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Nigeria’s Charles Obi Emere’s Short, Buried Premieres on Amazon Prime

Buried

Buried, a 2021 short film by Nigerian filmmaker Charles Obi Emere has premiered on Amazon Prime in the streaming platform’s recent entry into Nollywood.

In recent years, we have seen a growing list of Nigerian works gaining worthy international recognition, and Buried is yet another addition.

Buried tells the story of a bereaved 33-year-old Ekanem who returns home to bury and pay his last respect to his late brother but first has to mend fences with his father and sister from whom he has been estranged.

The short film which was the only entry from West Africa to receive a 2021 AFRIFF nomination in the Best Short Film category was inspired by true events in the life of its writer, and director, Charles Obi Emere who almost lost his brother to substance abuse.

Produced by Chinyere Ohuonu, the short stars Seun Ajayi (whose other works include Gidi Up and God Calling) as Ekanem with Toyin Oshinaike and Belinda Yanga-Agedah playing supporting roles.

“I remember one night Chinyere (Buried‘s producer) and I talked extensively about the future of Buried,” writer and director Charles recalled while speaking on the Amazon deal.

“This was way before we shot the film. We were concerned about festival runs and how much the pandemic would pose as a challenge, as only a few festivals were willing to host live editions – most were going virtual.

We knew that we had to find an alternative means of distribution so as to work with the limitations rather than against them. We basically manifested the deal with Amazon PVD. We believed strongly that we would go to a streaming platform.”

Read Also: Ultimate Love Star Chris Adah Says Her Marriage Cannot Survive Infidelity

Charles Obi Emere aims to improve the global reputation of Africa with his stories. Many of his works have on display the raw beauty of Africa. His other works include Wrong Con, a 2018 short movie available to stream on YouTube. Emere’s Trifocal Studios has confirmed that more projects are in the works.

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Celebs

“I can never marry a Nigerian” — DJ Cuppy

DJ Cuppy has decided against marrying a Nigerian man, and she has a reason that says as much about the unique pressures of dating as a billionaire’s daughter as it does about the men involved.

Speaking in a resurfaced interview, the DJ and media personality said her last Nigerian partner spent more energy trying to secure a meeting with her father, business mogul Femi Otedola, than actually pursuing her.

“I can never marry a Nigerian. The last Nigerian I dated was already asking me when he could meet my dad. I don’t even think they actually like me,” she said.

The comment was received well because it touched something many high-profile women have spoken about privately, which is the difficulty of knowing whether interest is genuine or transactional when your last name opens doors that most people spend careers trying to reach.

Cuppy added that her father has no strong preference on nationality, only that she eventually gets married. She also used the moment to express happiness about her sister Temi Otedola’s relationship with star Mr Eazi.

Cuppy’s romantic history has rarely been quiet. Her most high-profile relationship was with British boxer Ryan Taylor, which moved quickly from a 2022 engagement to a 2023 breakup and a series of very public exchanges in the years that followed.

In early 2024, Cuppy posted something her exes interpreted as a taunt, suggesting they could not afford to be where she was without her help. Taylor responded in the comments with: “Neither can you.”

The back-and-forth did not stop there. In 2025, Taylor appeared on a podcast and alleged that Cuppy had expressed discomfort around Nigerians, claiming she discouraged him from hiring Nigerian staff and was uncomfortable when Nigerian fans approached her in public.

That allegation, largely unaddressed at the time, now circles back with some irony given her latest comments.

Before Taylor, Cuppy was publicly linked to Davido’s manager Asa Asika and Nigerian footballer Victor Anichebe.

She has since said she prefers low-key, non-celebrity partners, someone with a regular job, away from the spotlight that has followed most of her previous relationships.

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Entertainment

Davido Charges Entertainers To Speak Up More Amidst Worsening Insecurity

Davido

Davido, the Nigerian singer, has said entertainers are not doing enough to speak out against the country’s growing insecurity. The singer, via the social media platform X called on entertainers to speak more about the challenges facing the country.

In the post, Davido admitted that entertainers, including himself, had not done enough to speak out against injustice and the worsening state of affairs in Nigeria. He added that Nigerian entertainers must begin using their platforms to draw attention to the problems affecting citizens.

He wrote, “I can’t lie, we entertainers… we dey f**k up, I won’t lie, including me. We need to speak up. It’s too much injustice going on. Our country don go.”

The singer also maintained that he is not part of any “City Boy” group, insisting that he had spoken against the government in the past.

This comes after a social media user criticised him for not being sincere

“I no dey part of any City Boy group. When I called out the government on American media, you guys rained curses on me,” Davido wrote.

He added that his relationship with “ST” was only personal and did not mean he belonged to any political group.

The singer added, “I’ve been friends with ST for years, and that’s where it stops, and I call and complain to him all the time, even in person.” The singer’s remark comes amid increased calls from celebrities who are calling out the country’s leadership over rising insecurity.

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Celebs

‘I smoked 40 sticks a day for 13 years’: Ebuka opens up on nicotine addiction as Banky W revisits porn struggle

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu says he smoked up to 40 cigarettes daily for 13 years, while Banky W revisited his past pornography addiction on Mentality with Ebuka. Ebuka Obi-Uchendu has revealed that he began smoking in JSS3 and spent the next 13 years addicted to cigarettes, reaching a peak of two packs, roughly 40 sticks, every single day by the time he was in university.

The television host disclosed the latest episode of his podcast Mentality with Ebuka, which aired on Friday, May 22. The episode featured singer and pastor Banky W and medical content creator Aproko Doctor in a candid conversation about addiction, its origins, and the long road out of it.

“I started smoking in JSS3, which is crazy young,” Ebuka said. “It was basically peer pressure, wanting to prove myself, wanting to belong. By the time I was done with secondary school, I had become full-on. Got into university, and by university, I was doing about two packs a day. That’s about 40 sticks of cigarettes every single day.”

He added that his exit from the habit was less a dramatic decision and more a test of willpower. “The last stick of cigarettes I had was in February 2008. I didn’t quit. I just kept saying let me see how much longer I will hold out for, and now it’s been almost 18 years.”

Banky W used the same platform to revisit a confession he had made publicly before, his years-long struggle with pornography addiction, tracing it back to a freshman dormitory in a New York university where a classmate had shared an open hard drive filled with explicit content accessible to the entire floor.

“I wonder how many of us got trapped in that moment,” he said. He described the experience of trying to stop as a confrontation with something far more entrenched than he had anticipated.

“When it’s now time to stop, you realise you’re dealing with demons that are much stronger than you. That was where the reality dawned on me.” He said it took a deliberate journey to reach a place of freedom, and that he has since addressed the issue openly from the pulpit, part of what he described as a growing willingness among pastors to tackle subjects previously considered too uncomfortable for the church.

The episode is the latest in Ebuka’s Mentality series, which has carved out a space for honest, personal conversations that Nigerian public figures rarely have on record.

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