Etisalat-Sponsored Nigerian Idol 4 Auditions approaches Crescendo in Lagos

The final leg of the Nigerian Idol 4 auditions will hit Lagos State at the Dream Studios in Omole, on the 22nd and 23rd of February. Season 4 of the reality TV music show, sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria, has been on the search for Nigeria’s best voices since the New Year began and the audition train has moved through Benin, Calabar, Port Harcourt and Makurdi.

In Makurdi, Benue State capital, the audition was characterised by a splash of excitement, as it began on Valentine’s Day. Among the thousands of young hopefuls gathered in the Food Basket of the Nation was one of the most entertaining Top 12 finalists from season 3, Joe Emmal, real name Joe Emmanuel Idoko.

Beaming with determination, Idoko, who hails from Otukpa in Benue, said he had been preparing for this second chance. ‘Last season to me was like a rehearsal. I have gone back to take my time to put things right. Last year, there were some lapses and I gave about 60, 70 per cent but this time around, I am giving my 100 per cent. I am not afraid to captivate the new judges in Season 4.’ He said.

Speaking during the audition, Head, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Elvis Daniel, expressed satisfaction with the determination displayed by all the young people who had turned up for the auditions so far, for which he expects that this season would be more competitive.

‘We have seen so many raw talents and we are committed to improving them all through this season. This TV reality show is a platform for pushing these young individuals beyond their best, helping them to discover values that make them champions and also making them happy by bringing them on the world stage and into the spotlight. Certainly, to be the voice of tomorrow is the passion of this set of contestants and hopefully those who received tickets to go on to the next stage would not relax now because the competition has only just begun.’ Daniel said.

Similarly, afrobeat singer and one of the judges, Dede Mabiaku who gave more ‘Maybes’ than ‘Yeses’ to the audition hopefuls, said he hoped that those who had shown impressive skills would continue the competition,  ready to win and not just to perform, as this season would be watching out for only the best.

This Season’s judges also include award-winning singer-songwriters, Darey Art Alade and Nneka Egbuna who together with Dede, will be on ground to screen and select lucky contestants at the Lagos auditions. There are still hours left for hopeful contestants to apply by texting their Location-Name-Surname to 5599.

The Nigerian Idol Season 4 begins broadcast on television stations home and abroad on 1^st March, 2014.

British Airways Announces New A380 Flights to Singapore From October 28 2014

Sex and the City star Kristin Davis brought some added sparkle and Hollywood glamour to British Airways as the airline announced its new superjumbo route to Singapore.

The Far Eastern city-state will be the latest destination to be served by the airline’s new flagship A380 service, from October 2014.

The three-times a week service starts on October 28 and will increase the number of seats available for customers to book by more than a four thousand a month.

Kristin Davis, who is in London rehearsing her role as Beth Gallagher in the stage version of Fatal Attraction at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, said: "I travel a lot for work and pleasure, so I greatly appreciate the consistent, high standard of service and style that British Airways is known for around the world."

“With over 80 years experience flying between London and Singapore, I can't imagine a better way to fly to the Far East than on British Airways' luxurious new A380."

The airline now has four A380s, having taken delivery of the latest aircraft on January 14 with a further four deliveries expected later in the year.

Richard Tams, British Airways’ head of UK&I sales said: Our new A380s are helping fly even more customers in great comfort and style to destinations around the world.

We’re delighted that our customers travelling to and from Singapore will be able to experience the benefits this amazing aircraft has to offer, thanks to our multi-billion pound investment in new aircraft, products and services.”

The double decked aircraft offers customers one of the quietest cabins in the sky, with bigger overhead bins, extra storage space, cleaner air, mood lighting, improved in-flight entertainment and more power sockets for personal electronic equipment.

British Airways is continuing to improve services for customers and will roll out more new aircraft, including Airbus A380s, Boeing 787s, 777-300ERs and A320s across its worldwide network as deliveries continue over the next three years. A total of twenty new aircraft will be joining the fleet in 2014.

The A380 will feature on the BA11 London Heathrow to Singapore service operating on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and the returning BA12, operating on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Flights on other days will continue to be operated by a Boeing 747 with the 777-300ER, calling into Singapore as part of the BA15/16 Heathrow to Sydney route.

The British Airways A380s already fly to Los Angeles and Hong Kong, and services to Johannesburg started on February 12. The airline will begin flights to Washington DC on the super jumbo from September 1.

British Airways is also taking delivery of a further four 787s in 2014, with new 787 services being launched to Hyderabad from March 30, Chengdu from May 5, Philadelphia from June 5 and Calgary from July 5, 2014, as well as a further four 777-300ERs.

NOKIA, MAGGI HOST FOOD AND PHOTOGRAPHY NIGHT AT SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK

 As a way to engage its customers through firsthand experience of the brand, Nokia, in partnership with MAGGI has hosted customers to a special night of food

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photography tagged EAT. SHOOT.REPEAT

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organised to showcase Nokia’s flagship brands, Nokia Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1320.

The event held during the 2014 social media week at Terra Kulture with guests feasted to a classic cocktail along with mouth watering intercontinental dishes provided by MAGGI.

Head, Nokia Care, West and Central Africa, Kola Osinowo explained that the event was organised for customers to have fun, savour exquisite food and share their experience through photography with friends .

Speaking on the partnership, Category Business Manager, Culinary Nestle Nigeria, Guy Kellaway, said 

“MAGGI, Nigeria’s leading cooking brand is synonymous with good food, good food means great memories, and of course great stories which is why we are creating and capturing good food-moments is the essence of the MAGGI Brand. It was for this reason that MAGGI was able to associate strongly with Nokia for this event”.

Explaining the features of the devices, Osinowo stated that the Lumia 1520, Nokia’s top of the range Windows Phone is packed with a 6 inch 1080p Full HD screen, 20MP PureView camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) and most importantly, the Story teller application which allows people tell stories of places they’ve visited using pictures. The application brings stories to live seamlessly and merges two Lumia signature experiences: PureView Imaging and HERE maps, which allow users to relive their photos in a new, dynamic and interactive way.

        

Speaking on both devices, Mr Olumide Balogun, Senior Manager, Product Marketing, Nokia West and Central Africa, noted that the introduction of the Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1320 will revolutionize the Smart phone market and boost Nokia’s competitive edge in the "phablet" category. He added that both devices are designed with the latest “Lumia Black” software which is an update of the windows 8 operating system.

“Both devices come pre-installed with business and productivity applications and a unique new photography application called the Storyteller app which allows people tell stories of places they’ve visited using pictures. The Storyteller App seamlessly merges two Lumia signature experiences, PureView Imaging and HERE maps, to allow users relive their photos in a new, dynamic and interactive way.” He stated.

Nokia is the global headline sponsor for the 2014 Social Media Week, a leading media platform and event with global reach across five continents, including Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Asia that explores the social, cultural and economic impact of social media.

Airtel rewards winners of 2013 Google Cloud Developers Challenge

   L-R: Femi Adeniran, Head Public Relations, Airtel Nigeria; Nitin Anand, Director, Products Services, Airtel Nigeria; Femi Taiwo and Tunde Owokoniran, winners of the 2013 Google Cloud Developers Challenge in Sub Sahara Africa and Chukwuemeka Afigbo, Google Program Manager, Outreach Sub Sahara Africa at the event to reward best Nigerians in the 2013 Google Cloud Developers Challenge in Lagos.

  The leading telecommunication giant, Airtel Nigeria on Thursday rewarded Nigerians who were successful in the 2013 Google Cloud Developers Challenge with cash prizes.

‘Funnyleni’, jointly designed by Femi Taiwo and Tunde Owokoniran emerged  overall best in Sub-Saharan Africa and received 1 Million naira cash prize; ‘Mapplusyou’ by Adewale Obadimu and Ayodele Adebayo received N 500,000 as second  in Nigeria  while Aneke Chimdindu and Nosakhare Belvi with their ‘Jambites Online Prep School’ came third among all applicants in Nigeria  with N250,000 cash prize, all from Airtel.

Speaking at the event in Lagos, the Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr.Maurice Newa,  said Airtel was pleased to support the initiative as a company passionate about talent.

Newa who was represented by the Senior Manager, New Product Development, Airtel Nigeria, Idemudia Dima-Okojie said the event was very important because Airtel was redeeming its promises to the winners.

According to him, "the Google Cloud Developer Challenge was an initiative Airtel Nigeria identified as very impactful and thus threw its full weight behind because of our commitment to creating credible platforms for the development of local talents and also providing Nigerian youths with plethora of opportunities to succeed".

He however congratulated them “for putting Nigeria in the global map”.

According to him, the competition which began in October 2013 focused on emerging market adding that the  challenge was in two categories: Enterprise/Small Business Solutions, Education and Social / Personal Productivity/Games / Fun.

Speaking on behalf of Google, the Program Manager, Outreach Sub Sahara Africa, Chukwuemeka Afigbo analyzed the criteria for selection, stressing  the important of local content and its relevance to the immediate society as a very important criteria in the competition.

He challenged the developers not to see this as the end but the beginning  in the fulfillment of their God given potentials.

In his reaction, Femi Taiwo one of the winners of the first prize appreciated Airtel for supporting their innovation.

Funnyleni according to him, aggregates hilarious local videos watched by you and your friends off YouTube and connects with your Google , Facebook and Twitter account to discover videos watched by your friends.

Mapplusyou, according to Obadimu is a map that provides you information about things happening around you.

The third app, Jambites online prep school according to Chimdindu was developed to encourage reading culture among students preparing for Jamb.

He said Students with the application could find answers to various challenging questions rather than wasting their time chatting online.

The first round winners were trained by Google on how to develop a world class application and were given the opportunity to improve their work and  submit,  out of which these winners emerged.

BA Rewards ‘Valentine’ Bookings with Discount Vouchers

In the spirit of the Valentine season, leading global airline, British Airways has announced plans to reward travelers on its flights from Abuja and Lagos with 14% discount vouchers redeemable during subsequent travels. The initiative, the first of its kind in Nigeria’s aviation industry is aimed at making flying more fun and rewarding.

According to Kola Olayinka, Regional Commercial Manager, British Airways, the vouchers would give 14% discount on bookings made between 14 Feb to 31 Mar 2014 for travels between 14 Feb and 15 Apr 2014. He explained that the initiative was a reward scheme meant to delight the airline’s customers. He added that it is exclusive to bookings that are made directly on ba.com and can only be expended on flight bookings.

“Firstly, in the spirit of Valentine, we shall be giving out discount vouchers on 13-14 February 2014 at the Abuja and Lagos airports. The vouchers would give 14% discount on bookings made between 14 Feb to 31 Mar 2014 for travel between 14 Feb and 15 Apr 2014, to all passengers travelling on 13-14 February 2014. Discounts are available on flights only,” he said.

He stated that to use the vouchers participants must make a booking on ba.com and enter the promotion code into the marked box on the Price Quote page of the booking.

“The initiative entitles customers who travel with British Airways to a 14% discount off future travels. This future travel can be booked from 14 February - 31 March 2014 for outbound travel out of Lagos or Abuja from 14 February to 14 April 2014 in World Traveller, World Traveller Plus or Club World cabins. The discount would be made available to beneficiaries as letters and will contain the promotion codes.” Olayinka stated.

Olayinka also stressed that the promotion code is valid on British Airways operated and marketed flights. This includes British Airways, American Airlines, Iberia and OpenSkies.

The promotion code is not valid on any other BA franchisee or oneworld® alliance airline, he said, and urged customers to visit ba.com for more information.

Microsoft Board Names Satya Nadella as CEO

Microsoft Corp.  has announced the appointed of Satya Nadella as its new Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors effective immediately. Nadella previously held the position of Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group. 

 “During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,” said Bill Gates, Microsoft’s Founder and Member of the Board of Directors. “Satya is a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together. His vision for how technology will be used and experienced around the world is exactly what Microsoft needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth.” 

Since joining the company in 1992, Nadella has spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts across the company’s portfolio of products and services, most notably the company’s move to the cloud and the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world supporting Bing, Xbox, Office and other services. During his tenure overseeing Microsoft’s Server and Tools Business, the division outperformed the market and took share from competitors.  

“Microsoft is one of those rare companies to have truly revolutionized the world through technology, and I couldn’t be more honored to have been chosen to lead the company,” Nadella said. “The opportunity ahead for Microsoft is vast, but to seize it, we must focus clearly, move faster and continue to transform. A big part of my job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers more quickly.” 

“Having worked with him for more than 20 years, I know that Satya is the right leader at the right time for Microsoft,” said Steve Ballmer, who announced on Aug. 23, 2013 that he would retire once a successor was named. “I’ve had the distinct privilege of working with the most talented employees and senior leadership team in the industry, and I know their passion and hunger for greatness will only grow stronger under Satya’s leadership.” 

Microsoft also announced that Bill Gates, previously Chairman of the Board of Directors, will assume a new role on the Board as Founder and Technology Advisor, and will devote more time to the company, supporting Nadella in shaping technology and product direction. John Thompson, lead independent director for the Board of Directors, will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors and remain an independent director on the Board. 

 “Satya is clearly the best person to lead Microsoft, and he has the unanimous support of our Board,” Thompson said. “The Board took the thoughtful approach that our shareholders, customers, partners and employees expected and deserved.”

IBM invests in Accelerating Innovation in Nigeria

IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced it is further expanding its operations across Africa with the opening of an IBM Client Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. Co-located with an IBM Innovation Centre, the new facility is designed to accelerate innovation for Nigerian and West African business and IT skills. Using the centre, clients, IT partners, developers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and academics can now access enhanced cloud capabilities and extensive big data and analytics resources.

Adoption of cloud technology in Africa has reached a tipping point and in Nigeria alone, cloud usage is expected to more than double to 80 percent of businesses in the next year. In addition, the growing proliferation of mobile phones and tablets is accelerating the opportunity to interpret data patterns to anticipate needs and deliver improved services.

As the local demand for these types of technologies and skills increases, Africa is quickly moving to the center of global attention as the last big emerging market of the current economic era.   According to the IMF, Sub Saharan Africa is set to be the world’s second fastest growing region with projected economic growth of over five percent this year.

To take advantage of this explosive growth, the new centre will focus on providing solutions that use Big Data & Analytics and cloud technologies to solve key local challenges such as improving government services, digitising banking services and enhancing customer centricity in telecommunications. Clients will be able to participate in virtual and in-person training, test out new products, network with peers from around the world, and receive mentoring and guidance from IT and business experts. For example, the centre will provide clients hands-on access to cloud-based industry solutions such as IBM Intelligent Operations designed to provide cities, governments and utilities with a central command center for the use of predictive analytics to enhance efficiency and manage all their operations.

“Our investment in this centre is in line with our strategy to help fuel growth in Nigeria’s IT sector and to support the use of advanced technology service delivery for the public sector and commercial business growth, particularly expansion in West Africa,” says Taiwo Otiti, IBM West Africa Country General Manager. “IBM Client Centres are designed to help clients envisage their future, illustrated using IBM Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud solutions, combined with industry focused experience and expertise. Through this centre, we will bring the reach of IBM's global capabilities and thought leadership closer to local and regional clients.”

IBM believes its new test and demonstration environment will serve to cut the costs and complexity of assessing IT solutions, but will also assist CIOs in presenting strong business cases for advanced technology adoption.

The company is already working with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to create the world's largest and most comprehensive clinical dataset on cancer patients by building cancer registries in developing nations, beginning in Sub-Saharan Africa.

                                                                                                                          

“Innovation has become a key driver of positive change in developed economies, and IBM has blazed the trail once again in this market with its new Innovation and Client center,” says Mr Victor Hammond, managing director of Lagos-based Bankers Warehouse Ltd, a non-bank financial services institution and Nigeria’s leading cash management and cash-in-transit service provider. “I foresee this facility becoming a key driver of technology innovation in Nigeria, helping to promote the culture of knowledge incubation and scientific enquiry in all sectors of the national economy."

IBM has been operating in Africa since the 1930’s, and today has a direct presence in more than 20 African countries, including: Nigeria, Tanzania, Senegal, South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Mauritius.  IBM plans to continue strengthening this network with more new facilities, offerings and partnerships in the next few years.

The new Centre joins a worldwide network of over 41 other IBM Innovation Centers in 33 countries including South Africa and Kenya. Through this network, IBM connects local companies and entrepreneurs with technical and industry experts around the world and can support growth with introductions into new markets.

In addition, the new Client Centers will be connected to over 200 IBM client hubs globally, and IBM's network of nine Big Data & Analytics Solution Centers with expertise in financial risk management, and the specific needs of government organizations.

Port Harcourt Hosts Etisalat Sponsored Nigerian Idol 4 Auditions

Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State was agog recently when the search for the next set of super music talents arrived at the Garden City for the auditions of the Nigerian Idol Season 4, proudly sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria.

Despite the heavy traffic in the city early in the day, talented youths who apparently have been preparing for the day trooped in as early as 7am into the venue in large numbers. Within a twinkle of an eye, the Presidential Hotel venue, in the GRA area of the city was filled to the brim with participants some from neighbouring states, seeking the opportunity to perform in front of the judges and gain a chance to enroll in the show when it commences in Lagos, in March, 2014.

 

Speaking during the audition, one of the judges, Dare Art Alade expressed happiness with the progress the show has recorded in previous seasons. He further disclosed that Nigerian Idol is again looking for young talents that can use the Etisalat sponsored platform to jump-start their musical careers and hopefully become superstars.

Other judges of the Nigerian Idol season 4 are Nigerian born German singer, songwriter and MOBO Award Best African Act, Nneka Egbuna and Nigerian afrobeat/highlife musician, Dede Mabiaku of the West African Idol fame.

One of the contestants who received a golden ticket from the judges after her performance, Chidinma Okpara, said she is overwhelmed and short of words to describe how she feels. In her words, “It never occurred to me that I could get a golden ticket to the competition. I only hopped to do my song and get three yeses from the judges. I was surprised when the judges said I that gave them a fantastic performance and handed me a golden ticket which automatically takes me straight to Lagos to compete with other shortlisted candidates.”

Reiterating Etisalat’s commitment to the show, Head, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Elvis Daniel, said the goal of Nigerian Idol is not just about the monetary rewards, but about building capacity in the contestants through music lessons that they receive during the show, exposure to highly-rated musicians and the extraordinary ‘high-powered spirit’ of Etisalat.

“More than just a talent competition, Etisalat-sponsored Nigerian Idol allows viewers a unique opportunity to follow day by day, the behind-the-scene progress of the contestants in their quest for fame. The contestants will also be given the opportunity to meet and perform alongside their favourite stars who will be conducting exclusive master-classes and sharing their wisdom and tips for success.” Daniel said.

The audition train moves to Calabar on the 8th of February at Monty Suites, Esuk Utan, Calabar, and Makurdi on the 15th of February at Smileview Hotel Extension, Makurdi. The final stage of the auditions will hold in Lagos at Dream Studios, Omole on the 22nd and 23rd of February.

The show will air on select cable and terrestrial television stations starting March 1^st, 2014.