When it comes to Celebrity Red Carpets, the name Wofai Samuel just leaps out. Imbued with talents for the job, young Wofai started out at an early age arranging pageant shows in school. Having cut her teeth in broadcasting at the Cross River State Broadcasting Corporation CRBC TV, from where she had to regularly travel to Lagos which has always been the melting pot of entertainment to conduct celebrity interviews, the Zoology graduate finally moved to the centre of excellence where she has cut a niche for herself as the red carpet diva and TV presenter extraordinaire. Behind the beautiful façade lies a strong will, purpose and goal getting instincts all enmeshed in commitment and integrity.

After many months on her tail, Segun Lawal of SecureNigeria365 finally got talking with her. It’s all for your reading pleasure

People see you just as a red carpet diva, what’s more to you?

My name is Wofai Samuel. Red carpet diva is really out of place even though a lot of people will talk to me as a red carpet diva. I started my career in Cross River State, working with the state broadcasting CRBC TV. I worked as a senior presenter and producer in CRBC TV, anchoring all the major live shows to do with tourism. I worked with the Special Adviser on culture to produce and present major cultural shows. I worked with the MD Cross River Tourism to showcase the state. I also anchored the Calabar Carnival for 5 years.

Because Lagos is the center of excellence and of course a center of entertainment media, I started coming to Lagos and in 2008/09, I got a job with NTA, as a freelance presenter and producer, so I started running the red carpet TV show on NTA.
l traveled often from Cross River State to Lagos to cover major events, and take them to Calabar to be shown on the state channel as they had nothing like that what so ever. It was a way of adding value to my people who thought they could never see the stars face to face and come in contact with celebrities, so I brought them closer to celebrities they always wanted to see.

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It was a first ever on NTA, the red carpet show. I was on NTA for about three years as a freelance producer, presenter, so I just thought enough of traveling back from Lagos to Cross River. I needed to relocate to Lagos fully, get a job and do this thing in a bigger way, so I relocated totally, and I got a job with Nigezie. A musical channel on DSTV. I worked with them for a very short time, as a presenter and was in charge of the entire brand called Nigezie like a year, and some months. My program on Nigezie ran on AIT. Nigezie never had a real time top show that had to do with celebrities, talking with celebrities one on one. I spoke with several hotels in Lagos, they accommodated some of these celebrities, by way of free meals, free drinks and they were treated well.

That actually give me a very huge leverage in media, and at one point in time, I thought I needed to move on in live show because, I was coming from a background where some of the things I did was live. So I spoke to my boss that I needed to improve and I left Nigezie, and got a job with MITV and that is where I am right now, I have been able to cast news, I anchored their foremost political top show at 12am.

This is like my day time job; I do a lot of things by the side. I worked with the Central Bank. I worked with Africa oil and Gas Council and have also worked with Nollyword Award in London. I was host to the former Governor of Lagos, who is now the Minister for Works and Housing. His wife had a book lunch with British based author Ibitola, I anchored the program as well and of course recently I was host of Africa Merits Award. I have a huge client base when it comes to entertainment, wofai Samuel, is there when it comes to oil and gas, I have the idea, energy and power, I have the idea in politics. I am very grounded in politics as well because I run a political show on MITV.

Your Growing Up Years

Growing up for me was fun. I always tell people that if I had a way to become a child again I would be very happy, because my mother is well schooled. I lost my dad at a very tender age, he was a lawyer before he died, so I understood the importance of education, but I started doing what I am doing now at a tender age. At the age of 14, 15, I was already organizing beauty pageant in Cross River; I organized Face of Tourism in Cross River State, I organized miss UNICAL. My parents wanted me to become a Doctor, Lawyer. I read zoology in school. I got so much support from my mother, my mother was the one who gave me all the support, I needed and I always tell people, above everything in life, I put my mother first after, God, because she gave me all the support I needed, my mother will sit me down and ask me, is it was really what I wanted to do, and I will say yes. She told me follow my dreams, if it was really what I wanted to do. Even when I started coming to Lagos, my brother didn’t find it funny, my aunties where not in support of me, I don’t blame them really because, I was very young then, but my mother supported me all the way, she would call me at midnight, she called me every hour to ensure I was fine and that shows that the bond between me and my mum is very strong. I tell my mother everything; there is nothing I cannot tell my mum; the good, the bad, the ugly. So growing up for me basically was about my mother, although my brother still played a very large role in my life, but my mother is key and very prominent.

What is your educational background?

I attended a nursery school at Cross River State and from there I move to Federal Government Girls Collage, and then to the University of Calabar. I graduated with B.sc in zoology and Environment. I have a certificate from the NTA TV Training Collage jos,.

What is the Basic Challenge with the Media from Your Experience?

We don’t really get much support from the government, so we have to struggle to do everything on our own. The challenge I had was, being a person who is always on the move, I always want things done and done pretty fast, so you need to understand that not everyone can be on that same page, not everyone will be able to think on their toes.

Another issue with this media is that they don’t pay well as people think. When I went for MITV Africa Music Awards which I covered, everybody thought I collected millions from Alex the organizer of the awards, as with many others. People don’t want to work because they think they are under paid; they think they are not receiving money as much as they are working for and this should change.

If we want to achieve the best in the sector, media practitioners should be treated and paid properly because when you are motivated you will be encouraged to do the work.

Are you well paid now that you are in MITV ?

In MITV I will say to a reasonable extent that I’m well taken care of, but again for me all is not really about the financial reward, because I know that someday I am going to be on my own, I want to own an enterprise someday and also employ people. So for now I am still young and working for the experience and for the profile and MITV is doing just that.

How did you merge your role as a TV presenter and a red carpet presenter?

It wasn’t very easy; things didn’t start immediately, they started about some ten years ago, when I was in CRBC, I was always travelling to Lagos to interview celebrities, on the red carpet, and also do soaps; So now that I’m in MITV, I cover red carpet programs so for any TV station that I will work with, I will always make it clear to them that, I would like to have my red carpet show because that is where I started from. At the end of the day, its all about adding value, and if you know you are adding value, you should be able to diversify. I make sure that my job doesn’t suffer.

You are always on top your game on red carpet or on TV. Who dresses you, before your appearances?

I don’t think I have gotten to that stage of my career, when somebody has too check me out before I live my home, or have somebody check me up before I get in the studio or I interview. The TV has makeup artistes, of course in their employ. I avail myself of their service, especially if I have to go for a red carpet event because I will always want to be at the top of my game. Most of the time I make my dresses myself. I go on TV practically everyday from Monday to Sunday, so I dress myself and I make myself up because I learned how to do it.

Your favorite color

White is my best color. I also love pink and red.

How old are you?

I find it very difficult to talk about my age.

What will you not be caught doing?

I wouldn’t be caught stealing, I will never be caught taking what is not my own.

Do you see yourself as a role model?

Yes, I see myself as a role model. Just yesterday, Femi Falana wife’s, endorsed me as a mentor for kids In Lagos State and in Nigeria, I mean it happenned just yesterday, so when you are endorsed as a mentor, it means you are endorsed as a role model. A lot of kids yesterday when asked whom they wanted to be like said ‘ Wofai Samuel’. And I was amazed; they said they want to be on TV like me, read news like me and so on. It means I am somebody they could look up to. So indeed I’m a role model and mentor to kids.

Your advice for parents who neglect their children?

I was granted an interview on TW magazine, in 2009/10 and I told Mrs. Adesuwa, that if I had an opportunity in life to transform the world, what I’d do would be to ensure that every mother takes responsibility of her children because these children never chose to be born. You see a lot girls, getting themselves involved in a lot of vices because of parental neglect. So for me my advice to women and men is to be responsible for their children and teach them the right things to do; teach them good morals. That way a good foundation is built for them.

What is the role of Government in this?

The Government has such a large role to play; first of all to create an enabling environment for children. It is not right for children to be on the streets hawking when they are supposed to be in school. Education is a legacy; it is very important without which the Nation will crumble. Government should create enablement environment for the kids, I will advise that, primary education be made free for every child in Nigeria, that is a role I want the Government to play in creating this environment and then parents could take care of their university education.

How did you take care of your body?

Some people have asked me that question. I take water all the time and I clean my make up; I don’t go to bed with it. I try to rest properly and get as much sleep as I can. These help me.

Are you in a relationship?

My relationship status is something I don’t like to talk about.

What you imagined yourself becoming growing up

I always wanted to be a TV presenter when I was growing up; I have always seen myself as being able to portray the true meaning of leadership.

If you were not in journalism, what would you be doing?

If I were not in journalism, I would have been in the oil and gas industry because growing up, my brother used to work in an oil and gas company and I also thought iy would be nice to belong there. If I ever leave the media I’d probably do that, for I have already begun thinking of diversifying to oil and gas.

Ten years on the line, what should be expected from Wofai?

I should be a world brand.

What are the qualities of a good presenter?

Confidence, you must be very presentable and intelligent. You must read and do a lot of research.

What is the biggest mistake you have ever made on red carpet?

The biggest mistake I ever made on red carpet was to cry, I actually cried on red carpet in 2010. It was the very major event, “Everybody loves ice prince”. My camera man disappointed me. I travelled all the way from Calabar to Lagos to cover “Everybody loves ice prince”. That particular night I called the GM of NTA, then Ola Fajemisi. He spoke with the camera man who followed me to the event but along the line he left with the camera. What was his reason? He said I was playing with Denrele, which was why he had to leave. After that day everyone started calling me cry baby whenever they see me on red carpet. They said I cried because of camera. There was another time, we had an event with D, banji and someone stole my phone where I was doing the red carpet interview right from the red carpet. I had so many important contacts which I didn’t back up. I cried at the event that day. My boss called and asked why I would cry on a red carpet. I am so emotional that when I am on the red carpet and things go wrong, I begin to cry but I think iam doing a good job of overcoming it now..

Thanks for your time.

Always a pleasure.