Radio personalities

I had not written a CV in all my life-Steve Onu
By Oliver Onuoha

Rave of the moment radio broadcaster, Steve Onu popularly known as Yaw, came to lime light when he first hit the screens in a TV drama titled Flat mates. His popular slang, ‘Uwa bu paw-paw’ was what shot him to fame and fortune. The 95.1 FM presenter, disclosed to Lagos Weekend, when he paid a courtesy visit to Daily Times of Nigeria, how it took him 5months to prepare a resume saying, it was as a result of his not having worked for anyone all his life. The Theatre Arts graduate from the Lagos State University, in this interview, said if he wasn’t into entertainment; he would have been a frustrated person.
How did you start as a broadcaster?
It started way back when I was doing stuffs with BBC, there’s a radio drama called Story, Story, owned by the BBC, I acted with them and all that. But apart from that basically, WAZOBIA FM, all started with a friend of mine telling me to follow him to go see Mr. Ibrahim in Cool FM. Mr. Ibrahim told him “we are coming up with a pidgin radio station, do you think you have materials you can give to us”? I later told my friend that I don’t mind maybe just come here and do my stuff and all that and he said I should talk to Mr. Ibrahim and I did. I had not written CV in all my life so; it took me like five months to actually get a CV written because I don’t know how to prepare one.
So you haven’t applied for a job before?
No, I’ve never worked for anybody like say I am wearing shirt a tie or go for an interview. The day I came for the WAZOBIA interview, I was just sitting in the hall looking at all the people in shirt and trousers tucked in, I was the only person in jeans, face cap and ear-ring and I said ‘oh God, yes they wont give me this job at all but surprisingly, I was given the job maybe they saw that I could do it.
Tell me about yourself.
My name is Steve Onu but people call me Yaw, I am just a simple person, I read theatre arts and I studied drama, I graduated from Lagos State University, basically, that’s just me. I’m an actor, master of ceremonies, radio presenter, entertainer, I’m an all rounder.
You have a unique voice, how did you develop it?
I don’t really know everybody just keep talking about my voice but believe you me, I know nothing about my voice. People will just call on radio and say, Yaw, your voice and yet, the truth of the matter is that, when I listen to my voice, I go like ‘wetin dey this voice sef wey people dey talk about? I don’t know I just want to say its God because who God has blessed, no man can cause.
People mistake you for as a Yoruba guy.
Maybe because I speak Yoruba a lot too; there was one day on the radio, when they were talking about the helmet thing, a man called me and said ‘this thing they said we should be wearing, ‘ ko yemi, e me koleshe nko konpkai and I was like, what, se akoto? Some few minutes later, I got a call and a woman was arguing that it’s a lie that I’m Yoruba but I am an Ibo man from Anambra State to be specific but I was born in Lagos and grew up in Lawanson.
After your show Po, you bought a jeep.
That’s a heavy lie, don’t mind all those people. I bought that jeep since last year August and I have been using it since October and I moved into Victoria Island in March so, it has nothing to do with my show.
It’s obvious you have made a lot of money now.
For where, where the money dey? But we thank God.
Are you rich?
I won’t say that I am rich, but if you say I am rich, what will you say about Ronaldo and the likes of him? I am not rich but I thank God all the same because He says in everything give thanks.
Did your parents give approval when you decided to study theatre arts?
You know it’s not possible. Mine was that bad, I had to leave my house because I want to do what I believed in so I was moved in with friends.
It was that bad that after my diploma, my mother didn’t have the time to come to the school that she sent my sister to tell the school authority not to give me admission to go for degree so, it was that bad.
Why did you choose theatre arts?
I tried to do petroleum economics and I actually got admission to into PTI Efuru, one of this their Satellite campus in Lagos, Yaba, I got admission to do diploma but it was not in me. I don do Jamb oh, I try do Jamb.
How many times did you write it?
E bi like say I do three, I try though dem no send me free form later, because dem go send you free biro, T-shirt and face cap if you do like five six time, the following year, dem go dash you form. But I didn’t do up to that number of times but it was not easy for me wanting to do jamb. I started going out with Vivian Meche for auditions so, I met RMD who now advised me and he said “I think you’ll be a better person when you study theatre arts, go study theatre arts and you’ll be a good actor”.
Why did you appear semi naked in your play Po?
To start with, I read theatre arts; I’m not a home video actor, I studied drama, drama is your whole being. So whether you like it or not, even in home videos, some people do it when they tell them to cut their hair. Ernest Obi did a movie, Till Death, where he was actually naked. So if I, being a stage actor, decide I want to do this to portray what ever I want to portray, why not? The whole story line was all about lets all start afresh, it’s a new day, and lets start from the beginning.
What if you had fallen when you ran back stage?
It has happened to me before; I think that was when I was in Ife to do a performance. I fell down, we were on tour of a place and I fainted because I was feeling so tired. I was revived, I acted by beat and by the time I came back I fainted again. The doctor had to revive me and they came to meet me that it’s my turn again. First and foremost, you have to go and do it; you can come and die later. If it’s in home video, the lead actor might just come and say he has catarrh and he’s not acting. It’s not somebody that knows what theatre is all about, the person will go first to do it because that is more important than every other thing.
How much were you paid in PO!
I was just paid a little money, we can’t disclose all that.
How did you coin the slogan ‘Uwabu Paw Paw”?
Actually the TV thing that you see on flat mates recording, I think it was Anie Macaulay that said what was that thing that you said, say it again, it sounds funny; then I didn’t even remembered what I said, we had to rewind the tape and I got it again. When that episode went, everybody was like who’s that stupid guy that does the Uwabu Paw paw thing? And that was just it, it got stocked.


What inspired the ‘make una wake up’ show on WAZOBIA?
To start with, I’m employed to work for the radio station, its not as if I’m an independent producer, I’m paid working as an on-air personality and they just asked us during the screening a few questions and I answered them and they were like ‘this guy should be able to come out with something that’s should hold the audience on and that was just how it started. So series of meetings with my boss and also with the help of Dan Foster too; yes, I’m doing all thing through God. Dan Foster put me through a lot of things. He told me to just be myself, say what ever I need to say but be careful of things you shouldn’t say. Definitely you don’t expect me to say fuck you or bull shit on air. Avoid religious problems, avoid sexual problems, whether you are gay or lesbian, avoid such talks. When he just told me these things, I said okay. Any mistake you make on radio, use it as an advantage, say something to cover up for yourself. There was a day I was on-air, I had actually forgotten the name of somebody that sang a song, it’s normal, and you can forget it and I said it that I forgot it. Immediately I finished the programme, somebody called my phone and said what she liked about my programme was that I said I forgot it, it means that I am human but some of these people want you to believe that they have everything in their head but forget it, they are all human beings. I think that is what is working for me because a lot of people see and think or hear that Yaw on WAZOBIA is just himself and they can easily identify with WAZOBIA because first and foremost, na pidgin we dey speak. Because it is pidgin, they flow and that’s what everyone understands. Fela said it and now I’m accepting it.
Are you married?
The marital status now, halleluiah! Maybe sometimes later, the truth of the matter is that the wedding bell will soon ring, I know the year and I have even paid for the hall but the girl, I don’t know yet. I have even printed invitations; I will use biro to write the girl’s name.
What’s your kind of woman?
First of all, someone that will support me, someone that is creative; as I’m talking A, she’s talking Z. when I am saying I think it will be better to do it this way, you are also saying we do it this way and merge it up with this and this is the end result. Somebody that is a helper not somebody that is looking for somebody that she’ll depend on, I think that’s a perfect woman for me.
You seem not to get angry when on air why?
When some people think I’m tribalistic, it gets at me and when they think I’m that I’m religiously biased, it gets at me because I always try to strike a balance since I’m on radio, I respect everybody’s view. Off radio, my turn off is when people lie so much and when people don’t believe me, it gets at me a lot. I’m not saying I don’t tell lies but if you ratio me on the level I tell lies, maybe 85% of me don’t tell lies because I see no reason to tell lies, you won’t beat me even if I do.
How do you combine acting and radio?
Good thing the management I work with understands this is what I was doing and my boss will tell me so far it does not disturb your work. When I finished my show, the next morning I was on air.
Are you nursing any plans to go into music?
No but I have done stuffs, I did something with Niga Raw, Koffi, Rugged man and 2shots.
If you were not into entertainment, what other thing would you have done?
Maybe I’d have been a frustrated person maybe if it’s a profession I’m sure that’s it; frustration would have been my profession.
How would you describe your working experience at WAZOBIA FM?
My brother whether you like it or not, it is wonderful, you can’t rule that out. I do act on TV and everybody is like Yaw here and there but with radio, it is more, everybody listens to me. There’s one thing that makes me happy and it’s the people out there. I had some issues and I had to call my mother and she said ‘have you considered the people out there that listen to, have you considered those that are happy just because they hear your voice?
Consider them before you do anything. So it’s WAZOBIA and others are following.
What is your opinion on Nollywood?
It’s growing very fast and it’s changing, even the equipments but it just still gets at me when I still watch some of our films they show on Africa Magic, it pains me. I watched one recently and they showed the office of the inspector general of police, it was a sitting room with curtains, normal sitting room; they just placed a table there. Are we fools, are those watching it fools, they should grow. They were showing a news scene in the film, I think they shot the stuff in the toilet or in a kitchen because you could see the white wall tiles and the film was done in 2007; they also used cardboard with red marker to write NBC news. Most of the good Nigerian films are not shown on Africa Magic. The likes of Tade Ogidan’s films, Amaka Igwe’s films and Tunde Kelani’s films, but are trying and I know they’ll get better.
What were some of the challenges you encountered as a radio person?
I had lots of them but thank God for Dan Foster who told me to use those things as advantages and I thank God that the management just allow you to be you. It’s not as if they don’t check us but listeners think they don’t because they allow you to be you and they know that’s when the best in you comes out. I thank God because I‘ve won three to four different awards being the best radio presenter and City People also nominated me for an award coming up very soon amongst top people who have long been there like Wild Child, Femi Sowolu and Shola Thompson. Others I’ve won, I was also nominated alongside Dan Foster, Wild Child and I thank God where I am.
Who are your role models?
The truth is I don’t know much about the media, maybe when I was much younger, the people I used to like maybe that’s what I’ll use. Dan Foster is one for me but major, Seneowo Brown, Ruth Banamecia, all those people we grew up with, watching them on TV and then Yinka Craig of blessed memory; I love his style of presentation.
What’s the difference between Steve Onu and Yaw?
Steve Onu is an actor, Yaw is strictly a radio person, Steve Onu is shy, and Yaw is not when he is on radio. Steve Onu is in-doors, Yaw does not mind going out because definitely, people want to meet Yaw.
Is there any plan to re-stage Po?
Whether you like it or not, a lot of people believe that life theatre is dead but some of us believe that it can still get better, it’s not until we wait for government. Entertainment is changing, so what kind of entertainment are you giving to people now. That’s why I did the show, I am going to redo the play basically because I have apologized to a lot of people who say they came and couldn’t get sits. Yes but you won’t blame me, truth is sponsors were not there. Thanks to HiTV and Dana air but if I had the show sponsored; I would have collected a bigger hall or ran the show for two days.
When are we expecting the next show?
The return of Po! I still want to do Po! Maybe sometimes in June or July.
When will you retire from radio?
I take now as it is and leave tomorrow for where the Lord leads me to. I never for once believed I’ll be on radio but I know I’ll be on it for a long time if given the opportunity.
Are you nursing any plans for a foundation?
Yes, a lot of people have been telling to start up a Yaw fan club, secondly I’m trying to do something but I’ve not given it a name. Last year I did my birthday and I went to the motherless baby’s home and this year, my birthday which is August 23rd, will be celebrated for the blind. Call them together; few musicians will perform for them and all that. I just want to try in my own little way to touch souls; it will be like a concert for the blind, I call it sight for the blind. Next year, I’ll do for the disabled, for the crippled.

Ali Baba retires

Ali Baba soon to retire plans ‘Finally’ for last show.
By Oliver Onuoha
Having spent 20 years of his life as an entertainer, Ali Baba is believed to be the father of the fast rising Nigerian comedy industry which today, is a money spinner. Ali Baba in this interview, talks of his sojourn into comedy, of how he had to sleep at the bar beach and in most night clubs when he first came to Lagos with a rickety portmanteau in search of the Golden Fleece. He spoke about his forth coming show tagged He, them and I which he says is going to be one of the biggest comedy shows ever. The XQZ MOI boss also gave insights on his soon retirement from active stand up comedy.
What’s the whole concept behind your forth coming show titled “He, them and I”?
Well, I rarely do events, I think the last time I did an event was in 2005 when I had “Share offer”. Not because I don’t like doing events but because the energy, logistics and everything that goes into it, doesn’t actually give you a commensurate gain. So, within a month that you are planning a show, if you’re somebody who gets a lot of events, probably you’d have made like eight times what you will make as profit. So, every other time, people are like why not a show, you’ve not done a show lately and I say no, let my guys do shows. But what happens is, you plan to have a show and one of your guys have a show, for him, it is like he wants to step up his game. It will be odd for me having been in the business for a while to tell him no don’t do your show, let me do mine. So most of the times, I have allowed my colleagues to have shows because I didn’t want to do a show that will clash with theirs on one side. On the other side, the profit margin is always very low, but this needed to be done because by next year, I would have been 20 years in Stand up professionally. It’s much longer but professionally from 1990 to 2010, that will be 20years. So, this is like a semi final, the last show is going to be titled “Finally”. The last show is going to be me on stage, maybe two or three hours, it’s going to be fully loaded.
Who are those you’ll feature alongside?
I’m going to be on stage with a lot of people that I respect, people who have come with me a long the line which is why we are playing the big names like myself, Basorge, Okey Bakassi, Patrick Doyle, Alamblow, Tee A. you’re going to hear a lot of Muhammed Danjuma’s jokes. I do it at every event I go to, I say this is a joke to remind you of a colleague of mine and I do one of Danjuma’s stuff. People are nearly beginning to forget Muhammed Danjuma and the kind of jokes he did. You hear a lot of comedians use it like their own; Muhammed is not going to come out of the grave to say this is my joke but we need to remember him. I am trying to use this show as a yardstick, let my colleagues look at it and say oh, this is how it should be done, how it should packaged, this is the limit you should not go beyond, because there are so many rules in stand up comedy that are not being followed now. The line between being funny and being offensive are very thin, you may thread and miss-step and you are on the offensive side but maintaining the balance and let people know that no harm was meant is very appropriate and those are some of the things that I want to achieve. When I first thought of He, Them and I, I was like, is it possible to get someone like Bill Cosby to feature on the show? Bill Cosby will be ‘He, Them will be like Lagbaja and D’Banj and then I. then we thought about the logistics and some of my colleagues said it will be an over kill because after you bring Bill Cosby, what will you bring when you do Finally?
And I said Finally, I am going to be on stage alone, they said no, it will still be nice to have people like that to just grace the show even if they are not performing. So, what we’ve done is to shelve all those big names we thought we are going to have and let’s have D’Banj and all those guys who built the industry with me and that’s how we came up with the content of He, Them and I.
Why the personality of D’banj as He?
If you check statistics, D’banj is the most played artiste right now and D’banj is like the most award winning artiste. This show is like a paper, there are two faces to it. What I want to do in the final, I don’t want to reveal yet but this second to the last show, I wanted to bring people who have benefited from entertainment to in a way, give back to society. D’banj is performing nearly for free. Why I said nearly for free is that I’ve given him transport money, I’ve told him I’m going to tell people that I’ve given him transport money and he has said for my kind of person, he will play and I said no, I want it to be on record that I gave him transport money. Then, we are doing the first show with the mind of giving back to society big time. D’banj is also a want to see artiste, people want to see him perform, he has the stage carriage, he has songs, and he has personality to grab your attention. I’m sure if you were to count five people who would fit that bill, he will come top, not that you won’t get any other person. For Them, because we didn’t want to have so many artiste and I thought okay, since we’ve not done Bill Cosby and we’ve decided to change that and bring Bill Cosby for Finally and lets have all the comedians that were on the comedy scene from 1990 till now.
Are you saying your colleagues are not doing shows the way it should be done?No. All I'm saying is that there are rules to be followed as a stand up comedian, which some of my colleagues are not following or strictly adhering to, and it's not good for the profession. Aside that, there are rooms for improvement and that is what I intend doing with this show, so that they can improve more on their game and step it up. I would be quitting very soon, but I intend to continually advice and make colleagues and the industry grow. What I am doing is an eye opener to how they can make more money and do better shows. Some of my colleagues complain so much about not making profits after every show and they just lament, so I want to show them how they should go about their dealings to get a better result. You just said there's a thin line between being offensive and being funny. Wasn't this similar to what caused the alleged rift between you and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo?I still enjoy a good relationship with Baba till date and I have never been out of favour with him. I can call him now if you want. You see, some people just use Panadol for other people's headache, and that is one thing I have learnt on my job. The first thing is to have a good relationship with these people before using such punch line on them. Most times, I tell Baba the jokes about him even before I render them publicly, and whenever I render them in his presence, he already knows the punch line and laughs it off. There was a time I did a joke about Chief Alex Akinyele, comparing him with Jim Nwobodo as minister of sports. After rendering the joke, one of Chief Akinyele's aides came and warned me not to disrespect his boss or render such jokes again and I said okay. But, when the man himself saw me, he simply repeated the joke and we laughed over it. When I told him about his aide he simply shrugged him off and literarily compelled me to do more. The rumour that Baba was angry with me is false. It was just some of his aides who was over acting in his absence and nothing more. Be that as it may, I do not encourage my colleagues, who have no relationship with these people to render such jokes, because it might be embarrassing for them. Like the one that happened when a colleague of mine rendered a joke about Baba and the former President publicly declared that he had never met the dude and that the incident happened between himself and Ali Baba. So, there is a thin line between being funny and being offensive, but when you have a relationship with these people, it's easier to do a punch line on them because you might have at one time or the other said it to them personally. You are one of the highest paid stand up comedians and masters of ceremony in the country today. It is even said that you even collect millions for shows. How much do you really charge for shows?The lowest I charge is free, because I have even paid for artiste to perform at some shows before. This is because there are times I am called to do an event for somebody, but I have another event that is juicier and what I do is since you are insisting, I would get you another MC to do this event and pay for it. Immediately you'd know that the person only wants something cheap and not really your services. By so doing, you would have saved yourself the agony of losing the juicy job. If you have a product launch, I could do between N1million and N1.5million, but if it were out of town, I would charge between N1.5million and N2million. This is probably a standard I want to maintain, but it could be more.Some of your colleagues don't take a uniform fee?If somebody pays you N40, 000 at initial engagement, it would be hard to increase your fee and you also prevent other colleagues from getting that much or more. It's best for you to think of other colleagues when charging, because it is only when you miss a show that you realize how important you are to the show. Charge as much as you can, though you shouldn't be too high. Be considerate, but don't belittle yourself or other colleagues by charging too low. We have sacrificed for others when we started. It is only when you get appreciated that you can help build the industry.How would you know whether you are appreciated or not by the client?I would give you an example. A man called me up to do an event for him for a price and I told him that I couldn't do it for that price. But he began to beg, and even employed his wife to beg me. It was after that that I agreed, and I was paid by his company. Months later, one of the directors in his company wanted to celebrate his 70th birthday. He just called me up and said, 'Ali, I have instructed them to raise a cheque for you to be at the event for me', but I said we have not discussed the price. Then he told me he learnt that the company paid me certain amount, and that he has raised the same amount for his own event. The man now later called me and pleaded that I should understand that he is a director and that I should do it for the price. And I told him that it's a shame for me to tell him to his face that he is a disappointment, and he felt insulted and that was it. We have a mutual friend who intervened. After that, I simply knew that the first man didn't appreciate my services, because if he had appreciated me, he would have told his director the exact amount I told him that I usually charge. It also means if it were to be any of my younger colleagues, they would even pay less and say after all, Ali doesn't even take that much. Every wristwatch says the time but there's difference in their aesthetics and what they portray.Tell us more about the brand Ali BabaMy clients are people who are not fascinated by all these endorsement deals and they don't even watch the TV that well to feel me. My kind of audience are people who enjoy me most when I render jokes for them on a stage and they laugh so well that they can relate with whatever I have to tell them. They are the kind of people I have grown to make my audience. Not that I don't like the endorsement deals, but I just don't clamour for them like you are making it sound. If it comes, I would definitely get it done. I once did some, but to be factual with you, my kind of commodity is not the one that needs much advertisement because the crowd would ask for it, even without adverts or endorsements. It's like medicines for catarrh and cough. We have several adverts but have you seen any advert on Actifed on your TV? Is it still not the most preferred medicine for these things? That is how you can easily understand my kind of brand.What can you say about the talks about you rolling with women who are far richer than you?I'm not bothered about such talks because you need to see the kind of shows and events that I get to make you know that I make my own money and I don't live on any woman. I would give you an instance. A client called me up and said whenever he asks for discount from me I refuse, and that he has been fighting on my behalf. He said and I quote, 'Do you know that my wife and her friends saw you on TV and they started talking of how you go around dating women that are richer than you for their money. I simply showed my wife what we paid for the last show you did for us. So next time give me discount oh." People like that know what I am worth and what I have been able to work hard to get. It's not my fault that my taste in women is rich, and there's nothing I can do about that. I mean, that is my own taste of women and everybody has his or her own taste. I have never been bothered and I won't be bothered a bit. I know what I'm worth and what the good Lord has done for me.Would it be right to say you are successful and wealthy?If I deny the goodness of God in my life I would be calling for His anger. God has done so well for me. I mean I am someone who came to Lagos determined to make it better than my father, and to become a man of own. I came to Lagos in 1988 with a caricature kind of luggage. I call it caricature because it was made of paper and I can't remember how many times I slept in nightclubs, Bar Beach and even in a lock up shop owned by my friend Giant Ajanloko. I had no place to keep my clothes and what I did was leave them with my washman, who I still use till date, and I go there daily to change my clothes. I started gradually and the good Lord showed me His grace. I now live well, have several clothes, own cars and live in a good home in Lekki. So, the good Lord has been good to me. You see, in terms of wealth, I am rich in the Lord and all I will be going after is in the Lord's vineyard.Are there any regrets?I won't really say I have regrets, but my saddest moments were when we lost Mohammed Danjuma and Abagana. I felt we could have prevented their death one way or another. But we thank God that they impacted on some lives and we are grateful that they existed in our time.What about XQZ Moi and the demolition issue?Well, XQZ MOI is doing fine. What happened is that we lost some part of our property to the Lagos State Government when they started the construction of the road that went through the back of XQZ MOI, but we have been able to resolve all that and all we are waiting for is the completion of the work. When that happens, we will be back in business full swing, only that we would have lost some meters of our land.

Queen of the Spotlight

I get calls from strange men -Bimbo Akintola
By Oliver Onuoha

She is a role model to many although, there are thousands of controversies surrounding this queen of the spotlight who is being alleged to have gone back to the arms of her former lover, Dade Mabiaku who they say, have started influencing her into the habit of smoking. Lagos Weekend in this interview with sassy and sultry actress, Bimbo Akintola, talked about her dream man, her new job as a producer, hopes of being a mother and some of her movies on gender base violence.
What happened to the idea you had about a talk show?
I left that since, I actually recorded five episodes like six, seven years ago but I’m doing so many other things right now, I don’t just want to do a talk show just like every other talk show, I want something different, something that will stand out. I did Start Live a long time ago but I left it, I want to concentrate on other stuff and then I will come back to it.
What was it about?
The five episodes we shot, we talked about homosexuality, prostitution, we interviewed commercial sex workers, we interviewed homosexual people, it’s just basically talking about every facet of life and understanding what makes us Nigerians and those issues we never want to discuss.
Why did you accept the role you played in Widows, the Mourning After?
I accepted to play that role because it’s a great script; it talks about gender base violence and in this case, widowhood rights in the eastern part of Nigeria. I like doing things mean something, that’ll touch people, and change lives even if its one person’s life, that’s enough for me.
Were you handsomely paid in that movie?
For the amount of time I used in shooting the movie, no, we were on set for five months.
Tell us about Virgina Monologues and the role you played
It’s a female cast, we were different women and basically about gender base violence but in this case specific to violence against women. We have poems that talks about different kind of things, I did two versions of Virginal Monologues, the one that emanated from America and the second is a script put together here by Nigerians, talking about the Nigerian aspect of these things which is also done by kind, we have the NGOs that actually organized the Virginal Monologues. I like the Nigerian one better for one reason, it talks about our stories, what we go through, and we talked about all the different aspect of our Nigerian cultures and traditions. I did one on the Benue part where they give out their wives. It’s traditional in some part and I hope it doesn’t exist anymore that if you come and visit, a wife is given as a gift to you to show how much in esteem they hold you and the wife can’t say no. So, I did that part and a few other parts, we talked about a man who beats up his wife. I like discussing stuffs that to me, means something and one of the problems we have in this country is gender base violence.
What would you want to do for humanity if given a chance?
Basically, I think what I am doing. Picking scripts that are important, that mean something to us as Nigerians and hoping through my performance, I touch someone’s life and make a difference to that person’s situation.
Your English is good, what’s your educational background like?
I went to Maryland Convent private school, from there I went to command Day secondary school and then I went to the University of Ibadan and I studied Theatre Arts.
Will it a big deal for you to act nude?
It will be because first and foremost, we’re not ready for that in Nigeria. We’re okay seeing it foreign movies but we’re not ready for it here, traditionally and culturally.
Out of Bounds shot you into limelight, how would you describe your role in that movie?
I played the role of a girl who was seeking for attention from her parents, they had her when they were much older and instead of being there for her, they pushed money her way and what she wanted was attention from her parents and she was willing to do almost anything to get that attention. Its children, if you don’t give them attention, they throw tantrums, that’s basically what she was doing, there was a child who wanted so much to feel the approval of her parents.
Why do you do less of Yoruba movies?
I do less of everything right now because I am producing. You know how it is, we always have something to say about other people’s production you know, they didn’t do this well, the technical was not as good as it could be, the acting is mediocre, the directing is this and that, now I produce. So, I said to myself instead of complaining, why don’t I try and see what it’s like and see if I can show what I think should be a proper movies or whatever.
As a producer, what are some of the challenges you are facing right now?
Look, it is easier to talk than to do, that’s what I’ve realized. You know when you’re on the outside criticizing people, you really need to be careful, you need to understand what they’re going through and the challenges they’re facing before you start throwing your critics left right and centre. Being a producer is really hard work, very hard work. I produced Circle of Three and I know what I’m talking about. I thought I was going crazy when we were on set, it is hard work but you know, I love anything that is connected to film and theatre, I’m still having fun.
Circle of Three, what’s it about?
It starred people like Kate Henshaw-Nuttah, Iretiola Doyle. It talks about our culture and tradition. We give women the impression that if you don’t get married at a certain age, you are on the shelve and life is passing you by, that is not true and because women are brought up to believe these things, they put unnecessary pressures on themselves and they get pressures from their parents, relatives and friends and women so many bad decisions. If we look at what’s happening in the world today, even the world at large, even though what I’m talking about is a Nigerian story is the fact that a lot of marriages are not working why? Why are people still married but miserable, why are people leaving their husbands, why are husbands leaving their wives? You’ll be surprised that a huge percentage of this is because women is based on the fact that women rush into marriage because they feel they’re getting old and can’t afford to wait. So the first man that comes along, they say yes to, whether they love him or not, whether he’s the man or not. I think we should stop this and that’s what Circle of Three is about, it’s talking about old women.
How were your early days in the industry and the challenges?
Exciting, I was lucky, I didn’t really have to go for auditions, people send scripts to me after Owo Blow and Out of Bounds, and I never had auditions after these. For me, it was exciting because here I was just doing what I wanted to do and it was beautiful.
What’s your opinion on the issue of sexual harassments by producers or directors?
I’m sure it does exist because people can’t just keep talking about one thing, so many people are saying the same thing so, and there must be something like that. But, I don’t think anybody should allow themselves to be sexually harassed by anybody else. I was not, I never a situation like that and all my friends I know of, had never told me of instances where a producer or director, who ever, said to them, if you don’t do this, that you’ll not get a job, I’ve never heard of it personally. It’s people who are not in the industry who tell me that when I try to enter the industry, they were asking me for sex and I find that baffling but I’ve heard it from so many people and I keep asking, who are these people that were asking you? Another thing, I’m a very free thinking person, I dress to please myself, I do things to please myself, I’m very comfortable in my skin, but I have this situation where somebody is wearing, I saw it, at an audition, the girl was wearing Jeans and you could see the upper part of her pubic hair. I’m one of the people who believe in show cleavages, if you’ve got it flaunt it but common not this that should be private. If you wear stuffs like that, I guess the person would imagine that what you’re in for is sex and nothing else. This is me that dress like a mad woman according to people, because I dress to please myself and nobody else and even at that, there are certain lines you don’t cross. Showing cleavage, that’s fine as far as I’m concerned, that’s why it has a name, cleavage, but you know, I’ve seen certain of these things, some of these girls do want to be sexually harassed, they actually harass the producers. I know producers who run from picking their phones when there’s an audition because girls are calling them from left, right and centre telling them they’ll do all sorts of things as long as they give them a role. I think it’s a two-way thing and it’s not a Hollywood or Nollywood thing and it exist in every other industry I’m sure.
Why would you reject a role?
Because I don’t like the script, because I don’t feel anything for the character I’m supposed to play or because people are rude to you about the way they send the script to you. You know how it is, sometimes, they’ve already done their casting and they’ve said this person would do it for them and then the person disappoints them last minute and they start looking for somebody else to do it, that I find highly irritating.
What’s the most challenging Yoruba or English movie, you’ve done?
I say this all the time, all my films are challenging in the sense that you have to become a different person. For me, the challenge is the same because I have to be somebody else and that is the challenge.
What type of guy would you want as a life partner?
Somebody who understands courtesy, I’m love courtesy, I believe as human beings this is what makes us higher beings to animals. We need to respect each other. For me, the man that I will end up with if I do end up with a man, it’d be somebody charming, courteous, has a lot of respect, understands me as a person, women in this our kind of society and the limitations that can be placed on women and the fact that I don’t believe in limitations. He has to be kind, he doesn’t have to be rich, I work hard for my money, I don’t believe in that, and he should be intelligent, hard working and romantic.
How true is it that you are back in the arms of Dede your former lover?
Please, can people give me a break with Messer Dede Mabiaku? Dede is one of my best friends and for ever remain one of them. We’re not going out, we’re friends. I go to his house, he comes to my house because we are friends, and we go out together because we’re friends.
How was it back in the days with him?
I don’t discuss my relationships, it’s a sad thing, I never do that you know why; because I found out that everything else about me is out there that I’ll like to keep a particular aspect and that is the aspect I’ve chosen to myself.
Would you say he influenced you negatively or positively?
Positively because Dede is one of those people that has always made me believe that I have what it takes to be whatever I want to be, that I have the talent, the passion, the intelligence and the strength to be what I want to be so, I want to say he has impacted my life positively.
Do you think Nigerian men are romantic?
Not a lot of Nigerian men understand the meaning of romance, we women, we talk a lot, I hear of my friend’s relationship, my sister’s relationship and that’s a whole lot of relationship you’re talking about. I don’t hear things that I would say are deeply romantic. We went out for dinner that is a normal thing going out to dinner, even buying flowers is becoming boring, everybody does it and you’re doing to become one of them. There are simple things to me, that are simply romantic, the fact that you call during the day to say just to hear your voice, I think is extremely romantic. You send text messages, even when you’re in the middle of a meeting, you’re sending something and you’re saying you know what, I’m thinking about you right now. That is deeply romantic, a lot of Nigerian women don’t have that and I don’t think that Nigerian men understand that those things are the things that make a woman feel loved, it makes you feel cherished, makes you feel special and that’s what I call romantic, things that makes you feel special.
Would you say you are rich, having done so many top movies?
No I wouldn’t say I was rich but that relative isn’t it, being rich? Actually, I would say I’m rich, come to think about it. I’m healthy, that’s rich, I’m happy, that’s rich, I have a house, okay a rented house still, that’s rich, I can eat at any point I want to eat, that’s rich. I have friends who are wonderful, who are loyal, they are like my family they are not even friends anymore. But if we are talking about money, cash, ego, money, yeah, I’m comfortable, I wouldn’t call myself rich because I’m building, I just started that as a producer because there’s a lot of money that goes into that so, I’m building. But being cash rich is not what counts but being satisfied I think. What matters to me is achieving goals that you’ve set out for yourself, becoming that person that you know you can be, being able to change a few lives there by what you do, having a family that loves you which I do, having friends that are like your family which I do, so, I don’t know, I’m blessed, I’m rich.
How do you want to be remembered?
You know I never think of stuffs like that, when people ask me that question, I just try to answer. Really, how do I want to be remembered? As a producer who created programmes that changed lives, as me, Bimbo Akintola, men, I don’t know, I think I’m still thinking about that, when I come to a conclusion on what I want to be remembered for, maybe for my great kids, I’ll think about it and when I decide, I’ll let you know.
Do you have kids?
No I don’t, except you’ll give me belle. I have children that I call my children, other people’s kids but they are not children as such, they’re adults. I have children who are 27, 26, 25, 19 years old, younger girls who are my friends, I call them my children.
Financially do you cater for them?
No, not all of them, but if I can help contribute to someone’s education, why not, I’ll definitely do. Those are the people I call my children but I have not given birth to children and I shall, very soon.
You seem too emotional as a person.
How do you know, you have to explain all these your insights my brother, please tell me, lets know.
It’s obvious, watching you in movies like Out of Bounds, Mourning After?
That’s me being other people, don’t forget.
The real Bimbo Akintola is emotional.
Says you, well, I guess you could call me emotional because I do feel and I feel passionately, you can all me emotional, yes.
What puts you off?
Lies, people assuming that they know you better than they do, that I find annoying, people who are presumptuous, who jump to conclusions at the slightest thing. You know it is you assume you know someone so well, meanwhile you don’t know them and you make all your decisions based on that, I find that absolutely revolting.
Do you have a treasure possession?
Maybe my first car, I call her Lolita, my first car, I love her so much.
What brand of car is that?
It’s a Toyota Corolla, a first-lady. I still have her till today, she’s going nowhere.
How do you unwind?
I read, I cook, it relaxes me, I love to dance, I like to sing and I write poetries sometimes which I will never publish, thank you, it’s only my friends who are allowed to read.
If I may ask, what’s the subject matter in your poetries?
It’s about me, stuffs that have happened to me, that’s what I write about.
Can you be called a writer?
No, but I do write poems for the fun of it and some of my poems I hear are nice. Maybe one day I shall publish one so that people will know.
What defines you dress sense?
Well as long as I’m comfortable in it, I buy cloths based on what I like, that’s why I buy cloths, not vogue, not what’s currently reigning, I don’t need to do that because you know what, vogue changes. I buy cloths based on what I like, I see something, I like it, I buy it and wear it. So I dress according to what I buy which is what I like and my moods. I’m in a skirt mood, I wear a skirt, I’m in a trouser mood, and I wear trousers.
What areas do you think Nollywood has done well?
What we’ve done well in Nollywood, what cannot be taken from us is the fact that we’re great actors. You have people who are given a script a day before they go on set and they are still able at short notice, to come up with something extremely fantastic, you can’t take that away from Nollywood, we are one. I know that our scripts are terrible or they are getting worse by the seconds or so it seems so, we need to do better scripting and I accept that, because of lack of money or impatience, people go of the qualities or standards they should hold on to technically, we’re talking about sounds, maybe camera work or cameras that are used or equipments and a few other things. Nollywood is growing, we are a very young industry compared to any other industry in the world and I know that we’ll get better.
Still single, pretty, comfortable, how do you handle pressure from men?
I don’t believe that you should be pressured by any man, it’s either you like a man or you don’t, is it not so? So, if you don’t like the person, you simply explain it in terms they’ll understand and you’re good. I have friends who are toasters so to speak but I always explain to them, I say, you know what? I’m not interested because you’re the sort of person I want to date, not because you’re not a nice or great person but I don’t feel anything for you. Now I’ve learnt to be rude, before, when people call me and say I want to meet you, I want to know you, I try to explain it and maybe I should explain it now. For people who call, especially men who call and say they want to meet me, I can not and will not under any circumstances, go out to meet someone I don’t know, it think it’s ridiculous, I think it’s totally un-Nigerian. You can’t just call me up on the phone and say you want to meet me, I don’t know who you are then, I get into car and drive to meet you or I ask you to come into my house which is even worse as far as I am concerned. If we’re meant to meet, we will be introduced by people that I know and I’m comfortable with, if we’re not, sorry. So, please for those of you who would call and say I want to meet you, please do not. Send me text messages, I appreciate that, I appreciate having fans and people who care about what I’m doing but I do not appreciate people I don’t know asking me to come and meet them.
Philosophy
Life is easy, easy come and easy go.
Message to fans
To my fans, I’d say, I’m absolutely grateful for all the love, encouragement, and my friends on face book, I have a lot of friends on face book, I would say thank you to all of you even though I’ve not been around for sometime, you guys are absolutely fantastic. The encouragement I get on face book is awesome, I’m really grateful to all my fans I will try as much as possible not to disappoint them and I hope you’re watching my soap by the way?
Five years from now?
Five years from now, God, I’ll be an established producer churning out movies that makes sense and as soon as my movies come out, the whole lot of Nigerians will buy it because they know it will be something great to see and I’ll have my children as well.

sexual harrasements in Nollywood

By Oliver Onuoha

I was once sexually harassed -Uduak Akrah

Young, beautiful and dynamic Uduak Akrah, have spent the past decade of her life as a Nollywood actress. She opened up to Oliver Onuoha in this interview, how she lost a script for a major lead role because she refused to give in to sexual harassment. Uduak also says she could reject a role if she has to kiss someone too often.
Tell me about yourself
My name is Uduak Akrah from Akwa Ibom, graduate of creative arts from the University of Lagos, I am the first child in my family and I have two younger ones.
When did you start acting?
I started acting in 1999 with a stage play, the gods are not to blame and I found out that it was exciting so I decided to go all the way and went in for a diploma programme in theatre arts in Lagos State University in 2001, rounded up in 2003. I then proceeded to the University of Lagos for Creative Arts majoring Theatre.
Was it acting that made you study theatre in school?
No, it was just the interest, everything about acting just attracted me and I wanted to do it.
Who led you into acting?
Onedo Omokaro, he’s a comedian, I met him in church in 1999 and told him I’ll like to act and he said no problem that if there’s anything, he’ll let me know. So, when the stage play came up, the gods are not to blame, he called me for an interview and like I said, it was fun and I took it up from there. I got into the movie industry did a few things but I have been doing more of soap operas for some reasons.
What was the first movie you acted in?
Crazy twins, I acted alongside Tony one Week.
How many Nollywood movies have you been involved in till date?
I can’t really remember right now but it should be about 20 so far.
Why do you prefer soaps to movies?
In soaps, everyone is given a chance but the movie industry, they’ll always want to see a much known face before they can give him or her something very big or challenging and that’s why I really prefer soaps.
So did you ever think of quitting acting for something else?
Well I’m thinking of that right now.
It’s no longer fun to you?
It fun but some people and things that go on there aren’t making it encouraging for us to continue.
So what is the issue?
The issue is that there’s a lot this man know man thing going on in the industry and it’s not encouraging, it’s getting too much. Someone would want to give you a job for instance and he begins to toast you, it’s crazy as far as I’m concerned.
Have you ever been sexually harassed?
Yes I have.
How did you handle it?
I know what I want and I cannot be intimidated by anybody or by anything. I shunned the person off. Okay, he gave me the script and that was supposed to be my first lead role in the movie industry, I’ve done lead roles in soap opera but this one, I was excited about after I collected the script that was the end of peace for me. He was sending me all sorts of text messages in my phone and when he saw that I wouldn’t give in, he just sent me a funny text that I should return his script with immediate effect and I did that happily. It was last year January and that was when the interest in the industry dropped and now, I have options, I want to do other things.
What are those things you want to do now?
Well, everything in my life centres on entertainment now, I want to go into events planning and I have a lot of projects on ground that I want to work on more especially stuffs on kids.
In Bafana Bafana, you were the one harassing people and then in really life, you were sexually harassed, how can you marry the two?
What is acting is acting, you are just playing a role and it’s not the real you. Most times you have to do something that’s outside yourself and there are some other times that you have to play a role is you but you still have to express the fact that you’re acting.
Which is the most tasking role you’ve ever played?
It’s a new soap opera titled wives and concubine. It’s on HiTV for now and maybe by next year, it should be on local stations. I had to play the role of a concubine.
Are you not been stereotype?
Fine I’ve always been given roles where I have to snatch someone’s husband or seduce them and stuffs like that but this was really challenging for me because one, it was a major role and then two, the character was just a crazy person and I think it got my emotion the first time I read the script because what I had to do was something that in real life, it will make me cry, when you’re hurting another woman but I had to do it because it was acting and for me, it was challenging.
How do you adapt to roles especially this type?
Well, I first see myself as that character and ask myself if I am in this position, what will I do? When the though and ideas starts coming, I just play it out.
Is it because of the money that you accept such roles?
At every point in time when something is exciting for me, I want to do it because sometimes you don’t have the opportunity to do some of those things so, when you’re acting, you just get to do them and find out what it’s like.
If you were asked to act nude, will you do it?
Never!
What if the money is fantastic?
Never because one, I’m a Christian and I have a family name to protect. It’s not just me, I don’t believe in it at all and I can’t even imagine it.
How true is it that most romantic roles go beyond what we see on set?
It depends if you like the person.
Have you ever liked someone or fallen for it?
No, most times maybe people I’ve liked along the line could be those that maybe we’ve not even acted together before. There’s no likeness or love in that, when you do stuff, I think it’s just infatuation because there’s been some kind of romantic attachment because you want to express some things and when you are done, the feeling leaves you.
Have you ever been carried away while acting romantic roles?
No, I’m always in charge because I know that I have a name to protect, I always know you I am anywhere I find myself so, I am always conscious of that.
What soap or movie shot you into limelight?
It was the soap called Dominos. Domino got me noticed because a lot of people use to stop me and want to talk to me about it, a lot of people see me now and say you used to be on low cut; because that was what I used for Domino.
What ills would want them to correct in Nollywood?
I think business should be business, it should be as professional as possible, and lets not give mediocrity a chance at all. If you want to do anything do it and do it well, we are getting better but we can still do more than what we’ve done. If everyone has the mindset that they want to be the best or put in their best, then I think things will work out well for us.
What film have you been most proud to be involved in so far?
Bus driver, private sin and then I’m doing a soap now called White house.
Do you reject roles?
Yes
Why is that?
If the story is not fantastic or not well scripted, I wouldn’t want to do it. And then, if the role is not something I would want to see myself doing, I wouldn’t want to do it and I don’t like too much kissing.
Why is that?
It’s because we are in Africa and you know all that.
Are you presently in a relationship?
Yes.
Can we know you this man is?
No.
Is he that ugly for you to hide him?
No, that’s not the issue, when it’s time, everyone will get to know but we are working on it.
What has been the happiest moment for you?
It was the day I graduated.
How do you manage stardom?
I am always myself, I just believe in being original, yourself.
What is turn off for you?
Insincerity lies and pride.
What’s the most treasured possession you have?
The life of God in me, I’m a Christian.
How do to relax?
I go out with friends to have drinks or watch movies and sometimes, we could sit some where and chat.
If you were asked to do something for humanity, what would it be?
I want to do anything possible to help kids around me; I’m attracted to kids a lot. So, anything I can do to help a child, I could go the extra mile.
A lot of you stars now try to run orphanages here and there, why is that?
Well. I don’t know their reasons but for me, it was my pastor that inspired me because in my church we have a mission of taking kids out of our streets.
Like how many movies would you want to do in 2009?
I have not really thought about this because I’m not really looking forward to doing any movies.
What drives your fashion style?
Anything that I am comfortable with at any particular time, I wear and as long as it suits me.
Where do we hope to see you five years from now?
In my husband’s house with my kids and I’ll be a name to reckon with in the entertainment industry.