COCKCROW AT DAWN...the catalyst and inspiration to Nollywood

 Here is a fantastic write up and revistation from the sometimes "shy/recluse" master of the art of writing,compelling and in the very best of fine prose. As an Uncle,I take the liberty of describing him as shy or a recluse for very personal reasons...could this also be a hint at a remake

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COCKCROW : THE RETURN OF A TRAIL BLAZER 

By Dele Olowu

The motion picture  has a fairly extended history in nigeria. However in technical and production terms, the first moving image to be shot entirely on location in nigeria, is Peter Igho’s widely applauded tv series, Cockcrow at Dawn. And yet the brief which was to inspire this mass appealing project , was as prosaic as they come. The Obasanjo government had in 1977 become quite committed to the acceleration of food production and national growth. And he was quite anxious to use the classic notion of the gentleman farmer, to which military minds are customarily beholden, as a means of popularizing and radicalising agriculture. Thus Operation Feed the Nation was launched . This challenge was thrown to the NTA to provide publicity for this national effort. Peter Igho was 29, and from his remote posting in Sokoto, he had caught critical and management notices, when his production Moment Of Truth won the national prize for drama earlier on. It was to him therefore that the NTA management gave the task to create a drama series to support the Federal Government’s agricultural programme. But how do you turn farming into a watchable , or in this exceptionable instance , a compulsive drama series. The restless imagination of Peter Igho would provide the answer. His special alchemy turned this somewhat dull theme into a series which attracted throngs of Nigerians , young and old and left the streets empty as long as the conjurer caressed his lute! Cockcrow at Dawn was a complete production . It reflected Peter’s family tree which itself is a salad of cultures ; his writers, his cast, his crew , varied and plural reflected his own eclectic ancestry. Cockcrow also  had several firsts ; it had its own music and songs dedicated to the series and its theme. Its choice of a crooner was no less than Bongos Ikwe , an accomplished lyricist and man of exceptional sophistication with whom Peter Igho had creative links before going to university . The casting brought in an exciting  group, some of them new to the trade and others not quite so. But under Peter’s special impetus several of them became hugely popular figures and not a few incarnated into icons. Sadik  Daba, George Menta,Tola Awobode now late, Zainab Bitrus Lantana Odekunle and Ene Oloja were eternal pleasers. And of course there was Kasimu Yero, a quintessential artist , man of knowledge, the lovable rogue and the very light of the group. But sometimes when he mattered most, Kasimu Yaro would carry out a baffling disappearing act! Thank God his destinations were always predictable and changeless. Now the very important point to note is that Cockcrow while breaking new grounds in terms of production and technical quality, was also quite able to throw up a body of exceptional talents who have themselves left profound imprints on the popular imagination. It is no surprise it lived  up to its corporate brief of popularizing agriculture and securing funding support from the corporate world. As a matter of fact Cockcrow became a P.R item for the United Bank for Africa . It took considerable pride in its contribution to the promotion of agriculture in Nigeria.  On this count, it became an important partner to NTA in its support of the federal government agricultural initiatives. The series has continued to receive moral  support from across a broad spectrum of the Nigerian population,Engr Maduka pioneer NTA DG and the nigerisn farmers Association  amongst them. In all this , many of the characters in Cockcrow are still on top of their trade and their names still resonate in the world of media broadcasting. Several of the themes are still relevant in a dynamic Nigeria. 

Peter Igho, whose Genuis produced the series , though now graying is still at his Creative Best. He personally chalked up 78 episodes before he was promoted to oversee all Network programs The imperatives which powered the return to agriculture in the 70s are still alive in the post-covid liberal economy of 2023 and beyond. The possibilities provided by the creative framework of Cockcrow must be exploited maximally in new ways to support agricultural and economic growth . It is hoped UBA will be part of this. 

Many TV drama series fill the public space these days. Many of them produce a great deal of good. But in view of the indulgent and sometimes permissive standards adopted by eccentric presentations, outputs like Cockcrow with its quaint old morality require to join the national conversation again. The moral degeneration on our doorsteps is a horrid graft on the Nigerian polity. We should not allow it stick. We must do something to champion a new moral regeneration.  There is enough crowing left in the legendary cock!