My enemies turning me to a star, says OAP Labbizzy Jojo

Award winning on-air personality Labbizzy JoJo says pidgin, the language fast earning her fame in broadcast journalism, was never her second option as an on-air personality.

Her programme, E concern Me, a flagship pidgin talk show that discusses societal issues in a light-hearted manner, airs on Rainbow 94.1fm between 2pm and 4pm on  week days.

“I was threatened, victimised, to talk Pidgin English as an OAP. I was told I would lose my job if I didn’t do it,” says Labbizzy, who was named On-Air personality of The Year at last week’s Exquisite Lady of The Year Awards (Eloy Award 2014).

“Today, my enemy-turned-friend who thought she was doing me no good never knew she was doing me a huge favour.

“I have now realised that we need to stop seeing it as a curse to have been given an enemy in life. It could be blessing, too. A wise man gets more from his enemies than a fool from his friends.”

Speaking with TheCable, Omolabake Shobulo (real name), who lost her Togolese mother and and Nigerian father early in life, says her career journey has been marked by doggedness to achieve her dreams.

“I have an unquenchable zest for life and happiness, irrespective of circumstances; and these qualities have played a huge role in my determination to achieve my dreams despite the death of my parents,” the graduate of Industrial Relations from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun state, said.

“After spending my childhood and adult life in Lagos, I proceeded to the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in 2012 to hone my broadcasting skills and there has been no looking back since then.”

Labbizzy loves hanging out with friends, partying, travelling, shopping, listening to predominantly African music, and also loves taking pictures (selfies).

“I am a strong believer in hard work and persistence,” says Labbizzy, whose role models include Ibukun Awosika, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Cyril Stober, Oprah Winfrey and Kim Kardashian “for obvious reasons,” she adds.

“I am also a fashion fanatic; my style can best be described as simple and chic and often times, I dress to accentuate my natural ‘bootylicious’ figure.”