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JAIYE KUTI: My husband urges me to kiss properly in films

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Jaiye Kuti has appeared in so many films since she began her enviable career in 2002 after appearing in a television sitcom, ‘Laff Patterns.’ She’s one of the carefully selected crossover actresses who are spotted in films with both English and Yoruba as the language of communication. Recently, she joined the big league when she produced and featured in a cinema film entitled ‘Alagbede.’ THE NATION’s ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, GBENGA BADA, caught up with her and she opened up on a variety of issues and concerns ranging from her new film, marriage to her children, work, and life experiences as an actress.

I saw Alagbede and I know that it’s not a small production. What was the motivation to invest so much funds in it?

You know in life, after which you have done one thing, you know, many times, you just want to improve. And when you have this business mind, you, well, let me speak for me. I see a lot of things around me as business, including what I do, including the brands that I endorse their products. I look at them from business angles. So, in my line of production and producing many movies, I’ve known that one day, a time will come, when an opportunity will be open for a proper business for me because as a business person, you should be ready to take the risks. The risk is what makes you better than the other person because if you’re not ready to go as far as taking the risk, then it means that you’ll just be in one place, going round in circles and that’s it. And you cannot go past that level. I want to grow, I want to keep growing and I don’t want to stop. And that’s why I see Alagbede as a business for me.

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So, do you think the risk was worth it?

Yes, the risk is worth it in many ways. I had the vision during COVID-19 when I was telling different stories on my Instagram page, you know. I would just come up with some stories. That was when I came up with that idea. I heard of a guy who wanted to commit suicide, I think it was a radio programme or something. So from what they were deliberating, all, I got something from there and I thought to myself like, okay, I won’t tell people this as a story. I think I have to make this a proper film. I have to shoot this, a proper movie and take it to the cinema. And that was how I came up with The Blacksmith: Alagbede.

“So why cinema? I mean, I know you’ve done a couple of productions by yourself and didn’t make it to the cinema, why cinema this time? Why not YouTube?

“Yes, I looked at the amount of money that would go into it. And I know that it cannot be N5 million or N10 million. I knew that 45 million naira would not do it. If you have to use the proper actor, you have to use the proper setting, the community, the area, the costume, everything. If you want to tell the story exactly the way you have seen it, and you want people to feel it, the creation of your vision, you know, it just has to go to the cinema. So by doing so a lot of people will get to go and see it. I was ready for whatever it took to make the money back, you know, but I wasn’t going to look at whether the money was too much or probably not going to make it back. I want to tell a story and whatever it takes for me to tell the story, I want to. And I know that YouTube is not going to give me the money back. I’m talking about 1 year, 2 years, 3 years. It might be there, and it could give me the money later on, but it’s something that I want to do now because I have other projects that I want to do that I have at hand. So that was why I decided to take it to cinemas.

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Okay, we’ve heard some of your colleagues saying they had to sell off properties, cars, to get funds, and all that.

” For you and considering the current economic situation, how did you harness the funds?

I know, the situation could be quite difficult, but I don’t have to sell anything because I have been preparing for this for a while. I have been a brand ambassador to a lot of brands that gave me nothing less than N20 million, and N25 million, there were some projects, and documentaries, that I did that fetched me N30 million. I knew that I had some things to do in the future; I had a big movie ahead of me. By then, I had not even had a story, but I knew that there was going to be something. And I’m married to a man that I would call prudent, my husband is a very prudent person.

” So, he believes a lot in savings. And then we cultivated the idea from him to save money. You know, you take out what you need, not necessarily everything that you want, so I’ve been able to save. And it got to a point that I needed to build a house for my mom. So I had to dip my hands into the savings and I wanted to do something for her. I wanted to appreciate her because my mom is the reason why I’ve been able to do this. She’s been there for my children, from when I started to have children. So I built a house for her. So the money I was left with was like N55 million in that account and I knew that, okay, it’s time for me to do this movie. So I called my friend because I have two other partners and a friend, a sister, a younger sister, Motunrayo. I said, Motunrayo, how much do you have in your hand too? I want to produce this fine movie and I don’t think I have enough. She said okay, how much do you need? I said if I can get like N20 million from you, she said, okay, give me two weeks.

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” I said okay, that’s fine. So before then, she raised the money like two times, 10, 10. So we had 75 million. I said that’s very good. I got an endorsement deal, and at that time, Twins Faja Nigeria Limited signed me again. They paid me 10 million. So the money was growing. And I called my other partner, Mr. Adeleye Fabusoro, how much do you have in your bank account for a film? I asked for like N10 or N15 million to continue this project, to do what I wanted to do. He said, okay, I can only borrow you. Borrow, borrow, borrow. So he was saying the borrow like two, three, four times. I said, okay, don’t worry. So that was how I was able to put this money together. And so far, so good. Every one of them has been part of this great support to sell the movie. In three weeks of premiering in the cinema, we were able to gross N60 million, above 60 million. We’re not doing badly. People love the movie. The movie speaks for itself. And I’m glad, I’m so glad that it’s going the way I envisaged.

So I know you mentioned your husband earlier

Yes, please.

Not everybody gets to see your other half, but with the little you said, you spoke quite fondly of him. Tell us about your husband.

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Ah, Mr. Kuti. Mr. Kuti is an Ijebu man. We’ve been married since the year 2000.

” I had my first child, Mayowa, in 2001. And when I was going to come into the industry, I told my husband and I was like, well, I was done with the paid employment. I said I can’t do all this paid employment anymore. Maybe you set me up or something. Then he asked, okay, is there not something that you would like to do or love to do by yourself? And I said, I wanted to go into acting, but you would not want me because you would say I’m married. He said, hey, now you’re talking about your destiny.

So you should go and find a way, you know, to start doing it. So I went for an audition. I got a script. And then, of course, my baby was, my Mayowa was still little.

” So I needed somebody to take care of her for me. So my husband was supporting me in that area.

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“So, from that time, I’ve been getting that support. The only thing my husband would say is that, don’t spoil my name. So you have to be careful with what you do, where you go, how you deal with people. And he has never complained about me having to kiss anyone on set.

Sometimes he will advise that clearly, you people would just be kissing like local people. Can’t you people kiss in the way that we feel the love and all that, that you’d be kissing and be doing like this? When it comes to your point to, I mean, your part to kiss, please, can you just do it properly? I said, okay, no problem. Unfortunately for him, I’ve not really gotten a role like that.

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FEC approves ₦47.9tn 2025 budget

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, has approved a proposed national budget of ₦47.9 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

This was part of the Medium-Term Expenditures Framework, MTEF, for 2025 to 2027 and in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007.

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“And equally, the fiscal objectives were conservative, because we want to ensure that we study the course much as we believe the projections will be exceeded.

“The budget size that was approved for presentation to the National Assembly in the MTEP is ₦47.9 trillion, with new borrowings of ₦9.2 trillion to finance the budget deficit in 2025,” Bagudu said.

“We need to sustain the market deregulation, commendable market deregulation of petroleum prices and exchange rate, and to compel the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited to lower its oil and gas production cost significantly, and even to consider the need to amend the relevant sections of the petroleum industry act 2021 to address the significant risk to Federation.

“The Federal Executive Council approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the physical strategy paper, and it will be submitted to the National Assembly.

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“This is in addition to bills that are already at the National Assembly, the economic stabilization bills and tax reform bills, which we believe we will have a very, very strong growth in 2025.”

During the meeting, the FEC approved its submission to the National Assembly as required by the 2007 Fiscal Responsibility Act.

The framework projected a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 4.6 percent, an exchange rate of $75 to the naira, and oil production of 2.06 million barrels per day. [Channels TV]

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Nigeria to get 6,000 power generation by December-Power Minister vows

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has expressed his unwavering optimism that the government will successfully meet its ambitious target of generating 6,000 megawatts of electricity by December 2024, despite the numerous challenges currently affecting the power sector.

The Special Adviser on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, conveyed this assurance at the fourth edition of the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria’s annual workshop, themed “Ending the Talk, Moving the Action,” held on Thursday in Abuja.

Nigeria’s power generation currently ranges between 3,500 and 4,000 MW for a population of approximately 200 million people. For instance, on Thursday, the country’s power generation was 3,556.38 MW as of 8 am.

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Earlier this year, Adelabu pledged that power generation in Nigeria would reach 6,000 MW by the end of the year, citing improvements in the sector over the past year.

However, the frequent collapse of the nation’s electricity grid and the vandalisation of towers have raised concerns about the stability of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry and its ability to achieve the target.

In his goodwill address, the Special Adviser emphasised that the minister’s primary focus remains on achieving the goal of increasing generation and ensuring its efficient distribution to consumers.

Tunji said, “The minister aims to achieve what seems to be an intractable goal—improving generation and ensuring that what is generated reaches the final consumers. There are challenges, but they are surmountable.

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“The minister has promised that by December this year, we will reach 6,000 megawatts; yes, we still hope to get there.

“We are confident that we will get there, but we are aware of the current issues with grid collapse. Efforts are being made to resolve these problems. Day and night, teams are being dispatched to address the various issues, and we remain hopeful that we will achieve the 6,000 MW target by December.”

The Director of Renewable Energy, Sunday Owolabi, also reiterated that the government is committed to ensuring 24-hour power supply for Nigerians.

Owolabi, another representative of the minister, stressed that the government’s policies are focused on resolving the challenges facing the country’s electricity transmission, distribution, and generation sub-sectors.

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“We are fully committed to transforming the country’s power sector. We are focused on ensuring that our policies are practical and sustainable. We are resolute in ensuring power supply for every Nigerian.

“The government remains fully committed to transforming Nigeria’s power sector through meaningful and actionable reforms.

“We are focused on ensuring that our policies are not only visionary but also practical, impactful, and sustainable. From the ongoing efforts to address infrastructure gaps, enhance power generation, and improve transmission networks, to vital reforms in distribution and the full implementation of the electricity market, we are resolute in our mission to improve power supply for every Nigerian.”

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Just in: Wike sends FCDA Executive Director on indefinite suspension

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has suspended the Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmad indefinitely.

According to a statement on Thursday, by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the suspension of Engr Hadi Ahmad is with immediate effect.

The suspended Executive Secretary has consequently been directed to hand over to the Director of Engineering Services, in the FCDA.

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Meanwhile, Nyesom Wike has revealed that President Bola Tinubu ordered the construction of houses for judges in Abuja.

The former Rivers State governor said the project is part of the government’s plan to provide secure housing for judges and strengthen the judiciary’s independence.

Speaking during a media chat on Wednesday, the former Rivers Governor clarified that the housing project is not his personal initiative.

Wike explained that the housing scheme was included in the 2024 budget, approved by the National Assembly, and is not his personal decision.

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He added that judges currently live in rented homes, which could make them vulnerable.

He compared this to similar projects he carried out as Rivers State governor and expressed surprise at the criticism, especially from legal professionals.

Wike insisted the project is lawful and should be welcomed as a step in the right direction.

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