SANDRA NWUGO, MD FEMAZ MICRO FINANCE BANK TO ADDRESS AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT

The African Union Commission has invited Dr (Mrs) Sandra Nwugo, Managing Director/CEO, Femaz Micro Finance Bank to address the African Fashion Business Summit scheduled for 13th – 15th September, 2016 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa. She will join other business leaders from around the world to address practitioners in the fashion, garment and textile industry from over 30 African countries. 

The African Fashion Business Summit is one of the activities lined up during the Africa Fashion Reception scheduled to hold 13th – 15th September, 2016 in Addis Ababa after which all participating countries will be presented to the international audience in Paris end of October. The theme for the Summit is ‘Creating Wealth for African Economies through its Fashion, Garment and Textile Industry’.

The Africa Fashion Reception is a Pan African Initiative organized by Legendary Gold in partnership with the African Union. This year’s event will gather fashion designers, dignitaries, Ambassadors and media from over 30 African countries, in a celebration of cultural diversity expressed through the artistic fashion discipline with the proud theme ‘Africa is the New Inspiration of Global Fashion’

The Africa Fashion Reception is aimed at achieving the following objectives using the creative industry of Fashion as a vehicle:

To build bridges by creating free trade and partnerships among fashion practitioners throughout the African continent
To attract global attention to Africa’s very rich and diversified dress culture which can be explored as a catalyst for the social economic growth of the continent’s garment/textile industry.
To expand the potential power of fashion as a tool of fighting poverty in Africa by creating wealth through the empowerment of women and youths in the various fashion vocations through training, capacity building schemes, workshops and setting up of medium/small scale businesses thereby supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063
To bring about self-reliance as this initiative will create millions of jobs across the continent for Tailors, Creative Directors, Textile designers, Models, Cutters, Pressers, Fashion Photographers & Writers, Hair Stylists, Make-up Artists etc

The 1st edition of the Africa Fashion Reception presented participants from 16 African countries. The 2nd edition saw participants from 24 countries. This year, participants are expected from over 30 countries.

The invitation of Dr (Mrs) Nwugo to address the African Fashion Business Summit by the African Union is due to her enviable trail blazing achievements with her bank, Femaz Micro Finance Bank where she has been able to create lots of jobs through the empowerment of women and youths. Her topic of address during the summit is ‘The role of Microfinance bank in creating wealth for SMEs in the fashion industry’

Dr Mrs Sandra Ikoku Chidimma Nwugo is an Entrepreneur, Banker, Motivational speaker, Film Producer etc. She began her banking career as an accountant with ECN Professional Services in Lagos State. She later joined Joinder Gas and Petroleum Company, also in Lagos, where she worked as a Cash manager. She joined Fortis Microfinance bank in 2010 as a Relationship Manager and Cash Collector in charge of cash movement and customer management. She displayed her entrepreneurial skills in 2013 when she founded the financial institution known as Femaz Cooperative Society Ltd. Two years later, the institution evolved to Femaz Microfinance Bank Ltd. Besides being the CEO/MD of Femaz Micro Finance bank, Dr (Mrs) Sandra Nwugo is also the Founder of Busy Minds Entertainment Limited and Esther City of Zion Orphanage in Abuja, Nigeria.

She has a PHD in Philosophy from Global Oved Dei Seminary & University {GODSU} in Washington DC, MBA in Marketing, Post Graduate Diploma in Banking and Finance and a Bachelor degree in Mass Communication from Enugu State University.

She has received the following awards - the Capital Territory and Advancement Award for Creativity and Enterprises (2015), Excellence for Women Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Award, Young CEO Business Award, Capital City Role Model and Awards (2015). She is also a member of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN)

Her prowess as an outstanding entrepreneur and philanthropic gestures spread across the Nation. More elaborately, Dr Mrs Nwugo has been engaged in so many humanitarian projects such as the Establishment of Esther Zion Orphanage, Abuja Nigeria, Human Capital Development through her Femaz Microfinance Bank, Media Campaign for support to vulnerable children as seen in her movie "REVELATION" produced in 2014 etc

To applaud all her efforts, she has been nominated for lots of other awards due to her Humanitarian Acts and Excellence in business. Dr Mrs Sandra Nwugo has won a number of Awards including African Achievers Award as fastest Growing entrepreneur on the 25th of July 2015.

She is Happily married to Dr Engr. Henry Emeka Nwugo and are blessed with 3 Kids.

FASHION AMBASSADOR, LEXY MOJO-EYES MEETS FRENCH PRESIDENT

After 17 years of promoting designers from Nigeria and Africa in the world's fashion capital, Paris and other parts of the world, African Fashion Ambassador, Lexy Mojo-Eyes recently met the French President in Paris, France.

It was at the French National Day VIP cocktail in Paris also known as the Bastille Day. This is the most important bank holiday in France. The Bastille Day signifies the French revolution which took place 227 years ago (1789) as well as the Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people.

His invitation is in recognition of his contribution to the social economic bilateral relationship between France and Africa.

It will be recalled that in 2010 when France was bidding with the United Kingdom to host the 2012 Olympic Games, Lexy Mojo Eyes was named by the French government as one of its global ambassadors to support its bid. His history with France started in 2000 when he presented 10 Nigerian designers at the Nigerian Fashion Show at the UNESCO in Paris in a huge event that made global headlines.

Apart from attending the French National Day where he met François Hollande,  Lexy Mojo- Eyes has been in the French capital to conclude on going arrangements towards the successful hosting of the 3rd edition of the Africa Fashion Reception.

The Africa Fashion Reception (AFR) is a Pan African initiative organized by Legendary Gold Limited in partnership with the African Union Commission. This year’s event will gather fashion designers, dignitaries, Ambassadors and media from over 30 African countries, in a celebration of cultural diversity expressed through the artistic fashion discipline with the proud theme ‘Africa is the New Inspiration of Global Fashion’

The Africa Fashion Reception is aimed at achieving the following objectives using the creative industry of Fashion as a vehicle:
To build bridges by creating free trade and partnerships among fashion practitioners throughout the African continent
To attract global attention to Africa’s very rich and diversified dress culture which can be explored as a catalyst for the social economic growth of the continent’s garment/textile industry.
To expand the potential power of fashion as a tool of fighting poverty in Africa by creating wealth through the empowerment of women and youths in the various fashion vocations through training, capacity building schemes, workshops and setting up of medium/small scale businesses thereby supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063
To bring about self-reliance as this initiative will create millions of jobs across the continent for Tailors, Creative Directors, Textile designers, Models, Cutters, Pressers, Fashion Photographers & Writers, Hair Stylists, Make-up Artists etc

The 1st edition of the Africa Fashion Reception presented participants from 16 African countries. The 2nd edition saw participants from 24 countries. This year, participants are expected from over 30 countries.

One of the activities lined up during the Africa Fashion Reception at the African Union in Addis Ababa is the first African Fashion Business Summit with the theme ‘Creating Wealth for African Economies through its Fashion, Garment and Textile Industry’. It will also feature exhibition and runway shows by each participating country.

After the event in Addis Ababa, all the participating countries will be presented in a grand event in Paris by the end of October to the international market.

Partners of the Africa Fashion Reception includes the African Union, Nigerian Embassies in Ethiopia & France, French retail giants, Galeries Lafayette, French premium champagne, Nicolas Feuillatte, Air France, William Grant, Africa Magic, Femaz Micro Finance Bank Limited, Design Essentials, AIT, UBIZNEWS, Planet TV, Ben TV, Busyminds Entertainment, Ovation International, Amina Magazine, New African Woman, Au Pluriel Femmes, Europa Regina, Nyandibo, Goge Africa, Embassy of DR Congo in France and African Royal Kingdoms - ARK.

For details, log on to www.africafashionreception.com

DON JAZZY'S DAD, COLLINS ENEBELI REACTS: I WANT ARTISTES TO STOP THE BAD BLOOD!

Mavin Grandpa 

From January this year, the Nigerian entertainment industry has been rocked with one 'beef' or the other among artistes; and it looks like we haven't really seen the last of it. 

In marking Mavin Records' 4th anniversary, the Grandpa of the dynasty, Collins Ifeanyi Onwuneme Ajereh Enebeli, popularly called 'Mavin Grandpa', a veteran showbiz entrepreneur, the dad of one of the best producers in Africa; and the head of the Supreme Mavin Dynasty, Don Jazzy has decided to add his voice to the call for artistes to work more in harmony than fighting one another.

With some of Mavin crew

He states that the ‘beef’ and bad blood among industry stakeholders hasn't gone un-noticed and he prays peace returns soonest. He advises that we all should not encourage such; as a house divided against itself cannot stand. "We should all come together in an atmosphere of peace and mutual respect so that we can all make progress. There is no need for quarrels as this will stall progress and harmony towards a clear focus and positive creativity." He says.

He is equally using the opportunity to draw attention to where he is coming from; and to emphasise that Rome was not built in one day. He stresses the need for a lot of artistes he mentors and who see him and the entire Mavin Crew as role models to be taught the virtue of patience and consistency in a knowledge driven way.

Son, Don Jazzy presenting an award to him

A case study of his background shows he has indeed come a long way; and that could be used to draw attention to his brand which has been painstakingly nurtured over the years with a view to leaving a worthy legacy to be proud of.

His background significantly shows he is a legendary pacesetter of the industry; having kicked off his career in the Nigerian entertainment industry over 30 years ago and journeyed through Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), PMAN (Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria), and other bodies like AMMP (Artistes Managers And Music Promoters), NARI (Nigerian Association Of Recording Industries), JCMA(John Chukwu Memorial Awards) and AMAN(Artistes Managers Association In Nigeria).

The old times with some industry veterans 

In the course of his journey, he has been a TV host, an actor, a record label owner, an artiste manager, a music promoter, a copyright protector among others. He has several stakes in Corporate Artistes’ Management, International Promotions, Media Relations, Hospitality, Venue Management and general entertainment and business consultancy services.

Now in his 60s, and even more active than ever in the things of the industry; with a knack for excellence; he is a celebrity in his own right and a well respected father figure in the industry. And there's no gainsaying the fact that he contributed to his son's superstar status in the industry going by his  bursting CV, and firsthand industry experience.

However, he has set the records straight by emphasising that he cannot claim credit for his son's record label's name; ‘Mavin’ because it came by as a result of a collective intellectual research which Don Jazzy himself led. According to him "We were all involved in the search for a name that will be a true reflection of who we are and how we see ourselves in the emerging scenario considering where we are coming from and the intended mission statement of our new quest. Looking back now with hindsight, I will say we were like a family expecting the birth of a baby which for some circumstantial reasons and my considered opinion, I chose to name that baby ‘Solar Plexus’ which after my explanation to the family, Don Jazzy approved the name because it made sense in shutting down the unnecessary trauma of the transition. That was the first album of the record label for which I consider myself honoured to have the privilege of naming with my fatherly prayers and blessing. As for the name of the record company ‘Mavin’, I will say that we all worked untiringly for the search and deserve the credit for agreeing that it is an embodiment of what we want to be known as. Those in the Mavin situation room when the name was midwifed were Don Jazzy, Dr. Sid, D’prince, Andrew Esiri (Dr. Sid’s brother), General Jay and I. I, as Mavin Grandpa, will only like to claim credit for naming the first album and thank God for such grace."

Talking about his relationship with the artistes on the label; he explains  "My relationship with artistes under Mavin Records is cordial and I justify my father figure role as Mavin Grandpa and love them all as my children and I believe that the feeling is mutual"

Speaking about the present industry improvement compared to the early days; he says "I do not think that there has been a vacuum as such with regards to growth and boom in the entertainment industry. The issue is that the growth has not been commensurate with the creative efforts of the stakeholders. The players in the industry, whether they are veterans or newcomers know that there has always been enormous potentials not tapped due to poor structures. Only those who painstakingly chase their dreams with knowledge-driven consistency manage to remain relevant. What is called a boom ought to be better than what we are seeing if we are getting it right. Though progress is being made but it is not enough. We have come a long way to get out of the woods and command a reasonable market share in the global music equation. I do not want to believe that despite government knowing that entertainment is the second highest contributor to our national GDP that we cannot still think beyond an oil-powered economy and related strange bedfellows politics that have virtually rendered our youths impotent. There are obviously a lot of experienced people who can turn things around and take us to a better level but most unfortunately due to the wrong kind of patronage, we end up with compromised policies that make our efforts barren. We are like those whose journey of 40 days has become a journey of 40 years with many dying in the wilderness and unable to reach the proverbial Promised Land. This is another clear case of youths living in a wasted generation. With the right support and government encouragement, there is no reason why Nigerian music and indeed entertainment should not have an enviable market profile internationally almost 40 years after Festac ’77. It clearly should be better."

Currently, he is working on a couple of projects with some associates to keep bringing positive values to the entertainment industry by using his wealth of experience in the sector to identify some areas where his input will be useful. He has always believed in identifying young talents early enough and grooming them to understand how the business works and not for them to expect overnight miracles as Rome was not built in a day. In that regard, he has an ongoing partnership with some entertainment business entrepreneurs for the purpose of providing mentorship to some upcoming artistes and showbiz intermediary services providers by offering them the right business connections and relevant consultancy services both within and outside Nigeria to be able to achieve the status of commercial relevance that can attract the right investment into their talent.

He also consults for key showbiz stakeholders in Europe, America and other regions to develop an agenda for taking Nigerian music to a wider global space. He is also working on some Mentoring Programmes towards empowering the youth; he has a partnership with La Grande Club Badagry with a view to elevating the social and tourism needs of the area to play a role as a gateway into Nigeria from the Franco-phone neighbours and make it socially inclusive and a potential entertainment destination hub for commercial shows servicing that area.

Also, he is partnering with EMPREUS Hospitality Venue, Sports Bar and Grill for the same purpose in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State. He is a partner with 2 Flame Entertainment and Don Lulu Films working on various indigenous artistes’ contents and music video production. He is into talks which have reached advanced stages for initiating film co-production treaties between Nigerian film producers and European partners and hope to facilitate production collaborations at various levels with the right government support and enabling environment. He is presently back to school in Dublin studying for a degree in Film and Television Production which he has always had passion for.

Memorable photo of Don Jazzy's first time in a recording studio 

His advice to parents whose kids have music talents and for young artistes looking forward to making it big in the industry: "My advice to parents whose kids are talented and may wish to pursue it as a career is for them to ensure that their kids do not drop out of school because of music. They need to finish their studies and be educated to be able to make the right decisions and well informed choices – in terms of business and creativity. They must never be carried away by the hype and fantasy associated with showbiz. They need to be close to their children and guide them morally, always pray for them and advise them to stay away from drugs. Success in music is not dependent on talent and passion alone, it must be backed by good education and the right attitude that can bring about a likeable personality and win them acceptance in the market space and real world of financial backers and sponsors. And for the young ones who are already in the music business and looking forward to making it big, my advice to them is to ensure that they get a good management team behind them to guide their career. A good artiste manager contributes greatly to the success story of a successful artiste"

JANET JACKSON PREGNANT WITH FIRST CHILD AT ALMOST 50!

Super Diva of the Jacksons Dynasty is  expecting soon! The exciting news was revealed after the 49-year-old singer whose 50th birthday is 16th May, announced last month that she will be postponing her tour to start a family with husband Wissam Al Mana.

With hubby

Jackson stopped the second leg of her musical tour midway last month when she discovered it was actually a pregnancy. She explained to her fans in a video "I thought it was important that you be the first to know. My husband and I are planning our family, so I'm going to have to delay the tour."

The entertainment industry across the world is presently wishing her a smooth birthing journey.

OMOSEDE IGBINEDION EMPOWERS WOMEN AND THE YOUTH OF EDO

Honourable Omosede Gabriella Igbinedion, the youngest female member of the House of Representative, Nigeria, where she represents Ovia Federal Constituency of Edo State, is the beautiful daughter of the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion.

The Barrister, who is the Deputy Chairman, House Services in the House of Representative at the Weekend executed an empowerment program for members of her constituency targeting women and youths in fulfilment of her campaign promises.

She gave out financial assistance to 150 female farmers as support for this farming season, 150 Sewing Machines to equip those in the clothing and tailoring business and 31 motorbikes to ease transportation and provide supplementary income for the beneficiaries.

She also launched various Training Programs to provide prerequisite knowledge for a profitable business venture and self employment. All the beneficiaries were carefully selected from several request made by these members of her constituency to her office, she also used the opportunity to interact with them and assured them of more qualitative and effective representation through legislation at the Federal level.

She also promised to ensure the dividend of democracy gets to them by improving their living standard by executing her plans of several similar projects.

The beneficiaries also expressed their appreciation and prayed for her success.

OONI OGUNWUSI'S WIDOWS' EMPOWERMENT SCHEME KICKS OFF

Respite for thousands of widows in Ile Ife

One of the many pet projects of His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, The  Widows' Empowement Scheme recently kicked off in Ile Ife with over 20,000 widows showing up to register.

The project is his own way of bringing economic prosperity to his people. His other laudable projects are the commissioning of 7 coaster buses to ease inter-state transportation for the people of Ile-Ife and its environs, the commencement of free medical services for the people of the town and also the Made-in-Nigeria coastal buses project worth ₦56 million.

The well loved Monarch is also planning an eye opening historic documentary which he would present himself amongst other better living and life saving projects in the pipeline.

His Imperial Majesty

NO MORE LOSS LAID TO REST

The remains of Nigerian singer and lyricist; Muyiwa Adeyemi Osinuga aka Nomoreloss was laid to rest this morning at the Ikoyi Cemetery, Lagos.

Family members, Industry friends and fans gathered to pay their last respect. A special Service Of Songs was organised for him at the Koga Studios, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday evening. His industry friends, Weird MC, OJB Jezreel, Ruggedman, J Martins, Daddy Showkey, Charly Boy, Jesse King Buga, Alariwo, and a host of other colleagues were present to pay tribute to the multi talented singer who passed on on the 21st of March 2016.

He was survived by his wife, Deola Osinuga and daughter, Motunrayo. He was aged 39.