Dooshima Strikes Again: After the Bread Saga, She Is Now Questioning Packaged Drinks

Dooshima is back in the food-safety conversation”,after the bread controversy, she is once again asking Nigerians to look closely at what they consume.

Months after her viral bread video triggered a ₦50 million lawsuit, police detention and a national conversation about food safety, Love Dooshima is back in the spotlight — this time raising concerns about the quality of packaged drinks.

Her latest concerns are already attracting attention online, largely because Nigerians have not forgotten what happened the last time she questioned the quality or shelf life of a commonly consumed product.

Dooshima became a household name in April 2026 after posting a video showing a loaf of bread she said had remained on her shop shelf for more than two months without developing mould.

She did not name a brand in the original video. However, BON Bread identified itself as the manufacturer of the bread and subsequently took legal action against her, demanding ₦50 million in damages. She was also detained by police after honouring an invitation concerning the matter.

The controversy eventually moved beyond social media.

NAFDAC investigated BON Bread and later announced that its samples met the agency's regulatory requirements and contained no objectionable substances. The agency also said the preservative detected, calcium propionate, was within permitted limits.

That outcome is important context for her latest claims: a viral consumer concern is not automatically proof that a product is unsafe.

Now, packaged drinks are under the microscope

Dooshima's latest intervention puts another category of everyday Nigerian consumption under public scrutiny: packaged drinks.

And that is precisely why people are paying attention.

The question is no longer simply “What did Dooshima say?” It is becoming: how much do Nigerian consumers actually know about the products they buy every day?

Packaged beverages are a huge part of Nigeria's food market, from bottled drinks to other ready-to-consume products. Recent research examining packaged foods in Nigeria has also found that non-alcoholic beverages constitute one of the largest categories of packaged products available for sale.

But there is an important line between asking questions about product quality and declaring a product dangerous.

For now, unless testing or a regulatory authority establishes otherwise, Dooshima's latest concerns should be treated as claims and questions requiring verification, not established evidence of unsafe drinks.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the Dooshima phenomenon is that her audience has learned to pay attention when she points at something ordinary.

Bread.

Now packaged drinks.

These are not exotic products. They are things Nigerians buy routinely, often without thinking twice about ingredients, preservatives, nutritional information, production standards or shelf life.

That makes the conversation bigger than Dooshima herself.It becomes a question of consumer awareness.

Dooshima has somehow found herself becoming an unlikely consumer watchdog — but her bread saga also taught Nigerians an important lesson: a viral claim still needs scientific verification.

The real question isn't whether Nigerians should believe Dooshima or the manufacturers.

It is whether consumers should have enough confidence in independent testing and regulation to know exactly what they are putting into their bodies.

And after the bread saga, every time Dooshima points at a packaged food product, Nigerians are probably going to look twice.

Rupert Lowe Takes Aim at London’s ‘Lady in Blue’ Statue: “I’m Tempted to Tear This Filth Down”

A new statue of a woman in a striking blue dress has barely taken its place in London's Trafalgar Square — and already, it has found itself at the centre of a political argument.

British politician Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, has taken aim at Lady in Blue, the latest artwork installed on Trafalgar Square's famous Fourth Plinth, describing it as “filth” and suggesting that removing it could become part of his London mayoral campaign.

The sculpture was unveiled on September 10 and was created by American artist Tschabalala Self. It depicts a Black woman confidently striding forward in a vivid blue outfit, platform shoes and jewellery. The blue finish draws inspiration from lapis lazuli, the precious stone historically associated with the intense blue pigment ultramarine.

So, what exactly did Rupert Lowe say?

Lowe shared an image of the sculpture on X and wrote:

«“I am tempted to run Restore Britain's entire London mayor campaign on tearing this filth down.”»

The comment immediately turned a piece of contemporary art into another culture-war talking point.

Some people online agreed with Lowe that they disliked the sculpture. Others questioned whether his objection was really about the artwork itself, particularly because the statue represents a Black woman created by a Black female artist. There were also people who disliked the sculpture while rejecting the racial interpretation of the criticism.

Who is the woman in blue?

Interestingly, she isn't a historical figure.

Self designed Lady in Blue as an everyday modern woman — an “everywoman” rather than a queen, politician or monument to a specific historical event.

The artist describes her as someone moving forward with ambition, purpose and optimism.

That makes the choice quite deliberate. Trafalgar Square is surrounded by monuments to historical men and military figures, while this contemporary woman arrives without a heroic backstory.

She is simply there — large, blue, glamorous and confidently walking into the future.

Why is the statue causing such a reaction?

Because the Fourth Plinth has never really been just about putting pretty things in a square.

The programme has become one of London's most visible platforms for contemporary art, and its temporary sculptures often provoke arguments about identity, politics, representation and what deserves a place in public space.

Lady in Blue is particularly striking because she does not look like a traditional monument.

She has movement.

She has curves.

She is wearing platform heels.

And rather than standing solemnly and looking into the distance, she appears to be going somewhere.

That difference is precisely what makes her difficult to ignore.

There is something almost amusing about the sequence of events.

An artist puts a giant blue woman in the middle of Trafalgar Square.

A politician sees her and says: take her down.

The statue, meanwhile, isn't arguing with anyone. She's just walking.

And perhaps that is the real power of public art: you don't have to like it to have a reaction to it.

Lady in Blue has already achieved the one thing every controversial artwork wants — people are talking about her.

Would you keep Lady in Blue in Trafalgar Square, or do you agree with Rupert Lowe that she has no place there?

Hilda Baci Champions Reading Culture With Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi’s Books

Hilda Baci is showing that there is more to influencing than food, fashion and viral moments.

The Nigerian chef and entrepreneur has turned her attention to books, using her platform to encourage Nigerians to read while spotlighting the works of Nigerian author Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi.

It is a small gesture, but an interesting one at a time when reading is increasingly competing with short-form videos, endless scrolling and the pressure to consume everything in seconds.

Hilda's book moment puts the spotlight on Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi, a Nigerian author known for contemporary fiction and romance. Her catalogue includes titles such as Adanna and the Ginika’s Bridesmaids series, while her newer work Moroti Wants a Virgo has also featured in book conversations in Nigeria.

There is something particularly interesting about seeing a personality with Hilda's reach promote books.

People who may not ordinarily follow literary conversations are more likely to encounter a book when it appears in the hands of someone they already follow.

And that is increasingly becoming part of how books find readers.

A 2026 Brittle Paper discussion on Nigeria's literary ecosystem noted the growing influence of book influencers and social-media personalities in getting books into public conversations and encouraging people to pick them up.

A celebrity posting a book does something traditional book advertising may struggle to do: it places literature inside the everyday social-media feed.

Suddenly, someone who came online to see Hilda Baci may discover an author they have never read.

The timing is significant because efforts to rebuild reading culture in Nigeria increasingly recognise that social media does not have to be the enemy of books.

The #WhenWeRead campaign, for instance, has used public figures including Hilda Baci and Enioluwa Adeoluwa to encourage reading and reportedly distributed thousands of books.

The idea is simple: if people are already looking at their phones, perhaps the phone can be where they first discover the book.

Perhaps reading culture doesn't always need another lecture about how “young people don't read anymore.”

Maybe it needs people they actually watch to make reading look interesting again.

Hilda Baci picking up an Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi book is a reminder that influence can move attention in more than one direction.

You can influence people to buy a meal.

You can also influence them to open a book.

And honestly, we need more of the second one.

What Nigerian book would you recommend Hilda Baci read next?

Tania Omotayo at 15: Throwback Photo Takes Us Back to 1997

Long before the fashion shoots, red carpets and Lagos social scene, Tania Omotayo was simply a teenager growing up — and this throwback photo gives us a glimpse of her at 15.

A childhood photograph of Tania from 1997 resurfaced, showing the fashion entrepreneur years before she became a familiar face in Nigeria's entertainment and style circles. The photo was published in 2015 as a throwback to her younger years.

At 15, Tania was still far removed from the woman Nigerians would later know as a fashion entrepreneur, model and television personality.

Today, she is the founder and creative director of Ziva Lagos and has also appeared on The Real Housewives of Lagos. Showmax describes her as a wife, mother, entrepreneur, model and actress.

But this photograph takes things back to a much simpler chapter.

No designer labels to analyse.

No red-carpet fashion.

No celebrity headlines.

Just Tania at 15.

And then came Wizkid,Lagos fashion and fame

Tania eventually became one of the recognisable faces around Lagos' fashion and entertainment scene. She was also famously linked to Wizkid during the early 2010s, a relationship that made her name even more familiar to the Nigerian pop-culture audience.

But looking at the old photograph now, the interesting part is how much life happened after that picture was taken.

The teenager in the photograph would eventually build a fashion career, launch her own brands, become a mother and step into reality television.

Throwback photographs have a funny way of reminding us that every familiar face was once somebody's child, teenager or ordinary girl simply growing into herself.

Before Tania Omotayo became Tania Omotayo, there was Tania at 15.

And honestly, 1997 Tania had no idea how many chapters were still ahead of her.

What do you think of Tania's throwback at 15?

Nick Cannon’s Baby Mama Brittany Bell Bags Doctorate — And Her Dissertation Is Raising Eyebrows

Brittany Bell has officially added “Dr” to her name — and the subject of her doctoral research has people doing a double take.

The former beauty queen and mother of three of Nick Cannon’s children earned a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) from Alliant University in May 2026, turning years of academic work into a major personal milestone.

But it is not just the doctorate that has people talking.

It is the topic she chose to study.

She studied a family structure she knows personally

Bell's dissertation is titled “Black Fathering and the Experiences of the Adult Child With Multiple Siblings From Different Women: A Phenomenological Study.”

The research examines how adults experience growing up with a Black father who has children with multiple women, including questions around identity, family relationships and paternal involvement.

And yes, the subject is strikingly close to Bell's own family circumstances.

She shares three children — Golden, Powerful and Rise — with Nick Cannon, who has children with multiple women.

That overlap has naturally sent social media into overdrive.

From lived experience to academic research

But Bell has explained that the research was not simply an academic exercise about Nick Cannon.

Her interest was also shaped by her own experiences with her biological father and stepfather. Reports say she discussed the research journey on the Change Your Brain Every Day podcast, explaining how the subject developed from her broader interest in Black parenting and family dynamics.

She also dedicated the dissertation to her children, describing them as the heart of everything she does, while acknowledging the influence of her late father and stepfather on her development.

So while the internet may see Nick Cannon written between the lines, Bell's research is broader than one famous family.

Her children were there for the milestone

Bell celebrated the achievement alongside her three children, making the graduation a family moment.

The significance was not lost on her.

For someone who has spent years balancing motherhood, public attention and education, walking across the stage represented more than another qualification. It was also a demonstration to her children that motherhood did not have to mean putting personal ambition on hold.

She reportedly described the moment as one where her children had shared every part of the journey with her.

The internet, of course, has questions

The dissertation's subject has produced two very different reactions.

One side sees a woman taking a complicated aspect of life and turning it into scholarship — essentially turning lived experience into knowledge.

The other side cannot ignore the obvious irony: Brittany Bell is researching the experiences of children whose fathers have children with different women while raising three children with Nick Cannon, whose large blended family is publicly known.

That coincidence practically wrote its own headline.But reducing the doctorate to Nick Cannon would also miss the achievement.

She still earned the degree.

There is something fascinating about taking the part of your life that people gossip about and asking a much deeper question about it.

Brittany Bell didn't just live inside a complicated family structure. She went back to school and asked: what does this kind of family structure actually do to the children growing up inside it?

Whether you see that as personal, academic or both, the achievement is hers.

Nick Cannon may be part of the context, but today the bigger headline is Dr Brittany Bell.

Would you call this turning personal experience into purpose — or studying what you already know?

Ugo Ugochukwu Makes History as FIA Formula 3 Champion

A Nigerian-American teenager has just written his name into Formula 3 history.

At 19, Ugo Ugochukwu has been crowned the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Champion, becoming the first driver from the United States to win the championship.

Driving for Campos Racing, Ugo secured the title at the Spanish Grand Prix at Madrid's new Madring circuit on Sunday, September 13. He finished second in the final race — enough to put him 14 points ahead of Britain's Freddie Slater in the championship standings. 

From New York to the top of Formula 3

Ugo was born in New York to Nigerian fashion model Oluchi Onweagba and Italian fashion designer Luca Orlandi, giving the young racer a distinctly international background. 

His 2026 campaign produced 159 championship points, including two race victories and five additional podium finishes.

But the championship wasn't handed to him.

Slater entered the final weekend with a 15-point advantage. Ugochukwu turned that deficit around during the decisive weekend in Madrid, recovering the championship lead before safely finishing second in the final race. 

The next stop could be Formula 2

Formula 3 sits on the FIA's single-seater ladder between junior categories and Formula 2, making the championship an important stepping stone for drivers hoping to reach Formula 1.

Ugo's trajectory is already attracting attention. He was previously part of the McLaren junior programme, and after his F3 title, his next major target is expected to be Formula 2. 

His name now joins a list of F3 champions that includes drivers such as Oscar Piastri and Gabriel Bortoleto, who have since made it to Formula 1. 

And yes, he's very tall for a racing driver

There is another detail about Ugo that has been attracting attention.

At around 6ft 4in, he is unusually tall for a single-seater driver — a sport where cockpit dimensions and weight can make height a significant challenge.

Lewis Hamilton has already congratulated the young champion following his breakthrough season. 

For Nigerians, Ugo's victory is one of those stories worth looking beyond the trophy for.

His journey isn't the usual Nigerian sporting story. There is no football pitch, no athletics track and no familiar Super Eagles jersey.

Instead, there is a race car, a 19-year-old with Nigerian roots and one of the most competitive pathways in world motorsport.

Ugo Ugochukwu has now done something no American driver had done before: win the FIA Formula 3 Championship.

And if the Formula 1 ladder continues to open up for him, Nigerians may soon have another name to watch on a very different kind of sporting grid.

Could Ugo Ugochukwu become Nigeria's next big name in global motorsport?

Mihlahi Ndamase follows Tolu Orokodare

Rita Dominic,IB Quake, Kate Henshaw, Ozinna,Sharon Ooja, Falz, Enado Odigie -Zaron Cosmetics Celebrates 15 Years in the Game With a Big Beauty Celebration, New Hair-Care Offering and Face of Zaron

Zaron turning 15 and celebrities attending proves how a Nigerian beauty brand that began without the advertising power of established foreign brands has survived 15 years and is still talking about global relevance .

On September 11, 2026 Zaron Cosmetics convened for it's 15th-anniversary celebration at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Zaron Cosmetics founder Oke Maduewesi, hosted A-listers, consumers , industry big wigs - Osayi Alile,Rita Dominic and her husband Fidelis Anosike, Chioma Goodhair,Kate Henshaw, Sharon Ooja and Enado Odigie,Damilola Adegbite, Beverly Osu,Vimbai and more.

This anniversary represented not simply as a celebration of longevity, but as a story of persistence, limited resources, setbacks and continuing to build despite them

 Musician Falz was also present, while Ibquake and the Loud Urban Choir added live performances to the evening.

The Nigerian beauty brand marks its 15th anniversary with a celebration that brings together 3 things that have become central to the Zaron identity: beauty, new products and the next generation of faces representing the brand. Sharon Ooja, the Zaron ambassador unveiled the Face of Zaron 2026. 

Zaron's anniversary celebration comes with a party, the unveiling of a new hair-care offering and the continuation of its Face of Zaron pageant.Together, the 3 moments tell a bigger story about where Zaron is going.

15 years later, Zaron is still building

Zaron began operations in Lagos in September 2011 after the brand was conceived in Leeds, United Kingdom, in 2010.

Today, the company describes itself as an African women-of-colour beauty brand with more than 100 products and an offering that extends beyond cosmetics into skincare and hair products.

This anniversary more than a birthday party.It is a checkpoint.A chance to look at what the brand has built—and reveal what comes next.

The celebration is not staying in makeup.

One of the notable parts of the anniversary is the unveiling of a new hair-care offering, extending Zaron's beauty conversation beyond the face.

That expansion fits into a direction the company has been taking for years.

Zaron's journey has already moved from colour cosmetics into skincare, with Skin by Zaron launched as part of its 10th-anniversary celebrations in 2021,now hair

The move into hair care space therefore feels less like a random addition to the catalogue and more like another piece of the larger Zaron picture.

Beauty then becomes a complete lifestyle rather than just one product category.

This anniversary is also being marked through Face of Zaron, the brand's beauty pageant and talent platform.

The 2026 edition is looking for the next faces of Zaron, with both male and female contestants eligible to compete and prizes reported at up to ₦20 million across five winners.

That makes the pageant particularly interesting during a 15th anniversary year party.

Zaron isn't only celebrating the women who have represented the brand before.

The brand has previously described Face of Zaron as a platform capable of creating visibility and opening doors for young talents. One former contestant, for example, has spoken about the competition becoming a turning point in her career.So the crown is doing more than creating a beauty moment.

But underneath all of that is a business quietly making a statement:

We are still here. And we are still expanding.

That may be the most interesting thing about this landmark.Trends have changed.Consumers have changed.Social media has changed how beauty brands are discovered and the Nigerian beauty market is considerably more crowded than it was when Zaron began.

Yet the brand has continued to add categories and develop its ecosystem.

From being represented to creating representation.There is another layer to the Face of Zaron story.

When Zaron began, its founding proposition was strongly tied to creating beauty products for women of colour whose needs were not being adequately served by the dominant beauty market.

Currently, the brand is not only selling products designed around their consumer but a lifestyle.

This is what makes the anniversary more interesting than a simple celebration.Zaron is moving from products to an ecosystem.Makeup.Skincare.Hair care.Beauty experiences.Talent. Representation.Community.

This is a very different ambition from simply being a cosmetics company.

The beauty consumer does not exist in separate boxes.

She has skin.hair.

She wears makeup.

She follows beauty trends.

She wants products that understand her.

Then increasingly, she wants to see people who look like her occupying the centre of the beauty conversation.

What does a beauty brand do after it has survived different economic clime for 15 years?

It could simply celebrate the past.

Or it could use the milestone to announce that the next chapter is already underway.

Zaron appears to be choosing the latter.

The party celebrates the journey.

The hair-care unveiling expands the beauty offering. Face of Zaron looks for the faces who will carry the brand forward.

Fifteen years is the celebration.

Perhaps , the real story may be what Zaron is building for the next fifteen.

Zaron definitely knows how to throw a party!” and congratulations the entire Zaron team on 15 years !!!!!