As the curtains draw close on 2023, Nigeria's entertainment industry reflects on a year filled with unmatched creativity, thrills, and groundbreaking achievements and moments tinged with sadness.
AllNews Nigeria brings you the top ten events that made waves and shaped Nigeria's entertainment scene in 2023.
The death of Nigerian street-hop singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad did not only shake the entertainment industry but also the Nigerian as well as international public. The sad news of Mohbad's death at the age of 27 was announced on September 12, 2023. The singer was said to have been rushed to Perez Medcare Hospital after he was allegedly administered a Tetanus vaccine for ear infection by a nurse who turned out to be unlicensed. The hospital, however, released a statement noting that the deceased was brought in dead.
Mohbad's death turned out to be the most controversial event in the Nigerian entertainment industry in 2023 fueled by subsequent revelations ranging from assault and unpaid royalties, among others. Old videos revealing Mohbad expressing fear for his life and implying Naira Marley’s potential involvement if anything happened to him surfaced, leading to the public demanding the arrest of the Marlian Music label boss under which he was signed until October 2022.
Many believe that Mohbad's death was not natural but the singer was killed. The demand for investigations into his death and justice for the deceased brought about the hashtag #Justice4Mohbad. Following the perpetual outcry by the public, the Lagos police on September 18 established a 13-man special investigation team to disentangle the controversies around Mohbad's death.
Ileri Oluwa Aloba, Mohbad
“Mr. Sanwo-Olu has directed that all those who may have played any role whatsoever in any event leading to the death of MohBad be made to face the law after a thorough investigation," a statement by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso read.
Mohbad's death also sparked a nationwide protest in Nigeria as thousands marched across the country to protest the mysterious death of the singer. Protests were held in different areas in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ondo, among others. The Movement For Justice (MFJ), a coalition of revolutionary civil society organizations, also called for the urgent extradition and arrest of Naira Marley, from the United Kingdom in connection to the death.
In the course of the investigation, on October 4, a Sabo-Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court ordered the remand of Naira Marley, Sam Larry, and two others for the alleged conspiracy and murder of Mohbad. Ibrahim Oluwatosin, also known as PrimeBoy, a childhood friend of Mohbad was also declared wanted by the Police. He however turned himself in on October 5 and was also put in custody. Prior to these arrests, the auxiliary nurse who reportedly injected the deceased singer before his demise was arrested. However, having met their bail conditions, Naira Marley and Sam Larry were released.
Amid the ongoing controversies, Mohbad's father, Joseph Aloba has also been accused of receiving money from Naira Marley after he ordered Mohbad's burial hours after his death. Many claimed that the late singer's father buried him early to avoid carrying out an autopsy to know the real cause of his death. As part of the investigation, the Lagos Police Command revealed that Mohbad's remains were exhumed to conduct an autopsy.
The late singer's wife and son, Wunmi Aloba and Liam Aloba respectively were not left out in the controversy. “I received death threats every day, including on social media. A lot of people are slandering me on ‘TikTok’" the widow, who is testifying in the inquest being conducted at the Lagos State Magistrate Court sitting in Ikorodu said. A DNA test was also ordered to be carried out on Liam to confirm his real paternity.
In the meantime, the Lagos State Police Command has explained the delay in releasing the investigation report regarding the passing of Mohbad. The command clarified that the autopsy findings on Mohbad have not yet been received from the pathologists, causing the delay in the report's issuance.
Just after the controversy around Mohbad's death was dying down and Nigerians were beginning to move on, the public was hit with the death of Nigerian rapper Oladips. The management of Oladipupo Oladimeji, widely known as Oladips released a statement that the artiste died after he "kept his battles within himself" for over two years. "We are saddened to inform the general public that Oladipupo Olabode Oladimeji aka OLADIPS has passed away yesterday, Nov'14th, Tuesday evening, at exactly 10:14 pm. We are still in shock as we speak!" the statement read in part.
The singer's death took another turn after street-hop singer Qdot shared a post claiming that the singer was alive. Sharing a picture of Oladips on his Instagram page, Qdot wrote, “@oladipsoflife, my gee is alive.” His claim provoked mixed reactions, with many questioning the authenticity of the information while others stated the possibility of Oladips “faking” his death to promote his album, ‘Superhero Adugbo,’ which was released two days after his death.
Oladipupo Oladimeji, Oladips
The public was hit with the biggest surprise after Oladips shared proof that he was truly alive barely a week after he was announced dead. The singer took to his Instagram account to share a video of himself sitting outside a house which he captioned “Orisha bi Iya Kosi” (There is no deity like a mother). Following the development, many condemned the singer for allegedly faking his death to promote his new album.
Speaking up after the rumours, the singer stated that it was "never a prank", adding that he was "very sick." and "went through it and anything could have happened." He added; "Some traditional rites were performed to revive me" Apologising to Nigerians, he said; "I am really sorry for the confusion, the false alarm and everything. I take full responsibility." He, however, condemned Qdot for making the post "at a time my family was unsure of my situation is so appalling and uncalled for."
Nigerian diva Tiwa Savage made history in May 2023 after she performed at King Charles III's coronation concert. Tiwa Savage's memorable performance at the historic event made her the first African musician to perform at the coronation of a British Monarch. Reacting to the achievement, Nigerians expressed their pride in the singer, praising the "African baddest gyal" for giving an unforgettable rendition.
Tiwa Savage performing at King Charles III coronation concert
Reflecting on her performance on the Good Morning Britain TV show, Tiwa Savage said despite being nervous, "It was beautiful [to perform for the King]. It was such an amazing moment to represent the Commonwealth and to be on that stage."
Afrobeats sensation Divine Ikubor, widely known as Rema achieved another milestone in 2023 after he performed his his song "Calm Down" at the 2023 Ballon d'Or. held in Paris The artiste delivered an electrifying performance of his hit single ‘Calm Down’, captivating the audience, which included football stars from around the world.
Rema's performance at 2023 Ballon d'Or
His achievement places him in the league of Nigerian musicians who have raised the Afrobeat flag on the global stage such as Davido, Burna Boy and Tiwa Savage.
Against a backdrop of global recognition and applause, 2023 witnessed Nigerian artistes claiming an unprecedented array of international awards cementing their position at the forefront of global music. In June 2023, Nigerian superstars Burna Boy and Tems won at the 2023 BET Awards. Burna Boy made history by clinching the award for the Best International Act for the fourth time while Tems won the award for Best Collaboration for the second year in a role for her contributions to Future's 'Wait For U'.
Davido, Rema, Burna Boy, and Asake shined at the 2023 Trace Awards held in Kigali, Rwanda in October. Rema secured two prestigious awards. His global hit ‘Calm Down’ was crowned as the Song of the Year, while he also shared the title of Best Global African Artiste with Nomcebo. Davido also clinched two awards at the ceremony. He was honoured as the Best Male artiste and triumphed in the Best Collaboration category for his track ‘Unavailable’, a collaboration with Musa Keys. Burna Boy was also recognised with the Album of the Year award for ‘Love Damini’ while Asake went home with the Best Artiste Africa’ award.
Davido, Rema & Burna Boy
In November, Burna Boy and Rema also recorded victory at the maiden Afrobeats categories at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards. Burna Boy clinched the Top Afrobeats Artiste award, while Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ remix featuring American singer Selena Gomez landed the award for the Top Afrobeats Song.
Controversial Nigerian singer Portable was also crowned as the Best New Artist at the 2023 African Entertainment Awards, USA (AEUSA) in November.
Afrobeats superstar Davido's fourth studio and comeback album titled "Timeless" boasts 17 songs and has been a phenomenal success since its debut. It has consistently amassed millions of streams worldwide across various music platforms, dominating charts and setting remarkable records.
Upon its release, this body of work achieved several milestones. In April, it made history by claiming the first-day streaming record for an African album on Apple Music. It also debuted at the impressive 37th position on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Notably, on November 10, the singer earned his inaugural nomination for the 2024 Grammy Awards. His album "Timeless" is nominated for Best Global Album, while his tracks "Unavailable" and "Feel" are contending for Best African Performance and Best Global Music Performance, respectively. Recently, the album obtained the 39th spot on Billboard’s list of the Top 50 Best Albums of the Year 2023.
Davido's 'Timeless' Album
However, these achievements only scratch the surface of the numerous accolades that both the singer and his album have garnered since its introduction.
Renowned Nollywood actress Funke Akindele has once again struck cinematic gold with her latest film, 'A Tribe Called Judah,' raking in an impressive N400 million in its initial 12-day screening period, propelling it to claim the coveted title of the highest-grossing movie of 2023. This milestone was revealed by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN).
A Tribe Called Judah
'A Tribe Called Judah ' generated a staggering sixty million naira earned within just two days of its release, signaling its potential to rewrite box office records. Released on December 15, 2023, the film achieved a groundbreaking milestone as the first to amass over N133 during its opening weekend.
Nigerian comic actor John Okafor popular as Mr Ibu underwent a leg amputation after being hospitalised for several weeks. In October 2023, Mr Ibu, via his Instagram account, solicited prayers and financial support from well-meaning Nigerians to avoid having his leg amputated.
"Just see me, if they cut off my leg where would I go? Pray for me, I don’t want my leg to be cut off, thank you so much, God, bless you,” the actor said.
Despite undergoing seven surgeries, the veteran actor's leg was amputated on November 6 "to keep him alive". It was however clarified that the actor was not suffering from Diabetes as rumoured but " he’s had constant clotting of the blood in his leg ( diseased blood vessels) and other health challenges posing risk to his life, therefore the need for the amputation."
Mr Ibu
Weeks after the amputation of one of the actor's legs, it was rumoured that his second leg was also amputated. The claims were however debunked by the family through a statement, clarifying; "First we will like to state that our daddy wasn’t amputated on both legs but only one. The first amputation didn’t completely correct his health predicament so the doctors had to go ahead to amputate same leg further to ensure we didn’t lose him."
Davido's alleged infidelity made waves in June 2023 after two women stepped forward with pregnancy allegations against the acclaimed Nigerian singer. Anita Brown, an American woman, took to an online video unveiling purported pregnancy test results and chat screenshots involving Davido and his cousin, Clarks Adeleke, alleging an affair.
Adding to the controversy, 22-year-old Ivanna Bay claimed her pregnancy for Davido, revealing explicit conversations and further intensifying the scandal.
In May 2023, Seun Kuti, the son of Afrobeat icon Fela Kuti, stirred controversy as a video emerged showing him striking a police officer on Lagos' Third Mainland Bridge. The incident ignited intense discussions across social media, with some defending Kuti's actions, claiming self-defense against the police officer who allegedly "tried to kill" him and his family while others strongly criticized any form of violence directed at law enforcement.
Seun Kuti
However, the Grammy-nominated saxophonist and singer was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command and put in a cell. Seun Kuti was released after meeting his bail conditions on May 23.
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