ORIKI IS THE NEW FACE OF CHRISTIAN TELEVISION: KINGSLEY OKONKWO

KINGSLEY OKONKWO

He has always been a businessman with a bias for entertainm:ent. He also happens to be a deep Christian. A graduate of one Nigeria;s foremost universities, the University of Calabar, Kingsley Okonkwo one of the directors of the new Christian internet television platform Oriki is a young man with a huge passion to make a difference. He is successful business man who has worked in the oil industry since his return from the UK, and a sports analyst, we caught up with the amiable fellow in Oriki's new offices in Ikeja, Lagos. He spoke to us enthusiastically about the new project which he dreamed up with movie director Reginald Ebere.

Enjoy this.

TSF: Good afternoon Kingsley. We will first start by asking you what Oriki is all about and why the name Oriki?

KINGSLEY: Oriki is exactly what it says. It is a Christian television channel that will run programming which is friendly to Christians all over the world. The only difference is that it will not run on terrestrial tv or direct to home television which most people here call Cable Television. It will run on the internet. As for the reason why we chose Oriki as a name to represent our brand and the channel; In the Yoruba tongue, Oriki means the lyrical adulations and praise that you sing to and pour on something that is praiseworthy. Our God deserves all our praise even if it is just for being God so we decided to do something for him that will represent our praise. Oriki is a way for us to lift our praise and the praise of Christians all over the world collectively to God. Some people have said or rather have suggested that we borrowed the name from another internet film site IROKO TV. When they say that i smile. First we are not a film site though we would show movies, we are a Christian Television platform that aims to satisfy the need of Christians for decent, morally upright, edifying and uplifting Christian entertainment. The two names may sound similar but i do not see how a tree can rival the praises of God.

TSF: You mentioned that the Chanel will run only on the internet. Why only the internet, why not on other television platforms?

KINGSLEY:  The reason is simple. The world no longer converges on television screens but on the internet. Every second of the day almost half of the world's population are on line at the same time. What we are doing is beyond reaching a few hundred people. Our Lord gave us what is called the great commission-"Go ye into the world and preach the good news of the gospel to all creation." That is what we have done. We intend to reach the world. This is beyond Nigeria, beyond Africa. Beyond anything else you have ever known. As we speak right now we have people from all over the world producing programs which will run on this channel. We also looked through the internet and found out that the devil had literarily taken over cyberspace. There are well over a million pornographic internet sites alone, there are sites that urge people to commit suicide, sites for the cult of Satan and all kinds of things that are corrupting the minds of people and compromising their standards and values . A generation of demonic, evil monsters are being created on the internet and Christians have failed to realize what is going on. We have been slow to react to this aerial bombardment on Christianity. In retrospect we should have never been reacting we should have been pro-active from the beginning in using the internet. So what we are doing now is reinforcing our beliefs, taking back what has been stolen from us and attacking the devil in the places where it will hurt him the most-the hearts and minds of young people. 

TSF: Noble ideas but how do you intend to achieve all this? Why should I watch Oriki?

KINGSLEY: For the simple reason that it  offers you everything good from every culture, every tradition, every doctrine of Christianity and it is refreshingly different.  We have a colorful collage of mind blowing Christian content which ranges from comedy shows, to movies, soaps and series, interviews, game shows, documentaries, news, musicals, talk shows and you will be surprised christian sports shows. There is so much to see, to hear and to experience that when you come unto this platform I can guarantee you, your television set will become very boring. Oriki will change how people perceive Christianity. Our aim is to make it unfashionable for people not to be Christians.

TSF: Don't you think that is a tall order?

Kingsley Okonkwo

KINGSLEY:(Smiles) To you maybe. We are Christians and to us all things are possible. We are not going to deceive ourselves into believing that the devil will just sit quiet why we take over his territory but we know that it is already a won fight. We are starting very small but that we will grow is very certain. Your business as a Christian is to visit the sight and see what we have, our business is to make sure that you come back and finally stay and with every sense of modesty, we are good at what we do.

TSF: How then does the Christian benefit from this?

KINGSLEY: Not just the Christian but everybody else. The Christian who signs up to Oriki gets news, information, entertainment, education from this platform. He gets to interact with people of the same faith and synergize with like minds. The church or ministry which signs up with Oriki truly becomes an international ministry with a voice that will reach the world. The pastor who signs up with Oriki becomes a universal evangelist preaching his message to all the nations of the world and all the peoples of the earth at the same time and winning souls everywhere. The non-believer who signs up with Oriki is sure to have a life changing experience and all Christians can use Oriki as a tool for evangelism by inviting their friends to the platform, Oriki will do the rest because we are sure that your pastor will sooner than later be on the platform. The business man who signs up with Oriki is sure to get his product seen by over a billion Christians across the world. So everybody will benefit from this.
The way the platform is designed everybody has a choice. The programs are not perishable like on television. They stay on the platform so you can watch what you want to watch at your convenience and for as many times as you want to watch it and the cost of being on the platform is amazingly cheap. It costs about five dollars which here in Nigeria is about 750 Naira to subscribe to the platform every month which is far lower that any television tariff in Africa. The streaming speeds are extremely fast and we have integrated unto every other platform so you can watch from you IOS' and androids mobile phones and other devices without going to download any aps anywhere.     

TSF: Any thoughts of expansion beyond what you guys are doing now?

KINGSLEY: Definitely. Not to grow and expand is to atrophy and die. We intend to be here until the rapture, then we can shut down and go home. We have plans to expand in several directions and get involved in different things but what we have in hand now is very challenging and we have to make it work first. After that we will see what happens. Remember that we only just started test transmission and have not even peopled the channel with programs. Right now it is still open and free for everybody to watch. We will grow and expand but you can drop in now and see what we have.

As we walked away from the Adeniyi Jones offices of Oriki I could not wait to settleinto the car and find Oriki on my I-PAD and immerse myself in what like Kingsley mentioned with so much enthusiasm will change the face of Christian television.

http://www.orikimedia.com

by Gabriel Egbuchina

JULIET IBRAHIM. "NOLLYWOOD'S LOUD MOUTH." ON OJB JEZREEL

Ms Juliet Ibrahim

I have watched with interest the hate drama that is unfolding over the unfortunate illness of one of Nigeria's finest musicians and music producers OJB Jezreel. I say unfortunate because OJB seems to be a man beset by too many problems and Juliet seems to be girl hated by Nigerians for her bluntness. I have followed OJB's stellar rise in music and I admire all the good stuff he has done. I will contribute my mite in seeing that he stands on his feet again and continue to make good music.
I am writing this basically because of all the hating that is being poured out on one of our own, Juliet Ibrahim. I have found out that Nigerians are very touchy, emotional people and even though we diss our country continually, we become upset when Ghanians in particular tell us the truth. Juliet did not say anything wrong when she talked about people wasting money to secure treatment abroad when things can be done cheaply in Africa.

Sick Ojb Jezreel

Kidney transplant can be done and is being done in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital for 2.5 million Niara by some of the best doctos in Africa. http://www.nigerianeye.com/ check out this site. It costs 8million Naira in any roadside hospital in India. Factor in cost of tickets and hotel accomodation for all the people that will accompany OJB to India and you find out that it will be a colossal waste. Now what is the guarantee that the operation will be successful in India and it will not be in Nigeria?
Ok i should not be commenting on this at all but Juliet is part of Nollywood and I have set myself up as somebody who will always open his loud mouth when it concerns the Nollywood/Ghollywood fraternity.
I think we all are being unfair to the young woman. Like she rightly observed every celebrity or to use the right word "Public Figure" also has responsibilities. When we all are making our monies and tooling around in our Range Rovers we do not go around dishing out cash to anybody. But when we fall sick agents that call themselves start trying to use the opportunity to make more money off the public. What about the hundreds of people who are dying everyday from renal sicknesses and kidney problems. What about the children whose pictures are placed on our television screens begging for money to get treated. Are they also not Nigerians and do they not deserve the right to live. We should stop trying to crucify Juliet for telling us what we don't want to hear and concentrate our energies on helping everybody we can, celebrity or not. If as she claimed she had asked the agents of OJB to contact her foundation so they can help secure cheaper transplant options for OJB, I think she has done a noble thing and I commend her courage for speaking out on this sensitive situation. All those who think she has also spoken out of turn should head off to OJB's house and give their widows mite. OJB and the rest of our sick folk can be treated in Nigeria, Ghana or South Africa. I do not understand the love for India when most of those who have gone have come back in coffins. Enebeli Elebuwa is a case in point. I also pray for OJB and wish him God's speed in his recovery.  

"THE SHINE LIKE A STAR" ACTING TRAINING FOR ASPIRING ACTORS

It has been long in the working but finally THESCRIPTFACTORY SCHOOLS which provides professional training for movie industry professionals has opened it's doors for its first intakes. This kicks off with a nationwide training for actors, writers and directors starting with the first phase in Lagos, Enugu and Owerri. The certificated trainings will start on the 20th of July 2013 and run until the 20th of August 2013. If you are interested in attending, call the numbers.

VICTOR'S VICTORY. THE GAINS, THE PAINS- by Reginald Ebere.

victor

I have always been a movie director and a writer. Unofficially I am a member of the Screen Writers Guild. Unofficially because i have not been paying my dues and the reason for that is not far fetched. I do not see why I should waste my money on a guild that is basically moribound. Now somebody is going to tell me that i am being a sanctimonius bastard. I mean "if the guild is moribound why don't you do something about it after all you are supposed to be one of the leading screen writers in Nigeria." Fine arguement, but right now i am not in the mood for arguement.
I can safely claim to be a member of Director's Guild. I say safely, not because I am a financially updated member of the guild too but because i basically mooted the idea of the Director's Guild of Nigeria and along with my senior colleague Mathias Obahigbon worked for its actualization. I remember a night when Mathias' Mitsubishi Colt parked us up on top of Mile 2 bridge by 2am. Do not bother about what we were doing on top of the bridge by that time. Just understand that politics is best done in  the dead of the night when righteous men are in their  beds. What i am pointing out here is that i risked my neck and my life helping to birth the Director's guild so i do not think in all good conscience i can be thrown out.  From that point on because of my apathy towards partisan politics I have played little or no part in the affairs of the guild. But a few days ago my good friend Victor Osuagwu came to me and told me that he was contesting for the position of Chairman, Actors Guild Of Nigeria Lagos Chapter, I revived my interest in Guild politics. I am not an actor so you might be wondering what role I played in Victor's election. I am not about to divulge that on these pages, suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself in making sure that Victor won. Why did I allign myself with the robust, rambunctious comedian?
Victor might be in the business of humor but he is a completely serious person. Before now we had sat down and analyzed the problems with our Industry. Now these problems are not mutually exclusive. they cut across every facet of this industry and have been well documented. When he mooted his plan of running I was excited at the fact that somebody who has a vision for the growth and betterment of the guild was finally stepping into the murky waters of Nollywood politics. Truth be told i have never really believed in any of the other guild heads except maybe Andy Amenechi my President at the Director's Guild. I think with all humility and as apologetically as I can express it that Zik Zulu Okafor the President of Association of Movie

reginald

Producers is full of air and has not impressed me in any way. I also thought until my eyes were opened by the same Victor that Ibinabo who is also a friend is a round peg in a square hole. Iyen Obaseki the president of CDGN has been in office for donkey years and nothing has changed. My president at the Screen Writer's Guild has basically moved out of Lagos and is not internet friendly so he cannot even function effectively. He has also refused to call for elections after over two years in the office. So Victor was a breath of fresh air until I heard that Paul Obazele was sponsoring Don Pedro to run against Victor and my hackles rose. See, my friend Paul has always cast himself as a divisive force in the industry and is keen to foster the assumed superiority of Edo and Delta Nollywoodians on the rest of us and i disagree with him on that front. I worked silently underground for Victor to win so that we all can join hands and grow the industry, so that politics of bitterness and greed will stop, so that marginalisation and subjugation will stop, so that everybody will have a fair chance and shake in Nollywood. I said "we all" because i intend to come out and run for the office of the Pesident of the Screenwriters Guild of Nigeria whenever my president remembers to visit Lagos. Thank you Victor for your courage and for inspiring other good men to step up and speak out.

opinions are welcome
 

OPEN LETTER TO IBINABO FIBERISIMA

Ibinabo Fiberisima
President Actors Guild Of Nigeria AGN

On Tuesday the 2nd April i put up a post on this blog with the title ASABA THE SHAME OF NOLLYWOOD which revealed some of the horrible underhand deals that are rocking the Nollywood scene in that little capital. I got a lot of response from that post and since then a lot of people have been calling telling me about their experiences. I honestly underated the rot in the system and the angst of those who have been victims. A lot of people have also asked me to expose those who are involved in this scam. I was not really inclined to do that, I mean who doesn't want to live a long life? But then I got into this very brief  conversation with this young woman and I will take the liberty of publishing the conversation verbatim so that you can judge for yourself. Here goes

 

Agatha Emmanuela

Good afternoon sr,pls i want to take part in ur movie i have being in one movie production as an up coming actress & i have acted in one movie.

 

Agatha Emmanuela

Bro please help to as d agn lf this is true.i joined a movie production since and it has been pay this pay that.  After paying agn licence, i paid for agn id card and i also paid for movie traning and now they are asking me to pay for NNPC certificate so i ask what is this for, they said is for d president and governor to welcome me and insure me after traning and they said is 20,000 so please help to me to verify from agn.

Reginald Ebere

there is nothing like agn license and i have never heard of anything like nnpc license. what is the name of this movie production unit and who is in charge of it?

 

Agatha Emmanuela

Walehadekunleproduction and mr gregory wilson d manager of agn .u can also ask yuledochie because he have a production.today when i write to his production he said yes.

Now i will stop the converstaion there. This is part of what we have been talking about. We are calling our lovely President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria and the leaders of all the other guilds that are in charge of Nollywood. These criminals are not faceless now we at least have a name. However I am not a member of the Actors Guild Of Nigeria so i do not know when they developed affiliations with NNPC that the apex organisation in charge of petroleum matters in Nigeria are the ones who now determine which artiste will act in a movie and have also become so proficient that they now hand out certificates. I also don't know which Governor of which state is in charge of insuring actors or maybe i have gotten the whole conversation wrong. The young woman said that she is based in Asaba.
Somebody help me judge.

 

 

 

NOLLYWOOD AND THE NATIONAL AWARDS: WHO DESERVES TO BE HONOURED?

Stephanie Idahosa nee Okereke

I have seen quite a few pictures of athletes especially at the Olympic games standing at the podium, receiving their medals. I have seen tears in the eyes of many as they were garlanded and the pride on their faces as their national anthems filled the air. Unfortunately I have never been to any Olympic games so I cannot accurately describe the atmosphere of those moments but from what I have seen on television, I believe those moments are probably the most precious moments of an athlete’s life.

The most precious moment of my life was when my first son was handed over to me by doctor Akagbuo our family doctor. As I gazed into that squeezed up face with the luminescent skin, the tiny but perfectly formed finger nails, the long soft hair and the little legs that refused to keep still, as I stared at the sweating woman who had just pushed out this replica of me and of life from her stomach, I could not have loved either her or the baby more. That was not just a defining moment of my life as a father and husband but also my crowning moment in life.

I have had several defining moments in my career but I am still waiting for that crowning moment. I believe, that every artiste, every athlete and every performer lives for that crowning moment. Deserved or not, some of my colleagues in Nollywood have had their crowning moments which  in my understanding, must have come when their names appeared in the National Honours list and they were given awards like MON, MFR, OON. Those awards are the height of recognition that our country can bestow on individual citizens for bringing honour to Nigeria and contributing to the growth, development and advancement of the nation.

Genevieve Nnaji

Now I do not know how many Nollywoodians have been awardees but I know quite a few and I also know plenty more who should have been, who are not. So last night I start thinking about the National Honours list and how it concerns Nollywood. I get to start asking what is the criteria or is it criterum for handing out these awards and how those who have been granted awards qualified for them. I asked myself why somebody like Zeb Ejiro should be given an award and nobody remembered a woman called Amaka Igwe, why somebody like Stephanie Idahosa nee Okereke was given an award and nobody remembered a certain Genevieve Nnaji, I start ruminating about why some people like Pete Edochie and the late Justus Esiri were given awards and nobody remembered people like Olu Jacobs and the late Sam Loco Efe. I puzzled over why someone like Chinedu Ikedieze was given a national award and nobody considered his colleague in naughtiness Osita Iheme or even the man who created those characters, Amayo Uzo Philips. I ask why a Teco Benson should be mentioned in the honors list and a Launcelot Odua Imasuen, a Reginald Ebere, a Tchidi Chikere, a Chico Ejiro and a host of other directors who have brought and keep bringing honour to this nation have been largely ignored. What about the two men who started off this phenomenon called Nollywood, Kenneth Nnebue and Paul Ogunjiofor, are they not bonafide citizens of this nation? Or does somebody know something about their citizenship that I don’t. What about all those working in the Yoruba sector and the Hausa sectors of our industry? What about a certain unknown, little man called Mike Oriyedinma, the man who actually birthed Nollywood, forgotten in the backwaters of Onitsha. What about the Richard Mofe Damijos and the Kanayo O Kanayo’s the Liz Benson’s the Joke Jacobs and the Kate Henshaws of Nollywood. 



kate henshaw.

Now I know that there are a lot of other people from different sectors who have also been ignored but I can only speak for my industry. The artistes reward is not in the amount of money he is paid but in the sound of applause he recieves and how loud it is. Those who draw up the lists for NATIONAL HONOURS should bear in mind that we are not teachers, so we cannot wait until we get to heaven.  Now I know that those of my colleagues who have been honoured will be aggrieved by this piece. I apologise, I am not saying or even remotely suggesting that you did not deserve your awards, I am only thinking you know and sometimes I cannot help but think aloud and like Olu Jacobs amiable detective character in NTA’S THIRD EYE, “I wonder, I just wonder.”

AMAA: NOLLYWOOD’S WAKE UP CALL

Yvonne Okoro

Nollywood is in trouble. We open this session with this alarmist line, designed not to spread panic but to provoke reflection by those who care about my industry and the joy, recognition, fame and wealth it has brought to all of us who have been so fortunate to be players in this team.

I like football and one of the national teams that have always put a smile on my face and the faces of Nigerians is the female national team. Yes they never did rise to the pinnacles of greatness in the different world cups they have taken part in, but for years they bestrode the African continent like other national teams were brought to make up the numbers in football competitions. They achieved results like a 7-1 hammering of mighty Cameroon, a 5-1 mauling of Ghana, a 6-2 destruction of South Africa so it was best imagined what happened to teams like hapless Ethiopia and the likes of Benin Republic. Nigerians were so sure of a win every time the girls took to the pitch that the first question one asked if he came in from outside when the girls were playing was “how many goals have they scored?” It never crossed our minds that they could lose one day; then it happened. Ghana beat us 2-1, a fluke we said, Cameroon beat us, a mistake we all intoned,  South Africa beat us, an accident we thought but that was before Lilliputians like Equatorial Guinea put their fingers in our eyes and took our birth right, the African cup from us and we finally ran out of excuses.

AMAA

So you ask yourself what is Reginald rambling about again today?. What does football have to do with Nollywood? Everything! Both are forms of entertainment, both have brought immense honour and recognition to our country and in both we are called the GIANTS OF AFRICA.

Nollywood, the Nigerian movie industry of course was birthed, nurtured and matured in Nigeria. Like fine wine we sent it out to the rest of Africa and used it as a tool for neo-colonialism. Africa started dressing like us, acquired and spoke our style of Pidgin English, dressed like us, imbibed our cultures and traditions. Even our cities in the hinterlands became massively popular. So when Peace Fiberisima nee Anyiam Osigwe introduced the African Movie Academy Awards(AMAA) we all smirked and tongue in cheek, we laughed at the rest of Africa. We felt that she should have just simply called it the Nigerian Movie Academy Awards. I mean which other country would win any awards in an Nollywood inspired award program apart from the home of Nollywood, Nigeria. What we did not understand is that when children grow, they leave home. And if the truth be told, Nollywood has left home.

At the 2013 AMAA awards, Nigeria won 7 awards out of the 21 given out. Good news you might say but consider the fact that out of those seven awards only one of them was in what you will consider the most serious areas of movie making. Rita Dominic picked up the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for her work in the movie SHATTERED. It is of note here that SHATTERED is a Kenyan movie. The six most important areas of film making went to people from outside Nollywood.

1.       Achievement in Cinematography went to South Africa with OTELO BURNING.

2.        Achievement in Screenplay, -my area of strength- went to Ghana with TIES THAT BIND.

3.        Best Actor in a Leading Role went to Ghana’s Majid Michael for his work in SOMEWHERE IN AFRICA, a Ghanian production.

4.        Best Director went again to South Africa with Charlie Vundla’s HOW TO STEAL 2 MILLION

5.       Best Film of course was also won by Charlie Vundla with HOW TO STEAL 2 MILLION

Rita Dominic.

Nigeria the film making giant of Africa like our Super Falcons, were left with the crumbs. So we all gather together in our offices and declare that AMAA has sold out Nollywood on the altar of afrocentricism. Those rhetorics are only but balm for our wounded pride, temporary anaesthetics for a permanent migraine that will not go away. This year a Ghanain/Nigerian Yvonne Okoro, working from Ghana has been nominated in five different categories and who is to say she will not win all. So a few weeks back we all jumped into the plane and headed out to Malawi on the auspices of the same AMAA we condemn, we dined with the President and she praised the work we are doing in Nollywood, temporary praise for a brand that is in trouble. Nollywood wake up before we become the minnow of African movie making. It will be sad if we gather again in Bayelsa State this year and give out our prices to the rest of Africa and all that we will go home with will be THE BEST CHILD ACTOR.    

FINALLY LIFE DONE BETTER FOR PANDITA: USA based Camerounian Gospel Artist drops video.

pandita

"Among the special gifts God (whom she worships with no resentment) has blessed Pandita Njoh Eta with, that of a golden voice is the most outstanding. It is with this gift that she praises the Almighty, proof of which those who do not know the US-based Cameroonian gospel singer yet will discover when she releases a much-awaited maiden album early next year. “I’ve all along been interpreting songs done by other gospel artistes, but this time, I have decided to take a step ahead by sharing what God has given me with the rest of the world. This is the first time I’m actually going to be doing something on my own,” Those were the first words that TIPTOP STARS used for their interview with Pandita Njoh Eta. They were also teh first words we borrowed the first time we interviewed her on this blog. But this Camerounian Beauty who is rocking the gospel music scene in The States has just taken her game to the next level with the release of the video from the first single (LIFE DON BETTER) of her debut album (SUPERNATURAL CHANGE) Lets give it up for Camerounian lady of songs. PANDITA NJOH ETA. Follow this link to watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ5h7Vzt_ac  

ASABA: THE SHAME OF NOLLYWOOD

reginald Ebere

The first time I shot a movie In Asaba was for my ministry CHRIST EMBASSY. I was surrounded by a group of very Christian, very good and disciplined young men and women who had no moral issues nor were they inclined in any way to abuse the liberty and the testosterone/oestrogen filled headiness that normally seems to accompany film makers like a sex crazed mob of  female groupies will accompany dirty rockers everywhere.

In that first trip I fell in love with the ancient but quietly emergent city that was on the verge of rediscovering itself. That love was so strong that I considered relocating my family there. Don’t blame me, I am normally a victim of sudden emotional impulses that always seem to get me into trouble. Thank God my wife quashed the idea.

The second time, I went to shoot one of my movies. I‘d heard of good locations, cheap priced hotels and hardworking, professional crews, not like the indolent fat cats we have in Lagos. I wanted to take advantage of all that. What someone did not tell me however was that Asaba had also become home to semi-prostitutes, parading themselves as artistes and an accompanying band of young, very young pimps who ran production shifts and sold sex for pennies to immoral libidinous directors and producers.  What I didn’t discover then was the whole truth.

So last week the idea of Asaba came up again and I put up a post on this blog that has elicited some very serious reactions. Suffice it to say that everybody seems to think that my going to Asaba to work is a very bad idea, major reason being that there is a massive stench of corruption coming from this pristine town. That oozing fermentation seems to be coming out of Nollywood. Before now I’d heard stories of directors and producers who would demand that female artistes buy them lap tops and i-pads before giving them roles. What’s bad in that you may ask, well nothing really but those female actors are also required to sleep with them for as long as the production lasted and finally they are also required to pay certain amounts of money to get roles. Sums as huge as twenty thousand Naira nay, even fifty thousand Naira. Now did I say finally? Forgive me because the list goes on. If these unfortunate female artistes are to be accommodated in the production camps, they are also required to pay as much as ten thousand Naira.

Asaba Delta State

Now I know that dirty linen is not supposed to be washed in public especially in Nollywood and some of my colleagues will nearly send Boko Haram insurgents to assassinate me for what I am saying here since we keep denying that there is sexual harassment going on in Nollywood. But I have found out that if we do not wash our linen in public sometimes the stench will kill us in private and Reginald Ebere has never been known not to speak his mind. I have names and I can mention them with hard facts but I refrain from pushing the walls down because I believe broken walls can be mended.

What is going on in Asaba is sordid, which is the reason why half baked, illiterate, uncouth, insulting and sometimes utterly apologetic stupid productions are coming out from that enclave of sin and depravity.

It is time for the heads of our different guilds to go in there and clean the place out instead of sitting back in Lagos fighting over who will be part of the next dinner with Oga At The Top and issuing communiques about how to share the three billion largesse from Doctor Jonathan. If we do not act quick enough we will soon find that we all will be drowned in this morass of moral decadence. It is what somebody has that he gives. If we build an industry that is peopled by thieves, pimps and whores, we will continue to produce movies that will corrupt our children and our society. I will shut my mouth for now.   

“THE INSIDER” A TALE OF TWO NOLLYWOODS.

 

reginald ebere

The Insider, is one of the movies I wrote in the earlier stages of my career. It tells the story of a man who is a member of a church committee and was aware of all the inside happenings of that committee but was at the same time busy organising armed robbers to rob members of the church who were in charge of the finances of the church. The role was played by Ejike Asiegbu,(The GodFather) as he is fondly addressed  in Nollywood. I still wonder though how he got that name but that is a story for another day, maybe his school mates at the University of Port Harcourt will find time to tell us someday. The movie was a big hit in those heady days of Nollywood’s infancy and fetched the producer quite a tidy sum. It was directed by my very good friend and colleague Launcelot Odua Imasuen, the Benin Boy who enchanted Ibo Marketers and Executive producers those days. A man I still duff my cap for.

 

I mentioned the Insider because I have always been a "Nollywood Insider", albeit a quiet one, not in the mould of the Ejike Asiegbu in the movie. I was part of the earliest stages of growth and have stayed true to the dream as much as is within my power to do. Somewhere along the line however, I pushed out to explore other options. I ended up in Television as Head of Production and a Channel Manager for the nascent Infinity Television. It was a gamble that really did not work too well but one I have no regrets about. The only down part of that adventure was that it took me away from mainstream Nollywood for all of four years.

Launcelot Odua Imasuen

 So now it is April 2013, I decided in March to step back into the fray that is Nigeria’s movie Industry. But I find that there is no longer one Nollywood but two. No I am not talking about the Hausa or Yoruba arms of the Industry or even the Ghanain part which is now referred to as Ghollywood but the high class, low intensity, pretentious and professional(by Hollywood standards) cinema Industry, based In Lagos. Then the low class high intensity, high volume, “down to the brass tacks” bare knuckles industry based In Asaba. And there lies my dilemma; which part of the Industry to rejoin. All through my career I have always been one for excellence. I was known to make arty movies that adhered strictly to the traditional values of movie making. I have realised however that art for art’s sake will never make money for anybody. So, I have made great films even if I have to say so myself but my bank account has remained relatively empty. But like the Ibo boy I am, I have come to my senses. Now I want to make all the money I can before my strength fails.

Honestly I’d wanted to make one grand cinema film, with a grand premiere and national release to mark my full return into Nollywood. And I’d set to work to do that. Bearing in mind that the last movie I shot, “THE KING AND THE PRIEST” was shot in October 2011, I was like a footballer who had sat on the bench for a whole season in a second division team and had suddenly been called to the national team for the World Cup. I set about doing the perfect script. But while I was writing, I got to ruminating. All my friends who had gone the cinema route in the past few years of the rebirth of the cinema culture in Nigeria had only tears of woe to cry. Apart from block busters like IJE and the phenomenal JENIFA and its sequel plus a few others, the rest have failed to even break even in the cinemas. It looked as if we were just making movies for the owners of the cinemas to make money off us. The percentage sharing is skewed to favour the cinema franchises. Not contributing anything to the production of the movie nor to the publicity of the product they have been walking away with the bulk of the profits. It has been like the legendary Aneke who washed her hands only to break the kernel for the squirrel to carry away.

Somewhere along the line I stopped writing that perfect Cinema script and decided to do ten “Asaba” scripts. Now you don't have to think to hard to write one of those and I know that I can quickly sell off those scripts to some quick thinking Ibo boy like me who is looking for how to  make the fast buck and take one Infinity or Murano jeep home for next Christmas. I mean what is the point of having over a hundred and fifty movie credits to ones name and not having up to one hundred and fifty thousand Naira in your account.

So for all those who have been asking when will a new Reginald Ebere movie drop into the market hang in there, you don’t have too long to wait. I am on my way to Asaba. The first Nollywood has finally won. Yes I like the perfect movie but I am also a fan of the perfect bank account. Who doesn’t want to die a rich man! And for all the producers who are looking for scripts, I have well over twenty scripts in the different genre you like. Genre’s like Royal, Action, Ibu, Nkem Owoh lol. Yeah those are no longer actors but movie genres. We even have genres like Mercy Johnson paired with Yul Edochie, Mike Ezuruonye paired with Tontoh Dike or Chika Ike. Don’t worry we are very reasonably priced. Only a hundred thousand for part one to four. Asaba here I come.

REACTIONS ARE WELCOME.

NOLLYWOOD: WHO DO WE HAVE LEFT?

JUSTUS ESIRI

SAM LOCO EFE

The first time I went to Enugu to work was in the year 2000. I'd been directing and writing in Nollywood since 1996 when wrote and assisted Ifeaniyi Anyafulu in directing HINTS Magazine's blockbuster WHEN THE SUN SETS, a movie that launched Kate Henshaw's glittering career and established the careers of several other actors. From 1996 to the year 2000. I waited patiently for somebody to call me to come work in Enugu. I looked on enviously as other directors went down to our new Hollywood then to shoot some of the movies I'd written, movies like FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN, PEACEMAKER, ISSAKABA, LAST BURIAL, THE POPE MUST HEAR THIS and so many others and became instant superstars while i hung back in Lagos waiting for my time. That time finally came when Pete Edochie called me to come down to Enugu to write called me to come down to Enugu to write the Catholic Classic FATHER TANSI. After that trip Enugu discovered me and i went on to shoot a series of movies some which also went on to establish my reputation as not just a writer but a director of note in Nollywood. I fell in love once again with the quaint little town not just because of its scenic beauty and pleasant weather which reminds me of the Azores one of my favorite holiday and vacation spots in the world but primarily because of all the people I met along the way and worked with. People who enriched my life no end. I dare anybody in Nigeria to replicate the carnival atmosphere we created in Macdavous and Naiko Hotels in Agbani Enugu, where you could find ten productions on set at the same time and all the artistes and crews lodged in the same hotels. I dare anybody to replicate the camarederie that grew between rival directors and actors as we all drank from the same bottles and ate from the same plates, shared our victories and cried at our tragedies. Can any one of us forget the day that rising actress Cynthia was run over and killed by Theodore Anyanji's car within the hotel premises.


I look back at the long evenings spent with Uncle Sam Loco in front of his chalet as he drank copious amounts of Gulder and told me stories of his growing years in Abakiliki. Can ever forget me trying to play my guitar and Uncle Justus Esiri fresh from intimidating and unfortunate neophyte director trying to recall his music playing days in Germany. It was in this sleepy town that i met Uncle Pete Eneh for the first time. It was in this town that I lost Nnamdi Eze. Here I met a girl that became my muse Vanessa Nzediegwu. Here I discovered the undying love and Kindness of a good man like Cajetan Obi. I can't call all the names and give a list of all the beautiful and sad things that happened to me in Enugu.
This morning, i woke up and found out that Uncle Sam is gone, same with Uncle Justus, same with Pete Eneh, same with Pat Edeh, same with Nnamdi Eze, Kenneth Egbuna, and myraid other artistes who invested the world with their exceptional talents. I look around me and i ask myself who is left.

PETE ENEH

What we have left is the rivalry, jealousy and bitterness.What we have left is the back biting, the hedonism and the practice of juju to get roles. What we have left is the politics of divide and rule, the actors who do not know how to carry wine glasses, ride a horse or even speak English language. What we have left are directors who do not know the difference between a long shot and a close up, camera men who do not know that cameras have settings, producers who are only interested in the volume of movies they produce in a year instead of the quality. What we have is an industry that is torn with strife and competition. A new Nollywood in Asaba where massive rubbish is being produced and unleashed to insult the sensibilities of a populace we used to feed with excellent movies. What we have left is a group of artistes who think that the more scandals they accumulate for themselves the bigger their stardom.
I am not able to go on for their is too much to say but i tell you my colleague, lets wake up and build back this beautiful thing we gave birth to before it becomes a monster and destroys us all.
REGINALD EBERE  

NKIRU SYLVANUS' KIDNAP: NEW FACTS EMERGE

NKIRU SYLVANUS SSA to the Imo State Government.

It is not news anymore that Nollywood actress Nkiru Sylvanus was kidnapped alongside 2010 Mr Nigeria, Kenneth Okolie from a set she was working on in Owerri, the capital city of Imo State. Neither is it news that the kidnappers have made contact and demanded a ransom of a hundred million Naira. The government and security forces are carrying out their investigations and making plans on how to rescue the young woman.
What is new however is that angst had been growing against Ble Ble who is an Ngwa girl from Abia State in Owerri. Citizens of the state have been asking why a girl who hails from Abia State who does not reside in Owerri was put in charge of the Lagos Laison Office of Imo State and was recently given another portfolio to manage in Owerri.
Of recent however more un-confirmed rumors have emerged that Nkiru has over the past few years been involved in a relationship with somebody high up in government in Imo State and that the eminent wife of the VIP had warned her never to set foot in Owerri again. The inferences are that the woman whose marriage is threatened by the presence of the beautiful actress in Owerri and whose husband is so taken by the vixen has decided to teach her a lesson and is bent on making her husband pay for the sinful pleasures he had been enjoying in secret, openly. Nollywood and Nigerians wait with bated breath for the conclusion of this saga. 

NOLLYWOOD'S BEST KEPT SECRET? DON JAZZY IS ENEBELI'S SON?

Don Jazzy

This might just be the best kept secret of the Nigerian entertainment industry. In what appears to be a macabre marriage between music and the movies, rumors making the rounds have claimed that Superstar music producer Don Jazzy, real name Michael Collins Enebeli is the son of late Superstar actor Enebeli Elebuwa. Yes these same rumors had surfaced sometime in the past but had been denied by both parties. Don Jazzy even went as far as releasing a picture of the man he calls father.

Enebeli Elebuwa

Don Collins Don Jazzy's alleged father

 A close family member who claimed to have grown up in the same house with Enebeli had alleged that Don Jazzy is actually Enebeli Elebuwa's son. The story goes that the late Enebeli who was on the loose in the early part of his life had been living with Don Jazzy's mother a half illiterate woman called Ngozi who gave birth to the ace music producer in the Badia area of Lagos. After a while the maverick actor checked out on his live in lover and ran off to Greece for sometime. After waiting for Enebeli to come back the distraught new mother moved back to her father's house. She was finally cut off by Enebeli's uncle who had brought Enebeli to Lagos in the first place and sent him to train as railway engineer. She proceeded to bring up the boy on her own.
After Don had made his breakthrough in life he had come back to seek a reconciliation with the late Nollywood star but had been rebuffed by Enebeli who denied knowledge of the existence of a son. To help support the arguement that Don Jazzy is Enebeli's son, insiders say that we should not forget that Enebeli was also a musician. Genes which he must have passed to his son

Question here is who or what do we believe.

KRYZTAL DROPS CINDARELLA

Her name is Chinenye Aharanwa but her stage name is simply KRYZTAL. She is a STAR QUEST first runner up (2011), A highly talented singer and songwriter.

The Pure and Industrial Chemistry graduate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka is a music consultant, voice-over artist, a stage performer and a model.

Kryztal has worked on projects such as the GLO theme song, National Sports Festival Lagos 2012 theme song, Star Quest Live Shows and several radio and television commercials. She has consulted on voice over jobs for GlobalCom, Visafone, Conoil, Oando, Total Gaz and other reputable organizations. The exceptional vocalist from Imo State has also worked and performed on stage with great musicians like Ras Kimono, Shina Peters, 2face Idibia, Alex O, Mike Okri, OritzWiliki, Gloria Ibru, Kween and several others.

Cindarella and WakaWaka are the first musical issues from Kryztal. The two songs which are definitions of a new musical genre, a cross between R&B, DANCEHALL and TECHNO- FUNK are expected to light up the clubs, dance floors and parties of musical aficionados

According to the emergent star the song Cindarella was inspired by the need to do something different for the dancehall scene. "I got together with my producer and the beats came out first then we did the lyrics. Luckily it came out right. It is a song I like a lot. But Waka Waka was different.  I wanted somethng with a lot of soul, something that will address the problems I'd seen around me. A couple of my friends had been involved in bad relationships and had gotten heartbroken because of men who could not keep their privates in their trousers. I like speaking about issues and this was my way of saying that people should stay faithful in their relationships. Somebody also asked me why I opted for reggae as a genre. I could have done any genre but I felt that reggae was dying off especially in Nigeria. Reggae is heavily spiritual and I needed to touch and explore my inner child. Apart from that all the other female musicians are doing the same thing and I wanted to be different."

The Boss of HEAVY METAL STUDIOS Johnson Davidson in whose studio the work was crafted said that Kryztal is the Didier Drogba of the Nigerian Music industry. "She is just about capable of doing anything and CINDARELLA is an unveiling of a cyclone that will turn the industry on its head. What you have heard on Cindarella is just about thirty percent of what she is capable of doing. We will upload another single that is far better than Cindarella before we even start thinking about putting out an album. You just wait."

While we wait let us enjoy this mind blowing "classic" from a mind blowing artiste. KRYZTAL

ANEKE TWINS "WE SOLD PURE WATER AND GROUNDNUTS"

CHIDINMA AND CHIDIEBERE

The first time I met them they were very young impressionable girls. I'd been invited to shoot the movie TANSI in Enugu. My executive producer Chief Pete Edochie had taken me  to the Naiko Hotels at awkananaw to meet with other members of cast and these two girls had walked in. There was no doubt that they were twins what struck me was how similar they really were. You just could not differentiate one from the other. We had gotten acquainted and they with their elder sister who also is an actress became close friends.
They didn't look like they were going to go far in the industry but if there is one thing that has characterized the growth of this two young women in Nollywood it is there dogged determination to succeed against all odds. It is that determination that has taken them from the streets of Enugu where they hawked pure water and groundnuts to becoming a-list actresses, award winners, producers and consummate business women. Chidimma and Chidebere have become very popular in Nollywood and have come of age. What they have not forgoten in their walk from grass to glory however, is their humble beginnings and who has brought them this far.
Chidiebere is a Business Administration graduate while Chidimma is a Mass Communication graduate from the Insititute of Management Technology Enugu. They also hold  BCC, Basic Leadership and Leadership Certificate Courses LCC, from Word of Faith Bible Insititute of the  Winners Chapel. That effectively qualifies both of them to become ministers of the word.
And if you  talk with this two, half the conversation revolves around how grateful they are about what God has done from them in their lives.

Chidimma and Chidiebere walked into our Surulere offices some time back, and after accusing me of abandoning them over the years we got down to reliving old times.

QUESTION: How did it start for you girls

CHIDIEBERE AND CHIDIMMA

CHIDINMA: Our elder sister started acting before us and  was a very good friend of Chiege Alisigwe who then was working on a movie and they said they needed twins so  they cast us

CHIDIEBERE: I think it was the movie Ibuka which was directed by Launcelot Odua Imasuen then Chidi was cast in Agbara. i think it was directed by Andy Amenechi

QUESTION: You people left the industry once for a long while.

CHIDINMA: Our mother insisted that we should complete our education first so we had to go back to school and finish up. When we finish we came back immediately and that wa when we did our first movie BROKEN AMBITION.

CHIDIEBERE: Producing that first movie was not a funny experience at all. We first had to go to God and ask him to show us if this is what HE wanted us to do because he who gives you a vision also gives you a pro vision. We still do not know how we got the money for the movie but from their we have done so many others and we keep growing.

CHIDINMA: Our last movie National Experience  won the Code Of Public Conduct award at the Home Vida Awards. and we hope to win more awards as we keep growing by God's grace

QUESTION: Almost a month ago you girls celebrated your birthday with children from motherless babies homes in Lagos. What motivated that?

THE ANEKE TWINS

CHDINMA: We have always celebrated our birthday with the underprivileged, especially in our Enugu base. This year we were in Lagos to do some work on one of our movies when our birthday came by so we  decided to share our day with them.


CHIDIEBERE
You know you can walk in and hand over gifts and presents but it is not the same thing  like sharing the day with them. It is our way of saying thank you to God for helping us out of poverty, not that we are rich but we are not begging food on the street nor are we selling pure water and groundnuts anymore. We are grateful

It was a brief chat because Chidimma and Chidiebere had to ash across town to Lekki because they had the keys of the house they were staying in, thereby locking out their landlords. The CEO's of Greenville Productions gave out hugs and kisses all around. They might not be the biggest female producers and actresses in Nollywood but they are well on their way. We can attest to that because we know where they are coming from.

TAIWO SAIDAT AMUSA SET TO WIN MISSMOTORS INTERNATIONAL

Taiwo Saidat Amusa

The true cost of a lady’s beauty never shows up on a balance sheet. Spare a thought for this. It is there in the ledger: the bags the jewelleries, the dress, the make-up… and many accessories that make her beautiful. But what seems forgotten on paper is the income from being beautiful, especially pageants.

Taiwo Saidat Amusa, a final year student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, Osun State, is set for one: Miss Motor International. An unusual pageant at that.She craves your support in her current venture — to be winner of the pageant holding in Italy on September 6. She is banking on Nigerians, by way of voting and sponsorship, to excel at the contest.

Amusa, who is currently Miss Motor Nigeria, says with aplomb, she has all it takes to win the competition having garnered experiences from previous competitions.

With a hope strung together like beads, Amusa is begging Nigerians to vote for her on facebook via Miss Motor International or log on to
www. missmotorinternational.com.

“I’m not just going alone, we are going together,” she says.

Drawing allusion from the African proverb that says a broom can be easily broken, while a bunch cannot, she says, a lovely grin on her face, “I cannot do this alone without people’s support, so, I want them to join hands to show love and care by voting massively for me.”

The Imota, Lagos State-born lady says she’s carrying the hope of Nigerians on her gentle, sleigh shoulders, pleads, “we are coming out together to stand out for Nigeria This is an opportunity for me to stand out as an international model that can encourage others.”

She’s also confident that after the competition, she will come back home to promote safety on wheels. She is equally interested in encouraging and further creating awareness on the new traffic laws and signs created by the governor of Lagos State, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola.

The beau strongly believes that there are so many things people don’t understand when they are on the road, hence pedestrians and motorists need to be educated further in order to prevent further death. “The only thing that can rescue anyone in this life is patience.”

On how she became Nigeria’s representative, Amusa, who is the first of her parents’ six children, says, Miss Evenly Egbe, who directs activities for the Miss Motors Nigeria contest, sent her pictures to Italy, which was immediately accepted.

She says, “with all these experiences I’ve gathered in beauty pageants, coupled with life on the runway, especially fashion shows such as City People Ankara Fashion Show, Red Line, Needle Craft Fashion, I know I can win Miss Motor International.”

IN the course of her young life, Amusa has been a winner all day. As a student, she was crowned Miss LAUTECH. She’s also been Miss University, Glo Rock n’ Rule concert queen and many others.

More than all these, she is a combination of beauty and brains. She knows her way around. 

Miss Motors Pageant

Amusa says her passion for life on the runway started when she was 10. But, her parents, who felt she must first get educated before thinking of catwalk, discouraged her. However, by 2005, she decided to wake-up her modeling career. She broke out of her shell.

“I started doing some runway jobs,” she says. “I stopped in 2007, when I was admitted to study computer science and engineering at LAUTECH.”

Looking back, she says with a brittle laugh, “I used my first two years to consolidate on my academic pursuit and lay a good foundation in my studies. In my third year, I resumed,” 

With unlimited talent and beauty she capitalised on an open opportunity that knocked on her door. “I contested for the Miss LAUTECH 2010 pageant and emerged winner, eventually,” Amusa enthuses.

This gave her another opportunity to represent her school in the Miss University Pageant, which held in Benue State where the First Lady of the state hosted contestants representing all the universities.

Winning that competition gave her the courage to continue, believing that the sky is now her beginning.

Pregnant with ambition, in 2011, she took part in Glo Rock n’ Rule beauty pageant and she was selected both at the Ilorin and Ibadan auditions where she rapped and danced respectively.

“The pageant boosted my confidence,” she says. “Before, I couldn’t imagine myself facing such a large crowd.”

She contested for Miss Olokun and was one of the first eight contestants in the pageant. In November 2011, she again contested for Miss Ikorodu Oga and was crowned as the queen. By December, same year, she had contested for Miss Sisi Eko.

Her three attempts at the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant have not been successful, “notwithstanding, they’ve all been fun for me because the contests have built my confidence,” she says.  “At the Glo Rock n’ Rule, I went through lot of screening, where our mannerism, attitude, and all that, were tested, and I emerged one of the zonal winners.”

So lets get ready to stand behind Taiwo Sadiat Amusan as she goes to bring back the Miss Motors crown.

JIMI ODUMOSU RETURNS WITH

  "MY FATHER'S HOUSE"

The last time we heard about him was when he was making his exit from MNET'S Doctor's Quaters. That was several years back and since then Nollywood directing legend Jimi Odumosu is making his way back into the movie industry with what promises to be a blockbuster. "MY FATHER'S HOUSE" 

From what we have been able to glean the lead character is a boy between 12-14 years.

The director of THE MOURNING AFTER is holding an open casting call at AGIDINGBI GRAMMAR SCHOOL Agdingbi Ikeja on 6th and 7th September 2012. Those who are interested in the casting call are advised to get to the venue on time. The movie we hear is a horror movie.