Nollywood has lost but found one of its top stars, Ejike Asiegbu, who returned to action, starring in a big budget movie, after a hiatus.
Ejike Asiegbu
The movie, an initiative of the Zik Zulu Okafor-led Association of Movie Producers (AMP), is being directed by fellow actor, Desmond Elliot.
Asiegbu, also known as The Godfather, was busy, during his long absence, with politics of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN) – the then moribund body his leadership helped bring back to life.
After his term at AGN, Asiegbu was appointed Special Assistant to the Abia State Governor on Entertainment. Later, he became an ambassador to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) advocating for the rights and welfare of premature babies. He has been busy travelling across Africa and Europe as an ambassador of the NGO.
“I have been busy and all these years. I missed my primary constituency, Nollywood. I missed everything about Nollywood; that is why I have decided to stage a comeback because the pressure has been on me from family, friends and fans across Nigeria, Africa and the world. Everywhere I went, people walked up to me and the first question they ask is: ‘Why is it that you no longer feature in movies?’ No matter how hard I try to make them understand that I have been busy with so many other things, they don’t understand and the expression on their faces is that of betrayal; like I have robbed them of some inner joy – joy and happiness they often experience, perhaps when they see me in a movie. It makes me feel sad, but what can I do? I just had to carry on with the most important things at that point,” he said.