- MTV VMAs drop Best Afrobeats Category after introducing it in 2023
- Angélique Kidjo becomes first African musician to receive Hollywood Walk of Fame star
- Tinubu, Obi and others sign peace accord ahead of the 2027 elections
- Davido and Wande Coal exchange words over unreleased collaboration
- FAAC reveals record ₦3.007 trillion to FG, states, and LGAs in July
Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the top five Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.
MTV VMAs drop Best Afrobeats Category after introducing it in 2023
The MTV Video Music Awards have removed the Best Afrobeats category from their 2026 nominations after South African singer Tyla won the award in 2024 and 2025.
Introduced in 2023 to celebrate Afrobeats’ growing global influence, the category was first won by Rema and Selena Gomez for Calm Down. Tyla later won twice with Water and Push 2 Start. MTV has not explained why the category was dropped.
African stars will still feature in other categories, like Burna Boy, who is nominated for Best Collaboration with Shakira, while Tems earns a Best R&B nomination with Dave. The 2026 VMAs will be held in Los Angeles on September 27.
Angélique Kidjo becomes first African musician to receive Hollywood Walk of Fame star
Beninese music icon Angélique Kidjo has made history as the first African musician and first Black African artiste to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The five-time Grammy Award winner was honoured with the 2,854th star in the Recording category at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, opposite the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Oscar-nominated actor Willem Dafoe and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. joined Kidjo at the ceremony. Angélique Kidjo is the first African recording artiste and first Black African to receive the honour.
With a career spanning more than four decades, Kidjo has helped connect West African musical traditions with genres including Afrobeats, jazz, R&B, funk and Latin music. Reflecting on the historic achievement, Kidjo said: “I may be the first, but I am convinced I will not be the last.”
Tinubu, Obi and others sign peace accord ahead of the 2027 elections
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, political parties and candidates have signed the first National Peace Accord on issue-based campaigns. They pledged to reject violence, hate speech, misinformation, personal attacks and other actions that could disrupt the electoral process.
The accord was signed in Abuja at a ceremony organised by the National Peace Committee and The Kukah Centre, a day before campaigns officially began.
President Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi, Adewole Adebayo, Omoyele Sowore and other presidential candidates, party leaders, and stakeholders signed the agreement. INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan and Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu also attended.
Davido and Wande Coal exchange words over unreleased collaboration
Afrobeats stars Davido and Wande Coal have exchanged heated remarks online over an unreleased version of Wande’s 2021 song, Come My Way. The dispute began after Davido explained in a viral interview why his recorded verse did not feature on the track.
Wande challenged Davido’s account on X, saying the song already had a release date before the singer contributed his verse. He accused Davido of trying to dictate the release of a song that was not his and said it performed well without him.
Davido responded with an insult, calling Wande “Mr little penis”, while Wande hit back with “Mr. toto beggar”, referencing a viral video involving Davido. The exchange has since sparked reactions from fans online.
FAAC reveals record ₦3.007 trillion to FG, states, and LGAs in July
The Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a record ₦3.007 trillion among the federal government, states, and local government areas (LGAs) in July, the highest allocation under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The figure rose from ₦2.5 trillion shared in June.
The federal government received ₦1.14 trillion, while states got ₦943.35 billion and LGAs received ₦673.64 billion. Benefiting states also received ₦243.47 billion as 13% derivation revenue.
FAAC said gross statutory revenue increased by ₦658.08 billion to ₦4.35 trillion in July. However, gross VAT revenue fell slightly to ₦793.96 billion from ₦799.74 billion in June.
