Top film maker, Teco Benson, was singled out for honour recently by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan – and he is so, so thankful to the man, the Almighty God and Nigeria. The 41-year old indigene of Ojoto (in Anambra State) shared the joys of being decorated with his country’s national honour (MFR) with us as well as what will change about him, especially now that the award has catapulted him to a special class…
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What has been happening to Teco Benson?
Well, I’ve been working round different kinds of programmes. Sometime in 2007, I enrolled back to school – and to be able to achieve my vision, because I’m a detailed person, I’m not the kind of person that will buy people to take exams for me and give me a paper. I wanted to actually go, obtain that certificate to sharpen my skills. First of all, what brought me into the film industry was the strong vision to use film as a medium of change in the society and having gone this far, I just felt a need and interest; I just felt there was a need to sharpen my communication skills and go back to school and in looking around, the kind of my tight schedule, I saw that if I keep working I may not be able to really achieve my goal of getting that education. So, I had to decide to leave my cake because if I eat it, I won’t have it again. So, I had to suspend work. I went to school from 2007 to 2009. It was in the latter part of it that I finished…
Which school exactly did you go back to and what did you study?
I studied Communication Studies at the Lagos State University. So, having finished, I have now come out and I’m ready to unleash my works again.
What new works should people expect from you?
We have just worked on two major jobs. Okay, three! The first to come out was a film I directed called Two Brides and a Baby. That one is already in the market. I directed it for Blessing Effiong Egbe. It was in the cinemas early this year and it’s already on DVD. Then we did Blood in the Lagoon. That one, we are editing in the U.S as we speak. The last one is Centrifugal Force, which we are still working on. Right now, we have some hiccups in the production because of an unprofessional conduct by one of the guys playing a lead role. So, we are just waiting to tidy up that so that we can tidy up the film and release it. Post production is also going for the part that we have filmed. Basically, this is the much that I can tell you because other works for now are in the works. We have a pro-Nigeria show that we are trying to use to quell the crisis; all this ethnic crisis and religious crisis that are bedeviling the country. We feel that this film will be the best antidote. Government has tried their best in tackling this and yet the thing keeps growing more cancerous and I feel that my approach will actually go a long way, because we cannot all leave it for government. The government alone cannot do this job. We have to all join. The time has come for all of us to come out. Whatever we can contribute to end this crisis, we should.
Talking about government, you have just been honoured by the government of Nigeria with an MFR award. How did you receive the good news and how do you feel about it?
Honestly, the first reaction was shock. I was shocked because it is something I revere so much and I feel very, very humbled and I feel very thankful to God Almighty and to this country, Nigeria; to Mr. President and to all the people that conducted the search and deemed me fit for that position. I know it’s a very high calling, because when you are inducted into such fold, you are seen as an ambassador and a leader. So, I feel indebted, because now, knowing the job that I do and knowing the kind of emotion I have, this calls for more action because there’s a saying that to whom much is given, much is expected. With this, I have more challenge now to bring out those my movies that have that capacity to change, the capacity to solve some of the economic crisis, religious crisis. Most of the crises we have can actually be solved through proper communication and this can be achieved through doing or releasing proper movies into the market and with the right messages. It’s not just entertainment movies; movies that go beyond entertainment will actually drive home some messages and they will actually change these habits.
Why do you think the Federal Government singled you out for an MFR award?
If I tell you that, that means I’ve become a prophet. Or a magician! I don’t know. But you know the government has their yard sticks. Just like I told somebody some minutes ago, whatever you are doing in life, it pays to be consistent, it pays to be focused, it pays to be hard working. Somehow, somewhere, somebody will be watching you and you won’t know. What it means is that everybody is watching whatever we do; apart from God that is watching, man is also watching and this is a reward system they have created. I don’t know who singled me out, I don’t know what they used, but all I know is that I try to walk on the path of – I don’t know whether I can use righteousness; whether it’s apt here. But I try to walk on the right path when I’m working, be it in my profession, be it in my way of life. I try to be as patriotic as I can. Even in the industry where I work, I try to do films that can help project the national integrity. Films that can fight crimes, films that can fight the youthful tendencies that are causing some of these kidnappings and some of these things that we see. Some of these things are things I had seen many years ago and documented in movies before they came to pass. I did a film called State of Emergency in year 2000. So, this is to tell you that actually, I’ve been interested in the affairs of this country for years.
What is going to change about Teco Benson now that he has joined the league of MFR award holders?
(Laughs) – As a human being, there are some strange things that we do once in a while. It may be in a traffic, you may see an easy road by the side, you can maneuver just to get to your destination fast. Knowing the office that you are called up to live now, you have to really lead by example, because people know my face. So, anything I do, if it’s negative, it will actually impact negatively on this honour that I’ve been given. So, I will be more conscious now. Very conscious. Above all, I think that quest, that burning quest for that vision is burning more now. So, I think it is time because there are so many burning national issues that I feel highly that the film medium can address if properly used. These are the things that I’m now thinking of how to actually diversify into and do more, this time. That is the best I can tell you for now.
NEXT EDITION: Teco Benson x-rays Nollywood, its challenges and how to subdue them. Don’t miss it.