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| Zeb Ejiro |
According to Ejiro,
"There are a lot of people who never dreamt of being what they are today.
Suddenly, they found themselves there. People are running after them. I need to
see you and all that. They start seeing themselves above God. That’s where they
get it wrong.
“The movie industry did
not start with the stars that are there today. It started with others. People
who suffered to make them who they are, they dump those people, they don’t
respect them. You are doing something today, maybe a child’s naming ceremony,
marriage or whatever, they don’t attend. They don’t come, they don’t need you
anymore!
“Because the politicians
are giving them so much money, the politicians are buying them cars; female
politicians are buying the male stars cars, homes and what have you. The male
politicians are buying the female ones whatever they want. So, suddenly, they
don’t need the producers anymore. They can even make bigger movies than
you now because one politician will give them N100 million and you are looking
for N15 million to do a blockbuster.
"So, suddenly, they find
out that they are bigger than you. Not just you; they are bigger than the
industry. I think the bane of the movie industry is the Nigerian politicians.
That’s the truth!"
The full interview follows below.
Please, don’t let us go into any
argument over this. It’s what we call here the gospel truth – Mr. Zeb Ejiro is
one of the biggest film makers that Africa has produced. And there should not
be any contest about that. From Isoko in Delta State, the father of seven who
journeyed from zero to hero still holds the yet-to-be-beaten record of creating
the longest running soap opera (Ripples) on national television. Hit movies
like Domitilla, Sakobi, Goodbye Tomorrow, Intimate Strangers also emerged from
his fecund imagination. Likewise Candlelight and Gentle Solution. At his office
on Bassie Ogamba Street in Surulere, Lagos, on Tuesday, August 19, 2014, YES
INTERNATIONAL! Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AZUH ARINZE, drilled him for hours.
And the result of their fruitful and fantastic session is what we have below.
Enjoy…
What makes a good director? First
of all, a good director will be somebody that is very imaginative. Because when
you look at the process of movie making, a director is the one that interprets
the script into pictures. The script is ordinary, but the man that brings that
script to life, the man that turns that harmless script into pictures for
people to see is the director. So, that’s why the director must not only be
imaginative, he must also be creative.
And a good director must know a little of everything.
When it comes to the medical part, he should know a little; when it comes to
the legal area, he should know a little. He doesn’t have to know all, because
you can do research, you can get experts in the legal area to tell you what you
want when it comes to Law. The director must also know his onions in terms of
what he wants from day one. Because some directors do compromise. Maybe
they have a brother or they have a friend or girlfriend and what have you; when
they cast, they compromise and once you compromise, it will show definitely.
A director must put his foot down all the time to say
well, no matter who you are, you have to merit the role for me to give you the
role. If you don’t merit that role, forget it, I’m not gonna give you the role.
A director should be able to tell a good script from a bad script; a director
should be able to tell people who can interpret the script that he’s working on
at a given time properly; a director must have a vast knowledge of aesthetics,
about sets. These are the things that make a good director.
What makes a good producer?
A
good producer must have a little of all these things that a director has, but
must be a businessman (Laughter). Yes, he must be a businessman.
What makes a good actor?
To
me, a good actor is that one that is versatile, that one that can handle any
role that you give him. If you give him a flamboyant role as a banker,
top-notch banker or what have you, he can handle it. And if you bring him down
to say, play the role of a mad man, he can do it. Any role! Once an actor is
versatile, to me, that’s a good actor. There are some people who are
stereotyped. It doesn’t mean they are not good actors; they are. But because of
one big movie they have done and that movie is so successful, their entire life
is tied to that movie. So, most times, people want to stereotype them, give
them the same thing to do. Yes, they are still good actors, but to me, I always
prefer one who is versatile.
What makes a good script?
A
good script is a script that has a very good beginning, a good middle and a
good end. Once the beginning is arresting, the middle of the script can keep
you glued to your seat, then at the end of the day, you will be able to say oh
my God, this is a wonderful story; that is a good script.
What makes a good movie?
A
good movie is all these components we have talked about put together. The best
of all these things I’ve mentioned – a good producer that is a businessman, a
creative director, wonderful script, good actors, good set, good timing,
costuming and more. Because most times movies are set.
One problem we have in this country is that we don’t set
our movies. If you are doing a movie that is set in 193 something and in a
particular village, and you are shooting that movie today and you see electric
wire in the shot, it is wrong! Because at that particular time, there was no
electricity in that community. So, that movie must be set at a particular time
and the dress code of the characters must reflect that time. The way they speak
too must reflect that time. Everything! The food they eat should reflect that
time. So, these are all the things that make a good movie.
What do you like most about being a film maker?
What
I like most about being a film maker is that most times I can be able to look
at my environment, pick an issue around me and turn it into pictures for the
world to see. A good example is Domitilla. I grew up in a place like Ajegunle
(a slum in Lagos) and I saw too many things that were not right about young
girls going into commercial sex, all to take care of the families. It is not
that it is what they loved, what they wanted to do.
But necessity made them to do it, and they are not just
doing it to dress themselves, they are doing it to take care of an entire family.
And I think that is very unusual, un-African and I took that story and told it
to the world. So, I like a situation where I tell topical stories. It makes me
so happy.
What don’t you like about being a film maker?
There’s
nothing that I don’t like. I keep telling people that if I come again, I will
still be a movie maker. Because this job does not have age limit, you don’t get
old in this job. If you watch me, you will see the way I’m dressed (a pair of
jeans, shirt and converse). This is how I look all the time. You are always
young, you are always on the go and this is the only job you are doing,
enjoying yourself and making money. If there’s a downside, the downside will be
the environment that I find myself.
Presently, we don’t have enough enabling environment for
moviemakers to be able to explore. I think that is just the downside. There’s
nothing that will make me to say look, there’s one thing I don’t like about
movie making.
What is the greatest thing that being a film maker
has done for you?
A lot! First of all, this job has made me to meet a lot
of people. There’s no continent in this world that I’ve not been to. My movies
have taken me to every nook and cranny of this world and I’m happy about that.
I’ve met great people, I’ve met downtrodden people, I’ve met people up there as
well and it has given me a huge name and I thank God for that. Maybe if I was
not a movie maker, the world won’t have known a Zeb Ejiro. But today, I’m known
all over the world. Wherever I go, people give me enough respect and all that.
I think for me, I’m privileged and I thank God for that.
What is the greatest mistake that any film maker can
make?
The greatest mistake any film maker can make is
compromising when you are doing your job. You see, this thing is so significant
that you must be very careful. When you come out with your movie, your movie is
released into the market, you will not be in Kano when they are watching it,
you will not be in Enugu when people are watching it, you will not be in Ibadan
when people are watching it, you will not be in New York (USA) or anywhere in
the world when they are watching it; when people will see those little mistakes
that you have made because you compromised.
Some people attain success, but find it difficult to
sustain. Having been into movie making for decades, where do you think that
most people get it wrong?
Most people lose it when they
allow stardom to take over. That’s where they lose it! Because don’t forget
that you are not the only person in the world, you are not the only movie
maker, entertainer or what have you in the world. For you to be where you are,
you are privileged. God has given you that opportunity. You have to be humble;
you have to humble yourself, no matter the position you find yourself. And you
must always see yourself as if you are not there yet. The way I live is that,
as I speak to you, I have not made that movie yet. That one movie that will
tear the entire world apart. I have not made it. I still try to attain that
standard. And even when I get close to it, I say oh my God, this is rubbish! My
next movie, I’m gonna do better. So, if you have that kind of attitude, there
is no way you won’t stay in business for as long as you want to.
You started out as a welder. But along the line you
veered into film making. What got you interested in film making?
I started
as so many things. You see, my story is an inspirational story for the young
ones to learn from…
(Interruption) – Can you share it will us?
Yeah!
I will give you the full story. I come from a fairly good family background.
Not very rich. We were just there. And the opportunity to go to school, do most
of these things were not there for us. We struggled, and I also hawked. What
they call kiri in Yoruba language. I did that. I was selling egg, carrying it
about. I did all that. I did welder, I did salesman, going from door to door. I
even did dispatch riding. I was working in one company in Apapa (Lagos) where I
was a dispatch rider. I did so many things. I was doing all these things
because I was trying to discover who Zeb Ejiro is; I was trying to say God, you
didn’t bring me into this world for nothing; there must be a purpose why I’m
here in this world.
So, what is that thing? I must give credit to my mum. We
were born and bred in Equatorial Guinea - my younger brother (Chico) and
I. My mum was a cinema addict. She will always take us to the cinema to watch
films. So, that’s exactly where we developed the idea. When I came to Nigeria,
when I watch a programme with my friends, I will criticize the thing. So, they
said how come you know so much about movie making? You should go into this
business. Then, the opportunity came through NTA (Nigeria Television Authority)
calling for people who can write scripts; we want to train them, send them to
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and all that. Then, I applied. More than
5000 people in this country applied. Only 27 of us were taken. That’s how I met
people like Andy Amenechi, Bond Emeruwa, late Samson Augu-Barry and co. And
that’s how it all started.
What distinguishes Mr. Zeb Ejiro as a film maker?
I’m
very passionate about my movies. I don’t just make movies. People think I make
movies everyday. No, I don’t. I take my time. Why I’m different is that before
I go to location, I want to tell something different, I want to do something
unique. Just like what we just did recently in Ibadan. I just came back some
days ago from Ibadan where I went to do a movie for a cause. This movie is
about the yellow cassava. This new cassava is the campaign UN (United Nations)
is taking all over the world now because it has vitamin A. They know that our
people eat garri a lot.
Instead of you to go to the market to start buying
vitamin A so that your sight is good, your body is fit and all that, they’ve
done it in such a way that you take it naturally from your regular cassava. And
this cassava is unique. Once you harvest it, once you fry it, as they do it,
you don’t put oil to make it red. It turns red on the spot. It’s very unique.
So, it’s a movie for a cause; it’s an advocacy movie that I’ve done. But you
see, the funny thing is that we didn’t do a docu-movie; we did a love story.
Then, tied the cassava, very thin, running across it. It’s so unique.
What’s the title of the movie?
The
working title now is The Yellow Cassava.
When is it likely to be out? And who are the people
there?
Oh my God! Monalisa Chinda played the lead role;
followed by Chidi Mokeme, Emeka Ossai, Segun Arinze, Christy Okonkwo and of
course, I used it to launch one lady called Stacy Chima. She’s the new
discovery from our stable. It’s gonna be premiered in September in Abuja. Mr.
President will be there because this is his area – agriculture.
One nice thing which a lot of people say about you is
that you are a good man. You came into a sector, struck gold there and invited
all your siblings (Chico and Peter) to also be partakers. Most people are
selfish, they rarely do that. So, what made you to do it?
Azuh,
I must confess that your 3rd anniversary which I attended and also the 2nd one,
when I saw your brothers and all of them are doing well in your profession;
forget every other thing that you have done, for me, I think that is your
greatest achievement.
That is the truth and I respect you for that. You see,
the truth of the matter is that if you are a billionaire in a family, just only
you; you are not a billionaire; you are not even a rich man. But when you
spread it to your siblings, you will find out that when it’s time to take care
of mama, papa or any situation, those brothers will say hey, keep your money,
you don’t need to spend a dime, you’ve done all the spending, it is our turn to
now do the spending. They will take the problem off you. There’s nothing as
wonderful as investing in human beings. Investing in your siblings. There’s
nothing as great as that.
If you are a Dangote, your brother should be a Jonathan
and that’s exactly what has happened in your family today and that is what is
happening in my family today. We have one of the biggest film schools in the
world today called The Film and Broadcast Academy in Delta State. Peter Ejiro
is the Rector, running the school. I’m happy! Chico, my younger brother today
is one of the best in this industry. I brought all of them. You know, I just
felt that we should enjoy it together. It was just a natural thing.
For a very long time now, you’ve not been able to
make another movie that could equate the commercial success recorded by
Domitilla. What exactly is the problem?
Yeah, I have not been able to
because of so many reasons. But I will just mention two major reasons. One of
the reasons is that when I did Domitilla; Domitilla was highly successful.
Then, I took it further when I did Sakobi. In Domitilla, I went to 10 cinema
houses, showing simultaneously. I did it bigger with Sakobi. Sakobi, I went to
20 cinema houses, two states, Ogun and Lagos, and showing simultaneously.
Then, cinema exhibitors got greedy. To them, they felt
that this man was making a lot of money. The initial agreement we had;
suddenly, one morning, they woke up and said no, no, no, no! Oga, dis thing, we
no know say na so e go dey successful. We need to change. I got angry. I said
no. If I’m coming back for the third one and you are telling me to do this, I
will understand. But mid way, you can’t shift the goal post. It’s not possible.
So, that is why I’ve not bothered and I don’t want to make any movie and just
release it like that. I want to make a movie and do that same run, make it so
big, make it so huge. That is one of my problems.
And my second problem is: for you to get a cinema story,
it’s not easy. That story has to be tight. I’ve seen my friends who are going
to cinema, doing whatever they are doing. At the end of the day, they will come
out and say they’ve made so much. But if you look at the books, it’s not true.
I heard that Half of the Yellow Sun held Lagos hostage. That is exactly the
kind of thing I’m looking at. If I don’t get that story, I’m not gonna do it
and I know that Yellow Cassava will do it.
One of your creations, Ripples, remains the longest
running soap on network TV. Why have you also not been able to come out with
another soap that will be as successful as that?
Thank
you for bringing all these issues. There are two huge organizations that I’m
speaking with now to come out with what I call Ripples, The New Generation. So,
we are bringing back some of the old stars and merging them with new stars.
That is why we call it Ripples, The New Generation. Like I told you, I have put
together a powerful story. I’m speaking with two big organizations at the
moment for sponsorship and you know Ripples was a monster hit. You can’t come
back with Ripples, The New Generation and you come with something sub-standard.
So, the budget this time will be a lot bigger. It’s taking sometime. But very
soon people will see it.
As one of the pioneers of Nollywood, what would you
say is the greatest challenge facing it?
You know that Nollywood is not
what it used to be in those days. In those days, people can put some few
thousands together and make a movie. Today, if you want to make a blockburster,
you have to be armed with nothing less than N10 million/N15 million. And this
money is not something that you can get by the asking; it’s something that you
need huge investors. Sometimes I feel sorry for the Nigerian banks, because
they are not doing enough to invest in Nollywood. What they are doing, they
will regret it at the end of the day, because what DSTV did to the like of NTA,
Silverbird and co, that’s exactly what they are going to do to them.
Because what DSTV is doing, what Africa Magic is doing
today, that same proposal we gave to NTA so many years ago. They didn’t bother,
because they looked at the movies as who is gonna watch them outside Nigeria.
But DSTV came and today, Africa Magic is the most watched channel. If you go to
policy makers, their homes, governors, their television sets are permanently on
DSTV. They are not watching NTA. They only tune to NTA or Nigerian television
stations when they want to listen to news. After that, they switch over to
DSTV.
So, these are some of the problems we have in the
industry today. Funding is a major thing. I want to seize this opportunity to
thank President Goodluck Jonathan, because he is the only President that loves
Nollywood. He’s given so much to Nollywood. Mr. President has given N3 billion
to Nollywood for capacity building, production and distribution. But this money
is not coming! It’s going to more than one year now since he gave us this
money.
This money is there, but the people who are handling the
part of disbursement, I don’t know what is wrong. We’ve attended series of
interviews, we have filled applications; I’m tired! (Laughing). I just pray
that the money will come out as soon as possible. And I want to give an advise
to my co-producers – when you get a loan, when you get sponsors or you get
funding, please, the job has to be done well so that you open doors for other
people; so that you don’t close that door. Because if it is not properly done,
that door will be closed.
As a star maker and also someone who is in constant
touch with these stars, where do you think that most of them get it wrong?
See!
There are a lot of people who never dreamt of being what they are today.
Suddenly, they found themselves there. People are running after them. Ah! I
need to see you, I need to see you and all that. They start seeing themselves
above God. That’s where they get it wrong.
The movie industry did not start with the stars that are
there today. It started with others. When we were talking, we mentioned a name –
somebody you saw some days ago in Ikeja trekking or something. If somebody had
told that person that at one time, this is how it’s gonna be, the person will
not believe.
Where they get it wrong is that they see themselves
above God, they see themselves above the industry. People who suffered to make
them who they are, they dump those people, they don’t respect them. You are
doing something today, maybe a child’s naming ceremony, marriage or whatever,
they don’t attend. They don’t come, they don’t need you anymore!
Because the politicians are giving them so much money,
the politicians are buying them cars; female politicians are buying the male
stars cars, homes and what have you. The male politicians are buying the female
ones whatever they want. So, suddenly, they don’t need the producer anymore.
They can even make bigger movies than you now because one politician will give
them N100 million and you are looking for N15 million to do a blockbuster.
So, suddenly, they find out that they are bigger than
you. Not just you; they are bigger than the industry. They start to equate
themselves with God and forget that these politicians will only use you while
you are the reigning star. They will flock around you for that period of time.
Immediately somebody else springs up, they will dump you and go to that person.
I know a lot of these stars that are now calling me to
say Zeb, I heard you are doing something, you are not calling us. Why? Because
they are not getting jobs anymore; they are not relevant anymore; the
politicians are not giving them money anymore, because the politicians have now
seen younger people that they are frolicking with. I think the bane of the
movie industry are the Nigerian politicians. That’s the truth!
No doubt, God has used you to create a lot of stars.
Of all the stars that you’ve dealt with, who are the ones with the best
behaviour and why?
For the male, I will always mention Saint Obi. Saint Obi
is a perfect gentleman. Saint Obi comes to my office once every week. Not for
anything; just to drop by to say hello. People like Saint are very scarce. Not
only in the movie industry. Even in this world – somebody that always looks
back to say this is where I started and always tries to pay homage. Saint is
one of them.
When it comes to the female, the person I will mention
is Omotola (Jalade-Ekeinde). Omotola does not joke with anything that I do.
Even when I did my daughter’s wedding, Omotola was there. She was not the only
one I invited. I invited a lot of stars that passed through my hands, but she
came. Apart from that, there’s nothing I tell Omotola to do for me that she
doesn’t. She’s so humble, respectful. She can’t even call me my name. She calls
me Pappy or Papa.
Another person again I will give that credit is Ibinabo
Fiberesima. That one, she’s so awesome. She’s so close to me to the extent that
people say are you sure she’s not your daughter? (General laughter). She’s a
wonderful lady. She doesn’t call my name as well. She calls me Papa. In fact,
in the entire industry, she’s known as Zeb Ejiro’s daughter. Yes, Ibinabo,
Omotola and of course, Saint Obi.
Which of your movies gives you the greatest joy?
I
will say Intimate Strangers. Intimate Strangers, starring Richard Mofe-Damijo,
Edith Jayne-Azu and of course, Eucharia Anunobi. Because, for the first time, I
was able to pry into the woman’s heart; discover that thing about women. A
woman’s heart can be very tough, but I was able to delve into it, I was able to
open it up through that movie and when people watch that movie, they say Zeb,
it’s a wonderful movie.
Which of your movies don’t you like?
I
will mention Conflicting Shadows, because I wanted to look into the other side
of life. But I think I didn’t achieve that because then we didn’t have the
know-how to do enough special effects to achieve it.
Nollywood has been so good to you, no doubt. What
more do you want from the sector?
5 years ago, UNESCO came with a report
that the Nigerian movie industry is the second biggest movie making country in
the world. I don’t think we are now. But that’s not even where I’m going. Where
I’m going is that I want a situation where Nigeria will be the No. 1 movie
making nation in the world. That’s what I’m looking for. I’m not looking as per
what Zeb Ejiro will gain; I’m looking as per what Nigerians will gain at the
end of the day, because I have children; one of them is a movie director at the
moment. He directs my soap opera and all that and I have young people I see
every day.
My Facebook page, my twitter handle, people write me
every day; young boys and girls, they want to come into the movie industry. I
think the thing is that we, the elders, need to build a viable movie industry;
we have to leave behind a viable movie industry for these young ones to come
and grow, so that tomorrow they will talk good about us.
Most people watch your movies to relax and to be happy.
What do you do when you want to relax?
I tell people that I don’t
work. When they ask me when do you go for holidays? I say I don’t have any time
I go, because I don’t think I’m working. I go to the office everyday to enjoy
myself. They will say how? I will say movie making is all about fun. Yes! The
only thing I do outside of the movie industry that makes me happy is I watch
football.
Enough of Nollywood, let’s even talk about your family.
Yeah!
My wife is Joy Ejiro. We now call her Joy Zeb-Ejiro, because don’t forget that
Chico’s wife is Joy also. So, when you say Joy Ejiro, people say which of them?
I have seven children in all, four boys and three girls. All have graduated, by
the grace of God…
What are their names?
I have Martins; Martins is
the first. Melvin, second; Maurice, third; Marvin, fourth; Zino, Mimi and of
course, Zeb Ejiro, Jnr.
Your wife, how did you meet her?
We
met in AJ (Ajegunle) actually. I was just a young boy, moved into one room,
trying to manage myself and by the side of the room was this very large and big
house. So, each time I look at that house, I see fine girls coming out of the
place (Laughing). So many fine girls coming out of the house. Boys, girls, well
looking, well fed. I said ah-ah, who is the owner of this house? They said it’s
one man o; he’s the Area Manager of Glaxo Smithkline. So, I kept eyeing all the
girls. Then, I saw my wife. I said this is the one I want o! To me, this one is
more beautiful, let me take this one. That’s how we met actually.
Most marriages crumble in your sector, but yours has
survived for decades. What would you say has sustained it?
The truth of the
matter is that even in my own marriage, we’ve had ups and downs. We’ve had
wonderful times and we’ve also had terrible times. A lot of people when they
have problems in their marriages, they tend to watch TV soap operas, read books
for them to correct it. But I tell them that there is no way you can correct
your marriage or live your marital life watching soap operas or seeing how it
is done in soap operas.
The only way is through Christ. If you put your marriage
in the hands of Christ, it can never crumble. Don’t forget that when the people
were hungry and the disciples went to Christ to say how do we feed these
people? He said what do you have? They said we have 5 loves and 2 fish. What
did God do? He multiplied it. Anything you put in the hands of the Lord does
not come back the same way. It’s not possible, because He’s God and His word
cannot change.
Anything you put in His hands definitely cannot come
back the same. It must multiply. So, when you put your marriage in the hands of
the Lord, you will find out that when the downs come, it will be solved on its
own. You will be able to handle it, because what is it about life? It’s all
about forgiveness. I’m so deep in the Lord. There is nothing that I do without
calling the Great Man up there. Because if you look at my background, I’m not
supposed to be where I am today. That’s the truth. But today, I can
categorically hit my chest that I am one of the biggest movie makers in Africa.
I can as well say that I have not even started, I have
not even touched the surface of my success because what God has in stock for
me, I have not even done it. I’m very fit. I don’t fall sick. The only time I’m
sick is due to fatigue. I’m so fit at my age. Some of my colleagues
cannot even move properly any more. So, it is not me. It is God! So, in
marriage, what has kept me going all these years is God. Like I said, we’ve had
terrible times.
But when I say Father, come, I didn’t bring myself here
o! I mean it o! You brought me here o! And I’m giving you the authority to make
the decision in this marriage. Everything! Show the direction. My own is to
follow. He doesn’t fail. And that is what God wants. What He wants is you must
recognize Him, you must give Him that honour.
See, what I do these days – when people get married,
when other people are buying TV, I go and buy that cassette titled The Making
of a Marriage and each couple, they call me back to say Zeb, your gift is the
best of all the things we got. The Making of a Marriage by Pastor John Hagee.
It’s a series. When you listen to it, it will tell you that…Look, my marriage
got to the point where, oh my God! I don’t want to say those terrible things
here.
I was in the church one day, my pastor; I go to
Household of God, Chris Okotie. My pastor said something. Okay, let me tell you
something. I was arguing with my friends one day and I said if a marriage
succeeds, it’s the man. If a marriage fails, it’s the man. Not the woman. When
I said this, my friends said hey, Zeb! Which one is your own sef? Leave dis
tin! A marriage, if it fails, succeeds, it’s the woman. I said no!
I asked a simple question – who is the head of the
family? They said the man. Who is the person that God has given authority? They
said it’s the man. Who is the driver of the marriage? They said the man. Who
did God give the power and say you are the head, make the decision of this
marriage? They said it is the man and I said so, why are you arguing with me?
You the man; if you are running your business and your business is crashing,
won’t you find a way to make that business to work? When it comes to your wife
and you think she’s so terrible, why can’t you apply the same thing here? By
the time I finished, my friends, they were just looking at me like this and I
got that from a book I read and it’s true.
My pastor said something in church one day. He said that
when there is trouble in the house, in your home, the devil is attacking the
wife. The devil enters the house through the woman. So, you the man, you must
realize that at that time the woman is misbehaving, the devil is attacking her.
So, it’s your responsibility as the man to help her. Take that devil off her
that moment. Because if not, the thing will destroy the marriage and it is
true.
Controversy rules and reigns in your sector. What is the
best way to avoid it? Especially for the stars…
As
I sit here, I cannot say I’m a saint. I have my own shortcomings as a human
being. But you get to a particular point in life where you don’t allow scandals
to get close to you. The new generation of stars we have now do one thing that
is also allowed in showbiz – create scandals! Because it sells like wildfire.
So, most times, when you see these scandals, they are cooked scandals. In the
days of Ripples we did it. They do it in Hollywood…
(Interruption) – But there are those that are real? That’s
the one we are talking about…
For those ones that are real, I
think the much you can do is to talk to them. To say stop! What they do after
they’ve left you; you cannot control. But I think people should try as much as
possible to stay out of scandals. That is my own advice. But I can’t place my
finger on what they should do to stop (Laughing). My advice is just be careful.
Presido! God has been so
nice and kind to you. What more do you want from Him?
The
only thing I ask from God, seriously and sincerely, is for Him to help me know
Him more. I know Him, but I don’t think I know Him enough yet. We ask questions
at times in my church. And I must give it to my pastor. The man knows the Bible
so much. So, a lady stood up and said the Bible said we should not worry, but
there are so many problems in this world. Why won’t we be worried? And he
(Okotie) told the lady to stick to the Bible.
Initially when he said that
thing, I said ah-ah! What is Pastor saying? But since I knew Christ, I don’t
think of what I will eat the next day. Most of the businesses I’ve gotten
recently, I didn’t apply for them. I got them through phone calls. Hello! Are
you Zeb Ejiro? Please, we need you in our office so, so day. And you go there;
it’s a multi-million naira business. That is the little I’ve know Him o! Come
say if I know am well! (Laughing).
It’s obvious that you are
now deep into religion and all that. Did you embrace Christ due to old age or
there was an issue? How did you gravitate towards the knowledge and acceptance
of Christ?
Normally, something must push you to the Lord (General
laughter). In my own case, it’s not old age. My own is about life’s situation.
At a point, I looked at myself and I said I have dined with the poor, the mighty
and powerful, I’ve travelled, I’ve done everything. So, what next? And that is
the truth. Azuh, there’s nothing in this life. It’s all vanity.
The only thing you can hold;
as we end this world, the only thing you can take back home is Christ. You can’t
take back the 25-storey building. The fine clothes, the good body that you are
polishing; it’s good to look good. Everything that you have, you are not taking
any. But it’s good to have them. However, when you have them, use them to
glorify people, use them to help people. That’s what you should do; and the
only thing you can hold when your time has come and your Father has called you
to go, is Christ!
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