*Says, ‘I am emotionally affected playing the lead character’

Two years after filming the reboot of “Issakaba:The  Return”, the action-packed thriller initially produced by the late Chukwuka Emelionwu and directed by Lancelot Imasuen in 2001, the movie is set to hit cinemas nationwide on November 13. The film was shot in Asaba, Delta State in 2024. Seasoned actor and scholar, Sam Dede, popularly known as Sam Dede, who played the lead character Ebube, shared his excitement about reprising the role. In an interview, conducted two years ago, Sam Dede  decried that the evil the Issakaba boys fought against 25 years ago is still present till date. He also challenged Nigerian filmmakers to make more films that address the country’s social problems rather than churning out what he described as “senseless love stories.” The veteran actor further spoke about his passion for grooming talents and why he is often cast in tough roles, among other things.

25 years ago, you played Ebube in the action-packed thriller, Issakaba and you are playing again. What is so new about this role?

It’s more like a call to duty. Again it’s telling us that those youth Issakaba against have not changed. They are still here with us. They are even taking a stronger dimension. Before now, we were dealing with armed robbers, but the dimension of kidnapping, ritual killings have become stronger than those things we dealt with 25 years ago. It’s a call to serve our community and ‘Issakaba’ overtime has become like a metaphor for justice , a metaphor for fighting against the crimes in society. So, we are back to fight against these crimes again. And we hope that the viewers will get to understand what we are back to fight against now.

When you were invited to play the role again, what was your reaction?

I feel it’s an opportunity for us to remind ourselves that nothing has changed. Rather, those who sacrificed their lives for society have forgotten. Look at these Issakaba boys who sacrificed their lives to bring sanity to society . There’s a scene where some of them died due to lack of medical facilities. It’s quite a touching role to play. This time, we are coming back with so much anger, we are coming with the spirits of all the Issakaba boys who were killed in the line of duty. They seemed to have given their blood and sweat for society and gained nothing in return. It’s not like they asked for anything. They are even treated like outcasts, forgotten heroes. Nothing has changed and more than anything else, we are trying to restore sanity to our homeland. We need to move away from the shameless politicians to save the country. It”s a duty call to everybody to realize that fact. We have to take responsibility for our destiny.

The remake of Issakaba also reminds one of the role you played in the ‘Last Burial.’ Why are you always playing tough roles in movies?

This is one character that affected me emotionally. In many ways, I have to see myself in that character because you can easily relate with those crimes and heroes of society that the Issabaka group is fighting against. So, very easily I relate with those things and I just wish that one way or the other, some groups will stand out to fight against these ills of society. I don’t think we should wait for the government to do this for us. It’s beginning to look like we are in a no-headway-situation. Nobody seems to have a solution to the insecurity challenges in this country. But ‘Issakaba’ is a story of a small group of 10 to 11 men, they may have spiritual backing. We must begin to look for alternative solutions to the insecurity challenges in Nigeria. It’s getting out of hand.

On why I always play tough roles in movies, there is no role I cannot play. But I think people prefer to see me play such roles in action movies, especially after the role I played in “Blood Money” about 30 years ago. By the time we finished producing ‘Issakaba’ in 1999, everybody wanted me to play those tough roles in movies. Many people . However, many people do not remember that I started as a director in Nollywood, working with the late Chico Ejiro, Fred Amata and Opa Williams. But people prefer to see me in front of the camera, instead of working behind the camera. It just became a trend and I embraced it. So, I am an actor, I do less of directing and production,

You are also a lecturer, how do you combine all these?

We just try,but the most important thing is to wish one good health. If you have good health , you have everything and what you need now is that extra energy to do other things. More than anything else , I function more as a lecturer. I enjoy training people, I enjoy seeing my students grow and becoming prominent figures in the industry. Actors like Rita Dominic, Monalisa Chinda-Coker, Bob-Manuel Udokwu, Francis Duru including Lancelot Imasuen. I feel very fulfilled when I see any of my students directing, while I am on set.

Do you think we should focus more on producing movies like Issabaka that deal with the ills of society?

My thinking has always been we need to do more movies that address social issues. We have to do more, and I have always said the theme may be the medium that will tackle social issues. Insecurity is becoming a way of life in the country. Why are we not addressing that in our films? Now, we are facing food shortage in Nigeria and nobody is writing a script to address that issue. All those senseless love stories must be put aside now. We have a task as creative people to use our crafts to address these social problems that we are facing in this country.