Why a 21-Year-Old Man Sets Himself On Fire In Lagos

A 21-year-old man, Utochukwu Ukandu, set himself ablaze in the Agbado, Egbe area of Lagos State at about 9pm on Monday.

On the day of the incident, he was said to have gone into his house, poured kerosene on himself, the bed and the house. After which, he lit a matchstick, setting the whole place ablaze.
His elder brother, Ebuka who saw him setting himself ablaze was the one who raised the alarm, alerting other residents who called the firemen from the Lagos State Fire Service, Ikotun division.

The firemen were said to have arrived promptly with 10,000 litres of water with which they doused the flames. They also rescued the victims who luckily survived with a high degree of burns.

According to Punch report, the victim had been telling his parents he would kill himself out of frustration but nobody gave him a listening ear as they all thought he was joking.
A source said, “Nobody knows exactly why he took that decision. All we know is that he had been telling his parents he would kill himself, but they did not take him serious."

Confirming the incident, the Director of the state fire service, Rasak Fadipe, urged parents to pay more attention to comments of their children.
He said, "Where a child has been threatening that he would kill himself, it is important that parents take such a child apart for counseling to avert tragedies."

Why Davido is Africa’s biggest artiste

In early 2011, a young, artiste David Adeleke made his entry into the Nigerian music scene. Three years later, he can proudly boast of being Africa’s biggest artist.

Truthfully, it’s taken Davido less than three years to attain such status; his journey started out in May 2011 when he released his first official single ‘Back when’ featuring a stunning verse from Naeto C. The song was mildly accepted by critics and was just enough to get him the attention he needed at the time. And thus began the then 19-year-old’s journey to superstardom; he seemed to have the perfect team – a young and zealous manager – Asa Asika, a hit making producer - Shizzi, a lively crew/hype-men - B.Red and Sina Rambo, and a whole lot of money.
Talking about money; chatter and buzz around Davido increased when it was discovered that his father was billionaire businessman Deji Adeleke. He was immediately tagged a ‘trust fund kid.’
Davido didn’t seem bothered and didn’t shy away from his privileged background; his follow up single ‘Dami Duro’ drummed his wealthy status into our minds. The song immediately shot him up to the A-list category, a well-envied and sought-after status occupied by top acts like Psquare, D’banj, 2face Idibia and another young star Wizkid. He morphed into ‘Omo baba olowo,’ the rich kid who planned to dominate the music industry.

The ‘rich-boy-trying-to-do-music’ status stuck with Davido, with many saying the singer used money to bum-rush his way into the Nigerian entertainment scene. Some said with the help of payola, he was able to get his music and videos heavy rotation on radio and TV.
But David didn’t seem to care; not budging or backing down, he continued pushing out more material – in the space of nine months, he had released more material than his peers, performed at more shows, got more spins, and his career grew rapidly. It could best be described as accelerated growth; never had this been done before.
Shortly a year after his 2011 debut, the comparison with fellow Pop star Wizkid (who had blown up a year earlier) began. The two were compared on all fronts – talent, label strength, financial stance, and lifestyle. Tension between both acts increased their competition, with each one trying to outdo the other. Appealing to the same market, it looked like Davido had come to replace Wizkid.
In April 2012, Davido went on to sign an endorsement deal with MTN worth N30m. Then people started to take him seriously.

In July 2012, he released his highly anticipated debut album ‘O.B.O: The Genesis’. Despite the huge marketing budget put behind it, the album was received with mixed reviews, with many saying the record fell below expectations. It only spurred Davido on. He went on to release multiple singles off the album and shot videos for every single one of them, unrelenting despite critics labeling him a ‘flash in the pan.’
In 2013, he released a new single ‘Gobe’; it became an instant hit – the club friendly tune was on everyone’s playlist – young and old. By this time, the public’s general opinion started to change: ‘He may actually be talented.’

The Birth of the African Star
Davido’s rise in the African music scene started in April 2013 when he released his single ‘One of a kind’. The song was strategically written to cater to the African market, with the singer naming several African countries in the chorus. The music video followed the theme of the song, highlighting several African flags.
This is all the Pop star needed to break into the Eastern and Southern African markets, two regions where only the likes of Psquare andFlavour held ground. Months after, Davido moved his music from Nigeria and Ghana into Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Liberia and turned into an international star.

Another huge single, the intoxicating ‘Skelewu’ blew him into space – the controversy behind the music video somehow played to his advantage, receiving millions of views on YouTube. Davido went on a European tour, returned and visited several African countries. Photos and video clips show the young singer now pulls close to 30,000 fans outside Nigeria.
It should be also be noted that despite a cartload of controversies, Davido’s career has still soared, steadily gaining more and more fans. His latest single ‘Aye’ is a fan favourite, appealing to a huge demograph
On June 7, 2014, Davido was crowned as the ‘Best African Artiste’ at the MTV Africa Music Awards in South Africa and on June 29 was named ‘Best African Act’ at the BET Awards in Los Angeles but does he consider himself as the biggest?
‘I thank God, I want to be bigger, there’s still a lot of work to do. I can’t think I’m the best now.’ Davido tells NET.
The singer will have one big hurdle to cross; a major phenomenon that has ended the careers of some of the biggest Nigerian artistes – Longevity.

Actress Queen Nwokoye Beats Actress Eniola Badmus Blue Black?

Who will ever think that Eniola Badmus will be beaten to the ground by anyone? but Queen Nwokoye, has done the imaginable. The actresses are in Asaba, Delta State for a movie and they engaged each other in a fight in the new film.

Queen is not scared of Eniola Badmus’ size as she overpowered the plus-size actress in the fight.

Sultry Nollywood Actress Omotola Flaunts Primary School Leaving Certificate

Sultry Nollywood star, Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde, no doubt, is one of the brilliant actors in the African movie industry today. She is one movie star that has shown that a lady can be beautiful, intelligent and still remain a very good wife. No wonder her husband, Captain Mathew Ekeinde is very proud of her and will always stay with her no matter. Also, no wonder her children are academically doing well in their various schools. Few weeks ago, the actress hailed one of her daughters, who was appointed as Head Girl of her school and the sexy mother of four did not mince word in describing her daughter as intelligent. Omosexy, as she is fondly called, posted her primary school leaving certificate online and from the piece of photograph, she left school in flying colours. And if you have been wondering who her children took after, now you know. Nigeriafilms.com

Justin Bieber Is That You?

 

The Confident singer, Justin Bieber shared a photo of his gym activities, showing his tattoo filled body via Instagram on Thursday. The pictures show pop star doing bicep curls with 40-lb. weights in addition to doing stomach crunches to keep his six-pack poppin’.

 

“Back in the gym #dontbescared #orangegymrats,” he wrote in the caption.

Twitter Fight: Cossy Orjiakor Slams Actress Ebube Nwagbo

Yesterday, while everyone was weeping over our France vs Nigeria defeat at the World Cup, Nollywood actress Ebube Nwagbo chose to diss the ladies that had stripped to support the Eagles.

Cossy Orjiakor, one of the ladies that did that, took it personal and she just dished out the baddest reply to Ebube's tweet. Read it below:

Emmanuel Emenike To Join Chelsea In £15million Deal

Despite not having a superb performance for Nigeria at the ongoing 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, latest reports reveal that Chelsea are ready to allow Emmanuel Emenike to join them for €19 million.

Dailymail reports that the English club have been approached by the Turkish club Fenerbahce on the Nigerian star.

Emenike scored 12 goals in 28 league games as Fenerbahce won the Super Lig last season.
Many Nigerian football fans believe the 27-year-old striker played below expectations for the Super Eagles at the ongoing 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Nigeria was defeated 2-0 by France on Monday, 30 June, 2014 to end their world cup campaign in the round of 16.


In a related development, the Blues is reported to have agreed a two-year deal with Tiago Mendes.
The 33-year-old is joining as a free agent after his contract ran out with Atletico Madrid.
The Portuguese made 23 La Liga appearances for the recently-crowned Spanish champions last season and returns to Stamford Bridge after nine years away.
He spent just one season with Chelsea before leaving for Lyon in 2005.
However, his 12 months with the Blues were certainly successful – in total he won three trophies: the Community Shield, the League Cup and the Premier League, scoring four goals in 34 league appearances.

Acid Victim Says She's Open To Dating

                                                              Naomi Oni before and after the acid attack
It is amazing how quickly Ms Naomi has jacked back to life having new hopes and even willing to take a swipe at having a new relationship all over again as her former boyfriend left her barely two months after the whole incident. This she revealed while speaking with UK Close Magazine.

Ms Naomi has refused to allow the acid attack scar her for life or get in her way of living a normal life, this is evident in the gorgeous and very surprising new pictures she shared; check them out below.

                                       Naomi Oni’s newly released pictures
During one of the court sittings that got her attacker who is also her close friend, Mary Konye, jailed for the awful and inhumane attitude, Naomi had expressed her mind to the jury about how her life has not been normal ever since the terrible incident.

The 23 year old has also revealed that finding love again with the right person will make her really glad, even though presently she is enjoying being single and getting her life back.
It would be recalled that Naomi Oni was attacked by her jealous friend with acid in December 2012 which left her with severe burns on her head, neck, arms, legs and body  in Dagenham, east London. She spent a lot of months having skin grafts and almost went blind but she is now fully recovered from the horrible event.

How I survived Abuja EMAB explosion, injured student narrates

I could not tell if I was still on fire. All I knew was that my whole body was so hot and for a second I was restless.”

 
Michael Anyanacho woke up in the early hours of Wednesday morning to go to EMAB Plaza, Wuse 2, Abuja, where he works to earn extra money for school.
The student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, works as a phone repairer at the plaza, visited by hundreds of Abuja residents daily.

“When (school is) on break I repair phones so I can earn little to take back with me but, presently, school is in session. I just came home for a little break and decided to work as usual because I don’t depend solely on my parents,” Michael explained.
However, on that fateful Wednesday, towards the close of work, Michael found himself running away from EMAB Plaza, his body on fire.

“My legs and hands were on fire,” he narrated to PREMIUM TIMES from his hospital bed at the National Hospital, Abuja. “I had to run as fast as my legs could take me, to put out the fire on my body and also to prevent my whole body from burning up.”
Michael was repairing a customer’s phone when the bomb explosion occurred at about 4:00 p.m.
“A customer of mine brought his hardware for repairs so I told him to wait at my stand while I take the phone to my colleague on the other side of the plaza who repairs software to help with the repairs,” he said. “The repairs were taking too long so I headed back to ask my customer to wait a bit longer. I was just two steps away from the plaza when I heard a loud sound. Before I could turn around, my hands and legs were on fire.”
He said that as he ran, he was no longer aware of the fire on his body.
“I could not tell if I was still on fire. All I knew was that my whole body was so hot and for a second I was restless. It was a friend of mine that held me and took me to the street were a man helped and took me to Maitama Hospital before I was referred to National Hospital,” he explained.

No hospital bills
Michael was one of the 52 people, according to the Nigerian Government, who escaped from the bomb explosion at the plaza with burns and other injuries. At least 21 people were not as lucky; they died either at the scene or in the hospital.
Alphonsus Anyanacho, Michael’s father, told PREMIUM TIMES that at the time of the explosion he, like millions of Nigerians, was about to watch the match between Nigeria and Argentina at the World Cup.
“I was at home but went out around that time to watch the Super Eagles match. When I saw on the television screen breaking news about the bomb blast at EMAB Plaza, I remembered my son because he goes there every morning to hustle,” Mr. Anyanacho said. “I then called his number immediately but someone else picked the phone; a friend of his that helped him to the hospital.”
He said he left for the National Hospital immediately and got there to find his son “wrapped up.”
Based on the Abuja administration’s resolve to foot medical bills of victims of such incident, Mr. Anyanacho confirmed that he was not charged a dime as hospital bills for his son’s treatment.
Sitting beside his son’s hospital bed, the father said the doctors had not told him when his son would be discharged.
“All I was told was that he is responding to treatment,” Mr. Anyanacho disclosed.

Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial Resumes After Six-Week Break

The murder trial of Oscar Pistorius is resuming in South Africa after a six-week break to evaluate the athlete’s mental health.
His defense team has argued he was suffering from an anxiety disorder when he killed his girlfriend.
A report by experts will help the judge decide how significant this is.
The athlete denies deliberately killing Reeva Steenkamp. He says he shot her accidentally in a state of panic after mistaking her for an intruder.
BBC Africa reports that the experts’ report seems unlikely to alter the course of this trial dramatically – the defence has already acknowledged that Mr Pistorius’s anxiety would not have stopped him knowing right from wrong.
The defence is expected to finish presenting its evidence in the next few days – calling perhaps three more witnesses.
If found guilty of murder, Mr Pistorius, who went on trial on 3 March this year, could face life imprisonment. If he is acquitted of that charge, the court will consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could receive about 15 years in prison.
Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and law graduate, was shot through a toilet door at Oscar Pistorius’s house in Pretoria on Valentine’s Day last year.
The couple had been dating for three months.