Obanikoro, 16 others to testify against Fayose (FULL DETAILS)

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has listed 22 witnesses who will testify in the trial of the former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose.

Musiliu Obanikoro, a former Minister, is one of those listed as witnesses. Below are details on the 17 witnesses to testify against Fayose in court.

1. AYOTUNDE OWOPE – He was an accounts officer of Governor Ayodele Fayose. who opened an account with the bank and he will give evidence on how funds were trnasfered from one account to another account. he will give evidence and tendered documents relating to the account of Govenor Ayodele Fayose

2. SENATOR MUSILIU OBANIKORO – He was a minister in 2014 in the Ministry of Defence during and before the Ekiti Governorship election in 2014 around June 2014. Mr. Ayodele Fayose who was then the candidate of PDP in Ekiti State called and asked if the NSA (Col. Sambo Dasuki RTD) has reached him (Obanikoro) with any information or message. Senator Obanikoro answered in the negative but promised to call the NSA and revert back to him. He spoke to the then NSA who informed him that he had a message which will be transmitted through him to Ayodele Fayose and further requested for an account in which the said message will be transferred or delivered for onward transfer or delivery to Ayodele Fayose. Senator Obanikoro then called Fayose and confirmed to him that a message will be delivered to him any moment from that time as confirmed by the NSA. He sourced for an account Slyvan Mcnamara Limited and forwarded same to the NSA, Sambo Ibrahim Dasuki. On 5th June, the first transaction of N200 million entered into the account and on 16th June, 2014, the sum of N2 Billion was transferred into the account, making it a total sum of N2.2 Billion paid into Mcnamara with Diamond Bank domiciled in Lagos.

He acknowledge the receipt of the funds to the NSA who instructed that the funds be given to Ayodele Fayose, the funds came from the office of the National Security Adviser and SAS imprest main account respectively. Ayodele Fayose called Senantor Obanikoro several times before the money eventually came and on his last call, he confirmed the transfer of the money into the account and the instruction of NSA. Ayodele Fayose said N1.2 billion of the money should be made available in cash while the balance should be converted into Dollars. These instructions were carried out by him (Obanikoro). The sum of about N1 billion was given to various Bureau De Change for conversion into dollars. The dollars that were available about $4 million plus was personally handed, delivered to Fayose Ayodele, then candidate of PDP at the time by him in Ado Ekiti at Spotless Hotel, while the balance of $1 million was later collected by his SAA late Justin Erukea who brought it to him in Ekiti which he also handled over to Mr. Ayodele Fayose.

He was not privy to the discussion between Fayose and the NSA. The balance of N1.2 billion was left and later withdrawn cash from the account in Lagos and airlifted to (Ado Ekiti) Akure where he handed over to Fayose’s associates Mr. Biodun Agbele. On arrival in Akure, he called Mr. Fayose to reconfirm, the instruction to hand over the money to Mr. Agbele who received him on arrival in Akure and reconfirmed the instructions.

He handed over the money to Mr. Biodun Agbele and instructed his ADC (Lt. Commander Adewale) to escort him (Agbele) to the bank since he indicated that he wanted to take the money to the bank. On arrival, he saw bullion vans packed to convey the money to the bank. The bullion vans were provided by the bank (Zenith bank). The bank manager was also present.

He can’t recollect the bank managers and his team since it was only Biodun Agbele that Fayose introduced to him.

3. SALISU SHUAIBU – He is the Director of Finance in the office of National Security Adviser. He was given instruction by the then NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki to remit the total sum of N2.2 Billion in two tranches in favour of Sylvan Mcmanara Nigeria Limited between 5th June and 16th June, 2014. There was no contract executed by Sylvan Mcmanara Nigeria Limited to deserve any payment from the office of National Security Adviser. He merely carry out the instruction of his boss.

4. ALEX OTTI – He was the Group managing Director of Diamond Bank Plc. he recalled that sometimes in 2014, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the then Minister of State for Defence came to his office in Lagos to explain that he was expecting certain sums of money from Central Bank of Nigeria into the account of Sylvan Mcmanara Limited. He called the Head of Operation who confirmed the receipt of the funds and the credit of same into the account domiciled at Apapa as specified by the transfer instrument. Senator Musiliu Obanikoro requested he needed the money or most of it in Ekiti. The bank offered to transfer the funds electronically into Ekiti but Senator Obanikoro preferred that the money be delivered cash in Ekiti. The bank then charged a fee of 5% and then made arrangement to transfer the cash to Ekiti the next day. However, Senator Obanikoro called later that his partner rejected the fee on the ground that it was too high and they would rather take delivery of the money in Lagos and fly it to Ekiti. An arrangement was made by the bank and cash were made available and the cash was taking away from Lagos.

5. JAMILU UBA – He is the Proprietor and Director of Kofar Naisa Investment Nigeria Limited and a Bureau De Change operator. He was involved in a number of transaction with De Privateer Limited. Abiodun Agbele paid money into the account of his company and the dollar equivalent were paid to him in exchange. He will also give evidence on how he remitted money into Still Earth Limited account in the name of various persons such as Abba Uba Ahmad. He will also give evidence that it was Abiodun Agbele that instruct him to deposit N47m, N40m and N14m into the account of Still Earth Limited. He will also give evidence on how Abiodun Agbele sold $1 at the rate N208 at the material time and how Abiodun Agbele received the Naira equivalent from him

6. IMISI ILESANMI JOHN – He is a staff of the Zenith Bank Plc and a Relationship Officer. He will give evidence on how Samchase Nigeria Limited who is a contractor to Ekiti State Government issued an instruction on 30th January, 2015 to transfer the sum of N132.5million of First Bank account to Still Earth Limited

7. ADEKUNLE ADETIMEHIN – He is the Chief Administrator of Noga Hotel Limited, the owner of property known as 100 Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. He will give evidence on how chalet 3, 4, 6 and 9 were purchased forced by Still Earth Limited and later by JJ Technical Services Limited through one Barrister Kolapo Kolade

8. JOSEPH MECHLEB – He is a Lebanese and employee of Samchase Nigeria Limited who worked as a mechanic. He, along with his brother in-law Joseph Ghossen incorporated a company known as JJ Technical Services Limited in 2007 for maintenance of machines and other technical services. He claimed that he gave the particulars of JJ Technical to his brother, Mechleb Maroun who promised to help them secure jobs or contracts. He never heard of any property purchased by JJ Technical Services Limited, the company has never done any job or any project in Ekiti.

9. JOSEPH GHOSSEN – He is also a Lebanese and the co-director and General Manager of JJ Technical Services Limited. No contract or business has been done with the company. He also confirmed that they gave particulars of JJ Technical Services Limited to engineer Mechleb Maroun over two to three years ago to help them get job or contract without any success. He did not use JJ Technical Service Limited to buy any property in Nigeria. He did not know how the property was paid for.

10. MECHLEB MAROUN – He is a Lebanese who incorporated Samchase Nigeria Limited and a contractor to some states government including Ekiti State. He carried out some construction and rehabilitation of some Roads in Ekiti State. He claimed that Abiodun Agbele contacted him if he was interested in a property in Lagos State. He admitted that he discussions with Abiodun Agbele on behaf of Governor Ayodele Fayose on the percentage to be paid as appreciation for the contract awarded by Ekiti State to his company. He agreed to payment of ten percent as appreciation. He said he will give evidence that the N132.5million paid by Samchase Nigeria Limited was part of the ten percent in appreciation to Governor Fayose. He also admitted that he gave the particulars of JJ Technical Services Limited to Abiodun Agbele to buy property in Lagos on behalf of the Governor. He claimed that he did not have personal discussion of ten percent directly with Governor Ayodele Fayose. Although, he paid N132.5million the agreement which he saw bear N40 million for the property. He admitted that he merely used the company and that the owner of JJ Technical Services Limited were not aware of any transactions involving the company. He was the one who gave the company’s particulars to Abiodun Agbele.

11. PATRICK NIMIDAM – He will give evidence as to the purchase of the property at 1504, Yedsema Street, Maitama, Abuja from one Rabi Kundili. He claimed that one Mohammed who happened to be an agent of Ayodele Fayose called to see the site of his cousin’s property situate at Plot 1504 Yedsema Street, Maitama, Abuja and that they are interested in buying the land. He met with Mohammed Sanni and the special assistant to Ayodele Fayose at the site. They spoke on the price of the land and agreed with them that they would meet Ayodele Fayose at Maitama on Gana Street at a guest house. The party agreed to the price of N27o million for the property and the money was paid and the agreement was prepared by Governor Fayose’s lawyer and was signed by Hajiya Rabi Binchan.

12. ADEYEMI OYINDAMOLA – He set up a construction and real estate company called Still Earth Company Limited with the head office in Lagos. He will give evidence on how the company received from his first bank account, various sums of money from De Privateers Limited and cash lodgement by Taofeek, Abba, Uba, Ahmed and other payment from Samchase Nigeria Limited, Huff Concept Nigeria limited and Calibre consulting. He acknowledged that his company had received over N1.3 billion from Abiodun Agbele & Associates. He will give evidence that ne Abiodun Agbele offered to buy four chalets from the company at plot 100 Tiamiyu Savage Victoria Island, Lagos where the consideration for the chalets 3 and 4 is N579, 848, 000 and that of chalets 6 and 9 is N575, 863, 573.00. Abiodun Agbele also instructed the company to transfer the sum of N200 Million through their sister company called Signachor Integrated Limited to Skye bank for the purchase of a property in 44, Osun Crescent, Maitama, Abuja which was purchased in Abuja. The property was also bought in the name of JJ Technical Services Limited and the name of the company was forwarded to the company by Abiodun Agbele.

13. FALAYI OLUGBOYEGA – He is a banker and an employee of Skye Bank Plc. he will give evidence on how the bank sold Plot 1241, No. 44 Osun Crescent, Maitama, Abuja

14. TAIWO OLUMIDE OGUNDEMI – He is a Relationship Manager with the First Bank. He supplied the investigator with the account particulars of Still Earth Limited and how various sums were paid into the account by 3rd parties such as De Privateer Limited.

15. OLUKAYODE SHOKUNBI – He is a staff of Still Earth Nigeria Limited. He will also give evidence on how chalets 3 and 4, 6 and 9 located at plot 100 Tiamiyu Savage, Victoria Island was purchased by Abiodun Agbele through JJ Technical Limited.

16. Representative of Diamond Bank Plc – To give evidence on the account of Mcnamara Limited operated in Lagos and how various cash were withdrawn on 16th and 17th June, 2014.

17. Representative of Zenith Bank – To give evidence of the account operated by Governor Ayodele Fayose, Spotless Nigeria Limited, De Privateer Limited and Abiodun Agbele and the various transactions that occurred in those accounts.


Via POLITICS NIGERIA

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Akpabio,Ganduje attend Alaafin of Oyo’s 80th birthday (PHOTOS)

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Kano state governor, Umar Ganduje, Senator Godswill Akpabio amongst other top dignitaries attended the 80th birthday ceremony of the Alaafin of Oyo State, Dr. Lamidi Adeyemi III recently.

More pictures below..

Via POLITICS NIGERIA

EFCC files 11 Charges against Fayose [FULL LIST OF THE CHARGES]

According to PoliticsNGR has gathered that the governor will be arraigned before a Lagos state high court on Monday. The offenses border on illegal cash gotten to fund his 2014 gubernatorial campaign and benefiting from the proceeds of Money laundering

THE FULL LIST OF THE CHARGES :-

COUNT 1

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE and MR. ABIODUN AGBELE (now facing another charge) on or about 17th June, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, took possession of the sum of N1,219,000, 000.00 (One Billion, Two Hundred and Nineteen Million Naira) to fund your 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Ekiti State, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) and (4) of the same Act.

COUNT 2

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE on or about 17th June, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without going through the financial institution received cash payment in the sum of $5,000,000 (Five Million Dollars) from SENATOR MUSILIU OBANIKORO, the then Minister of State for Defence, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 1 and 16 (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16 (2) (b) of the same Act.

COUNT 3

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE on or about 7th April, 2015 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did retain in your fixed deposit account No: 9013074033 with Zenith Bank Plc, the sum of N300,000,000.00 (Three Hundred Million Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 4

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE and SPOTLESS LIMITED between 17th June, 2014 and 4th August, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, took control of an aggregate sum of N317, 000, 000.00 (Three Hundred and Seventeen Million Naira) by depositing same into the Zenith Bank Plc’s Account No: 1010170969 belonging to SPOTLESS INVESTMENT LIMITED, a company controlled by you and members of your family and which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 5

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE between 26th June, 2014 and 27th August, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, took control of an aggregate sum of N305,760,000.00 (Three Hundred and Five Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira) in your Zenith Bank Account No: 1003126654 which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 6

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE between 18th June, 2014 and 23rd June, 2014 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did procure DE-PRIVATEER LIMITED and one ABIODUN AGBELE to retain in their Account No: 1013835889 domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc, Apapa branch, Lagos, an aggregate sum of N719,490,000.00 (Seven Hundred and Nineteen Million, Four Hundred and Ninety Thousand Naira) on your behalf, which sum formed parts of proceed of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 7

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE and SPOTLESS LIMITED on or about 4th August, 2014, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use the sum of N270, 000, 000.00 (Two Hundred and Seventy Million Naira) to acquire a property at Plot 1504, Yedsema Street, Maitama, Abuja from one RABI KUNDILI, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 8

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE between 12th November, 2014 and 20th August, 2015, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use an aggregate sum of N1,151,711,573 (One Billion, One Hundred and Fifty One Million, Seven Hundred and Eleven Thousand, Five hundred and Seventy Three Naira) to acquire chalets 3 and 4, 6 and 9 of the property situate at Plot 100 Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos in the name of JJ TECHNICAL SERVICE, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 9

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE between 23rd April, 2015 and 30th April, 2015 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use an aggregate sum of N200,000,000.00 (Two Hundred Million Naira) to acquire a property known as No. 44, Osun Crescent, Maitama, Abuja in the name of MOJI OLADEJI (your elder sister), which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 10

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE between 23rd April, 2015 and 30th April, 2015 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use an aggregate sum of N270,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Seventy Million Naira) to acquire a property known as Plot 1504 Yedseram Street, Maitama, Abuja in the name of SPOTLESS INVESTMENT LIMITED, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

COUNT 11

That you MR. AYODELE FAYOSE on or about 30th January, 2015 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did procure STILL EARTH LIMITED to retain in its account with First City Monument Bank (FCMB), the sum of N132,500,000.00 (One Hundred and Thirty Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) for your benefit, which sum formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity, to wit: gratification which you received from SAMCHASE NIGERIA LIMITED and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.


Via POLITICS NIGERIA

LEGEND EXTRA STOUT BRAND SAYS FELA IS ‘THE LEGEND WE REMEMBER’

 

For 21 years, the world has tried in different ways to celebrate the legacy of the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

The annual celebration of the music icon and political activist called Felabration provides the opportunity for fans to review what he stood for, and how valid and relevant is ideologies have remained to the socio political life of the society.

As Felabration continues to bring to the fore, and teach people what the man stood for, by ensuring that we continue to fight the kind of battles he fought in largely better ways,

To underscore this feat, Nigerian Breweries Plc, through one of its brands, Legend Extra Stout have identified with the legendary personae of Fela, and has joined sponsors of the iconic event, believing that by all ramifications, Felabration has become the most widely accepted of these platforms for celebrating all the great things that Fela stood for in the music industry.

“The music fiesta brings back memories of a man with folded fists in the air, in bare torso, a partly painted face and signature tight trousers. Characteristic of the man, Fela, he greets a cheering crowd eager to hear him sing and have his queens move their energetic melanin bodies to the sound of his band. The crowd continues to cheer as he sings, and swings his body to different sides while stamping his left foot in rhythmic fashion, but those who know these stuff of Legends know that in those lyrics are clear messages for the people who need to hear them; “the brevity of a man willing to tell his story in its truest form and have fun while at it – that’s the man Fela was; that’s the Legend we remember,” say the brand promoters.

Felabration was initiated by Yeni Kuti, Fela’s first child, in 1998, a year after his death, to get the world closer to the Fela spirit. This annual music festival runs for a week with different events from the concert to the dance and symposium. As the years go by, the festival features a different theme and continues to grow with more licenses signed across the world by fans of Afrobeats and those who truly believe in who and what Fela was.

In the week of Fela’s birthday, which is when the festival is usually held, people will gather under the theme “Overtaking, Overtake”, a line coined from the 1990 hit ODOO – Overtake Don Overtake Overtake.

This year, Legend Extra Stout brings excitement to the New Afrika Shrine and every other location in Lagos where people will gather not only to celebrate another edition of Felabration but Fela’s 80th birthday. For Legend, this is more than just an event sponsorship but an expression of the brand’s DNA and core values, which they say include, Authenticity, Courage and Freedom.

Felabration provides the perfect opportunity for the brand to connect with young vibrant Nigerians who believe and have the courage to express their real selves.

From October 15th until the 21st, fans will have the privilege to enjoy the rich taste of Legend Extra Stout as they celebrate Afrobeat and reminisce the stories Fela told in his days and how they are still relevant in today’s world.

Over the years, Legend Extra Stout has brought fanfare to music lovers with previous editions of Felabration and the Real Deal Experience. Fun seekers coming to celebrate the Afrobeat king can do so in a relaxed environment where they can feel the richness of the Nigerian music and the amazing taste that Legend Extra Stout brings. Fela is a legend and will always be celebrated as one.

Fans are expected in Lagos from around the world to honour the marks Fela made in the world music scene, as well as the inspiration he has given to younger talents coming out from Africa. In July, French President, Emmanuel Macron paid a visit to the Shrine to honour Fela, and there will be no surprise if he and other prominent persons like him join in the October celebrations, which will feature a symposium, debates, art exhibition, dance competition and a music concert.

Some of the acts who have performed at the music concert include Femi Kuti, Asa, King Sunny Ade, 2Baba Lucky Dube, Nneka, Awilo Longomba, Lagbaja, Wizkid, Burna Boy and many more. A lot of fans will be looking out for moments like Wizkid’s electric performance with Femi Kuti in 2017.

Via The Nation

WhatsApp Bans More Than 100,000 Accounts in Brazil Election

WhatsApp banned hundreds of thousands of accounts in Brazil as the Facebook Inc. messaging service struggles to contain spam, misinformation and other political shenanigans ahead of a runoff election in Latin America’s largest country.

“We have cutting-edge technology to detect spam that identifies accounts with abnormal behavior so that they can’t be used to spread spam or misinformation," a WhatsApp spokesperson wrote in an email. "We are also taking immediate legal measures to prevent companies from sending mass messages via WhatsApp and have already banned accounts associated with those companies."

Facebook set up a "war room" to spot and eradicate misinformation, hate speech and other damaging content during Brazil’s election this month. It’s a test for the social network ahead of midterm elections in the U.S. later this year. While the company said it was able to thwart false information on its main social network, it’s had more trouble controlling misbehavior on WhatsApp, which is encrypted and virtually impossible to monitor.

Brazil’s runoff election is Oct. 28, when far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro faces leftist Workers’ Party candidate Fernando Haddad. On Thursday, the latter accused his competitor of receiving illegal and undeclared corporate donations after local newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported companies are paying for a mass social media campaign against Haddad. Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter that his opponent’s party “isn’t being damaged by fake news, but rather by the TRUTH.”

WhatsApp said on Friday that it’s taking the accusation seriously. "We are committed to reinforcing WhatsApp policies equally and in a fair way to protect the users’ experience," it added.

WhatsApp confirmed that it blocked the account of Bolsonaro’s son Flavio for spam a couple of days ago. The company said it was unrelated to the accusations on Thursday. It also noted that it banned an account related to former Brazil president Dilma Rousseff, a member of the Workers’ Party.

VIA :- Bloomberg

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Kano governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, Caught Receiving Bribe

The Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has appeared in a trove of video clips receiving bribe, amounting to about $5million from contractors in the state.

Multiple contractors who spoke with DAILY NIGERIAN on the condition of anonymity said the governor personally receives from 15 to 25 percent kickbacks for every project executed in the state.

The sting operation to capture the governor on camera began two years ago when one of the contractors agreed with DAILY NIGERIAN request to plant spy camera on his kaftan lapel while offering the bribe.

During about 10 months efforts to capture the bribe giving/taking scenes, the governor’s face and body were clearly captured in nine clips, while six others did not clearly reveal the governor’s face. About $5m dollars were delivered to the governor during the sting operation.

One of the contractors who preferred not to be named said the reason he collaborated with DAILY NIGERIAN was to expose corruption and bring sanity to the country.

Watch the video here:

Via Daily Nigerian

Drake Talks Kanye West Beef, Pusha T Diss, & More On HBO’s “The Shop”

If you’re unaware, LeBron James has a new unscripted TV series on HBO called The Shop, which finds him and business partner Maverick Carter sitting in a barbershop setting and talking with various celebrities about pretty much anything. Well on Friday night, episode two aired on HBO, and it happened to feature non-other than Toronto rapper Drake, who spoke about a plethora of things fans have been waiting to hear. Throughout the 30-minute episode, Drizzy spoke on his beef with Kanye West, saying that 40 went to Wyoming a day early and told him there was something funny going on. He also confirmed that he played Kanye “March 14” and asked him for advice on the situation and that ‘Lift Yourself’ was supposed to be his song.

“I ended up linking with Ye, and he sold me on this whole speech of like, 'I’m in a great place, I’m making money, and I’m a father, and I wanna be Quincy Jones and help you, but in order to do that, you’ve gotta be transparent with me. And you gotta play me your music, and you gotta tell me when you’re dropping. And I know you don’t like to do things like that,'" Drake recalled. "And so I was in the studio, guess we all kind of felt a genuine vibe from it. So I play him my music, and I told him when I was dropping.”

"He played me 'Lift Yourself' and he was like, 'Yo, you can have this if you want.' And I was hype. I started writing to it. And then he was like, 'Yo, you gotta come to Wyoming.' So Wyoming happened," he explained. "And then (producer Noah "40" Shebib) went to Wyoming early, and he was like, 'Man, I’m here a day early, man. Something’s off.' He’s like, 'This guy is working on an album.' And I was like, 'For real? He just told me he wanted to work on, like he just told me he wanted to give me beats.’” He continued: "And he said he wasn’t dropping until like October, November, something like that. And I’m like, 'It’s all good, let’s just go, and let’s just see what it’s about.' So I went and ended up pretty much spending the majority of my time working on his music, just trying to like cook up ideas for him.”

“By the way, Im in Wyoming and I play him ‘March 14th.’ I send him a picture of my son. I tell him I having trouble with my son’s mother. I wake up, and all these dates are out. Then the next two days, whatever, I wake up now to this text from him, passive like, 'Yo, I love you brother,'" he recalled. "'Lift Yourself' comes out with him just talking nonsense. Oh this guy’s trolling me. This was like a manipulative, like, 'I wanna break you' thing. So I said alright. I’m gonna go back to distancing myself again. I know what this is. Then, the first album drops. And of course there’s a diss song toward me that you produced, that’s talking about writing? I was just there with you as friends helping you, and now you’re dissing me. So I’m like, man, this is dark."

Then after that, Drake transitioned into talking about Pusha’s diss track, saying that he wasn't mad about his son coming up or his family, but the line about 40’s MS he felt went too far.

"People love to say, like rap purists and people who just love confrontation, they love to say, 'Aye there’s no rules in this shit.' But there are fucking rules in this shit," he said. "And I’m gonna tell you something: It’s like, I knew something was gonna come up about my kid. They had to add the deadbeat thing to make it more appealing, which is fine. I understand that. Even that, I was like, OK. The mom and dad thing, whatever. You don’t even know my family. But I’mma tell you, wishing death on my friend that has MS… I study rap battles for a living. Now when you mention defenseless people who are sick in the hospital, that passed away, that really sent me to a place where I just believed then, and believe now, that there’s just a price that you have to pay for that. It’s over. You’re gonna get… someone’s gonna fucking punch you in the fucking face. The shit’s done, the event’s over. I wanted to do other things. I didn’t wanna further your reputation or your career by rapping back at you and having this exchange. And that was it for me.”

Drizzy also addressed the mysterious diss track he had waiting for Kanye & Pusha T, and why he never released it. “I got home and listened back to it, and I was like man this is not something I want to be remembered for. This is not necessarily a place I want to go. By the way, hell of a chess move. The song I thought was trash, but the chess move was genius. Back agains the wall, I either go all the way filthy or I fall back and I kinda have this chink in my armor for rest of my time to rap purists, which is fine I can live with that. IId much rather live with that than the things I was about to say and the research I did against and the places I was gonna go. Not only for him but for the other guy too.”

Watch the interview (below).
       

Via hnhh

Drizzy Continues To Make Peace, End Beef With Chris Brown

 Let Drake tell it: "What's beef?"

The past year or so has seen a stream of peace and unification coming as the light at the end of the tunnel with the rapper's most storied spats. After posting up with Tory Lanez, Drake issued an end to his beef with Meek Mill, officially bringing it to a close when he brought Meek out in Boston during the Aubrey and The Three Migos tour.

Now, he continues his streak as he brought out Chris Brown during one of the shows in Los Angeles' Staples Center. This beef stretches back as far as 2012 when rumors of Drake's alleged relationship with Rihanna took root. It's been a winding road full of Twitter back-and-forths and nightclub brawls that led us to this moment.

The first seeds were planted when Breezy showed love to Drake's Scorpion album in June and when Drake followed CB on Instagram even stepping into Trey Songz's comment section to clown his basketball skills while applauding Chris's.

Before bringing out Chris last night in L.A., Drake referred to him as "one of the most talented human beings on the planet." Soon the crowd would be gifted with performances of "Party" and "Freaky Friday." No official word yet on if this signals a collab, but it's a welcome thought in light of these new developments.

Here's the video of the tour

Via Hot New Hip Hop (hnhh)

Strange things about Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian's marriage

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian make up one of the world's top celebrity couples to watch.
Williams, a pro athlete, is considered the greatest tennis player of all time.

With a record of 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, the tennis superstar was also the highest-paid female athlete for the second year running in 2017. Her husband, on the other hand, is an internet entrepreneur.

As the co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital, he is a longtime Net Neutrality activist who was dubbed the "Mayor of the Internet" by Forbes in 2012.
These lovebirds are not only at the top of their careers, but they are also totally in love and share a beautiful family together.

In September 2017, the cute pair welcomed their first child together, daughter Alexis Olympia, before tying the knot that November.

While these two are undoubtedly couple goals, there's more to their seemingly perfect relationship than meets the eye. How much do you really know about this power couple? Here are some of the stranger facts about their marriage.

An awkward meet-cute

Williams and Ohanian's love story may be one for the books, but it was not love at first sight for this couple.

In May 2015, they met by chance at the Cavalieri hotel in Rome. While Williams lounged near the pool and enjoyed breakfast with a group of her friends, Ohanian ignored the surrounding empty tables and decided to plop down at the one right next to the tennis superstar.

"We were trying to get him to move and get out of there," Williams told Vanity Fair in 2017. The group mistook his close proximity as an attempt to get too close to her, so they told him that there was a rat by his table.

"He kind of refuses and he looks at us," the pro athlete continued. "And he's like, 'Is there really a rat here?" At the time, he added, "I'm from Brooklyn. I see rats all the time."
"Oh, you're not afraid of rats?" she had asked. To which he simply replied, "No."
Intrigued by the startup guru's nonchalant answer, Williams invited Ohanian to join them at their table. And the rest, as they say, is history.

They didn't know each other's work

Williams and Ohanian may be at the top of their respective fields, but they were totally clueless about one another's careers when they first met.

As Ohanian admitted to Vanity Fair, he was about "98 percent sure" he was speaking to the Serena Williams during their first conversation. While he knew a little bit about her championship titles, he wasn't interested at all in the sport itself.

"[I had] never watched a match on television or in real life," he continued. "It was literally the sport — even if ESPN was announcing tennis updates, I would just zone out. … I really had no respect for tennis."

To be fair, Williams didn't know anything about Reddit at the time. However, in an attempt to impress, she nearly got caught in a little white lie when she told its co-founder that she had just logged onto the popular site earlier that morning.

"Oh, were you? What do you like about it?" Ohanian had asked. She'd replied, "Wellllll…." Luckily, the tennis pro's friends quickly chimed in to save her.

Ohanian ended up attending the 2015 Italian Open to watch Williams in action that week. "Looks like I just became a tennis fan. #priime," he wrote on Instagram, captioning a snapshot of her hitting the court. In this case, it seems like opposites really do attract!

Racing toward romance

Williams and Ohanian shared their first official date just a few weeks after meeting. As the tennis pro geared up to compete in the 2015 French Open (which she won), she invited the Reddit co-founder to join her for a weekend getaway in Paris — the city of love.

While Ohanian agreed to the invite, he really didn't have any expectations for the trip. As he admitted to Vanity Fair, he thought, "Even if she blows me off and we don't even hang out, I'm still going to have an amazing time in Paris, and I'll have an even better story for all my childhood friends when I was like, 'Yeah, I went to Paris for a weekend. I was supposed to meet up with Serena Williams, she blew me off, but I've got other friends there, and we had a great time.'"

The soon-to-be couple luckily hit it off as they wandered around the city for six hours. World-class traveler Ohanian led the way, making sure his date had a great time as they visited the Eiffel Tower, a zoo, and a number of small shops. How romantic is that?

Dating in secret

Williams and Ohanian were initially notoriously private about their blossoming romance. The couple secretly dated for nearly 15 months before they finally went public with their engagement announcement in December 2016.

While the tech executive sporadically dropped hints about their relationship on social media during that time, he didn't pop up in Williams' own Instagram feed until over a year after they met. In a group photo of her friends shared in August 2016, she teased her secret boyfriend by simply referring to him as "the nerd."

Perhaps due to their discretion, rumors that Williams was dating other people lingered throughout that first year. While Ohanian had just gotten out of a five-year relationship with his college sweetheart, microbiologist Sabriya Stukes, when they met, the tennis pro was romantically linked with rappers Drake and Common.

The cute pair were so good at keeping their relationship under wraps that the only report linking the two together came out in October 2015. "They met at a lunch. It's new," an Us Weekly source said at the time, adding, "He said he'd never been into tennis until they started dating!" To be fair, they weren't wrong.

Ready for more

Before the two ever celebrated their first anniversary together, Ohanian knew he wanted to marry Williams. "I felt like a door had been opened to a person who made me want to be my best self," he told Vanity Fair. And he planned a picture-perfect proposal: Flying Williams out to Rome, he set up a trail of rose petals leading to the spot where they first met (complete with a plastic rat on the hotel table).

Naturally, Williams announced their engagement on Reddit. Sharing her fiancé's drawing of the couple as Snoos (the website's space alien mascot), she called herself "Future Mrs. Kn0thing," in reference to his username. 

"I came home / A little late / Someone had a bag packed for me / And a carriage awaited / Destination: Rome / To escort me to my very own 'charming' / Back to where our stars first collided," she wrote in a sweet poem. "And now it was full circle / At the same table we first met by chance / This time he made it not by chance / But by choice / Down on one knee / He said 4 words / And [I said yes]."

Ohanian replied, "And you made me the happiest man on the planet."

Excuse us while we go cry now.

Shocking pregnancy reveals

In April 2017, Williams accidentally revealed her first pregnancy when she infamously shared (and deleted) a Snapchat selfie. While showing off her baby bump in the photo, she wrote, "20 weeks." Fans may have been stunned, but the newly engaged pair couldn't have been more shocked themselves when they found out they were expecting.

In the week leading up to the Australian Open in January of that year, Williams had been feeling off, and she eventually took a pregnancy test. As she recalled to Vanity Fair, the results read positive. 

"[I] did a double take," she said, adding, "And my heart dropped. Like literally it dropped. Oh my God, this can't be — I've got to play a tournament. How am I going to play the Australian Open? I had planned on winning Wimbledon this year."

The tennis pro was in denial and needed some convincing — so she took five more tests, all of which were positive. When Ohanian flew into Melbourne to meet her, Williams simply handed the surprised internet king a paper bag containing all six pregnancy tests.

Determined to compete as planned, Williams famously went on to win her 23rd Grand Slam title while roughly eight weeks pregnant.

Battling health complications together 

When the couple welcomed their first child, Alexis Olympia, in September 2017, Williams suffered scary postpartum health complications. As she revealed to Vogue the following January, her plummeting heart rate during contractions led to an emergency C-section, after which Ohanian cut the cord and placed their little girl on her chest. "That was an amazing feeling," she said. "And then everything went bad."

Over the next week, Williams suffered through shortness of breath due to small blood clots in her lungs and an intense coughing fit that opened up her C-section wound. During the surgery to close it, her doctors found a large hematoma that had flooded her abdomen.

The athlete recovered at home for six weeks on bed rest. "I was happy to change diapers," Ohanian said. "But on top of everything she was going through, the feeling of not being able to help made it even harder."

Williams' childbirth complications ultimately encouraged her to use her platform to advocate for health care around the world. "My personal experience was not great but it was MY experience and I'm happy it happened to me," she shared on Facebook. "It made me stronger.

A Marvel-ous gesture

Just ahead of their wedding, Ohanian rented out an entire movie theater so the whole family could watch Thor: Ragnarok together. "Junior's first movie," the proud dad said in a video on Instagram, which he captioned, "Thor: Ragnarok is a family affair." 

He added, "Momma needed a day off to relax. She really wanted to see her other man, Thor, in Ragnarok." The clip then cut to him, Williams, and little Alexis Olympia cuddling in front of the big screen.

"We're gonna cover your eyes for all the violent scenes," Ohanian told his little girl. Williams added, "And she has earmuffs on," ensuring that the infant's eyes and ears would be protected from the comic book flick's violent images and loud noises. 

"Safety first," Ohanian said, before jokingly adding, "Even though Thor is your mother's other man. It's okay, he's not that tall."

As the video came to an end, the tennis pro could be seen taking a nap and using her soon-to-be husband's shoulder as a pillow. Ohanian captioned this portion of the clip, "Of course mama fell asleep." Too cute.

They're super into Disney

After a nearly year-long engagement, Williams and Ohanian tied the knot in November 2017 in New Orleans. But their wedding was anything but ordinary. Rather than opt for a traditional ceremony, the pair instead threw a Disney-themed affair.

The star-studded wedding, attended by the likes of Beyoncé, Eva Longoria, and Ciara, followed a magical Beauty and the Beast theme. According to an Entertainment Tonight source, guests were greeted with the song "Be Our Guest," and "were expected to dress to the theme."

Williams wanted her wedding to be "as non-traditional as possible," she revealed to Vogue. As she glowed in an Alexander McQueen gown and Ohanian handsomely sported an Armani suit, the couple exchanged personally written vows.

"You are the greatest of all time, not just in sport," Ohanian told his beautiful bride. "I'm talking about as a mother and as a wife. I am so excited to write so many more chapters of our fairy tale together. And my whole life I didn't even realize it, but I was waiting for this moment….I am so grateful, and I am so in love."

After the Disney-themed ceremony transformed into a modern ball, the newlyweds' first dance — complete with impressive spins and lifts — was set to "Tale as Old as Time" and "If I Can't Have You." Oh, and New Edition gave a surprise performance at the reception, before Ohanian surprised his wife with an all-white carousel as Ginuwine's "Pony" played. No big deal.

Four billboards outside Indian Wells, California

Ohanian clearly loves surprising his wife with grand gestures, but he may have topped even himself with this one.

In February 2018, as Williams geared up for her highly anticipated return to tennis after giving birth, the startup guru designed and put up four billboards to support her. Some suspected this to be an homage to that season's award-winning film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Ohanian took to Twitter to post a photo his handy work. Each billboard featured little Alexis Olympia and Williams, and boasted the acronym, "G.M.O.A.T." (meaning, "Greatest Momma of All Time").

"These just went up on alongside I-10 into Palm Springs," he wrote in the caption. "@OlympiaOhanian & I wanted to welcome her back to tennis. Designed them myself, with some help from Jr. #GMOAT."

Days later, Williams made her triumphant return at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. With her family cheering her on in an admittedly extravagant way, she defeated Kazakhstan player Zarina Diyas in the first round of the tournament.

Relationship goals

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian's relationship may have its fair share of quirks, but at the end of the day, these two are clearly total #RelationshipGoals. 

The married pair is known to share their funniest, cutest, and most romantic moments on social media. Some of our faves include the couple having fun with flower filters, busting out their dance moves with New Edition, smiling big in their first official family portrait, and sharing an intimate moment on their wedding day.

And we dare fans not to audibly "aww" whenever Williams gushes about her man. "He's my rock my backbone my love. I am so lucky to have found this wonderful man that treats me better than a queen," she wrote on Instagram at the end of 2017, while sharing her top 10 favorite moments with Ohanian. "I love you Alexis you make me excited to wake up every morning knowing I'll get to see you."

Seriously, how sweet are these two?

via Nicki Swift

BILL COSBY TALKS ABOUT GOING TO PRISON

Bill Cosby is mentally preparing himself for prison, Page Six reports.

The New York Post column revealed on April 28 that the comedian -- who on April 26 was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home 14 years ago -- had been speaking to one of its reporters during his retrial.

"When they send me to that place, I want you to be there to tell my story because it seems no one is listening, no one wants the real story," Cosby, 80, told Page Six.

By "that place," he means a prison cell. He's facing 30 years behind bars -- 10 years for each count on which he was found guilty, as well as the possibly of fines up to $25,000 for each count -- when he's sentenced this summer.

"This is what they wanted," Cosby told Page Six after he was found guilty by a Pennsylvania jury.

He made headlines for bitterly lashing out at prosecutor Kevin Steele after the verdict was read when the district attorney asked the judge to revoke Cosby's bail, claiming he was a flight risk. "He doesn't have a plane, you a--hole. I'm sick of this," Cosby shouted. (The judge did not revoke his $1 million bail, though the man who's been accused of drugging, raping and sexual assaulting dozens of women over the last several decades has been ordered to remain at his Pennsylvania home on house arrest under GPS monitoring until sentencing.)

According to Page Six, when Cosby returned to his home outside Philadelphia following the verdict, "he was greeted at the door by another 'victim' -- his wife and most loyal supporter, Camille. She gave him a hug and a kiss, said a source who was present," Page Six wrote.

Page Six also revealed that Cosby spoke to the outlet in 2017 during his first trial -- which ended in a mistrial when the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict -- with the agreement that his quotes wouldn't be published until after the legal proceedings were over.

Cosby explained why he refused to agree to a plea deal that would have allowed him to avoid prison.

"When there was talk of a plea bargain, I said no," Cosby told Page Six. "I just refused to plead guilty to something that just didn't happen. It didn't happen, and Andrea knows that, and I think [prosecutors] know that."

If he'd taken the deal back then, he'd had served house arrest, registered as a sex offender and been on probation for an undisclosed period, Page Six reported.

"Why take a deal? Not when they want me to say that I'm a sex offender. I didn't do what they said I did," Cosby insisted.

He also shared a story about traveling to see the late Nelson Mandela, who famously spent nearly three decades in prison. Cosby seemingly compared himself to the former South African President who put an end to apartheid in the nation.

"You know, I think back to the time when Camille and I went to visit Nelson Mandela in South Africa. He was a free man, but I remember when we met him at Robben Island where he had been in a prison for all of those years. I sat in that cell where he lived, and I saw how he lived... what he had to eat to live and what he went through," Cosby told Page Six.

"So, if they send me to that place," he continued, "then that's what they will do, and I will have to go there."

Judge Steven O'Neill will sentence the comedian in July. Before that, he'll undergo a "sexually violent predator" assessment.

via WONDERWALL