It is not often that one receives corporate goodwill out of the blues. And when that goodwill comes as a pleasant surprise in a special way, a house worth N50 million, then it is destiny borne into pleasantness. This has been the experience of the lucky winners in the MTN Surprise campaign that climaxed a few days ago.
Omotola Akinsola, the winner of the biggest surprise gift of a house worth N50 million in the campaign, is one of MTN subscribers whose life for a long time will be wrapped in sheer blessedness courtesy of MTN’s show of generosity in its Season of Surprises campaign.
Many MTN subscribers were amazed on November 1, 2014, as those who visited MTN service centres across the country were attended to by their music stars. Timaya, Sound Sultan, Davido and other artistes were surprisingly on hand to attend to MTN customers and give out freebies in the process, as Nigeria’s leading telecommunications and ICT company launched its Season of Surprises campaign.
MTN’s chief marketing officer, Olubayo Adekanmbi, had explained at the initial stage of the campaign that the strategic crux of the initiative was to encourage love, care and unity among Nigerians.
Following the November 1, 2014 launch were more pleasant surprises emanating from the stables of MTN. Free bus rides courtesy of MTN became the order of the day in some Nigerian cities. Some commuters in Lagos will not forget in a hurry how they boarded a BRT bus and discovered that they had not only boarded one of the free MTN buses but that ‘Surulere’ crooner, Dr SID, was the official bus conductor for the day. Expectedly, reports had it that the commuters had great fun during the surprise ride as Dr SID treated them to some of his hit tracks while giving out free recharge cards to the commuters, some of whom refused to alight at their destinations.
Students were not left out of the surprise package as the surprise fever hit various Nigerian campuses in the month of November. For Ugwu Joseph, a 300 level Mathematics student of the University of Lagos, Tuesday, November 11, 2014 is a day that he will live to remember for the rest of his life. Popular songstress, Tiwa Savage, stormed the university campus, paid him a surprise visit and handed him a surprise gift of an iPhone 6 in the process, while giving out several other freebies to many of the students who besieged her during the surprise visit. Scenarios such as the one described above were replicated in various Nigerian campuses, as Tiwa Savage reportedly paid another surprise visit to the Federal College of Education, Akoka, while ‘Limpopo’ crooner, KCee, was reported to have paid a surprise visit to the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, and the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, both in Imo State.
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The surprise fever also gripped Nigerian markets as MTN took its Surprise campaign to major markets all over the country. Nollywood stars took turns in the campaign as many actors and actresses were sighted at major markets around the country surprising traders. At the Ojuwoye Market in Mushin, Lagos, comic act Saka was on hand to surprise the market men and women with various freebies, while creating lot of fun and entertaining his teeming fans who abandoned their shops and stalls to be part of the fun. The story was not different at the popular Madalla Market in Niger State, Usele Market in Benin, and Yanlemu Market in Kano, among several others in the country where phones, recharge cards, T-shirts and other items were given to the traders.
More touching is the story of Adamu Danjuma, a cripple at the popular Falomo roundabout in Ikoyi, Lagos. With his rickety old wheelchair, Danjuma had continually hoped succour would someday come his way. Little did he know that a pleasant surprise was in the offing, courtesy of the MTN Season of Surprises. Reports had it that on the morning of Friday, November 7, some staff of MTN Nigeria, in a practical demonstration of the essence of the Season of Surprises, defied a heavy downpour to ensure that Danjuma received a brand new wheelchair as their surprise package for him. Expectedly, his joy knew no bounds as an obviously elated and surprised Danjuma thanked MTN for the show of love.
The biggest of the surprises were later to be unveiled recently through the “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” TV game show as MTN, in conjunction with Ultima Limited, held special episodes of the TV game show to surprise everyone. Tagged “Who Deserves To Be Surprised?”, the organisers had earlier called on Nigerians to nominate one person whom they felt deserved to be surprised during the yuletide. Such a person, they said, must have influenced or touched their lives in a positive manner.
For Omotola Akinsola, her nomination for the show was more than a surprise for her already as she never envisaged such an occurrence, most especially when her nomination was not from a relative of hers, but from a friend, Mayowa Daniel, whom she had met during the course of her job. She never knew that more pleasant surprises were in the offing as she made it to the hot seat, firstly, to play for the regular N10 million, and secondly, to take her chance at winning a house worth N50 million, courtesy of MTN Season of Surprises. Same goes for Iyabode Olasumbo Sodiya-Dawodu, who was nominated by her aged father, Pa David Omotayo Olomo. For Iyabode, she felt she was doing what any daughter out there should do for her aged parents, but Pa Olomo’s story about his daughter was compelling enough to fetch her a ticket to Frank Edoho’s hot seat.
Omotola Akinsola made it to the hot seat in the first episode and won the sum of N250,000, while Iyabode Olasumbo Sodiya-Dawodu tried her luck during the second episode and also won the sum of N250,000. With both contestants at par, show host Frank Edoho ushered viewers into another anxious moment as both Omotola and Iyabode were made to play the fastest finger game in order to determine who wins the star prize of a N50 million house.
Omotola’s joy knew no bounds as she was announced winner having emerged as the fastest of the duo to answer the N50 million question. In an emotion-laden voice, Omotola expressed her happiness as she thanked MTN for surprising her in such a wonderful way. “This surprise largesse is an encouragement for me to do more and to follow my passion to a point that will influence the youth, even at a global level,” she said. Not done yet, MTN had another surprise package for the runner-up, Iyabode, as show host Frank Edoho announced to the delight of the viewers a surprise gift of a brand new KIA car to be presented to her.
With the MTN Season of Surprises gradually reaching its crescendo, one must commend the telecommunications and ICT company for putting its money where its mouth is and for initiating a new culture of pleasant surprises among Nigerians. Kudos, MTN!
