No matter how incoherent some people may
feel veteran artiste, Majek Fashek is, nobody could take away his sound
state of mind and the bitterness he felt when he claimed in a chat with
Saturday Beats recently how Timi Dakolo, the R&B singer, “stole” his evergreen hit song, Send Down the Rain.
Timi, in 2013, had done a remix of the song but Fashek said Timi never took permission from him before doing the song.
In an exclusive chat with Satuday Beats, the reggae singer said Timi Dakolo capitalised on his state of health and remade his song without taking permission from him.
He said, “He broke the rules of
copyright. He is a thief because in music business, he must take
permission before he works on someone’s song. That is why we have COSON.
I did not give anyone the right to do anything with my song. I have a
management team I work with headed by Omenka Uzoma. Dakolo never
bothered to look for me before stealing my song. He has infringed on the
laws of copyright and he is not an original artiste. It is only people
like Tuface, Wizkid, Olamide that are original.
“I felt bad when I learnt that he worked
on my song without my consent. He did not even give me credit. He is a
very bad artiste and he took advantage of the circumstance that I was
facing during that time. The song is not a normal song; it is a
spiritual hit song. Timi Dakolo does not know how I suffered to get that
song. I fasted for seven days before I got that song. I partook in
three days ‘white’ fasting before the song came to me. Timi Dakolo did
not go through that. I did not fight him because I do not have time.
Let God judge us.” Also commenting on the situation, Majek Fashek’s
music business consultant, Omenka Uzoma, said they would soon begin to
fish out all those who have been exploiting Majek Fashek.
In a telephone conversation with Timi
Dakolo to get his side of the story, the young lad was quick to cut
short the conversation even before our correspondent could explain
reasons for calling.
“I am not in the country. There is no
allegation levelled against me. Go ahead and write a better story. I am
not in Nigeria,” he said before he rudely ended the call.
The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and
the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) have described
the death of veteran Nollywood actress Bukky Ajayi, as the loss of an
entertainment icon.
Ajayi died on Wednesday morning at 82.
Reacting to the sad news, AGN and PMAN described her demise as a big loss to the entertainment industry.
Mr Agility Onwura, the Chairman, Federal
Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the AGN, said Ajayi died at a time
when the young generation of actors were still drawing from her wealth
of experience.
Onwura said: “The news of her death came to us as a surprise.
“She died when her wealth of experience and guidance were most needed by the younger generation of movie stars.
“Though at 82 one can say she was quite old, but we in the entertainment industry were still learning from her,” he said.
Also, Mr Pretty Okafor, the National
President of PMAN, mourned the late actress, extolling her contributions
to the growth of Nollywood and the entertainment industry in Nigeria.
“She was an enviable professional, who inspired us with her outstanding roles in many home movies.
“Her exit will leave an indelible footprint on the entertainment industry generally,” he said.
Okafor, however, added that solace
should be drawn from the fact that the late actress lived a fulfilled
life as a professional and role model to many.
“Her life and achievements should be celebrated, because 82 years is quite a feat to celebrate.”
Okafor prayed that God should grant the
family of the late veteran the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,
while urging them to emulate her life of hard work and dedication to
service.
NAN recalls that the late Ajayi started acting in the 70s, featuring in the popular movie series, “Village Headmaster”.
She later got a role in Amaka Igwe’s “Checkmate” and so many home videos.
Ajayi also worked as an announcer, presenter and newscaster at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
The remains of late Umaru Shinkafi, who
died Wednesday at a London hospital, will be interred Friday after the
Islamic funeral prayer to be held at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Sokoto.
A statement issued by a Senior Counsellor in the Caliphate and Magajin Garin Sokoto, Hassan Danbaba, has said.
The statement said the “Janaza prayer’’
(funeral prayer) would be held immediately after the Juma’at prayers at
the mosque located just outside the Sultan’s Palace.
“Marafa’s remains will arrive Sokoto
Friday morning. The Janaza rites will be held after the Juma’at prayers,
after which he will be interred at the Hubbare here in Sokoto.
“This is to correct the impression that the prayer and the internment will be held outside Sokoto.
“Shinkafi, who held the traditional
title of Marafan Sokoto, died at the Harefield Hospital, Hill End Road,
Harefield, Middlesex, in the United Kingdom Wednesday afternoon after a
prolonged illness,” the statement explained.
He was aged 79.
Shinkafi had served in various
capacities, including Director-General of defunct NSO (now DSS) and
presidential aspirant of former APP.
A lecturer with Nasarawa State
University, Keffi, has urged the Federal Government to resume Oil and
Gas exploration activities in the Lake Chad Basin and other areas of the
North.
Dr Sadiq Rajab made the call on Friday
in Keffi. He said that the significance of oil exploration in the Chad
Basin would boost the economic fortunes of the country.
The search for oil in Nigeria’s Chad
basin, which is adjacent to Niger Republic, Cameroon and Chad, had been
on for three decades.
He explained that oil exploration in the
area would increase the nation’s earnings in view of the current
economic challenges and the hostilities of Niger Delta Avengers.
The don added that exploration would
provide employment for thousands of the youths, reduce poverty and
insecurity in the region.
Rajab stressed the need for the federal
government to assist the states that have oil to engage multinational
oil companies to develop the community.
He said that states alone could not
shoulder the responsibility of engaging multinational cooperation to
harness the oil in the Lake Chad basin and the north.
“We are appealing to the federal
government to assist those states that oil is discovered in them to be
able to develop it for national development,’’ Rajab said.
Similarly, the don advised the federal
government to support farmers with 20,000 tractors to boost rice
production in the country.
He said that if the federal government
wants to put an end to rice importation, it must assist real farmers
with the necessary farm implements to ensure massive production.
“I am confident if government assists
farmers with such implements, we will not have business with rice
importation either through the sea or land next year.
“We are not asking government to provide free tractors to farmers rather it will be based on loan at a subsidised rate.
“It is brightest idea for the federal
government to encourage farming, but it must assist farmers to achieve
the desire result,’’ Rajab said.
Besides, Rajab called on governors to
provide at least 5,000 tractors to farmers in their state annually in
order to encourage farming and improve their Internally Generated
Revenue.
According to him, if federal and state
governments pay enough attention to agriculture, it will develop the
nation’s economy in no distance time.
Rajab commended President Muhammadu
Buhari for taking steps to diversify the nation’s economy in order to
reduce too much dependency on petroleum resources.
SKA
Moscow's Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa celebrates a goal during the UEFA
Champions League group B football match between CSKA Moscow and PSV
Eindhoven AFP PHOTO
The transfer of Super Eagles of Nigeria
striker, Ahmed Musa, to EPL champions Leicester City is expected to be
announced this weekend.
The £18 million deal, a club-record for Leicester, would be finalised once the Nigerian completes his medicals.
The striker scored 13 goals and assisted
another five for CSKA Moscowin 30 Russian Premier League appearances
during the 2015-16 season
Musa (23) is expected to join up with the rest of the Leicester squad at the team training camp in Austria next week.
Meanwhile, CSKA Moscow has agreed a loan
move for Ivorian giant striker, Lacina Traore. A deal seen as an ideal
replacement for Musa.
No fewer than 11 persons have been
killed by suspected cult members in Igode and Fakale communities in the
Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Four persons were also injured while houses and cars were vandalised in the attack that lasted for about 10 hours.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the
hoodlums, said to be Aye Confraternity members, had gone on the rampage
at about 11am on Wednesday to commemorate their anniversary tagged 7/7.
Scene of the events
The grand finale of the anniversary was reportedly held on Thursday, July 7, 2016 at Emuren, a neighbouring community.
It was gathered that the hoodlums, numbering about 25 on motorcycles, came from Emuren, wielding guns and cutlasses.
Their targets were said to be members of
the Eiye Confraternity, a rival cult.The bandits, who reportedly wore
masks, shot dead three welders at a junction bordering Emuren and Igode.
The welders were said to be returning from a work site on a motorcycle.
The rampaging miscreants reportedly
proceeded to the Fakale community, where they opened fire on a crowd
watching a football match in a viewing centre, killing seven persons.
It was learnt that one of the deceased, identified simply as Dare, was a member of the Oodua People’s Congress.
Others were identified as Ibukun, Ismaila, Sunday, and a steel rod seller, Dare Olakanmi.
Three of them were said to have been buried.
However, the police had yet to remove the remains of the three welders as of 12pm on Thursday.
Four others, who were injured, were said to have been taken to a hospital in Sagamu.
Our correspondent, who visited the communities on Thursday, observed that palpable fear had enveloped them.
Many residents were said to have fled while commercial activities had been paralysed as shops were shut.
Our correspondent saw 10 policemen at a junction in Fakale.
The Coordinator of the OPC in the
community, Wole Oladunjo, said, “The fight was between Eiye and Aye
confraternities. The Aye members are based in Emuren. The OPC had
nothing to do with the fight. But surprisingly, they (Aye members) came
here on Wednesday and started shooting sporadically. They killed seven
persons in a viewing centre.
Some of the victims. Photo: Segun Bakare
“One of the deceased was our member. The
others killed were not Eiye members. They were hard working youths.
Four persons are still in the hospital receiving treatment. The police
picked four corpses and three of them have been buried.
“The policemen, who came that evening, were blaring their sirens from afar and this gave those boys the chance to escape.”
An OPC member, who identified himself as Ajibola Defence, told PUNCH Metro that the hoodlums inscribed 7/7 on those killed and on a refrigerator they destroyed inside a shop.
He said, “We learnt the Aye members are
celebrating their anniversary this month. They started on July 1 and
today (Thursday) is the last day. Whenever they celebrate the
anniversary, they kill. They wrote 7/7 on the heads of the persons they
killed.”
The Secretary of the OPC in the
community, Idris Lawal, vowed that his members would avenge the
killings, adding that the victims were innocent residents.
The Baale of Fakale, Chief Ganiyu
Bisiriyu, lamented the security situation in Ogun State and urged the
government to ensure the protection of lives and property.
“Those cultists were chased away from
Lagos State and they came to settle in communities around here. The
persons they killed were not their rival cultists. One of the deceased
helped me to work on my farm a few days ago,” he added.
While returning from Fakale, the cult
members reportedly chased a man identified only as Otamali to his
apartment in Igode and shot him dead.
The Igode community head, Chief Rafiu Disu, said the bandits also vandalised two houses and a car.
He called on the government to intervene and restore peace to the two affected communities.
He said, “I was in the palace on
Wednesday morning when I saw about 25 men on motorcycles armed with guns
and cutlasses passing through our community to Fakale. While they were
coming back in the evening, they started shooting and chasing people.
They chased Otamali to his apartment. He shut the door, but they broke
in. They shot and stabbed him to death.
“They also destroyed a car and shattered
glass windows. For over 25 years that I have been living in this
community, I have never witnessed such. We could not sleep throughout
the night. A lot of people have packed out in fear.”
Two rams belonging to one Olalekan Oyenuga were reportedly killed by the hoodlums.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations
Officer, SP Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the killings, saying that the
cultists had gone to attack Eiye cult members at Fakale.
He added that the police had restored calm to the area.
Adejobi said, “I am aware of the
killings in Fakale community. We got information that some suspected Aye
cult members were planning to have a party and they bought a goat. A
rival group went to kill the goat and they became annoyed. They killed
four persons, who were their targets.
“The Divisional Police Officer, Ogijo
division, and the chairman, Sagamu Local Government Area, with some
government officials, have visited the community. The police are on the
trail of the suspects.”
The National Coordinator of the Oodua
People’s Congress, Gani Adams, has expressed his organisation’s
reluctance to engage suspected militants and pipeline vandals who have
been terrorising some communities in Lagos and Ogun states.
Speaking during a press conference on
Thursday in Lagos to address the recent spate of attacks by suspected
militants and pipeline vandals in South-West Nigeria, Adams condemned
the attacks and described them as “criminal.”
He said that even though some
communities have been seeking the support of the OPC on the issue, he
had to be sure that its members would not be criminalised for any
actions taken.
According to Adams, the OPC had been
demonised by people, including those of Yoruba descent, security agents
and the media in the past.
He said, “What happened just about 10
days ago in Ikorodu is highly unfortunate. But people of Yoruba are the
only people that play politics with their lives and properties. When you
have a dog that is preventing criminals from coming to your house and
you take it to the veterinary to remove its teeth; when criminals come
to your house, what will the dog use to fight them?”
“We will put our house in order. We will work and do the appropriate thing at the appropriate time.
Would law enforcement agencies not twist
it against us again? We still have some of our members in Kirikiri and
Ikoyi prisons on an issue related to securing a street. An armed robber
was killed and the police twisted it as murder.
“What we are saying now is that it has
happened and the law enforcement agents cannot arrest any of the
vandals, if we move to do it, are we sure the law enforcement agents
would not use it against us? Those are the two main things because we
have worked to redeem the image of the OPC and we don’t want anything to
tarnish it again.”
The OPC leader also criticised President
Muhammadu Buhari for condoling with the recent victims of terrorism in
Saudi Arabia and ignoring Nigerians recently killed by suspected
militants and Fulani herdsmen in South-West Nigeria and Benue State.
He said, “The President was sending his
condolences to the people of Saudi Arabia. How many people died in
Medina? Just less than 10. He sent his condolences to the United States
after the attack in Orlando, and he has never said anything about what
happened in Ikorodu, Lagos State, and Agatu, Benue State, where many
people were killed.
“It is high time that the President knew
that the life of a Nigerian is important. I’m not saying that he should
not sympathise with any other country, but your citizens should come
first.”
Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi
State said on Thursday that the State Government would support the World
Bank to improve drinking water supply in the state.
Abubakar said in Bauchi while exchanging
views with the Emir of Bauchi, ARilwanu Adamu who paid him Sallah
homage at the Government House, Bauchi.
He said that the state government has made arrangements with the World Bank to improve potable water in the state.
Abubakar said that water facilities at
Gubi Dam and other treatment plants in the state would be rehabilitated
to achieve some set out targets.
He said that it had embarked construction 300 boreholes in each of the three Senatorial Districts in the state.
Abubakar said that the state governmet
has bought large quantity of fertiliser and would soon be distributed to
farmers in the state.
He said the state government has
embarked on the construction and rehabilitation of more health centrs I
in various parts of the state to complement the existing ones.
According to him , more access roads
would be constructed in both urban and rural areas to reduce the
hardship being faced by the rural dwellers.
He, therefore, called on the people of
the state especially youths , to desist from intimidating their leaders
but rather pray for the sustenance and development of peace as well as
economy of the state and the nation at large.
On the issue of concluded verification
exercise, the governor said that he had concluded the badge ‘A’ of the
exercise while he will soon embarked on badge ‘B’ of the exercise.
The Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu
Adamu, had earlier called on the state governor to improve water supply
and state of the roads in the state.
Adamu furher called on the state
government to prevail on the federal government to enable the later
provide modern prison in the state.
Gunmen have abducted Sen. Patrick Ani, a
former senator who represented Cross River South on the platform of the
defunct National Republican Convention between 1991 and 1992.
Eyewitnesses told journalists in Calabar
on Thursday that the former legislator was abducted by the gunmen on
Wednesday in his herbal farm in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of the
state.
Ani is the brother of a former Minister of Finance, Chief Anthony Ani.
However, ASP Irene Ugbo, the Police
Public Relations Officer of Cross River Police Command, told reporters
that although the incident had been reported to the police, she had yet
to confirm it.
A man working in Ani’s farm, who preferred anonymity, also confirmed that his boss was kidnapped.
He said that policemen came to the farm and promised to investigate the matter.
He could not, however, ascertain the exact time of the abduction.
In a related development, some
foreigners and Nigerians working for a multinational company were
recently kidnapped in the state while their Nigerian driver was killed.
The abducted persons were released some days later after a ransom was reportedly paid.
In the meantime, the state government
has decided to establish a security outfit to complement the efforts of
the existing security agencies in the state.
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River said
that the establishment of the security outfit was part of his
administration’s proactive approach, aimed at ensuring peace and
security in the state.
The governor gave the assurance he
received the Consul-General of France in Nigeria, Amb. Laurent
Polonceaux, and his entourage in his private residence in Calabar.
He said that the operations of the
outfit, the Homeland Security Service, which would not be armed, would
be a complete departure from the traditional methods of policing.
Ayade said the Homeland Security was also expected to provide about 3,000 jobs for the citizens of the state.
He said that the duties of the outfit
would involve intelligence gathering and profiling of persons coming
into the state and going out of the state, among others.
He, however, solicited the technical and logistics support of the government of France for the security organisation.
Responding, Polonceaux thanked the
governor for the meeting and solicited healthy, robust relations between
his country and Cross River.
A Federal High Court in Abuja will today
(Friday) hear and rule on the application filed by the embattled
Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, seeking a stay of execution of
the judgment of the court which removed him from office on June 27.
The hearing, our correspondent learnt, will take place before Justice Okon Abang by 11am today.
Already a large detachment of regular
and riot policemen has surrounded the court premises to maintain a
peaceful atmosphere during the proceedings.
It was learnt that the judge decided to
hear and rule on Ikpeazu’s application today because it is the last
official working day before the court begins its annual vacation next
Monday.
The judge had earlier on July 4, fixed
Thursday (yesterday) for the hearing of the application but the court
could not sit due to the extension of the eid-el-fitri holiday announced
by the Federal Government on Tuesday.
It was learnt this morning that the
judge directed its registrars to contact lawyers to the parties in the
suit to appear in court for the hearing by 11am today.
Justice Abang had in his judgment
delivered on June 27, sacked Ikpeazu for allegedly disclosing false
information in relation to his tax clearance details to the Independent
National Electoral Commission in his form nominating him as the
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the last year’s
governorship election in the state.
The judge, also in the said judgment,
ordered the governor’s rival who was the first runner-up in the primary
that produced Ikpeazu as the candidate of the PDP, Mr. Uche Ogah, to
takeover.
The judge held that Ikpeazu was not
qualified to be PDP’s candidate having disclosed false information to
INEC in violation of his party’s election guidelines and the Electoral
Act and thereby ordered that Ogah be sworn in as governor in Ikpeazu’s
stead.
A few hours after INEC presented the
Certificate of Return to Ogah on Thursday in Abuja, an Abia State High
Court in Osisioma issued an order, stopping the state Chief Judge or any
other judge from swearing-in Ogah, the governor-elect.
Shortly after Ikpeazu’s motion for stay
of execution was mentioned earlier on Monday, his lawyer, Chief Wole
Olanipekun (SAN) asked for an adjournment of the case till Thursday to
enable his team to complete the filing of its reaction to Ogah’s
counter-affidavit filed in opposition to the motion.
But, Ogah’s lawyer, Dr. Alex Izinyon
(SAN), urged the court to shun the request for an adjournment, set aside
the order of the Abia State High Court in Osisioma restraining the
Chief Judge of the state from swearing in Ogah as governor, and
reiterate the judgment of the court.
Izinyon argued that going ahead to
obtain such an order from the Abia High Court without bringing the order
to the attention to Justice Abang on Monday, Ikpeazu had resorted to
self-help.
Izinyon asked the court to set aside the
Abia State High Court’s order and reiterate the judgment since
Ikpeazu’s motion for stay of execution had allegedly achieved
essentially what the motion intended to achieve.
In his counter-submission, Olanipekun
urged the court to quash the enrolled order which it issued on the
strength of the judgment, arguing that it ought not to have been issued
without the parties being given a time lag to exhaust their rights of
appeal.
But in his ruling, Justice Abang refused
to set aside the enrolled court order, saying section 19 of the Sheriff
and Civil Processes Act, relied on by Olanipekun did not define
processes to include the enrolled court order.
Describing Olanipekun’s application as
for the voiding of the court’s enrolled order as lacking in merit,
Justice Abang said the court had the power to enroll its order at any
time after judgment had been delivered.
But the judge said in his ruling on
Monday, that he would after the hearing of the application for stay of
execution, determine whether he could set aside the order made by the
Abia State High Court.
He also said he would determine whether
he could void the certificate of return issued to Ogah and whether the
provisions of section 143(1) of the Electoral Act applied to the
judgment of his court in a pre-election case.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence
Corps has said suspected militants blew up an oil pipeline belonging to a
subsidiary of Italy’s Eni, Nigerian Agip Oil Company.
The corps spokesman, Desmond Agwu, said NSCDC officials exchanged gunfire with the hoodlums after the blast.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for
the blast but Industry watchers believed the attack might have been
carried out by militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, which have claimed
responsibility for about five attacks in the last six days.
Former Argentina boss
Marcelo Bielsa has abruptly pulled out of coaching Lazio in a shock move
which the club said could result in legal action.
“We note with amazement the resignation
of Marcelo Bielsa in clear violation of the commitments and agreements
signed last week and filed with the Italian Football Federation,” the
Serie A club said in a statement on Friday.
Lazio said on Wednesday that the man who
quit as Marseille coach after the first match of last season, would be
arriving in Rome this weekend having signed a contract as coach.
