Koko Mansion Contestants

Meet the contestants from Dbanj’s show Koko Mansion. Pretty interesting bunch.

Shona Merenu, Age: 23, Occupation: New Graduate of Imo State University

Bolanle Okhiria, Occupation: Student – Lagos State University

 Bolanle’s first reactions to her selection was loaded with surprise, doubt, and utter consternation; she honestly thought someone was playing pranks on her, “I waited for so long for that call, and when it finally came through I was too excited to believe it was real – I had to tell the producers to prove to me that it wasn’t some kind of a joke” she said, still ecstatic about being selected. Bolanle, or Miss Bee as her close friends would call her, can best be described as a rounded character fresh off the set of a television sitcom – her intelligence, beauty, and sense of humour are some of the qualities that make her company completely irresistible. She describes herself as a romantic person who can’t be intimidated by anybody.

Lillian Ebehohon, Age: 18, Occupation: Student (University of Benin)

Lilian is one of the youngest contestants on this show, yet she is by far one of the more imposing candidates. This young lady arrests your attention with her youthful “never let anyone or anything intimidate me” attitude; her zest for life is in fact highly infectious, as her demeanor gives away the fact that she’s determined not to be taken for granted as a result of her age.
She summarizes her ideology with this smug line, “the youngest may be the smartest”. She considers herself outspoken and not loud, and she posits that, “I don’t like dull people; they always get me very angry”. She is very confident that she’s going to emerge victorious, “I know I have the qualities of the ideal Nigerian woman – amplified by my strong will”.

Chidinma Mbalaso, Age: 20, Occupation: Student (University of Abuja)

 For Chidinma, her biggest concern is for people to see her as more than just a pretty face. This pretty young lady, whose role models are Dora Akunyili and Oprah Winfrey, considers herself an emotional person whose life ambition is to be an entertainment mogul. “I want to do movies – I want to be on TV – I want to make a difference in the entertainment industry”, she says.
Growing up for her was very pleasant, “it’s not like my family is very well to do, but my parents made sure I didn’t lack anything, but they also made me understand that I couldn’t have everything”.

Victoria Oloye, Age: 20, Occupation: Student

 When this young lady said, “I need to prove to people that you don’t need to come from a wealthy family to succeed in life” – she was just summarizing her travails, and describing her ambitions in life. She wants her life to be an inspirational rags-to-riches story. She is determined to use her participation on the show to buttress her point. Her dreams are gigantic, channeled in many directions. To her it is an effective strategy for success, because then when one door closes, she opens up another one. Her many dreams include running a successful travel agency, producing international standard movies, and owning a video-vixen agency. In order to keep herself focused on the bigger picture, she’s had to stoop on many occasions to conquer – she’s run a street-side phone call centre, worked as a sales girl, and later became a waitress in a classy bar, before enrolling into the Nigerian Institute of Aviation and Maritime Studies.

Chioma Akuezue, Age: 21, Occupation: Musician

 Chioma is a talented musician who has no time to disguise her motivation for participation on the show, “I’m here for the money, because when I get the money, I’ll be able to produce my songs, and the popularity will help too, because for you to succeed in the entertainment business, you need to be known”. She believes she’s different from the other candidates because she can sing very well.
Her slender frame lured her into modeling, a profession she is also passionate about. She even described her biggest challenge in life as her desire to prove to those fashion organizers who hurt her ego a few years ago by telling her she wasn’t fit for runway modeling, that she could and would become a successful entertainer.

Bidemi Jolayemi, Age: 23, Occupation: Student (Olabisi Onabanjo University)

 Bidemi is an unrepentant optimist. “I’m a girl with a PMA – Positive Mental Attitude” she reaffirms, “I’m disciplined, sociable, and hardworking”. Bidemi’s strong faith in humanity gives her a romantic disposition that believes that something good could always be harnessed from very bad situations.
She’s always never in favor of popular opinions on issues, fashion, and everything in between, “I don’t like following the crowd, and I like setting my own unique trends, dictating my own pace, because I never let myself to be sucked in by peer pressure”

Chinwe Hilda Ukadike, Age: 23, Occupation: Just concluded NYSC

 The fact that Chinwe loves tattoos cannot be overemphasized, because her love for tattoos is buried skin deep in three different places on her body. But so also is her passion for fashion, and her ambition to become a celebrated actress. She likes to consider herself as someone who got the necessities of life as a child, “growing up was fun for me, I was always doted on by eight wonderful elder sisters”.
Chinwe grew up in Lagos. She loves watching horror movies, “I enjoy watching movies like Van Helsing, and whenever I’m watching a movie like this, I turn the light off [for that eerie effect]”.

Elizabeth Efe Era, Age: 27, Occupation: Student (University of Uyo)

 Elizabeth is a lady that strikes you as someone who’s out to save the world, even if this task ends up hurting her. Despite the fact that she is studying economics, she maintains an unrelenting flair for entertainment. However, Elizabeth is a young lady who tries too hard to change the people around her – in fact, she says, “I should be able to counsel my fellow contestants – I want to be like a mother to them – I want to change the mindset of the girls”.
She developed her inert motherly disposition as a result of her exposure as a child to the emotional needs of a large family – she was born into a family of eleven; gradually she developed into a surrogate parent to her siblings, acting as the voice of reason, and go-between between her siblings and her parents.

Mary Osinachi Bruno, Age: 21, Occupation: Student (Lagos State University)/ Business Woman

 Mary describes growing up as fun, with a few tough times. Her nickname Sleek Chic best interprets her personality; having been raised in Lagos, she describes the incessant traffic on the roads as an inspiration that influenced a deep appreciation for promptness, swiftness, and accuracy in her actions through life. As a result, she’s learnt to act on her decisions quickly.
She describes her parents as liberal disciplinarians, “they let you take your own decisions once they think it’s the right one”.

Igbinedion Rita Isoken, Age: 19, Occupation: student

Probably the most emotional candidate in the mansion, Rita is a walking example of determination. Over the years, through experience, she’s learnt that the only way to succeed in life is to believe in your self 100%. “I came here because I want to get exposure, not necessarily because of the money, because if I represent myself well, the future will give me more money than the prize money”, she said, admitting that she intends to be caring to her fellow contestants, and guide them whenever they’re wrong.
Coming from a very humble background has made her resolute in her pursuit to become successful. She believes her chances at the title are obvious, as she puts it, “I can prove myself as a woman because I know my left from my right”.  

Rekana Sharon Ojong, Age: 23, Occupation: Recent Graduate of University of Calabar

She majored in Policy and Administrative Studies, yet her passion is deeply rooted in fashion. But if you think that being crazy about fashion is a denigrating attribute, then think again, because this young lady is on a mission, “I’m here to prove to people that I’m not just a beautiful person, but someone with enormous intelligence and depth”.
Rekana’s childhood was not exactly a Cinderella story, “growing up was very difficult – I was raised by my dad alone because my mum left us when I was eight”. She grew up with four older brothers, and one sister, and as the case would be, she became a Tomboy, until she was rescued by a professional model who was involved with her dad, igniting her passion for fashion, and gradually grooming her into becoming a delectable young fashionista who’s left no trace of her tom-boy days.

Source: Linda Ikeji’s Blog

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