Olaolu Oladipo 
…says dad got inspiration for New Masquerade from his own father
Perhaps one of the country’s pioneer comedians, the late Chief James Iroha (Giringori) was a creative personality in the broadcast industry whose contributions to the media and entertainment industry while alive cannot be quantified. A polyglot who spoke many languages, he was credited with many television productions while alive but the most prominent one being Masquerade that became a delight in the 1980s and the 1990s. In this interview with OLAOLU OLADIPO, his son, Mr. Kelechi Iroha, talked about his life and times. Excerpts:
During his lifetime, your father was a notable broadcaster, actor and playwright who made his mark and became famous among Nigerians. His footprints still dot the landscape even in death, as a son, what kind of father was the late James Iroha to you, his children?
My father was just like any other father that you find around. He was a dutiful and loving father, the kind anyone would like to have as a father. There was never a dull moment with him for those who were with him. Every moment with him turned out to be a memorable one for all who crossed paths with him while he was alive. But above all, he was very supportive to us all in all ramifications. He loved education and he wanted all of us to secure quality ed- ucation. Even if you told him you’d like to study Igbo language in the university you could be sure you’d have his sup- port and he would definitely get the best Igbo textbooks.
What kind of husband was he to your mother?
My father was a loving and doting husband to my mum, his wife. He made sure that all her needs were well taken care of. From all I could see, he tried so much to do his best for our mother and us, his children. Really and truly, he was a present father who was always available to the family both nuclear and extended. They were best of friends. I’m sure there were times they did not agree but they never let us see them in such situations.
People of his era were known to be disciplinarians; would you describe your late father as such?
As you stated, people of his era were people who never tolerated nonsense. In as much as my dad was lively and fun to be with, he had zero tolerance for nonsense. Yes, he was a disciplinarian. Our house could be referred to as the home of comedy but there was and still is a high level of orderliness. There was no room for anybody to goof around.
As a son, what do you think any child would do that would your late father to punishing such a child?
To the best of my knowledge and from what I saw of my late father, he hardly got angry but I can actually count on the finger how many times I saw him angry. It would take s o m e t h i n g very strong for you to get under his skin. In fact, if he had told me and any of my siblings t h a t someone insulted him, we won’t even bother confronting the person because in a matter of a few hours you just might see him and the same person sharing a bottle of beer. He was someone who never harboured ill feelings towards anyone, not his children or other persons. Truly he was blessed with a beautiful heart.
Was there any occasion when he had to punish you and what did you do?
I really can’t remember being punished by him on any occasions for any specific reason. He had a way of instilling discipline in us in other ways. A stern warning from him was just enough to put everyone on the right path. So, I would say he would rather have enough room for people to align properly than trying to use the stick on any of us. I guess this approach averted punishment from him whenever we did anything to offend him.
What time in the morning did he wake up and what were the first set of things he did?
This seems a very tough question for me to answer because it was difficult ascertaining his sleep pattern but I’m completely convinced that my dad was actually nocturnal. He was someone who stayed awake at nights to work on many projects. He could sit up all night writing TV/Radio scripts. Idea hits him more at odd hours of the night. Can I say that he used to finish the entire pen ink over the night not even a drop would be left. He was someone who strained himself to achieve so many things. I still wonder how he was able to do that.
What was his favourite meal and at what time did he take his breakfast?
I can say Eba! That was his favourite food that worked for him anytime of the day. He ate it anytime of the day either am or pm.
What was his typical day like?
I mean as a son, what did you see of him as a regular daily routine? My father was a busy bee who worked himself very hard to achieve his aims. I barely saw him during the weekdays and that’s because he worked mostly out of station. We lived in Aba but he shuttled between Owerri, Enugu and Lagos. So he was only available to us at home over the weekend. That was the only time we had to bond with him.
Your house must have been a busy place for visitors, what kind of people came around to see him?
Yes, our house was a bee-hive of activities especially during the weekend when he was home. Growing up I saw quite a number of frontline artistes (actors and musicians) ranging from those that were notable and prominent in the 1980s to the 1990s. They all came around for one thing or the other.
Did he tell you the circumstances that took him into broadcasting and his experience?
As much as I can remember, he had great communication skills. He had a knack for sparking conversation even with a total stranger that he had never met before. I know that was one of his major sources of inspiration. He spoke Hausa, Ibibio, and English. His spoken French was impeccable. I’m sure these are the factors that influenced his involvement in broadcasting.
He did well as a television personality, what did you see of his relationship with other television personalities of his era?
From what I saw from a young age, I would say that he had a fantastic relationship with many artistes of his time and era. I’m not sure that he had issues with any of them considering his genial personality and disposition. It was easy to tell by the way they related with themselves. They shared their thoughts and ideas freely among themselves. Our good old artistes lived a great life and of course they enjoyed every bit of it.
Your father is noted for creating a popular sitcom, New Masquerade, did he tell you of his level of his involvement and the circumstances that led to it?
The programme Masquerade was arepresentation of what happened in my grandfather’s house. My grandfather was wealthy but not educated yet he had his own way with spoken English. (That’s the character of Chief Zebrudaya). The New Masquerade was creatively structured to have Nigeria under one roof with each character representing an ethnic group. Did your father reflect on the television programme? Was he fulfilled or did he harbour any form of regrets? My dad created the Masquerade and played the role of Giringori which I think was the lifeline role and the most difficult. Meanwhile, did you know that Chika Okpala ( Zebrudaya) was the fourth Zebrudaya? Not many Nigerians know this fact. Well, let’s leave that for some other time.
Apart from the New Masquerade that brought him to limelight, which other television programme was he involved in?
Masquerade can be classified as satiric and was positioned to reflect and address social and political issues and it also addressed a lot of social ills through comedy just like Fela did through music. He had no regrets coming out with such a programme or being part of it. That was his own way of impacting lives. The Masquerade back in the early ’70s gave people a reason to laugh again because people were still trying to heal from the ravaging effects of the Biafran war.
How do you feel being his son? Does his name open doors to you?
He was also huge on radio mostly with the eastern region of Nigeria. He created a couple other TV/Radio programmes like: The Sensible Nonsense -TV/Radio, On the Lighter Mood-Radio, Radio version of Masquerade- Radio. When was the last time you saw him?
What was the occasion like?
For me and my siblings, he was a normal father just like every child would refer to his or her father. There was no special feeling to it, instead it came with a bit of a challenge. My dad could not attend major functions like school inter-house sports, matriculation or convocation. He tried once and almost ruined the entire event. All attention was drawn towards him rather than the event itself. He never tried again
