By JAMES
EMMANUEL
jemedia7@gmail.com
Recently, a popular
online media (name withheld) carried out a survey; it popped the big question
to its millions of ardent followers-who is your favourite radio presenter in
Nigeria? Among the many names mentioned by avid radio listeners, the name Mannie
ruled the long list.
“As for me, it’s
Mannie of Cool FM. That guy is talented. Whenever I listen to his Good Morning
Nigeria show, I’m always amazed and mesmerized by his voice,” one of the
respondents wrote.
Entertainment Express
went in search of the Akwa Ibom State-born seasoned presenter, whose real name
is Emmanuel Essien. Relaxed in his modest apartment, with one of his two kids
intermittently interfering in the 50-minutes interview, the amiable broadcaster
told the fascinating story of his life.
Many of your fans don’t
know you are married; when did you quit bachelorhood?
I’ve been married for
five years; most of my true fans are aware. This is the fifth year-I got
married in November 14, 2009. At the moment, I have two kids-a boy and a girl.
There is a time for everything, when it’s time for marriage, you don’t wait for
money before you get married.
As someone in the
limelight, did you find it difficult to settle down?
It’s never easy to do
anything-that is just the reality. As for me, getting married was not about
facing up with the difficulties; it was all about time…It was my due time. I
didn’t have a car when I got married. I was obeying the voice of God. If God
says this is the time for you to do anything, just do it. Body wise, it’s wrong
for a man to have children when he is old. Medically, there could also be
complications. Again, when you know you’ve seen a woman who is a wife material,
you can’t afford to let her go.
How were you able to
pick one from the many women that must have been around you then?
I’ve always had a
choice. I wanted a woman who is very simple, not materialistic; a woman that
respects men generally; a woman that has a forgiven heart-the truth is that,
most women this days do not have a forgiven heart-sorry to say that. I also
wanted a woman who has the capacity to love. Even when we were courting, my
wife knew I had some issues-women issues, bad habits-which I no longer have.
The fact is that she saw beyond that; she was able to challenge me. She asked
me, ‘is this what you want to continue doing? Do you want to keep doing this
and how long will you continue? Just let me know so I know what and where I’m
going.’ That was the voice of my wife. Any man who hears that will think twice.
What has changed about
you since you became a household name?
Nothing! I just got
better. I still keep my old friends. I don’t believe it when people say the
higher you grow in life the more likely you are to drop old friends. The truth
is that, old friends are even the true friends we can have. They are the ones
who knew you and remained with you when you were nobody. In terms of lifestyle,
yes, my life style has changed. I’m more restricted now; I don’t just go
everywhere. I don’t want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Was broadcasting what
you set out to do from the beginning? And how did your path cross with Cool FM?
I never dreamed of being
a broadcaster. I had always wanted to be a musician. I always wanted to be able
to sing motivationally. That is my core calling-to motivate people with the
voice that God gave me. But for a while, it has not been that way for me. I
started writing songs when I was just 12 years old. I have a book of songs,
containing over hundred songs. My wife laminated it because the book was becoming
useless. It’s not as if I have not tried pushing it out-I’ve begun to
understand that one can’t serve two masters at a time. Music itself is a
spirit. I have gone through many competitions-Project Fame, Benson and Hedges,
West Africa Idol, among others. Just because I didn’t make it through in those
competitions, I decided to search myself-what really am I supposed to do? It
was at that period I started marketing myself, I started making jingles and
commercials. I have done lots of that for banks, multinationals, including MTN,
FCMB, Coca Cola, and many others. I stopped doing that at a point when I was
interviewed by Cool FM. I was invited for the interview, when I returned from
Project Fame. I was interviewed and they discovered I had talents…This was in late
2004. I was a bunch of many things-I could sing, write music, scripts, etc.
That was how I was employed as a producer in Cool FM. I did that for about a
year, before my head of production put me up in a night show, to fill a gap.
Shortly after that, somebody was late to read the news and I was asked to read.
That was how it all started. From reading news I began to do other stuffs and
here I’m today!
 |
| Mannie in the studio with a colleague |
You’ve remained in the
top for many years, what is the secret?
I don’t sound like
anybody and I don’t try to sound like anybody. The truth is that, we need to
stop being uptight or rigid when it comes to broadcasting. When you are
free, you bring out the best in you. Don’t be fake, don’t try to sound like
somebody else. I think that has been working for me.
What is the greatest
thing broadcasting has done for you?
I’ve married like two
people on radio; I’ve united families that were lost; I’ve brought out deep
confessions from people and I’ve also brought out the best of love from people.
The truth is that, being able to speak to people, to change lives is the
greatest gift. Being in a position to change life is a great opportunity and
I’m grateful to God for that.
Considering the height
you’ve attained in the industry; do you still have unrealized dreams?
Yes, I do. Like I told
you, I had always wanted to be a musician (laughs). I’m trying to combine a bit
of both. Already, I’ve learned from the masters that one cannot be a master of
two things. It’s difficult-all over the world. You cannot be a Tuface and also
be something else-Tuface can’t be the best actor. You can be multitalented, but
you have to be a jack of one. I made up my mind that I will take time and
compile all my music works and with time I will release them as a series of
album. I will release them to the market, not with the aim of making profit.
Let it be that I’ve realized my dream. Already, I have some of my songs online.
My music is not local.
Tell us your genre of
music?
I do pop! I’m a pop
artiste with a huge motivational calling. All my songs motivate.
So when likely are you
dropping the album?
I’m just waiting for the
right time. I’m looking at sometimes after elections (laughs). I want to wait
till after the elections (laughs) I pray we are still together as a nation.
 |
| Mannie |
What does success mean
to you?
Success means being able
to sleep without worries and wake successfully; eat three times a day; carry
your smiling baby without hunger; being able to travel on holidays with your
family-that is success what success means to me and you don’t have to be a
billionaire before you can do all that.
Were you born with a
silver spoon?
Yes! Lots of people
don’t understand what silver spoon means in this country-I don’t know why. My
father was a principal of an institution; he was a professor and an associate
lecturer in London for a while. So to an extent, I guess I was born with a
silver spoon. But when the realities of time hit my father, things fell
apart-he lost everything he had worked for after being duped. He is late now.
My mum is a lecturer in the University of Calabar. She is a professor of
Economics. I looked like a rascal when I was growing up -I didn’t look
promising. I would just wake up in the morning and sit somewhere and start
writing songs-it was strange to some people.
Tell us about your
academic background
I went to music school
in Calabar after which I did some other training. I graduated in 2003 from the
University of Calabar with a degree in Linguistic-Scientific study of
languages. So I know how to write. I did a little bit of training in London in
Recording Sciences after my graduation. I also did broadcasting courses in
Kenya.
Which state is Mannie
from?
I’m from Akwa Ibom
State-people don’t believe me when I say so.
Having travelled round
the world, what has life taught you over the years?
I’ve changed a lot in my
belief. I believe so much in God-in fact I always try to preach whenever an
opportunity to do that comes up. I’ve seen pains and afflictions in my life
times. This made me conclude and start looking at life and issues from a
different perspective. I’ve realized why I shouldn’t make trouble with anyone;
rather, I use reasons to understand human beings. I go to church for
salvation…I see salvation as the greatest goal in life. One has to embrace
realities at some points in life. There was time I was broadcasting in order to
survive; at a point I began to broadcasting because I want people to learn.
Forget about the glitz and glamour, the reality is that we shall all die! How
do we die? Would you die in faith? Or faithless? When we truly understand life,
lots of our problems would have been solved. We were not made for ourselves; we
were made to praise the creator. These are my values-they are deep.
What time does your
programme come up on air?
My programme comes up
5am to 10am on Cool FM 96.9 My holy hour is between 5am and 6am. Most times I
face lots of forces, but God’s grace has always been sufficient.
What do you think is the
way forward for radio broadcasting in Nigeria?
In Nigeria, people are
too busy duplicating formats. People just open radio stations because they have
money and the wherewithal to do so. The sooner we realise that radio is about
life and it’s the greatest weapon to use in making or destroying a nation, the
better for the industry.
 |
| Mannie on duty |
Culled: Entertainment Express
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