As Nnamdi Azikwe, Obafemi Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello were struggling to free Nigeria from the colonial masters, we were lucky that in 1956 to 1960 when we got our independence, oil was not flowing well from Oloibri in Niger Delta. If oil had been flowing well, we wouldn't get our freedom.
All the soldier boys would have been hard working house servants in uniforms and other citizens would have been maiguards, cooks, steward, cleaners and drivers.
As God would have it, we escaped the Apartheid treatment and people are making noise about how we were liberated. Just go to South Africa today, the Blacks are still inferior to the Whites due to the intimidation they went through. Everybody is shouting Nelson Mandela, was he the only freedom fighter? No, he was just one thickheaded man who refused to crack after over 20 years in jail.
Look at our thieving leaders− when they are caught, these lazy men are afraid of jail. They remember that they have bad heart, stomach, kidneys, liver etc, but when they were looting, they were not sick.
In Nigeria, we have opportunity to grow but instead, we are found cheating, being tribalistic, engaging in religious bigotry and cruelty. That is the big problem with the entire nation called Nigeria; what can the handful of the clique that ruled Nigeria in uniforms and agbada for 35 years show in growth for this nation?
Now, some people are craving for the return of 'property' presidency. How they have earned the right to this claim I don't know. Instead of letting the country grow, they want to keep this God-blessed nation down.
I am sad that the same problems are in the movie world. Have any of those pretending to be young producers ever made a film that could compare to Aiye, Black President, Mosebiolatan, Sango, Oyenusi or Ijere? Not even one that we can remember one week after release.
These kids have the benefit of technology to grow or improve, but they lack commitment, patriotism and style for filmmaking. Producers won awards with their high-tech films like Rwanda, Blood Diamond, 300 and Star Wars; so what is the excuse of these Nigerian video producers. If we can't find good writers in Nigeria who will treat our stories well, what is wrong in inviting good movie scriptwriters to write our untouched stories, epics, thrillers?
The Northerners have not tried to shoot any film on their Othman Dan Fodio, or the Igbos on the genuine facts of Biafran War, or the Yorubas on the Oduduwa, Afonja legend. I have gone through some of the stories most of the filmmakers or let me call them videographers, are craving to collect millions for; it is an abuse to our eyes.
If the Nigerian filmmakers can forget cash and make acceptable and wise African films, cash will flow. My old films Black President, The Mask and Oil Doom are still historically relevant stories in African societies.
I have got three major scripts on Niger Delta, Adaka Boro and 100 years of Nigeria but I can't convince the powers that be for the cash to shoot my epics. When I drop dead −which is not now by the grace of God− hypocrites will come there to say good things about me. There is a special award called "Living Gems" but the powers that be haven't invited me for it.
Anyway, it took over 25 years before I was given Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON. I have tried to talk sense to former video investors that if they team up their resources, they can access the intervention cash.
These marketers are dubious and some of them are now in South Africa, Ireland, Europe and US working as waiters, guards, gravediggers or railway porters. They never care to protect the video industry, nor do they want to it to grow.
They are satisfied with their fourpart films that aren't worth one full story. Now that President Goodluck Jonathan decided to intervene with financial grants, the guardians of the cash won't let us enjoy the financial intervention because they are asking for our houses, bank account etc. I wish these people know the pains people go through to raise cash to shoot real films.
I want to shoot one special film for my 73rd birthday and launch my hot 'pepper soup' called "Autobiography", but I am finding it hard to raise the funds.
I have told my children in Nigeria, London and New York to help me raise for N50m. I have also written my two state governors, Babatunde Fashola and Emmanuel Uduaghan to help; I hope they will.
The growth of the industry is not totally lost because of people like Kunle Afolayan, Tarila Thompson and Jeta Amata who are aiming high with their productions in cash and crew input.
One question I want to ask why is it that whenever we want to shoot major films, we rush for foreign crew; are our technicians not growing up?
I said it before, 'it is not easy to grow up'. I wish Afolayan, Tarila, and Jetta success and I pray they make their money back so as to continue making films like our generation- their fathers- did.
