Nollywood has come a long way from the million naira industry it used to be at the turn of the millennium. Now worth billions of Naira, Nigeria’s film industry contributed 2.3% and about N239 billion ($660 million) to the GDP of the country in 2021.
While that accounts for movies alone, other forms of entertainment like music and comedy contribute to the economic growth and even quality of life of Nigerians. Okechukwu Anthony Onyegbule, more commonly known as Okey Bakassi decided a long time ago that he wouldn’t only be a silent observer of the current socio-political climate and trends in the entertainment business.
Okey Bakassi has come a long way from his first role on TV in the 90s but he still has more to accomplish. Speaking to Nairametrics, he shared his experience and thoughts about the start of his career, what the digital age is doing for comedy, and the civic duty everyone with an entertainment platform has. He strongly believes that Nigerians in the diaspora have a crucial role to play in the rebirth of Nigeria and he wants to play a vital role through his art.
How did you get into the business of acting and comedy?
After studying agricultural engineering, I came to Lagos for the first time 1993 for my national youth service. Things were a little tough then. I had 4 siblings back home at the institution level, and my father had retired from the army. I left Port Harcourt and arrived in Lagos with only N750 on my person. Then I headed to the Iyana Ipaja orientation camp. At the end of orientation, I had no clue what I would do but knew I had to succeed”.
Okey reached out to a friend who was gracious enough to host him. Former university mates were instrumental for him in those first couple of months until he was about to rent his first place – a one-room apartment in Palmgrove, and then something in Festac. He knew he had to be realistic and take things one step at a time, not living above his means as so many in the entertainment industry are prone to.
You are more known for your comedy. Did Comedy come before acting?
In university, I did campus entertainment. It entailed everything from live skits to stand-up comedy and plays. It was the campus plays and dramas that motivated me to pursue a profession in it”.
Zeb Ejiro and his late brother, Chico gave him his first platform. I featured in 11 episodes at that time. Nollywood was in its formative stage and didn’t pay like it did now but it was a great experience to be a part of something like that. I gathered the experience from everything I learnt in school and applied it to the role. I also dreamt bigger and saw things differently. Opa Williams was also a substantial part of my early career. Okey Bakasi, Opa Williams and Reginald Ebere, created Night of a Thousand Laughs and it revolutionised comedy in Nigeria, paving a way for comics to earn money for their work.
Fortune was the longest-running drama series on NTA in the 1990s, a period that many consider the golden age of Nigeria television series and Okey Bakassi featured in it.
Would you encourage young people to go into comedy?
Yes, I don’t see why not. I would advise anyone to go into any positive platform that they find happiness in and that would enrich mankind and our experience here.
What is preparation for you before a show?
It depends. A show that I produce and a show that I only perform at have different preparation times. Producing is more tasking. As the producer, I would be saddled with the responsibility of bringing on other artists, marketing, working with partners, and logistics. In some cases, I could even be performing in addition to producing. But in cases when there is a promoter or a producer, the workload is less.
Ultimately, preparing to perform is merely writing out a guide. It can be prepared properly but spontaneity would change things when I’m on stage. Nigerian comics don’t have comedy writers like there are in other countries. Here, we serve as both writers and performers. The energy from the audience and things that come up may change my setlist.
The digital age has changed how comedy is perceived. The last couple of years have seen a rise in comedic skits made by young Nigerians. Do you think this would mean fewer stand-up comics and more digital comedians?
Technology will always evolve, and as it does, so does the way we consume content. First, it was photography, there was a time not everyone had a camera or didn’t know what to do with the film after taking pictures but now many people have smartphones. We’ve also seen it in videography. It evolved from tape to CDs to laserdisc to DVD, but in the end, live theatre still exists.
It can never go extinct because besides enjoying the content on devices, people will still want to watch live because it is a different experience. In the business of content creation, one has to learn to cater to all demographics. I made skits back in university but it was live. If it happened in today’s world, it would have been recorded. Adapt creativity to the new platform.
There is also an interesting skit-maker to Nollywood actor pipeline. Do you think it is merited?
The demerits of a lot of things becoming digital is that it has created lazy entertainers. Many new entertainers don’t write original. They just regurgitate, plagiarise, and pirate content they have seen before. When this happens, it comes down to who the consumer sees firsts. You could watch five versions of a skit and not know who first came up with it. It tears away the authenticity and makes the entertainers seem like thieves sometimes.
So, while we celebrate technology and social media and the opportunities it provides us, I would encourage entertainers to work harder in creating original content.
You have been vocal about your political belief and stance. Why do you think it is more important now for entertainers and content creators to be more hands-on now?
Politics is one of the trickiest things an entertainer will want to dabble into. They operate in the public eye and it earns social capital. Hot button topics like religion, politics can lead to murky waters. Once it is risked and those topics are subject for your content, you are bound to risk losing potential fans and even turning existing ones to active adversaries.
As a human, and as someone who is of age, we cannot distance ourselves from social responsibilities. Politics is a means and process and we cannot turn a deaf eye and ear to it or block out what is happening. When we do so, we fail ourselves but it directly affects us.
Society suffers when good men don’t act. We have shied away from our responsibility for so long so now we must speak. Fans may not understand but being in the public eye means we have to do what we feel is right and hope that at the end of that, history will judge us right.
Are you currently working on anything?
Because of all that has been happening in the country and the Japa phenomenon, Nigerians in the diaspora. You may have left the motherland but we all have roots there. While you may seek greener pastures, we should remember our ancestral home. Irrespective of where we are, we should help the country in any way we can. Considering all of this, we are hosting an Independence show on October 1 in Toronto, Canada.
Nigerian artists who have relocated would be performing. There would be an opera singer flown in for the show. The Don, E-Gus, Grand Commander, and myself amongst other talents will be there to add colour to the day.
It will be a day to gather and celebrate the nation that produced us and produced other great people. Our own Naija day in Canada.