By Benjamin Njoku

Nigerian pop music sensation Alex Okoroigwe popularly known as Alex O, who ruled the airwaves in the late 80s and early ‘90s, before disappearing into thin air, serenaded guests at this year’s edition of Nigeria Electronic Media Content Exhibition and Awards, NEMCEA, when he mounted the stage to dish out his evergreen songs with captivating old school dance steps.

The three days event, organized by the Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria ,EMCOAN, climaxed with an awards show, held at the prestigious Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. It was an evening of celebration and networking as content creators and stakeholders in the ecosystem were rewarded for their outstanding achievements in prime-time television , radio and online performance in the media content industry,

NEMCEA is the country’s leading content award for film, music among others, hence it focuses on recognizing players in the TV, radio and online space. The evening was well attended by the big players in the industry and it lived up to its billing.

However, mid-way into the award show, Alex O was invited on stage to make a presentation, but he ended up entertaining the guests. As demanded by the yearning guests, who were excited to behold his face again, the once rave of the moment set the stage on fire, dishing out some of the old numbers with his signature dance steps.

Performing some of his hit songs like “Celebrate” and “She’s so Pretty” the  once Jerry-Curl hairstyle-wearing singer set the auditorium agog with frenzy as everyone was seen nodding their heads and tapping their legs on the floor while singing along with him. It was indeed a case of the past resurfacing in the present to make a bold statement as Alex O reconnected the guests with the music of the ages. While his performance lasted, the whole place was enlivened with laughter and excitement.

The award show was one to remember for a long time even as the awardees were not left out. Some of them expressed gratitude to the organizers. They included movie legend, Zeb Ejiro, who clinched Outstanding Content Creator award alongside humour merchant, Opa Williams, while Femi Branch won Best Actor award for his role in “Rough Package.” Other winners on the night were Midi Agunnpopo who walked away with the Best Actress award, Femi Idowu(Best Director), Adeniji Omirin( Creative Nigeria Summit award for Best Producer) among others.

According to the Jury Chairman, Francis Onwochei, the award was highly competitive and urged practitioners to pay attention to the entry regulations in subsequent editions and also enter for more categories.

The three days event featured panel discussions, networking ,exhibition and performances.