Controversial singer, Okikiola Badmus, popularly known as Portable, has been remanded in the Oke Kura Correctional Centre in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, over his inability to meet stringent bail conditions imposed by an Upper Area Court in the state.

This follows the singer’s appearance in court on Monday on the charges of defamation character levelled against him by veteran Fuji musician Akorede Saheed, aka Saheed Osupa.

The ‘zazoo-zeh’ crooner, however, received bail of N1 million and other stringent bail conditions, including providing two sureties in like sum.

According to the court’s directive, one of the sureties must be either the Chairman or Secretary of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, while the other must be a property owner within a Government Reserved Area in Ilorin, supported by a valid Certificate of Occupancy.

Veteran Nollywood actress, Rita Edochie, has kicked off the week with a passionate message to married men, urging them not to mistreat their wives in pursuit of temporary flings with side chicks.

In a post shared on her Instagram page, Edochie warned that many men often neglect the value of a committed wife while chasing fleeting pleasures, only to later regret their choices when the excitement fades with age.

“You don’t have to treat your wives badly because of a roaming side chick,” she wrote. “In the near future, age will drop on your side; only then will you realise the value of that poor woman you mistreated.”

Edochie emphasized the irreplaceable role a wife plays in a man’s life, describing her as a partner, friend, and confidante who stands by her husband through triumphs and trials. She advised men to nurture their relationships and remain committed to their marriages, rather than allowing outside temptations to erode the foundation of their homes.

Men, let’s get real: don’t trade the love, loyalty, and commitment of your wife for a fleeting affair. When the thrill fades with age—and it will—you’ll be left with regret,” she added.

Encouraging husbands to protect and strengthen their marriages, the actress stressed that while the future may be unpredictable, one’s commitment to their spouse should remain firm.

Don’t let anyone break what you share. Prioritise your relationship, cherish your wife, and invest in your marriage,” Edochie concluded.

Last year, Ajofia Nnewi was billed to perform in a masquerade show in Lagos, Nigeria. But the real owners of Lagos through the commissioner of police banned Ajofia from stepping into Lagos State.

The official reasons they gave were;

1. Ajofia stirs segregation in a mixed state like Lagos since it’s reported it’s only men are allowed to come close to view it.

2. It pollutes the environment with the smoke it emits from its head thus creating health hazards and concerns.

These were the official reasons. Now, here are the unofficial reasons:

1. The owners of Lagos wanted to show the noisy Igbos who always claim Lagos is a No man’s land, by stopping their most revered masquerade from performing, who owns Lagos.

2. Suspicion was rife that the masquerade was coming in to energise an evil voodoo for the Igbos which will help them in their domination of Lagos.

Well, I am more inclined to go with the first unofficial reason. My reason is simple. Ajofia Nnewi has performed in Lagos for more than seven times prior to being banned last year. Thus, the authorities knew the masquerade is purely there for show.

In fact, as early as September 2023, Ajofia performed at a New Yam festival held at National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

So, the real reason for infringing on the right of willful association and pursuit of happiness was because, before the last year’s show which was billed for a hotel in Festac, many Igbos were already online boasting how the biggest masquerade in Ala Igbo is storming Lagos.

It is no longer news that online banters in Nigeria do not take time to quickly degenerate into ethnic verbal mudslinging, especially on X. This particular one was no different. It generated a lot of unnecessary bad blood and furore between the Igbos and the Yorubas.

I called a top Lagos based lawyer to step in when the news filtered in that Ajofia Nnewi has been banned from performing in Lagos. The lawyer told me it was already late. The show organiser had already acquiesced, and consequently, signed he is no longer bringing in Ajofia to Lagos for security reasons.

I in turn called Chief Azuka Efoagui. He felt sorry for the organiser who has paid the full performance fee upfront. He told me, all he can do is to wax a special song for the organiser since the cancellation was no fault of his but that of our brothers who made unnecessary noise about him coming to invade Lagos with powerful magic.

The sad part is, all the Igbo online warriors who caused this development with their empty boasts quickly moved on to another online spat without batting an eye to see the damage they caused their own.

The reflective question is, what exactly will happen to Ndi Igbo before they learn a lesson on the need to tone down their loudness? Why do we go to a strange land and become so mindlessly domineering that we hardly pause to think how our hosts feel about our loudness?

Does everything about us has to be braggadocios?
The biggest burial!
The biggest birthday!
The biggest mansion!
The richest man is so so place!

Why do we like setting ourselves up? Empty vessel they say make the loudest noise.

Interestingly, when you get into the seat of power where the real operators discuss, Ndi Igbo are found wanting. But outside the hall, our kinsmen (AGIP) are littered as servants to the people that matters. It is these servants, at times, we deify with needless noise.

It is about time we lessened the noise and stop putting unnecessary marks on our backs when we are not and has never been the real threat as far this union is operational.

Credit: Nze Tobe Osigwe (Ezeikolomuo)
Obi Eziokwu
Nkpoka, Nnewichi-Nnewi
Afo