BIG BROTHER IS BACK - REGISTER NOW!

The biggest reality show in Africa is back again. MNET has announced that it has started accepting entries for participation in the 6th season of its hit TV reality show, Big Brother Africa. Submission of entry forms will close on February 27, 2011. Applicants from only 14 African countries are eligible to participate. These countries are Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The show is scheduled to start May 1st. It will run for 91 days, and the winner will take home a cash prize of USD 200,000. All applicants must speak English fluently and possess a valid passport.

There are three methods of entering for the competition:

METHOD 1 - COLLECT ENTRY FORM FROM MULTICHOICE OFFICE
Simply collect an entry form from the MultiChoice office in your country, complete and return.

METHOD 2 - DOWNLOAD ENTRY FORM
Step 1: Download the BBA 2011 application form.

Step 2: Please read carefully the”Information for Applicants” section on the BBA 2011 Application Form.
Step 3: Please complete the application form and attach your photographs.
Step 4: Email the completed application form to BBA@endemol.co.za or drop it off at the following Multichoice offices: Angola-Luanda, Botswana-Gabarone, Ethiopia–Addis Ababa, Ghana-Accra, Kenya-Nairobi, Malawi-Blantyre, Mozambique-Maputo, Namibia-Windhoek, Nigeria-Lagos, South Africa-Johannesburg, Tanzania-Dar es Salaam, Uganda-Kampala, Zambia-Lusaka, Zimbabwe-Harare

Download the application form (file size 2.9MB)


METHOD 3 - COMPLETE ENTRY FORM ONLINE
Step 1: Click here to access the online application form

Step 2: Please read carefully the ”Information for Applicants” section on the BBA 2011 Online Application Form.
Step 3: Please complete the online application form and upload your photographs.
Step 4: Submit the form online

Nigeria Top Artist

ICE PRINCE

Iceprince (Panshak Zamani) was born to Mr. and Mrs.Nasara Zamani in Minna, Niger State and moved to Jos two years later.
He started performance and rap while in secondary school, (Science Tutorial College, Jos).In 2002, he got together with a couple of his friends and formed a group called the Ecomog Squad. They had a few performances as a group and split a year later.

In 2004, he hooked up with M.I, Jesse Jagz, Ruby, Lindsey, Eve, Taz and together they became what is now ‘Loopy’.
His influences are Notorious B.I.G, Rakim, Jay-Z, Common, Talib Kweli, Kanye West, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Lauryn Hill. M.I and Jesse Jagz who are his close friends as well have also influenced his music.

In 2004, ‘Extraordinary’ his debut single hit the waves in Jos and it gradually made him known in and around Jos city.
His single ‘Rewind’ has been on radio station charts in Abuja and Lagos. It has been on Rhythm Fm Top 7 chart, notjustok hype, Unilag Fm, Zain Central Station, Inspiration Fm; Top Fm’s Top of the Morning, Cosmo Fm Top Hits, Africa Connect Chat Show, Kiss Top 20 Africa and has also been No.1 on Cool Fm, Vision Fm in Abuja.

He has had collaborations with M.I, Jesse Jagz,Dekunle Fuji, Banky W,Kel,Gino,king sunny Ade,Nneka,Djinee,YQ,El Dee,Naeto C,Mo Cheddah,Tosin Martins,Kennis Saint Brown,2short Whiz Kid amongst others.

He contested with artistes like Bez, Mocheddah, Blaise, Jimmy Flames at the Hennessy Artistry that held in Lagos all through September 2009 and was declared winner of the Hennessy Artistry 2009.

Song Lyrics
Chorus(Brym-O)
Oleku... Tell me somethin wey i no fit do
Mio gbo po gbo po gbo po malo tu
Monini monin.. Modeji modeji
I hope u ready coz its oleku

She feeling the boy ye
She feeling she feeling the boy ye ye(4times)

Verse 1(Ice Prince)
I'm so interesting..../ is why they say that I'm the next thing/ see even on features I'm impressing/ people do hate but ima flexing/ I learnt the lesson/ they throw me shots but ima chestin/ I'm far from pop my pop is resting/ my flow so bad my tongue is vexing/ no one is testin/ I'm best by far is what I'm guesing/ 1 2 3 I win like wrestling/ how can i loose I'm with the best team../ I'm the boy with the fire/ and djs gimme more spin than a tyre/ seen it all, done it all, sang in a choir/ feeling like I'm tenor here only go higher/
Chorus

Verse 2(Ice Prince)
Its so exciting.../ The games been dark but I'm igniting/ positive flow I'm so attracting/ whether freestyles or even writing/ I put my life in/ the bread don't cut i put the knife in/ my left hand weak i put the right in/ and take my bars from J to brighton/ I see the lightening/ I knw sometimes the rain is fritening/ no matter how hard, the seed is ripening/ so when u hear Icey princey hype him/ I don try plenty/ I dey rap I dey sing I dey come MC/ there's too many songs and i neva empty/ na u chop stone if u want tempt me/
Chorus

Verse 3(Ice Prince)
I'm so contageous/ and no ones done this good in ages/ I put my foot in hell courageous/ too many verse like bible pages/ and I hope they play this/ so i can grow up frm low to apex/ until my account is fat and shapeless/ too many songs but mine is latest/ so love or hate this/ am getting my cake am on the cake list/ beating my chest am on the ape list/ u shld be honoured and bow to greatness/ see ma names gettin famous/ my teams fire mehnn u cannot flame this/ na baba God work u cannot blame us/ its in vein wen hataz try aim us/

Unveiled> Abuja Gateway

THE GATEWAY STRETCHES ACROSS THE MAIN HIGHWAY BETWEEN ABUJA AND THE AIRPORT.
Architect: Ehrlich Architects
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Client: Government of Nigeria
During his years in the Peace Corps, Steven Ehrlich absorbed the lessons and imagery of African vernacular architecture and then he designed an open-air university theater workshop in Nigeria while he was teaching there in the mid 1970s. Now he has returned to the source with a competition-winning design for a symbolic gateway to Abuja, the new capital of Nigeria.

In contrast to the village-like character of his theater workshop, the new project is a soaring abstract form that was inspired by the traditional bow harp and the looms on which Nigerians weave colorful fabrics. Its centerpiece is a footbridge over the expressway that links the city to the airport, oriented north-south to symbolize national unity.


Working with project architect Patricia Rhee and Nigerian firm Triad Associates, Ehrlich sketched elements that would sit lightly on the land and provide a forum for arts and recreation, as well as a ceremonial reception hall for visiting heads of state. Flags will be strung along the tensile cables supporting the walkway while a bowed canopy of photovoltaic panels will shade the 800-seat amphitheater.

The concrete structure, with its canted pylon, will be stained dark red, the color of the native clay. Sinuous walkways and ramps will tie the complex together and carry people over a water cascade. The 98-acre site will include a marketplace, playing fields, a gymnasium and a children’s zoo to make it a year-round destination easily reached by bus from the city center six miles away.

Kano City

Kano is one of the nicest cities to visit in Nigeria. It has been one of the most important trading towns for the Hausa, who had a big empire in the 18-th and 19-th century and are still one of the most influential people of Nigeria.
On the edge of the Sahel (the fringe of the Sahara) Kano has many cultural and historical links to the tribes of the southern Sahara. It’s a bustling and interesting city (the third-largest in the country—it’s grown at a frenzied pace in recent years) and though it’s noisy and crowded it’s much more bearable than Lagos.

Be sure to visit the walls of the Old City (there are 16 gates) and the massive Kurmi Market. Also in the Old City is the Central Mosque (now closed to non-Islamic visitors but worth seeing from outside especially during a Friday service). South of the mosque is the Emir’s Palace (you can’t enter it without a personal invitation from the emir) and across from the palace is the Gidan Makama Museum (historic and crafts exhibits). Indigo cloth is dyed at the Kofar Mata dye pits (the oldest in Africa). The Gidan Dan Hausa (an old colonial governor’s mansion) is worth a visit to see its unusual Hausa/Islamic architecture. There’s also a nice zoo south of town.

Excursions can be made to Katsina, Daura (a traditional Hausa town) Birnin Kudu (rock paintings) and Sokoto (with a sultan’s palace, and a good market for leather goods).

Kano is situated 836.5 km northeast of Lagos.

Historically, Kano has been a centre of trade especially towards the North across the Sahara and South to Zaria. It is currently the largest city in the North and the capital of Kano State. A marked distinction could however be noticed between the old Hausa City and the modern industrial one served by an international airport, rail lines and major roads.

Nigeria History

Like so many other African states, Nigeria is the creation of European imperialism. Its very name after the great Niger River the country's dominating physical feature was suggested in the 1890s by British journalist Flora Shaw who later became the wife of colonial governor Frederick Lugard. The modern history of Nigeria as a political state encompassing 250 to 400 ethnic groups of widely varied cultures and modes of political organization dates from the completion of the British conquest in 1903 and the amalgamation of north and south Nigeria into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria in 1914. The history of the Nigerian people extends backward in time for some three millennia.
There are several dominant themes in Nigerian history that are essential in understanding contemporary Nigerian politics and society. First the spread of Islam predominantly in the north but later in southwestern Nigeria as well began a millennium ago. The creation of the Sokoto Caliphate in the jihad (holy war) of 1804-8 brought most of the northern region and adjacent parts of Niger and Cameroon under a single Islamic government. The great extension of Islam within the area of present-day Nigeria dates from the nineteenth century and the consolidation of the caliphate. This history helps account for the dichotomy between north and south and for the divisions within the north that have been so strong during the colonial and post-colonial eras.

Second the slave trade both across the Sahara Desert and the Atlantic Ocean had a profound influence on virtually all parts of Nigeria. The transatlantic trade in particular accounted for the forced migration of perhaps 3.5 million people between the 1650s and the 1860s while a steady stream of slaves flowed north across the Sahara for a millennium ending at the beginning of the twentieth century. Within Nigeria slavery was widespread with social implications that are still evident today. The Sokoto Caliphate for example had more slaves than any other modern country except the United States in 1860. Slaves were also numerous among the Igbo the Yoruba and many other ethnic groups. Indeed many ethnic distinctions especially in the middle belt--the area between the north and south--were reinforced because of slave raiding and defensive measures that were adopted for protection against enslavement. Conversion to Islam and the spread of Christianity were intricately associated with issues relating to slavery and with efforts to promote political and cultural autonomy.

Third the colonial era was relatively brief lasting only six decades or so depending upon the part of Nigeria but it unleashed such rapid change that the full impact was still felt in the contemporary period. On the one hand the expansion of agricultural products as the principal export earner and the corresponding development of infrastructure resulted in severely distorted economic growth that has subsequently collapsed. On the other hand social dislocation associated with the decline of slavery and the internal movement of population between regions and to the cities necessitated the reassessment of ethnic loyalties which in turn have been reflected in negligence and poverty.

Ijebu-North

Ijebu North is a Local Government Area in Ogun State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ijebu Igbo at.
It has an area of 967 km² and a population of 284,336 at the 2006 census.
The postal code of the area is 120.
The local government was established in 1979 and has its headquarters at Ijebu Igbo. It is bounded by Oluyole Local Government of Oyo State in the north, in the west by Ijebu East Local Government, in the south by Ijebu North East, Odogbolu and Ijebu Ode Local Government, and in the east by Ikenne Local Government. The region is partitioned into local wards Atikori, Oke-Agbo, Ojowo/Japara, Oke-Sopen, Ome, Oru-awa-ilaporu, Osun and Ago-Iwoye urban I, Ago-Iwoye urban II, Ako-Onigbagbo Gelete, and Mamu/Ehin-Etiri.
It plays host to Olabisi Onabanjo University (Annex campus).
This region is peopled by the Ijebus, who live in the following major towns: Ijebu Igbo, Ago-Iwoye, Oru, Awa, Ilaporu, etc. There are several markets in the town but the most popular of them all is Station Market. Also several indigenes of the town engage in timber business so there are many sawmills in the town.
Ijebu North is a Local Government Area in Ogun State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ijebu Igbo at 6°57′N 4°00′E / 6.95°N 4°E / 6.95; 4.

It has an area of 967 km² and a population of 284,336 at the 2006 census.
The postal code of the area is 120.[1]
The local government was established in 1979 and has its headquarters at Ijebu Igbo. It is bounded by Oluyole Local Government of Oyo State in the north, in the west by Ijebu East Local Government, in the south by Ijebu North East, Odogbolu and Ijebu Ode Local Government, and in the east by Ikenne Local Government. The region is partitioned into local wards Atikori, Oke-Agbo, Ojowo/Japara, Oke-Sopen, Ome, Oru-awa-ilaporu, Osun and Ago-Iwoye urban I, Ago-Iwoye urban II, Ako-Onigbagbo Gelete, and Mamu/Ehin-Etiri.
It plays host to Olabisi Onabanjo University (Annex campus).
This region is peopled by the Ijebus, who live in the following major towns: Ijebu Igbo, Ago-Iwoye, Oru, Awa, Ilaporu, etc. There are several markets in the town but the most popular of them all is Station Market. Also several indigenes of the town engage in timber business so there are many sawmills in the town.
The title of the traditional ruler of the town is called Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo. The seat of the King is vacant at the moment.

Moremi of Ife

Moremi was the wife of the ancient heroes of ile ife westen nigeria,probably oranmiyan.she was a woman of a great beauty and virtue and had only son named ela. It happened that the city of ife was at one time in a state of frequent commotion and unrest,owing to repeated raids of a tribe of people called the igbo,these raiders used to make away with plunder,including their valuable with women and children,they called on their god but it refused to answer. Now moremi,fired with zeal and patriotism was determined to do what she could to free her country from this calamity,she was resolved to find out what the igbos are really areow to fight them,therefore she went to a steram name esinmirin and there made a vow to the deity she would offer the most costly sacrifice she could afford,her plan was to expose herself to the raiders and get caught and taken to their country where she could best learn their secret. At the next raid,she was caught by the igbos and taken to their country,beign a woman of great beauty she was given to their king,she became familiar with the people culture because of her beauty and she learnt their secret,she extracted from her husband the secret of attacking the people,moremi escape one day to her native land and by making use of the secret she had learnt fre her country forever from the raid of men who terrorizes them. She went back to the stream with her offering of lamb,rams and goat for sacrifice,but the god wont accept any of these,she then offered a bullock which the god also refused,the god demanded for her only son,she then gave up her only son,but her son was half dead when he was given to the god,he afterward revived and rose again and made a rope with which he climbed to heaven,and all ife’s to this day believed and have to this day that he will come back again and reap the full reward of his good deeds.