By Charles Okogene
The return of Gulder Ultimate Search (GUS) after years of hiatus, has given the teeming supporters of other entertainment programmes like Starmegajam, Startrek, Starquest, Ambo among others that the cherished programmes will soon make a come back.
Their hopes and expectations may be right but the negative feedbacks, cold shoulders television viewers are giving GUS may not hasten their return.
Unlike Big Brother Nigeria that hit the ground running when it made a come back after it was rested, recording large viewership and sponsorship support even in the pandemic year, such is not the case with GUS, which many Nigerians said is better in content and conceptualisation than BBN. With this feedback, some TV content producers are of the opinion that those who make things happen at Abebe Village HQ of Nigerian Breweries, sponsors of the aforementioned programmes including GUS, may not be in a hurry to put their money into those programmes again.
Though, they all agreed that all the entertainment programmes that the company started in the days of Eze Festus Odimegwu, the first class chemist ex-manageing director of the company, Tony Agemomen were ‘Da bomb’ that took the company’s various alcoholic brands to ultimate heightd, they were also in agreement that things are no longer the same for the brands.
Megajam, for instance brought A- list musicians from America and elsewhere to jam with their Nigeria counterpart yearly. It was so popular and huge a concert that travelled to almost all state capitals in southern Nigeria that Nigerians looked forward to it, as to which artiste will be featured and which state capitals will be the host. It will also be recalled that it was one of the Megajam programme that brought out the activist in Eedris Abdulkareem (if you like call it the ‘beast,’ in him like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti would say)
However, all that ended the moment Odimegwu was eased out of the company no thanks to President Olusegun Obasanjo’s rumoured third term bid.
So much for Starmegajam, what of Starquest that gave the music word KC Presh? It went into history page too. It was a TV show that usually ended with a live performance by the finalist at Ken-Caleb Olumese’s NightShift Coliseum.
Then came Ambo designed to produce Nigeria’s next Nollywood star and it did in the person of OC Ukeje and a film titled Sitanda. Today, Ambo is no more. Gone like candle in the wind.
There was Maltina Dance All, a family TV dance programme that hadi ts own share of television viewship and helped to market the non alcoholic drink . It was also stopped like others after producing many winners.
Today, Nigeria that was then bubbling with so many entertainment programmes is left with non; thus making the youths idle and turning them into devil’s workshop.
