Saturday, May 31, 2008

AUDU MAIKORI... on top of global music!

Audu Maikori is a graduate of law from the University of Jos. He is the Founder/ CEO of Chocolate City Entertainment, which is a record, label, artiste management, recording studio and an events consultancy company.

In 2001, he founded the Guild of Artistes and Poets (G.A.P) a not- for -profit arts promotion society that promoted(s) a variety of Nigerian artistes.

He is a partner in Law Allianz (a law firm) where he heads the entertainment and Intellectual property department. He has represented various local and international artists, record labels, marketers and distribution companies.

Audu co- organized the first ever Nigerian International Music Summit (NIMS) aimed at establishing a legal/regulatory framework for the Nigerian Music industry in March 2007. Over 400 music industry stakeholders drawn from all over Nigeria attended the event.

In June 29th 2007, Audu emerged the global winner of the International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year (IYMEY) and has since acted as a resource person for capacity building seminars and workshops in and around Nigeria.

The British Council Albania invited him to speak on a workshop on the creative economy, which was organized in collaboration with the Albanian Ministry of Culture and Tourism in early January 2008.

His company is currently working in partnership with the government of Nigeria to develop a policy for the music industry in Nigeria.

His artistes received numerous nominations and awards which include Best Album, Song of the year, Best New Artiste at the Nigerian Music Awards (NMA) 2006 in the UK and most recently Award for Best Rap Single 2008 at the HHW Award for the song "Crowd Mentality" by M.I.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Na acting? We dey ooo!

Nigerian-Jewish actress Sophie Okonedo has shown increasing versatility in a divergent career. An Oscar nominee, born on 1st January 1969, she trained at RADA after attending Cambridge, and made her big-screen debut in Isaac Julien's ambitious but unsuccessful Young Soul Rebels (UK/France/Germany/Spain, 1991). She then had small parts in such TV staples as Casualty (BBC, 1991) and The Bill (ITV, 1994) before being offered a more significant supporting role in Michael Winterbottom's multiple sclerosis drama Go Now (BBC, 1995).

Although she made forays into Hollywood filmmaking with small roles in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (US, 1995) and The Jackal (US/UK/France/Germany/Japan, 1997), she was in more comfortable territory amongst the young ensemble cast of the romantic comedy This Year's Love (d. David Kane, 1999). She stood out as one of the protagonists of the legal drama In Defence (ITV, 2000), was excellent in Never Never (Channel 4, 2000) as a bedraggled single mother who gets involved with John Simm's loan shark, and good fun as a vengeance-seeking wife in David Morrissey's drama Sweet Revenge (BBC, 2001).

However, she still lacked a defining role. She impressed in Dirty Pretty Things (d. Stephen Frears, 2002) as the accommodating prostitute Juliette, but the part was less developed than the leads, though it still garnered a British Independent Film Award nomination. She was effective in the ensemble of Paul Abbott's Clocking Off (BBC, 2002), but also appeared in such formulaic television as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Spooks (both BBC, 2003).

A major breakthrough came with Hotel Rwanda (US/UK/Italy/South Africa, d. Terry George, 2004), for which she received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination as the devoted, fearful Tatiana Rusesabagina, trying desperately to make some sense out of the Rwandan massacre that she and her husband Paul (Don Cheadle) found themselves caught up in. Two challenging television roles followed: the determined single mother in Whose Baby? (ITV, 2004) and the supposedly infertile woman at the centre of an ethical and legal battle in Born With Two Mothers (Channel 4, 2005). The Hollywood sci-fi thriller Aeon Flux (US, 2005) was mainly notable for her character having hands instead of feet, but she has several other high-profile roles in the pipeline, including a major role in the eagerly awaited Stormbreaker (Germany/US/UK, 2006).

REDEMPTION...By Chiedu Ifeozo

If you see my brother, please give him a glass of water
Treat him like you would any other, don’t judge a book by its cover
We're not all 419er's and drug pushers, we have hard working mothers and fathers

For how long will we continue to suffer, our identity has been dragged through the gutter
We do not all have the same character, but to some it does not even matter
I can never present any better, 'cause my compatriots and I will always be of the same feathers

If you see my sister, please share with her your umbrella
She may need it more than ever, don’t be afraid to help her
We are not all prostitutes and child sellers

We live in a system where our voices go through a muffler
We are survivors, in a society always trying to drag us under
Damaged by our environment, we ask not to be misunderstood any longer

If you see my mother, please offer to seat next to her
In our family she is the centre, a wonderful sage and carer
We are not all noise makers and trouble makers

Our leaders always have an agenda
Its difficult to get heard over the campaign speakers
Promising us the same over and over
A stable source of power, much needed clean water
Reduction in unnecessary deaths to AIDs and Malaria

If you see my father, know that he is a hard worker
He could be your adviser, no matter the stress you're under
We are not all corrupt and unethical

Raise your glasses even higher, celebrate the people who shine brighter
Whether you live in LA or Ebutta Metta
From Kaduna to the Niger Delta
We all deserve to be treated better
Stand up for your rights my brother

Being Nigerian does not make you inferior
Speak out for your future my sister
Being Nigerian does not mean you should accept lesser
From your teacher or your leader
Be yourself, be free
Be Nigerian!

Friday, May 09, 2008

It's ONE...























*Some photos taken for the ONE magazine 'Naijacentric' Photo shoot!
Whats your take?
SMS (Only): 234.803.780.3142
It's Green! It's white! It's Black! It's Nigeria! It's ONE!
Location: University of Abuja, F.C.T, Nigeria.
Photography: INTERSECTION DMA... great guyz in the nations capital, Abuja... see more of them on ONE magazine soon!
Makeup: Arinze's Brush...
Art Director: Gimbia Z. Lekwot... ONE Magazine's in house art guru!

ONE Magazine...Sculpting our Identity!













Wednesday, May 07, 2008

ee Sweet ehhhhh

Arise, O Compatriots" (1978-present)
Arise, O compatriots,
Nigeria's call obey,
To serve our FatherlandWith love and strength and faith.
The labour of our heroes past Shall never be in vain,
To serve with heart and might,
One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity.

O God of creation,
Direct our noble cause;Guide our Leaders right,
Help our Youth the truth to know,
In love and honesty to grow,And living just and true,Great lofty heights attain,
To build a nation where peace and justice reign.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Wetin we no fit do...?

A 24-year-old Nigerian, studying B.Sc. Physics, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria is building helicopters out of old car and bike parts. Mubarak Muhammed Abdullahi, spent eight months building the yellow model seen here, using the money he makes from repairing cellphones and computers. While some of the parts have been sourced from a crashed 747, the chopper contains all sorts of surprises.
The 12-meter-long aircraft, which flies above a height of seven feet, is powered by a secondhand 133 horsepower engine from a Honda Civic. In the basic cockpit there are two Toyota car seats, with a couple more in the cabin behind. Controls are simple, with an ignition button, an accelerator lever to control vertical thrust and a joystick that provides balance and bearing. A camera beneath the chopper connected to a small screen on the dash gives the pilot ground vision, and he communicates via a small transmitter.
Mubarak says he learned the basics of helicopter flying through the internet after he decided it would be easier to build a chopper than a car. Flying his creation is easy, he claims. "You start it, allow it to run for a minute or two and you then shift the accelerator forward and the propeller on top begins to spin," he explains. "The further you shift the accelerator the faster it goes and once you reach 300 rpm you press the joystick and it takes off."
Undeterred that his home-made transporter, which lives in a hangar on campus, lacks the gear to measure atmospheric pressure, altitude and humidity, Mubarak is working on a new machine which "will be a radical improvement on the first one in terms of sophistication and aesthetics."
A two-seater with the ability to fly at 15 feet for three hours at a time, Mubarak's new creation will be powered by a brand-new motor straight from Taiwan, normally found in motorbikes.
Just ONE of the Naija stunts…. Go Mubarak all the way!

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Yankee.. respects Yankari!!!

Yankari National Park is a large wildlife park located in the south-central part of Bauchi State, in northeastern Nigeria. It covers an area of about 2,244 km² (870 mi²) and is home to several natural warm water springs, as well as a wide variety of flora and fauna. Its location in the heartland of the West African savanna makes it a unique way for tourists and holidaymakers to watch wildlife in its natural habitat. Yankari was designated and opened as Nigeria’s biggest national park in 1991. It is the most popular destination for tourists in Nigeria and, as such, plays a crucial role in the development and promotion of tourism and ecotourism in Nigeria. It is also one of the most popular eco-destinations in the world.
Visit: www.yankarigamereserve.com

Friday, May 02, 2008

She pass Graaaaaaamy!!!


ASA...

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One Magazine... sculpting our identity!

Ndidi... driving around the Green verve...

NDIDI OKONKWO NWUNELI
Ndidi is the Founder/C.E.O of LEAP Africa, a leadership development non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire, empower and equip a new cadre of African leaders. LEAP provides leadership training programmes and coaching services for youth, business owners and social entrepreneurs. She is also the founder of NIA (Ndu - Life, Ike- Strength, Akunuba - Wealth), a non-profit organization committed to empowering female university students in South-eastern Nigeria to achieve their highest potential in life. Prior to establishing LEAP and NIA, Ndidi was the pioneer executive director of FATE Foundation Nigeria, a non-profit organization which promotes entrepreneurship and business development. Ndidi also worked as a management consultant with the Bridgespan Group and with McKinsey & Company. During her time with McKinsey, she served the non-profit sector and fortune 500 companies in the packaged goods, retail, pharmaceutical and insurance industries in Chicago, New York and South Africa. Ndidi has also worked as a consultant with Ford Foundation's West Africa Office and the Center for Middle East Competitive Strategy in Palestine and Israel. Ndidi holds a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.
She received her undergraduate degree with honors in multinational and strategic management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ndidi serves as a director for a range of non-profit organizations in the United States and in Africa Ndidi has received numerous honors and awards.
She was recognized as a Global Leader of Tomorrow and Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She received a National Honor, Member of the Federal Republic, from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2004 and was also recognized as the Young Manager of the Year 2005 by THISDAY Newspapers.
Her first book - "Walking for God in the Marketplace", was released in December 2005. Ndidi speaks widely on the issues of leadership, entrepreneurship, youth employment and ethics. In addition, her articles on these topics have been published in local and international journals and magazines.
Ndidi is married to Mr. Mezuo Nwuneli and they have a son and a daughter, Udenna and Amara.

Qudus... dance pass dem all!




QUDUS ADEREMILEKUN ONIKEKU is Originally a Nigerian, he is the Artistic director and project coordinator for YK Projects. A Dancer, Acrobat, Actor and Theorist, his Yoruba tradition plays a peculiar role in his art, for more than a decade Qudus has been a word in the world of choreography in Lagos and toured in over 27 countries around the world, he is also known in Europe and the Caribbean for his solo piece lost face 2004, tours with Heddy Maalem's pieces, with the Alajotas, with his current research project "Do we need cola-cola to dance?" and presently a student of the National Center of Circus Arts (CNAC) France. This young dancer has worked with Gongbeat Arts (African dance) and also with Alajotas Danse Cie (contemporary dance). He has participated in several workshops, festivals and in several choreographic works in both Africa and Europe. He has toured to more than twelve different countries with the works of Christopher Abdul Yisa Onibasa and Heddy Maalem.

We dey show level ooo!


Kase Lawal is a Nigerian-born entrepreneur and Chairman of the largest African-American owned businesses in the United States. He was born in 1954 in the ancient city of Ibadan (a city 100 miles northwest of Lagos) wherefrom he immigrated to the United States in the early 1970s. He attended Fort Valley State University in Georgia, before transferring to Texas Southern University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering. He also holds an MBA in finance and marketing from Prairie View A&M University. Kase started out his career in Dresser Industries (now Halliburton) as a research chemist and later as a chemical engineer with Shell Oil Refining Co. He moved on to Suncrest Investment Corporation and afterwards Baker Investments before starting CAMAC Holdings, which began operations as an agriculture and commodities company.
Kase Lawal is presently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CAMAC International Corporation and also the Chairman of Allied Energy Corporation. He serves as a member of the board of directors in Unity National Bank, the only federally insured and licensed African-American-owned bank in Texas. Dr. Lawal is the Vice Chairman of the Port of Houston Authority, the largest foreign tonnage port in the United States and Houston Airport Development System Corporation, the sixth largest international airport system in the world. In 1994, he was a finalist for the United States Business Entrepreneur of the Year and also served on the President of the United States Business Advisory Council.
He was recently awarded an honorary doctorate in philosophy from Fort Valley State University.