover and she was brought to Kokori. We rushed back there and took her to hospital in Okpara Inland. The next day, she was referred to UBTH.
“At UBTH, life was terrible for my sister as many never believed she will survive, even some relatives’ advised that she be left to die. But I stood by her. I had to borrow money to save her life. I borrowed about N500,000 to buy drugs and blood. Things got hard and I had to liaise with my family to sell our land at Kokori. We were billed N665,000 for the bed, treatment and feeding for the one year.”
How Ogba was trapped and arrested
According to Mrs. Agbavwre, “When the incident occurred, the landlady promptly reported the incident at the Ekakpamre Police Station and the case was transfered to the Otu-Jeremi Divisional Headquarters. The police swung into action and arrested two members of Ogba family, who were eventually released on bail with a condition to look for the suspect in two weeks.
‘’After a month, I came back from UBTH and a lady from Ogba family came as a spy to inquire if Paulina was dead or alive. I sensed her mission and I told her that Paulina was alive and had been discharged from hospital. The lady then said she was going to meet their family to see how they could come for settlement.
The following day, the family came to my house and I told them the truth that Paulina was in critical condition at UBTH. On hearing my report, the family said they would come back again, but they never did. Back at Egini, Ogba was planning to sell his house so that he could flee from his hideout. The family told him that he should come so that they would plan on how to settle the matter. Then, they alerted the police who mobilised and laid ambush for him. He was apprehended and taken away. Later, he was transferred to the state Police Command in Asaba, but we heard that he is being remanded at the Okere Minimum Prison in Warri.”
Save Our Soul
“We are pleading with the government, non-government organizations, Niger Delta Development Commission, Delta State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission and other public-spirit organizations and persons to come to the rescue of our sister. We were told that corrective surgery can help rescue my sister but the cost is too much for us.
We do not have the resources to do it but we call for help. We have been told by the doctor that one of her eyes can be restored through surgery but it will cost so much. We need help so that at least she can see again”.
It was a day her vision was cut short and dreams shattered. it was a day she hoped never happened.
That was the day she her supposed lover poured her acid and disfigured her.
Paulina, an indigene of Kokori in Ethiope –East Local Government Area of Delta State, had fasted and prayed on August 27, 2010 during a church programme but next morning she was bathed with acid by Mr. Difference Ogba, her lover who knocked on her door at 5 a.m.
Paulina before and after the acide burnt
Paulina before and after the acide burnt
The attack left Paulina blind with one eye completely chopped off by the acid and the other blind but with chance to be restored. Her two nostrils are also damaged with her skull grafted in efforts to save her.
Ogba is now serving a ten- year jail term in Okere prison in Warri after he was convicted by the High Court at Otu-Jeremi.
However, pleas to well meaning Nigerians to come to Paulina’s aide have not yielded results four years down the line.
When Saturday Vanguard visited Paulina at her Okuokoko residence where she is staying with her elder sister, the story was that of agony and pains. But she remains hopeful that help could come her way to enable her to undergo a corrective plastic surgery to restore her severely damaged face and body.
According to her, “ my elder sister, Mrs. Kate Agbavwre and members of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry and Church of God mission have been helping me and I have great hope that help will come one day. I can still see again. Doctor confirmed that I can still see again but at a very high cost. My faith is stronger now as I have taken God as my father.
“If Ogba repents and God forgives him, it is good for him. I have forgiven him. God is the true judge. I leave him to his God. The incident has changed my perception about life and my faith in God has grown.”
Back in 2011, after the attack, the once beautiful woman who men found irresistible was a shadow of her former self after she was discharged from University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, Benin City.
Paulina, a divorcee and mother of three needs a lifeline of N10 million to restore her dignity.
‘How I met my ex-lover’
I divorced my husband with whom I had three kids after irreconcilable differences and incompatibility . I relocated to Ujevwu in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State. There, I began selling meat at the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, area, a business which sustained and provided for my needs as the kids were with their father.
“After about six months, my church members alerted me that Ogba whom I was dating was married with wife and four kids. I trailed him and got the truth and I told him to leave me alone, but he refused. His wife got wind of our relationship and started coming to abuse me at home. I told Ogba to leave me alone, but he refused. He went to disturb my pastor. The pastor asked him to leave me alone, but he would not listen. They beat me up and took my money (N30,000). I reported to the leadership of Egini community. They reprimanded him but he would not change his mind. This started the he, as a motorcycle rider(okada) conveyed me home. He identified himself as Mr. Difference Ogba, and told me he was resident in Egini, a neighbouring community to Ujevwu. He said he was not married. He picked interest in me and I told him I was a divorcee. He said he did not mind.
Escape to Ekrokpe
I had to leave where I was staying just to escape from him. He found out where I was and continued making trouble. He said that I must marry him. He would not leave me alone. I had packed out to Ekrokpe Community in Ughelli-South Council area.
After about three months, he found out where I moved to and he came again. I chased him away but he continued disturbing me until my landlady got tired and threatened to give me a quit notice. I continued to chase him away any moment he came around and my landlady later joined me in chasing him away, till he stopped.
On August 27, 2010, I didn’t go to the market. I fasted and went for our Wednesday prayers in my church (Church of God Mission). I prayed to God to chase away Ogba completely from my life.
I went to sleep early that evening as I had my plans for the next day. I wanted to go to the market and sell and, on return, cook and eat my choice soup (banga). But very early in the morning, August 28 , at 5 a.m, I heard a sharp knock on my door and the voice of a woman I knew. I was shocked because she resides in Egini. I was wondering how she came to Ekrokpe that early.
Immediately I opened the door, I was poured something (acid) on my head and face. I shouted for help and fainted. I woke up two days later at UBTH to discover that Ogba was the one who knocked on the door and poured me acid.” Ogba fled after the incident.
“I have gone through excruciating pains as I had to undergo three different surgeries. Flesh was cut off from my lap to patch my head and lip. My skull was operated on. I weaved my head a night before but the acid that soaked on my head burnt it. I saw death but God did not allow me to die. I cursed the day I met Ogba. I regret meeting him and I am still baffled that he did this to me. He neither drinks nor smokes. I am not aware that he had or has mental problem. So, it is like a bad dream. How I wish it is a dream. I can’t see. I’m almost blind, I need help, I want to see again. Please, I need help.”
Paulina’s elder sister and member of Deeper Life Bible Church, Mrs. Kate Agbavwre, who resides at Okuokoko community, said, “I was at home on August 28 , 2010, when, in the early morning, our mother came to tell me that my sister was bathed with acid by her lover and she was brought to Kokori. We rushed back there and took her to hospital in Okpara Inland. The next day, she was referred to UBTH.
“At UBTH, life was terrible for my sister as many never believed she will survive, even some relatives’ advised that she be left to die. But I stood by her. I had to borrow money to save her life. I borrowed about N500,000 to buy drugs and blood. Things got hard and I had to liaise with my family to sell our land at Kokori. We were billed N665,000 for the bed, treatment and feeding for the one year.”
How Ogba was trapped and arrested
According to Mrs. Agbavwre, “When the incident occurred, the landlady promptly reported the incident at the Ekakpamre Police Station and the case was transfered to the Otu-Jeremi Divisional Headquarters. The police swung into action and arrested two members of Ogba family, who were eventually released on bail with a condition to look for the suspect in two weeks.
‘’After a month, I came back from UBTH and a lady from Ogba family came as a spy to inquire if Paulina was dead or alive. I sensed her mission and I told her that Paulina was alive and had been discharged from hospital. The lady then said she was going to meet their family to see how they could come for settlement.
The following day, the family came to my house and I told them the truth that Paulina was in critical condition at UBTH. On hearing my report, the family said they would come back again, but they never did. Back at Egini, Ogba was planning to sell his house so that he could flee from his hideout. The family told him that he should come so that they would plan on how to settle the matter. Then, they alerted the police who mobilised and laid ambush for him. He was apprehended and taken away. Later, he was transferred to the state Police Command in Asaba, but we heard that he is being remanded at the Okere Minimum Prison in Warri.”
Save Our Soul
“We are pleading with the government, non-government organizations, Niger Delta Development Commission, Delta State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission and other public-spirit organizations and persons to come to the rescue of our sister. We were told that corrective surgery can help rescue my sister but the cost is too much for us.
We do not have the resources to do it but we call for help. We have been told by the doctor that one of her eyes can be restored through surgery but it will cost so much. We need help so that at least she can see again”.
My father died three months ago and was buried that same day according to Muslim rites. His was a polygamist and his last wife was my former girlfriend while we were in the university.
I wasn’t in the country when he married her. When I came back to discover my father’s newest wife was my former girlfriend, there was nothing I could do especially as both of them were oblivious of my links with either of them. Seeing her again brought back all my old feelings for her. I wanted her in a way I simply couldn’t explain.
Since I want solutions to my problems, I won’t conceal facts from you. Twice when my father was out of town, I slept with her. As a matter of fact, the night before my father passed on, we were together. My father died in the evening of the next day after he came back from his trip. Before he died, he called me aside to demand the truth regarding my relationship with his last wife; I pretended not to understand his question. He told me to go but placed a curse on me that my sons will do what I did to him. I still refused to confess.
After his death, I still slept with the woman and now, she is pregnant. We had twice aborted the pregnancy but we keep discovering the attempts didn’t work despite the doctors being experts in this field. The current doctor we went to bluntly refused to do anything insisting that in our interest we should keep the pregnancy or both of us would die in the process. My mother who is the first wife of my father recently called me to confide in her my relationship with my father’s last wife. She said since my father died, she has been having terrible dreams of him vowing to disgrace me for sleeping with his wife. And that nothing I do will be able to terminate the pregnancy and that unless I publicly confess, she will never be able to put to bed.
One of the spiritualists my mother consults too said the same thing. The issue now is, I want to get rid of the pregnancy before it becomes obvious. I am so confused about the next step of action. I would have told her to pack out of the house but my father left instruction that none of his children who are below 20 should leave his house. She has a set of twins below three years of age for my father.
In addition, my business since the death of my father has nose-dived. I cannot explain what I did with my inheritance of N10m or how the house he left to me caught fire. Things are not just working well for me. How can you help me resolve this problem? I want my peace back but so helpless on what to do. The pressures on me are getting too much so much so I now talk to myself in public. My friends are all concerned as they think I am going insane but at home I behave normally, the reason I can send you this mail.
Please help me. I met her first before she married my father.
I wasn’t in the country when he married her. When I came back to discover my father’s newest wife was my former girlfriend, there was nothing I could do especially as both of them were oblivious of my links with either of them. Seeing her again brought back all my old feelings for her. I wanted her in a way I simply couldn’t explain.
Since I want solutions to my problems, I won’t conceal facts from you. Twice when my father was out of town, I slept with her. As a matter of fact, the night before my father passed on, we were together. My father died in the evening of the next day after he came back from his trip. Before he died, he called me aside to demand the truth regarding my relationship with his last wife; I pretended not to understand his question. He told me to go but placed a curse on me that my sons will do what I did to him. I still refused to confess.
After his death, I still slept with the woman and now, she is pregnant. We had twice aborted the pregnancy but we keep discovering the attempts didn’t work despite the doctors being experts in this field. The current doctor we went to bluntly refused to do anything insisting that in our interest we should keep the pregnancy or both of us would die in the process. My mother who is the first wife of my father recently called me to confide in her my relationship with my father’s last wife. She said since my father died, she has been having terrible dreams of him vowing to disgrace me for sleeping with his wife. And that nothing I do will be able to terminate the pregnancy and that unless I publicly confess, she will never be able to put to bed.
One of the spiritualists my mother consults too said the same thing. The issue now is, I want to get rid of the pregnancy before it becomes obvious. I am so confused about the next step of action. I would have told her to pack out of the house but my father left instruction that none of his children who are below 20 should leave his house. She has a set of twins below three years of age for my father.
In addition, my business since the death of my father has nose-dived. I cannot explain what I did with my inheritance of N10m or how the house he left to me caught fire. Things are not just working well for me. How can you help me resolve this problem? I want my peace back but so helpless on what to do. The pressures on me are getting too much so much so I now talk to myself in public. My friends are all concerned as they think I am going insane but at home I behave normally, the reason I can send you this mail.
Please help me. I met her first before she married my father.
Deborah was said to have been raped between 12 midnight and 1 a.m after she left hospital and decided to see one of her friends at Upper Adesuwa. It was then the rapists allegedly caught up with her. Meanwhile, Edo State Police Commissioner, Mr Funso Adebanjo, said the command was investigating the matter. An elder sister of the deceased, Jean, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, lamented that her sister was killed after she was raped.
She narrated the story: “On Thursday, she came to my house saying she needed some money but I could not give her. She told me she was leaving but I did not know that she had a plan to sell her Blackberry phone. I think while she was saying that, someone had compassion and asked why she would want to sell her Blackberry for that cheap price. So the person removed his SIM card in one of his phones and gave her the phone. But, somehow, she lost the phone and she had no means of communicating with anybody.
“On Friday morning, she was not feeling fine, so she went to hospital. I got a call from a doctor who said my sister came there without a family member and that she needed blood. “So I got in touch with my mother; we looked for money and rushed to the hospital. But when we got to the hospital, my sister was shouting and disturbing; so they said we should take her to a church.
“My mother took her to a church. Later that night, she told my mother she wanted to go back to the hospital and she left. I did not know she went to hospital that night and, when she got there, she kept shouting and disturbing people”.
According to the elder sister, the hospital people were angry with Deborah and, at about 11pm that Friday, she left the Sickle Cell Hospital at Golf Course Road for Upper Adesuwa. “How she walked to Upper Adesuwa that night I just don’t know. There is this friend of hers that also visits us, she went to their house,” Jean said. She continued: “They said she got there and was knocking at the gate but nobody opened the gate. It was when she left the gate that the assailants struck, raped her and slashed her throat. In the morning, her friend started saying some body was knocking at the gate last night and people said they saw a corpse somewhere outside the street. So they ran to the place and found out it was my sister.
“But at about after 9pm that Friday, the cab driver that carried my sister called me and said he wanted to know how she was doing, but I did not know that my sister even went to hospital that night. I was in church when my husband called me to say my sister had accident. It was later he told me that she was dead. We went there and the police came to carry her corpse. On Sunday evening, I went to Ugbor Police Station and made a statement. But why I am worried is that I don’t know why the hospital people will allow her to leave at about 11pm that day.
“The hospital people should produce the man who was incharge that night. The police said they want to conduct post mortem and that is where we are now. My sister was a 300-level accounting and education student at the Benson Idahosa University and a virgin for that matter. I am appealing to the police to find the killers. I don’t know why they should allow her leave the hospital at that hour when they knew she was not sound”
Given a choice, men prefer "hooking up" to dating, while women prefer dating with the prospect of a relationship to causal sex, U.S. researchers said.
Carolyn Bradshaw of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., and colleagues exposed 150 female and 71 male college students to a variety of situations involving dating -- when the man asks a women on a date and the woman accepts or rejects any sexual overtures and there is the prospect of a relationship -- and/or hooking up -- a casual sexual encounter between strangers or brief acquaintances.
The study, published in the journal Sex Roles, found women seemed to want a relationship more than men, but women fear, whether dating or in hooking up, they will become emotionally attached to a partner not interested in them.
The study also found men seemed to value independence and they feared that even in hooking up, a woman might want to have a relationship.
In addition the study found, 41 percent of the women strongly preferred traditional dating to hooking up, 20 percent of the men strongly preferred dating, while 2 percent of the women strongly preferred hooking up and 17 percent of the men strongly preferred hooking up.
Carolyn Bradshaw of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., and colleagues exposed 150 female and 71 male college students to a variety of situations involving dating -- when the man asks a women on a date and the woman accepts or rejects any sexual overtures and there is the prospect of a relationship -- and/or hooking up -- a casual sexual encounter between strangers or brief acquaintances.
The study, published in the journal Sex Roles, found women seemed to want a relationship more than men, but women fear, whether dating or in hooking up, they will become emotionally attached to a partner not interested in them.
The study also found men seemed to value independence and they feared that even in hooking up, a woman might want to have a relationship.
In addition the study found, 41 percent of the women strongly preferred traditional dating to hooking up, 20 percent of the men strongly preferred dating, while 2 percent of the women strongly preferred hooking up and 17 percent of the men strongly preferred hooking up.
Men like to
know when their wife or girlfriend is happy
while women really want the man in their
life to know when they are upset, according
to a new study published by the American
Psychological Association.
The study involved a
diverse sample of
couples and found
that men's and
women's perceptions
of their significant
other's empathy, and
their abilities to tell
when the other is
happy or upset, are
linked to relationship
satisfaction in
distinctive ways,
according to the
article published
online in the Journal
of Family Psychology.
"It could be that for
women, seeing that
their male partner is
upset reflects some
degree of the man's
investment and emotional engagement in
the relationship, even during difficult times.
This is consistent with what is known about
the dissatisfaction women often experience
when their male partner becomes
emotionally withdrawn and disengaged in
response to conflict," said the study's lead
author, Shiri Cohen, PhD, of Harvard Medical
School.
Researchers recruited 156 heterosexual
couples for the experiment. Of those, 102
came from the Boston area and were
younger, urban, ethnically and economically
diverse and in a committed but not
necessarily married relationship. In an
effort to find couples who varied in the
ways they resolved conflicts and controlled
their emotions, they also looked for couples
with a history of domestic violence and/or
childhood sexual abuse. The remaining
participants, from Bryn Mawr, Pa., were
older, suburban and middle-class married
couples with strong ties to the community.
In all, 71 percent of couples were white, 56
percent were married and their average
length of relationship was three-and-a-half
years.
Each participant was asked to describe an
incident with his or her partner over the
past couple of months that was particularly
frustrating, disappointing or upsetting. The
researchers' audio recorded the participant
making a one- to two-sentence statement
summarizing the incident and reaction and
then brought the couples together and
played each participant's statements. The
couples were told to try to come to a better
understanding together of what had
happened and were given approximately
10 minutes to discuss it while the
researchers videotaped them. Following the
discussions, the participants viewed the
videotape and simultaneously rated their
negative and positive emotions throughout,
using an electronic rating device. The device
had a knob that moved across an 11-point
scale that ranged from "very negative" to
"neutral" to "very positive."
Using these ratings, the researchers selected
six 30-second clips from the videotape that
had the highest rated negative or positive
emotions by each partner. The researchers
showed the clips to the participants and had
them complete questionnaires about their
feelings during each segment as well as
their perceptions of their partner's feelings
and effort to understand them during the
discussion. They also measured the
participants' overall satisfaction with their
relationships and whether each partner
considered his or her partner's efforts to be
empathetic.
Relationship satisfaction was directly
related to men's ability to read their female
partner's positive emotions correctly.
However, contrary to the researchers'
expectations, women who correctly
understood that their partners were upset
during the videotaped incident were much
more likely to be satisfied with their
relationship than if they correctly
understood that their partner was happy.
Also, when men understood that their
female partner was angry or upset, the
women reported being happier, though the
men were not. The authors suggest that
being empathetic to a partner's negative
emotions may feel threatening to the
relationship for men but not for women.
The findings also show that the more men
and women try to be empathetic to their
partner's feelings, the happier they are. The
authors suggest that this research should
encourage couples to better appreciate and
communicate one another's efforts to be
empathetic.
The American Psychological Association, in
Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and
professional organization representing
psychology in the United States and is the
world's largest association of psychologists.
APA's membership includes more than
154,000 researchers, educators, clinicians,
consultants and students. Through its
divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and
affiliations with 60 state, territorial and
Canadian provincial associations, APA works
to advance psychology as a science, as a
profession and as a means of promoting
health, education and human welfare.
know when their wife or girlfriend is happy
while women really want the man in their
life to know when they are upset, according
to a new study published by the American
Psychological Association.
The study involved a
diverse sample of
couples and found
that men's and
women's perceptions
of their significant
other's empathy, and
their abilities to tell
when the other is
happy or upset, are
linked to relationship
satisfaction in
distinctive ways,
according to the
article published
online in the Journal
of Family Psychology.
"It could be that for
women, seeing that
their male partner is
upset reflects some
degree of the man's
investment and emotional engagement in
the relationship, even during difficult times.
This is consistent with what is known about
the dissatisfaction women often experience
when their male partner becomes
emotionally withdrawn and disengaged in
response to conflict," said the study's lead
author, Shiri Cohen, PhD, of Harvard Medical
School.
Researchers recruited 156 heterosexual
couples for the experiment. Of those, 102
came from the Boston area and were
younger, urban, ethnically and economically
diverse and in a committed but not
necessarily married relationship. In an
effort to find couples who varied in the
ways they resolved conflicts and controlled
their emotions, they also looked for couples
with a history of domestic violence and/or
childhood sexual abuse. The remaining
participants, from Bryn Mawr, Pa., were
older, suburban and middle-class married
couples with strong ties to the community.
In all, 71 percent of couples were white, 56
percent were married and their average
length of relationship was three-and-a-half
years.
Each participant was asked to describe an
incident with his or her partner over the
past couple of months that was particularly
frustrating, disappointing or upsetting. The
researchers' audio recorded the participant
making a one- to two-sentence statement
summarizing the incident and reaction and
then brought the couples together and
played each participant's statements. The
couples were told to try to come to a better
understanding together of what had
happened and were given approximately
10 minutes to discuss it while the
researchers videotaped them. Following the
discussions, the participants viewed the
videotape and simultaneously rated their
negative and positive emotions throughout,
using an electronic rating device. The device
had a knob that moved across an 11-point
scale that ranged from "very negative" to
"neutral" to "very positive."
Using these ratings, the researchers selected
six 30-second clips from the videotape that
had the highest rated negative or positive
emotions by each partner. The researchers
showed the clips to the participants and had
them complete questionnaires about their
feelings during each segment as well as
their perceptions of their partner's feelings
and effort to understand them during the
discussion. They also measured the
participants' overall satisfaction with their
relationships and whether each partner
considered his or her partner's efforts to be
empathetic.
Relationship satisfaction was directly
related to men's ability to read their female
partner's positive emotions correctly.
However, contrary to the researchers'
expectations, women who correctly
understood that their partners were upset
during the videotaped incident were much
more likely to be satisfied with their
relationship than if they correctly
understood that their partner was happy.
Also, when men understood that their
female partner was angry or upset, the
women reported being happier, though the
men were not. The authors suggest that
being empathetic to a partner's negative
emotions may feel threatening to the
relationship for men but not for women.
The findings also show that the more men
and women try to be empathetic to their
partner's feelings, the happier they are. The
authors suggest that this research should
encourage couples to better appreciate and
communicate one another's efforts to be
empathetic.
The American Psychological Association, in
Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and
professional organization representing
psychology in the United States and is the
world's largest association of psychologists.
APA's membership includes more than
154,000 researchers, educators, clinicians,
consultants and students. Through its
divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and
affiliations with 60 state, territorial and
Canadian provincial associations, APA works
to advance psychology as a science, as a
profession and as a means of promoting
health, education and human welfare.
Ladies, if you want a long lasting relationship marry a short man. That is what a new research says.
It also states that tall men may want to get married earlier but their marriages don’t as long as men with shorter stature.
The research also reveals that short men are more likely to marry much younger women and make more money than their spouse.
Authors Abigail Weitzman and Dalton Conley of New York University who conducted the research say;
“This further confirms an existence of height-based status exchange in which short men compensate for their lower physical status with higher proportional earnings, while tall men appear more likely to use their status to attract women with higher relative earnings”.
The two researchers drew on two different cohorts from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The authors show that short, average and tall men’s spouses are qualitatively different from one another.
They indicate that at least one physical characteristic commonly associated with physical attraction influences the formation, functioning, and stability of longer-term relationships.
They also found tall men more likely to do the housework while the proportion of combined housework is lower among men who are shorter than their spouse than among men who are taller.
It is also revealed that short men are 1,450% more likely to marry someone taller, while tall men are unlikely to be with someone who is their own height.
To make up for their lack of stature, short men tend to use money.
Seyi-Hunter-Pix-2A Performing Arts, Industrial and Labour Relations’graduate from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Seyi, born of an Igbo father and Akwa-Ibom mother, started out her career in the Yoruba sector and has since featured in close to twenty films in both Yoruba and English language movies.
In this interview with Showtime Celebrity, the wave-making actress talks about her career, passion, secrets and fears, among other issues:
When and how did you start acting professionally?
I started acting in 2011. I entered the industry through Funsho Adeolu. I met him at a movie location.
What has been your experience since you started?
It’s been tough. But with God on my side, I’ve been able to achieve a lot within the short period I’ve been in the industry.
Which movies have you done?
Broken Fixtures, Pain, Many Days-One day, My Club, MM Girls, Insanity, etc. TheYoruba movies include Rukayat, Alenibare, etc.
Since you do both the Yoruba and English genre of Nollywood movies, which would you say is better and has been most favourable to you?
The English movies have been really favourable to me. The threelead roles I’ve played are in English movies. I usually play minor roles in the Yoruba movies. If I were to assess both sectors, I’d say they are both good and that’s why I’m doing both.
What challenges do you encounter as an upcoming actress in the industry?
The truth is they don’t really pay us well as upcoming actresses. Another challenge is getting roles. Though for me, God has been faithful. When I go to any location or for a production, I get another job from that one. It’s as if one job gives birth to another. So far, people I’ve met are people who want to help me, who are willing to stick their necks out for me. People like Collins Onwochei, Chico Ejiro, Damijo Efe Young, Funsho Adeolu and others.
What would you say is your selling point?
(Laughs) Look at me now. It’s not as if I’m so endowed physically. I’m just one humble girl next door. Favour is my selling point.
If you could change anything in the industry, what would that be?
It’s the practice of not paying or appreciating new actresses. They feel that because you’re upcoming, they are doing you a favour by featuring you in the movie. That’s one trend I’d like to change. I have told myself that whatever production I do, everyone must be paid as long as you worked on that set, you should be paid for it. Besides that, I think Nollywood has improved a lot.
What would you have been, if you weren’t an actress?
I think probably a dancer. I used to dance and then I stopped and started acting. So, I would have been dancing or modelling if I wasn’t acting. I love to entertain, so I would still be in the entertainment industry. The truth is I’ve always wanted to act, though I started as a dancer.
What’s your view on pornography in the industry?
So far I’ve not done any pornographic movie and I’ve not gotten any pornographic script.
What if you were asked to, would you?
Let that time come first. When I get to that bridge, I would cross it.
Can you go nude in a movie?
I can’t go stark nude in any movie. I can’t even strip naked in front of any body.
Would you have sex in a movie?
We don’t have real sex in movies, it’s make-believe, we don’t do the real thing. I can kiss,smooch and touch. It’s my job, there’s nothing to it and it ends there, it doesn’t go beyond the camera.
Would you date a guy in the industry?
I can if I meet the right person.
How important is money to you when it comes to your choice of man?
I’m not lookingfor a stinkingly rich man. If he has allthe money without good attributes, then he’s not for me. I like humblepeople. So, he has to be humble, God-fearing, extremely nice, very romantic and loving.
Define your fashion style?
I’m just an ordinary person when it comes to fashion. I wear things I’m comfortable in, I don’tfollow trends. As long as it suits me and I’m comfortable in it, I go with it.
Can you talk about the Children’s Day Party you recently organised?
It was actually thebrainchild of my company, Hunter’s Media. It’s a partnership firm I run. I had always wanted to do things for children because my growing up wasn’t rosy.
I lost my dad at a very tender age, my mum was a housewife and I had a lot of sibling. My adopted baby sister died when she was just eleven months old. It really affected me a lot because I practically took care of her and she died in my arms after being admitted in the hospital for three months.
That incident shook me a lot and I was just 15 at the time. That was part of the motivation for the Children’s Day Party. And I love children a lot. This event is going to give birth to an NGO and we will be organising it yearly for special kids. That was the initial plan, but I’ve started making enquiries on how to interact with special kids so that I can relate with them without a third party.
Are you planning to go into movie production like some of your colleagues are doing?
Yes, my media company is into film production,documentary,rental of equipment, modelling and photography. I’m presently taking a photography course.
How do you unwind?
I’m basically an indoorperson. I hardly go out, but once in a while, my friends and colleagues drag me out. I just like to read novels and watch movies.
What was your childhood like?
My childhood was fun. I grew up in a polygamoushome. I had a lot of brothers and sisters, so it was a full house. I grew up in Surulere.
Educational Background?
My primary and secondary education were in Surulere. Then, I had my university education at the Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ogun State where I studied Performing Arts.
Where do you hope to be in the nearest future?
I hope that my media company alongside my NGO will grow bigger. I can’t even picture how big it is, because it is bigger than my imagination. I hope to see myself at the top soonest, by God’s grace.
Who in the industry do you hope to be like?
My name is Seyi Hunter. There’s only one me, so I want to be me. I admire my colleagues, they are good and beautiful. They are super role models and I love them.
Which top actors have you worked with?
I’ve worked with Tonto Dike, Mercy Aigbe, Toyin Aimakun, Funsho Adeolu, Collins Onwochei and others.
yvonne-jegedeSince her return two years, she has been inundated with movie scripts that have kept her very busy. In this interview, she recounts the story of her journey into Nollywood and her personal life.
By ANOZIE EGOLE
Since you came back to acting after years of being away, how many films have you featured in so far?
You know I have been away for five years. I returned to the country in 2012, after my studies abroad. From 2012 till date, I have featured in about eight to ten films.
I travelled to America for further studies immediately after featuring in 2face’s “African Queen” video. I studied International Relations in a University in Cyprus.
Why didn’t you study Theater Arts?
A lot of people have asked this question. But I think I just wanted to study something outside of what I am used to, so that, I can broaden my mind.
Your name has become a household name in Nigeria. What would you say is the secret?
I cannot tell you what the secret is. But I am just doing what I know how to do best. I leave the rest to God. He has been the one who has lifted me up and I am very grateful to Him.
Aside, acting, what else do you think you can do better?
I am solely into acting for now, trying to reach a level where I can now live and divert into so many other things.
At the moment, I am trying to stablise myself in the industry having been away for a long time. I want to get used to the new Nollywood that is quite different from the one I left behind several years ago.
You said, new Nollywood? What’s new about the industry?
Before I left the country for America, there were certain set of practitioners in the industry. But today, the story has change. We now have new faces, who have genuine love for the industry.
People who have so much talents that they want to explore. It is very interesting to have such people in the industry. It more challenging now because, everybody is bringing something new in the industry. The stories are changing and they are becoming more diversified.
So, how do you intend to find your place again in the industry?
The people are not my business. I am just here to work. I just want to put heads together with whoever I come across. Give me what you have, and I bring what I have on the table.
What can you not do without as a very pretty girl?
My eye pack because I love my eyes. I always like to make my lips look good. For the accessories, I can not do without my golden wrist watch. I wear it anywhere I go every day because it gives me good luck. I like big things and that’s why I have to get a big wrist watch.
What does love mean to you?
I am a lover of love. I love to love. I love to be emotional.Love is something that I appreciate a lot. Trust me, I am a good lover. I love my fans, my folks, I love the people that matters to me. I love to have people around me.
What is an ideal man to you?
I don’t even know what it is any more. But I think people at different ages have different perspection in respect of what an ideal man is. He should be more intelligent than myself.
I need somebody I can learn from him. He should also be able to take care of himself. That’s an ideal man for me. He should not be ugly.
Which part of you body do you think is your selling point?
I think it is my brain. Talking about the physical things that attracts men to me, it depends. Some people say, it’s my eyes, others prefer my lips and my boobs. So, I do not know. When I love into the mirror, I love everything about myself.
How was your growing up like?
While growing up, I wanted to be a beauty queen. I just like getting attention. I was the first child. For the first five years of my life, I have the whole attention in the world. I am so used to people coming around me. As a child, I got everything I needed.
Tell us about your evolution into Nollywood?
As a child, I never dreamed of going into acting. I loved modeling, and how paparazzis run after models. I never had acting in mind until I met Charles Novia.
When I saw him somewhere in Surulere, I was like; is this Charles Novia! And he turned around and looked at me and said, do I know you? I replied him, saying I saw you on the television yesterday .
He quickly asked me if I wanted to become an actress? I replied in the affirmative. He later gave me his call card and invited me for an audition the following day.
That was it. While I was still working on the set with Charles Novia, Uzodimma saw me and insisted taht he would feature me in his music video. The next day, I featured in the African queen video. That was how I started my acting career.
Who are the actresses you look up to?
I love Genevieve Nnaji. I am also a fan of Omoni Oboli, and many others.
Recently you featured in the music video of Sound Sutan. Do you have passion for dancing?
Sound Sultan is a big brother. He called me and said, I am shooting my music video. Can you come around and give me your support. When I got there, I ended up featuring in the video. This is the third time, I would be featuring in a music video. I featured in African Queen video, Ego and now, Sound Sutan’s video.
Does that mean you are a dancer?
I am not a dancer. I am not a video vixien. I can go and sit down and have a class cup and champagne. That is different from dancing. I am not a dancer.
What will you say fame has robbed you of?
The good and the bad. Good, in the sense that I can walk into anywhere and get favour ,especially in the banking hall. Sometimes, I would be standing in the quene and somebody would walk up to me and asked me how much do you want?
And the person would help me to make it faster. But the ugly thing is that, you will not live your life the way you would want to.
You attacked Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Nelson on your twitter handle last year. What triggered off the attack?
I am not going to comment on it. Everybody took side with Yvonne Nelson, including my friends. So, I am not going to say anything about it. The whole world was against me. I read the negative reactions of Nigerians online. I was not expecting anything less. Even my own friends who never had any encounter with Yvonne Nelson took side with her.
You have a penchant for revealing some part of your body, may be your boobs. What happened today?
Well, it depends on the clothes. I have big boobs, so, if the clothes are not big enough to cover my boobs you would not blame me for that. I am not the person who made my clothes . I just put the clothes on.
You have passion for revealing some part of your body?
It depends on my mood. If I want to expose my back, I will do that. It goes with my mood.
Is it true that you dated 2face?
I didn’t date 2face. I only featured in his “African Queen” video. I have never kissed him before.
Are you not planning to get married?
When the time comes, I will get married. I have never given it a thought.
It’s not about thinking, it is about the right person coming my way. Many ladies have been thinking about settling down for years now, but Mr. right has not come their way.
You are saying that Mr. right has not come your way?
Let’s take it like that. I don’t even have any relationship right now.
Why is it that most actresses do not want to get married?
How do you mean? Do you think that a lady would decide to remain single. As a woman, she still needs a man. If you do not have a man in your life, it is so bad. She can never be a happy woman.
Among the actors in the industry, who do you have crush on ?
Someone asked me this question recently. But, even if I have anybody in mind, do you think I would disclose the person to you. It is a secret that I keep to myself. I am not going to elaborate on that.
What is your take on the same-sex law in Nigeria?
The answer to the gay law is that, we got some group of people. If you support it, you will have some people that will support you.
But if you are against it, you will also, have some group of people who will also support you. So, I am sitting on the fence. I do not want to be on anybody’s bad record. But sincerely speaking, I think for the federal government to pass the bill into law, it must be a very serious matter.
Can you play the role of a lesbian in a movie?
I can play the role but depending on the script. If the script is conveying a moral lesson, yes, I can do it.
So, it has to do with what message you are conveying to the people. Secondly, notwithstanding, as an actress, I should be able to play any role. But, I will gladly play the role as long as I’m not going to kiss a fellow girl on set.
What of acting nude?
No, I cannot for no reason. I have people I am answerable to.
Have you been sexually harassed before now?
Sexual harassment in the industry have to do with what you want. If you want to be sexually harassed, you will be. I am saying that because, even when I am walking on the road, or in the banking hall, I usually get passes.
But it depends on what you want. I do not think every director would want to sleep with every girl he comes across. Maybe, I am wrong but, I don’t think it is possible. I have had the experience where a produced would refused to feature me in his movie because I did not sleep with him. They might make their advances to me.
Having featured in many movies, which of them would you say challenged you most?
The more challenging movie I have done since my return is James Town by Ifeanyi Onyeabor.
In the movie, I played a role that I have never done before. Most of roles have always been someone who is going to cry, or who has been abandoned and so on.
But in the movie, I played the role of a drug seller. I sold all sorts of drugs. I was meant to move about with a guitar all the time. In this guitar, I concealed all the drugs that I was selling. But when nemesis caught up with me, I got bruised. I was busy hurting myself and I enjoyed every bit of the movie.
Would you say that the role interpreted your real person?
My real person is funny and loving. I have got a very good sense of humor that my friends can’t even contend with, when I start making them laugh. But, the roles I have gotten have nothing to do with my real self. All the roles I have played, none have really shown my real self.
A hairdresser, Mrs Suzy Adeleke, on Friday urged an Ikorodu Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve her six-year-old marriage over alleged sexual weakness by her husband.
Suzy, who resides at No. 2, Anifowoshe St., Ewu-Elepe in Ikorodu, said that her husband, James, had not performed well on bed since they got married in 2008.
She told the court that she was having sex with her husband only once in two months when they were living together.
Suzy added that the union had not produced any child.
“I do not want the marriage any longer.
“The sex problem was there before marriage but I thought the situation would change.
“I later discovered that there is no more love; I am fed up.
The petitioner submitted that she had packed out of her matrimonial home.
“I came here to seek for dissolution because he paid my dowry; please separate us to enable to me move on with my life,” she said.
Responding, James said that he and his wife had been living apart for the past four years.
“Truly, I have sexual weakness but I believe it can be cured; now, she has deserted me; I have seen her with different men.
“If she says she is no more interested, please separate us,” he urged the court.
The Court President, Mr T. K. Dabor, adjourned the case to June 2 for possible reconciliation of the estranged couple.(NAN)
Suzy, who resides at No. 2, Anifowoshe St., Ewu-Elepe in Ikorodu, said that her husband, James, had not performed well on bed since they got married in 2008.
She told the court that she was having sex with her husband only once in two months when they were living together.
Suzy added that the union had not produced any child.
“I do not want the marriage any longer.
“The sex problem was there before marriage but I thought the situation would change.
“I later discovered that there is no more love; I am fed up.
The petitioner submitted that she had packed out of her matrimonial home.
“I came here to seek for dissolution because he paid my dowry; please separate us to enable to me move on with my life,” she said.
Responding, James said that he and his wife had been living apart for the past four years.
“Truly, I have sexual weakness but I believe it can be cured; now, she has deserted me; I have seen her with different men.
“If she says she is no more interested, please separate us,” he urged the court.
The Court President, Mr T. K. Dabor, adjourned the case to June 2 for possible reconciliation of the estranged couple.(NAN)
