Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will be in Nigeria today! They will arrive for a private visit that will last for 3 days.
General Christopher Musa, the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, invited them to visit. Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games, which are for wounded service members. During their visit, Harry and Meghan will meet with soldiers who were injured while serving in the Nigerian military. They will also spend time with the families of these soldiers.
Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis, who works in the sports department of Nigeria’s military headquarters, announced on Thursday that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will spend three days in Nigeria. During their visit, they’ll be meeting with soldiers who were wounded in service and their families.
Marquis said the visit, scheduled from May 10–13, 2024, will help the wounded soldiers recover.
Abidemi Marquis said,
“We realized that 80% of our soldiers have been involved in this recovery programme, they are getting better. Their outlook on life is positive.”
He added that the visit will aid their recovery “to improve their personal self-esteem to improve their mental health. Their emotional intelligence has been improved and also their families seeing them, as they used to be breadwinners who are capable of continue living. So this engagement with Invictus is giving us the opportunity for the recovery for our soldiers.”
Air Vice Marshal Marquis also mentioned a few other things…
Prince Harry started the Invictus Games for wounded service members, and this visit shows that Nigeria supports the idea. He also said it’s important for Nigeria’s goal of hosting an Invictus Games someday.
Marquis even emphasised the need for Nigeria to build a state-of-the-art structure to care for wounded or injured soldiers, “particularly the post-traumatic syndrome and the post-traumatic stress syndrome that are manifesting due to our engagement in the counter-insurgency operation.”
Air Vice Marshal Marquis also said Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won’t stay in one place during their visit. They’ll be travelling to Kaduna and Lagos States, where they’ll get to meet the governors of those states too.
“So, to be specific, now they will be arriving here tomorrow (Friday) and they will be received, and the reception will be quiet because they will be travelling 14 hours to get to this place. They will be taken to the hotel.”
After taking a break at the hotel, the couple will go back and see the Chief of Defence Staff by Friday noon. Prince Harry and his wife will stop by their Wuse Light Academy before meeting Nigeria’s security chief. After that, they’ll head to Kaduna State to visit the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, where injured soldiers are treated.
“On Saturday, we’ll be having like an exhibition of novelty match. The CDS team and the Duke team will be having a volleyball match at armed forces officers’ mess in the morning. And this is just to engage with the wounded and injured soldiers. It’s a sitting volleyball match coming in the morning.
“So after that, we have a programme for them by 01:00 pm. A reception, where they will be interacting with families of wounded and injured soldiers and families of soldiers and officers killed in action and service members generally,” the Director stated.
AVM Marquis announced that on Sunday, the couple will first visit Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to pay their respects. Then, they’ll head to a basketball court in Lagos, where their NGO supports a school. There, a basketball exhibition match will take place.
Additionally, a reception is planned for the couple on Sunday before they return to Abuja to prepare for leaving the country on Monday.
Seun Kuti, the son of the late Afrobeats pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has shared the reasons behind his father’s decision to marry 27 women. These women included his backup singers and dancers, all in one day.
In 1978, Fela Anikulapo Kuti made headlines worldwide by marrying 27 women in a single day. The act was seen as extremely bold and unconventional. This group marriage was not just a spectacle but had deeper motivations behind it.
Seun Kuti explained that Fela’s female dancers and band members were frequently subjected to harsh media scrutiny and were often labelled as prostitutes. This negative portrayal deeply concerned Fela, who has always challenged societal norms and media propaganda. To counter these damaging accusations and preserve the honour and dignity of these women, Fela decided to marry all 27 of them at once.
Seun elaborated that this act was Fela’s way of showing solidarity with his band members and dancers.
It affirmed their importance and value in his life and work. By marrying them, Fela aimed to protect them from societal stigma and ensure they were respected.
In a recent interview on the “Fresh Off The Boat” podcast via Skype, Seun shared these insights. He highlighted his father’s commitment to challenging societal norms and defending the people close to him. This act of marrying 27 women was another example of Fela’s rebellious spirit and desire to stand up against injustice and societal prejudice.
“My father was under immense media propaganda. He was very scrutinised. And most of it were directed to the women that were in his life—his female backup singers, dancers.”
“They all lived together with my dad, but the media started calling them prostitutes. So my dad, in order to preserve their honour and dignity, asked them if they would choose to be his brides, so nobody would call them names anymore, and they all agreed. That was how the marriage happened.”
Tiwa Savage, a multi-talented musician and actress, recently revealed a surprising preference when it comes to her acting career. In a CNN interview, Savage, the star of the Prime Video original “Water and Garri,” playfully admitted a desire for attractive co-stars.
When asked about dream collaborators, Tiwa Savage joked that a hefty paycheck might make an unappealing kissing scene more bearable, but her ideal scenario would involve a co-star she finds attractive. This lighthearted condition didn’t prevent her from discussing her acting future. Savage went on to reveal that she hadn’t yet thought of any specific actors she’d love to work with, leaving the door open for future collaborations.
“Anyone that’s hot. You never want to have a kissing scene with someone that’s not hot. That’s horrible, because it’s not just once, it’s over and over again. So if the person is not hot, I don’t know,” she said.
“The cheque has to be big for me to be convincing. But yeah as long as the person is hot and has good breath.”
This interview comes right after the big success of Tiwa Savage’s new movie “Water and Garri“. The movie came out on Prime Video on May 10, 2024 and quickly became a hit, reaching the top 10 in 14 countries! This includes places all over Africa like Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon, as well as other countries like Ukraine and South Africa.
The movie itself is about Savage’s character, Aisha. Aisha is a fashion designer who used to live in the United States. After a family member passes away, she goes back to her hometown. But when she gets there, she’s shocked. The place she remembers isn’t the same anymore. It’s become a place filled with tension and violence. You can watch the trailer here.
Actor Wale Ojo is concerned by the trend of Nigerians, like skilled doctors, leaving the country for better prospects abroad. Ojo himself spent a significant amount of time living outside Nigeria, but his love for his homeland never wavered.
His vision is for a future where Nigerians won’t feel pressured to emigrate in search of a better life. He believes a strong and prosperous Nigeria can provide its citizens with fulfilling careers and a sense of belonging. This will keep them from feeling the need to “japa,” a slang term for leaving the country.
“I have a lot of aspirations. Over the years it would have been extremely easy for me not to come to Nigeria at all. I could easily have stayed in the United States, or United Kingdom, or Germany or even Russia. And I know I would have been okay doing what I do there. But I love Nigeria, and I will always love Nigeria no matter what,” he said.
Wale Ojo strongly disapproves of the “japa” trend. He believes it’s a shame that so many Nigerians feel they have to leave their home country to succeed.
“And I have a lot of visions for Nigeria. And that vision is one that encompasses a country where everybody doesn’t want to ‘japa’. The ‘japa’ mentality I think is embarrassing. I think it’s unfortunate, you know where doctors think they go and do their stuff elsewhere and whereas when I go to the United States or go anywhere, Nigerians are applauded for their ingenuity,” the actor explained.
Wale Ojo acknowledges that Nigeria has its problems, but that doesn’t discourage him. Instead, he emphasises that he wants to be part of the solution. He wants to contribute to making his dream of a better Nigeria a reality.
“When you will come home there are many problems, I want to be a part of the solution; I don’t want to be talking about the problem I want to be a part of the solution. I put a lot of things in place to bear the solution if the government wants to engage with the creative industry they need to come and talk to people like us because we have a vision for the country; we don’t do ‘follow-follow.”
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