CORONAVIRUS. M-Net West Africa and MultiChoice Nigeria show callous disregard to enforce mask wearing or social distancing safety protocols at its media event for new Africa Magic series.

by Thinus Ferreira

While the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic rages in the country M-Net West Africa and MultiChoice Nigeria showed a callous disregard to enforce anything like the mandatory requirement for people to wear masks in public or at events in Nigeria, or practising any form of social distancing protocols at its Africa Magic media event.

People keep getting infected and keep dying in Nigeria from Covid-19 as in other African countries.

With the Delta-variant that is now the dominant strain in the West African country, wearing a mask in public or at events is compulsory in Nigeria, where people are also implored by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to adhere to social and physical distance protocols in public and at events.

While MultiChoice and M-Net do lip-service in public statements to supposedly supporting and adhering to Covid-19 safe protocols, in reality it's very clear that what MultiChoice and M-Net say they do isn't practised or enforced at the pay-TV operator's public and media events with a shocking flouting of Covid-19 safe regulations from Ethiopia to Nigeria, and from Zambia to South Africa.

On Thursday MultiChoice Nigeria and M-Net West Africa in Nigeria held a media event to tell the media more about its 4 upcoming new TV shows like Dilemma and Venge that will start from October on its various Africa Magic channels on DStv.

Tosin Igho (Venge executive producer), Atinuke Babatunde (M-Net channel head for Africa Magic Showcase, Urban & Epic), Busola Tejumola (MultiChoice Nigeria executive head for West Africa content and channels), Uche Ikejimba (Dilemma executive producer) and Mike-Steve Adeleye (head of content for West Africa ) had absolutely no problem to shockingly pose maskless side-by-side at the Africa Magic media event on Thursday.

Meanwhile the media, cast, producers and other guests leisurely packed the inside venue at the Africa Magic event held in Lagos, Nigeria, and crammed close together without masks or any social distancing observed with VJ Adams as the event's host.

Neither the Nigerian media, Africa Magic executives, MultiChoice Nigeria executives, show producers or the actors who attended the event apparently think that they have Covid-19, can get Covid-19, or can infect other people with Covid-19, or that it's necessary to make absolutely sure that people are wearing masks as prescribed and keep their social distance at physical gatherings.

Besides Dilemma and Venge another new show that will start is Music Buzz from Wednesday 6 October on Africa Magic Urban (DStv 153).

Mercy, what's next?, a spin-off of the Mercy & Ike Show, will start on Sunday 10 October on the Africa Magic Showcase (DStv 151) channel. 

The shows Turn Up Friday and Owambe Saturdays also return for new seasons on Friday 29 October and Saturday 30 October to Africa Magic Family (DStv 154).

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ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. Just another white wedding: MultiChoice and M-Net do hollow lip-service and PSAs about Covid-safety - but show DStv subscribers a whole other reality where a coronavirus pandemic apparently doesn't exist.

ALSO READ: SHOCKER. MultiChoice Africa and M-Net claim it's practising and adhering to Covid-19 TV and film production regulations - but shocking photos show a lack of mask wearing and flouting of social distancing on set.