Like her or detest her, Iyabo Ojo is one actress you can’t easily write off in the movie industry. Apart from the fact that she has been around for a while which gives her an edge over some of her contemporaries in the make-believe world. Iyabo is also a producer whose movies have earned her notable recognition from inside and outside Nigeria. The mother of two is currently shooting a new movie which she called Beyond Disability. SEGUN ADEBAYO engaged her at the location of the new flick in Lagos, where she opened up on what has kept her on top of her game.Your beauty spa recently clocked one year, what exactly led you into that business?
I have always been into business and I have always been very passionate about beauty related business. Though, I started with mini-mart hairdo but later I wanted to expand it, so along the line, I picked up interest in body massage. I started learning about it and I found out that the more I learnt, the more I was interested in learning more and my passion grew so high. I am always very particular about how I look and I decided to go to the Uk to study more about fashion and beauty tips. After the training, I came up with the idea of having a beauty spa in the heart of Lagos. I have been in the business before but on a smaller scale until now that I felt it was time to give it a wider outlook. So, it took me about two years to actualise this dream.
How did you raise the cash that you have expended on th
e project so far?I am a movie producer and a business woman. Like I said, this is not something that started over night. I have been planning ahead of time for this and when I discovered that I have saved enough of money to start the business, I didn’t wait the next minute. I was able to raise money from the movies I have produced and my husband also supported me. It is not easy to have a business like this in this kind of environment. A lot of people asked me if I took loan from banks to execute this but I said no. I started saving up for this project since 2010.
Could you put a round figure at what this place would have cost you?
I don’t like to mention money because of security reasons. But I can tell you that the equipment and everything on ground are worth millions of naira. Let’s leave it like that. I had to go all the way to China to bring in most of the things you saw that day. So. It was not cheap at all.
Is this not affecting your acting career since you have to be on ground almost every time?
Interestingly, the two have been going fine together. I have always been a picky actress. I don’t act in all movies that come my way. I try to plan and manage my time very well. If I know I am going to be busy with my business, I won’t take any script for that period. So, I try to draw out a plan for myself in order not to get myself hooked up on one thing while others suffer. I try to find out time to produce my own movie, act in other movies, pay attention to my business and manage my home very well. I don’t choke myself up in one business, like in my spa business, I have professionals on ground who will handle my clients with utmost professionalism. I try to also communicate with my clients so that I can know what areas I need to improve on.
It has been argued by movie practitioners that movies alone are not sustainable, is this why you have decided to delve into something else?
No, I don’t believe that is applicable to every artiste. I have never relied on acting alone. For somebody like me, I have always been into different businesses since I was young. I have an event management under Fespris world. In fact, I am also trying to venture into other businesses as I speak with you and this has got nothing to do with whether acting is financially rewarding or not.
How rewarding has acting been for you?
Acting is just something I like to do, whether it is rewarding or not. Like I said, even before I became an actress, I have always been into buying and selling of goods. I was even into property at a particular point. The most important thing in life is to learn how to manage what you have to make the best out of it. What I do is that I borrow from one business to help another. If I make good sales on my movies, I will invest it on my business and when I make proceeds from the business, I will invest it on another movie that I want to shoot.
Why is it impossible to rely fully on acting in the Yoruba speaking movies?
It is not possible for Yoruba speaking actress to rely on movies alone. How do you want to survive on that?.
But English speaking actors are not complaining like you guys do?
I don’t know about the English speaking actors.
So what would you say is wrong with your industry?
They don’t really pay that much in Yoruba movie industry. It is always ‘ewa bamise’ which literally means please support me, I can’t do it alone.So, for most of us, acting is just a passion. It is something that creates opportunities for us. It is something I am still going to do for a very long time. It is not something that puts food on my table in the real sense of it. I make more money from producing movies. That’s why I try as much as I can to produce good movies, so that I can make profit in the long run. I just started shooting my second English movie, Beyond Disability. I am going to launch Beyond Disability and Silence together on December 21st.
You are one of the few Yoruba actresses who have shot movies in full English Language, what point are you trying to prove?
In life, you don’t want to be stagnant. I believe I have done a lot of fantastic Yoruba movies and I am still going to do more. I just want to go beyond where I am today. Yoruba movie is for selected people but English is versatile and I am ready now to explore that world by producing my own English movies and showcase my talent and tell my story the way I want.
You seem to have a lot on your hands, has your husband not tried to slow you down; does he complain that you are going too far?Unfortunately, I am a very homely person. He’s equally very busy doing one business or the other; he’s hardly around. When we have to see, we try to find time to do that. The home is not suffering at all. We are working hard together for the family. I am really enjoying my marriage. I have found rest of mind and happiness in this marriage and I thank God for it.
People could hardly believe that you are happily married judging by the nature of your job and different reports in the media that have not been in your favour. But you are saying that you are really enjoying your marriage. How do you strike a balance between your house and career?
(Laughs...) That’s a funny one from you. How would I put it now? Let me say everything has to do with God. I think it is about one’s upbringing. I try my best to make sure that my acting stays in the acting world. Once I am off set, I am back to my normal self. When I am here at work, I am a business woman. At home, I am a mother to my kids and a humble woman to my man. I try to separate everything so that you don’t have problems in your marriage.
Some people say you are not humble...
Some people? Who are some people? Do those people know me that much. May be you are even creating the people yourself.
Me? How?
Yes, you. Journalists like to bring out something out of nothing. Are you not a journalist?.
Yes, I am and I am supposed to ask questions.
You are funny.
Ok let me come out straight, a couple of your colleagues once told me that you don’t associate with them...
I have a cordial relationship with my colleagues, you were at my event and you saw those who were there. If I am not humble like some people have said, they would not have come. I can’t be friends with everybody. But then, I have most of them as my friends and that’s the truth.
You said you are humble, but you had problems in your first marriage. What went wrong?
I rushed into that marriage and I rushed out. Then, I was not even deeply involved in acting like now. One thing I have learnt is that the older you get, the more calmer you become and the more you reason deeply before you take action. My first marriage was very fast. I dated him for about six months and we got married. It was two different people under one roof; we didn’t really understand ourselves. I didn’t understand my ex’s way of life and I was not even ready to accept his way of life.
Why?
He wanted me to understand him.
Was that difficult?
I came from a family where when you go to work in the morning, you come back in the evening to stay with your family. He came from a world where he could go for one week and when he’s back, he’s back. So, that didn’t really work and that was the genesis of our problem. So, I said to myself that this was not what I wanted; I wanted more out of life and so I moved on.
May be you could have saved your marriage if you had been more calm?
I have found out that you cannot find the perfect thing in one man but there is one thing I have found in this relationship that I am into right now, and that is peace of mind. When you are experiencing peace of mind in your home, you will see that everything will fall in line. You don’t allow your stardom to get in the way of your happiness. People usually tell me that I don’t behave like a celebrity and I tell them may be I don’t see myself as one.
Some people believe Iyabo Ojo was only fortunate that his dad was rich before he died, do you think this is true?
Yes, I will say I am very fortunate that my dad left me some money before he died. Thank God I was able to maximise the little capital dad left behind for me. It was not easy handling it initially, but God has always been there for me and I am also grateful to my husband for his support and love.
How were you able to manage your dad’s wealth? Some girls of your age then would have been distracted in the midst of everything.
I have always been a mother at a very young age. You know I married very young and I had to mature early. It was not difficult handling it because God was in it from the beginning.
How old were you when you first married?
I was 21 years old.
So when did you dad die?
He died when I was 23 years old. At 23, I already had two kids. So, at that point, for me, it was to either get it right or wrong. I had to split the money into different things. Then, I used to have a shop at Ilupeju where I sold different things. I used to travel to Dubai to buy them. A large chunk of the money was invested on acting. There were times when the situation was stormy; times when things were just too difficult for me to handle. But I kept working hard and never stopped trusting God.
So, your dad left you with that substantial amount of money and none of your family members raised an eyebrow about it?
We are well to do in my family. Everybody is busy with their lives; nobody cares about what I do with my money because everybody has their money. It was just my brother and I. Thank God that we were able to do things right. My money was even the smallest then.
We all make mistakes in life and we either correct them or we live with them for the rest of our lives. Could you tell us some of the mistakes you have made that you don’t like to remember?
I have rewritten that mistake and that is the fact that I took my time before saying yes to my man. I rushed into my first marriage. After my first marriage crashed, I took my time before falling in love again. People say I am difficult but I am not, I am just being careful. I don’t want to keep telling my kids that I am sorry again. In order not to tell them another story that touches the heart, I had to take my time. My son is in SSS3 now and my daugther is in SSS2; they are almost done with secondary school. My girl wants to be an actress just like her mother.
Is that why you featured her in your movie, Silence?
There is nothing wrong in acting early as long as it does not affect her education. She’s always wanted to be an actress and I can’t stand in her way.
Don’t you think you are pushing her too much?
I am not pushing her. She’s interested in acting and I can’t stop her as long as it does not affect her education. I think it is even better that you introduce her into acting at an early stage. It will help her in the long run.
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