Entertainment
Taxmen target Aisha Achimugu after heavy-dollar Granada birthday bash
Tax officers within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are already at the doorstep of Aisha Achimugu, the wealthy Nigerian socialite, whose mega 50-year birthday bash in an island of Granada, in the Caribbean, has remained the talk of town in the last one week, even with the din of the event has continued to reverberate across the country and beyond.
The Nation, reports that taxmen from FCT Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), paid her a visit, with remind notice seen on her door on Saturday, January 27, telling her to fulfill her tax obligations, even while wishing the billionaire businesswoman, a happy 50th birthday.
The party thrown by the widow of Sulaiman Achimugu, a former Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) Limited, who died in 2020 from COVID-19 complications, was said to have been attended by many dignitaries from Nigeria and beyond, including Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The FCT-IRS, which used its X handle to post their visit to the businesswoman, who turned 50 on January 22, had said: “The FCT-Internal Revenue Service extends our warmest birthday wishes to you! May this special day be filled with joy and blessing. Remember to fulfill your tax obligations by filing your annual tax returns.”
A dedicated website for the seven-day birthday party, which included information regarding visa arrangements, available chauffeurs, travel schedules, and the nearest airport to the event venue, had announced that the festivities began on January 16 with the arrival of guests, followed by by a welcome breakfast, exploring the resort, and mingling, the next day.
Other details, which gave a blow by blow account, said on Day Four, attendees wore vibrant African attire for special performances, including drum dances, adding that a bonfire provided a cozy backdrop as guests gathered for an evening of warmth and music, while on Day Five, was used to showcase performances by a local band, various cocktails, and a retro disco party and Day six was used to take, guests on an island excursion.
Read other details: On January 23, the seventh and final day began with an all-white breakfast culminating in a luxurious dinner, themed: “Glitz and Glam,” before guests bade farewell to Grenada.
Many socialites and prominent Nigerians reportedly graced the birthday bash.
Those who graced the birthday bash were said to have flown from Nigeria to Grenada in hired private jets.
Some of them described the birthday bash as one of the most lavish parties they had ever attended or heard of.
The celebrant hired Calivigny Island for a week and booked rooms for her guests at Silversand, Grenada.
Achimugu was reported to have changed clothes at the party at least 30 times, with each dress reportedly costing thousands of dollars.
These were in addition to the high-end clothes she wore for a photo shoot with a celebrity photographer before the event.
Throughout the evenings, she wore costly diamond jewellery, and designer shoes, and carried Hermes crocodile leather handbags, each estimated to cost between $50,000 and $80,000.
One of the many gatherings occurred aboard the Silver Angel, a yacht sailing on the Caribbean Sea under the flag of the United Kingdom.
According to reports, Achimugu spent nearly $1 million (more than N1 billion) to rent the island for the entire week.
Quite some local and international A-list musicians and entertainers flew in to perform at the various events.
Artists who performed included the American saxophonist and composer, Kenny G; Nigeria’s Waje, Flavour, Adekunle Gold, Asake; and Mr Killa, a Grenadian musician.
The event was filled with lots of activities from swimming to extravagant meals, bonfires, kayaking, and treasure hunting.
The Nigerian version of the birthday bash continued on Friday at Transcorp Hotel, Abuja, and another one on Saturday at an undisclosed location.
Achimugu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Jos in Plateau State.
She also holds an honorary degree from The Commonwealth University, Belize, also in the Caribbean.
She married Engineer Sulaiman Achimugu, a former Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the then Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
In a rare show of emotions, Seun Kuti, son of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has cried out over the shoddy treatment he is receiving in the hands of media practitioners in Nigeria, who are not only ignoring his achievements, but giving accolades due him to others.
The usually outspoken multi-talented instrumentalist and musician, and Grammy-nominee particularly expressed sadness at the rate his glory and recognition were being handed out to Burna Boy, Nigeria’s sensational musician ang Grammy award winner, citing a case where the latter was wrongly credited as the first artist to perform at Coachella in 2020, when in fact, he had performed at the festival in 2012.
He also bemoaned a situation where his brother, Femi Kuti, had received multiple Grammy nominations long before the same Burna Boy for Best World Music Album, adding that his album “Black Times” was nominated for Best World Music Album but overlooked by African award organisers.
Seun, who regretted that despite his recent Grammy nomination for his contribution to Janelle Monae’s “Age of Pleasure,” he was ignored by the local media among the Nigerian artists nominated for the 66th Grammys, he bewailed a situation, where he was being treated as if he actually came from another country.
Hear him: “My brother [Femi Kuti] has been nominated at the Grammys multiple times. They’ve nominated me, I was also nominated in the last edition. It was only my name that they [Nigerian media] didn’t mention among the Nigerian artists who were nominated for the 66th Grammys. That’s what they do every time as if I’m from Togo. That’s how they said Burna boy was the first Nigerian artiste to play in Coachella in 2020 where I’ve played in 2012 as if I’m from Togo.”
Entertainment
Eedris Abdulkareem: 50 Cent’s men flogged, chased P-Square, others from backstage in 2004
Eedris Abdulkareem, outspoken Hip-hop and R&B singer, seems not to be relenting in releasing bombshells about events that happened in the nation’s music industries, as he continues giving instances of his personal efforts in enhancing and bringing it to the glorious era it has turned out today.
The controversial musician, has come under intense criticisms from colleagues in the industry, trying to push back against his claims that he solely created the robust atmosphere the Nigerian musicians were enjoying today by standing up to protect it at the time others cowered.
In some of the latest outings, musicians like Burna Boy, and P-Square, had lampooned him over the claim, with the former, a Grammy Award winner, even threatening to deal with him physically over the matter.
But regardless, the Nigeria jaga jaga crooner, noted for using his music to crusade against the ills of the society and who in one instance, was involved in a serious face-off with 50 Cents, an American music icon, has continued to release details of some of the events he was directly involved.
In his latest outing, he told The Honest Bunch Podcast in its latest outing of an incident where a crew working for the US singer, virtually flogged and chased some Nigerian artists, including P-Square, out of the backstage during a concert organised by the Nigerian Breweries in 2004.
Narrating how the incident, which he said happened on the first day of the concert at Tafawa Balewa Square, in Lagos, he told the crew of how he singularly stood up to the harassment by confronting the 50 Cent’s bouncers, when the ordered him to exit the backstage.
Hear him: “For the plane saga, it was the second day. A day before that time, we were at TBS at the backstage and when 50 Cent and his crew came backstage, they chased and flogged every Nigerian out of the backstage including P-Square.
“I just dey boil for where I dey. I was waiting for them to come and chase me. So, they finally came. When they came they asked me to leave that 50 Cent was coming. I said, ‘So what? Please, get the f*ck out of my face.’ They went to report me to one of the organisers and he told them to leave me alone. Na there the wahala for start, so they escaped that night.”
Multiple award-winning singer, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems recounted how her uncle convinced her to do the most dangerous thing ever.
Speaking in a recent interview with Elle, Tems recalled a daredevil experience where she was forced to jump out of a plane while skydiving.
The Oscar-nominated diva said jumping out of the plane was the most dangerous thing she has ever done.
What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?
The most dangerous thing I’ve ever done is jump out of a plane. I don’t even know how high but I went skydiving once. And I think for a second I was like, ‘Am I dying? I don’t know who sent me to do this. I don’t know why I decided to do this but here I am falling.
My uncle convinced me and my cousins to jump. I was like, ‘Wow! So cool. Daredevil.’ And then we got into the plane and I was like I will just stay in the plane and they said I can’t. They pushed us out.
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