Controversial reality TV star and influencer, Ijeoma Josephine Otabor, popularly known as Phyna, has become part of the newest pidgin radio station, Yanga FM.
Phyna made her debut at the formal launch of the station, where she shared her reasons for joining the latest venture by TVC Communication.
Phyna explained that her decision to join Yanga FM was rooted in her desire to express herself freely. “I normally like wahala. Then I realized that as I do my stuff, of course for fun, there are some people who tend to take advantage of it to treat me as they like. There is something that is not adding up for me, then, when this call came to join Yanga FM, I realized that I can express myself better without hassles. I can now do my wahala without stress,” Phyna said.
She further added, “So, if you say you have a problem with me now, there is no shaking because I have backings. Listeners will have a whole lot to talk about with my show. There will not be a dull moment with me.”
The launch also featured remarks from Marvin Arimi, the General Manager of Yanga FM, who emphasized the need for innovation in the radio industry. Arimi explained that Yanga FM aims to make pidgin a mainstream language, stating, “Yanga is a new idea to make pidgin cool. Everybody comes in and follows a particular pattern, but ours is different with a twist. Before now, the upper class frowned at their kids speaking pidgin, but now since pidgin has evolved, they now want their children to speak pidgin because pidgin is cool.”
Arimi further highlighted the station’s mission to change the narrative around pidgin, adding, “We are here to change the game. We have everything for everyone. Our job is to make pidgin sound cool and fun, especially to connect with the younger people. Yanga FM aims to globalize pidgin, earning its status as Africa’s first urban pop culture radio station.” He confidently asserted that Yanga FM is not just a station, but a lasting movement.
