NIGERIAN ENTERTAINMENT TODAY (NET) TO HOST DAGRIN MEMORIAL LECTURE

As the first anniversary of the passing of Nigerian rapper Dagrin approaches, NET Newspapers LTD, publishers of Nigerian Entertainment Today (NET) have announced that they’re instituting a memorial lecture in honor of the rapper who died on April 22, 2010.
A statement signed by the paper’s Publisher Ayeni Adekunle, says the reason for the memorial Lecture, is ‘obvious to us all’.
‘Dagrin died in very tragic circumstances. A young man who was full of life; who was very hardworking and very promising had his life cut short in such horrible manner. Could his death, just like that of CD John, Chidinma Mbalaso and many others have been prevented?’ Ayeni asks.
The Memorial Lecture, scheduled to hold at Protea Hotels, in Ikeja GRA, at a yet-to-be-announced date, will feature speakers from all relevant industries: security and safety; media, health and medicine, governance, entertainment, communication, management and others.
‘We’re working on getting relevant people from the FRSC, Police Force, Nigerian Medical Association, as other bodies; including representatives from the musician’s union as well as the labels, to come educate us all on what we need to know on pertinent health, safety, living, investment and other issues, using the tragic case of Dagrin as case study.
‘It is our desire that our artistes and their minders will find important lessons from this lecture; as well as all those who work within the entertainment industry. How many of us still sit behind our steering and drive even when we’ve been drinking? How many have all the relevant insurance? What can we do about the hospital policy that makes it impossible for you to get even emergency treatment unless you pay a deposit? Who benefits when you’re dead? What’s the role of the FRSC, state governments, Federal Government, Nigeria Police, PMAN, Record labels, and other institutions in all of these?’
Speakers and facilitators for the inaugural Dagrin Memorial Lecture will be announced in a few weeks.



Founded on November 23, 2009, Nigerian Entertainment Today is Nigeria’s fastest-growing entertainment, youth lifestyle and urbane culture journal.
With an aim to provide accurate, up-to-the-minute information and entertainment to audiences wherever they are, the journal started off with a website (www.thenetng.com) . The print version kicked off on April 26, 2010- four days after Dagrin’s tragic passing.
Founded by respected entertainment writer and critic Ayeni Adekunle, Nigerian Entertainment Today combines reporting from an in-house team of well-trained writer-reporters, as well as contributions from some of the finest names in Nigerian media and entertainment.
With an aim to objectively and responsibly cover the Nigerian entertainment industry, Nigerian Entertainment Today also celebrates the best of Nigerian talents with a view to enlighten, educate, entertain and inform numerous readers in Nigeria and the world as a whole.

FROM WEBSITE TO NEWSPAPER PUBLISHING

Respected entertainment journalist and critic Ayeni Adekunle has launched a weekly entertainment newspaper.
Nigerian Entertainment Today (NET) is a 16-paged all-colour newspaper that parades all you ever need in entertainment. The newspaper first hit the stands on April 26, 2010 with a special tribute edition to late rapper Dagrin.
NET is an off-shoot of www.thenetng.com, Nigeria’s most popular entertainment news website, and the country’s fastest entertainment breaking news service, ever. www.thenetng.com went live on November 23, 2009.
Ayeni, who has over the past seven years anchored popular entertainment columns in Encomium, THISDAY and THE PUNCH, apart from contributing regularly for Hiphopworld Magazine and The Africa Report, told journalists in Lagos, that the website and newspaper ‘are children of necessity’.

‘Personally, it’s a dream come true for me. But more importantly, what we’re trying to do is to fill a vacuum; to fill a void. Young people want their info on the move. They’re on Facebook, Twitter, they spend all their time chatting on Blackberry messenger. They’re hooked to E!, TMZ and the rest. So we thought, why not create a service that’ll deliver Nigerian content to them real time? That’s what gave birth to thenetng.com. And within five months, we were already attracting millions of users. It seemed unbelievable that people didn’t have to wait four, five days anymore before finding out what’s happening. If any story breaks now, within minutes, it’s up on the site. With picture evidence and all necessary confirmations. Now, people tell me that whenever they’re arguing about any story, and they need to confirm who’s right or wrong, they agree to go to thenetng.com. And it’s gotten even better since our coverage of the Dagrin accident, hospitalisation and eventual passing’’

"It was only a matter of time, before we published the newspaper’’, Ayeni continues. The readers want more; more than the few pages in the general interest newspapers every weekend. They want all the scoops; loads of pictures, exclusive interviews, exciting features and what have you. Entertainment is booming increasingly and the industry is vibrant. We thought it was about time someone did a paper that’;; be dedicated to the industry. Look at all what’s happening in Nollywood, the exploits of our fashion designers, how well our artistes are doing all over the world, and the amazing feats our authors and writers are achieving. Impressive! So, even though we knew all the risks and uncertainties associated with publishing, we decided to take the leap. Someone had to do it, and i’m happy that we are the one."