Nigerian criminals using Asian women as drug mules

A show on the telly in Singapore called CRIMEWATCH has aired a recent episode that uncovers the illegal drug trafficking scheme carried out by Nigerians. In the video up top, it shows the process on how the unfortunate victims of this scam are tricked into trafficking and the stiff penalties they face when caught.

Related story: Nigerian executed in China

CNN's video report on the Drug War in Nigeria

Two Nigerian drug traffickers excrete 160 wraps of Cocaine while in custody

Nigeria's Federal Fire service

Deji Badmums reports on the state of the Federal Fire service in Lagos, Nigeria. Even The Onion can't come up with this stuff, and they don't need to...because it's 4realz.

Deji Badmus is The 2008 winner of the CNN Mulitchoice Africa Journalist Award and the Nigeria Media Merit Award for TV reporter of the year.

Related story: Nation in Darkness

Nigerian Box Office from June 5th to 7th,2009.

I guess Nigerians do like their sci-fi after all! Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins aka "TAMINATO" trounced the competition and topped the box-office in its first week of screening with a total gross of $38,929. This is a sharp contrast compared to other sci-fi franchise Star Trek which has had a dismal performance in Nigerian Theatres. Star Trek is currently 9^th in the box-office with a total gross of $8,914 in 4 weeks...Ouch!

Angels & Demons holds tight to the number 2 spot with a total gross of $136,944 in its 4^th week of screening. The star power of Clive Owen and Julia Roberts seems to have quite the effect on Nigerian audiences with Duplicity coming in at number 3 in its first week of screening and making a total gross of $3,696. Fast and Furious climbs a step up to the number 4 spot with a total gross of $20,751 in its 8^th week. And rounding up the top 5 movies in Nigeria for June 5^th-7^th is Ben Stiller’s Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian which drops from 4^th to 5^th in the Nigerian box-office with a total gross of $10,917. I’m looking forward to his 419 movie.

They need to build some more screens in Naija so we can start talking millions instead of thousands.

Boxoffice Mojo

Related story: Nigeria's movie box office receipts for May 29-31, 2009

Nollywood will win international award

According to Hakeem Kae-Kazim who has starred in blockbuster movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, X-MEN Origins and has also done some major TV in roles in 24 and Lost. The Nigerian born actor and producer shares his thoughts on the possibility of a Nigerian made movie winning an international award.

"I have not seen a Nollywood movie as yet win an international award. But it will happen!" he said, adding that, "just as the Indian film industry has now climbed to acceptable international status, it is only a matter of time before Nollywood films reach that height."

Kae-Kazim said besides telling original African stories from an African perspective, Nollywood has great potential to stand the test of time.

"That is why they have had such a reach around the continent and throughout the Diaspora. I believe in a few years, we will see some truly great African cinema, with international production values come out of the Nollywood machine."

Kazim expressed that the way to improve the Nigerian film industry will be by budgeting more money into Nollywood productions and also cutting down piracy to increase the film makers return their investment thereby increasing production value.

He also shared some of his movie making experience:

"I produced a Nollywood movie in the Nollywood style while in South Africa to see what it was like working in that way. And also to see whether it was a way of giving a voice to local film makers who had stories to tell but without the access to the local film making machine- which I felt was more interested in making Eurocentric type of films or films in a more western type of way negating the African voice, even when they had an African theme.

"The film, was called 'Coming to South Africa" and it was about two Nigerians who leave home and head for South Africa to make a better life for themselves. They both find it difficult and one decides to make his way by selling drugs, while the other decides to go and work his way up, starting off as a factory guard to pay his way through college."

AllAfrica.com

Related stories: Nollywood in retrospect-video documentary      Ben stiller making 419 movie

Video - University in Canada high acceptance rate for Nigerians despite tough immigration

University of Windsor in Canada happens to be a big draw for Nigerian students wishing to study abroad. With the Universities high acceptance rate of Nigerian students with exceptional academic credentials, the Canadian immigration process still makes it particularly difficult for these students to begin their studies after getting accepted by the University. The video report up top sheds some light on this issue that Nigerian students have been going through for quite a while.