Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Don’t be Averse to Auditions, Actor advises Young Talents
Nigerian actor, Efa Iwara, on Wednesday urged up-and-coming actors not to look down at auditions while pursuing a career in the movie industry.
Iwara made the urge while speaking on “Navigating a Career in Nollywood”, with Ayokunle Ayoko, a legal practitioner, during an Instagram Live on Wednesday.
The award winning actor encouraged intending actors to always attend auditions whenever they were invited and also put in their best.
“Some people keep saying filmmakers are giving roles to the same set of actors and not giving others the opportunity, which is not true.
Don’t be jaded by this and not go for auditions.“Before me there was Ramsey Nouah, O.C Ukeje, Richard Mofe-Damijo and others. They are all still acting. So, there is always space for new actors. Stop saying they don’t want to hire new guys.
“They will always hire new guys, trust me, everyone’s time is coming. So, go for auditions; put your best food forward; pray to God and do your best.
“Sometimes you can walk into an audition and you see popular faces. Don’t start saying oh, this one is here, I can’t get it. If they were not ready to try someone else, they wouldn’t have invited you.
“The mere fact that you are in that room means you stand a chance. So give it your all,” he said.
Iwara, who used to be a rapper said same applied to the music industry especially the rap scene, adding that although, music had evolved but a rapper from the “old school” could do something with the “new school” and vice versa.
The actor said the music industry was also doing well following the nominations and winning of Grammy by Nigerian artistes.
Iwara said the advent of streaming platforms was taking the Nigerian film industry to the international space.
“I keep seeing people approach me to say he looks familiar whenever I travel out of the country.
“I remember there was this time, I think it was the British Parliament discussing the movie ‘King of Boys’. They were talking about our movies and export.
“That shows that we are headed in the right direction. Like I said, we are just one movie away from breaking in there, ” he said. (NAN)
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Actress Ademoye Rejects Apology over Movie Demonetization
Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Bimbo Ademoye, has rejected an apology from a man who filed a copyright claim against her YouTube movie, My 30th Wedding, insisting that she remains angry over the incident.
The actress had earlier offered a ₦1m reward for information about the individual, identified as Mazi Enemuo, after a copyright claim temporarily affected the monetisation of the movie, which has reportedly garnered about 29 million views.
The film was released on October 1, 2026, on her YouTube channel.
On Monday, Ademoye took to Instagram to express her frustration, alleging that Enemuo had uploaded a song from the movie and used it to claim earnings from the project.
She said the soundtrack, titled “We Can Take It (My 30th Wedding)”, was specially produced for the film by musician Progress and that she owned the rights to it.
Ademoye also urged her followers to report the individual across social media platforms and called on YouTube and YouTube Africa to intervene.
She later announced that monetisation on the movie had been restored, thanking her team for their intervention.
However, she maintained that her ₦1m bounty on Enemuo remained in place.
Enemuo subsequently apologised, saying he had uploaded the song to help promote the movie’s soundtrack and reach a wider audience, rather than infringe on Ademoye’s rights.
In a public apology, he said, “Unfortunately, the distribution platform has laid a YouTube Content ID claim on the content. I take full responsibility for the situation and have since taken down the song from all streaming platforms.”
He added that the song would be removed from all platforms within 24 to 48 hours and that he would contact the distributor to ensure that no residual claim remained.
But responding to the apology on Instagram on Tuesday, Ademoye described it as insincere and questioned his explanation that he had intended to help her reach a wider audience.
“Mr Enemuo, while I see your apology, I call it complete bullshit! I took multiple breaths and I’ve counted 1-10 multiple times to ensure I calm down and not say anything out of pocket but guess what, I’m still very angry!
“You claimed you wanted to help me reach a wider audience, I’m not sure you thought that statement through, you wanted to use your 250 subscribes to help me reach a wider audience with my almost 2 million subscribers?” she asked.
Questioning why Enemuo uploaded the particular soundtrack rather than another song from the movie, she said, “You specifically took the song I didn’t properly copyright of all the songs in the movie. Why didn’t you take hammerboi’s song? If anything, that’s the viral one I’d have loved to go even more viral song.”
She also questioned why he attempted to claim earnings from the movie after allegedly uploading the song to promote it.
“After you ‘helped me reach a wider audience’ why did you try to claim my earnings? Why did you monetise it and have me demonitised?” she asked.
The actress further warned that she would pursue the matter, writing, “But I’d make an example out of you. Don’t ever take my silence for weakness, believe me when I tell you I AM NOT THAT NICE AT ALL! ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO MY WORK.”
In a postscript to her response, Ademoye also dismissed suggestions that she was using the controversy for publicity or had failed to protect her work through copyright registration.
She shared screenshots of messages from people who, according to her, had contacted her after their channels were taken down following copyright enforcement on her projects.
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Gen Z No Longer Think for Themselves, Ayra Starr’s Mother Blames Social Media
Nene Aderibigbe, mother of Nigerian singer Ayra Starr, has criticised the influence of social media on Gen Z, claiming that many young people now depend on other people’s opinions instead of thinking for themselves.
Aderibigbe said she worries about the younger generation because of their heavy dependence on phones and their inability to recognise their own talents.
Speaking about the issue, she said: “Social media has just turned a lot of things upside down.
They don’t have their own thinking again; it is only people’s thinking they use now.”She also argued that many members of Gen Z are gifted but fail to recognise their abilities because of the influence of social media.
Aderibigbe advised young people to spend at least two to three hours away from their phones, reflect on their lives and practise meditation.
She said: “Take your time, drop your phone down for two, three hours, do mental note, put your head down, take a mental note or meditate.”
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Davido, Chioma Arrive in Style for Zlatan, Davita’s Wedding in Morocco
Nigerian music star, Davido, and his wife, Chioma Adeleke, have arrived in style in Marrakesh, Morocco, for the wedding celebration of rapper Zlatan Ibile and his wife, Davita Lamai.
The post was shared on the singer’s verified Instagram story @davido, on Thursday.
The celebrity couple’s appearance has added glamour to the ongoing wedding festivities, which have attracted prominent personalities from Nigeria’s entertainment industry.
Davido, a close friend of the groom, was among the notable guests at the welcome party held ahead of the couple’s white wedding.
The celebration featured colourful displays, lively music and traditional Moroccan wedding customs, with Zlatan and Davita making separate grand entrances on decorated platforms known as amaria, carried by attendants. (NAN)


