Entertainment
Unveiled! Rifts That Rocked Nigerian Showbiz
Many recall the widely-
publicised situation between Nigerian pop star Tiwa Savage and her ex-husband Tunji ‘Tee Billz’ Balogun in April, 2016 and the aftermath of it all. Though the situation, her social media game was on top of things as she maintained an impeccable silence through it all, only addressing the core of the issues via an all-revealing interview with Azuka Ogujiuba of This Day newspaper. Insiders say her finances soared afterwards as well as she managed the situation in fine style.
Well, from our end we saw an instagram verification of her account, a renewed assurance from Pepsi on still being interested in her whatever the case and then a fairly successful US tour in promotion of her current album, RED. Also, Jay Z came into the picture and provided her a solid base with which to further launch her music into global space with Roc Nation. It’s been all round goodness for the 36-year old mother of one. And so has it been in many other cases. The financial returns and overall renown have been decent on the back of controversies and face offs, more often than not.
But then again, some celebrities fail to maximise the situation and the attention it brings their way. In such cases, there’s really no one to blame than the entertainer’s management and team of publicists. Controversies in entertainment have existed for as long as we can recall. In Nigeria, we remember rapper Rugged Man and his issues with Eedris Abdulkareem and consequently Kennis Music in the early 2000s. We also remember Rugged Man and Mode 9 which led to several diss songs, the situation between the plantashun Boiz in 2004, KC Presh, Eldee The Don and Freestyle and the epic, era defining fall out between Don Jazzy and Dbanji in 2012.
In between all of these, Rugged Man fell out again with Singer 9ice, prompting criticisms from various divides and earning himself the tag of most controversial indigenous hip hop artiste in maybe the history of the genre in Nigeria.
All of these put together helped define an era, shape the industry and put us right on the cusp of global dominance directly or indirectly.
Having established that controversies are somewhat important, with a measured dose of course, we run you through 15 of the biggest ‘beefs’ in 21st century Nigerian entertainment is seeing as there’s been a bit of confusion as to what really is and what isn’t. That said, in no particular order, below are 15 of the most unforgettable ‘beefs’ in Nigeria entertainment.
Plantashun Boiz
2face (now as 2 baba), Faze and Black face formed one of the biggest music groups in Nigerian music, but broke up in 2004 over several undisclosed issues leading to solo careers that saw only 2 baba succeeding overall.
Rugged Man And Eldris Abulkareem
Both hip hop veterans fell out after Rugged Man attacked the latter, criticising his style of hip hop and more.
Eldee The Don And Freestyle
Formerly label mates, both artistes fell out after years of thin-veiled jabs and innuendos. It all took shape after Freestyle released the song ‘Braggin Rights’ with Blaise. Eldee responded to this with a diss song even though they have both denied on numerous occasions that there’s an issue between them.
Mode 9 And Rugged Man
Mode 9 and rugged Man fell out following differences in style of music with Rugged Man maintaining that Mode 9’s style of music wasn’t created for the Nigerian audience, and Mode on the other hand maintaining that he was “keeping it real” as real hip-hop should be.
2 Shots And Big LO
The duo fell out following several irreconcilable differences after establishing themselves as a superb force together musically with the monster hit song, ‘Delicious’
Rugged Man And 9ice
Both musicians had issues after 9ice alleged his wife cheated on him with a close friend, the friend being Rugged Man. The allegation stuck for sometimes as 9nic’s marriage with Tony Paine eventually crashed. However, 9ice has come out to apologise for his comments and insinuations back then, saying Rugged Man was never guilty of the allegations.
Olamide And Don Jazzy
In January 2016, Olamide and Don Jazzy fell out after the former got on stage at the Headies awards and threw a tantrum. He later went on social media to call out the Mavin head honcho in a set of tweets after which he reportedly apologised to both Don Jazzy and the organisers of the Headiest.
Tonto Dikeh And Toyin Lawani
Both ladies were embroiled in a social media ‘feud’ of sorts after Lawani accused Dikeh of wrong fully giving Jeremiah Ogbodo aka Swanky Jerry credits for her styling and even threatening to sue.
Stella Damsus And Doris Simeon
Both Nollywood stars fell out after Simeon’s marriage to Daniel Ademinokan crashed and Damasus went ahead into a romantic affair with him.
Don Jazzy And D’banj
In 2012, both music heavyweights dissolved the Iconic Mo’Hits Records owing to several undisclosed reasons.
Wizkid And Skales
Formerly signed to Eme records under Banky W, both artistes feuded publicly via social media rants after Skales accused Wizkid of not supporting his career despite having helped him write some of his hit songs.
Kcee Fresh
As with many other Nigerian music groups, the duo broke up after they couldn’t work together any more, following this, Kcee went on to attain even greater success with 5 Star Music.
Don Jazzy And Wande Coal
After Mo Hit dissolved in 2012, Wande Coal stuck with Don Jazzy under the new Mavin Records imprint but things went wrong eventually between them leading to a social media face off.
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.
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.
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.
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