Pictorial Glance at Evangelist Eucharia Anunobi of Nollywood

Dearly beloved, having being anointed last year, I’m now being officially ordained with ministerial licence and collar. Giving me the right to carry out episcopal duties as a minister of God under the fold of the ministry as an evangelist. This is happening this morning, Sunday, the 5th of February 2012, at the fresh oil ministry int’l church. This is really the Lord’s doing and it’s amazingly wonderful! God is awesome’.

The above were the words of Nollywood actress Eucharia Anunobi on her facebook wall, which makes her the first Nollywood act to achieve that feat.

More Interviews from Eucharia Anunobi from the Internet.

Nollywood seems to be taking a revolution with ‘IJE’, ‘ANCHOR BABY’ and some other movies that are rebranding Nollywood. In the movies you have participated in do you think they are worthy of rebranding Nigeria? 

 Yes Absolutely, I’ve always said that whether we like it or not the stories we tell in our movies since we actually started has always been our story in different forms; the stories of ritual, people who are non-conformist, kidnappers. So definitely, we’re rebranding Nigeria but first of all, we cannot rebrand if we don’t appraise the things that we have on ground and know we got a lot of dirt and to sweep it out we got to showcase them to tell people that this things are not good. So obviously, when we’re done with this and people have come to realize them like all this internet fraud is not right, we start rebranding. When you want to start rebranding, you must give people thanks for them to have things to do. I’ve always given kudos to all the producers who have brought money to put up this industry but we need government to come in and now by the grace of God, I heard not too long ago that the President of this country has given out some money to the industry, now they’re thinking. Whether we like it or not, everybody cannot be in the banking industry, everybody cannot be a doctor or an accountant. There are millions of people that the entertainment industry employ; the camera men, personal assistants, lighting men and editors. So tell me if this industry was not in place, where would we all be? It is better and high time that the government realizes that this industry is too big and would incorporate so many other people that rather would have been on the streets and cause havoc. For me, when you say you want to rebrand Nigeria, they should appraise the fact that they need to pump in money so that sucks in all the restless youths, and all of us as we’re all gearing to go. We got talent so if you don’t cap us and put us down in a place there’s nothing we can do about it, they’ll just be on the street looking for things to do. 

  Do you think President Jonathan will live up to his promise, based on the fact that previous promises have failed? 

 The thing about life is that faith is believing in the things you’ve not seen and hoping that they’ll come to pass. So well we have faith and believe that he’s promised and we’ll pray. What we should do is pray that he puts those things into his sect because whether we like it or not, we have to realize there’s spiritual power because the bible says ‘We fight not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities of darkness’. So whether you like it or not there are powers of principalities and darkness who are dream killers, so we want to say that this dream should not be killed by putting up our prayers, going down on our knees in our homes, offices and wherever we are that that which he has uttered will come to pass because sometimes when you utter your dream, the dream killers will kill it. There are evil forces and people who don’t want this nation to go higher than this, maybe because they’ve already sold their soul to Satan and if you don’t pray against them, they’ll hinder the promises he has made 

You have experienced all sort of controversial issues in the last few years, how do you live and cope with all that? 

 If you talk about the news concerning my divorce case, well because I’m a celebrity, they have to talk about it so I don’t see the big deal about it as I’m not embarrassed about it and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m not the first one to get divorced and I don’t think I asked for a divorce so I want to believe that I was the best wife and best mother that any man can get; It’s just that anyone could marry the wrong guy or girl. So maybe in my case I just married the wrong guy and I pray that very soon I’ll get the right guy and all these things would come to an end because for me I’m straight. 

So you’re looking forward to another marital experience? 

 Absolutely because our God says we should not be alone. 

So how soon is that? 

As soon as the right man comes along. I don’t want to get entangled with the one that’ll bale off with my things again. 

So looking at your recent pictures, and seeing the changes in appearance, how trim you look, I was wondering, how did you do it? 

Thank you. If I understand you correctly, I take it you’re saying I look good and beautiful. (General laughter) Well, first and foremost I am a health conscious person even though I know that a while ago I might have put on some weight. Sometimes if you are emotionally down you might put on some weight and coming from the point of view of having had a baby, which is not an excuse, I put on weight. Then I breast-fed for a while though. I was alone and lazy about my health you know, but one day I woke up and I said ‘hey, what is happening? Why will I put on weight? ’ I can’t claim to be health conscious and teaching others to be health conscious yet allow myself to get out of shape. You see the nature of my job allows no place for sloppy appearance. So I had to wake up from the slumber and take the bull by the horn. I had to stop some of those funny eating habits like taking all that chocolate, ice-cream , nkwobis and ise ewu , you see I have a sweet tooth but I had to put a stop to all that, because I realize once you get older some of those bad habits can come back at you with terrible consequences. 

So after being out of the picture for sometime, what was the motivation to come back and take it up from where you left off? 

Well to me I want to say that the quest for knowledge, in a bid to better my self was the motivation that led me to take time off in order to come back a better actor. This is necessary if one must attain the peak of their chosen field of endeavour. I have always tried to let people know that you can not be a proper actress or ‘actor’ in quote without having a good education. Because as an actor or actress you must be intellectually sound in order to properly understand your role and character. If you are not educated you will not be able to interpret properly your character and as a result will lack the confidence and bearing to properly portray your role. Definitely, acting is not for people who are not educated. Yes you might have the talent but there’s only so far your talent can go. So for me by the grace of God, having education and believing so tenaciously in education have put me where I am today. And for me it’s part of it and when you said I took time off, I know that I have showcased that overtime with education, so I give God the glory that thousands and million of parents when they see me, they say ‘oh my God I want my children to speak English the way you speak‘, people say ‘I love the way you walk‘, ‘I love the way you get your head up high you have got charisma‘. These are the qualities I have learnt over time and they are all coming from schooling and from a good heart. If you don’t have good education some of this finer attributes of life will be taken away from you. And these are what are needed for the next level, which is where I am heading. 

Of course, there’s been a lot of talk in the media about Eucharia being an evangelist and preacher. Did you ‘turn to God’ as it were, because of certain emotional or psychological challenges you faced? 

Well let me give you a precise date I gave my life to God. That was 25th of March 1996. And that was four years before I got married. That means I have been born again for more than a decade. So it’s not about turning to God now, I didn’t ‘find’ God now. And if anyone turns to God because of certain challenges, once those problems are solved, you will return to your previous ways, which is obviously not the case with me. I realised long time ago that there are a lot of negative spiritual forces that operate in Africa considering our ancestral religious beliefs. Some of us are not even aware that almost every family in Africa has some sort of tie with spiritual forces, either by way of seeking protection or for fortification, done on their behalf by their forebears. If this problem is not taken care of, it will definitely continue to affect people and they will begin to wonder where they went wrong. It’s the reason you see some people are never able to handle wealth, or relationships or family. So of course having realised this a long time ago, I decided to break with this bond. And being an evangelist today means I have been in the ministry for a while before coming out to evangelise. And this gives me joy because life is transient so the succour we should truly seek is the fellowship with God. And I want to declare here that I am shamelessly in love with God. 

How do you reconcile your flashy ways and your assertion that you are a born-again Christian, bearing in mind the stereotypical image of a ‘born again’ Christian especially around these parts? Let me ask you, have you seen God? Or do you have an idea of God? From what I gather and from what is obtainable from the Bible and even from what surrounds us, God is beautiful. And of course His children ought to reflect that beauty. Besides, Christianity is not really about the physical look of one tying a scarf and portraying ‘religion’. You do know that ‘religion’ and ‘Christianity’ are two different concepts. So it’s not really about looking tattered or unkempt in order to impress people with your piety. At the same time it’s not about trim nails or long hair or any of that. It’s really about what’s inside. But to me, you cannot proclaim the God of beauty, the God of order and look tattered because my God is the epitome of excellence. 

What’s your take on the recent bill prohibiting same sex marriages and civil unions in the country? 

I’m excited about this, I’m so excited. Before I answer this question, I’ll share something with you. Sometime ago around September, I was given a script to familiarise with for a movie. The movie was about homosexuals, lesbianism and you know, name it, and I was like ‘Hey! Who is going to do this’? (Laughter around) you know. I just trashed it immediately. But the producer called me afterwards on my thoughts and I told him straight away I wasn’t going to do it. He pleaded with me to reconsider as I was ordained to preach a message through that movie. However about two months later, I just picked up the script, which fortunately had not been destroyed, and read it and I noticed that yes the character was bisexual and all that but eventually she became a pastor going about converting everyone she had ever ‘initiated’ into the act of lesbianism. So it was really about the message. So yes, back to your question, I think it is awesome and this re-inforces my pride in my country and I say kudos to the national assembly. For once at least, we have shown that we are a nation that fears God. Let me tell you, the act of homosexuals, bisexualism and the like is purely satanic and from the pits of hell. This shows that Satan is seriously at work in this world and that the entire world is under spiritual manipulation. Soon it will be bestiality if care is not taken, so yes it is a wonderful bill and I urge everyone to pray against this trend. 

In your movies, you are prone to portraying certain characters; domineering, regal, and sometimes downright bossy. Do you feel regularly typecast by producers and or directors? 

Well I want to say I’m one lucky ‘actor’ and I’m versatile and I have played all kinds of roles so I wouldn’t really agree that I’m typecast. But when you look at if from the Nigerian context, especially from the point of view of the producers, you’ll find out that certain characters played by actors make certain movies successful therefore making it commercially viable to reproduce same. So of course, it’s not that an actor can’t play other challenging roles, but when you have this situation where one movie becomes popular and commercially successful because of the type of characters displayed, then you will agree with me that other producers will want to simulate the same pattern. Then of course as far as I’m concerned we are not paid well. Any figure under a million is really nothing to boast about to be sincere. If you say okay I’m not doing just any movie if it doesn’t fit my standards, (and I don’t even know what standards they mean), you’ll find that you’ll probably wait a long time before you get jobs. So imagine if in that situation you are paid maybe eight hundred thousand naira for your last job. If you factor it in that you have to pay the rent, take care of utility bills, education, feeding, taking care of the ever growing relatives and dependents and probably maintain the lifestyle or at least appear to maintain the lifestyle society expects you to maintain, then you can see that it is difficult to be picky about roles. Then again, everyone has their own peculiar attributes and physical make up that mainly determines the kind of roles you play. So if I get roles bordering on the attributes you mentioned, it’s because I believe I have that carriage, confidence and regal bearing that can adequately do justice to that character and in general the movie. And of course one can always enliven even the same flat characters with creativity because really it depends on who’s interpreting because there are intelligent stars and sorry to say there are the dumb stars. 

Looking at the state of the Nigerian movie industry now, what would you say is not working right? Well I would like to remind you that the Nollywood that you and I know is individually financed. Only individuals who have the foresight and the belief in the industry have been the ones that have brought money to do that which you and I watch. There has been no government support in any form to do big budget movies and individuals too have not ‘come together’, like five people, two people joining financial muscle together in doing something. It’s always been a one man thing you know, this one person thing. How much can one person really do? What is needed to do really big budget movies is when two or maybe three people can come together and say, ok, ‘you bring 10million‘, I’ll bring 10 million, we all bring ten million then we can acquire all the high tech equipments and do a very serious movie that can match any acceptable standard. Without this, we probably can’t move very far especially with the technological hindrances that has been crippling the industry for a while now. 

So essentially money is the problem? 

Oh yes, money, money, money and when I say money I mean money because in truth we have the right people to do the job but if you don’t have the finance there is nothing you can do about it. Think about it, if you want to build a house, you can have a good design but when you don’t have the money to buy the materials your dream is just going to be hanging on paper. You know that overtime we have professionals coming out in the industry, we have the best hands who can hold their own anywhere in the world, but we do not have the financial wherewithal to do the job, the enablement. We are talking millions of naira, or dollars as the case may be. 

So fill us in on what you’re up to now. 

Well for now I’m in school pursuing my Masters degree in Social Works in the Lagos State University, Ojo. And I oversee my many business interests because I have always been trying to make multiple streams of income and have been doing that because you can’t wait in one place and expect one brook to feed you. I have also tried to enlarge my coast and I’m working on a couple of movies which will soon be released. And to every one of my fans, I can’t be where I am without their love and I must say that as much as they love me they better start loving who I love and that’s God. And let me use this medium to say that I might have stepped on somebody’s toes, you know, maybe someone has been slighted by what I had done, you know called me on the phone and I have not responded or anything, I just want to apologize and say that I love them all.

I'm reading: Pictorial Glance at Evangelist Eucharia Anunobi of Nollywood

Pictorial Glance at Professsor Laz Ekwueme, A man of many part

Professor Laz Ekwueme, 'Eze Ijikala II - Ozioko' Igwe Oko, Anambra State, is a man of many parts. He is an actor, choir conductor, music composer, a teacher and traditional ruler of his community.

We hardly see you in films these days. Do you still act?
Yes I do. I play Igwe roles and I have played many other roles. I act, but recently, they have not been paying me well enough to act. People like to buy you cheap. Though I am not a proud man. People think I am an arrogant bastard, who thinks the world should fall at his feet because he has a degree in music. But people confuse arrogance with pride. People confuse self-confidence with pride. When you do what you know how to do well with confidence, they say you are proud. They want to pay me peanuts and I say to them, where do you see any Ph.D holder on the screen? Where do you see a Professor on the screen? Where do you see an Igwe on the screen? Where do you see a one time university orator on the screen and you want to pay me peanuts? Yet, you are prepared to pay midgets millions. I know they are good; I like them and they are my friends but the Nollywood has suffered misfortune of being piloted by marketers. They are not interested in the quality of speech. The are not interested in the nuances of interpretation, and they don 't notice the difference between this man and that man. Because of it, they have not been calling me so frequently, and I refuse to be belittled beyond a certain level. I am not exorbitant, but some others play politics. Once they ask for me, they tell the people that Prof. Ekwueme is so busy and you can't get him. They are intimidated. They are in apparent competition with me and they want to take the small money since acting is the only thing they do.
You are a composer, an actor, a teacher and a traditional ruler. How do you combine all these? That is a very serious problem I have had to live with in the last 72 years. I 'm a man of multiple interest. I'm so diverse. I have more or less done everything to the point that it was so difficult to choose a career. The career I eventually find myself was at happenstance. I had interest in very many things right from my childhood. I had flare for singing, music, mathematics, English, tradition. I had diverse interest. At school, Government College, Umuahia, I had interest in the arts as well as in the sciences. Back then in school, we were fortunate to have very good teachers. A balanced education meant that you studied virtually everything including Religious Studies and Carpentry. But you took school certificate in subjects at that time, four arts subjects and four science subjects. You could then choose your career in either the arts or sciences. Most of my mates got into the sciences anyway; only a few went into the arts. I was good in drama at Umuahia. I could also play games a lot. Everybody had to play every game. Some of us even went into boxing. I almost went professional in boxing. Later, I changed from boxing to Karate. I am a black belter in Karate, but not at 73. It would be foolhardy for me to break tables with my fists now. But this is to show you the diversity of my interests. It was difficult for me to choose a career and having no money made it more difficult. My English master, P. J. Johnson, wanted me to read English. He took me to St Johns College in Kaduna to help him teach and establish the school in the way of Government College, Umuahia. My Maths teacher wanted me to do Engineering. My principal felt I should be a writer because I wrote for the school magazines. Of all these, I was at loss to choose a carrier. I didnt have money to go abroad at that time. So, I worked in Enugu. I followed my principal 's advice rather than that of my Maths or English teacher. But then, we had what we called festival of arts. The festivals were held in regional centres like Enugu, Ibadan, Zaria. I was good in writing, music and drama and painting. You could take examinations in music, but couldn't take examinations in theatre. I took examination in music and I won a Federal Government schorlaship to study music. That was how I left the country.
Were your parents able to suport your education abroad? 
They couldn't. In fact they couldn't afford to take me to Government College, Umuahia.
So how did you go to Umuahia? 
Don't think I'm being self-centered or that I am blowing my own trumpet. But at the time we went to Umuahia, you had to be very brilliant and lucky. I say that because it is the truth. My primary school headmanster, the late R. O. Iwuagwu, was a very good man. He prepared 12 of us to go to different secondary schools. GCU was the first. The first test was on mental arithmetical. It was used as an elimination process. If you didn't score up to a certain point in that arithmetic, they wouldn't bother to mark your other papers. We did test in English, Mathematics and General Knowledge. Average students could do well in English and General Knowledge, but not in Mathematics. Out of those of us that went for the entrance from Ekwulobia Primary School, we took the eight subjects. About eight among us got seven out of the eight subjects. They did not come to GCU. Three of us remaining went for the interview. There were another four subjects. One of us got three out of the four subjects, he didn't come to Umuahia. Two of us were just the ones taken finally. That was why I said luck had to do with your being accepted in Umuahia. One mistake, you are out. At Umuahia, we had three square meals a day, we had soap, we had iron to iron clothes. I had a scholarship. My late uncle paid the equipment fee. If hadn 't gone to Umuahia, I wouldn't have got scholarship to further my studies. Many of us became doctors, many became engineers and a few went into the arts. Umuahia has produced great number of writers like Chinua Achebe, Gabriel Okara, Saro Wiwa. But many of them didn 't go into the arts. Achebe initially went to study Medicine. I gave up Medicine, because the smell of formaline makes me throw up. When I started my music, I didn't leave drama; I continued studying Drama in England. Also, languages we did in Umuahia, I found them necessary for music studies at the degree level. I had to do a language course in Italian and German.
So how many languages can you speak now?
English and Igbo very well; German and Italian, fairly well; a little Yoruba here, a little Efik there. I am just trying to explain the diverse interest that made me go into different things. While I was in England, I did a lot of acting and modelling. People thought I was good looking when I was young. If you go for ten casting session and you were chosen in all sessions, you don 't need a priest to tell you that you are good looking. I did a lot of modelling and advertising in England. I was very much also into religion. I was a Lay Reader of the Anglican Church at the age of 20. Despite my sins and all, I was pure until at least 24. I had too many interest and that may have obscured my choice of a career. I thank God that things happened that way, other wise I would have ended up as an engineer which I didnt like. I would have been a very unhappy engineer.
How come you decided to come back to Nigeria after your studies abroad? 
That is a million dollar question. When I was studying in England, I was always analysing and thinking, ah, this would work in my home, this would not. I believed that when I come back, I would be the authority in music. Very few people had degree in music. I Have been very lucky to have had the best of education and having the best teachers in the world. All the shortcomings were of my own making. God has given me opportunities that are so rare. One has to be realistic. You may be a good conductor but you can 't imagine the London orchestra being conducted by a black man at that time. I had to come home. There wasn't even a question of not coming home. I came back to University of Nigeria, Nssukka, as a lecturer. I then got another scholarship to go and do a Ph.D at Yale, which obviously is America's number one university though some may say, Havard. The temptation might have come for me to stay back in the U.S. especially during the war in Nigeria. I was there in the U.S., 1966 to 1969. That was the peak of Nigerian civil war. But then, go east go west, home is still the best particularly in 1974 where there was plan to hold FESTAC '75. Prof Ade Ajayi had this vision of making UNILAG the best university in Africa. He invited the best scholars in different parts of the world to come home. I had been in America for eight years and I felt it was time go home. The war had finished in 1970 so I came back in 1974. FESTAC was moved to '77 and I played my part.
How did you adapt, coming home to teach? 
I was the second person in Nigeria to hold a bachelor 's degree in music. Two other people had a bachelor of arts in music, not quite the same as a bachelor in music. Coming back to teach at Nsukka then, I was just a young Nigerian coming back from England to teach in a Nigerian university. I founded the University of Nigeria Choral Society. We became a vibrant department. UNN was the first university to introduce music as a subject. I was one of the pioneer teachers then. It was challenging but I enjoyed it. Thank God I had set my goals in England. I was sorting myself out on what was appropriate to be taught in Nigeria and even when I went to Yale for my Ph.D, I was more careful, selecting and distinguishing what was necessary for our society.
Did your parents support you when you chose to study music? 
I am reminded of a mad man in my town who made a very witty statement though he was mad. A younger nephew of his started being mad, he was at the threshold of madness. The old mad man called his nephew and told him, 'my friend, the thing you are trying to get into is madness. Are you sure you can cope? I have been into it for so many years and look at how I am.' Anybody who watches those of us who have been in music and see how poorly we have fared financially, will not advise his wards to get into it. Nevertheless, popular music is the one that pays and not arts music. Nigerians love arts music anyway, but they are not prepared to pay for it. My father died when I was six and I had three brothers. The first one entered Ibadan when I entered Umuahia. He died early. He didn 't marry before he died. My second brother went to Kings College. He read Architecture, the first vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme. My younger brother had the best West African result in higher school. UAC gave him a scholarship to read Medicine at Ibadan. My mother was a teacher, she didnt have much say in whether we went to Kings College or GCU. There was nobody to tell us what to do or not. If you have a Federal Government scholarship to go and study music abroad, who is there to say you should not go? Will the person pay for you? My younger brother had gone to America and returned before I went to England. He had no qualms in what I was doing. He was even the one that advised me to go to Yale and not Harvard for my Ph.D.
How did you cope without a father figure in the house? 
We all gave our mother big stress. Boys will always be boys. My mother used to tell us, 'All these problems you are giving me, your children will give you more.' But my mother was a fantastic woman. She didn't spare the rod. If I tell you things we went through, you will not believe it. We had uncles who helped us, but I tell you, we had a difficult childhood. There was hardly any term in my primary school that I was not sent away for fees. We would crack kernels to sell and use the money to pay our school fees. It was just God that saw us though. My mother was a widow for 50 years before she passed on at 84.
How come you didn't marry a white woman? 
That is a very difficult question to answer. The relationship one gets in one 's youth with people one lives with, may vary from individual to individual. In England, many Nigerians were not very happy. The standard of living in England was not very high. Many of the homes were not heated. You come back home from school and you use a paraphine heater in your house. Your face will be burning and your back would be freezing. Many could not afford to live in centrally heated houses. Many of our people were not so well-to-do as to mingle with the upper class of the whites. But if you were happy in England as I believe I was, you would mix freely with the best of the society. You date white and black girls. It would be tempting to marry one of them, but if you have come from a fairly good home, even if you are not rich, you will know that it will not be convenient for you to bring a white woman home under the circumstances of your society. We found that many of those marriages didn't quite work. An average white woman would look very beautiful in her teens, but once they clock 35, they age more rapidly. An African woman will keep looking beautiful even in her 60s. I didnt go straight from Umuahia to England, I worked for some time. Even before I left for England, I had friends who were white and I went to their homes. I interacted a lot with them when I went to England. But before I went to England, I had got engaged to a Nigerian. She was my first love and nothing could distract me from marrying her. I was a member of Students Christian Movements and I had my morals. The question of marrying a white woman did not arise. It was not as if I wasn 't tempted but I learnt self-discipline in Umuahia.
Tell us how you met your first love
You must remember that I am 73 and memory fades. Everything cannot be as exact as it might have been then. The girl I was engaged to was my godfather 's daughter. We grew up together, eight years younger, innocent and beautiful. We had same characters and we were naturally attracted to each other. But we parted ways. I was in England and she was in Nigeria. As at the time I came back to Nigeria teaching at UNN, she entered University of Ibadan. There was a war and she came back to Nsukka. For about nine years, we weren't together. By the times we came together, things had changed. Many waters had passed under the bridge on both sides.
So, you eventually married someone else 
Yes.
As a traditional ruler, it is allowed for you to take more than one wife? 
It is not allowed, it is said to be allowed. If you are not a Christian, you can take more than one wife. I am a traditional ruler that can 't afford one wife not to talk of another one. I have enough headaches trying to maintain one wife and three children. I dont have girlfriends.
There is this belief that for you to be a king, you must appease the gods. Did you get to do that? What are gods? When an African Religion practitioner erects a shrine in the name of his forefathers and puts a stature there and he comes to offer libation and make sacrifices there. Is it that he is just using it as a symbol to reach the main God? I believe that is his intention. Since he cannot see God, he has a visible, tangible token which represents, for him, the unseen God. He is not worshiping the idol, he is worshiping God, but using idol as a symbol. To come to your question, I didn't have to go through any ritual other than the Christianity I know. When I was coronated, there was a bishop there. There was an archdeacon. People from different churches were there. But there was the head of the Ozo. I took Ozo title. If there is anything against Christianity in the Ozo title, remove it and take the title. If there is anything wrong in masquerade, remove it and continue with the festival. It is a sport and a culture of the people. No traditional ruler in my town has to go through any pagan rite to be made an Igwe or Oba. But some so called sanctimonious Christains think that you have sinned if you take an Ozo title.
As an Igwe, does your elder brother, former vice president, Alex Ekwueme, prostrate to you?
My niece got married recently and somebody asked me if my brother would stand up when I arrived. I explained this way. He would have been the Igwe but he felt, and I agree with him, that he would be more useful to the town not being the Igwe. There was no need for him to be tied down. Moreover, as at the time my uncle died, he was still in politics vying for the presidency of Nigeria. Because he couldnt be the Igwe, the town decided that they would accept whoever he nominated. It fell on me. I wasn 't prepared for it, but if I didn't accept it, the throne would have left my family. But the constitution has been amended now. The Igweship would be rotated from now on. You see, in Oko, Anambra State, everybody stands up when the Igwe comes, but when the Ide comes (and he is my brother), everybody, including the Igwe, stands up for him.
What do you miss as a teacher? 
I have many things in my head I need to put down on paper, but I dont have time for it because I am called upon every time. After 38 years of teaching, my pension is only about N8,000 a month. It doesnt last one week. Our governor does not pay traditional rulers much. We are paid 75, 000 a month. I have to find a means of surviving. As to what I miss, I miss much, yet nothing. We dont have quality students any longer. We have many illiterate graduates and it upsets me.

I'm reading: Pictorial Glance at Professsor Laz Ekwueme, A man of many part

Who is who at the 2012 Nollywood Movie Award

The year 2012 Nollywood Movie Awards was held on Saturday June 2nd at the Civic Centre, Lagos. Here are who is who at the event.

I'm reading: Who is who at the 2012 Nollywood Movie Award

Pictorial Glance at Ronke Odusanya - A well trained Actress

You appear to be very fashionable. What defines your style?

When it comes to being fashionable, I would say I took after my mum in that regard. She's a very fashionable woman coupled with the fact that my brother is a designer. He studied fine art in Yaba Tech; he makes all my native attires for me. He just calls me, and says “sister mi there is a new design in town”, and I give him money to make them for me. He is the reason I have a whole lot of native attires in my wardrobe. I wear more of English casuals these days though because people tend to think I'm much older than I am because I wear native attires a lot. 

What is it that you don't like about stardom? 

The one thing I really do not like about stardom is that it makes you pretend to be what you are not. Sometimes, you want to be yourself, you want to go out with a male friend but the fact that the person is a male, people tend to think there has to be something between both of you. Whereas a regular babe on the street is free to have as many male friends as she likes without anyone raising an eyebrow. So basically this makes me kind of laid back. I'm the type of person that likes to be myself. I'm a very natural person. Like today, i went to the saloon without any makeup, with very flat slippers and casuals because that was the way I felt like looking. When I was done making my hair, I got up to leave and the girl at the saloon said to me that she noticed I don't make up most of the time. That is me. But one thing about stardom is that sometimes you have to pretend, you have to make people see you in a certain kind of way that you're just not. Sometimes when I want to go to the market, I might just want to tie a scarf, wear shorts and a T-shirt but if I'm being spotted that way, people will start to insinuate what is not. Naturally any other person can look like that, but because you're a star, you must pretend to always look good. 

How did you come about the name 'Flakky Idi Dowo'? 

It was a movie in 2006 or 2007, I can't remember; it was a movie by Fathia Balogun. She's a sister to me in the industry. She was the one that called me up for the job I played the role of Folake. I got the name 'Flakky Idi Dowo' because the character I played in the movie sleeps around with men. The movie was a blockbuster, it was a hit and people started calling me 'Flakky Idi Dowo'. And professionally I really don't mind because people can understand why I go by that name. 

You are an actress and your brother is a designer. How many more creative people do you have in your family? 

There are just two of us from our parents, my brother and I. 

Do you sometimes miss not having a sister? 

Yes o! I really do miss not having a sister honestly but I have a Personal Assistant who is like a sister to me. She's a good girl. 

How do you relax? 

I watch movies a lot and then I sleep when I have the time. I also love playing games. 

How did acting all start for you? 

I've always liked theatre arts from day one. A lot of people say from birth, but really acting for me started from my secondary school days. I used to be involved in school drama and cultural dance; my principal noticed I was very active in that area and encouraged me. I was made the leader of these groups. Eventually after I left secondary school, I told my father I wanted to study Theatre Arts but he refused and said no way. My uncle and my aunt then said, Asewo lo se film ooo, that my dad should not allow me study Theatre Art. But my father knowing that I liked the course said that I should choose something very close to it and then I chose Mass Communication. While in school, in 2000, I saw Oga Bello with a friend of mine known as Mistura Aturamu; we walked up to him and we started working with his theatre group. We started training in his school, then it was called Awada kerikeri organisation. It was formed by Oga Bello, Iya Awero and Sunday Omobolanle (Aluwe). So finally when I graduated from school, I shot one of two movies. My first movie with my boss, Oga Bello was Baba Ologba. I was the daughter of a gardener. I played the lead role with Femi Adabayo. I later shot another movie produced by Ronke Ojo (Oshodi Oke). She's a sister to me too in the industry; she's a very wonderful woman. The title of the movie was Morolayo or something like that. I played the lead too with Muyiwa Ademola. It was a bit of challenge for me then because I hadn't worked with people like that before. I was a bit nervous but then but it was cool afterall. 

After a long time playing different roles, has it in anyway changed your person? 

I was a very shy person, but this theatre thing can turn one to an Agbero because sometimes you really have to talk If you do not some people will take you for granted, so in the process of expressing yourself , you tend to offend some people. There is this notion that some Yoruba actresses don't see themselves as Nollywood actresses. 

Do you see yourself as Nollywood actress? 

Of course I am, anywhere and everywhere and I'm proud to be a Nollywood actress. Everywhere I go people reckon with me so I really I'm proud of myself and I thank God for that. 

Why does a budding actor need to go through a theatre group? 

I said to you that I'm proud of myself, truly I'm very proud of myself because I went through rigorous training. I came into this industry the proper way; I didn't go through the back door. For people that went through the proper way, I'm sure they will always be proud of themselves. And for people that went through the back door, who feel if they date so, so and so person, then they will become a star, I say good luck to them. I wish them well but I'm sure anyone that watches their movie and ours will always spot the difference. 

What was growing up like for you being the only girl and first child? 

My sister everybody has a story to tell…Mine is…Am I sure I want to tell this story? Well, it was rosy at the beginning. My parents were together. It was a nice family but somewhere along the line they had their issues, they had to separate. I was in boarding school then with my brother when my parents separated. Sometimes coming home was not what I looked forward to because I knew I would have to spend a week here and a week there, it was terrible. Then later my father got married to one woman, and my father insisted that we had to live with him… It was hell. Imagine in my own father's house, somebody will measure Garri in a cup of tin milk and put in a bow for me and my brother to drink. My brother and I would then have to leave the Garri to swell and still we will have to struggle with it. It was really tough. She was like devil. She was really a devil. She later left and my father got married to someone else again but it was the same thing. Later I left the house and took my brother. My father was a good man; I won't take it away from him. He sent me through school, he sent my brother through school. Even in the midst of nothing, he fought for us to be educated. I won't take it away from him. My father is the best in the world even though things happened between us but he's still the best daddy. If I have a second chance to live again, I will still want him to be my dad. But later on he was retired, he couldn't pay my school fees anymore, I had to start doing odd jobs. Two or three years ago, I was on iyabo ojo's set Eromi and the house used as the set in Ikorodu is a building I know too well because I was one of those who worked on the site when it was being constructed. Mo ru Konkere, Mo ru block. Ajo ko ile ti mo ti lo shoot ninu e ni (we built that house with them, that we went to shoot in). And the day I got into that house, I was just crying because I remembered that particular day that I carried that pan, my neck got snitched and I just put it down. I broke two blocks and they didn't pay me, I was crying. My brother had to eat. It was really terrible. My mum by then had already lost her job because my father told her to retire because he was still working then. My mum didn't have anything to fall back on. She was poor. She had drained her bank account so we went back to zero. So it was like fending for brother and my mum. It was tough... 

The story of your life is great one, are you not thinking of doing a movie of it? 

I don't want to because I don't want to remind myself of it again. It's my past and I want to try and put it behind me. When I got into that house, I was shocked. I ran back outside and I looked around. I called my brother and asked him if he remembered the house that we built with the owners, with a friend of mine Ope. It was my friend that introduced me to the job. My friend had three brothers and their mum was a teacher so they were doing that job to help her. She was a music teacher and a choir mistress at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Headquarters. She was one of their choristers. She introduced me to the church. I was a born again then too. I was one of the choristers; the first set of choristers when they first built RCCG camp. We used to stay with my friends mum in her house. She will cook beans for us and from there we would go and do that job with her children. At that time I went back there, two, three years ago, the woman was dead. I cried because I remembered then that she was like a mother to us. 

Looking back from where you are coming from how do you feel? 

Ha! I owe God a whole lot. I owe Him my life. If He wants my life right now, all I will just say to Him is to accept my soul because I feel that I'm fulfilled. My brother is okay, my mum is fine. I'm always marveled when people say, that girl, when did she become an actress now she's riding a jeep. I look at them and smile. That's coupled with the fact that, it's not been easy because in my industry, you need to have a background if you don't want to date a director, a marketer or producer. It is not to say that those people who are dating them are not good people. I'm not saying I cannot do it, if I have a reason to I will but so far I haven't. It has just been God. So I owe God my life and I owe my mother…I don't know. My mum is wonderful. She is born again and she says she doesn't have a reason not to be. My mum used to be an outgoing person, you know I said she's very fashionable but now she's all for God. 

Do you still work for God in church? 

My sister, I work for God but in another way. I'm no more a chorister. I do things in the house of God; I think that is what I can do now because of the nature of my job. But I still go to church and I still know Him as my God and He will always be my God. 

Talking about friendship, you've said wonderful thing about your friend. What is the worst thing a friend has done to you? 

Friends have pierced my heart with a sword countless times but there was this particular one that was very nasty but I always don't like to talk about it because I've promised God that I've left her for him. So I don't want to talk about it. 

Basically who are your friends in the industry? 

Everybody is my friend in the industry but I'm closer to my contemporaries. We have elderly friends too but my contemporaries are my friends. 

What is your take on sexual harassment, speaking about the Yoruba Nollywood industry? 

My sister it is not by force o! I don't believe anyone intimidates anyone. We've all got free will. It is what they want to do… If you know what you have and you trust in God you will get to whatever height you want to get to, it might just be slow but it will be steady. So no one is forcing anyone to sleep with them those who do it, do it out of their free will because they want to become a star in five minutes so I would not blame those who will seize that opportunity to sleep with them. I would not blame anyone. Life is about choices. If you have the inherent talent and trust in God, you will move mountains. I'm not afraid of anyone. No one made me, God made me. Though, through the help of my boss Oga Bello (Adebayo Salami) and a few other friends, God made me. Funke Akindele too is a very wonderful friend. I won't take it away from her. Ronke Oshodi Oke, Fatia Balogun, Dayo Amusa, Adebayo Tijani, Afise Eniola, Femi Adebayo, Kola Odunlade, Abeokuta causus. I have a lot of friends in the industry. Iyabo Ojo is wonderful. I have a lot of them. They're wonderful people because I do not produce but they still take it upon themselves to owe me a role in their movies. That's why I always say thank you to them. 

Have you ever tried your hands on movie production? 

Yes, I produced a movie in 2003 but it was not a pleasant experience. Then, it was the first N2millionaire I had, I ever saved, out my struggle, and then the money went just like that. But I would not say it's a waste because it helped me to learn more but I've not just found a reason to produce movies now because my hands are full. I have jobs to do and I'm happy about that, but that is not to say that I would never produce but right now I'm not cut out for it. 

What is it like being an independent woman? 

I think it is beginning to be a problem because anytime I'm in a relationship, the guy in question most a times gives me an attitude. I'm always the first to take a walk because I tend to tell myself there is really nothing I will miss. It's been a bit of a challenge for me. I'm used to being all by myself. Till date, I hate people barging into my privacy. That is not to say that I'm not a loving person. But the mentality I've always had behind my head since my struggling days is that, I believe that if anyone wants to date me, he wants to take advantage of me. Even when I'm starting a relationship, I'm always very conscious. 

Are you seeing someone at the moment and when do you intend to seal it? 

I'm into a serious relationship I just hope it works out. That's all I can say. 

So far, have you won any awards? 

Yes, I got one in 2008. I won the supporting actress category at the City People Awards. But really I don't believe in awards because I feel they those who organise these awards do not pick people on merit a lot of the time but recently I've been nominated for BON Awards.

I'm reading: Pictorial Glance at Ronke Odusanya - A well trained Actress

Nollywood Weddings Pictures

: Funke Akindele, Stephanie Okereke, Sola Kosoko, Mercy Johnson, Chinedu Ikedieze, Dakore Egbuson, Ini Edo, Chidi Mokeme, Mike Ezuunonye and Pince Eke

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Pictorial Glance at Bob Emmanuel Udokwu

Background 

My name is Bob-Manuel Obidimma Udokwu. I hail from Ogidi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State. My father, Geoffrey Nwafor Udokwu, worked in the Ministry of Works in the Old Eastern Nigeria. My mother is Ezelagbo. I am the fourth and the second son in a family of six - three males and three females. I was born on a Thursday April 18 sometime in the 1960s. All I know is that I am as old as I look. I had my primary education at St. Peters Primary School (now Hillside Primary School) in the Coal Camp, Enugu. I had my secondary education at Oraukwu Grammar School, Oraukwu, from where I proceeded to University of Port Harcort where I obtained a Certificate and Bachelors of Arts Degree in Theatre Arts. I equally bagged a Master's degree in Political Science with specialisation in International Relations from the University of Lagos. I am married to Cassandra and we have two children. I named my son after the great Marcus Garvey. 

Why Bob-Manuel 

I was given a name before I was born. My mother told me that when she was pregnant, a prophet told her that the unborn baby was a boy and his name would be Emmanuel and that he would be recognised. But very early in my life, because of the qualities I displayed, some of my peers started calling me Bob Marley. Marley was still alive then. But I knew I had some qualities in me which I should not allow the personality of Bob Marley to submerge. I told my friends that for the fact that I am Emmanuel, they should call me Bob- Manuel. 

My beginning 

After leaving secondary school, I watched a play on NTA, Enugu. After watching the play I said I could do better than what they did. I copied the name of the producer; Rose Ofieli (now Mrs. Rose Nwanna). I went to NTA to tell her that I liked what I saw and that I would like to be part of it. She later gave me a script to read, I did and I never knew it was an audition. Her colleagues were in attendance, but I was very bold. After reading, she invited me to her recording the following day. She told me what I should bring as my costumes. The following day, I was at the location and she gave me a role to play. Subsequently, she started giving me more roles. 

Challenging roles 

I act on stage, radio, and television. I must say that every role I have played was quite challenging. I do not only act, I also direct and produce. And doing these three together is quite challenging, yet I combine them. For instance, I produced, directed and played the lead role in Wedding Bells. I did the same in Matters of Hearts and Master Strokes. But Woza Albert was quite challenging. 

Joining Checkmate 

I attended the audition of Checkmate as national president of the Nigerian Universities Theatre Arts Association (NUTASA). I met Amaka Igwe (then Amaka Isaac Ene), Bolaji Dawodu with Tami. When I was auditioned, Amaka started calling me Richie. But Dawodu kept on reminding her that they have not made up their mind on who would play the role. After that I went back to Port Harcourt. They later invited me to the shooting of the pilot in Enugu and Udi. Later they sent me a letter that I should come to Lagos for another audition. The crowd at the audition was quite intimidating. But time proved me right that what I had in me was more genuine than what I was seeing in the Lagos boys. After the audition, I was given the role, Richard Haatrope. 

Interpreting Richard Haatrope 

Irrespective of the challenges of staying in Port Harcourt then, I knew I had to give the role my best because it was a rare opportunity. I was in my final year then. Richard is a character from a very rich family in Rivers State, but he is a student in America. He comes home during the holidays. Then I had never travelled out of Nigeria but I have to play a role of somebody living in the USA. So a lot of experiences I have acquired over the years helped me to build the character in addition to what the script dictated. So it is all about talent. 

Ola Rotimi 

My relationship with the late Professor Ola Rotimi was like that of father and son. The bond between us was such that we ate from the same plate or I could go to the pot to dish food. I could visit his house any time. He loved jokes. 

List of productions 

I was a presenter on radio. On stage, I played the lead roles in virtually all Rotimi’s plays - Gods Are Not To Blame, Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again, Hopes of the Living Dead;then, Rasheed Gbadamosi’s Behold My Redeemer, Wole Soyinka’s Death and King’s Horseman, Lion and the Jewel. Also, a South African play, Woza Albert on apartheid. It is a two-man play, but by the time the play ends, each of the actors must have played 50 roles. I have also done several dance performances. Then in film, as a result of the success of Checkmate, and my outstanding performance, Kenneth Nnebue of Nek Video Links wrote me when they were about to shoot Living in Bondage, inviting me to be part of it. I am grateful to God that I was part of that history that has turned Nigerian filmmaking into a world class phenomenon called Nollywood. From then on, there has been no looking back as more came - Circle of Doom, Evil Genius, Beyond the Vow, When the Sun Set, Piccadilly, and so many others. 

Comedy 

I have deliberately chosen not to do comedy, because it makes the character unserious. One thing I try to avoid is to look unserious before anybody. Everything I do in life, I do it with seriousness. So the seriousness I give to the roles I play is the seriousness I attach to life. Life is just about laughing to forget your problems. But after laughing, you must tackle them. I am not saying that comedy is not good but with the kind of things I want to do and be, I need seriousness. Theatre is a serious business. According to Ola Rotimi, it is in the theatre that operation, the most important thing in medical profession, takes place. Production is also the most important thing in theatre arts. 

Fans reaction 

I do not realise how popular I am until I walk down the street. People scream on seeing me. I would wonder why they do that. But I do not let it get into me, because by the virtue of the training Ola Rotimi gave me, I learnt humility. When Evil Genius came out, some people who watched saw me took photographs with me, but told me they love me as a good actor, but they would not want me to play that kind of role again. When I asked them why, they said if not that they knew me in other roles, they would have felt that I was just a devil’s incarnate. I must say that when I see my fans react, I thank God for making me what I am, even as I beg Him to give me more opportunity to do more. 

Actor-diplomat 

Shortly before Christmas in 2003 when I visited US, I landed at JFK international airport, and as I was moving, there was a crowd, people from all walks of life surrounded me. I took photographs, signed autographs for them. One old man told me that whenever a white actor passes by, that is the way they welcome him, so what they have done was to show that they have popular actors in Africa too and I am one. They arranged for a Limousine to drive me out. So I became an ambassador for my country, Nigeria.

MORE INTERVIEWS

Q: How does your typical day look like?
A: My typical day is always very busy from morning till evening. I wake up by 6 a.m. everyday, say my prayers and other things follow like normal chores, brush my teeth, shave my beards, take my bath, iron clothes and all other things.
Q: When do you normally set out for the day?
A: It depends, something can come up and I will need to set out early, but on a normal day, let's say around 8 a.m. or 9 a.m., I'm out of the house.
Q: Any form of exercise?
A: Yes, I do a little exercise everyday.
Q: What's your favourite food?
A: I don't have any favourite meal because I'm not particular about food, but I love well cooked and delicious food, while the best drink which I love so much is water. I also love wine, but I can't say a particular one because I have not been paid for advertisement.
Q: Which movies are the best you ever watched?
A: Yes, movies I appear in. Let others pay me for advertisement because I watch a lot, but I wouldn't be specific.
Q: Favourite music?
A: I play reggae music, that's my very best music, especially the ones played by Bob Marley, because they are always about situations around. As an African, I have discovered that we still have problem of bad leadership. Although most African countries are more than 20 years old, we still have problems that ought to have been solved long ago. So, I play reggae to remind me that we have a lot to do in Africa. Q: Are you married?
A: Yes, and I have two kids.
Q: So, what time do you have to play with your family?
A: When I'm not working, either within or outside Lagos, I stay at home to play with my family. I play with my kids a lot, we joke about so many things, play about abnormal things that you think father and children shouldn't involve in. It's a father-friend relationship and although we draw lines, we cross borders at times. I also join my kids to watch movies, tell them stories, while they ask questions and I never stopped them from asking questions because I'm a family oriented person.
Q: How do you spend your weekends?
A: I spend my weekends with my family if I'm not working because most times, it's my work that determines whether I'm around or not. I enjoy staying with my family, we go out together to visit family friends, spend quality time together.
Q: When do you retire to bed?
A: Really, it depends on what's going on. When I'm at home, children go to bed first, while I may be catching fun with my wife. Let me just say that I go to bed after the last news on television, but not the last around 3 a.m. The last news I watch may be that aired between 8 and 9 p.m., at most 10 p.m., to know what is going on in my country and to keep me informed always

I'm reading: Pictorial Glance at Bob Emmanuel Udokwu

Finding Goodluck - Pictorial Glance at the Premiere of a new Movie by Shan George

On May 25, Terra Culture welcome an array of top Nollywood stars as they all came out to support one of theirs. The event was the movie premiere of Shan George's latest movie, Finding Goodluck. Here are some pictures from the movie premiere, which was highly attended.

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Lola Margaret - The Yoruba Actress that wont marry a Politician

My name 

My surname is Oladipupo but people now know me as Lola Margaret. Lola is my first name, while Margaret is my second name. I don’t want to be using my surname. 

How I got involved in Yoruba movies 

I didn’t know anybody in the English movie industry and I didn’t know how to get involved in the industry. But I went to a friend’s house and I met Mr. Latin. That was eight years ago. He introduced me to acting. I was actually in school then. I studied International Relations at the Lagos State University. But I chose acting as my career instead of practising what I studied in school. I had seen Mr. Latin on TV. So, when I met him in person, I was excited. I just told him that I wished to be an actress. He asked me if I could come to Abeokuta where he was on location and I accepted. In fact, a lot of people still think that I live in Abeokuta because most of the movies I do are shot there. Since then, I have never thought of acting in an English language film. 

My career 

So far, I am not satisfied with the height I have attained in the movie industry. I am aiming very high. I am popular now, but I believe that I can still get to the top. I admire the likes of Bukky Wright and Joke Silva. They are on top of their careers. The movie titled, Bisola Alan, actually brought me to the limelight. I played the lead character in the movie and ever since, I have been getting more lead roles. I can’t say if my colleagues use charms or sleep with producers to get lead roles. I know myself and I know I don’t do such things. I cannot speak for my colleagues because I don’t know much about their personal lives. They have their lives to live. No matter what people say about actresses, I am happy being one and I have never felt like quitting my job. Now, I produce my own movies. In fact, I have a new one that will hit the cinemas soon. It is titled Omo Oloro and will be premiered in the United Kingdom in February. The likes of Fathia Balogun and Mercy Aigbe appeared in the movie. But apart from entertainment, I sell rice, wines and groundnut oil. 

Life as an orphan 

My parents died 13 years ago, long before I thought of joining the movie industry. I am as free as a bird. There was nobody to consult before I went into the movie industry. Coping without my parents wasn’t too tough. God was on my side and He has helped all the while. I lived with an aunt of mine for awhile and she took care of me. But I still miss my mother very much. I miss her love and care. Life growing up wasn’t that difficult anyway. I will not say so. My aunt tried her best for me. I was able to cope with the challenges that came my way. I had so much faith in God and I knew I was going to be successful. I knew life was going to be rosy in future no matter how bad it was. Now I travel abroad a lot. I am not a lazy person. Apart from the grace of God, I have been able to get this far through hard work. 

About cliques in the movie industry 

I have heard that there are cliques in the industry, but I don’t belong to any. I don’t associate with people that much. I choose my friends. In fact, I just have very few friends in the industry. Most of my friends are outside of the industry. I see those in the industry as my colleagues and not friends. 

My love life 

Who said I am dating a politician? No way! Me get married to a politician? It is certainly not true. It is a big lie. People will always say something about you, whether true or false. The scandals are the price I have to pay for being in the public eye. I don’t feel bothered when such negative stories are written about me. I have a boyfriend. He is the man in my life. I mustn’t tell you his name. He is okay with my profession. I am not dating an actor. My fiancée understands me and he understands my job. I love him and we intend to get married. He is a loving and caring guy. He is God-fearing. I love him so much and that was why I chose him.  

Vision 

Man proposes and God disposes. I leave everything to God. If He says I should be bigger than this, then that is how it will be. 

Coping with fans 

Coping with my fans and stardom have been easy. None of my fans has embarrassed me in public. Oh yes, they shout and shout when they see me in a public place. But that is all. They don’t try to embarrass me at all. My fans should expect more from Lola Margaret. I have not even started. Because I love them, I will give them the best.

I'm reading: Lola Margaret - The Yoruba Actress that wont marry a Politician

Two Face of Annie Macaulay in Pictures

Annie Macaulay is a native of Ifiki local government area of Akwa-Ibom state and she is the only girl of a family of four. She Studied Computer Science at the Lagos State University,LASU and also a graduate in Theatre Arts at the University. Annie Macaulay started acting professionally in 2008 and must had been casted in well over 30 movies. Annie Macaulay recently wedded her long time Boyfriend and top Nigerian Artiste Tuface Idibia, the couple are blessed with a daughter. 

You can follow Annie on twitter in this link. https://twitter.com/#!/anniemacaulay1

Give us a Brief introduction on who Annie Macaulay is?

Am a very simply person, an Actress, a business woman, a mother and a wife!.

What made you want to become an actress??Childhood dream or career choice?.

Childhood dream. I also studied it in school. It’s something I really love and am happy that God has put me in a place where I can actually live that dream.

How challenging has it been for you to stay in the movie industry?

It has not been easy, but God's grace and favour is awesome.

Aside from acting do you have any other business you are into?

Yup! I do.

Your life is in the public eye, what negative and positive effects has it had on you?

Negative: people are always in your business. Say what they like, true or false...mostly false..

Positive: I get a lot of favours, a lot of doors are easily opened. It is my life am gonna live it to the fullest either way.

Let’s get a little bit personal. How did u feel when your hubby proposed? Did u know or have this feeling that something was up?

Awesome!!! U would feel the same if the man of your dreams gets on his knees and ask you to marry him...*smiles*.

After the proposal who was the first person you called?

My Mum.

Where did you guys get married? Was it a Traditional or white wedding or both?

We are legally married. The traditional and white would follow later. My husband and I are planning that. We will let you know.

You are a wife and a mother, how does that feel?.

It’s a great feeling. I feel totally blessed!--my kid is an awesome child. She brings me a lot of good luck. I have a great career which I love. A good man and we are happy.

The crap people were saying on Twitter after you got engaged to 2face Idibia, how did you handle it cos I didn’t see you lash out at anyone?

Why would I lash out? Lol. Everyone has their own opinion about our relationship. That's their problem. The truth is it doesn’t BOTHER me again..cos we are very happy...we are not perfect but we have a happy home.

How approachable are you?? Do u choose who you talk and relate with?

It depends...nowadayz I rather keep to myself tho. I don't mean am being a sob..am cool if you are cool. I don't have any problems with anyone. Life is too short and I wanna live mine to the fullest!

From meeting you I will say you are a calm and reserved person. Do you think people judge you otherwise?

Yea..sometimes. They miss misunderstand me. But then I can't please everyone. I will only do what I believe is right and try not to get in anyone's way.

A few words to your haters and lovers out there?

Would love to say: Free your heart and Life from HATE. Live a positive life...and your dreams will fall into place.

Interview by LOLA AJAYI (blogger)

Read more about Annie in the following interview culled from www.nigeriafilms.com Excerpts:-

Question:.You are one of Tuface’s baby mamas; do you think you are lucky to be part of the lucky ladies who bore children for the hip hop star?

Annie:.I cannot categorically say if I am or not lucky to have had a baby for Tuface Idibia. All I know is that I am happy that I am lucky to have a beautiful baby in this world and she is Isabella. She turned two last December and I tell you it was a wonderful time. Her dad was also around to make the day a loving one; not all dads most especially for a guy like Tuface find time for this but he was still here for the party and with his daughter. All I can say is that I have a baby for one of the best daddies in the world.

  Question: .So you are saying the relationship between you and Tuface is perfectly okay just for the sake of your daughter and nothing more.

Annie:.He is a wonderful and loving dad to his kids and mine is not an exception. We have a fantastic relationship; we are happy parents.

  Question: .Is it true that you are the favourite of the many women in Tuface’s life and that you guys actually contacted a secret wedding last year?

Annie:.Where did you hear that (laughs in between). I don’t know ooo. I am not married to Tuface or any other man, I am a single hardworking mother and my only joy is that I am proud to have my baby; Isabella is my world.

  Question: .If you are not why is there no love lost among the three of you I mean yourself, Pero Adeniyi and Sumbo Ajaba?

Annie:.I don’t have any problem with any of Tuface’s women; we are all cool with one another. I am cool with all of them and I love my baby’s brothers and sister. It is all love.

  Question: .But this is not what is been speculated out there. What about the confrontation you had with Pero Adeniyi sometime last year at the after party of the Tuface’s live in concert and another confrontation that happened at Airport hotel?

Annie:.All these accusations are the past and happened a long time ago; I don’t want to say anything about it again. And please don’t ask me anything concerning this again; let’s moves to another question.

  Question: .Why; do you have something to hide? You need to clear your name.

Annie:.I don’t have anything to hide; I am innocent. OK I said i don’t want us to talk about this.

  Question: .Okay then tell the world who the real Annie Macaulay is and what is it that the public do not know about you?

Annie:.Well as you know my name is Annie Macaulay, am from Akwa-Ibom state from Ifiki local government. The only girl of a family of four studied Computer Science at the Lagos State University LASU. I did Theatre Arts at UNILAG. I have a fantastic beautiful lady Isabella and a full time Actress. It is what I have always wanted to do and i am working on several other projects coming out soon.

  Question: .Talking about your acting career; when did you actually debut in Nollywood professionally and how rewarding has it been financially? How rich are you.

Annie:.I have always acted all my life; while in school I have done a couple of productions but now that i am done with my studies I will say professionally it is 2008. 2010 is one of my best years and I know it will only get better by the day. In the money aspect now, o boy it hasn’t really paid off oo but I thank God that I am comfortable.

  Question: .So how soon is marriage coming in, as you can see that seem to be the new trend in the entertainment industry now looking at the number of celebrities that have wedded of late?

Annie:.For now I don’t think am ready for marriage. I want to focus on my career and build the brand Annie Macaulay so that I can make more money. Right now what I am concerned about is my baby and my career. There is no man in my life right now; he would come when God says he will. It’s never too late. I don’t have to follow the trend.

  Question: .Have you ever been sexually harassed?

Annie:.A capital No is the answer. Never been and doubt if I will ever be because I don’t walk in that direction. I know what I want and believe in myself. One other thing that must be considered is the way you present yourself. If you dress provocatively and expect not to be sexually harassed then you are wrong. The way you dress has a lot to do about this. Moreover it has become a menace to our society. It is everywhere in the banking, telecoms, insurance, entertainment and what have you.

  Question: .And what is this story about Lesbianism cabals in Nollywood; are you aware of this?

Annie:.I don’t know anything about that; wouldn’t know if such a thing exist because I have never experience it and don’t if I ever will. I am straight and have never believed in such things.
 

Question:.Do you see yourself as an A-list actress?

Annie:.I don’t know what you mean by an A-list actress or what have you. All I can say is that I am an actress and I do my work as professionally as possible. So far my producers or directors have never been disappointed.

  Question: .What about mentors in the industry?

Annie:.Well I respect the elders in the industry. I am not too much of a mentor person but no doubt there are legends in the industry I hold in high esteem. I wouldn’t want to mention names.

  Question: .You look very pretty even after a kid; can you tell us your beauty routine?

Annie:.Well I will say that I do a lot of exercise and workout at the gym. I watch what I eat; I do a lot of fruits as you may know it helps nourishes the body. Apart from all these I don’t any other special thing I do to keep fit. I eat well, exercise and don’t want to be on the fat side. That is why you see that I have lost so much weight. I am very happy about the way I look now and am so glad that you like it.

  Question: .Your baby Isabella is still very young and considering the fact that you are a single mother; how do you combine having to raise a baby and the rigours of acting which requires travelling all the time?

Annie:.Remember that she is over two year old now. It was not easy at first because I had to take her everywhere I go but right now she is of age now and has started school. The Nanny is always there for her while I don’t abuse her motherly privileges too. I am always with her no matter what and my Mother is still very much around and available to take care of her too. She couldn’t have been in better hands. So i have time for my career and can spend weeks, months in location if I have to just the job to be done. If you look you will see that i have lose a lot of weight, it’s all because of having to be there for my baby and at the same time do my job as an actress. God have been my pillar and strength.

  Question: .Give us an insight into some of the movies that you have featured in and some that you are presently working on?

Annie:.I have done some that I can’t start counting now. And I tell you in the next couple of weeks you will be seeing more of me on the screen now ever than before. Just watch out for Annie Macaulay.

  Question: .I saw this advert on TV about a show which you are planning; what is it all about?

Annie:.It is just the other artistic side of Annie that my fans will be seeing. It will be coming out soon. Just like you have seen it is called Unwind with Annie Macaulay and the advert is everywhere. We are already shooting and in just a matter of weeks you will start seeing it run on TV station across the country. That is all can say for now.

  Question: .What is this misconception that people have about you and when you hear all these stories about you that are not true, how do you react?

Annie:.People think that I am a snub; it is what i have been trying to be with over the years. All I will say is that they should get to know me and am sure they will have a change of heart. It is never good to judge a book by its cover. I am easy going person, they will see. And about bad stories, before I used to be very down when I read this and that not true about me but now I have developed a thick skin to it. They don’t move me as I have realized that it is one of the prices you have to pay for being in the limelight.

  Question: .What does it take to make a head way in this industry; it is not as easy as it seem I suppose?

Annie:.I would say if you have got the talent, believe in yourself and go for your goal. You will get there.

I'm reading: Two Face of Annie Macaulay in Pictures

Photoblogging again!!!

This blog had indeed gone AWOL, I am so sorry I had not updated for up to 2 and half years now.  That was too bad on my part.  All of a sudden, I lost interest, but I am back to update regularly now.  I am spurned more with the patronage from my dear readers of this blog. From now on, I promise I will update regularly.

A lot had been going on on Nollywood industry, and this time around, we will try to catch up with the new stars, their way of life and lots and lots of their pics.

Once, again, Sorry for not updating and I thank you all for your visits to the blog despite it not being updated regularly.

Welcome once more to Nollywood Photoblog. Suggestions are welcome.

I'm reading: Photoblogging again!!!