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Big Brother Africa: Nigeria Makes History

17/10/2010 15:56

Uti Nwachukwu, 27-year-old Nigerian, has won the much-coveted $200,000 grand Prize of this year's Big Brother Africa (BBA) All Stars show, which came to a close on Sunday, October 17. The feat makes Nigeria the first African country to win the competition back to back. His fellow country man, Kevin Chuwang Pam won last year's competition.

What was however, intriguing about Uti's victory in the BBA house, which comprised of contestants selected from 14 countries - Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, was the fact that his father died not long after the competition began. The BBA house opened to contestants on July 18, and a few weeks after, on August 9, Uti's father died.

His father had been bed-ridden, suffering from cancer, even before the competition began, making Uti caught between going into the house and staying beside his father at such a trying time. At the Big Brother diary room, just after the death of his father was broken to him, he was asked what his next decision would be. His answer: “My father would have wished I continued with the show...I hope to be here till the grand finale and hopefully win.”

No doubt his hope came alive that faithful Sunday, when Ik Osakioduwa, Nigerian television and radio host announced him winner of the show. Uti defeated his Zimbabwean counterpart, Munya, carting away votes from eight countries, against Munya's seven. His victory makes many to marvel at the fortune he would have lost if he had pulled out of the show because of the death of his father.

The amount translates to about N30million (Nigerian Naira). Indeed, for Uti, "joy cometh in the morning". His ecstatic mood was obviously not unexpected. He leapt up in great excitement after hearing his name called as the overall winner of the competition. The Nigerian actor and actor described Nigerians as a happy, confident and smart people, who are fun to be with. “Happiness is a state of mind and it usually begins with a choice.”

Other finalists in the BBA, which is in its fifth season, included Sheila (Kenyan), Mwisho (Tanzanian) and Lerato (South African). They had all participated in the previous four episodes of the BBA.

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