Chico Maziakpono, better known by his stage name Chico Ejiro, is a Nigerian film producer, screenwriter, and director. He was generally known as Mr. Prolific. Chico Ejiro was born in Isoko, Delta State, on October 15, 1953.

Biography

Chico Ejiro (born Chico Maziakpono; died December 25, 2020) was a Nigerian filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. Chico Ejiro was born in Isoko, Delta, Nigeria, and studied agriculture before becoming interested in video creation since Nigerians would not buy blank video cassettes. His massive collection of work was characteristic of the country’s second generation, which began in the 1990s when affordable video-production technology became available.

He was the owner of the Lagos-based production business Grand Touch Pictures. Mr. Prolific, as he was known, directed nearly 80 films in five years, each of which was shot in as short as three days. They include storylines that are significant to Nigerians. The number of films he has worked on as director, producer, or both is unclear, although it is believed to be in the hundreds as of 2007. In 2002, he was covered in The New York Times and Time magazine.

He passed away early on Christmas Day, December 25, 2020. His son died on November 15, 2021, just over a year after his father. His kid had been battling cancer for years, according to many accounts.

Ejiro married Joy Ejiro, with whom he had four children. He had two brothers: Zeb Ejiro, the most well-known of the new Nigerian cinema auteurs outside the country, and Peter Red Ejiro, a film producer. Welcome to Nollywood, a 2007 documentary that follows Ejiro as he made Family Affair 1 and Family Affair 2.

Education

Chico Ejiro earned a diploma in Agriculture from Obafemi Awolowo University. He went on to study agriculture at the Federal University of Agriculture in Umudike.

Career

Chico Ejiro began his career as a film producer in the 1990s when video production technology was inexpensive and widely available. He founded Grand Touch Pictures, a film production firm. Chico Ejiro was featured in the “New York Times” story “When There’s Too Much of a Not-Very-Good Thing” by Matt Steinglass in 2002.

The same year, he was included in Stephan Faris’ Times Magazine story “Hollywood, Who Needs It?” In 5 years, he directed almost 80 films. The majority of the movie was shot in three days. He had produced and coached hundreds of movies as of 2007.

Chico Ejiro’s films include:

  • Welcome to Nollywood
  • Deadly Affair
  • Polygamy 2: The Final Clash
  • All My Heart
  • First Cut…Is the Deepest
  • Festival of Fire
  • The agony of a Mother
  • Dangerous Babe
  • Ashanti
  • Tears in My Eyes
  • Silent Night 2
  • Outkast
  • True Romance
  • Blood Money
  • Scores To Settle
  • Dream Lover
  • Black Maria
  • A Second Time
  • Okeke
  • Computer Girls
  • Deadly Kiss

Chico Ejiro appeared in the Nollywood documentary Welcome to Nollywood in 2007. He has collaborated with famous Nollywood actors like Pete Edochie, Monalisa Chinna, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, RMD, Genevieve Nnaji, Liz Benson, and many more.

Family

In 1998, Chico Ejiro married Joy Ejiro. Their couple has produced four children. He is the younger brother of legendary filmmakers Zeb Ejiro and Peter Red Ejiro.

Death

Chico Ejiro passed away in the early hours of December 25, 2020. Chico Ejiro’s Christmas Day Death – His Wife Told the Story Joy Ejiro, the widow of late Nollywood film producer Chico Ejiro, took to social media to explain how her husband died on Christmas Day.

Joy Ejiro, who married Chico Ejiro in 1998, said nothing pointed to her loving husband’s unexpected demise.

“This is a harsh shock!” she said. We had a lot of Christmas plans; we spoke a lot about how the day would go, and we were reciting how God has been lovely to us this year and how glad we are to be alive; I had no idea it would be my final midnight conversation with you. Chico, you died in my hands, leaving me puzzled and saddened.

Overall, I thank GOD for allowing me to spend the last 26 years with you; you were a selfless guy who was a fantastic spouse and a terrific father.

I am comforted by the beautiful life you led and the impact you had on the film industry and everyone who crossed your path. You will live on in our hearts forever. I’ll have enough gist for you, my closest buddy, till we meet again, my Baby Boy.”

Chico Ejiro is a well-known character in Nigeria’s film industry, often known as Nollywood. Before his death, he had created almost 500 films. He is regarded as one of the most powerful characters in the film business. May his lovely spirit find eternal peace.

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