Like Nollywood, Like Buhari: Elected In Nigeria, Consumed In U.K. – Reno

I am sure my readers were rudely shocked out of their reverie by the eponymously named Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, who announced to a bewildered nation that the Federal Government, whose spokesman he is, is making preparations to stop Nollywood and Nigerian pop stars from shooting movies and videos abroad.


Said Lai Mohammed, “This government has agreed that henceforth, whatever we consume in Nigeria in terms of music and films, must be made in Nigeria. We cannot continue to go to South Africa or any other country to produce our films and then send them back to be consumed in Nigeria.”

It was perhaps lost on Lai Mohammed as he spoke that his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected in Nigeria by Nigerians is not being consumed in Nigeria.

And while we were still grappling with the absurdity of Lai Mohammed’s comments, his colleague in office, Kemi Adeosun, added to the comedy that this government has become by announcing that the Buhari administration plans to tax beggars!

According to the honorable (?) minister, “You are supposed to pay taxes even if your means of income is begging.”

This is the reason why I have said that a polytechnic graduate like Kemi Adeosun is not sufficiently qualified to handle our complicated economy! It doesn’t matter if the polytechnic she graduated from is in the U.K.

In civilized nations, they place beggars on social security, but in Nigeria our polytechnic graduate finance minister wants them taxed! Last year, President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter got married in a lavish ceremony which attracted several private jets to Abuja. Rather than beggars, Kemi Adeosun can pursue their owners for taxes!

President Muhammadu Buhari is in a U.K. hospital. His children study at U.K. schools. His wife shops at U.K. stores. He and his family are more U.K. oriented than they are Nigerian oriented. Yet it is Nollywood shooting a few movies abroad that Lai Mohammed complains about. I am told that the Federal Road Safety Corp wants to perform psychiatric evaluation on reckless drivers. The FRSC should not limit its psychiatric test to reckless drivers. They should also start performing them on reckless ministers like Lai Mohammed and Kemi Adeosun!

And when given the chance to explain himself two days after making his faux pas, Lai Mohammed doubled down on his comments and insisted that TV/radio programming meant to be consumed in Nigeria must be made in Nigeria, saying inter alia “This is because we cannot continue to develop the economies of the other parts of the world from the sweat of Nigerians and at the expense of the Nigerian economy”.

Lai Mohammed forgets that our Presidential jet has been languishing at London’s Stansted Airport for over 80 days and accruing daily charges in the thousands of U.K. pounds per day.

As at today, the amount of charges our Presidential jet has accrued at London’s Stansted Airport could have paid 2,000 Nigerian workers going by the lowest parking rate charged by Stabsted. Why is the jet even there? This joke of a Presidency in their statement justified parking the Presidential jet at London’s Stansted by saying it was for ‘prestige’ reasons.

The Presidency says the Presidential jet is parked at London’s Stansted for ‘prestige’. The British Prime Minister has no official jet. Maybe she has no ‘prestige’ even though Britain makes Jets and Nigeria does not!

Is this not a case of Nigeria’s tax payer monies being used to “develop the economies of the other parts of the world from the sweat of Nigerians and at the expense of the Nigerian economy”, to borrow Lai Mohammed’s words?

Lai Mohammed who now wants to stop Nollywood from making videos abroad, forgot that his All Progressives Congress relied on foreign consultants to win the 2015 elections!

They go abroad to win elections. They go abroad to  educate their children. They go abroad for healthcare. But they do not want Nollywood to go abroad to make money! Perhaps Lai Mohammed wants to reduce Nollywood stars to beggars so they are eligible for taxation by Kemi Adeosun!

Since we the citizens have not complained that President Muhammadu Buhari is receiving medical treatment abroad should the Buhari administration now complain that we make movies abroad? Lai Mohammed should not provoke us.

The Financial Times of London called our President a “frequent London resident” in their recent Oped wherein they stated that he has done ‘nothing’ to improve the Nigerian economy, yet his government is complaining that they will stop our movie makers and artists from making movies and videos abroad.

According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, Nigerians (mostly government officials) spend $1 billion annually on medical tourism while less than 1% of that is spent on shooting movies and videos abroad. Lie Mohammed should get his priorities right!



I am even thinking that since Lai Mohammed does not want Nollywood to make movies abroad, perhaps Nollywood should just contract the making of films abroad to President Muhammadu Buhari and his family. After all, they are always abroad!

And those people complaining about the President spending much time in the U.K. misunderstand Lai. It is okay for the President to go abroad at public expense but not okay for Nollywood to do the same at their own personal expense!

The spokesman of a President who spends more time in London than Nigeria has the guts to condemn Nollywood for making movies abroad. What a comedic administration!

And the comedy continues!

When Garba Shehu says that the Jonathan administration increased the activities of terrorists, he betrays a very shallow grasp of history which I will now prove with the benefit of some historical facts.

When the Jonathan administration imposed a state of emergency in certain local governments in the Northeast of Nigeria to contain terrorists, it was precisely Muhammadu Buhari that said on Monday the 3rd of June 2013 that ‘the military offensive against Boko Haram is anti North’.

Again, after the Jonathan administration banned Boko Haram in 2013, it was precisely Lai Mohammed, President Buhari’s current minister for information, who on Monday the 10th of June, 2013 said that banning Boko Haram was unconstitutional and that “the proscription stifles the press and tampers with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.”

So it is therefore rich for the Buhari administration to start making these claims against the Jonathan government.

It may be that Garba Shehu is not aware that this administration has lost any credibility it has especially as regards the anti terror war.

On Thursday the 24th of December, 2015 President Muhammadu Buhari told the world that Boko Haram was ‘technically defeated’ and gave himself a pat on the back after claiming that the terror group had lost its capacity to conduct  “conventional attacks”.

Since that time, Boko Haram has attacked military barracks and military formations multiple times as reported in the media.

Since that time, there has been an upsurge in suicide attacks with more than 30 attacks reported in the media. In the last week alone there have been three such suicide attacks with almost 20 deaths, according to media reports.

There has also been attacks on military and police convoys with Boko Haram terrorists releasing a video this week of several women it says it kidnapped from a police convoy.

Just two days ago (Thursday, July 20, 2017), the US State Department released a statement indicating that 75% of all global deaths from terrorism in 2016 originated from Nigeria and four other nations!

Nigerians may want to note that it was under the Buhari administration that the World Economic Forum on Tuesday June 20, 2017 listed Nigeria as the fifth most dangerous country in the world because instances of Fulani Herdsmen terrorism are so rampant and continue with impunity.

Fulani herdsmen operating in Nigeria were also named the fourth most deadly terrorists group in the world by the Global Terrorism Index on Wednesday November 18, 2015. This is not surprising in a situation where a governor, who happens to be a close confidante of President Muhammadu Buhari, confessed to giving Fulani Herdsmen money.

It may also be recalled that on February 2, 2017 the US Congress cited Nigeria “as the most dangerous place for Christians in the world and that impunity for those responsible for the killing of Christians in the country seems to be widespread.”

All these are proof positive that not only has Boko Haram not been defeated, they have metastasized under Buhari and indeed other terrorist groups have become emboldened to expand their activity nationwide.

Nigerians will remember that the Jonathan administration was able to crush Boko Haram in the first quarter of 2015 which was why the 2015 elections were able to hold throughout the entire Northeast of Nigeria.

The question that Nigerians may want to ask is if elections can hold in all areas of Borno state today. The answer to that question will show Who between President Buhari and former President Jonathan really defeated Boko Haram.

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“Husband storage” facility opens in Chinese shopping mall.

Shopping with girlfriends or wives may be one of the most tedious chores for men. A shopping mall in China’s Shanghai Municipality has solved this problem by launching “husband storage” facilities.



The transparent self-service pods in Shanghai’s Global Harbor shopping center are equipped with a TV screen, a leather massage chair, and game consoles.

“Men usually get bored when shopping with their female partners, so we have provided them a place to rest. They can play games and charge their mobile phones here,” said Zhou Jun, who operates and maintains the pods.

Users scan to QR code to reserve a pod, which costs 20 yuan (around three U.S. dollars) for half an hour or 30 yuan per hour, Zhou said.

Since its launch one month ago, the “husband storage” facility has attracted dozens of people every day.

“It’s a good idea. My husband was always unhappy when shopping with me,” said a female shopper surnamed Wang.

A male user surnamed Yang told Xinhua that the facility has hundreds of classic video games, which reminded him of his childhood.

However, not everyone is happy about the pods. Some wives have complained that it is no fun shopping alone.

“Who will carry my bag, chat with me and offer advice if my husband is sitting in a pod enjoying himself,” said a female shopper surnamed He.

Zhou said in the future the pods will be equipped with a curtain, air-conditioning and headsets to ensure a better user experience.(Xinhua/NSAN)

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Kemi Olunloyo is bullying my daughter – Seyi Law cries out.

The saga started when Kemi Olunloyo, the controversial daughter of an ex-governor of Oyo state in a post, alleged that comedian Seyi Law’s daughter, Tiwaloluwa, is obese and diabetic.

 The comedian fired back immediately and described Olunloyo as a bully who was hating on his daughter. Some persons mediated in the online battle and both parties seemed to sheathe their swords. But days later, Olunloyo made another post in which she insisted that Tiwaloluwa wasn’t healthy and that a relative of Seyi’s wife in London had told her that Tiwa indeed had Type 1 diabetes.


However, Seyi refuted Olunloyo’s claims.

 He said, “This is just a case of a person who has refused to seek help. It is obvious that Kemi has decided to bully my daughter. Bullies usually fight people who are within their age bracket and people who have the same body size as them. For her to attack my daughter only means that she is unwell.

Who bullies a young child? Never have I seen someone her age bully a child as young as my daughter who is barely a year old. I have decided to ignore her rants. She also made some obnoxious claims about my daughter’s health. But when you’re a man that wakes up every day, knowing the only reason your daughter visits the hospital is to take her vaccines, you have every reason to be grateful to God.”

Speaking further, he said, “According to her, there was an article in which I said I rejoiced she was sent to prison. But it’s apparent she only read the headline of the article, and not the body. She did not even know that I was pleading on her behalf. I will keep celebrating my daughter and having wonderful times with my wife.”

On the veracity of Olunloyo’s claims that his wife, Stacey’s relative informed her (Olunloyo) that Tiwa has Type 1 Diabetes, Seyi laughed it off. “That doesn’t even make any sense. For the records though, my wife does not have any relative in the United Kingdom,” he said.

Explaining the only physical interaction they had before the online battle of words, Seyi said, “Prior to her rants online, I only met her once. That was during a Glo Lafftafest show in Ibadan when she came backstage to interview me; that was all.”

Seyi also maintained that his wife isn’t bothered by Kemi’s rants. “My baby is fine; there’s nothing wrong with her. I am the one who is a celebrity and I’m the one who should talk. My wife is not even bothered,” he said.

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Photos: A German model undergoes a full makeover to become a black woman

A German white model, Martina Big has undergone full surgery to become a black woman. She medically started the transformation process in January. She also documents her journey as a 'black' woman and the difficulties she faces in the society.

In her vlog, she narrated how difficult it was for her to get a hotel room in Stockholms just because of her dark skin. See more before and after photos after the cut...

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Photos from the funeral of Karabo Mokoena, the South African lady murdered and burnt by her boyfriend

The Funeral of Karabo Mokoena, the 22 year old South African young lady who was murdered and then burnt by her boyfriend, Sandile Mantsoe, is currently taking place in the Diepkloof hall in Soweto, South Africa.

Government officials, clergymen and others joined her father, Tsepho Mokoena, at the Funeral.
She will be laid to rest at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg. 

Karabo was found dead on April 29th. Her body was discovered burnt beyond recognition in a ditch in Lyndhurst.

See more photos from the funeral, below...

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Acceptance rate of Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals in Nigeria is on the rise - NOIPolls

NOIPolls, the premier organization for country specific polling services in West Africa has released a Social Perception Survey on Lesbian, Gays and Bisexual Rights showing an increase in acceptance rate of Lesbian, Gays and Bisexuals in Nigeria.


Commissioned by The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERs), a non-profit organization working to protect the rights of sexual minorities, the report showed a rise in family acceptance from 11 percent in 2015 to 13 percent in 2017. Findings also show that 39 percent of Nigerians now say that Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual persons should be allowed to have access to public services, a 9 per cent increase from 30 per cent of respondents in 2015.

    
One of the highlights of the report was the fact that 17 percent of respondents answered in affirmative when asked if they know someone who is Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual- a family member, friend, or someone within their locality.

The survey method involved a random nationwide sampling of 2,000 respondents who were interviewed over the telephone. Participants were selected from the six geo-political zones through a proportionate stratified random sample design.

NOIPolls delivers forward-thinking research and relevant data on public opinion and consumer markets.

Click here to view the full report: http://theinitiativeforequalrights.org/resources/

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Detention: Capital Oil workers call on FG to resolve impasse as DSS fails to provide Ifeanyi Ubah again.

Read the press statement below...

Nigeria's secret Police, the Department of State Services on Thursday, again failed to produce the Chairman, Capital Oil and Gas, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, before Justice Muhammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.

This is in flagrant disregard of the May 12, 2017, court order given to the DSS by Justice Idris, to produce Ubah in court today.

However, this came as no fewer than 500 supporters from across different ethnic groups stormed the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, today, to rally around and show support for the oil mogul.

This is even as anger and moral indignation has continued to swell further over the continued detention of the Nnewi-born Billionaire Businessman, by the DSS

Leading the pack of those who have condemned the DSS continued detention of Ubah are Pan-Igbo group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo; Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC); the National Association of South East Nigeria Students (NASENS), HURIWA, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and  affected workers of Capital Oil and Gas.

Speaking to journalists, a Staff of Capital Oil, Mr. Tony Ogundipe expressed his frustration at the impasse. "We, Capital Oil workers are disappointed with the nonchalant attutude of the Federal Government in the resolution of this matter that has left over 2,000 of us temporarily jobless and redundant. The failure of the FG to call the conspirators to order is a blatant slap on the face of our democracy and sheer insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians", he lamented.

Another staff of Capital Oil and Gas, Mr. Samuel Aywila called on the FG to intervene in a bid to avert the impending starvation of their families. "The injustice meted on Dr Ifeanyi Ubah is negatively affecting over 2,000 workers of Capital Oil. The FG should be mindful of the implications on our families who are gradually been forced to starve", he concluded.

With this latest failure to produce Ubah in court today, Justice Idris adjourned the matter for ruling on Thursday, May 25, 2017.

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