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Why I Rejected Fela’s Marriage Proposal – Onyeka Onwenu

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Veteran Nigerian singer, Onyeka Onwenu, has revealed that late music legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti approached her for marriage in the eighties.
Onyeka revealed this in her new autobiography titled: “My Father’s Daughter”. She however said she rejected Fela’s proposal during her visit to his club because of his other wives.
According to her, she is a possessive lover and did not understand Fela’s love for women. Narrating how Fela proposed marriage, Onyeka  wrote: “ The second time I saw Fela was in 1984, a few years after I had returned from the United States of America. He had just been released from jail”.
“He was arrested for attempting to travel with his band for a gig in London with the sum of 1,600 pounds for their hotel accommodation. At the time, carrying any amount of foreign currency was against one of the many Decrees promulgated by Buhari/Idiagbon military junta.
“After he was released from prison Fela sent a mutual friend and journalist, Onuora Udenwa who is now a US-based pastor to bring me to his club. I thought that he probably wanted to thank me for speaking up for him, but that was not it”.
“He never even mentioned the article I had written in solidarity with him, Fela wanted to marry me and I was flattered. I thanked him for the honour of wanting me to be his consort, but I turned him down all the same”.
Onyeka added that while she waited at the club for him, she noticed that his queens (dancer wives) had been looking at her with scorn. “They passed by often whispering comments about me, they were downright hostile and quite obvious about it.
“I pointed out this to him that I was a possessive lover and would not be able to cope as an appendage to his harem, but Fela laughed”.

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NGO hails Tinubu’s climate awareness tour

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Jewel Environmental Initiative (JEI), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has commended President Bola Tinubu for inaugurating the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour, urging Nigerians and stakeholders to support the initiative nationwide.
Mr Ismail Bima, Chief Executive Officer of JEI, said in a statement in Gombe yesterday that the tour would significantly strengthen public understanding of climate change and encourage collective environmental responsibility.
Bima described the initiative as a clear affirmation of the Federal Government’s commitment to pursuing practical solution driven strategies that addressed climate challenges and safeguarded livelihoods, ecosystems, and national development efforts.
He noted that the programme would achieve its objectives if government institutions, private organisations, civil society groups, and citizens actively played their respective roles in promoting awareness, resilience, and sustainable practices.
According to him, the inauguration marks an important step toward building a nationwide movement capable of delivering measurable progress in Nigeria’s broader efforts to secure a climate resilient future for generations.
He said JEI fully aligned with the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour, noting that the initiative could inspire innovation, strengthen environmental education, and promote sustainable development across communities nationwide.
Bima also commended the Minister of Environment and urged federal, state, and local stakeholders to support the initiative, stressing that climate change impacts affected all citizens regardless of region or status.
He emphasised that growing climate pressures on agriculture, livelihoods, and ecosystems made the awareness tour timely, adding that stronger information sharing and partnerships were necessary to confront environmental risks nationwide.
He urged authorities to implement the initiative with sustained commitment, extend activities to grassroots communities, and collaborate with state and local governments to ensure wider participation and maximum impact nationwide effectively.
The Tide source reports that President Tinubu inaugurated the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour in Abuja on Tuesday to promote climate resilience and sustainable development nationwide initiatives.
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They Booed, Threw Bottles At Me – Tems Recounts

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R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.

Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.

“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.

“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.

Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.

The Tide Entertainment reports that  Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.

The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.

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Primeboy Pleads For Mohbad’s Burial

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A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.

According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.

The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”

It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.

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