Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Buhari Demands Return of More Nigeria’s Artefacts from Abroad
President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to nations, institutions and bodies, both private and public, to return Nigeria’s artefacts in their possession.
Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the Nigerian leader made the appeal in the aftermath of the return of two important Nigerian artefacts from Britain.
The president welcomed the official handover, on Saturday, of the Okwukor and the Head of an Oba of Benin bronzes, to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II.
They were repatriated from the University of Cambridge and University of Aberdeen, respectively, in the United Kingdom, after 125 years of their leaving the territory of present day Nigeria.
While urging other countries to take a cue from the institutions, the president vowed that the Federal Government would pursue the repatriation of Nigerian artefacts vigorously.
According to him, government will ensure that they are put to good and proper use on their return in museums and other facilities in conjunction with the royal families and kingdoms that lost these artefacts.
He noted that in line with international law and practice, export, import and control over antiquities were matters within the purview of national governments to be exercised on behalf of sub-national authorities, institutions and bodies.
He thanked the Government of the United Kingdom that facilitated the return of these artefacts by issuing the prerequisite Export Permits to Nigeria at no cost, as well as the University of Cambridge and the University of Aberdeen who agreed to return these artefacts to Nigeria.
”These are unprecedented moves worth emulating by others,” he said.
He added that the federal government hopes to work hand in hand in the future to encourage the return of more Nigerian artefacts from the United Kingdom.
”I also want to appreciate the Federal Republic of Germany which is planning the process of repatriating 1,130 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria from many of Germany’s public museums. These returns are scheduled for this year.”
The president also commended the High Commissioner of Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Sarafa Ishola, and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) for their collaborative works that led to the repatriation of these artefacts.
According to the president, it is noteworthy that several others are currently in the process of being returned while discussions are ongoing to repatriate many more.
Buhari recalled that the artefacts now returned to the Oba of Benin were taken away by British soldiers in 1897 when they attacked the ancient Benin Kingdom and took thousands of artefacts away.
”These artefacts are part of the records of the history of the Benin people.
”My directive to return these artefacts to the Oba of Benin marks the beginning of another aspect in the highly valued relationship between the Federal Government of Nigeria and our traditional institutions who are indeed the true custodians of our history, customs and traditions.
”This directive is also significant because it will introduce a working relationship between the Federal Government as represented by the NCMM and the traditional institutions whereby this Commission negotiates the release of antiquities from foreign museums and institutions on behalf of Nigeria.
“And the traditional institutions that lost the antiquities jointly take steps to ensure the valourisation of Nigeria and Nigerian people through these great arts and cultural emblems,” the president explained. (NAN)
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
2025 Grammy: Nigeria Tops Nomination for Best African Music Performance Category
Nigerian music artistes have dominated nomination for the Best African Music Performance category of the 67th Grammy Awards.
The Recording Academy announced the nominations on Friday.
This year, Nigeria dominates the category , including returning contenders Burna Boy and Asake, the former earning a nod for his hit song,‘Higher’.
while the latter is for his collaboration with Wizkid,”MMS”.Davido also earn his second nod in the category for his contribution to Chris Brown’s “Sensational,” with Lojay picking up his first Grammy nomination for the same song.
Yemi Alade earns her first solo nod for her hit “Tomorrow”,while Tems’“Love Me Jeje” also receives a nod for for Best African Music Performance.
Notably, Tems is the only African artiste with three nominations across the global music categories; as her debut album, “Born in the Wild” is up for Best Global Music Album and Best R&B song for “Burning”.
Young music sensation Rema.is nominated in the Best Global Music Album category for his sophomore album, “HEIS”.
Other Nigerian stars nominated for the Grammys include Jordan Adetunji known for his viral “Kelani,” and his ‘Bloody Civilian’ also earns nomination for the ‘Best Reggae Album’ category on the Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ soundtrack.
This year’s nomination marks Burna Boy’s sixth consecutive Grammy nomination, making him a Nigerian artiste with highest nomination so far.
Since Burna Boy’s first nomination for Best Global Music Album at the 2020 Grammys, and his win in 2021 for “Twice as Tall”, there has been an increased representation of African music on the global stage.
On the global scene, Beyoncé leads the Grammy pack with 11 nominations for her genre-crossing album Cowboy Carter, competing across categories including record, song, and album of the year, along with entries in pop, rap, country, and Americana.
Other leading nominees include Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, and Post Malone, each with seven nominations, while Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter follow with six nominations each.
The 67th Grammy awards ceremony is scheduled to hold on February 2, 2025 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles United States. (NAN)
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Burna Boy Announces Release of New Album
Grammy-winning Nigerian Singer Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has hinted the release of a new album.The “Twice As Tall” crooner disclosed this in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday.He wrote: “Album dropping 12AM.”According to the Afrobeat superstar, the new album will be dropping on July 30.
The announcement came after his recent celebration of the fifth anniversary of his Grammy nominated 2019 album “African Giant”,which he marked with a concert at the kolo Camden, United Kingdom. The multiple award-winning artiste has continued to make headlines for being atthe forefront of exporting Nigerian music with his award-winning albums and historic sold-out concertsIn 2019, he won the Best International Act at the BET Awards, and was named an Apple Music Up Next artist.He also released his fourth studio album, African Giant, which went on to win Album of the Year at the All Africa Music Awards.The album was nominated for Best World Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards and he clinched the African Artistof the Year at the 2020 Ghana Music Awards.Burna Boy released his fifth studio album, ‘Twice as Tall’, in August 2020, which fetched him the Best World Music Album atthe 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.His sixth studio album Love Damini was released in 2022 and became the highest debut of a Nigerian album on the Billboard200 chart.Love Damini also became the highest-charting African album in France, the Netherlands and the UK.In October of same year, Burna Boy was awarded the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic plaque for his achievementsin music.In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked him number 197 on its list of the 200 greatest singers of all time and he won his fourthBest International Act at the BET Awards in 2023, among others.He made history again when his his 7th album, ‘I Told Them’ released in October 2023, earned him nominationsfor the 2024 Grammys, which became his fourth consecutive album to be nominated for the Grammys.(NAN)Entertainment/Arts/Culture
N4.5bn for one Song, Social Media Reacts to Rema’s Unprecedented Deal
The news of Rema’s record-breaking performance fee at Anant Ambani’s wedding has sent shockwaves across social media, with many users hailing music as a lucrative career path.
The Nigerian Afrobeats sensation reportedly pocketed a whopping N4.5 billion (three million dollars) for performing just one of hit songs, ‘Calm Down’, at the high-profile event, leaving many in awe.
Rema performed at the wedding of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani’s son, Anant Ambani, and daughter of pharma tycoons, Viren and Shaila Merchant, Radhika Merchant.
The event held on Friday at the Jio World Centre in Bandra Kurla Centre (BKC) in Mumbai.
Canadian singer, Justin Bieber, was also paid 10 million dollars for his performance at the event, according to reports.
Pop star, Rihanna, also performed at the event for an undisclosed fee.
Social media platforms are buzzing with excitement as aspiring musicians and music enthusiasts alike are drawing inspiration from Rema’s achievement.
The news has also sparked a renewed interest in the music industry, with many youths seeing Rema’s success as a motivation to pursue their own careers.
@Solomon_King says on X, “Hold up, let us get this straight, Rema just bagged a whopping N4.5 billion ($3 million) for singing one song at some rich kid’s wedding?!
“One song? We’re talking about a sum that could solve Nigeria’s economic problems, okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point.
“Rema just made more money than I’ll see in a lifetime and I’m still struggling to pay my rent.
“I need to start singing.”
@OlamideAngel said, “I’m quitting my job to become a musician, or maybe just a wedding singer.
“We’re dying over here! Meanwhile, Rema’s just over here living his best life and we’re not hating. In fact, we’re low-key inspired to step up our music game.
“On a more serious note, this achievement is a testament to Rema’s hard work and talent. We’re proud to see African artistes making waves and getting the recognition they deserve.”
@Perryblack, an X user, said, “Back then y’all mocked Rema for sounding “Indian” when he broke out. Now he was paid $3m to perform a song at Anant-Radhika’s wedding in India.
“Trust your music, Trust the process. Maybe I will go with Portable that said music money is bigger and better than football money.
“We thought Rema was goofing when he said he’s the future. He said he’s the next wizkid but we are not taking him seriously. Big ups boy.”
According to @blacktribemusic, “ Only this Rema’s song alone has made him one of the biggest artistes in Africa. Bigger than the top guys una dey reason self.
“Rema is too big to be underrated by Nigerians, he’s just 22 but making more money.
“Another day to remind y’all that music money is longer than football own.”
On the contrary, @cassandra mentioned that the billionaire should have used the money to feed all the poor Indian citizens.
“That country dey suffer, why can’t he donate this money to the poor. Isn’t India one of the poorest countries in the world?
“I swear the billionaires don’t think of the poor chaii!
“Just $1k is enough for like 1 million people and
they will appreciate it and pray for you, it is more than all this show off,” she said.
Also, @UcheMark said, “They all belong to the same cult. Even from the beginning of Rema’s career, we can already recognise his affiliation with India (voodoo).
“Also, his recent use of devilish symbols and colours is enough evidence. Birds of a feather.”
@chocolatechic said, “I will never be poor.” (NAN)