One of the brilliant hands on Ibadan radio, Olushina Olabode, well known as “Omoyashina” in an interview with PRIMUS MEDIA CITY explained one of his recent discoveries so far as a radio/TV presenter. According to him, “most of these Radio owners like to use presenters for their selfish interests, and don’t care about our future.”
Sir, could you please introduce yourself and tell us about your childhood days and educational background?
My name is OLUSINA OLABODE popularly known as OMO IYA SINA, THE ARTICULATE.
I am a native of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state. I started schooling at HLA primary school, Aremo-Ojaigbo, and transferred to IDC primary school, Olunloyo, Akanran road Ibadan where I earned my Primary School Leaving Certificate, after which I proceeded to Olubadan High School, Adekile, Orita Aperin Ibadan. Afterward, I gained admission into Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) to study Mass Communication. When I launched my career as a broadcaster, I went for a (professional course at the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ) to study journalism. My late Dad was a Banker (I lost him in 1997), while my mum was a trader (gratefully, she’s still healthy).
How and when did you start your radio career, sir?
I came from a music background because my dad & mum love to sing. My dad was an instrumentalist playing drums and my mum is from the “Ayan” (Drummers’) family, so Music is inbuilt for me. After my Secondary school days, I started playing all sorts of drums for musicians. I joined one man, Evang Peter Ola Aremu’s Music Ministry. The man is a pastor who presides over a Church. He had a music studio where I worked as an instrumentalist at his studio, for his musical band, and I also played the instruments in his church, and he paid my salary. Several Presenters would come to do jingle production and program packaging at the studio and that’s how I got interested in the job. Although I have always loved radio presentations from the era of Toba Opaleye, whom I used to listen to and mimic whenever he’s presenting his program on air and that’s why my presentation is similar to his own. MR YEMI SONDE is my mentor because he presents like MR TOBA OPALEYE as he’s the one that trained MR YEMI SONDE and that’s why people say that my voice & presentation resembles that of MR YEMI SONDE. I have been practicing “Presentation” even before I met my boss who trained me to become a professional broadcaster and advised me to study Mass Communication as opposed to studying Music where I had to drop out; he’s Alhaji AbdulRasaq AbdulGaneey popularly known as (MR GRA).
How has been the radio journey so far?
It has been rough and tough, but glory be to God! When I started as a trainee, featuring in my boss’ program, presenting a segment program. I was living at Iwo Road; my boss was living at Oke-Ado and the station was at Oke Mapo (then BCOS RADIO 2). So, I would trek from my house to his house or meet him at the Radio station because since I lost my dad, nothing went well as some of our family members took over his property, and seeing the way things were, I had to leave the house so that I don’t get killed. I had to raise money for my upkeep from what I earned from playing Drums as an instrumentalist. So, from that to being a Freelance presenter, freelancing for various radio stations without being paid. It was not easy at all, but I kept on moving. Thank God for today, cos it has not been easy from the start.
You were a known voice on Space FM, how were you able to achieve that?
Yes, it’s not by my power o, but I can say it has been written by God, cos God used my talent to pave way for me at Space FM. When I was freelancing, I was called by Yinka Ayefele to come and be doing a program on his fresh FM online radio then, later he helped me to join his Merry Makers musical Band cos I’m an instrumentalist and he loved me so much because of my Talent; now, this was where the enmity sprung up within the other radio staffs and the band members, as they could not understand why I was doing two things for Ayefele, presenting and also playing in the band (Se Ohun Nikan Ni?!!!) So when this enmity started, I had to leave Music house to run for my dear life. During that period, Space FM was already doing training for their recruits. One of my friends, whom we worked together at Amuludun FM, Tunde Adedokun was part of the fresh staff at Space FM which he didn’t let me know. Innocently, I gave him one jingle job and called to tell him that I needed to see him, so he asked me to meet him at liberty road since he was at one training there. On that faithful day, I called to remind him that I will be coming, and he said no problem and that when I get to number 136, I should give him a call. I got there and dialed his number severally, but his number did not go through. I was worried and wondering what could have been the reason, why Tunde switched off his phone after I already told him I will be coming. I was furious with anger at a “random” entrance, not knowing the place was a radio station, then a security officer, (who must have noticed I was pacing around the entrance), came to me and said, “Sir, are you here to submit your application for the radio job? Ha! They’ve already recruited the staff they need o; in fact, they’ve started training the recruits”. I was shocked that someone who called himself my friend could hide something important, an opportunity, from me and I was bringing an opportunity to him (Hmm! Human beings tho!). So, I told the man that I came to see TUNDE ADEDOKUN, and that he asked me to come cos I wanted to give him something and that he knows I needed a job too and he didn’t tell me to apply for this job, so when the security man listened to my explanation, he was so amazed and developed an interest in my case. He asked me to wait for their GM that his guts tell him I will get a job there, so I waited, and not long after, their GM, Late Mr. DADA OGUNDELE arrived. The security man already told me that their GM is a tough person that I just must be patient with him. Immediately the man arrived, he asked the security man “What’s this man doing here, we are not recruiting anymore, so just go” and he just walked in while the security man helped him in. When he came outside, I mean the security man he asked me to wait a little bit, saying, that’s how Oga behaves, but that when he settles down, he would go and persuade him to listen to what I have to say, and the rest is left to me to know what I will tell him that will entice him. So, I mentally prepared myself, that since this is a new radio station, I am a voice-over artist and I usually do Sig. Tune and Station Ident for Radio stations, so I will use that to catch his attention. With the persuasion of the security man, the GM agreed to see me, and, when I got inside, he asked “they said you have something for us? And I said yes sir, I want to ask if I can package Station ident and some musicals for the station sir, (not knowing that the GM has been given money by the Chairman to package station ident and some talking drum proverbs for the station’s use), so immediately the man heard that he said, “Are you a musician ni, I thought WASIU (the security man) said you are a presenter?” I said, “Yes sir. I am a presenter, musician, and an instrumentalist and that was how the man developed interest in me and asked me to go and package some Station ident, Musical ident and do some Talking drum proverbs with Program Demo and bring it. So I quickly went to package everything (Including that popular station ident “O N SE LELE, O N KU RIRI, O BALE BAGE LATI GBAAYE YIPO, KALE KAJU, SPACE FM 90.1, AWA GAN- GAN LAGBA) and delivered it the next day with one of my hit program concepts, gave it to the GM, who listened to it, and loved it. He collected my phone number and told me he would get back to me. Unknown to me, the man had gone to present the production to the chairman, telling him he did it with the money the chairman gave him. So, I left but I collected the security man’s phone number and he collected mine too. Days after, I was not called by the GM as he promised, so I called the security man to ask and he said I should just come around that maybe if they see me they can remember to help me so I came around and I saw the GM. He told me that the Chairman was not around to listen to my production to give a verdict on it, but that when he does, I will be called. Contrary to his words, the security man had told me that the chairman was usually around and that he thinks he has listened to my production, and that maybe the GM was playing some nonsense game, so I left in anger, having heard that he was toying with my talent after he promised to help me. So as God will have it, I think the chairman asked him to package more station ident and particularly the talking drums proverbs as the one I did before had just 2 proverbs as sample cos that’s what I could afford with the money in my hand. So, the GM had to call me (his Mumu) to package more talking drum proverbs and bring them to him, after he had collected money from the chairman, he still wanted me to do it and bring it for free. Again! I was informed by the security man that the chairman had paid for all the jingles, station idents, musicals, talking drum proverbs he asked them to package, so I told the GM that I don’t have money to package it since I was staying at home and not working, which was why I came to them for a job initially so that I can be getting a salary. However, since they didn’t give me a job, I don’t have money to produce any more station ident or talking drum proverbs. The man didn’t want the secret to leak, and he knew if he was to get another talking drummer, it will cost him much more. He knew all I wanted was a job, he then said it’s no problem, that I will surely get a job with them, even if it’s a temporary one, to be doing a program alone. So he said I should borrow money to package those proverbs and bring it, and that he will give me money when I bring it. I said OK but I didn’t do it. A few days later, when he didn’t see me bring it, he began to disturb me with calls and I decided to ignore his calls. I eventually picked up his call after stalling for a while and he started begging me to do the production and bring it, that the chairman wants it and that he would pay me. So, I went to package more talking drum proverbs and took them to him at the station, he collected them from me and said I should go and sit at the reception that he will listen to them. Firstly, I was wondering that why he asked me to leave his office to sit at the reception cos we normally listened to it together in his office. Unknown to me, the chairman was around and the GM didn’t want him to see me as the producer of the production so that he can give me a stipend for the job. But as God will have it, as he was listening to the proverbs & the station ident, the chairman was already coming down from his office to the GM’s office when he stumbled on that station ident and I heard him saying “Waoooo, this is lovely! I love this! (Cos the chairman is a lousy person) and he asked “Who did this? That time the station ident that was playing now shift to where it played proverbs and he asked “Is it the same person that did the ident that did the proverbs too?” and I heard the GM saying, “Yes sir, the guy is a presenter and he’s at the reception sir” Immediately, the chairman said “Call him for me, let me see him” and when I was called in the chairman asked “Are you Ayan ni and are you the one that did the ident too and can u present a program or read the news? And I said yes sir I can do all, I came from Ayan family, and I play all sorts of drums sir. The chairman said, “GM, this is the kind of staff I need, we must employ this guy, employ him and pay him for all this production and get me the receipt and he left.That was how I became a staff member of space FM o! It’s a long story cos I faced so many difficulties after that from the GM, his management members, and even the staff I met including my so-called friend, TUNDE ADEDOKUN. They all saw me as a threat, cos the chairman loved me so much cos of my talent and I can boldly say that ” I designed and presented 70% of space FM program content that gave them names, which makes them popular and reckoned with as a Radio station in the city of Ibadan and that’s why I was one of the popular voices on Space FM then!
Why the sudden exit?
I had to leave when I discovered they were just using me for their selfish gain and they don’t appreciate all my efforts in that station, the worst is they are even owing me salaries.
What has been your greatest challenge(s) and achievement(s) so far?
My greatest challenge is that I discovered that most of these Radio owners like to use presenters for their selfish interests, and don’t care about our future. This has been the challenge I have been facing, cos I love to serve, and they always take my love to serve for granted. Glory be to God cos I’ve achieved so much in this line, and I am still hoping for more. I have my own Media Brand, I have a name to reckon with, I’ve trained several aspiring broadcasters and they are doing well now. I am still alive to do more (Iyen t’ope)
How about Ibile9ja concept sir?
Ibile9ja concept has been my concept since my inception, but I started it fully after I left Space FM to start my brand fully which is “WEALTHCOME MEDIA LTD” fully registered under the CAC in Nigeria and Ibile9ja is one of the subsidiaries to it. It is my online Radio & TV Name which I am still running till this present moment and hoping to become terrestrial soon, by the grace of God.
What was the notion behind the rokeke class on radio?
Hmmm! ROKEKE Is one of my program contents/concepts that pronounce my name the more! I started the program around 2007/2008 at Amuludun 99.1 FM when I was still a freelance presenter but then, I named it “KAKAKI”. After that, I took it to BCOS RADIO 2 now OLUYOLE 98.5 FM as O’LETIKE, Later to RADIO OYO as ARIYA, to UNIQ FM 103.1 Ilesha as O’UNIQUE cos they all like the content/concept of the program and when I got to Space FM in 2014 and I explained the content/concept of the program to our chairman, we named it ROKEKE. I later changed it to ROKEKE CLASS OF EDUTAINMENT program, cos my audience always testified that they learn, gain, and achieve so many things through the program. They even said it feels like they are in class learning whenever they listened to the program, cos they always learn on the program and one of the segments of the program is “Eebo’bu(Bad English)” which I am using to make my skits now cos I’m also a skit maker.
What next after radio, if at all you drop it, sir?
Haaaa! I can’t drop radio o! Broadcast media is my number one priority o! And, after that is Music, Entertainment sha! I love anything entertainment and that’s my BEST INTEREST and that’s why I titled my first Musical album “MY BEST INTEREST” cos that’s what I know how to do best. I’ll like to have my terrestrial Radio & TV with the Largest Musical Studio in the world cos I love Music, God’s willing.
Lastly, your advice to the upcoming OAP and already practicing OAP?
I’ll like to advise my colleagues in the industry whether practicing or upcoming because we’ll become colleagues on a good day, to always be themselves, don’t copy others, cos now there are lots of presenters doing my CLASS program. Though I am happy about it o, because people can only copy what’s good, that means the concepts have been accepted by all. They should be hardworking, prayerful, and grateful, with time everything will be OK!