Why I featured Emeka Ike in ‘Malaika’ despite 13-year hiatus

Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Toyin Abraham, has revealed why she cast ace actor, Emeka Ike, in her latest film, Malaika, despite his 13-year hiatus.

The 41-year-old actress appeared on TVC’s talk show, ‘Your View,’ on Thursday, where she said that her colleague deserved a second chance after a failed marriage that negatively impacted his career.

In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Emeka narrated his marital travails and personal challenges in 2021.

In the interview, the actor, who resides in Germany with his new wife and daughter, said that his estranged ex-wife, Suzanne Emma, not only affected his personal life but also led to the loss of significant assets and access to his children.

However, Toyin, who produced the film, revealed that she cast the actor because of his persona.

She said, “I needed a calm man with that look, that is a lover-boy, that would be between the wife and the daughter, and the first person I thought was Emeka Ike. I’ve been talking to Uncle Emeka since last year; I know he has been off for a long time, and everything we heard then, obviously, I was not as big as this, so I sent him a message. My manager Otunba Seun got his number for me, and I said come back, and he said, ‘What if.., after everything that happened?’ and I said, ‘Don’t worry, even if you did it you have suffered enough, 13 years, it’s okay, it’s okay.

“I am not saying you did; I wasn’t there, but even if you did, it’s okay; 13 years is a long time. I don’t mind taking risks; it doesn’t matter because I see you in this role. I feel everybody deserves a second chance. It’s okay,” she said.

Other notable actors, such as Odunlade Adekola, Carter Efe, Uzo Arukwe, Muyiwa Ademola, Ibrahim Chatta, Abike Shugaa, Taiwo Ajai Lycett, and Ugandan entertainer Anne Kansiime, also featured in the movie.

The actress said that 60 per cent of the film, which premiered over the weekend in Lagos, reflects her struggle, including becoming a mother at 39.

In the movie, Emeka plays Toyin’s husband, so they wore matching outfits at the premiere. Toyin clarified that it wasn’t reflective of any personal relationship.

13-year hiatus

In the wake of the movie’s publicity, Emeka opened up on his challenges during the hiatus during an interview on Channels Television’s programme Rubbin’ Minds, hosted by Hero Daniels, broadcast on Sunday.

He explained his withdrawal from active participation in the film industry, citing a sense of shame and depression stemming from both personal and professional setbacks.

When asked about his absence from acting, he said, “Emeka Ike has been where other actors in my genre were. There was a time when we were pushed out of the system without the people knowing, and there were policies that could change a lot of things for whole industries; there were days for movie renting, and all of that just died for no reason.

“The transition from buying movies in jackets to decoders was where you lost us; we were omitted, and our voices weren’t heard. Then, too, Emeka Ike was depressed due to some marital saga. I was hiding and ashamed of what I didn’t do. Sometimes, that’s the price you pay for being large. I was depressed for no reason, and I had just to hide my face until I knew what was wrong with me.”

He referenced an interview his colleague, Segun Arinze, granted Ebuka Obi-Uchendu of Big Brother Naija, wherein the former (Segun) called him derogatory names.

At the time, Emeka was one of AGN’s factional leaders who dared anyone to conduct the guild’s general election and face the consequences of a jail term. He also declared all the activities of the Segun Arinze-led faction of the guild illegal, saying, “It’s not representative of the entire interests of the members of the guild.”

Speaking about the AGN crisis, he said, “At one point, I wanted to kill Ebuka for nothing because Segun Arinze came on this show and called me a madman; I was furious and bittered because ‘How could you just use such a word on air without coming to know who I am? I was after Segun Arinze, and there was so much war in the Actors Guild of Nigeria; I was a defector president; I was fighting for the people; they called me the people’s president; I was against some men and institutions.

“Then somebody in-between sneaked in to take away my life, so there were assassins everywhere. Gunmen came to my house, and on the road, they just wanted to take my life. It wasn’t Segun Arinze, and it wasn’t Ejike Aseigbu; celebrities are exposed to more dangers than we know.”

Speaking on the reason for his comeback, Emeka said that he had embraced the path of peace and had chosen to reinvent himself as an actor.

He said, “When you realise that people are actually after you for who you are and what you have achieved, you will ask yourself, what do I do next? So what came to my mind was ‘keep your head up’.”

“So I just kept doing the things I needed to do, and I kept investing; that year, I was after African Magic in court; I am no longer after them right now because I own my TV channel; I own Nollywood TV on StarTimes, channel 62. It is all about reinventing yourself and building the pillars that will fortify the next ride.”

Marital Crisis

Emeka’s first marriage was once the envy of many, featuring a fairy-tale love story with a whirlwind romance, a grand wedding, and the promise of a happily ever after.

However, as the years passed, the seemingly perfect union which had produced four children began to reveal its cracks.

In 2017, the Lagos Island Customary Court dissolved the marriage on allegations of continuous battery.

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Emeka said that his marital crises led to the sudden closure of his school and the loss of properties.

After the challenges of his first marriage, the actor found love anew and is now happily married to South African model Yolanda Pfeiffer. The couple live in Germany.