What and who led you to Christ?
The good news is that I was born into a
Christian home. I grew up being
self-righteous and disciplined. I knew the
difference between good and evil. Whenever
I sinned, I had a guilty conscience and shed
tears. You know being born-again is not
something you just start doing on your own.
You have to be led. So I was working as a
civil servant and had a friend who lived in
the same compound with me. This guy was
guilty in all the vices smokes Indian hemp,
drinks, womanizes all of a sudden, I saw
this guy carrying the Bible going to Full
Gospel Businessmen Fellowship. I was
surprised. Then, irrespective of his status
as an average businessman, he was carrying
the Bible and boldly telling people that he
was now a born-again Christian. I
confronted him and he quietly explained to
me the steps. I followed him the next week
and made the altar call even though it
wasn't easy. That was in 1994.
Who was your superhero as a child?
As a child, I loved James Bond so much. I
loved his movies. There was another movie I
loved a lot and that was Incredible Hawk. I
liked the way his muscles grew. That was
one thing that attracted me to movies. The
way he would change his face, his arms would
swell up, he would start pulling down
houses; I felt he was really doing those
things so…Oh my God (general laughter)!
From your films, you appear as one who has a
taste for good music. So who are your
favourite musicians?
I am a very funny kind of person. I like
good sounding music. What I like in music
is the rhythm. Most of the songs I like, I
don't even know what they are saying. I
might not know the lyrics but I dance to
them even when I am driving. I like R.
Kelly. Sometimes, he might not be singing
gospel songs; but you notice that his songs
always have a message. Another person I
like is Sonny Okosuns. When you listen to
any of his songs, you would just know that
this guy has a dream. For instance, you
hear songs like 'which way Nigeria? Which
way to go? I love my fatherland…' That is
why these days, I get worried by the type of
songs we hear. You hear songs with some
immoral, meaningless contents that you would
wonder what message the artistes are trying
to pass across.
What is your favourite food?
Seriously, I like African food. I like
soups. Most people don't know that soup
alone is a balanced diet. I can drink soup
without eating any garri or akpu with it
because I am watching my weight.
Name one person you would you really like
you meet if given a chance.
Osama Bin Laden! I want to ask him why he
does what he does.
What do you do when you go on internet?
First of all, I check my e-mails. Then I do
a lot of reading about various subjects
because there is nothing you can't find on
the net. When I need to buy things like for
my film-making, I surf the net first before
making my purchase. You know the film world
is very dynamic.
I noticed Chimamanda Adichie's Half of a
Yellow Sun on our table. Have you read it?
What do you think about this novel?
I think it is one of the best books I have
read. When you consider that age of the
writer, you would be amazed at her wealth of
experience. She appears so knowledgeable in
some issues that one can even use for a
movie. If possible, she is someone I would
encourage to come into our movie industry.
