Why Efe won Big Brother Naij #BBNaija 2017

#BBNaija 2017:

Why Efe won Big Brother Naija ON APRIL 10, 20178:21 AMIN SHOWTIME PEOPLECOMMENTS Abuja – Big Brother Naija: Housemate, Efe secured 57.61 per cent of votes to emerge winner of the 2017 Big Brother Naija ‘See Goobe’ reality TV show on Sunday. The Warri-born up and coming rap artist beat Bisola, who became the 1st runner up with 18.54 per cent of the vote at the grand finale. Efe Tboss scored 13.60 per cent to emerge the 2nd runner up; Debie-Rise 8.78 per cent, 3rd runner up while Marvis scored 1.47 per cent. Efe was given a brand new Kia Sorento SUV and N25 million naira cash prize. Efe who had never failed to stress that he was real was nominated for eviction in January and March but survived. The economics graduate had stressed that his humility, simplicity and being real would make him win the hearts of viewers. His emergence came after Marvis, Debie-Rise and Tboss were evicted during the grand finale. Efe who was Marvis’ love interest in the house said in spite of the attraction between them, he was careful not to do anything that could jeopardise his stay in the house. He was Head of House once and had been very active in most games and tasks in the Big Brother House. He had actively participated in the ONE Campaign song, the video shoot, drama and others. He had always been delight of the party during the usual Saturday night party in the house. Efe, during Davido’s visit said if he won the grand prize, he would use it to push his music career to the next level Earlier in the run-up to his announcement, Bisola, was announced the winner of the One Campaign. Bisola’s winning the One Campaign appeared to be an anti-climax. The One campaign will make Bisola represent Nigeria at the United Nations later. High point of the grand finale was musical performances by Tiwa Savage, Emmy Gee featuring AB Crazy and Tuface Idibia. Abisola Ayeola, also known as Bisola in the 2017 Big Brother Naija reality TV show has emerged winner of “ONE Campaign” on girl-child education. Desmond Elliot, an actor and member of the Lagos State House of Assembly presented the prize to her. According to the Coordinator of the ONE Campaign, Ms Serah Mekka, Bisola would join the ONE Campaign Organisation in the United Nations Assembly in New York to speak on girl-child education. During their stay in the house, housemates were given a task to make a presentation on girl-child education in Nigeria where Bisola won the heart of the judges with her captivating presentation. She had done exceptionally well in the 11 weeks reality show; becoming the head of House and wining the hearts of many viewers. ONE Campaign is an international Advocacy Organisation for girl-child education with offices in London, united States, Nigeria and parts of the world.The single mother of one who emergef 1st runner up in the show expressed delighted in accepting the prize for the ONE Campaign. Earlier in the show, Bisola said she missed her family. The Nigerian-British actress, singer, MC and presenter described her fellow housemates as fantastic and great people. She said Marvis was a committed person and was more stronger than when she came in the house. On ThinTallTony (TTT), her love interest while in the house, Bisola said that she loved him as a person. “I appreciate how he allowed me to play with him and disturb him every time. “I like his person; its not that I want to have a relationship; am here to have fun and that is what I was doing,” she said. She had displayed that she was not bothered during the show when one of the fake housemates, Ese informed her (Bisola) that TTT was married with kids. She told Ese that whatever happened between she-Bisola and TTT stayed and ended in the Big Brother House. Bisola who came fifth at the first season of Project Fame West Africa had a lot of controversial moments in the house with some of the housemates.

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Welcome to Goldenrulemedia blog: Abuja Airport: Beyond a temporary closure

Welcome to Goldenrulemedia blog: Abuja Airport: Beyond a temporary closure: Abuja Airport:  Beyond a temporary closure ON APRIL 10, 20179:03 AMIN VIEWPOINT COMMENTS EVEN before its temporary cl...

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Abuja Airport: Beyond a temporary closure

Abuja Airport: 

Beyond a temporary closure ON APRIL 10, 20179:03 AMIN VIEWPOINT COMMENTS EVEN before its temporary closure for rehabilitation on March 8, 2017, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, had always struck me as a facility permanently under construction or endlessly undergoing repairs. Each time I drive into the airport and look to my right at a restricted corridor, I wonder when the gauzy veil of workers’ shade concealing scaffolds in a construction site would be dismantled, signifying the end of the construction work and the birth of perhaps a fully built and functional international airport. Not to mention the scraggly landscape of its parking lot as you enter through a sloppy diversion to your left, and other rough patches scattered across the facility, unlike what one sees in similar airports in other countries. So it is understandable if its closure signifies the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to grit its teeth and commence the process of reconstructing and rejigging it for optimal safety, functionality and comfort. And I needn’t invite you to see some of its conveniences, compared with what obtains with similar facilities in other countries, to appreciate what I mean by comfort. The airport is a symbolic door to our country, and a mirror thereof. Visitors to our country could judge its general state by how functional, clean and safe they find it. Considering how closely our country’s image is linked to it, no reasonable expense of time and funds should be spared to ensure that it reflects all these attributes, including of course the period of closure and the N5.8 billion estimated for the rehabilitation. We only need to ensure that we get the best value for the time and money spent. More importantly, this temporary closure has to do with the runway, which is also billed for expansion. Like the control tower, the runway should be among the most reliable features of any airport where the safety of passengers and the aircraft that convey them is of primary interest. And that of the Abuja airport seemed to have degenerated into a high-risk runway due to poor maintenance. Until the temporary closure, maintenance of the runway had taken place only at night, which could pose risks to passengers and aircraft for a facility that accommodates night flights. And though constructed over thirty years ago, the runway had witnessed no major repair or the mandatory rehabilitation to which it should have been subjected after twenty years. We should recall how the poor maintenance culture in our power sector lasting about the same thirty-year period resulted in several complications from which our country, now facing serious power problems that sum up to perennially inadequate power, has yet to extricate itself.    Incidentally, I was sceptical about the reliability of the promise to reopen the airport for normal business after six weeks, on April 19, 2017, until Hadi Sirika, the Minister of State for Aviation, vowed to resign if that did not happen, and so put his job and reputation on the line to lend credibility to the pledge. Moreover, I thought the plan to close down the airport and use the Kaduna airport in its stead could be a ploy by some vested interests to supplant it with the latter after the upgrade that would inevitably precede its use for the same aviation services. This fear was reinforced by the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, insisting that the airport could be rehabilitated while still in use. But it has been allayed by the evidence of ongoing work at the Abuja airport, and the realisation that any uplift the Kaduna airport receives to enable its utilisation for the same aviation services for the six weeks can be beneficial in the long term, besides the immediate gains during the period of closure. It means, for instance, that international flights may be diverted to the Kaduna airport during emergencies, with the certainty that its facilities can handle such as it has proven by accommodating international flights in relief of the Abuja airport. And with the planned construction of a second runway at the Abuja airport, it means either runway can be rehabilitated in the future without necessitating a closure of the entire facility.    I was also concerned about the safety of travelling the road from Kaduna to Abuja and the pressure of the logistics for prospective and disembarked air passengers plying that route, given the general insecurity in our country and the unpredictable crime rate. But the authorities seem to have handled that aspect well, with the facelift given to the road and the provision of vehicles to convey air passengers between the Abuja and Kaduna airports under tight security. Of course, one cannot ignore the reservations of the international airlines that have chosen not to patronise the Kaduna airport. But since Ethiopian Airlines – with similar aircraft to those of the other airlines and  relying on the same aviation technology they would normally utilise – has successfully landed and taken off from the Kaduna airport, one wonders why any other airline couldn’t do the same. Ms. Firiehiwot Mekonnen, the airline’s Traffic and Sales Manager, recently told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that it had operated 28 flights, airlifting 4,500 passengers, from the airport from March 8 to April 4, 2017. Isn’t this sufficient proof that the airport is not to blame for the hesitation of those other international airlines to utilise it under the present circumstances? I had similar reservations when the British authorities proposed dismantling the old Wembley Stadium and constructing a new sporting complex in its place. But with the more grand and functional edifice erected in place of the old stadium, no one doubts that the British authorities did well to follow through with that decision. And like Wembley after it was rebuilt, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport should turn out better in the interest of all stakeholders after its rehabilitation, if our government keeps its promise to do the right thing. Mr. Ikeogu Oke,  a public affairs analyst,  wrote from Lagos

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DEBIE-RISE AND I PLAN TO MAKE MONEY, TRAVEL TOGETHER –BBNAIJA EVICTEE BASSEY EKPEYONG

DEBIE-RISE AND I PLAN TO MAKE MONEY, TRAVEL TOGETHER –BBNAIJA EVICTEE BASSEY EKPEYONG

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Big Brother Naija house, evicted housemate Bassey Ekpeyong, in this interview with JOE AGBRO JR, explains why he refrained from romantic liaisons in the house and why he’ll  continue working with fellow housemate Debie-Rise. Excerpts

WHEN you were evicted, you left the Big Brother House so swiftly. Did you know you were going to be evicted?

Of course not, I wasn’t expecting to leave the house but I had planned for the worst while hoping for the best. I wasn’t expecting the best. Okay, if I leave the house, what am I going to do, how am I going to react? So, I had all those things in thought. I had my though process wrapped around the reality.

And you were smiling all through. Internally, were you really happy or was the smile just a front?

Well, sincerely, the kind of person I am, I’m a very positive person and I always try to see the good in every situation. At that point in time, I was very confident in myself that ‘okay, I have come here and I have achieved all that I wanted to achieve, show myself to Africa, show myself to Nigeria as someone who can do things as many as possible. So to me, that was me winning. So, I may not have won the N25 million but I won my own competition and that was why I was smiling because I had already let everything I had out. So, I was smiling because I was satisfied that I had achieved that.

You were without internet and your phone throughout your stay in the house. Who was the first person you called when you left the house?

The first person I called was my elder brother and I told him, “yes oo, I don carry my phone now. Oya, let’s start talking.”

You’ve been outside the house and you’ve been running things. so far, Nigeria has seen you, Africa has seen you. What have you gained? Any endorsements?

Well, a few companies have approached me for endorsements and my management team has been working hand in hand with these companies to draft out a good agreement. So yes, there are some endorsements in view. I really appreciate Nigerians for even appreciating the little I had to offer.

Would you like to name some of the companies?

Well, Pay Porte actually has something for me and it is in view. And hopefully before the end of June, we should see something coming from that angle. And the other companies do not want to be mentioned until the deal is done.

In your interview immediately after you left the house, you talked about having a girlfriend. How did your girlfriend take all your acts in the house?

Responsive

Well, you know how it is. She was slightly jealous that I did one or two things in the house but nothing a few pieces of pizza and ice cream couldn’t solve (laughs).

Up till last Sunday, Debie-Rise sang you a birthday song and you confessed that you really liked her. If you weren’t already committed with a girlfriend outside, would you have had a relationship with her?

Well, never say never. But the reality is I have a girlfriend outside so I wouldn’t want to do anything that negates the commitment I have. However, Debie-Rise and I have grown to become very close and this is a friendship I believe will stand the test of time as we have plans of making money together, visiting places together. So, Debie-Rise is very very great friend and I appreciate her for that.

But she doesn’t know you have a girlfriend outside, does she?

Oh, she knows. I laid my cards out on the table. Everybody in the house, everybody in Nigeria knows.

You also said in the interview that some of the ladies were trying to get to you but you held back. Now Nigerians watched what happened in the Jacuzzi, kissing sessions and some Nigerians even criticised BBN as being immoral. What were really happening in the house?

Well, nothing over the tops happened. The few times those things happened was when we had the ‘Kissing Festival’ and then we would task each other to kiss each other. And that was about the only thing that happened. So, I’m sure Nigerians understand.

T-Boss became the most nominated housemate for eviction, yet some of the males crushed on her. Did you?

Yeah, I particularly find T-Boss attractive and I said that right from the first day I stepped into the house. And that hasn’t changed. I may not have physically interpreted my likeness for her but I I found her attractive and over time, we became close enough and friends. And then, I related to her on a purely friendship basis. Yeah, I find her attractive but nothing erotic could come out of that.

It’s curious but with ladies wanting you, why didn’t you yield for any of them?

Because the reality is that we don’t have that kind of time to build on anything concrete. And then, you cannot be pressured by the attention of other people to fall into something you do not intend to further, which is why I decided to be friends with basically everybody.

And then, you don’t know who is leaving the next Sunday. So, you don’t want to start something now and then end up losing the next Sunday or even stay till the end and end up coming outside and become another break-up story. So, for me, friendship is a hard currency. And I decided to build on the fact that I could make friends who would last long enough for me. And that was what I was doing exactly in the Big Brother house.

Now that you’re outside the house, what did you realize you missed the most?

Men, I missed my phone and I missed my family.

The show is ending on Sunday, who are you tipping to win?

Well, I would like Debie-Rise to win, quite sincerely.

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Walcott sees signs of Arsenal revival

Walcott sees signs of Arsenal revival ON APRIL 6, 201711:04 PMIN NEWS, SPORTSCOMMENTS Theo Walcott says Arsenal have finally steadied the ship after ending a “challenging few weeks” with an important victory over West Ham. Arsene Wenger’s fifth placed sidewon the London derby 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday for their first league win since February. Theo Walcott England winger Walcott was on the scoresheet, bagging Arsenal’s second goal in between strikes from Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud. It was just a fourth win in 11 games in all competitions for Arsenal, with continued protests against Gunners boss Wenger adding to an unhappy atmosphere around the north London club lately. Wenger is still to announce whether he will sign a new contract or leave at the end of the season. But, after his players finally produced a result to ease the pressure on the Frenchman, Walcott insisted he sees signs of a well-timed revival as Arsenal chase a top four finish in the Premier League. “We had to work for it, it has obviously been a challenging few weeks to be honest,” he said. “We had to get the first goal, when we got the first goal the nerves went away and then we just relaxed and played our football and hopefully it is going to breed a bit more confidence going into the next few games in a busy April. “We just had to get that first goal, once we got it people calmed down a bit more and everyone was a bit more relaxed playing the football we know is why we play for this fantastic club. “Everyone just needs to remember how good we are as a team, as individuals. It is coming into motion, you saw some signs against Man City and more today and hopefully it is going to go on and on.”

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