Entertainment
NCPC Denies Appointing Tonto Dike As Ambassador
Former Nollywood actress and humanitarian, Tonto Dikeh had earlier taken to social media to announce that she had been appointed an ambassador to Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Council (NPCP).
A few hours later, a statement from the executive secretary of the commission denied making the mother of one an ambassador, but confirmed that she offered to partner with them in their peace building initiative. The commission also stated that Tonto’s claims was a figment of her imagination.
“I wish to state in categorical terms that king @ tontolet paid an official courtesy visit to me as the executive secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission on the 25th February 2021 at the corporate headquarters of the commission in Abuja.
“As the founder of @official the tontodikeh foundation she expressed her willingness and interest to partner with the commission in the area of peace building, they equally cashed in on the visit to commend me, the NCPC boss for my positive and relentless peace initiatives across the country. However, I am suddenly inundated with claims from king Tonto herself that she has been officially appointed as ambassador of peace by this great commission. This claim has gone viral in the media.
“The commission frown at this claim which is a clear misrepresentation of what transpired. The fact remains that I the executive secretary of NCPC never appointed king Tonto Dikeh as an ambassador of peace for NCPC as it was not part of her visit, therefore this claim by her is spurious, unfounded and should be discarded and seen by all Nigerians as a figment of her imagination. Nevertheless, we appreciate her desire to work with us in our peace building initiatives and in the area of pilgrimage sponsorship to the holy land.
Taking to her Instagram page, Tonto Dikeh stated that she would never tell a lie against a commission of the federation but will not fight their claim, she revealed that she has the video proof of their meeting and everything that transpired but would rather respect the commission’s decision and take the fall for the incident, thanks to every Christian body that fought against this growth.
“My name is king Tonto Dikeh, best believe, I will never lie on a human being talk more of a commission of a federation, I will only say this is life, we all know what can go wrong in a second, but we move…. Coming from a place of leadership and peace, I wouldn’t fight this, but I will walk away with my head held high and grow above it, thanks”.
The NCPC and Tonto Dikeh’s statements generated reactions in social media as most Nigerians believe the commission changed its mind because of complaints about the former actress.
Spotify yesterday revealed a significant surge in heartbreak song streams in Nigeria during the Valentine’s Day season, with a 626 percent increase between 2022 and 2024.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Lagos, Nigeria by Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa Phiona Okumu.
Okumu said, “Spotify data reveals a surprising trend, a massive surge in heartbreak song streams.
“Nigerians are turning to their playlists to express their emotions, with a staggering 626 per cent overall growth in heartbreak streams from 2022 to 2024.
“This Valentine, the sound of love is accompanied by the sound of heartbreak, and the data shows it’s louder than ever before.”
She said on Valentine’s Day, most surprisingly, male listeners streamed heartbreak songs at a significantly higher rate than female listeners, with a 362 per cent increase compared to 169 per cent among women.
“This could suggest that men resonate with the feeling of heartbreak more and turn to music as a private outlet for processing emotions.
“Whatever the reason, one thing is clear, when love is in the air, so is heartbreak and Nigerian men are pressing play on their pain more than expected.
“While Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with grand gestures, heartbreak is a common theme on Valentine’s Day -more than what’s publicly shown,” she said.
Nigerians will join their counterparts across the world to mark the 2025 Valentine’s today.
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has joined MLS side San Diego FC’s ownership group as a club partner.
SDFC announced today that Tems joined the ownership group through her company, The Leading Vibe.
In the process, Tems became the first African woman to be involved in MLS ownership.
“We are delighted that Tems has joined San Diego FC as a club partner,” SDFC chairman Sir Mohamed Mansour said in a statement.
“Tems is a globally significant artist who will help us reach new audiences and spread the word about our unique project, which, of course, has its foundations in sub-Saharan Africa through the unique Right to Dream organisation.”
Reacting to her addition as the latest partner in SDFC’s ownership group, the singer said: “I am thrilled to join San Diego FC’s ownership group and to be part of a club that celebrates creativity, culture, and the power of community.
“Football has a unique way of bringing people together, and I am excited to help build something special in San Diego, a city that thrives on diversity and innovation.”
Fashion and beauty entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani, has claimed she is enduring back pain and that her spine is degenerating.
Lawani revealed this in a video posted on social media last Tuesday.
In the clip, she opened up about her experience with epidural anesthesia, an injection administered to pregnant women in the spine to reduce pain during childbirth.
The mother of three claimed that since receiving the injection, she has not felt like herself.
She accused doctors of not fully informing women about the long-term side effects of epidurals.
According to Lawani, she received the anesthetic injection during the birth of her last two children.
She said, “When you hear ‘epidural,’ run. Doctors tell you about the side effects but do not tell you about the long-term effects on your body. I have about three friends having the same issues that I am having.
“Like, I am just 42, how did I end up with spine issues? I have a degenerating spine. I have implants in my spine. I go paralyzed. I can’t stand for a long time. I can’t even breathe properly sometimes because it affected so many things in my body when I had the surgery.
“They will not tell you because you just want the pain to go away. I have had two epidurals. I had my first as natural birth. The last two were epidural. The last one I had epidural because I had to undergo a surgery and I had no choice.
“See, the pain does not stop. My back is killing me and my spine is degenerating.”