What is Adaure Achumba up to?

It was shocking when it became known that Adaure Achumba, Silverbird TV News anchor, presenter and producer had  bid farewell  to the network she had made home for a couple of  years.
Adaure, meant to work with STV for only two years, ended spending three and a half years. Surprisingly, the screen belle had quit Silverbird unannounced while the going was still good as one of the famous faces on TV with Today on STV and Hot Lens,.
 What next for Adaure? That is the question on the lips of many after MNET Studio 53, the programme, which Achumba was a presenter/reporter was replaced with ‘Studio 53 Extra’ and two pre-selected anchors.
While fans of the University of North Carolina graduate may be wondering about her whereabouts, we can authoritatively reveal that Adaure has decided to make her new move confidential.
Though, she has been frequently seen with a cameraman covering different events of recent, she often fudge any form of question concerning the medium she is representing.
While, a bird in the known claims that Adaure  has pitched her tent with Reuter, a hint within has it that she is now freelancing and may be working with CNN.

Wazobia FM’s big boy, Expensive, weds

With the information at AWL’s disposal, the coast seems to have cleared for James Expensive, the Wazobia FM’s popular presenter also known as E2DX2DP, to quit bachelorhood. It is reliably gathered that the famous voice on radio has found a wife in Ozioma Obijama, whom he will be tying the nuptial knot with today.
 The River State born ace presenter, who is currently dazzling Abuja residents with his yarn on Wazobia 99.5 FM, Abuja, was one of the favourites in Lagos station for two years before  moving to the capital city early this year.
“At last, I have quit bachelorhood for good,” enthuses  Expensive, who cannot conceal his joy of getting married to a woman of his dream.
AWL wishes Expensive a happy married life. 

Sophie Chikere: Between foes and faithful fans

Like other drop dead gorgeous actresses, whose beauties and nice body shapes have earned movie scripts, Sophie, who has never dreamt of becoming a screen siren, got the attention of few movie producers by her ability to combine beauty with brain. 

Despite having starred in some box office hits, the ace director cum singer, Tchidi Chikere’s pretty wife’s acting skill has become a hot topic of debate between her foes and faithful fans. While detractors have rated Sophie low in the league of Nigerian best actresses, she remains a darling and favourite of many movie buffs, who are familiar with her rare character interpretations in home videos.

Moreover, featuring more often in most flicks that were directed by her husband is said to be another tonic to Sophie’s phenomenon rise to fame in the world of make-believe. “Let’s leave sentiments aside, though, she came to the limelight through her husband, she is a born actress. She handles most of her roles well, most especially, emotional ones,” says a fan.

With Sophie, who recently veered into fashion, her low profile in the movie scenes has attracted more questions than answers, her superb character interpretations in movies like Soul On Fire, Goodbye Another Day, Brighter Sun, Two Together, Now and Forever among many others have left fans and foes more things to argue about.

Grace Amah steps out with newborn baby

Despite all the denials when her pregnancy tale became something for the pages of newspapers and magazines, star actress, Grace Amah, is now a proud mother.

Although news of Amah’s new bouncing baby boy is no longer fresh, it may interest you to know that the petite Nollywood big girl debunked the news when it was broken that she delivered a baby boy in London hospital.

Grace, who disappeared from the social scene early last year and now temporarily  living in the U.K, was reported to have  put to bed on March 22, 2011, in a yet to be confirmed London hospital.

While fans and friends are still wondering why she shielded the good news to the point of delivery, Grace steps out with her baby recently. With joy written all over her, she was overheard referring to the little tot as her ‘pride’.

However, as some people have begun to ask who the father of the newborn baby is, SS scooped that Grace and her UK based lover are planning to formalise the affair that produced the child any moment from now.

HiTV loses rights of championship league to DSTV

HiTV, Nigeria’s upward mobile pay satellite TV, has been stripped of the broadcasting rights of Championship League, one of the world’s most popular football tournaments.
 Toyin Subair’s Hi Soccer lost the broadcasting right in Nigeria to Supersport, the South Africa’s sports channel on DSTV. Though, HiTV still owns the rights till the end of this season, which is running to an end in a couple of weeks time, Supersport has sealed the deal to broadcast Championship league and other matches in Sub-Sahara Africa including Nigeria for the next four years, that is from next season till 2015.
  It would be recalled that late last year the same Supersport won over the broadcasting rights of English Premiership league in Nigeria from HiTV.

Music stars of yesteryears………..where they are now?

Few of them could be described as one-album artistes; because they were shot to limelight through one hit song and went into a limbo. Some others actually became forces to reckon with in the Nigerian Music industry, with couple of hit albums.

However, today they seem to have come, seen and still longing to conquer the music game. While few of them have scampered abroad in search of the proverbial greener pasture; some have actually dumped their music career for other businesses and many are still battling to survive the storm in their career.

In this compendium of the music stars of years to years, SS beamed his search light on the fading music stars, who have left us with some evergreen songs, which have registered their names permanently in the consciousness of new and old school music lovers.

Akeeb Kareem

Hakeeb Kare

The Abeokuta in Ogun State born Afro-pop musician, made a very brief appearance on the Nigerian music scene, but Papas and Mama could be still heard whistling some lines from his old tunes and popular tracks like Omo, No trouble with Religion and most especially “Ameebo make you shut up your month.... remember? In the late 70s and early 80s, these songs, which remain evergreen, were very popular in the Western part of Nigeria and Lagos. The Black Man, as he was popularly called left the music scene unannounced and simply disappeared. The Songwriter, Poet and singer turned clergyman is presently resides in UK.

Evi-Edna. Ogoli

Evi-Edna

Queen of Nigerian reggae music has obviously left a big shoe that most of the Nigerian female artistes find so difficult to fit in. Most of her songs, especially Jealousy, Happy Birthday among many others, still maintaining a comfortable position in the music chat of Nigerian top 10 old classics tunes. Edna was scooped to have dumped her husband and ran away with a French lover. Edna is now a permanent resident in Paris, France.

Tunji Oyelana

This one time University of Ibadan Lecturer, is another big fish in the stream of Nigeria Music Industry. He once led a band, The Benders and he is good friend of the Noble laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, and Gbenga Sonuga, former Director of the National Troupe.

Uncle Tunji as he is fondly called, shone like a million stars in the 70s and mid 80s with some of his popular songs like Omo Alakara, Guguru Perere and some others, which gave him an edge in the music industry.

Tunji, back then, was fighting for the common good of the masses, as his songs were satirical commentaries about the Second Republic but he went into exile during Late Gen. Abacha’s regime. The big Uncle of Nigerian Music Industry got tired of Guguru (Pop-corn), and absconded to eat burger in England.

Lorine Okotie

The pretty sister of musician turned Pastor, Chris Okotie, is a good gospel singer with an angelic voice, which she had used to win several souls for the Lord in the Gospel Music Circuit.

 Although, SS learnt that Lorine is back in Nigeria, her whereabouts seem sketchy. May God bring her back to continue doing his will musically; can I hear you say Amen?

Harry Moscow

One of the greatest Nigerian superstars who lost his beautiful wife to one of the power brokers of the society, name? Nzeribe (now you know). Harry of the Country boy fame is the first Nigerian to get to the top on the U.K music chart. His absence in the Nigerian music scene is highly felt, but he is presently into music production with a studio and production company located around Adeniyi Jones Ikeja, Lagos. 

Dizzy .K. Falola   

 An Ibadan -based artiste, whose style of dancing, singing and dressing being fetched him the moniker ‘Nigeria’s Michael Jackson’ in those days. Dizzy .K. Falola hugged the limelight with his popular song Baby Ki lode. Dizzy K, who is now a pastor cum inspiration singer has dropped that jerry curls hair style of his for Jesus Christ. He now lives in UK.

Olu Fajemirokun

He entered the Juju music scene with a big bang, his popular song Olomori (e get cover) shot him to fame in the late 80s.

The Ijesha man found it a little bit rough after his second album. The whereabouts of Olu Fajemirokun still get cover o!

Alex Zitto 

Alex Zitto, who is half Ghanaian and half Nigerian, had his first professional stint when he was spotted by Nigerian Juju music legend, Ebenezer Obey, who enlisted him in the famous Miliki Band as a bassist.

Alex finally exploded when he won the Lekki Song Contest with his hit song Tickle Me in 1988. The handsome dude left many people frenzied with his other hit songs like Baby Walakolombo, Rhythm of your heart, Country Girl, Love come my way, Sugar Rumbo among others that rocked parties, clubs, and enjoyed massive airplay, in the late 80s and in the early 90s.  Alex Zitto now resides in Minnesota, USA.

Junior and Pretty

They were one of the very first set of the Nigerian hip-hop music group. They ruled the hip-hop scene in the late 80s and early 90s with Bolanle their monster hit song, which became a National Anthem when it was released. After the success of their album, Junior and Pretty were hit by the winds of life that blew them apart, before the cold hands of death snatched Junior away few years back.

Alex o

Alex O

This is another Alex of Nigerian music industry, who got us grooving in those days. The R’n’B crooner born Alex Okoroigwe but popularly known as Alex O has a lovely voice and actually dictated the pace then with his classic songs, most especially Pretty women, which can still rule the air-waves, if it’s remixed.

Mandator

The Jerry Curl hairstyle wearing folk, who is now into animation and music composition, absconded with his pretty women to South Africa. Alex is the C.E.O of DigiAudioVisuals, an entertainment firm based in S.A.

Mandators

This is a reggae music sensational group made up of Victor Essiet and his wife, Rita, which seemed to have been mandated to rule the reggae music scene in the 80’s and beyond. The death of Rita, the pretty lady of the group, whose hit songs like Rat Race, Apartheid,  Champion Bubbler among others still remains evergreen, was what led to the disappearance of the Mandators from the music scene.

Four  years ago when Victor Essiet, the lead male vocalist of the group came to Nigeria to re- launch himself back into the Nigeria music scene. And the dread lock reggae star had since returned to his base in U.S.

Majek Fashek

Majek

The Ondo-State born reggae artiste Majekodunmi Fashakin a.k.a Majek Fashek, had the aces up his sleeves in the Nigerian music industry with his hit track Send Down the Rain, which obviously fetched ‘the rain maker’, as he is fondly called fame and fortune.

He held the reins of reggae music till the mind 90s before he left the Nigerian shore for God’s own country.

Since then, series of unpalatable news have been peddled about him, ranging from his drug habit to his state of mind.

 Bros Majek returned home few years ago with another album, which has the popular track Little patience and was released by Charles Novia’s November Records. Unfortunately, till date Majek’s drug related problems and state of health still have a big question mark.

Mike Okri

He shone like million stars, in the late 80s and in the early 90s, Omoge man, as he was fondly called thrilled us with his style of music in those days. Rhumba dance, Omoge, Time na money among others are those hit tracks that shot him to stardom. The then, punk hair style wearing music star suddenly disappeared from the music scene without notice, to resurfaced a couple of years back in a musical duet with one of the rising hip-hop music stars. Interestingly, Mike, the Oko Omoge (ladies’ man), who now resides in Los Angeles, California, is about to retrace his step to his root, Nigeria.

Mandy Brown Ojugbana.

A pretty lady, who combined talent with beauty set the dancing floor on fire in the mid 80s, when she dropped a superb remix version of one of the greatest songs of late Bobby Benson‘s evergreen song ‘Taxi Driver’. Interestingly, the beautiful Mandy, who many believed has eloped with the Taxi Driver, is presently one of the queens on airwaves. She is now more of a TV/Radio presenter cum compere. Mandy works with Smooth FM.

……..To be continued next week