In an exclusive interview with the NET, winner of Big Brother Africa Amplified, Karen Igho, opened up on a lot of issues, including the reality show, her relationship with Denrele Edun and the infamous squabble at a Smirnoff gig.

 

Excerpts:

What has changed about you since you won the show in 2011?

I am still Karen Igho, but a mature one. A lot has changed. I am older and wiser now. You will not catch me doing certain things. I have seen life in a different way and I know a lot more now.

How does it feel being the reigning Nigerian with the Big Brother crown?

I feel very honoured and privileged that I still have the position as the last Nigerian winner of the show. However, I must add that to win the BBA is not a joke, whoever will, has to be a lot more entertaining than myself, Uti and Kevin Pam put together. I just think it is not time yet for a Nigerian. It’s just the right person needed.

What do you think was responsible for your victory?

I would say God. While I was preparing for the show, the last thing on my mind was how to win. I just wanted to have fun and learn as much as I could. I was lucky to understand that the best strategy for such games is to have no strategy to avoid unnecessary surprises.

What do you mean by unnecessary surprises?

Unnecessary surprises can be anything. You can wake up one day and realise you have been betrayed by a fellow housemate. We were young individuals locked in a room with cameras and constantly watched by millions of people. It was psychologically draining. We all had to fight for attention, respect and win games too. We needed to shout, be crazy or cause trouble to get all these.

What is your take on Nigeria’s performance at the last edition?

Let me first congratulate all of them for going there. I cannot blame any of them or say exactly what went wrong. Ola and Chris left on health grounds, which is a cogent reason. One’s health is a lot more important than money, but if they both had remained in that house, they would have won. Goldie too did her best. They are all cool people but I guess it was not time for a Nigerian.

 Do you think Goldie was being true or was playing a game?

I cannot say anything about that because I am not Goldie. I don’t know if she was being real or fake. I can only speak for myself. I was real and I did my thing but we are different.

Do you still feel hurt about the stories wriiten about you while in the house?

Not any more  I have forgiven everybody involved. The things written about me were not only false and untrue but slanderous too. I was locked up in the house and could not defend myself. People believed these untrue stories, about me and it continued to spread but I thank God I won the show and I have been able to win the hearts.

 Which of the stories got you most?

The one about me being a stripper was untrue. It still baffles me till date. I was locked up for 90 days with a sum of money at stake and as crazy as I was, I didn’t kiss or have sex with any guy and people could still write that I was a stripper.

Were you a stripper?

I was never a stripper. People don’t even know anything about me but are quick to believe the terrible things they heard. My mom is a very strong Christian and she built my spirituality. People who saw me like a wild card girl do not understand what it is being locked in a room with lots of alcohol and nothing to do. It is impossible not to misbehave but once you are back into the normal world, things change. How many times have I being caught smoking in public?

What then were you doing while in the UK?

My uncle helped with my trip to the UK and I went there to study. I studied Business Administration in Southwark College during which I took a summer class in Theatre Arts. All through my stay there, I survived in a legit way. I joined the UNICEF and other charity organisations, which had African countries in mind. I was also a sales girl for Karen Millen.

Which of the stories were true?

My having a rough childhood was true. My being a stripper wasn’t true. The breast story was true. I genuinely did the implant because I had breast lumps and two of my sisters have done the same (operations).

Tell us about your growing up

I am the first born of ten siblings. My family is a loving and caring one. They stood by me during the Big Brother days. My mother fought severally to defend me. I am from the Urhobo in Delta state, but I was born in Plateau state. I schooled in Jos and Warri. My growing up was not easy. My parents were separated and I had to live with my grand mum. It was not easy at all but I thank God.

What did you do with the money?

I built a house for my mum, another for my grand mum and I invested the rest. I am still hustling to make more money.

What is happening to your clothing line?

Karenified is still there. I rushed the first collection to meet with my birthday last year and because I wanted to raise some money for an orphanage, I planned to visit. It was successful but I want it bigger, so now I am taking my time and getting to understand the creative side of me better because I want it to reflect in the designs.

How did acting come into the picture?

While I was in the UK, studying business administration, I took a summer course in acting and tried my hands on some Shakespearian works. That and many other experiences I gathered improved my confidence in acting and presenting which are some of the things I now do.

What is your relationship with Denrele?

God brought Denrele into my life in a funny way in 2008. I just came back for a holiday (from UK) and my cousins invited me to his birthday party. There we met and exchanged contacts and became friends. He has been instrumental to where I am today and I am very grateful.

How true is the story that you both are dating?

Somebody started the joke on twitter recently and it went viral. Denrele is my brother and he knows the kind of guys I like.

Can you marry Denrele?

I don’t know the future but Denrele and I cannot get married. We have become one family.

Why are you yet to be married?

No be man go come first? Let’s just say I am waiting for God’s time but I am still working on my career and build the brand.

What kind of man do you like?

I want a God fearing and down to earth man and there must be strong chemistry.

Which Nigerian male celebrity will you date?

I know quite a few and would not want to call names. Besides most of them are married. If I mention anybody, you people (press) will be on my neck and once you see me with the person, another story begins. Nigerian acts are all wonderful people.

How did you get the Naija FM job?

I got the Naija FM job through Collete Otusheso (MTV). She encouraged me and introduced me to my boss, Gbemi (Olateru Olagbegi), Deji Awokoya (Beat FM) and since then, its been fun for me. I love the Naija FM family.

How was your first day on air?

I was nervous. I almost peed in my pant. I was confused and didn’t know what to do, but thanks to Ifektive and my other colleagues, they made it very easy for me and now I am loving it.

What project are you working at the moment?

At the moment, I am working on a Rukky Sanda movie and I have also gotten an invitation to be a part of a soap opera that will be aired across Africa.

What is the update on your assault case with Simrnoff gig?

We agreed to settle out of court because at the end of the day, the deed has been done and the lesson learnt. I also hope that with this the government stands up and ensure that our force men are properly trained on how to relate with the citizens

 

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has vowed never to stop doing good until God calls him to glory.

The retired military general in an interview with the newly established international television station, Arise TV, called on the need for international community to mobilise support the international coalition forces in Mali.

He stressed that the intervention was launched for the benefit of the global community.

The interview we learnt was recorded in London where the Ota farmer recently arrived for the launch of his Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation scheduled for tomorrow, February 8.

Asked when he would retire from the international stage, the former president averred: “There is no retirement in doing good in life and so long as you have breadth, you should continue to do good.”

Obasanjo while commending the efforts of the international coalition forces in Mali, said the Malian troops must be boosted through increased training to be able to handle the critical situation.

“The point is that if we have a situation anywhere in the world that affects the whole world, the world must be able to raise the needed money in order to deal with the situation,” adding “if the will is there, it would be done.”

According to him, his efforts in good works, which he said, were also being channeled through his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, were in the line of American presidents established the presidential libraries after leaving office.

 

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Jonah Oguniyi Otunla has lauded INEC over its decision to use Vice Chancellors of universities as returning officers in the 2011 election, saying that the idea was a brilliant one.

He said that the election was successful because the professors were not ready to compromise.

“2011 election was successful because of the employment of Vice Chancellors as INEC returning officers,” he said.

Otunla made this known yesterday, at Caleb University, Lagos that: “In 2015, if INEC has no better alternative, I think it is best to re-employ the service of Vice Chancellors because it has the best result on the 2011 election.”

According to him, judging by the calibre of people that were involved, it restored confidence in the electorates and gave credibility to the election. “So I wish the idea of INEC using them as returning officers should continue,” he added.

The financial expert who based his recommendation on the fact that the VC were empowered to announce the results of the election as given to them by INEC, said they did a nice job and were not manipulated, hence restoring the confidence of the electorates in election process.

Speaking on a lecture note entitled: “The impact of quality education on national development: where is funding situated?” Otunla dispelled the agitation from private universities that they should benefit from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) insisting that private universities are also profit making venture.

He said: “As private ventures or enterprises, private universities depend on income generated through a variety of sources. These according to him include; tuition fees, contributions from a variety of sources and income from investments.

Otunla enjoined private universities, which maintain academic standard, to continue in their good works, saying that “the public is watching, one day some one will come and assist financially, just as it is being done in the US and UK”.
“If you want quality education, you must be ready to pay for it. I have three children and non of them is in private university because I cannot afford it,” he said.

However, as part of his commitment towards education, Otunla has pledged N100,000 endowment fund for the best graduating student of accounting department of Caleb University effect from 2013.

Otunla who berated the manner with which teachers are treated said: Our country should celebrate teachers as it is done in overseas, reiterating that the teaching profession is more important than any other profession as all professions were taught by teachers.

He said: “The role teachers play qualify them to have a say in the national development as quality teachers will produce quality students who will drive the national economy. If you have a bad teacher, you cannot have a good student”

In a recent interview, Nollywood actor and producer, Ibrahim Chatta, insisted that his former wife’s attitude, was the reason he divorced her. Chatta, who is now in his second marriage, debunked allegations that what tore his first union apart, was assault and battery.

However, his former wife, Yinka Solomon, in an interview with Bononline.tv, has told her own side of the story – even revealing that she even lost her first pregnancy, after one of his assault.

 

Here is the full text of what she said:

We met in 2007. We started living together right from 2008, he was my first love. I have never dated any other guy in my life. He dis-flowered me, that made me submit my self to him, hoping that when ever he has money we can do introduction and other things.

He was a womanizer, a gold digger, he collected all the money in my Account before my eyes was opened. When he saw that I didn’t have money again, he started misbehaving, bringing women into the house.

I had my first pregnancy in 2007, but due to constant beating, I lost the pregnancy. I had another one in 2008 and gave birth Feb 2009.

Thank God I have a mother if not I would have been suffering. 3 months after the naming of my baby, he brought his girlfriend into the house. I cooked for them and slept in the guest room. People can testify to it.

He told me he was sorry that the lady would only spend the weekend in the house and I agreed. But a week passed and she didn’t go, when asked him he started beating me, that was how I left his house the first time.

I caught him and another woman in our bed naked. Its a very sad story. I regret ever meeting Ibrahim Chatta, He treated me like a slave.

As the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off this weekend in South Africa, Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, has vowed that if Nigeria wins the tournament, he will go half naked.

Enyeama, who is on loan at Maccabi Tel Aviv from Ligue 1 side Lille, is likely to be in between the posts for Stephen Keshi’s team, after Austine Ejide picked up a thigh injury.

“It will be a dream come true and I am certain I will strip to my shorts. Yes, let everyone hear it that I will strip to my shorts if we are champions,” the former Enyimba goalie said.

Beyond the continental fiesta, Enyeama is looking to keep playing till he is 40 years or more.

“I aim to keep playing until am 40 years old. If possible I wish to play till I am 42. I work hard and I am focused. I know that if I do as little as I did today (he spoke to supersport.com after the Super Eagles’ victory over Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam) in more matches then I can easily play that long.”

The stopper however said he takes each match as it comes, even as Nigeria awaits its first trophy in 19 years.

“Personally, I do not think we are looking at the trophy for now. We want to win the first game, then the next and then the one after that,” he said.

“Nigerians should have faith in us, believe the best of us and pray for us. It is not beyond our abilities to win the competition with God on our side.”

 

BBC’s African correspondent, Oluwashina Okeleji, has reported a blunder made by President Jacob Zuma, as his country prepares to host Africa.

The President reportedly said on national TV that “I hope the Africa Cup of Nations is won by an African team this time”.

Apparently, his media aides did not prep Zuma well for his Dame Patience moment, as the continental fiesta, is always competed for by African countries and is played on African soil.

The competition kicks off today with Zuma’s nation, South Africa squaring up against Cape Verde.

 



Controversial Nollywood actress, Cossy Orjiakor, has reacted angrily to an open letter published by a blogger, Ngozi Kanwiro, calling her “jobless” and “a low life”.

Kanwiro had written about the reckless and notorious lifestyle both Cossy and Tonto Dikeh live and the former didn’t take it likely on Twitter last night.

She tweeted: “What impact ve u made in ur community or nigeria as a country. Tonto and I have been able 2 draw attention to Nigeria internationally.

“We are simply not on d same social strata. Go and cook for ur husband and let those making an impact in d world be. Ur simply a nonentity.

“Stupidity at its heights..how can a low life igbo woman write a letter to me and tonto abt our supposed dirty lifestyle. SMH ur so jobless.”

Here is the open letter written by the blogger:

An Open Letter To Cossy Orjiakor and Tonto Dikeh & Appeal To Ohanaeze Ndigbo – By Ngozi Kanwiro
The unscrupulous lifestyles of Igbo NOLLYWOOD Actresses, Cossy Orjiakor and Tonto Dikeh are just becoming too unbearable.

This duo has ignorantly and intentionally refused to stop their no-longer interesting/entertaining lifestyles that are now tarnishing the image of the Igbo female group as a whole.

It is so disheartening how Cossy has continued to tarnish the image of our Igbo sisters through her dirty lifestyles that now give all Nigerians the impression that Igbo ladies are all prostitutes using their bodies to climb to the ladder of fame in all works of life, whereas in reality, it is not true, rather it is being practiced by few unscrupulous Igbo girls who have nothing else to offer to the Nigerian society aside exposing their God-given feminine physique in sexual-appealing manner to gain popularity, and by giving out their supposed holy-bodies to men (married and single) so long as he can pay the price.

Please Cossy and Tonto, Nigerians and most importantly, Ndigbo are no longer finding your ugly, dirty lifestyles funny, please you girls should turn a new leaf this new year and embrace God in your lives for your own good. You two maybe thinking that you are on top of the game, but you are only causing yourselves more harm than good, and if you ladies refuse to change for better, you will surely reap a negative fruit in future to come.

Finally, I am using this medium with other mediums to follow, to call on the Ohanaeze Ndigbo society to please write personally to Cossy Orjiakor and Tonto Dikeh to change their lifestyles as soon as possible, and if they fail or pay deaf ear, then the Ohanaeze Ndigbo should write to NOLLYWOOD, PMAN, Nigeria Censorship Agency, and every other entertainment industry in Nigeria through the major national dailies in Nigeria, to ban them from participating in Nigerian entertainment industries of any kind.

This is so sad because they are no longer entertaining Nigerians but rather teaching the upcoming Nigeria youths bad moral conducts.

Just see the unimaginable picture an African woman of Igbo origin posted publicly online in the name of entertaining her so-called fans. Yes, such rubbish can be done in the west, this is Africa, Nigeria and this also goes beyond to tarnishing the name of Igbo tribe. Spread this message as fast as you can.

 

In a truly revealing interview with Punch Newspaper, Foluke Daramola, admitted that she had been raped when she was much younger and spoke on her career and Nollywood.

Excerpts:

 

Why I am more into movie production than acting

I am a person that is very restless in nature. I have been acting for over 18 years. I feel that it is becoming monotonous for me; doing the same old thing over and over again, despite the fact that creativity is dropping by the day. I still do a bit of acting; it is just that I am more of a production person. I am even derailing a bit back into doing English soap operas which was what I started out from. I started with soap opera and English movies before I delved into Yoruba movies.

Competition from upcoming actors

The only thing that is constant in life is change. If you do not look beyond and think outside of the box, you are going to box yourself in the corner. What I mean by that is that there is no how you would not grow. There is this proverb that says you have to take a bow when the ovation is loudest. Taking a bow doesn’t mean leaving the scene; it means you should go and re-strategise and find ways to work around things that would make you relevant. There is no way I would say my younger colleagues should not grow. I started out when I was a teenager and I have had my fair share of the industry. I’m still having it. I’m still staying relevant. The only thing you can do is just to make yourself relevant. A threat from the younger generation is not one that relates with me. I am not one that would sit in a corner. A lot of my colleagues ask why I read so much. I just had my masters degree, I am going for my Ph.D. I believe in dynamism and upgrading myself at every point in time so nobody is a threat to me.

Journey so far

When I started I was very young. I was about 16 years and I had not entered the university for my first degree. At that time, I was a young girl who wanted to have fun and I did not see myself as anything. One thing about me is that I have had it in my sub-conscious that stardom would not change me or take anything away from me. I have had my challenges, times when I wanted to party with my friends, go to clubs, parties, go out to have fun. People see me and begin to talk. At each point in time, because I was a teenager, I might have made one or two mistakes. At the end of the day, I learnt while growing up in the industry that you do not do things like this, you just walk around them. It is just part of learning in life. I am not one person that regrets anything. I just learn from my past. Anything I have done in life, I do not wish they never happened.

My dream of becoming a lecturer

I have always wanted to be a diplomat. I have always loved to be a lecturer; that is why I’m still upgrading my education. I had a scholarship in Canada but I had to postpone my admission to take another course. It is an ongoing process.

My parents’ reaction to my career

My dad is late; I lost him when I was very young. My mum was strongly against my movie career. She felt that I would be too exposed. Later, my mentors called her, spoke to her and gave her the assurance that I would still go to school. They told her that I would still be educated and do the normal things people do. She grudgingly agreed but I’m sure she has not regretted it so far. I sneaked to location several times after she said I should not go. There was a time she had to shave my head because I sneaked to location. I thought I would be back home that day but I did not get to our house until 2am. She was really worried; immediately she saw me, she picked a pair of scissors and shaved my head. I had to put relaxer on my hair to make it look like rough curls. Later, when she saw that I was determined and dogged about it, she allowed me. She just made me to sign an undertaking that I was going to go to school. She is an educationist so I had to sign and give her the assurance that I was going to go to school.

My first crush

I would say that my first crush was my first relationship. I was about 17 years old then. Unfortunately, he was not the first person I had sex with. I share it with the younger generation because it is something that has been talked about but I have got over it. The first time I had sex, I was raped. I had my first relationship with the first person I had a crush on, Seun Olomofe. He is one of the most caring and considerate persons I have ever met in my life. He was my mother’s close friend’s son. He was one person that showed me so much love. He was always there for me; he was the first person to ever make me a special card. I had a huge crush on him. When sex was not coming to play in the relationship, he said he was tired and I was so heart-broken. I was supposed to go to University of Lagos; it was because of him I changed my admission to Obafemi Awolowo University. I saw him as an epitome of the kind of person I would like to spend the rest of my life with. That was the first major crush that I had.

My first sexual encounter

My first introduction to sex was rape. It was with one of our tenants. I got so close to him and saw him as an elder brother. He looked at me as someone that had been exposed because I was busty and he thought I had had a sexual experience before. So he had his way with me. Then it was not something you tell the whole world. People said we should keep quiet about it. Then they tried to make trouble with him but subsequently people said we should keep quiet about it. We had to try and manage it in our own way even though it affected me for a long time psychologically. I had to gradually get over it. I believed so much in the principle of keeping your virginity till you are married. I started showbiz from Teen TV on DBN with Chichi Okaro. Then I used to be so vocal and when we spoke about pre-marital sex and virginity, I was always so passionate about it. It was such a disadvantage and a pity for me.

My experience as a busty lady

At the initial stage, I used to be so ashamed of myself. At that time, I would wear clothes that would not let my bust be noticeable. I was trying everything I could so that it would not be obvious. Subsequently, when I started acting and reading books, I read a book that said the best admirer you have is yourself and the way you carry yourself is how people would take you. I had to psyche myself to love it. After I did so, I noticed that I was getting advances even from people I didn’t expect, like some of my late father’s friends. Being a deep thinker, I always look at the advantage of everything, I saw that it was something I could not change so I had to make the best out of it. I got it into my sub-conscious that it was a plus than minus. I have had reasons to talk to a lot of people that are busty and who do not appreciate themselves. They now see it as an asset than a liability.

Errors in subtitles of Yoruba movies

The reason why that occurs is because we all want to be a jack of all trades and master of none. The few people that are educated know that there are supposed to be professionals for everything .The ones that are not believe that because they have a popular face, they are already stars and can do anything and get away with it. It’s partly the reason I reduced acting because it was already becoming a mess. If you know you are good at acting and you are a popular face, it does not mean you know it all. Some people are perfect for some jobs but because they want to cut corners and believe they can do it better than the next person, they make a mess of it.

My recent project

I am working on my latest project called Cobwebs. It is a cinema-bound movie. We take our movies to the cinema because we are expanding our scope. Home videos are giving us a lot of problems. So we have decided to do something else that would expand our network. We are shooting that. We are planning on featuring Femi Kuti in the movie. We are still talking with him. I know he doesn’t act but if I can get him, it would be a big break.

About my love life

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