‘Life has just begun for me’ – OKEY BAKASSI @ 40

TALENTED comedian and actor, Okey Bakassi, clocked 40 weeks back, and in celebration, he had a low key get together with his friends and family. The entertainer, who is currently the Special Adviser to Imo State governor, Ikedi Ohakim, on Entertainment, spoke to ENCOMIUM Weekly on his life and major achievements at 40.
Excerpts…

How did you celebrate your 40th birthday?
I prayed to God that day and thanked Him properly for keeping me alive for 40 years. Then, I had fun with friends. We ate and drank, which is an everyday thing. We must eat and drink to stay alive.

Do you actually feel 40?
Age is a number . I feel alive. I feel healthy, that’s the most important thing.

What’s the highpoint of turning 40?
What it does is, it reminds you that you have done half the journey, because I believe if somebody clocks 80 years, God has tried for you; you should be prepared to go home. So, to have done 40 means I have done half of the journey. It’s like half time. It is a time to take stock. How well have I performed in the first half and what is my strategy to get into the second half ad win this battle of life? So, this period for me is stock taking, reassessment, refocusing and rebranding; restrategising and all that.

Are there things you can no longer do because of your age?
I don’t feel old. So, at this point, age is not a barrier. But one thing for sure is that when you reassess and take stock, you now discover that the things you have not done properly, you need to do them better. You know somebody who finished primary school, when he gets to secondary school, he will now realize that there are things, if given another opportunity, he would do

Currently, what is happening to your career?
Nothing bad. in every race, there must be a terminal point. It must stop and move again. Things are moving fine for me and in a short time, things will become better than what it is.

It’s been quite a long time we saw your face last in movies, don’t you think your fans are missing you?
(Laughs) Yes, I know my fans are missing me. I travelled abroad and I spent nine months in Germany. Now, I am back. Although since I came back I have been able to shoot about four films, they are not yet in the market. Very soon, the films will get to the market and everybody will feel my presence again.

What are the qualities of a good actor?
A very good actor must be able to diversify, you must be fluent in whatever you are doing, you must be passionate about acting, you must be able to convince people that you are doing some thing good. When you sit up, you are acting, when you stand up, you are acting. Whatever you are doing, you are acting. So people will not see it as acting, but as reality. You must also be focused.
What do want God to do for you at this stage that He has not done yet.
I thanks God for all He has done for me. Today, I am a veteran in Nollywood, but I want Him to bless me more and help me train others who are going to take my position the day God will call me, so that the career doesn’t die and my name doesn’t go for nothing. I also want God to bless me with more wealth so as to be able to help the poor ones around me.

Why do the popular Nollywood faces find it difficult to embrace the upcoming ones?
Personally, I embrace and encourage upcoming actors and actresses, but I don’t know about others. I love people who want to make name in the industry.

What is this leadership crisis rocking AGN all about?
In every leadership, there must be a shaking point. In a short while, AGN will be okay, we are organizing a proper election that will bring in a new president. Ejike Asiegbu is out of the seat for now and we are planning a new executive election by December 7, 2009 and we will know our newly elected president then. The past president tried his best, he did what he could do to make sure that AGN stands, we felt his little contribution, impact and courage. I pray that the oncoming election will be a free and fair one and God will help us get a better person that will lead SGN to the highest level.

Could it be that everyone in the organization wants to be the leader or why does the crisis keep coming back?

It cannot happen. Everybody cannot be a leader. It must be one person, because in politics, there is no permanent enemy and there is no permanent friend. So one person must emerge as the president. After a particular tenure, the right thing to do is for the person who has been on seat to get down for others to carry on and that is where the problem lies. When a tenure expires, some people find it difficult to leave the position because of the favour they get from the seat or the position they are, which in unfair and that is he problem in AGN. It is undemocratic. We are in a democratic government, therefore we should go by democracy, we should do things the way they should be done in a democratic way.

So, where exactly is the organization heading to?

We are looking forward to better government in AGN. We are sanitizing everything. Anybody who will be leading he association must be a complete member of the organization, he must obey the rules of the association, love your neighbor, love one another, the poor, your fans the marketers and the total umbrella of Nollywood. You must be recognized by everybody before we make you our president.

Lastly, how was your stay in Germany?
Ass you can see, I am back in a full force, because I have about four films I have worked on since I came back and they will soon be in the market. I give glory to God because my stay and journey was fun and interesting.

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