DAYO BENJAMIN-LANIYI

Dayo Benjamin-Laniyi is popularly referred to as ‘A VOICE’ because when she speaks, people are transfixed by the power of her oration. So captivating is she that no matter how stiff or formal the event is, Dayo’s wit and charm always sweeps her audience off their feet. It could be a song she adds in the midst of her oration, it could be a quote from some philosopher, it could even be just a little joke, whatever it is, Dayo is so effortlessly smooth in her delivery of words that she always leaves a lasting impression after her wake. With almost 18 years of experience, Dayo has built up a strong reputation as a professional and excellent Event Compere/MC. She recently turned 50 and she spent a day with Funke Babs-Kufeji telling her about her journey thus far...

Who is Dayo Benjamin- Laniyi and what does she stand for?

Dayo Benjamins Laniyi is a Voice; distinctive, dynamic and entrepreneurial. An Enterprise Communicator, a celebrity communication personality and a brand persona straddling both the events and media marketplace as well as faith based platforms and social enterprise for youth, women and nations. I am a diversified, global woman who is patriotically Nigerian, also privileged to be of dual nationality from Trinidad and Tobago through my maternal bloodline. I am a profound, unabashed and unrestrained worsipper and believer in God through the confession and profession of Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour. I am the Abeokuta (KEMTA-Okejigbo) daughter of Rear Admiral Olufemi Olumide OFR Rtd., Barbara Theresa Alleyne, (my biological mother) and Adeola Durotimi Olumide (my beloved step-mum of approximately 45 years). I am the Ogbomosho wife of Olatunde Benjamin Laniyi and the blessed mother of the fantastic four Victor-Kofoworaola(19), Champion-Olawale(16), Olufemi the Rock(14) and Anuoluwapo-Zebada(10). I am the “Beere”, i.e. a Yoruba first daughter in a line up of seven siblings; two brothers and four sisters and I am fondly referred to as ‘Sisi Dayo’because I ‘refuse’to grow old as their Egbon i.e. big sister. I have a sweet enigmatic personality and I am blessed with treasured friendships that have been tested‘through thick and thin’as well as mentorships that have sustained me ‘through sick and sin’. I am a blessed woman ; And I am grateful. I stand for every good thing every good woman stands for. No matter her pain, her‘stuff’, her high points of celebration or gain. I stand for applause even where there is none because each time I stand it’s a testimony of standing higher than yesterday’s trials and personal failures. Every woman has her story, I have mine. I am Dayo and whenever I stand, I never forget that having done all, I stand in Christ in God. I stand for a Nation. I stand for a generation. I stand for ‘Womanity’. I stand to represent a brand of passionate, creative, faithbased integrity. I no send! I am me. I am not religious but I live and love God as a lifestyle. I have gone through process and learned to be intentionally happy and an intentional joy-giver to the integrated platforms I am privileged to engage as well in lives I’m privileged to impact. One promise I’ve made to myself forever, is never to leave a woman the same way I found her. Too many women are sad, bad, angry or simply not happy enough. Too much‘forming’! The least and best I can give any woman is a smile. Every smile I’ve given away comes back to me in a thousand special ways!

Give us a brief history of your educational background.

I am a graduate of English Arts from the University of Ibadan. I also attended St. Louis Ibadan and Queens College Yaba, Lagos, for my ‘O’and ‘A’levels respectively. Primary school was Corona school Apapa & Victoria Island, Lagos.

My job today was never on my radar of personal achievements or future ambitions. Even now, it’s not a professional pursuit but a collateral experience that has defined me for the media brand personality that I am.

Becoming a compere however, i.e. A person that introduces performing acts and personalities or coordinates programs of event, was something that ‘happened’. It literally evolved through a series of occasions where a demand or better put, a‘friendship request’put me‘on-the-spot’to do the assignment of MC, (as it’s more popularly and commonly referred to in the Nigerian events marketplace.)

What was your first experienceas a compere?

The first time I was actually required to do it as ‘a job’, was through a friend who believed in my untapped capacity to hold such a brief and she convinced me to handle her big event! She herself was just cutting her teeth in the Abuja events business at that time. Her name is Phil Okoroafor of Red Sapphire Events, Abuja.

Anytime I think of that day, I laugh, cringe and laugh again! I called everybody ‘Excellency’! Odikwa terrible! And after it all, Phil still paid me N50,000! My first ever payment for an MC job - back then about 18 years ago! I was so‘touched’and humbled by the value she placed on me in spite of the fact that I had gaffed so badly! So I always tell this story for two reasons. One is to celebrate Phil as‘the one’who introduced me to my platform of ‘showing’as a Master of Ceremonies and the second is to draw attention to a salient fact - that my friend didn’t see my mistakes; rather she saw past my mistakes to my potential! The lesson is this,“Never give up on people’s potential around you”; give authentic potential authentic opportunity to be showcased. Phil didn’t use me, abuse me or accuse me, (and she could have), instead she thanked me, encouraged me and paid me! Any wonder that Red Sapphire is such a stand-out events brand in Nigeria today? Simply put, the world needs more Phil’s!

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses in this job?

I believe that my greatest strength is my voice. It’s got a distinctive resonance that simply does what it does! It’s become my signature brand. People describe me as a voice and then describe my voice to me differently. Every Everytime timeIhearIhearanotheranother‘description’‘description’IamIamhumbledhumbled and grateful to God. It’s a gift God has given me. It’s not my English degree or Olumide family pedigree and I don’t have any formal exposure in broadcasting at all. I am just blessed and gifted by God! That along with the words and sentence construction of my event and program presentations; it’s not my creative intelligence in any way! God literally puts words, wit and humor in my mouth and I find it flows from my heart! Whenever I’m done with an assignment, I have cause to bless God again and again. I have concluded therefore that concerning Dayo Benjamins- Laniyi, it’s not me, it’s not the ‘gift of the gab’, but the gift of Go and I am grateful.

My greatness weaknesses were also‘tied’to my voice. I had to ‘learn’not to ‘talk too much’. This revelation grew out of both genuine and vindictive criticism.‘She talks too much!’was used so many times to attack me that it literally whittled my confidence. My husband and prayer coached me back to my place of performance and excellence. As a consequence, I became better and not bitter. My presentation style became more succinct and articulate. I also overcame my other ‘weakness’ of being hurt and offended.

Lesson: People will talk. Don’t let negative feedback overwhelm you. As a presenter of any kind, being self-conscious will only ‘kill’your form. Never lose your originality - ‘you need to be authentic not pathetic’.

In Abuja we have a radio personality who has taught us all that to be really extraordinary, you need to be an ‘Ordinary Ahmed’, Ololololooooo!

So far, what has been your biggest/ memorable event to compere?

My biggest event in terms of numbers and population demographic must be HOTR‘Experience10’2015. That was gargantuan! That was huge! That was Mega!

My most memorable event was at a motivational talk presentation I was giving to a TARA class of beauticians and makeup artists. I had gone with my daughter who was about six years old then. That day I was also wearing a pair of prescription glasses, dual lens, for the first time since I picked them up from the optician’s the day before. As I stepped out with my opening statement I decided to step down to a more comfortable talking position. That was it: to the shock of the whole class, I landed in a very undignified sprawl in front of them all! I fell well! However, before anyone could react due to the shock, I got up,‘arranged’my swag and continued with the presentation. Not only do I think it was one of my best ever; it most certainly was one of my most memorable.

Tell us about the kind of events you anchor and are those events that you will not compere.

I love hosting events. As an enterprise communicator I do all kinds of governmental programs and events from celebrity socials, corporate conferences and presidential galas. Whether it’s faith-based or secular enterprise, it’s always about excelling on every platform of exposure through a right spirit.

I work innovatively and creatively and as a result I’m always designing and redesigning the event sequence as determined by the actualities that play out. I’m an event architect. Rather than becoming a drama queen, I’ve learned to become a solution provider. I’ve also learned to be dynamic, audacious and confidently spontaneous where I have to be and it works!

I will not do events that profane what is Godly or misrepresent the dignity of womanhood, my country Nigeria or my personal integrity.

I stand for applause even where there is none because each time I stand it’s a testimony of standing higher than yesterday’s trials and personal failures. Every woman has her story, I have mine.

When people ask what my secret is, I am always happy to tell them, “Blue seal Vaseline, a lifestyle of worship and living my years more and more in love with God and my husband!”

What in your opinion will you say is the importance of hiring a compere for an/your event?

The Japanese say it very well when they say, “Good thinking, good product! ”It’s one of the most unfortunate things to see happen to an event when the event host overlooks the priority call of the MC. Your quality of MC will make or mar your event. A compromised MC is equivalent to compromised event. Employing a comedian when you ought to have employed an MC will get a few laughs but ultimately play down the impact delivery of your event. It’s not a joking manner once your MC is ‘the wrong guy ’for the job.

Many people think being a Compere is easy and most times hire just anyone to anchor or MC their events, in your professional opinion, what should people look out for when hiring a compere for their events?

1) The personality. 2) The diction and delivery style. 3) The level of professional preparedness. 4) The outward packaging. Style, panache and coordination of movement 5) The right recommendations. 6) The will to go beyond the-call-of-duty. 7) The match with your event (i.e. whatever you’re looking for in an MC will be determined by what kind of event you are hosting. There’s no point choosing an MC with queens English to handle a roadshow event in Nigeria. Get a comedian.)

8) The affordability of the individual. (If above projected budget, get someone with relationship leverage to bargain for you.)

What are the common mistakes you see other MC/Comperes make that you will like to address and how can this be corrected?

- Poor enunciation. - Poor posture e.g. Holding the podium more than establishing an erect posture and presentation position. - Slackness with opportunity/Lack of preparedness. - Failure with understanding protocol. - Overdoing recognition protocol. - Overfamiliarity with VIP on the microphone. - Too stiff and officious. We need to practice humility, humanity and candor. Be the right kind of Don or Diva!

Who are your role models in the field?

More like who ‘were ’my role models, since most of them are dead, retired or simply no longer in active broadcasting.

1) My Father, Rear Admiral Olufemi Olumide, OFR., NN Rtd.

2) Late Ralph Opara, “Dayo jump in! You learn as you swim!”

3) Late Onwa Ikenna Ndaguba, “Oh Dayo. There’s nothing you cannot do!” 4) Late Tokunboh Ajayi 5) Siene Allwell-Brown 6) Catherine Crier, Bernard Shaw and Richard Quest of CNN.

Apart from hosting/compeering events, what other jobs do you do?

I am a full time mother and wife. My husband and I run Doxa Digital Nigeria a very successful enterprise brand in conference, events management and media which we set up 15 years ago in Abuja. It’s a one-stop shop for every technical requirement for hosting successful events. We are a service provider par excellence! Most importantly, we are budget-sensitive, client-relational and team-spirited.

We have also diversified into a full scale security and printing outfit called Doxa Prints. We have other invested areas of enterprise and one thing we are so grateful to God for, is the fact that wherever the brand Doxa is mentioned, it stands for excellence.

Furthermore, I am fully engaged as a speaker for youth and women programs and events, where I am called to inspire, motivate and mobilize new trends 16 and lifestyle standards. I have a personal consultancy brand which is known as the Dbl/Doxa CEO brand. It’s an exclusive service brand tailored to meet the highly detailed needs of top CEO’s. It’s a job I find gives me room to express all my multitasking talent together.

I am the co-chair of the Nigeria/Trinidad Chamber of Commerce as well as the founder of ACT initiative, a registered NGO for diversity in African enterprise with special focus on women, youth and enterprise.

I am a pastor’s wife and I enjoy the privilege of ministering worship, teaching and co-ordinating church events.

You recently turned 50, but you don’t look a day over 35. How do you keep a svelte figure?

“I am gold not old!” The greatest surprise for a lot of people was finding out that I was 50. Over the years, something about my looks and my lifestyle exuberance has always given people the impression that I am much younger than my years; so along with my stature, I have always been called ‘that small girl. ’Truth be told, in getting ‘older’, God has been kind to me, literally renewing my youth like that of an eagle. When people ask what my secret is, I am always happy to tell them, “Blue seal Vaseline, a lifestyle of worship and living my years more and more in love with God and my husband!”

Through my five decades, I have learned to be intentionally happy over my fears and as I turned 50, I realized that rather than getting old, I am Gold! Praise God!

Your job must take you around a whole lot, how do you balance being a workingwoman and running your home?

I don’t. I just trust God and live on extreme Grace. I am a true child of God when it comes to doing all the stuff that I do. I trust God, I don’t form with God. I tell him when I am troubled or in trouble. I realize that may sound a little trite so let me explain. I have evolved a style of living everyday, which has become my lifestyle from year to year in the 20 years I’ve been married. It hasn’t been easy but it has evolved. I never knew I had the capacity to multitask so incredibly but I have found that I do. I thought I didn’t know how to plan, and then I discovered that I always have a plan! I thought that I was not good enough, then I discovered I had an excellent spirit. Best of all, after finding God, my husband found me, trusts me and he is fantastic with keeping me in line. What he gives me permission to do, I do and what he doesn’t, I don’t. Easier said than done but that’s the truth and I have my life and peace! So for those of you who still have the chance... marry the right man! And do the right thing... submit!

Describe your style?

My style is distinctive D. I love creating my looks and images and I always work with six-inch heels and a colour palate in my mind. I am my own model and I dare to wear what I imagine. I’m expressive and bold but for all that, I still love to emphasize high elegance and decency. My role model in clothing outlook is the rich Baroness in Sound of Music.

What is your philosophy of life?

By Henry Thoreau“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and strives to live the life that he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Bible - Hebrews 13:8 KJV Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Any last words for the young ones out there who want to follow in your career part as a Compere, what is your advice to them.

The best you can be is YOU! Once you discover and embrace this as true, you will become an astounding version of your greatest aspirations and most desirable dreams! Go for it and never compromise your personal integrity!