President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has felicitated with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the occasion of his 64th birthday coming up on Monday.
Lawan, in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Ola Awoniyi, joined family and friends to celebrate Osinbajo.
He described the vice president as an erudite lawyer, intellectual giant, respected religious leader and distinguished administrator.
“His Excellency, Prof. Osinbajo has made his marks in his many fields of endeavour and particularly, in the administration of our great nation.
“I pray that God Almighty will continue to imbue him with wisdom and good health, as he ably supports President Muhammadu Buhari on the patriotic mission to transform Nigeria and unite the people in happiness and prosperity.
“Mr Vice President, here is again wishing you a happy birthday and many happy returns of the day,” Lawan said.
The senate president wished the vice president many more years in robust health. (NAN)
Nigerian rapper and singer, Raymond Emamezi, with the stage name “Ray’Em” is back with two new singles, “Courage” and “Ándale” after a long break.
Emamezi in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said courage is a motivational trap song that addressed the artiste’s fears and his desires as a human.
“On the other hand, Ándale is an Afro-fusion gem with an Amapiano-esque beat inspired by the popular chant of a cartoon character, “Speedy Gonzales,” he said.
It would be recalled that Ray’Em released a raving party track “Mama Roll” in 2012 and a remix featuring esteemed rapper, Yung6ix.
“A lot of people cheer my new and unique sound which is a laid back calm style of rapping and singing,” he said.
He described his style as a breath of fresh air when up tempo songs had become the trend.
Ray’Em said that he was back and set to share a new and improved version of himself, adding that Courage and Ándale are available on all music platforms.
The Delta born rapper, is known to combine the arts of rapping and singing, guiding his listeners with an often laid back flow, packed with true-to-life lyrics. (NAN)
I Am LAYCON, a reality series which premiered Feb. 10 on showmax has broken the Nigerian record for the most viewed show on its first day on Showmax.
This was disclosed in a statement that was made available to Journalists in Lagos by Showmax’s Public Relations Officer in Nigeria, Onna Okafor.
It said the reality series, which is the first Showmax original shot, produced in Nigeria, has the highest first-day views for any show ever on the streaming service in Nigeria, including other popular reality shows like Big Brother Naija and Mercy & Ike.
According to the statememt, a week after its debut, it remains in the number one most-popular spot on Showmax in Nigeria.
I Am LAYCON follows the Big Brother Naija season 5 winner, Lekan Agbeleshe popularly known as “Laycon”, and his crew made up of his closest family and friends.
The series premiered exclusively on Showmax at midnight, Feb. 10 with superfans known as iCONS staying up to watch the first five episodes with the #IAmLayconShowmax hashtag.
It trended on Twitter in Nigeria in the hours before it arrived on Showmax, and remained a fixture as fans shared their favourite moments.
Akanni of Lagos, better known as the president of the iCONS fan club, tweeted: “Omoh, that was so smooth. Those Aunties on 124 no do pass this one ooo. This is a pure class!”
Another fan also tweeted: “It’s 3am and I’m still awake all because of #IamLayconPremiere. I love it sooo much.”
I Am LAYCON is currently streaming in 26 countries outside Africa including the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany.
Other countries where I Am LAYCON is available for streaming include Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The next five episodes of I Am LAYCON will become available for streaming exclusively on Showmax March, 4.
The next big reality show, Nigerian Idol, will stream on Showmax later in the month. (NAN)
Efezino Akpo, a singer, songwriter and the 2017 Airtel Reality TV Show voice star says people’s love for her first single “Amere” inspired her to release her new single “Totori”.
Efezino made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
The Afro-pop star released her hit debut single Amere on Oct. 30, 2018, which came with a combination of her native Isoko dialect and English language.
Efezino said that the response to Amere spurred her in redoubling her effort to produce the new single Totori, adding that the response to Totori had been overwhelming.
Totori, a love song was released on Jan. 28 and it has been played on all digital platforms, while the video of the song was officially released on Feb. 12.
According to Efezino, the response has been positive; people can connect with the song Totori.
“Totori is a love song; I wrote it for someone special and it’s exactly how I am feeling, it is a sweet loving song,’’ she said.
She said that her fans and non-fans love the song, adding that the acceptance had been gathering momentum and the reception amazing.
The fast rising Afro-pop star said that people across board had been listening to the song which was released globally on both social media and radio houses.
When asked to compare Amare with Totori, she said Amare had been receiving massive airplay because it had been out for a while.
She however said that Totori was just out, and enjoying the necessary support within and outside Nigeria.
She commended families and friends for rallying to produce the video of Totori.
NAN reports that Efezino came to limelight and became a household name in 2017 after excelling in the Airtel live reality TV show, The Voice of Nigeria Season 2.
Efezino, who is currently un-signed, had worked with the popular Paul Okoye, Falz, Adekunle Gold and Zoro. (NAN)
The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) on Thursday solicited an enduring partnership with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to promote the growth of the tourism sector in Nigeria.
Speaking when he paid a courtesy visit to the editorial management of NAN in Abuja, the Director-General of the NTDC, Mr Folorunsho Coker, said that he needed to collaborate with NAN to drive the vision of the NTDC as laid out by the Federal Government.
He said that the media had a critical role in the quest to engender development, saying that partnership with NAN was necessary for the NTDC to sale its programmes to the public.
According to him, time has come for media practitioners to be part of the vision to showcase the tourism sector, noting that tourism is key in sustaining a positive image for Nigeria.
“Tourism without the media is like tea without sugar. We need to support each other because the coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to embrace a new normal.
“There is need to collaborate to foster change in a dynamic world and stretch our hands of friendship and partnership in harnessing the huge potential in the tourism industry.
“Domestic tourism offers a rare opportunity for reflection and recalibration to grow again because it is uniquely equipped to be part of the national recovery effort.
Coker noted that domestic tourism requires fewer restrictions and less education, generates employment and revenue and reduces rural-urban migration and poverty.
“At the NTDC, we focus on domestic tourism as our recovery solution to creating a healing for the people.
“In line with the above, we conceived the `Tour Nigeria’ project, to drive domestic consumption of tourism products in Nigeria, commercialise tourism and generate employment.’’
The NTDC chief stressed that domestic tourism must be encouraged to enhance the creative sector, galvanise economic growth across other sectors, including agriculture and manufacturing.
Coker also appealed to NAN management for support in showcasing some initiatives of the NTDC, including, its Google Arts and Culture, aimed at digitizing, preserving and sharing Nigeria’s rich culture within and across the world.
Other initiatives of the NTDC are the Wakanow initiative, designed to facilitate easy travel across the country and the Jabi Boat Club in Abuja, aimed at creating new tourism products such as water sports and boat cruise for recreation and entertainment.
Coker also pleaded with other stakeholders in the tourism sector to collaborate, rather than competing and creating internal capacity, while contending with the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Managing Director of NAN, Mr Buki Ponle, said that his mandate as chief executive officer was to change the narrative of news reporting in Nigeria and Africa in general.
“We have come to a stage where we have to think outside the box. We have to collaborate with people of like minds to make Nigeria great.’’
Ponle pleaded the NTDC to support NAN in its renewed determination to develop, nurture, implement and succeed in developmental journalism as needed currently in Nigeria.
“We focus on positive reports, aimed at fostering developmental journalism,” he said.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Sunday said that the National Arts Theatre would become the number one event centre in Africa.
The minister disclosed this during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Bankers’ Committee and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in Lagos.
Mohammed also added that the renovation of the theatre would lead to no job loss but rather, create more jobs during and after the reconstruction.
“The main essence of what we are doing today is to set the stage for restoration and upgrade of the national theatre and the development of the fallow land within its premises.
“When completed, the new national theatre will become the number one event centre in Africa.
“There can be no more fitting tag for this edifice that is situated in the home of Afrobeat, Nollywood and the pride of Black African Arts and Culture.
“For the Federal Government, this is a win-win situation. Not only will the national theatre be restored and better managed, the project will not lead to a single job loss and some 6,000 jobs will be created during the construction phase of the clusters.
“Upon completion, it is estimated that an additional 600 permanent and 2,000 to 3,000 call-on/call-off jobs will be created,” he said.
The minister further clarified that the theatre had not been sold to any individual, as was wrongly speculated, adding that it was a world class facility for Nigeria’s creative industry.
“Like I did in July, let me make a clarification. This iconic edifice, the national theatre, remains a national heritage and will not be sold to any person or group, as some have chosen to frame the agreement between us and the Bankers’ Committee.
“Apart from the restoration of the national theatre, there will be the development of a purpose-built clusters to provide world class facilities for Nigeria’s creative industry.
“The clusters will comprise hubs for fashion, music, film as well as information and technology hub.
“We are excited by this project because, for over 40 years, no major renovation work has been done on this theatre, while the adjoining land has been lying fallow.
“Many attempts to restore the theatre have failed and the government has no money to restore the complex, which is the hub of the creative industry in Nigeria.
“Let’s remember that the national theatre was established to encourage the advancement of the performing arts throughout the country,” he stated.
He added that it was also to create opportunities for performing artistes of the country, as well as to aid the promotion of social development and the improvement of quality of life.
“In its present state, it is not living up to its billing, hence this innovative decision to partner with the Bankers’ Committee,” he added.
The minister then lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos and the entire Federal Cabinet for making the agreement a reality.
He also commended the Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele; the Bankers’ Committee and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Dr. lfeoma Adaora Anyanwutaku.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the National Arts Theatre in Iganmu was handed over to the Banker’s Committee for renovation on July 12, 2020.
However, work could not commence as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) was yet to approve the deal.
On Feb. 10, the FEC approved the agreement that would lead to the renovation and commercialisation of the theatre in Lagos, for N21 billion. (NAN)
Veteran Nollywood Actor, Pete Edochie, has publicly endorsed his son, Yul Edochie, for the 2023 presidential election in the country.
Yul Edochie, also a Nollywood star in a video shared on his social media pages on Thursday night said: “My Father Chief Pete Edochie endorses my 2023 Presidential ambition.
“God Almighty, take absolute control.”
In the video, Pete revealed that the endorsement was as a result of constant pleadings from young people asking him to publicly support his son’s political ambition.
“Most of the youngsters have been bugging my phone, asking me to endorse my son that they want him as president and l get amused.
“But they keep insisting daddy, we want Yul to be the president of this country. We like him,” he said.
The veteran actor also expressed confidence and belief that his son possesses the right values and drive to steer the country forward.
“He is disciplined, sympathetic, he believes a lot in people. They have bothered me so much that today, I hereby present him to you.
“He has my blessing and endorsement, any day he decides to veer off from the discipline under which he was raised, l will withdraw my support him.
“It shall be well with you son,” he prayed for him.
He said while he was not interested in politics, he would not hold back his support for any of his children who decided to delve into it.
“My values are very strong. I have my own children and they are very strong in that regard too and I am not one to be involved in politics.
“But you see, not all your children are bound to follow you, one of my sons, who incidentally is an actor, has decided that he wants to be a politician.
“Since it has been your ambition to go into politics and the desire
to run for the presidency of this country, may the good Lord assist you, protect and direct you,” he added.
It would be recalled that in 2017, the Nollywood star, Yul contested for governorship election in Anambra on the platform of Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC).
He had maintained during the campaign that he had the support of his family and he was indeed ready for the mantle of leadership.
“Yes my father, Pete Edochie, my mother, siblings and even my wife gave me their full support. So, I’m ready for the task ahead and I am not too young at all,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Yul later joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2018 and would pick the party’s nomination form for the 2023 presidential race.
He began his sojourn into Nollywood in 2005 when he starred in a movie titled, ‘The Exquirers’, alongside late veteran actors, Justus Esiri and Enebeli Elebuwa.
He made his hit in 2007 after featuring alongside Genevieve Nnaji and Desmond Elliot in the movie ‘Wind of Glory’. (NAN)
Nollywood veteran, Chico Ejiro, who died on Dec. 25, 2020, will be laid to rest on Feb. 20, 2021, Zeb Ejiro, an immediate family member of late Nigerian movie producer confirms.
Zeb Ejiro, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday that the burial programme, designed in line with COVID-19 protocols, would start with a service of songs on Feb. 16.
The service of songs tagged “Industry Evening of Tribute’’ would be also be aired via zoom.
NAN reports that 57- year- old Chico Ejiro, who died as a result of complications arising from High Blood Pressure, was a film and television Director/Producer.
Late Ejiro was a creative industry entrepreneur who had directed over 80 movies.
Popularly known as Mr Prolific, late Ejiro was a screenwriter who had partnered over 30 different movie organisations for television and film productions through his company, Grand Touch Pictures.
“The obsequies, which is the service of songs for Chico my late brother ,will be a private family event which would also be on zoom.
“ The arrangements are basically to bring the COVID-19 protocols to bear.
“We considered that throwing it open will pull crowd as people will want to be physically present, so we are taking advantage of the zoom for people to key-in,” he said.
The late Ejiro , who was survived by a wife, children, siblings, uncles and cousins would be laid to rest on Feb. 20 at the Ejiro’s compound, Ozoro, Isoko North LGA of Delta. (NAN)
A Nigerian filmmaker, Desmond Ovbiagele has revealed the inspiration behind his movie “The Milkmaid” which is a contender for the upcoming 2021 Oscars International Films Category.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science would announce its nominations for the Academy Awards on March 15 in Los Angeles, U.S.A.
“The Milkmaid” tells the story of two sisters who were abducted from their village during the insurgency in Northeast Nigeria.
It has been submitted by Nigeria as its entry for international feature consideration at the upcoming Academy Awards.
Speaking with NAN on Monday in Lagos, Ovbiagele said that the movie was inspired by the two iconic figures at the back of the 10 Naira note.
“The screenplay was inspired by the two iconic figures at the back of the 10 Naira note, those are the Fulani milkmaids who were carrying their calabashes.
“So I sought to imagine what would happen if the two characters were caught up in an insurgency situation. How would their lives play out and how would they adjust to the new way of life that would be imposed on them.
“In the process, we did extensive research on the world that these characters were living in and then tried to arrive at a narrative that was authentic to all the operators in that setting,” he said.
On the choice of language used in the movie, Ovbiagele said “one could have chosen the easier decision to shoot the film in English language, but because we were striving for authenticity, we didn’t think it would be authentic enough for people in that rural area setting to speak `Queens English’.
“What they would normally speak would be Hausa and the Fulanis would speak Fulfude. This is how we arrived at the language used in the film,” he said.
The former Investment Banker turned Movie producer told NAN that he was overwhelmed by the nomination of the movie for the Oscars adding that it was an accolade to reward the efforts of the cast and crew.
“My feelings were that of overwhelming, gratitude, obviously I was grateful that our film was selected out of a number of other high quality films to represent Nigeria at the 93rd Oscars.
“I was particularly happy for my cast and crew who had put in their hearts, souls and put in so many personal sacrifices shooting this film for three months in Taraba State.
“Just because of the nature of the story and what we considered the significance of the message we were trying to portray through the story, they made so many sacrifices.
“To have their efforts and sacrifices rewarded with such a fantastic accolade. I am pleased to fly the flag of Nigeria at the Oscars, a Nation of 200 million people, the most prolific film making industry in the world by volume is a tremendous honour,” he said.
Desmond Ovbiagele on set of the movie Milkmaid
Asked if the likely emergence of his movie as an Oscars winner would be the breakthrough needed by Nollywood, to keep abreast of the mainstream international movie industry he said it was not for him to say.
“It is not for me to say that this is a breakthrough for Nollywood to keep abreast with the mainstream international film industry, it is for others to say.
“The ultimate judge is time, to see if the film has that impact. I hope the film would certainly contribute to bridging that gap between Nollywood and the international film industry.
“Obviously just by the nature of its honour of being selected, and the platform that the selection has provided for the film to be shown in so many channels and outlets where Nigerian films may not necessarily have been shown.” He said.
In tackling the scourge of piracy, Ovbiagele said piracy can be checked by keeping close control on the circulation and the distribution of the film.
“It is the most important step to make sure the movie is only distributed among people with integrity that would not act in a criminal way regarding its content.
“Beyond that, the strategy of releasing films on DVDs in Nigeria is no more in prevalence with the emergence of various platforms like African Magic, IrokoTv, IbakaTv and Netflix.
“Filmmakers now gravitate towards these digital channels In addition to the theatrical release so the outlets prone to piracy are gradually being avoided.
Ovbiagele, who is the Managing Director of Danono Media, added that in spite of the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global entertainment industry, he was able to utilise the lockdown to be creative and productive.
“COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the movie industry globally. Personally it has affected the setting of the release and the mode of the release for the movie Milkmaid.
“Also the lockdown period afforded me time for some internal soul searching to find out what sort of story I want to tell, the style, voice and to put pen on paper to articulate my thoughts into a number of scripts.
“I am looking to get the scripts which I was able to write during the lockdown into production as soon as I can and resources are available. Time will tell if they become blockbusters but they are stories which I feel passionate about.” he said.
NAN reports that the film has already won five Africa Movie Academy Awards, including Best Film.
The movie is also said to be eligible for the Oscars best international film category because the characters addressed each other in the Hausa, Arabic and Fulfulde languages spoken locally. (NAN)
The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, says the sex party idea, trending currently in Nigeria is worse than the deadly coronavirus.
Runsewe admonished Nigerians to reject the `disgusting’ idea and condemn it totally.
The director-general was speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
He lauded Gov. Nasir el-Rufai for stopping the party from taking place in Kaduna.
Runsewe explained that sex party was not all about dressing sexy to a party and dancing, describing the evolving idea as worse than COVID-19.
“In the advert of sex party, they will tell you to come with your condoms and at the entrance, you will be tested for sexually transmitted diseases and warned that there is no forceful sex.
“In a sex party for example, 20 men are expected to come with 20 women and they will be rotating them like dogs, making love on the floor of the dance floor. This is against our culture, values and law of God.
“In 1994, Gambia and Senegal rejected sex tourism and that is what some immoral people without cultural values want to bring to Nigeria.
“Some people may have their differences with El-Rufai but for me, culturally, I commend him for putting a stop to that anti-God and anti-African activity in his state.
“I know the danger. The moment a girl or guy starts attending sex parties, she or he will never come out from it. It is like hard drug addiction.”
The director-general said that Nigerians did not know about all these and that was why they didn’t put in seriousness to resisting and speaking against it.
“I was glad when El-Rufai stopped them in Kaduna and with that sex party has gone to rest but if nothing is done, it may re-surface.
“I am appealing to the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, to intervene. She can do something to further ensure that such an evil party is never hosted on Nigerian soil.
“She can go to the National Assembly and demand or sponsor a bill that anybody caught in sex party should spend many years in prison.
“We must not wait till the evil act destroys our country. I am also pleading with the media to help us enlighten Nigerians.
“It is not just a party it is the height of immorality. Our culture and tradition do not tolerate such.”
He admonished parents to talk to their children, teach them Nigerian culture and instill good moral values in them so that Nigeria would not have a generation of evil doers and morally corrupt personalities. (NAN)
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