The Nation Newspaper

Tag: excite

  • Tuface, T-pain, others excite at AFRIMMA

    Tuface, T-pain, others excite at AFRIMMA

    The much-anticipated African Muzic Magazine Awards (AFRIMMA), which held at the weekend, has again confirmed hip-hop act David Adeleke, aka Davido, as an artiste to reckon with in 2014 – the singer clinched the diadem for Artiste of the Year and Best Male West Africa, making it the third of such awards this year.

    Davido had contested the category with three other Nigerian artistes, Wizkid, Iyanya and Flavour; two Ghanaian acts, Sarkodie and Shatta Wale and Ivorian singer, DJ Arafat.

    As if destined for the same journey, Tiwa Savage, who alongside Davido won the Best Female Act in the MTV Africa Music Award (MAMA) also beat her West African counterparts at the AFRIMMA award. She defeated Nigeria’s Chidimma, Senegal’s Viviane Chidid, Ivory Coast’s Teeyah, Benin Republic’s Sessima and Ghana’sEfya.

    High musical renditions were part of the activities that made the night thick. Expectedly, the show featured spectacular performances from top artistes from Africa, including a duet from hip hop act, Tuface Idibia and Grammy award-winning rapper, Faheem Najm, alias T-pain.

    During the awards show which held at the Eisemann Center, Richardson, Texas, the two artistes thrilled the crowd individually and jointly. Their duet was the remix of Tuface’s song, Rainbow, which features the American star. The song is Tuface’s popular single on his 2012 album, Away & Beyond.

    Anchored by comedian Basketmouth and Ghanaian actress Juliet Ibrahim, the show also featured performances by Kcee (Song of the Year), Iyanya (Best Dance in a Video) and Flavour (Best Video of the Year) among others.

    AFRIMMA’s founder Anderson Obiagwu, who was excited about the success of the show, noted that his company was determined to sustain the drive towards a world-class African awards show through what he described as its “crossing boundaries with music”.

    Other Nigerian winners at the awards are: Best African Group 2014- P-square, Best Dancehall Artist 2014 – Timaya, Best Traditional Artist 2014- Flavour, Best Dance Group 2014- Imagineto, Leadership in Music Award 2014- 2face Idibia and Transformational Leadership Award 2014- Chief Dr. Godswill Akpabio.

  • Nigerian films excite at Durban Film Festival

    Nigerian films excite at Durban Film Festival

    Three movies by Nigerian filmmakers are among the huge line-up of screening at the ongoing Durban International Film Festival.

    Although the big one, Half of a Yellow Sun, had aroused interest based on huge publicity and its affiliation with the British Film Institute (BFI), B for Boy by Chika Anadu and Gone Too Far by Bola Agbaje also made interesting outing with their thought-provoking themes.

    Half of a Yellow Sun, which will be released in Nigeria on August 1, was sold out during its first showing last Friday at Suncoast, one of the several venues dedicated to screenings at the festival. The movie, a feature directorial debut by Nigerian/British playwright, Biyi Bandele, has continued to generate interest, going by its account of the Nigerian civil war, as re-enacted in Chimamanda Adichie’s book from which it was adapted.

    B for Boy, on the other hand, is the also the feature film debut of a burgeoning filmmaker, whose shorts films AVA, was listed in the short film corner at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. The film explores the phenomenal desperation for a male child among Igbo men in Eastern Nigeria, and how vulnerable a character like 38-year-old Amaka played by Uche Uwadili becomes in the hands of her mother-in-law.

    The fever pitch is the threats and sense of insecurity in the marriage, where the man could opt for another woman.

    The practice, as portrayed by Anadu in this movie, leaves no option of adoption, and one can only tell what woes will betide a childless woman in such tradition.

    Although a regular Nollywood storyline, it comes across as news to the diverse audience at the festival.

    Bola Agbaje’s film, Gone Too Far, is a fully BFI-sponsored movie, and so goes the credit – never portrayed as a Nigerian film.

    A British film by Nigerians, Gone Too Far, explores racial disparity among blacks in a white man’s land.

    Directed by Destiny Ekharaga, the film features British-Nigerian teenager Yemi (Malachi Kirby) who is ashamed to let his peers know that his just-arrived, socks-and-sandals-wearing Nigerian brother Ikudayisi (OC Ukeje) is his biological brother.

    The underlining message in the comic film climaxes with an exposé of the folly of denying one’s identity in a bid to feel British among fellow Africans, even when the British don’t see them as one of their own.

    Another remarkable presence of Nigeria at DIFF is the AfriNolly Showcase, a short film collection by a mobile application company that also grooms young African filmmakers through cash prize competition. The company is run by Mr. Chike Maduegbuna and his wife, who were both in attendance at DIFF.

  • Chevron’s N50m projects excite communities, govt in Delta

    Chevron’s N50m projects excite communities, govt in Delta

    It was harvest of projects across Delta State last week as Chevron Nigeria Limited, operators of the NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture, inaugurated  developmental projects worth over N50 million in Edjeba and Ubeji communities in Warri South West and Osubi in Okpe local government areas of the state.

    The projects included a solar-powered borehole at Edjeba Primary School; two 500KVA electricity transformers at Osubi Community and a block of six classrooms for Egharegbemi Primary School Ubeji.

    Chevron also partnered with some of its employees to donate books and electronic teaching aids including laptops, projectors and electricity generating sets to five schools in Delta State. The benefiting schools are Ogbe Secondary School, Ekpan Secondary School, Alegbo Secondary School, Ugborikoko Secondary School and Ugbmro Secondary School all in Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.

    Speaking at one of the project sites, the Secretary to the State Government, Comrade Ovouzorie Macaulay, praised the NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture for the commitment to partnering with the government to provide infrastructure and facilities for socio-economic development of communities.

    Macaulay, who was represented by Mr Vincent Omorie (Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Community Affairs), noted that the gesture by the JV partners supports the state government’s agenda of infrastructure and human capital development.

    The SSG revealed that the provision of potable water for the school children was aimed at sustaining the healthy living of the “leaders of tomorrow,” adding that the Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan administration had done a lot to improve infrastructure and facilities in its schools.

    Also at the events at Ubeji and Ogbe Secondary School, the Delta State Commissioner for Education (Primary and Basic) Prof. Patrick Muobuoghare, thanked the JV partners for partnering with the state government for educational development.

    He called on other well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies to emulate the gesture of Chevron and its employees and contribute to development of educational infrastructure and human capital in the state.

    Muoboghare, who was represented by the Chief Inspectors of Basic and Secondary Education in Warri South and Uvwie Local Government Areas, Dr. Michael Emeshili and Mr. Solomon Onojaiyefe respectively, noted that Chevron has been in the forefront in supporting government’s programmes in the education sector and has initiated several activities to help contribute to educational development in Delta State.

    He urged members of the community and the schools’ management to put the facilities provided for them to good use, protect them and to ensure that they are maintained for the betterment of the school children and the communities as a whole.

    The General Manager, Policy Government and Public Affairs (PGPA), Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), Mr. Deji Haastrup, who was represented by Mr. Trust Inimgba,  PGPA Superintendent in Chevron’s Warri, noted that the company was committed to enhancing partnership with relevant stakeholders to achieve the goal of sustainable development of communities around its areas of operations in the Niger Delta.

    He noted that the company also believes that education is the key to national and societal development, stressing that it was that belief that informed CNL’s commitment to educational development as one of the thematic areas in its social performance programmes.

  • Tuface Idibia, Bovi, others excite at Maggi Chicken launch

    Tuface Idibia, Bovi, others excite at Maggi Chicken launch

    It was another exciting moment last week when award-winning Nigerian singer, Tuface Idibia, thrilled guests at the launch of the new Maggi chicken cube, amidst pomp and circumstance.

    The sensational singer, who was accompanied by his wife, Annie, performed some of his popular songs to the admiration of the audience.

    He was joined by Bovi, a stand-up comedian, and Toke Makinwa, who recently signed an endorsement deal with Maggi, at the well-attended event.

    The show reached a crescendo when the celebrities performed their version of the Maggi Chicken dance.

    The presence of hundreds of Maggi consumers, Nestle Nigeria officials, celebrities, media professionals and champions of Lagos kitchens, including  Ghana High, White House, made the launch most memorable.

    Annie narrated how she had, over the years, made her husband’s best meal of yam and beans tasty with Maggi, which described as her “special secret ingredient”. She also narrated how she cooked her husband’s first meal, using Maggi.

    While unveiling the new Maggi, Nestlé’s Category Business Manager (Culinary), Guy Kellaway, said: “Maggi is all about innovation, constantly pleasing consumers and always one-step ahead of the game. We are very excited. It’s a renovated cube; it provides the best colour, aroma and taste to all your dishes. We encourage everyone to try it. Maggi is available in cube and tablet formats; it is already available for caterers and restaurants in large 800gramme powder format.”

    Speaking on what informed the decision to re-launch the brand, the Brand Manager, Maggi, Emeka Nwodo, stated: “Maggi is the original seasoning and clearly the number one. We have a high level of trust and that means we have to bring the best product into the market. Maggi star cube, which is the original cube, is totally unique. It is made of fermented soya beans, iodine salt fortified with iron, best colour and aroma of all chicken seasonings and taste.”

    The brand, whose targets include old and young, is also strengthening its strategies to have more share of the market, a situation that informed the presence of popular restaurants like Ghana High and White House to give guests the opportunity to taste local and continental dishes prepared with Maggi during the launch.

    Maggi chicken cube is one of the many flavours in the Nestlé Nigeria Plc. seasoning portfolio. Other Maggi seasoning flavours include Maggi Star cube, Maggi Crayfish and Maggi Mix’py in four different variants.I

  • 10-year-olds excite at CBN Junior Tennis Championships

    10-year-olds excite at CBN Junior Tennis Championships

    Olalade Holmes, 10, playing her first CBN Junior Championship pushed Chidinma Ezeh from Onitsha, ranked No.2 in the Girls 10, to come up with some outstanding rallies on the centre court of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club. Miss Ezeh, 9, trailed 2-4 but fought back to level at 6-6 and eventually prevailed 9-6.

    Gabriel Friday, ranked No.1 in the boys 12 also had to fight back with some outstanding retrievals from 2-6 down to David Dawariye from Port Harcourt to win 9-6.

    The tournament, which is part of the International Tennis Academy Junior Tennis Circuit, is in the round robin stage in the four categories – boys and girls 10, 12 , 14 & 16 – featuring at the championship.

  • Goal-laden Eaglets excite Manu

    Goal-laden Eaglets excite Manu

    Golden Eaglets Head Coach, Manu Garba (MFR) was full of excitement after his wards turned on the style in an 11-0 win against Espanyol FC Academy at the main bowl of the U.J Esuene Sports Stadium on Wednesday.

    The match was played in honour of late Assistant Coach of the U-20 Women National Team, Falconets, Mr. Chris Nwaehi who had long arranged the friendly match before he passed on in Lagos on April 29.The Port-Harcourt –based team that played a 2-2 draw with the Flying Eagles during their camping in Abuja , gave a good account of themselves but were simply overwhelmed by coach Garba’s goal-thirsty guys.

    Six Golden Eaglets shared the goals with a brace each for Chidiebere Nwakali; Theophilus Solomon; Musa Yahaya; Godwin Odibo while the duo of Adamu Abubakar and Najim Adamu scored twice and once for the first time in a national team attire.

    “We are really impressed with the performance of the boys against Espanyol and it shows that this is not a one-man team,” Manu said wearing a smile. “Our happiness is drawn from the fact that the goals were not scored by the usual faces like Isaac Success, Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidera Ezeh.”

    The match actually started on a promising note for the visiting team when they pressed for the curtain raiser but the tide changed when Eaglets’ Theophilus in his characteristic manner fired a shot that was pushed into a corner. Jacob Njoku, who scored four goals in the Eaglets’ penultimate game against First Best Farmers Football Club of Enugu, delivered a pin-point corner that was powered home with a header by Nwakali for the first goal. With the back of Espanyol finally broken, the Golden Eaglets were on cruise control much to the delight of the spectators and team officials.

    “You can see there is a good chemistry in the team and we are delighted that the players are really responding and putting into effect all what they are being taught in training,” explained Manu.

    “Of course, we want a near perfect team because that is the kind of team that can go all the way to win the World Cup.”

  • N55.3m development projects excite rural communities

    Residents of Araromi in Ikorodu and Eleran-Igbe commnuities in Ibeju Lekki, a Lagos suburb, have expressed gratitude to the state government for the micro water scheme and rural electrification projects worth N55.3 million provided for them.

    Araromi community was given micro water scheme, Eleran-Igbe got rural electrification.

    The cost of rehabilitating the water scheme in Araromi was put at N23.27 million, while Eleran-Igbe rural electrification gulped N32 million.

    The projects were handed over as part of activities marking the Community Day, slated for Thursday, November 8, in Lagos.

    Commissioner for Rural Development, Cornelius Ojelabi, while handing over the Araromi Micro Water Scheme at the weekend said the project, which was first built in 1990, developed fault six years ago and that the state government had to rehabilitate it in order to provide water for the people.

    He lamented that the project was neglected because community members felt that government projects were not their responsibilities to maintain, while urging the community to take ownership of the water scheme, since it was the money they paid through taxes that was used in rehabilitating the project.

    The water scheme is capable of supplying 10,000 gallons of water to the community on daily basis. The project has two industrial boreholes; two filtration tanks; 60 KVA generating set; distribution network of about 1km; 10 dual stand posts located in various parts of the community and provision of treatment chemicals, among others.

    “The contractor will manage the micro water scheme in the next six months; if there is no complain after that, we will take charge of the project. The community should monitor the project,” he said.

    Head of Department, Rural Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Rural Development, Adisa Yinusa, an engineer, said the water project was rehabilitated by Foladem Associates Nigeria Limited. He said the scope included civil, mechanical and environmental works.

    According to him, the project would provide uninterrupted water supply to the populace, thereby reducing water borne disease and other water related diseases.