MTV Shuga Naija, the popular Nigerian drama series, is set to premiere its highly anticipated fifth season on May 7. The show will feature an impressive cast of both established and fast-rising actors, 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 will play a leading role, while Chioma Edak, who was discovered through the MTV Shuga Naija public auditions last year, will have a supporting role.
In partnership with Unitaid, the Global Innovation Fund, and Paramount, the new season aims to address issues such as gender-based violence, COVID-19 vaccine confidence, women’s empowerment, modern contraception, and HIV self-testing kits. The show is produced in collaboration with 1Pod Pictures, a female-led production company from Nigeria.
MTV Shuga Naija has been praised for its use of storytelling to address social issues, and this season promises to be no different. The story follows Moh (played by Gbubemi), 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.
The premiere event was attended by notable personalities in the Nigerian corporate, medical, advocacy, and entertainment spheres, including the Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Gambo Aliyu, and the CEO of the Lagos State Agency for the Control of AIDS (LSACA), Dr. Monsurat Adeleke. The event also featured a track-listening session hosted by Chocolate City, which partnered with the MTV Staying Alive Foundation to exclusively curate the track list for the new season.
MTV Shuga Naija Season 5 will air on MTV Base and BET Africa, with repeats on Wednesdays and Thursdays, respectively. The series will also be broadcast on the free-to-air platform, NTA, later this year, and all episodes will be available on Netflix and YouTube.
