Send down the rain crooner, Majek Fashek gets N15m record deal

Information reaching us indicates that Majekodumi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fasheke is gradually returning to the green light few months after he returned home from the United State.
Reports say that the Send Down the Rain singer has signed a 15 million naira deal with a Nigerian record label known as A Plus Recording and Award company.
Dailypost gathered that the contract would last for two years during which the artiste will be heavily involved in a lot of activities, part of which is a tour of countries such as Canada, Italy and Spain. He will also be performing in various parts of Nigeria.
The story of Majek Fashek reflects the biblical parable of the prodigal son. Once upon a time, the Nigerian reggae icon was heading for musical greatness, tipped as heir apparent to the late reggae legend, Bob Marley. His eponymous album Prisoner of Conscience spawned a track called “Send Down The Rain” which evoked downpour anytime he sang in an open-air concert. Majek was touted as a prophet of reggae and he headlined major reggae music festivals around the world. Adored by fans, revered by Rastafarians, he was a true definition of a reggae star.
Just as the prodigal son who took his inheritance and journeyed to a faraway place to live a life of leisure, Majek Fashek relocated to USA hoping to find an American Dream of sort for his music career. And indeed he had a deal with Interscope Records. Unfortunately, the move proved to be a mistake.
He fell on bad times. He squandered his talent. His fame fizzled out. He became poor. A fallen star. A pauperized Majek Fashek, ravaged by drug and alcohol addiction, was reduced to a guitar-playing gitano playing in pubs for pennies. He also lost his good looks. Then there was also a dark story of spiritism about him. Majek Fashek became bad news, even an attempt by the Edo State government to rehabilitate him ended as a lost cause. The only good thing that came from him during that dark era of his life was a 2004 album titled Little Patience, which sold a modest three million copies.
In late 2010, the rainmaker bounced back with the released of a single video entitled Jah Revelation. The video, which was uploaded and available on Youtube enjoys rave reviews. The song is vintage reggae, the lyrics scripture-based, the groove, a hip hop blend. The deal actually is the beginning of a comeback process as the once famous singer is now determined to pick the pieces of his life. As a further step to consolidate this process, he relocated to Nigeria.

Four traffic officials arrested for allegedly killing University student over N30,000 bribe

Four officials of the River state Road Traffic Management Agency (TIMARIV) have been arrested by Police over alleged extra-judicial killing of a student of a State University Science and Technology in Port Harcourt, Mr. Tasie Nyenkethe.
The offcials were allleged to have murdered Nyenkethe, an an engineering student for refusing to give them a bribe of N30,000 when his car was stopped at the check point  on May 19, at the Rukpokwu axis of the capital city.
The four suspects arrested by police and detained at the State Central Investigation Department (SCID), were Benjamin Eremoni, Onyebuohise Ibe, Sunday Wobo and Ikechukwu Gideon.
Already, the accused persons have been arraigned on Monday, June 25, before a Port Harcourt Senior Magistrate Court, on a two-count charge of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The Charge No is PMC/1280c/2012.
However, a Human rights group,  Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), who narrated the incident to “Daily Post” also alleged that some top government functionaries made ”desperate moves” to secure the release of the traffic officials without prosecution.
The Chairman of the group Steve Obodoekwe who commended the Police for arresting the officials despite pressure from government quarters, said the deceased was violently attack by the officials.
CLO chairman said Nyenkethe, a 34 year-old man was beating to a pulp before he bolted away with his car.
According to him, ”The late Tasie was driving in his car, a Passat car with Reg No: Edo AG 573 AGD when the car developed faults which forced him to stop to find out what was wrong.
”As he opened the car bonnet to check what was wrong, the six TIMARIV officials, operating in a bus arrived and immediately pounced on him, pressed his head on the engine and started forcing the bonnet to close, beating him at the same time.
“They demanded the sum of N30,000, around $200, bribe from him. They accused him of wrong parking . When he tried to explain, they started beating him angrily.
“After the attack, the young man literally crawled home and went to bed. He never woke up again.
“His lifeless body was recovered from his room at Rukpokwu in the morning of June 21, when the family members, in conjunction with the Police broke into his house.
“He was taken to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, where autopsy was done”.