DON PEDRO OBASEKI

DON PEDRO OBASEKI

Dr. Osaro Pedro Osamudiame Agbonifo Obaseki, popularly known as DON PEDRO OBASEKI, is the CEO of ACC Broadcast Multimedia Ltd (operators of WAWOOTV, MTN-ACCMobileTV, PIDGIN-TV and BizFM) and former Managing Director at DAAR Communications PLC (owners of Africa Independent Television - AIT and RayPower).^[1]

He established Nigeria’s first integrated IPTV service, WAWOOTV, which was named “Innovative Online Media Company” at the Nigeria National Innovation Awards, July 2015. Dr. Pedro Obaseki was a Governorship aspirant in the 2016 Edo State Governorship Elections.^[2] The Governorship primaries which he contested against his cousin caused a huge family rift, and he was reported that some elders of his family had disowned him ^[3]

EARLY LIFE

Pedro Obaseki was born into the influential OBASEKI family of Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria on 25th April 1967, to Samson Agbonifo-Obaseki and Sarah Obaseki. His father was a Director of the State Internal Revenue Service in the defunct Bendel State, and his mother was a daughter of Ezomo of Eme-Ora in the North of Edo State. He grew up variously in Warri, Ughelli and Agbor in Delta State, and his native Benin City. ^[4] Pedro Obaseki is married to Uchenna Obaseki, a broadcaster, radio production teacher and national media merit award winner and theatre artiste and author of Radio Production in Nigeria: a Practitioner's Guide, and they are blessed with children.

EDUCATION

Dr. Pedro Obaseki was educated at both the Universities of Benin and Ibadan. He served his National Youth Service in Kaduna. He attended several elementary schools including Ebenezer Primary School in Benin, Iheoma Primary School Agbor and Oliha Primary School Benin City. His secondary education was at Unity School, Agbarho Warri. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Theatre and Media Arts from the University of Benin in 1987, a Masters degree as well as a Doctorate degree in Performance Theory & Praxis, a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA).^[5]

CAREER

Don Pedro Obaseki is more fondly called DON-P or THE DON by his peers, colleagues, students and admirers. He is an accomplished documentary filmmaker, playwright, stage director, broadcaster, IPTV Entrepreneur and one of the pioneers & founders of Nigeria's Nollywood Film industry. Pedro Obaseki is one of Nigeria's most influential entertainment personalities and Broadcast Consultant. Dr Obaseki was formerly President of The Filmmakers Cooperative of Nigeria (FCON) and arguably one of Nigeria’s most brilliant political strategists.

An erudite scholar, visionary and speaker, who became lecturer at the University of Benin at the age of 21 years, Don Pedro Obaseki is a multiple Awards winner with experience spanning more than 3 decades, and he has taught in several universities in Nigeria, the UK, Denmark & USA.^[6]

In 1996, Dr Don Pedro Obaseki was a guest lecturer to the Centre for African Studies, Copenhagen University (Denmark), Visiting Professor to the Manhattanville College, New York, in 2000. He is a member of the American-Nigerian Culture Initiative of the US State Department (2000); African Performance Consultant to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (National Theatre of America), Washington DC, and associate director to Tony Award-winning American director-choreographer George Faison ^[7] on the Queen Amina project. He is Member, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Las Vegas, USA (since April 1998. 

Dr. Obaseki was Executive Project Consultant to DAAR Communications PLC, owners of AIT, and later Managing Director at DAAR Communications PLC and the pioneer General Manager (programmes) DBN TV Lagos.^[8]

Pedro was Director-Of-The-Year, 1999 for his epic adventure-film, IGODO, while his home-video film EZIZA had screened in London and South Africa in 2001. ^[9] Rendezvous at Hell Gate, his first full-length play, was performed at the University of Benin in 1989 to critical acclaim. Pedro Obaseki’s most popular stage work, OBASEKI – a Historical Play, is on high school curricula in parts of Nigeria, and in Nigerian Universities and was performed as Africa’s entry for the Euro Culture-City ’96 Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark. His troupe also toured the Scandinavia in February - March 1999, with his play, AZAGIDI which was also used to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Musicological Society of Nigeria, MUSON in October, 2003. AZAGIDI was the convocation play of the University of Lagos in 2016. ^[10] President Obasanjo appointed Pedro Obaseki as Director and member of the Governing Board of the Centre of Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), a parastatal of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in January 2001. ^[11] Pedro Obaseki's The BRIDGE ran at the Oval House Theatre in Kennington London under the artistic direction of Karena Johnson as an international co-production collaboration between the Oval House Theatre and DonPedroMedia productions from 6th-31st October 2004. ^[12] The BRIDGE was Nigeria’s entry for the World International Experimental Drama Festival in Cairo, Egypt (September 2006).

As the CEO of ACC Broadcast Multimedia Ltd (operators of WAWOOTV-MobileTV Turnkey Project)^[13] - an innovative media organization that also owns PidginTV, Pedro is one of those redefining Nigeria’s digital Eco-System, leading Nigeria’s transition from analogue to digital broadcasting. ^[14] Pedro Obaseki is the author of Songs of a Prodigal (an anthology of poems), Idia-Epic of an African Queen (a play), The Bridge (a play), Days of Rage (television soap), Sunset in the Lagoon (The Maroko Saga), Eziza (movie), Brave Soldier (movie) and Tara (movie), Igodo, ^[15] Evil Thing, Prisoner of Passion, Rendezvous at Hell Gate, Hallowed Screams (a one-act psycho-drama) which was first performed at the NLNG Bonny among others. Pedro Obaseki interests straddle the broadcast and entertainment value-chain including owning franchises and proprietary rights to the Nollywood movie channel, MoviStar (former Channels 333 and 330 on Sky UK), and 1-MIC (a satellite music channel). ^[16]

Pedro Obaseki has appeared variously on national/and international media (including Voice of America and BBC) to talk on the emerging Nigerian broadcast & film industry. In 2004, Don Pedro Obaseki, as President of Nollywood, led the largest delegation of Nollywood to the USA. Dr. Obaseki was Guest Speaker at the 2005 BerlinaleFilm Festival Forum in Berlin.^[17]

Dr. Obaseki was twice honoured (in 2011 & 2013) with the Oba Erediauwa Award for Excellence and was awarded Nollywood Distinguished Veteran Award in 2013. He was Producer of EDO DECIDES and the EDO Governorship Debates, 2012. Dr. Obaseki is a recipient of the Honorary Award for “Service to Nigerian Broadcasting” at the National Innovation Awards, July 2015. Don Pedro Obaseki is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Attitudinal Change.^[18] A highly controversial point in Pedro Obaseki’s career was the battle between him and his elder cousin, Mr. Godwin Obaseki for the Governorship of their home State, Edo in the 2016 elections in Nigeria. ^[19] ^[20] ^[21] The tussle between Pedro Obaseki and Godwin Obaseki polarized the Obaseki Clan as Dr. Pedro Obaseki declared his support and campaigned for the rival candidate Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. ^[22] Pedro was reportedly disowned in several public statements by Williams Obaseki and Chief Oyuki Obaseki, who both claimed to have acted on behalf of the Obaseki family and in support of Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who went ahead to win the race. ^[23] Dr. Obaseki is the Convener of the EDO Peoples Assembly and presently President-General of the MIDWEST MOVEMENT ^[24] ^[25] on whose behalf he has increasingly canvassed the restructuring and re-Federalization of the Nigeria nation and the amendment of Nigeria’s 1999 constitution. ^[26]

References

Don Pedro Obaseki

I found out that several newspapers in Nigeria reported that the Obaseki Family disowned Pedro Obaseki in 2016 when he campaigned against his older cousin who is now the sitting Governor of Edo State, Nigeria

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[1] ttps://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/why-i-want-to-be-governor-of-edo-don-pedro-obaseki/

[2] ttps://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/why-i-want-to-be-governor-of-edo-don-pedro-obaseki/

[3] ttps://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/obaseki-family-disowns-pedro-urge-edo-people-vote-godwin/

[4] ttps://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/garlands-for-the-don-pedro-obaseki-of-moviedom-at-50/

[5] ttps://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/garlands-for-the-don-pedro-obaseki-of-moviedom-at-50/

[6] ttps://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/garlands-for-the-don-pedro-obaseki-of-moviedom-at-50/

[7] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Faison

[8] ttps://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/why-i-want-to-be-governor-of-edo-don-pedro-obaseki/

[9] ttps://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/garlands-for-the-don-pedro-obaseki-of-moviedom-at-50/

[10] ttps://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/garlands-for-the-don-pedro-obaseki-of-moviedom-at-50/

[11] ttps://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/garlands-for-the-don-pedro-obaseki-of-moviedom-at-50/

[12] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karena_Johnson

[13] ttps://guardian.ng/art/c74-arts/new-cmo-for-nollywood-secures-stakeholders-endorsement/

[14] ttp://nextvafrica.com/nigerian-stakeholders-to-review-impact-of-digital-migration-on-advertising/

[15] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igodo

[16] ttps://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/garlands-for-the-don-pedro-obaseki-of-moviedom-at-50/

[17] ttps://www.berliner-zeitung.de/don-pedro-agbonifo-obaseki-ist-taenzer--schauspieler--dj--filmproduzent--besitzer-einer-fernsehstation-und-von-sechs-kinos--ein-gespraech-ueber-afrika-und-bertolt-brecht-der-gladiator-von-nollywood-15619600

[18] ttps://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/garlands-for-the-don-pedro-obaseki-of-moviedom-at-50/

[19] ttps://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/edo-war-obasekis-house/

[20] ttps://punchng.com/don-pedro-obaseki-defects-pdp/

[21] ttps://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/06/06/don-pedro-obaseki-quits-edo-governorship-race/

[22] ttp://www.godwinobaseki.com/no-true-son-of-obaseki-will-vote-for-ize-iyamu-chief-jackson-oyuki-obaseki/

[23] ttps://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/obaseki-family-disowns-pedro-urge-edo-people-vote-godwin/

[24] ttps://www.independent.ng/edo-delta-indigenes-inaugurate-midwest-movement-urge-fg-revert-1963-constitution/

[25] ttps://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/group-threatens-declare-bendel-republic/

[26] ttps://guardian.ng/politics/1999-constitution-a-fallacy-that-must-be-discontinued/

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