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 vice president Atiku Abubakar has reacted to the content of a book, “The Accidental Public Servant”, authored by former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El-rufai.

Reacting via his Facebook page, the Turakin Adamawa said it was unfortunate that El-rufai could say a number of untrue things about him.

Atiku in the message said: “It amazes me that el-Rufai can pass off fiction for self-gratification at the expense of truth as a book.

“El-Rufai’s attack on my person is to say the least not surprising considering that this is the same man who has notoriety for disparaging religions and their icons, including lately Jesus Christ.

“If he could go to such irreverent extent to disparage religious icons, who is an ordinary mortal like me? It is my belief that any man that can cross the boundary of reason and decency deserves prayers rather than anger.

“I wish to state that the book is as a collection of fiction, half-truths, exaggeration and reflection of selective memory.

He said he was particularly piqued by the claim of el-Rufai that he had almost resigned as the former Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) because of alleged persistent pressure and interference by me as Chairman of the National Council on Privatization.

Atiku noted that the former FCT Minister forgot so soon what he said at the Senate Public Hearing on BPE August 8-13, 2011. That committee, which did an amazing work, was headed by Senator Ahmed Lawan.

Speaking further, he said “We need to recall el-Rufai as saying he had special relationship with former President Obasanjo, which gave him direct access and the discretion to bypass the Council on Privatization then headed by me in order to get the approval of the President.

He wonder how el-Rufai could reconcile his threat of resignation with the accounts he told the Senate about the latitude of freedom he enjoyed at BPE because of his closeness to former President Obasanjo.

In that testimony, el-Rufai told the Senate that, and I quote: “Thank you very much Distinguished Senator. Mr. Chairman, as a matter of principle Mr. Chairman, I am reluctant to judge my successors. So, whenever I do a job, I move on; I don’t comment on what my successors have done. All I can say is this. Mr. Chairman, if you go through my tenure in BPE, you will see that we try to do everything by the rules, by the book. And we resisted every attempt at political interference. There is a process; step by step. Privatization is a mechanical process. Once you have the process published, every step should not be missed. And there was never a time that we deviated from that process.

“We took everything we did to the privatization council. That’s how we ran the place. And I swear to God, I am under oath. Except for one time that the vice president called me and said; look I’ve got calls from A and B to help this guy win this, I said Mr. Vice president you know the rules, tell him to bid the highest price because the highest price wins and he said yes I know, I am just telling you in case they contact you. And I don’t want them to say I didn’t pass on their requests. That was the only time. But no one tried to interfere with my work. There were attempts to block it. President Obasanjo blocked the privatization of Nigeria airways practically. Okay because Kema Chikwe will go and tell him stories. And what is the result today. The company is dead.”

“The claim by el-Rufai that former President Obasanjo went on bended knees before me to seek his cooperation for second term bid in 2003, is a figment of his own wild imagination.

“Such claim lacks any credibility because Obasanjo and I were alone together behind closed doors.

“I wonder whether el-Rufai was a fly on the wall to discuss the details of a private meeting between the two of us.

Atiku concluded by saying that he believes that rather than el-Rufai feeding the public with such fabrications, the former Minister should have provided or quoted the authority for such claim since he was not at the private meeting between former President Obasanjo and me.

 

Victor Umeh, who was removed Friday as the national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has reacted to the judgement, saying he saw it coming.
Umeh was sacked alongside other members of the National Executive Council, NEC, of the party by an Enugu High Court presided over by Justice Innocent Umezulike, Chief Judge of Enugu State.
The court voided the congress which produced Umeh and other national officers of the party in 2011.
Reacting to the judgment, Umeh declared his intention to appeal the verdict, which he said did not come to him as a surprise.
“This conclusion he reached is one he actually reached before he commenced trial in this matter. Going by the orders he made it is very clear that he is confused in his judgment. He voided the convention of APGA that held on February 10, 2011 and sacked the entire executive elected with me because the election was declared a nullity.
“And he turned around to make an order that the NEC of APGA is bound to meet to elect national officers of the party; it shows that he did not read the constitution of APGA. First of all of you remove the entire NEC; he has practically left the party without any leadership; so who is going to convene the meeting that will elect officers of the party.
“There was a prayer in the originating summons which he avoided and went into rhetoric’s; the plaintiff asked for an order that congresses shall commence from the wards, local governments, state and to national convention to elect officers of the party; he did not make any pronouncements on that prayer knowing that there is no way he can validly make such order.
“Also, the national convention which he voided elected 29 national committee members of APGA; the plaintiff sued only me, who was elected national chairman; if he was challenging my election through that convention he was bound to join all those elected by the convention but he didn’t do so; that is why we have said that the suit before him was incompetent; necessary parties were not joined.
“So the orders he made cannot be sustained on appeal; it clearly shows that he is desperately on a manhunt for the national chairman of APGA without thinking of the damage his pronouncements against me will do to the party. We have no confidence in the judgment and we are not moved; we knew that was what he was going to say; in-fact for two weeks now, exactly all he read out were the orders the people at Government House Awka were telling people he was going to make”, he noted.
Continuing, Umeh who had on the course of this matter petitioned the National Judicial Commission, accusing the judge of bias said: “we are very happy to be out of his court; he has finished his business on this matter and the consolation is that there are two higher courts, the Appeal and the Supreme Court; until these courts adjudicate on this matter there is nobody who will step in as chairman of APGA. So nothing has been lost.
“At a point when he started mishandling this matter I petitioned to the National Judicial Council (NJC) who in turn queried him; he replied to the query on November 7, 2012; the CJN sent to me his reply and asked me to make further reaction; and I will tell you that we have comprehensively reviewed his reply; he completely evaded all the allegations against him.
“Remember that we even asked him to re-assign the case and also filed a motion for him to disqualify himself from the matter based on bias; he refused to say things about his actions in the judgment today; why he did not disqualify himself or re-assign the matter. So I don’t see how the matter has closed; the important thing to me is that we are out of Umezuluike’s court.
“So I will go on appeal; put a stay on the execution of this judgment until the court of appeal reviews it; I also have right of further appeal to the Supreme Court. So the sponsors of this have nothing to celebrate. I urge my members to remain calm.”
“By sacking the National Working Committee of APGA that was elected at the National Convention of 10th February 2011 which the court declared null and void, Justice Umezulike has completely decapitated APGA and left it without a leadership. This is like removing the head of a trailer and the body of the trailer can no longer move.
“By this his judgement, there is no organ of the party left to execute the orders he made, therefore the orders are in vain. Nobody including Governor Peter Obi, the sponsor of this suit can derive any benefit from the judgment until the matter is determined at the two levels of appeal available (Court of Appeal and Supreme Court).
“Umezulike’s mishandling of this case is still being handled by the National Judicial Council which forwarded to me Umezulike’s reply to my petition last month for my further reaction, which I submitted to the Chairman of NJC on February 5, 2011″.

Don Jazzy has dismissed claims that he has a son from a failed marriage in the UK.

Just yesterday, several reports went viral on the Internet, which claimed the Mavin boss was once married and had a child with a mystery woman. In an interview, which the sources credited to Punch Newspapers, Don Jazzy allegedly said: “I’m single because I’ve not found the woman that my spirit agrees with.

“I was once married in the United Kingdom, but it was short lived. The union produced a son named after me. I don’t want to experience a collapsed marriage again. That is why I am taking my time, working and praying for a soul mate.”

However, he has now taken to Twitter to deny such rumours, calling the stories false. One of his fans sent him a tweet asking about the existence of the child and he replied firmly: “Unless u re the son, this is FALSE.”

Jim Iyke has once again ripped into blogger, Linda Ikeji, after she posted semi-naked pictures of the Nollywood actor on her blog.

Miss Ikeji, who had a similar face-off with the controversial Iyke last year, had infact added the caption ‘Jim Iyke Shows Off Six Pack’ …‘Every time I write about this dude he comes after me on Twitter, but I must do my job na…lol. Nice body’ beneath the picture.

If she was expecting a backlash, she certainly got it from Iyke, who took to his Twitter page to call her names.

“It’s m handle and my space. I do wit it wtf I pls. If dat hermophrodite witch LINDA n her lame employees dt like it then hug a transformer!” he tweeted via his @jimiykeofficial handle.

In an atmosphere of constant defence, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday defended his administration while being confronted with sensitive security questions regarding Nigeria.

The president who was in an interview with Christine Amapour on CNN said Boko Haram terrorist organization was not a product of misrule or poverty.

Jonathan said, “The sect was not borne out of misrule, definitely not; sometimes people feel it is a result of poverty, but no. Boko Haram is a local terror group and that’s why we call on the rest of the world to work with us and that is why we are talking about Algeria, we are talking about northern Mali and our belief is that if you allow terror to exist in any part of the world, it will not just affect that country or that state, it will affect the rest of the globe and we should not play politics with Boko Haram.”

Jonathan had said that the Boko Haram crisis that is gradually taking over some African countries must be contained as quick as possible before it takes over the entire continent.

He said “Definitely, Boko Haram, if it is not contained, will be a threat. Not only to Nigeria, but to West Africa, North Africa, and Central Africa and of course we know that we have element of Boko Haram link up with some of the al Qeada operating in Northern Mali and other North African countries,” Jonathan said in the nightly programme monitored in Lagos.

Jonathan pledged to work with friendly governments around the world to challenge the menace. He said “ we are ready to work with other nationals and friendly governments to make sure that we contain the problems in the sub-region.”

Making reference to the Algerian terror attacks where about 37 people were killed last week, Amanpour had asked the president whether Nigeria was prepared to contain attacks of such magnitude, and he responded thus; “Yes, what happened in Algeria was unfortunate. That is why the government has been working day and night to make sure that we prevent such excesses,”

The President had denied media report that security forces were killing innocent Nigerians in the Northern Nigeria. He had described the report as mere insinuations by some political motivated interest groups.”

Jonathan stood his ground to defend his administration regarding power supply in the country.

Reacting to Amanpour’s question on whether he had fulfilled part of his promises three years ago of ensuring stable power supply in the country, he responded thus; “I would have loved that you ask ordinary Nigerians on the street of Lagos, Abuja or any other city this question about power. This is one area that Nigerians are quite pleased with the government that our commitment to improve power is working. So if you are saying something different, I’m really surprised. That is one area that even civil societies agree that the government has kept faith with its promise.

“We have not got to where we should be and of course we know that power infrastructure is one investment that you must complete the chain before a bulb can light. You must generate, you must transmit, you must distribute and even if you have the money and the political will, you cannot do it overnight and we are working very hard, you cannot do it overnight.”

Jonathan had also opened up when Amanpour made him to understand that she had received several text messages from Nigerians that they may not watch the interview due to Power outage. He accepted that his government was yet to meet the target it had set for a total result to be achieved in the power sector.

The President also affirmed that foreign companies were guilty of crude oil theft in Nigeria, adding that most of the stolen crude was being bought by refineries abroad.

“Frankly speaking, we want the international community to support Nigeria because this stolen crude is being bought by refineries abroad and they know that the crude oil is stolen. The world must condemn what is wrong. The stolen crude is refined abroad, not refined in Nigeria,” he concluded

 



Well, like we would say, these kind of things only happen in Nigeria.

We really can’t figure out the concept behind this wedding reception, but our rough guess is that the couple love the idea of Burj Arab in Dubai, and were keen on recreating something close to it here.

However, they scaled down theirs to a swimming pool, not the middle of an ocean.

The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has blasted the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for calling its Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, an ex-convict.

ACN said it was unfortunate and shameful that the ruling party that professed being blessed with intelligent people in its fold, finds it hard to tell the difference between a political prisoner and a criminal convict.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the country’s leading opposition bloc stated that “any attempt to label Chief Akande an ex-convict in a pejorative sense will be an exercise in futility, because he was neither convicted for abuse of office nor for any corruption-related offence by a duly constituted court.”

Mohammed explained that “the Special Military Tribunal that tried and sentenced hundreds of politicians, including Chief Akande, in the 1980s cannot be a reason to label all those it tried and convicted criminal ex-convicts, reminding the PDP that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) ordered its members to boycott the proceeding of the tribunal simply because it failed to meet the standard of a properly-constituted court.”

”If those who were tried and convicted by military tribunals are indeed deemed to have been properly tried and found guilty of the offences for which they were charged, many of them would not have gone ahead to hold important elective and appointive positions in the polity.”

“Outside Nigeria you have the global icon Nelson Mandela, who was tried, found guilty and jailed for life in 1964. Of course it will be laughable for anyone trying to denigrate Mandela to tag him an ex-convict, except of course that person is a member of the PDP!”

The spokesman noted that “Chief Bisi Akande, whom the PDP has chosen to pick on in its misguided mudslinging, is an embodiment of honesty, integrity, transparency and decency, who is more of a role model to our youth than most members of the PDP.”

“He served creditably in the private and the public sector, where he held many top posts including that of a Governor.”

“Today, at 74, those rare attributes that have come to define Chief Akande – honesty, decency, integrity and public service – have become synonymous with him. That is why we are proud to hold him up as our Chairman,” ACN said.

ACN admonished the PDP to devote its strength on its leaking tattered umbrella, instead of “trying to denigrate a man whom the people respect and hold up as a sharp distinction of mankind, at a time people are increasingly being defined by their vanities rather than the content of their character.”

”Well, we have got news for the PDP: While the legacy of Chief Akande is assured, that of the PDP is not. Therefore, we advise the sinking behemoth to turn its attention elsewhere, as it awaits its Waterloo,” the statement concluded.

 

President Goodluck Jonathan, has labelled the documentary on the state of decay at the Police College, that was aired on Channels Television, as a smear campaign.

Jonathan, arrived the premises of the institution, at about 3pm for an unscheduled visit and saw first hand the state of things at the College.

It was major embarrasment for CP I.F. Yerima, the commandant of the college, who could not explain how the media house got exclusive images of the horrible sights in the establishment.

“This is a calculated attempt to damage the image of this government. The Police College, Ikeja is not the only training institution in Nigeria,” the president said.

It was gathered that a group of police recruits, hailed him as he made a tour of the facilities saying, “Our number one President, the God sent President, the President of Nigeria, among others.” Jonathan acknowledged the cheers by raising his right hand.