What one pound,one shilling did to my career - Oga Bello

Your incursion into the make believe world? 

I did not start with film making; I started with stage plays back in the days, about 45 years ago, precisely in October 1964. In my school then, I used to listen to beats coming from over the fence, and one day I decided to peep and see what was going on. And naturally, right from when I was younger, I love anything art. I grew up in Lagos Island where a lot of activities do happen during at a particular festival. During the Ramadan period, we have what we call were and I do participate, my uncle that I was staying with will beat hell out of me on my return. During eid kabir, I do follow them around and drum for them. During Easter period, we do have something we call meboi-meboi; it is a Brazilian festival, then there are lots of Brazilians on the Island. They introduced it to Lagos; it was so beautiful then. It entails putting on any animal costume. Then during December period, we will have Fanti Festival. The people drumming over the fence of my school that day called Young Concert Party led by late Ojo Ladipo. Then I do watch a TV series by late Ogunde titled Village Doctor; it inspired me to join Young Concert Party with one pound one shilling. I started going out with them and during stage plays, I help by drawing curtains. In 1968, there was a rift in the group, some of us left with Ojo Ladipo because he was our leader, and we believed that what he was fighting for was right because then he was a bus conductor with the Lagos State Government, and was using his money to finance the group. We therefore agreed to call the new group Ojo Ladipo Theatre Group, started contributing costumes, not money to the group. After my secondary school education in 1970, I went to work with the Federal Ministry of Works, yet I still find time to perform with the group till I left Federal Ministry of Works. With all these, I still try to brush up myself academically. I attended Lagos Drama School, then it was affiliated to the University of Lagos and owned by Christopher Olude. I was a member of British Art Council too. In 1974, I was the personal assistant to the then Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing, Femi Okunu. When his tenure as a Federal Commissioner ended, he went back to set up his chambers, and asked me to come with him, so we set up his chambers together and I became his P.A too. 

Then we lost Ojo Ladipo in 1978, and as I was next to him due to my talent and financially and morally contribution, I was made the leader of the group and our travelling theatre travelled far and wide under me. We also had TV series for NTA 10 Lagos, NTA Ilorin, and NTA Ibadan. In 1985, we joined the film industry, but before that, we had participated in other people’s films. We did Kadara by Ade-Love, Jaiyesinmi by Ogunde, and I was the production assistant. I did Ayanmo, Aropin n’teniyan also by Ogunde.  I was in most of Ade-Love films, I was the production manager of Iyaniwura 1 and 2 as well as the Papa Ajasco that was shot into film and celluloid before we did my own films. I did Omo Orukan, followed by Eri Okan, among others. 

Who among the Ojo Ladipo group members is in the movie industry now? 

Only Mama Awero and Aluwe though Aluwe joined the group much later, towards the time Ojo Ladipo died. Iya Mero died seven years after the death of her husband, others too have died. 

The name Oga Bello, how did you come about it? 

It happened when we want to do a TV series during the life time of Baba Mero, and then there was program on NTA 10 called Bar Beach show, and it was anchored by the late Art Alade and produced by Oladele Bank Olemo. At the program, our talent was discovered, and we were asked to be staging a play every week for 15 minutes so while casting ourselves for the play I, being more learned was given the role of an executive, Baba Mero was the rough guy while Mama Awero was the society woman, madam Owambe. Baba Mero suggested that I will be called Bello since I hail from Ilorin, and that was how I came about the name Oga Bello. 

Knowing Ilorin people for what they are, how did you convince your parents that acting is your calling? 

It was terrible in Ilorin, there was so much dust raised, at a time, I had to run away from home. 

Were your parents in Ilorin then? 

No, they were staying in Agege area of Lagos while we were on the Lagos Island. After I left home, I went to Adebogun Commercial School, Mushin I’m sure they must have changed the name of the school now. My uncle had been hearing of my going for rehearsals, but on this particular day he traced me to our rehearsal ground and beat the hell out of me. In fact, I don’t think I can give the type of punishment I was given to any of my children for whatever offence. I was asked to fly like an aeroplane over a burning coal. I couldn’t stand up, and at the same time I can’t afford to lie on the burning coal. My chest got burnt. It was after the punishment that I ran away from home and went to squat with a friend called Abayomi Aromire, now late; he was a member of our group. Then I got a job at City of Lagos Rendezvous where we do hold our rehearsals as a barman before I got another job at the Ministry of Works. Meanwhile, we were staying with my friend in the church premises, and my friend said I can’t be living in the premises without worshipping with them. I therefore, had to go and make a sultana and started worshipping with them. They got wind of my going to church at home and Ilorin people can’t take that of their son, I was not happy with it too, but I’ve got to lay my head somewhere so I had to do it. One of my uncles, uncle Saka was then sent to go and bring me back home, and I was taken to Agege, to my paternal grandma to swear by the holy Quran that I will never go back to acting or else they will curse me with the holy Quran. Meanwhile, my grandma had told my uncle what the family was planning, and ask him to come to my aid anytime the issue of cursing comes up, that she will support him as a woman, and that they did prompting other mothers in the meeting to plead that they should not put a curse on me, adding that maybe, that is what I’m destined to do. They gave me a condition that I must return home, and I agreed on the condition that they should let me act. Then my uncle got me the ministry job through one of his clients. He is an Islamic scholar. 

Why didn’t you in the first instance embrace the Alfa job coming from Ilorin? 

I did it then, but I can’t any longer, even the one pound one shilling I use in paying my admission fee into the industry was from my sojourn into the Alfa profession. I saved my share of the money so that I can pay. I took acting as a hobby never knowing that it will turn into a career for me. When we opened Femi Okunu’s Law Chambers, I had thought I will go and study law. Despite all my pleadings, some of our family members never agreed to my acting, but when they all let me be was after the death of Baba Mero which paved the way for my becoming the group leader; it was a funny day. We went to Ilorin for a wedding in our family. One of my younger cousins was then seeking admission into the Kwara State School of Technology, but was not given, so my uncle suggested I should drive him to Kwara Tech.  now Kwara Poly. On getting to the school premises, the noise of Bello was everywhere, and my uncle asked what was happening. I told him that it was because they do see me on television. It took a while before they could show me the Rector’s office. Before I could get there, news of my presence had reached there before me, and there was a crowd waiting to see me, even the Rector came out to see me. When we were ushered in, the Rector was busy for over 30 minutes telling us my works he had watched. When he discovered our mission, the addmission was automatic as he just asked for my cousin’s name and score. He said that he cannot deny Oga Bello anything. He then gave the directive that my cousin should be issued an admission letter, he then told my uncle that you have a notable son in your  family, a star that they should take care of. Everything that transpired that day took my uncle by surprise. Another elderly uncle of ours that went with us then said on our way home that they should let me be, that it was my fame that got us the admission letter that maybe that’s what I was destined to do. My uncle that punished me then said he is ready to support me to any level with prayers, and that I have been forgiven. 

It seems all your children want to have a feel of what daddy is doing? 

Not every one of them, it’s actually the minority. I have many children, and thank God I have twelve graduates among them, so it’s only the one that is interested in movie making, and I think I have about four of them, so you can see that they form the minority. We have Femi, Tope, Sadiq; Rilwan is an editor. Lara is showing interest, but I have told her that it would be possible after her education. Sola read English and she took Theatre Arts as her minor; she is a good dancer as well as a good actress, so we can say she too is in the industry, and she is the one responsible the subtitling of all our movies. So you can see that they form the minority of my children. 

And one of your wives is a marketer in Idumota? 

One of my daughters too is a marketer though she is married now. She uses the name U-Bee Olaide Ventures while my wife uses Ejide. 

So truly, for you and your family, movie making is a family affair? 

Well, if you say so, but they were the one that showed interest in what I am doing. I didn’t enforce it on anybody, no. Before God and man, they do come to me, and tell me what they want and I will give them my full support. It was designed by God, if not; I would have wasted my money in sending Femi to school to study Law? Sadiq is a Geologist, Tope read Computer Science and he is a potential movie director, good actor and good set designer. And talking of production management, Sadiq is a ‘bam’. 

Did any of your wives ever showed interest in what you were doing during the travelling theatre era? 

Yeah, Yinka did. One way or another, all of them do participate, especially when we have a big show. Some will handle the ticket while another will man the gate, but it was only Yinka that acted alongside me before the advent of film making and home video. 

And there is the story of the two of you not being together again? 

Yes. We are not fighting; we do talk and deliberate on the way forward for our children. If a relationship is not working out, it is better one lets it go, one needs maturity at that stage. 

And don’t you think the break up might be because the two of you were in the movie world and the stardom that follows? 

That’s part of it because she couldn’t manage the stardom that came with being a star. I won’t say more than that. 

Your reign as the president of Association of Nigeria Theatre Practitioners 

If you are a follower of ANTP’s progress, you will notice that the association was not all that recognized until I came on board, and we got recognition from the local government level up to the national, even international level. It was during my regime that ANTP London chapter was inaugurated, same as Kaduna and Abuja. I also initiated ANTP having units under a local chapter. If we see that a local chapter is too big, we divide them into units. So, now we have the unit chapter, local chapter, state chapter and the national ANTP. I also thank God that I fought for an increase in the number of movies released fortnightly to a total of ten; that was the era when we had a boom in the movie industry. I also created a body called JACOFIC that sees to it that video club operators pay right to the producers of movies they are renting out. Then I visited most of the foreign embassies in the country to register our association, so for every member travelling, they will collect documents from the embassy for the president of the association to identify the person, and the purpose of travelling. 

Are you thinking of retirement? 

Does an artist retire? You move with time, there will be a time you will leave some things for another, but you don’t retire. 

How will you want to be remembered when you are no more? 

What I love most in this life is for people to say that I am a part of their success in life, I cherish that a lot, and that is why I still have U-BEE Performing School of Art. Here in my house, I don’t know the parents of between 40-50%  of people living with me, but I’m trying my best for them. I always pray that anybody that want to be successful in life are the ones God should direct their footsteps into my house.