Annoying Things Fans Do To Me Nkem Owoh

Nkem Owoh is a star and there is no controversy over that.  Starting out as a script writer, the engineer from Enugu State is sitting pretty on top of his career and game.  He took us on a journey into the innermost recess of his life.  Enjoy…


 ENCOMIUM:           What is the meaning of your song I go chop your dollar?

NKEM OWOH:          I go chop your Dollar is theme music of a film I did, which was a big misunderstanding.  The title of the film is The Master where I played the role of a drug baron.  I got a lot of threat.  I extracted the theme music because people said the song was nice and everyone is complaining as if I was the head of 419, I will sing such.


 ENCOMIUM:           Many people feel the song will dent the country’s image and promote cyber crime?

NKEM OWOH:          It is the people who feel inferior already.  In US, people sing worst things but nobody pays attention.  Now, it came from one Nigerian and everyone is complaining.  I don’t like 419 and I want to fight it.


 ENCOMIUM:           We never knew you to be a musician.        

NKEM OWOH:          In fact, I don’t know what I will do tomorrow, but there is something about creativity.  If you follow the line of creativity, you will find out that music, drama and sports go together.  You will see musicians go into acting, actors going into singing.  They are interrelated.  Why people noticed this is because I now brought it out as music.  After all, I have been doing all the theme music for my films.


 ENCOMIUM:           What were you doing before you started acting?   

NKEM OWOH:          I am an Engineer by certificate.  I worked with WAPCO Engineering, but I can’t say before I started acting professionally.  I have worked with both radio and TV.  I started my career in the entertainment industry, as a script writer.  A lot of people didn’t know that many of the episodes of Masquerade was written by me.  I was writing the whole script of Basi and Company because at a time Ken Saro Wiwa couldn’t write again.  When I was working on TV, I was doing TV drama and I was popular in Enugu. I now found out  that it’s like I have humour in me, because even when I talk, people laugh.  They advised me not to stay behind the camera.


 ENCOMIUM:           So you abandoned Engineering?

NKEM OWOH:          I didn’t abandon engineering.  Where will you practice engineering in Nigeria?  I don’t think there is an engineering structure in Nigeria because engineers are not recognized; it is only them that recognize themselves, which is very unfortunate.


 ENCOMIUM:           You are one of the highest paid actors in Nigeria, can you tell us how much you are worth now?

NKEM OWOH:          Nobody does that.  When people say I am the highest paid, I believe there are other kinds of payments, but if people say I am the highest paid, then so be it.  Why will I tell you how much I am worth?  How much does your president earn, nobody knows.


 ENCOMIUM:           How has acting helped you financially?

NKEM OWOH:          I am not complaining financially.  By the special grace of God, if I check the development level of this industry now, I won’t complain, but I will complain bitterly because when I get that money, the percentage of the money that gets to me is very small.  There are other things that take it because of the economy.


 ENCOMIUM:           Did you envisage this success at the time you started?

NKEM OWOH:          If you do not plan  for something, I doubt if you will get that thing.  Even when I was in secondary school, the UNN used to come to take me to act some in their drama department.  I have always had that vision, but I didn’t have a career adviser which happened to a lot of people during our own time.  Our parents then are those that will say doctor, engineer and lawyer.  Particularly if you are above average and I happened to be an above average student.  In fact, I was first admitted to study medicine before I later went for engineering.  Everyone should always pray to achieve success.  You must have a vision.


 ENCOMIUM:           What inspires your creativity as a humorous activity?

NKEM OWOH:          Things that happen around me.  Do you know that Nigeria is full of comedy, but people don’t know.  I am a script maniac; I go about with my jotter to write things that happen around me.


 ENCOMIUM:           As a top actor, what determines the kind of scripts you accept?

NKEM OWOH:          I determine the type of script I accept.  As an actor, you must know what you are good at.   But nobody can call me to act pornography.  In fact, I have problems with producers because I reject scripts.  I cannot accept a bad script just because I want to be sentimental.  I don’t want to sacrifice reason for sentiments.


 ENCOMIUM:           What do you have to say about nudity in the industry?

NKEM OWOH:          I don’t think there is so much nudity for now.  Do you know that the film that sells most are those that have some form of nudity, intimate romance in them?  There is not so much nudity now.  But because people now see that a lot of people buy that, producers are encouraged to produce nude films because it sells.  Glamour Girls sold more than most films during its own time.  We have to sanitize the society from the top.


 ENCOMIUM:           How challenging is acting for your?

NKEM OWOH:          It is something I like to do but at times the challenges wither down because of some practitioners who do not want to grasp the nucleus of film industry.  They just want money that comes with it.  For instance, this man sold in Ukwa.  In Ukwa, he acted as Patience Ozokwor’s brother.  Let us act another story where he will act as Patience Ozokwor’s husband.  At a stage, there was no challenge until Osuofia in London.  I initiated the film.  Great Movies would have been the first to do that film but they started asking me where can we use in London, and I told them no, let us go to London.  That was three years ago, before Kingsley Ogoro brought the idea.  He is someone that I like his guts.  That was a challenge because of the cross-cultural thing there.


 ENCOMIUM:           what problems do you think Nollywood is facing?

NKEM OWOH:          Interpersonal civilization.  There is no plan for the future, no basic plan for the industry and that is why the industry doesn’t have a structure now, and anything goes.  No distribution system, and that is the greatest problem of the industry.


 ENCOMIUM:           What advantages do you enjoy as an actor?

NKEM OWOH:          Goodwill is one of them.  For you to function, they give preference.  It tells a lot about what you do and now it cuts across.  At times when I am late for a flight and they delay it, it gives me joy.  It makes me do more because it tells me that there are people there who appreciate what I am doing and at times they upgrade you, even though you didn’t buy first class or business class.


 ENCOMIUM:           Disadvantages?

NKEM OWOH:          It has its own negative side.  You go to a function, a lot of people are hailing and dragging, some people think that what you act is what you are.  I walk pass and they will be saying, ‘Osuofia come and greet us and make us laugh.  I try as much as possible to wave and be polite but I am a titled man, some times people remove my cap and start using it to beat my head.  And it can be very embarrassing.


 ENCOMIUM:           You said you are a titled man, can you let us into some of your titles?

NKEM OWOH:          I have been given a title in Mbaise.  I have be given a title in my own town.  Even the Ohaneze Ndigbo here has given me a title.  I try to hold my culture in high esteem.  If I carry it culturally,  I might not be free to do a lot of things that I do now.


 ENCOMIUM:           We know you have other businesses aside of acting?

NKEM OWOH:          In this industry, God has helped me.  I have a film institute in Surulere called Nonks Training School; I have cameras for rent.  I have a branch office in Enugu, where I market film accessories.  I have international engagements now because we are making a lot of noise but we lack status.


 ENCOMIUM:           What is your greatest achievement?

NKEM OWOH:          Having my film school and being able to teach others.  Even those that are not enrolled in my school call me to get my advice.  I advice them not to do like me, but do better than me.  I have something financially.  I have houses and landed properties.


 ENCOMIUM:           Tell us about your background…

NKEM OWOH:          I went to St. Paul’s Primary School, Nsukka, secondary was at Anglican Grammar School.  From there to University of Ilorin, but something happened and I had to finish in IMT, Enugu, where I did Engineering.  Before I gained admission, I was working with ESBS, then it was Anambra Broadcasting.  I worked as a stringer.  Later, I became a presenter.  I did my service in 1984.  I worked with WAPCO Engineering a bit in 1987.  In 1988, I became a writer for Basi and Company.  I also worked for Masquerade till 2000.  in fact, it was writing I was known for.  I am one of the accredited writers for NTA.


 ENCOMIUM:           We don’t get to hear about your married life?

NKEM OWOH:          I am married with four children, three girls and a boy.  My wife’s name is Ngozi.  She used to act before, and we got married in 1998.  why you don’t hear about my family is because I don’t like to expose them.


 ENCOMIUM:           You served in 1984 and got married in 1998, was that not too long?

NKEM OWOH:          I met my wife in 1984 and wedded in 1998.  We decided to have a long courtship.


 ENCOMIUM:           Will you like any of your children to take after you?

NKEM OWOH:          I will like it, but I don’t want to force them.  I want them to develop their own interest for it.


 ENCOMIUM:           You seem to be a very strict man.

NKEM OWOH:          Let’s not call it strict, but I am conservative to a level, because of the orientation and the way I was brought up.  I was brought up in a religious way.  They didn’t allow us to grow weird.  My father was a retired soldier and was very strict.


 ENCOMIUM:           What kind of person is Nkem Owoh?

NKEM OWOH:          I am a philanthropist.  I love to help people.  I have an open mind.