Despite recording huge successes and currently being ranked as the third largest moviemaking industry globally, behind Hollywood and Bollywood, passionate and leading filmmaker Zik Zulu-Okafor, in this no-holds-barred interview, insists that Nollywood came into being by accident. Meticulous and cerebral Zulu-Okafor, the producer of wave-making soap, Heaven’s Gate, currently running on MBI, DSTV, and other stations, also spoke on how he intends to use the soap to win more souls for God.
Aside lambasting and calling some moviemakers impostors and interlopers, Zulu-Okafor further accused them of hijacking the industry for their selfish aims. The theatre arts graduate also threw some jabs at the government and corporate bodies for constantly neglecting the industry. The ex-journalist also spoke glowingly on the way forward for the industry, among other germane issues and much more.
Enjoy the interaction!
Let’s begin this interview with your wave-making soap, Heaven’s Gate and how you intend repositioning it for the next level?
We started from Sliverbird TV, but the programme was yanked off air, quite a number of times without informing us, the producers of the programme, which is City of David’s Redeemed Christian Church of God. I was also not informed either. I wrote them a couple of times, to protest such treatment, but the problem kept repeating itself for a very long time and the owners of the programme decided to try elsewhere. Originally, we planned to take it to other stations, in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and other places.
Right now, it’s on MBI. We decided to move, having suffered blackout for a good number of times, in spite of the fact that we paid for such airtime, the owners of the programme decided to look elsewhere and I had no choice, that was how we moved to MBI. Well, we have been on MBI for two quarters now, I’m not advertising them, but we all know they have clarity and a wide reach. They are in Abuja, Lagos, eastern and South-South states.
If this crisis is resolved, do you intend going back to STV?
Well, I don’t know, but the decisions as to where Heaven’s Gate would run depends entirely on the City of David. I only carry out their instructions. Aside MBI, it is also running on DSTV. I think it is reaching out and at the appropriate time, they would definitely take it to other stations. Heaven’s Gate is not just a drama or soap, it’s a ministration. It is an instrument for disseminating the gospel. It’s something that has to do with God, and City of David has pastors who are deeply rooted and entrenched in the service of God than I am. They pray for the government, the artistes and anything and I know that God directs them appropriately on where to go and how to go at any time.
How did you conceive and create Heaven’s Gate for RCCG?
Well City of David and the Apapa family of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, used to have big events and bring international artistes and I was usually invited to always come and cover it. After covering it for a couple of times, the late pastor Eskor Mfon, who was in charge of City of David, felt I was very professional in my approach and invited me. He sent my own pastor, Femi Obawaya to invite me. At the invitational chat, he told me he had a vision to use drama to disseminate the gospel and asked if I could. I told him I studied drama and understood my subject and could do it properly. He later gave me an idea of what he wanted and told me to go and think about it. I eventually left and came back with the story of Heaven’s Gate. After reading the synopsis, he prayed for me and said he was very sure; I was the person he was looking for. This happened in 2004, it also came on air that same year.
What would you say are the major challenges so far?
The challenges are no doubt enormous, but the truth is that City of David and late Pastor Eskor were and are, still a delight to work with. Pastor Eskor, perhaps, remains the most significant factor in my entire working life. City of David’s parish has also taught me how to excel and do things with the spirit of excellence. Normally, when you work with organizations as complex as the church, there are a lot of bureaucracies, but in City of David, the pastor, after reading my first episode, told me I was in tune with his vision and that I was an instrument he was going to use to translate that vision into a concrete reality and then we started. Since then, I have never requested for anything they did not grant. They have made sure that the resources needed to produce that soap excellently are provided. I have worked with them for four years now and it has been a smooth journey.
As an accomplished film and soap producer, what is the next level for you?
Well, I would draw inspiration from Heaven’s Gate to do my next soap. For now, let’s leave the title till I’m set, but it is still an inspirational soap. I can’t embark on any project that people will not learn from. We are doing this new movie so that Nigerians will say that this guy is coming from a background of excellence, which Heaven’s Gate has provided. Despite doing my own soap, I also believe that Heaven’s Gate will run forever, because it’s a ministration, unless we are saying that the church will end. We will continue to send the message of the gospel to the world through Heaven’s Gate. Reach out to those in the dark, because the world is constantly in turmoil. City of David provides the light for those in the dark, to see that this is the way to go. So, Heaven’s Gate has to run continuously, but for me, pastor Eskor, remains my inspiration.
As a passionate and leading voice in Nollywood, we would like you to share your vision and mission with us.
With the support of City of David, I believe that Heaven’s Gate would go beyond the frontiers of Nigeria to spread the word over. Every day, we are dreaming of improving the quality of our production and we have consistently done this every quarter. I want to believe that someday Heaven’s Gate will play in some of the stations in the U.S and Europe. I have no doubt, its already running through DSTV to some countries.
Does that mean you have abandoned moviemaking for soap productions?
No, I didn’t abandon movie making for soaps. I am still interested, but don’t forget that Nollywood is an accident. Nollywood is the child of a man who exploited the lull on the TV stations, to try out something that became Living in Bondage. He did not produce as a professional theatre filmmaker; he produced as a businessman. So for Nollywood, the spirit and inspiration is commerce. In fact, the spirit is money. What it means also is that structures were not in place when it started.
Professionals on TV then, took a plunge when they saw the success recorded with Living in Bondage. It was a rendezvous of both professionals and thinkers, everybody started hustling for a living, without the structures in place. And all efforts made to put structures in place, have been constantly thwarted, what we have was the dialogue of the dead. People did not understand one another. And after producing over seven good movies, I had to sit back to review my journey thus far, for me, it was a tragedy. The three years I had spent in the industry then was more of a tragedy than anything else. I produced what I considered very good films, but because the structures were not in place, there was no transparency, no way to monitor sells, you feed on what they tell you. My films cost me pains, losses instead of happiness. At some point, I had to sit back to ask myself if I had gained, it was that bad. I was disillusioned; life became a wilderness of pain. It was like I have reached the cul de sac, there was nowhere else to go. I told myself it was time to re access my old age and make a decision that was how I decided I had to leave.
So, when are you planning your second coming to Nollywood?
The worst thing now is that the fate of films in Nollywood is so uncertain. Every other thing in Nigeria is going up and film is going down, from N300 to N80 per copy now. You will now find out that my profession, film making, which I cherish so much is living in bondage. Going back to film making at this moment, will amount to what I would consider the economic castration of myself. We have to wait and pray, we are also discussing with people and corporate bodies, and we hope they will join us in making Nollywood what it used to be. We are having meetings with corporate bodies, for them to inject some good capitals into Nollywood, so we could restructure it, make films and be able to earn a good living.
In your views, as a vocal voice in the industry, what is the way forward?
I think we have had a number of meetings in the past they have not taken us far, but I believe there is still hope. There is need for all of us to come together and dialogue. There is need for us to come together and sincerely discuss the business life of Nollywood. Others are also saying the guilds should get stronger, so that all of us can meet and discuss the way forward. For me, the way forward is that we have to begin from the foundation, which is scripting.
There is a need for us to start looking for a rendezvous where we will talk solely about workshops on scripts alongside conferences. Without good scripts we would continue the recycling of same stories. People write scripts in two days. That’s a crucifixion… With a successful script, the next thing becomes how do you earn a living from the practice and that is why we have to get the issue of marketing in place. We have done the best we can for Nollywood, this is now the time to come together and seek professional advice on how to restructure our industry. In doing this, we have to bring all the relevant bodies and stakeholders, for us to come together at a rendezvous of harmony to understand ourselves.
In Nigeria, we have over 500,000 video rental shops, that still rent our films. Censors’ board must be able to give us the accurate figure of how many video rental shops we have in the country. None sets up without getting the approval for the structure by the Censors Board. In every organized system, after making a film, you go to the cinema, from there to the video. Censors Board with the Nigerian Film Corporation most come together with the producers and marketers to agree on this. If we don’t restructure our marketing department, Nollywood will only remain a paper tiger.
Do you think government is doing enough for Nollywood, in terms of support?
The success of Nollywood depends first and foremost on Nollywood itself. But there are a lot that the government can do for us, but unfortunately, they have not done enough for Nollywood. For example, a Ghanaian film cannot enter Britain without being censored… But our censors’ board has not been able to reach such bilateral agreement with countries like South Africa, U.K and the US, and so our films are taken to these nations and sold without any control. The government still needs a lot to do. Also, the video clubs are not giving us a fair shake of the dice. Let the Censors Board come out and tell us how many video rentals we have in Nigeria, so that we can meet and reach an agreement with them on how to do genuine business. Nollywood has taken Nigeria to places; therefore government still has a lot to do for the industry.
What would you say is the biggest challenge facing Nollywood?
For me, capital is our biggest challenge. Funding, without good funding, a movie will be incomplete. Most times, we shoot films in less than a week or five days. It is that bad because we are looking for Sesame Street to success, a shortcut, a magical road, so that we can save funds. This is the problem of Nollywood.
Funding is the greatest problem, but beyond that, is the fact that Nollywood is a rendezvous, a meeting point of both professionals and thinkers. One person tells the story, writes the script, with little or no knowledge, produces and directs it. So what you see is mediocrity, there is need to professionalize. With all my credentials and experience, I have never directed a movie for Nollywood. I write my scripts; nobody has ever written my scripts for me. And it is not because I don’t want somebody to write but because I’m still searching for quality writers. I also produce my films because I crave for professionalism. Mind you, when I say fund, it should be more from the corporate bodies, which is what is obtainable in Hollywood and Bollywood. Unfortunately, the Nigerian corporate world are arm chair critics, they stand on the sidewalk and point out what is wrong with Nollywood. They criticized and never appreciated Nollywood, it took foreigners, before they could wake up to the fact that Nollywood has become a phenomenon. At the peak of Nollywood, they never bothered coming out then to help us grow.
We learnt you are planning something big for Nollywood. What is it all about?
A few of us have come together to plan something big and memorable for Nollywood. The idea of some of us coming together only when a colleague dies, is not the best for the industry. We want to create an arena in, where we can gather once in a while with the eyes of the world on Nollywood. Place where Nollywood will exercise and re-enact its histrionics, a happy night.
Nollywood will dance, speak, sing and act, because we have all these. We want to tell our members their stories, give them hope and let them know that at the end of the Golgotha is the green light of a new dawn. A lot of them have been in this industry for more than 20 years, yet they can’t earn N20, 000.00 from a production. It will be a night of hope, happiness and peace of mind. It is coming up soon. It will hold twice in a year, starting from Lagos, but would be rotated as we consolidate.
Are you not scared or concerned that Eskor’s demise may hinder the smooth running of Heaven’s Gate?
I have never for one-minute nurture the fear that Pastor Eskor’s demise might affect the running of Heaven’s Gate. At City of David, we work like a family. Even though Eskor inspired it, there is a collective support for it. They call me, watch me, advise me and also appreciate me and point out certain things. Eskor’s death was perhaps, the greatest shock I have ever received. It shook me by far more than my own father’s death. At the age of 74, I was prepared for my father’s death. Pastor Eskor’s had become my inspiration and mentor, through what he taught me, by the things he said and how he said it. Therefore, there was no thought he was going to die soon even though death is inevitable. Even when he was ill, I was so confident, he was going to get better. I don’t think or believe that City of David would discontinue the soap now that Eskor is gone. It is a ministration and they are supporting it.
What would you say are the major lessons learnt from Eskor?
I miss most, his spirit of excellence, from which I draw inspiration. Secondly, his passion to assist the human race, his love for the down trodden. He set up a school for house helps and maids to get educated and be able to read the holy bible and also be able to excel in life. His ability to work with different people was amazing. He never looked for your weakness, but strength. Through utilizing your strength he gives you confidence and the strength to sustain that confidence, for you to be able to excel. I have always strived to work hard in my entire life, as a journalist, I won the NMMA, after my first year in journalism.
So, I have always wanted to excel, but when I met pastor Eskor, I saw a different way to excel. He gave me a sense of organization, a sense of time and timing. He taught me how to work with people in unity. He also showed me there is a difference between being together and having a unity, oneness and harmony. And through that, I have been able to work with a large cast of Heaven’s Gate without having a problem. I have been for almost four years, with the same cast and they are still eager to work with passion. I miss pastor Eskor a lot because he was a fountain through which I drew and still draws inspiration. A source of inspiration in terms of quest for excellence, in terms of looking up to God as that being through which we can accomplish everything.
What separates Heaven’s Gate from other soaps on air?
It is inspirational and takes you to the right place of God. The soap is basically dwelling on the reality of life without Christ. It is a strictly Christian soap that tells you there are hope with God or Christ. In the soap, viewers are being told that the greatest quest is the search for God. When I started pastor Eskor told me to give my all to Heaven’s Gate and I would be blessed and I dare to say that I am blessed.
Because of the soap, I have been called and given briefs that shocked me. Because of this same soap, I have been invited out of this country to package things I did not imagine I would have done in time to come. And these makes me feel really awesome. I feel great and give God all the glory. I also thank City of David, for giving me the awesome opportunity and privilege to show that I can excel in an area I consider not just my profession, but my vocation, which is the production of drama in an excellent way.
Tell us more about yourself, starting with your background.
You see, I have always called the story of my life the wind of silent mystery. I’m 43, I was born on August 27, 1964. I’m from Ibuzo, in Oshimili North LGA of Delta State. I have a degree, in Theatre Arts from the University of Ibadan and a master’s in international law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos. I practiced journalism briefly for two years and won the News magazine reporter of the year at the 1992 Nigeria Media Merit Awards, was also a nominee same year for the crime reporter category. I was the pioneer president, Guild of Movie Producers and later president the Association of Movie Producers. I’m married to Adaora, my pretty wife; we have two boys and a girl. My wife has in me a great husband and thoroughly enjoys and supports my work. I also tell her always how beautiful she is and that she has been a fountain of hope for me.
Lastly, we will never disappoint our viewers because we will continue to get better and give to them that which will enrich and nourish their lives.
First published, October 2007.
