See excerpt from Mr Ibu’s recent interview with The Entertainer
Today, you are prominent and well celebrated in Nollywood. In your own opinion, what do you think needs to be done to
take Nollywood to the next level that we keep hearing from people? And what is the next level for Nollywood?
Before the level will come, there is need for little analysis on the
foundation laid before by the Actors Guild of Nigeria. I see the
foundation laid in the AGN being cracked because of greed and
carelessness. I must tell you that good administration eluded actors as
long as I can remember and as I speak, we are still searching for the
that angel that will take us to the next level. It is only this outgoing
President of Nigeria that I can think of as someone who has so much
interest in developing Nollywood. I have never seen someone like that
before who supports us that much. But I am seriously afraid of what
next.
Why are you afraid? Do you mean the incoming president may not favour entertainment like Goodluck Jonathan?
We don’t know what could happen but I’m scared. I’m scared and watching,
the former people that met with President Jonathan probably got his
attention and we expected that they would work towards building a film
village for Actors Guild of Nigeria that would serve as rendezvous for
card-carrying members. A place whereby tourists can take a recreational
tour, take photographs with actors and actresses just like Hollywood.
But as it stands, that’s a mirage.
Which state do you want this village to be built?
Anywhere
in the country will do. Any state can build and situate our head office
there. But our problem today is that there has been this office called
Nigerian Film Corporation before now. To the best of my knowledge, if
they exist at all, they have not done anything. This is a place if
functional, we are supposed to go and hire our sophisticated machines,
shoot our movies to celluloid and to class. These are people that are
supposed to have a big village that has to do with film. We will go
there to do our location and everything that has to do with filming and
editing. First class editing suite should be found there. But as I speak
to you, I have never been or see any workshop organised by the Nigerian
Film Corporation. I have never seen a circular sent from the office of
their chairman or what have you to actors. From them, we have Censors
Board. Censors Board is our family. Anybody who is not a core person in
filming and acting industry cannot be chairman of Census Board because
they do not know the etiquette of the industry, neither do they know
what we are passing through. If the Nollywood could produce an
approximate of 120 films per month and we pay N50, 000 to censor one
movie, it means an approximate of N6 million is made from us every month
yet we are not seeing any development of the industry by government.
That’s sad. We are feeding government in this area. We should be
remembered by government. Even the little government is doing is not
circulating because of greed and selfishness of the people in charge,
nobody represent anybody.
How do you see politics in Nigeria today? What is your opinion about the political arena in the country today compare to before?
I am not too good in the field of politics anymore. I was there before. I
was breathing in and out. I could recollect that when I was in Anambra
State, I contested in one of the councillorship elections. I won my
primaries, but unfortunately, in the night before the proper election,
military toppled government. N.R.C and S.D.P were actually the two
political parties we had then. Politics of today apart from the
killings, is improving. It is like playing draft, if you win, no matter
what you do to win, you will be the winner.
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