23 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2011
Vol 3 No. 147
Star Game Show: ‘A bundle of excitement’ After seven weeks of excitement for its participants and audience which saw to the emergence of 21 millionaires, the Star TV Game Show by Nigerian Breweries has come to an end. WALE ALABI, who attended the events, reports.
•From left: Olalekan K Ismail, winner of N1 million; Herbert Eze, Sales Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc; Gbenga Adeyinka, Show Host, Nwachukwu O. John, another winner of N1 million, Jacco van der Linden, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries and Prince J. Ubani, another winner of N1 million, at the final edition of the Star TV Game Show, at the LTV 8 studios, Ikeja, Lagos
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ITH just a minute to go and N3 million for grabs, this may well be the most crucial moment in Nwachukwu John Okechukwu’s life. The 25year-old indigene of Imo State, who should be in Taraba State, for his National Youth Service (NYSC) programme was in Lagos, for the Star TV Game Show. The game is down to the wire. A razor sharp tension permeates the ambience. The fate of Okechukwu’s team lies in his hands. Should they win, they will walk away with N1 million each. But the odds are against them even as they are trailed by 10 points. The game is the Star Dunk, an adaptation from the basketball game. Okechukwu takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, opens them again and aims for the rim. The rest is history. Okechukwu, along with the other members of the team, Prince Joshua Ubani and Olalekan Kazim Ismail, walked away with N1 million each in the final edition of the Star TV Game Show. The excitement tore through the live audience as they joined the three winners in frenzied celebrations. ‘’Welcome to the millionaires club,’’ Gbenga Adeyinka, ace comedian and anchor of the Star TV Game Show, says to the three men. As Okechukwu wipes the sweat from his brow, a voice rings out from the audience, ‘’wipe that poverty away from your face.’’ Laughter. Indeed, it was a fitting end to one of the nation’s most popular and longest running game show on TV, the Star TV Game Show. In all, 21 millionaires emerged. They include bankers, farmers and businessmen in the seven-week game show. Students were not left out as six of them became millionaires courtesy of the show. For most of the winners, it was a life-changing experience. Emmanuel Ewo, an Enugu-based poultry farmer, who won N1 million in the sixth edition, could hardly believe his luck after he was announced as one of the three winners. ‘My life has changed with this money. I am
going to invest it in my poultry. Business has been poor over the last few years, but I thank God that things are about to turn around for me for the better,’’ he said. ‘’Oluyole Oluwase, an Ibadan-based supermarket attendant, who also won N1 million in the third edition, said in the same vein: ‘’This money is coming at the right moment. I have been going through serious financial difficulties, so this money will really help me.’’ Okechukwu, who is due to complete his one year National Youth Service Corps early next year, is already assured of the future after service courtesy of his prize money. ‘’I can’t wait to leave service. This money will be useful to me when I complete my service. I am going to set up a business with it,’’ he said. Mark Alabi, a 300-level student of the University of Lagos, says a significant portion of the money will go into his education. “Now I am confident that I will finish my final exams without any financial hitch.’’ For the winners, life will never be the same after the show. However, the Star TV Game Show is not only about doling out money to winners. It also generates ample fun and excitement not only for the participants in the game, but also the live audience. Much of this is owed to the show anchor, Adeyinka. His ability to connect with the audience and the participants certainly gives the Star TV Game an edge over others. With his humour and witty refrains, there is hardly a dull moment. The humour merchant, it was, that coined sev-
eral hilarious phases to depict points won during every game. While Etwetwe means five points, Igbagba is for 10 points while Ofilingi is for 20 points. As ridiculous as they may sound, it became a hit with the audience and participants of the show. As for the show audience and participants, selected from bars in cities across the country, the experience goes beyond winning the prize money. All the participants brought to Lagos were lodged in the posh Mainland hotels for a night before they were taken to the show. Joseph Adikpo, a Kaduna-based teacher, attended the show. He said: “I haven’t been to Lagos before. This is a wonderful experience. I am so happy that Nigerian Breweries brought me all the way fom Kaduna to Lagos for the Show.’’ Henry Olalekan is a retiree based in Jos, Plateau State. He talks about his experience. “It has been a wonderful experience for me. It feels like a holiday for me because I have always craved for a trip to Lagos.’’Jude Nwehu, who is a businessman also based in Jos is happy with the relief that the trip to Lagos. ‘’I am just glad to be here. There are so much killings and bombings in Jos where I stay. So, I am thankful for this opportunity to be away from the violence,’’ he said. Francis Omamogie, a graduate of Auchi Polytechnic, he can’t help but recollect his very first flight experience. “Ýou won’t believe that before coming for this event, I had never boarded a plane. The Star TV Game Show
‘The final episode was an explosion of excitement. It is a summary of this year’s game show and you can see that everyone present, from the participants to the audience had great fun’
gave me the first opportunity. In addition to the experience, the audience had the opportunity of meeting top entertainers during the event. A host of stars, including Paul Play Dairo, Sound Sultan, Naeto C and M.I were present to present the cheques to the winners. Though this year’s edition may have ended, next year promises to be bigger and better, according to Jacco van der Linden, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc., makers of Star. Linden said during a chat with journalists after the show that the company’s key objective towards next year’s edition is to make it bigger and more professional. While expressing approval of this year’s edition of the show, he described the final edition as ‘’an excitement’. ‘’The final episode was an explosion of excitement. It is a summary of this year’s game show and you can see that everyone present, from the participants to the audience had great fun,’’ he said. Speaking on the rationale behind creating the Star TV Game Show, Linden said the Star TV Game Show was created to reward loyal consumers, who have made Star the number one lager beer in the country. ‘’Star is by far the best selling beer in Nigeria, which means we have a lot more loyal Star consumers than any other brand. And if you really are serious in rewarding loyal consumers, you must try to evolve creative ways of appreciating them. That was why we came up with the TV show,’’ he explained. Right from its debut on June 2, 1949, Star has been positioned as a winning brand. Its long standing bonding with consumers is enmeshed in the theme of enjoyment and sparkle of life. As the first beer in Nigeria, Star enjoyed a national brand familiarity for its constant advertising policy. Its availability meant that it was one of the most easily recognised consumer products in Nigeria.