It started out with a smash hit performance in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; and then moved to Accra, Ghana where they were given a loud ovation. They dared Mombasa and Nairobi to dream again, and then proceeded to impact the people and prisoners of Johannesburg, South Africa.
The next stop was Aberdeen, Scotland with an awesome, thought-provoking show to get people thinking about their lives. They were hailed by the crème-de-la-crème of society in Douala, Cameroon as artistic and professional with a rich modern re-enactment of an age-old story… Spirit of David now brings to you exclusive footage of their tour to six (6) of ten (10) countries and invites you to support them in an exquisite gala/dinner night: A Special Night with Spirit of David on their tour to Europe.
Spirit of David is a gospel dance club. They are a body of people who love God and love dance and have been gifted with the grace to communicate life-changing messages through performances and shows that are unique, professional and anointed. Spirit of David began in April 1997 in the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and has spread to ten (10) branches across the world, including Calabar, Ilorin, Ado-Ekiti and the UK, to mention a few. They have held seventy-five (75) shows, and have staged no less than 4500 performances to date; and they brought to you two seasons of the very popular Celebrity Takes 2. Spirit of David has been very established, and they have a great number of fans around the world who are interested in seeing how their tour has been.
In this special event, with only 300 people exclusively catered for the night, Spirit of David intends to take the audience on a journey on their visits around the world. The night is also designed to present the future of the Tour, which is a visit to four countries in Europe: France, Spain, Germany and Holland; titled Whoosh and is slated to take place in August this year. The details of the night are as follows:
Date: Easter Sunday, 8th April 2012
Venue: Liberty Hall, The Bespoke Centre, Beside Germaine Motors (after 4th roundabout), Lekki-Epe expressway, Lagos.
Time: 6pm prompt
Spirit of David is also set to launch special dance competitions for kids. But you’ll have to attend this special event to know more about this competition and the myriad things Spirit of David is doing this year!
For exclusive ticket bookings and further enquiries on this special night, or to support this laudable work, please contact Nwando on 08023318273; for general enquiries on Spirit of David, call 0808DANCING or visit www.3dancingmen.com. If you’re a ‘facebooker’, visit out facebook page on www.facebook.com/sodgdc.
A few months shy of his 70th birthday, Chief James Akwari Iroha A.K.A Gringory Akabogu was confirmed dead on Facebook by his son, Akwari James Iroha.
He wrote, “Sept 1942 _ Feb 2012. Not long ago a man we have all come to love, a man that has made us laugh, a friend to all but will always be Dad to my little sister Ugonma, my brothers Chiemela, Uche, Kelechi and me passed on.
“Chief James Udensi Akwari Iroha OON has passed on today. May his cheerfull soul rest in the Lord. Akwari James Iroha ( for the family).”
The creator and veteran member of the soap "New Masquerade" which was popular in the '70's & '80's.
in an interview held in 2008 he spoke about the origin and creation of the hit TV series.
“My mother happened to be a comedian, which fact people do not know about. But the idea of comedy came into my head immediately after the civil war in Nigeria. I looked at people and there were still emotional disturbances and grudges everywhere, and I thought that something had to be done. In the African context of the world, we appreciate humour. Being a natural comedian myself. I thought of what we could do to douse the tension in the people’s mind. That is exactly what gave birth to the Masquerade. First, it was part of a radio programme, In the Lighter Mood, presented by Bob Nwangoro. Then I bet him that we were going to make that part of the programme, the adventures of Chief Zebrudaya Okoroigwe Nwogbo, alias 4:30.
If you tear the texture of Masquerade apart, you will see my father as Chief Zebrudaya; my mother as Ovuleria. Jegede and the other friends of Zebrudaya are my father’s old friends. When they sit down in the evening to play asigo – a traditional Igbo game, they dished out these wonderful language that, though it did not agree with the conventional grammar, communicated. My father was just lampooning and admonishing and dishing out this language. But he was making his point. Like he would say to my mother: “Why do you pontolise my body with assault?” What is “pontolise” I don’t know. But it was understood. So any time my mother and father quarreled, people would gather to listen to them, and they would laugh and laugh. So I thought that could work in Masquerade and so I created Zebrudaya in my father’s image, Ovuleria became my mother and Jegede, Okoro Maduekwe, Nati and others, my father’s friends.”
In an interview granted earlier this year, the veteran actor extensively detailed his failing health and depressing financial challenges.
He was diagnosed with Glaucoma and as at the time of his death no longer had full vision. His family claim to have spent over N4m on his medical bills alone and the recommended eye drop which exhausted within two weeks cost N20, 000 per bottle.
Although the cause of death is currently unknown, the financial stress the family has been under may play a huge deterring role when "Gringory" is to be finally laid to rest.
From the middle of the Eighties to the late Nineties she was one of the world's best-selling artists,
The showbiz world was rocked with the tragic news that one of music's biggest legends Whitney Houston is dead, her life was tragically cut short at the age of 48.
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born to a middle class family in Newark, New Jersey in 1963.
She was the third and youngest child of Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr., who passed away in 2003, and gospel singer Cissy Houston. Her cousins Dionne Warwick and the late Dee Dee Warwick, and also her godmother Aretha Franklin all made a huge mark on the gospel and R&B scene.
It was clear that natural talent in music ran through her family. She first became interested in music after frequently accompanying her mother Cissy when she performed in nightclubs
Sometimes the teen would even take to the stage herself and perform.
Houston was offered her very first recording contract at the age of 14 by Michael Zanger, after she wowed him with her back-up singing on a record for his group, Michael Zanger band.
Whitney is seen here with her mother Cissy and late father John Russell Houston, Jr. in 1985
But she was forced to turn it down as her mother determined that she should instead finish school.
However, in the years that followed she lent her voice to albums of American soul, jazz, and blues singer Lou Rawls and Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson.
Naturally stunningly beautiful, Houston began dabbling in modelling after being spotted by a fashion photographer whilst she was performing with her mother.
She went on to become the first ever woman of colour to appear in a fashion magazine after gracing the pages of Seventeen magazine in the early Eighties.
Subsequently she appeared in Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Young Miss magazines, and also in a TV advertisement for Canada Dry soft drink.
It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform.
Houston made her album debut in 1985 with the self-titled record Whitney Houston.
It sold millions and spawned hit after hit including Saving All My Love for You, which won her her first Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal.
The New York Times wrote that Houston 'possesses one of her generation's most powerful gospel-trained voices, but she eschews many of the churchier mannerisms of her forerunners.
'She uses ornamental gospel phrasing only sparingly, and instead of projecting an earthy, tearful vulnerability, communicates cool self-assurance and strength, building pop ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of intensity.'
Her decision not to follow more soulful inflections drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences.
The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the Soul Train Awards in 1989.
'Sometimes it gets down to that, you know?' she told Katie Couric in 1996. 'You're not black enough for them. I don't know. You're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them.'
Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to refute those critics.
It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image, and already had children of his own.
The couple went on to have a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993.
Over the years, he was arrested several times on charges ranging from DUI to failure to pay child support.
But Houston said their true personalities were not as far apart as people may have believed.
'When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? You know, Bobby and I basically come from the same place,' she told Rolling Stone in 1993.
Whitney's life after marriage and divorce
Houston's only major tours in the last decade were overseas, far away from the critical eyes of the American media. In September 2009, she did a short comeback concert for "Good Morning America" in Central Park. The blurring of the line between entertainment and news on morning shows became apparent as hosts Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts lauded Houston's performance on their show, even as every other media outlet was reporting on how the voice of a generation could no longer handle the demands of even an abridged show, clean or not.
In recent days, one solution for returning Houston to the limelight without subjecting her singing voice to harsh scrutiny had seemingly been arrived at. Rumors had been floated — and published by the Hollywood Reporter — that she was up for contention as a judge on "The X Factor." Simon Cowell told Piers Morgan that Houston had not actually been approached, but that in response to the news reports (which he implied might have been instigated by Houston's camp), his team had planned to have a meeting about considering her.
But getting in that public scuffle Thursday night with Stacy Francis, an admirer who was one of the Season 1 "X Factor" finalists, might not have done Houston any favors, had she lived to come up for contention with Cowell and his producers this week.
Even in as high-profile a period as Grammy week, Houston couldn't seem to shy away from small acts of self-sabotage.
Coming to be regarded as a lush or addict in her last months had to be a harsh rebuke for someone who'd claimed to have cleaned up while attempting a comeback a few years earlier. But the events of the past year made it clear that, in contrast to celebrated redemption stories like Robert Downey Jr.'s, rehab hadn't really taken for Houston.
Her sobriety had been a matter of public concern since the late '90s. A common public misassumption had been that if she ever got out from under the sway of husband Bobby Brown, she would be all right. "He was my drug," she told Oprah in 2009, two years after their divorce, after apparently cleaning up. "I didn't do anything without him. I wasn't getting high by myself.
But more recently, it'd started to look like her ex-husband was no longer the sole driving force of her substance abuse, if ever he had been. Last May, a Houston rep acknowledged that the singer was involved in outpatient rehab for ongoing drug and alcohol problems.
A few of months after the March 2011 edition of the National Enquirer that featured a double-page photo spread of Bobbi Kristina allegedly snorting lines of cocaine at a party (albeit with her mom nowhere in sight).
The tabloids also reported last year that Houston's fortune had run out. With no new albums on the horizon, her best hope for career renewal was the movie Sparkle, in which she played a supporting role as Jordin Sparks' mom. The film — her first since The Preacher's Wife in 1996 — was shot late last year and will come out in August, accompanied by a soundtrack that includes two new Houston tunes.
Houston's final public performance happened at the club that fateful thursday night. It lasted just under a minute, as she sang "Jesus Loves Me" with Price in an impromptu, ramshackle duet captured by any number of videographers in the crowd. Perhaps needless to say, she wasn't in her very best voice for what turned out to be her swansong appearance.
Whitney Houston’s Death: Police Statement
Following is a statement on Whitney Houston's death issued Saturday night by police in Beverly Hills, Calif.:
“At approximately 3:43 p.m. the Beverly Hills Police Department received a 911 call to respond to the Beverly Hilton hotel regarding a medical emergency. Police and fire personnel were immediately dispatched. Fire Department personnel were already on scene at the hotel due a pre-Grammy event taking place later this evening.
"Fire Department personnel, accompanied by hotel security, responded to the hotel room occupied by entertainer Whitney Houston. Upon arrival, first responders discovered Whitney Houston unresponsive. They initiated CPR, but were unable to revive her. At approximately 3:55 pm. Whitney Houston, age 48, was pronounced dead at the scene. Whitney Houston was positively identified at the scene by members of her entourage, which included friends, co-workers and family. Ms. Houston’s daughter and mother were notified of her death.
Prescription drugs were allegedly the downfall of Whitney’s too-short life
Whitney Houston‘s cause of death has been revealed to be drugs — not drowning, as previously reported.
Whitney, who was 48, died of an alleged combination of Xanax with other prescriptions and alcohol, TMZ reports. The L.A. County Coroner informed the family that there was not enough water in her lungs to point to drowning, but rather she was likely already dead from the mixture by the time she became submerged in bathwater.
Despite her troubled end she will be dearly missed and always remembered as one of the greatest voices of her time.
A private funeral will be held Saturday 18th February 2012 at her childhood church in New Jersey, according to the owner of the funeral home handling the arrangements.
The service will start at noon at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, said Carolyn Whigham of Whigham Funeral Home.
As with the private burial, the ceremony is open to invited guests only.
The strike which started on the 5th of December 2011 has been suspended today, February 1st 2012.
According to the chief spokesman for ASUU (Academic Staff Union of Universities, Nigeria), all lecturers and students in universities across the country are to resume full academic activities immediately.
The decision was made today after the ASUU governing body accepted the offer made by the Federal Government. Though the details of the said offer have not yet been made public, it can be assumed that not ALL of ASUU’s demands have been met.
The ASUU President, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie will officially announce the the suspension of the strike today.
Nigerians are united in anger against the removal of subsidies, which they view as their only benefit from the nation's oil wealth. There is also deep mistrust of government after years of blatant corruption.
As at Friday last week when the strike entered its fifth day, the nation’s economy was said to have lost between N400billion and N420billion as a result of the impasse.
This much was confirmed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who on Thursday, last week, put the total figure lost at N387billion.
Expectedly, different sectors of the nation’s economy have also been counting their losses since the commencement of the strike.
Saturday the 14th of January 2012, Nigerians rushed to markets to take advantage of the break in the strike to stock up on food, but they found prices had tripled -- a mix of sellers taking advantage of high demand and the result of increased transport costs.
"All the same, we still have to buy because we have to eat," said Olabisi Adekoya, a 36-year-old mother of four at a Lagos market.
Government officials and economists say removing subsidies was essential and will allow much of the $8 billion per year in savings to be ploughed into projects to improve the country's woefully inadequate infrastructure.
An uneasy calm returned to Nigeria's cities Tuesday, a day after two Nigerian labor groups suspended their nationwide strike over the elimination of the country's fuel subsidy.
In suspending the strikes, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress cited successes gained by demonstrators, including an announcement Monday by President Goodluck Jonathan slashing fuel prices.
In Lagos, the country's commercial center, vehicles filled the streets Tuesday but traffic was still at lower-than-normal levels.
A heavy military presence was still evident in the city's streets in the evening, with armed checkpoints set up at most key bridges and along major roads in the city.
Many fuel stations displayed a price of N97 per liter, the new price announced by the government Monday.
It's important to recall that the protests began earlier this month after fuel that had cost about N65 shot up to N141 when the subsidy was removed.
It was upsetting to discover however that even though the people thought they had finally won there was no fuel to be bought as black markets sold at N300 per liter and fuel stations "claimed" they had none.
In a signal that the government has listened to public complaints about widespread corruption, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was also tasked Tuesday with investigating fraud over fuel imports and sales.
But while the NLC and TUC urged demonstrators to go home as they suspended their industrial action, it remained unclear whether they will accept the fuel-price cut and call for a permanent end to the strikes and protests.
A third organization, the Joint Action Front, issued a statement deploring the suspension and urging continued strikes and protests until the government agrees to restore gas prices to what they were before the subsidy ended.
In another statement Tuesday, the JAF criticized the inspector general of police, Hafiz Ringim, over his warning that any Nigerians taking part in protests would be arrested and charged, and that anyone calling for a change of government would be prosecuted for treason.
JAF Secretary Abiodun Aremu condemned Ringim's statement as "uncivilized and provocative" and accused him of seeking to "repress the legitimate expression and freedom of assembly of Nigerians."
The union said it would consult with the public over continuing the strike action.
But there were no protesters to be seen on the streets of Lagos Tuesday, following the warning from Ringim.
Police continued to stop and shine lights into vehicles passing through the city, while soldiers equipped with armed personnel carriers were stationed by the so-called "freedom parks" where protesters had congregated.
Lagos state Gov. Babatunde Fashola called Monday for the immediate withdrawal of soldiers from the streets of Lagos, a sign of dissent among the authorities over the handling of the protests.
In a written statement, Fashola said there was no development in the state that warranted such a large military deployment and the protests had been largely peaceful and lawful.
"For me this is not a matter for the military. The sooner we rethink and rescind this decision the better and stronger our democracy will be," he said, saying public discourse on political matters should be encouraged.
"If anything, this is a most welcome transformation of our democracy in the sense that it provokes a discussion of economic policies and ... may result in political debate," he added.
Is your skin feeling dry and tight -- even itchy or flaky? Any number of things can strip your skin of its protective oils. The result: Everything from chapped lips and itchy skin to cracked heels. Relief is in your grasp. Use this pictorial guide to see top cold-weather threats to your skin and what you can do about them.
SOS for Chapped Lips
No one is immune from dry lips this dry season! Here’s how to cope: Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Liberally apply petroleum jelly to your lips. Put on lip balm or lipstick every time you go outside. Avoid being in the sun and wind too much. Don't lick your lips -- it may feel better briefly, but it only makes chapped lips worse.
Heal Cracked Heels
Painful, cracked heels are a common skin condition, especially this season. They are often caused by dry skin. Having calluses around the rim of the heel can complicate the problem. In some cases, dry cracked feet can lead to infection or make walking painful. Keep feet healthy by marinating cracked heels in petroleum jelly, covering them with plastic wrap, and putting on a pair of socks overnight. You should see improvement in three nights.
Give Dry Hands Extra Care
Your hands may be hard hit by the cold air. Washing your hands frequently helps eliminate cold and flu germs, but it also increases dryness. And unless you wear gloves every time you go out, hands may be more exposed to cold than other parts of your body. Give dry hands some extra TLC by using a glycerin-based moisturizer when you wake up, before you go to bed, and any time your hands feel dry throughout the day.
Choose a Winter Moisturizer
Should you change your moisturizer? Maybe. If you usually use a light lotion, try a heavier cream, at least on dry skin patches. Ointments -- like petroleum jelly -- have more oil than creams or lotions. That makes them more greasy, too, so they may be best for feet and body. Minimize the greasy feeling by using a very small amount and gently but thoroughly rubbing it into skin. Apply after a warm shower (more on that later).
Lock in Moisture After Your Bath
Right after you step out of the tub, pat skin dry and apply moisturizer to retain the water your skin just absorbed. A glycerin- or hyaluronic acid-based moisturizer can increase the amount of water that’s drawn into your skin. Baby oil (mineral oil) is also a good choice, because it prevents water from evaporating from your skin. Don't stop there: Liberally re-apply moisturizer throughout the day, especially to troublesome dry skin patches.
Show Eczema the Exit
Eczema is an umbrella term for different kinds of skin inflammation. It is marked by dry skin that itches or burns. When skin becomes dry and irritated, eczema can flare. Stay one step ahead by moisturizing frequently with an oil-based ointment that contains sunscreen. Sweating and overheating can also trigger the itch/scratch cycle, so dress in easy-to-peel-off layers. Ask your dermatologist about prescription treatments.
On Tuesday the 3rd of January 2011 protesters shut down petrol stations, formed human barriers along motorways and hijacked buses in Nigeria's biggest city Lagos. This was done as a result of the shock in the doubling of fuel prices.
Most Nigerians see the subsidy as the only benefit they derive from living in an oil rich nation.
“We are meeting this morning on the fuel subsidy removal. We'll hold a press conference by 2 p.m. (15:00 SA time) to announce our decision to Nigerians,” said Owei Lakemfa, general secretary of the National Labour Congress (NLC).
Protests also occurred in other parts of Nigeria on Tuesday, including Kano in the north, the Niger Delta in the southeast and in Ilorin, Kwara State, in the west.
A protest goes fatal
The Nigeria Labour Congress said on Tuesday that it is going to hold President Goodluck Jonathan responsible for a yet to be identified young man allegedly killed by the police in Ilorin, Kwara State during protest against fuel subsidy removal organized in that city.
NLC reaction position was contained in a press release signed by Abdulwaheed Omar, President NLC, the Congress made available to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday afternoon.
Reports indicated that a young man who was part of the anti fuel hike protest was shot dead around the Post Office in central Ilorin, Kwara State.
NLC alleged that the protester was killed by armed policemen from the Area A Division, close to UBA Ilorin and the State Police Command along Sulu Gambari Road, Ilorin.
While regretting the death of the protester, the NLC said President Jonathan cannot absolve himself from the unfortunate event.
“The Police is directly under the control and command of the Presidency and it is the Jonathan administration’s inhuman policy that has resulted in the murder of an innocent citizen. The NLC holds the Jonathan administration liable for this murder and advises it to fish out its agents who shot protesters in Ilorin and bring them to justice”, said NLC.
“First, the Presidency had invited Labour to a follow-up discussion on the issue of fuel subsidy removal only for it to abort the process by removing the subsidy. Secondly, it announced to Nigerians that it was consulting them on the issue only for it to announce new PMS prices. Thirdly, the government announced that even if the subsidy is to be removed, it will be from April 1, 2012 only for it to be carried out on January 1, 2012”
The Congress also said “attacks on peaceful demonstrators, the arrests in Abuja and the murder of a protester by the police do not portray a government that is interested in dialogue and peaceful negotiations”.
NLC said it is seeking legal opinion as to the constitutionality of spending public funds without appropriation by the National Assembly on the Christopher Kolade Committee set up for the implementation of projects captured in the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme document.
NLC has also commended Nigerians for what it described as massive protests over the removal of fuel subsidy across the country on Tuesday.
General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), a former Military President of Nigeria, has added his voice to the controversial issue of the withdrawal of fuel subsidy saying that it would have been better for the Federal Government to seek political solutions to the subsidy removal issue and the FG should have also kept its word that the issue would be decided in April 2012 as this would have given the administration enough time to explain its standpoint and consult with the people.
In a statement, Babangida said, “On the issue of fuel subsidy removal, it is my opinion that it is ill-timed.
The issue of subsidy should be seen more as politics and not economics, because the sole purpose of government is for the good of the people and not to create hardship. It is better to seek political solution to the subsidy discourse than invoking the sentiments of economics. Government should have kept its word till April by which time better explanation would have been given before implementation takes effect.
In lieu of these developments, one wonders how the government expects the masses to get around the city.
