Ebuka Obi-Uchendu

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Ebuka Obi-Uchendu
Ebuka Obi-Uchendu.jpg
Ebuka at the 2014 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards
Born
Chukwuebuka Obi-Uchendu

(1982-07-14) 14 July 1982 (age 39)
Benin City, Edo, Nigeria
Alma materUniversity of Abuja and American University
OccupationLawyer and Media Personality
Years active2006–present
Spouse(s)Cynthia Obianodo
Children2

Chukwuebuka Obi-Uchendu (born 14 July 1982) is a Nigerian lawyer and media personality from Okija in Anambra State, Nigeria. He is known for hosting the reality show Big Brother Naija, the long running Rubbin' Minds talk show on Channels TV as well as co-hosting The Spot and Men's Corner on Ebonylife Television.[1][2][3]

Obi-Uchendu has received several award nominations and won the award for Outstanding TV Presenter of the Year at the Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards for his work on Rubbin' Minds.[4]

Early life and education[]

Born in Benin City, Edo State to a banker father and a mother who is a nurse, he is the third of four children with an elder sister as well as one older brother, and a younger brother.[5] He went through with his nursery and primary education in the mid-western Nigerian city of Benin, remarkably passing the Common Entrance Examination into secondary school from Primary Four. He subsequently moved to the capital city of Abuja with his family.

He had his secondary education at Christ The King College Abuja, graduating in 1997, before getting his university education at the University of Abuja, up until 2004. He proceeded to the Nigerian Law School Bwari, Abuja finishing in 2005 and then returned to school after a 5-year working gap, graduating in December 2010 from the Washington College of Law of the American University Washington DC, with Master of Laws degree specializations in Intellectual Property as well as Communications law from the Law and Government program.[6]

Career[]

Big Brother and beyond[]

In 2006, he went in as one of an eventual 14 housemates on the first season of the popular reality show Big Brother Nigeria, finishing in eighth place.[7] To date, he is one of the most visibly successful BBN 2006 cast members.[8][9] In January 2017, he was announced as the host of the second season of Big Brother Naija[10] as well as the third season.[11]

After the reality show in 2006, he signed endorsement deals with a major telecommunications brand as well as a popular brewing company and as such hosted Friend or Foe[12] on NTA, the GLO Show,[13] also on NTA, as well as Guinness' Greatness TV.[14] He also maintained a weekly column called Contrast with a Nigerian national daily newspaper, This day[15] for upwards of 4 years and has written for other publications including What's New & Ace Magazines.

In the run up to the 2011 general elections in Nigeria, he hosted the first ever presidential debate focused on youth issues, which was broadcast live across Nigeria.[16] He also freelances as an MC for events[17]

He has gone on to be a contributor to several online publications including the Y! FrontPage on the youth oriented YNaija, general lifestyle inclined 360Nobs, Breaking Times which deals mostly with current affairs, and Style Vitae a fashion and style portal.

Rubbin Minds and EbonyLife TV[]

In 2013, producers of Rubbin’ Minds, a Nigerian TV talk-show, announced that Ebuka Obi-Uchendu would be the new host.[18]

He has gone on to interview big names in the Nigerian youth circuit including Banky W., Gbenga Sesan, Seun Kuti, Oluchi Onweagba, Davido, Japheth J. Omojuwa and Chika Unigwe.

In 2013, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu became one of the co-hosts of The Spot, a TV show on DSTV, alongside Lamide Akintobi and Zainab Balogun.[19]

In July 2014, he joined Arit Okpo as a co-host on the new chat show Naija Politics, a political Nigerian TV show on EbonyLife Tv.[20]

In July 2016, he became the host of Men's Corner, Nigeria's first all male TV talk show.[21]

Ebuka on “Judging Matters” Reality TV Show[]

No dispute is too small, and no conflict is too big for the Judging Matter chambers and those that reside in it. Judging Matters deals with the issues fore-mentioned using the arbitration system and minor cases of real people getting justice from a small claims court.

Overseen by an experienced but retired Lagos State Judge, Justice Olusola Williams and Ebuka Obi-Uchendu who has hitherto made a name as one of Nigeria’s most respected media personalities features on Judging Matters as a counsellor who brings out the finer points on the cases before Justice Williams to enable her make a final but fair decision. Ebuka’s background as a lawyer, which not many of his admirers are familiar with, and his deep roots in entertainment makes him an ideal candidate to bridge a fine gap between justice and fun in the courtroom. Judging Matters began airing on Monday, April 27, 2020, DSTV’s Africa Magic Showcase channel 151.

Big Brother Naija Season 4[]

Big Brother Naija Season 4, also known as Big Brother Naija: Pepper Dem was the fourth season of the Nigerian version of the reality show Big Brother. Produced by South Africa's award-winning production company, Red Pepper Pictures and it was launched on 30 June 2019 on DStv channel 198. Ex-housemate Ebuka Obi-Uchendu from season one continued as the host. The winner won ₦60 million worth of prizes.

Big Brother Naija Season 5[]

Big Brother Naija Season 5 also known as Big Brother Naija: Lockdown is the fifth season of the Nigerian version of the reality show Big Brother. It premiered on 19 July 2020 on DStv channel 198 and GOtv channel 29. Ex-housemate Ebuka Obi-Uchendu from season one returned as host. The winner is expected to walk away with ₦85 million grand prize. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual audition was held to select contestants for the show. Video submissions were received from 20 May to 30 May 2020. During the submission, interested contestants submitted a two-minute video stating why they should appear on the show. At the end of the online audition, over 30,000 contestants showed their interest. Of the 30,000 contestants that showed interest, 20 Housemates were selected.

Ahead of the Big Brother Naija Season 5 reunion, a few fans called for Ebuka Obi-Uchendu to step aside as host.[22] But the greater number of fans and celebrities defended the host's performance so far.[23]

Filmography[]

Title Type Date Role Notes
Big Brother Nigeria Reality TV Series 2006 Himself Finished 8th out of 14

Awards and recognition[]

Ebuka and Toke Makinwa presenting at the 2020 AMVCA
Year Award Category Result Ref
2007 The Future Awards On-Air Personality Nominated [24]
2008 Nominated [25]
2013 Nigerian Broadcaster's Merit Awards Outstanding TV Presenter of the Year (Male) Nominated [26]
2014 Nominated
2015 Won
2021 Net Honours Most Popular Media Personality (Male) Won [27]

In 2011, he was selected as a Global Shaper – an exclusive group of young emerging leaders across the world – with the World Economic Forum.

In 2013, he was honored by the Federal Government as one of the Best 100 Young Nigerians in one of the events to mark Nigeria's 100th anniversary as a union.

Personal life[]

On 15 April 2015 Ebuka got engaged[28] to HR manager, Cynthia Obianodo in Lagos. They got married on 6 February 2016 in Abuja.[29] On 8 November 2016, they welcomed a daughter. In 2018 they announced they were expecting another child via Instagram[30]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "See Ebuka Obi-Uchendu's style throughout the reality show". pulse.ng. 9 April 2017.
  2. ^ "Rubbing Minds With Ebuka Obi-Uchendu". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 23 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Men's Corner | EbonyLife TV". 20 June 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Check out dapper pictures of Ebuka". P.M. News. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  5. ^ "BBNaija: Ebuka Biography, Net Worth". Newsflash247 Nigeria. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Interview: From Law To ShowBiz, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu Reveals Why He Is The Voice Of The New Generation". onobello.com.
  7. ^ Ebuka The Don http://pub33.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=2762200434&frmid=934&msgid=675705&cmd=show Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Amebor Website http://amebor.com/minding-ebuka-obi-uchendus/
  9. ^ BellaNaija http://bellanaija.blogspot.com/2006/11/bellanaija-hot-list.html
  10. ^ "Big Brother picks Ebuka as host". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Ebuka Hosts Big Brother Naija". 24 December 2017.
  12. ^ NaijaRules http://www.naijarules.com/vb/nollywood-movies-tv-shows/19214-friend-foe-adds-more-fun-television.html Archived 26 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Naija News http://www.mynaijanews.com/content/view/419/81/
  14. ^ The Sun http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/showtime/2007/mar/23/showtime-23-03-2007-003.htm Archived 6 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Click on Glitterati http://www.thisdayonline.com/
  16. ^ "NnekaTV". 25 March 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2014 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ Naija News http://www.mynaijanews.com/content/view/442/81
  18. ^ "Rubbing Minds With Ebuka Obi-Uchendu". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 23 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  19. ^ "TV TAKEOVER: Ebuka Obi-Uchendu Joins EbonyLife TV with Lamide Akintobi & Zainab Balogun". 360Nobs.com. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  20. ^ "EbonyLife TV: Naija Politics". m.facebook.com.
  21. ^ "Why do women cheat?". pulse.ng. 23 December 2016.
  22. ^ "EBUKA: Understanding why Nigerian feminists want Big Brother Naija host changed". Ripples Nigeria. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Jemima Osunde curses follower who asked for Ebuka Obi Uchendu to be replaced as the host of Big Brother Naija". Linda Ikeji's Blog. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  24. ^ "NOMINEES LIST FOR 2007 | The Future Africa – Inspiring Leadership, Building Enterprise | Nigeria's Biggest Youth Event". Thefuturenigeria.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  25. ^ "NOMINEES LIST FOR 2008 | The Future Africa – Inspiring Leadership, Building Enterprise | Nigeria's Biggest Youth Event". Thefuturenigeria.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  26. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. ^ "Net Honours - The Class of 2021". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  28. ^ "Ebuka Obi-Uchendu & Cynthia Obianodo are Engaged!". BellaNaija. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  29. ^ "First Look: Cynthia Obianodo & Ebuka Obi-Uchendu's White Wedding in Abuja". 6 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Media personality, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu & wife Cynthia welcomes a baby girl". Daily Times Nigeria. 11 November 2016.
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