King Sunny Ade @ 70

Sunday Adeniyi AKA King Sunny Ade {KSA} Born on 22^nd September, 1946 in Osogbo.

Shobizz Blog - K.S.A @ 70

King Sunny Ade is a Contemporary Nigerian Musician, Singer, Song writer and a Pioneer of modern world music. He has been classed as one of the most influential musicians of all time.

In 1987, King Sunny Ade returned to the international spotlight when Rykodisc released a live concert he did in Seattle and was given an astonishing embrace by fans across the globe that were eager for another international album release.

Sunday Adeniyi, the King of Juju and popularly called the minister of enjoyment, had been actively in music since 1960s. His father was a Church organist, while his mother was a trader.

He left grammar school in Ondo under the claim of going to University of Lagos but there in Lagos, his musical career started. Sunny Adé’s musical sound evolved from the early days.

His career begun with Moses Olaiya’s {Baba Sala}, Federal Rhythm Dandies, a highlife band, but he left to form a new band, The Green Spots in 1967. Over the years, Sunny Adé’s band changed its name several times, first to African Beats and then to Golden Mercury, for various reasons ranging from changes in his music to business concerns.

In the 1970s and 1980s Ade embarked on a tour of America and Europe. His stage act was characterised by dexterous dancing steps and mastery of the guitar, which he played beautifully well to the admiration of the Americans and Europeans. His music albums earned him many awards, including his first Grammy Award nomination in the folk/ethnic music category.

We wish the living legend happy birthday, long life and prosperity in good health {Baba 70}

Shobizz Blog - KSA @ 70

Former Bayelsa Governor, Alamieyeseigha Is Dead

Breaking News - Shobizz Bolg

Former Bayelsa Governor, Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha died a few hours ago in a private hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, a source in Bayelsa State confirmed to THISDAY.
Alamieyeseigha, who was said to have suffered a cardiac arrest earlier in the week, gave up the ghost today, after having slipped into coma and was consequently placed on life support.
There are insinuations that his death was not unconnected to the rumours of his possible extradition to the UK for an outstanding money-laundering case, which were swiftly denied by the UK High Commission in Nigeria.
The British High Commission in Nigeria, yesterday, debunked as mere rumour, the recent news making the rounds in the media, that the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha is wanted in the UK to answer question bordering on corruption charges.
A senior officer of the Commission, who spoke confidently and on anonymity on telephone in Abuja, said the information is a rumour in its entirety, adding that the Crown Prosecution has not tabled any extradition request on Alamiesyeseigha, to the High Commission.
While responding to whether it is true that that the Crown Prosecution Service of UK, has made any formal request for Alamieyeseigha’s extradition, she said the Crown Prosecution Service more often do not often give or confirm information on such matters.
She however disclosed that there is no renewed move to reopen the case. “As you know, the immediate past High Commissioner, Sir Andrew Pocock, before he left Nigeria, had in an interview averred that the manner in which Alamieyeseigha escaped from UK, made him a wanted a person.
“But as you know and with the new government of President Muhammdadu Buhari, in place, the media is presenting it as if the UK has said that we need this man. There is no such thing as moves for his extradition or of anybody or organisation to recall his extradition to UK,” she said. “Like you know, the media find such issues interesting. They just jumped to and start publishing the way they like, without clarifications from the High Commission.”
In September 2005, Alamieyeseigha (then the Bayelsa State governor) was detained by the London Metropolitan Police on charges of money-laundering
The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay, was quoted to have said that the President Buhari-led government is prepared to assent to the request of the British Government as the United Kingdom has every legal right to demand for the extradition of the former Bayelsa State Governor.
Born on November 16, 1952 in Amassoma, Ogboin North Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, Alamieyeseigha attended the Bishop Dimeari Grammar School, Yenagoa before joining the Nigerian Defence Academy as a cadet officer in 1974 and later the Nigerian Air Force, where he served in the department of Logistics and Supply. Here, he held various positions in Enugu, Markurdi, Kaduna and Ikeja before retiring as a Squadron Leader.
He later became the Sole Administrator of Pabod Supplies Port Harcourt and Head of Budget, Planning, Research and Development of the National Fertiliser Company (NAFCON), Onne.
He was impeached as Bayelsa State governor on allegations of corruption on December 9, 2005.

2Face "No politician is worth losing your blood for"

2face Idibia

Popular musician, Innocent Idibia aka 2Face, has advised youths in Kogi not to engage in violence before, during and after the Nov. 21 governorship election.
He gave the advice on Thursday in Lokoja during the
official launch of “Vote Not Fight; Election No Be War” Campaign. The campaign was organised by 2Face Foundation, Youth Emancipation for the Society and the Centre for Human Rights and Conflicts Resolution.
Idibia urged the youths to see the forthcoming election as sport where one candidate must win and another would lose and urged them to cultivate the spirit of sportsmanship toward the poll.
“No politician is worth losing your blood for.
“Don’t be used as instrument of destruction; there should be no killing of people nor should there be destruction of property in any community,“ Idiba pleaded.
He appealed to prospective voters present at campaign rallies to carry the message to all the nooks and crannies of the state.
He explained that the vote not fight; election no be war campaign, launched in Nov. 2014, was instrumental to the peace that reigned after the conduct of the last general elections.
“The idea is to transform Nigerian youths into peacemakers and ambassadors in their communities for the promotion of a conflict-free environment during the electoral process,” he said.
Mr Machill Maxwell, an official of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) commended 2Face Foundation and other partners for initiating the campaign.
He noted that the campaign had helped to promote peaceful conduct of elections in the country.
“It is therefore imperative that Kogi youths should embrace the spirit of peaceful participation and promote a conflict-free environment during the governorship election and stand up against violence before, during and after the poll’’ he said.

Diezani "EFCC quizzes Omokore, Atlantic Energy boss"

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has quizzed the Chairman of Atlantic Energy, Mr. Jide Omokore, over the ongoing investigations into the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Investigations revealed that the Subsidy Unit of the EFCC, which is entrusted with the responsibility of probing the NNPC oil scandal, on Monday invited Omokore to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja to answer questions in relation to the investigations.

Omokore was said to have honoured the invitation and was quizzed and later released.

It was gathered that his invitation was in connection with the ongoing probe of the NNPC and a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Investigation revealed that Omokore was not detained by the operatives of the commission, who are working with their counterparts from the United Kingdom, to uncover alleged oil deals that were executed to the detriment of the nation’s economy.

A source, who confided in our correspondent, said, “The Atlantic Energy Chairman was at the commission’s headquarters to answer questions in relation to the ongoing probe.

“I don’t think it would be right to say that he was arrested as he came to the office on his own and was interrogated. He was later released to go on administrative bail.”

The granting of administrative bail by the EFCC means that the suspect will make himself available whenever he is needed by the commission.

Investigation further revealed that some key officials of the NNPC, who worked with the former minister and other key players in the oil sector, had been interrogated by the EFCC and had also been released on administrative bail.

It was learnt that a Managing Director of one of the NNPC subsidiaries, three former Executive Directors and some senior members of staff were being made to visit the EFCC periodically.

The former minister, the NNPC officials and three companies which featured prominently in the nation’s oil business are being probed in relation with billions of naira worth of crude oil that were allegedly lifted without being paid for.

It was further gathered that a four-man team of crack detectives constituted under the Subsidy Unit of the EFCC extracted information from the NNPC workers who said they allowed the lifting of the crude in obedience to directives from the leadership of the nation’s oil industry under Diezani.

Our correspondent made repeated efforts to get the comment of the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, without success as calls to his mobile telephone did not connect.

Dija "Why I always add my Lebanese, Hausa, to my music:

The singer who is of mixed parentage, in an exclusive chat with Showtime said, ‘I usually wear my traditional garments to perform, and I constantly put my language in everything  I do.

Mavin Records singer, Dija, has said that she will do everything within her power to always infuse her Hausa, Lebanese and Sierra-Leone culture into her music.

Don’t forget that Yaro, the title of one of my songs, is an Hausa word as well. I’m not only Hausa, I’m also partly Lebanese and Sierra-Leonean as well, so I try my best to bring my cultures from my father and mother’s sides to bear on my craft as much as I can. For me, the more I can talk to, and relate to my fans, the happier I am.’

Onazi returns to Super Eagles

The Lazio midfielder scored in his club’s 3-2 defeat of St Etienne in Thursday’s game in Rome and gives himself good vibes ahead of Nigeria’s next internationals.

Ogenyi Onazi - Shobizz Blog

Ogenyi Onazi scored his first goal in European club competition during Lazio’s 3-2 defeat of St Etienne in the Europa League at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Thursday night.
The midfielder scored the equalizing goal in the 22nd minute after Moustapha Sall had put the visitors ahead earlier in the sixth minute.
Onazi pounced on a rebound in the St Etienne box and shot past the goalkeeper before the French side had two players sent off as the Italians scored twice more to seal victory.
The Nigerian was subbed-off in the 74th minute as coach Stefano Pioli sent on striker Danilo Cataldi in search of more goals.
He later dedicated the goal to Nigeria’s 55th independence anniversary celebrations on Twitter.

South African King Dalindyebo jailed for 12 years

South African King Shobizz Blog

A South African king has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for a series of charges including kidnapping, assault and arson.

Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, from Nelson Mandela’s Thembu ethnic group, was jailed by the Supreme Court of Appeals.

He had approached the SCA to overturn a 2009 court ruling on the matter, which had sentenced him to 15 years.

The charges relate to a dispute he had with some of his subjects more than two decades ago.

He was accused of kidnapping a woman and her six children, setting their home on fire and beating up four youths, one of whom died, because one of their relatives had failed to present himself before the kings’s traditional court.
The king has never denied the charges but believed his actions were in line with disciplining his subjects, reports say.
In Bloemfontein in the Free State Province, a panel of judges looked at his case in August and the evidence presented before sentencing.
The Eastern Cape High Court had sentenced him to 15 years for the charges, along with one of culpable homicide, which has since been dropped.

Diezani Alison arrested in London

The former minister petroleum resources under the administration of ex president Goodluck Jonathan, Diezani Alison-Madueke was on Friday morning, along with four others, arrested by the United Kingdom National Crime Agency.

The Press and Public Affairs Officer of the  British High Commission in Nigeria, Joseph Abuku, confirmed that some arrests were made Friday but declined to disclose the identities of those involved.
“This morning, five people between the ages of 21 and 60 were arrested on suspicion of bribery and corruption offences. The crimes are being investigated by the National Crime Agency.
“The National Crime Agency does not confirm identity at arrest nor provide information that could be used to corroborate the identity of an arrested individual,” Abuku said.
It is not clear now if and when the ex-minister would be extradited to Nigeria. But President Muhammadu Buhari had in his Independence Day address to Nigeria said he was intent on ridding the petroleum industry of corruption.
He said that already preliminary steps had been taken to sanitize the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and improve its operations so that the inefficiency and corruption could be reduced to a minimum level.
“Those of our refineries which can be serviced and brought back into partial production would be enabled to resume operations so that the whole sordid business of exporting crude and importing finished products in dubious transactions could be stopped,” he said.
According to him, in addition to sanitizing the NNPC, his administration has ordered for a complete audit of other revenue generating agencies mainly CBN, FIRS, Customs, NCC, for better service delivery to the nation.
The president stressed that prudent housekeeping was needed now more than ever in view of the sharp decline in world market oil prices.
“It is a challenge we have to face squarely. But what counts is not so much what accrues but how we manage our resources that is important.
“We have seen in the last few years how huge resources were mismanaged, squandered and wasted.
“The new APC government is embarking on a cleanup, introducing prudence and probity in public financing,’’ he added.
On power, the president said government officials had held a series of long sessions over several weeks about the best way to improve the nation’s power supply in the safest and most cost effective way.
He noted that the current improvement in the power supply was moderately encouraging.
“By the same token, supply of petrol and kerosene to the public has improved throughout the country.
“All the early signs are that within months the whole country would begin to feel a change for the better,’’ he said.
Buhari further reassured that his administration would continue to address challenges facing the three tiers of government to ensure peace and speedy transformation of the economy.
He noted that at an early stage, the Federal Government addressed the issue of salary arrears in many states, a situation, he said, was capable of degenerating into social unrest.