Tony Ogaga and Anibeze Sylvester
For over five decades, veteran filmmaker, Eddy Ugbomah has been in the forefront of motion picture production in Nigeria. To date, he is the only African to have shot 13 films on celluloid.
Aside from being a former director general of Nigerian Film Corporation, Ugboma is currently an adviser to the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFCVB).
Ugboma, who clocks 76 on Monday, December 19, has one wish: he wants the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, to give him a special birthday gift. But what could this be? It’s all in this interview the septuagenarian granted The Entertainer.
You’ll clock 76 on Monday, how do you feel?
I found out that people outside appreciate me more than all those I have worked hard for. When I turned 70, I expected the industry to celebrate me but my constituency disappointed me. The only person that celebrated me was the former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola. Okowa just gave me an award for 25 years of Delta State. He should have celebrated an old man like they did to Pete Edoche and others by giving me a house, a car or some reasonable money to survive with, and not just clap and shake hands with me.
I told my children that when I die, they shouldn’t take me out of Lagos. You know why? It is because I have chieftaincy titles from five different states, so if I die, my body is going to cause chieftaincy confusion in five states. They will all want to claim the body, and so to save my children the agony, I told them ‘just bury me in Lagos and forget it’.
So, how are you celebrating your birthday?
I am celebrating with my family and close friends at my country home, and not even one Nollywood personality will be invited, because since we started this, it is only a few of them that have tried. All they are saying is that there is no money but when they want to do other things they get money, and when it is time to celebrate a pioneer of the movie industry, they say there is no money. The federal government gave me two national honours. I was the chairman of Nigerian Film Corporation and adviser to the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board. Everything I got was on merit. I am worth all my achievements.
So, talking about my 76th birthday, there have been lots of write-ups in the media. The media is appreciating me. I have radio and television stations lined up for interviews. I am going to be on Channels, AIT, Muri International and Silverbird TV. And talking about print media, The Sun is my number one paper and they have already started their own contributions and making me proud and happy. It is just going to be me, my friends and children; we will share a bottle of wine and there will be plenty of palm wine and goat meat with lots of turkey to eat.
Right now, there is a bill in the National Assembly that seeks to merge Nigerian Film Corporation with Nigerian Video Censors Board. What is the implication of this for Nollywood?
The bill is like a secret takeover of the industry by one man who is a water engineer. I don’t know why the industry should allow him to stay for over four years at the Nigerian Film Corporation. And one thing we should thank God for is that, at last, stakeholders are reacting. They stormed the House of Representatives penultimate Tuesday and Wednesday to protest this indirect takeover. The man wants to take over MOPICON Bill and all the guilds. He is saying that all the guilds should register with the Nigerian Film Corporation. Where in the world has that happened before? Not even in Hollywood. The reverse should be the case. They should be begging to join us because they are collecting N1.5 billion from the national budget to service the industry annually, but instead of serving us, they want to hijack the industry. If you read the bill, you will find out that there is an attempt by this man to elevate his film institute into a university. When I left as chairman of Nigerian Film Corporation, I left behind an N88 million film laboratory but it has crashed. Now I ask, how can someone like this have the effrontery to say he wants to take over the industry?
Now, tell us about your hall of fame and gallery?
What I want is how I can get the Lagos State Government to acquire my gallery. The gallery is for movies and moviemakers. And I also want Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s support to publish my autography. The gallery is all about Nigerian film and entertainment. It has almost 145 portraits of filmmakers right from 1945 till date. It has people like the late Segun Olusola, Femi Robinson, Jab Adu, Rex Lawson, and Chief Eleyimi among a host of others. I have their portraits, which come with their last interviews. This place where we are right now is hidden, so I am expecting Lagos State and the Federal Government to reach out to me. As we are speaking, my letter is on the table of Governor Ambode. They have written to me that the governor is looking into my request, and I trust the art-loving governor that he will do it. I want them to mount this gallery in Alausa or the former state house, which has been given to Lagos State to turn into tourist a center. I want Lagos State to mount this gallery there because I want the people of Lagos to see the history of the movie industry. I also did the same thing with musicians like Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Oliver De Coque among others. Nigerians can now see their portraits and know our history. So, this is the special birthday gift I want from Governor Ambode.