The award winning Pan-African TV drama series, MTV Shuga Naija, has returned with a new season themed: Choices.
The youth-focused series, according to the producers, is expected to be premiere on October 23, 2019 on MTV Base, DSTV Channel 322.
In this new season, the drama returns with the trials and tribulations of the students of Molade Memorial High, the glitz and underbelly of Lagos nightlife and the family dramas of our characters from Kano.
Through realistic storylines and characters that are relatable, the MTV Shuga Naija series explores the themes of love, heartache, broken dreams and the struggle to overcome life’s challenges, in order to empower young people to make informed decisions about their sexual reproductive health and highlight the responsibility of adults to support the right to sex education and health services for young people aged 15 – 24 years.
Featuring in this new season are veteran actors, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Funsho Adeolu alongside popular TV host and actor, Osas Ighodaro and Big Brother Naija 2018 finalist, Tobi Bakre. They joined this season’s list of amazing talent who will ensure MTV Shuga’s messaging positively impacts the audience.
Returning cast include Funlola Raimi-Aofiyebi, Timini Egbuson, Rahama Sadau, Yakubu Mohammed, Bukola Oladipupo, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Amal Umar, Alvin Abayomi, Helena Nelson and Ruby Akabueze, among others.
Speaking at the premiere, the Executive Director, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, Georgia Arnold, said: “The new series of MTV Shuga Naija has so many stories to tell: we’ll see characters dealing with family planning, contraception, and gender-based violence among other issues – all of which are so relevant to our audience.
“The cast of the series are such an integral part of the work of MTV Shuga – they are not only (brilliant) actors, but actors and ambassadors who work so hard to ensure that our messages are reaching and positively impacting young Nigerians across the country.
“MTV Shuga embodies our philosophy that storytelling saves lives, and we are very excited to show the world our best MTV Shuga series to date.”
In his brief remarks, Alex Okosi, Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Viacom International Media Networks Africa and BET International said: “It is incredibly gratifying to see the rollout of the 4th instalment of this powerful campaign in Nigeria that has had empowering impact on the lives of African youth.
“At VIMN Africa, we are proud to continue this crucial and global series that originated on the MTV Base channel.”
In addition to the new season, MTV Shuga has unveiled a brand new theme song for the drama, featuring top Nigerian artistes, Larry Gaaga, and Vector Tha Viper.
Working together on the new soundtrack, the super-talented acts bring their A-game as Vector combines his lyrical prowess as a seasoned rapper, with Larry Gaaga’s expertise as a singer and producer, creating a classic track that highlights the theme of the new season titled “Choices”.
There’s a bonus show on season finale night with MTV Shuga “The Finale show”, where we go behind the scenes, meet the cast and gauge audience reaction to the latest series, the producers told Daily Trust in Lagos.
It will be recalled that the MTV Shuga series come with entertaining yet educative storylines that integrates sexual reproductive health, family planning, HIV & AIDS, gender based violence, maternal health, early child nutrition, female empowerment, positive parenting, young mums and adolescent girls.