In the month that Nigeria turned 62 and celebrated its independence, pop culture and the spirit of Nigeria’s youth drove conversations about news stories from around the world. This month has been one of the most interesting and exciting so far this year.

So, we’ve put together a list of the top 50 things that made October 2022 exciting and made us stop in our tracks:

1. Kanye West getting canceled

Retailers, social media sites, celebrities, and businesses in the fashion and entertainment industries have all withdrawn from business partnerships with rapper Ye in recent weeks.

Ye, better known as Kanye West, has grown to be a source of controversy.

At his YZY runway show during Paris Fashion Week in early October, Ye sported a “White Lives Matter ” t-shirt and dressed many Black models in attire bearing the same message.

The rapper made a number of inappropriate remarks in a 45-minute “Drink Champs” podcast episode that aired earlier this month, which actually had a negative financial impact on him and his business partners.

Additionally, he contended that George Floyd’s death was caused by a fentanyl overdose rather than by police brutality. He also repeated a number of antisemitic conspiracies, expanding on them in later interviews.

Later, West vowed to “go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” on Twitter.

Businesses have been under pressure to retaliate against Ye for his antisemitic remarks. Adidas, The Gap, Instagram, Twitter, Balenciaga, and Creative Artistes Agency are some of the companies severing connections with Ye.

2. Elon Musk buys Twitter, sacks top executives

Elon Musk has bought Twitter, one of the most important social media networks, in a huge deal worth $44 billion.

“Let the fun times roll,” he wrote in a tweet on Friday.

Changes at the corporation became evident right away; on Friday, trading in the Twitter stock was suspended, some top executives lost their jobs, and some anonymous trolls gained more confidence to spread hate online.

On Friday, the new owner of Twitter was yet to contact the company’s staff. Musk hasn’t spoken much in public, but he has responded to a few tweets concerning his ownership.

3. Atiku in Kaduna 

Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, promised to reestablish peace throughout the nation during a campaign rally in Kaduna. He also promised to revive the manufacturing sector in the commercial city.

Atiku, however, denounced the assault on his supporters at the Kaduna event, which came after the flag-off in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State. He called the assault “undemocratic.”

Atiku begged the Kaduna State electorate to support him again in 2020 after praising them for their overwhelming support in 2019.

4. Atiku meeting Tinubu

The two met at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

In a video that went viral, Tinubu, his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, and other APC leaders walked into the airport lounge where Atiku and his companions were already sitting.

After the two politicians shook hands, they joked with each other. Atiku called the former Lagos governor “Jagaban,” and the former Lagos governor called Atiku “Atiku.”

Later, Tinubu talked with Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, who is the national chairman of the PDP. He then moved closer to the former Vice President and touched the PDP logo that was sewn onto his white shirt.

5. El Rufai taking a jab at Peter Obi

In a trending video, El-Rufai, who was addressing the Arewa joint committee in Kaduna State, alleged that Peter Obi, the current presidential candidate of the Labour Party, put him under house arrest for 48 hours in Anambra State during the state’s elections.

He said he would have also arrested the former governor who would be in the state for his 2023 presidential campaign, stressing that he had the First Mechanized Division of the Army in Kaduna that could carry out the arrest.

The All Progressive Congress (APC) governor, however, said he would not arrest Obi because Northerners are civilized people.

6. CBN to redesign Naira notes

On Wednesday, October 26th, Godwin Emefiele, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, stated that the bank would issue newly designed naira notes by December 15, 2022.

During a special press conference, Emefiele made this announcement and explained the reasoning behind the decision.

The CBN governor stated that this was to control the amount of currency in circulation as well as to prevent the use of counterfeit money and the payment of ransom to terrorists and kidnappers.

7.  Meghan Markle identifying as Nigerian 

One of the most significant moments that marked popular culture in October was when Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, revealed on her Spotify podcast that she was 43% Nigerian.

She told Nigerian-American comedian, writer, and actor Ziwerekoru (Ziwe) Fumudoh that she took a genealogy (family history) test a few years ago that showed she was 43% Nigerian.

Meghan has not yet determined precisely which Nigerian tribe her ancestors belonged to, but the Duchess promised to start looking into the matter.

This news, which sparked a domino effect of reactions around the globe, was not shocking.

8. Buhari, Tinubu and Shettimas wives touring Nigeria 

On Monday, October 4th, the party’s first ladies, Aisha Buhari; wife of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; and wife of the vice presidential candidate, Nana Shettima, were given their appointment letters to lead the party’s women campaign train.

In the list tagged, ‘Tinubu-Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Team,’ Mrs Buhari was appointed Grand Patron, Tinubu’s wife emerged the Chairman; Shettima’s wife was made Co-Chairman; and Lauretta Onochie, Personal Assistant on Social Media to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), also made the campaign train as Deputy National Coordinator.

Together, they are touring Nigeria, preaching the “good news” of Bola Ahmed Tinubu for president in the 2023 elections.

9. DSF dragging and broke shaming Skiibii

Dorcas Shola-Fapson, a well-known actress and disc jockey, has criticized her ex-boyfriend Skiibii for the state of his apartment.

You may remember that DSF went viral a while back when she uploaded her naked picture instead of sending it to Skiibii.

In a tweet that has since been deleted, DSF, as she is often called, said that the singer of “Baddest Boy” was living a “fake life.”

According to her tweet, Skiibii likes to pose with expensive jewelry, but his home doesn’t have even the most basic things.

She also said that Skiibii is not as rich as he acts because he has no money in his bank account.

She said, “Ice on your neck…ice on your wrist.. no running water in your house..no food in your fridge..zero money in your account.”

10. Israel DMW’s wedding 

Nigerian singer Davido’s logistics manager, Israel Afeare, also known as Israel 30BG or Israel DMW, married his girlfriend, Sheila David, in Benin.

The 42-year-old social media star has worked for Davido for a long time and is part of the singer’s 30 billion gang.

In April, the 30BG influencer posted on Instagram that he was getting married. He got married to his partner in a traditional ceremony in Edo state.

His boss, Davido, and his baby mama, Chioma Roland, also known as Chef Chi, were at his wedding.

Zlatan, the socialite Cuban Chiefpriest and other members of the 30 Billion Gang family were there as well.

Davido sang the newlyweds his hit song “Assurance” while Chef Chi showered them with wads of Naira.

11.  Davido and Chioma’s PDA/ G-wagon order 

Davido and his third baby mama, Chioma, aka Chef Chi, are back together, and the singer hasn’t wasted any time spoiling his woman.

Renee5star, a well-known auto dealer, announced on social media that the 30BG chief had ordered a G-wagon for Chioma.

Also, in a post on his page, the head of 30BG shared some of his photos, including one of him and Chioma from one of their recent trips to London. The singer of “Assurance” couldn’t help but gush about his girl as he said that she is the one he loves.

12. Denola’s shocking outfit

Denola Grey, a notable fashionista and actor, drew attention with his two-piece outfit at a recent event in Lagos.

The social who made an appearance at an event on Saturday, October 29 elicited responses on social media.

Denola Grey sported a pair of white block heels, brown pants over a brown frock that exposed his back, and a female thong.

It’s always fascinating to see Denola embrace what could be termed feminine fashion and pull it off so nicely.

13. Ooni of Ife and his multiple weddings 

On Monday, October 24, 2022, His Imperial Majesty, the Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ile-Ife, formally accepted Olori Temitope Asake Morenike Ogunwusi as his wife.

Olori Temitope was the sixth woman he married in a two-month period, and several reports indicate that there will be more.

The title “Olori” refers to the wife of a monarch in Yorubaland and signifies “queen.”

Black people are not strangers to polygamy, and if it weren’t common everywhere on the globe, there wouldn’t be a word for it or a definition for it in the dictionary. As a result, it is not an anomaly.

Is the royal father required by customary norms to have more wives after the first six? According to some observers, it is very clear that the monarch is being forced to marry spouses. However, a chief who did not want his name published claims that no Ifa priest is pressuring the Ooni to wed 13 wives.

“Since none of his predecessors was compelled by any Ifa priest to marry that much, his case can’t be different,” he said.

14. Independence Day protest / LP Rally 

On Independence Day, supporters of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, held rallies in the country’s biggest cities.

The supporters of the LP candidate, who are known as “Obidients,” met at key spots in Lagos, Kaduna, Abia, Edo, and other states in Nigeria.

In Lagos, the supporters started walking from Admiralty Junction and went through Lekki’s main road.

They stopped at every intersection and waved flags, banners, and other items as they marched toward Jakande, Elegushi axis. This seemed to be an attempt to avoid a fight with the police who were already at the Lekki Toll Gate.

15.  IVD & Bimbo crisis that led to her death 

Ikechukwu Ogbonna, commonly known as IVD, a well-known vehicle dealer, was detained by the Nigerian Police Force

The arrest of Ikechukwu Ogbonna was related to allegations of domestic violence that led to the death of his wife Bimbo Ogbonna, in October 2022

According to family sources, Bimbo and Ikechukwu got into a fight when Bimbo confronted Ikechukwu about certain problems. During the fight, their apartment was set on fire, killing Bimbo and injuring Ikechukwu only slightly.

Unfortunately, Bimbo lost her battle for life on Saturday, October 15, 2022, after spending more than 48 hours in the intensive care unit.

16. Rico Swavey’s death 

Ex-Big Brother Naija star, Rico Swavey, Patrick Fakoya passed away in October to the shock of many fans and friends around the country

His close friend Tobi Bakre announced his passing on Instagram on a Thursday morning.

The day before, Rick Swavey was in a terrible car accident that sent him to the hospital with serious injuries.

17. Tems being a writer on Rihanna’s latest single which is a part of the soundtrack of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Our very own Temilade Openiyi, better known by his stage name Tems, co-wrote “Lift Me Up,” Rihanna’s first single in six years that was released on October 28.

The song is from the soundtrack Black Panther:Wakanda Forever.

The 2022 American superhero movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is based on the Marvel Comics superhero Black Panther.

It is the follow-up to Black Panther (2018), which starred Chadwick Boseman, who passed away at the age of 43 from colon cancer.

In a manner, the song honors the late Boseman.

The song was co-written by Tems, Ryan Coogler, and producer Ludwing Göransson.

Rihanna hasn’t released any new music since her eighth studio album, “Anti,” was released on January 28, 2016.

In addition to co-writing the song, Tems also performed one of the songs from the Black Panther: Wakana Forever soundtrack CD, Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry.”

19. James Brown’s sex tape 

The internet was sent into a frenzy when James Brown, a well-known cross-dresser in Nigeria, started trending because his sextape with a woman was leaked, raising doubts about his purported gender identity.

Despite allegations that he is not a straight man, the cross-dresser known as the Princess of Africa is seen in a leaked film making out with a woman.

The brand influencer’s HIV status has been under scrutiny after the video of him engaging in unprotected sex was leaked, and many people have found interview recordings in which he opened up about his status.

The self-described African princess has repeatedly stated that he is not gay and that he is dating someone. He has even threatened to have sex with the girlfriends of any men who bring them.

20. Blessing CEO banned from Instagram

Meta, the company that runs Instagram deleted the account of Blessing Okoro, who calls herself a relationship guru and goes by the name Blessing CEO.

Ikechukwu Ogbonna, nicknamed IVD, a Lagos auto trader, was accused of killing his wife, Bimbo, but Okoro maintained he was innocent, leading to the account being disabled on Wednesday, October 12th. Her Instagram account was suspended after the accusation drew backlash.

Revealing that no one can intimidate her, Okoro created another Instagram account and said, “I will be locking my new page soon. Bad Belle everywhere! Nobody fit intimidate me.”

Bimbo died from injuries sustained in a fire incident at her house. Meanwhile, her husband, IVD, has been arrested.

21. Harry Songz vs Soso Borekon

Harrysong, a stage name for Nigerian musician Harrison Okiri, recanted his accusations against Soso Soberekon, a music industry entrepreneur.

Harry Songz had said that Soberekon had hired people to kill him on the podcast Frankly Speaking, which is co-hosted by the comedian Nedu.

The musician later changed his mind in a video that was shared via his Instagram page.

He also gave supporters reassurance that he and the music boss were back on friendly terms.

Harrysong’s new statement came after his arrest by the Nigerian Police. The singer was picked up from the airport after landing in Lagos and taken into custody.

22. Ezra Olubi’s shocking outfit 

On Tuesday, October 11, 2022, the president of Nigeria presented awards to Nigerians who had distinguished themselves.

Ezra Olubi, the co-founder of the global payments network Paystack, was one of the honorees.

The fact that a video of Olubi accepting the award has now gone viral suggests that Buhari was unprepared for Olubi’s unique sense of style. In the video, Buhari can be seen being completely appalled by Olubi’s appearance, which also featured a dark lip stain.

23. Phyna emerges winner of BBNaijaS7

Josephina Otabor, also known as Phyna, received her N100 million reward for winning the Big Brother Naija Level Up Edition early this month.

The N100 million grand prize was awarded to Phyna after beating out fellow finalist Bryann. 

It includes N50 million in cash, a new SUV from Innoson Motors, a trip for two to Dubai, a year’s supply of Pepsi, a new technological phone called the Camon 19, a supply of Unik soap, and a supply of home appliances from Nexus, among other delectable prizes from sponsors.

The award ceremony was broadcast on all BBNaija stations on GOtv and DStv.

24. The Joeboy and Asa lawsuit

Soul singer Asa filed a N300 million copyright infringement lawsuit against Nigerian rapper Joeboy.

The point of disagreement was Joeboy’s second single, “Contour,” which was produced by Tempoe and released on August 19, 2022.

Asa and her management team sent Joeboy a letter saying that the music was made during a recording session on September 22, 2022, with the legendary producer Tempoe there. Asa argued that the musical composition belonged to her.

The letter, which was delivered on September 30, ordered Joeboy to remove the music from all streaming services within 24 hours, pay N300,000,000, give Asa a 60% publishing split, and issue a formal apology.

On October 3, however, Joeboy responded to the letter on social media by posting it to his Instagram page and challenging Asa to do her worst.

“Cos I dey always do love and light you think sey I be soft meat.

“You said I have 24 hours, it’s been 48 hours, do something,” Joeboy wrote.

This development may be the beginning of a growing conflict between a young musician, Joeboy and an established singer, Asa.

Tempoe seemed to be in the centre of the lawsuit between the two musicians. He had slammed a lawsuit on Asa earlier this year.

25. Father Mbaka’s Adoration Ministry, Enugu gets reopened 

Months after it had been halted, the Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria, Amen, founded by Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has restarted operations.

On June 18, 2022, the Most Reverend Dr. Callistus Onaga, Bishop of the Enugu Diocese, placed the ministry on indefinite suspension.

In his justification for the suspension of the ministry, Bishop Onaga claimed that Mbaka had consistently broken all of Catholicism’s precepts.

However, announcing the re-opening of the ministry on Thursday, Mbaka through the ministry’s Facebook handle ‘Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria – AMEN’, asked his followers/adorers to converge at the Adoration Ground Umuchigbo Iji Nike Emene Enugu State on Sunday, October 2nd, 2022.

26. ASUU Strike ends 

Eight months after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) began an industrial strike action, campuses throughout the nation are about to come to life.

This is in response to ASUU members’ expressed willingness to immediately comply with the national body’s instruction at numerous colleges.

During its overnight meeting in October, the ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) decided to put the strike on hold.

ASUU stated that its demands had not been fully fulfilled despite the agreement to halt the strike when it announced the end of the industrial action.

27. Nnamdi Kanu gets discharged

Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been cleared of terrorism charges by the Appeal Court in Abuja.

Kanu petitioned the Court of Appeal to dismiss the allegations of terrorism levied against him by the Federal Government.

Kanu had objected to the ruling of Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court in Abuja, which required him to respond to seven of the fifteen counts of terrorism against him.

He pleaded with the appellate court to dismiss all charges against him and release him on several grounds.

The leader of IPOB stated that the alleged offenses did not occur in Nigeria.

A 3-person panel of Justices led by Justice Hanatu Sankey discharged Kanu. Kanu’s primary attorney, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, disclosed the verdict.

28. Fuel scarcity returns 

According to reports, Lagos State is experiencing a gasoline shortage as long lines started to form at certain gas stations in October

Some gas stations, particularly independent marketers, did not have the product to sell to drivers and other customers, while those who did hiked their costs, ranging from N200 to N250 per litre depending on location, for those who had commercial stockpiles.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria’s (IPMAN) National Operations Controller, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, confirmed the development and blamed the shortage on erratic supply during the previous days.

29. Liz Trus resigns 

Liz Truss has resigned from her position as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, less than two months after taking office.

During a press conference outside Downing Street in late October, Ms. Truss announced her resignation.

In light of the ongoing economic difficulties in the country, more than a dozen lawmakers from her Conservative Party had demanded her resignation.

She has also had to accept the resignations of at least two members of her cabinet.

Because she was unable to carry out the mandate for which she was elected, Ms. Truss announced her resignation.

She mentioned that she had resigned as leader of the Tory party and informed the British monarch, who serves as the head of state.

A new prime minister will be chosen in the upcoming week, according to Ms. Truss. Until then, she will continue to hold the role.

As calls for her resignation grew louder, she met with the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee before announcing her resignation.

30. New UK prime minister

The Conservative Party of the United Kingdom has elected Rishi Sunak as its new leader.

According to a statement made by Sir Graham Brady, the 1922 Committee only received one nomination for the position of new party leader that was supported by 100 MPs.

Sunak was thus proclaimed by Sir Brady to be the new party leader and, as a result, the new Prime Minister.

31. Fans give BBNaija’s Beauty Tukara $20,000 on her 25th birthday

Beauty Etsanyi Tukara, a former beauty queen and reality star, got emotional when her fans gave her a huge amount of money ($20,000), designer bags, a portrait, and other gifts for her 25th birthday.

The former winner of the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant was thrilled and moved to tears when her fans gave her a well-decorated glass box with $20,000 in it and another with 5 million naira.

In a video that went viral online, Beauty couldn’t hold back her tears, and her fans comforted her.

32. Anikulapo ranks No.1 globally on Netflix

Anikulapo, a Netflix original movie produced and directed by veteran actor Kunle Afolayan in October, was the most viewed non-English Netflix original movie of the week, according to Netflix’s weekly global chart.

The movie takes place in the pre-colonial Oyo Empire of the 17th century. It tells the story of a wanderer who goes to Oyo in search of greener pastures. At first, he is welcomed, but later he falls in love in a forbidden place.

A-list actors like Kunle Remi, who played the main character Saro, Bimbo Ademoye, who played Queen Arolake, Sola Sobowale, Mr. Macaroni, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Taiwo Hassan, and Oga Bello, among others, were in the movie.

33. Tinubu claiming that Pastor Adeboye rechristened him as “Father of Nations”

Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the APC, said that he was given the name Abraham by Enoch Adeboye, a well-known preacher and pastor of the popular Redeemed Christian Church of God, to make up for the fact that he chose a Muslim as his running mate.

The former governor of Lagos State stated that the general overseer of the RCCG named him Father of Nations on the day his wife, Remi, was ordained as a pastor in the RCCG.

“The day my wife was ordained a pastor, I was there. Pastor Adeboye gave me the name Abraham,” Mr Tinubu said. “I said what’s the meaning? He said father of nation.”

Mr. Tinubu said this when he was talking to the Christian Association of Nigeria group in Kano.

34. Mohbad’s lawyer ends contract deal with Naira Marley

Mohbad, a Nigerian street singer, had a notice of contract termination given to Naira Marley, the owner of Marlian Records.

Mohbad posted a video at the beginning of the month in which he said that the Marlian crew beat him up after he asked to change his manager, who is a member of the Marlian family.

The “Termination Notice” letter says, among other things, that Naira Marley planned and carried out violent attacks on their client Mohbad.

It also said that Naira Marley had not paid Mohbad all of the royalties and advances that were agreed upon in their 2019 contract.

The letter also said that Mohbad was breaking his contract with Marlian Records, and it asked Naira Marley to pay Mohbad all the royalties, advances, and other money he was owed under the contract.

In the letter, Mohbad also asked that Naira Marley give him back the catalog of all the songs that were put out by Marlian Records.

35. Lasisi Elenu and his partner welcome their first child

Comedian Lasisi Elenu and his partner Nonso Adika have welcomed their first child, Rain Olanma Oluwanifemi Afolabi.

The recently engaged couple confirmed the birth of their new child in a post shared by Lasisi himself. 

Lasisi shared a video compilation of the birth on his Instagram with the caption, “Blessings they say comes in different shapes and sizes, and this time, ours came in the shape of a beautiful, colorful and extraordinary baby. I personally had a gaze of disbelief when you were born as I was lost for words just admiring and appreciating the goodness of God for a blessing this Big.”

36. Portable storms out of a gig in Italy after insulting fans because they refused to spray him money

Portable let down his international admirers by declining to perform at an event.

The controversial performer who was compensated to perform in Italy rushed out of the venue when the audience refused to spray him money

A video from the event depicts Portable hurling abuses at the audience and demanding that they shower him with cash before he performs.

When he did not receive the required response, he stormed off the stage and to his parked car outside the venue.

Fans followed him to his car to demand that he return to the stage to perform, but he insisted that they must first shower him with money before he will do so.

Portable got into the car and left the area while his crew kept angry fans from touching him.

37. ENDSARS Memorial

An anniversary is to preserve the memory of the unarmed civilians who were murdered by state agents on October 20, 2020 was held at the Lekki Tollgate but not without some ruckus.

The police in Lagos arrested four persons at the Lekki Tollgate while firing teargas into the air.

Many protesters, onlookers, and journalists took to their heels as the teargas saturated the air.

The police started firing the teargas when the protesters laid some coffins at the tollgate to round off their demonstration.

Despite heavy police presence, some young Nigerians including Nigerian artistes Folarin ‘Falz’ Falana, Adebowale ‘ Mr Macaroni’ Adedayo and many others joined the solidarity walk.

38. Tobi Amusan nominated for the Women’s World Athlete Award

Tobi Amusan, the 100m hurdles world champion and world record holder, is among the top 10 candidates for World Athletics’ Women’s World Athlete of the Year.

Wednesday, October 12, a news release was posted on the website of the athletics organization announcing this information.

The organization further noted that the 10 nominees were chosen by an international panel of specialists in athletics from all six World Athletics continental regions.

Amusan and Faith Kipyegon, the reigning World and Diamond League 1500m champions from Kenya, were the only Africans to be nominated.

39. Burna Boy puts down Davido and praises Wizkid’s musical skill

In a Snapchat post, Burna Boy, who has won a Grammy, made fun of his fellow musician Davido. In the same post, he did show respect to another Grammy winner, Wizkid.

Wizkid, whose real name is Ayodeji Balogun, shut down social media after airing boastful views about his illustrious music career. Wizkid said in a post on Snapchat that he had the best plan for becoming a famous artist, so his peers should take the time to learn from him.

Burna Boy said that he is impressed by Wizkid’s status as the “poster boy” for Afrobeats, but that he is “Davido’s uncle in the music industry.”

40. Iker Casillas’ coming out stunt

In an announcement that took Twitter and the sports world by storm,former Real Madrid goalkeeper and Spain’s football star, Iker Casillas, made headlines when he tweeted: “I hope you respect me: I’m gay.”

Several personalities, especially from the LGBTQ community, praised the footballer’s courage. But the tweet also triggered a wave of homophobic comments. 

Shortly afterwards, the former Barcelona player Carles Puyol added fuel to the fire when he replied: “It’s time to tell our story, Iker”.

A few hours later, Casillas deleted the tweet and told his followers that his account had been hacked. 

Carles Puyol also tweeted an apology: “I have made a mistake. Sorry for a clumsy joke with no bad intentions and totally out of place. I understand that it may have hurt sensitivities. All my respect and support for the LGTBIQA+ community.”

This led many Twitter users to believe that the entire exchange was a joke, causing an intense backlash, especially from the LGBTQ community.

41. Tinubu missing in action

Tinubu and a few other candidates for president were all asked to speak at the Nigerian Accountants’ Conference.

Participants at the ongoing 52nd Annual Accountants Conference in Abuja booed the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, over his absence at the event.

Tinubu was also absent at the Nigerian Bar Association Conference in August. His running mate, Kashim Shettima, represented him at the biggest gathering of Nigerian legal practitioners.

There have been concerns from observers over Tinubu’s health status following his recent medical trip to the United Kingdom. He returned to Nigeria on Thursday, October 6 after spending 12 days in London, where he had gone to see his doctors.

42. Skales Calls Out Wife for Mourning His Late Mum

Shortly after crying out over his mental health and urging people to marry kind partners, Skales has affirmed that there is something going on with his marriage. 

The singer in a post which has now gone viral called out his wife Precious for fake mourning the death of his mum instead of showing care in real life.

He continued by instructing her to take down her emotional post, and stop doing things for social media to see.  Skales also warned Precious not to get him angry. 

43. DropBox

Some anonymous Nigerian men started sharing and leaking photos, IG handles, and videos of young girls from Nigeria on social media.

The young girls were nude or naked in the videos and leaked pictures. Some of the naked pictures showed their real faces, as well as their breasts, nips, and private parts.

Their real names and the handles for their Instagram and Twitter pages were also in the Dropbox link.

Now, Nigerian women want these men to be found and put in jail for doing such a bad thing to these young, innocent girls.

44. NOSC Crisis

The NOSC has been in the news after it agreed that no Nigerian film will compete in the IFF category at the 2023 Oscar Awards.

The committee had said the top three films — ‘Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman’ by the late Biyi Bandele; Kunle Afolayan’s ‘Anikulapo’ and Femi Adebayo-produced ‘Agesinkole (King of Thieves)’ — screened were not eligible to represent Nigeria at this year’s Oscars.

It is understood that the 15-member committee reached 8-5-1-1 votes with the majority voting for no film.

The development provoked a widespread backlash, while some members of the Chineze Anyaene-led committee also announced their resignation.

45. Tems wins ‘Best Collaboration’ at 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards

Tems received the 2022 BET Hip Hop Award for Best Collaboration for her contribution to Future and Drake’s “Wait For You”

The award ceremony, which took place on October 4, 2022, saw the amazing vocalist add yet another astounding accomplishment to her award-winning and record-breaking year.

For her contribution to Future’s “Wait For U,” Tems was nominated for Song of the Year, Best Hip Hop Video, and Best Collaboration Award.

The Best Collaboration Award went to ‘Wait For U’ over other contenders like ‘Family Ties’ by Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar, ‘Way 2 Sexy’ by Drake Featuring Future & Young Thug, and ‘Hot Shit’ by Cardi B, Kanye West, and Lil Durk.

46. Dubai Visa Ban

For the umpteenth time, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned Nigerians from getting visas to visit Dubai.

A notice was sent to the country’s trade partners in Nigeria, such as travel agents, telling them about the ban.

This comes just a few weeks after the country made it harder for people who want to visit to get visas.

In their latest decision, which affects almost all black African countries, the UAE government said in a notice that “all Dubai applications are now rejected” and that the rejections would be sent out in batches.

Even though there was no reason given for the ban, the government of Dubai said that all applications were on hold until problems between the governments of the UAE and Nigeria were solved.

The latest decision by UAE immigration officials affects all Nigerians who want to visit the UAE.

47. Flooding in Nigeria

Nigeria is suffering its worst flooding in a decade, with vast areas of farmland, infrastructure and 200,000 homes partly or wholly destroyed.

The death toll from floods in Nigeria this year has increased to 603 as local authorities race to provide relief to hundreds of thousands of people being evacuated from their submerged homes.

More than 1.3 million people have been displaced by the disaster, which has affected people across 33 of Nigeria’s 36 states.

48. Rema features in the “Black Panther 2” Soundtrack

Nigerian afro-rave pioneer Rema contributed to the soundtrack of the critically acclaimed film Black Panther 2.

The musician, who has continued to excel with his talent, had a voice role in the sequel’s trailer for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

Rema shared a little snippet from his upcoming Marvel Studios flick on his Instagram feed. He expressed his amazement and support for everyone in the film.

“My voice on the Black Panther trailer, wow I’m speechless! Big ups everyone who took part in making this happen, Wakanda Forever! @marvelstudios @shanechubbz.”

49. Asake abruptly ends Baltimore show after ‘security guard’s gun went missing’

Asake is on tour in the US right now. This is because his album “Mr. Money With The Vibe” just came out and got a lot of good reviews.

But just a few minutes after going on stage in Baltimore, the singer of “Sungba” was seen rushing out of the venue with his security guards.

There are rumors that the performer ended the show after a member of his security staff reported that his gun was taken.

Some disappointed fans were also seen leaving the concert in the now-well-known video.

In a statement, 1805 Entertainment, the show’s organizers, apologized to fans over the botched event.

50. US embassy evacuates families

The US State Department ordered the departure of non-critical diplomatic staff and their families from Abuja.

“Terrorists may attack with little or no warning,” targeting malls, markets, hotels, restaurants, bars or schools, the State Department said in its country summary for Nigeria, but did not give further details.

The United States, Britain, Australia and Canada had also issued warnings, although the three latter countries have not ordered any evacuation of staff or their families.

On Thursday, Jabi Lake Mall, a major shopping centre in Abuja was temporarily shut down for unspecified security reasons.

The government said that Nigerians and foreigners in the country “should continue to be alert but must not panic.”

YNaija