Toyosi Etim Effiong, wife of Nigerian actor and filmmaker Daniel Etim Effiong, has revealed that her marriage to the movie star influenced her decision to become a talent manager.

In her recent podcast outing, Mrs Etim Effiong explained that after she got married, she noticed that her husband’s career and Nollywood in general lack structures and legal frameworks.

She said banking on her experience as a show organiser in New York, she decided to introduce some of the structures in the American showbiz into Nollywood, starting with her husband as her first client.

She said after some months of managing her husband’s career, some of his colleagues who noticed the positive changes in his career also reached out to her to be their manager as well.

Etim Effiong said, “I am married to Daniel Etim Effiong -Nigeria’s finest filmmaker and actor. And earlier on in the marriage, I realised that there wasn’t a lot of structure in his career and the Nigerian movie industry generally.

“Producers just casually call actors and ask when they will be available for a shoot and when the actor is available, they start bargaining for the artiste’s fee over the phone like market women. It was very informal.

“Sometimes, you will clear your calendar for a shoot and the producer will call and tell you it has been cancelled at the last minute and give excuses. There was no structure or legal framework. The negotiations were also horrible.

“So, I became a self-appointed manager, which he was fine with. I started to support him, even with his social media and reading through his contracts. My support brought immediate results. And after some months, some of his friends approached me to manage them, too.”

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The Big Brother Naija, BBNaija, reality TV show is set to return for its 11th season as the organizers have announced the commencement of
auditions.

The announcement was made on Saturday via the show’s official social media pages.

The post reads: “It’s time! #BBNaija Season 11 auditions registration is here.

“Register from 16 – 20 May to qualify for the physical auditions. Limited slots. Registration portal closes at maximum capacity. Link to secure your spot: africamagic.tv/bigbrother.”

According to the organizers, interested participants are required to follow the steps below to participate in the audition.

“Go to africamagic.tv/bigbrother

“Fill in your personal details

“Choose your preferred date, location and time

“Date: MAY 22nd-24th | Location: Lagos, Abuja or Enugu

“Watch your inbox for a confirmation email

“Show up at your audition venue on your confirmed date!”

The post added: “Audition is free and open to persons 21 or older with a valid identity document.”

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The organisers of Big Brother Naija have hinted at the return of the reality television show for its 11th season, with auditions expected to begin soon.

In a post shared on its official X account on Tuesday, the organisers dropped a teaser message that read, “Biggie is calling. Are you ready to answer?” alongside a video announcement confirming that auditions will commence shortly.

The post also stated, “It’s back. Auditions coming soon!” sparking excitement among fans of the long-running reality show.

The announcement comes months after the conclusion of the show’s tenth season, which returned to screens on July 26, 2025, featuring 29 housemates competing for a grand prize of ₦150 million.

Season 10 introduced several format changes, including a revamped Head of House challenge, which now holds on Sunday nights, with winners retaining authority only until a follow-up challenger game on Monday. Housemates who finish last in the HOH challenge are automatically placed up for nomination.

The season also introduced new twists, such as the “Bag of Big Twists,” controlled by the Head of House, and a “red telephone” that rings at random times with instructions from Biggie. A new “Influential Player of the Week” feature was also added to the game structure.

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Lagos socialite and businessman, Emeka ‘E-Money’ Okonkwo, has confirmed he will honour his pledge of N50m to social media comedian, Carter Efe, following his unanimous decision victory over street artiste and ZaZoo crooner, Habeeb ‘Portable’ Badmus, at the Chaos in the Ring 4 event on Friday night at the Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

E-Money reaffirmed his commitment after Balmoral Group Promotions CEO, Ezekiel Adamu, put the question to him at the end of the night.

“You know we put our money where our mouth is, and so congratulations Carter on your win. N50 million for you,” E-Money said.

Adamu, on his part, said the event had delivered on all its promises.

“We promised Chaos in the Ring and we have delivered very entertaining fights tonight. There is more coming, thanks to everyone that made this a success and to the fighters for the great display,” he said.

In the co-main event, Godday Appah, was crowned the new WBO Africa cruiserweight champion after defeating Ezra Arenyeka by split decision.

The bout had been billed as a symbolic WBO Peace Fight between the Itsekiri and Ijaw communities of the Niger Delta.

The same night, Basit Adebayo claimed the WBO Africa title with a unanimous decision victory over former WABU champion, Loren Japhet.

Friday’s result was the culmination of a month-long verbal war between Efe and Portable, who had arrived at the event with considerable pedigree, having previously beaten Charles Okocha and Speed Darlington in celebrity exhibition bouts to win two belts.

The ZaZoo crooner made no secret of his intentions, telling Efe directly, “I will use you to collect my third belt. Charles Okocha was bigger than you, Speed Darlington was bigger than you and I beat them. I will beat you now.”

Efe was unmoved, warning his opponent that the night would end quickly for him.

“One punch and you fall,” he replied.

When the two finally met in the ring, however, it was the skit-maker who imposed himself from the opening bell.

Portable came out throwing his trademark wild, erratic punches but Efe, the taller man, responded calmly with uppercuts and sharp body shots.

Portable continued to swing wide and clinch across the second and third rounds, but Efe grew sharper as the fight wore on, landing consistently clean combinations that left little doubt about the outcome.

All three judges scored the bout 27-30, handing Efe a comfortable unanimous decision and the celebrity boxing crown.

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Afrobeats superstar Davido has emerged victorious at the 2026 Liberian Entertainment Awards, clinching the prestigious award for Best International Act ahead of music heavyweights Gunna, Rema, and Tyla.

The 33-year-old won the award over the weekend following the ceremony held at the Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC.

Davido’s latest win is another significant international recognition for his career.

Similarly, it further highlights the growing global influence of Afrobeats and the continued dominance of Nigerian artists on international award platforms.

The Liberian Entertainment Awards is a prominent award platform dedicated to honouring Liberian creativity, innovation, and excellence in music, film, fashion, sports, and community service.

The award was established in 2009 to recognise the contributions of Liberian entertainers both within the country and across the diaspora.

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Pelumi Olawuni, the TikToker known as Abike Shugaa, has opened up on the
issues that led to the fallout between herself and Toyin Abraham.

The controversy between the duo began in 2023 after Abike featured in Abraham’s film Malaika.

Speculation about fallout emerged when she appeared to do little promotion for the project, prompting some social media users to accuse her of being ungrateful.

In an over-an-hour-long YouTube video on Friday, the TikToker finally revealed the reasons for the fallout.

Abike Shugaa claimed that her issues with Abraham began after she promoted Funke Akindele’s project ‘She Must Be Obeyed’ during the release of ‘Malaika’.

She explained that as an influencer, she had previously promoted Akindele’s projects and was paid $600 and $800, but once declined an offer to avoid a clash with Abraham’s ‘Ijakumo’.

She, however, said that after rejecting the offer, she saw Abraham promote Mercy Aigbe’s ‘Ada Omo Daddy’, and was told it was acceptable to support colleagues, which influenced her decision to accept and share an
unboxing video for Akindele’s ‘She Must Be Obeyed’.

Abike added that, despite having informed Abraham beforehand, the actress reacted angrily after the content was posted, escalating the situation.

“I’m not an ungrateful person, my mum didn’t raise me that way, and I didn’t do anything wrong, sincerely. There have also been misconceptions about the amount she paid me for films. For the first film she featured me in, ‘Ago Alago’, she paid me 50k. Before ‘Ijakumo’, I was already getting big on TikTok, and I was already added as an influencer for Funke
Akindele’s film promotion, which I was paid $600 for, and $800 for promotion of
another film as an influencer,” she said.

“During ‘Ijakumo’ production, I rejected a promotion job from Funke Akindele because Toyin Abraham already told me I would be on the Ijakumo’ set. In the movie, I acted two scenes and she paid me 50k for that. During the promotion, I created content a lot and even invited my friends. But at the end of the day, my part in ‘Ijakumo’ didn’t make the final cut, which I was hurt by, so I started distancing myself.

“Then ‘Malaika’ came, and she said she would need me on set for over a month and asked that I bring over 20 clothes. Before then, there was a time she asked that I help her go to the bank to send 400k to someone, but I was busy working on something, so I sent it from my money and asked her to pay me later. So after a week of filming ‘Malaika’, she paid me 500k.

“During ‘Malaika’ promotion, Funke Akindele also reached out to my manager that she needed some influencers to promote her movies, but asked that my name should be removed from the influencers. But because of what Toyin Abraham had told me before — that it doesn’t matter if you show support for your colleagues, even if it once looked like a clash of interest — I accepted to unbox Funke Akindele’s movie premiere box but didn’t do content.

“I told Toyin Abraham about the unboxing video, but when I posted it, she sent me a long message, angry and cursing. I was confused because I had told her before doing it, and she had earlier said I could promote my colleagues’ movies.”

“Then it escalated. She started reporting me to people because I betrayed her trust. I apologised, but she gave a strict warning to delete all content about ‘Malaika’ off my page.”

Abike Shugga then alleged that Abraham promised to “ruin” her life despite the apology.

The latest revelation adds more subtext to the topsy-turvy relationship between Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham.

Last month, the duo dominated social media discourse after Akindele snubbed Abraham at the premiere of ‘The Return
of Arinzo’.

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Afrobeats pop star, Oyikansola Aderibigbe, popularly known as Ayra Starr, has confirmed that her third studio album, titled ‘Starr Girl‘, will be released in July 2026.

The singer revealed this during a recent appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, recounting how hard she had worked for the project.

“My album ‘Starr Girl’ drops in July…I’m so proud of this body of work. I put everything into it, and I can’t wait for the world to hear it,” she announced for the first time during the interview.

The upcoming album marks her third studio release, following her debut ’19 & Dangerous’ and her sophomore project ‘The Year I Turned 21.’ Fans have anticipated the third album since the Afrobeats sensation teased the project in 2025.

During her time on the show, she also performed her latest single, ‘Where Do We Go’, released in March.

The track follows releases in 2025, including the summer track ‘Hot Body’, the Grammy-nominated ‘Gimme Dat’ featuring Wizkid, ‘Who’s Dat Girl’ with Rema, and the Afro-R&B record ‘All The Love’ released for Valentine’s Day.

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Lagos socialite and nightclub owner Mike Nwogu, popularly known as Pretty Mike, has announced the reopening of his nightclub, Proxy Lagos, nearly seven months after it was raided by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

In an Instagram video shared on Tuesday, Pretty Mike reflected on the personal and professional upheavals he faced in the aftermath of the raid, which coincided with the death of his father.

“Hello everyone, hope you are doing fine. It’s been a minute since I’ve been on this space. I believe you all know there comes a moment in life when everything should actually just come to a pulse or an end,” he said.

He continued, describing the grief he experienced while burying his father, whom he called his hero, stating,“For me, that moment was burying my father, my hero.

“Beyond the lights, the camera, the grand entrance, I’m still human and that event just broke me in ways that I’m still learning or trying to understand. I came back to Hill to rebuild Proxy Lagos, my dream, my passion, my hustle, my vision.”

Pretty Mike then recounted the devastating impact of the NDLEA raid on himself, his staff, and his clients, “Here’s that I walked into a storm, the raid, a nightmare, an emotional earthquake that shook my team, my family, my partners, my world, my staff, my clients, Lagos as a whole, my name dragged, my brand smeared, doors shut on me.

“But this is what I’ve learned. There is a God. Pain doesn’t define you. Storm doesn’t end you. Setback doesn’t define your destiny.”

He described the reopening as not just a business revival, but a collective comeback for everyone who supported him, “Proxy has been cleared to reopen. Now I need you. Proxy is more than a nightclub. It’s a culture. It’s a vibe. It’s where Lagos comes alive. If you celebrated with us, built with us, believed in us, stood with us, this is the comeback. This is me and you rebuilding our brand.

“This is rising after grief. Let’s take these announcements louder than the silence they have tried to impose. Let’s make this stronger than the pain. Help me put back smile on people’s faces. Proxy Lagos is here.”

In the caption accompanying the video, Pretty Mike reflected on the long period of silence and expressed gratitude to those who supported him during his toughest moments.

“Seven months ago, my world fell apart. From the pain of losing my father to the crushing blow that hit my business, #Proxylagos it’s been a season of heavy silence.

“But I am returning today with a heart full of gratitude. To everyone who checked on me and kept me in your prayers during my lowest moments thank you for not letting me go. I am back, blessed, and rebuilding,” the caption read.

The NDLEA raid, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, 2025, led to the arrest of over 100 guests, including Pretty Mike and former Big Brother Naija housemate Tuoyo Ideh. According to the agency, cartons of banned substances, including Loud and laughing gas, were recovered from the venue.

In a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA said, “In Lagos, NDLEA operatives in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, raided Proxy Nightclub at 7 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, where a drug party was going on.

“Over 100 suspects, including the owner of the club, Mike Eze Nwalie Nwogu, alias Pretty Mike, were arrested and taken into custody for screening. Cartons of illicit substances, including Loud and laughing gas, were recovered from suspects at the party and the club’s store.”

The raid followed intelligence that flyers had been circulated to promote a “drug party.”

The NDLEA later filed a forfeiture suit against Proxy Lagos. Pretty Mike and the club’s supervisor, Joachim Hillary, were arraigned on charges including conspiracy, unlawful possession, and permitting the use of club premises for illegal drug activities. He was later granted N50 million bail by the Federal High Court in Lagos.

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