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Aliko Dangote:

World Class Businessman and Philanthropist By: Michael Effiong

hen Niccolo Machiaveli the popular Italian Historian, Diplomat and Writer stated that “Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little diﬀerence between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to

turn both to their advantage”. He, in fact, was describing billionaire businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote. Listed by Forbes Magazine as Africa’s Richest Man, many who have met him have wondered how one can be so ﬁ-

nancially endowed and yet so down-to-earth humble. In the last two decades there are few Nigerian businessmen that have consistently captured so much attention on the world stage; young and old, faithful and cynical have all come to know his

last name, Dangote. Co-incidentally, Dangote Group is also the name of his company and the brand’s powerful logo has now become synonymous with quality products, excellence and the Can Do African spirit. He is a member of a new crop of African businessmen who prefer to be called Afriprenuers or Africapitalists, these savvy men, all hold the believe that it is only through consistent investment by Africans that the continent can drag itself out of poverty. In deed, Dangote has placed himself at the very centre of the central conversations of our time: about wealth and poverty, importation and exportation, regional integration, local investors and foreign investors, privatization and government ownership-and he always makes his point without any qualms. Through his adventure in business, Dangote has trumped long held assumptions, cultural archetypes and stereotypes, to become a respected businessman, power broker and philanthropist in Nigeria, Africa and indeed the world. At a time when the limits of leadership are being tested in so many places especially in Africa, and technology is turning virtue viral, Dangote and his company had stood the test of time, operating within the highest ethical standards and have remained scandal free, making him a worthy and exemplary role model for aspiring businessmen. How did this serial investor actually begin? His own is not your typical rags to riches, grass to grace story but yet, it is still worth telling because it brings to fore the merits of mentorship, tenacity, back-breaking hard work as well as the power of vision and innovation. Stories abound that

BOSS OF THE WEEK after a few years of mentorship and learning under the wings of his uncle, in 1977, he got a loan of N50,000, some swear it is N500,000. That seed money has grown to the behemoth that Dangote Group has become today. With that money, he delved into trading in essential commodities principally rice, sugar, cement and vegetable oil. In almost all the sectors that he operated, Dangote was the leader, dictating the tempo in terms of marketing, packaging and nationwide spread. After years of operating as a Trader and Importer, he wanted bigger challenges, and felt he would get more fulfilment by changing direction. Alhaji Dangote then took the advice of an African Proverb that says “When the music changes, so does the dancer”. He decided to restructure his business from trading in imported goods to manufacturing. Though sceptics would say it was a decision based on his knowledge that there would be a change in government policy, it is important to note that Dangote was not the only businessman who was close to government, how come, he only had the foresight of looking inwards-and taking advantage of whatever incentives that were available? In no time, Dangote became like King Midas, anything he touched turned to gold and today the proudly Nigerian Dangote Group is a diversified and fully integrated conglomerate with an annual group turnover in excess of N450 billion (US$3 billion). The Group's core business focus is to provide local, value-added products and services that meet the 'basic needs' of the populace. Through the construction and operation of large scale manufacturing facilities in Nigeria and across Africa, the Group is focused on building local manufacturing capacity to generate employment, prevent capital flight and provide locally produced goods for the people. Talking about the metamorphosis in his business, Dangote in an interview said “to succeed in business, you must build a brand and never destroy it. One competitive advantage I have when I ventured into manufacturing was my brand (Dangote), which I diligently built in the course of my trading.”

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Dangote knew specifically what he wanted and how to go about it, and his growth has been slow but steady. With the cry of #BuyNaijaGrowNaira gaining momentum by the day, there is no doubt that Dangote is the pioneer of the concept of thinking global, but acting local, which invariably means delivering products and services of international standard to the local market.About his unconditional love for Nigeria, he was quoted as saying “If you give me $5bn, I will not invest any abroad, I will invest everything here in Nigeria. Let us put heads together and work." The Dangote Group is involved in such areas as Real Estate, Telecommunications, Steel, Oil & Gas, Poly Products, Ports Operations, Food & Beverages, Cement, Haulage and packaging. Its brands include: Dangote Sugar, Dangote rice, Dangote Cement, Dangote flour, Dangote Spagetti, Dangote Noodles, Dangote Salt, Dangote Macaroni, Dangote sacks, Mowa Water, Ziza, Petit Tomato Paste, Danvita, Dangote Flour & Dansa Juice. Not contented with being a local Nigerian Champion, he has spread his business tentacles to other African countries especially in Cement. His Dangote Cement Company is the continent's largest indigenous cement producer. In 2015, he launched new plants in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Zambia and Tanzania and presently has investments in 18 countries spread across the continent. The company produces more than 30 million metric tonnes annually, and plans to double capacity by 2018. On April 10th, to mark his 59th birthday, he flew family and friends to Okpella, Edo State to break the ground of another ambitious Cement Project. Alhaji Dangote owns a huge chunk of the publicly-traded Dangote Cement through a holding company; this percentage exceeds the 80% ownership ceiling set by the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A spokesman for Dangote told Forbes that the company has until October 2016 to lower Aliko Dangote's stake and plans to do so by then. In terms of his impact on the Nigerian economy, Dangote is one of the leading employers of labour in Nigeria. His cement plant in Obajana - located half-way between the

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economic capital Lagos and the political capital Abuja, is poised to become the largest in the world, capable of filling up a 30tonne truck every 30 seconds. It is reported that within the next few years, Dangote Group could provide almost 10% of Nigeria's GDP and employ up to 22,000, on completion of ongoing projects. In the light of the current fuel crises in Nigeria, the forward-thinking Dangote is already into refinery projects with an investment of $11billion and a completion date of 2017 for the construction of the biggest Petroleum Oil Refinery & Petrochemical/ Fertilizer Plants in Nigeria. As testimony of its timetested integrity and an expres-

sion of the confidence the world has in the brand, in 2013, Dangote Industries Limited signed a loan agreement with a consortium of both local and international banks to the tune of $3.3 billion for this project. In June 2014, it secured another $300 million facility from African Development Bank (AFDB) to finance this crude oil refinery and Greenfield fertilizer manufacturing plant. According to the AFDB, the loan is designed to help boost fuel supply and fertilizer production in Nigeria. The AFDB said, “Both projects, On Tuesday in Beijing China, Dangote got another $2billion facility from industrial Commercial Bank of China for the Okpella Plant and another cement in Ogun State will help

the country in becoming selfsufficient in its local natural resources and improve refining capacity in an attempt to transform into a major exporter in the oil and gas industry. It noted that,“The projects are expected to create over 30,000 temporary jobs during construction and 2,900 direct jobs during operations”. In addition, Dangote Industriles Limited also received an unprecedented $997.4 million in training grant from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) for the Refinery located in Lekki, Lagos. “USTDA is pleased to support the Dangote Oil Refining Company’s efforts to increase Nigeria’s domestic refining capacity,” said USTDA Deputy Director, Enoh Titilayo Ebong, who signed the grant agreement along with Aliko Dangote, Chairman and CEO, Dangote Group. “This programme builds upon USTDA’s long history of support for vital infrastructure development in Nigeria.” The grant will fund a multi-year program to train more than 100 staff of the Company on refinery fundamentals”. In his book Screw Business As Usual, Virgin Founder, Sir Richard Branson advocates that modern entrepreneurs should be ready to do more to affect society through charitable causes. According to Sir Richard, himself a Forbes Billionaire like Dangote, “Those of us who have been fortunate enough to acquire wealth must play a role in looking at how we use these means to make the world a far better place..making sure that that our investments have the best possible social and environmental return. I also feel strongly that it not about money-in fact often, money is the least important bit. It’s about people using their skills and figuring ways to use the assets of their businesses to drive not only profits but a better world” It is obvious that Dangote like Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffet, Sir Richard Branson, takes the issue of Philan-

thropy and impacting society serious. His Dangote Foundation which began with an endowment of $1.25 billion intervenes in the areas of health, education and empowerment. The Foundation is also involved in providing humanitarian aid to victims of natural disasters. In recent years, it donated $2m through the World Food Programme to Pakistan’s flood victims, gave $2.6m to flood victims and women in Kogi State, N100million to Sokoto State, N50million Jos flood victims as well as partnering with the Gates Foundation for the End Polio Campaign. If you call Alhaji Dangote a detribalised Nigerian, you will be very correct. Those who are close to him reveal that he cherishes competence and expertise so much that tribal sentiments make no meaning to him. He has also shown himself to be non partisan-and that has also helped him avoid any open clashes with government. Born in the ancient city of Kano on April 10, 1957. Alhaji Dangote can be referred to as a “Lagos Boy” because he moved to the commercial capital as soon as he began his business in 1977-and has never looked back His outstanding contribution to Nigeria and world economy has not gone unnoticed. On 14 November, 2011, Dangote was awarded Nigeria's second highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) by the then President, Goodluck Jonathan. In 2013, Alhaji Dangote and six other prominent Nigerians were conferred Honorary Citizenship of Arkansas State by Governor Mike Beebe who also proclaimed May 30 of every year as Nigeria Day in the U. In 2014, Dangote was named as the Forbes Africa Person of the Year 2 and has consistently made the magazine’s Billionares/ Rich List! No doubt, in 2016 Nigeria, there are very few names that ring a bell in all corners of Nigeria like that of Alhaji Aliko Dangote and that is why we have chosen him as our Boss Of The Week

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Almighty Fuel Subsidy To be or not to be By: Eric Elezuo

n 2012, January 1 to be precise, the whole country was shut down by civil society groups, human rights activists, labour unions and the general public. In what was referred to as the greatest standoﬀ in labour unionism since the 1945 General Strike led by the Pa Imoudu of blessed memory. An attempt by the government to cut fuel subsidy that year led to what came to be known as the #OccupyNigeria protest. Nigerians were outraged when in the early hours of January 1, 2012, former President Jonathan announced the removal of subsidy from petroleum

there was a need to drop the products. This New Year’s announce- subsidy regime because facts ment meant that PMS, which came to the fore signifying sold for N65 a litre with sub- that the regime was characsidy, would go for N141; an terised by monumental fraud. increment of more than a It was discovered that to benefit from the 2011 fuel subhundred per cent. This action translated sidy largesse, some oil into more than one hundred companies “manufactured” per cent increase in fares, fictional oil ships (vessels) food, rents and virtually all they claimed traversed seas goods and services in Nigeria. and oceans of the world carThis is because petrol is cen- rying imaginary petrol, with tral to Nigeria’s economy and Nigeria the final destination literally close to every Niger- of the product, by a Technical Committee set up by the Fedian’s heart. Expectedly, that an- eral Government. For supplying this nouncement immediately drew Nigerians to the streets, phantom product to Nigeria, sparking spontaneous some seven companies pocketed a princely N13 billion protests across the country. But it soon became clear that naira from the 2011 fuel sub-

sidy payments, the committee’s report, further revealed. That was the scandal the then administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan saw, and deemed it ﬁt to shut the subsidy corridor. Unfortunate, the generality of the nation did not understand the policy direction of the administration, and those that understood, swept the truth under the carpet because of political leanings, and so the mega strike of January 1 to 11, 2012. As fate would have, the administration of Jonathan was voted out in 2015, paving way for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), who, in their

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various individual factions and parties then, vehemently opposed the subsidy removal proposal. Now, on the seat of power, it was easy to behold the rot that characterized the subsidy regime. As a result, the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari, which comprises all the opposition fragments of 2012, took a far reaching decision to tow the line of Goodluck Jonathan, and scrap the subsidy regime. This was in December 2015. With the populace shouting blue murder because the decision was the major reason Jonathan was painted black, major stakeholders attached to the party and the administration spoke in defence of the subsidy removal, and why they opposed it previously. The National Leader of the governing All Progressives Congress and former Governor of Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, joined the call for the government to scrap the subsidy regime. Tinubu, who had opposed the removal of the subsidy under the administra-

tion of former President Goodluck Jonathan, said subsidy was originally a good idea, but it had since been “perverted”, urging the government to divert the money it is currently paying on subsidy to other social programmes and infrastructure that would have more rewarding impacts on the people. While speaking at the 10th memorial anniversary of left-wing politician and scholar, Bala Usman, in Kaduna, he said: “In a perfect world, I wish we could sani-

tize the subsidy regime and thus continue (with) it. However, I have reached the conclusion that there are too many demons in the system for this hell to be converted into good earth let alone heaven.” An oil industry stakeholder, however, said that it was unfortunate that the former did not notice the ‘demons in the system’ when he opposed the removal of subsidy during Jonathan’s regime, adding that everything in play is the demonstration of political intrigues

at work. “All these are political maneuvers at work, otherwise Bola Tinubu should have noticed the demons in the system when he and his people shouted down the former administration, which attempted to implement it. All these are just a way of saying only the party I belong to can do the right thing,” the stakeholder who craves anonymity said. Speaking also on the scrapping of the subsidy regime, better known as Petroluem Support Fund, the Minister of State for Petroleum, who also doubles as the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, said that it is highly uneconomical to continue to subsidise fuel in the country. Speaking to journalists at the Port Harcourt reﬁnery in December 2015, Kachikwu said the government could no longer pay the subsidy due to the fraud tainting the scheme. He added that the government could no longer aﬀord the payment due to the dip in its revenue, caused by the drop in crude oil prices. He said a new pricing

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template he signed off earlier effectively removed the payment of subsidy on petrol and that oil marketers would be informed of the development in the coming days. “I signed off on it yesterday (Thursday). I imagined that in the next couple of days, the marketers would get advice on that. The nice thing about the PPPRA, where I signed up on it yesterday is that the price will be far below N87,” he said. “So for the first time, people will understand that the pricing modulation I was talking about is not a gimmick. It is for real. We have gone to find out how we will be able to fluctuate this market to reflect what the reality of the crude market is. The objective is that one, we cannot afford to continue to subsidise. “We can’t even understand where those subsidies were going to. There are a lot of fraud elements in it so we need to cut that off,” he added Subsequently, subsidy on petrol was stopped in January after the review of the pricing template of the product by the government. However, with all the Federal Government recommended, it was reported recently that the government has recommenced the payment of subsidy on petrol as it subsidised the commodity by N5.84 for every liter of premium motor spirit consumed in

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Nigeria. This is against the original agenda of using whatever fund accruable to subsidy payment to provision of infrastructure. The announcement on fuel subsidy removal came two days after the Nigerian Labour Congress threatened it would vehemently oppose any cut on the subsidy regime. At the end of its Central Working Committee meeting in Abuja, the NLC said the discordant pronouncements from government officials on plans to cut subsidy was creating panic and confusion in the system, even as it reaffirmed its opposition to any fuel price increase. Some other companies, not wanting to create fictional vessels, decided to space- travel existing ones; such that real vessels, which were definitely in countries like China and UAE, were purported to have discharged petrol into storage depots in Nigeria at the exact time they were in those other countries. The 11 companies involved in this category of fraud pocketed N21 billion from the 2011 subsidy payments, the report said. Sources in the oil industry revealed at the time that those companies were able to perpetuate the crime with the help of field officers of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory agency (PPPRA) and the Department of

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Petroleum Resources (DPR), men of the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Custom officers, banks and others involved in the various stages of fuel importation. The companies and their owners are still being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. This brings to question whether the proposed subsidy removal can actually be realized against the backdrop that there are so many forces militating against its removal. This includes the so called oil cabal, which holds the country by the jugular with their ability to withdraw their services whenever they please. Again, are the tanker drivers, whose activities revolves round bringing in the imported fuel from the deport, as well as the so called vandals. In an interview with the Managing Director, Hitro Trading and Energy Service Limited, Mr. Ugochukwu Ajuonuma, he revealed that there is so much about fuel subsidy removal than meets the eye. He told The Boss that the possibility of the subsidy being completely removed from the off shore oil marketing, is very remote, considering the fact that the modalities to sustain the economy, vis-à-vis the petroleum sector, have not been put in place. He argued that the Federal Government has no business discussing removing oil subsidy if something as tangibles as refineries has

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not become a lexicon in the dictionary of the Nigerian economy, especially as it pertains to oil. “Subsidy, by every indication, supposed to be the best thing to happen to the economy because it would make for free market operation where every marketer or dealer will fix his own price, and reach out to his own distinct customers, but it is not so because the modalities that should be in place before this happens is far from happening,” he said. Mr. Ajuonuma hinted that a country that cannot refine its own oil cannot be talking about subsidy. He therefore said that the first port of call in making the sub-

refineries, and making them functional. “The refineries must be made to work so that removing subsidy can work, otherwise subsidizing the price of fuel, which the Federal Government is doing at the moment at N5.87 per litre will continue.” He reasoned that far from returning refineries, there is also the need to provide adequate security for the pipelines, which has hitherto remained under the mercy of vandals, saying that the Navy and other marine agencies as well as those saddled with the responsibility of maintaining the safety of oil installations should be made to step up their game, and do

sidy regime work is by rehabilitating the nation’s

the needful. He however, regretted that the lwa enforce-

ment agencies have somehow been compromised “Apart from putting the refineries in order, there is the need to make the law enforcement agencies live up to expectation. You see most of them have been compromised as a result of greed and low standard of living,” he said. On whether there is a possibility that after all said and done, the subsidy regime as being touted by the Federal Government will see the light of the day, Mr. Ajuonuma said: “You know that this (Subsidy) is where the marketers and importers eat from or survive from. It is not certain they will allow removal of subsidy to take place, because it will seriously affect their means of livelihood negatively. They will sabotage the effort. The truth is this, most of them don’t even import anything and still collect the government money. The system has become so porous that they can get away with what they are doing, and that is what the present administration is trying to stop. The situation aptly explains the present fuel scarcity because most of them have refused to import, and those that imported have refused to bring them in, making the government to bend backwards and pay the subsidy they recently outlawed.” Many other stakeholders, who spoke to The Boss, agreed with Mr Ajuonuma, saying the provision of a functional refinery and a free market economy will make for the desired removal which the country clamours for. A staff of one the major oil

marketers, who craved anonymity, stressed that licences should be issued to other citizens, who have interest in establishing refineries to do so, thereby taking the stress off the Federal Government, and demystifying the invincibility of the so called oil cabals. “The Federal Government should issue licences to credible people who wishes to set refineries like Aliko Dangote and others. The effort will free the government, and reduce the ability of the oil marketers in holding to country to ransom for every little thing. At this level, prices will be diverse, and citizens can have a pick or choice,” he said. Mr. Ajuonuma also spoke against the backdrop of the Minister of State for Petroleum’s assertion that long queues occasioned by the scarcity of fuel will be a thing of the past by April 7. “The way things are, that is almost impossible. The Minister succumbed to pressure in making the pronouncement. In fact, he got it all wrong as it is difficult for fuel to be available within that short period of time after the damage of many weeks of scarcity,” he said. Mr. Ajuonuma however, sues for patience among the populace, saying the government should be given more time to put the guts together. The debate continues to rage as to the possibility of the subsidy to be a thing of the past in the Nigerian economic system as the refineries, which should be the turning point, is not in place; the vandals who are sabotaging pipeline installations are still romancing with the law enforcement agents and the almighty oil cabal are still dictating the pace. Time will tell.

Nasarawa Imbroglio: NEWS

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A Case of Party Divided Against Itself By: Eric Elezuo

ll hell was let loose on Monday April 5, 2016, when members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly engaged one another in a freefor-all over the appointment of sole administrators for 11 local government councils by Governor Tanko Al-Makura. The free-for-all ﬁght, which involved mostly members of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), occurred on the ﬂoor of the legislature barely two hours after the governor inaugurated the 11 sole administrators. Caution was thrown to the winds as men who invariably were somebody’s fathers and husbands shattered glasses,

broke and upturned tables and chairs in a tout-like violence that exemplifies a show of shame in the House. While some legislators sustained injuries during the fight some had their clothes severely torn. A faction that described the governor’s action as illegal was opposed by another faction that supported the action of the governor. Funnily enough, the factions were mostly across party lines. While briefing newsmen at the legislative complex after the fight, a member, House Committee on Information, who participated fully in the violence in the House, Mr. Makpa Malla,

admitted the carnage that was perpetrated in the Assembly, but justiﬁed their reaction for the Governor’s ‘illegal’ act. He mentioned that the Assembly could not continue to watch the governor perpetrate illegalities in the state. “As you can see, this is the executive room of the state House of Assembly, where we sit down every morning to discuss matters which would bring development to the state and the country at large. “Categorically, I want to state here that the division which caused this chaos was as result of the appointment of the sole administrators by the governor. As a responsible legislature with

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some of us as lawyers, we insisted that the right thing must be done. “The Section 7 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – as amended – guarantees a democratic system of governance at the local govern-

said there was no provision for the position of sole administrator in the laws of Nasarawa State. “Where would the sole administrators derive their powers from? Who determines the tenure and salaries of the

ment level. The provision of the constitution is explicit on how the local government structure should be run. “That is why we are kicking against the appointment of the sole administrators. Sole administrators only existed during the military era, and as respecters of the rule of law, we must ensure that the executive must also respect the rule of law.” Also speaking during the press conference, Mr. Abubakar Kana, an All Progressives Congress member representing Kokona-West,

sole administrators? Sole ad- Tanko Al-Makura bribed ministrators are not known to some lawmakers to support Nigerian and Nasarawa laws. the appointment of sole adIf the sole administrators ministrators for 11 local govcommit any oﬀence, under ernment areas. what law would they be Majority Leader of the house, tried?” Kana queried. Tanko Tunga, who moved a It is basically unfortu- motion for their suspension nate when it is considered cited ‘misconduct and misbethat the Governor, Tanko Al- havior’ as the reason. Makura, is from the APC, and “The action of the six those that came against him members had caused a conare also from the APC. The fusion which resulted into scenario seems to have cre- chaos among members, and ated a situation where it is it is in view of this that I want said that a house is divided to move a motion for their suspension so as to serve as against itself. In the midst of the im- deterrent to other lawmak-

broglio, the six members, who were alleged to have fought on the ﬂoor of the House, have been suspended indeﬁnitely for their involvement in the brouhaha. The suspended lawmakers had alleged that Governor

ers.”

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Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim-Alkali of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Laﬁa North, who is also the Minority Leader of the House supported the motion.

Consequently, Deputy Speaker of the House, Godiya Akwashiki of the PDP, who had earlier condemned the attack, announced the suspension of the lawmakers. He said: “13 lawmakers and I have voted in support of a motion moved for the suspension of the six lawmakers who misbehaved during our sitting on Monday.” “They are Kassim Mohammed-Kassim (APC-Akwanga South), Murtala Sodangi (APC-Nasarawa Central), Mohammed Okpoku (APC-Udege/ Loko, Musa Ali

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(APC-Keﬃ East), Makpa Malla (APC Wamba) and Abubakar Kana (APC-Kokona West).” “These lawmakers are suspended from the house indeﬁnitely without salary and allowances over their misconduct.” He explained that the 24-member House would not be cowed by a few members who had gone on a campaign of calumny against the state. Akwashiki said: “They accused some of us of receiving N50 million bribe each from the Governor. I want them to come out with proof. They should show the world the video to back up their allegations. “Although there is the principle of separation of powers, we still meet with the Governor when necessary. The meeting could be on his request or on our request. While explaining the genesis of the crisis, the Deputy

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Speaker said: “Last week Friday, the Speaker of the House wrote a letter to the Governor, requesting that the House wanted to see him. The governor granted our demand by honouring our invitation. The governor invited all of us but only 17 of us attended the meeting in Abuja while others stayed back.” Akwashiki said the false allegation of bribery was one of the reasons why a few members of the legislature opposed the action of the governor. The deputy speaker said the lawmakers met with the governor over a court judgment which ordered that the tenure of the 11 council chairmen must not exceed two years. He said the governor had to inaugurate the 11 sole administrators because of the security situation in the state, adding that on account of this, it would be

wrong to fault the governor’s dicision. “We cannot aﬀord to leave the councils without heads. The tenure of the former local government chairmen expired on March 24, 2016,” he said. However, sympathizers of the those in the opposition has questioned the rationale behind the Governor’s meeting with 17 members of the House in far away Abuja, instead of Laﬁa, or any other city within the state. “The Governor created room for suspicion, otherwise why would he take the selected few to Abuja for an invitational talk. The Assembly members invited him for a session. Why was he now the one to decide where the session will hold? And if he must decide, why Abuja? We can’t completely blame those that suspect foul play,” Mr. Lekan Ojelabi, a political

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comme tator said. On the hand, other political analysts see the trend as the visible cracks that have continually appeared on the APC walls long before now. They believed that the Nasarawa imbroglio is a replica of what is happening in the National Assembly where it is the opposition that is supporting the leadership of the Houses while the governing party members had become the antagonists. They reasoned that they governing party is creating opportunities for the PDP to develop in roads again, and reclaim a mandate they once lost. “Everything points to the fact that the APC is a House divided against itself, and there is every likelihood that it cannot stand. It is unheard that while the opposition PDP is the ones

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supporting the actions of the Governor, the members of the APC, which produced the Governor are not supporting him and his policies. Don’t be surprised that if the Governor cannot, in the long run draw them to the APC, he may join them in the PDP. The APC is playing with ﬁre if they cannot put their House in order,” Chika Madu, another political analyst said. Mr. Paul Musa is a lawyer, who also comments on social and political events in the country. He told The Boss in a phone chat that the maiden ﬁght in the Nasarawa House of Assembly is a clear writing on the wall that does not portend any good for the governing party. He noted that when the Governor begins to frolick with members of other political party against his own party, trouble is bound to occur. “What we are looking at is the beginning of the end for some people or a whole group in Nasarawa State. The cordial relationship between the Governor and his own party members is gradually weaning, and that is dangerous because it would soon result to the case of ‘if you can’t beat them join them’. It is just a matter of time before we know

who joins who?” He said. He noted that if it is even obvious that the Governor was giving bribes, his ﬁrst port of call should be his immediate constituency, the APC, adding that something went wrong somewhere. Mr. Musa also observed that it is diﬃcult to fault the Governor’s action as the tenure of the removed LG chairmen has expired, adding that leaving them on seat will mean supporting illegality. “Sometimes, this bribe thing is exposed when one is not happy with the lot. Something must have happened

along the line to warrant the noise we now hear. More so, given the reasons the spoke persons of the governor gave, it is obvious that the former administration should be dissolved. What I can’t tell now is why a fresh election was not immediately conducted,” Musa said. While the aggrieved suspended lawmakers have gone to Court to register their grievances, an action which is supposed to have been their ﬁrst reaction before the ﬁght, the political world looks on to see where the imbroglio ends.

INTERVIEW

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I never Knew I Would be a Musician–CDQuality A Story by: Terso Achineku

s a journalist with over three years experience in the entertainment industry, I guess I can tell you with great authority that musicians are the worst time keepers. Really, they are. If a musician were to be given the opportunity to govern a football match between Chelsea and Arsenal, Arsene Wenger would probably be cremated by the time the celeb realizes that 90 minutes has turned to 16 years.

celebrities have decided to cook themselves up in Lekki is still a phenomenon that baffles me. I mean, the place is literally on water! Yes, maybe I suffer from acute aquaphobia and yes the place is serene, but still, why the Island? I pondered this as our driver, Peter went past Lekki. The first hurdle of the day actually was caused by CDQ's manager. You'd think that finding the address of the Yoruba rapper's home would be the sim-

And so was the case with Mr. CDQuality. After a week of communication with his manager, a few fits of panic attacks on my side, and a host of planning activities, the day finally arrived for my big meet with the Woss Wobi crooner. I wasn't exactly brimming with confidence as it'd been a while since I'd interviewed a music star, as such I took solace in organising three of my close peeps to accompany me, a move that would later turn disastrous. Why the crop of Lagos based

plest of things but not when his man- a few minutes that consisted of camera ager gives you directions. After he was hoisting, sound checks and a few jokes done spewing what could only have from my crew/friends, we settled to been a mixture of Yoruba, English and await the entrance of Mr. CDQ. German, we decided that if we didn't To those who do not know CDQ, consult Google Maps, we might end up let me do a brief summary. Sodiq driving to Badagry. Relief was visible on Abubakar Yusuf is one of the biggest my face when we ﬁnally drove into the names in the Yoruba rap music industry. compound, I mean, it could have been A graduate of Economics from the Lagos worse right? We could have driven to State University, CDQ became prominent after being signed with hit maker, Alaska. Entering his plush home, we Masterkraft. He came into limelight with found one of his ‘homies’ trying (in vain) the hit track, Indomie, alongside

to beat his CPU opponent in a game of FIFA 16. As everyone who knows me, I do have a soft (acute addiction) side for video games and as I stood, entranced by the game play of the Playstation 4, Leonard, my good friend smacked me into reality. Pretending like I wasn't seeing stars, I proceeded to pretend like I was in control and ordered my crew to unload the equipment, looking for the right spot to position the camera. After

14 The BOSS NEWSPAPER

Olamide. And he's been on a roll ever since with tracks like Woss Wobi and Salaro. It literally took 2 hours for CDQ to come downstairs. Within that time frame, Leonard had hissed 748 times, Cuebitz had taken 9, 021 unnecessary pictures, Emeka had lost 6 pounds and our driver, Peter had made himself at home (By taking off his shoes and dozing on CDQ's couch). Looking dapper in a black shirt complemented by a pair of jeans (same colour), CDQ stepped out with the candor of Kanye West. He took out his pair of Ray Ban as he went round the whole crew to apologize for his bad case of time keeping. After being satisfied that we had accepted his apologies (like we had a choice), he took a seat to kickoff the interview. My first question was to ask if he had a clock upstairs, but I held my tongue and urged him to explain his childhood. As I'd read on so many of his interviews, I was expecting a short and simple answer, but that was not to be case as it seemed like he was going to reward my long wait with in depth information about himself. As an ambassador of the streets, it wasn't really a surprise to learn that he'd grown up in Orile, to a suburban,run down part of Lagos. After adolescence brought out the stubborn part of him, his father, Mr. Yusuf decided that it was time for him to switch environments before puberty hit and sent him to Ilorin, Kwara State, where he attended Secondary School. After he'd completed his learning process, he came back to Lagos to attend the Lagos State

INTERVIEW

University. Piqued, I pressed on to inquire about his best childhood moments and wasn't disappointed as he actually showed that he grew up in the 90s. In his words: "My best moments where playing with those small horse toys that you'd have to pump in order for them to jump. I also remember licking some really excellent candy that was locally baked." CDQ also revealed a very interesting part of his childhood in that he was once a very big bully, which is a bit of a surprise as one of his role models included the late Micheal Jackson and Lionel Ritchie (and not Sani Abacha). "I never knew that I would become a musician to be frank. I thought I'd become a basketballer as I played for Milo and NIS at the National Stadium. I eventually started dancing with Kaffy, and we had a group called EMagnito. I was the social prefect in my school at that time, but that was it, I wasn't really a musician. Most people do not even know that I almost stopped doing music when my father died in 2008. But Masterkraft convinced me that passion beats everything and I decided to push for what I love. In all, music was never my first choice for a profession." With a passion for music, and sudden freedom, I thought about how his first semester in LASU might have been. And he laughed as he remembered nearly being disowned by his father when he started to come home by midnight. "It was awesome to the extent that I nearly got carried away. I must admit that it was very interesting be-

cause I didn't allow the school just pass through me. My first show was organized by me. I had Da Grin, Naeto C, Wizkid and even Jesse Jagz around then and it was a hit, even though I singlehandedly organized the whole gig. I loved music then so much but at the same time I loved schooling, so when my music started affecting my school GPA, I had to slow down a bit till I obtained my B.Sc." Perhaps a point of note is that Mr. CDQuality actually remembers the name of his first sweetheart. Jumoke Oladele was the first babe to slay the heart of our Salaro crooner. He admitted that music affected his relationship and he fondly remembers that she was calm and understanding about it all. He also explained that they eventually grew apart due to distance and growing up. And I must say that the elders were indeed right when they said '20 children cannot play together for 20 years.' Most parents frown on the children going into music so I inquired if his parents where in support of his musical career. "My father had passed away by the time I decided to become a musician, and my mum was a bit unnerved by my decision. She was concerned about the whole business of performing before a crowd and all the attention. She knew that with Fame comes friends and enemies, and I guess she decided that the best she could do was pray for me always." As an upcoming artiste, it is a bit hard to compete with the top dogs of the business and such was the case when Jesse Jagz performed in LASU. CDQ explains while laughing that his most embarrassing moment as a musician came when he and the Chocolate City hit maker took to the stage at his (CDQ) show. "I was all over the place while he was performing and when he couldn't take it anymore, he was like, 'Guy how far nah,' right on the stage". I decided to push things to another aspect and asked him to explain how the educational scene of now was different from his time. He responded by lamenting that the cost of education has seriously gone skywards. "During my time, our school fee was minute and very affordable, unlike nowadays. I heard that LASU pays up to even 25, 000

INTERVIEW

now which is a huge increase from out time. Let's not even start with the private Universities. How do you expect the less privileged ones to go to school?" To all of those who don't know, CDQ used to be an English rapper. His switch to Yoruba actually was engineered by the late Dagrin who explained that he would bounce better on beats if he rapped in his local dialect. According to Dagrin, it would be better to appeal to the people rather than try to copy a style that has been mastered by the likes of Jay Z and Eminem. It wasn't really easy for CDQ to adjust to the Yoruba style of rap music but he admits that he was happy he'd done the transition. I decided to ask if he thinks he would still be accomplished had he not switched to Yoruba and he replied with the words: 'To Blow Na God Hand E Dey' CDQ remembered with sadness that he was distraught when he heard that Dagrin was dead. He explained that he was out with friends when he got the news and just jumped into the first bus he could find, not knowing where it was headed as he was overcome with grief. "I didn't even know where I was heading, his house or Sossick's studio. I just wanted to go far away from where I'd heard the news. As his protégé, I guess he would be proud that I've become what I am today thanks to a musical style he'd made popular. May his soul rest in peace" The journey to limelight for CDQ isn't that different from a fairytale. He got signed by Masterkraft in 2012, shot the video of his first single Bizness, in South Africa and even got an endorsement from top dog, Olamide. Unlike what is circu-

lating across the Nigerian blogsphere, CDQ wasn't discovered by Masterkraft at a rap battle during the Industry Night Talent Hunt Organized for the late Dagrin. "I met Masterkraft in 2010, two years before the Talent Hunt. So even if I didn't attend the event, I would still have gotten where I am today." He also quelled rumors that HKN tried to sign him by stating: "Davido put a call through to me that he wanted to sign me but I already had a deal with General Records, so we opted for a patnership instead." To music lovers and club goers, the track Indomie stands out as a real hit. Released in 2014, the song is still a banger even till date. What people do not know however, is that the track started off as a freestyle. "Olamide and I were at Oriental Hotel with some friends when we started drumming on the table. It was all out of playfulness but soon enough, we realized that we might actually be unto something. So I called Masterkraft to turn up immediately with some studio equipment and there and then, he produced the song. That was the first song I wrote off the top of my head. I used a few words from our environment and before we knew it, a full track was done and we all know what a hit it turned out to be." Most people raise the question that the song was helped by Olamide's fame but CDQ objected by borrowing a few words from the mouth of the YBNL leader, 'Even if nobody had sang on that beat, it would have still been a hit.' Moving on to his next hit, I was impressed that unlike most

artistes, CDQ actually reads his bible. He explained that the concept of Salaro came when he came across the part where David danced like a mad man and was chided by his wife, whom God would later curse. "I wanted to recreate that scene in a way that the streets could relate to it. I wanted people to dance in the way that David danced" Woss Wobi is another song that features Olamide' once again and I decided to inquire about the relationship between the two of them. "I'd never even met Olamide even after he endorsed Bizness on Twitter. It was during a show, I was being interviewed by a Hip TV at Inyanya's birthday and someone just jumped on me and was like, I've ﬁnally found you! Ever since, we've been really good friends. Some people say that he has lost his touch but I would say this, he has evolved to ﬂorescent. If he has lost his touch but is still cashing out, where is the loss?" The interview would have been useless if we didn't talk a b o u t M a s -

The

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terkraft, the leader of General Records and creator of multiple hits. CDQ gave us a brief explanation of how they compose songs. "We have reached the point where we have gotten enough chemistry to not even be together to create a hit. He could create songs oﬀ the top of his head and I'll jump on it. Also, in the same vein, he could be creating a beat and I'll just rap to it. Kinda like Salaro. We're currently working on my album which should drop in May on my birthday, by God's Grace." I decided to end the interview by asking how he relaxes, a bit clichéd, yes, but I had a reason. I asked which video game he preferred and much to my own disappointment, he picked FIFA 16. I wasn't happy with that, at all. But I'll spare you the reason, maybe for another day. The shoot turned out to be more s u c c e s sf u l than I'd expected, even though the Keke Marwa driver ran away

and I had to chase down another one under the terrible sun. Happy that we'd done a more than successful interview, I and the crew jumped into the car, and as I blasted a bunch of cray tracks through the car speakers, one thing tugged at my brain, CDQ was actually cooler than I'd expected. "Turn oﬀ that damn music!" Cuebitz screamed.

16 The BOSS NEWSPAPER

EVENTS

DANGOTE TURNS 59, BEGINS $1bn OKPELLA CEMENT PLANT CONSTRUCTION Story by: Temitope Ogunleye

Emir of Kano, Lamido Muhammad Sanusi II, Gov of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Alhaji Aliko Dangote cutting a commemora- Aliko Dangote delivering his speech tive cake, while his daughter , Mrs Lara Oshimhole & Gov. Adamas Oshiomhole applaud

H.E. Mrs. Lara Oshiomole , Alh. Aliko Dangote ,Gov. Adams Oshiomole & Mr Devakumar

Emir of Kano, Lamido Muhammad Sanusi II, H.E. Gov. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje , Alh. Aliko Dangote &Gov. Adams Oshiomole

he Dangote Group, owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, recently began the construction of a $1 billion cement factory in Okpella, Edo State while simultaneously celebrating the billionaire businessman’s 59th birthday. The project slated to completion in 26 months will

create 6,000 direct jobs and 45,000 indirect jobs in the community. Speaking at the ceremony, Dangote explained that the project will meet local demands for cement as well as surplus for export and foreign exchange generation. He also urged other investors to look at other investment

Gov. Oshiomhole unveiling a plaque to mark the ground breaking ceremony

Mr. Femi Otedola, Muyiwa Bakare & Aremo Olusegun Osoba

opportunities in Nigeria, saying the federal government has created investor friendly policies to boost investments. Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state while commissioning the project, noted that the investment will reduce the state’s dependence on federal allocation and boost its internally generated.

Dignitaries at the ceremony included; the Emir of Kano Lamido Muhammad Sanusi II, s, Mr. Femi Otedola, Kano State Governor, Alh. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Hon. Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Alh. Bashir Othman Tofa, HRM. Dr. A.Y.E Idirisu & Mrs. Folashade Ayoade (Representative of Kogi Governor)

EVENTS

The

(R-L) Alh. Sani Dangote , Prince Nduka Obaigbena , Alh. Aliko Dangote & Mr. Devakumar Edwin

Alh. Bashir Othman Tofa & Dr. Kayode Fayemi

Prince Nduka Obaigbena , Alh. Sani Dangote , Bashorun Dele Momodu & Alh. Kashim Ibrahim Imam

Halimat , Zainab & Fatimah Dangote

Prince Nduka Obaigbena & Mr. Tony Chiejina

Hon. Hajiya Aisha Abubakar & Hajia M.H. Dankaka

Mr. Devakumar Edwin

Mrs. Folashade Ayoade,Hon. Hajiya Aisha Abubakar & Hon Kayode Fayemi

HRM Dr. A.Y.E. Dirisu (Okuokpellagbe of Okpella Land)

HRH Oba Idogu

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EVENTS

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Governor Akinwunmi Ambode

launches Ambsam Memorial Foundation in Lagos Story by: Adeyemi Funmilayo

Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji & Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode

Opening Prayer by Alhaji Shile Shefau

Lagos State Gov., Akinwunmi Ambode

As part of consolatory steps to immortal- speech. In his speech, he said’ "I want to ize the six illustrious sons of Epe commu- say exactly that almost two years back, nity who lost their lives in a boat mishap they were the first set of people that I rewhile on election related assignments ally sat down with and told that I was inand the need to cater for less privileged terested in doing what I am doing today indigenes of the community who might and I remember that was in my office in have suffered similar fate, this resulted Victoria Island. I remember that they have led to the establishment of the gave me words of encouragement and AMBSAM Memorial Foundation in Epe urged me to proceed. And for doing this division. for me, I believe strongly that there is no The victims met their tragic way I want to pay them back than to supdeath while on an assignment to monitor port their families and work hard for a the 2015 Presidential and National As- greater Lagos because they died for our sembly election exercises conducted by sake and they will never die in vain’’. the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The victims of the ill-fated mishap include late Salau Tunde, Mogaji Wale, Adewale Olakunle, Bello Muiz, Agoro Shamuseen and Mogaji Gbolahan. The event which was held at the Charlet, Epe, Lagos began with an opening prayer by Alhaji Shile Shefau. During the event, Imam Sadala Abdul Rahman Abiola enjoined the guests to pray for the deceased families. In attendance were Former Princess Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya & Sen. OlorunSpeaker of Lagos State House of Assem- nibe Mamora bly, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Chairman Local Government Service Commission, Mr. Babatunde Rotinwa, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, and former Secretary to the State Government, Princess Aderenle Adeniran Ogunsanya , Desmond Elliot, Hon. Segun Olulade, Qeen Salawa Abeni amongst others. Thereafter, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode gave an inspirational Alhaji Abdul rahman Abiola

The Elejirin of Ejirin, Oba Babatunde Balogun & The Omola of Odomola kingdom, Oba Sikiru Taiwo Adewale Odukoya

Chief Tajudeen Agoro, Chief Ajiborisa Tajudeen Olalekan & Chief Oshubaloju Ademola

Hon.Desmond Elliot & Hon. Segun Olulade

Chief Wale Mogaji & Otunba Oludare Alogba

EVENTS

Senator Dino Melaye Gives out Sister, The

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Folashade Elizabeth in Marriage Story by: Blessing Obehi Ehidiamen

Couple with Sen. Bukola Saraki & Sen. Dino Melaye

ove was certainly in the air when the vocal Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dino Melaiye, gave out his only sister, Folashade Elizabeth to the toast of her life, Oyewole Abdurazaq, in a one in town marriage. The event took place at the Christ Apostolic Church, Ayetoro-gbedi, Kogi State. The simple church wedding conformed with the doctrines of the church with the bridal train looking dashing on blue. The atmosphere of love was portrayed by not only the couple but the guests as well. Senator Dino Malaiye couldn't hide his joy as he beamed with smiles, showing how satisﬁed he was with his decision to give his only sister out to Wale. This, he also said while making his speech. After the joining, and the regular signing of papers which bestow the status of man and wife to the young couple, all roads led to Dino's house where the reception took place. The venue created an

Sen. Bukola Saraki & Sen. Osita Izunaso

atmosphere of networking, fun and excitement. The duo couldn't get enough of each other as they danced like it was a competition. Assorted food and drinks of choice were in abundance and guests were at liberty to make their choices. Though it was a wedding ceremony, it also provided ground for political maneuvering as Dino used the medium to express his political interests, and went ahead to appreciate everyone for joining in the celebration. Among dignitaries in attendance were the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; former Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Honourable Titi Oseni, Senator Osita Izinaso, General David M. Jemibewon, Alhaji Haddy Ametno, Senator Waky, Chief Cosmos Maduba, among others. In his remarks, Senator Bukola Saraki, who was the special guest of honour, wished the new couple ‘the best of blessings as they begin their union’.

Sen. Fatimat Raji Rasaki , Sen. Dino Melaye & Chief (Mrs.) Titi Oseni

Sen. Aliyu Sabi , Sen. Biodun Olujimi , Alh. Haddy Ametno , Sen. Rafiu Ibrahim & Sen. Baba Kaka

Dr. Uzoma Obiyo & Sen. Osita Izunaso

The

NEWS

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UNILAG Closure: Killing an Ant with a Sledge Hammer

Story: Ehidiamen Blessing Obehi

t came as a great surprise to some when on April 7, 2016, the Senate of the University of Lagos rose from an emergency meeting to announce the closure of the institution. The news, which spread like wild ﬁre as it was released through the popular campus Information Flash, declared that every student must vacate the campus before 10am the following day, April 8, 2016. The announcement came as a dreaded piece of rotten rag unexpectedly thrown to the face of a helpless folk. This was even as the students were dialoguing

faced by the 'large number of students' living oﬀ campus to attend classes following the lingering fuel crises. This was revealed in the Information Flash. The protest was said to have come to sudden end with the intervention of the security agents. According to the circular issued by the university management, all academic activities on campus were suspended to forestall further breakdown of law and order, adding that students were strictly ordered to vacate their halls of residence by 10am on Friday, April 8. The circular added that “A decision

with the authorities to ﬁnd the solution the endermic challenge that resulted into a protest from students. Few days before the closure, the students of the University established in 1962 through an Act of Parliament, had embarked on a peaceful protest to register their displeasure as a result of incessant disruption of power as well as poor water supply in the campus. The protest which the management saw as a threat to administration and a breakdown of law and order prompted the release of the circular mandating everyone to hurriedly vacate the campus within 24 hours. The protests embarked upon by scores of students barricaded the major roads leading into the university thereby preventing vehicles movement to and fro the institution. The students also allegedly disrupted an event in the Assembly hall which had the Vice Chancellor, Rahman Bello, in attendance. It is believed that the school arrived at the conclusion as a result of diﬃculties

to re-open for normal academic activities will be made as soon as municipal services improve". It is still left to wonder how matters are left to degenerate before actions are taken, and most times actions are not taken until there are commotions of some sort. The question on the lips of many is why the school waited till there is a demonstration before they could come out with a pronouncement. And again, closing down an institution of higher learning because of a demonstration sure amounts to being too decisive; killing an ant with a sledge hammer. The University Senate observed that the problem of poor municipal services is a national issue which governments at both the state and Federal levels are addressing, simply point to the fact that the school appears helpless in taking care of its students. An assessment that many feel is unacceptable. The school’s argument’s that the fuel scarcity, currently aﬀecting all facets of the Nigerian economy is the key reason

for the protest is stemmed from the fact that fuel is used to power basic things in the environment. Consequently, the education sector is affected. It also argued that as the cost of transportation continues to rise, there will be no need for a right thinking administration to continue to keep its students back in school, seeing that they could hardly afford it. But stakeholders have said that the reasons given by the school authority cannot hold water as they have to wait for a major disgraceful demonstration that borders on rotten mattresses which had nearhuman size bed bugs for they could react. It was reported sometime last year that the entire student population of the University of Lagos went on rampage to protest the kind of mattresses on which they sleep. The mattresses, which were displayed at the school gate and everywhere within the school premises, were stinking and oozing out pests of many kinds, chiefly among them, bed bugs. “The only way people at the top listen is by demonstrations and protests, and that is why we embark on it as a last resort,” a student who was seen going home told The Boss. Now that the students have been sent home, it is left to imagine how long they will stay at home and be deprived of their education even as they are lagging behind considering the porous nature of the country’s education system. A parent of one of the students forced home, asked our correspondent why such a grave punishment should be meted out for such a small offence, which for all intent and purpose is justified. “The authority got it all wrong. It is like killing a man for taking away rotten tomatoes from the pack, why kill an ant with a sledge hammer,” the woman said. However, most of the students have vowed not to leave the campus, daring the worse, because according to some them, “We came from afar”, saying the school should not always be coming up with laws that they themselves cannot meet. If government officials keep overlooking things of basic necessity, further protests, even the highest form of protest will be witnessed in this country. Nigeria has outgrown the stage where we have to suffer before we see changes. It is hoped the students will be called back soon to resume studies in an effective and conducive atmosphere.

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The

Lagos Sharp Guy...

SO BECAUSE DANLADI BOUGHT A NEW LAPTOP

It was around 6 pm and I had just returned from my hustle. As soon as I entered the passage of my "face me I face you" apartment, I was enveloped by a thick cloud of smoke, I had to rush back outside to make sure the house was not on fire, then I went back in this time better prepared. I was shouting; who dey house, who dey house? As I banged different doors, but nobody responded. I rushed into my room, changed my clothes and just as I stepped back outside, I ran into Mama Nkechi who said the smoke was coming from my Hausa neighbour next door, Danladi's room, it's a smoke of an over burnt food and he doesn't seem to be home because they've been knocking on his door. She said Baba Shade already went to get a carpenter so they can break down his door and put off whatever fire it was before it burns down the whole house. Burn down the whole house ke? I re echoed. God forbid, so it will burn down my most cherished asset of a 14 inches SONY Television and my DVD player. The carpenter finally arrived with Baba Shade and work began in earnest on "Bring down Danladi's door". After prolonged thuds and bangs, the door came down in the midst of a thick smoke in Danladi's room, as we entered we saw two things that struck us in awe; first was a pot of burnt beans on an electric plate (both the beans and the pot were burnt beyond recognition). Second was the lifeless body (or so we thought) of Danladi on his bed with a laptop dangling over him, and a set of earpiece were trapped in his

ears. Mama Nkechi was just entering the room as I made for

the windows to open them so that some good fresh air can come in. Suddenly, Danladi sprang on his feet shouting; barawu, barawu banza, shege Dan buromba, he reached under his bed and reappeared with a cutlass. The confusion that ensued was of massive proportions; mama Nkechi who was just by the door made an immediate u turn, the carpenter and baba Shade both headed for the door, I didn't hang around to find out who made it out first, as I escaped through the wooden window I was trying to open (thank God his window had no burglary proof due to a theft incident that occurred just before the other tenant packed out). As I landed on the other side still trying to regain my balance, I looked just behind me and saw a shining cutlass and an outstretched arm by the window, suddenly Danladi's face emerged, I regained my balance and took off in full flight. I ran the length of the building to the front yard and saw Mama Nkechi already on the other side of the road, how she made it that quick still remains a mystery as baba Shade and the carpenter were just coming out through the front door, I looked over

my shoulder and Danladi was behind me holding his cutlass and still shouting "barawu", whatever that means. Myself, Baba Shade and Oga carpenter made it in good time to join mama Nkechi on the other side of the road, then Danladi suddenly stopped; looked at us at the other side of the road, looked at the cutlass he was holding, then burst into laughter. He beckoned to us to join him, but we all declined and chose to stand aloof across the road, until he called all of us by our names; baba Shadii, mama Nkochi, oga carfenter, Lagos sharff Guy. I told him to drop his cutlass as we approached him, baba Shade took a handful of sand and poured it at him; is it really Danladi or a ghost, is he dead or actually alive? We went back inside the house except the carpenter who headed back to his shop, the smoke was still all over. It suddenly dawned on Danladi what just happened, he rushed into his room and switched off his electric plate, we followed him in, and he began by saying that he had already forgotten that he had beans on the fire as he was so engrossed with season 2 of "Empire" which he had just downloaded on his laptop. "Danladi", mama Nkechi shouted, "e remain small make you convert all this whole house to ashes". She went and picked up the burnt pot of burnt food. Danladi smiled and went and sat on his bed, his

laptop was still hanging and dangling from over the top, we all left him and went to our diﬀerent rooms. A few

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minutes later, I heard a noise in the corridor and I peeped, it was Danladi arguing with baba Shade to get the carpenter who broke his door to come back and ﬁx it. He made it clear that he won't take it lightly with any of us in that house if his new "Aﬄe" laptop gets stolen. After about 30 minutes of argument, they both

went to call the carpenter who came back to repair his door. I was just thinking, thank God for this narrow escape. So what would have happened if we didn't take matters into our hands? We would by now probably have lost all our valuables in that house to that ﬁre incident, including my 14 inches SONY Television. God forbid.

So because Danladi bought a new laptop, he wants to burn the whole house down?

This is the diary of a Lagos Sharp Guy starring Lamide Adenuga. Everything you read here is pure ﬁction just so you can get a good laugh. 08032454647

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Music is my Predominant occupation - Cky

by: Adeyemi Funmilayo

There are many young musicians waiting in the wings ready to show their talent. Among those musicians is Collins Osemudiameh Oribhabor, a young man who has put in so much work and consistency to get his art to a high level. He talked about his humble beginning and the challenges of being an upcoming artist. A vowed intent of the Finance graduate of the University of Lagos is to surprise Nigerians beyond expression. Tell us about yourself I am popularly known as “Cky”, pronounced as Sky (a name I got back in high school). My name is Collins Osemudiameh Oribhabor. I was born and brought up in Abuja and spent most of my life there till I moved to Lagos for my university education. I am also a Banking and Finance graduate of the University of Lagos. I like to describe myself as a bit reserved and quiet which might sound strange considering I work in the entertainment industry. How was your growing up like Well, I am the fourth child in a family of 6 children. I have a brother and four sisters. I love my siblings and I am close to all of them, but my childhood was really quiet. I had to ﬁnd ways of entertaining myself alone because my brother, who is the ﬁrst child of the family was very strict and always wanted me to respect him because he is far older than me, but he was never at home because of school and some other reasons. As a result, I was closer to my sisters but still had quiet moments because my sisters would always be ‘girls’. Being the only boy around actually come with lots of privileges,

though. While growing up, I also played a lot of soccer, which I wish I never had to let go of. When and why did you start music I started professional music six years ago. This was because I really fell in love with music and greatly admired the likes of Lil Wayne, Biggie and the rest. This inspired me to start practicing and writing my own songs. I was

in a group in high school and we used to mime a lot of songs back then. At what stage did you realize you wanted to pursue a career in music I started by learning how to play the keyboard and I picked it up really fast. I also started picking up other instruments and realized that creating music always makes me happy. I could be hav-

ing a bad day, but when I get in the studio and everything will change. It sets my mood right and I’m very passionate about it. What has been your biggest challenge That has to be combining music with my academics. This is because I started music professionally three weeks before gaining admission into the university, it was really hard trying to balance

E N T E R TA I N M E N T the two. A lot of times during lectures, I’d get inspiration for a song and I’d begin writing down my rap. I got so distracted that my GPA really suffered. I had to drop music for a while in order to concentrate on my studies. How do you balance your music with other obligations such as jobs, mate and so on Right now, music is my predominant occupation. I wake up in the morning and I do music till it’s time to call it a day. I also have a manager who really helps in making it all work. I think it’s all about prioritizing and balancing it all. How often and how long do you practice It is usually on average, about seven hours in a day. Have ever you perform in public Yes I have performed severally and I remember being very nervous because it was a really large crowd at a carnival. Once I began, I got a hang of it and ended up ‘killing’ my performance. How do you handle mistakes during a performance I’ve made several mistakes. When you’re nervous, a lot of things can go wrong. If I forget some lyrics, I just try to freestyle till I get back on track. If I miss a beat, I just concentrate and follow the beat. Do you get nervous before a performance (Chuckles) Of course I do. I think almost everybody does. Being in front of a large crowd is really intimidating. For me, I’m really nervous whenever I get on stage but once I start, I begin to relax and get in my zone. It always helps when you can feel the crowd’s energy and watch them enjoy your performance. If you had to categorize your music, what genre would it best fit I’m mostly a hip-hop artist, but I occasionally branch out into R‘n’B What was the first song you ever did and how did it make u feel About seven years ago, I wrote and sang a love song. At that time, I felt it was good, but looking back now, it was absolutely terrible. I have no regrets because you live and learn, and the goal is to keep getting better. Are you single Yes, but I am in a relationship How do you manage your relationship with your musical career (Laughs) Perfectly, because my girlfriend loves my job and she understands how we operate, but she complains sometimes because when I’m supposed to spend time with her, an unplanned event might just come up, but I make her understand that I’m just building my career, and I am not ready to turn down any event even if it was not planned. Are your parents in support of your career

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When my mom was alive, she was in support of it; she even knew the lyrics of the ﬁrst love song I wrote, but my dad has always wanted me to become a doctor. He even stopped me from playing soccer when I was very young, but I’m no longer a child, I think I know what I want now and what is good for me, so he has no other option

loves and understand my job, money is the root of all evil, but it’s not a crime to make money from what you do. So it's all about the money No, I love music, but if you don't make money from a job you do, then you have to double your hustle. If you don't do alcohol, how do you unwind

rather than support me even if he still complains sometimes. Alcohol, women and money are distractions, how do you intend to prevent them I don’t take alcohol. I have a girlfriend that

I have a way of making my friends feel I’m drinking with them whenever we go out. I love swimming, playing video games, and listening to good songs.

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I am not a Pastor, says Controversial screen diva,

Eucharia Anunobi

ucharia Anunobi, the light in complexion lady, who is popular for her husband snatcher and whore roles in the movies, and whose whereabouts and activities have remained the focus of rumours mongers and gossips, has come out to clear the air on what she’s been up to recently. Eucharia, who has over a hundred movies to her credit, said that she has been deeply engrossed in work in the Lord’s vineyard as an evangelist. She debunked rumours suggesting she is a pastor as she has not been ordained yet. “I am an evangelist, not an ordained pastor yet. I believe it is a gradual process. I had actually been a born-again Christian who got the altar call even before Glam-

Jaywon releases 21 tracks album

our Girls, about 17 years ago,” she said. The veteran actress further stated that she’s presently studying for her Masters Degree in Social Works at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, and is overseeing her very many business interests within the country. She has stated that she would continue to appear in movies except where they directly ‘contradict her conscience’ and would deﬁnitely be saying no to act nude scenes if the oﬀer to do so comes her way. ‘U.K’ as she is fondly called by friends and fans made her Nollywood debut with ‘Nneka the Pretty Serpent’ (Part II) and shot to stardom with ‘Glamour Girls’ (Part II) in 1996.

Kehinde Bankole is fast risen actress, who joined the industry few years back. She started out with the popular soapopera Super Story and now she is one of the known faces that viewers wants see in the movie because of the way she act. Recently, it’s rumor that she is having affairs with one of the best movie director in the industry, Kunle Afolayan. But Kehinde denies sleeping with kunle Afolayan for the lead role in 'October 1'Kehinde Bankole comﬁrmed that she didn't have to sleep with kunle Afolayan in order to get the lead role in 'october 1' which won her the AMVCA actress award. All she did was to audition. She review this in an interview with Broadway TV when she was questioned how

she got the role. She dismissed this claim when she said "what I want to correct is the thinking of people, if you keep giving roles to people you are sleeping with, will a lot of them be good actors?". She added that a movie producer would only jeopardise the entire ﬁlm project if he selects his actresses based on how good she is on bed. On this note, she implored fans to change their perceptions on this. The actress who is a twin, began her journey to fame in 2003, when she participated in the Miss commonwealth Nigeria beauty contest, her ﬁrst screen feature in Wale Adenuga's 'super story', ever since then she has appeared in so many movies.

Oluwajuwonlo, popularly known and ad- Historical Wizkid makes Twitter dressed as Jaywon, has dropped a new Billboard’s last 24 hours album. The former Kennis music act Nigeria pop dropped the album, which is his third, is singer, Ayo Balotitled “Oba Orin”. The album is under his gun, popularly own record label, Next World Music. The known as Wizkid, 21 tracks album features collaborations becomes the ﬁrst with top acts like Olamide, 9ice, Baba artists in Nigeria Igbo, (Phyno), Vector, Oritsefemi and to make twitter others. The Gbongbon gbon crooner has billboards for 24 not disappointed ever since he left Kenhours. Days ago, nis Music. He had since got a few artists Drake dropped to his credit.

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two singles, ‘Pop style’ featuring Kanye West and Jay Z, and ‘One dance’ featuring Wizkid and Kyla. On 'One Dance,' the six God gets assists from Wizkid, who he worked with last year, and Kyla, sampling the Crazy Cousinz remix of her song, “Do You Mind”. This raises the bar a lot higher for the star pop singer help-

ing to improve his brand visibility. The tune “One dance” features production by Ninteen85 with co-production credits by 40. Wizkid already featured Drake in a remix to his 'Ojuelegba' fan favourite and award-winning song. The single “One dance” is oﬀ Drake's forthcoming

album, following his successful "What a time to be alive" released in 2015. The collaboration was said to have come about, thanks to Skepta, a friend of Wizkid, who introduced the song to Drake during a Wireless Music Festival held in London.

The mother of popular movie directorproducer, Kunle Afolayan, featured on a recent edition of the ongoing Supermom reality TV show where she gave an account of her experience bringing up her children in a polygamous home that had a sojourner as head. The 69-year-old woman told the story of how she got married at a very early age to her late husband, Ade Love, whose profession as a movie maker caused him to travel frequently. According to her, her husband’s non-availability, and his preference to invest in his business coupled with the polygamous nature of the home exposed her to so much trauma. She soon ventured into the sale of puff puff and later, pepper soup. Shortly before Kunle was five years old, she says, they were thrown out of the house and had to temporarily put up in a friend’s house. “All we did was spend the night there. I was pregnant with my last child

then and would sit outside in the cold till the mama would come back, freshen up and then ask us to come in and sleep…it wasn’t convenient because there were bed bugs in the room, and I had to stay up in the nights to keep them from biting my boys”, she said. Not long after, they got a place of theirs to stay, but like the mighty wind

in the popular fairy tale, a ﬂood came one day and destroyed all her property. She had to start from the beginning. Kunle, who is now a popular actor and internationally-acclaimed movie maker, says although things are better, he cannot forget those days when his mother sold her wrappers to get him educated.

Tale-Tale of a Super mom, Kunle Afolayan’s mother

I want to go on album drops. four years break - In her words: “It is

Waje

Nigerian singer, Aituaje Iruobe, otherwise called Waje, has revealed plans to embark on a four years break from active music. Having been active in Nigerian music industry since 2007, Waje is ﬁnally getting ready to drop her debut album in September 2016 and she’ll go on a four years break after the

something I’ve been considering for a while, and now I think after the album drops and I round up with all the tours and promo, I’ll go on break for about four years.” Asked why, Waje, who has a 17 years old daughter said: “I want to have more kids, I want to focus on a business that I have had in mind for a long time, and I also want a couple of young artistes.

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MAKING THINGS HAPPEN

EDITORIAL

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NEWSPAPER

EDITORIAL TEAM ISSN-2052-1979

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dele Momodu momodudele@yahoo.co.uk

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Mobolaji Momodu EDITOR Michael Effiong

mikeffiong2009@yahoo.com mikeffiong@ovationinternational.com

PHOTO EDITOR Adekoya Adegbite

ill Smith no doubt is one of the most successful Hollywood Superstars. But way long time ago, many years back before he ever smelt stardom, he decided on something and he committed to his decision. Listen to what he said; in my mind, I have always been an A List Superstar. I decided no one or nothing will stop me from having a career. Now there's a huge lesson to learn in there; he decided and he stood by his decision, he was committed to his decision, and the results are so visible for all to see clearly today. From his early days as the Fresh Prince of BelAir up till his recent movies, he always nails it, he is so so always on point. Now, whenever I go for my talks in diﬀerent parts of the country and I am addressing the audience on the issue of Decision Making, there is this illustration I always give, or rather this question I always ask. Okay, check this; four boys were sitting on a fence and one of them decided to jump, how many boys are left on the fence? I hear you say three, you're wrong, there are still four boys sitting on that fence. One of them decided to jump - he did not jump. There is a big diﬀerence between deciding to do something and actually committing to it and doing it. You know as human beings, we can be so funny at times. We can decide on something and not do anything about it, and not commit ourselves to it... I can decide right now that I want to start a business and that is where it ends, I don't do anything about it. I can decide to go back to school for my Masters degree program

PRODUCTION MANAGER/ART DIRECTOR Isaac Edoh-Philip ASSISTANT DESIGNER Adekoya Abiodun Afeez Kwaku Yeboah Darteh

or a Professional course and that is where it ends, I may not commit to the decision. I can decide I want to start going to the gym because I want to stay fit and keep myself in shape, and that is where it ends. Dear Friends, you need to realise that deciding is not the same thing as doing. You need to decide on whatever it is you want to do, stay committed, then follow up your decision with actions to Succeed. Decide and Succeed. If you decide to start a business, then Start! If you decide to write a book or release a song, then Proceed. If you decide to do something good for yourself and with yourself, don't just leave it there, Commit yourself to it and make sure you do it. It's not just enough for you to decide if you will not carry out a corresponding action. I wish you the very best. lamide Adenuga is a Personal Effectiveness Coach with Interest in Leadership Development and Human Capital Development. He is an author and a speaker who believes the right mentality can power one to success. A Personal Effectiveness Contributor in Ovation Magazine. He is on TV through the MAKING THINGS HAPPEN series on Wap TV, Channel 116, Startimes, where he inspires Africa every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays by 8.25am.

Tel:+2348032454647, lamideadenuga@gmail.com.Lamide Adenuga Speaks on Facebook, and LammyMotivates on Twitter.olamideadenuga.blogspot.com By:Lamide Adenuga.

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