Why Music?

Music is my first love. I hail from a family of singers. I was told that my grand father was a singer and that my uncle was a musician who travelled to Ghana and other countries. I grew up fiddling with the acoustic guitar. In my fourth year in secondary school, I wrote a song in French, which was featured in a show on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Channel 8, Enugu. I did my first demonstration in 1987 and went into music before movies. Basically, I will feel unaccomplished and unfulfilled, if I die today without expressing myself musically. I even have a full album of 10 songs that I plan to release sooner than later. Moreover, there has always been a bond between movies and music. In America, artistes (like Whitney Houston) usually switch from movies to music or vice versa.

Who writes your songs?


I do. I obtain a lot of material from the Bible. The Bible is the word of God, and it contains many praise songs. I derive inspiration from messages that are preached both within my church and at different Christian functions that I attend. I sing mainly to praise God and I do this in different forms. I am also going to collaborate with Ugandan gospel musicians on some songs, though I am here basically for a movie project.

You must have had an interesting background.

Anyway, while in secondary school, I was a member of the Dramatic Society. We used to travel to states in Nigeria for stage performances. My inclination has been mostly towards the arts, although I was a science student. My father wanted me to be a medical doctor, but I refused. I was good at drawing and Fine Art was one of my best subjects.

You mean you abandoned school for theatre?

No. After graduation, I did so many things. I did clearing and forwarding. Since I was also good at drawing, I went to Balogun market in Lagos, looked at the designs of shoes, made them and sold. I made one or two batches, which were even sold abroad. Unfortunately, one day, I went to my shop and discovered that thieves had broken into it and made away with everything. I believed that when God is ready to take a man to a certain destination, He makes him pass through certain routes. I just moved on without any regrets.

And then…?
Later I went into buying and selling, I did supplies too. In the process of supplying some goods, I met a friend, Ekenna Igwe, who is now president of the Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria. He introduced me to a number of friends who were then working on a movie script The Unforgivable Sin. It was an Igbo movie with English subtitles. It was the first movie I starred in.

The Igbo are the largest ethnic group in southeastern Nigeria. Though I come from Gabon, I was very fluent in Igbo. I have lived in Nigeria for years. That film got me my first nomination in 1995 AMEN awards as the best actor. After that, I began to get offers to star in movies. Since then I have featured in about 150 different films, playing leading roles.

Wats ur view?

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