POVERTY : ‘Stowaway boy thought Arik plane was US-bound’

THE teenage stowaway, Daniel Ihekina, who was arrested at the Lagos Airport after flying in the tyre hole of an Arik plane from Benin to Lagos on Saturday morning, thought he was on a US-bound flight.

A source at the Benin Airport who disclosed this said the boy’s parents had already departed for Lagos in search of the stowaway.

The airport source, who did not want his name in print said, “From what we heard, the boy said he was being maltreated and tried to escape from his parents. He thought he was on his way to the US.

“The parents have travelled to Lagos by road, to get him back.”

Meanwhile, investigations conducted by one of our correspondents in Lagos revealed that the boy had been handed over to the operatives of the State Security Services for further investigation.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mr. Yakubu Dati, who also confirmed the development, said the aviation security personnel of the agency had handed over the young voyager to the men of the SSS for extensive investigation.

Dati said, “The residential address the boy gave to us was traced to a church in Benin by our airport manager and his team. So, there is need to hand over the teenager to the SSS who are experts in such investigations. They will carry out further investigation on the matter.”

The FAAN spokesman said the nature and circumstances surrounding the crime informed the agency decision to hand over the stowaway to the SSS operatives.

Meanwhile, following the Benin Airport incident, FAAN has adopted the ‘risk amelioration processes to safeguard flight operations’ at all its 22 airports across  the country.

Dati stressed that the agency had tightened its risk amelioration procedure to ensure that similar incident did not occur again.

He also said the agency had prioritised the perimeter fencing of all the 22 airports in the country.

“In the meantime, we have adopted risk amelioration processes to safeguard flight operations. As a result of this incident in Benin, we have further tightened our risk amelioration procedure to ensure that a similar incident does not occur,” he  said.

However, FAAN has also continued to trade blame with Arik Air over the Benin incident.

The agency, in a statement on Sunday, said it read with “great dismay the statement released by Arik Airlines about the stowaway found on board Arik’s flight 544 from Benin to Lagos on Saturday 24 August, 2013.”

Dati said FAAN was “unfairly indicted” while the airline took no responsibility whatsoever for such a “serious security breach.”

FAAN said its preliminary investigation had revealed that Arik did not give accurate account of the Benin Airport incident.

Giving the accounts of its preliminary findings, FAAN said, “Our investigations reveal that a passenger on board the flight called the attention of the cabin crew while the aircraft was waiting to take off at the threshold of the runway, to the effect that they had seen a young boy walk under the aircraft and had not seen him re-appear on the other side.”

“The cabin crew in turn informed the pilots in the cockpit about this. The pilots called the control tower and asked them to request FAAN to do a sweep of the area after their departure, opting to carry on with their flight despite the report.”

“Upon the arrival of the aircraft in Lagos, we were informed that there had been a stowaway found alive alighting from the wheel well of the aircraft. While FAAN takes this security breach extremely seriously, we deem Arik’s attempt at indicting and smearing FAAN as irresponsible. Safety and security breaches occur when all the checks in the system are beaten.  Given that security is a responsibility for all players in this industry, a critical last opportunity to detect and prevent this stowaway was offered and had the airline taken the information by passengers as seriously as they should have, this incident would have been avoided.”

Fresh challenge for Moses as Willian joins Chelsea

Chelsea announced on Sunday that they have reached an agreement to sign Brazilian attacking midfielder Willian from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, subject to the granting of a work permit.

His arrival will further swell the number of attacking midfielders at manager Jose Mourinho’s disposal, with Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Oscar, Victor Moses, Kevin De Bruyne and Schuerrle already competing for just three starting places.

The arrival of the Brazilian has turned analysts’ focus on Moses as the most likely to be hit by the addition. Soon after Chelsea announced the deal on Sunday, British media highlighted Moses as the lowest in the pecking order of the supporting strikers who could go on loan when the mid-season transfer window opens in January. The predictions are coming despite Mourinho’s pre-season remark on the Super Eagles attacker. The Chelsea boss had said during the tour of the USA that Moses was doing very well with the team.

He said, “Moses has been very terrific.”

There was an initial loan bid from Everton for Moses which Chelsea turned down in June.

The acquisition of Willain by the Stamford Bridge team comes as a surprise. The 25-year-old had been set to join Tottenham Hotspur, having undergone a medical at the north London club earlier last week, only for Chelsea to hijack the deal.

British media reports claim Chelsea will pay a fee of around £30m to secure his services.

“Chelsea Football Club can confirm an agreement has been reached with both Willian and his club Anzhi Makhachkala for the transfer of the Brazilian player,” read a statement on the Chelsea website.

“The transfer is subject to a work permit hearing on Wednesday.”

Willian will be the fourth player to join Chelsea during the current transfer window, following Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, Dutch midfielder Marco van Ginkel and Germany international Andre Schuerrle.

Willian only joined Anzhi from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in January, but he is being moved on after the Russian side’s billionaire owner Suleiman Kerimov decided to restructure the club and drastically shrink their budget.

Mourinho said he felt no sympathy for Spurs despite swiping the player from beneath their noses.

“That’s the danger of medicals before contracts. But you have to do the medical before,” he said.

“The best thing to do is the medical in secret. If the player is fine, you can sign him. If he’s not, you don’t have to destroy his career. Sometimes there are sources who find out everything.

Fani-Kayode and his naked dance

I HAD intended not to dignify Femi Fani Kayode with any response since he decided to dance naked in the market place. Somebody ought to have reminded him that those who live in glass houses don’t throw stones. He has only himself to blame about his unpalatable past which has been on display all over Facebook in the last few days. In the first place, I no longer have any iota of doubt that his articles are products of a sick mind. For instance, he claimed that all Igbos are vulgar. My response to this is that Fani Kayode is not only vulgar and obscene but outrightly morally depraved. How can any sane man disclose the lurid details of his escapades with the opposite sex on the pages of newspapers all in the name of proving that he is not a tribalist? Hear him: “I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate relationship with Miss Bianca Onoh, an Igbo lady, who many years later married Ojukwu and who is now our Ambassador in Spain. I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate relationship with Miss Chioma Anasoh, another Igbo lady, who I almost took as a second wife. I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate relationship with Miss Adaobi Uchegbu, another Igbo lady, who was exceptionally close to me and who is now at the National Headquarters of the ruling PDP.” Kayode was also laughable when he wrote: “I was not a tribalist when I wrote an essay, just two years ago, extolling the virtues of Igbo women and telling the world about their sudden and meteoric rise and how far they had gone in the power circles of this country in the last 10 years.” The complete illogicality of his argument was further exposed when he wrote: “I was not a tribalist when many years ago I attended and gave my life to Christ in a church called TREM, which was established by a great Igbo man by the name of Bishop Mike Okonkwo.” He further exposed his irrationality by presenting another position which could at best be described as non-sequitor in logic. According to him: “I was not a tribalist when my grandfather, Justice Victor Adedapo Kayode, taught Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe at Methodist Boys High School in Lagos and when my father, Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode, was appointed as the leader of the predominantly Igbo NCNC in the Western Regional House of Assembly”. Pray, what is the relationship between Femi’s religious beliefs who once worshipped in Bishop Mike Okonkwo’s church and his attempt to deny that he is a tribalist? Was he trying to say a tribalist could never attend Bishop Okonkwo’s Church or what? Again, of what relevance is the fact that his grand father Justice Victor Kayode taught Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, to the issue at hand? Another evidence that the man is a very poor example of what a graduate of Cambridge University should be, was his response to some of the rejoinders that have been written about his “scholarly” articles. The self-acclaimed blue-blooded Kayode stated: “The shameless and emotional thrash and disjointed verbiage that have been described as rejoinders so far are just not up to scratch. They are bereft of any scholarship and intellectual content. They also invoke (sic) pity in me for the faceless plebeians that wrote them and those they claim to be speaking for.” In his effort to whip up anti-Igbo sentiments, he was very effusive in his emotional outbursts. According to him Igbos hate Yorubas “and only pretend to believe in one Nigeria as long as they can always have their way and laud(sic) it over others. Worst of all, generally speaking, they have no restraining factors because money and the acquisition of wealth is their sole objective and purpose in life.” He continued: “They have labelled the Yoruba as tribalists and Igbo-haters simply because we have refused to accept their claims to our land and territory and even though we were more charitable, hospitable, accommodating and generous to them than any other nationality in Nigeria after the civil war. “They have labelled the Northerners as tribalists and Igbo-haters simply because the North has refused to tolerate their excesses and accept their complicated ways. They have labelled the Niger Deltans as tribalists and Igbo-haters simply due to the ”abandoned property issue” and because historically many of them have always resisted the idea of Igbo domination.” Another evidence which clearly indicates that Femi is not only possessed of a confused mind but lacks good education, came few days after his first article claiming he had intimate relationships with some Igbo ladies. The statement which was issued on his behalf indicated that he never meant to convey the impression that he had slept with the Igbo ladies whose names he mentioned earlier. For Femi’s information, among the entries for the word ‘intimate’ as contained in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of English is: “having a sexual relationship especially outside marriage”. So, how can a so-called graduate of Cambridge not know the meaning of words he used in an essay he claims is a scholarly article? Worse still, what explanation does he have for engaging in the use of malapropism like’ invoke’ in the place of ‘evoke’? Now to address Femi’s claim that Igbos are not only strangers in Lagos but have made little or no contribution to the economic development of the state. FEMI FANI KAYODE FEMI FANI KAYODE In the first place, there are historical accounts which indicate that Igbos have been present in Lagos since the 16th century. The Aros- a sub group among the Igbos- were said to have settled in Oyingbo in those early days. The Binis who colonized Lagos and the Aros had a long historical association. Ancient Igbo history indicates that the Aros occupied a prominent place in the ancient Bini Empire which extended to Lagos and present day Benin Republic. Secondly, it is an incontrovertible fact that Igbos are heavily involved in the contemporary commercial life of Lagos State. For instance, it is indisputable that Igbo traders are not only well represented in all the major markets in the Lagos metropolis, they are clearly dominant in several of them. Even though ours is a society that lacks records, there is abundant evidence to convince all the Femis of this world if they want the truth on this matter. For instance, the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson reportedly said not too long ago that the Computer Village Market in Ikeja-Lagos, which is heavily dominated by Igbo traders generates about two billion dollars (?N300 billion ?) for the Nigerian economy annually. Other markets where Igbo traders dominate overwhelmingly include ASPAMDA Market-which was built on the site of the old International Trade Fair-; Alaba International Electronics Market and Ladipo Motor Spare Parts Market. Igbo traders constitute not less than 50 percent in Balogun, Mandilas, Idumota and other markets within Lagos Island. Other markets with heavy presence of Igbo traders in Lagos include those located in Oshodi, Yaba, Ajegunle and Agboju. Although, I cannot give an accurate estimate of what these markets collectively generate in the economy of Lagos State, there is no doubt that they generate more than triple what is generated by the Computer Village Market, that is N900 billion annually. How can Femi dismiss those who presently generate a conservative amount of N900 billion annually in the economy of Lagos as inconsequential? In terms of physical development of Lagos, Igbos have also contributed massively. Media reports indicate that most of Ikeja, Ojo, Anthony, Maryland and Okota were essentially swampy and bushy until Igbos moved in. For instance, Ekene Dili Chukwu Motors was one of the first companies to move into Allen Avenue in the early 1980s . The late Igwe J.O. Obi, was by the late 1970s, reported to be the first to move into Ire Akari Estate in Isolo, when the whole area was a complete bush. He was also said to have moved his company, Interland Transport, into the Amuwo Adofin Industrial Estate first and brought telephone lines there when it was a vast area of sandy-muddy soil. Presently, a well-developed industrial estate sits in that area. Igbos in fact developed Isolo and Okota areas; they single handedly developed the whole of Olodi-Apapa, Coker and Ojo areas. Indeed, the history of the economic development of Lagos nay that of the entire country cannot be complete without a prominent mention of the role of the Igbos. In case Femi doesn’t know, the likes of the Late Sir Louis Ojukwu contributed immensely to the development of Lagos. He was the founding president of the Nigerian Stock Exchange which still has its headquarters in Lagos. It is also worthy of note that during Queen Elizabeth’s first visit to Nigeria in the year 1956, Sir Louis Ojukwu made his Rolls Royce car available for the Queen’s carriage as the Nigerian government could not afford a Rolls Royce at that time. Despite their massive contribution to the economy of Lagos State, Igbos have never at anytime laid claim to ownership of Lagos land. The phrase “no man’s land” which Femi accused Igbos of using to refer to Lagos may have been a fall-out of the fact that Lagos was Nigeria’s federal capital until 1991. It is within this context that I believe former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu used this phrase. Just like Abuja of today, a large chunk of Lagos land belongs to the Federal Government up till now. Indeed, it was the status of Lagos as a federal capital for many years that attracted large numbers of Igbos to settle there. Natives of Lagos just like those of Abuja today, lost a lot of their land during this period. It might interest Femi to know that many Nigerians refer to today’s FCT with that same phrase. Femi exhibited his Igbophobia in the manner he twisted the nation’s history as it relates to the crisis that led to the civil war. His narration of that dark era of our nation’s history reflects his belief that the Igbos were to blame for what befell them. However, the truth of the matter is that the January 15, 1966 coup d’état was a spill over of the political crisis which erupted in the Western Region. Indeed, Femi’s father Chief Remi Fani Kayode played a major role in that crisis as Deputy Premier of Western Region under Sir Ladoke Akintola. The crisis actually began in 1962 when Chief Obafemi Awolowo was jailed for treason. It got worse with the massively rigged federal elections of 1964 and the equally rigged Western Regional elections of 1965. The Awolowo /SLA Akintola political feud was at the epicenter of this crisis which eventually led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the region. The officer corps of the military was dominated by Igbos at the time the soldiers intervened to sack a very corrupt civilian administration. It is therefore not surprising that among the five majors who planned and executed the military putsch of January 1966, four were Igbos and one was Yoruba. The young officers had actually planned a revolution. Some accounts of the incident even indicated that they had planned to free Awolowo from Prison and hand over the reins of government to him. However, they failed to accomplish their mission. The five Majors as documented by many authors were Emmanuel Ifejuna, Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, Christian Anuforo, Timothy Onwatuegwu and Wale Ademoyega. Some authors also mentioned Major Donatus Okafor as one of the plotters. There is no doubt that given the pattern of killings they carried out, the impression was created that it was an Igbo agenda to seize power by force. However, it took Major Wale Ademoyega, the only officer among the five -who survived the civil war-to debunk the propaganda that what they executed was an Igbo coup. All these are contained in Ademoyega’s book entitled “Why We Struck”. Assuming, Femi was right, that it was a coup carried out by Igbo officers who perhaps hired Ademoyega to cover up, shouldn’t Murtala Mohammed and his comrades who carried out the counter coup of July 29 1966, have been contented with slaughtering the Head of State Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi and almost all the Igbo officers in the Nigerian Army in just one night? What was the justification in extending the killings to hundreds of thousands of the Igbo civilian population including pregnant women and children? Femi’s belief that the Igbos deserved to be slaughtered like chicken because they were loud in their celebration of the January 1966 coup reveals his deep-seated hatred for the Igbos. Finally, if the Igbos who were in majority in the National Council for Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) were so bad as Femi painted them in his write-ups, why did his father, the late Remi Fani- Kayode defect from the Action Group to the NCNC in 1959 and remained there until the collapse of the first republic? Why did his father rebel against Awolowo and went ahead to serve as Deputy Premier of Western Region under the much demonized Akintola? Mr. OKEY NDIRIBE, a journalist, wrote from Abuja - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/08/fani-kayode-and-his-naked-dance/#sthash.jh3PcX2v.dpuf

Nigeria: NCC Seeks Lagos Govt Support to Address Service Quality

Worried by the poor state of telecoms services in the country, with Lagos State in particular, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is seeking the support of Lagos State Government to put an end to the challenge.
According to NCC, Lagos State became a focal point because of the position it occupies in voice and data communications in the country, and constitutes a major subscriber population to telecommunications services.
NCC said the state commands more than 15 per cent of active subscriptions in the country, which include internet subscriptions for corporate and premium mobile, but the commission is worried that telecoms operating companies in the state are faced with myriad of challenges that are affecting service quality in Lagos and other neighbouring states, which prompted the visit.
NCC made the disclosure, when a team led by the Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah, paid a courtesy visit to Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, at the state house recently.
The visit which was cherished by the governor, seeks to address grey areas affecting smooth telecoms service offerings in the country, and the state in particular.
According to Juwah, "It is important to reiterate that the quality of services in Lagos, and indeed, other parts of the country, is not desirable. Some of the challenges contributing to this are enormous but are gradually being surmounted. Some of them are well beyond the scope of the regulator, but we are assiduously tackling those within our regulatory powers and hope that in the near future, with the networks investing more heavily, we will overcome the challenges."
Responding, Fashola said the visit was long overdue, owing to the importance of telecommunications in the country, especially in Lagos, that accommodates majority of the operators and their subscribers. "The meeting would have come many years ago, but it is good there is visible collaboration between the commission and the Lagos government," Fashola said.
He thanked the NCC for believing in the contributions of Lagos State to telecoms activities, and for acknowledging the fact that telecommunications and regulation are multi-jurisdictional that also require the input of the state government. The governor promised to work closely with NCC in addressing some of the challenges faced by telecoms operators in the state, but insisted that operators must respect the views of the state in regulating physical structures in the state, which he said, covered telecommunication masts and towers.
On the issue of wilful destruction of telecoms facilities in the state and in other parts of the country, Governor Fashola said it was impossible for the federal government and its agencies to monitor everything in the country, including telecoms facilities, and reiterated the need to decentralise the activities of the police and allow states have and control their own police force, for better policing in the country.
Other impediments militating against service quality as listed by Juwah, include right of way issues, multiple taxes, delay in granting approval for the installation of telecoms facilities, among others.
Given the scenario of infrastructure deficit in the country, as a result of destructions carried out on telecoms facilities, the situation on ground becomes very discouraging as some of the service providers depend on very few base stations to serve the populace, Juwah lamented.

UAE draw Brazil, Mexico to face Nigeria

As the sun slowly dipped below the horizon on Monday 26 August 2013, the contenders for the FIFA U–17 World Cup UAE 2013 discovered the names of their group opponents in the preliminary draw, held in the Al-Saqr conference suite at Fairmont Bab El Bahr Hotel.
The draw ceremony began at exactly 19.00 local time, and featured video clips introducing the United Arab Emirates, the host cities and players who have starred at the tournament in the past. H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Culture, Youth & Community Development and chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013, and Rafael Salguero, Chairman of the Organising Committee for the FIFA U–17 World Cup, introduced the draw in short speeches. The ceremony concluded with folk dances performed by local artists, reflecting the history and cultural treasures of the host nation.
H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan welcomed the guests and said "This tournament will be one of a kind for the players and for all football fanatics. It will be a unique and fun experience for everyone. The tournament will bring together people from all around the world. Sport brings people together and has the power to unite people of all backgrounds, of all colours, all races ... of all shapes and all sizes."

I hope to see stars out of this tournament which will shine in the sky of football.

Rafael Salguero, Chairman of the Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 World Cup

Meanwhile, Rafael Salguero said that "Football unites people all over the world as we can see right now here in this room. Representatives of at least 24 nations are here tonight, attending the first official step of the main event, the Official Draw for the FIFA U17 World Cup. It’s great to see you all here and I wish you all a great evening and I hope to see stars out of this tournament which will shine in the sky of football and enrich our game even more."
After the words of introduction, the teams were divided into four pots for the draw, with the continental champions from Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, North and Central America and the Caribbean all seeded, and the host nation assigned the seeded position as team one in Group A. The teams were then drawn into six groups of four.
In Group A, the United Arab Emirates will meet Honduras, Brazil and Slovakia. The opening match at 17.00 local time on 17 October sees the Brazil and Slovakia face off at Mohammed Bin Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi.
CONCACAF champions Mexico start the defence of the trophy they won two years ago on home soil in Group F against Nigeria, Iraq and Sweden. This group is based at Al Ain stadium, with the Mexicans opening their campaign on 19 October against Nigeria.
Nigeria and Brazil, the most successful nations in tournament history, are once again present at the 2013 edition, ensuring a spectacular tournament for the fans. Nigeria, as aforementioned, were drawn into Group F, with Brazil seeking to lay the foundations for their fourth triumph at this level in Group A against the hosts.
The 52-match FIFA U–17 World Cup UAE 2013 will be played between 17 October and 8 November in the six host cities of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Sharjah and Al Ain.
Group stage draw for the FIFA U–17 World Cup UAE 2013:
Group A (Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah): United Arab Emirates, Honduras, Brazil, Slovakia 
Group B (Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi): Uruguay, New Zealand, Côte d'Ivoire, Italy
Group C (Fujairah, Sharjah): Croatia, Morocco, Panama, Uzbekistan
Group D (Sharjah, Fujairah): Tunisia, Venezuela, Russia, Japan
Group E (Dubai, Al Ain): Canada, Austria, Iran, Argentina
Group F (Al Ain, Dubai): Mexico, Nigeria, Iraq, Sweden

Manchester United-Chelsea : Red Devils to soar above the Blues

Jose Mourinho’s army will be hoping to tame the Red Devils when they travel to Old Trafford for Monday’s English Premier League fixture

Manchester United will be hoping to make it two victories in two games when they host Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in their first home Premier League game on Monday. The Blues recorded victories in their first two games and would go six points clear of United if they secure a win on Monday night.
Manchester United have only won one of their last six games against Chelsea, with the Blues securing a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford in their last encounter in May. Ladbrokes is backing the host to secure the maximum points at a amazing odds of 11/8 (2.37).
With wins against Hull City and Aston Villa, Chelsea will be hoping to record their first away win against their Manchester based outfit. The Roman Army are available at 11/5(3.20) to emerge victorious.

The pair have not drawn a league fixture at this ground in six years, but you can get odds of 11/5(3.20) on them sharing the spoils this time out according to Ladbrokes.
David Moyes got off to an impressive start with a 4-1 win over Swansea in his first Premier League game in charge and is available at 2/1 (3.00) with  Ladbrokes  to win both halves against Mourinho’s men.
The Blues will be without Tomas Kalas and David Luiz due to injury while their new signing, Willian will be missing in action no thanks to work permit tale.
For Manchester United, Nani, Rafael, Javier Hernandez, Ashley Young, Darren Fletcher or Nick Powell will be unavailable while Jonny Evans will be facing a fitness test. Going by this, Chelsea is likely to win either half at 9/10 (1.90).
For Punters seeking a value bet, backing a total goals under 2.5 10/11(1.90) is a worthwhile investment with Ladbrokes.

VIDEO: P-Square US Tour | Houston, TX

P-Square kicked off their US Tour 2013 with performances in Chicago and Houston over the weekend. Here’s a clip from the Houston Concert.

“BET Nominee / Kora Awards winning duo P-Square professed that Ayva Center would be on fire and they delivered with an explosive performance on Saturday, August 24th. Golden Icons captured exclusive footage at the sold-out show, including the twin brothers hyping the audience from backstage as they were being summoned with over 1,500 fans in attendance. When the chants for Paul and Peter reached a deafening tone, the two emerged onto the stage, which heightened the crowds’ anticipation for a spectacular event. In attendance at the event was multi-faceted Nollywood Actor, Director, Producer ‘ Desmond Elliot’, who is currently on vacation in Houston with his wife and kids.
The Okoye pair awed everyone in the venue with a carefully crafted but high-impact show. The crowd seemed stunned as their intricate choreography was executed with the same level of energy and precision from the opening song to the epic finale. The siblings highlighted their many talents in a playful battle of audience participation, as they played multiple instruments, did back-flips, showed off their weight room results, and even leaped into the first few rows for hugs and impromptu to snapshots.
With their growing list of hit singles, they made sure to include “Alingo”, “E No Easy”, “Chop My Money” and “Personally”, which recently claimed the No. 1 Spot on the MTV Base Official Naija Top 10 Chart. Women swayed from side-to-side and felt like royalty as the stage mates performed their soulful rendition the 2Face Idibia classic, “African Queen”. As always, the platinum-selling artists incorporated a live band and backup dancers to make this tour another reason why they have garnered significant cross-over appeal. Check out the multi-angle exclusive footage produced by Golden Icons.
The Houston concert of the year was brought to you by none other than: D.h! Social Networking, Simplicated Marketing, Clara of Elite Hair, King TC, Cosmo, Victor Elmo, D. Sam, and Playpen Entertainment.
Written by Ahrif Sarumi, Golden Icons Contributor.”

The twins will be in Dallas on the 14th of September, thanks to Big A Entertainment.
*O.O*

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BEEFING CONTINUE “Grow Up Wizkid; The Fans Made You” – J-Martins

In the aftermath of singer Wizkid’s attack on his fans via his twitter account, top music maker, songwriter and producer, J-Martins has lashed out on the ‘Starboy’ to grow up and give his fans some respect as they are the ones who made him who he is today. In an interview on Hot FM 98.3, Abuja, J-Martins reacted to Wizkid’s outburst after he was told by a fan he needed to go back to school to correct his poor use of tenses. Wizkid had lashed back, calling the writer a ‘broke fan’. J-Martins said; “I’m not taking any side, don’t mean no beef, no disrespect, and no hate but let the truth be told. I don’t believe because you feel you have a few change you didn’t have a few years ago and which you cannot guarantee having in a few years to come, then you wake up and look at those people who have cheered you up, loved you, supported your music, bought your CD’s, prayed for you, just because you can lay your hands on some phone and you call them ‘poor’. Am not in and will never be in support of anyone who has such bad attitude. It needs to be corrected, we owe our fans the duty of being good examples; that’s why they hold us in high esteem, that’s why you are a role model and if you know you cannot be a good role model, you have no business in music. You don’t know if it’s that person that might help you tomorrow; whoever does that should be checked.” Recall that Wizkid had, few days ago, written; “Broke people always think they have an opinion” to a fan on his Instagram page, after erroneously typing ‘i have an hangover’ just as he was about to perform at a wedding ceremony, leading to the fan replying, ‘you see why you have to go back to school.’

See the tweets here:

Street Love! Fans Show Love To Olamide At Computer Village Ikeja

Olamide is from the street, and the streets love him. So in one of his generous moods yesterday, the singer took time out to make an appearance at the Computer Village Ikeja. As expected, his fans swarmed all around, screaming out love at the Afro Pop star.
Business ground to a halt, as most shop owners shut down their stores, rushing out to catch a glimpse of him. Street love never has been in short supply for Olamide.
We’ve got you a photo. Feel!

2013 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs): Winners, Losers…and the Plain Outrageous!

After weeks of voting and speculating over who would be performing…and maybe kissing on stage, the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards have come and raised eyebrows in the way only the VMAs can raise eyebrows.
Marking its 30th anniversary, the award show had several moments befitting of the VMAs dramatic and outrageous reputation. First there was Lady Gaga’s highly anticipated return performance; the show marked the singer’s return to the stage after a long absence following her knee injury while on tour earlier in the year, ‘Nsync’s reunion performance with Justin Timberlake and the show-stopper of the night; Miley Cyrus’s raunchy performance with Robin Thicke. The former Disney gal twerked, jerked and twisted her way through the performance eliciting a wave of shocking reactions through the crowd and cyberspace.

Will Smith and family look utterly stunned during Miley Cyrus’s raunch performance

Even Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez had their OMG moment at Miley Cyrus

…and Rihanna’s just..poker faced

While Drake is lost in thought probably cooking up some lyrics for his next single, or maybe just cooking up a scheme to get Rihanna to say his name and forget about Chris Brown for good

Holding in New York City for the first time, the night saw several big winners with ’Mirrors’ crooner, Justin Timberlake emerging the biggest winner of the night as he carted away four awards including the biggest win of the night ‘Video of the Year’ and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award which is equivalent to a Lifetime Achievement award. Other big winners included Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with three awards and Bruno Mars with two.
Here’s the full list of winners:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR:
WINNER Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
BEST MALE VIDEO:
WINNER Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
Ed Sheeran – “Lego House”
Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools”
ARTIST TO WATCH:
WINNER Austin Mahone – “What About Love”
Twenty One Pilots – “Holding on to You”
Zedd Feat. Foxes – “Clarity”
The Weeknd – “Wicked Games”
Iggy Azalea – “Work”
BEST SONG OF THE SUMMER
WINNER One Direction – “Best Song Ever”
Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
Selena Gomez- “Come and Get It”
Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding – “I Need Your Love”
Daft Punk – “Get Lucky”
Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
MICHAEL JACKSON VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD (LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT)
Justin Timberlake
BEST VIDEO WITH A SOCIAL IMAGE:
WINNER Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Same Love”
Kelly Clarkson – “People Like Us”
Snoop Lion – “No Guns Allowed”
Miguel – “Candles in the Sun”
Beyonce – “I Was Here”
BEST FEMALE VIDEO:
WINNER Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko – “Stay”
Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
P!nk feat. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
Demi Lovato – “Heart Attack”
BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO:
WINNER Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us”
Drake – “Started From the Bottom”
Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools”
A$AP Rocky feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar – “F**kin Problems”
J. Cole feat. Miguel – “Power Trip”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
WINNER Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
Flying Lotus – “Tiny Tortures”
Skrillex feat. The Door – “Breakin’ a Sweat”
The Weeknd – “Wicked Games”
Duck Sauce – “It’s You”
BEST EDITING:
WINNER Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
P!nk feat. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us”
Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
BEST DIRECTION:
WINNER Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Sacrilege”
Fun – “Carry On”
Drake – “Started From the Bottom”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER
WINNER Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us”
Thirty Seconds to Mars – “Up in the Air”
Lana Del Rey – “Ride”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Sacrilege”
A-Trak & Tommy Trash – “Tuna Melt”
BEST CHOREOGRAPHER
WINNER Bruno Mars – “Treasure”
Chris Brown – “Fine China”
Ciara – “Body Party”
Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull – “Live It Up”
Will.i.am feat. Justin Bieber – “#thatPOWER”
BEST ART DIRECTION:
WINNER Janelle Monae feat. Erykah Badu – “Q.U.E.E.N”
Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
Thirty Seconds To Mars – “Up in the Air”
Lana Del Rey – “National Anthem”
Alt-J – “Tesselate”
BEST POP VIDEO:
WINNER Selena Gomez – “Come and Get It”
Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
fun. – “Carry On”
Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
BEST ROCK VIDEO:
WINNER Thirty Seconds to Mars – “Up in the Air”
Imagine Dragons – “Radiocative”
Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”
Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
Vampire Weekend – “Diane Young”
BEST COLLABORATION:
WINNER P!nk feat. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me a Reason”
Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z -”Suit & Tie”
Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera – “Feel This Moment”
Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – “I Need Your Love”
Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”

5 OMG Moments From the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)

The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards may be over, but there are more than a few moments that have left cyberspace buzzing with .
The VMAs are not exactly known for being subtle; its the award show that saw Lady Gaga rock a meat dress, Madonna and Britney Spears share a steamy kiss and who can forget Kanye West’s famous interruption of Taylor Swift as she made her acceptance speech. Yes, the VMAs are nothing if not dramatic and this year’s ceremony had more than its fair share of drama and OMG moments.
Walk with us as we countdown 5 of such moments:
1. ‘N Sync’s Reunion Performance: There had been several speculations about the defunct boy band reuniting for a performance at the VMAs but the ex-bandmates repeatedly debunked the claims. However, halfway into Justin Timberlake’s record-breaking 15-minute performance (which in itself is an OMG moment), in a move reminiscent of Kelly Rowland and Michelle at Beyonce’s Super Bowl halftime performance earlier in the year, Lance, Joey, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez popped out of the stage to join ex-bandmate Justin Timberlake on stage for a nostalgic performance that had Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and millions of fans around the world screaming out their lungs and earnestly bobbing their heads.
2. Lady Gaga’s “Sane” Performance: If there’s anything Lady Gaga is known for, its that we’ve come to expect nothing sane from her. She’s outrageous, unpredictable and completely over the top which is why we were rather surprised at the fact that she had a mostly ‘normal’ performance which mostly included a 5-costume change. Apparently the audience felt same as they booed her from early on in the performance and although she quickly picked up the tempo there’s no doubt that she left many a fan ‘unimpressed’ with her costumes which included a mockery of a nun’s habit, a black glittery leotard, a change of wigs and the high point of the evening: a sea-shell thong bikini.
3. Miley Cyrus’s Raunchy Performance: This was very easily the biggest OMG moment of the night. Miley proved that she was all grown up and a long way from a Disney gal as she twerked, stuck her tongue out and twisted her way through her solo performance before Robin Thicke joined her later and subjected himself to a full frontal bodily assault from the former Disney gal. Down Miley!

4. Taylor Swift Pokes Fun at Ex-Flame Harry Styles: Taylor can’t seem to stay away from dramatic acceptance speeches, while accepting the award for Best Female Video for the song “I Knew You Were Trouble”, the popstar cheekily thanked her ex One Direction bandmate Harry Styles for providing inspiration for the song. In her words:  “I want to say thanks to who I wrote this song about cause you know who you are and now I have this award”. Meanwhile a smirking Harry chewed gum as she gave the thanks. Young love!
5. One Direction Gets Seriously Booed: Surprise, surprise! Apparently the fans were not so pleased that the X Factor alumnus won the award for  Best Song of the Summer beating out Miley Cyrus, Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding, Daft Punk, and hot favourite Robin Thicke whose ‘Blurred Lines’ has remained on the Billboard Charts for 14 weeks straight. As the boys got on stage, the fans gave a heartfelt boo which Lady Gaga later told them to ignore while they were backstage.

So, Beverly Osu Romped For Nothing In BBA?

I am not one to gloat over the misfortunes of others, let alone self-inflicted misfortunes but I will say here that I am one of the few Nigerians who are glad that the degrading, immoral, depraved, corrupt show called Big Brother Africa has come to an end. (Though I know many who will call for my head for branding the show immoral; I am sure there are some who are whining now that the uncensored porn game is over.) But like I said, I am happy it has ended. The main reason I am happy it has come to an end is that we will get some rest from the antics, expose, sex and confessions of one of Nigeria’s representatives in the House, Beverly Osu. For a start, I will tell her ‘ntoooooorrr’; if she thought she will use her sex acts with almost every willing male in the House to help her win, I am sure she will now know that she was taken for a ride. I also heard that her mother was actually planning a welcome party for her when she comes home with the $300,000 prize money. Will the party still hold? Only Mama Bev will tell us. I know that in spite of widespread condemnation, most Nigerian guys couldn’t wait to get back home, lock themselves in their rooms and stay glued to their TV sets as the Housemates treated the whole world to their porn and sex antics, all in a bid to outdo one another in the quest for the cash. But in the end, I feel sad for Beverly for cheapening herself and allowing that South African Rasta man ‘bang’ her for free and now, he has gone back home to his woman while she will live with the shame, that is if she thinks it was a shame on her part. She couldn’t keep her pants on for the sake of dignity and has portrayed the image of Nigerian girls as being wayward, the type of girls that any man anywhere can just sleep with even in public. Forget the half-hearted denials that she and Angelo did not actually have sex. Who are they deceiving? A friend of mine who is a journalist in South Africa sent me a message the other day and he narrated how popular Angelo has become for opening shagging a Nigerian girl on TV. What a shame! What if her kids and their friends in the future surf the Internet and find these pictures and video of hers? Will she be there to explain to everyone that Angelo did not put his ‘thing’ into her ‘thing?’ Even in former BBA shows, Nigerian representatives never showed such lack of decorum and self-debasement. Even so called ‘bad girl’ Karen Igho who won the show did not condescend to such despicable acts all in the name of, like one staunch Bev supporter called it, being herself. We are a people known for our high morals but Beverly Osu and her likes, even her supporters here, including her mother who claimed she is so proud of her daughter, have thrown them into the mud. So, that Angelo guy just banged our girl for free? I rest my case.

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“Iyanya Who? I Don’t Know Him” – Tonto Dikeh Denies Knowing Singer

I do not know if controversial Nollywood actress and ‘I can sing too’ star, Tonto Dikeh was serious about this or if it was all about one of her publicity stunts but as a special guest on Ebuka’s Rubbing Minds program on Channels TV yesterday, she claims that she does not the singer who was rumoured to be dating her some time ago. When asked about her relationship with Iyanya, she said; “When I hear people say I have dated Iyanya before, I find that funny. I mean this someone I have only met once or twice. I am a fan of his music just the same way he is also a fan, but if I don’t even know him personally, how do I date him? Why they say these things, it is because they know I don’t respond to these things.” But she did admit that Mavin Music head, Don Jazzy was ‘her very first man’, no matter what that means. But who is deceiving who here?

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