VIDEO: Femi Kuti and the Positive Force LIVE on a KLM Flight at 38000ft above Africa!

The title of this post pretty much tells the whole story. It takes a “Femi Kuti” to pull this off.
Major Shout-out to KLM for allowing this very rare form of entertainment. It’s not everyday we get to see a Legend perform airborne alongside a formidable live band. The passengers certainly got 2 deals for the price of one.
*O.O*

WORLD Premiere: Ruffcoin ft 2face Idibia – The Way You Dance (Prod by Jay Sleek)

Nwa Aba himself, Ruffcoin, powers through with a potential hit song “The Way You Dance” featuring Naija’s #1 2face Idibia. The Jay Sleek-produced track is a fast-paced joint which will get you moving from start to finish. I’ve been vibing to this joint for a hot minute and it’s easy to see why I’m excited it’s finally out.
From his Nwa’Aba days to the more recent hit singles “Onyeze”, “Sweet Music” and “Down Low”, Ruffcoin shows he’s truly gifted. He’s gearing up for the release of his new album “Diamond In The Ruff” under the Big A Entertainment imprint. Not sure of the release date just yet, but I’m pretty sure it will hit stores before the end of the year. Listen/download and share below.
*O.O*

The Diary Of a Music Video Critic by Soji Ogunnaike

Hey fellas! Greetings to all from probably the most controversial being on our music and entertainment community, Not Just OK.
I know most people reading this would, at this point, be hissing or would want to close this page, but hold your horses! I would like to share a short story; that of a dying man. This man has had a very fruitful life, growing up with successful siblings but in recent times, his family has begun to fall apart. It all started with his eldest sibling, who enjoyed the most visibility and patronage, gaining him international recognition but in his prime, things began to happen too fast. This made him lose sight of the bigger picture, leading him to a premature crash, although not a complete write-off. The pieces are being gathered together today.
The next sibling has enjoyed a LOT of revenue generation, leading to the birth of a LOT of greed. Today, he barely makes ends meet and can only reminisce about the “good old days”.
Now we move on to the last of the siblings. This is a special being, one who just about approaches his prime. He enjoys international visibility and would soon wine and dine with the world’s best IF he is put in check.
I’m sure you’re wondering what family I speak of:
I refer to the Motion Picture industry in Nigeria, with the siblings being: the feature film, TV advertising and music video industries respectively.
This music video industry in Nigeria is one that can be best described by 2 words “BITTER-SWEET”. It is an arbitrary blend of the “greats” and “not-so-greats” and I believe it needs a boost, which is A MORE ENLIGHTENED AUDIENCE, one that demands more from the content providers (directors). The industry suffers because of the general mindset that “ANYTHING GOES” with music videos. This will ONLY bring the eventual demise of this flourishing industry. I also believe that healthy criticism could contribute to bringing about this needed change.
I will be doing a series of write-ups called “The Diary of a Music Video Critic.” The first in this series would be my Top 5 music videos featured on Not Just OK in the 1st half of 2012 (January – June). ENJOY!
(Note that the videos are in NO particular order)

- Oxygen – Morell:

My reason for including this video in this list is because it is a PERFECT representation of “shooting an engaging LOW-BUDGET video.”
The opening titles remain one of the best I’ve seen in a Nigerian music video. Sweet!
The director did a fantastic job creating a lovely theme including elements representing aviation and suffocation. Very nice use of aviation props and kudos to the makeup person for the use of feathers as eye lashes… Nice touch!
The nuances like the red locker with smoke emanating from it were just awesome, representing suffocation (need for oxygen).
The very subtle visual effects of smoky projectiles was also a nice touch as they NEVER distracted the viewer.
The editing had the perfect pace and was sustained till the very end. I rate this video very highly on EVERY level because of the creativity of the director, creating SOMETHING out of almost nothing.

- As the world turns – F Shaw:
This video was featured on Not Just OK at an appropriate time, when I believe the audience was tired of seeing the usual style of videos with colorful backdrops, ladies shaking their behinds and free publicity for premium alcoholic drinks.
First of all, I must say this is one of the best lit music videos, not just in Nigeria but in Africa. World class lighting, just like a Hollywood film. The camera movements and editing pace ensures the viewer is sucked into the mind of the artiste, sharing his emotions. The video NEVER distracts the viewer from appreciating the lyrics of the song, which is very commendable.
The art direction was superb, giving the entire video a very classy feel, and in turn elevating the brand of the artiste.
In as much as this is a very well shot video, it is far from perfect (no video is). The scenes get pretty monotonous at around the 3:00 mark. The director should have included a fresh scene at some point.

- Ara – Brymo:

This video excels as the best use of creative lighting. The film noir look nailed it visually. The use of water splashes in slow motion was quite pleasing to the eye, although on closer shots, the exaggerated slow-motion effect (done in post) was poorly executed as it reveals ugly artifacts.
It is a very arty video that is sure to keep the viewer glued to the screen till the end. The use of the Eyo masquerades give the video a very strong identity that should do us as a people proud, especially watching it on other African Top 10 charts.
In all, the video will surely stand the test of time as it expresses a very different approach to shooting music videos.

- Chop my money (remix) – P Square:

This video remains the best representation of the video to a commercially successful song. It has the needed elements, beautiful woman, nice car, good club/party scene and successful Nigerian artistes, featuring a successful international artiste. The little story that the director included was also nice and added some humor to the entire video. It is a very well shot and directed video in my opinion.

- Nawti – Olu Maintain:

This video is one that I would say set the pace for music videos in 2012. My ONLY gripe with it is I wish it was shot locally.
The USP (unique selling point) of this video, Natalie Nunn, was the cherry on the well-mixed ice-cream sundae. This is one of the richest videos in eye-candy to come out of Nigeria… errm… by a Nigerian
It has it all, sexy women, nice costumes, great landscapes and did I say sexy women? My favorite was the part with the HOT lady wading through the pool blowing on a flute. Sweet! Sweet!! Sweet!!!
The storyline that was portrayed had a few flaws in the continuity department but will be overlooked by the audiences who would have their eyes open to other things anyway.
Very good video in my opinion.

VIDEO: Industry Nite with W4

Watch some footage from the Night Afrobeat artist, W4 performed at Industry Nite below.

DJ Vinnie ft. Tha Suspekt & Jaywon – Polo

Dj Vinnie returns with a new single featuring Tha Suspekt and Jaywon. This track was produced by Masterkraft.
Enjoyable tune.

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DOWNLOAD Vector’s Bar-Racks (MixTape)

Posted on August 6th, 2012 by Mola OG Top notch lyricist/rapper who we can consider the hardest working artist in rap, this first half of 2012 delivers to us his new mixtape titled Bar-Racks. If you have been paying attention, you will know that Vec’ dropped 2 singles off the anticipated mixtape.
Today also happens to be Vector’s birthday, so as you listen to this mixtape, remember to wish him a Happy Birthday in the comments below or on Twitter.
Vector goes in on this Tape; a lot of well delivered witty word play.

DOWNLOAD

DOWNLOAD

Track Listing
1. Intro (Prod. by Fubu Baba)
2. Ko Oshi (Strange Clouds inst)
3. Baba Alaago (The Watcher Inst)
4. Ashewo boy (Prod.m by Shogon)
5. Mercy Johnson (Mercy Inst)
6. Moving Ahead (Prod. by H-Code)
7. 16 Bars (Prod. by Shogon)
8. Si Ro Ro ft Shalom (Used To Know Inst)
9. Tickle Me ft Chuddy K (Prod. by DaPiano)

10.Tuwo (Motivation & Heart Attack Inst)

11. Wasted (Prod. by Del B)
12. Teacher Teacher (Prod. by Licious)
13. Stay Scheming freestyle (Stay Sceming Inst)

14. Aramonda (Prod. by Licious)

15. Skit
16. 2nd Coming Freestyle (Prod. by Toro)

Oceans, Islands, and Birds…

Written by Zoe Sorrell, a student of flute, English, and dance at the Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music.
The Mostly Mozart festival is fast approaching, and once again, ICE will be in residence--and performing some awesome music with some really cool guest artists! First up will be an August 5th performance at Rose Theatre, featuring guest conductor Susanna Malkki and pianist, Nicolas Hodges. They will be playing pieces that evoke various scenes from nature, including Francesconi's Islands, Tiensuu's nemo (based on Jules Vernes' 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea), Murail's La Barque mystique (which paints a seascape), and two pieces by Messiaen.
Malkki has made her mark as a woman in what some have called a man's world. Born in Helsinki, Finland, she began her career on the other side of the podium as an orchestral cellist but was interested in "being in charge of the whole picture, and putting all the pieces together; There are so many details to find and colors to produce" (read more). She began her conducting studies at the Sibelius Academy, under the tutelage of Jorma Panula, Eri Klas, and Leif Segerstam. Since school, she has conducted some of the finest ensembles of our age. Notably, she led the London Sinfonietta at the BBC Proms in July of 2007, securing her status as a name to watch. When asked what it's like to be a female conductor, Malkki explains: "the orchestra is a microcosm of society--very hierarchical; it would have been unthinkable for a woman to conduct orchestras when women could not even play in them. It's more important to look forward than to think in the mud, in the past" (read more). I certainly look forward to her work with ICE!
Nicolas Hodges is a British pianist and composer specializing in avant-garde music. Tempo magazine quotes Hodges as a "refreshing artist [who] plays the classics as if they were written yesterday, and what was written yesterday as if it were already a classic" (read more). Many notable composers have written works for Hodges, including Elliott Carter, Salvatore Sciarrino, James Clarke, Michael Finnissy, and Konrad Boehmer. With ICE, Hodges will be featured on pieces by Francesconi and Messiaen.
ICE musicians are excited to be working on two of Messiaen's pieces, his Piece for Piano and String Quartet and Oiseaux exotiques. Messiaen was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist, as exemplified by Oiseaux exotiques, a kaleidoscope of bird calls (check out ICE musicians sharing various bird calls here). It should certainly be an exciting way to end this fantastic collaborative concert!
 

Snopp Dogg turns “Born Again” ,changes name to Snopp Lion

After many years of smoking ganja, spreading dissing music and gun  culture, renowned rapper Snopp Dogg has revealed that he is now a born again.

According to Snoop Dogg he was “born again” during a visit to Jamaica in January, and now changing his name to Snoop Lion and is ready to make music that his “kids and grandparents can listen to.”

The 40-year-old, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, Jr., believes that he is Bob Marley reincarnated and is embracing reggae instead of the culture of guns he once rapped about.

He said that in Jamaica, he connected with Bob Marley’s spirit and is now ‘Bob Marley reincarnated.’ “I feel like I’ve always been Rastafarian,” Snoop said of the spiritual Jamaican movement.

He further stated that he visited a temple where he was was renamed Snoop Lion and was also given the Ethiopian name Berhane, meaning ‘light of the world.’

Snoop didn’t explain why he was switching from Dogg to Lion, but it’s likely a reference to the Lion of Judah, a religious symbol popular in Rastafarian and Ethiopian culture.

The former gangster rapper, known for his lewd lyrics is releasing a reggae album called “Reincarnated” later in the year.

On the album is a track titled “No Guns Allowed” which features his daughter.

The album will be followed with a documentary of the same title, debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Davido ” Omo Baba Olowo” Beats Taxi Driver Silly

Rave of the moment, David Adeleke a.k.a Davido (Omo Baba Olowo) is being fingered as the mastermind of an alleged assault against a taxi driver, Femi Ajibola.

The incident which is already casting doubt on the character and the gentle mien  of the young music act occurred on July 1,2012 at about 5:30pm according to the Saturday Punch.

Mr Ajibola, the cabbie in the course of making ends meet, received a phone call from a lady who contracted him to take her places in his car on an agreed sum.
Ajibola narrates …
At the onset,  Cabbie thinking of Mega Bucks
“The lady introduced herself as Susie. She called me to come and pick her and her friend. They told me to come pick them up at Mobolaji Estate near Lekki Second Roundabout. Later, I took them to a hotel at Lekki Phase I to meet one of their friends.

“From there we left for Beni Apartment in Victoria Island. They said that I should wait for them and promised to be back soon. Not long afterwards, one of the girls began to scream as she was coming towards my car. Behind her, I saw David Adeleke (Davido) and four of his bouncers.

“The girl was running towards me. I think the men had assaulted her. She said I should open the door for her so that she would enter. I opened the door for her; as she was about to enter the car, Davido caught up with her and slapped her face,” Ajibola said.

The bubble bursts, Cabbie gets the beating of his life
“He left the girl and faced me. He said I was the one that brought the girls, that I am their boyfriend. He knocked my face against the steering wheel of the cab. This made blood begin to come out from my ear drums. He seized my car keys and in the process, injured me.

“Before I knew what was going on, his four bouncers began to beat me up. They beat me severely and took my car keys from me and chased me away. This happened around 11 pm. I went to report the matter at the Bar Beach Police Station, which was the nearest one. I was asked to come back the next morning to report the case.

More Tales of Woe, Cabbie’s Money  Goes Missing
“I had taken delivery of the vehicle about two weeks before the incident. I had paid my dealer N50,000 and the other N100,000 was in the car because I could not pay it in the bank. The money was in the car and since they had sent me away from the car, I could not retrieve it.

“The following day, I did not find the money in the cab. They did not even let me wind the car windows up before they chased me out. I noticed that the car was ransacked. I managed to obtain Davido’s phone number and called him. But he did not pick his call. So I sent him a text message. Thirty minutes after I sent him the message, someone picked up the call and promised to pass the message to him. I did not get my car key throughout that day. I went to the police station to file a report,” Ajibola said.

Davido as needle in the haystack, Police and Cabbie’s Endless Search 
“When all efforts to contact Davido proved futile, the police had to go to Susie. Unfortunately, she was of no help.”

“On the fourth day, I went to Susie’s house with the police. The ladies said they were not the ones that beat me. They said the only help they could render was to give me Davido’s address and that they had since settled their differences. The whole point of the police visit was to use the girls to get to Davido, but the girls made a phone call to an aunt of theirs and the policemen left them, saying that they were not the ones that assaulted me,” the cab driver said.

Cabbie Learns the truth, the rich cannot be touched, so poor rat suffer in silence

I learnt that Davido was dating one of the girls I picked up. They went to his hotel room and caught him with another girl who was their friend. This is what I learnt caused the fight. The police collected Davido’s phone number and called him, but he kept asking them if they knew whose son he was.

“He warned the policemen not to threaten or intimidate him. They in turn told him that they were just inviting him for questioning and not to arrest him. Since then, the effort to get him has not been forthcoming.  I had to go to the hospital because I was really injured. Davido gave me a blow to the ear which made it to bleed.

“One day, the DPO of the station assured me that they would make sure they get him. He was irritated by Davido’s boasting that he was immune to arrest. On July 13, one Sharon Adeleke asked me to come and collect the key of my car at 1004. I told her to come and meet me at the police station. She did not turn up till the DPO intervened.

Cabbie Misery Worsens,  Learns that  the Police Is Your Friend Slogan is Not For The Poor
“The DPO invited the Sharon Adeleke, she eventually came to drop the key of the car. I told them that I could not just collect the key of the car without documentation that they gave me the key of the car without a penny, though I lost money and my car got damaged. When I said this, the DPO told me that I did not look like someone that was worth N100,000.

“He said I have no proof that there was money in the car and that all he was after was to retrieve my car keys for me. He said that if I wanted to do anything I should go to court and he ordered me out of his office. Till this moment I have not received my car keys or an apology from the singer,” Ajibola said.

Million Dollar Question: Is Shan George Dating Mikel Obi?

The two stars in different spheres of endeavor were spotted recently at the VIP lounge of a nightclub alone.

While it would be unfair to preempt  that anything sinister is going on between actress Shan George and Chelsea’s Mikel Obi, the antecedent from one of the personae in picture is enough to ruffle feathers and raise eyebrow.

Shan George in her forties has dated younger men, many say she is a cougar. A cougar is a new term for an older woman who likes to go out with younger men.

None of the two have reacted to the story that they are an item and certainly this picture which is going viral online.

Wizkid and Naeto C unveiled as ambassadors of Eko Football

Two renowned music acts, Whizkid and Naeto C have been unveiled  as the ambassadors of Eko football.

Eko football a brainchild of the Lagos State Football Association(LSFA) is expected to run concurrently with an entertainment seminar, hence its being tagged Soccerrex Seminar.

The seminar and competition which will hold from 27-30 September is a fusion of entertainment and football, the organiser hopes to use the event to promote football tourism.

Sucide Bomber kills 6 in Damaturu, in attack on JTF convoy

A suicide bomber today detonated a bomb killing  members of  the Joint Joint Task Force (JTF) on patrol in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State tried to attack him.

After the attack six soldiers who are members of the JTF and two civilians including the suicide bomber lost their lives.

Although details are still sketchy , Patrick Egbmuniwe ,the Police Commissioner for Yobe State who confirmed the attack said, “The lone suicide bomber detonated the bomb before the car he was in could be stopped, killing the six soldiers and one civilian.”

According to a source, the bomber, who was in a sport-utility vehicle parked along the roadside, rammed into the multiple-vehicle military convoy when it passed, affecting two of the vehicles.

“A civilian died of his wounds in hospital shortly after” he added.

Segun Adepoju, Maker of Made In Nigeria, Low Cost Tablet Computer

Nigeria’s Saheed Adepoju is a young man with big dreams. He is the inventor of the Inye, a tablet computer designed for the African market.

According to the 29-year-old entrepreneur, his machine’s key selling point is its price – $350 (£225) opposed to around $700 for an iPad.

He believes that, because of this, there is a big market for it in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, particularly amongst students.

He is also hoping to sell his tablet – which runs on the Google Android operating system – to the Nigerian government and plans to have at least one computer in each local government area.

“The Inye is a mobile internet device. It gives you access to the internet; it allows you to play media files and watch movies. What we have is an 8-inch device, a device that is half-way between a laptop and a mobile phone,” he told the BBC’s series African Dream.

“You have the standard software applications that come pre-installed and then you have the ones that we are working with various local developers to bundle on,” he added.

Among those local apps there is one designed to raise awareness about HIV and others related to water and sanitation.

“We work with local developers that have expertise in particular areas so that we don’t end up doing so much work and we just have a collaborative way of doing things together,” he said.

‘Word of mouth’

Mr Adepoju has a background in software development and is a Sun-certified Java programmer.

After doing a first degree in maths and computer science in Nigeria, he completed another one in advanced computing by research at Bournemouth University, in the United Kingdom.

Upon graduation in 2009, he returned to his home country and started working for a consulting firm.

“Within eight months I got fired, primarily because of differences in approach to doing business. In the middle of all this, the Apple iPad launched, back in January of 2010, which inspired us to actually look to build such [a] product within the African marketplace,” the entrepreneur told the BBC Africa’s Chris Ewokor.

He said that, with that goal in mind, he borrowed money from friends and family, raising a total of about $60,000.

According to him, all of that went on the devices and the logistics – there was no budget for marketing, so early advertising was “word of mouth” on social media.

The first 100 units of the Inye, which means One in Nigeria’s Igala language, were built in China and, after receiving feedback from its users, a second version was launched in May 2011.

Encipher Group, the company he cofounded with web developer Anibe Agamah, also offers customised IT services and products, including cloud computing, which are mostly based on open technology to keep costs down.

Raising capital

According to Mr Adepoju, the company and the apps it develops are focused on preserving local culture through technology and making products which are specific to the local market.

Another product that the firm has been working on is Encipher TV, a box where people can watch African television, plays and films.

However, he says that it has not been easy to raise capital in order to develop the business faster.

“Here venture capital (VC) is still in its infancy and most VC firms wound want to invest in tried and trusted companies that have gained some form of traction,” he said.

“We face the challenge of getting people to listen to the various propositions. We’ve been to a number of private investors and also to the government,” he explained.

Not surprisingly, his immediate plan is to “try and raise capital from whatever sources we can get – locally, internationally or privately – and to try and still to push the brand forward as much as we can”.

PHCN Power Cable Electrocuted Father of Four-Residentssidents

The electrocution of a father of four, Simon Nwafor, by a high tension wire of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria in Aguda, Surulere area of Lagos is stirring controversy.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Simon, a driver, was electrocuted on July 3 at about 6:20am while he was on his way to his boss’ residence on Somosu Street.

It was learnt that Simon, 47, who had taken cover from the rain in front of some shops close to the power line was electrocuted few minutes after he helped some schoolchildren to cross the road and board their school bus.

A resident of the area, Theophilus Eze, said his corpse was found inside the gutter around 6:30 am.

He said, “I just came down in the morning and saw a dead body in the gutter while the PHCN high tension wire was also dangling.”

A trader in the area, Joseph Okeke, said there had been several reports to PHCN on the precarious state of the wire.

He said, “This is the third time the wire will suddenly cut. It happened towards the end of 2011, in February, and this third one which unfortunately took Simon’s life.

“The sad part of it is that we have been lodging complaints with the PHCN authorities on the precarious state of the wires for long.

“To be candid, the death of Simon is entirely their fault because we informed them about it. When I expressed concern about the state of the wire with the technician in February, he simply accused me of embarrassing him.”

Another trader in the area, Gloria Agwuncha, while corroborating Okeke’s claims said the poor maintenance culture of the PHCN was responsible for the sad event.

She said, “The high tension wire snaps whenever rain falls. I’m surprised that they are not taking responsibility for Simon’s death.

“Whenever the wire snaps, all they do is to manage it by joining both parts together until it becomes very fragile and weak. This last one snapped at the point where it was previously joined.”

Simon’s wife, Esther, said she was surprised that the PHCN authorities did not accept that their negligence caused her husband’s death.

She said, “The negligence of PHCN authorities has made me a widow overnight. I am a housewife and Simon was the breadwinner of the family. I and the four children he left behind are now living from hand to mouth.

“Up till this time that I speak to you, none of the PHCN officials had visited me on the death of my husband. It saddens me whenever they say that they are not to blame for cause of his death.

“All they keep saying is that the fault was not theirs. If the power line had been properly fixed, would it have fallen on my husband?

“Apart from finding it difficult to feed the children it has also been difficult to keep them in school. Our rent would soon lapse and we might likely be sent packing as there is no means of getting money.”

Simon’s daughter, Ugochi, a Junior Secondary School three pupil, who spoke to our correspondent in a pensive mood, said she had yet to recover from the shock of her father’s death.

She said, “I mourn the death of my dad everyday and the thought that the carelessness of the PHCN caused his death adds to my sorrow. He was a loving and caring dad and he shouldn’t have died like that.”

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone.

She said, “The case of electrocution of Simon who was said to be passing by before a wire fell on him was reported at the Aguda Police Station.

“Policemen from the division went to the scene to recover his corpse. The corpse had since been handed over to the family of the deceased.

“No foul play was suspected. In fact, an autopsy was carried out on him, which confirmed that he died of electrocution.”

Makoko Brutality: Police Arrests Killer Cop

The Lagos State Police Command, on Sunday, confirmed the arrest of the police officer allegedly responsible for killing a Makoko traditional ruler.

A statement signed by the Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, revealed that Cpl. Pepple Boma, posted on Special Duty to the State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) for demolition exercise at the waterfront of Makoko area, Yaba, had been arrested.

According to the statement, Boma allegedly shot the deceased, who was identified as Timothy Agbe, in the stomach.

“The corpse has been deposited at the General Hospital, Ikeja for post-mortem examination, while the suspect has been arrested and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba,” the statement read.

“The Lagos State Police Command wishes to use this medium to appeal to Lagosians to maintain peace and remain calm as justice must be done in this case. Investigation has however commenced in the matter, please.”

The incident occurred on Saturday, during the controversial demolition of shanties at the coastal community of Makoko and Iwaya water front.

Agbe, who was the Itun-baale of Egun Makoko, was killed while trying to prevent officers monitoring the exercise from setting some property in the community ablaze.

In a related development, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, launched an e-mail address to enable the public communicate directly with his office.

According to the police, the address, policemonitor@npf.gov.ng, serves as a platform to “promote access to justice, transparency and accountability in matters relating to policing and general crime fighting.”

Along with providing information on criminal activities and offering tip-offs to the police, the public was also encouraged to use the e-mail to report the conduct of police personnel or those of other law enforcement agencies “involved in corrupt and other forms of unlawful acts.”

The police, however, warned that the e-mail address should not be used to provide “false, malicious or deliberately misleading information to the Force”, warning that such actions may attract reprimand and prosecution.

Didier Drogba Scores on Debut for Shanghai Shenhua

Didier Drogba made an instant impact on his debut for Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua on Sunday, setting up his new team’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw away to Guangzhou R&F.

The former Chelsea striker started the game on the bench but came on at half time, almost scoring with his first touch of the ball — an outrageous 40-yard free kick which Guangzhou goalkeeper Cheng Yuelei tipped wide.

Earlier Shenhua had struggled in the first half after falling behind to an unfortunate own goal by Brazilian defender Moises on 21 minutes, but the introduction of Drogba instantly transformed the visitors’ fortunes.

The game had been one of China’s most eagerly-awaited this season, with Drogba-fever having swept the Chinese football world.

Former Japan national team coach Phillippe Troussier, now managing Chinese second division side Shenzhen Ruby, and Italian World-Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi, manager of Guangzhou Evergrande, were in the stands.

Shenhua have struggled badly this season, winning just four of 17 games, but they played with a increased level of confidence when Drogba, a European Champions League winner with Chelsea in May, stepped onto the pitch.

In the 52nd minute of the game the Ivory Coast striker headed just over the bar from a cross from winger Feng Renliang, and was at the centre of every Shenhua move as the side tried to get back into the game.

Drogba’s biggest contribution came in the 68th minute with an exquisite through ball which found Shanghainese playmaker Cao Yunding, who rounded the keeper to equalise for his side.

The match was also notable for being the first time Drogba and Nicolas Anelka have played on the same side. The latter sealed a 175,000 pounds ($273,000) a week move from Chelsea to Shenhua last December.

Drogba was reunited with the Frenchman after sealing a deal that Chinese and British media have said is worth 200,000 pounds a week, making him the highest-paid player in China and in the top bracket globally.

He was given a hero’s welcome when he arrived in China last week to start his two-and-a-half year contract.