Am an only daughter amongst six{6} children and the fourth born.

i hail from Anambra State of Nigeria

Am a born again christian and of course you all know my profession..the actress

I Love Ya’ll

Gob Bless You

Where I grew up
CAMEROON
Places I’ve lived
ENUGU,ASABA
Companies I’ve worked for
OJ,ANNEX,AMACO,PRESSING FORWARD,O’GABBY,P.COLLINS…
Schools I’ve attended
C.C.A.S KUMBA,UB,I.M.T
Other names
Nkem

FILMOGRAPHY

PRINCESS RIHANNA

RIHANNA RETURNS

IMPLICATION

ABOVE IMPLICATION

WIDOWS TEARS

END OF WIDOWS TEARS

24TH JULY

There was a lull in the movie industry but things are picking up now. What would you attribute this to?

I think there were some issues that needed to be resolved with the Census Board, but all that has been resolved. Now, the marketers are back to making movies in Asaba, where they have moved all productions to.

Why Asaba?

It is the proximity and the fact that it is cheaper to shoot movies there than in Enugu. Enugu has been overused in terms of location and the people in Enugu were becoming aggressive over locations. The cult boys there were also always attacking us. The people in Asaba are much more receptive and then the hotels are considerate to us. They give us half the normal room rates, different from what they ask others to pay. The town is calm, no traffic, there is security and we get lots of encouragements from the state government.

Encouragement in what sense?

This is as it concerns locations. We don’t have problems with locations, you can enter anywhere. If we need government facilities and the like, they give it to us willingly. The financiers who are Onitsha marketers find it closer, shuttling between Onitsha and Asaba. Right now all the A-list actors are in Asaba shooting movies there. This is not to say there are no disadvantages for shifting base. You find the producers sharing artistes and compelling the artistes to be shuttling between two or more locations, which may end up affecting the overall output of artistes. This is to the detriment of all concerned, that is the bone of contention now.

Don’t you think it is the artiste that is to be blamed for this?

The producers will contract the artiste for a job and tell such a person when they intend to start shooting so it doesn’t clash with the artiste’s lined up programmes. When it is now time to start shooting, the producers are almost never ready, their logistics won’t be in place, making the artiste to start to make impromptu plans that will end up clashing with other scheduled programmes. When such incidences occurs, the marketers become head strong and refuse to soft pedal for each other, all of them wanting to make use of a particular artiste at the same time. But now they are trying to address the issue.

In the music industry they have decided to fight piracy head-on by selling the original of their music CDs at a high price. Tu-Face has just released his latest effort, which will sell for N1,000. What is being done in that regard in the movie industry?

Piracy isn’t the major problem in the movie industry, distribution is the major problem. If movies are distributed well, there won’t be room for privacy. There are still lapses, the marketers are not doing enough and when they fail to properly distribute so it can get to the interiors of Sokoto, Kano or Maiduguri, piracy would thrive. Of course these traders will get hold of the movies and mass-dub it easily, which would now be sold for peanuts, which is a big laugh Also, abroad, they premiere movies and put into CDs as a last resort after the producers must have recouped their investment, but here we do buying and selling. We just act, produce and sell but lately, professionals who know how movie business should be done are coming into the industry. We also now have foreign rights, which means that before a producer releases any movie into the Nigerian market, the movie would first be released abroad, where you sell your master tape to your contacts in these foreign countries for them to release abroad, where our movies are being rushed like hot cake. After three months, the contacts will be given the go ahead to release the movie in Nigeria. This has what has kept the movie industry from collapsing like a pack of cards. But with time, we will perfect our acts.

How long have you been an actress?

Eight years. Professionally, I started in 2001 in Port Harcourt doing part time acting, as I was involved in other things. I had to move down to Lagos – the entertainment capital so to say – to start fully in 2002.

Why do you choose to become an actress?

I studied Theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt, so I am not a gate crasher.

What were you doing before becoming an actress?

Immediately after school, I was a banker. When the banking industry first collapsed, I went into the teaching profession before following my passion.

Which movie brought you to limelight?

The movie that really gave me an identity was the Stolen Bible. I played a reverend mother and many people said my role was outstanding. Then of course the television programme that I am doing, Spider, which is a series; that has really propped me up professionally.

How did you clinch the Spider role?

I went for the audition, which spanned a year because they were looking for a particular character and when I showed up, I fitted into what they wanted.

What determines the script you work with?

I am particular about tight stories and not wishy-washy stories. Even if the story isn’t tight enough, I always want to give room to the director for improvement through a script conference. But if the director isn’t ready to listen, I don’t do such jobs. I am also wary of movies where I will be the only known face. I regard such jobs as substandard jobs.

You are also a producer. What prompted that?

I tried my hands on producing a movie I titled Second Adam in 2006. I was just trying my versatility in entertainment as it concerns movies. I am currently working on a project that will be a television soap opera; it will be a series. It is in the pipeline and before the end of this year, I will hit location.

Did you acquire knowledge for producing?

I learnt it on the job. I had been a core production person even before I got to this stage in my acting career. I have been a location scout, doing crew job. I did script writing in school, I can write a screen play but for my project I don’t have time to write the screen play, I would rather develop a synopsis and give it to a professional script writer to write the screen play.

What has been guiding you in the profession?

I have always been focused, I am a patient person, I have persevered and I believe that when there is life, there is hope. As long as I have a vision and I remain steadfast, with prayers, the sky is usually my limit.

Who are your role models in the industry?

Ngozi Ezeonu is my only role model in the industry; she has always been even before I got into the movie industry. I have always looked up to her, her carriage etc. She is evergreen.

There are speculations about your marital status…

I am about to get married.

Who is the lucky guy and how did you meet him?

A wonderful young man from Edo State who lives in America; he saw me acting and fell in love with me.

Any regrets in life?

I wished I had started a family before now but I can only say that it is better late than never.

Martha who started her movie career during the days of Fun World and kiddafest in 1996 and later went on stage with the group called T.P.S has featured in series like Suncity, Games People Play, Where is your mobile, Yes Matron etc after which she had the opportunity to act in movies like Power of the gods, Shakira, Sin of the Soul, Heart of Men and then the upcoming one Kiss me if you can.

She can also be identified as a product of next movie star but has not featured in any Nigerian movie so far. Her wish is to hit the Oscar Grammy`s awards which she is working towards.Besides acting, she can be seen in many TV adverts. She also does voice over’s, with typical examples being Cargo gin bitters, yazz etc.

As to which producer she would always love to work with, she said that all the producers she has worked with are good producers. The Sin of the Soul actress

urged movie producers to be up to the task since they control what goes on in the movie industry. “I believe the Ghanaian movie industry has a bright future because there are talented people in it. The onus lies on the producers to make it work” she added.

Martha Ankomah has been garnering quite the controversy since bursting onto the movie scene.

After winning a role by movie producer supremo , Mr Lancelot Odua Imaseun, she has been labelled as a porn actress amongst many other things, following her explicit scenes in ‘Heart of Men’ and ‘Kiss Me If You Can’.

Showing a strong resilience against criticism, she states: “The only one that I listen to is God. If I say I will listen to people, I will not get to the level I want to get to.”

Although she began making waves following the discovery by Mr Imaseun, Martha’s brush with fame first came in 1996 during the days of Fun World. She went on to star in various Ghanaian television series including ‘Sun City,’ ‘Games People Play,’ and ‘Yes, Matron.’ Alongside the controversial movies already mentioned, Martha has also been featured in ‘Shakira,’ ‘Sin of the Soul,’ and ‘Power of the Gods.’

One of the few Ghanaian actresses to have made the crossover into Nollywood, she was nominated in the category of ‘Most Promising Actress’ at this year’s African Movie Academy Awards. Is she going to be a prominent face in the Ghanaian movie industry, or a face that will soon fade away?

I have interviewed many people in my time. I have had extensive conversations with the likes of Hayford Alile, Sunny Kuku, Raymond Dokpesi, Chinweizu…But I have never had the pleasure of interviewing someone as obviously unpretentious as Stella Damasus-Aboderin. The star of movies like DANGEROUS DESIRE and NEVER SAY GOODBYE, Stella has a passionate following among the lovers of Nigerian movies scattered around Africa and the African Diaspora.

That is all the introduction you’re going to get. Read the rest. It is a joy…

– Sola Osofisan

Sola Osofisan: Stella, you are called Damasus by some, Damascus by others. For the record, tell us the correct name please.

Aboderin
Stella Damasus-Aboderin: It’s Damasus. D-A-M-A-S-U-S. There’s no “c”.

S.O.: I’m sure you must have grown tired of correcting people by now.

S.D.A.: Oh, I just let them call me whatever. I’ve heard worse. I’ve heard “Damastockings”. I just let them call me whatever, but everybody knows they’re talking about me.

S.O.: Damasus is an unusual name. What part of the country are you from?

S.D.A.: I’m from Asaba, Delta State. Damasus was actually my grandfather’s first name. It’s a Greek name. The family name was actually Ojukwu, but when the war broke out, the Nigerian Civil War, a lot of Nigerian soldiers mistook my family for the real Ojukwu himself, so a lot of things happened to my family members until my grandfather came and said look, instead of them killing our people thinking we’re Biafrans, let’s just change our name, so we’re safe. That’s how the name became Damasus.

S.O.: And it has remained the same ever since?

S.D.A.: yeah.

S.O.: Interesting. You grew up in Asaba or in Lagos?

S.D.A.: I grew up in Benin City actually. I only lived in Asaba for about three years when my father was transferred from former ACB Bank in Benin to Asaba Branch.

S.O.: So you did all of your schooling in Benin City?

S.D.A.: Yes. But my JSS 3 to my final year in secondary school I did in Ibusa, in a private school in Ibusa about 15mins away from Asaba. But from the time I was born to that time, I did most of all my education in Benin.

S.O.: In what way did your childhood prepare you for a career in the entertainment industry?

S.D.A.: I think it was basically my mom. My mom used to be an opera singer. She used to be a stage actress. When we went to church together, she used to make me sing with the junior choir and all that. And then whenever we were in school and they wanted to do a school drama, she would tell me to go for it. Since I was in primary school, she was always there making sure that I did one drama piece or one song or something.

And when I was growing up, they bought tapes of Boney M, Abba and she made me sing along and things like that. I would actually hold the electric kettle cord as my microphone and all that in front of a mirror. Ever since then, she just basically knew that I was going to do something in the entertainment world and she just kept encouraging me to do that.

S.O.: That is also unusual. The typical parent in Nigeria would never encourage you to go into the entertainment business.

Stella: (pix: Olaolu Afolabi)
S.D.A.: Yeah. My mom’s case was different because she was in it. I had a problem actually (with my father) when I started acting because of the impression a lot of people had about actors. My mother was always supporting me and she was there telling him its not like this, have you forgotten how we met, though I was a banker but then I was doing my singing and acting on the side so let her do what she wants…

And my parents are very liberal people, you know, so they let their children be who they want to be. It was easier for me because my mother was already an entertainer before I joined them.

S.O.: Wow, you’re one of the lucky few.

S.D.A.: Yeah.

S.O.: It appears you did a lot more acting work in 2003 than any other year… What happened?

S.D.A.: I honestly don’t know. I can’t say for sure. I just know that each one I did, people just kept calling me. I won’t lie to you, the money got better and bigger, so it was difficult for me to say no. As a fact, I used to say let me take time off for my kids or let me take time off for… Last year, it was just like a blow out. Everybody remembered that I was around. I also realized that the scripts that came my way were very good and they were characters that would project me more. So, I guess that’s why. But I can’t tell you why they wanted me all the time. I don’t know.

S.O.: What kind of roles do you accept?

S.D.A.: It has to be something that is based around me, something that makes me important, something that challenges me, something that will make me really work. I cannot just take a script, look at it and just go and talk. Something that will make me rehearse in my house, look at my mirror, have someone to read with me at home, something that will make people to be blessed, so every day and say please can we break down these scenes and let’s do a character analysis, something that moves me that I don’t really need to do anything artificial, something that will make me bring out the best from the bottom of my belly, you know… Something that will make me work like the one I’m doing right now… Its really making me sweat. Scripts that make sense. Scripts that will talk to you – as you’re reading it, you’re imagining it and you’re going through the motions with it, not just any story, you know? Stories that you can relate to, that you know that whenever people see it, they will remember you for doing one thing or the other… That’s it.

S.O.: Which is the one you’re doing right now?

S.D.A.: Dangerous Twins, the one with Tade Ogidan.

S.O.: I know they shot a series of scenes in England. You’re not in the England sequences?

S.D.A.: No no, I’m the wife of the other twin in Nigeria.

S.O.: Dangerous Twins id promising to be an explosive thing.

S.D.A.: Oh yes, oh yes it is. And then with the cast as well, it’s going to be fantastic. We have Sola Sobowale and Bimbo Akintola also in the movie. It’s going to be very nice.

S.O.: And Ramsey Nouah?

S.D.A.: Ramsey Nouah is a fantastic actor. He’s doing so well. In fact, I’m really really complimenting him. I do that every day because it’s not easy playing a twin. You wear one costume, play all the lines of one person, wear another costume of the other twin and start doing all the lines and remember what the other person said and how he dressed, and you know things like that. And he’s been doing it so well. I’m really really impressed with what I’m seeing.

S.O.: What is it like, Stella, to have two talents? I’m talking about the singing and acting now. Do you get pulled to explore one more than the other?

S.D.A.: Em… Maybe. I’ve been doing both together at the same time. I think I prefer it like that because I don’t want a situation where I would have to choose between the two. I manage my time very well. My husband and I, we have a band called Synergy, and we have a lot of shows. Private shows for weddings, launching and things like that. And then I do my movies as well, but if you ask me to choose between (two) of them, I will tell you I probably can’t because I love both of them and they complement each other. You know, now I’m being offered scripts to play as singer in a movie and I’m telling them the highest bidder will take it. If people are planning to use me as a professional singer… I have something that I perceive as being an edge over a lot of other because I can do – and I’m a dancer as well. So I combine all of these things to try and make me a perfect actress, you know… At least the best I can be.

S.O.: You sing, you dance and you act?

S.D.A.: Yes.

S.O.: Interesting. So how did you sharpen all these skills Stella? At the professional level, did you have any special training or did you just start doing it? How did you get into it formally?

S.D.A.: I’m a theatre arts graduate. I’ve been doing theatre arts for (long distance gabble). I’m doing a part-time course. And in these five years, I think I know a lot. As a theatre student, you must have (more long distance gabble). The acting, to be a theatre arts student, you have to go through different acting techniques, acting styles and people that have propounded a lot of theories about expression, movement, bodywork and things like that. So I guess I try to put a lot of that into practice whenever I do a movie or anything else because I try to translate what I have read into practicals – into motion. I read a lot of books. I love to read, so I try to educate myself… Each character I play, I try to talk slightly different from what I have done. I try to change my style of acting, my style of walking, things like that… I think its basically my education that really helped me. And then my husband used to do movies as well. He used to be an actor as well, and since he is more experienced than I am, he helped me out a lot when I was starting. I guess I do try to improve in everything that I do by reading more. I’m studying other foreign actors as well cos I have this artist that I like a lot – Cicely Tyson. I think she’s fantastic so I learn a lot from her.

S.O.: Aside of Cicely, is there any other person you would call a role model?

S.D.A.: Jack Nicholson. I love him as well. And I think they’re fantastic because I’ve seen them do these same roles and they’re so convincing. I mean Cicely Tyson played a role…She played the role when she was a very young girl and she grew up into a great grandmother and she was so fantastic because her voice changed, her style of acting changed, everything changed, so for someone to do that, it takes a lot of work and I respect it…

S.O.: Are there roles for instance that you would not play?

In Obaseki (Pix: Sola Osofisan)
S.D.A.: I don’t think so. I think I can play every role because it’s my profession and if I play a very bad role or a loud role, it means I am doing it to correct something. The script has to be right. If I’m just going to play (for instance) a prostitute just for the sake of being a prostitute and it doesn’t make sense and the story is not centered around that particular person so she’s able to change at the end of the day and make people realize how bad it is, then I don’t think there’s any point in doing it. But if I’m playing roles like that where I have to really loud but at the end of the day there’s a message, a positive message, that’s going to be passed across, that people need for the ills of the society. Then I probably would do it. You have to learn different acting styles and techniques to be able to play things and make them convincing without being extremely vulgar or do things that are very extreme that people will frown at. There are ways of doing different things that I try to learn every day, so I don’t think I will shy away from any role. It just depends on the director I’m working with and how we can work together to bring it out without having to irritate people or be vulgar about it.

S.O.: Let me ask you a vague question. What’s the most challenging thing that has ever happened to you?

S.D.A.: Oh my God, what do I say? I think that it’s being a young wife. Because of who I am and what I do, its not easy, because in this part of the world, its not easy to keep your home intact because when you in-laws, you have families and then there are some things that you would probably not accept or take and because of the negative publicity we get and things like that… I think that’s my greatest challenge because sometimes they hit on us the females who are married and it takes a lot of work to try and repair the damage and also a lot of work to try and make sure that your spouse trusts you enough to stand by you and believe you… And also to be that wife that your in-laws expect you to be, no matter what, even if it breaking your back or killing yourself. I think its more challenging than any job or anything I have to do outside because if you regard something as the most important thing in your life, I think that is the think you fight hardest to keep intact. Its more difficult for an entertainer – an actress – to keep her home, especially when herself and her husband are very young and are going through a lot of things and trying to be adults and trying to be mature and trying to be role models and parents and all that. I think that’s basically my greatest challenge in life and I am determined to succeed. Really really determined.

S.O.: You briefly addressed my next question in your last response. I was going to ask you what it is like to have the husband and wife in the entertainment industry? How does it impact on the home, the children and everything?

S.D.A.: We have a way of doing it. We always make time out for the kids. We never abandon them. And we found out recently that whenever we have shows outside Lagos or outside the country, I find that I stay back so that he goes and I stay with the kids – or sometimes, if I have to travel on location or something, he stays in town. But if both of us have to go, then there must be a family member who will stay with them. And its not easy, you know. It’s not easy… That is where we fight the most… Because we work together, we don’t always agree on things. Of course we’re two different people. He’s a human being; he has different views and things like that. I’m a human being; I have my own set rules and principles, even though I try to do what the Bible says… You must submit to your husband. Of course I try to that, but at the same time, there are some things that I will need to stand on or grab on to and say no, this is how I want it and he may not like it and we fight a lot. But being in the entertainment world together is one of the most – in fact, I’m very lucky because even though we have our problems when we fight, we find that we always have something to talk about, something to bring us back together, you know… If there’s a problem in your house, and we have a show tomorrow, what are we wearing? Okay let’s do this and before you know it, we’re already talking. I have a movie… Okay, let’s read it together.

And again, it’s easier for me to go, shoot, stay out late, come back and he understands because he’s into it as well. We basically try to help each other out and do our work, but he’s still the same person that says if you have to do this job, do it well. Don’t say because of me you will not do it to the best of your ability.

S.O.: Do you see your kids going into the entertainment business?

S.D.A.: My first child, no. My second child, probably. I think she’s getting because she cannot stay in one place if she hears the slightest sound. She would stand up and dance or do something. My first child is more subdued. She’s more of a technical person. She like remote control, she likes cable, she likes phones… She doesn’t like toys actually. She doesn’t like things that are entertaining. She likes things that are very technical like the computer; she likes working with her father, things like that… So, I’m still watching them to see what will happen.

S.O.: Synergy… You guys only perform in exclusive circles?

S.D.A.: Yeah.

S.O.: Is there any special reason behind that? Or is it the kind of music you play?

S.D.A.: No, it’s not just the kind of music. We started out playing regular shows in places like Jazzville, Eko Hotel and places like that. But as you grow older and you expand your band, you find that you need to grow more because you find that in Lagos it is when you play private gigs that you’re respected more and you’re paid more. When you do regular shows at the Jazzvilles and Eko Hotels, they pay you just a little bit of money to get by. In everything you do, you try to expand and move up and earn more and gain more and be more recognized. I guess we moved up and people started accepting the fact you cannot just come and see us every week. We are only at exclusive places where you must have really paid well for and things like that. Its not just the kind of music, cos my band, we do copyright songs most of the time, apart from our own songs. We play highlife, we play funk, we play disco, we play oldies, we play all sorts of music. We even play at traditional weddings. We’ve played at a Nikkai before. We’ve played at even Owambe. We have different people in the band that specialize in different types of music, different genres of music.

S.O.: Sounds like you guys are having a lot of fun.

S.D.A.: Well, we’re trying. It’s been a lot of years of hard work, but we’re getting there.

S.O.: Did you know your husband before you started acting?

S.D.A.: No. I started acting… I’d done two movies before I met my husband. I’d done… My first major movie was really my breakthrough. The name of the movie was actually Breaking Point and that’s how he recognized me the first time he saw me. So I was already in the movie industry before we started dating.

S.O.: And he did not know you could sing when you met?

S.D.A.: The first day we met, I actually grabbed his microphone. I went to Jazzville (with) one of my friends. And he was on stage with his sister and his sister’s husband. I got on stage, I was carried away… I loved the song they were doing. I got on stage, grabbed his microphone and started singing with them. And at the end of the night he came to me and said look, I like your voice. I hope to set up my own band. Are you interested? And I said why not? So, we started working together. The first time he saw me, he knew who I was. That’s how come he let me take his microphone like that on stage. By the time he heard me sing, he saw another side of me and he liked it. That is the side he prefers. He prefers me as a singer because he says I’m a better singer than I’m an actress. He loves my acting but he believes that I’m a better singer than an actress.

S.O.: So the poor guy saw you on stage and fell head over heels in love.

(GENERAL LAUGHTER)

S.D.A.: Well, I always tell him that, but he still tells me that I was the one that fell in love first. I’m not gonna argue because I actually tripped when I saw him.

(MORE LAUGHTER)

S.O.: How sweet. Jaiye (that’s your husband’s name, right?), I read somewhere that he composes in French, Spannish and in Yoruba and English. Where did the French and Spanish come from?

S.D.A.: He studied languages. He’s French graduate and he lived in London for a long time so he did Spannish in London. He studied that and a little Italian as well. Then he came down to Nigeria and got into Unilag and he studied French, so he’s actually a French translator as well.

S.O.: So are you picking up any of these languages?

S.D.A.: Well, sometimes, when we’re in a place and he doesn’t want people to know what we’re talking about, there are some words in French that he has taught me, so when he says any words like that, I know what he’s talking about. I’m not very good with languages, but sometimes when he says things, he says something in it that makes it easier for me to understand what he’s saying. I didn’t pique interest early enough, so I guess that’s where my problem is. I can read French, but I might not understand what I’m saying. And then I can understand a little Spannish, but I don’t speak very well.

S.O.: Your husband is obviously comfortable with you acting because he’s also in the entertainment business, so this rumor on the Internet that he wants you to quit acting is just a rumor?

S.D.A.: I don’t know what they’re talking about. I have a husband who always tells me that he loves women that are hardworking and have a drive. He tells me if this is what you’re meant for, if you’re very popular because you’re an actress, (then) make the best of it while you’re young. He doesn’t stop me from doing what I like to do. Judging by the kind of negative publicity that I’ve got, the things that some people have written about me, if he wanted me to stop acting I would have stopped a long time ago, a long time ago… He believes in me. He has faith in me and he knows that I will go places if I work hard at what I’m doing. And he’s not one to stop your dreams or put a stop to your career because he feels or she’s my wife, she can’t be seen doing things like that. He wants me to really really be big and he encourages me, he helps me. So he has never told me to quit acting.

S.O.: How does the acting part of you facilitate the musical part of you?

S.D.A.: When it comes to music, my husband is more popular than I am. He’s the one that people know as a musician. He’s the one that they know as a family of music people because of his sister and the others. So his fame gets more job for us when it comes to the music aspect than my fame, because – don’t forget a lot of people still don’t know that I am a singer. It’s just recently that we released one of our videos that people got to know. So they know him as the musician. But when they see me performing with him, they say aha, that actress o, she sings.

S.O.: A couple of questions from the members of my website, Naijarules.com: you’re a mother and working lady. How do you manage to remain so good looking?

S.D.A.: I don’t know, really. It’s God. I don’t have any special routine and I’m not a designer freak. I probably don’t know the names of these facial or body things… I think I stay trim because I work round the clock. If I’m not shooting a movie, I’m going to school or I’m running Synergy or I’m running my African shop. I sell African things. I’m doing one thing or the other every given time. Whatever comes with it, I believe its God because I know I have good skin and I don’t do anything special to maintain anything. I just try to be very clean. I try to wash my face all the time. The products that I use are basically the Ginseng products and Vaseline. I don’t have any funny thing that I do in the morning. I’m sorry, I might not be of help on that because I think its all God.

S.O.: Another question from the website: Rattlesnake 4, is it going to be released anytime soon? And are you still in it?

S.D.A.: I’m still in the part 4, yes. But I don’t know when they’re going to release it. I have no idea. Amaka Igwe will be able to answer that question. I shot a lot of things and it is not all of them that came out in the part 3, so I’m thinking that they’re going to put all that in a part 4.

S.O.: Okay. Can you tell us about your African shop?

S.D.A.: Yes, Monafrique. I like to make things. I like to create things and design things. And I’m also someone that I don’t know how to buy gold or silver or diamond or things like that, but I like a lot of beads and I like African fabrics, so I just started traveling to Cotonou, Ghana, Lome, and I just buy fabrics from all these African countries, come back and design things – bags, table clothes, earrings, moccasins – you know things like that. But I found out that when I started wearing them, a lot of people liked them and they would come to me: How did you get this? And I’m like I made it. And they say instead of buying all these boutique clothes that they tell you buy one for 15 – 20,000 Naira, why don’t you make something simple for me, something nice, and make an African handbag that will go with the fabric. And I started making it for some of my friends. Before I knew it, a lot of orders started coming in and things like that. As I am now, I don’t even know how to satisfy all my customers because so many people have been calling me and I don’t know how many I can make at a time.

S.O.: You’re having a very busy life. What’s a typical day like?

S.D.A.: Frankly speaking, I don’t have a typical day. I know that from the time I wake up in the morning till about 10-11, I must make sure that in that space of time, I try to see my kids for at least one hour. The rest of the time, I’m either shooting a movie, I’m at the office working for Synergy or I’m designing one thing or the other for clients of Monafrique or I’m doing a write up for something I want to send on the ‘Net, because there are some people that sent me mail from London and tell me I want you to write this for this magazine or things like that… I work on my computer. I’m always busy. I always have one thing to do. And it’s not just about the money. I think I’m a very restless person. I can’t stay in one place a long time and I always want to do something to keep my mind working and keep busy. I buy a lot of books… I don’t have a routine life. I’m a very spontaneous person. I can wake up and say okay, I’m going to Ghana to buy fabrics.

S.O.: The movie industry in Nigeria is growing and that is a good thing. But from all you have said so far, one can tell that if anything happens to the movie industry, you have so many other options, so many things you can do…

S.D.A.: You can say that because I have a thousand and one other things that I do on the side, but believe me, if you asked me, deep down inside, I would tell you that the one that I really really really think I love most is the acting and that’s the movie industry. I really wouldn’t want anything to happen to it and I doubt if anything is going to happen to it cos I want to be part of it. Really really grow big and go international, you know… If you asked me to choose between acting and everything that I do, I probably will choose acting, although acting is the one that doesn’t guarantee a steady income per se. But it’s the one that I love most. At the same time, I get regular income from the other things that I do, more than the acting thing. The movie industry is very peculiar and I don’t like to slot myself in every movie, so I try to do one in like two months so people don’t get tired of seeing my face on every poster. So when I do that, you know the income is not going to be as regular as the next person who does movie after movie after movie.

S.O.: What does the future hold for Stella the actress and Stella the singer?

S.D.A.: Stella the actress and Stella the singer is really going to be big by the grace of God. I want to be a source of inspiration to everybody. I want to come to London and say I want to do a show and people will say Oh God, Stella is having a show, I must see the show. It’s not just about popularity. I want to be able to affect the life of people positively. I want to be able to affect the life of the youth. I still see me being someone who is looked up to, someone who does things just to better the community, the society and things like that. Of course I want to be rich. Believe me, I want to be rich. If not for my sake, at least for my children. I just want to go all over the world. I want to be remembered as that person who was really really really good. I just want to be a good person.

S.O.: When you say you want to be rich, what is your definition of wealth? How much is rich?

S.D.A.: I can’t tell you in numbers, but I know that wealth to me is being able to afford anything that I want. I’m not naturally a materialistic person. I’m not flashy, I’m not extravagant or anything. I’m very simple. Rich to me means I can sit down and a thousand and one people can come to me and say we need to pay school fees, I need this, I need that… I want to be able to say oh, take money. Do whatever you want with it as long as it makes you happy. I want to be able to take care of my parents. I want to be able to take care of my cousins. I want to be able to spoil my kids. I want to be able to tell my husband happy birthday and give him the key to a car that he has been dreaming about or talking about, you know? Things like that. I want to be able to surprise my sister and tell them I’m giving you – your husband and your children – an all expense paid trip to Hollywood or Disneyland or something. I just really want to make people happy. I like to be happy and I like people around me to be happy, that’s it.

S.O.: Stella, I try to give every star I interview a chance to react to stories in the media or anything that’s been written or said about them that they feel is untrue and they want to give their own side of the story. Is there anything that has been written about you that you would like to react to?

S.D.A.: I don’t really like to respond to such things because my life will definitely go on. People won’t think about me every day. I got tired or trying to defend myself. Like a few weeks ago, there was (a publication) that came out that said that on the 11th of December (2003), I was at the Bar Beach and I was making out with Richard Mofe-Danijo. And I thought that was so crazy because it was on the front page and they gave date and time. That date that they gave, my husband was with me at the beach. He was there with the driver and (lost in phone static). They needed to fly to Abuja and he called me and asked me where are you? And I’m like, I’m shooting at the beach o. Will you come? And he said no problem. And he came there. On that particular day, I was there with all our friends and I didn’t enter this particular car that they were talking about and you know there were a lot of people on set. You had the director, you had the cameraman, you had the technical crew, you had the other artistes on set. …Where was the town that we did whatever they said we did? My lawyer wrote them a letter demanding a retraction or we would take them to court and I just turned to the lawyer and said how many do you want to fight? After that one, other magazines picked up on it and started writing rubbish. And people just expected me to break down or cry or things like that. Eventually we got home and laughed over it because it was so crazy that the day they decided to pick was the same day that my husband was with me all through. People will always talk about. Be good. Be bad. They will still talk about you. And it looks like they need me to sell their magazine, well fine, if they think that I’m that important. All I just say is that I’m glad that the people that matter most to me know who I am and they’re always supportive, they’re always behind me. Things will come, temptation will come, the devil will try to use people to bring you down and destroy you. If you’re a child of God, as long as your conscience is clear and you know that God sees all, just put everything in the hands of God. As long as your husband needs you and knows that whatever it is, you’re in it together, and he supports you, I don’t need any other person to vouch for me or anything. Because it will continue, not matter what I do or what I say or how many court sessions I go for. They will still write whatever they want to write. You can’t kill them and you can’t stop them. I think it will be easier moving on.

And believe me, since that publication came out, I’ve been twice a popular as I ever was. Nowadays, people are coming to me wit scripts, with jobs… I’ve had people from London telling me they want me to be their representative, they want me to provide local programs for them. I’ve had people telling me I want you to be my editor in chief, I want to start an entertainment magazine. You know people said they read about this thing and everybody wanted to know who Stella was. And when they met me, its like ok I want to do something with you actively. So it actually opened doors for me that I didn’t expect. So I’m like okay God, if this is the way this has turned out, I’m grateful.

Stephanie Okereke is a Nigerian born superstar with an infectious personality. Spend five minutes with Stephanie and she will have you laughing and feeling like you are talking to a friend you have known forever. As the sixth child in a family of eight Stephanie has been entertaining her family from birth Now she is entertaining the world.

Ms Okereke sprung onto the Nollywood scene in 1997 with Compromise II” and then featured in “Waterloo” A year later she was accepted into the English and Literary Studies Program at the
University of Calabar. She decided to pursue school while she put acting on hold, A year later Nollywood came calling again and Stephanie could not resist she fed her desire to act with Teco Benson’s Terror.

Stephanie has big dreams and she let the world in on her modeling talent with her second place finish in the 2002 The Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria” beauty pageant Despite her hectic schedule, Stephanie graduated with her degree from Calabar and started to stake her claim in the movie world. Emotional Crack put Stephanie on the map and was nominated for eight awards. Stephanie was delighted to have her efforts blessed with two awards. (Best Actress — English and Reel Awards Best Actress of the Year 2003), Stephanie has also stared in quite a few films including Private Sin, Final Solution, Pretender and Adora (Shot in South Africa).

In April of 2004, Emotional Crack was premiered at the African Film Festival held in the United States. Stephanie also joined her Nollywood colleagues to speak out in a collective voice to help stop the piracy of Nigerian movies
Next, Stephanie made her first foray into Hollywood by auditioning for a role in the Good Shepard. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for Stephanie and see what happens. In the meantime Stephanie has a role on Mnet’s soap Snitch. We have just started to hear from this rising star who is also a talented singer and a model. Stephanie is always striving to improve her craft so needless to say the best from Stephanie is yet to come;

When Rita Dominic closes her eyes she imagines herself strutting her stuff with the best top movies stars Hollywood has to offer. Rita aka silky skin who has a beautiful figure that suggests sensible eating and her fair share of spending time at the gym has certainly come a long away from her days of TV programs such as Children’s Variety, Junior Opinion, winning several dance competitions both at the local sports club and whilst at Federal Government College Ikot Ekpene where she gained her GCE 0-LEVEL qualification.

Rita, Uchenna, Nkem, Dominic, Waturuocha who was born on 1 July, 1975 and has always reached for the stars, attributes her inspiration to the encouragement of her immediate close knit family consisting of her parents, two elder sisters and a brother.

Especially her late mum who identified her obvious talent at an early age supported and nurtured her academic, social achievements and was very instrumental to her success as an actress.

From when Rita Dominic was about three years old and attending YMWCA nursery school Aba to Constitution Crescent Primary school all in Abia State Nigeria it was obvious she was destined for fame, at the time, mostly because of her excellent and unique singing and dancing talent, Rita whose hobbies include acting, singing, watching movies, reading and traveling graduated from University of Port-harcourt with a BA (1-lonours) Degree in Theatre Arts in 1999 hails from Abiah Mbaise local government area in lmo State and belongs to the Royal Waturuocha family.

Blessed with stunning and very attractive looks, Rita favours the indian rock cheek style and enjoys spending time with her friends and family when she is not on a movie set.

She recently visited Sierra Leone with some of her colleagues and was overwhelmed by the turn out of fans at the airport, a lot of them wearing t-shirts with their names on them. The Nigerian committee in Dublin also recently presented her with an honorary award.

Other facts about Rita
Philosophy – Always strive to achieve your heart’s desire
Can’t Do Without – Her Walkman or CD player
Type of Music – Oldies to jazz sentimental
Best African Food – Afang soup and semovita
Beauty routine – Mild cleansers and face wipes
Style of hair – I like the Afro hair because it sooths my face
What she admires in people – She likes natural and humble people
What I find attractive in a guy – Cool, polished, intelligent and 100% dress sense

HERE IS A LIST OF MOVIES THAT RITA HAS FEATURED IN
ALL MY LIFE 2004
GOODBYE NEW YORK 2004
INDECENT ACT 2004
NIGHTS OF RIOT 2004
PASSION OF MIND 2004
SINGLES AND HARRIED 2004
THRONING STONES 2004
A NIGTH TO REMEMBER 2003
ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE 2003
ANOTHER SIDE OF LOVE 2003
BACK FROM AMERICA 2003
BLIND LOVE 2003
EREAK UP 2003
CONTROVERSY 2003
HERO OF LOVE 2003
HONEY MOON 2003 PLAYER 2003
STOLEN HEART 2003
STREET LIFE 2003
TO LOVE A THIEF 2003
UNFORGETTABLE 2003
FATE OF LIAR 1999
HOSTILE HOSTAGE 2003
LEAN ON ME 2003
LOST PARADISE 2003
LOVE TEMPLE 2003
LOVE U FOREVER 2003
PAINT MY LOVE 2003
WHO KILLED MY HUSBAND 1999
ABA RIOTS 1990
BLACK SHEEP 1995
CHILDREN OF TERROR 1995
CORNER TONE 1995
TIME TO KILL 1990
FUGITIVES 1999
MY HEART DESIRE 1999
ORIGINAL SIN 1999
PLAY BOY 1999
PRISONER OF LOVE 1999
SILENT TEARS 1999
SOUL MATES 1999
THE SOUL THAT SINNET 1999
WHO KILLED MY HUSBAND 1999

A lot has been written about popular actress, Shan George. But for the first time ever, the lady tells her life story to Daily Sun.
This is the story of a survivor, a woman that took her destiny in her hands and, against all odds, rose to fame and stardom.
During the interview, Shan George broke down in tears, and the reporter could not stop the tears from flowing from her own eyes. This is her life story in her own words:

In the beginning
Life started for me in the village, in a small village called Ediba in Abi local government area of Cross-River State. My mum worked as a nurse in one of the local hospitals. She is now retired. My father was an expatriate from England with a company called Turners Asbestos in Emene, Enugu State, before he died. The company is now known as Emenite. It produces roofing sheets and water pipes. After the death of my father, my mother left Enugu to go back and live in my village where I grew up.

My parents used to live at No. 2 Nwodo Close inside the G.R.A. in Enugu, and I was getting close to my 5th birthday when I lost my father.
My mother was so heartbroken when she lost my father, my grand-mother then insisted she comes back to my village to live. Back in the village, my mother worked as a nurse in the local hospital across the river in Etigidi.

My mother never got over my father, I am my mother’s only child and she still lives in the village, she only comes to Lagos now and then to visit me. My mother put all her effort in taking care of me, and also thought it was important for me to be educated. I had my primary and secondary education in the village.
Village life, when I was between the ages of 8 and 12 years old, was a lot of fun for me. How I used to climb trees and mountains with my school-mates on our way back from school. How we used to swim in the stream, how you don’t get to eat lunch until you get to the farm after school and lunch, for me then, was roasted yam.

Sometimes when I look back at what my life was as a young girl growing up in the village, sometimes I get an image of a young girl who deserves better. But then it was fun. I knew no other life. Here I was, half-caste, born by a British expatriate, living in a village that had no electricity. My mother worked very hard to send me to school, provided me with the little comfort that she could, I remember as a young girl I had my own bed. But all the other basic amenities like having a generator, a television set were luxuries that my mother could not afford. I remember how I used to go to watch television in neighbour’s houses. And how I used to dream of becoming somebody some day. I actually wanted to become a lawyer as a young girl. And I wanted so much to become somebody great in the society, and I used to fantasize about how someday, I am going to marry a governor or a president, so that I can become a first lady, just like the wives of the presidents and governors that I sometimes see on my neigbour’s television set.
I was an Oyibo girl, who knew nothing about the Western world, and I had this big ambition to be great someday. How to go about it then, I did not know. But I just kept on dreaming, and hoped it happens.

Early marriage
It is the norm in my village then that young girls get married off between the age of 15 to 17. If you don’t get a suitor by the age of 17, you are like a leftover. And back then, in my village, they didn’t see it as a wise investment to send girls to school. After all, a girl changes her name to that of her husband immediately she gets married and whatever she becomes thereafter is to her husband’s name and glory. So why waste your money educating a girl child? And I thank my mother who insisted I pass through secondary school before I got married. So, when I was getting close to my 16th birthday, I got married. I was really excited about the marriage proposal then, to me as a young girl growing up in a village without electricity, getting married and going to live in “township” then was very exciting. “Township” then as we used to call places where there is electricity, cars, television, executive sitting chairs, to us then in the village, was paradise. I can’t say I was forced into marriage then, I was actually excited at the prospect of leaving the village for paradise. But I realised later that not all that glitters is gold. I left the village for the so-called paradise, for me to find out that it wasn’t a paradise after all. And things didn’t work out the way I thought they would.

Maybe if I didn’t get married that early in life, maybe things would have been different. Because I now know everything has its time and season. One needs to be mature and ready for marriage. Although my ex-husband is older, there was no cordiality in the marriage. We had a traditional marriage and I left the village to live with him. As a young girl, I had high hopes of going to the university to read Law.
Four years into the marriage with two kids, and no talk about me going back to school, to become that person that I wanted to be, I became an unhappy persons. Suddenly, I realised that if I stayed on in that marriage, I will never realise my dreams. And I was not happy in that marriage. At a point, my marriage was like a stumbling block to my success in life. So, I knew I had to do something about it. After six years in that marriage, I woke up one morning on the 6th of May 1991, with N2,400 in my bag. I left my husband’s house in Ojodu.

I did not head for the village this time around. I had left with my kids before then for my village. But my mother asked me questions about how my ex-husband was treating me, and my replies were positive ones. Was I being maltreated by him? I replied no. So my mother was not in support of me staying back in the village with my kids, she insisted I had to go back to my husband. So, I realised then that I just couldn’t go back to my mother in the village this time around. I knew if I had to leave, I had to go somewhere else, definitely not my village.

My first son was born in November 1986, my second son was born November 1988. In 1991, when I left my husband’s house, they were so young, I never wanted to leave without them. But I knew I couldn’t take the kids with me. I had nowhere to go, so taking the children with me to an unknown destination will be putting then through a lot of hardship. And I had no means of taking care of them. So, I prayed that morning for God’s forgiveness.

We had just moved to Ojodu then. I think we moved to Ojodu in Lagos in 1990. So, I was very new in Lagos, I had no friends or family I could go stay with. But I was determined, so I was going round Lagos, looking for work and hoping that I would come across anybody from my village that could be of assistance. That night, I slept in a small hotel. I can’t remember exactly how much I paid at the hotel per night, but the N2,400 I had with me lasted just for four days. As God will have it on that 4th day, I met somebody I knew while in the village. Her name is Mrs. Betcy Ukoh. I ran into her somewhere around Fola Agoro in Shomolu where her fashion house was located. She now lives in Abidjan, Cote’d’Ivoire with her family. It was amazing and I was so excited and she was happy to see me. I explained my situation to her, and she offered to take me in. When I left my husband’s house in Ojodu, I did not leave with any of my things. What I had was just the one dress I had on. And throughout those four days I was going round Lagos, I had that dress on. At night, I wash it in the hotel I was staying, spread it under the fan to dry till the following morning. So, when my aunty took me in, the first thing she did was to make me a skirt and blouse from the leftover fabrics she had in her shop. And that was what I wore for the first few days that I stayed with her. I learned how to sew from her and she used to send me to some of her customers in corporate offices that can’t find the time to come to her shop to take their orders. And she was always sending me to Tejuoso Market to buy fabrics that she intends to sew for her customers. And that was how I got into fashion. After some time, I started saving the little money I was making towards buying G.C.E. forms. I got enough money to sit for my G.C.E, I passed, and the following year I sat for JAMB exams. I did not make my JAMB that year, but I did the following year.

After two years of living with my aunt, I left her place to get a one room accommodation somewhere in Obanikoro. And that was how I started sewing on my own. After some time, I was able to save enough to open a boutique and up till date, I still run the boutique. My boutique is called SHANDEL, it’s a combination of my name and that of my first son. My boutique is located in Jibowu, my shop by the special grace of God is stocked with the latest fashion trend. Then I used to get goods from people that travel abroad to put in my shop. I couldn’t afford to pay outright, I used to take the goods on sales on return. And when I get little money then, I used to travel to Cotonou to buy things to put in the shop.
In 1996, I got a letter of admission to University of Lagos to read Mass Communication. It was the happiest day of my life. I was overwhelmed with joy. I held the letter and tears of joy dropped from my eyes.

Later, I realised I didn’t have enough to pay my tuition fees. I had to pay N12,000 and all I had then was N8 in my account. While I was working with my aunt, I met a lot of people from my village but I didn’t socialise with them, because I was always busy working for my aunt. One of them was my mother’s brother who is a customs officer. I went to see him, and he offered to help. He gave me N5,000. And there was this other man who is also from my village, his name is Mr. Omini, he was working with N.N.P.C then. I don’t know if he still does. I have made a lot of effort to reach him. I hope he reads this. I really, really want to get in touch with him. He gave me N2,000. (At this point, Shan’s voice quivers and tears rolled down her face).

While I was running around looking for money to pay my tuition fees into the university, I was also looking out for any job opportunity. My boutique was not doing well then, so I decided I needed to get a paid job to support whatever I was making from the boutique.
Luckily for me, I got a job working behind the camera at N.T.A. on Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island. And later, Sadiq Daba gave me a role to play in Winds of Destiny, and I was paid N1,000 per episode. That was in 1997.

While acting in Winds of Destiny, I got my first home movie role in the late Jennifer Ossai’s movie titled, Thorns of Rose. My sister, Blessing Eremi, who played Wakanga in NTA’s rested soap, Fortune, introduced me to Jennifer. I had to stop my behind the camera work at NTA because of my studies, and later, I got a major role in After The Storm, a television drama which ran on N.T.A. Tunde Adesina gave me a big role, so I got a better fee.

After the Storm was rested after a while, so, I just concentrated on school. And that was how I started writing my own script while in school.
In my final year at the university, I produced my own movie titled, All For Winnie. Later, I was able to raise enough money to travel abroad on business trips. And the first country I travelled to in Europe was Paris.

British citizen
My father was a British expatriate and because my mother was too devastated after his death, when she left Enugu, she didn’t even think of keeping any document for future references as regards my father.
All she had was his photograph. So, at a point in my life, out of curiosity of wanting to know who my father was, I went in search of the company he worked with in Enugu. And that was how I got to know that the company’s name had been changed from Turners Asbestos to Eminite. I found my father’s name in what was left as the ‘company’s record. And I was able to get the company’s address in Manchester, United Kingdom. I sent a lot of letters to the company, but I never got a responce. And the telephone number I got from the company’s record was also no longer in service.

My father’s name, Gordon Walker George, was on the company’s record. I have reached out to a lot of organisations that could help trace my father’s relatives. I also tried Red Cross because I heard they are good at uniting lost families, but no positive response came from them. I didn’t inform my mother before I went to Enugu in search of the company my father worked with. But I later told her what I found out. And she was not pleased that I was going around trying to gather information about a dead man.
She sees no point in the search, especially now that I am famous and am doing so well for myself. A lot of websites that I tried on the internet could not help because I don’t know my father’s date of birth and place of birth. There was a time that I logged onto a website called something ancestral and called all the Gordon Walker George listed, but nothing came up.
Someday, I intend to go to the company’s address that I had written to in Manchester, and find out why I didn’t get a reply to my letters. So, right now, I don’t know how to go about the British citizenship.

Okey Basassi
I met Okey Bakassi at a public function in 1998, then I was still in school. We started out as friends, I was very new in the movie industry then and Okey was the only friend I had.
We were friends before we became lovers and he put me through a lot of things. He had been in the movie industry before me. And he had produced several movies, so I learnt a lot from him.

The relationship came to an end because at that time, I was not so keen on marriage. I had just come out of one marriage and I wasn’t ready to get into another one so soon. Coupled with the fact that we were both struggling artists. So we were not talking marriage. At a point, the affair just faded away naturally, no quarrel.

But what we had was a good, honourable relationship that lasted for three years, and in an industry like ours that a relationship that lasts for two months is a big deal.

My new husband
I met my present husband Anthony Nwosisi in England in 2002 and we met through a friend.
For me, it was love at first sight. In fact, I fell in love with him on the phone before we met physically. He called my friend I was with while in London, and she told him on the phone that I was in London and with her. He asked to speak with me, and immediately he said hi on the phone, my heart just skipped a beat. And we went on chatting like we’ve known each other for long, and that was how we exchanged numbers. And when we met physically, it was like magic. Well, the rest is history. I know there has been so much negative things written about us not being together in some soft sell magazines.

And I will like to set the record straight. We are together and we intend to be together till kingdom come. Or like my husband used to say, till eternity. My husband lives in England and that’s why I shuttle between Lagos and England a lot. But he is planning on re-locating back to Nigeria very soon. Yes, he was once married with two kids, a boy and a girl. I love and respect him a lot as my husband and he has always been there for me. We got married traditionally, and he means the world to me.

NAME Omotola J. Ekeinde
PROFFESSION Actress
STATUS Married with four kids
HUSBAND Capt. Matthew Ekeinde
CHILDREN Princess, M.J, Meriah and Michael

I am from a family of five (5); Mrs & Mrs Shola Jalade (both late) and two brothers Tayo and Bolaji Jalade. I attended Christland Nursery School, Opebi, Lagos and Oxford Children School Santos Layout. I then proceeded to Kaduna for my Secondary education at Command Secondary School. I am currently undertaking an HND course in Estate Management at Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos.
I got married at the Ikeja registry on the 23rd, March 1996, then later had a beautiful white wedding on board a DASH 7 Aircraft flying from Lagos to Benin, on the 19th April, 2001.

Besides acting, I also sing and have an album soon to be released. I feature as a writer for the Saturday?s SUN ( Omotola?s Diary). Occasionally I get involved in Social Services for women and the homes. She is another actress who has proved that she is also one of the best around proved her worth in Kingsley Ogoro’s movie, “Prostitute”,
This mother of four is endowed with a good height and good figure. She drives a BMW with a personalised number plate, “Omotola 1″ and a Chevrolet Jeep with a personalised number plate- “Omo Sexy “. She lives with her husband in their eye-popping mansion at Iba Estate.
To my Family:-
What will I do without your support, never complaining always encouraging…I love you all
Media:-
sometimes sweet Sometimes bitter, but you have been there fore me when I needed you the most, and sincerely I appreciate you. I wouldn’t be here without your help.
My Fans:-
What can I say about you guys?. You have made me a better person and I strive to please you all the time. I love You.

omotola movies
Oyato 1
Reckless heart
No Rival (1&2)
Day Break 1
What I Want
Maniac 1
My Best Friend
Venom Of Justice
Working For Love
Iva
I Will Die For You
The Outside
The Prostitute
The Oppressor
Society Lady
Slave
The Silent Book
Mid Night Scream
Scores To Settle
Pretty woman
Okosisi
No one but you
Market sellers
Two faces of evil
Rescue
Out of love
Mortal inheritance
Lost kingdom
Final step
Blood sister 1
Blood sister 2

Some call you Zach Orji, others Zack Orji. What are your real names?

I was born Zachee Ama Orji in Libreville, Gabon. However, most people call me Zack.

When ever we talk about actors it looks like they have always been actors. What is your background before acting- education, experience etc

I hold a B.Sc. (Hons) Estate Management degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I graduated in 1984.

Apart from Gabon and my fatherland Nigeria, my formative years; primary and secondary education were in Cameroon, Benin and Togo where I attended both French and English schools. This accounts for my being bilingual. Before becoming an actor, I used to design and make aquariums for sale and on order.

Fine Arts was where I made one of my best grades in secondary school. The aquanum market was dull so I moved on to shoes. Back in my secondary school my principal used to call me an all-rounder. I was senior prefect, I was speaker in senior debates, I was in the dramatic society, I was school champion in shot putt and discus; state champion in shot putt (1978) and went on to represent my state nationally

You must be a unique Nigerian actor since you speak French fluently. Have you thought about acting in French?

I would like to act in French. In August 2002, I was in Kinshasa, Congo where alongside my Congolese colleagues; I did a 5-minute promo in French for Vodacom to promote their short mail service in that country.

Nigerian Movies have become de facto Africa’s popular movies. How do you see this evolving?

I see the role of Nigerian movies as a pioneering one. Other sister African Nations will follow our footsteps and begin to do their own homegrown movies.

There will be more collaborations than we have already done with Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon and Sierra Leone, transcending language barriers.

Which are your all time favorite foreign and African Films?

a. Guess who’s coming to Dinner
b. The Good The Bad and The Ugly
c. Sound of Music
d. Sarafina
e. The Unforgiven Sin
f. Tenterhooks
g. Web
h. Return To Kazondia
i. Games Women Play
j. All my Life

What is your take on Films made on celluloid and Filmmakers like Sembene Ousmane or Basek Bakobio?

Nothing compares to the big screen. It is awesome, it captivates and it is the ultimate created world. My recollections of the big screen, watching movies like “The Good, the bad and the Ugly”, in my very early teens, are still very much vivid. Celluloid gives you the “feel” of the big screen.

However, recent breakthroughs in digital technology have given birth to digital video cameras with very high definition. You can shoot your films with these high definition cameras and watch them on wide screens, enjoying the same picture resolutions.

George Lucas used such high def cameras and said “I will never shoot another film on film”. Filmmakers like Sembene Ousmane or Basek Bakobio are torchbearers who have inspired a lot of Africans and people of black descent. They have made indelible marks and therefore occupy a pride of place. However, we must strive to traverse their footprints and leave something behind, in order to build up on their foundations

Delectable Oge Okoye is one of the very few young rising figures in the Nigerian movie culture who got it right. Barely five years old in Nollywood, Oge has proven that her choice of acting as a career from childhood was not misplaced.

What has kept her shinning on the acting runway has been her unwavering determination to reach the top rung. Indeed today, her dazzling takes have singled her out amongst her contemporaries-’new acting kids on the block’.

Current industry ratings place her as one of the most sought after actresses in the Nigerian home movie sector. Recent statistics from Idumota, the seat of the popular movie market in Lagos confirmed that Oge appears the busiest now, of the youthful screen actress. Her face is most likely to grace the cover jacket of six out of say ten movies released in the Nigerian movie culture in a month. Indeed Oge seems the new pearl of most of the sector’s producers.

Oge was born in London to the Late Mazi Okoye and Lolo Okoye, both devout Anglicans. It was from them that Oge imbibed the virtues of honesty, sincerity, courage and fear of God. A native of Nnewi in Anambra State, Oge, who was born under the star sign Scorpio, had her early education partly in London, at the University Primary School Enugu and at the Holy Rosary College, Enugu. In school Oge was engaged in a number of theatrical activities, which got quite a number of people, including her teachers, convinced that she was cut out for a career in entertainment.

After her primary and post primary education, Oge gained admission into the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Akwa, Anambra State where she graduated four years later with a degree in Theatre Arts. It was during Oge’s first year in the University at Akwa that the inspiration to become a ‘big time actress’ heightened. She felt that it wouldn’t be out of place to try her hands on her long held passion.

“I started acting when I was in the university precisely in my first year in school. That was when I did the job ‘One Dollar’ after which I did ‘Spanner’ and then ‘Sister Mary’. But indulged in little dramas back in those days. So when I grew up and found myself studying theatre arts, I decided to just start acting. I was opportuned to find a platform as soon as I made my intention known to a few people who knew that my passion for acting was boundless.

” I really wanted to act but I didn’t really know how to go about it. I had friends who told me that I had to go for audition and all that and I went for one and I was lucky to have been given a role. It was a sub lead. After the shoot, I was encouraged by the comments from the director and the producer who predicted that I would go far once I put my mind to it and work hard. After that movie, I started receiving offers. I am sure I handled my role in my debut performance well, because if I didn’t do it very well, I don’t think anyone would have called me up for another job.”

But even as Oge was itching to be an actress, Daddy felt that she would be better off as a doctor. He had prepared her mind towards becoming a surgeon so she could save lives. “My dad is the strict type. You can’t mess around with him. He really had a set opinion about acting because of the negative image actors portrayed then. It’s really sad that he is not here to see the height I have attained so far. He died as soon as I started acting full time but he knew that my dream was to act.

“My mummy, who currently resides in Spain, also knew that I wanted to be an actress. She had no objection whatsoever. And really, my mum has always been with me. She has always been on my side to push me to any level I want to get to. I am like the only child of my parents, so all the pampering has been there. I mean she is not surprised at all about what I am doing. She has heard and read of my exploits and she is happy with me.”

Oge’s first shot at the home video turf was in the commercially successful comedy ‘One Dollar’ starring Patience Ozokwo and Victor Osuagwu. Though she played a supporting role, she drew attention to herself with her smooth interpretation and showed a lot of promise. “I didn’t particularly do much, but many people called me up and were commending me. So that was how I knew that I was going to do some more work and even move higher.”

After that outing in ‘One Dollar’, producers sought and engaged her. They all seemed to be in agreement that Oge was a good center to hang a story on. Today Oge has featured in over 50 movies with a dozen others at various stages of postproduction.

Of all her movie offerings, Oge picks her effort in the emotive movie ‘Sister Mary’ as her most tasking. “All the movies have I done have been tasking, but I found that particular movie tasking. I must say that it was that movie that brought me to limelight. I found it very challenging for the simple fact that I played the role as if I was really in the convent. I am not a catholic, but to convince the audience I visited so many places like the convent, bought books and made a lot of research. It came out well and so many people liked it particularly those in the catholic fold who thought I was Catholic. As a matter of fact I am an Anglican’

Indeed it was her performance in that movie that endeared her to a number of movie producers and movie lovers. She kept receiving offers and has not stopped receiving those offers till date.

Asked to name her role models, Oge says that they are legion. But she lists the Hollywood actress Julia Roberts, Nigeria’s Taiwo Ajai Lycett, Liz Benson and the veteran actor ‘Uncle’ Olu Jacobs as actors that have had tremendous influence on her. She adds: “I love Uncle Olu Jacobs. He is like a father to me. He talks to me from time to time on how to be better.

“I recall that one thing that he told me that has sort of guided me is the fact that I must never strive to be like anyone but myself. That’s my word for anyone who wants to come into the industry. My word for them is that they shouldn’t come into the industry to be like my role model Liz Benson or like Auntie Taiwo Ajai Lycett. They should create their style and be themselves. They should do their own thing and aim at being better than those on the turf.”

Oge obviously has no regrets engaging the movie run way. She says that it has been worth the while and adds that she is always overjoyed each time fans cheer at her and each time people stop her on the streets to appreciate what she described as her ‘little effort’ on the screen. “I am happy each time they appreciate me. And really I don’t feel that I have arrived yet. Oge still has a lot of grounds to cover. But I appreciate all their love and concern they have shown and accorded me.”

If there is one role that her fans have not found her playing, then it’s the strip-teasing role. Oge says there is no rule to her not playing such roles. “No rule to it. I think as an actress, you should be versatile. You must not be tied to a particular character. You should be able to flow in any role you are given. You shouldn’t be stereotyped.

“So if I have not done any daring role, it’s because it’s the job that I have been given. But there is a very daring one that would soon come out. Maybe I should just ask my fans at this juncture to bear with me and consider my role in that movie as just make believe. I am certain that they would see a different Oge in the yet to be released movie.”

Oge loves casual wear because they give her freedom of movement. “I wear the best but it’s the best that would allow me move freely. So I normally would go for the best. I mean that’s one of the challenges we face as celebrities. You can’t afford not to appear good always. So my dress code has to do with what exactly is happening but I prefer a lot of casuals except when I have like a dinner or official engagement. Then I would look for something else to wear. But I prefer being caught in casuals, like in my jean and my shirt.

“As for perfume, I go for designers like Angels and Obsession. For jewelry I prefer gold. I hardly put on gels because I am prone to burns on my neckline. I am not too much into make-up. I only make up when I am on set. And as for food, I like Semovita and Edikaikang. I can hold on a shooting session once I am battling with a plate of Semovita and Edikainkong soup. As for music, I love rhythm and blues. I like to listen to Tuface Idibia and Lagbaja.

Asked to state the most ridiculous rumour she has read or heard about herself, Oge recalls a tale, which suggested that ‘she was dead and buried’. She states what would have necessitated such a costly tale: “It was one tale that swept me off my feet and to know that it was flying everywhere and was even published in a popular magazine and with my picture there. It has nothing to do with me. I think someone died after we shot my second movie ‘Spanner’ and the folks thought I was the one. So they went to the press without verifying. That’s one of the challenges we face as celebrities.

“The other is being able to interpret a particular role. I played a role of an army officer recently. It was challenging for me because I was to live a role of an army officer who was to hand out orders and keep a straight face. I tried everything possible and I know it came out well. Another part of the challenge is the fact that people judge you by the works you do and that’s a bad thing to do because our own job is to act. It doesn’t really mean that that is the way we are and that’s the thing we do because our own job is to act.

“I played a wacko role in a movie recently. I think it was in ‘Separate Lives’ and a woman came to me and was shouting on me at a filling station. She was just screaming and taking the role I played in the movie so personal. But apart from that, everything is cool and okay.”

Although she does not believe in reincarnation, Oge says she would choose to come back an actress if given the opportunity to live life again. Indeed for her, this has been very fulfilling. “I don’t think I would have been happier in another profession. It has been particularly fulfilling. I am comfortable with whatever I am earning as an actress. It has been able to pick up my bills. And of course, what I earn today is better than what we earned when I started. For me, it was not really about the money, because if it is, there were so many things one would have indulged in. So it was not really about the money. I just wanted to do that I had always wanted to do, which is acting. That was just it, even though the money is helping out somehow.”

When not on set, Oge spends time reading, watching movies, ‘catching some rest’ and ‘just chilling out with some of my friends and relations’. Asked where she would want to be five years from now, Oge quips, “Hollywood.” She would also want to be married then, be successful, have her kids and live a stress free life.”

*She is now married with kids*