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‘’I’ve been a grandmother since I was 46’- Funke Moore,  GM Radio Lagos/Eko FM at 52

MRS. Funke Moore, the General Manager of Radio Lagos and Eko FM turned 52 on Saturday, September 5, 2015.  The mother of two (she is also a grandmother of two) is a veteran in broadcasting.  She has been in broadcasting for three decades now.  A product of Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos State University and University of Lagos, where she bagged first and second degrees respectively.

Her appointment recently as the General Manager of Radio Lagos and Eko FM is seen by many people as the crowning of her hard work and diligence in broadcasting.

For this, she was one of the 10 journalists honoured by Nigeria Union of Journalists on Friday, September 4, 2015, at the Combo Hall, LTV 8, Lagos. 

Mrs. Moore spoke to us on her 52nd birthday and her dream to see Radio Lagos and Eko FM as the top two stations in Lagos and more…

How do you feel turning 52?

It’s alright.  I feel good.  I thank God that I am still here.  I thank God for life.  I thank Him for everything that He has done for me.

What is that thing that you are specifically grateful to God for turning 52?

For good health.  My children and grandchildren are in good health.  That is the most important thing in the world.  To be healthy and be alive.  For that, I thank God.

So, you are already a grandmother at 52?

Yes, I am. I have been a grandmother since I was 46.  So, it’s not a new story.

You are probably the youngest grandmother then?

No, I am not.  Some of my friends of the same age as me, had their grandchildren before me.  So, it’s not a big deal.

You probably got married early.

That is not a new story.  Yes, I did.

Was there any reason you got married very early?

Why do people get married?  They fall in love and get married.  Yes, I fell in love and got married and had children.

And your children are already having children?

We thank God.  That is my prayer for all my friends.  In our old age, our children’s children will surround our tables.  That is the promise of God for all of us.

At 52, are there things you can no longer do?

I am yet to discover that. I am still the same person that I was as a teenager.  Maybe now, I am more careful, more patient and wiser.  I think for this age, I am in a good place physically and mentally.

A lot of younger people will even envy me for some of the things I can do.  This is the third floor (her office), I run to climb the staircase and I don’t pant as some younger people would. I guess I am in a good place physically. I thank God for that.

You look younger than 52, what are the things you are doing to look like this?

Thank you for the compliments.  I take care of myself.  I exercise moderately and I watch what I eat.  I just do everything in moderation. I am an occasional drinker.  Maybe I take a glass of wine. I don’t smoke.

When would you say is the happiest moment of your 52 years of existence?

When I had my first child.  That certainly was one of the happiest moments of my life.  It was really a joyous occasion for me.

When would you say is the saddest moment?

It was when I lost my sister in January 2010.  She wasn’t sick.  She came from Badagry to visit her children in Lagos.  She was the only person that we share the same mom and dad.

So, you are the only one left now of your mother’s children?

No.  There is still another one but we do not share the same father.  But from my mom and dad, I am the only one left now.  She came to see me and said she was going to see her children.  She slept over there.  At 2 a.m, someone called me to say she was unresponsive.  She wasn’t talking.  That night, I took her to General Hospital, Ikeja.  Within 24 hours, she passed on.

At what age did she die?

49 years.  That was really sad for me.

How many children did she have before she died?

Four and they lost their father three years after their mom passed on.  So, they are my children now.  So, I have six children now.  One (of her sister’s children) of them recently graduated from UNILAG.  She had Second Class Upper.

Recently, you were appointed the General Manager of Radio Lagos/Eko FM.  How does it make you feel?

Very happy and I feel challenged.

Is it something you have been longing for?

Everybody longs for a higher post.  Don’t we all?  I have been in this profession for a very long time, about three decades now.  So, you will definitely want to rise as high as you can.  So, I am very happy that I got this appointment.  I thank the Lagos State government for giving me this opportunity, because it is really an opportunity to turn the station around for the better.

I feel challenged and I am going to put in my best to make the two stations forces to be reckoned with in the broadcast industry.  I am going to focus more on the grassroots because that is where people really are.  We will make sure they get first hand information about government activities and programmes.

We will also serve as a form of feedback to government, to let government know what peoples’ needs are.  We want to give a voice to the people.

A lot of people heard on television and wondered why you are appointed to GM Radio and not that of television?

Radio is even easier than television.  Television is audio/visual.  Radio is audio.  I have been in this profession for a very long time.  Radio Lagos and Lagos Television share the same premises.  So, over the years, I have done things with radio, I have done things with the television.  From time to time, people move from radio to television and from television to radio.  That has been the tradition over the years.  Most people in television station have worked in the radio and those in radio too have worked in the television before.  At a particular time, the two stations (radio and television) were under the same management.  Then, it was known as Lagos State Broadcasting Corporation (LSBC).  They had one general manager then.  It was in 1997, that they were separated and we had two managements.

What should we expect from you as the General Manager of Radio Lagos/Eko FM?

I can assure you of quality sound, quality content, good programming.  Arrangements are already in the pipeline to revamp this place.  The government is very much interested in radio and television services.  You are going to have two stations that will compete favourably with other stations in Lagos.

There are more than 33 FM stations in Lagos.  As I said, Radio Lagos and Eko FM will be forces to reckon with.  They will be the best stations in Lagos State, in terms of clarity and quality programming.

Radio Lagos is the station people listen to at the grassroots.  We broadcast in Yoruba, Egun and Awori.  A lot of people listen to us.  If you go to Epe, Badagry and all other towns in Lagos, it is Radio Lagos they listen to.

With Eko FM, we are targeting young people.  We have vibrant programmes and a crop of young on-air personalities (OAP).  We are going to get better in terms of our reach.  I will take Radio Lagos and Eko FM to an enviable height that people of Lagos will be so proud of.

At 52, you dress so well.

I don’t think dressing well has anything to do with age.  I don’t think so.  You dress anyway you like whether you are 60, 70 or 80.  Otunba Subomi Balogun dresses very well and he is 80. If you like dressing, you will dress well.  I don’t think I am dressing too young.  What I am wearing is appropriate.

So, what determines your dressing?

When I am coming to the office, I have to be formal except on Fridays, when I will put on a native dress.  Really, I just like to be presentable.  I don’t follow fashion. I just want to be comfortable and presentable at all times.

What is your favourite colour?

Pink and black.

Do you have any favourite accessory?

Not really.  Just anything that I can afford.  I wear beads, I wear costume jewelry and I wear a little bit of gold moderately, anything that I can afford.

Do you have favourite designer?

I don’t think so.  So, I buy anything that I like.  I don’t have a favourite, I buy anything that I am comfortable in.  It doesn’t have to carry a label.

–  TOLANI ABATTI

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