By Esther Kainebi-Daniel

The sum of N5.5 billion was spent on organising the just-concluded Season 8, the ‘All-Stars’ edition of the the reality TV show, Big Brother Naija (BBNAIJA), Multichoice Nigeria has disclosed.

The Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria, Busola Tejumola, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Lagos, during the prize presentation ceremony to the winner of the show, Ilebaye Odiniya. According to her, over 2,000 individuals were employed to execute the show, adding that the show generated over 1.53 billion voters across all regions. “This year, we have backed this commitment up with a total investment of N5.5 billion, covering the costs of production, construction, fittings, technical, licensing, satellite, and marketing in the production of this season of Big Brother Naija. And of course, there is the direct impact of over 2000 individuals employed to bring this project to life.

“As Africa’s most loved storyteller, we are proud to be part of creating opportunities for growth for the youth in their quest to build great futures. This year Biggieverse was opened as Big Brother invited into it your favourite All-Stars 20 game players, four house guests, nine Jury members and 12 Wager Task Judges and the parrot who all together delivered a riveting show that kept us all entertained for 71 days,” she said. Tejumola described the All Stars edition as a season of love rekindled, new friendships, settling scores, comedic moments, a fantastic showcase of talent and a battle for dominance.

She commended the lead sponsor of the show, MoniePoint Microfinance Bank and the associate sponsor, HFM Online Trading, for partnering with MultiChoice to deliver a Biggieverse of pure entertainment. The Executive Head also appreciated other sponsors of the show, saying: “In this 20th year of Africa Magic’s operations in Nigeria, we thank you for choosing to make magic with us. Thank you, our loyal viewers for your love and support that sustains the conversations around all our productions.”

“Congratulations Baye, the resident GenZ Baddie on conquering Biggieverse and emerging the winner of the very first Big Brother Naija All-Stars Season. Our commitment to showcasing the best in sporting, and entertainment and telling uniquely authentic indigenous stories remains unwavering,” Tejumola added.

For winning the show, Ilebaye, was presented a cheque of N120 million and the key to a new SUV, Innoson Ikenga from Innosons Motors. Expressing her excitement over her victory, the self-acclaimed GenZ baddie thanked MultiChoice, her family, fans and fellow ex-housemates.

“I want to thank Big Brother, my family, sponsors, the host of the show, supporters and people who did not sleep to ensure the success of the show. I promise to make you all proud and make good use of the money,” she said.

The 2023 BBNaija All-Stars season ended last night with Ilebaye, a Kogi-born professional model, leaving with the N120 million grand prize.

Ilebaye defeated Mercy Eke with 30.08% of the votes .

Ilebaye was a fan favourite throughout the season, and her victory was met with cheers from viewers across the country. Ilebaye was known for her intelligence, wit, and charm, and she quickly became one of the most popular housemates.

In her final speech, Ilebaye thanked her fans for their support and said she was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the BBNaija All-Stars season. She also promised to use her platform to impact the world positively.

By Esther Kainebi-Daniel

A blooming singer, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, has prematurely  quit the stage. Aloba popularly known as MohBad died at the age of 27.

MohBad’s news of death was broken by music executive, Ovie via his X page #Ovieo on Tuesday evening. “Confirmed. MohBad is deadlt. Sad, sad day,” he tweeted.

A former Marlian record signee, MohBad reportedly died at the age of 27. He was best known for his hit singles Ponmo, Feel Good, and KPK (Ko Por Ke) (you will always be remembered) with Rexxie which was nominated three times for The Headies awards 2022.

He released his debut album, Light EP, in the fourth quarter of 2020 as a follow-up to his viral song ‘Ponmo’ which featured Naira Marley and Lil Kesh, after agreeing to a record deal with with Naira Marley led Marlian Records World in 2019.

The rapper cum songwriter was listed in Audiomack’s top 21 afrobeat artistes of 2021. In 2022, he released Peace produced by Rexxie, and peaked TurnTable charts top 50 in 2021 and top 100 in 2022.

His discography includes Feel Good, Backside, Weekend, Tiff, Peace, Hallelujah, Ronaldo, KPK, Peace, Komajesun, Pariwo.

In February 2022, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested Mohbad, Zinoleesky and four other people following their possession of illegal substances like MDMA and cannabis at their home in Lekki, Lagos. Some viral videos on social media showed NDLEA operatives breaking into the musicians’ home in the Lekki district of Lagos State in the early hours of Thursday morning.

According to witnesses, the officials carried out the arrest without any search warrants and mistreated the singers. The NDLEA officers were seen hitting the musician with clubs and shooting into the air, forcing them into waiting trucks.

Two years after the incident, MohBad announced his departure from Marlian Records, accusing Naira Marley of domestic violence and stated that the later ordered people to beat him up when he confronted him about his decision to employ a different manager to handle his music and business affairs.

The circumstances leading to his death and where he died remain sketchy as of the time of this report, but there were indications that his elder brother had confirmed the sad news of his demise.

Meanwhile, rapper Olamide Adedeji, popularly known as Olamide Baddoo shared a cryptic message on his X handle, saying “Damn! Mohbad (sic)”, while in another tweet, he wrote, “This life (sic)”

An old video of Bella Shmurda saying Mohbad was battling mental health issues recently resurfaced online minutes after the reported death of the singer.