By Eric Elezuo

He is still as agile as he was when he first ventured into career entertainment many years ago. A professional to the core, disciplinarian, focused, determined and a gogetter, the person of Segun Padonu Aina, who is best known as Segun Arinze is larger than life.

In this brief chat with The Boss, the veteran entertainer, who has successfully traversed the world of music, movies, voice over and other splendid variables of the entertainment industry, went deep down memory lane to explain the intricate workings of the industries he found himself, his passion for the arts, love for the Glo brand and other down to earth revelations.

Excerpts:

Who is Segun Arinze in a nutshell?

Well, the truth is Segun Arinze is Segun Arinze, and that is me, by the grace of God. I’m an actor, a Nollywood filmmaker, and a media personality.

Segun Arinze; the actor, voice-over artist, and singer. Which of these explains you better?

I believe that the three explain my personality better because they’re all art and entertainment-related drive for me. So I see myself in those three facets of entertainment, and I’m very comfortable with the three of them.

So, how did you all start?

It started years back in Ilorin, Kwara State, many years ago when I was still in secondary school. That’s how I started. I got introduced by a friend called Ayo Orowale, and ever since I haven’t looked back.

Okay, so between then and now, how would you describe the journey so far?

It is actually a combination of many things – tidious, painful, agonizing, joyful…It’s a blessing. It’s a mixed bag of everything.

Segun Arinze is a native Lagosian, Segun Arinze grew up in Onitsha….

Cuts in…No, let me correct that. I was born in Onitsha. But I grew up in Lagos before my parents decided to junket the length and breadth of the country as a result of the kind of work he does then – he was a bit on the nomadic side to out it mildly. So that was how I found myself traversing all parts of Nigeria.

Was your father a soldier?

No, he wasn’t a soldier. He was a businessman. He was a contractor. There are businessmen who move around like that. They settle wherever they think is a comfort zone. They shuttle there and here. So he was that kind of person. We were at a point in time in Asaba. We were at a point in time in Benin. We were at a point in time in Ilorin. And then, we were at a point in time in Ogun State, in Sango-Otta. And then we came back to Lagos. It was after that journey that I said I wasn’t going any further. I decided to carve a niche for myself and said, I wasn’t going any further. I decided to stay back.

And that was when?

Many years back. I can’t remember.

You must have been old enough for you to make that kind of decision for yourself? When exactly was it?

It was shortly before I got into the university. That was before I went to study Dramatic Art.

At that particular time, you were still dependent, I guess. So I am wondering how it was possible.

Yes, I was 18 plus. I think I was 18, 19. Then if I remember very well, I said I needed to stay. So I moved in with one of my friends, Michael Odiachi. So he made it a bit easier for me. He was at Ojota then, and later to Ikorodu. So I made that decision. We were all in a playhouse way back then. That’s as at 1982 to 1986 or so, there about. And I was still schooling in-between.

So your parents continued the nomadic journey while you settled?

I wouldn’t say they continued the nomadic journey. I would just say, well, my dad decided to settle in one place.

I can comfortably say therefore, that your movements made you a complete Nigerian.

Well, yeah.

Can you elaborate on that?

I remember we were in Kaduna as well. I was in Jos, my grandparents were in Jos. I had to stay with them for a very long time in Jos. And I found myself traveling between Kaduna and Jos. And then I visited Kano, Zaria, and Maiduguri.

Does that make you a polyglot? How many languages do you speak?

I speak, well, let’s say five.

Name them, please.

English, Pidgin, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and a bit of Efik.

That means you’re a complete Nigerian since Igbo, Hausa, Igbo languages are there. So I may not even be at liberty to say how come how come the Arinze name came about.

The Arinze is there because my mother is Igbo.

So why did you manage to take up the name Arinze instead of Padonou or Aina which link to your dad?

Well, when I was a recording artist on Premier Music Label, Dean Disi, who was the GM of Premier Music at that time, decided that he needed a name change. So that’s how he asked me for my name. And I told him, and he said, okay, I shouldn’t worry. And the next thing he changed my name from Segun Aina Padonou to Segun Arinze. So it was for marketing strategies. And I was a bit uncomfortable with it, but he said, don’t worry, it will work. And here I am with it. It worked.

Which of these popular names of yours sticks more to your personality? Segun Arinze or Black Arrow?

Depends on who’s talking. Depends on who you want to pick.

But what does it feel like to be called Black Arrow? Because if I remember very well, the character was not a very pleasant character.

Well, that was from Silent Night. Chico Ejiro had asked me to play the role of Black Arrow. He also had Ramsey Noah, Joke Silva, Victoria lyama, Emeka Ike, and Alex Osifo Omiagbo. Quite a number of people were in that film at that time. I wasn’t even the lead, but he asked me to play the role of Black Arrow, and by God’s grace and to His glory, it happened. And that was how that changed. So everybody started seeing me as Black Arrow. I wasn’t even the lead. It was Ramsey that was the lead in the movie then. But that’s how it changed. And then we went on to do Silent Night 2 and 3.

Was your musical outing, Dreams, the piece that showcased you as an artist or was it your acting career?

I would say both. Because I remember, before my recording, I was doing a little bit of acting. And I got signed on because I was with Kingsley Ogoro. We were working at Klink Studios then. And Dean Disi listened to my songs. But before that, I had written a lot of theme songs for the Nigerian Music Awards with Tony Okoroji at the helm of Affairs of NMA. And so when we had done that, he liked it. And then I decided to do some recording. Klink Studios was at Tafawa Balewa Square then. We just started and opened shop. And just about then, Sam Uqua, the producer, called me and said, Dean says he wants to see you. And so I went to Satellite Town and Dean Disi said, “I like the songs that you sent to me. We would like to sign you on.” And that was how I got signed on to Premier Music.

Mind you, Premier Music has the likes of Alex O. And Premier Music was also going through a rejuvenation then. They were also rebranding, so to speak. They were originally Polygram. So we were changing to Premier Music. And Tony Minnis had just bought over Polygram. And so, there was Alex O, there was Blacky, there was Alex Zito, Ras Kimono was there. Oris Wiliki was also on that label. And so we started. And that was how I started to record then. My singing friend, my co-singer then was Ese Agese, who Kiss Latham later got married to. So she got signed on to Sony Music. And that was how everything just evolved. And I recorded the album.

Was it a single?

Yes, it was a single. But there were other songs also that were added later on.

But much later I left the contract. I remember that in 2006, 2007, I decided to come back and I did another album called, In the Mood. And then we had more songs on it. And that’s been my journey so far in music.

But I decided now to focus on my acting career because I’m a trained actor. I got trained in Ife by Chuck Mike in the Dramatic Arts Department. So a lot of things just went on to shape up this person called Segun Arize. It’s actually been a lot of work trying to build that brand.

I’m not sure there is anything about Segun Arinze that’s not in the public space at the moment. However, I want to believe that there is something…

…In terms of my career, my job, yes.

So what is new about Segun Arinze?

I’m still evolving…laughs

At least as of today, something must have evolved.

A lot is evolving. I’m still working. Thankfully, I’m still working. I’m still doing quite a number of things. Some of them I keep to my chest.

But there must be something off the chest that is about to hit the airwaves.

There is something I’m working seriously on. But I’d like to keep to myself. Keep your mouth shut. Work. And when it comes out, people will be surprised. So I don’t believe that I need to open up my mind to announcing all the things that I do. But yeah, but I’ve done quite a number of things that people have seen and I’m still working. I had a talk show called No Holds Barred, as you know, that was run on AIT. It was rested but not totally rested because sometime along the line, I’m sure that it will come busting out again. So there are a lot of things I’m working on, a lot of projects that I’m doing, and I just take them one step at a time.

So at the moment, what do you tell your team and audience out there to look out for?

You’re trying to put me on the spot, right? (Laughs…) Well, let them watch out. We have quite a number of things we’re doing and 2024 will unfold and tell a lot of stories.

So they should just keep their fingers crossed?

Keep your fingers crossed. As at now, I represent quite a few brands. Legrande. Legande is one of them. It’s a real estate company. I’m representing them now and I’m very proud of them. They are doing quite well, and it’s been a lovely journey with them and we’re still together. I’m looking forward to signing quite a number of other brands. Let’s see how it goes.

And for the voiceover category, which companies can you itemize as having worked with?

There’s a lot of them that I have worked with, but I can’t begin to itemize them. It’s quite large.

What about the five most important?

I can’t say the five most important because they’re quite a lot. You say one, you offend the other. So I’ve worked with quite a number of brands. But I wish to work with more brands. I look forward to doing voiceovers with more Nigerian brands. One of the brands that I’m very, very impressed with is Glo. Though I’m not an ambassador nor have I done anything with them, still just go to see their shows and all that. I’m quite impressed with what Chairman Mike Adenuga has done with the Glo brand. I’m very, very, very impressed with what he’s done with it. He has taken it to a different level entirely. Honestly, working with that brand will be a dream come true. I like the way the brand has been packaged. Wholly Nigerian, 100% Nigerian, no foreign influence. That’s good to know. It’s good to know that one can look back and say, okay, this is truly a Nigerian brand, and you can relate to it.

So how have you managed to keep this voice the same over the years? 

It’s been because of tenacity. I’ve been very tenacious, I must say. I’ve been deliberate about it and I’ve been keeping it.

And you will not believe who actually introduced me to voiceover. Soni Irabor. Then I got major influences from the likes of Manny Onumonu, Ike Emokwede, a d Osaze Iyamu. I got quite a number of influences from them. They all influenced me. But one person who kept pushing for me was Soni Irabor. And when I look back, I really say thank you to Soni Irabor. And I was privileged to be on the show with him one day, on his own show. And I told him that he was a catalyst for it.

In all your years of being in the entertainment industry, can you say there are incidents that trigger regrets?

One thing I try not to do is regret. I try as much as possible not to have regrets. What I do is I learn from every incident, and move on. Don’t just stay in one spot, move on.

Which particular incident can you say you actually learnt from and moved on?

A number of them, quite a number of them. There’s this particular one, though the person is late now. It was when I was still an aspiring singer, I wanted to sing badly. I wanted to record. And I went to meet this great Nigerian artist, a great musician. And I asked him, I said, sir, I like what you did with Yvonne Maha. And then he looked at me and say, you just finished secondary school. Yes? Why don’t you get a job as a clerk or something? I felt very bad that I was rebuffed. I was rejected. But many years later, I grew big, I grew very big. And I went on to meet my friend, the late Dr. Paul Oje, who was opening his house. And on the stage was this same great Nigerian musician, and then he was singing my praises. And I was like, God, you’re the greatest humorist. But I didn’t let that weigh me down. Actually, I didn’t let that weigh me down. And I moved on; in terms of creativity, I’m very, very restless. I like to move from one thing to another. I like to do things as fast as possible. I’m a creative animal. I don’t like to stop in my track. And that’s just my kind of person. That’s how I am. And people who have worked with me will tell you, hey, when it comes to creativity, leave Segun Arinze alone. That’s how I am.

Can you please differenciate between the Segun Arinze in the movies and the Segun Arinze as a person?

Segun Arinze in the movies does his work. Segun Arinze as a person is a family man.

What I mean actually, Segun Arinze in the movies is practically voracious, practically…

No, no, no, no. Segun Arinze is an actor. I don’t want to use the word voracious. Because I refuse anybody making me a typecast. I’m not a stereotype and I refuse to be a stereotype. I’m an actor. I want to play any role I’m given and give my 100% to it or even 110% to it. But I don’t want to be stuck in that place and say, yeah, you’re a stereotype. No, no, no. That’s not Segun Arinze. I’m a trained actor and I want to work that way. Granted, there are certain roles I might not be well suited for, but that doesn’t mean I’m not giving it my best shot.

But outside that, I’m a family man. I like to stick with my family. I like to have a good time with my family. When the opportunity comes, we go on holiday. When it’s not there, I do my work. But I always watch over my wife, and my kids. I just love my family.

Okay, tell us exactly how you combine your tight schedule with being a wonderful family man.

Very tough. And the good thing is that God has blessed me with a wonderful wife. A great wife. So where I fall short, she makes up for it. But she also makes sure she carries me along by giving me information on what and what, and where I’m lagging behind. I try to make up for it. It’s not easy. It’s not a bed of roses. It’s also trying to get your children to understand the kind of work that you do. When they were younger, they didn’t understand it. But now they begin to understand the nature of your work and all that. I try to take the pressure off them because wherever they go, they hear your dad is this, your dad is that. And when they come back, they give all the stories. My last born is so inquisitive. She wrote her first book at the age of seven. I try as much as possible to carry her, and all my children along. I have grown-up children and I have younger children.

Talking about wives and family…I remember you lost your first marriage after 14 years…

Can we not talk about that? Let’s move on. I don’t like talking about that. I like to keep her out. It’s done and dusted. Move on!

I’ve moved on from that. Yes, I have a lot of respect for her. I have nothing but good respect for her. And I would not want anybody to tarnish her image. She’s done so well for herself. I have a good and enormous respect for her.

So, how does Segun Arinze relax?

I listen to music a lot. I like telling jokes, I like listening to jokes, I like being among friends, I like staying with my family during my spare time, I sit down with my wife and we all do gossip. My wife is my best gossip partner…laughs.

I like that…Laugh

So we talk a lot. My Gist partner, I’m very comfortable around her. I can say what I want to say, express myself and that’s just how it is.

What was it like when you made your first million?

I can’t even remember what it was. When I made my first million. Ha!

Funnily enough, I didn’t get over the roof. Funnily enough, I didn’t get to the blues. When I made my first million, when the money hit my account, I was like okay. I was calm. I was very, very calm. I didn’t think that money entered my head. And it was from Guinness. I was looking at the money. They’re taking me to South Africa to do something. And that money was some crazy figures of millions. So I was calm. Very, very calm. I took it in my stride. Ever since then, millions have kept hitting my accounts.

Social media quantified you as a four million dollars person in net worth.

That’s social media, not me.

Yeah! Are they right?

They are stupid. They don’tseem to get it. I can’t tell them my worth, because these things are dynamic. They keep changing. I don’t want to say this is what I’m worth or this is not what I’m worth. I don’t want to say that. In fact, when I saw that, I was very upset and I felt highly disrespected. Yes. I felt highly disrespected. I was very annoyed. I was very angry. I felt highly disrespected.

Is it because it is on the low side…

No, no, no. Whether it is on the low side or the high side, I feel highly disrespected.

Are you saying that there’s no need for it?

There’s no need for it. It is my private life. You don’t need to. I don’t need that. I was very, very upset and disrespected. If I had known the person who wrote that thing, I would have given him a piece of my mind. That was extremely stupid, that was silly, and they should not ever and ever try that again. They should leave public figures to their lives, and stop counting their money. It is none of your business; focus on our work. Focus on the work we have, and what we are doing for society. How we are trying to make the society a better place. Don’t go prying into my private accounts or knowing what I’m worth and what I’m not. I think it’s disrespectful.

They will definitely hear. Does Segun arinze have any interest of going politics anytime in the future?

I can’t say for now. I can’t say. I used to think I had that interest but with the way things are going, I can’t say, but whatever it is I’m gonna sit down, observe, watch, communicate, talk to people, have meetings, and when the time is right, I will make the statement. But for now, I’m still observing and I’m watching.

Can you compare the Nollywood of your time and the Nollywood of today, in terms of similarities and differences?

You don’t compare an old Mercedes Benz to a new Mercedes Benz

Tell us more

So many dynamics but the foundation of the Mercedes Benz is still there. All they used in creating the first Mercedes Benz is still there and that’s what they’re using to make the new Mercedes Benz?

Are we making progress or retrogressing in the industry?

We are making progress. I’m very impressed. I’ve seen a lot of talents in Nollywood. I’m so proud of some of the young ones I’ve seen. Extremely proud of them! I’ve interacted with a lot of them, and I know that they have a great future; Filmmakers both producers, directors, and all. In fact, Nollywood can give Hollywood a run for its money right now.

In those days, we can easily mention all the Nollywood actors offhand, but today I’m not sure that’s the case again. Why’s that?

In that wise, yes! You are right. Because if there was a role, you have the opportunity of picking five persons for it. It was reserved within five people for a certain kind of role. You can say if Ramsey doesn’t play this, there’s Segun or Bob Manuel, or Kanayo O. Kanayo you have a limitation of like 5 or 6 in the worst-case scenario. Now, they are like hundreds of talent vying for one role. That tells you the competitiveness of the industry and it’s a welcome development. But they also do themselves a big favor by being very professional and focusing on the work. The worst part of it is that social media has come and taken everything away from the norm. So, social media has expanded it. It’s widened the gap, and within that window and ecosystem. So, you find a lot of people grazing in that ecosystem to get to the top. It’s tough. Then, the ecosystem was limited, but now, it is expanding. I wish them all the best of luck.

Beginning from your period, we have started noticing a little trend in the industry. When an artiste starts getting old, one of these two things starts happening to him, if not the two, either he is impoverished or is struck with a disease, I don’t know if there is anything you can say about this.

I will like to keep quiet on that. I will like to honestly maintain my silence in that and not say anything about it. One is because these are my colleagues; both senior and contemporary. And out of utmost respect for all of them, I will not say anything. Well, I can say that it is well, God will continue to heal all of us. Uh, the rain doesn’t fall on one person’s roof alone, it falls everywhere. So, I would not say anything about it. What I will tell you for free is that I’m in discussions with the president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas. I was a onetime president, so I understand what’s happening and properly. I was also the president of the Association of Voice-over Artists. What I would say is that Emeka Rollas is doing his best. They are working and doing everything they can and also Kate Henshaw, the Head of Public Communication. Let them do what they have to do, but I am not going to say anything about that. In due course, when things are sorted out, we can come out to make a categorical statement. But I also know that there is a health insurance policy, that HMO. I believe a lot of actors would take advantage of that.

Do you play or love any games?

I love football a lot. Although my club is not doing very well we would bounce back. We have won two Champions Leagues, we have won Europa, we have won two FA cups. Arsenal should come and tell us what they have won. We would bounce back for sure. And for Super Eagles, they are doing very well. I’m impressed. I just pray that we qualify for the next World Cup. Oshimen deserves to be at the World Cup. He deserves to be there and at the Nations Cup. In fact, all the young players in Super Eagles deserve to be there.

Talking about football, most African nations did not vote for Osimhen during the Ballon d’Or even Nigeria did not vote for him.

See, I said something today on a football platform. FIFA used the journalists to do what they wanted to do. It was a smoke screen. And I am sure there would have been a subtle threat in between. So they use them to do what they want to do but I tell you before God and man. I think that Halland deserves the Ballon d’Or

I was thinking that because he didn’t win the World Cup

Also, Oshimen deserves a better rating than the 8th position. He did so well for Napoli. So there’s always this politics in FIFA. God help all of them. Just the way we have it in the British league the referees are highly corrupt. I saw what they did to Arsenal. Go and check the VAR, some of them ignored VAR. It’s crazy. It’s not only us, they have done it to all the clubs. Don’t forget, that these referees are human beings, and they have their own affinity that they are supporting.

What about human errors…

Human error is one percent. As far as I am concerned, human error in the UK league is one percent. Every other thing is deliberate. They know what to do. The funny thing is that VAR tells the referees to go and check, but the decision is entirely up to him. See what happened to the referee who has been demoted to the second division. That’s why you don’t find British referees in FIFA events, they are corrupt. They need to wake up. The English referees need to wake up. They really need to wake up.

So what’s your best food and attire?

Anything that fits, that makes me look good and comfortable. As for the best food, I don’t have. Anything I can eat, relish, and make me happy.

And who’s your most admired Nollywood actor now?

Now? I don’t have. We are all colleagues. I can’t mention names. The moments you start mentioning names, you get yourself in trouble. My peer group are all good. I also know a few young ones who are fantastic, but I won’t mention names. I know at least six of them that I can close my eyes and mention their names, but all I would say is the best of luck. And may they continue to grow in their chosen field.

Just a few months ago, we lost Saint Obi. Anything to say about that?

Very sad, very sad, very very sad! But it is well.

I want to say thank you Mr Segun Arinze for your time 

Thank you so much.