BEFORE you acted Zacky in the now rested The New Masquerade, what was life like?
Before Zacky, I was a producer/director at the NTA, Victoria Island, Lagos. I danced and acted; and I was a jolly good fellow until The New Masquerade came up. Before that, there was The Masquerade and The Village Headmaster in the late 1970s. When Peter Igho came on board as the General Manager, he said what made NTA tick was the production that came out of it. He then revived the old programmes like The Masquerade, The Village Headmaster and Samanja. What they did was to name it The New Masquerade in 1984. I just came from a trip to Vienna, where we went to compete with some other cultural troupes. As soon as I came back from the trip, I was re-assigned to Enugu for the production of The New Masquerade. My boss then was Chika Okpala, who was a producer, and Chris Obi Rapu, who directed Living in Bondage. I was there working when the role of Zacky was created. That role was created by the late Peter Eneh. Nkem Owoh was there too, but the role was given to me by the director. So, that was how I became Zacky.
How would you relate the role of Zacky to the way your career has turned out?
The role of Zacky was that of a student who was very stubborn. It was more or less a cameo appearance; I was to play a drunkard. That was the reason Nkem Owoh was also interested in that role. When I played the very first episode, they discovered that I created so much impact. By the time the second episode came up, Zacky was supposed to be an Igbo boy, but I decided to carve an identity for myself. Way back in NTA, we normally spoke slangs. I just created them. At times, in the office, when guests came, I would just start blabbing all those slangs. So, at a point, I said to myself that if I could use the slangs to entertain people ordinarily, why can’t I do it on screen? By the time the second episode came out, I started speaking it. When they aired that episode, it became a hit. Youths all over could relate to it. That was how I carved myself as Zacky. Before then, I had been acting. Acting did not start with Zacky of The New Masquerade. As I always say, everybody is an actor. It all depends on how well you can do it. I remember my days back at the National Museum kitchen. When the kitchen was established by the then director-general, Ekpo Eyo, Tunde Kuboye was in charge of auditions. They formed an organisation for young artistes, where we could rehearse and entertain guests who came there to relax. From there, it just moved on.
How rewarding has acting been?
I do it because I enjoy it. If you talk about reward, I haven’t seen any yet. But then, I thank God that I am alive and my children are doing well. It is unlike other countries, where the young ones carry the veterans in the industry along. Here, they don’t. For instance, how many veterans did you find at the centenary celebrations? Did you see me there? Did you see Chika Okpala there? Did you see somebody like Femi Robinson there? Did you see people like Jimmy Johnson there? If we are celebrating the centenary, those who started it or who really made entertainment what it is today should be there.
How true is it that the cast of The New Masquerade were short-changed?
At some point, NTA came with a law that if you are a staff, you cannot act, meaning that we must not earn money from two places. Because we recognized our talents, we joined NTA to also give us the opportunity to act. It was one of the reasons I actually applied and became a staff of the NTA. For a programme like Behind the Clouds, about 90 percent of the cast were staff of NTA. With regard to The Masquerade, Chika Okpala, Ramota and I were staff; so, to keep the programme running, we had to resign. Then, UTB was just coming on as sponsors. We continued it to a certain point that we could no longer hold it because when UTB left, we couldn’t go on. Of course, you understand that, with Nigerians, our charity begins abroad. Also, the authorities then were bringing in Mexican soaps. When they brought Mexican soaps to air, they didn’t pay for the production costs; and one way or the other, they also made money by bringing such. They had to make money for themselves; so, they felt that instead of spending so much to produce, they could get already-made programmes. They decided to do away with our programmes that people were so much in love with.
Did you and your colleagues, at any point, kick against those policies?
How could we have done that? Who are you to kick when the DG says this is what he wants? There was nothing we could do. They killed our local production to impose foreign programmes on us. That was what gave birth to the Mexican soaps. The first one they brought was The Rich Also Cry. So, that was how those programmes were rested.
Given your experience, what will you do differently, if you have the opportunity and the resources?
What I did differently when I came on board as Zacky is exactly what I will do. My utmost satisfaction is for people to appreciate what I do on air. I will do something that will not only entertain people, but the younger ones will learn from. If you remember, The New Masquerade was used to address the ills of the society inasmuch as we also entertained the society. With most of the good soaps they produce abroad, no matter how stupid they are, there is a lesson to learn from them. Recently, I got myself involved in one production titled Two Sides of a Coin. When the script was given to me, I liked it; and today, people commend me for it.
When you look back, what do you miss most about The New Masquerade era?
I miss a lot, especially Claude Eke and James Iroha. When I think back, I see tears coming from my eyes, especially when I think about James Iroha. The man cried till he died because as at the time illness caught up with him, he said he was wasting. He had so much knowledge to impart, but there was no one to encourage or support him. I still feel the same thing as I am now. Nobody encourages me and nobody supports me; so, I feel that there is so much knowledge that is wasting. I don’t let it weigh me down. From time to time, I hold workshops for the young filmmakers, where I talk to them on the art of producing movies.
I just do it because I feel that the knowledge in me should not be wasted so I can leave a legacy when I might have gone. As I speak with you, Romanu Amota, who played the role of Natty in The Masquerade, has been bedridden for about four years. He is dying of poverty. He has a stroke and there is no money to treat him. I must commend the administration of Fiberisima Ibinabo who went to President Jonathan recently to discuss with him about Amota. But again, why would people wait until somebody dies before they act? Why can’t we carry these people along, so that they can take care of their responsibilities?
Is any of your children toeing your path?
I have four kids, who are all girls. The second one is toeing my line. She was in Maltina Dance All competition and she also acts. The third one acts too, but she is yet to enter the university. Those are the ones who are following me.
Did you not have any misgivings having only females?
Actually, the act of children-making is an act from God. I actually wanted two kids, whether they are boys or girls. So, after we had the first two and they were girls, I stopped. I told my wife it was okay. But you know how women do; she wanted more. The space between the second and the third child is six years, all because I refused to have more kids. With much pressure, I gave in, so here we are with four girls. I told my wife, ‘Are you satisfied or you still want to try more (laughs)?’ I am not that type. Even with one girl, I would have been okay. But God has blessed us with four and I am very happy. I have been married for 27 years now.
