You have been talking about your new album for sometime now, what is holding the release?

The album is being delayed for some reasons. We had to go back to the drawing board because some things were not right but my fans should be patient I will be out with the album. 

Why type of music are they in the album?

I have all kinds of music; theme, hip hop, R&B, soulful ballads as well and of course I have the African staff as well. I performed some of the tracks on stage at the Nigerian Music Awards (NMA) at Abuja . 

What’s the title of the album?

The album is called In the mood.

You seem too multitalented; sugar, actor, TV, presenter etc. Can you be briefly tell us how started?  

I started way back in 80s as a singer; we used to be on NTA Ilorin then doing youth scenes.  Then I started acting because of a friend, Ayo Oniwale; he is in Silverbird now, and he introduced me to theatre. Since then, I have not looked back and I would say it paid off a great deal. Eventually I went on to read Dramatic Arts in University Ife, now Obafemi   Awolowo   University , and trained under Chuck Mike, an American director and also Gbenga Richards. Today I feel fulfilled because I am doing what I enjoy doing.

 Have you always wanted to be in the entertainment beat?

Of course  I had always wanted  to be in the entertainment, I write, I sing, I produce and direct the scripts. I also do talk shows and when I find the time, I try to do public relations too.

You seem to be the most prominent artiste involved with commercials, what stands you out? 

God. I cannot ascribe it to any thing but God. I believe he has a great purpose for me.

What do you regard as your greatest asset?

My talent. The things I told you I can do is due to my talent .

What other profession would you have loved to do if you were not in the arts?

If I was not into entertainment I would have love to be a naval office; I love the white, I love to explore and all that but I wouldn’t have been a good officer.

Why? 

 I think I would be looking at the entertainment section of the navy.

You were once nursing a political ambition into the house reps, are you still indented to actualising this ambition.

Yes I am still working on that but the terrain  wasn’t  so conducive for me to do that but I am in the background, I will be doing my work and consultations and when the time is right I will come out. Let’s see how the next dispensation will be after the first four years. 

Why do you want to serve in the legislative arm of government?  

Maybe because I am politically aware; I am a political animal and like to be aware of the situation in my country. I like laws and I like to laws that bring benefit to the people, I like to see change because of the dynamism. I will like to see the constitution reviewed once in while, and I like to make an input to the constitution.

How do you react to the general view that you always play the bad boy role in the movies you star in? 

That is a misconception; I am an actor first and foremost, a professional actor and reiterate that point. I keep saying that when you cast in a movie for a devil, it does not mean the person acting is the devil neither does the person playing God is God. Somebody have to do the dirty job. Even in football, you have somebody who does the dirty job; Garba Lawal is a utility player and he does the dirty jobs and every body keep screaming.  Why do you think coach always put him on to play? It’s because he  delivers I am first and foremost an actor, primarily that’s my major concern  and I want to deliver and I want to see my self doing  my job; whether you begin to look at me as a bad boy, that’s  your own business, it is your cup of tea. For me I have done my job and I have gotten paid and gone away. I am not bad. And check it, out all over the world, people who play the bad guys are the nicest people in reality and the guys that play the good guys are the meanest.

Do you ask for those roles?

I don’t ask for them, it’s just the back of initiatives of producers and directors; they are very lazy. They don’t want to explore and look for new talents. There are thousand and one Segun Arinzes out there; there is a thousand of RMDs, Ramsey Noahs, Genevieves, Omotolas, Desmond Elliots all over Nigeria that you can go seek and get them out but, because they are lazy, they want to stereotype you; they will say who can play bad boy? Get Segun Arinze; who can play wicked woman? Bring Patience Ozokwor; Who can play good boy? Go and get RMD. It is crazy, they need to explore, that’s why I really admire these reality shows they do to discover new talent, Next Movie Star, Amstel Box Office etc. For me it’s not just about winning prizes, these guys not just utilized. You make them stars but then you have to get these people and utilized them.  Push them to act role in movies. Thrust them forward but we find out this is not the case, the old faces still appear in your everyday movie. It’s not about the winner of the reality show winning price money and car without any managerial clause to the contract to help person grow progressively in the industry, no. I have had the opportunity of talking with two of such winners and sometimes you find out that these talents are empty upstairs. There is need    to nurture than to stand because they have not got the focus or ideas, they just find them selves winning something and don’t know how to harness it.

You had this show programme, Noholdsbarred, what informed you to start it?

Like I said, I am a political-aware animal and I wanted to be involved in my environment I always loved talk shows like Larry King, Oprah Winfrey,   Bisi Olatilo, even our man in CNN, Reuben’s Comedy Central, Stelwart,  he is a comedian but political. I like to talk, I watched talk show on BBC and I just wanted to do that and I told it and it worked.

Why was the show rested?

Because the politics.  I   wouldn’t want to go into that, the politics involved in programme and some shenanigans that wouldn’t let me be. I just let it to be but I will come back this year with the programme and it will be shown, bolder, bigger and more interesting. My fan should watch out for it. Everybody should be mindful because am coming back with a bomb. Once I drop my album that is the next thing am facing fulltime and this time nobody’s going to bar me.

How do you impact or give back to the society or charity?

I do charity once in a while, and I also go on seminars to teach and to educate. the younger ones what  I have heart, impact on them and tell them to keep a straight and normal path.

Outside entertainment and Arts, who is Segun Arinze?

Segun Arinze is just me, a simple guy in a natural habit. Sometimes people look at me and say I am arrogant but do you think I am? If you do then I guess you have a problem with yourself. Just because you know me doesn’t allow you to ascribe that word arrogance to me. When people get closer to me, they get surprised and say, “Ah, you are like this?” Just because I am an actor trying to be myself and for the fact that you are my fan, you expect me to be happy, receptive and laughing at every point, then you are wrong because I am a human being; I have blood running inside me as well. Some of my fans are nice but some are very unruly; you meet them on along the street and they say nasty things about you. Let me give you an example Kanu, I was at Adeniran Ogunsanya, at Tasty Fried Chicken the other day with a friend and there was this cripple on a roller skate and he came over to me and was blah blah blah! I was on the phone and he kept on. I finished my call and ignored the guy. The next thing he blurted out that for the kind of roles I play on screen, he hopes that they will shoot me in real life. Now if In was a crazy person and over reacted, people wouldn’t see it that way.

Robot  Villager

# 1 ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 25.08.2007 03:32

Palamedes  Villager

# 2 Maybe because I am politically aware; I am a political animal and like to be aware of the situation in my country. I like laws and I like to laws that bring benefit to the people, I like to see change because of the dynamism. I will like to see the constitution reviewed once in while, and I like to make an input to the constitution. So banal: This is the sort of answer one would receive from a child when asked why he or she likes sweet. My question to Nollywood is why they give free publicity to internationally well-know brands in their movies. In the west, most brands you see in the movies are paid for. If you see say, Cola Cola advert or Coca Cola being drank by the main characters, there is high likelihood that it is sponsored or donated by Coca Cola. In Nollywood movies, the main characters often wear shirt, shoes with brand logos on them. Sometimes characters spend valuable minutes talking about a particular brand. These are all free publicity and advertisement for the brands. I am sure that a big company like Coca Cola (which spends billions of dollars on advert) would be willing to provide small financial help towards the cost of making a movie in return for a little publicity in the movie. As at present, they are getting it free in Hollywood. The problem with Nollywood is that it does not think like a business but rather acts like a home movie project with not profit in mind. Posted by Palamedes| 25.08.2007 07:49

Dapxin  Villager

# 3 =Palamedes;202458>So banal: This is the sort of answer one would receive from a child when asked why he or she likes sweet. . You took it from my mouth! One of the 'vauguest' responses I have heard to a political question. :surprised Posted by Dapxin| 26.08.2007 01:10

Dapxin  Villager

# 4 =Palamedes;202458>So banal: This is the sort of answer one would receive from a child when asked why he or she likes sweet. . You took it from my mouth! One of the vaguest. responses I have heard to a political question. :surprised Posted by Dapxin| 26.08.2007 01:13