TEETH 4 TEETH … With Justin Akpovi-Esade

Time for Idris Abdukareem to stop lying!
Everytime time once upon time rave of the moment music star, Idris Abdukareem wants to seek cheap media attention and public sympathy for his career that dimmed over a decade ago, he would exhume the lie that has told repeatedly about the fight that he had with American rap music star, 50 Cent.

Last week, Abdukareem wanted another round of media attention, so he decided to make a video, which he made public on the Internet, once again, twisting the facts of the issue as if he is the only one still alive that witnessed that unfortunate incident.

Like his past claims, the singer said that he was the victim because he was fighting for the “rights” of Nigerian musicians. And the ridiculous part of his new rant is that the Burna Boys, Davidos, Whiz Kids, and other present stars are enjoying the reward of his rather stupid action today. That is audacious!

T4T was inside the airplane that 2004 morning at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed’s Airport, Lagos, and witnessed the incident from start to finish.

It was Abdukareem and his bodyguards that started the fight, not 50 Cent. But since then, he has been claiming he fought for the welfare of Nigerian musicians. How? He was fighting an ego fight because he felt slighted that 50 Cent was accorded more attention at the TBS show the night before. And what was he expecting? 50 Cent was the star artiste of the night. In all ramifications, he was and is still bigger in stardom than Idris, and he was the visiting artiste too.

What Abdukareem has not summoned the courage to do since 2004 is to make public, the contract he signed with the concert organisers. Let the world know if his transport to Port Harcourt was not already paid for, and that he was to find his way there through any means. His being inside the plane that day was a privilege and not a right. So, for him to be dragging first-class seats with 50 Cent and his crew when the plane was originally made available for them, was the height of infantile rascality. Ask Abdukareem why he begged some of us to beg the organisers of the PHABA Awards to create an avenue for him to beg 50 Cent in Abuja about two or so years after, if he was right in what he did in Lagos.

When the fight broke out, a bottle was smashed inside the airplane, so airport security had to evacuate everybody to the tarmac. All attempts to make 50 Cent embark on the trip again proved abortive because he overheard the threats by Abdukareem and his bodyguards that they will deal with him when they got to Port Harcourt. Abdukareem should tell the world what happened when he called T4T to ask him if the action he took was right. He was seeking validation but trusted T4T, Abdukareem was told that he did a “stupid thing.” This infuriated his bodyguards and they attacked and smashed his two phones. One tore his shirt. Fellow journalist, Olumide Iyanda was by T4T.

It was around 2011 at the O’jez Restaurant that Abdukareem tendered a half-hearted apology to T4T claiming he had no perfect recollection of what happened that day. So sweet!

Now, fast forward to about five years later, with reality dawning on him, he begged the organisers of the now-rested PHABA Awards to allow him to apologise to 50 Cent in person because according to him, he had tried to reach the American artiste through other means since the incident happened. Incidentally, again, T4T was a member of the media committee of the awards and the issue came up for deliberations. The event was held at the International Conference Center, Abuja. Everybody signed off on the issue and that was how Abdukareem stepped on stage while 50 Cent was about rounding up his performance and publicly apologised.

The question now should be, if what he (Abdukareem) did in Lagos was right in his estimation, and as he now claims, why did he apologise to 50 Cent whom that night did not seem to remember what happened in Lagos until Abdukareem explained to him who he was. The audience at a point was embarrassed that 50 Cent did not even remember who Abdukareem was anymore.

Idris Abdukareem should stop trying to twist the facts of what happened that morning in Lagos. He should move on and try to resuscitate his career, but if he thinks lying continuously about the incident will help his career, he should continue. A former PMAN president whom he accused in the new video of collecting bribes running into millions of naira from the concert organisers to turn against him deserves what he is getting and more. He came to the scene of the incident and without asking to know what transpired, threw his weight behind Abdukareem and issued a veiled threat that further scared the American artiste and his crew members. Nor be T4T go mention im name.

Mike Bamiloye Jnr… Like Father, Like Son
RECENTLY, gospel movie actor and producer, Pastor Mike Bamiloye went on social media and lambasted fellow actors for playing romantic scenes in movies adding that they risked not going to heaven. Isokay.
Just when actors were still trying to deal with that, his son, let us call him Mike Bamiloye Jr here, just this week, admonished Christians not to attend the concerts and, or even listen to the songs of the likes of Burna Boy, Davido, Tems, and Whiz Kid among other new breed artistes as that will also make them not to go to heaven too.
Na wa o! E get wetin dey inside dat Bamiloye family if not…anyways, who will tell that young man that na many gates dem dey take pass enter market?