New Video: Banky W - Yes/No

This is the video for "Yes/No".. the lead single from Banky W's #R&BW album. The song was produced by Cobhams Asuquo. The video was co-directed by Clarence Peters and Banky W. The #R&BW album drops on Valentine's Day in 2013. Quite simply put, it captures a love story. Hope you enjoy it...

Breaking news: Mercy Johnson gives birth to baby girl

 Mercy Johnson Okojie gave birth to a baby girl a few hours ago in a hospital in the USA. Got the news just now from the people in the hospital with her. Mother and daughter are said to be doing great. Big congrats to Mercy and her husband.

Inside the secret Abacha memo approving execution of Ken Saro - Wiwa, others

In November 1995, while an overwhelming international outcry mounted against the execution of the Ogoni leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues, defiant military dictator, Sani Abacha, backed by a small band of military officers, convinced themselves that executing them, swiftly, was the best way to resolve the Ogoni unrest “once and for all”, and to make it clear to Nigerians and the world the authoritarian regime was no weakling.

A recording of the final meeting, where the decision to hang Mr. Saro-Wiwa and eight of his associates was taken, said, two days before the execution, Mr. Abacha told members of the Provisional Ruling Council, PRC, the regime’s highest decision making body, that the activists deserved no sympathy, and that hanging them would stem further discontent and prove to the world the regime was bold and courageous.

“He was of the view that no sympathy should be shown on the convicts so that the sentence will be a lesson to everybody. He stated that the Ogoni issue had lingered on for a very long time and should be addressed once and for all,” Mr. Abacha was quoted in the document now available exclusively to PREMIUM TIMES.

We obtained the memo from highly placed sources familiar with the proceedings and who requested not to be named so the Nigerian government does not hound them. We took further measures to ensure the documents are authentic including checking with other sources knowledgeable about the matter.

The former head of state said Mr. Saro-Wiwa was a foreign agent used to destabilize Nigeria, and a “separatist” who cloaked himself as an environmental activist, but whose true intention was to split the country and subvert its authority.

Members of the PRC at the time were Mr. Abacha; Maj. General Patrick Aziza (Minister of Communications under Abacha); Major Gen. Tajudeen Olarenwaju (GOC); General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Chief of Defence Staff); Lt. General Oladipo Diya (Chief of General Staff); Maj. Gen. Victor Malu (GOC); Ibrahim Coomasie (Inspector General of Police); Mike Akhigbe (Chief of Naval Staff); Maj. General Ishaya Bamaiyi (Chief of Army Staff);  Nsikak Eduok (Chief of Air Staff); Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Useni (Minister of the Federal Capital Territory) and Michael Agbamuche (Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice).

Mr. Saro-Wiwa, a respected writer, activist and environmental campaigner, had been sentenced to death by a military tribunal set up by the regime. He was accused of masterminding the killings of four prominent Ogoni leaders – charges he forcefully denied.

The charges were widely viewed as framed to silence Mr. Saro-Wiwa’s campaign against the exploitation and degradation of the Ogoni land by international oil majors, especially Shell.
But while a global campaign to block the implementation of the tribunal’s verdict intensified, the regime, on November 10, 1995, two days after its meeting, staged a fast-tracked execution of the ruling, with a gruesome hanging of the nine leaders.

Others killed were Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine.

The condemnations
The killings sparked international outrage. While the European Union and the United States placed economic embargo and other restrictions on the country, the Commonwealth promptly  suspended the country from its fold.

Shell, at the centre of the unrest, was accused of complicity in the killings, with allegations it sponsored the military junta’s onslaught on Ogoniland.

The company denied the allegations despite testimonies stating otherwise, and a $15.5 million out-of-court settlement it agreed in favour of the families of the victims in 2009. Shell said the payment was not a concession of guilt, but a gesture of peace.

The minutes of the military council meeting preceding the executions, a four-page memo, kept secret for years, document the behind-the-scenes moves, at the highest echelons of the Abacha regime’s decision-making organ, as it hurried through with the executions.

The details shed light on how the junta, accused of rights violations and fierce brutality, considered an unprecedented domestic and international calls to suspend the killings.

Besides deciding to forge ahead with the execution, the document states, the PRC offered frantic justification for the killings, planned broad state-sponsored propaganda against the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP; considered the proscription of MOSOP; and how to further divide the group’s ranks, and “neutralize” its members.

Mr. Abacha chaired the meeting on November 8, 1995, and led junta officials through a deliberation that sought a speedy implementation of the death verdicts-which was implemented less than 48 hours after the meeting.

Ignoring pressure
While a global campaign pushed for the rulings of the Kangaroo tribunal to be shelved, the minute shows, the 11-member PRC, comprising service chiefs, top military commanders, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation, never considered backing down.
Instead, junta officials warned that a reversal would portray weakness. They accused the international community of double standards; choosing, for economic reasons, to look the other way when similar state decisions were taken elsewhere.

“The council was advised not to yield to pressure from the West, championed by the United States of America. The council was reminded that the Arab countries visited crimes with measurable punishment for which the West saw nothing wrong because of their economic interest,” the minutes said.
“It was therefore advocated that minimum time be wasted between the council decision its implementation,” it adds.
The junta described Mr. Saro-Wiwa‘s alleged crime as “heinous” and accused the media of attempting to whip up sympathy for him and the other accused.
“It was cautioned that if members soft-pedaled, the administration would be regarded as a weakling,” the document states.

The ‘Ungrateful’ Ogoni’s
With the backing of the council members, Mr. Abacha then declared that “anyone who killed his fellow citizen did not deserve to live”.
Mr. Abacha believed the Ogonis were asking for too much, and were ungrateful for “sizeable federal investment” located in the area- possibly a reference to Onne port and Eleme petrochemicals, both near Port Harcourt.

Despite the extensive considerations, barely did the meeting brook counter-opinion not in line with Mr. Abacha’s.

A suggestion by an unnamed member that in future such trials should be conducted by civil courts not to unnecessarily rile the international community was promptly overruled by Mr. Abacha who spoke of his preference for military tribunal for its speed.
“On whether the military tribunals should be replaced with civil courts, he expressed preference for military tribunals which he said considered and decided cases with dispatch,” the minutes said of Mr. Abacha.

The tribunal that convicted Mr. Saro-Wiwa turned out amongst the most controversial. Headed by Justice Ibrahim Auta, the current Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, the panel delivered a speedy, but severely criticized verdict on October 31, 1995, barely nine months after it was convened.
The panel faced severe criticism for alleged high-handedness, prompting defense lawyers, led by late Gani Fawehinmi, Femi Falana and Olisa Agbakoba, to stand down after accusing the Auta-led tribunal of violating all known judicial ethics and rules.
Mr. Auta, then a mid-career judge, turned down two key requests from the defence team, namely, two weeks of access to Mr. Saro-Wiwa and the rest, (having been denied access to their counsels); and an order transferring the accused from a military cell in Port Harcourt to a civil prison.

Mr. Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues were condemned to death without legal representations.

In years, Mr. Auta has risen to become a Chief Judge while the lead prosecutor, Joseph Daudu, is the immediate past chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Praising Justice Auta, others
As the military brass met that November 8, 1995, the severely-castigated tribunal came up for a decent dose of praise for its “painstaking consideration” of the facts.

Mr. Saro-Wiwa’s campaign dated decades, but peaked in the 1990s as he struggled to draw national and international attention to the deprivations the Ogonis faced while Shell and American firm, Chevron, degraded their land and carted away billions of petrodollars.

Arrested and released repeatedly, the crisis took a fatal twist after four Ogoni leaders – accused of selling out to the government and Shell- were mobbed to death by some youth.

Mr. Saro-Wiwa denied the youth carried out his order; a claim countered by the military government, which, before then, had endured devastating restiveness the activist led to cripple oil production.

In turn, the military was accused of staging the killings as a way of eliminating the activists.

As the Abacha government faced the Saro-Wiwa episode in 1995, it had its hands full with a coup’detat case in which former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, and others were indicted.

Amid international condemnation against the coup indictments, an allegation also viewed as staged to hound opponents, the regime backed down from its initial plan to execute the alleged coup plotters. But it later regretted that compassion, feeling it acted feebly.

The Saro-Wiwa case presented an opportunity to right that wrong and proved a strong point, the document said.

“Council was reminded that the government’s decision on the plotters had sent wrong signals to the generality of Nigerians and that the current case should be used to correct that wrong impression,” the minute said.

That concern turned up repeatedly in the meeting, according to the recordings, with some members appearing to compare the relatively mild response to the alleged plotters to the draconian reaction that trailed the Ogoni’s case.

Mr. Abacha laid that concern to rest as the meeting wound up, declaring that while the Ogonis’ case was a “premeditated murder”, the alleged coup plotters had yet to carry out their plot.

The Ogoni’s have a case
In a brief humane consideration, the council conceded that the trouble in Ogoniland was a result of years of neglect, failure and pent-up anger.

But members also swiftly argued that agitators like Mr. Saro-Wiwa were mischief makers who cashed in on a genuine grievance to seek selfish motives.

“It was therefore not surprising that a few mischievous individuals could exploit the situation for their selfish ends,” minute said.  “Council was therefore urged to approve the judgment of the tribunal and ensure its expeditious implementation.”

Read brief facts about Ken Saro-Wiwa’s murder and the Ogoni struggle here.
Download full memo below.
PDF
Download link
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/docs_download/nv26_106_Combine.pdf
JPGs (4 files)
Page 1 - http://www.premiumtimesng.com/docs_download/nv26_106.jpg
Page 2 - http://www.premiumtimesng.com/docs_download/nv26_107.jpg
Page 3 - http://www.premiumtimesng.com/docs_download/nv26_108.jpg
Page 4 - http://www.premiumtimesng.com/docs_download/nv26_109.jpg

Victim of horrific Indian gang rape dies in Singapore hospital

Indian police today sealed off parts off New Delhi and appealed for calm after the death of a woman gang-raped on a bus in the city. The woman was flown to Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore for treatment 10 days after she was brutally attacked by six men who inserted an iron rod into her body on December 16. In response to the attack, the Indian government has promised to publicise photos, names and addresses of convicted rapists following days of widespread protests.

The body of the rape victim being moved into a funeral home

The 23-year-old student's body is being flown home after she 'passed away peacefully' in a Singapore hospital where she had been taken for specialist treatment.

She suffered multiple organ failure and a heart attack following the brutal assault on December 16 which has triggered violent public protests.
Her horrific ordeal has galvanised Indians to demand greater protection for women from sexual violence with mass demonstrations, candle-lit vigils and street protests with placards, chants and road blocks. One policeman has died in the protests.

Gatherings of more than five people have been banned in the city centre.

A few hundred protesters arrived this morning at the Jantar Mantar observatory, one of the areas of the city where demonstrations are allowed, the BBC reported.

The victim's family and officials from the Indian High Commission were at her bedside when she lost her 13-day fight for life.

Culled from Daily Mail

Davido, Victor Moses, JAMB, Boko Haram, most searched of 2012

What did Nigerians search for on the web in 2012? According to Google's annual Zeitgeist list, Davido, Victor Moses, Rashidi Yekini, Whitney Houston were some of the most searched people of 2012.
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Boko Haram, Asuu strike, Vanguard News were some of the most searched terms of 2012.
See the top 10 searches and people of 2012 after the cut...


Top 10 searches in Nigeria in 2012 Jamb
Mozat
Boko Haram
Asuu Strike
Google news
Eskimi
Whitney Houston
Vanguard news
NNPC recruitment
Facebook
Top 10 most searched people in Nigeria in 2012 Whitney Houston
Victor Moses
Ronaldinho
Van Persie
Nuri Sahin
Usain Bolt
Hulk
Davido
Eden Hazard
Rashidi Yekini
See the full list HERE 
Meanwhile below is the top 10 most searched in Wikipedia in 2012 (in the world)
1. Facebook  2. Wiki  3. Deaths in 2012  4. One Direction  5. The Avengers  6. Fifty Shades of Grey  7. 2012 phenomenon  8. The Dark Knight Rises  9. Google  10. The Hunger Games

Oops! Rihanna Caught off-guard: Nude Photos

Rihanna was in her native country of Barbados last week to spend the holidays with her family. While on the balcony of her hotel with the curtains wide open, Rihanna took off her bikini to put on her underwear. There were paparazzi lurking around (which she was probably aware of) and they zoomed in their camera and captured her naked.
She's most definitely the sexiest lady alive.

 

VIDEO: Koko Concert Lagos 2012 (The Performances)

Watch performances from Koko Concert held at Eko Atlantic City, Lagos. D’Banj brought his local and international friends with him. View some of the clips.

Tinnie Tempah

Ice Prince

Big Sean

Iyanya

 Burna Boy

Chris Brown has caught the Nigerian bug, tweets about Wizkid

“Hardest song out right now!!!!” That’s how R&B star; Chris Brown describes his new friend Wizkid’s song.

Brown has displayed a new-found affection for Afro pop music since he was in Nigeria.

He posted a pic from Wizkid’s ‘Dance for me’ video, confirming that their friendship was closer than most people thought. He added the caption I f**k wit this sh*t tuff! @wizkidayo”.

The Truth Behind Kim Kardashian’s Pregnancy

The Internet was awash with stories yesterday that reality TV star, Kim Kardashian, was having morning sickness, leading to insinuations she was pregnant with Kanye West’s child.

However, it has emerged that the most popular memeber of the Kardashian clan, might just be suffering from a bout of flu.

“If Kim was pregnant, I would know because Kris [Jenner] would announce it to the world. I know she wasn’t feeling well on Christmas. She had a touch of the flu,” a friend of the Kardashian family revealed exclusively to HollywoodLife.com.

A quick look at Kim’s Twitter timeline, also reveals that she had tweeted about her ill-health on Christmas day, saying:

“Getting the flu on Christmas is no bueno. I hope it passes soon .”

The source also said that if Kim was very eager to become a mother, even if she needed to take fertility pills.

“I do know that Kim wants to be a mom, but she first wants to get married or at least engaged,” the Kardashian family friend said.

Eagles’ll put smiles on our faces in 2013 – Disu

Former national coach Tunde Disu tells OLUFEMI ATOYEBI that the controversy surrounding selection of players by Super Eagles coach Steven Keshi has put a pressure on the team ahead of the Nations Cup

 How will you describe the misunderstanding between Super Eagles coach Steen Keshi and Osaze Odemwingie?

It is distracting, unnecessary and unhealthy for Nigeria. I worked with Keshi many years ago and I know how he feels in situation like this. From his experience in the Togolese national team, I think he should have craftily avoided this situation.

The implication is that if he fails to win in South Africa, Nigerians will say that he caused it by engaging his player in battle of words when he should be thinking of how the team would do well. People would also say that he approached the competition with the wrong players.

Apart from dropping Osaze, there are other players like Taye Taiwo, Obafemi Martins and Kalu Uche who are not going to be in South Africa. Can Nigeria afford to do without the players?

I think the final selection is also bringing argument because you cannot satisfy every player. Victor Anichebe has a history of injury while Taiwo and Martins had a chance to impress Keshi. Maybe they did not do enough to be there. As for Osaze, there is discipline problem and I think he can manage the exclusion more maturely. He has a different mentality from normal Nigerian because he has a different background, but that should not be an excuse. But if Mikel can return to the team, Osaze could have done the same if he keeps his calm.

The players who are dropped are experienced but one major factor people are missing is that although we have a young team, the players have played together well enough and they have featured in big matches.

Ahmed Musa and Victor Moses are young but they have played in the Champions League and other big events. Mikel and most of the players in Keshi’s team are in the same category, they have played together in friendly matches and by the time they finish the Faro camping, they will come out better.  So I think we have enough cover for those who are not going.

What about the depth of the team?

That is an aspect we must consider. Keshi has a young team with lots of quality but sometimes, you need time to gain the required experience to win a championship like the Nations Cup.

Will it be too much to ask the team to win in South Africa?

No, if Zambia could do it, we should be able to do that. Cameroon will not be our worry now because they are not there. Ivory Coast is good but if we play as a team, we can stop them at any stage.  To earn respect, we must start on a good note at the group stage.

Do you think Nigeria has a structure to develop younger players for future Eagles?

The National Sports Festival provides an opportunity to do it but we have overlooked its importance.

I was part of the technical structure that worked to ensure that Lagos State won the football event in the male and female categories.

It involved hard work and I saw fantastic young talents that are capable ruling the world. These players will join clubs in Nigeria and abroad but if we monitor their development and organise a way of bringing them together regularly, we have a good opportunity to respond to global trend in the sport.

Punch Nigeria

Nigerian acts are threatened by me — Mode 9

Veteran hip hop artiste, Mode 9, detests being put in a box. Call him a rap artiste and he is quick to correct you that he is a lyricist and a versatile one at that. With four albums to his credit, the artiste, who recently put out two new singles — Street Runner and Paris Freestyle— off his forthcoming album, is not relenting in his wit in wordplay, catchy rhymes and punch lines.He’s been around for a while, plying his music trade and mentoring a crop of new up and coming singers. However, in the last one year, the artiste , who once had a spat with rapper Rugged Man, failed to put out any album or single and this in turn led to rumours that he had gone bankrupt and was no longer relevant. With many Nigerian artistes generating a bulk of their income from shows and gigs, just how did the artiste who survives solely on music get by?

“I may not have put out any work in one year, but the truth is I know a lot of things that a lot of artistes do not know. For instance,

I make money from non-exclusive licensing. One of my tracks, Elbow Room was used as the soundtrack for a Play Station 3 game,

Body Count, and I got paid for that. Moreover, the fact that I put out a lot of videos on YouTube does not mean that I don’t get paid for them. I was also involved in a lot of work as a judge in various competitions. That way, I was never bothered about the shows competition got, because I was okay.”

While acknowledging the fact that he did rake in a few bucks, there was also a price to pay. First, show promoters failed to invite him to gigs because he did not have an album to ‘mime’ to on stage and second, because many felt that his style of hip hop, is not strong enough to move the crowd.

“I actually had a failed album contract with a label (name withheld) after signing a contract with them. It was a waste of 12 precious months of my life. I was not invited to any show because they (promoters) felt the crowd won’t appreciate my music. That is so erroneous. But I hold no grudge against any of them, in fact my new mantra is, just let it go.”

After the hiatus, the British born Nigerian artiste is currently putting finishing touches to three albums to be released next year. While he hopes to record one of them titled

Esoteric Mellow

, in collaboration with Dj Grizzly Adams and Figub Brazlevic in Germany, he is unhappy with the treatment meted out to him by some Nigerian artistes.

He says, “While putting my albums together, I received help from the likes of M.I, Don Jazzy and Paul Play Dairo. These are people whom I have so much respect for in the industry. I do not understand why some artistes I invited to do a track with me kept playing games with me. If you do not want to do a song with me, why don’t you let me know? You see the truth is that a lot of artistes are threatened by me and I won’t blame them. If I were me, I would be threatened by me.”

Looking ahead into the New Year, the artiste, whose real names is Babatunde Olusegun, is optimistic about the future of rap music in Nigeria. He does not discountenance the impact of unprofessional rappers on the Hip Hop trade.

“I strongly believe that rappers will make more money next year. The music will get better and people’s eyes will open to know and appreciate good music when they hear one. There are so many whack artistes around now such that if you ask them to write their lyrics out on the board a lot of them will fall off. I don’t blame them, I blame the audience. Most DJs tell me that they can’t play my music in the club; people will not be able to dance to it because it has to be 120 beats per minute.

In order for you to be successful in Nigeria you have to make your music faster.”

The artiste, who studied Building Technology at the Bida Polytechnic, Niger State and once worked as presenter with Rhythm 84.7Fm in Abuja, adds, “Burna Boy came into the industry and changed things. His music is not fast yet you can dance to it. The problem is most hip hop artistes are not flexible and Nigerians don’t like variety. When they discover that a style is hot, they will beat it and overdo it till it gets cold.”

Punch Nigeria

Diddy Ends 2012 As The Richest Rapper. See Others

Earlier in the year, Forbes Magazine released the Top-5 Richest Rappers Of 2012 with Diddy on top the list for the second year, Jay-Z dropped down to second after coming first in 2010.

Many of these rappers rose from rags to riches by tirelessly working simultaneously as producers, writers, musicians and businessmen. However, their hard work has quite literally paid off and has made them millions, according to Forbes.

In case you missed it before, below is the FORBES 2012 Top Five Wealthiest Rappers:

1. Sean “Diddy” Combs
As of April 2012, his Net Worth was a cool $550 million.
Earnings according to Forbes: 2011: $35 million, 2010: $30 million
Diddy’s business ventures, along with his career as a rapper, made him the richest rapper on the planet, built fortune chiefly through clothing line Sean John, record label Bad Boy and Ciroc vodka. Acting gigs, television shows and guest appearances add to coffers. He told Forbes in 1999: “I’m gonna be bigger than David Geffen.” Not there yet though, but if there’s anyone who can get there, Diddy can.

2. Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter
Net Worth: $460 million – As of April 2012
Earnings according to Forbes: 2011: $37 million, 2010: $63 million
Beyonce’s sweetheart and father of one of the most popular babies in Hollywood, Jay-Z sold Rocawear clothing label for $204 million in 2007; signed 10-year $150 million Live Nation deal in 2008. Now boasts an impressive portfolio, including shares in the New Jersey Nets as well as his input in fashion, music and restaurant business.

3. Andre “Dr. Dre” Young
Net Worth: $260 million – As of April 2012
Earnings according to Forbes: 2011: $14 million, 2010: $17 million
Superproducer/rapper,Dr. Dre may not have put out a new album in the last 10 years, but the rapper and producer has reaped the rewards from his business. He helped launch careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, expanded wealth with Aftermath record label, Beats headphones and HP laptop line. On 11th August 2011, Dr Dre reportedly sold 50% stake in Beats Electronics, the headphone company to Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC for £191 million ($310m).

4. Bryan “Birdman” Williams
Net Worth: $125 million – As of April 2012
May 2010 to May 2011 Earnings according to Forbes: $15 million
Bryan ‘Birdman’ Williams; cofounded Cash Money Records with brother Ronald and inked $30 million distribution deal with Universal in 1998; affiliated Young Money lineup now includes rappers Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. Lyrical boasts (“Richer than the richest!”) are simply not true. Bird has an estimated net worth of $110 million as of September 2011.

5. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
Net Worth: $110 million – As of April 2012
Earnings according to Forbes: 2010: $6 million, 2009: $8 million
50 cent has made it to the top five particularly for his business-savvy, as the rapper got a neat nine-figure payout from the sales of Vitamin Water, when it was sold to Coca Cola; spent freely on cars, renovations to the mansion formerly owned by Mike Tyson. Cushion remains from catalog, acting gigs and 50 Cent-themed video games, books, clothes and headphones.

They are rappers, but their business acumen is amazing. From their own headphones, booze, clothing lines, sports teams, record labels and album sales, everything these rappers touch turns to gold.

Although Forbes rating was done using the artistes’ net worth as at April, sources say the year couldn’t have ended with another rating as they believe each of the rappers held on to their spots, raking in more millions though. Except Jay-Z hits a mega deal in the remaining days of the year, P Diddy is surely ending the year as the rapper who made dollars the most.

Sports: Tale of woes for Nigeria in 2012

Nigeria was part of the global sporting events in 2012, but the result pointed out to a dangerous trend as star names failed to lift the nation’s image. Blessing Okagbare and Chika Chukwumerije are the biggest names that shocked the nation.

IAAF World Indoor Championships, Istanbul (March 9-11)

Nigeria took part in the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.

In the 60m male event, Peter Emelezie had a fair start, qualifying from the heat with a time of 6.85 to reach the semifinals. But he failed to move on even with a better time of 6.81. United States’ Justin Gatlin eventually won gold, while Jamaica’s Nesta Carter came second. Dwain Chambers of Great Britain won the bronze medal.

In the women’s 60m race, Gloria Asumnu braved the odds to reach the final. She came first in heat one and came third in the semifinal. In the final, Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica won a clear winner with a time of 7.01, with Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahoure winning silver. US’s Tianna Madison won bronze as Nigeria finished in the sixth position.

Nigeria retains the African record in the 400m at the event set by the late Sunday Bada in 1997 but in 2012, Nigeria had no representative for the race won by Nery Brenes of Costa Rica. Demetrius Pinder of the Bahamas came second, while Chris Brown, also of the Bahamas, won the bronze medal.

In the women’s category of the 400m, Ajoke Odumosu attempted Charity Okpara’s African record of 50.73 set in Stuttgart, 1998, but she barely qualified for the semifinal after coming fourth in heat four while her quest ended in the round.

One of Nigeria’s strongholds in athletics is 4x400m relay but despite still holding the African record set in Lisbon 2001, the nation could not present representatives for the race in Turkey.

In the triple jump, Tosin Oke did not start in the male category, completing a woeful outing for Nigeria at the event.

London Olympics (July 27 – August 12)

The London 2012 Olympic Games featured 26 sports encompassing 39 disciplines.  Nigeria competed in its 15th appearance at the Olympics with the smallest delegation since the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

A total of 53 athletes, 30 men and 23 women, represented Nigeria in eight events (athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling) in London. After the failure of the football teams, basketball was the only team event where Nigeria competed.

Nigeria also debuted in slalom canoeing, where UK-based Jonathan Akinyemi competed in the men’s K-1 event.

It is no news that despite almost N2bn spent on preparations and appearance at the event, Nigeria did not win a single medal in London, the first time since 1988.

But athletes like Segun Toriola, a table tennis player, could take consolation from being the oldest member of the team at 37 and being the only Nigeria Olympian to have taken part in six Games. Another table tennis player Olufunke Oshonaike was the nation’s oldest female athlete at the Games with five appearances.

Beijing Olympics medallist Chika Chukwumerije was the team’s captain, while another medallist from Beijing, Blessing Okagbare, was a star athlete who shouldered much of the nation’s hopes.

In the men’s 100m event, Ogho-Oghene Egwero, Peter Emelieze and Obinna Metu drew bye to the quarterfinals but they did not go beyond the stage. Selim Nurudeen, who reached the semifinal stage of the 110m hurdles, did not reach the medal zone.

Ajoke Odumosu came so close to picking a medal in the women’s category of the 400m hurdles, reaching the final but coming last in a race won by Natalya Antyukh of Russia.

Okagbare easily won her heat, coming first with a personal best time of 10.93secs, which was the second best in the heats. Things still looked good in the semifinal as she cruised to the final comfortably only to come last in the final, claiming injury, although she competed to the end as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica won gold medal.

Painfully, the women’s 4×100 relay team of  Christy Udoh, Asumnu, Oludamola Osayomi and Okagbare finished in the fourth position behind US, Jamaica and Ukraine.

In boxing, the two boxers in the men’s category, Muideen Olalekan and Lukmon Lawal, did not make it to the medal zone, while Edith Ag-Okoye also lost in the women’s event.

Nigerian wrestlers performed badly too at the Games and surprisingly, Chukwumerije did not make it to the quarterfinal stage.

2012 Paralympic Games, London (August 29 – September 9)

Sports lovers in Nigeria will surely want to forget quickly the many failures recorded in the year 2012, but an unlikely group still inspired the generation.

At the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, Nigeria won six gold, five silver and two bronze medals. They were the only reasons Nigerians smiled during the global athletic season, with Yakubu Adesokan winning gold in powerlifting. Ivory Nwokorie, Esther Oyema, Joy Onaolapo, Anozie Grace and Obijie Lovelyn also won gold medals in the events. Obichukwu Nwachukwu, Ulonnam Anthony, Nwajiofor Ifeanyi, Ejike Lucy and Oluwafemiayo Folashade won silver medals while Iyiazi Eucharia and Nneji Victoria won bronze medals.

Albums, artistes to watch out for in 2013

Dbanj

In less than a year since he parted ways with Mo Hits, the Koko Master has emerged one of Nigeria’s Best music heads.His affiliation with Kanye West’s GOOD Music label, Sony Music Africa/DB Records, and a string of hits which include Bachelor, Top of the World and CashFlow, are among the most anticipated in the new year.

Banky W

As the head honcho of E.M.E Records, Banky has had a busy year promoting his artistes and finding time to put out some new body of music. Already, his latest singles, Yes/No and Good Good Loving, have given a foretaste of what is to come and expect when his album drops on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

Wande Coal

This Mavin Records artiste has proven to be one of the best Nigerian male vocalists. His most recent singles,Private Trips, Go Low and Been Long You Saw Me did not disappoint many of his fans. His album, which has been long in coming, is one of the most anticipated in the industry.

Tiwa Savage

She is a triple threat-singer, songwriter and Marvin Records first lady. Savage ruled the year with her looks, hit songs, stage dexterity and endorsements. Since pitching her tents with the Don Jazzy-led Marvin Records, the dark-skinned singer has promised to put out one of the best albums in the New Year with spanking singles IfeWa Gbona, Folarin, Oma Ga from The Solar Plexus Album.

Waje

It is safe to dream big and that is exactly what WAJE is doing. With plans to start a lingerie line in 2013 and record a duet with American super star, Beyonce, the singer admits that 2012 has been a very busy year for her. So far, she has been able to record two tracks that are well received by music fans in Nigeria and in the Diaspora.

At present, she is working on a new album and it will be due for release soon. But she does not rule out the possibility of a collaborative effort with a well known foreign artiste in her forthcoming album.

Dammy Krane

This 18-year old crowd pleaser, who has been silently plying his trade with his Afro-Pop-Juju style of music, got his big break earlier in the year when he became the first artiste to be signed on to 2face Idibia’s Hypertek Records. After catching the attention of many with his hit single My Dear, Krane is no doubt in a hurry to hit fame land. His remix of PSY’s award winning song, Gangnam Style, had over 796 thousand views on YouTube in a few days and ensured that he doesn’t go unnoticed by industry watchers.

May D

After a well publicised ‘musical union’ that barely lasted a year, he was dumped by Square Records — Psquare’s label. The messy separation in August did not stop May D from picking his acts together almost immediately. His first step was the establishment of his label, Confam Entertainment, the release of chart topping singles, Use Me and Gat Me High. With an expanding fleet of cars and crisp videos to match, his debut album is one to look forward to.

Blessed with a rich pedigree — his grandfather, Benson Idons, once managed the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti — this one time Rhythm 93.7 FM Port-Harcourt Intern has succeeded in proving that he can get the ladies rocking to his mellow tunes. His smash hit, Like to Party, and accompanying video continue to top music charts across the country and is a breath of fresh air. While he is very popular on Twitter, this PH act is sure on his way to winning the hearts of many in the New Year. Since officially breaking into the music industry in 2010 when he moved back to Nigeria from London, 2012 saw him cross over to the Lagos music scene with his mid-tempo Summer Jams.

Iyanya

Undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s most successful reality show products, Iyanya dumped his good boy image this year and settled for a muscular built and tattooed body. This appears to have paid off as his single Kukere has boosted his bank account. With a thriving music career and two controversial actresses, Tonto Dikeh and Yvonne Nelson, ensuring that he is always in the news, the Akwa-Ibom State-born star is not slowing down just yet.

9ice

If street credibility is crucial to keeping an artiste relevant in the Nigerian music scene, then 9ice has got a lot going for him in that regard. Although his position is being threatened by a crop of talented, young acts, the lanky singer still enjoys a large following – what with his rich repertory of Yoruba idioms. As the only Nigerian hip-hop act to have dropped two albums, Versus and Bashorun Gaa, at the same time in 2012, 9ice sure means business. We all await the arrival of CNN and GRA — his next set of albums next year and hope they live up to their billings.