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The stage is set, and the white lion himself is set to emerge and dance the dance of history.
Many times as Africans, we tell the stories of our heroes, our people and our leaders long after they are gone, when it is no longer of relevance to them. This, in many ways, prevents people from learning the lessons of history. But for Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello, the executive governor of Kogi State, that standard has been changed as a movie chronicling his life and achievements so far has been made and is set to premiere on Saturday, January 15 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
According to Seun Oloketuyi, producer ‘Yahaya the White Lion’, the biopic asides being a tool of entertainment is not a conclusive story as he believes there is a lot more to come. He stated however that the film is a means of documenting history through one of the best art forms for preservation, filmmaking.
The author, filmmaker and founder of the Best of Nollywood Awards explained that the movie is to put history on record. “We made this biopic not just to entertain as films do, but to put history on record. And we couldn’t have done it at a better time, as our actors had the opportunity to draw inspiration from the real-life characters without having to base their knowledge on second-hand tales. I think these are the things that make ‘Yahaya the White Lion’ roar differently,” he said.
While principal photography had kicked off in the third week of September 2021 in different locations around Kogi State including Lokoja, and Lagos State, the movie trailer, released in December saw film lovers applaud the choice of a stellar cast. Governor Yahaya Bello was played by the unrivalled Ali Nuhu with Roseanne Chikwendu as Rashidat Bello, Kogi State First Lady.
Directed by Tunde Laoye, ‘Yahaya the White Lion’ stars other industry notables like Gbenga Adeyinka D 1st, Aishat Lawal, Remote and others.
On what audiences can expect from the film, Oloketuyi shared that “so many things have been said about the man, Governor Yahaya Bello, and so much is still unknown about who he really is. This movie is an attempt to bring out the facts on the man, his background, growth and rise in politics and his ambition. It is basically to set the record straight about the gentleman, and make sure history has the right facts.”
