Entertainment
New Yam Festival unites Nollywood stakeholders –AGN Boss
The National President of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas, has described the annual Nollywood New Yam Festival and Awards as a platform that unites stakeholders in the film industry.
Rollas, who said this on Saturday at the closing ceremony of the 11th edition of the festival in Abuja, added that the festival also showcased Nigerian culture.According to him, celebrating the diversity of Nigeria’s rich cultures and traditional values at the annual fiesta is what binds stakeholders from different background in Nollywood together.
”Nollywood have played a major role in propagating, promoting the culture of Nigeria and indeed Africa in the last 20 years and it is in the same light that this event was conceptualised.
“The reason for this New Yam Festival is that for the Igbo people, yam is the symbol of peace and togetherness, that is why this event becomes a tool for unity among stakeholders in our industry.
“Abuja is the city of unity for Nigeria and we have decided to use yam as a symbol of unity for Nigeria, bringing all the tribes together under one umbrella.
“This year is not different from what we have been doing over the last 10 years, but it is still another commemoration of this continual propagation of the culture and unity of our country.
“I want to thank all the invitees and congratulate all those that will be giving an award today and people that have come to identify with Nollywood in this beautiful culture of ours,” he said.
Chief Agility Onwurah, National Coordinator of the Festival, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the initiative was to present a platform where artistes as models and opinion leaders can promote Nigerian culture.
He explained that the festival had evolved over the years into a rallying point for Nollywood stakeholders, fans and culture enthusiasts.
He said that the festival was already a household name in the FCT, urging relevant stakeholders to support the organisers for its continuity.
“This festival has joined us together because we now find out whether you are from the North,South, East or West, we are all one.
“Every year, Nollywood people tend to look forward to meeting new people, royal fathers, politicians, so that we can talk because it helps us in our productions.
“Each edition of the festival has always come better, and this is a testimony that people are proud of our culture and want to identify with it,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy, thanked the organisers of the event for using culture to promote peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.
“This is a symbol of unity because in all circumstances traditional celebrations are done in the villages but we brought it down to Abuja to unite the country so that everyone will participate,” she said.
The high point of the event was the unveiling of the roasted yam, spiced with traditional delicacies and the presentation of awards to some industry stakeholders and supporters of Nollywood.
Nollywood actress Lizzy Anjorin has questioned the authenticity of an interim order issued by the Lagos State High Court on 2 September 2026, restraining her from publishing photographs of Priscilla Ojo’s one-year-old son, Rakeem Mkambala, and from posting editorials concerning the family on specified social media platforms.
Anjorin raised the issue during an Instagram Live session on Friday, 4 September, after Priscilla shared a copy of the court order online.
The actress argued that publicising court documents before formally serving the respondent undermines the case.
“Your case na dead on arrival. If you post court letter on any platform before serving person wey you wan go serve, that court case na fake court case,” Anjorin said during the live session.
Her comments came shortly after the High Court of Lagos State granted an ex parte application brought by Priscilla, her husband, Tanzanian singer Juma Mussa Mkambala, and their son, Rakeem.
Justice Yetunde Adesanya issued the interim order in Suit No. LD/ADR/6646/2026.
The order restrains Anjorin, as well as people acting under her authority, from publishing, posting, circulating, uploading or broadcasting photographs of Rakeem on specified social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok.
The court also directed Anjorin to cease publishing or broadcasting editorials concerning the applicants on the platforms covered by the order.
An ex parte order is made at an interim stage without the respondent being heard. The order is therefore not a final determination of the dispute and remains subject to further proceedings.
Priscilla shared the certified copy of the order on her Instagram Story on Friday, bringing the legal development into public view.
Anjorin’s reaction centres on the timing and manner in which the court documents were publicised. Her assertion that such publication makes a case “fake” is her own claim and is not a finding contained in the court order.
The development marks another chapter in the prolonged public dispute between Anjorin and Priscilla’s family, particularly Priscilla’s mother, actress Iyabo Ojo.
The disagreement has played out largely on social media and has previously resulted in legal action, including a ₦1 billion defamation suit filed by Iyabo Ojo against Anjorin.
In recent weeks, the dispute has also drawn Priscilla and her young son into the controversy, following public comments by Anjorin concerning the family.
Kesiena Tony Adjekpovu, popularly known as Kess, has said that participating in Big Brother Naija can make life harder, offering a candid reflection on the challenges that may come with the reality television experience.
The former Big Brother Naija housemate made the comment in a statement shared on social media, where he suggested that winning or simply taking part in the reality show does not necessarily make life easier after leaving the house.
“Big Brother makes your life harder,” Kess said.
The remark has drawn attention because life after reality television can bring a different set of expectations, particularly as former housemates adjust to increased public attention and the pressure that can accompany visibility.
Kess was a housemate on the seventh season of Big Brother Naija, which aired in 2022. He entered the show as a businessman and was among the contestants who competed for the season’s grand prize.
His time on the programme also placed him in the public eye, giving viewers an opportunity to follow his personality and relationships inside the house.
Kess’s latest comment offers a more reflective view of the reality TV platform, suggesting that the experience does not end when a contestant leaves the house.
However, he did not provide further details in the available post explaining which specific aspects of life after Big Brother he was referring to.
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