Okey Bakassi's exclusive: Why I kept my family in Canada + My deal in politics & life as an entertainer

Bakassi

Leading and revered entertainer Okechukwu Mac-Anthony Onyegbule globally known as Okey Bakassi came, saw and hugely conquered in the nation's entertainment industry in a flourising career that has spanned over two decades and still counting. 
The accomplished actor, stand-up comedian and a proud family man with a very rich resume, in this enthralling chat monitored by SHOWBIZPLUSng, shares the story of his life and career like never before. Enjoy the encounter.

 

How has 2014 been for you as a leading entertainer?
I won't lie to you; my year has not been different from the other years. I am also speaking for some average Nigerians too. The state of the nation now has made businesses very unstable for everybody. Mind you, when the nation is unstable it affects everything and what suffers the most is show business. People can't celebrate so much when the country is in a state of semi-war. Show business is something that should lift people's spirit, but then again the irony is how to do that when so many people are mourning and that becomes an issue.

This year has been below expectations. It is easy for the purposes of hype for an entertainer to say "nothing dey happen" when we all know that "something dey happen" because we are not insulated from the problems every other person is going through in the country. It affects everybody that is my own assessment of the first quarter of the year.

 

How bad has it affected you?
It has affected everybody including myself. Have I been earning money, the answer is yes, could I have earned more money the answer is still yes that is the point I'm trying to make. That Nigeria is not where it is supposed to be doesn't mean people are not getting their salaries for going to work but they could have gotten better if we were better that is the whole point that I am making.  The first half of the year fell below our expectations, but the remaining half of the year is looking like it is going to get better.

 

Aside showbiz, what else do you do?
Like I always say, for a showbiz person, you have to find an alternative means of income. I do other businesses. I have a laundry house or company that has been running for less than a year now but many people don’t know about it yet. I’m also into event planning. Everybody knows that for three-years, I was off showbiz to work for the government in my state, so when it is not one thing, it is the other.

 

How was the three years in government?
It was a period of learning that is what I can say. The knowledge and experience acquired in that period cannot be quantified. I don't think any institution in the world can give you that. For the first time in my life, I can understand what public service means, I can understand Nigeria politics more clearly, before now it was easy to discuss politics from the point of view of what you read in the papers, hear on radio or television, but there is much more to that. So now when I sit down and watch people discuss Nigeria politics, I see so much ignorance because if you have never been there you can't know what is happening and even when you are there you still don't know it all.

Most of the things you see on papers are filtered. But when you are inside you get to see everything yourself and you are better informed.

If you have your way, would you like to go back as a politician?

Of course I will. I spent just three-years then because the former governor of Imo State came to Lagos, saw me and called me to serve. They were already in service before I came in and I served with them till the end of their tenure.

 

Any plans of going into politics on your own?
If the opportunity is right, why not, I will give it a trial. Though the way Nigeria politics is structured, we need to put some things there. If we are serious of changing governance, we must change the way we operate by electing those who lead us. If it is not fixed, we cannot get it right.  If we do not change the mind set of our people, we cannot get it right.

 

How long have you been into showbiz?
About 21 years now.

What were the challenges you faced before getting to this level?
Longevity in showbiz is not easy. I don't even know how I do it myself; I guess it’s God and the passion for what you love to do. Because if you ask me, I don't know how I made it this long.  Lots of people that we met in the course of this business have gone into other things. Show business has a short life span, so if you break the stereotypes and you are able to do it longer that means you are lucky or you are doing something right. One of the challenges one has faced is the fact that when we started the show business, there were no structures in place to help us grow or help you dream those dreams. But today a fresh man that just finished from school can come out and say he wants to be a comedian because he has seen the success of Okey Bakassi and others. So you can actually visualize where you can be in some couple of years.  You can say to yourself, I can live a standard life. But when we started it wasn't like that. We were doing it for fun. We were just like the forerunners, but a young man can start show business today and start earning N5000,000 per show. We started when we were begging people to pay N3,000 and now people are earning millions. I see new musicians today, in a space of six months their fees sky rockets to millions.

In the olden days, that wouldn't happen till about 20-years in the business. That was the primary challenge. Another one is that, the society has accepted it a means of livelihood.  When we started, parents were looking at it like stupidity. They saw it like something you can’t use to earn a living. Imagine somebody like me, I read agricultural science, and I decided to go into show business, your parent will be disappointed with you.

 

Were your parents against you doing showbiz then?
I was trained as an engineer, so they were like, are we not going to have an engineer in this family again?  So, it wasn't easy getting that kind of approval you need.
 And then there were no much role models in the field that you could look up to, it was very difficult.

 

21-years in the comedy industry, what would you say you've achieved so far?

The biggest things I will say I have achieved in this show business are good will and love that people have towards my brand, Okey Bakassi. For me that surpasses every other thing. Though money is good but it is not everything that money can solve. There are some places one can go, even from the door men to the security men they are all ready to receive you, and money cannot buy that. The love you get from people on the street money cannot buy that too. A lot of people do other jobs and earn money from it, but they don't have that additional advantage of love from people. So that is the good thing that show business has done for me. Being able to create the acceptance of your brand from people is an awesome feeling. Though its comes with its own price as well because people sometimes go beyond their space, but as an individual, there are times you will just want to be by yourself. That is what fame can do to one.

 

Has fame deprived you of anything?

Yes, not just me alone, but to some persons in the show business industry. You just can't do without it, except you just want to lock yourself indoors.  Once you are in the public place people would always want to get close to you. They don't even want to know your mood. Some want to take pictures and some autographs, but you don't have a choice, you will be forced to wear a fake smile. And because you are a comedian, people knows you for making people happy. You don't have a choice but to wear a smile all the time.

 

You said you no more crack jokes, why?

Yes, I no more share jokes, I share experiences, because 21 years in this business, is enough for one to share experiences.

 

What makes a good comedian?

Originality, spontaneity and continuity. Be a master story teller. You have to have that craftsmanship of a story teller. You must be spontaneous in your jokes. You have to be original; don't depend on people’s jokes.  That is why you see some comedians fade way because they depend on other peoples’ jokes. Just depend on God's given talent and you will get there.

 

Do you have the intentions of quitting comedy soon?

No, I will only do that when I can't talk again, unless I decide to go do something else.

 

We would like to know more about your growing up days?

 

Growing up was very exciting. I think I am blessed to have the kind of childhood that I had, coming from a stable home, because when you are trained by a single parent, you will know what life is all about. My dad was in the military and my mum was a nurse. I had the privilege to live with my mum and dad despite the fact that my dad was moving from one place to the other. I had a feel of everything. I grew up in the barracks and it was like the microcosm of the larger society. You get to interact with people from all cultures, it was homogeneous. My growing up was fun, I belong to the outdoor generation, because we have the indoor generation, which is this generation, they are indoor kids. They just go to school, come back and stay inside, but mine was, come back and hit the streets, we played "come I challenge you game, monkey post football and all, and we go swimming in the river. Fun wasn't hand held, internet everywhere. I am the first child, too much responsibilities, I have four other siblings.

 

Where did you get the Bakassi from?

My real names are, Okechukwu Mac-Anthony Onyegbule. My friends gave me Bakassi, because at the time when Nigeria was having that Bakassi issue with Cameroon, I used to make lots of jokes around the situation then. And in the industry we had too many Okey's, so I guess it was a means to differentiate my own Okey from others. So it all started with "Okey wey dey give us Bakassi update" because anytime I get to Zeb Ejiro's office where we usually meet then everybody will want to know the update of the Bakassi thing. I am a news person, so then I will do it as a funny update, a lot of people in show business then knew me with that. I also played a role then in a movie and the producer just called me, Okey Bakassi and from then, the name took over my name. It was a name I didn’t like in the beginning, but I don’t have a choice.

 

You haven't been doing movies lately, what happened?

There is a point you will get in your career and you have to ask yourself some questions, you most filter something you do. You need to ask yourself, do I need to do this movie so people will know I still do movies, or because the movie will add value to my career? I have made so much movies that I think if I have to do a movie, it should be that the movie is worth it. If your movie will not add creditable value to my career, then why I’m I doing it? The only answer will have to be for the money, so if you cannot pay me the kind of money I want, then let's forget about the movie. I still get scripts, but I select what I want. I am still in the movie business. Just last year we shot a movie in London, entitled Onye Ozi that was premiered in Nigeria. I just shot another one with the Germans, so it is not about the volume; it is the qualities of the movie that will interest me. I have grown kids that are very aware of my job, so if they see the movie, I want them to be able to critic it and be proud of what I have done. Instead of saying, daddy what is this, because God has really blessed me with those lovely kids. They are getting to somewhere faster than I thought, so it is God all the way.

 

How long have you been married?

I have been married for 13years now. My first child is 12 years old, the second just turned 10, two months ago and the last boy of the house is six.

 

How come you don't bring them out?

They don't live in Nigerian they were all born and raised in Canada.

 

 

How then do you cope shuttling between Canada and Nigeria?

It is not easy, but the truth remains that I shuttle between Nigeria and Canada regularly.

Any other comedian who tries what I do will just die career wise. I am the one person that can leave this business three years and come back and still be relevant, if you try it, your career is gone. I have been doing it for the past 12 years, so imagine I haven't gone anywhere, I will probably own everywhere. Please allow me brag small. It is hard work and God. My kids are doing fantastically well; they are making me and their mum proud.

 

 

You don't have our own show, why?
The thing is consistency, sometimes I hear some comedians saying, they are the first to have a radio show. I don't know where they got that from, because 15 years ago, I had a radio programme. It was on Ray Power for three years. I have done shows on radio, I have been a columnist in a magazine, I have done shows, I had laughter fiesta. At a point, I had to take a break.  I am not disrespecting shows anyway because sometimes almost all the shows are the same thing, but different names but same artistes and maybe different venue. So I have been asking myself, can I do something different?  I have done radio before, so do I have to go back to radio so I that I can be one of those people that have radio comedy shows?  I have to be sure and special about whatever I want to do now. The comedians have done well, you have the AY show, Basket mouth and Bovi shows, it has kept the industry relevant, they didn’t start it, they met it, but the only difference there is the venue and maybe the audience.


What is the connection between you and Ali Baba?
Ali Baba belongs to my generation. We have that common bond because we know how all these things started.  Sometimes we laugh over things and celebrate the success that has been made from it, and we try to help the younger ones, we are close because we share common bonds.

 

You guys sometimes make jokes about the gay and lesbians in the industry, have you ever been approached by them?
We don't discuss them, because it is not an issue here, not like abroad that you don't have to talk about them. We actually don't waste too much time on them. They can’t even approach me, dem they look face na. 

 

 By: RITA OKOYE AND EMMANUELLA OGADILIM- ENTERTAINMENT EXPRESS