Foremost Nollywood filmmaker, Dickson Iroegbu, tells OSEYIZA OOGBODO that his focus right now is how to ensure that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is voted out of office in 2019. For him, the Buhari government has destroyed virtually every sector of the economy, including the entertainment industry. Iroegbu discloses in this interview that he’s mobilising other celebrities to send the All Progressives Congress government out of the Aso Rock Villa in next year’s general elections. Excerpts:
What’s the latest you are engaged in?
Well, I feel that nation-building should include all of us. If you get a level of mileage or attention, it should also make you use your influence to better the society. Personally, sitting back and playing the ostrich while Nigeria goes crashing, is not something pleasant for me, and I said I should get involved and I have.
Are you talking about your political aspirations? What have you done and achieved? What are your plans? Are you running for office next year?
My political aspiration is, first of all, to help inspire leadership, because that’s been our own challenge. My aspiration is to inspire leadership, and if I could use my own drive to inspire other people to get involved in leadership, that’s first my aspiration, because our own problem in Africa, in Nigeria, is bad leadership. So, that’s my aspiration-to see that in our environment we are witnessing good leadership. But outside that, the journey so far in politics, of course, I was Executive Assistant, Creative Entertainment and Tourism, under the past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. I served, volunteered to serve, because most of the time when people hear that you served in government, the next thing is that ‘you don hammer.’ But in my case, I went to serve, truly served. I volunteered, and for the three years that I served, there was no salary for it. And I want to let anybody challenge it anywhere. That’s service, that’s my interest. Of course, I worked for Jonathan and we campaigned also for his comeback, and we’ve seen that Nigerians made a choice of this current administration and I’m sure Nigerians are regretting. Most of those who called Buhari to come have seen that there’s nothing really that Buhari has to offer Nigeria. For me, right now, the next political ambition that I have, or desire that I have, is to see this government changed. Changed and replaced with a competent leadership. A leadership that will inspire hope, that will make Nigerians come back to take ownership of their country again because everybody seems to have deserted Nigeria. The Igbos are going, the Yorubas are going, the Hausas are going, the Fulanis, everybody’s gone; so Nigeria seems to be abandoned. But this is a great nation. This is a great brand that we shouldn’t just let go like that, and so, for me, therefore, it’s a collective responsibility for all citizens to wake up and reclaim the nation, because the bloodletting is too much, the insecurity is too much, the so-called fight against corruption isn’t working, and so this fraud has to be brought to a halt and that’s a focus, that’s a commitment, personally.
Are people supporting you in this noble aspiration?
I think every Nigerian is disillusioned, every Nigerian is confused about the state of the nation, every Nigerian wants to see us wake up and see that this seems to be a nightmare, that we should actually thank God that it’s a dream. But the truth is that it’s not a dream. So, everybody’s involved. As I said to those who follow me, we must identify with a leadership. Changing Buhari’s government is not about APC or PDP anymore, it’s about the candidate. We need a leader, someone who’s political bridge can bring all of us back together to realise that, yeah, we may not have to agree with all of us, but first of all, putting Nigeria first should count paramount. So, I’ve identified with a candidate, and I’ve made public my candidate, and my candidate is Atiku Abubakar, and that’s who I, personally, I’m convinced if given the opportunity, will get Nigeria reactivated again, will get Nigeria reengineered, because we don’t just need job creation. We need someone who has the ability to create wealth, and I think Atiku Abubakar will do a great job as President of Nigeria, especially now.
For me, right now, the next political ambition that I have, or desire that I have, is to see this government changed. Changed and replaced with a competent leadership. A leadership that will inspire hope, that will make Nigerians come back to take ownership of their country again because everybody seems to have deserted Nigeria
Your colleagues in Nollywood carry a lot of weight because all of you are popular; all of you have the voice. What are you doing to convince them to support you and Atiku?
We’re reaching out already. I’m the convener of CEFAM, Celebrities for Atiku Movement, and lots of my colleagues are already on board. It’s not that kind of politics we played in 2015. It’s the type now that has to do with patriotism. We’re saying no, enough of the bloodletting, enough of the deceit, and even our own sector, the entertainment sector is abandoned, because the last administration, why we could really relate with the Goodluck Jonathan administration was because he gave impetus to the entertainment industry. But this government came and dismembered the existence of Nollywood and the entire entertainment industry. So, for us, it’s an assignment to salvage, one, our profession, and then also to show empathy to the state of our nation because we’re Nigerians first of all before we are celebrities.
Talking candidly now, many people feel Atiku is corrupt. What are you doing to clean his image so that he can be presentable to the general public?
No, no, no! First of all, there’s no image to launder. All that has to do with corruption allegations against Atiku are mere allegations. He has even challenged anybody, including the current administration, to bring out facts on the table, and if you don’t have, shut up. He has said rather than talking about his being corrupt, bring your evidence on the table. So there’s no image to launder. It is simply a case of choice. First, it’s a constitutional right for me to make a choice. I’ve chosen a candidate. I’m not just choosing this candidate, I’m also mobilising, reaching out, telling Nigerians the truth because a lot of conspiracy came out from the Obasanjo government against Atiku because he stood against third term. And because he stood against it and ensured that it didn’t work, Obasanjo as President of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief, his foot soldiers went to war against Atiku, and the image is what he’s struggling everyday to rescue himself from. But the truth is that it also gets to a stage in a people’s lives that you choose your leader; so this is that moment when Nigerians should for once choose their leader.
