MTV Shuga Naija to Premiere in May, Throws Light on Arranged Marriages

Stories by Vanessa Obioha

After its exclusive premiere in Lagos, MTV Shuga Naija makes a grand return to the screen for its fifth season. The series produced by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation tackles the real-life issues that affect the youth in Nigeria today. From relationships to health, the show explores the complex challenges that young people face daily.

The new season tells the story of Moh (Gbubemi Ejeye), a bright young woman who must make a difficult decision when her parents force her into an arranged marriage with an older man and her family’s benefactor.

Bringing the eight-part series to life is a delightful mix of established on-screen legends and rising stars including Adesua Etomi-Wellington, John Njamah, Tomiwa Tegbe,  Maggie Osuome, Okey Uzoeshi, Gbubemi Ejeye, Genoveva Umeh, Ilooise Omohimin, Sharon Jatto, Lexan Peters, Bolaji Ogunmola, and Susan Pwajok.

Big Brother Titans star, Kanaga Jnr. Eme, and Chioma Edak will be playing lead and supporting acts respectively, having come through the MTV Shuga Naija public auditions last year.

As its tradition, MTV Staying Alive Foundation partnered with Unitaid, Global Innovation Fund, and Paramount for this season “to address issues on gender-based violence, COVID-19 vaccine confidence, women empowerment, modern contraception, as well as generate demand for the HIV self-testing kits now available in Nigeria,” said Country Manager, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, Anita Adesiyan.

“At MTV Staying Alive Foundation, we believe that its main platform Sugar Naija is very necessary to promote awareness and create impact. Gender-based violence, for example, remains a pressing issue in Nigeria, with over 31 per cent of young women and girls experiencing physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner.

“Furthermore, Nigeria has recorded the second highest epidemic for HIV with over 1.9 million people in Nigeria living with HIV. That is why through MTV Shuga Naija, we are able to raise awareness of these issues and provide necessary information and resources that these young people can use in protecting themselves and their communities,” she added.

Adesiyan also noted that the foundation went beyond screen messaging and peer-to-peer interventions to launch a Talent Accelerator Programme (TAP) that promotes gender participation within the creative industry.

Therefore, the new season produced in partnership with 1Pod Pictures – a female-led production company out of Nigeria – had 11 female interns selected from TAP to work across different departments on set. The MTV Shuga Naija Season 5 crew also had an overall female representation of 80%.

The new season will premiere on May 21 on MTV Base.

“As a network that is committed to engaging with and empowering young people, we recognise the immense impact that this series has in promoting positive behavioural change and sparking important conversations on social issues,” said Country Manager, Paramount, Dr Bada Akintunde-Johnson.

MTV Shuga Naija’s fifth season is set to reach a wider audience later this year through the free-to-air platform NTA. Fans can also catch the entire season on popular streaming platforms Netflix and YouTube.