The Nation Newspaper

Category: Entertainment

  • Chidi Mokeme returns as GUS anchor

    Chidi Mokeme returns as GUS anchor

     

    IN what may have come to many as a pleasant surprise, actor Chidi Mokeme has reportedly made a stunning comeback as he is once more being lined up to anchor the Gulder Ultimate Search reality TV show which he was part of in the first and second seasons.

    This is coming seven years after he left the show with fans of the actor craving for his return as other hosts in the persons of Tintin and Bob Manuel Ndokwu were largely not living up to the expectations of scores of viewers of the reality TV show.

    Now, the organisers of the show have returned Chidi amidst a reported drop in the viewership of the programme. This year’s edition is being held at the Usaka Forest in Obot Akara, Akwa Ibom State and rumours are making the rounds that Chidi will be part of this year’s edition.

  • Re: The NCC, MCSN, COSON triangle

    Re: The NCC, MCSN, COSON triangle

    DEAR Victor, I found your article, ‘the NCC, MCSN, COSON Triangle’ published in The Nation in two parts on Saturday, September 29 and October 6, 2012 very interesting. I am a sucker for unique literary styles and the style of the article was such that I could not but say, ‘fantastic!’ There was quite a bit to make one laugh but that could not have been your intention. Yes, the article was quite hilarious but at the end it was also informative.

    For instance, the conversation behind the article revealed the extent to which key facts in the development of collective management of copyright in Nigeria remain unfamiliar to important people who the public may consider knowledgeable in the area and probably would depend on for information. That tells me clearly that despite writing a major book on the subject and hosting numerous copyright forums, there is still a lot of work for people like me to do to continuously inform and educate people on the subject of collective management which I must confess can be rather confusing, even to brilliant people.

    The conversation was also revealing as to how emotive we all can be when the issues concern people who are our friends or family. It also shows how creative we become in finding justification for that which if it had to do with other people, we would have whole heartedly condemned.

    The other observation I need to make is how propaganda repeated over and over starts looking like facts even in the eyes of the architect of the propaganda. Nowhere has this become more real than in the ‘shouting match’ over CMOs where the positions taken by most people are not based on the facts or the law but on which side ‘my friend’ belongs to.

    Considering that my name was mentioned at least ten times in the article and my photographs used to illustrate the write up on the internet, I believe that I have earned the right to comment on the article and The Nation has an obligation to publish my comments.

    I believe that a critical error in the discourse on collective management in Nigeria is the assumption that a CMO is a private business enterprise and ‘Okoroji and Ayilaran ought to be allowed to own their own’. That is why the word ‘monopoly’ is everywhere in your article. Those who have called for ‘liberalization’ may believe that only COSON and MCSN will exist as a result. They are wrong. The truth is that you cannot then stop any group of 419ers from calling themselves a CMO or stop them from collecting money from home and abroad and pocketing the money. Imagine the chaos that will result from ten CMOs unleashed on users of music in Nigeria.

    I wish to repeat that a CMO is not a business organization. Under Nigerian law, it must be a company limited by guarantee and forbidden from making profit. A CMO is a closely regulated facilitator that stands in trust between the owners of the works and users and ensures that the rights and duties of each are respected. A CMO only makes deductions approved by the regulators for its administration. While I am an elected Chairman of COSON and I defend the rights of every member of COSON with all the vigour I can muster, I am not the owner of COSON. COSON is not my private business. During my tenure, COSON is growing and acquiring assets but none of these assets belongs to me or any member of the COSON board and none of us will leave office with even a stapler belonging to COSON. COSON is not like MTN, Airtel, Glo or Etisalat which are business concerns. COSON in a way is a non-profit public trust similar to NBA, NMA, NUJ or PMAN, all of which are de facto monopolies. I was at the headquarters of PRS for Music of the UK a few months back. This organization from which most of the English speaking world draws inspiration in collective management, is a de facto monopoly with respect to the licensing of performing and mechanical rights in music in the UK.

    Another falsehood being simulated is that COSON is interested in a monopoly while the unapproved MCSN wants liberalization. Does anyone really think that if MCSN had been approved instead of COSON, its leaders would have encouraged another CMO to operate in the same field? During the period that I was president of PMAN, the same MCSN did everything to discourage the emergence of another CMO being promoted by PMAN arguing vigorously that the existence of more than one CMO in the field will create chaos in the industry.

    I want to state emphatically that there is no attempt to exclude any right owner from the collective management system in Nigeria and a sole CMO does not exclude anyone. What we have set out to do is to sing with one voice and end the divide and rule game which the powerful users of music have deployed for many years to pauperize musicians and the music industry in our country. Every reasonable person in our industry has long understood that with collective management, together we stand, divided we fall. I was involved in the many years of efforts to bring unity to the collective management system in the Nigerian music industry. There is no compromise that was not presented to the leaders of MCSN for the industry to work together but they refused. Eventually, every other group in the industry decided to come together under COSON and the leaders of MCSN chose to take the risk of applying for approval alone. They fully knew what the law says and that there would be huge consequences if they failed to obtain approval. They failed! Now I read the convoluted arguments that the law should be jettisoned and that MCSN should be allowed to operate even without approval!

    Even when MCSN failed to get approval, COSON opened its doors to MCSN members and their staff to join COSON and work with us for the good of the industry. The Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello-Adoke, repeatedly appealed to the leaders of MCSN to integrate themselves into COSON. Many former MCSN members joined COSON. No member of MCSN who applied to join COSON was rejected. There has been no discrimination against any member of MCSN in COSON, some of whom have been elected to the COSON Board. In COSON, we are working as one family and today COSON is distributing millions of naira to right holders, millions which would have been lost to the industry and this is being done transparently. The big and previously untouchable users of music are being taken on in a way we could never do. The collective management system is finally working in Nigeria yet we are being told that we should go back to the chaos of the MCSN/PMRS era so as to appease one man who has never composed a song and his friends.

    Repeatedly mentioned in the conversation behind your article is the judgment of Hon Justice Charles Archibong of the Federal High Court Lagos in favour of MCSN. I have my views on the reasoning behind that judgment but a judgment of a court is a judgment whether we like it or not. A great example of the selective amnesia displayed by those who spoke in your article is that no one mentioned the well-known judgment by a full panel of the Court of Appeal, Lagos in MCSN v. CDT which in any other clime should have brought the activities of MCSN to an immediate halt. No matter how you spin it, every person who went to school knows that a Court of Appeal judgment takes precedence over a high court judgment. MCSN knows the devastating effect of the Court of Appeal judgment which was why they rushed to appeal the judgment at the Supreme Court where the appeal was thrown out.

    In Nigeria, no one can operate a GSM company without the approval of the Nigerian Communications Commission. Woe betide you if you try to run a bank in Nigeria without a CBN licence. You cannot even sell pure water in Nigeria without the approval of NAFDAC and it is not for us to choose which law to obey and which to disobey. The leaders of MCSN are trying to start a ‘human-rights’ media hype to confuse everyone, deflect the real issues and mask their rabid lawlessness. This is a strategy they have used effectively for many years but it won’t work this time. They are trying to use bold face, pretend to be the victims when indeed they have for long victimized everyone. They want to hide under the law to protect themselves from their lawlessness but he who comes to equity must first wash his hands clean.

    Afam Ezekude, the Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, does not make laws in Nigeria. His job is to enforce the law as it is in the books without fear or favour. The law is clear that it is a crime to operate a CMO without the approval of the NCC. The leaders of MCSN know this well but have continued to operate an unapproved CMO. Under five different DGs of the NCC, MCSN has requested for approval. Each time the request has been refused and MCSN has continued to operate despite its non-approval. The Attorney General of the Federation has intervened and asked the MCSN leadership to respect the law and they ignored him. The Court of Appeal clearly told them that they cannot continue with what they are doing and they ignored the court. They went to the Supreme Court and their matter was thrown out yet they want to be above the law, impose themselves on the Nigerian nation and use an unapproved and unregulated body to feast on innocent music users and innocent musicians. Those who truly care about the MCSN people must find the courage to tell them that they cannot deploy propaganda to wriggle and dodge the consequences of their actions forever. NCC must uphold the law because Nigeria is not a banana republic. It is about time.

    —Tony Okoroji is Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON)

  • Malaika’s new album becomes ‘hot cake’

    Malaika’s new album becomes ‘hot cake’

    ACCORDING to the management of Alhaji Sulaimon Alao aka ‘Malaika’ Adekunle, his new album entitled Special Day has witnessed an increase in sales, having sold 1 million copies since the new 8 track album work was officially released on Monday, August 27, 2012.

    The album is marketed and distributed my Babalaje Records, the music marketing firm behind King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal’s works for several years.

    Malaika who returned from United States of America where he went for a musical tour says his album Special Day is meant to appreciate music fans that have been supporting in years past.

  • Joke Silva gets UN appointment

    Joke Silva gets UN appointment

    VETERAN Nollywood actress, Joke Silva was recently named the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as its `Goodwill Ambassadors’, in the fight against human trafficking and smuggling of migrants in Nigeria.

    The UN Resident Coordinator, Ms Angela Atangana, introduced Joke Silva during the launch of “I am priceless”, a campaign against human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.

    The campaign is aimed at promoting better management of migration in Nigeria, by combating and reducing irregular migration that occurs, inter-alia, through trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. The campaign is sponsored by the EU in partnership with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) and the Nigerian Immigration Service.

  • 20 budding acts for Next Movie Star

    RECENTLY, hundreds of aspiring talents thronged the final auditions of the 2012 Next Movie Star reality show, held at the exclusive Troy Bar and Lounge in Ogba, Lagos. Following the struggle for space in the competition, the judges, comprising thespians and arts buffs like Jude Orhorha, Bukky Ogunnote-Ogunade, Doris Simeon, Raphael Stevens and Omoba Jerry Adesemowo settled for 20 of these wannabe actors.

    The lucky 20 include Okeke Chimezie Ivan, Okeowo Oluwatosin Speens, Alaha Gift Iyua, Aitsegame Halimat Sadiya, Josephine Micheal Ukpong, King Ojikemba, Samuel Babatunde Jameson, Ifovboa Ehijemen Jude, Oruambo Chrystabel, Esigbone Ejiro Kingsley, Obi Lilyjean,Tonia Ese Oria-Arebun, Ajuyah Sarah Onome, Million Santong, Alabi Folake, Mina Horsefall, Musa Olajoju, Chigbufue Bright, Perpetual Andy and Nnachortam Patrick.

    Chosen from audition centres in Port Harcourt, Benin and Abuja, the talents have qualified as prospective housemates for the show. However, four of them will be evicted from the training and grooming session which will last a week.

    The training and grooming session, according to the Executive Producer, Sola Fajobi, “is one of the unique selling points of the Next Movie Star because this is where we prepare these aspiring actors for a future that can be bigger than their wildest imagination; a future that can see them become the biggest brand in the industry.”

    Judge in the hunt, Doris Simeon said that she was stunned and surprised at the quality of talents on display. “I used to think that they (the producers) just handpick those who would appear on the show; I never knew that it is such a labourious and long process. I think that is why some of their products go on to excel in their endeavours.”

  • Bobbi Kristina engaged to Nick Gordon

    Bobbi Kristina engaged to Nick Gordon

    IN August Bobbi Kristina Brown was given a ring by her brother-turned-boyfriend Nick Gordon. The giant sapphire stone surrounded by diamonds which Bobbi placed on her ring finger sparked rumours of an engagement, which the couple denied claiming the ring was just a gift.

    However footage taken from the 19-year-old’s reality show, entitled The Houstons: On Our Own, has allegedly confirmed that she is in fact engaged to Gordon. According to reports, in the exclusive clip Bobbi, daughter of late singer Whitney Houston shocks her family when she tells them of her plans to wed Nick.

    Reports say that Brown announces the news as she laughs, saying: ‘We’re engaged!’

  • I want to enjoy my marriage before having kids

    I want to enjoy my marriage before having kids

    WHAT is Nikki Laoye up to? Presently, I am working on my new project, my foundation called Nikki Laoye Angel for Life Foundation. I am working with the Nigeria Lagos State Association for the Blind. We are actually organizing the Lagos State edition of the International White Cane for the blind. It is a special day that is celebrated all over the world, to celebrate the achievement and independence of blind people. On that day, we will be having a walk to raise awareness on the existence of blind and impaired people in our society.

    At the same time, we will be raising funds to buy white canes for free distribution to the blind. That is what I am working on now with support from Sammie Okposo Hope Initiative, Wahala Media Entertainment, Mission Control Nigeria and Cairo Aika. It has been amazing because we have been getting a lot of responses. We are doing it to encourage the blind in our society.

    What inspired this project?

    I worked with Cohbams on my very first single and he is very close to me. Right now, we are like brother and sister. While we were working together, I had the opportunity to study how he is able to survive on his own despite the fact that he is visually impaired. He was able to make use of his situation and right now, he is the one of the most sought after producer in Nigeria. He learnt everything himself right from his childhood. He has been able to stand against all odds. With time, I got to meet with a young man called Adeola who I took under my wings three years ago. He is actually an additional part of my family and he is now my fourth brother.

    Adeola is very independent and just being around him and watching the way he stands above his blindness motivates me. He schools at the University of Ibadan, lives on the mainland and works at Victoria Island. When he came up to me as the Youth Coordinator of an Association and said he wanted me to help them, I said I would do anything for him because he is my brother. I have always loved to help people who don’t have the opportunity that those like Cohbams had. Cohbams had he very good family who always backed him up. Apart from the blind, I also help the physically challenged as well, especially the gifted ones.. I am trying to help and empower them as well.

    When is it expected to kick off?

    On the 15th of October, we will be walking from Shoprite down to Ajose Adeogun. The walk ends at Kings College where everyone will gather for a little reception. We are also trying to bring in a motivational speaker, Mark Pollock, known all over the world.

    He is the first blind man to walk to the South Pole. We hope to bring him to Nigeria to speak to these people so that they can know that despite their challenges, they can stand and be what God has destined them to be. Right now, we are doing a promo tagged Buy Me a Cane. We will be making posters and T-Shirts to get people involved in the project. Buy Me a Cane promo is just a way to get people to donate as many canes as possible for distribution.

    On the music scene, what have you been up to?

    I just released two singles recently No Be Beans, featuring a young Yoruba rapper called Base, and a lovely dance track entitled 123 just praising God in this latest Azonto style. I am just working on my music, hoping to improve by the day, running my foundation by the side and being married too.

    Talking about marriage, how do you balance it with your career?

    I won’t lie to you; there has been a lot of sacrifice from my husband. He has had to sacrifice a lot for me because most of the time, I am out of town. We have to shuttle between Abuja and Lagos because we live in both towns.

    I am just happy to have married a wonderful man who has allowed me to fly. At the same time, I try my best to make sure that my marriage does not suffer. It is all about wisdom, planning my time and schedule. I won’t lie, God has been my help, because it has been a lot of work.

    Don’t you feel that your busy schedule might break-up your marriage?

    (Laughs) God forbid o. The most important thing is my husband and I constantly keep in touch. You know these GSM network and their different packages have been helpful. We talk for hours nonstop everyday just to keep in touch. That way, even when we are not with each other, we are constantly talking and trying to see each other as much as possible. It is either he travels down here or I travel down there to see him. There is no breech of communication.

    How soon do you hope to start raising a family?

    Definitely I will need as much help as possible when I start raising my own kids. My husband and I are planning our home and we are not in a hurry to do some certain things or start having children. It is not because we do not want to, but we want to build a proper foundation of our marriage. A family can start coming later. That is the problem a lot of marriages face.

    They do not take time to be with themselves but start having children immediately. Coming together, you have to build a foundation for yourselves before having children and that is what we are trying to do at the moment.

    What other things do you do, apart from music?

    Well my foundation is number one. When I say my foundation, I am constantly with the people I empower because they have become my brothers and sisters. I hang out with them a lot. I take them out, I sit with them at the Modupe Cole home, I am always there. I am always busy helping people, because I just love to help in whatever little way I can.

    Has you stature ever been a challenge to you?

    I would say my stature has been a major standing point for me because when people see me physically, they say that I look so small on ground but on screen I look big. At some point, I was nicknamed the little girl with a big voice. When I sing, people ask if it is coming from this little body. The way I am, I am cute and petite but I have a lot inside me.

    What is the secret behind your beauty?

    I smile a lot. I come from a home where we love to laugh a lot. We have a very high sense of humour. I have not found any like my family. Even when we are watching a movie, we notice little little stupid things that other people would not have taken notice and make fun of it. Being happy makes me look younger and a lot of people don’t actually know that I am older than I look.

    Do you mind sharing you age then?

    (Laughs) I am in my thirties.

    What has being the host of Stars4Christ talent hunt been like?

    I was very happy when I was called to be the host of the show because it is a show that serves as a platform for gospel music. As we know, in Nigeria, gospel music has been relegated to the back a lot and this is the music that the people need. It is the music that people listen to when they are going through a lot in life. They do not listen to all the Jupa Jupa all over the place. They want to listen to the music that will lift up their soul. It is a good project as long as it is done properly. As an artiste, I stand for excellence and I always look for that in whatever I do.

  • Frenzy unveils SoSo Hits Entertainment

    Frenzy unveils SoSo Hits Entertainment

    TALENTED producer Frenzy, who happens to be one of the few people to have worked with Dagrin before his demise, and the producer of his last track “If I die”, has disclosed that Dagrin’s new Album, Invincible Bulletproof will be coming out soon under the Spinlet platform.

    Dagrin’s last released song before his passing “If I die,” was also remixed with verses added by Styles P, Nasty J and Show Dem Camp. The track was released exclusively on beat 99.9 fm and on spinlet.com for fans to listen and share through their phones and videos. The video which was shot on locations in Lagos, Nigeria and Brooklyn, New York, has recently been released and it’s currently making waves on TV stations globally.

    Frenzy, who recently launched his new website frenzynaija.com and also his new Record Label/Entertainment Company SoSo Hits Entertainment, formally known as Black Survivors Records is set to drop the first single of Nasty J, the first officially signed artiste on the label and co-founder of SoSo Hits Entertainment.

    Nasty J (Olajide Gbadamosi) who is reported to have an amazing appearance on Dagrin’s ‘If I Die’ remix is set to release his first single “100 Naira Swagga” under SoSoHits.

    Emmanuel .T. Okafor, popularly known as Frenzy, is a Nigerian Music producer, sound engineer, rapper and song writer. He gained recognition in 2008 through the song he produced for Illbliss titled “U Go Wound O” remix which won the best hip hop video at the Soundcity Music Video Awards 2008.

  • PEFTI premieres students’ projects

    APPROVED by the Federal Ministry of Education, through the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the annual PEFTI Film Institute National Innovation Diploma (NID) Programme, recently held a premiere for its final year students’ projects.

    The event which took place at the PEFTI Film Institute campus situated at Ajao Estate, Lagos, recognized the presence of prominent practitioners in the media industry, including Tunde Kelani (TK) of Mainframe Productions; Lanre Olupuna, Director iRep International and Victor Akande of The Nation Newspaper. The Managing Director of Wale Adenuga Productions (WAP); Mr. Wale Adenuga Jnr., was also present.

    They also served as the panel that previewed the works done by the final year students, to ensure that the skills acquired during the course of their study, are well utilized and will also play a major role in the growing media industry.

    Some of the students’ projects were screened and the invited guests were very impressed with the outstanding performances cum ideas of the students. They were praised for their unique performances and also encouraged to work harder. Elated at the piece presented by the young film makers, Kelani told them how fortunate it was for them to have acquired such a formal education in film-making.

    Managing Director of WAP, Mr. Wale Adenuga Jnr., encouraged the graduating students and advised them to package their work for local and international film festivals and get ready, for the industry awaits them.

  • At the induction of ex-CBN Governor Joseph Sanusi as Rotary President

    At the induction of ex-CBN Governor Joseph Sanusi as Rotary President

    It started as a house fellowship as two Rotarians, Rotarian Kola Ramos and the Assistant Governor of Zone 1 of District 9110 led his club members to visit few friends and associates working and/or living in Victoria Garden City since 1997.

    Fifteen years down the line, the club has now outgrown its little beginning and contributed greatly to the development of its host community.

    Last Sunday, dignitaries, club members, their families and associates converged on the Le Real Hotel, VGC, to witness the change in leadership.

    The hall was filled to capacity with guests from different walks of life and in their various attires.

    The event also offered some networking opportunities for guests.

    The club’s anthem was recited to flag off the event. It was followed by a call to order of the outgoing President, Rotarian Babatunde Sowobi.

    The Rotary Grace was recited, followed by the Object of Rotary and the 4-way Test.

    The incoming President, Joseph Oladele Sanusi, was full of smiles. He was decked in buba and agbada, even as his wife, Chief (Mrs) Abigail, added glamour to the event. Both looked like a newly married couple.

    The father of the day, Chairman of Honeywell Group,Airtel Nigeria and Fan Milk of Nigeria Plc, Dr. Oba Otudeko, was also in attendance. The event was compered by the duo of Rotarian Adegoke and Rotarian Ogunmeka.

    The outgoing President, Rotarian Sowobi, gave detailed account of his stewardship during the one year of his leadership and was thankful to all for their support and commitment.

    He described his successor as a well-principled man who pays attention to details, and exemplary leader with outstanding virtues.

    The outgoing President decorated the new president, under the watchful eyes of Chief Segun Osunkeye.

    Dignitaries at the occasion included: Professor Wale Omole, H.R.H, Oba Dokun Thompson, Admr. Peter Adeniyi (RTD), Senator Martins Kuye, Bisi Onasanya, Dr. and Mrs. Kingsley Moghalu, Mr Sunday Ehindero.