Ali Nuhu: When a Movie Star Dots the ‘Skyline’
AREWA AGENDA – “I will go extra miles to perfume beyond the expectations of this contract terms and it is not often that I go out of my way to do this, but this is about education, a sector I am so passionate about,” ace Kannnyood/Nollywood star, Ali Nuhu enthused in his acceptance speech immediately after being unveiled as an ambassador of Skyline University Nigeria (SUN).
The versatile filmmaker expressed delight over the deal as according to him, it gives him a better platform to touch the lives of many people, especially the youth.
“This is not new to us, we have severally mentored impressionable minds and lay them off to excel on their own so this ambassordiship will position me to impact more in the education system,” Ali Nuhu expressed.
Nuhu whose daughter Fatima is a 100 level student at the University did not betray emotions when he lamented the rot in Nigeria’s educational system.
“Fatima used to be very reserved and conservative even at home but six months into her stay here, she became something else, she will initiate brilliant conversations and engage in discuss at home, i then realised there was probably something not right about our own educational model of teaching kids and this burden lies with but the parents on one hand and schools on the other,” he explained.
Skyline University established in 2010, is the first private university in Kano state, which started its operations by scouting for students in Nigeria and sending them to its UAE campus for undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at the university campus, on Thursday 19th August, the vice-chancellor, Mr Ajit Kumar said the decision to unveil Ali Nuhu as the brand ambassador of SUN was borne out of his passion to touch the lives of people from all disciplines and walks of life.
“We are happy to announce today that Ali Nuhu is now an ambassador under this brand and we are very optimistic that this partnership will go a long way in helping to develop the potentials of the youth population out there,” the VC stated.
Widely acclaimed for his career dexterity and painstaken resilience in maintaining decades of uninterrupted relevance in an industry where stars easily fizzle out of limelight, SUN expressed optimism that Mr. Nuhu will bring the same foresight he used in shaping the Kannywood film industry despite cultural and societal backlash from the outset.
“You know at first when Ali Nuhu entered the hall, all the aura came along with him, the celebrity mien, the composure and even the niceness and humility as he smiled at everyone and waved at those his handshake couldn’t extend to,” Musa Sani Aliyu a broadcast Journalist who covered the event revealed.
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“What impressed me most was his carriage and patience throughout the event even as people swarmed over him in droves for selfies, he calmly took it in,” Manager Muhammad Salis, a photojournalist who covered the event explained.
But Ali Nuhu’s calm has the tendency to take a different dimension when the situation demands. For instance, he momentarily lost his cool when droves of selfie seekers kept obstructing the commencement of his exclusive interviews even after the camera’s had rolled and the mic strapped to his expensive suit.
“Ku bari a yi interview dinnan mana (kindly please allow this interview),” Nuhu pleaded calmly in hausa but it was easy to detect his irked voice as he tried to maintain his cool.
“I didn’t even know Nuhu was such a dynamic actor that even though he was Igbo, I knew him only in Nollywood movies. I am glad to have met him today,” Ibrahim Kolawole, another visiting reporter said.
His display of expertise in film making was like a second nature to him. This manifested when the crew that was to interview him requested an excuse that they adjust his sitting position,”depth right? That’s how it should be,” he quipped and nodded affirmatively as he allowed the crew to adjust the setting. It was obvious the distance between the nearest and the farthest objects with the seat are not in an acceptably sharp focus with the image and Nuhu, a “whizkid director” knew instantly.
The star also had a knack for keeping the conversation going in any circle he finds himself. At the vice chancellor’s office when reporters threw questions at him from all angles, Nuhu responded richly, even when the officials tried to curate, Nuhu told them that it was okay he could take more questions.
Taking the final question from reporters, Nuhu has advised youths to avoid ‘quick wins’ as there are no shortcuts to success, he advised youths to stop using the achievements of others as a yardstick to their own progress.
While taking a ride with the star in the elevator, he kept the conversation going making the ride lively and vibrant and in no time everyone was on the ground floor.
Ali Nuhu hit Nigerian cinema in the 90s and his most popular debut was in ‘Sangaya’ which became one of the highest grossing films at the time where he acted the role of maina, son and of a king.
Nuhu rose gradually through acting prominence and went ahead to feature in ‘Wasila’ a film by Lere film production. After being featured severally by the late Director Tijjani Ibrahim and the HRB enterprises, Nuhu went ahead to establish his film making conglomerate, the FKD Production where he produced and directed several films including his early movie “Mujadala.’
Nuhu is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors of all time in the history of Hausa Cinema, as well as Nigerian Cinema In terms of audience, size and income, and he has been described as the most successful Hausa film star in the world. He is the first Nigerian celebrity to act in both the Northern Kannywood and Southern Nollywood movie industries of the country with full dominance and bringing the two cinemas together.
