TV audience set for thrill as Nigerian Idol enters last lap

The biggest show on TV, Nigerian Idol, produced by Optima Media Group and sponsored by Etisalat and Pepsi, is set to thrill Nigerians as the winner among the 12 finalists emergence will be determined by the audience.

According to Rotimi Pedro, CEO, Optima Media Group, “the fourth season of Nigerian Idol will be an even more exciting television experience. The last three seasons of the show garnered more viewership, especially with the youth demographic, than any other music reality show – re-emphasising the power of the Idol brand across the globe.

“As the world’s leading TV show, we are committed to ensuring that the standards from the past three seasons – in terms of content, production and interactivity are surpassed with Season 4. This is Idol – it’s the real deal.”

Recapping the journey, Pedro says he is happy with the continued support of Etisalat. According to him, “I must confess that I appreciate the effort of our sponsor, Etisalat in the last four years. We appreciate their investment in this show right from the beginning and we believe that they will continue to do more”

The 12 contestants, who were unveiled at an event in Lagos recently, will be housed for another eight weeks to show their musical prowess and mastery in front of the judges and audience as they battle for the top prize of N7.5 million, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry, an iPod and a brand new SUV car.

This year’s top 12 contestants are: Zibili Evelyn, Lisa Omoregbe, Elvis Ejiro, Paul Enoma, Odugbemi Idown Sarah, Ogechukwu Okafor, Obed Emmanuel Ogbonna, Ese Idowu, Ese Nyerhovoo, Anthony Akpan, Beebee Bassey, and Jesse Okonkwo.

Speaking at the event, Enitan Denloye, director, brands and communication, Etisalat Nigeria, says the concept of unveiling the top 12 contestants is to formally showcase the talents that the viewers have selected to move to the gala show. In his words: “We are happy to witness another high point in this season. As we have promised, this season will be more interesting and it will once again empower another set of Nigerian youths, in line with our brand commitment of youth empowerment and development.

“Before getting to the top 12 stage, the show has gone through series of stages, starting from the auditioning, to the top-100 stage, and gradually to the top-30 stage. At the top 30 stage, the contestants were divided into three groups of 10; 9 contestants were selected by the viewers at home through their votes, while the remaining three contestants are the judges’ choice through the wild card show. At this stage, the decision as to who stays or leaves will be fully determined by the audience.”

On their part, the new set of judges for the season shared their joy on the success the show has recorded so far. According to Nneka, who spoke on behalf of the judges, “we are all happy for the choice made and we are confident that the 12 finalists would not disappoint us as we move on.”