“We Have Become Skit Makers To Sell Our Movies”
–Actress Jaiye Kuti
Jaiye Kuti, an actress and filmmaker has expressed her dissatisfaction with the growing tendency of actresses turning into content providers and dancers to promote their films.
Kuti, in an Instagram post spoke about the emotional toll this trend takes on filmmakers.
She recounted feeling pressured to dance online to promote her film, even after investing heavily in its production.
The actress expressed sympathy for her colleagues, citing actor Odunlade Adekola as an example of celebrities turning to dance as a means of promoting their work.
She further observed that a growing number of actors are now producing skits to attract attention to their films.
Kuti called on viewers to support the film industry by embracing its changing online promotional strategies, emphasising the importance of audience appreciation and encouragement.
She said in part: “I have seen an ongoing discussion online concerning Executive Producers/Producers dancing to their movies.
“Do you know that some Executive Producers go as far as selling what they have to make a good movie? It is getting tiring and emotional for me.
“When I made my movie, which was on Prime Video, I didn’t need to dance and I made my money, which even earned interest.
“I spent money on my second movie with my partner, yet I still had to go to the street to dance to create publicity for the movie.
“It is bad and I feel for myself and the rest of us. There was a time when Odunlade was dancing and I wanted to cry.
“After spending so much on publications, radio tours, billboards and others, we’d still be required to come out and dance; it is bad. Actors have turned to skit makers just because they want to sell their movies. Viewers, you need to help us”.
Kuti also commended Funke Akindele’s dancing skills, noting that not everyone has the same talent or ease when it comes to dancing.
She stressed that everyone possesses his/her own unique strengths and talents, adding that a quality film will eventually speak for itself.
“Not everybody can dance like Funke Akindele. God made everybody beautiful and imbued all of us in different ways. Everybody has a place in art.
“It is not everybody that has that strength of Funke Akindele. Funke Akindele is a natural dancer. But please, when the film is good, you will know”, she said.
This sentiment mirrors Jemima Osunde’s recent criticism of actors being forced to become dancers by default as a means of promoting their films.
“Approach Women With Confidence, Not Money”
–Yul Edochie Urges Men
Controversial Nollywood actor Yul Edochie has urged men to stay confident and focused when approaching women.
He emphasised that money is not the primary factor that attracts them.
In a post on his Instagram page on Monday, Edochie advised young men that confidence is essential when approaching a woman, no matter her social or financial background.
“Young men, let me give you some tips as an OG in the game. If you like a lady, no matter her status, walk up to her and tell her you like her. Don’t wait till you have money before you can talk. Money is not everything,” he said.
He further emphasised that boldness matters more than wealth and encouraged men not to let the fear of rejection discourage them.
Edochie stated that the worst outcome is a woman saying “no,” and that this should never prevent a man from trying his best.
“Confidence is number one. Ladies love men who have guts and confidence no matter their class. Never let your confidence level drop for any reason. She will not kill you; she’ll either say yes or no. But most likely, in the end, she’ll say yes, because ladies love strong men”, he added.
Edochie’s advice has sparked ongoing debate, with many reflecting on his unconventional take on romance.
@effy.mills argued that Yul’s logic doesn’t always work as it might be detrimental in the long run, “So that after they’ve accepted you with no sustainable job, you can betray them years later”.
Another user, @nmazbeauty also said, “No matter the status; so this one is trying to say that, it doesn’t even matter if she’s married or single or divorced? very confused man”.
@I_am_amii2 also said: “Na waitin make may accept you and you later Judas her. Women don’t listen to him. Confidence without money is rubbish. Go for odogwu not odiegwus”
Corroborating with him, alphacharlie652 said: “You’re making Sense Sir. But you know this people here no go gree take this your advice oo”.
I Wouldn’t Post About My Life If I Was Gistlover
–Iyabo Ojo
Nigerian actress Iyabo Ojo has broken her silence on the long-standing rumors suggesting her involvement with the anonymous blog, Gistlover.
The actress had previously been accused of being the owner of the controversial blog several months ago.
In an interview with comedian AY Makun, shared on X on Sunday, Iyabo denied any involvement with Gistlover.
She went on to explain that much of the information shared by the blogger comes from people close to her.
“One thing I found out about Gistlover is that it is the people close to you who take your information to Gistlover. Sometimes, the information is wrong but they still take it,” she stated.
She expressed her shock at the allegations, emphasising how absurd it would be for her to post personal details on the blog and even drag her daughter into the drama.
“Some people accused me of owning Gistlover. I was shocked when they said Iyabo Ojo is Gistlover. If I am, will I post about my life and also drag my daughter on Gistlover?” she questioned.
Iyabo Ojo further criticised the false narratives surrounding her, pointing out that the blogger’s intentions are neither for fame nor money.
“Is it for the money or fame? The rubbish that was written about me having threesomes and stuff, is for what reason? Why would I drag my own daughter and myself? To destroy my name and reputation?” she asked.
“Living In Nigeria Is Daily Struggle”
–Comedian Alibaba
Atunyota Akpobome, a veteran Nigerian comedian popularly known as Alibaba has shared his perspective on the increasing trend of Nigerians moving abroad, widely referred to as ‘japa’.
During an interview on Outside the Box Podcast, which aired on YouTube on Saturday, Alibaba stated that many Nigerians relocate due to frustrations with the country’s infrastructure, security issues and the high cost of raising a family in Nigeria.
Alibaba narrated the experience of a man working as an Assistant General Manager at a bank on Lagos Island who struggled with the high cost of living—spending about N150,000 every month on petrol and close to a million naira on diesel to keep his household running.
Alibaba explained, “He had three cars, the one the office gave him, his personal car which the madam uses and one for the house. The office takes care of the official car including fuel and driver, so he has to take care of two cars. The driver will take two children to one school, then the madam will take the other child to the other school. Every month he was spending N150,000 on fuel and then at home, he was doing about a million naira on diesel to provide electricity.
“The wife had a confectionary business at the back. Feeding for the family, his drivers and the siblings living with them. Security was also very important. Education was expensive, two were below 12 and the other one was about 13 or 14. He has to pay the house rent every year. Mortgage is not something we’re used to here, I think it’s just beginning to grow on us. When he totalled all of these, it was running into N22-N23 million every term, about every quarter.”
“Then he said if I convert this, can I be doing it as mortgage to a house I have overseas? Alibaba continued, emphasising the differences between living in Nigeria and abroad.
“If he does that, would he still be paying school fees for the children? He may not be paying school fees, they’ll go to public schools. There, school buses will pick up and drop them or the distance to school is walkable.
“What is the security for children? Will anybody kidnap two of his children and come and say bring money? No. When the children graduate what are the chances that they would find work there and what are the chances that they would find work here?
“If he is there, would he be employing drivers and paying for gateman, security, washman and others? No. Most times when people do all of those calculations, they come to a point where they say let’s give it a shot.”
Alibaba highlighted that the difficulties of living in Nigeria, including ongoing security threats, police harassment and inconsistent infrastructure, frequently overshadow the possibility of achieving financial success.
He said, “It is true that when you are in Nigeria, the chances and opportunities that come to you to make a lot of money increase. Some of them don’t pay taxes. You can just be named Commissioner for Finance and your economic trajectory has changed. Would that happen overseas? No!
“But would somebody kidnap your children overseas and demand something and they can’t find the people? No. Would you get a call one day and they say your son was carrying dreadlocks and they’ve picked him up and said you should come and bail him?
“Would the police stop you at night and the chances of you having an altercation with them arise overseas if you’re not living right? Yes, but if you’re living right you don’t have that kind of stress.”
He stressed that the decision to relocate is often fueled by the frustration people feel towards the country, its government and the society at large.
Alibaba criticised the country’s lack of a dependable national registry, highlighting the ongoing issues with databases and identification systems.
un off and the person who hit your car can’t be found? And so the cost that you have not planned to spend on your vehicle, you then have to spend.
“A house help runs away with all your jewellery, phone and cash. Can’t be found. Why? Because there’s no database in this country.
“250,000 people signed a petition, no thumbprint to verify who and who signed. Meanwhile when there was an election nearly less than 70,000 were even registered for that election but when it was time for a recall, 250,000 people came from nowhere in a place where you were even planning to trick some people into coming and signing a petition without knowing that was what they wanted to come and sign.”
He also addressed the inconsistencies in Nigeria’s population census, noting that without accurate demographic data, the government is essentially making budgetary decisions without a clear understanding of the population’s needs.
He said, “People have been clamouring for population census. As far back as the time of Jesus, in Bethlehem, it was an annual thing to go and be counted.
“The last census that you had in 2005/6 was not even conclusive because when you did it, you came up with 270-something million and when the number started being disputed with people saying they didn’t come to our street, they came to our street and counted two first houses, they didn’t come back to count the rest, the numbers were reduced to the 220million that we then banded around for a while.
“Why do you not have a census? Without a census, it means that you’ve been budgeting blindly.”
Alibaba went on to discuss the financial pressures many Nigerian families endure, which pushes many young individuals to seek better opportunities abroad, where systems are more reliable and efficient.
He said, “All of these myriads of problems are enough for anybody to decide to take a chance. You fight to raise a child well so that when the child has grown, the child then fights to raise you well.
“What is happening now is that children get to 40 and the parents who raised them are still taking care of them at 40.
“Now you then have a case of when these children go out of the country to live overseas, they see that everything works, you don’t need prayers. You don’t need to do vigils over electricity, security, road accidents.”
Osun Contestant Emerges Miss World Nigeria 2025
Joy Mojisola Raimi, a 24-year-old from Osun State has been crowned Miss World Nigeria 2025.
Ben Murray-Bruce, the founder of Silverbird Group shared the news in a post on X on Saturday.
Bruce wrote, “Congratulations to Joy Mojisola Raimi, the 24-year-old representing Osun State, on being crowned Miss World Nigeria 2025!
“The grand finale took place at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos where 37 contestants from across Nigeria competed for the top spot.
“Raimi, a University of Port Harcourt graduate is passionate about humanitarian services and founded ‘The Love for Humanity’ project, dedicated to spreading love and restoring faith in humanity.”
He pointed out that in the final round, Raimi opened up about how the challenges of growing up without a mother and being persistently bullied by her caregiver contributed to her strong resilience.
“In the final round, Raimi faced off against Miss Imo, Miss Ebonyi, Miss Abuja and Miss Abia.
“When asked about overcoming bullying, she shared her inspiring story of growing up without a mother and facing harassment from her caregiver.
“She emphasized that despite being told she would never amount to anything, she has proved otherwise by achieving this milestone,” he wrote.
Raimi, crowned Miss World Nigeria 2025 will represent Nigeria at the 72nd Miss World pageant in Hyderabad, India from May 7 to 31, competing with participants from 140 countries.
“A Colleague Raped Me Six Years Ago, I Get Panic Attacks Whenever I See Him”
–OAP Lolo 1
Nigerian on-air personality (OAP) Omotunde Adebowale-David widely known as Lolo 1 has opened up about her experience with sexual abuse.
During a recent appearance on the Say My Piece podcast, shared on X on Saturday, Lolo 1 opened up about being raped by a colleague six years ago. She revealed that the individual is now in a significant position within the broadcast industry.
She spoke about the lasting trauma she experienced, mentioning that she goes into a “momentary panic mode” whenever she encounters her attacker.
Lolo 1 also addressed the typical responses women may have following sexual assault, such as denial and self-blame.
“A woman like me, I hardly would say this and I am not ready to tell the story. I have been raped only once in my life and I was raped by our colleague. I see him every other day. Do you know how traumatised I am?” she said.
“When I see him, I just get into this momentary panic mode but if a woman of my caliber names him, he is an established person in the broadcast circle, would people not say how come Lolo did not speak about it for all these six years?
“It is now that he is taking a prominent TV position she is speaking. When sexual assault happens to women, the first thing that happens to a woman is denial ‘this did not happen’.
“The next thing is self crucifixion, ‘I caused it for myself, how did I allow it happen? What could I have done?’. All these are happening as you are processing.”
