Last year when many people were even using ‘God of Efe’ in their prayer points, I was just laughing because the future for the winner wasas clear as looking through a dirty glass window.
In one of the posts I made on Facebook, someone replied and told me that I have seen the difference between the fans’ favourite and others that portray showbiz character. I smiled and said, “May God of Efe bless you for me”.
I think owners of Big Brother Naija should be regretting why they let Efe walk home with that prize. They should be regretting making Efe their ambassador for a year and while I don’t need anyone to start telling me not to insult the Warri born ‘Warri’ crooner, I’ll simply ask this question; “If he is so good, why didn’t big brother invite him to the house. Why didn’t he at least talk to the housemates via video call?”
Efe won ahead of Bisola and TBoss and it obvious the duo have done better than him in the last 12 months. Efe might have invested part of his 25 million, but Bisola and TBoss are investing the brand they created at the reality show. In the last 12 months who have made more money? Wh do you think would stand to be endorsed by a company today? It is definitely not Efe.
Nigerians are at it again and Miracle has won. When you look at him and Efe, there is absolutely lots of similarities because they put up that heroic character Nigerians like: sit down, be a nice guy and get everything by the grace of God.
In the reality showbiz do people achieve fame with the grace of God? I just wonder the kind of God that gives his grace to people who go nude in toilets, kiss anyhow in the house and is also willing to do more of those outside the house.
If showbiz is by the Grace of God, what happened to Efe, why did he get to pen ‘Warri Warri’ of all lyrics in the world? Miracle is nevertheless different because he is hardworking; maybe Efe was (I’d use that because I didn’t watch last year).
There is Cee-C, the bitter woman; Tobi, the smooth talker; Alex, the one with the magic waist and the our own Nina who becomes something from the person close to her.
Showbiz have never been about being pretty, connected or fans’ favourite for a day. If it is about being fans’ favourite why didn’t Nigerians download ‘Warri Warri’ the way they prayed with ‘God of Efe’; why are we still complaining about Buhari when he was sent from God to chase Jonathan and co out of Aso Rock.
This simply means that it is not about who wins; the game ends in the house and after that reality sets in. The brand owners would be glad to see the next hottest person in Nollywood being their product because it will make more people buy their forms the following year. But this dream is far from being achieved because such people might not have been involved in this edition.
Should Miracle ever pursue his dream of flying, we’ll all be busy liking his pilot pictures on instagram. It will be just a matter of time before the same #TeamMiracle will start complaining. Showbiz is about ‘how long you are willing to go’. Who wants to play that crazy role, who wants to be tagged ‘wicked character’. Who wants to be the next Nollywood bad boy (I see that in Tobi).
People are often threatened by strong characters in Africa. Teddy A paid for that, Cee-C though with some issues paid the same price, but I must confess that without her, I would not have watched much of this show.
She was a character and that’s what you need in showbiz. It is not about people who conduct themselves because there is a reason religion was removed from the house. BBNaija is for drama kings and queens. More drama means more views, more votes and more money for the organizer.
Right now, housemates are busy touring here and there, but a time will come when Nigerians will get tired of following them, and that would be when the only thing that will make them special will be how strong their brand can be.
When the Prize money goes down, brand money can fetch can go up, but for those who will not be good enough to build a strong brand, I’ll tell the DJ to play you ‘Warri Warri’.
My name is Chinedu Hardy Nwadike, a blogger, author and opinion analyst. Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: hardynwa #IamIgbotic.
