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Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Oby Ezekwesili, has said LGBT persons will be treated equally in Nigeria if she’s elected president.

Ezekwesili said this while speaking at the Chatham House, responding to a question by gay rights activist Bisi Alimi.

She believes in the equality of all, she said, including LGBT persons.

Watch her speak below:

Credit: Bella Naija

June 12 has been approved as Nigeria’s new Democracy Day, by the Members of the House of Representatives.

The approval was done on Thursday, December 6 2018, while Reps were considering a report on “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Public Holidays Act, Cap. P40, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to bring the Act in tandem with the current realities and exigencies of the modern times and to declare June, 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria and for Related Matters”.

The bill was introduced by Edward Pwajok (Plateau, APC).

The clause in the law, carrying May 29 as democracy day was amended to June 12.

This comes after President Muhammadu Buhari‘s announcement of June 12 as the country’s new Democracy Day in June this year.

Buhari has also honoured the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, with the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic honour.

 

Credit: Bella Naija

Newlywed Priyanka Chopra is the cover star for Vogue Magazine‘s January 2019 Issue.

In the interview, the actress opens up about being the first Indian superstar to crossover into Hollywood successfully and landing the man of her dreams, Nick Jonas.

Read excerpts below:

On accepting the role in Quantico: The only thing I told her was: I don’t want my ethnicity to lead the part that I play. I want to have a job. I want to have a plot. I want to have a story.

On landing the man of her dreams: I’ve had that rule my whole life. Never publicly acknowledge a relationship. Ever. What is happening? I’ve not knownmyself like this. This guy turned me into such a girl! If I could blush, I’d be tomato red right now.

Read her full feature here.

 

Credit: Bella Naija

Toyin Abraham’s manager has slammed Adeniyi Johnson over his divorce papers claims. He had revealed that Toyin refused to sign the divorce papers and let him go.

Toyin’s publicist, Samuel Olatunji, responded to Adeniyi’s allegation.

In an open letter posted on his Instagram page, Olatunji wrote;

“Dear Niyi Johnson, I’m forced to respond to you here because you mentioned my name,so I will be returning the favour. In all my years of dealing with the entertainment industry, I carefully avoid the drama that goes with the terrain. And this includes years of dealing with big brands.

Some of these brands have warned me to avoid some people from the Yoruba industry because of the attendant, unnecessary drama and here you are proving them right and giving the noble Yoruba industry bad name. You have my number, you have the number of the lawyer, and I believe you have Toyin’s number as well. This unnecessary call for attention and social media shenanigans are unnecessary.

You see why people don’t dignify your ilk with phone calls, sms or courtesy, it always end on social media. People are doing great things in real life not Instagram drama.

Two, a simple call to your lawyer would tell you that what Lawyer Bosun called you for is the beginning of trial (court proceedings) not to come and sign divorce papers. Divorce doesn’t work like that. Three, if you depserately want a divorce, you should have filed one not Toyin; perhaps the over 1m naira cost deterred you.

Toyin, chose to bear the cost, pay her lawyer the fee and has taken the case to a considerable point. She has shown more commitment to the divorce proceedings than you. In more than three years of separation you just filed a ‘cross petition’ last month while she has been at it in the court for over a year.

She has ‘allowed you go’ a long time and we all can see what that has done to her life and career. Please come down from your Instagram high horse, real court issues happen outside of social media. She changed lawyer and he has moved faster than we anticipated. It was out of courtesy that I called you to ask for your address. I told you I’d call for if there is any new development.

And a piece of advise from me, you need to stop using your past relationship to generate talkability, you have talents and new relationship, they should be enough. That is what you should focus on; stop focusing on what you don’t have, what you have should be enough. Selah! Today”

The Kensington Palace has dismissed rumours of an alleged argument between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton.

Tabloids had claimed that Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, had gotten upset with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, over how she treated Kate’s staff.

People reports that a Kensington Palace spokesperson said of the rumour, “It never happened.”

People did confirm, though, that Kate was “left in tears” after a fitting for Princess Charlotte’s dress for Meghan and Prince Harry‘s royal wedding

The two have been seen out together after that, even going together on a solo outing to Wimbledon 2018.

 

Credit: Bella Naija

The rapper shared the sad news on her Instagram page on Tuesday, November 4, 2018. According to her, they had fallen out of love, hence the decision to call it quits.

”I have been trying to work things out with my baby father and we are really good friends and business partners and we’ve got a lot of love for each other…things haven’t been working out between us for a long time and it’s nobody’s fault. I don’t know it might take time to get a divorce and I am always going to love him forever because he is my daughter’s father,” she said.

Cardi B and Offset got married in 2017 and have a daughter together.

11-year-old Misimi Isimi also known as ‘Miss Environmental’, is determined to save Lagos from all of its environmental waste.

Speaking to BBC, Isimi shared just how annoying waste disposal is in Lagos and her efforts to rid the city of its waste.

Isimi explained how a lot of adults are not environmentally responsible, and how she educates kids on proper waste disposal.

Watch her speak below:

Embedded video

BBC World Service

@bbcworldservice

This 11-year-old girl is on a mission to clean up pollution in Nigeria’s largest city.

More stories from around the world: https://bbc.in/2RkMExH

177 people are talking about this

Credit: Bella Naija, BBC

On December 3rd, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie moderated an on-stage conversation with former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama about Obama’s new memoir, “Becoming”.

The conversation covered Obama’s early life and career, her reinvention of the role of First Lady, and her ongoing activities since leaving the White House.

The event held at The Royal Festival Hall on December 03, 2018 in London, England.

The former First Lady’s memoir titled ‘Becoming’ has become the best selling book in the US for 2018 according to figures released by her publisher Penguin Random House.

See photos below.

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 03: Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama speaks with Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at The Royal Festival Hall on December 03, 2018 in London, England. The former First Lady’s memoir titled ‘Becoming’ has become the best selling book in the US for 2018 according to figures released by her publisher Penguin Random House. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 03: Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama speaks with Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at The Royal Festival Hall on December 03, 2018 in London, England. The former First Lady’s memoir titled ‘Becoming’ has become the best selling book in the US for 2018 according to figures released by her publisher Penguin Random House. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 03: Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama speaks with Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at The Royal Festival Hall on December 03, 2018 in London, England. The former First Lady’s memoir titled ‘Becoming’ has become the best selling book in the US for 2018 according to figures released by her publisher Penguin Random House. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 03: Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at The Royal Festival Hall on December 03, 2018 in London, England. The former First Lady’s memoir titled ‘Becoming’ has become the best selling book in the US for 2018 according to figures released by her publisher Penguin Random House. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 03: Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks with Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama (not pictured) at The Royal Festival Hall on December 03, 2018 in London, England. The former First Lady’s memoir titled ‘Becoming’ has become the best selling book in the US of 2018 according to figures released by her publisher Penguin Random House. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Photo Credit: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

 

Credit: Bella Naija

Nigerian-Jamaican photographer, Nadine Ijewere, has become the first black woman to shoot a Vogue cover.

(Photo: Instagram/Nadine Ijewere)

Most known for her Stella McCartney editorial, she recently photographed Rihanna for the cover of Allure. For British Vogue, she shot global pop star, Dua Lipa for the magazine’s first issue of 2019.

Announcing this on Instagram, Ijewere said:

“If you had told me last year I would have photographed for British Vogue, I would have said not possible.

If you had told me a cover, I would have thought perhaps in a parallel universe. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have been given to shoot for a publication where I once felt perhaps I didn’t.”

(Photo: Instagram/Nadine Ijewere)

 

66-year-old Salome Zurabishvili has emerged as the first female President of Georgia.

Ms Zurabishvili was born in Paris in the year 1952 after her parents fled Georgia in 1921 to escape the Bolshevik regime.

She attended some of the most prestigious French schools, such as Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), and began a master’s program at Columbia University in New York in the academic year of 1972–1973.

Career

Zurabishvili abandoned her studies and joined the French foreign service in 1974, becoming a career diplomat with jobs in Rome, the United Nations, Brussels, Washington, etc. The first time Zurabishvili visited Georgia was in 1986 during a break from her job at the French Embassy in Washington.

In 2003, she was posted to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, as ambassador. The following year, President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia nominated her as Minister of Foreign Affairs making her the first female to be appointed to this post in Georgia.

Political career

In November 2005 Zurabishvili set up the organization Salome Zurabishvili’s Movement. In January 2006 she announced the establishment of a new political party Georgia’s Way, criticizing the country’s “de facto one-party system.”

On 12 November 2010, Zurabishvili announced her withdrawal from the leadership of Georgia’s Way. She was succeeded by Kakha Seturidze.

After a two-year leave from politics, she publicly endorsed Georgian Dream ahead of the 2013 presidential elections. Shortly after, Georgia’s Central Election Commission refused to register her as a presidential candidate due to her dual Georgian-French citizenship.

In August 2018, Zurabishvili announced that she would participate in Georgian presidential elections.  Zurabishvili won the 2nd round of the 2018 Georgian presidential election, becoming President elect. She will be inaugurated as the first female President of Georgia on 16 December 2018.

Personal life

Salome Zurabishvili was married to the Georgian journalist Janri Kashia (1940–2012). She has two children, Ketevan and Teimuraz, from her first marriage.

 

Credit: Fab Woman