Melvin Oduah Opens Up ‘When You encounter Sexy Housemates, Self-Control is Not Easy’

Melvin Ekenemchukwu Oduah,

For the first time since the end of 2013 Big Brother Africa The Chase, Nigerian representative Melvin Ekenemchukwu Oduah, ‘Mr. Cool’, has admitted that he was under emotional pressure in the midst of beautiful and sexy housemates who threw themselves at him.
Vanessa Obioha reports

The tough calls are for Melvin Ekenemchukwu Oduah, one of Nigeria’s representatives in the Big Brother Africa 2013 contest. He does not shy away from throwing his hat into the ring anytime the whistle is blown. He is always ready to give a fight for whatever trophy is at stake. Mr. Nigeria Challenge, Gulder Ultimate Search, name it, Melvin has participated and has seen it all. And he does not just enter and leave without creating a mark, he roars with his presence and even though he is yet to hit the top mark, coming close to winning has more than served the purpose. You would remember the winner no doubt. But you cannot forget Melvin, the one who got so close to winning!

Hoping to Live Under Spotlight
It is not likely that you will be seeing the 28-year-old, Delta State-born indigene anytime soon in another competition. Having proved his mettle in some of the biggest national and continental games all he wants to do now is have a glorious ride on the crest of those exploits. This, for him, would be living the life he always wanted, which is living under the spotlight as a Thespian devoted to his craft. This is the career path destiny bestowed on him with his good looks, but more so from those humble days as a student of Pure and Industrial Chemistry at University of Port Harcourt, he was persuaded to enter and he won the departmental contest, Mr. Chemistry.
That was supposed to be it, until a friend stirred up the artiste in him after his NYSC year. He was encouraged to go into modeling. This move marked a definite turning point. It was the beginning of his journey into the entertainment industry.

Kelvin: The Model

Melvin and this reporter were in his car at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos where he had come to finalise one of his frequent trips outside the country, a routine he now has to cope with. It wasn’t the ideal place and time for an interview, but catching up with him had proved a somewhat difficult task. We were now talking after several appointments that he failed to keep. Even for this interview, he arrived several hours behind schedule. Suddenly, his schedule has become so crammed and interviews are probably at the bottom of his priority as opposed to calls that would spin cash and advance his career. But he did not totally rebuff an encounter with the reporter. All the while, he was courteous enough to express regrets for the ‘no-shows’ and on D-Day, he called at different times to apologise for delaying the reporter.

When we finally got down to the interview, Melvin recalled the beginning in a crisp tone. “I had this friend called Rita who helped me to become a model. That is what she was into. She told me that I had the qualities to become a model. I started by following her to auditions."

His first attempt at Gulder Ultimate Search didn't get him into the jungle but that didn't deter him from trying again the next year when he was not only selected, but went on to emerge the second runner-up. Making that mark in the GUS removed the debris from this priced gem. Everyone could see the potential and the glitter in him. It was this competition that jumpstarted his career in entertainment.

'Gulder Ultimate Search, A Good Platform for Me'

"Gulder Ultimate Search was a very good platform for me. That was when my career as an entertainer shot into limelight. The fame came and I was getting more jobs as a model. I also started acting as well. I was on a TV sitcom,  'Happy Family' and also featured in the movie 'The Truth'." Two years later, he was among the finalists of the Mr. Nigeria competition where he was also the second runner-up.

It has not been a race without laurels for Melvin. He had clinched the Nigerian Model Achievers Award for the most promising model of the year and TAVA award for his role in ‘Happy Family’.

It would not be correct to give all the credence for his entertainment exploits to modeling. His interest in entertainment is actually rooted in dance. Before he delved into modeling, Melvin belonged to a dance and drama group called High Commission, where he was a choreographer. This explains his undying interest in dance and acting.

‘I Love Versatility’
Melvin may be a model with a deep interest in the arts but he is also a businessman. Not one to put all his eggs in one basket, he obtained a post-graduate degree in Business Administration from the Lagos State University in order to be armed with the flexibility that he craves for.

"I love versatility. That's why I went to study at LASU, to have knowledge here and there. I already have a degree in the sciences. I thought to myself, ‘why don't I diversify to the commercial world?"

For Melvin, his good looks and attractive physique are not to be deployed to vain pursuits. He is not one who would spend time in the gym training to build his biceps or six-pack; rather he believes that whatever he has is a blessing from the Supreme One. Being a model comes with its challenges and Melvin is not immune to attention from the opposite sex but he submitted that he handles the pressure well like a gentleman.

With Melvin, what you see is what you get-no airs, no pretense. The man fielding questions from this reporter was very much the same as the personality you glimpsed in the Big Brother House. He still carried the same calm poise, humble mien, but behind that cool exterior is a determined mind that is unfazed by failures or disappointments. There is an unwavering desire to succeed, even if luck, so far, isn't his best friend. He is more than ready to produce the sweat, tears and blood that would take him to the zenith of his career.

His participation and achievement in the BBA The Chase, has opened avenues for him in the entertainment industry. One pointer to this is the number of business related phone calls he received during this interview.
Hopefully, the days of his glorious reign in the entertainment industry is not far. He is suffocating from a plethora of scripts from movie producers. One can see the zeal for success oozing out of him like fresh paint.

His Display of Emotion for Dillish Namimbia's Housemate

His performance in the Big Brother Africa House endeared him to many within and outside the country. But it was not an easy task for the multi-talented model. Admitting for the first time that that there were times in the BBA House that the man in him was throbbing for action and he was dying to get in between the legs of his sexy housemates, Melvin said, "the Big Brother House is a different thing between what you know and when you are actually experiencing it. That game is a mind game, very psychological. It's not that easy at all. And of course when you are in that kind of environment with beautiful, sexy girls (coughs) and you see their nudity, to control yourself is not easy. The self-control was not that easy at all."
In a moment of emotional cave in, Melvin who was generally adjudged as well-behaved in the house, was caught displaying deep emotions for Dillish, one of the housemates from Namimbia. One of the most revealing scenarios presents Melvin and Dillish luxuriating together in a bathtub.
‘Beverly and I Connected Well’
Defending her compatriot, Beverley’s performance on the reality TV show, Melvin said: "Beverley and I connected very well so it was quite surprising when I came out and people started saying things about her, even the one she did not even do, people insisted that she did it, though I was not present there. She was like a sibling to me while we were in the House. As a person, Beverley is a very cool person."

A Twin from a Family of Twins

A natural enigmatic occurrence has sign-posted Melvin’s family. He comes from a family of twins! He is a twin and his younger ones are twins too. This is a mystery that he would forever reflect on.
"When I tell people that we are four in my family. I'm a twin and my younger ones are twins, they are always surprised. It is an awesome feeling you know. My mother only got pregnant twice. Something others wish for. It's great."
He quickly brushed aside the famous myth about twins sharing a strong bond. "There's this thing they say about twins, that if one is in crisis, the other will get or feel the same vibe, forget about all that. It doesn't happen in my family, at least, that I know. Being a twin is just like having another sibling. Not much difference. The love is there, the bond is there but the myth about things happening to them at the same time is untrue."
His twin sister is Melvina who is happily married too to a twin. However, while they are not all identical twins, Melvin pointed out that his younger sister Tonia and him share a striking resemblance. "Tonia and I look alike a lot and because we are into modeling, when we go out, people think she is my twin sister."

Growing up in Osogbo, Osun State

Melvin who enjoys swimming and watching football owes much of his success to his parents who he has great admiration for. Growing up under the tutelage of his mother who was a teacher (now retired) and his father who was rarely around due to the nature of his job as an engineer at Osogbo Steel Rolling Mill (also retired), Melvin never lacked anything. There was a lot of moving around whenever his father was transferred but much of his childhood was spent in Osogbo. He had his primary and secondary education at Tomobid Schools at Agidingbi and Lagos State Model College Kankon, Badagry respectively.
A man of the people, Melvin likes to dress in casuals but his growing fame demands that he blends it all- natives, suit and ties.
He enthusiastically recounted the awesome reception he received at the airport on arrival from the BBA The Chase in South Africa. "It was awesome. My family; my friends, even people I don't know were all there to welcome me. I'm just that kind of person, people easily love me."
For all his avoidance of vanity, the first item on his shopping list is perfume, any other thing may follow, he said.