Lagos – 50 top contestants have finally made it to the semi- finals of the wave-making Nigeria’s Got Talent Show, sponsored by Airtel Nigeria.The Semi-finalists emerged after scaling through a post-audition assessment which proved to be a daunting task for celebrity judges Dan Foster, Kate Henshaw-Nuttal and Yibo Koko due to the array of talents on display.
Teenage sensations, Amarachi Uyanne, an 8 year old dancer; Raji Oluwayomi and Oluwatoke Salami, both 11 years old singers and Olayemi Pelumi, were among those whose performances and presentations at the auditions caught the fancy of the judges who unanimously moved them a step closer to stardom.
Other semi-finalists include John Uket, Deborah NkamiObeten, Violinist Godwin Uzowuru Ogechukwu, Musician Micheal Onyinye, Saxophonist Abel Tolulope Akinyelure, Drummer Girl, Blessing Christopher, Dancers Boniface Ukeme, Raphael Cherie, the Sistaz, Kelly Family Dance Crew, DNA and Red Code.
The story was however different for Felicia Frances (18), Collins Nneka, Anthony Alegwu, Supreme Dancers, DJ Nathaniel Oliver, Fuji Musician Saheed Adeleke, dancers Diadems of Liberty, Sarah Nsan Okpokam and the Ayanaganu Cultural Troupe,They were all scored below average on different grounds ranging from poor accent, originality, out-of-fashion performances to uninspiring and tasteless presentations,
Meanwhile, the 50 contestants who scaled the hurdle to the semi-final stage have expressed belief in their abilities while also admitting that they would all need more than luck to progress from this stage to the finals where each would stand a chance to win the coveted N10 million prize money.
Airtel’s Chief Marketing Officer, Olu Akanmu, believes that the stage is now set for the “real deal”, as the show enters the semi-final stage which signals the beginning of public vote for preferred acts.
“The progress of the contestants going forward will largely depend on what viewers across the country make out of their performances. They now know their fate does not only lie with the judges, but also with the viewing public, a reality that should naturally push them to dig deeper and raise their performances. This obviously promises a lot of excitement for Nigerians,” Akanmu added.
In a related development, five winners that emerged in the on-going Nigeria’s Got Talent SMS trivia campaign have been presented with their winnings.
They include consolation prize winners Yahaya Ayodeji from Ondo, Benjamin Emeonu
from Plateau, Habila Abu from Kaduna, Onitsha-based Onwuaso Raymond and Kaduna-born Umar Muaza, who won the weekly prize of one million naira.
