By Emmanuel  Ndinojue

Grammy-nominated Afrobeat superstar Ayra Starr has become the first Nigerian female artiste to hit one billion views on Youtube.

The Mavin star girl announced the milestone in a post on her Instagram fan page on Monday.

The landmark achievement is largely propelled by her hit single “Rush,” which alone has garnered over 458 million views, underscoring her growing global influence and the widespread appeal of her music.

The new feat has made the “Sability” crooner join Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, Davido and Omah Lay as Nigerian artistes who have surpassed a billion total views on Youtube.

Other artistes who have also hit the one billion Youtube milestone include Kizz Daniel, Tekno, P-Square, Flavour, and Fireboy.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 22-year-old singer also known as “sabi girl” has continued to grab both local and international accolades since her debut in 2021.

Ayra was also on the list of the top most followed African Artistes on Spotify, with over 4.8 million followers on the streaming platform.

Her Grammy-nominated track ‘Rush’ has smashed over 450 million views, boosting her popularity and global reach.

Earlier in May, she earned the prestigious Platinum Certification in the United Kingdom for her hit single “Rush”, for surpassing 600,000 units in combined sales and streams.

The hit song marked Ayra Starr’s debut on the UK Official Top 100, cementing her growing status as one of the most sought-after African music artistes in recent times.

She had earlier in 2023 earned a Diamond Certification in France for “Rush”, a song released in Sept, 2022, and quickly gained viral success, charting in the top ten across several countries.

The track’s massive popularity also contributed to Ayra Starr’s first Grammy nomination for Best African Music Performance at the 66th annual Grammy Awards.

“Rush” has also earned platinum status in Canada and New Zealand, and 3-time Platinum in Nigeria, demonstrating its widespread acclaim and commercial success. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi

By Joshua Olomu

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have lauded Nollywood series, “The Boy Child’s Life”, a film that depicts everyday challenges the ordinary Nigerian boy child faces.

They spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the red carpet of the private screening of the advocacy series over the weekend in Abuja.

Filmmakers, actors, government functionaries and representatives of civil society groups, as well as the cast and crew of the film, were present at the premiere.

The 20-series advocacy film brings to fore issues of deprivation, abuse, peer pressure and high societal expectations on ordinary male children across Nigeria.

It also highlights social issues, including molestation, drug abuse, gender-based violence and unstable family dynamics affecting the boy child.

The star-studded series is created by Joyce Nwakanma Productions and directed by ace filmmaker Tola Balogun.

It features interesting blend of cast, including Sydney Diala, Joyce Nwakanma, and Nollywood young sensation Ebube Diala, who played the principal character in the film.

Dr Godwin Odo, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Nigeria Office, lauded the project, describing it as a timely intervention on challenges facing the boy child.

According to him, the series was a wake-up call for society to look at the deprivations and gender stereotypes society has imposed on the boy child and make amends.

“Over the years, there has been an emphasis, and rightly so, on the life of the girl child primarily because there has been a lot of discrimination.

“In our cultural norms and practices, the girl child and women generally suffer from a lot of discrimination as we have a masculine society, a patriarchal one at that.

“But I think increasingly, the boy child now suffers neglect, and this film now offers an opportunity for us to beam the searchlight on the rights of the boy child.

“If you look at Northern Nigeria, for instance, in the streets of a lot of cities in the north, you see a lot of children called Almajiri are mostly boys.

“Incidentally, you see a lot of them getting into substance abuse as coping mechanisms, and lot of them may get into petty crimes.

“Increasingly, there are many boys who are now suffering from sexual abuse, and this shouldn’t be happening if the society and government were alive to their responsibilities,” he said.

Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NDLEA, said the movie was a reminder to society that the boy child needs serious and urgent attention.

According to Marwa, who was represented by Mr Muhammed Ibrahim, Deputy Director, Drug Demand Reduction Directorate of the agency, being a boy comes with a lot of responsibilities.

He, therefore, called for a holistic mentorship for the boy child to enable him make informed and right decisions.

“Bringing out movies like this that actually show a kind of a storyline that portrays the boy child is very important to change the narrative.

“The boy child has actually been neglected, as they are faced with a lot of risk factors which predispose them to substance use and other invasive activities within the community.

“We say they are the future, while you change the girl child and the boy child that you neglected will come and put them in the house tomorrow.

“So, what do you expect? A toxic home, so the attention we are giving to the girl child, should equally be given to the boy child,” he said.

Earlier, Ali Nuhu, Managing Director, Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), lauded the producers of the film for using their creativity to champion a new but crucial narrative about the male child in Nigeria.

Nuhu, who was represented by Mrs Halima Oyelade, Head, NFC Abuja Office and Director of Zuma International Film Festival, said the corporation was willing to support projects that promote national good.

“It is something that affects every one of us because if the boy child is not properly nurtured, he grows up to become a nuisance to himself and to the society.

“It is sad when you see lives that have so much potential go to waste simply because nobody was paying attention.

“We at the Nigerian Film Corporation will do anything within our own mandate to support this project, to support the fact that it gets attention of the right people that should actually take action,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi

By Joan Odafe

An emotionally gripping new musical theatre production, ‘House of Naira’, has premiered using the metaphor of a polygamous marriage to explore the persistent divide within Nigerian society.

The play is created and produced by Kehinde Oretimehin, Chief Executive Officer of Kabiyesi Studios.

Speaking at the premiere in Lagos, Oretimehin said he was inspired to create the play after the last general elections.

According to Oretimehin, he observed that Nigerians could be very be supportive outside the shores of the nation but resenting back home.

He said that he decided to use his craft, musical theatre, to write the story, in order to reach out to people.

“I want people to understand that if we keep fighting ourselves, Nigeria will die,” he said.

The play opens with a symbolic breaking news alert about the falling Naira.

It then transitions into a birthday announcement by a man – Mr Naira, who is constantly referred to as Husband – in the play.

The man has four wives, each vying for his love, but all indifferent to his challenges and struggles.

Through emotional highs and lows, the story unveils a man’s dream of building a united dynasty, only to be dragged down by family politics, greed, envy, and the crushing weight of unmet expectations.

The play, a domestic and family drama, is a political allegory, depicting how tribalism and division undermines Nigeria’s social fabric.

The producer explained that the wives in the story represent Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups with each wife assured of the man’s love,  the same as how each region claims ownership of the nation’s promise.

External influences, such as the mother-in-law among others, mirror the role of political actors, cultural bias, and external interference in Nigeria’s affairs.

In spite of the emotional intensity and interpersonal chaos, the story reaches a climax where it was obvious that “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Oretimehin urged Nigerians to be united, noting that the strength of the nation was in its diversity and shared heritage.

“We’re supposed to come together to harness our structural ability together.

“We need to love ourselves, we have everything that we need,” he said.

The production’s cast, which included Debbie Ohiri, Oluchi Odii, Bridget Nkem, Sharon Adaeze, Yewande Osamein and Ralph Okoro, brought in decades of experience from the United Kingdom, U.S. and South Africa.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that following the Lagos premiere, House of Naira, is expected to tour other Nigerian cities, and West African countries this year, depending on sponsorship. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran