By Onozure Dania

The Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture on Wednesday announced its collaboration with Effect Best Perfect Solutions Ltd (EBPS), a content development firm and producers of the Lagos Family Reality Show.

The Reality Show, which will be aired for 13 weeks will feature 36 families, resident in Lagos and representing Nigeria’s 36 states .

They will slug it out for the star prize of N20million and SUV, and N30milion to execute community projects in their local government area of residence.

Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, unveiled the logo of the Lagos Family Reality Show at a press conference.

She welcomed the development, noting that it came at this period when some persons were agitating for the country’s division.

Akinbile-Yussuf described the show as centred on inspiring the spirit of unity and noble values amongst Lagosians.

She said: “Lagos State being a cosmopolitan city, accommodates every tribe within and outside Nigeria and has given platform for everybody to thrive. I think this is the best time for this kind of programme that will speak to the minds of people about the advantages of unity; the unity we are having at this moment in Nigeria, can’t be better than what we are having now.

“Lagos State, like Nigeria, is home to all ethnic groups who have lived harmoniously for centuries despite their diverse ways of life. But, unfortunately, there have been agitations for disintegration from various quarters.

“As a model for national unity and a testimony that Nigerians are better together, Lagos State created The Family Reality Show to reignite our national unity, elicit a sense of pride and grow the knowledge about the country, states, our culture, history and values”.

“The Lagos Family Reality Show, is a state wide competition amongst families representing each state of the federation living in Lagos. These competing families will engage in various tasks that will revolve around advancing our national and state history, values and culture.

“The eventual winning family, in addition to the various prizes, will also be presented as the Celebrity Family of the year and will have the opportunity to have dinner with the Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.”

Also speaking at the conference, Mr Adeleke Ajayi, Managing Director/ Chief Executive officer of EBPS and the producer of the Family Reality TV Show, said that unity is the only way for Nigeria to stay together.

“We all need unity and for that to happen, we need to push further whether in the area of entertainment, or any other way, to make sure that everyone of us lives together as one, this reality show is actually to strengthen unity.

Ajayi said that call for auditioning of the participants would kick off on July 1- 23, 2021, auditions will take place from August 2-15, 2021 while airing of the show will commence in September and end in December 2021.

“Competing families will be given various tasks to perform at every level of the competition and at the end of every level; the candidates with the least points will be evicted, starting from week 6 through week 10.

“The beauty of the show is that we have over N100million worth of prizes to be given to participants of the show and it has been structured in such a way that every competing family has a reward irrespective of the level of eviction in the multiples of N250,000, while some families will go with as much as N5million,” he said.

Ajayi added that the show which will be broadcast nationwide on stations like LTV, NTA, AIT, TVC, Core Tv and various online channels “presents a veritable platform for brands to connect with their target market and generate sales of products by creatively leveraging the number of participants and viewership of the show.”

One of the show’s judges Mrs Yeni Kuti, said: “We need to educate our youths, our youths need to be proud to be African, proud to be Nigerian, let us still live together as human beings as brothers and sisters, irrespective of what is happening in the country today, it is unity we need.”

Other judges present at the event included Ifoma Fafunwa, Segun Lawal of the Spirit of David, while the instructors were Kathy Ige, Segun Obe, Yemi Disu, Chef Renee, Gbenga Yusuf. Others were host of the event and co-host Benneth Ogbeiwi and Oluwanifishe Ajayi