In 1973, at the very dawn of television broadcasting in Benin City, I found myself not just as a participant… but as a pioneer.
I didn’t walk into Midwest TV as an ordinary producer. I walked in carrying something extra — something the panel would soon discover.
During my interview, I was asked a simple but defining question:
“What edge do you have over the others?”
I didn’t hesitate.
“I play the guitar. I sing. I write songs.”
The room shifted. Interest sparked.
They handed me a box guitar and said, “Play us something.”
In that moment, there was no room for fear. No second chances.
Like a fish thrown back into water — its natural habitat — I came alive.
I didn’t just play… I performed as though my life depended on it.
Because, truly, it did.
VOICES FROM WITHIN — The Beginning of a Movement
Out of that moment came my first creation: VOICES FROM WITHIN.
A simple idea. Almost bare.
Just me, a box guitar, and raw, undiscovered talent — drawn from within the station itself.
No frills. No noise. Just authenticity.
It was a 30-minute light musical programme featuring only staff members… voices that had never been heard beyond office corridors.
But something magical happened.
The simplicity connected. The honesty resonated.
Almost overnight, VOICES FROM WITHIN became a weekly sensation — a quiet revolution on screen.
And it ran… for years.
MUSIC PANORAMA — When Vision Met Opportunity
Then came 1974.
A new spark. A new challenge.
The Military Governor of the Midwest Region at the time, Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, returned from a trip to England inspired — and restless.
Television in Benin was limited then: just 6pm to midnight.
He believed the people deserved more. More joy. More content. More life during the day — especially on weekends.
Management hesitated.
“There aren’t enough local programmes,” they argued.
So a challenge was thrown to every producer:
Create something… or leave the space empty.
I didn’t think twice.
I stepped forward.
Birth of a Classic
That was how MUSIC PANORAMA was born.
The first episode? Recorded at City Belles Hotel in Benin City.
And from that moment, television would never quite be the same again.
The concept broke convention:
The singer alone owned the screen
The band remained unseen, playing from the shadows
And then came the spark — a sharply choreographed dance trio…
THE MAGIC FEET
They didn’t just dance — they electrified the screen.
The result?
An instant hit.
A Factory of Stars
But beyond the glamour, MUSIC PANORAMA did something even more powerful…
It created dreams.
It created stars.
It gave ordinary performers a taste of extraordinary possibility — a glimpse into stardom before the world even knew their names.
Through that platform passed talents who would later shine across Nigeria and beyond:
Chris Okotie
Felix Lebarty
Orits Wiliki
Amos McRoy
Eno Louis
Amas Gril
Majek Fashek
And many more…
Legacy
Looking back, those were not just programmes.
They were platforms.
They were movements.
They were seeds.
And in those early days of Midwest TV — later NTA Benin —
I didn’t just produce shows…
I helped shape a culture.
