Entertainment
Lexy M Blames Elders For Rivers PMAN Crisis
The music industry in Rivers State has come a long way starting from the times of Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, Prince David Bull, King Sunny Brown who took highlife music to international level to the present era of Daniel Wilson, Arthur Willie Pepple, Peter Stone Cold among others. However, the history of the industry would not be complete without mentioning the likes of multiple instrumentalist, composer and vocalist, Lexy Mueka popularly known as Lexy M.
Lexy M, the immediate past chairman of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Rivers State chapter hit stardom in 1991. His maiden album titled Change was launched in 1997 and turned out to be a huge commercial success, today he has four albums to his credit. However, the Ogoni-born music maestro is irked by the endemic crisis rocking PMAN in the state which had impacted negatively on the growth of the industry in recent times.
In this interview with our entertainment crew, Mr Jacob Obinna and Bemene Taneh, Lexy M spoke extensively on the crisis, the past CARNIRIV and the entertainment industry in the state as well as his pet project.
Commenting on the crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Lexy M said elders of the body were responsible because as elders they know what to do for peace to reign, but refused to do it because they are making money out of the crisis which is why the association moves a step forward and four steps backwards.
The former PMAN boss noted that it took just one patriotic Rivers man, distinguished Senator Magnus Abe to settle the problem between him and Arthur Pepple Jnr when the association had leadership tussle and wondered why the elders found it difficult to bring about lasting peace in the association so that the association would move forward like their counterparts in other states.
He, however, stressed that the only solution to the crisis was for members to follow the constitution. According to him, PMAN has a constitution but people are ignoring it and doing things the way they like. He reiterated that it is only when members start recognizing the constitution and working in accordance to its provisions that things would work. He contended that because he followed the constitution, there was peace and progress during his tenure as chairman.
On the recently aborted delegate conference of the Association in the state, he stressed that the conference was illegally, organisers wanted to use it as a forum to extort money from innocent citizens of the state and course unrest in the state. He disclosed that presently the police was looking for them including the so called administrator of the Association in the state. He urged members to desist from being part of such kangaroo gatherings in future to save the image of the Association.
The seasoned musician and producer also spoke on last year’s Rivers State cultural festival (CARNIRIV) and regretted that home based musicians were not carried along rather the Lagos based musicians and their foreign counterparts were celebrated. He also noted that while the few home base musicians who performed at the event were paid peanuts, the Lagos based musicians were paid millions.
He observed that the person who was in charge of the whole event belonged to the entertainment industry, yet he could not carry his people along. According to him, pepple like Arthur Willie people Jnr, Daniel Wilson, Jerry Demon who are stake holders ought to have been celebrated now that they are alife not when they are dead.
The showbiz personality also faulted the planning. He said the venue was not spread out, he contended that a CARNIRIV band would have been kept in each of the strategic locations like Aggrey Road, Mile I, Ogbunabali, Rumuola Justice Es etc with indigenous home based artistes to control them which would have given him a sense of belonging that they were celebrating their own thing.
Instead of the huge amount of money that was wasted in one particular venue.
Lexy M also lamented the slow pace of development of the entertainment industry in the state. He suggested that the only way forward was to have a stakeholder’s meeting between the state governor and the entertainers. He noted that the state governor had met with all the stakeholders in the state except the musicians and other classes of entertainser, he stressed that it was only in such meet Lexy -M that the governor would understand the plight of the industry in the state.
The award winning multi instrumentalist called for the establishment of an entertainment centre in the state where shows and other concorts would be held just as it is in Museum Centre and Festac in Lagos. He disclosed that based on the slow pace of development in the sector, a group of concerned persons had come together to look for a way forward for the industry.
The former PMAN boss also noted that the oil companies and other multinational organisations in the state were not helping matters. He reiterated that in all the bill boards from Rumurokuro to Aggrey road their was no face of a Port Harcourt artiste them but they used most of their says no ring tunes in their hand.
Entertainment
“French Up Your Career” PH, 2025 :Consul General Of France Harps On Proficiency In French
The Consul, General of France in Nigeria, Laurent Favier has encouraged French Learners to improve their skills on the language, as there are lots of opportunities up for grabs on the job market with fluency in French Language, saying that there are many other career paths which are often less well known to learners of French.
Participants at the “French Up Your Career” event held in Port Harcourt.
Favier who disclosed this during the just concluded third edition of the seminar tagged “French Up Your Career” organized by Alliance
Française, Port Harcourt explained that learning French doesn’t mean adding a language to your resume. It rather provides learners with new opportunities. Irrespective of their area of interest, be it diplomatic and International relations, international development, translation and Interpretation or journalism.
According to the Consul General, it was important to create awareness for young Nigerians in Port Harcourt who desire to have better understanding of how been fluent in French can create diverse career opportunities for users of the languages in Nigeria and the world at large, emphasizing that proficiency in French could possibly make learner a bridge between Nigeria and fast-developing regions.
“You previously heard this morning about how you can improve your French skills. This afternoon you will discover how being fluent in French can provide a significant edge on the job market and lead to professional careers that you may not have even considered before,”
“This event comes at the right time, as it launches the celebration of the richness and diversity of French-speaking cultures, which will mobilize us for more than a month throughout Nigeria and alongside other French-speaking countries,” Favier added.
He further highlighted that French is spoken by over 300 million people across the world, saying that, it’s one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union.
“There are many neighbouring African countries to Nigeria ,who have French as one of their primary languages of communication including Cameroon, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. So, what does this mean for you as students here in Nigeria?” He asked
“These sectors in which the French Embassy is often mobilized are the business and marketing field for example, as French is often the preferred language in many multinational companies, particularly those in the energy, oil and telecommunications sectors. I’m thinking as well in technology and IT,” he said
He noted that French-speaking countries in Africa are investing heavily in tech, innovation, and infrastructure, revealing that companies in Tech are looking for bilingual professionals to assist with software localization, customer support, and managing projects in French-speaking regions.
“The French embassy is not only mobilized to help learners discover promising sectors. We are also providing our support and expertise in
training teachers and optimizing university programs,” he summed up
Also, the linguistics cooperation attaché, French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange, who also gave a lecture at the seminar, in an interview with Newsmen said that the main purpose of the seminar was to be more informative and supportive to those who want to make a skill out of French Language,saying that as the linguistics cooperation attaché of the French Embassy it is her duty to promote French language through culture.
She cited traditional stereotypes as a major challenge affecting the growth and development of French in Nigeria, as school, teachers at the primary and secondary level in most cases teach French using the traditional way, where students learn French, but could not put words and grammar together as a skill for communicate.
“French is important. I don’t see French as colonization, l see French as a key to embrace globalization, l hope that learners will be inspired and ready to embrace the global village,” Losange said.
She however said that the French Embassy is working to ensure that equipments to facilitate the learning of French is put in place to enable learners improve their skills fast, which in two to three years learners should be able to communicate with French, advising learners to be intentional with learning the language, through social media and other workable devices to advance their skills for certification and better opportunities.
Highlight of the event which had about 250 participants in attendance was the eloquence award ceremony where students were awarded for their eloquence in French language by the Director, Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs.Marina Lacal alongside the Linguistics cooperation attaché of the French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange.
After two edition of the seminar it was the turn of the Alliance Française, Port Harcourt to host the Third edition.
It would be recalled that the first edition of ” “French Up Your Career” event was organized at the Alliance Française Lagos on October 23, the second one at UNILAG on November 24, 2024 respectfully.
Popular Nigerian comedienne, Tomama has revealed how she waited for Afrobeats superstar, Wizkid outside the bathroom.
She shared this while recounting her encounter with the singer at a recent event with heavy security.
In a video posted on her Instagram page, Tomama explained that she waited by the bathroom in an attempt to have a one-on-one conversation with Wizkid.
She stated that she positioned herself near the restroom, hoping Wizkid would eventually use it, giving her the perfect opportunity to speak with him.
“Wizkid, I saw you, and I waited for you to pee, but you didn’t even stand up from where you were sitting. You just stayed there. All your crew members standing around got up to go pee. I was standing by the bathroom, waiting for you to come pee so that you would notice me,” she said.
Content creator and actor, Mr Macaroni has opened up about his financial struggles, saying he was both a victim of a scam and a failed investment in 2021.
He revealed that after losing all his savings, he resorted to borrowing to settle pending commitments and slipped into N500 million in debt.
He admitted that he is financially reckless and generous, impacting his financial stability negatively.
In lengthy post shared via his X handle yesterday, Mr Macaroni wrote, “Sometime around 2020/2022, I was a victim of a scam and simultaneously a failed investment that cost me all I had saved at the time. It shook me deeply but I told no one about it. If you know me well enough, you would know I do not like to share my problems. I could be going through the worst and at the same time helping others solve their own problems but I just would never share mine.”
“After I lost all the money I had then, Trouble started when I had to borrow money from different sources to settle all pending commitments and also fulfill certain responsibilities I have always believed were mine to fulfill. I make money in millions so I never thought borrowing money to pay back with interest could ever be a problem. But I got too comfortable and it took me a long time to realise that I was using the money I was earning to pay back interests. Also, my financial recklessness did not help. Please don’t borrow money! But if you must, please be responsible.”
The actor stated that 2024 marked a pivotal moment in his acting career but it was also the most challenging year for him as he faced over half a billion naira in debt.
Mr Macaroni revealed that his frustration grew worse after he was betrayed by someone he considered “a friend and sister.”
He added that with the support of family and friends who stood by him during his trying times, he now “feels better than I have felt in the last three years!”
The comedian stated that he decided to finally share his story to encourage others who are going through challenges.