Ese Walter speaks on why she married OAP, Benny Ark

Ese Walter of Femina Speaks shared an emotional piece on how she has grown to love her husband, Benny Ark.

Walter reflected on how the few months of her marriage was a mess, how she wanted out and how she has grown to love the man she is married to.

According to her, she was not in love with Benny Ark when she got married to him. She just needed a change of story.

Read her post on Instagram below:

"When I agreed to marry him two and a half years ago, I didn't love him. Heck I didn't love my own self. I just needed a change of story. I needed to stop being the girl everyone called an evil mistress and "graduate" to somebody's Mrs I thought the Mrs title was going to save my ass and bring me some sort of redemption. I was wrong.

Calling what happened next a disaster is putting it mildly. Weeks into living together brought out the worse in both of us. I thought I made a mistake. I didn't trust him so why was I married to him. We would argue over everything and I convinced myself I wanted out despite the baby on the way. In therapy, I was able to face my own demons for the first time.

I realised it was never about him or the other guys I dated. I was always looking for a fix outside of myself. I was always needing someone to take away the pain and save my lonely self. I was looking for what I wasn't because I thought that could heal me.

Months of living outside my comfort zone and going where the pain was brought me face to face with my demons that saved me. I didn't trust him because I didn't trust me. I couldn't love him because I had no love to give. I was always blaming him because it was easier to project than take responsibility. As I started to evolve and see my own self, I was able to see him for the first time.

As I started loving myself, I was able to love him and now as I learn to trust myself, I am trusting him, one day at a time. As I lay beside him last night I remembered a quote I read sometime ago. I don't remember who said it but it read, "when you love the one you got, the one you got becomes the one you love."

When I stopped trying to change him and let him be, I was able to give room for his own evolving. He ain't perfect. Who wants perfect anyways? I am learning that all is as it should be in the Universe, there are no mistakes only feedback.

The Universe brought the one I needed for my evolving and I am thankful. GRATITUDE is my dominant feeling this morning. If you are struggling with the one you love, know that the world's standard of love is fucked up. Vibrate higher and love because of love.”

Ali baba shows off his pet dogs named after (OBJ, Abacha, IBB, Obama) & other foreign leaders

Comedian Ali Baba shared the photo above showing some of his pet dogs and revealed that he named them after different world leaders (Both past & present). Ali Baba claims that former Nigerian President Obasanjo, was aware and impressed that he had a dog named after him. Read below.

"My dogs and I back in the day. Must have had like 12 at a particular point in time. Interesting time. That time I mean. I had traveled and returned at night, but was too tired to relate with them. OBJ, the big Alsatian was the head of the pack. Then Obama was the big black and white Great Dane, the Alsatian on the bummer was Thatcher. Thatcher must have given me like 18 puppies. In her good days (X120k per puppy) the ridge back by Thatcher was called Madiba. It arrived from South Africa on the birthday of Mandela

 The Second Harlequin Great Dane was named after Queen Amina... But the fiercest of my odds were Chaka, IBB AND Abacha. They took no prisoners. In fact, if I gave you anything I had used before, like shoes or clothes,my advice is not to wear them to my home. Because if Chaka, or Abacha caught a whiff of that item on you... You will not like yourself. They were my trusted securities and my friend. One time in LEKKI, 1997 or so, a guy scaled the fence into my compound in the night. I was woken up to a shouts of "Oga come o!!!!!"  

"Oga I am finished!" And Usman my maiguard was having a good laugh. At 2am! The petty thief was on the roof of my V-Boot. I was more scared for his life than he was of it. Because then we had Chaka, Ghadaffi and Clinton. Those who new these dogs will testify to their brutality. Go ask@basorge_tariah and@officialbunmidavies... But with hind sight now, I am just thanking God. Yes oooo! O have to thank God ooo. That it was not now, that I named my dogs after any sitting president and foreign leaders. In fact, Obasanjo himself was very impressed years later when his friend that brought me a gift from Baba, told him how a dog called OBJ in Ali Baba's house nearly killed him. Baba used to warn my wife then, that if she ever decided to have a dog meal, she should not touch OBJ... But then again, OBJ had a different kind of personality and a high sense of humor. Everyone can not be the same. So I understand. An that is all I have to say."

Photos: Imo state Police command parade Mother & Son who stole a day-old baby boy

The Imo State Police command on Monday arrested one Mrs Ngozi Anyanwu and her son, Goodluck Anyanwu, for allegedly stealing a baby boy from a maternity clinic in Isiala Mbano LGA of the state.

Parading them before newsmen, the Imo state Commissioner, Taiwo Lakanu said that he received the news of the disappearance of a new born baby on August 19, 2016 and efforts were immediately put in place to recover the child and arrest the Kidnappers. This turned out successful 48 hours later.

Confessing to stealing the child, Mrs Anyanwu said she stole the baby to punish the matron of the maternity whom has allegedly been owing her sums of money. That she never intended to sell the baby or to do any evil to the child but to make sure that the matron pays for all the wrongs she had done to her.

The Police has since handed the child over to his biological mother. Photos below...

18 already?? Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde’s son marks birthday with Sound Sultan, Patoranking

Sound Sultan, Patoranking and Denrele Edun were some of the Nigerian celebrities that turned up for Omotola Jalade's son, M.J Ekeinde's 18th birthday. The actress' son, who is the second of four children, is an aspiring musician. They grow so fast!

Where is the change? - Bob Manuel asks Buhari

– Nollywood actor Bob Manuel has waded into the current economic crisis rocking the country – He called on the Buhari-led government to bring the much desired change it promised Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Veteran Nollywood actor, Bob Manuel has joined the list of entertainers who has lamented the suffering and anguish Nigerians have been made to go through in the name of ‘change’. In a chat with Punch, he called on the Buhari-led government to bring the much desired change it promised. The actor said due to the epileptic power supply in the country, he may develop hypertension should he calculate how much he spends buying fuel to power his generator.

“People are suffering, there is no money. People are not smiling. These days, you hear stories of food theft because of the bad situation of things. All is not well for now. ” I now use generators more than most Nigerians. We have no choice due to poor power supply in the country. I rely mostly on generator for my power needs. I cannot estimate how many hours I enjoy government power supply in a day, sometimes there is electricity today, and tomorrow there is none. It’s an on-and-off situation. Sometimes, there could be no power for weeks and I often forget there’s anything called government power supply. It’s just like what every other Nigerian experiences. “I have three generators in my house. It is not deliberate and it is not to prove being rich, but it is because of the condition we have found ourselves in this country. I run one in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the night. By doing this, I will be able to lengthen the lifespan of the generators. Of course, running the generator throughout the day creates a deep hole in the pocket, but what can we do with the epileptic power supply in the country? “I have stopped calculating the amount. It is painful. You can just imagine if someone is spending just N1,000 per day to run a generator, in a month, you would have spent N30,000. Many Nigerians spend more than that per month. Personally, if I calculate what I spend on powering my generators, I will develop high blood pressure. I don’t bother again and of course there is no hope that power supply in this country will improve. “No hope,” he echoed. “There is none and I will tell you why. The issue of power supply in this country cannot be solved in a day. The problem was caused by a particular set of people in this country who don’t want to see things work. Twenty years ago, having a generator was by choice, not something everybody had. Only a few people had it. But things got worse afterwards and now the importation of generators is big business and the importers are making billions of naira from it. “Some of the importers are big people in this country who are doing everything they can to not make power supply improve. Some of them partially own the companies that manufacture generators. These people are in the government and wield huge influence. I am pessimistic we can succeed in getting good power supply again in this country. If it is ever going to happen, it will involve the shedding of blood because the cabal will be ready to do anything for their business to keep thriving. I am putting this as a challenge to the government, let them prove me wrong. We can never get stable power supply again in this country,” the movie icon reinstated. Just last week, ATL based rapper, Eldee expressed his dissatisfaction with the Buhari-led government, stating that President Buhari’s government is not the way forward for Nigeria in a series of tweets insisting that it was a huge mistake to have thought otherwise. 

Why Genevieve dumped me –Okechukwu Joseph, actor

Determined to make a difference, Okechukwu Joseph ventured into the movie industry but after about a decade, the actor believed that he had not made the desired change. and so he travelled to the United States where he enrolled at the New York Film Academy. The result of this is a soon-to-be released movie entitled, Second Chance. In an interview with Christian Agadibe, Joseph talks about his new film, aborted romance with star actress, Genevieve Nnaji and his plans for Nollywood.

How does it feel to come back home after your academic sojourn in America?
I am more than happy to be home. It was strictly an academic sojourn. I got into the movie industry in 1996, shot my first movie in 1997 and 10 years later, I felt it was a good time for some upgrade at the New York Film Academy at Universal Studios; Hollywood was the best choice I ever made. I loved every bit of my experience there. It was life changing.
What project have you been able to accomplish after school and are there any specific benefits of your return to Nollywood?
After I finished from film school I produced a movie in Maryland. The movie is entitled Second Chance. Ever since I have had a few post-production hiccups here and there but thank God, all those are giving way now and Second Chance will soon be released in Nigeria. I am excited to announce that one of the big Hollywood producers/directors with whom I went into partnership some years back is finally here in Nigeria for good. He brought loads of hi-tech equipment and there is now a huge studio set up in Calabar. We intend to extend production services to different parts of the country at a rate never before heard of. The idea is to encourage professional filmmaking without breaking the bank. And we also want to start connecting our Nollywood producers with foreign distribution outlets in America, Europe and beyond.
Did you play a role in the movie?
Of course! I acted in the movie. I was one of the lead characters.
What do you like about the character you played?
The role I played was very sensitive and tasking. It was a challenge I was very happy to take. It had way too many significant transitions and each transition pulled the same amount of energy and required even higher concentration and focus than the previous. It tells you how strong the story was. I conceived the story, took about 18 months to piece it together and finally wrote it in the Netherlands.
Before you left the country, which was the last movie you featured in?
Alice My First Lady! I played Amadi. I married two wives – Alice and Akunne. Alice was the first and for some reasons, I paid a terrible price for my choice of a second wife, Akunne. Alice beat the crap out of my rather fragile Akunne. I think a lot of people like that movie. I do too. Very hilarious! I have featured in over a hundred movies but every time I step out all I hear is ‘Amadi, Alice’s husband’. Or you see some women clapping their hands and cracking up at the sight of me. Ladies laugh me to stupor sometimes because they see me as the weakling of a man who made Alice their perfect symbol of defiant womanhood.
Growing up, were there signs that pointed you in this direction?
Yes. I come from a family of five. I have just a brother and a sister. So, usually, when I was much younger, I would spontaneously just entertain my family and make everybody laugh especially my mother. I could mimic like crazy. Actually, my mom thought I would become a comedian so she fought so hard to distract me from the entertainment industry. You see, she enjoyed my performances but she wanted me to be an engineer because her other son is a medical doctor and the girl is a lawyer. But hey, I am who I am and I have absolutely no regrets.
 What is the craziest thing a fan has done to you?
A female fan once brought out her breast in an open place and gave me a marker to sign on it. It was very bizarre. I begged her to let me sign on her chest and she insisted. Trust me I had no choice. I did it! Just made sure my hands were at the upper end of the marker pen.
What is your kind of woman?
Classy, clean and confident.
Has any one of your female colleagues ever solicited sex from you while in the process of shooting?
Truth is a lot of people didn’t know that all that while that I was shooting movies everywhere I was still a virgin! I didn’t know how to explain this to ladies especially. People thought I had other strange feelings. One of my directors even confronted me at some point wanting to know if I was hiding some ailment. It was on the set of this director that two young women attempted to rape me in my hotel room. I will never forget this. It was Singapore Hotel, Ikeja, where we lodged. The movie was Karishika 2. We had returned from a shoot so I left my door open. They came in, stripped themselves halfway and pounced on me. I fought with them for nearly 25 minutes. They gave up when I threatened to stab them. I lied that I had a knife. That was probably the third time that I had had that kind of experience.
Were they your colleagues?
Of course! They were upcoming artistes. They were also part of that movie. Everybody else was fair game, but I was ‘forming superman’ so I could understand their frustration. And they were a crazy bunch. You don’t come across girls like that every day – whether in Nollywood or elsewhere. It was something else.
 Why did you find it difficult to mingle like others?
I had no difficulty mingling. What I had issues with was entangling- copulating. And like I said earlier, I wasn’t ready because I was a virgin and I didn’t want to tell anybody. I was always making excuses about why I couldn’t ‘get down.’ In fact this is one of the reasons my very short relationship with Genevieve was such a disaster. This is the first time I am admitting this publicly. Genny and I met and became friends on the set of Mark of the Beast. Of course in her very early days. It was as though we were in some type of experiment. But I learned a lot about her within that short period. Two unforgettable moments- the day she introduced her little brother to me and the day she told me literally everything about herself. She trusted me that much. My mind was racing like crazy and I kept wondering how so little people knew about this young Amazon who was out to play the Esther for her family and did she? She felt like family to me. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go further because of my funny little ‘virgin’ secret. Not that she solicited or asked for anything but of course, my body language was downright repulsive to that effect and it didn’t take anything for any woman with brains to figure it out. She was so full of pragmatic energy and so on-the-go- like woman on a mission. Never ready to play around with stuff she couldn’t put up with. I hope she’s still that way. She has got an incredible story to her glory.
If you have that kind of opportunity with Genevieve again, would you take things to the next level?
I don’t know what you mean by ‘the next level.’ But I would love to play by my rules book at this moment. However, there is not going to be any such opportunity. The young woman has moved on ever so predictably and I’m the happiest for her.
How do you handle those fans coming to you with crazy demands?
If you can’t grant some one’s crazy demands, it simply means that what you have to offer is incompatible with what they’re looking for. So offer what you have. In other words, deploy your self control parachute as politely and
Aside acting, what else do you do on the side?
I do business. I’m obsessed with new technology. At the moment there is a revolutionary product that I have been promoting in Nigeria. It is known as Atmospheric Water Generator. It is like a regular water dispenser but in reality, as the name implies, it produces water out of thin air. I mean pure, clean, drinking water from humidity! Water produced by this machine is regarded as the purest, cleanest drinking water known to mankind today. It is more than business and I see it as a mission that is why I went into it. You can read more about my business on Fountain Royale Atmospheric Water Generator. Or check it on our website at Aquavolve LLC where you will see machines that are capable of producing as much as 5,000 liters a day from the humidity in the air. Whole neighborhoods can be supplied and boreholes could be a thing of the past with our machines.
Now that you are back in town, what should fans expect from you?
Fans should expect some really good stuff from me. I have done like five movies and one TV series since I returned from the United States. I am currently working on a few others.

diplomatically as you possibly can. You don’t want to get unnecessarily caught up in an ever blazing fan fury. It hurts sometimes.

‘Seeing things from different perspectives drive our creativity’

Marketing communication budget now slashed by 60 percent

The Chief Operating Officer of 7even Interactive, a marketing communication agency, Tayo Agboola has said that its company philosophy, which is driving its creativity, is seeing things from different perspectives rather than being bogged down with old beliefs and idiosyncrasies.

Agboola stated that “Hunger to shatter old records sets 7even Interactive apart as it drives us to see things from different perspectives rather than being bogged down with old beliefs and idiosyncrasies.”

He stated that in coming with a strategy that guides a marketing effort, he and his are usually willing to go the extra mile because they know that is one way to stand out and deliver on brand promise for the clients.

For him, it is because the demand of the clients from agencies is be up because consumer behaviour is becoming more dynamic by the day.

“Consumers behaviour is dynamic, and things are changing very fast, we are no longer in the age of ‘this is how we use to do it’, if you want to stand tall among your competitors, you must go the extra mile.”

He disclosed that one of the things that keeps the agency going is its creative process and hunger to do more, noting that the agency would not have competed favourably well with older agencies that have been in the system for the past twenty years if not for rich creativity of its team.

According to him, the notion that the agency which started a couple of years back is young is not totally right as the cumulative years of the team running the company more than compensates for the relatively young age of the marketing communication firm.

Commenting on how the unfavourable economic situation is affecting the marketing communication sector, Agboola, who expressed optimism that Nigeria will come out strong, especially if the rights things are done, noted that the situation is quite critical resulting in clients cutting budget by about sixty per cent sometimes.

Head Creative of the agency, Ndukwe Onuoha, stated that the diverse backgrounds of its personnel complement the dynamic operating environment to bring out uncommon creative juice that defy the myths and break the odds. “We are not shackle down with the common ‘this is the way we do it syndrome”, he said.