A Florida council that oversees land development at Disney’s theme parks has approved a 15-year deal with the entertainment giant after both sides agreed in March to settle a legal and political dispute.
As part of the agreement, Disney will invest up to $17 billion over the next 20 years to develop its massive Orlando-area resorts and theme parks, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said.
Its board unanimously approved the deal on Wednesday.
Disney reached a settlement with state tourism authorities in late March after a row over its pushback against Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which aimed to outlaw teaching of LGBTQ issues in some schools.
The agreement reached this week allows the creation of a fifth major Disney theme park in the area, US media reported.
The clash between Disney and the state began after Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature revoked a unique arrangement that allowed Disney, the state’s largest private employer, to control land development in the area where its parks are located.
The move was viewed as retaliation by DeSantis — once a leading runner in the 2024 White House race — for Disney voicing opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which bans lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools.
Disney had for decades selected its own representatives to govern some aspects of the area but the legislature replaced that body.
The DeSantis-appointed board of Central Florida Tourism Oversight District took over management of the Disney land.
“This new development agreement paves the way for us to invest billions of dollars,” Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort, said.
Disney employs tens of thousands of staff at its theme park and headquarters in the Orlando area.
Singer Niniola Apata has opened up about her late husband, Michael Ndika, and the central role he played in her music career and personal life.
Speaking in a video at a gathering held in his honour, Niniola recounted how their relationship shaped her growth as an artist and as a person.
Ndika, CEO of African music platform NaijaReview, died on May 19, 2026 at 44.
She said he was her strongest supporter from day one even when she considered stepping away from music, he pushed her to continue.
According to her, Ndika believed in her talent and vowed to make her a star.
Niniola described their bond as inseparable, stressing how he was part of her daily routine and her main source of emotional support. Since his death, she said, her life has changed completely.
She thanked his family for embracing her and admitted that coping with the loss has been hard.
Reflecting on their marriage, she called it a love story.
She said Ndika gave her everything and lived for her and while she was the face and voice of her brand, he was the engine behind it.
She said: “My story with Michael is a love story. Michael did everything for me. Everything was for me, he was breathing for me. He loved me, I loved him so much. And I learned so much from Michael. But Michael met me raw, and he said, I’ll make you a superstar.’ And he did. I was just the face and the voice, but Michael was the engine.
“Even when I decided to, you know, give music a break, he didn’t let it. The first person I saw in the morning was Michael. And the last person who closed my eyes at night was Michael. So now what do I do? Tell me, what do I do? Michael was the best thing, the best person that ever happened to me.”
Air dominating Lagos radio station, Traffic radio, will begin a 24 hour service soon, even as the broadcast station marks it’s 14th anniversary.
The station was commissioned on May 29, 2012.
The milestone was celebrated on-air and across the station’s official digital platforms, with listeners and city officials engaging with the hashtag #LTRAt14.
The station’s astronomical progress in recent years has been attributed to the ingenuity of it’s General Manager, Mr Tayo Akanle, whom many have described as a thorough professional and a leader with listening ears.
Improving on it’s past records, the station now provides updates across multiple transit modes, including roads, train schedules, ferry movements, and flight times, ensuring seamless mobility across Lagos.
Attracting more commendation from listeners is the station’s ongoing modernization, particularly the integration of Live Camera Updates (LCU), which enables On-Air Personalities (OAPs) to share CCTV footage of major highways during gridlock.
Reviews and official perception surveys underscore the station’s high approval rating, with over 54% of Lagos road users tuning in daily during their morning and evening commutes.
As the station celebrates it’s 14th anniversary, sources close to it have revealed that there are underground activities, geared towards the station commencing a 24 hour service.
According to one of the sources, the management is keeping the plan close to it’s chest and will only mention it when everything needed to be done to ensure the delivery are concluded.
” I can confirm that the station is planning a 24 hour service, but the logistics are still being worked out. As things stand, the plan may materials before or by the end of this year” a source privy to the station’s activities disclosed to The Column News.
Seasoned actress Kate Henshaw has opened up about her fallout with colleague Genevieve Nnaji.
Appearing on the Tea with Tay podcast, Henshaw reflected on the end of their friendship, saying it faded quickly.
Henshaw who could not identify the exact cause of the breakdown, stated they may have grown apart or that some level of mistrust existed, but she remains unsure of what happened.
“We grew apart. Maybe she had some kind of mistrust about me… I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what came over her but I’ve moved on,” Henshaw said.
The actress did not give further details on when the fallout occurred.
Both actresses are icons of Nollywood and have featured in several notable films since the late 1990s.
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