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Granted, we don’t have winter in Nigeria, but there’s no denying we’ll be the envy of other country at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang, South Korea. Our bobsled team, which is the first out of Africa, is already taking media attention.

And right now it seems we have another bit of history waiting to be made as Simidele Adeagbo is one race away from becoming the first woman skeleton athlete from Africa to take part in the competition.

(Photo: Simidele Adeagbo)

Adeagbo is a retired track and field athlete, having held the National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American and triple jump school record for four times. Her interest in skeleton was sparked six months ago when she heard about the amazing Nigerian bobsled team. Determined to shatter the glass ceiling in athletics, she went for a trial in August and was successful.

Because there are no ice tracks in Johannesburg where she lives, Adeagbo prepares by watching videos of past runs and also using tips and tricks compiled by other athletes. When she can, she travels to Canada where she trains on ice tracks that run as far as 1.5km long.

But with these preparations, there can be changes in the weather which make skeleton quite unpredictable. The 36-year-old, who is in love with Davido’s Fia’ because it reminds her that what she’s doing is “for the continent and for the people back home”, isn’t disturbed by this.

Although she injured her chin in her last competition, there’s no stopping her from the fifth race in Lake Placid, New York, which will see her achieve that dream of qualifying for the Winter Olympics on January 11, 2018.

culled from konbini.com

As part of the social reforms by the crown prince, Saudi Arabia has lifted a 35-year ban on cinemas.

The first cinemas are expected to open in March 2018. The aim is to reach 2,000 screens in more than 300 cinemas by 2030.

The industry is expected to contribute about $24 billion to the economy and creating over 30,000 jobs.

Announcing the move on Monday, the culture minister, Awwad Alawwad, said:

“This marks a watershed moment in the development of the cultural economy in the kingdom.

Opening cinemas will act as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification. By developing the broader cultural sector we will create new employment and training opportunities, as well as enriching the kingdom’s entertainment options.”

According to a ministry statement reported by the official Saudi Press Agency,  movies would be edited according to the “standards of the Kingdom” and would not “contradict with Sharia Laws and moral values.”

The kingdom hasn’t had public cinemas since the early 1980s. Conservatives who consider cinemas as sinful and harmful to the culture were instrumental in shutting them down in the 1980s.

Since his rise to power in 2015, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been shaking up the place with series of social and economic reforms, including allowing women to drive and allowing women into sports stadiums.

The social reforms are part of a plan for the kingdom’s economy post oil era.

news credit: pulsenews

In a post shared on her IG page, actress Liz Anjorin, recounted her tear-jerking growing up story. She narrated how as a young lady selling at an Amala joint, she became pregnant for a man who was from a prominent family and how she suffered rejection from the family members.

She also recounted how she had to leave her daughter for 10 years just so she can go out to seek a better life for both of them.

Read her compelling story below…

I’m locking it down today for Almighty Allah, my late mum and the people that have been patronizing me… Infact yestday was a joyful day for me and it’s also a day that draws me back to my childhood memories, but i was down since 2am till now , i cant even attend to pple properly cos smone is missing .. though nobody knows all this about me except I tell them bcos I don’t keep friends but today. i’ve be been librating pple on my platform wit orisirisi stories but today am tell u mine for pple to knw life is not a bed of rose.
I give glory to Allah for His genuine love and His protection..

Each time i think about it, I get scared on how to make it bcos I was born with a silver spoon but everything scattered that I can’t even be identified with a panda spoon as a child… I grew up with my mum alone on the street, we hustle together, we were both forsaken and forgotten on street, we both worked 20hrs, slept for 2hrs and arranged our goods for 2hrs: it was tough and lonely.. it got to a point that i asked my mum the whereabouts of my dad and she told me; u can only meet ur dad and his family when u make it in life..‎

I hawk early in the morning b4 school opens and I have to rush back to an uncompleted KIOSK we lives to pick something for school in order not to be late for that day lectures… For a very long time we don’t eat meat except raining season when we picked tiny snails to eat, we picked carton on refuse-disposal to sleep and whenever it rained we both remained standing.. Whenever she went hustling, i did “Omo odo alamala’ and that was where I met my baby father.

Mum, u told me to have a baby bcos u don’t want the two of us to perish on the street.. Yes! I followed your words but i was turn down by my baby father’s elder brother: if u are seeing this post let me remind u of what u said to my baby daddy in front of me and my mum then, you said; mama ko possible se eyin le gba iru e, omo commissioner wa n be aburo mi o fe, what did he see in this poor servant of a poor restaurant, u guys are stinking leave my house or i loose the dogs and my Mother in-law(Iya ijebu) ran after us and said;.omo mi, u will follow me to Jos bcos my son confessed to me that he was the one dat defiled u.. ‎

Even when I gave birth to the innocent girl, this man(my baby daddy brother) refused to touch her till date despite the fact that my baby daddy died few months after I gave birth to my daughter.. even after we lost the child’s father: you didn’t give us a dime bcos I be omo nobody to you but thanks to my baby father’s mother(Iya Ijebu terminus market Jos), she stood by me then… ‎ I remember when we were going to Jos, mama told me to hide and lied to u that she want to pee in order to hide me @fagba bus-stop and immediately u saw me u told ur mother dat i cant step into ur car and u dropped mama loads instantly and zoomed-off.. I sat on motor-engine from ido to Jos(you can imagine how painful it was)..

I can’t even remember how many times I fell down with the pregnancy trying to sell to customers what we don’t have in mama’s shop bcos I believe I must make money for her, she must not regret of bringing me to Jos bcos her son warned her.. I got to Jos with one cloth and Ghana-must-go bag filled with nylon.. she told me to change my cloth but i was shivering, so she opened the bag and saw plenty nylon, then she said; did u mistakenly pick someone’s refuse and I told her dat, that was the nylon i do slept on, then she opened her wardrobe and gave me 10 new wrappers.. She never called me to ask for money, even when I sent money to her, she told me not to send money again and get on my feet first.

I can never forget you(my mother in-law) iya rere…‎ On my baby naming ceremony, she sat as my husband and she did an elaborated naming for my baby.. Since i got to Jos my baby father didn’t talk to me till the day he left dis sinful world(rip), bcos his brother made him realized that it’s very ridiculous for him to let a low servant like me have a baby for him.. ‎Don’t let me tell u all what i went through in the labour room… even the doctor was wondering if i was holy mary they brought out scissors to help the virginity, i can’t even forget how i held the bed sheet and gnashed my teeth on the wet cloth during the cutting and sewing of my V…
.
My suffering doubled again cos I had a baby girl, they made me realized that female child holds no value in their family and male child is the real child.. I endured and cried often; I couldn’t even imagine what my poor mother was going through all alone at that moment bcos she had me with menopause, she is aged already and that’s what prompted me to determine and focus that I’ve to make it in life.. i left the baby when she was a year and half old and I never set my eyes on her until she clocked 10yrs bcos of the tortured and molestation I received from pple as omo nobody.. their molestation made me to determined to die on the street or make it and go back for the child, so I came to Lagos from Jos. When i got to Lagos i didn’t go to my mum bcos she will be so disappointed in me bcos she won’t understand what I passed through except iya ijebu… Everybody don’t want omo nobody in their midst, the day i left my daughter, she was crying bitterly and dat day i re-named her to

So i became church rat, i slept in churches, do odd jobs in day time.. May God bless the churches i slept in then but i can’t forget how many times i was beaten with bunch of broom bcos I was framed as emere(wizard) cos i was fair in complexion with slit read hair… It was so tough in my toilet cleaning job…

 

 

source: stagist.com, instagram

Chidinma Ekile is an artist, actor and philanthropist who shot into limelight after winning Project Fame 2010. The musician is recognized for her hit songs Kedike, Emi Ni Baller and more melodies.

The songbird had a chat with Guardian Life about a few things as she covers the magazine, but one part of the interview really had us talking.

Chidinma was born blind.

“I was born blind. I just couldn’t see for some months.”

However, the singer has used that experience for good.

“I felt the need to help kids that find themselves in such situations or worse. So every time I travel to these places, I try to extend a hand of love to these children.”

Here is the cover photo:

 

Watch behind the scenes for the cover shoot @guardiannigeria on IG

 

credit: guardiannigeria, stargist.com

The wife of  the Oyo State governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi,  on Sunday urged women in the state to embrace righteousness and  diligence in the discharge of their  civic responsibilities.

Ajimobi  made the plea at a programme organised by the Women Intercessory Network (WIN)  in Ibadan on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that WIN is a  quarterly prayer and fasting session   organised by the governor’s wife.

Ajimobi  also urged the women  to  move closer to God if they  desired favour.

“Expecting favour from God without being hardworking, prayerful and obedient to the commandments of God would end up in vanity.

“ We must be prepared for the favour by obeying the commandments.

“Government is an authority ordained by God and we must perform our civic responsibilities by paying our taxes and obeying the laws of the land. No one gets favour through mischief,’’ she said.

She also counselled the women on their basic responsibilities in their  homes, saying they must train their wards, love their partners and support them in  prayers.

“Without fulfilling our  responsibilities, being prepared and prayerful  and obeying God’s commandment, it would be difficult to attain our desired success,’’ she said.

Some Christian clerics,  Mary Popoola,  Deborah Ayokunle and  Elizabeth Ayodele,  in their separate messages  also  urged women to be more prayerful.

NAN  reports  that the programme featured praise worship, sermon, scripture reading and special prayer sessions.

Source: pulsenews

Bisola Aiyeola ,the second runner up of the 2017 edition of the Big Brother Nigeria reality TV show revealed she auditioned for 8 years before she got her chance this year.

Read excerpts from her interview with the Nation

Let’s talk about Big Brother Nigeria (BBN). What gave you the drive to do the things that you did on the show?

It is quite interesting because I had been auditioning for about eight years before I finally got it last year. The truth of the matter is that I didn’t know anybody but I was determined to make the best from that experience. Right now, I am having auditions here and there. From all the experiences, I would say that no two auditions are the same. Everyone is different and it was always a refreshing experience. So for the Big Brother Nigeria, I went for the audition and gradually I was selected.14 of us contested and I got in, tried my best. The truth of the matter is that it was a tough contest, not like a music contest. Here, you can’t really tell how it was going to go.

What is life as a celebrity like? Is it something that you enjoy?

It has been very interesting for me. It is part of my life now and I would say that it is what I signed to be. I am living it out and it has been an interesting journey.

Are there things that you used to do that you cannot do anymore?

Yes, there are so many things that I used to do that I cannot do anymore. I love taking a stroll around my neighbourhood but I can’t really do that anymore. I also love to go to the markets like Ketu and Mile 12 markets but these days I can’t do that anymore.

What is life as a celebrity like? Is it something that you enjoy?

It has been very interesting for me. It is part of my life now and I would say that it is what I signed to be. I am living it out and it has been an interesting journey.

 

 

Amara Kanu, wife to ex-Super Eagles player, Nwankwo Kanu has taken a stand against the slave trade going on in Libya.

On her Instagram page, she shared a link to a petition that has since gathered over 37, 000 signatures. She also shared photos of herself at a street rally and on talk shows where she has spoken against the slave trade.

With the link to the petition, she wrote,

“Please HELP ME SIGN this petition. Click the link in my Bio to take you to the page for change. .
To be honest, seeing all the graphic images and content on the appalling slave trade and Human trafficking going on in Libya turned my insides sour. .
I signed one of these last week in French. I now want to see Our Nigerian and other west African anglophone brothers and sisters free from this appalling situation. Kindly share, repost, re tweet etc. I’m currently working with my husband @kingkanu4 and @georginaonuoha and my team to try and speak to some decision makers and get some positive action taken. .
Your support and signatures will help greatly. Tag all the influencers you know.
Thank you.”

Source: fabwoman.ng

Olufunke Abimbola-Akindolie, a Nigerian lawyer based in the UK was  awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, yesterday Dec 7, 2017, for her contribution to the diversification of the legal profession.

Funke is a senior lawyer and leader for the world’s largest biotech. She is currently the most senior black lawyer working within the UK pharmaceutical industry and one of the most senior globally.

A multi-award winning solicitor and diversity campaigner, she has received national and European recognition for her legal and diversity work. In 2015 alone, she won the Gender Role Model award (National Diversity Awards), Career Woman of the Year award (Women4Africa), Outstanding Woman in Professional Services award (Precious Awards) and Inspiring Member of the Year award (Inclusive Networks Awards). More recently she was awarded the 2016 Outstanding Diva and International Diva of Colour awards held in London.

Having risen to the top of her field, Funke is active in giving back and she shares how she is working to for Aspiring Solicitors from BAME communities. She was also recently admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, recognizing the positive impact and outstanding contributions that she has made to British society as a whole.

This what the royal family said about her receiving the award

For years Olufunke Abimbola-Akindolie has worked to help diversify the legal profession. She regularly goes into schools & universities to help inspire the next generation.

Today she was awarded an .

 

 

Source: fabwoman.ng

Nollywood actress Lilian Esoro has announced that her foundation, The Lilian Esoro Foundation has officially kickstarted a new campaign tagged “Be More.”

According to the actress, the campaign is aimed at caring for the helpless in Nigeria, from single mothers to widows and also sending children back to school.

Read her post below:

You all know how i feel about LENDING A HAND, GIVING BACK, WOMEN EMPOWERMENT and the zeal to #BECOMEMORE.
It saddens my heart when I see little children roam aimlessly on the streets of Lagos begging for alms so that they can feed.

I am torn apart when I hear stories of how WIDOWS and SINGLE MOTHERS suffer without assistance even from immediate family members.
I feel saddened by the unwritten rule of uselessness and helplessness placed on the handicapped.

Our society derides the disadvantage to the detriment of the moral fibre and consciousness of the sane mind. No community or state or country that purposefully neglects the lowly will ever attain enviable heights of greatness.

While we have passed around the responsibility to care for these ones, it is not too late to “BE MORE” to them. The “BE MORE” campaign is the first in the series of campaigns aimed at caring for the #Helpless in Nigeria by the Lilian Esoro Foundation.
Our mission is to send the kids back to school. Create a sustainable livelihood for the widows and single mothers. Empowerment is key.
It is an outreach that also involves you.

Let’s make this happen together. Let’s come together and show them all the Love and support we can.
Please support this campaign lets put permanent smiles on people’s faces. By contribute your widow’s mite no amount is too small.
Kindly click on the link in my Bio.
Visit
You can also Donate items like. Foodstuff, Books,bags, cloths, socks, pen, exercise books anything to help them return back to school.
The venue for this years event will be announced shortly.
For job vacancies for the women. And further enquiry Kindly send an email tolefoundation@gmail.com
Thanks and God bless.
I love you all

#Stayfocused
#Eyesontheprize
#BECOMEMORE

 

credit: stargist.com

The Governing Council of the Institute of Directors Nigeria (IoDN), has awarded Mo Abudu the 2017 ‘IoD Entrepreneurial Award’.

The announcement was made at the exclusive IoD Annual Directors Dinner & Dance at The Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

This honour comes on the eve of The Grand World Premiere of ‘The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai’ which will take place on December 10, at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos. Other winners on the night included former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi and President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

See photos below:

 

 

source: stargist.com