Nigeria News
Nigerian Actresses Live Large, Actors Play Second Fiddle
“It’s a man’s world,” so the saying goes. But this is not the case in the Nigerian film industry, also known as Nollywood, where more actresses are now calling the shots and living in opulence, while their male counterparts play second fiddle
•Chika Ike
Chika Ike is not your A-List class actress. She has not won any award or released any blockbuster. But in the last few months, the actress has featured prominently in celebrity magazines and gossip blogs because of her rising profile in the movie industry. Indeed the actress could be said to be on cloud nine as news around her private life has been close to that of a Hollywood fairy tale lifestyle.
With her array of luxury cars parked in her garage, a recent buzz over claim of N5 million cheque being paid to her to shave off her hair for a role in an upcoming movie, and the recent reports of her new multi-million naira home in upscale Lekki in Lagos last week, 28-year old Chika could be said to be living large.
The house, P.M.NEWS Entertainment Cafe learnt, has a swimming pool, gym room, private office, car port, garden, massive walk-in closet and a state-of-the-art interior.
Chika’s new status as a landlady in that posh area was achieved not too long after her colleague in the movie industry, star actress Genevieve Nnaji, excited her parents by relocating them from their home in Egbeda, a Lagos suburb, to a new building in the same upscale Lekki. Her aged parents are in their late 60s and 70s respectively. Her siblings also benefited from her large heart.
It was learnt that Genevieve had in recent time found it challenging to check on her parents due to the distance between them. Besides, she felt her dad who could hardly walk due to old age needed to be closer to her to receive adequate medical care.
•Genevieve Nnaji
Genevieve, 34, who presently resides in another upscale Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, remains one of the richest in her trade. She’s mostly chauffeured in various expensive automobiles but has preference for a Toyota Landcruiser with a plain-cloth policeman always on her entourage as escort.
In early May, Mercy Johnson and her husband, Prince Odinosein Okojie, moved from their Omole Estate home to a new lush house at Thomas Estate in Lekki, Lagos. The actress, who recently had a baby girl in the United States, hosted some friends and family to a house-warming cum child dedication party at the new mansion that befits the star she is.
•Funke Akindele
It is not only English-speaking movie Nollywood actresses who are living life to the fullest in Lekki and Ikoyi axis of Lagos. Some Yoruba-speaking actresses are fast joining the train. After her lavish wedding last year, popular Yoruba actress and producer, Funke Akindele, and her husband, Kenny Oloyede, decided to reside in Lekki.
Apart from her movies grossing millions of naira both at the box office and DVD sales, Funke is also brands’ sweetheart. With a rich portfolio of top brands including Globacom, Klin, Jobberman, and recently Vitafoam, choosing her as their ambassador, Funke, popularly known as ‘Jenifa’, has emerged one of the richest actresses both in the English and Yoruba speaking genres of Nollywood. And with this, she can afford to live in opulence.
Funke also now has as neighbour in the highbrow area, fellow actress Toyin Aimakhu. The recently married actress and producer has equally picked one of the estates in Lekki Phase 1 as her abode. Toyin not only moved into the rich neighbourhood, she equally joined the league of actresses who earn extra income aside acting by opening a fashion store in the same Lekki neighbourhood.
A source told P.M.NEWS Entertainment Cafe that Toyin’s new multi-million naira fashion store, TAJ Dresses, stocks various kinds of dresses for all occasions.
Prior to the present paternity mess rocking Laide Bakare’s life, which has forced the actress to relocate to the United States for the delivery of her new baby, the actress also resided in Lekki. She also has her office and studio located within the Peninsula.
P.M.NEWS Entertainment Cafe checks revealed that in spite of the glut being experienced in the Nigerian movie industry, there are at least 50 actresses either owning their buildings or paying huge rents for apartments in many of the posh estates across Lekki, VGC and Ajah axis, and in Ikoyi.
•Omotola
Other actresses who live in these upscale areas include beautiful Monalisa Chinda, who has been living in the area as far back as 2009; Kate Henshaw; Ufuoma Ejenobor; Stephanie Okereke-Linus; Oge Okoye; Uche Jombo; Chelsea Eze and Tonto Dikeh.
While many pundits agreed that the entertainment industry is controlled by the male folk, the female entertainers seem to be the ones favoured by fortunes as they smile more to the bank, live a life of luxury, drive fast cars and Sport Utility Vehicles. And some of them who were lucky to have partners, had fabulous weddings. To many of their male folks, this wide gulf in terms of swimming in wealth and luxury has provoked worries. “The reason for the disparity is not far-fetched. It is a common belief that most Nigerian actresses don’t live on what they earn from acting as that alone could not sustain the high standard of living they project to their fans. It is also evident that most of these actresses engage in ‘runs’ (other quick ways of making money) to augment the meagre funds they earn from movies,” said a female entertainment journalist who wants to remain anonymous.
She added: “Many of them cannot command a fee of N500,000, yet they cruise around in expensive luxury cars way beyond their means, dress to kill in designer wears and live in posh areas. Their lifestyle contrasts sharply with the output of their creative works.”
Adeyemi Oladeinde, movie journalist and critic, said naturally it is easier for ladies generally to make it because they have things easier, including in the movie industry.
“It is a known fact that many of the marketers prefer to ‘help’ the actresses. The reason so many of them, especially in the Yoruba genre are becoming producers. If you are not a popular actor, you might not get such opportunity and so you continue to move round in circles while your female counterparts progress,” Oladeinde told P.M.NEWS Entertainment Cafe.
He continued: “Many of the rich men around also prefer to associate financially with females, especially if you are single and beautiful. How many rich women would do that for a single male? All the indices favour actresses to the detriment of their male folks.”
Monalisa
Gbenga Bada of Movie Moments, an online portal, said from the inception of what is now known as Nollywood, female players have consistently fared better than their male colleagues.
“The females have shone brightly as a result of their beauty attributes. This has endeared them to moneybags who want to be associated with them. The proceeds they get with their earnings are used by some to establish businesses such as fashion stores, wine bars, supermarkets and other ventures,” Bada noted.
Popular movie actor, Leo Mezie believes many of the actresses have less responsibilities and they can afford to live extravagant lifestyles.
“Many of these my female colleagues are not their families’ breadwinners. The actresses either have husbands or boyfriends who make things happen for them. In the case of men, they to provide for their women- wives or girlfriends. Apart from their little income from movie roles, most actresses are pampered by their husbands, fiancés, boyfriends, admirers and even politicians including governors,” Mezie said.
Samuel Olatunji, a journalist with TheSun newspaper, said the actresses are bound to live better than their male counterparts because they get more jobs in terms of movie roles.
“Roles are limited for male. If you check an average movie, you will see more female than male. Secondly, most of them have fewer responsibilities compared to their male counterparts. An actress most often has someone footing the bill(husband, boyfriend or admirer), while the guys on the other hand have school fees, bills and concubines’ bill to pay,” Olatunji submitted.
For those saying it’s a man’s world, Mike Alonge, blogger and movie critic, begs to differ.
“It is women’s world these days and you should expect them to dominate in all areas, professions or organisations. Even in church today, they occupy 70 percent of the seats,” Alonge said.
According to him, the global entertainment industry thrives on beauty and largely, sex. These women, including Nigerian actresses understand this, and they are ever willing to take advantage of it.
“The actresses have a unique selling point which is their beauties. Even a blind man can identify a beautiful lady when he touches one. So, their beauty has been the major attraction and their unique selling point globally and Nigeria is no exception. So definitely, they will keep living better than their male counterparts until proper structures are put in place to favour everyone as it is the case in Hollywood,” Alonge submitted.
Nuella Njubigbo
In her own defence, Nuella Njubigbo said contrary to what critics say about her and other fellow actresses, many of the actresses work hard on locations to live the kind of life considered extravagant and beyond their means.
“I can only speak for myself. I have other businesses that I do by the side. But even if it’s just acting, what I earn can actually get me such car and even enable me live well. Those saying all that, I am not sure they have gone to the market to see the number of movies I have done in the last one year. I have done a lot,” Nuella told P.M.NEWS Entertainment Cafe.
But for how long will this disparity continue and when will the fans begin to see their favourite actors live a life of opulence like their female counterparts? Olatunji said: “Since the industry is controlled largely by men, and it is a common knowledge that men like doing business with women, it becomes obvious why the anomaly will continue.”
—Funsho Arogundade
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Posted in Nigeria News. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: PM News
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The Kano State Government on Saturday said it has transferred 1,098 ‘almajiris’ to different states of the country.
The commissioner for local government, Murtala Garo, disclosed this while presenting a report before the state’s task force on COVID-19 at the government house, Kano.
Almajiris are children who are supposed to be learning Islamic studies while living with their Islamic teachers. Majority of them, however, end up begging on the streets of Northern Nigeria. They constitute a large number of Nigeria’s over 10 million out-of-school children.
Mr Garo said the Kano government transported 419 almajiris to Katsina, 524 to Jigawa and 155 to Kaduna. He said all of them tested negative for coronavirus before leaving the Kano State.
Despite the coronavirus test done in Kano for the almajiris, the Jigawa government earlier said it would quarantine for two weeks all the almajiris that recently arrived from Kano.
Mr Garo said another 100 almajiris scheduled to be taken to Bauchi State also tested negative to COVID-19.
In a remark, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje said the COVID-19 situation in Kano was getting worse. He appealed for a collaborative effort to curtail the spread of the virus in the state.
Mr Ganduje, who commended residents for complying with the lockdown imposed in the state, said the decision was taken to halt the spread of the virus.
Kano State, as of Saturday night, has 77 coronavirus cases, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The decision to transfer the Kano almajiris is part of the agreement reached between Northern governors that almajiris in each state be transferred to their states of origin.
However, even before the latest agreement by the governors, the Kano government had been transferring almajiris to other states and neighbouring countries after it banned street begging in the state, most populous in Northern Nigeria.
Despite the transfers, however, no concrete step has been taken to ensure such children do not return to Kano streets as there is freedom of movement across Nigeria although interstate travel was recently banned to check the spread of the coronavirus.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
By Ugochukwu Alaribe
Operatives of the Abia State Vigilante Service, AVS, popularly known as ‘Bakassi Boys’ have arrested 24 market women hidden in a container truck, at Ekwereazu Ngwa, the boundary community between Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The market women, said to be from Akwa Ibom State, were on their way to Aba, when they were arrested with the truck driver and two of his conductors for violating the lockdown order by the state government.
Driver of the truck, Moses Asuquo, claimed he was going to Aba to purchase stock fish, but decided to assist the market women, because they were stranded.
A vigilante source told Sunday Vanguard that the vehicle was impounded while the market women were sent back to Akwa Ibom State.
Commissioner for Home Land Security, Prince Dan Okoli, who confirmed the incident, said that smuggling of people into the state poses great threat to the state government’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID- 19.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
Operatives of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Yaba of the Lagos State police command have arrested one Mrs Nene Steve for allegedly killing her maid, Joy Adole
The maid was allegedly beaten to death by Nene for requesting for her salary at their residence located at 18, Ogundola Street, Bariga area in Lagos.
Narrating the incident, Philips Ejeh, an elder brother to the deceased said that he was sad when they informed him that his sister was beaten to death.
He explained that the deceased was an indigene of Benue State brought to Lagos through an agent and started working with her as a maid in January 2020.
‘’She reported that her boss refused to pay her and anytime she asked for her salary she will start beating her.
She was making an attempt to leave the place but due to the total lockdown she remained there until Sunday when her boss said she caught her stealing noodles and this led to her serious beating and death,’’ Ejeh said.
He called on Lagos State Government and well- meaning people in the country to help them in getting justice for the victim.
The police spokesman, Bala Elkana, stated that the woman and her husband came to Bariga Police Station to a report that their house girl had committed suicide.
Detectives were said to have visited the house and suspected foul play with the position of the rope and bruises all over the body which confirmed that the girl had been tortured to death and the boss decided to hang up the girl to make it look like suicide.
He said: “The police moved on with their investigation and found a lot of sign of violence on her body that she has been tortured before a rope was put on her neck.’’
He added that the police removed the corpse and deposited it in the mortuary for autopsy to further ascertain the cause of the death.
Elkana said the matter has been transferred from Bariga police station to Panti for further investigation while the couple have been arrested and will be charged to court.
Ostensibly alarmed by the latest killings of dozens of soldiers by Boko Haram insurgents, President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned an urgent meeting of Service Chiefs to find ways to stop the trend.
He has also dispatched the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, to the neighbouring Republic of Chad for an urgent meeting with President Idris Deby and his defence counterpart.
Knowledgeable sources said in Abuja on Friday that the president is worried by on the deterioration of security situation on the Nigeria – Chad Border that has led to the recently increased Boko Haram terrorism in the area.
The sources which did not want to be named in Abuja said: “Nigeria has a Chad problem in the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) put together to secure the Lake Chad basin areas and repeal the Boko Haram terrorist attacks against all the countries neighbouring the Lake.”
The sources noted that Chad is believed to be having their own internal security challenges and this has reportedly led to their pulling away their own troops manning their own border around Lake Chad, saying: “That lacuna is being exploited by the Boko Haram terrorists, who go in and out of Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon to launch terrorist acts. This is a clear illustration of the fact that terrorism is beyond national borders.”
When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed that the Defence Minister is going to Chad but said he is unaware of the purpose.
Meanwhile, the military authorities are said to be in the process of identifying the families of the latest victims with a view to making contact with them.
Credible sources revealed that it is the reason the president is yet to make any pronouncement on the matter.
“The President has called an urgent meeting with the Service Chiefs, as well as the fact that families of the latest victims of the Boko Haram are being identified and contacts made before a government pronouncement on the tragic attacks. This, it is understood, is the reason for the silence of the government over the incident,” the source said.
Sourced From: Tribune
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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