The Mavin Records UK concert has kicked off and on Tuesday night, Di’Ja, Reekado Banks, Dr. SID, Tiwa Savage and of course, Don Jazzy set the ball rolling as they wowed the audience at The Ritz, Manchester.
Surprisingly, Korede Bello and D’Prince are no where to be found and we are wondering if they will join in before the end of the UK concert and tour.
Meanwhile, enjoy these photos from the Manchester City show:
It’s been revealed how singer/singerwriter, Marc Anthony earned about $700,000 for a one night gig he did in Las Vegas last month. This is double the $350,000 his ex, Jennifer Lopez will is now going to earn per show for 72-gigs.
According to TMZ, Marc Anthony’s Vegas deal which had him perform at Planet Hollywood in Sin City on September 13 was actually worth $1million but the deduction of expenses and promoter fees left him with the $700,000 he can now boast of.
However, when J-lo is done with the 72-gigs contract, she would have earned a massive $26.3 million over a one or two-year period.
The relationship between 46-year-old Marc and 45-year-old J-Lo came crashing in 2011.
A total amount of N603.5b was shared between the Federal Government, the 36 states and the 774 Local councils in the country for the month of September. The Minister of State for Finance, Mr Bashir Yuguda, announced this when he briefed newsmen on the outcome of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee meeting on Wednesday.
While giving the breakdown, he said the amount comprised of the statutory revenue of N463.7bn, N35.5bn Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme funds and N6.3bn refunded by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, value added tax figure was put at N65.1b, while another N30b and N2.7b from NNPC and the Excess crude cash released to augment shortfall in revenue generated.
Yuguda said that the Federal Government received N217.7bn representing 52.68 per cent, states, N110.4bn, representing 26.72 per cent while the local councils received N85.1bn, amounting to 20.60 per cent of the amount distributed.
He also disclosed that N43.7bn, representing 13 per cent derivation revenue was shared among the oil producing states. He also said that the country improved on its VAT with revenue collected for the month increased by N3.5bn, rising from N61.5bn recorded in the preceding month to N65.1bn.
The minister said that the nation generated N374.7bn as mineral revenue during the period as against N441.9bn generated in August, adding that the performance indicated a marked decrease of N67.1bn between the two months.
“The non-mineral revenue for the month of September is N127.3bn, which when compared to the N159.7bn generated in August shows a decrease of N32.3bn.
“FIRS received N3bn and the Nigerian Customs got N3.6bn as their cost of revenue collection for the month of September,” he said.
Commenting, the Chairman, Finance Commissioners Forum, Mr Timothy Odah, expressed concern over the continued dwindling of the federation’s revenue. He said that the country is not broke as the economy remains robust. he said that over dependence on oil must be stopped.
“We need to stop depending so much on oil due to the volatile nature of oil prices at the moment.
“This is a period of reality. So we will have to lessen our propensity to consume and increase our propensity to save,” he said.
The living legend, 2Baba is back with the video of Diaspora woman; a track off his latest album, The Ascension and which features Congolese music star, Fally Ipupa. The video was shot in Dallas and was directed by Moe Musa.
Ghollywood actress, Juliet Ibrahim is 2face’s love interest in this lovely video
The former Managing Director of the Nigerian Security Minting and Printing Company (NSMPC) Mr. Ehidiamhem Okoyomon, told a Federal High court sitting in Abuja that he will rather be tried in Nigeria and by a Nigerian court instead of being extradited to the United Kingdom.
Counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) however urged the court to grant its application to extradite Okoyomon to the UK to answer charges against him noting that Okoyomon will be granted fair trial by the UK court.
counsel for Okoyomon, Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN) argued that there is no extradition treaty between Nigeria and the United Kingdom and that it will amount to an infringement of Nigeria’s sovereignty to tried the matter in the UK whereas some of the alleged offences were committed in Nigeria.
“We don’t want extradition. Since part of the alleged crime was committed here (Nigeria), we are ready to face trial in Nigeria.
“In fact, extraditing him to the UK is subordination of our sovereignty to that of the UK.
“The issue of fair hearing in the UK does not arise. Are we saying there is no fair hearing in Nigeria?” the learned SAN said
Arguing further, he said the two extant laws relied upon by the EFCC, the Extradition Treaty of 1931 and the London Scheme for Extradition were no longer applicable in Nigeria.
“Combination of these two instruments does not in whatsoever way, howsoever, cannot and does not confer locus on the Attorney General of the Federation to make the application,”
EFCC made the extradition application after receiving an extradition request from the UK, where Okoyomon is to face charges involving officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the NSMPC and the Securency International Pty of Australia. The alleged transactions took place between 2006 and 2008.
The sitting Judge, Justice Evoh Chukwu reserved judgment to December 1 on EFCC’s extradition application and order Okoyomon to remain in custody pending the determination of the court on the matter.
Nigeria’s Online Newspaper Premiumtimes is reporting that a car loaded with explosive devices went off in Azare motor park last night, killing five persons and injuring several others according to local police authorities in Bauchi.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Bauchi, Haruna Muhammad, a deputy superintendent of police, who confirmed the incident, said the explosion occurred at exactly 9:45 p.m on Wednesday at a motor park.
He said dead victims were charred beyond recognition. “Five persons burnt beyond recognition were certified dead, while 12 others sustained various degree of injuries, and are receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Center in Azare,” he said.
He added that “the scene of the incident was cordoned off by a police explosives ordinance disposal unit. He said no arrest has been made yet, “but investigations have commenced to ascertain the cause of the blast”.
Last night’s incident was about the third time Azare town has come under attack from Boko Haram terrorists. On December 5, 2011, the terrorists descended on the city, using explosives to destroy a police station and some commercial banks there.
About a year later, the town suffered yet another attack on December 3, 2012.
Nigerian musician and entrepreneur, D’banj was recently in Washington where he gave a talk at the TEDxWBG conference. D’banj who is Nigeria’s first UN Youth Ambassador for Peace shared his view on the role young people can play in transforming their societies.
He shared his work using his music to raise awareness on agriculture in Africa and the role of youth. In his words: ‘If Africa’s youths are the future of Africa, then Africa is the future of the world‘.
He also performed his hit single, Top of the World.
Like other Nigerians, I was taken by surprise when news broke last week that the Nigerian government had reached a ceasefire agreement with Boko Haram. The announcement was swiftly followed by the Chief of Defence Staff’s directive to all troops to stop engagement with Boko Haram.
It became even more curious when I heard the interview that President Goodluck Jonathan’s Private Secretary and Chief Negotiator, Hassan Tukur, gave to the BBC’s FOCUS ON AFRICA programme. Tukur sounded optimistic that they had achieved a breakthrough, underlining that by saying the people he negotiated with had forewarned about the releases of the hostages freed in Cameroun early last week; therefore the government had no reason to disbelieve their negotiation counterparts.
Twenty four hours later we received a riposte as Boko Haram elements continued their spates of killings in Borno. To underline the gloom, Borno Elders came out publicly to say that they didn’t believe that the government team negotiated with the right people. As I write these lines, Nigerian soldiers are continuing engagements with Boko Haram, thus putting to naught the ceasefire announced by the Chief of Defense Staff, Alex Barde.The most important element of the riddle was that Boko Haram had allegedly agreed to release the Chibok Girls who have stayed six months in captivity. That delighted me as every other Nigerian. Yet, I was as apprehensive as every other person. What if the government had been conned? And too many forces have “invested” heavily and reaped abundantly from the five-year old insurgency!
It is also instructive that the Federal Government has continued its “negotiation process”, without involving the governments of Borno and Yobe states. Yet President Jonathan needs to deliver on his ceasefire (or what Adamu Adamu once called “seize” fire, in the different setting of conflict in the Gaza Strip), because inability to achieve freedom for the 219 Chibok Girls, will cast a dangerous political pall on his 2015 re-election campaign. And for President Goodluck Jonathan and his handlers, the most important issue at hand is to hit the campaign trail for 2015.
Yes, the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), blessed with the ample presence of Anyim Pius Anyim and other Jonathan hangers-on are doing a good job campaigning and keep President Jonathan in the minds of the Nigerian electorate. The truth however is that the momentum will gather pace if President Jonathan can deliver an effective ceasefire and freedom for the Chibok Girls.
The cynical exploitation of freedom for the Chibok Girls is a central plank of the political agenda of the Goodluck campaign. In the euphoria that is expected to follow such a release, President Jonathan will be painted as the ultimate patriot who got the job done! The prevarications and irresponsible denial following the kidnap of the girls will hopefully have been forgotten, by a Nigeria that seems ever shallow in its ability to recollect or make the necessary interconnectedness in social and political phenomena.
That is why the apparent unraveling of the process that Marshal Alex Barde and Hassan Tukur so effusively announced a week ago, is not very good for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign. Mister President, what happened to the ceasefire (who “seized” your fire please?) and may you please hasten to #FREEOURGIRLS? This is their sixth month in captivity Mister President, Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s Armed Forces, Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan. And political time is running out!…
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This year’s edition of the Nollywood Movie Awards took place last Saturday at the Intercontinental hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The well attended event was hosted by Channel O presenter, Denrele Edun, Kayla Oniwo of Cool FM, Gideon Okeke of Tinsel and actress, Uru Eke. Some of the celebs in attendance were: Kunle Afolayan, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Tonto Dikeh, OC Ukeje, Doris Simeon, Alex Ekubo, IK Ogbonna, Wale Ojo, Nse Ikpe Etim-Sule, Adunni Ade and Tunde Kelani.
Here are some of the photos from the event:
Governors of All Progressives Congress, APC, controlled states, yesterday, complained about dwindling allocation to their states and wondered why their Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, colleagues were not sharing their concern.
The APC governors who met in Ilorin, Kwara State expressed concern about a possible secret funding for the PDP states. The governors, who vowed to meet President Goodluck Jonathan over the issue, also resolved to allow internal democracy to guide the selection of a presidential candidate for the party.
The summit of the APC governors under the aegis of the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, in Illorin, however, did not rule out the adoption of a consensus presidential candidate, but insisted that it must be done within the ambit of internal democracy.
The meeting of the APC governors was also a valedictory session for former Governor Kayode Fayemi who stepped down as governor of Ekiti State last Thursday. The APC governors praised Fayemi for what they described as his exemplary strength of character.
Chairman of the PGF, Governor Okorocha, who briefed newsmen at the end of the session which lasted several hours, expressed concern over what he described as the dwindling monthly allocation to the APC states.
He said: “This issue has become a very serious concern to us as governors and we felt that issues that affect the lives of our people must never be politicised. We refuse to accept the fact that this nation is broke and thank God that the Federal Government has confirmed that the nation is not broke. If the nation is not broke, what is due to states should be given to states.
“This idea of cutting what should go to states does not in any way promote democracy and democratic dividends. And so, we as progressive governors, call on the Federal Government to look into the issue of dwindling resources and convince us why the states should not get what is due to them.
“We demand to have a meeting with the President on this issue of dwindling resources as quickly as possible,” he stressed.
The Federal Government had on Tuesday, reassured that Nigeria is financially sound and has been meeting its local and international financial obligations despite dwindling revenues from crude oil exports. The assurance came from Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The minister, who gave the assurance at a crowded press conference in Abuja, said: “Despite the dwindling revenue of the nation due to falling crude oil prices and decrease in output, the nation is not broke, as feared in some quarters”.
“Nigeria is a country that is dependent on one commodity (oil) and that commodity is dependent on how much the buyers want to buy. We had a yo-yo kind of expenditure pattern before 2003 but after that even when there was a fall in the price of crude from $140 to about $35 or $38 between 2003 and 2008, our economy remained stable because we had accumulated about $22 billion in the Excess Crude Account.
“It is the same thing now. We may have to cut down on some of our expenditure. We may have to mobilize more revenue; we have to look at the fiscal policy; we have to look at the monetary policy — all of these have to come together and we are looking at them right now in the Ministry of Finance.” She had stated.
Brazilian coach, Carlos Dunga is expected to announce his final squad for the upcoming Gillette Brasil Global Tour friendlies today (Thursday). His boys will be facing Turkey and Austria in the competition on the 11th and 18th of November respectively. The match against Austria comes up in Vienna while that of Turkey will be played in Istanbul.
50-year-old Dunga has masterminded four straight victories for Brazil since he took over as coach from Luiz Felipe Scolari. A lot of changes are not expected when he announces his list of players for the final Brazil friendlies of the year today.
Despite the ceasefire declaration claimed to have been reached by the federal government of Nigeria to negotiate the release of over 200 Chibok schoolgirls who were abducted by Boko Haram in April, about 60 women were reportedly kidnapped by the terror sect from Waga Mangoro and Garta villages in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State following renewed attacks unleashed by the insurgents.
40 girls were said to have been abducted from Waga Mangoro, 20 were forcibly uprooted from their homes in Garta according to Nigeria’s Thisday Newspaper.
NewsWireNGR had last night reported the abductions of 45 girls in the Madagali town of Adamawa said to be in total control of the Boko Haram insurgents, as at Thursday morning the number has risen to 60. The ceasefire may have ended on the pages of Newspapers as the battle between Nigerian troops and the terrorists activities continues in the Northeastern states of Nigeria.
Locals in the affected areas, who escaped during the attacks, confirmed the kidnapping to newsmen on the phone, saying hundreds of insurgents overran the area on motorcycles and in vans during a rampage on Saturday.
They said in the course of the attacks, the insurgents burnt houses and abducted young women. One of the locals in Garta, Tizhe Kwada, who escaped by a whisker, said the onslaught on his community was still ongoing yesterday, forcing many residents to flee the area which has been under Boko Haram siege for almost two months.
Meanwhile, Hon. Isa Lawan representing Guzamala, Kukawa, Mobbar and Abadam federal constituency of Borno State said 18 villages in Borno State are still under the control of Boko Haram insurgents despite a recent ceasefire allegedly agreed by the government and the Islamist militants.
Lawan made the disclosure at yesterdays plenary in the House of Representatives that “Northern Borno axis is falling into the hands of Boko Haram on daily basis.”
Lawan brought the attention of the House to the situation via a motion calling on the federal government to rescue the seized territories.
“Some villages in Adabam, Kukawa and Mobbar local government area on the shores of the Lake Chad Basin, which include Abadam, Gashager, Jubullam, Doguri, Madai, Shawaram, Kangarwa, Arega, Faliwa, Gogobirni, Ali Jilamari, Mamuri, Kurnawa, Malum Zuberu, Dumba, Kulleram and Bawari are already under the control of the insurgents,” he told the House.
Lawan said the agriculturally rich areas had been under the control of the Boko Haram insurgents for the past one week.
“This unfortunate incident is still continuing despite the announcement of the ceasefire agreement between the federal government and the Boko Haram sect.
“If urgent action is not taken to rescue the villages, Nigeria will further lose its territory to the Boko Haram insurgents. Innocent people are being taken hostage and forced to suffer all kinds of inhuman punishment, thereby subjecting them to hunger and starvation. Such is the case in all areas under the control of the insurgents.
“Those Nigerian citizens are being forced to migrate to another country in search of food, shelter and security,” Lawan lamented.
The House, in its resolution, called on the federal government to focus more security and humanitarian attention on the affected areas.
