The Nation Newspaper

Category: Victor Akande

  • Wizkid’s goat amuses Davido

    Wizkid’s goat amuses Davido

    When celebrities are not good with themselves, they either confront each other headlong at the slightest opportunity or simple avoid each other.

    This was the case between two Nigerian rave singers, Davido and Wizkid until they mend fences last December when they played at each other’s concert.

    Wizkid had announced on his Twitter page on Wednesday, about a new pet, saying it wasn’t what everyone was expecting. It turned out that the new addition to Wizkid’s home was a goat.

    To underscore the fact that both artistes are really getting along, Davido threw a jibe at Wizkid’s acquisition of a goat as new pet. It’s no longer news that Wizkid has gotten for himself a goat as a pet and Davido had a hilarious reaction to this latest development.

    The OBO crooner posted the photo of the goat that has amused everyone with the caption “Wizkid don buy goat lmao.”

    The conversation had since shifted from the weird kind of pet to Davido’s reaction, and one could tell that fans are happy that the two acts are getting along well.

  • Three reasons Cee-C will last beyond Sunday

    Three reasons Cee-C will last beyond Sunday

    There is a phrase called ‘Nuisance Value’. This may just be the character that BBNaija housemate, Cynthia Nwadiora, aka Cee-C represents on the show.  Whether or not this is a strategy by the law graduate, it has made her and her estranged partner, Tobi to trend; perhaps more than any other pair in the House.

    If you are a passive follower of the show, Cee-C is the lady in a controversial relationship with Tobi, shielding him from others and taking offence at almost everything the guy does, until it appears a scale fell from her man’s eyes. She is the petit lady who feels the world revolves around her bumbum, according to Lolu.

    Now the tables have turned, and not only has Tobi stopped apologizing to her for everything, and walked out on her on several occasions, he shocked many when he used his veto as Head of House to put her up for eviction this Sunday.

    As expectations gets high for this Sunday’s eviction, there are indications that Cee-C who is not liked by some of the housemates and fans of the show may eventually survive this week’s eviction.

    Indeed, one of her staying power may come from votes from fans of Lolu, her partner who stands to be evicted with her. The other probability is that having been put up by Tobi, her tears that night, especially as she tried to explain her good intentions might have melted some hearts that will most likely join her fans, friends and family members to vote aggressively to keep her in the house. Also, if one considers the drama that has ensued from her relapsing relationship with Tobi, fans of the show would want the entertainment to continue, whether or not they like her personality.

  • D’Banj is all for the profit

    D’Banj is all for the profit

    Singer Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo known as D’Banj is currently making headlines on social media with his revelation at the recently held Social Media Week which began on February 26, 2018.

    According to the Koko Master, he has set his mind not to embark on any tour until he is certain that there is enough for him to say it was a success and profit-making. “I will go on tour in Nigeria when I know there is profit in it, not just to satisfy fans and go home broke,” he stated.

    D’banj spoke on the topic: “Changing the Game: Artistes are leaders”.

    He also said that fame might not bring wealth but thinking out of the box will. “The fear of being poor made me to think out of the box to create wealth for myself and remain relevant.

    “Fame will not guarantee you money; fame will not give you wealth, but it can give you what you need if you channel it properly. Channeling your fame properly to create wealth is another advantage that stands you out,” he added.

    He stated further that it was high time artistes created brands for themselves and be ambassadors.

    The SMW is created for artists and industry stakeholders to use the platform to actively engage fans, build community, and grow the ecosystem.

  • Rise and rise of LUPITA NYONG’O

    Rise and rise of LUPITA NYONG’O

    Kenyan-Mexican actress, Lupita Nyong’o has said she will use her springing career to speak out on important issues.

    The dark-skinned actress, who plays Nakia in the rave making movie, ‘Black Panther’ is on the cover of the March Edition of ‘Marie Claire SA’ magazine.

    “I believe in using the platform my career has given me to speak out on important issues,” her cover tagline reads.

    Last Tuesday, the award-winning star was listed alongside Nollywood’s elite who will be presenting at Oscar Awards.

    “These actors have embodied some of the most heroic, aspirational and indelible characters ever brought to the screen. In so doing, they’ve not only entertained the world, but illuminated the full range of the human experience,” said Oscar producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd.

    The 90th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air on Sunday March 4 on ABC.

  • Playing a seven year old is my most challenging role, says Theresa Edem

    Playing a seven year old is my most challenging role, says Theresa Edem

    Nollywood actress, Theresa Edem, who felt playing the role of Princess Ama in ‘Ayamma’ was her most challenging character, in a chat with The Nation said her recent role in “Loving Daniella”, which is schedule to hit the cinemas this year was most challenging, as it required her to play a seven-year-old in an adult body.

    She stated: “My most challenging role so far is playing Daniella in a movie called ‘Loving Daniella.’ It’s out in cinemas this year. I had to play a 7year old in an adult body. It was hard! I can’t wait for the world to see it.

    “You know, I thought playing ‘Princess Ama’ in ‘Ayamma’ was my most challenging character. Then, boom! I was contracted to play Daniella. The character has Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). She’s a grown woman but she thinks talks and behaves like a 7-year-old child.”

    Edem received ‘Best Actress in a Supporting Role’ nomination for her role in ‘Ayamma’ from the prestigious Africa Movie Academy Awards last year. She also plays the role of Angela Dede in the popular Mnet series, Tinsel.

  • Actress Gloria Young recalls her days as struggling journalist

    Actress Gloria Young recalls her days as struggling journalist

    Veteran Nollywood actress Gloria Anozie Young has revealed that despite her love for writing, stress and hard life made her quit journalism for acting.

    Gloria who made fame as an actress studied journalism, graduating with an Associate Degree from the El-Centro College, Dallas, Texas, and even practiced for a while before veering into acting.

    “I worked with Daily Times, I worked with Classique magazine,” she recalled in a chat with The Nation.

    “All I wanted to do was write, but I left journalism because I couldn’t stand it anymore. I still do my writing. I still love history. I’m still an artiste. I still prouce radio plays, radio progammes.”

    Speaking further on why she left journalism, she said, “I got tired of walking up and down Lagos streets and my shoes were ‘chopping.’

    “Jokes apart really, I didn’t want to continue. It (journalism) wasn’t giving me the satisfaction I thought I would have from it. All I wanted to do was write.”

    The actress came into prominence in 1992 when she acted in ‘Glamour Girls’, a movie some Nigerians criticised as ‘soft porn.’ She then wedded fellow actor, Norbert Young, over a decade ago and has not had any scandal surrounding her name. She attributes this to being careful so as not to ‘soil’ both her family’s and her husband’s family name.

    “I don’t know about being involved in any scandal,” she said.

    “I think I’m being extra-careful. I’m just being me, a total Nigerian to the core. We have our conservative side and I respect that a lot.  I respect the family that I come from and the family that I am married to. I try not to mess around with the names that I answer. I answer my father’s name and my husband’s name as a compound name.”

  • EUCHARIA ANUNOBI: Seven months after son’s passing

    EUCHARIA ANUNOBI: Seven months after son’s passing

    Will she ever forget the only ‘man’ that stood with her? Yes, their relationship as mother and child lasted 15 years, but it held much memory of trials, as her husband, Charles Ekwu, long abandoned them both.

    The actress lost her son, Raymond, to sickle cell anemia on August 22, 2017 at the age of 15.

    The pain of separation and struggle to keep her son alive must have brought her closer to God, to become an evangelist.

    He would have been 16 this month. And she must immortalize him by way of continuing his passion. Thus, on February 16, 2018, the actress visited the motherless babies’ home, as was the tradition with mother and child.

    She said: “I am going to do it the way my son and I had always done it and I would give out some of his personal effects. Normally, when someone dies, you do not touch their things for about a year. For instance, if a man’s wife dies he is not expected to touch her things or dispose of them till after a year.”

    “Initially, I decided to do the same thing but I later changed my mind and that is why I donated some of his things to a government-owned motherless babies’ home and also to the boys at the Special Correctional Centre for the Boys. I am doing this because I am a humanitarian and to let the motherless babies know that we love them.”

    Last Thursday, she uploaded photos from the charity event, with a ‘thank you’ caption.

    “This is thanking all the great people who came out to join me celebrate my late son, Raymond Ekwu’s post houmous 16th birthday at one of the orphanages in Lagos last Friday, the 16th February.”

  • ‘Lagbaja girl’ opens up on stage play, ‘August Meeting’

    ‘Lagbaja girl’ opens up on stage play, ‘August Meeting’

    Many know her as the backup and lead vocalist for Afrobeat artiste, Lagbaja but singer and songwriter, Ego Ogbaro, is much more than that. She is currently starring in the stage play, August Meeting directed by Kenneth Uphopho.

    In a chat with The Nation, she admits that though she is known more for her exploits with Lagbaja’s band, she also has an acting career going.

    “A lot of people don’t know that I’ve been acting. I’ve always liked acting, especially stage drama,” she opens up.

    Speaking on the upcoming production, she says that it is a topic dear to her heart, especially as it is gender-sensitive themed play.

    “You should expect a lot of fun. It is a serious topic but we tried to put some laughs into it. But at the end of the day, we tried not to lose the seriousness of what we are talking about,” she said.

    Explaining the theme ‘August Meeting’ seeks to explore, she said that the drama talks about women, the tough times they face, and the difficult situations they find themselves.

    “There is widowhood, there is bareness. These are things that a lot of women have been going through, and they are still going through it. It was set in the early 1900s, basically 1929 to 1930, but it is still something that a lot of women relate with because it is something that is going on now. Not just in Nigeria. We just want to talk about that,” she revealed.

    She is also known to play a recurring role in acclaimed TV series, ‘Tinsel’. And although she joined the set two years ago, she’s not a regular feature. However, between music and acting, she admits that music is her first love.

    “I think they both depend on each other. Because I do a lot of stage plays, I get to sing in them, especially if it’s a musical. That way, my career as a musician comes in handy. Also, when I’m singing, sometimes I get to do a bit of acting. But if you ask me, I would say I am more inclined towards music,” she says.

    Ogbaro was lead vocalist for Lagbaja for 12 years before going solo in 2017. She released her debut album, ‘FirSTeps’ in 2013 and has been performing with her band, Indigo for over 10 yrs. As a stage actor, she was part of the Wole Oguntokun’s ‘Vagina’ and ‘Tarzan”’ monologues in 2010. She currently plays Dr Raji on Mnet’s Tinsel.

  • ‘I smoke weed’, Orezi confesses

    ‘I smoke weed’, Orezi confesses

    Hip hop act Orezi has said marijuana is good and he smokes it to calm himself down.

    The singer mad this known in a recent online interview on onobello.com.

    “Yes I do, it’s not a bad thing,” Orezi said when he was asked whether he smokes weed.

    “I smoke it to calm my nerves and when I am feeling some kind of way.”

    While cultivation, sale and consumption of marijuana is illegal in Nigeria, smoking marijuana has become a sort of refreshment for some music artistes and they’ve even waxed songs about it.

    In the interview, Orezi whose real name is Esighene Orezi Allen, said that he wants to stop procrastinating.

    “I procrastinate a lot and it has cost me a lot of things. That’s something I will like to stop.”

    Orezi also disclosed that he would like to do a collabo with Wande Coal, Patoranking, Simi, Chidinma and Tiwa Savage.

  • EMMANUELLA to star in Hollywood movie

    EMMANUELLA to star in Hollywood movie

    From YouTube to Disney best describes the current feat of child comedienne Emmanuella who just revealed on social media that she will be starring in an upcoming Disney movie.

    Born Emmanuella Samuel, the seven-year-old has been so recognized for her act on the YouTube channel, and had bagged two awards in Sydney, Australia, as Best New Comedienne and Princess of Comedy.

    Not only is Emmanuella the youngest person to win the awards in Sydney, the fast-rising child actor also became the youngest recipient of the Afro-Australian Music & Movie Awards (AAMMA).

    While announcing her debut in a Disney movie on Instagram, the FreshYo ambassador thanked her fans for helping her to attain the new height.

    She said: “Thanks @disneystudios God bless everyone whose support has added to bringing us here. I never dreamed of being here so soon. I miss Success. I love you all.”

    Although the exact nature of the film is as yet unknown, Emmanuella is noted for the popular Mark Angel comedy skits, and has also appeared in advertising campaigns for Nickelodeon and Wikipedia.

    The young entertainer rose to fame in 2016 when she starred in her cousin, Mark Angel’s comedy skit “This Is Not My Real Face Oh”. The Mark Angel YouTube channel is said to have crossed a total of 100 million views by the end of 2016, and have enjoyed more than 1.7-million subscribers.