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By Henry Uche
Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, successfully hosted the grand finale of the FUZE Talent Show on December 23, 2023, where 12 outstanding individuals were rewarded with a total prize money of N32 million.
The top three in each category – music, dance, fashion, and technology, had the oppourtunity to showcase their skills and perform live at the Livespot Entertarium in Lekki, Lagos and were presented with cash prizes of N5 million, N2 million and N1 million respectively, for the first, second and third place winners of each category.
Praise Eguajoe (dance category), Mariam Bello (fashion category), Chioma Ukpabi-Steve (tech category); and Atonopriya Cotterell (music category) emerged as the first-place winners and each walked away with N5 million cash prize.
The FUZE Talent Show, which had over 4,000 entries from applicants, provided a platform to showcase raw talent from participants across Nigeria.
The journey to the finals was rigorous, with 28 contestants taken through a two-week boot camp, several levels of competition and weekly elimination shows, after which the top 12 contestants secured their spots in the finals.
Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, Olumide Oyetan, remarked, “It was truly an extraordinary showcase of Nigeria’s diverse and immense talent pool. At Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, we do not only focus on professionally managing your retirement funds but equip you with the knowledge to enable you make the right decisions that enables you optimise your retirement benefits, no matter your age.
“This is why we put together this important platform to ensure that young Nigerians who have talents in diverse areas, get the encouragement that they need to truly achieve the extraordinary. Here, we believe that your best days are always ahead; so we aim to help you identify and seize the oppourtunities to harness them,” he said.
Executive Director, Business Development, Nike Bajomo, congratulated the winners and thanked everyone involved in putting up such a great show and for making the event a resounding success. She highlighted the significance of the FUZE Festival, stating that, “beyond the merriment and fun-filled experience, the event had a profound impact in empowering Nigerians to fulfil their dreams and ended 2023 on a high note.”
The panel of judges comprising singer and song-writer, Ric Hassani, fashion curator, Banke Kuku, dance choreographer, Bunmi Olunloyo and Chief Executive of Zest Payment (formerly known as Stanbic IBTC Financial Services), Stanley Jacob, played crucial role in evaluating the performances across the four categories and in supporting the contestants to ending the show on a high note.
Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers has, once again, reaffirmed its commitment to empowering young Nigerians and making the extraordinary possible and also highlights the organisation’s strong support for the creative industry in Nigeria, majorly powered by the youths.
