Iyanya and Yvonne Nelson -Only A Douchebag Wants Just Your Waist

What do you do when all a man you have fallen in love with wants from you is your waist? That was the dilemma the sender of one of the last Dear Myne posts found herself in. A lot of the comments told her to either tell the man off, or just move on. Some called any guy who wants a woman just for sex a douchebag, and I agree, somewhat.


That is, only to the extent that he deceives the woman into thinking he wants more with the pretense of a relationship. Where both the man and the woman go in knowing what they both want out of their relationship, and it mutually agreed as friends with benefits, then there should be no crying foul when things go pear-shaped and one person starts catching feelings.

Obviously, I may not be privy to all the details of Iyanya and Yvonne Nelson's relationship beyond what they put out to the public and I find myself leaning strongly towards Yvonne's side on this "he said, she said" saga. In an interview with BellaNaija recently, Yvonne Nelson answered the following questions about her relationship with Iyanya, about how he may have cheated on her, but definitely betrayed her expectations and broke her heart;

Sometime last year, you were quite emotional on Twitter when you supposedly broke up with a Nigerian music star. That incident has been shrouded with lots of cover-ups. Could you tell me what really happened?
I think it’s time my fans get to know the whole truth so I’m going to let it all out. I dated one person here, he’s in the industry. There were too many lies in the relationship. I found out a whole lot of things and I just felt like he took advantage of me.

Why did you go on Twitter to express your emotions?
I’m human, I’m not like a robot or anything. I just wanted the whole world to know what I was going through and I just wanted them to know that I was done with the relationship.

I had an interview with Iyanya shortly after that Twitter rant and his words were “She didn’t mention my name so I don’t know anything about it. I’ve never told anyone that I was dating anybody.” Aren’t we talking about the same person here?
He would say that because he was wrong. His team is also trying to protect his fan base and I don’t blame him for denying anything. It’s him and his career, that’s OK.

How long did the two of you date and how would you describe the relationship?
We dated for 7 to 8 months. We had something and I thought it was special, like he was a wonderful guy but it was all lies. He had other girls and other things he was doing. Aside the actress that was in the picture, there were a lot more. That is how bad it is. We were in a relationship and he lied throughout and he was able to do all those things because I wasn’t living in Nigeria. But aside from the distance, I feel if you’re a genuine person and you’re loyal, you would still not do that.

Most people only got to know that you and Iyanya were dating after you broke up. Were you deliberately being secretive about it?
I also don’t believe in putting my relationships in the faces of people. We both had our careers and were trying to protect our fan base and that’s cool. But if you go through my Instagram page, you’d see a couple of pictures of us together. I wasn’t shy about anything but he could not say he’s dating Yvonne Nelson because he had different people he was seeing so it was very hard for him to bring it out.

What did the experience teach you?
There are some things that you don’t get to learn in school; people can’t advice you, you won’t even listen. You just have to experience it to learn. I have no regrets that I went through it, it would have happened anyway. We are all human beings. We fall in love once in a while but if it doesn’t work out, that’s OK.

How do you feel about him now and what message would you like to pass on to him if you had the chance?
Iyanya is such an amazing person but I just feel he needs to be more honest and be a man of his words. It’s not good if he takes advantage of women. My Mum always says any man who takes advantage of women won’t end up well. It’s Karma, it’s going to come back to you. He should treat women fairly and he should be an honest person. It’s been a while though, I haven’t seen him. He is doing amazing things in his career and I wish him luck.

Well, instead of acting the gentleman, either wishing her luck too, or simply keeping quiet about the whole matter, Iyanya on a freestyling session in the video below, replied her thus;

Yvonne Nelson, I lost your medicine. She called that she's coming over and I ride her like a jangolova. All I want is your waist, no emotions, no tears, no letters, no love, no nothing....

... All I want is your waist, she ain't even know it. She brought emotions.

Call me biased, or making rash judgments without the complete picture, but I think he's a douchebag! Whether or not there were crossed wired before and during the relationship about what each party wanted, I think at this stage it's beyond crass to be singing about riding someone like a jangolova.

All I can say is, women shine your eyes for these kind of man. SMH.

Tonto Dikeh Denies Smoking Idian hemp

Many people say they know that actress Tonto Dikes takes "joint", and it's not necessarily a bad thing if not that our authorities in Nigeria are yet to legalize/regulate marijuana and the fact that it was promoted through her personal page on the instagram social platform.

Anyway, Tonto has reacted to the Indian Hemp saga. Read her reaction below:

"As much as I would like to ignore the current issue on hemp, I think I owe well-meaning people some clarification. It is so easy the misconception that can come from a picture- the genius of technology. If you cannot find me holding a wrap of marijuana then you may want to slow down on your assumptions. We shouldn’t use our platforms to spread half-truths.

A fan wrote those words with herbs on my birthday on instagram, and I replied: “Thank you #teampoko”. Now how does someone else’s action become my crime? If I said those words ('Mi smoke gaja mi smoke weed while my hatez smoke ma gossip' ) I will stand by them but I didn’t, and just because it is convenient for people to believe the lies still doesn’t make it the truth. The whole thing is falsified by people who just love to have fun at others expense.

Let’s put some thought to some of the things we write. Don’t do cut-and-paste. The original pictures are there to see; but no! That is too boring to be the truth. We want the truth to be nasty and spicy for our enjoyment, even if it is a pack of lies. Visit my instagram page and see if the original picture is the same as the ones being circulated

Personally, I have moved on to more significant things and I want you to join me. Do you know how many women suffer domestic violence in Nigeria? What can be done to stop it? Shouldn’t we try to revive the Nigerian homes so we can groom happy and confident children? I am putting the weight of my voice behind domestic violence. What about you?

Stop hitting, slapping, cursing, hurting your partner! Where is the love? Let’s restore the dignity of society with the platform given to us by God. Use that platform of yours to build awareness for more important issues." 

- Tonto Dikeh

Torn by Moses Inwang - Movie Trailer

I just checked the producer, Moses Inwang's body of work on IrokoTV and I've seen Behind the Melody and Damage. I loved the message and story line in BTM with Ini Edo much better but both movies are well shot and lack the spare tyres that drag down a lot of Nollywood movies.


Mose Inwang's latest movie is Torn, starring Ireti Doyle, Joseph Benjamin, Monalisa Chinda and Bimbo Manuel, and Julius Agwu. If the trailer is anything to go by, then it would be one of the best I've seen. I hope it's coming to IrokoTV.



According to BN, Torn is a psychological and emotional thriller of two friends Ovu and Nana, who both believe they are married to the same man – Olumide.

Who is lying and who is suffering from multiple personality disorder? There begins the unravelling of the truth by a top psychologist of what really is going on behind the façade of a seemingly happy, young couple and their perfect family friend.

Indian Court Rules That Any Couple Who Have Sex Are Legally Married

If an unmarried couple have sex they are considered husband and wife - and would have to ‘divorce’ if they split, an Indian court has ruled. When two people of legal age, 18 for a woman and 21 for a man, ‘indulge in sexual gratification’ this should be seen as a 'an act of total commitment' and marriage by law, a judge at Madras High Court said. The court said that the registering of a marriage as well as a wedding ceremony were only formalities to gain society’s approval.

It also said that once two people have sex this ‘becomes a total commitment with adherence to all consequences that may follow’, including needing a decree of divorce should they want to sleep with someone else. In addition, should either of the two wish to register the ‘marriage’ they can have their marital status declared by a Family Court as long as they can supply proof of a sexual relationship. Once declared by the court, the person can be established as the other’s spouse – whether the other party approves or not.

Is this "strange" law a hot or miss?

Oral sex caused my cancer' - Michael Douglas

Hollywood actor Michael Douglas has claimed that his throat cancer was caused by performing oral sex on women.The star, who fought a six month battle with the disease from August 2010 until January 2011, had initially believed that it was his years of smoking and drinking that had lead to the illness.

However, in a new interview the 68-year-old said that the particular strain he had suffered with was caused by human papilloma virus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S..Last year Cancer Research UK said that the rising rates of HPV-positive cases of oral cancer could be linked to oral sex. World Health Organisation figures have also linked HPV to more than 5 per cent of cancers worldwide.

HPV can be passed between men and women by genital contact, most often during vaginal and anal sex. It may also be passed on during oral sex and genital-to-genital contact. HPV can be passed on between straight and same-sex partners - even when the infected person shows no symptoms.Douglas made the frank admission about how he developed the illness during an interview with The Guardian newspaper when he was asked if he had regretted smoking and drinking in the past.

This will be a  new excuse for men with their girlfriends

Singer Waje Shows Her Rig

Singer Waje is known for her daring outfits but it seems she revealed too much in a recently photo that was used on the cover of a magazine. See the photo below and decide if she exposed too much or not:

                                    And the magazine said it; the "rig" may be too hot to handle. 

Tonto Dikeh posts marijuana photos on her instagram page

Well, she's the poko queen and doesn't care what none of y'all think...:-). The actress posted that rolled up joint on her instagram page yesterday with the caption 'Mi smoke gaja mi smoke weed while my hatez smoke ma gossip' and then she posted a photo of herself looking like she just finished...etc..

And just in case some of you don't believe that's really weed, the actress posted another photo to convince you all. See it after the cut...

Juliet Ibrahim writes about OJB Kidney transplant

The Ghanaian actress posted a message on her instagram today asking people to stop insulting and  harassing celebs for funds for OJB's treatment. She also wrote that a kidney transplant doesn't cost more than $50, 000 and doesn't understand why people raising funds for OJB are requesting for $100, 000. See her full statement after the cut...

Wizkid replaces his crashed Porsche

Less than two weeks after crashing his N15million Porsche Panamera in an accident in Lekki, Wizkid has replaced the car. The music star posted his new ride on his Instagram page just this morning and wrote#blessed!. Good for him!

D'banj Ports To Etisalat; Gets A Mouth Watering N250m Deal

Another indication that D'banj, the Kokomaster, is the king of Nigeria's new generation musicians has again emerged as the Oliver Twist hit maker just hit a mouth watering deal with leading telecommunications firm, Etisalat as a "super" brand ambassador.

A source told Bossmaurice that D'banj was paid 5 times what other Naija artistes get...

I hear a cheque of N250m was issued to him by Etisalat, a company that really wants to re-establish itself as a leader in the industry, after losing its brand face, Saka, to MTN under controversial circumstances.

The deal was struck recently and D'banj has already shot some commercials for Etisalat being prepared for release. D'banj continues to maintain his leadership role in the industry and his latest show, the DKM concert which took place in Lagos on Sunday was a huge success.

Congrats to the Kokomaster, Eja Nla!

Sexy Rita Dominic Shows Her Leg In A Sweet Long Sleeve Slit Dress

Give it to her, Rita sure looks gorgeous in this dress. Check out two other 'crazy' photos below

                                 Can we ever have enough of this legs? lol

Stephanie Linus Honoured with Montage Africa Women of Excellence Award

The actress and producer, Stephanie Linus was recently honoured with a Montage Africa Women of Excellence Award for “Excellence in Drama and Entertainment” at its maiden edition last month, May 2013.

The star took to her official website, StephanieDaily.com today, 26th June, 2013 to let us know about her new award. 

Congrats Stephanie!

Toni Tones and Her Sexy Dancers On Duty

Toni Tones grabbed your attention with her very revealing outfit months back, but the babe is set to sustain her fans' attention with her music career. See another photo from her new music video shoot below...

This Guy Rapes UNILAG Student and Shares Her Nude Photo

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 22-year-old Babajide Bashorun, for allegedly kidnapping a female undergraduate of the University of Lagos, Akoka, and raping her.

The police said Bashorun, a dog breeder, did not only rape his victim, he also took snapshot of her nudity, which he later posted all around the Internet...

A family source said, “Few days later, the pictures were all over the Internet. The picture had the name and surname of the girl, her university, age, department and course of study. People were stopping her on the campus to tell her they had seen her nude pictures on the Internet.

“The girl’s relations later saw the pictures and urged her parents to report the matter at Adeniji Adele Police Division.”

Policemen from the station subsequently arrested Bashorun. A senior officer from the station told Punch that the police were still on the trail of two other undergraduates of UNILAG.

The duo, identified as Mayowa and Ademuyiwa, both 400 level Architecture students, were accused by the police of complicity in the crime.

Detectives from Adeniji Adele Police Station are working on the theory that the pictures were leaked to the Internet through the duo of Mayowa and Ademuyiwa.

Bashorun had said he only sent the snapshots of the girl to Mayowa, who in turn sent them to Ademuyiwa.

The dog breeder, who denied beating his victim, said they had been dating for long and he had spent a lot of money on her.

He said, “She is my girlfriend. I wanted to buy ipad for her. I was able to raise about N70,000. She came to my house to collect the money on that day.

“We had argument and I used floor mop to hit her on her back. I now took her pictures. I sent the pictures to my friend, but I didn’t tell him to post the pictures on internet.”

Icon gathered that Babajide Bashorun was charged to court on Tuesday for his crimes while the police PRO said they are still searching for the other guys who are on the run.

Student Who Gave Birth Inside Toilet In OAU & Her Baby; Plus The Updates

When the news first broke, a lot of people vilified her. It was reported that she wanted to get rid of what many would describe as a bundle of joy. People thus wondered why a 22-year-old undergraduate would try to flush away her baby in one of the toilets in Moremi Hall, her hall of residence at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

The photo above is that Oyinlola Rotimi, a 400-Level student of OAU and her baby. She has now revealed the circumstances that led to her controversial delivery of the baby inside toilet...

Segun Olugbile and Sodiq Oyeleke of Punch narrate the dramatic story of this 22-year-old student. Without clarifying the circumstances that led to the delivery in the toilet, many on the social media put Miss Oyinlola Rotimi on trial.

The student of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology at OAU delivered a baby boy last Wednesday.

While the news went round the campus, the traumatised young mother was hurriedly taken to the institution’s Health Centre by two cleaners, Mrs. Shipebi Grace and Mrs. Cecilia Ologbenla. The social media was further flooded with stories that Oyinlola wanted to kill her baby. The OAU management investigated the matter and found out it was not true. Rotimi, who was discharged from the hospital on Friday, has also narrated her own side of the story.

In spite of the trauma she had passed through since last Wednesday, the student, a native of Ijabe, a border town between Osun and Kwara states, says she is happy that the embarrassment she received from the controversy that surrounded the birth of her baby has turned into a blessing for her.

She says the baby’s birth has made her more popular and important in the society.

‘God has the best plan for me’
“Why would I flush or kill my baby after going through the pains of carrying him for about good nine months? I am not heartless and I thank God for my life and the safe delivery. I know God has the best plan for me and my baby. I seriously appreciate the cleaners for their assistance because I got here (health centre) before I understood everything that happened to me. I am happy that I am alive and my baby is alive too. I’m also using this opportunity to thank the VC, the doctors and nurses, my lecturers and everybody because they all stood by me. They all became my father, my mother and everything to me.

“Right now, I can call myself a celebrity and definitely I’m going to be greater than a celebrity. My baby too is going to be great. Look at the circumstance that surrounds his birth, just some days old, he is already all over in the news around the world and everybody is happy to see him or hear about his story. He will surely go beyond where I am now. He has turned me into a kind of celebrity. ”

Circumstances surrounding the baby’s birth
“I was purging all through the night and I had no idea of what labour pain was all about. Actually, I was feeling pressed, I can’t call it a labour pain because I was visiting the toilet all through the night till that morning. I just went to the toilet to go and purge when I noticed something just came out of me which I found out was the baby. The baby entered the closet. I was just there shouting, bleeding and people who saw the blood came out to help me alongside the baby.

“I was really scared! I was not expecting a baby. I went to the toilet but seeing a baby was terrifying because I was not expecting him or her to come out yet. It is absolutely not true that I took to my heels when people came to help me. It happened in Moremi Hall toilet and the toilet is a public one where everybody takes their bath, fetch water and clean up. So, some people were around fetching water, having their bath as usual, while I was in the toilet planning to defecate. My friend called the cleaner for help because she was an elderly woman. I was very scared and people around too couldn’t help because we are all young female students. The cleaner later helped to carry the baby out and brought it to the Health Centre along with me.”

Her plan for the baby
“I will continue to keep him more handsome, healthier and nurture him to attain greater height in life. But what he will become later in life is not for me to decide but he will definitely become what God wants him to become. I will just try to train him in God’s way and I am sure His (God) plan for his life will be realised.”

The bean cake she ate deceived her – CSO
According to the institution’s Chief Security Officer, Mr. Paul Ogidi, Rotimi thought she had stomach upset instead of labour pains because of the bean cake she took before going to bed.

“She got to campus late at night on Tuesday and it was learnt that she could not immediately get herself something to eat but later resolved to buy beans cake within the campus. After eating the snack, she complained severely of running stomach, urinated and defecated at regular intervals.

“She felt her stomach disorder was caused by the bean cake that she took the previous night – not knowing it was labour pains.”

University law does not forbid pregnancy - OAU
Authorities of OAU have blamed the improper use of the social media for the allegation that Oyinlola attempted to flush her baby away.

The Head of Public Relations, Mr. Biodun Olarenwaju, who spoke on behalf of the management, described the incident as a “social media rumour.”

He said, “Social media is designed primarily to disseminate information. But in the Nigerian context, many people disseminate rumours. The only information that should be seen there should be those persons who have the authority to speak concerning that particular incident.

“The only truth in the social media episode is that a bouncing baby boy was delivered in the toilet of the female hostel in our university. Other tales on the social media were totally incorrect. Students should not encourage rumour mongering because of the image of the person involved. They have to be careful not to make rumour the news.”

He explained that it was legal for the student to have delivered the baby in the school, stating that universities are institutions for adults.

“It is not a crime for a student to be pregnant. There is no law or decree that states that a student should be punished, an adult for that matter, for getting pregnant. And there is no law in this university that states that an undergraduate cannot become pregnant,” he added.

‘My friend didn’t plan to kill her baby’
Rotimi’s friend, Oluwayemisi Satope, who was in Room 103, Block B of Moremi Hall, together with the undergraduate mother, the night before the incident, said Oyinlola was willing to have the baby.

She explained that there was no attempt by them to kill the boy.

She added, “The truth of the matter is that we don’t know how to go about it when we saw the baby. It was our first time and we didn’t want to make a mistake. I had to call Mama Cleaner to assist us. Immediately it happened, I was the first person to shout for help and two cleaners appeared to assist.

“Diana (Rotimi) had to spend the night on campus to enable her to prepare for her 8:00 am examination the next day, because she stays off-campus. That mid-night, she started complaining of stomach upset and was visiting toilet regularly. A few minutes to 7:00am, she went to the toilet to defecate but delivered a baby.”

Students name baby after VC
And as soon as the birth and survival of the baby became known on campus, students in their characteristic manner, launched into an unsolicited naming feast for the baby. Before the official naming ceremony scheduled to hold on Wednesday (tomorrow), OAU students have named him after the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole.

At the Anglo-Moz Car Park of the university, they gathered and named the baby Moremigbemi (Moremi-blesses-me), Oriyomi (My-head-saves-me), Oluwadayisi (God-protects-this), Eniolorunopa (He-who-God-does-not-kill), Bamitale (Be-with-me-permanently) Omole.

Others at the Moremi Hall named the baby Orisamoremi (Deity Moremi), Moremidayisi (Moremi-protects-this), Omomoremi (Child-of-Moremi), Olorunwa (God-exists), Oniyapupo (One-with-many-mothers) Moremioku (Moremi-is-alive), Iyabo (Mother-Moremi-is-Back), among others.

Moremi is a mythical legend of the Yoruba race.

We forced the door open to rescue Oyinlola and her baby – Cleaners
Also, the two cleaners, Mrs. Shipebi Grace and Mrs. Cecilia Ologbenla, in a chat with our correspondents, said there was no evidence to prove that Oyinlola wanted to kill her baby.

The cleaners noted that they had to force the door open when they were called to ensure the safety of Oyinlola and her baby who was crying.

According to them, the baby was in the water closet when they entered the toilet.

“She would not have wanted to attempt to kill the baby the way we saw her. She only panicked when we forced the door in. We had to force the door in because of the cry of the baby. In fact, it was one of them that came to call us, but you know some students are impatient. They didn’t confirm what happened before they started spreading rumour.”

But the undergraduate father keeps mum
Meanwhile, efforts made by our correspondents to speak with the baby’s father proved abortive. He is a 400 Level student of Mechanical Engineering, and is sitting for the second semester examination currently on at the institution.

One of his friends who spoke on the condition of anonymity explained that the young father is very sober about the development. The friend alleged that the young man and Rotimi had been friends for some time. Along the line, Oyinlola got pregnant and they decided not to abort it in order not to compound their ‘sin’.

She Posted Her Sexy PIX On Facebook and Her Boyfriend Broke Up With Her

This babe says she's suffering because of this photo she posted on facebook without the consent of her lovely boyfriend, who she said has broke up with her for showing the whole world her "oranges". She wants her guy back but don't know how to go about it.

See what she wrote about her love crisis below:

"I use to think one of the reasons why my bf loved me was the fact that i liked photographs more than anything, to the extent i went ahead and bought a very expensive camera. 

In my many charades of snapping myself i discovered i liked this particular one very much and i wanted my friends to see and probably comment on it so i decided to drop it on facebook only to eventually end up with a breakup.  

Please you have to help me cos i love him so much."

But, if there is love, is that photo enough to cause a break up?

Omotola Shows Curves

Even the guys at City People Fashion Magazine couldn't resist those curves. Another curvy pix below...

Ladies; Why Men Treat You As Sex Objects & How To Stop It

A man has outlined the many deficiencies in men and woman love affair these days and the way forward:

Dear Women, first of all, we're sorry. 
We're sorry that although we look like men, we often act like boys. We're not even sure what it means to be men anymore. As we grow up, we learn that to be happy is to be self-indulgent and self-centered. We try to make enough money so that we can have the right TV with the right video games in the right home.

We want to date you and maybe even marry you but we are scared to focus on someone else instead of ourselves. Isn't it sad that we see committing to you as a potential threat to our happiness instead of a wonderful opportunity?Here's what we don't understand: True happiness comes from being true men.

We think and act like boys who don't want their toys taken away. We look up to "role models" in the media who teach us to get as much gratification out of life as possible. We may claim to be spiritual, or even firm atheists, but pleasure is the god that we worship, whether we realize it or not. Unfortunately, women tend to be just another part of our hedonistic lifestyle. Please know this: True men won't treat you like an irritating obstacle or a sexual convenience.

A real man understands that women are to be cherished and treated with care and honor. He sees marriage as the opportunity to be a real-life superhero—he leaves behind his old identity and becomes a new person, dedicated to serving his wife and children. Although he will struggle at first, a true man who marries eventually understands that he can't fit through the narrow doorway to happiness if he tries to carry all of his toys with him. There is just enough room for him and his wife, arm in arm, committed to their marriage.

Women, you can help us become real men! Most importantly, we want to feel admired by you. Help us to know that you love us just as we are, even if there is room for improvement. Do this by giving us words of validation; praise us for the things we do well. This means more to us than we let on.

In return, we will make sure that you feel loved and cherished by us. We will learn to talk with you so you can be heard and understood, not so that we can tell you how to solve your problems. We'll also try to learn to express how we feel without withdrawing or getting angry. With polished communication we can learn that what makes you happy makes us happy too! What a concept!

Once again, we're sorry. We are to blame, even though good male role models are hard to find these days. We've ignored our calling to become true men and instead act like we're in high school for as long as we can. Please trust that we are capable of more than this.

If you are frustrated with the man in your life, do your best to forgive him and start fresh. After a while, if it's clear that he will not become a real man, leave him. You deserve better.

A healthy relationship will make everyone involved feel happy. When we are happy, we are capable of living meaningful and fulfilling lives alongside one another. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we journey onward to find happiness and become real men.

Sincerely,
Men

I Planned To Marry, Then Have Kids But Something Happened

Music icon, Tuface Idibia has expressed how difficult it is for him to stay in touch with all his children due to his very active work schedule and for the “painful” fact that they have different mothers.

In his latest most revealing interview, Tuface said:

“It’s not easy. Sometimes, it is painful, especially when you don’t get to see them as often as you would wish to because of work. Today I’m here, tomorrow, I’m there, sometimes for weeks, months; plus the fact that they have different moms… I didn’t plan for it this way, but it happened and I have accepted it, no shaking. My plan was to have a wife and then have children. Something happened along the line, but I didn’t run away from it.”

You once told me that you would like to go back to school to study law, do you still have plans to do that?Tuface: Yes, I want to do that. I can’t say when exactly, maybe in the next two or three years? But I’m definitely going to do that.

You’ve won virtually all the major continental and international awards for African artistes, but you haven’t won a Grammy yet. Does that bother you?
Tuface: It doesn’t bother me, but I definitely think about it. I still have some things to do. I’m not where I’m supposed to be or where I dream of being yet. So I still have lot of work to do before I cap that, even if I cap that, I would still keep on working (laughing).

When you first started out, did you honestly think you will get to this level, did you ever dream of this kind of success?Tuface: I will say yes. Everyone wishes to take his game to the highest level, but what you don’t know is how fast or how long it would take to get there, but you definitely have that dream of getting there. So I had a dream of becoming a successful musician/ artiste. I hoped, worked and prayed for it and I’m getting there.

There has been a lot of controversy about who wrote your hit song, the evergreen ‘African Queen’. Did blackface actually write the lyrics, as some claim?Tuface: The song was written by Innocent Idibia and Austin Amedu; Innocent Idibia is Tuface, Austin Amedu is Blackface.

So, who should get credit for the success of African Queen and did you know it was going to be monster hit at the time?Tuface: The credit goes to… Tuface, Blackface; OJB, for production; Kennis Music, for marketing; the credit goes to all them and also the fans, especially my Nigerian fans.

Your wife, Anne, featured prominently in the video. When you were writing the song, was she at the back of your mind?(General laughter)Tuface: There was no particular person in mind when the song was written, it was written with the general idea to show respect and love for the African woman.

Why did it take you so long to finally settle down with Anne?
Tuface: I don’t really have an answer to that question, because I don’t know. I can’t explain why I don’t have an answer to that, but somehow, by the grace of God, we are still together.

You don’t see yourself as a player?
Tuface: If I were a player, they wouldn’t have caught me like that (General laughter)

How challenging is the role of being a father to your kids?
Tuface: It’s not easy. Sometimes, it is painful, especially when you don’t get to see them as often as you would wish to because of work. Today I’m here, tomorrow, I’m there, sometimes for weeks, months; plus the fact that they have different moms… I didn’t plan for it this way, but it happened and I have accepted it,no shaking. My plan was to have a wife and then have children. Something happened along the line, butI didn’t run away from it.


But you seem happy with your career, especially as you discovered your talent early in life. Would you encourage your kids to follow in your footsteps career wise?Tuface: Yes, definitely I will. One already asked me that. If I see that they exhibit any talent, I will definitely encourage them in that direction. I’m not the guy who will tell his son or daughter that you must study this or that. If I see that they actually have genuine talent for it, I will definitely encourage them. If it is music, I’ve been there and still there, it would even be easy for me to be their best adviser.

Do you think education has a role to play in anybody’s success?
Tuface: Success is relative, but having an education is also very important and I would encourage anybody to get an education. Although you find that in some cases, some people didn’t even have access to education but they are very successful people today. All the same, education is important; it’s a plus and a very good advantage.

How come the much anticipated Plantashun Boyz reunion never worked out as expected? Do you foresee another try at a reunion album or concert in the nearest future?Tuface: We have decided to do something but as it is right now, we haven’t really talked about it or planned for any particular time because we are still on individual projects. But it’s definitely in our minds.

I know you like football. What clubs do you support?
Tuface: Over the years, I have changed my support for many clubs. At different times, it was Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid. So I won’t come out and say I’m a fan of any club. I don’t know, I guess I’m a fan of good football (General laughter).

You have met famous people globally, which one stands out most and why?
Tuface: O boy! I will just go for Wyclef. The guy is just too much. He has the kind of spirit I like, simple, friendly, intelligent, talented, focused, playful, down to earth, serious. He’s just my kind of person.

Which African musician would you say has had a great influence on your kind of music?
Tuface: Definitely, Fela is a big influence. Bongos Ikwue, Oliver De Coque, Hugh Masekela from South Africa, there’s plenty of them, the list is long.

At what point did you realize that your music career had finally reached that breakthrough point?
Tuface: I think it was when I won the MTV Europe Music Awards. When I got that award, it was like okay, there’s no going down anymore. I have to keep on working, keep on moving.

Despite being a superstar, you must have had some most embarrassing moments?
Tuface: Most embarrassing moments? The funny thing is, I can’t remember right now (General laughter). But I don’t like to put myself in any embarrassing situation.

You’ve mentioned in past interviews, how the name Tuface came about. The name also sounds like you have a multiple personality, a man of different parts. Was that the impression you hoped to achieve when you chose it as a stage name?Tuface: No. I chose that as a stage name, not because of any multiple personality but because of the fact that people in public will see me on TV, read about me in the papers, hear about me on the radio and it would create an impression for them, until they get to know the real me. The TV, radio, and papers are just one side of the whole story. But when you get to know the real me, every other thing now looks like film trick. So, Tuface is an artiste – the public figure, and Tuface, the actual me.

You’re still a humble person, despite your success. Is fame sometimes a burden for you?
Tuface: Yes, it is. It takes away your privacy and freedom to do some kind of simple, basic things. Like I can’t go to Iya Christopher to sit down and eat amala, the way I dey do before (General laughter)

How much is Tuface worth today?
Tuface: I never gather, but I dey try.

Abroad it’s easy to be to tell how much a musician is worth, but in Nigeria, we don’t like giving out figures.
Tuface: We don’t want armed robbers to come visit us anywhere (General laughter).

Some people say that despite your achievements in the music industry, they don’t see you as a role model because of the many ‘baby mamas’ dramas, what’s your reaction to this?Tuface: If they say I’m not a role model, so be it. Let them not follow my footsteps. Let’s leave it like that.

But do you see yourself as a role model?
Tuface: No, I’m not a role model. I’m just a guy that’s living his life. I’m not forcing anybody to do anything, so you if you feel you want to follow my footsteps, it’s your choice. But I’m not going to apologize for the choices I have made. I’m not going to apologize for accepting my responsibility, saying yes, it happened when it happened and I’m not going to run away from it. I didn’t tell anybody I was a role model in the first place, so, if anyone says I’m not a role model, it’s their opinion. Let them live their own clean life. Let me live my own ‘nonsense’ life.

Do you have any regrets? 
Tuface: No regrets.

At your recent traditional wedding, you reportedly got car gifts (SUVs) from the governor of Akwa Ibom state…Tuface: Well, as per the gift we got, wedding gift… Yes, we got a jeep.

Because the report in the media was that the governor gave you guys two SUVs?
Tuface: Yes, sorry, one.

Back to your lovely wife, what are the qualities that made you choose her, and finally say ‘this is the one for me’?Tuface: Wow. I have known her for a long time and for me she has a gentle heart, a good heart and that was the major quality that attracted me to her.

When you look back at your early days to today, what are some of the things that you are most grateful for?
Tuface: I think I am most grateful to my parents for the way they brought me up and the things they taught me when i was growing up, how to respect people, how to live and let live. Those things have built my character today.

How many women have you sh___ed? (General laughter)
Tuface: Oh boy o! I did not keep a record, so I don’t actually know. If to say I know I for don dey count dey come (General laughter).

Outside music and movies you are going to get involved in, what are the other things that interest you and why?Tuface: The funny thing is, everything, but I’ll just say real estate. Somehow you can never go wrong with real estate, man.