Rita Dominic Is City People's 'Face Of Nollywood' Winner

Rita Dominic, one of the topmost Nigeria Nollywood actress is now City People's Face of Nollywood winner. The came first after she defeated actress like Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Jolade- Ekeinde, Funke Akindele and Uche Jombo to clinch the winner

As we gathered, paparazzis had a good time capturing the sexy screen diva with their lenses, which Rita gladly welcomed and admired.

Congratulations

Helen Ukpabio’s N1m ‘Disorganises’ Chidi Mokeme, Julius Agwu?

When they say ‘never under estimate the power of money’, there must be a reason for that because money can make that big celebrity to be very humble to the person in possession of that huge amount of money who is willing to throw it out at will.  In Nigeria, some celebs do things as if they are gods, but they go on their knees at the mention of money, and their tongues confess that ‘money is lord’.  Recently, at a public lecture held at a popular nightlife spot in Lagos, controversial woman pastor, Helen Ukpabio donated a sum of one million. No sooner had she made the donation than entertainers at the event were disorganised. It became a normal thing for them to remind the woman that they (entertainers) ‘love’ her ministry.  Our tatafo eyes spotted Julius Agwu, who first went to Ukpabio, shortly after the event ended, ‘toasting’ the woman on what we don’t know about. All we saw next was Julius looking for a piece of paper to write something on as directed by the one million naira cheerful giver.  Julius first picked a complimentary card he saw on the table, but decided to tear a piece from a paper he later laid his hand on. He wrote something on it and passed it on to Pastor Ukpabio. No sooner had Julius sorted himself out than Chidi Mokeme blocked the woman, where she was still seated and about to leave the event. Trust sharp guy, Chidi, he squatted while he muttered some words to the woman.  If you think your celebs are not ‘humble,’ pray you have cash to dole out like Pastor Ukpabio, you will have a good control of them. They really need money, forget about the glamorous lifestyle they portray.

UNITED NATIONS AGENCY COMMENDS, SUPPORTS TB JOSHUA’S JOB CREATION INITIATIVE

On Sunday 7th July 2013, Nigerian Prophet T.B. Joshua received commendation from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a United Nations specialised agency, praising his recent initiative targeting job creation for unemployed graduates and skills development. 

Ms. Sinanzeni Chuma-Mkandawire, the Director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, spoke to the thousands congregated at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) in a message also beamed live to millions more via the church’s broadcast portal, Emmanuel TV.

“Youth and employment is a huge challenge that the world is facing today and we commend the efforts of the man of God Prophet T.B. Joshua, the Synagogue, Church Of All Nations and Emmanuel TV for championing a worldwide initiative on job creation,” Chuma-Mkandawire stated. “This challenge needs the concerted efforts of governments, the private sector, individuals, institutions and faith-based organisations.”

Giving a brief history of the ILO’s aims and activities, Chuma-Mkandawire highlighted that Joshua’s project was in consonance with their vision on skills development and job creation, also lauding his known stand of helping individuals, irrespective of their religious, ethnic or social background.

“My organisation is based on the respect for all people, all religions and all faiths. This is where there is a convergence with what is happening here today and we therefore join the efforts of Prophet T.B. Joshua, Emmanuel TV and all faith based organisations in the promotion and creation of jobs.” Chuma-Mkandawire stated that the first step of the partnership would be to create a website which would provide relevant information for job seekers, linking them to respective job opportunities.

The partnership comes in lieu of Joshua’s call last month on his 50th birthday for job creation to be prioritised in order to avert an impending economic crisis. The ILO whose motto is ‘promoting jobs, protecting people’ said they had been observing Joshua’s charitable endeavours for several years and were delighted to join him in partnership for the mutual benefit of young people seeking employment.

Joshua stated his passion to provide jobs for young people was driven by a vision of an imminent ‘revolution’ amidst the youth if actions were not quickly taken. “Revolution is coming if we do not act now,” Joshua soberly stated to the congregation. “The young ones will take to the streets because the so called legacy of education we give them will not have meaning. Unemployment has made education useless in the sense that the young ones see no meaning in going to school.”

He lamented that education had lost its value. “Each time those in university remember those who made a first class doing what they were not trained to do, it affects their morale. This has affected the value of education; graduates are now struggling with the uneducated for unskilled jobs,” the cleric commented.

A week earlier, Mrs Hannah Ms Hannah Bertillia Acquah, the West African representative for the MBA tour, also publicly commended Joshua’s initiative. The international event organised to link prospective students with top level business administrative educational institutions officially announced their partnership with Emmanuel TV in giving scholarships to enterprising African students, enabling them to study in some of the most prestigious educational institutions worldwide.

According to Nigeria’s Guardian newspaper, the project has already attracted huge national and international interest. “Thousands of organisations around the world have offered to partner with TB Joshua by providing job opportunities for Africans through the initiative. Hundreds of such letters were read at the event, with the organisations stating available vacancies in their establishment,” the newspaper reported on Sunday 30th June 2013.

Mercy Aigbe, Ebube Nwagbo, Tese Onokola, Others At MGN Screening In Lagos (Pictures)

The much-awaited screening of the prospecting contestants for the prestigious Miss Global Nigeria (MGN) to qualify for the one-week camp heralding the main event later this month is presently going on in Lagos.

At the venue of the screening, Pub 1, Ikeja, Lagos, is filled with many beautiful ladies numbering over 80 and are hoping to win the coveted MGN crown, but first, making it into the camp.

Nollywood stars, Mercy Aigbe-Gentry and Ebube Nwagbo are part of the judges. Also in the panel of judges are Tese Onokola, Gbemi Shotade (first runner-up of MGN 2012 and Miss UN) and Alldrey Ekunno.

The girls are having fun and are enjoying the atmosphere. Some of them who spoke with Nigeriafilms.com confirmed this. They are also hopeful to be selected. They commended the organisers of the event as well as the judges and promised to embrace their decisions in choosing the lucky ones.

More pictures soon.

Actress Taiwo Aromokun Gets Surprised Baby Shower…To Deliver Soon!

Friends of the pregnant actress, Taiwo Aromokun recently got a shocker of her life when her friends gathered to give her a befitting baby shower.

The beautiful but heavily pregnant Nollywood actress who is married to an Amsterdam based dude is set to welcome her first baby any moment from now.

Remember, a few weeks after Bisi Ibidapo-Obey got her own baby shower from friends; she delivered her first baby which she claimed to be for Dino Melaye. A few weeks back. Bisi too gathered some friends of the actress like, Moji Olaiya to be part of Taiwo’s too.

General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Kumuyi’s son’s apology over wedding stirs debate

The controversy generated by the marriage of the second son of the General Superintendent of theDeeper Life Bible Church, JohnKumuyi, to his heartthrob, former Miss Love Odih, has taken a new dimension.

John and Love had tied the nuptial knot on June 15 in Jamaica, but the ceremony had been a subject of debate on social media over how the bride was dressed, in comparison to other weddings held in the church. The church’s belief does not entertain flamboyance in such celebration.

In the wedding pictures that circulated widely on blogs, online forums, discussion groups and other social networks, the bride, who happens to be the daughter of the National Overseer of DLBC in Jamaica, was seen putting on a wedding gown, ear rings, holding a bouquet and applied make-up — all of which are alien to the church’s doctrine.

However, the couple tendered a letter of apology to the church, saying they have “realised the effects of our actions and omission’’; adding that they may have been distracted by cultural differences, as both of them had lived overseas for many years.

The letter was read to the congregation on Saturday during the church’s mid-year celebration programme held at the Deeper Life Conference Centre, Lagos-Ibadan Expresway and broadcast live to branches all over Nigeria and some parts of Africa via satellite.

The letter, which was read on behalf of the couple at about 8pm on Saturday, read in part, “John and Love Kumuyi write to express our deepest and most sincere apology for the turn of events, that have resulted on our traditional and wedding ceremonies,  that took place in Jamaica on 13th  June and 15th  June, 2013 respectively.

“We unreservedly and wholeheartedly state that we did not intend that our acts or omissions will, in any way, undermine the great works that God has done through the Deeper Christian Life Ministry worldwide and  more specifically, through our Father in the Lord, the General Superintendent.

“We also use this medium to profusely and sincerely apologise to the General Superintendent for the embarrassment and heartaches, our actions have caused him, more so that he has earlier declined to be at the events.

“This, notwithstanding, we fully accept that having been nurtured, taught and brought up with the sound teaching of the word of God, we should have been  able to draw the line, which we failed to do.

“We have now realised the effects of our actions and omission and do plead with the church for forgiveness and also appealing that any action that should be taken be directed at John and Love, as we take this time to prayerfully reflect on our actions. We take full responsibility for what happened, and this action should, in no way, be blamed on the GS, or the leaders of the church in Nigeria, United States, Jamaica or United Kingdom and beyond.”

The apology has attracted cheers and jeers on social media from Nigerians, including many who claimed to be members of the church.

The first set argues that John and Love owe no one an explanation because they had done nothing wrong.  Commenting on nairaland.com, a contributor with the name Soloter says, “My dear brother and sister (John and Love), I am also a member of the church (a coordinator) but I say, if not for the sake of pleasing those who felt offended, there is no point apologising. You owe no man any apology.

“God is not angry with you for marrying a woman. You didn’t marry a man. Hear Apostle Paul on a similar case; ‘Let no man trouble me, I bear the marks of Christ not men”. There was no problem with sister Love’s dressing before God and men. The devil only pushed outsiders to make unnecessary hullabaloo, which was supported by a microscopic envious fault-finding brethren in the church. May God forgive them all for making my brethren (John & Love) to feel guilty for no cause.’’

Another commentator on the forum who claims to be a member of the church with the name Dpresideo says, “Personally and to the best of my opinion, they have nothing to apologise for. The reason is that they have not sinned in any way and I don’t see why they should be castigated or disciplined, as this would only aggravate the level of hypocrisy in the church! I shall continue to follow the General Superintendent’s (Kumuyi’s) doctrine of holiness and not human principles and personal ‘puritanism’ which does not take you to the gate of heaven, except holiness.’’

On the other hand, those who believe that the couple owe the generality of members of the church an apology argue that they (John and Love) were well grounded in the doctrines of the church, but willingly chose to be rebellious.

One of them who called himself Ubong writes, “Not accepted! Why did they use it in the first place? What happened to their sense of morality then? Medicine after death!’’

One Anniettie ufia  notes, ‘’Children of nowadays, You want to tell me that in that church they don’t have marriage committee and counselling team? Was there no inspection of the so-called wedding gown before that day? I perceived they warned them, but they wouldn’t listen, after all, na my papa get church wetin concern you?  That apology is too late. Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.’’

But an anonymous reader on a blog, kemifilani.com appears to have a different opinion. She says, “The only apology that should be acceptable to members is to make wedding gown legal in Deeper Life, now that the GS’s daughter-in-law has set the pace. Let Deeper Life brides look good on their wedding days just like Pastor William Kumuyi’s daughter-in-law does. Anything short of that amounts to repression, double standard and hypocrisy.’’

Also, a Facebook user, Arowolo Anuoluwapo,  argues, ‘’In my opinion, that apology was not necessary. The church should be the one to apologise for conducting a wedding they would not allow for ordinary members. The apology doesn’t solve issues. Traditions need to be reviewed if progress is to be made, or else the future remains bleak.’’

Do you have a story for publication? Please email it to mayorbosspromo@gmail.com

NAOMI IHEMELU

Background My name is Naomi Nkechi Ihemelu, I am in my 20s and right now I am in my final year in Lagos State University studying History and International Relations. Basically, we are five girls and a boy in my family and I am the last child of my family. Childhood Growing up was interesting for me; I grew up in the boarding school. I schooled at Federal Government College, Ikorodu, Lagos. So, I grew up in Lagos. I grew up among different kinds of people with different backgrounds and different upbringing. In fact, growing up in the hostel is the best thing that can ever happen to anybody. When you are in a boarding school, there is no way you won’t be smart and intelligent, you get to learn different things. I am a Christian but I know how to pray in the Islamic way. So, growing up wasn’t too challenging but I know that I learnt a lot of things. Then in school I never thought I was going to be an actress but I knew I loved entertainment. I loved socializing to the extent that they made me the Social Prefect of my school. I never had it in mind that I was going to act. Silver spoon kid I was born comfortable. I was born eating three square meals in a day. For my parents to put me in a boarding school, I think we were comfortable. They were caring for six children and taking good care of them. I still have everything that I need to be comfortable and it is by God`s grace. How I ventured into acting I joined the movie industry before I gained admission into the university. I have the flair for acting, even while I was still in secondary school, I was acting. Then I used to participate in church drama and other activities. When I finished in secondary school, I told my mum that I wanted to act and she said ‘okay’. I took a bold step and got myself fully registered with the Actors Guild. My colleagues were updating me on the auditions going on in town. So, I started attending auditions. I think that was in 2007. Rise to stardom It’s not by my power, its actually God. I did a couple of movies back then, When I hit the limelight was when I did Clinic Matters in 2009. When we had the audition, there was so much crowd, it was tough because we were more than 400 girls and they needed only three. But I trusted in God. At the end of the audition, I was among the three persons that were picked, Theresa, Nurse Abigail and I, I played Titi and it was so interesting that I couldn’t walk on my street and other public places. People started calling me Nurse Titi even till date. I thank God that Clinic Matters brought me into the limelight. Parental opposition At the initial stage, my dad was not just comfortable with my acting. Not that he didn’t support it, he wasn’t just comfortable with it. It was normal in those days when every parent wanted their childern to be doctors, lawyers or something big. My dad wasn’t comfortable with my acting but my mum was fully in support of it. Then she wouldn’t say much but would encourage and give me transport money. My father later consented because I had an aunt in the industry who was doing well at that time. I am glad that today all members of my family are happy with me and they want me to do more in the industry. Challenges I have had many challenges jumping from one place to another. It wasn’t easy especially the auditions were very hectic. Another challenge I had was getting a script and going home to work on it only to find out later that the same movie has been released without them informing you. I thank God it is not happening anymore. On Nollywood The Nigerian movie industry is growing. It is amazing when people compare Nollywood and Hollywood. These people started years before us but today we are being rated alongside Hollywood. By God’s grace we are going to reach there. My unique selling point I think it is my smile. When people look at my face they would say that I am smiling. But it is not always good because people hardly know when you are sad. They will always keep complimenting you even when you are sad. My smiling face and my legs are my unique selling points. People like my legs especially when I am on heels. The way I walk, I think I have carriage. People fancy me because of who I am and the way I carry myself and the kind of things I do despite the fact that I am not all that tall. Most times what people keep telling me is that they like the way I dress, the way I package myself and the role I play in the movies. A lot of people appreciate my fashion sense because I love fashion a lot. What it takes to look good Well, it takes good money to look good. I spend good money to look good. I spend a lot when it comes to fashion. I love fashion a lot even when I am 100 years old I want to look good. When you see Naomi Ilumelu that is fashion for you. It’s not everybody that can wear white uniform from morning till night without staining it. When we’re shooting, we put on white uniform from dawn to dusk. So neatness in Clinic Matters is like five and six from the beginnning to the end. Cleanness is Godliness. New project I am shooting a movie entitled, College Girls Reloaded. It is about college girls. In the movie, I play the role of Cindy, a secondary school girl who knows everything and who starts having sex while in school. She does everything bad and she gets to deflower most boys in the school. She is just a crazy person. And eventually she doesn’t make it in life. That’s the project I am doing right now and I am also acting in Tinsel. In two months time, I am going to release my own movie. Impression about sex On a general note, sex is ordained by God for every man and woman who are joined together. I believe sex is for those who are married, they should have it and enjoy it. I wouldn’t say anything on my sex life now until I am married. It’s then I can open up on my sex life. My ring ? Oh, the ring I am wearing is just for fashion. I am not engaged. I am still single. Men do toast me Men are plenty on my list, they keep knocking on my door but I know if I get any man now I could get distracted. I wouldn’t say I am searching because I am so focused on my job. I don`t have time to hang around with men here and there. It is going to be a distraction for me which I really do not want right now. So, I am single but I am focused. I am too busy to have extra headache, I am not saying guys are headache but for now I don’t have any man in my life. It’s because I don’t need any distraction. Maybe when I graduate from university I can befriend one. On lesbianism I am not a lesbian and I will never be. God forbids that nonsense. I totally don’t support it. God doesn’t approve it. On love, of course, I do believe in love. Love is a strong thing and I believe in love. My ideal man My ideal man must be God fearing. He must be tall, dark and handsome, and capable enough to take care of me. I would like him to give me attention. I like a good man who is humble. I don’t need a noise maker. I need a man who can connect with my visions and dreams. On modeling I actually started as a model and you know that acting also entails fashion. In the movie industry, you have to be smart and clean. For fashion, I will say I grew up with it; my mum is a fashionable person. She loves fashion and she sells pure gold accessories. In fact, I grew up wearing gold. That’s what inspired my fashion sense. My own kind of modeling is photography modeling. Time management God is my strenght. Before I do anything, I have to go on my knees and pray. I am focused and I know what I am aiming at, so if I get a little distraction I can lose focus. I am managing my time well. Any little time I have, I make use of it. I still go back home to do my house chores; cook, wash etc. My male fans and I I will tell you the truth it is not easy. My male fans especially the stubborn ones never want to leave me alone. Even when I don’t attend to them, they are still pestering me. In the first place, I try to accommodate them. I don’t look down on them like trash or shout at them or be a snub. But when the interaction is getting out of hand, I will quietly excuse myself. You might call me or send email, I wouldn’t answer. Crazy thing a fan did to me I have this crazy fan that any time I go to my facebook page, all I see is recharge card airtime. He keeps sending and sending and I would say ‘okay, thank you don’t send any more, I appreciate it. I don’t want to reject your airtime’. But he keeps sending and asking for my phone number. I can`t give him my number. I don’t have to impress everybody. What I miss most I have missed a lot. I am a fan of boli (roasted plantain) and groundnut. I remember on my way to the National Theater for auditions in those days, I used to by boli and groundnuts from a woman. She knew me very well that I would equally buy on my way home. But since I became famous I couldn’t stop and buy boli again even when I tried to hide under a dark sunshade. Sometimes, I want to eat amala in a bukateria but I can`t sit down and eat or buy and take away any more. Sometimes, I would go to an event where an enticing meal is going round the table but due to a lot fans that are staring at me, I wouldn’t know what to do, I would rather leave the food. On nude roles I have never had any experience of sex for role because I am good at what I do. I think people who are getting these offers are those who are not good in what they do. Acting nude ? No! I could play semi nude; wear bra and pant but playing totally naked for the whole world to see, no! Fight over love Never, if I caught my man with another woman that means he wants to belong there. He can go. I can fight for my man when it is right, but not when you dabble in with another woman and you still expect me to come and fight for you, no! I can`t fight for love because another man will always come. When one door closes, another will definitely open. I can`t break my head for love. Advice to young ones Whatever you do, just be focused and make sure you have the vision of where you are going to. You have to strive to make good plan and have a target. You don’t allow any distraction to pull you out of it. You will get there for the fact that you are prayerful.