Nigeria’s revert to old anthem, Nicki Minaj’s arrest, others top social media trends last week

The arrest of U.S. rapper, Nicki Minaj in Amsterdam where Dutch officers reportedly found drugs in her luggage at Schiphol Airport kicked off the social media trends last week.

Minaj was at the airport on May 25, preparing to leave the city where she had kicked off her tour, to fly to Manchester, England, for her next concert when she was stopped by border Police on suspicion of exporting soft drugs.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Minaj is currently on her Pink Friday 2 World Tour.

The Netherlands classifies marijuana, which is legal in the country, as “soft drugs”.

The 41-year-old rapper, in a video live-streamed to her followers, revealed she had pre-rolled joints in her bag, which she said belonged to someone else.

After initially resisting the authority’s request that she get into a police vehicle, arguing that she needed a lawyer present, she eventually relented and got inside.

The rapper, during her transport, told the officers she was worried she might not be able to make her next show.

The officers assured her that they would try to get her there as soon as possible.

Minaj was unable to make it to Manchester in time for her concert at the Co-op Live Arena, where 20,000 fans were waiting for her to take to the stage.

After Minaj was released from police custody, she jumped on X, formerly Twitter, to provide further details of her encounter.

She said: “Police said they found weed and that another group of people have to come here to weigh the pre-rolls.

“Keep in mind they took my bags without consent. My security has already advised them those pre-rolls belong to him.”

Harrysong’s lamentation
On Sunday, May 26, popular Nigerian singer, Harrysong, accused Alexer Perez, his estranged wife, of infidelity during their marriage.

Recall that their marriage has been going through some crisis after an alleged WhatsApp chat between them surfaced on social media.

In an Instagram live session, the singer claimed that Alexer got pregnant for another man while still married to him.

He said that he had stopped sleeping with her “for almost a year” when she announced her pregnancy.

“My ex-wife’s mother just married her seventh or sixth husband yet she is still cheating in that marriage. That is the kind of family I married into.

“My wife came to inform me that she was pregnant when I stopped sleeping with her for almost a year. She was pregnant for another man in my marriage.

“The only thing I did was to ask her to return to her family. I needed time to get to know her because I didn’t know who she really is. I married her because people said she was a loyal, humble and God-fearing Christian.”

In response to his allegations, Alexer, in a separate Instagram live session, denied her ex-husband’s allegations of infidelity and urged him to move on.

She said, “You dey watch film, abi na Nollywood? I don’t understand how you would say that I carried another man’s child when I’m still married to you. I have never cheated on you since we married. I never tried it.”

Regina Daniels’ wedding
The day also witnessed the celebration of the fifth wedding anniversary between Sen. Ned Nwoko and his actress wife, Regina Daniels.

Nwoko made an emotional promise to Regina, as the couple shared loved-up photos to mark the occasion.

Regina, while reflecting on the past five years, described the marriage as remarkable and one filled with love.

She expressed gratitude to God, hoping for many more years to celebrate their love.

Ned also took to Instagram to celebrate, expressing his joy for the past five years with Regina, describing it as good and eventful.

He wrote, “Happy 5 years Anniversary to us baby. It has been a good and eventful 5 years. And we are just starting.”

It’s Toolz 8th anniversary
In a similar mood, on Tuesday, May 28, Tolu Oniru, Nigerian radio personality, talk show host, and presenter, popularly known as Toolz, took to her Instagram page to celebrate her eighth wedding anniversary with Tunde Demuren.

Toolz posted two pictures from their wedding in 2016 and told the story of how she nearly missed the flight to their wedding in Dubai because she overslept.

She expressed gratitude to her husband for being a calming force in her life and prayed for their union, while humorously hinting at wanting another child.

Nollywood’s Zulu Adigwe goes home
Wednesday, May 29, however, witnessed the burial of veteran Nollywood actor, Zulu Adigwe, in Abuja.

The same day, President Bola Tinubu assented to the National Anthem Bill 2024, reverting to the old national anthem, “Nigeria, we hail thee”.

Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate who lived in Nigeria during its independence, penned the lyrics for “Nigeria, we hail thee”, while Frances Berda composed the music.

The anthem played a significant role in shaping Nigeria’s national identity and unity during the 1960s and late 1970s.

Guilty Trump
On Thursday, May 30, a Manhattan Jury found former American President, Donald Trump, guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money criminal trial, an unprecedented and historic verdict that makes him the first former president in U.S. history to be convicted of a felony.

Judge Juan Merchan set a sentencing hearing for July 11.

Prosecutors accused Trump of taking part in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, which included concealing a hush money payment to an adult film star.

Also, in the Nigerian music scene, Fireboy announced his collaboration with his counterpart, Omah Lay, and hitmaking producer, Lekaa Bea, for a new single.

Fireboy shared a post saying, “It’s pretty messed up,” in which he tagged Omah Lay on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

The post appeared to be an announcement of a possible collaboration and Omah Lay thickened the plot with his reply saying: “This world is a messed up place bro.”

The collaboration was later confirmed by Lekaa Beat who also announced that he would be collaborating with Fireboy and Omah Lay for a new song.

The upcoming collaboration makes it the first time Fireboy and Omah Lay will be on a song together and this prospect has predictably sparked excitement among fans.

Same day, renowned music sensation, Daniel Anidugbe, popularly known as ‘Kizz Daniel’, released his latest single, ‘Double’, a heartfelt dedication to his wife, Marian.

Marian stars as the vixen in the accompanying music video.

Christian Agadibe, Chief Executive Officer of Artmatazz Media, a media company to the superstar, disclosed this.

Agadibe said the new single marks a significant milestone in Kizz Daniel’s career as he embraces themes of love and family while continuing to deliver chart-topping hits.

Also, Nigerian singer, Patoranking, excitedly announced that his birthday gift to the public is his newly launched tech scholarship, in partnership with ALX Africa.

In an Instagram post, Patoranking announced that the $500,000 initiative, run through the Patoranking Foundation and ALX Africa, is open to 40 people.

His caption read, “Embracing technology has been a game changer in my music career and business, visit @patorankingfoundation for more information on how to APPLY!

“There are 40 spaces available, My Birthday gift to 40 people Only Let’s go! 💪🏿💪🏿.”

Meanwhile, Nigerian celebrity rapper, Falz, teased his fans with a new EP titled “Before The Feast”, slated for release June 7.

Ayra Starr’s ‘The Year I Turned 21’
On Friday, Nigerian singer, Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, also known as Ayra Starr, unveiled her highly-anticipated sophomore album titled, ‘The Year I Turned 21’.

The album follows the success of her 2021 debut project, ‘19 & Dangerous’.

Ayra Starr recently revealed that she collaborated with Asake and Seyi Vibez because of her genuine admiration for their talents and not to stir up any supposed rivalry among their fans.

Tracks on the new album include ‘Birds Sing Of Money’, ‘Goodbye (Warm Up)’, ‘Woman Commando’, ‘Control’, and ‘21’.

“The Year I Turned 21” is a 15-track album featuring collaborations with Asake, Giveon, Coco Jones, Anitta, Rvssian and Rauw Alejandro on tracks like “Goodbye (Warm Up),” “Last Heartbreak Song,” “Woman Commando” and “Santa” respectively.

The album also includes the previously released “Commas” and “Bad Vibes”.

Big Brother Naija is coming
On Saturday, Net Nigeria announced that the Big Brother Naija All-Stars Reunion would begin streaming on June 24, on Showmax.

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu was announced as the moderator.

Nigerian filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, also unveiled plans to shoot part of the highly anticipated season two of ANIKULAPO in Ghana, in a strategic move to support the “Shoot in Ghana” campaign initiated by the National Film Authority.

This exciting announcement was made during the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, in France, where Afolayan was among the distinguished guests.

The Nigeria International Film and TV Summit (NIFS) also hosted at Cannes, served as the platform for Afolayan to reveal his decision to shoot portions of ANIKULAPO in Ghana. (NAN)