Encomium
+ Speak about their girlfriends
AFTER months of hard work and commitment, Robots for Christ, a dance group emerged winners of Africa’s No. 1 talent hunt show, Nigeria’s Got Talent. The two-man dance group (Etinosa Ewere and Efe Nosa) from Benson Idahosa University beat nine of the brightest and most unique acts in Nigeria in the race for the star prize of N10 million.
On Tuesday, February 11, 2014, Etinosa and Efe revealed their greatest lessons to ENCOMIUM Weekly, and the roles their mothers, girlfriends and Academy played in their quest to become the biggest talents in Africa…
Tell us more about yourselves.
ETINOSA: My name is Etinosa Ewere, I am from Benin City, Edo State. I am a student of Benson Idahosa University, 200 level, Computer Science Education. I am 19 years old.
EFE: My name is Efe Nosa, I am also from Benin City, Edo State. I am a student of Benson Idahosa University, 200 level and I am 20 years old.
How was growing up?
EFE: I can’t talk about that now, because it’s a long story.
ETINOSA: It was fun, yeah, real fun.
What were you doing before you met?
EFE: We were both students, but later realized we are good dancers. So, we joined the Marie Dance Academy and here we are today.
Why did you decide participating at the Nigeria’s Got Talent hunt?
EFE: First, I was planning to come alone, but later met Etinosa at school. I discovered he was also as good as myself, then I spoke to him about the competition and he agreed. We joined Marie Dance Academy which really motivated us to go into the competition.
How did you enroll for the competition?
ETINOSA: We enrolled online through the Facebook social media, then when we got to the audition in Benin City, we also enrolled there.
Did you see yourselves winning?
EFE: Yeah, we did. When we got to the audition centre in Benin, we had a strong confidence that we were going to win because our style was very different from all the other competitors. Though we were not all dancers, our style of dancing was very unique. When we got to the quarter final, the competition became harder with a lot of good dancers, musicians and instrumentalists. We became scared and had some doubts, but we thank God, here we are now.
How was the experience in the house?
ETINOSA: It was fun, especially with energy filled people around you. We had David, Elevator, Daniel John Azuka and the rest of them. It was really fun, we fought like a family. We really miss them so much.
What was your most memorable experience?
EFE: It was when we qualified for the final. It really made us happy because we had ebullient competitors in the semi-final but we thank God we fought through.
How do you plan to spend your winning prize?
ETINOSA: We would like to keep that private.
What are your plans?
EFE: We will keep practicing to remain fit and be on top of our game. We will never deviate from dancing. We also want to help up and coming dancers.
How are your parents supporting your career?
ETINOSA: Ah! They’ve been supportive all the way, especially financially. They also support us with prayers, they did a lot of publicity for us while at NGT.
EFE: They have been very supportive. They campaigned and prayed for us. We just can’t but thank them.
Please, tell us more about the Marie Academy that discovered you?
EFE: Marie Dance Academy is the best dance academy and worthy of emulation.
ETINOSA: The academy is in Benin City. It is the best dance academy. The academy discovered Amarachi, the winner of NGT Season 1.
Are you in a relationship?
EFE: Yes, I am. The relationship is a year old. She is a 200 level student in Benson Idahosa University. She is very prayerful and she was supportive throughout the competition, all thanks to her.
ETINOSA: Yes, she is very nice, kind and lovable. The relationship is also a year old. Her parents have been supporting me a lot, thanks to them.
What are the lessons learnt in the course of the competition?
EFE: I learnt never to underestimate anyone, because we all have weaknesses and strengths. Always wait for God’s time, as it is always the best.
Finally, what will you attribute your success to?
ETINOSA: God, hard work and the ability to push towards your goal.
EFE: God, serious rehearsals and hard work.
-RASHEED ABUBAKAR and OREOLUWA BELLO
