Okechukwu Mac-Anthony, better known as Okey Bakassi straddles the world of acting and stand-up comedy with startling ease. He spoke about his career and developments in the industry.
What project are you working on at the moment?
There is something always happening in the life of an entertainer as long as you are still an entertainer. My personal project occupying my time now is my laundry business. I started the business about a year ago. We need to keep people clean from time to time. We also need to diversify the business.
Why is it difficult for comedians to have a formidable guild or union?
You need to know how many years it took other bodies to come up and the many sacrifices they made. I am a member of the Board of Trustees of the AGN and I know what it took us to set up the body. We are in the process of doing that for comedians. These things don’t happen overnight.
We need consultations. The process is ongoing. I can authoritatively tell you as one of the brains behind the formation of AGN, that it took us time and consultations. We were discouraged by some stakeholders. At the end of the day, we triumphed and now everybody wants to occupy leadership position in AGN but when we started, it was tough.
The AGN had survived one crisis too many; what do you think is responsible for the constant in-fighting?
Even those who are not actors understand what is happening in AGN. It is very unfortunate and regrettable that people, who are in the creative business and are meant to be more interested in their area of core competence which is to keep people happy, are busy expending their energies on causing political confusion.
It is very unfortunate and I must single out somebody like Emeka Ike, who I respect so much, as someone who has been in the industry for a while and so, I expect him to comport himself. But, the reverse is the case. They are not setting the right example.
Don’t you think this is as a result of involvement of AGN in party politics?
Man is essentially a political animal and at some point in your life you decide to express that part of you, you cannot begrudge anybody for participating in whatever form of politics. It is the maturity that people bring into the conduct that we are worried about.
A lot of people criticised AGN for coming out to identify with PDP, but I tell you that at the level we are now, if we don’t have input in the polity, then we are useless. It surprises me when people criticise us for going to Abuja, but I tell them if we don’t support or criticise government, then we are not playing our complete role as citizens of this country. The media played a key role in this as they gave people platform to abuse Nollywood. The media didn’t for one day criticise people in Nollywood who supported APC. The media was partisan.
Have you any regret for pitching your tent against Buhari?
I am not anti-Buhari. I supported Jonathan. I have no regret for taking that decision. Jonathan supported Nollywood more than any other leader Nigeria has had. It is not even about the money or the grant, which was meant to support Nollywood and lot of our people benefited from it.
I didn’t benefit from it neither did I benefit from the trainings overseas which lots of people benefited from. A man who recognised that your industry has contributed to the GDP of the country and has given you an opportunity to interface with government, to me is worth celebrating and deserves all the support.
We have governments, even at state levels that will shut their doors at practitioners; this is a government that operated an open-door policy. We must support people who support us. We can’t say because people hate you, we will hate you. That is against the law of natural justice.
If somebody supports you, you should stand up and support them in their time of need irrespective of what people feel. All those criticizing us for supporting Jonathan are haters or people who don’t have conscience. What we did was very right. That he didn’t win is a different kettle of fish and now that we have a new president, everybody must rally round President Buhari to make the country work. When we have a government in power it is for us to support the government so we can have a Nigeria we all can be proud of.
It is not just about Nollywood, but we want a better Nigeria. We will come out and criticize President Buhari if he fails to do the right thing. All hands must be on deck now to support them and give the necessary support. Already the bar has been set high by Jonathan so we expect him to recognise Nollywood as an industry that contributes to the development of the country. We expect them to help us solve the recurring menace of piracy.
You are one of those who were paid heavily during the campaigns?
No politician gave me a dime for campaigning for him or her. I speak for myself and I challenge anyone to confront me.
Which comes first between comedy and acting?
I have passion for both. So, I don’t know which comes first. I love acting and shows very much. But they come in season. When you get to a certain stage in your career, you must be able to show some level of professionalism. It is that level of professionalism that will pave way for the upcoming ones.
What are some of the qualities a comedian must possess to excel?
He must have originality, spontaneity and continuity. Be a master story teller. You have to have that craftsmanship of a story teller. You must be spontaneous in your jokes. You have to be original; don’t depend on people’s jokes. That is why you see some comedian fade way because they depend on other people’s joke. Just depend on God’s given talent and you will get there.
What will you say has contributed to your rise in the industry?
Hard work and humility are my secrets. I am very happy where I am because happiness is a thing of the mind.
