Commendation service holds for late ex-VP, Ekwueme

 FINAL rites of passage have begun for the late former Vice-President of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme. A statement by Mr. Ken Ekwueme  indicated that a commendation service in honour of late Dr. Ekwueme will hold this Friday, January 19, at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos, at 2p.m, while an Evening of Tributes and Music is scheduled for 5p.m. of same day at Muson Centre. Dr Ekwueme Thursday, February 1, is service of songs at Alex Ekwueme’s compound in Oko, Anambra State, at 5p.m. Next day, Friday, is funeral service at St. John the Divine Church, Oko, at 11a.m. Interment and reception follow at his compound.

Fame not my aim for ‘sharing’ money – Williams Uchemba

Since actor and comedian, Williams Uchemba, started his Give Challenge in December, his popularity has soared.
However, in a chat with Sunday Scoop, Uchemba, who was once a kid actor, said he didn’t initiate the gesture to gain popularity or seek attention.
He said, “I have been in the limelight since I was eight years old. What I am doing now is not because I want popularity, irrespective of what anyone thinks. I am doing it because God has said I should do so. As long as people are blessed and their lives are changed for the better, I am happy. Before I started the challenge, I had more than 300,000 followers on Instagram and the number has not changed. The Give Challenge only drew more attention to me, but it has not made me famous. I have my skits and other things I have been doing.”

Negative comments don’t bother me –Efe, BBNaija winner

At a time when the Internet has taken over many things, it will be hard for entertainers to flourish without embracing the social media. But the winner of the 2017 edition of Big Brother Naija, Efe Ejeba, has said that he hardly uses the different social media platforms in vogue today.
In a chat with Sunday Scoop, he said, “The truth is that I don’t know what is happening on social media. When I wake up in the morning, I pray, eat, record songs and I release them. I don’t hear what people say about my music. I am not disturbed about negative comments because it is normal for people to have different views about whatever you do.”

I didn’t lie about N14m stolen from me –Mr. Ibu

During the week, it was widely reported that the house of comic actor, John Okafor, aka Mr. Ibu, was robbed and that he lost over N14m to the thieves.
While many sympathised with the actor, others also questioned why the actor would keep such a large sum of money in his house, considering the cashless policy adopted by most Nigerians. Some people also insinuated that the actor exaggerated about the amount he lost to the robbery.

In a chat with Sunday Scoop, Okafor made some clarifications. He said, “When I said I lost N14m, there was a misconception that it was all in cash but that was not the case. One million naira cash, and properties worth over N13m were carted away. Some of the items the robbers stole included gold wristwatches, necklaces and jewellery. They also stole shoes belonging to me and my wife, and a lot of other items. The trauma is still very much for my wife and kids. They are still in shock because the thieves knocked down the doors of the house and you can imagine the type of noise they would have made at the time they came, which was about 3am.”

Ooni of Ife is my father, not lover –Ara

There have been reports that popular singer and drummer, Aralola Apake, popularly known as Ara, is in a relationship with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and that she may be his next queen. However, in a chat with Sunday Scoop, Ara rubbished the stories. She said, “There is no iota of truth to such reports, please disregard them. The Ooni is like a father to me, and he takes me as his

daughter. There is no love affair between us at all. The monarch is a very great lover of our culture, and it is obvious that he has done a lot to support and promote the Yoruba culture. I am also a cultural ambassador and the Ooni has lent his support to our cause. I believe that there are a lot of potential in this country that can be tapped. If we harness the tourism potential of Nigeria, it would fetch the

I regret getting married– Gifty Powers

Background
My grandfather is from Obosi in Anambra State. He is a Reverend Father and a barrister. He married my grandmother who is partly Liberian and Sierra Leonean, and they gave birth to my mum before they got divorced. I am my parents’ first daughter, but I’m the second child. I grew up in Ghana, Accra precisely.

Mark Wahlberg donates $1.5 million after pay gap controversy

American actor Mark Wahlberg announced Saturday he would donate $1.5 million (1.2 million euros) to a legal fund for victims of sexual harassment following a controversy over the massive pay gap between him and a female co-star.
Ridley Scott partially re-shot his latest movie, “All the Money in the World,” after Kevin Spacey was fired due to sexual misconduct allegations, with both Wahlberg and Michelle Williams called back to act opposite Spacey’s replacement, Christopher Plummer.

Williams was reportedly paid less than $1,000 while Wahlberg made $1.5 million for reshoots on the film.

Omotola Jalade greets 40th birthday with five-day event

Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, popularly referred to as Omosexy, is set to celebrate her 40th birthday in grand style with a five-day event tagged ‘Omotola4pointO’.
The screen diva who will be 40 come February 7, will be joining her colleagues like Mercy Aigbe and Iyabo-Ojo in the ‘fortified’ clique.

The Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan dies at 46

Irish singer-songwriter Dolores O’Riordan, frontwoman of the multi-million selling rock band The Cranberries, died suddenly in London on Monday aged 46, her publicist said.
“Irish and international singer Dolores O’Riordan has died suddenly in London today, family members are devastated,” Lindsey Holmes said in a statement.
“The lead singer…was in London for a short recording session,” she added.
The band achieved international success in the 1990s with their debut album “Everyone Else is Doing it, So Why Can’t We?”, which included hit single “Linger”.
Follow-up album “No Need to Argue” went to number one in Australia, France and Germany, and number 6 in the United States.

Youths boo Ozekhome at Gani Fawehinmi lecture

There was a mild drama at the 14th Annual Chief Gani Fawenhimi Lecture in Ikeja, Lagos on Monday, as some youths booed Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who was one of the discussants.
The youths blocked the path of Ozekhome, who arrived the venue of the lecture at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, at about 1.30pm, insisting that the SAN would not be allowed into the lecture hall.
Ozekhome’s arrival was greeted with a loud chant of disapproval by the youths, who disrupted the lecture which was already underway.