Jimmy Odukoya is both a Nollywood actor and a pastor. He recently talked about his emotional journey after his mother, Pastor Bimbo Odukoya, died unexpectedly in 2005. He shared this personal story on a podcast called “Truth Table.” His sister, Pastor Tolu Odukoya hosts the podcast. This was the first episode of the podcast.
During the podcast, Jimmy spoke openly about how losing his mother affected his belief in God. He explained that he struggled with his faith after his mother’s death. Jimmy described how difficult it was for him to deal with his grief while also trying to maintain his religious beliefs. He talked about the internal conflict he experienced between his sadness and his faith.
He explained,
“The difference between when mum died and when dad died was that with mum it was very sudden and no one saw it coming. I think that my biggest fear in life at the time was losing a member of my family and mum was the most important woman in my life.”
Jimmy’s story shows how personal loss can challenge a person’s religious convictions. By sharing his experience, he gave listeners insight into the complex emotions that can arise when someone faces a tragedy and tries to reconcile it with their spiritual beliefs.
Jimmy Odukoya described his grief as a journey that culminated in a pivotal moment. He had to decide whether to directly address his emotional anguish or turn away from his religious beliefs. Ultimately, he found the strength to face his pain while maintaining his faith.
He said,
“When it happened, I felt like I was at a crossroads with God and I had two choices. It was either the middle finger to God and saying, ‘You know what? I’m done. This is not what you promised, this isn’t what you said. I’m leaving, I’m not doing this anymore. Where has this gotten us? And the other option was to stay there and just cry.”
“I thought to myself that if I take the other option where I walk away, I’m still going to come back eventually so why waste my time walking away? Let me just stay here and cry,” he added.
Battered and broken like a soldier in war, the pastor was on the brink of despair until a message from God offered solace.
He said,
“It was one of my biggest fears at the time and you know scenes in movies where you see soldiers in war-battered and broken; his shield is somewhere and he’s pretty much lifeless. I felt battered and broken at that time and I remember God saying, ‘Get up, soldier. Don’t you realise that you’re fearless now? The worst has happened so what can the devil use to threaten or scare you anymore?”
In a recent interview on Echo Room, Portable shed light on his relationship with Afrobeats superstar Davido. He claimed that things were going well between them until Zlatan, another prominent artist, interfered.
Earlier this year, Portable embarked on a tour of America. During this trip, he met up with Davido, who generously gifted him a pair of sneakers.
However, the situation took a turn for the worse. Portable later took to social media, launching into a tirade against Zlatan. He accused the fellow musician of spreading false information about him to Davido, potentially damaging their newfound connection.
Portable explained that he was in the United States, actively seeking collaborations with a foreign artist. It was during this time that he received an unexpected call from Davido, inviting him to hang out. The Street Pop star revealed that while spending time with Davido, Zlatan allegedly warned the Grammy nominee to be cautious about associating with Portable.
The fallout from this incident led to days of social media outbursts from Portable. He repeatedly accused Zlatan of sabotaging his relationship with Davido, expressing frustration and anger over the situation.
Eventually, Portable took a step back and apologized to Zlatan. This move was part of his broader efforts to mend broken relationships within the industry.
Zlatan isn’t the only celebrity Portable has clashed with in 2024. Earlier in the year, he found himself embroiled in a highly publicized dispute with socialite Bobrisky. The feud attracted significant attention on social media and in the press.
More recently, Portable resolved his differences with musician Goya Menor. Their disagreement stemmed from the 2022 Headies Best Street Pop Award, highlighting the competitive nature of the Nigerian music scene.
Despite these controversies, Portable continues to focus on his music career. He recently released a new single titled “Oriade,” which he performed during his interview session on Echo Room.
Nigerian singer Korede Bello recently explained why he left Mavin Records. Don Jazzy is the renowned producer who founded this record label. Signed to Mavin in 2014, Korede exited the label in 2021.
The artist told Hip TV that he felt like a “product” designed and marketed only for profit. He talked about the constant pressure to chase hit songs. Also, staying relevant in the industry made him lose focus on what truly mattered to him.
What’s more, this feeling prompted him to take a break from music. During the break, he had to reflect and reconnect with his deeper purpose in life. Korede emphasized the importance of this hiatus in helping him realign his career with his values.
Korede Bello said,
“I was at a season in my life where I needed to metamorphose from a caterpillar to a butterfly. To explore my inner worth, to do introspection, to understand myself, understand meaning more, and reconnect to my why. Because I was at a stage where I started to feel like a product, I started to feel like something that was just being sold, something that is just there to make money.”
“You lose sight of what matters when you chase after the next song, after the next hit, and after the next whatever it is that can get you into conversations. So a lot of artistes are addicted to that circle, and that is why they will do anything to just stay relevant. And I know that music is not my destination, music is not my endpoint, it’s a means of communicating who I am and why I am. So I needed to reconnect to why I am and why music is an important tool for communicating what I’m about.”
Chidimma Adetshina, the current Miss Universe Nigeria, has publicly explained why she chose to delete her Twitter account. She faced intense criticism and negative comments following a controversy about her nationality and her win as Miss Universe Nigeria.
During an interview on Arise 360, the Nigerian-South African beauty queen shared that the decision to leave Twitter was motivated by the excessive and often harmful feedback she received.
“I’m not on Twitter,” Adetshina confessed.
She emphasized that deleting the app provided her solace because its toxicity negatively impacted her mental health.
“I had to delete it because I felt like it was too much for me. I’m a comment reader so I read each and every comment; that’s the thing. So for me, I could spend 80% of my day reading comments. I’d read the comments and all and it became toxic for me. I use Instagram but I did limit my comment section one time,” Adetshina explained.
Why Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina deleted her Twitter account. pic.twitter.com/Xc5BQIaQ5z
The beauty queen thanked her fans for their support. She also warned of potential risks. Supporting her could pose dangers to her fans.
“Sometimes there are people in the comment section saying, ‘I really like you but I don’t want to put my feelings out there,’ and it’s valid because when people support me, they get dragged. I don’t want people to go through something like that for supporting me,” she said.
Chidimma’s mother faced allegations of fraud and identity theft from the South African Home Office. These accusations led to a prima facie case against her. As a result, Chidimma withdrew from the Miss South Africa pageant.
South Africans had already strongly criticized Chidimma’s participation when organizers first announced her as a contestant. The controversy surrounding her candidacy intensified with these new allegations.
After Chidimma’s withdrawal, the Silverbird Group, which organizes the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, saw an opportunity. They extended an invitation to Chidimma to participate in their contest. Chidimma accepted this offer.
Chidimma Adetshina then competed in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant and emerged victorious. However, her win sparked further controversy. Some critics argued that the organizers had awarded her the title out of pity, rather than merit. This perception led to another wave of backlash against Chidimma.