Progress Chukwuyem wins Nigerian Idol season 7

The 21-year-old edged fellow finalist Zadok to pick the ultimate prize package of ₦100m (about $240 800), including a cash prize, a brand new SUV, funding for an EP and a music video as well as sponsored products. Zadok will also have an EP and video produced by a leading Nigerian producer.

A native of Ika South in Delta state, Chukwuyem is a singer-songwriter and music author. He takes over from Kingdom Kroseidem, who won last year’s edition.

“Reminiscing and all I can say is Lord, I am grateful,” Progress tweeted ahead of his big night. “Look how you’ve turned my life around. Again to my lovely fans who go all out for me, I am super grateful.”

Following his win, Progress said: “Thank you so much to everybody who took their time to vote from Day 1 till this time. Thank you for making my dream come true.”

Put together by MultiChoice Nigeria, the weekly show offers undiscovered local talent a platform to kick-start their careers. Season seven of Nigerian Idol was hosted by IK Osakioduwa, and saw musicians D’banj and Simi joining industry veteran Obi Asika on the competition’s jury panel.

Meanwhile, producers of the show revealed that this season’s competition witnessed a record-breaking 200 million votes cast, 40 million of which were amassed this past week alone.