Happy weekend

DETAILS OF HIP HOP WORLD 2009 + AWARD CATEGORIES AND WHY THE ORGANISERS BELIEVE THE AWARD IS WORTH DYING FOR!!!

Ayo Animashaun, the ceo of Hip HopWorld Magazine and Hip on TV reveal new and exciting package for the 2009 edition of Hip Hop World Award in Lagos this afternoon.You can see details of why the award train is moving to Abuja this year and the award categories.Please click on www.gistmaster.com

VIRGIN NIGERIA SUPPORTS NIGERIAN CULTURE AT THE ARGUNGU FISHING FESTIVAL

Virgin Nigeria is pleased to announce its support for Nigerian culture and tourism as Official Carrier for the annual Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival holding in March 2009.
The partnership was announced at a press conference at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja , where the festival website was also officially launched. Speaking at the briefing, Virgin Nigeria’s Head of Corporate Communications, Nkiru Olumide-Ojo, explained the airline’s continued support. “Virgin Nigeria is an airline that is genuinely committed to building Nigeria , and to developing various sectors that will drive the Nigerian economy – and that explains our interest in this festival. Above all, we are known as a world class airline from the heart of Africa, and this is what we are about, displaying the best of Nigeria to a global audience. This is the third time we are partnering with this project, and we are glad to be on board one more time.”
The Argungu Festival, which began in 1934, is possibly the oldest and most widely attended festival and cultural event of its kind in Nigeria – an annual four-day fiesta in the north-western Kebbi state.

The Festival has contributed highly to the infrastructural and socio-economic growth of Argungu town and its environs. It has also brought fame and acclaim, both national and International, for the Argungu Emirate, Sokoto and Kebbi States and for Nigeria as a whole.

Indeed as a result of a growing interest in the festival, Argungu as a town and Sokoto and Kebbi states are becoming increasingly identified as some of the most reputable tourist centers in the entire continent of Africa .

As official carrier of the 2009 edition of the Festival, Virgin Nigeria will be ferrying guests to and from Sokoto states, which is one of the routes in its wide regional and domestic network which includes Port Harcourt , Abuja, Owerri, Kano , Sokoto, Calabar , Benin and Enugu.
The nation’s flag carrier, Virgin Nigeria has been at the forefront of promoting Nigerian culture, entertainment and tourism – including partnerships with the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation, the annual Abuja Carnival, the Durbar Carnival in Kano State , the Calabar Carnival in Cross Rivers State , amongst others.

ECOBANK NETWORKING RECEPTION IN LAGOS

Pls click on http://www.gistmaster.com/ to find photos and details of the networking event sponsored by Ecobank last Wednesday at Eko Hotel and Suites.
Thank You!

LINDA AND I:THE FRIEND IN US

I am very grateful to those who intervened concerning yesterday’s issue between Linda and I If you think I over reacted, I am deeply sorry. Trust me; I am not that kind of person. Those who know will tell you that I love enjoying myself and having a good laugh everyday! I play so much (sometimes I wondered what Tee saw in me) because I don’t get bothered about things.

Linda called me last night, she apologized and we settled. I have loads of love for her too. Those who work in the media understand what I am talking about here. Everyday, after a story is published, you get loads of emails, comments, phone calls. Sometimes, they would even call their lawyers to harass you. A lot of people praise you for filing your stories and photos right on time. I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN ABOUT ALL THAT. My reaction yesterday was just an exceptional case.

On a lighter mood, when you write good stories about some celebs, they would pretend they never saw it. Even when some journalists tell them, they will say, “When did you write it? I didn’t see it” However, when it is what they consider a negative story, they will be the first to call you one phone “How dare you write such a thing?” I know some actresses who will call and say “Niyi, thanks! I saw what you wrote about me. It’s good that you people are projecting us well to the outside world. I know some celebs that are just down to earth and humble. They respect what you do and when you didn’t get it right, they call to inform you. At the end, you guys play over it.

EDITORIAL- LINDA IKEJI, OMOWUNMI AKINNIFESI AND DELE FASAN’S CONTROVERSIAL INTERVIEW

I was attending a conference in Lagos, when some people drew my attention to a story written and published on Linda Ikeji’s blog concerning a recent story we published on gistmaster.com .In the story, a young man by name Dele Fasan claimed to be dating Omowunmi Akinnifesi. The fellow also told us that they have marriage plans.

In her first sentence, Linda wrote “It's kinda sad when people see you with a guy, and the next thing you read in the press is that you're dating him”

I am taking time to reply because Linda sort of indicted the Nigerian press as a whole with the sentence, directly or indirectly calling us fiction writers. As a friend and associate for years, I thought Linda should have put a call through or send text message to ask me what actually happened. On his part, Chude Jideonwo, Bellanaija, Omowunmi, Mai and several others have reached me personally on this.

Well, maybe Linda was writing from her own personal experience in the hands of the media. Some years back, Linda and I were at Sheraton for an event and she met Dan Foster. The two of them went to one of the restaurants and got talking for a long time. I was her publicist, yet she told me she was not dating Dan. When some people wrote it in the press, she also denied it. It was not until a lady; one Miss Olunloyo accused Linda of snatching her man that she now came out to say she had been dating Dan for years!!!

I felt very bad because as her publicist, I would keep it as privilege information and would know how to defend her when journalists inquire.

The lady was bitter because she and Dan were planning their wedding and part of the event was already fixed for City Mall before the break up!!!

We have seen cases of many Nigerian so called celebrities denying interviews granted by them few minutes later so it is not new. When Gbenga Obasanjo opened up on a number of things for Saharareporters, he later denied it and also threatened to sue them to court.

Yet, the discerning mind knew that Gbenga was only boasting, he said it all. We knew how much RMD denied his romance with Jumobi Adegbesan and also called reporters unprintable names, only for them to get married.Ini Edo granted Punch Newspaper an interview two months before her wedding. She did not only deny her marriage plans, she insinuated that those writing the story don’t know their right from left!!

About one month before Yoruba star actress, Ronke Ojo got married to her man she denied having anything to do with an auto dealer.Alas! She invited us to her wedding some weeks later.

Back to the story on Omowunmi Akinnifesi.I was on the red carpet at Future Award when Omowunmi and a young man walked on the red carpet. I have never met the guy in my life. So, after taking their photos, I walked up to the guy and asked questions concerning his relationship with Omowunmi and he said have been dating off and on for a year, but now they are ready to settle down for marriage. He was not drunk when he was saying all this neither was I drunk too. He knew what he was saying. I later asked him about his name and what he does for a living. He also gave me his phone number. I even called him on the phone!!!

When Omowunmi was going inside I asked about her marriage plans, she laughed. (Well, she later called me on phone and explained that she was actually carried away by the cameramen on the red carpet. Later, they went inside the hall and I also took their pictures. Though they were not seated beside each other, they were on the same table in front.

After the story was published, Omowunmi called me and insisted that the guy was only an impostor that they only met on the red carpet that day. She also obliged me a phone interview which took quite a while. The story was later published on the gistmaster.com

GOD blesses Omowunmi’s brother. The guy also talked to me on phone and he said corroborated the sister’s story. He was gentlemanly in his approach.We settled the whole thing and all of us agreed that the guy was only being mischievious. I called Dele Fasan the following day and he agreed he told me all i wrote but that he never knew it would go that far.Just imagine,someone talking to press.
Omowunmi had granted series of interviews where she denied the romance-City People, Encomium,Global Excellence had already carried the story. Linda wrote that none of the story is true and that Omowunmi and the guy spoke with Shade Wesley-Etibogun of Encomium. In the first place, Shade and I have a good relationship and she called when she was doing the story. I gave her Dele Fasan's mobile number.
Well,i think the big difference between Linda and I, is that i generate 98 per cent of the total materials on my blog. I go all out to get the interviews or cover the events live. Linda only sit back at in her Surulere home, surf the net or read magazines then re-write. I can tell you for free that she rarely attend up to five events in a year.
I put a lot of energy into into getting my stories and photos. Well, if Linda's attempt is to rubbish us, its all well and good.We have been quoted by all Nigerian newspapers and websites.This is because of the authoritative news and photos.
Perhaps, the reason why a lot of people appreciate what we do here.

FASHION AND STYLE PHOTOS FROM NIGERIA + HAT TRICKS

Thanks for checking on our website www.gistmaster.com
We are working round the clock to do more….!

Thanks for being there. You can check www.gistmaster.com for newly uploaded photos.Ohhh!Dont let me forget to tell you that readers have been commenting on our poll concerning when they prefer having sex. So far, 65.5 per cent voted for Night,10.0 per cent of respondents love to have it in the afternoon while 25.0 per cent voted for morning as the best time to 'do' it.
on the other side, loads of people have also started voting for their musician of the year. You can check it out. For now, its between D'banj and 9ice.