Andi Cahya Saputra and Ella Karina, an Indonesian couple welcomed a baby boy on November 30 of 2018 and wanted to have an iconic name that represents success for the newborn.

In the Asian country, names are similar to prayers, and parents pick out meaningful ones for their children in hopes of brighter futures for them. So, Andi decided that they’ll go with the name of the world’s biggest search engine, Google.

The couple has an older girl, but with a conventional name. Google’s dad said he thought of the name when Ella was seven months pregnant. Even though people have reservations with the name, that didn’t matter to Andi.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/07/03/meet-the-indonesia-baby-boy-whose-name-is-google/

When one sees the families of 2Baba or Ayo Makun, marriage does seem sweet as a celebrity. But the reality is that you can count on your fingers the number of Nigerian celebrities who are actually married.

The higher number is not married at all, while many others pulled out of married life months or a few years into it. Tiwa Savage, Davido and a few others would have enough tales to tell of how being single could be the best option as a popular face.

For people like Ubi Franklin whose marriage to Toke Makinwa ended as if it never happened, marriage would be the last thing that comes to mind. He has since opted to pile up baby mamas, with four kids already from different women.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/07/02/the-baby-mama-issue-heres-why-many-nigerian-celebrities-hate-marriage/

Following the opening bash on Sunday night, Big Brother Naija Season 4, Pepper Dem Dang, began showing yesterday. The 21 housemates began the race to win the N60m cash prize, and the excitement has set social media ablaze.

Of the 21, there are 11 women, but of them all, Tacha immediately took the spotlight. She is a model, social media influencer and every title you can give an ‘Instagram slay queen.’ Fans were quick to recognise the face known for semi-nude appearances and seductive posts. At this moment, she’s arguably the most talked about housemate.

But while some BBNaija viewers, especially men, are rooting for Tacha, many others believe she’s only a seductress that doesn’t deserve the BBNaija crown.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/07/02/its-day-2-of-bbnaija-2019-tacha-is-becoming-popular-and-heres-what-nigerians-are-saying-about-her/

It’s not just adulthood that changes a person, a few other things do also. From fame and success to exposure, the transformational photos of these celebrities say a lot about how time can change everything, and how situations change so swiftly. And, yes some of them have very good genes and do not look like they have aged.

See eight more here: https://qwenu.com/2019/07/01/10-before-and-after-pictures-of-nigerian-celebrities-thatll-leave-you-speechless/

Africa has long held a reputation for weird traditions, and all sorts of culture that are unbelievable.

While civilisation has eroded some of them, many tribes still keep these traditions as sacred. So, you’ll still find places where a festival demands women to walk around with breasts uncovered.

From all across Africa, we have these five top picks of weird culture that are still active in 2019 as ever.

1. Wife Stealing in Northern Nigeria, Chad
night dancing

The Wodaabe ethnic group are the custodian of this odd festival where a whole community dances at night. The adherents live in the northern parts of Nigeria, northeastern Cameroon, the western region of the Central Africa Republic and southwestern Chad.

The strange thing isn’t about the dance, but a stealing ritual that takes place that night. Men are allowed to steal women for whatever reason they want.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/07/01/in-uganda-you-can-freely-steal-another-mans-wife-five-strange-traditions-still-being-practiced-in-africa/

Naira Marley has been trending again, thanks to his new song, ‘Soapy,’ which is believed to be a diss track for his arrest and detention by the EFCC last month.

That incident brought him more fame than he probably ever had. The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) had apprehended him on suspicion of engaging in cybercrime. He spent some days in detention, and some others in and out of court, before he eventually got a bail.

Marley is generally a controversial type, famed for dishing out songs about violence, gangs and immoralities. Someone once said his songs only revolve around ‘drug, sex, immorality, crime and gangster lifestyle.’ He personally confirmed this in a video he shared online where he rubbished love songs, boasting of his ignoble style of songs.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/28/heres-why-naira-marley-will-soon-disappear-from-music-like-terry-g/

The social media has been agog for the past few hours following the shocking revelation by Busola Dakolo, wife of ace musician, Timi Dakolo that Biodun Fatoyinbo, a popular pastor in Abuja raped her.

Busola, who spoke with Chude Jideonwo on Unbroken, a spotlight initiative on pastors’ excesses, narrated how, at age 17, Fatoyinbo rode on her parent’s trust in him to take advantage of her.

Fatoyinbo is popular in Abuja, being the senior pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Ministry (COZA). Back in 2013, he was also embroiled in allegations of sexually assaulting a staff under him. While that 2013 case eventually died down, Busola’s case is attracting much anger from Nigerians on Twitter.

See some of the reactions here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/28/nigerians-lose-their-cool-on-twitter-over-busola-dakolos-rape-allegations-against-popular-pastor-biodun-fatoyinbo/

When Chuck Lorre introduced the Big Bang Theory 2017, not him or any of the casts have any idea that the show will make them so much money.

In Sheldon’s (Jim Parsons) words, “When I read Big Bang it was definitely special to me. I would definitely not presume to say I thought it was going to be a hit show or be picked up, but I know that I was being presented with a character that was, in its own weird way, a really good fit, that I thought I could do.”

The movie held a strong fan base that only kept growing until the finale in May. In 2018, the top four highest-paid TV actors were from The Big Bang Theory.

For the twelve seasons, the show made about a billion dollars, with the last episode alone grossing $185m. For the last three seasons, Parsons makes $1 million per episode, as do fellow listees Johnny Galecki (No. 2, $26.5 million), Simon Helberg (No. 3, $26 million) and Kunal Nayyar (No. 4, $25 million), according to Nielsen, Box Office Mojo and IMDB.

Read full article here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/27/this-is-how-much-sheldon-leonard-and-other-casts-earned-from-big-bang-theory/

The Nigerian music space has evolved a lot over the past few years, and we’ve seen stars come and gone. Some of them disappear just because their music is bad, and that’s natural. But for a few others, their music – lyrics, beats and all are more than beautiful. Despite that, they fizzled out just like that.

Here’s a list of some of them who fans would love to have back on their playlist.

1. BRACKET

When the Bracket duo dropped Yori Yori in 2012, it was a colony on all air plays. One thing was the sensational lyrics, the sound was also so danceable that it took the whole country by storm. Shortly after, we saw the release of No Time, Muah, Mama Africa and other tracks that got them Headies Best Artist awards that same year.

The duo, whose real names are Ozioko Nwachukwu(Vast) & Ali Obumneme (Smash) have reportedly been together for 10yrs developing and building their career. The Expected album with Yori Yori as the hit breaking song was very successful with a lot of concerts and tour made around the world including Kenya, Tanzania, south America, united states, Uganda, UK and the Netherlands.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/27/bracket-and-three-other-nigerian-pop-stars-that-took-a-break-from-music-but-never-came-back/

American actor, playwright, filmmaker, and comedian, Tyler Perry took the Ultimate Icon honour at the BET Awards 2019. Who could have deserved it more than the man who helped stars like Taraji P. Henson to stardom?

The main highlight of the event was Perry’s sensational speech that has kept Twitter awake for the past three days.

In the speech, Perry narrated his story of helping people ‘cross’ to their desired destination. He also touched briefly on his feats in the movie industry, and the potentials of ‘negroes’ in the White world.

Watch video here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/26/tyler-perrys-speech-at-bet-awards-that-has-kept-everyone-talking/

No doubt, Cee C and Alex are the two most popular stars of the 2018 edition of Big Brother Naija ‘Double Wahala.’

Others like Miracle and Nina are also successful in their own fields, but Cynthia Nwadiora and Asogwa Alexandra Amuche Sandra both channelled the BBNaija ladder to the entertainment industry. That’s more reason their fame has continued to soar.

They’ve been so much in the news that Hollywood star, Uti Nwachukwu erroneously thought BBNaija has never produced someone like Cee C. It’s easy to think of that, seeing that the pretty lady was even featured on Perruzi’s latest hit, Majesty.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/26/cee-c-and-alex-unusual-heres-who-we-think-is-more-popular-and-why/

For many Nigerians, Twitter is the most interesting social media channel to spend time. That’s not just because of the short tweets, but also because intelligent, real-life conversations take place here more than any other platforms.

Notwithstanding that fact, there are some folks that are just the life of Twitter Nigeria. It may be different for each category of people, but the role of these people are definitely real. If you’re a lover of academic stuff, fun and comedy, public analyst, philanthropist, or just anything else, it’s very likely that some people’s tweets just manage to make your day.

I’ve handpicked some of the tweet merchants on my list, ...

Continue reading: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/25/five-people-whose-absence-will-make-nigerian-twitter-boring-add-yours/

Mavin Records’ newest signee, Rema made a thrilling shot into the Nigerian music space this year, in a manner that has left many in wonder and amazement. It’s a fact that not many artists if there’s any at all, has made his kind if instant impression on millions with his exceptional take on Afrobeat.

You’re probably aware that Rema recently made history as the first Nigerian artist to debut five top songs on Apple Music. But do you also know Rema has been in the game since he was 14?

Continue reading: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/25/facts-you-didnt-know-about-don-jazzys-new-boy-rema/

Governors from the South West of Nigeria have been under pressure to put a lasting end to the spate of killings, kidnappings, robberies and other heinous crimes traced to Fulani herdsmen in the region. To this end, they have agreed to hold a security summit, from where residents expect a regional solution to emerge.

The summit is coming on the heels of calls by the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum ( AYCF), the Miyetti Allah, and other pro-northern groups to collaborate with the region in solving the herdsmen challenges. The Miyetti Allah even asked for the establishment of Fulani vigilantes in other regions.

Continue reading: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/24/fulani-invasion-agenda-for-south-west-governors-ahead-of-tuesdays-security-summit/

Recently, the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay, lamented that jailing corrupt people was a desperate and wasteful effort. His position was that the nation’s judicial process is too weak and compromised to do the needful, thus igniting the question of what exactly would be the right payback for corrupt people.

South Korea has a lesson to teach us. Park Geun-Hye, the nation’s former president, was toppled by anti-graft law, and sentenced to 25 years in jail for power abuse, bribery and other corrupt practices. That’s in addition to a fine close to $18m. All within one year.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/24/what-is-the-right-punishment-for-corrupt-politicians/

Many might have confused Maikanti Kacalla Baru, the immediate past Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), as one of the political cronies of President Buhari or the All Progressives Congress (APC). That would be completely unjust to a man that is arguably the best thing that can happen to the nation’s oil and gas sector.

Baru was appointed in July 2016 to replace Ibe Kachikwu, who needed more time on his job as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources. His appointment came at a time the NNPC was in dire need of repositioning, following five years of unbelievable scandals and corruption.

The NNPC was at its lowest ebb due to the maladministration of Allison Diezani-Maduze, the minister in charge of the corporation under ex-president Goodluck Jonathan. On one occasion in 2014, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) accused the NNPC of refusing to remit some ₦3.6 trillion to the Federal Government.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/21/maikanti-baru-the-astute-businessman-who-brought-back-the-glory-of-nnpc/

President Muhammadu Buhari has again asked the governors of the 36 states to raise their internally generated revenues and the Value Added Tax. That was coming a few months after his government assured Nigerians that it has no plans to increase VAT. But aside from the inconsistency in the government’s position on this, it speaks of the inability of our leaders to mobilise revenue from available resources.

The President said the funds are needed to provide infrastructure and fund the fight against insecurity. So, having failed to make the most of the nation’s vast natural and economic resources, the government resolves to task the citizens instead. It’s the height of insensitivity.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/21/we-need-to-send-president-buhari-and-our-governors-to-a-business-school/

A few days ago, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom cautioned its citizens against travelling to 21 states in Nigeria due to insecurity. The FCO warned that there are likely going to be terrorist attacks in some states, including Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kano, Abia, Rivers, Sokoto, and others.

Following the killing of Faye Mooney, a British aid worker, by bandits in April, such warning was expected. The UK asked its citizens to avoid places where crowds gather, including political meetings, religious gatherings and places of worship, markets, shopping malls, hotels, bars, restaurants, transport hubs and camps for displaced people.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/20/to-say-nigeria-is-beautiful-and-peaceful-the-nigeria-police-must-be-hallucinating/

The news of Ghanaian authorities demonising Nigerians living in the country is becoming alarming, and one could only fear that it might provoke a retaliation Ghana will forever regret.

The two countries couldn’t have forgotten the 1983 ‘Ghana Must Go’ movement when Nigeria expelled two million undocumented West African migrants, half of whom were from Ghana. No one will also forget about the sturdy, checked bags into which they packed their belongings, which have now become a symbol of exclusion and intolerance. Barely four decades later, the Ghanaians are fuelling another drum of tension from undue intolerance.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/20/ghana-provoking-nigeria-to-revisit-ghana-must-go/

Following recent attacks on Nigerian Army bases by Boko Haram fighters, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has said some soldiers are no longer committed to the war against insurgency. He even said those that have lost interest should quit instead of causing the nation huge setbacks.

It is unfortunate that the military authority is quick to pass the blame on soldiers when their own failures are coming to bear. To begin with, if the issue is really about commitment, what did the military do about the various outcry against irregular allowances and tactical failure of the Nigerian Army, by these same troops?

If Buratai blames the lack of commitment, then, we’ll be right to say that all the soldiers, including their commanders, have run out of it, considering the level of attacks and number of casualties in recent times.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/19/edo-governor-godwin-obaseki-is-afraid-of-his-own-shadows/

Barely two years into his election as Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki has been embroiled in allegations of undermining the leadership of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). The reports were that he was even at war with his predecessor and the current National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole.

Despite his repeated denials of the reports, the APC in Edo has been plunged into a crisis for a while now, which reached its peak during the last general elections. He is in the league of governors who want their cronies in the legislature, but he fell flat on his face in March. Now that he only has nine lawmakers as his friends, he is running around to prevent others from being inaugurated.

The drama unfolded on Monday night when nine members-elect of the state’s house of assembly, the ones loyal Obaseki, were sworn in “secretly”.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/19/edo-governor-godwin-obaseki-is-afraid-of-his-own-shadows/

The invasion of Fulani kidnappers in the South-West has gotten to the extreme level, as every attempt to have a peaceful resolution has proven abortive. Now, various stakeholders in the region, including the Agbekoya, Afenifere and the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) want the situation to change at any cost.

Each group is offering different solutions, from negotiation and ranching to outright expulsion. But the proposition of Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, that the killer herdsmen should vacate the region entirely is the only one that could bring back the long-lost peace. His position is that the Yoruba should take the responsibility of forcing them out if they refuse to leave.

For anyone who is familiar with the history of Yoruba-Fulani relationship, they will know that no synergy can possibly occur within the two ethnic groups.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/18/herdsmen-crisis-gani-adams-solution-is-the-best-for-south-west/

It is an absolute lack of sense to harm oneself or others because a situation doesn’t go as expected. The person’s blindness in that moment of rage will be quick to disappear when the damage has been done. That was how a 32-year-old Nigerian, Jeoffrey Ewohime Apkovweta thought he could protest by destroying highly expensive diplomatic cars at the Nigerian High Commission in London.

It was one thing that he went ahead to soil the reputation of Nigerians in a foreign land. It was also learnt that Ewohime could be paying more than £50,000 in repair charges for the damaged vehicles.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/18/jeoffrey-ewohime-once-heavily-frustrated-now-heavily-indebted/

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has for the past few years rolled out a few funding options to boost local agricultural production, with the goal of achieving self-sufficiency in food. But despite all these, we can’t confidently point to significant results in the past four years, with the rate of smallholder farming remaining low.

The battle has been against smuggling, low interest in farming and rising insecurity. Now that the CBN has introduced new funding for smallholder farmers, the question should begin with, how do we address these underlying issues?

Read full article here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/17/cbns-new-funding-for-farmers-a-game-changer-or-another-charade/

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) of Ondo State and the immediate past governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode have a political trait in common. For the two of them, power is just a tool to actualise their dreams of governance as it pleases them, without recourse to their party or real concern for the populace.

Funny enough, the two are from the All Progressives Congress (APC). But unfortunately for them, the political space in Nigeria doesn’t favour anyone who threads on party leadership and looks away from people’s welfare. It became the undoing of Ambode, and Akeredolu is about to have his own share of the punishment.

Continue reading: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/17/like-ambode-rotimi-akeredolu-has-lost-his-single-chance-in-ondo/

The joke that the 2019 general elections were rigged is rapidly unravelling at the elections tribunal where Atiku of the PDP is currently contesting president Buhari’s victory.

Atiku and the PDP had come out to say that based on their own collation, they were supposed to have been winners of the election, and as the days went by, they admitted to having access to INEC’s server. Going by the data they had gotten from this server, Atiku had defeated Buhari by 1,605,302 votes in 35 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, having gotten a total of 18,356,732 votes to the latter’s 16,741,430 votes.

But we wouldn't have had these issues if INEC had not spoken with both mouths from the beginning.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/14/inec-the-phantom-server-and-the-jokes-of-the-2019-elections/

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a significant indicator of a nation’s economic potential and speed of growth. Global leaders fidget when foreign investment stays at the same level for a long time, and they get even more worried when the slope is falling slightly, with investors willingly quitting a particular economy.

While such little changes do worry other countries, in Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer, our own rate of FDI fell by 43 per cent to $2bn, and our government still believes they are doing the right thing. The figure was contained in the latest World Investment Report by the United Nations.

Read full story here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/14/43-of-foreign-investors-left-nigeria-in-2018-where-did-we-go-wrong/

The Igbos are arguably the most agitated of all ethnic groups and regions in Nigeria. There’s probably nothing they don’t complain about: from federal allocations and leadership positions to perceived anti-Igbo schemes. While there may be a few reasons to justify these arguments, they usually represent a sense of entitlement that has no place in politics. These things have done quite a lot of damage to the region’s potentials in national politics.

During his inauguration as the senator representing Imo West district in the 9th Senate on Thursday, Rochas Okorocha touched on some salient points the Igbos often overlook, thus leaving them with huge political losses.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/14/okorocha-is-right-igbos-may-never-get-the-presidency-again-unless/

Not many Nigerians know the nature of Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai until the just-concluded general elections where he specialised in attacking his former political godfathers. He took it to the extreme when he initiated schemes to scuttle the support base of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

All these points to one thing – that El-Rufai will one day stand up against his current godfathers – President Buhari, Adams Oshiomhole, and other key leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC). It wouldn’t be wrong to assume that, a day will come when he will withdraw his loyalty to them all.

Continue reading: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/13/why-apc-should-be-careful-of-kaduna-governor-nasir-el-rufai/

Earlier in May, when an orthopaedic surgeon at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof Olayinka Adegbehingbe, was kidnapped by Fulani herdsmen, the government was quick to say that the incident is only one occurrence that would never repeat itself. But that is no longer the case, as these herdsmen only grow stronger in their crimes by the day.

The OAU lecturer, who went missing along Ife-Ibadan expressway was made to cough out ₦5.045m before he was freed. The herdsmen had initially demanded ₦30m ransom but later reneged after much negotiation.

Since then, it’s been from one tragic news of herdsmen attack to another. From Ondo and Oyo States to Ekiti and Osun States, the stories have been saddening. If not kidnapping, ...

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/13/fulani-herdsmen-are-now-the-terrorists-of-south-west/

Not many Nigerians know the nature of Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai until the just-concluded general elections where he specialised in attacking his former political godfathers. He took it to the extreme when he initiated schemes to scuttle the support base of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

All these points to one thing – that El-Rufai will one day stand up against his current godfathers – President Buhari, Adams Oshiomhole, and other key leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC). It wouldn’t be wrong to assume that, a day will come when he will withdraw his loyalty to them all.

Continue reading: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/13/why-apc-should-be-careful-of-kaduna-governor-nasir-el-rufai/

When President Buhari signed the “Not Too Young To Run” bill into law in 2018, many political analysts believe this could be another among numerous Nigerian laws that are only active on paper. But just a year later, it appears the age of young leaders is finally here.

The bill was passed by the National Assembly to alter Sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the constitution. It was to reduce the age qualification for president from 40 to 30; governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25.

Sequel to this, many young politicians give motion to their aspirations with the 2019 elections. Now, three of them in their thirties will now lead houses of assembly in some states.

On Monday of this week, the lawmaker representing Jos East constituency, Mr Abok Izam, 33-year-old, emerged the new Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly.

Continue reading here: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/11/2019-nigerian-elections-brought-a-new-dawn-to-the-not-too-young-to-run-campaign/