Started from a strike, now we’rehere: How ASUU pushed me toProject Fame victory – OlawaleOjo

Winner of MTN Project Fame season 6, Olawale Ojo in an interview with Bayo Adetu of PM News, tells it all on how he emerged winner against all odds during the stiff competition which had 16 other contestants battling for the top spot. Read excerpts from his interview: Shortly after you were announced winner of the MTN project Fame, you said your mind was still blank to express how you felt. It is about 48 hours now, so how are you feeling? I feel blessed. I feel that everything around just worked for me this season because I didn’t really expect to come out as the winner this season. It’s about God because I don’t believe there is something I did that others didn’t do. It was the grace of God and the people that voted for me. I’m really grateful to all the people that believed in me and voted. I wouldn’t have won without them. Basically, I feel this is God’s grace because at a point in the competition, I was almost evicted, so when you look at everything from beginning to the end, you will realise that it is God’s grace. If you didn’t envisage winning the competition, what was your plan when you registered to participate at the auditions? I came up to register when ASUU was on strike, and this was my first time to participate in a music competition. I didn’t really come with too much determination, but anywhere I find myself, I always try to give my best in all I do. So, when I got into the academy, I didn’t have a choice than to give my best for everything. So ASUU strike actually pushed you to Project Fame? Yes, but I believe that is how God wants it to be. The strike is a blessing in disguise for me. Who is Olawale? I am a normal guy and like I said, I am into sales and repairs of phones and laptops, and I do that in school just to make some money. But I love music so much. I play the piano, drums and I sing in my church choir. I was the music director of my church choir for two years before I left for school. Basically, that’s just me. My life has just been music and business. I just try to add value to myself. Tell us more about your experience as a phone and laptop repairer? I started as a lover of gadgets because I know much about gadgets. Like some people will call me pimp. I use to pimp their phones. It was expensive then to put some media applications like Bible on phones. It was a luxury then, and that was what I was actually doing. I later graduated into selling phones. I started knowing the problems that are peculiar with some phones and how to fix them. I didn’t really go for any special training though. I am not saying that I am very good at repairs, I do it basically based on the experience I have with phones. How lucrative was the business, and did you sponsor yourself to school with it? I didn’t sponsor myself to school, my parents did that. But there are some extra money needed in school that you can’t ask your parents; that was the type of money I was making. At times, I feel like taking some responsibilities myself, so I need to get extra cash. As a millionaire now, how do you intend to cope with your colleagues in school when the ASUU strike is over? Will there be any pressure on you? I think the only change is that I meet a lot of people and people know me now. I wasn’t this popular, but now I am popular. I think that is just the difference. I am still Olawale. The only thing different is just that I am now popular and I have to be more conscious of my career now because I have to work more on my songs. I have to make sure I don’t disappoint my fans out there. The work has changed.