Cover, Edition 188, June 7-13, 2009

Children and Tourism @ the National Museum

Children on display

BY CHIOMA PAMELA NDUKA
FIRST celebrated in Turkey in 1920, the International Children’s Day has become a global event, and has attracted great interest from international institutions and agencies.
The first worldwide celebration of the day was in October 1955, under the sponsorship of International Union of Child Welfare Geneva. And since that event, countries all over the world have continued to mark the occasion devoted to the little ones.
The theme for this year’s celebration was Listening and Talking and it is very symbolic considering that these days, many rights of children are being violated. Some of these include child labour, prostitution, juvenile crime, trafficking, exploitation and kidnapping, to mention a few.
The sixth in the series of Children’s Day celebration organised by the National Museum, Onikan, held last Wednesday, and it attracted a lot of children from close to100 schools located both within and outside tLagos State that were invited.
With the theme Children and Tourism, this year’s programme was designed to give children opportunity to know other cultures as they seldom travel out.
The special guest of honour at the celebration was the wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, who was represented by Mrs. Oyindamola Ogala and Miss Museum 2008/09, Temilade Ibraheem. Also present were the Oba of the museum and the Sisi Oge of Africa; Mrs. Aduke Gomez of Arts and Business Foundation and Mrs. Iyabo Lawani of Maggi Kitchen, among others.
The event, which was scheduled to start at 10am, actually began at noon; however, when it did, everybody present was really satisfied with the presentations.
A lot of competitions held that ranged from cooking to march past, traditional greetings and essay, among others.
In the cooking competition, Great Immaculate Heart School came third, while De-Potential Schools was the second and Mac-David Christian School first.
For the march past, which had about 32 schools involved, Tri-System Educational Venture came third, Mac Davies Christian College was the second, while Tade International Schools was the first.
The Sisi Oge of Africa advised children to trail the path of success. She urged them to shun vices, as they are cog in the wheel of positive development.
OK Foods, MTN Nigeria, Viju Foods Ltd., Oldburger and Newbisco Ltd. Supported the event.

Breeding a cash cow

Banking hall

BY GBENGA SALAU
WITH the launch of Cashcow Microfinace Bank, Igbosere Road, Lagos, Nigeria may soon witness another revolution in the banking industry, if the words of the chairman, Pastor Wale Adeduro at the launch are anything to go by.
While noting that most banks, especially the microfinance stocks have lost focus of the banking tradition copied from Bangladesh, he maintained that his Cashcow would keep to the creed and article of Microfinance Banking.
Adeduro, who pledged that the bank would be guided by the mission of Godly system, passionate people and dependable technology, urged Nigerian banks to comply with global practices in banking by stopping the yearly declaration of jumbo profits, which had been at the expense of providing real banking services to Nigerians.
His words, “our name, Cashcow, reflects our orientation and mission. It means ‘source of steady profit’ and ‘a profitable business or product with low overhead’, often used to fund other businesses and investments.”
Adeduro added, “we could not have been more apt in the choice of our name. We are not in a hurry to declare super profit neither are we planning not to make profit. It is just that we shall make haste slowly. For members of the board, management and staff of Cashcow Microfinace Bank Limited, banking is not only about declaring profit. The time tested philosophy of banking advocates prudence and probity. We are in the business of Microfinance Banking to deliver great value to God and the people. Banking is not a showbusiness neither is it a public relations field. We shall assiduously pursue the goal of becoming one of the most credible financial institutions in Africa. We are decidedly a local financial institution with a global approach to issues.”
Adeduro rolled out the bank’s 12 products, which he said, would be products of mutual benefits to any of its customers and the organisation. The products are:
Good women Account — Specifically designed for the good women societies as well as other recognised female group in the church. It offers a wide range of benefits including but not limited to access to proper book keeping, project management and execution of other activities. With this account, women can team up to establish investment groups that can access funds monthly on a contributory basis.
Nehemiah Account: This is designed for major church projects, like birthing of new branches, equipment upgrade, renovations as well as other major projects. It is also primed towards general church finance and administration.
Angel account: Designed to assist the church in meeting their short-term needs. It is designed to help churches in the purchase of equipment and execution of projects.
Future Leaders Saving account: Designed to meet the future needs of children–payment of tuition and examination fees, automatic membership of flourish children’s club, access to facility, scholarship among others.
Cash Train Target Account: This is a daily contribution account specially designed for people who have a particular project in mind or are saving up to buy an asset. It is a very easy account to run. The clients contributes a certain amount regularly for 90 days without withdrawal and receives the equivalent of one day contribution as interest in addition to existing interest payment on savings.
Group/Co-operative and society account: Designed to meet the needs of organised groups and associations.
Cash and Go: This product is structured to provide easy capital to the customer amount. It is a contributory scheme where the clients contribute a certain amount determined by him or her everyday for 10 days and the customer is given threefold the total contibution, while he or she will contribute to pay on a daily basis till the facility is fully liquidated under 30-day revolving arrangment.
Cash Now: Cash now is an easy and quick way of accessing immediate cash for meeting short term needs. It is designed to help enhance your lifestyle and get those things you desire when you desire.
Step-up Account: Designed to enable customers acquire assets such as cars, equipments, personal and household items. Repayment is spread over a period of six to12 months.

...Here comes the master grammarian

‘I will encourage our people to work hard and avoid anything that will bring bad name to Nigeria. We need to set a good example for other countries.’

Contestants

The state level of the Magic Moment Bee was held recently at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, with Mackenzee Okwah of Atlantic Hall, Epe, emerging first in the contest that involved junior students from different secondary schools in the state. For coming tops, young Okwah was presented with a trophy, award plaque and N100,000 cash prize. He will also be representing Lagos in the national level coming up later in the year. A brainchild of MAGIC Moments Concerns Limited, the contest, which was conceived to help students increase their vocabulary, learn concepts and develop proper usage of English words will no doubt, boost the confidence of the participants in public speaking and presentation. Makenzi, a returnee student from the United States of America, who will be representing the state at the national level, speaks to CHUKS NWANNE on the competition and his future plans.

How did you enter for the competition?
I was actually selected by my English teacher; she said I’m very good in spelling; she always gives us spelling Bees and I barely fail any of them. They also picked two other people from my level (JSS 3) and we had a spelling Bee in my school. One of us was eliminated, so, the other student and I represented my school in the contest today.
How challenging was it?
I came from America and their spellings are different from the British, which we follow in Nigeria. The words I actually failed are words like ‘centre’ and ‘colour’, which in America are spelt as ‘center’ and ‘color’. So, it was really a difficult one trying to deal with the differences; I had a hard time coping with the British spelling instead of my usual American. But I thank God that I emerged first after all.
How was the preparation like?
My parents helped me spell in America, so, when I came back to Nigeria, I brought a dictionary with me; I read the dictionary every night. When they told us about the spelling Bee, I started reading my dictionary back to back. When the organisers came to our school, they gave us a book that will help us in the competition. From the day they gave me that book, I read it every night till today.
Any tension during the contest?
Well, I was somehow fidgeting because there are some easy words people were failing, and I was afraid that I might just go up there and mess myself up and will be a disappointment to all the people that came to see me. I was a bit scared for sometimes, but I prayed a little on the stage; some people must have noticed that. I asked God to be with me and here we are now.
What career do you want to pursue in future?
I’m looking forward to being a surgeon, but if not, my second choice is being a music artiste/producer.
What’s your interest in music?
Well, I like the fame that people get from it, because I want to be famous in future.
The Surgeon?
My parents are actually medical people. I like human body and there are some things I want to learn about the human body.
But if you are to choose between the two, which one will come first?
I will choose musician/producer.
What’s the next stage of the competition?
When I read the handbook, I saw national level after state level, but I’m not sure; we may be having national level.
Are you confident of coming tops there?
With God by my side, I’m confident.
Are you saying you are better than everyone?
No, no, I’m not saying that, I just think I’m a bit more determined.
So, it’s about determination?
… And hardwork.
Your parents, are they here?
No. In fact, I feel like there’s something missing from this whole competition. But if my parents hear about this, they will be happy and proud of me
When did you return from the US?
I came back in 2006.
Any plan of going back?
My mother wants me back after my JSS 3, but my father wants me to stay until I am through with my SSS 3, so, I’m not really sure.
Some people travel out and refuse to come back. Are you thinking in that line?
Oh, no, no! Of course I must come back to Nigeria, I just have to.
What will be your contribution to the country?
I will encourage our people to work hard and avoid anything that will bring bad name to Nigeria. We need to set a good example for other countries.

iTrans… dreaming deeper into Fashola’s Eko Oni baje o

Nigerians don’t want to drive in the hold-up. If they have a comfortable alternative, they will go for it, irrespective of the amount. Nigerians are interested in comfort, safety and availability. Nigerians are people who have class, which is what we stand to provide. Our brand essence is ‘drive to make a difference’ and our brand promise is ‘good time service in good time.

L-R Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportion-Comrade Kayode Opeifa, MD/CEO iTrans Logistics Ltd-Adeboye Ajakaiye (Operators of iTaxi), Executive Director (Finance & Corporate Services) iTrans Logistics Ltd-Segun Omoworare and Executive Chairman Amuwo Odofin LGA-Comrade Ayodele Adewale on the day of iTaxi Launch

BY TOPE TEMPLER OLAIYA
EKO O NI BAJE, is deepening in the consciousness of the residents of Lagos as the bug of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s mega city policy translated from dream to reality. The recent launch of five corporate taxi operators is set to redefine transportation in the state.
Adeboye Ajakaiye, chief executive officer of iTrans Logistics, is not only content to be one of the five privileged operators, but presently wears a broad smile of fulfillment that shows that what began as an idle talk among close friends has grown into a novel idea that was sold to Lagos State government during the Bola Tinubu administration, and has finally culminated in the emergence of beautiful, brand new vehicles of various colours and shapes dotting the streets of Lagos as taxis.
A keen businessman of varied experience, Ajakaiye’s newfound love is bringing convenience to the people. “We call it taxi at your doorstep, giving good town services in good time to our clients, either while they are in our vehicles or calling us at our call centre. It is a call centre driven operation, meaning that from wherever you are sitting, you can call for a taxi, and it is as good as having your taxi, once it is booked.”
“When the governor was launching us, he said, ‘Lagos is working, those of you driving taxis in the cold of winter around the world should come home, because employment is being generated here and we are making things to work.’ So, iTrans Logistics is just a proof of that. There is no need for Nigerians to sleep in train stations when there are jobs to do.”
Ajakaiye likes to describe himself as a compulsive optimist, who believes in the impossible. He holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Ibadan and a Bachelor in same course from the University of Ilorin. Apart from sitting on the hot seat of iTrans Logistics as the CEO, he is also in charge of Research and Development of the organisation; combining both with being on the board of Netis Technologies Limited and Farmious Farms Limited. An innovator and strategist of repute, his expertise has earned him not only recognition but also internationally published works.

WITH the official launch two weeks ago, iTrans has released tens of taxis to give Lagosians the luxury of a comfortable ride, giving the regular cabs a run for their money. Ajakaiye further projects that in the nearest future; regular cabs will be phased out in Lagos State. “It is just a matter of time,” he notes.
“Don’t you think it is nice to have brand new vehicles as taxis in Lagos? If you think it is nice, that is the plan of the government, but they are not just going to phase them out at once, they are giving Lagosians the option of choice. Just as what we had in the telecommunication industry where we now have the option of choice; you will be allowed to determine choice and service. When you have a rickety taxi and a brand new one almost going at the same level, which would you board? The one that will give you comfort, safety, good service in good time, and not the one that would make the rain to drop on you. You won’t board the one you have to go on the street in the sun or in the rain to look for, instead you will board the one that will come to your doorsteps, and what you just need to do, even from the comfort of your living room is to just call and we will be there.”

DESPITE the attractiveness of its service, many fear that corporate taxi may be beyond their reach because it is designed for the elite, but Ajakaiye disagrees that the price of enjoying a comfortable ride despite the complexity of Lagos traffic is not for the creme of the crop. “Every operator, according to the regulation of the ministry, is meant to operate a metered cab, where you board the vehicle and the meter reading is calculated from point A to point B based on time and distance. There is a metering device in every vehicle and the charges are done in such a way that the maximum you can get per hour is N1, 500. If you like, you may use Royce Rolls for taxi, or a Range Rover or Toyota Jeep, you cannot charge more than N1, 500 per hour, that is the regulation. It is even done in such a way that when you go through the first hour, your per minute reading will reduce.”
True to his nature as a strategist, Ajakaiye having studied the traffic situation in Lagos, has discovered that with good alternatives people would not drive their vehicles. “Nigerians don’t want to drive in the hold-up. If they have a comfortable alternative, they will go for it, irrespective of the amount. Nigerians are interested in comfort, safety and availability. Nigerians are people who have class, which is what we stand to provide. Our brand essence is ‘drive to make a difference’ and our brand promise is ‘good time service in good time.”
And he says with glee what good iTrans Logistics is offering Lagosians, a completely new culture with its exclusive service called ‘Taxi Share.’ It is a group ride with two or three people living in the same area jointly subscribing to one taxi to take them to work. “Just imagine if sizeable chunk of people drop their cars at home during week days; that is taking a whole lot of cars off the road, and it makes sense, because at the rate of about N1,000 an hour for a ride, three or four group of friends living around a vicinity and working on the island or any other part of Lagos could conveniently and comfortably drop their vehicles at home and enjoy each other’s company to and fro work without stress.”

THE organisation has zoned the whole of Lagos with the plan of having taxi terminals in different parts of the state, so that in 15 minutes at most, after placing a call for a taxi, one is already waiting at your doorstep. “We are not just using our tracking device to safeguard our vehicles, we are using it in our operation. From our call centre on our big screen, we will be able to locate the closest taxi to the client. Some of our guys that rolled out initially mixed up the concept, the call centre is not for you to roam about, but for the vehicle.
“If the life span of a vehicle is four years, roaming about on a daily basis will not make the vehicle to last long. You don’t need to roam, all you need to do is make sure your call centre is in top shape and when calls come in, you render prompt service.
“Our initial plan was not to be an operator, we were with the local taxi people for two and half years, throwing the idea at them, that you don’t need to roam on the street because you are looking for customers. Because they are roaming, that is why their service is expensive. They burn fuel, stress and strain themselves looking for customers, meanwhile, there may be a customer in a particular building that the driver had passed who needs a taxi, but there is no means of knowing that a client is in there.”
“So, we got the idea of trying to do a taxi exchange initially, but severally, the local taxi drivers continued shifting the goal post and bringing obstacles. At a point, we just went back to tell them we could do this on our own; and we went to Dr. Muiz Banire, Commissioner for Transport at the time, with the idea for Lagos State to partner with us on Public Private Partnership (PPP) level and that was how we got the business license to operate.”
Ajakaiye is now fulfilled, living in a world of his dream; he says since the launch “our phones have been ringing off the hook for enquiries, commendation and service and there is no way we are not going to employ more people and expand our infrastructure. Truly, Eko o ni baje and I am being optimistic that it will not spoil.”

Style, Fun & Identity of Beampeh

RECENTLY, Adebimpe Adebambo (Beampeh) collaborating with the Goethe Institut, Lagos, staged Style, Fun and Identity.
The show, which was done to celebrate her five years of following fashion, had on display, artworks, wearable art (fashion) and lights.
Beampeh, who was one of the top five contestants at the Vlisco Urban Beat Designers’ Competition held in February, freely used colours in her works.
The lady says her designs are influenced by other cultures and from other parts of the world. “My pieces are from the heart and are for ladies between 14 and 70.”
Our photographer, CHARLES OKOLO, captures the interesting and inspiring clothes and accessories that were done with a lot of creativity and love.

Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings

BY BENSON IDONIJE
Following last week’s story on the composer, pianist, big band header Duke Ellington, I have received SMS texts saying that after the Duke, the most logical follow-up is Count Basie. These jazz devotees and aficionados are making this request against the obvious fact that Basie was, in their opinion, the next in line of popularity, in terms of big band instrumentation.
These devotees have made several other valid points in their text messages which qualify Count Basie for this story. One of them is the fact that Count Basie was even more popular than Duke Ellington.
While disagreeing with them in this regard, I cannot dismiss their claims as being entirely baseless and untrue. In fact, I have no right to do that. It is the fact that people have divergent views about what they hear and about the artists themselves that gives jazz the elusive but limitless possibilities that it has today. It is the fact that the music is unpredictable and cannot be pigeon-holed that makes it the enduring musical culture that it is.
Having said that, I must say that everybody has his own views, which must be respected if expressed from a position of knowledge. And one of them definitely sustained the argument with proof of listening to several Count Basie albums and even the experience of live performance.
Another tends to reduce the Count Basie orchestra to a semi– jazz, and soul band because of the various singers that the orchestra featured over the years. This, certainly is not a fair judgement, and it is clear that he does not like jazz singing.
As a matter of fact, one of the features that made the Count Basie Orchestra perhaps more likeable than the Duke Ellington Orchestra was the fact that Basie enlisted the services of vocalists at every turn.
Perhaps the first singer to make great impart with the band was Jimmy Rushing, a ganging African– American whose massive frame earned him the nick name, “Mr Five by Five”. One would have though that his frame would elicit an equally massive vocal sound, but his was a middle weight’ kind of voice the way Leonard Feather referred to Hank Mobley, the tenor saxophone sensation. Feather called him the middle weight champion of the tenor saxophone because Mobley came up with a tonal conception and intensity that fell between Lester young and Sonny Rollins.
The Count Basie orchestra seemed to excel with the element of blues and swing and the regular feature of vocalists as part of the orchestral line-up and configuration. After the exit of Jimmy Rushing came Helen Humes, a lady who had a unique voice and singing style.
Humes might have been influenced initially by Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith but at the time she was singing with the Count Basie orchestra, she had come totally into her own and was individualistic.
Perhaps the greatest singer with Basie was Joe Williams. It might be unfair however, to refer to Joe Williams as the greatest singer with the Basie orchestra. Various listeners to the orchestra have their different opinions, which are divided between Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams.
The preference for Joe Williams is informed by the popularity he gave the band with the blues composition, Everyday, I have the blues, which in fact became an anthem for every jazz player in those days. The song and its entire interpretation placed the Count Basie orchestra above the others in that it attracted lovers of the blues to the jazz fold. On Count Basie’s night stands, you found mixed audiences who were attracted to the band obviously by Joe Williams, the great blues singer.
On the other hand, Jimmy Rushing was liked by many people for his vocal range which moved with ease through all the registers with no bias for any particular type of song. Joe Williams sang every thing whether they were designed as blues materials or they were just plain songs of the 32 bar structure.
In Blues by Basie for example, an album recorded in the 50’s with the orchestra, featuring twenty-nine star musicians, Rushing sang six different songs with the same artistic capability. He was heard on How long blues, I still think of her, Harvard blues, Take me back baby, Nobody knows and I’m gonna move to the outskirts of town.
Count Basie and the blues have long been an inseparable combination, and as a pianist, big band leader, he saw swing as an element which gives jazz its true meaning. As a matter of fact, throughout his career, his name was synompnous with swing.
Basie, whose influence remained huge over a decade after his death not only led two of the finest jazz orchestras ever but he redefined the role of the piano in the rhythm section. Originally a stride pianist in the vein of his idol, Fats Waller, Basie had such a strong rhythm section in the mid-thirties that he pared down his style drastically, eliminating the oom-pah time-keeping function of his left hand.
With bassist Walter page, rhythm guitarist Freddie Green and drummer Jo Jones filling in the spaces, Basie stuck to simple phrases that were strategically placed to add momentum to the ensemble, and he unwittingly acted as a transitional figure toward the bop of Bud Powell.
Basie formed his own group in 1935 after the premature death of Bennie Moten. His band started gathering momentum by 1937 with an expanded orchestra that had great soloists.
Big band instrumentation and the knack for complex arrangements fascinated big band jazz devotees. But the greatest attraction for them was individual performance which involved solos. The Basie band boasted some of the greatest soloists of that period, including the cool-toned tenor player, Lester Young whose sound endeared people to the band. With a tonal conception emphasising the low registers of Coleman Hawkins, the use of vibratos and slurs, which registered memorable impressions on their hearers, Lester Young became one of the finest soloists of the mainstream jazz era. Basie also had such early stalwarts as Buck Clayton and Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison on trumpets; Dicky Wells, trombone, and of course Jimmy Rushing who was on hand at this period for vocal delivery.
Billy Holiday was not a regular member of the Count Basie orchestra but it is on record that Holiday sang with the orchestra in the late 1930’s, giving the orchestra a high profile image. It was at this time that hits such as One o’clock Jump and Jumping at the wood side which became classics were initially performed.
One of Basie’s most popular reissues however is his collaboration with the singer, Joe Williams. Titled, Count Basie swings, Joe Williams sings, Joe Williams’ debut on record with Count Basic was so successful in every way that the band’s future was secure for the next few decades. Included on this essential set which is undoubtedly a collectors item, are the classic versions of Every day I have the blues, The comeback, Alright, Okay, You win, In the evening, and Teach me tonight, hits that Basie would have to perform nightly for the remainder of the 50’s.
There is however another reissue whose recording came about as a result of Joe Williams refusing to be labelled as a mere blues singer. Titled The Greatest, Count Basie Plays Joe William sings standards, the blues treatment given these popular standards transformed them from their obscure popular music nature to the swinging blues height. Songs such as Thou swell, My baby just cares for me and Singing in the rain which sounded ordinary in the hands of the jazz men of that period became contemporary blues materials with Joe Williams and the Count Basie orchestra.
Like Duke Ellington, Count Basie has numerous reissues in the market which run into thousands. Although there was a lot of turn over in the 60’s, the Basie sound never changed and the orchestra did not decline or stop travelling. Basie signed with Pablo Records in the 70’s and recorded some swinging jazz with new sidemen such as tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest and trombonist Al Grey.
Count Basie’s health gradually failed in the 80’s ad his death in 1984 was greatly mourned. However, his orchestra under the direction first of Thad Jones, then Frank Foster and later Grover Mitchell became the only viable ghost band in jazz history.

Emma Agu blasts

‘The Nigerian Entertainment Awards in USA is a huge joke’

EVERY one of us has the right to organize a music awards ceremony. The Black Entertainment Television, (BET) has a yearly music awards ceremony, called BET Awards. The ceremony covers the Hip-Pop culture, while celebrating other great music legends that are not into Hip-Pop.
MTV, with their iconic displays, is called VMA Awards, where the best music videos are celebrated.
You have the Grammy and American Music awards and so many others. People who are in the entertainment industry vote for the Grammy Awards eventual winners. While the American Music awards are based on poll of buyers.
When a group of men of Nigerian descent, named their yearly awards ceremony as The Nigerian Entertainment Awards, professional Nigerian musicians and recording artists living in USA are raising serious questions about their agenda and motives.
As a member of the American Federation of musicians and the founder of the Professional Musicians Association of Nigeria, USA, I was inundated with series of complaints against the organisers of this so-called award ceremony taking place this weekend in Maryland (The event actually held yesterday).
Complaints against this awards ceremony are based on what some people call a fraud going on within. An awards based on selection by a few individuals and what a popular Nigerian journalist called a visa-racket squad. Some argued that the awards ceremony is one-sided and does not reflect musicians from all the geographical regions of Nigeria and at such should not be called The Nigerian Entertainment Awards.
I took the necessary steps to speak with the organisers and In my interaction with one of them, he made it clear that the ceremony only covers a certain age and a particular genre of music. He was generous enough to let me know that the awards are not for the ‘best guitarist or organist’ of the year. Well said.
Now the question is, how can you come up with an awards ceremony in the United States of America and tag it ‘Nigerian Entertainment Awards’ when this gathering rewards only a particular set of musicians who play hip-pop. Is hip-pop now the most accepted Nigerian music? I am only talking about music here because this is what I woke up everyday to do. How do you choose the eventual winners, even in the movie segment?
In view of the outcry against what majority regards as a fraud, after holding consultation with my colleagues over here, I wish to state the following:

1. That the organizers of these awards took advantage of the crass disunity among Nigerian Musicians both home and abroad to organise these so-called awards.
2 That this awards ceremony is a continued attempt to marginalize the real professionals by a league of men who through the years have reaped where they never sowed.
3 Truly speaking, this award does not in any way help the Nigerian music industry but further takes us many years behind as true professionalism is not encouraged by the organisers.
4 It is the same individuals who parade themselves as music promoters who come together to organise awards ceremonies for their artist in their quest to remain relevant.
5 That the organisers of this award ceremonies use the faces of popular Nigerian musicians without permission to do their flyers in order to attract a decent crowd.
6. There is no information that reveals how eventual winners are chosen.
7. That the only functional webpage available on the internet does not have any
link where one can vote for his favorite artist.
8. No form of remuneration or honorarium is given to the so called winners who traveled
all the way from Nigeria for the awards ceremony.
9. That those invited stay in the homes of their fans instead of being kept in decent hotels.
10 There was no press release, briefing or invitation to leading Nigerian Entertainment writers to cover this event...
Finally, I’m not writing this release because of me. I don’t accept Nigerian tailored awards and titles. I rarely play in any Nigerian organised events abroad on principle. My only concern here is that you don’t engage in a questionable program and give it a bogus name to create acceptability. I am proud of the Nigerian Hip-Pop movements and what they have achieved for themselves. Nigeria, Ghana and other African countries have their mainstream music style. It is not Hip-Pop. Therefore, don’t create or generate an impression that Hip-pop is the main Nigerian own music style and that these upcoming ones are the very best from Nigeria. This is completely unacceptable to me.
In this age and time, we ought to encourage professionalism. Make it possible for the upcoming ones to play alongside seasoned Nigerian music legends.
I sincerely hope the organizers of this award night can rename and brand it any how they like but to call it Nigerian Entertainment Awards, this is totally unacceptable.
Lastly, members of the Professional Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) will follow every step necessary to stop the organisers from staging further awards using the name, ‘Nigerian Entertainment Awards’.

Agu is the Founding President, Professional Musicians Association of Nigeria, USA.

The Beginning of Construction in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI.- His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, today welcomed French President Nicolas Sarkozy to a commemorative ceremony to mark the start of construction on the Louvre Abu Dhabi—the first universal museum to be built in the Middle East. In a presentation before dignitaries at Emirates Palace, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed and President Sarkozy accepted a time capsule for the museum from children from United Arab Emirates and France which will be placed in the Louvre Abu Dhabi at a future date.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and President Sarkozy also inaugurated a new preview experience of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, being presented through 2 July in Gallery One of Emirates Palace. Titled Talking Art: Louvre Abu Dhabi, the preview features a brief film about the design for the Louvre Abu Dhabi by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel; an illustrated talk; and a guided tour of selected artworks specially chosen to demonstrate the curatorial vision of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
“Abu Dhabi’s ultimate goal in creating the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and indeed the entire Saadiyat Island Cultural District, is to build a platform for deeper and more meaningful exchange among people from our own region and from all parts of the globe,” stated His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. “We move forward today with warm gratitude toward the people and government of France for joining us in the unprecedented cultural partnership that is creating the Louvre Abu Dhabi.”

“With deep admiration for the people of Abu Dhabi, and for their leaders who believe, as we do, that the arts lie at the very heart of civilization, the Republic of France joins in celebrating this auspicious day,” stated President Sarkozy. “Together, we have embarked on an extraordinary journey of cultural exchange and collaboration and I believe that our two countries will forever be strengthened by this partnership.”
“We welcome President Sarkozy and our distinguished French partners to Abu Dhabi, and are excited by the shared progress being made towards the establishment of a new, world-class cultural institution in the Emirate,” stated HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “At every step of this remarkable and innovative collaboration, the ties of friendship and respect between Abu Dhabi and France grow stronger.”
Scheduled for completion in 2012/13, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will showcase the interrelationships among artistic achievements from different cultures around the world, from the most immemorial to the very latest, across borders of technique and geography. With works loaned by the Louvre and other French museums, such as Musée d’Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Musée Guimet and Musée du Quai Branly, and works of art from its own developing collection, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will establish a distinctive dialogue among fine arts, decorative arts, and archaeological artefacts that have been created and collected all over the world, in a presentation that is unique to this museum and its setting.
Built on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, the 24,000 square metre (260,000 square foot) Louvre Abu Dhabi is conceived by architect Jean Nouvel as a complex of pavilions, plazas, alleyways and canals, evoking the image of a city floating on the sea. Hovering over the complex will be a form inspired by traditional Arabic architecture: a vast, shallow dome—some 180 metres (590 feet) in diameter—perforated with interlaced patterns so that a magical, diffused light will filter through.

Talking Art: Louvre Abu Dhabi
The preview experience in Gallery One of Emirates Palace, Talking Art: Louvre Abu Dhabi, offers examples of the interrelationships among cultures and epochs that will be central to the new institution. The preview has been organized jointly by Tourism Development & Investment Company and Agence France-Muséums. Two sessions of the preview are offered to the public each day, at 11:00 am and 6:30 pm, with pre-registration required. An exhibition presenting a thorough overview of the Louvre Abu Dhabi will be organised at a later date.
In conjunction with the inauguration of Talking Art: Louvre Abu Dhabi, a highly distinguished group of scholars and cultural leaders from France will open a two day series of public panel discussions on the evening of 26 May, to address ideas that are central to the new institution. The discussions focus on “Museums and Universalism” and “The Louvre Abu Dhabi: A New Way of Showing Art.” A third session of these public discussions, held at 3:00 pm on 27 May, will be devoted to training schoolteachers, to assist them in making Talking Art: Louvre Abu Dhabi more meaningful to young people ages 11 and higher.
Louvre Abu Dhabi | Jean Nouvel | Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | Saadiyat Island Cultural District | Sarkozy | |

The many shades of grey

BY WOLE OGUNTOKUN
THE Whisperer strolled into a bank today and met a young woman seated around a desk where he wanted confirmation on a few issues.
It wasn’t their first meeting; she had been to The Whisperer’s office known as the play-station, once before in the company of another colleague of hers on a marketing drive engineered by the bank; a self-assured very-good looking young woman who appeared totally unmoved by his self-claimed larger-than-life persona.
Today, she again ignored (or pretended to ignore) The Whisperer as she went about her work, busying herself with documents and all the other paraphernalia that make up banking.
After a while, she melted and said hello properly and we spoke about many things.
The prevailing impression one got from her was that she was a lady who loved exact things. She asked The Whisperer — even though he has three accounts in the bank and she has been to his place of ‘play’— “what is it that you do exactly?”
That was an odd one, I thought as I deliberated the question. I finally replied, “I’m a media practitioner.”
She asked again, “what does that mean?” I again replied, “a person who practices media things... writing, producing, directing etc.”
To her clinical mind, those terms were too hazy to be called a vocation. You had to have concrete terms... Lawyer, doctor, engineer.
She told me, “long ago if you’d gone to ask for a woman’s hand in marriage and had said ‘media practitioner’ as a job, you’d have been chased out by the girl’s father.”
Personally, The Whisperer, even though a trained lawyer, is glad we are now in the 21st century, where ‘hazy’ concepts can earn you a living, where you can buy land and build houses by being a ‘Stand-Up’ comedian.
I told of her of the impression she had created at our very first meeting- That of a girl who was very good-looking and knew it.
She looked you in the eye and dared you to try the come-on lines that men throw at girls in those moments; those tentative, often weak lines, the unsure groping men do when they are trying to feel their way.
She was a girl who understood how attractive she was and felt there was nothing new a man could show her.

BUT she was in the presence of The Whisperer and he found her self-assurance and apparent cynicism interesting.
Her demeanour at our first meeting and the reason for it was the subject of debate when we met again. She disagreed with The Whisperer’s surmising, saying she had intended and meant nothing.
Her world-view particularly in relation to men was mind-blowing. All men are a$%^-h&^%s whether or not they have fulfilled their potential in that regard or not.
According to her, a nice man is an accident waiting to happen, just biding his time until when the passion burns out and he can say he’s off through the door again.
The Whisperer disagrees with the lovely lady on some of these issues. The world is not a picture painted in stark colours.
It is not divided into black and white (what a boring place it would be if that was so), there are many, many shades of grey in every relationship, in every friendship platonic and otherwise and sometimes things are not always as they seem.
It is true that men will give anything in the pursuit of a woman. They will stand out in the rain, sing under the stars and cross continents to find the woman that is the subject of their affections.
They will take whatever insults come with their desire (at those times, men can be surprisingly mule-headed). When the objective is attained and the female has been made to see things their way, loving them for who they are, the men suddenly lose the drive that made that woman the sole focus of their desires.
They begin to look for ways to walk away and some day, they find that way. That is the black and white of the story.
However, even in these cases of “man loves woman, woman spurns man, man pursues woman across the world, woman finally succumbs and falls in love, man falls out of love”, there are exceptions.
Those are the shades of grey. It is not every man that walks away from the love he has found.
Women must remember that love (and relationships of any kind) must be worked at. You cannot attain the goal and give up on it.
You have to keep the relationship alive even after you have achieved a state of bliss. It is true that many men have the hunter’s instincts that drives them in pursuit of other partners after succeeding with one but who has ever seen a well-fed lion (or lioness) make a kill and go off immediately in search of other prey? The trick then might be to keep the hunter sated, well-satisfied, having no need to hunt down another.

THERE are some who will say “men will be men”, no matter what- That they will fall in and out of love at the drop of a hat. We must remember that to every rule, there are exceptions. There are men who do not follow the norm (as there are women).
Some men walk that grey realm, a place where the general rules do not apply. For every man that has ever walked away from a woman who gave her all so they could be together, there is another who came to his senses and returned to that woman.
Sometimes, not closing our minds to the chance that there are ‘good’ men out there will open us up to immense possibilities. We must not believe that all men are stereotypes and no good can come of trusting them.
The Whisperer believes in love and its lasting qualities. He is sure that for every woman, there is a good man. You just have to be careful in your searching.
If you choose a man for all the wrong qualities; his home, his job, his bank account, it doesn’t make for long-lasting relationships. The world of superficiality is also the world of black and white, a world in which you can know the end from the very beginning. As the Resident said to Mr. Pilkings in ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’, “keep your nose to the ground”.

laspapi@yahoo.com