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Tag: 2face

  • Boko Haram is political, not religious – 2face

    Boko Haram is political, not religious – 2face

    A  Nigerian Music icon, Innocent Idibia, otherwise called  2Face or 2Baba has said the protracted Boko Haram crisis which has claimed the lives of millions and traumatized thousands with billions on property lost has nothing to do with religion but rather the failure of the political leadership of the country.

    According to the music maestro, “unless government and politicians step up their games by doing the needful in eradicating poverty among the masses, particularly youths, ensure  justice to all manner of people or else,  ending the Boko Haram  insurgency and other violent clashes across the country  will be difficult and unrealistic”.

     Mr. Idibia who spoke to journalists in Maiduguri as he winds up his visits to displaced people in the state where he visited the Camps in Banki, a border community with Cameron Republic and other resettlement areas in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital as part of his Foundation’s collaboration with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to drum support for the IDPs said he was particularly “sadden by the pathetic living conditions of the IDPs in the camps”.

    He announced that he will donate part of the proceeds from his new song launched on World Refugee Day this year to support the affected population through UNHCR., adding that he will be  staging  a concert in Abuja at the Hilton Hotel on 24 July as part of continuing efforts to support IDPs and returnees in Nigeria.

    He Urged  government, security agencies, Media Practitioners and other Humanitarian agencies to scale up a coordinated efforts in addressing the plights of IDPs and other victims of violence, as well as tackling  terrorism in the bud.

    his world, ” I am here in Maiduguri with support from UNHCR to use my music in contributing to alleviate the suffering of our IDPs and other victims of insurgence.

    “I feel honoured to work with organization like UNHCR, am just one person, when I went round some of these camps, I was saddened, I saw fear, sorrow and trauma, I feel disappointed looking at the faces and eyes of the IDPs. You will see hunger and object poverty. Unless Government and politicians shun injustice, corruption and remained focus and committed to our collective development, these same set of traumatized and displaced people in camps may turn up to be more dangerous in the society.

    “Although, I have seen hope of life among some of these IDPs, all hands must be on deck to the needful by rendering support no matter how little it is. Presently I have a song, titled ‘Hold my Hands’, this song is on many platforms, all people need to do is to download it and use it ringing tone. It will only cost you N50 per month, but will surely contribute in giving hope of life to our traumatized victims of insurgency.

    “In my little way, I have come and seen the live in camps and next week, when I go back to Abuja, we are going to do a concert as my proceed donation in alleviating the suffering of the IDPs”, 2Face stated.

    He particularly praised working Journalists in the region, while encouraging them to continue their good efforts and sacrifices in reporting activities of government, security agencies, Humanitarian partners in the fight against insurgency in the north east sub- region.

    The Nation recalls that in February this year,  2Face Foundation donated more than US$11,000 to UNHCR for IDPs and returnees and has embarked on a series of activities to scale up the support.

  • Court fixes Oct. 11 to hear suit challenging alleged disruption of Tuface’s march

    Court fixes Oct. 11 to hear suit challenging alleged disruption of Tuface’s march

    A Federal High Court, Lagos has fixed Oct. 11 to hear a suit by a Lagos-based lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, seeking the enforcement of the fundamental rights of citizens to peaceful assembly, liberty and association.

    Omirhobo had in a class action, sued for himself and on behalf of millions of Nigerians, over an alleged disruption of a Feb. 6 planned mass protest by popular Nigerian musician, Innocent Idibia a. k. a. 2face.

    Joined as respondents in the fundamental rights suit are: the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney-General of the Federation. the Commissioner of Police Lagos State and the Attorney-General of Lagos State.

    In the suit numbered FHC/CS/ 842/17, the lawyer is seeking among other reliefs, a declaration that by the combined effects of Sections 39 to 41 of the constitution, it is the duty of the Police to provide security for intending protesters.

    He avers that a failure of the police to provide the requisite security measures in favour of the planned protest which had been slated for Feb. 6, constitutes a breach of citizens’ fundamental right to peaceful assembly.

    At the resumed hearing of the case, Omirhobo announced appearance for the applicant, while there was no legal representation for the respondents.

    He informed the court that he had yet to serve processes on some of the respondents in Abuja, and urged the court for time to do the needful.

    Consequently, Justice Chuka Obiozor ordered that all processes be regularized.

    He adjourned the suit until Oct. 11, for hearing.

    Omirhobo is seeking a declaration that the coercion and intimidation of 2face, by threatening to arrest him, if he dared to lead the planned protest, amounts to a breach of his right to freedom of association, expression and movement.

    He also seeks a declaration that the intimidation of 2face by the police, leading to a cancellation of the planned protest, which was meant to march against the rising wave of hunger and recession in the country, constituted a breach of citizens’ right to freedom of expression.

    The applicant is therefore, seeking an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the respondents from further preventing the applicant or other aggrieved citizens of Nigeria, from organizing or convening peaceful assemblies, meetings or rallies.

    He is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from further issuing threat statements to members of the public, and other interest groups from exercising their fundamental rights.

    The applicant also calls for a public apology from the respondents to the generality of Nigerians, for frustrating a planned peaceful protest.
    Obiozor will hear the case on Oct. 11.

  • Artistes’ managers to host charity match for motherless babies

    Sijuade Adedokun, President, Association of Music Artistes Managers of Nigeria (AMAMN), says its charity match between artists and their managers was aimed at raising funds for motherless babies.

    Adedokun, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos, said the match would be played on Friday at the Green Field Soccer pitch, Marwa Bus Stop at Lekki, Lagos.

    He called on his colleagues in the music business to participate and support the charity match.

    “The match will be a platform for stakeholders to give back to society by raising funds for motherless babies.

    “A-list artistes like Olamide, 2face, Praise and other upcoming artistes will participate in the match, Adedokun said.

    He added that the match would further bond artistes with their managers.

    “It is worthy of note that it is the masses that make artistes stars from their patronage and giving back to them is what the artistes should continually do.

    “The concept of giving back to society by pursuing humanitarian endeavours is core in knowing who is responsible and worthy of the glamour that comes with stardom,” Adedokun said.

    He said that Lagos was the most populated with A-list stars and as such, should create a legacy for others to follow for the good of society at large.

    “We are at the hub of entertainment in Nigeria and that has spurred us to take serious such humanitarian activities for people in other locations to emulate.

  • 2Face and friends

    2Face and friends

    But Rehoboam rejected their [elders’] advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he grew up.” — 1 Kings, 12:8, The Bible, New English Translation (NET) version
    By inspiring but abandoning the February 6 protests, Reuben Abati suggested popular artiste, 2Face Idibia, was a duplicitous two-face Janus.
    That is pure gas, especially coming from Abati — and that is no ad-hominem fallacy.
    2Face has far more honour, if the matter is Nigeria’s wellness, than Abati and other over-certificated folks, complicit but unfazed, in the Goodluck Jonathan debacle, from which this polity still hobbles.
    To be part of that historic disgrace, and yet piously prattle, as disinterested “public commentator”, and even plant some low-life conspiracy theories in people’s mind,  is the height of unconscionable duplicity.  Talk of the real two-faced Janus!
    Still, for 2Face, honour is one thing.  Culpable lack of understanding, before plunking, both legs into issues, is another.
    Courtesy of the opening biblical quote, how did Rehoboam, son of the wisest man in history, lose his kingdom; perhaps crowning himself the most foolish man in history?
    He took the advice of the youth, who spoke his own sentiments; and shunned the elders, who understood the issues.
    “With a dozen rash words,” theologian, Russel Dilday, entered his dire judgment, “Rehoboam, the bungling dictator, opened the door for four hundred years of strife, weakness, and, eventually, the destruction of the entire nation.”
    No. The idea here is not to disparage the youth. Didn’t the wise poet, William Wordsworth, say the child is father of the man? A wise and wizened elder today was, after all, yesterday’s rash and callow youth!
    But young or old, understanding issues, before acting, is key. Just imagine if Rehoboam had taken the right call?
    Perhaps the kingdom of David would have held. Maybe there would have been no conquest and dispersal. No Jewish Diaspora to feed Adolf Hitler’s holocaust machines. No frantic re-founding of the State of Israel in 1948. And probably, no Israeli-Palestinian mutually assured destruction!
    But pray, what has the ruin of ancient Israel, and woes of its modern cousin, got to do with staging democratic protests, in contemporary Nigeria?
    For starters, the issue is not romanticizing democratic dissents, as many seem to do. Or insisting on the people’s right to protest. Those are trite and settled.
    Rather, rationale behind the protest is the issue. What is it intended to achieve? And after the feel-good bawling, and irreverent screaming, what next? When is a protest functional? When is it just a distraction?
    You won’t get the right answers, unless you clinically grasp the issues.
    No doubt, there is pain and anguish in the land. But what caused the pain — wayward policies of the present? Or, execrable choices from the past?
    If the past has so blighted the present, that present pains are inevitable to save the future, why protest then, even if it were a democratic right, and the land were a babble of anguish?
    For rogue comfort, abort the future — the same misjudgment that landed us in this cul-de-sac? Or heckle the present government to abandon its straight-and-narrow path (that is indeed difficult), for the wide-and-merry way, that leads to perdition?
    Stop whining, often thunders the received wisdom — more of received folly, really — from bristling critics, fix the problem! Fine. But did anyone think righting wilful wrongs, including the free and frenzied stealing under President Jonathan, wouldn’t break more than a sweat? Strange!
    Still, it is amazing how mere coincidences often trigger past wisdom, which eternally rebuke present unthinking.
    Moremi Ojudu, daughter of Femi Ojudu, political adviser to the president, led a wing of the February 6 protests, which reached for the Ikoyi, Lagos, residence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Now was that contrived friendly fire to spin some positives from the protests? Or the All Progressives Congress (APC) revolution consuming its own children?
    Whatever it was, the Tinubu angle enriches the narrative. Now, the Lagos State that Governor Tinubu met in 1999, unlike the situation at Abuja, was relatively well run.
    Indeed, aside from the possible exception of Sir Michael Otedola (God bless his soul) and Col. (as he then was) Olagunsoye Oyinlola, all Lagos governors had always been above the national average. Indeed, just as Tinubu was reference point during his era, the iconic Alhaji Lateef Jakande was the gubernatorial golden boy of the 2nd Republic (1979-1983).
    Yet, the first two years of Governor Tinubu, particularly from emotive critics that didn’t understand, talk less of sharing his strategic vision, was sheer hell on earth.
    Who, indeed, would forget the whispering (but hugely popular) campaign on the “Bola oracle” at Alausa, busy guzzling civil servants’ salary (when the government was leveraging the ORACLE software to sanitize the Lagos wage bill)?
    Or the heroics of Labour Leader, Ayodele Akele who, just as the 2Face protest of February 6 tried to do, led an impassioned campaign against Governor Tinubu, on the explosive planks of pain and hunger!
    But without those early but painful reforms, would Lagos be the roaring exemplar it is today? Back then, painful reforms took no less than two years!
    Now, with the serial rape of Abuja, what quick therapy or painless magic is available, and for a harried government that isn’t even two years old? That about sums up the naiveté behind the 2Face protests!
    Still, just shuffle the times, between 2001 and now. You probably would locate a constant: a nihilistic but loud minority, averse to any strategic pains, no matter how inevitable; and prone to happy manipulation by naive, or worse: subversive lobbies, under the aegis of some public good.
    But by far, the greatest letdown has been the media. Even if the people are too stressed to think hard, is the press, with its much vaunted brain power, also incapable of some introspection?
    And the colourful, post-protest headlines! “Protests rock …”! “Labour paralyses Lagos”! And in all of these, a crowd no more than 500, in a city of 20 million? Some rocking paralysis! That sure must be the Nigerian media’s contribution to modern journalism lexis, if not outright fiction — and all these in times of extreme national angst!
    And to think that these same papers were busy romanticizing criminality, when some Niger Delta elements were blowing up oil facilities, just to make the silly point it is chic to cut your nose to spite your face! By the way, does anyone remember the boast to make Nigeria ungovernable, just because an election was lost and won?
    It is all adding up in national hunger — and anger!
    No one can take away anyone’s right to protest. But like Rehoboam’s fatal gaffe, 2Face and friends blundered on this one without much thinking.
    That it went largely shunned, despite a laughable media hype to the contrary, shows the quiet majority understand the issues far better than the noisy, bristling minority. But it doesn’t mean they feel less pain.
    It is crunch time. We must atone for past licentiousness, or embrace sure future ruin. Let nobody give democratic dissent a bad name.

  • I Stand With 2Face

    THERE has been so much bashing of music artiste, Innocent Idibia, after the singer withdrew from the February 6, 2017 protest. The criticism, jeering and even cussing was so overwhelming that the singer said, “I have read several opinions including being called a coward but I can say that I am glad that I am a coward who spoke up and will continue to speak up.” And in order to make attackers feel better, he said: “I am glad you all lent your voice out when I lost my own, you guys were the true heroes.”

    Nigeria has become a country of highly impulsive people, especially with the heated political atmosphere that span the transition from former President Goodluck Jonathan’s regime and that of successor and the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. This is the situation Idibia, otherwise called 2Face and most recently, 2Baba finds himself when he decided to echo the minds of many, by lending his voice to the current economic situation in Nigeria.

    Then, it dawned on him that what he thought would be a subtle, peaceful protest (by the ordinary man on the street) was going to take the form of a fight (by people who have scores to settle). And seeing people building muscles for a ‘mere show’ in which they were not going to be the bouncers, he decided to bow out. If you ask me, 2Baba is the strategist that knows the right time to withdraw. After all, did a Yoruba proverb not say that a warrior is determined by his ability to fight and run? Is it not better to live to fight another day than to be consumed by one’s first fight?

    Even if 2Face has not got a wife, children and mother who care about him, and could have begged him to live for their sake, common sense should tell anyone that the probability of the security reports he got was high. Perhaps 2Baba chose to listen to his wife, children and mother – I listen to mine too – and just as there are family and family, only 2Baba could determine how dear his family is to him and vice versa.

    In all of these, I see the singer’s maturity and independence of mind; otherwise he could have done the wish of the loud voice at the expense of the inert warning from his heart. I was once a student leader and I know that real activism is not in the cheering crowd. This was what the singer decided to separate himself for. And that voice of his that lowered in the 11th hour was what Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said the Federal Government heard loud and clear, not that of the jokers that flooded the street after the General quit.

    2Baba had articulated everything he needed government to know about his ‘One Voice’ protest, and the campaign ran two weeks before the supposed D-Day that was only meant to be ceremonial. And if he chose to leave ceremony out of a serious business, how does that change anything? After all, all the demands have gone unimaginably viral.

    So, who are the artistes? The ones that jumped on the campaign train of politicians during the last elections and were fighting over loots or the ones fighting political opponents on the social media by calling the candidates unprintable names?

    That 2Baba got two SUVs and a sponsored wedding from a politician without jumping on their campaign train showed he is not a bootlicker. And to express his apolitical disposition, he took a ‘Vote No Fight’ campaign around the nation. Who would you say sponsored that, National Orientation Agency?

    For those who thought he must have been sponsored by the opposition to lead a rally, I guess they now know better that if that was the case, the guy was brave to return their ‘fat cheque’. I’m certain that there is bravery in cowardice because being brave or cowardly has got a prize; and like two sides of a coin, the prize could be positive or negative – who knows.

    I have heard people say that 2Baba is not even fit to call himself an artiste because an artiste is supposed to be radical, and I’m wondering how that adds up. Some have said that the singer’s reason for backing off did not hold water, because there were no hijackers on February 6. And I maintained there was no protest on that day. The only way to know if there were hijackers was for 2Baba to lead the protest.

    Isn’t it imaginative that in those two Instagram videos, 2Baba did not put on his dark shade? What you saw in those videos was the countenance of a man who has nothing to hide. Only those who are gifted would see through his mind.

    I stand with 2Baba for not following the crowd, when we made it look like it was the crowd that was to follow him.

  • 2Face: Why they rage

    2Face: Why they rage

    “Dear Nigerians, after due consultations, it has become clear that the #OneVoiceNigeria protest scheduled to hold in Lagos and Abuja on Monday the 6th of February is under serious threat of hijack by interests not aligned with our ideals. The point I am intent on making is that is (sic) not worth the life of any Nigerian. It is in fact motivated by the need to negotiate a better deal for the ordinary Nigerian. I therefore announce the cancellation of the planned protest. We would share further information in due course. We appreciate the massive support. I am convinced that our voices have been heard… ”

    That was Innocent Tuface Idibia, in a short video to announce the cancellation of his highly publicised march on Saturday night. Yours truly obviously saw it coming. It takes an appreciation of the massive psychological operation (psych-ops) deployed against the leading light of the march in the past week alone to see why the event stood to chance of being held. Indeed, it is a miracle that the man still had the presence of mind to prepare what is evidently a hastily prepared visual to the public.

    As for the trophy for the abortion of the legitimate protest, that deservedly goes to Fatai Owoseni – the Lagos top cop who insisted that the constitution and the law counted for little when it comes to his idea of law and order. To him, what the constitution and the law guarantee are only as far as the old discredited colonial-style law enforcement template would allow.

    To him, it was sufficient that no official request came from the protesters notifying security agencies of their plan; moreover, he would add that intelligence report indicated that criminals might hijack the process to foment trouble. And so in Owoseni’s book, individuals or group of persons who may wish to embark on civil demonstration should inform the police until adequate security can be arranged for them!

    To imagine that this is the individual in charge of policing the home of dissent – the acclaimed Centre of Excellence, a fast transforming mega-city; not only does it leave little imagination about his suitability for the challenge but raises serious questions about his understanding of role of the police institution in a modern, democratic state!

    Should one also talk of the chief law officer of the federation who would rather be missing in action where contestations about issues of law and justice crop up? What about the Pontius Pilate presidency that would go on to speak from both sides of the mouth at a time the rights of citizens are being trampled under?

    I perfectly understand the pains of the Buharists for whom the Tuface capitulation merely presented ample occasion to gloat, and settle scores: “A man who did not protest against music Piracy that is affecting his business and did not protest against the massive corruption in his home state did not look to me as a man will balls to lead any other form of protest. He was given the go ahead by the Vice President and the Police but you can’t protest over nothing.”

    That was the message of Anasieze Donatus, in an interview with Premium Times. Tayo Ayano, speaking to the same medium was just as blunt: “Tuface should start from his wife’s state, Akwa Ibom where the ‘uncommon governor’ practically stole his people blind and then move to Delta State where they celebrate thieves and common criminals.”

    To those who insist on Tuface being an unlikely saint and so stand disqualified on the roll of those that could cast the proverbial stone, I would argue that he never sought to cast himself in that role. To the best of my knowledge, what he sought to do was merely galvanise like minds to engage the government on the raging issues of the day; the very issues that define our existence such as being echoed in bars and street corners.

    These are the untamed cost of living that have left most households pauperised; the collapse of industries, of the national currency; the unprecedented below par performance of Buhari’s ministers in the face of the dire emergency, the continuing meltdown in state institutions and the apparent lack of direction all of which have bred despair in the polity.

    The problem, it appears, is that a high flier has chosen to lead the charge in seeking to articulate the very issues that agitate Nigerians daily.

    In aborting the protests, the federal government may have spared itself the embarrassing spectacle of watching the hordes of angry, frustrated Nigerians rant to no end about its supreme incompetence before a global audience in the age of the new media; that no way diminishes the tragedy of that botched outing nor the weight of their undelivered message.

    However, let’s even assume that the government is able to put down the resurgent culture of civil protests – which seems increasing doubtful in the age of the new media – what about the problems of governance created by its own inertia that is at the heart of the distrust and ill-will? Would these also be decreed out of existence?

    Now that the messenger is at least temporarily out of the way, the question is – what becomes of the message? Put it another way: why do the people rage? Why the anger?

    The answer is not hard to hazard: not in our recent history have we seen an administration utterly lacking both in direction and cohesion. But then, that itself is an understatement. How do you describe a government which after bungling the budgetary process shops for alibis? A government that has made such a mess of its Mid-Term Expenditure Framework that the National Assembly could not but sneer at what it described as its sophomoric effort? Imagine an administration laying a $30 billion loan request before parliament with no specific projects attached to the request? How bad can things get? And considering how bad things are, where is the sense of emergency?

    Think of members of the nation’s Economic Management Team – the monetary and fiscal monetary authorities –working at cross purposes with each other. Only in Nigeria can this be contemplated –at a time of dire emergency!

    Where are the strategies to get our industries revving back to life? Where are the strategic plans to wean our industries off their dependence on imported raw materials and hence foreign exchange in the medium term? In short, where are the clear-sighted, forward-looking strategies to get the nation out of the current challenges other than the same old, tired ideas that brought us to this point?

    Left to pick between #IstandwithBuhari and #IstandwithNigeria, the choice should be obvious.

  • Group says protest ‘ll continue without 2Face

    Group says protest ‘ll continue without 2Face

    Mixed reactions have followed late Saturday’s cancellation of the much anticipated protest march to be convened by hip hop musician, Innocent Idibia, aka 2Face.

    The singer, up till late Friday, maintained there was no going back on the planned protest, despite warning by security agencies that the rally was capable of being hijacked by hoodlums.

    However, in a video released on Saturday night, 2Face who eventually yielded security advice, said it was not wise to go on with the protest, as the rally is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.

     

    He noted that consultations have shown clearly that the ‘One Voice’ protest scheduled to hold in Lagos and Abuja on Monday, February 6, is under serious threat of hijack by interests not aligned with the ideals of his group.

    ”The point I am making is that the intent is not worth the life of any Nigerian. It is motivated by the need to negotiate a better deal for the ordinary Nigerian.

    ”I therefore announce the cancellation of the planned protest.

    “We would share further information in due course. We appreciate the massive support .

    “I am convinced our voices have been heard.

    May God bless you all, may God bless Nigeria,” said the singer, in the audio-visual message that has soon gone viral on the internet.

    While critics of the protest continue to praise him for taking a wise step by desisting from an activity they thought was shifting his focus from his music career, his supporters have been divided in there reactions. To some, it was an act of cowardice to bow to pressure from security agencies while to others, the singer’s outcry in the last two weeks has created enough awareness on the grievances of the people against some of the unfavorable policies of government.

    Meanwhile, indication emerged early Sunday that the protest may continue without 2Face, as a group called Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution (CDNDC)  has vowed to continue with the protest, saying it was never about 2Face and his group alone in the first place.

    In a press statement issued by one Ariyo-Dare Atoye, co-convener, CDNDC, “the cancellation of #IStandWithNigeria rally is not the consensus of Nigerians, majority of fellow planners and not a true reflection of the sincere plan to organize this rally in public interest.”

    He said: “Let it be known that Mr. Idibia merely keyed into an ongoing public discourse over this protest to take a lead. It was never his singular idea but the concerns of the suffering masses.

     

    “Therefore, we wish to inform concerned Nigerians and the international community that there is a national and public consensus for this protest to hold as scheduled in all venues. There are hundreds of groups and thousands of Nigerians who are leading this initiative and we will not back down.”

     

    According to Atoye, “This is the time to separate real activists from emergency activists. Emergency activists seek mortality with the fear of man, while revolutionists and real activists seek immortality with the fear of God.

     

    “Consequently, in the exact opposite of what our brother, 2Face said; “Dear Nigerians, due to stomach insecurity and bad governance consideration, we hereby announce the continuation of the march as scheduled – on Monday, February 6, 2017,” he said.

  • 2Face leads stars to shut down Makurdi

    2Face leads stars to shut down Makurdi

    Makurdi, Benue State, came alive last Saturday night as thousands of music lovers gathered at IBB Square for the debut of Star Music The Trek 2016.

    The concert hosted by Gbenga Adeyinka started on an exceptionally high note with an array of budding music talents who dazzled audience with their performances. However, it was Benue-born 2face that led Ice Prince, Cynthia Morgan, Wande Coal and Burna Boy to give makurdi rsidents an unforgettable experience.

    While Wande coal some of his classic hit singles like Bumper to Bumper, Se na like this, Super woman, Booty call, My woman – My everything and a host of other songs, Ice prince gave a dexterous performance while singing to timeless singles such as Oleku, Aboki, Excellency and That could be us.

    The concert also saw an amazing dance routine from Cynthia Morgan, who performed her new single Bubble bup and scintillated the cheering crowd with songs like ‘I’m Taken’, ‘Lead Me On’, ‘Popori’ and the crowd-pleasing-song ‘German Juice’, which left the audience yearning for more.

    Burnaboy had his A-game on, as he connected with the crowd throughout his 40 minutes set on stage. He serenaded the crowd to amazing songs like Don Gorgon, Yawa Dey, Won da mo, Oluwa Burna and a couple of other songs from his stable.

    And with a combination of skillful backup singers, music icon and headline act, 2Baba closed the concert with a one-hour live performance through which he dished out some philosophies about life.

    The Deejays weren’t left out on the night. DJ ‘BIG N’ and DJ Neptune brought incredible life to the city of Makurdi, turning up the mix and gracefully giving upcoming acts a shot at fame during their moments on stage.

    The Star Music trek train heads to Abuja for the second concert on October 8 in the line-up of its five-city tour.

  • At Mare Festival, 2Face dazzles Ondo youths

    At Mare Festival, 2Face dazzles Ondo youths

    Despite the hard times and biting fuel scarcity, which made movement almost impossible, the Ondo State government kept the spirit of the yearly Mare Festival alive at Idanre. The event featured a marathon race, mountain climbing competition, cultural, musical concerts and raffle draws. Many won prizes ranging from motorcycles to standing fans and table refridgerators, among others, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

    Call it an enchanting dose of musical renditions or an exhilarating musical performances you are right.

    That was the atmosphere at the close of the Mare Festival 2015, a mountain-climbing sport cum cultural festival held at the Olofin Grammar School playground, Idanre in Ondo State penultimate weekend.

    The scintillating performances by the trio of female drummer Ara, Paul Play Dairo and African Queen crooner, 2Fface Idibia, who were the star acts at the festival, held the community spell-bound for several hours.

    After about seven hours of scintillating musical performances by talented young musicians as well as Ara, Dairo and 2Face, the crowd overran the stage at the close of the concert.

    Dairo’s rendition of his classic number Mose orire o took Governor Mimiko, his wife and other guests to the dance floor praising God for His mercy and blessings.

    Other musical acts and comedians that featured were Romario, LSK, DJ Slow, Sahel, Oyes, Innate Music, MC Timi, Melodite, Samba, Psalm 23, Salome, ODD, Ojoro, Iyalode and Southsouth Entertainment.

    The concert got to its peak when 2Face mounted the stage. And when Governor  Mimiko, who arrived the concert at 10 pm, was to give his remark around 2am, the surging crowd become uncontrollable. At a point, the crowd became restless and shouting, 2Face, 2Face, 2Face.

    “We want 2Face,” rent the air that was laden with thick cloud of dust from the marching jubilant crowd. Their plea however got 2Face excited that he disregarded compere’s directive to put his performance on hold for the Governor to speak. This created a scene of some sort as 2Face couldn’t resist the crowd’s urge for more performances. The situation was later brought under control when 2Face was offered a plastic chair to relax on stage, after he had been persuaded by the governor that the performance would continue after he had delivered his speech. Time was past 2am.

    As the crowd maintained some calmness, Governor Mimiko said his administration remains committed to making tourism drive the state’s economy, especially through medical and domestic tourism.

    The concert, which marked the close of the festival was attended by Governor Mimiko and his wife, Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, Ondo State Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Femi Adekanmbi, Nollywood celebrities led by Jibola Dabo, Yemi Blaq, Bimbo Oshin, among others.

    2Face started his performance after an introduction by Ara and followed by the miming of Ebenezer Obey’s evergreen song, Baby mi jowo. That brief duet with Ara added extra flavour to the concert.  His hit songs African Queen and Rainbow were next as he took the crowd into memory lane.  Decked in a black bodysuit on a white T-shirt upon black pant, Tuface dazzled the crowd with his legendry displays. The jubilant crowd however overran the barricade manned by security officials, when 2Face performed his Let somebody loves you hit from his ascension album.

    Earlier, winners who emerged from the marathon and raffle draws, held at the Idanre Mountain Resorts were presented with prizes.

    Information Commissioner Mr. Kayode Akinmade disclosed that by next year, Ondo State representatives would compete in the mountain climbing competition noting that the seeds sown by Governor Mimiko in Idanre would blossom. He said the Golf Course in the state is ready and by February, it would host the Governor’s Golf tournament.

    Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism Mr. Femi Adekanmbi said his dream as the new helmsman in the ministry is to improve Mare from its present level and turn tourism into income generating sector, stressing that ‘we must not depend on oil.’

    He said the sector would be private investors driven that will involve private partnership with stakeholders in the sector. “If it means reaching outside the state for investors, we will not hesitate to do so. Expect a new dawn. I am a goal getter and I will do that in the next one year and Mare will be taken to another level,” he said. Adekanmbi said the state would host its first Ondo Carnival next Easter.

  • 2Face wows fans at Calabar Festival

    2Face wows fans at Calabar Festival

    In an exhilarating performance to formally kick off the musical component of the ongoing Calabar Festival, African Queen crooner, 2Face Idibia, yesterday, wowed the Cross River State governor, Professor Ben Ayade, and the over 5000 revellers at the popular entertainment hotspot, Cultural Calabar.

    Rendering chart bursting tracks such as African Queen, among others, not even Ayade, whom many have within a short time nicknamed “Digital Governor” could resist the rhythmic allure of the lead vocalist of the defunct Plantainshun Boys.

    In a mammoth audience that had the Deputy Governor, Professor Ivara Esu, House of Assembly Speaker, John Gaul Lebo, State Executive Council members, as well as the State lawmakers, 2Face literally melted into the ecstatic revellers who thronged the venue to unwind.

    A sense of camaraderie permeated the air, as Governor Ayade did the ‘chop knuckle’ fist salute with 2Face who also went into the crowd offering bear hugs, handshakes and ‘hifives’ to everyone struggling to touch and do a selfie with him.

    The performance that lasted three hours also witnessed local acts showcasing their stuff to further animate the gathering.

    Resistance was visibly etched on the faces of the crowd who refused to come to terms with the fact that the show for the night was over, with the shout of; “We want more!!!”, “Two Baba, please don’t go”, among other chants.

    The show which continues tonight with other star performers is expected to kick of at the same venue after the cultural band parade early Tuesday.