MENTORING THE YOUTH
According to the prolific actor, he set up the academy to be able to directly impact on young talents. In his words, ‘We just created a platform where we could mentor and educate younger people who need direction. Hard work is good, but if you work hard without going in the right direction, or you don’t have a mentor, you may not get to where you want to go. We have decided to enlighten them to get the best out of their lives because we have been there before them so we know what it takes. I want to use this medium to mentor and educate youths because we have identified a gap in the new Nigeria and the new Africa that we want to build. If we begin to mentor and educate these youths before they go into the university, they will become the best part of themselves. I have travelled to America and some other countries across the world. I have never seen Americans talking bad about their country. We want to make our young people to start speaking well about our own country. This country has a lot of potentials; we still have our best brains who are working for other countries.”
CONNECTING THE DIASPORA
How have we been able to connect to our people who are in the Diaspora? Chinese people who are in Diaspora are the ones who built the present China. My advice to the present government is to find a way to bring back Nigerians who left the country out of anger, because it is only Nigerians who can build Nigeria.’
Speaking on the type of mentorship he had while starting out in the industry, KOK quipped, “I joined the movie industry just because I wanted to act and be seen on television; that is why I am very interested in this mentoring academy. A lot of us who have put in over 25 years on this job were not mentored; we were, by the grace of God, just acting and God blessed us, even though we were not prepared. What I am trying to do now is to give people direction. If you want to become an actor, we will give you direction on how to do that. If you want to become a mass communicator, or anything you want to be, we will also give you direction and tell you what it involves. We want to identify the real strength of the young adults and leverage on that because the earlier we catch them, the better. My belief is that whatever we lost, our children should not lose it as well.”
PARENTAL INFLUENCE
Considering the fact that many parents determine the kind of courses and professions their children should engage in, KOK says his mentoring academy will redirect their minds. He said, ‘Times have changed. Parents are always busy at work; when a child closes from school, she will meet no one at home. The next person the child meets would be the lesson teacher. We have children who are coming from the background where their parents still tell them what they want them to be in future. So the wide gap between who these children are and what they want to be in future is filled with the wrong values.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Have you ever taken time to know what your children watch on television? Even the phones we buy for our kids, the type of messages they receive and the type of videos they have on the phone? You will agree with me that it is only through mentoring that we can redirect their minds.’
However, not much has been heard from KOK in a while as regards his career. His face rarely graces movie screens these days. Speaking on what he does with his time, he said, ‘I am a law student at the University of Abuja presently, and I am doing some other things where I find my strength. All these, coupled with KOKMA are what take my time. I am also a public relations consultant, a life coach, and a public speaker. Another thing I would like to do when I retire from acting is speaking for those who cannot speak. I want to be the face of those who feel they are not getting the best of the bargain. I have always wanted to represent those who feel they are being put under the table.’
MOPICON BILL
Commenting on the recently passed MOPICON Bill (Motion Picture Practitioner Council of Nigeria Bill), KOK said: ‘Somebody asked me about the MOPICON bill and I answered that I have not gone through it very well to be able to make comments on it. But what I want to say is that the industry should be professionally structured in such a way that it will take care of artistes. Every practitioner must have something to fall back on, for the rainy day will always come for every actor and entertainer. That bill should be able to take care of the actors, and see that they will not beg for food when they get old, or out of jobs. We must ensure that we have an industry that is structured in a way that if you have put in many years, you do not need to think about where the next meal is going to come from. These things are all about putting food on the table and leaving a legacy. We want our welfare protected, as well as an industry that is professionally driven in a way that you work and you get what you are supposed to have.’
FLASHBACK
KOK also takes a nostalgic trip down memory lane, recounting how he started his career. ‘Well, it is always good for me to talk about this. I was invited by some friends for auditioning and after that, I was given a role to play. I would say that it happened by accident because, I was job-hunting and when I got to the audition venue, I was told that I could act and that was it. That was how the story started.’
On what inspires him, KOK said, ‘Those with positive attitude inspire me; those with interesting attitudes that will ensure the good of our society inspire me. The fact still remains that there are Nigerians and non-Nigerians who, by their contributions to the economy, have influenced me.’
Painting a picture of the kind of person he is off-screen, KOK said he is a gentleman who is working very hard to affect his environment and leave a legacy to ensure that things are done right.
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