Chris Brown vows to raise awareness about domestic violence, begs for Australia visa

R&B singer Chris Brown has said he will raise awareness of domestic violence if he is granted a visa to tour Australia, after authorities indicated he could be banned from entering the country.

Brown, who was convicted of assaulting his then-partner pop star Rihanna in 2009, may be refused entry despite plans to bring his “One Hell of a Nite” tour to Australia in December.

The government confirmed on Sunday, just a day before tickets were due to go on sale, that he had been issued with a “notice of intention to consider refusal”.

“People to whom these notices are issued have 28 days to present material as to why they should be given a visa to enter Australia,” Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said Sunday.

Now Brown has taken to social media to say he could help shed light on domestic violence if he is allowed entry.

“I would be more than grateful to come to Australia to raise awareness about domestic violence,” he tweeted late Tuesday.

“I’m not the pink elephant in the room anymore.”

“My life mistakes should be a wake up call for everyone,” he said. “Showing the world that mistakes don’t define you.

Brown’s clean image crumbled in June 2009 after he pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna while they were driving to a pre-Grammy Awards party.

The Grammy award-winning performer was sentenced to five years’ probation — now lifted — a year-long domestic violence programme and 180 days of community labour.

Brown has visited Australia twice since 2009 but newly appointed Minister for Women Michaelia Cash last week suggested he may be banned this time amid heightened awareness about family violence.

Nigeria now has 3rd highest death toll in Hajj stampede

Coming in on the heels of Iran and Egypt- Nigeria is the country with the third highest casualty rate in the tragic Hajj stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia.

Before now, 54 casualties had been identified by the National Hajj Commission, but as of Tuesday, that number jumped up ten places to 64.

National Hajj Commission spokesperson, Uba Mana, pointed out that about 244 Nigerian pilgrims were still missing.

While authorities at Saudi Arabia, are being conservative with the death toll, countries who lost their citizens in the stampede, have begun to release their casualty rate.

Below is the breakdown thus far;

– Iran: 228 dead and 246 missing

– Egypt: 78 dead

– Nigeria: 64 dead

– India: 45 dead

– Indonesia: 41 dead

– Pakistan: 40 dead, more than 60 missing

– Cameroon: at least 20 dead

– Niger: 22 dead

– Ivory Coast: 14 dead, 77 missing

– Chad: 11 dead

– Algeria: 9 dead

– Somalia: 8 dead (media reports)

– Morocco: 5 dead, 34 missing

– Senegal: 7 dead, 57 missing

– Libya: 4 dead, 16 missing

– Tanzania: 4 dead

– Kenya: 3 dead

– Tunisia: 2 dead

– Burkina Faso: 1 dead

– Burundi: 1 dead (Muslim association)

– Netherlands: 1 dead

– Benin: unspecified number of deaths

PICTURES: Ini Edo Set To Unveil Her New Nightclub Today

Veteran Nollywood actress and divorcee, Ini Edo is officially opening her nightclub in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

The talented actress called it Mimz Lounge and she will open her new jewel on Wednesday, September 30, 2015.

The launching will be hosted by Cool FM’s OAP and hypeman; Dotun, with several A-list celebrities expected to grace the event.

The event kicks off by 7pm with a black carpet reception.

Buhari Names Himself Minister For Petroleum Resources

President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that he would oversee the activities of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

Buhari reportedly made the utterance in an interview with a foreign journalist in his hotel on Tuesday, before leaving New York, where he had been a participant at the 70th United Nations General Assembly.

The President was quoted to have told his interviewer: “I will serve as the Minister of Petroleum Resources myself”.

It had been rumoured in several circles that Buhari may chose to head the petroleum minister, owing to his inability to get capable and trusted handlers for the ministry.

Buhari is particularly keen at revamping the petroleum sector, which has over the past few years, been a cesspool of corruption.

Billions have been reported missing from the coffers of state oil corporation- the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Former Minister of Petroleum, Allison Diezani-Madueke, has been accused of mismanagement and gross corruption while serving, but so far, no charges have been filed against her.

Nicki Minaj To Produce And Star In ABC Comedy Show About Her Early Life

The search for a youngNicki Minaj is on…

ABC Family and Her Minajesty announced Tuesday (Sept. 29) that a comedy based on the rapper’s childhood in Queens, NY is in the works. Minaj, who moved from her birthplace of Trinidad and Tobago to the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens when she was 5 years old will serve as the show’s executive producer. She’ll also appear in the comedy series. 

Kim Kardashian On Kanye West’s Presidency Bid: “He Is Serious”

Kim Kardashian believes husbandKanye West is serious about his presidency bid, and says he’ll do his best.

Kim said this during an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’ The Ellen Show, adding that she wasn’t aware of it before he made the public declaration.

“That was news to me,” Kim said. “That wasn’t a discussion in our household.”

“I believe he is serious and I know that ya know he if he puts his mind to something he’ll do his best,” Kimadded.

“And he will. Ya know it’s been fascinating just hearing all of the conversations that have gone on since that announcement. I don’t know if that was planned and I just didn’t know about it or if he came up with that idea right then and there.”

“She’s not your daughter” - Emir Sanusi fires back at those criticizing him for marrying 18-year-old

Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, drew the ire of millions of Nigerians, when it became public knowledge that he got married to an 18-year-old Adamawa princess.

The Emir wedded his fourth wife, Sa’adatu Barkindo-Musdafa, on Friday, September 25.

Ever since, the criticisms have continuously flowed in from various quarters.

Now, the monarch has fired back in a statement released on Tuesday, explaining  why he chose to marry the new bride as well as justifying the reason behind his action. 

Read below:

“I am sure NC members all have their views and have kept quiet out of (appropriate) deference to our right to make our individual choice. Obviously I do not need to explain anything to anyone in a purely personal matter but a few points are worthy of note:

1. The lady in question is 18 and thererfore legally of age to marry under all laws and certainly inder Muslim law

2. She is proceeding for her undergraduate education in the UK in january. She had an A in computer science in her O levels and plans to get a degree in computer science

3 each and everyone of my wives is a university graduate and some have worked and fhen stopped and in each case the choice was purely theirs

4. It is a tradition in Kano that emirs and princes in choosing wives consider issues beyond the individual. The family is in every sense a social unit. My predecessor was married to princesses from Ilorin, Katsina and Somoto

5 The relationship between the late Lamido of Adamawa Aliyu Musdafa the father of the current Lamido is well known. Lamido Aliyu was the first emir turbanned after emir Sanusi I and they remained close until Sanusi’s death.

6. My own relationship with the current Lamido dates back to 1981 when he was Ciroma and commissioner for works. By the way the Lamido and I are not illiterates we know what we are doing and he does have a PhD in Engineering

7. My own mother was married in Adamawa and lived there for more than two decades and I have eight younger brothers and sisters from there

8 it is therefore natural that if I choose to marry from another kingdom Adamawa would be the first choice for me and I am extremely happy to strengthen these ling historical bonds

9. The young lady in question gave her free consent and even after the contract the wedding will not happen for a few years. By then she may be 21. If she freely consents to this I do not know on what moral grounds anyone has a grouse. She is an adult, she gave her consent, her education is not being in anyway interrupted.

10. The real issue is that people do not accept cultural difference. And you can see it in the approach to these issues. I am supposed to be urbane and western educated. Yes but i am not European. I am a northern Nigerian Fulani Muslim brought up in a setting exactly like the one my children are being brought up in.

If you read this and it improves your understanding of this issue that is fine. If it does not justvremember it us not your life, it is not your daughter and you are not my wife therefore it is not your business.

I obviously cannot stoop to the level of responding publicly to these kinds of articles. I have always been an advocate of girls marrying after maturing. I personally like the minimum age of 18 even though i understand those who say 16 is fine and indeed this is the law in most so calked ‘advanced’ countries.

Is this something that I expect an European or western trained or feminist mind to appreciate or endorse? Not at all. But has any american been bothered about my views on men marrying men or women marrying women which frankly I find primitive and bestial? No and my views do not matter. These are cultural issues.

Even in Nigeria I have heard all this stuff as in Pius article about “north” and northerners. Again it is a failure to respect difference. There are parts if this country where parents expect their daughters to live with their boyfriends for years and actually get pregnant before they marry. It has become culture. We do not have that in the north and if your daughter gets pregnant before marriage she brings nothing but shame to the name. But we do not issue condemnations. We agree that this is how they choose to live. And i can give many other examples.

When people use the term libido they do themselves injustice. First of all it shows how they view women and marriage. Women are nothing but the object of sexual desire. Marriage is nothing but sexual gratification. Well I am sorry but in my tradition it is not. Beauty and attraction rank third after religion and lineage in the choice of a wife. They see an 18 year old young lady. I see a princess of noble birth whose mother is also a princess, and who has been brought up in a good muslim home.

This is the kind of woman that is prepared for hiving birth to princes and bringing them up for the role expected of them in society.
Martiage is both social and political. Expanding the links of kano which have already been established by my predecessors through inter marriage with katsina, sokoto, ilorin, katagum, ningi, bauchi etc to adamawa is an important and signifant step and this is obvious to anyone with a sense of how royal families work and Ibn Khaldun’s sociological concept of Asabiyyah.

When the emir of Kano marries it has to be something beyond what he oersonally desires to what is appropriate for that position and the expectations of the people he represents. You dont just pick up any girl on the street. And by the way for thise who shout libido sex is cheap and available everywhere in all shapes and sizes and all colours if that is what they want. And all ages too. Martiage is a very different proposition. The mother of your children has to be something other than, or at least much more than a mere object of sexual fantasy. But if you do not know that you need to buy yourself a brain.

I have daughters. And they know they can only marry from certain backgrounds. I always prefer family. When my daughter wanted to marry mouftah baba ahmed’s son and she asked me, knowing my views on family, i told her mouftah is family. And this is not about me and mouftah or me an hakeem or nafiu. No. It goes back to Baba Ahmed and Emirs Sanusi and Bayero. And the same rule applies to my sons. And it applied to me as well.

It is I am sure very strange that I should even bother to comment on this. But it would be hypocritical for me to just keep quiet so long as these things are being posted and commented upon explicitly or in a snide manner. There was no secrecy in the marriage fatiha.

The date was fixed and it was to be done in the central mosque after friday prayers. The day before we had a tragedy in Saudi Arabia and decided the fatiha must be very low key as a mark of respect for the dead. All traditional rulers in adamawa were there, as were governors and commissioners, members of my own emirate council and adamawa people. There is nothing here to hide or be apologetic about.

The emirs of adamawa have shown love to my parents and grandparents and it is a sign of my appreciation of their love that i marry their daughter. This is the highest statement of friendship and loyalty on both sides.

Again if you understand this this is fine. If you do not buy yourself a brain, A la Pius.

In any event this is my one and final and only comment on this. And I am making it out of respect for NC members.”
MSII “