Nigeria has had an awesome history of reality television shows from the early 2000s till date. Some have thrived, a lot of others have died. Some are rescheduled to begin but there are some we can’t just get out of our minds. No matter what. Here are some of those TV shows we want back.
Star Quest
These days, not many people can relate to a popular Nigerian band group known as The Pulse. They were one-time winners of the 2009 edition of reality music competition, Star Quest with a hit song titled SoTe. A notable member of the group is DJ Switch, who streamed the aftermath of the alleged Lekki Massacre. She was one of its soloists, majoring in rap.
The show produced major Nigerian stars like Kcee, Klint D’Drunk, Mr. Raw while also showcasing big names like Psquare, Asa and many others. It started in 2002 before show organizers put the show to bed.
Who wants to be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill, and Steven Knight. To play the game, ten contestants have to answer the fastest finger question to get on the hot seat.
In Nigeria, Frank Edoho was the host who used his tricks to test contestants. The grand price was ₦10 million and contestants had to prove to be smart and witty to win. The show was the most intellectual show on Nigerian television in recent times. Winifred E. Karieren was the first female to win ₦5m while Chimuanya Aroma Ufodik won ₦10 million in 2009.
Other winners include Osazuwa Osahon Daniels, Babatunde Oni Oladipo and Nnaemeka Ubaekwena.
Maltina Dance All Show
In 2007, a family-friendly TV show known as the Maltina Dance All show premiered. It was a chance for families to show forth their dance interests as well as creativity, which helped to push the Maltina brand to several parts of Nigeria. It lasted eight seasons and was hosted by Osas Ighodaro for two years between 2013-2015. It had Muyiwa Osinaike, Comfort Fedoke, Janell Burgess and Jeffrey Page as judges. Judges drilled several families in the act of urban, traditional and contemporary styles. The last we heard of it was in 2016.
Malta Guinness Street Dance
The Malta Guinness Street Dance was a technical dance show for dance groups. It was launched in 2009 in Ghana, and subsequently hosted in Nigeria, Kenya and Mauritius. In 2016, Mauritius hosted its second Malta Guinness Street Dance qualification. Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shafau, popularly known by her stage name Kaffy and Peter of the P-square group were associated with this show which went off in 2010
Project Fame West Africa
For eight years, Project Fame West Africa raised several beautiful artistes to national and global fame. Hosted by Joseph Benjamin and Adaora Oleh, the show lasted between 2008 till 2016. It used to feature contestants from West Africa like Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone but after the Ebola outbreak in 2014, Sierra Leone was dropped. The show had judges Bibie Brew, and Tee-Y Mix while Faculty members of the Academy included Joke Silva, Lovette Otegbola, Dupe Ige, and Ben Ogbeiwi.
Several winners include Iyanya, Mike Anyasodo, Chidinma, Monica Ogah, Ayoola, Olawale, Geoffrey Oji, Jeff Akoh, and Okiemute Ighorodje. Iyanya has been a resounding success in Nigeria and just got appointed Senior Special Assistant Tourism and Entertainment by Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade.
We can’t wait to have these shows back on our Nigerian screen.
