Entertainment

Amachree Bags Father Of Tourism Award

Published

8 years ago

July 27, 2018

The Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN) recently presented the Father of Tourism Award to the President of Brooklyn Tourist, Centre, Chief Mike Amachree.
Presenting the award at a brief ceremony in Abuja, the President of the highest tourism body in Nigeria, Alhaji Rabo Saleh said Chief Mike Amachree has laid a formidable landmark for the tourism sector of the country, adding that his achievement was affecting every state and region of the country.
According to him, the tourism mogul who had spent over 56 years in tourism practice in Nigeria had brought awareness and development in all the six geo-political zones of the country.
The FTAN President listed Chief Amachree’s achievements in the sector to include establishment of the Port Harcourt Tourist Beach and the establishment of the Brooklyn Group of Hotels in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Buguma City and Afam.
Alhaji Saleh also listed others as the establishment of Brooklyn Tourist Centre near the University of Port Harcourt which houses zoological garden, the museum of African history and culture, the exhibition of arts and crafts, as well as the establishment of Buguma Beach Resort.
The FTAN President was accompanied on the occasion by the Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, a prominent tourism investor, Alhaji Munzali Dantata, Madam Patricia Narai, Deputy Director Domestic Tourism Department of Federal Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism as well as Senator Fatimah Raji Rasaki, Chairman, Senate Committee on Tourism, amongst others.
Responding, Chief Amachree urged both the government and the private sector to work in harmony to make Nigeria one of the best tourism destinations in the world, with a view to creating employment for the masses, generate foreign exchange earning for Nigeria and bring peace and unity to the country.
He stressed the need for the use of tourism to attract industrial development to Nigeria at large.
He expressed his profound gratitude to the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN) under the astute leadership of Alhaji Rabo Saleh for the honour done to him.
He also thanked the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and all the Tourism Commissioners of the 36 States of Nigeria for their immense efforts in tourism development in the country.
It would be recalled that the elder statesman who was recently Awarded Distinguished Service Star of Rivers State (D. S. S. R. S) by the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike had held several appointments in the past. They include Manager, Bristow Helicopters Nigeria Limited, Lagos, Director, Nigeria Tourism Board which is now Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation.
Chief Amachree represented Nigeria during the World Tourism Organisation and African Commission Conference in Accra, Ghana in 1992 as well as at the Young African Leaders Conference in San Francisco, USA in 1993 where he presented a paper.
Chief Amachree was also appointed member of the organising committee of Rives State Illumination and Cultural Festival tagged: RIVIFEST in 1995 and 1996 and member, tourism and culture committee vision 2010 under the General Sani Abacha administration
Others include, Organisation of the Plateau State Tourism Development Fund lunching where he single-handedly decorated Jos Air Port and Jos Township Stadium. Also, as the National President of Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria, he organised the First Abuja Cultural Carnival in 1990.
Similarly, in 1991, the former ATPN President encouraged artistes to sell crafts and souvenirs at the Late Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s Mausoleum in Bauchi in 1991.
Furthermore, he also discovered the Obete Waterfront Tourist site in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State and erected a reception hall for visitors at the tourist site, as well as encourage indigenes to establish fish ponds there.
Chief Amachree also advocated the use of Emir, of Kano’s palace as a tourist site which was approved by the Late Emir Ado Bayero in 1990. Also, under his distinguished leadership as the President of A.T.P.N., the father of Tourism of Nigeria led a delegation of tourism practitioners to President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida to discuss the establishment of Tourism Development Bank in Nigeria in 1990, in which approval was given to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) but was not executed until President Babangida left office in 1993.
In 1993, he led the private sector to organise the second Rivers State Cultural Carnival tagged RIVCARN’93 where dignitaries from different parts of the country attended.
Similarly, Chief Amachree organised the First Peace Conference in the Niger Delta as the President of the Centre for the Promotion of Peace, Tourism, Arts and Culture (CEPTAC) in Port Harcourt in 2003, in which a copy was presented to the then President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo through General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd).
He initiated the rediscovery of the Slave Trade Route in the Niger Delta for tourism purposes with research findings in Arochukwu, Calabar, Ikot Abasi, Umuagbai, Ndoni, Opobo, Bonny, Elem-Kalabari, Buguma, Uguta, Ogbia, Nembe, Akassa, Opokuma, Amassoma, Bende, Uzuakoli, Warri, Ogwashi-Uku, Aboh and Koko in Delta State.
Chief Amachree as a promoter of tourism and culture gave out his hotel in Buguma City free of charge to visitors and tourists that attended the Buguma City Centenary cerebration in 1984.
In addition, Chief Amachree bagged several awards of excellence some of which are Award presentation by Prof. T. J. T. Princewill, King Amachree XI, the Amanyanabo of Kalabari Kingdom, for the promotion of Tourism and Cultural Heritage in Nigeria, 24th March, 2012.
Award presentation by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) for his achievement in tourism promotion and development in Nigeria.
It was all these numerous achievements of Chief Amachree that convinced FTAN to honour him with “The Father of Tourism of Nigeria Award”.

Entertainment

‘Lie From The Pit Of Hell,’ Family Debunks Pete Edochie’s death Rumours

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The family of veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie, has dismissed viral rumours circulating on social media claiming that the film icon is dead.

Reacting to the reports in a video shared on his Instagram page on Tuesday, the actor’s eldest son, Leo Edochie, described the claim as false and malicious.

“I’ve been receiving text messages and calls over the nonsense post by some people that our father, Chief Pete Edochie, is dead. It is a lie from the pit of hell,” he said.

Leo added that the actor is alive and in good health, condemning those responsible for spreading the rumour.

“Our father is alive, hale and hearty. And if you wish someone dead, two things usually happen. The person will live very long and you will die before him. Shame to all of you,” he said.

The rumour had sparked concern among fans before the family’s clarification.

Entertainment

‘Mother’s Love’ Challenges Nigerian’s Film Portray Of Motherhood

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde critiques Nollywood’s lack of mother-daughter stories ahead of her directorial debut, ‘Mother’s Love.’ See the cast and 2026 release date.

Nollywood veteran actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde is making her directorial debut with a different and sharper focus. Speaking recently with Newsmen,, the screen icon highlighted a glaring void in the industry’s catalogue, which is the authentic reality of mother-daughter relationships.

“We don’t have too many films that explore or showcase the relationship between mothers and daughters,” Omotola said during the interview, describing the subject as something deeply personal to her.

Speaking honestly about raising her first daughter, she admitted she had only one mode at the time, which was discipline. “I didn’t do a good job,” she said plainly, explaining that she understood motherhood strictly through control, not softness or emotional openness.

At the centre of Mother’s Love is Adebisi, a sheltered young woman from a wealthy home whose life is shaped by her father’s rigid control. Her first taste of freedom comes through NYSC, where distance from home allows her to begin discovering who she is outside her family’s expectations. She forms a friendship with a young man from a more modest background, and through him, starts to see the world and herself differently.

But the emotional core of the film isn’t Adebisi’s rebellion. It’s her mother. Long after being presented as quiet and compliant, she slowly reveals a resolve when her daughter’s safety and future are threatened. As secrets surface and buried grief comes into view, Mother’s Love becomes less about youthful independence and more about maternal sacrifice, unspoken trauma, and the emotional costs of survival inside a patriarchal home.

The Tide Entertainment reports that the film doesn’t shy away from weighty themes by including PTSD, unresolved grief, and social inequality at the centre of the story. It is far removed from the soft-focus sentimentality that often defines Mother’s Day-style narratives.

It also marks Omotola’s directorial debut, a significant moment considering how long she has shaped Nollywood from the front of the camera. She stars in the film alongside a mix of familiar faces and newer talent, including Ifeanyi Kalu, Olumide Oworu, and Noray Nehita.

Beyond the film itself, Omotola’s interview touched on a tension that has been simmering in Nollywood for a while now: how movies are marketed in the age of TikTok. Addressing the growing expectation for actors and filmmakers to create viral dance content to promote their work, she didn’t mince words. The pressure, she said, is exhausting and unnatural.

For her, the industry wasn’t meant to function this way. Still, she was careful not to judge anyone else’s approach. Everyone invests differently, carries different risks, and should be allowed to promote their films however they see fit.

“Do whatever you can do. It’s exhausting, it’s not natural. For me, the film industry is not supposed to be like that. We are encouraging nonsense if we are doing that. It doesn’t mean that whoever is doing it is wrong.”

Her comments arrive not long after the public back-and-forth between Kunle Afolayan and Funke Akindele over marketing styles, a debate that quickly turned into a proxy war between prestige storytelling and viral strategy. Omotola’s stance sits somewhere calmer. She understands the shift social media has brought, but she’s also clear about her own boundaries.

Omotola’s critique about the lack of mother-daughter stories isn’t unfounded. In Nollywood, mothers often exist as symbols rather than people. They’re either saintly figures who pray endlessly for their children or villains whose cruelty drives the plot forward. What’s missing is intimacy, the negotiations, and the regrets. The love that exists alongside resentment and misunderstanding.

Films rarely sit with the emotional complexity of women raising daughters in systems that also failed them. There’s little room for mothers who made mistakes but are still trying, or daughters who love their mothers while questioning the damage they inherited. Mother’s Love attempts to occupy that space, offering a more grounded portrayal that reflects lived experience rather than archetypes.

That’s where the film’s potential impact lies, in the decision to centre a relationship that Nollywood has largely flattened. If it works, it could open the door for more stories that treat motherhood as a lived, evolving reality rather than a fixed moral position.

Mother’s Love, directed by and starring Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. The film is set for a nationwide cinema release in Nigeria on March 6, 2026.

Entertainment

Funke Akindele’s Behind The Scenes Crosses ?1.77bn

Published

1 month ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

Funke Akindele’s Behind The Scenes becomes Nollywood’s highest-grossing film of 2025, earning ?1.77bn in under four weeks.

Multi-award-winning actress and producer Funke Akindele has done it again, and this time, the numbers speak louder than applause.

Her latest film, Behind The Scenes, has officially emerged as the highest-grossing Nollywood film of 2025, pulling in an astonishing ?1.767 billion in less than four weeks.

The Tide Entertainment reports that Funke Akindele Makes Box Office History as Behind The Scenes Crosses ?1.77bn
Earlier in its release cycle, the film’s distributor, FilmOne Entertainment, revealed that Behind The Scenes smashed five opening-weekend records, including the highest single-day gross ever recorded on Boxing Day, with ?129.5 million in one day. That announcement already hinted that something unusual was unfolding.

Reacting to the milestone, FilmOne described the moment as both surreal and communal, crediting audience loyalty for pushing the film to the top spot once again as the number-one movie of the weekend. And that sentiment feels accurate. This wasn’t just ticket sales; it was momentum.

What makes this achievement even more striking is that Behind The Scenes is Funke Akindele’s third film to cross the ?1 billion mark. Before now, there was A Tribe Called Judah, and then Everybody Loves Jenifa, a film that didn’t just open big, but went on to become the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time. At this point, it’s no longer a fluke. It’s a pattern.

Part of Behind The Scenes’ success lies in strategy. The film enjoyed advanced screenings on December 10 and 11, quietly building curiosity and conversation before its nationwide release on December 12. By the time it officially hit cinemas, audiences already felt like they needed to see it.

Then there’s the cast. The film brings together a lineup that feels deliberately stacked: Scarlet Gomez, Iyabo Ojo, Destiny Etiko, Tobi Bakre, Uche Montana, and several others. Familiar faces, strong fan bases, and performances that kept word-of-mouth alive long after opening weekend.

Still, beyond timing and casting, there’s something else at work here. Funke Akindele understands Nigerian audiences. Their humour, their pacing, their emotional buttons. She doesn’t guess, she calculates, experiments, listens, and refines. That understanding has slowly turned into box-office dominance.

Behind The Scenes crossing ?1.77 billion isn’t just another headline; it’s confirmation. Funke Akindele has moved from being a successful actress to becoming one of the most reliable commercial forces Nollywood has ever produced. Three-billion-naira films don’t happen by luck. They happen when storytelling, business sense, and audience trust align.

And right now, that alignment seems firmly in her hands.