Aroma-the 10 Million Naira Winner in Ultima studio(WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE)

When ‘Who wants to be a millionaire debuted on air in 2004, a TV entertainment quiz show initiated by Mr Femi Ayeni , the CEO of Ultima Limited Studios. I never thought it will last this long or anybody in Nigeria will ever win above one million or two million naira, until two months ago, a journalist Osahon Osazua, who writes for Observer newspaper, a graduate from the University of Benin won five million naira.

Now one Mr Aroma Ufodike has emerged the winner of ten millionaire naira. It was televised all over Nigeria on Friday the 13TH of September.

This got me thinking, maybe l should try sitting on Frank Edoho’s hot seat of who wants to be a millionaire. I am not trying to feel or appear like a lizard who is forever nodding, appreciating and acknowledging its looks and achievements, when nobody sings it’s praise, for sure we don’t know but is the general assumption and sayings of our elders. I am thinking seriously l should give it a trial. I use to very current in my class and one of the best history students, l still can discuss the Mansa Musa’s, the touregs, and the slave stories well.
Mr. Aroma (the millionaire bachelor of the age 36) is a geologist by profession and lives in Ikeja.

When l told my females friends, the first they all asked me is that is he married? And l said ‘No, but he claimed to have just met one lady who resides in Abuja, he profusely refused to mentioned her name. Another thing that interested about this ten millionaire richer man is that he is from Nnewi. A town in Anambra state, noted for its busy hives of business activities and successful business men. I have a feeling that he participated in the game for fun, he might be a silent millionaire himself. He read Geography, a lion from the University of Nsukka and has a masters degree from the university of Lagos. He was a former banker with Diamond bank and now an entrepreneur who deals in large quantities of steel Iron. A business he started in 2005. I am not stunned that to see the Nnewi blood in him coming to play.
On a second thought, his story reminds me of the Slumdog Millionaire. The story of Jamal Malik (Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"
The movie paraded acts like Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan, Anil Kapoor. But there is a difference between the two millionaires, Uroma is his not from the slum, he is older, he is a graduate and a business man and he is not acting a movie script and his win is real while Dev Patel’s win is all act.

Back to our new millionaire who came through the on-line version of the game. This none identical twin, whose twin brother is based in Atlanta Georgia, elatedly says the meaning of his full names which he strongly believes played a major role in his win. His names are Ufodike, Chimuanyan Egwuchukwu Aroma “Chimuanyan stands for my God is awake, emmh Egwuchukwu means the fear of God and Aroma means good year. So my names are quite significant to this. They are meaningful. Like everybody who witnessed the whole event and was tensed through out, Uroma had his own fears.

Since the popular show had its debut in October 2004, no one had clinched the ultimate prize of N10Million, which for more than 3 years has been the peak of the Show’s winning (money tree) Purported due to popular demand it will be televised tomorrow, by 8pm, on NTA, STV, TVC, MITV and Superscreen TV stations, this all important episode would be aired. It is going to be an action packed, spellbinding 55 mins episode that would be repeated on Sunday. I wish Aroma the best of luck.


Culled from fairground.