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Opinion

The Hidden Dangers of Cultism | By: Tony Ogunlowo

So many young people are joining cults, or gangs, at an alarming rate. Never a day goes by, somewhere, that somebody doesn’t die as a result of cult activity which is sweeping across the country.

So you join a cult: perhaps out of boredom, peer pressure or thinking you can receive fame and fortune.

All of a sudden you have a new family. The cult feeds you and looks after you and tells you what to do. Your biological family, relatives and friends all become non-entities in your life as you swear an allegiance to the cult. The cult is now your new family.

You are told to beat people up and you do it.
You are told to kill people and you do it.
You are told to rob people and you do it.
You are told to partake in blood rituals and you do it.
But what is the cult? Do you know what they really are? Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?
Let me tell you.
Some people think joining a cult is like earning a badge of honour: they’ll be respected in society and looked up to – wrong !
A cult can be described in many ways but I’ll for the settle for the simple meaning of like-minded people gathering together and this can range from harmless people sharing a common interest to people who want to practice an extreme form of religion, like Boko Haram or ISIS, to spiritual cults that turn to the occult as a means of achieving what they want.
Unfortunately the common cults or gangs around today use spiritual means to enhance their criminal activity making them very dangerous people.
Most cults follow the ideology of their leader. They outline what the cult is all about- they write the rules and the regulations. And who is to say they are right? And who is there to challenge their belief? We can all see the ideologies of warped minded leaders of Boko Haram and ISIS and the chaos they are causing.
When you join a cult you are following the wishes and desires of your leader – not yours! You are just a foot soldier who will be sent to fight and die and do all their dirty work! Do you see any of the so-called leaders going anywhere with you? No!  They send you the expendable cult members. You are expendable! If you become incapacitated or die you’ll be replaced, simple as that!
To become a cult member you have to undergo an initiation which amongst other things involves partaking in blood rituals.
Whilst undergoing these rituals do you know who or what you are really swearing allegiance to? The cult? But what powers the cult? What powers, spirits or demons do they use during initiation ceremonies? Without a doubt you aren’t told what is used that is a secret the leaders keep to themselves. And what are these ‘powers’ going to do to you should you decide to leave the cult and when you finally die? You’ve all heard stories about people who try to leave the Ogboni cult for instance.
The Whiteman always says there’s no such thing as a free lunch and that you should always read the small print. You can’t reap where you haven’t sown! What is the cult not telling you? What are they hiding from you? Do you have to pass your membership on to a family member down the generations?  Are they going to take your life at an early age in return for fame and fortune?
I once knew someone who joined a cult because he was looking for fame and fortune – by all means. He didn’t want to work hard. He just wanted it to materialize overnight.
The cult he joined granted him his wish and he became very famous and rich (- sorry but I can’t mention his name!) but he died mysteriously a week before his thirtieth birthday. If I could speak to him I would like to ask whether it was worth it – he was only rich for three years and leaves behind a young wife and two children under the age of ten who will never know who their father was.
Is it worth it?

Remember that the minute you join a cult your life is no longer yours anymore – you belong to the cult and the cult will use you, destroy you and recruit somebody else to fill your vacant position. You mean nothing to them – you’re just cannon fodder! What if they order you to sacrifice one of your family members? You can’t say no because you would have enjoyed the benefits of other members’ sacrifices!

And when finally you die what becomes of your soul? If you have used these demonic spirits help during your earthly life they will be waiting for you on the other side and there is no saying what they’ll do to you – and they have until eternity to punish you! And all because you wanted instant fame and fortune by any means possible by joining cults.

Think twice before you join any so-called cult.

Follow me on Twitter : @Archangel641 or visit http://archangel641.blogspot. co.uk

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Entertainment, Music

Photos: Falz, Banky W, others arrive London for One Africa Music Fest.

One Africa Music Fest host Banky W as well as headliners Cassper Nyovest, Victoria Kimani, and Falz arrived at London Heathrow Airport this morning, ready for the first ever One Africa Music Fest taking place in London this Saturday, May 13. They were met by a handful of teeming fans and media. The large travelling party also included the festival organizers Upfront and Personal, the One Africa Fest project team, UK project managers, press officers and an array of photographers.
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Other stars performing at the One Africa Music Fest that have also been jetting into the UK this week include Ghana’s biggest rap superstar Sarkodie, Congelese legend Awilo Longomba as well as 9ice and Atumpan. More stars expected to arrive in the UK over the next couple of days include Jidenna, Davido, Tekno, P-Square, Tiwa Savage, Olamide, Alikiba,  Flavour N’abania, with Phyno and M.I.
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Saturday’s One Africa Music Fest is set to be one of the biggest and most exciting festivals to ever hit the UK, and fans, press and media all have the opportunity to meet & greet the headline artists ahead of the monumental event on Saturday, at the One Africa Artist Welcome Party & Fashion Event taking place on Friday, May 12 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Park Lane, Mayfair. For more information about the welcome part, visit www.weareoneafrica.com.
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Entertainment

See Man United's away kit for next season.

Manchested United have released their away kit for next season. Who else is loving the retro 90s look? The black shirt is inspired from the Sir Alex Ferguson era. The new kit was modeled by Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind, and many more.
The strip is inspired by the iconic United shirt worn in 1992 by Ryan Giggs and David Beckham
Adidas said on United’s website: “Manchester United fans of all ages will recognize the bold graphic pattern from the 1990-92 away jersey that defined football shirt design for an era. Connecting the past to the future, the new kit pays homage to the historic design, celebrating the rich history of the club. “The graphic design of the original kit has been re-imagined on a black backdrop with white hues, with the classic adidas three stripes, club badge and adidas logo all in white. A crew-neck collar gives the kit a modern makeover, making it a jersey that’s as much at home on the streets as it is on the pitch.

“The kit features all the technological innovations of adidas’ jersey technology used by the world’s leading clubs, including breathable fabrics and mesh engineering. Alongside the replica jersey, there is also an authentic shirt available [as worn by the players], a long-sleeved version and shirts specifically for children and women.”

 

Prices for the kit begin at around £65, while a £90 authentic version is available for fans to buy
 

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Opinion

Ifeanyi Ubah: Please Stop Embarrassing The Igbo – By Joe Igbokwe

Just recently the DSS invited a friend of mine and bonafide son of Nnewi, Chief (Dr) Ifeanyi Ubah of Capital Oil & Gas Ltd fame to come and give an account of the whereabouts millions of liters of PMS stored by NNPC on his Tank farms. Since this invitation, I have read some funny write-ups online in defense of the Nnewi Chief and some trying to read ethnic meaning to DSS intervention.
Now the truth is this: My good friend Chief Ifeanyi Ubah is capable of defending himself and Capital Oil & Gas Ltd. He has formidable structures in place and good lawyers to defend his case. He does not need yahoo, yahoo boys and girls and frustrated political hustlers to defend himself. He does not need internet rats and professional pay-me-I-write-for-you fraudsters. What I have been reading about this drama online is totally uncalled for. It is ridiculous, shameful and at best, clannish.
This brigandage did not start today. When Diezani Alison-Madueke was declared wanted by EFCC for fraud in the oil industry, we saw this kind of shameless intervention from people who should know better and those with full doses of Western education. When Stella Oduah was being probed for purchasing armoured BMW cars at astronomical prices, some Igbo leaders rose to her defense. They erected billboards in the South-East and celebrated her with a chieftaincy title, Ada Igbo Nile. The impression being created is that prominent Igbo citizens are being persecuted because they are Igbo. I call this PERSECUTION COMPLEX, LEADERSHIP COMPLEX AND DEFEATIST SYNDROME.
It is even annoying that Col. Sambo Dasuki’s defense is being done not by his northern brothers but Igbo who are sworn to bland defense of everything PDP. They are the most fanatical mourners of the loss of Jonathan and PDP even when the Ijaws have moved on.
NIA boss, Ayo Oke has been facing series of interrogations by the EFCC concerning the Osborne Towers 15 billion naira cash haul and I have not read any Yoruba defending him. Babachir Lawal, the suspended SFG, is being probed for contract scam and yet I have not seen his kinsmen rising in his defense. They allow investigations to go the whole hog.
There are litanies of such trials of corrupt people of all ethnicities and tribes going on everywhere in Nigeria, but it is only Igbo who defend their fellow tribesmen implicated in scandals.
Yet this was not always the case for Igbo. Indeed, Ala Igbo is noted as a land where our ancestors and forefathers abhorred evil and treated corruption with unambiguous disapproval from even pre-colonial times.
What is wrong with present-day Igbo? What we see today is not our tradition. It is not our culture. Let nobody rewrite our history, our culture, and our tradition of eziokwu bu ndu (truth is life).
We see this funny re-occurring decimal more in the South-East and South-South and it is becoming a national embarrassment. It must stop. I am told that stupidity is knowing the truth, seeing the truth but believing in lies. Igbo are a very hard-working, proud and successful tribe, but we need to come down from a 30,000-foot building to make sense to other Nigerians.
We need to stop this aberration that is demeaning and ridiculing Igbo in Nigeria today. We need to caution ourselves before we become objects of ridicule and butts of ribaldry of other Nigerians, as is dangerously becoming the fad in the country today.

Joe Igbokwe writes from Lagos.
 
Credit: Omojuwa.com

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Sports

Juventus are through to the Champions League final

Juventus have reached the Champions League final after beating Monaco 2-1 , 4-1 on aggregate in Turin today.  After their 2-0 win in last week’s first leg, goals from Mario Mandzukic and Dani Alves sent the Italian club to its 9th European Cup final. They conceded a goal for the first time in this season’s knockout stages.
According to reports, the club will collect a minimum of 126m euros in Champions League revenues.  Juventus haven’t lost at home since August 2015 and will now face either Real Madrid or Atletico in the final on 3 June in Cardiff, their 2nd Champions League final in 3 years. They have joined AC Milan as the two sides to have reached the most Champions League finals (6) since 1992.

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Entertainment

Mercy Aigbe's husband remanded in Kirikiri prison

The last has certainly not been heard of the domestic violence case between actress, Mercy Aigbe and her estranged husband, Lanre Gentry. He reportedly showed up in court on Tuesday after failing to appear twice. He was meant to appear in court on Monday after a physical assault charge was leveled against him by the Lagos State Department of Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team but failed to turn up, claiming he was indisposed and was admitted in a hospital.
He was arraigned at an Ikeja magistrate court on three-count charge of domestic violence, assault and threat to life and was later granted bail. He however failed to meet the bail conditions of N500,000 and two sureties who reside in Lagos and have landed properties and is currently being remanded in prison.
The case has been adjourned to July 12.
 
 

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Entertainment

Don Jazzy , Wizkid & Davido listed in Forbes’ top 10 richest African musicians list

Forbes’ list of the Top 10 African Acts For 2017 have been released and it features the following music acts; Akon, Black Coffee Hugh Masekela, Don Jazzy, Tinashe, Jidenna, Wizkid, Davido, Sarkodie, Mtukudzi. Forbes factored in their endorsement value, popularity, show rates, sales, awards, YouTube views, appearance in newspapers, investment, social media presence, influence and many more.
Profile of the top 10
1. AKON
Akon has over 35 million albums sold worldwide. He has won numerous awards including five Grammy Award nominations and has 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs under his belt. He tops the list according to Forbes Africa.
2. BLACK COFFEE, SOUTH AFRICA
The multi-award-winning artist’s real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo. He was born in South Africa’s house music province, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and raised in the Eastern Cape province, where Nelson Mandela hailed from, before moving back to KZN to study music.
3. HUGH MASEKELA, SOUTH AFRICA
Hugh was born in Witbank, east of Johannesburg. He has released more than 43 albums and performed with Marvin Gaye, Dizzy Gillespie, The Byrds, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Miriam Makeba.
4. DON JAZZY, NIGERIA
Don Jazzy is ranked fourth richest in Africa and also first in Nigeria. Like many artists, his real name is Michael Collins Ajereh, and he started playing music as a child in church before moving to the UK to pursue his career.
5. TINASHE, ZIMBABWE-AMERICAN
Tinashe was a child model by the age of three. The twenty-four-year-old sang before she could talk and made her first appearance in 2000 in the film Cora Unashamed. Her voice also starred in the cartoon feature film The Polar Express alongside Oscar-winning actor, Tom Hanks.
6. JIDENNA, NIGERIAN-AMERICAN
By the age of 10, Jidenna Theodore Mobisson knew he wanted to do music but was afraid to tell his father who wanted him to be an engineer. He is ranked sixth according to Forbes Africa.
7. WIZKID, NIGERIA
Wizkid is arguably currently the uncrowned king of African music. Grammy Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys and husband Swizz Beatz, danced to his songs Ojuelegba and Caro, with Keys posting a video on her Instagram account with the caption, “This song makes me happy”. Kylie Jenner also posted a video of herself dancing to Wizkid’s music on Snapchat.
8. DAVIDO, NIGERIA
Davido has claimed a high status in just five years. He said it was people like P-Square and D’Banj who made him believe this was possible. He became famous for his widely acclaimed 2012 debut album “Omo Baba Olowo”.
9. SARKODIE, GHANA
Michael Owusu Addo started out as an underground rapper and through the help of Duncan Williams, his former manager, his career was launched. Staying true to his identity, he is a big advocate of Azonto, a Ghanaian genre that is said to have been born out of Kpanlogo, a traditional dance.
His first single off his fourth album, Mewu, sold almost 4,000 copies on the first day of its release in Ghana. He was also the first Ghanaian to win a BET award.
10. OLIVER MTUKUDZI, ZIMBABWE
Oliver Tuku Mtukudzi has 65 albums under his belt, more than the legendary Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. It’s a remarkable career stretching back 41 years with songs that have enlivened parties all over the world. He is ranked 10th richest musician in Africa.

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Sports

Fabregas becomes the first player to assist 10 goals in 6 Premier League seasons.

The assist king!
Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas has become the first player with 10 or more assists in six different Premier League seasons. The new record was established during Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge on Monday. The 30-year-old Spain international delivered an assist to Diego Costa’s 23rd minute goal and then Nemanja Matic in the 65th minute.

“I feel the quality of my minutes whenever I’ve been on the pitch have been fantastic, so maybe my contribution has been even bigger than when I’ve played more in other seasons,” Fabregas said.
He has now surpassed Chelsea legend Frank Lampard last month with his 103rd assist in a 4-2 victory against Southampton but remains  56 assists behind Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, who assisted on 162 goals during his career.
 
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Entertainment, Music

Femi Kuti breaks world record

Nigerian musician Femi Kuti has just smashed a saxophone world record set by American saxophonist, Kenneth Bruce Gorelick  better known as Kenny G in 1997. He achieved the feat at the New Africa Shrine on the 7th of May, 2017. While Kenny G  held an E-flat for 45 minutes via circulation breathing, Femi Kuti‘s longest single note on a saxophone for 46mins and 38secs.
The record for the longest single note ever was set in February 2000 by Vann Burchfield, after he held a note for a time of 47 minutes and 6 seconds. We are certain Femi would also surpass that soonest.
Congrats to the achiever!

 


 

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