I started out as a teacher, says Peter Igho

For many decades, Olorogun Peter Igho, the legendary master storyteller, was a household name on the Nigerian Television Authority, (NTA) for his many programmes like the drama series known as Cock Crow At Dawn, and the joy they brought to families. In this interview, Igho, now 75 years old takes ONWUKA NZESHI on his childhood and some most pleasant experiences

 

You are looking fit and strong at 75. Do you think it is a function of your genes or lifestyle?
I think it is a matter of lifestyle. Also, my philosophy is that I will give my best in every situation, but when I’ve done my best, even if it doesn’t work, I don’t sit back and cry over what has happened. I take whatever lessons I ought to take from that non-success experience and I move on. I always joke by saying that I sleep with my two eyes closed because I keep malice with nobody. I don’t carry grudges against people and I try to be the best I can honestly without creating enemies. So, like I said, I sleep with my two eyes closed. I don’t carry any pressure to bed. When I get to my bed, I’m tired and I sleep.

How were your early years at school?
I studied English/ History/ Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan. I was an indigent student. My father, being a tin miner, had ups and downs in the family. You can even tell from our names, when things were good and when things were bad. So, in those down periods, he couldn’t even send me money and I would squat with my friends when I couldn’t pay for my accommodation. Then I would go with some of these friends, who were just as indigent as I was, to Dugbe Market or any of those markets and meet these Lebanese people who deal on fabrics to give us some materials to sell. They would give the materials on credit and we would go from hotel to hotel, selling the materials. That was how we survived. So, because of that, when we get to school, we’ll be tired, we’ll close and go. Theatre Arts classes were usually from 4.00 pm and that means I missed a lot of my classes.
In my last year, I entered the class one day and one of my lecturers, I think he was Prof Adedeji, in the middle of the class, he looked up and saw me and it was like he saw a stranger. He said: “You get up” and I got up. He said: Who are you? I said I’m Peter Igho. What are you doing in my class? I said I belong here. He said No. No No. I know all my students but I don’t know you. I said I always stay at the back, maybe that is why you don’t know me. He said No. I know all my students. Even if you stay at the back of the building, I should know you. Go and wait for me in my office. He was very angry. So, I went and waited for him in his office and when he came, I told him who I was and what had been going on.
He was very angry and he said: ‘Look, we are not just here as your teachers, we are also here as your parents. If you have issues, come to us. You have missed so much so this time around you must concentrate.’ So, when we came to the final exam, I mean the practical, the class was divided into two and we were given the theme, “Escape” to write and produce a drama piece. Lecturers will come to watch the production and grade it. Since I was not regular like the other students, I just sat down listening to them as they bandied ideas. I just kept quiet and then someone came to me and said: You’ve not contributed anything. I said ‘Well, I hope you don’t mind if I should contribute now?’ They said yes. I said, I will not go the way you’re going because you’re going the obvious way. I think that drama should have some elements of suspense and surprise. I can bet you that what you’ve just said is exactly what the other class is going to do. We should learn to think outside the box. If I were to do it, I would do it differently.
They said tell us how you want to do it. I said I can’t tell you now, but if you give me up till tomorrow, I can assure you that I will put down something and show you. They asked: So, you can? I said yes. So, I went home and put up a piece which I showed them the next day. They read through it and were surprised at the content. It was truly different. They said how did you do it? I said I always like to do things differently. I don’t like to follow the crowd.
Of course, I made sure that apart from writing it, I played a key role in the drama. Then, when we performed, our group came first. Then they asked whose idea, was it? They called me out and Prof Adedeji, the lecturer, said yeah this was what I was telling you. You were hardly in class but look at what you have done. So, that reinforced my belief that really, I could do something. So, the lecturer and I became the best of it.
I grew up in Jos, went to Primary School in Jos, but went to Secondary School in Kaduna. While in Secondary School, I was good in English and I won what was then called the JF Kennedy Essay Competition. The competition used to be held every year. They were both School Winners and National Winners. I was the winner from my school and I became friends with one Abdulaziz who won in Government College, Kaduna. Both of us later attended the University of Ibadan, but we got to know each other through that essay competition.
In those days, you couldn’t finish Secondary or Higher School in December and go straight to the university in January. When you finish, you have to teach or do other work until September because the university admissions are in September. So, I taught in the same school where I finished from – St John’s College (now Rimi College) Kaduna.
But one thing happened while I was there. Maybe because I was good at English Language, I was covering every sports activity and sending the reports to my brother who was in New Nigeria and they were publishing them.
When I was about to leave for the university, my principal said that I should organise a drama competition among the halls. I went to the market and bought drama books like the Incorruptible Judge by Olu Olagoke and other plays that were available at that time. We were short by one play; I couldn’t get it to buy in the market and I went to tell the principal. He said to me: You write well, why don’t you write a play to fill the gap. I said: How can I write a play? He said, well you have a vivid imagination and you can do it. So, I wrote something and because we were a bit late in starting, as I wrote each page, they will take and by the time I finished, I had created a story. Then, I left for the university.
Later, the Principal called me and said: Your play came first and that they brought people from the American Embassy to come and be part of the panel of judges during the drama performance. So, I said to myself: So, I can write!

You were in Niger State. Can you tell us some of your memories there?
One, I met my wife there. My first daughter was born there. While I was there, like I told you, I’m a very restless person, I got involved in the activities of the school. It was a Teachers Training College and I was teaching English Language and Literature.
The first day I entered the classroom, of course they saw me as a young man who was coming fresh from the university to teach them. Since I was fluent in Hausa, I could switch from English to Hausa and vice versa.
So, as I got into the class, they all brought out their books. But I said: Listen. Put all your books back, I just want us to talk. I like storytelling. So, they were all happy. They said: This is what we want, not all those boring lectures.
I said everyone should introduce himself and as they did some of them put in their real names and guy names. So, I said, can I call you your guy’s name? They said, ” Sir.
After the introductions, I asked who will tell us the first story? One of them stood up and told us a story. They said: You, tell us your own story. I told them a story. I told them about a king who went to war and returned but was later killed in the palace by one of his lieutenants who took over the throne
When I finished, they were impressed. I said you can now bring out your books. They brought out all their books and I said the story I’ve just told you is in your book. It was the story of Macbeth. They were surprised. They said ah, but they didn’t tell us like that and they don’t write it like that now. I said these stories are simple and interesting but you see it as something abstract which the teacher uses to torment you during the examinations.
But I felt we shouldn’t stop there. These were the children of farmers, hunters, musicians, drummers and dancers. I said all of you are Nupes and Nupes have a lot of cultural dances. They had a set of drums they called Tangale drums and one of the boys was the son of one of the famous drummers. So, I asked him: If I give you some money, can you get us some of the drums? And he said he would. So, I gave him money and he bought the drums and brought them to school.
So, after school, I said to them: Today, any of you who can dance should come to the hall. Many of them came and the boy danced and others joined him and they were all very happy. So, every day, we’ll just go to the hall, play the drums and dance. They were enjoying it. I was watching them.
Then, I decided to spice it up a bit. So, one day, I just drove into the nearby Girls School, met the principal, introduced myself and told her that I wanted to stage a drama in my school and that I would like to invite the girls to attend the show. The principal said: God forbid! Those rough boys?
I said look, it is you the schools that decided to divide them. After all, these are people who come from the same community and after school they go back to the same community. So, you are the one keeping them apart. I want a situation whereby they will come when we are doing the rehearsals. You have a Rev Sister in the school, let her put all the girls in the bus and come straight to the hall, after the performance they bring them back.
She looked at me and said: ‘Ok, let me think about it.’ A few days later, I think she discussed it with her staff and students and they were all excited about the idea. So, we agreed on the day of the rehearsal and I told my boys that I have a surprise for them. At exactly the time, a bus pulled up by the hall and 21 girls alighted and walked into the hall. The boys were all excited because it was unusual to have girls in their midst.
They said they did drama before but in it some boys would dress like boys and others like girls to play different roles. I said: I want to give you the real thing. So, the rehearsals went on and it was a dance drama called Ogaga’s Heart. It was all fun. It was the story of a king who just died and the son was supposed to inherit the throne. But the Waziri, who was the second in command, plotted with the traditional medicine man in the village to eliminate the heir apparent to the throne. They told him that they cannot bury the late King because his soul will not rest until he goes to the forest to kill Ogaga, the all-powerful and all-knowing and bring its heart. He has to burn the heart and use it for some sacrifice before the king could be buried.
But to get to that place, you have to go through the forest of the dancing demons who would challenge you to a dancing contest and if you fail, they will kill you. But if you win, they will direct you to the next place.