Sunday, 12 May 2013

Nigerian Musicians Who Are Missing In Action: Are They Alive?

 


Chux Ohai takes a look at some wave-making music artistes that are now less visible on the Naija entertainment scene in the current highly competitive era…

Mo’Cheddah

Modupe Oyeyemi, aka Mo’Cheddah, has won some awards and proved herself a worthy artiste. Since scandals are also part of the game, this pretty singer has had her fair share of darkish tales.

In one of such scandals, a naked photograph of the singer suddenly popped up on Twitter. She was said to have mistakenly tweeted the picture while trying to send it to another artiste named ElDee da Don.

As expected, the picture, which showed Mo’Cheddah in her natural ‘swim suit’ posing before a mirror in her bedroom, and an accompanying message to ElDee urging him to pretend that it was sent by one of his pals, went viral on social media and attracted shocking reactions from her followers and fans.

Embarassed, Mo’Cheddah had tried in vain to deny the tweet. But the damage had been done. The tweet subsequently fuelled the rumour that she was actually neck-deep in a sizzling romance with ElDee. Some followers of both artistes were further convinced that the photograph was a clear evidence that she was in love with him.

More important, however, is the fact that the singer, who arrived the music scene at the same time as Wizkid is far from being active in recent times. Indeed, while Wizkid and her other contemporaries including Davido and Tiwa Savage, seem to be everywhere, many fans are simply asking, “Where is Mo’Cheddah?”

Ruggedman

Rapper Micheal Stephens, aka Ruggedman, was recently the special guest of V-Channel, an entertainment cable TV channel on Startimes at its weekly ‘Celebrity Night Out’ party at Troy Lounge in Ogba, Lagos.

The event had fellow music stars, such as Kenny Saint Brown and Essence in attendance. Many music fans turned out to express their love to the rapper and Ruggedy Baba, as he is fondly called, partied the night away with attention-grabbing dance moves, amidst cheers from gathering. It was Ruggedman’s first real public appearance in a long while.

The last time he had a real outing was in 2012 when he performed alongside other artistes in a concert in Asaba. The show was hosted by the Delta State Government to celebrate its success at the last National Sports Festival. Always controversial, the rapper was said to have almost started another controversy after he goofed during a recent appearance on TV continental.

The subject was his much-publicised breakup with erstwhile pal, 9ice.

Paul ‘Play’ Dairo

Not long ago, Paul Dairo reportedly sued MTN Nigeria and Ultima Limited for allegedly infringing on his copyright. Both companies were said to have used his song ‘Angel of my life’ for the MTN-sponsored reality TV music talent hunt show, Project Fame without his permission.

The development implied that Paul, who was in the USA, had finally recovered from a spell of ill-health that kept him away from the music scene and the limelight for a while. The singer has been reportedly struck by a strange illness that almost ended his career.

Last year, after leaving his hospital bed, he had promised to head straight to the recording studio and out with two new albums at once. But so far, his fans are still waiting for the fulfilment of that promise.

Tony Tetuila

Tony Tetuila was one of the groomsmen of Tuface Idibia during the latter’s recent wedding to actress Annie Macaulay in Dubai. It was an indication that both artistes had remained close friends despite the challenges that they had to face these past years.

But, while Tuface’s career appears to be constantly on the rise, it seems that Tetuila’s quiet struggle to regain relevance is yet to yield positive results. Meanwhile, the singer, whose last successful album was recorded a couple of years ago, has been spotted in some fun spots in Lagos simply idling away. Last year, he was rumoured to have impregnated a young lady living in the United Kingdom.

Olu Maintain

After recording ‘Nawti’, his last album that enjoyed tremendous reception from music fans here in Nigeria, Olu Maintain sort of faded out of the entertainment scene. Lately it was rumoured that he had dumped his American girlfriend, Natalie Nunn, for a Nigerian female artiste.

If that story is anything to go by, it is possible that the singer, who rose to fame with the success of the hit-song, ‘Yahoozee’, is too absorbed in his new relationship to realize how much music fans yearn for his return to the scene.

Bouqui

Fans of self-styled rapvangelist Bouqui (real name is Bukola Folayan) were pleasantly surprised when she brokered a new deal with the American records label known as Xist Music, which is guaranteed to launch her career to greater heights. Even they felt better when it was announced that the award-winning rapper planned to release a double CD album titled ‘Marks of a General and Eve of Independence’. But that was where the excitement ended. The truth is that Bouqui has been ‘missing in action’. Many fans think she has skipped too many A-list concerts in town and she has been lying too low for comfort. Although she released a single album early this year, it was hardly noticed.

Faze

Having joined his pal, Tuface Idibia, at Musiz Records, one would have expected Chibuzo Orji, aka Faze, to have upped his game. But the R&B singer and ex Plantashun boy appears to be having a tough time turning his career around. Not even the arrival of his fourth and most recent album, ‘Refazed’, in which he tries to reassert his relevance on the music scene, has made a difference.

Eedris AbdulKarim

Ex-Remedies star, Eedris AdulKarim, can be seen here and there. But his efforts to reclaim his former position as a foremost rapper has not yielded results. Beyond his last single CD, in which he carried on his private ‘conversation’ with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, it is certain that Mr Lecturer ought to prepare more punchy handouts for his fans.

W*A*R*N*I*N*G! Mr. President, We Received The Message You Sent Asari Dokubo! The North Is Prepared, Ready & Waiting! - Northern Elders Forum.



**I am putting it to Jonathan on notice that he Must leave office come 2015. - Ango Abdullahi.

A member of the Northern Elders Forum. Professor Ango Abdullahi has sent out a message to Asari informing him that the North are prepared and ready for war.
Professor Ango Abdullahi blame President Goodluck Jonathan for the remark made by Alhaji Dokubo, and stressed that reaction is that, if not for the fact that I am aware that Dokubo is a spokesperson of President Jonathan, I will have ignored him.


But my reaction now is directed to President Jonathan, who sent Asari Dokubo to issue the war threat, that if Jonathan feel this is the way he will win 2015 election, I am saying on behalf of the Northern Elders Forum, (NEF) that they should Start the war Now! because I am putting it to Jonathan on notice that he Must leave office come 2015.

There is no point waiting till 2015, start the War now, as We in the North are prepared, ready and waiting! Start it Now! - Professor Ango Abdullahi.

Dangote Gets N670bn Loan to Construct Nigeria’s Biggest Refinery


One of Africa’s richest men, Aliko Dangote, intends to build a petroleum refinery in Nigeria.
The Chairman, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said on Wednesday that the 400,000 barrels per day capacity refinery he plans to construct in Nigeria would be financed with loans totaling about $4.25 billion (N670 billion) provided by a consortium of some foreign and Nigerian banks.
He did not reveal the identities of the banks involved.

Mr. Dangote, who was speaking with Bloomberg in Cape Town during a business forum at the ongoing World Economic Forum on Africa in South Africa, said the refinery is expected to help Nigeria reduce its current dependence on imported petroleum products to survive.
Last month, Mr. Dangote had unfolded ambitious plans to invest about $8 billion in the construction of a refinery to be sited in the southwest part of the country. The construction of the refinery would commence by late 2016.
The 445,000 barrels a day combined production capacity of the country’s four refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna is only able to yield an average 18 and 20 million litres of petrol to take care of the growing appetite of consumers, with current national consumption level put at an average of 32 and 35million litres per day.
The shortfall between local refining capacity as a result of aging infrastructure and poor maintenance is only bridged through massive importation, with the attendant corruption in the importation and distribution process.

When 3 Nollywood damsels went bald

Ebube Nwagbo, Angela  Okorie and Chita  Agwu
Ebube Nwagbo, Angela
Okorie and Chita Agwu
The trio of Ebube Nwagbo, Angela Okorie and Chita Agwu has a lot in common and the first of those qualities must be beauty, brawn and plenty of brain.  But what on earth would make the three women go bald, looking like Hindus having  a sort of religious reverie?
The answer isn’t to be a needle-in-a-haystack kind of thing as one of the damsels, Chita Agwu has revealed they are shooting a film
in Owerri about widows who kill their husbands for money. The movie which is titled “Widows Cot” has 14 Nollywood beauties who shaved their hair to meet the requirements of the movie script.

The movie is still being shot and already the talking point has been about Ebube, Angela and Chita shaving their hair for money as Chika Ike was recently taunted for shaving her hair for cheap money even when some reports had it that she was paid N5 million for the effort.
But Chita on her part has said that shaving hair for movie roles is not a new thing in the movie industry, it is part of the trade that actors  must go through image transformation just to fit in for a particular role. When asked how much they were paid, she simply said “They tried”.
Ebube, Chita, and Angela aren’t the only ones to shave their hair for movie roles there has been many others in the past. Mercy Johnson, Halima Abubakar, Nuella Njubigbo,  Oge Okoye, Uche Jombo, Adaora Ukoh and a host of others have done so in the past.

Sexiest in Nollywood 3: Who makes the last 5 from the Best 10

Now the journey is almost over.  20 of the 25 Sexiest in Nollywood have emerged, leaving the remaining slots for 5 women and 5 men to complete the picture.
However, last week’s voting wasn’t convincing enough to come up with the last 5 men and women. So, to give our voters the picture of how things stand at the moment, we present the best ten men and women who are pushing the hardest to make the final list.
Sexiest4
The ten men who are giving a good fight include  Emeka Enyiocha, Francis Duru, O.C. Ukeje, Gideon Okeke,  Alex Ekubo, Gabriel Afolayan, Kalu Ikeagwu, Femi Branch, Muna Obiekwe and Kunle Afolayan.
The ten women at the nick of making it into the ‘quest’ are Nuella Njubigbo, Yvonne Nelson, Yvonne Okoro, Halima Abubakar, Omoni Oboli, Uche Iwuji, Ejiro Okurame, Mercy Aigbe, Benita Nzeribe and Ijeoma Imoh.
Sexiest5
Already in the house for men are Yul Edochie, Joseph Benjamin, Benson Okonkwo, Ken Okolie, Sunkanmi Omobolanle, Ali Nuhu, Chigozie Atuanya, Bobby Obodo, Michael Okon, Gbenro Ajibade, Van Vicker, Pat Attah, Odunlade Adekola, Majid Michel, John Dumelo, Pope Odowondo Jr., Ramsey Nouah, Uti Nwachukwu and Mike Ezuruonye.
The women are made up of Anita Joseph, Queeneth Hilbert, Cynthia Agholor, Tope Osoba, Colette Orji, Jackie Appiah, Chita Agwu, Biodun Okeowo, Queen Nwokoye, Angela Okorie, Damilola Adegbite, Rita Dominic, Amanda Ebeye, Nadia Buari, Ebube Nwagbo, Stephanie Okereke, Chika Agatha, Tonto Dikeh and Maureen Cyril.
Who are they going to be? Only your votes will determine who joins the first 20. Remember, counting is done between Saturday and Thursday, so, get to it and bring in your choice candidate in the last minute dash for the nominees who slug it out in the Sexiest in Nollywood, Season 3! Keep voting
How to vote simply text name of your choice:  Sexiest Man and Woman to 08052201215 or 08052201251