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”.

My Wife Came Home Without Pant, Ex-Edo Commissioner Tells Court

Husband of a former Commissioner in Edo state, David Erhabor has told Benin High Court 9, that his wife of 15 years once came home without a pant on her.
Erhabor was testifying in a divorce suit instituted by his wife, Florence Igbinigie-Erhabor, a former Commissioner for Women Affairs, under former governor Lucky Igbinedion.
In the suit before Justice Anthony Erhabor, the respondent, (David Erhabor) told the court he never envisaged a broken home in his life.
He said, however, that trouble started after his wife was appointed commissioner by former governor Lucky Igbinedion, when she suddenly resorted to keeping late nights.
He added that there was a time the wife abandoned their two children, absconded from home for three days, only to be caught red handed inside a vehicle, romancing and kissing a man who had earlier tear-gassed him.
“There was a day she came back home drunk and without a pant on her. She was in the habit of keeping late night,” Mr. Erhabor told the court.
He further disclosed that it took the intervention of a former Managing Director of Delta State Oil Producing Community Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Wellington Okrika, to resolve some of their numerous squabbles.
Erhabor equally said his wife had at a time demanded for N1 million from him before she could allowed him have sex with her, saying that he ran out from home wearing only pant when he sensed that his wife was about to kill him via hired assassins.
On the position of the petitioner seeking divorcé and the issue of the custody of the children, the respondent opined that the children can always stay with whomever they choose when on holidays.
The petitioner, Mrs. Igbinigie-Erhabor, amongst others is asking the court to grant her devoice on the grounds of threat to life, violent assault and infidelity on the part of her husband, Mr. David Irabor, also a former Senior Special Adviser to governor Oserhiemen Osunbor.
The former commissioner who has since 2009 separated from her husband arising from irreconcilable differences, equally demanded that the husband paid her the sum of N150,000 monthly for the upkeep of each for the two children and to pay their school fees.
While under-cross examination by the respondent’s counsel, Akakhomen Austine, the petitioner said besides the embarrassment the rampant violent attacks caused her while serving as commissioner, the husband had also at a time squeezed the children inside a vehicle and threatened to set them ablaze, adding that it took the prompt intervention of members of both families before there was peace.
She said ever since then she took sole responsibility of paying the children’s school fees who currently live with her in her family house.
She said she relocated to her family house when she suspected that her husband was after her life following the invasion of her private residence by robbers on two occasions.
She also accused the husband of having extra-marital affairs with the house maids.
Justice Erhabor adjourned the case till 4 August, 2012 for further hearing.