Star Time to Shine promo: The end

And finally it came to an exciting end. After doling out fantastic gift prizes totaling 8.5 million to lucky winners all over the country, the Star Time To Shine promo, the biggest in the 63 year history of premium lager beer, Star finally came to a close. Though the promo may well be ended, the testimonies and exciting moments from the promo will continue to reverberate amongst winners.

Ifeanyi Ejike was the first car winner of a brand new Toyota car. The 25-year-old student of the Institute of Management Technology practically opened the floodgates for other winners in the promo. “I am still speechless. I can’t believe that I am now a car owner just like that. This is the greatest day of my life,” Ejechi stated just as he took delivery of the car at the Lagos Corporate headquarters of Nigerian Breweries Plc., makers of Star lager beer.

While he was obviously overjoyed to become a new car owner, Ejike is also relieved to put behind him what he described as the most tensed period of his life. According to him, he had to flee his home or three days because of fears that he would be robbed of his winning crown cork. “I ran away from my home for three days just because I was scared that the crown cork would be taken away from me. I was scared because my name was announced on national TV so everybody knew I was a winner,” he stated.

Oluchi Otame is another student car winner in the Star Time To Shine promo. The 21-year-old student of the Ogun State Institute of Technology from Delta State became the first female to win a car in the promo. Her only problem is that she doesn’t know how to drive a car. “Now I have a car but I don’t know how to drive. That is my dilemma now. But that is no problem because I am going to start learning to drive immediately,” she said.

However, it’s not an all student affair. David Nwankwo, a commercial driver based in Bauchi State, Glory Edem-Sam, a seamstress based in Akwa Ibom State, Augustine Odachi, a fuel pump assistant based in Ebonyi State and Ese Okarei a security guard residing in Warri, Delta State all joined the car owners club courtesy of the promo. Of the lot, Ese Okarei has the most compelling story. While other winners spent weeks amassing crown corks before winning their cars, all it took for the 27-year old native of Delta State was just one crown cork.

“I believe that my winning this car is destiny. I am not exactly an alcoholic drinker. I only drink once in a while but when I heard about the promo, I took just a bottle of Star and I kept that crown cork. Two weeks later I received a call that I had won a car. I didn’t believe until they took me to Lagos to receive the car,” Okarie said.

As for Innocent Eze, a trader based in Taraba State, it took a whopping 230 crown corks for him to become a car winner in the promo. According to the 42-year-old native of Anambra State, he literarily turned into a ‘Star crown cork collector’ before he could win the brand new car. “I thank God for this car. When I was busy collecting Star crown corks people laughed at me. Even my wife said something is wrong with me. Now I am a car owner and I am thankful for it,” Eze stated.

The story of 24- year-old Ime Williams, who stays with his uncle, Bello Francis Kayode, readily brings to mind, the popular expression “division of labour’. Though he hardly takes alcohol, Ime Williams was genuinely interested in winning one of the cars in the promo. Luckily his uncle was a regular drinker of Star lager beer thus Williams resorted to collecting the crown corks whenever his uncle sent him to buy Star lager beer. “My uncle didn’t take the promo serious but I did. I would always take the crown corks from him and he didn’t mind giving it to me,” Williams explained.

It took 10 crown corks for him to finally get the crown cork that got him a brand new car. Ime Willaims was recently at the Corporate Headquarters of Nigerian Breweries Plc., to take delivery of the brand new car. He was accompanied by his uncle, Francis Kayode. “I am happy for me. Sometimes I think that it could have been me driving away the car but I am happy that Willaims has this car to himself. I am also going to take a shot at winning a brand new car,” Kayode stated.

Not all the winners in the Star Time To Shine promo were car winners. Some of them have had to make do with the instant prizes on offer. Samuel Okandeji, winner of N50,000 cash prize had the experience of his life courtesy of the promo. His experience sounds more like an action movie. “I took a dangerous trip to Port Harcourt from Warri where I stay just to be a part of the promo. At a point I had to get on a commercial motorcycle and I waded through flooded roads just to get to the draws,” Okandeji explained.

Interestingly, he took with him all of the crown corks he had been collecting since the promo kicked off. He did make it to the draws even though he got there 10pm. And for his troubles, Okandeji was announced as the winner of N50,000 cash. His happiness notwithstanding, Okandeji’s eyes are firmly fixed on one of the Toyota Corolla cars up for grabs. “Yes I am happy. This N50, 000 is enough compensation for all of the stress that I went through to be at draws. This money will really go a long way for me ,” Okandeji stressed.

Indeed thepromo has been a nationwide affair with draws held in six cities across the federation; Enugu, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Benin, Abuja and Benin. There has also being ample entertainment with some of Nigerian’s biggest comedians including Gandoki, Seyi Law and others entertaining revelers during the draws.