By KEMI YESUFU
The name Stella Nwosu might not ring a bell. But thousands of radio listeners can attest to the fame of Stella’s later ego Wil-Wili. They hardly miss her programme on Wazobia FM Abuja. In this interview Abuja’s hottest radio presenter speaks on her childhood, career and the search for Mr. Right. How did you get into broadcasting? I have always loved broadcasting. As a kid, I always looked forward to the evening news on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). Each time I finished watching the news, I would say to myself, ‘this is what I want to do when I grow up’. When it was time for me to get into university, I had courses like Law and Economics in mind. But a close friend advised me to study Mass Communication. He said my bubbly personality is well suited for a career in the media.
That was the first time I heard about the course. I took the advice and had a good time studying Mass Communication at Nnamdi Azikiwe University. But at some point I lost interest in pursuing a career in the media. Rather than look for a job in the media I looked at other sectors. But all I got were contract jobs, not the kind of jobs that a graduate would be happy staying in for a long while. That was until a friend of mine, Jude Otigbo, told me to submit my curriculum vitae (CV) at Wazobia FM. I gave him the same reasons why I lost interest in working in the media. I didn’t like the celebrity lifestyle. For me, the life of a celebrity is restrictive.
You have to be careful about even simple things like where you eat. But he still insisted that I drop my CV at Wazobia FM. He said a media job was much better than me idling away at home. Jude submitted my CV, after which I went for auditions twice. After a long wait with no response, Jude told Wazobia FM presenter, Yaw, about my application. Yaw and Jude took up the matter and this resulted in two more auditions. The difference was that this time around I put in my very best because Yaw and Jude strongly advised me to give the auditions my best shot. I thank God I didn’t disappoint both guys. I started out as a side-kick to Yaw.
I also worked with Motunde, OPJ and Expensive. I was later transferred to Abuja as one of the founding staff of Wazobia FM Abuja. Have your views about the media changed now that you’re into broadcasting full time? I told myself that there must be a reason for my having a career in the media despite avoiding the sector. For me it is like I was guided into the profession by the hand of God. I say this because with what I do on radio, you can call me a counselor, a teacher and I am also fulfilling a prophecy I received many times.
When I was still looking for a job, each time I went to church to pray, pastors would tell me “You will work for God.” I have realized that they were actually talking about the work I do on radio. It is not only when you preach from the pulpit that you can touch lives or inspire people, because I have been doing something similar since I started work on radio. Now I can say that I enjoy what I do.
It is not only when you give people money that you help them. Words of encouragement go a long way and if people pick up the pieces, it is similar to healing the sick or broken-hearted. So are you always in the mood to counsel people. Don’t you have diva moments? I am a regular person. I do things girls my age do. I hang out with friends. I go clubbing because I love dancing. I converse with friends. I am not going to sit here and pretend that I am pious every moment of the day. What I can say is that I put God first in anything I do.
He is my all in all. I have been through situations in life that made me careful about what I do. I take my time before doing or saying anything. You just talked about how important God is to you. But in describing your character, you didn’t say anything about going to church? Who no dey go church? In Nigeria the percentage of Christians who go to church is much higher than those who don’t. But I won’t sit here and claim to be holier or more born-again than the next person. There are some people who don’t go to church but they are more holy than those who frequent the church. What matters for me is my being sincere. But to answer your question, I do go to church and I am serious about worshiping God because He got me where I am today.
You’re the toast of listeners in Abuja, a good number of them want you at their events. You must be smiling to the bank, are you not? You know that broadcasting gives its practitioners a high level of exposure. So it is commonplace for people to invite you to events. I believe that each day I go on-air I have to put in my best. I am not out to advertise myself but I guess when you do your job well people will come looking for you. I am doing just fine financially. I am not this rich girl with so much money. I live a decent life. I can afford life’s little luxuries. I never buy motor but e no mean say you go fit use am judge whether I rich or not. How did you come about your on-air nickname, Wili-Wili? My full name is Stella Anwuli Nwosu.
When I was growing up in Ajegunle my friends used to call me “Nwuli” which is the short form of my name. Some of them used to mention “Nwuli” twice just like Wili-Wili. I played around with different ideas when it was time for me to pick a stage name. At some point, I started having flashbacks to my childhood so I settled for Wili-Wili. Is there a difference between Stella Nwosu and the character, Wili-Wili? Stella and Wili-Wili have a lot in common. For example, the way I talk on radio is similar to how I talk with the people around me. But most people are surprised when they see me. They often say I don’t look the way they expected. Some say they expected to see a middle-aged woman and those who think I should be young have the image of a rugged girl in mind. People often find it hard to believe I am the same person they listen to on radio.
Wazobia FM presenters do a lot of talking with listeners. What is the craziest thing a caller ever said to you? I cannot think of any really crazy thing a caller has said to me. But people often argue about my gender. They keep asking if I am a guy or a babe. How do you prepare before going on air? Aside from the basic formalities in broadcasting, when it comes to presenting programmes in Nigerian Pidgin, it is largely freestyle. We also look for interesting topics to dissect with listeners. Sometimes, I have a number of topics which I choose from because we often bring up topical issues. Sometimes, I have to think hard to pick an interesting topic. Other times I exchange ideas with colleagues. The whole idea is to go on-air well prepared.
When some people become celebrities, they play down the fact that they grew up in the ghetto. But you are different; you say where you come from without being asked. Why? I grew up around friends and family members who don’t like fake people. Secondly, people who go about hiding their background end up embarrassing themselves. After lying about your background and people find out that you lied, it turns into a big disgrace. But if you had kept things real from the onset, you will not have any problems in future and people will accept you for who you are. Gone are the days when people were ashamed of saying they grew up in Ajegunle. We have way too many success stories coming out from Ajegunle for anyone to be ashamed of it now. How was it like growing up in Ajegunle? It was fun. I love Ajegunle. Those days in Ajegunle there was hardly a family that didn’t have a child that had talent. It was that you were either into sports or music. But my parents were strict with us.
They were very clear about us not keeping the wrong friends. We didn’t pick up bad habits. This is why when I tell people that I grew up in Ajegunle they find it hard to believe. To me, it shows that what matters most is your upbringing not how rough or peaceful your neighborhood was. In fact, my background as someone who grew up in Ajegunle has helped me a great deal because listeners can relate with what you say. If I grew up in one posh area, went to a big private school and did all the aje butter stuff, the listeners will see through me when I talk. But because I have seen the rugged life in the ghetto and I spoke Ajegunle pidgin while growing up, people connect with me when I go on-air. What kind of people did your parents stop you from hanging out with? My parents didn’t follow us around handpicking our friends but they instilled in us certain values.
We knew when to stop playing so we could go back home. We weren’t allowed to have friends outside school. So there was no reason for anyone to visit us or for us to go visiting any friend. Even when we left home we behaved as if our parents were still around. This is why my sisters are my best friends. From what you said, your family must be closely knitted. Is that the case? Yes, we are very close. It’s me, my parents and my two sisters. My sisters are my best friends. I don’t move around with friends, though I make friends so easily. I don’t think I have to pick one or two people and stick to them alone. Maybe because when I get into a place I quickly mix up and it would be like I have known the people I just met for years. Did your father ever worry about not having a male child? You know as it is often said with men you can never tell. But I don’t think my father has any other child aside from my sisters and me. Most men that marry a second wife in search of a son do so to please their relations.
My dad is the kind of person that would tell his relations that he would prefer to first train the children he has before thinking of burdening himself with another set of children. My dad never complained about not having a son. Which of your parents influenced you the most? My parents are unique. If my mum is not around, my dad will play both her role and his. It is the same thing with my mum. If my father isn’t around, she will act as father and mother. It is hard for me to say who influenced me the most. My parents are the best. I really appreciate the way they raised my sisters and I. Are you single or married? I still single o. Are you searching or fully occupied? I dey search o. I no go siddon here dey pretend say na career I dey chase for now.
Most of the women who say they are more concerned about their careers are only pretending. For me, when a woman is of age, one thing stays on the back of her mind and that is, the need to get married. And such a person won’t be happy until she gets married. Are you of the view that a woman cannot be happy unless she is married? We are all human beings so we hurt when there is reason to. I am not saying a woman cannot be happy unless she is married. But if a girl desires to get married and she remains single, she will feel the pain. But as a human being, she can also look at other things that make her happy so she doesn’t spend all her days unhappy because she is single. There are women who have been through a lot of heartbreak and they decide to stay alone.
I can understand their situation. But there are people who are still open to marriage and they should be encouraged to find a good man. Again, girls have to accept certain situations because they cannot hold a gun to a man’s head to force him to marry them. So the issue of marriage is personal and people deal with it the best way they understand. For you what kind of man fits the bill? Like most girls I want a God-fearing man. I also like quiet guys. I don’t like men who love to show off. I don’t like men who seek for attention. Even before I started working at Wazobia FM I asked my mum if it was possible to do traditional wedding by simply paying the dowry with no ceremony. That is how quiet I want my life to be. The kind of guy I like is the man who goes to work, he could hang out with friends but when it’s time to come home, he gets in quietly.
I don’t want to be with the neighborhood big boy everybody hails when he walks in. I really like the lifestyle of civil servants. Are you saying civil servants can apply? (Laughing) Yes, they can. How about the looks? Let me honestly admit that I like a guy that is good looking. But life experiences – both personal and that of others – have taught me that character is more important than looks. It takes a lot for two people to get along. You seem to be a simple dresser. The fact is, I am not a fashionista.
Sometimes I make up other times I don’t. I am a T-shirt-and-jeans-kind of person. I only dress up when I have to go for events. I am a tomboy but not the extreme kind that acts or looks like a guy. What are the things that make you happy? I am just like my father, once people around me are happy, I am happy. I am not the kind of person that will say I need this or that thing to be happy. I can’t be smiling when the next person has a problem. So I really like it when things are going on well around me and people are happy.
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