Entertainment
MultiChoice Nigeria Presents Laycon With N85m Prize
Multichoice Nigeria, organisers of the Big Brother Nigeria reality TV show, has presented 26-year-old Laycon, the BBNaija season 5 winner with a N85 million grand prize at the BBNaija winners prize presentation.
The 26-year-old was awarded his gifts at a prize presentation ceremony held earlier Wednesday at the MultiChoice studios in Lagos.
He was presented with the cash prize of N30million, an SUV and a two-bedroom house.
Also mentioned was a N5million prize from Betway awarded to Laycon and Ozo on their MAD Sports initiative, and all-expense paid trip to the Guinness House Dublin for Dorathy and Laycon.
Laycon, who made history with over 60 percent of the Big Brother Naija final votes, thanked the organizers, fellow housemates, family, fans and sponsors of the event.
“I don’t know what to say, I love you guys very much,”
When asked about his plans and projects after the house, Laycon disclosed that he intends to work on projects that will impact the society positively.
Speaking at the Prize presentation, the Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe said, “Planning a show of this magnitude during these times was not without its challenges.
“For one, we resorted to holding virtual auditions where we received over 30,000 video entries, from which the “Lockdown 20” were selected.”
Mr Ugbe added that Big Brother Naija has changed the way we define employment and relevance.
In addition to participants being instant celebrities and influencers, other industries have been significantly impacted by the show and its participants.
He also disclosed that over 900 million votes were recorded across SMS, Mobile, Website and the DStv & GOtv Apps.
The Big Brother Naija reality show continues to touch not just the creative industry, but other industries as well.
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.”