By Oladele Eniola

‘A Lagos Love Story’, a romantic comedy about a lady who is hired to plan a huge festival but finds herself falling for the brash Afrobeat star, has topped the Netflix film chart in Nigeria.

‘Meet the Khumalos’, a movie about two former friends who start a neighbourhood war for personal reasons, came in second, while ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ is ranked third on the chart.

‘Blue Story’, a gang movie, ‘The Life List’ and ‘Ada Omo Daddy’ are fourth, fifth and sixth respectively on the chart.

‘The Great Wall’, ‘Promised Heart’ and ‘Test’ are seventh, eighth and ninth on the chart while ‘Chhaava’ an action movie, rounds up the top ten. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Oluwafunke Ishola

By Babajide Awoyinfa

Online streaming platform, Spotify, has announced Nigerian artiste, Brazy, as its EQUAL Africa Artiste for April.

The EQUAL Africa programme celebrates women who are changing the game and making space for themselves in the music industry.

Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa, disclosed this in on Tuesday in Lagos.

According to Okumu, Brazy represents the kind of talent EQUAL was created for.

“She’s fearless, creative and uniquely herself. We’re excited to support her journey and introduce her to an even wider audience.

“The EQUAL Africa programme spotlights women in music, providing a platform for them to share their talents and stories.

“Her breakout track, “Attends”, launched her career. Brazy’s genre-bending style and honest storytelling are reshaping Nigerian music.

“As part of her EQUAL Africa feature, Brazy will be showcased on Spotify’s flagship EQUAL playlist and receive support across the platform,” she said.

On her part, Brazy said, “I can, and everyone else can too.

“Music wasn’t a part of the original plan, but when the opportunity presented itself, I took it. I didn’t overthink it. I just gave it my best shot.

“Women deserve to be in every room, and I’m so happy to have a platform to speak up about it,” Brazy says.

“Being part of the EQUAL programme reaffirms that I’m on the right path.”

To aspiring artists, Brazy advises, “Don’t dread following your dreams. You can do it, I promise.

“Just give it a shot, not just any kind of shot, but your best shot.”

Brazy’s music is a distinctive blend of Afrobeats, R&B, and soul, reflecting her diverse influences.

Growing up in Lagos, she was surrounded by music, from singing in church, to the energy of street festivals.

Brazy grew up listening to MoHits Records and Wizkid’s “Superstar” album, which were the soundtrack to her formative years.

She describes her sound as “AfroSexy,” a blend of genres with a global sound. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran

Lady’s pocket watch found among the belongings of one of the passengers who drowned on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic could sell for up to 50,000 euros (66,000 dollars) at auction.

Danish second-class passenger Hans Christensen Givard, 27, was among one of the 1,500 who died when the vessel struck an iceberg in 1912.

Givard was travelling to the United States with two of his friends who also died in the disaster.

The watch was found when Givard’s body was recovered from the North Atlantic and he was later buried in Halifax, Canada.

In the pockets were found a savings book, keys, some cash in a wallet, a silver watch, a compass and a passport.

Also recovered was the gilded ladies’ pocket watch, which bears traces of saltwater corrosion.

All his belongings were returned to his brother in Denmark, and it is his descendants who are selling the watch.

The ill-fated story of Givard directly inspired curator Jesper Hjermind and his niece, journalist and U.S. resident Mette Hjermind McCall, to write the book “Titanic, De Danske Fortællinger (Titanic, The Danish Stories), where the pocket watch was mentioned.

It was also exhibited by Claes Goran Wetterholm, the leading authority globally on the Scandinavian element of the Titanic story in Copenhagen in 2012.

The watch is going under the hammer at Henry Aldridge and Son, of Devizes, Wiltshire, on April 26.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: “This piece is documented in the official list of Hans’s effects compiled by the authorities in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the weeks after the Titanic disaster and has remained in his family ever since.

“It was one of the centrepieces of the display of Titanic memorabilia in the Tivoli in Copenhagen in 2012 which illustrates its importance.

“The watch’s movement is frozen in time at the moment the cold North Atlantic waters consumed not only its owner but the most famous ocean liner of all time, Titanic on April 15, 1912,’’ he added. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Cecilia Odey/Oluwafunke Ishola

By Afusat Agunbiade-Oladipo

An Upper Area Court in Ilorin, Kwara, has remanded controversial Nigerian singer, Badmus Okikiola, popularly called Portable, in the Oke-Kura Correctional Centre.

Portable was on Monday, arraigned before the Kwara Upper Area Court in Ilorin, charged with criminal defamation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that Portable was dragged to court following the petition of a famous Fuji music star, Okunola Saheed fondly called Osupa.

In the Police First Information Report (FIR), the Fuji music star accused Portable of criminal defamation, criminal intimidation, inciting public disturbance and cyberstalking.

Osupa further accused Portable of making live stream video to abuse him.

According to him, the defendant dented his personality by claiming that he removed the former’s music from Apple Music and Spotify which would have generated income for him.

The government prosecutor, Abubakar Issa, urged the court to remand Portable in the correctional facility pending police investigation of the matter.

Counsel to Portable, Mr Isaac Adebayo, urged the court to discountenance the submission of the prosecutor, adding that the police would not have arraigned his client if they had not concluded their investigations.

He informed the court that his client was granted administrative bail on April 14 by the police, maintaining that Portable was a public figure with a traceable address and would make himself available for trial if admitted to bail.

Adebayo said he premised his argument on Sections 172 (1) and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, adding that critical appraisal of the sections of the law may guide the court to admit his client to bail.

The judge, Mr Sunday Adeniyi, in his short ruling, admitted Portable to bail in the sum of N1 million, and with two sureties.

He said that one of the sureties must be chairman of PMAN and must have a landed property at the GRA.

The judge adjourned the matter until April 30, for further mention.

The defendant, however, did not meet the bail condition and was remanded in Oke-kura Correctional Centre Ilorin, pending the time he perfects his bail condition. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Nick Nicholas/Bayo Sekoni

By Joshua Olomu

Emeka Rollas, President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), has urged Nollywood actors and other industry players to prioritise healthy lifestyle to avoid imminent health breakdown.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Rollas made the call at the beginning of the 2025 “Annual Walk and Wellness Campaign” of the guild, in Abuja.

According to the AGN boss, the spate of health challenges faced by actors in Nollywood in recent times has made the call for healthy living more imperative.

He said the nature of the filmmaking job was so demanding and time-consuming that a lot of industry players, especially actors, have no or little time for their health concerns.

The AGN helmsman, therefore, advised actors to be intentional with their heath and  recognise the signs and symptoms of a potential breakdown and seek immediate help. 

“One of the dangers of not knowing your health status is that when sickness hits you, you might just go into an emergency case, and emergency case is what often leads to death.

“Actually, we started the health walk for three years now, and this year at the National Executive Council we decided that all state chapters should of course do theirs at their state capitals.

“The health walk specifically came at an initiative when we noticed that very many actors were sick and were always on the internet seeking for support for their health.

“We decided to look at it holistically first of all, that let’s be proactive, and the only way you can be proactive is to ensure that actors live healthy.

“One of the prerequisites for good health is to have healthy food, have regular exercise, and then we established this walk.

“You may also notice that in the past three years now, the issue of actors coming online to beg for support has diminished drastically.

“It’s no longer as frequent as it used to be, which means people are actually keying into this, signing up on the AGN HMO, signing up on other benefits to be members,” he said.

According to Rollas, the Walk and Wellness Campaign, which was holding simultaneously across the guild’s state chapters, is aimed at prioritising health and wellness within the industry.

He said the campaign would feature a range of activities aimed at promoting comprehensive well-being of actors, including medical screenings, mental health discussions by experts and therapy sessions.

He also encouraged actors to get enrolled in the guild’s health insurance programme in order to access prompt and affordable medical attention whenever the need arises.

“So this is a day we go through medical examination to know those whose cases are  getting worse, so they will begin on time to seek for medical attention.

“Today you can see test kits for malaria, typhoid, HIV, BP, arthritis, and others, all for actors to know their health status,” he said.

In an interview with NAN on the sideline, Mercy Aminu, FCT Mayor of AGN and host of the event, expressed delight for full participation of FCT actors in the event.

“I feel my members are now aware of the need to take their health seriously, which is the essence of this walk.

“It’s known that actors don’t really take their health seriously, not because they don’t want to, but because of their tight schedules of moving from one film set to the other.

“This walk is a reminder for them to take their health seriously, even if they don’t get to do tests every day, at least make sure that they do general tests once in a year.

“As a guild, all we could do, which we are still doing and we will continue to do is telling them to check their health regularly and also watch what they eat,” she said.

Some Nollywood stars who spoke with NAN also lent their voices to the healthy living campaign, while commending the guild’s leadership for the initiative.

Ace actor Benedict Johnson said: “What we are doing today is very necessary for every actor, and we actually need to do this more often.

“So many people walk about without knowing their health status, and they might be having some underlying illness without knowing.

“Through this kind of physical exercise, and of course you can see some doctors here to check on us, cases of sudden death can be averted.”

Sensational actress Empress Njamah, said although AGN was championing the healthy lifestyle campaign for industry players, there was need for actors to take responsibilities for their wellbeing.

“Once you’re 18 and above, you should obviously know that good health is important to your everyday life and how to protect it.

“There are certain things that you cannot impose on people if they are not open-hearted and willing to accept them, a lot of people are just nonchalant about their health.

“However, health is wealth, and it is embarrassing for most of our colleagues to come online to ask for funds for health issues” she said.

NAN reports that the Walk and Wellness Campaign kicked off at the Old Parade Ground, with a lot of Nollywood actors in attendance.(NAN)(nannews.ng)

JOSH/EAL

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Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi