A Pan Nigeria initiative TeamNigeria4Change reached out to schools across Lagos with donation of Exercise books. This was done as a support to the exemplary intervention of the governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The group was led by their President Otunba Bestman Jumbo-Nze.

Tributes have been pouring in from far and wide following the news of Jamal Edwards’ death.

Messages have been shared from the entertainment industry and beyond for SBTV founder after his death at the age of 31.

Jamal is credited for launching the careers of several leading British artists including Ed Sheeran, Dave, and Jessie J – all of whom appeared on his ‘SBTV’ YouTube channel.

The entrepreneur and music pioneer, who is the son of Loose Women star Brenda Edwards, was awarded an MBE in 2014 for his services to music.

SOURCE – MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS

#jamaledwards #legacy #blackbritish

ROGER OKEWOLE WILL BE A KEY SPEAKER AT THE VIRTUAL BOOK LAUNCH OF MY 4TH PUBLISHED BOOK. THE VIRTUAL BOOK LAUNCH TAKES PLACE ON SATURDAY THE 26TH OF FEBRUAFRY AT 8PM VIA ZOOM

ZOOM ID – 82132345476

CODE – 169805

INFORMATION ABOUT ROGER CAN BE FOUND BELOW

I am Roger Okewole and 9ja Pop Art is a peek into my imagination!

INSPIRATIONS: More than Dali, Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein is my main artistic inspiration. I couldn’t have been older than eight when Mom was showing me Lichtenstein’s works in World Book Encyclopedia.

BEGINNINGS: My parents bought a few of those thick coffee table art books with photos of the great paintings by Old Masters, alongside Greek and Roman sculptures. I was studying anatomy and perspective from those books from a very early age. My folks also bought me every age-appropriate comic book they could find, which truly unlocked my imagination.

I first exhibited in a gallery when I was about 11 years old. I was designing costumes and banners for carnivals in Nigeria when I was in my early teens. I was 16 when I got my first graphics job with an advertising agency in Lagos.

I worked as a graphic artist while at college in Nigeria and the USA. I did all this without a single day in art school. My folks insisted I follow the “responsible eldest son” path and I got a Civil Engineering degree and an MBA.

Then things changed…After about a 10-year hiatus spent climbing the corporate ladder, I formed 9ja Pop Art to bring my artistic side back to life.

MEDIA: I mostly use pencils, inks, watercolor pencils and computer graphics; I like to mix it up and my creative impulses tend to go in very different directions. The only thing I never do is photobashing

I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I have!!!

My art business has been designated as a “Trusted Art Seller” with The Art Storefronts Organization, which means you can shop with confidence, and know that I stand behind the quality and value of my products.

ROGER OKEWOLE

#pop art #nigeria #jamaica #inspiration

Ziri was born during the Nigerian-Biafran war to parents of Igbo origin in today’s south-eastern Nigeria. His parents named him Chikeziri (which literally translates to “God created well”), a prophetic and unique name coined by his father who rejected the more common version “Chikezie” (which more or less was a prayer for God to make good the life of the bearer of the name), because, as he put it, “God has already created him very well.” He was also given an equally prophetic and unique second name, Chiwetaudo (literally, “God bring peace”), his father’s prayer for peace in the war-torn country. God answered. The war ended on January 15, 1970, four months and six days after Chiwetaudo was born.

The prophetic and historic which underlay his birth and childhood remained an integral part of Ziri’s life as he grew up. His primary education took him away from his home in the south-east to the historic Boussa (or Bussa) in north-central Nigeria, the location of the famous Kainji Dam. He eventually attended one of the “Unity Schools”, in Minna, established in every state of the country after the war with the objective of fostering peace and reconciliation throughout the country. He returned to the south-east for his undergraduate studies after which he relocated to the south-west, in the historic city of Ibadan, for the mandatory national service, thus traversing the north and south of Nigeria.

For several years, he lived and worked in Nigeria working in professional accountancy, with Coopers and Lybrand (now part of PwC), business administration and management, and banking and finance before the hand of fate migrated him out from the African shores into Europe, in the United Kingdom where he now resides.
Although deeply philosophical by nature, and often inspired to put his thoughts down in writing, he never had thought of himself as a writer, at least not in a professional sense. That was until a series of supernatural events in his adult life catapulted him into writing leading to his first published book Life: A Mystery Solved (WestBow Press; June 2016). His other works include a revised and updated edition of Life: A Mystery Solved, Being Black: Rediscovering A Lost Identity, and Pagan World: Deception And Falsehood In Religion. As he ventured further into writing, the poet in him would subsequently be unveiled. He writes from his heart driven by inspiration, originality, and authenticity. And aims to inform, inspire, and motivate. One of his favourite maxims is “What will be will be.” Another is “Make the most of now.” Both are truths which largely underlie his general conduct.

From drinking two glasses of water first thing after waking up each morning, no matter the season; doing stretches, sit-ups and push-ups regularly; to going for frequent walks whenever the opportunity presents itself, his passion for a healthy lifestyle is above average. He is also an enthusiastic long distance runner, the self-titled The Running Man. His other hobbies include travelling and photography.
Ziri is family-oriented and prefers to keep his family affairs private.

Dr Sinyuy Geraldine based in Cameroon will be one of the Key Speakers for The Virtual Book Launch of My 4th Published book ‘The Good, The Bad and The Naughty’. The Virtual Book launch takes place on Saturday the 26th of February at 8PM UK TIME

ZOOM ID – 82132345476

CODE – 169805

INFORMATION ABOUT DR GERALDINE CAN BE FOUND BELOW

Cameroonian born Dr Sinyuy Geraldine trained as an English Language and Literature in English Teacher in the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon. She earned her PhD in Commonwealth Literature from the said university in 2018 and currently teaches English Language and Literature in English at Government Bilingual High School, Down Town Bamenda. She is also a book review/contributing editor at WordCity Monthly online magazine and a co-editor/contributing author of the poetry anthology, Poetry in Times of Conflict (2020).  Dr Sinyuy started writing poems in her teens and most of her poems and folktales were read and discussed on the North West Provincial Station of the Cameroon Radio and Television Cooperation Bamenda where she was often a guest writer/speaker for the programme: Literary Workshop (A Programme for Creative Writing and Literary Criticism).

Sinyuy Geraldine has had the following awards; Featured Storyteller on World Pulse Story Awards, May 2017; Prize of Excellence as Best Teacher of the Year in CETIC Bangoulap, Bangangte, 23 October, 2010; Winner of the British Council Essay Writing Competition, Yaoundé, 2007; Winner of Short Story Runner-Up Prize, Literary Workshop: CRTV Bamenda, 1998.

Her publications include: Music in the Wood: and Other Folktales (September 2020), “Stripped” FemAsia: Asian Women’s Journal; “Invisble Barriers: Food Taboos in V. S. Naipaul and Samuel Selvon.” Tabous: Représentations, Functions et Impacts; “Migration related malnutrition among war-instigated refugee children in the northern part of Cameroon.” South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition; “Cultural Translocation in Three  Novels of V. S. Naipaul.” International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities. Vol. IV, Issue XII; “Journey without End: A Closer Look at V. S. Naipaul’s Fiction.” International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities. Vol. IV, Issue IV; “Which Other Way? Migration and Ways of Seeing in V. S. Naipaul.”  Migration, Culture and Transnational Identities: Critical Essays. Some of her poems are featured on WordCity Journal, Time of the Poet Republic; Africa Writers Caravan; For Creative Girls Magazine; WorldBeyondWaronline Series; and Fired Up Magazine.

 Sinyuy is an advocate for organic gardening and environmental care. She equally runs an online cookery group via WhatsApp where she teaches women how to cook good and healthy food for their families. She is also a lover of photography and spends her spare time taking photos. Besides, she is an entrepreneur and does many little businesses in order to raise money which she can use for her family and also help vulnerable people around her. One of the businesses which Sinyuy does is Proofreading and Copy editing. She edits both academic and non-academic works. She is a volunteer worker at GEH orphanage in Bamenda. Sinyuy is also a talented public speaker. Sinyuy is currently working on her first novel and a poetry book. Gender and the education of the girl child is something that catches Sinyuy’s attention. In 2020 Sinyuy trained a group of women on Portable Organic Gardening and Sustainable Waste Management.  She is currently grooming young poets in her community and has organised a poetry contest in order to encourage these young writers.

 Talking about travels, Sinyuy loves travelling and has visited four countries so far. Covid-19 is one of the reasons for which she has not left her country Cameroon for the last two years. She loves meeting people from different parts of the world and sharing ideas. Music moves her and she is equally a good dancer.

BARBARA GWANMESIA BASED IN THE NETHERLANDS WILL BE ONE OF THE KEY SPEAKERS AT OUR VIRTUAL LAUNCH TAKING PLACE ON SATURDAY THE 26TH OF FEBRUARY AT 8PM UK TIME VIA ZOOM –

ZOOM ID – 82132345476

CODE – 169805

INFORMATION ABOUT BARBARA CAN BE FOUND BELOW

BARBARA GWANMESIA: Barbara Gwanmesia is one of a small group of artists in the world who have managed to gain a following in two independent fields: writing and singing.

Born in Cameroon, Barbara took to singing and writing instinctively – settling, after years of studies in Cameroon, Tanzania, UK and the Netherlands, as a researcher, writer, editor and singer in the Netherlands.

Her almost fanatical focus on reverence for life has led her to use her music, writing and research as instruments of existential hope for others. With a voice variously described as “the Golden Voice and the Healing Voice”, Barbara has sung for Ambassadors, mayors, national political leaders, heads of industry and a varied public. As recently as 2012, she became the acclaimed voice that graced the two day presence of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the Dutch city of Deventer.

As a writer, Barbara is a published novelist, editor-in-chief of the magazine (formerly known as) African Woman.NL (different name come fall 2014) , and a contributor to the content website www.thebarbaragwanmesiareport.com .

Though having been singing for years, Barbara’s first album will only appear in the latter part of this year. One of the songs to appear in that album is Oroko Cry… already a favourite with listeners, and available for listening online on https://soundcloud.com/search?q=barbara%20gwanmesia.

DR SOHAIL AHMED WILL BE ONE OF THE KEY SPEAKERS AT THE VIRTUAL BOOK LAUNCH OF MY 4TH PUBLISHED BOOK “THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE NAUGHTY” TAKING PLACE ON SATURDAY THE 26TH OF FEBRUARY AT 8PM UK TIME

ZOOM ID – 82132345476

CODE – 169805

INFORMATION ABOUT DR AHMED CAN BE FOUND BELOW

Dr Ahmed has worked in many cities and regions across the country including Bedford, Luton, York , Scarborough and many other places .

His hardwork, humility, selflessness and community spirit continues to make a huge difference to peoples lives in many ways.

In his own words “The only way General Practice can improve and provide the best service is by working in collaboration with patients. We have much more planned at Caritas Group Practice – Mixenden Stones Surgery Caritas Group Practice – Woodside Surgery Caritas Group Practice – Shelf Health Centre Follow the journey #GP4Better“

It is no surprise that this amazing man has been shortlisted among six other amazing General practitioners to win the National General Practitioner of the Year award out of thousands of amazing nominations .

There is no doubt whatsover, that the winning spirit in Dr Ahmed will continue to embrace new paths of great manifestations .

MR ISO BASSEY WILL BE A KEY SPEAKER AT THE VIRTUAL BOOK LAUNCH OF MY 4TH PUBLISHED BOOK ”THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE NAUGHTY ‘TAKING PLACE ON SATURDAY THE 26TH OF FEBRUARY AT 8PM UK TIME

ZOOM ID – 82132345476

CODE – 169805

INFORMATION ABOUT MR BASSEY CAN BE FOUND BELOW

INFORMATION ABOUT MR ISO BASSEY CAN BE FOUND BELOW

Iso Bassey is an IT consultant, entrepreneur, social advocate and founder of ACADEMIX (www.academix.ng) – Africa’s fastest growing eLibrary.

He holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt (Nigeria) and a Masters in Information systems from the University of Leeds (UK). He is also an alumnus of the London School of Economics and Sung Kyun Kwan University.

He spent 8 years delivering web-based enterprise software systems to some of the UK’s leading companies including Reed Business Information, Pfizer and Bechtel.

In 2004 Iso founded http://www.nigeria-friends.com – Nigeria’s first social networking website which at the time of his exit had over 80,000 members and 10,000 schools.

Upon his return to Nigeria in 2007, Iso consulted for a number of organisations including the R.E.A.D. Africa Foundation where he played a key role in bringing to birth the maiden edition of the acclaimed Garden City Literary Festival. He has gone on to consult for both private and public organisations in Nigeria.

He served for 5 years as Special Assistant to the Governor of Cross River State on Information and Communication Technology and headed operations at the Rainbow Foundation (project manages the Port Harcourt UNESCO World Book Capital 2014).

In 2015, he founded ACADEMIX.NG – an eLibrary of Africa focused research which was a finalist of the Thomson Reuters Africa Startups Challenge, 20

THE VIRTUAL BOOK LAUNCH OF MY 4TH PUBLISHED BOOK “THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE NAUGHTY” SHALL BE TAKING PLACE ON SATURDAY THE 26TH OF FEBRUARY AT 8PM UK TIME VIA ZOOM

THIS IS AN EVENT YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS – KEY SPEAKERS INCLUDE

DR Sohail Abraham Ahmed – AWARD WINNING GP AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF Bradford 4 Better BASED IN BRADFORD

MR Iso Bassey – FOUNDER OF The Cross River Movement BASED IN UK AND NIGERIA

MR Roger Okewole – FOUNDER OF 9Ja Pop Art Graphic Arts BASED IN NEW JERSEY

Barbara Gwanmesia – BUSINESS ENTREPRENEUR BASED IN ROTTERDAM

DR GERALDINE – LECTURER & ENTREPRENEUR BASED IN CAMEROON

ZOOM ID – 82132345476

CODE – 169805

MY 4TH PUBLISHED BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE- GET YOUR COPY TODAY ON AMAZON – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” is a collection of poems on real life experiences and lessons. There are diverse themes ranging from Love, Relationships, Mindfulness, Adventure, Hope, Politics, Corruption, Betrayal, Sex, War and the day to day experiences of a fast paced world.

Some of the poems are also written in tribute to great achievers and memorable icons such as Nelson Mandela, Prince Roger Nelson and George Floyd.

We have some amazing guests lined on up on THE TONY TOKUNBO FERNANDEZ SHOW this year -WATCH THIS SPACE.

If you have a story to share, CONTACT US NOW ON +447882809005

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WATCH THIS SPACE FOR OUR INTERVIEW WITH HON DANIEL DALYOP