Toyin Aimakhu has finally shown off her new lover Seun Egbegbe and openly gushed about how much he means to her. Here's what the actress shared on her IG page at about 1am today.
She also shared a second message that talked about her walking away from drama and people that created it. Her estranged husband Adeniyi Johnson allegedly cheated on her. Toyin is excited she was able to walk away from that drama.
SOURCE

=>Nigerian, South African artistes challenge MTN on copyright








Nigerian Highlife music sensation, Flavour N’abania and his South African colleague, DJ Cleo have requested sales data from MTN, its subsidiary and content aggregator, Content Connect Africa (CCA), and Vodacom, suspecting that their copyright has been infringed upon, sources have said.
Although the companies have denied any such infringements, pundits reason that their liability could run into billions in unpaid royalties and fines in South Africa alone.
‘It is not correct that MTN is liable for billions of rands in royalty payments’ said sales, marketing and distribution executive, Larry Annetts.
According to City Press, if they can prove copyright violations, the SA Copyright Act provides for a first offence fine of up to R5 000, or a jail term. If it is a repeat offence, the act provides for a fine of up to R10 000 or a jail term, per infringement.
Copyright expert Graeme Gilfillan, representing DJ Cleo’s company, Will of Steel Productions, and Flavour’s company, 2Nite Enter10ment, began sending out separate requests for data from MTN, Vodacom and CCA since mid-December.
Annetts however maintained that “MTN is up to date with most royalty payments with Capasso and is in the process of settling the recent royalty invoice…for the current period, which amounts to less than R1million. MTN understands the importance and imperative of paying music royalties for music that it sells on its platforms. With regard to payment of mechanical royalties, we have…been trying to resolve [this] from as far back as 2012.”

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These Updates Are Brought To You By Apata Bayode Follow Him On Twitter Here

FULL NAME:         Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo

DATE OF BIRTH:   8 March 1957

OCCUPATION:       Lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria,Pastor,Politician

MARITAL STATUS: Married





INTRODUCTION 

Professor Yemi Osinbajo is the Vice President of Nigeria, in office since 29 May 2015. He is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he is a lawyer and a pastor.

EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND 

Yemi Osinbajo was educated at Corona primary School, in Lagos, Nigeria. Between 1969–1975, he attended Igbobi College Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo was educated at the University of Lagos, Nigeria (LLB, 1978) and the London School of Economics (LLM, 1980). He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1979. He has authored several books on civil procedure in Nigerian superior courts, rules of evidence and justice reform. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has more than 31 years of litigation experience including significant trial and appellate work. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo supervises the commercial litigation group at SimmonsCooper Partners (SCP), a leading commercial litigation and corporate commercial firm in Nigeria.



Work Experience: Simmons Cooper Partners (Barristers and Solicitors), Senior Partner, 2007 till date; University of Lagos, Professor of Law, Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, 2007 to 2013; Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice; Member of Cabinet, Lagos State, 1999 to May 2007 ; United Nations Secretary General’s Committee of Experts on Conduct and Discipline of UN Peacekeeping Personnel around the globe, Member (2006); United Nations Operations in Somalia, Staff Member, Justice Division, UNOSOM II; Law Firm of Osinbajo, Kukoyi & Adokpaye, Partner; University of Lagos, Professor of Law and Head of Department of Public Law (1997-1999), Federal Government of Nigeria, Special Adviser to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, (legal advice and litigation), 1988-1992; University of Lagos, Senior Lecturer I (1983-86), Lecturer II (1981-1983), Bendel Development and Planning Authority, Legal Officer (Youth Service),1979-1980Education: London School of Economics & Political Science, Master of Laws – 1980, Nigerian Law School – 1979, Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria Winner of Graham-Douglas Prize for Commercial Law University of Lagos, 1975-78, LLB, Second Class Upper, Winner State Merit Award -, Igbobi College Yaba – 1969-75, School Prize for English Oratory, 1971, 1972; Adeoba Prize for English Oratory 1972-1975; Elias Prize for Best Performance in History (WASC) – 1973, School Prize for Literature (HSC), 1975; African Statesman Intercollegiate Best Speaker’s Prize, 1974.


POLITICAL CAREER AND LIFE

After the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, Yemi was tasked, with other notable Nigerians, to design and produce a manifesto for the new political party. This culminated in the presentation of the "Roadmap to a New Nigeria" , a document published by APC as its manifesto if elected to power . The highlights of the Roadmap included a free schools meal plan, a conditional cash transfer to the 25 million poorest Nigerians if they enroll children in school and immunise them. There were also a number of programs designed to create economic opportunities for Nigeria's massive youth population.
On 17 December 2014 the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, retired General Muhammadu Buhari, announced Osinbajo as his running mate and vice-presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections.
On 31 March 2015 Buhari was confirmed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the presidential elections. Thus Osinbajo became the Vice President-elect of Nigeria. They were both sworn in on 29 May 2015.

Professor Yemi Osinbajo assumed office after taking the oath of office on 29th May, 2015 at the Eagle Square, Abuja. As the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he is expected to oversee the economic planning team and report, as well as make recommendations, to the president who takes the final decision. Because of his legal background and antecedents as a commissioner for justice in Lagos state for eight years, many expect that he will contribute a great deal to the much needed reform of the judicial system at the national level. During the 2014/2015 campaigns of the All progressives Congress, Professor Yemi Osinbajo held numerous town hall meetings across the country as against the popular rallies that many Nigerians and their politicians were used to. One of his campaign promises, which he has recently reiterated, was the plan to feed a school child a meal per day. Beyond feeding the school children, he has recently emphasized that this plan will create jobs (another campaign promise) for those who will make it happen.

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo was also the Pastor in charge of the Lagos Province 48, Olive Tree provincial headquarter parish, Ikoyi before his inauguration into office as the Vice President of Nigeria. He however still insists that he remains the pastor-in-charge of the said province and he his only on loan to the Federal Government. In his words,”Just like Pastor Ibitayo has said we are on loan. I am still the pastor-in-charge of Province 48 in Lagos and my wife remains wife of the pastor-in-charge.”


AWARDS AND WORKS

Yemi Osinbajo, has received several awards, they include:

• State Merit Award 1971;
• the School Prize for English Oratory, 1972
• Adeoba Prize for English Oratory 1972–1975
• Elias Prize for Best Performance in History (WASC) 1973
• School Prize for Literature (HSC), 1975
• African Statesman Intercollegiate Best Speaker’s Prize, 1974
• President Goodluck Jonathan conferred on Osinbajo the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger on May 28, 2015.

Memberships

He is a member of the following professional bodies:

• Nigerian Bar Association
• International Bar Association,
• Nigerian Body of Benchers
• Council of Legal Education in Nigeria and Senior Advocate of Nigeria

Chapters contributed to Books

• The Common Law, The Evidence Act and The Interpretation of Section 5(a) in Essays in Honour of Judge Elias (1986) (J.A. Omotola, ed) pgs. 165-18;
• Some Reforms in The Nigerian Law of Evidence Chapter in Law and Development (1986), (J.A. Omotola and A.A. Adeogun eds.) pgs. 282–311;
• Rules of Evidence in Criminal Trials in the Nigerian Special Military Tribunals Chapter 2 in Essays on Nigerian Law, Vol ... 1, Pgs. 28–42. (J.A. Omotola ed),
• Some Public Law Considerations in Environmental Protection. Chapter in “Environmental Laws in Nigeria”, (J.A. Omotola ed.) 1990 pgs 128–149,
• Domestic and International Protection for Women: “Landmarks on the Journey so far” in Women and Children under Nigerian Law”. (Awa U. Kalu & Yemi Osinbajo eds.) 1990. pgs. 231–241
• Some Problems of Proof of Bank Frauds and Other Financial Malpractices in Bank Frauds and Other Financial Malpractices in Nigeria (Awa Kalu ed.)
• FMJL Review Series, Modalities For The Implementation of The Transition Provisions in The New Constitution in Law Development and Administration (Yemi Osinbajo & Awa Kalu eds.) (1990).
• FMJL Review Series, Legal and Institutional Framework For The Eradication of Drug Trafficking in Nigeria – Narcotics: Laws and Policy in Nigeria (Awa Kalu & Yemi Osinbajo eds.) 1990
• Proof of Customary Law in non-Customary Courts, – Towards a Restatement of Nigerian Customary Laws, (Osinbajo & Awa Kalu eds.) 1991,
• External Debt Management: Case Study of Nigeria – International Finance and External Debt Management, UNDP/UNCTC, 1991,
• Judicial and Quasi-judicial Processing of Economic and organised Crimes: Experiences, Problems etc. Essays in Honour of Judge Bola Ajibola, (Prof. C.O. Okonkwo ed.) 1992,
• Human Rights, Economic Development and the Corruption Factor in Human Rights and the Rule of Law and Development in Africa (Paul T. Zeleza et al. eds) 2004

Articles published in law journals

• Legitimacy and Illegitimacy under Nigerian Law Nig. J. Contemp. Law. (1984–87) pgs. 30–45
• Unraveling Evidence of Spouses in Nigeria, Legal Practitioners Review Vol. 1 No. 2 1987 pgs. 23–28
• Can States Legislate on Rules of Evidence? Nigerian Current Law Review 1985 pgs. 234–242
• Problems of Proof in Declaration of Title to Land, Journal of Private and Property Law Vol. 6 & 7, October 1986, pgs. 47–68
• Interpretation of Section 131(a) of the Evidence Act. Journal of Private and Property Law Vol. 6 & 7 (1986), pgs. 118–122
• Review of Some Decrees of the Structural Adjustment Era (Part 1, 2, 3), (1989) 2 GRBPL No. 2 (Gravitas Review of Business and Property Law) pgs.60–63, (1989) 2 GRBPL No. 3 (Gravitas Review of Business and Property Law) pgs. 51–55, (1989) 2 GRBPL No. 4 (Gravitas Review of Business and Property Law)
• Current Issues in Transnational Lending and Debt Restructuring Agreements part 1 and 2, Autonomy, Academic Freedom and the Laws Establishing Universities in Nigeria (1990) Jus. Vol. 1 No. 2, pgs. 53–64, Admissibility of Computer Generated Evidence. (1990) Jus. Vol. 1 No. 1 pgs. 9–12
• Allegations of Crime in Civil Proceedings, U.I. Law Review 1987;
• Roles, Duties and Liabilities of Collateral Participants and Professional Advisers in Unit Trust Schemes (1991) Jus. Vol. 1 No. 7 pgs. 71–83, Reform of the Criminal Law of Evidence in Nigeria (1991) Jus. 2 No. 4 Pgs. 71–98
• Profit and Loss Sharing Banks – (1990) Jus. Vol. 2 No. 8, Juvenile Justice Administration in Nigeria.
• A review of the Beijing Rules. (1991) Jus. Vol. 2 No. 6. Pgs. 65–73
• Sovereign Immunity in International Commercial Arbitration – The Nigerian experience and emerging state practice- In African Journal of International and Comparative Law, 4 RADIC 1992, page 1-25, Human Rights and Economic Development in The International Lawyer. 1994, Vol. 28, No. 3 pgs. 727–742
• Legality in a Collapsed State: The Somalia Experience 45 ICLQ 1996, pgs. 910–924.

Books published/edited

• Nigerian Media Law, GRAVITAS Publishers 1991
• Cases and Materials on Nigerian Law of Evidence, Macmillan, 1996
• Integration of the African Continent Through Law” (Edward Foakes Publishers, 1989, vol. 7, Federal Ministry of Justice Law Review Series)
• Towards A Better Administration of Justice System in Nigeria” (Edward Foakes Publishers, 1989)
• FMJL Review Series, “Women and Children Under Nigerian Law”
• FMJL Review Series, The Unification and Reform of the Nigerian Criminal Law and Procedure Codes – (Malthouse Press), 1990
• Law Development and Administration (Malthouse Press), 1990
• Narcotics: Law and Policy in Nigeria, FMJL Review Series 1990
• Perspectives on Human Rights in Nigeria FMJL Review Series 1991
• Perspectives on Corruption in Nigeria, FMJL Review Series 1992
• Democracy and the Law, FMJL Review Series, 1991
• The Citizens Report Card on Local Governments (with Omayeli Omatsola 1998)
• Economic, Social and Cultural Rights – A training Agenda for Nigeria (with Bankole Olubamise and Yinka Balogun, 1998) Legal Research and Resource Development Centre
• Annotated Rules of the Superior Courts of Nigeria (with Ade Ipaye) Lexis-Nexis Butterworths 2004
• Cross Examination: A Trial Lawyer’s Most Potent Weapon (with Fola-Arthur Worrey) Lexis-Nexis Butterworths 2006

VP quote

Osinbajo And President Buhari

VP and wife

SOURCES: wikipedia.org,dailymail.com.ng

We bring to you tips of the week, This time it is about certain things you should know about cancer in case you don't know.

Here are some things you should know about cancer:

1. Cancer is a group of diseases caused by an uncontrolled spread of abnormal cells in the body that form tumors (growths/lumps).
2. It can affect any part of the body. Blood cancers do not form tumors. Benign tumors do not spread to other body parts and are not as life threatening as malignant tumors which can spread through the body.
3. Some cancers can be detected early, increasing the chances of effective treatment.
4. Most cancer cases could be avoided by living healthy.
5. About 5% cancers are hereditary.
6. Risk of developing cancer increases with age; about 77% in people 55 years and older, and 1% for all cases in children.
7. Tobacco smoking causes 22% of cancer deaths.
8. Skin and colon cancers are most common cancers cases in both men and women.
9. Common cancer cases among men are prostrate and lung cancers.
10. Common cancer cases among women are breast and cervical cancers.

 So the question is; How safe are you keeping yourself?

SOURCE: ConnectNigeria

Hello readers, Inside this post you will find trending important news in Nigeria today, you will find news that are of concern to Politics,Entertainment Economics,Locals and more... We update this page twice daily; morning and evening. CHECK BACK LATER TODAY FOR EVENING UPDATE



TOP NEWS IN NIGERIA TODAY(MORNING EDITION)


=>President Buhari sacks more DGs -Naij.com

SOURCES


=> Olajumoke Lands Endorsement Deal With Payporte(photos)


Payporte said: We are glad to announce the signing of @Olajumoke__o (Bread Seller turned model) as "Face of PayPorte 2016".
We will be featuring Olajumoke on our billboard campaigns through the year 2016.
Most importantly, we will help Olajumoke complete her long abandoned education.SOURCE

=>"Your Birkin Bag Is Fake" - Fan To Linda Ikeji, 'I'm Too Rich To Buy Fake Bag',


 Some fans were always tormenting Linda Ikeji who is fond of posting her shoes and bags collection on Instagram about not having a Birkin bag. A birkin bag is a very expensive and high end designer bag by Hermes.
Linda posted these two pictures of birkin bags she purchased and fans came for her due to the stress it takes to buy a birkin bag as there is usually a long list of clientele and waiting period which could be up to 3 years before a person can purchase one birkin bag. Some have even reported that a person can only buy one birkin bag per year and Kim Kardashian is even reported to have waited years to get a birkin bag.
Putting all this into consideration must have been the reason, some fans were not buying it when she posted pictures of her birkin bags and they called it fake.
These Updates Are Brought To You By Apata Bayode Follow Him On Twitter Here

This is quite the thing of the moment in the country. Bread-seller turned model, how inspiring... Nnena of ConnectNigeria writes about her and you may consider checking her story out.

        




Grass to grace stories are hard to come by, but Olajumoke Orisaguna comes to us by chance.
Trending this week has been the talk of Olajumoke, the bread seller who walked in by chance when Ty Bello was photo shooting the pop star Tinie Tempah for THISDAY Style. Tempah, the Nigerian-British rapper, singer and record producer, was on a visit to Nigeria, where he took part in shots with TY Bello, the artist popularly known for her song The Land Is Green and her photographs for THISDAY Style.
                            
The incident was purely unintentional, with Ty Bello not giving it a thought at first. Not until she went back to going through the shots, and not until people began to ask if the bread seller was a model on release of THISDAY Style magazine on the 31st of January that featured her with Tinie Tempah. Bello took back to the streets putting out word in search of the woman who hawked bread, and offering to “help her build a portfolio if she was interested”. Certainly she was interested! The next day, Jumoke showed up at Ty Bello’s studio and that became the defining moment for her.
Jumoke featured on THISDAY Style, on Sunday, February 7 with the caption Olajumoke Orisaguna, THE MAKEOVER OF A STREET-SELLER… A COMPELLING STORY BY TY BELLO.
                             
Prior to this incident, 27 year old Jumoke moved from Osun, where she had worked as a hairdresser, to Lagos. Leaving her husband and 5 year old daughter behind, she relocated with 14 month old Grace on invitation by a relative who introduced her to someone working at the Sabo Market bakery in a bid to make ends meet for her family. But Jumoke wakes up that morning like every other person, like every other street seller, to hustle. Tempah was the focal point, perhaps the okada rider was the side attraction according to Ty Bello, but Jumoke was the would-be model. After speaking with her husband, Ty Bello and her team set to work, with the leading makeup artist, Bimpe Onakoya and hairstylist Zubby.

Currently, Jumoke has over ten thousand likes on Instagram only and with thousands of posts and hashtags (#celebratingOlajumoke and #Olajumokebreadseller) on Twitter and Facebook. Her posts have also gone viral on international news handles like Huffington post. Ema Edosio, professional Nigerian videographer also made a short documentary about the process. Soon, she will be working as an intern at Make Me Salon and Sari Signature Salon in Victoria Island, Lagos. She has a list of modelling contracts with the modelling company, Few Models and the online retailer, Payporte. In addition, her education and accommodation is also being taken care of.
More news is still coming up on Olajumoke, as word continues to spread via online media.

SOURCE:ConnectNigeria

Ile Ife The Final Resting Place of History

Introduction

The first edition of this article was titled “Yoruba and Benin Kingdom The Missing Gap of History” following the Statement credited to Oba Ereduwa Omonoba Polopolo, that the Yoruba race originated from Benin Kingdom, was very rich in details and calls for re-examination by historians of high repute from all the Nigerian Universities and recognized institutions not from uneducated and bias sources of chambers or shrines of some Obas or traditional rulers as presently being envisaged or contemplated. The statement from Ooni of Ife disputing the fact of Oba of Benin was not strong enough or capable of influencing any academic exercise. The statement from the two kings and the follow up from Oba of Lagos and host of others had generated lots of discussion worldwide but some questions still remain unanswered. This has given this writer the opportunity to further ask questions hopefully it will lead to getting the solution about the source of the Yoruba and Edo with the publication of this second edition now titled “Ile Ife the final Resting place of History”.

I was often fascinated by the different versions of uncoordinated folk stories we were told about the origin of the Yoruba. As a very young Yoruba man from Abeokuta I was told Oduduwa was the first man created by God just like the Bible said Adam and Eve were the first to be created by God. The Bible says Cain the only surviving child of Adam and Eve went to another city called Nod to marry his wife. The question is who created the wife, the wife parent or the family of the in-law if any. Just like I asked in my innocent mind as a student in the primary school then who created Oduduwa and how did Oduduwa marry his wife? Where did parent of the wife of Oduduwa come from? My Teacher never told me the answer. We were even told Oduduwa was the son of one Lamurudu from Far East most likely Saudi Arabia and that some of Yoruba cousin can be found in Uganda infact they call the Yorubas in Uganda Akarabas, which is true. Most of these uncoordinated conflicting stories were very difficult to prove or be binding on history for any academic minds.
The Genesis of the Yorubas

Oduduwa had sixteen children we were told and the eldest was Orangun of Ila and the Egbas in Abeokuta were descendants of the female child of Oduduwa named Alaketu. None ever disputed the fact that Oranmiyan the last born of Oduduwa also ruled the Benin Kingdom. Why did Benin or Edos allowed the last child of Oduduwa to be made a king over them or his descendants through Eweka 1st, if there was no blue blood connection? Oba of Benin gave a detail account of fact of history that are very difficult to dispute. The Yoruba share so many things in common with the Edo’s in names and culture, which must be part of the reason why it is very difficult to dispute the version Omo noba polo polo Oba of Benin.

Again, in the Bible, Adam and Eve who were believed to be the first human creation by God never told or shown Cain the only surviving child the Garden of Eden where God created them, just like Oduduwa never shown the place and real evidence how he was created by God. The idea of a rain and dove as the method of earth creation sounds more like magic than real. Archeologically, the Yoruba race is not more than 2000 years meaning other tribes excited before the Oduduwa appearance. None availability of any other serious fact to negate this lend credibility to Oba Benin’s version in which he the Oba of Benin himself has not proved positively where the Edo’s also came from. Did the Edo’s also come from heaven? Or emerged from the Igbos that often regarded themselves as the lost tribe of Israel? Why does is necessary to bury the head of any late Oba of Benin at Ile Ife or why is it compulsory to receive the blessing of Ooni before a King or Oba is crowned in Benin. All these are missing gaps of facts and history, which the academic institutions must trash.

Aside from the above both versions of History from Oba of Benin and Yoruba agreed that Oramiyan the last son of Oduduwa returned to Ife from Benin after he installed his son, Eweka the first as Oba of Benin after he became frustrated with the strange land. He met his father Oduduwa who was very advanced in age and blind more also, all properties had been shared and distributed among his fifteen brothers and sisters. Alternatively, seven brothers according to Oba of Benin, Oduduwa was at a dilemma on what to do because he assumed Benin Kingdom would be enough inheritance for Oranmiyan.

Both versions of history agreed that the name Benin meant “the land of the annoyed” because Oranmiyan left the place in annoyance. Could it be said that Benin had another name before Oranmiyan went there? What was the name? Does it have anything to do with the destruction of the Edo Empire or can we say Oranmiyan actually founded the Benin Kingdom, which must be the reason why he changed the name of the city to Benin? Oba of Benin comment on the Edo’s checking the secrecy of Oranmiyan led to his abdication of the thrown for his son is not convincing enough taking into consideration the attitude of Oranmiyan who was believed to be ruthless, one would have thought he would have handled the issue in different method.
The Returns of Oranmiyan

Oduduwa found an easy way out to appease the disgruntled son Oranmiyan he gave him, his staff as a symbol to present to his brothers and sisters to be able to collect ten percent of revenue derived from yearly harvest through out Yoruba Land. With this, Oranmiyan was able to collect over 150 percent of all the returns throughout the uncoordinated kingdom. Oduduwa also grudgingly agreed to allow his last son Oranmiyan to be king at Ile Ife after his death. The reason for this was unknown as this was against the customs and traditions of giving priority to first child or son who was Ila of Irangun.

On the other hand, could it be said that Orangun was too afraid to challenge his junior brother or Oranmiyan was indeed the senior? Or could the version of history that actually claimed Okanbi as the only son of Oduduwa was right and Oranmiyan was indeed the same person as Okanbi? This is a fact of history the present Orangun of Ila should clarify. His silence amounts to selling his birthright to his junior brother if he was indeed the first-born and why did all other 14 brothers and sisters fail to do something? Some even say Oranmiyan was not a direct son but a son of Okanbi. Some even argued that Okanbi was the same person as Oranmiyan but Okanbi literarily meant only child if that should be the case it will amount to a conclusion that Oduduwa had only one child while his only child Okanbi gave births to the 16 children that became the pillar of Yoruba race this is another area the historians must explore.

Oduduwa was primarily a skillful priest and voodoo person who the Oba of Benin argued picked up the powers in the forest. Who were his teachers? Was it by demons or gods? Or by the power of abcadabra. Who verified how Oduduwa acquired his powers? None and how did Oba of Benin come to this conclusion? It is often said rituals and sacrifices is an everyday issue at Ife except for one day and that is never made public probably the only day Odududua took vacation. Oba of Benin must explain the reason why the Head of all previous Oba of Benin were buried in a cave at the shrine of Oduduwa at IFE.

Origin of Ooni Title

We have read and heard stories that in one of the ritual ceremonies where nobody was allowed to be outside, an unidentified foreign woman of no means of tracing her background was captured and was to be used as sacrifice for the gods. She was later spared because she was found to be pregnant beside; it was against custom at that time to use a pregnant woman for sacrifice. The child from the woman was dedicated to the gods and acted in an assistant capacity to the aging Oduduwa in his day-to-day ritual and voodoo job. The child was named Ooni: meaning, “This is Spared One”. This cannot be totally disputed because the Yoruba’s often named children after events surrounding their births. Nobody apart from this simple understanding of Ooni has given any other meaning interpretation of the title. This writer did not create this meaning every Yoruba man or woman grew up with this assumption. It may not necessary be the reason.

After the death of Oduduwa his son, Oranmiyan was invited to take over the job of his father, which was primarily ritual and voodoo, as well as traditional ruler of Ile Ife. Oranmiyan refused because he had succeeded in building an economically viable place at Oyo Ile with administratively sound method of government around the Oyomesi council in chief and it would be very degrading to leave and move to Ile Ife to be involved in ritual daily sacrifices exercises. In the light of that assumptions Oranmiyan gave conditions that he must be buried at Ife to symbolize his right to Ife thrown. Ooni the Assistant to Oduduwa in the day-to-day ritual sacrifice exercise continued with Odua’s job while he continued with supervision from Oyo Ile. It was that condition Ooni the son of the slave woman that was captured and dedicated to the gods who was assisting Oduduwa continued the work of Oduduwa at Ife. This is the reason why ALafin of Oyo will never accept Ooni of Ife as a king or a superior in any Yoruba gathering of Obas. The creation of Oshun State out of Oyo State was the major events that separated the two kings in one of the sittings of Obas in the old Oyo State the Chairmanship issue was almost a national problem that which was exploited by the political leaders of both the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and national Party of Nigeria (NPN) at that time.

Ooni assumed superiority was a British creation because the King of England assumed a king at Ife the assumed cradle of Yoruba must be superior to all Obas just like the British did in Abeokuta by imposing Alake superiority over other Obas at Abeokuta. In case of Egbas Sorunke who led the Egbas from Ibadan to the present Abeokuta was from Oke Ona, which Oba Tejuoso is the King today. This is the reason why there was conflict between late Alake of Abeokuta and Osile of Oke Ona. In fact both the Akes and Oke Onas met Owu’s in the southwest area of the city. Power and control in Abeokuta was not evenly distributed among the five kings. The British creation has led to communal disagreement among the city’s five kings. Including the Ibaras and Gbaguras the side of late Moshood Abiola. Although the late Alake of Egbaland was very technical and tactical in the way he cautiously curtailed other Egba Obas to accepting his leadership that can not be said of Ooni who does one thing better by allying himself with the government at the center in and out of the state all time a strategy Alaafin must have to adopt.

IFE The Final Resting Place of Oranmiyan

Why was Oranmiyan buried at Ife not at Oyo Ile or Oyo Igboho? What is the meaning for Opa Oranyan symbol at Ife today? Except to confirm his right to the thrown or seat of Oduduwa. If Ooni was not a true son or direct descendant of the sixteen children of Odua or a relation of Okanbi how did he get his title so recognized that it became the symbol of Yoruba center of unity and not Alaafin the much feared Iku babayeye? Some historians will argue that Ooni was just his name that became his title. If Ooni was a direct son of Oduduwa how come he could not be traced to the 16 children of Oduduwa? Did the first Ooni pay tributes to Alaafin or Oranmiyan like all other Yoruba Obas and Baales (village Heads) at that time or was he exempted from taxes or levies? If not. Why? Those emerging empires that refused to pay were destroyed or sold away as slaves. The practice to sell any opposition as slaves stopped after the Oyo Empire was destroyed. It is rather difficult to accept the Ooni’s version as against the Omonoba Polo polo but then Oba of Benin’s version was not full proof. Has any Oba of Benin from history been a member of governing council at Ife? If yes. Why? And why must Oba of Benin’s head be buried at Ife if Ile Ife is not the source for the two tribes? Oba of Benin must be courageous to explain this fact of history.

Oranmiyan’s Role In Yoruba History

Oranmiyan from history was a belligerent person. A war hero and where his brothers and sister failed to give the yearly ten percent duty as agreed with the staff of Oduduwa he used force. He later appointed his representatives in each of the kingdoms of Yoruba to monitor the returns, thus the creation of Oyo Empire that lead to the end of the kingdom Oduduwa created which was not properly coordinated. There was no proper channel of control during Odua. Oyo Empire gave the Yoruba race the much respect and proper foundation in the south of Sahara. The new empire grew with amazing rapidity throughout West Africa and was like the Ghana or Shonghai Empire of the medieval history in the south of Sahara.

One of the strategies of the Oyo Empire was engagement in slavery. It was a tactical way to weaken opposition among the Yoruba’s and those captured. Oranmiyan and his descendants were absolute in control and management. Infact, the word Kabiyesi that was later adopted by subsequent Alafin from the time of Sango oko Oya in Oyo meant absolutism the king could never be wrong. Such was the fear and power of Alafin throughout Yoruba land.

Oranmiyan’s administration was the best in Africa and could be likened to the British system of Administration during the colonial government. The Empire expanded up to the present Benin republic. Those who escaped the control of Alaafin are the Yoruba’s living in Benin Republic, which was formerly Dahomey. On the East side there was no historical record of any interference between the father and the son the rulers in Benin Kingdom. The reason for this was not known but it will amount to fighting yourself if Oranmiyan had to wage war of control over Benin. Oba of Benin Omonoba Polopolo did not explain the reason for the prolong truce between Benin and Oyo Empire. Spiritual contact was established with each Benin King’s head buried at Ife and spiritual approval from Ife before any Oba is crowned at Benin? Why is this so if Benin was the source how come the source goes to the Ife for approval of final rest of the head of Benin Obas? Ile Ife in actual fact demonstrated its superiority by having the head of Oranmiyan himself.

At least there was no record of history of any transaction between father and son commercially or any known tribal or communal war between Yoruba and Benin Kingdom while Benin Kingdom continued to progress and Oyo Empire continue to expand to the west coast. In Lagos, there could not be a clash, it was a place of reunion for Edo’s and Yoruba it was said Eko, which is Lagos, and in our local dialect is a Benin word. Why did Oranmiyan and his descendants fail to expand towards the East of the empire, which would have been a clash with Edo’s? Was it a mutual agreement or respect or tactical error or oversight in the expansionism of Yoruba Empire?

The fall of Oyo Empire

Oyo Empire later suffered from over expansion while some local heroes started to emerge to challenge the authority of the Oyo kingdom or that of the Alafin of Oyo. Among them was the Lisabi Agboagbo Akala who liberated the Egbas from Oyo Empire to create a fearless Egba Kingdom. Lisabi was never a king in fact he was murdered by the Alake of Egbaland because of his popularity after he used his Aaro o method to form a rally point and effectively destroying the mirth surrounding the Alaafin control in Egbaland The Egba emerged as a new power block in the south west. And major control of the slave market at Badagry and women like Madam Tinubu from Owu Abeokuta moved to Lagos known as Eko to further consolidate the gain of slave market route.

Egbas as a kingdom with its own capital at Abeokuta in the present Ogun State with a conglomeration of five kings with its own National Anthem “Lori Oke ati Pele” was merged with Nigeria by the British Empire after 1914. In addition, Lagelu emerged from Ibadan, Ogendegbe Agbogungboro from Ijeshaland and Shou of Ogbomosho and Ilorin through the deserter Chief of Army Staff of Oyo who was killed by Alimi a Fulani thus the end of Oyo Empire. The new empires moved toward western civilization with sophisticated weapon while the Oyo remained old fashioned and did not modernize its weapons. The attack from the Sokoto Caliphate from the North finally nailed the coffin of the Oyo Empire. The collapse of the Oyo Empire led to the Yoruba Wars, which was never concluded until the British finally took over Nigeria in 1914 with the amalgamation of North and Southern Nigeria by Lord Luggard. The present Oyo town is a shadow has Old Oyo town, which is still visible at Oyo Igboho. Oyo town in the present Oyo State is just a new creation to symbolize the memory of the Old.

The Egbas and Ijebus took over the control of southwest towards the Atlantics because of lucrative slave trade and closeness to the white man. The emergence of western civilization further weakened the Old Oyo empire, the empire collapsed and the ruminants of it can still be found at the old site, the irony of it is Alafin of Oyo in the present Oyo town continue to live in the memory of his ancestors glory of the Old Oyo empire. Alafin has never made spiritual contact with old Oyo town nor effort to salvage the relics of history, which should be used as fundamental tourist place in Yoruba history
Ile Ife The Final Resting Place of History

Ooni who is not a direct son or descendants of Oduduwa may not necessarily be considered viable in this discussion. Alafin of Oyo who is a descendant of the acceptable link between Yoruba and Edo must examine his place in history and that of his senior brother Orangun of Ila the first son who had disappeared into history because he never challenged Oranmiyan. The abdication of the thrown is a loss of right for Oranmiyan to his son in Benin but if the son (Eweka) and his descendants according to history continue to respect tradition and be buried at Ife or received blessing before being crowned then we can conclude that Ife is superior to Benin and Edo’s must have infact originated from Ife?

The question is this. Can a son be greater than his father can? Or can a river be greater than its source? No. Otherwise it will dry. The source of Yoruba from Benin although appeared to be very authentic as presented by Oba Eredua than Saudi Arabia or Lamurudu, which cannot be traced, traced in Saudi Arabian history. But the fact of history of allegiance of Oba of Benin to Ile Ife the cradle of Yoruba race before being crowned and after death is an indication that Ife is the source of both the Yoruba’s and Edo but the Yoruba’s and historians must come up with a very scientific and foolproof history to support this argument. This is an area the Ooni and other Yoruba writers have not defended. The argument of Professor Ajayi was not detailed or courageous enough. The professor wrote as if he was afraid to offend both the Yoruba and the Edos as against the fact, which would have helped the issue unless the Professor has no answer to the problem.

Conclusion.

Alternatively, can we write off Alafin of Oyo from this discussion because his descendant failed to head the thrown at Ile Ife when Oranmiyan was called? No. Some will say since he was buried at Ife to symbolize his rights to the thrown or why did all his brothers fail to challenge his right to the Ife thrown if he indeed was the last born maybe, that part of history was right that Oranmiyan was the first born not the last as mentioned by Oba of Benin. They’re so many unanswered questions of history. The answer is not if we will offend ourselves or change the place of Edo’s or Yoruba in history but who we are and where we were coming from. It is often said that it is a taboo to bury a king in exile. Ile Ife from all indications and by having the heads of all the late kings of Benin and that of Oranmiyan himself buried at Ile Ife to this writer is the source of Edos and Yoruba and this fact must not be distorted with sentiments.

SOURCES: edo-nation.net,gamji.com

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 =>War on corruption: EFCC may soon go after former First Lady— DailySun

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may soon invite Goodluck Jonathan’s wife to explain her role in the sourcing and disbursement of huge funds spent by the presidency during the last two weeks before the general elections. The fund, estimated at over a trillion naira, was reportedly disbursed through the Amnesty office to some political bigwigs in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to investigators of the disbursement, the release of about 40% of the funds was authorized by the former First Lady. The operatives of the anti-graft agency are also investigating the source of the funds, which has not been yet established because the former head of the presidential amnesty programme departed from Nigeria. Speaking with The Sun, sources who pleaded for anonymity said that the former Amesty office’s boss “allegedly disbursed the bulk of the money, which was not part of the funds allocated to his office.” “Ordinarily, he should have been here to defend himself against the petitions, but he has refused to show up. It is highly suspected that he is not in any hospital. It was all a dummy be sold to Nigerians. He left this country as soon as he sensed the EFCC may invite him to explain his role in the funds disbursement,” he added. The source noted that the investigation team has already interrogated some aides, including personal assistants and driver of the former boss of the Amnesty office, on the matter. In the past few months, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has increased the tempo of its hunt for public funds suspected to have been looted from the government coffers. Many serving and retired military officers as well as top politicians have been interrogated by the EFCC operatives. READ ALSO: EFCC boss reveals who frustrates Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade It would be noted that the anti-corruption campaign has started yielding fruits. A few days ago, the immediate past director of finance and budget of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore O. O. Gbadebo, returned the sum of N84 million to the anti-graft agency. Earlier this year, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former military governor of Kaduna state, Jafaru Isa, returned N100m out of the N170m he reportedly received from former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
SOURCES


=> Omotola Jalade launches Event Centre to celebrate birthday (Photos)

On Valentine’s Day Sunday, February 14, top Nollywood actress and One of Time’s Most Influential People in the world, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde opened an event center, Double Doors at 8 Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Unity Bus Stop, Ikeja, Lagos. Omosexy as she is fondly called was in playful element dancing to Kiss Daniel, threw off her high heel, sang her hit song, Gba and played host to Freeze and new wife, Blacky, DJ Bombastic, Bimbo Akintola, Bigsam, Denrele, family and friends. READ ALSO: Omotola Jalade celebrates birthday with the less privileged (Photos) Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Omotola at the opening of her Event Centre, Double Doors Omotola at the opening of her Event Centre, Double Doors In order to close the event, Omotola Jalade thanked everyone who made out time out of their busy schedule to make her dreams come true. She said: “I thank everyone for coming here today, this is Double doors event centre please tell your friends about it. I want to thank everyone for coming here today, to those who stood by me in order for me to actualize my dream. She also thanked her photographer, her stylist, her manager (Damilare) among others.” In order to celebrate her new age, Omotola Jalade and her friends visited the Osu children’s Home in Ghana. Narrating her ordeal with the children she disclosed that a particular girl held on to her and refused to let her go, this experience has made Omotola promise to go back to the orphanage.
SOURCE

=>Bukky Wright sheds light on new movie and her son's music career

Nollywood actress Bukky Wright says her new movie is almost ready. READ ALSO: How Aki and Pawpaw saved a couple’s marriage from collapse Speaking exclusively to Hip TV, she said the film which was shot in the United States is at its final stage, specifically in its post-production stage. The movie is titled Beast Amongst Us and promises a number of international appearances. The actress also decried the spate of image abuse actors suffer in Nigeria as a result of misconceptions from the public. She listed this as a major setback for the actors’ images. She said most of these acts are make-believe and so should not be taken seriously. On her son’s career she expressed readiness to support him to the fullest in his music career.


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Tony Ogunlowo sent in this article and we find this article quite sensible and deep.. You should check this out if you interested in Nigeria's economy status.

                          



Naira Devaluation & Falling Oil Prices: A Marshall Plan for Nigeria by Tony Ogunlowo


At the end of the Second World War, with much of Europe in ruins and struggling to cope with the aftermath of six years of conflict, under the Marshall Plan of 1948 America gave $13 billion dollars to Western European countries to help rebuild their countries. It wasn’t just a major financial package designed to help re-build major infrastructure, factories etc. destroyed during the war but also to make Europe prosperous again, dropping trade barriers using new business procedures, preventing the spread of communism and bringing in new improved working conditions.

Nigeria is in the same predicament right now. Economically in ruins, not by wars or conflict but of years and years of mismanagement which has seen politicians squandering billions and billions of dollars of public funds intended for capital projects.
The current planned National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP) which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2014 aims to raise the country’s stock of infrastructure to at least 70% of GDP by 2043.

All good in theory but where’s the money going to come from considering the implementation of phase one alone will cost at least 165 US billion dollars.
With the current falling oil prices the current government is in trouble; budget obligations may not be fulfilled, austerity measures will have to be introduced, inflation will rise and growth will fall seriously jeopardizing any future large scale projects.

Right now emphasis should not be on short term borrowing to plug the holes in the budget deficit. This will only be a temporary solution to an ongoing problem. Money is needed, not only to make up the shortfall but also for the overhaul of major capital infrastructure such as oil refineries, power stations and Federal roads which are currently crumbling to pieces or falling into neglect due to lack of maintenance and upgrading.

Bringing in cost-cutting measures in an attempt to diversify much needed funds will not work. There are too many needy sectors. The Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, devised by the Babangida administration is a clear indication that such programmes will not work on a long time basis.

Nobody will give us a ‘Marshall-Plan-style’ grant because its believed we’re rich enough and don’t need handouts.What is needed is a very big loan from a foreign financial institution or country. It will have to be very long term, say 25 to 50 years, at a fixed rate. It will be solely for the capital projects that will benefit the country on the long run.

Such a loan, even though foreign lenders might demand it, might prevent the official devaluation of the Naira. With the value of the currency intact, capital flight (-pulling money out of the country) will be greatly minimized and will also encourage foreign investors to invest.

The advent of the Buhari administration has seen a renewed confidence, by foreign concerns, in Nigeria’s ability to pick itself up from problems created by previous administrations. The recent rise in offered help to fight growing problems such as Boko Haram and corruption is a clear indication of this.
Whilst foreign lenders are not actually queuing up to lend us money due to our past record of mismanagement and kleptomania, countries like Britain and America, would not hesitate to put a bailout package together if properly sought. Again reassurances will have to be made that the money lent will go directly to the intended projects and not end up in some kleptomaniac politician’s offshore account. We are all aware of the Obama arms embargo placed on Nigeria previously, under the Leahy Act, due to our dismal human rights record and pilfering. So if they do decide to bail us out they will be watching us like hawks ready to pull the plug if we default.

Oil is plentiful in the world now with more and more countries producing crude oil. Prices will continue to drop as the market stagnates and Nigeria needs to diversify into areas such as agriculture to provide a secondary income to oil. Currently agriculture only accounts for 20.24% of the GDP as of 2014.
IT is another area where Nigeria can earn substantial income. India earns a fortune for being the IT outsourcing country in the world providing crucial IT back-up for firms in America and Europe. If the antics of the ‘Yahoo, Yahoo boys’ are anything to go by we have the raw talent but lack the infrastructure. Thousands of Nigerian students graduate each year in one IT field or another with no outlet or employment for their skills leaving them to turn to mischief e.g 419, scamming etc. A major investment in telecommunications and power stations is needed.

Secondary sources of income generation need to be sought to supplement the income from oil and the necessary infrastructure put in place. All this costs money, not the kind of money currently being earned from oil sales, but a huge capital injection of funds that can only come from a Marshall-Plan-style foreign bailout.

READ FULL NEWS


 =>  Drama In Aso Villa As FG Justifies Buhari’s Foreign Trips-Vanguard

It was nothing short of a melodrama at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday, between State House correspondents and the Federal Government over the many foreign trips of President Muhammadu Buhari during a press briefing.
Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information, who justified the trips, said they were necessary to bring the country back on the track of development and growth. According to him, Nigeria was a pariah state under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said that under Jonathan’s watch, corruption permeated the country, such that foreign investors deserted it. He stated that it was necessary to tell Nigerians that the trips had started paying off since investors’ confidence in the country had been restored. Mohammed spoke during a press briefing at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting in Abuja. He said: “You do not run a country by being isolated. The personal presence of Mr. President in many of these fora is important because before now, we were almost a pariah state.

Journalists had waited patiently to be briefed on the outcome of the Federal Executive Meeting, FEC, which routinely meets to take decision on matters of government. As usual, yesterday’s meeting was chaired by president Buhari with his vice, professor Yemi Osinabjo and most of the 36 ministers in attendance. By a little after midday, the meeting had ended with the Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, his counterpart in Environment, Amina Mohammed in company with Minister of State for Environment, Usman Ibrahim come into the press gallery inside the villa to brief Journalists. The briefing was reduced to a two item issue: Climate change and President’s many foreign trips so far, anchored by the Minister of Environment.

FULL NAME:          Uti Nwachukwu

DATE OF BIRTH:    August 3, 1982

OCCUPATION:       Actor,Model, TV Personality

MARITAL STATUS:  Married

INTRODUCTION
Uti Nwachukwu is a Nigerian actor, TV presenter, model and MC from Lagos best known as the winner of Big Brother All Stars, in 2010.
He first appeared on Big Brother Africa in Season 3 and was the third housemate evicted, on Sunday 5 October 2008.
He returned to the show in 2010 as one of the 14 "all stars" of Season 5, entitled Big Brother All Stars, and won the season.





EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND

According to Uti, who describes himself as a ‘Deltan to the core’, his formative years were spent in Ughelli and Sapele in Delta State. Back in the day, his father who died of prostrate cancer in 2010 while he was still in the Big Brother House was a staff of Delta Glass. So, as a child, Uti had all he wanted.
He grew up in Ughelli, Uloho Avenue to be precise, Uti says going down memory lane: “growing up in Ughelli was really great. When I think of it now I get nostalgic. I had a very sweet childhood. My dad worked at Delta Glass and it was a quiet life. Most of the time, I was in-doors watching TV. It gives me this sense of humility because there was no big city life to make you live a fake life, so we were all real to each other.”

As a child, the dreadlock wearing Uti was a prankster who was never short of mischievous ideas. He played pranks on everybody including his uncles and aunties. Recounting those years, he says: “I was very mischievous and inquisitive. I was that kind of kid who could incite my peers. I could say ‘let’s dash across the road while a car is coming’ and I’ll convince my peers and they will join me. I liked breaking the rules at home and when my siblings said ‘mum and dad will not be happy’ I would retort ‘are they here right now?’ I was a renegade, very mischievous and I loved to prank people; I was a prankster. I played pranks on my aunties and uncles. There was a time I locked my aunty in the store and ran away with the key.”
Despite success and fame, Uti insists that he is still in touch with that little boy who grew up in Ughelli and Sapele and who dreamt to be a star.“I remember where I come from,” he says with emphasis, pointing a finger at his well groomed locks “and that’s why I have not let this fame get to my head. It’s all petty and vane. One minute you’re there and the next you’re out. And the reason why that happens is that many people forget who they are and where they are coming from so easily when they find success, and before you know it, they are blown away. So for me, I am still in touch with that boy. He makes me appreciate what I have and inspires me to work harder.”

Uti, who appeared in a multi-national billboard ad in 2007, holds a 2-year diploma in Computer Science and Education from the University of Nigeria. He previously applied to be on Big Brother Africa but was delayed to the audition because of an exam.

The one-time bank employee appeared on the Nigerian reality series Next Movie Star, which he finished as the runner-up, before being selected for Big Brother Africa 3.
Listing his mom and dad as his heroes, Uti says the best advice he's received from a friend was, "happiness is a state of mind and it usually begins with a choice."
A fan of Chelsea Football Club, he dislikes "people going through my stuff, liars, manual labour and arrogant people."
His favourite quote ("Those who dare to fail miserably are the ones who often succeed greatly") echoes his belief in life and he says people describe him as a "cocktail of personalities."
Outgoing and talkative, Uti confesses that he has mood swings sometimes.
Describing Nigerians as happy, confident, smart and fun to be with, Uti says Ofunneka was his favourite housemate on Big Brother Africa 2, not just because she was Nigerian, but because she was smart and held her own in the house.
Asked why audiences should watch him on Big Brother, Uti says, "I think I'm an entertaining person so I think the audience will relate to me on a number of issues."
His message to viewers is to "please let the best man or woman win."
If he wins Big Brother Africa, Uti says he'll do his part to help the disadvantaged and then he'd invest.


CAREER AND LIFE 

Following his success in 2010, his career took a new turn as he started getting movie roles and doing music colabos. Big Brother had finally unlocked the doors of success for the Delta State indigene.
Though, he insists that his music is not commercial, it’s finally paying off. He won an award for Best Alternative Video at the NMVA in 2011. Says Uti: “My music is not commercial in Nigeria because I am a rock artiste. I won an award for my video at NMVA 2011. It was for Best Alternative Video. I had top contenders there but I won because everything I do I believe in doing right and besides, I have wonderful fans who made sure they voted and I won. I am still going to make a full rock album after my own fashion. We have a rock crowd in Nigeria, I am sure they will love it.”

Uti is full of gratitude to his mother who he describes as the woman who calmed him down and gave him a whole new perspective to life. He says his mum is the reason he has a kind heart. Hear him: “She is a sweet mum and a widow now. I grew up with this fierce attitude towards life but my mum gave me the reason to slow down. She was always the voice of reason. She made me have this kind heart that I have right now. Because of her I am kind towards people and animals. I don’t believe in revenge and vendettas. My mother is a very kind woman and the exact opposite of my dad who was a go-getter and very sanguine.
“She complemented my dad. She is such an amazing mother. I talk to her every time. We are on the phone always. When she is around I am always with her. I love my mum to death; she is the reason why there is a humane side of me.”

Working as an actor, TV presenter, model and MC, the BSc. Ed (Computer Science) graduate lists some of his good qualities as: "understanding, down to earth, fun to be with, accommodating, genuine..."
He also says that if his friends had to list his worst qualities they would say, "I have a loud voice, I talk too much when I'm excited, sometimes I'm not tolerant of people's misbehaviour."

SPEAKING ON HIS MUSIC CAREER AND LIFE AFTER BBA IN A 2013 INTERVIEW:



AWARDS AND ENDORSEMENTS 

1.MODE MEN AWARD FOR BREAK THROUGH OF THE YEAR.
2.GHANA MOVIE AWARDS FOR BEST ACTOR WEEST AFRICAN COLLABORATION.
3.HONORARY TOURISM AMBASSADOR FOR CROSS RIVER STATE.
4.YOUTH AMBASSADOR FOR DELTA STATE.
5.TRANSFORMATION AMBASSADOR FOR CHANGE.
6.MOTIVATION MAGAZINE AWARD FOR GIANT STEPS IN ENTERTAINMENT.
7.LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPER YOUNG PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD.
8.MBGA 2011 YOUTH AWARD.




SOURCES: toniaodili.com,tvsa.co.za,thenet.ng

So its throwback Thursday again so we've decided to show you a few interesting photos of how Nigeria in particular used to look in the past..

Aerial view of ancient Kano in the 1940s. Lovely ain't it?

Transportation in the 1950s. Interesting ain't it?

Old Carter Bridge, Lagos 1940s. Cutely Classic...

Central Bank Of Nigeria, Lagos state. 1950s

So what can you say about these pics

We just added this to the NSR list, well, there have been controversies on this particular record, but after some considerations the NSR team have decided to enlist this particular record.

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=> THE FIRST AND THE OLDEST STOREY BUILDING IN NIGERIA IS LOCATED IN BADAGRY, LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA. BUILDING COMPLETED IN 1845.<=

Brief Info.
Going down the history lane, the foundation of the first storey building in Nigeria was laid in 1842 and the house was completed in 1845 in Badagry, Lagos State.
History has it that the ancient structure was erected by Reverend Henry Townsend of the Church Missionary Society (CMS).
The structure was occupied by Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African C.M.S Bishop when he undertook the translation of the Holy Bible from English to Yoruba. It was also used as Vicarage for saint Thomas Anglican church.
Despite the claims that storey buildings were already built in the Northern side of the country before the arrival of the missionaries, the first documented storey building in Nigeria is in Badagry and it holds many historical relics such as the building materials used in constructing the house itself.

PICTURES:

photo credits: Naij.com

Photo credits: Naij.com

photo credits: Naij.com

CLICK HERE TO GO TO T.I.N NIGERIA SUPER RECORDS MAIN PAGE TO SEE MORE

FULL NAME:            Alex Ekubo-Okwaraeke

DATE OF BIRTH:     10 April 1986

OCCUPATION:          Actor, model

MARITAL STATUS:  Not Married


INTRODUCTION 
Alex Ekubo is a Nigerian actor and model. He was first runner up at the 2010 Mr Nigeria contest. Alex is young actor with many awards, he won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role award at the 2013 Best of Nollywood Awards for his role in Weekend Getaway and more after. 







EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND

Alex Ekubo-Okwaraeke(popularly known as Alex Ekubo) was born on the 10 April 1986.
Ekubo is a native of Arochukwu, Abia State. He attended the Federal Government College Daura, Katsina State. He studied Law at the University of Calabar, bagged a diploma in Mass Communication from Calabar Polytechnic and as of 2015 he is studying for a second degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Calabar.SPEAKING MORE ABOUT HIMSELF IN AN INTERVIEW:
What is your family background – you have any brothers and sisters?
I am the 2nd born of four. I have an older sister, a younger sister and a younger brother.
What is your educational background and what was your major in university?
I attended Federal Government College of Daura in Katsina State, gained a diploma in Mass Communication from Calabar Polytechnic and studied Law at University of Calabar.
When you were a child do you remember taking part of any school plays?
Yes, growing up, almost every kid in my neighborhood and/or church took part or participated in either school or church drama and play –so to me that was a normal activity. And in university my friend and I use to plan events for entertainment/award show and stuff. We use to get a lot of great compliments for our well organised & successful events, as well as my hosting skills. So that’s when the whole entertainment thing sparked a light in me somewhat.

CAREER AND LIFE 

He is a model as well as an actor and won second place in the 2010 Mr. Nigeria contest. He made his debut into Nollywood in a movie titled ‘Sinners in the House’ produced by Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen. Alex gradually rose to fame and has become a household name. He has starred in several award winning movies  and bagged for himself the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2013 Best of Nollywood Awards for his role in the Weekend Getaway. In 2015, he won two awards.

The Award for Outstanding Performance in Nollywood in the 2015 Cross River State Movie Awards and  Actor of the Year award in the 2015 Peace Achievers Award.
Alex Ekubor is listed among Nollywood’s most eligible bachelors. His good looks and humble nature stands him out from the crowd. He is very lovable and a fun person as well.

On His first experience in acting:
Well, when I was younger I got an opportunity to play as an extra in a movie titled “Sinners In the House” by Lancelot Imaseun, who was (and still is a close family friend) and neighbour – so that was my first experience in movie. The experience was awesome and I learnt a lot. I later on got an opportunity to be featured in soap opera called Secrets & Scandals (Season 3) and was also was featured in TV promo ad and Billboard adverts for Chivita. I still currently have a role in Africa’s most popular TV Soap Opera Series by M-NET called “Tinsel”, where I play bartender by name of “Edet”. All these exposures have been great experience to being in front of a camera.

Speaking On His Role In The Movie: Ladies Men:
Well it’s interesting that you asked because it was kinda funny how it happened. See what happened was, it was the last day of shoot for a movie I was working on, and coincidentally one of the marketers for “Ladies Men” came on the set and had observed me. He later got my number somehow and called me out of the blue a week later asking me to fly to Abuja (all expense paid) for a movie shoot. He caught me off guard cos I didn’t know anything about the script – neither did he tell me on the phone, however I always feel whenever an opportunity rises – whether big or small you have to take chances, so without hesitation I flew to Abuja (with no script in hand ahead of time for me to prepare) and went on straight on set.
I was given the script the night before the shoot and that was the only time I had to familiarise myself with the role. When I read for the role, I was kinda shocked cos I was not expecting that at all, and I asked the producer why he had confidence in me that I could pull such an intense role off and especially without much preparation. He said he just knew I could do it and so I should just give it my best shot. And so I did. I didn’t ask more questions I just tuned my mind to do the best that I can to impress and let God do the rest. My first scene was the love scene with my co star Halima Abubakar’s role in the bedroom – and also my first time meeting Halima – so you can imagine how challenging that must have been to be put on the spot like that. But I got in the zone – and I nailed it. I hate to be stereotyped or pigeon holed and always like different challenging roles and that was why I took this role in Ladies Men. I felt it was different.

Some of the movies he has starred in include: In the Cupboard, True Citizens, Undercover Lover, Dream Walker, Weekend Getaway, Gold Diggin, Aina, Keeping my Man, Lagos Cougars, All that Glitters, Ifedolapo, Single Married and Complicated, Champagne, Death Toll, Gbomo Gbomo Express, The First Lady e.t.c

The actor has been manytimes rumored to be dating  star singer; Yemi Alade, but they both have denied it.

AWARDS AND ENDORSEMENTS 

2012	Best of Nollywood Awards	Most Promising Actor	In The Cupboard	Won
2013	Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Weekend Getaway	Won
	Best of Nollywood Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Won
2014	Screen Nation Awards	Favourite Male Emerging Screen Talent (African)	Himself	Won

Alex and Yemi Alade

Alex award

SOURCES: ogamadamtv.com,nollywoodforever.com,afrolinks.co.uk,dailymail.com.ng

Essi

So, in this week's episode of T.I.N Exclusive we bring to you an interview we had with the Finnish star herself; its Essi The Star, that name definitely must ring a bell to people who have seen her videos. Essi is a singer from Finland who is into a Afrobeats music, she is in love with so many Nigerian songs and she make videos of herself singing different Nigerian songs.
Essi is influenced by Tiwa Savage. In January, a video she made showing herself singing Tiwa Savage's standing ovation perfectly went viral, it drew many Nigerians attention to her Facebook page.
She's already dropped an Afropop sinngle; "Fall In Love" the singer revealed she's going to be dropping more AfroPop singles this year, she also talked about Nigeria,Nigerian music and more.. Checkout the interesting piece below:

      

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Hello Essi, this is Apata Bayode interviewing you from T.I.N Magazine.

CAN YOU TELL US YOUR REAL NAME?
Essi

AGE?
28

HOW ABOUT EDUCATION AND FAMILY?

I've finished studies two times at a vocational institute to be a hotel receptionist and a secretary, so I have two occupations. My family (mom, dad and older sister) live in Finland too.

SO DO YOU DO MUSIC AS A PROFESSION OR YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE YOU DO?

At the moment I'm a secretary doing office work. Music is not my profession yet but I hope it to be.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU INTO DOING MUSIC?

I've been singing all my life without really realizing it. I started performing at clubs and events when I was about 18 singing R'n'B and soul.

YOU DO AFRO-BEATS MUSIC, CAN YOU TELL US WHY?

I fell in love with afrobeats music about 10 years ago and a few years ago I was approached by a producer who asked me if I wanted to do afrobeats and I figured why not because I haven't heard of any Finn doing afrobeat in a way that I am.

DO PEOPLE OVER THERE IN FINLAND ENJOY AFRO-POP SONGS?

I would say there's a small group of Finns who enjoy afrobeat but it's not as popular as I would want it to be but more and more people are finding afrobeat music every day.

YOU SAID TIWA SAVAGE IS YOUR INSPIRATION WHY HER?

She's very successful in what she does and I love all of her songs. She has made a great career for herself and in that way she inspires me.

YOU'VE MADE A LOT OF VIDEOS OF YOU SINGING NIGERIAN SONGS PERFECTLY
AND THIS HAS GOT YOU SOME FANS HERE IN NIGERIA HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?

I'm forever grateful to all the people who have given me positive feedback and shown me love. I never would have imagined that my videos would reach half a million people like they have at the moment. I'm blessed to have such amazing fans already and I can't wait to start traveling and performing so I can meet all of them.

IN THE RECENT TRENDING VIDEO YOU JUST MADE, TIWA SAVAGE'S
"STANDING OVATION" YOU SANG OLAMIDE'S PART FLUENTLY SPEAKING A
NIGERIAN DIALECT HOW DID YOU PULL THAT OFF?

I seriously have no idea. I decided that I wanted to sing that song because of Olamide's part and the fact that I haven't seen anyone do it yet, especially a white girl. I listened to the song over and over and tried to get it in my head and one evening just decided to go for it and sang it. I tried not to stress it and just have fun and the outcome was good. I can't say it's perfect, but for a first try and for a girl who doesn't understand or speak a word of Yoruba it went great. And according to feedback I didn't mess it up completely, the feedback has been amazing :)

BEEN TO NIGERIA BEFORE?

Haven't been to Nigeria yet.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND OR SPEAK ANY NIGERIAN LANGUAGE?

I can understand pidgin somehow and I can speak basic sentences. I know a few basic words in Igbo and Yoruba.

DO YOU HAVE CRITICS?

Everyone always have critics. Some people are not happy at all that I'm singing Nigerian songs but everyone's entitled to their opinion and of course you can't please everyone. Why I'm blessed is that 99,9% of all the comments I've seen so far on my videos have been positive and I can't thank my fans enough for all the encouragement they've given me.

SO YOU PERFORM YOUR AFRO-POP SONGS OVER THERE TO THE FINNISH AUDIENCE?

I have performed here in Finland a few times, the most memorable event was warming up for Bracket and seeing them perform in Finland and meeting them after the show. That inspired me greatly. I have also performed abroad.

HOW IS THE FINLAND MUSIC INDUSTRY DOING?

Afrobeat is a very small segment of the Finnish music industry. There's not many people who do it successfully in Finland, if at all. Finnish pop and rock are probably the biggest music genres in Finland.

IF TIWA SAVAGE OR ANY NIGERIAN POP STAR STORMS FINLAND TODAY DO
YOU THINK THEY WOULD HAVE MASSIVE ATTENDANCE?

I can't say massive would be the right word, but I'm sure everyone who knows about afrobeat would attend their shows and we've already had big names like Bracket perform here and their gig was amazing and successful.

TELL US YOUR FAVOURITE NIGERIAN MUSICIANS

There's way too many to name but my most favourite one would be P-Square because P-Square was the first Nigerian music I ever listened to and they made me fall in love with Nigerian music. Second of course Tiwa Savage but I also love Flavour, 2Face, D'Banj, Wizkid, Skales, Bracket, Banky W, Iyanya, Seyi Shay, Davido, Yemi Alade and many many more, I love them all!

IS BEING A PERFORMING ARTIST PAYING YOUR BILLS ALREADY?

Not yet but I hope some day

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2016?

I would love to make new music and start touring the world, but let's see what the new year brings. New music at least I hope :)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF NIGERIA AS A COUNTRY?

I don't know what it is about Nigeria that I just love. First and foremost it has always been the music. It just hits me in a way that no other music does. It's energetic and positive and always puts me in a great mood. The second is the Nigerian people. They're very social and outgoing and I just love it. There's not a dull moment if a Nigerian is around. I love listening to Nigerians speak their own languages even though I might not understand a word of it. I can't wait to travel to Nigeria to see how beautiful it really is.

MESSAGE FOR YOUR FANS OUT THERE..

I just want to let all my fans know that I appreciate their love and support so so much and I feel so blessed that everyone has welcomed me with open arms. I'm grateful for all the likes and comments and shares that everyone has posted on and off my page and I can only wish for more to come!


Well, that's it. Checkout one of her videos below:

FULL NAME: David Adedeji Adeleke

DATE OF BIRTH: 21 November 1992

OCCUPATION: Recording artist singer-songwriter record producer.

MARITAL STATUS: NOT MARRIED



INTRODUCTION

Davido, is an American-born Nigerian recording artist, performer and record producer. His 2011 single "Dami Duro" brought him to limelight. As of 2016 Davido have made himself one of the biggest artists to ever come out of Africa. Davido signed a global deal with Sony Music in 2016. Davido is an artist with several endorsements and awards.




EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND

Davido was born on November 21, 1992 to Mr. and Mrs. Adeleke in Atlanta, Georgia. His father, Chief Deji Adeleke, is a Nigerian business magnate while his mother, the late Dr. Vero Adeleke, was a university lecturer. He attended The British International School in Lagos. Davido studied Business Administration at Oakwood University prior to relocating to Nigeria. He studied at Babcock University Ogun State.
Davido on his decision to venture into music says; I’ve been doing music for like 3 years but I took it seriously in March 2011. I was formerly in a group called KB international in America. It wasn’t working out so I thought I should just do this on my own that was when I moved back to Nigeria. I was around people that were musically inclined. I love music, and why not do something you love and are happy doing and making money at the same time.

FADER Magazine 2016 checkup revealed more about Davido's background. Find the bio update below:

Davido was 16 when he had arrived in Huntsville, a year earlier. His father, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, a well-known businessman and Seventh-day Adventist in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of over $300 million, dropped him off with his passport, $2,000 cash, and freshman registration documents for Oakwood University, a historically black Christian college. (People often attach the honorific ‘Chief’ to Dr. Adeleke’s name, referring to his wealth and power, largely earned through his founding of Pacific Holdings, a company that deals in steel, oil, gas, and more.) Davido had already spent time in the U.S.—he was born in Atlanta, and sometimes visited in the summer—but much about life in the States was new to him. “That was the first time I had a phone in America. There was unlimited calling. I never saw nothing like that before,” he remembers. “In Nigeria, you gotta pay before you get what you want.”

The school roomed him with another international student, a Rwandan track athlete—“I was like, ‘Okay, wow. They just put all the African people together?’”—but he gravitated toward an upstairs neighbor named Jaymo, an American kid whose speakers constantly rattled Davido’s ceiling. “One day, I went to go check what the noise was. I went upstairs, opened the door, and the guy had a full studio in his room,” he says. “I told him that I was trying to do music, too. He asked me, ‘How much do you have to invest in equipment?’ And I said, ‘$2,000.’ He was like, ‘That’s too much.’” They went to Guitar Center with $500.

From then on, Davido spent most of his time making beats and recording vocal references to send to a cousin in Lagos, a fellow musician with a trove of industry contacts. His grades slipped, and after three semesters, he dropped out and left town without telling his father. First he went to Atlanta, where he used his older brother’s ID to get into clubs, and funneled the money Chief Adeleke sent for school and living expenses toward drinks and motels. Later, he threw out his SIM card and hopped on a plane to London, where he went MIA for several months as he shifted his focus from production to vocals. “There was no Snapchat, no Instagram. There was barely Twitter,” he says. “I just went off the radar.”

Chief Adeleke, meanwhile, had been on the hunt for his son. When Davido finally returned to Lagos in 2011, with new tattoos and piercings, his father had him apprehended by police officers at the airport. Having failed to bring home the business management degree he’d been sent to America to complete, Davido reached a compromise with his father: he, still a teenager, would attend a private university two hours north of the city. His music dreams would be sidelined until he had honored his family by graduating. Davido returned to school, but often snuck out of his dorm room to hobnob at industry parties and blew off exams to record.

CAREER AND LIFE

Work on Davido's debut studio album, Omo Baba Olowo, began in 2011. On May 7, 2011, Davido produced and released his first musical recording "Back When".The song served as the album's lead single and received frequent airplay. The music video for the single, uploaded onto YouTube on May 9, 2011, was shot and directed in Nigeria by Clarence Peters. Davido told Factory 78 TV that he recorded "Back When" in London.

Davido co-produced "Dami Duro" with Shizzi and released it on October 30, 2011.The music video for "Dami Duro" was released on January 8, 2012. It was shot and directed in Lagos by Clarence Peters, and was released during the Occupy Nigeria protests. In an interview posted on Notjustok, Davido spoke on the release and composition of "Dami Duro". He said he recorded "Dami Duro" in August 2011. Three months later, the song got leaked after he sent it out to some friends.

On May 6, 2012, HKN Music released "Overseas" as a single off the album. The unfinished version of the song leaked prior to the official release.On September 28, 2012, HKN Music released the music video for "All of You". The song was produced by Gospelondabeat. When the song was released, it was rumored to be a "beef track". In another interview with Factory 78 TV, Davido debunked the rumors and said he recorded the song with Gospel after meeting him at a mall. To further promote the album, Davido released music videos for "Ekuro", "Gbon Gbon",and "Feel Alright".
2012 was a great year for the popular singer as his was well accepted by fans and also increased his fan base..

In early 2013, Davido began recording his second studio album. On February 25, 2013, he released "Gobe" as the upcoming album's lead single. The song was produced by Shizzi. Charles Mgbolu of Vanguard commented on the release of the single, saying: "It’s a beautiful song with a tremendous video running along. In Gobe, Davido is beaten up by thugs after winning the girl. It’s a song that exudes fun from start to finish."The music video for the single was shot in South Africa by Godfather Productions. The song was ranked second on Premium Times list of the Top 10 songs of 2013.

Davido announced via Twitter that the second single "One of a Kind", from the upcoming album, would be released on May 13, 2013.The song was also produced by the aforementioned in-house producer.The music video for "One of a Kind" was shot and directed in South Africa by Tebza of Godfather Productions. It visualizes a united Africa rich in culture and music.

"Skelewu", the third single from the upcoming album, was released on August 13, 2013. It was ranked 5th on the aforementioned list of the top 10 songs of 2013. The song peaked at number 1 on Afribiz's Top 100 chart. A dance competition with a cash prize of $3000 (N480,000) was announced days after the release of the song. Davido uploaded an instructional dance video onto YouTube and asked fans to upload videos of themselves dancing to "Skelewu". On October 10, 2013, Davido declared Bello Moshood Abiola the winner of the competition. A week after announcing the winner of the Skelewu dance competition, a Sesan directed music video was released to the public. Shortly after the release of the video, Davido took to Twitter to debunk the video and said that someone betrayed him by releasing it. He also said he'll re-shoot the video with Moe Musa, a UK based music video director. Sesan commented on the release of the music video and said that Davido was satisfied with his contributions to the music video. He also said that it would be immature for Davido and his management to release inaccurate statements in order to defame his brand.On October 21, 2013, the official music video for the single, shot and directed in London by Moe Musa, was uploaded onto YouTube at a total length of 3 minutes and 56 seconds.
On October 24, 2013, Pulse reported that Guinness Nigeria signed Davido to an endorsement deal  As part of the deal, Davido performed at the Guinness World of More Concert alongside P-Square, D'banj, Wizkid, Ice Prince, Burna Boy, Olamide, Phyno, Chidinma, Waje and Tiwa Savage, among others.

On February 2, 2014, Davido released "Aye" as the fourth single from the upcoming album. The song was produced by T Spice.The music video for "Aye" was released on February 7, 2014; it was directed by Clarence Peters. According to the music video's synopsis, "Davido plays a poor farmer who falls in love with the prince’s love interest."

On April 30, 2014, HKN Music released the upcoming album's fifth single "Tchelete (Goodlife)" featuring South African duo Mafikizolo. The song, which translates to "Money", was produced by Oskido and Shizzi. Upon its release, the song was distributed by MTN's Play and Callertunez platforms. The collaboration between Davido and Mafikizolo came about as a result of them networking at MTN Nigeria's Elite Night event in December 2013.The music video for the song was shot and directed in South Africa. It was uploaded onto YouTube on May 1, 2014. Oskido and Uhuru made cameo appearances in the video.

In June 2014, Davido collaborated with Mi Casa, Lola Rae, Sarkodie, Diamond Platnumz and Tiwa Savage on a song for DSTV's Africa Rising campaign, which was designed to inspire Africans to partake in community-based social investment projects. The music video for the song, released on June 24, 2014, was shot and directed by South African production house Callback Dream. The aforementioned artists performed the song at the Africa Rising launch ceremony in Mauritius. In July 2014, Davido told The New Age newspaper that he plans on collaborating with American rappers Rick Ross and Meek Mill ending the year the award winning singer released another smashing hit song OWO NI KOKO..
Davido really became much more famous in the industry in year 2014 after continuous release of interesting songs and also trended a lot in the social media, he became the second Nigerian to hit over a million followers on twitter.

In May 2014, Davido slandered the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) after missing his flight to London. He accused them of pestering him for money. On May 11, 2014, the Public Relations Officer for the NIS debunked Davido's allegations and said that they didn't issue him an exit permit because he didn't have the proper traveling documents with him at the time.

Davido set a new record in the year 2014 after winning up to 22awards just in a year, he was embarrassed by Channel O music video awards after getting 5 good nominations and winning non in which most people believes he deserves more than 1 award out of the 5 nomination but won non.
Davido and his longtime rival and frenemy Wizkid reconciled in 2014 after so much beefing of each other on the media same year.

Davido had a sexy girlfriend in 2012 from ghana whom he made public they are dating but after they broke up in 2013 davido hasn't shown any other lady since..

Davido publicly announced his new found love SIRA in 2015 taking his relationship public since 2013.
Also in 2015 Davido graduated from the department of music in Babcock university.
He also became a father in 2015

In December 2015, the Vanguard reported that Davido and his baby's mother, Sophia Momodu, were embroiled in a fight over the custody of their daughter Imade Adeleke. The newspaper reported that it all started after Sophie and her family filed a petition against Davido and his family for alleged child trafficking. In a petition sent to the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Davido and his family were accused of keeping Imade away from her mother since July 2015, as well as trying to flea Nigeria with the baby. Davido has since insisted that the allegations against him are false, but surprisingly apologized to Dele Momodu, the uncle of Sophia Momodu.



AWARDS AND ENDORSEMENTS

Kora Awards 2012 Best Newcomer Award
2014 Himself Best International Act: Africa Won
011 Himself Promising Youth Artiste Won
"Back Best Male West Africa Won
African Muzik Magazine Awards Artist of the Year Won
When" Song of the Year Won at Dynamix All Youth Awards
MTV Africa Music Awards
Best Male Won
Artist of the Year
Artiste of the Year Won 2014
"Aye" Song of the Year Won
The Headies Next Rated Won 2012
and more..

ENDORSEMENTS
Davido signed a N30 million endorsement deal with MTN in 2012 and deal renewed again in 2013
Davido signed an endorsement deal with closeup in 2015

RUMORS AND SCANDALS
Was captured sleeping twice by ladies she slept with after they made love(pic interpretation) in 2012 said to be a sex scandals
Was said to have beaten and maltreated a taxi driver in 2012 along side his friends he later debunked it
Was rumored to have been slapped by soldiers after getting drunk and speaking unrespectful in abuja(unconfirmed)
Had a longtime beef with rival wizkid

FEW PICS

Davido performing to thousands

davido and crew

Davido and child

                         

SOURCES: wikipedia.org, thefader.com, takemetonaija.com

READ FULL NEWS
SOURCE


=> Caroline Danjuma steps out after alleged marriage crisis

She was last seen playing any major role in Nollywood some years ago, but she is back with the premiere of her movie Stalker due for Saturday, February 27. It was directed by Moses Inwang. The movie features appearances from Nse Ikpe-Etim, Jim Iyke, Emem Inwang, Anthony Monjaro and many others. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter File photo of movie Stalker Sticker of the movie Stalker This is a somewhat bold step for the actress whose husband, Musa Danjuma, is reported to have impregnated his mistress based in the UK, a situation that has since led to their separation. The mistress has been identified as Maya. Reports from blogger Stella Dimokokorkus said the marriage between the mother of three and her billionaire husband fell apart owing to his love for women. Other sources confirmed that Caroline suffered several cases of physical abuse and battery from her husband before she felt she had had enough and left the union.
SOURCE

=>Chika Okeke goes completely naked for a movie role

Upcoming Nollywood actress Chika Okeke is running to the top in the Nigerian entertainment industry as she choose to be completely naked on a movie scene.The upcoming actress and television anchor Chika Okeke obviously has got nothing to lose, and of course the price must be right. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter chikaa The Thespian was completely naked in a bath tub as she takes on a daring role on the set of a movie – knock knock (the morning after), fellow Nollywood actor IK Ogbonna proudly revealed on his Instagram page.

SOURCE

These Updates Are Brought To You By Apata Bayode Follow Him On Twitter Here

Its Monday, and you know what we do on Mondays.. We share you histories. Well, this time it is about the entertainment industry, you are going to find all you want to know about the Nigerian movie industry, see how it was started, the key people who raised our darling "Nollywood" and more..




The cinema of Nigeria, often referred to as Nollywood, consists of films produced in Nigeria; its history dates back to as early as the late 19th century and into the colonial era in early 1900s. The history and development of the Nigerian motion picture industry is sometimes generally classified in four main eras: the Colonial era, Golden Age, Video film era and the emerging New Nigerian cinema.

Film as a medium first arrived Nigeria in the late 19th century, in the form of peephole viewing of motion picture devices. These were soon replaced in early 20th century with improved motion picture exhibition devices, with the first set of films screened at the Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos from 12 to 22 August 1903. The earliest feature film made in Nigeria is the 1926's Palaver produced by Geoffrey Barkas; the film was also the first film ever to feature Nigerian actors in a speaking role. As at 1954, mobile cinema vans played to atleast 3.5 million people in Nigeria, and films being produced by the Nigerian Film Unit were screened for free at the 44 available cinemas. The first film entirely copyrighted to the Nigerian Film unit is Fincho (1957) by Sam Zebba; which is also the first Nigerian film to be shot in colour.

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After Nigeria's independence in 1960, the cinema business rapidly expanded, with new cinema houses being established. As a result, Nigerian content in theatres increased in the late 1960s into the 1970s, especially productions from Western Nigeria, owing to former theatre practitioners such as Hubert Ogunde and Moses Olaiya transitioning into the big screen. In 1972, the Indigenization Decree was issued by Yakubu Gowon, which demands the transfer of ownership of about a total of 300 film theatres from their foreign owners to Nigerians, which resulted in more Nigerians playing active roles in the cinema and film. The oil boom of 1973 through 1978 also contributed immensely to the spontaneous boost of the cinema culture in Nigeria, as the increased purchasing power in Nigeria made a wide range of citizens to have disposable income to spend on cinema going and on home television sets.. After several moderate performing films, Papa Ajasco (1984) by Wale Adenuga became the first blockbuster, grossing approximately ₦61,000 (approx. 2015 ₦21,552,673) in three days. A year later, Mosebolatan (1985) by Moses Olaiya also went ahead to gross ₦107,000 (approx. 2015 ₦44,180,499) in five days.

After the decline of the Golden era, Nigerian film industry experienced a second major boom in the 1990s, supposedly marked by the release of the direct-to-video film Living in Bondage (1992); the industry peaked in the mid 2000s to become the second largest film industry in the world in terms of the number of annual film productions, placing it ahead of the United States and behind only India. The started dominating screens across the African continent and by extension, the Caribbeans and the diaspora, with the movies significantly influencing cultures, and the film actors becoming household names across the continent. The boom also led to backlash against Nigerian films in several countries, bordering on theories such as the "Nigerialization of Africa". Since mid-2000s, the Nigerian cinema have undergone some restructuring to promote quality and professionalism, with The Figurine (2009) widely regarded as marking the major turn around of contemporary Nigerian cinema. There have since been a resurgence cinema establishments, and a steady return of the cinema culture in Nigeria. As of 2013, Nigerian cinema is rated as the third most valuable film industry in the world based on its worth and revenues generated.

HISTORY

The history of cinema in Nigeria dates back to as early as the history of film itself; notably in the late 19th century, with the use of peephole viewing of motion picture devices. These were soon replaced in early 20th century with improved motion picture exhibition devices; the first set of films shown in Nigerian theatres were Western films, with the first film screened at Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos from 12 to 22 August 1903. In that year, Herbert Macaulay had invited to Nigeria, the Balboa and Company, Spain to organize an exhibition tour of silent films in Nigeria.

Although Mr Balboa later closed his exhibition in Lagos, while he continued showing films in other West African countries, the success of his exhibition led to a European merchant, Stanley Jones, to begin showing films in the same Glover Memorial Hall, starting from November 1903. This brought about the influx of more European film exhibitors to Nigeria. The first film hit in this early period came on 3 August 1904, when the documentary on the visit of Alake of Abeokuta to England was screened.

Colonial era (late 19th century - early 1960s)

Colonial filmmakers started producing films for local audiences within Nigeria since the 1920s, mostly employing the mobile cinema as a means of exhibition; the earliest feature film made in Nigeria is the 1926's Palaver produced by Geoffrey Barkas. The film was also the first film ever to feature Nigerian actors in a speaking role As of 1921, there were four other halls showing films twice a week in Lagos Mainland and one hall each in Ebute Metta and Oshodi. By this time, cinema had become popular in Lagos with crowds of young and old people usually waiting at the doors of theatre halls. Religion also aided in the expansion of cinema culture as the Christian missionaries used cinemas for religious propaganda.

The earliest feature film made in Nigeria is the 1926's Palaver produced by Geoffrey Barkas. It was also the first film to feature Nigerian actors in a speaking role; Nigerian film actors features in Palaver include Dawiya and Yilkuba. The film was shot amongst the Sura and Angas people of the present day Bauchi and Plateau States in Northern Nigeria, and narrates the rivalry between a British District Officer and a tin miner which leads to a war. Also in this era there were several films set in Nigeria, one of the most notable being the 1935's Sanders of the River by Zoltán Korda, featuring Nigerian actor Orlando Martins. Martins also featured in other notable films including The Man from Morocco (1945), Men of Two Worlds (1946) and so on, and this established Martins as one of the recognized Nigerian actors of his time.

As cinemas became a common feature of the social life in the then emerging city of Lagos, the late 1930s through 1940s marked the beginning of the establishment of big commercial cinema houses with branches in strategic parts of the country. One of the earliest cinema operators in Lagos was the "West African Pictures Company" owned by Mr. S. Khalil, a member of the Syrian community in Lagos. He established the Rex Cinema in Ebute Metta, Regal Cinema and Royal Cinema. Other popular cinema chains include: Capitol Cinema, Casino Cinema, Kings Cinema, Central Cinema, Rialto Cinema, Corona Cinema, Odeon Cinema, Road House Cinema, Ikeja Arms Cinema and Glover Hall. In 1937, the colonial government set up a Board of Censorship to handle matters relating to the establishment and operations of cinema houses in the colony. Nigerian content in films made and shown in Nigerian cinemas during this period were however virtually non-existent as the production and distribution were controlled by foreigners. Motion picture entertainment was as a result complemented by the Yoruba travel theatre groups, which emerged in the 1930s through 1940s; One of the most were the Agbegijo and Alarinjo theatre groups, which featured theatre actors such as Duro Ladipo, Ishola Ogunmola, Lere Paimo, Oyin Adejobi, amongst others.

In 1949 through 1950, the state of affairs changed a bit, with more Nigerian contents being exhibited in cinemas; with a purported drive to "Africanize" film production, the Nigerian Film Unit was established in order to decentralize colonial film production. The Colonial Film Unit, throughout the decade, exhibited health and educational films to local audiences through its mobile cinema vans. It also produced newsreels and short documentaries, depicting celebrations and colonial achievements to domestic and overseas audiences.


Golden Age (late 1950s - late 1980s)

Cinema theater

After Nigeria's independence in 1960, the cinema business rapidly expanded, with new cinema houses being established. However, there came a significant influx of American, Indian, Chinese and Japanese films; posters of films from these countries were all over theatre halls and actors from these industries became very popular in Nigeria. Towards the late 1960s and into the 1970s Nigerian productions in movie houses increased gradually, especially productions from Western Nigeria, owing to former theatre practitioners such as Hubert Ogunde, Ola Balogun, Moses Olaiya, Jab Adu, Isola Ogunsola, Ladi Ladebo, Sanya Dosumu and Sadiq Balewa amongst others, transitioning into the big screen. The first fully commercial Nigerian films, shot on celluloid, were also made by these filmmakers in the 1960s.

In 1972, concerned about the influx of foreign culture into Nigeria, the Indigenization Decree was issued by the then head of state Yakubu Gowon; which demands the transfer of ownership of about a total of 300 film theatres in the country from their foreign owners to Nigerians. Also, more Nigerians started playing active roles in cinema establishment as a result of this policy. This transfer also resulted in the emergence of Nigerian playwrights, screenwriters and film producers; popular literature and theatre works were adapted into motion picture. The oil boom of 1973 through 1978 contributed immensely to the spontaneous boost of the cinema culture in Nigeria. The presence of foreign investments led to the erection of several cinema complexes. In 1976, The 5000-capacity National Arts Theatre, Iganmu was constructed in Lagos. The theatre was incorporated with two cinemas, each having a capacity of over 700 people. At this time cinema business had become a notable employer of many people and also served as an important social function, as Nigerians visited cinemas for relaxation and entertainment purposes. The increased purchasing power in Nigeria also made a wide range of citizens to have disposable income to spend on cinema going and on home television sets.

Television broadcasting in Nigeria began in the 1960s and received much government support in its early years. By the mid-1980s every state had its own broadcasting station. Law limited foreign content on television, so producers in Lagos began televising local popular theater productions. Many of these were circulated on video as well, and a small-scale informal video movie trade developed. As of late 1980s, the cinema culture was beginning to face a major decline, and most Nigerian film producers had transitioned to television productions. The gradual decline of the Golden era of Nigerian cinema has been attributed to several factors, including the reduction in the value of Naira, lack of finance and marketing support, lack of standard film studios and production equipment, frequent Government structural adjustment programmes due to military dictatorships, as well as inexperience on the part of practitioners. The drastic decline in cinema culture resulted in some of the existing cinema houses being acquired by religious bodies and turned to churches; others were simply just closed down. In the early 1990s, only a few of the once vibrant cinema houses were still in operation, and all had collapsed before 1999.

Home Video Boom (late 1980s - mid 2010s)

home videos

The emergence of the video film market in Nigeria is traced back to the 1980s when television productions thrived. Jimi Odumosu's Evil Encounter, a 1980 horror film released directly on television, was the first production to be a pointer to how lucrative making film directly on video can be. The film was extensively promoted before being aired on the television, and as a result, had streets flooded in the following morning with video copies of the recorded broadcast. It was reported that the film became an instant hit at Alaba market , a commercial district which later became the hub of video distribution in this period and also eventually became the hub of piracy in Nigeria. Since Evil Encounter, it became common, especially in Southern Nigerian cities to see video copies of recorded television programmes traded on the streets.

This method was adopted and built on by producers and distributors at Alaba Market to reinvent the film industry, since the Nigerian cinema culture was facing a major decline. The first film produced on video in Nigeria was 1988's Soso Meji, produced by Ade Ajiboye. The film was also screened at the few available theatres at the time. Subsequently, Alade Aromire produced Ekun (1989) on video, which was screened at the National Theatre, Iganmu. However, the boom experienced in this era is generally believed to have been kick started by Kenneth Nnebue's Living in Bondage (1992). Nnebue had an excess number of imported video cassettes which he then used to shoot his first film on a Video camera. Although Living in Bondage is often touted in the media as the "first commercial video film", several historians have argued that the video film industry was already booming before Living in Bondage.

As at 2004, at least four to five films were produced every day in Nigeria. Nigeria movies now already dominate television screens across the African continent and by extension, the diaspora. The film actors also became household names across the continent, and the movies have significantly influenced cultures in many African nations; from way of dressing to speech and usage of Nigerian slangs. This was attributed to the fact that Nigerian films told "relatable" stories, which made foreign films to "gather dusts" on the shelves of video stores, even though they cost much less.

According to the Filmmakers Cooperative of Nigeria, every film in Nigeria had a potential audience of 15 million people in Nigeria and about 5 million outside Nigeria. In no time, the industry became the third largest producer of films in the world. However, this didn't translate to an overtly commercial film industry when compared to other major film hubs across the world; the worth of the industry was approximated at just about US$250 million, since most of the films produced were cheaply made. The film industry regardless became a major employer in Nigeria. As at 2007, with a total number of 6,841 registered video parlours and an estimated of about 500,000 unregistered ones, the estimated revenue generated by sales and rentals of movies in Lagos State alone was estimated to be ₦804 million (US$5 million) per week, which adds up to an estimated ₦33.5 billion (US$209 million) revenue for Lagos State per annum. Approximately 700,000 discs were sold in Alaba market per day, with the total sales revenue generated by the film industry in Nigeria estimated at ₦522 billion (US$3 billion) per annum, with broadcast content valued at ₦250 billion (US$1.6 billion).

At the peak of the video era at around 2008, the industry had become the second largest producer of films, releasing approximately 200 video films monthly. However at this point, the Nigerian film industry had practically degenerated into a "visionless" industry, with the invasion of several people who do not know a thing about filmmaking, and piracy was at its peak. Dealing with the menace of piracy, amongst other problems, became a hard nut to crack; as a result of this, most investors of the "Alaba cartel", who control almost 90 percent stakes in the video industry, began to channel their money into other business ventures instead. The decline of the Home video era has been attributed to several factors, such as the refusal of the Government to provide support and funding, the lack of a formal and effective indigenous film distribution infrastructure and the increase in the cost of production in Nigeria.

New Nigerian Cinema (mid 2000s - present)

This is an emerging phase in Nigerian cinema, in which there became a major shift in the method of film production, from the video format, back to the cinema method, which constituted the films produced in the Golden era. Few years into the 21st century, Nigeria began to experience the growth of cinemas, which was initially structured for the middle and upper class. The Silverbird Group is the first company to launch a series of modern Cinema houses across major cities in Nigeria, mostly situated in affluent areas and districts. It launched its cinema chains in 2004, starting with the Silverbird Galleria in Victoria Island, Lagos. The Silverbird Galleria is a large shopping mall, with an upscale cinema facility and various outlets where mercantile activities take place. This provides more reasons to visit the place beyond just watching films, but more of a social activity and a modified sort of entertainment beyond film watching. This trend has given another probable explanation as to the demise of the Nigerian cinema culture in the 1980s, which might have been as a result of the unfashionable appearance of most cinemas of the Golden era.

Silverbird cinemas upon establishment started screening Nigerian films with high production quality, as a result discouraging poor film production. The first New wave film to be shown at a cinema was the Yoruba-language film Irapada (2006) by Kunle Afolayan, which was screened at the Silverbird Galleria in Lagos. The Silverbird experiment became very successful, and as a result, the group launched few more cinema branches in Lagos and other cities in the country. Not long after the establishment of Silverbird cinemas, Genesis Deluxe Cinemas and Ozone Cinemas were also launched creating a competition in the cinema business. Much later, in the 2010s, FilmHouse cinemas also came into the picture, leading to the availability of more cinemas in the country, especially outside the affluent neighbourhoods.

Several grants have been launched by the Nigerian Government, in order to support quality content in Nigerian films. In 2006, "Project Nollywood" was launched by the Nigerian Government, in conjunction with Ecobank. The project provided ₦100 million (US$781,000) to Nigerian filmmakers to produce high quality films and to fund a multimillion Naira distribution network across the country during this period. In 2010, the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan launched a ₦30 billion (US$200 million) "Creative and Entertainment Industry" Intervention Fund, financed by Bank of Industry (BOI), in conjunction with Nigerian Export and Import (NEXIM) Bank. This grant, although dubbed as a spin-off of "Project Nollywood", was for the entire Nigerian Creative Arts and Entertainment sector. The vision of the grant for the film industry however is to help more Nigerian filmmakers in training, funding, and also help in creating necessary infrastructure for the industry.[
In 2013, a smaller new grant of ₦3 billion (US$20 million) was awarded once again solely for Nollywood, and specifically for the production of high quality films, and to sponsor filmmakers for formal training in film schools. Also in 2015, Bank of Industry launched another "NollyFund" program for the purpose of giving financial support in form of loans to film producers.

The popular 2009 thriller film The Figurine is generally considered the game changer, which heightened the media attention towards "New Nigerian Cinema" revolution. The film was a critical and commercial success in Nigeria, and it was also screened in international film festivals.11 The 2010 film Ijé by Chineze Anyaene, overtook The Figurine to become the highest grossing Nigerian film; a record it held for four years, until it was overtaken in 2014 by Half of a Yellow Sun (2013).

By the end of 2013, the film industry reportedly hit a record breaking revenue of ₦1.72 trillion (US$11 billion). As of 2014, the industry was worth ₦853.9 billion (US$5.1 billion) making it the third most valuable film industry in the world, behind the United States and India. It contributed about 1.4% to Nigeria's economy; this was attributed to the increase in the number of quality films produced and more formal distribution methods.

Unlike the home video era, films in the new wave are generally of much improved quality, with considerably bigger budgets; averaging between ₦40 million (US$250,000) and ₦120 million ($750,000). These films' production periods take months and even span into years, a far cry from the films in video format which are usually shot in a matter of days or weeks. Other notable improvements in the New Nollywood include: more subtle performances from actors; different from the overt melodrama which constituted the video era, more practical, more logical and generally better stories. Themes explored in these films are often characterized by consciously cosmopolitan themes, as most of the filmmakers are relatively young. A proper copyright and distribution system still remains one of the major challenges in the New Nigerian Cinema.
Influx of Ghanaian Actors

Around year 2006 through 2007, Nigerian filmmaker Frank Rajah Arase signed a contract with a Ghanaian production company, Venus Films, which involved helping to introduce Ghanaian actors into mainstream Nollywood. This collaboration eventually led to extreme popularity of certain Ghanaian actors, such as Van Vicker, Jackie Appiah, Majid Michel, Yvonne Nelson, John Dumelo, Nadia Buari and Yvonne Okoro, arguably as much as their Nigerian counterparts. Furthermore over the years; due to the high cost of film production in Nigeria, Nigerian filmmakers have been forced make films outside Lagos in order to cut costs, mirroring the exodus of filmmaking in Hollywood from Los Angeles to cities like Toronto and Albuquerque, a process known as “Runaway production”. Several other producers as a result started shooting in cities like Accra, Ghana, channeling the savings into investing in better equipment, many of them trying to get their films onto the big screen.

In 2013, Nigerian Entertainment Today revealed that Ghanaian actors had 60 percent of the total market share in the year. A survey carried out by the Newspaper showed that out of 184 films featured on Nollytuned.com, a Nigerian streaming website, between April and August 2013, Ghanaian actors played lead roles in at least 93 of them. It was also reported that there are high demands for Ghanaian acts in video stores. At the first edition of Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) in 2013, Ghana’s Jackie Appiah was awarded Best Actress in a Lead Role. Same year, Appiah again was awarded ‘Best Actress’ at the Nollywood and African Film Critics Awards (NAFCA). Ghanaian actors like Majid Michel have also been awarded at several Nollywood award ceremonies.

Sam Onanuga, a Nigerian script writer blames the trend on the reluctance of the established Nigerian acts to partake in more films on Video. With the emergence of New Nigerian Cinema, more Nigerian acts wanted roles on the big screen in order to boost their resume, refusing to star in video films; Ghanaian actors as a result took advantage of this, as they become more prominent on Nigerian video films which were already taking a down turn at this time, but still very popular.

This development sparked media attention; mostly concerns that Ghanaians were taking over jobs meant for Nigerians. While some industry stakeholders such as Bob Manuel were unwelcoming towards the development, others like Mercy Aigbe, Belinda Effah, and Yvonne Jegede saw it as a welcome development; noting that the industry is big enough for everyone, and that other major film hubs across the world also have presence of other Nationalities. Theresa Edem commented: “A united Africa sells any day, anytime. It’s been a great partnership so far. They’ve added colour to Nollywood and they’ve brought about healthy competition. Emem Isong, a Nigerian producer comments: “It fosters unity and integration and that’s not a bad thing”.

Some Ghanaian media on the other hand described the trend as “Brain drain” from Ghana. However, Ghanaian director Frank Fiifi Gharbin, expressed satisfaction with the development, saying: “there shouldn’t be much fuss about Ghanaian actors in Nollywood. For us it is a good development. It shows that our actors are beginning to gain prominence and are being accepted worldwide”.
Influence

The increased collaboration between Nigeria and Ghana from the mid 2000s led to the resurgence of Ghana's film industry. However, many Ghanaian productions are copyrighted to Nollywood and distributed by Nigerian marketers due to Nigeria's bigger market. Nigerian filmmakers usually feature Ghanaian actors in Nigerian movies as well and that has led to the popularity of Ghanaian actors almost like their Nigerian counterparts. Nigerian actors have also starred in some Ghanaian productions, in order for the film to capture wider audience. Van Vicker, a popular Ghanaian actor, has starred in many Nigerian movies. As a result of these collaborations, Western viewers often confuse Ghanaian movies with Nigerian films and count their sales as one; however, they are two independent industries that sometimes share the colloquial "Nollywood".


NOLLYWOOD

                      

The origin of the term "Nollywood" remains unclear; Jonathan Haynes traced the earliest usage of the word to a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in The New York Times, where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema. The term continue to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later believed to be a portmanteau of the words "Nigeria" and "Hollywood", the American major film hub.

Definition of which films are considered Nollywood has always been a subject of debate. Alex Eyengho defined Nollywood as "the totality of activities taking place in the Nigerian film industry, be it in English, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Itsekiri, Edo, Efik, Ijaw, Urhobo or any other of the over 300 Nigerian languages". He further stated that "the historical trajectory of Nollywood started since the pre and post independent Nigeria, with the theatrical (stage) and cinematic (celluloid)) efforts of the likes of Chief Hubert Ogunde, Chief Amata, Baba Sala, Ade Love, Eddie Ugboma and a few others".

Over the years the term Nollywood has also been used to refer to other affiliate film industries, such as the Ghanaian English-language cinema, whose films are usually co-produced with Nigeria and/or distributed by Nigerian companies. The term has also been used for Nigerian/African diaspora films considered to be affiliated with Nigeria or made specifically to capture the Nigerian audience. There is no clear definition on how "Nigerian" a film has to be in order to be referred to as Nollywood.

Some stakeholders have constantly expressed their disagreement over the term; giving reasons such as the fact that term was coined by a foreigner, as such another form of Imperialism. It has also been argued that the term is an imitation of what was already in existence (Hollywood and Bollywood) rather than an identity in itself, that is original and uniquely African.


In 2012, it was announced that Nollywood would be celebrating its 20 years anniversary. This year marked the 20th year after the release of direct-to-video movie Living in Bondage (1992), which marked the boom in the video film era. The anniversary was eventually celebrated in June 2013.

The event was later revealed to be a decision of a segment of the industry and not a unanimously agreed event; the event was organized by Association of Movie Producers (AMP), an association consisting of producers of video films. Since announcement of the "Nollywood @ 20" event in 2012 till its celebration in 2013, the event had sparked controversies from many stakeholders; most of whom believed the industry was much older than 20 years. Since Nollywood has been a term for the entire Nigerian film industry, it was argued that Living in Bondage cannot be used to celebrate the Nigerian film industry, stating that the film wasn't in fact the first Nigerian video film, neither was it the first "successful" video film,[10] much less the first Nigerian film.

This controversial celebration also gave rise to reports that another segment of the industry, the "Assosiation of Nigeria theatre Arts practitional (ANTP)" are planning to rename the industry into another term which would encompass the entire history of Nigerian film industry, since the term Nollywood has allegedly become tribally dichotomized. While it was argued by supporters of the event that it was the "Nollywood brand" that was being celebrated and not the industry, counter arguments were made that the term "Nollywood" came into existence only in the 2000s, so explanations were needed on how the "Nollywood Brand" could be extendeded to the year 1992 which isn't specifically significant in anyway, and why not just to the very first Nigerian film that was made.

Alex Eyengho had noted in a 2012 article that the term "Nollywood" was absent during the formative years of both the video film era and the Golden Age. Seun Apara, in his article on 360Nobs.com stated: "It's either the promoters of the event didn't do their research well or intentionally do not want to reckon with history". Adegboyega Oyeniya comments: "I dont know what they are talking about by celebrating 'Nollywood @ 20'; are they celebrating Ramsey Tokunbo Nouah or Genevieve Nnaji? Probably, they are celebrating fortune. These people should stop deceiving Nigerians. Some media outlets also reported that the event was a result of greed and selfish interests, as the organizers visited political figures to solicit funds in the name of the Industry, but allegedly shared the funds raised amongst themselves. Another issue raised to fault the event is that the real "achievers" in Nollywood were not honoured, but rather the practitioners at almost the same level with the organizers of the supposed flawed event were honoured.

Several filmmakers and stakeholders expressed their displeasure with the supposed false celebration; Kunle Afolayan commented: "The whole idea of Nollywood at 20 does not make sense to me because the Nollywood that I know is more than 20 years. I remember my father shot a film about 37 years ago and I also grew up in the industry. As far as am concerned, it's absolute crap". In another interview, he stated: "If Nollywood is the name that people decide to call the movie industry in Nigeria, then I am part of it. If Nollywood is what they say is 20 years, then I am not part of that Nollywood because I have been doing film business for more than 30 years now". Jide Kosoko also commented: "The Nigerian movie industry as far as I'm concerned is not 20 years. If we all truly belong to the same industry, then the industry I belong to is not 20 years. There is a need to tell the world the sincere story of our industry and don't rubbish the pioneers. As far as I am concerned, what they are celebrating is Living in Bondage and not Nollywood". Tunde Kelani stated: "how will Nollywood be celebrating 20 years and I am over 40 years in the industry?".

President of "Actors Guild of Nigeria" at the time, Ibinabo Fiberesima, admitted that Nollywood is more than 20, but gave what was considered an unconvincing statement on the reason behind the event, stating: "It's about celebrating our own even though Nollywood is more than 20 years. It's been long that people have been celebrating us but right now, we are celebrating ourselves and giving lots back to the society. It's a good step we have taken especially now that the qualities of our movies have improved".

SOURCE: wikipedia.org

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 =>Buhari To Hold Prayer For Nigeria In Mecca - Presidency-Thecable

President Muhammadu Buhari will begin a weeklong official visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Monday, and hold a special prayer for Nigeria before returning to the country. Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, announced the president’s trips in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.
The statement said Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum and group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), will accompany the president, who is expected to hold talks with Saudi authorities on stability in the price of oil.
“Before going on to Doha, the president will also visit Medina and Mecca to pray for greater peace, prosperity and progress in Nigeria,” the statement read.
“President Buhari, who will be accompanied by a high-powered Federal Government delegation, including the Minister of State (Petroleum) and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, will first fly to Riyadyh for talks on Tuesday with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and senior officials of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“Ongoing efforts by Nigeria and other members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to achieve greater stability in the price of crude oil exports are expected to be high on the agenda of discussions between President Buhari and the Saudi Monarch.
“Crude oil prices and market stability will also be on the front burner when President Buhari goes on to Doha on Saturday for talks on Sunday with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.”
Adesina said in Qatar, Buhari will meet with top businessmen and seek support for his administration.
“The president is also scheduled to meet with leading Saudi and Qatari businessmen in Riyadh and Doha, and invite them to support his administration’s efforts to revamp the Nigerian economy by taking advantage of the great investment opportunities currently available in Nigeria’s mining, agriculture, power supply, infrastructure, transportation, communications and other sectors,” the statement read.
“President Buhari’s other engagements in Saudi Arabia include meetings with heads of international financial organisations and multilateral associations.”
SOURCES


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FULL NAME:           Yinka Ayefele

DATE OF BIRTH:     (unknown)

OCCUPATION:          Singer

MARITAL STATUS:  Married


INTRODUCTION 
Yinka Ayefele is a high-class Nigerian gospel Tungba-higlife musician, He sings in Yoruba,English,Hausa and Igbo language.
He is among the most popular musicians in the country, he has about 15 albums and over 200 awards to his name as of 2016. He came into the music industry in 1997 after the fatal accident that damaged his spinal cord and confined him to a wheelchair. 




EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND 

Ayefele was born in Ekiti State southwestern Nigeria and hails from Ipoti, a city in Ekiti State southwestern Nigeria. He attended Our Saviours Anglican Primary School, Ipoti-Ekiti for his primary and secondary education before he later proceeded to Ondo State College of Arts and Science at Ikare Akoko, Ondo State Nigeria.

Ayefele worked briefly as journalist and broadcaster at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Ibadan, where he also produced jingles and musical works on radio. He began his music career in 1997 after he was involved in an automobile accident which damaged his spinal cord and confined him to a wheelchair. 
Speaking in an interview on his passion for music:
"I have been in music since when I was in secondary school. I used to be a member of the Boys Brigades in my hometown where I played trumpet. I started playing guitar when I was in the choir. I actually developed the talent in music when I joined FRCN in Ibadan by producing jingles for programmes and so on. This was the time I discovered I had the potential in me especially when I had the accident and I had cause to raise funds, I discovered that I could work in the music industry full time."

Initially, he didn’t have the passion for music. He thought he would become a banker or  work in a firm as a clerk. He did not have the intention of going into music at all, even when he was younger as a chorister he  joined the church choir at an early age, his parents did not encourage him to go into music.


CAREER AND LIFE 

He began his music career in 1997 after he was involved in an automobile accident which damaged his spinal cord and confined him to a wheelchair. While in the hospital after spending about 9 months, his friend, Kola Olawuyi visited and advised him to put some songs together.

He later started music in December 12, 1999. It was at the Bitter Experience album launch. He did the launch to raise fund for my treatment. After the launch people kept calling him to request for more copies of the album: “Ayefele we love that album and we need to get more of it”,
They would tell me each time they called. It encouraged him to do more songs and that was why he decided to really go into music. After the launch of the album, a lot of people deposited money
for their copies. So, they quickly went back to produce more copies. When he saw the
acceptance of the first work, he decided to go fully into music as his chosen career.

This suggestion resulted in the release of his debut album titled, Bitter Experience in 1998 which brought him into limelight. The release of Bitter experience was followed by the release of Sweet Experience. Other albums released by the gospel musician are Something Else, Divine Intervention and Life after death, released in honor of Gbenga Adeboye a Nigerian radio presenter, musician and comedian.The title Bitter Experience reflected his ordeal and Sweet Experience was the sweetness after a "Bitter Experience".
He revealed what he felt after  the accident:
 “I had a choice – to die or to live. I chose to live. I didn’t want to become a liability. I decided to live and make it. I learnt how to play all musical instruments on my own. I was in persistent pains 24 hours – five of my ribs got broken in the accident, but I had to forget my pains and forge ahead.”

SPEAKING OF ABOUT HIS LATE BENEFACTORS, HE SAID:
Without Kola Olawuyi and Gbenga Adeboye in my life, I may not be alive today. I was working with Kola Olawuyi by supporting his famous programme, Nnkan Nbe when he was alive. I produced the
entire musical jingle he used on his programme and I produced theme songs for the programmes as well. For Gbenga Adeboye of blessed memory, I produced Choices, one of his albums. So, these people really exposed me one way or the other and I have a very good relationship with them till death. In my trying times, they stood by me; they supported me financially and morally. I can never forget them in my life and it is a colossal loss to the entertainment industry to lose these titans. Kola Olotu was the one who came to the hospital and when he saw me on my sick bed, he said, “Yinka, why can’t you put some songs together to see how we can raise some funds for you so that you can go abroad for further treatments.” He was the one who suggested it and thank God I heeded his advice and it worked for me and that is why I will forever remain grateful to Kola Olotu.

Speaking on challenges:
"The greatest challenge for me is piracy. Seeing the way people are accepting my music, one would think that Yinka Ayefele is a multi-millionaire. But the way my music is seen is not the way I am reaping from it. Piracy has really affected my music. Fans who buy these pirated copies of my music do not mind, since they contain my music and picture. To me, that is the greatest problem. Another problem I am faced with, especially when I go for performances here in Nigeria, is the Oraisasor Urchins. They always ask for financial settlements and after settling a group, another would insist that they are the right group to be settled.

Speaking on allegations:
People who have said that I am a ritualist or that I have used my spinal cord to attain success are all enemies of progress. Those are all rumours. I can never negotiate any part of my body for success of any kind and anybody who knows well about spinal cord injury would know that it comes with regular and persistent pain. I am very lucky to be able to make use of the upper part of my body.
I don’t know who is behind those rumours but maybe they say those things about me because they want to make money. Recently, a soft sell magazine published my picture on its cover. They featured many names but why was I singled out with my picture? As a matter of fact, I have sued them already to the tune of N1 billion. Also, when I traveled to America there was a rumour that I was jailed for drugs.
When I eventually returned, the same people that peddled the rumour celebrated me. It is very unprofessional. They are only out to deceive people. It has become a part of us in this part of the world. People could just insinuate something, work on it and then spread it. But this is the prize to pay for being successful.

Yinka and wife welcomed another baby boy in 2015 with his darling wife Temitope Titilope, they tied the knot in year 2000.
Today Yinka is one of the most popular gospel artistes in the country, he was among the entertainers at Patience Jonathan’s elaborate dinner party held dating back to August, 2013.
Ayefele owns an hotel and he runs other businesses different from music. 

As of 2015; he has about 15 studio albums already, checkout the list of his albums below:
Bitter Experience (1998), Sweet Experience (1999),Something Else (2000),Divine Intervention (2001),Fun Fair (2002),Life after death (2003),Aspiration" (2004),Fulfilment (2005),New Dawn (2006),Next Level (2007),Gratitude (2008),Absolute Praise (2008),Transformation (2009),Everlasting Grace (2010),Prayer Point (2011),Goodness Of God (2012),Comforter (2013),Overcommer (2014),Upliftment (2015)

AWARDS AND ENDORSEMENTS
He had received over 200 awards.Among other awards are:
Member of the Order of the Niger awarded by Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2011)Ekiti cultural ambassador award.

Ayefele's 1997 accident

Ayefele and wife with 3rd child

Ayefele and awards

SOURCES:wikipedia.org,facebook.com,sunnewsonline.com,nigeriafilms.com,naij.com,takemetonaija.com