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. 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.”
