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#SpotlightAfricaThrowbackSeries CEO, SPOTLIGHT AFRICA MAGAZINE & SIBLINGS FELICITATE MUM AT 85

8 May 2021, a Saturday, opened with an event hosted by Taiwo Adebiyi, publisher of Spotlight Africa Magazine, and her siblings in commemoration of their mother’s 85th birthday and witnessed by socialites from Ekiti, her hometown, Ondo, and Lagos.

Madam Rachael Aladekomo Adelusi was born on Monday, 23 March 1936, in Ereguru, Ado-Ekiti, the capital city of Ekiti State, into the family of Late Pa Ogunmilua and Late Mrs Memunat Omolola. Without formal education, she became a foremost aficionado in the garri business, which she learnt from late Mrs Ibitoyo, whom she lived with due to her parents’ financial challenges.

Two striking features of the celebrant, upon close affinity, are her dazzling looks and agility that defy all odds characteristic of octogenarians. At 85, she is tenacious, steadfast, peaceful, loving, amiable, inspirational and energetic. These qualities have, over the years, helped her raise successful children and impact her immediate environment.

Commemorating her 85th birthday was a service held at the Cathedral Church of Emmanuel, Ado-Ekiti, conducted by Canon Francis Bankole, with other officiating ministers, where family members, church leaders, congregants and guests gathered.

The iconic Madam Rachael Aladekomo Adelusi (JP), at the Afe Babalola Civic Centre, University Road, Ado-Ekiti, the venue of the event, received the greatest honour she could ever imagine, as throngs of guests filled the hall to the brim while different hues of canopies were erected to accommodate the overflow of guests.

The celebrant arrived at the venue in a black Mercedes-Benz jeep and was ushered in by family and friends amidst beautiful songs.
Seemingly present at the birthday party were top celebrities from Ado-Ekiti, Akure, Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt and overseas were at the party. The attendance list also included reputable party vendors from Ado-Ekiti and Lagos whose engagements added glamour to the event, changing the venue to a mini-paradise amidst elaborate decorations in their baby pink and burgundy outfits and giving life to the event as packaged by Makabis and Bennet, a Lagos-based popular event planner. The high point of the party was the display of the magnificent birthday cake – a three-step beauty clothed in white, gold, and a touch of pink.

Pastor Wale Ojo declared the event open with prayer, after which the Fuji maestro, Adewale Ayuba, delighted the sitting guests with his sonorous voice and both local and continental dishes by Famfab catering and drinks were excellently served by ushers in their black outfits, while Sola Oladele aka Pa Aristo, Niyi Adeyemi aka Alawada and Afolabi Olorunfemi aka Asorogbayi were masters of the ceremony.

Speaking glowingly about the celebrant, Chief Ogunojo Ogundare Aduloju described her as a humble, generous and loving woman.

Babatope Abayomi Adebiyi, a Lagos-based business tycoon and chairman, St. Jacobs’ Hotel, Akure, is a name that repeatedly resonated throughout the event. King Jafil, as he is fondly called, is the husband of Taiwo Adebiyi, otherwise known as the celebrant’s son-in-law. People not only came from across Nigeria to the event but also from far and wide, especially from overseas. The USA, the UAE, the UK and Turkey were ably represented by Messrs Olumide Adakeja, George Akande, KC and I. K. Adeyanju.

Equally represented at the party were top female socialites whose different styles made deafening fashion statements. On this list were Regent Omotunde Adelabu, Erelu Folu Iginiga, Princess Kemisola, Chief (Mrs) Yetunde Cofie, Hon. Tosin Aluko, Erelu Tolabo Ajibade, Princess Adelanke, Chief (Mrs) Arije among others.

Also at the occasion was Chief Ajayi of Little by Little Photography. The affluent chief from Iworoko-Ekiti chaired the occasion alongside his lovely wife, Mrs Hadizat Ajayi and was instrumental in the livening up of the grand event.

Other VIPs on the guest list include Barristers Adedipe (SAN), ex-Ondo lawmaker, Tunde Oguntuase and Tunji Lawal and Dayo Ajayi, MD/CEO, Lexshield Properties Limited, Honourables Olu Araoyinbo, Fawekun Abiodun and Tunde Osanyitolu, Chiefs Tokunbo Asheer Lawal, Commissioner for Environment, Ekiti State, Chairman Hilmart hotel, Chief Idowu Olanrewaju, Princess Iyabo Okemeyin, CP Babangida Yisa, Colonel Ajepe, Tosin Agbebi, Goke Olatunji, Niyi Okeya, Busayo Lawal, Mrs Bolaji Egbeyemi- Olagbaju, Ekiti State Deputy Governor’s daughter, HRM Peter Idiniga and wife, Prince Akintade Olayisade and Bolu Iginiga, Ewi-in- Council, Deaconess Adakeja Funke, Mrs Ogunsakin Modupe, Chairman West Park Hotel Mr Rasaq Oseni, among others.

It was indeed a memorable event.

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Entertainment

Adekunle Gold surprises Simi with Mercedes-Benz GLE and diamond ring for her 38th birthday

Afrobeats hitmaker Adekunle Gold marked his wife Simi’s 38th birthday on April 19 with a surprise gift of a brand new Mercedes-Benz GLE and a diamond ring, in a moment that has since circulated widely across social media.

A video shared by Adekunle Gold on his Instagram page captured the moment the award-winning singer Simi walked out to find the luxury vehicle, visibly overcome with emotion, before embracing her husband. The clip spread rapidly online, drawing warm reactions from fans and fellow entertainers.

The gesture comes at a particularly eventful period for the couple. Just days after welcoming their second child in March, Adekunle Gold had made headlines for acquiring two new Mercedes-Benz vehicles, which he named “Taye” and “Kehinde”, the Yoruba terms for twins.
The birthday gift to Simi follows in that vein, reflecting what has been a notably celebratory season for the household.

Simi, for her part, had taken to social media earlier in the day to mark the occasion independently. In a post, she described the past year as “a pretty big, long, heavy, blessed year,” expressing gratitude for her faith and the people closest to her. The surprise that followed appeared to be entirely unscripted.

This is not the first time Adekunle Gold has made a public gesture of this nature on his wife’s birthday. On her 35th birthday in April 2023, he presented her with a multimillion naira customised diamond necklace bearing her name, a moment that similarly trended online. The pattern has come to define how the couple marks the date each year.

Their relationship has been a fixture of public interest since they first came to prominence as a couple. The two began dating in 2014, maintained a private relationship for five years, and married on January 9, 2019.

They celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary in January 2026 and welcomed their second child the following March. Despite sustained public attention and periodic online speculation about their relationship, the couple has remained a consistent presence in each other’s lives and work.

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Entertainment

Kanayo O. Kanayo demands lifetime streaming royalties for Nollywood stars

Veteran Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo has stirred up a conversation the industry has been quietly avoiding for years. The award-winning actor and lawyer recently proposed that the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) implement a policy mandating lifetime royalty payments for all Nigerian actors and actresses featured in films uploaded to streaming platforms.

He also called for a dedicated agency to oversee and enforce compliance nationwide, arguing it would ensure performers earn from their craft long after the cameras stop rolling. The timing of the proposal is telling. Stories of financial ruin among once-beloved Nigerian actors have become alarmingly common.

Last month, veteran actor Abiodun Ayoyinka, widely known as Papa Ajasco, spoke openly about his financial struggles despite decades in the industry.

Two years prior, Hanks Anuku made headlines with public pleas for financial assistance after falling on hard times post-Nollywood.

Patience Ozokwor recently put it bluntly: “The reason why Nollywood actors and actresses are poor is that we don’t get royalties for what we do, we only get paid for our appearance at the shoot.” Her words, along with the others, show a consistent pattern of demand.

The proposal has drawn mixed reactions from industry figures. Writer-director Jadesola Osiberu responded with sarcasm, suggesting that if actors want royalties, perhaps they should also contribute to covering a producer’s losses proportional to their screen time, a dig at the one-sided nature of the demand.

Producer and actress Bolaji Ogunmola was more direct: if actors want backend earnings, they should negotiate equity stakes and invest in projects upfront rather than seek guaranteed payouts after the fact.

It’s a fair challenge. The music industry comparison many have reached for doesn’t quite hold up here.

In more structured film industries, residuals are tied to carefully negotiated distribution contracts and enforced by unions, organisations built over decades with legal infrastructure and industry-wide buy-in.

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Entertainment

Wizkid & Burna Boy Clash Over DJ Tunez Brawl

Hours after DJ Tunez publicly addressed the alleged altercation involving Burna Boy’s camp, Wizkid took to X with a series of posts that appear to directly mock Burna Boy over the incident.

Videos circulating on social media appear to show DJ Tunez, the Nigerian-American DJ, being physically attacked by individuals allegedly linked to Burna Boy’s camp. The incident, believed to have taken place at a private gathering at Obi Cubana’s residence, has sent fans of both artists into a frenzy online.

According to a source in Burna Boy’s camp, the confrontation ensued after DJ Tunez, who played at the event, accompanied the legendary Afrobeats superstar D’banj to Burna Boy’s section of the VIP lounge. The source said an argument followed between the Grammy-winning megastar and DJ Tunez, which then led to a scuffle before Burna Boy was quickly dragged away from the scene by his security.

In one tweet, he wrote: “Pussy nigga jump a DJ with 10 man carry Diddy towel dey dance. I never see fool like this diddy babe for my life,” a line that quickly began circulating across social media.

The post references the claims that multiple people were involved in the confrontation with Tunez, while also dragging in the ongoing online jokes linking Burna Boy to embattled American music executive Diddy.

Wizkid doubled down shortly after, posting an image of Johnson’s baby oil, a not-so-subtle callback to the same “baby oil” angle that has trailed Burna Boy in recent days, particularly following comments made by Speed Darlington that have since taken on a life of their own online.

The timing is also quite interesting. Wizkid’s posts come just as the situation between DJ Tunez and Burna Boy continues to escalate, with the Nigerian DJ Association already announcing a temporary nationwide ban on Burna Boy’s music pending further investigation.

Burna Boy himself has yet to issue a formal statement on the incident. What this does, however, is shift the tone. Until now, the situation has been judged to be somewhere between a personal dispute and an industry issue.

Wizkid’s involvement firmly pulls it back into the long-running, often tense rivalry between the camps, one that has historically played out through music, subtext, and the occasional online shade.

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