Popular actor, John Okafor, in a recent chat with Punch, criticised the recent
visit of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria to President Jonathan.
Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu,
said he had beef with those who went to visit the president because the
president is yet to set his priorities right with regard to Nollywood.
“The government should stop giving
Actors’ Guild cash, because we don’t know how to handle it. Some people will go
to the office, process the money and squander it and we (actors) never benefit
from such goodwill.
“If they (government) can give us a
structure or land, we (actors) can go ahead and secure funds from investors to
build five-star hotels and other facilities on it, because it will be a tourist
haven. We can bring the Nigerian Censor’s board into the same arena."
Okafor tells Punch. Continue...
"How can we be paying N50,000
to have one movie censored and then generate N5m from over 100 movies produced
in a month and yet there aren’t any structures in place for Nollywood? “With
such amount of money, government should be able to cater for us. If this is
done, the industry will make a giant stride.”
Okafor also talked about
homosexuality in the Nollywood industry...
“Homosexuality is very rampant
in our industry and it is one thing that aggravates my anger many at times,” he
reveals.
He talks about fans not taking him
seriously because of the 'unserious roles' he plays in the movies.
“Many people do not take me
seriously because of the kind of roles I play in movies. But the truth is that
those who know me very well know that I am a very focused and principled
person.
“In fact, I teach and mentor many
upcoming actors and also organise workshops and seminars regularly for them.”
He recalls when he knew he would be
an actor.
“I think I got the gift of acting
from my grandfather. I discovered this in the early 70s. My grandfather was a
foremost comedian in his own right. Back in the days, he would take me to
places where he performed. Growing up, I realised that I was going to become an
actor somehow,” he recalled.
Okafor says acting has not made him
rich
“Acting has not made me rich, but I’m very comfortable. I am
able to feed and adequately take care of my family; neither do I borrow money.
“It has also opened many doors for
me and it has taken me far and wide beyond my wildest imagination. It has
exposed me to certain level where I can say that God has done it for me.”
