Veteran singer, Bright Chimezie aka Ziggima, turns 60 today October 1.
He shared lovely new photos of himself and his family as he celebrates his birthday.
''Hello Good people of the world, I am 60 years old today!
I feel blessed and I'm thankful to God, the maker of heaven and earth. I'm also grateful to you all.
The Ziggima engine still revs.'' he wrote as he shared the photos
Happy birthday to him!
INDEPENDENCE DAY ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE OCCASION OF NIGERIA’S SIXTIETH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY, THURSDAY 1ST OCTOBER 2020
Fellow Nigerians
I speak to you today as your President and fellow citizen on this epoch occasion of our country’s 60th independence Anniversary. As President, I wish to renew my appreciation to Nigerians for entrusting me with your hopes and aspirations for a better and greater Nigeria.
2. Today, it is my unique privilege to re-commit myself to the service of this great country of great people with profound diversities and opportunities. We are bound by destiny to be the largest and greatest black nation on earth.
3. At this stage in our nationhood it is important that we reflect how we got here to enable us work TOGETHER to get to where we aspire to be as a strong indivisible nation, united in hope and equal in opportunity.
4. On October 1st 1960 when Prime Minister Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa received the constitutional instruments symbolizing Nigeria’s independence, he expressed his wish that having acquired our rightful status as an independent sovereign nation, history would record that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace.
5. This optimism was anchored on the peaceful planning, full and open consultation and harmonious cooperation with the different groups which culminated in Nigeria emerging as a country without bitterness and bloodshed.
6. Our founding fathers understood the imperative of structuring a National identity using the power of the state and worked towards unification of Nigerians in a politically stable and viable entity.
7. That philosophy guided the foundation that was laid for our young nation of 45 million people with an urban population of approximately 7million occupying an area of 910,768 square kilometers. These demographics led to development challenges for which major efforts were made to overcome.
8. Today, we grapple with multiple challenges with a population exceeding 200million occupying the same land mass but 52% residing in urban areas.
9. Sixty years of nationhood provides an opportunity to ask ourselves questions on the extent to which we have sustained the aspirations of our founding fathers. Where did we do the right things? Are we on course? If not where did we stray and how can we remedy and retrace our steps?
10. Upon attaining independence, Nigeria’s growth trajectory was anchored on policies and programmes that positively impacted on all sectors of the economy. However, this journey was cut short by the 30-months of civil war.
11. We came out of the civil war with a focus on reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation that enabled the country to put in place world-class development structures and a strengthened public service that well served the government. This positive trajectory continued with a return to democratic government which was truncated by another round of military rule.
12. For a cumulative 29 of our 60 years existence as a nation, we have been under military rule.
13. My summary of our journey so far as a nation is necessary to appropriately chart where we need to go and how to get there TOGETHER.
14. Today, I am aware that our economy along with every single economy in the world is in crisis. We still face security challenges in parts of the country, while our society suffers from a high loss of moral rectitude which is driven by unbridled craving for political control.
15. An underlying cause of most of the problems we have faced as a nation is our consistent harping on artificially contrived fault-lines that we have harboured and allowed unnecessarily to fester.
16. In addition, institutions such as civil service, police, the judiciary, the military all suffered from a general decline.
17. We need to begin a sincere process of national healing and this anniversary presents a genuine opportunity to eliminate old and outworn perceptions that are always put to test in the lie they always are.
18. The stereotype of thinking of ourselves as coming from one part of the country before seeing ourselves as Nigerians is a key starting point to project us on the road to our deserved nation’s evolution and integration.
19. To start this healing process, we are already blessed with the most important asset any nation requires for such – OUR PEOPLE – and this has manifested globally in the exploits of Nigerians in many fields.
20. It has been demonstrated time and time again that Nigerians in the diaspora frequently excel in science, technology, medicine, sports, arts and many other fields.
21. Similarly, the creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Nigerian at home have resulted in globally recognized endeavours.
22. I am convinced that if we pursue our aspirations TOGETHER we would be able to achieve whatever we desire. That informed our adopting the theme TOGETHER to mark this epochal event.
23. Together we can change our condition for the better and more importantly, together we can do much more for ourselves and for our country.
24. I chose the path of self-reflection because this is what I do on a daily basis and I must confess that at most times, I always felt the need for a collective reflection as I know that the foundation for a solid future which this administration is laying can only be sustainable if there is a collective commitment by Nigerians.
25. Nigeria is not a country for Mr. President, any ruling or opposition party but a country for all of us and we must play our part, irrespective of challenges we face, to make this country what we desire.
26. To achieve this, we must focus our minds, TOGETHER as a people, on ways of resolving the identified critical challenges that underlie our present state. These include:
a. Evolving and sustaining a democratic culture that leaves power in the hands of the people;
b. Supporting the enthronement of the rule of law, demanding accountability of elected representatives and contributing to good governance;
c. Increasing our commitment to peaceful co-existence in a peaceful, secure and united Nigeria;
d. Harnessing and Optimizing our tremendous human and natural resources to attain our goal of being in the top twenty economies of the world and in the process;
e. Lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years;
f. Strengthening institutions to make them stronger in protecting National Interests; and
g. Imbibing tolerance in diversity.
27. I am a firm believer in transparent, free, fair and credible elections as has been demonstrated during my period as a democratically elected President.
28. The recent build-up and eventual outcome of the Edo State elections should encourage Nigerians that it is my commitment to bequeath to this country processes and procedures that would guarantee that the people’s votes count.
29. The problems with our electoral process are mainly human induced as desperate desire for power leads to desperate attempts to gain power and office.
30. Democracy, the world over and as I am pursuing in Nigeria, recognizes the power of the people. However, if some constituencies choose to bargain off their power, they should be prepared for denial of their rights.
31. This call is made more urgent if we realise that even after a transparent, free, fair and credible election, desperation leads to compromising the judiciary to upturn legitimate decisions of the people.
32. It is necessary to, therefore support the enthronement of the rule of law by avoiding actions which compromise the judiciary.
33. Fellow Nigerians, our history has shown that we are a people that have the capacity to live peacefully with one another.
34. As a government, we remain committed to our constitutional oath of securing the lives and properties of the citizenry. I, however, call on the citizenry to also support government by providing the necessary community level intelligence in addressing these challenges.
35. In moving forward together, it is important to strengthen our economy to provide sustainable means of livelihood for as many Nigerians as possible so as to eradicate absolute poverty from our midst.
36. I want to re-emphasize my dedication and commitment, a dedication and commitment that propelled my public service career and informed my quest to continually seek for an opportunity to improve the lives of Nigerians, set the country on the path of prosperity and lead the country to a better future.
37. This administration has been focused on rebuilding and laying the foundations for a sustainable Nigeria. Of course, we have met and are still meeting the challenges inherent in any rebuilding initiative – more so that of a nation like Nigeria that has undergone avoidable levels of deprivation – but can be surmounted if we all work together.
38. I wish to re-iterate that our people and our spirit of excellence remains our most important asset.
39. In this wise, the need to return to our age-old ethical and high moral values would be necessary and this informed my launching of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy on Monday 28th September, 2020.
40. The policy would not implement itself and the first contact of the visibility of its implementation is the Public Service whose on-going reforms would be expected to be sustainable and give a radical re-direction in providing services to all Nigerians.
41. Fellow Nigerians, in addition to public health challenges of working to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, we have suffered a significant drop in our foreign exchange earnings and internal revenues due to 40 per cent drop in oil prices and steep drop in economic activities, leading to a 60 per cent drop in government revenue.
42. Our government is grappling with the dual challenge of saving lives and livelihoods in face of drastically reduced resources.
43. In this regard, sustaining the level of petroleum prices is no longer possible. The government, since coming into office has recognized the economic argument for adjusting the price of petroleum. But the social argument about the knock-on effect of any adjustment weighed heavily with the government.
44. Accordingly, in the last three years, we have introduced unprecedented measures in support of the economy and to the weakest members of our society in the shape of:
a. Tradermoni
b. Farmermoni
c. School Feeding Programme
d. Job creation efforts
e. Agricultural intervention programmes
45. No government in the past did what we are doing with such scarce resources. We have managed to keep things going in spite of the disproportionate spending on security. Those in the previous Governments from 1999 – 2015 who presided over the near destruction of the country have now the impudence to attempt to criticize our efforts.
46. In the circumstances, a responsible government must face realities and take tough decisions.
47. Petroleum prices in Nigeria are to be adjusted. We sell now at N161 per litre. A comparison with our neighbours will illustrate the point;
a. Chad which is an oil producing country charges N362 per litre
b. Niger, also an oil producing country sells 1 litre at N346.
c. In Ghana, another oil producing country, petroleum pump price is N326 per litre.
48. Further afield, Egypt charges N211 per litre. Saudi Arabia charges N168 per litre. It makes no sense for oil to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia.
49. Fellow Nigerians, to achieve the great country we desire, we need to solidify our strength, increase our commitment and encourage ourselves to do that which is right and proper even when no one is watching.
50. Fellow Nigerians, let us collectively resolve to continue our journey beyond the sixty years on the clear understanding that as a nation we are greater together than being smaller units of nationalities. By the special grace of God we shall come through any transient challenges.
51. It is my sincere hope that by the end of this anniversary on September 30th 2021, we will all be proud of taking this individual and collective self-assessment for the progress of our great Nation.
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
God Bless us all. Thank you.
A woman has narrated how her husband and her mother, who was still married to her father at the time, betrayed her by having an affair when she was on her death bed in a hospital.
The woman's mother had moved in with her son-in-law to help him care for her grandchild since her daughter was in the hospital. But they began an affair that ended in marriage.
Kamylla de Melo said she will never forgive her mother and her husband - the two people she trusted the most - for the betrayal.
Kamylla spoke about her ordeal in a candid interview reported by Brazilian news outlet Noamazonaseassim.
Kamylla
She said: "As a teenager my mother first started to compete with me. She was only 20 years older than me, and said that my clothes were better suited to her, that her food was better. Nothing I did was good enough.
Kamylla (R) with her mother (L)
"When I was 25, I fell in love with a boy ten years older than me.
"We got married in August 2013 and, the following year, our now six-year-old son was born from a complicated pregnancy.
Kamylla and her son
"At the end of 2017, I needed to have bariatric surgery. The idea was not to lose weight but to take care of my hormonal rates. After operating, I had a stroke and needed to be hospitalised again.
"During this period, my mother - I swear I can't call her a mother anymore - went to my house to help my husband take care of my son who at the time, was 4 years old. My father had stayed in the interior of Pernambuco with my younger brother."
She explained that while she was mostly unconscious in the hospital, her mother never visited her.
She said: "Only later did I learn that in the four months I spent in the hospital, much of the time between life and death, my ex had only visited me twice and my mother, none."
She added that her father came to get her out of the hospital on March 22nd, 2018 and told her the news of the affair.
She said: "I had the worst pain of my life. And it wasn't physical. Without much ado, my father, who had already taken my son, said that his wife and my husband were having an affair.
"It looked like he was being stabbed in the chest, a mixture of disappointment and disbelief.
"I called my mother. Very nervous, I said that I had left the hospital, that I was alive and asked if it was true that they were together. The answer? That yes, together and very happy. I couldn't believe what I heard."
Kamylla revealed during the interview that her mother and her ex-husband are now married and following a court order, Kamylla’s son has weekly contact with her ex-husband and mother.
Kamylla added: "My son stays with his father two or three times a week, by court order. It is not easy, but I am obliged to allow my little one to live with this toxic and harmful relationship.
"I recently learned that my mother is keen to celebrate their relationship anniversary on March 2, without even disguising that she started going out with my then-husband while I was in the hospital.
"Almost two years after I separated, I found a nice guy and started dating. We have been together for 10 months, in a respectful and ethical relationship. I have a beautiful and close family, my father is loving and my son is perfect."
Kamylla with her father and her son
Nigerians have expressed their displeasure with a part of the President's speech marking the country's 60th Independence anniversary.
In his Independence Day speech, President Muhammadu Buhari addressed a number of topics, including thanking Nigerians for entrusting him with hopes for a better country. He also reiterated his commitment to the service of Nigeria.
However, a part of his speech caught people's attention and led to criticisms.
The part reads: "Democracy, the world over and as I am pursuing in Nigeria, recognizes the power of the people. However, if some constituencies choose to bargain off their power, they should be prepared for denial of their rights."
Nigerians opined that the president's statement was inappropriate. Some asked what constituencies he was referring to.
Read some Twitter reactions below.
American comedian/actor, Kevin Hart and his wife, Eniko Hart have welcomed their second child together.
Eniko, 36, took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce the arrival of their daughter, Kaori Mai Hart, who they welcomed on Tuesday, September 29.
She wrote in her caption: 'A little bit of heaven sent down to earth. welcome to the world baby girl. we couldn’t love you more. Kaori Mai Hart. 9.29.20.'
The Inspector-General of Police and Delta State Police Commissioner have been restrained from effecting the arrest or detention of Former Minister of State for Education, Kenneth Gbagi by a federal high court.
LIB reported that Gbagi was declared wanted by the police over his hotel staff who were allegedly assaulted and stripped naked over a missing money.
The former Minister has now obtained an ex-parte application for the enforcement of his fundamental rights from a federal high court in Abuja.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo in his ruling, granted Gbagi leave to serve the originating processes and all other subsequent processes in the suit on the Delta State Commissioner of Police by substituted means.
He subsequently adjourned the case till October 16 for hearing.
Iyabo Ojo took to Twitter to advise her followers not to allow others talk them down or foist labels on them.
The actress/business woman revealed that she didn't get much formal education and was called a "blockhead", yet she identified her area of strength and made good use of it.
She added that she now employs graduates then asked who the blockhead is now.
She wrote:
I no too go school, i might be a block head academically like someone called me but trust me, God blessed me with abundant wisdom, knowledge & grace, blessed me with great talent that I never knew I had, today i'm a fantastic & success actress, a successful business woman & a happy woman
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Today I'm highly favored & blessed
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My darling brothers & sisters,
don't let no one talk you down, don't let no one look down on you, don't let no one make you feel lesser than yourself, when you carry a special grace people will want to talk you down or just dislike you for no reason,
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Today i employ graduates, today my kids are all doing great Thank you Lord
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Na who come be block head
na only ND i get oooooooo, yesssssss ke!!
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I gave up education for my kids yessss ke!! but today I have no regrets,
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Anyways I'm going back to school soon to complete my dreams........... E go shock you .....
