by Soni Irabor

The prevalence of Vesico-Vagina Fistula otherwise known as VVF has become a major concern for Nollywood Star actress, Stephanie Okereke. VVF is known to have affected at least 2 million underaged women in Nigeria. She blames poverty, illiteracy and early marriage, amongst others, for the ailment. She believes these are avoidable reasons and that education and public awareness can drastically reduce the occurrence.

Okereke who is one of the most popular actresses of Nollywood, is a guest of the Soni Irabor Live talk show, on Tuesday, 13 May, 2008, on AIT at 2.30pm Local
Time, 1.30pm, GMT.

Stephanie, opens up on her new deal in a cosmetic company, called L’MAJ, as well as other personal issues on SIL.
 
You can participate in the programme by emailing your questions to her on info@soniiraborlive.com or sms +2347033333300.

by Genevieve Magazine 
 
Lagos, Nigeria – 13 June 2007 – Following the outcry from readers of Genevieve Magazine over an article which seemed to indicate that HIV positive individual should be avoided. Mrs. Betty Irabor today, responded by issuing a statement on the magazine’s website and on various blogs.
In her statement Mrs. Irabor states: “I take full responsibility for my words and actions. I am… ultimately accountable for the contents of my publication”
Mrs. Irabor regretted that the main moral and message of the article (the lamentable fact that Nigerians appear to be insensitive to the plight of people living with HIV/AIDS and the daily prejudice and discrimination that HIV positive people are subjected to) did not emerge in the final edited printed version.
“I had felt that the everyday prejudice faced by people living with HIV/AIDS was an issue” She said. “ I wrote the article to illuminate this issue and it ended up having the opposite effect because of an editorial slip”.
Citing deadline pressure she said: “I did not notice the error until the magazine was on the stands. Genevieve readers are unusually smart, well educated and reassuringly sensitive; and it was obvious that they found the article offensive… I’m not pleased that I’ve been the primary cause of that offence. Even more importantly, I have apologized to Yinka Ekpe (the subject of the article) herself and her husband, and they were kind enough to offer me their forgiveness.”
Addressing the issue of the outpouring of opinion and the deluge of email from Genevieve readers, she said: “One good outcome of my mistake is the overwhelming response of Genevieve readers and the Nigerian public at large, and the clear message that this response sends: people living with HIV/AIDS have advocates in the Nigerian public who care about their plight and are ready to speak up in their defence. Thank you, Nigeria, for taking notice, for chastising me and for teaching us all how to care again.”
Mrs. Betty Irabor is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Genevieve Magazine, Nigeria’s foremost women’s magazine. Genevieve was first published in february, 2003 and has been acclaimed nationwide as one of the most influential publications in the country.
The March 2007 edition featured a cover photo of an HIV positive mother and her HIV negative baby. The controversial current edition of Genevieve features Dr Oby Ezekwesili on the cover and contains a publisher’s note written by Mrs. Irabor about prejudice against HIV positive individuals.
For further details visit http://www.genevievemag.com

Welcome to The 2008 Nigeria Music Fest. Coming Soon, please visit us soon!