”¦ As Lagos lights up for auditions
Enugu, Nigeria; November 1, 2011: As part of its commitment to continually encourage and empower Nigerian youths to achieve their dreams, leading telecommunications company, Etisalat Nigeria recently took the Nigerian Idol Season 2 train to the coal city of Enugu for the third auditioning of Nigeria`s most prestigious music talent hunt show.
Like in other venues where the auditions have taken place, the train was greeted by enthusiastic youths waiting to sing their hearts, and they turned up in their thousands at Universal Hotel, independence Layout, Enugu, venue of the three-day auditions designed to select contestants from the zone for the grand finale taking place in April 2012.
The youths, some of whom came with their guitars and other musical instruments got their chance to showcase their musical talents before trio of Jeffrey Daniels, Charly Boy and Yinka Davies, the judges for the Nigerian Idol Season 2. Buoyed by the current exploits of Yeka Onka, winner of first season of the show, the youths all exuded confidence at becoming the next big thing in the Nigerian music industry. And they believe thunder can indeed strike twice, as Yeka had been discovered from the same zone during Nigerian Idol Season I.
One of them, Asaku Luper, a third-year Business Management student of Benue State University, Makurdi believes he is talented enough to become the next Nigerian Idol and has every reason to be confident, having emerged as one of the winners of Etisalat Cliqfest`s Nigerian Idol pre-audition that saw winners going home with silver tickets qualifying them to take part in the competition proper. This experience, he believes, will come in handy during the competition, and thanked Etisalat Nigeria for giving him the opportunity, to realize his dreams of becoming a music star.
Speaking on the successes of this season`s auditions so far, Etisalat Nigeria`s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Wael Ammar said the company is proud to be associated with Nigerian Idol as it creates a platform for the youths to express themselves in song and take their dreams to the next level.
“We are a youthful brand and as such are passionate about the youth. Idol, as a global brand, is the biggest entertainment platform in the world. We are therefore associating with the idol franchise to bring the best of entertainment to our customers and viewers at home,” Ammar said. He disclosed that as lead sponsor of Nigerian Idols, Etisalat will be giving away premium prizes not just to the winner, but also to the runners-up and others in the top 10 positions.
The winner of this year’s competition, smiles away with $100,000 in cash, a recording contract, and gifts including a brand new SUV, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry, and an iPod. The first runner up gets N1.5 million, a Galaxy Tab, Blackberry and iPod; and the 2nd runner up will receive N1million, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry and an iPod. Finalists from 4th to 10th place also receive each, N100, 000, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry and an iPod.
Meanwhile, preparations are in top gear for the next audition scheduled to hold in Nigeria`s entertainment capital, Lagos this weekend at the Dream Studios in Omole, Ikeja.
The show will begin airing December 4, until the winner is announced at a grand gala in April, 2012.
