The media was awash not too long ago with the settlement of current president of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Ibinabo Fiberesima, and seasoned actor, producer and director, Emeka Rollas-Ejezie. Both of them had been embroiled in a bitter feud over the Guild’s presidency. Interestingly, at the 52nd birthday of one of the patrons of the Guild, ex-militant, Ateke Tom, brought the warring gladiators together and pleaded that they mend fences and move the Guild forward. Assistant Editor, SAM ANOKAM, spoke with Rollas, who bared his mind on the issue, and other relevant topics affecting Nollywood.
As you can see, the entertainment industry is vast. You put your head wherever that can accommodate you. I have been consulting for specific projects. We call it special project consultancy. I have been working with some of my partners in South Africa, USA and some other parts of the world.
When you are consulting for special projects, it does not begin to yield immediately because there are so much to lay in the ground, coupled with the fact that it is election year. A lot of foreign partners are skeptical about coming to invest this time, coupled with the Boko Haram issue and all that. We are watching all of that. Even at that, we are laying structures; that is why for sometime now, I have not been on the screen, nothing has been happening but I hope to come back soon.
Recently, there was this settlement between yourself and Ibinabo. How true is it and what led to the circumstance of your coming together?
What you heard is true. It is all over on the internet, talking about my settlement with madam president, Ibinabo Fiberesima. As much as I can say, it is all for the interest of the Guild. The Guild has to move forward. We must throw away bitterness. Whatever the case is, we have to move forward.
What about the issue of your suspension? Is there any understanding between the two of you at the moment?
We have just started the peace process. First of all, the circumstances surrounding the process; it was during the birthday ceremony of a highly respected chief, Comrade Ateke Tom. That is where all you have been hearing took place and it took place in front of a whole lot of my colleagues that I also respect.
The former AGN president, Segun Arinze, Ramsey Noah, Alex Osifo, Rachael Oniga, Florence Onuma, Chinyere Wilfred, Desmond Elliot, Ras Kimono, Shina Peters, Terry G, among others, were present when the settlement took place. And you see, because of the circumstances, nobody wants to prove stubborn and the man who also initiated this peace move is a man who has been useful to my life, and encouraging. He is somebody that will say something to me and I will not say no.
He was also part of the people who told me inter alia to withdraw my cases from the courts and of course, I listened to him. He is not new to me. I think concerning the suspension and all that, when we come to the nitty-gritty of the issue, we will begin to look at agreements and discussions.
What about your other comrades that have issues with her? Are you extending this peace talk to them?
As it were, I do not know the situation with other comrades who have issues with her from her own point of view. A journey of 1,000 kilometres begins with a step. If what we have just done is good to the AGN president, she would be the one to extend it to other people.
If she tells me okay, Emeka, now that you and I have resolved, can you help me reach XYZ? I will reach them particularly my own supporters scattered all over the state. I want to state categorically clear that whatever they are hearing anywhere is for the interest of the association because we need the Guild to move forward.
I spoke with Clarion Chukwurah sometime ago and in that interview, she said she has been talking with you. What exactly are you guys discussing, are you contesting again for AGN position or are you advising her to step down?
You all know what happened in the last election. This is a new year, a new tenure. As for my contesting for presidency or any position in the AGN, it is not now. I will not discuss it now because a whole lot had happened. From the time of my desire to lead the association to the main campaign and to the election proper, a lot happened.
Most of the things that happened taught me a lesson. So, I will never be in a hurry to go for an elective position. Somebody who decides to serve his people, not just because I was contesting for the presidency, I was the National Secretary. When I was National Secretary, I knew how most of my colleagues avoided me like plagues just because you were speaking their voice. And somebody who is representing you out there, nobody wants to mingle with the person for fear of being banned from one set or the other. Right know, concerning contesting is a matter for another day.
For Chukwurah, with the kind of wealth of knowledge and experience I have in the guild, anybody who wants to run for presidency or any position in the guild would have to call me. By benefit of hindsight, you want to ask me how the terrain is, what has been happening, and all that.
Clarion Chukwurah is not the least of persons that have contacted me in lieu of something about contest. She is a respected colleague. I value her acting process. I have not worked with her on issues of administration so I wouldn’t know how good she is. I know she called me once or twice telling me about her interest. It is normal. She wants to go for elective position. If you want to go for governor of Anambra State, it will be very wise to call the Ichies, different traditional rulers indicating your interest. Of course, you are trying to solicit for their support. I see her calling as part of trying to know the terrain. Until we go into the jungle, when it matures, then we will now know who is who. At the present as you can see, we are watching.
Ibinabo Fiberesima’s first tenure would soon end. What is your assessment of her performance?
At this point, I will not be in a position to give a score card but I must confess that irrespective of all the bickering, troubles here and there, there are good and bad parts. As an administrator, there are many things she may lack administratively. As a showbiz person, there are things she may lack. I am not in a position to give her scorecard but I think she has done good.
The issue of begging for arms when Nollywood actors are ill and they run to the president for help, is there nothing the industry can do to avoid this embarrassment?
These are areas where I have problem with government. The industry structure is still broken down. There is no structure. For us to begin to delve into these matters, we must set a structure in place. Once the structures are not there, it will also result to if somebody dies, will be looking for money to bury the person but with the new insurance scheme the Guild has come up with, and the Goodluck Jonathan intervention fund, which one or two persons have benefitted from, Osita Okeke, Chile Brian and Romanus Amuta have benefited from that. Some of these things are coming in a gradual basis. I am sure that when the MOPICON Bill have been passed into law, it will take care of some of these things. It is not an individual thing. It has to do with collective responsibility.
And for us to carry that collective responsibility, we must understand ourselves. The truth is that, it is coming gradually at least what is happening in the industry today was not happening some seven, eight years ago. The government has given us N3billion intervention fund, we are looking at the point of assessment and all that. I have not benefitted. Some people are near to benefitting it.
We that have not benefitted will not kill ourselves and I know that by the next government, something better will come, maybe some of us will also benefit and gradually these things begin to increase until it becomes very good. The banking industry today that has 25 solid banks used to be over 100 banks then. It took time before these things come to be. For now, we will just be going as we are seeing it until we will be okay.
Despite the fact that you are not in a hurry to take elective position, should you be called upon to contribute to the development of the industry in terms of advise, ideas and what have you, are you going to accept?
It depends on the manner, which it comes. For me, I love the AGN. You know what it means for somebody to sacrifice his stardom, wealth of acting prowess and base to just sit down at a place administering the guild, an association that has no structure. I attempted to give it a structure.
Incase you don’t know, AGN has been 14 or 15 years in existence. It was 13 years when I became National Secretary, nobody knew AGN outside the shores of this country. It was through my letter writing as secretary that we were twined with the Screen Actors Guild of America, it was through my letter writing that we joined the Federation of International Actors. So today if you see AGN ID card, you would see an affiliate of FIA, this is the same body that NANTAP has been affiliated to over 10 years, so you now see the lack of vision. If not because for the love of the Guild, I couldn’t have forgotten about acting.
I could have remained in Asaba shooting like everybody rather than coming to put the Guild together. Service is a rare virtue that is not in everybody. It is only in some people. Today I am suffering for the service that I gave AGN. While I was secretary, some people were accusing me of having spent this and that. As meticulous as I am, I have documents of every transactions as the national secretary of the Guild. After elections, different issues arose and there were some of my colleagues who could not come to terms with what was happening.
The very first paper we presented at the FIA meeting in Zambia was prepared by me and the then PRO, who is now the National Secretary. This was in pursuance of global recognition. It was during my tenure as national secretary that AGN became recognised by the British Equity, by the Screen actors Guild of America.
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