Jos Bomb Blast-Survivors recount their experiences

After the unfortunate blast which claimed 118 lives and several
others injured, residents who narrowly escaped the blasts have
recounted to Vanguard
A resident, Ladi Emmanuel who cheated death on the fateful
day said,
It was just God that delivered me.I went to the bank to
withdraw some money, the first ATM was not working so
I went to the next bank.After getting the money, I decided
to get some things in the market. On getting to where
chickens were being sold, I heard a loud noise and a
plank fell on my hand. I was dazed and was half
unconscious and saw people running. I didn’t join the
people until I saw fire burning and people were shouting
that I should run.
“As I started running, I heard the second blast and got
more confused but I just knew I was alive by God’s grace
because I was not stampeded where I was, I decided not
to run as I did not know what was ahead but I survived
though so many were not so lucky, it was God who saved
me”.
Another woman who gave her name as mama Funmi, said,
“I did not know I was alive until I woke up in the
hospital. My shop was at the spot where the first bomb
exploded. I left the shop at about 2.50 pm to see someone
inside the market, I didn’t meet the person so I decided to
come back. As I was approaching my shop, I heard a loud
bang which sent me sprawling on the floor.
“People were stepping on me as they ran but I managed
to get up and joined the crowd regardless of the pains I
was feeling. I was already until I saw the flame razing
shops and goods and I just passed out”.
She said a neighbour who saw her took her to a clinic
where she got a First Aid treatment and was discharged.
Though her shop was burnt, she remained grateful to God
who rescued her from untimely death.
Another resident, a native of Orlu, Imo State who said his
name was not “important” said his people were in the morgue
of the State Specialist Hospital to look for “the corpse of
Francis, a peaceful man who did not deserve a violent death”.
“Francis was a Keke NAPEP (tricycle) operator, a father
of three who died and left an old mother in the village.I
am not a relative by blood but we are from the same
village, live in the same area here in Jos and worship in
the same Church. We met on Monday evening and as
usual, we were together discussing how business went in
the day.
“On Tuesday these evil people came, he passed by my
shop at Railway Line and waved as if he knew he was
saying goodbye”.He described the late Francis as “an
easy going man who went out in search of daily bread but
was killed by these evil people”.
Another relative who gave his name as Chilobi Amadi and the
Chairman, Railway Line Traders’ Association who was
physically shaken said he was still going round to locate his
people.
He said
“I am the owner of Do Good Curtain World, Tuesday
was terrible. I was in the shop with my wife and children.
At about to 3pm, I was expecting my Reverend who was
to come and pray for me because my business was not
going well. My Reverend later came and immediately we
ended the prayer inside my shop and I said Amen, we
heard a loud explosion."

True story behind 80 year old woman accused of being a Flying Witch in Ajegunle

Yesterday, i published a post about an 80 year old woman
accused of being a flying witch bird.She was saved from
lynching by the police.( Here ).Her sons have surfaced and she
is not a witch but got missing.She wandered off from their Iju
Ishaga home some days ago and her family had been looking
for her.They were shocked to see her in the newspapers..
A policeman told Punch
“This morning two men came to the command claiming
that they were the sons of the woman. The men said their
mother was not a witch and were very angry with the
manner the rumour was spreading. They said they were
shocked that youths could attack an old woman in her 80s
and they were even asking for justice because the woman
sustained bruises on her head.”
Police PRO Ngozi Braide said ...
Yes she has been released to her son. The family said due
to her old age, she was very ill and was brought from
Ibadan to Lagos to stay with one of her sons. The
woman’s daughter-in-law said she went to buy drugs for
her nearby, but by the time she returned home, the woman
had left the house.”

Direct your protests to the terrorists not Government-President Jonathan

President Goodluck is advising those protesting against the
abduction of over 200 schoolgirls to direct their protest to the
Boko Haram terrorists and not the government.
He said it in a speech delivered on his behalf by the FCT
minister, Olajumoke Akinjide, to a team of
#BringBackOurGirls campaigners, led by a former Minister of
Education, Oby Ezekwezili.....
He said
“It is wrong and most unfair to suggest that there was a
slow reaction to this kidnapping. As Commander-in-Chief,
Mr. President meets with the security chiefs almost daily
and he is on constant consultation with regional and
global partners on this terrorists’ threat. We must be
careful not to politicise the campaign against terrorism.
When a bomb goes off in Kabul, Afghanistan, the people
of Afghanistan do not blame the government, they blame
the terrorists.When a bomb goes off in Bagdad, Iraq, the
people of Iraq do not blame the government, they blame
the terrorists. When a bomb goes off in Islamabad,
Pakistan, the people of Pakistan do not blame the
government, they blame the terrorists.When a bomb goes
off in Nigeria, we must all unite to fight the terrorists.”

Charlie Sheen rips Rihanna again after she calls him a 'Queen'

Charlie Sheen has replied Rihanna after she changed her main
twitter image to a pic of him asking for her autograph & called
him an 'old queen with his diapers out of a bunch' (read here ).
Charlie writes;
"Dear Ms. Rihan- oh wait, no last name, Okay, Dear R -
clearly English is NOT
your primary language.
Firstly I want to thank you for recognizing me as Royalty. I'm
flattered. And secondly; do the good Queen a favor and go tend
to the dungeon in my Castle. But beware of the rats and the
snakes.
They stir with folly awaiting your tepid advance, in the
shadows..." later Doosh! cs"

Nollywood Icon and filmmaker, Amaka Igwe to be buried June 13th

Nollywood Icon and filmmaker, Amaka Igwe who passed away
on the 28th of April 2014 will be laid to rest on Friday, June
13th 2014 at Ndiuche Arondizuogu in Imo State, her marital
home.
Various events preceding her funeral as announced by the
family include; A tribute evening and Lagos Service of Songs at
Haven Gardens G.R.A Ikeja on the 9th of June, and Enugu
Service of Songs at Okpara Square, Enugu on the 12th of June,
2014. Continue...
A tribute website, www.amakaigwe.ng , has been created for
goodwill messages and pictures. The site will also contain
tweets and Facebook messages celebrating Amaka Igwe. Past
pictures, videos and speeches of Amaka Igwe will also be
uploaded onto the site continuously.
Amaka Igwe, who is survived by her husband of 21 years
Charles Igwe, three children, an aged mother and siblings, died
from complications from asthma at the age of 51.
She contributed immensely to the development of indigenous
television drama and Nollywood over the past 25 years, for
which His Excellency, Mr. President graciously awarded her an
MFR in 2011, one of the proudest moments of her life.
She is the founder of BoBTV Film and Television Programmes
Expo, founder and CEO of Top Radio 90.9FM, Amaka Igwe
Studios, and the newly launched Q Entertainment Network.
A visionary and pioneer of modern Nigerian TV drama and
film, she hit national limelight as the writer and producer of
award-winning TV soap 'Checkmate' and its off shoot 'Fuji
House of Commotion'.
Her Nollywood projects include RattleSnake and Violated - two
critically acclaimed movies that set apart Amaka Igwe Studios
in the much-criticized Nollywood industry.
Amaka Igwe studied Education/Religion at the University of Ife
(Now Obafemi Awolowo University). She had a Master's
Degree from the University of Ibadan. She had her early
education at All Saints School (Now Ekulu Primary School),
Girls High School Awkunanaw, Enugu and Idia College, Benin.
She worked as a lecturer at the Anambra State University of
Technology and briefly in oil and Gas, before settling for the
motion picture industry.

Yet another revolt at 7th Army Division in Borno state

Just a week after soldiers at the 7th Division in Maimalari
Baracks in Maiduguri, Borno state revolted against their former
General Officer Commanding, Major General Ahmadu
Mohammed, the soldiers yesterday May 22nd revolted again at
their newly posted GOC, Brigadier General M.Y. Ibrahim over
unpaid allowances and ban on transportation services, Sahara
Reporters reports.
Reports say at about 3pm yesterday, the soldiers gathered
together and marched to the new GOC's office, shooting into
the air and chanting "we nor go gree" songs. The soldiers were
demanding for their unpaid furniture allowance which is
N100,000 and other allowances as well as the reinstatement of
Okada and Tricycle means of transportation which was banned
by the new GOC. Continue...
The soldiers wondered why Okada and Keke Napep would be
banned in the barrack since its the only affordable means for
them and their families to move around considering the vast
expanse the barracks occupies, and most of them don't own
cars.
One of the soldiers told Sahara Reporters “If no okada
[motorcycles] are allowed, then our small children have to
walk to school and our wives will walk to market. Are we not
suffering too much already?” he said.
At the office of the GOC, they ordered one of the Army
Generals to walk around the barracks to feel their pain, pushing
and shoving him intermittently.
This revolt is coming just a week after the soldiers in the
Malmalari barracks revolted against their former GOC on May
14th, shooting at his convoy. He has since been redeployed to a
different base and investigations on the mutiny according to
Military heads is ongoing to ensure the soldiers who revolted
are disciplined accordingly.

Jonathan may be Nigeria's last president - former Gov. Orji Uzor Kalu

Former Governor of Abia state, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, while
speaking with airport correspondents yesterday as he returned
from a trip to the UK, said if things are not properly checked
politically, President Jonathan might be the last president
Nigeria will have.
"When I was travelling precisely on the 26 of April, I left
this airport and I spoke to the airport correspondents and I
said there was a need to collaborate with international
organisations. You see, this issue is not about President
Goodluck Jonathan. If we don’t take time and work
together as Nigerians, Jonathan might be the last Nigerian
President. Jonathan might be the Gorbachev of Nigeria.
And that is the truth, so we better wake up. Political
class, business class, military, civilians must now stand
up to work for our internal security. Internal security is
more important than anything we have done and I believe
that once we are able to come together Nigeria will be
alright. As of now the country is in pains; the country is
in problem and some people are taking it very lightly.
We are suffering from pains of our people; we are
suffering from pains of the Nigerian system. This is not
about which part of the country you come from, it is
about Nigeria. Nigerian people should take what is
happening seriously and I am surprised that the political
class and the private sector are still joking with this
matter. This is a serious matter. Anybody’s child can be
kidnapped; whether it is at Chibok or any other place,
Nigerian should take this matter seriously. Can you
imagine how many Nigerians that have been killed; how
many of us that have been wounded. I want people to be
as wise as my grandmother. I want people to take this
matter seriously. Those girls kidnapped are our sisters;
they are our daughters. It is because none of us has lost
anybody that is why to some people; it is looking like a
joke. We should stop taking this as a joke and take the
matter very seriously in order to move forward.
We should not lose what we have. We should be able to
come together as one family and fight because if we
don’t take time; I repeat it for the second time, Jonathan
will be the last president of the name Nigeria.
Government can negotiate formerly or informally. It can
send agents to negotiate on its behalf without getting
involved. The US does this in Afghanistan and other
places. It can negotiate formerly or informally” he said

50cent explains why he didn't attend his son's high school graduation

A week after he was criticized for not attending his oldest
son's high school graduation, rapper 50cent says there's a good
reason why he wasn't there. He said aside from not being
invited, he was busy at a movie location...
In an appearance on BET's 106 and Park yesterday, 50 Cent
explains;
"My son -- I haven't received an invitation. When he
graduated, I was in Budapest on a movie with Melissa
McCarthy, Jude Law, and Jason Statham. I think, at some
point, the reason why it actually comes out is because his
mom is going to TMZ. I wish she'd find someone so she
could leave me alone."

Segun Arinze asks NFVCB boss to resign over Half Of A Yellow Sun

A few weeks ago, the film adaptation of Chimamanda
Adichie's book Half of a Yellow Sun was to hit our cinema
screens...but it was stopped. I heard the reason it was removed
was because of the theme of the movie, the Hausa killing Ibo/
biafra war story and because of the current situation in Nigeria,
some scenes were asked to be cut from the movie by the
Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board. I don't know if the
scenes have been cut or what exactly is going on right now, but
NFVCB has still refused to let the movie show in the cinemas.
Actor and former Actors' Guild of Nigeria president Segun
Arinze is now calling for the resignation of the Director-
General of the Censors Board. His statement below...
Please tell Madam Patricia Bala of Nigeria Film and
Video Censors Board to release the movie Half of a
Yellow Sun. She has no reason to hold on to the movie.
She has no right to censor the movie only to classify it.
She saw it in Canada and even partnered with the
producers in Canada during the premiere. What she is
doing now is an embarrassment to government and a big
insult to our dear industry, Nollywood. We are not in a
military regime. She should kindly resign'. - Segun Arinze