My Tori + Elechi Amadi Kidnapped + Jezreel Designs + Future Awards Finalists

My people, how una dey? Just got home a few minute ago. I'm having like the most tiring week ever. I go to work sometimes without even brushing my hair...lol, trying to get the next issue of our mag out. Before any of you go into the magazine business, pls consult with me first, I'll give you free advise...lol

Anyway, let me tell you guys what happened to me last Friday. Remember I mentioned something about being in the midst of a day light robbery? Well, here's the story.

I went to have lunch at Finicky Restaurant, Kilo, Surulere, with my longtime buddy Chima. Yes, the same Chima who was writing all dem crazy stuff about me on the internet last year. I forgive very easily so we're back to being friends. Anyway, we got to Finicky and ordered for pounded yam and Afang soup, and a few minutes into eating, a young man ran upstairs (We were at the top floor) and quietly told the sales girls to go hide, that armed robbers were coming into the restaurant.

Immediately we heard it, everyone in the restaurant abandoned their meal and ran helter skelter. Some of us sought refuge in the toilets located at the back of the restaurant. I and another girl went into the first toilet, and the first thing I did when I got there was to switch my two phones off. I looked around and found a good spot to hide them, behind the toilet's window with my heart pounding like mad when I heard people screaming downstairs. This was around 3pm o...

Then I did something that wasn't very nice...lol

After I hid my two phones, the girl in the toilet with me gave me her phone to hide too. I looked at the phone, looked at her, looked at the phone, looked at her. I thought about it for a few seconds then shook my head ;) I mouthed 'hold your phone'. She gave me a look that said 'But you just hid yours, why don't you want to hide mine?'

Hide what? I'm not hiding nothing mehn. You know what will happen if those robbers come upstairs and we both claim not to have phones? They'll probably beat the shit out of us. So I refused to take the phone from her. I felt bad, but common people, one of us had to make that sacrifice...lol. Besides it was an old Nokia phone, I figured she'd get over it faster than I'd get over my blackberry and my Nokia phone that has all my contact in it.

She was looking at me like 'YOU BITCH!'. I smiled and showed her my wallet. I was more or less saying "How about I give them my wallet and you give them your phone". She gave me a look that made me start laughing.

I'm sure y'all are wondering why she didn't just hide her phone herself. Well, she wasn't tall enough to reach the back of the window.
LOL

It's not funny I know, but I couldn't help myself. It was a bad situation, I had to make the best out of it ;)

Anyway, a few minutes later, we heard a knock on the day and someone said "Una no wan come out?" That was when it really dawned on me that I was in the midst of a robbery. The girl beside me started shaking like I'd never seen anyone shake before, her eyes turned red and she started drooling, that was when I realised she was a very young girl, about 17/18. I went to her and hugged her to me, and tried to calm her down, assuring her that we'll be alright, at the same time expecting the doors to come down at any minute. The robber repeated himself once more. After that was silence.

About 10 minutes later, we heard another voice telling us it was safe to come out, that the robbers had gone. We all came out from our hiding places and left the restaurant immediately. I never saw any of the robbers but we were told that there were 4 men armed with guns and had two bikes waiting for them outside the restaurant.

How can people be so bold to carry guns in the afternoon, at a busy bus stop?
Wonders shall never end.

Speaking of wonders never ending, did you guys hear that OUR VERY OWN Elechi Amadi was kidnapped recently? Elechi Amadi? Are these kidnappers mad? You guys probably don't know I was obsessed with literature in Secondary School. I read a lot of his books and I idolize him. You guys remember The Concubine? The Great Ponds?

They dared kidnap him?



Here's the story...

According to Elechi Amadi’s granddaughter, Miss Emilia Nyeoma Ikegwura, who narrated the incident, Amadi was in the sitting room watching TV with one of his wives, when three men banged at the entrance door.
Miss Ikegwura said; “As the wife asked to know who was at the door, the three gunmen answered in Ikwere dialect, pushed the door and dashed in. They immediately started barking orders while pushing her down and pointing a gun at her. They later ordered everybody to lie down.”
According to her, “They ordered my grandfather, Elechi Amadi, to dress up. They led him to his bedroom, ransacked the room and gave him his shirt and trousers and took him away in a Toyota Hilux van and Mazda car.

He was released a few days later.

He's 70. Hopefully it will never happen again...

Moving on to something cheerful. I'd like to introduce you all to Jezreel Designs. It's is an up and coming women’s accessories label creating timeless pieces, hand made in Nigeria using traditional African fabrics,
Check out some of the stuff they have.

Very nice huh?

Their products can be viewed at http://www.jezreeldesigns.com/.

Meanwhile, the Future Awards Finalists list is out and your girl is a finalist. Last year I was a nominee, this year I am a finalist...A FINALIST? Wow! I feel so proud!

Check out the full list

FINALISTS (THE FUTURE AWARDS 2009)

On-Air Personality of the Year (Radio)

Tyeng Gyang (Cool FM Abuja)

Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi (Cool FM Lagos)

Chuks Roberts (Cosmo FM Enugu)

Best Use of Technology

Bamidele Odufuye

Icebox Studios

Yinka Adetoye

Best Use of Advocacy

Tosyn Bucknor (I hope she wins. For her persistence and consistency)

Emmanuel James-Odiase

Emmanuel Etim

Musician of the Year

Dbanj

9ice

Psquare

Asa (I hope she wins. Beacuse she was cheated out of too many wins last year...and that album? wow!)

Actor of the Year

Jennifer Osamor

Funke Akindele (I hope she wins, I hear Jenifa is the movie to watch)

Mercy Johnson

Artist of the Year

Saheed Adejuwon

Emeka Okereke

Adolphus Opara

Magazine of the Year

Ace (I hope they win. Just 'cos they are a bunch of 18 year olds and the mag is quite impressive)

Soundcity Blast

The Applause

Style Entrepreneur of the Year

Funke Adegbola (Ella Brown Couture)

Uche Nnaji (Ouch!)

Linda Ikeji (Blackdove Communications) (I hope she wins. Because she's a sweet girl...lol)

Comedian of the Year

Jedidiah (I hope he wins 'cos he made me like him. He used to really annoy me ;))

Teju Babyface

Omobaba

Business Owner of the Year

Mosunmola Umoru (Honeysuckles PTL)

Toochukwu Onyemelukwe (Cotek)

Hassan Rilwan (Focal Point Publishing Ltd)

Professional of the Year

Dr. Adedayo Osholowu (Special Olympics Nigeria)

Fatima Mohammed (Chapel Hill and Denham)

Fola Aiyesimoju (Stanbic Bank)

Model of the Year

Bryan Okwara

Warebi Martha (I hope she wins. Who has seen her GTBank TV commercial? It's world class)

Olubunmi Ademokoya

Team of the Year

Babs Educational Consult

Knighthouse

Mo Hits Crew

Journalist of the Year

Rachel Ogbu (Newswatch)

Ruonah Agbroko (Thisday)

Funke Adetutu (BusinessDay)

On-Air Personality of the Year (TV)

Tana Egbo-Adelana (Channel O)

Lamide Akintobi (Channels TV)

Adaure Achumba (STV) (I hope she wins. Just 'cos she tries very hard)

Screen Producer of the Year

Gbenga Salu

Onye Ubanatu

Clarence Peters (I hope he wins. He worked too hard last year)

Sportsperson of the Year

Yagazie Chukwumerije

Damola Osayomi

Mikel Obi (I hope he wins. Just for being cute...lol)

Music Producer of the Year
Cobhams

Tee-Y Mix

Don Jazzy (I hope he wins, just because he produced Dbanj's 'Suddenly')

Dancer of the Year

Qudus Onikeku

Wale Akinbola

Sodade Buddy Agedah

Young Person of the Year

Asa (Bukola Elemide)

D'banj (Dapo Oyebanjo) (I hope he wins. What a year he's had. What an impact he's made. What a beautiful song Suddenly is ;))

Yagazie Chukwumerije (Who's this guy? Never heard of him)

* The winners will be unveiled at the Awards on Sunday, 18th January, at the Shell Hall of the Muson Center.

By the way, last week Saturday I got pimped once again by Ronke Ademiluyi, the owner of Rukkies Boutique, the lady who gave me 25 dresses last year. She gave me another 10. Four tops and six beautiful dresses. Lucky me huh?

I'll be wearing one of the dresses to the Award...it's fab and short. When I say short I mean really short. It's so short I will be wearing it from my sisters flat, not from home. My mum mustn't see me in it...lol

Oh dear I'm tired, I got to go catch some sleep.

I know what I did in the toilet wasn't nice but I'm generally a nice girl...so pardon me...lol

Thought of the day

''Rosa Parks sat so that Martin Luther King could walk; Martin Luther King walked so that Obama could run; Obama ran so that we and our children could fly''

Let's start flying...

Catch y'all later

Be blessed!