Dede Mabiaku on his experience as Nigerian Idol judge

Afro Beat icon and Nigerian Idol season 5 Judge, Dede Mabiaku has described the just concluded auditions of the on-going Nigerian Idol season five reality music show as a significant improvement on the immediate past edition won by Evelle.

The renowned musician made this note recently while reviewing the month-long nationwide exercise hosted in five Nigerian cities including Benin City, Abuja, Ibadan, Lagos and Port Harcourt.

“It has been credible. It has been lovely. It has been an improvement on season 4. It has been amazing because when you get a good feeling from something then there is joy in doing it,” stated Dede who is a judge on the show alongside the duo of Dare ‘art’ Alade and Yinka Davies.

Dede is popular on the show for his liking for originality, Nigerian culture and candid views on contestants’ talents and performances. Interestingly, he appeared not to have forgotten these qualities as he occasionally took on some of the contestants on their performances, occasionally creating suspense.

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“These children were sent to us, in my point of view,” began Dede. Continuing, “They have come in here saying they want to become Nigerian Idol.  My own thinking is that they should be better people for the fact that they have met me. So, I will rather help them, but if it is impossible to help any person, I hack.”

It would be recalled that Nigerian Idol franchise owners, Optima Media Group (OMG) recently concluded the nationwide auditions for the season five of the leading TV music reality show.

The auditions were held in five designated Nigerian cities between January 10 and February 9 under the supervision of the celebrity judges alongside Show Presenter and AOP, Illrhymz.

The auditions presented windows of opportunities for first-hand assessment of the thousands of youths with music talents who had thronged the respective venues to compete for places in the next phase of the competition.

Nigerian Idol is in its fifth season after a successful debut in 2010 won by Yeka Onka. In the following years which saw the emergence of Mercy Chinwo, Moses Adigwe and Zebili Evelyn (Evelle), it has grown in popularity and followership on the basis of the unique platforms it offers to young Nigerians with exceptional music talent. It is the only music TV reality show in Nigeria with a global appeal that currently cuts across 46 countries.

Nigerian Idol focuses on discovering Nigerian youths with talent in music and giving them a unique platform to take shots at stardom. The eventual winner goes home with N7.5 million cash reward, a brand new car, a recording deal worth N7.5 million and some high-end devices.

Nigerian Idol season five is sponsored by leading telecommunications operator, Etisalat, Dabur toothpaste and E-Commerce platform, Payporte and will feature such enthralling performances which were the hallmarks of past winners among whom are Yeka Onka, Mercy Chinwo, Moses Adigwe and Zibili Evelyn who goes by the stage name Evelle.

Funke Osae-Brown