R. Kelly on Wednesday June 29, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. This follows his conviction last year on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

A lot of 90’s kids grew up on a religious staple of R. Kelly’s music – I Believe I Can Fly, I Wish, Ignition, I’m Your Angel.

He was a lyrical and vocal genius. Easy to love – at first. He’d come across in interviews as charismatic, funny, deeply caring – ‘hard not to like him’

Except, the star R. Kelly fans loved and adored had a darker side. He had a fetish for underage girls. It has ultimately led to his crash from R&B legend status, to total shame.

R.Kelly’s current situation is a product of choices, decisions he made years ago, the people he surrounded himself with, and his lifestyle.

Musician R. Kelly was first arrested in 2002 and charged with 21 counts of child pornography. In 2008, a jury acquitted him.

Below are notable lessons to learn his downfall:

Train Your Kids Right

Like never before, we need to embrace the communal mode of parenting – we should really try to understand that we as a whole play a part in guaranteeing that this generation and the next turn out absolutely right. Kids need to fill in a protected and solid atmosphere, and this is a role that ought to be played by the entire community. By this, I mean both nuclear and extended family, school, religious gatherings, etc. We can never take the emotions, feelings and hormones away from children, but you can arm them with the information they need to navigate the world and perceive right from wrong. Ask yourself if beyond the whips and rods, you have created that environment where your child can tell you any and everything. Ask yourself if your child can find solace in your words or arms when they fall into trouble.

Look After Your Children

R. Kelly was abused from age 7-14, that shaped him. Someone close to him was his abuser – a family member. It was a full household, notwithstanding. R. Kelly grew up with 4 brothers and a sister. No one had noticed anything off. Not even his mother could tell that the kid was being molested. The tragic R. Kelly fiasco is faraway – halfway across the globe, or perhaps, could be happening right in your home. Right under your tight work schedules, night classes and your hangouts. Have you been paying attention to the teens in your household? Check on them. Abuse may be closer than you think. 

The Influentials Should Learn From This

The Influentials (Celebrities, Business Moguls, Politicians, etc) should learn from R. Kelly’s downfall. Be careful of how you use your stardom and power. You can escape in Nigeria due to a faulty system but not in advance climes. People in power lose their minds while thinking they are above the law. Having the resources to buy their way out of justice only prolongs and increases the potential depravity and when you crash and burn it will be for the whole world to see. May we never fall when we reach our dreams.

A Lesson For The Nigerian Government

The discrimination women face in the wake of systemic inequality being prevalent in Nigeria and the lack of implementation of necessary legal instruments that protect the female gender and give assurance of justice, make it harder for women to report cases of sexual assaults.

Perpetrators who are in positions of authority continue to use their influence to shield themselves from the law. With current campaigns against rape and other forms of sexual abuse in the country, states need to rise to the occasion and deal with it. If rapists are caught, tried, and jailed in time, it can serve as a form of deterrence to future offenders.

Surround Yourself With The Right People

Be around people who have your best interest at heart and learn from them every day. You don’t need to be educated to be civilized. A well-documented research showed R. Kelly’s downfall was due to his lifestyle, not his disability (Dyslexia).

Hence, your limitation is not an excuse! Some of his managers, friends, family members, etc. who are now speaking up didn’t stop or caution him then because he was paying their bills. Currently, with the world against him and zero income, they flipped side and are now profiting from his secrets. If money is what keeps people around you, reassess your circle!

The 2023 Nigeria presidential election is a year away but betting odds are up for candidates like Atiku Abubakar (PDP), Bola Ahmed Tinubu (APC) and Peter Obi (Labour Party).

Who wins the 2023 Nigeria presidential election will be determined by voters in about a dozen battleground states from the North, West, South and East. Expect to see the campaigns of these 3 candidates paying a lot of attention to these areas.

For quite a number of older Nigerians and even the younger ones, they are counting Peter Obi out because of his choice of political party- Labour Party, and his less influence compared to his counterparts. We are here to tell you that you shouldn’t count him out! His odds have improved substantially since he blew his first speech at one of his political media rounds. That upward momentum is still in place, and if it continues at the same pace, the race could be too close on Election Day.

It is now a norm for The Former Governor of Anambra State, to be on the Twitter trend table. He trends more than any presidential aspirant on the social app. If the election was to be conducted today on Twitter, Obi will floor Atiku and Tinubu by a landslide. His social media movement is so strong and is buoyed by several Igbos, the youth population within and outside the country. Like we all know election is not won on Twitter or in any other social media platforms. The GOODNEWS is Peter Obi has also grown on a large number of citizens off and on the internet all thanks to the aggressive campaigns from fans.

We estimate that young people will turn out at a higher rate in 2023 than in 2019, to fight for a better Nigeria. The Soro-Soke generation don’t seem to be playing as they are doing everything in their power to get their PVC and vote for the right leader. So far, their impact and overwhelming support for Peter Obi is base on the belief he would be the right president for Nigeria. His past contributions to Nigeria and his intellects has garnered him such support.

Recall Peter Obi defected from the PDP to Labour Party when he knew that there was no way he could win the PDP’s presidential ticket, with the heavyweights in contest. He simply capitulated, bowed out of the party and pitched tent with a lower party. Presidential aspirants, such as Prof. Pat Utomi stepped down for him to emerge Labour Party’s Presidential candidate.

The Big question is, can Obi pull an uproar in next year’s presidential election? Although, he has an enormous social media movement but let’s look back to 2019. If election was to be conducted on social media, Atiku would have defeated President Muhammadu Buhari. The truth is, over 80 percent of Nigeria’s voters are not on social media — the market men & women, laymen & women, the uneducated, the locals and so on are the major voters.

Also, looking at a nation plagued with ethnicity and religion, Obi’s chances look slimmer.

Yes, we know Atiku and Tinubu are big names in the North, Southwest, South-South. Probably the votes in the east will be divided because the Igbos might end up not being united. The East has always been pro-PDP region apart from Anambra controlled by APGA. Currently, APC controls Imo and Ebonyi. In the South-South, which used to be dominated by PDP, APC now controls Cross River. Edo will be highly contested between PDP and APC.

Let’s face it! It looks like Peter Obi may not be able to upstage Tinubu and Atiku in these areas. BUT, are citizens going to look at the political party this time around or the presidential candidate who is best fit? To a number of Nigerians, Atiku and Tinubu are a no go! No aspirant should be voted for if they are not fit to rule an entire country and not because of a mere ‘party.’ This is another hurdle for Nigerians, to break the stereotypes on political parties and choose the best leader instead.

Peter Obi’s party affiliation is another problem he will have, Labour Party has never made impact in Nigeria’s political scene. In 2019, Labour Party took 30th position in the election and could only get 5,074 votes nationwide. However, with Obi’s influence, he surly will get way more votes.

Does he have the financial muzzle to upstage the big guns? His finances is also a big factor, as a lot of Nigerians have been and are bought with money. Are we really going to allow these people buy our future with just N2,000 again? Which is sadly less than $4. Even if it were millions of Naira, money is never enough but the hardship is a lot harder and long lasting.  Let’s not be fooled AGAIN, do the needful and vote in the best.

Until the elections are over, the names of the foremost candidates of the 3 leading parties will continue to be on the lips of Nigerians.

We believe that Peter Obi is capable of springing surprises in 2023 presidential election and even win. While we wait for it, Who Do You think Will Be The Next Nigeria President — Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu Or Peter Obi?

Here’s the first look at Rihanna in public for the first time since giving birth to a baby boy.

RiRi ventured out in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 19, with her bodyguard, keeping it casual in an oversize gray hoodie, baggy black pants and her hair up in a bun as she climbed into the back of an SUV at her home in West Hollywood.

Rihanna certainly hasn’t compromised her style – rocking her huge gold necklaces, and designer sunglasses.