Broadcast journalism is my life -Wazobia ‘Funky Alhaja’
How did you come by the name Funky Alhaja? Funky Alhaja is a name I got when I was doing my NYSC with Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Enugu. The people I was working with were mainly southerners and most of them were not Muslims. Their way of dressing was different from mine, so at a […]
How did you come by the name Funky Alhaja?
Funky Alhaja is a name I got when I was doing my NYSC with Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Enugu. The people I was working with were mainly southerners and most of them were not Muslims. Their way of dressing was different from mine, so at a point one of them asked me why I dressed the way I did and whether I was comfortable with that. I told him I don’t go by what other people do, that I create my own style. They said I looked funky even though I am an Alhaja. That was how they started calling me ‘Funky Alhaja’.
How has this helped in your radio presentation?
Really, it has been helping me in my career. I am always on air and being a radio person in Kano, there is a way people look at me because I speak many languages and I am jovial and playful. There is the expectation that as a Muslim I should be conservative. I wanted to take that off the minds of people that because I am a Muslim does not mean I don’t have a voice. I want people to know that Muslims are not timid and primitive as some people believe.
How would you describe your programme on WAZOBIA FM?
My programme is called ‘Oga Madam Office.’ When I come to the studio I always create an imaginary picture of myself in my own office. I relate with people with the feeling that I am the madam in the office and my listeners are my close associates. It makes things easy for people no matter how stressed up they are. It is a fun office, not where you come to work, it is where you come to play.
How do people relate with you on it?
The reception and response I get from listeners when I throw open the topic of discussion, gives me the feeling that people are actually listening to the programme. When you bring yourself to the level of your listeners they will definitely be with you. I don’t always claim I know everything about what we discuss, I make them realize I am human and I am bound to make mistakes. With that in mind I am able to get their attention whenever I come on air. I can tell you that it has been very wonderful and with all humility I can say that my listeners are the most important thing to me. I always tell them on air that I love them more than I love myself.
How has it affected your outing and interaction with people?
My personal life and life on the programme are not different. Whether on air or off air I am always the same person. I am not the kind of person that says one thing and does another thing. Though I am not supposed to say my opinion on air but if you hear my voice on air and you see me on the street you can say oh that is Funky Alhaja. I am also able to relate what I say on air with my personal life. It is me on air and it is me off air. I am always the same person.
How did the idea of your programme come about?
It is a nationwide segment on WAZOBIA FM show. It is in Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja and I am only occupying the Wazobia FM Kano Oga Madam office. The thing is I am able to personalize it, relate it with the office and not make it a job but my own space. When I come on air I create an imaginary office, sit in that office with my listeners and everybody is on the table like a conference. I am the one on the microphone and my listeners are members of the board.
Would you say there are boring moments?
No there are no boring moments for me. I am not just an on air personality, I am also the event officer. I head the event department of the organization in Kano. I wake up every day by 5am sometimes by 4:30am. I have a five hour show. I have to go through Facebook, twitter and others and ensure everything is in order before I set out by 8 am. Sometimes I start with my event work, send mails and meet with some clients on event related issues. I make sure I settle down before 10 am before going to the studio and work till 3pm, go back to my event duty. Most times I work till 8pm.
What is the high point of the programme?
My programme is high from the beginning to the end. It is challenging sometimes when you have to be on air and at the same time you have clients waiting for you on event matters. I am still able to balance the two because the on air work sometimes provides the window. When it is time for news I could rush to attend to people who are waiting for me. The job is fun. Any day the job becomes boring to me I will pack my things and go.
How did you venture into journalism?
Journalism was actually not my first choice. My father is someone who loves reading or listening to news. He loves radio, he loves television and he was always putting us in front of television. We would listen to network news by 9pm because he wanted us to know what the headlines were. He listens to BBC, he is always hooked on to radio but I never liked it. People like Cyril Stober, Aisha Baba-Ahmed and others inspired me while growing up. I was like a peace maker at home so my brother felt it would be good for me if I read law. I applied for law at ABU Zaria twice but didn’t get it so I felt why don’t I go for Mass Communication. I applied to Bayero University and got admission. While in school there was something else I loved to do. I loved to help people. I always told people in school that I would love to be an activist and a philanthropist. I saw myself doing broadcasting because I realized at some point I was not comfortable with what I was hearing and reading about in the dailies. I started my journalism career with a daily newspaper called The Blue Print before I joined COOL/WAZOBIA FM. I was with COOL FM for two years from 2012 to early 2014 before I redeployed to WAZOBIA FM.
If you are not on air what else do you do?
I can’t say I have any other life apart from this job. I present from Sunday to Friday that is six days. I only have Saturday as my off day. Sometimes I might not have the Saturday to myself if there is an event to organize. The day I have to myself is not enough because I have to do my laundry, do my hair, go to see my family and so on.
Do you read books?
Yes, I read books. I read a lot, I read everything I see probably in search of knowledge. Recently my boss accused of knowing everything. There was something I saw and I brought it to his notice and he said “I have seen it, must you know everything? If I must be an on air personality I must be on ground and follow stories. Though journalism is what I read in school but my first love is cooking, I would love to own a big restaurant that everybody will know about and I will be exporting my food. That is my passion. If I am not in the studio I am in the kitchen.
Have you ever been embarrassed on air?
Oh, no. I have never been embarrassed. But when I was with the Cool FM, you know the elite always want to prove they know it all. Sometimes they sent me messages and because of time I wouldn’t read them and they would call to say I am not nice but I had a way of going around it. Kano listeners are loving people.