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My father is very romantic — Zeb Ejiro’s son

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Marvin, a son of Zeb Ejiro, talks about his father in this interview with MOTUNRAYO JOEL

Briefly tell us about yourself?

My name is Marvin Ejiro. I am the first son of Zeb Ejiro. I have six siblings. I am a graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I studied Mass Communication. I had my primary and secondary education at a private school in Ajegunle, Lagos. I currently run my own entertainment outfit. At the same time, I’m an upcoming artiste.

How was your childhood?

My childhood was interesting but I spent part of it with my grandmother who was based in Ilorin, Kwara State. I came to Lagos in 1991 to live with my parents. Despite the challenges we faced as a family, we were able to maintain a strong bound. We didn’t allow any storm to tear us apart. While growing up, my siblings and I didn’t really know my father was popular. Sometimes, when we saw his name or face on television, it felt strange to us.

How does your father behave at home?

My father is jovial and fun to be with. He likes entertaining people with jokes, but there are times when he is really strict. Despite his financial freedom, he taught my brothers and me how to be men. He didn’t want any of us to depend on his money. I will be forever grateful to him for that because today, my siblings and I are all doing well for ourselves. He also has a listening ear; whenever any of us was passing through any challenge; he always tried to calm the situation.

While in school did he visit you often?

He was very busy. I think the only time he visited us was during one of our inter-house sports competitions. Other times, he sent his employees to check up on us.

With his busy schedule, how does he spend time with your mother?

He enjoys staying at home with her despite his busy schedule. Whenever he decides to spend time with my mother, nothing would take him out of the house. He loves to buy her gifts. Back then we couldn’t understand why he was always buying her gifts; now we understand (smiles). My dad also likes organising parties in the house; he is a good singer and dancer.

Did your siblings follow him in his profession?

My sisters didn’t probably because they are married, but we, the men, especially me, took after him. Growing up, I used to go with him to shoot movies. I still remember how he would make his casts rehearse their roles several times. My father is a perfectionist. Even though I didn’t follow him in the path of movie production, it is something I hope to do later on.

Didn’t he try to influence his children on their career choices?

No, he did not. My father is not one to do that. He believes a child should be independent and make his or her decisions personally. The only thing he did was to give us guidelines on how to achieve our career goals. I’ve always loved music, thus when I told him about my passion, he supported me. But I still have a flair for writing stories. I hope to start my own production firm soon.

What is your father’s temperament like?

I won’t say my father’s temperament is 100 per cent fine. He can be nice but when he gets upset, you don’t want to be around him, though, he is quick to cool down. When he is in a jovial mood, he is fun to be with. He gets easily irritated especially if he keeps correcting you on the same mistake. Times like that he is quick to beat, my father doesn’t spare us. Some other times he corrects us verbally.

What challenges did he face before he got his big breakthrough?

Surprisingly, some months ago, I asked him the same question. He told me his journey to success was a tough one and that things weren’t rosy for him. Years backs, during the British colonial rule in Nigeria, some white men came to train Nigerians who wanted to be movie makers. He applied and was selected for the training programme. After shooting his first movie, he had serious issues with finances. He literally kept walking from one company to another in search of support until one fateful day. On that day, he went to a production house and asked one of the employees to help him make a copy of his movie. My father told me that while the man was making the copy, the manager of the company walked into the studio, saw the movie playing and fell in love with it. The next day, they asked him to come to their studio, after discussing the terms and conditions, his movie went on air. After then, things changed; he got his first breakthrough. This is not to say that he didn’t encounter other challenges, he still did. Gathering his casts all at one location was a huge challenge too because phones weren’t available then. Even bringing out the best in his casts was a challenge. Unlike now when acting has taken a new dimension.

How would you describe your parents’ marriage?

They are a beautiful couple, though when I was a child, I didn’t know much about marriage. However, with the little I saw, I admired them. Though, they encountered challenges too, my father was able to calm situations and they didn’t let them affect us.

How did he handle disagreements with your mother?

He handled disagreements well most of the time. When he needed to be patient, he was patient. My parents had to constantly forgive themselves.

What do you admire most about your parents’ marriage?

They know how to sail through storms and my father is a lover boy, he loves to buy his wife gifts even when there is no special occasion. Sometimes, he really buys her expensive gifts.

Who were the famous faces you saw at home?

I saw quite a few, but the ones I can remember are Liz Benson, Saint Obi, Kate Henshaw, Ramsey Noah and some others. Most of them used to come to our house to shoot movies.

How sociable is he?

My father is one of the most sociable men I’ve seen. Whenever he is in a good mood, there is no dull moment. He keeps you laughing all the way. He is also a good actor. You also need to see him dance; he is a good dancer. He knows how to interact with any one of no matter the age difference.

What is his favourite food?

His favourite is agbu with vegetable.

What is his favourite drink?

He likes red wine.

What is it you like about him?

He is a good mentor when it comes to movie production. He likes to take giant strides, he doesn’t settle for less. He is also a goal getter, one who loves to take risks.

And what don’t you like about him?

My father can be generous to a fault; sometimes people take advantage of him. This is one character trait I don’t like in him.

Growing up, can you remember your most memorable moment with your father?

We shared so many memorable moments together, but I can still remember vividly the nights he used to bring home horror movies. I was scared watching them but he loved them. After watching them, my siblings and I would be scared of going to bed. Till today, I still enjoy watching horror movies because I think they are creative and they inspire me to write. Also, during Christmas periods, he used to take us out to eateries, buy us clothes and so much more.

What kind of movies does he enjoy watching?

He likes watching African and American movies, basically any movie with a good storyline, but he loves watching Indian movies.

Where does he see himself in the next five years?

He hopes to be greater and to have moved to a higher level.

Who does he look up to in the movie industry?

I think he has many role models, but I don’t know their names. Outside the movie industry, I can say that he looks up to God a lot whenever he wants to make a movie. He doesn’t joke with his prayer time. He usually says that there is little a man can do to excel and that success is from God.

How does he get his inspiration?

He gets his inspiration majorly from God. He also uses personal encounters to write storylines, especially if it is an emotional experience. He also uses realistic, touchy scenarios that happen in our society to write his storylines. For example, one of his movies titled Good Bye Tomorrow was about a lady who contacted HIV/AIDS and died. It was a touchy movie, the movie also focused on prostitution and other factors that endanger the lives of ladies. Those are the types of issues he likes to turn into movies. He feels they would project the meaning to the society because they are experiences we live with.

What does he say about piracy?

He is totally against piracy; he thinks the problem has negatively affected the industry. Most times, so much money goes into the production of these movies, it is so heart-breaking when one sees their movies being sold on the streets. He wishes the problem can be totally eradicated for good.

Does he have plans to open a movie academy?

He already has one running in Delta State, it is called Faba. There, he trains upcoming movie producers.

We are in the era of politics, what does he say about Nigeria and her future?

He only wishes that Nigeria’s forthcoming president would come into power to serve the people and not his interests. He says Nigeria is a good nation with great potential and that one of the things stopping us from exceling is corruption.

What does your father say about the current Nollywood industry?

He admires what is going on in the industry. He says our movies have taken a new turn for the better. He always celebrates upcoming movie producers. At the same time, he constantly criticises movies that have no substance; he says those who are destroying the industry are doing a good job too. He said nowadays, a good number of our movies shouldn’t be aired because they have no storylines.

What does his schedule look like?

He usually wakes up quite early to pray, and then if he has no early morning appointment, he goes out for a quick jog. When he returns home he takes his bath and breakfast. But days when he has an early morning appointment, he leaves the house quite early. My father doesn’t like arriving late to meetings. He often comes back home around 8 or 9 pm. On the days he doesn’t have to go out, he enjoys spending time with his wife.

How does he behave when he is producing a movie?

My father is a really serious person and he always wants the best. He makes his casts rehearse their roles several times even if they got it right the first time. On occasions when I join him, I get a bit upset. I’ll be like ‘but dad this is good’ and he would say, ‘no, it can be better’. He is a perfectionist. At the same time, he creates a relaxed atmosphere for his casts. He laughs with them and cracks jokes with them.

If he were not into movies what do you think he would be doing?

He loves singing and dancing, he is an entertainer. Whenever we have functions, he is the most jovial. I think he would have done something in that line (smiles).

What does he do when he wakes and before he sleeps?

I guess the first thing he does is pray. I’ve seen him several times praying quite early in the morning. And the last thing he does is before going to bed is also pray.

Does he read what people write about him in the paper?

Yes he does, he buys the newspapers every day. Apart from reading what was written about him, he likes to know the latest news in the industry.

Does he get upset when something bad is written about him?

My father is very good at handling criticisms; he doesn’t let things affect his emotions. He takes what he wants to hear, what will be of benefit to him and discards the rest.

What has been his lowest moment?

His lowest moments are when he has misunderstandings with his wife, he doesn’t like it. I think that is the only thing that can weigh him down.

Does he advise you on the type of woman to marry?

He always does, he says I should be more focused on my career. He says no woman wants to marry a man who can’t provide for her. He also warns me against getting a lady pregnant before marriage. He always encourages me to make money before getting married, that way one will have respect.

How does he like to dress?

My father has a good sense of combination when it comes to clothes. Sometimes he likes to dress like a youth other times he likes to dress smart.

How does he handle female admirers?

He handles it just the way he is supposed to handle it. Being in the entertainment, he is bound to have female admirers but he knows where to draw the line. Once he is at home, he shuts off from work and focuses on his wife. She also understands the nature of his job.

Where does he see himself in future?

He hopes to go international, beyond the shores of Nigeria or even Africa.

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