…Says ‘I found out very early in life I have precious gift in acting. The first time I appeared on stage was when I was in primary two’
By Agatha Emeadi
Bob-Manuel Udokwu is an award-winning Nollywood legend. He is one of the young faces that graced the screen in the 1990s. He was a leading voice in Checkmate, the biggest television soap opera in the country then, as well as in the masterpiece called ‘Living in Bondage.’
While still strong in the acting profession, he was groomed by the likes of the late Prof Ola Rotimi.
Udokwu, a proud pioneer member of Nollywood, said “Living in Bondage’ is the foundation of what is known as Nollywood in Nigeria today.”
In this interview with Sunday Sun, he said: “Through acting, I have been part of Anambra State government since 2013.”
How did you become interested in acting and the entertainment industry?
I did not get into the industry. I am rather part of the pioneers of the industry. I found out very early in life that I have a precious gift in acting. The first time I appeared on stage was when I was in primary two. The second time was when I was in primary four that I played the lead role in full length play and by my primary six, I represented my school for radio and television children programme in Enugu, where I was born and bred. So, that was where the interest began. But I did not know it was going to be part of me professionally. While in secondary school, I did not do drama, rather I was part of debating society and at some point, I was the vice president of junior debate. After I finished secondary school, I found myself going to NTA Enugu to look out for the producers of television drama. I was doing that and became part of programmes on TV in Enugu. Then, I also got auditioned to be a presenter in Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Enugu then. I was privileged to present in studio audio participation programme called ‘Guess the Tune,’ which involves playing a record with a studio audience, play a little record, ask the audience to guess the title of the album, song, and artiste or group that recorded it. All these were fun programmes before I gained admission into the University of Port Harcourt to study Theatre Arts.
You were the first that broke the jinx in Nollywood with ‘Living in Bondage’ that reigned supreme in the 90s. How did you come about that legendary ‘Living in Bondage?’
I was invited. I was already playing one of the lead roles in Checkmate which was a very big soap opera then. On a certain day, I got a letter from Chief Kenneth Nnebue, who owned Net Video Link, he invited myself and the late Francis Agu to his office in Surulere. When we got there, he told us about rehearsal being done for the upcoming Igbo Language film, he wanted us to be part of it. We did not go for audition, but just assigned roles which we eventually played. We attended a few rehearsal with them which was recorded, but when the time came, honestly, nobody had an idea what was going to happen, when it was finally released, it became a monster-hit that formed the foundation of what is today Nigerian film industry (Nollywood).
How did you rise to stardom?
I think it is the society that made me a star. I was doing the work that I trained professionally at the University of Port Harcourt by the late Prof Ola Rotimi who wrote ‘The gods are not blame.’ I was just doing the work professionally and believe people saw what I was doing, which was making impact on the society and recognition came with it. I did not go into entertainment in search of stardom or other things like the younger ones today. No. I was simply doing the work that I love with the talent that I had which has been very much polished by professional training at the Creative Arts Department, University of Port Harcourt. That is it.
Parents then would love their children to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, among other prestigious professions, but not entertainers. What was the feeling of your parents then and now that you have succeeded in the industry?
Honestly, being of Igbo parentage, one knows that they are not readily into entertainment at that point. It is either one goes to school a little bit, then go into the popular apprenticeship system that the Igbo tribe has popularized all over the world. Or you are into pure education to acquire university degrees up to Master’s degree. Those were the two options for an average Igbo family then. The entertainment industry was seen by the Igbo people as a place for the never do wells, or what the legendary Chinua Achebe would describe as ‘Efulefu.’ (Those who rebel against the society). For me, I have some form of resistance from my parents especially my father. My mother was more understanding, conciliatory and was more of the go-between my father and myself. Eventually, my father relented because even before I got admission, I was doing things on radio, was appearing on amateur productions of television and radio. So, the signs were there, just that allowing your son to take this up as a profession was not a thing for an Igbo parent. I count myself lucky that it did not result into serious disagreement. At some point, they let me be; then I got admission and that was it. Again, the other side of it was when I debuted on national television in 1981 on Checkmate, my parents loved it. It was like an innovation because people from the East then do not appear on national television so much at that time. Lagos was where everything was happening. The recording was done in Lagos and it was only Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that serviced the whole country. So, it made a difference that people in Sokoto at the same time with people in Bayelsa, people who grew up with me wait every Thursday to see me on the screen. Those whose life has crossed path with yours will always let people know that I knew him before now. So, it was a good feeling. My parents would tell me things like ‘when they are passing by a street, they would hear, oh that is the father or mother of Bob-Manuel. I guess they were proud. So, over the years, film industry evolved and I became a major part of it and it was a thing of pride for them.
How have you been coping with the rise?
I don’t have to cope with the job I am doing. It is my job, I am trained. You can only cope when it is not your field like most people in the industry today have no serious professional idea about what the whole thing is all about, they just want to be seen on film and television and then jumping. So, those are the ones that are struggling. I am not struggling. I am Nollywood and Nollywood is me.
What opportunities being in the entertainment industry brought you?
Well, the major one is that it was as a result of entertainment industry that I was brought into government in Anambra State. In 2013, then Governor Peter Obi appointed me as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Creative Media. That was the last year of his administration; shortly after the appointment, in the last quarter, we were beginning to campaign for the next governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano. When Obiano came in, he retained me as SSA on Creative Media (Movie/Entertainment industry). That was the position I held until the incumbent governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo appointed me as Special Adviser, on Entertainment, Pleasure and Tourism. So, one can say that I have served two governors successfully and on the third one now. Since 2013, I have been part of governance in Anambra State. Apart from the government, it has opened other doors. I will commend the airline industries in Nigeria especially the pilots. With the cost of air ticket now, when one tries to buy one, the moment pilots see me, they would kindly upgrade me to business class if there is chance and I am grateful to them. It shows they recognize the work we do. Some would tell me, Bob, I am your fan. It is a humbling experience. It opened doors of opportunities.
What about the challenges encountered?
There is no profession that does not have its challenges. The financial reward is not commensurate to the effort we put in; especially now that the children are older, unlike when we started as young, single, less-responsibilities boys. One’s financial obligation was personal, then if one’s parents are alive, you bear part of their financial burden. People expect you to be like someone who comes from the moon forgetting that we live in the same country, buy from the same market, drive through the rough times. So, everything that affect one does so to another. But again, most times, the society gives double standard for the entertainers. They expect you to live above board financially, people seek for financial assistance without seeking to know your own obligations. In Africa, we have extended families, even if your siblings do not come for you, what about your nephews and nieces? Others will taunt them, saying ‘You have an uncle like Bob-Manuel and you complain you do not have money?’ Another challenge in the industry is that at every time, Nigerians want to take advantage of you. When you get into a store, an item that was sold for a particular price will be inflated right before you. I juxtapose it when I travel abroad, the same Nigerians who watch your films will bend backwards to give you gift and discount and make you comfortable. In our climate, everyone wants to extort from you because you are a Nollywood star. Once I have also received a goodwill from a man who invited me to a luxury lounge in Doha. The sum totality of it is that the society treats one better.
Talk about family, siblings and growing up?
I was born in Enugu, in the area called Coal Camp. Back in the 70s Coal Camp could be likened to Ajegunle in Lagos. It was called Coal Camp because it was closer to coal minning site that was discovered in the early 20s. The young men that came to do coal mining work started settling there. It was quite crowded and a place where low-income earners could afford accommodation immediately after the war. It was more congested, survival of the fittest and all kind of things. We thank God that we were able to rise above that. It was also crime-infested, but then good things also come out of Nazareth. Today, a lot of us who grew up in Coal Camp are proud of what we have become. My father was a civil servant in Public Works Department (PWD), now known as Ministry of Works. Then, my mother was a petty trader in Ogbete market in Enugu. We are six in number. Three boys and three girls, I am number four and the second son. My primary school was St. Peters Primary school, Ogbete, Coal Camp Enugu while my secondary school was at Oraukwu Grammar School before I gained admission into University of Port Harcourt, where I studied Theatre Arts, majoring in acting. Next was my Master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from University of Lagos. Personally, I love reading a lot. I read my first novel ‘Coffin from Hong Kong’ written by James Hardley Chase while in Primary Six. By my class three in secondary school, I have read all James Hardley Chase novels that I came across. I also read other novels for pleasures and desire to know the English Language. Back them in primary and secondary schools, English teachers encouraged us to read newspapers, including old ones, magazines and novels. In fact, some came to class and ask students to explain the novels they have read. Our teachers worked hard on us then and it was more of entertainment for me. I spend a lot of mental energy than physical. I am also gifted in fine arts. I was seeking for admission for Fine and Applied Arts before I gained Theatre Arts. I also love singing. I have songs, professionally done songs in Oritz Willkie studio, which have not been released. At my spare times, I love watching documentaries because I like to educate my mind and learn the things that one will not learn in school.
What advice would you give to the younger ones who want to be like you?
My philosophy is work hard, believe in yourself and trust God. So, the advice I give to the young ones who will listen is to be disciplined, be patient as you diligently pursue your dream.
In the entertainment world today, one sees a lot of men who seek for supports on social media unlike the women, what do you say about this?
Saying that women are fine with no issues is not totally true. We live in the society where disclosure is an issue. Generally, people in the entertainment industry might be going through different phases of life, but one hardly knows. Apart from being in the industry, how many of our public officers do we know their health status? It is not peculiar to the men or our industry, it is simply because we are in the eyes of the public. What happens to men is that they hardly get help from anybody and it is societal. Back during childhood, if a five-six years old boy and girl are playing and the girl falls down, the whole crowd will gather, lift her up and pamper her to stop crying. When a boy falls and begins to cry, no one rushes to him, from a distance it will be stop crying, don’t you know you are man, men do not cry. Then the boy swallows all the pain inside, that was what we grew up with. Men run to nobody because no one is willing to help them. For women, they do not readily come out like that, some would have died in the industry before family sources open up. This goes to say that men have a lot of burden to bear. To think that women billionaires still expect their thousand-counting husbands to take care of the bills in the house, and this is our own society. Yet, women still want to be given equal status on the table. Our women should also begin to think more about assisting the men while the men should also learn to swallow their pride as some of our colleagues did when they were in difficulty. This brings me to an important matter. Women have gone so far in advocating for the girl child in every ramification to the total exclusion of the boy child. We are running a risk of creating boys that will become men and become problem in future. Otherwise, why the different association for women? There are umbrella bodies like Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Nigerian Medical and Dental Council, why then would women form their own women association when the parent associations are existing? It is discrimination and I think the men should take them to court for discrimination. Let us balance this because the same women give birth to the boys like they did for the girls. So, when advocating for the girl-child, spare some thoughts and action, also advocate for the boy-child for the sake of the future.
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