Kenneth Okonkwo Brags: I Am Strong Sexually For 24 hours.

When you mention this name, KENNETH OKONKWO you think Nollywood. If their is anyone who I would pick as a building stone of Nollywood, he would be in my list. A lot of us saw this movie as kids; Living In Bondage, where he gave a class performance as Andy, that movie was a starting pillar for Nollywood. He has grown tremendously and still vey relevant in the business of make believe.

 

He is a one time divorced actor, also a practicing lawyer and has a Chamber. His sex life? Kenneth boasted of his strong sexual prowess and even told the World this.....“I am strong sexually for 24 hours, my wife knows that. When I was growing up, women that were older than me were coming for me. In front of my mother, they will buy me special soap to take my bath with and other things too.  When there is a competition the women will insist that I must be on their side. These women were teaching me good and bad things. Obviously I was too young to understand but I just knew I like what I was touching and feeling and that time. I started kissing at a very tender age because it was part of the things they were doing to me, and I loved it, maybe that is why my lips are red like this. When I married my wife, I told her if she knows what is best for her she should not tell any of her friends what we do behind closed doors or else she will lose me”. Lol!  He also talked about  his relationship with Mercy Johnson-Okojie. !  He gave an interesting interview to a staff of Entertainment Express Nigeria.

 

 See Excerpts of the Interview with Entertainment Express Nigeria.

 

We would like to meet you in totality
My name is Kenneth Okonkwo. I am a movie actor, a lawyer, a diplomat and administrator by training. I am an evangelist, which is a call for every Christian. I have been trained in that area and also ordained as an evangelist. I never had any intention of being a pastor when I went to bible school; I just wanted to know more about God and his divine things.  When you are a celebrity you have to pastor yourself, because you are enough work for God.  If you can win souls for Christ as a celebrity, it will be wonderful.

How did you come about acting?
I have always had the passion to be in the industry. I knew I have the talent.  I just walked into the production house, they auditioned me and gave me a role. As matter of fact I started with TV series production. My first was Ripples; I came in when they were already three years on TV.  After the audition they created a role for me, that was my first appearance on TV before Living in Bondage. I acted with the likes of Chimwelatu Agu, Keppy Ekpeyong and some others. That was sometime in 1991. From there we were invited for the audition for Living in Bondage, I was fortunate to be picked and I played the role of Andy and that was how I became a celebrity. That was the genesis of Nollywood. Then there was no movie that was capable of stimulating the mind of the nation to create a movie industry.  When the movie came Nigerians just knew they have seen what they have not seen before and they started demanding for more and we started giving them more.
 After Living in Bondage we did Taboo. In Taboo that was when we did the first ever song in a movie. I actually wrote the song with Rosemary Onah,  the lady that played Ijeoma. We went to the studio and perfected it; that was the first time people really sang a love song in a movie.  When we started I told them that my prayer and belief is that we will remain in Nollywood and take it to the height that other movie industries around the world will come looking for us. And I am happy that in my generation it is happening.
When you check Living in Bondage it was done in an African language and it was an African story and interpreted by Africans. So if the whole world can like our story why would I leave the industry and go away? You cannot be as good as the original. Nollywood is original with us, and before Nollywood came in picture, Nigerian musicians were not proud of using Nigeria orientation in their songs. So, Nollywood did not just bring a change to the movie in alone, but to the entire nation.

At a point you took a long break from the scene, what really happened?
How can you have five degrees, almost four of them were after you have become a celebrity without having a break? The things that I was doing then; my production, my business, marketing our movies and also importing tapes made me take a break in the industry.  School is one job you cannot delegate somebody to do for you.  Same goes with acting. I was going to school and at the same time running my business. That was what made people took the erroneous impression that I have a break. No. I didn’t take a break and secondly I hate to see my face in all the movies. I only want to see my face in only the best of the movies. When the best of scripts are not coming I will stop. Before I act, the script must be beautiful, it must have a very strong message.

Why the quest for more degrees?
Knowledge is power. When I talk as a lawyer people listen to me. I am a practicing lawyer, I have been called to bar and I have my chambers.
So how do you balance everything, law, business and acting?
First of all, my Bible tells me that I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me, if you have his YES you can certainly do everything. Like I said, the time you will use in doing unreasonable things, if you invest such time to do something meaningful you can achieve all things.  If you are dating a lady as a celebrity, she would be more interested in your time than finance because she would want to have a better part of you which is your time. She would want to take you to her friend’s birthday party and her friend’s friend birthday party.  Since I gave my life to Christ, when I am not on set, I am feeding my mind with the words of God.

 Why the urge to study law?
Law was my father’s first choice. I read law because my father wanted me to be a lawyer. Later in life, I discovered that I am a man that loves fighting for people and that I needed to be a lawyer to do that.  To God be the glory, I have had many chances of standing in for accused persons and helping them avoid jail. I am not the kind of person that likes advertising or blowing my trumpet.
I read law because I want to use it as a tool for social engineering. When I became a celebrity through movie, it was the amount of love people have for me, men, women and even children.  Now I had to ask myself; what will I do to reciprocate this love for this people?  When any of my good fans comes under any deprivation, I will show the little kindness. My immediate elder brother is a lawyer, my immediate younger brother is also a lawyer and the last two girls are also lawyers. Despite the fact they are lawyers, they still see me as the advocate and they kept telling me that I must go back to school to become a lawyer because our father said so.  I needed it to see that I fulfil my mission, because you have to give back to the society out of what the society has given you.

Do you have any plans of having an NGO, as a means to further help the masses?
That is the beauty of law; you don’t need an NGO to stand for anybody. I don’t need an NGO to go and stand and defend anybody in trouble. All I need is just my wig and gown for the issue. I already have an NGO, though it’s not registered yet. I have been running it for more than eight years now. I have been sponsoring a football competition for the entire youth in my village during festive periods. I do that every Christmas with them to take their minds off crime, and make them win prizes. The NGO I have has helped me to empower the youths, and also the widows and the less privileged too.  God has created me to help and defend the less privileged.
I am from Enugu State, Nsukka to be precise.

As a pioneer in the industry, how many movies have you produced?
I have produced many movies, when we started like I told you, when there were less people in the industry.  I have been privileged to be part of the people that helped some of these actors and actresses come to limelight. I wrote and produced Betrayal. That was my first movie and also by the grace of God, that was the movie that brought Zack Orji into limelight. I also did Price of Hatred and a couple of others too. My aim was not just to venture into the industry as producer, I was happy as an actor. But when I saw so many people coming up as a producers, I had to give my productions out to the ones I have trained so they can continue with it.

Is there any hope of going into production again?
Well, never say never. Although I can’t do all things at the same time, but now I am very busy as a lawyer.  I just take out time to act and do some selected super movies.  Then do some other legal things and politics.

That is to say you are interested in politics?
Yes I am interested in politics because my belief is that democracy entails everyone to be in politics. If you are not a governor. You should be interested in the government.  Democracy is defined as the government of the people, by the people and for the people. If you are not of the people, by the people and for the people then you are useless. You should be one of the people and as far as you are one of them you are into politics too. My definition is that everybody should be into politics, although all of us must not be in power, but if you are privileged, be relevant to your people.

So do you have what it takes to be in power?
With all due humility, I think I have what it takes to be in any position politically.  Besides, my people would want me to be because democracy is not about you but the people accepting you.  Whatever they want me to be for their sake, I would go for it and represent them very well.
You sound like a very good Christian and a born again too, but people don’t believe that actors are true born-again, how do you balance this?
Is there any possibility that there could be a Christian doctor? I am still acting to encourage the Christians to go in and do what they ought to do and still be faithful to Christ. If you want to do a very good Christian movie and to show that a lady that was once a prostitute became a very good Christian if you cannot convince the people that indeed she was once a prostitute, then you cannot convince them that she is a born-again Christian. Movie role entails that you will interpret the role the way it ought to be.
A pastor once told me that he admires the way I kiss in movies. He admires it because I was able to satisfy him with the role I played.  That is why he is paying his money to buy my movies. He did not see it as a sin.

But why do you kiss a lot in movies?
Yes I kiss a lot,  but you have never seen me go nude before in a movie. Because when I take my wife inside my room I know what I do. I don’t compare myself with others; I just do what I have to do. Kissing and romancing are all part of movie making. And we call it make believe. So we have to make the people believe.

Talking about your wife, how does she cope with your kissing in films?
(Laughing) My wife married me as an actor; she knew what she was going into. I think before she married me. She was watching practically all my movies. Now that we are married she watches my movies sparingly because she is watching the real guy.
My wife told me something that surprised me. She said when she is watching my movies, what bothers her is that I am so real doing it romantically and she begins to wonder if the one I am doing with her is not acting. I carry my whole self into movies but I am not bringing movie to myself, so my emotions in the real life are still my emotions in the movie. The only difference is that one is acting and the other is real, so when people say I look so natural when I am acting, that is because it is me for real.
I trained myself by locking myself in a room, stand in front of the mirror and cry the way I cried in the movie. It is just about being an actor.

Where did you meet your wife, is she also into acting?
If Kenneth Okonkwo tells you anything, he said it because he is very sure of it. I am not just saying this for talking sake; my wife is very beautiful. (Displays her pictures in his phone). She is very classy and loving. When I say she is beautiful it’s not because she is my wife, but because she is very beautiful indeed.  I went for a very beautiful wife that will always make me want to come back home. When I want to go out of my way to get another woman it wouldn’t be because I am suffering from lack of contentment. You need to help yourself and help God to help you.  The ability to know what you want and God helping you to get it will really go a long way to helping you in life. My wife is beautiful and brilliant and I am very contented with that.

So tell us how you both met and how long it took you to convince her to marry you?
What made things easier for me was that my wife is from my place, not just the same town but the same village, so I married my sister. Although I am a star, I didn’t bring that to the front of us. We are from the same village and town and we have known each other for a while. So when I decided to marry I married her.

What happened in your first marriage, tell us the story and clear the air for your fans publicly?
Everybody knows what happened, but if they don’t, I am sorry I can’t remember now. I have only one marriage and one wife and I can’t remember being married before. You remember what the bible says, “remember ye not the former days, I will do a new thing”.
I just can’t remember anything and do you know why? It is because I have the permission of my God not to remember anything. My wife has so filled my heart and my head that I just can’t remember anything. So I am sorry I just can’t remember anything about that.

Stories have it that you have a very terrible temper and that it costs you your first marriage?
Before I became born again I cannot say I have temper because I am not a man that easily gets angry but I can say when I get annoyed I do not like the result of it . I don’t like the product of it when it comes, but now by the grace of God I can say I am not a man of temper any longer.  Whatever will push me to it I will let it go. I am not willing to live at the mercy of my enemies, so if you want to take advantage of my perseverance to act on it you will be surprised because I will destroy and harm that person and bring that person to nothing. A lot of people take Christians to be weaklings.

You said losing your Dad was your trying moment, aside that what were the other trying moments in your life?
Nothing. It is just only the death of my father that always makes me cry. I am not the kind of person who is easily moved by things. Whenever I make one major achievement I think about my father and it makes me sad. I always wish he is still alive to see what I have become. He was so proud of me that he talks so much about me. My father encouraged my brothers to take after me because he so much believed in me.
Funny enough. My love for beautiful women did not just start with me, I think my father also has that in him because my mother is extremely beautiful. Thank God she is still alive. Although, she might not be as young as she was when my father first married her, but she is still beautiful.  

If you have a chance what would you change about yourself?
Nothing at all. Absolutely nothing. You cannot be as cute as I am and wish to change something about yourself, the things I did that I didn’t like were the things my cuteness brought for me. So it is nothing about my person, it is about mismanagement of the good things I had. I just try to manage now by the grace of God.

Kenneth Okonkwo is seen as an arrogant man, how true is that?
I don’t think I am. What some people see as arrogance on their side might just be inferiority complex on the other side.  I am sure before you met me today somehow you would have thought I am arrogant. Well, it is very difficult gaining access to me and that is because of who I have become. If you allow everybody to gain access to you, you are in trouble and when they eventually gain access to you, they will meet my real person.
 I think one of my best attributes is humility, I did not learn it. I inherited it from my father. He grew up to become one of the most influential people in my town. The late Oliver de Coque was singing with my father’s name. My father had a lot of achievements when he was alive, a man that got to such a position and had never gone into quarrel with anybody, deserves to be respected.  He never used his position to oppress anybody in my village, anybody that has problem then comes to my father for solution and it is still like that till today. You can move to my village and ask.

People are alleging that you have something intimate to do with Mercy Johnson. They are also saying that is the reason you act together in most of your films, especially romantic roles. How true is that?
(Laughs). It is so funny to hear this, and do you know why? Before Mercy was born or should I say when she was still in the kindergarten level in school, I had already started kissing ladies in movies and I have been acting natural with ladies. So she met me still doing it. Why would her own be different? Okay, let me tell you why her own is different;  it is simply because she is exceptionally different and talented as an actress, so when she matches her good skills with my own natural skills,  people would have no choice than to enjoy it. They would end up saying we are so natural together, are you sure they don’t have anything in common?
Mercy is like a younger sister to me.  We are so very close. I am so close to her and her husband. He is like a very good brother of mine. Like I told you, it is my nature to be so confidential with any lady I have something with on earth, so it makes me laugh each time anybody talks about Mercy and myself in any way, except that we are professional colleagues.
 We both have a lot of respect for each other, so there can never be a fling between a brother and a sister.

Why did you decide to give your life to Christ?
Before I gave my life to Christ, I was a night crawler; I was living a worldly life. But God gave me so many reasons to give my life to him, as you know.  To whom much is given, much is expected. Jesus is sweet. I once took God for granted, he gave me life, health, fame, at a point in my life, and I just realized that those things I thought were giving me joy were actually causing me pains. Because when you break a lady’s heart, you will go home sad. You just can’t take two, you have to take one, and when you see this beautiful one and think she is going to give you joy, tomorrow you will see a more beautiful one than her.
 Many wanted to have me just to satisfy their curiosity of what I have to offer in bed. The devil is so wicked that he would make you never to be satisfied with just one woman, he will show you one today and make you wonder how she should sound on the bed. After I have savoured lots of women, I was still craving for more, so at a point, I learned and decided to give my life to Christ. When I wasn’t born again, I didn’t know how to read the Bible. The only thing I knew was to hang out with babes and I was doing it so passionately. When I was growing up, women that were older than me were coming for me, in front of my mother, they will buy me special soap to take my bath with and other things too.  When there is a competition the women will insist that I must be on their side. These women were teaching me good and bad things, obviously I was too young to understand but I just knew I like what I was touching and feeling at that time.
 I started kissing at a very tender age because it was part of the things they were doing to me, and I loved it, maybe that is why my lips are red like this. They taught me how to be with women, I just love what I was feeling at that time. They would give me their body to play with, when they place my hand anywhere I will just feel it, so I grew up having a very touching and funny upbringing. I became very passionate relating with them very passionately, till today, when I am sleeping with a lady, she has to come before me.  I enjoy sex more when they have enjoyed theirs; I was free living with them.
I am strong sexually for 24 hours, my wife knows that.  If I come back and my face is not bright, she will come and play with me. I never knew God was working out something for me, each I time I have an affair with any lady, she goes out to tell her friend, that her friend will end up developing interest for me.
So when I married my wife, I told her if she knows what is best for her she should not tell any of her pals.