LYONS BLOG

- Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh has been conferred with a traditional chietaincy title - She wears her traditional marriage outfit for the title conferment ceremony - The actress and her estranged husband Oladunni Olakunle Churchill have gone their separate ways after irreconcilable differences It is no longer news that controversial Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh has been conferred with a traditional title. The beautiful mother of King Andre was conferred with the Adadioranmma 1 of Nollywood chieftaincy on Thursday, October 26, during the Nollywood New Yam Festival and Awards. The gist is that pretty Tonto don the clothes she worn on her traditional wedding day to her estranged husband Oladunni Olakunle Churchill in Port Harcourt in August 2015. Tonto Dikeh wears her traditional marriage outfit for her chieftaincy ceremony LYONSWORDnoticed that Tonto showed up at her chieftaincy conferment ceremony in the full traditional marriage outfit but rather than tie the gold c

- A Nigerian man has allegedly bought a G-Wagon for a South African man - The expensive SUV was bought to apologise for impregnating the South African man's wife - Meanwhile, the pregnant woman's husband says she has forgiven his wife after accepting the gift A Nigerian man based in South Africa has allegedly bought a G-Wagon for a South African man as a token to apologise for impregnating his wife. A South-African news website, quoted John as saying that the husband of his pregnant girlfriend immediately forgave him on receiving the car. “I know what I did is wrong but I feel better he has accepted my gift. He accepted that his wife, my girlfriend, is pregnant and will soon give birth to my son. He was angry at first but when I presented the car to him his anger vanished,” John was quoted to have said. A source close to the family who claimed knowledge of the relationship says she was disappointed the husband accepted the Mercedes-Benz from the Nigerian national

TECNO Mobile, Africa’s leading mobile phone maker, today unveiled its latest device, the PHANTOM 8 at Four Points by Sheraton, Victoria Island, Lagos in the presence of several notable dignitaries, key opinion leaders and stakeholders in the mobile technology industry. This followed the Global launch of the brand’s flagship at the Jumeira Beach Hotel in Dubai over the weekend. The Mobile tech giant has also partnered with SLOT Systems to deliver extra value to all its customers. Since the inception of the PHANTOM, the series has increasingly transformed in all ramifications and the PHANTOM 8 is not excluded in this innovation and technological advancement. Poles apart from its forerunners, the PHANTOM 8 debuts with high-end features which includes an amazing camera and a beautiful design that offers a swift and an unrivaled mobile experience. L-R: Eric Wang, Marketing Manager - Tecno Mobile Nigeria; Jesse Oguntimehin, Deputy Marketing Manager, Digital - Tecno Mobile Nigeria;

- Former military head of state, Yakubu Gowon, speaks on what caused the Biafran civil war in 1967 - According to him, the lies told by Ojukwu after the Aburi accord led to Biafra civil war - The former head of state said secession was never part of the resolutions that was agreed on Nigeria's former military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon (rtd) has revealed that the lies told by the late warlord, Odumegu Ojukwu after the Aburi accord led to Biafra civil war, between 1967 and 1970. LYONSWORD gathered that Gowon while speaking on AIT’s programme “People, Politics and Power,” on Tuesday, October 24, said the federal government went to Aburi unprepared, following a disagreement which broke out between the Supreme Military Council (SMC) and the eastern region, led by Ojukwu. The former military head of state said the decision to go to Aburi was borne out of the desire to win back the trust and confidence of Nigerians, adding that secession was never part of the resolutions they

- Singapore, though small, now has the most powerful passport in the world - The report just released shows that Nigeria is seriously lagging behind on the list - The United States of America dropped and the report links it to the emergence of Donald Trump as its president Among countries of the world, Nigeria has one of the poorest passports and can only visit 44 countries either without visa as they can have such issued to the traveller upon arrival. This is however not so for other countries in Africa as reported in a Passport Index study revealed on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, by the Canada-based global consultancy Arton Capital. The report showed that Djibouti and Congo can visit 45 countries visa-free. The report showed other countries as follows: Algeria (46); Liberia, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Burundi and Cameroon (47) are African countries with a stronger passport than Nigeria. Some African countries and the power of their passports. Also, Central Af

- Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi met at the FIFA The Best awards gala - The two players were up for the 2017 FIFA footballer of the year award - Ronaldo attended the ceremony with his partner Georgina Rodriguez and son Eternal rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi met each other before the start of the FIFA The Best awards ceremony and they both looked like best friends. The Real Madrid was the man of the night as he was awarded the footballer of the year award and made the FIFPro World XI alongside the Barcelona man. Ronaldo and Messi met before the awards ceremony started proper. Photo: LeoMessistats/Twitter Just before the ceremony at the London Palladium started, the two players met and looked fond of each other. Ronaldo Jr attended the ceremony with his father. Photo: LeoMessistats/Twitter However Ronaldo Jr did not look too excited to meet his father's greatest rival and possibly the only footballer better than his 32-year-old man. Ronaldo'

- Austin Jay Jay Okocha was seen together with Barcelona's Lionel Messi - The two legends were in attendance at the FIFA award night in London - Lionel Messi got the runner up spot behind Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo Former Super Eagles' skipper Austin Okocha was in London yesterday, Monday 23, 2017 for the second edition of The Best FIFA football awards. Okocha was part of the 17 man panel that decided the 36 man list of 24 players and 12 men’s coaches that were in contention for awards at the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony last night in London. Super Eagles former captain Jay Jay Okocha at the Fifa awards night in London. The former Bolton man was seen taking a picture with five times FIFA best player and last night's runner up Lionel Messi. Messi lost last night's award to Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, The Real Madrid man capped off an impressive 2017 with the ultimate individual award in men's football. Last night's a

- Per Mertesacker scored last in the first half to put the Gunners ahead - Two late goals from Troy Deeney and Tom Cleverly gave Watford the win - Gunners drop to sixth place while Watford jump to fourth aftr eight games Arsenal drop to sixth place on the log after a 2 - 1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage road. It was the Hornet's first win over the Gunners in 30 years. Per Mertesacker gave Arsene Wenger's side the lead in the 39th minute with a towering header from Granit Xhaka's corner kick. Per Mertesacker celebrates his opener in the game. Photo: Squawka Arsene Wenger started the game without Alexis Sanchez in his squad as Danny Welbeck came in his place. He would however limp off with a injury as Watford continued to press. Alex Iwobi started the game at Vicarage road. Photo: Squawka Troy Deeney equalized in the 71st minute from the penalty spot after Hector Bellerin was adjudged to have fouled the man of the match Richarlison. The winner came from

- A Nigerian man has given Tiwa Savage a piece of his heart after her outburst - The young man called her a shame and prayed for her marriage to crash A Nigerian man identified as NwaAmaikpe on Twitter has become the talk of the town after he expressed his anger over Tiwa Savage’s outburst where she said men and women can never be equal. The man took to his Twitter page to air his thought about the matter calling the Nigerian celebrity a shame. The bitter man did not stop there as he prayed for her marriage to crash again since he said he does not understand how she could come to live with a man who publicly ridiculed her mother. As if that was not enough, he transferred the aggression on other celebrities praying for their marriages to crash as well. He talked about Banky W and Adesua who are yet to get married saying theirs too will crash. According to him, the elements that made it possible for Lillian Esoro and Ubi Franklin’s union to break will touch the love birds an

- Marcos Alonso has admitted that he would love to make a return to Spain - But the Spaniard insisted that he is currently happy at Chelsea Football Club - Alonso was among the Blues players that won the League title last season Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso has reportedly stated clearly that he is currently happy at Stamford Bridge, but would love to make a return to the Spanish La Liga. The left-full back started his career at reigning Spanish and European champions Real Madrid before joining Chelsea in 2016 from Serie A club Fiorentina. Last season, the 26-year-old Spaniard was impressive for Chelsea as he helped the Blues to win the Premier League title scoring six goals from his position as a left wing-back. Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso could return to Spain next summer (photo: Metro) ‘'I’m very happy at Chelsea but I would like to return to Spain one day to continue my football career. ‘'Before I retire I’d like to play in La Liga. I haven’t played m

As seen in viral photos, a woman was spotted climbing the school fence of her child in Anambra state over monkeypox rumours. The pictures of this woman were shared on Facebook by Blossom Martins on Wednesday, October 11. Martins claimed that this woman climbed the fence when she heard that soldiers were injecting pupils with monkeypox. Martins posted saying: “Picture of mother climbing the fence of school in order to forcefully collect her child from the school after it was alleged that soldiers were injecting pupils with Monkeypox virus earlier today in Nnewi.” Mother seen climbing the school fence in Anambra See the pictures below: LYONSWORD earlier reported that the national coordinator of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, on Monday, October 9, announced that the monkeypox outbreak may have spread to seven states in Nigeria.

On Wednesday, October 11, the Ondo state police command arrested some armed robbers who have been terrorising the state in recent times. One of the suspects, Chukwuma Okoro, confessed that he joined the gang so that he could pay his wife’s bride price. Okoro was arrested with three other members of the gang. According to Punch, the other suspects were identified as Thomas Onofuapo, Chukwudi Oruma and Ezenwa Raphael. The suspects The Ondo state police public relations officer (PPRO), Femi Joseph, while parading the suspects disclosed that Okoro was arrested by angry mob when allegedly attacked a young lady who was taking about N500,000 cash to the bank. Joseph further revealed that a pistol and five live carriages were found on Okoro during his arrest. He said: “Okoro attacked a sales girl who was going to the bank to deposit a sum N500,000. As he was struggling to collect the money from her, the girl raised the alarm that attracted passers-by who arrested him.” Okoro

- Kinsmen of the leader of the outlawed IPOB group, Nnamdi Kanu, are demanding compensation from the federal government for damage done to their community when soldiers invaded, during their Operation Python Dance exercise - The residents of Kanu’s Isiama Afaraukwu Ibeku community accused the army of carrying out an undemocratic activity which they said led to the deaths of several persons, and large scale destruction of property - Kanu’s kinsmen urged the government to urgently address the anomalies that are the root cause of all the agitations, instead of using force to crack down on the agitators - They also advised the agitators to carry out their activities within the ambits of the law, and refrain from hate speech The federal government has been asked by kinsmen of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to pay compensation over damage done to their properties when troops of the Nigerian army invaded their community, New Telegraph report

- A United State of America-based human rights group called Rapid Response Fact-Finding Mission (RRFFM) has asked President Buhari to withdraw Nigerian army from southeast - RRFFM said the army should desist from continuing attacks on the already destroyed home of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) - The group also said Buhari's government should allow the trial of Kanu, the IPOB leader, to continue under the established framework of the legal system instead of using military force A United State of America based human rights group known as Rapid Response Fact-Finding Mission on Monday, October 9, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw troops from the southeast zone of the country. LYONSWORD gathered this in a statement signed and released by Emmanuel Ogebe, the special counsel justice for Jos Project, a US/Nigeria law group in Washington DC. I The statement read: ''The president of Nigeria should stand down the troops in t

- Buhari describes Nigeria win over Zambia as very sweet and a good 57th Independence Day gift to Nigeria - The president commended the Super Eagles for becoming the first African country to qualify for Russia 2018 World Cup - Nigeria have qualified for their sixth World Cup after beating Zambia 1-0 in Uyo President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the Super Eagles on their victory over the Chipolopolo of Zambia on Saturday, October 7, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state. In a statement made available by Femi Adesina, the special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Buhari described the hard-earned victory as “very sweet, soothing and a 57th Independence Anniversary gift to the nation." He applauded the nation’s senior men’s football team for the feat of making Nigeria the first African country to qualify for Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament, with a match left to play. Buhari congratulates victorious Super Eagles

- Arsenal are now planning to sign Trabzonspor starlet Abdulkadir Omur - The Gunners are ready to tempt Trabzonspor with a good offer for the player - But Spanish club Atletico Madrid are also interested in the signing of Omur Premier League club Arsenal are reportedly preparing a mega million deal to sign Turkish professional football star Abdulkadir Omur from Trabzonspor. The Gunners are said to be ready to bring the 19-year-old central midfielder to the Emirates Stadium in January 2018. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has identified the player as one of his major targets, and has told the Gunners' chiefs to submit an impressive offer that will convince Trabzonspor to sell the player to England. Arsenal want the signing of Trabzonspor starlet Abdulkadir Omur in January (photo: Sun) But the Gunners will face a serious battle with Spanish side Atletico Madrid who are also interested and monitoring the progress of the player. Earlier, LYONSWORD had reported of ho

The Nigerian Senate has called on the federal government to make the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) the only avenue for people to get admission into university. Punch reports that the lawmakers during plenary on Wednesday, October 4, called for the scrapping of the post UTME otherwise known as post-JAMB. The lawmakers argued that the post-JAMB tests had failed to remedy the problems associated with JAMB. The debate was initiated following a motion by Senator Umaru Kurfi - entitled: The need to revisit the regulatory conflict between Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, universities in offering admission in Nigeria. Kurfi said: “The Senate is aware that the laudable objectives of JAMB began to suffer progressive denudation shortly after its inception, as some universities admitted students outside the list sent by JAMB, rejecting candidates with admission letters from JAMB on the

Ghanaian model, actress, and entrepreneur, Yvonne Nelson, is said to be expecting her first child. The top actress who has featured in several movies locally and international which has put her ahead in her game is about to become a mother. LIB reports that the slim beauty who is the darling of home video lovers is heavily pregnant and will soon welcome her baby. Yvonne Nelson Pictures of her pregnancy are yet to be released. See cute pictures of the gorgeous actress below; Yvonne Nelson Yvonne Nelson Yvonne Nelson

- Tiwa Savage has ruffled a few feathers with her latest interview - The popular singer said she thinks men and women are not equal - She also added that God created us that way These days, the topic of equality between both sexes is often debated heavily with some saying women are equal to men an others disagreeing with this school of thought. Popular musician Tiwa Savage revealed her thoughts on the matter. Seeing that she is a woman, many expected that she would say men and women are equal. Instead, while speaking in a recent interview she declared that she doesn’t think men and women are equal. “You have to deal with it. If it means you have to work 10 times harder than your male counterparts, don’t complain about it, do what you have to do. We all celebrate people like Oprah and Mo Abudu and we don’t actually realise what they have to do to get to that point. Tiwa Savage (Image courtesy Instagram) They probably had to do 20 times than their male counterparts. On

- Reuters wrote about the agitation for Biafra and Nnamdi Kanu's disappearance - The international media said his death could affect the country's stability - Kanu's brother claimed he has been killed by the army An international media, Reuters, has written about the disappearance of the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu saying it could destabilise the country. Kanu has been missing since an alleged raid on his house by the army during the Operation Crocodile Smile and Reuters said this could ignite unrest that could affect the country. Kingsley Kanu who is the brother of the IPOB leader said he was with him the day soldiers invaded their compound. He said: “They were shooting everything they saw,” he said, pointing to bullet holes in walls and windows. “They came here just to kill everybody,” Reuters said its cameraman and reporter “saw six corpses with bullet wounds in a morgue.” Malte Liewerscheidt of global risk consultanc

A Nigerian doctor has come on Twitter to share his opinion about people relocating abroad from Nigeria. He took from the stanzas of our anthem as a basis for his conclusion. He claimed that Nigerians leaving the country for the abroad are betraying the promise they make whenever they sing the national anthem. In his tweet, He said; "Leaving Nigeria for the abroad (relocating) is a betrayal of the promise you made(over a thousand times) whenever you sang the national anthem." You betray Nigeria anytime you relocate abroad says, Nigerian doctor He wants us to think about the words of our national anthem below; "To serve our fatherland With love and strength and faith" "To serve with heart and might" Think about this" "Your pastor talks about honouring your pledges to God but says nothing about your pledge you made DAILY to @Nigeria.He prophesies visas even"

- Super Eagles players Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidozie Awaziem were seen dancing to the viral 'one corner' dance - The viral song was recorded by Ghanaian musician Patapaa - A win for the Super Eagles will secure qualification for the 2018 world cup in Russia Super Eagles players Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidozie Awaziem have caught the craze of the latest song that is currently trending across West Africa. After their training session and dinner at the Le Méridien Hotel in Uyo, Iheanacho and Awaziem were seen dancing to the viral song ‘One Corner’. Kelechi Iheanacho is yet to score for his new club Leicester City ‘One Corner’, a record by Ghanaian artiste Patapaa is followed by an interesting dance style which has become very popular on social media. When the chorus of the song- a repetition of the phrase ‘One Corner’- comes on, people dash to their nearest corner to dance to the record by rhythmically moving their hips in sexualised dance movements. This ha