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| John Asiemo a.k.a Daddy Shokey, Galala Music Exponent |
My interest in entertainment or showbusiness started as far back as 1977, when I was barely 15. At that time, my friends, the late Peter Adama and Chukwuka Anyinonwa, and I would go round our neighbourhood and around neighbouring towns and villages, organising disco parties for a fee.
Some of the disc jockeys we worked with at that time included Derry Jay and Timoore Alor (?), natives of Onicha-Ugbo in Delta State, Nigeria, U.T. Toxy, and Osmond Ray.
My love for entertainment soared in 1991, two years after my graduation as a journalist, when I started writing of entertainment stories for different media organisations, that I worked for.
With the experience I garnered at those media houses, I went on to establish my own entertainment magazine called Showboat. The magazine, in its maiden edition, featured the Pretty Busy Boys, Daddy Fresh and Daddy Shokey’s first musical group, which was based at the Oluwa Street (?) area of Ajegunle in Lagos.
Due to some misunderstandings between me and the financier of Showboat, the magazine’s stay on earth was ephemeral. Following the exit of Showboat, I decided to go into book-writing. My first book entitled: Living On Love, a romance novel, was completed in the dying part of 1997.
While I was contacting some local and foreign publishers for a publishing contract for the novel, an idea to turn the book into a movie showed up in my head. That triggered my interest to return to the Nigerian entertainment industry.
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| Richard Mofe-Damijo, Nigerian Veteran Actor |
The first challenge I faced after my decision to make a movie out of the book was how to find a sponsor for the movie project. After several months of a thorough search, I found one, who promised to do everything possible to guarantee the success of the proposed movie.
The next challenge I had, after sorting out the sponsorship palaver, was how to make a selection of the right actors and actresses for the movie. That challenge was later surmounted with the assistance of a friend of mine, Tony Wyse, a member of Zeb Ejiro’s movie empire.
Two of the people I planned to use as actors in that movie were Richard Mofe-Damijo, an already established actor, and the very young and handsome Jim Iyke (real name, James Ikechukwu Esomugha), who was just starting out in the movie industry at that time. I think I still have Jim Iyke’s 1997 studio photograph he submitted for that purpose.
MY REGRETS
Like Showboat, the movie project also failed. It failed because my sponsor failed to fulfill his promise. That forced me to abandon the project, since I couldn’t raise the money required to produce the movie alone.
That unexpected disappointment from my sponsor almost caused me hyper-tension. I was so sad that I couldn’t eat for days.
Some of the actors and actresses that were to feature in the movie were also not happy. They kept visiting my office, hoping and praying for me to find another sponsor, but unfortunately that became the end of the road for the movie business.
I may not have contributed to the development of the Nigerian entertainment industry, as much as I had wished, yet my spirit and soul is still with the industry and its professionals. I constantly wish both the industry and its professionals well.
KUDOS TO NIGERIAN ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
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| The Duo of Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme a.k.a Aki & Paw Paw |
Some years ago, there was nothing to write home about the Nigerian entertainment industry. At that time, music, acting and comedy, for example, were seen and regarded as mere hobbies, whose practitioners were not taken seriously.
But today, things are constantly looking up for the industry. The industry has simply become the beautiful bride that almost everybody is proud of and happy to associate with.
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For example, the industry is now vibrant and self-sustaining, as well as viable like the banking and telecommunication industries. It is also comparable to other thriving entertainment industries from other parts of the world.
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| Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, a.k.a Wizkid, one of Nigeria’s Current and Hottest Musicians |
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As a result of this heart-warming development, the Nigerian entertainment industry deserves to be commended. I hereby give it and its professionals seven gunshots salute: Gboooza! Gboooza! Gboooza! Gboooza! Gboooza! Gboooza! Gboooza!
OUR PROMISE
In addition to my commendation, we the people of www.naijatipsblog.com hereby promise to:
- Continually commend, appreciate and encourage Nigerian entertainers by way of sincere remarks, advice, suggestions and constructive criticisms;
- Report accurately, promote and project, in good light, their activities to the world;
- Help export their services for the purpose of boosting Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings;
- Constantly provide their fans with accurate news and information about them and their activities; and
- Help discover budding entertainment talents in Nigeria and guide them to stardom.
Long live Nigerian musicians, actors, actresses, comedians, and comediennes, among others, who have continued to have faith in the Nigerian entertainment industry!
Kudos To Nigerian Entertainment Industry..
Long live Nigerian entertainment industry!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
