Popular Nollywood producer, Obi Madubogwu, is set to premiere his much-anticipated movie, The Grave Dust, in November.

Already, it is generating heightened anticipations among Nollywood movie buffs and critics for the movie, particularly because of its thematic preoccupation and the fact that it features some A-list Nollywood stars, including Joke Silva, Ramsey Nouah, Emeka Okoro, Joseph Benjamin and Amaka Chukwu jekwu.

The psycho-thriller written by Ugezu Ugezu and Saint Joseph, tells the story of a successful stockbroker, who suddenly hits the reverse gear on the lane of success due to reasons he cannot comprehend and how he is left in his own world in his mansion filled with tormenting elements.

Madubogwu, who shot to the limelight with his role in Battle of Musanga, said: “The Grave Dust was conceived to take the industry to the next level. I have done several productions in Nollywood, having practised for over two decades now. The story of The Grave Dust is one of the most unique stories I have encountered. This is why I made sure that nothing was spared in making it a huge success. It is unique in the sense that it questions a lot of concepts that are easily over-looked in the African society. The film was made with Africans in mind, and that is where Nollywood is headed now. It allows the audience to make decisions from the unfolding drama and suspense. I think the highpoint lies in the fact that it has elements of all essentials that make a good film.

“In terms of acting, it highlights the various star actors like Ramsey Nouah, Joke Silva Emeka Okoro and Joseph Benjamin at their best because this is one film they shot with a lot of commitment owing to the unique story line. It will also unveil a new talent, Amaka Chukwujekwu, who played the lead role in the film.”

Madubogwu further disclosed that The Grave Dust, which was directed by Ikechukwu Onyeka and supported by Crown Prince Productions, a frontline entertainment company in Africa, would also be screened to audiences in the United Kingdom, U.S., France, Germany, Holland and South Africa.

Celebrated Nigerian comedian, Bovi Ugboma and popular on-air personality, Toke Makinwa, have been unveiled as the hosts for this year’s edition of The Headies billed to hold on Saturday, October 25.

Put together by Smooth Promotions Limited, a media and entertainment company, The Headies, since inception in 2006, has recognised the achievements of artistes and entertainers in a number of categories, including Rap, RnB, Dancehall and Alternative.

According to Ayo Animashaun, CEO of Smooth Promotions, “There is no better way to reward these deserving artistes where they are not only appreciated by their country, but also celebrated on a platform aligned with international brands. The honour of receiving this prestigious award in their country is one of the many things Smooth Promotions aims to achieve with this year’s organisation of The Headies.”

Last year, the dynamic duo of singers Tiwa Savage and Dr. SID opened the awards ceremony to wide acclaim.  Also, for the first time, The Headies introduced a new category, Best Alternative Song, which sheds light on new exciting contenders.

Although this year’s edition of the annual interactive music workshop organised by the Music and Entertainment Gospel Awards (MEGA) has come and gone, its beautiful memory will continue to linger in the minds of the participants, particularly because of the salient discourses which were aimed at rewriting the story of the gospel music in Nigeria.

At the event held last Wednesday, The Coordinator of the workshop, Femi Akintunde-Johnson, aka FAJ, stated that gospel music in Nigeria is lacking in terms of adequate media representation. He, therefore, called on media professionals to rise to the occasion by providing the needed coverage for gospel activities.

Also, the CEO of Xclusive 2 Divinity(X2D) TV, Deji Irawo, urged Gospel music artistes in Nigeria to eschew conflict and embrace unity.

According to him, “We claim to sing about the love of Jesus, which is the good news. But how can you give what you don’t have? If we are supposed to sing about love and we don’t have love among us, then, there is a bit of hypocrisy somewhere. We need to address those issues. I think this generation needs to rise and do something different.”

The first session treated the topic, “Probing the Urgent Question: Why Do We Create Music?”, while the second discussed “Providing the Cogent Answers: Why They Create Music”.

Present at the workshop were top-rated gospel music artistes and industry practitioners, including multiple award-winning producer and instrumentalist, Wole Oni; veteran broadcaster, Tokunbo Ojekunle and award-winning songwriter and vocalist, Lara George, among others.

Sensational singer, Lamboginny and fast-rising rap artiste, Clay, at the weekend, further gave vent to the theme of their recently released musical collaboration titled #Brokenwhen they stormed thesecluded rural community of Nanti village, popularly called the Snake Island, Lagos.

In excitement, the villagers led by their Baale trooped out to receive the music stars who were joined by members of the Nigerian Red Cross as they enlightened them on the need for personal hygiene in order to live a healthy life.

Apart from distributing free materials and kits to the inhabitants, medical experts were also on ground to educate them about the dreaded Ebola Disease Virus (EVD).

Meanwhile, the popular artistes have also offered to give full scholarship to two indigent ‘#Broken children’ to enable them realise their academic ambition.

According to them, “If you know of any teenager or child who is of a secondary or primary school age living with no support, you can just put a smile on his/her face by sending the name, age, location, class (secondary or primary) and that #Broken story -that is, the touching story about the child and why he/she should be given the scholarship ahead of others-to lamboginny84@gmail.com.”

At last, popular Nollywood screenwriter, producer and director, Paul Omoruyi, is set to hold the private screening of his much-anticipated short film, Aisha, on Friday at La Mango Lounge, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

In a chat with The Nation, Omoruyi, an artist and CEO of PSI Multimedia Studios, said Aisha dwells on the deprivation of the right of the girl child when subjected to child marriage. “The movie encourages the need for the girl child to be educated, so that she can have a bright future.   Having witnessed several cases of some girls marrying at an early age of 12 and the fact that the issue has always dominated public discourse, I saw the need to want to shoot a movie that will discourage it. Secondly, as someone who believes that every child, male or female, deserves equal rights, I also saw it as my duty to change it through my art,” he said.

Omoruyi, who also directed the film, said he conceived the idea after an encounter with a screenwriter, Abiola Omolokun. According to him, “He came to me with his script and asked if I liked it. I just told him it was the kind of movie I had in mind to shoot. Then, he went to do the screen play. The movie is about a very bright young girl, Aisha, who is from a poor background. The parents plan to marry her off at an early age to an elderly man without her consent. Sadly, the whole thing eventually turns bizarre.”

The movie features Eric Obinna, Lolade Badmus and Hannah ojo, among others.

The former president of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Admiral Dele Abiodun, will, on Saturday, perform at the grand finale of this year’s Sobe Day celebration, an all-night musical concert scheduled to hold at the playground of St. Eugene’s Catholic School in Sobe, Edo State.

The theme of this year’s anniversary, which is meant to promote unity and development in the town, is: Democracy and Unity: The Pivots of Sustainable Development.

This year’s celebration will commence on September 24, with an open crusade organised by members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

In a statement, Funsho Osoro, the chairman of the national organising committee, said this year’s anniversary would feature free medical checks, street carnival, cultural performances, football competition and musical concert.

The grand finale will be chaired by Bishop Pandit Oburekin, while the Chairman, Owan West Local Government Council, Edo State, Hon. Charles Aigbodion, will be the chief host. The maiden edition of the event was held in 1991, when Sobe was merged with Edo State.

In fulfillment of their promise of unveiling the housemates in this year’s contest on a daily basis, M-Net and Endemol SA, producers of the Big Brother Africa reality TV show, have released the profiles of three more contestants. They are Ghana’s Kacey Moore, Tanzania’s Laveda and Zimbabwe’s JJ.

Twenty-three-year-old Laveda, who holds a Bachelor of Arts & Social Sciences, was born in Dar Es Salaam. She described herself as “Eccentric, loving, caring, simple and fun.”

Laveda is the eldest of three children and she has a younger brother and sister. She also described her mother as her role model “because she has moulded her over the years and inspired her in different ways through the struggles and joy of life.”

Zimbabwe’s JJ, an entertainer, said he was inspired to enter for the contest because of the popularity of the platform. “It’s a necessary foundation for me to be able to produce my own music, even if I don’t win the money.”

Moore, 29, is a poet and songwriter. He is married and has a daughter. He enjoys Banku and Okro stew, while his favourite books are the Bible, the Dictionary and the Thesaurus!

Fresh from an outing with American rapper, TI, Nigerian-born singing sensations, Peter and Paul Okoye, popularly known as P-Square, have revealed plans to work with Usher Raymond in one of their songs.

During an interview on TVC, a Lagos-based television station, one half of the group, Peter, reportedly said: “We do give our fans what they want. And they are demanding for us to do something with Usher.”

The duo also used the opportunity to apologise to their fans over the recent breakup saga, which some reports claimed to be false.

“It has made us to bond stronger and we are sorry for what this has done to our fans,” said Peter.

Also, Peter said: “We are human and such is bound to happen. We fight and make-up, just like every other person too,” added Paul.

Interestingly, immediately after the dust raised by the widely reported breakup saga settled, the singing they released their latest album, Double Trouble, an 18-track album.

Double Trouble contains 16 songs and two bonus tracks, including Missing You, Shekini, Eje Ajo ft. TI, Bring It On Ft. Dave Scott, Personally, Zombie, Ije Love, Sari Sari, Oga Digide, Ifeoma, MMS, Enemy Solo ft. Awilo, Collabo ft. Don Jazzy, Alingo, Testimony and No be Joke.

Fast-rising singer, Douglas Jack Agwu, aka Runtown, who recently won the award for the Best Collaboration at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA) in New York, has just shot the video of his latest song, Baby Answer, in Los Angeles, USA.

The video, according to reports, was shot at several locations by award-winning cinematographer, Sesan.

It is expected to hit the airwaves before the end of the month.

After he released his first single, Runtown, In 2007, there was some kind of hiatus in his career. He, however, staged a comeback in 2010 with a single titled Forever, whosevideo was directed by Ivan Edd Films. He followed it up with Activity Pikin.

Runtown, whose music is a fusion of Hip Hop, R&B and Rap, is influenced by artistes such as Sean Kingston, Bob Marley, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Drake.

He, together with Phyno, featured on J Martins’ Elevated album on the sixth track titled Tonight. He has also collaborated with top Nigerian artistes, including Timaya.

Academy award-winning actor, Denzel Washington, and acclaimed director of the award-winning box office movies, Training Day and Olympus Has Fallen, Antoine Fuqua, have teamed up in The Equalizer, a Sony Pictures movie, which hits cinemas this Friday.

The action-packed thriller, which is distributed across West Africa by Silverbird Film Distribution, sees Denzel Washington re-teaming with Antonie Fuqua for a dark and violent reboot of the 1980s Equalizer TV series.

As a result, lovers of action movies are in for an experience as The Equalizer, according to reports, promises to be most engaging.

In the movie, Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his ‘special forces’ past behind him and dedicates himself to beginning a new and quiet life. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by- he has to help her.

McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice re-awakened. If someone has a problem and can’t find anywhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.

This star-studded movie, which boasts music soundtrack from Eminem’s Guts Over Fear, stars Denzel Washington as its lead character, Chloe Grace Moretz ( If I Stay), Bill Pullman ( Edge of Tomorrow ), Oscar winner, Melissa Leo ( Prisoners ) and Marton Csokas ( Amazing Spider Man2, Sin City).

It was supposed to be the launch of Gaurapad Reality Board, a new product from the stable of Gaurapad Charities founded by Bolaji Rosiji. But the colourful event was spiced with an interesting drama, which many described as a comic relief of sorts.

It all began when Bolaji Rosiji, ex-president of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), asked Nollywood star actress, Patience Ozokwor, aka Mama G, if she would marry him.  The question was greeted with a deafening applause, particularly when the award-winning actress replied thus: “I like you… especially because you care for widows. But give me some time to think about it.”

Gaurapad Reality Board is a fortune booster that works through prayers, perseverance and faith.

“Anything you want, begin to imagine it and ask God to give it to you. Then, you begin to work hard towards it, and you will get it. We should be diligent and trust in God. The Reality Board will help in creating a world, where we come up with effective solutions in our own lives, our community and the entire world. It also contains great affirmations for creating a peaceful body, mind and soul.

“All of us desperately want some measure of guarantee in life. We all want our lives to be secure, safe and predictable. We all want some guarantee that life will give us a happy marriage, wealth, good health and happy children. You don’t have to live in a cloud of anxiety that never goes away. You really can control your world,” Ozokwor urged fellow widows to strive towards attaining financial independence by using the product.

Also, Rosiji said the Gaurapad Reality Board would help reawaken people from the darkness of negativity.

“People should train themselves to be adventurous, instead of being filled with thoughts. Those who practise the principle spelt out in this board will dance with grace because The Reality Board is about the power of pictures and affirmations in helping us actualise our dreams.

“As we look at the pictures of what we want to achieve and believe, success will come our way. Life can be wonderful, despite all the difficulties we see around us because it has been proven that a healthy, joyful and abundant life cannot exist in this challenging world. This Reality Board will help you to create a wonderful life, instead of a hopeless life,” he added.

The Head Medical Consultant of Gaurapad Charities, Dr. Daniel Famutimi, said:  “The Reality Board is an easy to use condensation of four bestselling books by experts on this matter as well as ancient wisdom from over 5000 years ago. It is more powerful than merely writing down your goals. As far as we know, this is the first time ever that this has been done this way and people should take advantage of it.”

I’m very happy to receive all of you here in Anambra and I commend your wisdom in choosing Anambra for the Gulder Ultimate Search. The choice of Aguleri is commendable. You are going to find very interesting places in our state.

Gov. Willie Obiano

Both Aguleri and Umueri, the one-time warring ‘twin’ communities in Anambra State, came alive last Wednesday when the indigenes turned out in large number to welcome the 14 youngsters enlisted in this year’s edition of Gulder Ultimate Search (GUS) reality show.

Merely divided by a narrow but tarred road, the indigenes lined up on their side of town, waving and cheering the contestants, who made their way towards two waiting canoes at the bank of River Niger, from where they paddled their way to the Aguleri forest, venue of the contest, for 28 days.

As it was with the past 10 editions of the show, the lucky 14, who emerged from a series of rigorous screening exercises for the 11th season, are expected to search for a hidden treasure (The Cube) in the adventure aptly tagged The Mission.

The contestants, made up of seven males and seven females, include Iwuoha Ikenna, Nwagboso, Joshua, Emedike Ikenna, Nne Cosy Joe, Ubachukwu, Chinedu, Otto, Canon Chimenem, Afolabi Emmanuel Olusegun, Iroh Noela, Appi Samantha, Erijakpor Loretta, Robinson Sharon, Eriata Blessing Ese, Addoh Evi and Nwagbagiro Sandra.

Dressed in Igbo traditional attires, they all moved to the jungle after receiving royal blessing from the traditional ruler of the community, Eze Augustine Chukwuemeka Eri, Eze Aka ji Ofor Igbo of Enugu Aguleri, who prayed for the success of the show.

The previous day, the contestants and officials of Nigerian Breweries Plc., manufacturers of the Gulder brand, had been received by the state governor, Mr. Willie Obiano. They included Kufre Ekanem, Corporate Affairs Adviser; Emmanuel Agu, Marketing Manager, Gulder, Legend and Life; Onyeka Okoli, Senior Brand Manager, Gulder and Seun Lawal, Brand Manager, Gulder.

In his remarks, Gov. Willie Obiano expressed satisfaction that the Gulder brand deemed the Aguleri jungle of Anambra State fit enough to host the 11th edition of Gulder Ultimate Search.

“I’m very happy to receive all of you here in Anambra and I commend your wisdom in choosing Anambra for the Gulder Ultimate Search. The choice of Aguleri is commendable. You are going to find very interesting places in our state,” said Obiano who urged the delegation to visit some of the sites in Anambra State.

He further said: “If you take time out to visit Anambra, you will see where Gad was buried. If you are familiar with the story of the missing tribe in Israel, from the lineage of Jacob, Gad led the team through this side of the world. And he was believed to be the progenitor of the Igbo race with Aguleri as the first son. You can also visit the St. Joseph Catholic Church, where you will find out more about the Blessed Father Iwene Tansi. We are leaders in many areas. That is why we are the light of the nation.”

Explaining how the Nigerian Breweries team arrived at the choice of Aguleri for the show to Governor Obiano, Ekanem revealed that although three states lobbied for the hosting, the compass rested on Anambra without any form of influence.”Without any push from Anambra or any lobbying from Anambra, just by putting the yardsticks, the mechanisms and the criteria on the table, it was clear to us that we would come to Anambra State for the Gulder Ultimate Search 11,” he said.

He also revealed that the team narrowed the choice of the location down to Aguleri from a list of three Anambra locations.

As suggested by the governor, an indigene of Aguleri, the contestants also visited St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, where Reverend Father Christopher Odina shed more light on the history of the church and the late Father Iwene Tansi.

One of the contestants on this season, Noella Iroh, described her experience as refreshing, educating and entertaining. She said: “I’ve been able to learn about Eri, the son of Gad and the seventh son of Jacob. I’ve also learnt about the three trees that grew independently with their roots joined. It is amazing. I’m grateful to Nigerian Breweries Plc., I’m grateful to the Igwe and I’m grateful to the entire Aguleri Kingdom.”

On her expectations while in the jungle, she said: “I’m excited about going to the jungle. I am having mixed feelings. I am happy; I am excited and my blood is pumping. I don’t know what to expect, but I have an open mind and whatever comes, I take it.”

While the ultimate winner will go home with N10 million and a brand new SUV, the second, third and fourth placed winners will earn N3 million, N2.5 million and N1.5 million respectively. When evicted, the remaining contestants will win various sums, ranging from N1.5 million to N1 million.

The daily highlights of the show are expected to start airing on national terrestrial and satellite TV stations from October 3, to October 30.

Though many of his fans have been wondering why he seldom appears in movie in recent times, Segun Arinze, a veteran Nollywood actor and ex-president of Actors Guild of Nigeria ( AGN), has, however, said it is not a deliberate attempt to bid bye to his first love: acting.

In an interview with The Nation, the talented thespian and famed voiceover said he needed time to attend to some administrative matters.

With a career spanning over two decades, Arinze, popularly called Black Arrow, further described himself as more of a method actor than any other thing.

“You may see me play different bad roles, but go back and check and you will find that I don’t play them the same way. I also don’t think that I am typecast. I have done a lot of movies that I didn’t have to play the bad boy role. I don’t believe in being typecast; I would rather be a method actor. Granted, there are certain roles one might not be suited for, but that doesn’t mean one can’t be an actor. I am an actor and I also play an actor’s actor,” he said.

The respected actor also recounted his most challenging moment on the set of the yet-to-be-released movie, A Place in the Stars, saying, “I don’t think that is what I want to share because I was a big distraction at a point in time. It wasn’t a nice experience at all. My director, Steve Gukas, called every now and then to say I was distracting others. The director is also a slave driver of sorts. We find ourselves doing almost 10 takes for one scene, but he knew what he wanted. He wasn’t the pushy kind of director. He took time out to explain to you.”

Worried by the seeming apathy towards rock music in Nigeria,  Dapo Simeon Ajeniya’s led Green 36 Concert will be staging Nigeria’s first annual rock music concert  tagged Rock Alive 2014 this Friday.

The event, which will be hosted by Tosyn, will come up at GET Arena, behind Sheraton Four Points in Victoria Island, Lagos. It will feature some established artistes and a number of budding Rock musicians.

According to the ogananisers, notable names such as Threadstone, Aramide, Honey, Ruby, Clay, Bezalel, Eze Peters, Buzzman, Dtruce, El Doctc, among others, will thrill at the event, which is already generating buzz among rock music enthusiasts.

In July 2013, the company, which is also into promotion of brands, had successfully organised Green 36 Concert to wide acclaim.

In an interview with The Nation,  the company’s Public Relations Officer, Tumi Ajeniya, who was accompanied by  Ifeoma Nwako, Project Manager and Adeniyi Ayodeji, Administration Manager, said:  “Over time, we have realised that the crop of the younger generation of Nigerian artistes are no more interested in rock music; instead, they prefer to do Hip hop, RnB etc. So, we decided to organise this concert to revive the dying passion for Rock music. The concert is not exclusive of students, who will only pay N1, 000 per head. The tickets are in different categories: Classic (N2500) Gold pass (N10, 000) and Green pass (N100,000).”

Former chocolate City artiste, Olawale Ashimi, popularly known as Brymo, is set to release his fourth studio album titled Tabula Rasa.

Tabula Rasa is his first album since he left his former record label, following a protracted legal battle.

Given some background into the album title, he said: “I was still thinking about the title when one day in the court room, the judge used it in a speech. I immediately decided I would use it. It refers to a theory that we were born without built-in mental content as a child.”

He also said the album was inspired by the expectations of such good news.

Brymo shot to the limelight when he featured on Ice Prince’s Oleku.

Celebrated Gospel singer, Lara George, has revealed that her latest musical effort, Love Nwantintin,is in celebration of her 10th wedding anniversary.

In an interview with The Nation, the award-winning songstress said both the song and the video had been released to mark one decade of her blissful marital life.

She said: “It is a six- track EP. For me, I want to share a story of love with people out there. I want to give people a picture that there is nothing God can’t do. Whatever it is that your marriage may be going through, it is possible for God to fix it and keep it going,” she said.

 George, who described her marriage as a celebration of love, said it had been an amazing journey full of some ups and downs.

“It will not be fair to tell only one side of the story and give people a false impression that everything has always been good. You know, when you get married to somebody, both of you are from two entirely different walks of life. So, for you to get to the point where you understand one another’s language is a big deal. For me, it is a process and I am going through it every day,” the mother of three added.

When asked if it was love at first sight, she replied in the negative. According to her, “In fact, I actually didn’t really like him when I saw him. But we later became friends. I gradually got to know him. He wormed his way into my life and into my heart. When I started to get to know him, I realised that I had begun to like what I was seeing. When I found out that he was interested in me, I said okay, it may not be a bad idea (laughs).”

While the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) is commending the Federal Government over the three filmmakers enlisted for the 2014 National Honours Award, a prominent Hausa actor, Salihu Othman Isah, famously called Hotman, has criticised the omission of certain names he considered deserving of the award.

In a statement titled “National honours list incomplete without Ibinabo, Dike, others”, Isah noted that the President of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Ibinabo Fiberesima and Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of AGN, Ifeanyi Dike, had contributed so much to the uplift of the entertainment sector, thereby deserving to be honoured.

Isah, who is the association’s National Vice President, North West, said in Kano, Tuesday, that there is need for the Federal Government to revisit the list by including the two entertainers.

A list of 305 national honourees, which was released last week, includes the producer of the acclaimed Nollywood pioneering movie, Living in Bondage, Mr. Keneth Nnebue; veteran actress Joke Silva; awards-winning actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and notable Hausa musician, Abubakar Ladan Zaria.

He added: “The Federal Government has not given enough recognition to the entertainment sector, in spite of its obvious contributions to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of the nation as well as in its rebranding mission.”

The respected actor also argued that a situation whereby people in other sectors with less contribution to national cause make the honours list, while those who genuinely deserve it are left out does not augur well for the country.

According to him, “If you look at that honouree list critically, you will observe that only a few entertainers made the list: Kenneth Nnebue, Joke Silva, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Abubakar Ladan Zaria who is a musician.

“In fact, apart from the oil sector and customs and excise, one sector that has done so much for the nation’s improved GDP is the entertainment sector. But it is so sad that when it is time to recognise Nigerians, we are left out or they just rub oil in our mouth by including only one or two of our own.

“This is not enough considering what we represent. Here is a sector that has taken millions out of the streets by providing them jobs. But out of 305 national honourees, you gave out just four to the entire sector.”

He also stated that besides being the first female to emerge the national president of AGN, Fiberesima had led her National Executive Committee (NEC) to reform the guild as well as better the lots of its membership, in spite of all odds.

“Under her leadership, we have been able to get the Federal Government to provide the guild with a plot of land in Abuja; the Federal Capital Territory, where an ultra-modern secretariat will be erected.

“We all agree that this is no doubt a mean feat because the Federal Government has also undertaken to erect the edifice. So, I believe that Ibinabo Fiberesima and Ifeanyi Dike and some other leaders in Nollywood deserve to be honoured by the nation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of NFC, Danjuma Dadu, has said that the awards given to filmmakers by the Federal Government since 2007 is a testimony of the great contribution of the film industry to the growth of the nation.

“The Nigerian film industry has continued to impact positively on the Nigerian economy and beyond, providing home and theatre entertainment to millions around the world,” he said.

He described Kenneth Nnebue, Omotola Jalade- Ekende and Joke Silva, who have bagged the Federal Republic Award (MFR), as dedicated filmmakers who have carved a niche for themselves and have made the nation and their fellow filmmakers proud.

He, however, urged the recipients to see the recognition as a call to further contribute to the sustainable development and growth of the Nigerian film industry.

A few weeks ago, Hakeem Adenekan, Managing Director/ CEO of Commstrat Associates Limited, a marketing communication agency, was in the news when he and some other kindred spirits in the Sakara Music Group celebrated the Sakara Music Day (SMD) and honoured some exponents of the indigenous traditional music, amidst pomp and circumstance.

 Interestingly, coming on the heels of the successful hosting of the SMD, the marketing communications expert is, again, set to put Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on the world map, via another creative endeavour.

Although he is still keeping the finer details of the project under wraps, Adenekan, who is also a culture enthusiast, added that the project would not only delight Abeokuta indigenes but also Nigerians, generally.

According to him, “Anyone who is interested in history, literature, entertainment, music and arts will find it a great delight.”

Adenekan, also the brain behind the Nigerian Evagrin Rhymes Initiative, has dedicated his time and resources to research and public discussions on the importance of mother tongue as impetus for national development.

Ahead of the eventual roll out of the Nigerian Entertainment Industry Health Insurance Scheme (NEIHIS), a strong delegation of the Nigerian Entertainment Industry Lecture Series (NEILS) has met with the national executives of Theatre Arts and Movies Practitioners of Nigeria (TAMPAN) in Abeokuta, Ogun State as well as the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (ANTP) in Ibadan, Oyo State respectively. The two prominent associations had their national executive meetings with representatives from across the different states of the federation.

The president of TAMPAN, actor Yemi Solade, who received the NEILS delegation applauded the initiative and urged all Nigerian entertainment industry practitioners to participate actively in the scheme as enrollees. “It’s a welcome development for the entertainment industry and I believe this is a project everybody in the entertainment industry should be part of. I can remember vividly how we lost a very popular Yoruba actor, Alaran, because of N15, 000. With this great initiative, our future as entertainers and that of our families are secured.”

Also, the President of ANTP, Mr. Jide Ashaolu, commended the initiators (NEILS) and pledged that his association would set up a national committee to liaise with the administrators on harnessing benefits of the scheme for its members. “This is a very brilliant initiative that every practitioner should partake in. This is the reason I invited you to brief our national executives officially, who will in turn take the information to all the state chapters. I congratulate the Nigerian entertainment industry for this milestone of a secured future.”

The Nigerian Entertainment Industry Health Insurance Scheme (NEIHIS) is in partnership with National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), whose mandate is to ensure affordable healthcare delivery for all Nigerians.

The agency is currently making efforts to ensure that all Nigerians, both poor and rich, all have access to health insurance.

In situations where the health plans subscribed to under the NEIHIS by some of the enrollees cannot cater to evacuation needs (expensive surgeries abroad), the Nigerian Entertainment Industry Health Trust Fund will be the fallback plan to source all such required funding.