Ice Prince disclosed this during an exclusive cocktail event hosted in his honour recently at the BlackHouse Media Lounge in Ikeja, Lagos.
He stated that he only chose to collaborate with foreign artistes on his highly acclaimed second album, Fire of Zamani, simply to export Nigerian music.
"I am not trying to become an American artiste nor am I trying to blow in America. I am a Nigerian artiste that is exporting Nigerian music. Any chance that I get, I will export Nigerian music. So if that chance is getting into the studio with an international artiste, I will take that chance," he said.
With just a day left to the launch of his Fire of Zamani concert , slated for the Eko Hotel & Suites on 23 November, he said all arrangements are in top shape to deliver one of the best gigs in the year.
International artistes, Wale and Chip will join Ice Prince on stage for the first time in Nigeria at the FOZ concert.
Other performers billed for the concert include MI, Sunny Neji, Burna Boy, Olamide, Yung El and Jeremiah Gyang among others.
"With all the hard work and dedication we are putting into Fire Of Zamani, fans should get ready for this Concert, it is going to be something else," added rapper and Chocolate City Vice president, M.I Abaga.
Also commenting on the concert, Audu Maikori, CEO, Chocolate City Group, said American- Nigerian rapper Wale is long overdue to come to Nigeria and the label is pleased to bring him home.
He stated further: "In Fire Of Zamani, we aim to detribalise Nigerian music and represent different Nigerian cultures instead. This is also the same direction we are going with the concert, we will be celebrating Nigerian music as a whole and not a particular tribe."
Popular politician and Chief of Staff to Edo State governor, Patrick Obahiagbon will be the host of the event.
Don't even think about sucking it in so you'll fit into those cute fitted white jeans: There are less-painful and longer-lasting ways to get the amazing middle you crave. We went straight to experts to get their very best advice for quickly shrinking your tummy. Here are the surprising foods, tricks, and moves they swear by. Their genius tips will help you shed inches and pounds, banish the bloat, and feel even more gorgeous. Hello, skinny jeans!
* Eat at this magic hour
"You must eat a snack that contains protein between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Go for a protein bar, a piece of low-fat cheese, or some almonds with an organic apple.
No matter what, do not miss that snack. It's important because it boosts metabolism and balances blood sugar. The lower you keep your blood sugar, the lower you keep your insulin, and insulin makes you store fat around your middle. Eating every three to four hours will keep your blood sugar even, but many people tend to go five or six hours between lunch and dinner without eating."
—Natasha Turner, naturopathic doctor, author ofThe Hormone Diet
* Have a ball
"My No. 1 tip: Do the ball exchange three times a week. Lay flat on your back with your arms above your head and legs straight out. Start with a stability ball above your head in your hands. Bring the ball up above your chest as you bring your legs up to meet the ball and place it between your ankles. Bring the ball back down to the floor with your legs and straighten your arms back out over your head.
Repeat the ball exchange 10 to 12 times, remembering to keep your lower back pressed into the floor as you do this move."
—LaReine Chabut, author ofExercise Balls for Dummies
* Beef up on this belly-zapping hormone
"Eat as close to zero grams of sugar as possible. This will keep insulin levels low and also keep levels of glucagon high. Glucagon, a hormone, is the best friend you could ever have in the struggle for a flat belly! Picture Ms. Pac-Man traveling around your waistline, gobbling up fat to be used as energy. That is glucagon.
The closer to zero grams of sugar you consume, the lower your insulin and the higher your glucagon...it's as simple as that."
—Jorge Cruise, author ofThe Belly Fat Cure
* Chew on this
"Chewing is the No. 1 tip I give to prevent bloating. Chew food until it is like applesauce in your mouth. Digestion begins in the mouth, and without proper chewing, food is not well-digested. Better-digested food means less gas and bloating."
—Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author ofThe Flexitarian Diet
* Put crunches last on your flat-belly list (for real!)
"I recommend the DCBA approach: Diet first, Cardio second, Building muscle third, and Abs exercises last. Follow it and you can safely lose one to two pounds a week. Spend 60 minutes a day preparing healthier meals. Spend 20 minutes a day three to five times weekly doing cardio.
Spend 15 minutes a day three times a week strength training. Finally, spend 5 minutes a day three times a week doing abs exercises."
—Myatt Murphy, author ofThe Body You Want in the Time You Have
* Shake on the sea salt
"The culprit making your tummy bloat? It could be the salt in your diet. Use natural sea salt or kosher salt, which is lower in sodium teaspoon for teaspoon than traditional table salts. And stay away from soy sauce: Even low-sodium soy sauce is still high in sodium and will cause practically instant bloating.
Instead, flavor your food with a little fresh tomato salsa or a hint of cayenne pepper, which has an added benefit of boosting metabolism."
—Susan Irby, "The Bikini Chef" and author ofSubstitute Yourself Skinny
* Punch it out and lose 2 inches fast
"Add boxing to your cardio routine. When you throw punches with weights or at a fast pace, you're working your core in a way that helps to flatten your midsection. You must engage your core to throw punches, and twisting your torso works all the ab muscles.
Boxing also gives you a cardio workout that burns extra calories. Add 16 minutes of boxing three times a week to your regular cardio routine (30 minutes at high intensity four to five times a week), and you can lose up to 2 inches from your waist in four weeks. Simply throw punches while holding 1- or 2-pound weights for 8 minutes, alternating arms, then repeat without weights at a faster pace for 8 more minutes."
—Michael Olajide Jr. and Leila Fazel, co-founders of Aerospace High Performance Center in New York City
* Try the flat-belly cheat
"Play up a different body part to draw attention from your middle.
If it's your legs, wear skirts or slim pants. Shoulders—bare them even if just a bit with a boatneck or sweetheart neckline. Cleavage? Make sure your bra does its job. If your bra rides up in the back, the bra has likely stretched out. If it accentuates back flab or if the space between the cups doesn't lie flat, go up a size."
—Kim Johnson Gross, style expert and author ofWhat to Wear for the Rest of Your Life
* Size matters
"Eating portion-controlled meals that include whole-grain foods and monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) throughout the day is the best way to eat for a flat belly: People who eat whole grains lose more abdominal fat.
And making most of the fats you eat MUFAs reduces ab flab, research says." —Keri Glassman, RD, author ofThe O2 DietandThe Snack Factor Diet
* The ultimate flat-belly menu
Best breakfast:A slice of whole-wheat bread with natural peanut butter and 1 cup of your favorite berries.
Best lunch:Spinach salad with sliced avocado, grilled firm tofu, and cherry tomatoes, drizzled with a little olive oil and fresh lemon juice.
Best dinner:Grilled salmon, a roasted sweet potato, and sautéed asparagus with olive oil and garlic.
Best snack:A cup of fat-free yogurt with 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds.
Laugh it up!
"The best thing for your abs is laughing. Every time you laugh it strengthens your abs. There are even laughing yoga classes (Go to Laughter Yogato find a class near you). If you start busting a gust, you are absolutely toning your abs."
—Kristin McGee, Pilates expert
If you're in pain or have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or other symptoms, you'd do anything to feel better.
Luckily most stomach bugs are short-lived. However, choosing the wrong kind of food when your appetite starts to perk up again may prolong the misery.
Here are 9 foods you should avoid while recovering from an upset stomach.
Refined sugar
Supersweet foods, such as those containing refined sugar can lead to spikes in insulin levels which, in turn, can lead to fluctuations in blood sugar.
Although this might not directly affect your stomach, it could make you feel clammy and shaky, which isn't going to improve your overall state, says Robynne Chutkan, MD, assistant professor in the division of gastroenterology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC
Dairy
Dairy products such as milk and cheese top the list of "don't" foods when it comes to upset stomachs. For one thing, more than half the world's population is already lactose intolerant, meaning they lack the necessary enzyme to digest dairy products.
But even if you're not lactose intolerant, a viral or bacterial infection can affect lactase (the lactose-digesting enzyme) and could cause you to temporarily or even permanently lose your ability to digest lactose, says Dr. Chutkan.
Soda
Although many people attribute soda's aggravating qualities to the carbonation, you can really blame citric acid and the preservative sodium benzoate, says Dr. Chutkan.
"The chemicals can be hard on the stomach," she says. But the carbonation can also bother some people.
"It can give you a full feeling and if you have an upset stomach and you're burping a lot and feeling full, that can be a problem," she explains.
Chocolate and caffeine
One of the main reasons caffeine and chocolate (which may contain caffeine) are irritating to an already-upset tummy is that, like peppermint tea, they relax the lower esophageal sphincter, which allows acid reflux.
Caffeine can also loosen stools, which isn't good if you already have diarrhea. And chocolate that contains milk products or nuts could be difficult to digest for those who are lactose-intolerant or allergic.
Fatty foods
Cream, meats, soft cheese: All of these foods are high in fat and won't help if you're feeling sick to your stomach.
That's because fatty foods activate chemical receptors in the stomach in such a way as to slow down emptying of the stomach, making you feel bloated, explains Dr. Chutkan.
Other high-fat foods such as nuts will make you feel full. That may be good if you're trying to lose weight, but not so great if you're feeling awful.
Foods high in acid
Citrus fruits along with tomato-based products (tomato is technically a fruit and contains a lot of acid) have the potential to cause acid reflux, Dr. Chutkan says.
This applies to citrusy fruit juices as well. So while apple juice would probably be fine, orange juice isn't the best choice.
Other fruits tend to be fine, she adds.
Spices
Spices and spicy food may not be as bad as you think. "If you're used to eating spicy food, you probably have a very good tolerance for it and it will be fine," says Dr. Chutkan.
If you're not used to these foods, this may not be the time to start. But also pay attention to how—and with what—the spices are cooked. "Spices are associated with cooking in oil, so fat is probably more a reason [for upset stomach] than the spice itself," says Amit Bhan, MD, service chief of gastroenterology at Henry Ford Health System, in West Bloomfield, Mich.
Processed foods
Not unlike sodas, processed foods with a long-shelf life typically have a lot of chemicals, including preservatives, which could further upset your tummy.
So while a can of spaghetti might look attractive because it's sitting right there in your pantry, you may want to leave it alone for now. (The tomato sauce would probably be bad for your stomach anyway.)
Bayern want Wolfsburg youngster Julian Brandt
Julian Brandt, 17, currently plays for Wolfsburg's Under-19 team and is heavily linked with the likes of Bayern Munich. The winger's father, also his agent, allegedly has decided that Brandt will leave Wolfsburg.
Source: Wolfsburger Allgemeine
Arsenal to rival Liverpool for Papadopoulos-signing
Arsenal also want to sign Schalke's defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos, who has been linked with Liverpool throughout the last transfer window. Liverpool want to buy the Greek in January.
Source: Daily Express
Napoli ready to pay €20m for Witsel
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is willing to splash out for Zenit St Petersburg star Axel Witsel in January in an effort to further strengthen Rafa Benitez's ranks.
Source: Mediaset
Iniesta will renew Barcelona deal
Barcelona wants to improve Andres Iniesta's contract, which ends in 2015. Although negotiations are still under way, Barca expect to have reached an agreement with the star soon.
Source: Sport
Real Madrid rejected Ibrahimovic move
Real Madrid wanted a striker last summer and, though Zlatan Ibrahimovic was offered by AC Milan, the Spanish club opted not to invest in the ex-Barcelona forward.
Source: La Sexta
Galatasaray to rival Liverpool for Anzhi striker Lacina Traore
Liverpool are facing competition in their bid to sign Anzhi striker Lacina Traore with Galatasaray joining the race for 23-year-old.
Source: Daily Express
Birmingham want Manchester United's Lingard on loan
Birmingham City want interested in taking Manchester United youngster Jesse Lingard on loan.
Source: Daily Mail
Inter eye Xabi Alonso;
Inter coach Walter Mazzarri is desperate to sign a midfielder and has made Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso his number 1 target, hoping he will be able to snare the Spain international on the cheap.
Source: AS
Arsenal and Man City target Valdes:
Arsenal and Manchester City are both interested in signing a new goalkeeper and have turned their attentions to Victor Valdes, whose Barcelona contract expires next year.
Source: Marca
In a communiqué issued on Tuesday at the end of the 28th Annual Conference of the Association in Abuja, the vice-chancellors noted that the disruptions emanated from student and staff union issues.
ACVCNU stressed the need for broad and well thought out reforms that would make the higher education system in Nigeria more stable in terms of quality, effectiveness and relevance to national values.
It also warned that the proliferation of universities without corresponding increase in funding would pose challenges to the new public universities.
It further acknowledged that universities did not operate under the same circumstances having been established by various entities.
The Association added that inadequate funding by university proprietors was a major cause of decline in quality of education and low global ranking of Nigerian universities.
The associated noted that teaching/learning and research took place in resource-poor contexts, what made it nearly impossible for Nigerian universities to measure up in an increasingly competitive global knowledge economy.
The association said universities,
therefore, needed to seek innovative sources of financing outside the government and private proprietors' funding,such as student loans and scholarships as well as private sector contributions.
Furthermore, it stated that there was a need for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education at all tiers of the Nigerian education system to make room for the development of intellectual capability, creativity, and innovation.
The Association announces it would continue further examination of all these issues at a national education conference, which AVCNU planned to convoke with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) for all stakeholders in education next year.
The Vice Chancellors condoled with the ASUU and the family of Festus Iyayi, who died in an auto crash on November 12.
It also condoled with the family ofYahaya Mahmood,Pro-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, who died on November 15.
To his supporters, Jonathan was a bolt of lightning that would unite Nigeria, restore prosperity, and bring "a breath of fresh air" to the polluted politics of Abuja, and Nigeria in general. His detractors, on the other hand, saw a recluse with a murky past and little evidence to warrant the adulation heaped on him. Who was right? As his first term drags on painfully, it has become clear that Nigerians who supported and voted for him had invested their hope in a phantom. Under Jonathan's leadership, the economy has, forget the chest-thumping rhetoric of the finance minister, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, been a mess and this country has never been more divided.
It has now turned out that electing one based on little other than the sentimental rhetoric of a deprived childhood may not have been such a good idea after all. To say that Jonathan was a phenomenon in 2011 will not be an exaggeration. He ran a huge campaign and broke records in vote totals. But it will be impossible for him to match those levels of excitement in 2015.
Usually, in a presidential election, the odds of getting re-elected have always favoured the incumbent. But in a depressed economy like ours, or when the public perceives the incumbent as feckless in spending, dithering or simply not up to the task, this conventional wisdom will not matter. And that is the case with President Jonathan. Several factors, when taken together, make it almost impossible for him to win a re-election in 2015.
President Jonathan cannot win. This President has several key flaws which have already blighted his Presidency.
His most telling undoing, of course, has been the fact that he has not been much of a party leader with his party now crumbling under his watch.
To begin with, the mist has cleared and millions of Nigerians (except for sycophants) have seen with their own eyes that "the breath of fresh air'' was just more of the same old political rhetoric. In 2015, Jonathan's campaign will not have the historical significance it did in 2011.
Second, which is the reason for this piece is how the demographics that saw him elected President will work against him in 2015. The President has alienated just too many Nigerians, including large numbers from his own party, the Peoples Democratic Party. In 2015, many will vote against him or simply just stay home-that's for want of a credible and well-accepted candidate from the opposition.
President Jonathan is a self-created myth. There is little substance behind the façade other than the deceptive style of politics that has long defined Nigerian politicians.
In 2011, his campaign avoided specifics; his speeches contained no substance. His greatest asset was his "unknownness." As a blank slate, Nigerians imagined whatever they wanted in the next president. They were aided by a campaign which played up the sentiments of his deprived childhood. It was a deceptive farce cleverly scripted to mirror the lives of ordinary Nigerians who immediately connected with someone they thought was one of their own.
How wrong have they been? He was
thought to be an outsider who would clean up Abuja. Any PDP presidential candidate who gained the nomination in 2011 was likely ensured the presidency. Having said that, Jonathan will lose the next election because his greatest asset, his "unknownness", no longer exists.
The imagination of Nigerians can no longer be manipulated in the presence of facts. Simply put, Jonathan will not be re-elected because ordinary Nigerians can now see him for who he is. What people are getting now is nothing like what they were promised or imagined.
What was a blank slate upon which to imagine a Jonathan presidency now is a full-blown portrait filled with disappointment and more of the same. Gradually, it is appearing a great mistake was made in 2011.
That mistake is now apparent to most Nigerians. Even his South-South home base and party stalwarts in the PDP establishment recognise his failings, although neither is willing to publicly discuss them. It is hoped that the PDP will have the courage to look elsewhere in their next convention.
Although that is unthinkable, they can only hope that this election does not destroy what remains of the party.
The cracks are already visible. Based on the debacle presently rocking his party, that fear is not unfounded.
The most compelling image of Jonathan is the one showing him ducking all of the tough issues that have come his way. For him, the buck stopped with a plethora of committees and with Okonjo-Iweala.
But her Bretton Wood prescriptions have worsened the economy with unemployment figures reaching a record high.
Why and how Jonathan will lose this next election is less difficult to understand than how he won the first time. Certainly, the demographics will be less favourable this time unless something dramatic happens during the polls. In 2011, the President won in almost all the zones of the federation. In 2015, he will not have such a luxury. Take the South-West zone for example. The zone was a battleground which contributed immensely to his first term victory. In 2015, it will present a test case for Jonathan.
For one, the influence of his party has waned in the zone. In many of the South-West states, for example, the PDP has become too fractious and weakened. The emergence of the All Progressives Congress, with Maj-Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and Bola Tinubu hoping to consolidate on a renewed alliance will make the South-West a no-win for the President. If the alliance between the APC (Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani) work, Jonathan's second term is best forgotten. If the opposition presents a credible candidate, perhaps, it will be the first time an incumbent will be defeated.
The South-West and the North are key battleground zones. The crisis rocking the fractious PDP fuelled by his controversial chairman, Bamanga Tukur, may yet turn out to be his Achilles' heels.
The politics of the Nigeria Governors' Forum also offers a glimpse into how Jonathan will not be re-elected. Governor Chibuike Amaechi won 19 out of 35 votes in the NGF chairmanship election, while Governor Jonah Jang got 16 votes with the Yobe State Governor abstaining.
Many of the governors who voted for Amaechi have sympathy for the APC. Seven of the nine PDP governors that supported Amaechi are now in the "New PDP" with a chance of defecting to the APC anytime: Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa, Adamawa, Rivers, Kwara and Niger (also called the G7 governors).
Kebbi and Gombe are still in the Jonathan camp of the "Old PDP" but their next move is almost predictable. Note that Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Kebbi and Gombe all voted for Buhari in 2011. The South-East zone, which also has a valid claim to the presidency, will intensify its quest in 2015. It may likely pitch its tent with the party that offers the best chance to actualise this dream. Will Jonathan be a one-term president? It is very likely.
