The highlights of his stay in the academy were his
flawless rendition of Asa’s ‘Beautiful’ and collaboration with Tiwa Savage. He
swiftly wormed his way into the hearts of millions of students and the teeming
West African audience who daily took to the social media like Twitter and
Facebook, to register their admiration for him. Even across the globe, during
the finalists’ interaction with the audience on google+, parents and kids still
heaped praises on the young man.
According to friends,
Olawale’s musical talent set him apart in school, among his family and Church.
Tunde Charles, his hostel mate, in school, revealed that Wale sings almost all
the time, either while washing his clothes or walking on the road. He further
explained that it was this deep inclination for music that made some of his
friends to encourage him to go for the audition held early this year, in
Ilorin. After failing to impress the judges at that location, he moved down to
the Ibadan centre where, this time, he found favour with the judges.
Meanwhile,
his father, Mr. Jacob Ojo was full of thanksgiving. Having tried, repeatedly,
to discourage Olawale from taking to music, he was grateful that the diminutive
Olawale followed his heart and chose a life path that his talent has charted
for him.
On his part,
the MTN Project Fame winner was short of words. He admitted that though none of
his family members had ever chosen music as a career, he always ‘believed that
with hardwork and dedication, I will make it’.
However, he attributed
his victory to MTN’s continuous support for young, talented West Africans. He
puts it this way: ‘without MTN I couldn’t have come closer to my dream, I just
want to thank the company for giving me and the other contestants the opportunity
to get this life-time opportunity, especially the music classes, in the
academy. He added, ‘aside from the prize money, every lesson I and my
colleagues have learnt in the academy is something that will help us make the
best of our potential and announce us to the world as true superstars’.
Olawale Ojo
won the reality show’s first prize of 5 million naira, a fully-loaded Toyota
SUV and a mouth-watering recording contract that is worth millions of naira. The
second prize went to Immaculate Patience, also a talented singer, who made the
academy lively with her amazing personality. She won 2 million naira and a car
while Margaret Cephas, nick-named ‘the Liberian diva’, for her various
audacious performances, in the academy, won 2.5 million naira and a car, as
well.
The trio of
Omolayo, Niniola and Rowland, who made up the six finalists, also took home
rewarded with prize money, ranging between 2 million and five hundred thousand
naira.
To the Chief
Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Larry Annetts, ‘the MTN Project Fame West
Africa is a platform designed to help the youths in the sub-region maximise
their musical talent and become worthy ambassadors of their families and
countries’. He continued, ‘because MTN believes in supporting peoples’ dreams and
providing a platform where their passion can flourish, the company,
consistently, works towards meeting their desires for a better life’.
Interestingly,
this year’s edition of the musical reality show has set the standard for
talent-discovery and grooming, in West Africa. By homing in on character-building,
impactful musical classes and lessons from proven professionals in the fields,
besides providing a most entertaining content, for its TV audience, the show
remains one to be emulated by others.
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