Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi: Transmitting from Wireless to Boundless Opportunities

The popular On-Air Personality, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, may have dropped the headphones but her voice on topical issues is very audible in this conversation with Vanessa Obioha on technology, parenting, celebrity culture and its influence on Nigerian youths.

She doesn’t like tardiness. It is the same with me. But the unpredictability of Lagos traffic can make one a victim of the infamous African Time. Yet, I was conscious of keeping to the agreed time for she had shared her abhorrence of lateness in a recent tweet. Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi walked into the meeting place five minutes later, donning a short striped dress with wedge sandals. Her hair was bob-styled and the light makeup on her face accentuated her looks.

At first glance, she looked serious-minded but as we settled down in a posh restaurant in Lekki, the corners of her mouth began to spread into a beautiful smile. All formalities vanished and the conversationalist in her emerged. Of course, Olateru-Olagbegi always has that charm. Her cheerful mien made it easier to connect with fans while she was still on the radio. From her early days in Cool FM where she handled the afternoon show to Beat FM, the On-Air Personality (OAP) endeared many with her wit. Therefore, when she took to Instagram on January 7, 2022 to announce her departure from the radio, many hearts were broken. The comments section of the lengthy Instagram posts were filled with accolades and memories.

To be sure, Olateru-Olagbegi, who hails from the royal Olagbegi family of Owo, Ondo State, didn’t set our to become an OAP. Like every child, she had a truckload of dreams which included being an air hostess. A radio presenter was not on the list and her father’s banking career did not hold so much appeal. She fancied being a newscaster during her National Youth Corps Service (NYSC) with the Nigerian Television Authority but was discouraged by the rigorous process of newscasting. Radio eventually became the perfect career.

For 16 years, Olateru-Olagbegi dedicated herself to the routine world of radio; from presenting shows on Cool FM to becoming the youngest female Programme Director for Naija FM, the sister station of Beat FM. She became too comfortable with the radio so much that she could plan a radio show in her sleep. Yet, the decision to leave a passion she has pursued since she left the university was still not an easy one.

“It was a tough decision. It took me some years to make it. I thought a lot about it, the timing wasn’t right but I decided to take a leap of faith,” she explained.
“It’s easy to get used to your comfort zone; what you are used to, what you know you are good at because there will be no stress. But I wondered if I was going to do this for the rest of my life. And I’m still young.”
Although she officially dropped her headphones on December 24, 2021, Olateru-Olagbegi still struggles to articulate how the radio has shaped her life. She recalled fondly how she listened to the radio as a young girl, enjoying the talks and music. When the time came for her to step into the OAP shoes, the responsibility that comes with the job was not lost on her.

“It gives you some sort of responsibility because you are almost able to influence whatever that person is feeling at the time. Whether it’s from the songs you’re playing, the news you’ve just given or whatever it is. So, it gave me some sense of responsibility. You can’t mess this up. They are counting on you to give them information, to lift their spirits, to basically do so many different things.

“People think you are just there playing music. No, people are actually, you know, for whatever reason, they’re listening. Sometimes they’re not even paying attention per se, they’re just passively listening in the background, and then there’s something that you say or a song that you play or a guest that you interviewed that piques their interest,” she explained.
Perhaps, the biggest change she ever witnessed in the broadcast space is technology. The radio personality joined the sound medium when cassette tapes were still being used.

“I got into radio when we were still handling cassette tapes to record the aircheck when the person is speaking. Then listen to it later with your programme director to correct your mistakes. So going from that era, that’s the early 2000s, to now where you don’t have to touch a CD. I can’t remember the last time I touched the CD. When I was in Cool FM we used to play the music manually. So, we have three CD players and you line them up so one song is coming after the other. And you know how CDs are. You may be playing a song and the next thing it scratches,” she mimicked a scratching sound.

“It’s embarrassing. It’s not your fault though. Now going from that era into this era where everything is uploaded in software and all you do is click. Technology really has changed the radio space and of course, social media has made us even closer to the audience as well as expanded our reach.”
Indeed, the radio is now a global village and is no longer restricted to one’s geographical location. On one occasion, Olateru-Olagbegi received a call from a prisoner during a live show. At first, she thought he was playing a prank but as the conversation progressed, she realised that he was real.

With these advancements in technology, Olateru-Olagbegi discovered other forms of storytelling. A notable one is her podcast show with Tolu ‘Toolz’ Oniru, ‘Off Air’. Triggered by feedback from their listeners who enjoyed their banter during the handover session, the duo created a show where they can air their views without reservations. The topics are daring and the guests are incredible.
At first, they had cold feet. It would take them 10 years to finally put a crew together. They finally went live in 2019. The show is now in its fourth season.

Beyond radio, she forayed into acting — which she confessed is not an easy job — featuring in the web series ‘Our Best Friend’s Wedding.’ The third season is due later this year. She has also dabbled into experiential marketing and in 2015, explored her entrepreneurial side with the launch of Gbemisoke Shoes.
A conspicuous trait about Olateru-Olagbegi is her ‘realness’. It was fully glimpsed when our conversation shifted to the toxicity of social media platforms, parenting, celebrity culture and its influence on today’s youths.

According to her, people should learn to respect opinions on social media.
“Sometimes people argue that after all, the celebrity put themselves out there but I give you an instance. If you live opposite Genevieve Nnaji and you see her come out of her house every day. And you don’t like the skirt she is wearing on a particular day, are you going to cross the road to tell her that you don’t like her skirt? No, because one, you have common sense and two, whatever happens to you is your business, and three, you have some self-respect but with social media, people think they can say whatever they want.

“What makes me laugh is when a celebrity responds and people say, he or she shouldn’t have. Don’t say that. If the celebrity wants to respond, she should. That person went there in the first place, so whatever you get…” she said, leaving me to my imagination.
She continued: “So it is the people who make it toxic and I feel also the owners of these platforms should find ways where nasty or toxic comments can be curtailed in a way.”
With the growing and disturbing trend of young men engaging in rituals to get richer quickly, I tried to find out from her if the lavish lifestyles of celebrities on social media contributes to the depravity.

“One of my favourite shows growing up was the ‘Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous’. We saw all sorts of riches displayed. They are mostly Caucasians anyway but then Dele Momodu brought it home with Ovation. We used to eagerly wait for my Dad to bring a copy home and we flopped through and marveled at how beautiful the rich personalities live their lives. But I didn’t grow up to become a fraudster or desire to rob, steal or live a life of crime just to have those things. I feel it’s a personal choice and the family unit.”

She explained her points by recalling a childhood memory when she returned home with a water bottle that wasn’t hers.
“The way I was questioned by my parents. And it wasn’t as if I took it deliberately. My seatmate left it and I took it home to give it to her the next day because I didn’t want it to go missing. My mother questioned me so hard that I wondered if I did a bad thing.”
In another instance, her father grilled her when she bought her first car on lease. Her parents’ concerns about her source of wealth spoke volumes of the moral values they instilled in her. This, she believed, is missing in today’s parenting.

“If you are a parent and you send your child to school, and they come back home with the latest device, ask questions. If you send your daughter to school with braids, and she comes home with beautiful and expensive wigs, ask questions. Where did she get the money? So parents, guardians, siblings need to do better. When the child knows he will be asked a lot of questions when he brings expensive things back home, he will think twice.”

Very protective of her private life, the media personality who is married to talent management specialist Femisoro Ajayi, and recently became a parent talked about her motherhood experience.
“It’s been a lot of work. Goodness me! Nobody told me it was much work. Sleep deprivation is the most challenging. You really don’t know what it is until you experience it. You don’t really have time for yourself.”

A lot of people have been throwing ideas at her on her next move since she announced her departure from radio. Someone suggested she write a book but the radio personality is not keen on that. She toyed with the idea of learning how to disc jockeying, just for the fun of it perhaps. She is keeping her next big move close to her chest but for now, fans can be assured that she will still be operating within the media space.