Nigeria is set to welcome a new kind of reality TV show, Big Brain Naija (#BB9JA), which the organisers describe as a platform designed to discover, celebrate, and showcase the country’s brightest minds.

Diaspora Digital Media gathered that the show, powered by Big Brain Productions in collaboration with DAAR Communications Plc, will officially debut in October.

According to the organisers, it will air on Africa Independent Television (AIT) and will be staged in the Federal Capital Territory.

Speaking at the official signing of the partnership agreement in Abuja, Chief Executive Officer of Big Brain Productions, Mr. Kel Ameobi, explained that the initiative seeks to balance entertainment with innovation.

He stressed that the show would focus on creativity, ideas, and problem-solving rather than the usual theatrics and controversies that dominate popular reality shows in Nigeria.

“Big Brain Naija was created with a simple but powerful vision: to build a platform where intelligence meets entertainment,” Ameobi said.

He added that Nigerian youths have often been denied opportunities to showcase their ingenuity on the big stage, while entertainment spaces tend to reward superficial content.

He continued: “For too long, we’ve seen platforms celebrate emptiness and drama, while the brightest among us have no avenue to shine.

Big Brain Naija is not a show of noise but a stage for innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. We want to celebrate ideas, not controversies.”

Joining him, Chief Executive Officer of DAAR Communications Plc, Mr. Marcel Anyalechi, praised the project as a refreshing departure from the norm.

He noted that DAAR Communications would fully support the show across all its media platforms.

“This project blends innovation and creativity, and we believe it will bring real impact to the entertainment industry.

We are excited to partner with Big Brain Productions to showcase Nigerian talent not just to Africa but to the world,” Anyalechi said.

Adding to the details, Chief Operating Officer of Big Brain Naija, Mr. Ossai Ilome, explained that the first season will feature 37 contestants representing all 36 states and the FCT.

To make the competition even more unique, the show will introduce AI-powered judges, making it the first reality TV show in Africa to integrate artificial intelligence at such a scale.

Ilome revealed that the winner of the maiden season will walk away with a grand prize of N30 million and a brand-new car.

He emphasized that beyond entertainment, the project aims to reinforce Nigeria’s global image as a nation of intelligent and industrious people.

“The time has come to showcase Nigerians as visionary and exceptional people. While the show will retain the entertaining aspect of reality TV, its heart lies in celebrating intellect, ideas, and innovation,” Ilome said.

The organisers expressed optimism that Big Brain Naija would not only captivate audiences but also inspire young Nigerians to dream bigger and push creative boundaries.

With its unique blend of entertainment, innovation, and national representation, the show aims to become a defining moment for the Nigerian entertainment industry when it premieres in October.

In a highly-anticipated 2 part conversation, prolific writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie sat down with popular talk show host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu for a three-hour long episode of the Blackbox Interview, that was released 1st and 3rd January respectively on the Bounce Radio YouTube page.

Her personality recipe – brilliance, insight, ambition, diligence, charm – has made Adichie, 43, one of the most successful writers in the world. Career wise, 2020 was a great year for the novelist, even by her standards. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was awarded the Women’s Prize for Fiction ‘Winner of Winners’ for her novel Half of a Yellow Sun.

The Women’s Prize For Fiction is the most prestigious literary prize awarded to female writers writing in English from anywhere in the world. Adichie also recently won the “Africa Freedom Prize 2020” presented by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. In October 2020, she released a another masterpiece, a short story titled, Zikora, which is her first literary work in seven years.

During the freewheeling interview with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Adichie opened up about her work, feminism, her relationship with her amazing daughter, fame, her love for the Igbo culture and many other wide-ranging topics.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu during after the Blackbox Interview

Here are four major things we learnt from Adichie’s interview

Chimamanda did not expect her first novel Purple Hibiscus to be as successful.

“Initially, I was published by a very small press. They didn’t have money for a book tour or anything like that. It was very hard to get published in the US.“ she said. “Things have changed so much now. When I was sending out the manuscript, I can’t tell you all the responses – ‘nobody cares about Africa’ Why don’t you write about America’…and then somebody finally said yes I will publish you but it was a very small publishing house, very good, very literary, very respected publisher and I didn’t expect to make money from Purple Hibiscus”

On why Half of A Yellow Sun ended the way it did.

She does not feel to follow up on Half of A Yellow Sun. She does not feel the need to tell people what happened to Kainene because there are many people today who got lost during the Civil War “and we still don’t know their whereabouts. and I think it’s important to honour that”. There are people today, women today who are still thinking ‘maybe that son who disappeared in 1969 will appear’”- she said and shook her head sadly. She really doesn’t know

“It’s hard to answer that honestly. You cannot write a book about Biafra and have an happy ending. It’s impossible. But when I started I didn’t know it will be Kainene but then the character just happened”

What she thought of Half of A Yellow Sun, the movie.

In 2013, a film adaptation of half of a yellow sun was released. It featured Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anika Noni Rose, Thandie Newton, Genevieve Nnaji. Adichie felt it was a herculean task to make a movie adaptation of such a voluminous text.

“The book is a lot. To try and make it into a movie; it would have been much better as mini-series but at the time they weren’t a thing. “Ten years of my life. I read everything about that period. I spent hours in library archives, I make this thing and all everybody wants to talk to me about is the film.” She joked. Although she wouldn’t push for a remake of the film, she wouldn’t stop it if a great team came along.

On the recent push for Biafra

Adichie touched on the recent agitations for Biafra. She expresses her doubts about its viability.

“For me, it’s a question of being practical. Where will the border be? Nobody has told me. In my hometown, I’ve asked a lot of people, ‘Ebe ka Biafra border ga-adi?’ This is a serious question because what I think is that what is propelling all those movements is a sense of marginalization which I think is completely valid. But this idea that the answer is independence is something that I just …”

“Igbo people cannot unite. If for example we said we want an Igbo president, Igbo people will not unite, and then we are talking about Biafra.” “There is a lot of work we need to do in the South-East, a lot of political work, a lot of rethinking how we strategize politically before we can talk about Biafra” the writer said.

You can watch Chimamanda’s complete conversation with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu on YouTube.

Twitter has suspended @realDonaldTrump, the Twitter account of the 45th President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, for 12 hours citing Civic integrity policy.

This was contained in its Twitter Safety account statement after Trump’s supporters invaded the Capitol on Wednesday.

Twitter Safety said the suspension will subsist until “the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy”.

“If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked,” it warned.

It further noted that if Trump continues to violate Twitter Rules, “it will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account”.

The statement reads:

“As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy.

“You may not use Twitter’s services for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes.

“This means that the account of @realDonaldTrump will be locked for 12 hours following the removal of these Tweets.

“If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked.

“Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.

“Our public interest policy — which has guided our enforcement action in this area for years — ends where we believe the risk of harm is higher and/or more severe.

“We’ll continue to evaluate the situation in real time, including examining activity on the ground and statements made off Twitter.

“We will keep the public informed, including if further escalation in our enforcement approach is necessary,” the statement concluded.

Facebook, it was gathered, has also threatened to ban Trump from the giant social media platform.

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, donated the sum of N5 million to the Armed Forces Remembrance Appeal Fund, toward boosting the welfare of ex-servicemen.

Sanwo-Olu made the donation during the launch of the emblem for the 2021 Armed Forces Remembrance Day and Appeal Fund, held at the Lagos House, Marina.

He said that all sacrifices made by members of the Nigerian Armed Forces in keeping the nation united would continue to be recognised and honoured by the state government.

The governor said that the state would always identify with the heroics and gallantry of servicemen who gave their all to the service of the country.

He said that the state government would not relent in supporting family members of ex-service personnel who died fighting for Nigeria’s unity.

Sanwo-Olu, who is the patron of the Legion, said that the state government would be supporting the Legion to assist in the welfare of ex-service personnel that became physically challenged in line of duty.

He also pledged assistance to Lagos-based relatives of soldiers who died in active service.

“As a government, we will continue to modestly support the welfare of our heroes and identify with your cause.

“We will continue to ensure that we bring succour and relief to the gallant officers that have served this country at one point in time or the other.

“The ex-servicemen who have now grown to become old soldiers have served the country at their prime. The least we can do as a state is to continue to celebrate these brave men and women who made sacrifices for our country’s unity.

“Through the Legion, we will assist in the welfare of those living with disabilities, while ensuring the families of fallen heroes are not forgotten. This is the reason the state generously donate to the Appeal Fund,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The governor promised to strengthen its engagement with the Legion and improve their operational efficiency, by donating more patrol vehicles and provide logistical support to ex-servicemen.

He said the state would augment budgetary allocation to the Legion.

The Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, said that the launching was one of the important pre-event activities lined up for the marking of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

Elegushi said there would be a special Jumu’ah service on Jan. 8 at the Secretariat Central Mosque and an interdenominational church service on Jan. 10 at Chapel of Christ the Light in Alausa to commemorate the day.

The Deputy Commandant General of the Nigerian Legion in Lagos, Col. Fola Akande, said that the launch of the Appeal Fund by the governor would put smiles on the faces of over 2,000 beneficiaries of the Legion’s yearly empowerment programmes.

Akande, who is also the Lagos State Chapter Chairman of the Nigerian Legion, said the Legion usually reached out to widows of ex-servicemen, disabled soldiers and orphans.

The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the State Chapter of Nigerian Legion.

The main event for the annual Armed Forces Remembrance holds on Jan. 15, with military and paramilitary parades to commemorate the gallantry of servicemen and ex-personnel. (NAN)

One time music producer, rapper and singer, Lotanna Udezue, popularly known as Biglo, has died after a long battle with kidney ailment.

The Late Biglo shot into limelight in 2004 with the hit song ‘Delicious’ which featured 2shotz.

He will be sorely missed by his fans.