Bolanle Austen-Peters Production presents Akan Nnani (Samuel Obalolu), Olumide Oworu (Daniel Obalolu), Jude Chukwuma (Prophet Josiah Obalolu), Echuria Anunobi (Rev. Mrs. Gift Asogue), Osas Ighodaro (Teju Williams), Dorcas Shola Fapson (Rekya Danbo), Atlanta Bridget Johnson (Joy Obah), Mawuli Gavor (Pastor Zack). Executive Producers, Bolanle Austen-Peters, Yemi Adowu, Muritala Ibrahim, ChrisUbosi, Osanemo Fayemiwo, Kemi DaSilva-Ibru; Asso. Producers, Daniel Olaoluwa, Yakubu Yahya; Director of Photography, Lance Gewa; Screenplay, Shola Dada; Director, Bolanli Austen-Peters. © 2022
The Man of God is more of Somerset Maugham’s excellent classic movie, Of Human Bondage (1934). A middle brow takes on the intelligent being of a man torn between adherence to the stringent Christian belief of his parents and the temptations of the world as he comes to see it. Samuel Obalolu (Akan Nnani) in The Man of God is similar to the story of the club-footed Philip Carey in Of Human Bondage. Samuel’s father owned a church and wanted his children to follow the way of the bible and the church. But at an early age, Samuel didn’t take religion to heart, wildly when his father constantly thrashed him for it. And one day, he told his mother that he would never come back the day he left their household.
The next time we see our lead man in The Man of God, he performs on stage with young backup girls and a crowd of adoring patrons. He warmed up to the public and buffeted in it as he loved it. He’s happy, as you can see. The guy on the stage couldn’t be Samuel Obalolu, whose father’s vision was for him to go into the pulpit and preach the word of God. He is the Fela Kuti of his age, expressing the freedom of his will, with lots of women to share his sexual vitalities and wantonness. But buried in the deeper recess of his mind is his bondage to the Obalolu religious heritage. “No matter how a dog runs, it can never outrun its tail.” Mirror Boy says to Tejan in Mirror Boy (2011).
Samuel came to campus for higher learning, but most girls fell for him because of his handsome looks. One of those girls against which our mothers warned us. Rekya Danbo (Dorcas Shola Fapson) is a wanton girl. She performed as a backup girl and part sponsor of the juju band gig with him on stage, and they bunked together. She had a more significant influence on Samuel than all other girls. A slut, she is in and out of Samuel’s life, as Mildred Rogers in Philip Cary’s life in Of Human Bondage. After the hustling and prostituting, she brings him money and cigarette whenever she comes back to town. She is manipulative, and her concern is about money, prostitution, and Samuel’s high life. She dissuaded his poor heart from pursuing learning.
Samuel hates his parents so much that he disgusts “Samuel,” the biblical name; with which the church christens him. “Do you know who Samuel is? A biblical prophet. That’s not me. And that will never be me.” He sternly says to Rekya one day. “Why can’t you pretend to be what they want you to be?” Rekya tries admonishing him. Rekya gets back in town at one point, with lots of spending money, and talks Samuel into leaving school. “Guy, forget school stuff. I dropped out. Are we together?” “What?” Samuel asked, bewildered by the new wealth Rekya displays in her new apartment. “Are you ready to drop out?” Samuel is hesitant. “What?” “Leave school.” “Reks… I don’t know.” “You don’t know? No problem. Anyways, I am leaving Nigeria. Forget all that school stuff.”
Teju Williams (Osas Ighodaro) is a childhood friend and admirer and begs Samuel to join her at the fellowship in her Triumphant Church. Samuel hardly makes time to go. The fact is, going to church is an ugly reminder of his father. He, however, joined Teju in the fellowship and there met Joy Obah (Atlanta Bridget Johnson), who swept him off his boyish feet, to Teju’s dislike. When Joy marries Pastor Zack (Mawuli Gavor), who once visited their Church, Samuel suffers depression. Teju pulls him out of it and develops a serious relationship with him that ends in marriage and later draws him closer to the Triumphant Church. Triumphant church marginalized Samuel for his “sleazy and Michael Jackson” dance steps on stage. He only tried to bring innovation and progress to the choir. He fell into depression again and decided to leave the church.
Samuel, during his depression, gets a phone call from Rekya; one day, she’s in town and with lots of spending money. She laughs off that Samuel has gone into the church and finds that he’s not overwhelmed and wants to leave it.
Rekya, “You a church boy? Oh, please, you this criminal?”
Samuel, “You see, that church matters; it is the biggest regret of my life.”
Rekya, “The kind of money in church business surpasses prostitution, politics, and gambling. The church is where the money is. Guy, if I could be a hypocrite, I would be a preacher myself. But guy, you can do this thing now! Guy, the kind of money you’ll make. Don’t overthink it. Just do it.”
Then that night, after the meeting with Rekya, Samuel wakes Teju up and tells her about his vision: “I just heard from God.” “What?” God speaks to me and calls my name three times, “Samuel, Samuel, Samuel!” He says. “He told me to get into ministry just like my father.”
Teju, “I’ve always known there was calling on your name since we were kids.”
Samuel, “You know, I’ve run from this for so long… I’ve finally said yes to the Lord.”
I try as best not to compare The Man of God with Of Human Bondage. They portray similar plots that keep pulling me back to their peculiar characteristics. The unrequited love Rekya has for Samuel in The Man of God is identical to Philip Carey’s passion for Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage. Philip and Samuel were both pursuing higher education when women dissuaded them. Rekya notices Samuel’s inability to forgive his parents and even reply to his mother’s letters. Therefore, she assumes they are both without parents and are on the same level of life. Rekya goes through lots of trouble to seek Samuel’s love and attention. In the bedroom, she wakes Samuel to help zip her dress. When Samuel asks where is she going? “to hustle, she says. “You know we have got to pay the band for the gig.” All her money. Then too, every time she came back to town, she displayed wealth as if to place value on her person for Samuel to accept her. At last, she financed the Vineyard of Love Church project.
Samuel squanders his educational fortune at college by dropping out and following Teju in marriage. Also, he falls because “the church is where the money is,” as Rekya could finally convince him to run his church. Samuel didn’t go into the church to pretend to his parents as Rekya suggested; some people do things not quite to their liking but impress and deceive the world. Samuel, in a sense, is an epicurean. He loves the pleasures of life; innately, he wasn’t ready for religion: “‘Samuel,’ is a prophet’s name. That is not me, and I will never be….That church matters; it is the biggest regret of my life.”
He refers to the Triumphant Church debacle. Samuel lies about God calling his name three times to impress Teju that he was ready for Christ. He wasn’t. Rekya is in town and gets him twisted to run his church so they can get paid. Oh, the church issue is booming, and both Samuel and Teju seem happy even as outside forces threaten Samuel’s peace of mind. For instance, Samuel’s involvement with Josephine’s commitment to abortion-causing her death. Of all the girls in Samuel’s life, he relates excellently to Rekya once he misses his relationship with Joy.
The last time we see Rekya and Samuel making it out, Samuel is distant, and Rekya notices. Samuel says he needed money and lots of it. We hear of Rekya being dead in a human trafficking and drug-related matter in the following news. She must have gone running gigs to bring back the bacon to Samuel. Teju, too, discovers Samuel wants to leave her and runs to Canada with Rekya.
Samuel, “I’m leaving you, Teju.”
Teju, “Give me answers…because I thought you were redeemable. Give me answers why you’re leaving me.”
Samuel, “I’m leaving you, Teju, this church, the house, this country, everything. I am miserable, Teju. I want to be happy. Is that too much to ask?”
The lost sheep comes back to the fold. The bondage between Samuel and his family has been eating him up. After all his jail time, he wants to unite with them and comes back home and meets his father preaching in his church. Daniel Obalolu (Olumide Owuru), his younger brother, and his father, Prophet Josiah Obalolu, hug like a family reunion.