Soni Irabo is one of the pioneers of modern day broadcasting and still continues to ply his trade at Inspiration FM Lagos. In fact, he is the chief executive officer of the station. His popular show on AIT, Soni Irabo Live won him lots of accolades. In this interview with Senior Correspondent,
Soni Irabor
Hazeez Balogun, he chronicled his life as a young broadcaster, his rise to fame and his current endevours
Inspiration FM recently won several awards at the Broadcasters’ Merit Awards, what was responsible for that?
We have not won enough awards yet. To be so recognised, we thank God for that. I should say that our sense of adventure and the fact that we are trying to create a unique brand of family programmes is responsible for it. We are spreading our tentacles wide, we are unique and some people may see us as streamlined, but we want to cut across the broad spectrum of family. The adults, the youth, the children, we want to imbibe the culture of having followership along these lines. We want to represent as much as possible, all the human angle issues; love issues, economic issues. It is a reflection of our need to feel the passion of the people .
How did you end up in Inspiration FM?
Inspiration FM was started by a forward looking individual who brought together a group of professionals which I am one of. We had a think tank that came together with a concept that is unique and that concept is family radio. We believe in justice, fair play and respect for human right.
The station is sometimes tagged religious.
No we are not religious. Religion is politics. We are not religious but we believe in God and we respect the essence of Godliness.
Today when the youth are more about quick money and partying will they buy into your station’s ideals; do they listen to your station?
It is a delicate game. Today music is so compromised, but you know that NBC (Narional Broadcasting Commission) is always there to wield the big stick. We have an in house ombudsman that ensures that whatever song we play, the lyrics must be acceptable to the sensibility of whoever is listening to it.
What happened to your TV programme, Soni Irabo Live?
My TV programme is still there. It is called Soni Irabo Live on Inspiration Radio.
But that is radio
Yes, but I can tell you that if you go to Youtube and Soni Irabo Live you will see the TV version. It is recorded as I present the radio show. It is also played on channel 129 on Startimes.
Why did you stop the show on AIT?
I did not stop it in that sense. Two things happened. I became a commissioner in Edo State in 2001 and the first year I tried to do the show even as a commissioner but I had to let it go. When I came back I had to build it up again and ran it till 2010 but the rigours was too much. I am not getting any younger, I had moved to Ikoyi and going to Alagbado was not easy. Also, AIT moved their main functions to Abuja and I had to fly to Abuja sometimes to record the live show. By 2011 when I became CEO of Inspiration FM, I just decided to let it go and do it the way I do it now.
You have a unique show on radio every Sunday, what informs the kind of guests you invite to the show?
First, relevance, currency, intellect and the depth of what the subject matter is. Even the topics are not rigid. It has to be relevant to human interest and the day-to- day life. We carefully choose someone that has a story to tell. A story that is unique, interesting and be able to attract public response or curiosity and indeed sensibility. It is an unfolding drama on Soni Irabo Live because we go in-depth and we also make it chatty and rich in content.
A radio station just went on TV, is it in the plans for Inspiration FM to go on TV as well?
It is in the plans but it all depends on the new format of TV now. We have applied for TV licence for over three years now. But to be fair, they have not given any new licence for a long time now. The ones you are talking about have applied a long time ago and I am glad that they got it. That gives us hope that we will get our own one day. The new concept of digital broadcasting has now redefined the whole essence of having a TV station.
The story is that you had a problem with Dan Foster and that is why he left…
(Cuts in) No. There are no issues between me and Dan Foster; we never fought. He had to leave and he moved on. Even myself I will move on some day. There comes a time in your life when you want to expand to bigger and greener pastures. He resigned and nothing else happened. Because of who we are as public figures, it is easy to create stories around us. I have not seen any interview that Dan Foster said that we had a problem. When he was leaving I asked him, ‘Dan, are you sure you are leaving?’ He said ‘men, I have to make my life better; I have to mean my obligations’ and he left. If there was any problem between us, Dan who is my friend today will call me and tell me. I think he has expanded his horizon. He is a great guy and I wish him well.
Orits Wiliki once said that you gave him his first break on radio, tell us about it.
I am so touched that he said that. What I know of the man is that he is such a gentle man. He is also very coordinated and serious minded. If you listen to his music it was so well put together and entertaining. If I remember correctly, when his song came out, it was fresh and so well put together. I did not even know that he is a Nigerian. Even his name, Orits Wliliki, does not sound Nigerian. So when I found out that he is a Nigerian I was happy that our country man can make such a song that is fresh, hot and smoking as we used to say and I wanted to be the first to play the song.
What drew you into broadcasting?
In 1968, a man, who was in HSC in our school, he is called Dele Olowu. He was a very gentle guy. One day I was listening to Mid-West radio and I heard this voice on radio. It was unique and familiar but I could not put a name to it. When he finished and they called his name I was like wow! When he came back to school and I saw him, I asked if he was the one that was on radio and he said ‘yes’. From that day, I said if this man can talk and it comes out from that box, my voice too will come out from that box one day. That was in 1968 and I did not touch radio till 1974. That was what sparked the interest. People like Patrick Oke who used to come to Alagbon Close where I was working and Jones Usen and the late Jide Adekusibe were unique. I looked at these guys, if they are there, why can’t I be there? Patrick took me to the station where I did an audition and I was immediately accepted. My first ever show was called Mail Bag. Patrick was the host and I used to read the letters.
That was the same Patrick that used to come and drink beer at Alagbon Close that time, but today I thank God for his life he does not drink anymore.
But you still drink?
I still do, and I steal to drink because they must not catch me. But I thank God it’s just social and I have never been drunk before.
Tell us more about your sojourn into broadcasting.
After working on the show for a while in 1976, I was employed as a staff at the station. First, I was an announcer and I rose through the ranks to where I am today.
Can you compare the radio broadcasting of those days with what we have today?
See, broadcasting is broadcasting. People like Mike Enahoro who were our fathers in those days had their tricks and they are much disciplined. They were professional with their work and the competition was who will outdo the other in terms of performance. You had to be good, there was no acceptance of bad English or bad pronunciation. They will take you off air immediately. And there is no worse punishment than to be employed as an announcer and you cannot go on air. They taught us to be serious with those little things.
Today if you correct some of our people they will talk back at you. They try to be defensive. What I do is that I ignore them, they realise that they are alone and they try to change and be more professional. I think self-respect is key and discipline is very important and you can’t achieve much without them.
Some will argue that presenters have become lazy and they use the telephones more to kill time on their programmes instead of doing research.
I disagree with that. I think it is unfair to make a sweeping statement about some of these things. When someone ask you a question, someone ask you who is Oprah Winfery, you can quickly look it up on your tablet or your phone. Yes there is a bit of laziness and that depends on the person that does not want to work hard and such person will be left behind.
But that does not apply to all of them. Let me tell you about one of our on air personalities. His name is Rufai Useni. The boy is young but very exceptional. He just finished his youth service, he is intelligent smart and passionate and he is always researching. If you have more of such people and you manage them well, you will have a fantastic radio station. Some people come and some people go but the radio station remains. What matters is the rudiment for achieving the standard that is required of you to be the radio station of choice.
You have to constantly rejuvenate, update and be current on issues. Our news department, for example, is as vibrant as the best news department in any station in Nigeria. Our head of news works his staff rigorously and sometime I tell him to slow down, but he will say ‘no sir, we cannot slowdown, we must not be caught unawares’. You can’t force anybody who does not want to work hard to work hard. And if you don’t want to work hard you can leave, someone else will come in. I think it all depends on the radio station and the management involved. We are not working for the money but for keeping a high standard so that our listeners will remain faithful to us. There is competition out there you know.
You were once a commissioner, are we going to see you in politics soon?
If I am going into politics, my first statement when this interview started will be, vote for Soni Irabo for president. That is the only position I can contest. I am just kidding. On a serious note, no; I am not a politician. The service I render is information dissemination. When you play that role, you cannot be playing from pillar to post and you cannot be partisan. You can only be objective and that is the best I can do under this circumstance. Our job is to show the society what is important, what is necessary and what is constitutional. Our job is to caution those in public office when they are going astray. Our job is to constantly draw attention to what it takes to maintain an equilibrium of sanity, of patriotism, of economic survival, of historical and cultural values and an equilibrium of Godliness.
President Goodluck Jonathan wants to run for a second term, can you rate his performance so far?
I don’t want to rate him but I can tell you that he is the most accused, the most disallowed, the most criticised. When you are in a state of war you join hands and you don’t allow him to be fighting the war alone and you keep criticising him. I want to rate all the people involved, all the parties. What is their stake on this country Nigeria, are they ready to save Nigeria? If they are, let them join hands with the man. I cannot rate him; it will be unfair. In fact, I pity the man.
The Internet is slowly taking over the media – newspapers, TV and even radio. What is your advice for traditional media?
Traditional media, like a Chameleon, should change its colours. We should upgrade ourselves. Inspiration FM, for example, stream its programmes online for people all over the world. It is a good feeling when you get calls from outside the country. We are moving in the direction of updating ourselves to be ready for the 22nd century.
You are married to a beautiful celebrity, how did you meet your wife?
Well, I saw a very beautiful girl and she is still beautiful till today. She has a fresh face with glistering white teeth that can be used for MacLean’s toothpaste commercial. What drew me to her was her simplicity and her sweetness. Yet behind all that beauty and simplicity is a tough woman who is very honest. Sometimes she tells me some things and it might hurt me, but I know in my mind that it is the truth. I treat her the same way. We try to balance our relationship.
You have been together for over 30 years, what has kept the marriage going?
31 years to be precise. Resilience and facing the reality of the day are what has kept us going. If we have enjoyed it together and if we don’t have we face it with equanimity and then begin to work towards why we do not have and how to correct it. Do we disagree? Yes we do but we do not keep malice. We do not compare ourselves with our friends’ marriage or with our neighbours’ marriage. Some people are more concerned about the way they look together when they are outside. We don’t want to live our lives that way. We don’t compare ours with our neighbours or friends. We just want to do what is best for us under the circumstance that we found ourselves. Sometimes we overshoot, but we come back to reality and lick our wounds.
Respect for each other is key. We also respect our children and they in turn respect us. Our children maybe going overboard and we call them and tell them this is wrong. The way we will tell them makes them believe that what we are saying to them is important, they feel that we regard them important enough to discuss with them as if they are adults. They reciprocate and respect us for that. We thank God that there is equilibrium of sanity, friendship and love around us.
Why do you think celebrity marriages crash?
I think that is because the celebrities are living in the glare of public expectation. Because the public want ‘make I live like this, me sef go live that way, na them put food for my mouth?’ Some of us are going through some serious problems, you have to face how to solve the problems and not dance to the gallows of those that are setting traps for you.
How do you give back to the society?
I give a lot of talks in the universities. Last month I was in UNILAG talking to the mass communications students. I also had a talk there with the visually impaired students. They showed me that life with all its unexpected situation can still be beautiful. It is sad that the so called righteous ones in the society are raping the society and their conscience is not even pricking them. So much money and there is no money, so much food and it is not going round, facilities everywhere and there are no access to them.
What was you experience as a commissioner in Edo State?
I saw things that ought not to be and it discouraged me. It was not that easy. How can I even start if I want to go into it? My brother it was not easy.
The post The service I render is information dissemination – Soni Irabor appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.