Since you were elected as AGN president, how has the journey been so far?
Well, I was inaugurated in November 2012, but it’s been a lot of work, hardwork to be precise and very challenging since then and this is because I took over office and nothing was handed over to me, so it’s like starting afresh, having a new baby and nurturing the baby. It’s been very hard but I give glory to God for giving me the grace to continue because putting things in place where it has never been is really tough especially when you have people that don’t want things to work right. So, it’s been tough but it’s working slowly.
You said meeting an office literary new, what in specifics are you talking about?
When you are elected and inaugurated into an office, the administration leaving is expected to handover documents and other vital things in regards to the association or community as the case might be to the incumbent and this is to ensure that you have an idea of what you have on ground, what you don’t have and how to start or tackle each issue. Like I believe in continuity and sustainable development, thus, I should have continued from where my predecessor had stopped but I came in and there was absolutely nothing in place, so I’m trying to start from the scratch. And I’m starting by trying to get database of guild members, which we don’t have and we have never had. We are trying to ensure that all members go online to register as well as new members and get screened through the normal processes and not the processes they have been used to because there had never been a proper process all these while. What happens is that new members, just pay to whomever it is they meet and the person collects the money and that is where it ends and nobody is questioning anybody and that is not just right. I know it’s going to be a hard one for me to crack because several people won’t be happy with the change but they would see that in my little time, it pays us all to do it right so that we actually have a sum of money to do things for each chapter of the guild as well as the national office. It’s so sad that some pay as low as N2,000 to be a member and some don’t even pay at all but only pay in kind, how can that be proper? But if we get it right, then we can sift out who can act, who needs to be trained in all ramifications when it has to do with acting among other things. So, it’s tough for me because I’m trying to bring back sanity into the movie industry through its guild.
You just said some people would not be happy with you over the changes and from all that has been happening some of your colleagues and members of the guild don’t seem to go along with you, is it a personal change or how do you mean?
I don’t think it’s a personal thing and I doubt if anyone has direct biff with me but like I said some people don’t just like change. It happens in a lot of other industries but it’s just that the movie industry, which is ours, is the image of Nigeria at the moment and it’s sad that people come in to take away from us without giving back to us and when they do it’s very minute and if we don’t stand together, they would keep doing it. You see the last one was Ngozi Nwosu, saying people should raise money but Ngozi isn’t well but strong, we can’t keep begging money from people to help or support our members, it gets very embarrassing. Now, I tell everyone who cares to listen that because we are the image of the country doesn’t make us beggars. We can and should actually take care of ourselves when we have better structures and that is what my administration intends to achieve. If you are a member of AGN, you should be able to benefit from the guild. I’m trying hard to bring the big stars and the not too big stars together because everyone is tired of the guild, they all left the guild for one reason or the other and now everyone is doing what he or she wants to do but that has changed now as everybody has realized it’s not about me but about those that can’t afford all I can for myself and we are in the same industry, so we need to stand firm together, support the change and benefit immensely from what we do to earn our living.
So, what are these benefits you are talking about?
Well we are starting with the database, at least, we need to who and who our members are in other to get the database right. By so doing, we would be getting their addresses, phone numbers, dates of births and other relevant details. Already, we have started a health plan to get medical attentions for every member of the guild. A stakeholder in the industry has also helped us source for a hospital that would be offering us yearly checkups for every Guild members, so you know what is wrong and what is not, you prevent what is not wrong and take care of what is wrong. You see, we found out that with the way we work, we don’t have time for ourselves especially for those that work from one set to the other, we don’t even take holidays, so we are also planning holidays for our members, which means if you want to go on a particular holiday, we have different packages for different holiday destinations at discounted rates, even travelling by road to different parts of Nigeria, we have met with the big transporters with the luxurious and fancy buses and as soon as you show your identification cards, you get a discount as well as airlines. At least, being a member should give you the privilege to enjoy certain things, you can’t be paying and nothing comes. So, at the moment, we stopped registration because we wanted to know how many people we have but we have started registration again and then we have the insurance and pension scheme. But even with all these, people still say, Ibinabo, we don’t get jobs like you or others, how do we pay for all these dues and I just tell them the health plan is about N1,200 every month and that is quite affordable, so we are trying to see that they pay quarterly and it would be alright for them. We can’t do everything for them because if we do, they won’t enjoy all these benefits and that would also amount to us begging people and government bodies. If anybody wants to support us, that is fine but we want to take our own destiny into our hands and all that. We have actors who are up there, they would support the ones coming up, some have been there and currently doing well now, we and the ones there now would support them, for now, we must and we would help ourselves.
People say Nollywood is a general term and any Nigerian can use it but I disagree with that and I don’t think so. The actors, directors and others represent the industry, Nollywood. We are Nollywood, now when we have people coming into the industry to do business with the name, Nollywood this or Nollywood that, I expect them to take permission from this guild and give back to this guild in a certain percentage of the profit. We have not been together like this before, this is actually time all the guilds are coming together to support one another, even the marketers, their board of trustees and all that are in support of us. We all need to be formidable, so that no one would come in between us. It’s not about Ibinabo and I repeat I don’t need to visit any governor as speculated for me (Ibinabo) to be comfortable, God has been good to me. I have done everything on my own and with the support of my guild members and team and this is because I believe in this cause, we should build Nollywood to a state that everyone in the country should not underestimate or undermine us. I’m happy that we are in unison and I’m listening to all advices, what annoys them, why they left and all that, I believe strongly that it is our guild and we must get it right.
You lost two of your guild members shortly after you were elected, and two more recently what are the plans that are in place to stop these deaths?
First of all, I’m not God and as such can’t prevent a lot of things such as death from happening but I have sent out messages to all the veterans and I’ve spoken to quite a number of them to help us locate others. We need to know where they are, we need to know how to reach them so we know the states they are and we can reach you. I had a meeting with the veterans in the South East zone recently and they poured out their minds as they were also pleased and happy to have me around them. AGN is not a charity organization but most of these veterans were our members, who left the guild as a result of mismanagement and frustrations. However, we found out that a lot of our members are not financially alright but we have to get it right so that we can help ourselves but we can’t help anyone who doesn’t want to be helped. You must be part of AGN, pay your dues, health plans, insurance and all that, so that when something happen, we can be there for you. You can say because you have been an actor before I was born and something happens and people start apportioning blames on AGN, how do you expect us to know? We need to know where you are first, for instance, I met with Uncle Larry Williams, who incidentally was the first AGN president at a legend awards night and I realized they were just giving these people awards and no monetary gains, so I donated a certain amount to the award and that was where I started getting an unpalatable story on his state of living and I felt so bad because how can a man like that go through all the trouble. Many people would ask don’t they have children? Yes they all do but they have also worked and belonged to a guild that should cater for them when there is no more power provided they have also contributed to the growth of the guild through their dues, levies and all that. Yes may be in the past, things have not been right but I have chosen myself as the scapegoat and I want to make it right provided my guild members support the works and efforts of me and my team.
I know for one that the Nigerian movie industry remains just the movie industry irrespective of the guild or names people accord their caucuses but it is strongly believed in several quarters that AGN is an Igbo tool while ANTP is for the Yoruba and Kannywood for the Hausas, thereby apportioning tribes to the industry. What is your take and view on this as a stakeholder?
AGN is the Actors Guild of Nigeria and we are all represented as different tribes but same citizen of one great nation, Nigeria. With ANTP, they do Yoruba films because they wanted a forum to mingle and associate with the actors, so they came up with that but that does not differentiate them from the AGN, they still belong to AGN. We also have the NANTAP which is for the performing artistes on stage and all that. So for me, it’s all one body and I’m an Ijaw woman, who is not Igbo and I’m at the helms of affair, so I don’t think so. Maybe in the past, it was misconstrued as such but that is not the true picture, for instance, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde is very Yoruba and she’s a member of AGN, Ini Edo isn’t Igbo, Laide Bakare is a member of AGN, same with Desmond Elliot, who is from Lagos State, but maybe that notion came to being because most of the locations were in the East and members who are Igbo are in the spotlight more but that is not the case. I went to shoot a flick in Nassarawa, some months back and we had several AGN members in Nassarawa but maybe some bad heads wanted to deliberately make it seem that way but it’s not. Uncle Jide Kosoko is the president of ANTP but he’s also a member of AGN, he’s like a father to me. We invite the Northern based actors, so it is not.
But one of the questions that are on the lips of people is that you have not been appearing in movies, how can you become the AGN president?
I’ve been back on the screen before the presidential thing came into the scene. Everybody knows my story, what I’ve been through and my challenges. Before I stopped finally, I started having my kids and I had to pause to ensure that I nurture them into what I want them to be as well as what God has in plan for them and after then my challenges came and I had to shut down and find myself again but after all that I’ve been involved in Miss Earth and I’ve done like four big films that would soon hit the cinemas. I just finished Lions of 76, this year is my year, I’m also going to be producing my own film but would be shooting other ones pretty soon. So, I can imagine but those who aren’t in the industry won’t know all these until they start coming out.
Last year, we were unable to hold Miss Earth because of the chaos in the industry and all that but we are hosting it this year. We have our set target and the coordinator has started work in earnest. We intend to make it bigger and better than it used to be. The winners go to represent Nigeria but the result hasn’t been so fantastic and that is because the publicity wasn’t there and I’ve held the pageant with my own personal resource without any sponsor but I believe in the cause which is preservation of the earth.
Many would have expected you to keep your head down and just continue with your career as an actress without attracting much attention such as the AGN president. What prompted the idea to vie?
Honestly, when Ejike Asiegbu was president, JT Tom West had just died and they way I contributed to the burial prompted members of AGN in Rivers State to ask me to vie for the Chairman position. Meanwhile, JT Tom West, who was very close to me died almost in the same spot I had my accident but it’s so sad that he died and it hit me that I could have died and it would have been over, so at the funeral, I just did what my heart told me. When I was asked to become the chairman, I didn’t know what it meant even after winning, some issues came up but after my first tenure, I was elected the Chairman of all chairmen and when Ejike was leaving and he wanted me to vie because he was going to work with a state governor but I didn’t and Segun Arinze vied and won. And after I got some positive feedbacks, I was convinced I can do it and that was how it started but getting into the real politics, it was tough, even Ajebo and Emeka and I were friends and all I had was to change the face of AGN.
For one who would want to know, when actually did you become a member of AGN?
That was when I starred in Most Wanted. I think that was in 1994 and I wasn’t active then because I was enrolled by Emeka Rollas, who was Lagos State secretary then, I actually became active again when Ejike became the president.
How do you manage your movie stars, who are the hot ones and are a bit heady?
No, I don’t think I have such stars in AGN. I would describe myself as the most humble, I started as an actress at an early age and most of the current stars have known me and we have been pleasant to each other. I’m here to serve and asking people to support me and let’s do it together. I feel if you respect these people, you would earn your respect and I can confidently tell you that I have them all in totality. The ones that would fight me are the bad ones oh, they are the ones that don’t want change but we must make them see why we all need this change in the Guild. People say some chairmen don’t like me but that was not what happened during the burials of Enebeli and Pete Eneh. Like I said, we have political actors and we tell them that they don’t represent us, so we have a guild, let the guild represent the professionals.
How have you been able to marry the personality with the status as the president?
I sincerely don’t know, there are times, I trip for myself. I’m always myself and have got nothing to it, this is our industry and we all know ourselves, so for me, I’m serving and bringing everyone in to help us achieve this change.
Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan said he’s leaving a certain millions of Dollars for the entertainment industry with the Bank of Industry for the growth of the industry, as the AGN president, how has your industry benefitted from this largesse?
They said the money is for entertainers with the Bank of Industry. It’s a bottle neck loan and for you to go through it, it’s not a child’s play. They are working on how people can get the funds, they are trying for us, maybe not as much though I know some Nigerians have been able to access the money. We are finding a way where Nollywood could get its share without any hitches and we are working with some consultants to help us facilitate how we can get funds from the government honourably and with due process.
There are insinuations that your race can be traced to the Yoruba tribe, how true is that?
Oh yes! My heart, my love, my mother, who also was my paternal grandmother, was from the Egba race in Abeokuta, Ogun State. She was Mrs. Grace Ajoke Fiberesima nee Majekodunmi. She was the elder sister to late Dr. Adekoye Majekodunmi, Otun of Egba Land and the owner and founder of the popular St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos State. My grandmother was like my mother because she raised me and because she was the first child of her family, she was like a mother hen and stood for her siblings that include Papa Koye, late Architect Omololu Majekodunmi and Chief Mrs. Lambo nee Majekodunmi. So, my lineage could be traced to the Yoruba tribe and aside that I write, read and speak Yoruba language to the best of my ability.
You shy away from discussing about your relationship with Fred Amata, can you share that with me?
What is there to share with you? That Fred and I have a baby together? It’s an open secret but that is where it ends. He’s my baby father and remains a friend and that is where it all ends.
With the affinity that exists between you and your children, how do you cater for them?
It’s actually been fun because my kids are fantastic. They are very independent and they are just fantastic children that God has blessed me with.
What are the most memorable occasions and personality?
Most memorable occasion would be when I won the presidency because it was like I was going to state house or something and that was where I decided to make things right and of course, also, my birthday because I had the biggest stars in Nigeria at my birthday and though it wasn’t planned, it was peaceful, rewarding and very nice.
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