By Pat Uchendu
These days I have realised that people don’t read lengthy prose, so I shall abide however difficult to keep this one brief. A really huge task for me on this one.
I have chosen to write about this amazing brother, friend and colleague (in many ways) not to praise him but to encourage his numerous fans, especially those that wish to write as Tai Emeka Obasi.
Our names preceded us before we met in 2006, not because we come from the same town but for the things we shared in growing up. Two stood out: the books we read and still read; the football we played and now watch. We would later find out that we both kept the goals for our various schools in those days.
The day we met was outside my house in Lagos and it didn’t take me 30 minutes of discussion to pick his brains and analytical mind as an intelligent fellow. Then we departed only for us to meet again and again subsequently until we went into a publishing venture he introduced to me – a Sports Newspaper called ‘Football Plus’. I was the Chairman, he was the Secretary. Chris Okechukwu Albert Obiako was in Operations and folks like Henry Okoduwa and Philip Chike Balepo kept us on stream. Although defunct we were to meet yet again in an unusual circumstance and that was the day his writing skills came through, although he used to write for ‘Complete Sports’ newspaper without pay.
A friend of mine Uzor Maxim Uzoatu had written a book and wanted me to launch it privately for him. In my office Tai was around with two other friends, the late ace movie marketer Azubuike Udensi and Ojiego Emeka. As we had refreshments and chatted for hours Tai was busy reading the new book at a corner only to join us at intervals. When we all departed he later visited me in my house that same evening and said casually “Pat do you know that I finished that book” I asked which book? He said matter of fact “the one Maxim brought to your office” Then he dropped what finally made him what he is today. He said “Pat, do you know that I can write a book”. Because I know his level of intellect I just said yes of course. We talked some more and he left.
The next day, in the wee hours of the evening he visited me again and asked me to help him do something. He handed me a bound paper and said that its the synopsis of a book he wants to write, that I should just help him read it that night. The next morning, not sure what I would say I told him it was fantastic. That encouraged him to bring chapters of the manuscript every night to be picked up every morning. That effort was his first book titled ‘The Ultimate Price’
But being the prolific writer he is one day he came again, even in the course of writing ‘The Ultimate Price’ and handed me an entirely different title. I did what I did with the first. That second book was ‘The Senator’, a book that has won international acclaim and made into a movie. At the time he wrote that book, Tai had never been to Abuja but he sat down on his writing desk in Surulere, Lagos and crafted some of the best astonishing descriptions of not just the happenings at the Senate but landmarks in Abuja with near precision. He would only find that out when he visited Abuja for the first time about ten years after writing ‘The Senator’
The rest of Tai’s story into the literally world sounds like a character from a Nick Carter novel. When he dabbled, or is it staggered into the movie industry things became very tough for him that he was begging Producers to buy his script for just Fifty thousand Naira (50,000). And that was a work that was worth a few hundreds of thousands of Naira. Initially they refused to touch it because he was a green horn – unknown. He dropped the asking price down to Thirty Thousand Naira (30,000), no headway! Eventually he sold it for Twenty Thousand (20,000) just to have some money to keep up on many of his life challenges. It continued a little while then one day, he visited me with a pen (Biro) worth N10 then. He held it up and said “Pat do you know that now am so sort in Nollywood that before I can finish the contents of this Biro I can write a scrip worth nothing less than N500,000! That was his ascendancy, the time he found his calling away from Civil Engineering that he read in the University. Funny enough the cream of Nollywood actors would later keep looking for him to my office where he normally stayed. Every evening was their evening around!
Oh my God, this is getting too long already!
Tai has moved from that humble background in the literally world to be one of the best and most visible writers of our generation.
We have shared so much too numerous to recount here, together with sound minds like Mezie Akabudu, Chris McCool Nwosu, Udebuani Chukwunonso, Tony Dyke but the most of our interaction is when we share our views on issues. Sometimes they match, other times they differ that I would accuse him of certain approaches. Then he waits to be proven wrong or right in due course.
Tai is an AMAA 2005 Prize winner, as best scriptwriter in Africa with the movie, ‘The Mayors’ with a host of other national awards.
Mr celebrant is an incurable giver to a fault and a champion for the good things of life for all. Little wonder he found himself deep into national and state politics, writing social commentaries as an analyst. He has sworn like most things and interests he fancy to remain relevant and work for things that are good for both Nigeria and Anambra State, down to my town Ozubulu. But that does not mean anyone can play with his tail!
Then a few weeks ago he found me yet again all the way from Awka. And guess what?
He said to me that a veteran Nollywood actor sent for him and scolded him as to why he is neglecting his first love – Nollywood, for politics. No explanation could assuage the ‘old soldier’ who later patted him on the back like a caring father and said to him “Tai, some people from outside the shores of this country came to me asking who can script ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe into a movie. I didn’t think far to mention you. That’s why I sent for you. Now you can go and come back another day let’s discuss.”
That discussion has pinned Tai down yet again on his writing desk for his first love – Nollywood.
As you write Tai, here is wishing you many happy returns of your birthday in good health and sound mind and consistent harmony with the pen, for which you are aptly called the pen-god.
Peace
