From Hawking in Jos to Royal Honours: Peter Igho Reflects on His Remarkable Life Journey

Legendary Nigerian television producer and broadcaster, Peter Igho, is known for his pioneering work with the Nigerian Television Authority where many of his iconic productions in film and television laid the foundation which many agree helped lay the foundation for what would become Nollywood. From the streets of Jos to the seat of the Caliphate, as Kakakin Daular Usmaniyya, it has been a journey of grace. The veteran broadcaster shares his 10 memorable moments with Ferdinand Ekechukwu

 CHILDHOOD IN JOS – HAWKING FOR MOTHER

Growing up in Jos, I hawked on the streets for my mother to help make ends meet. It was not easy, but it taught me everything early. Hustle. Humility. And the dignity of work. Jos was a melting pot then — tin, trade, and cinema. Walking those streets, I learned to watch people, to listen, to tell a story with my eyes. Those lessons from the road have stayed with me all my life.

2. MY FATHER’S MINING CAMPS

As a boy, I visited my father at his tin mining camps across the North. The conditions were harsh, fortunes mixed. But it was there I saw resilience up close. My father’s stories around the campfire, the struggles of the miners, the hope and disappointment — it all shaped me. It taught me about hardship, about endurance, and about the kind of Nigeria that works with its hands. That experience gave me a deep respect for the ordinary Nigerian.

3. MOTHER’S TREASURY OF STORIES

My mother had a treasury of folktales. Every night, we gathered around her and she would spin stories — of tortoises, kings, and tricksters. Those nights fired something in me. I fell in love with narrative. With the power of a voice to hold a room. Years later, when I moved into television, I realised I was just doing what my mother did, only with a camera. The moving image became my own way of telling those same stories.

4. KENNEDY ESSAY PRIZE, ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE KADUNA

As a schoolboy at St. John’s College, Kaduna, I entered the Kennedy Essay Competition and won First Place. It was a small thing, but to me it was huge. It was my first proof that words could take me places. That if you worked hard and thought clearly, your voice could be heard beyond your classroom. That prize gave me confidence. It told me writing was not just a hobby — it could be a path.

5. THE Q MARKS, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

At the University of Ibadan, we formed a music group called The Q Marks to raise money for ourselves. We performed at parties, we struggled, we laughed, and we bonded. It was survival, but with style. UI in the early 70s was electric — ideas, politics, theatre. The Q Marks taught me teamwork, discipline, and how to create something out of nothing. Those years gave me the foundation for everything that came after.

6. BIDA 1974 – NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND CULTURE

Posted to Government Teachers College, Bida in 1972, I found my muse. I wrote, produced and directed a dance drama using Nupe music and Angale dance. The North-Western State picked it. At the National Festival of Arts and Culture, NAFEST, held in Lagos in 1974, we emerged among the nation’s best three. Bida gave me the story, the rhythm, and the belief that our local culture was good enough for the national stage. That was my first national applause.

7. NTV SOKOTO, 1975 – PIONEER STAFF

In 1975, I transferred my services to NTV Sokoto as pioneer staff. That was the moment I stepped fully inside broadcasting. We were building something from the ground up — studios, departments, and a new language of television in the North. I set up and headed the Drama Department. Those early years in Sokoto were tough, but they were where my life’s work truly began. Television became my calling.

8. “COCK CROW AT DAWN” – FIRST ON-LOCATION NTA DRAMA

Producing and directing Cock Crow at Dawn was a turning point. Commissioned for Operation Feed The Nation and sponsored by UBA, it was the first NTA drama shot entirely on location. It wasn’t shot in a studio. We took the cameras to the farms, to the villages. The series changed Nigerian TV. It showed that drama could be real, could educate, and could move a nation. Many agree it helped lay the foundation for what would become Nollywood.

9. AMVCA 2020 – FATHER AND SON ON ONE NIGHT

The Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards 2020 gave me one of my proudest moments. My son [Tosin] and I made history as the first father-son pair to win on the same night. I received the Lifetime Industry Merit Award. Tosin on his part picked up award for Best Picture Editor. On that stage, I dedicated my award to my wife, Dele. She raised our children largely alone while I was on set, in the studio, chasing stories. That night was not just about me. It was about family, sacrifice, and legacy.

10. NLRC & TRADITIONAL HONOURS

After retiring from NTA, I was appointed Director General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission in 2009. I met an agency of 7 staff in two rooms. In 4 years, we built it to over 1,500 staff, with 10 offices nationwide, generating billions for Government Good Causes. Service continued. And then came the honours. Dan Jikan Kabi conferred by HRH Alhaji Samaila Muhammad Mera, CON, Emir of Argungu. Okobaro R’ Uvwie conferred by HRM Abe I Emmanuel Sideso, Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom. And now, the latest honour KAKAKIN DAULAR USMANIYYA to be conferred by His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto, at the Sultan’s Palace.