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Fathia Williams receives Backlash for new movie ‘Efunroye: The Unicorn’

Nollywood filmmaker, Faithia Williams Balogun has addressed the controversy around her new movie, Efunroye: The Unicorn.

The actress took to X on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, to announce the release of her movie, Efuronye: The Unicorn. Captioned, “Power, Trade, Legacy,” the official film poster that she released caught the attention of netizens.

Journalist David Hundeyin, tweeting, criticized the movie, alleging that Tinubu was an “ultimate slave trader.”

His tweet, among others, read, “A deliberate decision was made to fund a Nigerian movie lionizing not just ‘a’ slave trader but the ultimate slave trader, as in the Efunroye Tinubu herself. The one who decided she would rather sink a ship loaded with a cargo of kidnapped African human beings than reduce their asking price to the European buyers. That Efunroye Tinubu. This would be like getting Tyler Perry and Spike Lee to produce and direct a movie titled ‘Robert E. Lee: The Unicorn.’”

Also, the 2023 Labour Party’s governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, wrote, “The Yoruba were the biggest victims of Madam Tinubu’s kidnapping, human trafficking and enslavement network. In the British attempt to end human trafficking and her ruthless opposition to it, she was exiled from Lagos. When Nigerians do DNA test like 23 and me, etc., they will see the number of unknown relatives they have scattered all across the Americas and the West Indies. They will realize how close and how deep this chapter of our history is. Unfortunately, Nigerians are still dealing with a ruthless elite that amass their fortune at the detriment of their people.”

Amid the backlash on the yet-to-be-released biopic movie, the actress clarified that there was no political intention behind the movie production. She was more than a warrior, she was a ruler who rewrote history. ‘Efunroye: The Unicorn’ is coming to your screens soon! Are you ready?” the post said.

The post sparked a lot of controversy especially because the movie is about Efunroye Osuntinubu, born in 1805, a Yoruba aristocrat, merchant, and slave trader in pre-colonial and colonial Nigeria.

She is said to have used her connections to establish a successful trade network with European merchants in slaves, tobacco, salt, cotton, palm oil, coconut oil, and firearms and allegedly owned well over 360 personal slaves.

As a wealthy woman, Madam Tinubu was able to influence economic and political decisions during her time. She had a massive security force composed of slaves, and she sometimes executed orders usually given by political leaders during the colonial era.

Fathia Williams, however, took to her social media to address the controversy around the film

“Firstly, “Efunroye: The Unicorn” is not a promotional piece intended to glorify or whitewash a divisive historical figure like Madam Efunroye Tinubu. Nor does it carry any political intent or affiliation. This film is purely a work of artistic interpretation and storytelling. As a filmmaker, my goal is to bring Nigerian stories to life on screen, and this is no exception. The movie attempts to present Madam Tinubu’s life in a balanced and nuanced way, showcasing her triumphs, challenges, and the complex legacy she left behind. It is not an effort to reshape or glorify the historical narrative. “Like all historical figures, Madam Tinubu’s story is layered, and this film aims to capture both her strengths and controversies,” the post said.

She also stressed that the movie is inspired by true events and added that it is important to explore our history.

“As with any artistic work, it draws from history but takes creative liberties to make the story more engaging for modern audiences. I believe that through this film, we can explore important parts of our history, but it is important to understand that it remains a work of fiction inspired by real events,” she concluded

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Celebs

Davido gifts personal assistant Lati Range Rover as birthday gift

Davido

Afrobeats superstar Davido has once again shown love to those in his inner circle by gifting his longtime personal assistant and close friend, Lati Biola, a brand-new Range Rover as a birthday present.

The heartwarming gesture comes as no surprise to fans familiar with the duo’s long-standing friendship, which dates back to Davido’s childhood. Lati, who served as Davido’s best man during the singer’s high-profile wedding to Chioma in June 2024, has remained a constant in the artist’s journey, both professionally and personally.

In the early hours of June 25, 2025, Davido took to Instagram to celebrate his best bud, tagging him as his ‘favourite person’ and posting pictures from the birthday dinner and clubbing. He also posted the keys to the luxury vehicle with the caption, “Love you my brother, enjoy new keys from your boy.”

It is worth noting that this is far from the first time Davido has gifted Lati a car. In 2019, Lati revealed that the singer was so generous that he gifted him a new red Benz worth ₦70 million.

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Entertainment

Tems shows appreciation with ₦3 Million gift to fan who crocheted her portrait

Nigerian singer and Grammy Award winner Tems has gifted ₦3 million to a fan who spent over 70 hours crocheting a stunning tapestry portrait of her.

The fan, identified as Odum Ifeoluwa on X (formerly Twitter), shared her handmade creation online, hoping the singer would see it. The video posted showed the time-lapse creation process of the black and white piece, which came out looking just like the Essence singer.

She wrote on X, “I hope @temsbaby gets to see this coz I don’t have many followers on here, but after 8925 Stitches and 70 hours, I finished this crochet portrait of tems, I made this to mark the 1yr anniversary of when I started crocheting. It’s also my first time doing tapestry. I love you, Tems.”

The tapestry garnered reactions from X users who commended the young woman for her creativity, and in time, Tems herself stumbled across her hard work and was immediately amazed.

Yo this is unbelievable. You are incredible! I NEED IT RIGHT NOWWW. Can I buy it, please? “ Tems commented.

Shortly after the interaction, it was revealed that Tems sent ₦3 million in appreciation for the artwork.

Overwhelmed with emotion, the fan replied, “OMG😭 this has to be the best day of my life. @temsbaby. Thank you so much. @yvonneonyanta you’re are amazing. The rebel gang is the best community ever, thank you to everyone for your positive comments. Thank you so much🙏”

Social media users praised Tems for her kind gesture, and others commended the businesswoman’s talent and gratitude.

Reactions:

Tems is such a nice person, some celebrities would have ignored. Congratulations to the crochet girl, her hard work paid off.

That’s how you help a small scale business strive. Big ups to Tems!

The girl’s emotional intelligence should be studied, no price tag, just gratitude and she received way more than she expected.

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Entertainment

Tinubu, you are incapable – Falz slams president over Benue killings

Nigerian rapper and activist, Falz, has condemned President Bola Tinubu over the recent mass killings in Benue State, accusing him of failing in his most fundamental responsibility as a leader.

In a strongly worded post shared on X on June 16, 2025, the rapper expressed deep frustration at what he described as a repeated pattern of government negligence amid growing insecurity across the country.

You have consistently shown that you are incapable of performing the primary duty of securing the lives and property of your citizens. This routine statement does not cut it.

Falz’s comments come in the wake of public outrage over the massacre of more than 200 people in parts of Benue State. The killings, which have been linked to suspected herdsmen attacks, have drawn widespread condemnation from Nigerians and prominent voices in entertainment.

After being called out online for what many people perceived as his silence on the matter, President Tinubu took to X to address the massacre, saying “Enough is enough.”

His statement read in part,

“I have been briefed on the senseless bloodletting in Benue State. Enough is enough! I have directed the security agencies to act decisively, arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict, and prosecute them.”

Political and community leaders in Benue State must act responsibly and avoid inflammatory utterances that could further increase tensions and killings.This is the time for Governor Alia to act as a statesman and immediately lead the process of dialogue and reconciliation that will bring peace to Benue.

Our people must live in peace, and it is possible when leaders across the divides work together in harmony and differences are identified and addressed with fairness, openness, and justice.

Despite finally addressing the bloodshed, many Nigerians have still faulted Tinubu for not speaking on it early enough, especially after the Pope.

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