By Patricia Amogu

The 17th edition of the “Abuja-based comedy show “Comedy Assembly” promises a unique representation of comedy and will host the creme de la creme in the Nigerian entertainment industry.

Founder/host, Comedy Assembly, Nick Biebiem, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said that the event, scheduled for April 1(Easter Monday) would keep its audience laughing long after it had ended.

“Comedy Assembly is the biggest assembly of top entertainers from the best comedians and actors to celebrity musicians from across Nigeria converging on the country’s capital; bringing its audience an evening filled with laughter, entertainments and hilarious moments.”

According to him, the show aims to deliver a fantastic blend of amusing observations, relatable stories and clever punchlines accompanied by style and humour.

“This year’s event promises to be top-notch, with an incredible line-up of talented comedians and entertainers with a unique blend of ‘class and style’ and lots of entertainment.

“Comedy Assembly”, the oldest comedy show in Abuja, is set up for the sole benefit of the audience, and with an amazing fuse of music; we anticipate an incredibly amazing crowd attendance.’’

Biebiem said that prominent guests expected at the evening include the Miss Health Beauty Queen Fashion Icons, media practitioners, politicians, captains of industries, entertainment veterans and families.

The event will also attract international attendees.

“Get ready to experience an incredible lineup of talented comedians and entertainers who will tickle your funny bones and leave you wanting more throughout the evening,’’ he said.

Biebiem, popularly known as Nick B, is one of Abuja’s finest comedians, while Sir Nick B is a household name in the entertainment industry.

He has carved a niche for himself as he has paddled his Entertainment and Media Company successfully for a decade.

With his unique style of performance and creativity, he has become a force in the grassroots talent development in the comedy industry–displaying high sense of humour in both corporate and social programmes(NAN)

Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo

By Patricia Amogu

Fast-rising Cameroonian-born singer and songwriter, Sonia Djoumessi, says African music has gained prominence and will take over the global stage in the nearest future.

Sonia expressed this view in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

The UK- based singer, who is also a model and Biomedical Scientist, said that her passion for music made her take it as a career, at a tender age.

She said that her musical career started at age of 10, singing in her school choir to the delight of parents and teachers.

“I learnt how to play local musical instruments such as shakers, hobos, gongs, xylophones, and others as a student.

“My passion for music was fueled while I was in school; the school provided music lessons every Wednesday evening where I earned the basics of music theory and practice as well as the piano and keyboard.

“I started writing songs at the age of 12; and my vocal quality soared when I joined the secondary school choir, gaining more choral experience.

“Although my family had other plans for me to become a medical doctor, what stood out for me was passion for music which for me was in-borne.’’

She said that she became the centre of attraction during her days at the University of Buea, Cameroon.

“This was like a dream come true for me because my love and skills for music was amplified and I had started studio recordings at the time.

“With the help of Pastor Rochie Osvalin, who assisted in enrolling me in a vocal training course at M1 Studio under his supervision, I recorded hit tracks like Dancer, Bami, Reseaux, hit love, among many others.’’

Djoumessi said she balanced her burgeoning music career with her modeling work and made substantial amount of progress in the music and modeling spaces.

“Winning the Miss Summit Productions 2019 in Cameroon and being decorated as the female ambassador of Bright Future Foundation in 2018 were great achievements for me.’’

Djourmessi’s professional music career took off in 2022 following the release of her first Extended Play(EP),” Gradually” produced and mastered by Marc Eff of Kovapot.

The EP featured hit tracks like Make Moves, loving, tell them and gradually.

“The production process of this project was a learning opportunity for her in terms of the music-making process.

“This year, I want to be heard through all nooks and crannies and I will make an impact to see that my music makes an impact on the global map,” she said.

NAN reports that asides being an artist and model, Djoumessi works as a Biomedical Scientist at the Nottingham University Hospital, Queen’s Medical Centre, in Nottingham, UK. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo

By Aderogba George

The Afro-Caribbean Chamber of Culture and Tourism (ACCCAT) has unveiled plans to host the African Youths Leadership and Culture Summit (AYLCUS), in a bid to highlight and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Africa.

ACCCAT President, Mr Quadri-Adu Kehinde, shared the details during a press conference on Thursday.

The summit, slated for Abuja from May 21 to May 25, would be an annual event, seeks to bring together over 5,000 young delegates from North, West, East, Central, and Southern Africa, alongside participants from the Caribbean, U.S, Europe, and Asia.

AYLCUS 2024 aims to foster discussions on the common bonds that unite Africans and provide a platform for a deeper understanding of African culture and heritage.

Kehinde highlighted the diverse components of the five-day event, including high-level conversations featuring industry leaders, business mentorship sessions for the youth, exhibitions of key African innovations, and an awards and gala ceremony recognising outstanding contributions to African society.

The summit is strategically scheduled to coincide with the African Day on May 25, following the Africa Union (AU) calendar.

The grand finale will feature a major concert, celebrating African arts through music, poetry, and dance.

According to Kehinde, the economic impact of AYLCUS on the host country, Nigeria, is estimated to surpass 100 million dollars, encompassing tourism receipts, hospitality, transport, and media PR multipliers locally and globally.

He emphasised the significance of the event, stating that it is poised to become the most important youth gathering in the country for 2024.

Calling on government and corporate organizations across Africa, Kehinde urged them to actively participate in and support the event.

Additionally, he encouraged the government to use the summit as an opportunity to assure the youth of a brighter future and called on corporate organisations to contribute to the betterment of society and the continent.

Dr James Komolafe, the Director-General of the Institute of Behavioural Alignment of Nigeria (IOBAN), echoed the need for government attention to the behavioral aspects of the youth.

He emphasised the importance of education and the implementation of policies that alleviate the suffering of the masses, fostering an enabling environment for personal growth and development. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Mark Longyen/Deji Abdulwahab

By Joshua Olomu

A 300-level student of the Rivers State University, Callistus Uzodinma, also known as C-Fly, has won N10 million and a car as grand prizes of the second edition of Big Break Moment (BBM) Africa reality TV show.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that C-Fly edged out 15 others who made it to the final at the grand finale of the show at the International Conference Centre(ICC), Abuja.

Queen Aliyu, a student of Theatre and Performing Arts at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Fortune Onyekachi, a student of Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo State, emerged first and second runners up.

According to the organisers, both the first and second runners up will be rewarded with cash prize of N2 million each and other benefits.

Mr Orbby Agwuncha, Executive Producer of the BBM Africa show, said 30 contestants, known as “ Dream Mates”, were featured in the second edition tagged “Rep Your Campus Edition”, after a nationwide audition.

“To find the finest talents across Africa, the Big Break Moment Africa conducted auditions in key cities like Abuja, Enugu, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano, bringing the number of universities involved to 182.

“These auditions provided the students an opportunity to showcase their abilities and impress the esteemed panel of judges.

“We do what we do because we want a better Nigeria, we want our youths to be empowered through talents discovery and development,” she said.

NAN reports that the Big Break Moment Africa, now in its second edition, is an ‘edutainment’ reality TV show aimed at talented students from tertiary institutions, especially those skilled in singing, acting, and dancing.

It seeks to bridge the gap created between classroom education and the entertainment industry, giving students the right platform to showcase their talents for discovery. (NAN) (nannews.ng)

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Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

By Temitope Ajayi
While extolling Funke Akindele, the Nollywood filmmaker for her recent box office accomplishment, President Bola Tinubu lauded the growing contribution of the Nigerian creative industry to the economic growth of the country. He acknowledged its pivotal place as, not just a medium for artistic expression but also a source of enormous soft power and viable cultural export.

In his effusive praise of the industry; creative ingenuity, and enterprising spirit of young Nigerians, President Tinubu said that, “the creative industry is one of the high-employment sectors, providing jobs for our able and talented youths. It is an industry that is crucial to my administration. I salute Nigerians for their enduring support and patronage of home-grown creative efforts. We will provide the conducive environment for the industry to thrive further.”

On the heels of that generous presidential endorsement, it is worthy to say that, regardless of what anyone says, Funke Akindele has cracked the code for successful Box Office run in Nigeria. Her films, till date, have remained the highest grossing in cinema runs in Nigeria’s film industry.

Her recent flick, ‘A Tribe Called Judah’, grossed over a billion Naira in revenue, a landmark of no mean feat. The interesting twist to this number is the fact that within a month, Akindele’s film grossed the unprecedented amount in a country with 91 cinemas and 303 screens.

For clearer understanding, available data shows that as at 2022, China has 65,000 cinema screens followed by United States (35,280), India (11,962) and UK (3,402). It is very easy to see the link between the number of screens and the material prosperity of Americans in hollywood and Indians in bollywood.

By comparison, English-speaking West African countries, including Nigeria, as at December 31, 2023, have 95 cinemas with 321 screens. Out of this number, Ghana has 4 cinemas with 18 screens.

For a country of Nigeria’s size and population, the third largest film producer in the world after United States and India, the paltry 303 screens reveal a huge opportunity for private sector investment, which the newly-created Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy is poised to drive.

Akindele’s ‘A Tribe Called Judah’, was watched by film lovers in 71 cinemas across Nigeria during the holiday season. Despite these limited screens, the title still raked in N1.3 billion as at January 10, according to promoters.

It was not only Akindele’s ATCJ that recorded massive box office hit. During the same period, Toyin Abraham’s film, ‘Malaika’ grossed over N250million, while ‘Ada Omo Daddy’ by Mercy Aigbe made over N140 million.

In series of well-deserved commendations for her extraordinary achievements, some of Funke Akindele’s colleagues in the movie industry showered encomiums on her for blazing the trail in box office revenue. United Kingdom-based Nigerian filmmaker, Obi Emelonye praised Funke and her team:

“First of all, let me congratulate Funke Akindele and her team, including my brother and friend JideKene Achufusi. What they have achieved with ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ is unprecedented in our history. I don’t want to get bogged down in the crass argument whether the N1 billon plus figure is inflated, padded or not. The important thing is that the film has galvanized Nigerian cinema audiences.

“And if we are arguing about the billion marks, which is double what the previous record is, then we are talking uncharted territory here. For that Funke and her team deserve respect and praise. Whichever way you look at it; it is great win for the industry that no one believed can make cinema work when we pioneered it 13 years ago. If Funke can do N1 billion with the number of cinemas in Nigeria today, just imagine the possibilities for our industry.”

Kunle Afolayan, award-winning Director and actor whose films are also known for their artistic and commercial success, attributed the runaway success of ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ to hard work.

“I congratulated her and the team when the film was released and encouraged people to watch it. She and her team really worked very hard with the promotion of the film,” Afolayan said.

Describing the recent commercial success of Nigerian films at the cinema as the ‘golden era’, Deputy Managing Director of Filmhouse Group, Moses Babatope noted in a statement, “We are witnessing a golden era for Nigerian cinema, and Funke Akindele’s ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ reaching the 1 billion Naira mark is an indication that the creative industry despite the stiff competition from international streaming platforms, our local content continues to thrive, engaging audiences on a grand scale.”

If nothing else, the revenue from the three movies that exhibited, during the yuletide, hints of huge potential for the industry. We can imagine what the industry can make with having, in Nigeria, just 1000 screens, not to talk of 3000 screens. The possibilities are truly huge for filmmakers and other players in the industry. This is apart from the multiplier effect on the economy.

With the right infrastructure; more collaboration among government; private sector players and the motion picture practitioners, Nigeria can actually produce billionaire and multimillionaire film makers and allied professionals like their counterparts in hollywood. Funke Akindele and some of her colleagues have shown us that this is possible.

President Bola Tinubu understands the immense economic potentials of creative industry as an enabler of wealth creation and growth driver. The current administration’s intense focus on the sector will significantly galvanize it as a major contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The decision of President Tinubu to establish a full Ministry to superintend over the creative industry was not by happenstance. It was borne out of deliberate planning and critical evaluation of the socio-economic importance of the sector to national development.

The good news is that the Minister in charge of the sector, Hannatu Musawa, has the full support of President Tinubu to expand the capacity of the industry as one of the main enablers of economic growth. The Minister is passionate too about activating sustainable and enduring growth in the creative industry. At a recent industry stakeholders’ meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima, where the Vice President revealed that the creative industry will benefit hugely from the $650million Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (I-DiCe) programme his office is supervising, an elated Musawa reinforced the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthen the sector and enable the professionals to achieve more.

“We want to create the conducive environment for you to operate in the way you need to,” Musawa declared.

From all indications, the hard work of our creative professionals, backed by a conducive environment and sound policies provided by the present administration will unleash glad tidings for the sector this year and beyond.

-Ajayi is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity

By Aderonke Ojediran

Chocolate City Music, renowned as a pioneer in the African music industry, has released the ‘Chocolate City Cypher’ to celebrate the golden anniversary of Hip-Hop.

Abuchi Ugwu, Chief Executive Officer, Chocolate City Music, said the tribute track features elite artistes including MI Abaga, Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince, A-Q, Loose Kaynon and Blaqbonez, marking a celebration of the genre that has shaped generations.

According to Ugwu, hip-hop has given a voice to the voiceless and brought diverse communities together and as such needs to be celebrated.

“Since its emergence in the Bronx in the early 1970s, hip-hop has grown from a local movement to a global phenomenon, influencing fashion, language, and lifestyle.

“As hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary, Chocolate City honours this legacy by showcasing the best of Nigerian hip-hop through the Chocolate City Cypher.

“From the days of MI’s groundbreaking hits to the current era of Blaqbonez, we have not only witnessed but also shaped the evolution of this genre in Nigeria.

“This Cypher celebrates that legacy and our ongoing commitment to hip-hop.”

Ugwu said that Chocolate City’s impact on Nigerian hip-hop could be traced back to the late 2000s, with MI’s “Safe” remix, revolutionising the industry.

According to him, MI’s lyrical prowess and storytelling set a new standard in the Nigerian music scene, paving the way for future hip-hop artistes to thrive.

“MI went on to win the MTV Africa Music Awards as “Best New Act” in 2008 and numerous other awards for his hip-hop style.

“The introduction of the Choc Boiz, a rap ensemble made up of MI, Jesse Jagz, and Ice Prince, marked a new era in Nigerian hip-hop, blending Afro beats with contemporary hip-hop rhythms.

“It also created a unique sound that resonated across the continent,” Ugwu added.

He also said that Chocolate City had continued to shape the careers of some of the most respected names in Nigerian hip-hop culture, providing a platform for rappers like Loose Kaynon, AQ, Pryse, Candy Bleakz and Blaqbonez.

“To date, the label has produced over 25 hip-hop albums, stamping its authority as the number one hip-hop label on the African continent.”

Aibee Abidoye, Vice President, Music, Chocolate City Music, said, “we have succeeded in weaving the past, present, and future of Nigerian hip-hop around music that fans will enjoy through the Cypher.

“Chocolate City Cypher showcases our contribution to the genre and reminds us of its power to voice societal narratives. We are proud to be a driving force in this journey.”

She added that the Chocolate City Cypher blends topical conversations articulated through brilliant wordplay and effusive lyrics.

“Each artiste brings a unique style and perspective, ensuring that the Cypher resonates with a wide range of audiences.

“The track is available for download on all major digital music platforms,” Abidoye said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Folasade Adeniran

By Aderogba George
The Doodle-Film Hub Ltd. says it plans to establish a mass cinema value-chain that bridges the gap that resulted to under-employment in the film industry.
Its Chief Executive, Yinka Ade-Aluko, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday that this would enhance youths’ employment and empowerment for jobs and career opportunities within film industry and its sub-sectors.
Ade-Aluko, who is also a creative and film entrepreneur, said his company was introducing new production and distribution models that encourages no/low budget production; and one that guarantees affordable and accessible cinema with lowest ticketing, ever possible.
“We are bringing on board a new production and distribution model that challenges the status quo in the Nigerian Film Industry, to engage the youth and empower young and student filmmakers.”
“This will be achieved by filling the vacuum we identified and bridging gaps that were created by the current pattern and the under-employment nuance within the industry and its various sub-sectors and related sectors.”
“From our observation and research, Nollywood produces around 1500 movies annually on the average.”
And, of these movies, less than one per cent make it to the cinema. Why? Because to make it to the cinema, you would need around N10 million for publicity and adverts alone,” the film entrepreneur said.
According to him, an average Nollywood cinema movie cost around N30 million to make – that makes a total budget of N40 million.
“And funny enough, less than 10 per cent of the movies ever grossed N20 million or even ever breakeven in cinema. And, the funniest part is that, only around 30 per cent of the money grossed comes to the filmmakers. That sounds unbelievable, but that’s Nollywood Cinema for you, as designed.
“By the way, Nollywood cinema is not patterned for its original and larger market, because, it only focuses the Elites-Middle-Class sub-market who are only about one per cent of the country 200 million plus population, if they are really up to.
“While it sidelines and ignores around 70 per cent entertainment lovers and youthful fraction of that huge population. Who does that in business? I don’t understand! Anyway, we, at doodle, value that larger market of the industry because it makes business sense!” he said.(NAN) (www nannews.com)

Eduted by Deji Abdulwahab
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