iROKING Lets Tech Exec Go....

 

                               Jason Njoku                                                   Michael Ugwu 

iROKING is the sister company to iROKOtv which is both owned by Jason Njoku. Just like iROKOtv is known for Nollywood movies, iROKING was built in line for music. They wanted another great platform for music just like they have with iROKOtv and made Michael Ugwu the CEO of iROKING. Something went wrong between him and Jason earlier this month and he was fired. Nothing was heard from both sides until today, when Jason Njoku's team made a press release. Michael who felt not all what they said was true, decided to say his own part and informed the public he will be starting something else pretty soon. Sadly, Michael is one of Nigeria’s leading young tech executives and Jason Njoku is also one of the best in what he does. Hope they resolve this soon. Find their statements below... 


From Jason Njoku's Team
"We can confirm that Michael Ugwu is no longer the CEO of iROKING and has left the company. He was dismissed earlier this month with immediate effect for gross misconduct. It came to light that, whilst under contract and salary of iROKING, Michael Ugwu set up and launched his own digital music platform, in direct competition with iROKING. This is an unequivocal breach of the robust non-compete and confidentiality clause he signed when he joined the iROKO team. We will not be divulging any further details on the subject matter for legal reasons.

A number of the iROKING staff have also been dismissed on the grounds of gross misconduct. This action, alongside the dismissal of Michael Ugwu, was taken by the iROKO Management team in order to protect the intellectual property and reputation of our online music platform, as well as our artists’ work.

As part of an organisation-wide restructure, we have decided to streamline the iROKING team based in Lagos, and have now redistributed a number of the core tasks across our global teams in London and New York. These changes have been made in order to make the strategic and day-to-day running of iROKING more effective and productive.

Those who left the company have been given a generous six weeks’ severance pay, which is 50% more than stated in their employee contracts.

iROKING, as one of Nigeria’s leading digital music platforms, continues to showcase some of the country’s most prolific and exciting artists. Since launch, we have recorded over 350 Million YouTube hits for our artists and we have over 1.1 Million users downloading tracks from our online and mobi platforms every month. We remain committed to our artists and our users and continue on our mission to support and develop digital distribution for Nigerian artists. We expect to announce a new CEO for iROKING in the coming months."


Michael's Response

"I would like to state for the record that a decision to wind down iROKING was taken before the iROKO management “apparently’” fired me. I was verbally asked to become COO of Spark Ltd which I summarily refused stating my intention to stay in the music space. It has been clear for some time that iROKO Partners wanted to exit the music space culminating in the winding down of iROKING so I am still fully trying to understand how I would set up a platform to compete with a platform that was to be “scrapped”according to Mr Jason Njoku.

For the record I would like to see physical evidence of the digital platform I have set up. A copy of the apparent companies registration will suffice. I also strongly suggest to the management of iROKO Partners that rather than sending out press releases and writing blog posts on their personal blogs they should first tidy their house and/or pursue serious legal action.

In the land of iROKO I guess restructuring means getting out of a sector. Nigerian artists please beware of iROKO Partners apparent commitment to developing the digital distribution space. 

In the Ventures Africa blog post I was fortunate enough to read Jason Njoku’s mention of a 6 week “generous” severance package for iROKO staff however to date all the iROKO staff affected in this saga have not received such. I implore serious investigative journalists to verify his claims. Seek out former staff and ask questions.

I believe that Jason Nkoju has possibly spent far too long distributing Nollywood films online so much so that some of the sensationalist story lines influence him.

If iROKO Partners wishes to pursue legal actions I suggest they do such or I will see this is flagrant defamation of character.

Last year iROKO Partners Lagos had circa 80 staff, now there are circa 15 remaining. At a time many of us were loyal to the iROKO cause, however serious structural issues have arisen so much so that many have felt it safer to find employment elsewhere. I wish the remaining staff members and management the best of luck in their future endeavours.

Thank you for all the phone calls and text messages showing concern.

I am working on something rather exciting and will be announcing my next venture in the coming weeks".

Courtesy: LLB

Genevieve looking lovely in yellow!

Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji, rocked an all-yellow outfit to the Lagos Fashion & Design Week looking very cool....

She posted this picture on her Instagram page and says she has a special affinity for anything beautiful in yellow.

“Me and yellow tho,” her exact words....

Well, girl, you really do look good in yellow!

#TECH10 [The Alternative Mix] Vol. 1 by DJ JayDax

They Started From Ghana-Naija Azonto Mix Vol. 1... Now it's Introducing #TECH10 [The Alternative Mix] Vol. 1, Naija's First Techno Oriented Mix CD (Mixtape).  Born Princewill Akuma, DJ Jaydax Is A Bachelor Of Arts Degree Holder In Linguistics And Communication Studies From The University Of Port Harcourt.

Formerly Official DJ Of The One PH's Finest Defunct HIP HOP Movement
FULL-ISH, Former Radio Presenter And DJ At 88.5 Fm Port Harcourt where He
Honed His Skill and Continues to Improve.... As A Mobile And Event DJ, DJ Jaydax Has Hosted  Parties, Weddings In different  parts of Nigeria And Is Currently Undergoing A Rebranding Process To Reposition His Art.

Watch Out For Him! 

DIRECT DownLoad LINK for the mixtape: http://tinyurl.com/qj7hgmp

STREAMING LINK: http://goo.gl/lUSMmR

Tracklist:
1.      Barzini - Seeing Things
2.      Burna Boy - Always Love You
3.      Ayo Vicent Ft.  Don Jazzy - It’s My Time (Orobo Portion)
4.      Drastik-P - Wooh!!
5.      Muna - No Tomorrow
6.      Casey - Drunk Party
7.      Jayfeel - Take It Back
8.      Fliptyce Ft Yemi Alade -  Gimme Some More
9.      Jumabee Ft Vector - Fuji Tekno
10.     Onos - Party Like Fela
11.     2face Ft. Sarkodie  &Cabo Snoop - Dance Floor Remix
12.     Dr Sid Ft. Falz - Chocolate Remix
13.     Yemi Alade Ft. Ms. Iye - Don't You Worry
14.     Onosz - Circulate
15.     Ful.Stop - Lol
16.     Alabai - Ur Bobo
17.     Nuel Dreamz - Crazy
18.     Leowonder - Hey Yeah
19.     Tonto Dikeh - Hi
20.     Dj Jay Dax Skit

Visiting American comedians say they will thrill guests at the Glo laffta fest!

Popular American comedians, Tony Roberts and Deeray Davies, have promised Glo subscribers who will attend today’s Glo Laffta Fest show an exciting evening of fun and laughter.

The comedians who arrived in Lagos on Thursday evening for the biggest comedy show tagged Invasion L.O.L. said they would give the audience a different kind of comedy from what they were used to. Continue...

Asked by reporters what Nigerians should expect from him, Roberts who had a big smile plastered on his face declared, “Non-stop comedy. I'm very unpredictable, so I don’t know what I'm going to say. If you're in front of me, I might talk about you. I don't want to offend anybody, but you never know. You've got the best right here with you!”

Roberts continued, “Every country we go to, we do our research. We try to read the mindset of the people, because what's funny to people back in the United States might not appeal to the audience here, so we just have to get ready, and make sure we operate on the same wavelength as the people here.”

On his part, Davies said, "I just want to have a good time and bring my own brand of comedy to a whole new place. Many may have watched me on TV, but they’ve never seen me perform live. It's going to be spectacular. It's going to be a different vibe coming from me on that stage. I just want to create a stress-free environment and make the audience have a good time.” 

Anxious to work with some of Nigeria’s biggest comedy talents, Davies stated, “I want to see more so I can take in the culture, and learn as much about their comedy as I possibly can. I don’t want this to be my last trip; I want Nigerians to be so used to me that they’ll keep having me over, and not just for big events alone.

The duo will be performing with some of Nigeria’s biggest stars including Alli Baba, Basketmouth, Okey Bakassi, Julius Agwu and Gordons. 

On their expectations on working with their Nigerian counterparts, Roberts said, “Actually, it's weird because they're more used to this environment than we are. They know the local stuff, so they can say things that we don't know about. They have the upper hand on us, but all the same, we're super funny, and you're going to find out! We're going to get along with them and work as a team.”
The show which is packaged by national operator, Globacom, is scheduled for 6.00 p.m., Saturday, October 19^th, at Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Courtesy: LIB 

Wiz kid's generous theatrics causes fans stampede at Felabration...

Well,   Wizkid was at the 2013 Felabration, on stage 17th Oct and like his counterpart, Davido, decided to give fans some "cash..."

Trust Naijarians nah, we hear he threw a Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000) into the crowd and confusion ensued from then on, in fact, the weaker ones were being stampeded! lol!  

One 'Nite' Stand with Olamide by Koga....

Its a One Nite Stand, but it's not of the other kind *lol* Rapper, Durosoke hit-maker and rave of the moment; Olamideis set to perform at a free concert this month. This event is powered by Koga Entertainment; the guys behind the Top 10 Mics franchise. Officially tagged “ONE NIGHT STAND” this live music showcase will also feature performances by Jaywon, Eva Alordiah, Ketchup and Phenom.

Rounding out the performance list is Timix, AT, Splash and fuji sensation Q.Dot. This free concert will take place on Saturday, October 26 at Koga Studios, which is located at No. 2 Bolaji Street, off KudiratAbiola way, Oregun, AlausaIkeja, Lagos. 

For details on how to get a free invite to this concert, see @ZebraStripesng on Twitter.

Happy Eid-el-Kabir to ALL Nigerians!

Just couldn't resist sharing this funny picture above.....lol! poor ram has just got to get home and into the cooking pot!

Wishing all our wonderful readers and contributors a happy Sallah celebration and wish you see many more to come....Try and make sure you enjoy the holiday!

Peter "P-Square" Okoye, gets bashed for posting intoxicated pictures online

Punch writers, Kemi Ashefon and Anna Okon, wrote a piece today criticizing Peter Okoye for posting pictures of himself getting drunk on his instagram page some days ago. See what they wrote below and tell us if you agree with them...(above; the pics that got the reporters angry)

In other climes, it may be unethical for a celebrity to flaunt his tendency to abuse drugs or alcohol. Here, celebrities, who are supposed to be role models to young minds, demonstrate their folly in public.

Or how would one describe the recent set of pictures posted by Peter Okoye of the P-Square fame? He was shown gradually getting drunk on brandy! The pictures which appeared on his Instagram page a few days ago, had Peter, in one shot, holding a glass filled with brandy to his lips. Underneath the picture is a comment from him, which says, ‘am I der yet?’ (sic). This was accompanied by a hash tag and the word ‘alcohol.’

In the second picture, a visibly intoxicated Peter, holds the same glass to the camera with the comment, ‘blame it’ after a hash tag accompanied by the word, ‘alcohol.’

Not too long ago, actress, Tonto Dikeh was alleged to have posted a picture promoting marijuana on her Instagram page.

Courtesy: LIblog 

Karen fires Yvonne back on twitter...!

Looks like Karen Igho is one of the many who doesn't believe that Yvonne Nelson's twitter account was hacked. She took to twitter to tear the Ghanaian actress apart in these 'take back' tweets below..! I for one think its funny!

She later deleted her tweets and jokingly claimed her account was also hacked...

The tweet that started the drama.... lol!

Africa's richest artistes...! by Huffington Post

Africa's top ten richest artistes has been released by popular America online newspaper The Huffington Post with Nigeria’s music duo P-square clinching the second spot in the list and the first in Nigeria....Na wa o, money plenty for these 2!

Here is the list starting from number 10:

10. Jose Chameleone
Jose (or Joe) Chameleone is a Ugandan artist who found his niche blending traditional Ugandan folk music, a bit of rumba and a heavy reggae influence. He sings in English, Swahili, and Luganda. His mansion outside of Kampala and four cars (including a Cadillac Escalade and a Benz) are evidence of his success, particularly with his hit, “Valu Valu.” He’s been credited with changing the face of music in Uganda, as well as making local music accessible to the rest of the world.

9. Banky W
Born Olubankole Wellington in the U.S., Banky W moved back to Nigeria and grew up in Lagos, where he began singing at an early age. Finding success early in singing competitions, most of his wealth has come from endorsement deals with companies such as Etisalat mobile and Samsung in Nigeria. He also started the Mr. Capable Foundation, an education charity that provides tuition scholarships for disadvantaged children.

8. Hugh Masekela
Musical sensation Hugh Masekela is a South African artist who plays a variety of instruments, including the trumpet, flugelhorn, and cornet, along with singing and composing his own work. He has been highly praised for his work, with everything from a Grammy nomination to the Order of the Ikhamanga by President Jacob Zuma (for achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports in South Africa). He has graced prestigious festivals across the world. He is perhaps best known for his acapella-style singing and collaboration with Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo on the Graceland album and 1987 Graceland tour

7. 2 Face Idibia
Nigerian singer-songwriter 2 Face Idibia began his career as a member of the hip hop group Plantashun Boyz, but went solo in 2004 after the group split. His most popular song, “African Queen,” took off after being featured in the movie “Phat Girlz” in 2006, but all of his five albums have been very well-received around the world. His wealth comes from various real estate investments across Nigeria, as well as the $80,000 he commands per show.

6. Fally Ipupa
Fally Ipupa, a former member of Quartier Latin International (along with Koffi Olomidé, to be mentioned later), went solo in 2006 and has been incredibly successful, both in his home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as internationally. With MTV Africa Music and Kora awards under his belt, he’s racked up clothing endorsement deals in Paris as well as high commissions for his shows across the world, which are almost always sold-out.

5. Salif Keita
Born and raised in Mali, singer and songwriter Salif Keita has been referred to as the “Golden Voice of Africa,” with his original take on Afro-pop music. Despite his royal heritage (he’s directly descended from Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Mali Empire), he chose a path of music, bucking the Malian caste system. But this means that he was loaded even before his music career took off, explaining his private island and properties across Europe.

4. Koffi Olomidé
Along with fellow Congolese star Fally Ipupa, Koffi Olomidé formed Quartier Latin as lead singer and vocalist before launching his solo career. Dubbing his style of music as tcha tcho, he considers it a blend of soukous music (dance music that originated from African rumba music). He’s notorious for taking on controversial subjects in his lyrics, which has led him to be widely praised and criticized worldwide.
Raking in over 100,000 euros per show, Olomidé is extremely popular across Africa and the world. One of his albums is listed in Robert Dimery’s book, “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.”

3. D’banj
D’banj, aka the Koko Master, aka Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo, has been killing it in his native Nigeria and around the world since 2007, and was the first African artist who signed with the music label GOOD, owned by Kanye West. The recipient of countless awards, D’banj is known for his unique sound of dance music and Afro beats. He is involved in a variety of investments including a nightclub in Nigeria, brands such as Koko water, and was given his own reality show, “Koko Mansion.”

2. P-Square

P-Square is made up of identical twins, Peter and Paul Okoye, who began singing and dancing together back in their small Catholic high schoolin Jos, Nigeria. After forming the group in 2005, their music developed a devoted following, particularly in South Africa, and each album outsold the previous one. They were named Artists of the Year at the 2010 Kora Awards and now bring in more than $150,000 per show. Best of all, their shared home is worth more than $3 million and has been dubbed “Squareville.” Talk about product placement!

1. Youssou N’dour
Not surprisingly, Youssou N’dour brings it home in the No. 1 spot. This Senegalese singer is widely considered the most famous singer alive in Senegal and much of Africa. His style of music is known as mbalax, a mix of Senegalese traditional music in the Serer language and various styles from around the world including Cuban rumba, hip hop, jazz, and soul.

With millions around the world in his fan base, he is now the owner of the biggest media house in Senegal (complete with radio and TV stations) and was appointed tourism and culture minister in 2012. More importantly, before K’naan had “Waving Flag” in 2010, N’dour was responsible for the 1998 FIFA World Cup national anthem, “La Cour des Grands,” along with Axelle Red.

Nollywood Actor gunned down by criminals....

The death has reportedly occurred of Nigerian actor Flavian Okojie. He is alleged to have been gunned down by yet unidentified attackers in Benin, the Edo state capital.

His wife, Omo-kivie Adeola,  a presenter with NTA Benin, is heartbroken as she has been very vocal in sharing her distress....who can blame her, to continue without a partner is difficult when you've tasted the union!

 Flavian had appeared in several good works, one of the most popular being alongside Desmond Elliot and Uche Jombo in the movie “Life is Wicked”. May his soul RIP.

Wanna win 10 Million? Participate in the Nigeria's Got Talent!

Yibo Koko, Adaora Mbelu, Project Manager Nigeria's Got Talent, Andre Blaze and Kate Henshaw

That's whats up for grabs this year. Remember little Amarachi carted away the plum prize last year? Well it could be you this year.

And if the high octane media event which held today, 3rd of October 2013 at Get Arena Lagos, is anything to go by, this year’s edition of Nigeria’s Got Talent promises to have all the frills and thrills of Season 1 and even more. 


The fun-filled event had media and celebrities from the entertainment, telecommunications and marketing industries all eager to find out what the organisers - Optima Media Group- have to offer this year.

The organisers have promised that the TV talent show will match and beat all expectations so watch out in the coming weeks for lots of exciting stories on this.

The reality show commences with its first audition on October 9th in Abuja. Other cities to be visited include Calabar, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Asaba, Benin, Ibadan and Lagos.

For more information and regular updates, always visit http://www.gottalentnigeria.com/ and follow @naijagottalent on Twitter and like the Facebook page Nig got talent.

Miss Nigeria, Ezinne Akudo, marks Independence with traffic wardens

Miss Nigeria 2013, Miss Ezinne Akudo Anyaoha, today marked Nigeria's Independence Day with traffic personnel at Adeola Odeku Road / Ahmadu Bello Way intersection in Victoria Island, Lagos. Ezinne spent over an hour assisting the traffic personnel, comprising the Nigeria Police and LASTMA, to direct traffic at the busy intersection. The queen said she decided to join the traffic personnel on Independence Day to encourage their efforts and to also stress the importance of a safe road user culture. Tuesday's road show is one in a series of public endeavors outlined by the queen for her reign. Looks like she just stood looking beautiful...lol, but it was a good thought!

Niyola shoots video for new single in New York

EME's lady, Niyola has just concluded shooting the video of her latest single 'toh bad' in New York. The video was directed by Kemi Adetiba and is whispered to be released very soon.....