WINNER of reality show – Big Brother Naija (BBN) – Efe Ejeba yesterday arrived into the warm embrace of his admirers.
The crowd of fans in branded T-shirts had waited patiently for about three hours, singing and dancing at the Arrival Wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, to give a rousing welcome to Efe.
Efe, who arrived in Nigeria with Bisola, the first runner-up, was further delayed by airport officials and co-passengers, who struggled for photo ops at the luggage arena after disembarking from a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg, where the show was recorded for 78 days.
It was an exhaustive moment for the Delta State-born rapper who has just assumed an elevated celebrity status, but he managed to keep a smile all through, despite a possible jet lag.
The encomium was not only for Efe, as the crowd also sought fun moment with Bisola, a versatile entertainer, who dazzled many with her sonorous voice and comic skills throughout her stay in the Big Brother house.
Outside the airport, it was hectic for the team of policemen and protocol officers from Multichoice, organisers of the show, to shield them from the crowd, and usher them into the waiting convoy.
Efe returned with a prize N25 million and a Kia Seranto Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) which is expected to be presented to him at a later date.
He beat fellow finalists – Bisola, TBoss, Debie-Rise and Marvis – in a tension-filled finale that had fans of the show canvassing vigorously for their preferred housemates.
In the house, Efe, who is the youngest contestant – aged 24 – was unique for his frankness, multiple-term as Head of House, and his common use of pidgin diction with jokey phrases.
A graduate of Economics from the University of Jos, Plateau State, the self-acclaimed ‘street’ boy, who was one of the usually nominated housemates for possible eviction, had, each time, led the vote chart.
In the last three months, Big Brother Naija was estimated to be the most watched show on the Africa, shutting down Instagram, Facebook and Twitters with trending issues daily.