Entertainment
I’m Not The One Hindering Your Progress – Funke Akindele
Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Funke Akindele, has stated that she is not hindering anyone’s progress in the movie industry. Her statement comes amidst a remark from her colleague, Kunle Afolayan, who questioned the use of dance as a movie marketing strategy.
Daily voice reports that Afolayan had described marketing in the industry as exhausting, recalling his experience.
“In 2006, I did all the runs, and it was exhausting. I want to make a film if you can guarantee I don’t have to dance to sell that film.
“We need to come up with other strategies. How do we sell without exhausting ourselves?
I don’t know how the likes of Funke Akindele and others are doing it, creating skits every day, changing costumes all the time. I can’t do it,” he said.
Reacting in a series of Instagram posts, the actress dismissed suggestions that her approach to movie promotion was hindering the progress of others in the industry,
“I’m not the one hindering your progress. Ka rin ka po, yiye nin ye ni,” she wrote.
She further stated that the entertainment industry was large enough for everyone to thrive, urging colleagues to explore alternative approaches rather than criticising existing ones.
“If you can’t beat them or join them, create your own path. No allow jealousy burn you. The sky is so big for everybody to fly,” Akindele added. The actress also encouraged filmmakers who find the current trend exhausting to adopt other promotional strategies or engage professional marketing firms.
“Go ahead and create alternative promotion or marketing strategies for promoting your business, or hire a company to handle it. You can do it. The opportunities are endless, and everyone has their own path. I’m focused on mine, and I have faith in God’s plan for me,” she said.
Akindele is currently Nollywood’s highest-grossing filmmaker with her movie ‘Behind The Scenes, released in 2025, grossing ₦2,407,000,000. She is well known for her energetic promotional style, often involving dance videos and comedy skits used to market her films across social media platforms.
Nollywood actress Toyin Abraham has denied involvement in politics following her appointment into the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign council in Lagos State.
The Lagos State APC had appointed several popular Nollywood actors and other entertainers to its campaign structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.Book Movie Tickets
Veteran actor Jide Kosoko, Fuji musicians Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Abass Akande Obesere and Adewale Ayuba, as well as Nollywood stars Toyin Abraham, Eniola Badmus and Bimbo Akintola, are among those listed in the party’s Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate.Track Congressional Bills
The names are contained in the full list of the Lagos APC Campaign Council released by the Kadri Obafemi Hamzat Media Centre on Thursday.
The campaign council is scheduled to be inaugurated on Friday, September 18, at the APC Secretariat on ACME Road, Ikeja.
According to the list, Toke Benson-Awoyinka will serve as Director of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate, with Kosoko as Co-Director and Eniola Badmus as Deputy Director.
Reacting to the list making the rounds online, Toyin Abraham, in a post via her Instagram story, urged her followers to disregard the appointment.Subscribe To News
According to the thespian, she is staying out of politics and is not a member of any campaign council.
She wrote, “I’m not a member of any campaign council. I have said it recently, I am staying out of politics. Please disregard the supposed inclusion of my name in any campaign committee.”
Veteran Nigerian actor and film executive, Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs, has died at the age of 84.
His death was announced by his son, Olusoji Jacobs, on Instagram on Wednesday.
In the statement, the family described the late actor as “The Lion of Lufodo” and asked bloggers and social media influencers to respect his privacy.
“It is with gratitude to God for a life well lived and fought that we announce the passing of our dear husband, father, grandfather and uncle. The Lion of Lufodo.
We call on all bloggers and social media influencers to respect our family’s privacy at this time.” Jacobs was one of Nigeria’s veteran actors and was widely recognised for his contributions to theatre, television and film.
He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England and began his acting career in Britain, where he worked with repertoire theatres and appeared in British television productions and international films.
After returning to Nigeria, he became a prominent figure in the country’s film industry and was regarded as one of the veteran figures of Nollywood.
Jacobs won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2007. He also received the Industry Merit Award at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards and the MAA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
He was conferred with the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in 2011.
Jacobs was married to fellow veteran actress, Joke Silva.
Grammy Award-winning Nigerian Afrobeats star Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, closed the 2026 edition of the Afro Plus Fest in Maryland, United States, on Sunday, marking 15 years since his breakthrough in the music industry.
The 35-year-old singer headlined the final night of the three-day festival, which ran from 4 to 6 September at the Northwest Stadium Complex in Landover, Maryland.
Wizkid’s performance carried added significance as he celebrated a decade and a half in the industry, having first risen to prominence with the hit “Holla at Your Boy” from his 2011 debut album, Superstar.
Wizkid, who shared the stage with a global line-up of Afrobeats, dancehall and hip-hop artists, delivered a mix of career-defining tracks that had the crowd singing along.
The performance included “In My Bed,” “Daddy Yo,” “Bad to Me,” “Slow Down,” “Caro,” “Essence,” “Alaye,” “Jogodo,” “Money Constant,” and “Ojuelegba.”
Since his breakthrough in the industry, Wizkid has built one of the most decorated careers in African music, becoming the first Nigerian artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as a co-writer and featured artist on Drake’s “One Dance.”
His catalogue includes albums such as Ayo, Made in Lagos, More Love, Less Ego and Morayo.
Wizkid has also won a Grammy Award for his contribution to Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl” and is the most-streamed African artist on platforms such as Spotify. His Tems-assisted hit “Essence” achieved massive global crossover success.
The artist’s appearance as the final-night headliner underscored both his influence on Afrobeats and the rapid growth of Afro Plus Fest into a major diaspora gathering.
Official announcements for the festival featured Nigerian superstar Davido as the Friday headliner, Jamaican dancehall artiste Alkaline on Saturday, and Wizkid closing on Sunday, with additional acts including Lil Baby, Latto, Tems, Ayra Starr, Tiwa Savage, Olamide and Adekunle Gold among others.
Billed as the largest Afro-Caribbean-Hip Hop festival, the 2026 edition reportedly expanded to a three-day format across two stages, drawing a projected 40,000 fans daily.
Reflecting on the festival’s growth, Founder and Executive Producer Michael Awosanya noted in an earlier statement that the event had evolved into a global diaspora movement.
“The block party we dreamed about for a decade became a reality, and it exceeded every expectation. This sold-out debut proved that Afro Plus Fest is not just an event — it’s a movement. This was only the beginning. Afro Plus Fest is here to stay,” Awosanya stated.
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