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TV & Streaming · Video

New on Netflix Naija this week: The Diplomat leads 10 to stream

Keri Russell's political thriller returns on Thursday, a South African rom-com sequel lands on Friday and a Nollywood birthday drama premieres on DStv on Sunday. Showmax closed in April, so every pick says where it actually streams.

New on Netflix Naija this week: Keri Russell's The Diplomat returns on Thursday, 15 October, at the top of a week that also brings a South African rom-com sequel, a Mike Tyson docuseries and a Nollywood birthday drama on DStv. Ten titles made our list. Two of them are African productions, and one is the Nigerian movie that topped the…

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  1. Nigerian pharmacist Chika Onochie, a PhD researcher at McGill University in Montreal, has won a doctoral scholarship worth up to CAD$100,000 from the Fonds de recherche du Québec, Pulse Nigeria reported on Friday, 2 October 2026.
  2. Chika Onochie's research looks for biomarkers that show whether sperm can fertilise an egg, beyond the count, movement and shape measured in a standard semen analysis.
  3. Chika Onochie graduated with first-class honours in pharmacy from the University of Benin in 2021 and began a PhD in pharmacology at McGill University in 2023.
Gist Reel

Celebrity · 4 min read

Chika Onochie wins award worth up to CAD$100,000 for male fertility study

The University of Benin first-class graduate, now a PhD researcher at McGill, is hunting for sperm biomarkers that standard semen tests miss. He says the gap is one he saw first-hand as a pharmacist in Nigeria.

When a couple can't conceive, the tests usually start with the woman, and often stay there. Chika Onochie wants to change that, and Québec has put up to CAD$100,000 behind him. The Nigerian pharmacist, a PhD researcher at McGill University in Montreal, has won a scholarship worth up to CAD$100,000 from the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) for his…

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  1. Femi Adebayo said in a TVC Entertainment clip shared on X on Saturday, 10 October 2026, that he did not spend ₦40bn on his Euphoria 360 Hub.
  2. Lagos Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat commissioned the film and media hub in Oregun, Lagos, on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, as the headquarters of Euphoria360 Media.
  3. The hub's free filmmaking masterclass runs from 29 to 31 October 2026; the hub said on Sunday, 11 October that registration had closed after reaching capacity.
Gist Reel

Nollywood · 4 min read

Femi Adebayo says he didn’t spend ₦40bn on his Euphoria 360 hub

The ₦40bn figure followed the Oregun studio from the night it opened. Adebayo says it is wrong, though he still has not said what the place cost, and GistMatrix traced where the number came from.

Femi Adebayo says his Euphoria 360 Hub did not cost ₦40bn. The Nollywood actor and producer told TVC Entertainment, in a clip shared on X on Saturday, 10 October 2026, that the figure people had repeated since his Lagos studio opened was wrong. "Euphoria 360 is a dream I've always wanted to achieve in a south west state in Nigeria,"…

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  1. Nigeria's Unwana Sambo Essien finished third runner-up at Mister Continental World 2026 in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Friday, 9 October 2026.
  2. Unwana Essien also won the King of Kings title and the men's Best National Costume award, according to Leadership and Naija TV.
  3. India's Karnajit Ningthoujam won Mister Continental World 2026, while Nigeria's Oma Osele won the Miss Continental World crown the same night.
Gist Reel

Celebrity · 3 min read

Mister Continental World 2026: Unwana Essien takes 3rd runner-up

Nigeria's Unwana Sambo Essien made the top five in Thailand and won King of Kings and Best National Costume, on the night his countrywoman Oma Osele took the women's crown.

Nigeria's Unwana Sambo Essien finished third runner-up at Mister Continental World 2026 in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on Friday, 9 October, and collected two special awards on the way: the King of Kings title and Best National Costume, according to Leadership and Naija TV. He made the final five of the men's contest, which was won by India's Karnajit Ningthoujam. Thailand's delegate…

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  1. Nigerian model Bethel Mbamara finished first runner-up at Mister Global 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, 10 October 2026, behind Türkiye's Dilhan Divrikli.
  2. Bethel Mbamara's finish is Nigeria's best at Mister Global, beating the second runner-up placing by Favour Ogbuokiri in 2024.
  3. Bethel Mbamara, a law graduate from Port Harcourt, was third runner-up and Mister International Africa at Mister International 2025.
Gist Reel

Celebrity · 4 min read

Mister Global 2026: Nigeria’s Bethel Mbamara finishes first runner-up

The law graduate from Port Harcourt beat Nigeria's previous best at the Bangkok pageant, finishing behind only Türkiye's Dilhan Divrikli, a year after he was named Mister International Africa.

Nigerian model Bethel Mbamara finished first runner-up at Mister Global 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, 10 October, the best result Nigeria has ever recorded at the international male pageant. The crown went to Dilhan Divrikli of Türkiye. Mbamara climbed through every cut on the night, from the Top 20 after the swimwear round to the Top 10 after formal…

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  1. Nigerian model Iruomachukwu Oma Osele won Miss Continental World 2026, the pageant's first edition, in Ayutthaya, Thailand, with the news breaking on Friday, 9 October 2026.
  2. Oma Osele also won the Queen of Africa, Best National Costume and Best Physique awards at the Miss Continental World 2026 finals in Thailand.
  3. The 28-year-old Lagos medical laboratory scientist qualified for Miss Continental World by winning EliteGlam Pageant Nigeria 2025.
Gist Reel

Celebrity · 4 min read

Miss Continental World 2026: Nigeria’s Oma Osele takes first crown

The 28-year-old Lagos medical laboratory scientist won the pageant's first-ever edition in Thailand, and also collected Queen of Africa, Best National Costume and Best Physique. Here is who she is and how the win came together.

Iruomachukwu Oma Osele is the first woman ever crowned Miss Continental World. The Nigerian model won the inaugural edition of the pageant in Ayutthaya, Thailand, with news of her victory reaching home on the night of Friday, 9 October. She did not stop at the crown. Osele also left Thailand with three special awards: Queen of Africa, Best National Costume…

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  1. The 18th Headies ceremony has moved from Friday, 23 October 2026 in Toronto to Saturday and Sunday, 10 and 11 April 2027, the organisers said on Saturday, 10 October 2026.
  2. The Headies organisers said the delay lets them expand the programme in Nigeria and Canada, and "Road to The Headies" events will still run in October 2026.
  3. Nominations for the 18th Headies were announced on 25 August 2026, with Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Rema, Tems and Ayra Starr among the nominees.
Gist Reel

Music · 4 min read

Headies 2026 postponed: Toronto ceremony moves to April 2027

The 18th Headies, due in Toronto on 23 October, will now hold its finale on 10 and 11 April 2027. That puts nearly two years between ceremonies, and nominees from August face a wait of nearly eight months.

The 18th Headies will no longer hold its ceremony in Toronto on Friday, 23 October. Organisers moved it to Saturday and Sunday, 10 and 11 April 2027, in a statement on the award's official Instagram page on Saturday, 10 October, TheCable Lifestyle reported. The reason given is growth, not trouble. "We're expanding the programme in Nigeria and Canada ahead of…

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  1. American R&B singer Brandy Norwood will headline Flytime's House of R&B at Eko Convention Centre, Lagos, on Sunday, 20 December 2026, Flytime announced.
  2. The Brandy show opens six straight Flytime nights: Rhythm Unplugged on 21 December, Flytime Fest from 22 to 24 December and Flytime Circle on 25 December 2026.
  3. As of 5:30pm WAT on Saturday, 10 October 2026, Flytime had not published ticket prices for Brandy's Lagos concert.
Gist Reel

Music · 4 min read

Brandy to headline Flytime’s House of R&B in Lagos on 20 December

The Grammy-winning American singer opens six straight nights of Flytime shows at Eko Convention Centre, after dates in Cape Town and Pretoria. Ticket prices are not out yet.

American R&B singer Brandy will headline Flytime's House of R&B at Eko Convention Centre in Lagos on Sunday, 20 December, Flytime announced this week. Her Lagos concert opens six straight nights of Flytime shows over Detty December. Flytime founder Cecil Hammond called her one of the most influential voices in R&B, EURweb reported. Her stop in Lagos comes days after…

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VideoVideo: YouTube

Music · Video

Ayra Starr NFL halftime show: she opens with Heaven Baby in London

The Nigerian star took the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium stage with the Eagles 14-7 up on the Jaguars and ran through Rush, Hot Body and Santa. Here is the setlist, the 'first African' claim and where Nigerians stand on catching up.

Updated 11:25am WAT, Tuesday, 13 October 2026: the NFL has posted the full halftime show on its official YouTube channel, now at the top of this story. Updated 5:25pm WAT, Sunday, 11 October 2026: Ayra Starr has performed. Setlist, halftime score and the NFL's own post added. Ayra Starr opened the NFL halftime show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London…

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  1. Rockstar Games revealed on Thursday, 8 October 2026, that Burna Boy will co-host AfroBank FM, an African music station in Grand Theft Auto VI.
  2. Burna Boy and DJ Palms Trax appear in the game as "Burna" and "Palmsy", and the station's preview includes Asake's "Joha", Game Informer reported.
  3. Grand Theft Auto VI launches on Thursday, 19 November 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Gist Reel

Music · 3 min read

Burna Boy to co-host AfroBank FM, an African music station in GTA VI

Rockstar Games has named Burna Boy co-host of AfroBank FM, one of six radio stations revealed for Grand Theft Auto VI, which launches on 19 November.

Burna Boy will co-host AfroBank FM, an African music station in Grand Theft Auto VI, Rockstar Games revealed on Thursday, 8 October 2026. The Nigerian singer shares the station with DJ Palms Trax, and the pair appear in the game as "Burna" and "Palmsy", according to the official Grand Theft Auto VI music page and reports by Complex and Kotaku.…

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VideoVideo: YouTube

Nollywood · Video

From screenplay to top 10: how The God Weaver found its readers

Duke Terry Gbande's AI-assisted novel now ranks No. 10 on Amazon's African Myths & Legends best sellers list, after a launch that put AI in Nigerian literature up for debate.

ABUJA, Nigeria: When Duke Terry Gbande's The God Weaver book was launched at XL Creative Hub, the debate in the room was about artificial intelligence. The book now ranks No. 10 on Amazon's African Myths & Legends best sellers list, which suggests readers are engaging with the work itself. The novel grew out of a screenplay by Tejiri Awanovwe, also…

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  1. Former Actors Guild of Nigeria president Emeka Rollas apologised to Ned Nwoko, Regina Daniels and Rita Daniels in an Instagram post on Thursday, 8 October 2026.
  2. Rollas said he regretted the timing, platform and manner of a statement he made on 20 November 2025, though he may still hold some of his convictions.
  3. As of 15 October 2026, none of the people he named had publicly responded to the apology in the reports GistMatrix reviewed.
Gist Reel

Nollywood · 4 min read

Emeka Rollas apologises to Regina Daniels, Ned Nwoko over 2025 remarks

The former Actors Guild of Nigeria president says he regrets the timing and manner of his November 2025 statement, but not every point in it. Seven colleagues and Rita Daniels are on his list too.

"I am sorry." Three words, posted almost 11 months after the statement that started it. Former Actors Guild of Nigeria president Emeka Rollas has apologised to Senator Ned Nwoko, actress Regina Daniels and her mother, Rita Daniels, in an Instagram post on Thursday, 8 October 2026. The Emeka Rollas apology goes beyond the Daniels family. He also named the guild's…

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