Nigerian Newspapers
I can’t shed weight for any man — Nollywood actress Eniola Badmus
Eniola Badmus, popularly known as Gbogbo Bigz Girls, has earned her place in the highly competitive Nigerian movie industry as a crossover actress. Best known for her role as a street urchin, the actress who reveals that she creates her own slangs and keeps them in a repertoire, in this interview with MERCY MICHAEL, talks about varied issues among which is her relationship with Bimbo Thomas and Funke Akindele.
YOU don’t favour your critics? The moment they try to sound negative you take them to the cleaners. Do you get furious easily?
No I don’t. It’s just that I don’t tolerate intimidation from anyone. In other parts of the world people commit suicide at times because of intimidation. When you allow yourself to be intimidated then depression comes in and when depression comes you want to harm yourself. So for that reason I don’t allow anybody to intimidate me or intimidate anyone around me. I just don’t like it. I hate negative vibes. If I have a friend and she tries to sound negative I keep a distance.
I want happy people around me. But to answer your question, in recent times, I have engaged my critics for making my business theirs. I am not the biggest person in the world now or am I? I don’t know why they keep commenting on my size. We all can’t be slim and I like me just the way I am so they should please leave me the hell alone. I am sexier than some slim people. I mean I’m surprised that people can make it an issue.
But in all honesty, is a weight reduction programmes an option for you?
No, already I exercise to keep fit and I am fit the way I am. I have said it before and I will say it again, I am healthier than a lot of slim people. But that is not to say I don’t exercise. I do. In fact, I love swimming.
Even, if your man says so?
No I can’t lose weight for any man. Any man who doesn’t like me the way I am can as well keep a distance. Why must I even lose weight for a man? What if I lose weight and I find someone else and he says I want you to add weight for me then I will add weight again for the person. It doesn’t make any sense. Everybody can’t like you so if you don’t like me just stay away.
Any plans for a plus-size foundation?
No, but if I must do anything for the plus-size, it has to be clothing the plus-size. I am a very trendy and up to date babe. I have that urge to cloth the plus-size because it’s what I’m good at. If you are a plus-size and you have a problem putting your wardrobe together you can contact me and I will do a good job on that. I know what fits and what’s trendy at the same time.
You must have been very courageous to have dared to wear a bikini recently?
I don’t like all this questions that bothers on my size. Abi am the biggest person in the world? Were they expecting me to wear a night wear like am wearing now to the pool? Na wa for Nigerians sef. I wore what was appropriate and still they are making funny comments. I didn’t even wear a bikini and yet they won’t stop talking.
Tell us about life after Gbogbo Bigs girls?
I won’t lie to you it has been wonderful. It has opened doors for me and most of the scripts that have come have come because of the success of that movie. I guess I am good at what I do. I try to interpret my role to the best of my ability, whether it’s English movie or Yoruba movie.
There is a movie I just finished playing; it’s an Emem Isong production. I put in my all; the director really stretched me to the limits. In fact, if I don’t win an award for that movie, I will be shocked. That movie stretched me truthfully. I acted the wife of Okon.
How were you able to pull off some of those stunts in Omo Ghetto and the likes of them?
Actually, I take my time and go to those areas I can learn one or two street attitudes from. But I actually don’t borrow their slang; I create mine and it is unique to me. I actually have a book where I write them out. The way song writers write songs that is the same way I write down my slangs. Scripts after script, it is the same thing.
Why is it that you never play gentle roles whether it’s English or a Yoruba movie?
I guess because producers feel they like the way I play the roles. But I’m a consummate actress and I can interpret any character that’s given to me.
Was acting your childhood dream?
Yes, that’s why I studied Theatre Arts. I have always wanted to be an actress. Right from my secondary school days, I’ve always been active in drama. So when I finished secondary school, I just went for Theatre Arts. Although I later went to study Economics, I did that because I had time on my hands then and besides, I didn’t know it had anything to do with mathematics.
I hate mathematics so much. In our first year there wasn’t anything like that but in our second year, we took Statistics as a borrowed course. I hated it so much. I didn’t like calculation but I managed to graduate somehow.
But it is mostly believed that acting alone cannot put food on the table?
For me, acting is all I do apart from the fact that I also compere events. But acting majorly is what puts food on my table.
You’ve not been linked with any male in your industry, is it that you can’t date an entertainer?
If I say I have not dated anybody in my industry you won’t believe me anyway, so let’s just say I’ve been dating but maybe you haven’t found out. And if I’ve been dating someone all this while in this industry and you haven’t found out or anyone else hasn’t found out, then I must be perfect. I must have been covering my tracks well then. But in this industry most of my friends are the opposite sex.
It has always been like that even before I came into Nollywood. I feel comfortable hanging out with my male friends. Not that I don’t like my ladies, I do but most times, I just find myself in the midst of guys. I have more male friends than female friends.
Why do some people believe that you are not friendly?
Anyone who thinks I’m not friendly is just beefing. Yes, because if you know me well, you will know I’m an extrovert and that simply means I get on along very well with people. I am a very simple person too; infact, I hate it when I see someone just sitting quite. I want to know what is wrong and cheer the person up. I am a very simple and trust me; those people who think I’m not friendly haven’t met me.
Who are you pals in the industry? Bimbo Thomas said you are her pal…
You see Bimbo Thomas and Funke Akindele; those two are more than friends to me. They are like my sisters; we are close as if you pick a strand of my hair it could be Bimbo Thomas’ and if you pick another strand, it could be Funke Akindele’s. That is why I say they are more than friends to me. They are my sisters from another mother.
Can you recall any instance that brought tears to your eyes?
Hmmm, okay I remember a day a fan called me and said she needed my assistance. I told her I would assist her but that I needed to see her since it bothers on health. On getting to her, I was completely broken down because what she told me over the phone was milder than what I saw myself. I was close to tears as I looked at her. At the end of day, I had to give more than she asked me in the first instance. We need to be grateful for health. We need to thank God for life.
Do you have an NGO?
I don’t think I really like the idea of having an NGO. This NGO thing has been abused by some people and even soliciting for funds is hard. Beside, I’m not a loud person, whatever I do to assist people; I like it to remain with me. I don’t believe I have to go all out to let the whole world know. It should be between me and my God.
Do you believe in marriage?
Please I don’t want to answer any question on relationship. When I get to that bridge, I will cross it.
Can you have kids outside wedlock?
Don’t ask me. But I promise you, I’m not going to disappoint you. My parents are married, so definitely I have an idea of what marriage is all about.
Most of your colleagues have delved into film production. Are you also toeing that path?
Really, I’m working on something before the end of the year, but I don’t want to talk about it for now. It is definitely going to come before the end of this year.
What do you do in your spare time?
I read a lot. I don’t know if it’s a bad habit but I read anything I can lay my hands on. I like to know a little about everything. I just finished reading a book titled tribute to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It was given to me by my mother Senator Oluremi Tinubu. I call her my mother.
Every now and then we hear of entertainers falling ill and having to solicit for funds for such people can be challenging sometimes. What’s your take on this?
I think we should all learn to take a health insurance. I have a health insurance worth 1m and I have other health insurances that are not as expensive as that. Truth is, most of us are ignorant about the opportunities around us.
Government has provided some health schemes that we can buy into. They are not expenses but most of us are ignorant of them. I have a health insurance that covers me in the whole of 36 states in the federation. They are so many of them but you need to read about it for you to know about it. Look at OJB for instance; see how long it has taking to raise the money needed for this treatment. I feel so sorry for him and I pray that the operation is a success by the time it is done. There have been talks about a health insurance in the entertainment industry but before then, we can on our own take on an affordable health insurance scheme.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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