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Stevie Wonder: becoming Ghanaian on my birthday is amazing

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Legendary singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder is officially Ghanaian.

On Monday – the US musical icon’s 74th birthday – he was granted citizenship of Ghana by the nation’s president.

“This is it, congratulations!” Nana Akufo-Addo told a beaming Wonder, handing the Grammy winner a certificate at a ceremony in the presidential palace where he was also presented with a birthday cake with a Ghanaian flag iced on top.

Wonder told the BBC that gaining Ghanaian nationality on his birthday was an “amazing thing”.

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The superstar was born and bred in the US state of Michigan but has long had an affinity for Ghana – a West African nation thousands of miles from home.

In 1975, with a string of hit albums behind him, Wonder openly expressed a desire to quit music and move to Ghana. He believed his ancestral lineage could be traced there, reports say.

Wonder stuck with singing and stayed stateside, but after headlining a Ghanaian music festival in the 1990s, he again expressed a desire to set up home there.

On a later trip to Ghana, Wonder wrote the entirety of his album Conversation Peace and in an interview just three years ago the star said he was moving to Ghana in order to escape racial injustice in the US.

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Wonder’s love affair with the country was ignited by the people he met whilst there.

He told the BBC that one of these encounters was with late Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings, who in the 1990s hosted him at the presidential residence.

“I remember the late President Rawlings, who allowed me to be a co-pilot on a flight,” Wonder said.

“I was able to fly with him from one end of Ghana to the other end. The north to the south, and it was amazing.”

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Stevie Wonder gains citizenship in Ghana
Flanked by his family and donning a scarf made of traditional kente cloth, Wonder was visibly delighted to have finally become Ghanaian.

Ghana has long prided itself on being a bastion of pan-Africanism – its founding leader, Kwame Nkrumah, called the West African state a “Black Mecca”.

Wonder is just the latest African-American icon to celebrate this message – writer W E B Du Bois moved to Ghana and was buried there in 1963, while Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali all paid high-profile visits to the country to reconnect with their African roots.

In 2001, Ghana became the first nation on the continent to give the descendants of Africans the right to stay.

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Since then, Africans in the diaspora have been able to live and work in Ghana without renewing their visas or work permits.

And in 2019 the Ghanaian government launched the “year of return” initiative to encourage Africans in the diaspora to relocate there.

More than 300 Africans in diaspora have been granted Ghanaian citizenship since.

In a statement, Ghana’s interior ministry said Wonder becoming a citizen “marks a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to attract diasporan Africans and recognise outstanding contributions to the African diaspora”.

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The man himself said he now plans to engage in initiatives that will create great job opportunities for Ghana’s youth, who make up roughly 38% of the population.

“The youngest generation is in Africa. We need to begin to think about how their greatness can shine,” he said.

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Entertainment

BBNaija: We are misunderstood by people – Wanni, Handi

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Wanni and Handi, the dynamic duo from Big Brother Naija Season 9, have thanked their fans for their unconditional love and support.

The twins recently received an outpouring of gifts, including 10 million naira, grocery, and fuel vouchers.

During an Instagram Live session, Wanni and Handi expressed their heartfelt appreciation for the gestures.

They noted that the support is particularly meaningful since they’ve often felt misunderstood.

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The twins, who are identical and 27 years old, brought their vibrant energy to the Big Brother Naija show.

The Nation reported that Wanni emerged as the runner-up, while Handi was evicted two weeks before the finale.

Recall that Wanni has vowed to achieve the N100 million grand prize equivalent before the year ends.

“We have been misunderstood our whole lives, it’s so amazing to see you guys love us for our real selves,” they said.

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Actress Bimbo Akintola reveals why she can never date an actor

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Actress Bimbo Akintola has revealed why she never dated a male colleague in the industry despite their advances.

During an interview with Labista, she spoke about her decision to separate her personal and professional life.

Akintola disclosed that she never dated any actor throughout her career because she considered them as colleagues and “brothers” in the industry.

She also emphasised her commitment to maintaining a professional work environment.

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“No, I never dated any actor at any point in my career; I don’t like you people. I’ve never been attracted to an actor so to speak. All of you are my brothers, straight. It’s not about the kind of men I’m attached to; I just wasn’t attracted to people in the workplace.

“My frame of mind when I come to work is the frame of work of an actor who wants to be professional, so I don’t see you as dateable people, all of you. I don’t see it. We have handsome actors but I’ve never thought of dating any one of them…honestly. It doesn’t mean they didn’t toast me though”, she said.

The actress also addressed past controversies, including false claims about her personal life.

She shared that sensationalised stories, such as claims about her wardrobe choices, were fabricated to generate attention.

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“When I first started, there was a lot of controversy and all sorts of things written about me; horrible stuff. There was a part where people were saying I don’t wear underwear. I think it is that news like that flies and sells so you have more traction and more people on the blog and people buying the papers. People want to read about funny things like that, it’s even better now, back then they used to cook up stories, all sorts of stories”, she said.

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How I got healed during Nathaniel Bassey’s ‘Hallelujah Challenge’ programme, by Tega Dominic

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Former Big Brother Naija contestant Tega Dominic has shared an extraordinary account of healing during Nathaniel Bassey’s Hallelujah Challenge.

On X, Tega said she experienced a miraculous recovery from a severe toothache that had plagued her for a month.

According to her, Nathaniel Bassey’s word of knowledge about a woman suffering from toothache resonated deeply with her, who had been relying on daily injections to manage her pain.

She said after participating in the Hallelujah Challenge, she woke up the next morning completely pain-free, confirming her healing was complete.

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Overcome with emotion, Tega expressed heartfelt gratitude to Nathaniel Bassey and testified to the power of Jesus.

She wrote: “You guys heard the word of knowledge @nathanielblow gave at night concerning the lady with toothache? It was for me guys I haven’t had peace for the past 1month, I have been surviving the day by taking Diclofenac injections every day for the past 1week after taking out the tooth just to go by the day, I received my healing last night, this morning to confirm, no more pain, it’s gone people, Jesus works my healing is complete.”

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