Cadbury Nigeria Rewards Bourn Factor Season 2 Winners
Cadbury Nigeria, a part of Mondelz International, and producers of the iconic Bournvita, a cocoa beverage drink, has rewarded the top three winning schools in the second edition of the Bourn Factor School Talent Hunt Competition, which took place nationwide, in 2020.
The winners were unveiled at a media parley held at the Company’s head office in Lagos, recently. Divine Promotion Nursery and Primary School in Ile-Ife, Osun State, won the grand prize of N3Million.
Success Foundation Academy in Abeokuta, Ogun State, which came second, won N2Million, while Potter and Clay Schools in Ilesha, Osun State, in the third position, won N1 million.
During the prize presentation, Mrs. Oyeyimika Adeboye, Managing Director, Cadbury Nigeria, said one of the Company’s values is to “love our consumers and our brands,” adding that the organisation has continued to seek numerous ways to demonstrate this.
“The Bourn Factor initiative was launched in 2019 to enable children from different primary schools across the country showcase their talents, compete, and win prizes for their schools, while raising money towards a social cause,” she said.
Mrs. Adeboye added that the initiative was in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that seek to build sustainable communities. “Last year, we worked with the first prize winner to set up an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facility for their school.
“We helped the second prize winner to renovate their school premises and worked with the third winning school to set up a play ground and a borehole.
“This year, we will partner all the three wining schools to achieve their goals, adding that “We will also donate products to orphanages chosen by the winning schools. This will inculcate in the children, the habit of selfless giving.”
Mrs. Adeboye thanked all the schools that participated in the competition and noted that the winners represent millions of talented Nigerian children.
She enjoined teachers and parents to continue to support Nigerian children in nurturing their talents and building their dreams.
Earlier in his remarks, Tolu Olaoye, the Innovations Manager, Cadbury West Africa, expressed delight with the level of participation of the schools, despite the irregularities in school calendars, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This, for us, is the kind of resilience we are seeking to achieve, teaching the younger ones how to persevere,” he said.
According to the statement, which was issued by Frederick Mordi, the Company’s Corporate Communications and Government Affairs Manager for West Africa, the competition is one of the several brand touch points that Bournvita is using to connect with children across the country.
A lot has changed from the Africa Hollywood star and comedian Eddie Murphy knew over three decades ago to now. The continent now boasts many creative talents in music, fashion and film and the culture embraced by many. Thus the challenge for Murphy and his production crew in the sequel of his 1988 movie ‘Coming to America’ was to reimagine Africa in its new glory.
To an extent, the SNL alumnus achieved that with the help of the director Craig Brewer, if not a bit exaggerated. ‘Coming 2 America’ which premieres today on Amazon Prime Video will see an enormous version of Zamunda, the fictional African kingdom, with more dances, fashion and music. Hollywood celebrity costume designer Ruth E. Carter (Black Panther) employed the talents of African fashion designers like Nigerian Ikiré Jones and South African designers Palesa Mokubung of the label Mantsho and Ladumo Ngxolo of the label MaXhosa to highlight the continent’s vibrant fashion. For choreography, the cast learned the ropes of dancing from the iconic choreographer Fatima Robinson. For music, Nigerian artistes like Tekno, Larry Gaaga and Tiwa Savage who are signed to Universal Music Nigeria lent their vocals on the soundtrack while Davido performed in the movie. There were also performances from the funky hip-hop girl group Salt N Pepa, and Gladys Knight.
But in its pursuit to represent Africa in all its glory, the film loses itself. Even with a stellar cast that includes veteran actors Morgan Freeman, Wesley Snipes, Tracey Morgan and Leslie Jones as well as newbies Nomzamo Mbatha, Rotimi, Bella Murphy, and Jermaine Fowler, the film hardly hit home.
Now a king, Murphy reprises his role as Akeem and embarks on a journey back to America alongside his friend and aide Semmi (Arsenio Hall). This time, he is not looking for an intelligent woman to marry but a lost son. His son’s existence was only brought to his knowledge by his father, King Jaffe Joffer whose dying wish was for him to find an heir to the throne since Akeem was only blessed with three daughters. Lavelle (Fowler), his street-savvy Queens boy, will arrive with his mother (Jones) to Zamunda to learn about his identity and tradition of the African kingdom.
At the heart of the film is a story about identity and women empowerment but these themes are not that punchy as expected. Rather, the film is sprinkled with comedic theatrics such as Snipes’ General Izzi character and his caricature dance entrance, the one-liners from Jones, and the hilarious witch doctor played by Hall.
While showing Akeem’s struggle with parenthood and leadership, ‘Coming 2 America’ lacks the authenticity of the first movie. It ambitiously portrays Africa as the new cultural gold. It only manages to tick a few boxes with its art, music and cinematography. The film can only be seen as a lavishly decorated story without a pulse.
Nigeria’s versatile entertainer, Toyin Bayegun popularly called Woli Arole, is all set to enlighten Nigerians on wise financial investments in his new role as the brand ambassador of UK-based forex trade firm, TigerWit.
TigerWit is a firm that prides itself as a technology trading platform which provides a handful services, and helps clients access global interbank liquidity as well as trade in the global forex markets.
Today, the firm has chosen Woli Arole, who is famous for his many appealing talents as a social media influencer, movie producer, actor, MC, stand-up comedian, and skit maker. With over five million followers on social media, there is no gainsaying then that Woli Arole’s quality earned him the new portfolio.
For TigerWit, Woli Arole is a perfect reflection of ethics, transparency, and accountability which the firm needs to get to the public.
At the official signing ceremony held at the firm’s Lagos office, Woli Arole expressed optimism, as he rolled up his sleeves to get to work. He enthused that TigerWit Africa is an accountable and transparent firm that has carved a niche across the globe.
The influencer expressed: “If you look at TigerWit, it has successfully distinguished itself. It shows that people are convinced when you are limpid.
“My job is simple here. It is to communicate to the layman out there what the financial investment is all about. I have seen that this is genuine; anybody can be part of this irrespective of one’s financial status. People will easily accept because they are seeing my face to it.”
While leveraging on the integrity and credibility that he has built with his followers, Woli Arole bemoaned the increasing number of swindlers in the financial markets. “So people are careful on where to place their investment. If it is not TigerWit, it is nothing.”
Woli Arole has vowed to work his fingers to bone to promote the brand. “Skit, videos, photos, write ups and more are some of the strategies I will be adopting to create more awareness.”
In his remarks, TigerWit Director, Mr. David Onaolapo, outlined that the business is all about honesty and transparency, which needed to boost confidence of investors.
He told newsmen that when blockchain as a technology became acceptable globally in 2014, “TigerWit joined in 2015, but started in Nigeria in 2018.”Since then, he said TigerWit has created transparent market participatory processes for every investor. Onaolapo further assured prospective investors that TigerWit was built on a blockchain system where every transaction is protected, secured, and immutable.
While he lived, the late Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja, Msgr Raphael Okechukwu Madu, made tremendous and positive impact on both the Church and the society.
His transition has continued to generate very deep sense of loss and indeed he would remain unforgettable in the minds of those that crossed his path.
Msgr Madu completed the journey of faith on when he succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was buried on Junaury 22, 2021, five days after his transition with strict compliance to government directives on COVID-19. Thus, owing to the circumstances and suddeness of his exit, so many people could not attend Rt. Rev Msgr Madu’s funeral to bid him final goodbye.
However, on Thursday February 18, 2021, exactly 31 days after Msgr Madu’s demise, his community, Nunya, in Isuikwuato local government of Abia State reverberated as a throng of Catholic clerics and laity poured into St. Paul’s Catholic Parish Nunya to mourn with the family and the community over the loss of their illustrious son.
The “Month’s Mind” ceremony attracted five Bishops and over 70 priests, who together with the faithful celebrated the life of the departed servant of the Most High God. The Archbishop of Owerri, His Lordship. Most Rev Anthony Obinna presided over the mass concelebrated with the other bishops.
The Vicar-General of Owerri Archdiocese, Rev Fr. Samuel Uzoukwu, who delivered the homily at the mass, reminded everybody that “we come from God and we’ll return to God” hence in life we’re always on a homeward journey.
He described death as the door that opens to eternity, adding that the Church encourages the faithful not to see death as annihilation but transition to eternal glory. According to him, the anxiety of the Church is that none of its members should be found wanting at the point of death, adding that Msgr Madu was sacramentary prepared at the time of his transition.
The Catholic Bishops all spoke glowingly of the late Msgr Madu, who meritoriously served as the director communication before he became the secretary-general of the Catholic Secretariat.
“We are all very proud of him and will remain so till tomorrow,” said Archbishop Obinna. The late priest came from Okigwe Diocese but he belonged to Owerri Archdiocese where he worked in various capacities, including editor of The Leader, the popular diocesan newspaper, director Assumpta Press as well as director of social communications.
Bishop Solomon Amatu of Okigwe Diocese said that Msgr Madu was specially gifted by God to excel in everything he did. According to him, people should be ready and willing to do any assignment given to them by God.
The life and times of Msgr Madu and the sense of loss his demise has continued to evoke were succinctly captured by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Aba, His Lordship, Most Rev Augustine Echema in the homily he delivered at Assumpta Cathedral Owerri during the funeral mass for the late beloved priest. “Msgr was an amiable personality, a friend of all, both small and great, poor and rich, someone who had a listening ear to the cries of the needy, a generous man to a fault.
“By his death, Owerri Archdiocese has lost one of her most illusytiois, most trustworthy and resourceful priest. The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja will miss its indefatigable Secretary-General. The Madu family and Nunya community as a whole will forever miss their goal better and great achiever”.
Raphael Okechukwu Madu (Ugwumba I of Nunya) was ordained into the Catholic priesthood on July 9, 1983 by late Bishop Mark Unegbu at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church Isuikwuato. For 37 years he worked in the Lord’s vineyard and finished his work on Sunday, January 17, 2021 at the age of 65.