Latest news with #Lagos
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Absolutely Haunting' crime thriller compared to The Handmaid's Tale rockets up Netflix charts - as viewers beg 'give us more like this please!'
Though it was released in Nigeria back in March, Baby Farm only became available on Netflix UK on June 20th 2025. The series follows young Adanna (Onyinye Odokoro), who falls pregnant out of wedlock. Faced by her parents' reprimanding attitude, she runs from home to find her boyfriend in Lagos, but instead, is seduced by an exploitative baby farming scheme called The Evans Foundation, masquerading as a benevolent NGO. The Evans Foundation is run by a pair of married British expatriates, who, living in Nigeria, exploit vulnerable pregnant women for profit. Adanna and her similarly imprisoned peers, including Ebun (Genoveva Umeh) and Emem (Ruby Akubeze), discover that at the heart of the Evans Foundation is a sinister operation with a hidden agenda. 'The series draws chilling parallels to real-life horrors, grounded by a powerful performance from Onyinye Odokoro as Adanna, a woman pushed to the edge, yet never backing down,' said Black Film Wire in their review. 'But it's Genoveva Umeh that left me cold. Her portrayal of Ebun isn't just haunting - it's the kind of performance that burrows under your skin and refuses to leave: layered, grounded, and absolutely haunting.' Other compared the show to dystopian hit The Handmaid's Tale, which sees women oppressed by a Christian theocracy and forced to carry babies for the rich and powerful amid a global fertility crisis. The Lagos-set series aims to highlight the reality of women trapped in exploitative baby factory institutions across the world. 'When I started to research (the script), it was very eye-opening and very horrific,' said Odokoro, in an interview with Arise. 'I believe that film has to make comments about what's happening in society. It is very important and very relevant.' This series is more than just a thriller – it's a powerful story rooted in real-life issues told through the lens of bold, cinematic African storytelling,' said the show's executive producer Mo Abudu. 'With breathtaking visuals, a gripping narrative and an outstanding cast and crew, Baby Farm will keep audiences on the edge of their seats while sparking vital conversations. We can't wait for the world to experience it.' Its popularity signals global momentum for Nollywood, as Baby Farm sparks impassioned conversation online. One fan said: 'This is giving me Handmaid's Tale and I am getting angry all over again.' Another chimed in: 'Baby Farm on Netflix gives me a Get Out vibe. 2 episodes in, and I'm unsettled. Who is the actress playing Nurse Bolade? She creeps me out.' 'Baby Farm left me absolutely impressed! The movie was fantastic! My favourite character was Ebun, I could really see how her childhood shaped her personality. 'Her goofiness was the bare minimum she classified as love, which was both heartbreaking and eye-opening,' one fan added. 'Just finished Baby Farm on Netflix! It was so good fr, yet it somehow flew under the radar,' someone else said. Its popularity signals global momentum for Nollywood, as Baby Farm sparks impassioned conversation online 'Meanwhile, some other movies with way less depth or weaker storytelling get all the hype just because they feature popular actors or because of social media buzz.' 'I just finished watching Baby Farm on Netflix. I didn't expect to, but I was gripped. Great storytelling. And Genoveva Umeh? That girl is a superstar,' one fan wrote. While another added: 'I know I'm late and that's cos Netflix finally pitied us but Baby Farm was so good! You people didn't talk about it enough.' Baby Farm is available to stream on Netflix.
The Guardian
16 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
The making of Jack Draper: from teen ‘maniac' to Wimbledon title contender
Towards the end of 2018, a relatively unknown 16-year-old British tennis player took some of his first strides on the professional tennis circuit in a $15,000 (£11,000) tournament in Lagos, Nigeria on the ITF World Tennis Tour. Earlier that summer, Jack Draper had offered a glimpse into his considerable potential with a run to the Wimbledon boys' final and his encouraging first tussles against adult opposition had earned him a modest ATP ranking of No 623. 'I was very different then,' Draper says, smiling. 'A bit of a maniac, to be honest.' Those experiences were key in his development for various reasons. He ended that tournament by winning his third consecutive title, offering him more reason to believe he was on the right path. Along the way, he gained some essential perspective. 'I'd have a wet [racket] grip, because it was so humid there. I'd put it in a bin and the kids were fighting over it. Just the energy from the people there, they were really passionate about tennis,' says Draper. 'To go to those sorts of places was definitely … going from the UK and having a lot of, I guess, things given to me, it definitely helped the way I saw life.' As Draper arrives at Wimbledon as the fourth best player in the world, and seeks out his first deep run at his home grand slam tournament, the 23-year-old's disposition in his youth underlines just how far he has come. During his formative years, he was smaller than many contemporaries and his only route to victory was through grinding, scrapping and outsmarting his rivals. His teenage growth spurt was a transformative event in his career and he now stands at an imposing 1.93m (6ft 4in). That dramatic physical change has allowed Draper to build one of the most well-rounded games on the tour. Although he is now a more offensive player, he has retained his excellent defensive skills from his youth. Draper's wicked, varied lefty serve is one of his most pronounced strengths, even though its consistency is still a work in progress. While many big servers tend to not return as well, Draper is an even more effective returner. His two-handed backhand was the foundation of his success during his youth, but he now looks to dominate with his heavy topspin forehand. He can still draw out errors from behind the baseline even though he has grown comfortable with attempting to dominate all opponents. Draper's affinity for using drop shots and his comfort around the net also provide him with more options than most players to finish any given point. 'You're scared of his forehand because he rips it cross, rips it down the line,' says the three-time grand slam finalist Casper Ruud. 'You're also, in a way, scared of his backhand because he can rip and counter from that side as well. So there aren't many holes in his game that I see or that I feel.' According to Tennis Viz, which uses data metrics to quantify the quality of strokes, Draper is the only player other than the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, to average a rating of more than eight (out of 10) for serve, return, forehand and backhand quality this year. For Draper, being a complete player has been the goal all along. 'When I was younger, I was always thinking: 'If I'm going to be a top player, if I'm going to play someone, what do I want them to think?'' says Draper. 'And I want them to think: 'He has no weaknesses,' because I know that if I play someone who has no weaknesses, I'd be feeling a lot of pressure. So I suppose that's the goal I want to get to. I'm still not fully there, but I'm wanting to get to that.' Of all the shots in his arsenal, Draper's forehand has changed and improved more than anything else. A natural right-hander, his two-handed backhand has always been his most instinctive and reliable groundstroke. When they began working together in 2021, Draper and his coach, James Trotman, spent significant time discussing how to improve his forehand. 'The forehand was an area that I always thought could be a weapon, but it was a weakness as well,' he says. 'Any time anyone would rush it, it would not hold up. I wasn't able to get through the ball as much as I wanted to. We worked on my body positions, how I'm going to be able to come forward. There's a big misconception that to be a top player your forehand has to look a certain way. I don't think that's the truth. You just have to hit the ball in front and learn how to use your body to be effective.' While his forehand is still a work in progress, it has been a decisive factor in his recent success. He has long possessed one of the heaviest forehands in the game, with the stroke averaging 3,158 revolutions per minute (rpm) over the past year, far above the tour average of 2,844rpm, but this year he has been determined to flatten the stroke out, look to dominate opponents with it and attack more frequently down the line. His forehand quality has increased from 7.6 to 7.9, elevating it from 25th on the tour last year to 14th in 2025. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Possessing such a varied skill set is clearly an asset to any player, but for a long time Draper still could not find his identity on the court. Last year, as he still struggled to shake off his defensive instincts, Draper hired the former top 10 player Wayne Ferreira as a supplementary coach alongside Trotman. After years of being instructed to play the brand of ultra-offensive tennis befitting a big man, he tried it out. 'I was in a bit of a crisis last year thinking: 'Where's my game going to go? What do I need to change?'' Draper says. 'Then I did certain things and I tried to maybe go to the opposite end of the spectrum and try and hit every ball as hard as I can, and return up the court and do all these things, but it didn't really work, that experiment.' Although he won his first ATP title in Stuttgart during this period, Draper suffered a first-round loss at the French Open followed by a miserable second-round defeat at Wimbledon by Cameron Norrie. By the end of the summer, the experiment was over. The experience taught him that he could find a greater balance between attack and defence in his game, but also a fundamental lesson that he will never forget: he should always trust himself. 'It got to the point where maybe I was thinking that I needed to do something drastic to be a top player,' he says. 'The truth was I just needed to be consistent, trust the work that I was doing, and know that with the right mentality and doing things well day in, day out and preparing the best I can for competitions, that's going to just help me to find more consistency and be the top player I wanted to be. So it feels good to have gone on that journey and realised that it's just hard work, really.'
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Why Nigerian authorities declare Speed Darlington wanted
Di National Agency for di Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons [Naptip] don declare Nigerian Content creator, Darlington Okoye wanted. Di anti-trafficking and sexual abuse agency declare Darlington wey pipo sabi as Speed Darlington, wanted in connection wit alleged offences wey include rape, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking. Dis dey come afta Naptip bin invite di rapper and content creator to come ansa kwesion on top accuse wia e admit say im bin sexually abuse pikin. Im wahala start sake of video wey im use im hand post for Instagram live wia e allegedly confess say im bin abuse 15-year-old girl. Dat time, e bin no clear weda e dey serious wit di comment or e just dey do content. Pipo begin drag Naptip put inside di mata sake of say dem want Naptip to torchlight di mata. Mr Okoye bin come for social media to allegedly tok about di time wey im sleep wit 15 year old pikin for hotel and e "disvirgin her and give am 2k". Wen pipo first drag Naptip attention to di trending video, di agency bin direct di mata to di Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) bifor dem decide to handle di case by demsefs. But dis time di agency say if anybody see am make dem report to dem. Authorities bin invite di content creator afta alleged child abuse 'confession video' Speed Darlington and controversy Speed Darling dey always enta tori sake of tins wey dey controversial. E neva tey wey im comot from police hand before e do dis one again. Police bin detain am sake of defamation case against Burna Boy becos of video wey blow afta US rapper Diddy arrest. For one one viral video wey bin spread ontop social media, e show wia, Speed Darlington dey ask Burna Boy how e take win im Grammy award in 2021. Di 39-year-old wey pipo sabi as "Akpi" ask di Grammy award winner, Burna Boy if Diddy rub "oil for im nyash" bifor e win di trophy. "E no tey afta Burna Boy post im foto wit Diddy na im, e win Grammy," e tok "I just dey wonder, Burna Boy I dey ask you kwesion. No vex . How many oil Diddy drop for your nyash bifor dem give you trophy." Video of im arrest bin dey trend ontop social media, afta some pipo escort am comot from im gate. Meanwhile, di main pipo behind di arrest of 'Akpi', as Darlington dey call imsef no come out come tok. Afrobeats giant Burna Boy wey evri body dem call im name no also chook mouth for di mata. Who be Speed Darlington Speed Darlington na di son of Nigeria singer Pericoma Okoye, wey die on 16 February 2017 for Okigwe, Imo state Southest Nigeria. Im mama na Queen Theresa Onuorah. E blow for Nigeria afta im song BangDadaDang! comot for 2017 and pipo start to dey meme am for social media. E even tok say na Diddy bin inspire dat im song wen im drop am. Dat song blow sotay pipo even start to dey play am inside clubs and parties at di time and na wen Speed Darlington start im social media career. At di time wey e get im first hit, im bin dey live for di US but a few years later, e come relocate back to Nigeria. Di 39 year old rapper dey very popular for im social media persona wey im dey take tok about a lot of issues, mostly sex and how to make money.
Forbes
a day ago
- Sport
- Forbes
E1 Looks To Capture New Fans Through Roc Nation Team-Up
UIM E1 World Championship is partnering with Roc Nation to expand its fanbase. E1, the electrified raceboat equivalent of F1, known for its sustainability-first mission and its famous team owners like Tom Brady, LeBron James, and Rafael Nadal, is partnering with Roc Nation Sports International (RNSI) to expand its global audience. According to the official launch release, the partnership will be focused on content creation, leveraging 'RSNI's cultural influence and talent ecosystem to showcase E1's purpose-driven ethos through compelling storytelling and creative campaigns.' The agreement between the two entities runs through the remainder of the 2025 season, which at the time of writing, includes races in Lago Maggiore, Monaco, Lagos, and Miami. 'Being different and challenging the status quo is embedded within the DNA of Roc Nation Sports International, and E1 aligns perfectly with that,' said Michael Yormark, President of RSNI. 'It's an electrifying, high-octane sport, yes, but it's so much more. It's a movement. It aligns perfectly with our ethos of innovation, cultural relevance, and impact. We saw the potential to not only expand the global audience for E1 but to also bring its powerful message of sustainability and cutting-edge technology to the forefront.' E1 and Roc Nation Partnership E1 will lean on RSNI's expertise and talent roster to transcend its traditional audience and reach potential fans. E1 athletes will also be incorporated into the wider RSNI entertainment ecosystem, giving them greater exposure and allowing for cross-pollination opportunities in the areas of lifestyle, music, and entertainment. 'Roc Nation Sports International gets what we're building here at E1 in terms of both the sport and the opportunity, ' said the on-water racing championship's CEO, Rodi Basso. 'We already have the technology, the talent, and the backing from major athletes. What RSNI brings is the understanding of how to find new audiences who don't even know they want to watch E1 racing yet.' There also seems to be alignment around environmental sustainability, an arena that is paramount to E1, whose founder, Alejandro Agag, recently won the Reuters Energy Transition Award for his exceptional dedication in promoting and facilitating the transition to net-zero. Speaking to me via video call from Lago Maggiore, Basso said, 'For sure, they are interested in this topic. They haven't dealt with it so much before, but within their roster of celebrities, some people are very passionate about oceans, lakes, and rivers.' Basso insisted that sustainability would be 'the first area we will start working with them on.' From his side, Yormark noted that, 'E1's commitment to being the world's first and only all-electric race boat championship is incredibly inspiring. It's a clear demonstration of how high-performance sport can coexist with environmental responsibility.' While they may have less experience with sustainability than the innovators over at E1, RSNI seems no less committed to promoting their mission. 'At Roc Nation Sports International, we believe in using our platform to drive positive change and inspire,' Yormark told me. 'Partnering with E1 allows us to amplify that message, showcasing how innovation can lead to a more sustainable future. We're not just about entertainment; we're about progress, and E1 is a prime example of that progress in action.' When asked exactly how RSNI would help elevate the E1 brand and expand their drive for environmental sustainability, Yormark said, 'RNSI will work with E1 to continue to build awareness of how purposeful and innovative this thrilling sport is, and to showcase this to new fan audiences.' E1 team owners like Tom Brady, Didier Drogba, Rafael Nadal, and Steve Woki have helped bring the ... More championship unprecedented exposure in just two seasons. E1's U.S. Presence Part of the reasoning behind E1's partnership with RNSI is their desire to increase their presence in North America. With five of their seven races in Europe and the Middle East, a physical presence in the U.S. is critical if the competition is going to garner greater awareness in the biggest sports market in the world. According to Basso, it is the expertise that RSNI brings in the U.S. market that makes it a particularly attractive partner. He said, 'We are already very excited about this partnership. It is based on the value of celebrity and the ability to generate value and content. We are very much U.S.-focused, and they [RSNI] are very competent in that market.' Basso also openly expressed the competition's plan to add more races in the U.S. and North America as a whole. He could not disclose which cities could be potential hosts, but did note that E1 is already in expansion conversations with several North American metropolises. Fans of the competition can expect more races off North American shores in the coming years. Ahead of the E1 season finale in Miami, both Basso and Yormark said fans can expect new and exciting market-specific content collaborations. Neither were able to provide specifics, but Yormark said, 'We're looking at unique content series featuring our talent immersing themselves in the E1 experience. The goal is to create authentic connections that resonate with a global audience and bring new eyes and ears to the incredible world of E1.' Basso said, meanwhile, that both teams are excited about the market prospects and are already discussing 'how to go for big brand exposure and activations for the Miami race.' Bringing E1 to Africa Expanding to the U.S. follows quickly on the coattails of E1's push into Africa. Earlier this season, E1 announced two new race locations: Dubrovnik, Croatia and Lagos, Nigeria. The latter is a step towards globalizing the sport and bringing technological innovation to the mother continent. Basso says the expansion into Africa is very important for a few reasons, most notably that it allows the brand to build a global competition that is inclusive. He explains that Team Drogba has been inspirational since joining the championship and was a pivotal actor in the push into African markets. As Basso explains, E1 is looking 'to contribute in their small way to accelerate Africa's technological evolution.' The expansion has been met with open arms by the regional government. The Mayor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also blessed the plan, with Basso noting, 'Sanwo-Olu is very excited to have E1 there.' So, for E1 and RNSI all of this means a new collaboration, a new continent, amplified sustainability messaging, and hopefully, many new fans.
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Nigeria's Dangote aims to end Africa's fertiliser imports
Africa will be self-sufficient in fertiliser within 40 months, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote said on Friday, on the basis of a planned expansion of his $2.5 billion plant on the outskirts of Lagos. Africa currently imports over 6 million metric tons of fertiliser annually as it struggles to produce enough food in often challenging growing conditions. The benefits of increasing domestic production would include reduced foreign exchange expenditure, which has been a major economic burden in Nigeria because of the weakness of the local currency. "In the next 40 months, Africa will not import fertiliser from anywhere. We have a very aggressive trajectory right now. We want to put Dangote to be the highest producer of urea, bigger and higher than Qatar - give me 40 months," Dangote said at the annual Afreximbank meeting in Abuja. Dangote runs Africa's largest granulated urea complex, which has annual capacity of 3 million tons, 37% of which it exports to the United States. It will need to double current output to achieve his ambition. Dangote has said he is not worried about the impact of Trump tariffs. Analysts say the market outlook for fertiliser is bullish, but there are also challenges and the kind of expansion Dangote seeks requires infrastructure to be built. "Any new fertiliser plant or expansion project faces cost overrun risks to the producer," Seth Goldstein, senior equity analyst at Morningstar Research, said. Mikolah Judson, an analyst at global risk consultancy, Control Risk, cited the need for "transport infrastructure and port capacity," saying "bottlenecks routinely delay various import and export projects in Nigeria". Dangote has a track record for delivering big projects. He also owns the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Africa's largest, although its launch was repeatedly delayed and it exceeded its initial budget. He has said he intends to list the 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery next year and on Friday he also confirmed plans to list his fertiliser plant on the local stock exchange this year.
