Entertainment/Arts/Culture
NPL Introduces Programme to Groom Nigerian Leaders – Chairman

The Nigerian Prize for Leadership (NPL) says it has introduced the Protege Leadership programme to groom and raise a replacement generation of leaders with the right values, mindsets, and character in the country.
The Chairman, Governing Board of NPL, Prof. Anya Anya, said this on Wednesday, at the unveiling of the nominations and entries for the race for ‘NPL 2021 Prize Winner’ in Abuja.
NPL has also called for applications for the 2nd edition of ‘NPL Ambassadors Leadership Programme.
Anya said that the programme targeted young Nigerians between 21 and 35 years of age.
According to him, the selection process begins with an intensive training programme of qualified youths as leadership Ambassadors.
“Qualified Ambassadors will enlist for a higher programme to qualify as NPL Fellows. It is from the rank of Fellows that the final process is conducted to select the Proteges.
“The proteges are attached as ‘apprentices’ to the NPL Prize winner each year,’’ the chairman said.
According to him, today’s event is to unveil the nominations and entries for the race for ‘NPL 2021 Prize Winner’ and call for Applications for the 2nd edition of ‘NPL Ambassadors Leadership Programme.
“The Prize will be presented annually. The process began with a careful, meticulous and rigorous selection process by the Technical Team of Experts (TTE) led by the late Prof. Ayo Ibidapo-Obe.
“The team set out the selection criteria and guidelines, which has been presented earlier today by the Executive Secretary as ‘NPL Leadership Barometers’.
“This is followed by what we are doing today, after which the Board will set up the Assessment and Recommendation Panel (APR) to review and assess the entries and recommend possible winners to the Governing Board.
“The 2021 Prize Winner will be presented with: Medal of Honour; Plaque of Excellence; Sach of Distinction; and monetary sum of N25million.
“It is important to emphasise that the Prize is open to all Nigerians,’’ he said.
According to him, the Nigerian Prize for leadership is an initiative of some eminent elders, statesmen and women.
“The Prize is to recognise outstanding acts of leadership based on a clearly defined Nigerian paradigm, at various levels of society and human interest.
“It seeks to identify what leadership means to Nigerians; benchmark what should represent the image of a successful or failed leader in Nigeria.
“It is also aimed to determine what responsibility leadership confers on both the leader and the follower and establish a new culture of leadership in Nigeria,’’ Anya said.
The Executive Secretary of NPL, Dr, Ike Neliaku, who gave a breakdown of the measurable criteria for qualification for the prize, said there were two sets of barometers that would be used to shortlist possible winners.
The first set, he said, included vision, creativity and innovation, character, competence and sacrifice.
For the second set, he said that the NLP would look out for impact on society, governance, diversity and inclusion as well as a role model and mentoring.
The former Minister of information, Prof. Jerry Gana, said that a leader must have a vision and a drive to move people to achieve the set objectives.
“A leader must have a vision, very clear direction where he or she is taking the people. Secondly, a leader must have the capacity to translate vision into action.
“There is a lot in between them that is why most people fail. Doing that translation, you have to do it with passion and commitment,’’ Gana said. (NAN)
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
FG Endorses Arewa International Film Festival, Pledges Support

The Federal Government has endorsed the Arewa International Film Festival (AIFF) and pledged its support to showcase the rich and historic beauty of Northern film, creative works, achievements and opportunities.
Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa pledged FG support on Wednesday at the official unveiling of the film festival.
The festival is tagged “Showcasing untapped potential and promoting the rich historical heritage and storytelling of the Sahel region”.
Musawa said that the creative industry remained the best platform to engage and promote Nigeria’s richness, history and diverse heritage to the world.
She, however, said that the Arewa film industry had to showcase its pride and prove its worth in the creative ecosystem to gain relevance.
“It is the responsibility of Arewa stakeholders to take ownership and stop complaining about what Nigeria has not offered them without showcasing what they have to offer Nigerians,” she said.
The minister said that the government was in full support of the festival, which would empower the teeming and growing population of youths in the region.
She said that plans were underway to create a film village among other projects to enhance the industry.
According to her, the Federal Government is currently working on developing film infrastructure such as studios and film villages, with a conscious effort to ensure that Kannywood is fully integrated into that growth process.
She urged the Arewa creatives not to work in silos, but tap into the creative industry potential and deliver worthy and tangible deliverables that would endear Nigeria and the global community to invest and sustain its craft.
She lauded the organisers of the festival for the initiative to showcase the beauty of the Arewa rich conservative creativity.
Musawa also commended the country’s creative industry for striving to brand, promote and rebrand the industry.
Managing Director of the Nigeria Film Corporation (NFC), Ali Nuhu said that the festival was an opportunity for the north to synergies with other regions in the country and beyond.
Nuhu said that it was also an opportunity to unveil new talents, empower and showcase actors, directors, producers and cinematographers in the region.
“The AIFF will serve as an opportunity to address the numerous problems in the arewa space, especially capacity building, skills acquisition, networking, opportunities, partnerships and sponsorships.
“When you look at Southern Nigeria’s creative industry and the kind of things they do, the opportunities they get, it is all because of platforms like this.
“I am excited about this for the filmmakers in the north, across regions and into the global community,” he said.
Convener of the AIFF, Rahama Sadau said that the festival was a cultural renaissance, a youth empowerment movement and a platform to reclaim the narrative of the Sahel creative industry.
Sadau said that the festival would screen over 100 outstanding films, celebrate women in filmmaking, parade royal durbar, award innovation and spotlight emerging stars from the region.
“We have been underrepresented in the global creative dialogue, but the AIFF aims to amplify the creative and cultural expressions of Northern Nigeria as well as celebrating the rich history, literature, and oral traditions.
“I am really excited for the world to hear our conservative stories of worth and value and the quest to protect our conservative nature,” she said.
She acknowledged the Federal Government’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for the growth of the creative sector, particularly in untapped regions like Northern Nigeria.
Sadau said that the government’s support would yield measurable impact, create jobs, empower youth and enable cultural diplomacy.
She advocated for inclusive narratives that reflect the diversity, richness and resilience of the Sahel region and its people in all creative works across the country.
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Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Davido, Chioma Jet Out to Miami for their White Wedding

Famous Nigerian singer, Davido, has jetted out of the country to Miami for his white wedding with Chioma, his wife.
Davido will officially marry Chioma in a white wedding ceremony in the United States this weekend.
A viral video shared by the singer’s cousin,
Adewale Adeleke, captured the moment his family members, including Hailey, his daughter with his second baby mama, were seen arriving in Miami.
Also in Miami are Davido’s crew members and associates, popularly known as 30 Billion Gang, 30BG.
Davido traditionally married Chioma in June 2024 in Lagos State after the arrival of their twins.
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Rema’s ‘Rave & Roses’ Becomes First African Album to Hit 3bn Streams on Spotify

Nigerian singer Rema’s debut album, Rave & Roses (Ultra version), has become the first African project to surpass 3 billion streams on Spotify.
The lead single of the album, Calm Down (remix with American pop star Selena Gomez), made history last year as the first African song to hit the billion-stream mark on Spotify.
The combined versions of Calm Down contributed over 2 billion streams to the total album streams on Spotify, with the remaining 20 songs contributing less than a billion.
Rave & Roses (Ultra) is followed by South African singer Tyla’s eponymous debut album, with over 2 billion streams, on the list of the most-streamed African projects on Spotify.
Burna Boy’s African Giant and Love, Damini, Wizkid’s Made in Lagos: Deluxe Edition, and CKay’s CKay the First are the other African projects that have surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify.