MTV Shuga Naija Season 5 Addresses Health Challenges, Advocacy

Season 5 of MTV Shuga Naija TV series scheduled to begin airing May 7 will address health challenges such as HIV testing, COVID 19, as well as gender-based violence and women empowerment.

Speaking at the press briefing and promote and private screening of the series, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, Country Manager, Anita Adesiyan, said the foundation has partnered with Unitaid, Global Innovation Fund and Paramount to address issues on gender-based violence, COVID 19 vaccine confidence, women empowerment, as well as to generate demand for the HIV self-testing kits now available in Nigeria.

“The new MTV Shuga Naija will give our viewers a broader perspective on everyday issues that affect young people as they try to find their place in the world.”

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.

“As a network, we recognize the immense impact this series has in promoting positive behavioural change and sparking important conversations on social issues, and with a compelling storyline and relatable characters, we can’t wait for our audiences to tune in and experience the magic of the new season,” said Paramount, Country Manager, Dr Bada Akintunde-Johnson.

In line with the foundation’s objective to empower women and invest in female creatives, with media market, the foundation through its social media campaign programme, Talent Acceleration Programme, selected eleven female interns to work across different departments on set of this season’s production, whilst observing 80% female representation crew members.

MTV Shuga Naija packs a star cast such as Adesua Etomi-Wellington, John Njamah, Tomiwa Tegbe, Maggie Osuome, Sharon Jatto, Okey Uzoeshi, Ilooise Omohimin, Bolaji Ogunmola and Susan Pwajok. Big Brother Titan Alumni, Kanaga Jnr. Eme, and Chioma Edak play lead and supporting acts respectively.

Highlight of the press briefing was a season track listening session hosted by Chocolate City Record Label which partnered with the foundation to exclusively curate the season’s track-list.

MTV Shuga Season 5 begin airing on MTV Base and BET Africa in South Africa and West Africa from May 7 and May 10.