Flavour brings joy to fans in The Gambia

 Coconut Residence in collaboration with Virtual Exchange Production recently hosted Nigeria’s music sensation, Chinedu Okoli (aka Flavour) last week in The Gambia with Independence Flavour Concert which held at Banjul National Stadium, Gambia. More

The concert was part of the country’s 49^thIndependence celebrations, which had over 7,000 fans in attendance. They include, Her Excellency Aja, Dr. Isatou Njie – Said, The Gambia’s Vice President and other government officials, who all came to see Flavour perform in Gambia for the first time.

During the concert, Flavour also donated materials like exercise books, mathematical sets, stationeries and refreshments to Jammeh Foundation For Peace Orphanage.

Flavour said: “ Through my charity, Mr. Chinedu Okoli Music Foundation, I want to touch the lives of the needy wherever I go beyond music in simple ways that I can. I want to put smiles on the face of people and help them. It’s The Gambia’s independence and this is my first time here. I’ve chosen to remember children at the Jammeh Foundation for Peace Orphanage to contribute my quota to their development.

“ It’s not all about giving a great performance at concerts and collecting performance fees and spend it alone. No! but it’s also about contributing to the lives of the people of the various countries we visit who genuinely need help.”

During the show, the fans danced to some of Flavour’s hit tracks while some of them cried in excitement for having the opportunity of seeing the music icon.

Winners emerge at MTN Afrinolly film competition

Namibia’s filmmaker, Florian Schott’s Everything Happens for a Reason, has won $25,000 for the short film category while Nigeria’s Victor Okoye’s Creative Minds, also won $25,000 for the Documentary category at the MTN Afrinolly film competition. The ceremony took place at MUSON Centre, Lagos. more

In the short film category, Daniel Etim Effiong’s Your Cup of Tea was first runner-up with $10,000 while Gbenga Salu’s 10:10 was second runner-up with $5,000.

In the documentary category, Ronke Ogunmakin’s Awele’s Diary, was first runner-up with $10,000 and Ng'endo Mukii’s Yellow Fever was second runner-up with $5,000.  Other finalists in both categories received $500 respectively.

General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Kola Oyeyemi, said: “ MTN will always love to develop every area where it operates. Our core objective for sponsoring Afrinollyis to empower African youths to tell their own stories from their own perspective and eliminate financial barriers to movie production. We look forward to create a new generation of content providers in the African movie industry”. He said

According to Schott, “ It is amazing. I am more than excited for coming tops in the MTN Afrinollyshort film category. My success was based on the passion I had put in. The extra efforts, I made in achieving this and a lot of my fans that voted for my film. I am extremely grateful to MTN for the $25,000 prize money as it will help in promoting the Namibian film industry because, I will re-invest the money into film production in my country.”

Victor Okoye also said: “It is a great privilege to win this competition and I say a big thank you to God Almighty and MTN Nigeria for their continuous support in providing reliable platform for future stars to be discovered.” He said.

“ The MTN Afrinollyshort film competition is a unique, innovative and youth-focused competition, with singular concentration on the next generation of African filmmakers. The competition is designed to expand the conversations on issues about the continent by Africans and to motivate and reward young and emerging film makers who exhibit exceptional narrative skills, using short movies and documentary as a medium.”

Flavour gives gifts to alma mater

Nigeria’s music sensation and High-Life fusion musician Flavour Nabania recently donated musical equipment to his Alma Mater, College of Immaculate Conception (CIC), Enugu. More

This is in recognition of the role played by the school in shaping his musical career.

The donated musical equipment worth millions of naira include: a drum set, a full brass bandset, three guitars, three keyboard pianos, microphones, speakers, combos, mixer, amplifier, trumpets and recorders. Others items include 25 internet modems, 25 mobile phones and 50 special phones lines with reduced call rates.

Flavour said “I believe this will help to improve the standard of education provided by the school through access to the vast information and resources on the Internet. The phone lines I believe will help the teachers and principal communicate better towards the advancement of the school. As I only try to do my own quota, may God Almighty reward you and past teachers of this school for your immeasurable contributions towards developing leaders and the future of Enugu and Nigeria.”

“Also, I’m using this opportunity to announce the annual Mr. Flavour Nabania excellence in music star prize of $1,000. This prize will be given to the best graduating student of music every year because the knowledge of music is a key to be a successful musician like me. Remember to be yourself, stay original and don’t ever forget the son or daughter of whom you are and where you’re coming from. By God’s grace I see many Flavours amongst you here today and pray God will guide your path and bless you too with success.” He said.

Okey Ezugwu premieres Brother’s Keeper

Oakfil Productions, in collaboration Top Tea, Parodontax and Alvaro, last Friday at the Silver Bird Galleria, Lagos, premiered their new movie entitled, Brother’s Keeper. More

The movie was produced by Okey Ezugwu and featured artistes like Omoni Oboli, Majid Michel, Barbara Soky, Moyo Lawal, Slyvya Oluchy and Beverly Naya.
In the words of the producer, “ Brother’s Keeper, is a mind-blowing movie that is filled with suspense, passion, intrigues, breathtaking, creative and contemporary feature.  It dwells on issues ranging from deceit, betrayal, passion and crime’.
Brother’s Keeper is about two identical twins, Chidi and Chude, who never seem to agree on any issue. They are always at loggerheads. Chude is prudent, innovative, considerate, loving and honest while Chude is the direct opposite of his brother. Sharing their father’s wealth at the insistence of Chidi because of the rising action which ignites the horror that has been concealed over the years. Chidi makes a mess of himself, squanders his money and decides to take over Chude’s wife. Trouble unfolds when Chude’s wife suspects him having an affair with with his late brother’s wife. Will she find out the truth about her husband’s escapades? Will Chidi’s ex-wife continue with her relationship with Chude?
The movie is shot in Nigeria at various locations with the state-of-the-art equipment.

Search for Miss Curvy 2014 begins

Thick African Fab, a modeling, fashion and entertainment company is set to host the maiden edition of Miss Curvy 2014 which intends to mould ladies with thick curves into A-list personalities. More

The winner and runners-up will go home with prizes rabging from a brand new car, cash prizes and a mouth-watering one year contract.
The beauty pageant will hold in the last week of May and plans are underway for the mobilization of the nationwide auditions, gbegining from March and April.
According to the Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hinkelmann (aka JJ), “ the concept was borne out of the zeal to promote the plus size dream and give opportunities to every curve sized individual to have a sense of self-confidence, as well as stature in the fashion industry. To register for the Miss Curvy pageant, contestants must be between sizes 12 and 42. Forms are available at designated offices or at Union Bank of Africa, Lawanson, Surulere, Ikota Shopping Complex, Lekki/Epe Expressway, Lagos.
Hinkelmann said that the Miss Curvy pageant will create a platform where fashion will be appreciated for the big, bold and beautiful women in the society.
The show is also meant to support the fight against diabetes by creating awareness that will help sustain the campaign for eradication of the scourge of the deadly disease.
“For the very first time in Nigeria, there will be curvy, vivacious and charming plus size queens in this year’s huge fashion contest.

Six-year-old boy dies in Lagos building fire

A six-year-old boy identified as Abiodun, lost his life after fire razed 11 rooms in a compound located on Ogundele Street in the Ifako, Gbagada area of Lagos State. Read more

The incident was said to have occurred around 9.30pm on Tuesday.

Although the actual cause of fire could not be ascertained as of press time, residents told our correspondent that they believed that the fire was caused by a lighted candle.

When PUNCH Metro visited the scene of the incident on Wednesday afternoon, smoke continued to emanate from some of the burnt items.

Burnt books, beds, doors, televisions and other items littered the area as residents toured the building.

A resident in the compound, whose room was not affected because it was detached from the main building, said the fire started during the premiership football match between Arsenal and Chelsea.

The occupant, Michael Olujimi, said most of them were at a viewing centre when the fire started.

He said, “Most of us were at a viewing centre in the next compound, watching the match when we saw smoke billowing from our compound. We all rushed back but the fire was already intense.

“The youths in the area got buckets of water and tried to douse the flames but it continued to rage. At that point, we did not know that  Abiodun was inside one of the rooms because most of us were outside.”

A resident, who did not identify himself, told PUNCH Metro that the little boy’s parents had gone to church while his elder brother did not inform them on time that the deceased was inside the room.

A landlord in the area, Sunday Ogundele stressed the  the need for government disaster management agencies to improve on its response time.

He said, “A fire truck from Lagos State Fire Service arrived but they left because there was no water. When the fire was about spreading to another compound, one of my tenants, who works at the Federal Medical Centre, Oyingbo, called the Federal Fire Service which is close to the hospital but they did not come.

“He then had to drive down to Oyingbo to lead them here. They finally came around 11pm and doused the flames but by then, the deed had been done.”

Abiodun was reportedly  buried at Atan Cemetery, Yaba.

Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Razaq Fadipe,  however, denied the allegations.

He said, “Two fire trucks from Ilupeju and Ikeja with 10,000 litres each responded. They were busy fighting the fire on their own. A journalist and a fireman that live in the area, were the ones that first called our attention to it and we have evidence to show that we responded on time.”

by Eniola Akinkuotu  

CULLED FROM PUNCH NEWSPAPER

N255m bulletproof car scandal: Oduah denies wrongdoing, blames NCAA DG, aides

The embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah,   has been   accused by the  House of Representatives Committee on Aviation of approving  N564m for the purchase of 54 cars   beyond her power. Read more

The committee alleged that Oduah, who  finally appeared before it  on Thursday after  failing to honour  earlier invitations,  did not follow the budget approved for the Aviation ministry and its agencies  by the National Assembly.

  The minister, who wore a striped blue ankara dress with a matching blue head scarf, walked into the hall at 11.42am looking somewhat disturbed.  She also wore white beaded jewellery to complement her embroidered blouse.

Oduah   first walked to take a seat facing the committee  members and made to sit but changed her mind.  She    went halfway between her seat and the high table, where she exchanged pleasantries with the Chairman of the committee, Mrs. Nkiruka Onyejeocha.

After that she walked out of the hall, spending about 10 minutes before returning   to   her seat to make a presentation.

A few seconds after, the committee chairman while giving her opening speech,  tried to douse the tense atmosphere at the venue of the hearing.

“We are not mourning here, there is no aeroplane crash; I want to see everyone smiling. Please  feel  free and relax,” she counselled.

- Oduah on the hot seat

Thereafter, Oduah  was  called upon to testify on her role in the purchase of two bulletproof cars at a whopping N255m and other vehicles by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

She took an  oath,  promising to say  “nothing but the truth, the whole truth.”

  The  minister,  who seemed to have regained confidence   looked   the committee members   in the face and then   apologised for  her  failure  to  honour  their earlier summons.

She  denied that the NCAA  bought  the two   bulletproof cars   for her use.

Her audacity took the lawmakers aback a bit, as she also rationalised the action of the NCAA, claiming that its decision to buy  the  54 cars did not breach any law of the land.

She stated that the NCAA  bought  the bulletproof cars  for its own operations in line with the rising profile of Nigeria as an ICAO member.

The minister, who sounded impatient as she gave her testimony, added that there was a required international standard for state-of-the cars to provide security for visitors and certain category of passengers   visiting  any  country.

According to her, she was alarmed by media reports tying the purchase of the cars to her personal comfort.

She said, “It is not true that NCAA spent N255m to purchase the bulletproof cars for the minister.

“It is totally untrue; there is nothing reflecting my name.  The cars were not registered in my name.

“All I did was approve based on the proposal sent to me on lease financing by the NCAA.”

She defended the NCAA, saying that it bought the cars as part of its three-year budgetary plan to beef up its operational fleet.

But, there was a mild drama when the committee questioned her over the approval of  N564m  for the   54 cars above  the   N100m which ministers could approve.

Oduah said the expectation was that because the NCAA entered into a “lease financing” agreement with the First Bank of Nigerian  to span 36 months, the amount of money it would have paid to the bank by December was N100m.  According to her, the N100m is still within the spending limit.

The Head, Lagos Mainland branch  of First Bank, which handled the transaction, Mr. Seyi Ojefeso,  had on Tuesday told the committee that    the NCAA approached the bank for a loan to purchase vehicles for its management staff.

Ojefeso claimed that it was possible that the NCAA “got it mixed up” when it  described it as a lease agreement.

He explained that the NCAA applied for a loan package of N643m to finance the purchase of  54 vehicles.

For the bulletproof cars, he said there was a Coscharis pro forma invoice attached to the application in the value of N255m.

He added, “We offered an auto loan to the NCAA in May to purchase cars for its management staff.

“The application was for N643m; we financed the purchase of the cars based on the application they submitted to us.”

But the  committee observed that the original request of the NCAA to the  minister   was N564m, but First Bank eventually approved a loan of N643m.

 When asked to explain how the difference came about, Ojefeso said only the NCAA could answer the question since N564m was not in the agency’s communication with the bank.

When the committee members  accused her of giving anticipatory approval for expenditure beyond her power, Oduah  said  she expected the NCAA to go back and do “the needful” by complying with procurement regulations.

Leading the barrage of questions,   Mr. Jerry Manwe stated, “You did not follow the budget approved for you by the National Assembly because when you calculate the total expenditure, the  NCAA would have paid over N1bn for the 54 cars.

“The agency would have paid N160m which is above your approval limit  by December as part of the instalments and not N100m, which is  within your power.

“The committee refused to approve the N140m the NCAA proposed for bulletproof cars because we said you cannot use bulletproof cars to patrol  the perimeter fencing at the airports.

“Nowhere in the budget did we approve bulletproof cars, but you went ahead to spend money in anticipation of budgetary provision.”

But, the minister countered that the interpretation of her approval was that the NCAA should do the appropriate thing by complying with the requirement of procurement laws.

  “My memo says, approved. Please, do the needful; what does that mean? What does that tell you?”, Oduah asked Manwe.

She implied that her approval was not final, to the dismay of lawmakers.

There was more drama when the committee turned the heat on the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Aviation and the management of  the NCAA.

The  Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. George Ossi, and a former Acting DG of the NCAA, who supervised the transaction, Mr. Joyce Nkem-Akonam, both admitted that the approval implied that they were to comply with due process regulations.

Nkem-Akonam stated, “What the approval means is that we go through due diligence in our system.

“We did that in our procurement department and complied with the law.

“From the point the minister’s approval came, we went ahead with the mindset that we already had a budgetary approval by the National Assembly.”

In the ensuing buck-passing and confusion, the committee read out the portion of the 2013 NCAA budget where the National Assembly “clearly approved only N240m for the purchase of 25 operational vehicles.”

Manwe then  tried to blast the NCAA and the permanent secretary for allegedly “misleading the minister.”

He noted that they ignored the budgetary approval of N240m for 25 cars and made their own proposal of 54 cars for N564m which  was  “far above the approval limit of N100m” without recourse to the Federal Executive Council.

Another member of the committee, Mr. Adeyinka Ajayi, sought to know the date the Board of the NCAA approved the transaction, but there was no answer.

Neither Nkem-Akonam nor Osi could give the date of the approval. They promised to consult and get the date.

Adeyinka again asked, “Where are the bulletproof cars now since the minister has said they were not bought for her?”

Nkem-Akonam replied that the vehicles were “pool cars” that could be used by any officer, including Oduah.

“They are pool cars for VIP movement, including the minister; including you, honourable member”, he added.

- Minister apologises, says issues muddled up

Earlier, Oduah had apologised for her failure to appear before yesterday, blaming it on  her  trip abroad  to sign a Bilateral Air Services  Agreement   between Nigera and Israel .

She also admitted that attempts made by some officials to clarify the car scandal were “muddled up.”

She spoke further, “You may recall that there have been attempts at clarifying issues pertaining to this particular procurement. In the process, some of the issues were further muddled up.

“I mention in this regard the first attempt at clarifying the issue by the Coordinating Spokesperson for the parastatals when he was first confronted with the allegation, without recourse to the Minister or the Principal Officer of the Ministry and its agencies, described the information as a mere rumour.

“This was followed by the statement of my Special Adviser, Media, who was himself guided by his own perception of the duties and challenges of my office and possibly, even the danger to the person and office of the minister.

“This is made evident by the fact that his statement focused on my personal security and safety without recourse to procurement process and policy file to which he had no access.

“Although both inaccurate and innocently misguided, I understand the urgency and aggression considering the sources the information was breaking from.

“The last official intervention in this matter came from the Director-General of NCAA, the agency charged with the oversight of the aviation sector and the agency that actually undertook the procurement.

“Whereas the DG was right in saying that the vehicles were not bought for my office, the anticipated positive effect of this correct piece of information was marred by remarks credited to the DG suggesting that the agency was more concerned about issues of administration and information security that had no bearing on this issue.”

Meanwhile, Coscharis Motors insisted on Thursday that the cars it supplied were the same quoted on the transaction documents.

Lawmakers, who  inspected the bulletproof cars at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport on Tuesday, reported that they bore different chassis numbers from those quoted in the transaction documents.

- Coscharis says “transposition error” occurred

However, on Thursday, the Chairman of the company, Mr. Cosmos Maduka, and his team blamed the discrepancy on “transposition error.”

“The cars you inspected are the correct cars. There are 12 cars on the end-user certificate and the DW68011 you are referring to is one of them”, he said.

Amidst heated disagreement between the two sides, Coscharis offered to access the BMW factory online, using the chassis numbers to prove that they were the right cars.

But the committee members   overruled  him  and directed  Coscharis  to produce more documents to defend  his claim.

Having heard from all the parties to the controversy, the committee made what sounded like a preliminary report.

- We’ve established some facts – Committee

Onyejeocha, who closed the session, said, “Facts speak for themselves.

“We have listened to the NCAA, Coscharis, First Bank, Customs and the minister.

“It has been established that N240m was budgeted by the National Assembly for 25 cars; we have seen that N255m was used to buy bulletproof cars.

“We have seen another approval of N643m for the purchase of 54 cars.

“We will consider all our findings to see whether they are in line with extant laws and financial regulations and  then write our report.

“We assure Nigerians that we will report to them.”

Oduah too spoke briefly with reporters on her way out. She  thanked  the House for giving a “platform for my own side to be heard on this issue.”

She said she was happy that the “truth” came out that bulletproof cars were not bought for her.

by John Ameh

CULLED FROM PUNCH NEWSPAPER