For eighteen-year old Ikechukwu
Dominic Gergs Ehijiofor, aka Jay Kolo, the big break or his day in the sun came
when he was picked to star in a television commercial to launch Globacom’s new
strapline, – Unlimited. A moment of genius during a church performance earned
him the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dance with the inimitable P-Square.
Now starring in that
commercial has changed his
fortune and transformed Jay Kolo from obscurity into national limelight. The
teenager, who was wrapped in the cocoon of his own world just a few weeks back,
has been thrust into global stage.
He has in the process clinched
a multi-million Naira deal as a Globacom ambassador and also scholarship for
his university education. Jay Kolo’s compelling story has all the trappings of
the rags to riches classic. With a winsome smile on his dimpled face, Jay Kolo
explains how he shot into fame and how he got the scholarship.
Tell us about your family?
We hail from Imo
State. We live around Tin Can Island-Coconut, Apapa, Lagos. My mum sells some
stuff at Balogun Market on Lagos Island, and has been responsible for our
upkeep since 2001 when our father left us and went to South Africa. Ours is an
average family. I am number two in a family of four boys. I was born on May 2,
1995 and attended Creek Senior High School, Apapa.
When did you start dancing?
I started dancing from
age five in church and it continued till my secondary school days. When I was
in SS1, I was selected to dance on the cultural day. As a matter of fact, the
person who linked me with the agency that took me for the unlimited commercial
saw me dancing in our church – Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Apapa.
How did you feel when you met
P-Square?
Whao! I was very
nervous as they looked very intimidating and it was also my first time of
dancing on a real stage unlike the church events I had been used to. But as
soon as we started rehearsing and they taught me the Alingo, the chicken dance otherwise called the Jay Kolo
dance, I became emboldened. It was a great honour for me to be photographed
with these international stars, and it is shown all over the world!
How have you been handling the
fame an attention from girls?
(Shyly covers his face
with his hands) Yes, people that I don’t know would come to me to say they have
seen me on television and they would like to be my friend. A lot of girls have
shown interest in me but our relationships have been basically platonic, as we
are only friends with no strings attached.
Are you saying you have no
girlfriends?
No! I don’t have
girlfriends but just one!
What’s her name?
She is my very good
friend. We are just friends! Her name is Ijeoma! We have been friends before
the advert and we are still friends.
Your words of advice to your
colleagues still waiting for the big break?
They should continue
to work hard to perfect their dance steps. They should be unlimited in their
ambitions. Parents should also allow their children and wards to follow their
passion. They should not force them into vocations they are not interested in.
God will help them too.
What is your future ambition?
I sat for the last UME
(Universal Matriculation Examination); University of Benin is my first choice
and English Language is my preferred course of study. Apart from dancing, I
also sing and paint in my leisure time. Already, I have written three songs.
Culled from Daily Newswatch
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