Despite moves by friends and relatives to mend fences between Nollywood actress Mercy Aigbe and her hotelier husband, Lanre Gentry, who allegedly battered her last week, the actress appears unsatisfied as she has reported the assault to the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs for justice.
Though she posted a glowing photographs of herself going to church on Sunday to douse all reports that her marriage had broken down, the New Telegraph on Sunday reported that she had taken the matter to the Lagos State Government for investigation.
A top official in the ministry revealed that the matter has been brought to the attention of the body; stressing it is a matter of urgency due to the mandate given to the ministry by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to crack down on domestic violence especially against women.
“I am commenting on this based on your manner of approach, so please I’d like my privacy to be respected. Truely, the case is with us here.
Mercy Aigbe, it was learnt, personally reported the assault, and because of the governor’s zero tolerance for domestic violence, we are as a matter of urgency investigating the whole drama. It is a good thing that it has also been brought to the public eye.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has zero tolerance for domestic violence especially battering of women
A human rights activist, Esther Ijewere, who was the first to render help to the actress, stressed that there is no justification for domestic violence.
“There is no justification for domestic violence, at all.
“You as a man, if you can’t stand the heat, then take a walk out of the kitchen. Real men don’t hit their wives; celebrities are human, we should not be too quick to judge.
“She has taken a bold step; the best we can do is pray for her and support her in any possible way we can,” Esther said.
The actress had allegedly tried to mend the cracks in her marriage since last year but was said to be physically abused by her husband recently and is recuperating at an undisclosed hospital in Lagos.
Clearly trying to effect damage control, Lanre Gentry posted a picture of himself and his wife on his Instagram account, saying I love my wife and I will never beat her.
But pictures of bruised Mercy Aigbe posted in the social media and one showing her undergoing brain scan in a private hospital put a lie to this assertion by Lanre Gentry.
Friends and business associates, it was learnt, have told Gentry to be careful about the way he is handling the messy scandal to save his reputation and that of his hotel.
Nigerian rapper Falz recently shared a humorous yet awkward story from one of his early dating experiences. During an interview on the Cocktails and Takeaways podcast with British media personality Madame Joyce, Falz recounted a surprising request from his date.
She asked him to order takeout for her family members back home. He explained the situation with his signature humour, highlighting how unexpected and awkward the moment was.
He explained,
“I haven’t had too many date experiences but the worst probably was this girl asking to buy stuff for her family at home, so I wasn’t sure how to feel. This was in Nigeria and I didn’t know whether to feel bad or not. She wanted me to buy takeaway for them, like to buy for each person… So different portions for the members of the family, takeaway for them. I didn’t even know whether to feel bad, because it was like, I came here on a date with you, not the whole family.”Falz acknowledged that the request felt unusual but considered the possibility that her family genuinely needed the food. “I then sat and thought, What if they’re hungry? We were at a proper restaurant.”“I feel like there are things that, when it comes to dates, there are things that the person would say directly or indirectly that would make you know whether you want to continue talking to them or not,” he added.
The rapper dismissed the idea that men immediately know if a woman is marriage material on the first date. He elaborated, suggesting that relationships often require time and experience to fully understand a partner’s potential.
He said, “To this day, there is nobody I can say that this is someone I want to marry. I haven’t gotten to that stage yet so I think it’d take a while.”
Hollywood icon Denzel Washington recently disclosed his past struggles with alcohol during an interview with Esquire.
The two-time Academy Award winner candidly shared a fifteen-year pattern of wine consumption. What began as a casual habit gradually escalated into a regular occurrence.
He began, “Wine is very tricky. It’s very slow. It ain’t like, boom, all of a sudden,” he elaborated, recalling how a wine cellar he constructed in 1999 within his home became a place for self-indulgence.
The actor added,
“And part of it was we built this big house in 1999 with a ten-thousand-bottle wine cellar, and I learned to drink the best. So I’m gonna drink my ’61s and my ’82s and whatever we had. Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that’s what was left. And then later in those years I’d call Gil Turner’s Fine Wines & Spirits on Sunset Boulevard and say, Send me two bottles, the best of this or that.”
Washington also delved into his past, acknowledging his youthful experimentation with drugs. However, he emphasized that he never developed an addiction to substances such as heroin or cocaine.
He continued,
“I’m sure at first it was easy because I was younger. Two months off and let’s go. But drinking was a fifteen-year pattern. And truth be told, it didn’t start in ’99. It started earlier.”
A decade ago, as Washington neared his 60th birthday, a turning point arrived. He made the resolute decision to abstain from alcohol completely.
“I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean. Be ten years this December. I stopped at sixty and I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since. Things are opening up for me now—like being seventy. It’s real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter—if I get another thirty, what do I want to do? My mother made it to ninety-seven,” said Washington.
Renowned music executive and record label boss, Michael Collins Ajereh, better known as Don Jazzy, recently expressed disappointment over his current relationship status.
On Monday, he took to Instagram to share his desire to participate in the popular “suspect challenge.” This social media trend involves couples playfully teasing each other. However, the 41-year-old entrepreneur lamented that he couldn’t join in the fun due to his single status.
“Suspect wants to do suspect challenge but no suspect partner,” he wrote. In the accompanying caption, the music executive lamented that “it hurts.”
This isn’t the first time Don Jazzy has publicly discussed his relationship status. In 2021, he revealed that he married Michelle Jackson, a UK-based writer and model, at the age of 20. Unfortunately, their marriage ended in divorce after two years.
“I fucked it up cos I was giving all my time to my music. Music became a priority instead of my family. We got divorced when I was 22 and it hurt,” he said.
Earlier this year, Don Jazzy explained that he has not remarried as he is currently focused on personal growth and self-development.
“I dey work on myself so that when my head correct, my babe go enjoy me,” he wrote in pidgin English.
In 2004, Don Jazzy and his former partner, D’banj, co-founded Mo’ Hits Records. Following its closure, Don Jazzy established Mavin Records in 2012.
Mavin Records has produced and nurtured a roster of talented artists. They include Tiwa Savage, Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Dr SID, D’Prince, DNA Twins,Ayra Starr, Johnny Drille, Crayon,Boy Spice, Bayanni, Rema,Lifesize Teddy, and Ladipoe.
To commemorate his 37th birthday in 2019, Don Jazzy unveiled the Mavin Creative Studios. The studio is a multimillion-naira mansion serving as the label’s corporate headquarters.
Mavin Records has received numerous accolades, including two consecutive MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Record Label in 2013 and 2014.
The label’s artists have also collaborated with international music stars such as Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Kelly Rowland, and Chris Brown.