By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Not less than N32 million was taken home by 12 Nigerian youths at the grand finale of the FUZE Talent Show organised by Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers on December 23, 2023, at the Livespot Entertarium in Lagos.
The top three winners were given cash prizes in music, dance, fashion, and technology categories of the event, which had A-List Nigerian artists, like Adekunle Gold, Pheelz, Fave and NS thrilling the guests.
Business Post gathered that cash prizes of N5 million, N2 million and N1 million were presented, respectively to the first, second and third-place winners of each category.
Praise Eguajoe (Dance category), Mariam Bello (Fashion category), Chioma Ukpabi-Steve (Tech category); and Atonopriya Cotterell (Music category) emerged as the first-place winners, and each walked away with N5 million cash prize.
The FUZE Talent Show, which received an overwhelming response with over 4,000 entries from applicants, provided a platform to showcase raw talent from participants across Nigeria.
The journey to the finals was rigorous, with 28 contestants taken through a two-week boot camp, several levels of competition, and weekly elimination shows, after which the top 12 contestants secured their spots in the thrilling finals.
The event was not just a talent showcase but an unforgettable experience filled with excitement and fun. Over 10,000 attendees enjoyed a full-day festival featuring a marketplace and an unforgettable concert where A-List Nigerian artistes – Adekunle Gold, Pheelz, Fave and NSG, thrilled the youthful crowd with hit after hit. Attendees enjoyed all of this for free, keeping with the true spirit of the yuletide season – the season for giving!
“It was truly an extraordinary showcase of Nigeria’s diverse and immense talent pool. At Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, we do not only focus on professionally managing your retirement funds but also equip you with the knowledge to enable you to make the right decisions that enable you to optimize your retirement benefits, no matter your age.
“This is why we have put together this important platform to ensure that young Nigerians who have talents in diverse areas, get the encouragement that they need to truly achieve the extraordinary. Here, we believe that your best days are always ahead; so we aim to help you identify and seize the opportunities to harness them,” the chief executive of Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, Mr Olumide Oyetan, said.
Adedapo Adesanya