11 things to do during the 2011 elections.

The elections will take place as follows:

Saturday April 9, 2011 - National Assembly Elections

Saturday April 16, 2011 - Presidential Election

Saturday April 23, 2011 - State Governorship/House of Assembly Elections

On election days, movement of vehicles will be restricted. Only emergency services may be permitted. Routine operational services (for example: airport shuttle buses) will not run. People are expected to move only within their neighborhoods to polling booth for accreditation and voting. it is expected that the National Security Personnel will be on high alert. They will be present at polling booths and several locations across the country.

The following is advised during the period:

(1) Make extra provisions for basic home needs before election days.

(2) Make sure a relative or friend knows where you are at any time.

(3) On the election days, avoid travel or movements outside where you have registered. Should you need to travel to another town to participate in the elections, do so before the election day.

(4) Do not participate in public debates, campaign for candidates or attempt to influence voters or electoral officers. Quietly perform your civic duties and go home.

(5) Avoid crowds, rallies and processions.

(6) Avoid chatting with strangers.

(7) Restrict movements on the Sunday after elections. Don't linger around churches or public places after service or social events.

(8) Listen often to the news on radio and/or television.

(9) Be alert to happenings around your neighbourhood.

(10) Plan for and deploy critical business needs before the elections.

(11) Avoid non-essential travels throughout the election period.

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NLI’s StandUPNaija Advocates for the Needs of Average Nigerians

The Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI) has formally launched its StandUPNaija Project – an electorate awareness platform aimed at enhancing citizen participation during and after the 2011 general elections.

StandUPNaija gives a voice to the issues faced by average Nigerians, and their expectations from elected leaders. Across the country, the Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI) is helping Nigerians speak up about the policy issues that matter to them such as Electricity, Health, Security, Education, Transportation and Employment.

“Through a series of impactful videos shot across Nigeria’s 6 geo-political zones, we havehighlighted the issues that affect average Nigerians and hope to put pressure on elected officials to address them during and after the 2011 elections,” said Simi Idowu, the organisation’s Operations Director. “The overall goal is to frame the policy issues for the 2011 elections (from the viewpoint of average Nigerians) and the expected actions of government officials in the next administration.During the next administration, these issues will be tracked”.

The videos have thus far been shown on national networks including the Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television – and have been broadcast in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. The videos are also available for viewing and download at www.nli-global.org or www.standupnaija.org. At launch, over 10,000 people viewed the videos online.

StandUPNaija, working with a coalition of election-focused organizations, named What About Us recentlyco-produced Nigeria’s first youth-centred presidential debate, hosted by international award-winning writer Chimamanda Adichie. The coalition included EnoughisEnough Nigeria, Vote or Quench and Sleeves Up.

StandUPNaija’s parent organisation, Nigeria Leadership Initiative, is an international non-profit, non-partisan organisation that mobilises the energy, talent and resources of credible and accomplished Nigerians in-country and the diaspora to tackle the challenges that confront the nation.Established in 2006, NLI has activated several projects including a free comprehensive civics curriculum called CLEVER and an animated video on the values of Nigeria’s founding fathers on the Naira notes called Notes2Note.

NLI is a registered Charity in Nigeria and the United Kingdom and its fellows are members of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

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OE Exclusive: Dynamix All Youth Awards: The Truth, The Lies, All laid Bare!

The Nigerian entertainment industry has been experiencing tremendous growth over the past few years. The rapid yet steady increase in awards shows in the country is one testament to the fact that “operation re-brand and grow” the Nigerian entertainment industry is in full swing. Award shows such as the SoundCity Music Video awards, MTV Africa Music Awards, South South Music Awards, Future Awards, to the Dynamix all youth awards, all underscore the fact that Nigerians are again beginning to celebrate their own artists. A prime example of this "awakened desire" is exemplified by the Dynamix all youth Awards. The Dynamix awards, the brain child of Tunde Alade, is an annual youth event that is intended to identify and recognize the excellence of the Nigerian youth and celebrate the youth culture.

The recent Dynamix Awards was held on the 21st of December 2010 at the Eko Hotel and Suites. From the reviews, it appeared that people were not too impressed with the award show. However, this is quite understandable because it is hard to please everyone. In this exclusive interview, Mr Alade sets the record straight as he and his team start planning for this year‘s award show.

Interview with Dynamix Coordinator Tunde Alade.

OE: Can you please give a brief overview of how the Dynamix awards came into existence and why it was created?

Tunde Alade: Dynamix all youth awards was originally created to bring together students from across campuses in Nigeria together in one venue, to give reward, recognition, promote unity and celebrate them. As campus/youth journalists at that time, 2005 to be precise, it was fundamental that we bridged the gap within students from the north, east, south and west. Our goal was and is to promote unity, while allowing free camaraderie, the merging of intellectual and social values among students, as well as try our best to expose them to their role models. So many students want to meet and get one on one inspiration from Dele Momodu, Keke and D-one, Dbanj, Tuface and other role models in reality and not just on TV-- Dynamix youth awards created that platform for them. Today, the Dynamix all youth awards has evolved to the extent that it is not limited to students (youths on campuses) that it was originally created for; we now have categories for youths in music, movies, comedy, sports, media as well as Nigerian youths abroad and as a matter of fact aggressive and popular demand by these afore mentioned section of youths brought about the inclusion of their categories outside the student categories. It’s a phenomenal growth in target audience which is not only about the awards but even the magazine ‘dynamix’. It evolved from a common magazine which celebrated Unilag engineering faculty students to a magazine that is been paid to cover major youth events in the Uk and circulates nationwide with a print run of 10,000 copies bi-monthly. I want to thank God for his blessings.

OE: What traits set the Dynamix Awards apart from other award shows? Do you think the Dynamix award show is credible, necessary, and/or relevant to the Nigerian entertainment industry? (please explain)

Tunde Alade: – I can authoritatively tell you that, Dynamix Awards is the only credible awards ceremony where the average age of people in attendance is 20 years i.e. The Youth as stipulated by the United Nations. Dynamix awards is a forum that unites youths from the north, south, west and east of Nigeria as well as their counterparts abroad.

Our categories accommodate youths from all walks of life, and identifies with youth passions in the areas of Education, Fashion, Music, as well as General Entertainment. We have created a platform for talents to be discovered and exposed to the mainstream entertainment industry. At the risk of sounding immodest, 9ice, DJ Zeez, as well as the late Dagrin made a cross over in their career through our platform.

We have created a reputable entertainment brand with the awards over the last 5 editions of the awards. P-Square, D’banj, Don Jazzy, Banky W, Wande Coal, Dr Sid, JJC, Dotstar, 9ice, Ruggedman amongst many others, have all performed at our Award ceremonies.

OE: To clear up any confusion, what are the criteria for nomination for a Dynamix Award? How is this validated? Do Dynamix award coordinators or staff nominate people for awards? How do the youth become aware of when they can nominate or vote?

Tunde Alade: The categories are released to the public via our website www.dynamixawards.com and publicized through the media – The Beat FM, Soundcity, Primetime Africa, Ben TV UK have hitherto been our partners. Nomination questionnaires are also sent in thousands to schools and it is a constant mention on Dynamix On Tv which is our syndicated TV Programme on STV and TVC for months.

The student nominations are collated by top chiefs in leading campus clubs, while the society categories are validated by delegates from Soundcity, Kennis Music and DJ Jimmy Jatt. Once nominees emerge, we send them nomination letters and letter of invitation to the awards. Winning an award in the society categories e.g best music act, youth comedian of the year, OAP of the year etc is based on 70% votes via our Short code service provided by Cellulant, a reputable mobile shortcode service provider and 30% validation by the judges. However, the campus categories are based strictly on votes as collated by Cellulant.

OE: Why has sponsorship been a major challenge for Dynamix awards? (For example, Etisalat which used to be a major sponsor backed out. Why?) How does Dynamix award intend to address these challenges?

Tunde Alade: Etisalat has hitherto been of immense support to the awards for which we are grateful. We have a mutually beneficial relationship with them that cannot be ‘broken’ – so to speak. They could not sponsor the awards because they postponed the re-launch of their youth product Easycliq which is a product that identifies to the youths as well as with The Dynamix All Youth Awards. It was a business decision on their part, and the show had to move on. We are grateful to God that other sponsors took advantage and bank rolled both the main event and pre-event activities leveraging on all opportunities attached. We appreciate the immense support of Lagos state government for making Dynamix All Youth Awards 2010 a huge success.

OE: What is your take on comments such as bribery, favoritism, lack of credibility, that trailed the recently concluded 2010 Dynamix awards? Are there any truths to the claims? If no, why do you think the comments developed? Also, there’s an image on the internet of a conversation between an apparent Dynamix award nominee, hard candy, and an award coordinator identified as Tunde. The rumor is Tunde in the conversation is Tunde Alade of Dynamix awards. Is this true? Did Mr Alade ever have any conversation with anyone nominee paying 50,000 naira to get an award?

Tunde Alade: My first reaction, when I saw the said screen capture was uncontrollable laughter. Because, to be honest, that is all it is good for. It is just a simple case of a disgruntled party trying to pour turpentine in my proverbial ‘Garri.’ And that, anyone believed it, was a matter of surprise to my humble self. It is really simple: all you need is two people with access to BlackBerry’s and enough angst against me and Dynamix Awards.

To clear the air, our award is based on votes collated by Cellulant and subsequent validation by judges. Favoritism? YES! It’s who the student population proclaim as their favorites, via votes, that we give the awards to! To address the issue of certain artistes taking to Twitter and disparaging us out of spite; It is a very sad occurrence. Especially as it is beyond our control that the spotlight has to shine on a select few. But we take these in stride as some of the challenges we face at Dynamix Awards. And we press on, knowing that no good hustle goes unopposed.

OE: If the accusations are true, what is being done to put an end to these practices? If these accusations are untrue, how does the Dynamix award team intend to correct these perceptions as you prepare for the show in 2011?

Tunde Alade: The accusations are wholly and totally false. No awards ceremony will go unquestioned as everyone has their opinions of who and who, are deserving of accolades. Remember that Kanye West questioned Taylor Swift winning an award over Beyonce? Bringing it closer to home, was our credible big brother, Hip-Hop World Awards not falsely tagged a tribalistic award ceremony recently?

Dynamix Magazine has been nominated for The Future Awards 4 times without winning and yet, we have only good things to say of their credibility. This is a show of sportsmanship and we appreciate everyone for recognizing our hustle. We have done well as far as transparency is concerned and we have so much more in the works to make Dynamix All Youth Awards 2011 more transparent than ever before.

OE: It's still too early, but any ideas on where the 2011 Dynamix Awards might be held and what can we expect? How do you intend on keeping the award show fresh and relevant?

Tunde Alade: It is a tad early to count our eggs. But be sure to expect a bigger stage with the attendance of the brightest Nigerian youths home and abroad. Our detractors have done more PR than we can ever afford. Dynamix and Dynamix awards trended on twitter worldwide. Calls have been coming in from within Nigeria and abroad with lots of email addresses and phone numbers dropped asking that we inform them as soon as Dynamix Awards 2011 nominations and entry tickets are out. Every year, we stride to be bigger than the last, and this year will be no exception.

We thank millions of Nigerian artistes, TV and Radio Personalities, students from across campuses, Comedians, movies acts our role models; Mr Dele Momodu, Baba Keke and D-1, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Mr Tajudeen Adepetu, as well as Jesse Jagz and Mo’cheddah for hosting the 2010 awards, Her Excellency; Mrs Sarah Sosan, Deputy Governor of Lagos State for her support, Lagos state ministry of youth and sports, Special adviser to the Governor; Mr Dolapo Badru, Eko Hotel and Suites and many more people who supported and believe strongly in the Dynamix project. Thank you Olamildentertainment for seeking out the truth.

OE: Thank you so much for your time.

Tunde Alade: Thanks. Happy New Year

Olamildentertainment would like to thank Mr Tunde Alade and Enobong Kennedy for taking the time out to answer our questions.

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Being "SMART" in 2011

A few days ago before the new year, I was catching up with a friend and he asked me if I had any interesting new years resolution. I said no, because I feel like new years resolutions are sometimes impractical. He begged to differ and shared with me a goal setting guide to ensure that my new years resolutions, should I choose to have any, can be actualized. For the ardent New Years resolutionaites, pay attention. The guide will help you to focus your efforts and clearly define what goals you want achieved, rather than trying to achieve unrealistic goals. And for the people who don’t have any resolutions, still pay attention, the guide is applicable to everyday life. I will be sharing this technique with brief examples in the simplest way possible. Some people may have heard of it, while newbs like me just got introduced to it. It’s called SMART.

1) S = Specific
What: What exactly is it that you want to achieve? Why: Why is achieving the goal important to you? How: How do you intend on achieving said goal?
Example: Goal is to get married.
*What: You want to get married by when? End of the week, year, month? Be specific.
*Why: Why do you want to get married by a particular time period? Because all your friends, neighbors, enemies are getting married? Make sure you ask yourself why.
*How: How do you intend on getting married by your deadline? Network, attend lots of weddings and engagements, lose weight, get rich, pretend to be who you’re not? There are so many options. Just make sure you have a blueprint as to how you intend on achieving said goals.

2) M = Measurable
Allows you to measure the progress being made to reach said goal.
So for example, rather than saying “My goal is to hammer by the end of the year“. The chances of you being able to measure and achieve said goal of “hammering” is higher when you say “I want to ensure that my construction company gets the opportunity to work on the 2 major multi-million naira road projects in Lagos by the end of June.” The latter statement will allow you see the change occur and give you the opportunity to make revisions and adjustments if need be.

3) A = Attainable
Devise ways to ensure that your goals and dreams are actualized. These “ways” can range from fine-tuning your skills, changing your attitude, having adequate financial capacity, a substantial workforce, and so on.
Example: Raise 100 million naira by the end of march to run for political office.
To attain this goal by the set deadline without the adequate personal finance and support is honestly wishful thinking. So it’ll best for you to say “raise 100 million naira by June 2011 or July 2011” or “raise 2 million naira every month“, which is more reasonable. Compartmentalizing your goal this way will keep it achievable, keep you motivated, and prevent you from resorting to juju or blood money tactics.

4) R = Realistic
Ensure that your goals are realistic and devise an effective plan of achieving your goal(s). The goals need to be realistic of where you are at the moment. So if your goal as an artiste is to win an MTV Africa Music Awards or SoundCity Music Video Awards by the end of the year and you’ve never recorded a song or shot a legit video with Kemi Adetiba, Gini, Clarence Peters, DJ Tee, or any creative director in naija, then I don’t know what to say. It may be more realistic to set a goal of recording and releasing a song every day or week to get constructive feedback from the public and get your music out there, be creative/experiment with your beats and sound, and exercise 4 times a day so you’re healthy and look good in the music video.

5) T = Timeframe or Time-bound
Set a time frame for the entire goal. This gives you a clear target of what you are working towards and keeps your commitment from being too ambiguous. A time limit creates a sense of urgency and action.
You can say by February, I hope to have read 2 books by Wole Soyinka, In three months, I hope to have purchased more African cartoons for my children, or by January 20th 2011, I intend to have shared the Enough is Enough & RSVP movement with people and encouraged them to vote.

There you have it folks. So go out there and get SMART with your goals.

Happy new year everyone. Here’s to a fantastic 2011.

Credit image to: www.weeseeyou.com

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