The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ayo

  • Simi in graceful visuals for ‘Ayo’

    Ace Nigeria singer and celebrity, Simisola Ogunleye aka Simi has released the visual of her recent new single “Ayo.”

    The singer shared the visuals to her latest single, ‘Ayo’ in YouTube, where she sang excitedly in a great appreciation to God.

    The singer released of her first official ‘Ayo’ in audio in 2018, which was produced by Legendary Beatz Record, has finally come though with the visuals of it.

    The lyrics of the song talks about the singer’s expression of joy forever and request for better things to come.

    Ayo which translates to ‘Joy’ finds Simi in her thankful state as she sings about all the blessings that have come her way.

    The video was shot by Director K, shows different categories of persons as they danced in excitement to the song.

    The new song ‘Ayo’ was the singer ‘s first solo single for the new year after her joint single with her husband and singer Adekunle Gold in the ‘ promise’

    The afro-alternative song also contained lyrics of her speaking of the joy and God’s blessing for her and her entire household this year.

    Simi recently got married to renowned singer Adekunle Gold. She was a gospel singer before she released her debut in 2008 titled ‘Ogaju’

    The singer’s career came into limelight in 2014 after she released ‘Tiff’ a song which was nominated in two categories at ‘The Headies 2015’ and further brought her to mainstream recognition.(NAN)

  • Ayo Teriba seeks support for privatisation scheme

    Ayo Teriba seeks support for privatisation scheme

    A leading economist and the Chief Executive Officer of Economic Associates, Dr. Ayo Teriba, has called for the opening of the Nigerian  economy through privatisation, which stimulates foreign direct investment(FDI.)

     ”Privatisation is the tool which most countries use to check their liquidity issue and beef up the economy and Nigeria can also do the same by privatising some of her key sectors”, Teriba stated, adding that a macro-economic approach to privatisation is ideal.

      Speaking as a guest lecturer at a two-day retreat with the theme Rediscovery and Repositioning, organised by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in Abuja recently, he explained that illiquidity is the country’s main challenge. Said he: “To solve Nigeria’s liquidity problem, she needs foreign exchange inflow. Nigeria’s annual export revenue has been halved. Nigeria’s problem is that other problems are symptoms of the (liquidity) problem. Recession is reflecting a liquidity shortage.”

    He pointed out that privatisation is now the trend the world over; citing Saudi Arabia and India which plan to privatise some of their critical sectors to raise funds to develop their economies. Teriba explained that Saudi Arabia avoided recession because of its huge foreign reserves. Saudi Arabia plans to raise about $200 billion through the privatisation of 16 sectors ranging from healthcare and airports to education.

    The renowned economist noted that Nigeria relies almost exclusively on volatile export revenue and neglected opportunities to attract massive and more stable diaspora and FDI inflows, whereas “non-resident Indians and Chinese invest massively at home to fund economic recovery and growth efforts of their respective countries.” He queried why it did not occur to Nigeria to do the same before now.

    Teriba recalled that Nigeria used to attract more FDI than India, South Korea, South Africa and UAE, but noted that these countries have now overtaken Nigeria. He called for the opening up of the vents for investment to flow by breaking all government monopolies as has been done in telecommunication and power sectors.

     ”China’s inward FDI stock rose from $20bn in 1990 to $1.08trillion in 2015 and Nigeria held nearly half of what China held in 1990 but held only nine percent of what China held in 2015. Where did we go wrong?” he asked.

     Teriba further  revealed that although Nigeria has about N100 trillion in her economy, it was not evenly distributed and suggested that instead of the present agitation for political restructuring, those in its vanguard should agitate for sectoral, resource and revenue restructuring.

     Declaring the retreat open, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr. Alex A. Okoh, said the aim is to help the bureau in applying a different kind of thinking by involving every member of the BPE family in a strategic episode where “we can together build a bridge between the dream of a new BPE and the actions that we must collectively take to make that dream a reality.”

     This new vision for the bureau is hinged on the two pillars of the new vision of the body—Rediscovery and Repositioning.  The rediscovery pillar, the DG said, would lead the bureau to retrace and redefine its core values and reclaim its culture of professionalism, knowledge, competence, integrity and transparency. The repositioning pillar, on the other hand, aims to set the bureau on a path that would help it engage with the future effectively and with confidence, to guarantee that its objectives are achieved.

  • Photo: Jonathan, Oritsejafor, Oyedepo praying for Nigeria

    Photo: Jonathan, Oritsejafor, Oyedepo praying for Nigeria

  • Ayo, beware of the wide and merry way…

    Ah, in Nigeria’s ever ludicrous theatre, two Ayos strut the stage: one, of the Pentecostal-religious hue, who also doubles as secular president of Nigerian Christendom; the other, of the partisan political stock, who only last August won a stunning election in Ekiti, but now appears set to self-destroy, even before taking office.

    To both, the scriptural dictate, indeed diktat: beware of the wide and merry way that leads to perdition.  Embrace the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation.

    Are these two Ayos beyond redemption?  Hardly. Say the scriptures, after all: God does not want the sinner to perish but to repent and be saved.  Still, do the duo take this to heart?

    From the rapid-fire preacher, in the mould of a savvy sports-caster running live football commentary on radio, and donning his inimitable Afro hair, Ayo Oritsejafor has come a long way from the dashing spiritual side-kick to the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa.  From the adorable and respected tele-evangelist, who always signed off each excellent delivery with “ma wife, Mama Helen”, the beautiful and chaste one beaming by his side, Pastor Oritsejafor has scaled the apex of Nigerian Christendom, berthing as Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) president.

    But like an object that has vaulted a dizzying height and is set for a plummet, our beloved pastor appears hooked on the wide and merry way the Bible so sternly warns against.

    When a pastor cruises around in a private jet (O, it is for air evangelism — besides, my God is not a wretched God!), blindly takes CAN under him to uncritical partisanship and still grandstands, even when faced with a shameful scandal, involving his evangelical jet in probable money-laundering cum gun-running, running into $9.3 million, the wide and merry way beckons.

    And to think the revered pastor was paraphrased by a newspaper as having claimed “enemies of Christianity were linking him to the deal”! So, the pastor is Nigerian Christendom and Nigerian Christendom is the pastor?  Indeed, perdition urgently calls!

    The good pastor should take the wise counsel of Femi Falana: If his presidential lobbies shield him from prosecution for breaching the Companies and Allied Matters  Act (CAMA), which insists that “a jet registered for the facilitation of evangelism cannot be leased to another company for commercial purposes as churches are registered under CAMA as non-profit making organisations”, he should at least publicly apologise to Nigerians; and, like fumbling but remorseful King David, over the Uriah-Bathsheba affair, seek private forgiveness from his God. Otherwise, perdition beckons!

    As for the other Ayo, Fayose, he of stomach infrastructure in the rocky enclave of Ekiti, scandal and chaos appear, to him, second nature! Like the same Biblical King David, from whose house the sword never departed, Ayo Fayose and trouble would appear bound like fish and water.

    The embattled governor-elect is entitled to his plea of innocence.  But it is instructive that it is when he makes the precincts of the courts that a judge gets mugged; and it was when he lost a judicial call that a courtroom got invaded and court records shredded!

    Ayo, my son, beware of the wide and merry way…

  • Ayo emerges winner of MTN Project Fame

    Ayo emerges winner of MTN Project Fame

    After a keenly contested edition of the MTN Project Fame West Africa Season 5, Ayobami Ayoola has emerged winner of the sensational music reality TV show, clinching a recording contract worth N7,000,000 in addition to a Toyota Rav 4 and a cash reward of N2,500,000.

    The first runner-up position went to Marvelous Odiete, who was rewarded with N1,500,000 and a Toyota Corolla, while Adetoun who emerged as second runner-up, got a Toyota Yaris and N1,000,000. Ella, who was the surprise package of the academy, got N1,000,000 for coming fourth in the competition.

    The seven finalists performed their own composed songs to an audience during the grand finale, which was held at the Ultima Studios, Lekki, Lagos.

    Ayo was outstandingly incredible. Spotting a white suit, the young man was most thrilling with his usual enchanting voice when he performed Na Time. Rich in Afro-beat, the song itself was a testimony of Ayo’s evolvement in the academy, which was apparent a day earlier when he sang alongside the academy season 3 winner, Chidimma.

    Some other highlights of the evening were the performances by such established musica stars like Stylplus, Chidimma and Flavour. The musicians added color to the Closing Gala.

    Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Larry Annette, said that Project Fame is a definition of a company’s commitment to developing the people of its trading environment. He noted that the academy gives expression to the talents and aspirations of West African youths who hitherto had no platform to learn and develop their musical talents.