- Categories finally expanded from 15 to 20
- Fantastic performances by Omawumi, Rooftop MCs and MI
- Prof (Mrs) Jadesola Akande honoured
You would be forgiven if you thought you were at any of the major Nigerian awards; not just a launch. There was glam, there was glitz, and there was a blinding array of stars as Season 4 of Nigeria’s biggest youth event, The Future.. Awards, was launched in Lagos on the 30th of September.
The venue was rave new place, Studio 868 in Victoria Island and the action started right from the exclusive Nigezie green carpet as cameras clicked away and guests sipped from their cocktail glasses.
The guests were welcomed into the venue by the anchors, Cool FM’s Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi and ace comedian, Jedidiah. Then the show kicked off with comedy and a performance by rave new guitarist, Bez Idakula. This was followed by a special post-humous tribute given by Prof. Pat Utomi in honour of late Board of Trustees member, Prof Jadesola Akande – the award was presented to her son, Debo, by Ms. Bennie Uche.
What followed was a very moving Keynote Speech delivered by the event’s Creative Director, Chude Jideonwo. The, speech, titled ‘Yes We Can’ and which won standing and thunderous clapping ovations traced the story and evolution of The Future Awards over the past three successful years and tied it to the story of this next generation. “In business and technology, music, movies and the media, fashion and beauty, sports and advocacy, comedy and the corporate environment, young people were making such giant strides,” he said, “Why wasn’t the media talking about those ones? Why wasn’t the government trumpeting those examples? Why wasn’t the true story being told that young positive role models were actually in the majority?”
The event saw spectacular performances by Omawumi of Idols West Africa, whose new single, In the Music, got the guests screaming and swaying; ace rapper MI, who ’set the roof on fire’, and the Rooftop MCs who took it to another level with their mega-hit track, La gi mo.
Unveiled at the occasion during a presentation by the event’s PR Director, Emilia Asim-Ita, were the new logo and the new website. Also unveiled was the ‘i am the future’ campaign which is the theme of the entire media campaign for the awards – TV, radio, print and outdoor; working with brand ambassadors; ‘Gbenga Sesan, IK Osakioduwa (Wildchild) and Tara Fela-Durotoye, who are the only three people to have won twice at The Future Awards.
Nominations were also formally declared open as from 12 midnight on that day: the awards have been expanded from 15 over the past three years to 20, and the judges were unveiled to include Mo Abudu (Moments with Mo), Bolanle Austen-Peters (Terra Kulture), Siene Allwell-Brown (Nigeria LNG), with Dr. Reuben Abati remaining its Chair.
Guests at the star-studded party included Stella Damascus, Michelle Dede, Tara Fela-Durotoye, Bukola Adubi, Toni Kan, Ebuka Obi Uchendu, Funke Bucknor, Soundcity’s Onyinye Igwe, the winners of Nigeria ’s Next Top Model with the organizer Joan Okorodudu, Big Brother’s Ofunneka, Najite Dede, amongst others.
The train now moves to the national tours, which will take the Awards team to town hall meetings in Abuja , Kaduna , Enugu , Ibadan , Benin and Lagos to engage the youths at the grassroots.
Nominations are to be submitted via the website and by phone and close on the 31st of October. The date of the Awards proper was also unveiled to be the 18th of January, 2009, in Lagos .
This launch event was held with support from Macleans, Yvent Couture, Zapphaire Events, Nigezie, Total Consult, O’Naphtali, Royal Mega Printing, Wea Concepts, Tremor Perfect, Saheeto, La Bash, and Nigeria International.
