Ms Sahhara to represent Nigeria at World Transgender Pageant

  

Ms Sahhara shared these new photos of herself and a video on her facebook page to announce she'll be representing Nigeria at the Super Sireyna of Eat Bulaga competition, a transgender pageant holding in the Philippines.

Ms Sahhara says if she wins, her legacy would be to campaign for the acceptance of transgenders

"I will do all my best to teach people more about transgender issues, who we are and where we come from because there is this huge misconception around the issues that surrounds transgender people. We are not to be afraid of. We are not immoral. We are human beings, we have blood running in our vein and we pray you give us the chance and understanding and love that you give your fellow human beings because we are one of you" she said. Continue...

On who her role model is, she said

"I think my role model is my mum. My mum is a single parent and she brought myself and my younger sister up. She gave us the best education. My mum is very intelligent and she always tells us to go back to school, lets study, lets get all our degrees" she said

Akin Bello wins $20,000 Wole Soyinka Prize

The judges of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa have named Akin Bello, a former Chairman of the Oyo State chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), as the winner of the fifth edition of the prestigious prize in Literature.

Bello was crowned by Professor Wole Soyinka, assisted by the board of the Lumina Foundation, the organisers of the prize, Governor of River State, Rotimi Amaechi & Globacom’s Head of GloWorld, Titi Ebinisi, at the grand finale of the award at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday. Continue..

The fifth edition of the award, sponsored by the National Carrier, Globacom, was keenly contested by three authors, Bello, Othuke Ominibohs and Toyin Abiodun, whose entries were considered the best three of the total of 163 works submitted from across Africa.

One of the judges of the Prize, Professor Olu Obafemi, a prolific playwright, novelist and poet, who has himself published 14 scholarly and 15 creative books, formally announced the winner, who was promptly presented the much coveted trophy and his cheque.

The winner, Akin Bello, was born in Lagos in 1950, and educated at Oyo, Ghana and the University of Ife, (now Obafemi Awolowo University) Ile-Ife, where he obtained a B.Sc. (Hons) (Pol. Science) in the 2nd Class (Upper) Division in 1975.

A widely traveled man with a richly diversified work experience, Bello is currently an Executive Director of a Non-Governmental Organisation in Ibadan. He was the Chairman of the Oyo State Chapter of ANA for four years between 2008 and 2012.

Before now, Bello had published three novels and a poetry collection. His first play, ‘Egbon of Lagos’ has now won him recognition and fame at the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa.

 

In his remarks, Professor Soyinka thanked the Lumina Foundation and its partners, including Globacom for organizing the grand event and making it a success.

In a goodwill message read on his behalf, Globacom’s Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga, said that “Globacom is delighted to be part of the successful execution of the project, which honours one of the world’s biggest literary giants, Professor Wole Soyinka and seeks to promote excellence in the literary arts on the continent of Africa."

Dr. Adenuga said, “As a teacher, role model, social activist and advocate, Professor Wole Soyinka has directly impacted millions of lives on the continent of Africa and beyond. We are deeply honoured to be part of a project like this, which celebrates this living legend and seeks to encourage the coming generation to aspire to attain such academic excellence in the literary world.

In her remarks, Mrs. Francesca Emmanuel, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Lumina Foundation, equally thanked all the partners of the organization, without whose support the project might not have been a huge success that it has been.

The grand finale of the prize was graced by other literary icons, including renowned playwright and poet, John Pepper Clark, a former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and loyal protégé of Professor Soyinka, Odia Ofeimun, renowned Professor of International Law and Jurisprudence, Akin Oyebode, who delivered the keynote address, and many other distinguished scholars.

Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa is a biennial event staged to recognize the best literary work produced by an African. It was established by the Lumina Foundation in 2005 to promote literary excellence in Africa and has since become the African equivalent of the Nobel Prize. This year's Prize was dedicated to the drama genre.

The panel of five judges for the Prize is drawn from Uganda, South Africa, Mali, Nigeria and Algeria.

Guests were entertained by the Steve Rhodes Orchestra which reeled out tunes in different genres, cutting across old and contemporary. Also, multi-talented instrumentalist and Glo ambassador, Bez added spice to the event.

Azealia Banks cancels show after only 10 people show up...lol

  

God forgive me for laughing but this is hilarious. US rapper Azealia Banks, who is more famous for her rap beefs than her music (she tackled T.I recently) was scheduled to play at the Tromøy music festival in Norway last week Thursday but she canceled at the very last minute because nobody bothered to show up. Azealia's ten remaining fans Tweeted their disappointment...hehe. Don't mind me, just having fun at her expense.

Azealia is known to be rude in the music industry, so instead of sympathizing with her, most people laughed. But keep ya head up girl, your story can change tomorrow.

We doubt Sanusi’s peace moves, FG tells court

The Federal Government, yesterday, said it was still in doubt of the sincerity of the erstwhile Governor of the Central Bank, CBN, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to make peace with President Goodluck Jonathan.

Consequently, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, yesterday, told the National Industrial Court, NIC, sitting in Abuja that he was determined to pursue the legal action that was instituted against President Jonathan by the former CBN governor to its logical conclusion.

The AGF made this position of the government known to the court shortly after Sanusi who is now the Emir of Kano, notified the President of the NIC, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, of his decision to withdraw the suit challenging the powers of President Jonathan to suspend him from office as governor of the apex bank without recourse to the National Assembly.


Sanusi had in his suit, contended that only a two-third majority vote from the Senate could effectively oust a CBN governor from office, irrespective of any allegation levelled against the occupant of such position.

Though the case was originally filed before the Abuja Division of the Federal Court, it was subsequently transferred to the NIC by trial Justice Gabriel Kolawole who declined jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

Justice Kolawole in a judgment on May 20, relied on section 24(3) of the NIC Act 2006, to transfer the case on the basis that the issue bothered on employer/employee relationship.

Meantime, at the resumed sitting on the matter yesterday, Sanusi, who was represented by three Senior Advocates of Nigeria, told the court that he had already filed a notice to discontinue further proceeding on the suit

Addressing the court through his lead counsel Mr. Kola Awodehin, SAN, the emir of Kano, stressed that he had already served both President Jonathan and the AGF, who are the 1st and 2nd defendants in the matter, with copies of the said notice of discontinuance. ”Our application is supported by Order 19 rule 17 of the NIC rules, and my Lord, all the parties have been duly served”, Awodehin added.

However, before Awodehin could conclude his submission, counsel to the AGF, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, told the court that although he would not object to Sanusi’s withdrawal application, he said his client, sceptic about the genuine intention of the plaintiff, was determined to continue with the matter.

Ozekhome, contended that Sanusi ought to have shown his sincerity by also withdrawing the appeal he lodged before the appeal court in Abuja which is challenging the jurisdiction of the NIC to adjudicate on the dispute between him and President Jonathan.

”My lord, as we speak today, that appeal is still pending. In fact, the plaintiff equally has another application before Justice Kolawole wherein he is seeking the stay of execution of the federal high court judgement pending the determination of his pending appeal”, Ozekhome added.

He told the court that the high court has already issued the AGF a notice to come and compile records for onward transmission to the court of appeal.

”In view of these developments, the AGF has asked me to wait for further instruction and it is that instruction that I am waiting for now”, Ozehkome told the court.

He insisted that unless Sanusi embarked on a wholistic withdrawal of all the pending legal actions he filed against the government in relation to his suspension from office, the AGF would have no option than to go ahead with the case.

Besides, Ozehkome, informed the court that the AGF has also gone before the appeal court to challenge the powers of Justice Kolawole to transfer the case to the NIC after he had held that he lacked jurisdiction to entertain Sanusi’s suit

- www.vanguard News

Ekiti election didn’t affect Tinubu’s relevance –Kola-Balogun

Mr. Stephen Kola-Balogun

The Osun State Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Mr. Stephen Kola-Balogun, on Saturday refuted the claims of Lagos-based lawyer, Fred Agbaje, that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had lost relevance in the politics of the South-West.

Agbaje had, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said if Tinubu was still relevant to the people of the region, the APC would not have lost the Ekiti State governorship election.

He added that the era of taking voters for granted and imposing candidates on them had gone and that if care was not taken, the APC would also lose more states in the region.

Reacting to Agbaje’s assertion, Kola-Balogun said it was wrong to equate the loss of control of Ekiti State to loss of control of Yorubaland.

He noted that Agbaje’s claim could only become valid if the APC loses Osun State, which he described as the heart of Yorubaland.

He said, “Fred got it wrong, with due respect to him. He is over reacting. With respect to the Ekiti election, Ekiti is just one group of people.

“In Osun, we have an important election coming up in about five weeks. Osun is at the heart of Yorubaland. In Osun State we have Osogbo, Iwo, Ile- Ife, Ede, Ilesha, and Ila and other large towns.

“It is when we lose a state like Osun that you can you can say the APC or Tinubu is losing a grip of Yorubaland.

“Any party that loses Osun State has lost the heart of Yorubaland. You can’t say because the APC lost Ekiti, then Tinubu has lost control of Yorubaland. Ekiti State is made up of just one people, the Ekiti people, unlike Osun.”

Kola-Balogun however noted that Yorubaland had never been dominated by one political party for a long time, saying there would always be opposition in the region.

He added that the PDP’s victory in Ekiti State could also be attributed to the sympathy votes that its candidate, Ayo Fayose, got due to his unceremonious removal from office as governor of the state; as well as the defection of Opeyemi Bamidele from the APC to the Labour Party.

'Fast & Furious 7' gets new release date

But before you freak out, this is good news: "Fast & Furious 7" is coming out even faster.

Instead of arriving on April 10, 2015, the seventh installment of the "Fast" franchise will now bow on April 3, Variety reports.

The speculation is that Universal moved the release date up a week to allow more time for an international run.

"Fast 7" was initially supposed to open during 2014's summer season, but that changed after the death of franchise star Paul Walker last fall. The theory is that Universal's planning to "retire" Walker's character, Brian O'Conner - not kill him off.

Joan Rivers jokes Obama is gay, first lady is transgender

 Who needs Fourth of July fireworks when you have Joan Rivers around?

The comedian known for her lack of self-censoring recently officiated a same-sex wedding and was asked by a photographer if she believed the United States would ever see the first gay or female president. Her response was typical Rivers.

"We already have it with Obama, so let's just calm down," she said. "You know Michelle (Obama) is a trans."

When asked to further explain Rivers said, "A transgender. We all know it."

A representative for Rivers released the following statement to CNN from the comic about her remarks to the photographer:

"I think it's a compliment. She's so attractive, tall, with a beautiful body, great face, does great makeup. Take a look and go back to La Cage Au Follies (sic). The most gorgeous women are transgender. Stop it already ... and if you want to talk about 'politically correct,' I think this is a 'politically incorrect' attack on me because I'm old, Jewish, a woman and a 'hetty' -- a heteosexual ... and I plan to sue the reporter who, when he turned off his camera, tried to touch me inappropriately on the a** - luckily he hit my ankle. Read the book ... if you think that's silly, wait to (sic) you see what I say about FDR and Eleanor!"