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AFRIMA Demands Justice For Slain AKA; Urges Governments In Africa To Protect Music Stars
The International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), has implored governments of African countries to arrest the growing cases of violent deaths against music stars on the continent just as it urged the South African authorities to expedite the process of prosecution of the killers of rapper Kiernan Forbes popularly known as AKA.
AFRIMA recalls that the 35-year-old AKA was killed in a cold-blooded shooting on February 10, 2023, at a nightclub in Durban, South Africa and the awards body is demanding that everyone linked to his gruesome murder be expeditiously brought to justice.
President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mike Dada, in a statement, said governments of African nations must make deliberate efforts to prevent violent attacks against music talents, averring that the disturbing trend could potentially erode the gains recorded in the creative industry over the years if not checked.
Dada said the murder of AKA is a wake-up call to governments across the continent to scale up their security architecture to encourage the protection of talented individuals. He suggested that efforts should be sustained to checkmate the proliferation of small arms especially.
AFRIMA said the senseless killing of AKA utterly hurts African creative space, insisting that South African authorities must arrest and prosecute everyone involved in the dastardly act.
“We strongly demand from the government of South Africa to arrest and prosecute all the persons involved in the killing of AKA to serve as a deterrent to criminally-minded individuals who cut short the lives of talents at their prime. The crime deterrent is for criminals to know that there is a big chance for them to be arrested, prosecuted and convicted; we strongly call for justice to be sufficiently served in this case.
“However, this is also a call to the governments of various countries across the continent of Africa to react to this gruesome killing by addressing the challenge of the proliferation of small arms. The trend of arms proliferation in Africa has had an impact on the continent’s internal security, which has led to violence and the deaths and injury of thousands of innocent citizens including our music stars and we encourage steps that will lead to the protection of the lives of our talented stars.
“Our ideals include using the platform of AFRIMA to promote the strength of Africa and tell a positive story of the continent and we believe we can tackle poverty, inequality, unemployment, climate change and other challenges bedeviling our dear continent through music but the lives of creative talents should be protected to fully realise these lofty dreams,” he said.
Similarly, speaking on AKA’s killing, AFRIMA’s Country Director, South Africa, Lekunutu Seboko, said the government of the country must back up its promises and assurances with concrete action by solving the murder case in good time. He believes bringing the perpetrators of the heinous crime to book will deepen the trust and belief in a better future for not only the music stars in the country but all South Africans, where they can feel safe and secure in their homes and communities.
“AKA’s sudden death is a deeply disturbing tragedy and development in South African music; the ghastly manner of his death has had international reverberations and our government must endeavour to bring his assailants to book to prove to the world that we indeed operate a system that uplifts justice and sanity.
“Undoubtedly, the African music landscape is diminished by his untimely death; but it is now the responsibility of South African authorities to ensure that justice prevails. We understand that some arrests have been made, but the process of bringing everyone connected to his death to book must be swift because justice delayed is justice denied,” he said.
AFRIMA also reacted to the sudden death of another South African rapper Costa Titch who died in March while performing on stage.
Dada said the invaluable contributions of Costa Stitch, whose real name was Constantinos Tsobanoglou, and AKA to Africa’s creative and music ecosystem would be sorely missed.
He added that African music was yet to come to terms with the sudden demise of the two great artists, describing them as true musical giants whose incredible songs and voices touched countless lives.
He added that AKA set the bar high for South African hip-hop just as Costa Titch took it up a notch and the two superstars collectively and collaboratively projected African music and culture on the world stage with many songs they did together.
He added that the two music icons were prominent figures in the AFRIMA community, recalling that AKA was a winner while Costa Titch won multiple nominations.
Dada said: “The deaths of AKA and Costa Titch will continue to cause significant reverberations across the African music fraternity because their contributions to the art were simply magical. Their music, messages, and successes gave hope to young Africans mired in poverty, violence, and uncertainty. Their works did not only elevate the hip-hop genre to the mainstream of South African music but impacted the global music audience in a manner that deepened the acceptance of African music and culture on a large scale.
“Their losses are personal to us in AFRIMA because they have been part of our journey. We recall that AKA won the Best African Collaboration award in the 2015 edition of AFRIMA for his effort on ‘All Eyes on Me’ which features Burna Boy, Da LES and others, while Costa Titch got a historic six nominations in the recently held 2022 edition. The greatness of their crafts is still being acknowledged even in their graves.
“We are still sombre and sad about their sudden departures. They inspired the whole of our continent; full of faith, courage, and strength, they have left a huge void in the music industry and their invaluable contributions to the African music ecosystem would be missed forever.”
DStv has launched a new campaign tagged “We Got You”, aimed at giving customers more entertainment value at the start of the year without additional cost.
DStv
The campaign, which runs from January 1 to February 28, 2026, allows subscribers who pay for their current package in full to enjoy an automatic upgrade to the next DStv package.
The initiative is designed to ease the pressure that often comes with January, a period marked by school resumption, tighter budgets and increased household demands.
Through the offer, DStv is rewarding customer loyalty by unlocking more channels, stories, sports, children’s content, local productions and international programmes at no extra charge.
Speaking on the campaign, Tope Oshunkeye, Executive Head of Marketing, West Africa, MultiChoice, said, “We want our customers to step into the year feeling valued.
“When you buy your package, we upgrade you because you deserve more. This is our way of bringing extra excitement, choice and convenience into your home.”
According to DStv, the offer is open to existing subscribers who remain active during the promotion period, customers who reconnect their decoders, and new subscribers who join between January 1 and February 28.
Under the offer, subscribers who pay for DStv Yanga will be upgraded to DStv Confam, Confam customers will receive DStv Compact, Compact subscribers will be upgraded to Compact Plus, while Compact Plus customers will enjoy access to DStv Premium.
The upgrade applies only to decoder viewing, and subscribers will revert to their original packages at the end of the promotion period.
Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has officially given way to the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), signalling a pivotal shift in the country’s revenue administration framework as the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Act 2025 takes full effect from January 1, 2026.
NRS
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the landmark legislation in June 2025, alongside a comprehensive package of tax reforms designed to streamline compliance, expand the tax net and bolster federal revenue for critical infrastructure and social services.
At a colourful ceremony in Abuja on December 30, 2025, NRS Executive Chairman, Dr Zacch Adedeji, unveiled the agency’s new logo and corporate identity, describing it as a beacon of modernisation and efficiency.
Adedeji, who doubles as the pioneer helmsman, stated that the fresh branding embodies “a renewed commitment to a unified, service-driven revenue system” in line with global standards and Nigeria’s economic aspirations.
“The new identity underscores continuity in mandate, enhanced capacity and proactive taxpayer support, fostering trust and shared prosperity,” he added, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Dare Adekanmbi.
The NRS emergence caps decades of advocacy for tax overhaul, repealing the FIRS (Establishment) Act 2007 and vesting the new body with broader powers for revenue assessment, collection and accountability.
Judicial hurdles were cleared when an FCT High Court dismissed suits seeking to stall implementation, paving the way for the four key Acts — Nigeria Revenue Service, Tax Administration, Nigeria Tax and Joint Revenue Board — to roll out seamlessly.
Despite pockets of controversy, including claims of bill alterations, the Budget Office affirmed the laws’ authenticity, prioritising fiscal stability and investor confidence.
For ordinary Nigerians and enterprises, the NRS promises simplified processes, digital innovations and reduced red tape to ease compliance burdens while curbing evasion.
Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the Chairman, Mrs Aderonke Atoyebi, reassured that core values of integrity, fairness and professionalism persist, with staff nationwide driving the transition.
Industry watchers anticipate a surge in non-oil revenue, crucial as Nigeria navigates global headwinds, with the NRS positioned to elevate the tax-to-GDP ratio through transparent engagement.
Gold remains one of the most powerful commodities in the global financial architecture. It is widely recognized that, for traders in Nigeria, specifically, currency pressures, inflation expectations, and shifts in global liquidity make up the macro environment more often than not; hence, understanding the correlation of gold with key Forex assets is more of an economic insight than a trading tactic.
The correlation between gold and currencies, equities, bonds, and even energy markets provides a broader framework for interpreting global risk sentiment. A growing number of Nigerian investors use this correlation to hedge against inflation, read capital-flow trends, and adjust trading strategies across major currency pairs.
Why Gold Matters in Today’s Macro Environment
This can be explained by looking at the larger picture and how global factors either positively or negatively impact the price of gold: spiraling inflation, geopolitical tension, tightening by central banks, and the flight-to-safety dynamic that heightens in moments of market stress. African traders, especially those active with international brokers such as JustMarkets, are very sensitive to how gold performs not only as a commodity but also as a macro indicator.
Indeed, the strongest correlations of gold are more often found with the US dollar, major bond markets, equity indices, and energy instruments in periods of high geopolitical risk. Each one of these offers a different angle for Nigerian traders to approach macroeconomic changes.
Gold and US Dollar: The Most Watched Correlation
The inverse correlation between XAU and the USD remains one of the bedrock relationships in global finance. It usually weighs on gold because a stronger dollar raises the opportunity cost of holding the metal. Conversely, the opposite has occurred when the market has priced in rate cuts, rising inflation, or policy uncertainty.
This relationship provides Forex traders in Nigeria with a macro perspective:
USD strength; pressure on gold; bullish signals for USD-pairs like USD/JPY or USD/CHF
USD weakness; appreciation of gold; potential strengthening of the non-USD majors
This dynamic is often emphasized by platforms such as JustMarkets in their markets analytics, allowing traders to match the technical setup with real policy shifts from the Federal Reserve.
Gold and Bond Yields: A Window into Global Risk Appetite
Gold is highly sensitive to real interest rates. When US real yields fell, it sent gold higher because investors saw it as a hedge against inflation and thus a haven. Yet higher yields tend to dampen demand for precious metals.
To traders, this correlation is a reason for short-run volatility around announcements like:
US CPI
FOMC decisions
Results of Treasury auctions
In countries like Nigeria, when domestic inflation is high and Naira pressure amplifies sensitivity to global risk, the movement of gold often proves an early indicator of how capital might rotate between safe havens and risk assets worldwide.
Gold and Equity Markets: The Fear Gauge
While geopolitical tensions or recession fears tend to deflate equity markets, they strengthen gold. This negative relationship is considered helpful for traders looking to deduce spikes in volatility and risk-off flows. Examples include:
Sharp US30 or NAS100 declines coupled with XAU/USD rallies
Broad-based sell-offs driven by political uncertainty or commodity shocks
This dynamic helps explain to the Nigerian analysts focused on policy and political economy how global risk events transmit to the local market through capital-flow sentiment.
Gold and Energy: Transmission via the Inflation Channels
Although gold and oil are not directly correlated, both respond to inflation expectations. Surging oil prices can fuel inflation forecasts that support the price of gold.
This channel is particularly important in the case of Nigeria, a major oil exporter. When crude markets temporarily tighten due to supply disruptions or OPEC policy decisions, gold becomes a complement to hedge against global inflation risk.
Trading with the Use of Gold Correlations
A structured approach allows traders to put gold’s relationships into practice:
Start with the macro driver.
Identify whether inflation, geopolitics, or monetary policy is the primary force shaping markets.Translate the macro event into correlation expectations.
Example: falling bond yields lead to a weaker USD, which in turn supports gold and could lead to upside in EUR/USD.Use correlation clusters instead of isolated signals.
Gold + USD + bonds provide a more reliable picture than gold alone.Apply risk management aligned with volatility cycles.
Gold’s volatility often spills over into major currency pairs.
Market platforms like JustMarkets emphasize these cross-asset links to help traders simplify complex macro interactions into actionable insights.
Why Nigerian Traders Pay Close Attention
The Nigerian economy is highly integrated into global commodity flows; inflation cycles, dollar liquidity, and geopolitical developments tend to reach the local market faster than the pace at which policy adjustments can be made.
Gold serves as a barometer of global risk, a hedge against currency depreciation, and a signal of moves in the key USD pairs that headline Nigeria’s trading activity.
In a region increasingly active in the Forex market, understanding the relationships involving gold is not just about trading but also a strategic tool for analyzing global economic behavior
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