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15 Years After, Korea Seeks New Collaborations With Nigeria

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Fifteen years after the Korea Culture Centre opened its doors in Nigeria, it looks forward to fostering new cultural collaborations with the country in film, literature, education and food.

 

Since its inception on May 24, 2010, the centre has been working to build a bridge between Korea and Nigeria through four key areas: culture, education, collaboration, and community-driven events.

 

Over the years, various efforts have successfully evolved into vibrant educational and cultural programs, including Korean popular music and dance (K-Pop) classes, Korean language (Hangeul) lessons, Taekwondo training, and school tours of the cultural center. These initiatives are complemented by annual cultural events such as the Korean Film Festival, K-Pop Festival, and the Hansik Cooking Competition. These programs are made possible through strong collaborations with local Nigerian and international partners—including Korean institutions and the diplomatic community—and are further amplified by a growing community of Korean culture enthusiasts.

 

This passionate network includes GKS Scholarship alumni, Hallyu content creators, and honorary reporters, all working together to expand the reach and impact of Korean culture across Nigeria.

 

The centre witnessed over 300,000 learners, participants and visitors, at an average of 16,000 visitors annually, and hosted over 650 cultural programmes across the country.

 

However, as the centre forges into a second decade, it intends to explore new and potential areas of cultural collaboration—film, literature, and education.

 

“The reasons are apparent: Nigeria’s Nollywood ranks third in the global film industry for several films produced annually. Nigerian music producer JJC Skillz produced the first-ever English-Korean language (absurdist) movie, ‘ My Sunshine Movie’. Second, Nigeria and Korea share a literary affiliation – Nobel Laureates of Literature – Wole Soyinka and Han Kang were the first to receive the award in their respective continents of Africa and Asian continents. Finally, we aim to strengthen people-to-people relations by making more Korean content available to Nigerians beyond Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Abeokuta, and Port Harcourt.

 

“Back in the day, it was all about K-pop and K-drama. Nowadays, it’s about Korean food (Hansik). I believe Nigerians are inclined towards Korean food (Hansik), and it is so much easier these days to surf the internet and find Hansik recipes. I think there is more we can do with K-Food,” said the centre’s event manager, Yujin Lee.

 

Lee, who was surprised at the absence of filmic collaboration between both countries, considering Nigerians’ love of movies, said the centre is intent on developing relations with Nigerian film institutions. “I know film is big in Nigeria and that Nollywood has talented filmmakers. I really hope we can do more film-wise.”

 

Meanwhile, as part of its commitment to building institutional partnerships, KCCN has partnered with local institution The Nike Art Gallery to host a group exhibition of Korean Artists ‘Hanbok, Reimagined as Art, and with UNESCO YOD to host a youth-focused event celebrating cultural diversity on May 21.

 

Lee revealed that plans are also underway to host a Korean traditional instrument exhibition with the Korea National Gugak Centre in July.

 

Despite the geographical distance between both countries, which constitutes a major barrier to hosting more Korean artists and elaborate cultural exchanges, the centre continuously leverages its local strengths to foster unity and exchanges between them.

“This journey hasn’t been ours alone,” said Director, Kim Chang-Ki, “It has been made possible by the support of the Nigerian people, our partners, students, diplomatic community and our cultural institutions who welcomed Korea with an open heart.

 

“We look forward to our commitment to taking this cultural exchange higher. Let us continue to write our story of unity, culture and creativity.”

 

To commemorate its fifteenth anniversary KCCN held a three-day event spanning – an opening ceremony, with an art/video & photo exhibition narrating its achievements over the past decade and a half, a K-Pop performance and Taekwondo demonstration; a movie night and cuisine tester – featuring Korean traditional drink Makgeolli, and pancake-like snack, Panjang; and a UNESCO joint collaboration on the last day to mark the international cultural day with Nigerian youths.

 

 

-Leadership

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Entertainment

Davido breaks silence after Grammy Award loss

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Five-time Grammy nominee, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has reacted after losing the Best African Music Performance category at the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, United States.

 

The Afrobeats star shared a message of faith and resilience following the outcome of the ceremony, which took place on Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena in California.

In a post on his Instagram page, Davido shared photos with his wife, Chioma, from the event and wrote, “Oluwa Dey my side,” alongside prayer and music emojis.
Hours later, he posted another set of pictures of himself and Chioma at the Grammys, reflecting on the loss in a longer caption.

“I said baby listen we lost again let’s not go ! she said ‘Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat’ we outside,” he wrote.
Chioma also reacted via her Instagram page, praising the singer, “You already know that you’re the perfect one, @davido,” she wrote, while sharing photos from the awards night.
Davido was nominated in the Best African Music Performance category at the 2026 Grammy Awards but lost to South African singer Tyla, who won with her song Push 2 Start.

Other nominees in the category included Burna Boy (Love), Ayra Starr and Wizkid (Gimme Dat), Davido (With You featuring Omah Lay), and Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin (Hope & Love).

The win marked Tyla’s second Grammy Award, following her first victory in 2024 for her hit single Water.

Speaking during the awards ceremony, the singer revealed that With You, featuring Omah Lay, almost did not make the final tracklist of his album 5IVE.
“Man, it’s so crazy because that song almost didn’t make the album. With You was not in anybody’s top five.
“And now look at it go. Every time I was performing it, my heart would just start beating like, what if I didn’t put this song?” he told OkayAfrica.

Davido also recounted how he learned about the Grammy nomination, saying the news came unexpectedly while he was in Dubai, days before his birthday.

“I was in the car, actually, checking a car, and then my phone rang. They were like, ‘Oh yeah, another nomination.’ I was like, wow. Thank God,” he said.

“With You” was released in April 2025 as the 17th track on Davido’s fifth studio album, 5IVE, and has since become one of his most successful recent records, surpassing 100 million streams on Spotify.

Despite the song’s success, Nigeria did not record a win at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Davido said he is now focused on touring and releasing new music.

He is also billed to perform at Coachella 2026, where he will be the only Nigerian artiste on the festival lineup, performing on April 11 and April 18, 2026, in Indio, California.

-Guardian

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Kunle Afolayan gives reasons to marry many women

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Nollywood filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, has stirred reactions after advising men to “marry many women” while reflecting on his upbringing in a polygamous home.

 

The actor and producer made the remarks at the watch party of Aníkúlápó: The Ghoul Awakens, with a clip from the event going viral on Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, Afolayan linked his existence and achievements to his late father’s decision to marry several wives.

“Without my father, there wouldn’t have been a KAP Village or even Kunle Afolayan. I am the seventh born of my father because my father had ten wives. For the men, marry many women, or rather be involved with many women. You know why? If my father didn’t, he would not have born me, and that is the honest truth. But today, a few of us are lifting his legacy. Life is short, death is constant. Nobody has life forever. Everybody has a period. Use your period,” he said.

While his daughter, Eyiyemi Afolayan, joined him on stage, the filmmaker compared his childhood experience with his relationship with his children.

“They are lucky. For her, staying by my side is luck. Do you know why? I couldn’t stand it with my father. My father didn’t know my school. My father didn’t know my date of birth. He did not know anything about me other than, ‘He is the son of that person.’ But today, I’m so proud of my father,” he added.

Afolayan also spoke about fatherhood.

“Sometimes when people say ‘Happy Father’s Day,’ I’m always saying whether he pays child support or not, he’s still a father. I have been going to court because I want to get a divorce. I don’t mind being in the witness box, and I experienced the shit, so that I can marry many wives,” he said.

He thereafter prayed for his daughter, praising her role in the series.

“Hephzibah, her mother is the one who gave her the name. I don’t care, but I am proud of you. You started with the film, you did the first season, and now with the second season, you did amazingly well. My good Lord will continue to increase you in wisdom, in knowledge, and in understanding. If this is your path, the good Lord will see you through.”
However, this is not the first time the filmmaker has spoken about his late father’s polygamous lifestyle.

In March 2021, Afolayan told BBC Pidgin that his father, Adeyemi Afolayan, who died in 1996, married 10 wives and had 25 children, a decision he said took a toll on the family.

“I would not want to marry many wives because my father had 10 wives and I knew what happened throughout that period. I knew that really distracted my father. In this age, nobody needs to tell you before you know what’s right,” he said at the time.

He also disclosed that growing up in a polygamous home affected bonding among the children due to language and other barriers.

Afolayan further narrated how he battled poverty in his early years, revealing that he once lived in a one-room apartment in Ebute-Metta and sometimes had to deal with flooding.

“I was born in Ebute-Metta and have lived in one-room apartment before that we even have to grapple with flood sometimes. It’s not shame to say have been poor before. But if you see how l made it, it’s a matter of consistency. My father was a very popular filmmaker and ordinarily, people would expect me to life the kind of live akin to Hollywood stars,” he said.

“But that wasn’t the case. How would one live such life when you’re living in a room with ten women. That doesn’t mean there was no love among us.”

He had advised young filmmakers to start with the little resources available to them while working towards their dreams.

 

-Guardian

 

 

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Court adjourns Ganduje’s corruption trial to April 15

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A Kano State High Court has adjourned until April 15 the trial of former governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and son, Abdullahi Umar, alongside five other defendants, over alleged misappropriation of public funds amounting to billions of naira.

 

The defendants are facing an 11-count charge bordering on bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds. The remaining accused persons are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecution told the court it was ready to proceed and drew attention to a motion dated November 24, 2025, seeking leave to file additional proof of evidence.

However, defence lawyers raised objections, informing the court that multiple applications were pending and must be resolved before the trial could continue.

Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, counsel to some of the defendants, said the defence had filed a motion dated July 17, 2025, seeking a stay of proceedings.
Adekunle Taiye-Falola, representing the third and seventh defendants, also referred to a separate motion dated May 23, 2025.
In addition, Muhammad Shehu, counsel to the fifth defendant, told the court that an affidavit had been filed notifying it of a pending application for stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal.
Abubakar Ahmad, counsel to the sixth defendant, informed the court that he had filed a notice of preliminary objection and an application for extension of time to respond on points of law dated February 2, urging the court to fix a date for hearing.

Only Faruk Asekome, counsel to the eighth defendant, indicated readiness to proceed with the trial.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the presiding judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, adjourned the matter to April 15 for the hearing of all pending applications and preliminary objections.

The trial has suffered repeated delays due to legal challenges. The high court had earlier dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defence as “incompetent” and affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the case.
That ruling was appealed by the defendants, who argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. However, in October 2025, the Kano Division of the Court of Appeal struck out the appeal, citing failure to properly transmit the record of appeal.

-Guardian

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