[VIEWPOINT]: Two best friends before NOW worst enemies.

 

It is a common saying in the political terrain that there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests.

With recent happenings in the entertainment industry, it seems the above phrase has also found truism in the world of art.

It is not unusual to find alliances and cliques formed between entertainers in various sectors of the industry such as in Nollywood, music, and comedy. What is however puzzling to observers is how quickly these friendships sometimes fall apart. It makes one question: was there ever any substance to the associations in the first place?

Some of these crumbled relationships start out as fairytale romances which the parties involved shout about from the high heavens, and in the end, they also hate themselves as passionately as they once loved. They do not hesitate to wash their dirty linens in public, and no detail, no matter how dirty or gory, is spared.

We hereby present to you some of the most celebrated relationships in the Nigerian entertainment industry which have crumbled like packs of badly arranged cards. 

Enjoy…

D’BANJ AND DON JAZZY 

In the history of the Nigerian music industry, the union between singer, D’banj and music producer, Don Jazzy of the defunct Mo’hits Records will be remembered as one of the most enduring and fruitful. For the eight years that their relationship blossomed, the music duo churned out countless hit tracks that were enjoyed around the world. However, their affair came to a bitter end in 2012 when they went their separate ways. According to reports, D’banj was interested in taking his career to the global level which he believed the time was ripe for considering his relationship with Kanye West and his G.O.O.D Music label, while Don Jazzy believed that it was better to be a big fish in a small pond, than to be a small fish in an ocean where they could easily be swallowed up.

In leaked e-mails that circulated shortly after the break-up, D’banj and Don Jazzy traded words freely. At a point, Don Jazzy even stated that D’banj should be responsible for clearing the company’s debt profile. In one of the e-mails, the talented beat-maker wrote, ‘That me (I am) giving him (D’banj) my share of the catalogue does not and will never include him having the right to stop them (the artistes)   from performing the songs or give him the right to claim any money for live performances of these songs. And any loans or debt owed by Mo’Hits records as at today will be cleared by Mr D’banj as I am clearly not aware of any. 

9ICE AND ID CABASA 

 

If you lived in Nigeria in 2008, surely you must have heard the song; “Gongo Aso” composed by singer, 9ice, and produced by ID Cabasa. It was unarguably one of the most popular songs of that year that fetched both the singer and producer enough money and awards. They were like two peas in a pod as they went everywhere together. However, the vessel of their love ran into some turbulence when it was reported that the once close friends no longer see eye-to-eye.

This was confirmed when ID Cabasa, who had produced almost all of 9ice’s hit tracks stopped being the lanky singer’s beat-maker of choice, and they were rarely seen together again. Even though they both repeatedly deny that they fell out, ID Cabasa in a recent interview with Vanguard admitted that there was a time that their relationship was strained. He said, ‘I can’t point to one thing as the cause of our quarrel because there wasn’t any. It was just some members of the press that were cooking up stories and ascribing statements to both of us. 

GENEVIEVE NNAJI And KATE HENSHAW 

 

These two actresses are some of the brightest stars in the Nigerian movie industry, but unfortunately, that’s where the similarity ends. The two pretty role-interpreters can best be described as sworn enemies.

Though not much is known about the cause of the bad blood between them, industry sources whisper that it has to do with comparison between the two as to who’s better in their chosen profession. When they meet at events, the two do not greet nor acknowledge each other; even when they sit on the same table; they act like the other doesn’t exist.

Kate played her first lead role in Nollywood in 1993, well before Genevieve who came into the industry in 1998. They are both also single mothers.

TONTO DIKEH and TOYIN LAWANI 

One-time Best Friends Forever (BFF), Tonto Dikeh and Toyin Lawani seem to have forgotten the days that their relationship used to be rosy, as all they are bent on doing these days is to drag each other’s name in the mud.

Toyin, who used to be Tonto’s former stylist, recently accused the actress of giving the credit for her stylings to her new best friend, Jeremiah Ogbodo, and threatened to sue whoever took credit for her work. To which Tonto replied that she couldn’t care less. This was months after Tonto had taken to her Twitter page to publicly denounce Lawani’s Tiannah’s Styling. She tweeted, ‘I, Tonto Dikeh, do not shop from, endorse, or recommend nor identify with Tiannah Styling as a tailoring outfit…’

 Lawani had also replied then with the words, ‘I’m a work mom who’s got respect for people. I work hard for a living to build my brand. I won’t let a riff-raft get away with rubbishing it with lies.’ 

UBI FRANKLIN and EMMA NYRA 

 

Co-Founder of MMMG Record Label, Ubi Franklin, once claimed that his relationship with one of his artistes, Emma Nyra was purely business-like in nature, but not many believed him. Those in the know have repeatedly stated that the duo were in a love relationship from the start, and that this was what prompted Ubi signing Emma to his label in the first place.

However, things came to a head recently when Ubi Franklin announced his engagement to actress, Lilian Esoro, and Emma Nyra left the label shortly after. Then, the veils came off and both had to come clean.

Even though Emma still denied that she was ever in love with Ubi, she claimed in an interview with Vanguard Newspapers that Ubi had terrorized her for years. In her words, ‘Ubi and I never dated. Rather he terrorized me for years. He abused me and other members of the label with physical and verbal force.

BISI IBIDAPO OBE and LOLA  ALAO 

 

In late 2012, the Nigerian entertainment industry was rocked by the news that sensational Yoruba actress, Bisi Ibidapo-Obe had been impregnated by former House of Representatives member-turned-Senator, Dino Melaye. In an interview with E24-7 Magazine, Bisi confessed that she was introduced to Sen. Melaye by her close friend, Lola Alao. In her words, ‘I actually met Dino through Lola Alao sometime ago and honestly speaking, I was in need of help and Lola promised she would introduce me to someone who could help. The person turned out to be Dino. He was actually forthcoming and helpful. I was not the only one involved then but he took particular interest in me.   We got to know each other and at a point I was scared because he was all over me. Overtime, he showed me he meant well and we became good friends.’

According to Bisi, Dino later asked her to abort the pregnancy but she refused. She stated that she thereafter implored her friend, Lola to help her talk to Dino. Her exact words, ‘I spoke with Lola; I pleaded with her to talk to Dino. I was shocked when she told me that Dino said he was not responsible for the pregnancy’. 

EBUBE NWAGBO and ANITA JOSEPH 

Though they both deny it, it was an open secret that these two actresses, Ebube Nwagbo and Anita Joseph were once involved in an epic fight over ‘Limpopo’ crooner, Kcee’s heart. In the heat of the crisis, the two actresses were said not to see eye-to-eye, especially whenever they met on set. This is despite the fact that they both hail from Anambra State and were once close friends.

However, another twist was added to their love-hate story when it was reported that the busty Anita had apologised to Ebube severally on BBM and through text messages. When Punch Newspaper got in touch with Anita, she expectedly denied the gist, saying, ‘I couldn’t have gone to ‘beg’ Ebube for any form of forgiveness. How? Where? The truth is that we don’t have any issue. She may not have been my close friend but she is not my enemy either. It was just people that brought up the issue of us having a fight; it never happened. Forget all those things you hear, Ebube is a very nice person. We come from the same state and we speak the same dialect. She is a lovely person and there is no way we can quarrel.’

Written by TOFARATI IGE

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[VIEWPOINT]: Two best friends before NOW worst enemies.

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Oleh DJ MW (MasculeeWhite)