Category: News

POLITICAL associates, friends and well-wishers in their hundreds marked yesterday the 75th birthday of former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Segun Osoba, at his Ibara GRA home, Abeokuta, the state capital.

The associates and the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains, who included the state’s Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun, Chief Olu Agemo and members of the Ma T’agba Mole, extolled him as a “man of peace, great political leader and a true welfarist.”

Although Osoba was not around, but his followers and party chieftains said they decided to celebrate him at 75 because of his integrity and leadership qualities.

Mr. Adekunle Adeyemi, a serving lawmaker representing Ewekoro Federal Constituency, in an interview with reporters, said the celebration was organised because Osoba “is worthy of celebration.”

Adeyemi said: “Aremo, as you all know, would not want to have anything to do with celebration of his birthday. But we the followers have decided to mark it for him in absentia and to let people know that the man is worth celebrating.”

Also, Mr. Clement Adeniyi, a chieftain of APC, said the celebration was informed by their conviction that Osoba “is a good leader, who will never lead us astray.”

According to Adeniyi, the ex-governor believes in helping people.

He noted that Osoba’s spirit of charity and advocacy for peace among politicians of younger generation greatly made them fall in love with his leadership and style of politics, adding that they would continue to celebrate him “even in death.”

Adeniyi said: “Baba happens to be a good mentor and he doesn’t believe in violence. He doesn’t believe in destroying people. He believes in his own mission, his own principle and as a progressive politician, he believes in that spirit and letters of progressiveness. He doesn’t believe in conservatism  and that is why he always consults with people before taking decision.”

Quality journalism was on parade last night in Lagos where The Nation won the much-coveted Golden Pen Award.

Senior Correspondent Seun Akioye mounted the podium at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island to receive the Nigeria Breweries Golden Pen Reporter of the Year Award and the N1million cash prize.

Akioye, all smiles, emerged the overall winner with his story, titled “Even the rich envy us the way we live” – an expose on Dustbin Estate, a community in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State.

To win the coveted prize, which comes with a  cash prize of N1 million, Akioye,  a past recipient of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Journalism, shrugged off  the challenge from Joseph Undu of Champion, who emerged the first runner up and Mojid Alabi of New Telegraph, who is the second runner up.

Akioye, a graduate of International Relations from the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, according to the organisers, was thorough and professional  in his report on the slum community. In picking the final winners, the chairman of the jury, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, said this year’s entries were better in terms of presentation and accuracy. He praised Akioye’s entry for projecting the plight of the people of Dustbin Estate.

A member of the panel,  Mrs. Nkechi Ali-Balogun, said Akioye’s entry fulfilled all the criteria necessary to win the prize.

“ You need to read this story; it is so compelling,” she said. Other members of the jury are: renowned journalism teacher Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye and former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) Mr. Gbenga Adefaye. Akioye dedicated his award to The Nation Editors and children and people of Dustbin Estate, Ajegunle.

An excited Akioye said it was a clarion call for him to continue to project the voice of the underprivileged.

He said: “I‘m so short of words. I was almost giving up on it but glory be to God. It is unbelievable. I was never expecting it. I am so happy. I am grateful to my Editors, my colleagues in office. I dedicate this award to the children and people of Dustbin Estate, Ajegunle and my editors.

“The situation at Dustbin Estate was bad, but right in the midst of it you see the young people determined to get education, you see women and men struggling to make a better living and at a side is a young girl, Tolulope Sangosanya who founded an NGO called Love on The Streets (LOTS) dedicating her life to improving the conditions at Dutbin Estate.”

Akioye was not the only winner of the night.  Raheem Akingbolu of This Day, emerged winner of  the Nigeria Breweries Reporter of the Year with the story “Star: Beyond music in the bottle”.

Sulaiman Hussain of New Telegraph Best Photojournalist of the Year.  Stanley Ogidi of The Punch was first runner-up and Ayodele Ojo of Daily Trust was the second runner up.

The  Managing Director/CEO of Nigeria Breweries Plc, Mr Nico Vervede, said the company was celebrating journalists who excelled in 2013.

“We just need to celebrate them. Those journalists who have excelled and differentiated themselves in terms of developments and education,” he said.

Vervede added that it was about celebrating great professionalism in Nigeria.

The ambience at Lamborghini Lounge, GRA, Port Harcourt, aptly caught the theme of the night, as Etisalat treated select high value customers to an exclusive live music session.

The night featured performances from one of Nigeria’s most celebrated highlife musicians, Bright Chimezie, The Zigima King alongside rising reggae/dancehall star Patoranking.

Bright Chimezie had attendees on their feet as he took everyone down memory lane with most of his chart topping hits such as ‘Because of English’, ‘Life na Teacher’, and ‘African Style.’

Patoranking’s outstanding performance got him a rousing ovation from the crowd. He gave the audience a taste of what it feels like to be in a unique live music session like Etisalat Cloudnine with his latest hit single, Girlie O.

The highlight of the night was the signature of the Etisalat Cloud Nine events; a celebration of the classics and the new school, as Bright Chimezie and Patoranking performed to massive applause from the audience. Their performances drew resounding cheers and got all the guests on their feet dancing to the continuous flow of hits and asking for an encore.

“I am delighted that our customers are having a good time with the CloudNine sessions. For us at Etisalat, it is not just about building a quality network, it is also about what makes our customers satisfied, and creating a richer experience that will satisfy their communication needs”, said Director, Brands and Communication at Etisalat Nigeria, Enitan Denloye.

The Cloud Nine sessions is one of the numerous ways Etisalat shows appreciation to their customers. Etisalat Cloudnine is the contemporary music platform for the company’s high value segment with the objective of celebrating musical prowess and providing exclusive content to existing and potential customers.

Reacting to the Port Harcourt sessions, CloudNine’s event/artiste manager, Toks Asher Young said he is delighted to be associated with such a prestigious event. “When Etisalat contacted me to manage the event as well as artiste booking and logistics, I was thrilled to be part of such a high value event”, he added.

He said that working with a legend like Bright Chimezie and a rising star like Patoranking was a privilege, an unforgettable experience he will forever cherish.

Etisalat Cloud Nine sessions were successfully activated in Lagos and Abuja in 2013, and in 2014 the platform was extended in terms of reach and genre to include Port Harcourt.