 |
| Zika |
Ngozika Eziagulu,
famously known as Zika is unarguably one of the hottest female voices on radio
in the country today.
Her
distinct and sexy voice has been hugely admired by listeners and viewers on
both radio and TV stations like OGTV, Star FM, Cool FM and of very
recent, Rainbow FM, where she reigned and ruled for almost two years.
The lively and pretty On-Air-Personality finally moved
to iGroove Radio, an Internet powered station, where she currently presents and
produces the bi weekly celebrity programme, Just Jisting With Zika.
In this chat monitored by SHOWBIZPLUSng, the Anambra State-born talk show hostess, broadcaster and voice-over artist tells us the reasons
she cannot quit radio, why she’s still single, challenges on the job and many
more.
Tell us about
yourself
Nothing much, I’m Ngozika
Eziagulu but my abbreviated name, which has taken over my real name, is Zika.
I’m from Anambra State. I’m a daughter, broadcaster and on-air-personality.
How did you find yourself in broadcasting?
(Smiles) My love
and passion for broadcasting lured me into the profession in 2000. However, I
started toying with the idea while still in school. I used to be in a drama
group in the church and at some point really wanted to know the career path
that would be best for me. So I went for counseling in our church and was
advised to go for broadcasting. Sincerely, my first audition in OGTV was
a disaster. I was asked to pronounce some Yoruba names and I messed everything
up. I felt bad and told myself that there’s no way I was going to be a
broadcaster. I felt so terrible. I tried again the second time and did much better.
That was how I started (Laughs).
I must confess, it
was fun and challenging then because I was studying Mass Communications and
working with OGTV. It was a tough combination that I really enjoyed. I was
trained by Victor Olaifa, who was the Head of Programmes at OGTV then. He later
became the Special Adviser to the Governor of Ogun State. We were made to write
all sorts of things, most of them very boring. At some point, I got tired with
the whole thing and just wanted to go on radio and do my own thing. That was
how I started my romance with broadcasting. Later, a friend introduced me to voice-over and told me I could make money from it as well since I could read and
speak very well. After graduating I came to Lagos and went to the Surulere
office of Association of Voice Over Artists of Nigeria (AVOAN). I met a couple
of nice guys there, including Femi Sowoolu who was the Head of Programmess then
at Rhythm FM. I told Mr. Sowoolu that I was a radio presenter at OGTV but now
in Lagos in search of a job. I asked him if I could get a job with Rhythm and
he said a big no like I was not good enough for them.
He later advised
that I should start first from somewhere and luckily for me, I eventually
landed a job with Star FM and that began my romance with Lagos radios.
Did you ever
work with Rhythm FM?
(Smiles again)
No, I never worked with Rhythm FM; I just have lots of friends there. I
actually did something for Silverbird but not as a staff. I was one of the
models in a competition they organized between 2003 and 2004. Although, I
didn’t win, but it was a good experience for me. Besides, I used to model
before but not on a regular basis.
After leaving Star
FM, I joined Cool FM and worked with them for a while and co-hosted the Morning
Show with Mannie. I later left Cool FM to kick start and nurture my own TV show,
‘It’s Our Wedding’, which aired on Galaxy Television amid rave reviews, while
it lasted.
The programme was
specially and specifically designed to allow those getting married feel like
celebrities and super stars on their wedding day.
The reason is
this, since people always like inviting and having celebrities at their own weddings,
I also thought it would be nice, lovely and even memorable for couples getting
married to feel and act like celebrities on their special days. I wanted to
have ordinary men and women feel like celebrities on their own wedding days. We
didn’t quite finish the second season because of paucity of funds. It was a
very good initiative that I sincerely tried to sustain on air, but painfully
and sadly, we couldn’t find sponsors. (Mood changes)
After that sad
episode, I joined Rainbow FM and co hosted the Morning Show with Wellington and
Elama. We talked politics, governance, state of the nation and other contemporary
issues within and outside our shores.
As a
broadcaster, sometimes you have to do stuffs that you don’t really like, but it’s
all part of the versatility on the job. I’m a social butterfly but as a
broadcaster you have to be able to do everything from fashion to music to
politics etc. I did the Morning Show for a while and it was really challenging
because talking politics was pretty difficult for me. You are not expected to
smile or giggle too much. Amazingly, my part of the Morning Show was a bit soft
(Laughs). After my stint with Rainbow FM, I came to iGroove Radio. At iGroove Radio
I have been given the opportunity to do what I’m passionate about. The
good thing is that Tintin (the owner of iGroove Radio) allows people who work
for him to take charge and it has been wonderful working with him and the rest
of the team here.
Where did you
grow up?
(Laughs) I grew up
in Lagos with my parents and siblings. My father is a music lover and he listens
to all kinds of music. In fact, at some point I got tired listening to Fela’s
songs in our home courtesy of my dad.
Aside my dad’s choice
of music, I also listened to all kinds of music while with him. Looking back
now, I think that has helped me a lot in the entertainment industry because
sometimes you tend to like some strange kind of sound and people find it hard
to compliment your age and your taste in music. I went to a missionary school,
where I also learnt all kinds of ancient hymns and all that. God prepared my life
to be who I am today. I had my OND at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic in Abeokuta,
Ogun State and later obtained my HND at Yaba Tech, Lagos.
Interestingly, I
combined work with school while at Yaba Tech too.
I had my primary school
education in Anthony Village, Lagos, while my secondary school education was in
the East. I’m a very proud daughter of Aguleri, in Anambra State, the current
governor of our state, Chief Willie Obaino hails from my town.
What really
drove you into broadcasting?
(Adjusts sitting
position) Sincerely speaking, I never wanted to go into broadcasting; I never
even thought about it. There was a time in my life I actually wanted to be a
caterer, after a while I wanted to be a lawyer.
In the past, I also
toyed with the idea of being an actress. That’s why I always say that you
should always have people around you who can advise and guide you, people in
church actually did that for me.
What does it take
to be a good broadcaster?
(Smiles again) With my experience over the
years, I will say that it takes a whole lot
to be a damn good broadcaster.
Being a good
broadcaster goes beyond talking alone.
A good broadcaster
must and should know what to say on air always. You shouldn’t only know how to
ask questions, you must equally know how and when to ask the right questions
while carrying out your duties as a trained broadcaster.
You should also
know that you can be bullied on radio therefore, you must be mindful and
conscious of that.
As a good
broadcaster you should also know how to talk to your callers and what it takes
to keep your listeners engaged. You need to love music, love entertainment and
know a bit about any topic other than your core area of competence. You need to
know how to use your voice. Again, you need to know your music and the right time
to play them. It is not just about accent, if it is about accent you will definitely
bore life out of your audience. You need to be creative in order to keep your
listeners continually engaged.
Personally I
think today’s broadcasters are all about foreign accents, is that a good trend?
A lot of veterans
listen to radios today and nod their heads in sadness. Broadcasting is not about
the accent. We have lots of people today in broadcasting who do this job very
well without fake accents. I think it is also the fault of those at the helm of
affairs. There are some people you work with and get easily frustrated because
they don’t understand what it takes to be a good broadcaster. They just think
it’s all about talking. Back in the days, it was a professional job, the people
at the helm of affairs knew how to hire people but now you have people who just
employ people just because of their accents. We need to have more professionals
in the industry. These days, presenters make a lot of money
unlike in the past that all they had was just admirers and nothing else. Now
they make money from hosting events and other incentives and that’s a good
thing. The new generation has been able to use their passion to get money.
You meet a lot
of celebrities as a broadcaster, have you ever developed a crush on any of
them?
(Laughs heartily) No,
I have never crushed on any celebrity. I think it has to do with the way I was
brought up. I don’t get crazy about people like that. Because as a broadcaster
myself I have come to understand that it is just a matter of time. When I first
joined radio I got lots of “I love your voice” compliments, but refused to be
carried away. But a time came when such compliments reduced. So I see
celebrities like that too. How many will I have to start crushing on? A big celebrity
today might not be big tomorrow, so I don’t see the need in crushing on any
celeb.
How do
you cope with the attentions you get as a pretty presenter?
(Giggles) Anybody
can get attention. Even the ugliest girls around get attentions too, so I don’t
see that as a big deal. It is all about keeping a cool head and remaining
focused on the job.
Have you ever
had an extreme case of an admirer trying to get your attention?
Sure. That happens
always. There was a particular guy who said he wanted my number because we are
from the same village and I gave it to him. The guy kept calling and calling until
I got fed up with him. When I tried confronting him to stop disturbing me with
his calls, he got so emotional. He created a scene and I was surprised. He did
that for like three months and I was forced to get on radio to tell people to
warn him to stop calling me.
Are you
married?
(Laughs louder)
I’m not married yet.
What kind of
man do you want?
Just a nice
guy, a humble and nice guy will be fine with me.
What are you working on currently?
I’m thinking of
doing some TV shows and a little bit of acting.
STEVE DEDE/SE
No comments:
Post a Comment