Tope Mark-Odigie is a co-host on the esteemed breakfast show ‘Your View’, where she brings her passion for engaging discussions and diverse perspectives to viewers alongside her fellow hosts. Alongside her TV work, Tope is deeply passionate about promoting STEM education. Recently, she had the honor of hosting the Eko STEM Quiz, an event aimed at nurturing interest and excellence in STEM fields among young people. In this interview, Tope shares her experiences as a co-host on the show and her dedication to advocating for STEM education and empowerment in her community. 

As TV host, what inspired you to participate in hosting the EKO STEM Quiz Competition organized by the Lagos State Government? 

The Lagos State Lottery board reached out to me based on the advocacy I have always made concerning how we should prioritize education. My passion for education is known to many people within the state’s government. Based on my passion for education, I was brought in not only to host the competition but to contribute in any way that I felt would best beat the competition in success.

How do you believe the televised aspect of the quiz competition enhances its impact and outreach to students and viewers? 

People are influenced by what they see and hear. Lots of young people need to see that education is being rewarded. They need to know that being smart is not something to be frowned on but celebrated as a platform for them. Therefore, being televised on TV increases the desire for education because young children get to see their fellow mates exhibit their intelligence and gradually they become role models to other children.

Also, it increases the positive trend of smart people putting in their intelligence into their academics as opposed to some other crimes like internet fraud. These serve as an inspiration which should be motivated. I believe that the televised device aspects would have a bigger ripple effect than the prize money being given.  

Can you share any memorable moments or highlights from hosting the quiz competition that stood out to you? 

One of the things that I loved about the competition was it was a healthy competition.

There were so many smart people and the competition was so healthy that even when people lost, they felt bad and cried, but they still celebrated with their colleagues who won. It was particularly inspiring for me at the semi-final stage when they were going to pick out those at the finals. Everybody at the semi-final stage deserves to be at the final. Those that were disqualified were just by macro points and in some cases, it was the speed of answering the questions. As a result, it was warming to see young people know that they are competitive, but they are also all human beings and cheering each other on to success was very memorable for me. 

In your experience as a TV host, how do you approach engaging and entertaining an audience, especially when covering educational events like the EKO STEM Quiz? 

The world is changing and people are becoming more short in their attention span. I have realized that aside from the visual stimulus that television provides, the auditory part is extremely important. Not only do I enjoy this opportunity because I was a science student but I understand I was been reminded of all the terms.

While they were answering the questions, my experience as a science student and a professional TV host came to play in my ability to keep the audience engaged while the contestants were answering their questions.  

What do you think sets the EKO STEM Quiz Competition apart from other educational initiatives or competitions, particularly in terms of its presentation on television?

The EKO STEM  Quiz Competition is an initiative of the Lagos state lotteries board which in itself sets the competition apart. Besides, they partnered with the educational board and worked with professionals which was obvious from the questions to the presenter, to the producers. Everything about it was done with excellence at the highest level.

For me, that was extremely needed because many TV educational competitions start as being educational but along the line, people get distracted when celebrities host the show and this is because they focus more on selling their brand as opposed to selling the content and the context of the show. EKO STEM wasn’t about pushing the brand. It was basically about giving back to the community and not a marketing thing. It was a mind-transforming and reorientation platform and I think that is one thing nobody has been able to replicate. 

As a TV personality, how do you balance the educational objectives of the quiz competition with the need to keep viewers engaged and entertained? 

Any TV presenter who is a professional understands the importance of being balanced. If a program is too stiff, one will not get the mileage in terms of the number of viewers you should get. I believe that was why I was brought in because I understand the importance of education and I understand broadcasting and TV presentation. I’m able to marry the two affairs very far apart because typically, educational content is not very entertaining.

But, I have been in the industry enough to be able to marry both entertainment as well as educational content together. 

What role do you believe televised educational events, such as the EKO STEM Quiz, play in inspiring and motivating students to pursue careers in STEM fields? 

I believe we need to have more educational content being televised on TV because we need to let education go viral, encourage education and inspire people to be educated. To be a nerd and being smart is not a bad thing. Being smart shouldn’t be assaulted but rewarded. There are many entertainment shows that reward musical talent, oratory talent, dancing talent and many more. Very few TV shows reward education or even STEM.

This program with being televised will increase the number of people paying attention to it. In Nigeria, innovation doesn’t happen without STEM. Kudos to all the arts people, we love to be entertained. But for transformation to happen in a country, we need the STEM to be working well. People need to be innovative through STEM and I believe that televising a program like the EKO STEM Quiz Competition will lead to motivating students to pursue careers within the STEM field. Not only that, it will make them see being smart as a positive thing and not feel disadvantaged because they don’t have musical talent, dancing talent or any of the arts talent.