Monday, October 1, 2012

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Top Earners In Nigerian Entertainment Industry
A few decades ago, music was seen more as a passion than a profession. But not anymore. It has gone beyond passion and has become more than a vocation. In recent times, we see people actually going to school to study music. It has become a career through which not only those who are deft in the art, but even the government can generate revenue. With endorsement deals, sales of compact discs, shows, etc some musicians earn a lot of money, and respect too. Many of them are role models to the younger generation. In no particular order, Life&Beat lists the top six players in the industry who have made a success of showbiz.

- Don Jazzy–Michael Enebeli, also known as Don Jazzy, is the founder of Mo’Hits. Reputed to be one of the best and most sought after producers, showbiz-savvy Nigerians don’t refer to him as a music producer but THE music producer. At age five, Don Jazzy already had eyes for the microphone, the music console and was always in the studio. He was a member of Good Morning Kids, a group created by his father. Don Jazzy is known for his business dexterity. Little wonder he successfully built Mo’Hits from scratch to become one of the biggest entertainment empires in the country. He recently signed a recording deal with international superstar, Kanye West – a move that not only boosted his reputation as an entertainer, but also his wealth.

- Tuface–Born Innocent Idibia, the former member of the band, Plantashun Boyz, is said to be among the richest artistes in the industry. With two platinum records in his kitty, Tuface is speculated to be worth about N550m. It comes as no surprise as he has had endorsement deals with brands like Guinness, which earned him N20m and Airtel, which earned him N22m this year. He was also said to have earned N30m from the producers of Phat Girls movie, and charges between N4m and N5m depending on the show. The artiste has invested heavily in real estate and stocks, where he earns big bucks. He once said he was set to recover all the wealth taken from Africa.


- BANKY W – Also known as Mr. Capable, Banky W has proved to Nigerians that he is capable of being among the richest entertainers in the industry. He makes the bulk of his wealth from gigs. He is said to charge between N2.5m and N3m per show and performs three to four times in a week. He is a brand ambassador of Estisalat, one of Nigeria’s telecommunications giants, where he featured in their popular commercial, 0809ja for life. He also featured in Coca Cola-Nigeria’s World Cup theme song and Microsoft’s Anti-cyber Crime Initiative. Banky W is an entrepreneur and has invested heavily in businesses that are fetching him good money. As a philanthropist, he founded the Mr. Capable Foundation, where he provides tuition fees for indigent and brilliant students.

- D’banj– Popularly known as the Kokomaster or Mr. Endowed, D’Banj is one artiste that has a penchant for making money. D’Banj certainly has a passion for business. Apart from music, Mr. Endowed has other businesses, which include Koko Mansion, a TV reality show, Koko Lounge, an upscale hangout in Lagos and UK, Koko Foundation, a charity and the recently-launched Koko Mobile under his label christened, Koko. The bulk of his money comes from endorsements – his endorsement deal with Globacom telecommunications cost N70m. He has a multimillion naira endorsement with an energy drink, Power Fist; a deal with the makers of Virgin Colour soft drink; and another multi-million naira deal with a popular jeweller. He has a deal running into millions with Chris Aire, as the face of his watches and another one with UAC Foods. He collects between N5m and N7m as performance fee for local gigs; $80,000 to $150,000 for African shows; £40,000 to £60,000 for UK shows; and $50,000 to $60,000 for American shows. Like his boss, Don Jazzy, D’banj also bagged a recording deal with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music; this will not only boost his career, but also the fee he attracts. D’Banj once said, “I work hard so that money, awards, endorsements, bookings and kokolets chase me.”

- P- Square– The singing and dancing duo, Peter and Paul Okoye, are unarguably among the richest in the industry. They won the KORA award for Best Africa Artiste 2010. The award came with $1m (N150m). Shortly after, the duo got an endorsement deal with Globacom telecommunications worth about N240m for four years. The hip-hop artistes had one of their greatest international gigs last year. Their American tour of seven cities earned them a whopping $1m (N150m). After a misunderstanding with their landlord, the duo built a house they named Squareville in the same neighbourhood. The house, which they completed in less than six months, is valued at N300m. They own Rayfield Hotel, Jos, and two multi-million naira factories in the same city, where they built a multimillion naira bakery and sachet water companies for their dad and mum, among other investments. The bulk of their wealth comes from concerts, especially in Africa. The duo have sold above 14 million copies of their CDs since 2005. They are said to charge about N2m per show.


- Goldie – Although she entered the industry recently, Goldie has been ranked among the richest artistes in the industry. The sexy singer has some tracks currently enjoying goodplay on the airwaves.

Which African Country has most beautiful women?


1. Nigeria
2. Kenya
3. Ethiopia
4. Tanzania
5. Zimbabwe
6. Rwanda
7. South Africa
8. Uganda
9. Cameroon
10. Ghana
11. Egypt
12. Somalia
13. Botswana
14. Senegal
15. Angola
16. Ivory Coast
17. Namibia
18. Malawi
19. DR Congo
20. Others (specify name)

MEET TUNDE EDNUT

CAN WE MEET YOU?

My name is tunde ednut,am from Kogi State, from the family of 5, 2 parent and 3 children, am the 2nd born and 1st boy among the 3 children

TELL US ABOUT YOUR ACADEMIC BACKGROUND.

I finished from THAMES VALLEY UNIVERSITY LONDON.I Studied at The University of Lagos (Unilag) for only 1 year and I had to further my studies at London due to some undisclosed reasons sha. In London I studied Graphics Arts(3D Effects and Cartoons) normal cartoons tho, not video cartoons ooh. While I was at Unilag I was at the Creative Art Dept. then but I later switched to Graphics Studies.

WHEN DID YOU START COMEDY?

I started comedy in Secondary School, and then continued at Unilag. I won a couple of awards at Unilag then before going to London. I had a couple of shows in London too. I originally started comedy in the late 90’s (1999 precisely).

WHAT FANS REALLY WANT TO KNOW IS THAT: WHY DID YOU CHANGE FROM COMEDY TO MUSIC ?

I have always liked Music, even before I started comedy. I was in a church choir when I was still a kid then before comedy came in. Even while I did comedy, I did it in line with music. Its either am behaving like D’BANJ or any order artist. So music has always been in me since. So my sudden transformation from comedy to music was just normal to me because music is a thing I love to do.

SO SINCE YOU STARTED MUSIC WHY DON’T YOU DO COMEDY AGAIN,LIKE YOU DOING BOTH COMEDY AND MUSIC .

As an entertainer I have the right to do both music and comedy but I don’t want to do so. I want to do music for now and face my music career then and put my entire mind into music so that my fans can feel me. And I want them to see me as a musician now and not as a comedian.

SO HOW DID YOUR FANS REACT TO THE SUDDEN CHANGE?

Well my fans reacted in a positive way, like 70% of them accepted it, while the remaining 30% didn’t. You know it’s not everybody that will like you *laughs*.

SO WHEN EXACTLY DID YOU START YOUR MUSIC CAREER AND HOW MANY TRACKS HAVE YOU RECORDED?

I started singing professionally early last year (2011), and I have a couple of tracks sha, and I’ve recorded some with some artists.

SO WHAT WAS YOUR 1ST TRACK LIKE?

The 1st track I recorded was last year January 2011. I was at Samklef’s studio and he was making a beat and then I was free styling on the beat and he  was like I should enter the vocal booth and voice on the track, but I didn’t want to do  it ,but he forced me and I went into the booth and sang the song. Skales later came into the studio and added some small pepper on the song sha. I recorded it and it was very cool. It was titled “my kind of song“

SO HOW WAS THE RECORDING OF THE TRACKS?

So while I was with samklef in his studio, was sha free styling then all what I was saying was that “have been waiting for dj to play my kind of song I like” then Skales entered and was listening to the beat then later said “me I want to jinkolo, hear my song for igboro’’ So I later entered the vocal boot and did the song sha. It was all good.

SO AFTER MY KIND OF SONG, WHAT TRACK DID YOU  DO?

After “my kind of song’’, I sang “catching cold’’, then I did “jingle bell” during the Christmas period with Iceprince, Davido , JJC ,Lynxx.

AFTER YOU DID THAT JINGLE BELL TRACK MOST PEOPLE COMPLAINED ABOUT YOU BEEN RAZZ.THEN HOW DID YOU GET ICEPRINCE AND THE REST TO FEATURE ON THE TRACK?

The real idea behind that song was that we wanted to do something for Christmas, so I called Davido and told him about it, and he was like “let me do the beat” but I told him that d beat was ready that he should just come and voice on it. So I called Iceprince and he said ok, that he was feeling the concept. I later called Lynxx but he was in the US and would be coming back the next day .So after I called JJC that he should come and record for us. And he said he wanted to feature on the track too, and I was like “that will be cool”. So we were all in the studio  thinking about which Christmas song we could remix, so I brought up the idea of jingle bell and everybody agreed on it so we made it look razz and still nice.

AFTER JINGLE BELL WHAT TRACK DID YOU RELEASE AGAIN?

After jingle bell I released 2 new singles .BUGA WON and CATCHING COLD REMIX feat DR SID.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO CHOOSE DR SID FOR THE SONG?

When I had the beat of the song with me, I went to Dr Sid’s house, and he played the beat. So he was just doing some  rap freestyle and by the time he finished the freestyle I  used  to put “am catching cold oooooh” so DR SID  later  asked me that why don’t we do the remix of catching cold  and I said ok  that we should do the track .so that  was how we did the remix.

RECENTLY ON TWITTER, I SAW YOUR TWEET AND YOU WHERE LIKE YOU NEEDED 5 YOUNG UPCOMING RAPPERS THAT WILL BE FEATURED IN THE CATCHING COLD REMIX (RAP VERSION). WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DO SO?

Yeah!!! That idea was giving to me by my uncle (ALIBABA THE COMEDIAN). Alibaba told me that I should do so, he also said that I should do so, he also said that it will help in promoting the young upcoming rappers. So I took is advice and got the upcoming we wanted though twitter. We wanted 5 rappers but later ended up pick 6 rappers.

I HEARD THAT YOU DON’T DRINK AND SMOKE, HOW TRUE IS THAT?

Well it is very true. I don’t drink or smoke.  Just don’t like drinking alcohol and smoking.

SO HOW DO YOU COPE WITH YOUR FEMALE FANS?

i been into entertainment industry for a while so I know how to control myself and female fans. And am already used to it.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TURNED DOWN BY A LADY???

Nope!!!

SO WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT EVER??

My worst moment was when I went to perform in a show in London, and my zip was opened. it was so embarrassing and annoying.

WHAT ADVICE WILL YOU GIVE FOR UPCOMING ACT???

For upcoming act just make sure you put GOD 1st in everything you do and don’t listen to haters, because they will always want to pull you down.

SHOUTOUT!!!

ITS QUAVIDIS ENTERTAINMENT BABY IS TUNDE EDNUT OOOOOH!!!!!!!!Shout out to everyone out there that supports good  music and to all my fans out there GOD BLESS YOU ALL………….KEEP IT REAL.

Re-Writing the Stories of Special Children: Bake For Change & AIPA’s “Educate the State – Sponsor A Child Initiative” Raises Hope for the Kids


At Bellanaija, we are very passionate about celebrating people who in one way or the other, impact the lives of others positively. People who through their careers, businesses, organisations, groups and initiatives act as role models and contribute in their own little way to touching lives and nation building.
Ever since we caught the Bake For Change girls on the BN radar, I’ve been following their activities on Facebook and they never cease to amaze me. In January, we did a feature on the Charity Group where we highlighted some charity works initiated by four intelligent ladies –  Nkemdilim Uwaje, Ngozi Coker, Ashim Uwaje and Stefanie Moh {click here to read their story}. But the girls have been relentless ever since and together with other charity organisations and friends of the group, they have continued to share little acts of love and care here and there.
Some months ago, they left me in awe when I read about a donation of gifts they organised for triplets who lost their mother at child birth. It was really heart warming.

Again, one of their recent charity acts got my attention.
On Saturday the 1st of September 2012 under the Educate the State – Sponsor a Child Programme, Bake for Change in partnership with AIPA (Foundation for the Alleviation of Illiteracy,Poverty & AIDS) issued 10 educational scholarships and 19 vocational  scholarships to the Lagos State Ministry for Youth & Social Development. The beneficiaries of the scholarship are wards resident in 6 Special Correctional Centres & Approved Schools across the State.
It was really touching to know that the destinies of the children would be positively affected with their kind acts.
The Sponsor A Child Initiative under the Educate the State Programme, was initiated on Children’s Day of 2012 and was set up to raise funds to ensure that less privileged children in these Lagos State homes have access to education in private schools within the State or are assisted in setting up their businesses following successful completion of their vocational training and the Lagos State Trade Test or other equivalent certifications have been attained.
10 educational scholarships were conferred to children ranging from the ages of 6 – 17 in addition to back to school kits. The kids will be attending renowned private schools across the State and will benefit from education from the level they are in now until completion of their Secondary Education.
In total, 19 vocational scholarships were handed out to children between the ages of 16-18.

I got in touch with Nkemdilim Uwaje who told BN more about Educate the State project. “Educate the State was borne out of the wish to re-write the story of less privileged children and open a door to a brighter future. The initiative was launched in 2011 with the books for all project and a spelling bee & reading competition, which is now being held annually on Children’s Day. This year we decided to embark on a bigger and better and especially more sustainable initiative with a greater and long term impact.”
This is not the first time the group is working with children from Special Correctional Centers. They have organised several donations, give-aways, and functions at such centers in Lagos. They also refurbished the kitchen and dining hall of the Special Correctional Center for Boys in Oregun, a project which gulped over N1,000,000. “I guess once you get to know the kids you get inspired to do more and more,” Nkemdilim said.
According to her, funds for the Educate the State project was raised “from a lot of different individual donors, as well as other charity organizations and the support of a training school for welding, woodwork and painting that gave us 12 scholarships.”
The educational scholarships that have been awarded are for the completion of Secondary School. The kids are at various levels, the lowest being Nursery and the highest being SS2. “We will support all of them until they get their Secondary School leaving certificate,” she said.
She also expressed her views on education and skill acquisition which I totally agree with and hope more people and organisations emulate.
“Education and skill acquisition are the only things no one can take away from you, so to us their are paramount in terms of development and the future of the kids. With education and skill acquisition they have a complete different chance in life. Educate the State sponsor a child is re-writing their stories.”
Well done Bake for Change & AIPA!
The official handing over of 29 scholarships from Educate the State (Bake for Change & AIPA) to The Special Advisor to the Governor Lagos State Ministry for Youth & Social Development Mr. Enitan Dolapo Badru
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
For more enquires on the Project and on how to donate Call 08053356713, 08138451876, 08057775577 | Email info@bakeforchange.com | Facebook page www.facebook.com/bakeforchange | Twitter @Bake4Change
You can also donate into the AIPA Account  - Bank: Guaranty Trust Bank | Account Name: Foundation for the Alleviation of Illiteracy Poverty & AIDS | Account Number: 0119417662.

Emerging Nigerian Menswear Label McMeka Couture presents its 2012 Campaign


The Nigerian fashion industry keeps evolving and a new crop of young fashion entrepreneurs are keen to do things their way.
A few years ago, you would have to look for a “needle in a haystack” to find a Nigerian man in fitted trousers or a neon coloured blazer.
Things have changed and this new generation of stylistos is not afraid to be adventurous with fashion.
McMeka Couture, a Lagos-based design label is targeted towards the aforementioned fashion adventurer. Check out their 2012 campaign photos below.
Rodney, CEO of McMeka Couture
To place orders – call 08151662996 | BB Pin – 23212CB0
http://mcmekacouture.tumblr.com/
Credits
Photography: D’Mayo
Graphic Design: GXforGrailGrahiX
Stylist: DivaHazeCreations
Make-Up: Adeydollar

May D shows off new car

The singer, who recently started his own record label, Confam Entertainment, just got himself a 2011 Nissan Maxima with personalized number - May D

Video: Justin Bieber throws up on stage during concert in Arizona



The pop star puked in the middle of his show in Glendale, Arizona. Watch the video above...

Quote of the day - from Seun Kuti

"I feel Rick Ross big belly is more worthy of criticism than his video. Is he saying it’s right to be obese?” The Afro Beat musician said this on Rubbing Minds this afternoon when he was asked for his opinion on the Rick Ross video for 'Hold Me Back' shot in Nigeria

Happy 52nd Independence Anniversary Nigeria!

May God continue to bless our country! Happy celebration, Nigeria!

It’s a rainy day in Lagos today but this video is sure to bring sunshine into your day!
We love to see creativity in action – mix that in with weddings and we are totally besotted. Check out Bukky & Tobi‘s pre-wedding video.
The couple definitely celebrated their love and forthcoming wedding creatively. This is a video that their children and grandchildren will watch with a smile.
Enjoy.

Know Your BudgIT! Team Lead, Seun Onigbinde talks about His Start-up’s Efforts to Make Sense of Government Budgets for Everyone



The Nigerian government has come under fire at various levels, on several occasions, in the wake of controversial socio-economic policy decisions and a persistent gap in effective communication between the goverment and the governed. Budget planning, allocation and implementation consitute an important aspect of governance and the need for openness, simplicity and logic cannot be ignored. Oluseun Onigbinde studied Electrical engineering in the University but a short career in banking was enough to him reveal a unique opportunity to contribute positively towards his country’s development. He left his banking job to co-found and focus on BudgIT, a creative start-up that aims to relate the Nigerian government’s annual budget and other public data in finer details to the citizenry. With this, the team hopes to stimulate the interst of citizens in discussions and debates around public data, towards better governance. “We are committed to principles of open data and governance, citizen participation and data transparency,” he says. In this interview with Gbenga Awomodu, Seun explains how his team is helping the Nigerians to make sense of the annual government budgets.
Could you tell us about yourself – education, growing up, and career?
I am Oluseun Onigbinde, co-founder of BudgIT. Growing up was in the middle class family. We were never relishing in opulence and we still didn’t pick up from the floor. I had a tough Mum. You know how a primary school teacher who keeps good canes in custody would be. I love her and I appreciate those days of discipline. Those were the formative years of my life. I had primary and secondary school in Ibadan. Secondary school was a smooth sail with nine distinctions. Back then I just had to face my studies. Remember I told you about my wonderful mum? I attended the University of Agriculture to study Engineering; got involved in school politics; led an engineering student body. I worked in two banks before I left to focus on BudgIT. I like reading. In the split second, if I string narrative together I might take a sharp cross from a novice to an expert. Same with all the ideas I have tried to pursue.

The BudgIT Homepage
What is BudgIT all about and how did you conceive the idea?
I worked with First Bank as a strategy analyst. For a short period, I was focused on support in the public sector team. As you try and craft a strategy, you know you need lots of data to validate assumptions. I was just running through streams of data and I was amazed how much skill gap I had in budget issues. A friend of mine days later made a presentation on Nigeria’s revenue sharing and I said to myself, this is it. I looked at an Estonia model and I said to myself, I could this and even better. I got involved in a Co-creation Hub Hackathon and interestingly we came second. We got funding of $2,000. That was how the snap dream became the real deal.
Who are the primary targets of BudgIT and what is your strategy to ensure that they are adequately served?
The society and I mean everyone. I have a belief in information equity. Everyone deserves to be included in this age about monetary and fiscal information. In this new era of bottom up information which has a potential of being unruly and false, you still need an independent agent to lay the facts on the table. That’s what BudgIT aims to do. We resist the temptation to become opinionated. It’s about making budgets and public data simpler and accessible. Now we need to appraise the level of citizen interests and most especially how to stimulate that. We need to determine the right amount of data for every level of literacy. What’s the importance of external trade data to a Lalupon farmer? Just get him how much his LGA chairman got in a month and possibly send that through SMS. So, it’s an ongoing effort. We are trying to promote data-driven journalism. Focus on creatively using the data to tell stories and form narratives. However, it’s a phased approach. We are strengthening our social media presence for the urban elite, next is to move to the upward mobile semi-urban Nigerian and finally get to the rural areas.

No doubt, your team has done a lot in simplifying the budget. How do you hope to make your work easily accessible to man on the street?
We will explore all means possible to excite him about data. Try look at his footprint, tools accessible to him such as radio, SMS and even localized newsletters. It’s all about rethinking the paradigm and bringing all the solutions that can make him better informed.
How do you access budget data from the federal government, state governments and other data sources?
We want to follow the facts so it’s more about rigorous gathering from various sources – government portals, newspapers and other websites. You will need some intelligence to string them together and make it a whole. Let’s leave it at that.

Oluseun Onigbinde addressing the Nigeria ICT Minister
Aside from the federal government budget for 2012, you only have budget data from just four other states on your website. Do you have others available offline too?
Most states don’t publish their full budgets as it should be. You have them thinking of their opponents and possibly the use of the data to tell a different story. That’s being repulsive to change. I read an article written by my former employer Dele Olojede titled “Let there be light”. When we hide under the toga of secrecy, we are awakening ghosts of the military regime. Openness is key to better democracy, development and societal trust and inclusion. That we have access to federal budget in pdf (though not in open standard CSV format) is a plus. I pray all the states get to that level. That’s the floor level of open data. In this federal structure, it is difficult to enforce an open budgeting standard unless you force through the constitution. Who’s responsible for rewriting the constitution? Same government, but it can only get better.

The Budget Cut App
Could you shed more light on the Budget Cut App which you have created; how does it work and how has it fared since you introduced it?
Budget Cut app was a discussion between Co-Creation Hub and EiENigeria. I was planning to join protests on that open theft of Nigerian resources. In the end, BudgIT had to take the lead and finally we can with a game changer for BudgIT. It stemmed out of the waste in government and how citizens should bear more burden due to the hike in fuel prices. In the end we created budget simulation at www.yourbudgit.com/kut/. Over 3,500 used the platform in 72 hours. Developed by Co-creation Hub developers, citizens can see the structure of the budget and make cuts to certain sections. It was a good one and we are trying to get it better for the 2013 budget.
What are the notable challenges you often have to tackle in achieving your startup’s objectives?
Once you have the guts and innate passion to get something, every obstacle becomes a springboard; challenges of getting data from government, meeting expectations of excited citizens about government data and how we have to put data through several format conversions and still ensure accuracy. Challenges of funding persist as the lean team consists of four people. Only two work on the project fulltime. Good developers are costly. Thank God for CCHub developers who did pro bono. We can’t afford full staff, so we invite people via twitter, screen them for data entry and pay them for the few days. It’s a survival game. We just have to get it done.
How and where did you raise your startup capital from?
We only get grants to survive. Grant of $8,000 from Indigo trust is all we ever had. You can’t take away the personal commitments of people. I could not afford to add a price tag. We have great support from Co-Creation Hub, Nigeria’s first incubation and living lab. Even when the grant ended, we had to continue spending. BudgIT is not an NGO so we will not be grant-dependent. We are evolving our strategy in terms sustainability.

The BudgIT team at work
What is the size of your team and how did you constitute the team?
A team of four core members. I have a larger group of advisers. Joseph Agunbiade, a committed tech developer of the platform and Maryam Edun. It’s about being ready and committed to the vision.
In May 2012, BudgIT received a grant from the Nigeria Internet Group; how much was that and how have you deployed that into your operations?
We have a grant of N1 million from Nigerian Internet Group. We are still working on removing hurdles for disbursement.
How do you hope to make profit from your work at BudgIT and what are your projections for the next two to five years?
Profit is not a core objective. The strategy to keep it self-sustaining is just okay for us. We are testing different models and we will craft the right strategy to get that working. For medium projections, possibly I need to string figures for a VC to make him understand, investing in BudgIT is a big bet.

Oluseun Onigbinde speaking at the ongoing OKFestival in Helsinki
You are currently in Helsinki for the ongoing Open Knowledge Festival. what are you up to over there and how are your plans being fuildilled?
BudgIT is part of an Open Knowledge Foundation working group building a global database of government monetary documents. The Open Knowledge Festival is organised by the Finnish Institute and Open Knowledge Foundation. We are part of the Open spending group trying to map open technologies for development around the world. I am representing BudgIT and making presentations on open data and technology in Africa. We were invited to speak speaker on open development in Africa and how we can explore means of making data connect to more Nigerians. I have met great people from the World Bank and ICT4D in Sweden and they are fascinated with our work. We plan to finalise a round of funding during the festival. This is very necessary as we want to expand our team.
What else would you like to tell BellaNaija readers?
BudgIT is a platform you should use and gradually we are getting and trying more patterns and access models to make public data simple, accessible and understandable across every literacy span.
For more information on the BudgIT startup, contact: Website: www.yourbudgit.com | Twitter: www.twitter.com/budgitng | E-mail: info@yourbudgit.com | Mobile: 08122211376, 07036188527

Life On The Murky Waters: Daily Mail UK’s Report on Makoko Slum in Lagos Reveals the Harsh Reality faced by Thousands of Nigerian Families


When the American rapper, Rick Ross, released the video of his Nigerian version of ‘Hold Me Back’, it elicited a range of reactions from Nigerians. The video showed in a very graphic way, the harsh reality of the pain and struggles of life in Lagos slums. Many people got angry with the rapper for portraying Nigeria to the world in such an insensitive way, saying it would give foreigners a wrong impression about our country.
Hold that thought about Rick Ross and his video for a second, let’s look at the reality for a minute.
I felt totally heartbroken to read the Daily Mail UK feature on Makoko slums. The article titled “The floating slum on stilts: Staggering pictures of the families who fight for survival on a sea of festering filth” also had pictures that showed the harsh living conditions families at the Makoko slum are faced with.
Growing up in shacks built on murky water in the midst of filth; men, women and children struggle through life each day.
Their canoes drift on the water as piles of rubbish float outside their shacks.
Shabby shacks on stilts, floating waste and rickety boats fill the expanse of murky water.
But for the thousands of poor people forced to live in Nigeria’s infamous Makoko slum in Lagos, this is their home.
Every day life for the many fishermen and their families revolves around paddling and rowing through the filthy, oily water in the slum – but this does not stop the young children from beaming when they see a camera.
In July, the Lagos state government began demolishing some parts of Makoko slum. A letter was served on residents giving them 72 hours to vacate their properties. The letter from the Lagos state authorities said the illegal constructions constituted an “environmental nuisance, security risk and an impediment to the economic and gainful utilisation of the waterfront” and undermined the “megacity status” of Lagos.
“Notice is hereby given to you to vacate and remove all illegal developments along the Makoko/Iwaya Waterfront within 72 hours,” said the letter from the Lagos state ministry of waterfront, infrastructure and development.
Several residents then, told the BBC they did not know where they and their families would sleep.
Makoko is one of Nigeria’s best known slums. Many residents are fishermen and some have migrated from neighbouring Togo and Benin.
The settlement is home to thousands of Nigerians. Although some houses were actually demolished in July, there are people who live there. The slum is clearly visible to traffic speeding past on the city’s Third Mainland Bridge each day.
In a bid to improve the lives of the youngsters who live in Makoko, a group led by Kunle Adeyemi hopes to build a three-story school capable of holding 100 students and teachers in the iconic slum.
San Fransisco Chronicle reports that  the school project, which has received notice from international groups, will cost about $6,250 to complete int he slum.
It would be recalled that  in 2010, the BBC did a film titled Welcome to Lagos, which angered the Nigerian government. The film makers were accused of showing Nigeria in a negative light. But despite the anger, nothing has been done to improve the lives of people living in the slum or provide alternative accommodation for them.
It should therefore come as no surprise that the international media continues to portray Nigeria in a “negative light”. If we desire better representation, we should work on it.


Photo Credit: Daily Mail UK

Team Nigeria Will Need N7bn to Prepare for Rio 2016 Olympics – Sports Minister


The last outing of Team Nigeria at the London 2012 Olympics Games was a huge disappointment as the team failed to win any medal. Despite the expectations of many and the huge financial investment put into the preparation, Team Nigeria had a dismal performance at the last Olympic games. It was reported that a whooping N2.2billion was spent on the team’s preparation and participation in the game.
Now, in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympics, the Minister of Sports and Chairman National Sports Commission, Bolaji Abdullahi, has revealed that Team Nigeria will need N7bn to prepare the team for the games.
He said that the money would be used, among other things, to source for and train quality athletes while also restructuring the various sports federations.
“The President believes Nigeria should win nothing less than five medals at the next Olympics and he is not leaving anything out to get our athletes ready. We’ll need about N7bn to prepare the team for the Games,” Abdullahi told Punch.
“Government alone cannot carry the burden; the corporate sector has to weigh in. The private organisations will not come in because they are nice people; they’ll only come in if we presented it as a business proposal, and they see it as a worthwhile investment otherwise we’re not going to make any impact. I believe all those issues can be tackled in no time,” he added.
If we couldn’t achieve any positive results with N2.2billion, does that mean the money was probably insufficient? Can the team achieve better results with more money? What do you think about the Minister’s request of N7billion for Team Nigeria?

Bez, Hauwa Mukan, Adewale Ayuba, Temi Dollface & Rukky Ladoja at the Lagos Music Salon with International Jazz Artiste, Somi – View the Photos


Somi & Hauwa Mukan
On Saturday 22nd September 2012, Belvedere Vodka, a premium vodka drink from Moet Hennessy, partnered with the Lagos Music Salon as the official drinks partner for its music concert headlined by international Jazz vocalist and songwriter, Somi at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The contemporary music event which kicked off at 6 PM, saw performances by the american jazz vocalist herself, Somi, who is of Rwandan and Ugandan descent, alternative soul singer, Bez and rising music act, Temi Dollface. Also present at the event were Fuji star, Adewale Ayuba, on-air-personality, Hauwa Mukan, fashion designer, Rukky Ladoja of Grey, fashion stylist, Ngozi Pere Okotie and Smooth FM DJ, Aderonke Adebanjo.
BNwas on the scene at the event and we have some shots for you – Check them out!
Bez
Temi Dollface
Aderonke Adebanjo
Adewale Ayuba
Rukky Ladoja
Hauwa Mukan
Bolatito Ladoja
Ore Onanuga

Temi Dollface & Ngozi Pere Okorotie
David Hourdry (Market Manager, Moet Hennessy), Somi, Tokini Peterside (Marketing Manager, Moet Hennessy) & Habeeb Fashiro

On Stage