I must confess! I do not remember much about TV entertainment from the nineties. In between waiting for the electricity company to have some common sense and continually trying to convince my parents that I have enough value as a human to be worth TV access, I could barely wait for the years to pass and with it my ‘limiting’ status as a child.
But now caught up in the unending irrelevant bustles of life, I find myself reminiscing and wishing for a rewind of the days. I want to go back to being the bed-wetting kid whose entertainment had not been soiled whatsoever by the knowledge that stunt men do exist, that India soccer team did not beat Nigeria 99-0, that Chucky was not real and that there was really such a thing called ‘film trick’.
Back then, the greatest competitors to my TV entertainment were my parents and my siblings. (Now the greatest competitors to my TV entertainment is the menacing trio of my job, Lagos traffic and sleep. It seems in this life, you never get to have enough time to watch TV after all.) But for the ungraciously short times I get to sit comfortable in front of a switched-on television in those days, there were some particular faces that made it worth my while. Faces that defined entertainment not just for me growing up, but for countless other 90s kids too. We have compiled a two-part series on these faces and their equivalent replacements as at August 2017…because this month, KOKO is all about the nineties.
1. Liz Benson: We were introduced to Liz Benson in the early 90s courtesy of the hugely popular ‘Fortunes’ drama series and from then on, we just could not get enough. She became the default queen of the Nigeria TV screens at the height of her fame. No 90s kid can ever forget classics like Diamond Ring, Back To Life, Scores To Settle and Witches. And her performances played no small part in this. She has since taken a back seat in the movie industry, rather focusing her attention on evangelism and her 7-year-old marriage. Her recent appearance in Idahosa Trails though is one to watch out for. Her role in the movie industry has since been snapped up by Genevieve Nnaji who would be forgiven if she gets tired of all the adulation coming her way from fans all over the nation.
2. Shina Peters: When I say Afro Juju, one name races through your head just before you get ready to boogey down. The music ace was Nigeria’s most loved “rock star” at his best. He was brash and loud in appearance and his songs were no different. And boy oh boy! did he have a way of dropping tunes your legs could not resist wriggling too. His 2017 equivalent can be none other than Davido. They are both confident, possess vivid style, have more than their fair share of baby-mama troubles but still adept at bring out hits after hits.
3. Plantashun Boiz: Boy bands are always the rave of the moment. Tuface, Faze and Black Face just could not do anything wrong (….Ayayaya…somebody say Plantashun Boiz). One was the voice, one was the street and one was the Michelle Williams – you figure out which was which. They have since disbanded and whereby there has been numerous boy bands in-between then and now, replacing them has been a tough act and the only group that has come closest to replicating Plantashun Boiz’s works is Skuki. Although it comprises only on two brothers, they also rule airwaves whenever they try to increase their relatively low portfolio of works. And they are not strangers to remixing previous hits too.
4. RMD: Deep voiced, handsome, tall and a frustratingly private life. Richard Mofe-Damijo was the actor of the decade. He was already a man of interest before his rumoured relationship with Lunch Break’s host, Jumobi, made everyone go hyper. The rumours turned out to be true as so did our continuous love for him. His replacement might be a controversial choice but I do believe the crown should go to Yul Edochie. They both possess the air of Nollywood royalty and while one earned his through toil, the latter inherited his via the virtue of his father Pete Edochie. The semblance between the duo can be seen best in how easily the duo were/are able to translate their acting fame into politics. RMD is a retired state commissioner while Yul has been building up hype in his race for Anambra governorship.
Photo Credit: Getty
