Mandy Brown Ojugbana entered Nigeria’s pop consciousness in the mid 1980s through Taxi Driver, her cover of Bobby Benson’s highlife classic. The song became widely known and established her as one of the young voices of that era. She has spoken about signing her first record contract at about 15, and becoming famous at 16 as Taxi Driver gained national attention.
The success of the single anchored her debut album, Breakthrough. She later identified Breakthrough as the album that carried Taxi Driver, and named her second album as Oh My Love. Decades later, she still described Breakthrough as a defining project, listing tracks from the album and reflecting on how it shaped her early artistic identity.
Her entry into music was not quiet or gradual. It arrived early, and it carried expectations that she would remain in that space for the long term.
Choosing Education Over Applause
While her music career was still young, Mandy made a decision that surprised many observers. She stepped away from the industry and relocated to the United Kingdom. She explained that she left for bigger things and placed emphasis on education and moving to another level of personal development.
Rather than remain anchored to a teenage hit, she redirected her path toward formal training. In the United Kingdom, she studied at the London Academy of Television Broadcasting. She described herself as a qualified broadcaster and said she worked on a couple of programmes for Channel 4 Television during her time there.
This period marked the beginning of a deliberate shift, from recording studio fame to professional media training and production work.
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Returning to Nigeria and Entering Sports Radio
After her UK years, Mandy returned to Nigeria and moved into radio broadcasting. She was approached to present on Brila FM, Nigeria’s sports radio station. She accepted the role because of her personal interest in sports, particularly football.
At Brila FM, she hosted a morning programme that ran from 10:30 to 1pm. She described the show as popular during her time there and spoke about the energy of sports broadcasting. The station environment allowed her to combine her love of football with her growing experience as a trained broadcaster.
Her work at Brila represented her first major public step in Nigerian media after her music era.
A Shift to Politics and Topical Conversation at Smooth 98.1
From Brila FM, Mandy transitioned to Smooth 98.1 FM. There she presented Smooth Breakfast with Mandy, a programme she described as focused on politics and topical information.
Breakfast radio demands consistency, preparation, and the ability to engage daily news developments. Her move from sports programming into political and current affairs conversation expanded the scope of her on air presence.
She also addressed expectations about the kinds of programmes women are often encouraged to host. She stated that sport and politics were people’s favourite pastimes and that they were her interests as well. While she acknowledged she could handle women related programmes, she explained that she had been approached to handle sports and later took on broader public affairs discussion.
The Two Hour Conversation with Wole Soyinka
When reflecting on her broadcasting career, Mandy identified one moment as especially significant, a two hour interview with Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka.
She described the conversation as one of the longest exclusive interviews he had granted. For her, it represented depth, preparation, and the ability to sustain serious discussion over an extended period. The interview became a defining marker of her work in radio journalism.
It symbolised the distance she had travelled from teenage pop fame to sustained public conversation with one of Nigeria’s most respected intellectual figures.
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Balancing Music and Broadcasting
Although she stepped away from music as her primary focus, Mandy did not close that chapter completely. She stated that she remained open to musical collaborations and mentioned performing at Felabration. However, she made it clear that her central focus had shifted to journalism and broadcasting.
Years later, she again spoke publicly about revisiting music, sharing reflections on her earlier career and expressing renewed interest in creative projects. Even so, her broadcasting path remained a core part of her professional identity.
Her story demonstrates that early fame does not have to define the rest of a public life. She chose to invest in training, return home with new skills, and establish herself in radio through sports coverage, political programming, and extended interviews.
Author’s Note
Mandy Brown Ojugbana’s journey shows that early fame can be a beginning rather than a destination. From a teenage hit that made her widely known, she moved into formal broadcasting study, worked within the UK television space, and returned to Nigeria to build a sustained radio career at Brila FM and Smooth 98.1, highlighted by a two hour interview with Wole Soyinka. Her path reflects deliberate reinvention grounded in education, skill, and professional focus.
References
Kazeem Popoola, “I made a decent living with Taxi Driver, Mandy Ojugbana”, The Nigerian Voice, 13 March 2011.
Kazeem Popoola, “I made a decent living with Taxi Driver, Mandy Ojugbana”, Modern Ghana, 13 March 2011.
Ovwe Medeme, “‘Taxi Driver’ made me famous at 16, Mandy Brown Ojugbana”, Premium Times Nigeria, 6 February 2026.
