AHBEA 2017 Hots Up

Afro-Heritage Broadcasting and Entertainment Award (AHBEA) according to the Africa Coordinator of the event, veteran film actor and director, Mr. Yomi Fash Lanso was borne out of the necessity to celebrate and honour entertainers in film, music, broadcasting and all other arms of entertainment in Africa.

The award event is put together solely for those who have spent 20 years and above in the industry. But according to Yomi Fash, there are cases of exception for those who have equally performed very well as entertainment practitioners and good role model void of scandalous reputation.

He spoke further on one of the aim of the award, which is to use the AHBEA award platform to educate and sensitive young African descents in diaspora, so they will know that back in Africa, good things are happening in contrast to what they’ve been taught over the years.

The organizers of the award have slated the third month of 2017, to roll out their line up of activities for the 2017 edition of the prestigious African culture, media and entertainment award event. As Mr. Yomi Fash Lanso informed NaijaOnlineTV during a recent interview that the AHBEA award committee saddled with the responsibility are already working on possible recipients for the 2017 edition of the award. Which will be drawn various African countries.

Though the 2016 edition of the award held in Houston, Texas, USA on the 20th of August, 2016 recorded a huge success as the likes of top Nigerian and African entertainment celebrities, such as Odunlade Adekola, Dayo D1 Adeneye, Kunle Afolayan and Ella Mensah from Ghana e.t.c, were all in attendance to grace the occasion. But the organizers are not really keen on bringing known faces only to their fans in diaspora, but rather working to celebrate stars, either known or unknown, but have contributed immensely to the growth of the African entertainment and media industry within the range of 20-30 years above.

Mr. Yomi Fash illustrated that people and fans were head over heels to see legends and icons like Sadiq Daba, Pete Edochie, Liz Benson and Bimbo Manuel in flesh, when their pictures came up for AHBEA 2016. Which is cited to inform on the magnetic feel, the award has generated.

Yomi Fash Lanso further noted that AHBEA award is not by vote nor nomination, but strictly by careful selection process of names of entertainers, who have been in the industry for 20 years above. However he informed on opportunities for those who have perfected their trade, with pure excellence and commitment.

Yomi Fash Lanso concludes by informing that AHBEA award is not only for Nigerians, as against an opinion of a Ghanaian writer during the last edition. As awardees were involved from Ghana and South Africa during the last edition. However, he informed NaijaOnlineTV that the 2017 edition will definitely feature recipients from Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, South Africa aside Nigeria to name a few.

Speaking to our reporter from his base in Houston, Texas, USA, the President and Chairman of the AHBEA award planning committee, Mr. Sola Olaniyan said hands are thoroughly on deck for a successful outing at the awards in 2017 and much more reason why the Africa Coordinator of the event, Mr. Yomi Fash Lanso who also attended the award event held in Houston, Texas, USA stayed a little behind after the event for further planning and meetings against the forthcoming 2017 edition. He says the event promise to be off the hook.


Here are pictures of the last edition

Click to enlarge images below

Elder Sister Recounts How Youth Corper Serving In Kano Died Due To Negligence

The account from the elder sister:

"You called me five hour to ur death and told me to start coming as the nysc doctors are not doing any tin for you they thought  you were pretending u did not want to go for parade so they did not attend to u,wen u started callin people from home they eventually gave u an injection immediately after the injection u called ma again that you notice a lot of rashes on ur body that i should speak with the doctor who refuse to talk to me,u called five minutes later and told me your tongue is twisting they sent all ur friends out after seeng all the reaction on ur body after giving u the unknown injection,u z we should ask for flight and i called immediatel they told me Abuja flight is Mon,wed &Fri.I told u to tell anybody in the clinic dat am a nurse they should allow me to speak to them a male nurse took phone from u and told me u are having anaphylactic reaction and they will watch you for just one our and transfer u to aminu kano teaching hospital but alas they did not transfer you untill 5hours later wen they notice u are restless and calling people at home,boarded a bus going to kano with ur sister oladepo Kemisola Oladepo to come pick you from there,I begged them to take you to a teaching hospital around but they took you to General hospital gwazo where they have notin or little care to render,they took ur phone from you claiming u are not resting, from that 5'pm I could not talk to you,I took a 16 hours journey to make sure I get to you,but I was called Around 3am dat you gave up,without any doctor in the hospital to assist you the only nurse on duty told me she tried her best,her best of staying beside you wen death was taking you away cos there was notin to use,from that 3am till I got to kano I was hoping it will only be a mix up somewhere it can't be you,got to kano and met you at aminu kano mortuary,alas it was you being put in dat cold place.Amokkkkkeeeeeeeeee Mi  you couldn't withstand the agony,NYSC succesfull cut your destiny due to negligence"

N800,000 up for grabs at ‘Speak Up Bayelsa’

SPEAK UP BAYELSA, a Public Speaking Contest organized by FastTrack Consulting, is aimed at engaging the minds of Bayelsa State youths to think constructively and properly articulate their intellectual ideas and properties to the ultimate advancement of the state. It seeks to help young minds to creatively express their thoughts appropriately in well constructed speeches and dialogue rather than resort to violence and other social vices 

The convener of SPEAK UP BAYELSA is Sorgwe Ernest, a lead Consultant at FastTrack Consulting. He is a prolific inspirational speaker, writer, trainer, business/life coach, and a Human capital advisor

Sorgwe Ernest is also the chief facilitator of 'Success at Your Reach’ and ‘Mind Clinic’, which are motivational series hosted on Raypower and AIT Bayelsa respectively. He has indeed got a unique message for Nigeria at such a time as this.

At this year’s "SPEAK UP BAYELSA," over 103 contestants were screened to get the best and the top 10 will tussle at the grand finale, come 9th of December 2016. Three winners would be selected and rewarded with the sum of N500,000, N200,000 and N100,000 as first, second and third prizes respectively. 

The solutions, suggestions and creative interventions of the contestants would be documented and handed to the Bayelsa State Government in form of a communiqué.

The theme for this year’s edition of SPEAK UP BAYELSA is "BAYELSA ECONOMY: PEOPLE, PLACE AND POLICIES”


Date: 9th December 2016.
Venue: Trendy Event Centre (House 418) Bayelsa State. 
Time: 4pm

It promises to be explosive; don’t miss it!

Why I omitted Tinubu in my victory speech – Akeredolu

The Ondo State Governor-elect, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, on Wednesday said he did not acknowledge a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in his victory speech on Sunday because it was not expedient to do so.

He said having acknowledged President Muhammadu Buhari who is the recognised national leader of the party and the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, it was safe to infer that he had acknowledged all party leaders.

Akeredolu said this while answering State House correspondents’ questions shortly after he and his deputy, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, met Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

They were led to the meeting, which was their first after their victory, by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Campaign Council in Ondo State, Governor Simon Lalong.

The governor-elect who said the relationship between him and Tinubu was cordial explained that mentioning the name of the former Lagos State Governor specifically would have amounted to him mentioning names of about 37 other leaders of the party.

He said, “On the names that were mentioned in my speech when expressing gratitude and that I didn’t specifically thank Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I thanked the President and the leader of our party profusely for the leadership which he showed leading to this election.

“I also thanked our indefatigable chairman for standing by the truth and for his position on this matter that led to this election. I have no reason to do otherwise.

“Party structure to the best of my knowledge is very clear. You have the leadership of the party and that is represented by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

“After the election, a chief executive emerges, he becomes a leader of the party, you don’t have to personalise and be looking for leaders all over the place.

“If we have to do that, then I will have to mention 36 or 37 leaders. So I believe the leadership as represented by the President covers all leaders and that tells me it would include Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it would include even Baba Akande, Onu, and so many leaders.

“But President Buhari is the leader of the party. So, that is my position there.”

Akeredolu however added that Tinubu remains one of the leaders of the party, noting that he has since sent congratulatory message to him after he won the election.

“For me as a person, I believe he is one of the leaders of the party and I don’t see any strain relationship between us. And you would observe that he has sent in his congratulatory message after the election, so what else do you expect?

” I mean all of us see this as victory for the APC, not for Akeredolu, not for us an individual but for the party as a whole. I believe he is a member of the party. Mr. Femi Adesina had issued a release but you journalists just want to put words into our mouths,” he said.

Akeredolu also said despite his decision not to probe the administration of the outgoing governor, Olusegun Mimiko, he would not close his eyes if he stumbled upon any established cases of wrongdoing in the course of carrying out his responsibilities as the governor.

KWARA TO BEGIN IMPLEMENTATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE FUND (IFK) ON DEC 8

The implementation of the Kwara Infrastructure Development Fund (IF-K), which was previously scheduled to commence tomorrow, December 1 has now been postponed to Thursday, December 8, 2016.

 According to a statement issued by Dr. Muyideen Akorede, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, the postponement was necessitated by the need to allow more time for compliance with all regulatory and legal requirements. The statement noted that the commencement of the IFK scheme will be preceded by the formal signing of contract documentation by the State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, the fund trustee, Investment One and project partners, on Monday, December 5. 

Additionally, the statement stressed that the scheme is fully on course and that all contractual obligations including payments and project milestones will be upheld with the release of funds for eligible ongoing and new capital projects next week Thursday. Kwara Infrastructure Development Fund was established by the State government as a sustainable funding window for the implementation of high-value projects such as the construction of Geri-Alimi Diamond underpass, establishment of two campuses for the Kwara State University(KWASU) in Osi and Ilesha-Baruba, dualization of Michael Imodu-Ganmo road, dualization of Sango to Oke Ose, among other infrastructure.  

 

Plot to blackmail Our Daily Manna Publisher, Bishop Chris Kwakpovwe thickens

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There is a grand plan in the offing to bring the name of the author and publisher of the daily faith lifter, Our Daily Manna, Bishop (Dr.) Chris Kwakpovwe into despicable ridicule, going by confirmed information available to us.

Sources privy to the plot have squealed to us that the plot which has reached its crescendo is not only targeted at the bishop but his wife Rev. (Mrs.) Ejiro Flora Kwakpovwe and their children.

Spearheading the plot is a lady who has been locked in a legal battle with the visionary man of God for a long while now. Seven years ago, a lady took the bishop to court for BREAKING HER TEETH AT THE ANNUAL JANUARY PROGRAMME. The case is still on with regular THREATS AND BLACKMAIL.

​​The lady is not alone in the scheme, there are other powerful people who are her backers and they have sworn to pull the cleric down at all costs not mind using​ powers of the occultic world which Bishop Kwakpovwe ​was called to expose

Part of the scheme is to disrupt the activities of the bishop physically and through negative media campaigns. They are particularly targeting the 2017 edition of the annual World Anointing Night service organized by the wave-making and live-changing daily devotional, “Our Daily Manna” in conjunction with the bishop’s interdenominational ministry, The Manna Prayer Mountain, located at Ori Oke, Ogudu, Ojota in Lagos.

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The programme seen by millions as AN ANNUAL YEAR STARTER usually holds in January at the expansive Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS in Lagos concluding a 21-day fasting and prayer programme which begins earlier same month.

The event draws over 800,000 enthusiastic worshippers from various nations across the globe like the U.K., U.S.A., Zambia, Ghana, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Zambia etc.

Interestingly, while all these are going on, Bishop Kwakpovwe the man at the centre of the plot remains unperturbed even as he is in the know of the evil scheming of people. Those close to him say he is as focused as he always is and dotting all his i’s and t’s in preparation for his end-of-the-year programmes and the big one which is coming in January 2017.

Bishop Dr. Chris Kwakpovwe and wife, Rev. (Mrs.) Flora are dynamic ministers of God with strong prophetic, healing, preaching and teaching ministries. Over time, the clerics have been a source of blessings to humanity through their unique heart to pursue the good of the ordinary people in the society.​

THE RETURN OF HUNGER: ONE DAY IS NOT ENOUGH TO END HUNGER

Beneath Nigeria’s prosperity and abundant fertile expanse lies a big problem – hunger. Across the length of the nation, it is estimated that 2 out of 5 children in their formative stages go to bed without food. Hunger is a condition that occurs when an individual barely has enough food to eat to satisfy the body’s nutritional needs. In context, it is chronic, disastrous and portends grave danger for any community. 

The World Food Day is celebrated every yearto heighten conversations around this condition, proffering solutions and advocating Government’s support towards fighting the scourge. From Italy to South Africa and our country Nigeria this year’s event was no less different with various activities to mark the day. 

Amidst the social media razzle-dazzle, influx of photos depicting solidarity that the fight against hunger is on a constant decline, gradually in the past weeks the world slippedback to its personal concerns whilst an estimated 795 million people of the 7.3 billion people in the world or one in nine, suffer from chronic undernourishment and bringing it home, an estimated 617,000 children in Northeast Nigeria are suffering from acute malnutrition. 

 

Clearly, a day set aside by the United Nations to raise awareness on the fight against hunger is not sufficient as there is need for a renewed commitment towards achieving the world goal of zero hunger by 2030. Everyday, we have a responsibility to feed the future and improve food security lest we risk a stunted, malnourished world.

Every year, the significance of the World Food Day celebration is often lost the morning after because we put in all our energies to raise awareness on the challenge of hunger for that day and return to the status quo forthwith. Hunger is a prevailing issue, a cankerworm that claims lives on a daily basis which means we have to fight back with equal (maybe even more) tenacity as well daily. It begins with making a commitment to another human being, reaching out on our own and supporting already established organizations that work tirelessly to reach thousands and millions of people. 

FoodClique Support Initiative a hunger relief NGO has spearheaded some of the mostyielding campaigns on hunger eradication as well as create a framework for the actualization of this set goal. However, this article is not aimed at outlining FoodClique Support Initiative notable achievements rather;it is a clarion call to every one person to remain steadfast in the pursuit of completely quashing out hunger. 

So World Food Day is over, what next? What did we glean from the celebration? How can we utilize the resources we have to achieve the goals set before us? What viable steps can we take every day to ensure that children in a remote village somewhere sleep with smiles on their faces because they no longer have to fight hunger alone?  

The answers to the questions above lie within our zeal to continue in the struggle against hunger before and after October 16. It is a universal goal that involves you and I reaching out first to the people in our world who battle this menace of hunger and then to others we might never get to meet. There are children out there who did not feel the impact of World Food Day because a day in 365 days is not enough to reach everyone but with organizations like FoodClique Support Initiative that have great programs and volunteers, you can be rest assured your contributions will make the right impact. 

The miles to ending hunger is far, millions of malnourished persons exist today world over, what is required of us is not what we can do on World Food Day alone, it is what we can do NOW!!! Today, tomorrow, next week and every day of the year. Remember, if you cannot feed a thousand people, just feed one.

Joy Iwesu(iwezujoy@gmail.com) writes from Lagos, Nigeria

NCC suspends directive on data segment price floor

Following the concerns that visited the directive to introduce price floor for data segment of the telecommunications sector beginning from December 1, 2016, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has suspended any further action in that direction.

The decision to suspend this directive was taken after due consultation with industry stakeholders and the general complaints by Consumers across the country.

The Commission has weighed all of this and consequently asked all operators to maintain the status quo until the conclusion of study to determine retail prices for broadband and data services in Nigeria.

Recall that the Commission wrote to the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on November 1, 2016 on the determination of an interim price floor for data services after the stakeholder’s consultative meeting of October 19, 2016.

The decision to have a price floor was primarily to promote a level playing field for all operators in the industry, encourage small operators and new entrants.

The price floor in 2014 was N3.11k/MB but was removed in 2015. The price floor that was supposed to flag off on December 1, 2016 was N0.90k/MB.
In taking that decision, the smaller operators were exempted from the new price regime, by virtue of their small market share. 

The decision on the price floor was taken in order to protect the consumers who are at the receiving end and save the smaller operators from predatory services that are likely to suffocate them and push them into extinction.

The price floor is not an increase in price but a regulatory safeguard put in place by the telecommunications regulator to check anti-competitive practices by dominant operators.

This statement clarifies the insinuation in some quarters that the regulator has fixed prices for data services. This is not true because the NCC does not fix prices but provides regulatory guidelines to protect the consumers, deepen investments and safeguard the industry from imminent collapse.

Before the new suspended price floor of N0.90k/MB, the industry average for dominant operators including MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, EMTS Limited (Etisalat) and Airtel Nigeria Limited was N0.53k/MB.
Etisalat offered (N0.94k/MB), Airtel (N0.52k/MB), MTN (N0.45k/MB) and Globacom (N0.21k/MB).

The smaller operators/ new entrants charge the following: Smile Communications N0.84k/MB, Spectranet N0.58k/MB and NATCOMS (NTEL) N0.72k/MB.

The NCC as a responsive agency of government takes into consideration the feelings of the consumers and so decided to suspend the new price floor.

Data Rate Hike: Time To Call Buhari To Order

Adekoya Boladale is based in Lagos, Nigeria. He is a public affairs analyst and political commentator. His contributions have been featured on BBC, The Africa Report (Paris), The Star (South Africa), Ouestaf (Senegal), Islam Channel (UK), Punch, Guardian, Vanguard Newspapers (Lagos) amongst many others.

By Adekoya Boladale

 

The Yorubas have a saying: ' agilinti ti nse ginniginni, iku apaa, ambelente opolo to fi ojojumo gbe ara re sanle' - a cameleon that threads with caution dies, how much more the toad that hops around with much energy. 

The recent report on the move by the Nigerian Communications Company (NCC) acting on the order from the Federal Government to compel Telecommunication companies to increase the rate they charge for data subscription is the latest dish of agony in the oven of Buhari led Presidency. There is no gainsaying the fact that what we currently have as a democratic government is merely a revised edition of the inglorious military rule. The cardinal points that differentiate dictatorship from democratic governance have since left the corridors of Aso Rock taking with it the keys to the room of rule of law, human dignity, lawfulness, and morality. Nepotism, totalitarianism and fascism now reign supreme. 

The alleged excuse that Nigeria has the lowest data rate in Africa as reason for the government backed coup against the masses is not only fallacious but nonsensical, irrational, illogical and outright wickedness.

For the record, 1GB(Gigabyte) in Tanzania cost just $0.9, in Egypt is it $2.80,  in Mozambique it is $2.9, in Uganda is it $3.60, in Ghana it is $3.90, in Guinea it is $4.00, in Rwanda it is $4.00, in Sudan it is $4.30, in Tunisia it is $4.80 while Nigeria presently operates at $5.00. In Russia $3 will get you an unlimited data service, Sri Lanka $10 will get you same. In Malaysia $11 gives you 3GB of data while in Indonesia $18 gives you an unlimited access to data service. In France 50GB cost around $25, in United Kingdom £17will get you unlimited access to data service, in India it is $2.80 to 1GB. 

Taking comparison as the basis for this argument, minimum wage per month in Egypt is $174, Gabon pays $155, in Guinea is it $62, WAR RAVAGED Sudan pays $70, Tunisia pays $220 while Nigeria pays $38. Russia pays €100per month, Sri Lanka is $70.75, and Malaysia pays around $205, in Indonesia it is between $82 and $332. In France is it €1,466 in India it is $190. 

In spite of what we currently view as the cheap cost of data service, a report by PwC stated that only 43% of the world population can afford 500 megabytes of data per month. According to Strategy and Connecting the World report in May 2016, Nigeria is expected to reduce the cost of its data service by 97% as the current rate is not in tandem with the gross monthly income of the country.

The upward review of the data price by over 300% in the case of current rate by Globacom Telecommunications is not only ill conceived but an economic harakiri. Studies have shown that when there is an unceremonious increase in the price of non-consummable goods, there is bound to be a sharp decline in demand. With the telecommunication companies contributing a whopping 1.8 trillion naira which represents a total of 10% to the Gross Domestic Product according to the  National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)  the revenue drive of the industry which is mobile data is expected to fall drastically now. 

The power of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as a regulatory agency in a free market economy is to drive competition, low prices, encourage innovation and most importantly, protect the consumer. According to Ifeanyi Uddin (2016), ‘’the NCC has just shredded its credentials as a regulator’’. 

For those who are quick to absolve the President of the new draconian regulation against the masses and seeing it as a supposed overzealousness of his appointees, such class of individuals should be enlightened that over 15 million Nigerians did not vote for the Dambazzaus, the Abba Kyaris, the Shittus and their likes. Nigerians defiled all odds to vote Buhari into office, trusting him not only to lead right but make decisions that will benefit the masses and be bold enough to accept responsibilities. We have had enough of bulk passing from this government. 

You blame aides for padded budget, blame the previous government for recession, blame aides for speech plagiarism, blame politicians for Niger Delta and terrorism, blame militants for epileptic power supply, blame local bureau d' change Mallam for high exchange rate, blame intolerance(nee blasphemy) for mindless killings, blame citizens for eating too much hence the high price of foods. One is then forced to ask if you are truly in charge of your ‘change’ government. 

Maybe President Buhari does not understand the importance of citizens having easy access to internet data. Apart from the fact that it drives innovation, connect and help build a generation of more enlightened people while aiding research, it has effectively kept the masses at bay as they now find it more convenient to vent their anger and frustration against the government online rather than take to the street. If this plug is removed then it is only a matter of time before anarchy reigns supreme. 

One of the numerous reasons that led to the fall of Gaddafi wasn't because his government was less beneficial to the masses rather because his administration lost touch with the citizens and even for Gaddafi, he fell! 

Boladale is on Twitter @adekoyabee

 

Super Exclusive Pictures From Otunba Gani Adams' Wife Erelu Moji's Birthday Party

Monday, 28 November 2016

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: Otunba Gani Adam's Wife, Erelu Mojisola Celebrates Birthday In Style

On Sunday, 27 November, 2016, Erelu Mojisola Adams, the beautiful wife of Otunba (Dr.) Gani Adams, the Convener of the Oodua Peoples Union, OPU, celebrated her birthday anniversary. The event also featured the launching of her NGO, OASIS Women Organisation Annual Empowerment Programme. The classy event was held at Ettal Hall and Hotels, Oregun, Ikeja Lagos. It was graced by many prominent dignitaries, drawn from all over the world.
Here are pictures from the event.