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National Theater: The Bankers’ Committee “made me eat my words – Soyinka

President Tinubu stated that there was no controversy surrounding the renaming of the National Theatre, adding that he considered Prof. Soyinka’s contributions to the arts and culture.

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From left: First Lady Oluremi Tinubu; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Prof Wole Soyinka and Lagos State Governor Babajide-Sanwo-Olu…yesterday.

Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka says that before the renovation of the National Theatre, located at Iganmu, Lagos, he thought it was irredeemable, but the Bankers’ Committee “made me eat my words.”’

The renovated edifice was renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, by President Bola Tinubu, as parts of events marking Nigeria’s 65th independent anniversary, yesterday.

Soyinka praised the transformation of the building, noting, “If eating one’s word produces a morsel like this, then it’s a very tasty set of words.”

Soyinka emphasized that he accepted the renaming of the National Theatre after him : ” I never believed that the monument could ever be revamped.”

He admitted that he accepted the honour with mixed feelings, despite being a critic of many past leaders, who appropriated public monuments.

“I have to stand up in public and watch my name being put up as yet another appropriator. It just didn’t seem very well for me,” the literary giant said.

The Bankers’ Committee committed N68 billion into the project.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the occasion directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to float a National Arts Theatre Endowment Fund to ensure the maintenance of the national edifice.

Among the prominent persons at the event were First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso, who coordinated the Bankers’ Committee, Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi, who is a former CBN governor; Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.

The Bankers’ Committee committed N68 billion into the project.

President Tinubu said there was no controversy in the National Theatre being renamed, adding that he considered Prof Soyinka’s contributions to the arts and culture. Prof. Wole Soyinka is one of the greatest assets of the world. So, the renaming could not have gone to anyone else,” he said.

President Tinubu stated that there was no controversy surrounding the renaming of the National Theatre, adding that he considered Prof. Soyinka’s contributions to the arts and culture.

Olayemi Cardoso, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, disclosed that the Bankers’ Committee, the Lagos State Government, and the Ministry of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy came together with a shared purpose to deliver this national project, with the Bankers’ Committee alone committing approximately N68 billion, not as corporate social responsibility but as a deliberate investment in Nigeria’s cultural future.

He said that the project stands as proof that when the public and private sectors unite behind a shared national purpose, there is no limit to what Nigeria can achieve.

The CBN boss stated that 65 years after our nation’s founding, Nigeria’s creative spirit remains alive, pervasive and shaping global culture.

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Why TV Makers Switched To OLED Panels

One of the biggest reasons manufacturers moved to OLED production was the panel’s ability to use individually self-emissive pixels instead of an LCD panel with LED backlighting. 

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Story and image credit: BGR.com

If you’re looking for a TV that delivers rich colors and the kind of black levels that put actual movie theaters to shame, you should consider an OLED TV. 

The acronym stands for “organic light-emitting diode,” a panel type that signaled a major shift in display technology for TV makers.

One of the biggest reasons manufacturers moved to OLED production was the panel’s ability to use individually self-emissive pixels instead of an LCD panel with LED backlighting. 

The result was something LCD panels struggled with at the time: unbeatable black levels, near-perfect contrast, and a thinner chassis.

While early OLED TVs carried eye-watering price tags (one of LG’s first sets was nearly $10,000), growing competition and expanded panel production helped bring costs down, solidifying OLED’s role as a go-to choice for premium televisions.

Nowadays, brands like LG and Samsung — two of the most reliable smart TV brands on the market — produce industry-lauded OLED TVs at multiple price.

Generally speaking, OLED TVs are more expensive to produce than LED LCDs, and that usually translates to the former being priced a bit higher in stores and online.

And while LED LCD technology has continued to get brighter, thinner, and more affordable with each new generation, issues like light bloom, flat contrast, and poor image quality when viewed from the sides have remained. 

These are all picture maladies that pretty much don’t exist for OLED owners because of how much lighting and color control those self-emissive pixels deliver. 

The Samsung S95F OLED is one of the best TVs to buy on Amazon, according to experts, and part of what makes its picture so great is quantum dot technology.

Interestingly, quantum dots were originally an LCD feature that emerged in response to OLED TV production.

LED sets needed a way to compete with the rich colors and superior viewing angles that OLEDs introduced, and a layer of quantum dots was the answer.

By refining how light is converted into pure red and green wavelengths, quantum dots allowed LCD TVs to deliver wider color gamuts and higher peak brightness levels, without abandoning LED backlighting.

This also led to a new picture tech acronym: quantum dot-light-emitting diode, or QLED.

Brands like Samsung later adapted this same technology for OLED panels, combining a blue OLED light source with a quantum dot layer to create QD-OLED.

The hybrid approach preserves OLED’s near-perfect contrast and black levels, while boosting color volume and brightness, helping models like the S95F deliver a more vibrant, HDR-friendly picture than earlier OLED generations.

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Is Wizkid Bigger Than Fela? What’s your take?

Seun Kuti had warned against comparing modern artists to his father, saying it was disrespectful and an attempt to “steal the man’s image

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Photo collage of Seun , Fela and WizKid?

Grammy winner Wizkid has finally broken silence after days of criticism from Seun Kuti, who accused Wizkid’s fans of disrespecting his father, legendary Fela Kuti.

The dispute ignited last week after Seun, publicly accused his colleague’s fanbase, known as Wizkid FC, of disrespecting his late father’s legacy by drawing comparisons between Fela and the Grammy winner.

In a response shared on Instagram, Wizkid posted a video of a woman defending him, saying he’s done more to promote Fela Kuti’s work to a new generation.

Wizkid added: “Fela fight for freedom this Dey fight fc!! I big pass your papa, wetin you wan do? @bigbirdkuti I’m Big Wiz everyday bigger than your papa!! Wetin u one do”

Seun Kuti had warned against comparing modern artists to his father, saying it was disrespectful and an attempt to “steal the man’s image”.

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Valentino Garavani, Italy’s fashion king, dies at 93

Best known as just Valentino, the designer’s creations — many of them in “Valentino red” — were worn by the who’s who of the international elite, from Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Nancy Reagan to Sharon Stone, Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow in recent years.

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•Valentino Garavani / Getty image

Valentino Garavani, Italy’s fashion king has died at his home in Rome. He was 93.

Valentino launched his label in 1960 and found worldwide fame dressing European royals, American first ladies, and stars of the day.

“Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones,” wrote his Rome-based foundation on social media.

A funeral is planned for Friday in the Italian capital, with a lying in state on Wednesday and Thursday.

Best known as just Valentino, the designer’s creations — many of them in “Valentino red” — were worn by the who’s who of the international elite, from Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Nancy Reagan to Sharon Stone, Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow in recent years.

When the empress of Iran, Farah Pahlavi, escaped the country during the 1979 revolution, she was wearing a coat made by Valentino.

Dubbed “the Sheik of Chic” by Women’s Wear Daily in the 1980s, Valentino was celebrated by the New York Times in 1997 for his “single-minded dedication to glamour.”

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