Entertainment

Celebrities Who Will Be Missing In Action In 2022

Published

4 years ago

December 31, 2021

Nollywood lost some of its notable players in 2021. Death dealt a blow on the industry and got tears flowing freely in 2021. The spotlight is on some notable players in the industry that will be missing in action in the New Year.
Folake Aremu aka Orisabumni
Death snatched veteran actress Folake Aremu aka Orisabunmi in 2021. The fiery screen goddess who rode into prominence in the 80’s playing Orisabunmi in a TV series ‘Arelu’ reportedly died at her Ibadan, Oyo state residence late on January 5. Aged 61, the actress was buried on January 28 in her home town Olla in Kwara state. An actress of vast credit, Folake earned the alias Orisabunmi after she delightfully interpreted the role of a pacifying priestess Orisabunmi in a 1987 TV series ‘Arelu’ produced by her former husband Jimoh Aliu, who passed on in October 2019. She was later to feature as the priestess Orisabunmi in most stage and screen productions of the 90’s. Star of critically acclaimed films such as Yanponyarin and Fopomoyo the veteran actress will be remembered for her inimitable role interpretation and for her chants and oratory.
Rachel Oniga
Death dealt a blow on the industry when it snatched notable actress Rachel Oniga. Tears and tributes flowed freely when news broke on July 30 that the veteran actress, Rachel Oniga, had passed on. Online news sources said the actress, clearly one of the queen mothers of Nollywood died of COVID-19. But family sources confirmed that the mother and grandmother died of heart related disease. An actor’s actor of vast credit, Oniga’s strength as an actress in Nollywood was in her ability to act both in Yoruba and English language movies, a reason she was described freely as a cross over actress. A native of Eku in Delta state and recipient of several industry awards including the Best Yoruba actress by the organisers of the THEMA awards in 1998, Oniga would be remembered for her beatific performances in movies such asx ‘Take Me to Mama’, ‘Onome’, ‘Owo Blow’, ‘My Mothers Pregnancy’, ‘Big Time Chick’, ‘Kada River’, ‘Lady in the Forest’ and ‘Naija Christmas’ as directed by Kunle Afolayan for Netflix.
Ernest Asuzu
Light dimmed on one of Nollywood’s most sought after actors of the 90s and 2000s Ernest Asuzu in 2021. Tributes flowed for the actor whom producers made their first choice for an actor who could delightfully live the role of a lover boy or a mean fellow in a crime movie. For most fans of Nollywood movies, a crime, adventure or love story was not complete without Ernest Asuzu. His deft handling of crime and romantic roles earned him the sobriquet ‘Original Bad Boy’ and made him a darling of the movie crowd. But the multitalented actor and singer has passed on. Aged 43, Ernest, who hailed from Imo state, grew up in Lagos. He had his early education in Lagos and joined the movie industry in 1997.
His first appearance in a movie was in ‘Dirty Game’. It took Asuzu’s performance in ‘Dirty Game’ and a few others after it such as ‘My Guy’, ‘Chain Reaction’ and Teco Benson’s ‘Broad Day Light’ for Asuzu’s talent to become noticeable. Another pronounced performance in Teco Benson’s ‘Formidable Force’ and other movies such as ‘Passionate Soul’, ‘Another Campus Tale’ and ‘Power of Trust’ earned Asuzu a comfortable listing on the unofficial list of recognisable and A-list actors. Star of a number of Yoruba language movies including ‘Ogidan’ and ‘Ago Kan Oru’, Asuzu later veered full time into music production and launched a 7-tracker album in November 2020 titled ‘The Truth’. Asuzu reportedly declared at the launch that he was back, better and stronger and was set to make a loaded comeback to the movie turf. But that will no longer be as light has dimmed on the beloved Nollywood actor who will be remembered for his stunning run in movies such as ‘My Guy’, ‘Power of Trust’, ‘Last Wedding’, and ‘Broad Daylight’.

Victor Olaotan
Nollywood was thrown into deep mourning when news broke that Tinsel Actor Victor Olaotan has taken the final curtain call. The actor who was bedridden following a ghastly motor accident he had nearly five years ago passed on in October. An actor’s actor of vast credit who for about seven years breathed real life into the character of Fred Ade Williams on the Mnet flagship soap ‘Tinsel’, Victor who was born in Lagos in the early 50’s studied drama at the University of Ibadan, at the Obafemi Awolowo University and at Rockets University, USA. An accomplished stage and screen actor, Olaotan warmed his way into the consciousness of television viewers, playing the leading role in Tinsel. Only few episodes of the soap that started airing in August 2008 and Olaotan has become a household name. With the Rhythm stopping for him in 2021, Olaotan will be missing in action in 2022.

Prince Ifeanyi Dike
The industry had hardly smarted off the news of the death of Rachel Oniga and Victor Olaotan, when news broke again that another veteran actor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Prince Ifeanyi Dike had passed on. The actor and guild administrator reportedly passed early on August 27. President of the AGN Emeka Rollas who broke the news on an industry whatsapp platform confirmed that the actor who few years back had a successful surgery in India had been ill. A founding member of the AGN and at a time President of the guild, Dike was until his death the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the AGN. He made name as a television producer, presenter and was involved in industry politics before his demise.

Sam Obiago
Nollywood is still mourning the death of one of its illustrious members Sam Obiago. Popular as Daddy Sam, the actor and creative designer passed on December 22 after a brief illness. Sam has featured in over 100 movies and was an executive member of the Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria (CDGN). Described as a jolly good fellow by his colleagues, Daddy Sam has graced the cover jacket of movies such as ‘The Kings Decision’, ‘Blood Brothers’, ‘The Orbit’, ‘Battle of Kings’, and ‘My Decision’. among others.
*The Roll Call: Babatunde Omidina, Abiodun Aleja, Bruno Iwouha, Sadiq Daba, Rich Oganiru, Jim Lawson Maduike, Dan Nkolaogu, Victor Decker, Stanley Okoro.

Entertainment

‘Lie From The Pit Of Hell,’ Family Debunks Pete Edochie’s death Rumours

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

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.

Entertainment

‘Mother’s Love’ Challenges Nigerian’s Film Portray Of Motherhood

Published

3 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde critiques Nollywood’s lack of mother-daughter stories ahead of her directorial debut, ‘Mother’s Love.’ See the cast and 2026 release date.

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.

Entertainment

Funke Akindele’s Behind The Scenes Crosses ?1.77bn

Published

1 month ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

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.