Igwe Gab Onyi Okoye, aka Gabosky, is the Chairman/CEO of Gabosky Films and G-Media. The Gabosky Group of Companies is also into other businesses outside of showbiz. YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine’s LILIAN AZUH interacted with him recently on diverse issues and below is the result…
Tell us about yourself.
I am Gab Okoye, but they call me Igwe Gabosky. I am the Chairman/CEO, Gabosky Films and Gabosky Group of Companies and recently, G-Media, for the distribution of intellectual property.
Producers and marketers are complaining of piracy. What are the steps to curb piracy?
Piracy, you know, had been there for long and Nollywood came up and was not structured and they inherited the marketing system which was created by pirates. The pirates are using the current marketing system to distribute their wares across the federation. So, some of these marketers are the originators of Nollywood, and they started by pirating Indian, Chinese and American films. So, when we created Nollywood, they joined. People like NEK, who was not just a marketer; people like me that did Nneka The Pretty Serpent, people like Okechukwu Ogunjiofor, who introduced me into the business, people like Zeb Ejiro whom I and Okechukwu Ogunjiofor brought from NTA to direct Nneka, part 1, people like late Amaka Igwe who was from NTA, and from Checkmate to Rattlesnake. People like Opa Williams, who was just an independent producer, who did Onome. People like JBM, who did Circle of Doom. We all started; we were not marketers, but marketers who joined later had their foundation from piracy, so it was their network that we started using and they can never leave what they started with. So, when you are talking of curbing piracy, it’s like stopping marketing and creating an alternative marketing. That was what we discussed. After many seminars, conferences and lectures with Emeka Mba, we had the new distribution frame work to see whether we can stop distributing in Alaba and create another market and there we licensed the national distributors, the regional distributors and community distributors, believing that we are going to create a paradign shift, but these people objected. Once Emeka Mba mentioned that we needed to checkmate piracy, they took up arms and said no, you can never checkmate piracy and you will never do the distribution frame work. They fought Emeka until Emeka got tired. He also played into their hands by trying to create multiple and mobility marketers. Now, piracy continued. When you get tired of piracy, you will pack your things and go. Actors and actresses, some of them have retired because of piracy; most independent producers now stopped because of piracy. The few people that are still there have to do what they want and what do they want: if you finish your film, give it to us and we will pay you off and use your film how we want to. Content quality started coming down, everybody started complaining and Nollywood has set a standard to stop shooting a movie with 1 million or 2 million; you have to start borrowing money to do movies with like N50 million, N100 million. By the time you borrow N200 million to do a movie and you find out that these people cannot buy it because they are only ready to give you 4 or 5 million to acquire your movie and do whatever they want to do with it, what do you for? So, when you refuse to give them, what they do is, they will wait for you since you are going to the cinema. As you enter cinema, they will find a way and get into the cinema to get your movie and that was how they released and pirated Half of a Yellow Sun, when the woman was still at the cinema, Yewande Sadiq. That was how they released 30 Days in Atlanta, when AY was still in the cinema and October 1, when Kunle Afolayan was still in the cinema. Then, when I came up after borrowing a lot of money from the Bank of Industry to make sure I activate that new distribution frame work and I have outlets all over the nation; the first movies I acquired were Tango With Me and Onye Ozi. I released them, in the next 2 days, they had their own version and it was everywhere on the street, selling. I started arresting them; I went to Alaba to arrest them. They started fighting openly and telling me I cannot control piracy. We fought and later what I did was to withdraw. A year later, I did not release my film, after October 1. I did not release any film until December 15, 2015. I released Headgone, October 1 and The Needle. They were also pirated. I could not do anything, then 15th February, 2016, a day after Valentine, I released Invasion 1937, by Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen. A week after, they also pirated it. I said no, I traced it. So, I said let me give them a small fight again. I traced it to a guy, I got him arrested on the road, because if you go inside Alaba market, they will machete you. They have all kinds of weapons and they don’t care who you are. The last time I went there, they matcheted one of the policemen that came with me to raid the market and the policeman was so traumatized. So, I decided to lay ambush outside the market and luckily he was going to cargo goods for someone in Benin. That was how we got him arrested at Ohonba Line’s park and handed him over to the Ojo police station. That same day, they wanted to grant him bail. I asked them why, they said their boss gave an order that no culprit should be in cell for more than 24 hours. So, we contacted the Copyright Commission and we handed him over to Copyright Commission and later we contacted industry people.
This piracy battle, are you alone in it or you have the support of the government?
Now, like I said earlier, a week ago, Lai Mohammed came to see the industry and promised they will join hands with us to fight piracy. I and Norbert contacted the industry people and the industry people contacted Lai Mohammed and Lai Mohammed contacted the Inspector General of Police and the Inspector General of Police contacted the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State and the Commissioner of Police contacted the Area Commander to help us apprehend the guy, Mr. Emmanuel Eze Obasi. So, that was how the boy taken to Copyright Commission was moved to Area E and locked up and when they interviewed him, he gave names of others that are involved in the piracy business. He said he’s not the only one and that there are big names that are bigger than him. The big names he gave us now helped us to link them to their homes and we got them arrested, Ogbona Nwaete and John Abah. They gave us their shop addresses and when we got there, we were surprised at the type of machines they use to pirate our movies and that was what we carted and brought to Area E Police Station at Festac. The industry is promising that they will support me, but the only support I have gotten is the Ojo Alaba Film Marketers Association of Nigeria and Video Producers – Marketers Association of Nigeria.
As a businessman, where do you draw your strength from?
I can say it’s the passion I have for the industry that is pushing me and the investment that I have already committed into it. There is no strength that is bigger than the one I am getting from the Bank of Industry where I took a loan from. They are calling me everyday on how I am going to pay them their money. I am telling them that piracy is not letting me get their money and they are telling me that they don’t want to hear that name piracy; that I should have known that there is piracy before coming to them to borrow money. That I should make sure I bring back their money. When you are sitting on a keg of gun powder, you have no option than to jump the fence that has wires. So, that is where my strength is coming from.
What would you say has gotten G-Media and Gabosky Films where it is today?
I will say it’s God. Why I said God is that I have been trying to catch these pirates, but God delivered them into my hands. Because when the guy went to cargo, I was not there, but the policeman that saw him called me and said some boys were carrying my movies. I had to rush to the place and it was true. So, we caught them and that’s it. It’s God that exposed them.
When was the last time you shot a movie?
The one I shot last was in 2010 and I have not released it.
What is the title?
It is Banned in Nigeria and it’s about anti-corruption and things that need to be banned in Nigeria.
What distinguishes you from the other movie producers?
All I can say is that I’m part of the origin of Nollywood. Because anybody who knew me when I did Nneka The Pretty Serpent; I was not the producer, Okechukwu Ogunjiofor was the producer, but anyone in 1992 that will bring out N5 million to sponsor a movie and be an executive producer is still one of the creators of Nollywood. I’ve spent 20 years in the industry and I have five movies in the market. Content quality is very important in movies. For instance, my Nneka The Pretty Serpent and The Battle of Musanga are household names. Though because of piracy, they are not fetching money. The kind of job you do will distinguish you from the entire industry. After Nneka The Pretty Serpent, I did Battle of Musanga, Beyond The Vow and Banned in Nigeria. To tell you the truth, I don’t believe in releasing movies every now and then. The new Nollywood was created out of my movie. Another one is my kind of discipline. I’m disciplined in the industry. It’s not everywhere you see me and it’s not every practice I involve myself in. I am the only producer in the industry that no actress can say I slept with her in the industry because I discipline myself and move out from all that. I have a lot of friends and I am friendly to virtually all of them, but I don’t give room for such. Once you respect yourself and respect others, yes, people will respect you.
Do you still have any unfulfilled dream in Nollywood?
Sure. I will still go into Alaba to fight them, unless piracy stops. I will continue until the day I will stretch and say this is my end. Until movie practitioners start getting their returns, actors and actresses get their position in entertainment, that is the day I will say I am fulfilled.
What does one need to succeed in business?
You see, in business, if you want to be successful, first, you must have passion for whatever you do because passion conquers all. You must be disciplined and have financial discipline because every kobo you save is a kobo gained.
As a businessman, what does money mean to you?
Money is a tool to chase another money. If you focus on money and go into business, you are already a failure. For example, a producer that wants to produce a movie and instead of him to focus on what the movie will impact on the viewers, he’s busy calculating the millions that will come out of the movie at the end it will die just like that. But if you are not focusing on money, you will produce a master piece. Money is not the ultimate goal in business, I see money as something that will corrupt you. If you focus on money and go into business, you are finished because you will be focusing on money and money will drive you crazy, make you not to have respect, not have a value system and the way you address friends and family; when they see him coming, they will say see money man coming. Money is something you must put at the back of your mind before you can progress. If you see people that love money, they don’t go far.
What does it takes to be a good film maker?
A film starts from the concept and the storyline. And when you have story to tell, you start thinking of who will direct it; the director will help you tell the story, the actor will help you interpret the script and a good script will help you have a good movie. If you have a good movie, you must have a good director, good actors and actresses and a good team. You will bring out a good movie. And once a good movie is out, people will start asking from who. Music adds flavor to a good movie.
What are the best ways to overcome challenges in business?
The best way to overcome challenges in business, like I said, is for you to be disciplined. Once you are disciplined, you will be calculative, tolerant, patient, so that you don’t react easily. For you to be a successful businessman, you need to have the things that will make you to be non greedy, to be patient, not corrupt, to be tolerant and objective in your thinking.
What is the greatest lesson life has taught you?
The greatest lesson life has taught me is that it’s not that time you are down, that you are down. It’s only when you say you are down that you are down. There are times I say this is the end of the world and God says no. I’ve learnt a lot that if I see you traumatized, I tell you to embrace God. The greatest lesson life has taught me is to know God. Once you have God, don’t bother yourself about any other issue. If you are worried and you see people without legs, that is when you will stop being worried. I am one of the apostles of fearlessness. Embrace God and God will make you to be fearless and all your worries are gone. Be contented at all times and God will provide. I always pray, talk to God, thank Him for a new day and He takes control of all other things.
You are so humble in spite of all your achievements. Why?
Because I don’t even see any achievement. I see myself as any other struggling young man. I have not achieved anything because I am still struggling to achieve something. Even the little I have, I try to share it with the people so everybody can be happy. People are happy being around me because I try to make them happy in my own little way.
What is the greatest thing that God has done for you?
I think it’s my wife. I was a very rough person in the sense that in school I was sort of a terror. I didn’t have a girlfriend that lasted for a year. I didn’t think I will marry the kind of woman I married and when I married her, she was so humble and calm. So, back then in school, I had girlfriends and I am not an apostle of one girlfriend. None of them was pregnant for me. So, the day my wife said she’s pregnant I was so happy. First, second, third and fourth. I was full of smile and excited. That’s my happiness and achievement. Also my kids are intelligent. I was very intelligent and rough and none of my kids took after me. Back then, before I will come back home, at least four to five people would have come to report to my father at home that he beat my son or daughter and when my offence is much, I won’t sleep at home, I will go to my grandmother’s place. Once she sees me, she will say have you committed another crime?
Do you mind telling us the names of your kids?
Their names are Zelunjo, Raluchukwu, Dilinna and Kuliechi.
Why do people address you as Igwe?
Back then in the university, I was the Igwe of the campus. That was where the name Igwe came from. It’s the arts that made me Igwe of the campus. They loved my regalia and I performed in the campus square. I joined the cultural institution. And there, they also made me the king of the community. That was where the Igwe name started. I was Igwe of University of Nigeria, Nsukka. And my title in the village is Igwe Ezue.