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Girl Wins Best ‘Actor’ Award in Drama Competition

The Punch
Segun Olugbile
14 Mar 2008

When 16-year-old Ademiju Morenike led her school drama team to qualify for the finals of this year’s Bright Talents’ Nigerian Secondary School Drama Competition at the zonal qualifiers on February 2, 2008, many did not see her as someone who could emerge the best ‘actor’ at the finals. This is because 17-year-old Anighoro Elijah, a pupil of Oak International College, Ogba, Lagos, who played the lead role in ‘Tears of the Land,’ a commentary on the unrest in the Niger Delta, had won the zonal contest in style.

But Ademiju, an SS3 pupil of Vivian Fowler Memorial College, Ikeja, surprised cynics with her skillful performance at the Muson Centre, Lagos, on Thursday. She did not just win the best ‘actor’ award; she also led her school to win the coveted trophy and free QED education accounts, totalling N85, 000 with the Oceanic Bank Plc. Ademiju had acted Emeka in the play titled ‘Radical Thought Revolution Nigeria,’ written by the winner’s classmate, Miss Odera Okakpu.

She played the role so well that the Head of Department, Creative Writing, University of Lagos, Prof. Duro Oni, who led the four-man panel of judges, could not hide his admiration for her. In the play, Ngozi had fallen in love with Audu, a mere civil servant. But Ngozi’s parents opposed the relationship because they wanted her to marry Emeka, a wealthy man. Unknown to Ngozi’s parents, Emeka was a fraudulent man, who got his wealth from sharp practices. In spite of the opposition, Ngozi insisted on marrying the patriotic, diligent and visionary Audu than marrying Emeka.

Emeka did all he could to win Ngozi’s heart with his ill-gotten wealth, which he displayed to the admiration of the audience. Eventually Emeka married another materialistic girl, who was later assassinated together with him and their unborn baby. It was after the tragic end of Emeka that Ngozi’s parents supported their daughter’s marriage to Audu. However, while the crisis generated by the opposition was going on, Audu was busy preparing a national aptitude rebirth scheme, RTR. The scheme won a national award and the couple became popular, happier and richer.

In a chat with our correspondent after the award presentation, Ademiju said the experience gained during the last edition of the competition helped her confidence. “The experience and the exposure I gained when we participated in the competition last year really helped my confidence. I never expected to win the best ‘actor’ award as a girl and to be sincere with you, I did not set out for it, I just wanted us to win the first prize,” she said.

But she said anybody aspiring to be a good actor or actress should be able to act any role.

She said, “If anybody wants to become an accomplished actor or actress, he or she should be versatile and should be able to adapt to any role. So acting the role of a man for me is part of acting. “Though it was initially difficult, our teacher and my colleagues encouraged me a lot and I’m happy that I was able to act my own part very well to the extent that a professor, top actors and other members of the panel could pick me as the best out of hundreds of us that participated. I thank God for it.” But would she love to choose acting as a career? Ademiju said she had not decided on that now.

“What I’m doing now is to first face my studies, study very well and pass all my subjects at the West African Senior Secondary School Examination. After this, I will go to the university. It is after this that I will decide. But I believe that since everything is in God’s hands, He will direct me,” she added. Another winner, Funke Alabi, a pupil of African Church Model College, named the best actress in the competition, said the competition had exposed her hidden talents.

She said, “I never knew I could act this well until this competition started. It was the first time I would be doing serious acting and I’m happy that God has used the competition to expose my hidden talents. I also thank the organisers of this competition because if they had not organised it, I would not have been able to discover myself.” She expressed her readiness to become an actor.

But the competition was not just about Ademiju and Alabi. The Early Heights College, Lagos, also won the King’s Court Trophy donated by the Redeemed Christian Church of God for the play with the best moral theme. The school got N50,000 cash gift. The representative of Oceanic Bank Plc, Mr. Victor Anaro, said the bank would open the QED account for each of the pupils that participated in all the winning plays.

Earlier, the Coordinator, Free Gift International, Mrs. Eniola Yoloye, whose firm organised the annual competition, had told the audience that the competition was aimed at discovering and developing theatrical talents among secondary school pupils in the country. “We observe that after the nation had produced a Nobel Laureate in Wole Soyinka, renowned literary giants in professors Chinua Achebe, Pius Okigbo, Femi Osofisan and others, only a very few are treading that path. But we know that this country has potential that has not been tapped, so our intention is to help bring out the ingenuity in our children.’’

Yoloye, who highlighted the rules of the competition, said the script must be written by the pupils, while the play must bring out socio-political and economic problems bedevilling the nation and proffer solutions. “The play must be acted within 20 minutes,” she explained. Yoloye added that the competition was also aimed at building leadership, teamwork and public speaking skills in the pupils. The competition, she said, started five years ago.

Also, the chairman of the panel of judges said that the factors considered in rating the dramatists included the theme of the play; acting; stage and mechanics; technical elements input into the play; and script writing. Other members of the panel were Ego Boyo, Austen Awunonu and Olori Peju Sonuga

“We also rate the pupils in terms of how well they manage their time, their costumes and makeup. But I want to say that I’m particularly impressed with their performances. They did their best and I think if some of them continue like this, Nollywood stars should be prepared for stiffer opposition from them,” he said.

The Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Sarah Sosan, who was represented by Mrs. Mopelola Ayo-Sobowale, commended the organisers, teachers and the pupils for the competition. “This is a good venture that is worthy of emulation because pupils that discover their latent talents early in life are not likely to go around looking for job,” she said.

A Literatute-in-English teacher from one of the participating schools, Mr. Joseph Oni, in a chat with journalists, expressed similar views. According to him, apart from the cash and material prizes, the exposure and experience could change the pupils’course in life and help them plug into their destiny. He said those who might not be the best in class could become the nation’s best actors and actresses later in life.

At the end of the competition, Vivian Fowler came first; Akinrosoye Memorial International College came second; while African Church Model College came third. For their efforts, the first prize winner went home with a plaque, multi-media desktop computers, two library desk sets, clock radios for their teachers and branded materials. The second prize winner got a plaque, magnetic board and flip chart boards while the third position went home with a plaque, flip chart board, two library desk sets and three clock radios for their teachers.

© Copyright The Punch

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