Battabox
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Battabox
Wheelchair to Wazobia: When Everyone Said No
Baba Kay shares his inspiring journey into radio broadcasting, revealing how persistence and unexpected connections helped him overcome numerous rejections to fulfill his dream of becoming a Pidgin English broadcaster at Wazobia FM.
• Battling skepticism when applying to study Theater Arts due to his physical disability
• Completing his degree despite being told it would be impossible
• Struggling to find consistent work in Nollywood despite appearing in "I Need To Know"
• Sending his CV to Wazobia FM continuously for seven years without response
• Finally getting his breakthrough through unexpected connections with Egos and Nedu
• Succeeding in an impromptu interview by translating English news to Pidgin on the spot
• Recognizing the pattern of connections that led to his dream job
Never give up on your dreams. All your dreams are valid. Follow us on all our social media platforms and stream every episode on all streaming platforms. Remember, that matter does not matter until it begins to matter.
Thanks for listening... visit our website at https://www.battabox.com
Turn it up. I told you nah-ah, ah, please. No, you are worse than me. I know that you ain't saying this, but you ain't saying this. Alright, welcome to another episode of the Battlebox Podcast and of course, I'm your host, baba K. How are you doing? I trust you're. Are you doing? I trust you're doing well. I trust you're doing good.
Speaker 1:Um, I'm sure you've been able to follow the last two episodes of the podcast, where I did share my journey as a physically challenged man, from my young days till this very moment. But today I'm still going to be sharing more story about myself, because my life is a story. Um, you know, I want to share my story of how I got into radio broadcasting and before I became a podcaster. Now, um, I got into radio broadcasting the year I finished at university, you know. After you know, I studied tfa art in delta state university, abracadabra, which was a very, very funny situation. I remember, uh, when I went for screening in delta state as a hundred level student. Of course, you know that once you uh, skill through, jump and that's after your call of mark. You met the call of mark. You go to the school and you have to do proper screening, the screening, that's going through your credentials, uh, to see if you truly, truly qualify to get into school, that university or the department for the course of your choice. So I got to delta state university on the day they were doing the screening. Um, the queue was long, very, very long, and so I held my file with all my SSC certificate, my jam quarter mark, sleep, and as it got to my turn, a woman, the woman who was screening. There were two people who were screening. The woman was screening for people going into theater arts. Dr Ennita Ennita, that's his name was screening for people going into either mass communication or English and literature.
Speaker 1:So when I got to where the woman who was screening was seated, she asked me, she looked at my credentials so that I got the right courses in WIEC, and she looked at my jam slip and saw theater arts and she said you are joking. I said I don't understand, ma. She said you want to study theater arts. I said yes, I want to study theater arts. She said you must be joking. I said how do you mean, ma? She said in this your condition, you want to study theater arts. Don't you know how rigorous that department is? Do you think they are there to play. Have you seen yourself? Have you seen your condition? Now, don't get me wrong. I know she meant well, because if I was her, I probably would have said the same thing. And I said nah, I intentionally paid theater arts. This is what I want to do. And she said I'm not going to screen you into that department. In fact, I need to talk to your parents to find out if they are aware that you are here to study theater.
Speaker 1:As I said, my parents are fully aware of what I wanted to do. In fact, I'd had several fights or, you know, misunderstanding with my dad, because my dad wanted me to study medicine or law. But that's not me. That's not what I wanted to do. My dad was really furious at me when I said I wanted to study theater arts because, from a young age, I would sit in front of the tv, I would mime every song. I would mime every, every poem or every cartoon showing on tv. I knew what I wanted to do. This was where my passion lies. This is what I wanted to do. This was where my passion lies. This is what I wanted to do.
Speaker 1:So this woman wasn't going to stop me from achieving my goal. My said go, and she threw my file away. She said go and get your parents. I need to talk to your parents. I said ma, my parents are in lagos. There is no way my parents are going to come all the way from lagos down to delta state because they need you to confirm from them if they are approved of me studying theater art. She said you're not ready. She threw my file away. So for one week every day I was going there trying to beg her to screen me to TFR. She didn't agree.
Speaker 1:At one point the other lecturer who was screening other students, mr Anita, said Madam, if it is TFR that this young man wants to study, screen him, let him go. It's his choice. That's what he wants to do when he gets there, then if he cannot cope, he would leave. At that time I didn't even know that the mr editor who was speaking was also a lecturer at the theater arts departments. And so the woman said look, young man, I will screen you into english departments or screen you into mass communication. But you see, this theater arts thing that you're saying I am not going to do it. I am not going to do it. And somehow mr aniton was able to convince her to, you know, screen me. And she did reluctantly. After doing it, she threw my file at me. I said get out. I laughed. I picked up my file and in my head I like already got what I wanted, so it doesn't matter, whatever you do to me now. And so I left.
Speaker 1:And so for four years in Delta State University I studied TFR arts, with all the regals, all the plenty, nights of rehearsals, all the stage acting, the dancing, everything. I did everything, dancing everything. I did everything because this is what I love. Unfortunately, I never saw beyond. I don't know if I should say fortunately or unfortunately, but somehow I never saw that woman again. And on the day of my last paper to graduate from school, as I came out of the exam hall, of course you know that on your final year, your final year, on the last day you're going to write your final paper, all the students will wear a particular outfit. I think we sold an Ankara that year. Everybody in my class in the final year sold Ankara. And as I came out, people were stoning us with water, shouting congratulations. I was drenched. And as I came out, people were stoning us with water, shouting congratulations. I was drenched.
Speaker 1:And as I was walking away, I saw that woman who's forcefully or reluctantly sprayed me into theater arts. I never saw her again, but the day I saw her, the next time I saw her was on the day of my final paper isn't that strange. And she saw me. I said hey, I remember you. You are that young boy who said you wanted to study theater art. I said yes, ma, I just finished writing my last paper today. And she said oh, you made it. Oh, I'm so sorry for whatever I did to you many years ago, four years ago, when I said I was worried, I was concerned about your leg, about your condition. But seeing you here today writing your last paper, I now know not to discourage anybody. I say it's okay, mark. He said no, I'm proud of you, I'm super, super proud of you. Congratulations, young man. And said it's okay, mark. He said no, I'm proud of you, I'm super, super proud of you. Congratulations, young man. And I said thank you, mark. And I left.
Speaker 1:And that was how the journey started. And so, when I got to Lagos, I was looking for a job Now the school days, university days are over. For a job. Now the school days, university days are over now. I had some. After that I had gone to yobis states to serve. I served with the council for art and culture in yobis state.
Speaker 1:After my one year of service I came back to lagos. I was looking for a job. There was no job. Now you would think that I would go into nollywood. But I had gone to several auditions from the time Tinsel started to Waila Denuga's production, and some they would just give me minor roles to act and there was a time I even acted in.
Speaker 1:I Need To Know. I think I was in three seasons of I Need To Know the same. I Need To Know that Funke Akindele became famous for. Yes, I was on that production for three seasons and I was not just a Wakapa kind of character, I was a very popular character. In fact they tailored my character after my disability and you know, of course, you know, I need to know it was sponsored by the Canadian agency, unfpa and UNICEF as well. So it was sponsored by international bodies basically, and so they were also trying to show, you know, inclusiveness, and so they gave me a role that suited my disability to also encourage more people. And so for three years I was a major character on that production.
Speaker 1:But after, I need to know, it became a struggle. I could not even get any other role to play, so at that time I knew that acting wasn't it for me. But then I had majored in directing while I was in school, in the university. But then it was also hard to find someone or a team that would trust me to direct a movie or a production. So I needed to think, I needed to redefine myself, and so one day I was seated in my uh house lying on my couch.
Speaker 1:I was in 2007 and I was listening to my transistor radio and I heard an announcement um, if you know, say ego sadi, talk for pigeon english was obia fm. They find you. And that year was the year that was obia fm became a thing for the first time a pigeon english radio station in nigeria. It was a big thing, it was a big deal. I was super, super excited, so I started applying.
Speaker 1:Then there was nothing like phones that you could use. You understand, if you needed to do anything, you had to go to the internet, to the cyber cafe, to send my cv. And I did not have any experience in radio or in broadcasting, but I was sending my cv every day, every day. I was sending my cv every day for seven years and I never got a call from wazubia fm. Now picture this for seven years, between the year that I had that announcement from that year, seven years later, I would send him, constantly sending my cv, but I never got a call or an interview. I never got a call for an interview, but I was hell-bent on becoming a pidgin english broadcaster on wasabiya fm. I'd listen to the likes of y'all, the likes of mashay, the likes of diwana, the whole lot of uh broadcasters at that time on wasabiya fm, and I admired the way they they did pidgin english broadcast and it was fresh and I wanted to do it. And so one day I got a call.
Speaker 1:Now I got a call from a friend, a friend, egos is his name, egos the stand-up comedian. Now I had met Egos back in school, delta State University. He wasn't a student of Delta State University, he actually attended Unibank, but he had come to Delta State University at Bracca to perform for a stand-up comedy gig. So I met him, we exchanged contacts and we became friends, you know. But then Igos came to Lagos and got a job as an OAP on Wazubia FM and so. But at the time he became an OAP I'd lost his contact but there was no way I could reach him.
Speaker 1:So some days I would go to Wazubia FM, stand in front of the gate and say I want to see Igos and they say do you have an appointment? I said no and they say you can't come in. But one day I got a phone I don't even know how and when I picked the call it was Igos. He said this is Igos of Wazobia FM. I said Igos, the prince of Wazobia. He said yes. He said is this Baba K? I said yes, it's Baba K. He said okay, I don't know, but I just want to ask are you interested in working with us? And I said of course I'm interested. I've been trying to get into Wazupia FM now for years.
Speaker 1:He said okay, we're looking for a Pidgin English newscaster. Can you read Pidgin English in newscaster Pidgin English? Can you read news in Pidgin English? I beg your pardon. I said yes and I never had any experience in doing that, but I said yes anyway. He said okay, if you can get to um etim iyan crescent right now, we would interview you, but you have to be here in the next one hour. I said I'm already on my way.
Speaker 1:So I got my friend um, a stand-up comedian who is my friend, odogu. His name is odogu shout Odogu. His name is Odogu Shout out to Odogu. He's called Odogu the you know, the comedy machine. That's what we call him Because I had also started doing stand-up comedy at that time. I was just looking for a way to survive. So I met some other comedians. I'd become, you know, gradually I was getting a little bit of popularity through stand-up comedy. So Odogu drove me down to Wazovia Airfirm and that was how I got there.
Speaker 1:But when I was about to go in I realized that I did not carry my credentials. I did not even carry my CV. On the most important day of my life I forgot my credentials. I forgot my credentials, I forgot my CV and I was scared and they called me in and they said introduce yourself. I introduced myself.
Speaker 1:Now they say can you read news in English? I said yes, even though I've not done it before, but I said yes. And so they gave me a script, a news bulletin script, which was written in English, and they said you are going to transcribe it on the spot, meaning that I'm going to read that English bulletin in Pidgin English. I thought they were going to give me time to go outside, transcribe it and come inside and read. But they said no, you're going to transcribe it on the spot.
Speaker 1:While reading it and in my head I was worried. I said how am I going to do this? You know, somehow I just summoned courage and I started reading it and as I was transcribing reading, transcribing from English to Pidgin English, and the Pidgin English was rolling off my tongue with finesse, they were looking at me, I was still shaky, but then I was able to finish and they said okay, thank you, step outside please. I was like what's going on? They said step outside, thank you, that's all for now. So I went outside. I was scared, I was worried, I was like oh my God, I messed up. I hope I didn't mess this up. So I was seated outside waiting and, as Iedu of the Harness Bunch podcast, he was working at Wasobia FM at that time and he said what are you doing here Now? What you don't know, I'll give you a little backstory.
Speaker 1:A year earlier, I had met Nedu on a reality TV show put together by Super Sport, and it was a Pigeon English football commentator search by Super Sport. They were looking for football commentators to run football commentary in Pigeon English and somehow Nedu was one of the judges in that reality show who went for the audition and somehow I got into the house and we were in the house for weeks and N it was one of the three judges who were assessing us scoring our football commentary in Pigeon English for weeks, and I was one of the two. We were only two people that got to the final I and my friend, a personal friend of mine. His name is Timi Owoe-Ewais. I think he still works in Wazubia FM now. So two of us got to the final for the Super Spot Pigeon English. They call it Super Spot Follow your Mouth. And I was just using my comedy experience to run Pigeon English commentary, putting humor into it and every other thing.
Speaker 1:The crowd was loving what I was doing because on the final day of the reality show it was not a recorded thing, it was live. Everybody, the entire crowd, was watching us on that day and as I was doing my commentary, running my commentary in Peking English, the crowd went wild. They were clapping for me, they were cheering for me and in my head, this is it, I am the winner. And somehow I lost that competition or that reality show to Timi Owe'ewa. I still don't know why to date. I don't know why the crowd was not happy that the organizers chose Timi Owe'ewa, but I guess it was his destiny.
Speaker 1:And so that's the backstory of how I met Nedu. And Nedu told me Baba K, honestly, you are the one I wanted to win this thing, but I don't know why the other judges went the other way. But not to worry, um, we'll see, just keep in, just keep in touch. So for that time, that was how I met Nedu, and for like a year I didn't hear anything from him. You know to that day that I came for the interview at Wazubia FM and Nedu saw me, like what are you doing here? I said I came for the interview at wazobia fm and nidusoma, like what are you doing here? I said I came for interview for newscaster and coincidentally he was a newscaster in wazobia fm at that time. So he just said wait here. He walked into the office where the people who interviewed me were seated and I could hear him tell them this guy is good, I've seen him before. He did so. So and so you guys must hire this guy. Big shout out to nidu. Nidu was one of the reasons they hired me that day and that was how wazubia fm hired me. And they hired me to become a newscaster on wazubia fm not just wazubia fm, but also on wazubia tv. So I was reading news on tv and on also on radio.
Speaker 1:But now, why am I telling you this story? For seven years I was chasing this dream of becoming a Pigeon English broadcaster and it looked like it wasn't going to happen. But if you see all the connections, I'm somebody that I believe in patterns. I believe in patterns. You see, all these chain connections led me somewhere. I had to meet Nidoo in a reality TV show that I lost because several years later I was going to meet him again and he was going to put in a word for me to become a newscaster on Wasobia FM. And that was how my journey became, or began, as a Pigeon English newscaster and broadcaster.
Speaker 1:So I'm trying to say that hope is something you should always hold on. To Never give up on your dream. All your dreams are valid. Never give up on your dreams. As always, this is the batterbox podcast and you know they call me babakay. Make sure you follow us on all our social media platforms and also make sure you stream every episode, because we have it on all streaming platforms as well. And, like I always say, that matter does not matter until it begins to matter, and this is where I sign out Bata, bata, bata, bata, bata Box.