Is Love Island Still Coming to Nigeria?

The official announcement last June that the first all-Black cast of the UK reality TV show, Love Island will be debuting in Nigerian screens this October was greeted with fanfare. Speculations about the show started circulating in 2020 with a few casting doubts on its execution.

Love Island Nigeria was projected by businessman Toyin Subair and his associates as the next big thing to hit the Nigerian entertainment landscape. At the stylish press conference last June, he said that the show perfectly sums the expectations Nigerians have of entertainment as the programme offers a rich mix of fun while still touching on the subjects of friendship, love, romance and enduring relationships between islanders.

For the Nigerian iteration, the organisers Digital Play Africa said the dating reality TV show was going to feature 20 singles, living in the Love Island Villa for seven weeks. Themes on friendship and romance were to be explored.

Today is the last day of October, and Love Island Nigeria is yet to debut. A visit to the show’s Instagram page indicated that casting was underway. However, the last update on the show was on October 7 with a call for applications. The website also did not provide any updates. Perhaps, the organisers are tying up loose ends to ensure that if and when the show premieres, it will give Nigerians an unforgettable experience.