Nigerian luxury designer Alexander Amosu has created the
most expensive champagne in the world called Taste of Diamonds. The drink costs
1.2million pounds. Converted to Naira it is - N250million, which can get you
three luxury duplexes in Lekki. #smiling#
Amosu created a design which takes its
inspiration fromthe Superman style
signature and hand crafted it from 18ct solid white gold
weighing approximately 48gsm of solid gold centred by a single flawless deep
cut white diamond weighing 19cts. The label is also handmade in 18ct solid gold
and weighs approximately 36gsm, handcrafted and engravedwith
the client's name.
Amosu created the design in collaboration with luxury
champagne brand, Goût de Diamants. You can read more about the champagne HERE
Excited, happily wedded comedian Princess gushed about the
hero in her life Adeshola Jeremiah, how they met, up to their big wedding day
in the latest issue of City People.
What Attracted Princess to Adeshola Jeremiah
Well he is a quiet person and if not for the fact that
I am into entertainment, I also like my privacy, I don’t like unnecessary
show-off. If I go somewhere and they don’t recognize me, that is very okay by
me, I just love to be myself.
How She Met Him
He saw me when
I went for their program in Odunfa Cancus (A Yoruba Theatre Group). I went
because of a friend of mine Latifat, who was also trained there. She was in
UNILAG and my junior in Theatre Arts. So I went there and that
was where he saw me and that was like so many years ago in 2005.
Every time I visit my friend, because they are
always together, he will see me there, he couldn’t approach me, not because of
my status but the fact that anytime I come I will just play with everyone for
like 5 to 10 minutes and just zoom off. And I play and smile with everyone but
I don’t give that chance that I am easily approachable in order not to draw
unnecessary attention
Then Things Changed
In 2008, he was shooting his own movie, I also went there to
see a friend of mine, he saw me again and went to meet that friend of mine, he
told her he wanted to meet me that he would want me to play a role in the
movie.
My friend discouraged him saying if he should meet me,
it will look like they didn’t plan themselves well. That same year, he was with
that my friend when I came to visit and he told her “I really want to marry
Princess” (laughs) and my friend started laughing and she told him it’s not
possible.
He kept on pestering her and told her why don’t you tell her first and
lets hear what she says, she (Latifat) now said I don’t think I can tell her,
Princess is my very close friend and I can’t tell her that because Princess
doesn’t have time for men now and she has said it’s her work for now.
But he continued disturbing her to tell me. So, that day we were watching a TV
program and I love cooking so she saw a dish and said this dish is very nice
how I wish I could eat it now and I said oh you want me to stand up and
go prepare this food, so when I went to the kitchen.
She later came into the kitchen and said she wanted to tell me something,
and I said what is it, she said this person likes me and wants to marry me, so
I just started laughing, it was very funny, she felt embarrassed and went back
to the sitting room.
I asked her why won’t I be embarrassed, when the person told you, why
didn’t you just tell him Princess won’t agree and she said that’s exactly what
she told the person but the person insisted.
I told her to give the person my number, and when he called I was just
laughing, he asked “what’s funny”, I said nothing, he now said “well he is
Latifat’s friend” and I said yes I know that, and I started bombarding him with
questions just to discourage him, so he won’t call again.
So when his credit got finished, he called back again. I said this one I
have been asking him many questions na wa o but its okay do I have more
questions to ask? and I said yes o and started asking him more questions, I
asked him questions again till 11:30 PM, he ran out of credit again and called
back, and I am like where are you getting all the money for this credit, he
just said “don’t worry I will call you back”, when he called back again he
asked if I had more questions and I said no because it was already past
midnight and we have talking since past 6.
Graduation From Friend to Fiance
That was it! We later became friends and got very
close, then he said he wanted to marry me and even told me many things about
myself. I was quite surprised and wondered how he got to know all about me.
That was how we started and things continued but we just decided to keep
everything low key. At first I felt it was low key and if he disappionts me, it
won’t hurt too much, but when everything became too serious that was how
everything went then we started meeting our families and I discovered that some
people he knew, were also the same people I know.
The Sudden Wedding Announcement
Yes we have been planning it but because my sister was
getting married on February 14th, we just felt that hers is the reigning
wedding and they were the latest couple, so we concentrated more on hers and
also we were trying to avoid the news reaching the press.
So I think 3 weeks or about a month to our wedding, we had already done
the introduction and that was when we now started distributing the invitations,
because we said if we give people the IVs earlier, news will go around. My
husband started distributing his cards a month to the wedding but I started 2
and a half weeks to the wedding because I just said everybody will hear.
Why She Didn't Want To Publicize Her Wedding
The thing is, that’s the kind of person I am. I
am just there, I just believe I am like every other Nigerian and even though my
work has exposed me and made me to be seen or perceived as a celebrity, my
partner is not a public person like that and we just didn’t want too much
noise.
Even the day I sent text messages to some of my
friends, the next day I started reading so many stories on the internet, and
you can imagine that people wrote on the internet that Princess is getting
married because she was pregnant and now she is trying to get one guy to marry
her.
It was even my husband who saw it and called my attention to it. He was lying
on the couch and just laughing and I was like, what’s funny and who are you
chatting with?, he just said there is something they wrote on the internet and
I said what, he just said it’s on Facebook, they said you are pregnant, and I
said don’t mind them but I just felt bad because people sometimes naturally
find it difficult to be happy for others.
Even now that I am married, I pray to have kids but you can’t start
spreading rumours that somebody is getting married because they are pregnant.
You don’t have an insight nor information about them, you can’t reach those
people so you just write anything you want. But anyway I didn’t let that bother
me, I just kept it to myself. Even when I was rehearsing for my show because we
had two different dance routines and it was difficult, so I didn’t even have
time to dwell on that.
What Princess Loves Most About Her Husband
I love everything about him and he is very
understanding. He understands the essence of us being on earth which is just to
worship God and he is God fearing.
That’s the first thing I noticed
about him and I was even surprised. I have always said If I had choice, I will
marry a musician but then which musician can I now marry (laughs). He is very
God fearing and at least we are not perfect but if you are God fearing, you
will always know when you are doing something wrong.
Life took a drastic turn for 23 year old Blessing Ikhumhi of
Edo State School Health Technology was bathed with acid by her ex-boyfriend
Cyril Okosun after she ended things with him.
Blessing story according to The Guardian report, “He
was my boyfriend and we had arguments in February. He beat me to the extent
that I was not able to go to school for three days. I told him I was no longer
interested in the relationship. He later tried to forcibly take my telephone,
but I refused to give it to him. I told him he was not the one who bought it
for me.”
“On March 23, he called and asked me to
meet him in front of our house. I refused initially, but he insisted, so I came
out. He asked: “Do you mean you don’t want me again?” I said: “No! I was
no more interested in the relationship. And immediately, he poured the
acid on my face. Since that day, I have been on admission at the UBTH and the
doctors say I might not see again except I am flown to India where my eyes
could be restored. “
She noted that Cyril was the last
person she expected to treat her so badly.
“I never knew he would have the heart
to pour acid on me. I made a mistake. I have learnt the biggest lesson of my
life. My prayer now is that God should touch kind-hearted Nigerians to come to
my aide so that I would be able to get treatment abroad, since my parents
cannot afford it.” Ikhumhi, a native of Fugar, Etsako Local Council of Edo
State, has pleaded with public-spirited Nigerians to come to her aid.
Doctors in the hospital believe she may never see again
except she is flown to a specialist hospital in India, where her sight could be
restored.
In a broadcast to the nation at 7pm Yesterday,
Tuesday the 14th of 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a State of
Emergency on some states in Northern Nigeria in response to the escalation of
violence and terrorist activities occasioned by the violent Islamic sect,
Jam'atu Ahlis Sunnah L'dda'awatih wal-Jihad, otherwise known as Boko
Haram.
The states in which the emergency
has been declared are Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. The President directed the
Chief of Defence Staff to ensure that member of the armed forces do everything,
within the rules of engagement of the armed forces, to crush the rebellion in
those states.
Full transcript of the President's
speech below;
ADDRESS BY:
PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN,
GCFR
ON THE DECLARATION OF A STATE OF
EMERGENCY IN BORNO, YOBE AND ADAMAWA
STATES IN ORDER TO RESTORE PUBLIC
ORDER, PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY IN THE AFFECTED STATES OF THE FEDERATION
MAY 14, 2013
Dear compatriots,
1. It has become
necessary for me to address you on the recent spate of terrorist activities and
protracted security challenges in some parts of the country, particularly in
Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kano, Plateau and most recently Bayelsa,
Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa states. These unfortunate events have led to
needless loss of lives and property of many innocent Nigerians including
members of our security forces.
2. The recent killing of
security operatives by a cult group in Nasarawa state is particularly
condemnable. I have directed that no effort or expense be spared in identifying
and bringing to justice all those who had a hand in the killing of the
operatives.
3. The activities of
insurgents and terrorists have been reprehensible, causing fear among our
citizens and a near-breakdown of law and order in parts of the country,
especially the North. We have taken robust steps to unravel and address the
root causes of these crises, but it would appear that there is a systematic
effort by insurgents and terrorists to destabilize the Nigerian state and test
our collective resolve.
4. Since I returned to
the country after cutting short my visit to South Africa and aborting a planned
state visit to Namibia, I have received detailed briefings from our security
agencies. These briefings indicate that what we are facing is not just
militancy or criminality, but a rebellion and insurgency by terrorist groups
which pose a very serious threat to national unity and territorial integrity.
Already, some northern parts of Borno state have been taken over by groups
whose allegiance is to different flags and ideologies.
5. These terrorists and
insurgents seem determined to establish control and authority over parts of our
beloved nation and to progressively overwhelm the rest of the country. In many
places, they have destroyed the Nigerian flag and other symbols of state
authority and in their place, hoisted strange flags suggesting the exercise of
alternative sovereignty.
6. They have attacked
government buildings and facilities. They have murdered innocent citizens and
state officials. They have set houses ablaze, and taken women and children as
hostages. These actions amount to a declaration of war and a deliberate attempt
to undermine the authority of the Nigerian state and threaten her territorial
integrity. As a responsible government, we will not tolerate this.
7. Previously, we adopted a
multi-track approach to the resolution of this problem through actions which
included persuasion, dialogue and widespread consultation with the political,
religious and community leaders in the affected states.
8. We exercised restraint to
allow for all efforts by both State Governors and well-meaning Nigerians to
stop the repeated cases of mindless violence.
9. Yet, the insurgents and
terrorists seek to prevent government from fulfilling its constitutional
obligations to the people as they pursue their fanatical agenda of mayhem, mass
murder, division and separatism.
10. While the efforts at persuasion
and dialogue will continue, let me reiterate that we have a sacred duty to
ensure the security and well-being of all our people and protect the sovereign
integrity of our country. Therefore, we shall, on no account, shy away from
doing whatever becomes necessary to provide the fullest possible security for
the citizens of this country in any part of the country they choose to reside.
11. We have a duty to stand firm
against those who threaten the sovereign integrity of the Nigerian state. Our will
is strong, because our faith lies in the indivisibility of Nigeria.
12. Following recent
developments in the affected states, it has become necessary for Government to
take extraordinary measures to restore normalcy. After wide consultations, and
in exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of Section 305,
sub-section 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as
amended, I hereby declare a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa
states.
13. Accordingly, the Chief of
Defence Staff has been directed to immediately deploy more troops to these
states for more effective internal security operations. The troops and other
security agencies involved in these operations have orders to take all necessary
action, within the ambit of their rules of engagement, to put an end to the
impunity of insurgents and terrorists.
14. This will include the authority
to arrest and detain suspects, the taking of possession and control of any
building or structure used for terrorist purposes, the lock-down of any area of
terrorist operation, the conduct of searches, and the apprehension of persons
in illegal possession of weapons.
15. The details of this
Proclamation will be transmitted to the National Assembly in accordance with
the provisions of the Constitution. But in the meantime, let me make it clear
that within the purview of this Proclamation, the Governors and other political
office holders in the affected states will continue to discharge their
constitutional responsibilities.
16. I urge the
political leadership in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states to co-operate maximally
with the Armed Forces and the Police to ensure that the exercise succeeds. We
call on the citizenry to co-operate with our security agencies to ensure a
return to normalcy within the shortest possible time.
17. I am again
approaching our neighbouring countries, through diplomatic channels, as done in
the recent past, for their co-operation in apprehending any terrorist elements
that may escape across the border.
18. Nigerians are
peace-loving people; these sad events perpetrated by those who do not wish our
nation well have not changed the essential character of our people.
19. I want to reassure you all that
those who are directly or indirectly encouraging any form of rebellion against
the Nigerian state, and their collaborators; those insurgents and terrorists
who take delight in killing our security operatives, whoever they may be,
wherever they may go, we will hunt them down, we will fish them out, and we
will bring them to justice. No matter what it takes, we will win this war
against terror.
20.I am convinced that with your
support and prayers, we shall overcome these challenges and together, we will
restore every part of our country to the path of peace, growth and development.
