₦airaland Forum

Team Member was born hours after the news stations reported a bomb blast in the United Nation’s headquarters in the capital territory of Nigeria, Abuja. On August 26 2011, Member Hembadoon Feese a 23-year-old post-graduate student was confirmed as being in the UN building at the time of the bomb. Her car was in the parking lot, her mobile phone was off, and her body was missing. The panic escalated as the race to find Member began. Trawling through hospital, sorting through victims, Member was finally discovered in the Intensive Care Unit of the National Hospital. Able doctors, despite valiant fighting were too powerless to combat the obvious; a protracted lack of facilities.https://www.cp-africa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/member-feese.jpg

36 Hours Later…
2 parents, 2 siblings, 100s of friends & supporters and several surgeries later; it was clear that Member’s chances of surviving were extremely slim if she remained within Nigeria. The facilities, or lack of same, would be her death it appeared. With a severely damaged and heavily infected left leg, injured lungs and substantial injuries to various body parts, the 5’3, 60 kg lithe frame of Miss Feese had taken a battering. A battering her country, Nigeria, was clearly unable to fix. Member had to be evacuated as soon as possible or her condition would deteriorate quickly. On the Sunday following the bomb blast which killed over 20 people, Member was airlifted to the United Kingdom where she underwent extensive, life-saving medical treatment.

What Went Wrong?
Member’s story evinces the dilapidated state of the Nigerian health care system. A few of the obvious problems with the system as reflected in Member’s tale include;

A disturbing lack of equipment in the National Hospital, the premier public hospital of the Federation housed in the capital territory, Abuja; the CT scanner though present…did not have a connecting cable. As such, the said equipment was useless.

Oxygen had to be manually pumped as there were no ventilators. This single act almost lead to Member’s demise as the constant motion of the machine compressed a lung further. The platelete machine was away from the hospital and with an individual in a different state insinuating a system of borrowing and exchanging is in existence. To the detriment of some patients.

No equipped ambulance are in existence despite the profusion of buses decorated with the ambulance sigma. Many nurses and support staff are poorly trained for the career and are responsible for substantial post-traumatic stress disorder damage due to the cavalier attitude exhibited to both patients and traumatised families.

The clear absence of a chain of command made communication, particularly, difficult.
Team Member was born on the day of the bomb blast, Friday 26th August 2011. It originally began on Blackberry Messenger with five of Member’s friends as the only members. A small group whose purpose was to share updates about Member, encourage each other, and spread positivity to mobilize support for Member. Soon, the positivity of the group, through message and the encouragement for Member and for each other, attracted many others. As Member grew in strength, so did the Group. As she regained her identity and focus, she returned whole in mind to speak out against the injustices in Nigeria. And so did Team Member. The Group has continued to grow in strength, advancing from being merely a support group to an advocacy group but our message remains the same at the core; Positivity and Support, in a fight for a better tomorrow.

Join the movement, tomorrow is just beginning.

Watch Member’s remarkable story below and [url]sign up here[/http://www.iamteammember.org/sign-up/] to join the movement! http://www.iamteammember.org/sign-up/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/iamteammember
Twitter:http://twitter.com/iamteammember
Blackberry Messenger: 299795F6
Email: change@iamteammember.org
Site: www.iamteammember.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S7s0rhVaeqk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G3Tk9m0BXGU

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/05/09/members-remarkable-story-un-bomb-blast-survivor-inspires-movement-to-change-nigeria-team-member/

Former Mo’Hits cofounder Don Jazzy recently launched Mavin Records, a new record label featuring Wande Coal, D’Prince, Tiwa Savage and Dr Sid.
https://www.cp-africa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/mavin-records.jpg
On the launch of the new record label, Don Jazzy had this to say to the press and his fans around the world:

Don Jazzy: I see Mavin Records being the power house of Music in Africa in the shortest possible time. I know Rome wasn’t built in a day but with a lot of hard work, a good and God fearing team, our friends and fans, TV houses, radio stations, press, bloggers and most of all with God on our side, there is nothing we cannot achieve.
I definitely won’t forget my past because I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. I know there are questions unanswered, mysteries unsolved, wounds to heal but I would really appreciate if we allow time to heal the wounds for us all instead of digging them up again.
I love and respect the press and bloggers a lot and believe they will play a major role in healing our wounds and allow the forward movement. I would love to thank everyone that contributed in making Mohits records as successful as it got.

We wouldn’t have done it without you all. The love and support you have given us thus far is definitely not in vain. You all helped create international superstars and none of us will let you down.

It is going to be a very exciting journey from here. I can’t wait to show you guys all we have planned for you all. We have some other Mavins that are not activated yet still under construction that I’m positive you are going to love. Please open up your hearts, lend us your ears, give us your love and support as always and let’s continue to entertain you. Please don’t forget to visit. www.mavinrecords.com and join the fan club “MAVIN LEAGUE” for exclusive news, music and gifts.

“Don’t just be amazing at what you do, be a MAVIN at it” – IDJA

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/05/07/don-jazzy-speaks-on-mavin-records-i-see-mavin-records-being-the-power-house-of-music-in-africa/

https://www.cp-africa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/mavin-records.png

Don Jazzy recently launched a new record label, Mavin Records.

Mavin Records "Nigeria's Number 1 Record Label" is set to launch Solar Plexus, its debut compilation produced exclusively by Don Jazzy today, May 8th.

Mavin Records, a record label comprising Wande Coal, D’Prince, Tiwa Savage, Dr Sid and award winning producer Don Jazzy is set to hit the West African music scene by storm. Congrats Don Jazzy!
http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/05/07/don-jazzy-launches-new-record-label-mavin-records-featuring-tiwa-savage-wande-coal-dr-sid-and-dprince/

By Segun Adekoye
Leading phone maker, Nokia will be collaborating with the Federal Government of Nigeria to establish a mobile software laboratory in Nigeria.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson during an MOU signing with Nokia to foster innovation and development of the ICT sector in Nigeria.

This collaboration, Mrs Johnson said, is expected to provide training for university students and emerging mobile entrepreneurs capable of competing in local and international markets. It will also help to create locally relevant content and services.

The mobile software laboratory will include a dedicated growth program for local developers focusing on design, technical and business skills. This would empower Nigerian software developers with the proper skills set and support for creating businesses that last and are sustainable around mobile software and content development.

She revealed that the government has further plans to partner the private sector and industry players to help bridge the digital gap and as well stimulate socio-economic development.

The alliance between the Federal Government of Nigeria with Nokia will also see to provide support in order to stimulate the growth of the local application developer ecosystem and industry. Another objective of the MOU, according to the released statement, is to enable the building of environmental awareness and expansion of handset recycling in the country.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/05/01/nokia-to-establish-mobile-software-laboratory-in-nigeria/

True or False?

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan enjoys an 81% approval rating says U.S. polling organization, Gallup. In addition, according to the organization, 64% of Nigerians approve of the country’s leadership.

President Goodluck Jonathan’s ratings was similar to the positive ratings of other African leaders though his was higher than average. Other featured African Presidents include the President of Botswana who enjoys an 81% approval rating and the President of Guinea who enjoys an 80% approval rating. The President of Angola received the lowest approval rating at just about 16%. Check out the full rating table here:

https://www.cp-africa.com.nyud.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/gallup-poll-president-approval.gif
From CP-Africa

The Final Subsidy Report by the Nigerian House of Representatives is now available for download. The report is available on Scribd. You can either view the report or download it via this link http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/05/01/download-now-the-final-fuel-subsidy-report-by-the-nigerian-government/

The Convener of Save Nigeria Group, Pastor Tunde Bakare has revealed that the group is getting set to mobilise Nigerians for another round of “Occupy Nigeria” protests following the shocking report on how the N1.7trn fuel subsidy was embezzled by marketers and government agencies. According to SNG, “another “Occupy Nigeria”, was imminent if government failed to act swiftly in prosecuting the culprits.”

According to the Save Nigeria Group’s spokesperson, Mr. Yinka Odumakin:

“This is a searing report. It’s an open book on the rape of a nation by mindless people. We expect that the Federal Government will want to treat the report as a family affair, but we (SNG) will ensure that this is the final nail on the coffin of corruption in Nigeria.

“If you recall, the slogan of Save Nigeria Group was ‘Kill Corruption Not Nigerians.’ And this is what this report is saying, if you don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigerians. In the report, in 2009, the Accountant-General released N999m 128 times in 24 hours.

“And as that time, only 36 marketers were participants under the Petroleum Support Fund. How come they suddenly became 128? Does it mean that 128 fuel marketers collected the same amount of subsidy and they imported the same quantity of oil? It’s all fraud.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/04/22/fuel-subsidy-save-nigeria-grouppastor-tunde-bakare-to-plan-another-occupy-nigeria-mass-protest/

A Nigerian Presidential Panel set up by the Presidency to rationalize Federal Government Parastatals, Committees and Agencies has advised that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) be scrapped as they perform the functions of the police force.

Details of the report was submitted this past Monday by the Chairman of the committee and a former head of service of the federation, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye.

According to Oronsaye:

“It was noted that the functions of the EFCC and the ICPC are the traditional functions of the Nigeria Police. The Committee observed that even though the two commissions were established separately to address corruption, which the Police appeared to have failed to do, successive administrations have ironically continued to appoint the Chairman of the EFCC from the Police Force, while the methodology adopted by the ICPC in conducting investigations as well as the training of its personnel in investigation procedure is carried out by the Police.

“One wonders if it was really expedient to dismember the Nigeria Police rather than allow it to evolve as a vibrant and effective agency,” he said.

Punch reports that political insiders feel the President will be favorably disposed to the recommendation.

According to Oronsaye, if the committee’s report are adopted and agencies reduced in accordance with the recommendation, government would be saving over N862bn between 2012 and 2015.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/04/17/scrap-efcc-and-icpc-says-nigerian-presidential-panel-thoughts/

[flash]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=89WtJ1m-cPs[/flash]

Speaking recently to CNN’s Richard Quest, Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala asserted that she is not daunted by the competition in her quest to be selected for the World Bank’s top job.


Okonjo Iweala
“I am not daunted” she said, “because the shareholders of the World Bank promised a fair, merit-based, open and competitive process.”

“This is not theory you are dealing with, it’s fact, it’s experience, it’s real world, ‘how do we make a policy decision that will help millions of poor people today? So that gives me a lot.”

Dr Okonjo Iweala emphasized job creation in developing countries in her conversation with Quest, saying that would be one of her main focuses.

The bank should also focus on promoting growth in developing nations to create jobs, especially for young people.” she said.

“I’ve never met a poor person who didn’t want the dignity of a job. If they have a job, they can take care of their health problems, their education problems.”

Watch the video: http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/04/08/i-am-not-daunted-says-dr-okonjo-iweala-on-world-bank-presidency/

Mercy has emerged winner of Nigerian Idol 2012. Mercy (a.k.a. Chinwo Nnenda) beat Joe Blue in the second edition of the popular Nigerian television show.

By emerging winner, Mercy will be walking away with the top prize of a recording contract, an SUV and a cash of prize of about $100,000.

Watch Mercy’s lovely performance of Chop my Money and Igwe below:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA7VEckkOYE&feature=plcp&context=C4e15002VDvjVQa1PpcFPQBmgFLjUgsQGuKREBXPJrQ8RWl9oA44g=[/flash]

Congrats Mercy!
http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/04/07/winner-of-nigerian-idol-2012-is-mercy/

March 2012, Johannesburg – The Anzisha Prize is on a continent-wide search for Africa’s rising young innovators. The Anzisha Prize is a youth innovation competition that promotes entrepreneurial projects amongst young people (age 15-20) in Africa. Finalists will win an all-expense paid trip to the African Leadership Academy campus in Honeydew, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa to attend a weeklong entrepreneurship conference. Grand prize winners, selected from these finalists, will share $75,000 USD in cash prizes to take their projects to the next level. This year, there will also be a special $10,000 award given to an Anzisha finalist with a renewable energy related project, courtesy of Silicon Valley Community
Foundation Donor Circle for Africa.

The goal is to spread awareness about the Anzisha Prize opportunity across the continent. “Last year, Anzisha received 180 applications, however, there are certainly hundreds upon thousands of entrepreneurial African youth that are impacting their communities. We want to hear their stories and recognize their successes.” – Chi Achebe, Anzisha Prize Program Manager.

Last year, there were 8 finalists from every corner of the African continent including winner Joel Mwale, a native of Kenya who founded SkyDrop Enterprises, a rainwater filtration and bottling company that recently celebrated its 100,000th bottle sold. “My friends thought I was crazy and my mummy termed me ‘over-ambitious’, but in the end, I have disproved them – and also assisted them” – Joel Mwale

The Anzisha Prize celebrates young entrepreneurs in the private and social sectors – both for-profit efforts that generate employment for other members of the community, and non-profit efforts that address entrenched social problems in the community. Applicants will be evaluated on the impact, ingenuity, and scalability of their entrepreneurial efforts.

“We will comb Africa in search of young people ages 15 to 20 who are creating value and addressing pain points in their communities by launching innovative for-profit and non-profit ventures. We will publicly celebrate the winners, giving away over $85,000 dollars in Prize money and broadcasting their stories across Africa and around the world,” said Chris Bradford,
Founder and Executive Vice President of African Leadership Academy. “By sharing the stories of these incredible role models with other African youth, we hope to ignite their passions and inspire their confidence to follow in the footsteps of their fellow leaders and entrepreneurs.”

Visit www.anzishaprize.org to download the application form and review submission instructions. Application deadline is May 1, 2012. Early submissions are highly encouraged.

About the Anzisha Prize
The Anzisha Prize is managed out of African Leadership Academy’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Leadership, which was established through a $1.6 million multi-year partnership with The MasterCard Foundation. Through the Anzisha Prize, we seek to catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship among youth across the continent. For more information visit
www.anzishaprize.org.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/04/06/call-for-applications-75000-usd-search-for-africas-top-young-innovators-anzisha-prize/

Following our earlier feature on Mo’Hits’ rise to the top, Don Jazzy speaks further on Mo’ Hits rise to the top, how D’banj met Kanye West, why he doesn’t like signing good rappers to his label and many more.

The text of the interview below via Hip Hop World:

So the collaboration between D’Banj and Snoop Dogg, how do you feel being part of this landmark achievement because it is the first of its kind

Well, it’s not really first of its kind, we follow other people’s footsteps; it’s not like we just decided that we are going to do it. We have collaborations with other African artistes but they have not been released, they are supposed to be coming out. So maybe because of some reasons, we have not released them. God just placed us in a position where we met someone that could actually hook us with Snoop Dogg to have a collaboration and we did it. But it’s not like we are the first to do it; Sound sultan had done it with Wyclef, Tuface had done it with Beenie Man, R Kelly/ Mary J Blige, The Pulse with Busta Rhymes. So it’s not like we are the first people that did it. We followed the line. Normally in Nigerian music industry, we usually used to wait for Tuface to do something, then we follow. It’s the truth, he is at the forefront, he is our leader,so once Tuface goes, we will go there.

Like the Tuface concert, did you plan your concert before then?

That one is a different ball game but obviously he now did a concert; Tuface and friends but I don’t know if it is an annual thing. But Koko Concert is just something that we just thought of doing, where we just showcase everybody in Mo’Hits Records.

Can you take us through the G.O.O.D Music deal from how you guys met Kanye West?

Okay the story is going to be too long and I am sure D’Banj would have told this story more the fifty times, so there is no need to be talking about it. I will just give you the short version; D’Banj travelled to Dubai, at Dubai airport he met Kanye West just like anybody can meet any superstar at the airport. He had the courage to go and meet him and introduce himself and that he wants to break into America and that he has done a song with Snoop Dogg and please listen to the song and tell me if it is good. And he understood and he listened to it and he liked it. And he asked us to drop by New York when we were going to LA for the video shoot with Snoop. So when we got to New York, we called them and his manager said we should meet up at Wyclef’s studio and the rest is history.

So what has family life been for you since you have been shuttling to and fro, your parents and so on?

I am still living my parents’ life as agbaya like me, I am not married. And when I say agbaya, I don’t mean I am 35, I will be 29 in November. My parents are in Dublin and London, they move around. I have three other siblings, two boys and a girl. D’Prince decided to follow me from when I left London so he has been here. My immediate younger brother, James, I opened up a club for him in London but he ran into some problems so we sold the place to somebody else. And I decided to bring him down here because I intend to open up some clubs.

So talking about family, on Twitter people ask a lot of questions about Enebeli Elebuwa being your father

I have said this thing one billion times; Enebeli Elebuwa is not my father. He is my father’s friend, he was actually present at the wedding, I think he was MC, he and Sam Loco Efe RIP. He is not my father.

So P-Square recently made comments at the Afrobeats Festival in London that they don’t need Kanye West and Jay-Z, how do you feel about this?

They are lying because I watched the interview and P-Square did not open their mouth to mention Kanye West and Jay-Z. It was DJ Abrante that made that statement but it doesn’t really matter. Truly, they might not need Kanye West and Jay-Z to break into America; I need them to break into America. It’s not easy, even with Kanye West being on the songs, how are you sure that you are going to break into America. Everything is still trial and error, if we try and they accept us; fine, if they don’t, we carry our load and come back here and be king, it doesn’t matter. So that one is not a problem, they were expressing themselves, it’s fine. I think they are extra talented, they can sing, they can dance, they can match up to Usher so maybe truly they do not need Kanye West or Jay-Z to break into America. But they didn’t say that.

As the owner of your own record label, would you say you have been subjective when it comes to the D’Prince seeing as he is your younger brother, would you sometimes play favourites with him?

Yes and no. The way we do albums in Mo’Hits Records is quite organised and not organised in a way. If we say that we are working on D’Banj’s album, everybody goes into the studio and we vibe and whatever tracks that come out at that period of time is for D’Banj. Immediately we finish that one and I say that next is Wande Coal, we now start creating beats for Wande Coal’s album or what beats are left out from the ones we did when we were doing D’Banj’s album, we put that together. Everyone comes in and throws in their thoughts and when we finish Wande Coal’s album, next is Dr Sid. So when it comes to D’Prince, I think what happened, is that people say that especially with “Give It To Me” that I added extra ginger. It’s a lie. My work grows, I am not stagnant. I am training and learning everyday as it goes, that s why if you listen to D’Banj’s Entertainer album and you listen to Wande Coal’s M2M album, there are new things that I have learnt, maybe in the studio. And if you listen to Dr Sid’s album, there are some classics on that album and it also depends on the vibe in the room or whoever I am working with, it depends on how creative you are. I listen to what I know that you can deliver on when you sing itt, it sounds like you. Like the “Give It To Me” beat I don’t see Asa singing to it. So the beat just looks like him so I gave it to him and because he is in session anyway, it’s his time that we are working. So there is no yes. But the problem is that he doesn’t really have to bother as in the artiste side of Prince is not a serious thing.

But as a producer, you have done beats for other people outside Mo’Hits, I remember “Stroke Me”

Yeah, “Stroke Me” by Dare.

How many others like that have you done?

I have done for Saucekid; “Under G”, “Ijoya” by Weird MC, Kween’s “Jebele”, Ikechukwu’s “Wind Am Well” because he was in Storm Records at that time

A lot of people have spoken about first lady of Mo’Hits family. Is that coming soon?

I am actually doing a couple of test runs on the internet at the moment. I’m gonna do my talent search but I want to do it very different from the ones that everyone has been doing, so I am doing one competition at the moment, the “Oliver Twist” competition. It’s all a test run for how I intend to do my search for Mo’Hits Records’ first lady. Because I want everybody to be involved, I want the list of people that come in to audition to be from Nigerians in the Diaspora and those here. So everybody will have the opportunity to participate first from the internet. I am creating a website where people would go there with any talent that has to do with entertainment. You will have just one minute, if you sing, you sing; if you rap, you rap; if you play the drums, you play the drums; if you play the guitar, you do that, if you know how to choreograph, you get a bunch of dancers and teach them how to dance and make a video, sha one minute and start from there. Its gonna run full length for like six months and but on the internet, it is gonna run for three months first before they now go into Koko Mansion. We will pick from the internet, the one that are going to go into Koko Mansion and the ones that are not in Nigeria, we fly them in from wherever they are into the Mansion until it gets won. Because I cant pick my first lady by myself, everybody has to do it for us because we have wasted time already

It has been rumoured that one established artiste would be the first lady

It would be very dumb for me to do that actually. The backlash would be very bad, people would rubbish the person with mouth so let me just allow them to pick for us.



So does Don Jazzy have anything against classic rappers in the sense of it because every artiste on Mo’Hits can flirt with any star, like Dr Sid used to d0 somewhat mainstream rap and D’Prince is also somewhat a rapper but he tends to play with it. Is it that you don’t like to sign rappers in that mould?

Let me help you use the word that you are trying to use but you are just beating around the bush. You wanted to say wack but you didn’t want to say wack but it’s okay. Now, you can think of Mo’Hits Records as a charity organisation, I like to sign less privileged artistes that are not too good in their rap, in their singing. The people that can rap well, with metaphors and everything, I think they stand a better chance of getting a record deal with any other record label. If you look at the record label sef, it is only Dr Sid that is not really family but now we are all family, whether you like it or not. D’Prince na my brother, K-Switch na D”Banj brother, Wande Coal, we go the same school; his mother was my teacher, so we are pretty much one little family like that. So those really good rappers, if they go to Storm, they will accept them; if they go to Questionmark, they will accept them. So let me just be taking all these ones that can’t really rap, it’s okay. As long as we sell records and feed our family, we are fine. Nobody is complaining.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/04/04/don-jazzy-speaks-about-how-dbanj-met-kanye-west-why-he-doesnt-sign-good-rappers-to-mohits-e-t-c-part-2/

Is it any good?

After Blackberry Babes, Nollywood Producers return with “Fazebook Babes”

Nollywood Producers never hesitate to cash in on emerging societal trends whether offline and online and following the massive success of the movie, Blackberry Babes online via the YouTube channel Nollywood Love, some enterprising Nollywood Producers have put together a movie called Fazebook Babes featuring actresses such as Mercy Johnson and Oge Okoye.

The movie seems aimed at consumers who enjoyed Blackbery Babes and are looking for a similar themed sequel.

You can watch the movie via Iroko TV

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/04/03/after-blackberry-babes-nollywood-producers-return-with-fazebook-babes/

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote predicts that he could be the fifth richest man in the world if his business plans aligned well including his plans to list his $11bn cement business on the London Stock Exchange next year.

In an interview with the Financial Times, the African billionaire was prodded if he envisioned himself becoming the world’s richest man. “Why not?” he responded. “Of course it’s possible. We will talk about this in five years.”

“We want to list in London next year,” he said in an interview in Lagos. “By then the upside to our business will be much bigger than today.”

In 2011, Dangote Cement had an expected net profit of about $790 and revenues of about $1.5 billion.

Dangote is currently worth about $12bn according to Forbes and his plan is to quadruple his profits in the next four years and build his business to become the world’s most profitable cement company.

Mr. Dangote will be teaming up with investment banks, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan as co-leads for his London share issue and plans to give up his current role as Chairman.

“My plan is to have different faces [on the board],” he said. “The face of the chairman will not be Aliko Dangote, it will be somebody else, a professional who is well-respected within investment circles.”

With such plans for global domination, the sky appears to only be the beginning for Dangote Group.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/04/01/i-could-become-the-fifth-richest-man-in-the-world-says-aliko-dangote-as-he-plans-london-stock-exchange-listing/

Nigerian musician, D’banj recently joined an exclusive list of artistes around the world to get a VEVO Channel. VEVO, a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Abu Dhabi Media (with content licensing by EMI) is oft described as a Hulu for music videos. VEVO videos typically attract higher end advertisers through exclusive advertising deals with brands such as MacDonald’s.

D’banj with his recent induction joins other Nigerian artistes on the VEVO platform such as Asa and Nneka.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/03/31/dbanj-gets-vevo-channel/

Contrary to recent speculations, there will be no increase in fuel price by April 1st, a PPPRA official recently disclosed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) this past Friday.

I can tell you categorically that there is no plan by the Federal Government to increase the price of fuel on April 1 or any time.

It is a rumour. Provisions for subsidy have already been made in the 2012 budget, and as such, there is no plan to fully deregulate the downstream sector in 2012, he said.

According to him, “the Committee on subsidy probe is due to submit its report next week. The nation is anxiously waiting for that report. It will be unthinkable to suggest that government intends to increase the price of fuel.”

Already, fuel queues have started building up in some parts of the country as Nigerians anticipate an increase in fuel price come April 1st.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/03/31/fuel-subsidy-removal-increase-in-fuel-price-by-april-1-no-says-pppra-official/

YES International Magazine recently interviewed popular Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji on her blog. In the interview titled “How I Make Millions from Blogging” Linda Ikeji talks about her passion for blogging, what she thinks has enabled her blog become popular and much more. Check out excerpts below.

When you started your blogging business, what goal did you set for yourself?
I didn’t set any goal. I just started the blog out of my passion for it. I made it my hobby. You know, while growing up, I wanted to be a journalist, but I wasn’t successful. I see blogging as a close substitute for journalism, which was my dream job. I just love meeting people, reading their stories, interviews and the rest. I never knew that four years later people will begging to pay for what I enjoy doing. I never thought that I will be making millions from blogging, but I thank God that what I enjoy doing is now making millions for me.

What should someone do to be a successful blogger?
You have to love blogging. You can’t say I want to blog because I want to make money. It takes a stepping stone to get there. There are over a thousand blogs like I said, but what will make people enjoy visiting your blog depends on the efforts you put into it. So, be passionate about it, be consistent, don’t blog once or twice in a week, blog everyday if you can, enjoy it, and love it. Don’t be anonymous when it comes to blogging. People find it easy to relate more to people they know. For example, if you are Amebo.com, people do not know who is behind it, so their response will not be felt. If you use your name, it commands credibility and acceptance. Like I use my name, I use my pictures, I talk about my intimate secrets at times and it has really helped me to a very large extent. People wish to have my numbers, BB pin and everyone wants to be my friend. So, find what you can do easily and you enjoy doing. That was what I did for the first four years that I started the blog before I began to make money.

Tell us your success secret…
It’s God. You see, when God is ready for you, it is your turn. I have hustled for many years now, I don’t hustle any more. I have worked very, very hard and remain persistent in what I do. From being a model until I found my way into blogging. It has been the combination of God’s favour and hard work.

What is your current hit per day?
I am number 26 in Nigeria as a whole. Others are The Sun, Vanguard, The Punch, GTBank, UBA and so on. I’m actually the first in entertainment in Nigeria. I’m like number 8,000 in the world and that is a very big achievement. I used to have about 50,000 hits per day! Just because I do it all alone. So, when I get people who are ready to work with me, I’m sure it’s going to get to 100,000.

For many youths who wish to be like Linda Ikeji, what do you think they should do?
First and foremost, they have to find what they are good at, their talent; work hard on your talent, be patient, because for you to succeed in life, you need patience which a lot of people don’t have. They want quick money and success, but lasting success does take time. They also have to be very prayerful.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/03/30/how-linda-ikeji-makes-millions-blogging-yes-magazine-interview/

Fertilizer distribution in Nigeria is set to be done via mobile phones as Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council recently awarded a N 1.327 billion two-year contract for the implementation of an e-wallet system meant for farmers in the country.

Through the e-wallet system, farmers will be able to receive their allocations of agricultural inputs via mobile phone. According to the Nigerian Government, this is to reduce the level of corruption and graft in the agricultural space. The contract was approved by Nigeria’s Vice President, Namadi Sambo.

How it works
Farmers receive an sms alert with their fertilizer allocation thus eliminating the need for corrupt middle men. Nigeria’s Agriculture Minister claims that at present, the Ministry has a database of about 3.5 million farmers and that 75% of them are mobile phone users.

According to him:

We found that 75 per cent percent of farmers in the rural areas have phones and so we are moving into that electronic wallet. Here is how the system works; the farmers will get their alerts about the allocation for seeds and fertilizers, they will go to the agro dealer in their own village and they will send that information to the agro dealer, seeds and fertilizers suppliers are also on the electronic platform.

“The farmer is getting a subsidy of 50 per cent and the farmer will pay the balance of 50 per cent, then collect their seeds and fertilizers and the transaction is completed and no money has changed hands.”

What do you think about this method of fertilizer distribution in Nigeria?

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/03/30/nigerian-government-to-distribute-fertilizers-by-mobile-phone/

Wikipedia Founder, Jimmy Wales is set to speak at the upcoming “Youth Marketer Convergence Conference” (YMC 2.0) in Lagos. The conference will be taking place at at the Grand Ball Room, Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos and Indoor Sports Hall, Rowe Park, Yaba on 27th and 28th March 2012 and is organized by Lagos based youth marketing and advertising consultancy, F.B. Initiatives & Innovations Limited.

Other confirmed speakers spanning four plenary sessions include Lanre Aina – Google Nigeria, Mike Saunders – Digitlab South Africa, Lola Talabi-Oni – Brent Consulting, Japheth Omojuwa – Omojuwa.com, Chiekezi Dozie – Persnickety, Bisi Awoyomi – L.E.A.R.N, Enyioma Anaba – Interswitch and Tolu Ogunlesi – British Council.
The sessions will be chaired by marketing gurus Yinka Akande, DG, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria , Iquo Ukoh ED Nestle, Dola Bambgoye of MTN, and Youth Marketing specialist Temi de Medeiros of Youth Dynamix Nigeria.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/03/24/wikipedia-founder-jimmy-wales-to-speak-at-the-upcoming-youth-marketer-convergence-conference-in-lagos/

As the Nigeria internet space matures, a rising crop of young Nigerian entrepreneurs based in the Diaspora are returning home to grow businesses in the fast growing Nigerian sector.

Mark Essien, a young Nigerian who has worked in Nigeria, Germany and in China recently co-founded [url]Hotels.com.ng[/url], a hotel listings and reviews sites. According to him, he is a a hardware engineer by profession who has also been active in software development.

He started his career at age 19, when he sold his first developed software to Bertelsmann Media. From there, he moved on to release his own products, starting with the Standard MPEG Encoder in 2004, all the way through to various iPhone apps. Mark minces no words about the opportunities he sees in the space in our exclusive interview with him.

Armed with about N5 million in funding, he sees the opportunities in the hotels listings and reviews space as definite and profitable given how successful it is in other parts of the world. Check out the interview below. Happy reading!

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/03/09/interview-entrepreneur-mark-essien-launches-hotels-com-ng-a-hotel-listings-and-reviews-sites/

Do you agree?

1. Bella Naija
Uche Eze of BellaNaija.com has continued to grow what has become the nation’s most recognized fashion and entertainment brand into one of the country’s top Internet destinations. Watch Uche Eze on CNN here. From weddings to music, the blog has created its own signature blend of entertainment, feeding its active and engaged readers with its unique reporting style and diction. Past features on CNN and Oprah have only helped to cement the blog’s image as the “go-to” destination for what is cool and trending in the entertainment space. As Nigeria’s Internet population continues to grow, it appears the best is yet to come for the online pioneer.



2. Linda Ikeji
Linda Ikeji’s blog virtually exploded in 2011 with its back to back online culture posts that influenced mainstream media on multiple occasions. From entertainment to politics, the prolific blogger engaged a rapidly expanding mass of online readers. And if this fast growing video of her is anything to go by, she could make it big extending her content to YouTube thus further connecting with her ever expanding audience. Alexa statistics indicate that her blog is more popular than many newspaper houses online. That her personal blog attracts more of an audience than newspaper houses with armies of reporters illustrates the power of new media in present day Nigeria. What makes the trend even more shocking is that this is only the beginning.

3. Techloy
It is virtually impossible to think of startups and Nigeria without thinking of Loy Okezie. As a pioneer in the space, Loy Okezie has been one of Nigeria’s most vocal startups advocates profiling Nigeria’s evolving tech ecosystem with consistency and insight. His launch of his new blog brand, Techloy last year helped cement his leadership in the space, providing a refreshing web 2.0 hub for all things startups and technology. But even more compelling is the blog’s increasing influence in shaping public perception about front burner technology issues. Its consistent coverage and scoops of all things ranging from the innovative to the controversial in the technology space has helped shaped what can often be a static space into a vibrant arena of conversation and discourse.

4. Notjustok
Mola Ogundele and his team at Notjustok.com continue to grow what is arguably Nigeria’s best known music brand. Over the years, it has become the number one online hub for new music in Nigeria dictating what’s hot and what’s not in the Nigerian music scene. Its partnerships with top producers and musicians in the space has only led to more popularity and its signature brand name repeated at the start of songs has made its way and back from the web to Alaba. 2012 seems poised to bring even more popularity for the online music site as Nigerian music increasingly goes international.

5. YNaija

Led by Chude Jideonwo of RED Media Group, Young and Nigerian or YNaija as it is popularly known has since its inception been bent on fulfilling its mandate of being in its words, “the high priest of Nigerian culture.” Read our interview with Chude Jideonwo here. The culture driven site targeted at has been unrelentless in accomplishing its mission, churning out culture rich content and shaping conversations across its affiliated media platforms. It is clear from the brand’s energy that it plans to be here for the long haul and through content strategies such as job aggregation and the infusion of content specifically targeted at Nigeria’s fast growing digital natives, the blog seems poised for more growth in the months ahead.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/02/22/top-nigerian-bloggers-2012/

The Nigerian Labour Congress recently asked that the Government reverts back to the previous pump price of petrol of N65 per liter from its present rate of N97 per liter. The statement was made in response to recent reports in the media that stated that the President is rethinking the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment programme.

Read our post about it here: Nigeria’s SURE program no longer realistic says President Jonathan

The President’s justification for rethinking the SURE program was that the program was made with the expectation that the downstream sector of the oil industry will be 100 per cent deregulated. As this was no longer the case, the program needed to be redrafted.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/02/22/nlc-asks-government-to-revert-to-n65liter-queries-jonathan-on-failed-promises/

https://www.cp-africa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Giant-Footprint-Tellinger-Africa-01.jpg

A giant footprint named "Footprint of God" was recently found in South Africa in rough granite, about 4 feet long. With this foot size, the person who would left it behind must have been about 24 feet OR 7.5 m tall.

Here is what researcher and explorer, Michael Tellinger had to say about the footprint:

“I would like to share with you what could be one of the best pieces of evidence that there were once giants on Earth a long, long time ago. Geologists have marvelled at this giant foot print in rough granite, about 4 feet long. This is a deeply sacred, mystical and spiritual place among African knowledge keepers and so it should remain.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/02/19/footprint-of-god-found-in-south-africa-says-geologist/

Here’s an interesting cultural tidbit.

A popular folklore in the Plateau State environs is that the city of Jos means “Jesus our Saviour.” However this myth is not well known amongst the vast majority of Nigerians.

As the folklore goes, Jos, which was originally known as “Gwosh” was not easily pronounceable by the Christian missionairies and was renamed J.O.S. “Jesus Our Saviour.”

It is not clear whether this is fact or a myth passed down across generations but this story has been passed around since the very inception of the city popularly known as J-Town.

Such a story will ordinarily be dismissed with a wave of hand, but given its symbolism given the present crisis in Nigeria, this cultural etymology whether fact or myth deserves more study.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/01/22/jos-means-jesus-our-saviour/

The organised labour on Friday announced a two-day break in the nationwide protests against fuel subsidy withdrawal.

Mr Joe Ajaero, Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), told journalists in Lagos after meeting with labour leaders that the break would enable people to revive and continue with the protest on Monday.

We will go on break on Saturday and Sunday to enable people to stock more foods in their homes. The strike is still being enforced,’’ Ajaero said.

The organise labour and civil society organisations had called a nationwide strike following the removal of subsidy and subsequent increase in the price of fuel from N65 to N141. The strike started on Jan. 9.

We want Nigerians to stockpile against next week. Lots of propaganda will be coming at this time please discountenance them. The strike is still on,’’ Ajaero said.

Mr Dipo Fashina, Chairman, Joint Action Front, reiterated that the wish of the people was for the federal government to reverse the price of fuel to N65 and appealed to the government to listen to the wishes of Nigerians.

He said that labour had not change its position on its quest to ensure that government acceded to the demand and urged the people to continue with the struggle.

Mr Sunday Salako, President, Association of Senior Staff of Banks and Financial Institutions, said that banks would operate on Saturday and advised people to use their ATM to make withdrawals even on Sunday.

On Thursday, organised labour and the Federal Government agreed to shift grounds in their respective positions to end the on-going national protest against the removal of fuel subsidy.

NLC’s president, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, told newsmen in Abuja after a tripartite meeting between government, labour and civil society groups that the agreement was reached after prolonged negotiations.

Emerging from the meeting, Omar said the three interest groups had useful discussions toward ending the strike and protests soon.

He said that the meeting would reconvene on Saturday.

The outcome is that we have not concluded discussions yet, but we have had very fruitful discussions, but we have to continue on Saturday.

Of course all of us are trying to shift ground; that is why I told you that we have had very fruitful discussions and we will continue,” he said.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/01/13/no-fuel-subsidy-removal-strikeprotests-for-the-next-two-days-says-nlc/

Former CNN West Africa Correspondent, Christian Purefoy recently founded Battabox.com, the only channel live streaming the ongoing protests in Nigeria. Nigerians can tune in tomorrow to watch the live protests in Ojota. The site has been streaming the live protests since its official launch earlier this week.

According to Battabox.com:
As the international media continues to ignore the growing #OccupyNigeria protests – Nigerians are taking matters into their own hands with on-ground live video, interviews, chanting, prayers and placards with the protesters go to BattaBox.com for rolling coverage of #OccupyNigeria. Also, Nigerians are uploading their videos, photos and protests to air on www.battabox.com/upload.html. This is a Nigerian conversation – BattaBox.com.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/01/12/battabox-com-founded-by-christian-purefoy-is-live-streaming-the-ongoing-protests-in-nigeria-tune-in/

The fuel subsidy on Nigerian petroleum benefits the cabal more than it benefits the poor, said Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor, Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi during an interview on Channels TV this morning.

According to the Central Bank Governor, this time provides a good opportunity for the Nigerian government to execute well on a well thought out policy.

According to him:
“We have not been very effective in terms of implementation of policies that are well thought out and we need to improve on implementation.”

On discussions between the Nigerian Government and the Nigerian Labour Congress the Central Bank Governor noted that the discussions between both parties should focus on next steps and that they should both come up with a workable compromise.

However, the Central Bank Governor insisted that going back to N65 per litre would not be an advisable solution.

“Going back to N65 will make a mess of everything we have done so far,” he said.

Meanwhile on the Africa Independent Television’s (AIT) Matters Arising show yesterday, Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi warned Nigerians not to erroneously believe that Nigeria is an oil rich country. “Nigeria is not an oil rich country. We are an oil producing country. Nigeria produces two million barrels per day, with a population of 167million people, Saudi Arabia produces eight million barrels per day with a population of 24million people, one barrel for three compared to one barrel for 80. So if you say we are oil rich, let us remember that we don’t have as much oil as Saudi Arabia but we have six times their population.  That you have oil does not mean you are an oil rich country. Wealth or poverty is relative,” he said.

He further said:

“When you remove the subsidy, what you have done is to effectively divert that money into other areas. We are not borrowing to subsidies fuel but borrowing to deliver projects that will be transparently looked at.”

What do you think about the Nigerian Central Bank Governor’s recent comments on fuel subsidy removal?

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/01/12/fuel-subsidy-benefits-the-cabal-more-than-the-poor-sanusi-lamido-sanusi/

Nigeria’s Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, yesterday, gave reasons why the government would not revert fuel price to N65 per litre.

According to the Minister, maintaining the fuel subsidy would entrench the endemic graft in the downstream sector of Nigeria’s petroleum industry and make it difficult for the government to tackle the issue of corruption among Nigerian oil marketers.

The Minister insisted during a program on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) yesterday that the fuel subsidy is at the core of the corruption going on in the nation’s downstream oil sector.

According to her:
“People want us to fight the oil cabal and yet they don’t want us to remove subsidy, which is the main cause of corruption in the sector. We can’t fight corruption in the downstream sector with our hands tied.”

On the issue of smuggling, the Minister emphasized that it will be difficult to ensure zero smuggling of fuel at Nigeria’s borders and insisted that even more advanced economies like the United States have been unable to achieve this.

She asserted that Nigeria’s fuel price without the subsidy remains low compared to other countries starting that the fuel prices in Chad, N210; Ghana, N175; Niger, N181; Benin Republic, N167 and Morocco, N198 are still much lower than that of Nigeria.

“We have only one country, one Nigeria. We want to leave a legacy for us to be remembered for in future. We want to ensure that we can look back after the next three years and say we managed well the temporary pains that came with the removal of fuel subsidy,” she said.

What do you think of Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke’s recent statements on the issue of fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria?

http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/01/12/fuel-subsidy-removal-why-the-nigerian-government-will-not-revert-the-fuel-price-to-n65litre-diezani-allison-madueke/

There is an on-going poll about which of these two (Linda Ikeji and Bella Naija) was Nigeria's best entertainment blog of 2011. Please cast your vote! http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/12/30/linda-ikeji-versus-bella-naija-and-the-winner-is/

Here is the description given for both sites this year-------

Linda Ikeji Versus Bella Naija

Linda Ikeji
https://www.cp-africa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/linda-ikeji-blog.png
From social causes to celebrity weddings, Linda Ikeji’s blog was at the forefront of drivingonline discussions and popularizing trends that were  often overlooked by the mainstream media. Well known for its vibrant commenters and timely, relevant and often controversial content, her blog was a meeting ground for Nigerians online looking to entertain, amuse and discuss online.

Bella Naija
https://www.cp-africa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/bella-naija-300x42.png
Bella Naija, Nigeria’s widely known online entertainment portal continued to wax strong this year, publishing unique, solid content and deepening its reach in Nigeria and the Diaspora. Riding off of its recognition on CNN iList in 2010 and its pioneering place in the Nigerian blogosphere, it consolidated on its well known brand name and continued to forge into becoming an established, household name among Nigerian Internet users.

Your thoughts on your favorite blog between the two this year please!