Music executives Kenny “Keke” Ogungbe and Dayo “D1” Adeneye have dedicated their 2025 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) Lifetime Achievement Award to the late media entrepreneur Chief Raymond Dokpesi and their fans.
The duo made the dedication on Sunday, January 11, at the 9th AFRIMA Awards ceremony held at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos. The event celebrates African music and culture.
Keke and D1 said they dedicate the Lifetime Achievement Award to “Late Chief Raymond Dokpesi, AIT, RayPower FM, and all Kennis Music lovers who believed in our dream, supported our artistes, and stood by African music when it mattered most.”
They acknowledged Dokpesi’s influence as founder of DAAR Communications Plc, noting that platforms such as Africa Independent Television (AIT) and RayPower FM gave early support to Nigerian music when it struggled for wider attention.
The music executives also appealed to the Nigerian Government to formally recognise pioneers in the creative sector with national honours, saying it would highlight the cultural and economic value of the industry and inspire younger generations.
Kennis Music, founded around the turn of the millennium, is known for developing and promoting influential Nigerian music acts and shaping the contemporary sound of Nigerian music.
The 9th AFRIMA Awards also recognised other artists, with Nigerian act Rema winning three major awards, including Artiste of the Year and Best Male Artiste in Western Africa.
Organised in partnership with the African Union Commission and supported by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Lagos State Government, AFRIMA brings together artists, industry executives, and music lovers from across the continent and its diaspora.
