16th October, 2022
By Nehru Odeh
She was born Ijeoma Josephina Otabor. But she gave herself Phyna. And that is the name of the 25-year-old Edo State – born Season 7 housemate, who recently won the N100million grand prize that has stuck with. By winning that prize not only has she leveled up, her level has changed.
Her level has changed? Indeed Phyna is the new Cinderella. She is the latest celebrity in town. She is also the the latest multiple brand ambassador. Hers is the curious case of a lady who moved from being a hype girl to a celebrity.
Biggie calls her the hype priestess. She also calls herself unusual Phyna and Agbero. She believes she is a street girl. She believes she is from the street.
She identified with the street. And that was the reason the street loved her and call her her own. And that was also the reason the street made sure she won and became the latest celebrity in town.
Phyna is the New Deal. Right from the time she stepped into Biggie’s house, she never hid her humble beginnings. Not only was she real and down-to-earth, she said all what she needed to say about herself. Her naturalness, her straightforwardness and her being herself endeared her to her fans.
And right from the outset too, she never hid her love for Groovy. Even when Groovy was seen not to be serious with the relationship, she kept showing her love for him, shedding not a few tears the few times Groovy was taking away from her. Even when Groovy told her that “I really like you but not love … Love is not a feeling, love is a process” she persisted.
But she wanted answers from Groovy. She wanted Groovy to show he loved her. She wanted Groovy to allay her fears. But Groovy wasn’t forthcoming. He didn’t want to be committed, leaving it for when they are out of that confined space.
“I rushed to fall in love (with you),” she once told Groovy in a chit-chat.
“I have also been going around calling you my boyfriend and baby hoping that you feel something strong for me and now finding out you don’t and you just like me,” Phyna complained bitterly
But Groovy never felt something strong for her. While in the house. she was deeply in love with Groovy. Little wonder, the lady who once said she prefers kissing to love making planted kisses on Groovy lips at the slightest opportunity. But those kisses never yielded any fruit.
Still, the questions many are asking are: Why did Phyna fall in love with Groovy to the extent that she sacrificed her friendship with Amaka to get him? What is so special about Groovy that Phyna went all the way to get him after Beauty had been disqualified?
Till now Amaka feels betrayed by her. She is still hurt and feels like a bedraggled chicken abandoned and left to complain in the rain. She still feels hurt because she believes Phyna snatched Groovy from her. But Amaka and Groovy were never in a relationship.
It would be recalled that Amaka who was closest to Phyna in the house had opened up to her about the soft spot she had for Groovy, asking her to speak to Groovy on her behalf.
But, in a twist, rather than speak to Groovy about her friend’s feelings, Phyna revealed her own feelings to the Anambra State-born model.
However, Phyna debunked Amaka’s accusation. “She told me she liked Groovy and I should talk to Groovy and I did but I noticed anytime Groovy comes to the room he sits on my bed and since the beginning of the show, I told Groovy I liked him and Amaka was aware but maybe it seems like a vibe so when he told me to be his girlfriend and I was like okay so the whole thing just happened and I was trying to avoid it,” Phyna said.
Still the fact remains – as Phyna confessed – that right from the beginning of the show she told Groovy that she liked him. But the question still is: Why did did Phyna, who claimed recently that she doesn’t like fair-skinned guys, fall in love with Groovy, even forcing herself on him, when he didn’t seem to show much enthusiasm?
The hype priestess has just revealed during a live chat on Instagram that Groovy is the only light skinned guy she has ever dated, adding that she doesn’t like fair-complexioned men. Asked further why she fell in love with Groovy, she said he is the ultimate light-skinned guy and irresistible.
Irresistible? What next for the hype priestess, since her level has changed after winning the grand prize of the BBNaija Season 7 It seems she is now singing a new song.
Asked in a recent interview whether she would love to keep her relationship with Groovy, she indicated that they are still good and cool with each other,but would love to keep her relationship with him private.
However, In another interview Phyna said their relationship would be on a low key.: “I want to focus on myself more now. I don’t want my relationship with Groovy to be the major highlight of me right now … I have a lot of brands to push and I need to stay focused”.
“My relationship with Groovy for now would be on a low key. Our relationship was very loud in the Big Brother’s house because we were being filmed and it was an enclosed space that was why it seemed that way.
“Now that we are out and all of us are so busy, it’s now time to focus on only me and myself. Anything about the relationship zeros me off.”
Has the veil been removed from Phyna’s eyes? Can she see clearly now that the rain is gone, as the legendary reggae artiste Jimmy Cliff once sang? Your guess is as good as mine. And fans are waiting with bated breath.