Most celebrities as you can imagine get the most flack for their big egos, if you couple that with their impossible demands and hectic schedules trust me when I tell you that is a nightmare waiting to happen if your job entails interviewing them.  Needless to say when the idea struck to approach Ebuka Obi-Uchendu of Big Brother Nigeria for an interview I did not know what to expect, I swear I even wished myself good luck out loud.  I mean why wouldn’t I?  After all this man is tall, dark and hugely handsome and the fact that he is witty, intelligent and well educated is enough to make ANY woman melt. So you see in my head the the heebie-jeebies were validated.Frankly I prepared myself for the let down and secretly readied an “I told you so” talk to myself for later as I went in for the dive.  Once I got in contact with him, Ebuka was more than amiable.  He was amazingly easy going, not like I had imagined at all. His professionalism and the fact that he kept to the deadline for the interview has made me gain respect for him.  To me these are all signs that point to a level headed down to earth man, who obviously hasn’t let fame get to his head. My  skepticism has obviously flown out the window and the rest is below for you to read to see how it all went down.

Q:  What did you do before you were  on BBA?

Well, I was on Big Brother Nigeria not Big Brother Africa. It was the first and only edition ever held in 2006. It was broadcast across Africa onDstv 24 hours a day for 3 months.  Before that, I was a practicing lawyer, who was not earning the best salary and needed a break from the financial burden and stereotype that was law practice. But now I am ready to go back to it; and soon.

Q:  How did you get cast for BBN, if a series of interviews were in order were they hard? What was the craziest or most bizarre question/activity you had to participate in.

My elder sister saw the advert for participants in a newspaper and dared me to go on. I thought it was a huge joke but still went on anyways. There were 5 stages of auditions including a 350 question IQ test, a Psychic picking our brains and of course the weirdest being where we had to dip our hands in a box, pick up a prop nd act out a 2 minute drama skit with it.

Q:  What other opportunities have come from this experience? 

The opportunities didn’t come immediately. A lot of us were under the illusion that we would start getting offers to do stuff. But when one week became 2 months, everyone realised we had to hit the streets ourselves.  I walked into the ThisDay office and convinced them to give me a job as a writer. I have since mainatained a weekly column there for 3 years now.  After that I auditioned to host Nigeria’s version of Britain’s ‘Dog Eat Dog’ a reality Tv game show. I hosted that for two seasons. I have also hosted an entertainment weekly show called ‘The Glo Show’ for 2 years as well amongst many other television and stage gigs.

Q:  What are some of the challenges that you have come across as a celebrity?

The challenges are mostly as a result of pressure and expectations of me from people. The need to always be the well dressed, smiling, courteous bouyant Ebuka. Unfortunately that is not a reality and It can never always be that way.  Sadly though a lot of people think otherwise…

Q:  What are other ventures you’d like to embark on?

The entertainment industry in Nigeria is growing tremendously and talents continue to be exposed almost on a daily basis. But issues like piracy and poor copyright laws have been one of the biggest setbacks to its growth. I hope to soon use my background in law, to plug into that loophole and also tap it well for my pocket.  I have also come to fall in love with television and hope to grow even bigger on that front beyond the national platform which I currently enjoy.

Q: Are you involved in any charity work?

After BBN, we launched ‘The Housemates Foundation,’ which we tried to use as a channel for helping orphanages. While that has suffered considerably because most of us have tight schedules, I have continued to be a part of other charities as much as I can. Also, I’m a part of my church’s community that supports inmates in overcrowded Nigerian prisons. Not all of them there are guilty but because the judicial system is slow, a lot of them spend years without trial and are neglected s a result.

I also belong to a group of friends called ‘The UnRulieS’. The name may seem weird but it’s just a fun group. We have made it duty to support the Lagos State Old People’s Home as often as we can.

Q:  If there was one person you’d love to meet , who would it be and why?

As a young boy I had three people on my to meet list.  Sadly Mother Teresa died before I could meet her. On the other hand I thankfully got to meet Pope John Paul II before he passed on.  The third is everyone’s living hero, Nelson mandela. I’m hoping you know the right people to help me fulfill that one real soon!

Q:  The most interesting person you’ve met to date.

Mhhh… For some reason it has to be somewhere between my mother and elder brother. It’s very unhealthy to hang around either one of them. Rib cracking stuff, they are both intensely hilarious!!!

Q: Are you a fan of  fashion? Maybe favorite designers?

I am more a fan of style than fashion. Like they say, fashion comes in seasons, but style is forever. I like to where what suits me as against what is fashionable or has a label. But I also love bespoke tailoring so I do admire bespoke tailors like Michael Andrews and Anderson & Shephard. Nigerian designers are starting to make a name for themselves too with people like Clothsense and Emmy Collins topping my list.

Q: Favorite  foods, drinks, vacation spots.

Anyone who knows me, knows my favourite food is yam. I love my yams with anything, pounded, fried, boiled or made into a porridge! Nothing beats it. Favorite vacation spot is still my village, Okija. Nothing beats the peace and quiet I get when I’m there.

Q: What type of music do you listen to?

A lot of Nigerian music is topping my list these days but I still love my soft rock from artists like Athlete, ColdPlay & Keane.  I also enjoy hip hop artists like Kanye West, Kid CuDi and Jay Z.

Q: What are some of the places you’ve been that you never thought you’d go and your celebrity has afforded.

I’m a true Guinness fan and never thought i’d be able to visit St. James’ Gate in Dublin, the home of Guinness. It was an awesome experience etched seriosuly in my memory. Loved it!

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years.

If I could see the future, of course I would change it so I really can’t say. Hopefully, doing bigger better things. Perhaps a family and a whole lot of money!!!

Twitter: @ebukka

On a side note: Ebuka I’ll see what I can do about introducing you to Madiba in the meantime I’ll catch you around Jozi in ‘10 for the World Cup.

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