With generous government grants and numerous appearances on the red carpet, Nigeria’s outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan made a mark in Nollywood - the country’s home-grown movie industry turned billion-dollar enterprise. As Jonathan prepares for his exit, it is uncertain times for Nollywood, reported the Voice of America on Thursday. In the more than 20 years since Nigeria’s Hollywood emerged, Nollywood has grown from low-budget movies sold on VHS tapes to a $5 billion movie industry. In a 2006 UNESCO study, Nollywood was ranked the second-most productive movie industry, ahead of Hollywood and behind only India’s Bollywood. But it was an uphill struggle until Jonathan came along, said Mike Nliam, who works at the Association of Movie Producers in Nigeria. “We have had tremendous support from this government. I think it’s the government that has really looked into the potential and what Nollywood can be,” said Nliam. In November 2010, Jonathan announced a $2...

As part of the steps to rescue the abducted Chibok girls, the Defence Headquarters has confirmed that troops are already in Sambisa Forest the last Boko Haram hideout where the girls are purportedly being held hostage, Hausa service of the BBC reported. The Director of Defence Information, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade said that contrary to insinuations, Nigerian soldiers are trained for counter-terrorism. “What makes it difficult to get to Sambisa Forest? All of it is strategic, gentlemen. We are not even completely out of Sambisa Forest as I am talking to you. We are in Sambisa Forest and we are in places contiguous to it. “But we have a major plan in mind which I should not be disclosing now. We are not weak, we have the capacity,” he said. Concerning foreign interventions to rescue the Chibok girls, Olukolade said, “On a diplomatic level, I will say all is well.” He said Boko Haram had been attacking some towns and villages because the sect was carrying out its “las...

Funmilayo Adeyemi, alias Mary Akinloye. Police have arrested the housemaid who kidnapped the Orekoya three children, 24 hours after she was employed last week at Lawanson Road, Itire area of Surulere, Lagos. She blamed her kidnap activities on her husband. Her true name is Funmilayo Adeyemi, a mother of four, and not Mary Akinloye as she claimed and she is 35 years old, against the 23 she claimed. The suspect allegedly masterminded the kidnap of the three children (Demola, 6; Adedamola, 4, and Aderomola, 11 months) with the aid of her husband, Waheed Kareem, her brother in-law, Akeem Kareem and her brother in-law’s wife, Joke Oseni, who are currently on the run. Preliminary investigation also revealed that her syndicate was responsible for the kidnap of two children last December in Magodo area of the state. She reportedly kidnapped the children, Raphael and Michael, four days after she applied for the job of nanny through OLX , an online sales portal. To cov...

He is otherwise known as Nollywood bad boy, but Jim Iyke, doesn't care about what people call him or say about him. According to him, nobody can define his life. Few weeks ago, his 'BFF' (Best Friend Forever), Nadia Buari, put to bed a set of adorable twins and fingers have been pointing at the Anambra State born actor as the father of the babies. In a recent interview, Jim, stated clearly his kind of relationship with the pretty Ghanaian actress. “You don't need a soothsayer to tell you nor do you need a fake prophet to spell it out to you. I am the kind of man that drops hints; I do not have to tell the whole story because it makes you lose your mystic, it makes you lose the strength of your advantage over people. But here I am with my BFF, an incredibly intelligent and beautiful person and I think that is what I need in my life, he said making it known that he is a great friend of the new mother but possibly not the father of her daughters. Spea...

  When he broke into the music scene some years ago, 'Gongo Aso' crooner, 9ice, had a voice that many of the music lovers could identify with and he was loved for it. After the release of that song, he went on to drop other hits singles. The singer even performed before the late Nelson Mandela, when his birthday was celebrated in London. But in recent times, 9ice has come under attacks because of his voice, which some said he is losing very fast. Speaking on the issue, the singer blamed it on equipment in the country. "Most of our productions are not good and most of our speakers are not good. Hear me, I am not saying the DJs or the sound managers are not good. But the equipment we have (in Nigeria) are not good." "Get it right; in 2008, 2009 and 2010, imagine someone screaming for three years, how e no go lose him voice? "In 2008, I was maybe 28 or 29 and now I am 35 years old. So I would definitely lose my voice and now I am a more ma...