Male dominance in the music industry has been attributed to lack of needed patronage of female artistes, especially by women. That gauntlet has been braced by the CEO, Enthyst Place, Ndidi Obioha, a multiple award winning showbiz promoter. In this interview with SONY NEME, she shares her thoughts on marriage, children and pulling off a splendid show for ‘Dry,’ by Nollywood star, Stephanie Okereke-Linus
As a voice in the showbiz industry, what are your views on the near lack of assistance for female artistes by females who are in position to help?
I want more women to help and guide young stars instead of discouraging them with body language. To walk my talk, I have stepped out through event management, fashion and bridal outfits that have pulled off several successful colourful events in Nigeria.
Will mentorship help out in the challenges militating against female artistes?
I am very passionate about women in the entertainment industry. It is one of the things I am going to dedicate my time to next year, because I do not think women in the industry are getting deserved leverage at the moment. I think it is a male-dominated industry, with men trying to suppress the women on the side, especially in the music industry. At the Enthyst Place, there are lots that I have on my kit that I am going to give birth to next year.
This is because the ratio of women to men that have been given opportunities by even the record labels is not encouraging. How many women are on their labels? It is unfortunate. That is why I am going into a different kind of mentorship, and I have a lot of girls that I am talking to.
What are your plans for them?
Recently, I did the Vlisco Women Awards at Eko Hotel. It was a female awards and the concept was celebrating women. So we did everything without any man as part of it. We didn’t need a male MC; we didn’t need a male band.
And I was able to get an all-female band that I am ready to invest in, because they are good. There are plans for an all-female talent hunt next year also. Omawumi will tell you that when she came out from Idols West Africa, I was one of the few women that gave her the opportunity to move on. I carry them on my back, and they know how passionate I am to get women to where the menfolk are currently.
And I will get there by God’s grace. I have seen lots of good young girls trying to do it alone, but they have not been given the opportunities. It comes natural that a record label owned by a man will first consider a male before thinking of a female! That is one of the things we are working on changing.
Further on mentorship, honestly I have not had the time, because I am setting up pockets of my businesses. The fashion clinic is able to stand on its own now. Next year, I will take on another arm of my business. I try to take things one at a time. To be a mentor to somebody, you need to have all the time and it is something I like to do.
But record label owners are businessmen. Don’t you think it is all about merit and quick returns?
I don’t think it is about merit. Trust me, I have studied the situation. Some of these female artistes come for help, and as an events person, I provide them with needed opportunities, especially the up and coming artistes. Helen Paul was barely known. But she got her biggest break, by God’s grace, through me; I try to use my platform to help female artistes. There was the story of a Spain-based female artiste, who had made a success of her career in Europe, but when she came to Nigeria, it was difficult for her to be accepted. I saw her looks, very pretty and her dress sense very revealing, which was not good for our society. Women in Nigeria have a very strong hold on their husbands.
If I like a song and my husband is in love with me, I have the power to get him to like that music. But if I am in a party with him and I see a girl that will make him sexually uncomfortable, it is my duty to protect him from buying into that artiste. We feel threatened by ourselves. When a female artiste is coming all revealing, we try to stop them. It should not be so. You should first appreciate that talent in her. Unfortunately, you are addressed the way you are dressed. If people feel disgusted about your looks then you are done.
Take a look at Omawumi. She is a home girl to every woman. The moment you become a threat to any woman, they will kill it for you. We are still a bit laid back. And my question is: who is your target market? For instance, you are coming out with a song that will appeal to weddings. You want people to invite you to perform at weddings and you think a bride’s mother will watch you looking very indecent on television and invite you to come and perform at her child’s wedding? Hell no! They will tell you, ‘Her music might be amazing but ask her to dress well.’
What took you to events management?
What got me there was the passion for wanting to feed people, to organise and put things together as they should be. That was what got me to run an events consulting company. We conceptualise, we define, we plan, we manage, we coordinate and we execute the plan of a client. I am not a decorator, but what we do is to come up with concepts for every aspect that makes up an event.
Which was the biggest and challenging concert you ever managed?
We have done a lot of events that I cannot readily remember. Rhythm Unplugged is one of them. It was a huge concert with about 6,000 people in attendance. We managed everything, including the artistes, because we got some of them on board as well. For me, when an event becomes very tasking is when the fans are crazy. We did Miss Delta Pageant for Orange Drugs Plc. The ‘thank you’ I get from my clients is my staying power. We did the African Magic Igbo Channel, Ebe Ona Akpotu in Enugu in April.
How many of your concerts have gone awry?
There is none that I can remember. It has honestly never happened. The day it happens that is when I will stop being an event planner, because I cannot take the disappointment. There may be one or two slight areas, because of my professional knowledge. Otherwise, for the clients and guests that attended, it was okay. But for me, I know what we could have done better.
How often have you been updating yourself?
Yes, I go to Vegas (U.S) every year. I am part of the International Caterers and Events Solutions. I do invest in myself. But the truth is that it is inborn. Nobody can teach you creativity. It is God given. When I go to a prospective client, I end up adding value, that is what creativity is all about.
What influenced you to go into events management?
I used to be with the banking industry. I have always been a marketer. That is one gift that I have. Once I believe in any product, I can market it to the right people. Having been a marketer and a client service person (that I was in the advertising and telecom industry where I worked in the past, when I wanted to start), I needed to do something that was passion driven.
I’ve always believed that when you do s o m e – thing that is passion driven, you will think, eat and dream that thing. At that point, you don’t see it as a chore, rather, it is fun. I have that passion in wanting to organise, the joy in seeing people happy. Even in my fashion business, I love to see people looking good. It gives me joy seeing people looking good in my outfits.
What are the challenges in events management?
In everything, in every business, especially in Nigeria, the main challenge is manpower. You may be passionate about your vision, but you cannot do everything alone because you are not an island. You need people to work with. But it becomes a problem when people you get to work with do not have that passion and drive.
The biggest challenge is for those working with you not sharing the same vision with you. If you enter into any business without passion, but for the money, you won’t make a success of it.
Which of these jobs stand out as most challenging?
It was the National Convention of APC that Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the party’s flag bearer. It was at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere. It was pretty challenging, but for me, I never look at anything as insurmountable. It was huge, no doubt. When we were called upon to coordinate and plan that event for them, we brought in an element as planners, which is that whatever job I choose to do, there has to be that chemistry between the client and I.
But for a job that is politically related, there i s that fact that I have been a citizen in this country. There has been a lot of rigging, and that h a s always disturbed me. So what went straight to my mind is that this election has to be straight forward, and has to be as transparent as possible. I’ve always thought of it, but it never crossed my mind that it is doable, to have a free and fair elections in this country.
And that opportunity came knocking from the APC. We worked with former Ekiti State governor, Fayemi. For me, that is one man I hold with so much regards. I saw a man that wanted true transparency; I saw a team that was ready. That was when it dawned on me that this country truly wanted a change. I saw a group that was determined to say no to imposition, because even at the convention, a lot would have been done to rig the elections, even at the primary level. That was a determining factor because if that had happened, I don’t think APC would have had any chance. Because Nigerians would have said these people are not ready. That was not the case, because Buhari, I must say in all honesty, won free and fair, as there was no opportunity for anybody to rig.
Everything you saw there were the processes we put in place. I got my video guys to document the three days as we were allowed to do what was stated. (Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode) Fayemi ensured that everything was implemented to the letter. For me, it was a defining moment, to think that we were brought on board just two weeks to the event.
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