The 32-year-old Nollywood actor Osita Iheme,popularly known as ‘Pawpaw’ has talked aboutwhy he is still single

https://i.onthe.io/vllkytaHR0cDovL2kuY2RubmFpai5jb20vby9EVUtLOTBwOXJOQkdzVUlrZmZYYUxEYXEuanBn.prx.7bf02486.jpg

The Mbaitoli, Imo state-born actor, who received a
Lifetime Achievement Award at the African Movie
Academy Awards, and was also conferred with the
award of the Member of the Federal Republic in 2011
by President Goodluck Jonathan, is indeed one of
Nigeria’s most creative actors.

Read
interview below:


Your stage name “Paw-paw” brought you to
limelight and you became a household name in
the Nigerian entertainment industry. Looking
backwards, did you foresee your good fortune
today?

I have always been a very optimistic person. I may
not have seen how far I could go but I knew
something great was coming. I can’t really tell you
this is how far or this is how I knew it was going to
be, but like I said, I had always believed that
something great was around the corner.
Growing up with your stature, did you ever feel
bad whenever you moved with your age mates?
No! No!! No!!! I have always seen myself as a leader
especially when I am around my age mates. I have
always put up a bold front because I am a bold
person. I have been able to conquer and overcome
the challenges that are around me irrespective of my
nature and other things about my physical stature.
I have been able to set aside anything that could
bother me and moved on. I didn’t allow anything to
really bother me while I was growing up.

You have been in Nollywood for over a decade
and have carved a niche for yourself. What is your
“magic wand”?

The only thing I can say is that in whatever you do,
just remember that God is the greatest. Always give
credit to God for your success; believe that you can’t
achieve anything worthwhile without the grace of
God. I believe that my magic wand is just the grace of
God.
There is nothing else, no extra ordinary or
special thing. In addition, I am a very hardworking
person. I try to focus with determination to deliver on
my tasks. I see the grace of God supporting me.

What was your childhood dream and at what
point did you give it up for acting?

I have always known as a younger person that I had a
flair for acting.
I was always involved in drama during
our church block rosary.

My performances then have
always been adjudged as above average. My friends
have also attested to my acting prowess. These
experiences made me to develop a keen interest in
acting. I also got my inspiration for acting from
watching movies. I do really enjoy watching movies.
These boosted my self-confidence and made me
believe that I could really act in movies. By the grace
of God everything is now history.

Your ability to play the roles of an adult and a
child effectively in the movies you featured in
speaks a lot about your professionalism. How are
you able to do that?

This is just raw talent. It is what gives a good actor an
edge.
It enables him to be versatile and creative.
These enable him to effectively interpret theater roles
excellently. In my case it has been a good mix of
talent and versatility.

Looking at the Nigerian film industry, what is
your assessment of story quality, plot
development, directing and the deployment of
digital technology?

Yeah! Yeah!! We are moving forward. Where we are
now is not where we were years ago. At the moment
I can emphatically tell you that we are making good
progress. Our technical expertise has improved as
well as our acting. We have been involved in a lot of
activities which include seminars and capacity
building for film actors and new actors. The rate of
production of new movies is still high. Now more
movies are premiering at the cinemas. The Nigerian
entertainment industry is indeed a million dollar
industry. It has also become a rewarding venture for
all the stakeholders.
Why I Am Still Single


To what extent has Nollywood played the role of
rebranding Nigeria?

Nollywood is a great brand ambassador of Nigeria.
Nollywood has really showcased Nigeria’s positive
influence in the African continent. Through
Nollywood you can see not only Nigeria but the
entire African culture. So far, Nigeria has benefitted
in a lot of ways from Nollywood because a lot of
people have been gainfully employed through it both
home and abroad. A lot of people are also being
sustained through Nollywood: the marketers, the
actors, make-up artistes and many others.
What are you not happy with about Nollywood?
There is no reason for me not to be happy with
Nollywood. I am happy with Nollywood. We are
making great improvements in the industry and I am
really excited about this outcome of events.

It is a common thing in Nollywood for actors and
actresses to be involved in acting, directing and
singing. Are you part of this trend?

You cannot really stop anybody who wants to express
himself or herself. People have diverse talents inside
them.

As they try out several things they are able to
perchance discover their core competencies. So I
don’t think it’s bad for anybody to diversify into some
other things. Entertainment is vast, so anybody can
do anything they want to do. I would quickly support
such venture as long as they excel.



What is your opinion about Nollywood actors and
actresses new interest in contesting for political
offices; are you nursing any political ambition?

Definitely Yes! I am nursing a political ambition. I am
hereby using this medium to let my colleagues know
that we are the voice of the masses. People believe in
us and it is high time we joined politics and start
contributing and making changes. We can no longer
keep watching from the sidelines. We have to be
involved in the politics of this nation so that we can
better the lot of the populace. We need to prove that
we can change things. You cannot be a change agent
if you are not involved in what is going on. So I
support my colleagues; I support any entertainer
who ventures into politics. I don’t think there is
anything bad in it. It is a welcome development for us
in the entertainment industry. I am also positive that
my dream will come true someday.

Your stage “twin brother” Aki is married. How
soon would we see you walking down the aisle
with your better half?

By the special grace of God, God will bring the
person around. I am yet to find anybody at the
moment.

What would you like to leave behind as a legacy?

I would like to inspire people. I want people to take a
cue from me and not give up on themselves. I want
to see myself as someone people will walk up to and
say “you made me do this, I did this because you did
it”. I want to be a role model and a mentor.
What do you have to say to your millions of fans
out there?

I promise to keep the flag of excellence flying. I will
never disappoint you all. I will keep on bringing out
more products for them to enjoy.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you.
The talented Nollywood actor was recently spotted at
the Adoration Ministry, Uke recently.

@NekxMusic
@Tarrmie