Business

My Songs will ride the wave of Nigerian Music going global- Akin James

Published

7 years ago

September 7, 2017

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Akin James is confident that his music will ride the current wave of Nigerian and African songs taking over the airwaves globally. The performer whose genre of music can be described as soft rock mixed with African influenced sounds, also promises to keep delivering songs with meaningful lyrical content.

Akin who has a B.Sc. in Personnel Managementstarted singing in church as early as age 6. Many years later, he was part of the ‘Peak: It’s In You’ singing competition and came in third place. He recently got signed up with fast rising record label Outofline Entertainment which has affiliations in the US & UK to help him with his global aspirations.

He boasts of hit single tracks such as Iwo Nikan, Let Me Know and Abeg.

Akin reveals more in this interview;

Who is Akin James?

Akin James is from Osun State but has lived in Lagos all his life. I studied Personnel Management in LASU but now, music is my bread and butter.

I am a singer, songwriter and guitarist. My genre of music can be classified as contemporary rock, soul and afro-pop music. Even though I am relatively new in the music scene, I’ve been nurturing my type of music for years now and I feel I am evolving a type of music that is unique. I really hope that the people love my type of music. My team and I are trying really hardto give our best to all our fans in Nigeria, Africa and the world.

Wow! Lots of graduate professionals are opting for music these days. But for Akin James, when and how did music come into the picture?

Well, I’ve been singing since I was a kid. As a matter of fact, I feel privileged to have graduated from school because at a point, I was contemplating on leaving school for music.

As I said earlier, music has always been my first love. I was in the church choir as young as age six and that was when I started singing. And I soon discovered that I have an ability to write songs so, along the way, I also learnt to play many musical instruments. I play the guitar and the keyboard very well. Music has always been there through my life.

Age six? How easy was that? I mean playing many musical instruments, learning to sing and write songs too.

Well, for me it all came naturally. It was as if I was made for music and music for me. It was all self-taught for me. For instance, when I fell in love with the guitar, I just got one and started playing-not that it was so easy though but, constant practice brought perfection.

So, for how long have you been playing the guitar?

I have been playing for a very long time but, I started playing professionally about 9 years ago

Oh great. Let’s talk more about your music and what you are bringing to the industry. What makes Akin James’ music unique?

My lyrics and my voice. I particularly pay attention to the tone I produce with my voice and thankfully, I have this very smooth voice texture that is uncommon. I also have the skills to deliver on the lower registers; it is not the regular texture that you hear from most singers.

Also, I have this soul feel to my songs and that is equally unique.

So, where do you draw inspiration to do such unique songs?

I pick up inspiration from everything around me- life itself, people, my environment and basically, situations around me. I also love children and draw a lot of knowledge from them as well. And also from God.

Your songs; Iwonikan and Abeg. Are they out officially?

No, it’s not. I’m, currently working on my EP-the Akin James Project but for the sake of my fans, I asked my team to make them available on soundcloud and on the Outofline website.Iwonikan and Abeg are also gaining massive airplay on radio stations everywhere. The songs will be officially released with my EP. The team is working hard to make sure this happens soon.

Editor’s note:

Soundcloud streaming link: https://soundcloud.com/user-433071234/tracks

Website:www.outofline.com.ng.

Talking about your team, does this mean you are signed to a record label?

Yes I am, the famous Outofline records…

Oh! I was actually thinking of stealing you (both laugh) well, any messages to fans out there? What more do you want them to know about Akin James and his music?

Well, they can expect that I would keep churning out more beautiful sounds and to always deliver my best at all times.

And still talking about more songs, how soon should we expect an album from you?

Soon. I’m focused on releasing my EP for now

So how do fans get to follow you on social media?

Fans can follow me on @akinoutofline on IG and twitter. Please also follow @outoflineentertainment on Instagram and on twitter @outofline_entfor news and information and gossip about me

Finally, your positive notes?

Stay strong, Keep fit and always look out for good music which is the life of the soul, especially songs from Akin James

Business

Wema Bank Announces Grand Finale of Hackaholics 5.0: Set to Reward Winners With ₦75 Million Worth of Prizes

Published

6 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Sahara Weekly

*Wema Bank Announces Grand Finale of Hackaholics 5.0: Set to Reward Winners With ₦75 Million Worth of Prizes

Wema Bank, Nigeria’s foremost innovative financial institution and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, has announced the grand finale of the 5th edition of its flagship youth and startup-focused tech competition, Hackaholics.

Launched in 2019, Wema Hackaholics is a groundbreaking initiative designed to harness the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of Nigeria’s youth, providing them with a platform to turn their tech-driven ideas into reality. The highly anticipated Hackaholics 5.0 grand finale will take place on November 27th, 2024, under the theme, “Meta Idea: Capitalizing Africa’s Growth Through Innovation.” This year’s theme aims to showcase how tech-driven solutions can fuel Africa’s development by tapping into the continent’s growth potential through innovation and digital transformation.

The grand finale will bring together the brightest innovators from universities and tech communities across the country. These innovators will pitch their Digi-Tech solutions designed to solve real-world problems and contribute to Africa’s economic and social progress. The event promises to be the culmination of months of intensive competition, collaboration, and mentorship, providing a platform for youth-led tech ideas to reach new heights.

Announcing the date of the grand finale, Moruf Oseni, MD/CEO of Wema Bank, highlighted the bank’s vision for Hackaholics. “Hackaholics is more than a competition; it is a movement to equip Nigeria’s youth with the skills, networks, and resources needed to drive Africa’s digital transformation. The Meta Idea theme for this year is a call to action for young innovators to think beyond the present and design solutions that will capitalize on Africa’s growth. We are excited to see how our participants envision and build the Africa of tomorrow.”

Speaking on the prizes, the MD/CEO said “At the grand finale, participants will compete for exciting cash prizes, grants, and access to Wema Bank’s extensive network of investors, mentors, and industry experts. The total worth of prizes for this year is ₦75,000,000. The winning team will receive ₦30,000,000, the first runner-up will receive ₦20,000,000 and the second runner-up will receive ₦15,000,000 worth of prizes. Additionally, we will be awarding a special grant of ₦10,000,000 worth of prizes to the female-led team to encourage gender diversity in tech innovation.” He concluded.

Wema Bank’s Hackaholics is a testament to the Bank’s commitment to shaping Africa’s future through innovation and entrepreneurship. Hackaholics 5.0 began with a nationwide call for entries earlier in the year and has engaged over 10,000 aspiring tech innovators and entrepreneurs across Nigeria. With 2,297 applications across 8 physical pitch centers and 1 virtual pitch center, 34 innovators across all locations are set to pitch their ideas at the pre-pitch stage ahead of the grand finale scheduled to hold in Lagos.

Through Hackaholics, Wema Bank has provided a platform for youth to channel their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit into actionable tech solutions that address Africa’s most pressing challenges. Over the years, Hackaholics has grown into one of the largest and most influential tech competitions in Nigeria, impacting thousands of young minds.

The competition not only offers winners cash prizes and grants, but also access to mentorship, industry networks, and resources to help scale their innovations globally. This initiative is a key part of Wema Bank’s broader strategy to harness technology as a driver of socio-economic growth in Africa.
Interested individuals can register to attend the grand finale via https://hackaholics.wemabank.com/grandfinale

Business

ATMs empty as banks ration withdrawals

Published

2 days ago

November 14, 2024

Sahara Weekly

ATMs empty as banks ration withdrawals

The Automated Teller Machines of Deposit Money Banks have consistently remained empty in recent months as banks grapple with a sustained low cash supply.

It was also gathered on Wednesday that some DMBs, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory, have begun another round of cash rationing, restricting maximum over-the-counter withdrawals to a daily limit between N5,000 and N20,000.

While banks struggle to get cash, Point-of-Sales operators have been fulfilling the cash needs of customers.

Speaking at the Facts Behind the Rights Issue Presentation of FBN Holdings at the Nigerian Exchange Limited recently, the Executive Director/Chief Financial Officer of First Bank, Patrick Iyamabo, said that the matter was an industry-wide one and not peculiar to a specific bank.

He said, “It is an industry problem. Most customers after exhausting the options available in other banks, tend to settle at FirstBank to address their cash needs. The challenge differs by location but we know it is a challenge that the regulator is looking into to address. But as we speak of physical cash, we must appreciate that the direction of the industry is to go digital.

“A lot of our customers do most of their transactions digitally, and you heard the GMD speak to this, very often people don’t want to transact in cash. In terms of this new order, your bank, FirstBank is very well positioned so if you look at the statistics and I’m speaking to independent statistics, just pick up your NIBSS report, the bank with the most stable platform meaning availability to always transact digitally is FirstBank. So, all our customers have the benefits of having their cash in First Bank and having access to this cash anytime anywhere and as necessary. It’s a huge advantage.”

Speaking anonymously with The PUNCH, a banker at a tier-1 bank put the blame on the Central Bank of Nigeria.

As a result, many people have turned to Point-of-Sale operators, who have become the primary channel for cash withdrawals, albeit often at higher transaction fees.

Major commercial banks visited by one of our correspondents on Wednesday claimed not to have sufficient cash allocation hence the ration withdrawals to serve more customers.

The banks visited include Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank along Airport Road, and EcoBank at Jabi in Abuja.

A bank customer at EcoBank, who spoke without mentioning her name, said she was only allowed to withdraw N5,000 from N20,000 previously allowed.

“I was just informed that I can only withdraw N5,000 from my account. Can you imagine? The amount will can’t even take me home.”

Our correspondent received the same answer when he attempted to obtain cash.

At GTBank and Zenith Bank along the airport road, customers were permitted a maximum withdrawal of N20,000 from N100,000 previously disbursed as a daily limit.

A customer, Mr Faith, who visited the bank expressed shock about the new limit. He said the banks didn’t give any cogent reason for reducing the withdrawal limit.

“I just visited these banks, and I was informed that I can only withdraw N20,000 from N100,000, which was the previous limit. They didn’t even give any reason for reducing, now I have to start looking for cash elsewhere. This country is just so annoying,” He vented.

Cash scarcity became a recurring and widespread issue across Nigeria after the Central Bank of Nigeria introduced a controversial policy in January 2023, which significantly reduced the daily and weekly cash withdrawal limits to N100,000 daily, N500,000 weekly for individuals, and N5m for business entities.

This decision, aimed at encouraging a cashless economy, led to long queues at ATMs, increased difficulty in accessing physical cash, and a general disruption of daily financial transactions for millions of Nigerians.

The policy’s impact was felt particularly by those in rural areas and lower-income groups, who rely heavily on cash for their day-to-day needs, exacerbating economic hardships across the country.

Last week, data from the CBN showed that currency in circulation climbed 56.1 per cent year-on-year to reach N4.31tn, up from N2.76tn in September 2023, reflecting an increase of N1.55tn.

This is just as currency outside banks surged by 66.2 per cent in September 2024, reaching N4.02tn compared to N2.42tn in September 2023, a notable rise of N1.60tn in just one year.

This indicates that the volume of currency retained outside the banking sector outpaced the total released for circulation within the past year.

Compared to August 2024, currency in circulation rose by 4.0 per cent month-on-month, adding N166.2bn from the previous figure of N4.14tn.

The CIC is the amount of cash–in the form of paper notes or coins–within a country that is physically used to conduct transactions between consumers and businesses. It represents the money that has been issued by the country’s monetary authority, minus cash that has been removed from the system.

Earlier in September, the CBN announced plans to sanction banks that fail to dispense cash through their automated teller machines, as part of efforts to improve cash availability in circulation.

The CBN also revealed plans to release an additional N1.4tn into circulation over the next three months to ease cash flow within the banking system.

This strategy aims to ensure that ATMs and bank branches have sufficient cash, addressing ongoing challenges faced by customers over cash shortages.

Efforts to get a reaction from the apex bank on the new situation proved abortive as the acting Director, Corporate Communications, Sidi Ali Hakama, did not respond to enquiries sent to her phone number.

Business

NNPCL Makes New Leadership Appointments

Published

2 days ago

November 14, 2024

Sahara Weekly

NNPCL Makes New Leadership Appointments

The Board of Directors of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has just made fresh leadership appointments.

A communication by Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the nation’s oil company, announcing the development reads…

The Board of Directors of NNPC Limited is pleased to announce a series of strategic leadership appointments. These changes
reflect our continued dedication to enhancing corporate governance, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring long-term success in Nigeria’s energy sector.

The following key appointments have been made:
1. Mr. Adedapo A. Segun has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Mr. Segun previously served as the Executive Vice President, Downstream, where he made significant contributions to the company’s downstream operations.
2. Mr. Isiyaku Abdullahi has been named Executive Vice President (EVP), Downstream.
3. Mr. Udobong Ntia has been appointed Executive Vice President (EVP), Upstream.

These appointments align with NNPC Limited’s commitment to building a unified and competent leadership team to drive operational excellence and support the organization’s strategic objectives.

The Board and Management also extend their deepest appreciation to Mr. Umar Ajiya and Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa A. Eyesan for their outstanding dedication and service to NNPC Limited.

NNPC Limited remains committed to achieving operational excellence, enhancing global competitiveness, and ensuring financial sustainability, while prioritizing the interests of the Nigerian public in the petroleum industry.

Olufemi Soneye
Chief Corporate Communications Officer
NNPC Limited
November 13, 2024S