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celebrity radar - gossips

TheStreetJournal named Rev. Mathew Hassan Kukah as Man of The Year

Published

3 years ago

January 4, 2021

Sahara Weekly

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One of the most read news platforms, The Street Journal, an online newspaper delivering knowledge-driven journalism in the pursuit of Nigeria’s progress has named Reverend Father Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto as the Man of the Year 2020.

In an era where clergymen, with the exception of a few, are not afraid to speak the truth boldly, either to the political, religious or social circles, this fiery preacher, one who doesn’t mince words and says it as it is, without care about whose ox is gored, especially as it concerns President Muhammadu Buhari‘s APC-led administration, Kukah, has always said what many may be too afraid to say for fear of a backlash or a clampdown and with these qualities he was meritoriously picked by the editorial team of the newspaper.

To boot, Kukah had led the Christian body under the aegis of Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria in 2018, to visit Buhari in Aso Rock to tell him to his face about how fast his goodwill had depleted owing to the glaring failures of his administration precisely in the area of security, economy and freedom of expression. The Bishops had expressed their disappointment with the state of the nation and told the president that Nigerians were angry as a result of bad governance in the country.

When Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello, attempted to ridicule the visit by saying some people were angry (in reference to the Bishops), the church’s coffers was depleting because people were no more getting stolen money to pay tithes, Kukah didn’t take the insult lightly and took Bello to the cleaners.

After being prodded to speak on the matter, he said, “This Bello is a character that nobody heard anything from until he suddenly, accidentally found himself in power. Frankly, people of his calibre do not deserve our response. It is also a measure of the kind of people who have strayed into power. It is a tragedy of what we call leadership now in Nigeria. People who have come with no antecedents; they just come out of the woodworks and occupy an office.”

Kukah has continued in this manner without derailing. In a letter to President Buhari in 2018, he pointed out that his administration had brought back ethnicity with a vengeance with Nigerians being so alienated from one another like never before.

“Before your eyes and in your hands, our country, our communities, our people are all in a state of stupor. The bogeyman of religion, region and ethnicity, which we thought we had overcome has come back with a vengeance. You are too distant from your people. There is a sad feeling that you do not share in the pain and suffering of your people,” the Bishop quoted in his letter to the President.

Bishop Kukah once compared Buhari’s administration to the dreaded terrorist group ravaging West African countries, Boko Haram and concluded there is no difference between the two. According to him, the Nigerian government is using different methods to achieve the same goal of Islamic dominance like Boko Haram. He said the only difference between the two is that Boko Haram makes use of a bomb to achieve their aims.

“They are using the levers of power to secure the supremacy of Islam, which then gives more weight to the idea that it can be achieved by violence. With the situation in Nigeria, it is hard to see the moral basis they have to defeat Boko Haram. They have created the conditions to make it possible for Boko Haram to behave the way they are behaving,” Kukah said.

At another time, Bishop Kukah described Buhari’s government as the most nepotistic narcissistic one in the history of Nigeria. He stated that the Buhari’s regime had been marked by supremacist and divisive policies that has pushed the country to the brink.

“This President has displayed the greatest degree of insensitivity in managing our country’s rich diversity. He has subordinated the larger interests of the country to the hegemonic interests of his co-religionists and clansmen and women. The impression created now is that to hold a key and strategic position in Nigeria today, it is more important to be a northern Muslim than a Nigerian.”

And only recently, in his 2020 Christmas Day message titled: ‘A nation in search of vindication’, Kukah did not spare Buhari.

He said that if a non-northerner was occupying the office and does only a fraction of what Buhari has done, there would have been a coup.

He said, “This government owes the nation an explanation as to where it is headed as we seem to journey into darkness. The spilling of this blood must be related to a more sinister plot that is beyond our comprehension. Are we going to remain hogtied by these evil men or are they gradually becoming part of a larger plot to seal the fate of our country?

“President Buhari deliberately sacrificed the dreams of those who voted for him to what seemed like a programme to stratify and institutionalise northern hegemony by reducing others in public life to second class status. He has pursued this self-defeating and alienating policy at the expense of greater national cohesion.

“Every honest Nigerian knows that there is no way any non-Northern Muslim President could have done a fraction of what President Buhari has done by his nepotism and gotten away with it. There would have been a military coup a long time ago or we would have been at war. The President may have concluded that Christians will do nothing and will live with these actions.

“He may be right and we Christians cannot feel sorry that we have no pool of violence to draw from or threaten our country. However, God does not sleep. We can see from the inexplicable dilemma of his North.”

Naturally, his message drew the ire of a section of the country. While some of them accused the respected Bishop of stoking the fire of a coup, others accused him of beating the drumbeat of war. Still, others asked for his arrest as his speech was akin to being a treasonable offence and still yet, others asked him to either drop his cassock and join politics or just mind the business that pays him.

While there is no denying that certain messages from some quarters should be assessed based on the purpose it serves, there is no denying that Mathew Bishop Hassan Kukah’s messages always provide a critical analysis of the Nigerian situation while attempting the jerk the drivers of the nation back to reality. His messages which are true and fair aren’t expected to pander to Buhari’s ego but to lay bare the facts with the hope that things can be done better.

Having noticed a consistent pattern with the Bishop, there is obviously no stopping him and until the Buhari’s administration changes course for the good of the country, he will be back with more hard hitting speeches.

For this singular reason, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah has been selected to be The Street Journal Man of The Year 2020.

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Nollywood loses another veteran actor

Published

23 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Nollywood loses another veteran actor

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The Nigerian movie industry has again been thrown into mourning after the news of the death of another veteran Nollywood actor, Zulu Adigwe, surfaced on social media on Tuesday.

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Adigwe’s death was announced by a movie producer, Stanley Nwoko, in a post on his Instagram page .

Mourning the actor, Nwoko wrote, “Rest in peace, good actor.”

Adigwe’s death is coming two weeks after Junior Pope and three other Nollywood actors died in a boat accident in Anam River.

The actors were said to be on their way to a location when the incident occurred.

Adigwe gained recognition primarily for portraying fatherly characters in Nollywood films.

His breakthrough role came as Mr. B in the popular sitcom “Basi and Company.”

He also appeared in the highly successful 2019 movie “Living in Bondage: Breaking Free.”

Although born in Enugu State and spent his early years there, he later moved to Austria, where he completed his primary and secondary education.

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ERELU OLAJUMOKE, AN ALLURING CHARMING BEAUTY MAJESTICALLY CLIMBED THE FIFTH FLOOR

Published

6 days ago

April 19, 2024

Sahara Weekly

ERELU OLAJUMOKE, AN ALLURING CHARMING BEAUTY MAJESTICALLY CLIMBED THE FIFTH FLOOR

…Celebrates Golden Jubilee In Glitz and Amazing Glory

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She is a damsel, an embodiment of beauty, brain and brawn, possessing the best of qualities any discerning mind would dream of. She is no one else than Erelu Olajumoke, Erelu of Ifetedo Kingdom and founder/Chief Executive Officer of Erelu Olajumoke Foundation. Very industrious, illustrious and extremely hardworking, Erelu Olajumoke, the Iya Ijo of Bishop Court Chapel in Alagbaka Akure will on Saturday, the 20th of April, 2024 celebrate her 50th birthday, stepping majestically into the fifth floor and marking a golden jubilee that looks every inch, good on her.

The effervescent, glamorous and charismatic Erelu Olajumoke is an enigma, a colossus who has contributed immensely to humanity and the entire global economy. She is graciously blessed with the spirit of giving. Erelu Olajumoke, a magnanimous lady of substance, value and valor has been practically involved in various forms of empowerment, spreading love, passion and absolute generosity to the poor, the needy, the old (elderly), orphans, widows/widowers, the impoverished, the underprivileged and the intimidated members of the society. Endowed with an uncommon traits of great-heartedness, Erelu Olajumoke took it upon herself to alleviate the poverty levels of the people by directly, impacting on their lives.

Oftentimes, this legendary philanthropist, who is very much aware of the fact that health is indeed wealth, has organized various medical outreach programmes that yielded great impact on beneficiaries. Through Erelu Olajumoke Foundation, this amazon of beauty has transformed the lives of many, bringing in, health care professionals from around the globe to give succor to those with health challenges. Her roles in the rejuvenation and revamping of people’s health are awesome and iconic. Those who have benefitted from her tremendous medical contributions would always say lofty tales about her.

As an outstandingly committed child of God, Erelu Olajumoke who is currently basking in the euphoria of clocking 50, has been and still involved in fundraising activities towards her church and evangelism. Her passion and zeal for spreading the good news of God, winning souls into the Kingdom of God and expunging sinners from the gory dungeons of sin are highly recognized and commendable. She is absolutely emotional and animated to the church, the Gospel and everything about her Creator.

An extremely supportive partner, Erelu Olajumoke is simply, the strongest pillar of support to the political and democratic achievements of her beau, the distinguished Senator Oluwole Olubiyi Fadeyi, the dynamic and zestful Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, Abuja.

As a matter of fact, Erelu Olajumoke has displayed so much affection for the amiable Senator through unwavering support, unalloyed devotion to his democratic ideologies and strategies coupled with her reciprocating fondness for the people her hubby represents at the Red Chambers. Erelu Olajumoke synergized her benevolent acts with those of her beloved Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi by catering for constituency needs under his Osun Senatorial District covering Osogbo, Ila, Boripe, Odo-Otin, Boluwaduro, Ifedayo, Irepodun, Olorunda and Orolu Local Government Areas.

The ‘birthday girl’, Erelu Olajumoke regularly extends her olive oil of love, passion and care for all widowed women and men in these communities not excluding helpless and hopeless orphans, out of school children, those experiencing excruciating poverty amongst other less-privileged within the Osun Central Senatorial District and beyond. Erelu stands as a rock of Gibraltar, upholding the democratic values of her hubby with in-depth determination, perseverance and tenacity. As the First Lady of Osun Central Senatorial District, Erelu Olajumoke has performed meritoriously contributing immensely to the successful foray and great achievements of her best friend, her best adviser, best confidant and above all best lover, the distinguished Senator Ajagunla Oluwole Olubiyi Fadeyi, the Tayese II of Ifetedo Kingdom.

With the input and advise from Erelu Olajumoke, Senator Olubiyi Fadeyo has brought new hope to the good people of Osun Central Senatorial District, giving our palliatives and economic empowerment equipments like buses, cars, motorcycles, tricycles, hairdressing equipments, barbing gadgets, grinding machines, freezers amongst other vital poverty alleviation to drastically and astronomically reduce poverty from the shores of that senatorial district.

In a nutshell, Erelu Olajumoke, who will be gathering high net-worth dignitaries, top celebrities, society bigwigs, powerful political stalwarts, family, friends and well-wishers come Saturday to celebrate her joining the club of the 50s, could be described as an awesomely delectable queen with an uncommon heart of gold.

Happy birthday to this rare gem, a blessing to humanity and the solid pillar of support behind one of Nigeria’s most reliable Senators, Ajagunla Olubiyi Oluwole Fadeyi.

Barrister Olaitan Ilori

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Celebrating Aare Sir Shina Akanni : The Pinnacle of Fuji Music (Photos) – Alhaji Arems

Published

6 days ago

April 19, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Celebrating Aare Sir Shina Akanni : The Pinnacle of Fuji Music (Photos) – Alhaji Arems

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As the dawn breaks on April 19, the vibrant and rhythmic world of Fuji music celebrates a monumental occasion—the birthday of Aare Sir Shina Akanni, a maestro whose name is synonymous with the genre itself. Today, not only does he add another year to his illustrious life, but he also cements his place as the most highly rated act in the realm of Fuji music.

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Aare Sir Shina Akanni, often hailed as the Fuji Scorpido, has been a beacon of innovation and excellence in Fuji music for decades. His unique voice and high level of composition have earned him the respect and admiration of fans and peers alike. On this special day, we reflect on the journey of a man who has not only mastered his craft but has also become the yardstick by which all other Fuji acts are measured.

Born into the vibrant culture of Mushin, Lagos, Aare Sir Shina Akanni’s musical journey began at a young age. His passion for Fuji music was evident from the start, and over the years, he has released over 30 albums, each one a testament to his dedication and talent. His works such as “Fuji Discovery Medley” and “Shina Medley” have become staples in the Fuji music scene, played and replayed by those who appreciate the depth of his artistry.

But what truly sets Aare Sir Shina Akanni apart is his ability to stay at the pinnacle of Fuji music for over two decades. It’s a feat that speaks volumes about his consistency and the unwavering quality of his music. His latest album, “ABCD,” is yet another example of his musical prowess and innovation, showcasing a blend of traditional Fuji rhythms with contemporary elements.

As we celebrate Aare Sir Shina Akanni’s birthday, it’s not just another year that we’re marking; it’s the celebration of a legacy that has shaped and will continue to shape the future of Fuji music. His influence extends beyond the borders of Nigeria, touching lives and inspiring musicians around the globe.

On this day, the Fuji music community comes together to honor a legend. Aare Sir Shina Akanni’s contributions to the genre are unparalleled, and his status as the most highly rated of all Fuji acts is undisputed. As he celebrates his birthday, we join in the chorus of well-wishes and gratitude for the music that has enriched our lives.

Happy Birthday, Aare Sir Shina Akanni, the undisputed king of Fuji music. May your melodies continue to resonate, and your legacy endure for generations to come.