I was so broke that I used to steal food – Tems speaks on past struggles

Nigerian singer-songwriter, Temilade Openiyi, professionally known as Tems, has said that there was a time in her life she stole food to survive.

She stated this while recounting her past struggles, adding that she was very broke and hopeless during that period.

Tems spoke while being interviewed by GQ magazine as she revealed that she used to visit an aunt to get food which she would then take home.

She said; “There were times when I was not just broke; I was broke and hopeless. I used to steal food. I used to go to my aunty’s house just so she could give me food to take home.

“I just felt like, What is the point of me existing right now? You have to remember those times. Because that person does not exist anymore.”

Also, Tems said that the year she released “Mr Rebel”, she living alone and struggling financially, noting that she was putting pressure on herself to assist with providing for her family.

She quit her job to focus on music and this made things even harder as the lack of security of stable job meant she would not be able to cater for everyone.

Furthermore, the Try Me crooner said that she had to go on a journey of self discovery and growth in order to achieve her dreams of having a successful music career.

“The decision I made was to not wallow in sadness and chose to stop seeing myself as “this person that can never be anything”.

Tems added; “I didn’t have any self-esteem. I didn’t think I was pretty. I didn’t even think of my voice as anything. I just thought, There are so many people that can sing, I’m not a model, I don’t dance, but whatever chance I have, I’ll take it. Even if I end up singing under a bridge somewhere, I’ll be the best under-the-bridge singer ever.”

How a woman set me up because I rejected her advances – Nigerian man

A Nigerian man simply known as Ukeme has recounted the time he rejected the advances of a lady who was in a relationship with a customs officer and it almost got him into a mess he could not escape from.

He said that he and the woman were friends and she gave him “green light” but he turned her down because he was aware that she is dating a senior customs officer whom he was also friends with.

Ukeme noted that when he refused to give in to her advances, the lady became upset and decided to teach him a lesson.

The man said that she reported to her boyfriend and claimed that he was asking her out, which is when problem started for him.

In his words; ”I wanted to share a story here on how a lady who was involved with a senior officer I used to know, met me on one of my trips, gave me green lights but wen I didn’t dance to her music, she felt i will open up & decided to lie against me. The man threatened to deal wit me & he did

I used to know a senior customs officer who was the head of a strike force team at ijebu Ode, Benin and Seme border. He used to come around to my former neighborhood & also hang out & we do drink together wit other personalities.

There was a young lady i knew then who lived in our neighborhood & there was rumor going around that he was involved with her but i didn’t believe until he later confirmed same that she’s his small baby & he has invested there since when she was in secondary school.

I traveled home one time & on my way back to Lagos,……we branched umunede(for those that knows) to eat. I initially wanted to eat but when i saw the queue, i decided to change my mind. I bought Suya & 1759 instead but as I was about paying, someone used their hands to cover my eyes. When i checked, it was the young lady in question with so much excitement What are u doing here, she asked & i also asked same? She said she’s going back to Lagos from school & I told her same.

So we gisted a bit while eating & wen done, i wished her a safe trip & i moved. That evening, i saw her again bcos I entered Lagos that day by 5pm while they arrived by past 6pm according to her. So she gave me her number & that was it. I never nursed any interest in her anyway but just the normal exchanges until she started displaying all the lights & proposing hanging out which i didn’t oblige her. So to cut the story short, info got to the man that I’m hanging out with his baby & that was how she then changed the story that I was the one disturbing her.

The man drove to the neighborhood, called me & told me where to meet him, called the lady out & when she arrived, asked her to repeat wat she said. This lady denied everything & said I’m the one disturbing her, that i even asked we meet in a hotel, etc. I was completely shocked 😲. Others we do hang out together said no wonder that they were wondering how she’ll be the one to come disturb me. He brought out his Pistol & said if it was another, he’ll shoot me now. That don’t i know she’s his baby? That he has been investing there & i want to chop where he’s chopping? So to make peace reign, i apologized for the mix up but he still said he must deal with me.

I bought a car for an Irish priest from Cotonou & was to deliver the car personally to him in Uyo so i drove on my own. On getting to ijebu ode, i branched to greet him normally bcos he was on duty. We greeted & he offered me beer, but I told him I’m driving that Malt is fine which he gave me. After which he told me to drive safe. Unknown to me, he had radioed Ofosu command & gave details of the vehicle that they should intercept the vehicle. They waited for me & immediately i got to that point, they came out in their numbers. They asked for the customs papers & the next thing was my papers were fake and they impounded the vehicle.

I started making calls and then called him, he acted very well that how come & all. He told me to remain calm that the vehicle will released. I slept at Ofosu in the bush there for 2 nights & the 3rd day they took vehicle Benin office. I paid #150,000 after much bargain to release the vehicle.

The man that collected the cash from me was the one that told me that he was the one that is responsible for the act and asked if i offended..him and that was how i got to know he masterminded everything. So i left & continued my journey.”

Abdulsalami counsels Nigerians against selling votes, violence in 2023

The former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), on Thursday advised Nigerians not to sell their voters card during the 2023 general elections.

Abubakar, who is the Chairman of the National Peace Committee, made the call in a chat with journalists shortly after the committee’s meeting in Minna, Niger State.

The meeting was attended by the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Matthew Kukah, former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Martins Agwai (retd), ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola and Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

He said: “I appeal to Nigerians, especially the electorate, to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner as the programme of the electoral process is about to be implemented.

“Don’t sell your votes but vote for credible leaders that will provide basic infrastructure and enhance the wellbeing of Nigerians.

“If we want to have it good, we must work towards electing responsible people to manage our nation’s resources for optimal performance.

“The objectives of having good democratic governance will only be achieved if eligible Nigerians shun all kinds of violence and not engage in the selling of their voter’s cards.”

He also urged politicians, especially those seeking elective positions, to play responsible politics during and after elections.

In his address, Yakubu assured Nigerians that the commission would conduct credible elections next year..

He also challenged politicians to cooperate with the commission and ensure successful conduct of the exercise.

“We at the commission are battle ready to provide a level-playing platform for the smooth implementation of all the electoral process,” the INEC chief stated.

Lawyer accuses DSS of administering substandard drugs to Nnamdi Kanu

 

Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lawyer for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on Thursday, accused the Department of State Services (DSS), of procuring substandard drugs from a chemist store for the activist.

The IPOB had recently alleged that Kanu’s health was fast deteriorating.

Ejiofor, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, insisted that Kanu’s health was deteriorating because of substandard drugs administered to him by the security agency.

He appealed to DSS to allow the family to purchase drugs for the IPOB leader pending his release from custody.

The statement read: “Sadly, we made the startling discovery that despite the alarm raised on Monday, calling for the intervention of responsible foreign governments and institutions on the DSS’ flagrant disobedience of orders of the court, particularly in denying Onyendu Nnamdi Kanu access to his personal doctor and medication, the DSS immediately resorted to local chemist store to procure substandard drugs to be administered on Onyendu.

“Since it is now obvious that the DSS does not have the facility, capacity and/or resources to manage Onyendu’s deteriorating health condition, we are compelled to publicly implore the DSS, to allow us to have Onyendu back unconditionally, or better still, allow us to purchase the prescribed drugs for him pending his unconditional release from their custody.

“With this development, we are now convinced that the Federal Government of Nigeria is ostensibly afraid of the anticipated positive outcome of the Court of Appeal’s judgement.

“Hence, they are doing everything possible to subject our client, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to severe torture, and inhuman/degrading treatment before he finally regains his freedom.”

Culled from  Ripples Nigeria

Man sentenced to life imprisonment for raping 9-year-old girl in Ekiti

An Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, has sentenced a 30-year-old Okada rider, Ojo Idowu, to life imprisonment for raping a nine-year-old girl.

 

The defendant was first arraigned on one charge bordering on rape before Justice Olalekan Olatawura in March, 2022.

The charge read; "That the defendant on October 8, 2021 at Ilogbo Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State did rape a nine-year-old girl, contrary to Section 31(2) of the Child’s Rights Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012."

 

In her testimony before the court, the victim, a primary three pupil, said when she went to fetch water and on her way back, Idowu asked her to follow him to his house to get something for her grandmother.

“I was fetching water to our kitchen when Oga Idowu asked me to come and get something for my grandmother, who I live with," the minor narrated. 

 

"I stood by the door, he asked me to enter, but I refused, he forced me to his room and covered my mouth with his hand, he used the other hand to remove his trouser and started forcing his manhood into my private part, I shouted, but nobody could hear me because he covered my mouth.

 

"I wept because I was in pain and he warned me not to tell anybody. When I got home, I did not tell my grandmother, but on the second day, when I could not walk properly, my grandmother asked what happened to me, I told her what Oga Idowu did for me,"

The grandmother said that she discovered the girl could not walk properly following which she persuaded her to explain why she could not walk properly nor sit well.

 

The prosecutor, Julius Ajibare, called five witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statement and medical report as exhibits.

 

The defendant, however, spoke in his own defence through his counsel and called two witnesses.

 

In his judgment, Justice Olalekan Olatawura said, ‘‘Identification of the defendant by the victim as the person who raped her is not only compelling, but credible, same not having been discredited under cross examination and therefore not mistaken.”

"In all, I have established and proved beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution that the defendant and no other person used his manhood to penetrate the private part of the victim.

 

"Consequently thereupon, the defendant is found guilty as charged. He is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment,” the judge pronounced. 

 

A public notice posted by the Ekito State Ministry of Justice on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, said the convicted rapist has been put in its sex offenders' register.

Nigerian lady burns ‘cheap’ wig her boyfriend bought for her

Social media users are surprised after a Nigerian lady set on fire the wig her boyfriend bought for her.

She shared a video which captured the moment she took the wig and a match box outside and set fire to the hair.

The lady then carried the remnants of the burnt wig and threw it on a pile of trash outside her house.

A lady, who thought the woman was angry at the vendor that sold her the wig urged her to expose the hair vendor so that others can avoid the person.

But she explained that the vendor did nothing wrong, rather it was her boyfriend that got her the wig because he doesn’t know the good quality one.

”You for tag the vendor to the post,” the follower said.

The lady replied; ”The vendor no do anything, na my boyfriend no know better wig.”

Governor Makinde demands PDP Chairman's resignation

Governor Seyi Makinde has demanded the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

Punch reported that he made the demand on Wednesday September 14, during PDP south-west stakeholders meeting in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state.

 

Makinde said; 

 

“Our party wants to rescue Nigeria and our candidate is a unifier. He wants to restructure Nigeria.

“Eight years of the All Progressives Congress have left us sharply divided. The issue is we must practice what we preach. If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify the PDP first.

“If we want to restructure Nigeria, we must have the willingness to bring inclusivity to the PDP. Do we have the capacity? The answer is a resounding yes.

“The message from the south-west PDP is that the south-west is asking that the national working committee (NWC) of the PDP should be restructured.

“We are asking the national chairman to step down so that the south will be fully included. That is the message.”

28-year-old man dies after being buried alive by sand in Jigawa

A 28-year-old man, Umar Sale, has died after he was buried alive while digging sand in a ditch in Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State. 

The incident happened in Majia town at about 2:pm on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 when the man was digging out sand with the intention to fix his mud house that was partly destroyed by heavy downpour. 

Spokesperson of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Jigawa command, Adamu Shehu, confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday.

"The father of three was digging sand from a ditch situated about a kilometer away from Majia town to fix his mud house that was partly destroyed by the heavy downpour recently recorded when the sand above him slide and buried him alive," he stated. 

"His first cry for help was heard by some people farming around the area and rushed to his rescue.

"Unfortunately, he died at the spot because of the weight of the sand and his inability to breathe. His body was recovered and thereafter released to his family for proper burial.

 

"Meanwhile, investigation revealed that the incident is not the first to occur in the same ditch, because there were recorded cases of similar death as such the community were advised in their best interest to refrain from extracting or digging sand from the ditch." he added. 
 

Atiku speaks on how to tackle insecurity in Nigeria

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, says his administration will address the nation’s security challenges by taking tough decisions if elected in the coming general elections.

With about six months to the polls, the PDP candidate promised to prioritize the revival of the ‘crawling’ economy, especially through private sector participation.

He made the remarks on Tuesday at the Private Sector Economic Forum organized by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Lagos.

“We will take tough and difficult decisions on security matters without fear or favor,” said Atiku who was vice president between 1999 and 2007. “Investment is a coward animal and is fearful of conflicts and insecurity. I will break the jinx in infrastructure financing.”

He decried the level of poverty and the disturbing rate of unemployment which he said were among the major factors fuelling insecurity in the land.

“The Nigerian economy is crawling rather than growing. Per capita income, a measure of citizens’ well-being, has progressively fallen since 2015 because of declining output and a fast-growing population. Nigerians are worse off today than they were in 2015,” he said.

“The oil and gas sector, which is the economy’s lifeline has suffered a decline in 19 out of 30 quarters since 2014. For many economic sectors and for ordinary citizens it still feels like a recession.

“Under the present administration, our people are not working. More than 23 million people are out of jobs. In just five years between 2015 and 2020, the number of fully employed people dropped by 54%, from 68 million to 31 million people.”

Nigerian man shares what was buried under the tiles of an apartment in Lagos - Photos

A Nigerian Twitter user has taken to the microblogging platform to share shocking photos of what he found under the tiles of a house in Lagos.

@Elkrosmediahub who shared photos of what looks like a charm said it was discovered after he decided to renovate a new space he got.

He Tweeted;

”Took a space in Lagos recently, didn’t like the flooring, so I decided to break the tiles and add flooring amongst the renovation I was doing there. My tiler sent me these images yesterday. Said he found them buried under the tiles

Asked the facility manager and they said it was a woman that left before the last guy that used the space. Advice? If you can, always renovate. Change the floor and the POP. Humans are weird in this part of the country. It’s fine if you don’t believe in juju and stuff tho.”