Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Lagos Govt Allocates N4.64bn to Upscale Tourist sites – Commissioner

….Upscale Tourist sites
The Lagos State Government says it has allocated N4.64 billion to upscale tourist sites within the state for this year.
Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka, the state’s Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, disclosed this on Wednesday during the groundbreaking ceremony of the 100 million dollar Lagos Film City in Ejinrin-Epe.
Benson-Awoyinka said that some of the sites upscaled so far were the J.Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and Agia Tree project.
“The Lagos state government has been deliberate in its various steps in this sector, it has committed huge sums to upscaling the various tourist centres across the state.
“For this year 2023, a total amount of N4.635 billion was specifically allocated for this purpose.
“Among the list of beneficiaries are the recently commissioned J.Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture, and the Agia Tree project,” she said.
The commissioner noted that collaborations with notable players in the entertainment sector like Ebonylife Academy, Delyork and Ogidi Studios, had provided the platform for so many budding talents to hone their skills in acting, directing, scripting, cinematography, editing, photography and more.
She noted that the various decisive steps taken by the current administration in the tourism and creative space had started to contribute significantly to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through various sources.
Commenting on the Lagos Film City, Benson-Awoyinka said that the project had been designed to serve as an all-in-one facility, with leisure, entertainment, and learning infrastructure.
She said the project would sit on a 100-hectare of land with accommodation and numerous state-of-the-art studios to support television, radio and film, ranging from pre-production, production, post-production, distribution and more.
“The Lagos Film City will be the biggest in Africa, not in name only, but also in the content and quality of its offerings to the creative industry.
“The fact that a project of this magnitude is being undertaken via a public-private-partnership initiative is an excellent testament to the integrity and robustness of the Lagos state government economic policies and finance.
“The coming on stream of the Lagos Film City is a further testament of the commitment of the Gov. Sanwo-Olu administration to invest in infrastructure, and create an enabling environment, for the global ‘new economy’ to thrive in Lagos state,” she said.
Earlier, the Elejirin of Ejirinland, Oba Babatunde Balogun, expressed excitement over the development brought into his domain, as he sang in praise to God and prayed immensely for Gov. Sanwo-Olu.
He said the groundbreaking ceremony marked the dawn of a new horizon in Ejirin community.
“After the establishment of the first post office in Nigeria in this community in 1947, the state government has remembered the community for good again,” he said.
The traditional ruler assured the state government of the community’s cooperation and support as construction of the film city begins.
Also, Mr Wale Anomo, Executive Chairman of Ikosi-Ejinrin Local Council Development Area, appreciated Gov. Sanwo-Olu for siting the film city in Ejinrin.
Anomo said, “we are so excited today and we appreciate Mr Governor for this, this will bring infrastructural prosperity to us, ennormous job opportunities for our women and youths. We want you all to know that we are expecting more of this investment.”
Linus Idahosa, Founder, Delyork Group, said that the film city upon completion would accomodate a creative university to help bridge the gap between the academia and practitioners.
In his remarks, actor Femi Adebayo said that Sanwo-Olu’s unwavering support for the creative industry gives artistes more confidence in the industry. (NAN)
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Anti-fake News App ‘iShot-It’ Unveiled in FCT

‘iShot-It App’, a mobile application to combat the spread of fake news and misleading information, has been launched in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT).
An ICT firm, iShot-It App Integrated unveiled the new innovation at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
Mr Johnbull Igwe , Chief Executive officer of the firm, said the App was designed to assist in the fight against fake news and misinformation
He added that the new technology also has functions that rewards users in the business of content creation.
He explained that when used to capture photos and videos the APP authenticates the content with geo-location coordinate, date and time.
According to him, fake news and misinformation are twin problems that have continued to cause reputational damage in the digital space, adding that iShot-It App is a timely and proven solution.
“It supports organic content generators as they can sell the content to media houses or get directly rewarded by the App developer through new features which are being unboarded in coming days.
“At its core, iShot-It is about ownership and trust, as every photo and video you capture through the App is embedded with precise geo-location coordinates, date, and time stamps.
“This creates a digital seal of authenticity that cannot be changed, ensuring your content, whether it’s a breaking news report or a personal blog post, carries the weight of verifiable truth.
With iShot-It, your audience can experience the real narrative, tied to the exact place and time it happened.
“Journalists, bloggers, and everyday citizens can now have unassailable evidence to strengthen their credibility.
“It also enables users to share authentic experiences and connect with others honestly, while business owners can showcase their products and services transparently, building trust with customers”, he said.
In her remarks, a media executive and a partner of iShot-It App Integrated, Blessing Ogwo described the innovation as a tool that bridges credibility gap in digital storytelling.
” iShot-It App is about ownership and trust; it empowers users, journalists, bloggers and everyday citizens go authenticate their stories with unassailable evidence”, she said.
She said the App has features such as likes, comments, shares, direct messaging and others , and allows users to interact with their data secured.(NAN)
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Singer Tems Excited Ahead of Historic FIFA Club World Cup Show

Grammy-winning Nigerian music sensation, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has expressed excitement ahead of her performance at the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup final halftime show.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to hold between June 14 and July 13 in the United States, with the highly anticipated halftime show billed for July 13 at the MetLife Stadium.
According to a statement by Global Citizen, producers of the show, Tems will headline the show alongside Colombian hitmaker, J Balvin and American pop star, Doja, of a performance that will be broadcast live.
In reaction to the historic performance, Tems expressed excitement about the significance of the show.
“We’re going to bring the world together for a beautiful moment — to celebrate football, feel the unity that music brings, and help improve the lives of millions of children through the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund (FGCEF).”
“I can’t wait. See you at the FIFA Club World Cup final!”, she said.
According to the organisers, the performance is part of a broader effort to raise awareness and support for the FGCEF.
The FGCEF is a joint initiative led by FIFA President, Gianni Infantino and Global Citizen co-founder, Hugh Evans.
The fund aims to raise $100 million to expand access to quality education and football for children across the globe. (NAN)
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Nollywood series “The Party” for premiere on Netflix May 30

Star-studded Nollywood series “The Party” is set to premiere on Netflix May 30, its producer has said.
The producer of the acclaimed series, Judith Audu, disclosed this in a post on her Instagram page.
The Party is a three-part murder mystery series that tells the story of how everyone became a suspect when a young, successful, newly married man died unexpectedly and dramatically.
The series, directed by Yemi Morafa, features a lineup of A-list Nollywood actors, including Shaffy Bello, Uzor Arukwe, Mide Martins, Kunle Remi, and James Gardiner.
The series showcases brilliant performances by Tope Olowoniyan, Ben Touitou, Ray Adeka, and introduces Eva Ibiam in a standout debut.
The Party, a fully independent production of Ope Ajayi and Captain of Sea Productions, was originally conceived as a feature-length movie.
However, after being acquired by Netflix, it was restructured into a three-part series.
Earlier, Ajayi, in a post on his social media page, said that the Netflix series was one that would keep the audience guessing about the culprit.
In his words; “You’ll never be able to guess who did it.”
He further added: “The performances are perhaps one of my favourite things about the series.
“Everyone brought their A-game!”(NAN)