Meet the girls of Dbanj's Koko Mansion...currently airing on HiTV. LIVE transmission commenced 5:30pm yesterday.
1. Bolanle Okhiria
Age: 21
Occupation: Student [Lagos State University]
Bolanle’s first reactions to her selection was loaded with surprise, doubt, and utter consternation; she honestly thought someone was playing pranks on her, “I waited for so long for that call, and when it finally came through I was too excited to believe it was real – I had to tell the producers to prove to me that it wasn’t some kind of a joke” she said, still ecstatic about being selected. Bolanle, or Miss Bee as her close friends would call her, can best be described as a rounded character fresh off the set of a television sitcom – her intelligence, beauty, and sense of humour are some of the qualities that make her company completely irresistible. She describes herself as a romantic person who can’t be intimidated by anybody.
Bolanle was born into privilege, but by the time she turned 12, her family fortunes took a nose dive into recession, forcing her to switch from a life of opulence to one of abject poverty. “I was born with a silver spoon, but when my family fortunes turned, I was forced to learn that life is not a bed of roses”, she recalls with a warm smile, “my dad told me, it was always best to make a very positive impact out of any negative circumstance”.
As a student member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria [APCON], Bolanle describes the ideal woman as, “someone whose beauty is not just in her outward appearance, she has to be someone who understands that character is the most essential beauty ingredient in a woman”.
With a bouquet of talents ranging from rapping to dancing; Bolanle looks up to women like Cecilia Ibru and Tyra Banks as her role models. Thanks to the energy she’s derived from the lives of these exemplary women, her career ambition is to one day start her own talk show – The Bee Show, a platform to educate young women on the essence of being beautiful, bold, and brilliant.
Age: 21
Occupation: Student [Lagos State University]
Bolanle’s first reactions to her selection was loaded with surprise, doubt, and utter consternation; she honestly thought someone was playing pranks on her, “I waited for so long for that call, and when it finally came through I was too excited to believe it was real – I had to tell the producers to prove to me that it wasn’t some kind of a joke” she said, still ecstatic about being selected. Bolanle, or Miss Bee as her close friends would call her, can best be described as a rounded character fresh off the set of a television sitcom – her intelligence, beauty, and sense of humour are some of the qualities that make her company completely irresistible. She describes herself as a romantic person who can’t be intimidated by anybody.
Bolanle was born into privilege, but by the time she turned 12, her family fortunes took a nose dive into recession, forcing her to switch from a life of opulence to one of abject poverty. “I was born with a silver spoon, but when my family fortunes turned, I was forced to learn that life is not a bed of roses”, she recalls with a warm smile, “my dad told me, it was always best to make a very positive impact out of any negative circumstance”.
As a student member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria [APCON], Bolanle describes the ideal woman as, “someone whose beauty is not just in her outward appearance, she has to be someone who understands that character is the most essential beauty ingredient in a woman”.
With a bouquet of talents ranging from rapping to dancing; Bolanle looks up to women like Cecilia Ibru and Tyra Banks as her role models. Thanks to the energy she’s derived from the lives of these exemplary women, her career ambition is to one day start her own talk show – The Bee Show, a platform to educate young women on the essence of being beautiful, bold, and brilliant.
2. Lilian Ebehohon
Age: 18
Occupation: Student (University of Benin)
Lilian is one of the youngest contestants on this show, yet she is by far one of the more imposing candidates. This young lady arrests your attention with her youthful “never let anyone or anything intimidate me” attitude; her zest for life is in fact highly infectious, as her demeanor gives away the fact that she’s determined not to be taken for granted as a result of her age.
She summarizes her ideology with this smug line, “the youngest may be the smartest”. She considers herself outspoken and not loud, and she posits that, “I don’t like dull people; they always get me very angry”. She is very confident that she’s going to emerge victorious, “I know I have the qualities of the ideal Nigerian woman - amplified by my strong will”.
She’s currently nursing a career ambition in public relations, as she muses about many charitable ways to spend her prize money, “if I win this money, I’d first of all, pay my tithe – and it’d be the first time I’ll be paying my tithe…”, she would also provide her dad with the resources required to pay for his eye surgery, since his sight is fast deteriorating.
However she’s coming to the mansion, with one self-confessed flaw, “I have anger management issues, but once I hear music, I’ll calm down”. This is Lilian, whose flaw may be her quick temper, but her virtue will always be brutal honesty.
Age: 18
Occupation: Student (University of Benin)
Lilian is one of the youngest contestants on this show, yet she is by far one of the more imposing candidates. This young lady arrests your attention with her youthful “never let anyone or anything intimidate me” attitude; her zest for life is in fact highly infectious, as her demeanor gives away the fact that she’s determined not to be taken for granted as a result of her age.
She summarizes her ideology with this smug line, “the youngest may be the smartest”. She considers herself outspoken and not loud, and she posits that, “I don’t like dull people; they always get me very angry”. She is very confident that she’s going to emerge victorious, “I know I have the qualities of the ideal Nigerian woman - amplified by my strong will”.
She’s currently nursing a career ambition in public relations, as she muses about many charitable ways to spend her prize money, “if I win this money, I’d first of all, pay my tithe – and it’d be the first time I’ll be paying my tithe…”, she would also provide her dad with the resources required to pay for his eye surgery, since his sight is fast deteriorating.
However she’s coming to the mansion, with one self-confessed flaw, “I have anger management issues, but once I hear music, I’ll calm down”. This is Lilian, whose flaw may be her quick temper, but her virtue will always be brutal honesty.
3. Chidinma Mbalaso
Age: 20
Occupation: Student (University of Abuja)
For Chidinma, her biggest concern is for people to see her as more than just a pretty face. This pretty young lady, whose role models are Dora Akunyili and Oprah Winfrey, considers herself an emotional person whose life ambition is to be an entertainment mogul. “I want to do movies – I want to be on TV – I want to make a difference in the entertainment industry”, she says.
Growing up for her was very pleasant, “it’s not like my family is very well to do, but my parents made sure I didn’t lack anything, but they also made me understand that I couldn’t have everything”.
She considers herself someone with a good sense of fashion. She thinks she could be caring to a fault. She just finished reading Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows, and as such, one can assume she has a romantic streak. And if her attractive looks are matched with an equal amount of intellects, then her participation on this show may really be jump-starting a flourishing career on TV.
She has ten siblings, of which she is the youngest. And she comes to the mansion, determined to utilize this platform as a launch pad for her long-term career ambition in entertainment.
Age: 20
Occupation: Student (University of Abuja)
For Chidinma, her biggest concern is for people to see her as more than just a pretty face. This pretty young lady, whose role models are Dora Akunyili and Oprah Winfrey, considers herself an emotional person whose life ambition is to be an entertainment mogul. “I want to do movies – I want to be on TV – I want to make a difference in the entertainment industry”, she says.
Growing up for her was very pleasant, “it’s not like my family is very well to do, but my parents made sure I didn’t lack anything, but they also made me understand that I couldn’t have everything”.
She considers herself someone with a good sense of fashion. She thinks she could be caring to a fault. She just finished reading Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows, and as such, one can assume she has a romantic streak. And if her attractive looks are matched with an equal amount of intellects, then her participation on this show may really be jump-starting a flourishing career on TV.
She has ten siblings, of which she is the youngest. And she comes to the mansion, determined to utilize this platform as a launch pad for her long-term career ambition in entertainment.
4. Victoria Oloye
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
When this young lady said, “I need to prove to people that you don’t need to come from a wealthy family to succeed in life” - she was just summarizing her travails, and describing her ambitions in life. She wants her life to be an inspirational rags-to-riches story. She is determined to use her participation on the show to buttress her point. Her dreams are gigantic, channeled in many directions. To her it is an effective strategy for success, because then when one door closes, she opens up another one. Her many dreams include running a successful travel agency, producing international standard movies, and owning a video-vixen agency. In order to keep herself focused on the bigger picture, she’s had to stoop on many occasions to conquer – she’s run a street-side phone call centre, worked as a sales girl, and later became a waitress in a classy bar, before enrolling into the Nigerian Institute of Aviation and Maritime Studies.
She cuts across as an emotional young lady with so much energy and determination to make the best out of the available options that life has presented her. Her strategy for success on the show is, “ to simply be me, because if the judges could find me interesting enough to shortlist me, then the public will also be impressed by the real me”.
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
When this young lady said, “I need to prove to people that you don’t need to come from a wealthy family to succeed in life” - she was just summarizing her travails, and describing her ambitions in life. She wants her life to be an inspirational rags-to-riches story. She is determined to use her participation on the show to buttress her point. Her dreams are gigantic, channeled in many directions. To her it is an effective strategy for success, because then when one door closes, she opens up another one. Her many dreams include running a successful travel agency, producing international standard movies, and owning a video-vixen agency. In order to keep herself focused on the bigger picture, she’s had to stoop on many occasions to conquer – she’s run a street-side phone call centre, worked as a sales girl, and later became a waitress in a classy bar, before enrolling into the Nigerian Institute of Aviation and Maritime Studies.
She cuts across as an emotional young lady with so much energy and determination to make the best out of the available options that life has presented her. Her strategy for success on the show is, “ to simply be me, because if the judges could find me interesting enough to shortlist me, then the public will also be impressed by the real me”.
5. Chioma Akuezue
Age: 21
Occupation: Musician
Chioma is a talented musician who has no time to disguise her motivation for participation on the show, “I’m here for the money, because when I get the money, I’ll be able to produce my songs, and the popularity will help too, because for you to succeed in the entertainment business, you need to be known”. She believes she’s different from the other candidates because she can sing very well.
Her slender frame lured her into modeling, a profession she is also passionate about. She even described her biggest challenge in life as her desire to prove to those fashion organizers who hurt her ego a few years ago by telling her she wasn’t fit for runway modeling, that she could and would become a successful entertainer.
She considers her participation on this show as a desirable opportunity to showcase her talent to the world. According to her she’s been through a whole lot, where sexual predators had tried but failed to take advantage of her under the guise of helping her with her career, “I want to be a superstar, but not at the expense of my integrity”.
6. Shona Merenu
Age: 23
Occupation: freshly graduated from the Imo State University
Despite the fact that Shona disagrees that she’s a loud person, she admits that, “I don’t seek out attention intentionally, but I always end up attracting attention to myself”. She was more of a tom-boy growing up with three elder brothers, yet she feels that she was pampered as the last child in her family. She’s a very opinionated person who likes dictating what she wants to do, believing that nobody is capable of intimidating her. She hates rules, but does not always go out to break them; instead she looks out for loopholes in the rules that could work in her favour.
“I’ve never struggled for anything in my life before, that’s why I want to struggle with eleven other beautiful ladies, because I need an experience to look back upon”, she says, going on to describe how she wishes to reconstruct people’s perception of her, “When people meet me, at first sight, they feel am a proud person with an attitude, and I want to correct this impression”
She comes to the Koko Mansion on a mission to prove how deep she really is, while exposing her many talents which include knitting, sewing, hair braiding, and make-up. Not forgetting that this young lady has her eyes set on establishing a career in modeling and acting.
Age: 23
Occupation: freshly graduated from the Imo State University
Despite the fact that Shona disagrees that she’s a loud person, she admits that, “I don’t seek out attention intentionally, but I always end up attracting attention to myself”. She was more of a tom-boy growing up with three elder brothers, yet she feels that she was pampered as the last child in her family. She’s a very opinionated person who likes dictating what she wants to do, believing that nobody is capable of intimidating her. She hates rules, but does not always go out to break them; instead she looks out for loopholes in the rules that could work in her favour.
“I’ve never struggled for anything in my life before, that’s why I want to struggle with eleven other beautiful ladies, because I need an experience to look back upon”, she says, going on to describe how she wishes to reconstruct people’s perception of her, “When people meet me, at first sight, they feel am a proud person with an attitude, and I want to correct this impression”
She comes to the Koko Mansion on a mission to prove how deep she really is, while exposing her many talents which include knitting, sewing, hair braiding, and make-up. Not forgetting that this young lady has her eyes set on establishing a career in modeling and acting.
7. Bidemi Jolayemi
Age: 23
Occupation: Student [Olabisi Onabanjo University]
Bidemi is an unrepentant optimist. “I’m a girl with a PMA – Positive Mental Attitude” she reaffirms, “I’m disciplined, sociable, and hardworking”. Bidemi’s strong faith in humanity gives her a romantic disposition that believes that something good could always be harnessed from very bad situations.
She’s always never in favor of popular opinions on issues, fashion, and everything in between, “I don’t like following the crowd, and I like setting my own unique trends, dictating my own pace, because I never let myself to be sucked in by peer pressure”
Bidemi recounts an incident that almost shook her faith in optimism, “ when my dad was in a coma, about to die, and the doctors told my family that he was going to die – I was the only one who stubbornly held on to the belief that he would live, but he eventually died”, yet she did not give up believing that her faith was not misplaced, “my dad had always wanted me to be a medical doctor because he was diabetic and hypertensive, and his sole heart desire was to have one of kids cure him…”. Though she was devastated by her father’s death, she’s determined to save as many people as possible, and this is the reason why she’s currently studying to become a medical doctor. Her life is a crusade to give good health to the sick, and save the world from pessimism.
She comes to the mansion, with years of experience living with strangers, from boarding school to her hostel on campus, “I’ve lived with strangers before and they all became friends with me, I’m patient, and it really takes time to get on my nerves, however I don’t like people taking me for granted"
Occupation: Student [Olabisi Onabanjo University]
Bidemi is an unrepentant optimist. “I’m a girl with a PMA – Positive Mental Attitude” she reaffirms, “I’m disciplined, sociable, and hardworking”. Bidemi’s strong faith in humanity gives her a romantic disposition that believes that something good could always be harnessed from very bad situations.
She’s always never in favor of popular opinions on issues, fashion, and everything in between, “I don’t like following the crowd, and I like setting my own unique trends, dictating my own pace, because I never let myself to be sucked in by peer pressure”
Bidemi recounts an incident that almost shook her faith in optimism, “ when my dad was in a coma, about to die, and the doctors told my family that he was going to die – I was the only one who stubbornly held on to the belief that he would live, but he eventually died”, yet she did not give up believing that her faith was not misplaced, “my dad had always wanted me to be a medical doctor because he was diabetic and hypertensive, and his sole heart desire was to have one of kids cure him…”. Though she was devastated by her father’s death, she’s determined to save as many people as possible, and this is the reason why she’s currently studying to become a medical doctor. Her life is a crusade to give good health to the sick, and save the world from pessimism.
She comes to the mansion, with years of experience living with strangers, from boarding school to her hostel on campus, “I’ve lived with strangers before and they all became friends with me, I’m patient, and it really takes time to get on my nerves, however I don’t like people taking me for granted"
8. Chinwe Hilda Ukadike
Age: 23
Occupation: Just concluded NYSC
The fact that Chinwe loves tattoos cannot be overemphasized, because her love for tattoos is buried skin deep in three different places on her body. But so also is her passion for fashion, and her ambition to become a celebrated actress. She likes to consider herself as someone who got the necessities of life as a child, “growing up was fun for me, I was always doted on by eight wonderful elder sisters”.
Chinwe grew up in Lagos. She loves watching horror movies, “I enjoy watching movies like Van Helsing, and whenever I’m watching a movie like this, I turn the light off [for that eerie effect]”.
She can best be described as a brave and courageous young lady, who is walking into the mansion with no fear for anything, especially not for needles, “I’m used to needles – I’m used to pain, I pierced four holes in each of my earlobes myself – my pain-resistant level is very high”.
Despite what many may consider eccentric, Chinwe believes that, “I have 90% of the qualities of an ideal woman, and will use the show as a ladder for my acting career…”
Occupation: Just concluded NYSC
The fact that Chinwe loves tattoos cannot be overemphasized, because her love for tattoos is buried skin deep in three different places on her body. But so also is her passion for fashion, and her ambition to become a celebrated actress. She likes to consider herself as someone who got the necessities of life as a child, “growing up was fun for me, I was always doted on by eight wonderful elder sisters”.
Chinwe grew up in Lagos. She loves watching horror movies, “I enjoy watching movies like Van Helsing, and whenever I’m watching a movie like this, I turn the light off [for that eerie effect]”.
She can best be described as a brave and courageous young lady, who is walking into the mansion with no fear for anything, especially not for needles, “I’m used to needles – I’m used to pain, I pierced four holes in each of my earlobes myself – my pain-resistant level is very high”.
Despite what many may consider eccentric, Chinwe believes that, “I have 90% of the qualities of an ideal woman, and will use the show as a ladder for my acting career…”
9. Elizabeth Efe Era
Age: 27
Occupation: Student (University of Uyo)
Elizabeth is a lady that strikes you as someone who’s out to save the world, even if this task ends up hurting her. Despite the fact that she is studying economics, she maintains an unrelenting flair for entertainment. However, Elizabeth is a young lady who tries too hard to change the people around her – in fact, she says, “I should be able to counsel my fellow contestants – I want to be like a mother to them – I want to change the mindset of the girls”.
She developed her inert motherly disposition as a result of her exposure as a child to the emotional needs of a large family – she was born into a family of eleven; gradually she developed into a surrogate parent to her siblings, acting as the voice of reason, and go-between between her siblings and her parents.
“I study people” she admits, “so it will help me understand the ladies at the mansion”. It is quite unclear how eleven dynamic young ladies would react to a stranger imposing as a surrogate mother, but it would be interesting to see how Elizabeth intends to pull this off, since she’s so passionate about playing this role, “I cannot change who I am – I am a caring person, and I was born with this disposition to nurture and care for people”
Not just that, Elizabeth comes to the mansion with a combination of self-uprightness, and one other character which she can be quoted as saying: “when I was growing up, I was like the Amebo (tell-tale girl) in the house – I was the one who always had to tell my dad things – I was bold, and I was the only one who could confront my dad with complaints from my siblings”.
10. Mary Osinachi Bruno
Age: 21
Occupation: Student [Lagos State University]/ Business Woman
Mary describes growing up as fun, with a few tough times. Her nickname Sleek Chic best interprets her personality; having been raised in Lagos, she describes the incessant traffic on the roads as an inspiration that influenced a deep appreciation for promptness, swiftness, and accuracy in her actions through life. As a result, she’s learnt to act on her decisions quickly.
She describes her parents as liberal disciplinarians, “they let you take your own decisions once they think it’s the right one”.
According to her, she’s on this show just to live the life, and show Nigerians the kind of person she really is. She’s not really in for the money, but here because she wants to experience what it’s like to live in the same house with strangers – mix with other people from different backgrounds, since all her life, she’s never shared a house with persons other than her immediate family. She however states that, “the fact that I’ve not lived with other people doesn’t mean I don’t know how to live with people”.
Occupation: Student [Lagos State University]/ Business Woman
Mary describes growing up as fun, with a few tough times. Her nickname Sleek Chic best interprets her personality; having been raised in Lagos, she describes the incessant traffic on the roads as an inspiration that influenced a deep appreciation for promptness, swiftness, and accuracy in her actions through life. As a result, she’s learnt to act on her decisions quickly.
She describes her parents as liberal disciplinarians, “they let you take your own decisions once they think it’s the right one”.
According to her, she’s on this show just to live the life, and show Nigerians the kind of person she really is. She’s not really in for the money, but here because she wants to experience what it’s like to live in the same house with strangers – mix with other people from different backgrounds, since all her life, she’s never shared a house with persons other than her immediate family. She however states that, “the fact that I’ve not lived with other people doesn’t mean I don’t know how to live with people”.
11. Igbinedion Rita Isoken
Age: 19
Occupation: student
Probably the most emotional candidate in the mansion, Rita is a walking example of determination. Over the years, through experience, she’s learnt that the only way to succeed in life is to believe in your self 100%. “I came here because I want to get exposure, not necessarily because of the money, because if I represent myself well, the future will give me more money than the prize money”, she said, admitting that she intends to be caring to her fellow contestants, and guide them whenever they’re wrong.
Coming from a very humble background has made her resolute in her pursuit to become successful. She believes her chances at the title are obvious, as she puts it, “I can prove myself as a woman because I know my left from my right”. Her ambition was inspired by an emotionally daunting experience a few years ago, when she was sent packing from school for her parents inability to pay her school fees – as she remembers, her dad was broke, and the rich folks she knew berated her for being poor instead of helping her with the required sum to pay her school fees – that incident introduced her to how cold the world was to the poor, “it was after this incident that I swore to myself that I was going to succeed in life”
She comes to the mansion with the ability to tell emotionally gripping stories, and promises to be an interesting candidate.
Age: 19
Occupation: student
Probably the most emotional candidate in the mansion, Rita is a walking example of determination. Over the years, through experience, she’s learnt that the only way to succeed in life is to believe in your self 100%. “I came here because I want to get exposure, not necessarily because of the money, because if I represent myself well, the future will give me more money than the prize money”, she said, admitting that she intends to be caring to her fellow contestants, and guide them whenever they’re wrong.
Coming from a very humble background has made her resolute in her pursuit to become successful. She believes her chances at the title are obvious, as she puts it, “I can prove myself as a woman because I know my left from my right”. Her ambition was inspired by an emotionally daunting experience a few years ago, when she was sent packing from school for her parents inability to pay her school fees – as she remembers, her dad was broke, and the rich folks she knew berated her for being poor instead of helping her with the required sum to pay her school fees – that incident introduced her to how cold the world was to the poor, “it was after this incident that I swore to myself that I was going to succeed in life”
She comes to the mansion with the ability to tell emotionally gripping stories, and promises to be an interesting candidate.
12. Rekana Sharon Ojong
Age: 23
Occupation: freshly graduated from the University of Calabar
She majored in Policy and Administrative Studies, yet her passion is deeply rooted in fashion. But if you think that being crazy about fashion is a denigrating attribute, then think again, because this young lady is on a mission, “I’m here to prove to people that I’m not just a beautiful person, but someone with enormous intelligence and depth”.
Rekana’s childhood was not exactly a Cinderella story, “growing up was very difficult – I was raised by my dad alone because my mum left us when I was eight”. She grew up with four older brothers, and one sister, and as the case would be, she became a Tomboy, until she was rescued by a professional model who was involved with her dad, igniting her passion for fashion, and gradually grooming her into becoming a delectable young fashionista who’s left no trace of her tom-boy days.
She decided to participate on this show because she loved the challenge of proving herself as an ideal Nigerian woman, “I like to be seen as a modern day woman who knows where she came from” she says, “from experience, I’ve been judged by my appearance, and for this reason, I want to advocate to people that they should not just look at a beautiful woman as a sex object”.
This young lady believes in challenging challenges.
Occupation: freshly graduated from the University of Calabar
She majored in Policy and Administrative Studies, yet her passion is deeply rooted in fashion. But if you think that being crazy about fashion is a denigrating attribute, then think again, because this young lady is on a mission, “I’m here to prove to people that I’m not just a beautiful person, but someone with enormous intelligence and depth”.
Rekana’s childhood was not exactly a Cinderella story, “growing up was very difficult – I was raised by my dad alone because my mum left us when I was eight”. She grew up with four older brothers, and one sister, and as the case would be, she became a Tomboy, until she was rescued by a professional model who was involved with her dad, igniting her passion for fashion, and gradually grooming her into becoming a delectable young fashionista who’s left no trace of her tom-boy days.
She decided to participate on this show because she loved the challenge of proving herself as an ideal Nigerian woman, “I like to be seen as a modern day woman who knows where she came from” she says, “from experience, I’ve been judged by my appearance, and for this reason, I want to advocate to people that they should not just look at a beautiful woman as a sex object”.
This young lady believes in challenging challenges.
What do you guys think?
