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‘I will never take an artiste to court’ – CEO, Kennis Music, Kenny Ogungbe
Music mogul, Kenny Ogungbe has looked into some emerging trends in the global music industry, particularly the Nigerian music industry and gave some shocking revelation.
The founder of Kennis Music in an interview with Nigerian Celebrity Armed Wrestling revealed that unlike in the past where talents is the main demands to appeal to the world, hype is now more important to make an artiste successful with the revolution of social media and the internet
The Kennis boss stated that the most talented are no longer the most celebrated nowadays, but the most syndicated.
“When we started, there was no internet, we used to hawk our music at the back of our booth all around Lagos but the internet is a phenomenon that we are all excited about and keying in now. If you are caught sleeping in this internet age, you are gone…more stars are being made through the internet now…and hype is all an artistes actually need now. Infact, talent is just 10percent, while hype is 90 of what is important to make an artiste now”.
Ogungbe also speak widely about the trend of every artistes wanting to start their own labels.
“People used to mock us when started. When artistes started leaving our label to start their own, they mocked us even more; they blamed us. Now, those people are setting up labels everywhere and signing artistes; those artistes too are leaving them to set up their own record labels. When these artistes too sign up other artistes, the artistes also leave to set up labels. So, you can see that Kennis Music has been justified. At the end of the day, there is nobody that will not want to start his or her own thing. Tubaba has Digital Hypertek, and he is still my brother. We see often, i go to his club. So it is relationships that matter.”
Baba Keke, as he is fondly called also blamed Nigerian journalists for much of the controversies often sorrrounding artistes and record label relationships.
He said “There is no where in the world where artistes leave a record label and it becomes news. But Nigerian journalists, and i say this with a deep sense of respect, because as you know i am a journalist myself; Nigerian journalists are always on the side of the artiste even if the artiste is at fault. They will write rubbish about the label without bothering to contact them….In Nigeria, the banks will not even support an artiste, but one individual will see you, believe in your talent and invest millions on you, then after that you will say you are leaving when you both still have a contract; will you be happy if you were that investor? But journalists will ignore that to write rubbish about the label, simply because they like the artistes’ music…Nigerians generally don’t celebrate record labels”.
Kenny Ogungbe however said he will never take an artiste to court for anything.
According to him; “Record label owners are taking legal actions against the artistes when they breach contracts, which is fine on a business concern. But i can’t bother myself taking a Nigerian artiste to court because i am a leader in this industry. I am a pioneer, i started all this and i can’t be part of the people that built an industry and also break it. If you are doing something wrong as my artiste, i will call you to order and advice you as an elder, father and a brother. But if you still insists on towing the part, i will just leave you”.
Speaking about hierarchy in artiste management, he clarified some common notions such as, who the boss is between an artiste, the manager or financier;
“The artiste is the boss of his manager because the artiste employed him. That’s the standard all over the world. If the artiste is no longer satisfied with the service of the manager, he can fire him. However, i must say that the position of an artiste manager is an exalted one, a very glorious one. The financier on the other hand is who he is; he is the executive producer, he is the boss. The person who pays you is your boss. He finances your talent because you can’t; he is your boss. Many of this artistes don’t even know this and they need to know.”
He advised young artistes;
“To have Respect is the only advise i will give to young artistes. Majority of the successful artistes you see shining now, let me not mention names, had nothing before they started. The money came from financier,it could be family members or parents, but once they attain a little success they starts carrying their shoulders up. That’s a very wrong way of life. That person who helped you when you had nothing, respect that person.”
At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.
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More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.
The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.
This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.
These were his words:
“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”
@primateayodele
Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.
Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.
In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
@primateayodele #nigeriantiktok🇳🇬 #fulfillment #train #abuja #primateayodele
“Let’s pray not to see train mishap in Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja route.”
This has also been fulfilled.
The project ends decades search for investors, boosts Nigeria’s blue economy
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
Nigeria’s maritime sector is set for a major transformation following a landmark agreement involving the world’s largest container shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has secured a 45-year concession to build, manage and operate a modern container terminal at Snake Island Port in Lagos.
The project, to be developed in partnership with Nigerdock, marks one of the most significant private sector investments in Nigeria’s port infrastructure in recent decades and is expected to strengthen the country’s role as a major maritime gateway in West and Central Africa.
For Nigeria, the agreement brings to close decades of efforts to attract large-scale investors to develop Snake Island Port, a strategically located maritime asset in Lagos.
Long-standing concession history
Snake Island’s maritime facilities date back several decades. In 1992, the Federal Government granted a 99-year concession for the island’s port and industrial facilities to Nigerdock, a major maritime engineering and logistics company.
Nigerdock was later privatised and is currently operated by the Jagal Group owned by Nigerian industrialist Maher Jarmakani.
Over the years, the Island Container Terminal fell into disrepair, requiring major rehabilitation and modernization to meet modern global shipping standards.
The new partnership with MSC is expected to transform the port into a state-of-the-art container handling facility capable of attracting larger vessels and increasing Nigeria’s cargo throughput capacity.
Buhari administration approved the project.
The investment framework for the Snake Island development was approved in May 2023 by the Federal Executive Council under then President Muhammadu Buhari.
The approval authorised total private investment of approximately $974.1 million for the project under a Public-Private Partnership structure, including the 45-year concession period.
At the same time, the Federal Government also approved two other major maritime infrastructure projects:
• Development of the Ondo Multipurpose Port in Ilaje, Ondo State, with $1.48 billion in private investment and a 50-year concession.
• Expansion and development of the Burutu Sea Port in Delta State, involving $1.2 billion in private investment and a 40-year concession.
These projects form part of Nigeria’s broader effort to develop its blue economy and expand maritime trade capacity.
Construction partners
Engineering and construction of the Snake Island container terminal will be handled by:
• ITB Nigeria Limited
• DEME Group
ITB Nigeria Limited is part of the Chagoury Group and owned by the Chagoury family, while DEME Group is a globally recognised Belgian marine engineering and dredging company with extensive experience in port construction.
MSC profile
Founded in 1970 by Italian shipping entrepreneur Gianluigi Aponte and his wife Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, MSC has grown from a single cargo vessel into the largest container shipping company in the world.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the company operates in more than 155 countries and serves over 500 ports worldwide, with a fleet of roughly 900 container ships and over 200,000 employees globally.
The MSC Group also operates major logistics and maritime businesses including inland logistics through Medlog, cruise tourism through MSC Cruises, and port terminal operations across several continents.
According to Forbes, the estimated net worth of MSC founder Gianluigi Aponte is about $43.9 billion as of February 2026, placing him among the world’s richest shipping magnates. The company remains privately owned by the Aponte family, with both founders holding equal ownership stakes.
Management comments
Speaking on the development, MSC Group President Diego Aponte said the company is committed to strengthening its operations in Nigeria and across Africa.
“We are proud to expand our presence in Nigeria through this important infrastructure project. The Snake Island terminal will enhance service delivery and improve port efficiency for our customers and partners in the region,”
Chief Executive Officer of Nigerdock, Maher Jarmakani, described the agreement as a major milestone for the Nigerian maritime sector.
“We are delighted to partner with MSC in developing a world-class container terminal that will enhance Nigeria’s logistics capabilities and support economic growth,” he said.
Economic impact
Industry analysts say the project could significantly strengthen Nigeria’s maritime economy by expanding cargo handling capacity, reducing congestion at Lagos ports and attracting additional international shipping traffic.
The development is also expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across maritime operations, logistics, transport services and port-related commercial activities.
Infrastructure expansion
Beyond the port development, plans are also underway for Nigeria’s first underwater tunnel, linking Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island through Snake Island and connecting the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway corridor through Badagry.
The tunnel project is expected to significantly improve freight movement and road connectivity between Lagos ports and national transport networks.
Strategic milestone
With the entry of MSC into the Snake Island development, industry observers say Nigeria is taking a significant step toward modernizing its maritime infrastructure and positioning itself as a regional hub for global shipping and trade.
For a project that has waited for decades for major international investors, the Snake Island concession represents a turning point in Nigeria’s port development strategy and a strong signal of global confidence in the country’s maritime future.
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
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