Following the immense success of its drama series, The Men’s Club (TMC), REDTV is about to launch its own chat show, Red Hot Topics. The show follows a panel of young people discussing current and hot topics that affect everyday life. They will openly and frankly touch on topics ranging from equality to infidelity, sex, relationships, honour, business and the choices we all must make.
Take 12 exciting, energetic, hot young folks, ask them the most daring of questions and watch them thrash out opinions that will make you think long and hard.
Produced on set in the brand new studios of REDTV, Red Hot Topics will defy the norms and break down all barriers. The boys – T.J, Ihechi, O.D, Tayo, Ola , Martin and Farouq and the girls – Lolo, Ada, Coco, Bukky and Ariyiike are stunning, stylish, suave and ready to talk. If it’s honest, they will tell it. If it is taboo, they will uncover it. But most of all, if it’s forbidden and unchartered, – they will go all the way and bring the heat!
Speaking on REDTV’s latest series, Executive Producer of the Show, Bola Atta said ‘Red Hot Topics is a chat show that will change how people think and act, in a positive way. The conversations of the vibrant youths are as essential as they are interesting and engaging. The cast is fun, honest and fresh, all speaking straight from the heart, with no holds barred.’
Red Hot Topics will premiere on the 11th of September, 2019 on the REDTV YouTube channel. Follow all the REDTV channels across social media for more information and to watch the movement live!
REDTV is a fast paced lifestyle channel that puts Africa on the global stage. Proudly powered by the United Bank for Africa (UBA). The network is here to entertain and inform, with rich content that features the very best of Africa; focused on entertainment, fashion, news, design, music, sport, movies, travel and much more.
REDTV collaborates with the most talented visionaries, creative minds daring to believe in a New Africa, putting together content that reflects it. Feel the Heat on REDTV.
The Association of Professional Party Organizers and Event Managers of Nigeria (APPOEMN), is set to convene TEIC 2019, a 3-day transformational network of learning and cutting edge exponential conference for members of the association from September 18 to 22 2019.
Addressing the press in Lagos on Sunday September 8, Vice President of the association, Mrs Adefunke Kuyoro disclosed that the theme of this year’s conference, the third in a series, being ‘Stepping Up’; presented an opportunity for event industry practitioners to put their brands ahead if not at par with industry leaders and players in the event space.
“We call all eventprenuers/practitioners to ‘step up’ their game in the industry, because the more excellent our brands become, the better our event industry in Nigeria; be you a vendor, planner, venue owner, service provider in the event industry. It is time to step it up for good.” Kuyoro posited.
Speaking further about the 3-day conference, Mrs Kuyoro said what informed TEIC (The Event Industry Conference), expected to assemble key professionals from across the country and a spectrum of events service providers, to share experiences, perspectives, insights and latest developments in the events industry, was the desire to mix international growing trends with existing traditions.
According to her, “events have always been a part of our culture, but in the recent past it has received a sudden boost, apparent by the increase in coverage received from the print and social media.”
“The 3-day conference is drawn up to provide technical sessions and poster sessions on cutting edge issues related to the event industry, and will also provide ample opportunities for networking and socializing with colleagues.” Kuyoro averred.
TEIC 2019 is expected to kick off on the 18th of September with a Masterclass scheduled for 250 participants, where evolving issues and trends in the industry will be learnt, culminating in a bonding after-party in what can best be called “Senior Lit of a lifetime”
Day 2 of the event will be devoted to Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR by way of easing motorists’ driveway through Lagos Island and mainland in a give back approach to law-abiding Lagosians.
To that extent the association has partnered with the Lagos State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA) to coordinate traffic in heavy-traffic-prone areas in super hyper traffic time between the hours of 7am-9am, with 350 members of the association expected to take part in the exercise. Next on Day 2 agenda will be a yardsale (a kind of compensation plan) to the industry where various valuable items will be circulated especially to new entrants, to boost their brand equity in the trendy event market space at giveaway rates.
The icing on the cake in regard to TEIC 2019, is its culmination on the last day of the event with a dinner and award night, where up to 500 guests are expected to attend the TEIC Award for the year, as the best practitioners in diverse categories of the industry will be appreciated.
Speaking to SMILE on the criteria adopted for the award, Mrs Kuyoro said nominations were done by members of the association on the different categories with 5 to 6 nominees in each category, while voting was done online to produce the list of recipients for the final awards, all in strict compliance to the best ethos.
With respect to some challenges in the industry cutting across relevant training, optimum service delivery, trust and abuse issues etc., Mrs Kuyoro told SMILE that APPOEMN has over the years been able to set the standard for operation in the industry which has made the association a credible force, saying the association is not just an all-comers affair, as prospective members are observed for up to two years before being registered in the organisation, while penalties which include suspension or dismissal, depending on the degree of rules infringement are also meted to erring members, all in a bid to make the industry attain and maintain standard global practices, assuring that such erring members would at the end of their penalty also have to reapply again, if qualified to. Training opportunities she added were also being constantly offered to members to ensure best practices.
APPOEMN is an association with a mix of seasoned events professionals that have been at the forefront of event planning and coordination in Nigeria, for the past 15 years. The association has risen to become a major player in the socio-economic space in the Nigerian polity contributing 55bn to the country’s GDP in budgets, appreciatively deflating the country’s unemployment balloon.
The Event Industry Conference (TEIC) is an annual event of APPOEMN and this year’s would be the third edition of the event.
Tickets to attend the event can be obtained via www.teic.live or 08033053529, 08033728555 while interested event practitioners can also join the association by sending such requests to appoemnnigeria@gmail.com
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Monday said that there was no case of inflation in the various contracts awarded by the Nigerian government in 2018.
The minister, who was reacting to allegations of contract inflation levelled against his ministry by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), asked the agency to publish its rates and “clear the air on the lingering issue of alleged contract inflation reported in the media last week”.
The minister was reacting to a report which revealed that the BPP saved over N26 billion for the government in the year 2018 by revising down “inflated” contract sums by government contractors.
Report
According to the report, the savings are from the review of contracts awarded to contractors by various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) before being given certificates of “No Objection’’ by the bureau.
The report showed that in 2018, 86 certificates of “No Objection’’ were given out by the bureau to MDAs for contracts initially totaling N1.4 trillion but was later reduced to N1.4 trillion.
Of the savings made, the highest amount of N22.2 billion was recorded from the erstwhile Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, the report showed. The money was allegedly saved from an initial request of N877.4 billion.
‘Not true’ says Fashola
But in a statement by Hakeem Bello, Mr Fashola’s spokesperson, the minister said that there has been “misleading” report of the issue in the media.
“Being a department of the same government, ordinarily this should not warrant a reply; however the misleading nature of the reporting in the media and the statements credited to BPP compel a response for the purposes of clarification and enlightenment of the public,” the statement said.
“Any person who takes time to read the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, which created the BPP will understand that no contract can be awarded until BPP certifies that it has NO OBJECTION.
“Therefore there was no INFLATED contract because BPP clearly stated that it reduced the costs, and according to BPP she “… saved over N26 Billion…” And this is the heart of the matter, because BPP’s “ savings” can only be a SUBJECTIVE assessment based on rates quoted by contractors, reviewed by the Ministry , and sent to BPP for certification.”
The minister said that until BPP publishes its rates which the then Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, under his leadership, has demanded in writing, there can be no “objective” basis for determining whether any “savings” were indeed made “if only BPP knows its own rates for procurement.”
“Once rates are published and design is known, quantities can be ascertained and costs can be determined,” Mr Fashola said.
“This is the field of Quantity Surveyors and Construction Economists, and the Minister of Works and Housing has not made any secret about his call for a revision of the Public Procurement Act to resolve this and other gaps in the Law.
“Indeed, during the first term of this Administration, the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing had commissioned the compilation of a service wide Rate of major items of procurement from the largest to the smallest for BPP to consider, adopt or amend and publish.”
A landmark strike by British Airways pilots entered its second day on Tuesday with more travel chaos — and no end in sight to the long-running dispute overpay.
BA has decided to cancel almost all its flights for the second day in a row, it announced in a statement identical to the one issued Monday.
The carrier, which is owned by London-listed International Airlines Group, said it has cancelled nearly 100 per cent of its 850 daily flights, affecting the travel plans of more than 100,000 passengers.
However, the pilots’ trade union stood firm in its demands for greater salary and benefits.
The industrial action by pilots, which is the first in BA’s 100-year history, has seen flights axed for approximately 200,000 travellers, mostly from London Gatwick and Heathrow airports.
In advance of the strike, BA offered full refunds or bookings on alternative dates or flights with a different airline.
The walkout overpays by members of the British Airline Pilots Association trade union follows around nine months of failed talks.
With no talks scheduled, pilots will also stage another one-day strike on September 27.
“Pilots are standing firm and have shown just how resolute they are,” BALPA boss Brian Strutton said in a brief statement.
“British Airways needs to start listening to its pilots and actually come up with ways of resolving this dispute.”
BA has offered a salary increase of 11.5 per cent over three years, which it argues would boost the annual pay of some captains to £200,000 ($246,000 or 220,000 euros).
However, the union has rejected the proposal that was made in July, arguing that its members want a bigger share of the company’s profits.
BALPA estimates that the 48-hour strike is costing the airline a total of £80 million but BA has yet to give an estimate.
Nigeria’s leading financial institution, Zenith Bank Plc, is set to light up the social and entertainment scene this month with the announcement of the Bank’s “Aspire Music Festival”.
Dubbed as the most anticipated entertainment event of the year, the music festival holds on Saturday, September 21, 2019 by 8.00pm at the Harbour Point Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The breathtaking festival promises to be a night to remember, as it will feature captivating and thrilling musical performances by some of Nigeria’s biggest artistes including Olamide, Flavour, Phyno, Niniola, Mayorkun and Rema.
The Aspire Musical Festival, which is a must attend event for music lovers, tourists and fun seekers, is one of a series of events lined up by Zenith Bank to usher in “Style by Zenith 2.0”, the bank’s annual lifestyle fair which will take place towards the end of the year.
Attendance at the music festival is exclusively reserved for Zenith Bank customers. However, non-Zenith customers can still participate by simply opening a Zenith Bank account and registering to attend at www.zenithbank.com/style.
Zenith Bank Plc is recognized as one of the most innovative financial institutions in Nigeria and was voted the most customer-focused bank in Nigeria for the Retail and SME segments in the 2018 KPMG Annual Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey (BICSS).
