\u2022On\nHis Annual Show<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022And\nWhy It’s Holding Together With Wife’s Foundation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If\nyou have been in the showbiz sector for a long time, either as an artiste or a\nmedia practitioner, you certainly would know the name Soji Omotayo. He is the\nyoung, dynamic and extremely creative Journalist and broadcaster per excellence\nwho has made such a resounding impact within the Showbiz industry. This\nexplains why both the movie and music stars gravitate towards him all the time.\nHe has been part of the success stories of many of them. His annual event the\nAll White Night Out has become one of Showbiz’s major events that top showbiz\nstars and celebrities look forward to attending every year. For eight years\nrunning, Soji has successfully hosted the All White Night Out. One of the\neditions was held in London. This year’s edition holding on December 17th at\nExcellence Hotel in Ogba will be slightly different. This year, Soji Omotayo’s\nbeautiful wife, the gorgeous looking Empress Ewaade Omotayo, will be merging\nwith her husband to stage the event tagged Soul to Soul\/All White Night Out\n2020 come December 17th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\npretty lady runs Ewa-Inu Foundation and has been supporting and empowering the\nless privileged in the society for many years now. She has taken about 10 of\nthese physically challenged but creative individuals under her wings and is\nproviding them direction and support. She has a couple of them who are talented\nsingers (she is also a talented gospel artiste) and she has completed an album\nproject involving them and other top artistes such as Pasuma, Malaika and many\nothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this interview with City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL<\/em><\/strong> (08037209290) both Soji Omotayo and\u00a0wife, Empress Ewaade, speak about this year’s All White Night Out and why it will be different from previous editions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why is this year’s All White Night Out holding alongside your wife’s Ewa-Inu Foundation?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\nthink Ewa-Inu foundation has done a lot. My wife has done really well to take\nthe foundation this far. There\u2019s been no assistance from anywhere, it\u2019s just\nbeen herself, myself and a few close friends of mine who have been supporting\nus as well. Look at the guy she mentioned earlier, Rolling Dollar, he\u2019s been in\nthe music industry for a very long time while he was on stage. You will be\namazed when you see him perform on stage. The day Pasuma saw him, he vowed and\nsaid he would give it whatever it takes to see that Fatai Rolling Dollar is\nsuccessful. Between you and me, Pasuma was very much a part of the album we\u2019re\nlaunching at the event come December 17th. There\u2019s also Shekere, a guy that\nused to be with Yinka Ayefele\u2019s band, he will be there as well. He limps too.\nWe also have top rated stars like Biyi Samuel, Seyi Michael, my wife, they all\ndid it together. We just felt that we must bring them together, disability is\nnot a disease. The whole idea is that, whenever she goes out to give money to\nthese guys on the streets, she will ask them, what can you do? Instead of me giving\nyou money every day, how can I assist you so that you won\u2019t be here tomorrow\nagain begging for alms. That is why we decided to put the album together and do\nthe launch on December 17th. Whatever we realize from it, we use it to support\nthem and then take a lot more of them off the streets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you should tell us about All White Night Out, that\u2019s a brand that\u2019s become iconic in the showbiz industry today. It\u2019s been on for how many years now? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This will be the 9th edition. We bless God. It\u2019s been God all the way. I will say a big thank you to the publisher of City People. I still recollect that the year I was about to start, I walked up to him and said, sir, I want to do an annual event, but I want it to be something different. He asked, what is it all about, I said I don\u2019t want to do the sort of awards everyone is doing. I want to celebrate excellence in corporate organizations, politics, and individuals as well. If you have done well we will celebrate you. But if you do not merit it, then you will not get our award. This is why we have been consistent and are already on the 9th edition. And it has held at so many locations. We\u2019ve done it on the Island, Ikeja and in London as well. But this year\u2019s edition will hold at the Excellence hotel in Ogba. And for this year, unlike in the past where we had like 20 categories, this year, we are celebrating only 10 outstanding people who have merited the award. For instance, going into the royal circle, we\u2019re looking at the most fashionable king, we\u2019re looking at the youngest and most dynamic king, we\u2019re also looking at the young entrepreneur of the year. Now, these people may not necessarily be the ones you see gracing the covers of magazines, but they are also very successful individuals who are doing so very well but are not making any noise about it. For the Ewa-Inu foundation this year, we want to bring out these talented physically challenged individuals and let people like these and the world see them. I remember at the last edition of All White Night Out held at Airport Hotel, veteran broadcaster\u00a0 Ambrose Somide wept for several minutes when he saw these talents on display. He couldn\u2019t conceal his emotions. Somebody like Fatai Rolling Dollar, the blind singer, said when he released his first album, Pasuma had not started music. And by the time we started putting things together for him, within a couple of weeks, he had met with Pasuma, Malaika and other stars. They all rallied round him. Even lately, the guy had issues with someone who tried to frame him up for a crime he did not commit. He was arrested and no one could get him out of the mess until he called Ewa-Inu foundation. And when we got there, the police recognized the foundation and released him to us. These are some of the things we have done for him. So, we will use this year\u2019s All White Night Out to push Ewa-Inu foundation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, it will be a loaded event this year?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, it is. It will be mind-blowing. It\u2019s going to be thrilling, it will definitely be one like never before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What keeps Soji Omotayo going? What has continued to drive you after all these years despite the harsh realities of the showbiz sector?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\nme start by saying God, and my wife. And of course the passion I have for what\nI\u2019m doing. I don\u2019t believe in failure. Once I make up my mind to do something\nrelated to showbiz, nothing can make me go back. I see myself as an achiever,\nthough I go through a lot to be able to achieve the things I\u2019ve been able to\nachieve. But I\u2019ve been also lucky to have had a group of supportive people\naround me who believe in me and in what I do. So, it\u2019s basically the love of\npeople and the passion I have for my job. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n You have had superstars like Pasuma, Sir Shina Peters, Obesere, Biyi Samuel, Omije Oju mi, all around you for many years now. Till today, they all still rally round Soji Omotayo whenever you have an event that requires their presence, how does that make you feel knowing all of these people are always there for you? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, I give God the glory, but then again, may be its also because Soji Omotayo does not worship money. In this industry, as a brand, if you\u2019re too money driven, then you might find yourself crashing out of the industry sooner than you think. For me, I do not believe that as an artiste, if I get you involved in a show you must envelope some money for me from your stage proceeds, no, I don\u2019t do that. Most times, I spend my own money on artistes\u2019 projects. Even when it comes to anchoring of events, sometimes I don\u2019t collect a dime. But if you appreciate me, I will appreciate you in return. There are so many people that I\u2019ve turned down their offers to MC at their events. Last week, I left my home in Lagos as early as seven in the morning to honour Femi Branch in Ijebu. By the time I got there, people were already waiting for the MC. In fact, some were already saying maybe he has not completed the MCs money and Femi Branch told them, Soji didn\u2019t collect a dime from me o! Soji came all the way from Lagos just to honour me. So, for me, I appreciate loyalty. If you have added value to my brand, surely, I will go o any length to support you as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022On His Annual Show \u2022And Why It’s Holding Together With Wife’s Foundation If you have been in the showbiz sector for a long time, either as an artiste or a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":148243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[21379,21380,21381],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Why-This-Years-All-White-Night-Out-Will-Be-Different-1.jpg?fit=1337%2C1376&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":108450,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/30-showbiz-weddings-that-rocked-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":148240,"position":0},"title":"30 Showbiz Weddings That Rocked 2018","author":"Reporter","date":"January 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"2018 will soon draw to an end, in a matter of weeks. The year has witnessed many weddings, especially in the showbiz sector, as many entertainers tied the knot in style. These wedding parties that rocked the sector cut across different spheres of entertainment, from movie stars, musicians, OAPs, footballers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":120098,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/senator-soji-akanbi-floats-radio-station\/","url_meta":{"origin":148240,"position":1},"title":"Senator Soji Akanbi Floats Radio station","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"June 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Senator Adesoji Akanbi has added another dimension to his fast-growing business empire after floating his Okanlomo FM radio on Wednesday in Ibadan. Akanbi, it would be recalled, represented Oyo South between 2015 and 2019 in the Nigerian Senate. The initiative is the latest in the socio-economic project of the Ibadan-born\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Soji Akanbi","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Soji-Akanbi.jpeg?fit=620%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Soji-Akanbi.jpeg?fit=620%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Soji-Akanbi.jpeg?fit=620%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54538,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/osun-pdp-chairman-hon-soji-adagunodo-congratulates-adeleke-calls-on-party-members-to-rally-round-him\/","url_meta":{"origin":148240,"position":2},"title":"OSUN PDP CHAIRMAN – HON SOJI ADAGUNODO CONGRATULATES ADELEKE, CALLS ON PARTY MEMBERS TO RALLY ROUND HIM…","author":"Reporter","date":"July 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Osun State chairman of the Peoples Democratic party, Hon Soji Adagunodo has congratulated the senator representing Osun West Senatorial District in the National Assembly , Senator Ademola Adeleke on his victory in yesterday's governorship primaries of the party. Adagunodo gave the congratulations in a Press statement personally signed by him.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sen Ademola Adeleke, PDP","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Admola-Adeleke.jpg?fit=477%2C318&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":121154,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/soji-akanbis-son-maleek-bags-law-degree-from-university-of-manchester\/","url_meta":{"origin":148240,"position":3},"title":"Soji Akanbi’s Son, Maleek Bags Law Degree From University Of Manchester","author":"Dare Adeniran","date":"July 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This is a good news coming from the household of the immediate past senator who represented Oyo South Senatorial District in the country's Upper Chamber, Senator Soji Akanbi, as the baby of the family, AbdulMaleek bagged a Law degree from the prestigious University of Manchester, U.K. It was indeed celebration\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/sj1.jpg?fit=400%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":111913,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/how-gov-ajimobi-plans-to-beat-hon-soji-akanbi\/","url_meta":{"origin":148240,"position":4},"title":"How Gov. 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In the story, we gave details of a purported letter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Soji-1.png?fit=1026%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Soji-1.png?fit=1026%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Soji-1.png?fit=1026%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Soji-1.png?fit=1026%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148240"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148240"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":148244,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148240\/revisions\/148244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}READ ALSO: SOME PEOPLE ARE OUT TO DESTABILISE LAGOS \u2013 LAGOS INFO. COMMISSIONER, GBENGA OMOTOSO<\/a><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"