Organisers of The Headies have announced that the 18th edition of Nigeria’s premier music awards ceremony will take place in Toronto, Canada.

The announcement was made on Monday by Headies founder, Ayo Animashaun.

Although the exact date for the ceremony has yet to be unveiled, Animashaun confirmed partnership with another organisation to enhance the experience for attendees travelling from Nigeria to Canada.

Explaining the rationale behind taking the awards ceremony abroad, Animashaun stressed the need for The Headies to diversify its revenue streams in line with leading international award platforms.

“Most of the awards in the world that you see that are big, that you talk about, they have four or five sources of revenue. Here we have only one, everybody talks about sponsorship,” he said.

Drawing parallels with the Grammy Awards, he added, “They have state funding. During COVID, Grammy left Los Angeles and went to Madison Square in New York because LA was shut down.

“LA fought to bring Grammy back because it does something to their economy and it is part of their DNA. What events would you say are part of our DNA as Nigerians?”

The move signals a new direction for The Headies, which returned to Nigeria in 2024 after staging two consecutive editions in the United States.

The 15th and 16th editions of the awards were both held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since its launch in 2006, The Headies has evolved into one of Africa’s most prestigious music award ceremonies, recognising outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry.

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.