How Soyinka, Clark Shaped My Discipline, Punctuality — RMD

​Veteran Nollywood icon and former public servant Richard Mofe-Damijo, popularly known as RMD, has credited legendary playwright Professor Wole Soyinka and the late cultural icon J.P. Clark for molding his uncompromising stance on professional discipline and punctuality.

​Speaking at a recent public event, the celebrated actor reflected on the foundational values passed down from his mother and the rigorous artistic environments that shaped his decades-long career. According to the actor, his early exposure to theatrical giants instilled a culture of extreme timeliness that he still lives by today.

​”Timeliness is important to me. If someone tells you to be somewhere at 8 o’clock, you should get there by 7:30. That way, when they encounter you, you are already prompt and ready to take off,” RMD shared.

​Recalling his formative years in the creative sector, he noted his 1984 residency at the J.K. Randle Centre under J.P. Clark and working under the directorship of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. Highlighting Soyinka’s legendary strictness with time, RMD remarked, “If you have encountered Soyinka, you would understand what I mean. If he says 4 p.m. and you get there at 3:30 p.m., he is already there.”

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​Transitioning into lessons from his time in public service, where he spent eight years serving in government, the award-winning actor noted that public office exposed him to both the profound potential of governance and its systemic flaws. He observed that the system can easily co-opt individuals if their moral compass lacks deep roots, adding a pragmatic note on institutional change: “If you can’t fight the system, get out and go build somewhere else.”

​RMD concluded by emphasizing that individuals carry a responsibility to represent institutions and ideals far larger than themselves, urging the younger generation to consciously cultivate values that outlive them.