Eunice Omole: Politics stopped me from winning Apprentice Africa
By Ijeoma Ogwuegbu (ijogwuegbu@sunnewsonline.com)
Saturday, July 5, 2008

With the end of the business reality show, Apprentice Africa, 28-year-old Eunice Omole lost out in the final battle to Ghanaian Isaac Dankyi-Koranteng. No matter how much she tried to sell herself to CEO, Biodun Shobanjo, it seemed all the odds stacked against finally won the day.

But even though the US-born Nigerian lost out on the big prize, very few of the show’s viewers would not forget her in a hurry. For while she was controversial, she was also intelligent and articulate, though her self-confidence may have rubbed some people up the wrong way. Even now, after the dust has settled, she still can say without a hint of tongue-in-cheek, that she only lost the show because she was outplayed in the politics department.

“As an objective person, I really should have won the show. I think in every task, I out-performed Isaac in every aspect of the game. But I guess they have made the decision they wanted to make. But I think there was a lot of politics involved, because people came and started forming cliques. Maybe I put myself at a disadvantage because I was not part of any of the cliques. But I have to say I’ve formed some great friendships. But it is sad that it seemed to boil down to likeability. It seemed to me like in the end, choosing the winner was not based on ability. I think there was a lot of pressure to pick Isaac mainly because he was likeable.”

My CV
Even though she knows she won’t be making any friends with comments like that, Eunice is adamant. She rolls out her CV again, just in case you missed it when she did on the finale.
“I know the added value I bring to any business that I am a part of. I’m an effective team player. I’ve worked in many countries, I have a lot of experience and I have clients’ testimonials to prove that.”
Being as confident as she is seems to have come with some drawbacks for her being on the show, one of which was the alienation she felt from some of the other contestants. But she makes no apologies for it, for herself.

“This is a competition and you are not expected to come here and make friends at the expense of the game. I’m always professional in my dealings with the other contestants.
I wouldn’t change anything about the way I played the game. I played to the best of my abilities. I didn’t think that would be a problem. I felt that some of the guys were intimidated by me, in fact, by Blessing and I, maybe because we are both confident and outspoken women who are professional. I’m not someone who is shy about saying what I think. To be successful, you are going to have to assert yourself. Maybe it is different culture for me where I’ve grown up. Maybe in season 2, there won’t be that kind of politics.”

Of scattered bodies and wrong choice of words
Even though she insists she has no regrets about how she played her game, she admits to having different views now some of the comments she made. One of such was her controversial declaration to Omar in episode 4, that she would kill him and scatter his body on the boardroom table.
“Omar as a leader and his ideas about women was deplorable. His idea of going into the boardroom with me was to help him bring Bekeme down and I would not stand for that. I warned him, do not bring me in just to bring Bekeme down; therefore when I said “Omar, I will kill you and scatter your body all over the boardroom table!” it was a figurative way of saying I don’t like what you’re doing and don’t bring me into it. I regret saying that; I learned from this experience and will not allow my personal feelings to erupt that way.”

Even though she likes to present a tough exterior, she admits to being hurt by some of the utterances made about her, especially being called manipulative by Nancy.

“No, I am not a manipulative person and it really hurts me for Nancy to call me that. I know after that boardroom, she was upset and disappointed in the fact that we lost and how she was fired.
If I were in Nancy’s shoes, I’d be just as upset; however, there was no need to resort to calling me names - especially when it’s not true. There has not been a situation in the house where I have manipulated anyone, especially the boys. For her to use that word so flippantly doesn’t make sense, especially when she doesn’t have examples to back it up. Everything I said about Nancy was true, the only thing I regret was the tone I used; I would not take a word back. I felt I did everything I could to help us win.

The only reason that I volunteered in the first place was the CEO asked if I was upset at how Nancy belittled my suggestions and my efforts throughout the task, but I really regret allowing that to come across in the boardroom. I definitely learned from that experience and I apologize to Nancy for the way things ended; it was terrible! No one wants to have such an experience loom over them or have people see them in a negative light.”

Blessing my friend
Despite the estrangement that seemed to exist between them at the end, one person she sees herself being friends with is Blessing, second runner-up.
“I would have loved to make friends with Blessing: She’s one of the first people that saw through my wall. She’s just as silly and friendly as I am; we definitely see things on the same level in terms of business, relationships, and shopping! I can totally see us hanging out, shopping in London for makeup and clothes, and going out to lunch as if we were friends for years. We have so much in common; it’s simply hilarious!”

Now it is done, she seems to have nothing but nice words to say about her fellow competitors.
“Kathleen: She’s really easy to talk to and we work incredibly well together. Maybe we’ll do a project together, who knows? She’s self-opinionated and will tell it like it is; you always know where you stand with her as you do me. We’ll argue from time to time and make up, just like old friends. She’s brutally honest and just as cool. Nnamdi: You can’t help but smile when he talks. He just pulls you into his world and I could listen to him for days.

He has a lot of energy and drive and loves to talk as much as I do. Joyce is great at Monopoly! She’s down to earth, loves to dance, and is quite organized. She brought this calmness into the house, which was soothing. She likes to have fun and can hang with the boys. Anthony is hilarious! He always has something funny to say, he’s one of the few people in the house that kept trying to get me involved like playing poker, blackjack, he’s definitely one of the more social people in the house and I love that. Bekeme keeps it real and I love her for it. I can just hear her laughing now; she has a special laugh that’s just contagious. Eddie is someone I definitely want to get to know more. Unfortunately, we never worked together.

However, the times we did talk in the house, I felt he was such a deep person—he reads Shakespeare and quotes Macbeth. He’s a total ladies man! Akatu and I will stay in touch; we just get a long so well. He’s really easy going and cool to know. Hannah we have so much in common in terms of drive, travel experiences, etc. We even have mutual friends - it’s crazy how small this world is. I would love to get to know her more.”

Coming home
Before she came on the show, Eunice was managing partner in an investment managing company New York. She runs the business with four other partners, raising capital to fund residential developments in China. Now though, her priorities have changed.

“I still plan to move back to Nigeria permanently. I have a couple of plans and I already have a blue print that I’m going to be working from. I know I have a future in real estate.”
With her determination and drive, it is obvious that she is more than likely to make a success of whatever she does, whether in Nigeria or abroad. Hopefully, some of the lessons she has learned on the show will stand her in good stead.