By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare

Obi Asika’s journey reads like the blueprint of a cultural architect: an Onitsha boy with global eyes, a detribalised Nigerian with deep heritage, and a visionary who carries the rare kinetics — the energy, force, intelligence and motion — required to transform Nigeria’s arts, culture and entertainment landscape. Few individuals have held as many master keys to the creative economy as he does. From music to film, festivals to archives, heritage to global diplomacy, he stands today as one of the most influential culture-builders of modern Nigeria.

Family and Early Roots: The Onitsha Foundation

Born on 3 October 1968 into the historically respected Asika family of Onitsha, Obi grew up within a home soaked in leadership, heritage and intellectual discipline. His father, Anthony Ukpabi Asika, was Administrator of the East-Central State during a complex post-civil war era. His mother, Chinyere Edith Asika, was a scholar, computer scientist and celebrated collector of Nigerian fabrics, arts, ornaments and material culture. She built a 3,000-piece archive over five decades — a legacy that shaped Obi’s reverence for culture.

From this home, he learned the value of identity, memory, elegance, and people. He also learned inclusion. Today he is widely seen as one of Nigeria’s most detribalised figures — deeply Igbo by birth, fully Nigerian by spirit, and proudly married to Yetunde Asika, a Lagos-rooted Yoruba woman. His closest friends and professional networks cut across Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, minority groups and the global black diaspora. He is, by all standards, a global citizen with a Nigerian soul.

Education and Formative Exposure

Obi’s early education began in Enugu before he moved to the United Kingdom. He attended Ashdown House in East Sussex and later Eton College, where he served as prefect and led multiple cultural societies, including the Political Society and Film Society.

He proceeded to the University of Warwick where he earned an LLB (Hons). More important than the degree was what university life sparked: he became a DJ, radio host, student promoter, and leader of African cultural societies. The campus became his first laboratory of entertainment kinetics — learning how music moves people, how narratives shape opinion, and how culture creates identity.

Storm: The Birth of Modern Nigerian Pop Culture

Upon returning home, he co-founded Storm Productions (later Storm 360), one of Nigeria’s earliest and most powerful entertainment engines. Storm was not just a record label — it was a movement, a renaissance and a creative revolution.

Through Storm, Obi helped launch and develop stars such as Naeto C, Ikechukwu, Sasha P, General Pype, L.O.S, Tosin Martins, Yung6ix and a generation of performers who shaped modern Afrobeats culture.

He introduced global-standard artist management, branding, reality-TV integration, and live-event architecture before they were common in Nigeria. Many insiders agree that without Storm, the current Afrobeats global wave would not exist in its present form.

Obi himself once said:

“We did it because it needed to be done — we were creating a new Nigeria through music.”

Reality TV, Content Power and Cross-Media Expansion

Beyond music, Asika produced and co-produced some of the biggest reality shows in African history:

Big Brother Nigeria

The Apprentice Africa

Dragons’ Den Nigeria

Glo Naija Sings

The Voice Nigeria

Ignite Africa

This cemented him as a master of multi-platform entertainment — a man who understood how to connect music, television, culture and commerce in one ecosystem.

Companies and Global Connections

His companies include:

Dragon Africa — a strategy, communications and events powerhouse

OutSource Media — content, production, media architecture

Iba Ajie Asika Resource Centre — heritage, archives, tech hub, museum, memory lab

Storm 360 — music, talent development, entertainment engineering

He sits on global advisory boards, collaborates with international institutions, and links Nigeria’s creative industry to the Caribbean, UK, USA, Europe and the diaspora.

His global networks span entertainment giants, heritage institutions, sports organisations, culture festivals and diplomatic circles.

DG of NCAC: A New Mandate Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

In 2024, President Tinubu appointed Obi Asika Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), entrusting him with the responsibility of re-engineering Nigeria’s soft-power infrastructure.

Since assuming office, he has reimagined the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) as a strategic showcase of “Naija First”:

fashion,interior décor,dance and choreography,drama,and,theatre,children’s,cultural,segments,visual,arts,culinary,traditions,community,crafts,creative entrepreneurship

The festival has become a national statement of Tinubu’s cultural agenda: unity, national pride, economic creativity and diversity. Under Obi’s leadership, participation increased, media coverage expanded, and the festival regained prestige.

Building the Future: The New Creative Economy Blueprint

Obi Asika is pushing a new mission — not just culture for spectacle, but culture as a $280 billion industry. His ambition includes:

1. Monetizing Nigerian Icons

He is encouraging Nigerian singers, actors, comedians, dancers and influencers to adopt global merchandising systems — T-shirts, perfumes, sneakers, memorabilia, accessories — creating new income streams and boosting GDP.

2. Global-scale Concert Infrastructure

He envisions Nigerian concerts with 80,000–100,000 fans, matching Brazil, Europe and American stadium culture. His work aims to make Nigeria the entertainment capital of Africa.

3. Integrating Sports, Tourism, Culture

From football to traditional games, he is merging sports with culture to build destination tourism and national festivals that attract global audiences.

4. Intellectual Property Revolution

He is championing a national IP framework:

an entertainment database

rights management

revenue tracking

archives and content preservation

This is the backbone of a real creative economy — measurable, bankable, investable.

5. The World’s Largest Entertainment Hub

In his long-term vision, Nigeria will host the world’s biggest entertainment, arts and cultural district — a hub connecting studios, archives, museums, markets, performance arenas, digital labs and talent academies.

Character: The Humble Giant

Despite elite schools and global connections, Obi is warm, approachable and deeply loyal. Friend to the powerful, the mighty, the creatives, the hustlers and the ordinary people. He respects heritage, honours elders, supports youth and listens to everyone. To many, he is a builder of bridges, not walls.

He represents what a detribalised Nigeria looks like — a man comfortable in Onitsha, Lagos, Abuja, Kano, London, New York and Kingston. A husband, father, thinker, strategist and global icon.

Final Note: Nigeria to the World

Obi Asika carries the kinetics, the master keys, the networks, and the vision for a new cultural Nigeria.

A Nigeria whose music, arts, fashion, drama, history, children’s culture, tech and identity stand proudly on the world stage.

A Nigeria where creativity becomes wealth.

A Nigeria where the creative child can dream big again.

A Nigeria ready for global spotlight.

Obi Asika is not just participating in this renaissance.

He is unlocking it.

UNEQUIVOCAL REJECTION OF FALSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIS EXCELLENCY, LIEUTENANT GENERAL TY BURATAI (RTD) CFR

Our attention has been drawn to an online publication by the infamous Sahara Reporters linking the precious name of His Excellency, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai (rtd) CFR, Betara of Biu, Garkuwan Keffi, former Chief of Army Staff and Nigeria’s former Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, with individuals alleged to be terrorism financiers. These allegations are false, unfounded, mischievous, and amount to a smear campaign deliberately designed to tarnish his name and reputation.

The insinuation that His Excellency was connected, directly or indirectly, to terrorism financing is entirely fabricated, inconsistent with facts, and fundamentally at odds with his values and lifelong commitment to defending Nigeria against terrorism. At no point in his distinguished career has he ever been questioned, investigated, indicted, or associated with any such matter by any official body or authority. No security institution, intelligence agency, judicial panel, diplomatic mission, oversight mechanism, or administrative body has ever linked him with terrorism financing in any form. The narrative being circulated by Sahara Reporters, relying solely on the unverified personal claims of Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi (rtd), is therefore a clear misrepresentation borne out of malice and lacks any factual or legal foundation.

It is regrettable, though unsurprising, that Sahara Reporters has once again attempted to drag the precious name of His Excellency into disrepute, a pattern it has repeatedly pursued over the years, albeit unsuccessfully. Each attempt has failed because his record remains forthright, transparent, and distinguished by honourable service to the nation.

For over four decades, His Excellency, Lieutenant General TY Buratai (rtd) CFR, served this nation with honour, courage, and steadfast commitment to defeating terrorism. Under his leadership, the Nigerian Army significantly degraded Boko Haram and ISWAP, recovered previously occupied territories, restored civil administration, and returned displaced Nigerians to their homes. It defies logic and conscience to suggest that the same person who led decisive actions against terrorism would in any way be associated with the very elements he spent his career confronting.

In view of this, we call on Sahara Reporters and Major General Ali-Keffi (rtd) to immediately retract their publication and tender an unreserved public apology to His Excellency. Failure to do so will leave us with no option but to initiate appropriate legal proceedings to protect his reputation and seek redress for this malicious attack.

His Excellency remains focused on academic engagements, policy contributions, peace advocacy, and philanthropic initiatives aimed at reinforcing national development. His legacy is well documented and will not be diminished by unfounded narratives or deliberate misinformation.

Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman (rtd) mni fnipr

For and On Behalf of:

His Excellency, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai (rtd), CFR, Betara of Biu, Garkuwan Keffi

When a strange event happens once or twice, one can describe it as a coincidence, but when it happens more than three times, it’s beyond a coincidence; it has become a habit or reality.

This is what best describes the decisions taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in ending insecurity in Nigeria and the spiritual directives that have been given by Primate Elijah Ayodele at different times about ending insecurity in the country.

It is no news that the security system of the country has deteriorated due to the influx of kidnapping events and bandit activities across the nation. For weeks, there have been several confirmed reports of kidnappings and killings, most especially in the northern part of the nation.

Among these activities are attacks on churches during service, abduction of pastors, students, and even military personnel. It’s been tough for the country of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, before the whole issue began, Primate Ayodele had said in the early days of Tinubu’s government that insecurity and ethnicity would be his major challenges. He also mentioned that kidnapping will be a major issue for the president. He had also revealed that America would be one of Tinubu’s major opponents, and right before our eyes, everything the prophet said is happening like a movie.

When the insecurity crisis began fully months ago, Primate Ayodele advised the president to change his service chiefs because it would put his government into crisis as they weren’t doing their jobs well. The prophet mentioned that the president has to let go of some of them.

These were his words:

“If they begin to kill soldiers, it means the Chief of Army Staff isn’t active. He should go and relax and allow an active person to take over. Even the CDS, too, isn’t active.

“Insecurity can vacate state governors from their positions, and I am seeing a state of emergency in some states already. In places like Benue, Abuja, Ondo, Adamawa, Kogi, Yobe, Plateau, Bauchi and some others, we need very active service chiefs to curb this crisis.”

Nigeria needs ‘active’ service chiefs – Primate Ayodele asks CDS, CAS, others to resign

In acknowledgement of the prophet’s directives, President Tinubu reshuffled his service chiefs at a time when nobody expected, dismissing the Chief Defence Staff, removing the Chief of Army Staff from his position and bringing in someone else to fill the position.

When the situation got more serious, Primate Ayodele advised the president to order the Nigerian Navy to carry out 24-hour surveillance in affected areas, just like it’s done during the election period. He encouraged the president to make the move to curb insecurity in the country.

These were his words:

“When there is insecurity everywhere will be in disarray; let the air run their aircraft in areas where we have problems. During elections, we see planes flying around; this should be done in those areas. The IGP, COAS, should relocate to these areas where we have problems….”

Resign if you you can’t secure Nigerians – Primate Ayodele hits Tinubu

Just a few days after he gave the directive, President Tinubu declared a national security emergency and ordered the Navy to ensure surveillance of the affected areas in the country.

Again, Primate Ayodele advised Tinubu to allow the creation of state, regional and local government police to help the security agencies with fighting banditry in the nation. Even though the government had not shown support for state policing, the prophet listed it as one of the solutions to bring insecurity to an end.

These were his words:

“President Tinubu should approve the creation of state police, federal police, and regional police; it will help to cushion the effect of insecurity in the country.

Security agencies should rise and focus more on security and the economy now. They need to take efforts to bring down bushes across Nigeria because that’s where they are hiding.”

Just within a few days after the prophet gave this advice, President Tinubu approved the creation of state police, while calling on the DSS to deploy forest guards to the bushes to send terrorists packing.

The prophet’s most recent statement, which was shared last week during a live service in his church, was regarding the minister of defence and the security situation of the country. Primate Ayodele called on Tinubu to change the defence minister because it is only a military person who deserves to be there.

He then asked the president to call back former generals and specifically mentioned Musa Christopher, the former CDS, to form part of his security advisers, and let go of politicians from such sensitive positions

“Call Musa Christopher to form a team of ex-generals that will be giving advice. Those who have been in the service before have met with them, drawn from their advice, and will help your government. Make a military person the minister of defence, don’t put someone who doesn’t understand the terrain, don’t make a politician the minister of defence, put an ex-general there.”

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSfGmMaKp/

Just as Primate Ayodele said, the Minister of Defence announced his resignation yesterday due to ‘health grounds’ even though reports have it that he was asked to resign by the president. In the same breath, the former CDS, Christopher Musa, met with President Tinubu yesterday and has now been nominated as the new minister of defence, as Primate Ayodele advised.

These events have highlighted the importance of having prophets like Primate Elijah Ayodele and listening to their advice because God speaks through them. It’s commendable that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu listens to God’s servant, and we can tell by all indications that if everything the prophet advises is followed to the end, insecurity will be forgotten in the nation.