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Filmmaker Okey Ogunjiofor Denies Praising Uzodinma for Transforming Imo

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Okey Ogunjiofor

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A Nigerian filmmaker, Mr Okechukwu Ogunjiofor, also referred to Okey Ogunjiofor, has expressed dismay over a report linking him with a purported endorsement of the Governor of Imo State, Mr Hope Uzodinma, for transforming the state.

In a statement, the respected Nollywood icon, who produced the award-winning Amina, said he was not part of the movie practitioners, who visited Mr Uzodinma as reported by one of the leading newspapers in the country.

He described the report as “terrible journalism” and demanded a retraction of the story as he was not in the state as claimed by the reporter.

“My attention has been drawn to a news article circulating on various news and social media platforms in the public domain titled Nollywood stars heap up encoumiums on Uzodimma for Imo state transformation as published by Vanguard newspaper December 4, 2022.

“I, Okechukwu (Okey) Ogunjiofor hereby state as follows:

“1. That I, on behalf my Company Videosonic Studios, and the cast and crew entered our latest film Amina for various categories of the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards 2022.

“2. That subsequently, BON Awards announced the nominations and Amina got 10 Nominations in various categories.

“3. That due to these Nominations the organisers of BON Awards extended invitation to us to come to Owerri, Imo state (the hosting state for 2022 BON Awards) slated for December 4, 2022.

“4. That although logistics were arranged by BON Awards for Okey Ogunjiofor to represent his office, cast and crew at the event, he was unable to make the journey.

“5. That a slight mix-up in the logistics planning caused him to miss his flight to the awards.

“6. That the organisers called to apologise for the mix-up and offered to make it good by booking another flight but I declined to travel to Owerri.

“7. That we are very shocked and surprised to see the published material stating that I was at the event.

“8. We are therefore stating categorically here that this is a PR job made without our consent or approval.

“9. This report is very unfortunate, and very unprofessional and in bad taste.

“10. That I wasn’t anywhere near Imo state on the said date, neither was I in Owerri for the show, yet the paper says I was among those who commended the Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma for his uncommon devotion to duty.

“11. This is terrible journalism and I hereby demand Vanguard to retract this statement and correct it adequately in their subsequent publications,” the statement signed by Mr Ogunjiojor stated.

Modupe Gbadeyanka is a fast-rising journalist with Business Post Nigeria. Her passion for journalism is amazing. She is willing to learn more with a view to becoming one of the best pen-pushers in Nigeria. Her role models are the duo of CNN's Richard Quest and Christiane Amanpour.

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Oscars 2026: The Complete Winners List

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2026 oscar winners

By Adedapo Adesanya

The 98th edition of the celebrated Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards, known as the Oscars, was held on Sunday, March 15.

The ceremony was hosted by actor and comedian, Conan O’Brien.

Here is the compiled list of winners at the showpiece.

Best Picture

Bugonia

F1: The Movie

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another – WINNER

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Train Dreams

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan, Sinners – WINNER

Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet – WINNER

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue

Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

Emma Stone, Bugonia

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

Delroy Lindo, Sinners

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another – WINNER

Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value

Amy Madigan, Weapons – WINNER

Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Best Director

Chloé Zhao, Hamnet

Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another – WINNER

Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Original Screenplay

Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon

Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident

Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler, Sinners – WINNER

Adapted Screenplay

Will Tracy, Bugonia

Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein

Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another – WINNER

Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, Train Dreams

Animated Feature

Arco

Elio

Kpop Demon Hunters – WINNER

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

Zootopia 2

Documentary Feature

The Alabama Solution

Come See Me in the Good Light

Cutting Through Rocks

Mr Nobody Against Putin – WINNER

The Perfect Neighbor

International Feature

The Secret Agent, Brazil

It Was Just an Accident, France

Sentimental Value, Norway – WINNER

Sirāt, Spain

The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisia

Best Editing

Stephen Mirrione, F1: The Movie

Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another – WINNER

Olivier Bugge Coutté, Sentimental Value

Michael P. Shawver, Sinners

Cinematography

Dan Laustsen, Frankenstein

Darius Khondji, Marty Supreme

Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another

Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners – WINNER

Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

Original Score

Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia

Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein

Max Richter, Hamnet

Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another

Ludwig Göransson, Sinners – WINNER

Best Casting

Nina Gold, Hamnet

Jennifer Venditti, Marty Supreme

Cassandra Kulukundis, One Battle After Another – WINNER

Gabriel Domingues, The Secret Agent

Francine Maisler, Sinners

Best Production Design

Frankenstein – WINNER

Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau

Hamnet

Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton

Marty Supreme

Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis

One Battle After Another

Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino

Sinners

Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne

Best Costume Design

Deborah L. Scott, Avatar: Fire and Ash

Kate Hawley, Frankenstein – WINNER

Malgosia Turzanska, Hamnet

Miyako Bellizzi, Marty Supreme

Ruth E. Carter, Sinners

Best Visual Effects

Avatar: Fire and Ash – WINNER

F1: The Movie

Jurassic World Rebirth

The Lost Bus

Sinners

Best Sound

F1: The Movie – WINNER

Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, & Juan Peralta

Frankenstein

Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, & Brad Zoern.

One Battle After Another

José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio, & Tony Villaflor.

Sinners

Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor, & Steve Boeddeker.

Sirât

Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas, & Yasmina Praderas.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Frankenstein – WINNER

Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, & Cliona Furey

Kokuho

Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino, & Tadashi Nishimatsu

Sinners

Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, & Shunika Terry

The Smashing Machine

Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin, & Bjoern Rehbein

The Ugly Stepsister

Thomas Foldberg & Anne Cathrine Sauerberg

Best Original Song

Dear Me

from Diane Warren: Relentless; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

Golden – WINNER

from KPop Demon Hunters; Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon, and Teddy Park

I Lied to You

from Sinners; Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson

Sweet Dreams of Joy

from Viva Verdi!; Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike

Train Dreams

from Train Dreams; Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave

Best Live-Action Short

Butcher’s Stain

A Friend of Dorothy

Jane Austen’s Period Drama

The Singers – WINNER (TIE)

Two People Exchanging Saliva – WINNER (TIE)

Best Documentary Short

All the Empty Rooms – WINNER

Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”

The Devil Is Busy

Perfectly A Strangeness

Best Animated Short

Butterfly

Forevergreen

The Girl Who Cried Pearls – WINNER

Retirement Plan

The Three Sisters.

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Drama Surrounds Igwe on Latest Episode of Heartbeat

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Heartbeat Watch This Weekend on DStv

The latest episode of Africa Magic Heartbeat saw the house adjusting to recent exits and shifting relationships. Sharon’s earlier departure and Henri’s elimination in episode eight left the remaining singles settling into their pairings while trying to understand where everyone truly stands.

Hilda Reflects on Henri’s Exit

Henri’s departure is still fresh in the house, and Hilda admitted she felt bad that her decision ultimately led to him leaving the Love Pad. However, she maintained that she did not regret choosing Bosah. In her view, even if she had chosen Henri, he likely would have remained in the house pursuing other connections.

Queen Latifah Calls Out Igwe

The episode’s biggest moment began when Queen Latifah expressed concerns about Igwe’s intentions toward Shekinah. While speaking with Hilda, she suggested that Shekinah might be allowing herself to be manipulated by Igwe and questioned whether he was truly serious about her.

Queen Latifah later took the conversation directly to Shekinah, recounting how Igwe had previously shown interest in pursuing her and even suggested he was ready to compete with Ken for her attention. According to Queen Latifah, Igwe later dismissed his connection with Shekinah by saying she was “too serious” for him.

The conversation quickly escalated when Igwe walked in mid-discussion. Words were exchanged as tensions rose, and what began as a private conversation eventually turned into one of the episode’s most heated moments.

Igwe Seeks Clarity From Alvin

Following the confrontation, Igwe later pulled Alvin aside to discuss Shekinah. With the house already questioning his intentions, he wanted to know if there was still anything between Alvin and Shekinah.

Alvin made it clear that things had changed since Ceeoni arrived and that he had no intention of pursuing Shekinah if Igwe was serious about her. The conversation appeared to reassure Igwe that there was no competition from Alvin, and he seemed increasingly focused on resolving things with Shekinah.

In a surprising turn, Igwe also acknowledged that the situation had gotten out of hand and attempted to make peace with Shekinah, even reaching out to Hilda, who is close to her, in hopes of smoothing things over.

A Brief Moment of Jealousy Between Kena and Chidera

Even the strongest couples can experience moments of friction. A brief moment of jealousy surfaced when Kena noticed Chidera wearing Alvin’s jacket, something that made him visibly uncomfortable, given that the two are now committed to each other.

The tension was short-lived when Chidera quickly apologised and reassured him, bringing the moment to a calm resolution.

The episode closed on a lighter note with a couples’ game that lifted everyone’s mood and brought energy back into the Love Pad after a day full of tension. One question lingered across the Love Pad as the episode wrapped up: has Heartbeat’s resident playboy finally fallen in love?

Catch new episodes of Heartbeat every Sunday at 9 pm on Africa Magic Showcase, DStv Channel 151, and GOtv Channel 8. You can also catch up via the DStv Stream app or through Catch Up on your decoder.

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Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi’s The Fashion Roundtable Premieres March 19

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Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi The Fashion Roundtable

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The new fashion interview show, The Fashion Roundtable, hosted by media personality, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, will premiere exclusively on YouTube on Thursday, March 19, 2026.

The programme will unearth the real, unfiltered conversations with the key players shaping Nigeria’s fashion industry.

The show will feature a powerful lineup of guests, including celebrity stylists Swazzi & Zack Aminu, model Ruth Vader, men’s footwear designer Kiing Davids, creative designers, Nkiru Achukwu of Zephans & Co, Morenike Olusanya of Bawsty, Aanuoluwa Ajide-Daniels of Aso and a host of other notable fashion entrepreneurs and industry players.

Viewers can anticipate standout revelations, such as designer Kiing Davids’ attempt at making women’s shoes that he ultimately abandoned, the story of Zephans & Co selling a staggering 35,000 outfits in one year, and the moment Bawsty’s first pop-up saw 600 registrations and sold out in less than two hours.

The host intends to look beyond the glitz and glamour, providing an intimate space for designers, models, and stylists to share their true behind-the-scenes stories.

The Fashion Roundtable is a direct response to the global attention Nigerian fashion is currently receiving, providing an essential platform to document the industry’s complexities.

Each episode features guests who discuss how they started, the significant challenges they face, how they recovered from failures, and how they financed their businesses. The series is committed to giving a voice to all parts of the fashion ecosystem, not just the designers.

“I created The Fashion Roundtable because I wanted a space to have real, honest conversations with the people who are shaping Nigeria’s fashion industry.

“We often only see the finished product, the beautiful outfits, but we rarely hear from the people behind the scenes about the work that goes into the process. Nigerian fashion is getting so much attention globally, and now feels like the perfect time to share these voices and their stories,” Olateru-Olagbegi said.

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