Could this be a coincidence?

On Monday, February 25, officials of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement),  Bayo Sulaiman, stormed Ladipo auto spare parts market in Mushin as early as 4a.m and shut it down.

The same Monday, members of the Igbo Council in Lagos State, led by its president general and leader, Professor Anya O Anya paid a courtesy visit cum new council members’ introduction to the Governor Babatunde Fashola at State House, Ikeja.

I am pretty sure that the Igbo leaders had an interesting discussion with the governor thus intelligence would have met with intelligence/smartness, if you know what I mean.

President General and Leader of the Igbo Council in Lagos State, Professor Anya O Anya discussing with Gov. Fashola during a meeting to present the new Council members to the Governor at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Monday, February 25, 2013.



Gov. Fashola in a group photograph with the leader and and members of Igbo Council.

The night Crystals got ELEVATED @ Industry Nite

An amazing album launch party produced by Now Muzik for the 2012 Star Quest Winners, Crystals which held on Feb., 20 at Industry Nite has no doubt convinced a good number of music lovers and critics that the band is gradually carving a niche for themselves in the Nigerian music scene.

The well attended event, powered by Spinlet and The Beat 99.9 FM, kicked off with performances by some upcoming artistes. Astounding performances by rappers; Efa and Butafly and a live performance by D’Beat (2011 Star Quest winners) further spiced up the occasion, while fast rising pop sensation, Seyi Shay thrilled the crowd with her latest  single, ‘No Lele’ .
The most interesting part of the night was when Crystals band was called to the stage, the loud ovation indicated that the audience already knew what to expect and Crystals did not fall short of expectation. Their live performance was mesmerizing and hitch-free as they sailed smoothly from song to song with second to none vocal dexterity and control. The crowd was thoroughly entertained and some were seen on their feet in an effort to get a glimpse of the youngsters’ energetic performance.
When asked what he thought about the show, an attendee readily said; “This is one of the best Industry Nite performances I have witnessed, it easily would have passed for a mini-concert, I had so much fun and my respect for Crystals just doubled”.
Among those that partied with Crystals were some producers on the Elevated project; Spyke, Samklef, Nathaniel, OJB Jezreel and Phat E. Lynxx and Rock steady were also among the celebrities sighted having a good time.
According to Tjina Ajayi of Now Muzik Management, “The Elevated album launch was way beyond our expectation, the turnout was massive and encouraging. Fans, family and friends came in from different states to support Crystals. The work has only just begun as Crystals will be working tirelessly to promote the Elevated album and will also be touring with 2face on his campus connect tour which is scheduled to kick off in March”.

DJ HUMILTY, ILL BLISS, BLAISE, PHYNO TO REP STR8 UP, HIP-HOP LOVE JONES EDITION

The definitive purpose-built vehicle for the true blue Hip-hop head; Str8 Up, Hip-hop is back with the February edition tagged ‘Love Jones’.

Although the January re-launch ‘State Of the Union Forum’ edition was devoid of the regular features of a typical Str8 Up, Hip-hop event, this month’s ‘Love Jones’ edition will bring all the exciting features back and better.

The event is scheduled to hold at 5pm prompt on Saturday, 23rd Feb, 2012 at Koga Studios, Oregun Road, Ikeja and will feature the whole nine: magnificent graffiti art display, breath-taking Bboy and emcee battle sessions, moving spoken word performances by Efe Paul Azino and Toni Payne with superb DJs; Humility and OZ holding it down on the wheels of steel. There will also be special guest performances by the ruthless vet, Ill Bliss AKA Dat Ibo Boy and fast rising rapper, Phyno.

The "Love Jones Edition" which will be hosted by veteran femcee, Blaise, is a production of Now Muzik En.Core in partnership with Beat 99.9.

Str8 Up, Hip-hop! Celebrate the art form, live the culture!

What's going on here? Beyonce & Boss @ ThisDaay

Lagos to host maiden India textile exhibition in Nigeria

Not less than 22 Indian companies would be participating at the Indian Textile Exhibition (INTEXPO) to be held at the Office of the Indian High Commission located at 8A Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos between 1pm and 5pm on February 26 & 27.

Aimed at forging a win-win partnership among the Indian and Nigerian companies for effective forward and backward linkages, INTEXPO is organised for the first time in Nigeria by the Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) of India in association with the High Commission of India in Nigeria.

The exhibition is expected to draw a large number of trade visitors for productive business discussion with the participating Indian exhibitors showcasing, for the first time in Nigeria, their complete range of products.

Textile products ranging from fabrics, yarn & fibre to suiting, shirting, dress-materials, embroidered fabrics & high fashion fabrics, furnishings, home textiles, scarves, stoles, shawls and yarns of man- made fibres and their blends would be on display.

The objective of the exhibition, according to the Office of the Indian High Commission in Nigeria, is to strengthen trade between the two countries, particularly in the fast growing area of man made textiles.

Indian textiles and clothing industry output is around $ 80 billion of which around $35 billion is exported. India is world’s second largest producer of each of cotton, silk, cellulosic fibre and cotton yarn and also ranks as world’s third largest producer of synthetic fibre and synthetic yarn.

India exported over 138 million dollars worth of textile products to Nigeria during last Indian financial year ending on March 31 2012. Of these over $ 80 million were man made products.

Nigeria imported US$ 1.8 billion worth of textiles & clothing products during 2010-11. Out of this, its import of textiles was to the tune of US$1.4 billion. The share of import of man-made fibre textiles by Nigeria in its overall import of textiles was nearly 52%.

India offers the entire range of polyester, rayon, acrylic and blended textile items including fibre, yarn, fabrics, made-ups and home-textiles to discerning international buyers. The Indian textile products are renowned quality, competitive prices and on time delivery. Additionally, India is able to supply both high and low-end textile items either in small or large quantities.

 

 

TIMI DAKOLO, SEYI SHAY AND MANY OTHERS TO GRACE CRYSTALS 'ELEVATED' ALBUM LAUCH

It will indeed be a memorable Industry Nite event for good music lovers, artistes and industry heavy weights who will gather at Get Arena , Lekki, Lagos on the 20th of February, 2013 to launch the much anticipated 10 track ‘Elevated’ album by Crystals band .

Crystals band is an exciting Nigerian Boy/Girl band consisting of six members; rapper (Romeo), two female lead vocalists (Slimberry, Apholyzty), drummer (Emma Blow), keyboardist (Dammy Keys) and bass guitarist (G Base).

After winning the 2012 edition of the Nigerian Breweries Plc organized talent hunt competition, Star Quest, they got signed to Now Muzik recordings and subsequently released two singles off the Elevated album; 'Gbe Sun Mo Mi' and the melodious afro pop, 'Ringtone’.

Since signing up with Now Muzik, the band with a ‘crystal effect’ has performed at various shows to the admiration of good music lovers, thus gradually becoming a prominent figure in mainstream music and youth culture with an increasing number of fans.

Celebrities to grace the occasion include Timi Dakolo and Seyi Shay among others. There will also be performances by Harry Song, Samklef, Efa, Presh (from the former group – KC Presh) and Butafly who was also featured on the album.

Production credits on ‘Elevated’ goes to top notch producers; Samklef, Del B, Shizzy, Harrysong, George Nathaniel, J. Sleek, Spyke, Phat E and the renowned OJB Jezreel.

The launch is supported by Star, el Canaral, Beat fm, Trace Urban, Spinlet, My streetz and NM En.core and will mark the band’s second live headline performance at the popular Industry Nite event.

Ibinabo Fiberesima, AGN President, calls for prayers.

Following the death of Justus Esiri, the President of Actors Guild of Nigeria, Ibinabo Fiberesima, has called for fervent prayers for the entertainment industry.
In a press statement made available to us, the former beauty queen called on everyone to join in the prayers to reject death in the industry that lost about four people in the last one week.
Below is an excerpt of the statement.
With the incessant deaths occurring in the entertainment industry this year, it’s high time we put a stop to it. We must surrender our lives to Almighty God irrespective of our religious believes. Let’s come together and embark on prayers and commit our industry and practitioners to God. We need serious Prayers. We must reject death in the entertainment industry.

Join us irrespective of your status, age, believes,profession, etc, Let’s pray.Let’s Save Nigeria, let’s Save the Entertainment Industry. Only God saves.

Ibinabo Fiberesima, President Actors Guild of
Nigeria.

PANDA RECORDS AFRICA UNVEILS NEW ARTISTES, GINGERBREAD AND PROLISHEY IN SPANKING NEW MIXTAPE SINGLE 'GBAGBE OSHI' FEATURING BUTAFLY

Panda Records Africa (P.R.A) unveils upcoming rapper Emmanuel Adeyemi aka Gingerbread and prolific artiste/producer , Longe Ulishemi Prescious aka Prolishey on a hot new Hip-hop track titled – ‘Gbagbe Oshi’.

The track which was produced by Prolishey, features upcoming female rapper Butafly (TBB), and is the first single off the forthcoming "Sick Lines Big Money" Mixtape (SLBM) scheduled to drop in few months from now.According to Gingerbread, the track is a motivational song targeted at stimulating the listener's desire to achieve more through hard work, while for Prolishey, Gbagbe Oshi is a spanking Hip-hop track that is sure to win the hearts of real Hip-hop lovers.

Other tracks off the SLBM Mixtape will be released shortly. Meanwhile, Enjoy #GbagbeOshi.

Gbagbe Oshi Hulkshare download link : http://t.co/ONB4XF1z

Oscar Pistorius Nike ad takes on new, chilling resonance after tragedy

By Jay Busbee | Fourth-Place Medal

Early Thursday morning, South African police arrested Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius on suspicion of murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend. Initial reports indicated that the death was an accident, but police have refrained from a definitive statement on the crime.
Regardless, this Nike ad takes on new and chilling meaning. And, as SB Nation notes, it's not the first time Nike has used athleticism-as-weaponry as a casual analogy.
Pistorius' website pulled the ad because of its obvious bad taste given the situation. Question: is it in bad taste regardless of the new revelations? Is weaponry and violence too serious of a metaphor to employ so casually in marketing?
Pistorius remains in police custody. He was a competitor at the London Olympics and a two-time gold medalist at the 2012 Paralympics.

Distraught Oscar Pistorius could face charge of 'premeditated murder'

Oscar Pistorius "sobbed uncontrollably" at a South African court hearing on Friday morning as prosecutors made clear their intention to claim the track superstar killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a premeditated murder.
Pistorius wept and shook visibly for much of his appearance in a Pretoria magistrates court, where chief magistrate Desmond Nair postponed until Tuesday the process that will decide what charges the 26-year-old will face.

That means Pistorius will spend the weekend behind bars, although he will be kept – at his own request – at a Brooklyn police station in Pretoria rather than a local prison as would be the norm in murder cases.
On Tuesday, arguments will be heard as to the severity of the murder charge he will face, as well as submissions regarding his application for bail.
The Associated Press reported that Pistorius' family and management released a statement Friday from London that said, "The alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms." The statement went on to say that Pistorius "would like to send his deepest sympathies to the family of Reeva."
Numerous eyewitnesses at the court told how Pistorius was unable to control his emotions even before the proceedings began and he had to be consoled by his father Henke and brother Carl while deliberations took place.
"He broke down several times," South African journalist Barry Bateman said in a report to a Cape Town radio station. "He couldn't control his emotions. Most of the time had his head down. You could see him clench his jaw. He would collapse into his hands sobbing and it was audible, he was gasping. When he fell down his father would lean forward and put his hand on his back."
The shooting of Steenkamp in the early hours of Thursday morning has caused a media frenzy in South Africa, with Friday morning's Beeld newspaper claiming that the aspiring television personality and model had been shot through the bathroom door of Pistorius' luxury home in the Silver Lakes gated complex, and that police and security had been called to the property earlier in the evening following a disturbance.
In the hours immediately following the shooting it was originally reported that a police captain had insisted the shooting was an accident and that Pistorius had mistakenly believed Steenkamp was an intruder.
The runner kept a 9mm pistol, a machine gun, a baseball bat and a cricket bat in his bedroom as a means of personal protection due to South Africa's high crime and violence rates, according to an eyewitness account from British writer Jonathan McEvoy.
Pistorius, known as the Blade Runner and the first double amputee to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympics, enjoyed a popularity in his homeland that bordered on cult status and the story of his career – winning a legal battle against international athletics authorities to be allowed to run against able-bodied opponents – ensured Courtroom C was packed with spectators and media representatives.
Pistorius left Boschkop police station Friday morning in a 10-strong police convoy accompanied by his sister Aimee and his lawyer. Wearing a gray suit, he used a dark charcoal jacket to cover his head as he arrived at the court at 9 a.m. local time but had to wait nearly two hours for his case to be called.
Several companies pulled commercials and advertisements featuring Pistorius. Billboards with his likeness were taken down as this case totally overshadowed coverage of the previous evening's state of the union address by President Jacob Zuma.
Before the case was heard Friday morning, a court official asked members of Pistorius' family to provide money so that the runner could purchase a toasted sandwich.
Once inside the court, though, Pistorius was "clearly traumatized," according to his legal counsel and almost collapsed to his knees when prosecutor Gerrie Nel uttered the phrase "premeditated murder."
Pistorius appeared to take some comfort from the presence of his family, but when they rushed toward him at the conclusion of the hearing he was led away by an official, off to an immediate future that involves a cell and his own thoughts, while speculation on a tragedy that has become a national media circus rages on.

STR8 UP, HIP-HOP delivers 'The love Jones edition' for February

 Love is in the air this February and for the Hip-hop aficionado, all the other stuff going down would at best, be like an Olympic silver medal for Usain Bolt – not quite good enough! But not to worry, the definitive purpose-built vehicle for the true blue Hip-hop head provides succor in the mould of Str8 Up, Hip-hop: The Love Jones Edition.

The Love Jones edition is scheduled to hold on Saturday, 23^rd Feb, 2013 at Koga Studios, Oregun Road, Ikeja and will feature the whole nine: magnificent graffiti art display, breath-taking B-boy and emcee battle sessions, moving spoken word performances by Efe Paul Azino and Toni Payne with superb DJs Humility and OZ on the wheels. There will also be special guest performances by the ruthless vet, Ill Bliss AKA Dat Ibo Boy and Phyno.

Everyone present had a blast at the just concluded re-launch edition of the niche urban monthly networking event for Hip-hop heads and intellectuals which was executive with the theme ‘State of the Union Forum’ and focused critically on the matters arising from the controversial ‘There Was A Country’ by Chinua Achebe.

The "Love Jones Edition" which will be hosted by veteran femcee, Blaise, is a production of Now Muzik En.Core in partnership with Beat 99.9 fm.

Str8 Up Hip-hop! Celebrate the art form, live the culture!

World Consumer Day: Report consumer abuse NOW!

It may be like a month to go but I think it will be advisable to be ready for it. It is World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2013 which will take place on 15 March.
This year’s theme is ‘Consumer Justice Now!, giving Consumers International members a unique opportunity to raise the profile of consumer protection and highlight consumer rights abuses in their country.
According to Helen McCallum, DG, Consumers International, "We also want to share your experiences of poor consumer laws and their impact."
This mean a lot to us in Nigeria where consumers are exploited everyday with no one to fight their cause thereby allowing the perpetrators go scot free or a slap on the wrist.
The exploitation in Nigeria is higher in the mobile phone operators corridor. Virtually every one has had one bad experience or the other with these operators and it ranges from jammed networks to illegal deductions.
In the midst of all these, neither the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) nor the lawmakers are doing anything about it.
Now, you can share your experience with the whole world by sending your stories of consumer abuse by email to vviyer@consint.org or sending a tweet with the hashtag #wcrd2013.
Your stories would be featured on their WCRD map.

Twelve schools make shortlist for 2face's Campus Connect Tour

After weeks of impressive voting expected of a 2face project, 12 higher institutions of learning have emerged top to vie for the four definite slots available for the much talked about Campus Connect : 2face & friends Tour 2013.

Campus Connect, a production of Now Muzik En. Core/Hypertek in partnership with Sound City, was launched at the maiden edition of Playa’s Ball on December 9, 2012 at Auto Lounge to announce the re-connection between 2face and his fan base on campus.

According to Efe Omorogbe of Now Muzik, “The overall objective is to ensure that we bridge the gap, find a solution to all the inherent problems that made it impossible for 2face to tour campus circuits in the last eight years.”

According to 2faceonline.com, the official website of 2face Idibia, the 12 campuses are University of Lagos (Unilag), University of Benin (Uniben), University of Ibadan (UI), University of Calabar (Unical), University of Ilorin (Unilorin), University of Jos (Unijos), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), University of Abuja (Uniabuja), University of Port Harcourt (Uniport), Lagos State University (LASU), Benue State University (BSU) and Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu (IMT).

Voting for the definite four slots, which is on www.2faceonline.com, will close on February 20 by 10pm. There is however, the likelihood of additional dates.

Star acts expected to hop on the ride with Africa's Finest include, but not limited to, Olamide, Dammy Krane, Rocksteady, Sheyi Shay, Durella, Capital FEMI, Harrysong, Sound Sultan, Crystals, Basket Mouth and Timi Dakolo. A few others and will be confirmed in due course. After the close of voting on February 20, the tour time table complete with venues, dates, artiste line up and after-party venues will be released.

The 2face & friends Tour 2013 promises to be a super exciting experience  for fans and the stars on parade.

Grammy, indeed!

Adele didn't exactly rock the red carpet in this frumpy floral-printed frock by Giorgio Armani, which she paired with matching heels.

Now Muzik set to unveil ‘Elevated’ by Crystals at Industry Nite

The much awaited album of the teen pop sensations from Now Muzik management outfit, Crystals, is set for launch at the prestigious Industry Nite on February 20 at Get Arena, Lekki, Lagos.

Aptly titled 'Elevated', the 11 track album is the first from the fun band with the ‘crystal effect’ after formation and winning the 2012 edition of the Nigerian Brewerries Plc organized singing competition, Star Quest.

The young exciting band had whet the appetite of good music lovers with the release of two singles from off the album; 'Gbe Sun Mo Mi' and the melodious afro pop 'Ringtone' which had being receiving massive airplay since last year.

Crystals is a Nigerian boy and girl band, consisting of 6 members; rapper (Romeo), two female lead vocalists (Slimberry, Apholyzty), drummer (Emma Blow), keyboardist (Dammy Keys) and bass guitarist (G Base).

The launch has the support of Star, el Canaral, Beat fm, Trace Urban, Spinlet, My streetz and NM En.Core.

Elevated had the input of seasoned and A-list producers. They worked with Samklef, Del B, Shizzy, Harrysong, George Nathaniel, J. Sleek, Spyke, Phat E and the renowned OJB Jezreel. The album also features upcoming female rapper, Butafly.

Showcasing their creativity, the cool band’s television commercial was way off the usual voice over as the lead rapper, Romeo, rapped to the humming of the female vocalists.

Celebrating with referee!