Actor Jerry Amilo’s daughter’s death, David Abioye’s retirement, other top entertainment stories last week

Toyin Lawani’s degenerative spine disease

Toyin Lawani

Nigerian fashion designer and author Toyin Lawani bravely shared on her Instagram page her year-long battle with degenerative spine disease, a condition that involves the breakdown of the intervertebral discs and other spine structures due to ageing, wear and tear, or injury.

Degenerative spine disease, or degenerative disc disease (DDD), involves the breakdown of the intervertebral discs and other spine structures due to ageing, wear and tear, or injury.

It primarily affected the discs, which served as cushions between the vertebrae, causing them to lose their flexibility, elasticity, and shock-absorbing abilities.

She thanked God for His mercy and miracles, which kept her alive despite her health challenges.

She wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post: “At times, we don’t see the miracles until we take a step back and watch the journey; it’s been a year and a half now since battling this degenerative spine disease, and all I can say is thank You God for his miracles, mercy, blessings on me and my family, It’s been years of fighting my way back to being myself and looking back at my journey is truly a miracle.

“Healing can take years and years. I am working on part two of my healing journey and will be dropping that soon; it’s been treatment upon treatment. I’m glad I could pull big smiles daily, But let’s just thank God for his miracle. People without walking in your shoes can never know how you feel. Cause you see people smiling doesn’t mean they don’t walk around with pain; everyone is going through something, but God’s miracle shines through if you believe and look to him.”

The 42-year-old CEO of Tiannahs Place Empire, which comprised 33 businesses, was also the costume designer on ‘King of Boys: The Return of the King’ and ‘Shanty Town.’

Basketmouth laments colleagues’ begging habit

Comedian Basketmouth urged his colleagues to stop begging on stage during performances. In an interview on ‘CreativiTea Live with Linda’, he explained that this habit had watered down the profession.

The 46-year-old questioned the sanity of those who engaged in begging and encouraged established comedians to work with the younger generation.

Basketmouth, whose real name is Bright Okpocha, rose to fame after hosting the #TwoThingsChallenge on Instagram, which sparked an uproar when a young fan posted a video saying obscene things related to sex with a child present.

Tiwa Savage’s TikTok tattoo exposure

Netizens criticised songstress Tiwa Savage for exposing her backside while showing off a tattoo during a TikTok live session with social media influencers Peller and Jadrolita.

During the session, Peller mentioned replicating her tattoo, leading the mother-of-one to reveal various tattoos on her body. The 44-year-old shared that she had a bird tattoo on her neck, but when Jadrolita suggested placing it on her backside, she exposed the tattoo on her buttocks.

The TikTok video sparked online discussions, with many criticising her for her actions.

Let’s come back to talk about what Tiwa Savage did on the Tiktok live but what do you mean Jarvis is 26 y/o and Peller is 19!!!!!! Whatttt pic.twitter.com/hjobsQd8m7

— DEBBY JAY 💵 |GIFT VENDOR |SCRIPTWRITER (@justdebbyjay) October 9, 2024

However, Jarvis later clarified in a viral video that the singer didn’t expose her buttocks during the live session but only showed her lower waist tattoo.

Ayra Starr’s MTV EMA nominations

Ayra Starr

Singer Ayra Starr earned nominations for ‘Best African Act,’ ‘Best Push,’ ‘Best Afrobeats,’ and ‘Best New Artist’ at the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Asake, Burna Boy, Rema, and Tems also received nominations, while American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift had the most nominations.

The 30th edition of the award show will take place on 10 November at Manchester’s Co-op Live in the UK.

Ayra Starr, whose real name is Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, rose to fame with her debut extended play and its hit track ‘Away’. She gained international recognition in 2022 by releasing her song ‘Rush.’

Laide Bakare’s controversial advice to women

Laide Bakare

Actress Laide Bakare advised career-oriented women to prioritise having children over marriage during an interview on ‘Nollywood On Radio’.

She added that marriage was unnecessary to start a family, citing her personal experience.

The actress said: “If you are aspiring to be a successful superstar as a young girl, I would advise you to get married and have kids early so that you can have the rest of your years to push your career because the family area is critical.

“Getting married early may lead to divorce, but I mean starting a family early. Maybe I should retract that because I do not mean marriage. I never thought of marriage when I had my first child; I just wanted a baby. So the advice is not to get married early but start having a family.”

The actress, whose film ‘Jejere’ won the 2012 Best of Nollywood Award for Best Costume Design, married Olumide Kunfulire first, and they had a daughter, Simi, in 2008.

In 2013, she married Lagos socialite Tunde Oriowo, and they had two sons together.

Actress Yetunde Wunmi’s sacrifice

Actress Yetunde Wumi

Actress Yetunde Wunmi shared that she lost her marriage and her one-year-and-ten-day-old baby due to her passion for acting.

In an interview with BBC Yorùbá, she revealed that her stage performance career began in 1982 under Sunday Akinola’s (Feyi Kogbon) theatre group. Her passion for acting ignited after she met the late legendary filmmaker Adeyemi Afolayan.

Despite the child’s illness, she recalled taking her one-month-old baby to a performance in Ilorin, Kwara state. The 64-year-old expressed regret that her child didn’t witness her theatre success, noting it as an unforgettable part of her life.

Wunmi said: “Adelove brought the stage drama to Danjuma film close to where I lived then. I cannot forget the man. He wore all white that day. He wore white shoes and came out from a white car. Everybody ran towards the man, and I went closer to ensure I touched his clothes. I was thrilled at the time. It felt like I touched a gold. That was when my interest in theatre started to grow. I lost my marriage due to my love for this theatre.

“I never regretted doing theatre since then because God has been gracious to me. One experience I cannot forget was when I joined my boss’ group. I was nursing a baby who was still under 41 days. One day, I said to let myself stroll out, but I saw my group having rehearsals. I asked if there was an outing. My boss’ wife then told me the troop was travelling. I did not tell my husband the truth. I only told him I would visit my mother in another town. I followed the troop to Ilorin, where we started the stage performances.

“Anytime I was called to the stage to dance, I would use my costume to wrap the baby, give the child to someone, and get the child back whenever I was done. The next day, the child was having a high temperature, and I went to the pharmacy to get drugs for the baby. Two days later, my boss told me to return home due to the baby’s health, but I refused and told him I was returning. I was eventually paid N16 — which was the exact amount I spent on treating the child. I was not concerned because I was just happy to be part of the show. The most painful part of it was that the baby died after a year and ten days old.”

Since her debut in the 1980s soap opera Feyi Kogbon, the actress has played leading roles in over 50 videos, including Apaadi, Egbin Ara, The Couple, Tiwa’s Mum, and Iran Mi.

Rita Edochie’s advice to women who tolerate toxic, cheating partners

Actress Rita Edochie

Actress Rita Edochie criticised women on her Instagram for staying in relationships with unfaithful men solely for financial gain.

She stated that, in her generation, women confronted cheating husbands, withheld intimacy, or even left the relationship if the behaviour persisted.

Rita advised married women to start businesses that earned them money rather than depending on their husbands for financial support.

She said: “During our time, once we find out that our men cheat on us, we will kick against it with full force, yell at him, starve him sexually, give him certain attitudes he won’t find comfortable, and if he refuses to stop cheating, we will walk away from the marriage or relationship irrespective of who he thinks he is or how much he thinks he has. Ladies, you can do better now! It’s high time you started proving to your men that money does not buy respect.

“Secondly, I have been saying this: ladies, have something you do that fetches you money. Be a boss, sail your ship yourself so you can comfortably tackle a man who keeps messing up. It is only when you depend on your man for survival that you will have no say when he begins to trample on your emotions as a woman. Please plan yourselves, biko, because tata bu gboo (today is early). Good morning, great lovers of Rita Edochie. I wish you all a stress-free day.”

The 60-year-old actress married Tony Edochie, the younger brother of veteran actor Pete Edochie.

She started her acting career with minor roles in 1990 and had a long career in Nollywood films, including ‘Love Delayed’, ‘Onye-Eze’, ‘No More War’, ‘Chain Reaction’, ‘1999’, ‘Abuja Boys’, and ‘Censored Love’.

Actress Sotayo Gaga welcomed her first child

Sotayo Gaga

Actress Tayo Sobola, known as Sotayo Gaga, welcomed her first child.

Her colleagues, including Joke Jigan and Ronke Odusanya, broke the news on their Instagram pages.

Jigan shared a photo of the actress with her newborn, congratulated her, and thanked God for the safe delivery.

“The news I have been patiently waiting for. This one sweetens me to my core. Sotayo Gaga, well done, love, and congratulations to you,” Jigan wrote.

Ronke wrote: “This news, sweet my belle; thank God it never fails. Alaanu oloore ofe, we bless thee. You’re worthy of our praise; thank you, Lord, for this great gift; we appreciate you. We trusted in you, and you did it.”

The actress thanked her colleagues, fans, and well-wishers on her Instagram page for their congratulations, gifts, and prayers.

The 38-year-old actress gained recognition for movies such as Ojuloge Obinrin, Last Minutes, Aadun, and Checkmate.

Layi Wasabi’s journey to stardom

Layi Wasabi

Skit maker Layi Wasabi shared that his journey to stardom began after a difficult breakup with his girlfriend.

According to The Nation newspaper, Layi Wasabi explained that he seized the opportunity after the breakup to start posting content daily and eventually achieved success through consistency.

He said: “I would make some funny videos, but I wouldn’t share them with people. But I would show it to my friends when things ended with this person because I wasn’t showing seriousness with my life. I had nothing to lose; I started to spam you people.

“I started to drop content daily, and as God would have it, I had my first viral video, my second viral video, and my third viral video, and then she called me. That was the journey. It was something I was passionate about, and I worked towards it relentlessly.”

The 26-year-old, known for his GNCC content, won the Best Content Creator award at the 2024 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.

Wizkid’s ‘Piece of My Heart’

Singer Wizkid

Wizkid announced that his latest music project, ‘Piece of My Heart,’ would be released on 18 October.

While sharing a picture of himself with another artiste, he captioned the post: “Oct 18th #pieceofmyheart.”

‘Piece of My Heart’ is believed to be a track from ‘Morayo’, his forthcoming album, for which he had yet to reveal the release date.

Jerry Amilo’s daughter’s death

Actor Jerry Amilo laid his 14-year-old daughter, Chidera, to rest.

Amilo announced on his Instagram page that his daughter died on 4 October. He wrote, “You took a part of me with you. I’m so speechless.”

As of the press time, the cause of Chidera’s death remained unknown.

The actor starred in movies like Lockdown, Wanted Alive, Bloody Handshake, and Silent Night.

Bishop Oyedepo’s VP retirement

Bishops David Abioye and Thomas Aremu, the two Vice Presidents of Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), are set for retirement after serving for over four and three decades.

The Punch newspaper reported that their retirement aligned with Winners Chapel’s operational manual, The Mandate, which revised the retirement age from 60 to 55.

Bishop Abioye is 63, while Bishop Aremu is 67.

Punch added that Bishop Abioye’s farewell service will be held on 18 October in Durumi, Abuja, while Bishop Aremu’s will be at LFC Basorun in Ibadan, Oyo State, on 15 October.

Singer Speed Darlington’s lawyer’s candid advice

Speed Darlington and his lawyer

Singer Speed Darlington’s lawyer, Stan Alieke, advised Nigerians to avoid unnecessary lawsuits, noting that some will humble them.

Mr Alieke cautioned Nigerians on his Instagram story against recklessly inviting trouble, believing their lawyers would bail them out.

He emphasised the unpredictability of court rulings and litigation’s potential personal and financial toll.

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Speed Darlington’s attorney said, “As your lawyer, I will advise you to try as much as possible to avoid troubles. It isn’t worth it; all these “I will call my lawyer” bragging is nothing. Lawyers can only do their best and leave you alone.

“All these ‘gra gra’ that some of you are doing is because you haven’t jammed with someone who has your time and is ready to deal with you. Some trouble will humble you for life. I have seen people lose everything fighting a court case.”

Mr Alieke provided the advice days after his client, Speed Darlington, whose real name is Darlington Okoye, was released on bail for defaming and cyberstalking his colleague, Burna Boy.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that police arrested Speed Darlington in Lagos, and he was in Abuja for allegedly mocking Burna Boy’s association with American rapper Diddy, who the FBI arrested on multiple charges, including sexual exploitation, in a video posted on his social media.