Entertainment

COVID-19: Ace Commedian Writes Buhari, Prescribes How To Combat Spread Of Pandemic

Published

6 years ago

April 5, 2020

Multiple award-winning comedian, Francis Agoda popularly known as I Go Dye, has written yet another open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on the Coronavirus pandemic.

The humour merchant who writes under his capacity as the World Habitat Ambassador, charges the number one citizen on how to combat the spread of the virus, categorically stating that the governors should be given emergency funds to handle the crisis.

The letter titled “Our Negligence Is A Devastating Time Bomb” was dated April 5, 2020.

In the letter, the commedian claimed he had raised some of the issues in a previous letter sent to the President and governors as far back as October 14, 2013 with the title “Logic and Reason Without Guns.”

The letter reads in part, “First of all, let me start by reminding you that great men and countries learn from history, hence they avoid the calamities and errors made by fallen heroes, whose failures destroyed , even in the midst of perfection.

“What human or medical equipment do we have in Nigeria that can be compared with America, Spain, Italy or even the whole of Europe, which have been ravaged by the Corona virus? Are we prepared at this time? Whereby looking from outside we still have not made essential preparations by learning from what these nations are currently facing.

“A few weeks ago, it was only one case, but today we have gone from 1 to 210 infected persons, who may have had contact with 5 people before detection, which could total to 1150 and above in two weeks time, if we are not careful in managing the spread of the virus.

“Yesterday, the world thought it was a Chinese problem, forgetting that the world now is a global village.

“Today total cases of coronavirus globally is now 1,140,327 and deaths globally 61,684 as of 4 April 2020.

“Please Mr President, you should kindly release emergency funds to all state governor’s across the country and you should please direct all governors and the minister of health to work out a process to use some of the closed schools as isolation centres, while the all stadia should be prepared for any eventualities.

“I also appeal to government to find a way to send funds to aid the quest of survival because 98% of Nigerians earn their livelihood from the street; meaning the ‘sit at home’ order, is likely to be suicidal!

“Why? There is no light, no running water, no job and there is no alternative provided for food, money and other basic needs of the masses in Nigeria, who are more than 95 % of our population.

“Sir, please provide comprehensive details of how to assist Nigerians with some sort of financial assistance as they stay at home because some of the money you announced is to make one man billionaire again because the money will not get to those who truly need it more.

“Let’s look inward and provide solutions to save the many innocent lives that might be lost in the outbreak of a catastrophic epidemic.

“The concerns for the masks at this time should be held important. We should start getting volunteers of fashion designers and tailors to make masks in their homes, by sewing them, while government provide the materials and logistics needed in case the outbreak escalates.

“There should be an emergency training process to expand our medical teams. No one is coming to our aid, if we fall into crisis, because the whole world has it’s own fair share of trouble. With only five laboratory screening centers reported in the media, across 36 state s, this is not encouraging at all. An emergency training process to expand our medical teams, should be in process by now across the states .

Entertainment

FULL LIST: Shallipopi, Belove Olocha, Malumfoodie Win Big At TikTok Awards 2025

Published

7 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Editor

TikTok has announced the full list of winners for the 2025 TikTok Awards Sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigerian stars Shallipopi, Belove Olocha and South Africa’s Malumfoodie taking home some of the biggest honours of the night.

The ceremony held on December 6 in Johannesburg and attracted top creators, performers and industry figures from across the continent. The theme for this year’s event was New Era, New Icons.

The show featured performances from Ciza, Lord Kez, Thuli P, DJ Fif Laa and Thabsie. South African entertainer Bontle Modiselle Moloi hosted the event while Keegan Gordon and Zayaan Noorani handled the red carpet. Influencer Mihlali Ndamase made a surprise appearance to present the Video of the Year award. Olympian Akani Simbine also presented the Sport Creator of the Year category.

Brands including NIVEA, inDrive, Coca-Cola, PEP and Dis-Chem supported the awards.

TikTok’s Head of Content Operations for Sub-Saharan Africa, Boniswa Sidwaba, said the platform is recognising creators who are shaping global conversations.

She said, “Tonight’s ceremony was a gathering of the trailblazers who have redefined what it means to be a creator in Africa. From Sokoto to Nairobi, and Accra to Pretoria, we honoured the creators who turned 60-second clips into cultural movements. We are honoured to celebrate them as they amplify their voices and take their stories from Africa to the world.”

The ceremony will be rebroadcast on December 11 at 20:00 SAST on TikTok LIVE through the @tiktok.africa account.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

Creator of the Year
Raja’atu Muhammed Ibrahim @diaryofanortherncook (Nigeria)

Storyteller of the Year
Brian Nwana @briannwana (Nigeria)
He said, “Every single creator is a storyteller. We all tell stories that help drive the local communities, our cities, and our countries, and when we do that we change the perception that the world has about us”.

Video of the Year
Fanuel John Masamaki @zerobrainer0 (Tanzania)
He said, “I am truly grateful to my fans and the love I have received from Tanzanians. Thank you so much . This win was for all of us.”

Rising Star of the Year
@tunero_animations (Kenya)
Runner up: Esther Francis @estherfrancisbackup (Nigeria)

Social Impact Creator of the Year
Dejoke Ogunbiyi @noositiwantiwa_ (Nigeria)
Runner up: Sinethemba Masinga @ufarm_julia (South Africa)

Food Creator of the Year
@malumfoodie (South Africa)
He said, “From my humble beginnings of Haamanskraal, to Soshanguve and to all of South Africa, now we are in Africa!”

Runner up: Abena Amoakoaa Sintim Aboagye @chefabbys (Ghana)

Sports Creator of the Year
John Maingi Mbugua @zozasportscast (Kenya)
He said, “Winning isn’t the finish line, it’s fuel for the next chapter. Every piece of content, every discussion, every moment captured was driven by passion, and receiving this recognition means that passion is resonating far beyond my expectations.”

Runner up: Victor Ademola @ademolavictortv (Nigeria)

Entertainment Creator of the Year
Belove Olocha @beloveolocha (Nigeria)
Runner up: Jabulani Macdonald @jabu_macdonald (South Africa)

Education Creator of the Year
Izzi Boye @izziboye (Nigeria)
Runner up: @michelle_expert (South Africa)

Artiste of the Year
Crown Uzama @theycallmeshallipopipp (Nigeria)
He said, “Thank you, TikTok, for supporting all upcoming artists and giving them a spotlight to shine.”

Entertainment

TikTok Temporarily Restricts Late Night Live Feature In Nigeria

Published

7 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Editor

TikTok has restricted late-night LIVE access for Nigerian users, as the platform now blocks the feature during peak night hours.

The restriction started on Sunday at midnight when the app quietly shut down all LIVE activities across Nigeria, leaving accounts unable to host or even watch late night streams.

According to an in-app message sent to creators, TikTok wrote, “We’re temporarily limiting LIVE late at night in Nigeria as part of our investigation to ensure our platform remains safe and our community stays protected.”

Many affected users shared that their screens showed a “No Access” label between 11pm and 5am, confirming that the shutdown was nationwide and not a technical glitch.

Reports showed that only creators with at least 1,000 followers received the notice, since they are the only ones allowed to host LIVE sessions on the platform.

Several of them confirmed that all LIVE activities stopped throughout the night, and no one could even view broadcasts from other countries during the restriction.

TikTok users who earn money through LIVE gifting said their balances were not touched, easing fears of sudden financial loss.

By Monday morning, LIVE access returned, but the whole situation triggered long conversations on social media as Nigerians questioned why the company picked late night hours, which usually record the highest traffic for match streams, entertainment shows and interactive trends.

TikTok’s latest move came a few weeks after the platform released fresh safety figures for West Africa at its Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal.

The company revealed that in the second quarter of 2025, it took action against 2,321,813 LIVE sessions and 1,040,356 creators worldwide for breaking LIVE monetisation rules.

It also disclosed that Nigeria alone recorded 49,512 banned LIVE sessions within the same period.

TikTok added that it removed 3,780,426 Nigerian videos between April and June 2025 for violating Community Guidelines, noting that 98.7 percent were deleted before anyone viewed them, while 91.9 percent were taken down within 24 hours.

TikTok LIVE remains a popular feature among young users because it allows real time broadcasting, comments and gifting, unlike pre-recorded videos.

To go LIVE, a creator generally needs at least 1,000 followers, must be above 16 years to stream and above 18 years to earn money.

Entertainment

Shola Allyson Finally Reveals Why She Refuses To Reference Jesus In Her Songs [VIDEO]

Published

2 days ago

December 6, 2025

Editor

Nigerian songstress, Shola Allyson, has finally revealed why she does not mention the name of Jesus in all her songs.

Recall that Allyson, who is regarded as a gospel singer, was dragged on social media in March 2025 for not directly referencing ‘Jesus’ in all her songs.

Reacting to her critics in a post on X, the songstress stated that “No one can bully me into joining their darkness that looks like light because indolent souls find comfort in it”.

Finally revealing her reason for not mentioning Jesus in her songs, Shola Allyson on Saturday during her latest interview on Oyinmomo TV, stated that Jesus did not ask her to do PR for him.

She said “I’m not a religious singer. As I am, I have never introduced myself as a gospel singer. My name is Shola Allyson. I’m a singer”.

Interviewer; “Some people said you don’t mention ‘Jesus’ name’ in all your songs”.

She quickly responded “Jesus did not instruct us to mention his name in songs nor did Jesus ask us to do PR for Him”.

Watch video