Ime Akpan
STANBIC IBTC Pension Managers has set aside N32 million to be shared among the winner winners of the second edition of its FUZE Talent Show which opens on November 11 and runs for six weeks.
The chief executive officer of Stanbic Pension Managers, Mr Olumide Oyetan disclosed this at a media briefing in Lagos while unveiling the 2023 FUZE 2.0 Show in Lagos.
He explained that the FUZE initiative underscores the company’s dedication to nurturing creativity and innovation among young Nigerians who are invited to showcase their talents in music, dance, fashion, and technology.
He stated that in the first edition, youths aged between 18 and 35 years applied for the FUZE talent hunt in which 12 winners shared N32 million.
“This year, we have taken things a step further by infusing a two-week boot camp into the show to allow 28 finalists to hone their skills and compete for a slice of this year’s N32 million prize money,” he added.
He said “expert judges” including Banke Kuku for fashion, Ric Hassani for music, Bunmi Olunloyo for dance, and “our very own Dr Stanley Jacob judging the tech category” had been lined up to superintend the talent hunt.
“For participation, he said “viewers will be allowed to vote their preferred finalists in each category and winners will be unveiled at the FUZE Festival event on Saturday, 23 December 2023,” when ‘we will be rewarding 12 brand new finalists at the grand finale.”
He recalled that in 2022, “some finest music talents including Wurld, Ladipoe and Teni the Entertainer,” staged awe-inspiring performances but “this year, we are coming back even bigger and better with exciting acts that will be unveiled closer to the big day.”
Oyetan also announced that Stanbic IBTC FUZE was conferred with the Judges’ Choice Award Winner for Excellence and Innovation in Communication and Engagement at the 2023 World Pension Summit in The Netherlands.
