Oseyiza Oogbodo Blog

                                                          Mike Dada, AFRIMA's founder In furtherance of the social responsibility initiative of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA in partnership with the Africa Union, the continental awards project has donated computers, exercise books and other writing materials to participating schools at the recent FELABRATION 2016 Senior Secondary School debate. The Senior Secondary School debate was held at the Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos on Wednesday, October 5 with the topic: ‘Reparation: Yes or No.’ This forms part of the programme of activities for Felabration, the annual festival organised to celebrate the legacy of late music maestro and afrobeat creator, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Highlighting AFRIMA's objectives in partnering Felabration 2016 edition in the schools debate, Country...

                                                                        Waje A-list singer, Waje, has disclosed that she can easily quit what is supposed to be the passion of her life: music. According to her, if she’s given $20bn, she’ll quit music immediately without any remorse. During an interview recorded for the annual Coke Studio Africa which will be back on TV this month, she was askd if she would quit music if she was given $20bn, and without hesitation, she answered that “yes, I will. I will sing in my living room instead. And if I have to sing to people, I will cook and invite my friends to come and eat while I sing to them, but at least the $20billion is in my pocket and that’s what matters.”

                                                                        Babalola This week, CNN African Voices examines Africa’s music masters who are performing at the top of their game. The programme features Mozambican hip-hop star Laylizzy, Ugandan rapper Navio, and a two-time Grammy award winning Nigerian musician weaving traditional sounds into funky beats. In Lagos, African Voices meets jazz icon Lekan Babalola who is looking to change perceptions of the genre in Nigeria. The programme learns that Babalola is using his upbringing in a Yoruba community to create an original sound which incorporates his own jazz style. Babalola explains his love of music and influence of his parents to African Voices, saying, “What I love most about my job is freedom of expression, that I can expres...

                                                                             Prince J Budding Nigerian singer, Emmanuel Joshua Oluwaseyi, otherwise known as Prince J, is taking every step of his career seriously and does not seem to be losing sleep over the success that has been greeting his music since he hit the big scene.

                                                                      Adetu Music artist, King Oogbodo, has come out to say that Bayo Adetu, popularly known as the publicist of P-Square and Helen Paul, is nothing but a cheap 419. According to Oogbodo: “Since Adetu goes about saying he’s the one who does the online promo for P-Square, I contacted him for mine, and he told me that the first step is to place it on the top 5 music blogs and that it would cost me N80k. “I paid it into his Square Image Associates GTB 0019497892 and to my surprise, he placed the song, Pankere, on only three of the sites. But being our first time of working together, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. “That was in May 2016. Then in August 2016, I wanted to promote my Inu N Bi Mi (Nu Version) and I contacte...

                                         Yeni Kuti (middle); Project Director, AFRIMA, Kemi Ashefon (left) and Adenrele Niyi during the partnership agreement  Following the successful release of the full Nominees List for the 2016 All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, the African Union Commission, AUC, and the International Committee of AFRIMA have entered into partnership with Felabration 2016, the annual festival organised to celebrate the late music maestro and Afrobeat creator, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The decision to support the 2016 edition of Felabration with the theme, Everybody Say Yeah Yeah, was disclosed by the Associate Producer, AFRIMA, Adenrele Niyi, to the founder of Felabration and daughter of the late music legend, Yeni Kuti, when she paid a courtesy call to the AFRIMA Secretariat in Lagos recently. According to Niyi, AFRIMA will be fully involved with Fe...

A development expert, Ayo Aluko-Oluokun, has adviced Nigerians to vote out of office politicians that do not fulfill their campaign promises. The call was made by Aluko-Oluokun during the public presentation of community development charters for Iyagbe, Abule Ado and Itu Agan communities of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Lagos by the International Press Centre (IPC) in conjunction with UKAID/DFID and ACTIONAID under the project, Strengthening Citizens Engagement In Electoral Process (SCEEP). The presentation held at the Amuwo Odofin LG Hall on Thursday, September 29 th , 2016, and Aluko-Oluokun, the keynote speaker, spoke based on his keynote address titled Grassroots Development And How Citizens Can Engage With Government On Achieving Their Development Aspirations. According to him, Nigerians should keep engaging elected public officials on their campaign promises and should vote out whichever of them refuses to keep his or her promises. He also adviced the thre...

L-R: Timileyin Edwin, founder, Crimson Bow NG; Folasade Anah Shikaiye, Chairman; and Abimbola Edwin, also of CB, during the outreach The Crimson Bow NG, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to advocating on sickle cell issues, has held the Phase 1 of its Project Keep A Warrior Warm medical outreach aimed at educating the underprivileged on sickle cell prevention and management. The Phase 1, which is for the Agege region of Lagos, held at the IHERA Housing Estate football field, Pen Cinema, Agege, Lagos and had a turnout of 230 people out of which about 150 were children that were given sweaters and drugs to help them fare better in this current cold weather period. Speaking at the occasion, CB’s founder, Timileyin Edwin, said she was pleased at the turnout and that they were able to attract so many children through sensitisation in churches, mosques, holding a walk and distributing fliers. She added that CB will hold the medical outreach all over Lagos and that ...

Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos State Governor The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has described Lagos State government’s establishment of special courts to prosecute individuals it ascribed to as illegal water service providers as a cover for promoting water privatization. ERA/FoEN’s position is coming on the heels of media reports which indicated that Dr. Babatunde Adejare, Lagos’ Commissioner for Environment, announced the introduction of the courts at a two-day retreat organised for officials of the water sector which had as theme: Towards Achieving A Safe And Sustainable Water Sector In Lagos State. Adejare who was represented by Babatunde Hunpe, Special Adviser to the Governor on the Environment, dismissed reports that the state planned to privatize water but surprisingly added that a ‘public-private partnership’ is necessary. He also said the state government is not pleased with giving bailouts to the Lagos State Water Corporation (L...

A conniving aother-in-law, a jealous ex-girlfriend, and a best man missing in action are just samples of some of the hilarious characters over 1400 attendees met at the soldout world premiere of Kemi Adetiba’s The Wedding Party at the Toronto International Film Festival. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, The Wedding Party is the story of Dunni Coker (Adesua Etomi), a 24-year-old art gallery owner and only daughter of her parents about to marry the love of her life, IT entrepreneur Dozie (Banky W). They took a vow of chastity and are looking forward to a ground-breaking first night together as a married couple. Peppered with Nigerian jokes and classic double entendres that had the audience in stitches, The Elfike Film Collective’s The Wedding Party opened the Spotlight City to City programme at the Toronto International Film Festival with a star-studded, soldout premiere that brought Africa’s best known names including Richard Mofe-Damijo, Sola Sobowale, Alibaba, Iretiola Doyle, Bank...