The Nation Newspaper

Tag: music

  • Artiste urges investment in music industry

    Artiste urges investment in music industry

    Hip-hop star, Dapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’banj, has urged the Federal Government to design programmes that will boost the country’s music industry. This, he said, will help in improving the talents in the country.

    D’banj said this when he paid a visit to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke.

    He said that the youth in the country were endowed with music potential that should be harnessed.

    “Nigeria’s entertainment industry needs support and I am committed to being a part of efforts toward achieving this. Everything about us should not be about oil,” he said.

    He also spoke about the need to promote the country’s image in the international community through music and entertainment.

    “We can achieve this through establishing a collaboration that will offer support for young and up-and-coming musicians who have the talents to showcase the country to the world.

    “There have been a lot of wrong perceptions about how we are. When you spend the whole day, you will understand. I want everyone to come and see how great Nigeria is. People will get to see,” he also said.

    D’banj also described the entertainment industry as an employer of labour, adding that it was capable of keeping the youth economically engaged and out of social vices.

    Duke called on musicians across the country and in the Diaspora to strive to be role models.

    According to Duke, the Federal Government is determined to “strengthening the country’s entertainment industry with support from stars such as D’banj.”

    He urged him to use his popularity and talent to attract international partners to promote the country’s music industry.

  • Music, drama and dance for young artistes

    Itah Hozaife is a Theatre Arts graduate of the University of Jos and the founder of Ink Marks.  This is a social enterprise established to develop children in different aspects of the art.  The children range from 9 to 18years and the concept is to teach them how to write plays, prose, songs; also how to direct, how to write scripts and develop their own innate talents through exposure to the rudiments of the art.  She had a chat with Edozie Udeze on these and more

    So what is the whole essence of Ink Marks and Reel kids?

    Since 2009, we discovered that there had been mass failures among the kids in the area of English Language and that innate ability to develop their God-given talents. We therefore felt that we could do our best to turn the situation around for good. We thought also we would be one of those to resolve that and show the kids the way forward in terms of how to speak and learn English to help them be the best in their chosen profession.

    Now, we have two projects coming up this August. It is to coincide with the long holidays. One is called REEL kids. This has to do with teaching children English Language and Literature in English, using music, drama and dance. We did this last year and so this is the second time. Last year’s was encouraging.

    What we do after we’ve taught them the English Language is to give them the task of creating their own songs. In this wise, we use musical or home video films to demonstrate and see if they’ve learnt what we’ve taught them. This is so because kids have to be allowed to be who they are.

    What’s the age range for this…?

    This is open to kids between 8 to 16years. And we have fifteen days to do this and then allow them to practice on their own. This year we are lucky we got a lot of support from Diamond Bank and others. The second part of it will also come up towards the end of August. In it, we will host the first winner of Idols dance competition. He will also come around to help the kids write their music and develop their dance patterns more. Also part of the show is what I have tagged I have a speech. This is the first time we’ll be doing that. And it entails the inspiration of Martin Luther King. What we do here is to allow the kids to write a speech to see how they can handle that aspect of the art. The challenge will be there too.

    That’s the question they have to answer: What makes for a good leadership? The core essence of the speech is to talk about this leadership issue as it concerns us here in Nigeria mainly. So, the young ones have to write the speech answering that question of who qualifies to be a good leader and so on.

    The theme here is really centred on leadership. If they have to write this speech, they have to understand leadership, true leadership that will help to make a better tomorrow.

    The programme which is being supported by the Lagos State first lady will be read by her sometimes before the end of the year. However, this aspect of the show will be used as part of the October 1 independence anniversary of the country.

    Right now, we are calling for entries from children between 8 – 18 years. After that, all we do is select top 20 kids and then we will work with the children on leadership and speech writing workshop. This will last for 10 days. We have already got our panel of judges who will now select the number one speech out of the whole lot. The winner’s speech will then be presented to Mrs. Fashola to be read in September and aired on television come October 1.

    Why are you involving the First Lady in this?

    Emm… In the first place, we feel she loves the kids. She loves children a lot and you can always see that in her. She is very keen on children. She attends a lot of functions involving children and you could see how she relates with them. It is so amazing, you know. Now we feel the children will benefit more from her motherly love and attention. By interacting with her, they will also learn a lot about her and what she stands for. This is one way the children will also be much more involved even at this level of creativity and all. She really shows her deep love for children and her presence will equally inspire our kids to be like her in terms of leadership; in terms of motherly care and comportment.

    So, when I pushed the project to her, oh, she said she loved it and would be part of it. And it didn’t surprise me even though she didn’t know me, she agreed to be part of it.

    There’s too much of the English Language in the kids. Are you trying to do some of these experiments in our local languages?

    No, I am not doing that and I must be honest with you. And now I will tell you why. Currently, I am looking at the exams they are going for. If you look at NECO, WAEC and JAMB, they do not do well in English Language, English Literature, Biology and so on. If you look at the scores in the subjects I have mentioned, they failed all round. My focus now is to get them to be passionate about learning. If you teach them to be passionate about learning, the likely hood of their thinking well is there.

    You see, the reason why kids fail is that they are no longer interested in education. This is why the approach to education now has to be different. We have to get them interested first and then other issues will follow. This is why we use issues that they love; issues that appeal to them most to get education closer to them. What is in it for them is to go to school. It is not good enough to say to them to go to school. You have to explain to them why and this has to be through good examples of the things they are familiar with.

    So, it is left for us to discover the areas they are gifted. Some are gifted in the art while some in the sciences. So, ours is to teach them which way to go. So after this, we help them to polish this talent and then take it further in order to make them the best they can be. When they finish, they don’t need to beg for a job because they have their talents well developed to be on their own.

  • I tried stand-up comedy before I dumped it for music —M.I

    I tried stand-up comedy before I dumped it for music —M.I

    AS an artiste, you are associated with two record labels, Chocolate City and Loopy Music. Please explain your connection with the two labels?

    Chocolate City is the label I’ve always been in, it all started with Choc City. I am currently signed onto Chocolate City and I also serve as Vice President in charge of music. Loopy Music on the other hand is my own record label, which I started with a couple of gifted people that I personally need the world to see and hear, because they are uniquely talented. Loopy is a project that I put together and believe in. It’s like a wife-daughter relationship. Chocolate City is like a wife, Loopy is a baby daughter. There’s no divorce or breakaways; the ties that bind us are unbreakable.

    How was Loopy Crew formed?

    It was a gradual process, steadily reaching out to my people back in Jos who I have always known and I must carry along. It’s been like God has blessed me and given me something here, so I have to reach back home and bring out the others who have a difference to make in the industry and the arts.

    Did you set up Loopy Crew because of your perceived beef with Chocolate City?

    That’s just a rumour as you can see presently. I started Loopy Music ever since my early days with Chocolate City. Loopy Music is even part of the Chocolate City family called Choc Boi Nation. We (Chocolate City), Loopy Music and Jesse Jagz Nation do a lot of collaborations.

    Being the one that sort of discovered Brymo, how do you feel about his intention to leave Chocolate City?

    I feel no disdain or such about it, because life is about exploring, discovering, and just going ahead. So such things are just about a person wanting to try other possibilities. There’s no boundary to how far we can go in life, so even if Brymo wants to explore, then of course it’s fine; success needs to be pushed to its limits, and the path to greatness is always taken individually.

    What about the exit of Jesse Jagz; what impression do people deduce from the whole saga?

    There’s no bad blood; Jesse is my blood brother and is still my family musically.

    Jesse is branching out and broadening his horizons, and that’s all that it is, an excessively talented guy who’s doing his own thing. He is also part of the Choc Boi Nation that I mentioned earlier.

    Is there more to recent happenings at Chocolate City than meets the eye?

    For Chocolate City, it is and has always been about making the best kind of music, about exploring dreams and creative possibilities.

    What role did Jeremiah Gyang play in getting you signed onto Chocolate City?

    He was the one that introduced me to the amazing guys at Choc City, when all I had with me was a dream to take over the world.

    I learnt you also managed him sometime in the past

    Yeah! It was more like a P. A. kind of thing.

    What has the last three years been like trying to build a solid corporate base and contributing to Chocolate City as Vice President?

    It’s been so much responsibility; a blessing of being the V.P. But, of course, the workload is not the sort to be done at a finger snap. The process of making decisions, implementing them, and ensuring the perfect running of all operations and projects involved is quite tasking. It’s not been an easy run, but the hard work is paying off and we are still doing our thing.

    What was it like then when you spent so much time in America trying to be like an American before you returned home?

    America was cool, hard times and good times – studying and all that. The experience of being there was also eye-opening. Being away from home helps show you the presence of distinct differences in all factors of life, while you still hold on to the truth that there is no place like home. I was looking for greener pastures there and it brought me back home.

    America was useful to me in that it helped me gain some of the knowledge of how music and especially underground rap thrives in America. I used to participate in rap competitions in Michigan and I performed very well. After I started off, I visited America as a BET award nominee and was interviewed by the popular queen of daytime TV, Wendy Williams, among others.

    Did your music career start almost immediately when you came back from college in America due to visa issues?

    Of course not, I would have still continued rapping in the U.S like I was on a small and low-key scale before I came home. But the period I did come home was when I launched my career here.

    Has your career robbed you of the opportunity of going back to school, at least for now?

    I wouldn’t say that. I am still in school, the university of life, as it were. I’m also working on my degree currently, in a few months you will know how far.

    Despite the fact that you hail from Taraba State, a lot of people refer to you as a Jos boy. Is it because of your Jos boy mentality?

    A Jos boy is one who grew up in Jos and acquired all that creative energy into something productive. So yes! I am a proud Taraba-born Jos man.

    What was it like when you came to Lagos from Jos in 2007 to live with Djinee in a bid to promote your music career?

    It was hard. But that is to be expected, everyone has a story to tell. If it was very easy for me, I wouldn’t be here now. It’s the struggles and battles that turn the boy into a man. As you grow older physically, career-wise and even pocket-wise, a few things change, including you yourself. So, of course, it was hard to come to Lagos with N3, 500 in my pocket and a dream in my head. Everything makes sense when you look back at where you started from and where you are currently.

    Is it true that you also attempted stand-up comedy before you ditched it finally for music?

    Ha ha ha… Oh yes! It is the sad truth. However, as a hip-hop artiste, I have come to realise that every rapper needs to have a sharp wit and a sense of humour which are key components to have a successful rap career.

    What is the thinking behind your unique album titles: M.I & M.2?

    My first album was actually called Talk About It, but with that and M.2, the thinking is like cataloguing the phenomenon that is M.I, the ideas in my mind, the state of my mind and perceptions, delivered to the world through the technique of rhyming that is also part of being M.I; M.I 2, the sophomore was actually “M.I the movie”. It chronicled every single track like a movie giving the listener a chronological order of ideas, events and dialogue. It was meticulously planned and detailed.

    How did you feel when your first album became the number 7 trending topic globally on twitter at the same time when international artistes like Kanye West and Nicki Minaj dropped their albums and they were not trending?

    Of course I was euphoric; I felt so much gratitude to the fans and everyone. I felt almost like I should find a way to individually thank every single person on twitter for making it possible. Like tracking down every handle on twitter and express gratitude, because it came as a surprise, and the acknowledgement was undeniable. Then it reminded me that God is the standing guard behind me. He guides my steps.

    How are you able to conjure intense lyrics as a rapper which adds to the depth of your songs?

    That’s because I am Mr. Incredible yo!! (Laughs).The ability is from God first of all, then back in the day as an aspiring rapper, when I was training myself, I realised that despite the natural flair to compose lyrics, there’s a need to learn to do it as intelligently as possible. So conjuring lyrics is about taking your thoughts, mixed with your feeling, and putting them in your technique as a rapper. It takes a solid mental process to use knowledge and reasoning to ensure that every word used is serving a purpose; no word should be wasted, every line and every bar must account for a thought you wish to express.

    What has it been like trying to sell your music to the international market?

    Like any venture that wants to go international, it is no chicken feed. Beautiful music sells itself though. MI:2 was popular globally and the amount of airplay it receives today is still shocking to me. Even the first single off my 3rd album ‘Chairman’ is doing well, especially in Africa. I heard an interviewer the other day who was in Nigeria for the first time and she was describing to me how much they love ‘Chairman’ so much in South Africa. Music is becoming global and I am pleased and humbled at the same time to be a part of that movement.

    What has the response been like after the worldwide release of your latest song ‘Chairman’?

    It’s been welcomed greatly and I’m thankful for it. The airplay has been massive and all the O.A.Ps and DJs have really graced me. Sometimes I just turn on the radio and ‘Chairman’ is jamming on it and I’m thankful that it has gotten some positive reception.

    Why the title ‘Chairman’?

    The ‘Chairman’ is like an M.I3 kind of phase; lately in my life, everywhere I go to I’m addressed in that same term. The word just keeps following me and popping up at every time and place I find myself. Every ‘hello’ or ‘how far’ is responded with ‘ah Chairman’; so it struck. I have also come to a certain stage in my career where we have moved on to bigger things. ‘Chairman’ is an apt statement; people are beginning to understand exactly why. And it is suitable for depicting the return to hip hop office and not as just any man but as the ‘Chairman’.

    Do you have any vices?

    I’m human, it comes with the territory. The most important thing is: Do you learn and grow? Do you stand and go? Or do you wait for a saviour who will never show up?

    Have you ever been embarrassed by any of your other colleagues in the industry?

    None that I can recollect; it’s very hard to try to embarrass the ‘Chairman’ (laughs).

    How smart are you with relationships?

    Hmmm…what I’m going to say about that is that, I’m private about relationships. A lot of caution and respect is allotted to it. So I would say that, I’m smart to understand the extent to which my public life interferes with the private peace I enjoy.

    Have you ever cheated in your past relationships?

    Which past relationships?

     

  • Music, comedy party berths in Ogoni land

    ONE of the yuletide season’s delights for the people of oil-rich Gokana in Ogoni, Rivers State is what an entertainment outfit, Simboroba calls Laugh @ Home concert.

    In its first edition, the show will feature notable singers and comedians such as Klint da Drunk, Okay Bakassi, Dan da Humourous, Timaya, Wizboi, Mr. Raw, Mira and Neebuen among many other up-coming acts.

    Chief Executive Officer of Simboroba Entertainment, Mira Simboroba, is optimistic that Laugh @Home is going to be a one of its kind carnival in the state “as we have made plans to raise the bar in home coming Xmas carnivals beginning from this year.”

    Mira, who is a hip life artiste said “the reasons why we are doing this is because, we believe in bringing the best to our homeland, by giving our brothers the opportunity of enjoying what we enjoy out there.”

    He said the music and comedy carnival is being supported by Senator Magnus Ngei Abe who incidentally hails from the town. “There are no words to describe the kind of man Senator Magnus Ngei Abe is. He is the father of all. He will always show his support for anything that will bring happiness to his people aside the many constituency projects in Rivers South East constituency of Rivers State.

    Laugh @ Home, according to Mira is a free show that is meant to encourage brotherly love especially during the Christmas season.

  • For me, marriage is not an achievement —Djinee

    For me, marriage is not an achievement —Djinee

    WHAT have you been up to lately? Right now, I am all about my two singles Wonder and All right. I have been running around, promoting them with my management team. You know I haven’t been around for a while, with a lot of people I have to meet, having to go round with them has been tasking. Basically, we are working on promoting the singles and shooting the videos.

    After so long, why did you opt to release singles instead of an album?

    Like I always say, every brand has its own strategy. You need to be conversant with your fan base and demography. You employ all those strategy, who are you marketing to? For me as an artiste, an album is a fantastic idea; it will come by the grace of God before the end of the year. But for now I need singles to be out there to catch the audience. Right now, I don’t want to waste songs on the album. I want to be able to release singles and promote them so that when they come out in the album, you will have an album that you already have songs that are already anthems. That way, it will be easier to accept the album. My management team and I have decided that for now, we need to release singles.

    Ego was a slow song back then. Why the change in style of music?

    Ego was slower. I am someone that does not like to dwell in the past euphoria. The time of Ego has passed and for some reasons, I don’t like dwelling on that moment. It will be very lazy of me to keep referring to and keep talking about it. I have looked at the industry we have now, I have looked at my target audience and what they listen to. Who really pays for music? That influences the type of music you want to make and also the channel for that genre of music. In all my radio interviews that I have been opportune to do, the channel for sounds like Ego and I no dey shame, my first singles, doesn’t exist anymore. Those channels comprises of the studio where it is edited, to the audience that want to listen to it. There are the people who want to take this work from the artistes to the audience. And I stand to be corrected from my survey, only two types of music exist here in Nigeria. They are the club music and the juju music.

    Are you saying slow music is not well recognized here?

    I am saying the likes of Akpala and Juju music are usually been played on AM stations while the club music are played on FM. The Yoruba musicians have their own promoters who do not care about Djinee, they don’t care about P-Square, or Tuface. They deal with the likes of Kwam 1, Saheed Osupa, Malaika, Pasuma and the rest. Even newspapers that have fan base in the west will interview those musicians. So already, people who love Juju music already have a way of getting that music. Even there are marketers who only for that too. Now those doing juju can continue because their channel is already there. Club music is the other one, if you listen to the radio stations 23 hours of the day; they use it to play high tempo music. Nobody is playing rock or slows, and if you have, it is one or two stations. The show promoters usually are not show promoters that will hire rock or slow musicians. They want to hire the high tempo musicians. Trust me I am making money doing the music I am doing now. It’s not like I have sold out; it is not like I have changed. Overkilling won me a different audience and those audience pay for music. With these new singles, I know what I am getting from them. Now tell me where highlife is wrong music to make? It is not in our culture and I grew up listening to it. If you want to get the slow music, Ego and the likes, when the album comes out, you will hear it in there. If you want to book me for shows to sing those songs its fine. Like they say “every Mallam to him kettle”. I am happy right now doing this music. Isn’t there excitement in my voice?

    Do you feel that you get enough shows?

    I will not make comparison because I will tell you for free that one thing about this industry is that you never can say. I will not want to say a lot on paper and be making comparison. I am not in the position to do that. But I can tell you that, those that engage me engage me. If it was that bad, I will not be releasing the works I am doing now. It is very expensive to do that, so you show know I am earning somehow.

    Aside music, do you have other ventures?

    I co-own a production company, we do portrait generation. If you remember I have worked with the press before. In this life we have a short time to achieve everything we were brought into this world to do. So I am just doing what I know how to do best. I do lot of media work like content generation, productions and all that. And I tell you, it is very interesting.

    Are you signed unto any record label?

    I am not on a record label. I will call it what it is. Like I said I co-own a record outfit, and there are deals called the production deals apart from record deals. So I have a production deal, with a production company. And they handle my stuff.

    Do you have close friends in the industry?

    I mean everyone. I will not want to call names. For everyone who knows, I always have open hands for everyone, as long as we are doing the same music and the same pains is what we all go through, I guess we are all bonded by that. Like I put in my song, I don’t have beef for anybody. But if you mean close friends, I have those that I have known before music and I also hang out with them.

    Is there a reason for your absence at some public functions?

    I don’t believe that you should be everywhere. And I don’t believe I am the only artiste that has that notion. I will be where I am needed. Because of the amount of work I do, I might not be able to honour every invite I get. I don’t think you are in every event. Maybe I was at the event you didn’t attend.

    When is your album due for release?

    I am still working as much as I am promoting. I am still working in the studio and I still have other people’s production that I am working on. So it is crazy because my audience come first. And I have to give them something to be proud of.

    Now that you have been able to make a comeback, what are your plans to remain atop?

    I don’t see any competition. Maybe we look at life differently. Like I said if you look at life as a competition, you will live a sad life. There is space for everybody. When you look at life as a competition, you then start looking for a way to pull somebody down. It is simple for what it is. We have an audience, we are treating music and it goes beyond the money we make. Yes, we are going to make the money, but it is more than that. At the end of the day, the music business is big enough for everybody. It is not one that bothers me, because I am working. I no dey look anybody, and nobody dey look me. You can’t blame a monk for being a monk. You can’t blame me for my outlook towards life.

    Are in a relationship at the moment?

    I am single. I am not married and when it is time it will come. I am happily single if I must add.

    Don’t you feel that you should be married soon?

    Why? Is it a must that you must get married?

    Do you subscribe to marriage being referred to as an ‘achievement’?

    Achievement? Really, is that why people go with their eyes blind and get burnt? Is that why 90% of the marriages are shaft, because you see it as an achievement? I don’t see it as an achievement. It should not be seen as going to school to achieve a degree. They are not in the same category. Based on where I’m from and being a catholic, at its best, marriage is a sacrament. It is not an achievement and something to be shown off to the world as a badge on your shoulder. That is what I believe. So it is not what one should do, because everybody is doing it. If you don’t do it, it means you are lesser. Come off it; learn today that marriage is not an achievement.

    Don’t you think your views on marriage are misleading?

    If you care about everything people say, you will live a sad life. And it is because of notion like yours that make people to rush into marriage and get burnt. Women die in marriages, you have heard that. What do you say to her in her grave when she dies? Especially when it is caused by a marriage she rushed into. Oh, she didn’t achieve right, at least she was married right. Is that what you will say to her? People will always talk. I am happy the way I am. It is irrelevant what anybody says. You will ignore the achievement that I have made in the industry and all the good things that I do and just because I am not married, start talking about whom I am. Does that define who I am? I want to use you medium as a writer to change the notion that marriage is not an achievement.

  • Motherland Beckons adds annual music fiesta

    The Motherland Beckons group, an initiative to provide a platform for African-American and blacks in the Diaspora to explore the cultural and tourism assets in Africa and also invest in the continent, has added an annual programme.

    The new programme, Easter and More, will be held annually during the period of Easter.

    Disclosing this to newsmen, the head of Motherland Beckons initiative and owner of La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Ikegun, Lagos, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, said the decision to add Easter and More is based on the success of the maiden edition event held recently in the resort in Ikegun.

    The annual event would include music, rite of re-integration back to Africa for black-Americans and those in the Diaspora through rechristening.

    The Easter and More will be a four-day package for guests of the Nigeria’s foremost holiday resort.

    For the maiden edition recently held, a group of musicians, Club Noveau, from the United States of America (USA) were in attendance. Apart from the musical performance, the group passed a rite re-integration back to the Africa. They were given African names on the beach front by the Bale of Ikegun, Musiliu Habib Sanni.

    Some of the members of Club Noveau spoke of their experiences in Nigeria. First to speak was Samuielle Prater: “They are new things entirely. You cannot described the performances. It is not anything funny; they are lively.” Jay King talked about their taste of African music: “The rhythm that I have listened to, the rhythm of Africa makes one to go back to some of my music that I have recorded before to add them.”

    Akinboboye, who is also the CEO of Atunda Entertainment stated that Club Nouveau R&B-pop band was picked among the very many artistes considered for the Easter celebration because the group possesses one of the most memorable, distinctive music ever heard in popular music, with their hit song ‘Lean on me’.

  • I’m not ruling out music—Mary Uranta

    I’m not ruling out music—Mary Uranta

    AT a time when many artistes are getting a bash from fans, critics and colleagues all put together, talented and sultry actress Mary Data Uranta is unperturbed as speaks boldly of a career in music. The actress who has joined the league of Peace Ambassador revealed recently that she’s always had music at the back of her mind and might be giving it a try soon.

    Affirming the fact that she’s not considering dumping acting for music, she said her passion to croon has refused to go and she’s ready to damn critics who will be ready to bash her. Although, known for her calm and uncontroversial status in Nollywood, she says she hopes that it won’t be for too long before her Nollywood fans realise she’s not about to swim in the wrong river.

    “You need to know me from my secondary school days to know that I’m a consummate artiste. I have it in me. Acting only came first but I’m not going to let a bash take me away from my dreams,” she affirms to The Nation.

  • ‘Nigeria needs good music to develop’

    How did you discover your musical talent?

    Since my childhood, I’ve loved music. I listened to all kinds of music. So, I maintained the tempo as I grew up but never knew I would be a musician.

    You mix Yoruba, pidgin and English in your songs. What genre would you describe your kind of music?

    I won’t say my songs belong to a particular genre. But mixing all languages is what creativity is all about. It is my goal that my music will reach as many people as possible, through different styles and, of course, diverse languages. Each dialect I use is a message to the people that speak it.

    You have done a couple of songs, which have not been waxed into an album. When do you plan to release your first album?

    My debut single is titled Ojo Ife, which translated in English means Love Rain. It is rocking the airwaves. On the album, well, I have not signed on yet to any record label. To me, this is because releasing an album is not the most important thing. Passing my message across to people is what gives me joy. I am focused doing what I am born to do. I conduct my musical affairs with my Correct Music Crew, which comprises artistes such as CSB, my younger brother, Crown, Holy Josh and our producer, Waxy Wax.

    Has there been any time you considered quitting music, perhaps because of frustration?

    There have been challenges, every now and then. However, it has never crossed my mind to quit because music is what I love to do without much effort.

    Who do you look up to?

    I have so many of them, but I will mention a few. I love and listen to Tupac, Robert Kelly, King Sunny Ade, Fela Kuti, and Bob Marley. I wish to surpass them.

    Do you think music is playing any role in societal development?

    Music is food for the soul and the soul is the seat of thoughts and imagination. Hence, nothing affects the society like the media and music. I am of the opinion that a good artiste must find a way to balance his music. Just as we require a balanced diet for body growth, our nation needs good music to surmount its challenges. The artiste must entertain, educate and inspire his audience. If musicians would chart a course to deliberately promote good characters and attitudes, then we are on track to changing our world, which would in turn shape our country into one of our dream.

    Where do you hope to be in 10 years?

    I want to look back to today and smile after I would have achieved my desire to be one of the greatest musicians of all times. Of course, if we ask the likes of D’banj, MI or Whizkid what they had dreamed to be, none of them would say he never wanted to be a star artiste. So, in 10 years, by the grace of God and support from music lovers, I would have become an international artiste of great repute. I also hope to be a major donor to charities and orphanages.

  • Music dept holds conference

    Music dept holds conference

    The second biennial National Conference of Music and Performing Arts (NACOMPA) will take place at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) between May 6 and 11. The conference, according to a statement by the Head of Music and Performing Arts department, Dr Sam Chukwu, will feature arts review, writings, concepts, theories, model programmes, performances, research and social events of the past in order to understand the present.

    The conference, which is being organised with the theme Passover pedantry: Contesting the state of musical arts in Nigeria will be used as a reference to project the future of the musical arts and life in Nigeria.

    The organising committee observed that it was becoming obvious that what transpired in national life in the past decades was no longer a reliable guide to today’s occurrence. The organisers said as the exponents of the musical arts in Nigeria, there was need for new frameworks to understand changes around in the society. They posited that old views of issues remained the impediment for people to adjust to the imperatives of today.

    Other activities of the event will include paper presentations, workshops, poster presentations and musical concerts.

    In a related development, the annual International Biotechnology Conference of the International Scientific Board of the UNN was held last week.

    The coordinator of UNESCO Biotechnology Centre Project in UNN, Prof Jerry Ugwuanyi, noted that stakeholders and experts in Biotechnology from the region and beyond addressed critical issues on food security and disease research in Africa.

    The keynote speaker was Prof M. Nalecz, Director Basic Sciences and the Executive Secretary of the International Basic Science Programme (IBSP), who came from Paris, the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

     

  • JKF at 48: The music has just begun

    JKF at 48: The music has just begun

    In a recent encounter with journalists during an inspection of projects in some parts of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Governor Kayode Fayemi was asked how he manages to raise funds for the numerous projects his administration is undertaking in the state. The reporter had asked the question upon realising that the Operation Renovate All Secondary Schools in Ekiti (ORASE), which led to the renovation of the 183 public secondary schools in the state and the purchase of 40,000 units of furniture for teachers and students cost the state a whopping N2.5billion.

    For a state that is ranked number 35th on the federal allocation ladder and gets a little above N2billion monthly from the federation purse, the reporter’s concern seems apt, especially given the fact that the comprehensive renovation of public schools and the computer-per-child initiative of the administration are running side by side with other projects.

    When the journalist was told that the state would soon commence the comprehensive renovation of all hospitals and primary health care centres in the state beginning from January, he simply retorted: “Your Excellency must be a magician!”

    Fayemi had politely told the reporter that the passion to see poverty and sickness banished from the state and the determination to make the Ekiti the number one destination of choice for business and leisure remain the vital tonic that drives the developmental agenda in Ekiti and provides the creativity that unlocks the required funds. What perhaps is unknown to the journalist is the fact that JKF, as Dr Fayemi is popularly called, remains one of the few leaders in the country who view their call to serve as a privilege and therefore put in everything to ensure that they leave a legacy.

    Caroline Mcloughlin, Executive Director of the Washington-based Centre for Visionary Leadership, vividly captures the essence of visionary leadership in one of her works. According to her, “Visionary leaders are the builders of a new dawn, working with imagination, insight, and boldness. They present a challenge that calls from the best in people and brings them together around a shared sense of purpose. Their eyes are on the horizon, not just on the near at hand. They are social innovators and change agents, seeing the big picture and thinking strategically.”

    Mcloughlin’s definition, no doubt, encapsulates those key attributes that have marked JKF as an innovative leader with a great ability to inspire others and an insatiable appetite for setting and attaining developmental goals. Through a combination of forceful imagination, prudent spending, compassion for the led and placing much premium on the concept of doing development with the people, JKF has, in the last two and a half years, been able to launch the state on an irreversible path of development.

    In theory, JKF has espoused the concept of good governance and the concomitant empowerment of the citizens as well as the strengthening of the institutional framework at the various lectures and discussion groups he has participated locally and at the global stage. In practical terms, he demonstrates this in the running of the affairs of Ekiti State by laying emphasis on key elements of good governance, including accountability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness, responsiveness, the rule of law and forward vision.

    JKF stated this much in his most recent publication – “Reclaiming The Trust.” He admits that what he has brought into governance in the last two years is the kind of trust that is based on and compels competence, openness, concern and reliability. “Trust is a public good; we cannot do great things collectively without trust. But trust has to be earned,” he stresses.

    Within two and half years, Fayemi has been able to place Ekiti on the centre stage by re-awakening the Omoluabi concept in government and laying a solid foundation on which a more prosperous Ekiti would be built. The Social Security Benefit Scheme which pays monthly stipends to indigent elderly citizens of the state; the computer-per-child initiative, where each student in the public secondary schools gets a solar-powered lap top computer are first of its kind in the country. The massive investments in industrial, infrastructure and tourism development in the state as well as diverse youth and women empowerment programmes in an atmosphere devoid of the brigandage and violence of yesteryears have greatly enhanced the profile of the state.

    Perhaps this explains why the rain of endorsements of his person and leadership style continues to pour in torrents since the September 18, 2012 endorsement by a former Nigerian Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Alhaji Maitama Sule, at the Leadership Awards in Abuja and that of the 26 Pan-Yoruba groups under the auspices of the Oodua Nationalist Coalition (ONAC) in Ibadan, recently.

    As JKF turns 48 today, the question is no longer about what he is capable of doing as a leader. For he has been able to demonstrate his capability as an imaginative leader. Rather, the question will be about what he would not do as a leader. Regarded in some circles as ‘an activist in government’, many believe that his past has adequately prepared him for the present and the future.

    John Kayode Fayemi was born on February 9, 1965 into the family of the late Chief and Mrs. Francis Falade Fayemi. A native of Isan-Ekiti in Oye Local Government, he had his elementary education in Ibadan before attending Christ’s School, Ado- Ekiti for his secondary education between 1975 and 1980.

    He received his first degree in History and Politics from the University of Lagos in 1985, a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), in 1987 and a doctorate in War Studies from the King’s College, University of London, England in 1993, specialising in civilian-military relations and defence planning.

    Prior to his active involvement in politics, Dr. Fayemi  was the pioneer Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development, a research and training institution dedicated to the study and promotion of democratic development, peace-building and human security in Africa.

    Dr. Fayemi was a Georgetown University Leadership Fellow in 2000 and a Senior Visiting Fellow in African Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA in 2004. He is also an Associate Fellow of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Ibadan and was on the Adjunct Faculty of the African Centre for Strategic Studies, National Defence University, USA, between 2001 and 2005.

    He was a member of the Governing Board of the Open Society Justice Institute, New York and African Security Sector Network. He was Technical Adviser to Nigeria’s Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (known as the Oputa Panel) and also served on three Presidential Advisory Committees on Conflict Management and Security Sector Reform; NEPAD and the Millennium Development Goals under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

    An advocate of true federalism, Fayemi has written and lectured extensively on governance and democratisation. He is also a recipient of several awards, fellowships and grants, including the Ford Foundation grant on the Special Initiative on Africa and the Macarthur Foundation research grant. He was named Governor of the Year, 2011 by the Leadership Newspaper.

    With forty and eight fruitful years in the kitty, the music has just started for Fayemi, the one Ekiti people love to call ”Ilufemiloye “.

     

    •Oyebode is Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ekiti State.