Etisalat Sponsored Nigerian Idol 4: The Heat is on with Top 12 contestants unveiled

Dare Art-Alade, Manager, Public Relations, Etisalat; Chineze Amanfo, Director, Brands and Communication, Etisalat, Enitan Denloye and Olisa Adibua

After auditions in 5 cities across Nigeria and down to top-30 Nigerian youths giving their best to be Nigeria’s next big super star, the Etisalat sponsored Nigerian Idol season 4 has finally announced its Top 12 contestants.

The 12 contestants, who were unveiled at an event in Lagos last  weekend, will be housed for another eight weeks to show their musical prowess and mastery in front of the judges and audience as they battle for the top prize of N7.5 million, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry, an iPod and a brand new SUV car.

This year’s top 12 contestants are; Zibili Evelyn, Lisa Omoregebe, Elvis Ejiro, Paul Enoma, Odugbemi Idown Sarah, Ogechukwu Okafor, Obed Emmanuel Ogbonna, Ese Idowu, Ese Nyerhovoo, Anthony Akpan, Beebee Bassey and Jesse Okonkwo.

Speaking at the event, Director, Brands & Communication, Etisalat Nigeria, Enitan Denloye said, The concept of unveiling the Top 12 contestants is to formally showcase the talents that the viewers have selected to move to the gala show. In his Words: “We are happy to witness another high point in this season. As we have promised, this season will be more interesting and it will once again empower another set of Nigerian youths, in line with our brand commitment of youth empowerment and development.”

Recapping the journey and appreciating the effort of the sponsor, Chief Executive Officer, Optima Group, Rotimi Pedro said he is happy with the continued support of Etisalat. According to him, “I must confess that I appreciate the effort of our sponsor, Etisalat in the last four years. We appreciate their investment in this show right from the beginning and we believe that they will continue to do more”

“Before getting to the top 12 stage, the show has gone through series of stages, starting from the auditioning, to the top-100 stage, and gradually to the top-30 stage. At the top 30 stage, the contestants were divided into 3 groups of 10; 9 contestants were selected by the viewers at home through their votes, while the remaining 3 contestants are the judges’ choice through the wild card show. At this stage, the decision as to who stays or leave will be fully determined by the audience.”

On their part, the new set of judges for the season shared their joy on the success the show has recorded so far. According to Nneka who spoke on behalf of the judges, “We are all happy for the choice made and we are confident that the twelve finalists would not disappoint us as we move on.”

Chineze Amanfo, NI4 Host, Ill Rymz and Martina Ogbebor

some of the contestants performing in stage

Brands and Communication, Etisalat, Enitan Denloye and some of the contestants

All Contestants performing on stage