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3 Winners Emerge in Goldberg’s Ariya Repete Talent Hunt 2018

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It was celebration galore as winners emerged at the grand finale of Goldberg’s Ariya Repete Talent Hunt held on Friday 11th May 2018 in Ibadan.

 

The finale would forever remain indelible on the minds of Ashafa Olushola Martins, Ayodele Olatunji and members of Oludare Cultural Group, who were the three overall winners at the Ariya Repete Talent Hunt 2018 in the Fuji, Juju and Drumming categories.

 

The grand finale which is a culmination of three months of displays of superb music talent by about 5000 up and coming acts across the south west of Nigeria and Ilorin, an even more rigorous selection process by the Judges, held at the Trans Amusement Park in the ancient city of Ibadan.

 

The road to the final was a long one as each contestant who progressed from the audition stage went through rigorous grooming and mentorship sessions at the Ariya Academy.

 

Eventually, out of about 5000 contestants, only sixteen progressed to the final in Ibadan after they were selected from the forty that slugged it out in the Lagos semi-finals.

 

For the Fuji category, only six contestants namely Ayomide Ode Omotola, Saheed Akangbe, Abiodun Saheed Oloto, Sulaimon Ajibola Destiny, Mohammed Adewale and Asafa Olushola made it to the final.

 

Another four, Wale Crown, Bukola Ahmed, Ayodele Olatunji (a.k.a Femi Bright) and Ayegbayo Oluwaseun qualified from the Juju music category.

 

They were joined in the final by the six dance groups; Ifesowapo Cultural Group, Sakuba Cultural Group, Oludare Cultural Group, Igba Iwase African Entertainment Cultural Group and Eniafede Dance Group.

 

It was a blend of fun and serious business as all the finalists treated the audience to rich renditions of their severally rehearsed and composed songs.

 

Their sonorous voices rent the night as the whole of Ibadan stood still for the performances of all the 16 budding artistes.

 

All sixteen finalists delivered very impressive performances making the selection of the eventual winners even tougher for the Judges.

 

In the end, after long periods of result collation and consultation among the Judges, three contestants who stood out [Ashafa Olushola Martins, Ayodele Olatunji, and Oludare Cultural Group in their performances emerged.

 

Ashafa Olushola Martins got N2 million prize for emerging tops in the Fuji category, while Ayodele Olatunji a.k.a. Femi Bright also went home with N2 million cash prize after winning the Juju category while Oludare Cultural Group, led by a pregnant woman, Olubunmi Sadiq came first in the drumming category and won N1 million cash prize.

 

Consolation prizes ranging from N1m to N250,000.00 were given to First and second runner ups in all the three categories.

 

Franco Maggi Maria, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Speaking to Journalists at the event, said: “As Nigeria’s first indigenous brewery, our pro-Nigerian orientation is evident in our various initiatives.

 

“The Ariya Repete roundtable and talent hunt is a reflection of our commitment to promoting the Nigerian brand and more specifically Yoruba culture especially through music.

 

“Music and Language are two very important elements of every culture, hence by promoting Juju, Fuji and traditional Yoruba drumming, we are not just promoting Yoruba music or the talented acts that have been unveiled here today, but the beautiful culture of the Yoruba people.”

 

An excited Ayodele Olatunji, a National Diploma certificate holder from the Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti could not hide his joy.

 

He said: “This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I give glory to God for this win.

 

“It didn’t come by my power. I just want to appreciate God and Goldberg Lager Beer for this great opportunity.

 

“With this 2 million naira, I will buy some of the music instruments needed for my shows and make significant change in the life of my family economic-wise.”

 

In addition to the beautiful performances by the contestants, there were also several scintillating performances by Fuji and Juju greats.

 

Juju maestro King Sunny Ade reminded all why for decades he has remained active in the music scene with a masterly delivery of several of his evergreen Juju songs.

 

Not to be outdone, Fuji Lords K1 The Ultimate, King Osupa Saheed, Taye Currency all represented the Fuji genre well with exceptional performances that got the audience raving as they engaged them in an endless sing-along.

 

Emmanuel Agu, Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Lager and Stout, Nigerian Breweries Plc said “We live for nights like this: beautiful music, beautiful people, smiling faces, cash prizes to reward excellence, a promise of a very future for the new talents discovered here and of course an endless supply of Goldberg Lager beer.

 

“I am impressed by the quality of talent displayed by the music acts discovered in Ariya Repete 2018 and can’t wait to see them excel in the music scene out there.”

 

The event was witnessed by The Oyo State Commissioner of Information, Arts and Culture, Mr. Tayo Arulogun, The Special Assistant to the Oyo State Governor on Youth and Sport, Honorable Bolaji Repte,  Top Nollywood Stars including Yemi Solade, Sanyeri, Wakili, Adedamola Olatunji, Dele Fagboyo the Anchor of Aajirebi and Odunlade Adekola who anchored the event among many.

 

The Ariya Repete  2018 started in Abeokuta with the Roundtable discussion involving key stakeholders in the music, art and culture sector.

 

The initiative of Goldberg Lager Beer, a product of Nigerian Breweries Plc.

 

It is a yearly talent hunt competition that aims to discover, develop and promote talents in the indigenous Yoruba music of Fuji and Juju genres, including Drums, as a way of helping to preserve the Yoruba rich musical and cultural heritage.

 

Ariya Repete will return in March 2019.


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FG May Forfeits $4m from World Bank Loan over Audit Flop

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Federal government may lose $4 million from a World Bank loan after failing to get a pass mark on key audit standards in its revenue-generating agencies, such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Customs Service.

FG May Forfeits $4m from World Bank Loan over Audit Flop

This is according to a World Bank restructuring paper dated June 2025.

The amount, which is the equivalent of around N6.2 billion with an exchange rate of N1,568 per dollar, could have helped to address one of Nigeria’s infrastructural deficits.

The fund formed part of the $103 million Fiscal Governance and Institutions Project, a public financial management initiative financed through a credit facility from the International Development Association.

Accordingly, the revenue assurance audit covering the FIRS and Customs for the 2018 to 2021 financial years was assessed as not achieved because the reports submitted did not meet international auditing standards.

“Revenue assurance audit of Main Income Generating Agencies, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigeria Customs Service for FY 2018–2021, with an allocation of $4m.

“These Intermediate Results to be implemented by the Office of Auditor-General of the Federation were assessed as not achieved by the Independent Verification Agent because the reports submitted for verification did not meet the requisite international auditing standards.”

Also, the unsuccessful audit was one of ten performance-based conditions under the project that the government could not deliver before the closing date of June 30, 2025. Consequently, the Federal Ministry of Finance formally requested the cancellation of $10.4 million in project funds.

“The FMF has requested cancellation of $0.9m of unused funds for technical assistance and $9.5m, which is the amount allocated to 10 performance-based conditions, which will not be achieved by the close of the project on June 30, 2025,” the document read.

Further analysis shows that $4.5 million was tied to the uncompleted Revenue Assurance and Billing System, while $1 million was allocated to the development of a National Budget Portal.

According to the document, the Budget Office of the Federation, which was responsible for the portal, did not submit any evidence of achievement. In addition, $0.9 million in technical assistance funding was left uncommitted and has also been cancelled.


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CDCFIB Warns against Recruitment Racketeers

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Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) has warned job seekers to be wary of fraudsters circulating inappropriate recruitment information.

CDCFIB Warns against Recruitment Racketeers

The warning came against the backdrop of social media publications that President Bola Tinubu has ordered massive recruitments into some government agencies.

The agencies listed in the report were the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS); the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) and the Federal Fire Service (FFS)..

The agencies are all under the Ministry of Interior, headed by Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

However, while responding to the reports, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) cautioned Nigerians against falling into the traps of job racketeers.

The Board acknowledged a Presidential approval for the recruitment of personnel in the four (4) Paramilitary Services under its purview, but insisted that due process would be followed on the matter.

Major Gen. Abdulmalik Jibrin (rtd), board secretary, said in a statement that “there are series of processes which leads to the actual recruitment exercise.”

“The Board wishes to reiterate that for all its recruitment processes, appropriate notifications would be done via adverts in the national dailies and it would be carried out in a fair and transparent process devoid of payment of any fee.

“To this effect, members of the public should be weary of the activities of recruitment racketeers who may want to take advantage of unsuspecting job seekers to rob them of their hard-earned resources”, Gen Jibrin said.


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Concerned Nigerians Ask EFCC  to Release Abiodun, CBEX Promoter

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Adefowora Abiodun, one of the alleged promoters of the CBEX investment scheme, who voluntarily surrendered to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in April following a ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, is still languishing in the custody of the anti-corruption agency.

Concerned Nigerians Ask EFCC  to Release Abiodun, CBEX Promoter

Adefowora Abiodun, one of the alleged promoters of the CBEX investment scheme,

Concerned Nigerians who have been following the matter have urged the EFCC to release him unconditionally since he honoured their invitation without being arrested.

The court had approved the EFCC’s request to arrest and detain six individuals connected to the scheme, including Abiodun.

Alongside Abiodun, five other individuals—Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, Seyi Oloyede, Avwerosuo Otorudo, and Chukwuebuka Ehirim—were declared wanted by the EFCC for their involvement in the alleged fraudulent investment scheme, which was valued at over $1 billion.

Fadila Yusuf, EFCC’s legal counsel, had submitted evidence that led to their public declaration as wanted individuals.

After the announcement, Abiodun, who was shocked by the declaration, alongside his legal team, presented himself to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, expressing his willingness to cooperate with the investigation.

Babatunde Busari, his legal counsel, explained that Abiodun’s decision to submit voluntarily was made in order to clear his name and address the media narratives circulating about the case.

Despite the return of investor funds and CBEX’s assurance that withdrawals would be allowed by June 25, Abiodun has been in detention for over a month, triggering speculation about the EFCC’s high-handedness and rights abuse.

His legal team is now advocating for his release on administrative bail, emphasizing that the ongoing detention is unwarranted under the circumstances since he submitted himself for investigation.

According to one of the family sources, “Keeping him in a cell for over one month would send a negative signal to other Nigerians who would be declared wanted by the EFCC in the future. It would discourage Nigerians who have clear cases from surrendering themselves voluntarily to security agencies if, at the end of the day, they don’t receive mutual respect for surrendering themselves.”

He added that CBEX is not a Ponzi scheme.

Reacting to the agitation by concerned Nigerians, Dele Oyewole , EFCC spokesman hinted that the agency obtained a remand order to keep him beyond 48 hours.

According to him, “Anybody that we are holding beyond 48 hours, be rest assured that we have a lawful remand order from the magistrate court to hold him beyond 48 hours.

“We are a law-abiding commission. Concerning that suspect, we are holding him on the basis of that remand order.”

 

 


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