Nigerian Movie Star Profile
Chidi
Mokeme
I’ m Not A Man Of Scandals - — GQ Chidi Mokeme, Ultimate Search Anchorman/Actor
He’s a born artiste. But his parents wanted him to go for
the sciences and he obeyed them. After his secondary education
at the Federal Government College, Minna, he settled for
computer science.
Pharmacy was actually his first choice,
but no thanks to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board
(JAMB) which played its usual frustrating and discouraging
role, he attended the Institute of Management and
Technology (IMT), Enugu.
That was merely to satisfy his
parents’ wish. Chidi Mokeme was art-inclined but couldn’t
oppose them as they knew better and called the shots
then.
Today, it is a different story. Art has eventually
characterized in practical terms his life and runs through it,
he has visibly gone more places; earned more fame and fortune,
as well as garnered more respect which he mightn’t have done
if he had embraced what he studied in the higher
institution.
Chidiebere Geoffrey Azubuike Mokeme, born
close to 33years ago in Ogidi, Anambra State, hails from Oba,
Idemili LGA of the state. He is one man that many people now
see as a role model, an actor, model, fashion designer
and businessman.
The tall, handsome, baritone-voiced and
amiable young man added another feather to his cap when he
successfully presented Nigeria’s First Reality TV show, the
Gulder Ultimate Search, courtesy Nigerian Breweries Plc.
He
opened up on a wide range of issues recently in what could
easily be described as a forced interview having ‘dodged’ it
on account of tight schedules over the past months.
How has
life been after the ‘ultimate’ experience, which visibly
launched him into greater heights?“It’s been good. To some
extent, you can say that it took me to more places and
increased my fan base, being a programme that ran daily on
national television, as well as a on cable station. So my fan
base went wider than it used to be.”
You returned to movie
locations immediately after?
“Yes, I’m back to the
locations. I still design but for selected people since I
rarely have time. I’ve been busy making so many movies. What
saves the situation is that I make their clothes in bulk so it
sustains them for a while before they request for new ones.”
One man into three big-time deals. Which one of them
sustains him more?
“The movies basically pay the bills. And
how did he escape the recent ban on some of his
colleagues? What’s his opinion about the ban?
“Like I
have always maintained, the whole ban episode must have come
as a result of dissatisfaction by the marketers as regards the
way certain artistes have carried themselves in delivering
their duties. I pride myself as a professional. When I take a
job, I try to put everything into it and I like to
concentrate. Acting is a very mental kind of job and if you
don’t focus completely, you won’t bring out the desired
effect. As a result, the producer on the long run who has made
the movie for commercial purposes loses his money. I
don’t believe in the idea of having to gather scripts up and
down, here and there, and then holding people to ransom. I’m
speaking not only as an actor but from a businessman’s point
of view. When I invest, I ensure that I make returns. So if
you have people who owing to certain attitude problems, want
to tie down the capital you’ve put into an investment, you’re
bound to react in some way.”
Away from the ban, how
does he manage the largesse that has been tumbling down his
way from different deals? “In all honesty, I must say that I
shouldn’t complain. God has been really fair to me because a
lot of people, way back, who started this race with me, are
nowhere to be found. So, I must say that I’ve done quite well
for myself. I’m looking into the future and I’m very
determined to ensure that I make a success out of my life. I’m
not waiting on luck. Every move that I make is geared towards
more successes.”
Would he remain an actor, a designer or
artist in future? “Acting is something I do with a passion and
there’s nothing like working and getting paid for what you
love doing. So, I’m going to keep acting for as long as
possible because it encompasses every sphere of life.
How
about joining the political train come 2007?
“Come 2007,
I’m looking forward to a lot of projects. I would not want to
divulge them for now. The movie industry is expanding rapidly
that you don’t just have to be an actor to belong. So, I have
plans to see what other areas one can venture into and take
care of in a very professional manner.
Back to the Snake
Island, camp of the Ultimate Search, how was life there?
“Have you lived in a jungle? That’s what happened when we
spent about four weeks there. We all went through the same
experiences but it was fun doing it. I enjoyed every minute of
it.”
And his relationship with the contestants?
“I
think I had an open door policy which, at the same time was
firm. They knew when and how to relate with me and where their
boundaries were.”
So, there was nothing like favouritism in
picking the eventual winner as some people insinuated?
“I’m
hearing that for the first time because it was a live
programme on air for everyone to see. Much as people agree
with the choice of the eventual winner, I’m not sure that most
of the audience were looking towards him to win. If that be
the case, then it answers the question. If they say I was
biased towards one contestant, I wonder why that person didn’t
win.”
How about his largesse from the deal, how much really
did he pocket?
“I think you should ask NBL (laughs). Ask
them, I think I set them back with a lot of money. Anyway,
both parties were reasonable and paid commensurately for the
services rendered. More than the monetary remuneration, it was
more of a relationship-building process. I’m looking forward
to doing it again next year because we’re trying to make sure
that it gets better and bigger.”
Why is Chidi not married
with all the money he is making?
“I’m making sure that I
prepare a good foundation for the woman who’s coming
in.”
The same woman he’s been talking about? We still don’t
know her. “Yes, the same woman. You still don’t know her
because that is the way she wants it. She doesn’t want to be
known.”
When is it going to happen? “Very soon, by God’s
grace.”
Before the end of the year? “The year is already
ended. Don’t put me in a corner. But I tell you, you’ll soon
hear about it. Sooner than it has ever been.”
Is Chidi a
very rich man, how does one describe him with the way
affluence smells around him? “I think I’d like to be described
as someone who has got his eyes at some place and on the right
path towards getting there.”
His parents, who are very much
around — dad, a retired insurance executive and mum, a retired
teacher, are quite happy and now convinced that he towed a
path that suited him.
“Showbiz is addictive. At the onset,
they couldn’t understand what kind of job I was doing. So we
had problems initially but because I loved what I was doing, I
stuck to it. Today, everybody is happier for it.”
He is the
first in a family of four. “By God’s grace, I’m taking care of
my responsibilities.”
Don’t they intrude into your marital
status? “I’m sure they’re probably worried. I mean, with the
kind of industry I’m in where anything can happen. But I know
that they also have faith in me — that I know exactly what I’m
doing.”
How long has he been dating his fiancée?
“This
is the fourth year. If you have to date anybody in the showbiz
industry, you have to be patient. The fact that she is dating
me shows that she has a lot of patience. She is an Igbo like
me, from Ohafia, Abia State.”
He’s had a baby before, from
her?
“Yes, I’ve had a baby before but not from her,.
Sometimes man proposes, God disposes. When I had the baby, the
mum and I were relatively young. He stays with the mum and
visits me during the holidays. He is six years old
now.”
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