By Tofarati Ige

For followers of entertainment shows on TV some years ago, the name Emma Ugolee would definitely strike a chord. He used to be one of the most watched personalities on TV when he held sway at the then Minaj Broadcasting Station.

Ugolee

However, he went out of circulation recently as a result of his running battle with kidney disease which has claimed the lives of many of his colleagues in the entertainment industry from the days of Steve Kadiri to Chaz B. He is now back with a new TV talk show simply tagged ‘The Gist.’

Unlike other shows in the country at the moment, ‘The Gist’ does not focus on celebrity life style or general issues, but is rather tailor-made to address issues which affect the industry.   The discussants though are largely celebrities and practitioners in the entertainment industry. Public opinion on the streets concerning the subject matter are also an integral part of the 30 minutes show which premieres on HipTv in January 2016.

Some of the topics discussed in the first season include  ‘How not to have a short Stay’ discussed by Alibaba and Jimmy Jatt; ‘Leave us alone, we are Humans too’ discussed by Timaya, Bovi, Monalisa VS Charles Novia and Etcetera; ‘The Overnight Celebrity; not a natural order.’ discussed by Hafiz Oyetoro (Saka) and Joseph Benjamin; ‘The new Nollywood actor: Skillful or just hyped?’ discussed by Segun Arinze vs Ik Ogbona, OC Ukeje and Uti Nwachukwu; ‘The 16-year old story of Nigerian rap music : from the underground to the streets featuring the Nigerian  .’ Proof that the industry has welcomed this development is seen in the huge turn out of celebrities to address issues on the show. There are already feelers that  Emma Ugolee may set the kind of precedence he did with the first ever all Nigerian top ten music video countdown he initiated in 2001.