Ali Nuhu, a versatile and talented actor as
well as the LEADERSHIP Artiste of the Year
2014 Award recipient, in this interview with
SOLOMON NDA-ISAIAH and ANTHONY ADA
ABRAHAM , speaks on the movie industry
and why he is never been involved in any
social media altercation with any
colleagues

How does it feel clinching the LEADERSHIP
Artiste of the Year award?

I am grateful to Allah and the
organisation for this award. I must
confess I’m very excited about receiving
this award, due to the fact that this is
the first time an entertainer from
northern Nigeria is getting this award.

What was the reaction like when you
decided to expand your horizon beyond
Kannywood by venturing into the
mainstream movie industry, Nollywoood?

Initially when I started out, there were
complains here and there because people
didn’t know what to expect. Also, even
when the movies started coming out
there were some negative comments
over kissing scenes, for example,
because of the diverse cultures and
traditions that we have. But then the first
thing I took into consideration was that I
am a Muslim and Islamic actions are
judged according to intentions.

This is a profession, we are only acting;
it is not like it is the real thing. It’s make
believe, so anybody who thinks we are
the going extra mile in the kissing or
bedroom scenes should understand that
there are people there and certainly
nothing can happen. Secondly when it
comes to the choice of roles I do, I am
very sensitive because I take some
things into consideration. I don’t go to
the extreme but then at the same time I
don’t just play every role that is offered
to me. I try to control that and what I
want my fans to understand is that for
an actor, you are supposed to act in
whatever language that you can speak or
you can communicate in. If you are given
a role to play in whatever language you
should branch out and do that because
this is what shows that you are a
versatile actor. For most of my fans they
were able to understand these things and
on my own part I was able to control
some things so that they don’t go out of
hand.

In one of your movies, you acted as an
Igbo King; how challenging was that role?

I have done a lot of roles acting as either
as an Igbo prince or Benin Prince. As an
actor if you are given a script and want
to deliver properly, what is expected is
that you carry out research here and
there; be sure of what you are taking,
get someone who is from that tribe so
the person puts you through. You could
even learn some words that you chip in
while you are delivering your lines so you
can convince the people watching that
yes this person is really Igbo; that is
what I normally do.

For Nollywood, when I came in, a lot of
the actors, producers and directors were
very friendly towards me. They really
embraced me and made things easier for
me. They put me through whatever I am
doing and that is why you see me
interpret these roles like that.

What do you think needs to be put in
place to improve the Nigerian movie
industry?

Talking about the movie industry
generally in Nigeria, I think a lot of things
have to be put in place in the entire
industry-that includes Nollywood and
Kannywood. A good marketing structure is
one of the things needed. When these
good marketing structures are put in
place, I am very sure these movies will
make more money and when they make
more money you won’t have to tell a
filmmaker to do a good job; the person
on his or her own will do so. If you look
at when the industry started out, it was
like a trial and error thing but with time,
we now have graduates from various
fields of film making in Nigeria. This
means people have accepted this as a
profession and they are ready to go for
it. All we need is capital. You wouldn’t
need the government or an organisation
to loan you money to do quality movie.
All that is required is when you have a
good marketing structure, the movies will
surely turn in money and when they turn
in money you will be able to make your
craft better.

For a while now, the censorship board has
been banning some local movies, yet,
recently there has been an influx of
Indian-Hausa films which contain some
scenes usually considered offensive by
the censorship board, what’s your take on
this?

Talking about these Indian movies that
are dubbed in Hausa, I wouldn’t really
say they affect us directly. As for the
Kano State censorship board, there is a
new executive secretary who I think is
going to make things better. It is a thing
of worry that our own movies come and
you don’t pass them because a lady is
wearing a jean trouser, but when an
Indian movie is brought that is dubbed in
Hausa and a lady wears a bikini in a
scene and it passes, it is a thing of
worry.

When you talk they will tell you they are
Indians, that that is their tradition. That
is not Indian tradition; tell them to do
Indian tradition and bring to you, that is
what I think should happen. It is really a
problem when it comes to that, it is like
you are not encouraging your own
people.

For instance if a100 movies are produced
and then you decide to cut 50 movies
then the industry begins to face a
problem because people go out of work.
Secondly when these Indian movies are
dubbed and are sent into the market,
people buy them and the rate at which
they buy them affects the quantity of the
own home made movies. Are you
promoting your own or are you trying to
demote your own?

What is your advice?

Ask these people to get permits from the
owners of these jobs because I know
what it takes to get the rightful
ownership of a movie, sound dub and
release it. If they do the right thing, you
won’t get more than ten or five of such
films in a year released into the market.
There is a proliferation of nudity in
Nigerian movies. Even in movie posters,
you see various forms of exposure. They
are available everywhere and children are
exposed to them.

Quality movies don’t portray such things,
but you see, the industry is dissected in
its own way. When you watch such kind
of movies, look at the faces in the
movies, they are not the faces you want
to see in movies. What I will advise the
national film and video censorship board
to do is to really take that into
consideration because take it or leave it,
movies influence what the society does.
The way people dress, they emulate what
actors wear in movies and they say they
want to copy from them. Even little kids
will tell you I have seen this person
praying in this film so I want to pray.

source: www.leadership.ng/entertainment/468422/why-you-wont-find-me-in-any-social-media-war-ali-nuhu

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, has cautioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to go beyond bounds in its political utterances by making allegations against the judiciary.

The CJN’s warning followed an alarm raised by the opposition party over what it termed the undue interferences by the Court of Appeal in the various cases before election petition tribunals and other judicial cases in the country.

“Somebody has to counsel Metuh to avoid treading where he has limited knowledge, because Judiciary is not where one makes allegations without proofs,” he said.

A statement issued yesterday by the party’s national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, had alleged that the appellate court had been meddling in court cases with a view to swaying them in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP called on the Chief Justice of the Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed to guide jealously the independence of the judiciary.

Metuh had said the party wished to alert the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa of reports of undue interferences, emanating from her office, in the activities of various election petition tribunals and other judicial cases, ostensibly to sway them against the PDP and in favor of the APC.

He had said: “While we would not want to believe that the President of the Court of Appeal is so involved, given the sensitivity of her office, we wish to caution, in very strong terms, that such is completely unacceptable as it principally detracts from the sanctity of the judiciary as the citadel of justice and erode the trust reposed on it by the people,” he added.

Urging the appellate court to understand that an impartial judiciary was critical to the survival of the country’s democracy, PDP asked the CJN to guard jealously the independence of the judiciary which he heads, and ensure that any activity that tends to undermine the sanctity of this arm of government is stiffly resisted in the interest of democracy.

Apparently miffed by PDP’s weighty allegations, the CJN through his media aide, Ahuraka Isah, said the PDP and its spokesperson needed to be counseled that they must not tread where they have little or no knowledge about.

In a statement he issued yesterday, Ahuraka said the CJN would not have “ordinarily wished to join issues with people exercising their rights to freedom of speech, except the sensitive and sacred nature of the Judiciary in the society.”

He asserted that the integrity of the judiciary at the moment was non-negotiable, and noted that many members of the APC and the PDP had won and lost at the tribunals all over the country.

He wondered whether this should be interpreted to mean that “the president of the Court of Appeal has influenced the tribunal to also give judgements in favour of the PDP members that have won their cases.

“We all agree that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides for freedom of expression, but it cannot be exercised in isolation recklessly like loose cannon”.

In the statement made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday, Ahuraka further stated: “I make bold to state that the integrity of the Judiciary this time around is non-negotiable.

“Independent judiciary intrinsically means judges can make decisions irrespective of the political winds that are blowing. And we are indeed doing same at the election petition tribunal”.

source: www.leadership.ng/news/468348/interference-allegation-dont-cross-your-bounds-cjn-cautions-pdp

Preparatory to the resumption of
screening of President Muhammadu
Buhari’s ministerial nominees at the
Senate tomorrow Tuesday, about seven
of them met behind-closed-doors with
the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara,
in his office on Monday.

The unprecedented visit to any Speaker
of the House since 1999 by any
presidential nominee, came on the heels
of reported visits to the residence of the
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, by
another nominee and immediate past
governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi
apparently to smoothen his confirmation
process.

An anonymous official in the Speaker’s
office however told LEADERSHIP that the
visit was a “private” one. This is against
the backdrop that the Speaker is not
known to have any official link with the
confirmation of ministers by the Upper
House.

Those involved in the strange visit were
second batch ministerial nominees and
they include Senator Heineken Lokpobiri
(Bayelsa) Aisha Abubakar (Sakoto),
Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna), retired
Brigadier-General Mansur Dan Ali
(Zamfara), Suleiman Bello (Adamawa),
Khadija Bukar Abba (Yobe), among
others.

Details later….

source: www.leadership.ng/news/468246/ministerial-nominees-in-strange-visit-to-dogara

Lalasticlala

Please make the world know what really happened.

Things must change for good and we must learn to start taking responsibilities for our deeds.

The news of his death was something that up till today, I can't just believe it. Anytime I remember him, my normalcy is being lost. This was a great man that changed the lives of many (me inclusive). He was a man loved by all.

May his soul continue to rest in peace, Amen.

Many of you do remember the popular radio program “Sharing Life Issues With Chaz-B”. A program which was hosted by Charles Bruce Chukwuma, popularly known as Chaz-B, who passed away last year November.

Now, there has been a shocking revelation as regards his death. Chaz-B ‘s wife, has pointed accusing fingers to the doctors of the St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos, saying if they knew their jobs and handled it well, her husband would still be alive.

According to Sahara reporters, this was what Chaz-B’s wife had to say;

“My husband called me at about 6:40 AM, Friday the 21st of November 2014, from work. He asked me to come and pick him up because he was not feeling too good. I left with the driver to get him. When I got there, he was in obvious discomfort and he asked me to take him home. On our way home, I noticed that he was in severe pain, so I asked the driver to reverse the car and head instead to the hospital (St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos).

On reaching there, we met Judith, the receptionist. I asked if there was a doctor around. This was around 7PM. She said yes and after some time we were asked to go into Room 2. Right there we met a young doctor called Dr. Ogidigben Kevwe. He asked a few questions that I answered while my husband was wallowing in pains. He (Dr. Kevwe) opened an emergency file because according to him, my husband’s file was locked up in Dr. Bamgboye’s office, and no one had access to that office. I told Dr. Kevwe that my husband had incisional hernia surgery done a few months back –August to be precise– at the same hospital, and it was performed by one Dr. Mohan an Indian man, and Dr. Balogun at St. Nicholas Hospital. He started to examine him. He then left us in his office and said he was coming back.

He came back after some minutes and said he was unable to reach Dr. Balogun from the reception, so I dialed Dr. Balogun with my husband’s phone and I and got through. At this point, I gave the phone to Dr. Kevwe, and he began explaining what he thought the problem was to Dr. Balogun. Dr. Balogun asked if my
husband was in pains, and Dr. Kevwe said yes. Dr. Kevwe told Dr. Balogun that he suspected
intestinal obstruction. Dr. Balogun asked if there
was any swelling around where the incision was
done, and Dr. Kevwe said no. He then asked if
there was any reddish sign around the same area,
and Dr. Kevwe said no. Dr. Kevwe suggested
giving him antibiotics, but Dr. Balogun said that
they had to be careful what they gave him, since
he was a post kidney transplant patient. Dr.
Balogun instructed them to give him a particular
injection twice to ease the pains, and he said that
they should observe him till the next morning. So I
left to go get him what he had asked for (his tea
and his stockings). On my way home around
Bonny Camp, I got a call from a strange number
and when I answered, it was Dr. Kevwe. He asked
me to turn back to come pick my husband up, and
I asked why.

He (Dr. Kevwe) said that my Husband was feeling
much better, and wants to go home. I asked the
driver to reverse and head back to the hospital.
On getting there, I went in and asked the Dr. again
why he wants me to take him home. He repeated
once again that he feels much better and I asked
Dr. Kevwe if he was asking me to take him home
because he thought he felt better or because the
hospital did not have a bed for him. I asked this
because the nurse had mentioned earlier that she
needed to check for bed space. Dr. Kevwe at this
point told me that my husband would be fine and
he asked me to take him home and bring him the
following morning. Meanwhile, before then, Dr.
Kewe wrote a prescription of drugs for my
husband which I took to the pharmacist and when
the lady there saw it, she asked which doctor I
saw. I told her that it was Dr. Kevwe. She moved
over to the other side and called the doctor’s
office. They both argued about the drug that he
wrote, and then she gave me just one tablet of
Exforge. When my husband got up from the
hospital bed, he staggered and I held him and
asked if he was fine. The doctor said that it was
the injection that was given to him and he would
be fine. So I took him home.

Just about 15minutes after we got home, my
husband said he felt like throwing up. I brought a
bowl to him and he vomited, after which he felt a
bit better. He slept for some time and then got up
in excruciating pain. Immediately I jumped into my
clothes and then called Dr. Balogun, to say that
we are on our way back to the hospital. He said
no problem, that a doctor will be waiting for me. I
asked him which doctor and he said the doctor is
their senior surgeon by the name Dr. Fadiran. Dr.
Balogun said that Dr. Fadiran was the doctor on
call. We got to the hospital in less than 20
minutes and my husband came down from the car
himself. He walked into the hospital by himself
before he was wheeled into the ER. Then came
Dr. Kevwe, and I asked him about the senior
surgeon. He told me that he would be coming
very soon. I wasn’t too happy with that, as I had
mentioned to Dr. Balogun that my husband was in
serious pains. I expected to see a consultant like
he said. Dr. Kevwe attempted to place him on an
IV drip and this took forever, as he was unable to
successfully find a vein while my husband
languished in pain.

My husband kept telling them (Dr. Kevwe and the
nurse) that he wants to throw up or use the
restroom, and he would be fine. He kept saying
that if he throws up he will be fine. Meanwhile,
Dr. Kevwe was taking instructions on the phone
from Dr. Fadiran. This was when I asked when the
Dr. would come. I kept asking, “when will the
doctor come?” And Dr. Kevwe said Dr. Fadiran
asked him to get my entire husband’s information.
Dr. Kevwe told me that they are waiting for the
Radiologist and the Anesthesiologist, and none of
these people showed up.

My husband kept on saying that he wants to
throw up. But then, Dr. Kevwe asked the nurse to
give him an injection, I asked what the injection
was for? And he said it will stop him from
vomiting. He became so uncomfortable and was
losing his breath. They put him on oxygen, but I
guess he was already choking.

Meanwhile, Kevwe was still taking instructions
from Dr. Fadiran on the phone. At this time, he
started gasping for air. Meanwhile, before then,
another doctor showed up. I don’t know his name,
but he’s average in height and dark complexioned.
He inserted a suction tube into his mouth, but I
guess he was two hours or more late with that.
Because if that was done when I brought him to
the hospital that morning, he would have been
here with me today.

If Dr. Fadiran were at the hospital, even after he
was told that it was an emergency; my husband
would have been here with me. If the
anesthesiologist was at the hospital, he probably
would have been here with me. If the radiologist
were around on that morning to at least see what
was happening inside of him, he probably would
have been here with me. If Dr. Kevwe knew exactly
what he was doing that morning without taking
instructions from Dr. Fadiran on the phone, with
an emergency case right in front of him, my
husband would have been here. My husband died
of total negligence on the part of St. Nicholas
Hospital, and I know it. As I mentioned earlier, the
doctor was 2 hours plus late with the suction,
because, at this time, the nurse was already
calling my husband’s name, shouting “Mr.
Charles, Mr. Charles!” He was given four
adrenaline injections. The drip wasn’t going at all,
all this while lest I forget. I watched my husband
struggled to breath. I watched him fight for his
life, and I was right there when he died. Even
though they were busy with CPR, I knew when he
passed on because immediately he stopped
struggling, fluid started gushing out of his mouth
and nose. I knew that was it. That was the same
fluid that was choking him. If there were a senior
consultant or surgeon at the hospital as at when I
brought him, he probably, would have been
helped. In between all this, Dr. Kevwe at a time
said to Dr. Fadiran on the phone that he should
come now as the patient is in a critical condition.
He said to the same Dr. Fadiran that 11 O’clock
might be too late. I brought my husband at about
6 AM to St. Nicholas Hospital and he died at
about 9.30AM without receiving prompt and
adequate care.

Human life cannot continue to be lost so cheaply
in Nigerian hospitals. People must be made to
account for their actions as professionals, hence I
have contacted my Lawyers to investigate the
cause of death. He has died with our dreams,
visions, aspirations, and planned future together.”

source: www.jaguda.com/2015/10/19/if-the-doctors-did-their-jobs-chaz-b-would-still-be-here-wife/

BangerSoup

Please, you said where did this happen again

Pres. Jona our hero. God bless you sir.

Everton 0-3 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points

Louis van Gaal and his boys bounced back in style as Manchester United trounced Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park in an exciting encounter on Saturday. Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera and captain Wayne Rooney registered themselves on the scoresheet in the win that saw the Red Devils come away with three points.

The win helps United maintain the pressure on the fellow title contenders, especially on neighbours City, ahead of the crucial Manchester Derby at Old Trafford next week. Here are the five talking points from the game.

1. United End Goodison Park Jinx
Goodison Park is a difficult venue to travel to and who would know this better than a Manchester United side who has struggled to win here in the last three seasons. In the last three meetings between these clubs in the blue half of Merseyside, United have failed to register a single point or even get on the scoresheet.

In the last two meetings, the Reds were simply blown away by the hosts. But United finally ended the Curse of Goodison in emphatic style. The win was more crucial for United in terms of the league, especially after the disaster at the Emirates before the international break.

The visitors showed more hunger and intent to reclaim their season and also a get rid of the shaken morale. The fans and the manager asked for a reaction from the players and they responded in some style.

Will this win turn the season around for the Red Devils? Only time will tell, but so far it is surely one of the highlights for the English giants who are trying to reclaim their lost glory.

2. Dave Saves
David De Gea proves his worth practically every game with his class and performances. In midweek, he was imperious for Spain in their bid to qualify for Euro 2016 and today he asserted once again why he is one of the most sought-after goalkeepers in the world.

Everton were harmless for the majority of the game barring a couple of 15-minute spells in either halves where they threw everything at Reds. And in those spells, one man stood tall and held his own– the high-flying Spaniard, De Gea.

After a rocky start to the game, the former Atletico man grew in stature as the game progressed. If not for his crucial saves, the win wouldn’t seem as comprehensive as it seems.

The Toffees had quite a few clear cut chances and if not for De Gea led United defence, it would have been a different story at the end of 90 minutes.

After an enduring summer saga, it seems De Gea is back on track to have a yet another fruitful season with Manchester United.

3. United Were Calm, Composed And Clinical
A lot has been said about Manchester United’s midfield in recent past. Despite having one of the strongest midfields in the league, there were still doubts, especially after the disastrous trip to the Emirates.

At Everton, Van Gaal opted for a more compact midfield trio of Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian
Schweinsteiger and Ander Herrera. And the move paid rich dividends as United blew Everton away with ease. Herrera’s instincts and creativity gave a new dimension to United’s attack while Schneiderlin’s tenacity was the perfect fodder to the front three of Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney to build on.

Amidst all this hard work was the calm and experience of Schweinsteiger who pulled the strings like a conductor. The German was the soothing balm in the heat of the match. Everton’s midfield of Gareth Barry and James McCarthy had no answer to this United blitzkrieg in midfield.

There has been a lot chopping and changing in the midfield for United mostly due to the riches of players in the position, but this display should clear all the doubts in Van Gaal’s head on his preferred midfield combination.

4. Callous Toffees Pay The Price
Manchester United have been notoriously slow starters in the games this season. Saturday was a different ball game altogether as Everton were slow pokes whereas United were quick off the blocks. The slow start made Everton pay as they trailed by two goals inside 30 minutes.

When Everton got into their stride, they had a few decent chances but they spilled each and every one of them. Lukaku could have put the hosts ahead in the opening minutes of the match, but he was slow to react to the opportunity.

The hosts were nervy in possession as they gave the ball away too cheaply throughout the game.

They played a high tempo and pressing game in the second half, but their sloppiness in possession wasted their efforts. Whenever they carved out a decent opportunity they met a dead end either in the form of United’s central defence or David De Gea.

The Toffees were not at their imperious best, but they certainly were passive throughout the 90 minutes.

And this cost them the game and the crucial three points.

5. Phil Jones And Chris Smalling- The Lucky Duo
Phil Jones got his first start of the season in Premier League for Manchester United at the difficult Goodison Park. The brittle Englishman was rock solid in the heart of defence barring a few rocky moments in the opening stages of the game. Jones highlighted his importance to the squad and also justified his place in the starting lineup ahead of the in-form and versatile Daley Blind.

Chris Smalling is having his best season to date for United and Saturday was one of his routine performances where he was simply unplayable.

He handled the threat of Romelu Lukaku with ease and also marginalised the Belgian’s influence on the game.

In the first half, both of them played as two centre-halves taking on a big centre forward. But in the second half, post the introduction of Arouna Kone, the Englishmen played as a pair and took on the successful duo of Lukaku and Kone. Jones, in particular, showed great character on his return to first team football.

The duo of Smalling and Jones is somewhat a lucky charm for the Reds as the club hasn’t lost a single game when both of them have started together. Now that’s some understanding and solidity.

COMPOSURE!
COMPOSURE!!
COMPOSURE!!!
Was all I saw in yesterday's game. I almost thought Martial's season has ended when Coleman made that tackle.

Martial plays an entertaining football for me. He has stamina, composure, he knows how to read the game and he's opposition who comes his way. That guy was worth more than that price tag.

Has anymore noticed the superlative form Smalling is on? That guy is a beast this season and he has shown consistency beyond expectations. He outmatched his standards yesterday. Lukaku became frustrated and whatever challenge he brought to Smalling, he always had the bitter part.

All drama that played out during De Gea's potential transfer was worth it. The guy is top notch. Those saves are always worth replaying and his biggest assets are those his legs. In De Gea we trust.

Herrera is worth mentioning. He always has fore-sight and always brings something to the table. That he's assist to Rooney was what my pastor calls "Lezuzu lezuzu".

I rest my case for now.