By Daily Sports Nigeria on November 4, 2023

Veteran Nollywood actor, movie producer and director, Jude Chukwuka in this interview with JOHNNY EDWARD talks about his love for weightlifting, football and more

Growing up, did you ever engage in sports?

Of course I did. I was involved in weightlifting back then because I felt that was the sport that could show how real men were at that time.

How did weightlifting start with you?

After the Commonwealth Games in 1982, I just left secondary school then. I saw a young chap lifting some pounds and I felt I could do it as well. To me that was my defination of how a man should be back then not how fast you can run or how hard you can punch. That you can lift twice your body weight for me that was striking back then.

The likes of Emmanuel Oshomah, who competed in the men’s middle heavyweight class at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and Lawrence Iquaibom, who won three silvers in the three events he competed in at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, inspired my love for weightlifting.

Do you still follow weightlifting?

Not like before anymore because weightlifting for me is dead in Nigeria. I’m not crazy about it like I used to. I was always dazed each time I saw the likes Iquaibom, Oshomah and the likes compete back then. It’s only when a Nigerian is competing on the global stage that we get to see them perform which wasn’t the case back then. We basically knew these athletes right before they represented the country. There’s a decline in the sport because the quality of talent is not the same as it used to be.

But there are some weighlifters who have been outstanding recently…

(Cut) Yes, there have been and it’s just a few of them unlike when we had a lot of them on the scene back then competing and winning laurels. These athletes have achieved great things and I must say that kudos to them attaining those heights in a country where poor preparation and lack of fund have been a big problem. The 2024 Paris Olympics is around the corner so we must prepare well for the games.

Do you follow the Super Eagles?

Of course, I do. I have been a fan of the team since the 80s, when they were called the Green Eagles. I still follow them very well but watching them lately could cause one stroke. Despite the great talent in our team, we still struggle to win some games convincingly. The team is not as solid as it was before.

Sports in Nigeria needs a total overhaul and I dare say that in all sectors as well. Nothing is really turning out good and we must look inwards and revive sports fast before it goes down further. It is more of a general issue in the country where nothing is really working but at least if good administrative structures are in place we can build on that.

Victor Osimhen was recently named the eighth-best player in the world at the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, France.  Do you think he stands a good chance of winning the CAF Player of The Year award next month?

Of course, he stands a great chance of winning the CAF Player of the Year award following his performances for club and country just like any player on that list but you know awards like this are down to voting. But I will be supporting him to win it. He is one of the very few bright spots in our Super Eagles team. He brought Napoli back into the reckoning again helping them win the league title and they also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season.

He is currently recuperating from an hamstring injury and I wish him speedy recovery ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.

How far do you think the Eagles can go at the forthcoming AFCON in Ivory Coast?

As far as they get. We still don’t have a convincing team but as a Nigerian, I believe we can spring some surprises. The most important thing for the team is to play cohesively, create chances and take them. The Eagles last won the 2013 edition in South Africa after winning it on home soil in 1980 and 1994 in Tunisia. It is already a decade now so I believe it is time to win another AFCON title.

You have been in the industry for a long time now, how would you say the Nigerian movie industry is fairing?

The Nigerian movie industry has just started to evolve into a global player. The Nigerian audience, whether the ones here in Nigeria or in the Diaspora, are not a critiquing audience, they are majorly an emotional audience. So, when you put up a story, as long as it connects to their emotions, then it is a good film. What they go through technically to put up the movie doesn’t matter to them, but for a critiquing mind, it does matter. We thank those who have invested their time and money in this era but today, we are just imagined to become global contenders and that is why big distributors like Netflix, Amazon Prime and the like are coming for us. Things have changed technically, if you check these platforms, you will see quality films. I know we are evolving in Nollywood too and I believe in the direction we are moving. Things are different from how it was in those days.

As an actor, husband, and father, how do you balance your career and home?

 There’s no other way to balance it than to distinguish work from home. I don’t bring work home and vice versa. If I’m on set, my job consumes me. If I get home, I’m not a celebrity; I cook for my family, go with my wife to the market, help to spread clothes, and ensure I enjoy every moment I spend with my

family.

Source Punch Ng

Posted November 4, 2023

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