When Osun Rocked for TFA Winners Afterparty!

Three weeks after the grand success of The Future.. Awards 2008, the Winners After party went on as scheduled from the 8-10th February 2008 at the spectacular Miccom Golf Hotels and Resort in Ada Osun State. The weekend get-away was one of the spectacular prizes the winners of the awards took away.

The winners, selected judges and nominees of the Awards, joined the organisers and volunteers, all numbering about 70, leaving Lagos in air-conditioned buses in two batches on the Friday, and getting into the Miccom Resorts at night and moving straight for the barbecue.

The weekend’s host, Bukola Adubi, the executive director of the resort, who also was the Entrepreneur of the Year 2008, after being on the finalist for that award for two consecutive years, was readily on hand to make the guests feel at home - arranging the tours, leaving the bar open, throwing the doors of the hotel wide for the guests to explore - everything from the golf course to the table tennis court, the swimming pool, the snooker bar amongst others.
The guest lounged for the best part of Saturday morning, enjoying all of this, and eventually leaving for the breath-taking Erin-Ijesha waterfalls on of Osun’s more prominent tourist’s delight; letting their hair down to become children again for an afternoon and having a blast!

The dinner party, complete with a buffet, saw the guests arriving with the best of evening dresses, on Saturday evening at 9pm. Anchored by comedian Segun Dangote, it featured a slideshow of the most extensive The Future.. Awards 2008 album throughout the night. It started with a national anthem rendered cheerfully by RedSTRAT Creative Director, Chude Jideonwo, after which he welcomed the guests. Following this was a retrospective, as guests watched the very 1st edition of the Awards in 2006 to oohs and aahs from the guests shocked at how far the event has come!

This was followed by a fun interactive session, where RedSTRAT PR Director, Emilia Asim-Ita introduced guests table by table to applause and whoops, and then guests were allowed to ask each other questions. Following this immediately was an unforgettably session with female comedian, Lepacious Bose.

This was immediately followed by a 7-minutes cut of The Future.. Awards 2007, which was the second edition, and the guests were allowed to move down for the buffet as the live band entertained them to classics. A special episode of the wildly popular show, Nigeria International, which was dedicated to The Future.. Awards 2008, and anchored by actress Uche Jumbo, was up next, showing the unforgettable highlights from this year’s grand edition.
Guests were then allowed to give feedback and comments about the event.
Up next was a hair-raising performance by the young man nicknamed ‘the male Asa’. Bez, who worked pure magic with his guitar. Next up was the Operations Director, Adebola Williams, who joined Emilia to present the prizes announced to the winners at the Awards proper, just as the plaque was presented to the representatives of Chimamanda - the Young Person of the Year, who is presently in the United States - Anwuli Ojogwu and Eniola Harrison, from her Nigerian publishers, Farafina.

Guests at the dinner included winners Ikechukwu Ochonohor (Professional of the Year), Bamidele Odfufuye (Best Use of Technology), ‘Mak Kusare (Screen producer of the Year), the manager of ID Cabassa (Music Producer of the Year), ‘Toyosi Akerele (Best Use of Technology), Adebayo Omisore, editor of Soundcity Blast (Magazine of the Year), Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi (On-Air Personality of the Year) and Noble Igwe, representing D’banj (Musician of the Year). Other guests were Ebuka Obi-Uchendu (TV presenter/Columnist), Lamide Akintobi (Channels TV newscaster), Alex Yangs (Music Producer), Tunde Aladese (Producer, Moments with Mo), Lola Talabi (Cadbury manager), the Rooftop MCs, Muyiwa Osindero (CEO, Clothsense), Tosyn Bucknor (Writer, The Apprentice Africa), Ruonah Agbroko (Thisday Columnist), Chris Ihidero (Editor, MADE), Frankincense Eche-Ben (Actor), Lamide Opere (Producer, Nigezie), Olaiyua Tolufashe (The Sun reporter) amongst many others, including the young men and women who volunteered tirelessly for the event. The event was exclusively covered by rave TV channel/show, Nigezie!

The event wrapped up quickly, and dovetailed straight into the party proper, as the deejay got on his wheels and the guests danced their hearts out, from midnight straight up until 4pm!

Even good things come to an end; and whilst many didn’t want to leave the next day, at 1pm, the buses began the journey back to the real world! It was a most beautiful weekend, and a fitting celebration of youth, exactly what The Future.. Awards is about. The event was sponsored exclusively by the Miccom Golf Hotels and Resort.

North Sweeps The Future.. Awards 2008!
- Chimamanda Adichie is Young Person of the Year.!

Very unusually for any major Nigerian award in recent times, a good percentage of the Awards won at Nigeria’s biggest youth event, The Future.. Awards 2008 went to young people of Northern descent. The winners were Abdulkareem Baba Aminu, editor with the Daily Trust who grabbed Journalist of the Year, Sitanda star, Ali Nuhu who grabbed Actor of the Year, and ‘Mak Kusare of the BBC’s Wetin Dey who received the award for the Screen Producer of the Year.

These wins, while not surprising to discerning observers, immediately dismisses the remainder of the myth that there is paucity of achieving young minds from any part of the Nigerian nation, as well as being testimony to the rigour and research that the organisers and judges of the Awards attach to the process.

Other award winners include Dban’j (Musician of the year), Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi of Cool FM (On-Air Personality of the year) Best Use of Technology (Bamidele Odufuye), Artist of the Year (Karo Akporiereie), Best Use of Advocacy (Toyosi Akerele), Magazine of the Year (Blast), Best Use of Goodwill (Omowunmi Agagu), Entrepreneur of the Year (Bukola Adubi), Music Producer of the Year (ID Cabassa), Professional of the Year (Ikechukwu Ochonohor, of Fedex), and Banke Meshida-Lawal, Entrepreneur of the Year (Beauty & Style).

As usual, the Awards didn’t always go to the ‘most popular’ candidates, pulling off surprises and upsets. And whilst with the majority of the guests at the venue this remains a welcome development, there are others who feel otherwise. The event’s PR Director, Emilia Asim-Ita, explains. “The problem is that we are not used to a system of rigour and transparency in awards processes in Nigeria, But we are the future, we don’t do the things the way others do. We don’t sit and dark rooms and decide winners amongst ourselves.

“People must strive for it. We call for nominations, we research the nominations, we send questionnaires to each nominee, we scrutinise all of these via the judges. When someone like Ali Nuhu wins, people wonder because he is not Lagos-based and he is not a celebrity like the rest. But this is not a celebrity Actor of the Year award; our judges are not moved by hype and celebrity. This was the lead actor in Sitanda, which won more than 7 awards at AMAA, and this is a guy who has been in major Hausa movies almost always in lead role in the North – the judges have seen his profile; they know more about all the nominees than what you read ion the newspapers and magazines; we have researched all the claims made in the papers and filtered out the substance. That is what the judges decide on.”

The awards were presented at a most impressive red carpet ceremony at the Shell hall of the Muson Center on the 13th of January 2007. The Keynote address was given by World Bank Vice-President, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili. Other guests included Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN). Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, amongst others.

“The more the award becomes a force, the money people covet it, and we have always been prepared for that.” Asim-Ita says, “But we will stick with 15 categories; we will stick with our vision - we will not increase the number of awards just to make sure everyone has ‘a piece of the cake’. We have a reputation to protect: the future awards is a hard award to win; that’s what everyone says and we are sticking with that. There must be an award that people take seriously in this country and they know they cannot influence, that they know if they win they have won something important. This is not an award that people go to and then go home and joke about it, people respect it. We are determined not to lose that reputation.

“That is why we have gathered together judges that we know even we cannot influence – this award is easily the most transparent in the country, so you can go ask the judges, Reuben Abati, Yemi Osindero, Eugenia Abu, Segun Odegbami, all 30 of them – and they will tell you how and why they chose substance over style, and we are very grateful to them.”

Chimamanda Adichie received the biggest of the awards, as Young Person of the Year. Adichie beat Mikel Obi and Mtech’s Chhika Nwobi to carry the highest number of votes at the venue of the event, receiving the baton from last year’s Young Person of the year, Tara Fela-Durotoye. Further information, including the profiles of the winners can be gotten on www.thefuturenigeria.com


WINNERS LIST

Actor of the Year – Ali Nuhu

Artist of the Year – Oghenekaro Akporiereie

Best Use of Goodwill – Omowunmi Agagu

Best Use of Advocacy – Toyosi Akerele

Best Use of Technology – Bamidele Odufuye


Entrepreneur of the Year – Bukola Adubi (Miccom Resorts)

Entrepreneur of the Year (Beauty & Style) – Banke Meshida-Lawal

Journalist of the Year – Abdulkareem Baba Aminu (Daily Trust)

Magazine of the Year – Soundcity Blast

Musician of the Year – D’banj


Music Producer of the Year – ID Cabassa

On-Air Personality of the Year – Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi (Cool FM)

Professional of the Year – Ikechukwu Ochonohor (FedEx)

Screen Producer of the Year – ‘Mak Kusare (BBC)

Young Person of the Year – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Finalists are unveiled!!!'