My ex-wife not as important as my career

TELL us why movie Eti Keta is different from the others ones that you have produced so far?

I am a producer and I have done quite well in producing different movies which includes two and the three cast movies. And by the special grace of God, I am the only one who has done that in Nigeria. T

his movie Eti Keta is one of the four cardinal point agenda that I have, and it is different because it is an all Ankara movie. I am still going to do a movie that will see all the cast having tribal marks too.

I will have one too and still remain the producer. All the cast in the movie will all be white the only black man and the producer of the movie. Otunba Runsewe, the DG of Culture and Tourism invited all artistes last year and said I am not inviting them because he wanted to give them money; he told us he was only interested in promoting culture. 

He then put up a challenge to us and I stood up and said sir; I will live up to the challenge of doing something to promote our culture.  And he said: “Saidi, I don’t fancy boasting, I fancy action.” So when we were about to do the premiere, I went back to him and said; “Otunba, I have done it,” and he said, “you have not done it, for me, you have done it for the world, go to the world and show them.”
So are you saying it is all about culture?

Yes, everybody in the movie wore Ankara, if it was possible the air would have worn one too (laughs). Somebody was saying, “what is the story of Eti Keta all about,” and I said forget the story and come and watch. What we have done with this movie is to show our own product. A white guy, who shot the movie together with in the US, wore Ankara in form of a suit. And we had people who saw it, liked it and came to us. And I said yes, this is what we want. There is history in our culture and fabric which people appreciate. 

This movie seems to be a big project. How were you able to pull through?
Yes, I want to thank God for that, because it was not my doing. I invested a little of my own money and a whole lot of companies supported me too. I had the support of oil companies,Da Viva, Onga seasoning, DMT, Red Bull and some electronics manufacturing companies among others. At first we were buying the fabrics, before Da Viva, came up, they supplied fabrics worth N11m; the halls used for the premiere were decorated with Ankara.

Aren’t you rather lucky that you got corporate sponsors for the movie project?
Yes, I count myself lucky because there are other great producers out there who have been looking for that kind of support, but they are unable to get it. Secondly, the General GOD has made me possibly the chosen one for now. So when I knock, the door is opened. I have shown the movie at Silverbird and LTV 8, and it will still be shown at other places too. It is 70% English and 15% Yoruba, five percent Hausa, Igbo and Tapa. I have shown them the preview of the one cast, Nigerians are not just blacks, and we are black, proud and intelligent too.

How were you able to make some of the Igbo cast speak Yoruba?

Kate was not the only one who spoke Yoruba; Ndidi Obi also did that too. Yes a lot of producers are doing their best, but I believe in creativity, Kola Olaiya taught me one thing. He said think, and if you can not do it, then don’t. For long, I have been looking at Kate for that role you know she won AMAA Best Actress, she deserves it and she is good. 

You also featured Shaffy, a Nigerian musician based abroad; what’s her role in the movie and why did you pick her?

She is a total artiste. People call her a musician, but I say she is a musician who is good at acting. She is an entertainer, she sings and acts. But I have my reasons for picking her; because I have seen her and I know what she can do.

You seem to be taking this movie seriously in terms of promotions?

The reason is that when you are promoting a product, you just don’t throw it into the market; you have to create awareness for it. I am promoting culture here; I can not just release it into the market like that. I want people to come and watch and see what we have done with our own. That is the reason for the premiere being taken to different places.

Being a busy movie producer how do you find time for your kids?

Both Jobs are on parallel lines, so you have to draw your target or schedule for yourself, so one does not affect the other. I know when to have my meetings and I also know when I am supposed to be at home with my children; my kids are my best critics. There was a movie that I cried in a scene and they were like, “daddy you look fake; that scene does not look real.” After that comment I refused to show Zainab my daughter Eti Keta two month after the movie was edited because I knew she was going to see one thing or the other to complain about. So anytime she does that, I tell her, after all, it is the funds that I get from selling such movie that I use in paying her school fees.

Would you allow any of your kids to go into acting?

To me, my own believe is different. I was raised a Muslim but I go to church to worship. I don’t care, if any of them decide to act or direct, I don’t have a problem with that, and if it is what the brother wants too, I have no say. I am not a dictator; let them decide what they want to do. It is their decision, the only thing, I have to do, is to correct their behaviour, and how to relate with people, because I am versatile in that line. And I always tell them, that their key word should be learning and they should endeavour to be good listeners, they should be honest and they should love one another.

Have you put your musical career on hold?

Yes and no. I have an album entitled Forever, which will be out soon. It should be one after the other,hence, I do not want to mix both together, and that is the reason why a part of the album is on hold for now. Eti Keta is what I am working on now, and until I am through with that, I can not do anything on the music aspect yet. I put consideration into whatever I am doing, I can not say because it is me, then I will tell people to put their two hands into their pockets at the same time. So after the film we will go to the next level, which is the release of my album.
This question is personal… (Cuts in)

If it is a question that has to do with family, women affair, then the answer is capital NO! I am not going to go into all that please.
But your ex-wife, Fathia still bears your name?
Well, maybe she fancies the name and that is the reason why she is still holding on to it. But honestly, I don’t want to bother myself about her or marriage all that matter to me now is my new movie Eti Keta and my career.

What motivated you into acting?

My father was more or less an actor, though not for commercial purposes. He used to make people laugh. So, I took it up from there and decided to do it professionally.

What are your gains thus far as an actor?

I have gained a lot of things. People get to know you and respect you for your job. Well, one of such is when I run into the Police check points. They don’t ask you who you are because they already know and treat you with respect. So, if someone calls you an armed robber, they will think properly before they charge you, because they know what you do and wonder whether you are capable of doing what you have been accused of.

Any regrets?

No! There are certain things that have happened, some which I term abnormalities. There was one day I was surrounded by some area boys numbering about thirty and they ordered that I must pay the sum of ten thousand naira before I would be allowed to pass through a certain street in my car. But, I said to them “If I have that kind of money I won’t be driving a Mercedes Benz 190, rather I will be riding a Hummer Jeep. Most of our fans think we are very rich and I pray we get to that level”.