Keshi picks Alampasu, Egwuekwe, 21 others for CHAN

Super Eagles’ Head Coach Stephen Keshi on Tuesday in Abuja released the list of 23 players who will represent Nigeria at the third edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CHAN event is billed for Jan. 11 to Feb. 1, 2014 in three South African cities.

The list has three goalkeepers, eight defenders, six midfielders and six forwards, with 2013 Golden Eaglets’ star goalkeeper Dele Alampasu making the cut.

The team’s first-choice goalkeeper and skipper, Chigozie Agbim, as well as team regulars such as defenders Azubuike Egwuekwe, Solomon Kwambe and Francis Benjamin also made the list.

Jennifer Lawrence Voted Most Bankable Star of 2013

Actress Jennifer Lawrence apparently sold maximum tickets in Hollywood as she has been named the most bankable star of 2013 in Hollywood followed by 'Gravity' star Sandra Bullock.

In 2013, the 23-year-old actress appeared in teen franchise 'The Hunger Games' sequel 'Catching Fire' and in 'The American Hustle', David O Russell's latest after 'Silver Linings Playbook' that saw Lawrence bagging the best actress Oscar.

Lawrence was voted the top money-making star of 2013 in Quigley Publishing Company's annual poll of motion picture theatre owners and film buyers.

Photos of Celebrities at The Ghana Movie Awards 2013

The fourth edition of the Ghana Movie Awards held at the Accra International Conference Centre last week end.

See photos of Monalisa Chinda, Jackie Appiah, Nadia Buari and other celebs at the event – more photos on the flip.

Gunmen Kidnap Six-year-old Son of Ex-Commissioner in Bayelsa

A six-year-old son of a former Commissioner in Bayelsa state, Chief Godknows Powell, was on Wednesday kidnapped by gunmen.

The boy was kidnapped on Etegwe road, Yenagoa, in the early hours of the new year, while returning from church service.

According to NAN, the victim was in the company of his mother when the gunmen accosted them at about 12.45 pm and whisked him away.

A relation of the family confirmed the incident and said the abduction of the boy had thrown the family into despair.

“We are supposed to be celebrating the New Year, but we are now in a pathetic mood. We pray that the boy is safe,” the source said.

The kidnappers are yet to establish contact with the family.

Jailed Ibori sacks Daily Independent newspaper management from prison

Jailed former Delta State governor, James Ibori, has ordered the management of his newspaper, Independent Newspapers Limited, INL, to proceed on compulsory leave with immediate effect.

The order from Mr. Ibori, who is currently serving his jail term in a London prison, was handed top editorial and senior management and operations staff of the embattled newspaper by the Chairman of its Board of Directors, Lawan Gambo, during an emergency management meeting on Saturday, December 18.

Mr. Gambo, who presided over the brief meeting, held at the corporate headquarters of the newspaper in the Ogba area of Lagos reportedly told some top editors and management to go home till January 31, Premium Times learnt.

The board chair also indicated that only those of them relevant to the future of the company would be recalled. Those not recalled, he said, would be disengaged and communicated.

New Music Video: Ehis Baba –– Sugarcane

Nollywood Actress Mary Uranta Releases New Photos

 See more photos on the flip.

“D’banj never tried to reach me, it hurts deeply” –– OJB expresses disappointment

In a recent interview with Inspiration FM’s Gloria Maduka, OJB talks about how D’banj abandoned him when he needed his help. He also tells how he expected D’banj to come out and refute claims that he gave him ₦7m cheque as his contribution towards the kidney transplant.

Hear him;

“The most disappointing one for me is D’banj because he passed through my hands, he was trained under my tutelage. That is offensive. I don’t care if you’re with Kanye West, you can’t forget your root. I won’t call anybody else’s name but I will call his because it hurts. His own hurts very deep. And he never tried to reach out to me. It’s not like we parted on fighting terms. 

He told me he had to go to London and he went. And when he came back it was Don Jazzy, and I said OK, that’s fine. And what he did worked and I’m very proud of him, the love I had for him, that’s why it hurts more. He should have come out to say no, I don’t know why you people are saying all this, I didn’t give OJB N7million, maybe a part of him felt embarrassed because at the end of the day, really, are you not supposed to do something?”

Endia and Emma Nyra grace the cover of Tush Magazine [PHOTOS]

Music acts, Emma Nyra and Endia are on the cover of the 6^th issue of Tush Magazine – Tush is an urban lifestyle youth magazine.

See more photos on the flip.

New Music: Harry Song –– Tele Mi

Here’s a new joint from Mr Songz himself, Harry Song titled “Tele mi”.

Army Headquarters Retires 30 Generals

Following the promotions and postings of 27 major generals by the Nigerian Army Council, indications have emerged that the Army authorities have issued terminal letters to 30 generals, preparatory to their leaving the force between today, 31st December and 31st January 2014.

Among the generals that have so far received the letters are some principal staff officers at army and defence headquarters, commandants of tri-service institutions, corps-commanders, as well as those of Army-owned training institutions.

Nigerian Tribune gathered from authoritative military sources that while some of the generals have served the mandatory 35 years in service, others have been caught up by the age on rank requirement for retirement and some have become not promotable by virtue of the fact that they have not been successful with the promotion boards for the three scheduled opportunities.

Nigerian Lady Excretes Hard Drugs On-Board Aircraft from Malaysia [PHOTOS]

A 32 year old single lady, Chizoba Anya Vivian is currently being quizzed by anti-narcotic officers for allegedly excreting wraps of substance that tested positive for methamphetamine on-board a Qatar Airline Flight from Malaysia. The suspect was said to have aroused suspicion following her frequent visit to the toilet. On arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, three wraps of methamphetamine was found in her possession.

NDLEA commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr. Hamza Umar, said that the suspect while under observation excreted two additional wraps. In his words, “the suspect was found with three wraps which she excreted in the aircraft. While she was under observation at the Lagos airport, she excreted two additional wraps of drugs. The five wraps which tested positive for methamphetamine weighed 80 grammes”.

75-year-old Man Dies after Marathon Sex with Prostitute

A 75-year-old man, Ogueshi Nwoye (surname removed), resident in Ogbesuwe quarters in Asaba, Delta State, slumped and died at the weekend after an alleged marathon sex with a 21-year-old female school dropout at the same quarters.

Leadership reliably gathered that the lady, popularly called “Lady P”, a renowned commercial sex worker, was sent out of school for poor academic performance, after failing to pass her JSS 3 exams several times.

Leadership checks revealed that her stock in trade was to seduce more elderly men into sex romps.

Sources said that Ogueshi Nwoye, one of her admirers, was challenged to a sex bout after parting with ₦5,000, a situation that led both into some rounds of sex, which left the man gasping for breath afterwards.

Pastor Adeoye and wife, Sunmbo Had a Fun-filled Christmas [PHOTOS]

Royalty Christian Centre helmsman, Pastor Adeoye and 2face Idibia's baby mama, Sunmbo had fun this Christmas – the couple, after touring some locations in Lagos visited a cinema with 2Face’s children, Zion and Dino. They also had a cousin, Ella in their company.

Sunmbo says it's the best Christmas ever!

See more photos on the flip.

Fathia Balogun Changes Her Name To Fathia “Williams” On Instagram

Fathia Balogun and her Ex-husband, Saidi Balogun has been on the surname ‘Balogun’ saga for a while now and it appears the court has ruled in favour of movie producer Saidi Balogun as, Fathia has finally dropped the ‘Balogun’ title off her name.

Fathia a few days ago removed her ex-husband’s last name “Balogun” from her social media pages and added her maiden name “Williams” instead.

Governor Amaechi Denies Impregnating Soyinka’s Daughter

Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, on Saturday debunked the rumours making the rounds that he impregnated a daughter of Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

According to an online publication, Premium Times, the governor denied the rumours through his twitter handle on December 18, but it became public knowledge on Saturday.

There had been rumours that a daughter of the Nobel Laureate was expecting a child for Amaechi and that she was already living in the Government House.

It was further alleged that the governor’s wife, Judith, had fled abroad following the domestic challenges she was having with her husband.

Pastor Bakare Blast Pres. Jonathan for sending him a cow as Christmas Gift

According to Sahara Reporters, the presiding overseer of the Latter Rain Church and the convener of Save Nigeria Group, Pastor Tunde Bakare has lambasted the Presidency for giving him a cow as gift this Christmas.

“I had a cow from the Presidency. I didn’t ask for it. They dropped it at the Save Nigeria Group office… But is it cow that we need? If you check their books, one cow could have been bought for $5,000. The rest of the money is pocketed! We don’t need cow, we need a country that will move forward!” he told his congregation in Lagos on Sunday.

Nollywood Actress Oge Okoye Honoured as a Chief in Enugu [PICZ]

Oge Okoye was honoured in her hometown this weekend as the Igolo Nwanyi of Amoli in Awgu, Enugu State.

See one more pics on the flip.

Obiwon Opens Up on Why He Dropped R&B for Gospel Music

In a recent interview with Punch, Obiora Nwokolobia-Agu, popularly known as Obiwon tells why he ditched R&B for gospel music.

Excerpts;

Why did you transit from R&B to gospel?

After recording some successes on my first album, I found myself right in the thick of a celebrity/ fame lifestyle. I wasn’t yet a practising Christian but I found myself often pondering if I could possibly end up well or ever lead a good life with the way things were going. Secondly, studying the personal lives of a couple of music icons, who were my role models at the time, was scary because they all had terrible endings.  Also, things hadn’t exactly gone as planned in my career despite some successes. All these drove me to seek God and answers. Eventually, I gave my life to Christ and became born again. For me, it was first, a step of faith, as the answer to the kind of life I desired while pursuing an entertainment career.

Lightning Kills Eight Worshippers at Seventh Day Adventist Church in Malawi

Eight worshippers have been killed and several others injured after lightning struck at a church in Malawi´s capital Lilongwe on Saturday, a health ministry official said.

“The worshippers were having an extended session of Saturday prayers when lightning struck their church at around 4.30pm,” Charles Mwansambo, chief of health services in the ministry of health, told AFP.

He said the eight victims -- included seven adults and one child -- had “arrived already dead” at Kamuzu Central hospital from the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Mwansambo said one person was at the intensive care unit, while 40 others were being “observed” and treated as outpatients.

Behind The Scene Photos: DiL, Praiz & Lynxx in “Acapella” Video shoot

Singer Dil is currently busy with the shooting of the video of his single, ‘Acapella,’ which is due for release on 3rd January 2014.

The track features soulful crooner, Praiz and ‘Ifeoma’ singer, Lynxxx – both artistes would also feature in the video.

Check out more behind the scenes photos on the flip.

Check out Exclusive Photos from the 2013 Calabar Carnival

Tourists and residents of Calabar have trouped out in their hundreds to watch the Carnival Calabar reputed to be Africa’s biggest street party.

This year’s event features cultural and musical shows, freestyle parade, international heritage parade, children carnival and beauty pageant.

The event also featured various bands interpreting the carnival theme, “Ain’t No Stopping Us” in their floats, dance and songs.

See more photos on the flip.

I Spend ₦30,000 To Make My Mohawk Hair in Few days – Adokiye Khiran

Singer Adokiye granted an interview where she revealed that she spends ₦30,000 in making her hair for just few days. She says it takes a long process, which involves, trimming, cutting, tinting and setting. She also said she can never have a tattoo because her mom forbids it and she won’t be caught dead leaving her home without her glasses because they protect her eyes from hash weather and she could also wink at someone without the person noticing her. Lastly she currently has 39 different brands of perfume, because they keep coming out with new ones every day and she is a perfume freak.

“How I raped, strangulated and buried her in a dry well” – Man confesses to killing 12-year-old girl

He has been to jail twice. This time, he could end up with the death penalty. The first time he went to prison, he had attempted to kill his mother. When he had served his term in Owerri, he relocated to Maiduguri. In Maiduguri, he killed his friend and he was thrown again into prison. Now Samuel Chukwunyere Ochichi, 34, is facing the third conviction, this tune, he may not be as lucky as he was on two previous occasions.

He has confessed to killing another person, the 12-year-old Favour Ifunanya Oguamalami. He said he took the girl to his room, raped, strangulated and buried her in a dry well at Amaegbu village, Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo state. He was picked up by operatives of the Police Ambush Squad, Imo State Command two months after committing the crime.

Kerry Washington's Husband, Nnamdi Asomugha, Retires From Football After 11 NFL Seasons

Nnamdi Asomugha is going to have Sundays free to spend with his growing family.

Kerry Washington's 32-year-old husband announced his retirement from the NFL yesterday after 11 seasons, signing a ceremonial one-day contract with the Oakland Raiders so that he could close out his career with the same team that drafted him in 2003.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection, looking dapper in a suit and tie, spoke at a press conference at Raiders headquarters.

Asomugha, who secretly married Washington in a super-private, family-only ceremony back in June, was often considered one of the league's elite cornerbacks during his eight seasons with the Raiders and was elected team captain in 2007, 2008 and 2009.