₦airaland Forum

cc: lalasticlala

An Instagram user was challenged to play Mad Over You by runtown on violin and damn it she nailed it.

Watch video here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPukR1eDiTO/?taken-by=_jain_lyne_&hl=en

Source: http://sauta97..com/2017/01/instagram-user-plays-mad-over-you-by.html

[img]https://3.bp..com/-uiA0vrsQWgk/WIHcN38c1yI/AAAAAAAADGQ/aFywEOZdCNQITZXcRPx6XPXpW_-kGIkzACK4B/s320/davido-shows-off-his-custom-%25E2%2580%2598police%25E2%2580%2599-plate-stacks-of-dollars-photos.jpg[/img]

Davido is one of Nigeria's succesful artiste and he loves to show off his luxury lifestyle.

The artiste took to his Snapchat to show off his new custom ‘Police’ plate he got for his newly acquired Mercedes Benz.

source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2017/01/davido-shows-off-his-custom-police-plate.html

It is his hand nah

Oluwaseydex:
We are not talking about his arms but the cassava

Small doctor earlier gave comment on the trending music by tswaggz_Banks titled "igbalode boy" on his instagram page saying the music is his music for the week



He also said he's coming for the guy

Small doctor IG - @iam_smalldoctor

Watch Out!!!

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2017/01/small-doctor-picks-tswaggzbanks-music.html


cc: Fynestboi, MissyB3

Hilarious Violinist, ConfamJozzy Plays violin cover of Fada Fada by Phyno (Penthauze). Great and energetic performance. you dont want to miss it. Sit back and enjoy!!!

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OCz0Kpf7wU8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2017/01/confamjozzy.html#more

cc: airmark

Hearts Of Nominees and their fans Beating fast as they anticipate The Headies 2016 . WHO WILL WIN THAT AWARD? #iono ooo

[img]https://1.bp..com/-U__JGXFNiIk/WFnr_k8LOTI/AAAAAAAADDM/lWMAdfoc7UoTbwrKSGlq2_5XgAM3RTsvgCK4B/s400/headies-ad-sq.jpg[/img]

The highly-anticipated list of nominees of The Headies 2016 has been released.

The list which comprises of 21 categories covers different genre of Nigerian pop music culture.

See the complete list of nominees below: (YEAR IN REVIEW: JULY 2015 – JUNE 2016)

BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR

A non-voting category for the best single recording by an artiste or group in the year under review.

EMERGENCY – D’BANJ
PRAY FOR ME – DAREY FEAT. SOWETO CHOIR
LOVE DON’T CARE – SIMI
ORENTE – ADEKUNLE GOLD
SOMETHING GOOD IS HAPPENING – BRYMO
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

An individual responsible for producing the most acclaimed song or album in the year under review.

DJ COUBLON ‘GOOD TIME & RABA’
PHEELS – ‘PICK UP & LAGOS BOYS’ – OLAMIDE
LEGENDURY BEATS – ‘FINAL – BABA NLA’ WIZKID
YOUNG JOHN – ‘MAMA’ – KISS DANIEL
MASTAKRAFT – ‘FADA FADA’, ‘CONNECT’ – PHYNO
OSCAR HERMAN-ACKAH – ‘PRAY FOR ME’ – DAREY
BEST MUSIC VIDEO

A voting category for the best conceptualist, best directed and most exciting video in the year under review. This award goes to the video director.

EMERGENCY (D’BANJ) – UNLIMITED LA
MARY (SEYI SHAY) – MEJI ALABI
SOLDIER (FALZ THA BAD GUY) – CLARENCE PETERS
MADE FOR YOU – BANKY W
BAD – TIWA SAVAGE FEAT. WIZKID – SESAN
BEST R&B/POP ALBUM

A category for the best R&B/Pop Album in the year under review (by single individual or group).

NEW ERA – KISS DANIEL
WANTED – WANDE COAL
KLITORIS – BRYMO
4. NAKED – DAREY
SEYI OR SHAY – SEYI SHAY
BEST R&B SINGLE

A category for the best R&B single in the year under review (by a single individual or group).

LOVE DON’T CARE – SIMI
MADE FOR YOU – BANKY W
SUPER WOMAN – WANDE COAL
PRAY FOR ME – DAREY
ADUKE – TJAN
SMILE – SHAYDEE
BEST POP SINGLE

A category for the best pop single in year under review (by single individual or group)

MAMA – KISS DANIEL
FINAL (BABA NLA) – WIZKID
PICK UP – ADEKUNLE GOLD
OSINACHI – HUMBLESMITH FEAT. DAVIDO
REGGAE BLUES – HARRYSONG FEAT. OREZI, IYANYA, OLAMIDE, KCEE
EMERGENCY – D’BANJ
FADA FADA – PHYNO FEAT. OLAMIDE
MONEY – TIMAYA FEAT. FLAVOUR
BEST REGGAE/DANCEHALL SINGLE

A category for the best Reggae/Dancehall single in the year under review (by single individual or group).

1. NO KISSING’ – PATORANKING FT SARKODIE
BODY HOT – PRAIZ FT. JESSE JAGZ & STONE BWOY
JAGA LOVE – JESSE JAGZ
OLOWO – CYNTHIA MORGAN
PAM PAM – KETCHUP
TIMAYA – I LIKE THE WAY
BEST RAP ALBUM

A Non-Voting Category for the Best Album By A Rap Artiste Or Group In Year Under Review.

EYAN MAYWEATHER – OLAMIDE
POWERFUL – ILL BLISS
STORIES THAT TOUCH – FALZ
LIL’ KESH – YAGI
BEST COLLABO

A voting category for the best R&B, Pop or Hip-hop collaborative track (including cameos).

SOLDIER – FALZ FEAT. SIMI
REGGAE BLUES – HARRYSONG FEAT. OREZI, IYANYA, OLAMIDE, KCEE
OSINACHI – HUMBLESMITH FEAT. DAVIDO
WAIT – SOLIDSTAR FEAT. TIWA SAVAGE
NO KISSING – PATORANKING FEAT. SARKODIE
MONEY – TIMAYA FEAT. FLAVOUR
BEST RAP SINGLE

A voting category for a single (released on-air) recording of a rap.

EYAN MAYWEATHER – OLAMIDE
ASAMALEKUN – REMINISCE
JAGABAN – YCEE
CHUKWU AGOZI GOGI – ILL BLISS
AGU JI NDI MEN – A-Q
SHOW YOU SOMETHING – BOOGEY
BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE(MALE)

A non-voting category for the single male artiste with the most outstanding vocal performance on a single song or album.

BRYMO – SOMETHING GOOD IS HAPPENING
DAREY FEAT. SOWETO CHOIR – PRAY FOR ME
SHAYDEE – SMILE
WANDE COAL – SUPER WOMAN
RIC HASSANI – GENTLEMAN
BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)

A non-voting category for the single female artiste with most outstanding vocal performances on a single song or album.

SIMI – LOVE DON’T CARE
SEYI SHAY – RIGHT NOW
ARAMIDE FEAT. ADEKUNLE GOLD – LOVE ME
OMAWUMI FEAT. ANGELIE KIDJO – PLAY NA PLAY
NEXT RATED

This category is a voting category for the most promising upcoming act in the year under review.

YCEE
TEKNO
MR. EAZI
HUMBLESMITH
ARAMIDE
HIP HOP WORLD REVELATION

A voting category for the best new artiste in the year under review.

KISS DANIEL – NEW ERA
SEYI SHAY – SEYI OR SHAY
LIL’ KESH – YAGI
RUNTOWN – GHETTO UNIVERSITY
LYRICIST ON THE ROLL

A non-voting category for the Rap Artiste with the best lyrical depth and performance on a single song or album.

ILL BLISS – CHUKWU AGOZI GOGI
REMINSCE – ASALAMALEKU
YCEE – JAGABAN
BOOGEY – SHOW YOU SOMETHING
A-Q – AGU JI NDI MEN’
MODENINE – NO MATTER WHAT
BEST STREET-HOP ARTISTE

A voting category for the artiste whose songs are inspired by the streets. Such song should captain lingua, which may also be originated by the artiste and popular on the street.

OLAMIDE – WHO YOU EPP
AJEBUTTER FEAT. FALZ – BAD GANG
KOKER – KO LE WERK
YCEE – JAGABAN
SMALL DOKTA – GBERA
2T BOYS – CUSTOMER DADA NI
BEST ‘ALTERNATIVE’ SONG

A voting category for the artiste whose songs reflect any form or style of music which falls outside the mainstream of recent or past popular musical trends.

PICK UP – ADEKUNLE GOLD
SOMETHING GOOD IS HAPPENING – BRYMO
YOU SUPPOSE KNOW – BEZ
WAIT FOR ME – JOHNNY DRILLE
GENTLEMAN – RIC HASSANI
ALBUM OF THE YEAR

A voting category for the best album (solo or group) in year under review, that meets judges requirements of excellence (Songwriting, production, rendition and promotion) and acceptability (Sales and popularity).

STORIES THAT TOUCH – FALZ
NEW ERA – KISS DANIEL
WANTED – WANDE COAL
SEYI OR SHAY – SEYI SHAY
ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

Most critically and commercially adjudged artiste in the year under review. Overall most successful artiste for the year under review.

WIZKID
TIWA SAVAGE
FALZ
YEMI ALADE
OLAMIDE
SONG OF THE YEAR

A voting category for the most popular song in the year under review.

FINAL (BABA NLA) – WIZKID
OSINACHI – HUMBLESMITH FEAT. DAVIDO
PICK UP – ADEKUNLE GOLD
REGGAE BLUES – HARRYSONG FEAT.
FADA FADA – PHYNO FEAT. OLAMIDE
AFRICAN ARTISTE

A non-Nigerian award category for an individual African artiste or group with the most outstanding achievement, impact and infiltration into the Nigerian music scene in the year under review.

SAUTI SOL
CASPER NYOVEST
DJ MAPHORISA
STONEBWOY
SARKODIE

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/less-than-22-hours-to-headies-2016.html
cc: Rocktation

Top class christmas design on Zenith street. I just passed there mistakenly today and I couldnt hold myself from snapping. I am going back there again with my HD camera for all those that cant make it there. But Chale it is better you see for yourself.

source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/beautiful-christmas-decorations-on.html

cc: DisGuy, justwise

mfujah:
not boring but simple... if he do big cake una go shout our money! Nigerians walahi we get problem!

so this one is simple... issokay

He also has a chance to get another award in what has been a good 2016 for him. Small Doctor has won his first major award in 2016 for his hit single, ‘Mosquito Killer’.
The visual of the 2015 song was announced as Best Video by a New Artiste at the 2016 Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) on December 15, 2016.

He won the award ahead of Mr Eazi (Holl Up), Mayorkun (Eleko), Shobzy (Eruku) and Tycano (Eledumare).Rapper Jhybo picked up the award on his behalf at Eko Hotels in Victoria Island, Lagos, where the ceremony took place.

Small Doctor meanwhile has the chance to add to his NMVA as he is up for an award at the 2016 Headies. His song, ‘Gbera’, is nominated in the Best Street-Hop Artiste category, which he lost to Olamide at the 2015 edition of the award.

He’s finds himself nominated alongside Olamide again, with Koker, 2T Boys and Ajeb*tter the other nominees for this year’s award.

cc: ijebabe, MissyB3, Fynestboi

source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/small-doctor-beats-mr-eazi-mayorkun.html

https://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Agoor.jpg

Rising singer, Ogochukwu Oye, aka Ogoor has revealed how she was rejected at many music reality shows. The revelation is coming after the artiste made debut with her first single, ‘You Are Mine’.

“It wasn’t an easy journey for me,” she said, adding that she thought she could kick-start her career through reality show but to no avail.

“I attempted almost all the reality shows but I just wasn’t lucky to make it through and like I say, some people will kick off their career through that means and many of us will hit the limelight through working meticulously and righteously to put our music out there,” the Awka, Anambra State-born artiste noted.

On her kind of music, the singer explained that her genre can’t be confined to a particular type, as her soulful ballads aim at appealing to the hearts of many.

When asked if she sings the usual R&B or Gospel, Ogoor stressed that she sings about anything and everything worthy of creation as she taps her inspiration from people around, her family, friends as well as her personal experience.



“My kind of music can’t be boxed in one genre because for me, I am a musician and music flows from my soul, I write and also see others write but I can tell you when I sing, it’s for a purpose, probably to share a particular experience or someone’s experience.


“I can do any genre, I can sing but my rhythm for now has seen me launch my career with a low tempo yet appealing and alluring to the ears. Music means so much to me and my passion for music has always been from my childhood days,” she said.

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/i-was-rejected-at-many-music-reality.html

cc: fynestboi

1. When you realise it’s almost the end of term.

https://a1000laff.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/The-Great-Gatsby-14122016161417.jpg

2. Then you remember you have exams!

https://res.cloudinary.com/big-cabal/image/upload/v1472324673/sadc1smxbkisbr1i5pys.jpg

3. And student assessments…

https://res.cloudinary.com/big-cabal/image/upload/v1475065690/IMG_1011_qwr2an.jpg

4. Now you remember all the times you played instead of listening in class.

https://res.cloudinary.com/big-cabal/image/upload/v1472396038/sad.jpg

5. And how you spent the whole term looking for all your teachers’ trouble.
https://res.cloudinary.com/big-cabal/image/upload/v1472396057/shock%20wow.jpg

6. You and your gang of troublemakers are like:
https://res.cloudinary.com/big-cabal/image/upload/v1472396046/cry-kids-beat.jpg

7. Now you have 2 weeks to cram all the notes for all your subjects before you end up disgraced.
https://res.cloudinary.com/big-cabal/image/upload/v1475065693/CGVDHr9UgAEdp2C_yosalb.jpg

8. Meanwhile all the efikos in school are like:
https://res.cloudinary.com/big-cabal/image/upload/v1475065684/IMG_0651_ztbxli.jpg

9. And you are following them around and begging them to help you like:
https://res.cloudinary.com/big-cabal/image/upload/v1478567191/please_epp_d2sh6e_jdliga.jpg

10. Now the school also wants to start doing end of term shows and concerts.
https://res.cloudinary.com/big-cabal/image/upload/v1477296024/pls-no-khfvhy_x2empb.jpg

11. And they want you to get involved as if you are not going through personal things.
https://res.cloudinary.com/big-cabal/image/upload/v1475065692/IMG_1095_cy7zwn.jpg

12. The closer to the end of term, the more desperate you are.
https://a1000laff.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Creepy-Tobey-Maguire-14122016162511.jpg

13. Then end of term comes and you almost die of stress and fear but you survived.
https://a1000laff.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Success-Kid-14122016162610-1.jpg

14. Then it dawns on you that because of stress, you’e forgotten the most important thing about the end of term; HOLIDAYS!
https://a1000laff.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Ronald-Mcdonald-Call-14122016162708-1.jpg

15. And now you’re like:
https://a1000laff.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Donald-Trump-14122016162740.jpg

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/

cc: Fynestboi, olawalebabs, Richiez

Twenty-one first class graduates will lead 208 others at the eigth convocation of Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State, on Wednesday 14th Dec, the university has announced.

While eight of the first class holders are from the institution’s College of Business and Social Sciences (CBSS) 13 others are drawn from the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CONAS).

Similarly, 86 graduates had second class (Upper Division), 75 fell under the 2nd class (lower division), and 47 in other categories.

Speaking at a briefing held at the school’s Mass Communication Hall on Tuesday, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Ajayi, boasted that the 229 potential graduates are certified worthy in character and learning by the authority.

Ajayi said the convocation lecture titled: Restructuring and rebirth: Salvaging Nigeria’s lost century, will be delivered on convocation day by the former Vice Chancellor of Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, Prof Ayodeji Olukoju.

He added that an alumni lecture which holds a day ahead of the convocation with the theme: The role of alumni in the development of a university, wiIl be delivered by Prof. Yemi Akinkuotu of the Lagos State University Faculty of Education.


Other activities will include: kit exercise for staff and students; novelty football match, a thanksgiving service and the commissioning of projects by the Parents Forum and graduating students.

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/21-first-class-graduates-from-crawford.html

cc: Richiez, olawalebabs, Fynestboi

It's undeniable that controversy and popularity go hand in hand.
Something as harmless as a picture shared on social media could become so controversial and talked about for months to come. 2016 had several moments that had us asking "What's going on with xyz celebrity?"
It's been undeniably a tough 12 months for the celebrities on this list. Below are our most controversial people of 2016:
1. Toyin Aimakhu

https://i0.wp.com/www.playground.ng/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/img_2970-1-e1459114479284.jpg
For Nigerian actress Toyin Aimakhu it started with her marriage scandal with estranged husband, Adeniyi Johnson.
She accused him of constantly cheating with her colleagues but it didn’t take her a month before she got involved with Ebony boss, Seun Egbegbe.
Their breakup was even messier than her marital drama. Seun reportedly seized her phones at a movie location and was accused of kidnapping her too. The two later engaged in a war of words on social media and in several interviews.

Let's also not forget the late Mayowa Ahmed fund raising saga.
Moved by late ovarian cancer patient, Ahmed Mayowa Shukurat's story, actress Toyin Aimakhu visited Mayowa and helped solicit funds on her behalf.
When reports emerged suggesting that the campaign was orchestrated by Ahmed Mayowa Shukurat's family to deceive Nigerians, Toyin Aimakhu stormed LUTH with police officers and that lead to another lengthy social media onslaught.
2. Kemi Olunloyo

https://i1.wp.com/www.osasmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/kemi.jpg?fit=640%2C513
Mother of all controversies. Anything renowned media personality, Kemi Olunloyo speaks or tweets about automatically becomes controversial.
This year alone saw Olunloyo in the limelight more times than normal. From calling Jide Kosoko a ritualist who killed his wife, Henrietta Kosoko, to fat shaming Eniola Badmus and trolling Dayo Amusa, Olunloyo was a hit in the controversial department this year.
3. Freeze

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-czaM2jkCDOU/V-xDNd8iGEI/AAAAAAAAZd0/_nbXxlWgdPo/s640/blogger-image--67025170.jpg
Always one to speak his mind, Freeze has been in the news for different controversies this year alone.
He was rumoured to have been sacked by the management of Cool FM following his public feud with Basketmouth which he tagged malicious.
The media personality has since been hogging the headlines with his unfiltered comments on politics, religion, love and marriage.
He also owns a blog where he posts his opinions on the burning topic of the day and is commonly known as a social critic.
4. Toke Makinwa
https://static.pulse.ng/img/incoming/origs5863414/8321669742-w408-h960/Toke-Makinwa.jpg

Thanks to her marital issues being made public and the occasional rambling on YouTube, Toke Makinwa almost snatched the controversial spotlight from Kemi Olunloyo.
This year alone saw the TV host and Vlogger trend for several reasons.
First, it started with her misconstrued advice to single young ladies, then her releasing a tell-all book, “On Becoming”, where she talks about getting a sexually transmitted disease from her husband, her husband’s mistress and her failed marriage.
5. Emeka Ike

https://naijaparents.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/meka.jpg
2016 was undeniably the year of controversial Emeka Ike.
He charged the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) to court, dragged Ibinabo Fiberesima on social media and was involved in a marital drama with his estranged wife
6. Davido

[img]http://2.bp..com/-1Hlf5HGFNI8/VoURVnbkLpI/AAAAAAAABrM/xck--qzFfqQ/s1600/IMG_20151231_122750_065.jpg[/img]
Davido and his baby mama, Sophia Momodu, owned this year with their baby drama.
The two constantly threw shots at each other on social media even dragging Ovation publisher, Dele Momodu, into the mess.
Davido was delayed from going to Dubai with his daughter at the airport after Dele Momodu called child services and customs. This led to a full-on media war and onslaught.
The singer even went ahead to release a song calling Dele Momodu his “boy”.
7. Wizkid

https://static.pulse.ng/img/incoming/origs5175964/566048802-w980-h640/wizkid-weds-Linda-Ikeji-1.jpg
And then Wizkid decided to bless fans with his trolling of popular blogger, Linda Ikeji.
The beef between the two started when Linda Ikeji's Blog reported Wizkid had been evicted out of his Lekki home after his rent had expired.
This supposedly angered the pop singer, who made hostile remarks about Ikeji.
Eventually, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, had to intervene putting the beef between the music star and Entrepreneur to rest.

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/list-of-7-controversial-celebrities-of.html

cc: Fynestboi, MissyB3, ijebabe

Rukky Sanda shows off curves in new photos she teased on Instagram.
The Nollywood actress chose colourful dresses and a clean facebeat for the photoshoot. The screen siren chose a tiered bust detailed decolletage revealing dress in mustard putting flesh on display while showing off her stunning shape.

She chose the vibrant look with glowing makeup look and pink lips complete with bouncy shoulder length curly mane.

She chose yet another vibrant figure hugging frock with train and embossed lacer cut details serving face and showing off an impressive shape. The actress definitely got that body working!
Credits:
Photography- @photographercharlie
Styling- @enthystfashionklinik
Makeup- @belle_bedazzled

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/rukky-sanda-flaunts-curves-in-colourful.html

Posting the story is to long so I've put it on my site

Cc: Enoqueen

“Not a Tell All but a Must Tell”
On Becoming...

PROLOGUE

Who am I? Everyone ponders this question at some point in their life. Do we know who we are? Do our roots or the things we have seen, places we have been, form us? Are we caught up in the life we have lived or the things our dreams are made of? Is that where we find ourselves? What is responsible for our individual patterns? Our peculiar loves or the thoughts that take center-stage in our minds? Are we led to believe that we are who we are by the inner voice that speaks to us, shapes our minds and guides us through life? I would like to believe that we are the sum of all our experiences, and that since our lives are constantly unfolding, we are incapable of totally understanding who we are. We learn ourselves as we grow, and only when we are dead and gone and our memories are all we have left in this world, then will the question ‘Who am I?’ be replaced with Who was I? What did I live for? What did I do? What did my life stand for? Hopefully, then, the puzzle surrounding the question will be solved. We are told who we are supposed to be from the moment we are born. Grownups reel out a list of names that distinguish us, names that may tell a deeper story. They tell us if we are male or female. We learn about the colour of our skin from them and they introduce us to foods they think we ought to eat. From the choices they make for us when we are unable to think for ourselves, a sense of what is expected of us is born. We grow up believing all of it, and as we come of age we begin an almost desperate quest to find the answer to this question. The question of who we are is a journey to an unknown destination, yet we choose to believe that we are familiar with this destination. We choose this because it is ultimately what keeps us growing and going. It is a sign of hope. Hope that keeps us holding on even though we can’t see the end of the tunnel. We grasp that hope because it is all we have till we finally end up where we are supposed to be. Welcome to a world of me, on a mission to find out who I am. I am Becoming. All of it. The rise and fall... the pain and victory. This book is born out of pain, confusion, betrayal and scars that run deep. From a place where I only hear my voice as I navigate murky waters to victory. To becoming. To wholesome. This is not a tell-all but a must-tell. To everyone out there who is as lost and in pain as I was when I conceived the idea of this book, choose to believe that the sun will shine again. On Becoming, Toke


Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/on-becoming-toke-makinwa-full-story.html

Cc: ijebabe, MissyB3, Fynestboi, Enoqueen

enoqueen:
Why not continue the whole chapter here instead of opening new topic everytime. I think it will give u more view and thereby alot of people get to see ur blog.

My little cent though, but then what do I know.

Thanks for the Idea Ill do just that

#muah *kisses* if you dont mind

As Published By The NATION Newspaper.

Makinde Azeez may appear as your regular guy, but the 27-year-old Physics and Electronic graduate of Osun State University is the founder of one of Nigeria’s biggest music download websites, . Fresh out of the university, he speaks with OVWE MEDEME on his plans to reinvent the platform, challenges he has had to deal with and a whole lot of other issues.

HOW did Naijaloaded come to be?

I actually created it seven years ago, October 1, 2009 to be precise. It was on Independence Day and it was a public holiday. I was fresh out of secondary school then. Have always been a good internet user and I was actually undergoing some training in web design.

And then, I did a check and I discovered that most bloggers have no knowledge about web designing. What they do is, they outsource their design and programming jobs to outsiders and those ones build based on their own understanding. But as one who has the knowledge, I know what is lacking in different platforms in Nigeria. So I built a website to address those challenges. That was how we started.

At what point did you realise it was something big?

With most blogs, users had to search a lot. We do most of the hard-work, then get most of the information we think Nigerians want to know. There was an issue with UNILAG admission in 2009. They already announced the date of their exams. It was on all Nigerian blogs but it was very hard for users to get the information.

So what we did was to create a page for exam information. That was how we were able to grow based on what we think our users want. Music in Nigeria is a very lucrative business, but then there was no platform offering very flexible music downloads. What we did was that people wanted to comment. They wanted to talk about new releases even after downloading. As at then, there was no site giving them that platform. So we created a comment box for each post. That was how Naijaloaded grew from being just a normal information website to a full blown music website. Now, we are a niche-less blog. We do music, football, and majorly anything. We are not just a music website, but as it is, we don’t think there is a music website that can compete with us.

How were you able to fund it at the beginning?

There is a quote that says ‘start anyhow’. When I started back in 2009, there was no finance power. I just started anyhow I could. I started with free hosting. I was able to build a very good traffic with them. After one year, I saw that this is something promising. Then I started looking for how to raise money. In 2010, I bought a domain name, got a server and started paying, but we have really grown from a 10,000 visit monthly to a 110 million page views monthly.

Now, we have between 110 million and 130 million page views averagely. And then, the server fee has really increased. But with hardwork and sponsored content, we have been able to tackle those bills. Today, we pay up to 2,000 dollars monthly to just have our server running. We have about 15 staff members now and we pay about one million naira as salaries monthly.

What is the concept behind Naijaloaded TV?

Everyday, we put up a post on Naijaloaded asking people’s opinion about happenings in the entertainment industry. And then, there is a whole lot of comments that generate buzz. We noticed that the way people comment on blogs is actually different from the way they speak in real life.

So what NLTV is out to do is to go into the streets, hear what people have in mind and interact with them. We believe in less than one month, if we start the videos, they will go viral. We have a lot of topics already lined up. We posted one on our platform because we know Nigerians will like to be more specific. So what we are trying to do with NLTV is basically street interviews, exclusive engagements. We also have a programme called Rap Attack where we will bring students from different schools to do something like a rap battle and then put them up for Nigerians to watch.

How soon do you intend to float the TV?

By the first week of January, we will be putting up our first contents. Then we can now decide what content to drop on what day of the week but we can boast that Nigerians will actually enjoy the concept of NaijaloadedTV. Also, for the next Headies, we are actually working with them to do a live streaming. Not everybody has cable TV but we all have internet. We will be doing artiste interviews. We have a studio already for all of that.

What other concept are you exploring?

What we are trying to do is that we are trying to develop some of our already existing contents to build another platform of its own like our football highlights and our football predictions. All through 2015, Nairabet was the one powering it. You know how big Nairabet is. What we do is that a day before any big match, we tell our subscribers to predict the winners. So we give the top five winners some money. So now, what we want to do is that, we want to take out the predictions from Naijaloaded and build platform that will standalone. It will be free. All people have to do is go to the website, drop a comment and if they are lucky, they will win a prize. They are not betting with their money, they are not gambling. It’s just strictly prediction. So, apart from NaijaloadedTV, we are working on various projects and in a few weeks, we will also be changing the face of our platform because we want to be more professional.

Who do you regard as your biggest competitor?

Let’s say I never started because of competition. I don’t play football, I don’t play games, I don’t do a lot of things. The only thing I know how to do is to surf the internet and probably send out information. I don’t really think I’m competing with anybody because what we are doing in Naijaloaded, we don’t think anybody does it. We do music, videos, football predictions, highlights, news and such. I don’t think there’s any platform that combines all of them together. So we are our own competitors.

What we are trying to do is that in the next four years, we will grow all these categories. Our music category alone is even bigger than some standalone websites. We have 35 million downloads every month for our songs. For our football predictions, we have 13 million visits. That is even bigger than some Nigerian standalone music or football websites. So we are our own competitors. What we want to do is we want to grow all our categories. We want them to have different templates, different interface, and different audience. So I don’t think we are competing with anybody.

How do you get songs for your website?

The Nigerian entertainment industry has become more flexible. More companies are coming in. Over the past years, Nigerian musicians actually call up bloggers to put their songs on their platforms. Some even pay to have their songs in blogs. The only way they used to monetise their content was by performing in shows or tours. But for their music, they hardly make anything from it. Today because of some music streaming sites, they can monetise. Once they put out a single, they send it out to bloggers, but some top artistes like Davido don’t do that anymore.

What are your projections for 2017?

I just graduated from school six months ago, so I think we are just starting. All we’ve done for seven years was being done from the bedroom. And if we were able to achieve a whole lot within that period, we believe that now that we have a structure, we have those who get things done, we will do better.

Now, we are doing things differently from what we’ve been doing in the past seven years. New products are on ground. With new management, new structure, and new plans, we believe 2017 will be the real year. There will be bigger achievements, endorsements, a whole lot of apps coming in, a whole lot of events powered by Naijaloaded and a whole lot of things going viral. We are very sure of that. We’ve done our test run for three weeks now. We have a whole lot of new bloggers, new writers, new event managers, competent graphic designers. So we believe we are in for the real game now. The business is about to launch.

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/makinde-azeez-reveals-naijaloaded.html

Cc: ijebabe, MissyB3, Fynestboi

fruitty07:
It's night already, where's chapter 3??

sorry its out already

LOSS

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” – Thomas Campbell
The most persistent memory from my childhood is of a smell: a smell of rubber, gas, charred flesh and burning clothes – a memory from the day that changed everything.
***
We had just finished our morning devotion that Monday and I was lying on one of the brown chairs in our living room. My dad would ring a bell to wake us up and we would all assemble in the living room to pray, sing and listen to a Bible lesson. It always took me a while to get up from the chair to shower and get ready for school after devotion. I loved going to school but the process of waking up so early to commune with God before the day started was exhausting for me as a child so I had to take a rest first. Besides, it was still very early in the morning.

Then I heard a loud bang. Thunder, I thought. Suddenly my dad was breaking down the front door and there was commotion everywhere. The key to the front door had been missing for some time so we had been taking the back door in and out, but here was my dad breaking down the front door. Then I was barefoot downstairs, watching as a crowd gathered. I must have gone into shock. I had no idea how I’d gotten downstairs, and I couldn’t find any of my siblings. There was a fire in our flat. The bang I had heard was the sound of the gas cylinder exploding. My mum had gotten the cylinder on Friday and brought it home only to discover a leak when it was turned on. She left instructions with Grace, who had been on duty that weekend, saying that the cylinder was not to be used and that she would return it on Monday. There was no way to contact the gas people before then. We had used a kerosene stove throughout the weekend. When the other help, Ruth, returned early that Monday morning, Grace didn’t pass the information because they weren’t talking. Ruth, unaware of the danger, had put on the gas cylinder and tried to light the cooker. She died in the first blast. Grace survived the first blast but later died in the hospital. My dad had come out of the building smelling of burning rubber, putting out the fire on his shorts as he tried to explain what had happened to a crowd that seemed to be getting bigger every minute. I could see his lips move but I couldn’t hear him because I didn’t leave my spot. It wasn’t bright yet, I took comfort in the dark. There was something I could taste in my mouth: it was Fear. Fear gripped me and I could barely move. I’m not sure my dad even saw me as he walked past me. In movies, you sometimes see a scene with someone burning from head to toe, screaming and trying to fight the flames. It happened right in front of me. Everyone ran back trying to figure out who it was and how to put out the flames, shouting advice from a safe distance. It took me a moment to realise that it was mum. I stood glued to the spot, watching her burn. Then she was rolling around in the sand trying to put out the flames in the most macabre dance I have ever seen. I heard someone mention pouring water on her to put out the fire but the group of people who had now moved
closer to her advised against it as she was already in too much pain. The fire was eventually put out, my mum and dad were put in the back seat of our Peugeot car and a neighbour got into the driver’s seat. I went to stand by the car door and I saw both of them seated beside each other, and that smell hit me. Even after they were driven to the hospital I could still smell it. Meanwhile, people worked feverishly to keep the fire from spreading to other apartments. It was too late to save our apartment as well as the lifetime of memories and property my parents had worked for. My mum’s friend spotted me in the crowd and took me and my siblings to her house. We were already there before we realised that none of us had seen my baby brother and my cousin.
***
My mum’s older sister, Big Mummy, and my mum were very close. Big Mummy visited us very often and was there for every major event in our lives. She and my mum would often speak on the phone after the nine o clock news and sometimes my mum would fall asleep still talking to her. It was Big Mummy who came to move the family to Lagos. My parents needed to be taken abroad for medical attention, but there were no international flights from Abuja at the time so we had to go to Lagos first. In Lagos, hospitals were on strike. Eko Hospital, where my parents were taken, was understaffed because of the strike, and doctors had to get my mum in a stable condition before any more travelling could be done as she was in far worse shape than my dad. I remember Big Mummy saying it had taken a while to identify my mum when she saw her in the hospital, because of the severity of her burns. Some of the medication administered to my parents had expired, and this made Big Mummy furious when she found out. The last time I was close to my mum was during the flight to Lagos. We were not allowed to sit with her or my dad or my baby brother, who was found in the flat by firemen when they turned up. He was not as badly burned as my parents, but the wounds were severe for a one-year-old. My cousin was also found, and we all travelled together to Lagos.

Big Mummy was our rock. She had five kids to take care of, besides making sure our parents were treated properly. My mum kept asking for her children, yet when my brother was brought into her room to see her she refused to look at him. She was burned all over and in a lot of pain. She died before she could be sent abroad. I hear the moment she passed was spiritual. Big Mummy always shares the story of how she kept shouting, “I can see Jesus, His face is like the sun”. She had been in too much pain, and the only thing that kept her sane was the same recital of ‘Thank You Jesus’. They had no idea she was passing on. Her voice grew faint as she said, “I can see Jesus, His face is like the sun”. And very quickly she was gone.
***
My dad kept asking for his wife. Nobody was brave enough to tell him the truth. They eventually told him she had been taken abroad for treatment, as her case was critical, just to keep him calm. The day he died, it was unexpected. He had been responding to treatment and was lucid, having conversations with the people that came to visit him. He was lying quietly in bed one minute and the next he was agitated, calling my mum by name and asking her to open the door because he wanted to be with her. Present in his room at that time was a nurse who was born again, and she knew instantly that the door he was asking to be opened was no ordinary one. She asked for everyone to start praying and pleading with the unseen to keep the door shut, to prevent him from leaving. He kicked in the air like he was struggling to kick open that door and their voices grew even louder. “Dupe, please, don’t open the door,” they kept saying. “Dupe, remember your four children, close the door.” Their efforts were wasted. He passed away right before their eyes.
***
When I was a child, Saturdays often found my family at one wedding or another. I was little bride at many of these weddings, and very often I didn’t know who the couple was. I remember Aunty Fadekemi, though; she and her husband attended our church. I was a little bride at their wedding and she came to thank my parents afterwards. I had to sit between my parents and I remember dad and mum teasing the new couple about children and when they were going to start having some. They were all just joking around. Then my dad turned to my mum and said, ‘You, can you survive without me?’ And she replied with, ‘No o. We’re dying together. If you go, I go!’
***
‘Your parents have gone to heaven’ was how my uncles broke the news to us. I listened quietly, and then watched them leave as I took a bicycle, one of my cousin’s, for a ride, and I just rode around and around. I found myself riding to the back of Big Mummy’s huge compound, and my father’s mum was sprawled out on the grass, praying. ‘Yèmi Alice’, as she was called, was one of the first Christians in Idanre. She had also heard the news of my parents passing and there she was crying and rolling in the grass in prayer. I watched her for so long, without understanding what this meant. But inside of me I could feel it: our lives would not be the same again.
***
My parents were buried side by side in Idanre, their hometown in Ondo State. My dad was 35 and my mum was a few months shy of 34. Their coffins were brown, with their names, Caleb Ifemayowa Makinwa and Modupe Monica Makinwa, inscribed in gold. We moved into Big Mummy’s house in Ikoyi. She was the eldest of our aunts and had sent herself to school and also taken care of her siblings’ education. Dad’s siblings were not very involved in our lives after his passing, but we were blessed to have family members who cared for us and tried to do
right by my parents. We were young, but death had scarred us, including my baby brother. While the rest of us mourned brown suits and a funny overprotective mum, he had to grow up without any memories of them. Yèmi Alice died soon after. She was never the same after my parents’ death.
***
I was eight years old when mum and dad died. And life continued. Big Mummy became mummy. She was the sweetest woman but I knew better than to cross her. I couldn’t find closure. The tragedy that had befallen my family took on the form of a heavy cloak that hurt to carry around but that I couldn’t bear to take off for fear that I would fall apart without it. I had all these ‘adult’ questions but no one to ask. Where was God when that gas cylinder exploded? Dad had been active in the church and he wasn’t the type to act one way in public and another way at home. He had made sure we all took prayer, Bible and everything else seriously. So what was the purpose of religion if it could not even save its followers? We had just finished morning devotion when the tragedy hit. Where was the justice in that? Why did my dad follow suit after my mum passed, when he wasn’t terribly hurt like she was? Had he preferred to go with her rather than stay with us? Was I a burden to our extended family? Would we always be people to be pitied? How long would anything last before it was taken away from me? From being a bubbly, friendly child I became withdrawn and taciturn. From being the child who always came first in class, I went to the bottom of the class.

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/on-becoming-by-toke-makinwa-chapter-3.html

Cc: ijebabe, MissyB3, Fynestboi

enoqueen:
Where is chapter 2

Check my profile or the source

buffalowings:
Don't go to iyanfoworogi primary school they won't hear

This is a compulsory project in primary schools

Mtchew

Abi o... they are now hyping the old boy calling him young

Chapter 2 is out expect chapter 3 in the night

Smallville10:
guy get lost abeg... Didnt u see kids doing this lamp some years back?

Maybe creativity no reach ur side

I doubt it bro

NatureBoy91:
See his earlier work here https://www.nairaland.com/3467723/16-year-old-boy-aba-constructs-prototype

The 16-year-old boy in Aba(Abia State) named " Uchenna Okwu Sunday," whom I told you I saw his creativity in Aba previously; has constructed a prototype lamp for people living around who are Traders.

The story I heard is that him(Uchenna), have been repairing electrical fault in people's houses and teaches his mates which has made him more popular in his area. Recently, a man-trader came to him and asked him to help construct a lamp which will produce light while he sells at evening due to power failure in such area.

I was surprised to hear that in less than 24 hours, Uchenna has constructed this prototype lamp and gave to the man-trader. In addition, when other Traders saw it, they were amazed and they demanded he constructs for them too at which he sells #200 each.

When I interviewed him on how he constructed the lamp, I learnt he used a rubber type of plate, four pieces of wires, batteries, a plain wood, a burnt electric bulb that he inserted a torch bulb inside. This boy you see is a school-drop-out in his SS3 due to financial issues.
See photo of the Prototype Lamp below:

There is no INNOVATION here all I see is RENOVATION OF IDEA, If you praise a 16 year old boy(SSS 3) for this... I am #shortofwords just contunu

As per comedy in church Meetings..

I was brought up under very rigid church atmosphere ,to humor during a sermon was almost Like a sin,,
Then came " knowledge" we felt we had been too religious ,somewhat and somehow ,we threw away the baby with the bath water..

We introduced fun into services,
From dance steps to many other things ,

" to the pure all things are pure ", we must have quoted .

What we failed to see is the side effects of entertainment

Lightness

Looseness

Loquaciousness

The spirit of lasciviousness prevailed .

Then the latest miasma ..

Comedy.

Sad enough ,recently I found myself laugh at one of such instances ,and quickly I Checked myself " are you losing your mind " I asked myself

Comical jokes and ridiculous jokes poked at scripturally awed activities

Jokes about casting out demons ( when fewer believers actually cast out Demons )
Mockery about tongues ( called a communication with the Father )
Gifts of the spirit used as comedy and to generate hilarity ( whereas fewer believers walk in the gifts )
Ministry of angels used as comical relief ..
Judgment seat of Christ made to look like theatre too.
Most vitally ,preachers of the gospels in humor mannequin for laughs and fun.

The list goes on ..

What exactly is happening .

The Yorubas say"it's a bastard who uses his left hand to describe his fathers house "

We mustn't be so behaved .

We should know the importance of the above activities ,things Christ purchased( made available ) with His blood ,found only in His spirit

They can't be used for drama and comedy to laugh and jeer or cheer .

It must stop !

1 Timothy 3:15 KJV
[15] But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

A fellow told me" laughter is medicine for the soul"
I said ,the laughter needed Is it referring to laughing from a joke,or joy in the Holy Ghost ?

There is joy in the Holy Ghost

Jesus demonstrated it ,the church in acts ,paul and the apostles taught it and they weren't referring to making a mockery of spiritual things .

Nothing wrong in humor but keep away things of the faith and verity

Like paul admonished

Ephesians 5:4 KJV
[4] Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

Let's have the consecration of the old timers and behave ourselves in the house !

If your church members are carnal, no need feeding their carnality ,feed them spiritual realities

Hope this meets you well

Shol3:
Nigerians don turn reactant

I'm confused dont know whether to laugh

mrvitalis:
Ok name a gun better than ak47

[AR-15, M16A1, M16A2, M16A3, M16A4, XM16E1, M4, Mk12] M16

Beginning

“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.”
– Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

My dad was a brown man. His preference for all things brown, not his skin colour, is how I remember him – brown suits, brown seats in his car. That and his strictness. Mum was really pretty and petite. She was of the forehead gang, like me, and a big talker. I was born into a family of six, which seemed to be the desired middle-class family model in the 80s: four kids and two parents. I was the second child; my older sister was born exactly 12 months before me, and then my sister and brother after me. My mother had me at St. Nicholas Hospital, Onikan, in Lagos Island, although we lived at Medical Compound in Yaba. I don’t remember much of my early years. My first memories are of Abuja, where we moved after my dad was transferred. He was a civil servant at the Ministry of Works and my mother was a teacher. They were both from the same village, Idanre, where they had met.

At the time we had a white Gallant saloon car. Dad would wake up very early every morning to wash it downstairs. Sometimes I’d watch as he washed and sang his favourite hymn.
Day by day, dear Lord of thee three things I pray To see thee more clearly Love thee more dearly Follow thee more nearly Day by day
He’d lift the wipers off the windshield and gently clean them before putting them down. He later bought a Peugeot 504, black with the expected brown seats, which became his car while my mum used the Gallant. My parents were industrious. Besides their regular jobs, they pursued other endeavours. Dad was taking classes after work so he could get a law degree. After he got the 504 he started coming home even later than usual. I remember once waking up around 3 am to the sound of someone entering the house. I checked and it was my dad; he had a face cap on. I asked why he was just coming home and he explained that he had driven his car as a taxi all night. He wore the cap to disguise himself. Of course, he sent me back to bed, but I remember praying for God to protect him as he went about while we slept. He eventually hired a driver to do the taxi bit so he could spend more time with us. Mum owned a shop in Garki, where she hired tailors to make and amend clothes. She also supplied drinks to a lot of the big hotels in Abuja at the time including the Hilton, Agura and Sheraton. Sometimes, after teaching at school she’d travel to Lagos overnight to buy goods and return the next day. We lived in Area 2 in Garki, on the third floor of a block of flats. Our neighbours were a motley mix: downstairs was a pastor, and beside him a family where the husband beat his wife every Saturday morning like clockwork. My parents would shut us inside the house so we wouldn’t hear. I remember riding my bicycle downstairs, between neighbours’ cars and around our block in Abuja where we spent our early childhood. Even riding
that bicycle was a luxury as mum was very wary of her children mixing with kids or neighbours that she didn’t know well. There was this man who had a bald head, the first bald-headed person I had ever seen. I used to spit on his head from upstairs. He’d think it was water and would wipe it off and keep going. I was lucky my parents never caught me because I would have been in plenty of trouble. Both my parents were strict, my dad especially. ‘I’ll tell your daddy when he gets home’ was a sure way to get us to behave. The fear of daddy and his famous brown belt was indeed the beginning of wisdom. I remember the first time he disciplined me. I had struck a match inside our living room and ended up burning a bit of the carpet, leaving our help with no choice but to report me to my parents. As if that wasn’t enough to get him angry, I lied about it too. So little Toke ended up on her knees with her hands up as she got flogged with the most dreaded thing in the world then – dad’s belt! We got scared every time Dad took his belt off and rolled it up. It was his brand of discipline and it worked like magic. But the magic only lasted for short periods; I still got into trouble. One time I joined the cultural group in school without telling anyone, and we had to go to Eagle Square in Abuja to perform. It was some national event and several schools were taking part. We were dressed in this cultural outfit that had mirrors all over, and we had dots of calamine lotion all over our bodies. We were preparing to perform when someone yanked me from the group, yelling at my teachers. It was my dad. I didn’t know he was in the audience and had spotted me. Another time, there was palm wine in the fridge at home. I had never tasted palm wine before and decided to treat myself. As I took the bottle from the fridge it slipped from my hands and broke. No one at home at the time shouted at me; they felt sorry for me because they knew I was in for it. I got the belt that night, and the experience made me terrified of palm wine from then on. My mum was no slouch in the discipline department either, despite being the one we ran to for ‘saving’ from our dad. She was a no-nonsense person, never afraid to speak her mind. My results came in one time with a comment

from my teacher saying I talked too much. My mum went to school to see my teacher. And in front of my entire class she scolded and flogged me – not very hard, but enough to let the message sink it. Dad was an elder in church. He held himself to a much higher standard and that filtered down to us. We had morning devotions and prayer sessions at our house every day, and even though I don’t remember mum being very religious I know she wholeheartedly supported his direction. Even as young as we were then, we understood that dad wasn’t stern because he hated us. He was a generous man; he spent as much time with us as he could, making sure to drop us off at school every morning. It was our bonding time. I always sat in front, in the passenger seat. There was a policeman at a junction we passed on the drive to school who was convinced that my dad had a habit of deep conversation with himself; I was so small the policeman couldn’t see me in the passenger seat. One morning on our usual drive, daddy stopped by and pulled the glass down so the man could meet me and see that he wasn’t mad, he was just deep in conversation with his daughter. Daddy enjoyed buying us gifts just because. He had a great sense of humour, and a smile that could light up a room.
***
In the 80s and 90s, if a family didn’t have younger siblings of the parents living with them then they found helps to assist with house chores or babysitting. There were five of us kids at the time, including a cousin, and we were all young so my parents needed help. My cousin had lost her dad, my mother’s brother, Uncle Leye, and mum had brought her to live with us after the burial. She was his only child and was two or three years old at the time. This was before my brother was born. There were two young women helping mum around the house. They didn’t compare to Aunty Maria, who had been with us from as early as I could remember. She was a second mum in many ways. She helped us with our homework, picked us up from school and just took care of us. But she had to leave because she had been with us for a long time and had to settle down
and begin her own family. Her departure brought Ruth and Grace. We didn’t like Ruth very much; she reported our every infraction to our parents. Grace was nicer. My mum needed two helps because things had gotten very busy for her with her business. Ruth and Grace used to take alternate weekends off. Unknown to my mum, a rivalry had developed between the two women and they stopped talking to each other. This was why one of them wasn’t aware when the gas cylinder developed a leak; because one failed to tell the other.

Source: http://sauta97..com.ng/2016/12/on-becoming-by-toke-makinwa-chapter-2.html