I Was Raised Not To Depend On Any Man – Queen Blessing Ebigieson

Queen Blessing Ebigieson was recently re-elected as the President of Association of Movie Producers. This movie producer is also an accomplished actress, a business woman and a philanthropist. Queen is not one to pretend over issues. In this exciting interview, Blessing opens up on many things concerning her life, career and marriage. Enjoy this no holds bare interview with ORJI CHUKA

Congratulation on your re-election as AMP President, tell us what it has been like since you took over as AMP President; your achievements so far, welfare plans for members?

I have been a member of Association of Movie Producers, (AMP), Nigeria, for over 16 years now. I was the National Treasurer of the Association from 2018 – 2020 under the leadership of the former President Emeritus Ralph Nwadike. In 2020, I became the National Vice President of the Association under the leadership of Peace Anyim Osigwe till 2023 when we lost her.

I was later sworn in as National President on March 17th, 2023; and re-elected for another term this year. It has been an amazing journey but with a lot of work because I hardly have time for myself these days. In July, I was in London for the Nigerian Week hosted by SRTV London, where l received recognition for the Most Devoted Industry Leader, 2023. I must say I deserve it because I have worked very hard. ln August 30th, 2023, Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, honored me for my remarkable leadership in the guild and the creative space. In September 17th to 24th, 2023, I was in Toronto, Canada, for the Toronto International Film Festival, where l spoke at the event and also received the Achievement Award in Media and Creative industry.

I am happy because l have not disappointed my predecessor and other past presidents, knowing also that l can count on their advice and support and that of all the members at all times. I am not ashamed to ask for help from them, even my members when needed because nobody knows it all. As I try to complete most of the projects the past presidents began, l am also charting a new part for the Association.

With new leadership, no matter how you look at it, it comes with new perception on how things should be done and how we see and look at things. In all, it has been an amazing journey, I have the support of my members because they are happy with my leadership and I’ll continue to do my best to make sure it stays that way. It will always be AMP first and AMP always.

You started as a dancer and model more than 20 years ago. What is the difference between actors that started in your time and actors of today, especially the young ladies; in terms of character, discipline and approach to work?

No. I started as an actress, and a model, later added dancing along the line. I started dancing in musical videos and I danced for the likes of Tony Tetuila, Eedris Abudulkareem, Pasuma Wonder, Adex and Asker among others. I also started modeling when jobs were not coming, for me; it was necessity that drove me into all these ones, otherwise the passion was acting.

I had so many bills to pay and I was raised in a manner that as a woman, you shouldn’t depend on a man, so the man factor providing for me was not really my thing. In fact, I came into Nollywood as an 18- year old virgin till l was 21 years; my mom did not raise me to depend on any man. So, if there is no acting job, dancing job will be available and when there’s no dancing job, modeling job will come. Jobs to put food on the table and when they come, l am very professional and disciplined about it.

I did the TV series Super Story and This Life multiple times for Chief Wale Adenuga, One Bad Apple, Only God forgives, and Officers Wife etc. One thing people l have worked with either in acting or other businesses know about me is that when you give me your call time; your call time is your full time. If I don’t have time, I won’t take your job and one thing l never do is take a job when I’m still on another job. I must finish the production, go to my house, sleep at least two days, and eat the food l cooked because l am a very good cook; before l will take up another job.

I consider my health in everything l do that is why l am careful with what l eat outside because l don’t know what they used to cook their food, so it’s always important to come back home, detox, make your food, sleep and rest before you take up another job. Most of the actors today are not disciplined. As a producer, l am a much disciplined person and harsh when l need to be. Almost everybody l worked with have not come to set late because of the kind of person l am. I will make sure l put you in a hotel a day before the production starts.

On the other hand, if you don’t come a day before the production and you want to come same day, you must come at call time or you will have to talk to my lawyer. I don’t want to know what happened because it’s my money that is wasting. So, when it comes to me, I’m very strict and people that work with me know that.

Yes, a lot of actors are not disciplined like in our days and the ones before us. When you tell them call time is 8:00am, you will see some of them coming by 4:00pm and some of them especially ladies take three hours to make up. I don’t think most of these ladies depend on money they make from acting to survive, they either have other businesses or they have men that are bankrolling them. So, if you don’t have a man that is bankrolling you, neither do you have other businesses that generate money for you, then you would appreciate and respect time.

Yes, after I had my son; I stopped dancing and also stopped runway modeling, l only do photo modeling now. Of course, I added movie production 14 years ago into my portfolio. I’m a serial entrepreneur: I sell charcoal, I sell clothes and I do aso ebi for parties, I do a lot of things just to make sure that I don’t lack, to keep up with my bills because it’s a lot to stay in this industry.

About your foundation, tell us more about the lives you have touched especially that of the widows and why you are particular about the widows?

The foundation has been on for many years; in 2018, we celebrated our 10th anniversary. By next year, this foundation would be 17 years. Every 14th of February, we celebrate 1000 (one thousand) widows and aged women, on Val’s day which is always February 14th.Last year, it was held at the palace of the Emir of Zauzzau in Zaria, Kaduna State, As you know, we choose a state that we will go each year. The only year we don’t do it is during election year because of the uncertainty in the country. Again, I don’t want anyone to compel us to politicize the foundation, because it’s strictly a calling from God. It has nothing to do with politics or religion.

We go through the traditional rulers to help us select genuine widows who are truly in need. We organize parties where we provide music, food and drinks. Some of the side attractions include dancing competition; we also do balloting for sewing and grinding machines and also give them stipends to start a trade. When you help a widow, you are helping the children also because she’s not going to allow them suffer. 80% of the funding for now is from me and this depends on how buoyant I am at that time. Organizing the program alone, the DJ, food, drinks, for the guests including the 1,000 widows and aged women that come because you have to cook for more than this number as some will also come with their children. We also we give them six yards of ankara each and the wrappers alone cost about 6,000 naira, we are talking about the cheapest and good wrapper that will at least last for some time. We are talking about millions of naira.

Last years program, I spent over 7million naira and you know a dollar was about 360 naira, with dollar now at over 1,000 naira and fuel at close to 1000 naira; I will need over 10,000,000 naira to host the program next year which is just a few months away. No matter how small l try to do it, it will still cost a lot. ln 2018, when we hosted the wives and mothers of our fallen heroes, at the Army Cantonment, Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos state, 3 days before the program, we brought some facilitators to teach them how to make shoes, bags etc. At the event, we did balloting for sewing machines and most of them won. We also gave some of them token for start up. Some told us they want to sell food, some pure water, some fairly used clothes and akara, etc. Anything that N20, 000- N50, 000 can start up, we do that yearly when we host the program.

I asked God what do l do. He specifically said l should not do it in one state so that l don’t recycle widows. I’ve done it twice in Edo State because I’m from there and also twice in Lagos state because I live and work here. I’ve also done in Niger state, Ibadan -Oyo state, Ile ife- Osun state and Kaduna State. I did not just start it; it was God that instructed me to do it.

Each time the event is getting closer, l become restless because 80% of the funding comes from me. The remaining 20 % come from outside support. I used to fund it alone but two years ago, my cousin Prof Azeez Butali based in the U.S through his foundation paid for 6 yards of wrappers for 100 widows and promised to make it a yearly thing. Mr. Jimi Agbaje, my mentor and godfather ; who is also a Patron of the Foundation paid for 6 yards of wrappers for 100 widows and give a token to five widows business as a start up, a support he promised to continue on a yearly basis. Prof Pat Utomi also a patron supports the foundation and my uncle and great friend, Apostle Johnson Suleiman also supports the foundation whenever we reach out to him.

My online fans and well wishes support us too and that explains the 20% support I talked about. I pray that more people will come on board because I can’t continue to put in 80% of the funds yearly, so that l don’t go bankrupt. I have faith that one day, it will be only 50 per cent and it will continue to go down. I am one person that never gives up on the things that I believe in. I know that we’re always going to continue to do it because it brings a lot of joy and smile to the faces of these widows and their children and anything that brings peace of mind to humanity is what I live for.

You have a lot on your table: Movie producer, TV host, actress, president AMP, and a business woman etc. Is the home front not suffering, and how do you balance all?

My family understands that I have to work to put food on the table, especially my son. He has grown so fast and at the age of 17, he understood that mummy has to work. God gave me an amazing man who understands and supports me in everything. He has not only supported and made my wings stronger to fly high, but solidly stood beside me for the past 12 years and still counting. It does not look like he is going anywhere soon because he loves me beyond words. I love him as much added to the fact that my five adopted daughters also understand that I have to do so much to make sure I give them good life, this is a blessing.

I am not officially married to anyone, but in a solid relationship with one man for the last 12 years. Like I said, there is nothing married couple do that we don’t do, the only thing is put a tag on it, which I am not ready for. To be honest, my relationship with my son’s father left me scared of that word marriage. I spend quality time with my man and whenever hes not in Nigeria; I am there with him in Canada. I don’t post all my trips; I show people what I want them to see. ln a year, we see each other as much as our work allows us to. I am a very busy person, he is also a very busy man too, but we talk a lot over the phone, calls, messages, video calls etc. He’s not in Nigeria, but he knows everything I do, where I go, when I come in, when I eat, likewise.

I think in a relationship, constant conversation makes it stronger, with him I also found a better father for my son, you need to see them together then you will understand what I mean by a better father. You will not even know he’s not the biologically son.

I’m just praying to survive both of them because they are both handful. My home front is fantastic, they understand my job and bother me at all times, again for the records, l am not officially married to anyone, Im not single either which means I’m not available.

Which of the movies you produced gave you the toughest time in terms of production and what happened?

‘Temi Nikan’, TKN, was a very difficult movie because after I finished that production in 2012, the movie crashed. I lost everything in the hard drive almost 60 scenes and we had only five scenes left that were saved. I tried everything possible to save what we had lost in the hard drive by reaching out to technical people but no luck. Because I was gradually becoming depressed, my man asked me to take some time off and go to US for a break.

While in the US in 2013, a thought came into my head to turn the movie into part one and two so that way I will able to get my money’s back. I wrote the US version of the story and gathered the crew together in Atlanta, Georgia to shoot. When I came back to Nigeria, I called everybody back to location and I had to pay everybody 50% of what I paid before. But you know with logistics, hotel and other things I had to pay full amount for that and so I shot the movie again.

Till today, I never made that money back and that was the biggest production challenge of my life, but I overcame it. After that I have shot over 10 more movies and I learnt a lot of lessons because that experience made me a better producer.

Would you want to model or dance as a profession again. If no, what did you miss about the two?

I wont dance for anybody again. I’ve gotten offers to dance in musical videos but I turned them down because I stopped dancing over 17 years ago immediately I got pregnant. With my son and five adopted daughters, my personality, my responsibilities and my status, it’s a no. For runway modeling, I don’t even have that energy anymore, but I do only photo modeling now where I can just quietly sit down and take shots, collect my money and go.

I’ve become a big producer and big actress, there’s really no time in doing musical videos. I think musical videos opportunities should be left for the up and coming ones, which was what helped me when I was coming up. I think that’s what happens to most dancers, young people are the people you find most of the time doing musical videos and dancing in concerts and all of that. Yes, it did, I appreciate my little beginnings.