Saint Obi’s burial, Genevieve Nnaji’s secret affair, other top entertainment stories last week
A round-up of top entertainment stories in Nigeria you may have missed last week.
The family of the late veteran actor Saint Obi has announced his funeral arrangements.
Saint Obi died on the 7th of May and died on the 7th of May and will be laid to rest on the 18th of August in his hometown, Umuezealaeze, Alaenyi Ogwa, in Imo State.
The Nollywood actor, 57, reportedly died in Jos, Plateau State, after battling a protracted ailment.
Meanwhile Pete Edochie speaks about Yul’s controversial marriage. Veteran Nollywood actor Pete Edochie, in a recent interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, said he was unaware his son, Yul, had taken a second wife.
The veteran also applauded Yul’s first wife, May Edochie, for the success of her 18-year-old marriage. He described May as an excellent and exceptionally brilliant person, saying she’s not just his daughter-in-law but his most beloved of his sons’ wives.
In April 2022, Yul announced actress Judy Austin as his second wife and added that they had a son together.
However, amidst this saga, Yul’s first wife, May, has reportedly filed for divorce.
Also, during the week, Nollywood actor turned-photographer Pat Attah revealed that he dated Genevieve Nnaji for two years before they broke up.
He said, I am not going to lie. We had something going. We were both serious, but we had to break up for some reason.
That does not mean our relationship was not serious. We dated for two years thereabout. It was not a secret relationship. We were serious with each other and went to places together,
He said it was a serious relationship and insisted that the decision to part ways was inevitable and occurred at the right time.
Sadly, Veteran Yoruba actor Musiliu Ajikanle died after being bedridden by a stroke for seven years. He was 67.
His colleague, Saliu Gbolagade, broke the news on Instagram.
Some of his colleagues, like Ayo Mogaji, Fathia Balogun, Sola Kosoko, and actor Portable, took to the comments section to express their condolences.
In preparation for the new movie, Nollywood actor Segun Arinze will be playing the role of Moshood Abiola in a biopic about the late politician’s wife, Kudirat Abiola.
The 57-year-old actor made this known via an Instagram post where he shared a picture of himself from the movie set on Friday.
In the picture, the actor donned an agbada designed like the one Abiola wore to the polling booth on 12 June 1993.
What does this remind you of?” Segun Arinze captioned his post.
Abiola, also known as MKO, derived from the first three letters in his name ‘Moshood Kashimawo Olawale’, contested and won the 12 June 1993 elections on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The election was later annulled by the then-military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida. Abiola was arrested and jailed by Babangida’s successor, General Sani Abacha.
Suspected government agents assassinated his wife, Kudirat, on 4 June 1996, while Abiola died in detention on 7 July 1998, one month after Abacha’s death.
While, A Nigerian TikToker, Nwakaego Okoye, who labelled Nollywood actress Eniola Badmus a pimp, has been sentenced to three years in prison for cyberstalking.
The sentence was pronounced by a judge, Nicholas Oweibo, of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday.
Mr Oweibo convicted Ms Okoye after she pleaded guilty to a two-count cyberstalking charge.
The judge, however, gave the convict an option of an N150,000 fine instead of jail time because of her remorse and plea for mercy.
Ms Okoye had said in a video posted on TikTok that “Eniola Badmus is a professional pimp she connects small girls to big politicians all over Nigeria.
She later confessed that she made the defamatory statement about Eniola Badmus because someone named Fortune Ibe promised to pay her N200,000.
Ms Okoye said that the video was prompted, and she needed the money to pay her rent.
On remembrance of Bob Marley, Nigerian Afrobeat stars Rema, Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr, Teni, and Oxlade have featured in late reggae legend Bob Marley’s posthumous album, titled, ‘Africa Unite’.
The album is coming 43 years after Bob Marley’s death.
Nigerian producers Pheelz and Mystro were also recruited behind the boards to harmonise the sonic feel. Bob Marley & The Wailers’ posthumous album, Africa Unite, is a ten-track album with some hit songs from the late music legend, including ‘One Love’, the 1978 song, and the 1980’s ‘Redemption Song’.
Veteran singer Edosomwan Igbinidu, best known as Pa Monday, has taken legal action against sensational pop singer Shallipopi, demanding N200m for copyright infringement.
In the notice letter addressed to Shallipopi by Igbinidu’s lawyers, dated 25 July 2023, Pa Monday accused the fast-rising singer of sampling his 1996 song ‘Ovonramwen’.
The Edo-State veteran musician, in his suit, gave Shalipopi seven days to render an account of all proceeds already accruable to the new record, future profits to be shared in a 70-30 per cent ratio.
According to the letter, Shallipopi produced the song without “license, authorisation, permission or lawful excuse” from Igbinidu.
On to Wizkid, He has become the first African artist to bag a BRIT Billion award for over 1 billion streams in the United Kingdom, the UK.
The 33-year-old singer was presented with the award after his sold-out show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday.
The superstar singer has sold millions of units in the UK, including Drake’s ‘One Dance’ featuring him (Wizkid) and Kyla, certified six times Platinum for selling over 3.6 units.
His song ‘Energy’ with Skepta and ‘Essence’ with Tems are certified Platnum, ‘Come Closer’ with Drake, and ‘Brown Skin Girl’ with Beyoncé are certified Gold. Also, Wizkid’s fourth studio album ‘Made In Lagos’ is also certified Gold in the UK.