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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

Mohbad’s ally, Spending queries wife Wunmi for hiding vital details of cause of his death

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A close friend of the late singer Mohbad, known as Spending, has made shocking allegations against the artist’s wife, Wunmi, questioning her role in the events leading to his tragic passing.

In a series of Instagram story posts, Spending claimed that Wunmi misrepresented Mohbad’s final moments and engaged in actions that raised suspicions.

Recounting the incident of September 10, 2023, Spending revealed that after Primeboy left Mohbad’s team, only a few individuals were present in the car heading home—Wunmi, Mohbad, their child Liam, Darosha, OG (the driver), and himself.

According to Spending, Wunmi engaged in a heated argument with Mohbad, physically dragging his clothes despite his injuries from a prior performance.

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“You kept screaming and cursing Mohbad. Even Darosha tried to intervene. Your argument escalated to the point where you threatened to end Mohbad’s career, just like Lil Frosh’s career was ended by his girlfriend,” he alleged.

Spending also refuted Wunmi’s claims that she provided first aid to Mohbad after they got home. Instead, he stated that it was Bami, another friend, who bought and applied the necessary treatment to Mohbad’s wounds.

He revealed that at 11 a.m. the following day, Mohbad requested a nurse, as his regular one was unavailable. However, after leaving the house, Spending was later shocked to hear that Mohbad had died.

“The last time I saw Mohbad alive was around 11 a.m. on Monday. The next thing I heard was that he had passed away. I saw his lifeless body outside a hospital in Osapa London. It was shocking and unbelievable,” he recounted.

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In a particularly startling claim, Spending questioned why Wunmi threw a white item on Mohbad’s coffin, asking if it had any significance.

“You claimed to be protecting him, but why didn’t you protect him when he was alive and needed help?” he asked.

Spending further accused Wunmi of inconsistencies in her statements, including:

Her conflicting accounts about the nurse’s visit.

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Her denial of being present when Mohbad received his third injection.

“Wunmi, why are you going around with all these false narratives? There is nothing wrong with speaking out, but only if you are being honest,” he concluded.

These allegations have further intensified public scrutiny surrounding Mohbad’s sudden and mysterious death, with fans and family members continuing to demand justice.

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Burna Boy opens up over “you didn’t buy me Lambo saga’

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Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Burna Boy has broken his silence after socialite Sophia Egbueje allegedly called him out over an unfulfilled promise involving a Lamborghini.

The controversy, which recently gained traction on social media, began when Egbueje allegedly accused Burna Boy of failing to deliver on a promise to buy her a luxury car following an encounter.

In a leaked audio recording, she claimed Burna Boy made several commitments, including purchasing a Lamborghini for her, which influenced her decision to engage with him.

However, she alleged that after their encounter, the singer became unresponsive and did not fulfill his promises.

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As the revelations sparked discussions online, various public figures and media personalities weighed in on the unfolding drama.

Burna Boy, in a video post, seemingly addressed the issue on social media.

While he did not outrightly deny Egbueje’s claims, he appeared to throw subtle shades in a video.

In the clip, the ‘Bundle by Bundle’ crooner was seen composing a mockery song about the situation, suggesting a fuss over the Lamborghini.

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He could be heard saying, “If you no get me, forget about it. I no buy you Lambo, is that why you are shouting. Where dem dey. I no dey see them at all.”

The video has since fueled further reactions, with fans and critics sharing their opinions on the controversy.

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Video: ‘Wigs, human hair diabolical, carry misfortune’ – Singer Natalie Okri

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British singer, Natalie Okri has stated that some human hairs are sacrifices to deities and unknown gods.

The singer made this claim while speaking on why she stopped wearing wigs.

According to her, in some parts of Asia, women offer their hair at the temple to purify themselves, to shed bad luck and poverty.

Natalie Okri in a video shared on her Instagram page, explained that some of these human hairs are often sold to big vendors. She noted that black women purchasing them might be wearing someone else’s bad luck unknowingly.

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“There are 3 reasons why I stopped wearing wigs and human hairs: some human hairs are sacrifice to demons, deities and other unknown gods.

“A lot of women in some countries like Asia, they go to the temple to sacrifice their hair to their god, believing that their gods will purify and cleanse them. They gave their hair as a form of getting rid of bad luck, poverty and every other thing stressing them and they started life anew.

“Those working in the temple take their hair and sell it off to the European market or to different big vendors like Ali Baba, Ali Express and different brands. And we black women go to those websites to buy these hairs at hundreds of pounds.

“We are wearing someone’s bad luck on our heads. You may not believe in their god but as a Christian, that works against what I believe in, because we see them as demons and deities.”

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Natalie Okri is a British singer, who rose to fame in 2009 after performing at Britain’s Got Talent.

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