MTN, Stanbic IBTC Bank Sign Partnershi​p on Mobile Money in Lagos

Leading telecoms company MTN and Stanbic IBTC Bank Sign Partnershi​p on Mobile Money in Lagos

LAWYER SPEAKS ON MOHIT'S SAGA

The now rested label’s lawyer (name withheld) has called for caution from both parties. In yet another correspondence exclusively obtained by E-Punch, the lawyer has advised both parties to sign over their stakes in their two major companies, Mo’Hits and Koko Holdings, so that each person would hold on to one.
The lawyer states, “In Consideration and Mutuality of D’Banj signing over to you (Don Jazzy) his entire stake in Mo’Hits Records Limited, you in return sign over to him your stake in Koko Holdings Limited, with the Catalogue now undifferentiated as between ‘D’Banj’ and ‘non-D’Banj’ sub-catalogues, (which is) in keeping with your express wishes. In view of recent events which are indeed surprising, I think it is an optimal way forward. Before Mo’Hits imploded, the relationship between D’banj and Wande Coal, one of the artistes on the label, had been anything but cordial. The Mushin-bred singer was reportedly rude to D’banj at the height of the success of his debut album, leading to his being placed on suspension from releasing any song. The album was released in 2009 and up till December 2011, no new material came from him except for a collaboration with Ghana group, R2Bees, on the song, Kiss Your Hand. Thus, pitching his tent with Don Jazzy is perceived as getting back at D’banj. He even has a word for the Kokomaster; “God, please don’t let the success you have given me get to my head to the extent that I will forget my humble beginnings.”
For D’Prince, who had not tweeted since January, D’banj’s statement that he bought a LR3 Jeep for him valued at N11m to shore up his image as a Mo’Hits ensign, brought him back to the micro-blogging site. Waxing philosophical, the gangling singer-rapper tweets, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” He continues, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new….Thou shalt not bear FALSE witness against thy neighbour – 9th Commandments.” Dr Sid, on the other hand, has not reacted to the leaked emails but responding to a fan who asked on whose side he is, he replies, “If you had Don Jazzy, would you leave?” Those in the know claim that the University of Ibadan graduate has always murmured that he could be as big a star on the label but for D’banj’s overwhelming influence. Little wonder, they never really got along. The on stage camaraderie was a façade.
source

SPINLET TO FUND DAGRIN'S POST HUMOUS ALBUM

Spinlet to fund DaGrin’s post humous album, ‘If I Die’ Remix featuring American Rapper STYLES P of the LOX (group with Jadakiss and Sheek Louch), Show Dem Camp and Nasty Jack.
The track produced by Frenzy is done and would be released soon to kick off the road to the release of the anticipated post humous album by the rap artiste which our source say is titled ‘da invinvible bullet-proof’.
The album would be released under the Missofunyin Entertainment.

AFRO CANDY CALLS FOR ACTORS TO GO NUDE

Controversial artiste turned movie producer, Judith Opara Mazagwu popularly known as AfroCandy has called on actors for movie that would require actors to go nude. From her message, it is evident that there would be more than a nude scene.

She placed an advert online on Thursday, April 19 at about 5:54pm calling on interested actors to get in touch with her.

The advert read, “I have scripts lined up for production and there will also be nudity in most of them.

So, if you are an aspiring actor and actress, [and] you have the passion and will like to get naked, send in your info/contacts for casting. I look forward to meeting and working with you.”

She earlier pointed, “it takes a lot of guts to get naked in front of the Camera. In couple of my concluded up-coming movies, there’s a lot of nudity in them.”

Genevieve Nnaji gets movies role with V. fox

Genevieve Nnaji lands role alongside V. Fox, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Thandie Newton

Acclaimed actress Genevieve Nnaji today announced her secured role in the film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s best selling novel Half Of A Yellow Sun. The award-winning actress who was named one of Forbes Most Powerful African Celebrities joins the star-studded cast of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anika Noni Rose and Thandie Newton in the highly anticipated movie.

The novel, which won the Orange Prize for fiction is set during the Nigerian-Biafran War of 1967 – 1970 and explores the impact of this conflict through the twisting story of a University Professor (Ejiofor) and his lover (Newton) her sister, a British ex-pat, and a young houseboy.

Nigerian born Nnaji won the role to play Ms Adebayo, another professor who develops a flirtatious relationship with her colleague Mr Odenigbo (Ejiofor).

Half Of Yellow Sun is produced by Andrea Calderwood, the BAFTA winning producer of The Last King Of Scotland and Gail Egan, whose The Constant Gardener drew Oscar acclaim. Nigerian playwright Biyi Bandele, who has had a number of successes on the London stage, including his adaptation of seminal post-colonial novel Things Fall Apart, is making his directorial debut with this project. Yewande Sadiku and Muhtar Bakare of Shareman Media are both executive producers of the movie. Filming will commence next month and is currently scheduled for general release in 2013.

This is the second major role landed by Genevieve who recently confirmed a role in the Tony Abulu produced movie “Doctor Bello” which will see her feature alongside US actor Isaiah Washington, Vivica A Fox and Jimmy Jean-Louis and is set for a summer 2012 release.

SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT MARRIES AGAIN

President Zuma’s South Africa’s first President with multiple wives, officially married long-time fiancee Ms. Bongi Ngema. President Zuma has married six times and has 21 children. One of his wives committed suicide, and another — current Home Affairs Minister Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who divorced him. The wedding is President Zuma’s third in just over four years and the second since coming to power in 2009.

JJC SPEAKS ON DBANJ

Just maybe, maybe D’banj asked for it when he said JJC cheated Don Jazzy as JJC went on a revealing ‘spree’ on their past. He said D’banj was a 419er that the UK Police where in search of when he recording the hit song ‘mobolowo’.

Read Text of JJC’s interview below:

According to him, “I started doing JJC and 419 squad which was a squad of people that was speaking and rapping in yoruba.

Along the way, MP took a guy called D’Banj to my house and D’Banj came as [how] normal up and coming artiste normally do, “baba, please your name is big, please help me.

Yeah, and of course ,like the mugu (f**l), mumu button activated JJC, I introduced him to my band.

[I asked], what can you do? He sang, [and] I said that is not really good. The harmonica that you play is really good, lets work on that one and develop your style.

Along the way, another guy called Kas brought Don Jazzy to my house and Don Jazyy at that time was playing for Solek as a piano player.

D’Banj and Don Jazzy were now working with me.

The thing that upset me in the article was that they were working for [me for] four years and [they] didn’t get anywhere.

You tell me where else you could be. I took all of them to Womad, which is biggest African world stage they could be [in England].

We were performing in every single show there that was possible. Anything that was happening, JJC and 419 was doing it.

We were at the top of the game and a lot of people can actually testify to that. What are you crying about? I didn’t pay you to come and perform. You were nobody. Nobody knew you. So, would I pay you to come and perform?

I was giving you an opportunity, giving you a platform to come and perform. So, I don’t understand that.

Number two, the article (D’Banj’s interview) said something about how I cheated Don Jazzy. How come Don Jazzy didn’t say that himself?

You tell me what incident I cheated him. I taught him how to produce, which made him [the] Don Jazzy he is today.

I use to pay him a thousand pounds every month in 2004 which was almost 250,000 naira for being a trainee.

Now, I came back to nigeria to do Awoo, I saw Don Jazzy, and D’Banj.

Don Jazzy was even talking to me, [but] D’Banj was carrying himself like some superstars.

Yes, he has made something of himself. Salute to the music that Don Jazzy made. Salute to the lyrics that Don Jazzy wrote because I know from Mobolowowon to all the way, ‘na me and Don Jazzy write am’ (I and Don Jazzy wrote it).

Now, the rest of the song that followed, I am sure Don Jazzy wrote it and if ‘na lie let me hear’ (if I lied, let met know).

Even Wande Coal ‘don tell me say na Don Jazzy and him dey work for the records’ (Wande Coal told me the he and Don Jazzy do most work for Mohits)

And now, you are Mr D’Banj Koko koko, you think you are God. What do you call yourself? Jesus of Nigerian music?

I paid them to learn how to become [a] better [person with] themselves. For you to turn around and be slandering my name? ‘Ki lon she e now’ (what is wrong with you)?

You have the mouth to say it, after you ‘don eat my food’ (you have eaten my food, slepT on my bed.

I even gave you [a] girl. You are the one that was the bad seed in the box and that is so obvious,” he ended.

Pep ateps down as Barca coach

After four beautiful years as head coach of Barcelona, Pep steps down as coach.

Glo launches in Ghana

The 9, 800km long submarine cable network, the first project of its kind to be executed entirely by a single organisation, berthed on the beaches of Osu, in Accra.

The Glo 1 facility has been built with leading technologies backed by the rich expertise of Globacom and Alcatel-Lucent and is set to radically transform the country’s communications landscape and afford Ghanaian businesses new opportunities of bridging the digital gap between Ghana and the rest of the world. 

Emperor Maonigyrian returns

Osun State born artist Maonigyrian, pronounced Mao-nee-gee-rian is out with two new singles, LOVE LUST and TIPSY. Encouraged by the response he got from his debut single Ayanfe, the Ibadan based music emperor is busy working on shooting the musical videos with hotshot Tflex.  

Actor Van Vicker reacts to arrest over possession of a gun

In reaction to the story that actor Van Vicker was arrested in Lagos over possession of ‘prop guns, The actor released a press statement through his management.
The statement reads, “Indeed, the guns Van had in his possession were purposely for movies and not real ones.
These guns are used in the U.S.A and Europe for movies and Van has reached a point in his movie career as a producer and director where he feels it’s only fair to have prop guns that appear to be real.”
The management also revealed that after Van had passed through all security checkpoints and sat comfortably on the Plane, he was called again to ascertain the content of the luggage.
“When he identified that the items were prop guns and purposely for movies, the security persons at the airport asked him (Van) to accompany them to Ikoyi to have a thorough check on the items by their expects where he was finally cleared.
He was treated with the needed respect and never manhandled as some people are speculating. Van was never arrested, the actor concluded.
He said he was in the offices of the SSS for a long time. “I was with them for a very long time and then eventually we went to the SSS offices in Ikoyi but because it was really late I had to stay with them overnight and the next day processes were made for me to leave and also certify that the guns were just props,” he said.
The actor disclosed in an interview with Ghana’s Hitz FM that on going through all this process at the airport, he contacted his wife and Nollywood actress Uche Jumbo to let them know what was happening in Ghana and Nigeria, hence the ladies liaised with each other and both had a follow up on it.
According to him, “I was just in the process of leaving, I was not being kept for a crime or detained by any police, Uche came to the SSS office and we left the premises.”
He also noted that he never planned on going for the recently held African Movie Academy Awards contrary to speculations that he could not make it to the awards due to the alleged arrest. He disclosed that he was in the middle of a shoot and could not leave the set to attend the AMAA’s.
Van Vicker is in Ghana and has asked all his numerous fans to be rest assured because there is no cause for alarm.

Another Black Sunday in Northern Nigeria

An attack occurred early this morning as Christian worshippers gathered at theatre Two, near the sports complex of the Bayero University, Kano. Eight people have been reported dead. 

Don Jazzy betrayed me – Dbanj

Nigerian hiphop superstar, Dapo Oyebanjo aka Dbanj has accused his estranged business partner and co-founder of Mo’Hits label, Michael Collins aka Don Jazzy, of betraying him.
Dbanj also said he did his best to make things work between them by providing facilities for Don Jazzy in the United States for him to hit it big in the music industry to no avail.
He said Don Jazzy was the one who raised the issue of dissolving their business partnership, adding that he (Dbanj) was alarmed when
Dbanj, who spoke in an interview with Nigerian Entertainment Today – http://thenetng.com/2012/04/23/world-exclusive-%E2%80%98how-don-jazzy-betrayed-me%E2%80%99-dbanj/ – also explained his collaboration with Kanye West and his mega plan to expand the music industry in Africa.
The interview held in London.
He said, “I got him a place in the US, set up a studio there, just so he’d be comfortable and be able to work without going to hang around the studios. In one year Jazzy did not make a song. I said, maybe you want to go back to Lagos, you’ll get inspiration there?
“I was all about the work, I wanted us to make this happen, so we can bridge that gap and create a path for Africa. But Jazzy wanted us to go back home. And I understand. He’s my friend, my brother.
“But I never expected him to do what he did.’ He said to me in July last year ‘Let’s scatter Mohits. He told me there are two captains – two captains cannot be in a ship. I was like ‘that’s not possible, this is a marriage’. He said ‘then this marriage is no longer working’. I said then let’s go for counseling; I asked, so what happens to our children?”
There was no immediate response from Don Jazzy.
Full text of the report:
‘There’s an important person in that building, right?’ the cab driver asked. ‘Important musician?’

2-gallon-a-day Coca-Cola habit Cited In Death Of a woman

Experts say a New Zealand woman's 2-gallon-a-day Coca-Cola habit probably contributed to her death, a conclusion that led the soft-drink giant to note that even water can be deadly in excessive amounts.

Natasha Harris, a 30-year-old, stay-at-home mother of eight from Invercargill, died of a heart attack in February 2010. Fairfax Media reported that a pathologist, Dr. Dan Mornin, testified at an inquest Thursday that she probably suffered from hypokalemia, or low potassium, which he thinks was caused by her excessive consumption of Coke and overall poor nutrition.

Symptoms of hypokalemia can include abnormal heart rhythms, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Mornin said that toxic levels of caffeine, a stimulant found in Coke, also may have contributed to her death, according to Fairfax.

Harris' partner, Chris Hodgkinson, testified that Harris drank between 8 and 10 liters (2.1 and 2.6 gallons) of regular Coke every day.

Six-Legged Baby, Recovering After Surgery To Remove Extra Limbs

Surgeons at the National Institute of Health in Karachi, Pakistan have announced they successfully separated four extra limbs from Umar Farooq, a weeks-old infant who was born with six legs due to a rare congenital disorder, Pakistan news site Dawn.com reports.

"A team of five experienced doctors have successfully separated the extra legs and limbs from the baby [Thursday]. He is very much safe and secure," Jamal Raza, director of National Institute of the Child Health in Karachi, told Dawn.com. "The extra limbs and legs were the result of a genetic disease which would affect only one in a million or more babies."

Farooq was born two weeks ago in Sukkur, a city in the southern province of Sindh, and was born to a couple who are cousins, according to the New York Daily News. The infant was struggling to survive and rushed to the hospital in Karachi, the economic center of the province.

     

As doctors consulted foreign experts on how best to treat the baby, his father, X-ray technician Imran Shaikh, appealed to the government and various philanthropic organizations for funding to pay for the medical bills, the Pakistan Observer reported. Fortunately, the governor of Sindh told doctors that the child's medical cost would be covered by the government.

"We are a poor family. I am thankful to the government for helping us treating my baby," Shaikh told the Observer after the hours-long surgery on Thursday.

Dr. Raza said the supernumerary limbs are the result of a condition called polymelia, which is caused when cells don't form properly during embryonic development. He explained that the baby started out developing as conjoined twins, but then one of the twins stopped growing and disintegrated except for its legs, which remained attached to the fetus.

MI renews contract with chocolate City

Amidst the rumours surrounding the current status of popular rapper, Jude Abaga  popularly known as ‘MI’, the J-Town bred MC has extended his contract with his record label chocolate city.

The label shared the good news on April 20, 2012, via their official Facebook Page. ‘Despite the rumours, MI renews his contract with Chocolate City – See him with two of the Choc Bosses…Audu Maikori and Okeugo Paul after the contract signing’, the statement read.