Audu Maikori is the Founder/CEO of
Chocolate City Group, touted by many as one of Africa’s foremost media
/entertainment companies. Founded in 2005, the company – which consists
of Chocolate City Music, Chocolate City Media, STEM Marketing and
Chocolate City Distribution – has made giant strides both locally and
internationally, winning awards and several accolades in the process.
The artistes on its label, which include M.I, Ice Prince, Nosa, Dj
Caise, Pryse, Victoria Kimani, and Dice Ailes etc., are bonafide members
of Africa’s entertainment elite. Chocolate City Group has offices in
Lagos, Abuja, Nigeria and Nairobi, Kenya; plus Public Relations arms in
South Africa, Ghana, The United Kingdom and The United States. Audu
obtained his law degree from the University of Jos and
was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2001.
He has worked at several firms
and companies including Chief Afe Babalola SAN & Co, Leasing Company
of Nigeria (a subsidiary of Nigeria’s Bank of industry), Abuja Markets
Management Limited, and was Senior Legal consultant to CPCS Transcom
International, a Canadian infrastructure firm where he worked on the
legal and regulatory aspects of a number of key infrastructural projects
including the privatization of the Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigerian
Railway Corporation, unbundling and privatization of the Power Holding
Company of Nigeria (PHCN – defunct NEPA), Lagos Rail Mass transit
Project and the Abuja Mass Transit, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Mr. Maikori is currently senior partner at Law Allianz – a firm of legal
consultants and advisers- where he handles the intellectual property
and infrastructure transaction advisory departments. His last assignment
was heading the legal team for the Kano State Bus Mass Transit Project
on the NIAF/DFID team in Kano State in December 2011.
Audu, a renowned
public speaker, has received both local and international commendations
for his work in youth development and entrepreneurship in the creative
industry. He was invited to Albania in 2008 to deliver a keynote speech
at a seminar organized by the Albania Ministry of youth and Employment
in conjunction with the British Council. On the 29th of June 2007, he
won the highly coveted British Music Award International Young Music
Entrepreneur of the Year (IYMEY) for his work with Chocolate City after
beating off fierce international competition from Egypt, India,
Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland and
Tanzania.
He received a special Judges’ commendation as well as 15,000
Dollars as prize money. At the inaugural edition of the United Kingdom
Young Music Entrepreneur (UKYME) 2008, Audu was nominated to serve as a
judge alongside 4 other British Music industry heavyweights. In December
2011, Chocolate City Group was named winner at the prestigious Africa
Awards for Entrepreneurship 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya. Chocolate City was
selected from over 3,300 applicants from 48 African countries to clinch
the coveted prize. He is a board member of the Copyrights Society of
Nigeria (COSON), CDNET and most recently the Subsidy Reinvestment and
Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), set up by President Goodluck Jonathan,
where he is charged with creating employment opportunities for about
185,000 young men and women, as well as supervising the Graduate
Internship Scheme for the Federal Government of Nigeria wherein 50,000
interns will be placed in various companies across the country in a
public-private partnership model.
Awards
- International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year (IYMEY) Global winner 2007
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011- The Diaspora Professionals of Nigeria.
- Young Lawyer of the year- Nigerian Legal Awards 2010
- Special recognition award by City People for contributions to Nigerian Music Industry
- Entertainment Executive of the Year by the Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA) September 2011.
- Creative Entrepreneur of the Year – MUSIC- Creative Industries Association of Nigeria British Council 2011
- Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship 2011 – Omidiyar/ Legatum
- His bio is included in the book “100 outstanding Nigerian Entrepreneurs” by James Abiona.
- Entrepreneur of the year – Tribe Magazine
- Music Entrepreneur of the year – Nigerian Youth Merit Award 2011
- Winner Abuja Young Entrepreneurs Awards 2012- Entertainment Entrepreneur.
- Special Recognition Award for Contributions to the music Industry – 2012 by Nigerian Reunion Corporation.
- Outstanding Young Person Awards – JCI 2012
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