Cover, Edition 214, Dec. 6 - 12, 2009

Warren Buffett’s investing secrets for entrepreneurs, investors

(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
WARREN Buffett was born on August 30, 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska. From a very young age, he displayed a keen interest and extraordinary talent in numbers and at the mere age of 11; he started buying shares in the stock market. Buffett bought three shares of Cities Service at $38 for himself and his older sister. The shares rebounded to $40 after falling to almost $27 and that was the time he sold them. However, after some time, the value rose to $200. He learnt one of the most important lessons of investment through this experience — 'Patience is a Virtue'. He graduated from high school but never wanted to go to college as such. On persistence from his father, he enrolled himself into the Wharton Business School. He stayed there for two years and then moved back home and got transferred to the University of Nebraska, teaching students twice his age. He tried to get into Harvard Business School, but got rejected because they thought he was too young! He moved to do a Master’s in Economics at Columbia University and there he found his mentor — Benjamin Graham.
After working here and there for some time, he was offered to work for Benjamin Graham as a security analyst. His fortune rose to $140,000. Thereafter, he began his own company, ‘Buffett Partnership’ and increased his capital wealth to $300,000 by the end of the year. At that time, Berkshire Hathaway was a small textile company in which he had invested. Buffett became the chairman of the company and with time and persistence he turned this small textile company into a giant investment vehicle that it is today. Buffett leads a very simple life considering his status. He absolutely loves Coca-Cola and burgers and is an ardent player of the game Bridge. He’s shown his generosity by donating huge chunk of his fortune to many helpful foundations, the biggest sum going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Buffett is the second wealthiest man in the world by keeping to these fundamentals:
Can the business make more money?
Buffett’s concern before putting his money into any investment is whether the business can make more money. Is your business/investment in an industry that would soon fade off or is it in an industry that will continue to remain relevant to and needed by people?
Does the business have a protected niche?
Does your business have a core competence, something that will make money in good times and bad? Coca-Cola fits this picture. People will always drink sugared water regardless if plain water is better for them. Coca-Cola also has a trademark protected by law. Buffett likes this product because it is a legally protected brand. Because Coca-Cola is a well-recognised brand, protected and defended from pirates, this increases its intrinsic value. As a business, if you are not a brand, you’re a commodity. And commodities don’t get any protection, as there is ease in entry and exit. But brands have more intrinsic value, and to maintain this value, a brand has to be true to its message and customers.
Does the business budget its money and resources well?
This is another very important factor to consider. What does the financial statement of the company read? What is the vision of the management and what are their plans as they cut across every aspect of the business and the competition? What does the management of the company spend its money on and why?
Can the business be leveraged and expanded?
You can work so hard at building your business, but if you don’t know how to leverage your skills, talents and products/services, you’ll be paid peanuts. Once a product can be leveraged, Warren wants to know if it can be expanded. Warren says, “Every time someone in the world drinks a Coke, I make a little money.” Can that be said of your business?
Is it run by a team of smart, well-informed people?
Many businesses die because the owner shouldn’t run it directly at all. He should either be the chairman poring through the financial books of the company, advising or bringing his connections to bear on the operations, while allowing some bright minds handle the wheel. Bill Gates and Paul Allen did that to Microsoft and saved the software company from early death. You can do that to your business also by getting on board smart minds and sharp brains. This should also inform your investment decisions. Invest only in businesses run by smart and well-informed people.
This is what the school of buffettology teaches entrepreneurs and investors. You can read up more facts about this great man.

Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd, bridgetolotu@gmail.com







Developing your talents
(LIFE COACH)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
DEEP in every man's heart is a talent, which if discovered and groomed, can make the world a better place. Everyone is a gift to humanity and has the responsibility to something worthwhile for posterity. There is a story only you can tell. There are places only you can go. There are things only you can discover, if you learn to unravel the gifts in you.
Frank Edoho, the Akwa Ibom native and presenter of the famous television programme, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, made headway in his career by unraveling the talents in him.
To that extent, he says 'I speak with captains of industry, members of the diplomatic corps, and government dignitaries like they were my buddies and I get opportunities the way I wouldn't if I were still a faceless radio host.'
There is always a starting point. Edoho didn't just wake up one day and find himself presenting on the television.
He built his career from ground up, starting from his university days. He developed himself so much that he was called upon to compeer major events in his university like Miss UNICAL, among others.
Everyone can be somebody. In every country, we have the rich and the poor. The question is this: can everybody be rich? Can everybody be successful? Note that people become successful and fulfilled in life based on how they use their talents.
Start from the scratch. In developing your talents, you can start by examining the things you are good at. Once you know what you are good at, you can become better at it. A bank has the slogan 'Good... Better... Bank PHB'. The key to becoming successful in life is a continuous improvement in your areas of straight.
Develop yourself daily. It is easy to allow complacency. When you have achieved some level of success, you may be tempted to think that you have arrived. In reality, the only time you will arrive, is when you die. Provided you are alive, you can become better at what you do. Remember the axiom that says, "Success is the enemy of success."
Be a better person. Maintenance culture is a stagnant culture. Improvement is what counts. It is not good enough to obtain and maintain what you have obtained.
You can be a better business person. You can be a better spouse. You can be a better leader. You can earn more money. You can acquire more degrees. Open your mind to the endless possibilities that can make you a better person.

Here are three tips on developing your talents:
Understand Your Potentials: You are gifted at something. There is something that gets your attention. It could be a movie, a song, or a sport. What are those things that you find interesting? What are those things that you can do for hours without being bored or tired? What makes you happy the most? Write all the things you enjoy doing in a jotting pad. Take time out. A Hebrew text says that "In silence and comfort-ness shall be strength." Look for a serene environment where there will be no noise or disturbance. You can switch the light off, then pay attention to your heart desires. There may be something that your heart knows which your brain does not know yet. Search your heart.
Groom your gifts: Talents are irrelevant. Your talents do not make you a better person until you learn to develop it into a skill. Your talents are those things you can do. Training helps you to develop your talents into skills that benefit humanity. I could write, but I never made any impact until I trained myself to write. I had to groom my gift by reading books, attending seminars, receiving lectures and asking questions. I had to practice the art of writing effectively to reach out to the world. Today, from the e-mails I receive, I know that my articles have inspired many lives.
Make sacrifices. The concept of making sacrifices is all about losing what you have to gain what you don't have. Think of the shirts you wear to your office. They may not look attractive if you don't take pain to iron them. That is why some degree of pains will be necessary to achieve success.
Be consistent. In training to reign, you have to consistently improve your talent. Train your voice over and over till it becomes faultless if you want to be a musician. Go to field everyday to train if you want to be a footballer. Do at least one thing everyday; no matter how small, that makes your talent better.
Get a mentor: In Karate for instance, you will need to have a master. In school, you will need a teacher or lecturer. Likewise, in the pursuit of your goals, you will need a mentor. Just recently, I received e-mail from my mentor on the need to perfect the art of writing. A mentor will always be there to guide you not make some costly mistakes. A sage once counseled "When you know where you are going, the journey is short. When you know how to get there, the journey is shorter. When you know who is already there, the journey is shortest.







Fat for free
(Just Life)
BY OMOLIGHO UDENTA
SHE raised her arm to stop the bike. He, the bike rider, stopped, took a long look at her and slowly shook his head before zooming off.
She sighed and though I could understand why she did, I felt that by now she should be used to reactions like this.
This scene repeated itself a few more times before, after about 10 minutes, she was finally able to get a bike to take her to her destination. She raised one really very large leg as gingerly as anyone with a leg as large as that could, over the bike.
She brought it down on the other side and sat down. The bike rider had fortunately braced himself for the impact and so was not thrown off the bike but the poor bike hadn’t any fore knowledge of what was about to descend upon it and so buckled under the weight of this extremely large woman!
The front tyres laughed at the predicament of the back tyres and watched as it got pressed closer and closer to the bumpy road.
The back tyres cursed the day it was packed in the consignment for Nigeria. Its senior brother had been fortunate enough to go the home of an American student living in Singapore and if the photos he sent via email were anything to go by then it would be safe to say that the guy was having a swell time! His owner was slim, and the roads were smooth which made moving on them sheer bliss.
He groaned as the woman adjusted her bottom, farted and then spat on the dusty road. The tyre breathed a small sigh of relief because at least she had reduced her weight by some 20 grams.
As they made off down the bumpy road, you could hear the shock absorbers of the bike crying out in protest. I hoped they would last the trip. I tried to estimate her weight. I guessed she would be at least over 130 kilograms.

IF she knows what was good for her then she had better never go to Peru where news reports state that Peruvian authorities claim to have arrested four members of a gang that specialized in selling to European labs fat obtained from dead humans!
The suspects informed authorities they were paid $15,000 for a litre of human fat! Now I have no idea how much fat can be obtained from a person with ‘regular’ weight but I am quite sure that a woman like this would give optimum yield!
I looked around, noticing that half the women here were, by ‘oyinbo’ standards, overweight, obese actually.
The rest of us were, ahem, considerably overweight. And the thing is, I suspect that many of us would very gladly donate our fat for free (via liposuction sha o) so we could be slim and slinky again!
It was most shocking to learn that one of the suspects told officials he had been committing the murders for five years!
Meanwhile, it was also reported that the gang’s fugitive leader, a 56-year-old Hilario Cudena, has been killing to extract fat from victims for more than three decades!
Seriously though, the thought that someone would look at and kill another human for fat, kidneys, a heart etc is sickening to say the least but we all know what some of us are capable of doing for money.
May God not let us go to Peru (whilst still fat/unless slim) and may Peruvian-fat-seeking-killers not come here. We have enough wahala avoiding kidnappers as it is.

omoudenta@yahoo.co.uk

For Heart’s Sake

BY FABIAN ODUM
If any issue has taken the front burner in health matters, it is that concerning the heart. It is expectedly so now that President Umaru Yar’Adua is undergoing heart treatment in Saudi Arabia for acute pericarditis.
For this reason, it has become necessary to take actions that will be to the advantage of the heart, an organ that is prone to several ailments.
A report in the recent edition of Circulation, has it that men who adopt five simple lifestyle choices have a far lower risk of cardiovascular events than men who do not.
Investigators who did the study were In 1986, researchers from the Harvard School of Public health began following over 42,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The men had no cardiovascular disease at the time they were enrolled in the study. The researchers then tabulated any cardiovascular events (heart attacks or death) that occurred in this population of men. They concluded that, had all men adopted five healthy lifestyle habits, over 60 per cent of the cardiovascular events that occurred in this population would have been prevented.
The five life-saving healthy habits were:
• not smoking
• daily exercise
• prude

Word explosion by the lagoon

On its fourth rite of expression, the Wordslam -- a collaborative programme between the Goethe Institut and the Culture Advocates Caucus, CAC presented a robust mixed grill of poetry, music, dramatic enactments and even a bit of comedy. It was an explosive evening in the lagoon-front of the German Cultural Centre on Ozumba Mbadiwe Street, Victoria Island, Lagos on November 28. Old notables and regulars of the four-edition old Wordslam, which the CAC dubbed ‘Feast of Poetic Flights’, met and gave vent to creative expression in the medium of poetry coming though Spoken Word and performance poetry.
And to cap, the Wordslam had on stage the international reputed German-Nigerian act, Ade Adekoya alias Ade Bantu, whose ‘Sound of fufu’ is a regular meal on global entertainment TV channels such as Channel O, MTV and Ben TV.

Remarkably too, the Wordslam, obviously the biggest live poetry event yet on the stage included a sc hool dimension to this edition. Prior to staging the edition, the project had gone to selected schools to conduct a workshop, which was anchored by Ade Bantu assisted by Dagga Tolar in Ajegunle, and Bayo Olupohunda in Ikoyi area. The students of the schools were paraded on stage during the main event that Saturday. These were students from abou five schools in the Tolu School Complex in Oodi Apapa; and those from Ireti school in Falomo. The students drew loud ovation, especially for the depth of their criticisms of the socio-political system, especialy the abject neglect of the schools manifested in lack of qualified teachers, lack of facilities and absence of a conducive environment for learning that tend to hamper their educational progress; thus endagering the future of the country.

After the students’ presentations came the main acts of the Wordslam -- the afro-musical poet, Edaoto; the Reagge-inflective spoken word artiste, Cornerstone; the flutist and folk singer Awoko, the romantic poet, Uche Uwadinashi, the young revolutionary social commentator, Ayodeji Akinpelu and the lady fondly called ‘Priestest of the Word’, Ayeola Mabiaku. Others included the fresh voices on Wordslam stage -- Funmi Aluko and the Ghetto soldier, Papa English. The stage also made room for the Open Mind & Mic session, which brought out the creative power of such tested poets as Plumbline, Anago Priest, Nonnie, Sandra and Bob Eket and others.
Expectedly, Ade Bantu was the big masquerade as declared by the compere, actor, poet, Yemi Oyewo (who was paired by the singer, performer, Yinka Davies). For many who turned up, Ade Bantu represents the quintessential live poetry performer -- as he blended his essentally afrobeat sound with rap, reggae and even hip hop. His is a mix of all the best in African and contemporary world music traditions; and his stage work is electric such that he kept the huge audience that had gathered as early as 3pm glued to the venue till about 10pm. Of course, he was rewarded with fat ovation.

Eko, how una see Matse?

BY CHUKS NWANNE
I had concluded that this is one arrogant lady, who thinks the media, even of The Guardian caliber, should be crawling at her feet. This was after my initial effort to talk to her – a few months ago – yielded nothing. But meeting her in Lagos recently has erased that thought. She is Miss amiable indeed – as pleasant and life-loving as she stands on air.
Her office was really busy that morning when I arrived for what you could call ‘a second missionary journey.’ I quickly put a call across and within seconds, she appeared in her elegant outfit. Forget her pidgin English, Matse Uwatse is indeed a polished lady; you need to hear her accent–– directly opposite of what you hear on air!
“A lot of people thought I would work with English stations due to the kind of person that I am; even back then in school. But it’s so shocking for many to see that I’m doing pidgin and many times when people see me, they could hardly reconcile the pidgin voice they hear and the person they see.”
To be frank, I had the same problem.
“I know; it’s normal, I get it all the time,” she says beaming with smiles. “They are like, ‘how come, you don’t look…’ and I’m like, ‘you expect to see an old woman?’
Maybe they expect to see a typical Waffarian?
“I’m a Waffarian,” she exclaims. “I was born, brought up in Warri and I schooled in Delta State University, Abraka. So, I’m a full Waffarian; that’s what I’m,” she says confidently.
“But living in Warri,” she continues, “my Dad incorporated reading in us; now you are seeing me, I’m even holding a book,” she says displaying a short story book. “I read all the time! This is my apartment here, you can see book everywhere, I read, that’s me. So, it’s shocking for some people that I grew up in Warri and I’m like this. People used to ask me how I manage to switch from pidgin to English and I tell them it’s God’s blessing; I’m grateful for it.”

IN truth, Matse was seriously indisposed the period I had attempted talking to her. Oh yes! In fact, the situation was really bad, to the extent that the Waffarian had to stay away from the public eye for sometimes to recuperate. But for the love of her fans, Matse had no option than to be on air.
“People hear my voice on radio then, but a lot of them didn’t know what actually happened, It was a robbery attack, in fact, they threw me out of a moving vehicle; that was how I sustained these injuries,” she say, showing scares on her elbow and legs. “I’m very sorry, I didn’t just want to face the press then.”
Describing herself a very simple, easy-going and creative human being, Maste, a graduate of humanities from Delta State University, never had plans of becoming a broadcaster; her coming on air was totally God’s making.
“I never studied broadcasting; I’m a graduate of Languages & Linguistics (French and German). The truth is that I never knew I was going to do radio; it came by God’s intervention.”
You speak German?
”Well, I speak a little bit of German but I speak more of French; German was an elective course, but I majored in French. I did my one year exchange programme in Togo as part of my studies,” she informs.
How was it like living in Togo?
“It was fantastic; the scenery…almost the same, but everything is different. The communal life, the way of living, the government, the food, the people… different, but basically the same; we are all Africans but just different flavours that differentiates us,” she enthuses.
So, what did you miss about Nigeria while away?
“My family and friends. But I love Togo; they are so wonderful; warm people, very hospitable, security was top range –– you are not scared of walking around by 2am in the morning.”
They have vibrant night life?
“Yes, fantastic night life; Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast… I toured round those places. In fact, there was a night our car broke down on the road and we were all shaking. But suddenly, we just remembered we were not in Nigeria, and we calmed down. Before you know what was happening, people came asking what the problem was, and we told them there’s a problem with the car. You know what happened, the car was fixed and we moved.”
So, what does that tell you about Nigeria?
“Jesus Christ, I love my country,” she exclaims. “But it tells you that we have a lot of work to do in this country. To get to that stage, we need to do a lot; self-assessment is very important for us.”
Being a talented person, Matse never expected people to be surprised to see her in broadcasting.
“I’ve always been a very talented person as a young child and my parents noticed it; as early as six—seven, I could write my own story book. Then, my father used to count the leaves of my notebooks; then I had the penchant for pulling out the middle page, cut it into pieces with scissors and sew it with needle and thread, use crayon to colour it. If you come into my room then, you will see all sorts of drawings on the wall; I used to make and colour them.”
Before Wazobia FM, Matse was an admin executive with a luxury company; it was a friend, who hinted her of an opening in Wazobia FM.
“I’m not really a paper, paper person; I don’t like to just sit down all the time; I have a very imaginative mind. So, I wanted a place where I could explore. Sometimes, there’s a lot inside and you need a medium to bring it out, to speak with people.”
Even before applying for the job, the lovable presenter was already loaded with stuffs.
“I knew the programmes I was going to do; I already had what I wanted to do. So, during the interview, they were like, ‘you are interested in working with us,’ and I was like ‘yes, I want a job that I do and I do it with joy.”
Was the interview in English?
”No. It was initially in English but along the line, they were like, ‘oh, you are coming for Pidgin English presenter, speak pidgin.’ I just started, ‘ok, na so e be… and they kept asking me questions and I was answering them; they kept laughing. I went as far as saying, ‘even inside my bad here sef, I get one programme we be say I wan do for una.” She says bursting into laughter. “When I was leaving, in a way, I felt I had the job. So, when I was called for it, I was convinced.”
She continues: “Back then in the university, my friends were like, ‘Matse, one day we will see you in a fashion TV,’ but none of them thought of seeing do pidgin. The beauty of Wazobia is that, it’s like an untilled ground that was just left open for people to come and till. Everybody used to think of pidgin as something for the razz people, but I believe many of them have seen beyond that. Even Nigerians in Diaspora, they really embraced the Wazobia identity; in our studio, we get feedbacks from people in different parts of the world. Our broadcast is not just Nigeria; you can listen to us online; it’s now a world thing,” she boasts.

DON’T mind the confidence Matse exudes on air now; her first day on air was terrible. But like they say, practice makes perfect.
“Ah, I was trembling!”
You were all alone?
“No, we had people that were giving us tutorials on how to work with the console. I remember the first day they told me to man the studio myself; they just gave us two weeks training and threw us like that at the public to do our own thing. When I got there, I was like, ‘hey, God, what if I press one thing and this console goes off.’ I was kind of scared,” she admits. “But I was like, ‘if I fail, I fail. That was how it started till where I’m today.”
Though she runs different programmes for the station, Eko, How Una See Am and Amebo Zone, seem to be very popular; she has a lot of followers.
“Eko, How Una See Am is where we talk about issues in Lagos, while Amebo Zone is where I talk about family affair, relationships, personal affairs and all that; just trying to help people; I know there are lots of people that have problems…I’m from a broken home too.”
What happened?
“My father and mother are not married to each other.
Till date?
“Yes, so, growing up without both parents together, you see a lot of problems.”
How did you cope?
“I was always in the boarding house; it made me seek solace in books more; I try to forget what’s happening and read my books. The more I read, the more knowledge I get. That doesn’t mean I was running away from my problem, but it was a better way to cope than being aggressive and becoming a menace to the society.”
So, what’s your relationship with your parents now?
“Fantastic, they both love me so much. My mother is crazy about me; she’s the one that has been giving me so much strength in this. My father is an introvert like me; very quiet but strong personality that doesn’t say so much. He says one or two, but you know he’s the pillar behind your back,” she muses.
All these influenced you in starting the programme?
“Yes, it did, because I knew there were young people growing up. Even along the way, I get phone calls from people, who have problems and needed to share with me; sometimes, I put the calls on air, sometimes I just narrate the story. Thanks to God, it’s been helping people. Everywhere I go, when people know this is Matse, the first thing they do is to just give me a hug.”
You must have collected so many of them?
“Yes; especially from the women; I get a lot of hugs from them. Even last Saturday, I went for a wedding; it was one of my programme, No Vex. They had problems in their relationship and the man called to say, ‘this is what I did, please help me talk to this woman, I want her back.’ And the woman was like, ‘no, no, I don’t want to come back.’ So, I went in as the intercessor for two of them. Just last Saturday, they got married and I was the special guest of honour. During the toast, I narrated the story and people were just looking as if I was just telling a story, but it’s the truth.”
Though she has lots of awards in her kitty, including the recent African Voice Award as the Most Outstanding Radio Presenter in West Africa, for the use of an African language, reuniting both couples is one of Matse’s cherished achievements in the job.
“I think that’s one of my greatest achievements, not the awards; those ones, they use it to recognise you. But when you see lives changing, you see young ones coming to meet you, you hear people calling you saying, ‘my daughter is going to bear your name, what’s the meaning of Matse.’ Those are wonderful; they are even bigger than the awards.”
As for cheers and praises from fans, these do not get into her head.
“Shocking as it may seem, it doesn’t affect my person; maybe it’s my upbringing. I don’t let it get to me because if you do that, you will fail. So, each of those accolades I get from people, I take it as commendations; sometimes, I don’t even know I’m Matse, I just see myself as me.”

FOR those, who thought that being a presenter is all about sitting in the studio and speaking through the nose, here is a lesson from Matse.
“No, there must be show prep; before I came to meet you, I was doing my show prep. When I talk on air, I don’t just talk; my hands are always on google, browsing for information. For instance, if we are talking about high blood pressure, I take time to go online and get information about it and give to the people. What’s the cause of this ailment? How can you handle it? I don’t just sit down and talk, I’m working; my head is always busy; I spend so much time in research,” she sings.
I don’t know what you expect as challenges of broadcasting, but for Matse, mood swings seems to be the most difficult.
“That’s my biggest problem,” she quips. Sometimes, you don’t feel so good, but you have to be fine because you cannot bring out from a sack, what you didn’t put inside. The beauty of radio is that, it has helped me to know how to change mood; so, you don’t see me get sad for a long time. If somebody say something bad, some people can feel bad about it, but not me! I’m a very positive person; you don’t have to be rich to be happy, it’s about your mind.”
Funny enough, some guys call into Matse’s programmes, asking for her hands in marriage.
“Like some will call and say, ‘oh, Matse, I love you, I want to marry you.’ This is somebody you don’t even know and I just laugh over it. I’ve learnt something in life; when you don’t want to answer question, you just keep quiet or you laugh. You know, radio is about psychology; I have a lot of psychology books I read,” she says pointing to her small shelve.
But of all those calls, have you ever got to the point of meeting any of them one-on-one?
“Well, most of them are girls, the guys, no; I end it on the radio. But for the girls…there’s one, Chichi, she came to see me; in fact she was here few days ago just to see me. She was like, ‘I just like to see you.’ I get people stay outside here for a long time, just to see me.”
Are you in a relationship?
“That’s somewhere I don’t want to go into.”
You never can tell; somebody might need this information?
“No, that’s my personal life and I don’t want to go there at all, I won’t.”
Aside broadcasting, what else will Matse love to do?
“That’s another thing I don’t talk about because I have a lot of things I want to do. It’s good to show little by little what you want to do; it’s not good to show all your card.”
Meanwhile, some of her colleagues in Wazobia FM, such as Ehidiana, whom I’ve chatted with, seem to have so much respect for Matse.
“Oh, wonderful girl; I’m like mother to all of them. Call any of them and they will tell you the same thing; I believe women should be strong and can do anything. So, when I have younger women around, I try to encourage them. if I can do it, then you too can do it. I read a lot of books about management and it helped me a lot. I’m not an authoritarian, but I know how to manage people.”

A Twist to Oliver’s cut

BY BIMPE ADEBAMBO
Oliver Twist gave more! The caption can be thought to be a mistake or typo error but that’s exactly what happened last Saturday at The Lagos Motor Boat Club, when Christopher Enuke 11, the Los Angeles based Nigerian designer of the Oliver Twist and Oligo Tissew brand treated family, friends, guess and fashionist of collections spanning four different seasons and some jeans wear he had never shown before.
It was his first showing in Nigeria and he did it to honour his father Christopher Enuke, whose 8oth birthday celebration held that day.
Pa Christopher was pleasantly surprised and happy and so were siblings, nieces, nephews and friends who had only videos of his Mercedez Benz fashionist week shows, look books and his designs in international magazines such as Vogue, ELLE, Marie Claire, Apparel News and so many others. He treated everyone to a 40 piece collection of gorgeous knitwear, arty tops and denim.

Rhapsody of Arts, fashion

ON November 28, the world of fashion and art fused at an exciting event held by Nigerian designer, Folake Folarin-Coker of Tiffany Amber in collaboration with the artist Kolade Oshinowo.
The show, which held at the Tiffany Amber store in Victoria Island, was an extension of an exciting alliance between the designer and the artist.
His painting Marketmood was the inspiration for the fabric used in Tiffany Amber‘s collection shown at the New York Fashion Week on September 11.
The collection received rave review in the international media such that Tiffany Amber decided to recreate the ‘magic’ in Lagos.
At the Lagos show, Tiffany Amber customers (many garbed in Tiffany Amber!), fashionistas and patrons of art enjoyed a fun-filled day sipping Laurent-Perrier champagne while exploring racks filled with gorgeous clothing by the label including collectors’ pieces from the New York collection and new limited edition pieces. Of course, the art was also an integral part of the day as paintings by Oshinowo were proudly displayed around the store for all to appreciate.

Unilorin declared Most Outstanding Nigerian Varsity

BY DAMILOLA ADENIYI
THE University of Ilorin has been awarded the Outstanding Federal University in Nigeria 2009. It is the only public university to be so recognised, and it is winning the award for the second time, having won it last year.
Presenting the award on behalf of the Nigerian Education Times at Airport Hotel, Lagos recently, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin and co-chairman of the occasion, Prof. Grace Alele Williams, described the school as a leading Nigerian university, which has etched its mark on the education scene.
She especially congratulated the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Is-haq O. Oloyede, noting that the school has distinguished itself.
Alele-Williams emphasised the importance of the institution’s motto “character and learning” and charged all stakeholders to continue to promote and advance education. “With education, each of us is adding a new block to the building of character,” she said.
Speaking earlier on the occasion, former Minister of Education, Prof. Babs Fafunwa, decried the lax attitude of teachers to work and urged for passion and commitment among university dons, saying, “we are here today because our own teachers were committed and passionate.”
According to the renowned educationist, there is a difference between making a statement by complaining and wrecking a place. He said he has high regards for Ilorin varsity staff, but added that they have to make restitution to the sacked 44 lecturers.
In his lecture titled “Global Education: The Challenge for Nigeria,” Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Segun Awonusi, described global education as “an active learning process, which consists of three components at a time: knowledge, values and skills.”
According to the commissioner, who is a professor of English at the University of Lagos, the concept of global education comprises development education, human rights education, education for sustainability, education for peace and conflict prevention and intercultural education. He described globalization as a collective phenomenon, citing a source that conceives it as “built in Spain, owned by a Norwegian, registered in Cyprus, chartered by the French, crewed by Russians: flying a Liberian flag, carrying an American cargo and pouring oil into the Welsh coast.”
The way forward for education in Nigeria, Awonusi submitted, lies in greater allocation of resources, maintaining sanctity of agreements, enhancing linkages, development partner funding and local Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) without losing education needs and streamlining curricular. Programmes to align with social and industrial needs, enhancing “character” and “learning” inputs in our educational system as well as disciplining excellence in tertiary institutions.
In his goodwill message entitled “Right on Target,” Oloyede, represented by Mahfouz Adedimeji, noted that the saying that a prophet is not recognised at home has been belied by the occasion, which celebrated distinguished Nigerians and institutions. He observed that the award was right on target because the university in November last year was crowned “African University of the year”.
According to the VC, “we have over the past few years decided to stand out and it is gratifying that it is now well acknowledged to be outstanding.”





Students mark World AIDS Day
BY OLADIPUPO ABRAHAM
EVER imagined that HIV/AIDS could talk? So, it turned out to be, as students trooped out to mark the World AIDS Day at the University of Ibadan with a drama titled Grave Encounter.
As the world came together on Tuesday, December 1, to commemorate the day, students were not left behind in the campaign against the deadly virus.
Worldwide Integrity Theatre Troupe, which comprises, most of Distance Learning students of the department of Theatre Arts of the university, took to the stage to x-ray the causes, preventive method and way out of managing the deadly virus. The play was written by Solomon Iguanre.
Students from The Polytechnic, Ibadan; International School, Ibadan (ISI); and students from various primary and secondary schools watched the performance. They were treated to memorable scenes from stage actors such as Isaac Israel (AIDS), Festus Odetome (Bello), Alfred Olusola Somefun (Kilo), Ogundiji Olorunfemi (Randy), Agbosu Delali Tina (Iya Oniru) and Abegunde Samuel (Sanni) among others.
Dr. Oladije Rasak gave a lecture on HIV/AIDS.
abrahamoladipupo@gmail.com






Management dedicates Caleb University permanent sit
BY MARY AKPARANTA
IT was a time of fervent prayers to God as the management of Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, dedicated the permanent site recently in the presence of parents, students and friends of the university.
The dedication programme held at the expansive permanent site in Imota, about 15km from Ikorodu town had the prayer minister and overseer of Happy Home Revival Ministry from Gbogan Town in Osun State, Pastor Niyi Makanjuola, leading participants in soul-stirring prayers of praise, thanksgiving and dedication.
The programme also had other notable ministers from far and near such as Pastor Amos Ifedayo and Pastor Oluwi, both of the Deeper Life Bible Church, offering prayers for the all-round progress of the university, which moved to its permanent site on Monday, November 23, 2009.
According to the proprietor of the university, Prince Ola Adebogun, the dedication service was conceived with the purpose of giving glory to God and handing affairs of the institution to God in line with the university’s vision of raising a generation of students imbued with the fear of God and who are sound academically.
In his own contribution at the event, Prof. Fola Tayo, a member of the Governing Council, said the university was poised to showcase what academics, richly spiced with godly values should be, “as such, Caleb University would be a reference point in quality private education.”
Eminent personalities who graced the occasion included Dr. Teju Bolujoko, Mr. Olusoga Badejo and Mrs. Rebecca Olumeru, all members of the university’s Board of Trustees. The Governing Council of the University was also very well represented with Prof. Fola Tayo, Pastor Ezekiel Adeleye and Hon. Dorcas Odujirin-Junaid in attendance.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Timothy Tayo, led other principal officers of the university such as Registrar and Secretary to Council, Prince Bola Taiwo; Principal Librarian, Mr. J.I Adeyomoye, and Chief Accountant, Mr. Adesina Abubakre, to the occasion.
The dedication service completes the series of programmes outlined for the movement of the university to the permanent site. With this development, the management has fulfilled the promise made at the commencement of full academic activities in January 2008 that resumption for the 2009/2010 academic session would be at the permanent site.
Facilities at the permanent site include separate modern and spacious hostel complex for male and female students, administrative buildings, a multi-purpose auditorium, adequate lecture rooms, staff housing, sports complex, laboratories, cafeteria and campus-wide wireless network internet access. The university is effectively serviced with electricity from the national grid complemented by alternate power supply from two giant generators.

Art for justice

BY TAJUDEEN SOWOLE
PERFORMANCE art is yet to be a popular staple on the visual art scene in this part of the world. However, Jelili Atiku, sculptor and performance artist, is a notable voice that wants to see this happen.
In 2005, he started with the installation, E Wawo, The Awaiting Trial Persons — a campaign against prison congestion — held at the Lagos State House of Assembly and in the premises of the Creative Arts Department, University of Lagos, Akoka. Between that period and now, the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) –– trained artist has extended his performance art to the grassroots, engaging the common man on the streets in dialogue.
His current project Agbo Rago (Ram Ranch) addresses injustice and inequality, depicting the class system, a la master-slave mentality. “It’s important to take art to the streets, the way the people will understand it. Agbo Rago in that context is making the impact,” he argues.
Apparently, the popularity of Atiku’s performance is not in doubt: the organisers of the last Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF 2009) recognised this, when Agbo Rago was selected to be part of the art show alongside Closures and Enclosures, which featured three other artists, Nkechi Nwosu-Igbo, Washington Uba and John Oladesu.
Earlier performed at the ram market of a Lagos outskirt, Ejigbo, the LABAF performance attracted much attention from the people in the community.
Given its interactive characteristics, Agbo Rago underscores the importance of art at the grassroots as a medium of communication. And if people are not watching here; elsewhere, Atiku is being rewarded.

ANOTHER work of his, this time a video art medium titled Victim of Political Assassination is currently being screened at The Rencontres Internationales Festival, Paris. “My entry for the festival has been selected and programmed for the event’s video library. It is dedicated to documentaries, which will be proposed during the whole duration of the festival.” Scheduled to end tomorrow, Atiku’s work among others, according to the organisers, was available for consultation from November 30 through December 6 at the Paris-Villette. He explains, “it will allow press and professionals to discover a rare documentary selection.”
This development, he enthuses “is a landmark achievement to me and my art.”
His earlier work on the video art scene Red and Me was part of the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) and the Lagos video art workshop Imaginary Line in October last year.
Through the CCA, Atiku has been participating in other international video art events taking place at the Sabo, Yaba-based centre, Lagos.

ATIKU made his debut on the exhibition scene at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos in 2001 with Black Heritage followed by Omoran Lagba, (The wise one is the leader) a year after at the Aina Onabolu Building, National Theatre Annex, Iganmu.
Still on the regular art forms, he had a two-man show, Shadows in the Dark, an exhibition of drawings, paintings and sculptures with another artist, Arthur Judah Angel, in 2004, at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos. The event was in line with his art activism mission; to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted and proclaimed by the United Nation General Assembly, Resolution 217 A (III), in December 1948.

Jazz… The Nigerian Experience

BY BENSON IDONIJE
PROFESSOR John Collins of the University of Legon, Accra Ghana, had been waiting to converse with me on a number of issues of historical relevance. We eventually discussed at length, the impact of contemporary trends on highlife as it affects Nigerian and Ghanaian musicians. But, in particular, as if he was researching into the history of jazz in Nigeria, he wanted to know all about its evolution and development, including the key players. The answer to this broad question gave me the idea for this story.

IT was not until 1963 when the Fela Ransome-Kuti quintet committed itself to the music head-on that we began to have groups existing essentially for the purpose of playing the music. Hitherto, bands mixed jazz with other music forms–– to give audiences varieties of entertainment treats and dance steps.
Bobby Benson, Willy Payne, Sammy Akpata, Consul Anifowose –– all played jazz in the same session with highlife, fox trot, jive, mambo, chacha, waltz and the like.
Bobby Benson called his outfit ‘Jam Session’ out of his love for jazz –– even though it was obvious that his band was not an ad-hoc one for the purpose of jamming. Jam sessions were fashionable in jazz in those days as the vehicle for bringing musicians of varying capabilities together to blow and pull their musical resources together in the same showcase. It was also an opportunity for grandstanding and demonstrating their individualities side by side. The Bobby Benson Jam session was a permanent outfit, a solid one which featured the likes of Zeal Onyia, a great trumpeter, along with Eddy Okonta and Chief Bill Friday. It also had Jibril Isah, one of the greatest saxophonists in West Africa in those early days.
Benson just loved the term ‘Jam Session’ –– that was why he named his outfit after it. Besides, his very signature tune was a jazz classic called Soft Winds, which the ensemble played with relish to open their night stands and shows. Benson played blues guitar even though he was a great saxophonist.
Willy Payne, Sam Akpata and Consul Anifowose played jive and jazz along with their repertoire, but the band that intrigued me in this direction in the ‘50s was the one led by Tunde Amuwo, a saxophonist with great swing and jazz feeling. His signature tune was a freewheeling big band sound called Eleven-Eleven, which even gave members of the band solo opportunities.
As the years passed, musicians such as Chris Ajilo and Sammy Lartey from Ghana got together to play jazz, apart from the fact that most of Ajilo’s repertoire with his Cubanos were jazz-inspired. He operated a combo, which gave young musicians such as guitarist Don Amechi, and saxophonist Lekan Animasahun and others the opportunity to express themselves freely.

THE Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) dance orchestra played jazz scores by Glen Miller, Benny Carter, Benny Golson among others. Directed by the late Fela Sowande and Steve Rhodes at various times, the band was training ground for soloists and musicians with the talent for arranging. Former leader of Uhuru Professional Dance Band, Stan Plange always refers to his tutelage with the NBC Dance orchestra as most rewarding in that the experience taught him to arrange for the big band sound for which Uhuru was immediately recognisable.
The NBC Dance orchestra had several soloists including Appollos Fiberesima, E.C. Arinze, Chris Ajilo and the young Michael Falana, who, in fact pioneered modern jazz trumpeting on the instrument long before the emergence of Fela Ransome-Kuti.
Falana’s solos, most of which were muted came across beautifully in the mould of Miles Davis –– in terms of tonal conception. And because he had a lot of imagination most of which reflected in his phrasing, Falana was often allowed to extend his solos beyond what the scores allowed. But it was around 1962, when he began to record with such small groups featuring Joe Nez on vocals in highlife songs as Okwereke dikara; and You cheat me vocalised by Godwin Omabuwa of the Casanova Dandies that Falana’s trumpet began to come into full focus.
Falana recorded jazz-inspired highlife with Ghana’s Arthur Benny on guitar –– with saxophonist Olu Idienuma of Roy Chicago’s Rhythm Dandies on the one hand; and also recorded with the same guitarist playing with Etim Udo on alto saxophone on the other. Check out his trumpet solos on You cheat me and Okwerekedi-kara, which were recorded in 1962. They remain classics that can compare with Lee Morgan, Clifford Brown and Thad Jones.

JAZZ however took on total patronage in the hands of Fela Ransome-Kuti who came from London in 1963 to form a quintet. With base at Cool Cats Inn, Olaiya’s former residency, the band played every Monday night as Fela doubled on piano and trumpet with the late Emmanuel Ngomalio on fiddle bass; Don Amechi on guitar; and John Bull, drums. The late Sid Moss, Taiwo Okupe, Zeal Onyia, Steve Rhodes and others came in as guest artists on regular basis. But perhaps the most regular of them was Sid Moss who was sometimes made to rehearse with the band. He was a blues player with the influence of Oscar Peterson eloquently displayed in his phrasings and solo lines.
The Fela Ransome-Kuti quintet transformed into the Koola Lobitos with completely new personnel; and bass player Ngomalio who had now become a pianist went solo and performed at Eko Le Meridien while guitarist Don Amechi travelled abroad for greener pastures. The drummer, John Bull died in mysterious circumstances.
However, before the exit of the quintet, another jazz aggregation came into existence in 1964. Called The Jazz Preachers, the group featured Art Alade on piano, Ayo Vaughan who was a solid member of the NBC Dance Orchestra, played bass; Zeal Onyia was featured on trumpet; Chris Ajilo, tenor saxophone; Bayo Martins and Femi Asekun, drums.
The appearance of the Jazz Preachers provided a contrast to the strict modern jazz of the Fela Ransome-Kuti quintet. While the quintet thrived on well rehearsed tunes such as But not for me by Cole Porter, Errol Garner’s Misty, Milt Jackson’s Bags groove, Charlie Parker’s Billie’s Bounce, The Jazz Preachers, often claiming to “get together and blow,” played such classics as C Jam Blues and Perdido. The texture and structure of their jazz clearly showed that they were playing the mainstream type, which brought Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Count Bassie, Ben Webster, Glen miller and all to the limelight.
However, the band soon disbanded but was taken over by the pianist and singer Art Alade, who, in fact, used it to accomplish a number of sessions. Before his death, he was popular on the university circuit, especially Yaba College of Technology where he had a good understanding with the college’s Jazz Club President, Greg Odua who is now a sports analyst and broadcaster with Africa Independence Television (AIT). Together with Zeal Onyia and Etim Udo, Art did a number of shows at the Yaba College of Technology campus.

THE eighties ushered in a dynamic jazz experience with the coming into existence of Jazz 38. Perhaps the first female jazz singer in Nigeria was Mud Meyer who sang in the mould of Billy Holiday and Bessie Smith –– from the ‘50s to the ‘60s with various bands in Nigeria. But Fran Kuboye brought in a dynamic experience with a warm voice like Ella Fitzgerald and the new generation of female singers. With her husband Tunde Kuboye on bass guitar, Fran took jazz singing to a new level of creativity in Nigeria, later reaching its peak at this venue when the likes of Ngomalio and Fela Anikulapo-Kuti began to sit in and blow in the ‘80s. That was jazz at its best. After came Jazzville in Iwaya area of Lagos, founded and managed by Muyiwa Majekodumi. The period also had the weekly Jazz et al session at the former Bread & Butter at Allen Junction in Ikeja Lagos; where The ITAN Band and later Colours led by Bisade Olugunde performed.
The ‘90s saw the emergence of Kayode Olajide and the Weavers, playing at Art Café, Ikeja and the French Cultural Centre, Ikoyi on regular basis. Olajide provided an interesting menu for jazz devotees who loved jazz with African interpretations, playing flute, alto, tenor and soprano saxophones.
Peter King has always been there, fusing jazz with highlife and rock; but he was featured for almost two years monthly with his College Band at Ojez Club, Iwaya from 2002 to 2004 – on a programme called Jazz Alive. And his stint really kept jazz alive.
One of the female singers who has continued to keep jazz alive in Nigeria is Yinka Davies. Even though she has not performed on a particularly regular basis, whenever she finds herself in a jazz setting, for her, it is often a challenge.
There is now a crop of young jazz musicians most of whom have travelled to South Africa in search of more challenging jazz activity and opportunities. Guitarist Ayo Odutayo is one of them. But perhaps the most promising is Ayo Solanke, a saxophonist whose technical skill has become remarkable and outstanding. With the group, Uncommon, Ayo did a lot of creative things four years ago, culminating in a concert at Eko Le Meridien.
There are pockets of guitarists and saxophonists on the scene today. Most of the guitarists are looking up to George Benson and Earl Klugh as their idols, but highly impressive are trumpeters such as Nathaniel Bassey, Taiwo Clegg and Biodun Adebiyi whose debut, Harmonious Blacksmith is in the market.
Bassey appears to be the greatest of them all, with a trumpet technique and sound that have reached high levels of performance, but he has often refused to come out of the church setting where his bread is heavily buttered.
Jazz still exists in Nigeria. All that is needed today is for them to come together for a common cause. The Ayo Shadare led Nigerian International Jazz Festival is outstanding in this direction.

One-on-one with Vivien Stephen

BY CHUKS NWANNE
THROUGHOUT the heated discussion on gender equality involving guests at the unveiling of Mark 5 label, which also had music producers, Flo, K’ore (former member of Infinity), Michael Abdul and others, I never knew Vivien Stephen had something to do with Michael, the fuji crooner of the Midnight Crew. For the period the argument lasted, the two sat opposite each other. So, immediately after the ceremony, I approached Vivien for a brief chat, which she wholeheartedly granted.
Is Michael Abdul your husband?
“Yes, we have a kid now,” she responds.
How did you meet him?
“We met in the studio; a friend of mine was working on his album and both of us were in that production. We were introduced, but I never knew he was a member of the Midnight Crew; I didn’t even know about the group then and he never told me. So, we just started on a friendly note. We were friends for a while, then, he popped the question.”
What question?
“He was like, ‘will you marry me?’ and I answered him, ‘ok, let’s give it a trial,” she says, amidst laughter.
One wonders how both artistes cope in the union, especially when a child is involved?
“It’s been blissful; it’s been wonderful,” she says. “Yes, it comes with its challenges; he’s into music and I’m into music as well, but I think God has been faithful to us. When he’s very busy with Midnight Crew outside the country, God just fashions a way that will make me less busy. I have a band I run; we play at occasions. So, when they are busy, I’m less busy and when I get very busy, he’s less busy. We’ve been married for three years now and it’s been like that,” she enthuses.

Born to a lecturer father and itinerant businesswoman mother, Dr. and Mrs. Stephen; Vivien has been in the country’s entertainment industry for nearly a decade, though most times behind the scene. With her strong, beautiful and distinctive voice, she played a vital role in driving music groups such as Sharp Band and Perception Band to prominence in Lagos.
To the Delta State native, the decision to do music professionally was never an accident; at the tender age of four, she had already started singing in her church’s choir.
“I didn’t stumble into music, she says. “Music for me started at a very tender age, by 14, I had already started singing professionally.”
From backing notable artiste such as Blakky and others in their studio productions, Vivien joined Jehoshephat Ministers, a band owned by Funmi Ademola, touring around town.
“It got to a point that my husband said, ‘I think you’ve sown, it’s time to give back to the society. You’ve helped a lot of people, why don’t you do your own stuff and see what the Lord will do.’ That was how I started working on my debut album.”
Already on music shelf around the country, the album, which was released under Mark 5, a strictly gospel music record label, has songs such as Ijo, Good Morning Sir and others. Some of the tracks have the input of her husband, Michael, while Wole Oni took charge of the productions.
“These are songs I’ve been cooking for a very long time. I’ve always told myself that, if I want to come out as a gospel artiste, I don’t want to be like the old gospel artistes.”
What’s wrong with these old artistes that you have talked about?
“People know what to expect from them; I want to be a shock to people. I want to convey God in the best way people would understand it. I don’t do too serious music, but my songs are full of messages; they are happy songs; there’s always humour at the end of it.”
With both deeply involved in music, one will not be surprised to see the couple collaborate in one or two songs in the near future.
“Actually, we’ve never thought of it; we are not like the normal couple,” she says bursting into laughter.
How do you mean?
“Sometimes, you see couples wear the same dress, the same outfit… we hate it very much to the bone! We prefer to do colours; I could wear something like this, then he would wear a red T-shirt. As for the collaboration, it might happen; yes, it’s a very huge possibility.”

EVEN as a gospel artiste, Vivien is very confident wearing dreadlock, which has actually turned to her identity. “It’s been here for a very long time,” she says. “I’m a Christian; I love God, but I still love my freedom of expression; this is who I’m. This hair depicts my music; you will discover that when you listen to my songs.”
Just as expected, some busy body friends, have already started pointing fingers on the artiste for her hairdo. “A friend of mine once saw our family picture online and was like, s’your wife is wearing dreads, isn’t she supposed to be a born again Christian?’ fortunately, they were playing one of my songs on the radio and my husband said to her, ‘listen to this.’ After listening to the song, she was like, ‘wow, ok, it suits her music.”
Are you saying it’s not all about fashion?
“I didn’t do it to make any fashion statement, no! I did it because I just wanted to look different; I’ve been weaving and braiding hair for a very long time. It was really getting boring and very expensive. So, I decided to wear a different look to see how it goes. It has really saved me the stress and time of always going to the saloon; I just do my hair at home, wash and dry it - that’s all.”

ENERGETIC and decisive, Vivien rocked the Expo Hall stage recently, when she backed the masked one, Lagbaja, who was contracted to perform at the 50th anniversary of Alliance Francais in Nigeria. At first, it was difficult spotting her on stage, but her dreadlocks and eyeglasses gave her out. If not that I was standing very close to the stage, I would have sworn that Ego, Lagbaja’s former backup singer, was on duty that night; indeed, Vivien did justices to all the songs, especially Never Far Away, which got the crowd singing along.
An only child of her parents, music seemed to come naturally to Vivien. With her coarse and raspy, yet silky depth that would make Angela Kidjo and Asa turn their heads, Vivien’s voice places her in contention as the next big female act to emerge in the industry.






When Anabel honoured Onyeka, Shina, Kimono... others

COLOUR. Panache. Award. Yes, award has been added to the string of beauty that line the country’s entertainment industry with the introduction of Excellence Awards by Anabel Entertainment, a new unit of Anabel Group, in collaboration with MTN Nigerian Music Festival.
The entertainment outfit gave out awards to some Nigerian musicians such as Onyeka Onwenu, Sir Victor Uwaifo, Sir Shina Peters, Christiana Essien-Igbokwe and Ras Kimono. Others include Timaya, Wande Coal and, Weird MC, who all were part of the music train that thrilled Nigerians recently.
Speaking to newsmen, Mr. Nicholas Okoye, President and Chief Executive of the group, said, “we gave these awards because we wanted the world to know that the success of the Nigerian music industry today was built because of the work and efforts of a few dedicated pioneers.”
He added, “these people are giants in the industry and it is on their shoulders that the likes of D’banj, Wande Coal, P-Square are standing on. We believe these young people need to be encouraged for their talents and exceptional performance over the last few years. We would continue to recognise talent and support the Nigerian music and entertainment industry.”
Okoye noted that these artistes could compete with their foreign counterparts if given the necessary supports and exposures.
MTN Nigerian Music Fest, an innovative musical show, blends the old and the contemporary stars of diverse musical genres ranging from R&B, Hip Hop, Fuji, Juju, Afro Beat, High Life to Reggae.
The fiesta was borne out of the quest to recognise and celebrate the nation’s musical excellence.
Similarly, countdown to the Princess Anabel pageant scheduled to hold at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, Palms Mall, Lagos, has begun with great expectations from the public, as the pageant and reality show would use the medium as a re-branding tool and to promote Nigerian artistes.
Anabel Entertainment focuses on developing entertainment content such as television shows, film, music and documentaries.
Apart from entertainments the organisation is equally into providing quality phones and hand held computer sets and was the first Nigerian company to manufacture smart phones that runs on 6.1 mobile windows, meaning that you can walk around the town with your entire office applications at your finger tips.

TEETH 4 TEETH

BY JUSTIN AKPOVI-ESADE

Patrick Doyle’s now a ‘hustler’
ACTOR, TV personality Patrick Doyle is now a hustler. This news is authoritative and it came from the horse’s (sorry, Doyle’s) mouth. The giant of a man that alighted from the plane and was no doubt the biggest human being walking on the tarmac of the desolate Calabar Airport could only be Patrick Doyle. His trademark suit and un-tucked long sleeves shirt completed the identification. Time was about 9.30am. T4T took note. Then at exactly 5pm on the same day (Monday, November 30), T4T ran into Doyle again in the departure wing of the same airport. He could not resist the temptation to ask about this newfound energy. Doyle confided in T4T that he had left everything entertainment, and that he now hustles. Well, only the actor can define his kind of hustling, but be sure that as soon as we find out, you will be the first to know why Doyle will wake up so early (at his age) and fly to Calabar and return that same day.

... Still on P. D.
IN case the P. D gets you confused, it simply means Patrick Doyle. All was well since the Arik plane took off from Calabar at about 6pm that fateful day. But that could not be said of the situation, when it eventually landed in Lagos. I think the pilot in charge of that flight needs a crash course on how to land a plane. Captain Philips, I guess, practically slammed down the plane with a heavy thud on the tarmac. In fact, the little kulikuli T4T and others ate nearly came through the mouth and nose as all passengers were jolted. T4T took a peep at P.D in the darkened bowel of the plane. His countenance will make a good act in a Nollywood film where someone just saw a ghost. Well, bros, hustler dey see many tins, I hope you don redy? Na part of the experience wey dey make am sweet be dat.

Keke and I D Ogungbe: Money Is Good
TELEVISION/entertainment brothers, Kenny and I D Ogungbe, are big boys, in fact, ‘bigger boys’; if not, how would you explain a situation where the two brothers arrived at a function in a twin Range Rover (some say 2010 models), same white colour and when they wanted to leave, I D (the younger, Ogungbe) was confused about the identity of his Range Rover. I D stood for minutes contemplating, which one was his car among the two machines parked some metres apart! He finally found his. The import of this story is that money is good. When I grow up, Keke, ID, I wish not to identify my car among two identical cars. At the moment, T4T’s tuke tuke stands out among all others, with bent fenders, broken side mirrors etc. To God be the glory!

Emeka Enyiocha’s Unpatriotic 2
YOU needed to see Nollywood star, Emeka Enyiocha, last Sunday as he stepped into O’jez. He was a moving Chelsea billboard. From his jersey, baseball cap, belt buckle and wristband, Emmy boy, was all Blues. Reason: Chelsea some minutes eralier whipped college boys, Arsenal. His swagger was 100 per cent. Good, recall the last time I told you how Emeka went to Russia to watch Chelsea fall to Manchester United at the Champions League finals? He was happy with himself, but the truth is, Emmy is an unpatriotic Nigerian star. He should be spotting the jerseys of local clubs such as Enyimba, Wikki Tourists, Kano Pillars etc. Madam Akunyili, please ensure you take the rebranding Nigeria campaign to Emeka’s home.

Eedris ‘Jagajaga’ Is Back?
NEWSPAPERS have been awash with the imminent return of self-styled king of hip-hop in Nigeria, Eedris Abdulkarim, to the music scene. Since the rap act fought American music star, 50 Cent, over a plane’s first class seat some years ago, his career went on self-destruct. From major concerts he was playing, he began to feature at colleges’ beauty pageants. Some people actually claimed things were so tough he was playing at local beer parlours! But he repented and begged 50 Cent at a show in Abuja where the American told him to ‘go and sin no more’.
But the closure he expected did not come. However, reports have it that he has finished a hit album that may surpass his Jagajaga album. I am therefore appealing on behalf of Eedris to concert organisers (the big ones o) to please see Eedris as a prodigal son and try him out again. He has promised not to fight anyone over anything, not even over a seat at pubs or peppersoup joint. In fact, if he is given another chance, he is ready to sit near the toilet of the plane (attachment); so far he arrives at the venue and performs. He has learnt his lessons and that portion of the bible that talks about humility is Eedris’ favourite read now God is great.

See What Marriage Has Done To Bovi!
MULTI-TALENTED comedian and actor, Bovi, was a thin man when he finished school and became a comedian. Even as he climbed to become one of the nation’s best at the moment, he remained thin. Then suddenly, he took a wise decision to get married (his detractors said he was making too much money) some months ago. T4T did not nearly recognise Bovi when he walked into the popular hangout at the National Stadium on Sunday; some minutes after unpatriotic Emeka Enyiocha came in. His face is getting fuller. He was looking like one who just left the fattening room without completing his course. On enquiry from some of his detractors, they claimed marriage was responsible for his present robust state.
Very good Bovi, but remember you are just some few months into the life race of marriage, naim you be like dis so? Wetin dem Ali Baba, Okey Bakassi and other comedians wey don marry since for don be na. Advice. Remember the advice wey dem giv Thunder Balogun: ‘Remember your left.’

... As A Y Goes To Ikorodu
WHOEVER gave ace comedian A Y the advice to relocate to Ikorodu is a wicked person. T4T was shocked to hear that A Y had left his Surulere, Lagos apartment to a mansion in Ikorodu. Even if one was given an estate, he needs to think properly before leaving Lagos to that suburb. But A Y did not think, he was shown the mansion and he sped off with his family. My prayers now is not for A Y to see a good estate in Ore, Ondo State later and decide to move there so he would be coming to do business in Lagos. By then, he will need a helicopter. Traffic hold up will take A Y’s eyes to see pepper in that Ikorodu. He did not learn from Opa Williams’ experience, who finished his mansion in Okokomaiko area of Lagos, and moved from his Surulere home. The number of times he sleeps in Surulere because Okoko road is blocked cannot be counted. We will keep you posted.

Basket Mouth Loses Dad
COMEDIAN Bright Okpocha popularly called Basket Mouth lost his dad. He was buried on Saturday. This is on a sad note, but Basket, don’t worry, all is well. At least, two of us n

Acting is fulfilling… it pays my bills

BY SHAIBU HUSSEINI
LADI Joy Torty has earned a co-star status with her portrayal of Adaku — a village beauty, who lives in two worlds in the Snake Girl, a film, which bothers on love and bravery -- with Emeka Ike in a lead role. The Plateau State-born actress not only thrilled most moviegoers with her role, she got them bathing her with a number of aliases — one of them, the 'newest jewel' on the turf. In fact, some even predicted that the former athlete, model, beauty queen and product of Mass Communication department of the University of Jos, would make a good act if handled by a good home movie producer. True to predictions, Ladi, the former Miss UNIJOS, has somewhat emerged a screen favourite and an actress that has continued to draw admiration from within and outside the continent. About a month, the near six-footer, who currently enjoys super roles on screen and who won the Miss Northern Universities beauty pageant in 2002, a year after she emerged Miss UNIJOS, was named the Best New African Actress by the organisers of the yearly Zulu African Film Academy Awards (ZAFAA). Moviedom caught up with the actress and apart from posting a one liner to almost all the questions she was asked, the medaled athlete (she got gold medal for Kaduna State in sprint event in the 1998 National Sports Festival) would not discuss ‘matters of the heart’ hard as we pressed.

Congratulations on the award
Thank you. I feel honoured. It made me feel that everyone identifies with the efforts, I have put into the job. Honestly, it made me feel that the industry, the organisers of ZAFAA and my fans, so far, identify with my efforts. I thank them for the award of Best New African Actress. For me, it is a good recognition and I say so, because no one can be in this industry for years and doesn't get a nomination in any award, but when he or she gets one, it has to be in category.
You have been missing in action?
As much as I love to always be on set, I equally consider the script carefully before accepting the job, knowing that there is a lot of expectation out there. That may be why you don’t get to see me all the time.
In her movie pouch
Honestly, I can’t remember the number of the movies I have partaken in so far, but I would have done over 15 movies. And as per the most challenging, I would say every script comes with its challenges and I do my best to play the roles; and according to the dictates of the script.
Most memorable movie outing
I have heard a lot of people say I did very well in the Snake Girl. So many people think so, but I put as much effort in every job I do and have done.

Your NGO on girl child education
Oh no! Unfortunately it’s no longer functioning. I have been too busy to manage it all alone. But I hope to make it better soon.

Why she dumped athletics for entertainment?
For me, what I do is to try as much as I can to achieve my goals in everything I do or had done at a given point in time. Once I have attained my goal, I move on and once I move on to other things, it means I am done with what I left behind. I was done with athletics by the time I hung my canvass for modeling and acting.

Who is she seeing and what is this talk about her and the actor Akume Akume?
Well, first of all, matters of the heart just like the one you have just asked are not meant to be publicised. I would be lying if I say I am not in any relationship, but what I won’t do is to discuss it on the pages of the newspaper. So, for me matters of the heart are not meant to be publicized. As for my big brother Akume, (laughs), I will put it simply: Akume Akume is happily married. He is more like a brother to me and if you see both of us in television soaps or in movies... it's just casting that brought us together and nothing more.

Off the beat, turn-on and off
I do have a daily life and I love nature. I could be in the farm all day and may even choose to ride a horse. That is me. That is just Ladi. The only problem I have doing this, is the feelings of losing my private life. It bugs me. But I like the job, it’s fulfilling. It pays my bills and I thank God. As for turn on, I love happy people and self-centered people irritate me. As for me, I see myself as cluster-phobic. Funny isn’t it? And I would always want to be the woman that I am, giving an opportunity to choose a sex.

I have a forgiven spirit
There is absolutely nothing that you will do to me that I won’t forgive, particularly if the person is so dear to me; absolutely nothing. There is really nothing I cannot forgive.

Saddest moment in life
It was the great loss I suffered on April 16, 1998. That was the day I lost my dad. There was simply no more motivation for me. He stood solidly behind me. So, when he died, I lost interest completely in life because he was a motivating factor.

Career ambition
Wow... I want to be starred in a Hollywood film and to get to the height of my career.

Marriage?
Of course, every young woman wants to settle down. When that time comes, you will sure be the first to know my decision.

Star sign and early schools
I am an Aquarian. I was born in Kaduna, grew up in Kaduna and attended Narayi Primary School.

Most memorable childhood pranks
Hmmm ... I think it is hiding inside the kitchen cabinet and eating what I should not be eating.

Choice of food
I have no particular food choice. What I know is that I eat well and for me, it is not in the quantity, but the quality.





Around and about Nollywood...

Mini-BOBTV promotions content direction
THE need to review trends, business policy and regulatory environment of content in this challenging era of broadcasting, particularly in view of the imminent cut over in Nigeria from analogue to high definition is the reason the organisers of BOBTV have decided on a mini-BOBTV event, scheduled to hold in Lagos, at the Protea Hotel Ikeja on December 8, beginning from 9am. The founder of the BOBTV event, Amaka Igwe disclosed recently, that experts will meet at a round-table to examine content delivery systems in a high definition broadcast environment. ‘This is not another talk shop’, she averred adding that the one-day event shall feature local and international contents available for acquisition in the New Year and an exhibition on the latest technologies for high definition, broadband as well as software. ‘It is more like a promotion of content direction for the New Year and as government is coming out with policy on high definition, we thought it wise to have a chat on that at this point’ she stated.

ION film festival is here … December 9
THE Garden City, Port Harcourt, will come alive from December 9, as the traveling international film festival, ION berths there. Organisers of the touring film festival have confirmed the readiness of the city to host the festival, which ends December 12. Hosted yearly on a new location around the globe with the aim to promote global awareness, peace and unity, the festival is making its debut in Africa. It has been staged in Los Angeles (2007), Dubai (2008) and expected to move to Istanbul in 2010.

NOPA 2009 for White House, Ikeja
ALL is now set for the third edition of the yearly Nollywood Outstanding Personality Award (NOPA) organised by the Association of Movie Journalist (AMJ). Slated to hold at Terra Kulture, Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, on December 4, the event will see Adim Williams, Chinedu Ikedieze, Osita Iheme, Kate Henshaw, Dagogo Diminas and Johnathan Gbemutor receive NOPA Awards. Other awards will also be presented to deserving people in the industry
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Entries for AMAA 2010 still open
THEAfrica Film invites filmmakers to submit their Feature, Short, and Documentary works for consideration by the 6th AMAA, the premier Africa film Awards. Each completed entry form must be accompanied by all the supporting materials listed on the submission forms, including the synopsis of the film, the list of credits, marketing stills of the film, filmography of the directors and producers, 10 DVD copies of the film and proof of the right to submit. Only films produced and released between December 2008 and December 2009 would be entered for the 2009 celebration of African Cinema to be held in 2010. It will be announced in Ghana in February 2010. AMAA will hold on April 10, 2010 and will be televised across the world. Submission forms are downloadable from the AMAA Awards website. For further information, please contact AMAA at info@ama-awards.com.

Entries for Zuma Film Festival open
ALL is now set for the 5th edition of ZUMA Film Festival organised by the NFC. Scheduled to hold in Abuja from May 2 to 6, 2010. Call for entries opens on Tuesday, December 1 and closes February 28, 2010. The theme is Global Images, Global Voices, which according to the organisers, seek to consolidate on the gains of previous editions. Emphasis will be on bridging existing gaps between developed and developing film cultures as universal themes and global best practices will be adopted. The focus on the global nature and impact of the film medium will be encouraged during the film fiesta and at the same time platforms for filmmakers and filmmaking nations to globalise their films without losing the rhythms and practices that make their artistic cultures distinctively different will be provided. A statement from NFC said that entries should be accompanied with a two minute trailer must be submitted in three copies and must be on the DVD format with the typed synopsis on A4 paper-size. Submissions, the festival organizers said, would be accepted in the Competitive and Non Competitive categories. The Competitive category includes Feature film, Documentary, Children film, Student film, Animation/cartoon, Short film and Emerging talents while the Non Competitive category includes; films on Nigerian Panorama, Universal films, Diaspora & African films, Retrospectives /Tributes. Interested participants can make enquiries by e-mail to md_nfc@hotmail.com and md@nigfilmcorp.com. Similarly, entry forms can be obtained and returned to any of the Corporations offices in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Jos. ZUMA Film Festival, a major activity of the Nigerian Film Corporation is designed to provide a platform for the recognition and reward of excellence and creativity in the Nigerian motion picture industry and other film cultures around the globe.


Waka pass…
Producer- Amebo A. Amebo
Director- Mr. Gossip
Actors- Nollywood Celebrities

Arinze, a true endorser
IF there is any celebrity endorser we know who uses (as in consistent use) the product that he endorses or has endorsed, then it is the President of the Interim National Government (did you ask us what that meant?) of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Segun Aina Padonu (aka Segun Arinze). We don’t now know if he was trying to impress waka pass having discovered that he doesn’t do endorsement for endorsement sake. Anyway, waka pass ran into the actor of many credits at an art centre one Thursday and the only thing he didn’t order for at the snack and drink bar was tax clearance certificate (you know he also did something for the Lagos State Tax authority). Come and see our president that day… he first downed the liquid content of a brand in a black bottle and called another order. He then ordered for a bottle of milk that he takes with his family at the beach (in the advert o). But for the actor, Emeka Rollas, who came and hurried him out of the bar, we were cocksure that the actor, who is called 'Black Arrow' by fans, would have placed order for ‘tax clearance certificate’. Well, one waka pass told us he did. We asked him how and he said the tax clearance certificate came in form of a bowl of Ofada rice, which he downed to clear the tax in his stomach. Cari go Presido! It isn’t easy, at all.

An actress in a borrowing spree
ONE popular actress, who is often accused of snatching men, boys inclusive, from her colleagues, has embarked on a borrowing spree since the day she learnt that the actress and show host Tricia Esiegbe has fixed a date for her wedding. The actress, who is from the South East but speaks Yoruba fluently, boasted to a few of her neighbours that she would not only appear at the wedding ceremony ‘powerfully’ but will do so in such a way that Tricia would break protocol to record an episode of ‘Bold Faces’ at her wedding. Although the actress lied that she ordered for the dress she was going to put on at the wedding from London, one waka pass we have put on her case revealed that almost 70 per cent of the attire she is going to wear to the event will be borrowed. In fact, according to the waka pass, the only thing our actress would come to the party with, that is her own, would be her hair and probably her underwear. Anyway, we are familiar with the wardrobe of the people we think she would approach. We wouldn’t fail to mention names if need be. The actress? If you guess right, you would have a chance to dance with any Nigerian international at the wedding reception. No one in the entertainment circle has got much to do with those footballers like Tricia. In fact, we gathered that there was a time that people fingered her for being the cause of woes at one nations’ cup final because of the way she interviewed Joseph Yobo late into the night. But it’s a deal, abi? My email is open.

Benita Nzeribe is back in circulation
NOLLYWOOD acclaimed ‘Bad Girl’, Benita Nnenna Nzeribe, streamed into Lagos from a location in Asaba at the weekend. We knew because we stepped on a text message she sent to someone, who is close to somebody that we know. Benita started the text with 'Thank God, I am back' and ended it with To God be the Glory. We asked one waka pass, who claimed to be close to Benita whether she has made up her mind to return to the convent, but the fellow said Benita has no option at least, not with the way kidnappers have shot without missing celebrities. In other words, since men have learnt to shoot without missing, celebrities have learnt to pray without ceasing. Honestly, this one reach to say: To God be the Glory!