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The “Teflon Don”, American rapper – Rick Ross is an exciting new addition to the MTV Africa Music Awards bill. The rapper along with Kenya’s P-Unit, South Africa’s Jozi and Nigeria’s Wande Coal will join previously announced performers DJ Arafat (Ivory Coast), 2Face (Nigeria), Daddy Owen (Kenya), Banky W (Nigeria), Fally Ipupa(DRC), Teargas (South Africa) and Cabo Snoop(Angola) on stage at the event.

This is Rick Ross’ first ever visit to Africa and we hear the rapper is very excited about the opportunity to perform here. Rick Ross is not just a performer but also a nominee as well. He is nominated in the Best International Category. Following the trend set by international nominees who performed at the MAMAs in prior years, it is safe to assume that Rick will be walking away with the award.

Rick Ross has been described by the New York Times as “one of rap’s most potent and creative forces”. The tattoo-loving, six-foot, larger-than-life rap figure first came to attention with “Hustlin”, his 2006 debut single. Influenced by artists like Luther Campbell and Notorious B.I.G, Ross, a.k.a. William Roberts, aimed to put Miami back in rap’s national spotlight and went on to do just that with his 2006 album “Port of Miami”, which went to number one on the Billboard album chart. Similar acclaim followed for “Trilla” (2007) and “Deeper Than Rap” (2009), while his 2010 album release “Teflon Don”, which debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, has garnered critical acclaim for its emotional depth, cinematic production, sleek, synth-heavy beats, and rich soundscapes. Ross is nominated in the Best International category at the MAMA awards.



Making their first appearance at the MAMAs, Best Group contenders P-Unit are going head to head against Uganda’s Radio & Weasle, South Africa’s Teargas and multiple MAMA winners and Nigerian music phenomenon, P-Square. As well as performing at the 2010 show, former MAMA winners Jozi are also nominated in the Artist of the Year category, where they are pitched against 2FACE, P-Square and Fally Ipupa. Wande Coal faces a tough race in the Best Anglophone category, where Ghana’s Sarkodie, Kenya’s Daddy Owen and South Africa’s Biz Nuz are also in the running...

The MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel takes place at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos on Saturday 11 December 2010 and will broadcast on MTV base (DStv Channel 322), MTV platforms around the world and partner TV stations from 18 December 2010.

The MTV Africa Music Awards 2010 is sponsored by Airtel in association with MasterCard. Arik Air is the official airline partner of the MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel...


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The EFCC List efccc

Those on the list


v Former Jigawa State governor, Senator Saminu Turaki;

v Former Abia State governor, Orji Kalu

v Ex-Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose

v Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello.

v Former Oyo State governor, Rashidi Ladoja

v Former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode

v ex-Delta State governor, James Ibori

v Jailed PDP chieftain Bode George

v Former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye

v Former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion

v Former Adamawa State governor, Boni Haruna

v Former Enugu state governor, Chimaroke Nnamani

v Former Plateau State governor, Michael Botmang

v Former aviation minister, Babalola Borisade

v Nyeson Wike, Chief of Staff to Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

v Former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nazir el-Rufai;

v Former health minister, Adenike Grange

v Former Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Adamu

v Former Taraba State governor, Jolly Nyame

v Former Chairman of the Police Equipment Fund, Kenny Martins

v Democratic People’s Party (DPP) leader and ex-governor of Sokoto, Attahiru Bafaraw.

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Chimamanda Adichie listed in the New Yorker ‘20 under 40′ young writers list



The New Yorker recently selected 20 young writers who are headed for literary stardom and who it believes we’ll be reading in years to come. Nigeria/Africa’s own Chimamanda Adichie made the cut! Here’s the full list!

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 32

Chris Adrian, 39

Daniel Alarcón, 33

David Bezmozgis, 37

Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, 38

Joshua Ferris, 35

Jonathan Safran Foer, 33

Nell Freudenberger, 35.

Rivka Galchen, 34

Nicole Krauss, 35

Dinaw Mengestu, 31

Philipp Meyer, 36

C E Morgan, 33

Téa Obreht, 24

Yiyun Li, 37

ZZ Packer, 37

Karen Russell, 28

Salvatore Scibona, 35

Gary Shteyngart, 37

Wells Tower, 37
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WANDE COAL, with a total of seven nominations, leads other artistes nominated for this year’s edition of Hip Hop World Awards. Wande Coal, who won the Next Rated category of the awards two years ago, really had a good time last year with his album entitled Mushin 2 Mo’ Hits, and it is no surprise to many that he is getting such recognition now.

Other music stars with a lot to hope for at the awards ceremony slated for May 29 this year include Kefee, Darey Art Alade, the duo of Nwachukwu Ozioko and Ali Obumneme, better known as Bracket, with five nominations.

It is that time of the year when the bubbles of excitement, long kept aside to germinate since last year, will begin to burst into full events of spectacle. The first indication of such fascinating times and scenarios was set in motion on Tuesday April 6, 2010, when organisers of the trend-setting award dedicated to excellence in music unveiled the list of nominees for this year.

The unveiling of the nominees’ list, as released by the screening committee of the Hip Hop Awards, was greeted with excitement by players, analysts and followers of the industry. The list, which contains the names and works of the big names currently making waves in the music industry, did not come with too many surprises. The list of nominees for the 2010 edition will, however, lead to a keen contest, the kind of which has not been witnessed in a while.

When the Hip Hop World Awards debuted with the maiden edition held in 2006 at the MUSON Centre in Lagos, it caused more than a few to raise eyebrows as a result of the depth of knowledge shown by organisers of the awards. But that was to be expected by people who have been in the game for a long time with the exciting magazine, Hiphopworld, and when the follow up editions of 2007 and 2008 came by, even turning out more glittering and better organised, the whole industry shook with the reality that a revolution has been set in motion.

Incidentally, “Revolution” was the title of the edition in 2006 and with each edition having a fantastic title with the last being “A Prize To Die For,” a fitting title for the 2009 edition of the Hip Hop World Awards, arguably the most organised and keenly contested awards in the country, and so far, largely unmatched as regards content, organisation and delivery..

For the 2010 edition, the key categories of the award is populated by the biggest names with the exclusion of a few stars like 9ice, DJ Zeez, Asa and D’Banj missing, primarily due to the fact that they did not release albums for the period under review, December 2008 to November 2009.

Dagrin, who has suddenly become a household name in recent times as a result of his well received album titled C.E.O, coupled with the biting power and clarity of his lyrics, is staking a claim for the Album of the Year award. Joining him in the quest for that same pedestal is Wande Coal who ruled especially for the major part of 2009 with his album, Mushin to Mo’ Hits. Darey Art Alade with the fantastic UN-DAREY-TED album containing the smash single, ‘Not the Girl’ is in reckoning while P-Square and Bracket complete the list with Danger and Least Expected respectively.

The same artistes nominated for the Album of the Year category dominate in the Artiste of the Year category with Dagrin, Wande Coal, Darey, Bracket all in contention, while Gabriel Amanyi popularly known as the ‘eccentric microphone tester,’ Terry G, taking up the final slot with his very popular street anthem, Ginajh Ur Swagger – Season 1.

The Song of the Year category, one of the most sought after as the popularity of songs are put to test has Bracket in with ‘Yori Yori,’ Kefee with ‘Kokoroko,’ ‘You Bad’ by Wande Coal, Terry G’s ‘Free Madness’ and ‘Alanta’ by Art Quake. Recording of the year throws into the fray ‘Keeper of My Dreams’ by Lara George,’ ‘Heaven Please’ by Timi Dakolo, P Squre’s ‘I Love U’ and ‘Strong Ting’ by Banky W.

Cobhams is once again in reckoning in the Producer of the Year category and he is up against Tee Y Mix, Don Jazzy, Sossick and Dokta Frabz for their various outputs from the refreshing production efforts while Jude Okoye (for ‘Danger’ video by P- Square), Wudi Awa (for ‘Kokoroko’ video by Kefee), Clarence Peters (for ‘Finest’ video by Knight House), Bobby Boulders (for ‘Ako Mi Ti Poju’ video by Naeto C) and Mex (for ‘Safe’ video by MI) are slugging it out in the Best Music Video category as the award goes to the director of the winning music video.

Darey, with a total of four individual nominations, is also in reckoning for best R ‘N’ B single with ‘No Stars’ while ‘Never Felt A Love’ by Femi Adeyinka, Banky W’s ‘Strong Ting,’ Djinee’s ‘Overkilling’ and ‘I Love U’ by P-Square are the others in contest in the rhythms and blues arena. Other categories include Best Pop Single, Best R ‘N’ B/Pop Album, Best Rap Single, Best Rap Album, Lyricist on the Roll, Best Collabo, Best Vocal Performance (Male) and Best Vocal Performance (Female). Other categories are Best Street Hop, Next Rated, Hip Hop World Revelation of the Year and Hip Hop World Hall of Fame, a non-competitive category.

9ice, whose new album is really beginning to catch up on the terrain and who was the biggest winner last term around, is one of the big stars missing due to the date of releasing his album around December 2009, while Asa also has no nominations due to the same reason, but MI has two to his credit thanks to an unreleased track titled ‘Somebody Wants To Die.’

Feelers from industry watchers are extremely positive that the screening committee of the awards has done a good job reflective of the strengths and weaknesses of the performers and efforts on display.

Who wins the Lyricist on the Roll category, would be awaited with eagerness owing to the fact that Mode 9 has won the prize in all the past editions of the awards.

Omawunmi, Next Rated last year, is up against Djinee, Ill Bliss, Kel and Wande Coal for the Revelation of the Year award.

GT ‘D’ Guitarman, who released his album titled The Truth late last year has one nomination, while Banky W, Terry G and Dagrin have one each with P-square with four nominations.
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U.S. moves to remove Nigeria from terror list
By Chinedu Offor, Correspondent, Washington DC

Pressure by Abuja to get Nigeria off America’s terrorist watch list seems to have paid off as Washington has promised to “revisit the issue.”




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A senior White House official said President Barack Obama could de-list Nigeria as a “goodwill gesture’ to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan when he visits later this month.

Aides disclosed that Obama had discussions with Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, as well as with Justice Department and Homeland Security officials before taking the decision.

The change of heart may have been further encouraged by reports that Nigeria has installed scanners at the airport in Lagos and plans to do so at other exit points, a key requirement by the United States.

Nigeria’s argument was made anew by Adebowale Adefuye, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U.S., when he presented his letter of credence to Obama at the White House..

Adefuye told Obama that Jonathan asked him “to again convey Nigeria’s shock at this and urge you to revisit this issue as soon as possible.”

He pleaded that the attempt by Farouk Abdulmutallab last December to bomb an American plane was a one-off incident which should not have warranted the classification of Nigeria as a country of interest in the fight against terrorism.

“On our part, we promise our continued co-operation with United States institutions in the fight against terrorism while pledging to sustain ongoing efforts in Nigeria aimed at effectively preventing terrorist networks from operating within our borders as well as West African region,” Adefuye said.

He noted that the U.S., one of Nigeria’s closest allies, has identified with the nation at all times.

“Indeed, the history of Nigeria’s 50 years of statehood will be incomplete without a mention of the proactive role of the United States in supporting us in our quest for sustainable political stability and economic development.

“United States’ interest in our economic and political well-being has been one of the critical factors for the progress recorded in our effort to consolidate our democracy and deliver its dividends to the people of the country.”

As a leader on the African continent, Adefuye added, Nigeria has “consistently worked with the U.S.” in protecting and promoting sustainable global peace and security, and “it is proud of its contributions” to United Nations peace keeping activities.

“This factor has helped in fostering peace and sustainable development on the African continent and has contributed significantly to international peace. An estimated one million Nigerians and Nigerian-Americans live, study, and work in the United States, while over 25,000 Americans live and work in Nigeria.

“These populations have played tremendous roles in enhancing social and economic co-existence for both countries. They have further cemented our relationship by their contributions to sustainable economic and social development in our two countries.”
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DO Nigerians deserve the kind of leaders they have? Can Nigerian leaders offer the kind of leadership that will lift the country from the shackles of corruption? Can Nigerians develop the culture that abhors corruption? Can Nigerian leaders toe the path that has transformed a poor nation like Malaysia into an Asian Tiger? advertisement These are some of the questions that agitated many minds yesterday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos. The event was the 11th session of the Emmanuel Onyechere Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Lecture Series. This edition's lecture: "Incorruptibility: A spiritual premise for material well-being", was delivered by Mahathir Bin Mohamad who was Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who was drafted to replace former Director-General of the NIIA and Ambassador to the United States (U.S.), Prof. George Obiozor, said he was elected Secretary-General during the reign of Mohamad. He hailed him as one of the best leaders in the world. Guest of Honour, and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz, who also said that he had a lot to learn from Mohamad "which is why I flew in from China," said that the nations of the world are in adversity and facing various challenges. One of the challenges, he said, is the global financial crisis, which has humbled many people and nations. He said that the crisis was not yet over. According to him, "there is the issue of water, food, energy, security" but the good thing, he pointed out, is that the world is coming together and the "solution lies in the home-grown ideologies. Leaders of nations must develop the roadmap and lead the people out of adversities." He noted further that terrorism remains an issue just like nuclear proliferation. He, however, said that the absence of interfaith harmony has led to some crisis. "We need to promote peace and harmony," he said. Stressing the importance of leadership and governance, Aziz noted: "We have good politicians but good leaders who can change the world are in short supply in the world today." On the battle Pakistan waged against corruption in his era, he said: "Corruption is endemic in the world and no country is immune. In Pakistan, to fight corruption in the civil service, we had to deregulate, liberalise, privatise and reduce state involvement and involve the private sector. But the state did not abandon the development and provision of infrastructure. Reforms were embarked upon." In his lecture, Mohamad dwelt on the sub-themes of leadership, governance and corruption. Listing the ideals of a good leader, he stated that a leader must be learned and well trained; have ideas far above those who work with him; he must be prepared to carry out what he preaches; he must be brave, disciplined; and capable of fighting his base inclinations. He must show a willingness to listen to everyone in and outside his cabinet and government. He must make up for his lack of knowledge with his readiness to listen and learn; he must not listen to only his officials as because they are more likely to be sycophants. He must have good lieutenants and with a good team in place, he is capable of leading a state. Drawing a parallel between a good leader and a company's Chief Executive Officer, he said that a leader must be in a position to gather information on the assets and liabilities of the nation in all spheres; he must then set realistic targets, taking into consideration the abilities and potentials of the nation. Mohamad added it was very important that every nation and leader find a model for its development. For developing nations, he said that the models would be recently-developed countries and not countries that developed under circumstances that are not applicable today. In this instance, he pointed out that no nation would adopt the model of the older nations that profited from colonialism. He said: "It is better to adopt a model than striking out on your own with untested models. It's up to a politician to choose the best model; a good leader must make the best of any model." According to him, a good leader must be decisive because "nothing is as debilitating as indecision. He must quit when he fails and nothing is shameful about quitting but a lot is wrong if he fails and stays. He needs almost superhuman skills; he needs not just to survive but also to manage things well." He admitted that "it is obvious that such a man cannot be readily found." Corruption, he said, is endemic; no country in the world is exempted. It is in the private sector, but if it is in the public sector that it is really bad. Many ways have been tried to stop corruption; many laws have been passed, anti-corruption agencies set but the results have remained dismal. "Some people have suggested that it is a way of life and there have been going rates for specific favours. It is the bane of governments and countries. "The reputation of the country is affected, undermining the development of infrastructure, investors stay away, causing unemployment and other social ills. "Corruption is a function of the culture of the people; it is their value system." And on how to stop corruption he said that, "every nation has to develop a culture that rejects corruption at home and in the schools." He said that the Japanese have a "culture that allows them to commit suicide, hara-kiri, when they do what is wrong." Stressing that a sense of shame is perhaps the most important value, he said that, "the fear of being shamed makes the Japanese do the right thing. They commit suicide or resign or return their loot when they are exposed." Every leader should develop a sense of discipline to reject what does not legitimately belong to him; he must reject corruption so that he will be respected and he will be listened to. There is need to have an incorruptible leader. Even in a clean society, once a leader is corrupt, everything else becomes dirty. He said that individuals have a role in ensuring that corruption ceases by voting in those who are not corrupt. "If people elect corrupt people into government, they don't have to complain about their actions. It is them who will decide whether they get good people or not. The government reflects the culture of the people." Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) who was represented by the state's Solicitor-General, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), on his part, declared: "Let me further assure you that on the level of good governance, we are not about to fail in Lagos. Nigeria shall overcome its problems in the same manner that Malaysia overcame hers." A member of the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation, Miss Peace Osigwe-Anyiam said: "Corruption is actually one of the big issues in Nigeria right now and the continent in general... It became an issue because if we want the growth of the nation, we must deal with corruption at all levels and I guess one of the people who can talk about this issue is Muktar who did marvelous things for Malaysia and the country is one of the leading countries in the world today. "There are people who are not corrupt; we are not all corrupt, it is just a few people that give us a bad name. We cannot generalise on a nation of 140 million people." In his own address, former Nigerian Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme said: "During my presidential campaign in 1998/99, I used to say that my goal was to transform Nigeria from a third world country in the same way that Mahathir Bin Mohamad did in Malaysia. He is someone I have always admired and I was not surprised with his lecture. He spoke very frankly and I am sure that we have benefited from his frankness." The former Prime Minister of Malaysia is credited with being the figure behind transformation of Malaysia from a developing nation to a developed economy and prosperity. It was not quite a gathering of government officials; it was more a gathering of the diplomatic corps and corporate chieftains. The only government presence on the high table was Governor Fashola who was represented by the state's solicitor-general. Other guests were Alex Ekwueme; Ambassador Arthur Mbanefo, one-time Minister of Information, Chief Nnia Nwodo; Dr. Gamaliel Onosode; former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Chief John Edozie; Executive Director of Ibru Organisations, Olorogun Oskar Ibru; university dons, some members of the religious community and traditional rulers.
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About a dozen wealthy Nigerians are on a list the usually secretive Switzerland government has handed over to American authorities in a tax dispute settlement that has broken the countrys banking secrecy and now threatens to spill over to other banks.
advertisement The deal promised to end years of investigation and uncertainty for the bank, UBS, which announced that the government was exiting the stake it had taken to aid the bank during the financial crisis. The Swiss have also agreed to process requests by the United States seeking information from banks besides UBS about account holders suspected of evading U.S. taxes. Sources said the Nigerian clients of UBS are already initiating legal moves to keep their identity secret. “This announcement should send a signal, no matter what institution you’re with, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is willing to pursue both the institution and the individual,” I.R.S Commissioner Doug Shulman said, adding that the accounts were at one time worth $18 billion. He said U.S. authorities would not name any other foreign banks being probed, but the IRS is expected to use the Swiss deal as a template to pursue further prosecutions. “The IRS is now gaining institutional skill and knowledge in how to pursue these types of cases and they’re going to use that. This is, I believe, the beginning and not the end,” said Peter Hardy, a former federal prosecutor and specialist in white-collar crime at Post & Schell in Philadelphia. The UBS dispute had strained relations between the United States and Switzerland and challenged the latter’s jealously guarded bank secrecy laws. The deal may add steam to a global effort among cash-strapped governments to crack down on tax-evading jurisdictions. But the settlement could help UBS, the world’s second-largest wealth manager, restore an image that has been battered by the financial crisis. UBS said the Swiss government was exiting its 6 billion Swiss franc ($5.6 billion) stake, with the shares to be placed with institutional investors. UBS Chairman Kaspar Villiger said the tax agreement helps resolve one of UBS’ most pressing issues. “I am confident that the agreement will allow the bank to continue moving forward to rebuild its reputation through solid performance and client service.” he said. In February, UBS agreed to pay $780 million and disclose about 250 client names to settle a criminal probe by U.S. authorities. One former UBS banker testified that he smuggled a client’s diamonds into the United States in a tube of toothpaste. The deal effectively ends a separate civil lawsuit by U.S. authorities that sought up to 52,000 account names. There was no further monetary penalty. “It’s good to get this out of the way but the confidence of a lot of clients has been compromised so I’m not sure we will see inflows return. It will take time to recover reputation from this,” said Jaap Meijer, an analyst at Evolution Securities in London. Switzerland may claim its banking secrecy remains intact, but some private bankers said it is no longer a selling point for its banks, which will need to offer other skills like wealth management and legacy planning to attract clients. “The majority of assets in Swiss private banks are from European Union citizens,” said David Williams, an analyst at Fox-Pitt Kelton in London. “I think it won’t be long before we see action from the European Union along similar lines,” he said. The revised treaty between the United States and Switzerland would allow action in the case of “tax fraud and the like” in the UBS case, the Swiss government said. Officials said precise details would be published 90 days after the agreement comes into force. The U.S. government retains the right to go back and use a summons to collect the names, which roughly equal the number of accounts, if the settlement process fails, said Shulman.
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