'There is constant pressure on me, but I'm only human' - 2face Idibia

When Innocent Ujah Idibia chose the stage name ‘2Face’, he probably didn’t know how far he would get. Ten years have rolled by since he went solo from the defunct Plantashun Boiz and musically, he

has soared. But his success hasn’t come without a huge price, including accusations and shortcomings. ‘But I am only human’ is what he tells AMINA BRAI OMOIKE in this chat.

You were recently made NAFDAC ambassador. Why do you think you were chosen?
Well, they said it is because of my success as a musician hence the intention is for me to use my fan base and musical mastery to advertise the agency. For instance, you know I recently had my 10th anniversary as a solo artiste which was tagged ‘Infinit2: A decade of trailblazin’. As a sort of climax of that show, we initiated KAMSuP which is a short code for Kids Against the Menace of Sub-standard Products. As NAFDAC ambassador, we are driving the free concert with the NAFDAC theme. My friends and I will be giving the KAMSuP free concert to about 5000 young people on New Year’s day courtesy Hypertek, Now Muzik and Infinit2 Productions.

But, you have been relatively quiet. Unlike before, not much of you has been seen around. Are you fading away or stepping down for the newer artistes?
I am not sure of exactly what you mean but I have been finishing work on The Unstoppable album (the international edition), working on a few videos, executing Infinit2 events in Abuja, Calabar, Bayelsa, Jos, Makurdi. I gave performances both at the MAMAs and Channel O awards. I won at the African Music Awards in Europe, was nominated for the Face of Hope. I recently did shows in Abidjan, Kuala Lumpur, Dallas, Canada...with so much on my plate, maybe I should be permanently off the scene.

Like most celebrities, the spotlight is always on you. Do you ever feel the heat on you – like people expect too much from you?
There is constant pressure on me, I can’t lie. What I miss most is my freedom. To me, freedom is ordinary freedom – freedom to experience life, make mistakes and learn from them. But most times, the pressure keeps you on your toes in a positive way because there are a million and one young people out there looking up to me. It is a responsibility I welcome. But I too, I am only human. I will make mistakes. I will feel low and weak sometimes. Life is like that. Maybe it is also a good thing that people see you stumble so that they’ll know that it is part of life. They need to draw inspiration from the success of their role models but basically find the heroes inside themselves because nobody holy pass.

Following the release of your track Flex with R. Kelly, lots and lots of controversies trailed that collaboration. How did you handle it because you never really said anything?
People should first of all verify the claims and sources of the guys who reported the R. Kelly disclaimer; thereafter, I will feel obliged to really respond. Then, there wouldn’t be any reason for me raise issues with R. Kelly’s lawyers or representatives if truly R. Kelly never said that. It is unfortunate that after recoding with Wycleff, Beenie Man, Chaka Demus ‘n’ Pliers and other great artistes I have had respect for, on deals that I never even solicited for; people somewhere would suggest that I will condescend to the level of doing what I am now being accused of. Very unfortunate. But then, people are people. Some of us are straight-forward. Others are not so straight forward. Na so.

We have heard of some probono work you’ve done for people and other acts of charity. Why have you been silent on matters like these; especially since you haven’t exactly had the best of times with the media?
Selfless service is best served quiet. Sometimes though, it gets out. Some of what I have done gets reported. Management and publicists will insist but really, I would rather just do what I can quietly. As long as the beneficiary feels the impact, they don’t even need to know who has given.

Then for the media, I don’t really think I have had a bad relationship with the Press. At a certain time, with a section of the Press, maybe. But like every other thing in life, some people would also want to attack you while some would want to appreciate what you have done. I take it as it comes.

On a personal note, what is the relationship with the mothers of your children?
We dey try. Everything chilling, chilling. We have a responsibility to the kids.

And where do the kids come in considering your busy entertainment lifestyle – travelling at the shortest notice, night shows and general unavailability as it were? Last month alone, you shuttled between America, Malaysia and Canada...

(Cuts in) It gets crazy at times considering that you have to add Abidjan, Jo’burg and Nairobi to that list plus all the local Naija runs for like Bayelsa, Abuja, Makurdi, Port-Harcourt. Sometimes, I no dey get chance to even sleep. But that has been the reality for a few years now and I am thankful to God. Rather this, than being idle and unwanted. I try to create time for the kids in between these trips. It is something I am constantly working on.

Years ago, you were attacked by robbers in your house; another time, it was on your way home. Why are you still so attached to that neighbourhood – Festac? At least, you are a big boy and definitely can afford to buy a house in any choice location.

Festac Town is my hood and I am very attached to it, I must confess. But then again, we are who we are. Whatever Nigeria is today, is what we have made of it. Probably I am saying that some real world-class products can come out from any place in Nigeria no matter how tough it is to survive here. I might also be trying to call the attention of the leadership to the fact that every neighbourhood can be upgraded so that all of us are not struggling to move to just one part of the city. If you look around, you will find that there are a couple of very decent stretches of property in all kinds of places – Festac, Ikeja, Agege, Omole everywhere. The general state of security, roads and other things just has to be upgraded. All of us no suppose to squeeze ourself for just one place now. Abi, how you check am?

You always seem to enjoy playing shows in Jos. Is there any significance of Jos to you?
Jos is the land of my birth and we are walking with the state government to organize a peace walk to mark the anniversary of the crisis.

So back to the music, how has it been for you – 10 years as a solo artiste? What has kept you going considering that many artistes don’t seem to get hits with every album?
The love for what I do. I truly and deeply love making music, writing, recording, performing, everything.

My music, four permanent girlfriends and why I quit smoking Igbo – Femi Anikulapo-Kuti

Afrobeat musician, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti speaks with ADEOLA BALOGUN about his recent nomination for a Grammy and sundry issues. How does it feel like to be nominated in the Grammy awards?

I am so glad. It shows that I have been working very hard outside Nigeria. The fact that the Nigerian music industry has failed me does not mean that the rest of the world has done the same thing. I signed a contract six months ago for the same album to be released here in Nigeria, but the records company has not released it. It is the problem that I have been having in my career. It shows that the music industry in Nigeria still has a very long way to go.

When do you think the company will release your album?

I do not know. The album was released in America in January. It was released in Europe in November last year and the rest of the world has been dancing to it. The Grammy is not about Nigeria. It is an American award. So it is the American establishment that is nominating me for the award.

Did you ask to be paid a large sum of money in advance?

I have been paid. They have paid me some money. That is why I do not understand why it is taking so long to release the album. The issue is not about money. It can not be about money. I recorded the songs to be heard. So people understand what I do and where my career is at that point in time. I can‘t understand why somebody should take my work and hold on to it, even after he has paid me.

Maybe he is having a problem with the authorities or the songs are offensive.

Well, it depends on what side you are on. If you are a progressive Nigerian, it would not be offensive. But if you are a corrupt Nigerian, the songs would be very offensive to you. The owner of the records company has not said that the authorities are delaying it. If he said he has a problem, what is this problem that he will not disclose? We were waiting and we are still waiting. I am surprised and frustrated. My lawyers have written to him because he is my friend. I have known him for some time. So it is hard to want to take your friend to court. But if the album is not released on a certain date, then the contract will be terminated

It seems strange that a big artiste like you cannot have his album released.

It is very strange. I am compelled to conclude that the owner of the records company is working for the government. But he is my friend.

I am puzzled.

You cannot be more puzzled than me. If he is frustrating me as an artiste, he cannot stop the rest of the world from listening to me. The world is dancing to the music, Americans are dancing to it. I am still touring and I am still working hard as a musician. So it is Nigeria that is frustrating me as an artiste. Even the distribution of my last album was very bad. When Bang, Bang, Bang was banned, the records company refused to sue the government or argue that the song cannot be banned. It did nothing, only accepted the ban and stopped printing. They did not even tell me how many copies of the album that they sold. Why ban the song? As far as I am concerned, it had nothing sexual in its content. It won the World Music Award and was nominated in the Grammy awards. All this while, everybody has been frustrating me.

Recently you were quoted in a publication as saying that ‘Bang, bang, bang‘ was one of the best songs that you have produced. Would you say it was banned because of the problem government had with your father?

I think so. I think about it, but I do not have any proof. You see, when the government wants to deal with, you won‘t be able to prove that the same government is frustrating you. So in that respect, I won‘t be surprised if I am singing or talking like my father in these times that Nigeria is being hypocritical about corruption. I am sure they would try to frustrate me as an artist. They would close the Afrika shrine down and say many things to frustrate me. They would say this man is talking rubbish, but the world is enlightened for that kind of thing. I am a serious musician. If I not, I would not be nominated at all. Now I am not concerned with winning the award. But the nomination in itself is a big thing, especially coming at a time when I am fighting to get my album released in my own country.

Some are insinuating that the success of your dad is rubbing off on you and that is why you have gone this far. Do you think so?

Those people are jealous. They do not want to accept that I am a hard worker and I am doing very well, if not better than my father. Those people do not want to accept that I am taking afro-beat music to a higher level. They are jealous because they believe Fela is the greatest and they do not want to give credit to what I have done. I am sure that Fela, my father, would be very happy with my accomplishment. They are envious because they cannot stand up to their own fathers. They are scared of their fathers. I stood up to my father and I went on my own and I am making progress without my father. Why do they refuse to give me credit? The world gives me credit; so what is their problem? I have been touring for over twenty- two years. I have been playing professional music now for thirty years. So if they do not want to accord me my due respect, I believe they just want to console themselves. Those who are looking for excuses are just jobless. So if my son is successful, are you going to say it is because I am successful? The world does not look at it like that. I was not nominated because of my father. The nomination came because my work is good. It has nothing to do with my father.

But I learnt that the first time your work was nominated for awards you did not win because your contract was terminated. Wasn‘t that politics?

To be nominated, your records company must enter your album for the awards. The company that put in my album withdrew it and I felt that was the reason why I did not win. I did not know that they would submit my album for the awards and it is not a committee where you can go in and start dragging things. You cannot influence the voters. They are going to sit down and judge, based on technicality and lyrical content. And they would vote among themselves. I do not even know how they do it. I don‘t believe I can influence them either. So when the company refused to meet me at the airport, I knew that I was not going to win and that was what happened.

Apart from playing in the Afrika Shrine, you don‘t seem to participate in music concerts around the country. Is it that you are not interested?

They don‘t invite me to play because they don‘t want to pay me good money. How can they be paying American artistes so much money and if I ask them to pay N5 million, they say it is too much? But I hear they pay some people as much as one million dollars, 750,000 dollars. I am not asking to be paid in dollars, all I ask is just N5 million. They are the ones that are difficult. They are the ones giving excuses. They say people are smoking Indian hemp at the Shrine. You have seen that I put signs outside asking people to shun drugs. We invite the police to help us here and we have people checking for us here like the NDLEA. But, for no just reason, they say that people are smoking Indian hemp in Femi‘s shrine. Is it Femi that is smoking Indian hemp? I don‘t smoke and I don‘t drink, but they still heap blame on me. So I cannot understand why they are giving me a bad name, even though I have done nothing wrong.

Do other artistes interact with you as they ought to do?

Well, don‘t forget that many of the new generation artistes are not my mates. My mates are very few in the music industry today, but when we invite them to play here during Felabration, they come. King Sunny Ade was here the last time; Shina Peters was here. Even Lagbaja was here. So I don‘t think I have any problem with fellow artistes.

Maybe the reason why you are not invited to perform at music shows is because you will come with your band, unlike a hip hop artiste that will only mime on his CD.

I have to go to the stage with my band. That is how we were taught. Having said this, I have nothing against hip hop artistes. At least, they are trying their best. If they become stars and make money, I will be happy for them. They are Nigerians, after all. But if my son wants to do that, I will tell him to pick up an instrument or two. Now I shall turn 50 in two years. I have lived well and I have achieved what I did not dream of in my life. I have been nominated for Grammy award twice, something we used to watch only on TV in those days. I never dreamed of being the first Nigerian to win KORA award. I will just continue to work very hard and do my best in the industry.

You just mentioned that you neither drink nor smoke. Where do you get your kicks?

It is my work. Hard work.

But it may be difficult for people to believe you.

That is their business. I have smoked before and I don‘t deny it. But I have stopped. I stopped smoking for fifteen years. I did it again for two years and finally stopped. I started smoking after my mother died because I was very depressed. I have not done it for a couple of years now. Because of this same argument, I stopped. I don‘t need to smoke to become a great man. Even some people say that I don‘t smoke like my dad because I am not as strong as he was. I will not smoke.

Why the decision?

It is bad for my health. It gives me chest pains, but the main reason is on moral ground. It is because I address a serious and important subject that concerns justice and values and I don‘t want anybody to rubbish me by saying that I am a smoker or that I smoke Indian hemp. If I am fighting social ills and I continue to smoke, people will not take me seriously and I don‘t want that. Even if most members of my band smoke, I have to restrain myself just to combat issues. There are so many social ills that I am fighting against in my music and I cannot afford to allow myself to be embarrassed and dismissed as a hemp smoker.

What made you so sick recently that people were afraid for your life?

If I die, I die. If I give you all the excuses in the world, what does that give you? Nothing. If I die and I reach heaven and they ask me, did you enjoy yourself on earth?‘ If I say no, they will just slap me. I have enjoyed myself. I am not a novice in the industry. I have been around for a long time and I have achieved a lot and I have no cause to be afraid of death.

Most people used to see you as a gentleman enjoying a happy married life. But all of a sudden, everything changed. What happened?

My wife left. Look, it is very difficult to be an artiste because so much is expected from you. It is very difficult to be a conventional person when you are in this kind of business. But my wife left for many reasons and the media, too, was part of the problem. You see, this matter is settled, yet every journalist asks me the same question. I hope this will be the last time that I will have to answer it. Some journalists decided to give me a bad name and it was a big battle between me and them. They wanted to use it to extort money from me and I was not ready to yield to blackmail. So they went out to write that Femi is broke, Femi has gone crazy, Femi is this, Femi is that and I got angry. Even when I was in France, they were writing that I was in a mental home. At the time, I was working on the music album that got me the nomination for the first time. It was titled Fight to Win. During this period, my wife left and they wrote so many things against me. So if I was crazy, how did I manage to take care of the boy you just saw without his mother? I am taking care of four other children that are not my own, but who are friends of my son. I put them in a good private school like my son, out of the love for the society. There are many things that I am doing that I don‘t need to boast to people about. I believe that If have the means I will love to take care of more people instead of spending money on worldly things. The press did not see all the good things I was doing and wrote things against me. As a result, I shied away from people and my movement was restricted to the Shrine and Akute, and from Akute to the airport. That is why I know that the Grammy would shock many people who were biased because of what they read about me. If I am not a responsible person, I won‘t be able to take care of my home. Now I have four children of my own and another four that are not mine and I care for all of them, their mothers and families. Since many of them have apologized to me and we have forgotten it, I don‘t want them to read this story and feel that I am still bitter. No, I have forgotten about it and have moved on.

You are fond of referring to the women in your life as your girlfriends. Are you confused about whom to choose as your wife?

I am not confused, I love all of them. If the Muslims can marry four wives, why should my own be different? I believe it is the African culture to have many wives. It is the Muslims that say four while the Christians say only one. An African can have as many wives as he can care for. My father had 27 wives. My own women are not more than four. I regard my women as partners and we interact as a family. I don‘t need a Pastor or an Imam to tell me I am married. I am a responsible human being and I know my duties as a father or a lover. So I don‘t need anybody to educate me on what I should do for my women or my children. If you ask me, I would say I love women. If I could marry a hundred women, probably I would do it. But I am contented with the ones in my life and I don‘t need more. If they leave, I will look for another one.

I read somewhere that you pray. How do you pray and to whom?

I pray everyday and as I am talking to you, I could be praying. Nobody taught the African to pray. The place of the Supreme Being is acknowledged in the African culture. They said we are idol worshippers. When you have the statue of Mary or Jesus in your church, what do you call that? So what is wrong when we bow down to the images of Ogun or Oya in our own way? I believe in a supreme being and I don‘t need any foreign religion to teach me that. I know I am just a mere human being and should not be calling the name of God any how. I know that since both my father and mum are dead, they are closer to God than me and I pray to them to guide me. Before I perform in a concert, I pray for everything to go smoothly and I know that when I do good, good will follow me all my life. I don‘t need anyone to teach me that. That is why I know that it is good to forgive and talk to the mother of my son. We still talk.

What if she decides to come back?

I don‘t like to speculate. All I know is that we have all moved ahead. I am not a dreamer. I am a practical person. I know that I will die one day and I based all my actions on that reality, African tradition will tell you that you must be a good father to your son.

Your son used to appear on stage when he was much younger. What does he do, these days?

I want him to go to school now. He has played and he has traveled. Even he made an input in this album that has been nominated in the Grammy award. He has seen the life of entertainment, but I don‘t want him to be a drop-out like me. My father didn‘t want me to go to school. My son doesn‘t want to go to school either. But I know that education will help him greatly. It is important for him to finish school so that people will not refer him as a dropout. I was just lucky that I had a good mother who helped me to make up for the time I lost when I dropped out of school. Maybe I was just lucky, but I don‘t want my son to depend on luck. He must go to school and study classical music and become an authority anywhere he finds himself.

I thought you didn‘t want to encourage your son to pursue a career in music.

No, I encourage him. He plays a lot of piano at home. You know the music industry can be very bad and I don‘t want him to become a drug addict. He may start doing drugs if he is lonely and I don‘t want that to happen to him. What will happen if his wife leaves him? I don‘t pray for that, but such things do happen. If he does everything that a 40 year old does at 15, when he is 40, he might be bored and do negative things. I know that a lot of artistes go into drugs because of boredom. At the age of five, he was on stage and by the time he was ten years old, he had recorded an album. These are things I did at 16 and I know what I had to go through. Maybe I should have waited a little more. So it is good for him to go to school. Later he might become a professor. And if he becomes a teacher of music, won‘t it be great to teach hundreds of children how to make music? Now, because I did not go to school, I cannot teach anybody how to compose music. But I can play music and make people happy. He can break new grounds in music with education.

People still insinuate that your sister probably had a hand in the collapse of your marriage. Is it true?

My sister had absolutely nothing to do with it. I told people then that because of my son, I would not talk about the breakup of my marriage. But because I kept quiet, people blamed me for it and I took the blame. Now I have a beautiful son and anywhere I take him to, people commend me for bringing him up. Let me tell you something: I brought up the child because I learnt how to keep my mouth shut and take the blame. What I realized, which some people failed to do at the time, was that we had a son and where two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffer. If I had allowed the marriage to get in the way, the boy would probably have become notorious today. Because of him, I used the period of the breakup to teach myself the piano and the trumpet. These were instruments that I could not play before. So ten years have elapsed and I can do things I couldn‘t do before. The breakup made me to be more serious about life and I am a completely different person. My sister had nothing to do with the breakup. The only thing is that she must support her brother, just as my wife‘s family supported her. I never beat her and I never did all the things they said I did to her. So why wouldn‘t she stand by her brother? I respect her. My sister controls my father‘s estate and I don‘t question her ability. She manages the Shrine and I don‘t question her, except she calls me to ask for a word of advice or two. She is a sister anyone would love to have and she makes me happy. Even she is always looking for a wife for me and I tell her not to bother. But she doesn‘t want me to be alone.

How do you encourage your little brother, Seun?

There is nothing to encourage, he plays here. My sister is the one that even brought him here and asked me to let him play. Maybe if somebody else asked me, I would have said no. She is the one trying her best to unite the family. I am not a difficult person that people think. Even the Seun matter, who started it? It was Uncle Beko. I am older than him by twenty years. People were just cooking up stories to frustrate me and I couldn‘t take rubbish from them. When she brought him, I said okay, he apologized and I asked him to play here.

Some people even said you were probably jealous of him because he plays exactly like your father Fela.

Excuse me, if I wanted to be like Fela, I would be like him. But I said I didn‘t want to be Fela. I said I wanted my father to respect me. I did not want to be my father‘s carbon copy. When I left my father, everybody thought that I would not succeed. Am I not successful? When Fela saw me, he commended me; even before he died. When I recorded ‘Wonder Wonder‘, they said it was Fela that wrote the song. I was already making waves before his death. I toured the world when he was still alive. So why would I be jealous of Seun? I have won awards that some people only dreamt of. I was the first person to win the KORA award, I was the first person to win the World Music award, I was the one that packaged Nigerian music for the outside world to understand. My success has opened doors for people, too. So, how can I be jealous?

Stella Damasus was absent at her deceased husband, Jaiye Aboderin’s fourth memorial

Sella Damasus was absent at her deceased husband, Jaiye Aboderin’s fourth burial remembrance party that took place on the 5th of December at The Oriental Hotel, Lekki Lagos. She claimed to be at her mother's side, who's recovering from eye surgery. The Aboderin family reacted saying ‘they didn’t as a family feel bad about her not being there. The reason being that she no longer bears their name. She has swapped Aboderin with Nzeribe‘. Stella was said to have been invited and she even requested for extra invitations.

Late 2008, she was sighted at Club 868 with Emeka Nzeribe where they tried as much they could to prevent being photographed together by paparazzis and in March 2009, they got married – Emeka Nzeribe became her second husband. Reports reaching nigeriafilms.com claim the marriage is not going eazy, as sources say incompatibility between them is due to Emeka's is frequent trips to Abuja. Stella , the mother of two from her previous marriage, reportedly insisted that Emeka’s frequent trips to Abuja have been for business. She denied rumours of sending Emeka out of their matrimonial home. The reports have also been fuelled by the absence of her wedding band [ring] . Sources close to them maintain and divulge that Emeka got fed up because she became stubborn, insisting on having her way and she wouldn’t submit to Emeka.

I wish I knew my father’s family, Shan George laments

Screen diva, Shan George has come a long way in Nollywood. From a village girl who grew up in a farm settlement, this half Nigerian, half British actress found her way to stardom and she is not letting anything stop her.

Born of a British father who died when she was very young, Shan George was raised by her mother in their village in Cross River and she describes her childhood as a typical aje pomo (rough) life where she attended a village school , went to the farm after school, entered the bushes to get firewood and trekked to the stream to fetch water.

However, being a village girl did not hinder her progress. She is not a timid village girl. She is honest to her bones and calls a spade a spade. She has no pretence about life and laughs a lot about life’s issues. She is carefree and happy-go-lucky and above all, a journalist’s delight.

So far, Shan George says her life has been so good and from Nollywood, she is crossing into music and has gone beyond Nollywood into the Spanish movie industry.

Recently, she brought Spanish actors to Nigeria and blended them with Nollywood’s actors for her movie, Super Zebra Man. She also branched into the neighbouring Sierra_Leone and brought their reigning queen to act in her movie.

With many broken marriages and non marital relationships, Shan George never says die and she’s not looking back either when it comes to what she wants to achieve in life.

Read her.

You are working on something. What is it?

I’m working on my new music that I’m supposed to perform at the Calabar Carnival.

What type of music is it

It’s cultural music. It’s like high life.

It seems so many Nollywood stars are going into music and none has had a breakthrough musically. I hope yours would be different.

I hope to succeed and actually, you can get one of my tracks Ogogo on YouTube. My music is a native high life because all my songs are done in my native dialect. I’m trying to promote our culture through my music.

It seems Nollywood is crumbling.

I don’t think Nollywood is crumbling . People are mistaking rebuilding for crumbling. For example, if you have to renovate a building, you definitely have to knock off some walls, some windows or even the whole roof if you want the building to look better after renovation.

It’s a reconstruction of Nollwood. If you are observant, you will notice that the kind of movies we are doing in Nollywood now is different from what used to obtain.

We now partner with the outside world in our movies to improve the quality, like we saw in Through the Glass produced by Stephanie Okereke. People like Afolayan produced a movie Figurine that is very unique. Then, of course, my movie Super Zebra Man is getting ready.

It’s a different kind of movie and I brought in Spanish movie actors and blended them with our Nollywood actors. I got my equipment from South Africa. So, we are reconstructing Nollywood. A good thing is happening and definitely, at the end of this reconstruction, it would be better and stronger.

This Super Zebra Man. What’s your projection? Is it in the mode of Stephanie’s

Through the Glass?

I’m really hoping it meets up to that standard. But it’s not the usual Nollywood film. It’s unique and I believe success in everything is by the grace of God. What I am trying to do now is my best and then I will leave the rest to God. I pray it will be successful.

Well, in Stephanie’s movie, she was the only black person. Is yours like that?

Mine is a total Nigerian movie with Spanish professional actors. My movie was shot in Nigeria, directed by a Nigerian and the actors are Nigerians. There are people like Segun Arinze, Shan George, Basorge Tariah Jnr, Sam Loko and others .

It’s a typical Nigerian movie, shot in Nigeria but I brought in actors from Spain and brought my equipment from South Africa. The current Miss Sierra Leone is also part of my movie. I pray that it becomes a commercial success.

When is the premiere?

We have just finished the shooting and we will start editing in January. We are not editing in Nigeria because the equipment we used was brought from outside. We don’t have the format here. So, we will edit in Barcelona.

So far, how would you describe your sojourn in the movie industry?

Well, so far so good. I have been trying to work hard and working towards being the best in and beyond Nollywood. In terms of achievement, I can say I have recorded some measure of success but I still want to get better.

Besides Nollywood, I’m into other things. I have told you about my partnership with the Spanish movie industry. I have been able break into the movie industry as well. I’m trying my best in the things I can do and leaving the rest to God.

When did you get into Nollywood?

It started in 1996. Then, I was an undergraduate at the University of Lagos. I did my first movie Thorns of Rose in 1996. It was produced by the late Jennifer Ossai, Emeka Ossai’s late wife.

For me, the journey so far is good. I have acted in a lot of movies and I have produced some movies too. In 1998, I produced a movie, All For Women. I have produced other movies and I have a production outfit called Shan George Productions. But I’m still trekking. I have not gone far yet.

I was reading about your beginnings and you seem to be a typical village girl. Was growing up hard ?

Not really. I grew up like a normal healthy village girl. My mother was a nurse and she wasn’t earning that much but she made sure I read my books, she made sure I went to school and she showed me so love. It wasn’t bad or difficult growing up in the village. I lived in a normal house, slept on the bed, went to school with other children. There was nothing outstanding about my village life.

Actually, I am trying to find out if you were an aje butter (high class)or aje pako (low class).

(Laughs) Okay, let us not say I am aje butter or aje pako. It should be something between the two. Maybe, aje pomo (hide) (Laughs). It wasn’t butter for me and not pako either. So, it must be something like pomo. I’m a complete aje pomo. (Laughs)

What about your siblings? How many are you?

I’m an only child.

How was it growing up as an only child?

Very lonely. But I was in the village and there were cousins and other relations. We all went to the farm together, went to pick snails together, went to the stream together.

We were always going everywhere in groups. You know, in the villages, they always have these age grades and so, me and members of my age grade always moved together.

I was an only child and it was a communal life. There were always cousins and I didn’t grow up alone. It’s lonely psychologically because sometimes when the nitty gets to the gritty, you need somebody but there was nobody around. When others went home to attend to their brothers and sisters, I had no sister or brother to attend to me.

So, it could be lonely and psychologically, being the only child isn’t the best.

Village life could be tough.

When you say tough life, one can have a tough life living in the city. It depends on what you are doing and how life is treating you. There are people in the villages who are living well and there are people in the cities who are suffering.

Even in Lagos, there are people who are finding things really tough. Some don’t have homes. They live under the bridge. They beg on the streets for food. You cannot say that because one is in the village, it is tough. No, there are people in the village who are really enjoying life more than some people in the big cities. And in my case, I didn’t suffer.

Yes, I went to the farm. I went to the stream, climbed trees and did all those typical things they do in the village. But we had all our food fresh. We went to the farm and plucked fresh vegetables, fruits, corn. Even the yam was fresh. The palm oil was original and very fresh.

Your father is English?

Yes, and dead.

Have you gone to search for your roots?

You should know that in the Western world, particularly the white people, they are not very keen about the extended family issues. And I grew up with my mother who showed me love and took very good care of me.

She taught me a lot. My father is late, and I missed him. I always wished I grew up with my daddy but really, I didn’t try to search for my father’s family until about seven years ago after I had grown up. I tried to look for them but I had a problem there.

When they heard you are from Africa, particularly Nigeria and with our bad image abroad, they would probably think this Nigerian girl had come to ’chop’ their money.

So, I gave up along the line. I would have loved to know them.

Your first marriage. Your kids?

I’m sorry. I don’t want to talk about that.

You have married three times officially and your marriages collapsed .What happened?

I would rather not say what happened because I don’t think anybody would learn from my marriages.

You have official marriages and unofficial ones.
I don’t understand this journalist-o. Which one is official and unofficial? (Laughs)
What you had with comedian Okey Bakassi could pass for marriage but was never formalised.

Well, I don’t know about official and unofficial relationships. A relationship is a relationship, whether it is marriage or not. It’s not every relationship that gets to marriage.

An adult relationship has to be serious. If you don’t call a relationship serious, then it is not worth being called a relationship because there is nothing like a serious relationship or unserious relationship.

If you cannot boldly say you are in a relationship with someone, then you are not in it. It could get to marriage, and eventually you people may decide to go their your separate ways but it has to be a relationship. That was what happened between Okey Bakassi and me. We went our separate ways. But whether it gets to marriage or not, it has to be serious.

You know, some people don’t define their relationships. So, one person can say I’m in a relationship, whereas to the other person, its just a fling or one of those things.
Well, I belong to the school of thought that believes in relationships. If you want to do something with Shan George, you have to be serious. I don’t believe in half measures.

Why didn’t you and Okey Bakassi tie the knots?
Marriage is not by force. People can get into relationship without getting into marriage.

Are you still friends?
That is not important to me.

With your experience in marriages, what advice would you give someone getting into it for the first time?
There is no advice that matters apart from what God can do for you. So, before getting married, ask God for directive.

All that you need is pray for that divine intervention. The prayer has to be before the marriage, not after.

Are you in another relationship?

I don’t think its anybody’s business if I’m in a relationship or not. Right now I’m watching TV. I’m watching Super Story.

That means you are free and ready to mingle?

No! I’m not free at all. I’m not.

See now, I got you. You didn’t want to answer that question initially.

I’m a journalist too and I know all your tricks. That you are not in a relationship does not mean you are free and ready to mingle.

Can somebody apply? One can just say there is no man in Shan George’s life for now. I may have somebody who is interested.

(Laughs) Okay, truly I have a boy friend. His name is Akin. And I love him a lot. He is a wonderful person, very nice, at least for now. I don’t know about tomorrow. So, I’m in a relationship.

So, are we hearing the wedding bells soon?

Haba! It’s not a woman that determines whether there would be wedding bells. It’s the man that would propose and if he doesn’t, I can’t force him. For now, he has not but we are in a relationship and there is no proposal yet.

But marriage is a two way thing. It’s not like the man is doing you a favour.

We don’t do like that in Africa or Nigeria. Marriage proposal is for men, not for women. Or can you Chioma propose to a man?

If you know me, I can.

Really? Ah, you are different. I am not aje butter. I cannot propose marriage to a man. I don’t have the liver to do that. I see everything wrong with a woman proposing marriage to a man. What kind of man will that be? I want a man to be a man. A man has to be the one to ask me to marry him.

That means you cannot ‘toast’ a man.

Me ke! I am real aje pomo. I can’t do that. I didn’t toast Akin.

My Stepmother Must Be Feeling The Worst Pain Wherever She Is– Kevin Chungwan Pam

$200,000 is a huge sum, what do you intend to do with the money?

The first is to pay my tithe. I want to ‘swagaliciously’ dance along the church aisle to give God his due share of the money. Then I am going to be looking at my music career. I will be working towards releasing my first track called ‘Thank you.’ Things did not start working very well in my life until I wrote that song. I write songs, I am a poet and I also intend to publish a book. I am also looking towards my acting career as well.

You were always talking about Barack Obama, did you draw inspiration from him?

Yes, I drew inspiration from someone like Obama because he is the first black president of the United States of America and I am the first Nigerian to win Big Brother Africa. Before my name was announced as the winner, I heard people chanting my name and when I came out of the house I was overwhelmed with the screaming from people. When Obama was declared president, people showed the same joy, so that is how I was feeling at that time.

In the house you were always emphasising on how mean your stepmother was to you and your siblings, is that story true?

My stepmother was mean to us. And I mean it. That is true and it was not a strategy. I can blow a trumpet on it and if you want I can write a handout on it. I know that wherever she is right now she is feeling the worst pain in this world.

You said you are made for TV, can you explain more on that?

I said that with all humility because it was a dream. I applied for Big Brother five times from the first round when Bayo went in. I can write the questions they ask in the forms by heart, that is how bad I wanted it. Last year, I borrowed money and flew from Abuja to Lagos for the audition, I lodged on Victoria Island so that I can make it early but I did not make it. I almost gave up last year and I still tried again this year. Knowing that you have what it takes to be on TV, people will push you to apply for things. This year, I forgot but a friend reminded me few days before the closing date and that was how I went in. The way I act, the things I say people should not be surprised that when they meet me that I am still like that. I said it with all humility not because I won. I would have said it even if I didn’t win.

A lot of people believed you had a thing for Elizabeth, how true is that?

If you started watching the programme from the beginning, I was not attracted to her but as they say, there is more to it than meets the eye. She told me things that her close friends don’t know. Let’s say I got attached to her and we got used to staying around each other and to tell the truth, sometimes you don’t choose to have feelings or develop feelings, it comes to you. And it was my soft nature that got me crying when she left.

What stood you out from other housemates?

I will say the passion, the drive, the determination to be on the show. Having tried to be on the show for years, I knew that I had to make it this time having gotten the opportunity. The most important thing that helped me, I will say it any day, any time, its not all about to entertain Africa, everyday I wake up in the morning, even if I don’t say a long prayer, I will say ‘God give me the garment of favour, let me appeal to a normal person.’ It may be your first time of meeting me, once you look at me let there be that love and I guess that was what worked for me. I did not do it on my own. It was not by my might.

How do you intend to manage the fame?

About the fame, I was in the Next Movie Star, I was in MTN/MTV Video Search. I think those shows that I went for built me and trained me. I had to pass through the wilderness and get prepared for this fame. So I think with the experience that I have had in the past and people that I surround myself with, I will handle it. I listen to advice and I believe there are people that have been there before me and I can pick some things from them. Like yesterday, I met Justus Esiri and he hugged me for closed to five minutes blessing and telling me words that lifted me. I think if I keep my head low and with my humility and continue to do the things that I have been doing, I am not going to just go down like that.

Do you have any woman in your life?

I don’t have a girlfriend. The girlfriends in my life right now are my sisters and my family.

If you had a chance to date someone in the house, who would it be?

Elizabeth of course, if she had agreed.

Who would you consider your greatest rival in the house?

Beside the fact that I kept on nominating Edward, Emma was a rival, as she was also my friend. I actually told her that I saw two of us at the finals. Having survived all the evictions and everything proved that she is a strong character. I saw it and I knew that it had to be a girl but I didn’t really see Edward as a big competition.

Everybody that came out of the house kept on hammering on strategy, what was yours?

It was mostly on being spontaneous. I always prayed for a garment of favour because with the nature of this year’s show, you find out that no matter what strategy you have, you will get to a point where you must get to the chopping board and it was about making Africa love you. Even if you have the tightest strategy, the head of house can swap and put you up. I guess I just had to wriggle my way into Africa’s heart and that was how I was always happy, relaxing and doing what I always love to do. Despite the fact that I knew that I would be up for eviction, I did not let it dampen my spirit.

You said something about using part of the money to have a peace project, what could that be on because you did not mention it when you were saying how you would spend the money?

I will continue to be an ambassador of peace. I have Jos in my heart like I have on my T-shirt ‘Jos-tified.’ I don’t have to list everything that I have to do and give a time schedule but I said that I will pay my tithe because that is one thing I know and I am sure that I must do.

What is style to you?

It simply means the way you carry yourself, your character and what you put into what you wear, your level of charisma. If your style is really accepted, you find it trickling down like in north side of South Africa; I realised that all the young kids were doing Mohawk because of my hairstyle. I believe it is in how you push yourself. Like Derenle stuck to his style and everybody now knows him with it.

Do you have any favourite perfume?

No, I used to call my perfume a ‘Blend of Stolen Perfs’ because I sprayed all sorts back then and none was mine. Maybe when I have my own name I can call it ‘BOS.’

How do you feel being overwhelmingly voted for across Africa?

When we got into the house, we were told that the house is a canvas; you decide to paint it the way you want it to look. People don’t know what to expect except the people who know you. I am happy that I sold myself to not only Nigerians but also almost the whole of Africa. I am really happy and the fact that I became a role model to some children in South Africa made me more proud of what I am. Some even said I brought them closer to God and that was the height of my happiness because I was just being me just saying what I had to say and when I had to say it. A woman said her four-year-old daughter asked just to see me as a Christmas gift among so many other thrilling comments I got from people across Africa.

What do you think you like most about this edition?

The fact that I am part of it and I thank God I have used it to touch lives through this revolution. A lot of perception about Nigeria has been changed. Nigerians have a stronger foundation, religiously and morally. Most of them don’t know those basic things that our parents teach that you pick while growing up.

About your music did you start with any group back in Jos?

Yes, I have a group called ‘Down To Earth;’ we started with dance and DJ. But now it is more into music. I look forward to building up on that and my album will be dropping soon after the single ‘Thank You.’

What was your hardest task in the house?

Nominating my friends for eviction; I liked everybody so it was not funny nominating and conspiring and backstabbing and all that.

I didn’t buy a jeep because Tricia bought one – Oby Edozie

Sensational actress, Oby Edozie, is ending the year in grand style. In a text message she sent to Life and Beat during the week, Oby disclosed that she had joined the league of jeep owners. “I just bought a Murano Jeep. Join me in thanking God,” she declared.

Asked why she decided to change her car, Oby said, “Abeg, I wanted to buy a good present for myself this Christmas.”

Like other big gals, Oby could decide to obtain a customised registration number, but she said, “I don’t need such unnecessary attention. I wouldn’t want everybody to notice me each time I drive past.”
The screen diva nearly exploded when http://nigeriafilms.com asked if the gesture came from a man.

“For what? How could a man give me money to buy a car? This is my sweat. I bought this car with my hard earned money. When one is suffering, people would not notice, but when that person starts to shine, people would start saying all sorts of rubbish.”

And if you think that Oby went for a jeep because her former best friend, Tricia, bought an Infinity jeep a few months ago, she has an answer: “I have always wanted to buy this jeep. It has nothing to do with anybody at all. She has her life to live and I have mine to live. I didn’t copy anybody when I was buying my car.”

I Don't mind getting married to a short and ugly man - Oby Edozie

Nollywood actress, Oby Edozie, was recently rumoured to have instigated the arrest and subsequent detention of her mother by the police, after a minor disagreement. But in this interview with ’NONYE BEN-NWANKWO, she describes the story as false and talks about her love life.

You have not been around for some time now. Where have you been?

Oh yes. I went to shoot my movies in London. I flew some actors from Nigeria to the city for the purpose. I have been very busy ever since. People have requested interviews from me, but I refused because I felt there was really nothing new to know about me. They will have to wait till I release the new movies that will surely blow peoples‘ minds.

Tell us about the movies.

It is a big movie. It has to do with cancer. They are actually two movies, but I don‘t want to talk about the other one now. I am back home now and I will start the production of the second movie by next week or the following week. I will go to India to shoot the movie because the story line requires it. I am thinking ahead. I am thinking something positive.

Is the project the reason why nobody sees you around these days?

I have not really stayed in Nigeria for a long time, this year. Even before this project came up, I had spent most of the time travelling outside the country.

Have you heard that Tricia, who used to be your best friend, is getting married?

I heard the story when I came back and I thanked God for her. I wish her well.

Were you jealous?

Jealous of what? Tricia is older than me. Why should I be jealous of her? Even if we were born on the same day, I still don‘t have any reason to be jealous. Age is not an issue, really. Some friends of mine that are younger than me by fve years are all married. One of them got married in Abuja recently. I am older than her, but I didn‘t feel bad about it. I actually flew from Lagos to Abuja to attend her wedding. You don‘t have to get jealous when something good is happening to somebody else or that thing won‘t get to you.

Some people are saying that you have not been happy since you learnt of Tricia‘s wedding.

How do those people manage to know the way I feel? I am thinking of how to move forward in life. I am thinking of how to produce my movies and somebody is out there saying that I am not happy because someone else got married. I have somebody in my life, too. I don‘t have to blow it up or tell everybody that I have a boyfriend. It is my personal life. But then, am I so bad looking that men should not admire me? Do I look so terrible that I have to go everywhere to look for a husband? Marriage is not something you want to rush into today and rush out tomorrow. It is really uncalled for to say that I am sad because somebody else found happiness.

But they say you have been going from one church to the other praying hard to find a husband.

Since I returned from London, I have not attended a single church service, let alone jump from one church to the other. The story doesn‘t make sense.

A magazine report said you got your mother locked up in a police cell over a small matter.

When and where and how that happen? Anyway, I have spoken to a lawyer who has written a letter to the magazine. We will see in court and the person who wrote the story will tell the world the name of the police station where I locked my mother up. Some things are written about you in the papers and you take a chill pill. But I am all out for this particular story. I cannot leave it like that. What can your mother do to you in this world that you will have the mind to take her to the police and even lock her up? Your mother? This is very delicate. It is very annoying.

Where do you suspect the story originated from?

I think that story was sponsored by somebody to tarnish my image. I don‘t think the writer sat down and crafted that article.

Also they said the elders in your village placed a curse on you.

How can elders curse me? The elders that were praying for me? I travelled with my car for my father‘s memorial and all the elders were praying for me. They blessed the car and they blessed me. I have an award from my village. If you look at this, you will find that it doesn‘t make sense. It was cooked up to bring me down. They obviously knew I have something big coming up and they just decided to bring me down with the story. I don‘t have an idea who is behind the story. I can‘t place anybody, but only God knows and He will fight for me.

Are you really desperate to get married?

Do I look desperate? If I am desperate, I swear to God, I will take a guy to court tomorrow and get married to him. I can do that. But it has not got to that point. I am waiting for the marriage that will never break. I will have my kids and nothing will break the marriage. I will grow old with my husband.

We learnt that Festus Keyamo did not marry you because he was scared of your character.

I don‘t know why you are mentioning Festus Keyamo. Festus is my lawyer and I am his client. If I were a terrible person, my lawyer would not be the one in charge of this case. I don‘t have a personal relationship with Festus Keyamo. I am just his client and that is what we have together. If I am that terrible, he would have asked me to find another lawyer. I don‘t know where the story is coming from.

Is it true that your suitors abandoned you because they could not cope with your character?

Who are the guys? These are forged stories. They lack evidence and detail. Mention the name of the guys and what they do, at least. This is pure concoction. The idea is simply to write something bad about in order to bring me down. They want people to see me as somebody who is irresponsible. The Devil will put them to shame.

So are you getting married soon?

I cannot get married like that. In your own case, did you just get married like that? I am sure you are married. I know you didn‘t get married because of what people are saying. I am going to get married for myself. When I am ready, I will get married. I am not looking out to marry a very rich man. I might surprise everybody with one short man who is very ugly. All I am looking for is happiness. I am looking for a man who will cherish me and love me. I am not looking for a man‘s money. I am not looking for a man who is so handsome. I am going to get married for myself. When I am ready, I will get married. There are actresses who are older than me in this industry and they are not married. Is anybody killing them? Why is my own case different? What is this marriage thing about Oby Edozie? Look at me. Look at my height. Let me not blow my trumpet, but I am beautiful. I am okay. I am not so ugly to feel that I won‘t find a husband. I don‘t have any bad character. Even the ugly ones still get married to very handsome men. I am not desperate. I am very soft and emotional. I know who I am. I may look intimidating, but I am a very soft person. We are in an industry where people laugh with you, yet they say terrible things behind you. I am not looking at anybody‘s achievement. I am concerned about my own achievement and growth. I want to make progress. I am begging these enemies of progress to let me be. Let them leave me alone for a little while.

Are you involved in any relationship?

Of course, I am in a wonderful relationship.

Will it lead to marriage?

By the grace of God.

Has your man heard the story?

Of course, everybody has heard of it. It is really terrible. But the good thing is that people who are c,lose to me know what I can do. My uncles have been calling me on the phone. The writer of the story did not call me to confirm before publishing it. If you read that story, there was no place they mentioned that they called me to get my own reaction. You will know that the author of the story simply set out to humiliate me and to damage my image. Although I have people that can take up this issue on their own, I have decided to follow it up legally.

Don‘t you think you should just move on and forget this issue?

How can I forget it? Is it today that they have been writing lies about me? There are some things you see and you over look. The other day, I saw an interview on the Internet and they were quoting me, asking questions and putting their own answers in the interview. But I know I never granted anyone that interview. However, I overlooked it. But this case is so delicate. It is deeper than you think. This is an outright lie. It might damage me in future if I don‘t set the records straight now.

Are you saying that you have never been involved in a scandal before now?

Scandal? No. I will say I am a very blunt person. I say it as it is. That is why they say I am controversial. I am myself. Oby edozie doesn‘t have scandals. There is nothing like that. The only thing about Oby Edozie that went on and on was when somebody said I dated her ex boyfriend some years ago. It wasn‘t supposed to be scandalous. It wasn‘t supposed to be a story, but they made headlines out of it. It became the talk of the town. Which other scandal have you heard about me? What else is there? What else have I done? They just want to add this one to that story and say I am a bad person. But God will fight for me.

Problem as Emeka Ike emerges new AGN president

A mild drama ensued on Monday at the secretariat of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, in Surulere area of Lagos, when embattled Segun Arinze’s attempt to halt the care-taker-committee of the guild from conducting a counter-election that produced actor Emeka Ike as the new president of the guild hit a brick wall.

Arinze last month was appointed to head the alleged government of national unity set up by the Ifeanyi Dike- led Board of Trustees of the guild, with Emeka Ike as his vice as a way of moving the troubled guild forward.

He allegedly stormed the guild’s secretariat with a team of policemen from Area D, Mushin, with an intention of stopping the election. However, he failed as the Kanayo O. Kanayo led- interim government, armed with a court order, refused to be intimidated as they went ahead to conduct the election.

In a court order dated 13th of June, 2009, and which was shown to the policemen that came with Arinze, the caretaker committee exercised the power confined on it to conduct a general election for the guild.

It would be recalled however that Mr. Arinze recently emerged president of the guild in a controversial election conducted by the erstwhile president of the guild, Ejike Asiegbu in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

He was disowned by the Lagos State chapter of the body, which described his election as a “sham”, labelling him a non-registered member of the chapter. Ike’s election is bound to trigger off another round of crisis within the guild.

Before the election, which was endorsed by all state chairmen and delegates of the guild, Emeka Ike had described Segun Arinze as a ‘joker’, adding that, “Segun is not AGN president and he cannot be one. Constitutionally, he is not eligible to be a president because I learnt he is not a degree holder and not even a card carrying member.

“You can ask him to present his certificate the same way I’m ready to present mine any time. What he is doing is just a waste of time because the real election is what we have just conducted today.”

The spokesperson of the guild’s interim national government, Charles Okafor, once noted that “the priority of this interim leadership headed by Kanayo O. Kanayo has a mandate to conduct a credible election that would usher in a new president and executives of AGN, and nothing will change it.

The election will definitely hold.”

He added that with the support of AGN members in the country, all hands have been on deck to conduct a free and fair elections.

Elected alongside Ike were Mr. Femi Durojiaye, (National Secretary), Mohammed Odoko, (vice-president, North Central), Sanni Mohammed(vice-president, North east)Yusuf Bako Mohammed, (vice-president, South-South), Nkiru Sylvanus(vice-presidet, South-East) and Victor Edogun(vice-president, South-West).

Others were, Benita Nzeribe(PRO), Ngozi Onoka(D.G.S), Azi Oliver Akalugu(Finance Secretary), St. Maradona N. Johnson(Treasurer) and Amniu Abdaulla Tafia, who clinched the position of Assistant secretary.