Etisalat-sponsored Nigerian Idol Season 4 kicks-off with Auditions

All is set for the nation-wide search for the brightest music talents to grace the stage of one of the biggest reality music competitions, the Nigerian Idol. The fourth season of the Etisalat–sponsored Nigerian Idol show will hold auditions in the cities of Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Benin, Calabar and for the first time Makurdi from January 25^th till February 23^rd 2014.

The audition train will move from the ancient city of Benin at the Excalibur Hotel on January 25^th to Port-Harcourt at the Presidential Hotel on February 1^st. Monty Suites will be the location in Calabar on February 8^th, while Makurdi will play host on February 15^th at Smileview Hotel Extension. The final stage of the auditions will hold in Lagos at Dream Studios, Omole on the 22^nd and 23^rd of February. 

Speaking on the start of the auditions, Etisalat's Director of Brands and Communications, Enitan Denloye said the company was excited to be a part of the show for the fourth time running. According to him, Etisalat has identified the competition as a platform that recognizes and celebrates music talent among the youth. "The Nigerian youth community is dynamic. However, music still remains a huge part of their culture. At Etisalat, the youth segment is one of our major markets, and that is why we are continuing our sponsorship of the Nigerian Idol competition to connect with them in a way they can easily relate with," he said.

On the choice of Makurdi as an audition location this season, Head, Events and Sponsorships, Etisalat Nigeria, Modupe Thani said it was necessary to spread the reach to other parts of the country. According to her, there is an abundance of talent in the country and Etisalat through the competition, is giving them a chance to voice their dreams.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Optima Media Group, Rotimi Pedro, organizers of the show restated the organisation’s commitment to ensure that the standards from the past three seasons in terms of content, production and interactivity are surpassed with Season four.

Nigerian Idol, a franchise of the internationally acclaimed Idol music series, is a nation-wide hunt for talented singers to compete and be discovered as Nigeria's biggest music star. The show has produced Yeka Onka, Mercy Chinwo and Moses "Teddy bear" Adigwe as winners in the first, second and third Seasons respectively.

Following auditions, the show will air on select terrestrial and cable television stations with the winner announced at a grand gala on the 1^st of June. The winner of the show will get N7.5 million, a brand new SUV car, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry, and iPod. The first runner up gets N1.5 million, a Galaxy Tab, Blackberry and iPod while the 2nd runner up will receive N1million, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry and an iPod. In addition, each of the finalists from 4th to 10th place will receive N100, 000, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry and an iPod.