12 SUPER TUCANO PLANES: BUHARI NEEDS TO EXPLAIN WHERE $167M OF OUR MONEY WENT

In 2018,President Buhari hurriedly withdrew $496M from the excess crude account without the approval of the senate as is stipulated by the Nigerian constitution to pay for 12 Super Tucano planes.In a letter sent after the money had already been withdrawn, Buhari deliberately left them in the dark as to the model of the planes and told the senate that he was rushing to meet a deadline.That is the first red flag as far as the purported $496M purchase of 12 Super Tucano light assault airplanes is concerned.Was our President being duped by fraudsters?.

The US government (which sent us $40M in aid just weeks ago by the way) would ordinarily buy and hand us those planes if they could, considering our well publicized fight against terror and not set a deadline for the purchase of fighter planes from a defense contractor operating in its territory.It was absurd.But somebody played his card well.

The Bukola Saraki led senate wasn't Buhari's rubber stamp.It would grill him or anyone he sends over on the costs of those planes after finding out all there is to know about them.Buhari then would be forced to disclose the model and why he is paying a staggering $41M each for them when a quick search will reveal an A 29 model ranges from $25M to $30M at the very most.

An article i stumbled on by The Defence Post about a week ago made things explicitly clear.The man didn't want anyone knowing how much was really going to be spent on those planes.The US government has to approve arms requests to defense contractors and it turns out the US Department of defense issued a press release on Wednesday 28th November 2018 saying the Pentagon had awarded a $329M contract to Sierra Nevada for the construction of 12 A 29 Super Tucano light assault air planes for the Nigerian Air Force.

Not only that, a caveat was included in the undefinitized contract for the sum not to exceed $344M.That answers why Buhari hurriedly withdrew $496M; a staggering $167M more than the contract sum.Be clear on this,there was never any ambiguity as to the price he claims to have paid for those planes-$496M!!.And At no point did he say it included other purchases.

There were media reports as early as February 2018 that Buhari had paid for the planes and not until April 17th 2018 did the Senate get his letter explaining why payment had to be quick.HOW DID BUHARI PAY IN EARLY 2018 FOR A CONTRACT THAT WASN'T EVEN AWARDED TILL LATE THAT YEAR?.The press release from the US Department of Defense also clearly states that payment would be made shortly after the award of the contract.Technically,Buhari couldn't have paid for those planes any earlier than 28th November 2018 despite having written to the senate 7 months,2 weeks and 3 days before that saying he didn't seek their approval in accordance with our laws because he had to rush payment.It is as clear as day,Buhari is not being honest.When he sought and got approval from the governors to withdraw $1bn from the Excess Crude Account to tackle insecurity,quite a number of people screamed to high heavens about it being a ploy to reserve money for the 2019 elections.Buhari's dubious purchase has all but confirmed that.

The contract entered into on our behalf by the US government with Sierra Nevada for those 12 planes clearly states that the contract sum is $329M and that it must not exceed $344M.That is a term on which the validity of the contract stands so it is not in any way possible for Buhari to pay more than that amount.He owes us $167M or at the very least, $152M.

Before i read the Defence Post article,i had said much earlier that there was a great chance the americans used the shady plane purchase to scare Buhari behind the scenes into releasing activist,Omoyele Sowore.They had him by the balls so bad,he added former National Security Adviser,Sambo Dasuki as a bonus; a man who ironically, Buhari is prosecuting for embezzling funds meant to fight boko haram.Even without this piece of overwhelming evidence,the $41M Buhari claimed to have paid for each of the 12 light assault planes was just too outrageous.The fact that they weren't forthcoming with the model of the planes meant they were hiding something.

Just days ago,the US raised alarm over Buhari's plan to hand $100M out of an Abacha loot they had recovered to Governor of Kebbi state,Atiku Bagudu and Buhari's people are denying without being confrontational.They don't want to make an enemy of the americans.

Now it is out in the open, the United States government entered into a $329M contract for 12 A 29 Super Tucano light assault planes with Sierra Nevada; planes President Buhari claims to have paid $496M for.Buhari owes us an explanation as to where $167M of that sum went.

IS PRESIDENT BUHARI A BOKO HARAM MEMBER?

Senator Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe state is sponsoring a bill to create an agency to handle the rehabilitation of boko haram members.The bill like the social media and hate speech bills,is believed to be a brain child of the Buhari administration which started the Operation Safe Corridor programme in 2016 for the same purpose; rehabilitating boko haram members.

The causes Buhari is passionate about have almost all the time been sold to us by people other than himself-Lai Mohammed dealt with us on the issue of the FG's plan to start a fulani radio station while Audu Ogbeh handled that of RUGA settlements.

Quite a number of prominent nigerians in commentaries on the current spate of killings in the country, have at one point or the other over the last few years,hinted of an islamization and fulanization agenda.Some even accusing the security agencies of complicity.At this point,it is not safe to wave those concerns aside.

Why is this government very interested in releasing captured boko haram fighters in a war it is still fighting?.It is one thing for boko haram to surrender or fall to the might of the nigerian military and another thing altogether for these terrorists to be released because they say they have 'changed' while their colleagues are still out there killing innocent nigerians at an alarming rate.Quote me anywhere,no country in the world does that.

Captured boko haram terrorists need not bother denying whatever they are accused of,all they have to do is just say they have 'repented'.My heart goes out to every soldier at the battle front laying his life down for this country.We don't deserve it.He loses friends fighting these terrorists but still musters enough courage to carry on.Some he has had to sit and watch being slaughtered in videos.

My heart goes out to the families of the Auno attack victims who were told their loved ones were set ablaze in vehicles conveying them to Maiduguri.Their leaders obviously aren't worried about sending out reinforcements to these blood suckers; reinforcements to the tune of 1,400 persons going by the figures presented days ago by the Borno state government.

If the military chooses to believe its own lies then that is its problem but to be frank,they are nowhere close to defeating boko haram.I don't think any President would be stupid enough to send out 'rehabilitated' members of a terrorist group at this point of a war in spite of the very frightening chances of strenthening them.Except of course he is a boko haram member himself or is at the very least,sympathetic to their cause.

President Buhari's extremist tendencies are no secret.

As a matter of fact,former presidential candidate of the AAC and publisher of popular news site Sahara Reporters,Omoyele Sowore said while still in DSS custody that he was denied phone calls to his family while boko haram commanders not only enjoyed that privilege,they also had access to televison sets and cable tv in their cells.In 2001,Buhari said "We will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of sharia in the whole country.I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria ".Also in 2012,the boko haram sect of all the people alive,appointed President Buhari to mediate on its behalf in a proposed sit down by the Jonathan administration.

I don't know about you but for me,anyone appointed a mediator on behalf of a group is presumably well acquainted with its ideologies and goals.

Buhari's recent statements on boko haram have quite regrettably appeared more PR for the sect.Shortly after it had killed a Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, boko haram executed a christian student of the University of Maiduguri named Ropvil Dalyep on his way back to school and openly declared war against christians in that video.Buhari said boko haram had killed even more muslims than christians.If he was trying to depict boko haram as targeting more muslims than christians,he failed woefully.Most people already know anyone; muslim or christian who doesn't believe in what boko haram is selling is considered an enemy.Buhari acting like he didn't know is not a good look.

During his condolence visit to Borno after the Auno massacre,his comments suggesting the local leadership in Borno were in bed with boko haram at such a delicate time could have just been a carefully orchestrated plan to cause chaos,promote distrust and allow the terrorists more room to operate than a genuine grievance.Everything points to that there is an ulterior motive behind the efforts Buhari,Geidam and co. are putting into releasing boko haram members.

None of them is worried about what it would mean to the christian population for a people that have openly promised to wage war against them to be released.Or what it would do to the morale of soldiers fighting the war against terror to know government with its eyes very wide open sent the enemy possible reinforcements by the thousands.None of them care what the average nigerian that has been asking how many arrested boko haram terrorists have been prosecuted will think.

May we know the whole truth some day.

LETTER TO EL RUFAI @ 60-YOUR REPUTATION FOR HYPOCRISY OVERSHADOWS THE GOOD YOU DO

Dear Mallam El Rufai,

Happy Birthday.Let me first start by saying i have nothing personal against you.Expect to see me singing your praises when next you do anything that calls for such.You i must say, are a queer type of politician.The type everyone agrees does well any time he is called upon to serve but is also curiously enough, widely despised for aligning personal interest with public discontent to pursue his selfish ends.Your reputation for hypocrisy is legendary.

The people you worked for and sang praises of are also the same people you have turned on to move up in life.However i must say that in 2010,you rendered the most honest of your duplicitous declamations when you described President Buhari as 'expired and perpetually unelectable'.You went on to not only sing his praises as a member of his party but to actively work for his victory in 2015.What you said has proven true.

I am sure over the last few months you have seen several old tweets of yours against the Jonathan administration being dug up and spoken of in relation to the current state of the country under President Muhammadu Buhari.You expressed worries over our debts doubling under President Jonathan in 2012 and how it would affect the future of the younger ones.Today you have not only remained mute while our debt profile has trippled under President Buhari from N7.8trn to over N27 trn,you have sat down as head of an ad-hoc committee on the ownership of power distribution companies to say N1.7trn has been pumped into the power companies in 3 years.

Note also that Vice-President Yomi Osinbajo had mentioned earlier that government had spent N900bn since coming into office on power and was planning a further N600bn in 'intervention'.Going by what you both have told us,the Buhari administration has already spent about N3trn on power.What Buhari is probing Obasanjo for spending in 8 years with no results,he has already done in 5.If you point a finger at someone, 3 are pointing back at you.You all will never take that probe seriously because it will arouse much interest in Buhari's own expenditure since he assumed office.

Even if N1.7trn was really spent on the companies in 3 years as you have claimed,don't you think its stupid to pump that much with your eyes wide open and then heap the blame on them?. My point Mallam Nasiru is that you have not only remained mute while a worse panhandler than Jonathan continues to mortgage away our future,you are a key component of the system and was caught more or less justifying a classic case of how our future is being wasted away.

At the very least you were assured of a ministerial appointment if Buhari won.The motive was never our best interests.The few that doubted it then will agree now.The most intriguing recollection of your past utterances the internet has spawned over the last month has to be an interview you had with tv news station,TVC while President Jonathan was in office.Let me quote some of the things you said-

"We are just applying military force and we think we can resolve an insurgency?.Its not going to happen.I have been in government.I have ran a territory.I know the amount of information i get, security reports i get as Minister.The President gets 50 times that.And i put it to you and i challenge anyone including DG SSS to this; the SSS knows who these insurgents are.They are not ghosts,they know them.The President knows them.They are just unwilling to do it".

Going by this logic President Buhari knows who boko haram is.And to be quite honest,Buhari should not only be accused of knowing who and where boko haram are but also of being in bed with them.His extremist tendencies are no secret.In 2001,he said "We will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of sharia in the whole country ".

As you very well know also,they appointed him a mediator on their behalf in a proposed dialogue by the Jonathan administration in 2012.Political activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore said while in DSS detention,he was denied calls to his family while top commanders of the sect had access to Phones,TVs and Cable in their cells.Since the Operation Safe Corridor programme began in 2016,a mind-blowing figure of 1,400 boko haram terrorists have been released.

Nigerian soldiers who spoke to TheCable are bitter as to why that is the case with one even quoted as saying they go through a lot to arrest these terrorists only for some top persons to come and negotiate their release.That is not done anywhere else in the world.No one captures ISIS or Al-Shabaab terrorists and lets them go after a short while only because they say 'they have repented'.Except of course they are part of the 'cause' or are at the very least, sympathetic to it.

The only time President Jonathan considered releasing boko haram terrorists was when they proposed an exchange for the kidnapped Chibok girls.Mallam,you are silent.

As you turn 60,i hope you dedicate the remainder of your days to speaking the truth at all times to power and not only when it works in your favour.You are said to be angling for a VP slot in 2023 with the visits of Former President Obasanjo and Former Vice-President Namadi Sambo being interpreted as a ploy to buttress political value.

The fact that you are not much coveted despite having done well in office is entirely your doing.I hope you transit from self-love to genuine love for country.Happy Birthday once again.

WHY IS BUHARI BORROWING $22.6BN TO 'COMPLETE' PROJECTS LESS THAN HALF THAT SUM WILL FUND FROM START TO FINISH?.

The United States government will soon send over a fresh $308M looted from our treasury by late head of state and former boss of President Buhari, General Sani Abacha.The Attorney General of the Federation,Abubakar Malami in a statement published on the website of the American embassy,said the funds will be put into the 2nd Niger bridge,the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and the ,Abuja-Kano expressway.Evenly spread across all 3, that would mean N37bn to each and a significant raise in levels of completion.

The Senate under Bukola Saraki if you remember withheld a $29.9 bn loan approval on the ground that there was nothing sent to it indicating what the money would be used for.Eventually Buhari got approval for a $6 bn loan and is now before this senate seeking its nod to go for about $22.6 bn which Saraki's red chamber did not approve.Though many doubt it will happen,the senate claims to be considering a public hearing before it makes a decision.

Buhari has set forth as his reasons for seeking this fresh loan,the completion of '5 Legacy Projects' which are the 2nd Niger bridge,the Lagos-Ibadan expressway,the Abuja-Kano expressway,the East-West road and the Mambilla power station.Also note that in 2018, Lai Mohammed specifically told nigerians that the Buhari administration had set aside $1.5bn for these same 5 projects.The monies that have been tied to these projects since their commencement are enough to build a world class city and it is time we wake up and start asking the right questions.

Former Minister of Works and Housing,Babatunde Fashola told nigerians in 2018 that the 'main work' for the 2nd Niger bridge would cost N210 bn.With the benefit of retrospection, 'main work' now very much appears government's illusionary tactic to evade accountability.Just months later,the same government Fashola represented went ahead to award a N206 bn contract to Julius Berger Plc for its construction.To shock you,the contract was awarded after the spokespersons of both arms of the national assembly in a joint statement said unequivocally that there were allocations for the project in the 2016 and 2017 budgets that were NEVER UTILIZED; N12.5 bn in the 2016 budget and N7.5 bn in the 2017 budget.That means a total of N20 bn was supposed to go into the 2nd Niger bridge project but didn't at a time a contract for its construction hadn't even been awarded.

In December 2018, government released (not just approved), N33 bn for the construction of the bridge.Add that to the N20 bn the Senate said wasn't used and that gives you N53 bn.If half of the Abacha loot ($160M) is sunk into Nigeria's most expensive construction project, the Buhari administration would have paid for half of it already.The senate in justification of its slash in the funding of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway project to about N10bn in the 2017 budget accused the then Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola of lying to nigerians about the project and said only N26bn was released by Buhari out of the N40bn allocated to it.Give or take,government has so far spent much more than N40bn out of an estimated N168bn in the name of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.Especially if you consider also the $1.3bn Lai Mohammed mentioned.

Julius Berger like we all already know received an initial N50bn for the N155 bn Abuja-Kano expressway.Minus of course budgetary allocations and Lai's $1.3bn largesse.The case of the East-West road project is a very curious one.It is estimated to cost N167bn and the Federal Government allocated N6.7bn to it in the 2017 budget and N20bn in that of 2018.In April 2019,the then Minister of Niger-Delta,Pastor Usani Uguru told the house of representatives that government had allocated it N24bn and just days later,he was telling the National Gas and Oil Host Producing Communities (HOSTCOM) that President Buhari had approved N100bn for its completion.

WHY IN THE WORLD DOES BUHARI NEED AS MUCH AS $22.6BN JUST TO COMPLETE THESE PROJECTS?.Just $2bn (N726bn) will start and finish the N220bn 2nd Niger bridge,the Lagos-Ibadan expressway estimated at N168bn,the N155bn Kano-Abuja expressway and the N167bn East-West road with N16bn to spare.Note that i said start and finish.These are all on-going projects where although the several dubious amounts of huge sums being tied to them may not be commensurate to what it is on ground,some work has been done.Why is Buhari trying to borrow money that will start and finish them about 20 times over?.

The man is mortgaging away the future of this country and is sure to feel much more relaxed now with a National Assembly leadership he helped put in place.If you didn't back then,i'm sure now you are starting to understand why a sum as outrageous as N37bn would be allocated to the NASS for renovation.They need the money in place to be disbursed when issues like this come up.Fears of Buhari going for a 3rd term have abated after the man's express denial of harbouring such intentions but the manner in which public wealth is being unaccounted for means Nigerians have to be wary of a last minute dollar rain for that purpose.

As things currently stand,experts have said we would at least spend the next 30 years servicing the debt Buhari has piled on us.Government itself estimated the Mambilla Power project to cost a total of $5.8bn.Even if we choose to over-look the many times government has told us it has set aside money for all of these projects and have not asked what the money ended up being used for, $7bn is more than enough for what he has listed as 'legacy projects' including Mambilla.Nigerians need to push for the senate to make its hearing public.Let Buhari or whoever is coming to represent him explain to the country why they need $22.6bn to 'complete' on-going projects when much less than half that sum would start and finish them.

El Rufai was saying weeks ago that the Federal Government had spent N1.7trn on the Power companies in 3 years.They know the companies will not raise their voices for fear of losing their licenses.I ask-what degree of imbecility does it require to keep pumping in as much as N1.7trn without any tangible results?.Especially into companies the FG itself regulates.

They have spent N1.7trn on power with supply now worse than it used to be and by the time Buhari leaves in 2023 (If he does),they may have surpassed Obasanjo's N3trn.Remember that he was asking to borrow $1bn for power from the World bank just last year.Ponder no more on why Buhari will never take Obasanjo's power probe seriously.If he does, people will start asking about his own expenditure.

The entire Abacha loot will go into projects Buhari has been financing and wants to get a whole $22.6bn loan to complete.Even a blind man can see something is not right.

SOUND CITY MVPs: MERIT WAS SACRIFICIED TO KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY

The Sound City MVPs held last Saturday at the Eko convention centre,Lagos.Walk with me through the categories.

Best New MVP

FireBoy DML ( NG )

JoeBoy ( NG )

Marioo ( TZ )

Rema (NG) – Winner

Simmy ( SA)

Wendy Shay ( GH )

This was always going to be between Fireboy,Joeboy and Rema.Fireboy had one of the best albums of 2019.If you take that into consideration along with that the MVPs could choose to follow in the footsteps of the headies by refusing to award the best for no other imaginable reason than that they had been rewarded by their rivals and didn't want to appear to be playing 'catch up', Fireboy stood a real chance of clinching this.It turned out Rema's.The MVP award along with the headies' Next Rated effectively makes him the undisputed Best new kid on the block.What this also means is that he has come as far as Dumebi can carry him,the real work starts now.

Best Collaboration

Blow My Mind – Davido [ NG ]

Daz How Star Do – Skiibii [ NG ]

Gugulethu – Prince Kaybee [SA] – Winner

Jama – DJ Mic Smith [ GH]

Killin' Dem – Burna Boy [ NG ]

Inama – Diamond PlatNumz [ TZ ]

This had to be Burna boy's Killin' Dem, no 2 ways about it.And even if these songs were to be ranked according to the impact they made, Skiibii's Daz How Star Do and Davido's Blow My Mind would have to win this category before any other song on this list.

Best Pop

Innos B [ CG ]

Nandy [ TZ ]

JoeBoy [NG] – Winner

Otile Brown [ KE]

Kizz Daniel [ NG ]

Teni [ NG ]

Mayorkun [ NG ]

Rayvanny [ TZ ]

Naira Marley [ NG ]

First, Naira Marley is not a pop artiste and shouldn't at all be on this list.Marley is a street hop artiste that would have to fall under hip hop when broadly categorized.Nonetheless having him here automatically means he had to win this ahead of Joeboy and every other name on that list because he had the best year.Secondly, it is very obvious Fireboy was left out of this list to reward Joeboy.At this point in the night,it was clear Soundcity would try as much as possible to please everyone.Last year,all foreign artistes that attended the show won their categories ahead of worthier nominees and this year, it wanted to spread the love round.Fireboy would go on to be rewarded in another category and Burna boy's Killin' Dem too.

Best Hip Hop

BlaqBonez ( NG )

Falz ( NG )

KHALIGRAPH Jones (KE) – Winner

Kwesta ( SA)

Medikal ( GH)

Shinski ( KE)

Sarkodie ( GH )

Reminisce ( NG )

Ricky Rick ( SA)

Zakwe ( SA)

Falz deservedly, but what in God's name is Reminisce doing here?.They were mischevious enough to leave Naira Marley out of this category where he belongs and place him in Best Pop but there are still a plethora of rap artistes that had a better year than Reminisce in Nigeria.

Kaligraph has consistently kept it real over the years but with all due respect, this was made easy for him.M.anifest should have gotten in there from Ghana ahead of Sarkodie and Medikal.This has to be the worst category of the night.

Best Duo

Black Motion ( SA)

Diamond ( SA)

DopeNation (GH) – Winner

Ethic ( KE )

Show Dem Camp ( NG )

Toofan ( TG )

Most people thought this was going to be Toofan's but it went to Ghana's Dope Nation.Well, congrats.

African Producer of the Year

Cracker ( NG)

Prince Kaybee ( SA)

Jay Synth ( NG )

Kel P ( NG )

MOG ( GH )

Ozedikus ( NG)

Pheelz ( NG )

Rexxie (NG) – Winner

S2Kizzy ( TZ )

Nigeria; Lagos precisely, is the entertainment capital of Africa and the foreign producers on this list would have to have made at least 2 smash hits in the mould of Mafikizolo's Khona or ODG Fuse's Azonto to stand a real chance.That having been said, Kel P has barely scratched the surface since Burna boy's Killin' Dem and Ozedikus' sole claim to top tier status is still Rema's Dumebi.This was between Pheelz and Rexxie with an eye out for Cracker Mallo who has gone on to produce quite a number of decent songs since Fireboy's Jealous.

Rexxie deserved this award more than anyone on this list and i am glad he got it.He is starting to get the recognition he truly deserves.He produced Zlatan's Zanku,Naira Marley's Soapy and Chinko Ekun's Able God among others.The quality of his beats are just unbelievable.Rexxie Pon the Beat has been the unseen force behind street hop in the last two years.

Best Female MVP

Betty G ( ETH)

Daphne ( CMR )

Nandy ( TZ )

Sho Madjozi ( SA)

Teni (NG) – Winner

Tiwa Savage ( NG )

Yemi Alade ( NG )

If you had any doubts as to Sound City's intention to spread the love,they were erased here.It is just not possible for Teni to beat Tiwa Savage to Female MVP.Asides the 49-99 single,Tiwa gave a fabulous account of herself on Beyonce's Lion King album with Keys To The Kingdom and rocked more high profile shows; some of them with Wizkid alongside.Even if Sound City wanted everyone happy then at least it should have been smarter on how it went about things.How can Teni win the category for best female artiste and miss out on a spot for African Artiste of the Year while Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade who lost out to her here both got nominated?.Its totally indefensible.

Best Male MVP

Burna Boy (NG) – Winner

Davido ( NG )

Diamond Platnumz ( TZ )

King Promise ( GH)

Sjava ( SA)

Wizkid ( NG )

Zlatan ( NG)

Burna boy had to win this.The only reason anyone would be sceptical about Don Guorgon taking this home was the MVPs' newly cultivated propensity to please everyone.You couldn't safely say this wasn't going to be Wizkid or Zlatan.

African DJ of the Year

DJ Creme De La Creme ( KE )

DJ Kaywise ( NG )

DJ Neptune ( NG)

DJ Spinall (NG) – Winner

DJ Vyrusky ( GH )

DJ Zinhle ( SA)

DJ Neptune won this award last year when it should have gone to DJ Spinall and it was nice to see him get it this time around.

Digital Artiste of the Year

Cassper Nyovest [ SA]

Davido [NG] – Winner

Diamond Platnumz [ TZ ]

Kizz Daniel [ NG ]

Mr Eazi [ NG ]

Yemi Alade [ NG ]

Wizkid [ NG ]

There couldn't possibly be a worthier recipient than Davido.The Blow My Mind video with Chris Brown notched up a record-setting 2 million Youtube views in 24 hours.Davido it should also be noted holds the record for the most viewed video by a nigerian artiste with Fall now having surpassed 100 million views.

Listeners’ Choice

Baby – JoeBoy ( NG )

Dumebi – Rema ( NG)

Fetch your Life – Prince Kaybee ( SA)

Jealous – Fireboy DML (NG) – Winner

Jama – DJ Mic Smith ( GH)

Kainama – Harmonize ( TZ )

Killin Dem – BurnaBoy ( NG )

Kpo K3K3 – StoneBwoy ( GH )

Oil & Gas – Olamide ( NG )

Fireboy was omitted from the Best Pop category to provide a smooth path for Joeboy and he was compensated with this.I have always said that Listeners' and Viewers' choice are categories kept by these awards to hand to who they please and in this instance,it came in handy to help compensate a man denied what was rightfully his.

As an addendum, that Wizkid wasn't nominated for these categories tells you just how bad a year he had.Considering Sound City's big heartedness this year,he should have gotten one at the very least.

Viewers’ Choice

49-99 – Tiwa Savage ( NG )

Able God – Chinko Ekun ( NG )

Banomoya – Prince Kaybee ( SA)

My Level – Shatta Wale ( GH )

On The Low – Burna Boy ( NG )

Soapy – Naira Marley (NG) – Winner

Tetema – Rayvanny ( TZ )

Zanku (Legwork) – Zlatan ( NG)

Marley was wrongly placed in Best Pop (a category which he should have won regardless) and left out of Best Hip hop where he truly belonged.It made sense to compensate him with this award; his very first.First among many needless to say as he is all but guaranteed at least the Street Hop category at the headies later in the year.Soapy was colossal.

Video of the Year

49-99 – Tiwa Savage by Meji Alabi (NG) – Winner

Dangote – Burna Boy by Clarence Peters ( NG )

Jericho – Simi by Adasa Cookey ( NG )

Ngwa – Blick Bassy by Tebego Malope ( SA)

Ohema – Kuami Eugene by Rex ( GH )

On the basis of quality, the closest thing to Tiwa's 49-99 was South African, Blick Bassy's Ngwa.There is really nothing that hasn't already been said about the breath-taking 49-99 video.Mad costuming one of them.Meji Alabi deserved this 100%.

Song of the Year

Jealous – FireBoy DML ( NG)

Killin' Dem – Burna Boy (NG) – Winner

Malwhede – King Monada ( SA)

Soapy – Naira Marley ( NG )

Tetema – Rayvanny ( TZ )

Zanku (Legwork) – Zlatan ( NG)

Baby – JoeBoy ( NG )

Case – Teni ( NG )

Dumebi – Rema ( NG)

Fetch Your Life – Prince Kaybee ( SA)

Jama – DJ Mic Smith( GH )

Killin' Dem was denied an obvious win in Best Collaboration and this redressed that but it came as a price; merit.Burna boy had a better year than any African artiste no doubt but was Killin' Dem a bigger song than Dumebi and Soapy?.If that is debatable then certainly not with Teni's Case in the picture.There is no way in the world Killin' Dem was as huge as Case.Well like i said, the MVPs wanted to keep everyone happy and having been sacrificed in what appeared a bid to give the brand a universal appeal by rewarding the South Africans, Killin' Dem had to fit in some where.It didn't deserve this.

African Artiste Of The Year

Burna Boy (NG) – Winner

Davido ( NG )

Diamond Platnumz ( TZ )

Shatta Wale ( GH)

ShoMadjozi ( SA)

Tiwa Savage ( NG )

Wizkid ( NG )

Yemi Alade ( NG )

Sound City would have created some serious problems for itself if it denied Burna boy this award.He may not have had the biggest songs but there is no way anyone would deny Burna boy artiste of the year and sleep in peace.Just not possible.

A lot of people had been rooting for the MVPs over the last few years to overtake the headies as Nigeria's number one music award show and i'm pretty sure this edition must have left them gutted.From DJs playing the wrong songs for artistes coming on stage to a hype man that irritated fans more than he excited them.The 2020 Sound City MVP Awards was disappointing.

5 CASES WE MAY NEVER SEE IN COURT UNDER BUHARI

It is no longer news that President Buhari's integrity has proven a hoax.It was never about wanting to change Nigeria for the better,it was about wanting power and its attendant benefits like those before him.Below are 5 cases we may never see in court. 

DIEZANI ALLISON MADUEKE HAS NOT BEEN EXTRADITED DESPITE WHAT MAGU HAS BEEN SAYING SINCE 2017

Former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison Madueke is widely reputed to be the most corrupt minister ever in the history of this country.What this woman and her cronies are accused of stealing from the national coffers is enough to fund two annual budgets; perhaps that is why they are still free.

It is being whispered in some quarters that Diezani is the worst victim of an extortion racket at the highest levels of Aso Rock that exploits corrupt politicians scared of prosecution.They make cash readily available to whomever they are asked to to avoid being punished and the Buhari administration's blatant reluctance to bring her back home is a pointer to the existence of such a dubious scheme.

First,the UK promised it was going to prosecute her then they kept mute and ever since,there has been one story every year from the EFCC.In 2017, Magu said there were ongoing plans to extradite her.He repeated the same statement a year and 2 months later in 2018 and in 2019, we saw a change in strategy; one that involved raiding one of her houses and parading $40M worth of jewelleries.I remember saying then that judging from how a whole UK was made to back off her trail, they may have gotten the woman to buy and have jewelleries planted for them to recover for the optics.

Whether or not, the story of her being a Dominican diplomat is genuine,it cannot shield her from crimes perpetrated as a minister in Nigeria.Its 2020 and Diezani is still yet to extradited to face charges and the EFCC still hasn't gone beyond telling us 'there are ongoing plans'.Maybe Buhari can tell us why.

THE OBASANJO $16BN POWER PROBE HAS SUDDENLY GONE COLD

A former director at the Ministry of Petroleum has been made the official scapegoat for the controversial P&ID gas contract that led to a $9bn compensation awarded against this country.People expected the EFCC to tow that path since it arrested some never-before-heard names with regard to how $16bn was spent on power under former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.

There has been no news ever since.Not on what the arrested persons said or on more people being picked up.Not the Ministers and not the big fish himself, OBJ.

President Buhari said he would limit his fight against corruption to only the Jonathan administration but in one desperate and hypocritical moment,he told youths he was addressing that 'a former president' claimed he spent $16bn on power.That is the humongous sum nigerians have been told countlessly was spent on power under President Obasanjo and when a massive outcry geeted Buhari's comments, he was forced to order a probe of how that sum was spent.While it is hard to say with certainty why Buhari's EFCC is reluctant to pursue the probe, the most likely reason would be that he is worried about the optics.Right now, he can't win any war no matter how righteous considering the level of discontent with his administration and secondly, any effort to prosecute Obasanjo will all but turn the entire South West against him.Afenifere has already accused him of sidelining Vice-President Osinbajo only because he was bitter at the sacking of former DSS boss, Lawal Daura while he was on medical leave in London.If nigerians aren't bothered by the fact that the Buhari administration is claiming to have spent N1.5 trn on power without a commensurate improvement in electricity supply, then they will start to ask questions then.Black and dark are not any different from each other.Is Buhari scared of probing Obasanjo?.Only he can answer that.

WADUME THE KIDNAPPER HAS STILL NOT BEEN CHARGED

You ordinarily would expect the authorities to arraign this notorious kidnapper and make so much noise about it for no better reason than 3 policemen were gruesomely murdered by soldiers just to help him escape but no one could safely bet on that after learning he said he got N13M to work for Buhari in the 2019 Presidential election.The police have held him way beyond the constitutionally stipulated time and without any update to the public.Wadume's statement to the police not only shed more light on the nefarious antics of the APC,it also gave an insight to just how much our leaders contribute to insecurity in Nigeria.Unknown gunmen were involved in a shootout with soldiers at the entrance of President Jonathan's country home not too long ago and just a week ago,another set attacked a community in Kogi and killed 19 people.Politicians arm thugs to help them win elections at all costs and after that is done, these youths they have 'empowered' deploy those arms to various criminal activities.No one who has been arrested is facing charges almost 6 months later-not Wadume and not the soldiers that killed policemen to effect his release.Maybe Buhari can tell us why.

AMIDST CLAIMS HE WAS KEEPING AISHA BUHARI'S MONEY, HER FORMER ADC ARRESTED FOR FRAUD HAS NOT BEEN CHARGED TO COURT

The case of CSP Sani Baba-Inna, Aisha Buhari's aide-de-camp accused of defrauding undisclosed persons of N2.5bn in her name is a particularly interesting one.A lot of people said soon after the news spread that the money was hers and that further lent credence to the rumours about Aso Rock's extortion scheme.The only way to disprove that was for Baba-Inna to be charged in court and a year and four months later, that has still not happened.Are they scared of what he might say?.

Popular activist, Prince Deji Adeyanju narrated an encounter he had with members of Baba-Inna's family where he was told they knew Baba-Inna had been acting as a front for her and even bought a house in Abuja for one of her daughters.Nobody wants us to hear what Baba-Inna has to say.Certainly not the Buharis.

THE JONATHANS ARE UNTOUCHABLE

Former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki said every payment he made from the $2.1bn arms fund was authorized by President Goodluck Jonathan.Chief Doyin Okupe, a media aide of the former president was accused of receiving N400M and he stated in quite unequivocal terms that the payment was authorized by President Jonathan.The EFCC didn't as much as extend an invitation to the former president talk more investigate and possibly prosecute him.Patience Jonathan came out to claim monies found in the name of her aides as hers and the EFCC in what appears a move to punish her audacity, has seized those monies along with some of her properties.How is it possible to seize properties on the basis of having being acquired by ill-gotten wealth and then refuse to charge the person to court?.Only Buhari and his EFCC can answer that.

The temerity behind Patience Jonathan claiming those monies instead of gladly allowing the scapegoats take the fall suggests above anything else that the former first lady felt whatever agreement they had with Buhari extended to their friends too.The woman oozed a strange sense of invincibility.She took the EFCC to court instead of the other way round.For a man that clearly said when he assumed office in 2015, that he was going to punish all corrupt persons, even Buhari won't blame anyone who thinks he has a dubious agreement with the Jonathans.One that involves him getting a slice of the pie maybe.

TOP 10 SONGS OF LAST DECADE

1.YORI YORI-BRACKET

2.SHOKI-LIL KESH

3.OLEKU-ICE PRINCE FEAT BRYMO

4.DAMI DURO-DAVIDO

5.KUKERE-IYANYA

6.OJUELEGBA-WIZKID

7.LIMPOPO-KCEE

8.LIKE TO PARTY-BURNA BOY

9.FIRST OF ALL-OLAMIDE

10.GODWIN-KOREDE BELLO

BEST SONGS NOT INCLUDED

1.NUMBER ONE-MI FEAT FLAVOUR

2.ONYINYE-P SQUARE

3.STRONG THING-BANKY W

4.JAGABAN-YCEE

5.WOJU-KISS DANIEL

ARTISTE OF THE DECADE 

WIZKID

ALBUM OF THE DECADE

STAR BOY-WIZKID