Jerry Douglas' Blog

Billionaire businessman Mike Adenuga has relocated his office to his billion naira Banana Island building. The wondrous edifice is located at 31A Close, Banana Island. What you see in the photo above is just part of it. It extends to the right...

Micro-blogging site, Twitter, was agog with criticism of the end of the year concert by popular Afropop musician, Dbanj, tagged Koko Concert held at the Eko Atlantic Beach, Lagos .  Many of Dbanj’s frustrated fans who took to twitter to vent their anger described the concert as lacklustre and ill-managed.  In the past weeks, the concert has enjoyed a lot of hype in the media and was one of the most expensive musical concerts in the country. Some fans paid as much as N1 million to attend the concert which also has Hollywood actor Idris Elba; America rappers, Pusha T and Big Sean; as well as Nigerian-born British rapper Tinnie Tempah; on parade.  Fans were particularly disappointed by Dbanj’s performance. Many of them who went to the concert hoping to hear him perform some of his popular tunes were heartbroken as the musician chose to perform his most recent tunes that many have problems relating to.  “Dbanj does not have any song to sing.. Terrible. Let tomorrow com...

Died wretched, buried with a million naira casket is the saga of a rich fool in a home video entitled, Died Wretched. The flick produced by one of Nollywood’s pioneer producers, Chief Kenneth Nnebue of NEK Videos captures the folly of a young but rich man who watched his uncle and mentor die in penury but turned around to throw a lavish funeral for him. The above scenario has been the lot of many Nigerian artistes who often die in poverty after giving all they have to their fatherland. Many actors, most especially, the veterans seem to suffer this fate. Legendary playwright, William Shakespeare in his classic, Macbeth describes this set of people, as “poor players who strut and fret their hours upon the stage, and were heard no more”. This is pitiable because these actors toil to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians but at the end of the day, have little to show for it. In a country where corruption thrives, the inspirational line in the national anthem that says, “the labour of ou...

Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and Senator Chris Anyanwu have given divergent versions of a fracas involving their convoys at Azaraegbelu, Owerri North in Imo State on Wednesday. Speaking to newsmen in Owerri, on Thursday, Anyanwu, who represents Imo East Senatorial District, said she had visited Okorocha earlier in the day to felicitate with him on the up-coming wedding of his daughter. Thereafter, the Senator said she proceeded to Mbaise for a function and was on her way back when she noticed, “an intimidating convoy bearing down on her convoy with full compliments of security operatives, conventional and non-conventional”. Anyanwu, a former broadcaster, said it was about 5.30pm and she had directed her convoy to veer off the road and stop for the governor’s convoy to pass, but to her surprise, the governor’s security men stopped and blocked her convoy, dragged out the driver of her pilot vehicle and beat him to pulps. She added, “The unwarranted beating and assault on ...

Barely 24 hours after former President Olusegun Obasanjo celebrated the annual Ibogun Olaogun Day in his birthplace, Ibogun Olaogun, Ogun State, a section of his Hilltop mansion in Abeokuta was on Thursday gutted by fire. Computers and office appliances were among items said to have been destroyed in the inferno. Although no-one could ascertain the cause of the fire, sources at the mansion, who pleaded anonymity, said it could have been caused by an electrical fault. The fire was said to have started barely 20 minutes after Obasanjo left the house for an undisclosed place. He was however said to have hurriedly returned to his burning building to supervise those fighting to quench the fire. His wife, Bola, children and grandchildren, said to be on holiday, were reportedly moved to safer sections of the mansion as the fire raged. A source said one of the aides to the retired general noticed smoke bellowing from a section of the mansion about 4.10pm. The aide was said to h...

AC Milan  have stepped up their pursuit of  Manchester City  striker  Mario Balotelli  and are finalising a bid for the 22-year-old .  The San Siro outfit are confident of offloading Brazilian pair Pato and Robinho to accrue funds to sanction a move for the Italy international, on whom City have placed a £20 million price tag ahead of the January transfer window.   Milan are currently in negotiations with Corinthians over the sale of Pato, who will likely join the Club World Cup winners for a fee of around €15m (£12.3m) in the coming days, while Robinho has been offered to a number of clubs in his homeland by Rossoneri supremo Adriano Galliani, with Santos favourites to sign their former star after a deal with Flamengo fell through earlier in December.    MANCHESTER CITY LATEST The Serie A side are expected to approach City with an initial loan move for Balotelli with an option to buy in the summer, but the Premier League champ...

TRANSFER GOSSIP Borussia Dortmund's £18m-rated Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, 24, is on his way to Manchester United this summer. Robert Lewand Full story: Bild (in German)   Chelsea have joined Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain in the chase for Everton and England left-back Leighton Baines, 28, who is valued at around £15m by his club. Full story: The Independent   Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini aims to beat Chelsea to the signing of Barcelona's 31-year-old Spain international David Villa. Full story: Daily Star   But Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu, 21, says he would welcome Villa with open arms if the prolific striker ends up moving to Stamford Bridge during the transfer window. Full story: sportinglife.com   Arsenal are also in the hunt for Villa, with Arsene Wenger prepared to bid £16m for him - though a loan deal would also be a possibility. Full story: Daily Mail   Cristiano Ronaldo is set to stun Real Ma...

The late former National Security Adviser Andrew Azazi will be buried in Yenagoa, not his Perentoro-Gbene hometown, Ekeremor Local Government, Bayelsa State, Governor Seriake Dickson has said. Azazi was killed in the December 15 helicopter crash in the state alongside Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa and four others. Dickson, in a statement on Thursday, said the deceased would be laid to rest in a proposed burial site to be named Heroes Park because he was a hero. According to him, the park will henceforth be the final resting place for all heroes and legends of the state. In the statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the governor also said the park had been designated a monumental and historic site. “It will also serve as a constant reminder of those that gave their all to the service of the state and nation at various times and a source of inspiration to Bayelsans, both present and in the future,” he said. He said the icons of other dead...