Category: Entertainment

Nollywood has experienced the influx of young and very energetic producers and directors in the last few years. Some came as a flash in the pan while a few have remained relevant and their works speak for themselves. Daniel Ademinokan, DaBishop, as he is fondly called by his friends, ranks among the few successful ones. Most recently, however, what has kept his name on the lips of people has not just been his work as a filmmaker but his recent divorce from his wife, actress and producer Doris Simeon. News of their marriage break up came as a rude shock to many because they seemed like the perfect couple and the envy of several imbalanced relationships in an industry like Nollywood where marriages seem to last only as long as you can hold your breath.
MERCY MICHAEL caught up with Daniel at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja as he was on his way to New York with his son David for the Christmas holiday. In this interview, the director opened up on his failed marriage, relationship with Stella Damasus, his relocating to Abuja among other things. Excerpt:

SO, what are you going to do in America? I can see that David is with you. Is this just a holiday or is business involved?

Na wa for you o! This is a holiday for me. I just want to take a break away from the noise of Naija and give my son an amazing Christmas. Yes I am writing a couple of things for some major production companies in the US but I am not at liberty to discuss anything because of my contract. By the grace of God filming for one of the projects will begin in April 2013 in New York. I will be directing the feature.

Ehn, ehn, is it true that they paid you $700,000 to write and direct this particular movie?

I don’t know how information comes out to you journalists but I have not in any way disclosed any figures about this project. Just think of what the budget of basic Hollywood films are and calculate what the director/writer’s fee may be. (Laughs) oh, you don dey calculate? (Laughs) Abeg make you no let them come rob me or kidnap my mama o! Abeg o! I just want to live my quiet life jeje away from all una paparazzi people. The job was rewarding and that’s all I can say.

After you shot Dargin’s movie, Ghetto Dreams, you seem to have slowed down on doing films. Is it deliberate in anyway?

Yes indeed. I took time off to re-evaluate certain parts of my life that needed fixing, to concentrate on things that I considered of greater importance than movies i.e. my faith, my son, my relationship with my mother and siblings, etc. I have been working on other projects that are more personal to me as well. Ghetto Dreams wrapped up in 2011 and since then I have done two projects in Cameroon (a short film and a feature). I went ahead to train young writers, actors, producers and directors in Cameroon with Stella Damasus. I have done the short film When Is It Enough which is due for screening in the UK next Easter, I have also taken my short film No Jersey, No Match to a few festivals across the world. I have also been doing quite a number of documentaries for some state governments and international agencies. I have been working on my clothing line, my boutique, my own studio/plaza and a million other things that God has placed in my hands to do. My sister, you don’t make the money by doing 50 random movies in one year. You make it by following God’s voice and doing the job that will change and redefine you and events around you. So I have had my hands full my dear sister. It’s not until I put up a billboard to announce what has been happening in my life.

You have a screen face, good looking, why didn’t you opt for acting?

(Laughs) Na you talk say I get good looks. I have read a few comments by some people on the internet and they think otherwise. Well, I have always been fascinated by the fact that I could create a world or story in my movies and suck people right into it, take their breath away. The intrigues of the production process, the writing, editing, visual effects, casting, piecing everything together…that’s where I get my high from! (Laughs). I don’t think I will find that kind of fulfillment as an actor. Although I have featured in a few movies but it wasn’t half as satisfying for me as what I do now. Another ‘downer’ for me is the fact that actors don’t seem to have any form of privacy. I hate the attention that comes with it. I can easily jump on a train in London and just chill chewing on my burger. Tell Genevieve or Ramsey to try it. They can’t! Sometimes you just wanna cut lose and do the things that regular people do. Be normal. But actors don’t get that chance all the time. I respect them no be small.

In most cases when a marriage crashes, the woman usually automatically takes custody of the child until at least the court grants whoever it deems fit custody of the child. In your own case with your ex-wife, Doris, how come you are the one who has custody of the child?

Mercy, I am fully responsible for my son’s well being, education and for his general upkeep. Doris talks to him whenever she wants to and she has been to Abuja to see him. This is a boy we are talking about here who has an unbelievable bond with his father. Only a man can teach a boy to become the man he should become. Many people have asked me this question countless times and sometimes I wonder what they expect me to say. In most cases, when there is a separation and the man moves away without the kids, they will say he has abandoned his family. Now that Daniel has taken his son with him, they are saying ‘why didn’t you leave him with the mother?’ Honestly, it’s nobody’s damn business. Where they there when we had the baby abi na them help me name am? This is an arrangement purely between me and Doris and people should respect our private decisions.

There is this notion that it was easy for you to move on after your marriage failed. How true is it?

Really? Wow! Since this whole incidents who have you been seeing at Awards, events, TV interviews, parties and movie locations? Me? I really don’t waste my time with idle talk. If that’s what people are saying, no wahala but they should think well before they talk.

Did you feel you lost fans after news of your breakup with your ex was made public?

I don’t feel so at all. As a matter of fact, I have more people following me now than ever before. If people stop liking me because of my private and personal issues then that’s a shame for them. People should know when to draw the line. I try my best to do the best I can as regards my work to keep people entertained and happy. They have no business in my personal and private space. So if they stray beyond my work and want to invade my privacy to decide if they will still like me or not, that one na heavy yawa now.

What was the real reason you relocated to Abuja? There have been Insinuations that you relocated so that you can be close to Stella.

I moved because I was tired of Lagos. I was born and raised in Lagos and I just wanted more. I wanted a place where I could think clearly away from all the noise and familiar faces. I am so glad I left when I did. I can boldly say that God orchestrated my movement by himself and my life has never been the same since I moved here. As regards moving to be with Stella, please find out who moved to Abuja first. We both always shared the same views about the hustle and bustle of Lagos so it was no wonder that she moved as well. I always said that Lagos stress shortens people’s life spans regardless of your social status. Dealing with the traffic, chaos and stress can do a lot of damage to somebody abeg. Abuja for me is a virgin and fertile place for my kind of work and I am loving it.

Yes, it appears life is treating you well right now with the way you look.

I really give all the thanks and praise to God for his goodness and mercies. He has continued to show me his favour and I have every reason to be eternally grateful to God. He has proved to me that if you depend on him as your source, you have nothing to be afraid of. For a long time in my life I trusted man and my own abilities but now I know better.

Daniel, I know you are an intelligent man and you know how to answer questions diplomatically. I need you to tell me fair and square…define for us your relationship with Stella Damasus?

Do I look like a politician to you?

You live amongst them now so you are starting to talk like them.

I have always been known for talking this way. (Laughs) Stella and I are business partners. We think alike and have pretty much the same kind of back ground, experiences and share the same views on life and approach to entertainment business. Hence we set up Index Two Studios together. Under Index Two Studios we have done several training programs within and outside Nigeria for young actors and filmmakers. We have done short films and feature films. Together, we own CODE 55 boutique which will open officially in January 2013. We just opened the Index Two Studios Plaza in Abuja that houses a music rehearsal studio, a music recording studio, our boutique, a state of the art film post production studio and film recording studio for music video shoots, etc. She is an intelligent woman who has a voice of her own and is her own person regardless of what anybody says. Such qualities are important in business and I have made several enemies in the past because of my thorough approach to business. In a nation like Nigeria where people believe entertainment business should be done anyhow without contracts and discipline, I always felt like one in a million but seeing someone who shares the same views on this as I do, it was important for us to key into our strengths and abilities and convert it to serious cash. So far it has been working well for us. Now, if people chose to interpret it in whatever way works for them, no problem. They can go ahead. What I do with my private life is my business. If I decide to get married to the president of Usbekistan tomorrow and declare that I am gay, it is between me and my God and it is nobody’s damn business. Let God judge me for my actions whether right or wrong. I owe nobody any detailed explanations of what transpires in the house that none of them gave me money to buy. The only people I owe are my God and my son. That’s it. So if people chose to redefine my relationship with Stella beyond being my business partner, no problem. If I decide to date and get married to Kim Kardashian tomorrow, can the people talking stop me? No!!

Is it safe doing so much business with a female partner? What if things go sour in your relationship in the future?

E be like say you think say the first class certificate wey I get for school na steal I steal am. Stella and I are business partners. The key word there is business and every business person understands the power of black and white…contracts and paper work. I rest my case there.

What is it that can easily make you lose your cool in public?

Right now, nothing is worth losing my cool over. If I am not comfortable with something, I will only bare my mind and views about it. If matter strong, I will simply just walk away.

You always come out public looking smashing. Are you that fashion conscious?

I am not a fashion freak neither am I crazy about designers. I just like to look clean and sharp. If it fits, I’ll buy it and wear it but I will not spend a fortune on any piece of clothing o! Not me. Instead of spending 100k on pair of shoes, I will think of how many meals that money will buy for some families. So, I just try my best not to hurt people’s eyes when they see me in public at least.

What’s your favourite vacation spot?

It has to be Ocean City in Maryland, USA. It’s a great place to chill during summer.

What’s your favourite sport and why?

I don’t have a favourite sport. I don’t know why people become fanatics when they get hooked on certain sports so to avoid that, I am not hooked on any sport. I just take time out to work out on my own at home. If you consider that a sport (laughs) then no wahala. Abi no be sport be that?

What relaxes you when you are tensed?

Spending time with my son and rolling around the living room floor with him. We play video games together, sing and dance. I love cartoons so we make out time to watch all the cartoons available to us. There is no way I can do that and still remain tensed. Reading the bible is another way to zone out of the problems of this world and hear directly from God.

PERHAPS there is no better way to create that unique mood for the Yuletide than having children come together to share love, friendship and merriment through music. It was the second edition of a youth-based music concert tagged Musical Youth Fiesta and, like a seductive power of a clarion caller, youths from different churches and schools in Lagos state gathered last Wednesday, at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, taking turns, one after another to render creative performances in music, dance and choreography.

The show, like its debut edition had no less than 5,000 youths and their chaperons at the event. It presented children in their creative elements for praise and worship and mastery of various musical instruments.

A hope raising event, it was like having the elders take the back seat while the youths exemplify their future leadership role. Every bit of the concert had the children handling the core areas save for the eloquent Master of Ceremony who came in intermittently and the exhortation that was done by Pastor Akinlade.

The convener and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Musical Youth Fiesta initiative, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, could not curtail her excitement at the event. It was obvious she would not sit back and watch her pet project go wrong. Senator Tinubu was among the first set of people to arrive the venue. Even as she clapped, danced and cheered the renditions from the kids, she had offered her help with artistic direction at the show.

“This year’s theme is focused on the story of Joseph, chronicled in Genesis chapters 37, 39-50”, Tinubu said in her welcome address, urging those who are not familiar with the story to read it and learn from what she described as the extraordinary life of Joseph.

She noted that this year’s edition, with the theme, ‘Dare to be like Joseph’, is a product of the success recorded in last year’s event. “I am glad to inform you that the winner of our theme song, One Church, Master Michael Oluseye Akingbala, went on to produce and release an album titled All to Jesus. It is indeed ‘All to Jesus’, she said with an obvious sense of fulfillment.

The former First Lady of Lagos state expressed optimism in this year’s theme, ‘Dare to be like Joseph’, which she said will impact on the aspirations of the youths. Biblical Joseph, she noted was a youth with dreams and talents like many of the young men and women at the event.

“I would therefore urge you all, to, just like Joseph, keep your trust in God, even in the face of temptation, imbibe hard work, moral values and respect for authority to be able to get to the top as Joseph did,” Tinubu added.

Patron of the initiative, Pastor J.A Bolarinwa said the fiesta has come to stay. He noted that the theme of the programme is significant, adding that corruption, beginning from homes to schools and places of work has dealt deadly blow on the personality of the youths of this nation like in the days of the lawless Israel “when man did that which was right in his own eyes”.

He said this year’s event is meant to encourage the youths “to shun wickedness and embrace the fear of God and say to the seducing spirits of the end-time, ‘how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’”

Among the personalities at the show were First Lady of Lagos State, Dame Emmanuella Abimbola Fashola and members of the Organising Committee comprising of Mrs Tinu Aina-Badejo, Dr (Mrs) Stella Okoli, Pastor Kunle Ajayi and Honourable Jide Sanwo-Olu, Chairman of the committee.

The event kicked off in earnest at about 12:35pm with an opening prayer by Moyinoluwa Oba, a teenage girl who stunned all with her impressive lines to earn choruses of thunderous Amen! Little Moyinoluwa’s prayers were immediately followed by the National Anthem, led by a group of young men called The Naturals.

When Michael Akingbala, winner of last year’s theme song, stormed the stage, the sing-along mood began. Majority of the people in the hall were familiar with the lyrics from the CDs that were shared last year. Obviously, this added verve to Michael’s stage presence, as he skidded from one end of the stage to another. His voice, it was apparent had matured with time, bringing everyone to the dance floor.

The Youth Choir of The Redeem Evangelical Mission (TREM) opened the praise and worship session, the spontaneity of the lead singer and her interactive performance set the show on a fast-paced start.

The first ministration by Christian Pentecostal Mission Youth Choir brought the crowd into frenzy. The atmosphere in the hall was double charged with rendition by these talented youths. In quick succession, momentum began to build, ushering in the National Youth Choir of the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG). Thereafter, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) National Headquarters Youth choir took their turn. The group was the largest in number, with all members, brandishing the guitar and varying their tune between High Life and pop, the employed dramatic styles, singing in the Niger Delta dialect, Yoruba and English language.

You can’t beat the saxophone session by Tobi and Enoch, who were later joined by Pastor Kunle Ajayi. Tobi especially displayed high level dexterity on the saxophone. Her showmanship was unequaled.

Also speaking at the event, Dame Abimbola Fashola who gave her motherly advice and exhortation said the essence of the concert was to “win more souls for heaven”. She said the event and its soul stirring performances will set the mood for the festivities this Yuletide season. Fashola thanked the convener for the opportunity given to the Nigerian youths to showcase their talents.

Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Honourable Jide Sanwo-Olu in his vote of thanks expressed gratitude to God and the sponsors for believing in the purpose of the project.

WEEKS after denying rumours about contracting HIV/AIDS when close watchers began to fear for her health, a clarion call has been put through to well meaning Nigerians to save the life of Nollywood actress Ngozi Nwosu.

The fiery actress who is reported to be suffering from kidney and heart related issues seems to have lost it all; weight, strength and vigour but not her talent and deep sense of humour which she displayed during the over one and a half hours she spent at the recently aired Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ‘Celebrity Edition’ staged for her.

According to close sources, one of the signs that things were no longer right with Ngozi was the fact that recording had to be delayed because while everybody else in the studio was virtually getting uncomfortable with the heat emanating from the studio lights, Ngozi was shivering with cold so much so that the producers had to get her a cardigan.

Ex AGN President, Segun Arinze has also lent his voice to Ngozi’s plight as plans are underway to rally Nollywood actors to save the ailing actress. “Ngozi Nwosu our fine Nollywood actress known to many is down with heart and kidney ailments. She needs about N6million for heart and kidney surgery. I am using this medium to appeal to Nollywood and music stars to rally round her. May we not lose another,” he said.

ON Saturday, December 15, 2012, septuagenarian juju music star and Minister of the Gospel, Evangelist Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi was surprised with an unexpected Christmas windfall. He was presented with a cheque for more than N3.06 Million as copyright royalties by Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) at the Opebi Headquarters of the organization.

The money is the first tranche of Evangelist Obey’s share of the recent N100 Million Naira royalty distribution carried out by COSON. The elated and very emotional singer with the unique sonorous voice gave thanks to the Almighty for keeping him alive to witness the fruits of the long struggle for the respect of the rights of artistes in Nigeria. He said that for a long time, he was sad that Nigerian artistes could receive royalties for their music used in some other countries but not one kobo for their music used in their own country.

He thanked the Board and Management of COSON for working assiduously to finally bring this anomaly to an end. He particularly praised the commitment of the COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji whom he said never give up on the struggle.

According to the gentleman fondly called ‘Chief Commander’ by his numerous fans, from what he had seen with the work COSON is doing, there would be many more millions soon for Nigerian artistes from everwhere.

While presenting the cheque to Evangelist Obey, COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji said that ordinarily, the cheque would have been sent to Evangelist Obey quietly as is done in the case of hundreds of others but that the evangelist chose to make it public so that Nigerians can appreciate the work that COSON is doing and young people in the country can be inspired by it. Chief Okoroji said that the royalty paid was from the logs already analysed by the distribution department and that the Evangelist could earn more royalty by the time all the logs are obtained and reviewed. Chief Okoroji also praised Evangelist Obey whom he said had never stopped caring about the future of every artiste in Nigeria despite his tremendous success.