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Nollywood to collaborate with EFCC on fight against corruption

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The Nigerian movie industry, popularly known as Nollywood, is set to collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) in the fight against corruption.

A delegation of relevant guilds and seasoned filmmakers drawn from across the country, stated this during a courtesy call to the Executive Chairman of EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, on Thursday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team was led to the commission by Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, Executive Director/CEO, National Film and Video Censors Board (NFCVB), regulators of Nigerian film industry.

Thomas said that the meeting was conceived to strategise on how filmmakers could collaborate with the EFCC and also make movies that would publicise its activities in combating financial crimes.

“This meeting is well thought out by stakeholders, after they observed the Chaiman’s commitment, passion and professionalism in the fight against financial crimes in the country.

“Therefore, when they approached me with the idea, I did not have to think twice to embrace it.

“I have no doubt in my mind that the entertainment landscape will never remain the same, after this parley with the stakeholders.

“I am already envisaging harder times for operators in the film industry, who engage in financial crimes, as the youngest and ‘numero uno’ crime fighter is about to entertain our plight.

“The board is very confident that this parley will strategise on how filmmakers can collaborate with the EFCC.

“Also on how filmmakers can make movies that will try to publicise its efforts in combating financial crimes in the country,” he said

Mr Victor Okhai, President, Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) said they came to build that perception that EFCC was watching everyone.

“We therefore seek to support the work you are doing, using the motion picture as a veritable tool.

” We also want you to be very intentional in this partnership with Nollywood,” Okhai said.

Also, Makama Mu’azu, a filmmaker and ex-President of Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN), said Nollywood was blessed with talents and capacity, adding that its work in Ibo, Yoruba and Hausa, among others.

“My request is that you partner with us to showcase the work you do, to change the country for good, as it is done with the film industry in other climes.”

In his remarks, EFCC Chairman thanked the actors and filmmakers for their genuine interest to identify with the commission in its fight against economic and financial crimes in all its forms.

Bawa said that Nollywood was playing a leading role in the continent’s motion picture industry, especially in job creation.

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He, therefore, expressed readiness to form a common front with stakeholders in the industry.

“ Nollywood has succeeded in employing Nigerians and taken our stories beyond the shores of Africa, so we can work together.

“We can have a memorandum of understanding with relevant guilds and produce films to portray our country, and not just the EFCC, in good light,” he said.

The EFCC boss, however, urged Nollywood filmmakers to deliberately shun stories that portrayed the country and its people in bad light before the global community.

Nollywood stakeholders present included Fred Amata, Zik Zulu, Francis Duru, Eucharia Anunobi, Hilda Dokubo, Anne Njemanze and Hadiza Muhammad, Shan George.

Others are Saidu Balogun, Kosoko Adesola, Ahmad Sarari, Makama Mu’azu and Agatha Amata the CEO of Inside Out Media Limited, as well as the management team of the NFVCB.

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Music Icon Quincy Jones Passes Away At 91

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Quincy Jones, the legendary music producer, composer, and cultural icon whose career spanned over seven decades, has passed away at the age of 91.

Jones died peacefully on Sunday night at his Bel Air home, surrounded by family, according to his publicist, Arnold Robinson.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” his family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

Renowned for his unmatched versatility, Jones collaborated with some of the greatest musical talents of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Will Smith. He played an integral role in producing Jackson’s groundbreaking albums Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad, which catapulted the pop star to global superstardom and earned Jones worldwide acclaim.

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Born in Chicago in 1933, Jones’ journey into music began early. His childhood introduction came from a neighbor’s piano playing and his mother’s singing. After moving to Washington state following his parents’ divorce, he honed his skills in his high school band and began playing with a young Ray Charles in Seattle’s vibrant club scene.

Jones’ career took off in New York, where he played trumpet in Elvis Presley’s early TV performances and worked with bebop legends like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. By 1958, he was working with Frank Sinatra, arranging for the singer’s band at the request of Princess Grace Kelly. Their partnership flourished, spanning several projects including Sinatra’s final album LA Is My Lady in 1984.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Jones’ talents extended into film and television scores, composing music for films such as The Italian Job, In the Heat of the Night, and the acclaimed The Color Purple, for which he earned three Oscar nominations. He also scored hit TV shows including The Bill Cosby Show and Roots.

In 1985, Jones produced and co-conducted the charity anthem “We Are the World” alongside Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, raising millions for Ethiopian famine relief. Despite personal and professional challenges—including surviving a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 1974—Jones’s career continued to thrive.

Jones’ influence wasn’t limited to music. In 1990, he founded Quincy Jones Entertainment, the company behind the popular sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which launched the career of Will Smith. His media ventures also included the creation of Qwest TV, an on-demand music streaming service, and the magazine Vibe, which celebrated Black music and culture.

Over his career, Jones earned 80 Grammy nominations, winning 28—making him one of the most decorated artists in the award’s history. Tributes poured in following news of his death. Actor Michael Caine, who shared Jones’ birthdate, called him “a wonderful and unique human being.” Music artists such as LL Cool J expressed gratitude, saying, “You were a father and example at a time when I truly needed one. Music would not be music without you.”

Jones is survived by his seven children, leaving behind an indelible legacy that will resonate through generations to come. His life’s work transformed music, television, and culture, proving that there truly was no limit to what Quincy Jones could accomplish.

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Prayers Won’t Build Roads, Fund Children’s Education – Jesse Jagz To Nigerians

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Singer and rapper Jesse Jagz has called on Nigerians to rethink their approach to religion.

Jagz suggested that African traditional religious gods have become ineffective, attributing this to the excessive alcohol given to them during rituals, which, according to him, has made them obese, diabetic, and unable to aid their worshipers.

Speaking on the ‘Big Talk’ podcast, the rapper also criticized followers of foreign religions for relying solely on prayer and expecting miracles without putting in the necessary effort. He stressed that prayers alone cannot provide essential social services or infrastructure.

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“When you go to a shrine and you see the priest pouring gin on the gods, Google how much a bottle of gin was in slavery. 40 slaves.

“Our gods are drunk on alcohol and meat. They are obese and diabetic.

“They can’t help us do anything. Prayers do not build roads or buy books for children. We have forgotten humanity,” he said.

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Presidents Invite Me To Dinner Wherever I Go – Davido Boasts

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Renowned Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, known by his stage name Davido, has stated that he receives special treatment globally due to his celebrity status.

The Afrobeats sensation mentioned that he is frequently invited to presidential dinners in nearly every country he visits, with the exception of the United States and the United Kingdom.

In a recent interview with Kiss Fresh London, Davido confidently shared that his fanbase includes influential figures such as the World Bank president, presidents of powerful nations, and other notable personalities.

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“Every country we go to, the President invites us for dinner except London [United Kingdom] and the United States of America.

“It’s beautiful to see. I mean, leaving my country, Nigeria, and people welcoming me like the president in other countries, shows how well Nigeria is doing around the world in terms of music and cultural impacts,” he said.

Davido has expressed that he feels most respected in Africa, which is why he cherishes his African tours more than those in Europe and America, even though the latter bring him greater financial rewards.

He shared that his Jamaican collaborator, YG Marley, was astonished by the immense admiration from fans when he visited Nigeria for the video shoot of their joint hit, ‘Awuke.’

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