Obi Cubana blames ‘get-rich-quick syndrome’ among youths on societal, family pressures

Iyiegbu stated this in a post made on his verified Instagram page @ Obi_Cubana on Monday.

He said, “In a world where we want everything quick, youths are often faced with a lot of pressure from both society and members of their families.”

He explained that at a young age, the families were already heaping “unrealistic “ responsibilities on youths.

According to him, societal and family pressures are expectations that affect the entire community.

He wrote: “Our youths are constantly forced to act and feel a certain way and society enjoys dictating how the youths should behave.

“They feel the pressure of fitting into society’s norm and while family is fun, it can also be full of tensions.”

The socialite added that pressures placed on youths to meet certain standard often lead to harmful outcomes.

He argued that a lot of youths are going through depression because of the pressure and stress created by society and family.

“These have made many of them to resort to drug abuse and excessive use of alcohol.

“Many young people have to leave school just to fend for their families, especially young girls, who are on the streets because they need to send money home,” Iyiegbu stated.

He listed pressures on the youths as “pressure from work to meet a certain target, especially in the banking sector, and from society to dress or look certain way.

“There are pressure from school to pass exams and get a certain grade, pressure from the local churches to donate for one thing or another and pressure from friends.

“Even on social media, some are now depressed for not getting a certain amount of likes on their posts,” he added.

He emphasized the need for people to begin to shift their values and teach youths to learn to accept and love themselves and not live above their means “in a bid to belong”.

Pete Davidson calls Kim Kardashian his ‘girlfriend’ for the first time

Pete Davidson has for the first referred to Kim Kardashian as his girlfriend in public.

The comedian made this known while answering questions during a chat with People’s TV about his fame and how it has changed his lifestyle.

“Or, if I’m off, I just either hang with my friends or chill with my girlfriend inside. So I don’t do much,” he said. This will be the first time Davidson has publicly addressed the status of their relationship. Kim and Davidson first sparked relationship rumors in October 2021, after they were spotted holding hands on a rollercoaster ride, during a trip to Knott’s Scary Farm in Buena Park, California.

This was followed by another private dinner date about a week later.

Weeks after, they took trips to Davidson’s native New York City and Kardashian’s hometown of Los Angeles.

Olamide is set to take a bow with final album ‘Unruly’

After a decade of dominating the music scene in Nigeria with timeless classics, chart-topping bangers, and street anthems, the YBNL boss is set to make his graceful exit from the music game with his tenth and final album.

Olamide broke into the mainstream in 2011 with his daring single Enduro. His debut album Rapsodi was released in the same year. Its lead single “Omo To Shan” charted on several radio stations in Lagos and across Nigeria. It was followed by YBNL (Yahoo Boy No Laptop) and Baddest Guy Ever Liveth in 2013. Over the years, the singer and rapper have built an epic discography packed with groundbreaking hits and bangers that have soared across Africa and international borders. But none of his projects would top Eyan Mayweather, this he said, in a tweet back in 2020; The same year he released Carpe Diem, a mid-tempo album that signified a transition into his graceful years.

“Next Album, #Unruly; 95% ready. Release date; I don’t know. Taking my time to make it the best ever… probably my last album.” “Though I’ll drop singles once in a blue moon when I feel like it. It’s been a mad ass run, giving albums back-to-back.”. He said.

This announcement has left fans with mixed reactions; some celebratory of Olamide’s decision, others perceiving it to be a joke.

While his mates, Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido, who all stepped into the limelight in 2011 and the new wave of artists are continuously shooting for the stars and aiming for the moon for academy awards and international accolades, Olamide’s announcement indeed comes, as a shock considering, the nature of an industry that everyone hits the gas and never brakes.

Whether the message conveyed in the tweet is genuine or a publicity stunt to garner anticipation to his next album, Unruly, Olamide should be celebrated for a successive career run.

This is a progressive time for artists, where the definition of success is relative. Unlike other artists in the Nigerian music industry who consider winning

Just In: Kidnapped Kaduna Catholic priest regains freedom

Rev. Fr. Joseph Danjuma Shekari abducted by bandits on Sunday night, has regained his freedom.

The bandits had stormed the St. Monica’s Catholic Church, Ikulu Parish, in the Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State and kidnapped the priest at 11:30pm on Sunday night.

The bandits killed one of his aides – the cook- during the attack.

But in less than 24 hours after the attack that claimed the life of the priest’s cook, the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan on Tuesday announced the release of the priest by the bandits. The Chancellor, Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Uchechukwu Okolo, in a statement, said the priest was released by his abductors around 10:30pm on Monday. The statement read, “With hearts filled with joy, we raise our voices in a symphony of praises as we announce the return of our brother, Rev. Fr. Joseph Danjuma Shekari, who was abducted by armed persons from the Rectory at St. Monica’s Catholic Church Ikulu in Kauru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, on Sunday February 6, 2022.

“Fr. Shekari was released around 10.30pm on Monday February 7, 2022.

“As we pray for the repose of the soul of his cook who was killed during the attack, we want to thank all those who have offered prayers and entreaties for his release.

“We pray God to hasten the release of those who are still in the hands of their captors.

“All our Priests are directed to kindly celebrate Mass of Thanksgiving to God for the quick release of Fr. Shekari as well as Mass for the dead and for the departed cook of Fr. Shekari.”…

Booker scores 38 as NBA-best Suns hold off Bulls

Devin Booker scored 38 points and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns hung on to beat the Chicago Bulls 127-124 on Monday night.

The Suns led by 27 in the third quarter and withstood a push down the stretch to win for the 13th time in 14 games. They improved to 43-10 overall and a league-best 21-5 on the road.

Booker hit the 30-point mark for the third time in four games. The All-Star guard made 14 of 23 shots, including five 3-pointers.

Chris Paul added 19 points and 11 assists for Phoenix. JaVale McGee finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Mikal Bridges scored 15.

DeMar DeRozan had 38 points for the Bulls after scoring a season-high 45 in Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia. Zach LaVine added 32 points after missing two games because of back spasms.

Chicago lost for the third time in four games.

Kylie Jenner welcomes 2nd child with Travis Scott

American reality TV star Kylie Jenner has welcomed a second child with partner Travis Scott.

The makeup mogul announced the big news via her Instagram page on Monday, February 7, 2022, posting a black-and-white photo of the newborn’s hand.

“💙 2/2/22,” Jenner captioned the pic.

She also shared several gifts she received for her child from family and friends via her Instagram Story.

Congratulations to the couple.

The news about the billionaire cosmetic mogul’s pregnancy first broke in August 2021.

Scott and Jenner have been in an off-and-on relationship for years now.

In October 2019, the couple ended their relationship with reports citing busy schedules as the reason behind their split.

A few months earlier the two ended their relationship after it was reported that Scott was cheating on the model.

He, however, denied the allegations.

‘Music is not enough to attain that luxury lifestyle that musicians love’ – D’banj

Nigerian music icon Daniel Dapo Oyebanjo popularly known as D’banj has said that music alone is not enough to attain that luxury lifestyle that musicians love.

The music star made this known while chatting with Premium Times on why he has looked at other sources of income to keep his family and fame intact.

“I tell people this, music brings you into the room but what you do in that room is entirely up to you. So if you’ve read, which I know you have, you see that I’ve been more focused, especially when I became a family man,” he said.

“It’s my sixth year in marriage, and ever since then, I’ve looked for different platforms that would keep my fame and family intact. So if you were to Google Jay Z or the wealthiest musicians in the world, you would see that only 10 percent of their wealth is probably from music.”

When asked if music alone isn’t profitable, he said it is profitable “but music alone is not enough to attain that luxury lifestyle that musicians love.”

D’banj is one of Nigeria’s most influential musicians of modern times.

Kunle Afolayan kicks off production for Game of Thrones-like epic film

Kunle Afolayan has confirmed his KAP studio’s first film project of the year.

In a recently shared Instagram post unveiling first-look images, the filmmaker revealed that production is ongoing at KAP newly acquired film village in Oyo state.

According to Afolayan, the period piece promises to leave film lovers bedazzled especially as it will explore similar themes as HBO’s hit series ‘Game of Thrones’ but with a representation of the Yoruba culture. “Imagine a movie like the game of thrones recreated in Nigeria but with a better representation of our culture. If you are a true fan of productions born out of Golden Effects Pictures and KAP Motion Pictures, then your imaginations should be running wild,” Afolayan shared on Instagram.

 

“The movie is being shot on our latest project site KAP Film Village Studio and Resort Igbojaye, Komu in Itesiwaju Local Government, Oyo State.”

The feature film (title yet to be confirmed) will see Hollywood actor Hakeem K Kazeem star alongside ‘King of Boys’ star Sola Sobowale, Bimbo Ademoye, Kunle Remi, Taiwo Hassan, Fathia Balogun, Adebayo Salami, Moji Olayiwola, Kareem Adepoju aka Babawande.

Afolayan’s latest Netflix production comes in the wake of his ‘A Naija Christmas’ which debuted on the streaming platform to impressive reviews in December.

Terrorists kidnap Catholic priest, kill aide in Kaduna

Terrorists on Sunday night attacked Ikulu Fari, a Catholic parish located in Chawai, in the Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The terrorists kidnapped the parish priest, Rev Fr Joseph Shekari, and killed a yet-to-be-identified cook working in the parish house during the attack.

The cook was killed when the marauders stormed the place at 11:30pm on Sunday.

Details later……

Igboho: Benin Republic has extended his detention by six months — Lawyer

The authorities of the Republic of Benin have extended by six months the detention of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, The PUNCH is reporting.

The newspaper said Igboho’s lawyer, Chief Yomi Aliyyu, disclosed this on Sunday following an earlier contrary information.

A former lawyer of the activist, Pelumi Olajengbesi, had a day earlier said Igboho will soon return to Nigeria from Benin Republic, where he was arrested last year as he made to leave for Germany with his wife.

Aliyyu said: “Contrary to what was speculated in the news by a lawyer, the government of the Republic de Benin has renewed the incarceration of Chief Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a Igboho Oosa for another six months even though there is no criminal charge in their file in Cotonou and without extradition request from Nigeria.” “We will approach the ECOWAS Court which they never obeyed,” he said.…

Senegal win Africa Cup of Nations for first time in history

The first Africa Cup of Nations to be played in Cameroon since 1972 sees plenty of stars colliding, and the final is going to be epic.

Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will do battle as they try to lead their respective nations to glory.

A tournament ripe with Premier League players and prospects holds sway over an entire continent for nearly a month with the final coming set to be sensational.

Burkina Faso have been the surprise story of the tournament but Sadio Mane’s Senegal but them in the first semifinal. Hosts Cameroon then lost to Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in the other semi.

There has not been a repeat winner or finalist at AFCON since Egypt won at home in 2006 before claiming the 2008 tournament title in Ghana and the 2010 edition in Angola.

Algeria beat Senegal 1-0 in 2019 to triumph in Egypt and become the seventh nation to win multiple AFCONs, following Democratic Republic of Congo (1968, 1974), Ivory Coast (1992, 2015), Nigeria (1980, 1994, 2013), Ghana (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982), Cameroon (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017), and Egypt (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010).

Below you’ll find the tables, schedules, how to watch Africa Cup of Nations live info, and outright odds for the winner.

Spotify reports 180 million subscribers and 3bn in revenue for Q4 2021

Some days ago, audio streaming giant, Spotify released its Q4 2021 report and here are key findings from the report;

Q4 Highlights:

  • MAUs, Revenue, Operating Income and Gross Margin performed better than expected.
  • Subscriber growth was inline, ARPU growth increased Y/Y, and our advertising business reached a record 15% of Total Revenue in Q4.

Q4 by the Numbers:

  • Premium Subscribers grew 16% Y/Y to 180 million in the quarter, led by strong promotional campaign performance.
  • MAUs grew 18% Y/Y to 406 million in the quarter and near the top end of our guidance range. We saw double digit Y/Y growth in all regions with particular strength in the Rest of World, which was led by strong results in India and Indonesia.
  • Wrapped: Collectively, 120 million MAUs engaged with Wrapped content in Q4 (vs. 93 million last year, an increase of 29% Y/Y).
  • Revenue grew 24% Y/Y in Q4 (or 20% Y/Y on a constant currency basis) to €2,689 million and was above the top end of our guidance range due to significant strength in advertising and favorable FX movements.
  • Gross Margin finished at 26.5% in Q4, above the top end of our guidance range and flat versus the prior year period.
  • ARPU of €4.40 in Q4 was up 3% Y/Y (or up 1% Y/Y constant currency). Excluding the impact of FX, we saw a benefit to ARPU primarily from our price increases.
  • Podcast MAU ended the year with a double digit increase relative to Q3. Among MAUs that engaged with podcasts in Q4, consumption trends remained strong (up 20% Y/Y on a per user basis) and podcast share of overall consumption hours on our platform reached another all-time high.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Series 2 -The Rebirth: Sponsor and host reveal holds Sunday, February 6

The Sponsor and Host reveal event is organized by UP, Nigeria’s premier Payments & Financial Technology Company and Leaders in Digital Payments Innovation, in collaboration with BLK Hut Media, the show’s producers in Nigeria under the License of Sony Pictures.

According to the Managing Director of UP, Agada Apochi, the essence of the event is to formally present the new sponsors and the host for the show to the stakeholders and public.

Mr. Apochi assured that the show was returning with a bang and that the audience should get ready to be thrilled with new elements of suspense, education, excitement, and entertainment.

“We are sponsoring Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to entertain, educate and excite Nigerians. The return of WWTBAM is coming with a bang that would create lasting memories in the audience’s minds. It is going to keep them on the edge of their seats as new millionaires emerge from the show,” he said.

He stated that the sponsors are proud and delighted to sponsor such creative and educative content as the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? TV Game Show for the viewing pleasure of Nigerians.

Also speaking, Hakeem Condotti CEO, BLK HUT said “As a company, BLK Hut desires to continuously deliver creative, intelligent and professional content to the market for the people and partner brands; and in the production of a brand with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’s stature, we are able to show our range and capacity to this effect.

“With lead sponsorship by UP, we are proud to bring international quality content right to our screens again in Nigeria, be it on TV, Digital, Cable, or Mobile. As part of the much-needed Covid relief that we all need as a nation, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Series 2 – The Rebirth is here to entertain, educate and have viewers on the edge of their seats.”

An adaptation of the British version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The Nigerian version was first aired on October 8, 2004, and

‘Staying in my marriage would have killed me’ – Onyeka Onwenu

Nigerian veteran singer Onyeka Onwenu has opened up about the difficulties she faced in her failed marriage.

The music star made this known during a chat with Kikilomo Atanda-Owo on her show “Real Talk with Kike.”

According to the septuagenarian, she tried her best to make her marriage work until she could no longer manage the situation. “I went through it. It was difficult because I really didn’t want my marriage to end but I could not take it anymore. It would have killed me. I always say and that is the truth,” she said.

She also revealed that she singlehandedly raised her children from nursery school till they bagged their masters degree.

“And it was not good for the children to live in that kind of environment where the mother is depressed, the mother is carrying the weight of the whole family. I raised my children from kindergarten to Masters Degree,” added.

Onwenu is a Nigerian singer/songwriter, actress, human rights activist, social activist, journalist and politician.

She recently released her book ‘My Father’s Daughter’ which highlights her successful music career.

Rihanna is pregnant!

Barbadian singer Rihanna is expecting her first child with rapper boyfriend A$AP Rocky.

The pregnant singer proudly debuted her bare baby bump during an outing in Harlem, Rocky’s hometown, over the weekend.

The music star wore a long pink jacket that was kept closed by just one button and a pair of loose ripped jeans.

A$AP Rocky confirmed that they were dating in 2021.There had been speculations about their relationship after Rihanna’s split from her boyfriend of three years, billionaire Hassan Jameel, in January 2020.

The two were later spotted vacationing in Barbados, Rihanna’s home country during Christmas in 2020.

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna have been friends for a while now.

The rapper served as an opening act for the U.S. dates of her Diamonds World Tour in 2013.

The rapper has previously dated celebrities such as Kendall Jenner in 2017 and Brazilian model Daiane Sodré in 2019

Sammie Okposo returns to Instagram, says he is now free from the power of sin

Nigerian gospel singer Sammie Okposo has returned to Instagram, days after deactivating his social media pages.

The popular music star came under the spotlight a few weeks ago after he was caught in a cheating scandal.

In a post shared via his Instagram page on Monday, January 31, 2022, the music star said he is now free from the power of sin.

“I am the righteousness of God in Christ. I am born of God the life of God is in me; Christ in me the hope of glory I am free from the law, from the power of sin. I am no longer bound by the fear of men,” he wrote.

“God’s grace is available sufficient and working for me. Jesus already saved me not because of any works of righteousness that I have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”

It would be recalled that the gospel singer had taken to his Instagram page where he apologized to his wife for cheating on her.

Okposo’s apology came barely 24 hours after a lady by the alias African Doll accused him of impregnating her.

According to the lady, she met the singer in Dallas, United States of America, during one of his tours.

They became close and started an affair which led to the pregnancy.

Things became sour after she informed the gospel singer that she was pregnant.

Sammie Okposo is a gospel singer and minister with several hit songs.

Curry Drops 40, Including 21 In Fourth, As Warriors Beat Rockets

It was return to top form for MVP candidate Stephen Curry, who scored 21 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter on Monday night, to lead Golden State past the Houston Rockets.

The resultant victory marks a sixth consecutive win for the Warriors, while Houston extended its skid at home to 11 straight games.

Curry made seven 3-pointers, four in the fourth quarter, and had nine assists and five rebounds. His 21 fourth-quarter points were the most of his career.

Andrew Wiggins added 23 points for the Warriors and Klay Thompson had 14.

The Rockets, who lost their fourth straight game overall, were led by Christian Wood’s 24 points and 13 rebounds.…

January 2022 transfer window done deals ( EPL )

See all the done deals from the Premier League

 

Ins

Dele Alli – Tottenham to Everton, £40m

 

Christian Eriksen – Unattached to Brentford, free

Wout Weghorst – Wolfsburg to Burnley, £12m

Julian Alvarez – River Plate to Manchester City – £14m

Rodrigo Bentancur – Juventus to Tottenham, £21.5m

Dejan Kulusevski – Juventus to Tottenham, loan

Matt Targett – Aston Villa to Newcastle, loan

Deniz Undav – Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to Brighton – £6m

Donny van de Beek – Manchester United to Everton, loan

Auston Trusty – Colorado Rapids to Arsenal, undisclosed (starts on July 17)

Benicio Baker-Boaitey – Porto to Brighton, loan

Jean-Philippe Mateta – Mainz 05 to Crystal Palace, undisclosed

Amani Richards – Arsenal to Leicester, undisclosed

Dan Burn – Brighton to Newcastle, £13m

Luke Plange – Derby to Crystal Palace, £1m

Billy Crellin – Fleetwood Town to Everton

 

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