Entertainment
The Big Names In 2009 Show Biz
Stephanie Okereke One of the good things that happened in 2009 was the N10 million movie titled premiere mark hit by top actress, Stephanie Okereke with her movie titled Through The Glass. Even though the film was not produced during 2009, it made an extra-ordinary mark and shot the status of Imo State-born actress high and made her one of the richest and most hardworking actresses in the country.
Funke Akindele
Funke got to the Zenith of her career through her celebrated movie Jenifa. The movie turned out be the only Yoruba speaking movie that has sold over one million copies in one year. Early in 2009, Funke won the award of best Actress in Africa at AMAA awards. She also scaled through and picked the prestigious Future Awards as the best Nollywood Actress for 2009. She equally bagged another as the best Actress for 2009 at the Afro Hollywood Awards. Her achievements and hardwork in the movie industry earned her endorsement deals with the telecom giant, Globacom worth N14 million per season for two seasons, as well as another one with the Lagos State Government. 2009 proved to be Funke Akindele’s year and it will not be out of place to say she was the wealthiest actress in that year.
Wedding Bells
The year 2009 ushered in a lot of weddings for showbiz people as many of them got their heart desires. There were lot of wedding in the year. Early in the year, and an unprecedented number of entertainers got married or renewed their wedding vows. Top actress Ini Edo opened the door for others to follow as she and her husband had their wedding in Houston, Texas, US after a superlative traditional marriage in her home town late in 2008. Ini’s wedding was followed shortly by another actress, kate Effiong whose traditional marriage was held in Lagos. After this, another huge surprise struck the Nigeria’s biggest veteran actress as, Liz Benson walked down the aisle after many years of widowshood and single parenthood. She got married to a Delta State based Bishop.
Ireti osayemi was the next to follow before Bisi Ibidapo-Obe got married to a German based businessman in secret. To end the year in style was Tricia Eseigbe, another top actress and a television presenter. She got married to kingsley Jite kerry in an elaborate wedding which pulled all the stops on the 19th of December.
Big Brother Africa 4
A Nigerian, Kelvin Chuwang Pam made Nigeria proud in far away South Africa when he became the first ever Nigerian to win the prestigious BBA 4 after years of trying. The Jos, Plateau State born 27 years old took home the handsome cash reward of S200,000 for his troubles.
Brand Endorsements
The year 2009 was a good year for Nigerian actors as corporate endorsements came in from every angle for some of them. Despite the fact that the movie industry remained in a state of inertia, the few fortunate artistes hit big with brand endorsements. The most prominent among them was the famous Globacom endorsements that telecoms giant splashed on the acts. Those who were lucky to be made Globacom Ambassadors worth a whooping N500 million were Rita Dominic, Uche Jumbo, Monalisa Chinda, Funke Akindele, Chioma Chukwuka, Ramsey Noah, Desmond Elliot, Jim Iyke, Nonso Diobi, Mike Ezeuruonye. Aside the Glo endorsements artists like Funke Akindele, Bimbo Akintola, Segun Arinze and Kate Henshaw Nultal also got endorsement from the Lagos State government while the likes of Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Jide Kosoko became Chi Plc Ambassadors.
Movie Premieres
Apart from the premiere of Stephamie Okereke’s Through The Glass the year witnessed more premieres than any other year which gave the movie industry a serious lift.
Movie maker, Emem Isong and actor Desmond Elliot premiered Guilty pleasures which was considered to be one of the blockbusters of 2009. top actress, Uche Jumbo premiered Nollywood Hustlers, which received lots of accolades from people in and outside the industry. Vivian Ejike, another top movie maker also premiered her movie silent scandals while top Yoruba actress, Bisi Ibidapo equally premiered Igboran San. Not left out in the season of premiere was Kunle Afolayan who premiered his movie figurine which turned out to be one of the best movies shot in the year.
Sound Sultan
Lanrenwaju Fasasi is the man behind the brand Sound Sultan and for him, the biggest breakthrough he had in year was the successful release of his fourth album, SS4 and the marriage to his wife Farida as well as birth of his child, a beautiful female baby named Zara. If such were the yardsticks used to judge the success of man in his life, sound sultan will be singled out as a man who increased the population of Nigeria by one and recorded so much in terms of registering his presence as a force to be reckoned within the industry year 2009.
Femi Kuti Got Nominated For The Grammy
Scion of the late Afro Beat creator, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Femi got a well deserved nomination for grammy Awards even though he had not been too visible in the Nigerian music scene in 2009. the living Afrobeat King had cause to rejoice and boast that his works are seriously receiving global attention in the sense that he was nominated for the second time for the world’s most popular music award coming up in February 2010 in America.
Nelson Brown Blessed With A Son
Close to a decade after, he got married to his wife Mary, God blessed the family with a bouncing male baby. The birth that came in 2009, brought smiles to the face of the longsuffering music producer.
Paul Dairo/Kl Escape Death
It was good news when top of the range musical act survived cancer scare after he had minor surgery in South Africa. The talent musician, song writer and producer had cause to thank God in 2009, and has bounced back to doing what he loves doing. It was also the same cheering news for KI De ultimate, who was surprisingly diagnosed of living infection and was operated in Canada. The king of Fuji music has also retired to the country and is doing even better.
John Enyie
The Garden City of Rivers State Port Harcourt at the weekend joined other parts of the world to celebrate the World Music Day, 2025, as Alliance Française showcases talents.
The event which is internationally known as Fête de la musique was held at cultural hall of the Alliance Française was a remarkable concert with memorable experience.
The event brought together music lovers, students, Artistes and members of the community For an exciting evening live performances and cultural exchange.
The Tide Entertainment reports that the world Music Day, which was created 1982 in France by the then Minister of culture, Jack Lang, ‘ Fête de la Musique’ is now celebrated in more than 100 countries every 21st June, marking the first day of summer with free concerts and musical showcases in public spaces.
In Port Harcourt, the Alliance Française honoured the tradition by spotlighting four(4) emerging artistes offering a platform to young talents shaping the city’s contemporary scene.
The audience enjoyed an unforgettable moments as they were entertained by the powerful performances from Preach A, who is known for blending fitness culture with spoken words and rhythm.
Also, artiste Emmayany delivering a vibrant fusion of afrobeat and afro pop. A singer, song writer and a performing artiste with a distinct sound.
Others were Amarachy Uko, a sensational singer with passion for soul , R&B, pop music and afrobeat.
While DJ Prospel closed the night with an energetic DJ set that got the entire hall dancing.
Earlier, the Director, Alliance Française, Port Harcourt Mrs Marina Lacal high lighted the mission of the Alliance Française saying that the event was more than a concert.
According to her, the event was put together by the Alliance Française to promote cultural diversity and foster artistic expression by connecting a long standing French tradition with creativity of the local music scene, adding that the event offerers an avenue for dialogue between culture and generations.
She stated that the event is used to promote professional and bring amateur artistes to limelight via the platform of the Alliance Française which is aimed at promoting the French Language through cultural heritage.
She explained that the celebration is also a broader series of Fête de la musique activities organized by the 10 Alliance Française across Nigeria in sync with concerts held in France and around the world simultaneously.
She further noted that the occasion reaffirms the role of Alliance Française as a cultural bridge, one where French heritage meets the pulses of Nigerian youth.
It would be recalled that no fewer than 19 artistes applied to perform at the event in Port Harcourt, but only four got approval for appearance.
The Governor of the Performing Musicians Employer’s Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Rivers State chapter, Comrade Moses Mabadeje popularly known as Mozy B said that the body has announced plans to implement performance Levy on artistes in the state with effect from 21st June.
This was carried in a statement released to The Tide Entertainment, yesterday by the Deputy Governor of the association, Comrade Abiye Howells.
According to the Governor, the announcement was made by PMAN, the only governing body that regulates the music profession in Nigeria, as authorized by the Government of Nigeria, in line with the Trade Union Act.
He stated that those affected by the Levy include (Non members)bands, groups, Hotels, Bars, lounges, Event Centres, show organizers, promoters and other stakeholders hosting events which feature live music performances within the State.
However, the Levy does not apply to members of the Performing Musicians Employer’s Association of Nigeria. (PMAN).
Comrade Moses Mabadeje, explained that this drive is aimed at financing the association and supporting the welfare and interest of musicians as outlined in Article 8 of the PMAN constitution as amended (2023). Consequently, a PMAN task force has been set up to enforce and swing into action to effect this move.
He further said that event organizers, promoters and owners of event centers are expected to comply with this regulation as the Governor has urged stakeholders to collaborate with the association to ensure the successful implementation of the levy and the peaceful co-existence between PMAN and Stockholders.
Nancy Briggs
Entertainment
“French Up Your Career” PH, 2025 :Consul General Of France Harps On Proficiency In French
The Consul, General of France in Nigeria, Laurent Favier has encouraged French Learners to improve their skills on the language, as there are lots of opportunities up for grabs on the job market with fluency in French Language, saying that there are many other career paths which are often less well known to learners of French.
Participants at the “French Up Your Career” event held in Port Harcourt.
Favier who disclosed this during the just concluded third edition of the seminar tagged “French Up Your Career” organized by Alliance
Française, Port Harcourt explained that learning French doesn’t mean adding a language to your resume. It rather provides learners with new opportunities. Irrespective of their area of interest, be it diplomatic and International relations, international development, translation and Interpretation or journalism.
According to the Consul General, it was important to create awareness for young Nigerians in Port Harcourt who desire to have better understanding of how been fluent in French can create diverse career opportunities for users of the languages in Nigeria and the world at large, emphasizing that proficiency in French could possibly make learner a bridge between Nigeria and fast-developing regions.
“You previously heard this morning about how you can improve your French skills. This afternoon you will discover how being fluent in French can provide a significant edge on the job market and lead to professional careers that you may not have even considered before,”
“This event comes at the right time, as it launches the celebration of the richness and diversity of French-speaking cultures, which will mobilize us for more than a month throughout Nigeria and alongside other French-speaking countries,” Favier added.
He further highlighted that French is spoken by over 300 million people across the world, saying that, it’s one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union.
“There are many neighbouring African countries to Nigeria ,who have French as one of their primary languages of communication including Cameroon, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. So, what does this mean for you as students here in Nigeria?” He asked
“These sectors in which the French Embassy is often mobilized are the business and marketing field for example, as French is often the preferred language in many multinational companies, particularly those in the energy, oil and telecommunications sectors. I’m thinking as well in technology and IT,” he said
He noted that French-speaking countries in Africa are investing heavily in tech, innovation, and infrastructure, revealing that companies in Tech are looking for bilingual professionals to assist with software localization, customer support, and managing projects in French-speaking regions.
“The French embassy is not only mobilized to help learners discover promising sectors. We are also providing our support and expertise in
training teachers and optimizing university programs,” he summed up
Also, the linguistics cooperation attaché, French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange, who also gave a lecture at the seminar, in an interview with Newsmen said that the main purpose of the seminar was to be more informative and supportive to those who want to make a skill out of French Language,saying that as the linguistics cooperation attaché of the French Embassy it is her duty to promote French language through culture.
She cited traditional stereotypes as a major challenge affecting the growth and development of French in Nigeria, as school, teachers at the primary and secondary level in most cases teach French using the traditional way, where students learn French, but could not put words and grammar together as a skill for communicate.
“French is important. I don’t see French as colonization, l see French as a key to embrace globalization, l hope that learners will be inspired and ready to embrace the global village,” Losange said.
She however said that the French Embassy is working to ensure that equipments to facilitate the learning of French is put in place to enable learners improve their skills fast, which in two to three years learners should be able to communicate with French, advising learners to be intentional with learning the language, through social media and other workable devices to advance their skills for certification and better opportunities.
Highlight of the event which had about 250 participants in attendance was the eloquence award ceremony where students were awarded for their eloquence in French language by the Director, Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs.Marina Lacal alongside the Linguistics cooperation attaché of the French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange.
After two edition of the seminar it was the turn of the Alliance Française, Port Harcourt to host the Third edition.
It would be recalled that the first edition of ” “French Up Your Career” event was organized at the Alliance Française Lagos on October 23, the second one at UNILAG on November 24, 2024 respectfully.