Ayo Animasahun: "No Sponsor Influenced Winners Of Headies Award"

CEO of Smooth Promotions, owners of HipTV, street Hop and Hip-Hop World Magazine, Ayo Animashaun, the brain behind the Headies Award has reacted to criticisms that trailed the award in 2013. Critics of the award which held December 26th 2013 believed that the winners were largely dictated by the lead sponsor of the show, making the organizers give awards only to artistes who are ambassadors of the lead sponsor and not necessarily to those who merited it.

Mr Animashaun in a recent interview with Encomium magazine denied all the allegations and also cleared the air on why Wizkid didn't win any award as he was largely rooted for by a lot of people. He said: "I dont like to add my words to what is not valid or baseless. It is just a waste of time. Some people do not think before they talk. In the first instance, MTN was not the major sponsor. You saw Airtel everywhere. Olamide that won the biggest award of the night is an Etisalat Ambassador. When people's argument is baseless, I don't join issues with them.

I just look and laugh. People don't really do their own homework, they just talk. Wizkid's Jaiye Jaiye came out in August and the year in review stopped in July. How is it supposed to qualify? The year in review started March 2012 to June 2013. At that period, Jaiye Jaiye was not out. We were too busy to be distracted by any critics. Some people can talk and we are not the only people that started the journey".