In the 70s and 80s, when there used to be just a few television stations in the country, the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, was the leading TV Station in the land. In those days, everyone depended on the NTA for news, reports, entertainment among others. It was particularly in entertainment that NTA really carved a niche for itself. Consequently, some soap operas shown on the station became popular nationwide. Prominent among such soaps were Village Headmaster, The Masquerade, Cock crow at Dawn, Supple Blues, Mirror In the Sun, Ichiokwu, Winds of Destiny, After the Storm and many others. These were all very captivating television drama series that mirrored our country's peculiar and diverse religious and socio-cultural setting, while also providing huge entertainment for the teeming viewers. As it is usually the case with didactic works, most of the series had numerous moral lessons.
Though all of the soaps were quite fascinating and enthralling, one particularly found Cock Crow at Dawn quite breathtaking. A rich educational and entertainment serial that aired weekly on the NTA network, Cock Crow at Dawn was developed and financed by NTA and United Bank for Africa, UBA to promote widespread interest in farming. The idea was part of the effort to increase awareness about the need to diversify the country's economy by returning to agriculture which used to be the mainstay of the nation's economy. UBA, indeed, came on board the project as part of its agricultural credit scheme. The immensely talented Peter Igho wrote and developed the serial. The choice of location was Sabon Garin Tarria, a rural setting about 20 kilometers from the city of Jos in Plateau State.
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