{"id":273834,"date":"2011-01-13T17:50:41","date_gmt":"2011-01-13T17:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/?p=47050"},"modified":"2011-01-13T17:50:41","modified_gmt":"2011-01-13T17:50:41","slug":"chidi-mokeme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/01\/13\/chidi-mokeme\/","title":{"rendered":"Chidi Mokeme"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
Chidi Mokeme<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nHe\u2019s a born artiste. But his parents wanted him to go for the sciences and he obeyed them. After his secondary education at the Federal Government College, Minna, he settled for computer science.
\nPharmacy was actually his first choice, but no thanks to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) which played its usual frustrating and discouraging role, he attended the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu.
\nThat was merely to satisfy his parents\u2019 wish. Chidi Mokeme was art-inclined but couldn\u2019t oppose them as they knew better and called the shots then.
\nToday, it is a different story. Art has eventually characterized in practical terms his life and runs through it, he has visibly gone more places; earned more fame and fortune, as well as garnered more respect which he mightn\u2019t have done if he had embraced what he studied in the higher institution.
\nChidiebere Geoffrey Azubuike Mokeme, born close to 33years ago in Ogidi, Anambra State, hails from Oba, Idemili LGA of the state. He is one man that many people now see as a role model, an actor, model, fashion designer and businessman.
\nThe tall, handsome, baritone-voiced and amiable young man added another feather to his cap when he successfully presented Nigeria\u2019s First Reality TV show, the Gulder Ultimate Search, courtesy Nigerian Breweries Plc.
\nHe opened up on a wide range of issues recently in what could easily be described as a forced interview having \u2018dodged\u2019 it on account of tight schedules over the past months.
\nHow has life been after the \u2018ultimate\u2019 experience, which visibly launched him into greater heights?\u201c
\nIt\u2019s been good. To some extent, you can say that it took me to more places and increased my fan base, being a programme that ran daily on national television, as well as a on cable station. So my fan base went wider than it used to be.\u201d
\nYou returned to movie locations immediately after?
\n\u201cYes, I\u2019m back to the locations. I still design but for selected people since I rarely have time. I\u2019ve been busy making so many movies. What saves the situation is that I make their clothes in bulk so it sustains them for a while before they request for new ones.\u201d One man into three big-time deals.
\nWhich one of them sustains him more?
\n\u201cThe movies basically pay the bills. And how did he escape the recent ban on some of his colleagues?
\nWhat\u2019s his opinion about the ban?
\n\u201cLike I have always maintained, the whole ban episode must have come as a result of dissatisfaction by the marketers as regards the way certain artistes have carried themselves in delivering their duties. I pride myself as a professional. When I take a job, I try to put everything into it and I like to concentrate. Acting is a very mental kind of job and if you don\u2019t focus completely, you won\u2019t bring out the desired effect. As a result, the producer on the long run who has made the movie for commercial purposes loses his money. I don\u2019t believe in the idea of having to gather scripts up and down, here and there, and then holding people to ransom. I\u2019m speaking not only as an actor but from a businessman\u2019s point of view. When I invest, I ensure that I make returns. So if you have people who owing to certain attitude problems, want to tie down the capital you\u2019ve put into an investment, you\u2019re bound to react in some way.\u201d
\nAway from the ban, how does he manage the largesse that has been tumbling down his way from different deals? \u201cIn all honesty, I must say that I shouldn\u2019t complain. God has been really fair to me because a lot of people, way back, who started this race with me, are nowhere to be found. So, I must say that I\u2019ve done quite well for myself. I\u2019m looking into the future and I\u2019m very determined to ensure that I make a success out of my life. I\u2019m not waiting on luck. Every move that I make is geared towards more successes.\u201d
\nWould he remain an actor, a designer or artist in future? \u201cActing is something I do with a passion and there\u2019s nothing like working and getting paid for what you love doing. So, I\u2019m going to keep acting for as long as possible because it encompasses every sphere of life.
\nHow about joining the political train
\n\u201cCome 2007, I\u2019m looking forward to a lot of projects. I would not want to divulge them for now. The movie industry is expanding rapidly that you don\u2019t just have to be an actor to belong. So, I have plans to see what other areas one can venture into and take care of in a very professional manner.
\nBack to the Snake Island, camp of the Ultimate Search, how was life there?
\n\u201cHave you lived in a jungle? That\u2019s what happened when we spent about four weeks there. We all went through the same experiences but it was fun doing it. I enjoyed every minute of it.\u201d
\nAnd his relationship with the contestants?
\n\u201cI think I had an open door policy which, at the same time was firm. They knew when and how to relate with me and where their boundaries were.\u201d
\nSo, there was nothing like favoritism in picking the eventual winner as some people insinuated?
\n\u201cI\u2019m hearing that for the first time because it was a live programme on air for everyone to see. Much as people agree with the choice of the eventual winner, I\u2019m not sure that most of the audience were looking towards him to win. If that be the case, then it answers the question. If they say I was biased towards one contestant, I wonder why that person didn\u2019t win.\u201d
\nHow about his largesse from the deal, how much really did he pocket?
\n\u201cI think you should ask NBL (laughs). Ask them, I think I set them back with a lot of money. Anyway, both parties were reasonable and paid commensurately for the services rendered. More than the monetary remuneration, it was more of a relationship-building process. I\u2019m looking forward to doing it again next year because we\u2019re trying to make sure that it gets better and bigger.\u201d
\nWhy is Chidi not married with all the money he is making?
\n\u201cI\u2019m making sure that I prepare a good foundation for the woman who\u2019s coming in.\u201d
\nThe same woman he\u2019s been talking about? We still don\u2019t know her. \u201cYes, the same woman. You still don\u2019t know her because that is the way she wants it. She doesn\u2019t want to be known.\u201d
\nWhen is it going to happen? \u201cVery soon, by God\u2019s grace.\u201d
\nBefore the end of the year? \u201cThe year is already ended. Don\u2019t put me in a corner. But I tell you, you\u2019ll soon hear about it. Sooner than it has ever been.\u201d
\nIs Chidi a very rich man, how does one describe him with the way affluence smells around him? \u201cI think I\u2019d like to be described as someone who has got his eyes at some place and on the right path towards getting there.\u201d
\nHis parents, who are very much around \u2014 dad, a retired insurance executive and mum, a retired teacher, are quite happy and now convinced that he towed a path that suited him.
\n\u201cShowbiz is addictive. At the onset, they couldn\u2019t understand what kind of job I was doing. So we had problems initially but because I loved what I was doing, I stuck to it. Today, everybody is happier for it.\u201d
\nHe is the first in a family of four. \u201cBy God\u2019s grace, I\u2019m taking care of my responsibilities.\u201d
\nDon\u2019t they intrude into your marital status? \u201cI\u2019m sure they\u2019re probably worried. I mean, with the kind of industry I\u2019m in where anything can happen. But I know that they also have faith in me \u2014 that I know exactly what I\u2019m doing.\u201d
\nHow long has he been dating his fianc\u00e9e?
\n\u201cThis is the fourth year. If you have to date anybody in the showbiz industry, you have to be patient. The fact that she is dating me shows that she has a lot of patience. She is an Igbo like me, from Ohafia, Abia State.\u201d
\nHe\u2019s had a baby before, from her?
\n\u201cYes, I\u2019ve had a baby before but not from her,. Sometimes man proposes, God disposes. When I had the baby, the mum and I were relatively young. He stays with the mum and visits me during the holidays. He is six years old now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He\u2019s a born artiste. But his parents wanted him to go for the sciences and he obeyed them. After his secondary education at the Federal Government College, Minna, he settled for computer science. Pharmacy was actually his first choice, but no thanks to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) which played its usual frustrating […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-273834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nChidi Mokeme - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/01\/13\/chidi-mokeme\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Chidi Mokeme - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"He\u2019s a born artiste. But his parents wanted him to go for the sciences and he obeyed them. 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