History was made on the Saturday, 25th sept 2011 when two Nigerians, Chinedu Agunanne and Iroko Emamuzo, who are final year Pharmacy students of Ternopil State Medical University in Ternopil City of Ukraine, climbed to the highest peak of Hoverla mountain (Ukrainian: Говерла, Hoverla; Hungarian: Hóvár; Romanian: Hovârla; Goverla, Czech and Slovak: Hoverla, Polish: Howerla, Russian: Говерла ) which is 2,061 m, and the highest mountain in Ukraine and part of the Carpathian Mountains.

Being so happy of what they have achieved, Chinedu decided to leave a mark by tearing his shirt which had Nigerian 48th Independence inscribed on it to show tourist from the whole world that Nigerians were there.The Hoverla mountain is one of the most visited spot in the  Carpathian Mountains system by tourist around the world.

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While musician’s like Duncan Mighty and Timaya have given her no breathing space in the Nigerian market,  Asa joins the likes of D’banj and 2 face who have made the international audience appreciate the Nigerian music phenomenon. The Entertainment Talks team congratulates Asa for this achievement and wishes her more laurels for her effort.

click to see the Billboard World Chart

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Today is the 50th birthday of a star actress, screen icon, living legend and grand dame of the Nigerian film industry – the beautiful, the lovely, the elegant, the talented, the inimitable, the incomparable, the one and only, JOKE SILVA! She was born September 29, 1961 in Lagos, to Chief Emmanuel Afolabi Silva and Dr. (Mrs). Marianne Abimbola Silva.

She attended Holy Child College, Obalende (Lagos, Nigeria). She studied English at the University of Lagos (Nigeria), and later , Drama at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art (London, England). She got married to her husband, veteran actor, Olu Jacobs in 1985. Since going into acting in the early 80s, Joke Silva has appeared in numerous stage dramas, TV productions, and movies. Her acting credits include, Some of her movies include Jero’s Metamorphosis (stage), Mirror in the Sun (TV), Second Chance (TV),   Secret Laughter of Women, Owuro Lojo, The King Must Dance Naked (stage), Violated, Silent Night, Women’s Cot, 30 Days, The Amazing Grace, Sister’s Love, Letters to a Stranger, Little Drops (stage), Bent Arrows, Tango With Me to name a few – whew!

Joke Silva has received several nominations and awards in her acting career. These include Best Actress in a Leading Role (AMAA 2006) for her role in Women’s Cot, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (AMAA 2008) for her role in White Waters, and 30 Days. It is almost impossible to describe the full extent of the contribution she has made to the Nigerian film industry through her talent and example. Join us in wishing this superb actress and remarkable woman a happy birthday. Happy birthday Aunty Joke Silva!

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The Maltina Dance all has come and unfortunately has ended, it is no  surprise that the Ekubo  Family from Port Harcourt, Rivers State has been crowned Nigeria’s number one dancing family as the curtains finally fell on the popular family TV reality show Maltina Dance All (MDA) season five sponsored by Maltina  because they were never put up for possible eviction throughout their stay in the MDA Academy where they performed the six dance styles; “Wazobia” (Contemporary Nigerian dances), Salsa, Pantomime, Paso-doble, Hip hop and contemporary African dance styles.

The Expo centre of Eko Hotel and Suites was agog and filled to capacity as the Ekubo family danced their way to the winning the grand prize of N 5 million and a brand new Toyota Siena Minivan at the live grand finale of the show. The Dare and Utogo families came second and third respectively with cash prizes of N1 million and N500, 000.

The Ekubo family alongside four families that qualified for the finals; Dare, Owolabi, Utogo and Ngwu families gave their last performance to thrill the audience and boost their votes.
The grand finale show hosted by the Kemi Adetiba had the Owolabi family open the first phase of the show with a performance thrilling the audience with Diana Ross’s “He lives in You” followed by the Utogo family with an entertaining piece of Angelique Kidjo’s “Agolo”. The Ekubo family performed with Infinity’s “Olori oko”. Next on stage was the Ngwu family with an exciting dance style with Terry G’s “knack u apako”. Dare family closed the first phase of the show with Cabo Snoop’s “prakatatumba”.

The hip hop performance which was the second phase of the show saw the Ngwu family dancing to Chris Brown’s “Tonight is the Night” followed by the Dare family giving an exhilarating performance with T-pain and Florida’s track “Low” then the Owolabi family danced to Prince’s “Give it to me” followed by the Utogo family giving a marital performance with Dr. Sid’s “Something about you” and was closed by The Ekubo family with the hit track from Neyo, Naya and Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything”.

The dance instructors and judges of the MDA Academy crowned the show with a captivating performance that drew accolade from the audience and earned them a standing ovation.

Mr Jacco Van der Linden (Marketing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc) who spoke prior to the presentation of the cheque and car keys to the Ekubo family said viewers’ votes will crown one family the biggest and best dancing family of Nigeria, i am very glad to say that we have doubled the price money, this year truly is the biggest Maltina dance all ever. N5million is the winning prize plus a brand new family SUV waiting here outside. Also we have in the last few weeks gotten over forty thousand fans that have been following and commenting on Facebook”.

In a joyous expression of excitement as the family representative of the crowned family of the MDA season 5, Ebimene Ekubo, recounts the journey from the regional auditions in Port-Harcourt where he qualified his family, “Now I can say that every effort we infused into our dance styles is worth it. I am very happy with the 5million and the SUV, and only hope it is not a dream, because I will not wake from it. But we thank God because it is real. Maltina has given us an experience that I will live to tell my children when I grow up” and said he would use the money won to further her education to the highest level in  Theatre Arts“

Similarly, Glory Ekubo the little sister that kept the audience constantly on their feet at the final could not hide her excitement, feeling on top of the world she claimed that “from day one we know that we are going to win because we did not come here to joke. We came here to win the N5million and the SUV and I am very happy that today my family is crowned the number one dance family in Nigeria. It is a thing of joy and we only have Maltina to thank for this, they have given a very humble family like ours the platform to shoot ourselves to stardom and we will ensure that we are worthy ambassadors of the brand.”

Janell Burgess, a professional dancer from the United States of America and one of the Judges, said she is proud of all the families that performed at the finals especially the Ekubo Family because “they embodied what we really cherish here in Maltina which is family unity. One thing so special about Nigeria is that its peoples really value and appreciate family. Here in Maltina, we promote family unity and dance as an art. I’m so pleased with the alliance of Maltina with the MDA family reality TV show, it has shown that dance is a living and breathing profession that can serve as a unifying factor in society and can also be adopted as a profession by the families.” and further said  that over the years, there has always been a tremendous improvement each year in the dance performances of the families, because education is an ever ongoing process, Maltina created the MDA Academy to teach families more about the art of dancing, the way to move and adjust their bodies to different types of music. We basically educate them on dance styles and patterns, so every year; it is only going to get better as the education also gets stronger”

Check out the photos of the event:

Happy Ekubo Family

The Winner

Contestant

Constestant

 

Contestant

Judge

Judges

Red carpet photos:

Janell Burgess - Judge

Kemi Atiba

Laf' Up Comedian

L-R Tokunbo Adodo & Jacco Van Der Linden Marketing Director of Nig Breweries Plc

Micheal (Judge) & Agbo

Micheal & Janell - Judges

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Members of Africa’s largest mobile social network GUINNESS VIP™ are getting an exclusive once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland Captain Roy Keane and former Chelsea and French International Marcel Desailly at GUINNESS VIP™ ‘An Evening With…’ event which will take place on Monday 19th September 2011 – Tuesday 20th September 2011 in Lagos & Ibadan for one night only.

With a known on field rivalry and over 35 years playing experience between them, time spent at some of the top clubs in Europe and a multitude of titles and trophies, these two football idols will be sharing stories and experiences and answering questions exclusively with GUINNESS VIP™ members only.  Access to the players will be both online through live chat question sessions and face to face for members who win tickets on GUINNESS VIP™ to be in the audience at the events.

Guinness® Marketing Manager, Adebola Adenike, commented that “We understand the nation’s passion for football and are always looking for ways to provide the millions of football fans across the country with great football experiences.  Through GUINNESS VIP™, our mobile social network, we give fans across Nigeria real VIP benefits and access to exclusive events and competitions as well as the chance to chat to friends and other passionate football fans and football greats like Victor Ikpeba and Jay Jay Okocha and more to come”.“Once again in a way that only Guinness can, we are providing a series of incredible, once in a lifetime opportunities to interact with World Class football heroes in person at the GUINNESS VIP™ ‘An Evening With…’events which will bring football fans even closer to even more football greats. 

Here is what the two football legends said about the upcoming event:

Roy Keane:
I am really looking forward to coming to Nigeria and meeting some of the nation’s amazing football fans at the Guinness VIP™ An Evening With… event.  This will be my first visit to Nigeria and I have heard that this is a country where the football fans are just as passionate as the loyal fans I had for many years at Manchester United.  I can’t wait to share my love of football and stories of my time on the pitch with such an enthusiastic audience, i’m sure they will have a whole range of interesting questions prepared for me!I am also looking forward to being reunited with my old on field rival, Marcel Desailly and working together again.

Marcel Desailly:
I understand the passion Africa has for football and how the game unites and inspires us.  I have been lucky enough to travel the world playing football and to meet people from many nations.  But it is the support from the fans that really makes the difference for me as a player. They are legendary!.
It will be great to spend an evening with some of them at the GUINNESS VIP™ event and share stories from my days at Chelsea and playing for France as well as answering the questions they have for me about my football career.  No doubt we will also be sharing our views on the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament and the teams we are tipping for the honours.I think myself, Roy and the fans are going to be in for a very special evening.

The opportunity is only available to members of GUINNESS VIP™, for a chance of winning exclusive tickets to be in the up close and personal audience at ‘An Evening With…’ or to put a question to Roy Keane and Marcel Desailly football fans must be a GUINNESS VIP™ member. You can register at m.guinnessvip.com on your phone or computer or simply text yes and your date of birth to 1759.  SMS cost is N10 or log on to www.facebook.com/guinnessvip.

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What a man can do, they say, a woman can do better. 23-year old Uneku Atawodi began her journey into professional polo when ten years ago she fell in love with horses. Regardless of subtle discouragement from her family members, she proved determined and focused enough at becoming the best player that she could be. Today, she has played professional polo in over fourteen countries, represents Nigeria at the Federation of International Polo, and contributes to policy formulation at the Federal Capital Territory. In this exclusive interview with BN Editorial Assistant, Gbenga Awomodu, Uneku, who is currently the only active black female player in the world, shares beautiful tales of her journey thus far, revealing her love for business and travel.

Meet Uneku Atawodi
My name is Uneku Atawodi; people from the south call me Neku, and those from the north calls me Une. I am 23 years old. I am an equestrian, business owner, and starting recently, I also work for the government. I hold a BSc in Equestrian Science, with a British Horse Society stage 4 riding accreditation. I also have a Masters degree in International Business with Spanish. I grew up in Kaduna, and moved to Pakistan with my family when I was 5, and then we went to Brazil for a few years but my mother froze (pun intended) when the next stop was Russia, so we moved back to Kaduna for a couple of years. I attended college and university in England.

When did you start playing polo and how did you develop an interest in the sport?
I used to hunt in England when I was 13 and the smell of dirty leather really fascinated me. I was not a very strong rider then, so jumping hedges and following the hounds around new terrain really was a risk, I remember completely clenching tightly to the horse, which are a lot bigger than polo ponies, and just praying that if I fell, “nothing go jus tear come expose person dignity!” When I was in Kaduna, life sort of evolved around the polo club. Weekends were spent watching matches, my father ended nights there, and even chicken for the next day’s stew was got from the polo club! And yet, I was discouraged from playing partly because I was a girl. “Une if you get hit in your face, ba wanda zai aure ki!”(nobody will marry you!). A psychologist would say being told ‘no’ increased the urge to play… I think I just really, really, really wanted to play. So when hunting got banned in England, I immediately fell to polo. I met my coach David Anderson at 14; he had stopped coaching, but he agreed to coach me, and I got badly stung by the polo bug.

Despite discouragement from friends and family, how were you able to prove your capability and genuine love for Polo? My parents, though loving, were initially skeptical about me playing, especially as I wanted to play professionally, and I pretty much tested the level of their worries when I decided to study horses! I know now that it is their love and worry for me that brought about such fears. They stopped paying for the upkeep of my horses at 16, when they figured I was being headstrong. I did not let that deter me, and took up a job at Epsom Polo Club mucking out, which basically means packing horse s**t! At 6.00am I would wake up, put on double gloves on each hand, because the cold kept tearing into my skin when shovelling, and do about eight stables. It was actually great for keeping my arms fit for polo! I then partnered in a polo project in Argentina, and went on to own a small polo ranch breeding horses, so I had some sort of income coming in. When my parents saw my passion and determination, they eased off on me a bit, but I did have a tricky time with being judged for a while.

Why did you study for a B.Sc. in Equestrian Science performance, and how well has it paid off thus far?
I wanted to learn everything about these animals, inside and out – their nutrition, how they walk, how they reproduce, the diseases that affect them, everything. Studying Equestrianism gave me a whole new eye into the Equestrian world. I find that a lot of riders, especially in Nigeria, do not know a lot about their horses. I wanted to change that by educating people about this animal that is central to our sport. My degree helped me work in eight different countries including managing a polo club in New York, and giving high profile lessons in the state. My expertise is appreciated internationally, as well as in Nigeria. Studying Equestrian Sports Science also allowed me to train in other areas of Equestrianism; I practiced dressage, show jumping, and worked in one of the top race yards in the world during my internship. Introducing these disciplines to Nigerian riders is what I work towards.

How does it feel being in a male-dominated sport; and, have you ever been discriminated against in terms of race or gender?
Funny story. I was playing in Argentina some years back, and we were donning team colours – yellow and blue or something. This British lady who had been staring at me, came up to me with a yellow top in her hands, and so I asked her, “what colour am I?” She gave me the yellow top and replied, “You are black.” Then she realized what she had said and she was mortified: “I am so sorry! I meant yellow… I meant you are playing in yellow.” She apologized repeatedly and later told me that it was not because I was black, but because she was so shocked to see a black girl playing, and that it was the first time she had ever seen that. I have never experienced racial discrimination in polo; polo is such an international sport, and I find that players treat each other like family. What I do get after a game though, is a surprised, “oh wow, you are really good!” because most people see me and expect me to be some awful beginner. I don’t complain though because it gives me an advantage in the first few chukkers of a game, with me being completely unmarked, a few goals later, and the game play changes. You are the only female Polo player to have gone professional in West Africa and only active black female player worldwide.

In what ways are you encouraging other young black females around the globe to participate in the sport?
I have partnered with Tebazile, which creates strong beautiful jewellery, and am playing in high press events internationally. Together, we are able to encourage more people to get into the sport. I played in the Miami Beach polo tournament recently, and we had a huge crowd of African-Americans cheering me on, and asking how they can get into polo afterwards! I am playing in Chicago in October, where we are expecting Oprah Winfrey to get on a horse and hit a ball around. She was enamoured by the fact that I am black, and a polo player, and it has helped draw in an expected huge crowd for the Chicago tournament taking place on North beach this October.

How friendly is the game of polo for females?
When you are a polo player, you are a polo player who happens to be female. Not a female, who plays polo. When you are a polo player, who happens to be female, the men forget you are a woman on the pitch, and they just play. Polo is EVERYONE-friendly, if you respect it as much as it respects you.

You represent Nigeria in the Federation of International Polo (FIP), and work closely with the President of the FIP. What does your work on both fronts entail and how have you influenced policies and the development of the game at both levels too?
I worked for a season in Chantilly, France, which was the base of the FIP. It gave me more of an opportunity to travel and meet some truly unique people. I got to play in Morocco, and meet their king, who is a super cool dude. The FIP strives to develop polo in new countries, and the work that the current president, Patrick Guerrand-Hermes, with the help of King Mohammed VI has done in Morocco is truly inspiring. Patrick flew to Nigeria in 2009, the first time an FIP president had ever visited Nigeria. I had a television show then, sponsored by the FIP, which covered polo in countries around the world, and we got to cover the Kano polo tournament, which is a huge crowd-puller. My contacts also allowed me to impact in small ways on projects I was passionate about. In 2006, I convinced Disney to give a soft toy to every child in Great Ormond Street Hospital on my behalf; I could not believe I wrote in a request, a Christmas “wish” from me, and they actually did it! That was one of my proudest moments.

In how many countries have you played polo, and which would rank as your top three tournaments so far?
I have played in 14 or 15 countries now, and counting. I loved all the tournaments I played in, got to meet new people, and see how the game is interpreted in other cultures. My top experiences are when I played snow Polo in Switzerland. I lost my passport in Kenya, which I stopped in for a day to play a tournament, on the way to Geneva, and had the most stressful time trying to get a travel waiver issued in Kenya to go to Switzerland. So it was such a relief when I finally made the game. Another is teaching the football great, Zinedine Zidane, to play polo in Dubai. I know, not a tournament. But I found it very humbling that someone so legendary in football was actually listening to my instructions. The accuracy with which he hit the ball, and the speed at which he picked up the sport of polo, was a joy to experience. He came down to the polo club with his whole family, and they were as excited to watch him learn as we all were to teach him! Third one is the Miami Beach polo tournament, where I was sponsored by Tebazile, and we got to do a fashion show, and play amazing polo on South Beach. That ranks pretty high! I also got to play elephant polo in India, and though the elephants were super slow, we won, and I get to say I played polo on an elephant! I also loved playing in Jamaica…the people there are SO happy, and the whole polo community is one big family. I loved the accents. I spent about four months working there, and my afternoons spent exercising the horses with the grooms were amazing. The stories told in patois! I laughed so much!

10 years from now, would you still be actively playing Polo?Bet your bottom dollar, I will!

What other (business) ventures are you actively involved in?
I own a hotel in Maitama, Abuja, called Bamboo House. It is a nature-inspired boutique hotel, with a beautiful outdoor space that is heavily influenced by my travels. We are the only place you can find a true 8-oz burger in Abuja! I also work for the Ministry of the FCT, for the Permanent Secretary. I started working there to impact a development change in Abuja. I told my boss I wanted to use the little I have learnt from working in so many countries, to impact on the development of our nation’s capital. It is important to work with someone that values your opinions; I have some out-of-the-box ideas for Abuja, and they listen to me. What are some of the peculiar challenges you have had to deal with in your business endeavours? It is hard to find good dedicated staff in Nigeria. Bamboo House is new, and it is still a bit early to say how I rank any of them yet, but some of the atrocities I have come across while running the business are jaw-dropping. We however work hard to deliver good customer service, and I try to make the staff feel like family. We pray together, and we try to eat lunch together when I am around; that way, I believe the loyalty to the business is slightly increased.

How would you describe your ideal man?
I am lucky to be with my ideal man, I am teaching him polo, and he is a natural sports person, so we spend evenings after a polo match discussing tactics, and what play I botched! It is great to be with someone that just completely gets it.

What are the most important lessons you have learned so far in these past years of active polo?
Keep your eyes on the ball! You travel a lot. How do you relax, when you are not travelling or riding horses? I am addicted to watching shows. Any show. When I have some free time, I sit in and watch anything I can get my hands on. I love Jersey shore. I know, a book just committed suicide, but, fist pump!

What would you like to tell our fabulous readers?
“Eyes on the ball”- never lose focus of your aims. Keep your eyes on the ball! Look up at the goal, see the prize, snap a mental image of the goal, focus on the ball, and the ball WILL go into the goal!

Thanks for your time!

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