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Why Nollywood Stars Are Dying —Mama G

Published

1 year ago

July 13, 2024

Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwor popularly called Mama G, has taken a quick swipe at the root causes of incessant deaths among Nollywood actors, blaming it on the carelessness and negligence on the part of the actors.

The veteran actress made this assertion, while in a chat with our reporter during the week in Lagos.

She also revealed why she broke down in tears at the funeral rites of the late comic actor, John Okafor popularly known as Mr. Ibu, which took place in his home town in Enugu state late last month.

According to Mama G, “ When you are doing something you are enjoying, you wouldn’t bother to take care of your health. Once there is life in you, you keep doing what you are doing. And it’s something that pays back on your body.”

“Some people are so careless that when they are sick instead of going to the hospital for a proper check-up, they prefer to visit a chemist or a pharmacy to buy a pain reliever. It’s no longer safe with me. I don’t know how many people are thinking like myself. That’s why I blamed it on carelessness. We are trying to put smiles on the faces of people while forgetting to take care of our health, “ Mama G added.

On why she broke down in tears at Mr. Ibu’s burial, Mama G said it dawned on her that the actor was gone forever when she went close to his corpse and called him by the name she used to call him, but he didn’t respond.

“At that moment, I broke down in tears. It’s not because I was expecting him to respond, but it was when I realized that this man is gone forever,” she said.

She, however, advised her colleagues to learn to go for regular check-ups and curtail some of the things they do that are detrimental to their health.

Speaking further, Mama G, who’s currently an Evangelist, recalled how she had an encounter with her maker, who transformed her life and asked her to work for Him.

Narrating the encounter, she said “It was in 2016 when God called me to work for Him. Then, I used to be a teacher in the church, but I didn’t climb the pulpit. It’s not something I can explain, God asked me to separate myself so that He wants to talk with me. I thought somebody was talking to me, but I discovered it was a voice coming from somewhere. It took me time to accept to submit myself for 21 days and it was extended to 30 days. My son reminded me that the owner of my life is asking me to separate myself for 21 days and I didn’t want to yield to his call and that He may make it 100 days.

“At that point, I quietly went in, and by the time I came out from those 30 days, I became a changed person. And how I knew He was the one who called me, he created a platform for me to appear on stage to give a testimony of What He did with me for 30 days. While I was giving the testimony, people started falling under the anointing.

“And after the encounter, other pastors and evangelists started inviting me to their programmes. That’s how I became an evangelist,” she narrated.

Headline

12 Die, 30 Missing In Peru Landslide

Published

23 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

At least 12 people, including three children, died in a landslide at a river port in central Peru on Monday, and 30 were reported missing, officials said.

The landslide submerged a boat with about 50 passengers on board, and another with none, as they were docked at the port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, according to a police report cited by the Andina news agency.

Six people were injured, it added, and a search and rescue operation was underway at the start of the Peruvian rainy season.

Without giving a toll, Peru’s COEN national emergency operations centre said on X that tragedy struck at dawn due to “erosion” of the bank of the Ucayali river.

It said the navy has been called in to help.

AFP

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Nigeria Grants Asylum To Guinea-Bissau Opposition Candidate

Published

23 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian embassy in Guinea-Bissau has granted asylum to Fernando Dias da Costa, the country’s opposition presidential candidate, following alleged threats to his life after last week’s military coup, The Cable Reports.

The coup was announced by military officers on Wednesday, just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, da Costa, claimed victory before official results were released.

Nigeria condemned the takeover and urged an immediate return to constitutional order.

In a letter to the President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray, dated November 30, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said President Bola Tinubu had approved asylum and protection for da Costa inside the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.

Tuggar wrote that the decision was made “in response to threats made against da Costa’s life.”

“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian embassy,” the letter stated.

The foreign affairs minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed the letter’s authenticity to The Cable on Monday.

He said, “The decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant asylum and provide protection to Fernando Dia Da Costa falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance.”

He added that Nigeria acted “in the broader interest of de-escalation,” saying the government had exercised its discretion “to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region.”

According to Abdulkadir, the intervention aligns with ECOWAS principles and reflects Nigeria’s role as a stabilising force in West Africa.

Following the coup, ECOWAS held an emergency virtual summit of heads of state and subsequently suspended Guinea-Bissau from the regional bloc until constitutional order is restored.

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Trump To Attend FIFA World Cup Finals Draw On Friday

Published

23 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The White House on Monday confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the FIFA World Cup finals in Washington later this week.

The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Centre,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump, a Republican, has raised the possibility of moving games from some US host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.

AFP