Entertainment
‘Why P-Square Was Disbanded’
P-Square, made up of identical twin brothers, Peter and Paul Okoye which later became a musical group to be reckoned with not only in Nigeria but internationally won the Benson & Hedges sponsored Golden Tunes Music Championship in 2001 which was subsequently followed by their debut album titled ‘senorifa’ in 2003 has been disbanded.
Their first major hit album ‘Get Squared’ was released in 2005 and the rest became history as P-square became a big brand in the continent. This was followed by other successful albums like Game Over, Danger Evation and Double Trouble.
Since Paul began to sing, the rivalry between him and his twin brother, Peter started, thereby raising a guestion as, who is more relevant? The battle for supremacy started heating up on many occasions. It was their late mother, Mrs Josephine Okoye who had been using her influence to ensure that there is always peace. Her death was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, as she was the only one the boys could listen to, not even their father who was not close to them until a few months to his death.
Little wonder many influential Nigerians including the richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote tried to settle their current rift but all to no avail.
Meanwhile, Peter and Jude had always not been close because the later will always support Paul against his twin brother whenever any problem regarding their career and project was on the table. This has over the years made Peter’s opinion irrelevant and he had been nursing grudges over the years. By extension Lola is not also on Jude’s good record, but this has nothing to do with the P-Square rift.
“This is how the whole problem started,” our source said. “Peter through the assistance of El haji Diouf (former Senegal and Liverpool attacker) secured a royalty deal with a company in France. When he was processing it, Jude and Paul never believed in it, but within a few weeks, three of them received the royalty payment in their different bank accounts, it was paid in dollars”.
“The terms of the royalty states that they would be getting the payment every quarter. That was the beginning of the face off,” the source revealed. It was however gathered that when Paul realised how lucrative the royalty was, he suggested that being the writer and singer of all P-Square’s songs, he deserves to be getting the lion share of the largesse.
But Peter disagreed, insisting that Jude’s share should rather be slashed. Jude said over his dead body. That was how the first fight broke out three years ago.
However, there were many efforts to reconcile them, but Peter who started the outburst in the social media insisted that the only condition for peace is that henceforth, every P-Square song and album will be recorded by him and Paul on 50-50 basis. Paul and Jude reluctantly agreed after much persuasion “That was why they both have equal songs on the ‘Double Trouble’ album unlike before when it was only Paul that records all their songs,” our source said.
Paul and Jude attributed the little success recorded by the Double Trouble album to the wack songs done by Peter. They therefore reiterated that henceforth, the status quo should remain. Paul is expected to continue writing and singing all the songs, while Peter leads the choreography. That was the beginning of a fresh trouble.
There are also reports that Peter Okoye’s wife, Lola contributed to the breakup of P-Square. According to an inside source, Lola Okoye wanted P-Square to be more business oriented. She has been in the eye of the storm ever since the P-Square drama started in 2014. There had been a lot of rumours about her role in the three year drama that took down P-Square.
A source close to P-Square who disclosed this recently revealed the role Lola played in the whole drama. Lola has always wanted to push the P-Square brand forward to make it even bigger with her experience in corporate Nigeria. She wanted to bring a more professional way of doing business to the group.
Peter Okoye was keen on moving P-Square forward and took his wife’s ideas. Peter felt that Jude Okoye’s managerial style was not professional enough and the business lacked structure. P-Square which happens to be one of the biggest groups in Africa never had a business office in all its years of doing business.
“Four years ago, I told Jude that he needs to step down as our manager because I didn’t want to disrespect him as a brother, but this is business, we have to structure it,” Peter Okoye told NET in an exclusive interview in 2016. “The name P-Square is very big outside but inside we have no structure”, he further said.
He said he brought his ideas to Paul and Jude, but they shut it down. Paul and Jude Okoye preferred the old style of handling things. It has always worked for them and they were not ready to change the formular. This led to a tussle between both camps (Peter/Lola on one side and Paul and Jude on the other).
Another insider close to the brothers revealed that Lola Okoye helped Peter Okoye snag several endorsement ideas. This is what she wanted to bring to the group a more celeb-focused way of doing business but Paul and Jude said no.
The fiction led to the eventual split of P-square, Peter Okoye wanted to progress, but Paul and Jude decided to keep on using the old formular. Throughout the whole drama, Lola Okoye has never reacted publicly or responded and she has not said anything about the rumours either.
According to our source, Paul and Jude Okoye has sworn to never go back to Peter Okoye to settle as a group.
The Garden City of Rivers State Port Harcourt at the weekend joined other parts of the world to celebrate the World Music Day, 2025, as Alliance Française showcases talents.
The event which is internationally known as Fête de la musique was held at cultural hall of the Alliance Française was a remarkable concert with memorable experience.
The event brought together music lovers, students, Artistes and members of the community For an exciting evening live performances and cultural exchange.
The Tide Entertainment reports that the world Music Day, which was created 1982 in France by the then Minister of culture, Jack Lang, ‘ Fête de la Musique’ is now celebrated in more than 100 countries every 21st June, marking the first day of summer with free concerts and musical showcases in public spaces.
In Port Harcourt, the Alliance Française honoured the tradition by spotlighting four(4) emerging artistes offering a platform to young talents shaping the city’s contemporary scene.
The audience enjoyed an unforgettable moments as they were entertained by the powerful performances from Preach A, who is known for blending fitness culture with spoken words and rhythm.
Also, artiste Emmayany delivering a vibrant fusion of afrobeat and afro pop. A singer, song writer and a performing artiste with a distinct sound.
Others were Amarachy Uko, a sensational singer with passion for soul , R&B, pop music and afrobeat.
While DJ Prospel closed the night with an energetic DJ set that got the entire hall dancing.
Earlier, the Director, Alliance Française, Port Harcourt Mrs Marina Lacal high lighted the mission of the Alliance Française saying that the event was more than a concert.
According to her, the event was put together by the Alliance Française to promote cultural diversity and foster artistic expression by connecting a long standing French tradition with creativity of the local music scene, adding that the event offerers an avenue for dialogue between culture and generations.
She stated that the event is used to promote professional and bring amateur artistes to limelight via the platform of the Alliance Française which is aimed at promoting the French Language through cultural heritage.
She explained that the celebration is also a broader series of Fête de la musique activities organized by the 10 Alliance Française across Nigeria in sync with concerts held in France and around the world simultaneously.
She further noted that the occasion reaffirms the role of Alliance Française as a cultural bridge, one where French heritage meets the pulses of Nigerian youth.
It would be recalled that no fewer than 19 artistes applied to perform at the event in Port Harcourt, but only four got approval for appearance.
The Governor of the Performing Musicians Employer’s Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Rivers State chapter, Comrade Moses Mabadeje popularly known as Mozy B said that the body has announced plans to implement performance Levy on artistes in the state with effect from 21st June.
This was carried in a statement released to The Tide Entertainment, yesterday by the Deputy Governor of the association, Comrade Abiye Howells.
According to the Governor, the announcement was made by PMAN, the only governing body that regulates the music profession in Nigeria, as authorized by the Government of Nigeria, in line with the Trade Union Act.
He stated that those affected by the Levy include (Non members)bands, groups, Hotels, Bars, lounges, Event Centres, show organizers, promoters and other stakeholders hosting events which feature live music performances within the State.
However, the Levy does not apply to members of the Performing Musicians Employer’s Association of Nigeria. (PMAN).
Comrade Moses Mabadeje, explained that this drive is aimed at financing the association and supporting the welfare and interest of musicians as outlined in Article 8 of the PMAN constitution as amended (2023). Consequently, a PMAN task force has been set up to enforce and swing into action to effect this move.
He further said that event organizers, promoters and owners of event centers are expected to comply with this regulation as the Governor has urged stakeholders to collaborate with the association to ensure the successful implementation of the levy and the peaceful co-existence between PMAN and Stockholders.
Nancy Briggs
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.