The truth about our private jet, by P-square

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The truth about our private jet, by P-square

They are ever busy, taking their music around the continent where they are arguably the most popular act from Nigeria. Peter Okoye, one-half of the energetic choreographers and twin singers, P-Square, spoke to VICTOR AKANDE, Entertainment Editor, recently.

HOW do you feel that your latest single, Alingo, has been banned?

 

I heard of the ban, but, honestly, reasons for the ban were not specified. But what we have noticed and they haven’t is that when you ban a song you only make it popular. Banning a song on Nigerian channels doesn’t mean much because the major international channels still play the videos.

 

What really was the reason behind the video?

 

For a few years now P-square haven’t made a dance video and our fans have been anticipating, so we just decided to give them that. Alingo was a freestyle that we did even before the Invasion album; we never took it serious until it leaked, and we got good responses. Thus, we decided to shoot a video for it.

 

Did you have to take the recording abroad again like most of your works?

 

Surprisingly, no! The scenes were created and shot in an abandoned warehouse close to our home in Nigeria. It took a lot of time and energy though, because it has been five years since we did a dance video, the last which was Roll It.

 

How far have you gone with foreign collaborations, considering that it’s the fastest way to hit the European and American markets?

 

Let’s look at it this way. We have known Akon for over six years, but we didn’t have talks for collaboration, till he came to our concert in London and witnessed the reception. He was trying to open Kon Life in Africa and was looking for people to help him run it, so we teamed up in what we call a joint venture. We are establishing an office in Nigeria called Kon Life, because we are here representing him while he is out in the states representing us. So, all I can say is that the process is on. Just watch out.

 

Which country would you say is your biggest market in Africa?

 

East Africa is the biggest encouragement, a certain place to run to at any time. Southern Africa is a potential market; that is, it is still in the works because we have been working there for over a year. But a profitable market is based on an entertainer’s personal effort, because an area can’t remain hot for us every time, so we are exploring new grounds.

 

You are always on the road, how much time do you have for yourselves?

 

We try as much as possible, but we don’t get as much time as we would want. But we took the whole of January this year to rest, because last year was a very busy year for us. However, we are back on the road again. It is the nature of the business, and we are hoping for a 2013 that will be better than last year, because this year we are including the tour of United States in our schedule.

 

What is this rumour about you guys acquiring a private jet; can you confirm it?

 

It’s not true my brother. We had a deal with a private jet company, which provides that whenever we are going to a specific place, we would be provided a jet. That way, they always gave us their private jets to travel with. This makes our trips easier. On the other hand, we are close to the presidents of most African countries, so when they hear that we are coming to their country, they usually send their private jets to pick us wherever we are. But that is not to say we can’t acquire our own jet. As a matter of fact, we are planning to get ours.

 

How have you been able to live above the scourge of piracy, which most artistes say is the reason they have not been able to make headway?

 

Piracy affects all of us, but still P-square as a brand has managed to strive and be successful. The truth is that we know how to make money even from the pirates. Some of the marketers are the pirates that we are talking about, as a result, fighting piracy starts with them. We know our worth, so before a marketer buys our album, we make him provide the cost of production and profit margin. Our last album took the joint effort of three different marketers to buy.

 

Despite being blood brothers, are you (P-Square) likely to go your separate ways someday?

 

Peter and Paul are not perfect; we quarrel like normal siblings do, but we don’t let it affect our business. Even with Jude our brother, in business, he is our manager and he respects us as the artistes he manages, but when it comes to family matters, he is our elder brother and we give him that respect. Only our late mum had the power to make us split and she wouldn’t have done that. So, if there is to be a split, it will not be as a result of quarrel, but on mutual ground. Group splits are not out of place, but our blood ties keep us strong and our background won’t even allow us split. We understand each other very well.

 

Talking about your background, how was growing up with Paul like?

 

(Smiles)I was very stubborn as a child, but Paul ended up paying for my atrocities, as people often mistook him for me. We grew up doing things together and we still do. We have our mum to thank for this. I try to like what he likes and he does same, but in a situation whereby he feels differently, I just let go. We have been united from birth and we still are.

 

How has life been without your mother?

 

It’s been hectic. We haven’t sat down to do an album because she was usually there with us in the studio. As a pastor that she was, she used to pray on everything we do and even pray on our album a week before it was released. We don’t know how we will do it this time, but we hope for the best.

 

After doing the same thing over a long period, do you ever feel like exploring other avenues?

 

For P-square, music has become a part of us, but since we understand the pattern and are used to it we have started looking into other means of making money. But we also understand that making so much money and storing it is not wise, we have decided to go into various businesses; one of which is real estate business. This, we have been doing for a long time. We do businesses that we can get people to run for us without fear. We are also about to enter into oil and gas business.

 

They say you guys are arrogant…

 

Paul and I have two different personalities, so you cannot use the attitude of one to judge the group. I don’t expect all news about me to be positive. Paul, for example, waits for major events before being in the news, but I am more controversial. Our intimidating nature makes us look arrogant, but it’s really not like that.

Your brother, Jude Okoye (Engees), was quoted as saying he won’t produce any other artiste but P-Square

There was an interview where he was asked that question and I think he said it as a joke. Apart from that, Jude has a lot of businesses he’s into, so signing artistes is not really a priority for him. He keeps his interests on P-Square because outsiders might not understand the way he does his things, so he doesn’t want distractions.

100 soldiers storm terror suspects’ hideouts in Lagos

100 soldiers storm terror suspects’ hideouts in Lagos

by Parkinson Damilola

Two suspected Boko Haram members were arrested at a house in Ijora, Lagos yesterday by soldiers acting on a tip off.  The soldiers found AK-47 rifles, bomb, cartridges, daggers etc hidden in the apartment. Below is how Punch is reported it:

Fear gripped many residents of Lagos  on Thursday when news filtered in that troops numbering about 100 stormed terror suspects’ hideouts in Ijora, a densely populated part of the city.

The soldiers, who were assisted by men of the State Security Service, were  believed to have acted on a tip-off. They were said to have arrived in the area around 7am in search of the suspects said to be  members of an Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.

It was learnt that their search yielded fruits when two persons were arrested at 24 Aromire Street and three others at a location in an adjacent street.

The soldiers then ransacked the building at Aromire Street  where one of the arrested persons,  Ibrahim Musa,  occupies five rooms. A bomb  kept in a cooler and hidden inside the ceiling of one of the rooms in Musa’s apartment was recovered by the soldiers.

Musa, who a security source described as an illegal alien from Chad, was  said to be leader of the suspects.

Other items found  were AK-47 rifles, cartridges and daggers.

The security  source, who craved anonymity,  added the raid was as a result of an investigation which began a month ago.

He said, “Security agents got information a month ago that there was a terrorist hideout in  the Seven-Up area of  Ijora. Although we were not sure if they were Boko Haram members or not, we did not want to take any chances so we decided to go and raid the place.

“It was discovered that the place was being run by a Chadian and arms were recovered during the raid,  including AK-47 riffles. Investigations are ongoing and those who are found not culpable will be released.”

Musa’s neighbour,  who craved anonymity, told one of our correspondents that they did not suspect  he  was a member of Boko Haram.

He said the suspect  moved into the house less than three months ago.

 “Musa rented  his  apartment  about three months ago. However, since he moved in with  his wife, who recently had a baby  and a brother, none of them  had any known form of livelihood. Musa and his brother, particularly were always going about with their laptops and expensive phones.

“Though he (Musa) was not working, he was usually the first to pay for anything in the house. It was when the soldiers came that we got to know what they truly are. It was in the course of beating him (Musa) that he told the soldiers where he hid the bomb and   guns.”

Another  resident of the area, who identified himself simply as Olu, said that when  the suspects were  being taken away by the soldiers “we did not know they were living here.”

“When soldiers were taking them away, we wondered if they were living in the neighbourhood. It was my neighbour, who told me he had seen Musa once or twice,” he said.

Olu said when the soldiers were going, they told them to be vigilant in the area, saying Boko Haram members had infiltrated the area, particularly the Hausa settlement.

When one of our correspondents  met  the Ojora of Ijora  , Oba Fatai Adeyinka,  he  said he was shocked that Boko Haram members had infiltrated  the area.

The spokesman for the Army 81 Division, Colonel Kingsley Umoh, confirmed the raid but said the army had been carrying out constant raids across the state in response to the rising level of insecurity in the country.

Umoh said over 36 people had been arrested recently. He however said he had yet to receive  the details of Thursday’s operation.

He said, “The Nigerian Army is carrying out a proactive approach. We are raiding every nook and cranny of the state in order to rid it of criminal elements. We are not ignorant of the insecurity in the country so we are carrying out preventive measures and we want to make sure that Lagos is safe for all its inhabitants.

“The raids have been in collaboration with sister agencies like the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the SSS, the police and others. It is the OP MESA of the army that is at the forefront of the raids and we have recorded many successes of late as we have also arrested some soldiers who were found wanting.

“I will not be able to brief you fully about Thursday’s raid.”

Lagos State Director, SSS, Achu Olayi, also confirmed the raid but  said that it was too soon for him  to say if the suspects were Boko Haram members or not.

The   raid on Thursday  on the predominantly Hausa settlement came a month after the SSS uncovered  a terror network coordinated by Iranians in Lagos.

The SSS had said while parading a leader of an Islamic sect, Abdullahi Berende, and two others that they  believed  that  the  operators of the Iranian terror cell were  gathering information about Israelis and Americans living in Nigeria.