Mike Okri reveals why Nigerian musicians can’t make it in US

Before he relocated to the United States of America more than a decade ago, Mike Okri was arguably one of the best singers ever produced in the country. No concert was complete without the Omoge man, as he was better known then. Today he returns, a different Mike. He returns with a brand-new gospel album. Excerpt:
Why would a young man like you who had a thriving career suddenly abandon it and take off to another country, what really happened? .
Well, call it recycles of the times. It wasn’t as if I abandoned my career. I knew that certain things will happen in ones life that you can’t change. Apart from being a guy who follows his instincts, there were certain other spiritual issues involved that made it imperative that I moved on.
How spiritual were some of the factors?
I think it was something that I believe would help my career if not now but in the future. It meant new moves to change the way I reason, become more business oriented, have deeper understanding and become more knowledgeable about my profession.
Was it a sudden decision?
My movement was sudden, but it was not a sudden decision. We all know that I have been a prayerful person. I had moved around and doing things without consulting God in all I do. Three different persons saw it and revealed that I needed to change location for a period of time. But what I never bargained for, was the ten or eleven years I spent abroad. But I think the movement was worthwhile.
When you left Nigeria, where did you head straight to?
I headed for New York. My intention was also to follow my career as I was recording an album before my movement. But I had to shelve the plan because my wife was expecting my son. That changed my plans to release the album. So I moved to Connecticut to live like every other man working and doing different odd jobs.
We heard different stories about the kind of jobs you were into- janitors, bouncers and all that . . .

Mike Okiri

I was not involved in any of those two. But I was on the environmental list which means, I was working with the department of environment. I was also privileged to be working in a casino and I also worked with the Black Jack as a dealer.
The job was a privilege because believe it or not, my English was impeccable. That’s why a lot of the people didn’t believe I came straight from the jungle of Africa to America. They also believed that most of us in Nigeria have heavy accent. So being able to speak fluent English and solve Mathematics helped my job as a dealer.
So what happened to your singing career?
That didn’t eventually come to pass because I needed to work. I worked for two years before I move to Los Angeles California, because that was my dream. I also needed the working experience in the course of getting settled and to make a living. Back home in Nigeria, people think you pluck money on the street of America. America is sweet but if you make money, it becomes sweeter.
I knew from experience that I needed to save money. I needed to save for my new baby who was born in the States. The baby made a couple of journeys to Nigeria until I decided that everybody should settle in Nigeria and go to school.
So what was life like the first two years?
It made me to understand that certain opportunities should not be taken for granted. Back home in Nigeria, we could all start from being servants to becoming leaders. So it was a great opportunity to be down–to-earth. Now I know how to treat people working under me. I know that if I have to get myself back again, there will be no sentiments. I will work with professionals. And even if I have to sign a pact with a brother, he must be professional
What happened to your music after that?
I can’t say that I wasn’t playing. Because in the midst of that, I played paid gigs. Gigs like playing for the Urhobo and Agbor associations and other Nigerians who believe that since Okri is around and instead of bringing an artiste or band from Nigeria, we use him.
It was adding up, though it was not the idea. If it was about playing for my people I would have just stayed back in Nigeria but that encouraged me to see that people still have value for their own and the fact remains that it was a huge opportunity for me to really put out anything that will make me look at my self as Mike Okri.
Look at myself as the Okri who is working himself through the channel of knowledge, to acquire more wisdom, in the way I do things.
Why is it that most of our so-called stars hardly make it when they travel abroad?
The problem is huge and nobody can really say why. But I think in my own opinion, stars could make it. I can particularly tell you that I could have made it and I still believe I can make it. It all depends on the combination of factors, one of which has to be that in the diaspora, Nigerians are so disunited. And if you go to the United States, or any part of the world and you say you are going there to unite them, you are doing yourself a disfavor.
Secondly, Nigerians in the diaspora do not control the industry. And those who are part of the success in that industry do not even identify with Nigerians as a core group because they are a failed state abroad.
Also, for you as an artiste to cut it as an international artiste, you have to do so by doing collaborations and your kind of music must be a grand style.
Many factors could be involved. For instance in America, age is a factor but unlike in Britain where it doesn’t matter if you are 50 or 60, you could still make it. In the music industry over there, there is a lot of politics too. If I had the kind of money like the kind of money, I controlled in Nigeria, why not I could make.
I will be able to live in America and also help artistes internationally and in Nigeria. They would look up to me as somebody relevant in their country and also in Nigeria. The way we started, we did not create a platform that will make us relevant there that is why most of us suffer.
Apart from Femi Kuti who has a solid base because of his late father’s influence and maybe lagbaja. There are stars from the Caribbeans and the Spanish world. They don’t need to have anything because they have the followership. With good music they are made for life and everybody will be wowed.
But when Nigerians don’t have all that, how will they make it? So I’m trying to see how I can merge both sides because Nigerians accepted me back and it is possible to merge it.
You went back to school?
I needed that knowledge to be able to form some other aspects of my life. I have always wanted to be a writer and broaden my horizon. I also believe that knowledge is power and to help modify the way I reason, the way I do things.
How easy was it for you, a man who is not an American to get a job after graduation?
It can be tough because after September 9/11, the face of America changed. America that used to be a good forum to succeed whether you have one form of education or not changed. The event of 9/11 forced them to redirect their steps. I think part of it was to cut off the life wire which is opportunity for all and say no, we have to concentrate on our people.
When 9/11 happened it was an opportunity for the people to say, ‘you know what, even if jobs come back, it will be more for our own people’. It became difficult and right now, it’s not very easy for Obama.
But I can tell you that as a human, if you have the potential to make your own business, now is an opportunity because if you are a resident, citizen, or a foreigner, it will do you good to be your own business man because the government is willing to give you money, to set up and employ people. So there are opportunities on ground.
So how did you survive after you graduated with the first degree?
It was tough but I survived. I could say I wasn’t having a steady job because I already had in mind that I did not want a job that will tie me down. Because America is built in such a way that if you get a job, then consider yourself working with them for a life time. It didn’t matter if you are earning 15 dollars per hour, the benefits and all will make you stay.
They will ask, ‘are you going to be with us for a long time’. You have to tell them the truth because you will go through all manners of training, so that you can be in that job for life and enjoy the greatest benefits.

Mike Okiri

But I wasn’t called out for that. And because I didn’t want to commit myself, I went for part_time jobs, so that I can always prepare for my coming home.
We heard you’ve changed your genre of music too?
Yes, I did. I have always been a born again though I may not have been so serious with the things of God. But I think to be born again is not making you look weak, people shouldn’t see you as one. You are called out for many things as long as you are doing it right. I’m not saying I’m channeling my words by doing only gospel albums or Christmas carols, but I will do so using inspirational songs and words of wisdom.
This is an album for all whether Christian or non Christian. It will contain songs like Wisdom, Time Na Money, elements of songs that will make people wonder why they are in this life. Songs that will make you take the right decisions in life. It is still in the likes of gospel, but in a manner that is educative, not just singing everything about booties or about how beautiful a woman is.
Of course, there are artistes who are being called out for that, but that is not what our society is made of now.
Crime rates in America are still high inspite of the billion of dollars spent. This is because family values have been totally eroded and they have discovered now that the music and the movies are the major ways through which a society could be redirected or be totally destroyed.
It now depends on individual conscience, food for thought. What is your direction? Do you just want to follow because everybody is following the in crowd?
You are home with an album?
Yes. I‘m home with a solid gospel album. I have Femi Ojetunde and another white guy who worked on this album as my producers.
There are possibilities that I might do collaborations with some of the big stars here but it depends on how it works out, but I ‘m open to all and to tell them that I ‘m still thick.
The industry today is bigger than the industry you left behind . . .
I’m aware of that. But if I’m coming from an industry that is way bigger than this industry, a couple of things may not matter.
For instance, I worked on a cruise ship for years. I was on a tour to the Caribbean and I played on the ship. I know the kind of bill you sign there. But nothing is exposed, because of the celebrities that come there. Even the videos, cannot be put out. Its part of the pact you sign. So you just sign to work and perform for the ship. And that’s why many people didn’t know the extent, I went in trying to break into America. I’m saying this because it’s the truth.
I could not perform as a big star because of a lot of issues. I’m assuring myself and I believe strongly that my time is yet to come and so I’m not afraid of competition.
I’m not sure you are home exactly because of music, are there other things you wish to do and how do you plan to do it? .
Yes. All that will eventually unfold. Right now we are looking at the possibility of setting up a record studio.
We don’t want to build a studio or a record studio that will just be digital. We want to build a studio that when people can come from far and wide to record. Hopefully before we start, we are getting investors involved. It is not like we are going to wait for investors before we start, we want to get them to actually widen our scope of what we want to do. But if it doesn’t happen, we could start in our own little way.

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Nestlé celebrates 125 years of Maggi liquid seasoning in Germany

Jul 22, 2011

WORLD`S BIGGEST MAGGI BOTTLE: Local people have traditionally referred to the tower at Kronberg Castle as the ‘Maggi bottle’, due to its apparent similarity in shape.

Nestlé celebrates 125 years of its Maggi brand liquid seasoning in Germany by transforming a historic castle tower into the world’s biggest ‘bottle’ of the product.
The Company unveiled a giant poster of the iconic condiment at Kronberg Castle, near Frankfurt – which is on display from now until September – as the first in a series of special anniversary events.
The poster, wrapped around the castle’s tower, has the first ever Maggi Würze bottle design from 1886 printed on one side and the current bottle design on the other.
The image is a reference to the local tradition of describing the structure as the ‘Maggi bottle’, due to its apparent similarity in shape.
Ingo Schaefer, Marketing and Communications Manager for Maggi in Germany, explained why the brand chose to begin its 125 year celebrations at Kronberg Castle.

TRADITIONAL PLACE IN GERMAN FOOD CULTURE: Maggi Würze was introduced to Germany in 1887, where it quickly became synonymous with contemporary cooking.

He said: “Germany is the biggest market in Europe for Maggi Würze, with around 19 million bottles sold here every year.
“The Maggi bottle not only has a traditional place in German food culture, but as the local nickname for the Kronberg Castle tower shows, it also has an affectionate place in German people’s imaginations.”
Furthermore, the poster installation at Kronberg Castle covers essential renovation work currently taking place on the building, which is being sponsored by Nestlé.
Mr Schaefer continued: “We wanted to launch our 125 year anniversary celebrations for the product by supporting a regionally important redevelopment project.”

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH: It took Julius Maggi, a Swiss miller, two years to bring his first food product to the market - a powdered mix of dried legumes and pulses, prepared as a thick broth.

In addition, the poster is accompanied by an exhibition which will also remain in place until September, revealing how Maggi Würze was introduced to Germany in 1887 and quickly became synonymous with contemporary cooking.
The ‘History of Taste’ presents a selection of items from Nestlé Germany’s main Maggi production factory in Singen, in the south of the country, as well as a variety of advertising posters through the years.
It features work from German artists - such as the Frankfurt-based Thomas Bayrle - who have used the bottle as a model for drawings, diagrams and oil paintings.
Other special anniversary events planned in Germany include the release of a series of limited edition Maggi Würze bottles later this year.

A brief history of Maggi

THE HISTORY OF TASTE: An exhibition at Kronberg Castle features a variety of Maggi advertisements from the past 125 years.

In Switzerland, in 1882, at the request of the Swiss Public Welfare Society, miller Julius Maggi began his research into how to create a nutritious vegetable food product for working families that was inexpensive and quick to prepare.
In 1884, his ‘Leguminose Maggi’ - a powdered mix of dried legumes and pulses, prepared as a thick broth - and his instant pea and bean soups, were introduced to and marketed in Switzerland for the first time.
They helped to establish Maggi & Company as a pioneer of nutritious but convenient food products.
Over the next two years, Mr Maggi continued to improve his Leguminose Maggi product, which by 1886 resulted in the launch of soup mixes. A year later, there were 22 different varieties of Maggi brand soup mixes on the market.

FOOD PRODUCTION PIONEERS: The Maggi factory in Singen, Germany was established in 1897 to produce nutritious but convenient food products for working families on an industrial scale.

Also in 1886, the company launched Maggi liquid seasoning, a dark-coloured, vegetable protein-based sauce designed to bring extra taste to meals.
Sold as an affordable alternative to meat extract, the product was introduced to Germany 12 months later, where it soon became a familiar addition to people’s dining tables.
Nestlé acquired the Maggi company in 1947. Today, the brand offers around 300 different products, including instant soups, stocks, bouillon cubes, ketchups, sauces, seasonings and instant noodles in a variety of countries around the world.