By Prisca Sam-Duru

From a social media content creator to a household face on TVC Entertainment, Edgar Eriakha’s journey to Nigerian television wasn’t planned. It was earned. In fact, Edgar wasn’t looking for TV at all; TV found him.

Before joining the popular morning show Wake Up Nigeria as a co-host, Edgar was simply doing what he loved: creating. He was writing on his blog, running his business, and making unique social media videos. His concept was simple but brilliant—he took trending social media drama and compressed it into hilarious movie-trailer formats.

People loved it. Luckily, someone at TVC was watching.

“Someone reached out to me from TVC asking if I would love to audition as a presenter,” Edgar recalls. “I had absolutely no prior knowledge of broadcasting.”

What followed wasn’t a shortcut to fame but a rigorous masterclass. TVC groomed and trained him, giving him the room to learn a craft he had never studied. Even with a Theatre Arts degree from the University of Lagos and years of stage experience, live television was a completely different ball game.

During his first week, Edgar didn’t even touch a microphone. Instead, he sat in the production control room, studying the rhythm of live TV from behind the scenes. Then came the gruelling prompter practice and camera drills. Finally, the big day arrived.

“My first day presenting live was hilarious,” he says, laughing. “I made so many mistakes. I was so nervous, I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.”

He was shaking so much that viewers actually thought it was part of a comedy act. In a way, his natural acting skills saved him—even his genuine panic looked like pure entertainment.

“The good thing is Wake Up Nigeria allows for freedom and personal style. That saved my life,” he adds.

That freedom fits him perfectly. Edgar’s background was never in broadcasting: it was in storytelling across every format available to him.

Before Wake Up Nigeria, Edgar had written commercials for Pulse Nigeria and even tried his hand at stand-up comedy. He often wondered if he should just stick to writing or comedy. But on the Wake Up Nigeria set, he realized none of those past experiences were wasted. They were all preparing him for the unpredictable world of live television.

“You have to research, study, and come ready for anything,” Edgar warns. “The teleprompter could fail. A guest might wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Anything can happen, and the show must go on.”

Away from the morning rush, Edgar hosts Quick Kash, a high-energy money game show on TVC Entertainment where three contestants battle for a 500,000 naira jackpot every Monday and Friday at 1:30pm. He also hosts Why Am I Still Single?, a hit comedy podcast with over 128,000 downloads. His fans, affectionately called the “CheckMates,” love the running joke that Edgar is officially the most single man in Nigeria.

Does that single-man reputation follow him to his serious TV job?

“I wouldn’t say it hurts,” Edgar says with a grin. “I actually think it helps. My problem is public now, and with thousands of viewers watching, I’m sure someone will solve it for me very soon! It only hurts on days when my co-hosts decide to tease me on air, but I’m fine.”

Back home in Ibadan, his mother, a poultry farmer, watches his rising profile with pride. While she doesn’t have the patience to listen to
his podcasts, she never misses him on television. Seeing her son on screen is something she can easily celebrate—even if she chooses to completely ignore the podcast about him being single.

From clicking ‘record’ on his phone to handling the pressure of live national television, Edgar Eriakha has proven that when opportunity knocks, you just have to show up and be yourself.