360NAIJA at the ENIGMA night in IKOYI

Enigma host one of naija finest act vector the viper, at ember creek on the 27^th of feb 2013, and the 360naija crew (slice & capt k) was there to capture what went down, from the red carpet to the stage.

Enigma variety night is a platform for upcoming talents to express themselves and find an in-road into the industry.

This month the show will be celebrating the one and only vector the viper for his style and contribution to the rap genre, also with him are; O cube, dayve, mccoy,G1 and Jamale, Rhyme c, Kslim and the event was mc by the beat 99.9 presenters of the morning drive, (Maria & Koch)

The red carpet started by 7pm with a lot of good looking people dressed to kill, not forgetting the celebrates also on the red carpet. Mode 9, Olu maintain, General pype, Rugged man, Laylow , Ketchup, Gerard (p square dancer), Jeffery Daniels ( Nigeria idols judge), Efa, Kaha, Bigfoot, Dj sose

Here are some of the pictures before and on the red carpet. 

K.Slim and Capt. K.

Capt k, mode 9, Gerald &slice 

General pype

Capt k, talabi, a.y 

Slice &olu maintain

 Rugged man, slice& talabi

Slice& general pype

Stage Preparation

Who is vector; vector aka V.E.C olanrewaju ogunmefun david born aug,7^th 1984, vector is a hip hop act, song writer, poet and a music producer, widely celebrated as one of the best rapper in Nigeria now.

Vector journey into hip hop dates back junior high in the year 1997 as he was vibrantly involved in social activities entertaining his peers from the stage as a young rapper. In 1999 as part of a group called the badder boiz(himself, blaize & crystal), they did there first demo called “knocking at your door”  which enjoyed some airplay, as a group till 2004.

Vector is an undisputed emcee endowed with freestyle skills and flair that he awesomely displays on several freestyle battles like the channel O Lagos party, Unilag rap kings etc.

Officially signed to YSG ent in 2009, vector announced himself on the mainstream scene with the controversial hit song, Kilode feat singer Emmsong, street anthem Mary Jane and get down feat Tuface ldibia, which earned him the award for “BEST HIP HOP VIDEO OF THE YEAR” at the Nigerian music video awards (NMVA 2011) and also nomination for “LYRICIST ON THE ROLL” at the hip hop award 2011.

He released his debut album “state of surprise” oct 29 2010, and 2^nd album “2^nd coming” on the 12^th of dec 2012, with hits songs and multiple award winning single “angeli”( feat 9ice), [BEST RAP SINGLE) at Nigeria entertainment award(NEA 2012), “LYRISCIST ON THE ROLL” AND BEST RAP SINGLE at the hip hop award 2012], following a hit songs “BORN LEADER FEAT MOVIDA” and “WE RE MADE OH!” both enjoying heavy rotation in clubs and radio stations nationwide.

On aug 7^th 2012 his online mix tape titled “bar-rock” was released to critical acclaim contains the internet hit “wasted”. Aside his song writing expertise, vector knack for poetry is evidenced on the sprite commercial that’s being aired on most radio stations across Nigeria since 2009.

filed by Capt. K.

EAST, WEST, NORTH OR SOUTH, HOME IS THE BEST

Hear this: “East, West, North or South, home is the best”. Sound familiar? If you are from the African continent, you may be familiar with that saying. However, if you are a true Naija, then you must know the saying very, very well. It’s true. We all grew up hearing about it and then singing it.

There are perhaps other variations of it as you move from one region to the other across our beautiful landscape. Sometimes, its true meaning is embedded in our rich proverbs. And when it does, and you hear it or are reminded of it, no matter where you may find yourself in this vast globe called world, it prods gently at the soft strings of your heart and quickly evokes a peculiar nostalgia. Like the popular hit medley by Ray Charles, “Georgia On My Mind”, it brings back loving memories of your home and you long to re-acquaint with it once more.

Now that you have read this portion above, I know that no matter what you are going through, you are beginning to have “NAIJA ON YOUR MIND”. It’s about those early years of bliss with your siblings or friends (alive or gone beyond the pearly gates). It’s about the times you spent with your wife or husband to be; the years of hardship mixed with undying hope, dreams and dreams of a better future yet caged in the reality of near hopelessness. It could be that overpowering smile from a loving parent, which has long cemented in your psyche and therefore still visible to your inner eyes even though they have departed from your world. No matter the type of emotion it evokes, sadness or pleasure, it sure captivates your attention for the moment.

So, I ask you why? Why is it that home is the best? Why is it that NAIJA is the best? Why is it that your village or town is the best? At 360naija, we are like you. In fact, we are one of you. We don’t want to talk only and you listen.  We want to share our thoughts with you and you share your thoughts with us. It’s called communication, a two way street. And so, we ask you to tell us your side of why “East, West, North or South, home is the best”. Let’s love NAIJA and love 360naija. Your Turn!

Dr. Edwin Ndukwe

Austin, Texas

STEVEN KESHI AND THE SUPER EAGLES, LESSONS OF HOPE, PERSEVERANCE AND GOOD LEADERSHIP

STEVEN KESHI AND THE SUPER EAGLES, LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

Nineteen years ago, the Nigerian Super Eagles rallied to the top beating many other defiant African soccer teams to become the 1994 Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) Champion. Steven Keshi, a versatile defender, young and full of skills was in the midst of it all.

Since then, the road to AFCON championship had become bumpy, elusive, froth with messy internal organizational issues. These challenges followed by repeated failure by the Eagles to return to a dominant position in the AFCON chart were merely a reflection of a grander internal national struggle plaguing Nigeria; social, economic and political alike.

Fast forward to 2012, when the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) in its bid to bring order and a winning legacy for the national team, decided to sack former Nigerian Striker, the interim coach, Sampson Siasia, the hunt for a new brand of leadership commenced although riddled with disenchantment and frustration, particularly from football enthusiasts in the country. In the end, Steven Keshi emerged as the new Super Eagle’s Coach. It is noteworthy to mention that two years earlier, after the replacement of former Coach, Lars Lagerback, Steven Keshi lost the chance of becoming the Super Eagles’s Coach to Samson Siasia. According to report from ESPN dated November 5, the NFF Secretary General, Emmanuel Ikpeme is quoted to have said, referring to Siasia, “He was the obvious choice based on his performance at the interview. It begs the question whether being the best choice literally means the best for the team. That was in 2010. But the wind of favor came and swept Keshi back to the same position he had longed to covet. A pastor once intimated to his followers, “What is yours is yours and no one can take it away from you: If they have it now, it is because God allowed it”. By inductive reasoning, one can conclude that when your time comes, you will have it. You can say Amen to that and as they say in the West, you can take it to the bank.

Back to the point! The Nigerian Football Federation contract terms with Steven Keshi were rigid and direct: deliver the Super Eagles to 2013 Africa Cup Of Nation qualification and on to Brazil for the World Cup 2014 or get fired. Six months was all he had to make good on the first part of the agreement. There were, as is the norm, many that believed in him as well as those that dissented. But he knew he had his work cut out for him and so he went at it.

Entering into the tournament, the Super Eagles’ not so stellar performances worried its fan base with some agitating for Keshi to pack and go. Soon, the wheel turned and a ray of hope came with their 2-0 defeat over Rwanda in June 2012. And the winning continued: equalizing with Liberia at 2-2 on their first leg and then smothering them to a 6-1 victory in Oct. 2012 during their second leg. Now, the whole country galvanized their support around the Super Eagles as their position shifted to a title contender. Finally, on that memorable Sunday evening, the 10^th of Feb. 2013, the Super Eagles soared once more, for the third time in the history of AFCON and brought down the Burkina Faso Stallions to clinch the coveted 2013 AFCON Championship.

There are two important lessons to learn here and perhaps a recipe for economic and political future of Nigeria. Firstly, good leadership or rather conscientious leadership is extremely vital for rapid growth and development of any entity or nation. Nigerian leadership should borrow a leaf from Coach Steven Keshi, his dedication, discipline and his overall human relationship skills.

Secondly, cohesive teamwork spirit, as exemplified by the players, is equally crucial for achieving goals set forth by any group or nation. The Super Eagles understood their objectives and their goals as was reinforced by a good leader. They committed themselves to the task, breaking free from any ethno-centric idiosyncrasies and got the job done. As citizens of Nigeria, we need to come together, shed off old ethnic biases, commit to changing the status quo, actively participate in the democratic process and uphold high standards in whatever role we find ourselves either in public or private service. What other lessons can we draw from Keshi and the Super Eagles?

Dr. Edwin Ndukwe

Austin, Texas 

TEXTING AND MULTITASKING?

 Does walking and texting at the same time synonymous with multi-tasking? Hmm, hold your horses. I know you probably read the British newsreader frigid waterloo experience gone viral. Let’s rewind her steps leading to the edge of the frozen canal.

 She got this romantic line, sort of a teaser, from her boyfriend which got her mind racing in awry directions. She taps back on the alphabets as quickly as possible to transmit her pleasantness while at the same time scanning her environ with left corner of her eyes. Soon, he chimes another bomb of a romantic line, say; I can’t wait to see you again. And on and on it went and before she could figure out her bearing, she has wandered off pass the street and plunk into the canal. Naa…ah!… it could have been a number of many things. Or what would you think?

 The home stretch lesson here is to keep your eyes on the road whether you are driving or walking. You never know when you are going to run into a Moose or a Bear depending on the side of the country you live in. Thankfully, in Laura Safe case, her last name came through for her this time as she was “safely” supported by a kind observer. Next time, she may not be that lucky.



 Dr. Edwin Ndukwe

TALKING TREES

A man once asked a question: “Can Trees talk”? Well, I’d say, it depends on who you ask.  What is your view on this? I bet if you have any Centenarian, man or woman in your lineage who is still kicking, you may get a surprisingly vote of “Yes”. However, there is still a shroud of mystery percolating around such folksy tales. But certainly growing up, perhaps more random in the mother land than anywhere else, you may have been told of such out of the cloud tales about IROKO trees and other kinds of trees  speaking mysteries that only the Babalola’s and the traditional witch doctors are able to interpret.

Fast forward to now, we still have those who swear by their grandmother’s tale that trees do whisper mysteries. In fact, there is a group of people in our time who make a habit of talking to their plant in a pot or the trees in the woods. They claim trees can hear and talk and the idea of talking to trees helps them to fair well, bloom and replicate colorful petals.

Remember TV Cartoons with talking trees. Remember “PUFNSTUF”, children’s fantasy show from Sid and Marty Krofft or “LEGEND OF THE THREE TREES”, a children’s classic screenplay by George Taweel and Rob Loos. How about the popular Disney production, “POCAHONTAS” where he, Pocahontas mentored a talking tree and the tree spoke English? Is it possible that all these cartoonish series may be reinforcing the folk lore surrounding talking trees?

Seriously, trees will soon be talking and calling for help out from the deep Brazilian Amazon. According to Jeremy Hance from mongabay.com, the Brazilian Government has begun the process of embedding a wireless tracker device on the Amazon Trees as an ongoing fight against illegal deforestation. This is how it works: when a tree is felled and moved, it begins to send signal to the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente (IBAMA), a federal environmental agency once the device comes 20 kilometers near a communication tower. The moving tree is then tracked to the depot where the illegal loggers are arrested. Now this is conceivably a real case of “Tree Talking” and perhaps a real Myth Buster.

Dr. Edwin Ndukwe

BATTLE OF FIRE AND WATER

Abandoned building in Bridgeport Neighborhood

In Chicago, Illinois, January 23^rd didn’t seem to invoke any irregularity in the constitution of their 

weather.  It had been cold for some months and was anticipated to get colder as we move into February. For the residents of Windy City, Mother Nature delivered more than they bargained for. With wind gusting up to 50 miles per hour, the moving Arctic blast was more than frigid. It was recklessly wintry and brutal, bearing an ominous charade.

At about 9pm, a fire chief who was passing by observed fire and smoke at an abandoned building around the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. Fire fighters responded immediately to what became a frozen nightmare. The more the sprayed down the fire, the more the falling water turns into ice making it difficult to halt. Chicago Fire commissioner Jose Santiago claimed it was Chicago’s largest fire in seven years. Thankfully, no injury was reported throughout the siege.

A junked Truck

A firefighter appear perplexed by the frozen Arcade

What was left after the fire died out was nothing short of a frozen gothic ensemble. In a way, the frozen waterfall akin to stalactites from deep Arctic caves camouflaged dramatically almost the entire abandoned structure. In reality, the Bridgeport neighborhood where the fire started was nothing more than an urbanized eyesore. However, the pictures embedded in this piece convey a much palatable sight. And to those who have eyes for Art, they are perceived as a rare and beautiful artistic composition, which demands proper documentation. Nature will always have its course.

Dr. Edwin Ndukwe

FENCES OF AMERICA

A weekend ago, my two sons had a sleep over at one of their friend’s house not more than five miles away from my home. It was on a Friday night and my wife and I had finally succumbed to their importunate plea to hang out with friends. It wasn’t a bad idea after all; it gave us an opportunity to catch up with some of the movies trending at the theatre, particularly, “Skyfall”.

The next day being Saturday, I set out to pick the boys up after a text message came through which stated, “Ready”. In my aptness, I guess I’m supposed to extrapolate the word and then draw an interpretation and act on it. Well, that’s Text Message for you or technically Short Message Service (SMS). It has overtaken every other form of known communication medium to become the most fashionable, the most economical and frankly the most popular amongst young people.

Off I went.  Driving up the windy and undulating Hill country road at about ten in the morning encrypted a fresh appreciation in my psyche for the topography of the quaint Texas capital. I’ve lived in Houston for many years and sort of grew out of the boring flatness of its landscape. Austin had the character that rejuvenated my appetite for the outdoors: the staggered hilly knolls, the falling ravines, the towering rocks (limestone) or boulders quarried by its founders to create tunnel-like passage-ways and the dense greenly shrubs, acacia trees and so on, all too inviting for outdoor adventurists. Oh, must I forget the Colorado River, which snaked its way through the center of town westward, offering a bluish basin so proper for all ranges of water sport.

As I looked up through the glass roof of my car, the sky appeared clad in perfect whiteness, very bright and illuminating, without the usual amorphous spots of dark grayish cloud often seen travelling in the direction of the wind. I could sense the temperature outside without checking the reading on my dashboard: very chilly, biting and eerily silent would be my way of describing the cold.

In no time, I was in the vicinity of the neighborhood where my children had spent the night. One problem though, there was a gateway leading to the subdivision, which required a resident or a visitor in my case to either remotely deactivate the gate or simply input an assigned code to drive through to where I am going. What is it with this gate thing? I murmured to myself in my vernacular.

“Gates” or “Fences”, if you will, are not some kind of modern construct that is foreign to me. Not at all! In fact, I grew up around fences and I’ve been on the other side of a fence looking out. Back in Nigeria, every single Dick and Harry live behind fences or some representation of it. Mud fence, wooden fence, and lately Steel fence, it’s not a big deal. I know all about fences. I simply needed to pick up my sons and I hadn’t planned to be put through some hoops. In the meantime, my boys were not picking up their phones so as to have their host grant me a temporary access. Of course, they preferred texting and most times their phones are on silent mode.

 All these argument raged in me while I waited to pull in behind a resident. The truth is that wherever gates are fitted, whether in Africa or America, their main objective is to restrict access and keep away un-invited humans and possibly aliens.  Gated Communities have become a trend in America since the late eighties and steadily rising. It is believed that rise in crime rate, which is an inherent flaw of rapid urbanization is to be blamed.

So new communities and old communities are quickly fitted and retrofitted respectively with access gates, sometimes, with sophisticated surveillance equipments depending on how affluent the neighborhood is. Joblessness, a direct fall out from our economic woes plus the varying debilitating cycles of natural disasters America experienced has put people on edge.  The primordial reaction is to guard the little you possess.

Drawing inference from the book, “In Fortress America: Gated Communities in the United States”, it argues that the trend is a reflection of America, which is rapidly being sheared by income gap, race and economic opportunity. “Gates” do create impassioned social distance among people based on the aforementioned. As a social phenomenon, as much as it offers some degree of privacy and protection, it is argued by critics, that it re-enforces in a subtle manner, the pains of our dark past…   discrimination and segregation. What do you think?

Dr. Edwin Ndukwe

Austin, Texas