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90% of my secrets are with my mum in her grave –Chioma Akpotha

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For popular Nollywood actress, Chioma Akpotha, every May 22 of each year would forever be a day she would set aside to celebrate the life of her mother who died about five years ago.

In a recent chat with the actress, she told Saturday Beats that she was so close to her mother as the first daughter that her mother went to her grave with 90 per cent of her secrets.

With teary eyes, she recalled the way her left-handed mother used to deal with her whenever she erred but despite all the slaps and beatings she received, it never affected the love she had for her mother.

“It has been five years that my mother has died and till date, I still miss everything about her. Being the first daughter, she was my best friend but whenever I misbehaved, she hardly used a cane on me, instead, she would use her hand, slippers, pestle, among other things.

“She was left handed but I always forgot that aspect whenever she was beating me, so there were times that I would expect the slap on the right cheek and would have guarded the right side of my face only for the slap to land on the left side.

“I miss her a lot. My mother went to her grave with about 90 per cent of my secret and that is how close I was to my mother. She was practically my backbone. When I had my first son, my mother stayed with us for about a year. Although she had a restaurant at the time, she abandoned it to look after my child and would accompany me to the various movie sets I had to attend. She was running her business from the movie location. I miss everything about her. “There is a saying that Igbo people have which states, ‘the day you lose your mother is the day you lose your God. Her death has thrown me into the open but I believe she is now an angel who watches over me from up above and she is fighting for me,” she said.

The screen diva told Saturday Beats that although she was flogged several times by her mother, it was not because she was a stubborn child. She further stated that although she joined the Nigerian movie industry as a teenager, she never dared to embrace any vice because of the kind of upbringing her mother gave her.

Akpotha said, “I was not mischievous per se but I did not believe that you could cheat me out of what is mine. If my mother did not have any other job, she probably would have been a soldier. I am the first daughter and as an Igbo woman, the first daughter had to be an example of what a good home would be like, so I could not have indulged in any bad vice during my early years in the Nigerian entertainment industry.

“Also, when it comes to my personal hygiene I am allergic to smoke among other things. I get ‘high’ easily and I act in silly ways but I like to comport myself in public hence when you see me, you tend to think I am uptight.

“I had friends that took alcohol and tried to cajole me into taking some but I always refused because if you know who you are, why succumb to peer pressure?”

*Punch

GrassRoots.ng is on a critical mission; to objectively and honestly represent the voice of ‘grassrooters’ in International, Federal, State and Local Government fora; heralding the achievements of political and other leaders and investors alike, without discrimination. This daily, digital news publication platform serves as the leading source of up-to-date information on how people and events reflect on the global community. The pragmatic articles reflect on the life of the community people, covering news/current affairs, business, technology, culture and fashion, entertainment, sports, State, National and International issues that directly impact the locals.

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Elie Kamano’s Anthem Amplifies Pan-African Reparations Call with Striking New Music Video

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Elie Kamanos Anthem Amplifies
Source: Elie Kamano and the Pan-African Reparations Movement

Guinean artist and activist Elie Kamano has released a powerful new music video for his single, “Ils veulent l’Afrique sans les Africains” (“They Want Africa Without Africans”), delivering a bold artistic statement that fuses political resistance, cultural memory, and Pan-African solidarity.

Filmed on the sacred grounds of the Thiaroye mass graves in Dakar, the video honors victims of one of colonialism’s most heinous massacres. Kamano’s visual tribute transforms the site into a defiant stage, linking Africa’s historical trauma to the modern reparations movement. With raw lyricism and symbolic imagery, the video makes a clear demand: “Africa will reclaim what Europe stole.”

The release arrives at a pivotal moment. The African Union has declared 2025 as the Year of Reparations, providing institutional momentum to cultural and civic efforts across the continent. In Dakar, a recent high-profile conference reignited demands for justice surrounding the Thiaroye massacre, leading Senegalese authorities to launch archaeological excavations to document the scope of the 1944 French military crime—evidence that may substantiate formal reparations claims to France.

The reparations conversation has visibly moved to the streets. Dakar’s walls now feature bold graffiti murals demanding €50 trillion in reparations from former colonial powers—vivid calls for justice that cannot be ignored. In Bamako, Malian scholars and policymakers echo the urgency, calling for strategic frameworks that link historical redress with sustainable African futures.

Kamano’s work stands at the intersection of music and movement—galvanizing Pan-African youth, scholars, and policymakers alike. His anthem doesn’t just commemorate the past—it ignites the future.

“This is not just a song,” says Kamano. “It’s a voice for the voiceless. A call for dignity. A battle cry for what is rightfully ours.”

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“His Death Leaves a Huge Void”, Gov Mbah Mourns Music Icon, Ejeagha

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'Gentleman' Mike Ejeagha

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has expressed deep grief over the death of music icon, ‘Gentleman’ Mike Ejeagha, saying the legend had created a void that would be too difficult to fill.

Mbah described Ejeagha as an unassuming and easygoing personality, whose fanbase spread across international boundaries.

Recall that the news of the passing on of the ‘Gwo gwo gwo ngwo’ crooner at age 95 filtered into public space Friday evening.

Reacting to the sad development, the governor, who had celebrated the folklorist during his lifetime by reconstructing the popular Obinagu Road and the adjoining Chief Mike Ejeagha Crescent leading directly to his residence in Abakpa Nike, Enugu, a long wish of the icon left unfulfilled by successive administrations in the state, and by renaming Obinagu Road as Chief Mike Ejeagha Road in his honour, assured that his government would further immortalise the legend in death.

Taking to his verified  social media handles, @PNMbah, the governor paid a heartfelt tribute to the Enugu-born musician

“I’m profoundly saddened by the death of music icon, Gentleman Mike Ejeagha.

“Mike Ejeagha was a legend, a cultural ambassador and a revered son of Enugu State.

“He was one of the finest musicians of his generation with an easygoing personality and humility that belied his towering celebrity status.

“I will always cherish fond memories of the time spent in his company – the warmth and wisdom he radiated; the joy he found in the ordinary.

“This is a loss not only for his immediate family; it’s a big loss for Enugu State, the entire music community, and the country as well.

“Ejeagha’s immense talent and genius lay in how he took simple indigenous folktales and turned them into unforgettable songs that resonate across cultures.

“Ejeagha’s fan-base transcended boundaries. He was easily one of the most recognizable voices in music.

“His death leaves a huge void that will be difficult to fill. But the legacies he has left behind will last a lifetime.

“On behalf of the Enugu State government, I offer heartfelt condolences to the Ejeagha family, and assure them of our support.

“As a government, we would ensure that his memory is duly immortalized.

“Above all, I pray that his family experiences the comforting grace of God’s love, and the fortitude to bear the loss.”

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From Bomb Blast to Praise: Maureen J’s Miracle Song

–Lagos bomb blast survivor tells her story through soul-stirring gospel track

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Maureen J

From the ashes of one of Nigeria’s most devastating tragedies has emerged a powerful testimony in song. “How Do I Kelee Gi?” — a soul-stirring blend of English and Igbo meaning “How do I thank You?” — is the heartfelt anthem of Maureen Onwuka, popularly known as Maureen J, a survivor of the January 27, 2002 Lagos bomb blast.

The blast, which rocked the Ikeja Cantonment area, left hundreds dead and thousands displaced in an unforgettable moment of national grief.

For Maureen, then a young evangelist, it marked the beginning of an emotional and spiritual journey that would change her life and eventually give birth to a song of thanksgiving.

On the day of the explosion, Maureen had stepped out for routine evangelism when she was caught in the chaos. Fleeing with a panicked crowd, she found herself at the edge of a canal near Ajao Estate. She couldn’t swim. Before she could react, the surging crowd pushed her into the water.

“I found myself stepping on bodies. People who had already drowned. It was like walking on human carpet, and I didn’t even know at first,” she recounts, her voice heavy with emotion. “Some were grabbing at me, trying to come up, but every time someone held my leg, I felt myself going under.”

Maureen screamed out a desperate prayer: “Lord, remember me! I was just out telling people about You! Please show me mercy!” In that moment, a stranger appeared in the water — a man who swam to her, pulled her to safety, and vanished without a trace. “I don’t know who he was. I believe he was an angel,” she says.

She escaped with her life, but the images of that day, especially the lifeless bodies of children, women, and men, remained etched in her memory. In the aftermath, she made a solemn vow to God: to tell the world what He did for her.

That vow found its fullest expression in “How Do I Kelee Gi?” — a song she describes as a sacred offering of gratitude. “Words weren’t enough to carry my story. I had to pour it into music,” Maureen explains. “Mixing English and Igbo was intentional — what God did for me was too great to explain in just one language.”

Though the song was written two to three years after the tragedy and initially recorded with little fanfare, Maureen never stopped sharing her story. Encouraged by those who’ve heard the track and urged her to push it further, she is now relaunching the song with renewed purpose.

“This song is my flagship,” she says. “It’s time to tell the world. I want people to not just hear my voice, but to know the miracle behind it.”

Maureen, who hails from Umukparo, Mbala Isuochi, in Abia State, has always been musically inclined, serving in choirs from her youth. But the 2002 experience gave her voice a new purpose. “After the blast, music became more than a gift — it became a mission,” she says.

Inspired by gospel icons like Mercy Chinwo, Sinach, and Nathaniel Bassey, Maureen hopes to reach hearts and stir worship through her sound. “Their songs move me toward God. That’s what I want mine to do too.”

“How Do I Kelee Gi?” is currently available on Audiomack and CD Baby, with plans for a full official launch slated for August this year.

From tragedy came a testimony. From near-death, a new life’s mission. And through it all, Maureen J stands — a living witness that miracles still happen, and when they do, the only fitting response is to sing.

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